Fire Lord Zuko - Tumblr Posts

1 year ago

Hihi I was hoping I could request enemies to lovers Zuko x fem!reader?

The reader is a traitor to the fire nation and can bend fire (also a street peformer before she joined the gaang? ๐Ÿ‘€) ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•

Omg getting a request just made my day I love these!!!

I hope you like it ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿซถ

YOURE STILL A TRAITOR

Hihi I Was Hoping I Could Request Enemies To Lovers Zuko X Fem!reader?

Id like to say that my life is good, that Iโ€™m happy where I am but Iโ€™m not. Iโ€™m upset and frustrated; but most of all Iโ€™m living on the street, preforming stupid acrobatic tricks just to feed myself. Iโ€™ve left everything behind. My family and wealth but most importantly someone I never wanted to live without.

Iโ€™m upside down when I see them; soft flames coming from the soles of my bare feet. Resting on my forearms and twisting and contorting my body.

โ€œYou.โ€ A teenaged girl approaches me and I turn right side up, โ€œyouโ€™re a fire bender arenโ€™t you!โ€ She says, โ€œwhatโ€™s your name?โ€

โ€œUhโ€ I stare at her and smile nervously, โ€œy/n Huว’โ€ I repeat slowly, and quietly. People of the fire nation know the traitor Iโ€™ve become outside the walls of the fire nation. Meeting the avatar, going against my friends for his life. All because I believed in something greater than all of this.

โ€œI know youโ€ a boy says, bandana around his forehead, โ€œyour grandpa, Yรบjรฌn. I know- or knew himโ€ He says

โ€œOh.โ€ Realization hits my face, โ€œyouโ€™re the avatar!โ€ A short girl slaps me.

โ€œWow way to tell everyone!โ€ She retorts, god are little kids sassy.

โ€œYou could teach Aang firebendingโ€ Katara says, itโ€™s hard not to know someoneโ€™s name when thereโ€™s wanted posters all over town.

โ€œIโ€™m good at fire bending but Iโ€™m no masterโ€ I say, โ€œI thought Prince Zuko abandoned the throne to teach youโ€ I ask

โ€œWell heโ€™s uh.. learning a new way to firebendโ€ Toph laughs a little and I smile awkwardly.

โ€œI donโ€™t bend very traditionallyโ€ I reply, โ€œbut if it will get me off the streets I guess why notโ€ I stand up straighter and brush my hair out of my face.

โ€œYou brought that back?!โ€ Zuko shouts, weโ€™ve had a long history. One that includes a betrothal, and a knife to the gut. He looks at me with disgust which Iโ€™m not surprised at.

โ€œIโ€™m a girl. Not a thing!โ€ I cry out, โ€œthe only reason Iโ€™m here is because Aang needs a firebending teacher because you suck!โ€ I scoff out at him, thereโ€™s fire burning in his hands but I never raise mine.

He groans at me, โ€œyouโ€™ve always been like this! Even whenโ€

โ€œZuko I donโ€™t want to talk about thatโ€ I warn, thereโ€™s a plea in my voice but he accepts that, โ€œit was a long time agoโ€

โ€œYeah like it was that long agoโ€ he sasses and I roll my eyes.

โ€œZuko!โ€

It doesnโ€™t take long for things to settle down; Iโ€™m essentially useless now that Zuko has gotten his bending back. Even if he did it how I told him to do it all along but whatever.

The bickering still happens, and I want to throw a knife at him but part of me still loves him. I didnโ€™t hate being betrothed to him as much as I thought I did.

โ€œDid you ever miss us?โ€ I ask him, โ€œafter you were banished. I refused to Azula to give away your location and then the Avatars when you wrote meโ€ I confess, โ€œso I leftโ€

โ€œI think. At first I did, but I donโ€™tโ€” I donโ€™t think we wouldโ€™ve worked together. We fight all the time. I hated you at first. And you hated meโ€ He admits, looking down slightly. He sighs heavily

โ€œYeah. I guess. But I didnโ€™t really hate- hate youโ€ I admit, โ€œI missed you. I liked knowing youโ€

He nods, โ€œI did like knowing you too, youโ€™ve changed so much. I mean your fire itโ€™s pinkโ€ he laughs

โ€œMaybe itโ€™s from my bubbly personalityโ€ I tease, he laughs

โ€œYou. Have a bubbly personality!โ€ He laughs and itโ€™s so good to hear, โ€œyou were so shy, like if I sneezed too hard I would scare youโ€

I smile softly, โ€œIโ€™ve changed so much sense I was twelveโ€ my hair falls around my face and he tucks the loose strand around my ear

โ€œWhat now that youโ€™re fourteen?โ€ He teases softly, his hand lingers behind my ear. But he removes himself quickly.

โ€œZuko. Im fifteenโ€ I remind him, itโ€™s embarrassing when he says he knows how my heart flutters and I feel weak in the knees.

โ€œI remember, once you turned eighteen we wouldโ€™veโ€ he looks away with a blush on his cheeks

โ€œYeah. Gotten marriedโ€ I laugh, and I keep laughing because the thought of getting married feels so small and childish to the war weโ€™re supposed to be preparing for.

He laughs; rolling laughs that make me keep laughing. My laughs turn short and wheezy before his face straightens, โ€œare you ok? Can you breathe?โ€ His face turns to me and he smiles seeing my smile. Itโ€™s a smile that makes my cheeks hurt and heart race.

โ€œAs the Prince of the fire nation. Iโ€™m supposed to hate you. Because youโ€™ve betrayed our nation. But as Zuko. As your Zuko. In this moment I donโ€™t feel anything but hate. I feel love for you. A fire that I never want to put outโ€ he tells me, scooting closer to me. I let him cradle my face, โ€œI never hated youโ€

โ€œI never hated you eitherโ€ a weak laugh escapes me but he kisses me before it truly develops. Itโ€™s a kiss that devours me whole, wrapping itself into my heart and soul.

โ€œIf we make it through this. Letโ€™s make good on that betrothalโ€


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1 year ago

ARE YOU MINE

Zuko โ€œsomeone to call mineโ€ part two!

@multifandomedsimp ily bcz u commented and that shit makes my day

ARE YOU MINE

It takes me two days before I text the number on the gift card, โ€œhello?โ€ A voice answers, I know that voice, โ€œthis is Zukoโ€

โ€œI know.. itโ€™s y/n from the other day. You gave me your number on the gift cardโ€ I nervously say, โ€œum this is so random but would you maybe want toโ€”โ€œ

โ€œYesโ€

โ€œI havenโ€™t even said the questionโ€

โ€œJust yesโ€ His voice feels so desperate and it makes me feel wanted in a way Iโ€™ve never felt for a guy before.

It doesnโ€™t take long for us to meet up, โ€œare you sure itโ€™s not too late?โ€ I ask walking into the locker rooms, โ€œIโ€™ve got lacrosse practiceโ€

โ€œNo, I just want to see you thatโ€™s allโ€ he replies, โ€œhave funโ€

I finish up two hours later; shower and drive to the park where weโ€™re going to walk about. I see him; baggy jeans and crewneck which is a contrast to my leggings and hoodie. My damp hair down and scrunched up, โ€œheyโ€ he smiles as I walk up to him; hands tucked into my pockets.

โ€œHi, itโ€™s cold out tonight. Didnโ€™t the groundhog say it was supposed to be warm now?โ€ I laugh a little, but my joke feels stupid now, โ€œdo you have any siblings?โ€ I ask

He sighs, โ€œI have a sister, Azula but sheโ€™s not right in the headโ€ he looks down a little disappointed but sighs and looks back up, โ€œwhat about youโ€

โ€œI have a little sister, Suki. Sheโ€™s definitely a characterโ€ I smile a little, โ€œsheโ€™s annoying to all annoyingness but I would kill for herโ€

โ€œA little sister seems nice, um how was your practice?โ€ He asks; weโ€™re both a little awkward and itโ€™s nice to feel this way again

โ€œIt was good, lots of drills. Especially being Varsity captain thereโ€™s a lot of pressure to do wellโ€ I ramble, โ€œdo you do any sports?โ€ I ask, nervously stuffing my hands into my pockets to fidget and pull at my nails

โ€œNo. I just make teaโ€ he laughs a little, itโ€™s a nervous and hoarse thing but it eases me comfort that he feels as I do, โ€œI used to play soccer but I lost the passion for it. You know?โ€ He gives a short smile as we circle around, and we find ourself back at the tea shop, โ€œtea?โ€

โ€œThat..โ€ the wind brushes through my jacket, โ€œwould be so niceโ€ I smile as he leads me inside, we donโ€™t take long before we get comfortable with each other. Sitting next to each other, talking about whatever.

โ€œWhat was your mom like?โ€ I ask, rubbing my hands on the cup of lotus tea to keep warm, โ€œcan I ask that?โ€

โ€œI guess, she was kind, and sweet. The only one who actually tried to help poor Azula. My uncle has stepped up in her place and in my fatherโ€™s tooโ€ he confesses, he looks so sad. I wrap my hand around his loose one that hangs by his side. Twisting my fingers intertwined with his.

โ€œMy dad left when I was four. I never really knew why but throughout my parents marriage he..โ€ thereโ€™s a long exhale and I lean against him, bunching my knees to my chest, โ€œwas cheating on my mom. But she was pregnant with Sukiโ€ I pause trying to remember what happened. There was a fight, breaking glass but, โ€œI canโ€™t remember anything elseโ€

โ€œThank you, for sharing that with me. My father was the same, he never cheated on my mother but he wasnโ€™t a kind man either. I lied before. My scar doesnโ€™t come from a tea pot explodingโ€ he confesses, looking down ashamed at his own lie that doesnโ€™t seem too horrible, โ€œmy father burned me. I think itโ€™s a blessing I donโ€™t exactly remember what happenedโ€

โ€œYes. Maybe it is a good thing. I really like you Zukoโ€ I admit. Maybe itโ€™s the warm tea in my stomach or how talking about things that have hurt me so bad and not crying over it. It makes me feel good in some way

โ€œI really like you tooโ€


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11 months ago

PALE MOONLIGHT

Zuko (back on the grind again. Letโ€™s see if this one makes it out of the drafts)

PALE MOONLIGHT

Iโ€™m from the water tribe, the north side instead of the south. Aang and I have become somewhat close; and Iโ€™ve found inner peace and acceptance of my sisters death. Coping and managing through deep breaths. But Iโ€™ve never been out like this. Hands on my knees and taking deep breaths. Trying to calm the racing of my heart.

Iโ€™m nervous, we attack Firelord Sozin tomorrow. But Iโ€™m too nervous to sleep. To antsy and pacy to think. So Iโ€™ve come out of my tent. To sit and think as Aang has advised. Itโ€™s Zuko who brings me from my spiral, โ€œy/nโ€ he murmurs my name so slightly I nearly jump out of my skin. I emit a soft gasp and he jumps a little too, โ€œIโ€™m sorryโ€ he apologizes quickly before sitting next to me.

We overlook the sea, and how the pale moonlight reflects onto us, โ€œdid I wake you?โ€ I ask after a minute of silence. He shakes his head and leans back.

โ€œNo. I was already awake. I saw you come out of your tent. I wanted to make sure youโ€™re okโ€ he replies, our voices are hushed. Like silent secret whispers thatโ€™ll fade into the night. Like words thatโ€™ll never be spoken again. Even if weโ€™re together.

โ€œI just needed to clear my head, Iโ€™m like nervous about tomorrow but relived because maybe itโ€™ll be over? But then.. I donโ€™t know what Iโ€™ll do when itโ€™s over. Or if it ever isโ€ I confide, looking over at him. Pushing my damp hair over my shoulder to get a better look at him.

Heโ€™ll flex his jaw and stare down at his hands, โ€œI guess that makes sense.. I think Iโ€™m going to have to kill Azula. My own sisterโ€ his voice quiets even more at that depressing thought. I sit up and reach for his hand. Holding it tenderly in my own.

โ€œI couldnโ€™t imagine hurting my siblings. I mean I hate them sometimes but ending their livesโ€ฆโ€ the hair on the back of my neck raises. The love I still have for my sister haunts me. It scares me.

โ€œSheโ€™s just..โ€ he pauses, โ€œnot right in the head. I donโ€™t know why, maybe if my mom hadnโ€™t left maybe ifโ€ he stops and stares at me, his eyes soften and he looks beautiful as the moon reflects on him. He looks almost angelic in this light. Like a gift from heaven.

โ€œThereโ€™s no point in wondering about the โ€˜ifโ€™sโ€™ we can only manage with the nowโ€™sโ€ I tell him, pulling myself away from him as he leans in. Just a smidge, โ€œwe should go to bed.. sleep upโ€

His nostrils flare a little but he nods and helps me stand, โ€œthank you. For this talkโ€

I smile, โ€œof course. It means a lot to me that you shared this with meโ€

It happens so suddenly. He wraps me into his arms, holding me tightly in this strange hug. But I fall into it, grasping my arms around him too, โ€œthank you againโ€ I hear him murmur as he pulls away from me. He pats my shoulder and we bid each other goodnight.

As he walks into his tent the moonlight recedes away from him, and Iโ€™m dropped into the glass pool of moonlight.


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8 months ago

๐€๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ | ๐™๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ฑ ๐Ÿ!๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ

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๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐Ÿท ~ ๐™ป๐šŠ๐š”๐šŽ

๐š†๐šŠ๐š›๐š—๐š’๐š—๐š๐šœ: ๐š—๐š˜๐š—๐šŽ

๐š‚๐šŽ๐š›๐š’๐šŽ๐šœ ๐šœ๐šž๐š–๐š–๐šŠ๐š›๐šข: ๐‘Œ๐‘œ๐‘ข โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐น๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘”๐‘’๐‘ ๏ผŒ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘ƒ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘˜๐‘œ๏ผŒ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘–๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐น๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘๐‘–๐‘๐‘˜๐‘  ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๏ผŒ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘”๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘’๏ผŽ๏ผŽ๏ผŽ

๐™ฐ/๐™ฝ: ๐šƒ๐™ท๐™ธ๐š‚ ๐™ธ๐š‚ ๐™ฝ๐™พ๐šƒ ๐™ผ๐šˆ ๐š†๐™พ๐š๐™บ!!! ๐šƒ๐š‘๐š’๐šœ ๐š’๐šœ ๐šŠ ๐š๐š’๐šŒ ๐š๐š‘๐šŠ๐š ๐š–๐šข ๐š•๐š’๐š๐š๐š•๐šŽ ๐šœ๐š’๐šœ๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐š’๐šœ ๐š˜๐š›๐š’๐š๐š’๐š—๐šŠ๐š•๐š•๐šข ๐š ๐š›๐š’๐š๐š’๐š—๐š ๐š˜๐š— ๐š ๐šŠ๐š๐š๐š™๐šŠ๐š ๐šž๐š—๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šž๐šœ๐šŽ๐š› ๐š˜๐š ๐š‰๐šž๐š”๐š˜๐šœ๐š†๐š’๐š๐šŽ๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿฝ. ๐š‚๐š‘๐šŽ ๐š๐š˜๐šŽ๐šœ๐š—โ€™๐š ๐š‘๐šŠ๐šŸ๐šŽ ๐šŠ ๐š๐šž๐š–๐š‹๐š•๐š› ๐šŠ๐šŒ๐šŒ๐š˜๐šž๐š—๐š ๐šœ๐š˜ ๐šœ๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šŠ๐šœ๐š”๐šŽ๐š ๐š–๐šŽ ๐š๐š˜ ๐š™๐šž๐š‹๐š•๐š’๐šœ๐š‘ ๐š’๐š ๐š˜๐š— ๐š–๐š’๐š—๐šŽ.

๐šƒ๐š˜๐š๐šŠ๐š• ๐š ๐š˜๐š›๐š๐šœ: ๐Ÿท๐Ÿผ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿบ

๐™ฝ๐šŽ๐šก๐š ๐šŒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š›

Narrators' P.o.v:

Your feet slam against the cold stone pathway as Aurora drags you by my arm down to the river. It's about 6 in the morning and she decided to drag you down to the river for an early morning swim. Not that you're complaining though. You've always had sort of a connection with water you guess? The way it flows around you, the refreshing feeling of fresh water on your fingertips, the way it moves when you practice bending.

You snap out of your thoughts when you feel the ground under you change textures, switching to the cold sand you know from the lake. Aurora lets go of your hand once you get to the beach, tossing her towel on the dock that extends a couple of yards out into the water. She runs full force off the deck, tucking her legs to her torso with one hand and squeezing her nose shut with the other.

"CANNONBALL!" she yells as she jumps off the dock. A small grin spreads across her face as she emerges from the water, hair soaking wet. She shakes like a dog before turning to you and giving you a grin.

You set your towel down on the dock and walk to the edge, sitting down and swinging your legs over the dock plunging them into the cold water. It feels fresh on your skin like a cold breeze on a hot summer's day.

"Y/n get in the water already!" Aurora whines.

You swing your legs back and forth, testing the water before lifting yourself off the dock and sinking into the water. You dunk your head under the water letting it soak into your hair, emerging from the water, you run your hands over your face pushing your hair out of the way.

As you have your eyes shut to avoid getting water in them, you feel the cold water splash onto my back. You turn around slowly your jaw dropped. "What the hell Aurora?!" you yell, "You were already wet anyway!" she yells back defensively, her hands raised above her head, surrendering. You splash her back aggressively but not enough to hurt her and she covers her face but ends up getting water in her eyes anyway as you continue to splash her. ยซ Stop itttt! ยป she screams, but you don't stop.

You use your water bending to pick up a ball of water, bringing it over to her and letting it go.

"Aahh! Y/n! Why would you do that?!" she yells, wringing out her hair.

"You deserved it." you shrug a small grin spreading across your face. You swim back over to the dock and climb up onto it while Aurora is still in the water.

You watch her for a couple of minutes in silence before she turns to you to say something "Do you want to go into the town today? For like a girl's day?" she asks while doggy paddling over to you.

"Yeah sure, any specific reason why?" you ask, tilting your head to the side slightly.

"No not really," she climbs over the edge of the dock and walks to the shore, she picks up her towel and wraps it around herself. "Is it illegal to want to spend time with my sister?" She asks sarcastically, raising one eyebrow.

"I mean no but I don't recall a time you didn't have other reasons to hang out with me," you stand up from the edge of the dock and turn around to face her, crossing your arms.

She rolls her eyes and turns away from you starting up the beach and to the house. You run up to catch up with her and you get to the house shortly. Once you get to the house you open the door to a heavenly aroma coming from the kitchen. You walk into the kitchen and take in a big whiff of, pancakes? You're not sure.

"That smells really good Mom," You say leaning against the doorway. "Thank you, sweetie, it's chocolate chip pancakes." She says as she flips a pancake. "Do you want any?" She turns around to face you. "No I'm good," Yourespond shaking your head. "I need to go take a shower. But I'll have some after." you walk to your room and into the bathroom connected to it.

After you take a shower you wrap yourself in a towel and pick out an outfit from your dresser.

The outfit:

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(You can choose a different one if you don't like it this is just a suggestion btw)

You walk into the dining room again where your sister is sitting at the table reading the newspaper. She looks up at you and a mischievous grin spreads across her face.You raise one eyebrow at this.

"What?" you ask as you slide onto the bench against the wall at the dining room table. She turns around the paper and doesn't give you time to read it before talking excitedly, "The prince is choosing his wife today Y/n!" she blurts out wiggling her eyebrows in your direction, "you need to get over it already, it was just a childhood crush. Nothing more, and anyway I don't have an ounce of attraction to him now. I mean with all the horrible things he's done, he doesn't even interact with his people! If I were a princess I would actually connect to my people..." you mutter that last part.

"I know, I know," she says as she waves her hand dismissively, "but you have a chance to be princess technically, I mean with the whole having to choose his wife today thing." she stabs a piece of pancake with her fork and shovels it into her mouth. "He has been very picky about his spouse, he even rejected Luna of the water tribe. LUNA! She's gorgeous." she shovels another piece of pancake into her mouth and you grimace.

Mom slides a plate to you full of steaming hot pancakes and you give her an appreciative smile. "Yeah. You wonder why he has? Cause he's stuck up. I mean he's been waited on by servants his entire life, he's probably a whiny man baby that can't do anything for himself." you stab a piece of pancake with your fork and shove it into your mouth.

"He would be a dreamy man baby either way," she plops her head into her hands "I mean have you SEEN him after he got rid of that god-awful ponytail?"

You shake your head disapprovingly, "First of all don't call him dreamy you should stick to liking boys your age, and second of all I have but it doesn't make it any less of a horrible person and worse ruler." you take a sip of my water. "Personality is a huge part of the attraction as well as looks."

She sighs and rolls her eyes at your statement. "What if he's not a horrible person? How do you even know he is anyway? It's not like you've actually met him before."

"He hasn't exactly proven himself to be a good person, he's made horrible decisions for the safety of his people just for more power."

Obviously.

"What if that was his dad or someone else? You don't know if it was him," she says furrowing her eyebrows.

"Y'know what fine, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. But the moment he does something that would prove my point I'm going right back to hating him." you finish the rest of your pancakes and bring my plate over to the dishwasher placing it in with the other plates. Aurora follows shortly after you, putting her plate in the sink, "I wonder who he's going to choose though." She leans against the counter and faces you. "Just think it could be anyone in this town, at least the girls his age. It could be you!" She throws her arms up in the air dramatically while saying this.

"I'd rather not it be me," you say my voice laced with repulse. "I mean to be quite frank marrying a man I just met is nauseating. The lifestyle wouldn't be half bad though, the dresses, the money, the palace, seems pretty great."

She scoffs at your statement, "Who cares if you don't know anything about him? You probably wouldn't even have to interact with him half the time. He would be bust with all his lordly duties or whatever. You would basically just be a trophy wife, something to boost his image."

"I'd rather not be treated like an object, knowing there's so much wrong with the nation and not being able to do a single thing about it would quite literally put me in a mental institution." you turn away from her, heading back over to the table and sitting down again. "How soon do you want to go into the town?" you ask.

"In like 5 minutes," she lowers herself onto the chair next to you while saying this. "Are you going to drive us or do we have to walk?" She asks, obviously hoping it's the former.

You try to resist a smile fighting itself onto your face at her obvious favor to driving, "Don't worry I'll drive us there." you say slightly shaking your head.

"Great!" She responds shooting up from her chair and making her way to where we keep our shoes. You make your way over there as well, grabbing a pair of navy Converse and cramming your feet into them (Converse are actual hell to put on). You quickly put your hair up with a claw clip and tie your shoes just as Aurora finishes putting hers on.

You walk out the door and you close it behind you, walking to the car where Aurora is already sitting in the passenger seat. "Ready?" you ask as you get into the driver's seat. You buckle your seatbelt and turn to her as she nods. "Ok," you respond and press your foot to the gas pedal.

~~~~~~~~~~~โ™•โ™”~~~~~~~~~~~

๐™ฝ๐šŽ๐šก๐š ๐š’๐š— ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŽ๐š›๐š’๐šŽ๐šœ:

๐€๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ | ๐™๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ฑ ๐‘๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ
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๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐Ÿธ ~ ๐šƒ๐š˜๐š ๐š— ๐š†๐šŠ๐š›๐š—๐š’๐š—๐š๐šœ: ๐™ฝ๐š˜๐š—๐šŽ ๐™ฐ/๐™ฝ: ๐š—๐š˜๐š ๐š–๐šข ๐š ๐š˜๐š›๐š” ๐š–๐šข ๐šœ๐š’๐šœ๐š๐šŽ๐š›โ€™๐šœ ๐š˜๐š— ๐š ๐šŠ๐š๐š๐š™๐šŠ๐š. Word count: 1295 ๐™ฟ๐š›๐šŽ๐šŸ๐š’๐š˜๐šž๐šœ ๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› | ๐™ฝ๐šŽ๐šก๐š ๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๏ฟฝโ€ฆ
๐€๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ | ๐™๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ฑ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฆ! ๐‘๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ
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๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐Ÿน - ๐™ฒ๐š‘๐š˜๐šœ๐šŽ๐š—? Warnings: none, A/N: this is not my work, my itโ€™s my sisterโ€™s from Wattpad Narrator's P.O.V: Oh god... You tu

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8 months ago

๐€๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ | ๐™๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ฑ ๐‘๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ

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๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐Ÿธ ~ ๐šƒ๐š˜๐š ๐š—

๐š†๐šŠ๐š›๐š—๐š’๐š—๐š๐šœ: ๐™ฝ๐š˜๐š—๐šŽ

๐™ฐ/๐™ฝ: ๐š—๐š˜๐š ๐š–๐šข ๐š ๐š˜๐š›๐š” ๐š–๐šข ๐šœ๐š’๐šœ๐š๐šŽ๐š›โ€™๐šœ ๐š˜๐š— ๐š ๐šŠ๐š๐š๐š™๐šŠ๐š.

Word count: 1295

๐™ฟ๐š›๐šŽ๐šŸ๐š’๐š˜๐šž๐šœ ๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› | ๐™ฝ๐šŽ๐šก๐š ๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š›

Narrator's P.O.V:

The drive to town is peaceful, it always is. With the music playing on the radio and Aurora shutting up for once in her life it's basically heaven on earth.

But then you get into the town.

Don't get me wrong you love living so close to the capitol of the Fire Nation, the dense variety of people, the fresh food, the festivals, and just the culture in general, but it can get a bit chaotic at times. It's a very bustling place. People always seem to have somewhere they need to be immediately.

Today seems like a chiller day, the weather is perfect and people seem to be calmer than usual. There are only a couple of people that you can see from your line of vision, an older couple, a mom and two children, and an old man walking with a cane.

You park on the side of the street and pull your keys out of the car. You gather up all your stuff and place it in a tote bag you brought. You step out of the car and close the door behind you, walking over to Aurora.

"Where do you want to go first?" She asks while slinging a bag over her shoulder.

"We should go to the boutique," You respond. We can't exactly afford it but it's fun to see.

"Ok!" she responds eagerly and starts skipping towards the boutique, she's always loved the town and is practically begging you to take her every day, and we do end up going most days.

You pick up your pace to catch up to Aurora who is about a block ahead of you now and we come to a stop. You look up to see the familiar swoopy letters spelling out boutique in fancy cursive on the sign above the shop. Aurora walks into the shop and the bell dings above us as the door swings open. "Welcome in you two!" the shopkeeper says as Aurora briskly walks from dress to dress examining every single one with care, "Good morning Miriam," You wave at the older woman who runs the shop. She has gray thinning hair and a bony frame but somehow is still glowing in her old age.

"Any new shipments?" You ask while leaning against the front desk. Miriam has gotten used to our visits at this point and doesn't seem to mind when we don't buy anything.

"I got some new dresses for some of the girls to wear during the prince's choosing of his spouse." She shakes her head, "About half the girls in the city are going to be dressed up for him, the other half couldn't care less!" she lets out a small laugh at this. "I wouldn't either, I already told Aurora but being forced into a marriage isn't exactly as glamorous as the books make it out to be," You look back at Aurora who is now trying on different hats in the mirror. A smile spreads onto your face before you turn back to Miriam, "There's just so many factors that could go wrong. Not liking them, them being abusive, cheating. It's too much to even think about,"

"You're always looking on the darker side of things when it comes to a relationship Y/n, you're always such a bubbly person but when it comes to relationships you only think of the worst-case scenario, why?" She leans against the other side of the counter giving you a look that says even if you don't tell me I'm going to find out, she always does.

"Honestly I'm not completely sure, I've heard so many horror stories about guys who have done crazy things in relationships. One time a girl told me her ex snuck into her house and lived under her room in her basement for a whole month before they found him!" a hint of worry flashes across your face even thinking about that.

"You do know that those things don't happen as often as you think right? People tend to focus on the badย  things and lose the good along the way." She looks into your eyes before walking around the counter and placing her hands on your shoulders, "I'm sure that whoever you end up with will be great." She says with a reassuring look on her face.

You nod your head slightly and look up at her, "Thank you, Miriam." You say a small smile on your lips.

She lets go of your shoulders and turns to Aurora and walks over there to start talking to her. You tune out their conversation and go over to some of the dresses on the rack. You're flipping through them when a pearly white dress catches your eye. It's floor-length with bits of see-through fabric flowing down from the side and sleeves of the same material.

The dress:

(If you don't like it imagine something different.)

You pull the dress from the rack and walk over to the mirror holding it in front of your body. It is perfect, everything about it. It's the perfect length, color, fabric, everything. You do a spin still holding the dress to your body and the fabric flows like something from a storybook. You run your hands over the silky fabric before placing it back on the rack where you found it, sighing.

You turn away from the array of dresses and to Aurora and Miriam, Miriam holding a dark red dress in front of Aurora and looking deep in thought. A slight giggle comes out of your mouth at the scene when you see Aurora reaching for a completely different dress than is held in front of her. You make your way over to them and just stand to the side to watch the scene play out.

"No no no," Miriam scolds Aurora "this one will go better with your color palette." She knocks Aurora's arm back to her side but she raises it up again.

Aurora starts whining "But Miriammm, that one is prettier!" She points to a light blue dress and reaches out for it. "No, not for you." Miriam slaps her hand away again. You walk behind Aurora and put your hands on her shoulders, "She's right you know? That dress would look better on you." You peek out from behind her to look in the mirror. "Fine! Fine..." She mumbles begrudgingly.

After a couple more dresses are shoved in front of Aurora we tidy up the place and say our goodbye to Miriam, exiting the shop. You follow Aurora into an old antique store where we look around for a bit at different trinkets and other things. While we are in the shop you hear some girls talking about something that catches your attention.

"Who do you think the prince will choose to be his wife?" The girl on the left asks, she has long blonde hair and brown eyes and is wearing a gown.

Probably from Miriam's.

"Probably one of those stuck-up rich girls that go to school with us." The girl next to her says while rolling her eyes, they both look about 17. Too young to even get picked by Prince Zuko.

Before you can hear the rest of their conversation Aurora grabs you by the arm and drags you out of the store, mumbling something about the shop owner. You're not paying attention until she taps you on the shoulder aggressively obviously trying to get your attention.

"What?" You ask, whipping your head around to face her.

Oh god...

~~~~~~~~~~~โ™•โ™”~~~~~~~~~~~

๐™ฝ๐šŽ๐šก๐š ๐š’๐š— ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŽ๐š›๐š’๐šŽ๐šœ:

๐€๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ | ๐™๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ฑ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฆ! ๐‘๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ
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๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐Ÿน - ๐™ฒ๐š‘๐š˜๐šœ๐šŽ๐š—? Warnings: none, A/N: this is not my work, my itโ€™s my sisterโ€™s from Wattpad Narrator's P.O.V: Oh god... You tu

๐™ฟ๐š›๐šŽ๐šŸ๐š’๐š˜๐šž๐šœ ๐š’๐š— ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŽ๐š›๐š’๐šŽ๐šœ:

๐€๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ | ๐™๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ฑ ๐Ÿ!๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ
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๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐Ÿท ~ ๐™ป๐šŠ๐š”๐šŽ ๐š†๐šŠ๐š›๐š—๐š’๐š—๐š๐šœ: ๐š—๐š˜๐š—๐šŽ ๐š‚๐šŽ๐š›๐š’๐šŽ๐šœ ๐šœ๐šž๐š–๐š–๐šŠ๐š›๐šข: ๐‘Œ๐‘œ๐‘ข โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐น๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘œโ€ฆ

Tags :
8 months ago

๐™๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐Œ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ | ๐€๐ฅ๐ญ๐š

โœงโ‹„โ‹†โ‹…โ‹†โ‹„โœงโ‹„โ‹†โ‹…โ‹†โ‹„โœงโ‹„โ‹†โ‹…โ‹†โ‹„โœงโ‹„โ‹†โ‹…โ‹†โ‹„โœงโ‹„โ‹†โ‹…โ‹†โ‹„โœง

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๐’๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ

๐‘ƒ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”...

๐€๐ฅ๐›๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฌ

๐ด๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘”๐‘’๐‘‘ | ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘˜๐‘œ ๐‘ฅ ๐‘…๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ

๐ผ๐‘› ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘โ„Ž ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘˜๐‘œโ€™๐‘  ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘ž๐‘ข๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›.

๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ 1 ~ ๐ฟ๐‘Ž๐‘˜๐‘’

๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ 2 ~ ๐‘‡๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘›

๐ถโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ 3 ~ ๐ถโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘’๐‘›?


Tags :
8 months ago

๐€๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ | ๐™๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ฑ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฆ! ๐‘๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ

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๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐Ÿน - ๐™ฒ๐š‘๐š˜๐šœ๐šŽ๐š—?

Warnings: none,

A/N: this is not my work, my itโ€™s my sisterโ€™s from Wattpad

๐™ฟ๐š›๐šŽ๐šŸ๐š’๐š˜๐šž๐šœ ๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š›

Narrator's P.O.V:

Oh god...

You turn around to a massive crowd of people that came seemingly out of nowhere.

"I think the price might be coming," Aurora says, staring out into the crowd trying to spot the royal family.

"You think?" You say bringing your hand up over your eyes to shield them from the sun. People fill the streets as far back as your vision goes, craning to get a look and the bachelor.

"I feel bad. For the girls, the majority of them won't even end up getting chosen. They'll probably end up beating themselves up, thinking they aren't pretty enough or something. It's heartbreaking honestly, no girl should have to go through that."

She just nods still peering into the crowd. "Wanna bet on who he'll pick? Feature-wise, it would be impossible to predict the exact person.โ€ Aurora offers.

"Sure." Scanning the crowd my eyes land on a specific girl. Blonde, blue eyes, gorgeous.

In the past Zuko has dated one girl. That girl was Mai. So his wife will probably have her features.

"Black hair," I say all of a sudden, and Aurora turns to me with her eyebrow raised.

"What makes you think that?" asks Aurora.

"Educated guess. Based off of past girlfriends, or girlfriend I suppose."

With her jaw slightly dropped she turns to me, "That is FOUL,"

"What it's the truth?!" you defensively say back, and turn back to the crowd.

Suddenly Aurora takes your hand and drags you forward

"hey!" you say, in a slightly louder tone. "Where are you planning to go?"

She doesn't answer and just continues weaving through people carefully.

Well, this will be fun, you think, mentally rolling your eyes.

The girl weaves through the crowd eventually making it to a tall light post and hoisting herself onto it, gesturing for you to join her.

You plant your foot on the hard surface and step up, being careful to not lose your footing.

The crowd is still dense but at the new advantage point you can see slightly farther, and this includes a... carriage of some sort.

In a couple of seconds, the object comes more into your line of sight and you now realize what it is. Or rather what it is carrying.

The current fire lord and his close family, including Azula and Zuko sit in the vehicle, Azula waving to people as they pass and Zuko sitting still. He has a look on his face that looks, in the most simple terms, undecided, a mix of stoic and anger.

As the carriage moves closer you can tell that both Zuko and the Firelord are scanning the crowd thoroughly. Probably looking for a girl up to Zuko's standards. One they know is of age.

A couple of times the princess points into the crowd at girls but the prince rejects them every time.

"See what I said about him being picky," you whisper to Aurora and she stifles a laugh.

~

Zuko's P.O.V:

I don't understand why I can't just stay unmarried, it's not like the world is going to end if I don't have a spouse by the time I become Firelord.

I have great people skills.

Scanning the crowd my gaze lands on a couple of young women about my age. They're pretty but the second I make eye contact with them they squeal and make a big deal about it to their friends. Then they don't seem too pretty anymore.

I would rather I don't have a fan girl for a wife. It would just be... weird.

Don't get me wrong I don't want my wife to hate me but being obsessed with me before she even knows me is a bit unattractive.

My sister taps my shoulder to get my attention and points into the crowd at a young woman's wife with long black hair and tanned skin. The minute I look at her she faints, and I shake my head.

"This is stupid Father, why can't I just go wifeless," it's a bit of a risky question but I ask it anyway.

"I know very well that you cannot work a room, and you can cook and clean but refuse to," Father says, his voice filled with regret.

"Why would I do useless things like that when we have servants?" I ask and my father just shakes his head and turns back to scanning the crowd.

This is so idiotic...

~

Narrator's P.O.V:

As the family inches closer to you the crowd also seems to flow with them, some people pushing through it to follow them.

You could never...

Suddenly you lock eyes with the princess and maintain eye contact for a few seconds before looking away, you don't want her to kill you or something.

She nudges her brother who is right beside her and points right at you, making eye contact again.

Zuko scans the area she pointed at until his eyes land on you and they slightly widen for a fraction of a second. He gains his composure and examines you from head to toe glancing down and slowly raising his eyes back up again as if he needs to force himself to.

Weird

Once he raises his eyes back up his father is already beside him also looking at you and you try not to make a fool out of yourself in front of the entire royal family. Trying to read their lips is not as easy as it seems as they talk quickly and in brief sentences. "Her?... Pretty... and Go." Is all you can make out from your attempts. The family doesn't take their eyes off of you as they continue talking.

Strong arms suddenly wrap around you and you struggle thinking it is some sort of criminal before you get a glance at the clothes they are wearing, the royal guard uniform?

When you turn your head you see Aurora also being taken away by a different guard as you two are pulled backward. In turn, the crowd parts behind you watching the scene play out, whispers and murmuring spreading throughout it.

Fuck.

~~~~~~~~~~~โ™•โ™”~~~~~~~~~~~

๐™ฝ๐šŽ๐šก๐š ๐š’๐š— ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŽ๐š›๐š’๐šŽ๐šœ:

๐™ฟ๐šŽ๐š—๐š๐š’๐š—๐š...

๐™ฟ๐š›๐šŽ๐šŸ๐š’๐š˜๐šž๐šœ ๐š’๐š— ๐š๐š‘๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šŽ๐š›๐š’๐šŽ๐šœ:

๐€๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ | ๐™๐ฎ๐ค๐จ ๐ฑ ๐Ÿ!๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ
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๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐Ÿท ~ ๐™ป๐šŠ๐š”๐šŽ ๐š†๐šŠ๐š›๐š—๐š’๐š—๐š๐šœ: ๐š—๐š˜๐š—๐šŽ ๐š‚๐šŽ๐š›๐š’๐šŽ๐šœ ๐šœ๐šž๐š–๐š–๐šŠ๐š›๐šข: ๐‘Œ๐‘œ๐‘ข โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐น๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘œโ€ฆ
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๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐Ÿธ ~ ๐šƒ๐š˜๐š ๐š— ๐š†๐šŠ๐š›๐š—๐š’๐š—๐š๐šœ: ๐™ฝ๐š˜๐š—๐šŽ ๐™ฐ/๐™ฝ: ๐š—๐š˜๐š ๐š–๐šข ๐š ๐š˜๐š›๐š” ๐š–๐šข ๐šœ๐š’๐šœ๐š๐šŽ๐š›โ€™๐šœ ๐š˜๐š— ๐š ๐šŠ๐š๐š๐š™๐šŠ๐š. Word count: 1295 ๐™ฟ๐š›๐šŽ๐šŸ๐š’๐š˜๐šž๐šœ ๐™ฒ๐š‘๐šŠ๐š™๐š๐šŽ๐š› Narrator's P.O.V:โ€ฆ

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1 year ago
[ID: Three Pieces Of Black And White Sketches/concept Art For The Comic Book Cover Of The Promise, Featuring
[ID: Three Pieces Of Black And White Sketches/concept Art For The Comic Book Cover Of The Promise, Featuring
[ID: Three Pieces Of Black And White Sketches/concept Art For The Comic Book Cover Of The Promise, Featuring

[ID: Three pieces of black and white sketches/concept art for the comic book cover of The Promise, featuring Aang and Zuko in action poses. In all three images Zuko is drawn with long hair. END ID]

never forget what they took from us.. .. never forgive never forget


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1 year ago

โ€ฆ

this means Aang is like 4โ€™4 (maybe) in the animated show (I understand heโ€™s like 12 in the beginning but still ๐Ÿ˜ญ)โ€” my guy had one hell of a growth spurt by the time he was an adult! So how tall were the both of them because this donโ€™t seem right this donโ€™t add up?!!!


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1 year ago

Yaโ€™ll think the Gaang/ Iroh would be disappointed if Zuko ended up marrying for political reasons rather than love?

Definitely not angry, but disappointed?


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1 year ago

You guys think Appa and Druk got along?

Iโ€™d like to think they would get together to discuss how much they love their idiot dads.


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1 year ago

I can only imagine how Zuko must have felt when his fire bending was weak after the leaving the Fire Nation and before meeting the dragons.

He has one thing to offer Team Avatar, one thing that only he can do to help end the war, and the second he wants to use it for good, itโ€™s gone.

Poor boy canโ€™t catch a break.


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10 months ago

Zuko is like that suitcase in the airport bagging area that goes unclaimed for like 12 years and then when they finally decide to get rid of it they realize itโ€™s full of gold bars.


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9 months ago

The amount of sheer joy Iroh must have felt when Izumi was born


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9 months ago

Letโ€™s be real.

The day Ozai banished Zuko was also the day he lost the war.


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9 months ago

โ€œUncle?โ€

The light knock came at the door to the Jasmine Dragonโ€™s office,set back away from the dining room. The teashop had been closed for about an hour now, and Iroh had been working on paperwork in the back room. The setting sun streams through his window, and his seat was comfortable and his tea was hot.

He hadnโ€™t expected anyone to still be in the restaurant- so he startled a little at the voice, until not only the voice but the word registered.

His heart fluttered a little, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. He was happy in Ba Sing Se, he was, but every day his heart ached a little for his nephew, wanting to be with him.

The door cracked open, and Iroh stood up to greet his nephew. The young man sensed permission to come in, and the smile in his eyes nearly brought tears to Irohโ€™s.

Before Iroh was able to get out of his seat, Zuko had already crossed the room, placing a brightly colored package on the desk. โ€œItโ€™s good to see you, Uncle. I know you werenโ€™t expecting me, I hope Iโ€™m not interrupting anything?โ€

Just the thought of Zuko interrupting anything seemed outlandish to Iroh, as Zuko was more important than anything in his life. โ€œNo, no, of course not, nephew. But what brings you here? Surely the throne is keeping you busy.โ€ Iroh hoped there was no bad news.

In response, Zuko gestured to the package he had brought in, smiling, โ€œI brought you something.โ€

Iroh looked down. The package was long and rectangular, like a book. It was wrapped neatly in thick red paper, a simple golden bow was elegantly wrapped around it.

He picked up the package, looking up at Zuko, who gestured for him to open it. Iroh slowly pulled at the ribbon, undoing the bow. The red paper was easily unwrapped, and Iroh was truly shocked at what laid in his hands.

Mounted in wood and glass, was a painting. In a delicate hand, black ink stretched across parchment, both smooth and jagged lines curving into the roots and branches of a tree.

It was beautiful, and must have cost a fortune, as he surveyed the details in the background behind the tree, the small and low buildings making a bustling market. Intricate blades of grass dotted the landscape, the sky and clouds painted so lightly they almost werenโ€™t there. The skyline met a wall, that stretched across the back of the cityโ€ฆ

Iroh stared. The details slowly began to click into place, and before he could even attempt to stop them, tears sprang to Irohโ€™s eyes.

โ€œZuko, thisโ€ฆthis isโ€ฆโ€

โ€œI thought that, since heโ€™s there, the tree should be immortalized in someway. To preserve the memory.โ€

Iroh was staring at a painting of the tree in Ba Sing Se, the tree his son was buried under.

His smile wobbled, and he looked up at his nephew, who had a light smile on his faceโ€” Zuko seemed hesitant to say more, as if he wasnโ€™t sure if his uncleโ€™s tears were of joy or not.

But his uncle immediately moved around the desk towards his nephew. Zuko was a fair bit taller than him now, at least a good 6 inches, so Irohโ€™s hug ran around Zukoโ€™s waist, putting his head on his nephewโ€™s chest. He squeezed tight, tears slipping from his eyes.

โ€œThank you. Thank you, Zuko. I love it. I love it.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m glad you doโ€” I was a little worried it would beโ€ฆtoo painful.โ€

Iroh shook his head against his nephew. โ€œNo, no. I miss Lu Ten, every day, butโ€ฆ I also have you.โ€

Iroh could just make out the faint beat of Zukoโ€™s heart against his cheek, his second son, wonderfully alive.

โ€œWhenever it becomes too much, I think of you. You are what gets me through the bad days. I love you.โ€

โ€œI love you too, Uncle,โ€ there was a smile in Zukoโ€™s voice, โ€œHappy Fatherโ€™s Day.โ€


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8 months ago

Bones

Skeletons of war arenโ€™t in the closet, they hide in plain sight.ย 

The first sign of war is on display in each one of the air temples: actual skeletons of a people who were killed amidst kindness, left hollow by the passing of a century.

The Fire Lord who helped end the war will return to one of these temples, years after the war has been won. He will go alone, and he will scour the Southern Air Temple for weeks.ย 

When he returns, he will gift the Avatar with the record of his birth, found in a library turned to dust, dirt, unburnt.ย 

The Avatar will cry, and feel more connected to his new family and his old than he ever has before, but the Fire Lord knows the Air Nomads will never come back.ย 

The second sign of war is the soldiers through the Earth Kingdom, disciplined and barbaric alike.ย 

The same Fire Lord will remember a young boy with his brother stolen for the front lines, who turned on him when he knew who he (his family, his legacy) really was. He will remember a girlโ€™s kindness, repaid in rapacity. He will remember all the the charred earth he had seen, and a boy who died beneath a lake.ย 

The villages will be rebuilt, the soldiers brought home, and a baby ostrich horse will find a new home. A Fire Nation village, nestled in an Earth Kingdom forest, will be instructed to leave the intricate hideouts in the trees where they are.ย 

The Fire Lord wonโ€™t stay in these towns long enough to hear them say thank you, feeling he would break if he ever heard such a lie as gratefulness to him. ย 

Third, the destruction of the Southern water benders, an entire bending discipline now resting on the shoulders of a single water bender, made terrified by the prospect of unyielding control under the light of a full moon.ย 

He will release the prisoner who had taught her to blood bend into the water benderโ€™s custody, and lets her decide what she sees fit (she looks into her eyes, blue bearing into gray, and demand imprisonment for eternity, both in body and in spirit).The young Fire Lord will see the relief and gratitude in her eyes, and ignore the loud protests of his advisors, who wanted the woman executed. But looking at Katara, he feels as though the Fire Nation should get no say in the matter.ย 

And the fourth is the Fire Lord himself, broken by a lineage of war and deceit, and even though he tries, even though he is reassured he has done more than what anyone expected of him, gone above and beyond, he will never be able to shake the feeling of guilt for a heritage he did not choose.ย 

He hides this skeleton in the closet, and smiles for the other nations, for his friends, but he feels it in his bones and in his soul. Every night he takes out the skeleton he made of these bones and dances with it, in the form of pacing, shaking, the thought of rest ever so a foreign concept. The night he arrives at the Southern Water Tribe (for the second time) greeted by Sokka with an embrace (he remembers tossing him to the side before), he will lay awake and clench his jaw, trying so hard not to think about Katara, the last water bender in the south pole. He will help rebuild the villages and towns and pay reparations to the Earth Kingdom, doubting his choice only in the case of Yu Dao, and even years later, is scared to think he actually made the wrong choice. He will help the Avatar rebuild the ties to the spirit world, replanting trees into a lush forest, a statue watching them gratefully in the distance. He will grip his hands, plaster a smile on his face, when Aangโ€™s voice hitches when he talks about the air benders, and waits until he is alone at night to sob.ย 

The Fire Lord is haunted by ghosts and bones alike, the balance within him forever off kilter. So the Fire Lord carves every lost water bender, every Earth Kingdom family ripped apart, and every air nomad corpse into his own bones, a promise to always be redeeming, a darkness he takes with him to the grave.


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8 months ago

Something I noticed that I thought was kind of cool is that Appa liking Zuko is the reason Aang even listened to him at first.

The reason the Earth King heard Team Avatar out when they were trying to convince him Long Feng was corrupt and they were at war was because Bosco liked Aang.

The animals, man. They know.


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