#zkdd

[whattheheehaw]

I dedicate this meme to all of the ZK fanfic writers that are in school right now

[zelzenik]

Lock n Key | Elsie | A Zutara Song

open this please ;D this song was written for Zutara Drabble December 2020 (the lyrics are based off the prompt list!!), and it's the first i've ever created...

!!!! MY SONG BASED ON THE ZKDD 2020 (@zkdrabbledecember) PROMPT LIST IS FINALLY OUT LOL!!

you can listen to it on youtube via the link up above, and you can stream it using this link. it’s available on spotify/apple/amazon/etc kjhgkhdfg <33

the beautiful art was made by Grace, who’s @marcusflexxx on Tumblr and @/bookworm_draws6310 on Instagram. (she’s very, very talented and has commissions open as well 👀)

gosh, when i was coming up with the ZKDD2020 prompt list, i had no intentions of writing a song based on them, but... here we are, lol. this song is definitely meant to be inseparable, perfect-for-each-other ZK vibes, and, yes, there is also an @antarcticasx fic ref in the lyrics, lol.

this is def more subtle on the direct ZK refs, but i’m also working on a track called “Moonlight” that’s a bit more overt, lol. honestly, i have so much ZK-inspired music in the works that it’s mildly worrisome xD either way, i hope you enjoy!! and if not... uhhh, lol ;-; it be like that sometimes

bro this is the first track i’ve ever engineered entirely by myself (i usually just topline songs and send vocals in) so this was actually a huge step for me musically, and it’s quite fitting that it was for zutara, lol.

anyways, imma go work on school stuff now (and then hopefully have time to write? i have an unfinished holiday fic that was supposed to be out days ago, lol). have a lovely rest of your night/day, n thanks for listening to me ramble!! <33

[gemgirl28]

ZKDD Chapter 28: Heavenly

Katara and Zuko check out the Southern Lights. @zkdrabbledecember

This took waaaaaay longer than it should have to finish but alas, its done. Thanks again @rideboldlyride for the art rec! This chapter is heavily influenced/inspired by this gorgeous piece by @pugcrumbs for Zutara Week day four. I am severely underqualified to put into words your incredible piece, but I did attempt to capture the moment with Zuko you created. 

Read on ao3 here or below.

Katara loved having Zuko in the Southern Water Tribe.

He had visited before, of course, as Fire Lord Zuko, for trade summits and peace treaty signings. Back then his greeting was respectful but formal, his acceptance into the city as tentative as the peace they were building.

Now though, he was here as her husband, as a welcomed member of the community. Katara loved the way he looked in the blue parka Gran Gran had gifted him at their wedding. She couldn’t keep a smile from her face as she watched him join a snowball fight with the youngest kids. Her heart clenched at the sight of him huddled around the fire, quietly waiting to hear the stories of her tribe.

Above all, Katara couldn’t wait to show him the Southern Lights.

Zuko placed a hand on her bouncing knee as they waited for Bato to share a story. “Someone’s eager,” Zuko whispered in her ear. She suppressed the shiver that threatened to run down her spine, instead turning towards him.

“I’m just really excited for you to see the lights,” she whispered back. Zuko’s eyes softened and he brought her hand to his lips.

“I’m really excited, too,” he said. Katara beamed at him but somehow managed to focus her attention to the tale Bato was sharing.

Before long, the sun had set, the stories were over, and Katara was dragging Zuko onto the ice. “C’mon! It’s so beautiful, I don’t want you to miss it!” Katara called over her shoulder. Zuko laughed as he jogged to catch up to her.

“Here!” Katara suddenly called, stopping to clutch the waterskins she held against her side. Zuko stopped just steps behind her, looking up and searching the sky.

“What am I look- Oh,” Zuko said, his voice breathless as the sky lit up. Katara smiled freely as she looked up. She never tired of the lights, of the way the spirits painted the sky in vibrant colors.

“It’s- it’s amazing,” Zuko breathed. Katara glanced at him over her shoulder and sucked in a sharp breath. Here, under the Southern Lights, in his blue parka, his pale skin almost glowed. His golden eyes were wide with delight as he studied the sky. The wind tugged at his loose bangs, giving him an ethereal, almost heavenly look. A soft smile tugged at his lips, and Katara felt her heart swell with affection for him.

“Yeah, it is,” Katara whispered, but Zuko immediately met her gaze. Her grin spread even wider as she stepped into his arms.

“I’m happy I finally got to see the lights,” he softly said. Katara gently kissed him, so full of joy as she looked at her husband.

“Me too.”

[cablesscutie]

ZKDD Day 19: Crashing Waves

For @favlie - a New Year’s kiss for you!

It is not the New Year for Katara.  For the Southern Water Tribe, the year had started moons ago on the solstice, with the first hint of sunrise after The Longest Night.  But here in the Fire Nation, the year is beginning now with the end of the rainy season.  Everywhere she looks, the land is a green so vibrant that it nearly hurts to look at.  Flowers are shaking raindrops from their petals and every path is dotted with little verdant shoots peeking up from under and around stones.  After months of so much gray, the ocean seems to glitter especially bright on Ember Island, where Zuko has brought her to celebrate.

“We put out candles everywhere,” he tells her.  “The altars people keep for ancestors or house gods get lit up, and then people send these little boats out to sea or release lanterns into the sky if they aren’t near the coast.”

“Wow,” she says, feeling a little in awe of the spectacle of it all.  In her mind’s eye, she can already see the glittering lights.

“Trust me, however beautiful you’re imagining it, it’s more,” Zuko promises, his smile wide and easy - boyish in a way he so rarely seems anymore.  “It’s my favorite holiday.”

“I can’t wait,” she says, and kisses his cheek, then lets him pull her towards the florist stand to pick flowers to decorate the fragile wooden boat.

By sunset, when it is time to bid the old year goodbye, their final creation is flecked with white and yellow blossoms, the petals like licking candle flames already.  As they prepare to make their way down to the familiar private beach, Zuko cradles it gently in his hands, Katara’s arm linked with his.  Their feet press into the soft sand, as they walk down to the waterline.  The shore as far as she can see is already flooded with tiny flickering lights as people release their boats, and from the center of the island,  streams of lanterns trickle up, up, up into the sky, like early stars.  They wade into the surf, Katara’s skirt tied up at her hip, and she can see Zuko trying not to stare too much at how much of her legs are exposed.

“Come on,” she laughs, trying to tug him in deeper, maybe coax him into a late night swim, but he stands firm.

“We have to stay here.”

“Is this tradition, or is the Fire Lord just scared to get a little wet?” she asks, kicking a small spray of water at him.  He laughs and dodges half-heartedly.

“It actually is tradition.  We need to stay where the waves are breaking so we can jump over them and make our wishes.”

“Wishes?”  He nods.

“Yeah.  Seven of them.”

“Do I get to hear yours?  Or are they a secret?”

“You’re supposed to say them out loud.  The rhythm of the waves and the wishes sort of makes a song.”  Katara tilts her head and smiles at the lights spreading across the sea and sky.

“A song of hope for the future.”

“Exactly.”

Zuko carefully lights the little candles nestled inside the flowers-covered boat, and holds it out for Katara to put her hands on the hull with him.  Together, they set it in the water, Katara gives it a nudge with her bending, and it’s off, bobbing slowly over the waves, heading out towards the vast ocean and the other dancing sparks on the water.  He slips his hand into Katara’s, squeezing her fingers and trading twin smiles before they turn to read the waves, waiting for the perfect moment.

“Ooh here it comes!” Katara says as a rounded ridge of water rushes towards them.  She wracks her brain, scrambling to put words to her hopes and dreams for the next year as the first hints of white foam appear.  It curls and crashes, and as it rushes towards their ankles, she and Zuko leap as one, out of the water, their toes just evading the bubbles.  The instant they splash down again, they say in unison,

“I wish for peace.”  They look to each other, and burst into laughter.

“Maybe the Ember Island Players were a little more accurate than you think,” Zuko teases.

“Oh you’re one to talk.  Not everything is a speech you know,” she shoots back, the edges of it softened by her smile.  He laughs and shakes his head, turning back to look for the next wave, and as the edge of the water sharpens again, they jump.

“I wish for Uncle’s good health,” Zuko says.

“I wish for new benders in my tribe.”

They jump again.

“I wish for another year of Gran-Gran.”

“I wish for my council to cooperate.”

Again.

“I wish for good crops.”

“I wish for light storms.”

Again.

“I wish for adventure.”

“I wish for more sleep.”

Again.

“I wish for my friends to be happy.”

“I wish for you to be happy.”

Again.

“I wish to have all of my family together.”

“I wish for all of my years to start and end with you.”  

Katara freezes, turning to Zuko.  “You…”  She trails off, stunned.  Tries again.  “Are you -”  She cuts herself off, disbelieving.  He pulls her to him, arms wrapping around her. All she can see is his face lit by the shimmering sky.

“Will you marry me?” he asks, hardly above a whisper.  Katara pushes up on her tiptoes and kisses him.  His mouth is sweet from wine and honey-soaked pastries after dinner.  His hair slides through her fingers like silk threads, and she grasps them tightly, lingering against his soft lips and reveling in his warm touch - hers forever now.

“Yes.”

@zkdrabbledecember

[pearlsephoni]

ZKDD Day 12: Living Proof

Can also be read on AO3!

Rating: G

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Pairing: Zutara (Zuko/Katara)

Characters: Katara, Zuko, Sokka, Aang, Toph, Suki, Hakoda, Iroh

Summary: The birth of the heir to the Fire Nation throne becomes living proof of the new unity of the world. 

A/N: Author’s notes can be read on AO3.

@zkdrabbledecember

Their first came in the summer. The baby was late, took a week longer than expected. Katara was in unbelievable discomfort the entire time. The pain wasn’t constant, but it loomed over her like a shadow, until it finally crashed onto her the day before the summer solstice. 

Sokka and Hakoda had arrived in the capital city a week ahead of her expected delivery date, only to be locked out of the room, left to listen to Katara’s wails of effort and pain. They weren’t alone. Aang was in the palace garden, meditating over the turtle duck pond with his prayer beads clutched in his hands. Toph was with him, pacing the perimeter of the garden while bending a clump of hardened dirt between and around her fingers. She’d only lasted a few minutes in the family wing before she fled to the gardens, the combination of Katara’s screams and the panicked shuffle of healers’ feet overwhelming her.

And Iroh, dear Iroh, was sitting with Sokka and Hakoda in the parlor area, sharing a pot of tea and kind conversation, disguising his own worries while soothing theirs. Ty Lee and Suki were the only non-healer visitors allowed in the bedroom-turned-delivery room. But any attempts Sokka made at getting updates were brushed aside by Suki on the rare moments she left the room, usually in search of fresh water or clean towels. “She’s fighting, Sokka, but I need to get back.”

Hours passed. The sun rose into the sky, then sank into the horizon to be replaced by the moon. The light of Yue’s spirit was fading into the sunrise when Suki quietly entered the parlor. She was pale, almost as pale as her Kyoshi warrior paint, and her eyes were rimmed by dark shadows, but she had the widest smile stretched across her face. “Katara’s ok. She loves you all so much, but the healers say she can’t have visitors for a few hours. They want to make sure she and the crown princess get some rest.” 

“...Princess?”

“A little girl.”

—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

The Fire Lady and daughter of the Southern Water Tribe’s chief could hear the shouts of celebration from down the hall, Sokka’s voice in particular somehow rising over the baby’s cries and healers’ busy shuffling. Her heart felt like it could burst from love, and she could barely muster the energy to tilt her face so her tears didn’t drip onto her daughter’s face. 

Her daughter. The Crown Princess. The most perfect bundle of joy she’d ever been blessed enough to lay eyes on. Her ruddy cheeks couldn’t hide the light brown tint of her skin, and her head was covered in wispy black curls. She had Hakoda’s lips and Zuko’s strong nose, and when her eyes blinked open, they were wide like Katara’s and had a burnt amber hue. 

“Like Roku’s eyes.” 

There was only one person who could make her look away from her daughter. The Fire Lord, a hero of the 100 Year War, Rebuilder of Nations, Katara’s husband, and now father of the Crown Princess, was pressed against her. His arm was secured around her shoulders, his own shoulder supporting her head, and his free hand was stroking their daughter’s hair with the softest touch. “Roku?” 

“Yeah...there aren’t many records about what he looked like, but the ones I’ve read describe his eyes as having that color.” 

“Well...she is his great-great-granddaughter.” 

“Yeah.” Zuko finally met her eyes, and her heart somehow swelled even more when she saw those golden depths swimming with tears. “And she’s our daughter.” 

“Our daughter.” Katara could only manage a gentle nudge of her head against his chin, but he understood immediately, ducking to press his lips to hers in a sweet kiss. She hummed happily into the kiss, and when she pulled away, it was to nestle her head back into his shoulder and finally fall asleep.

[heavensenthearty]

Nightfall, a poem for @zkdrabbledecember​

When we are apart, I look for you in the shades of dusk,

In the magic of the vibrant, soothing colors,

Each of them is your aura, the light angels emulate from you.

I follow the path of the moon in the sky, watching the sun look for her,

Yet she is too above, too ethereal for the destructive fire to touch.

I wonder if you know, that for me, you are that moon,

That my hands are that fire,

That I stare into nightfall searching for you.

I wonder if you can feel me through the breeze,

I imagine your eyes the color of stars,

I want to believe you stare into the horizon searching me,

That I can extend my hand and get to where you are.

I will gladly be that sun, the one that chases, reaches,

Just for the knowledge that you are out in the sky, too,

That you glow and breathe and live,

That I can see you one last time before dying every night.

[cattaralol]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

zkdd day one: nightfall 

“Do you know what else they call fireflies?”

[rideboldlyride]

The next two chapters of Dancing With Fate is up...

I decided to catch up on the @zkdrabbledecember prompts...So both ch. 6 and 7 are up on AO3 now! 

Link HERE

(instead of giving you a snippet, I wanted to let you know that the next chapter of Spirit on the Water will be up tonight! I plan on updating it on Friday Evenings.)