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i'll fly when the wind is right

Rating: T

Pairing: Katara/Zuko

Summary: (There are ties that bind the waterbender of the South Pole and the prince of the Fire Nation. Ties built on a foundation of shattered trust and hope, weaved together by threads of anger and pain and sorrow, glimmering with a new sheen of tentative acceptance. Perhaps a fresh start built on the bones of broken dreams and shattered promises. Perhaps stronger than the remains.)

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55671190

Notes: Written for @zutaramonth 2024, Day 4: Ash. Excerpt below the cut.

They're about an hour into the flight when Zuko dares to ask, “Will you tell me about it?" 

He doesn't want her to relive those memories, but he can tell she is already - he sent her down this rabbit hole of pain and broken dreams, it's only fair he hears the terror that's been dragged back to the surface.

She sighs, keeping her gaze fixed on the horizon. The air tastes fresh on his tongue, bringing with it the smell of rain and perhaps a little taste of something new.  "They came looking for waterbenders,” she tells him. "My mother hid me in our hut, but the commander caught her before she could leave. To protect me, she sacrificed herself.” Her voice shakes with the effort, and he can feel the tears pooling under the surface like a tidal wave pounding at the shores. "To protect the last waterbender, she gave her life. And he took it.”

She touches the pendant at her throat, and the tears fall, running down her cheeks like sparkling drops of moonlight. 

"Your mother was a brave woman," Zuko says. “I can see that in you."

She glances at him, confusion and a strange light glinting in her eyes. “Why did you offer to do this, Zuko?" She asks, voice dark and heavy with a determination, a desperation that reminds him of the catacombs.

“All my life," he tells her, “I've been trying to do the right thing by convincing myself with the wrongs. Everything I was taught, everything I became, was the exact opposite of what I wanted. Being with you was the first time I felt right, when I felt like myself." 

“So why did you betray me?”

He sighs. "Imagine you spend your entire life just trying to please the people who are supposed to love you. Imagine everyday living in the shadows of their disappointment. That's what life was for me. And then Azula welcoming me back home? Offering my father's pride up on a silver platter? Even going against everything I was standing for, I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't stop the hope that my family would love me.”

She's quiet, and he continues. "I know it was the wrong choice,” he says. "But it's the choice I made, and I've spent every waking day trying to fix every mistake I've made. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to fix the wrongs I did. To the world, to you, if I must. Because I finally feel like me. I'm sorry it took breaking your trust to find myself, but I promise, Katara, I've changed. I'm trying.”

She looks at him, studies him with those critical eyes of hers. It's quiet for a long time, nothing but the wind in their hair and the sky above. Then, before she can speak, he spies the communication tower in the distance. 

And then, once again, there's the war cry in their blood, the taste of blood and ash sitting heavily on Zuko's tongue.

And perhaps a little bit of hope too.

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Part 2 of 2

Katara in the Fire Nation

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Just gona leave this here...

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Are you on twt?

Hi anon! I am actually not, although I know I probably should be, because I probably miss a hella lot from the fandom and updates. But tbh I can barely keep track of this account, and I've had it for 15 years. So if I can barely manage this one, probably not a good idea to add two to the mix...

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Different pov🤷‍♀️

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everything, everywhere, all at once

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NGL I'm looking at all my fics, whether published or WIPs, and I'm realizing you can make a drinking game over "how many times can Mage use 'boy of fire' in her stories" and idk what to do with that information

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Anyone wanna reteach Mage how to write again so she can actually publish for Zutara months?

(pls help she's desperate)

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zutara but it's azula wondering how the fuck such a badass and beautiful girl has fallen in love with someone like her brother

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Zutara month 2024 Prompts

Reluctant Allies

Diary/Journal

Meet Ugly/Cute

Ashes

Katara kept her scars

Sun Warrior Zuko

Divine Intervention

Actors AU

“You’re Married?!”

Secret

“Mom & Dad are fighting again”

Kiss at Midnight

Breakup/Exes

Exposed

Scarf

Injury Recovery

Reality TV AU

Alter-egos

Rumors

Accidental Kissing

Wrong Blind Dates

Disaster

No War AU

“I wanted to, but…”

First Responders AU

Drunk

“Shall we?”

Rival School Teachers AU

Brightest in the Dark

Time Loop/Time Travel

Reincarnation

Due to the high number of similar prompts that were voted for and for the sake of variety, some prompts have been modified to be more inclusive.

Special thanks to @origo-tentaculum for the graphic

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in my hands, the fire will never hurt you.

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speaking of zutara shipbaiting/romantic coding, can we talk about how “i don’t know why, but i do care what she thinks of me” is a relatively common statement that usually holds romantic connotations in other forms of media

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the night was all you had

Pairing: Zutara

Rating: T

Summary: “You love the ones with scars because they earned it with nothing to gain and everything to lose.” She tells him. "You love the ones with scars because they showed that they fought, and they won, because the people they protected are still here. The people you protected are still here Zuko. Your scar protected people Zuko. That's who you are. That's who you've always been."

Notes: Hi everyone, Mage is back! With the recent resurgence of ATLA, I got a little motivation to begin writing again, so of course I gotta start off again with another monster. Honestly I don't even really know what this fic is, I started it like 3 years ago, forgot it, and then finished it over the past couple weeks in like a dreamscape if I'm being honest. If you guys are confused at all by the flow or just in general, please, join the fam. But either way, enjoy!

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54856117

(Excerpt below the cut)

She can’t stop noticing these things about Zuko. Little things, perhaps insignificant to others, but they stand out to Katara like an iceberg floating in crystal clear water with nothing in sight. 

The first thing she notices is that Zuko never touches anyone unless covered by clothing. Even when training Aang, she watches as he adjusts the airbender’s stance by a light tap on Aang’s cloth covered shoulder, a gentle rap at the back of the knee. Swordplay with Sokka goes similarly- gentle taps using the play swords or a clasp on the back over their shirts. When he carries Toph, she watches as he carefully hoists her up by the back of her legs, gently holding her, hands poised carefully over her clothed thighs.

He touches her though. Gentle touches; a brush of his fingers across her shoulders, touching her hand during meal prep, massaging her legs after a rough practice session; calloused yet soft fingers gently working out the whorls of contorted chi paths down her legs.

(Healing runs through Katara’s blood, as thick as the whitewater of her soul. It’s a waterbender’s calling- as ancient as the moon and the ocean. Water is life giving you see. But perhaps there’s another element that breathes life as much as the rain- or perhaps it's just the rush of heat that floods her veins, like licks of fire curling around her heart and setting her soul ablaze.)

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Zuko was like, I can't sleep while Katara dislikes me. And then he spend the night outside of her tent.

He's really dedicated on getting at her good side. He really wanted to make things work out between them. But he also has a thing for drama. Zuko,you didn't have to pull an all nighter , you could always apologize to Katara in the morning.

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Katara is mad at Zuko:

Zuko: