Pirate Zuko au:

Zuko everytime a flying bison crashes into his ship wanting him to to teach the avatar firebending

what's the

Pirate Zuko AU Idea about?

I don't have a ton of this fic written, tbh. I think it amounts to maybe a half a page altogether, but here's the synopsis and a bit of dialogue I've been noodling around with.

Instead of a wild goose chase for the Avatar for 3 years, Zuko and his crew rebel against Ozai and turn pirate. Their targets are FN war vessels. They become sort of folk heroes to the EK and lower class FN citizens. When he realizes how much support Zuko is getting, Iroh suggests rolling their rebellion into a coup.

It takes a while, but Zuko eventually agrees after seeing how much harm his father is doing, and he and Iroh decided it's time to start building alliances with the other nations. Their first stop is the SWT, as they seem the likeliest to join the cause. As they're entering the southern waters, Zuko and his crew spot a strange beam of light in the distance.

Against all odds, they've stumbled upon the Avatar...

This is the bit of dialogue I've come up with. I think it would happen sometime soon after Zuko meets Katara, Sokka and Aang. I'm not sure why Zuko lied about his identity, but I like the idea of this scene.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were the Fire Lord’s son?” Katara asked. She kept her eyes on the horizon, but she felt Lee…no, Zuko shrug.

“Would you have trusted me if I had?” he countered.

“I guess not.” Katara sighed and turned to Zuko. Prince Zuko. That would take some time to wrap her mind around.

“If it makes you feel better, Ozai hasn’t claimed me as his son in quite some time.”

“Yeah, what happened there?” Now that the shock was beginning to wear off, Katara found herself curious about the pirate captain.

List of WIPS (last reblog)

Pirate Zuko is such an underrated concept

One thing I find really unrealistic with ATLA is that zuko spent 3 WHOLE YEARS on a ship sailing across a world submerged in war and not once did he get a moral crisis? Especially while counting the fact the Iroh is literally part of a huge organization? So I feel like it's very likely that a year or two into his banishment zuko's like: wait a minute, something doesn't add up. And proceeds to commit full blown treason as a PIRATE, and the entire time Iroh is gently preparing him for Rebellion and overthrowing his father. Just think about it, the betrayal, the feels, the bloody atrocities of war and how it affects literal children who are forced to fight it, the inhumane cruelty of spirits, and the painful realization that each person carries potential for both good and bad.

This whole concept has quite literally been torturing my brain for WEEKS.

I’m working on an ATLA AU where Azula goes “actually, fuck this” after the Agni Kai goes down, runs away with Zuko and starts a Pirate Empire with him and so far everything I’ve written for it is just this meme on steroids.

HIIIII I love your art sososoosooso much and I finally thought of smth to ask you (you probably already answered this) but how does azula fit into your pirate au???? Like is she just her normal role????DOES SHE BECOME A PIRATE??? I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW (also your art is absolutely beautiful thank you for your service in the zukka community)

THANK YOU SO MUUUCH OMGGG Im so happy to hear you like my art 😭😭😭

and as for azula in the pirate au strap in bc I have many thoughts and they’re mostly a mess lmao. I guess she could get a redemption arc? Sice zuko speedran his own by becoming an outlaw & starting to go against the FN at age 13. Which poses certain interesting plot questions like was she sent to capture the avatar and/or kill zuko bc he was becoming too much of a problem? What is the catalyst of her redemption arc? Does she get to meet the dragons? I think it would be funny (by funny I mean Stressful and Chaotic) to have both her & zuko become aang’s firebending teachers. Sorry aang. The thing I’m basically sure about is that at the end azula doesn’t have a breakdown and becomes firelord, since zuko already gave his station up for a life of sailing the seas & being sokka’s trophy husband

Fire, Water, and Government (Know Nothing of Mercy)

Summary:

After years and years of raids, the Fire Nation suddenly stops appearing. Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribes doesn’t know why or if he can trust it – so he brings his men to find answers. That’s when they start hearing rumors of the Pirate Prince, former Fire Nation royalty who now raids his own country’s ships. Could his attacks have provided the reprieve for the Southern Water Tribe?

Read on AO3

Freedom fighters and Maiko pirate au

I love that we all agree that zuko's form of teenage rebellion/getting back at his father is just him being a pirate. Of course he would the drama queen. Let him just cause chaos for his father and General Zhao for those three years.

A:tla - Pirate AU

Katara: hates pirates, actively tries to cut off their ambush routes. Leads assaults against the biggest threats. Speaks out against superstitions about having women on board

Aang: Katara’s errand boy warrior assistant who actually used to be a pirate but somehow hasn’t put that together (“yeah I don’t know, my family used to sail a lot but I don’t really remember why”)

Sokka: master cartographer and way-finder. He also submits many many ideas to the government about how to reconcile with some of the less violent captains and even use them to everyone’s advantage. Also in charge of finding less dangerous trade routes and gives free sailing/cartography lessons in his free time

Zuko: thinks/says he’s a pirate but is actually just REALLY deep into the black market and becomes a master tradesman. (I.e. he doesn’t actually sink vessels or actively try to hurt people, but has been known to order raids on ships run aground) Everyone he trades with sees his scar and decides its best to just give him a good -if not their best- prices so his ships will go in peace

Suki: runs an all-woman armada that is more feared than most pirate lords. They adopt Anne-Bonnie’s method of dressing like men until right before they kill their enemies- to let them know that they were in fact killed by a woman

Toph: daughter of two wealthy royal merchants- she stows away to find out who sank her favorite ship. She finds Zuko instead and becomes his iron fist- she thought about causing a mutiny against him since she’d “obviously make a better captain” but decides she doesn’t want the responsibility. She’s also their best spy.

Pirate zuko yelling at the gaang and avatar for crashing into his ship for the third time this week. How many times does he have to tell these people he's not interested in becoming anyones firebending teacher! No matter how many times the cute water bender gives him sad eyes(also he saved her one time from rival pirates. That doesn't make them friends!)

Zuko: stop braking my ship!

Haha

Much to Zuko's frustration, he still ends up helping the Gaang even if it's by accident at first.

@gloomybirdie and anyone else who started the Pirate Yue AU

Love the two spirit-chosen being bffs

your pirate au has me in a chokehold and im really curious as to how suki and the kyoshi warriors fit in there

OH honestly I don’t really have a precise idea?? I guess it mostly depends on if zuko & crew go to Kyoshi Island before or after the gaang does? If they even go there at all?

I think it would be funny if they only heard absurdly grand rumors about each other and when they meet and discover they’re the same age they’re like. :/ wait YOU’re supposed to be the warrior the myth the legend? you’re just some guy (gender neutral)

Pirate!au where Zuko and Sokka are captains of their own fleets and end up liking each other so much they decide to “co-captain�� and it’s totally not gay

I need to read a real book that will fix me

Jetko Week 2022.

Day 6: Pirates.

The competition becomes increasingly ridiculous. Zuko has the weirdest stuff because he's Zuko, and weird stuff happens to him.

@jetkoweek