ZUTARA AGAIN! :D!

i've seen the occasional joke about bato and hakoda being suspicious of zuko dating sokka and supportive of aang dating katara, and though i understand why you might make that assumption i think it's worth noting that hakoda's first impression of zuko was "guy who helped break me out of prison" and bato's first impression of aang was "weird kid who insulted my cooking and stole my mail"

Hahn (16) is quite a bit jealous that the princess is spoken for when it should have been HIM becoming the next chief. He and his group trick Zuko (14) into climbing the cliffs.

Zuko falls all the way in and has to melt his way out. But it's OK because he found a gem that perfectly matches Yue's eyes! A couple years later, this will be the gem he uses to make her betrothal necklace.

I just love the moments when Zuko acts younger than his age due to his severely stunted social skills.  like when he’s acting like a bratty preschooler while being gently bossed around by iroh in ba sing se or when he’s trying to socialize with the gaang for the first time.

I mean, let’s be real: Zuko has been starving for the attention of his peers for years, and once he gets his first dose of social approval and acceptance on his field trip with aang, he ends up going a bit off the rails chasing the high of Friendship.  like he’s trying SO HARD to be Just A Normal Guy here, but he waaaaay overshoots his mark and ends up going all the way back around to “something’s a litttttle off about this dude” again.

I can’t get over how Zuko, when confronted with the mystifying quandary of how to make friends for the first time in his socially-deprived adolescent life, draws an absolute blank and, with no actual hands-on experience to draw from, simply defaults to “imitate Uncle.”

Zuko’s thought process immediately after joining the gaang was clearly: “I really want these people to like me.  Uncle would say that I should just be myself and show them the real me.  but that will never work!!  I’m not likable!!!  …but Uncle is.  everyone likes Uncle.  obvious solution: just be Uncle and everything will be Fine,” and then proceeded to give his best imitation of iroh down to the tea and bad jokes.

Zuko after possibly the world’s worst punchline delivery: “This is great! I’m going to get a good grade in Being Uncle, a thing that is normal to want and possible to achieve!” 

“nailed it”

You know how purple is considered a royal color IRL? In a Zutara AU, it earns that reputation because of them.

Zuko and Katara originally just wear robes of red and blue (Katara blue with red accents, Zuko red with blue accents) but over time they start requesting purple pieces of clothing, and are soon wearing lots of purple with some red and blue. Their kids grow up wearing mostly purple, and thus the next few Firelords, all with significant Water Tribe heritage wear purple. Then the Fire Nation transitions to a true democracy and the throne is abolished, and the living family fades into comfortable obscurity. However, by this time several generations grew up with the Firelord wearing purple. With the origins of its use by the throne, purple is soon used as a symbol in fiction for both power and love against all odds.

I may just be your parent.

Being surrounded by 'none biological family but might as well be' trope has me in choke hold, and honestly ima enjoy myself. Dialogue and prompt mix!

Card!

Angst:

Cradling the crying child that is not theirs in their arms after being either invalidated or abused by their actual parent/s, wiping away at their tears, and whispering gentle promises in their ear.

Fighting for the custody/adoption of a said child from incapable parents.

"WE MAY NOT BE RELATED BY BLOOD! BUT THEY ARE MINE, lay a single finder on them I will personally drag your ass to hell!"

"Where were you when the kids needed you? and NOW you want to be present?"

"No baby, I swear to you, they will not lay a single hand on you ok? go up to your room, we'll just talk, it'll be quick ok? pick the book you wanna read"

Rocking the kid back and forth after having a panic attack, both doing the breathing exercise they found online when they first witnessed their kid have their first panic attack.

Fighting and legalizing for the kid's custody or adoption because their parents aren't fit for the parental role.

"I fought for you, you're not getting rid of me that easily whether you hate me or not because I love you no matter how ugly things get"

Breaking down after arguing with the kid and hearing them scream how much they hate them and wish they were anywhere but near them.

Fighting and pushing for their kid's justice when the authorities turned a blind eye.

Serving their kid's justice themselves no matter how bloody and ugly it gets.

"Oh sweety, we didn't sacrifice everything just to build you up for someone to just bring you down. come on. I'll make sure they regret every tear that you cried"

"You don't deserve this wonderful kid! you don't see the mess you're putting them in!" "And you think you're deserving eno-" "AT LEAST I'M BETTER THAN YOU'LL EVER BE!"

"Tell me, how come they don't ever call? they're so ungrateful, after all I've done for them?" "Maybe a self-check would humble you, at least before I do"

Fluff:

Sunday routines of ice creams and park visits!

Fun sleepovers because they can stay past their bedtime with stories of their parent's earlier years.

Being accidentally called mom/dad while in the moment.

School visits and pickups when their actual parents can't! And they can get food on the way!

Being the kid's scapegoat when the kids sneak out of the house doing kids' stuff and they totally got the kid's back

"oh come on! Let the kids live a little! Not like you weren't their age once! You were far worst! Don't deny it!

Taking the kids shopping to spite their killjoy parents.

Wearing the kids creation with pride, clothes, jewelry or anything the kids gave them and countless pictures.

Parading around the streets with matching kids fashion, large sunglasses, tutus, skirts, bangles and dangly necklaces, and matching tiaras and fairy wings.

Running errands with or for the kids when they need anything.

"Oh come on kiddo, cheer up, you know you're mom can be a bit too much, I can assure you she means well"

They're practically on speed dial on every occasion there is.

Doing mani pedies with the closeted child and creating their safe environment for them and being their comfort if their parents show homophobia.

Chaos:

"NO! drop it! Don't put it in your mouth!!!"

"Where did you get that?! didn't I tell you not to snoop around where you shouldn't be snooping at?" "But come on! it's so cool! it's a self-destructive rocket ship! it's vibrating and all!"

Playing in the playground with the kids, screw being a grown-up, and sitting on the bench, if they can fit and slide in the kiddie slide they will join the kids.

Bumping every kid on-site in bump car rides, they are surrounding the kids and targeting any suspected enemy.

Dressing up as chickens taunting the kids' bullies' parents after having a meeting about it and the bullies' parents get away scot-free, they came dressing up as chickens and clucking out of the bullies' house before throwing hands.

"Geez! when I told you to hurry up I didn't want to slingshot yourself out the door." "It's effective though!" "KID YOU HAAVE A BROKEN NOSE!"

"I swear you are the reason I don't want kids!" "You love me though right?"

Picking the kids up in the middle of the day when they're requesting a pickup after cutting classes.

Playing tea parties with the kids with actual food and experiment/concoctions the kids made and they would eat that shit like it's bussin bussin.

Using their kids as partner magnets on play dates but utterly fails when said kids either pull them away or cause some type of chaos to get them home.

Egging bully houses and TPing their yards.

Camping out in the woods to try to live both of your fantasies of being fairies and or witches in the woods only to be attacked by mosquitos, bugs and no proper bathrooms

Bowser joins the team!

Lolita dress FemHunter :DDD, lolita dresses are so pretty so have a pretty girl with pretty dress :))

Inspired by this dress (Just changed the color and small things uwu)

Katara: I’m getting worried about how many nightmares you’ve been having.

Zuko: It’s okay. My nightmares are usually about losing you, but I’m okay once I realize you’re here.

i had the most MESSED UP idea last night where joel gets bit, but instead of attacking ellie he just gets like, ferally protective of her. (More than usual, i mean)

(Maybe this is because of her weird fungal variant, maybe because their love is ONE IN A MILLION or maybe some combination of the two idk)

Like ellie SOMEHOW got all his weapons from him before he could off himself, because she just couldnt watch him do that. Cordyceps!joel coming towards her, and she’s holding her knife up between them, sobbing because SHE CANT DO IT she cant hurt him, but he just pushes the knife aside and grabs her arm, inspecting her bite marks, sniffing her all the way up her arm to her neck to her head, then gathers her up in his arms under his chin. She can feel his lips on her hair, can hear him grunting in a strange rhythmic way, almost like he’s trying to hum. Eventually she feels something other than his lips on her head, realizes it’s the fungal tendrils coming from his mouth.

cordyceps!joel brings her dead deer and rabbits, destroys any infected who threaten her, cradles her like a baby when he can tell that she’s upset. When they come near humans, he heeds her when she makes him hide and not attack. (Except when the humans are raiders, she lets joel eat those.)

on the nights it’s so cold she needs a fire, cordyceps!joel sits 20 feet behind her, grumbling, until ellie yells at him to be quiet. (he is NOT a fan of the fire)

Joel eventually becoming a clicker. She leads him by the hand through the wilderness, learns to communicate with him by clicking just as much as talking. She finds herself in front of a mirror one day in an old cabin looking for supplies, and doesnt recognize herself. If anyone saw her they’d assume she was infected without a second thought.

Oh god HOW DOES IT END does he finally get taken down by a bullet, ellie holding him as he chokes on his own blood, soothing him with her voice because he doesnt even understand what’s happening??? Does she finally put him down, knowing joel is long gone and he wouldnt want to live like this?? do they continue on like that forever, until ellie’s forgotten how to speak? OH ITS TERRIBLE someone take it away from me