Imagine tiny Zuko seeing pretty lights flashing as people talked or there was music or he heard some sounds. He'd get distracted easily, so he'd be reprimanded all the time, but he couldn't help it when there were colors moving in his field of vision, and how didn't Azula get distracted either? It was impossible
And people's voice color would change sometimes, and he hated it because mother's beautiful green-blue color would darken sometimes but she'd keep smiling and saying it was nothing, but he knew it was a lie because he had seen that furrow in her brow after the long talk she and Father had in their chambers
Zuko loving his mother's color even if it wasn't red and he had no name for that hue of green-blue. Zuko hating how Father and Azula had bright and strong reds while his own voice only produced a stupid hue of light red-sort-of-pink, like salmon octopuses
Tiny Zuko having a panic attack after going somewhere clustered with people and being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of colors he saw at once
Imagine tiny Zuko then discovering that people don't see colors in their vision when someone talks, that it wasn't normal
I can’t stop thinking about synesthetic Zuko explaining colors to Toph. The potential for that omg like
Zuko: so, you know the sound of armor clinking? that’s gray. and the sounds appa makes are brown
Toph: awesome
Zuko: and momo’s orange. water splashing is pretty much blue - soft voices are usually blue too. katara’s is a blue kinda green, though. like leaves ruffling
Toph: aw, sugar queen’s color had to be more like an ostrich horse neighing
Katara: exCUSE YOU?
Aang: people have colors too???
Zuko: yeah?? i just said i see sounds
Sokka: isn’t that just the colors of the places we come from?
Zuko: well, no. not really. uncle’s a forest green
Sokka: wait wait wait! so we ALL have COLORS?? ANY colors???
Zuko: didn’t i just say that???
BUT ALSO! Zuko using smells to explain colors but kinda being terrible at it because he uses too many spice names to describe them and Toph just, doesn’t know them??
Zuko: and yellow is like ginger
Toph: uh
Aang: kuzon loved ginger! it’s all spicy and hot, but sorta sweet too, right?
There you go. I wrote the fic with Zuko with synesthesia.
AO3 link
Summary: A turdleduckling approached the edge of the pond and quacked at him. The flash of yellow that accompanied the sound, usually so comforting, sent a spark of panic through Zuko’s chest. He hid his face on his folded legs, tightening his hold on them despite the burn stinging in his wrist, and started his breathing exercises anew.
Zuko sees colors whenever people talk or he hears sounds. That changes everything and nothing at the same time.
Word count: 7,181
The whole thing got a bit big, so I recommend reading it on AO3. I’ll leave a small part of the story underneath here, though, for those of you curious.
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“Prince Zuko, are you paying attention?”
Zuko’s eyes snapped back to his tutor, who tutted in annoyance. Dark grey flashed on the left side of Zuko’s vision, a spot of dull color that overlapped the bright pink that skittered on that side along to the pace of the chirps of a bird-butterfly.
“I am, Mr. Fo!”
He wasn’t, and they both knew it.
“Then what is the name of the general that lead our people to a glorious victory on the first conflict against the barbaric Earth Kingdom army at the western Earth coast?”
“Uh, General Shogi?”
“Was that a question or an answer?”
Zuko flushed in embarrassment.
“An answer,” he said. His grip tightened around his pencil when his tutor sighed.
“Wrong. General Shogi led the first efforts that crossed Cameleon Bay. It was General Shih, Prince Zuko, and the city that was the stage for that battle would later receive our grace and become the first Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom. I’ve told you this a few times already.” His tutor narrowed his eyes at him, a familiar dissatisfaction screaming from every corner of his expression, and Zuko straightened up in his chair.
“Right.”
“You should better remember next time. And stop getting distracted all the time. Your progress is lacking, and as a young man of your status, you ought to be better than that.”
Zuko pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded.
He did have to be better. Azula excelled at what little classes she had as a six-year-old, and her firebending training was going marvelously, according to her teachers. None of them complained about her as his tutors did about him. She was a true prodigy - unlike her older brother, yes, he already knew that.
Even if he couldn’t help but be disappointed when Father gave her praise and a smile.
(Zuko never got that look. The best he received were blank glances).
Posting this here so I can keep better track of the prompts. I’ve got three written - two for bnha (tododeku) and one for atla (zukka).
The ones marked as WIPs are actually just the ones I have vague ideas for lol nothing solid yet. Tears of fear would be tododeku, but I wrote smth along that line recently so I don’t wanna repeat it so soon. I don’t know whether to go with dehydration or passing out from pain. They’re both gen atla and I miss that hnnnnn
If anyone happens to have any request, feel free to shoot me a message. It might help me with writer’s block lol
I finally got the outline of the sequel to Incandescent figured out! Well, mostly, there’s a few details left, but I can go ahead and write now, at least.
Unsurprisingly, that helps wonders in the creative process. Note to future self: when it comes to changing canon, outline your things before you start banging your head on walls you created yourself.
I don’t know if I should do the interlude with Zuko and Iroh first or go to not-canon with the Gaang. Ugh
