Felt like sharing some Lee & Kya From The Tea Shop AU sketches ✨🍵
The world needs more Yue and Zuko friendship, I squeal just thinking abt the parallels. They deserve a life changing field trip together and if u have abt ideas I’m all ears 👀
Hiii anon this ask fermented in my inbox and in my brain for so long,, so take this??? Post canon yue lives/no war au arts?? Anyway aside from the Parallels and their political position & their duty before hoes grindset I think they could learn a lot from each other. With zuko learning the gift of patience & diplomacy from yue & Yue learning that allowing yourself to feel anger and speaking up can actually be Good.
anyway hypothetical life changing trip outcome: zuko takes an intro gender studies class and yue says fuck
(oh and also must not forget the crush on sokka)
loveee the thought of zuko as fire lord making his first diplomatic visit to the SWT and sokka taking FULL advantage of his and zuko’s friendship status to mortify his fellow council members and the general population of the south pole, as well as the fire lord himself.
like zuko will be chatting with some council members and sokka comes up and just starts roasting the fuck out of him. just saying shit like “who let you off the boat in THOSE shoes” to get a reaction out of the council members, who are making giant eyes at him like this is a professional visit where the fuck is your father to restrain you?!!!?
bato would be having an awkward conversation with zuko about resource allotments for the rebuilding effort and sokka needlessly throws in “did you know zuko sings to himself when he’s alone? he’s pretty good. give him a demo, zuko, come on,” and zuko’s grimacing because it was one fucking time sweet spirits sokka and bato is giving sokka the most embarrassed look of his life
sokka throws snowballs at zuko in the middle of the village and zuko falls over four consecutive times as a result.
for all his outward expressions of aggravation, it eventually becomes apparent to everyone that zuko isn’t too bothered by the teasing and sokka doesn’t mean anything by it, because every night they sit at the water’s edge and joke for hours.
More reasons why Zuko being the Firelord is objectively the funniest thing on earth:
- HES SEVENTEEN
- He hasn’t been civilised in 4 years, his entire teenage experience consists of living on a boat and sleeping rough. The most stable bed he has was probably in Ba Sing Se he probably will just nap anywhere.
- He has customer service experience which means he probably uses his customer service voice on his minsters.
- Additionally he probably just wanders into to kitchen to get his own snacks and tea because he forgets what servants do.
- He probably has no idea why he can’t just chase after an assassin he used to hunt the avatar for Agnis sake why is the captain of the guard demanding he stay in his room he’ll find the guy first (he’s probably right)
- Katara probably has a free pass on Eco terrorism because what’s he going to do challenge her, she’ll beat his ass.
- If he saw a minster doing something shady he will either invite lady Beifong to detect their BS or commit B&E and look for evidence himself.
- He somehow found a baby dragon and raises it.
- He will be far to willing to give Kyoshi island anything they want cause he feels bad and Suki scares him.
- He randomly insisted on giving some earth kingdom village 100 ostrich horses.
- The Avatar will just show up call him Hotman and demand the go on adventures and the Firelord will just dip because he’s been confined to long and has the Zoomies.
- He takes far to much advice from Sokka and will genuinely believe if someone doesn’t get Sokkas plans they must be an idiot because Sokka is 16.
- Sokka and Zuko also get into a lot of teenage rebellion phases by accident.
- Toph just walks in breaks a wall of his palace and demands a field trip that always involves the Firelord having to explain himself to the cops.
- He somehow knows every dangerous teen in the world and they all come for tea uninvited.
- He has broken into both the NWT and Ba Sing Se.
- He has a really well documented facial scar and official portraits but still disappears to be Lee the tea guy like no one knows.
- HES SEVENTEEN.
OK, so... I saw this post on twitter and decided to draw something based on it
And so it was born our shy Zuko puting the flower on her hair~
PS: I love uncle Iroh interaction and Zuko tomato face really much~
👏🏾Education 👏🏾is 👏🏾a 👏🏾right,👏🏾 not👏🏾 a👏🏾 service 👏🏾
Pass along and use the shit out of them
No one should own knowledge, and the pursuit of knowledge should be guarenteed.
👏👏 NO ONE SHOULD OWN KNOWLEDGE AND THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE SHOULD BE GUARANTEED 👏👏
AU in the world of avatar no one speak English. As a prince zuko would know every language OR he would practice.
I would also like to think in this AU aang would also need to learn every language as well to learning the all four elements 
OK, so... I saw this post on twitter and decided to draw something based on it
And so it was born our shy Zuko puting the flower on her hair~
PS: I love uncle Iroh interaction and Zuko tomato face really much~
[ID in alt text]
10 years ago I drew this crappy little AtLA comic (affectionate) that became one of my first 1k+ posts lol. Felt like doing a bit of a redraw :)
[ID in alt text]
I’ve had the incredible good fortune to be commissioned a Zutara fanart! I made the above image for akaVertigo on AO3 for their fic, Tempest in a Teacup. It’s a hauntingly beautiful AtLA AU in which young Katara is saved by Iroh and is raised in the Fire Nation. It’s wonderfully written and seriously deserves all the praise and comments you have. The second part of their fic, No Map Without Water, is in the works at the moment, so be sure to subscribe to the story for updates!
Also, if you or someone you know would like a unique piece of art for any occasion, please check me out on Fiverr! :)
Zutara Week 2021 Day 3: Glowing
Happy Zutara Week Everyone!
I have this whole scene expanded in my head with a conversation with Suki and everything, but it turned out to be bigger than I’m able to make at the moment and would sort of move away from today’s theme. So I’m saving it for another day when I have the wherewithal to give it the attention it needs to be good. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy this comic! <3
Zutara Week 2021 Day 7: Stories
In my mind there is a very clear connection between the prompt “stories” and my attempt at rewriting part of the AtLA ending, however I’m having a terrible time verbalizing it (sort of “stories belong to their readers” ala John Green vibes?). Instead you get this snippet from a meta I wrote months ago (which I guess I’ll need to post now to have this make sense):
So if someone asks me if a romantic Zutara relationship is “canon” within the context of AtLA, then no it isn’t. But for me, that’s literally the only place where Zuko and Katara aren’t deeply in love and living their best lives together. AtLA is a work of fiction, and fictional characters are just as fictional when a fan thinks about them as when the character’s creator thinks about them. A story is only as real as you make it. And for me? Zutara is real.
Sorry, no kiss, but as I’ve said a few scattered times - my preferred show ending would have had no canon romances except Sukka (although I certainly wouldn’t have been upset if there had been a Zutara ending…).
♥ Please do not repost. If you like it and want to show people, share a link to this page instead. Thank you!
Transcript under the read more.
thinking about how Zuko got kicked out of his home country and, by extension, all formal education, at age 13. and i'm sorry Uncle Iroh but you're not qualified to teach a freshly traumatised 13 y/o algebra. so Zuko only has like, an 8th grade level of maths at most.
... meanwhile Sokka's a literal genius,
bro my sister is actually so smart
so yknow how Zuko’s scar is worse directly around his eye?
and there are a lot of reasons that could be but also consider this (and this is what my 12 year old sister came up with)
Zuko was sobbing and refusing to fight his father when Ozai burned him
his tears literally became boiling water against his eye.
Reblogging because 12 year olds are the most brutal writers of all
GOD i wish they kept katara's burn scars from aang's mistake
I agree.
This AU is already wonderful but... What if Zuko thought he was the one who burned Katara's hands?
He notices her scars for the first time during his search for the Avatar, a few weeks after she got them. But he doesn't pay any attention to Katara during the fight, not really. It isn't until the Siege of the North that he truly sees the scars on her hands, and realises that they weren't there before (her hands had been soft and unblemished during the pirates incident, not like this, rough and darker and achingly familiar).
When did this happen? Was it during one of their battles? Was one of his men responsible? Or did somebody else do it? There is no doubt in his mind that these are bending scars, after all.
Zuko wonders, after the North, if he gave them to her.
He has always been careful with his bending, regardless of the rage and desperation that fuel his battles with the Avatar. He knows what being burned and forced to carry a constant reminder of the flames is like—he's incapable of causing such pain to anyone, not even an enemy.
But what if he already has?
It's a sickening thought, and it chases him during his travels through the Earth Kingdom, adding weight to his guilt. He tries to hold on to the thought that maybe, just maybe, somebody else burned the waterbender, and he isn't to blame. But time passes and he witnesses and does many terrible, beautiful things...
So he decides to carry the responsibility for the burns on the waterbender's hands. It doesn't matter anymore if it wasn't him who burned her—he might as well have.
When they meet again under the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se, he listens. She blames him for everything that is wrong in her life, and he accepts her rage, because he knows he can't defend himself against her. He doesn't want to.
He can be the face of the enemy. He's already a monster, after all.
(Father would be proud.)
But then she offers to heal him.
Him.
Doesn't she know he could be the one who burned her? Doesn't she care for all the stupid, horrible things he has done to her and her kin? Doesn't she see the ruthlessness and hate coursing through his blood?
Doesn't she care?
But then she's touching his scar with her burned hands and she's reaching for the blessed water and he can't do this.
"Don't."
She stops.
"Why? Don't you want to be free of your scar?"
"Use the water to heal yourself. I deserve to carry the weight of my sins, but you don't have to."
There's silence, and Zuko tries to tear himself apart from her touch, to get away from her and from the Catacombs and from the world. But her scarred, beautiful self reaches out for him again. Katara holds his face with her burned hands and gently forces him to look at her.
Flesh on flesh, scar on scar, they meet.
And somehow he knows what she's going to say next.
"Zuko, you didn't do this."
Then the Avatar arrives.
First of all, great art. The tenderness of the touch of two traumatized people is conveyed in such a way that I myself feel Katara’s fingertips on my cheek and palm on my chin. Are you a wizard?
Secondly, a great description that made me believe for a second that it was canon.
I also read the hashtags and want to comment on the AU itself. Let's start with the fact that the idea of scars on Katara's arms is genius in itself. A visual reminder of a mistake always works better than having a character remember it out of plot necessity. For example, this scene would have looked much worse if Katara had scars from Aang's previous burn, I would have looked at the emotions that followed it.
Plus, it would work to parallel them with Zuko: while Zuko has a reminder of his mistake literally carved into his face, Aang has it carved into the arms of a loved one. This is a very nice detail that strengthens their bond as hero and villain.
Regarding your addition to this AU, I really like that the scars affect not only Aang, but also Zuko as a direct bearer. I like how having it in Katara's arms continues the theme of the harm of fire in people's lives and is the final stage in this arc.
Overall, I see the scene in the catacombs as the culmination of Zuko's journey. He observed a lot: somewhere it was pain and suffering of people, somewhere it was deprivation, somewhere it was love and care, somewhere it was hope - and all this educated him during the season. And in the catacombs he meets a person who unites all this in himself - Katara.
Therefore, it's logical that in addition to all this, Zuko will also encounter trauma from fire as an element in her. The phasing is obvious:
1. He gets burned by his father and becomes bitter;
2. He sees the burns of the enslaved side and learns empathy again;
3. He meets Katara at the end of the journey and displays his previously acquired final form of empathy as a result of the journey.
Therefore, the reaction you describe to this trauma is invaluable because it creates the missing piece of the puzzle in this chain. And perhaps this would have greatly influenced Zuko's decision in the season two finale.
However, personally, it seems to me that he would still choose his father. He's too attached to the love he desires to notice the love he was going towards. An attachment that keeps him on this earth and doesn't allow him to connect with cosmic energy, something like that.
But scars on Katara's arms would have given the connection to her even more meaning in the moment, so Zuko's suffering at the beginning of season 3 could have been significantly worse.
You're right, it's full of angst, but I like it. Down with the weird filler atmosphere of the season trying to pretend that everything is fine. I want soul-searching, and your AU opens the way to it
This addition is amazing.
That drawing is hauntingly beautiful, and I'm so intrigued by this AU! If I may share some thoughts, please: The first thought that came to mind for me was - What kept Katara from healing herself in the first place when she was burnt, and how does that impact her moving forward? In the show, Katara heals herself after running away from Sokka and Aang, so what if in this AU, Aang and/or Sokka go after her, and she doesn't get the chance to put her hands in the water because they work to treat her burns in a non-bender manner? That I think would set-up some really interesting development for her moving forward.
In the series, it seems like we largely see waterbenders having to use their hands in order to bend, so having injured, and then healing/scarring over, hands could negatively impact Katara's growing abilities as a bender for the remainder of Season 1. It's likely that Katara would continue trying to learn because she's driven, but she would have to work twice as hard for the progress we see her making in her abilities. Having to work so much harder would be a solid narrative tie-in with Zuko's disclosure that he was not a bending prodigy as a child but instead has had to work extra hard to become a powerful and skilled bender.
Additionally, once she gets to the North Pole, not knowing that she has healing abilities (abilities that she might have been able to use to heal her hands) could make for some more interesting dynamics with regard to the very gendered roles of the North Pole. A Katara who wants to learn to be a master waterbender (to be able to fight like her father and to also have been able to protect her mother) still works in this AU, but based on her healing journey we might have seen her struggling even more in her battle with Pakku, and we also might have seen a Katara who, because of her own experiences, was also interested in healing - not just because she's a girl, and it is therefore expected of her, but because this Katara would personally know that healing, like fighting, is a form of rebellion against the dangers of the Fire Nation (and fire itself).
I also think that learning about healing after it is too late for her to heal herself, would be a fascinating exercise in working through the heartbreak of not having known that at the time Aang burned her, wonder at the ability itself, and working towards acceptance and maintaining a positive view of self. That growing to accept her scars could be something we got to see her do after the Norther Pole, particularly after the transition into the Earth Kingdom's Upper Ring, where we see Katara having some of her first experiences of being pretty and painted-up for society (and herself). I also love the idea of Toph being totally cool with Katara's scars (not only because Toph doesn't care about that sort of thing, but also because they make Katara even more easily identifiable, by touch, to Toph).
Now, that work on acceptance isn't to say that Katara wouldn't take the blessed water and occasionally consider using it on herself, but Katara is someone that we repeatedly see believing in herself and being cared for by those around her (though we could have seen it more often throughout the series). Sokka would be extra protective for a time, but he'd also come to tell her about scars being considered impressive amongst Water Tribe warriors, telling her that they are a sign that she'd survived something significant. Aang would take time to forgive himself, but he'd be more mindful in the future, more aware that his actions have consequences. For Katara, that could be a silver lining, and an olive branch for addressing the physical and emotional hurt she felt as a result of his carelessness. As stated above, Toph wouldn't really care and would still probably call her "sugar queen" for kicks and giggles.
By the time we reach the Crystal Catacombs, therefore, Katara's hands might still hurt, and her bending might not be as strong as it would be if she hadn't been harmed, but she is largely at a place of peace with herself, her body, and her appearance. Zuko, however, who thinks he has caused her such significant pain, who has himself known so much pain, who unlike Katara has never known the love and approval of a father and sibling, and has shut himself off from the one source of love and care he's had in his life in the last three years is a different story. Katara recognizes that pain in him, and offers to use the spirit oasis water on him not out of a sense of self-sacrifice but from a place of healing herself. Offering to heal him (in more ways than just physically) is the ultimate act of accepting herself as she is and will now continue to be.
@demaparbat-hp, This is just such a great AU! I spent over an hour writing this, so thank you so much to you and @flowersadida for sharing your thoughts on it and to the anonymous person who prompted your drawing for it. You have all inspired me!
First of all—I may or may not have shed a tear at this. It's beautiful, and bittersweet, and a very thoughtful addition to Katara's journey.
Initially, Katara did try to heal her hands, and succeeded to a degree (repairing the damaged nerves and speeding the healing process, for example)—but instinct could only take her so far, so both the scars and limitation of movement remained.
Waterhealing must have limitations. It must be learned, like a language, like real medicine, and no matter how much raw talent you have—that means nothing unless you know what you're doing.
However, your idea that Katara didn't get to discover she could heal in time, for something as simple as not being alone at the moment, is heartbreaking and bittersweet and, Agni, I love it.
You've explained the ramifications such an incident would have, and it fits really well with the themes of this Book, this series and Katara's character in general. How healing Zuko's scar is her way to finally heal herself broke me.
Thank you for such a wonderful addition, and for the time and effort that went into this. I really hope more people will see this and feel compelled to add to this AU.