Don’t Be Afraid of Grenades
@addicttofanfics replied to your ask post
I started with little zuko cause a friend rec’d me it and then told me to read your other works too. Now I’m too afraid to read the grenade. I’m enjoying the happy until I can’t wait for updates then I’ll slink into TTS…
I’ve actually gotten a few asks from peeps afraid of Towards the Sun or actively glad they’ve avoided it, so Imma take this opportunity to clear up a few things for those of you who haven’t read it!
1) Uncle is NOT a villain in this. You like the Zuko/Iroh dynamic in my other fics? This is the same Iroh. But in this AU Zuko is doing his Fire Lord “literally working himself to death” thing, and Uncle makes some poor life choices on how to rectify the situation. I do promise an eventual reconciliation.
2) I have it on recent-reader-authority that it’s not nearly as painful to read now that the prologue is complete (ch 1-19, YES that’s all prologue, oh man people’s FACES when they realized that, even though I’d been saying it from the beginning). It was most agonizing for folks who had to wait a week between chapters. Now you can binge right on past the pain to the Fuck Yeah immense-satisfaction-conclusion. Based on comments, it appears to be extremely cathartic.
3) Book One is going to be a wild awesome ride, and the most angsty parts are all in the past. There will still be occasional heartbreak per my usual style, but Zuko’s going to be picking up friends, allies, and a certain set of pets from here on out. We are going INTERNATIONAL baby.
4) Azula gets a life-changing field trip! Azula gets all the field trips.
So for realsies, if you’re afraid of this story, don’t be. It’s definitely my heaviest story, but I didn’t start it to write angst!Zuko. I started it to write Fire Lord Zuko having field trips with the people the show missed and gaining his people’s love and support along the way (with quality terrifying assistance from Political Wingman Azula.)