First of all, ehhhhh

concept: after the war ends, iroh is fire lord. azula is being treated, but zuko decides maybe he could use help too and starts therapy. it takes a few years, but he’s finally able to work through some stuff, and learns to let himself be more open and vulnerable. he confesses his feelings for sokka just to get the words out of his stomach, knowing full well it’s unrequited but being pretty calm and accepting of it, not even breaking a sweat or letting his smile falter when sokka, fully taken aback, says sorry, i don’t feel that way about you. their friendship doesn’t suffer. zuko feels much better after getting his feelings off his chest and is looking forward to a point where maybe he finds someone else to fall for, but the confession always kind of sticks in the back of sokka’s mind. cut to several years later, iroh is looking for an ambassador to send to the south pole to represent the fire nation, and asks zuko if he’d be interested. it doesn’t take much convincing. he and sokka spend practically every day working and spending time together, and zuko realizes just how little his feelings have changed over the years; still, he already told sokka how he felt once, he doesn’t feel the need to do so again. meanwhile sokka’s feelings are very quickly changing, but zuko hasn’t said anything and sokka is worried that he’s too late and missed his chance. it takes months and months, time sokka spends accidentally falling more in love, before he decides that the least he can do after zuko was so brave in confessing years ago is to be brave and confess back.

zuko doesn’t recognize that sokka’s catching feelings because he’s too busy trying real hard to be a Good Ambassador because he wants to make uncle proud and also hakoda too now because he gives big dad shoulder pats when zuko does something well and it shakes him to his core. also because sokka is real nice to everyone, so how is he supposed to know the difference. anyway when sokka does finally confess, zuko is really really confused, but like, in a good way.

i made myself laugh at my own stupid joke in the tags earlier so i turned it into a comic lmfao

im so sorry zuko, i know you aren’t this much of a dumbass.

… or are you?

I love this show. 

[Image Description: A digital drawing of Fire Lord Zuko and his dragon Druk from Avatar the Last Airbender. Druk, a burgundy colored dragon with ivory horns and spines is wrapped around Zuko, who is sleeping with his arm draped around the dragon’s neck. In his hand is a small Pai Sho white lotus tile.]

“I can take you back to your cell if you’ve learned your lesson!”

“Yes, I have… completely.”

HELP GIRL

[Video Transcript: A tik tok by user noomycabbages. It is a comic set to a tik tok audio taken from another media. 

Zuko, wearing his season three outfit, opens a cabinet and says “Can I make you some tea?” He gestures to the cabinet with his other hand. The dialogue is written above his head.

Sokka is sitting at a table, resting his chin on one hand. He says “Uh” while thinking, then smiles when he says “Yeah, sure.”

Zuko looks back into the cabinet and says, “Alright, we have...” Then the point of view switches to inside the cabinet, where Zuko looks at multiple boxes of tea. He says “Uh- green tea, detox, and...” then holds another box, reading the label. The next shot has Zuko having taken out the box, holding it in his hand. He says, “Uh... Shamamalay.” The word Shamamalay is written above him with stars around it. 

Sokka, sitting at the table, looks straight forward, head up. His eyes have been made comically small, his mouth slightly open, to express shock. He pauses, then says, “What did you call it?” smiling hesitantly but widely.

Zuko looks back, shoulders tensed, clutching the tea box to his chest and eyes also made comically small, as if nervous. He says, “Sh- Shamamalay” looking to the side uncomfortably. 

Sokka looks back at him with a tight smile, as if holding back a laugh, then says, “It’s Chamomile.”

Zuko, drawn from the shoulders up in lineart without color, and several horizontal lines on the side of his face to show embarrassment and shock, stares back silently. 

Sokka looks back, smiling mischievously. He is writing letters, which are spread across the table. Several messenger hawks flutter around him, one on his head and another on his hand. He looks at Zuko silently as if holding back a laugh.

Zuko looks back at Sokka tensely, saying “Wait.” Then his eyes widen in realization, and he says “Wait!” more urgently.

Sokka is standing up, pointing out the door, grinning widely. Outside the door, the silhouettes of the several messenger hawks can be seen flying to their destinations in the sunset. The audio says “I texted everyone” but the written dialogue above Sokka’s head says “I messaged everyone”. Each of the hawks is labelled “To Toph (lol)”, “To Suki”, “To Katara”, and “To Aang”.

Zuko lunges forward, his hand outstretched towards the hawks, crying and screaming “NO” loudly. End Video Transcript.]

I had an image stuck in my head of an AU where Zuko and Azula both become masked firebending vigilantes, so here ya go! 

Zuko gets adopted by [insert character here]

how could you betray us?

zuko & the 41st division

[ID: Digital drawing of 13-year-old Zuko right before his Agni Kai and the 41st division from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Zuko is shown mostly in shadow, except for the upper left side of his face, which has not yet been scarred. Unshed tears threaten to fall from his visible eye. Behind him stand the helmeted soldiers of the 41st Division. The background is red and written above Zuko are characters that mean 41. End ID]

You can’t always get what you want. 

This one happened to pop into my head during one of those lifelong zoom meetings browsing my pinterest and seeing this.

Also drew and colored it during work in my 5-minute-brakes, so fuck beauty standards and art style, what are those? :D 

edit: ok, at first I posted the full colored one but I hated it on my phone so I killed most of it and here is the lineart. 

Zuko is so relatable 😩

Royal Portrait

 commissioned by @princessizumi​

From chapter 4 of the as-yet-unpublished spymaster Sokka au! Haven’t decided which day I’m gonna start posting.....

[ID: a colored digital portrait of Zuko from Avatar: the Last Airbender. The drawing is done in cool, darker tones. Zuko is an adult in this drawing, with his hair half up in a topknot, the rest of it falling down to his mid back. He is dressed in his red and gold Fire Lord attire. He stands with one arm raising a short sword above his head, an angry grimace on his face. There are dark gray storm clouds behind him, and a shoot of lightning branches down his sword, arm, and torso as rain pours down from the sky. End ID.]

Just wanted to thank you all for helping make the #Zuko one of the top topics in #Tumblr2020 #YearInReview! Thank you to all the #firebenders, #zutara shippers, #zukka shippers & all the fans... #FireNation forever! #HONOR!!!

A fanart of chapter 11 of @muffinlance‘s Salvage 

That scene just hooked itself onto my brain and refused to let go so I gave it form

(that particular piece took me on life changing field trip. I swear, I have never in my life spent so long on one piece.)

art for chapters 1, 3, 5, 12

[ID: color picture,

 A view that greeted Hakoda (not pictured) when he turned up to get Zuko back. The courtyard behind Madam Sun’s Massage Parlor. Five people. Four of which are the workers doing everything but getting ready for their job. From the left we have Seon-Yun sitting down and looking to their left smiling. They hold a blue shirt and have sewing supplies strewn around them. Next, we have Zuko only in pants and mid-flail, trying to get his sling back on his person. Slightly behind him, Jia is laughing softly at the frantic teen. She is holding a black shirt that had been pushed into her hands. On the right and in the background we have two more workers, who sit in the wall’s opening. The one on the left twists herself to be able to see what is happening partially behind her and comments that the situation reminds her of her last house call, the last lady is openly laughing at the spectacle. The courtyard is filled with clotheslines filled with various types of laundry.

Text in the speech bubble:  “This looks exactly like my last house call”

end of ID]

can this one count as an illustration for Salvage’s chapter 12? Let’s say it can. @muffinlance was happy to see more Zuko and the best doggo and I tried to provide :D  Toklo (fun fact, his name is similar looking to Polish “tylko” (at least for me) which can mean a  lot of things including “just”, “merely”, “barely”, “only”) and Zuzu dunking Seal Jerky into a tub of water. Also, Toklo ended up with the exact same hairstyle that I had while drawing him.

[ID: a deck of the ship, the central stage take up, from left to right: Toklo kneeling with his back towards the viewer, looking up with a smile at Zuko, and holding one of Seal Jerky’s yyy.. paw. The best doggo is happily letting Zuko lower him butt first into a tub of water and expressing his joy by trying to lick Zuzu’s face and finally we have Zuko (with short, messy hair) who is trying to simultaneously lower Seal Jerky down without dropping him and avoid getting a slobbery kiss to no no avail.]

art for chapters 1, 3, 5, 11

Is good boi, must lick good boy

I rewatched both shows at the same time, of course this was gonna happen

 (i know Ed’s leg is in the opposite side shh)

Fire Lord Zuko passing a law that forbids challenging anyone under the age of majority to Agni Kai

Fire Lord Zuko waiting until the day he reaches the age of majority to pass this law, lest anyone think he is a coward

(No one. Literally no one would have thought that, but it’s generally regarded as a very classy move regardless)

Wait but also, until then, if anyone under the age of majority is challenged

Zuko fights it for them.

Which, especially in more rural towns (where Agni Kais are less of a public event and more of a fast and violent duel) is terrifying because you challenge your neighbor’s kid over a stolen chicken-fish and all of a sudden the Fire Lord is showing up???

But, those few who still challenge those who should be kids learn quickly to regret it.

Ponytail Zuko, cleaned up for instagram (cabbage_merchant.jpg). Originally from this post by @vallirenwrites about bald zuko without the ponytail to keep his flowing long locks contained. Then my brain went “hold on, what if Zuko just never changes his hair” and now look what happened. 

[ID: 4 monochrome drawings of Zuko, with his book 1 hairstyle. Drawing 1 shows Zuko speaking, while his hair, unbound from the confines of the pony tail, flows majestically behind him. Sparkles adore his hair, to illustrate just how beautiful it is. 

Drawing 2 shows a tired and disgruntled Zuko in uniform, scowling slightly. Heavy bags are under his eyes, and his hair is, once again, out of its pony tail, but now just hangs down onto his shoulder in a tangled mess.

Drawing 3 is a redraw of the scene in the episode “The Beach” where Zuko takes off his shirt dramatically and there are birds flying behind him, except in this version he has his Book 1 hairstyle. Thankfully in a pony tail this time. 

Drawing 4 is a redraw of the scene where Zuko is in the war balloon on his way to first meet the Gaang in Book 3, except this time, of course, he has his book 1 hairstyle. End ID.]

wait fuck this just made me think, what about an AU where when zuko is banished he ends up with the sun warriors somehow??

alright this idea slaps. 

When Zuko gets banished Ozai doesn’t even pretend that he’ll take him back. Zuko is told, in no uncertain terms, that he is no longer crown prince. He is given time enough for his scar to heal enough not to risk infection, but as soon as he can stand long enough without falling over he is deposited at the palace gates with a bag - they didn’t let him bring much, just his swords and a clean pair of trousers.

He wishes uncle were here. Uncle would know what to do. But Iroh is away somewhere, on a spirit journey, so Zuko is alone in the world. And he’s hungry. Luckily there are always merchants in Caldera, and if one of them happens to take on a fumbling part-time worker that looks just a little too scared at the sight of fire, then that surely has to do with that giant scar across his left face, the poor thing, and no one bats an eye. After all, everyone is too busy preparing for the funeral of Crown Prince Zuko to notice little Li.

The merchants aren’t very nice though, in Li’s opinion (they treat him like he’s stupid, but he’s not, the tutors at the palace just never covered things like haggling in their lessons), so he collects his pay for the last time and hitches a ride on a cart down to the harbour. He could go to the Earth Kingdom, maybe; the scar distracts from his golden eyes well enough, and he’s lost his fire, so it’s not like being a firebender would be a problem.

(Not until Father conquers the rest of the Earth Kingdom, at least. He doesn’t know where he will go when that happens.)

But Li is 13, and small for his age, so no one wants a half-blind toddler on their ship, no matter how much he insists that he can earn his keep. The logical idea is, then, to sneak onto a ship in secret, because he really can’t stay here, not another second, so he picks the ship with the most green-eyed people and hides in between crates of spices and fine Calderan silks and hopes for the best, but the best doesn’t come (of course it doesn’t, Agni hates him) and Li is discovered three days into the voyage.

He pleads and he begs, he really does, for the second time in his life, but the old sailors are as deaf to him as his father was, and they bundle him up and toss him overboard (”waste of good rope,” one of them says) and somehow he gets his arms free but the sea is so cold and dark and not at all like the warm waves of Ember Island and Li - no, Zuko, he’s not going to die under a false name - Zuko can’t breathe-

Zuko wakes up with sand in his mouth and sun in his patchy hair. He’s parched, and hungry, but he’s alive, so maybe the spirits have been merciful with him this time. There’s really no use lingering around on the beach, where no one will come for him anyway, and he needs to find water or something to eat, so he sets off into the thick jungle.

There’s nothing to eat here either, but Zuko does find what looks an awful lot like old stone buildings, and well. He’s always loved exploring. 

The Grand Lotus hears the news of Prince Zuko’s demise not from Ozai, but from Piandao. He hurries back to Caldera, to the palace, but doesn’t even make it home in time for the funeral. He wears his white robes solemnly, as does the rest of the country (although there are whispers, rumours, that the late Prince didn’t die in an assassination attempt, that the prince was killed by his own-), and when Iroh hums the tune of ‘Leaves from the Vine’, he now does it by the graves of two young soldier boys instead of one. 

Hi i wrote some more (at 5 am)

The Sun Warriors are strange, Zuko thinks. For a lost civilisation, they seem very much alive. And they don’t bend like anyone he’s ever seen before… they dance, they talk to their fire, breathe with it instead of forcing it to follow their breathing, and for the first time since the Agni Kai, Zuko wants to learn.

Keep reading

this au now lives in my head rent free so i ended up drawing some more stuff for it

[ID: 4 digital drawings in monochrome of Zuko from the sun warriors adopt zuko au above. Image 1: Zuko, aged 15, from the shoulders up. His head is lowered slightly and his eyes are closed. His head is shaved in the style of the Sun Warriors, which almost looks like his book 1 ponytail but longer in the front. Ritual markings decorate his cheeks, shoulders, and head.

Image 2: Younger Zuko, aged maybe 14, practicing with his fire bending teacher (original character named Atzin). They’re both wearing the trousers and leg coverings of the Sun warriors, while Atzin is also wearing arm bands and ritual markings on his cheeks, as well as the sun warrior’s tail hairstyle (three-pronged), while Zuko’s hair is long and un-styled to signify his young adult status. Both are in a crouched stance, with their right feet in front of them and their right hands parallel to the ground. Atzin is smiling down at Zuko, saying “Almost… check your right foot.”

Image 3: Young Zuko, aged 13 and fresh into banishment, playing with another Sun warrior kid of the same age. Both have shoulder-length unstyled hair and are wearing trousers and leg wrappings like the other sun warriors. The kid has a big grin, and Zuko is sporting a small smile. His friend is running. The two are playing with a ball, probably some version of football. The ball is on fire.

Image 4: Older Zuko, now with his Book 1 hairstyle. He is in the process of putting his hair into a ponytail, his hands above his head and brushing through his hair. His eyes are closed in concentration. End ID.]

A Zuko & Sokka comic based on this iconic moment from Merlin~