#taatfp

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Kuzon to the rescue 🔥

Yesterday I had a random urge to draw Fire Nation Zukaang from my AU The Avatar and the Fire Prince (so Aang is 15yo and Zuko is 16yo here). I also kinda just wanted an excuse to draw Aang with hair :) he kinda looks like Mako now that I think about it lmao... Meanwhile Zuko's giving me major Xie Lian (from Heaven Official's Blessing) vibes for some reason? Maybe it's his long flowing hair...

This isn't from any particular upcoming scene in my fic or anything (though maybe I will write it in when I get to that point, who knows). I imagine the context is they're undercover in the FN and some asshole is trying to punch Zuko - of course Aang is NOT having it. Maybe the puncher is Hide (the bully) from The Headband episode? idk lol

I do also have a version of this where Aang is classic bald Aang, so let me know if y'all wanna see that and I'll add it in the reblogs or somethin :)

btw if any of y'all recognize or can guess what the pose reference for this is from, you get a gold star (hint: it's gay)!

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After the Comet

Some wholesome grown-up Zukaang for y’all 😌 I drew this specifically with a yet-to-be-written scene from The Avatar and the Fire Prince in mind. As the above name suggests, this is when Zuko and Aang reunite after Sozin’s Comet, aged 16-17ish and 15-16ish respectively (though this could honestly be them as adults sometime in the canon timeline too).

As I started to do the finishing touches, I legit made myself pretty giddy with how well (at least I think) I did the expressions lol - especially with Aang, who’s basically got heart eyes 🥺 And then there’s Zuko’s soft little smile 🥺

(can you tell I’m literally insane about my own AU lmao)

This is actually my first time drawing them both in an actively ship-y context - I’d been practicing a lot with just individual portraits and/or poses because I’ve been intimidated by doing more, but now that I’ve done it, I have soooo many other cute fan art ideas 👀 someone is probably gonna have to come pry my tablet out of my hands at some point…

(reposting this bc the tags somehow got fucked up when I had the original post in drafts and I couldn’t fix it)

[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! :)

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Iroh in my fic

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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! :)

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So I'm about to post the next chapter of The Avatar and the Fire Prince (which is going to be The Siege of the North, Part 2) and I thought it would be nice to post this as a little sneak peak for Book 3: Earth since that will be starting very soon :)

I'm planning on Book 3 starting in the late spring of 98 AG, and it will likely span until summer of 99 AG, one year before Sozin's Comet arrives. This is how I imagine Zuko and Aang look about halfway into the Book, so the former is 15, and the latter is 14.

I wasn't sure what to do with Zuko's hairstyle initially, because even by the start of this Book, it will have been a year and a half since he first cut off his ponytail. For reference, as of the end of Book 2: Water, he basically has his canon Book 3 hair (actually probably a bit longer). I ended up giving him a nice little half up-do (kinda Rangi-inspired, but more Earth Kingdom) for this Book since I think it's a pretty realistic style for what his hair length would be at this point.

For Aang, I wanted to give him a new outfit as well, and ended up just slapping the earthebending clothes he gets from Master Yu's academy but recoloring them orange lol. I really like how it turned out tbh!

I keep saying this in the notes of my most recent chapters, but I literally cannot overstate just how excited I am to get into Book 3: Earth lol. Book 2 is my absolute favorite Book in the original show (probably because that's when I started watching it), and there's so many fun plot points and twists that I have planned (including Zukaang developments, of course). I think a lot of y'all are going to enjoy it :)

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Soooo this isn’t from a scene that has happened in my fic (yet), but it’s totally something that would happen in it (and maybe it still will at some point in the near future, so stay tuned 👀)

This is supposed to be from sometime around the beginning/middle of the Earth Kingdom arc (Book 3 in my fic) in 98 AG, so I’d say Zuko is 15ish and Aang is 14ish here. Idk what the context of this scene would be specifically, but I imagine Zuko was in danger and Aang had to push him out of the way or something. Then they of course both short-circuit (like Lumity in the library - TOH fans will know) lol

I’m currently working on the Siege of the North Part 1 - I’ll try to get that and Part 2 out soon and around the same time because I’m very ready to get to the Earth Kingdom!

For those who haven’t read it, feel free to check out my Zukaang AU The Avatar and The Fire Prince on ao3 :)

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Zuko ran up to where the figure had fallen, for some reason forgetting who this person could be and the danger he could be in, and pulled them onto their back. He was surprised when he realized that the person he was holding appeared to be a boy, seemingly around the same age as himself. The boy wore robes of yellow and orange and had a completely clean-shaven head, as well as unmistakable blue arrow tattoos all over his body, with the most prominent one making a point on his forehead.

Still astonished, Zuko watched as the boy’s gray eyes fluttered open. Forgetting who this person was and what he was supposed to be doing in this situation, he found himself mesmerized, unable to pull his gaze away.

“I need to ask you something,” the boy said in a weak voice that had not even deepened yet.

“What?” Zuko responded, his mouth acting before his brain could tell him to stop.

“Please… come closer,” the boy said again.

— excerpt from The Avatar and the Fire Prince, Book 1: Air, Chapter 1: The Boy in the Iceberg

I’m back again with fan art of my own AU 😅 I’m really proud of how the first piece turned out, especially considering I have literally no knowledge of how to draw backgrounds lol (I admittedly got pretty lazy there).

I also decided to combine the full-body pose drawings of the boys that I posted individually a few weeks ago onto one canvas (if you saw that those, you may have noticed Aang has been flipped here; I thought it looked better with them side by side). This is how Zuko and Aang appear at the beginning of the AU, ages 13 and 12 respectively.

As of the time of making this post, my fic now has nearly 1.3k kudos!!! 🎉🎉🎉 To anyone who has commented, left kudos, or read even a little bit of it: thank you so so much for the support ❤️

I’m almost done with B2CH12 (chapter 24 overall), so hopefully that will be posted sometime this weekend :) It's The Deserter, an episode that I've been curious of how to adapt for awhile now considering Aang already has two firebenders traveling with him and thus does not need Jeong Jeong as a teacher. I'm not going to spoil anything, but I hope y'all will like where I decided to go with this chapter and what I changed from canon.

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Here’s a lil sketch I originally did ages ago depicting a scene from my AU longfic The Avatar and the Fire Prince (a rewrite of the original series in which Zuko and Iroh discover Aang in the iceberg just three months after Zuko was burned and banished at age 13 in 96 AG).

Excerpt from Book 1: Air, Chapter 4: The Southern Air Temple, Part 2:

He covered his ears at the jarring sound of another flaming boulder crashing into the cliffside a few yards behind them, along with a distant, strange metal clanking noise. Ears ringing, he involuntarily squeezed his eyes closed and curled into himself, feeling overwhelmed. His thoughts were cloudy, and were quickly becoming disorganized with panic.

Was he going to die here, just like everyone he knew probably did nearly a hundred years ago?

“Aang!” A voice echoed in the distance. “Aang!"

Aang’s eyes abruptly snapped open to see Zuko crouching in front of him, holding out his hand, a determined look blazing in his amber eyes. “Come on, Aang, you have to get up!”

Head clearing slightly, he reached up and took Zuko’s outstretched hand, the Fire Nation boy lifting him back up onto his feet. He then placed Aang’s arm around his shoulder and grabbed tight onto his waist as they both shuffled down the path as quickly as they could.

This one isn’t as “clean” as the stuff I usually like to post since I a.) originally drew it a few months ago and b.) was too lazy to redo the lines lol, but I’m trying to get better with telling myself that my art does not have to be absolutely 100% perfect and polished for it to be posted, that way I can post more of it, because there’s a lot more stuff I wanna draw and share with y’all! :)

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Thought I’d share some of my favorite songs on my playlist for my Zukaang AU, The Avatar and the Fire Prince! I have a lot more songs than just these on there, but these are the ones I feel like are just *chef’s kiss*.

If you haven’t read it, in this AU, Zuko and Iroh discover Aang in the iceberg right after Zuko was burned and banished at age 13 in 96AG, so he and Aang are only one year apart in age. The AU will eventually follow a similar course of events as the canon show, just over the span of 4ish years instead of 1, meaning that Aang will be nearly 16 when Sozin’s Coment arrives in 100AG. The images of Aang and Zuko below represent what they will both look like at that time (pic of Aang is from the Imbalance comic trilogy where he’s around 15-16, pic of Zuko is from S3E21 where he’s 16, likely nearly 17).

19 chapters are currently posted on ao3 (most recent update was 9/15/23), and I’m getting super close to 1k kudos, which is absolutely mind-boggling to me!! I never expected that my fic would get this much love, especially as someone who has never posted a fic before lol. If you’re a reader, thank you so so much for your support! ❤️

Links below are all to YouTube videos since I know not everyone has Spotify :)

muse - MisterWives

light - wave to earth

Clouds - flor

Colours of You - Baby Queen

Glue Song (feat. Clairo) - beabadoobee

like everyone else - zeph (this fits pining Zuko so well)

UNDERSTAND - keshi

From The Start - Laufey

More Than The Day Before - Cody Fry

Smitten - Leanna Firestone

Would You Be So Kind - dodie

Body Language - Mint Green

Anyone But You - Particle House, Le June

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So I started posting my fic to both Wattpad and ff.net last year just as a backup after the ao3 outage, and while for the most part people have been fairly normal, recently I have started to get comments (on Wattpad, which honestly doesn't surprise me) from someone who seems to SERIOUSLY hate Katara???

And I mean hate hate, like calling her a bitch for speaking her opinion??? And not only that, but this person is literally ragging on her for being mad at Pakku for being sexist?? Like bruh wtf is going onnnnn

This person has also literally made no other comments about any other aspect of the story thus far lol. I kinda wonder if I should hop in and say something along the lines of "hey so I know this is a Zukaang AU and all, but I still very much like Katara and I don't appreciate the way you're talking about her" or what. Idk if it's worth my time.

Because yes, in this house WE LOVE AND RESPECT KATARA!!!!

EDIT: Okay it seems like they're mad at Aang too??? Again, for OPPOSING SEXISM IN THE NORTHERN WATER TRIBE. Like this is a gay fanfic, my guy. WHY ARE YOU MAD AT PEOPLE OPPOSING SEXISM

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Can we have an intro script for Avatar but instead of Katara, we have Zuko narrating?

I was actually just thinking about this the other day, anon!! I bet I can draft something up real quick!

FIRST CHAPTER NARRATION:

Long ago, the Fire Nation lived in peace and prosperity.

Then, everything changed when my great grandfather tried to share that prosperity with the rest of the world, and the Air Nation attacked.

While my great grandfather won that battle, the Avatar - an Air National, the master of all four elements, and the most deadly threat to the Fire Nation - somehow managed to evade him, and vanished.

Nearly a hundred years have passed since then, and the Fire Nation is now nearing victory in the war. My father, the new Fire Lord, has tasked me with finding and capturing the Avatar.

This is my destiny, and the only way I can restore my honor and return home.

POST-ZUKO REDEMPTION NARRATION (aka the normal show intro version):

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop the my people’s tyranny. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.

Nearly one hundred years passed, and my uncle and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang.

Through his friendship, Aang helped me open my eyes to the things I was blind to. Now, my uncle and I are going to help him defeat my father and save the world.

*****

There you have it lol. I literally just thought these up over the span of the past 20 mins, so sorry if they’re not the best 😅

I am seriously considering going back to the very first chapter and adding that first narration to the beginning of it now… hmmm…

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Don’t mind me… I’m just thinkin about this Aang + this Zuko :)

Look at these dorks

(btw a new chapter of The Avatar and the Fire Prince is up on AO3! This one was my adaptation of The Storm… next up is The Fortuneteller 👀)

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Maybe this is just my wish, but can you show in a fanfic the reason why same-sex marriage is banned in the Fire Nation? It seems to me that this is the fault of Sozin and his non-reciprocal love for Rock. I just get such a vibe from them.

Yep, I will probably try to explore that eventually, I'm just not sure how yet! You're not the only one who gets the ~vibe~ from Roku and Sozin though lol. It's definitely my headcanon that something more than friendship was going on between Sozin and Roku, and that Roku's rejection of Sozin (in more ways that just opposing his imperialism) is what led to same-sex marriage being banned in the Fire Nation.

I am definitely planning on exploring the deeper feelings between the two of them once I adapt The Avatar and the Fire Lord episode, which I am very excited about! By that time, the Roku novel will probably be out, and I'm kind of hoping that it will give us some more Roku and Sozin content (and possibly confirm the headcanon).

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Why does Aang like Zuko? What certain qualities differentiate him from Katara that are outstanding?

Well, at least in my AU, the fact that Aang and Zuko have known each other for a lot longer is a pretty strong foundation for the development of their romantic feelings. Not only that, but they are best friends, and are emotionally closer with one another than they are with anyone else.

Even from the very beginning, Aang could see inklings of what kind of person Zuko truly was underneath his thorny exterior - he’s stubborn and hot-headed, but he’s also gentle and kind. He’s also fiercely loyal, and is willing to put himself in danger to save his friends. The more Zuko learns, grows, and owns up to his mistakes, the more his true self shines through, and witnessing this gradual metamorphosis is one of the things that led to Aang eventually falling for him.

Additionally, I don’t really think Zuko needs to have super special qualities that are better/different from Katara for Aang to have fallen for him. In the timeline of my AU, events occur differently, which leads to different outcomes, and like I said before, Zuko and Aang are much closer in this AU compared to canon as a result. If we’re looking at the canon show, however, Aang and Katara are closest with each other, which I think is the foundation for their romance as well.

And it’s also not that Aang necessarily chose Zuko over Katara - he just finally accepted that Katara didn’t feel the same way at the end of The Fortuneteller chapter, and decided to take a step back and reevaluate his feelings, which were definitely a crush and not love (though it could have become love between both of them if circumstances were different, as we see in canon). This decision - spurred by his conversation with Zuko in that same chapter - is what finally allowed Aang to begin seeing Zuko in a new light.

Hope that answers your question lol - sorry it ended up being so long!

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If Zuko is going to be getting into art … maybe that includes a bonding moment with Sokka on improving his abilities … or it may just be for naught though given Sokka’s uniqueness that eventually passes his arc with sword fighting. And that’s another thing Sokka and Zuko could bond over given the space sword and broadsword’s.

Omgggg I love this idea, anon!! It would be such a cute and funny bonding thing to explore between them in my AU. Like Zuko desperately tries to help Sokka figure out the basics of art but eventually gives up and accepts that he just has his own style lol.

I definitely am gonna have them bond over swords at some point too. Apparently it’s canon that Piandao actually did teach Zuko briefly - which I did not know back when I wrote the chapter where Zuko gets his broadswords lmao (it was like chapter 7 or something). I’ll have to figure out how to incorporate that into my fic somehow or change some stuff from that chapter about the royal sword master OC I created.