#|| IROH

[badmusejail]

Shipping Status / Availability

Most people love shipping, right? Here's a quick summary of each muse and their interests! All ships are built on chemistry and while I don't mind you saying you'd be interested upfront, I will not force any muse into a situation that doesn't suit them. The muse ultimately decides what does and doesn't work. Please note that even if it isn't explicitly stated I will not ship adult muses with minors and it's a shame I have to say it.

Gaster: Although Gaster considers himself an aromantic asexual, he'd be happy to engage in such activities for the right partner and, in fact, is quite vulnerable to 'romantic' gestures. The exact type of partner he seeks is unclear, given that he's burdened by a heavy amount of trauma and anxiety and feels wrong sharing that with anyone, but he does appreciate empathetic, loving people that still know when to stand their ground against him. Given the nature of monsters, he's able and willing to carry a child for a loving partner. Shipping with a human isn't impossible but would require a great deal of development. Will not ship with: Frisk, Chara, Asriel, Sans, Papyrus Unlikely to ship with: Toriel, humans Likely to ship with: Asgore, variants of himself

Giovanni: Self-proclaimed as straight but also self-proclaimed as willing to fool around with men if it's entertaining enough. Willing to have both one-night stands and longer relationships and doesn't believe that a long-term relationship should be based solely on sexual attraction. Seems to be attracted to confident, intelligent types that are emotionally independent and respectful of Giovanni's choices and need for space. Will not ship with: Protagonists Unlikely to ship with: Members of villainous teams, including members of Team Rocket Likely to ship with: Professors, neutral parties

Surge: Straight. May participate in one-night stands but unlikely to ship long-term.

Oak: Generally unavailable as he's married.

Gaevano: ??? Probably not but I genuinely don't know.

Iroh: Straight; available, but more likely to simply goof around with the ladies rather than engage in any long-term relationship.

Ozai: Generally unavailable. Uninterested even with his canonical partner. It just doesn't end well. Arranged marriages / etc. are possible but don't expect anything other than disdain.

Weird Octopus: No.

Gemuse: Biromantic sex-repulsed asexual. He tends to be extremely skittish in regards to romantic situations (ask his primary ship partner) and shipping can be especially tricky given his job but it can work out in the right situation.

Giothornéc: Maybe?

Quentin / Major: Both are best described as demisexual but also more than willing to just fuck for the sake of it, with impressively low standards. They tend to prefer women but shipping with men isn't impossible. That being said, they're both incredibly traumatized borderline psychopaths, so ... I guess that's your choice. Will not ship with: Peter

[themadmanandhisbox]

A year or two ago there was a post asking for Sokkla headcanons going around, and so I'm finally making a master post of my own Sokkla Headcanons, divorced from the older post.

Azula pretends to hate the cold but being a prodigious Firebender she can lower and raise her body temperature to compensate. Sokka discovers this their first night in the South Pole as she becomes his personal space heater by accident and she strangely doesn’t mind as it means more cuddles.

This also works with keeping bathwater warm longer. Sokka frequently loses track of time when they bathe together as she keeps the water just as warm as it was in the beginning.

Sokka and Azula both being strategic and tactical geniuses, frequently play Pai Sho together. And are at such a level that Uncle Iroh is often left in awe when he watches them play. Anytime he’s challenged one of them he’s swiftly defeated and despite the loss, he’s ecstatic. Most Pai Sho players utilize a basic strategy(such as The White Lotus Gambit for the OWL members) but Sokka and Azula realize the weakness in that and rarely use the same strategy twice.

After the war, Sokka went back to Piandao and trained for several more months, and then trained with Mai to get better with throwing weapons, and then Ty Lee on how to Chi Block and to become more agile. This leaves him a very dangerous and skilled nonbender and he and Azula spar together several times a week. The Royal Guard and even Zuko watch on in awe.

Azula had never had a reason to use weapons as she was always strong with her bending unlike Zuzu, but since dating Sokka she took an interest in it, and she’s a warrior through and through. Sokka is amazed at how quickly she picks it up.

Azula is incredibly proud of Sokka’s creativity and inventions and often helps give him ideas, oftentimes not even meaning too. She also helps him name his inventions as she finds his naming scheme awful.

This one can be a before they started dating/helped them grow closer, but as they both serve as Zuko’s Chief Advisors, they come up with groundbreaking ideas together and often improve the other's ideas with something the other hadn’t even thought of. This has led to some amazing policy and change in the Fire Nation and has helped immensely with their Foreign relations.

Azula will never openly admit it but she loves food almost as much as Sokka and has introduced him to some of the Fire Nations' most delicious dishes that he hadn’t tried.

Azula is awful at doing her hair herself, so Sokka does it for her and gets her to experiment with other styles(keeping her trademark bangs ofc) and she is surprised about it. When she asks him why he's so good at it he tells her about how after their mother was killed someone had to help Katara with her hair.

This one is more Canon than HC, but I largely disregard the comics. But Azula loves her Mochi. Anytime she's feeling down Sokka gets the Palace kitchen to make her some and he gets her an assortment of Mochi for her birthdays.

One of the things Azula started doing after being released from the Mental Institute is painting. It's a form of therapy and helps her a lot. She was never allowed to have hobbies under Ozai and is finally free to explore herself. When she learns that Sokka also paints she's surprised. When she sees some of his works, including a giant painting that takes up almost a whole wall, of the Moon reflecting off a body of water(the giant wall painting is from @madamezuki Blood & Fire but it's so good I like it as well and just integrated it into my HC's and scenarios). His work leaves her speechless and she's surprised he's so skilled. They spend time in the palace gardens painting together.

Azula and Sokka being the extremely intelligent individuals they both are, love reading. History, arts, sciences. It doesn't matter. They spend a ton of time together in the libraries in either palace or his loft library in his penthouse reading together.

[lesserlovedlovelies]

🎺 - playing an instrument- Iroh

ASK MUSE HOW GOOD THEY ARE AT..

🎺 - playing an instrument- Iroh

“Oh, I have quite the way with the tsungi horn if I do say so myself, but my nephew seems to disagree!  Ohoho!”

[zuzuslastbraincell]

tbh a headcanon i have is that for the longest time azula doesn’t want to interact with the gaang much at all because even after she’s made some amends and is bettering herself, she thinks it’s “a bit pathetic” to be hang out with “her brother’s friends”. i think there’s some truth to the idea that she really needs her own circle, but i can see her befriending sokka and toph regardless, and even when they’re good friends 10+ years down the line, takes this denial of friendship to the funniest degree.

she befriends sokka first during a stint where she’s living with iroh (not proud, at first, but comes to appreciate it) while he’s dropping in for a quick game of pai sho. azula immediately challenges him. he bests her. she’s enraged, wants a rematch. so begins their pai sho rivalry, and even five years down the line where they actually talk about things and open up to each other and laugh and joke and resemble good friends, old friends who have a capital H history, she claims she and sokka are definitely not friends, but rivals. they have an intense pai sho rivalry that azula is absolutely still keeping track of (sokka is always just one step ahead of her, the closer she gets to beating his 156 games to her 154, he then ends up winning three more...), and sokka is just nonchalantly like, “she’s just a pai sho buddy,” not qualifying the fact that being a pai sho buddy is a sacred bond that he values fiercely (azula is the only non-white lotus member he extends that kind of relationship to).

she befriends toph next while she’s doing some travelling and soul-searching after she’s given everyone full apologies and trying to figure out some kind of identity outside of “fire nation princess”. they go on long hikes together. oh sure, they are partners in chaos and crime as well, and wreak havoc on the forces of order - in fact, they definitely define it as “partners in chaos and crime”, and absolutely not friends. partners in chaos and crime is not as cuddly as friendship, but it’s a bond forged in the fire (and earth, so it turns out), and is stronger for it. scam queens toph and azula are absolutely a relentless duo. but they also go on hikes and chill out in the mud too. sometimes you just need some mud in your life. especially if you’re an ex-princess.

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

nina you know i love your salty takes. 13) Unpopular opinion about Sokka and/or Zuko (just because they're such beloved characters)? & 14 ) Unpopular opinion about your fandom? & 25) How would you have ended ATLA (ie the sozin's comet four parter)?

13.

(gonna just do sokka bc i feel like i've already complained a lot about zuko mischaracterization)

i love and fully adhere to the headcanon that sokka is bi, but i feel like it's sort of...overstated by the fandom, and not really explored. like, in modern au zukka fic, he's often portrayed as this out-and-proud bisexual in contrast to a closeted zuko, and that's not in line with his canon characterization at all. suki knocked the sexism out of him, but he spends a lot of the show trying to live up to this masculine warrior ideal and getting mocked/feeling ashamed about feminine traits (e.g. "don't answer to twinkletoes, it's not manly" "says the guy who matches his bag to his belt"). there's so much potential in a bakoda and sokka story where hakoda coming out as bi prompts sokka to reevaluate his ideas about masculinity and start thinking about his own sexual orientation.

but that would involve not centering zuko for once, and we can't have that, can we?

14.

there's pretty common assumption that this fandom is for kids because atla's a kids show, and that adults are guests in the fandom who have to behave themselves. that is often the case for kids show fandoms, but since atla is 15 years old, i feel like the same rules don't quite apply. i'm pretty sure the renaissance consisted of a lot of people revisiting childhood nostalgia, or even people like me who missed it as kids and were catching up on their generation's formative media. adults should be careful to curate their fandom spaces to keep kids safe, and kids should do the same to keep themselves safe, but to act like adults in atla fandom are interlopers and that their content about characters growing up with them is not appropriate is...misguided.

25.

i generally like sozin's comet. the lion turtle thing wasn't super built up lore-wise, but it was satisfying character-wise and that's way more important. i love getting to see the white lotus in action, i love the insights into past avatars, i think azula's breakdown is well-executed and heartbreaking, and the final battles between zuko & azula and aang & ozai are incredible to watch. i feel like every member of the gaang got a chance to show off their character growth.

however, since this is salty opinions - pretty much everything after the final battles feels a bit hollow to me.

1. aang defeats ozai and it's this powerful character moment and awe-inspiring sequence...and then sokka shows up and calls ozai the loser lord. it's an abrupt tone shift that undermines the gravity of the situation. they could've held off on the jokes for just a moment longer and it would have been so much better.

2. iroh absolutely should not go retire to ba sing se. i don't think he should be the fire lord - i'm pretty sure the earth kingdom wouldn't love the dragon of the west as the fire lord - but he should definitely stay with zuko and help him. maybe he splits his time or something just so people don't think zuko's a puppet king, but leaving zuko alone to clean up the fire nation by himself is just irresponsible.

(y'know which member of the white lotus does get to retire post war? jeong jeong. man's been on the run for years, put his life on the line to defy his imperialist nation. he deserves a break)

3. the bit with zuko asking ozai about his mother feels like a leftover from another version of the episode where they were setting up a spinoff movie or fourth season. it should've been cut.

4. the reconciliation between mai and zuko feels rushed. the coronation happens some time after the events of the final agni kai (enough for zuko to be somewhat healed, at least), and they could have established that mai's been around for that period of time and that they've worked things out. instead, it comes off like this is the moment they reunite, and their relationship problems are brushed off as 'don't break up with me again'. just a little tweak would've made it much more satisfying.

5. the final scene in ba sing se is good in many ways, namely, that everyone's chilling having tea and sokka's drawing them. that's adorable. the kataang kiss is a little weird since aang is still so young, but it's fine. my main problem is how they're all wearing earth kingdom clothes except aang. if i were visualizing a final scene for a show about ending a war, i would definitely imagine of a bunch of characters from different backgrounds sitting together in peace and enjoying each other's company, but i'd also want to communicate that visually, make them look like they're from different backgrounds. i don't see what the symbolism of having all the characters in earth kingdom clothes is. there probably wasn't any.

i feel like that's all the salt i got. hope you enjoyed

[hermitduck]

Jeongroh Aus w/ Headcanons!

Old Fire Lads!Au

On the days when Zuko and Azula were born, both Iroh and Jeong Jeong practically hogged their niece and nephew. They acted more like proud fathers than the father himself.

Zuko was very much close with both his uncles and cousin, so when he isn’t with his mother, he’s usually playing pai sho with Iroh, playing with Lu ten, or feeding the turtle ducks with JJ.

In canon, Azula wasn’t very much close with Iroh, but with two uncles, she had a loving niece-uncles relationship with them.

Out of both uncles, Azula is closest with Jeong Jeong. Like her, Jeong Jeong was a child prodigy, which allows her to relate to him very easily, not to mention that JJ understands the pressures and high expections of being a child prodigy.

The two of them spend their time training and joking around, with JJ teaching Azula a few things. Sometimes, JJ would braid Azulas hair as they chat.

The only issue was that Jeong Jeong noticed how every day, Azula would become less of the playful, kind young girl, and more prideful and a bit more wicked everyday. But despite this, she was his niece, and every time he would hear Ursa calling her own daughter a monster, he can’t help but wince. Not to mention, he very much believed that Ozai saw Azula as nothing but a pawn. His weapon of some sort. He sometimes wishes to rip that goatee off that a$$hole’s chin and drop-kick him.

JJ tries to help and lead Azula down a better path, but failed multiple times. But he never lost hope.

When JJ and Zuko feed the turtle ducks, Jeong Jeong would carefully take one of the ducklings and gently pet it. He would then give Zuko the duckling, only for his nephew to get bitten on the nose.

A little Zuko would sometimes make drawings of his uncles and show it to them. Now, there’s a gallery in their office of Zuko’s drawings and old drawings from when Lu ten was a toddler.

When the family goes to Ember Island and watches the play, Zuko and Jeong Jeong, both being theater nerds, would complain about how many times the Ember Island Players would change the play every year.

When Jeong Jeong found out Lu ten on a crush on Zhao, he immediately took Lu ten out of his lessons and taught him separately from other students. He questioned what went wrong when he and Iroh raised Lu ten.

The day Lu ten died, Jeong Jeong had a heart-shattering break down in the middle of camp, letting out sobs and screams for his son. (Think of it like when Eliza Hamilton lets put her cries when Philip dies)

When news of Jeong Jeongs’s deserting reaches the Fire Palace, Azula took it as not only a cowardly and wussy move against the Fire Nation, but a betrayal to their family. Zuko was in denial and believed that he would return. But eventually, he started to have the same idea.

In the episode Tales of Ba Sing Sa, where Iroh sang Leaves from the Vine for Lu ten’s birthday, somewhere in an isolated part of the woods, Jeong Jeong placed a picture of Lu ten upon a tree, as if he was sitting next to him, and watched the sunset. Quietly, he sang Leaves from the Vine to his son.

When Zuko joined the Gaang, he would always talk about his uncles and how much he’d miss them. Hilariously, no one in the Gaang was a aware of the fact that Zuko’s other uncle was JeongJeong until now, nor did they know he had another uncle at all.

Sokka: wait, Zuko— don’t you mean ‘uncle’?

Zuko: no, I mean ‘uncles’, as in my Uncle Iroh and Uncle Jeong Jeong—

Gaang: JEONGJEONG’S YOUR UNCLE!?!

Zuko: well yeah, he and uncle used to date before my cousin passed—

Gaang: IROH AND JEONGJEONG DATED!?!

Zuko: yeah exa-wait you know my uncle Jeong Jeong?!

When the Gaang told Zuko about Jeong Jeong, he was happy to know his uncle was somewhat okay. And hopefully he’ll see him soon, along with Iroh.

When the Gaang met again with their old masters, aka The White Lotus, Zuko and JJ gave each other a tight hug, greeting each other with “it’s been so long”s and a “Look at you, a strong, brave young man” from JeongJeong, as the two of them caught up with each other.

When Zuko hesitately told his Uncle JJ on how he got scarred and his banishment, JJ wished he was the Avatar so he can end Ozai’s life.

After the liberation of BSS, both Iroh and JeongJeong went to find each other, hoping the other is okay.

When they did, they never let go of each other and leaned onto each other, with stuttering, “I missed you so much, don’t leave me again, I’m sorry, I’ll never will, it’s okay, I’m here now, it’s over, I love you so much”as they kissed each other, letting out victorious cheers and happy tears.

When Azula was put into a mental institution, the first, one and only visitor she could some what speak to was (and wasn’t her brother) was Jeong Jeong. When he first visited, she spat a few insults and tried to taunt him like a predator circling a prey. This did little to the older man, as he would simply sat down, put out a two cups and filled them with tea. And while Azula would taunt and demand him to leave, he instead calmly say things such as, “You’re gonna have to drink your tea before it gets too cold, Azula,” or “Remember the time when you tried to braid my hair, only to make me look like a porcurabbit?”

Once, when coming to visit Azula, he heard loud sobs coming from her room. Azula had a mental breakdown, so Jeong Jeong dropped everything he had, ran to her room, and gave her a tight-squeezing, hug, soothing and comforting her as she let out muffled sobs.

Eventually, over time, the two were able to rekindle, with Azula eventually being able to talk to her brother and the others.

As for Iroh and Jeong Jeong, the two finally lived happily in Ba Sing Sa, running the Jasmine Dragon.

Mythical Creatures!Au

When JJ was born, his father wasn’t exactly happy to know that his first son was a fire fae, as at the time, male fire fae were lesser valued than drakes and/or especially dragons. So, JJ was treated harshly by his father at a young age.

Though, with the help of his older sister, who was dragon, he was able to impress his father. And since he was a fire fae, he was able to create his own unique style of firebending. This made him a child prodigy.

Some people weren’t aware of the fact that JJ was a fire fae and probably thought he was a drake or a dragon. This was due to him not just being admiral, but also because his grumpy personality and intimidating demeanor.

Dragon General Iroh was very intrigued by the feisty fire fae and wanted to ask the admiral out. Of course, this didn’t seem to go well at first , as the admiral looked at him with a flushed expression and ordered the general to meet him in his office. Neither of them came out for a really long time.

When JJ was with Iroh and Lu ten, the family would take their dragon forms, with JJ taking a form that looks like he’s on fire. They would walk through woods and find a cool spot where they’ll rest, and Iroh and Lu ten would cuddle around JJ, who would be emitting a large amount of heat for both dragons to get warm.

Iroh would be the one to train Lu ten, but Jeong Jeong would also teach his son some tricks and bending moves. JJ’s bending style was proven a bit challenging for Lu ten, as the style was fit more for fire fae than dragons. Though, he managed to learn a few tricks.

JJ also taught his style to his niece and nephew, who also struggled to do the tricks they can’t seem to master.

When Iroh taught Lu ten how to fly in his dragon form, Jeong Jeong would tag along the back of a Dragon Iroh as they soar through the sky. If anyone from below looked up and heard closely, they could hear the sounds of laughter and cheering, along with cursing screams to slow down.

When the Aang first met Jeong Jeong, he was told by Chey to wait in the small isolated area of the woods. There in the area was a circle of candles and clusters of mushrooms. And he then noticed a fire salamander appearing in the center, and as he watched it scurry behind him, he looked behind himself and fell backwards with a startled yelp. Apparently, the salamander was Jeong Jeong.

While dragons are able to produce and breathe rainbow fire, fire faes in the ATLA can become literal fire balls. Usually, they are able to do this by allowing the flow of energy to travel throughout their bodies while having to concentrate. This could also happen when a fire fae feels extreme emotion.

So when Lu ten passed, you can imagine the terrified and concerned look on everyone’s faces when JJ broke down and became a flaming ball of fire.

And when Zuko told his uncle JJ how he got his scar, the entire White Lotus camp thought that the Sozin’s comet came earlier than expected, only to find out it was just JJ.

Sometimes, JJ would take his salamander form and sleep behind Iroh’s hair, other times he would nuzzle against one of the other man’s horns.

After JJ learnt of the mental hell both his niece and nephew went through, he became the next Sozin’s Comet and flew straight to the prison where Ozai was being held at, so he could burn that b!tch to the bare bone . Luckily, Iroh in his dragon form prevented him from doing so.

JJ sweared that if his nephew and Avatar Aang decided to have Ozai killed, he’ll hope it’ll be him to end the deed. Besides, he’ll make sure to keep the blood off their hands.

Ironically, out of the this Dragon/Fae, both partners are gentle, but it’s JJ who’s most willing to kill anyone if he wishes to. Iroh’s done with murder

Tea shop/Florist!Au

Florist Jeong Jeong refuses to admit he likes the friendly tea shop owner and his stupid smile from across the street.

Iroh would always come over from the other side of the street and talk to the grumpy florist. And while JJ doesn’t talk so much, he would listen carefully and thoughtfully as he works.

When Jeong Jeong finally decided to visit the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh welcomed him with smile (that cursed smile) and sat him at a table .

When Zuko walks over to take JJ’s order and returns with his drink, he tells the older man how happy his Uncle was to find someone to talk too, especially with what he has been dealing with, as he awkwardly greeted himself as Zuko and walked back into the kitchen.

Jeong Jeong sits there for a while, thinking about what Zuko had said, while flushing. Iroh has always been so friendly and patient with him, not to mention extra giddy and very positive. He wonders how could Iroh be so nice to him. A kind man like Iroh. Friends with a person like him. Why? What good thing did he ever do to deserve this?

JJ’s moment of contemplation then gets cut off by Iroh, who asks if he’s alright. He responds with a small smile, thinking that maybe he should stop being distant and harsh, and instead give this friendship a chance.

And so from there, the two had a close friendship, with one or the other visiting their shop.

Aang also works at JJ’s flower shop and would usually send in any deliveries to the customers. When he noticed the more upbeat and calming behavior of his boss, especially after every interaction he had with Zuko’s uncle, he knew exactly what was going on.

So, he texted Zuko, saying somethings up with his boss, betting his friend that his uncle and Jeong Jeong are in love. Zuko texted back that they can’t just assume things like that. However, it was pretty obvious to him that the two are probably a thing. But he didn’t mention that part and didn’t want to jump to conclusions.

Aang suggests that they should run an experiment that could help them confirm if the two are truly in love or just very close friends. After about moment, Zuko agreed. All they have to do was wait for the right moment to do so.

A couple weeks go by and still nothing. Up until the two teens saw an opportunity: Jeong Jeong’s birthday was coming up, and Iroh was trying to figure out what to do for the other man’s B-day.

According to Aang, Jeong Jeong was a huge nature lover. Everytime he would bike through the woods, he always see his boss in the woods. Sometimes he’s seen quietly walking the path while observing and sketching out plants, fungi, or animals in a small notebook. Other times he sees the older man sitting out on the field with a picnic blanket while watching the sunrise/sunset, taking in the landscape.

Not to mention, if it wasn’t for his boss, he wouldn’t be able to name every flower in the shop, it’s scientific name, and its meaning right on the spot if he was every told to do so.

So after some talking, they had a plan.

When Iroh asked Zuko what he should for JJ’s B-day, as the man is not one for parties (or people in general), Zuko suggested that maybe he should take JJ out on a hike in [insert forest park name here]. Iroh gratefully took the suggestion and thanked his nephew. Zuko texted to Aang, “The plan is now in motion.”

On the day of JJ’s Birthday, Iroh took Jeong Jeong out to a large, beautiful hiking trail. JJ was ecstatic, excited to explore and hike through the vast wilderness and see what could lie within it. What made it even better was that he was doing it with his crush close friend.

When Iroh saw JJ’s reaction, he can’t help but also smile, as his heart began to beat with giddiness. Something about JJ’s face lighting up with excitement, along with the rare smile most wouldn’t see him with, just makes him feel weak and mushy on the inside.

As the two traveled up the hiking path, JJ would stop every now and then to show Iroh a type of plant or fungi species and certain facts on them. And though Iroh isn’t able to keep up with the excitement of Jeong Jeong, he smiles with content, happy to see how lighten up the other man was.

And as they continued up, they would sometimes stop to take a break, allowing JJ to take the time to sketch out his surroundings, as Iroh watches with curiousness. He then compliments on the rough sketches, causing the other man to smile and turn pink, thanking him.

By the time they reached the end of the path, the sun was on its way to bed. There, the two lookover at beautiful view of the vast field of trees . They both decided to stay a little longer, as they watch the sunset in the horizon.

They both give each other a look of understanding, as Iroh smiles, “Happy Birthday, my dear Jeong Jeong.” JJ’s heart flutters when he said “my dear”, as he thanked his friend.

As the two began their trek back down, it began to pouring rain. While Iroh sees this as a little minor inconvenience, JJ seems to be a bit shaken by the sudden pour of rain, resulting in him holding onto the other man by his arm.

So as they continued their way down, JJ’s grip became tighter, making Iroh more and more worried for the other man. Suddenly, a loud crashing thunder cried out from above. Though this very much startled Iroh, it triggered something way worse within JJ.

Iroh took immediate notice of the behavior of the other man. Jeong Jeong was frozen in place, his eyes all over the place. He began to tremble and leak of coldsweat as his eyes became glossy, almost on the verge of tears.

Iroh remained calm and slowly reached out to his friend, gingerly telling him that whatever he was experiencing, it was simply a flashback. And when Jeong Jeong turned to look at him, he quietly muttered Iroh’s name. Iroh nodded, reassuring his friend that he was there and he was going to be alright.

He managed to get JJ to sit down, encouraging him to breath slow and deep, then asking JJ to describe his surroundings to him. And as he did, Jeong Jeong kept a grip on Iroh’s hand.

Eventually after awhile, Jeong Jeong was out of his flashback. He looked at Iroh and then his surroundings, and gave Iroh a tired yet firm hug.

The rest of the way back down remained in silence, other the pattering of rain drops. But judging by the look Iroh gave to JJ, he knew well that if he wished to do so, he could talk about it. When they were inside the car and back onto the road, Jeong Jeong talked to Iroh about what happened on the path.

He was hesitant, but Iroh remained patient, listening carefully to what JJ has to say. Through muttered and stumbling words, Jeong Jeong explained that in the flashback, he was back on the field, witnessing many of his comrades and close friends getting blown to pieces by land mines. Others were shot down multiple times as he could remember the sound of gunfire.

And the worst part is how he was never able to do anything to save them, making him feel helpless and filling him with an immense amount of guilt.

There were a few moments of silence, not long after being broken by Iroh, who completely understands the pain JJ has endured, especially since he himself has experience these flashbacks and nightmares before. Which is why he knew what to do when JJ was having a flashback.

He explained that before he opened the Jasmine Dragon, he was a general in the army, and there, his son, Lu ten, was also part of the army. During a mission, he witnessed his own son get killed out on the field of battle. The memory of his son’s bloody, lifeless body forever taunted him, appearing in his nightmares and at certain parts of the day. He was in depressive state of mind, never letting go of the guilt he felt when he couldn’t save his son. But over a long period of time, he improved, healed, and knew what to do if he were to ever get a flashback.

When they reached home, it was already dark. Iroh insisted that Jeong Jeong would rest at his place just for tonight, so he could make sure that JJ would be alright and help him in case he gets any nightmares. JJ took up the offer, too exhausted from the long day they had to argue.

Iroh allowed JJ to have his bed for the night, while he’ll sleep on a bed roll on the floor. JJ would’ve refuse to take the Iroh’s bed, but instead flopped onto the bed and rolled into the blankets until he was a burrito.

As Iroh said a goodnight to his friend and went to get a bedroll, Jeong Jeong reached out and grabbed the other man’s wrist, telling him to stay. Iroh didn’t know whether to crawl in bed or tell the other man no, but judging by JJ tugging on him, his became answer pretty clear.

Iroh gently slipped into bed beside JJ, who decided to snuggle against Iroh’s chest, burying his face deep into the nip of Iroh’s neck, and within minutes, fell asleep.

Iroh wasn’t sure how to feel when JJ was cuddling against him, but judging by his behavior, he knew what was up, as he wrapped his arms around JJ and held him tightly . And before he went to sleep, Iroh pressed a kiss upon JJ’s head, muttering “Sleep well, my dear Jeong Jeong ” before going to bed. Both men smiled as they sleep in peace.

Meanwhile, Zuko steps into the apartment , soaking wet and pissed. Apparently, he and Aang were spying on Iroh and JJ on the Hiking trip. But nothing really happened and the rain came out of nowhere, so they had to leave before they lost their way back. But they did.

As he walked by his uncle’s room, he stopped where he was and backtracked, glancing into his uncle’s room.

There, his uncle laid in bed, and snuggled against him was Jeong Jeong. He noticed that his uncle had a protective arm around the other man. That could possibly meant one thing. So, He texted Aang. Aang did a victory dance the next day.

For the next couple of months, Iroh helped JJ cope with the trauma he had for so long, taking the florist to therapy sessions and groups. He didn’t speak a lot of anyone at the groups at first, but over time he was able to open up more and more everyday.

And as JJ started to improve everyday, Iroh and Jeong Jeong shifted their close-hearted friendship to a meaningful, loving relationship, drinking tea, early morning strolls,pecks and kisses, hand-holding, and lots of cuddling and snuggling.

This also included JJ gaving a different set of flowers to Iroh and Iroh always taking them gratefully and happily, displaying them all over his place.

And thanks to Aang, Iroh was also able to make flower crowns, giving to the florist and placing them on the flustered JJ.

On dates, they would go out hiking. Sometimes they would take a stroll through the woods. Other times they would lay out under the night sky and stargaze, with JJ telling Iroh a bit about the constellations, with Iroh happily listening.

Teacher/Teacher!Au

Grumpy, chaotic science teacher Jeong Jeong has a huge love interest for the philosophy/band teacher Iroh.

Unfortunately, Iroh seems too oblivious to even realize how much JJ was in love with him.

Hell, the ENITRE SCHOOL knew about the grumpy science teacher who had a thing for the nice and chill philosophy/band teacher. Students, teachers, custodians, lunch ladies, even the Principal knew. It was so obvious, it gave everyone a headache.

Before, other staff members would tell JJ to simply act like himself and go tell the other man. But every time he does, he ends up saying something else (cue Literature/Art teacher Piandao facepalming). Students would give JJ some advice, though he doesn’t really trust what they say when it comes to love advice. He seen them before and he definitely ain’t taking it.

So for a long time, everyone watches as Jeong Jeong continues to pine hard over a very naive Iroh, and it physical pains them.

So it was up to the Gaang to help matchmake their Pining science teacher and Zuko’s oblivious uncle and teacher. (Zuko kinda didn’t want to do it, but he got dragged in anyways)

So far, there have been failed dates, lots of miscommunication, and a multitude of failed love confessions. But today could possibly be their best plan yet: The upcoming high school dance.

And coincidentally enough, both Iroh and Jeong Jeong are chaperoning.

Skipping ahead to the night of the dance, and everyone was dressed and ready the night. Operation: Getting those Two Idiot Teachers to Dance with Each Other and then Kiss, is a GO. (Sokka calls it Operation: Cupid’s Dance)

The plan was simple: Aang and Toph would go off and cause trouble around the gym, catching the attention of a certain grumpy science teacher.

Suki and Katara would keep a lookout and make sure that if there are any minor conveniences to the plan, they report it back to Sokka and deal with the issue.

And when JJ was on his way to the middle, Sokka would signal Zuko to go get his uncle and bring him to the middle, there he would meet JJ and signal the DJ to play romance music. Then and there, they would dance and BINGO BANGO, a lovely relationship has evolved.

Except, there was a MAJOR problem, and it’s that when Zuko went to look for his uncle, he wasn’t able to find him. Sokka panicked and called the rest of the Gaang to meet Aang and Toph in the middle.

There, they tell an irritated JJ to stay put as they went to go look for Iroh. After thoroughly searching the gym with the help of several classmates and teachers, they were unable to locate the philosophy/band teacher anywhere.

They returned back to Jeong Jeong and explained everything to the older man, telling him of their plan to help him and Iroh get together, but they were unable to find him anywhere.

JJ took this as the wrong idea, thinking that Iroh must’ve left the dance without even speaking to him or saying a goodbye. He knows that it’s childish to feel upset over this. Maybe Iroh had an emergency and had to leave immediately. Maybe he had to go back home and retrieve something. But what if he didn’t even come at all?

Jeong Jeong couldn’t help but feel hurt by this. So before the Gaang could correct him, he announced that he’ll be leaving, while already on his way out of the gym.

On his way out of the building, he came face-to-face with Iroh, who came out of the bathroom. JJ was surprised to see Iroh was here all along.

Iroh questioned JeongJeong if he was alright, noticing the amount of distress and hurt on his friend’s face.

Jeong Jeong remained quiet, thinking that it’s time that he should suck up and spit out his feelings for the man who was looking at him with much concern. So he took in a deep breath, and told Iroh that how he truly feels for him.

He turned away, not wanting to see the look of judgement and possible disgust from the other man. They remained silent, but only for a second.

A slow-moving love song echoed from inside the gym, loud enough for both teachers to hear.

JJ heard a bit of shuffling beside him, turning his attention to see Iroh standing above him, with an outstretched hand and a smile.

“May I have this dance?” He asked with a grin.

Jeong Jeong took his hand, getting pulled up and closer to Iroh. He placed his other hand onto Iroh’s shoulder, with Iroh’s other free hand behind his back. Together, they swayed back and forth to the distant song right in the middle of the hallway.

As they dance, Iroh told JJ that he, too, had the same feelings for the other man. JJ was a bit shocked, he never actually thought the other man would return the the same feelings, but nonetheless, he was very happy to know this.

They continued to quietly dance until the song was over, they remained in the same position, pressing their heads together, and the closing the small gap between them.

Around the corner of the hall, there stood the rest of the Gaang, watching as both teachers were sharing a gentle moment, while at the same time, high-fiving each other and letting out quiet-cheers. (Sokka saying Operation: Cupid’s Dance was a success!)

News of the new couple spread quickly, that when the two of them came in the next day, the entirety of the high school cheered, whooped, and clapped for the teachers, while holding up a sign that said,

ITS ABOUT TIME ALREADY!

As they spent more time together, they became the top couple of the high school.

Iroh would write positive and encouraging messages onto post-it notes and paste them onto students desk before classes. He would also sometimes do this with his colleagues.

So everytime JJ has bad day, Iroh would paste a post-it note onto the man’s desk, sometimes with a sweet, cheesy comment, other times corny puns. Either way, they bring a smile and brighter mood to the science teacher.

A few times, when alone, Iroh and Jeong Jeong would snuggle a bit in the teacher’s lounge.

There was one time where they both got too comfortable, and ended sleeping on the couch at the lounge. They woke up to Piandao and Gym teacher! Bumi taking pictures of them (definitely not for blackmail)

For every mouth-iversary (yes ik very cheesy), Iroh would bring JJ to the band room where his class would play a love song for him.

Once it was their one-year anniversary, all teachers and students gathered early that morning for an assembly. There, the principal stood up upon the podium, announcing to everyone that in honor of Iroh and Jeong Jeong’s anniversary, they are proud to present soloists from choir, band, and orchestra.

This surprised both teachers, with Iroh almost dropping his jaw and JJ feeling extremely overwhelmed, causing both men to flush a strawberry tint.

As you can expect, the masterminds behind this extravagant performance is the Gaang, with the assistance of the music teachers and permission from the principal.

Everytime Iroh walks into JJ’s classroom during periods, the students would start to make kissy-noises and eye-raises behind Iroh’s back. This earned them extra homework from a very blushy and annoyed JJ, but they still kept doing it anyways.

One day, there was a school field trip to a nature reserve, and as always, Iroh and Jeong Jeong are two of the chaperones.

Iroh, JJ, and Piandao were put together to look after a group of teens, a few of them being Zuko, Sokka, and Suki. And as they stroll around the reserve, with JJ stopping to watch and look at every living thing they walk by, Iroh separated from himself and Jeong Jeong from the group, before turning back to see Piandao wink at them, while Zuko, Sokka, and Suki gave him a thumbs up, with a mouthed, “Good Luck.”

For the next half an hour, Iroh and JJ strolled down a path while holding hands, talking and chatting as per usual.

Eventually, both lovers reached a clearing with the sun setting eastward, painting the sky cool, dark blues and warm oranges and pinks.

As JJ took in the scenery, Iroh tells his lover he has something to tell him.

After talking about everything they went through together, whether as close friends or as lovers and how much JJ makes him feel so happy, he then talks about how he wishes for Jeong Jeong to spend the rest of his old-man life with him.

Iroh went down on one knee, taking out a box with a small, golden ring and popped the question to his lover.

Jeong Jeong was taken by surprise by all of this , as he placed his hands on his mouth and frantically nodded his head a yes.

Iroh took JJ’s hand and placed the ring upon his lover’s ring finger, as the two held onto each other, laughing out happy tears.

On the bus going back home, Iroh and JJ held hands as they took a nap while laying on each other, rings shining on their finger.

Rumors of Iroh and JJ being engaged spread quickly throughout the student body. The next thing the couple knew was that the entire high school wanted to be invited to their wedding.

And on the night of their wedding after party, while everyone partied and danced inside, Iroh and JeongJeong stood outside in the moonlight, holding onto each other as they danced and swayed side-to-side, ending the dance with a passionate kiss.

————————————————————————

Lord that was long, but congratulations you made it through my sh-t !

(I would like to thank @ultragayrayofsunshine, @old-and-new-friends, and @the-golden-ghost for helping me with the headcanons. Even if it was a small bit of help, I’m still thankful for helping me with this mess of headcanon. So again, thanks again y’all!)

Also if y’all have any headcanons of these two fire lads, feel free to share!

[dead-decomposer]

More Atla because I’m thinking about Zuko and his family(yes I realize I spelt his name wrong in my Azula post)

Zuko and Iroh have tea together every day, and take turns deciding what tea they have and where they have their tea

Iroh usually chooses Ginseng and Zuko usually chooses Jasmine, sometime

Aang and Katara will stop by and join them for tea, when they do they get to pick and often pick green tea or chamomile, when they go usually Iroh and Zuko send them off with a case of tea

Aang doesn’t drink tea very often but he does appreciate it a lot, Katara on the other hand drinks tea quite often

Sokka travels between the kingdoms a lot, having become determined to learn every kind of fighting style he can, but obviously he spends time with his friends and family when he sees them(which is pretty often)

Zuko usually asks Sokka if he can come to meetings with him, since Sokka is much better at handing people and is better at strategizing, Zuko wouldn’t admit it for a long time but he also just enjoys Sokka being there and feels safer with his friend around

Suki and Toph usually travel with Sokka, Suki makes sure they don’t do anything crazy(but also becaus she loves them) and Toph makes sure they get up to trouble every now and again

Suki adores and admires Toph for her strength and independence but also lover her as a little sister, so does Sokka

The first time the three of them run into trouble Suki is a bit protective of Toph since she has never seen her in battle much but Toph actually ends but protecting Suki

Toph and Suki tell Sokka all the time how proud of him they are, both because they are incredible proud of him but also to help with his RSD

Sokka and Suki also tell Toph how proud of her they are because she deserves to hear it

First time they meet Tophs dad properly he acts all “polite” and “I’m a changed man” because they’re friends with the avatar who saved all their butts and doesn’t want them to bring up how he sent mercenaries after them, but as soon as Toph makes it clear she is staying with her friends and not coming home he becomes much more condescending and rude to them

Toph immediately defends her friends, opening up about how terrible a father he was and how her friends are a million times better than he ever was and ever could be

Tophs mom also left her dad, she did a long while before this since she cared a lot about Toph and is still protective and anxious for her but since Toph ran away and she heard all about the things she had done she realized that her daughter didn’t need to be protected but needed to be loved

Her mother now lives in a smaller village a ways away from Tophs home city and works at a garden, she is overjoyed when Toph comes to visit her and always “shows” her all the plants and flowers(her mom is the other person Toph won’t make passive aggresive comments abt being blind to), her mom tells her what the flowers look like and let’s Toph feel them to get a sense of they shape and smells them, and Toph shows her mother her earth bending to which her mother is still nervous about but is supportive and proud of her daughter for being such an accomplished daughter

Tophs mom still babies her but in more of the usual “loves they child so fucking much” way which Toph pretends not to like but appreciates it

Her mom also loves the Sokka and Suki, often thanking Sokka for taking care of her daughter

One day Toph gives her mom a pendant that she made with part of the metiorite metal, it’s simple but it’s of a mother and daughter hugging

Eventually when Toph feels like settling down she moves in with her mom and helps her in her garden, since she’s able to sense roots in the dirt she gets really good at identifying weeds and certain plants and how well they are growing, also able to tell where there are insect nests in the dirt that might threaten the plants

Tophs powers also makes replanting things a breeze

In their travels, Suki learns a few new fighting techniques but prefers to stick to her kiyoshi warrior techniques

Sokka sticks to his swordsmanship and boomerang but basically can use whatever is avalable to fight

When he introduces Suki to the White Lotus she’s honored to meet them but quickly realizes why Sokka gets along with them so well

When Sokka and Suki visit the fire nation they of course stay at the palace and spend time with Zuko and Iroh but they also often go on Double Dates with Mai and Ty Lee(not at first of course)

The for of them met properly through Zuko but often talk about the whole boiling rock thing and laugh a bit about stuff

One time they asked Zuko to come with them but he doesn’t realize he’s supposed to bring a date so he comes alone, which ends up turning the whole thing into just a friends hang out

During this hang out Suki sees how much Sokka and Zuko enjoy each other company and how well they get along, she asks Ty Lee and Mai about Zuko n they say that he definitely has a thing for Sokka, whether he knows it or not

Suki is a little worried at first but not jealous or mad, and eventually comes to terms with the possibility that Sokka and Zuko might end up together, but until then she’s gonna love Sokka for the ridiculous and caring man he is

Eventually Suki catches Sokka admiring Zuko and talks to him about it, at first Sokka doesn’t understand what the HECK she’s talking about but as she asks him a few things he realizes “oh shit I am in love with Zuko”, Suki tells him it’s okay and gives him a kiss on the cheek, they decide to stay friends and still hang out constantly

After than it’s time for Suki, Mai and Ty Lee to plot out how they’re gonna get the two together, they both kind of know that the girls are planning something but not that the other knows or even that the other likes them

The girls try and fail MANY times over to get the two to admit to each other but it’s not until Iroh bluntly says “wow you two get along really well you would make a great couple” that they finally date

Turns out Iroh has been on team Zukka since day one(of course he still supported Sokka and Suki being together and gave her advise during and after their relationship but he’s a wise old man who knows gay love when he sees it)

Onto Aang and Katara centred headcanons(there won’t be many because the whole show is kind of about them)

Aang is really good at keeping his emotions in check, especially his anger, whereas Katara isn’t, he teaches her a lot of what the monks taught him of how to control her anger and not let it get the better of her

Coincidentally Katara also helps Aang learn to express his frustrations in a healthy way so that he doesn’t constantly feel like he has to be happy all the time

At one point Zuko mentioned to them how they didn’t listen to Sokka or take him very seriously in passing and since then the two of them have been working on listening to him

Zuko also further helps Katara come to terms with her mother’s death and she is the first person to help him start his search for his mother

He doesn’t notice at first of course but eventually he does and he is very touched

Katara is actually really bad at doing her own hair and usually Sokka or Gran Gran had to do it for her, but Aang is amazing at braiding and styling hair(saying that it’s a lot like air or fire bending)

Aang does her hair every morning, he does it well enough that reasonably it would last a bit longer than a day but Katara purposefully messes it up or undoes it so he has to do it again the following morning

She never learns to do it better herself because she loves when Aang does her hair

As kids they live at the water tribe but as they get older Aang decides he wants to try and rebuild the air temples

The entire Gaang helps him with this, and they do their best to maintain the traditional style and architecture of the air temples, restoring and preserving what they can

Tophs mom comes to help with gardening as a thank you and an apology to Aang about how her husband and her acted, he accepts her apology and they get along really well

Zuko and Katara surprise Aang by cleaning up the statue of Monk Giatsu(forgive me if I spelt it wrong) and turned his statue into a proper memorial to him and the lost air nomads, they keep it simple of course since they know Aang wouldn’t want anything extreme

The settlers from the other air temples are welcome to stay on the condition that they respect Aangs traditions, Toph and Sokka force convince them to clean up and restore the parts of the temple they had changed and disrespected

Working with Aang they continue their work with flying machines and whatnot but now in a much more respectful manner to the people who used to live there.

Thanks to the air ballons the air temples that would have been inaccessible to non-airbenders, people from any nation and with any bending ability are able to visit the temples, Aang wants the temples to be open to people however doesn’t want anyone else to be moving in until everything is complete and that he feels that it would be a respectable amount of time since the air benders last lived there

Zuko also advises him that it would be wise to wait until they are sure that peace has been reached and that they won’t have to worry about anyone desecrating the air temples

After the war Zuko has a lot of propaganda to get rid of and history books to reevaluate and educational material to rewrite,

Aang helps with the educational material since he actually spent some time attending fire nation school, the classes and teachings are still strict as to their culture however any propoganda is removed, and more creative extracurriculars are added

Toph and other earth benders(gladly) help to destroy old fire nation statues or any other harmful remenants of the war, Toph uses this as an opportunity to erect statues of herself but Zuko doesn’t mind too much, he considers her to be a much better role model than his father

And of course Zuko gets help from scholars from every kingdom in rewriting history books to make sure that they are right and that no tragedy is overlooked and no horrible actions excused or forgotten

Zuko loves and adores his people and makes sure that they know it at every opportunity, and since he is still young he appoints several advisors and trustees to help him run his kingdom so that he is still able to be a child(and so he can still work in his uncles tea shop) but is careful to make sure that important decisions still fall to him so that his council and people still know he’s in charge

Anyways I’m in love with this show n there will probably be more posts like this eventually, i started researching it a few days ago n I’m only on like episode 7 but that doesn’t matter because I’ve watched it a lot thanks to a friend of mine who watched it non stop in highschool :3

[aethersea]

I haven't listened to taz but I loved that Iroh thing you made up one time. So can you please do Iroh? Good luck with the next midterm!

Iroh’s incredible, good good choice, thank you for this prompt. This prompt got me through my midterms, actually, and through the first part of finals week. Thank you. And sorry it took so long to publish this – I take a glacial age to write anything, even these headcanon posts, but I did have a lot of fun doing it, and I hope you’re pleased with the result.

So. Let’s kick this off with the opening lines from that fic I’ll never write:

Iroh left the Fire Nation capital a proud general, filled with the passion of his element and the careless, easy confidence of those who have grown up blessed. In those days he laughed often, smiled at everyone, and dispensed kindnesses like a game. He rode to war at the head of a shining battalion, his son at his side and the whole world laid out at his feet.

He came back with white in his hair and age in his gait, at the head of a ragged company, with no one at his side but loss.

Iroh saved a dragon’s life. I will not budge on this, okay, I’m very invested in this headcanon. Slaying dragons was a big deal in the Fire Nation, remember – mastery over the element and nature or some such rot, bla bla honor, imperialism, whatever. Iroh’s the Dragon of the West for more reasons than one, and one of those reasons is that, as far as anyone knows, he slew the Dragon of the West. The last dragon left alive, people thought. Iroh told the story at parties for years – how fierce the battle, how fearsome the dragon, how fiery its demise. How the very mountains shook with its death throes. How absolutely certain he was that there were no dragons left, no sirree, not a one.

Iroh saved the dragon from another Fire Nation general. Some powerful firebender, one who’d lost his military command over some disgrace, was looking to regain his honor by slaying it, and Iroh stopped him. Killed him, which he can’t find it in him to regret, though sometimes he thinks maybe he should. Iroh turned away from his enemy’s burnt body and saw the dragon, wounded, dying, and learned a whole lot about dragon medicine on the fly. 

Iroh wasn’t even looking for a dragon, which is the funny part – he was honest to god just passing through, yes I know it’s the middle of nowhere and there’s no human settlement for days, I really wasn’t looking for you, please don’t breathe fire at me I just want to help. Incidentally do you know the way to Sen Zhu, I am very lost.

Iroh doesn’t go to Sen Zhu for a while, because he has to nurse the dragon back to health, and after that it takes him to that dragon temple from the Indiana Jones episode. Iroh learns a bunch of cool firebending moves from the temple guardians, and when he leaves he swears he’ll tell the whole world that the Age of Dragons is over.

Iroh was a great general to serve under, back when he was still fighting. He has a brilliant tactical mind, and even before he learned how to be kind, he knew the importance of taking care of the people serving under you. His soldiers were well fed and provisioned, his officers didn’t abuse their power, and at night when they made camp he would go from campfire to campfire with a large jug of good wine and a choice selection of really bawdy jokes. It took a while for the soldiers to get used to this, but eventually they all knew him, and he knew them. By the time they reached Ba Sing Se, all of the soldiers, even the conscripted ones, had come to believe that maybe the Fire Nation would be in good hands when he took the throne.

He was a pretty great prince in a lot of ways. He was arrogant, yes, and prone to recklessness – you know the opening scene in Prince of Egypt, where the two princes wreck everything? That was Iroh and Ozai, every other month – but he was clever and cunning, he knew everything about how the Fire Nation was run, and he knew how to balance listening to wise counsel with making his own decisions. Everyone was sure he was going to be a strong Fire Lord, and most people thought he might even be the one to end the war. The general consensus was that the Siege of Ba Sing Se would be the last great battle of the hundred-year war, and that when it was done or shortly after, Azulon would step down and hand his crown on to his son.

When Iroh took Zuko under his wing, it wasn’t because he saw himself in Zuko. It wasn’t even because he saw his son in Zuko – that would have been too painful to bear, even several years after his death. It was because of how much of his family he didn’t see in Zuko. Where Iroh had been arrogant, Zuko was shy. Where Ozai was coldly ambitious, Zuko was generous and kind. Where the Fire Lord was dispassionate and calculating, Zuko cared about people. Where Azula was—well, the less said about Azula the better. But Zuko was nothing like her, and if Iroh had anything to say about it, he never would be.

Iroh met his wife in winter, under the boughs of the only tree in the palace gardens that blossomed in that season. Their marriage was not yet arranged, but they both knew it was likely to happen. She had smiled at him, shy and hesitant under the star-white flowers, and admitted with a self-deprecating smile, “I think I’m meant to seduce you.” Iroh had laughed, and said, “Our parents can worry about that. Why don’t we talk about something else? Do you like the theater? There’s an excellent production of Zukon the Dragon-Slayer on in town.”

After the play, they walked arm in arm through the city parks, under trees that were sparse and drooping in the tropical winter, and talked about dragons and history and storytelling, and never once touched on politics or weddings. It was only after several more months of such outings that Iroh turned to her, seriously, and said, “I know what our parents have planned, and it’s not a plan that I could ever object to. Spending time with you is the brightest part of my day. But I would rather work the rest of my life on forging alliances with your family myself than see you unhappy. If you don’t want the marriage to happen, it won’t. I will see to it that it won’t have to.”

They weren’t in love. They both knew this. But Iroh thought he could grow to love her, that he could be happy the rest of his days with her at his side. He hoped she felt the same, but—

She stared at him in shock, and then started to laugh. Iroh turned away, embarrassed and awkward, ashamed of his sentimentality. He didn’t see her face when she called him an idiot, and he was taken by surprise when she turned him around, still laughing, and kissed him.

Iroh joins the White Lotus like this: One of its members is the governor of an occupied Earth Kingdom city, and when Iroh visits, they play pai sho. Iroh leads with the white lotus tile, and the governor comments on what an unusual choice it is. Iroh responds with something cryptically philosophical, as he is wont to do – something about unexpected stratagems allowing for unpredicted victories. It is exactly the kind of thing White Lotus members say to each other.

They play a full game of pai sho, and Iroh wins, making use of clever strategies and maneuvers which are all part of the secret code that White Lotus members use to impart how much they know. Iroh’s new friend understands it all to mean that Iroh’s a super high-ranking member of the organization, and he’s here to help the governor with some problem plaguing the city.

Iroh’s never heard of the White Lotus. He’s just really good at pai sho. When the governor asks for help, he gives it freely, because that’s just who he is as a person. When word spreads and more people start coming to him for help, flashing a white lotus tile as they ask, he starts to put two and two together.

Iroh doesn’t tell anyone that no one ever actually recruited him, in case they decide to assassinate him or something. He picks up secrets as he goes, through intuition and careful questions. It’s not like he disagrees with what they’re doing, once he figures out what it is.

After the war, he tells King Bumi about all this, and they laugh together for a good long time.

Iroh and Bumi get along like a house on fire. Sometimes literally, because they have a lot of friendly duels and they can get a little out of hand. In the years after the war, they exchange lots of correspondence, and Iroh visits Omashu a lot.

Whenever he does, the whole city despairs, because now there are two unreasonably buff old men with mad bending skills walking around, delighting small children with their antics and imparting cryptic wisdom to shopkeepers.

Iroh never actually got a divorce. His father wouldn’t let him, and later his brother upheld that ruling – a disgrace to the throne, your wife leaving you because she can’t bear to see your face anymore. Because you can’t find words to say to her anymore. He never got a divorce, but he hasn’t spoken to his wife in a long time. She lives with her sister, on one of the more distant islands. 

When Iroh was imprisoned in the start of Book Three, she sent him a letter. It was cold and brief, and Ozai had the prison guards read it to him, out of… some jealousy that still remained, some desire to see Iroh beaten, to see him brought as low as he could be brought. Iroh listened to it silently, eyes hooded and blank, which was how he always looked in prison when there was anyone around to see. In the letter, his wife said, “My heart is a barren winter, where only the star-white flowers of the senko tree could bloom. Hearing of your vile betrayal, you who style yourself Dragon of the West, I remember the dragon-slayers of old, and I long for a return to those days of chivalry and hope. The legacy of that time has died, but it pains me to think that we have fallen so far. I hope you still believe in repentance.”

After the war, he finds her. “Thank you for your letter,” he says. “Thank you for believing in me when no one else did. I am sorry for how long it’s been.”

“I meant what I said in it,” she says firmly. “I am your wife and your ally. I should have been by your side, these many years.” 

“As I should have been by yours. I should never have left you to grieve alone.”

Iroh’s wife smiles, and kisses him on the cheek, and says, “Now, I think we should get down to business. Your nephew has the support of the people and of the Avatar, but that won’t keep him safe for long. I have a list for you of blackmail material for the nobility. Unfortunately it’s not comprehensive, but we’ve managed to assassinate or otherwise remove the worst ones in the chaos of the last year or two, so your boy should have a few years at least to solidify his claim.” 

Turns out Iroh’s not the only one who’s been running with an undercover network of powerful people looking to enact change. Hers is smaller, based almost exclusively in the Fire Nation, but it’s also a fair bit more… hands-on. Iroh immediately takes her back to Zuko and says, “Nephew, hire this woman as your advisor. Trust me, you want her on your side.”

Iroh loves his brother. That never changed, even when Ozai stole the throne, abused his children, killed… no, surely Ozai would never kill his wife. Surely not. Iroh won’t believe it. But even so, Ozai has done horrible things, become a monster worse than their father, and Iroh loves him still. Iroh tries to reason with him, tries to fight him, and it never seems to make any difference. Iroh works against him, secretly, with the rest of the White Lotus, and his heart is heavy as he does.

Iroh sees his brother challenge Zuko to an agni kai when the boy is only thirteen years old, sees his brother mutilate his own son in public, sees the unrelenting rage in his brother’s face as he does it. Iroh gives up.

Iroh loves his brother. He never stops loving him, till the day he dies. But he never forgives him, either.

Iroh came home from the Siege of Ba Sing Se a broken man. That phrase gets thrown around a lot, to the point where it’s almost lost its meaning, but this is what it means here: 

In the days after coming home, after kneeling before his father’s throne and recounting his defeat, Iroh does not leave his office. For seven days and seven nights he sits at his desk, staring at the books and scrolls that he’d studied before leaving. They’re filled with tactics, strategies, accounts of historical battles. He wants to burn every last one of them. He can’t muster up the energy. 

On the eighth day his brother comes to his office and says that this has gone on long enough. The people are worried, his family is worried – it’s time for Iroh to leave his rooms and return to the world of the living. Iroh stares at him, stares through him, but Ozai doesn’t take no for an answer, forces Iroh to shower, get dressed, go outside. Iroh follows his brother through the halls of the palace like a ghost, empty and drifting.

“You’re upsetting your wife,” Ozai tells him. It’s one of many things Ozai tells him, but it’s the only one that sticks. Iroh hasn’t seen his wife since he came home, and told her that he sent their son marching to his death. She had known already, of course – he’d sent word when it happened – but she had thrown herself into his arms and sobbed until she was empty. Through it all, Iroh had held her and felt numb. His guilt and his grief had long since consumed him, until he no longer felt like a man at all, just a walking hole in the world.

The next day, and the next, and the day after that, Iroh forces himself to leave his rooms. He walks through the palace, face blank, not seeing any of the people who bow and step out of his way as he approaches, not hearing their hushed whispers as they stare and stare at their fallen prince. He walks, after a while, into the city, without a litter or a procession, unaccompanied by anyone but a squad of harried guards who were manning the palace gates when he went through and had to hurry to catch up. He stops in parks and at busy intersections, and spends hours watching the flow of traffic or the way the wind moves in the branches of blossoming trees.

This is very embarrassing for the crown. Ozai is sort of regretting having forced his brother out into the public eye. There are whispers and murmurs that the Fire Nation will surely crumble when Iroh takes the throne. Azulon is not pleased. 

Iroh’s wife goes to live with her sister. When she tells him she’s leaving, he nods, and says, “I understand.” When she’s gone, he puts his head down in his arms and cries, for the first time in a long time.

It’s not long after this that Iroh goes before his father – formally, requesting an audience and kneeling before his throne – and asks permission to run away. He wants to tour the kingdom, he says. He wants to see the results of their war with his own eyes, to remind himself what they fought for. Azulon is relieved. He sends Iroh off with his blessing, hoping his son will find his backbone out in the world where he lost it.

Iroh wanders, for a long time. When he comes back he is, once again, a changed man.

[zutaraturtleduck]

Uncle Iroh uses social media

I have this headcanon in a Modern AU setting where Uncle Iroh manages either Zuko's instagram account or a fan page where most of Zuko's pics are posted. You know... since Zuko rarely uploads his own pictures and being a proud uncle he is, and not putting to waste his nephew's good looks and lean muscles. He would also send some never-seen-before/never-been-uploaded-online pictures to Katara like some of Zuko's baby pics and that yummy picture when Zuko was changing, the way his muscles flexed and the way he unknowingly posed. He knew the girl would love it.

Uncle Iroh has also this blog or website about tea, Pai Sho, and shares his proverbs and words of wisdom to his million followers. That was also where he knew his White Lotus friends.

Zuko was surprised when be found out that his uncle was in a way famous online. He wanted to get about to get angry when he found out about the pictures uploaded online but remained calm, in awe with the quality of the pictures. "Yeah. I do look handsome."

[badmusejail]

Ozai (and Iroh) AUs

Since I've started writing in them both on here but never formally wrote up information about them, here we go.

First off, in general, Ozai tends to be a little younger in these verses. He's around 40 at the start of ATLA and usually in his early 30s in these verses. Why? Because I find it a more interesting area for development, that's all. He and Ursa are in a tumultuous but mostly stable marriage, Zuko and Azula are rather young and repeating much of the strife Iroh and Ozai themselves have. Usually Lu Ten is already dead but Ozai hasn't (yet) made an attack on his father to claim the throne nor has he scarred and banished zuko (yet).

It makes sense to have Zuko older when Zuko is the main muse, but Zuko isn't my muse and so I shift the narrative a bit earlier to put more focus on my muses.

There's still a 15 year gap between him and Iroh, putting Iroh around his mid-late 40s. Iroh can, and has, been mistaken for Ozai's father, much to the former's amusement and the latter's annoyance.

Most of these AUs feature similar, but milder, events compared to canon. This is also to facilitate Ozai's growth and allow him to develop in ways that were never an option in canon.

He's still a dick, though.

That, and, to make him easier to interact with, as engaging with him in canon is virtually impossible unless you're Zuko, Iroh, or Azula.

He's still a firebender or equivalent in all verses unless explicitly noted.

As usual, most details and plotting are open for discussion! Just shoot me a message.

Modern AU

Azulon serves as the current CEO of Ember Strokes (畫的餘燼) with his sons serving close behind him. Whether this is literal or metaphorical depends on which son you're referring to, as Ozai tends to literally be right behind Azulon in all things he does, while Iroh tends to be halfway across the world, promoting the company as a loveable and relatable figure.

The history of Ember Strokes is unclear, but the most prominent figure was Sozin, who rocketed the company from being a small and mostly local business to country-wide and then international fame. A lot of the history prior to Sozin taking over the company has been lost, and neither Azulon nor Ozai feel inclined to dig deeper into it.

(Iroh may, yes, but not quite yet.)

Nonetheless, the accepted history of the company is that it started in artwork, traced back to a singular artist who used fire to create strange and unique pieces covering a wide variety of topics. Unfortunately, that original technique has been lost, but Ember Strokes still deals heavily in art and the surrounding areas, such as clothing, furniture, jewelry, and others.

The company puts an emphasis on cultural heritage and respecting history, focusing heavily on traditional pieces and techniques that capture the beauty of nature and yes, fire.

Keeping up appearances is important to them, so much so that Azulon and Ozai regularly wear traditional robes and a vast majority of their primary residence doesn't even have electricity, instead relying on fire and the sun and only using technology when strictly necessary.

Azulon's relationship to Ozai and Iroh is arguably more twisted in this verse; as Iroh grew into a teenager, Azulon began to fear that he'd lose control of the boy or that he'd choose to abandon Ember Strokes and leave them without an heir, and so he had Ozai, making sure to have a stronger hold over the boy.

Ozai is oblivious to any other possibilities--as far as he's considered, his life belongs to his father and the company and he's blind to the unhealthy degree of control Azulon has over him, even well into adulthood.

Ozai's hatred of Iroh developed on its own, however; while it's true that Azulon holds some favoritism towards his firstborn, it's not nearly as extreme as Ozai believes it to be. It's simply that the two have different uses and strengths and Azulon puts them to use as efficiently as possible.

He does, essentially, intend for Iroh to be the face of the company while Ozai handles the financial business in the background. In an ideal world, they'd work together well, balancing each other's flaws, but Ozai hates Iroh too much for it to ever work out. He'd much rather Iroh not have a part in the company at all.

As for the children...Lu Ten sadly passed away in an vehicle accident about a year ago. As well as Iroh is holding together, he's still heavy in his grief and noticeably different.

Zuko and Azula are mostly left to their own devices, usually watched by some sort of tutor, babysitter, or servant as Ozai is extremely busy and hardly ever spends time with them, except for the occasional family dinner or sparring.

Ozai finds Zuko far too soft for the business and has no intention of training him to take it over or even letting him be a part of it. Kicking the boy out is unnecessary, but Ozai doesn't think he has any value there. Azula, of course, is the one he's training to support him and one day take over the company.

Although the company is mostly legal...there is some underground shenanigans going on, mostly on Azulon's level that he hasn't yet revealed to the brothers. The arrangement that lead to Ursa's marriage to Ozai was one of them.

Urban Fantasy AU

Much the same as the above, except the family's rule over fire is well known and respected among human mages.

Kings and Knights (Fantasy) AU

Ozai is one of two princes of Lóngdǎo (龍島), an intensely volcanic region. The kingdom is highly aggressive and there's a general belief that the world would be better under their control.

Much like the other AUs, Ozai has not yet seized control of the kingdom and is trying to prove himself a superior heir to Iroh.

Particularly, he's interested in killing a dragon, an extremely respectable and honorable feat to his people...and something his brother has already done. (Or at least has claimed to do.)

Sci-Fi (Space) AU

(to be added)

[badmusejail]

the muses as kids in school

(modern earth setting)

group 1:

Gemuse.  Shy kid; keeps mostly to himself with maybe one or two friends.  Can be energetic or reclusive depending on the situation.

Quentin.  Resident cowardly bully, picking on people verbally because he’s too afraid of getting his ass kicked.  Thinks he’s the smartest.  Regularly picks on Gaster, taking advantage of his general inability to speak and usually calling him derogatory names like “flathead.”

Gaster.  Actually the smartest.  He was a sweet if reclusive kid, at least until the accident that killed his parents and left him scarred and mostly mute.  Now, he’s just trying to get through each day; avoiding people like Quentin.

Ozai.  Bold and arrogant, but because of his youth comes off as more cute than annoying.  He’s noble but aloof; unlikely to intervene in anything that doesn’t directly involve him.  Already kicked Quentin’s ass for insulting his hair.

group 2:

Giovanni.  Much like Ozai, his lofty ideals and words tend to be more adorable than annoying.  He’s a good kid, albeit a bit opinionated.

Surge.  The Cool Kid ™️.  With a rebellious streak and confidence to match, a lot of kids gather around him.  But he’s still a decent guy; just tends to ignore those not in his circle.

Oak.  Friendly and outgoing, the star pupil, who coincidentally has a lot of friends that want help with or to copy homework.  He’s mostly loved by kids and teachers alike, though there are some who envy his intelligence (specifically the fact he shows it off so much.)

Iroh.  Very similar to Ozai, actually, although a bit less likely to resort to violence.  (He will, though.) He still has a nobility / arrogance to him, but it’s mostly hidden behind his friendly demeanor.  

[badmusejail]

The Emperor for Giovanni and Iroh?

a collection of muse headcanon questions inspired by the major arcana of the tarot 04.  the emperor  :  how much respect does your muse have for authority ? why is this ?

Giovanni honestly has absolutely no problem with authority. In fact, it'd be rather hypocritical of him, an authority figure, to advocate for the disregard of authority.

It may even be surprising that Giovanni doesn't have a "Fuck the police" attitude--he finds that the police serve a very important role in society.  After all, without someone to enforce the laws, even incredibly flawed as they may be, society would fall into lawlessness, and that would be no better.

It’s not authority that he has a problem with, but rather finds that the system as a whole has been utterly screwed over and that most people are just doing the best that they can.  

In general, it comes down to respect--respect is important to Giovanni and if you come off as disrespectful to him, he’ll immediately return the favor.  But if you’re willing to be polite, he’ll exchange that decency as well.  

All in all--there is no good without evil, and radical good and evil tend to be so similar he can’t bother himself with the distinction anymore.

It’s pointless.  Just fuck around and have fun while you have the time.

---

For Iroh, it’s... complicated, for reasons that can probably be easily guessed.  Not so much that the person itself cannot be trusted, but he knows too well how the position of authority can corrupt, or how the message sent by the person in authority can be corrupted, and how great tragedy can arise as a result. 

But, in general, Iroh tries to respect everyone ... even if he is ready to kick their asses if the situation calls for it.  

[badmusejail]

Cinderella: "A dream is a wish your heart makes" What's that for you?

Nemo: Your bravest moment.

Your very Personal and Intense Disney Ask: Cinderella: "A dream is a wish your heart makes" What's that for you?

“For you to quit asking me these idiotic questions.”

“I’ve always wanted to be a chef.  There’s just something so intimate and caring about preparing other people’s food--and there’s so much culture and variety.  It seems that virtually everyone loves food, you know?

“My...parents thought that I wouldn’t be able to make a living off of it, though.  So they kept telling me to pick something else.

“I don’t think spy is what they had in mind.

“Some part of me still hopes...maybe?”

“I just want to help people, you know.  That’s what it always was.  That’s all it’s ever been.

“I just wanted to see my people safe and happy... so what if we were trapped in a relatively small space?  The humans weren’t coming after us.  We were safe, we could...make it into a paradise.

“So that’s what it was.”

Nemo: Your bravest moment.

“Does flying into a massive creature made out of fire and lava with intent to destroy it from the inside out even if it killed me in the process count?”

“Sometimes I wonder if I’ve ever actually been brave at all.”

[badmusejail]

What memory do they revisit the most often? (Giovanni, Gaster, and Iroh)

Uncommon Questions for OCs and their creators:

"The day we lost the war. The day he surrendered and betrayed us all. The day that I was the last one standing, the day that I was cut down and abandoned for standing up for my people, for what I believed in.

"The day that everyone decided I was the villain."

-----

"...When I killed my best friend.

"It could have gone so many different ways. It could have, it could have--if only I had ...

"But it didn't. And my SOUL is stained with my sins."

-----

...does he have to say it?

The day when he failed everyone? when he failed himself? When he failed his own son?

The day when everything had changed and it was all his fault.

[badmusejail]

⚔ which muse is the most likely to go to jail/prison 👑 which muse is most likely to take over the world 💎 which muse is the biggest drama queen 👛 which muse is the most frugal 👠 which muse loves shopping sprees

send me a symbol and I will tell you… ⚔ which muse is the most likely to go to jail/prison

Every muse on the blog turns to look at Ozai.

"Hmph."

👑 which muse is most likely to take over the world

"Naturally."

It'd be Gaster, if Gaster had any desire to.

💎 which muse is the biggest drama queen

"That would be me."

👛 which muse is the most frugal

I don't think there's any clear winner for this one. Maybe Gemuse or Surge; as in, they're the muses most likely to not waste money.

👠 which muse loves shopping sprees

Again there's no winner for this one because I as a mun hate shopping and it reflects in most of my muses. Giovanni shops a lot because he's picky about his stuff but I wouldn't say he loves it. Gaster enjoys just looking at the vast offerings in stores, so he might be the closest. Him or Iroh, who enjoys looking at things, and generally wasting a lot of money.

[badmusejail]

Sexuality HCs for Pride Month!  

Weird Octopus:  Ah, what is sexuality to a little creachure that only exists to cause chaos?  Aromantic, but to be fair, if another of his kind did exist he probably would mate with it.  Beyond that, the creature has no concept of sexuality, gender, or societal expectations to speak of.

Gemuse Heinzmann:  Asexual, Biromantic.  Gemuse has always had a shaky relationship with sex, especially through high school where so many other boys felt obsessed with it and he felt ostracized.  To this day he’s gotten more comfortable with his own identity, but still finds the concept of sex nauseating.  That being said he can pretty easily be romanced by the right individual regardless of gender. 

Giothornéc Vannikthull the Vengeance:  Given that he’s a sentient sword, sex is a bit questionable and confusing to him.  Many of his interactions can come off as “flirty” when he’s just trying to be nice.  He doesn’t even know what a date is but it sounds exciting!

Futsuku Keohima:  Straight.  Though he does live in an outdated society where it’s the expectation, so perhaps that’s not surprising.

Geoferd Alder:  Straight.  He has a relatively low sex drive but not enough that he considers himself asexual.  Plus his culture puts a rather heavy demand on having children and continuing the traditions.

The Spirit King:  Straight.  The expectations of royalty make it hard for him to imagine being anything but.

General of the Cross:  Asexual Aromantic.  He’s just not interested.  Unlike Gemuse, he’s not bothered by the idea of sex, he just doesn’t care.

Giovanni Marianelle:  Bisexual.  It took him until relatively late in life to realize and accept this.  In many cases he prefers to seem straight just to keep up appearances--this is especially true in modern verses where the Mafia has been suspected to kill off members that are explicitly homosexual.  

Lieutenant Surge: Straight.  It’s just part of the military shtick he’s based on.

Iroh:  Straight.  Sorry fans, he just loves his women too much for me to imagine him as anything but.  Plus the whole homosexuality being illegal in the Fire Nation--

Ozai:  Asexual Aromantic. Unlike both Gemuse and the General of the Cross, Ozai will have sex for enjoyment but it’s really, really, not his primary interest.

John Wick:  Straight.  

Quentin Beck and Major Beck:  Demisexual.  But they consider themselves straight.