#but I’m just getting into zukaang

[yuttikkele]

if aang got with zuko that would’ve been connect four, four avatars in a row that ended up with someone from the fire nation. And I’m like imagining students in Avatar Studies class having to write down this stupid fun fact for their stupid quiz they have to take Friday cause their teacher’s like really into Avatar Trends and how they gravitate to the same thing every time.

[biconickyoshi]

Cave of Two Lovers… but make it Zukaang ❤️🔥🧡

Boutta post the next chapter of The Avatar and the Fire Prince (I kinda can't believe it's gonna be the 30th chapter overall, like wow), which is my adaptation of this episode! I needed to post this on tumblr first so that I can copy the link to put the image in the chapter lol.

Fun fact! The original draft of this chapter was actually written wayyy back in late 2021 when I first brainstormed up this AU, just as a bit of practice to see if I could get invested enough to justify actually turning the premise into a full-fledged fic. Obviously, it worked!

I did have to go back through and not only fix some grammar and whatnot since my writing style has changed (improved tbh) in the 2+ years since I originally wrote it, but also beef it up a little in terms of Zukaang thoughts/interactions. Not much has changed overall in terms of the direction this chapter goes, but I very much tried to make sure all of Aang and Zuko’s interactions were unique to them and not just a retread of what happens between Kataang in canon lol.

I literally never could have imagined when I first wrote this chapter that I would actually become majorly invested in this fic, and that so many other people would too! I’m getting close to 2k kudos now and I can hardly believe it - especially since starting out this fic was my first attempt at writing fanfiction since 2015 😭

I really hope you guys enjoy the chapter - just like The Fortuneteller, this one has been much-anticipated! :)

[earfgoddesss]

trying not to get into actual shipping discourse but I am getting really really really really sick of people spamming “literally brothers” on everything related to Zuko and Aang.

for comparison, imagine if people said “wow they’re sisters” on the clip of Ty Lee teaching Azula how to flirt, or “wow brothers” about the (classic) scene with Zukka on the air balloon. I’m not critical of either ship, but I know that the shippers would (rightfully tbh) push back. Yet if Zukaangers push back on “LITERALLY BROTHERS” it’s a problem.

If you don’t like Zukaang, it makes you uncomfortable, or just like them platonically (all of which is great and fine!) , please please just call them best friends. That’s what they LITERALLY are in canon. Neither ATLA or Korra did a “no homo” zukaang by calling them “brothers”. why is the fandom doing it?

[dukeofdelirium]

you're my fav kataang blogger so i need to give u a fanfic rec i've been OBSESSED with.

their user on tumblr is @quillthrillswriting i think and their ao3 is @/quillthrills but like,,,,, their kataang dynamics are PERFECT they have one abt teen aang and another one where aang is the good dad he should be and like..... its just so so good you need to read them and give ur review PLSSS <3 🫶

I actually read a few of their fics last night! I love the portrayal of kataang that they have, and I especially love any kataang being parents content. I also thought it was funny that they took the whole zvtara trope of Katara having to escape Aang (🤢) and then flipped it on its head bc yknow what? We as a ship fandom deserve it after all we deal with lmao.

I have yet to read the Teenage!Aang fic that’s multi chapter and I haven’t read their one shot titled I’m No Longer A Kid, but I will when I get the time! Maybe tonight 💛

There’s truly so many amazing kataang fics to be found on ao3 and fanfiction.net (that’s the site I wrote my first ever fanfics on and yes they WERE kataang fics). We have some truly amazing artists and writers for this pairing <3

If you’d like recs of my own for kataang, I read a couple last night in addition to the author’s you mentioned. Exchange of Wrath by ArmageddonGeneration was incredible (3 chapters) and a one shot From the Moon to the Ocean by the same author. I also recommend literally any kataang content from chocomd on ao3 and they have some zukaang fics too if you ship that. Highly rec Without Water, Midnight Meditations, and Drag You Down, all are kataang fics!

Hopefully I’ll have the time eventually to write a kataang fic myself! I haven’t gotten around to writing anything for them on my ao3 account, but one day I will 🫶🏻 only gotten to post my twilight fics on there and have tons of WIPs and working on original novel too so just gotta find the time to devote to kataang

[leantailean]

I really love Toko, but i feel like its often constrained, largely due to the age gap. Like stories will often either be set in post-canon, or the characters will be aged up. Do you feel like that holds true and if yes do you feel like there's a dynamic that i'm missing. And post-canon is fun to explore, but i feel like the most interesting story telling is generally set while the war is ongoing. Conversely i feel like aging up Zuko would be fairly disruptive to his journey. Not that i think those are bad things, i'm really liking Third Time's the Charm that plays with the latter, and arranged marriage which to feels like a very natural trope for them, and obviously i love your art. They say for a reason that constraints inspire creativity. I'm just curious about your thoughts about that.

Hi! Thanks for the ask and sorry for the late reply (sickness prevented me from replying)

I have a lot to say about this, so let’s begin (it’s a loooooong answer).

Age gap is the most common argument against toko I’ve heard. And, to be honest, I find it really strange. You see, Aang and Zuko have the same age gap, and almost the same have Sokka and Toph, and nevertheless Tokka and Zukaang are quite widespread and supported ships, and no one cares for the age gap. That’s why I don’t really see why people believe that age gap as an issue in Toko.

And this argument sounds strange also because If relationship, even romantic one that are originates from friendship are starting to built it doesn’t mean they immediately become sexual. Kataang is canon and beautiful, but in reality several years should pass for them before they step into that kind of relationship. I’m even uncomfortable to think about Maiko having sexual activity in the canon, when they both are around 16.

Besides, it is difficult to imagine Zuko anything but aro/ace to me.

 Toko's relationship originates from similar life experiences and mutual support for each other. This is not a love at first sight, but a gradually developing "friends-lovers" relationship. Which, by the way, completely similar with other canonical pairs, such as kataang.

Also I think that this argument originates from extremely wrong, primitive fanon interpretation of Zuko and Toph. Usually Zuko is depicted super mature and super experienced dude (all that dadko bullshit, omg), and they prefer to see Toph as some tomboy-ish brat (here in Russia people call such girls “the guy from the next yard”), rude, not serious and childish. Nothing can be farer from the truth.

In fact, Zuko is emotionally underdeveloped, traumatised and rather infantile due to the abuse he experienced. He Is a teenager with serious anger issues and bad social skills.

Toph is, otherwise, one of the most mature gaang members. She is able to understand and listen to other people , and she never demand anything back (“Yes, thank you Toph”. Indeed it woul be very nice of Sokka and Suki to thank her for saving their lives). Despite her guarding her boundaries carefully she is always open to other people and she is in good contact with her own emotions (which is what Zuko lacks). So in their relationship, at least that the very beginning Toph would be the most mature side (although it’s fair for every possible Zuko’s partner, such as Maiko, Zukka or Zukaang).

 So I don’t think that Toko is having any problems in that sense.

On the one hand, I agree that it’s the most interesting when the relationship somehow develops during canonical events, and not in the post-canon. But in this case, this applies to absolutely any couples, except of maiko, kataang and sukka, since they are the only ones developing during the war. Any possible other relationships, such as Tokka, or Zukka, or Zukaang, can exist only in  post-canon if canonical couples break up for some reason. Again, Toko is no exception in this case.

Zuko and Toph's relationship (doesn’t matter friendly or romantic) did not get the development  they deserve in the third season. In fact, their relationship was just thrown under the bus because of the sloppy writing of the entire third season (to give Zuko one episode with each member of gaang  just to check the box, like "mission accomplished" and give almost not developing of his relationship with each of them outside of these episodes. And Toph was robbed even of this). But despite this, toko still has more then any other fanon ships (although “Boiling Rock” is definitely a very Zukka episode). We see that Toph was the first one who believed Zuko, and not just believed - she actively defended him in front of the others and made an attempt to have a chat with him herself. It is important: the fact that Zuko's relationship with Toph is radically different from any other ones with the rest of the gaang member, since she was not with them when Zuko actively hunted the Avatar, and their first close interaction was after his redemption, when he became the best version of himself. Toph has no personal negative experience with him, and Zuko does not  feel guilty towards her, and with her he doesn’t need to make up for anything, and this is very important.

Strangely enough, but, one of the most Toko moments of the show is the moment in which Zuko and Toph do not interact personally: the meeting of Iroh and Toph. She is also the first from gaang who met and even, one might say, became friends with Iroh. Iroh, who has always been Zuko's father figure is talking to Toph about real Zuko. Not about the imperialist prince cruelly pursuing the last hope of the world - the way Sokka, Katara and Aang knew him - but about just a boy only Iroh, his closes person, knew. In addition, Iroh, who knows and loves Zuko, says how much he and Toph have in common (Iroh is the first and main Toko shipper, and I will die on this hill). Narratively and dramatically, this is an amazing moment, and I will fight with anyone who says that Toko has little canonical content: any other Zuko ships can only dream about such a moment.

It is also interesting that it is with Toph that Zuko has the most sincere conversation about his guilt towards his uncle. He talked about it with Sokka and with Katara, but it was Toph who was able to tell him the right words that really comforted him and make him smile (seriously, this is the best smile Zuko has ever seen, and it happens during his conversation with Toph!)

We see that they feel extremely comfortable and open with each other, even though they barely know each other.

Toph is the only girl in the canon made Zuko to blush, just a fact. And Toph, in her turn, openly talks to Zuko her feelings for him (I'm not saying that her feelings were already romantic at that time ). "This is how I show affection" is just the best moment.

We can talk about many other canonical points that are important for toko: the similarity of characters and life experience - both Zuko and Toph are from the upper class, both grew up in abusive families and both know what it is to feel unloved by their own parents. The Blue Spirit/Blind Bandit is one of the most interesting and direct parallels of Toph and Zuko - an alter ego that they needes to get away from theirs social roles (a prince and a young lady from an aristocratic families). This is the same direct parallel as the canonical pair has: The Painted Lady/Kuzon. Just as Aang and Katara need alter egos to help others people which is the core of their characters and unites them,Toph and Zuko need alter ego in order to satisfy their own desire for freedom, which they cannot satisfy in any other way.

They are both disabled, forced to deal with the fact that people judge them by their disability and appearance, forced to prove every day what they are more than their disability. Again: neither Zuko nor Toph share such an experience with anyone else, only with each other.

So canonically, toko has a lot of support - certainly no less than any other fanon ship.

After all, they look amazing together.

Also, I just love the moment with kissing doves. Seriously, ATLA rarely show us such a perspective, why they needed to place such a scene in the same shot with Toph and Zuko as if it were foreshadowing their future relationship? God, I love it!

I really like to explore the post-canon, especially since  I don’t consider comics and LOK to be canon, although it doesn't even matter - nothing in them contradicts the idea that Toph and Zuko could be together at least at some point in their lives.

To explore  alternative universes for toko, such as the arranged marriage plot, is also a very interesting, and it would be great to talk about it another time.

Thank you for the question, I think my thoughts turned out to be a little messy, but I hope it could be interesting to you.

________

Let's talk about TOKO!

[my-cabbages-gorl]

Bewitched

by @my-cabbages-gorl

Genre: Angst, Romance Rating: Teen audiences & up

Some tags: Zukaang, one-shot, aged-up (Aang is 22 & Zuko is 25), implied sexual content

Blurb: When he parted the curtains, Zuko was sitting cross-legged on a cushion with a cup of jasmine tea cradled in his palm. His bare chest framed by the deep maroon of his silk robe. He was less surprised than Aang expected him to be. 

Standing up and dropping the porcelain cup to the low table beside him, he said, “Aang, what are you doing? You shouldn’t be here,” it was weak, the hollowness of his conviction echoed loudly. And, it wasn’t even true. Aang had accompanied him for tea many times in his personal chambers, and at much later hours than this. It was the air between them that had changed. The two of them alone together felt fresh with impropriety. 

Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt "Hour of Denial" Read here or on Ao3

~~~ One spring evening, the cherry blossoms had just begun their late-season bloom. A delicate almond-vanilla breeze swirled through the open windows of the Firelord’s dining chambers. Zuko found himself trapped in another dinner with one of his advisors, lecturing him on the question of betrothal and heirs. Aang watched sympathetically and respectfully, a smirk he could barely hide curling the left corner of his mouth throughout the whole ordeal. 

As soon as they got rid of him, Zuko slumped against the door he shut behind him and breathed in the solitude and reprieve of the company of his best friend. “Is something amusing to you?” he asked, annoyance written all over his quirked eyebrow.

“Just...” he looked at him in this commiserating and pained way that said more than he was allowed to. “You,” he gestured to where his advisor Li Jun had disappeared through the doors, “this.” A naked smile that Zuko wished he could say was so handsome lingered on Aang's lips. 

“I’m amusing to you?” shaking his head gently in disbelief as he said it. That’s the last thing he wanted to be, as a 25-year-old still trying to prove he was worth his title. It’s the last thing he wanted to be to Aang. 

Aang could hear the music of their familiar, unarticulated dance in the soft coyness of Zuko’s question. But, after imagining Zuko wed to the daughter of a high house of the Fire Nation for the last 3 hours, he didn’t want to dance tonight. For whatever reason and with a flicker of resignation in his big, stormy eyes, Aang said, “Yes, you are.” 

“That’s not a very proper way to speak about your Firelord.” He was trying to kid, but a complicated slurry of his own self-abasement and his surprise at Aang’s sudden directness crept in. 

“Then tell me how you’d like me to speak about you, Zuko,” his cadence quickened impatiently beyond the unhurried clip of their usual conversation. 

Zuko couldn’t decipher the blank, placated look that replaced the levity on Aang’s face as he spoke. Aang was asking him for something: a reaction, a look to know he wasn’t alone in this cursed, precarious longing. But, as much as the dull ache in his chest begged Zuko to give it to him, he couldn’t. He just looked at him, hoping his long exhale and gentle shake of his head could say every illicit thing he'd resolved never to utter aloud. In the wordless exchange, Zuko could feel the weight of his crown piece sitting ominously against his scalp.

“I should get to bed. We have another long day of meetings tomorrow.” He sighed, rising to his feet to leave, placing a hand on Zuko’s shoulder before he passed through the doors. 

~ 

Even palaces settled, and the creaking of the floorboards in the residential wing under his feet froze him in place. He held his breath and hoped the guards he’d skirted past by air-bending himself from one balcony to another didn’t come searching for the source of the noise. 

Whatever insanity carried him here was too determined to let him go back. It was the same strange magic that he’d unleashed between them earlier that evening. In the tormented silence, something in him broke. They’d evaded the inevitable for one day too many. 

Once he knew he wasn’t being followed, he slipped out a window and searched for the balcony of Zuko’s bedroom. The creamy smell of sweet cherry blossom in late-season bloom settled over him. Late was certainly better than never. 

When he parted the curtains, Zuko was sitting cross-legged on a cushion with a cup of jasmine tea cradled in his palm. His bare chest framed by the deep maroon of his silk robe. He was less surprised than Aang expected him to be. 

Standing up and dropping the porcelain cup to the low table beside him, he said, “Aang, what are you doing? You shouldn’t be here,” it was weak, the hollowness of his conviction echoed loudly. And, it wasn’t even true. Aang had accompanied him for tea many times in his personal chambers, and at much later hours than this. It was the air between them that had changed. The two of them alone together felt fresh with impropriety. 

A few assertive steps closed the distance between them, the ashy scent of Zuko’s skin so close flooded Aang with hunger. In this certain tilt of moonlight, he could pretend he didn’t see the faint blue of his tattoos as his fingers set to the unfamiliar task of untying Zuko's top knot. Blackish-brown waves fell around his shoulders, tugging a sigh from Aang’s parted lips. 

“Aang, you shouldn't...” Zuko’s eyelashes fluttered enchantingly in the dark, needy fragment of nightfall that surrounded them. "be..." 

“I know,” Aang's hands settled into the curve in Zuko's waist like lightning finding its conduit. “I’m not here,” the lock in their gaze clicking into place with bewildering finality. “I had such a long day. I need a full night of rest, in my own bed.” The words feathered over Zuko’s jaw, twisting them both in the precariousness of the moment. 

Aang's fingers found the end of the tie keeping Zuko’s robes closed- he tugged lightly and searched Zuko’s eyes for permission. It was foolish not to give it now, what with their bodies pleading plainly between them. With a light twist of his hand, the dark red of Zuko's robe shrugged open. Aang stepped back to see him bared in his fullness, bracing himself with a deep breath against the jagged waves of desire crashing through him. Zuko reached forward to fist one hand into the front of Aang's zhen sash, the other curling behind the base of his neck.

“And tomorrow, Avatar Aang,” he wet his lips with a slow swipe of his tongue, Aang's eyes memorizing every detail, “in our morning council meeting, you’ll tell me how you slept?” 

"Of course, your highness," he managed before closing the distance to shatter the unseen barrier that had stood between them for years. 

Tomorrow, they’d meet again as the Avatar and the Firelord. But tonight, in the grasp of this bewitching hour- this beautiful shadow of night fraught with maddening denial and desire- they could believe for a moment they were just two lovers; tangled in the simple, saccharine act of giving their bodies to one another.

~~~

Okay, I have to say I'm living for these angsty-ass FFF prompts, keep them coming!!!

[friedchickenluver]

cw: atla rant

honestly dni w me if u support/tolerate any type of zuko slander/hate/bashing and this is just an in general thing. i really hate it when i go to social media of any kind expecting to enjoy my favorite characters and end up with very distorted/biased views on him.

I love Zuko as a character, he is so complex, and beautifully written as an individual, and I could go on and on all day about him. I’m no shipper of “zukka” “maiko” “zutara” or “zukaang”, and I think it’s honestly wild at how this fanbase is so obsessed with who zuko ends up with, like it has to be some form of projection at this point.

Zuko isn’t ugly or any less attractive because of his scar. Zuko isn’t a terrible firebender, and will somehow never get better at it. Zuko gave life a second chance and proved that anyone truly can change despite their past. Zuko is interesting and valid. Zuko does love his sister, and Azula loves him. Just because he is so often advertised, doesn’t mean he’s any less valid in his abuse or his arc as an individual. Zuko does fuck up, and he always will because that’s what humans do. At the end of the day, Zuko still is just as much as a child like any of the other main characters are and doesn’t deserve to be treated like he’s a full ass adult and understands everything about and in life. Zuko is popular but not overrated.

like im so tired of trying to say this, yes atla is deep, but some opinions on here are just plain fucking stupid and delusional. people cant go one second without degrading another good character when defending a more “underrated” one. It’s a phenomenon that happens with zuko and azula, they both deserve to be happy, but some azula stans make it seem like it was zuko’s fault for everything. or they just bluntly say zuko is nothing compared to her, or how they couldn’t live as normal siblings once more when she redeems herself.

l check accounts, and if i see that u support any of this, u WILL be blocked. I’m serious about this. This blog is a safe space for atla/LOK characters of all. Except ozai.

[convertedzukaang]

Title: There's No Reason -Also posted on Ao3

@flashfictionfridayofficial

Pairing: ZukAang (ATLA) Zuko x Aang

Warnings: Stockholm Syndrome, Mild Angst

Word count: 802

Zuko stared at Aang from outside his cell below the ship’s deck. They're approximately six days away from the Fire Nation Capital. Aang’s stomach turns at the sudden realization, it has been twenty-five days since Zuko has captured him and he has grown fond of the Prince’s presence in his tiny prison cell. They have shared intimate moments, and some days he finds the Prince lying next to him in the middle of the night, soundly asleep and breathing peacefully. Aang sighs and gets up from  his chair, “Are you going to just stand there or are you going to come inside?”

He sounded discourteous, Aang didn’t mean to. But he was exhausted and being stuck in his diminutive cell did not help the suffocation he’s feeling. When Zuko opened the cell door and stepped in, he looked at Aang with apologetic eyes. He could almost hear Zuko’s unspoken words, his apologies, his confession, his cognizance. Aang simply takes his hand and places small and gentle kisses on Zuko’s fingertips, silently reassuring the Prince that everything will be alright.

“Would you like to..” Zuko started, staring intensely at Aang’s lips, “..come to the deck with me?”

Aang gasped at the question, shocked at how nonchalant Zuko suggested the activity. He smiled at the Prince as tears formed in his eyes, quietly asking, “Is this a test?”

The Prince laughed, the sound sending electricity down Aang’s spine. Zuko responds, “I trust you because..” He paused, holding his tongue from saying things he might regret later, he shakes his head and continues, “..because I just do.”

Zuko tugged at the airbender’s hand, leading him up to the deck of the ship. It seems that Zuko had planned to invite him out here all along because on the far end of the deck, Aang sees his glider perched on top of the crates. He was about to run off, however, a strong squeeze on his hand stopped him. Aang looked back at Zuko with a sad smile, “I’m sorry, I just got excited.”

“I know, I’m just.. Nervous, that’s all.” Zuko says as he lets go of Aang’s hand, “I said I trust you, and I do. I know you will always come back to me.”

With a nod from Zuko, Aang sprints to where his glider was, his bare feet feeling cold against the steel of the ship. He spends no time warming up, he whips his glider and soared through the clouds. Aang didn’t even notice how the sun burned his skin when he ascended to the sky, he took no notice of anything as he breathed in the salty and fresh air. Laughing as he passed through the mist, soaking his clothes. But Aang didn’t care. Realistically, he’s only been held captive for less than a month, it hasn’t been that long but his mind wandered around his friends. Katara, Sokka, Toph and Suki. Where are they now? Did they survive the Serpent’s Pass? That was the last time he saw them before he was captured by Zuko. The feeling of guilt buried deep inside him is now bubbling up, Aang has always thought he is responsible for his friend’s lives, and he left them alone, traveling through a deadly pass. But his friends are strong, surely they can survive without him. They might be in Ba Sing Se by now. 

He flew as high up as he could until he could no longer see the Fire Nation ship below him, until he could no longer see Zuko. It’s as liberating as it is suffocating. He could fly away right now and spend his energy flying to the Earth Kingdom again, he could try to find his friends. Aang shakes his head and comes back to reality, he descends below the clouds just enough so Zuko can spot him and keep an eye on him. Reassuring the Prince that he’s here.

No matter how freeing this feeling of flying in the clouds is, he is still a prisoner. He can escape. He should escape, but something inside him, a mere whisper in his ears, telling him not to leave. Even if Aang knows that when they arrive at the Fire Nation, he will be offered to the Fire Lord as a reward, then Zuko will have his honor back, his home. But as he looked down, seeing Zuko smile warmly at him from his ship’s deck, trusting Aang that he would never stray too far and escape, the airbender can’t help but let a tear slip down from his eye to his cheek. The wetness immediately dried as he ascended further into the clouds, letting all his conflicted feelings plummet into the ocean below him. He thinks –  there���s no reason for him to be falling in love with his captor like this. 

[chocomd]

So I think I’m finally gonna do it.

I’m finally gonna write fic for fe:3h.

I haven’t done it yet, partly because I’m kind of intimidated. There is SO MUCH good fe fic, with the kind of quality of writing and depth that challenges me to wonder if my own writing is up to snuff.

I’m also afraid of being sucked into yet ANOTHER rabbit hole obsession lmaooo

But you know what, I’m gonna do it anyway. Because I have too many ideas filling my brain that are itching to be unleashed and I have @itsmoonpeaches to feed.

But I’ll finish the Kataang wip I’m working on and still write Zukaang fic! I just need to get over myself and write fe lmao

[transboysokka]

unsolicited zukaang anon here

sorry for coming at u again but its kinda your fault bc u got me THINKING with your comment about zukaang during the zukka divorce bc WHAT IF there was a zuko/aang/katara threesome where zuko was ALL IN HIS FEELINGS missing sokka and he cant stop thinking about him bc katara is RIGHT THERE and he feels SO GUILTY for supplementing sokka with HIS SISTER but he cant stop himself and it ends up being some of the best, but at the same time most emo, sex hes ever had

Oh my GOD we are really getting in the weeds with this one but I LOVE this.

It’s Aang’s idea because he just wants to help.

It happens once and that’s enough to make Zuko hate himself and then somehow SOKKA FINDS OUT and he doesn’t care why should he care it’s not like they’re together but THATS HIS SISTER and then wowwwww the lingering awkwardness when they do get back together…..

I’m now realizing I have a mission to get every character to eventually sleep with Zuko in a consensual and plausible way. He needs a slutty era….

[bard-llama]

ATLA WiP List: Shippy Fics

So, yesterday I did a list of all my unpublished gen fics and it came out to 73. Let's see how much bigger the list gets with unpublished shippy fics.

Zukaang Fics - non-smut

Our Love Become a Funeral Pyre - In his dreams, Zuko is someone else, someone who lives a life he much prefers. Someone who has a best friend who is an airbender named Aang. Someone who falls in love with Aang, even though Aang’s not real. How could he be? He’s a figment of Zuko’s imagination.

Gay Bar - outsider POVs of two weird kids who come to a gay bar in Ba Sing Se to hang out

Fluffy Zukaang at the Sun Warriors' Island - Zuko practices on the terrrace of the room the Sun Warriors gave them and Aang is enthralled.

“My heart feels like it’s dancing when I look at you.” - Zuko thinks there's something wrong with him. As he tells Aang about his symptoms, Aang wonders how the hell he's supposed to tell Zuko that he's maybe in love with Aang.

Fealty - now that Zuko is Fire Lord, Aang pulls him away from celebration to pledge himself to Zuko - but Zuko beats him to the punch

Pampering Zuko - Aang and Zuko ran into each other in Ba Sing Se and ended up dating. After a while, Aang managed to convince Zuko to take a holiday, so to speak, and come to a private retreat with him where they can be together without a time limit. Now he gets to lather Zuko with affectionate touches.

Treasure (sequel to Pearl) - when Zuko first took the Gaang diving, Aang discovered a black pearl. Now, he's decided how to give it to Zuko.

“I’m in love with your voice.” - Aang wakes up all tied up in the North Pole and ends up talking with Zuko. Zuko is baffled at how this is turning out. He's never just had a conversation with the Avatar before.

Blue Spirit x Avatar Aang - Aang and Zuko both know that people will be weird about them being together. So they hide it. But when a kid asks if Aang is dating the Blue Spirit during open audience, they have an idea - which ends up leading to the next open audience day, where everyone and their mother comforts Zuko that true love will out and that vigilante is no good anyway. Zuko is frustrated.

“We need to stop dancing around it. All it does is hurt us both!” - Aang dreams about his pursuer a lot more than is probably right. But it's just idle fantasizing, and as his enemy, Zuko is safer than Katara to dream about. But when he wakes up at the North Pole in Zuko's arms, he assumes that he's dreaming and kisses the Fire Nation Prince, who is shocked, but responds. Only turns out, it's not a dream and suddenly there's a fight and then he has to save the spirits. So even once Zuko is no longer his enemy, they avoid talking about it until they can't anymore.

“I can’t stop thinking about you. When I wake up, when I’m about to fall asleep…” - Zuko is haunted by Aang and doesn't know what to do about it. Aang has a few ideas.

Soulmate Potential - there are no preassigned soulmates. Anyone has the potential to be your soulmate, and if you happen to click with them, you can build that bond yourself. Your soulmate could be anyone - including your enemy.

Crystal Catacombs - okay admittedly, this was supposed to be the setup for Zuko's POV of same side sex, but so far, they haven't actually reached the same side.

Author Zuko: Blue Spirit/Avatar Aang - a new play comes out about the Blue Spirit and Avatar Aang. A new romantic play. Aang is not impressed. Zuko, meanwhile, is acting a little shifty.

Zuko writes about the Fire Lord and Avatar’s Bond Thru Time - Zuko writes a book/paper/whatever about the clear bond between the Fire Lord and the Avatar. He did not think to tell the Avatar that he was doing this.

Zukaang Fics - smut

Rope Burns - 2 times Aang was roughly burned by rope and one time he asks Zuko to tie him up

Shirtless Sparring - Aang and Zuko spar shirtlessly during training

Airbender Blow Jobs - airbender lung capacity makes for great blowjobs

Zuko blows Aang while Katara watches - inspired by this art, Katara walks in on Zuko and Aang and Zuko makes a show of it.

Aang Approaching Zuko Morning After - after running into Zuko at Pao's Teashop in Ba Sing Se and ending up spending time together, Aang returns to the teashop to see if he can have what he actually wants. Encountering Zuko's Uncle was not part of the plan.

Dreams/Nightmares - when Sokka recommends that Aang picture the bad guys in his nightmares not wearing any pants, his dream about Zuko attacking him takes an unexpected turn.

First Kiss/First Time - when Zuko kisses him out of nowhere, Aang panicks and runs away. Zuko assumes this means he ruined everything. It's left to Mai to force Aang to come back and make them actually talk.

Pao’s Teashop Office Sex - when Aang coming to Pao's teashop leads to unexpected sex, Zuko breaks into his boss' office to use his couch, just because.

Sexytimes – Voyeurism - upon request, Aang pins Zuko with earthbending and makes him watch what the thought of him watching does to Aang

PWP Genderbent Aang picks up Zuko without Zuko knowing - there's no logic to this, it's just what it says on the tin

Identity Porn - Aang doesn't know who the Blue Spirit is. That does not stop him from picking up the mysterious vigilante when they run into each other in Ba Sing Se. Zuko doesn't know what to think.

Other Ships

Zuko navigating 10 (billion) relationships - aka Zuko is involved with literally EVERYONE and they figure out how to share lol

Zutaraang - Aang gets all hot and bothered watching Katara and Zuko spar. They find this very concerning until they figure out why he's all flushed and flustered.

Zutaraang Lap Sex - Katara decides to make a move that lets them all have what they want - she can have Aang, Zuko can also have Aang, and Aang can have them both, like he clearly wants. Win-Win, even if she's not such a big fan of Zuko.

Aang loves his friends - eh, this might actually be gen, but kinda started out about Zukaang, and may go towards the whole Gaang together??? Idk

Katara and Aang decide to pursue Zuko - post-canon, Aang approaches Katara to talk about polyamory, because to the Air Nomads, him loving Zuko as well was no big deal, but to other nations, it could be. Katara needs some time to think about it.

Everyone is in love with Zuko: He catches a clue - Zuko confesses to his wife that he's in love with his friends - to which she responds "oh, you finally figured it out? Good job."

I Still Dream About You - Gaang/Zuko where for his 30th bday or so, they all get wasted. His memories of that night are a little iffy, but he definitely remembers Aang kissing him and the others watching him. He dreams about it a lot. Meanwhile, the rest of the Gaang misses him and looks fondly back on their memories.

Sparring for who gets to take Aang - Zuko and Katara take sparring very seriously. Aang doesn't get what the big deal it.

An Arrangement for World Peace - Toph and Zuko get married. For world peace. The Gaang is shocked.

Toko S3 Hookup - a series of encounters that start when Zuko accidentally walks in on Toph, who's swearing up a storm bc her earthbended dildo just broke. Zuko makes himself useful.

The Southern Waterbending Line - Zuko's maybe a little bit jealous of Katara and Aang getting married, but the important thing is that they know what they're getting into. Which leads to a conversation about bending genetics and what their kids could end up being - and a question of where Katara's waterbending came from.

Zuko is not in touch with his emotions - Mai and Ty Lee sit Zuko down and force him through some therapy to help him recognize that he's in love with his friends.

38 total! See, that's not so bad! I mean, in total total, that would be 73 + 38 = 111, which is.... kinda high, but at least it's a nice number!

[yuttikkele]

Zukaang anon here, I couldn't find that post again either.

I just remember that it's untagged and it's been months??? I only came across it because Tumblr void rec the post to me when I was going through your zukaang posts ironically.

Going from your recent "there's not enough zukaang stuff" to your old ice cold take feel like a big character development moment I got to share lol.

Seeing your atla fan journey is pretty incredible, once zukaang clicked for you, the change really set in fast and now I see you in zukaang tag often. I feel like the you from months ago would not believe this is their future

an untagged post of mine? that’s a rare occurrence, or it could’ve been a rb idk!!

anywho yeah atla is great, but I really get into something when there’s a ship that I’m fixated on and zukaang is that 😭😭

[biconickyoshi]

Zuko and Aang as they appear in Book 2: Water of my slowburn Zukaang AU, The Avatar and the Fire Prince!

Overall Synopsis (for new readers):

In the year 96 AG, a freshly burned and banished 13-year-old Prince Zuko discovers a strange boy frozen in an iceberg. When Zhao interferes with Zuko's plans to deliver the Avatar to his father, Aang helps Zuko and Iroh escape. They take refuge in the abandoned Air Temples, Aang searching for any remnants of his people that he can find. Along the way, he teaches an indoctrinated Zuko about the true nature of the Air Nomads. Zuko must come to terms with the fact that everything he has been taught was a lie, while Iroh must acknowledge and face the sins of his past. Eventually, Aang and Zuko become close friends, and Zuko begins to feel things he has never felt for anyone before. However, Zhao will not give up easily, and will do whatever it takes to capture the Avatar and his traitor accomplices.

Book 2 Synopsis:

Zuko and Iroh have now officially denounced the Fire Nation and the Royal Family and are dedicating themselves to helping Aang fight against the forces of their homeland. After narrowly escaping Admiral Zhao at Crescent Island during the winter solstice of 96 AG, Aang, Zuko, and Iroh travel south in search of the Southern Water Tribe village Aang has been dreaming about. The village is in danger: the Southern Raiders are coming, and it will be up to our trio - with the help of a couple of Water Tribe siblings - to unite the remaining villages of the Southern Water Tribe so that they will stand a fighting chance.

I got an iPad for Xmas and I’ve spent the past couple days working on this! :) I’m super happy with how it turned out!

Zuko’s about 14 here - his hair length is how it looks about halfway through this Book. I’ll probably do another piece to show what he looks like at the end of the Book since his hair is a lot longer now with it being almost a year since he cut it in the AU’s timeline (we’re now approaching the Northern Water Tribe storyline). I’ve also never drawn weapons before… so I hope his broadswords don’t look too wonky 😅

Aang is about 13 here. He’s wearing a new outfit as well, which I thought made sense since this AU takes place over 3-4 years instead of less than one year like in the OG series. Aang’s gonna grow a lot over the course of this AU, so he can’t just keep wearing his Air Nomad trainee clothes indefinitely lol.

I plan to do a lot more pieces in the future as I get the hang of digital art, so I would like to draw more characters (like Iroh, Sokka, and Katara) and more looks for Aang and Zuko. I’m also really excited for Book 3, which will be Earth in my fic (Earth is my absolute favorite season of the OG show). Zuko’s hair will probably be long enough to pull back into a ponytail again at some point during that book… Though this time it will be a different style :) gotta do some brainstorming for that one!

I’m close to wrapping up the next chapter, in which our characters make a return to the Northern Air Temple! I haven’t had as much time to work on it recently just due to all the holiday stuff that’s been going on. It’s probably gonna be a shorter chapter as well (which I don’t mind, I hope y’all don’t either). But after that, we’ll finally be in the Northern Water Tribe! :)

[earfgoddesss]

feel silly that passages of Roku book have influenced my Zukaang headcanons/ideas like that’s all I’m getting from it, but I feel a bit better now that I keep seeing the Kataang vs. Zutara ship war go harder because Sozin and his people are Bad (and somehow that makes Zuko BAD…despite him renouncing that era of the FN and being the one to reform it)

ANYWAYS

I find that hair in the FN being so sacred that only close friends or family can touch each others really interesting and ofc it fuels the Classique: “Character A (Zuko) will let Character B (Aang) do the thing but no one else can” So I’m just imaging Zuko letting Aang ruffle his hair or something, meanwhile if anyone else (Sokka) tries to touch his head he has an Outburst. and then the whole passage on sister Disha going in the ocean and Roku silently being like S-SCANDALOUS was so “Fire Nation lowkey be prudes” thing (or at least towards women, weird to wear a bikini until 100+ years later I guess) adds fuel to the “Aang comes from a culture of people that aren’t terrified of nudity/sex” and “Zuko comes is the PRINCE a culture of uptight traditionalist who dance around every topic that might taint their social standing” and how that plays out when they’re older.

also Roku is a cutie patootie, and I like seeing more of Gyatso, and Sozin’s DOWNWARD SPIRAL is interesting

[dukeofdelirium]

Let’s talk about something more positive: what are your top 10 gay ships?

Oh god idk if I have 10 but let’s see!

1) lawlight. 1000000000% LAWLIGHT lmao! I’m obsessed. OBSESSED with them. I’ve been obsessed with this ship for over 14 years. They make me actually rabid and crazy like nothing else. Everything about this ship and their dynamic drives me nutty. They are the only real “enemies to lovers” ship I’ve ever gaf about or probably ever will. There’s something sooooo Shakespearean tragedy coded about this pairing and they are genuinely so fun to analyze to me. I’ll never get bored of them!

2) byler! Definitely byler!!! I love this ship so much. Best friends to lovers is always gonna be my favorite overall trope (despite the lawlight obsession) because I just think it’s gahhhh so sweet!! Mike and Will being together will be the perfect conclusion to stranger things imo and I’m so excited for the final season!!

3) korrasami! I remember when they went canon. I was so shocked I didn’t even believe we actually WON with a gay ship. This pairing was groundbreaking for cartoons and is the reason we have gay rep in kids shows now too

4) zukaang! I am a multi shipper so I ship Aang with Katara and Zuko too. I love Zuko and Aang’s dynamic and I think there is a ton of canonical support for this ship, too. I guess they’re technically an “enemies to lovers” but I don’t rlly think of them that way. Anyway, I think they’re cute!

credit to Noquelle for the fanart!

5) patrochilles, obviously there’s the Iliad but there’s also a novel called The Song of Achilles which I highly recommend if you’ve never read it and want gay rep. It’s a beautifully written novel that is about Achilles and Patroclus and makes an argument for the interpretation of them being lovers (which was common in ancient times)

credit to awanqi on Twitter for the fanart

6) frowise??? Samfro???? Sam and Frodo from The Lord of the Rings! I’ve always loved these two. And if you think the films are gay, the books are gayer. They cuddle, hold hands, kiss and tell each other they love each other in the novels. They are precious and I love them soooo much

7) this one’s gonna sound silly but me and my friends ship quimbry (Quil and Embry) from Twilight lmao. We wanted gay rep and then it just kind of snowballed. I have like 7 fanfics on my ao3 written for them …. 😂😂😂 idgaf that they’re fanon either cuz they’re real to me and I’m obsessed with them. My ao3 is the same as my tumblr btw if you wanted to read my fics! it’s dukeofdelirium

8) (edit I can’t believe I forgot them!) WILMON from Young Royals! Such a sweet pairing and I was so obsessed with them when I watched this show. Such a good show too. Highly recommend and the actors had amazing chemistry

9) REDDIE? I remember this one breaking my heart a bit. I’m not a hugely active shipper of it but it’s cute and really sad

10) Jack and Ennis from Brokeback Mountain:(((( this movie really and truly ruined my life and did something to me when I watched it as a 10 yr old. Somethin about growing up in the south as a closeted gay boy…. Heath and Jake were insane in this film their chemistry was nuts

Hmmm I can’t think of anything else at the moment! I’m very particular about the stuff I ship, it rlly has to scratch a niche itch in my brain for me to be really and truly obsessed with it.

Thanks for bringing something positive to the ask box! :) what are your favorite gay ships, anon?

[zukaangweek]

Hiiii just wanted to pop in to ask if ya’lls zukaang week is happening this year? I know it’s so so early but just wanted to check and see!! Seeing more movement and interest in the zukaang fandom recently so I’m getting excited about the possibility!!

Yes, Zukaang Week 2024 is happening this year! Please see this post 😊