#atla dr

NICKNAMES . . . zuzu (azula) , sunshine (by me) , sifu hotman (aang) , grumpy

VIBE . . . dual broadswords. force, strength, honour. fire as passion, drive, warmth, instead of destruction. atonement.

APPEARANCE . . . deep black hair. simmering amber eyes. a red burn scar over his left eye. 185 cm

BACKSTORY . . . zuko was born the first son of prince ozai and princes ursa, but from the beginning he wasn’t what his father wanted. where other firebenders burned with intensity, zuko struggled. and what he lacked in raw power, he made up for in something his father valued far less—empathy.

for a short time, his family was whole—summers on ember island, moments that almost felt genuine, and a sister who had not yet turned against him. but as they grew older, that fragile balance broke. azula sharpened herself into perfection and turned her attention toward him—mocking, manipulating, always one step ahead. their father followed suit, his disappointment turning into something colder, harsher.

only his mother and uncle stood in the way of that. ursa loved him openly, and for that, azula resented him. iroh, in contrast, understood him without needing explanation. in a family that demanded strength without question, they were the only ones who allowed him to be human.

eventually, everything was taken from him, one piece at a time. when his cousin lu ten died, iroh left the war. what followed reshaped the royal family entirely—fire lord azulon died, ozai took the throne, and ursa disappeared without a trace. zuko was left behind in a palace that no longer felt like a home, raised by a father who saw him as weak and a sister who never let him forget it.

at thirteen, zuko spoke out in a war meeting, refusing to accept the sacrifice of soldiers as strategy. it was the first time he chose his conscience over obedience. for that, he was challenged to an agni kai. he entered expecting to face a general. instead, he faced his father. when he realized, he refused to fight, and begged for forgiveness instead. ozai answered by burning him.

the scar marked more than his face. it stripped him of his place, his identity, and his future. he was banished, sent away with an impossible task—capture the avatar. a ghost no one had seen in a hundred years. it was never meant to be fulfilled. it was meant to remove him. zuko accepted it anyway. because it was the only thing he had left.

for the next two years, with only his uncle and a restless crew, he searched across oceans and war-torn lands, driven less by belief and more by the need to prove that his father had been wrong about him. every lead became an obsession. every failure, a quiet confirmation of what he feared most.

when the avatar finally revealed himself in the southern water tribe, zuko acted without hesitation. and still, it wasn’t enough. desperation pushed him further than pride ever had. at the north, he finally succeeded. he captured the avatar and carried him into the cold, clinging to victory with numb hands. but the world refused to bend in his favor. he was found, defeated, and brought back, only because the boy he hunted chose not to let him die. it should have meant nothing. but it didn’t.

when the battle ended, zuko had nothing left to show for it. no ship. no victory. no closer to the person he had been told to become. only with the nagging need to keep clawing at his search.

you stole the show - sienna spiral — “you left cold, my love turns green, and oh, you / made me hate myself, mm-mm”

sad girl - lana del rey — “you haven't seen him (woah-oh) / he's got the fire / and he walks with it / he's got the fire/ and he talks with it”

nervous - the neighbourhood — “i got an itch in my throat / i don't know which way to go / i keep on switchin', i know / i need a different approach / it's all because i wanna show you that i'm so capable”

cry - cigarettes after sex — “wish I was good, wish that i could / give you my love now / but i need to tell you something / my heart just can't be faithful for long”

⊹ more from mia’s atla dr

a/n ! I know this guy needs no introduction but still I wanted him to have one. rereading his history from the fandom wiki was painful, my poor boy 💔

otter penguins, the moon, music, and water. a few of maries favorite things. born in the northern water tribe, she was well loved and cherished by her family. she was a miracle to them after all. at the age of seven marie visited her fathers family in the earth kingdom. a trip she’d never forget for all the wrong reasons. she wouldn’t see the northern water tribe for another five years.

being a servent for the fire nation was not exactly the idea of fun for a child. but a certain prince, their hidden moments alone, and turtle ducks made things a lot more bearable.

at the age of sixteen, a lot changed for her. she’d been back at her tribe for a couple of years now and was close friends with princess yue. the avatar and his friends had come to her tribe and they got along great. friends of yue were friends of hers—and she admired katara for giving her the opportunity to learn water bending for combat and not just healing. after a terrible week of loss (in more ways then one) when the fire nation attacked, she joined them on their travels.