a drawing made for chapter 2 of A Second Chance!! ^^
this is actually a redraw of a drawing I made for the same fic, all the way back in 2020!
(which actually wasn't that bad of a base to go off of! although of course I did change the faces and hands a lot, and edited the crew members in the background to actually look somewhat like Zuko's canon crew too :))
edit: omg noticed I forgot to make his ear burned... oops :(
Kiyoi runs away from her home in the Colonies by stowing-away on a Fire Navy ship hoping to make it to the Fire Nation mainland. But as destiny would have it, she stows-away on the one ship in the Fire Navy that is forbidden from those waters. Stuck on a ship that can’t take her to where she wants to go and unable to return home, Kiyoi pleads with the kind old man that catches her stealing from the ship's pantry to take her in as a servant. And Iroh has no problem with that; the more the merrier. His scowling nephew, though, that’s another story.
How ironic that the stowaway that should have been the Prince’s enemy would become his best friend. It was like Iroh always said: Destiny is a funny thing.
But as Kiyoi flies away from Ba Sing Se, she isn’t laughing. She is crying. Choosing your destiny isn’t a funny thing; especially when the person you love most in the world chooses wrong.
Rating: Mature
There are specific warnings written at the start of each chapter, but the most common appear in the general warning below:
Violence | Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Implied/Referenced Ch*ld Ab^se | Internalised Racism | Colonialism | Historical Medical Procedures
Future chapters with explicit scenes will be tagged as such and age-restricted.
Other AO3 Tags Below:
F/M | Original Female waterbender | frienemies to best friends to enemies to friends to lovers | OC was part of Zuko's crew | sokka is a therapist | Sokka is a good friend | Zuko is awkward as hell | non linear | OC has low self esteem | Angst heavy | Eventual Smut | mostly plot | Time Skips | Cannon be more like guidelines than actual rules | Angst and Hurt/Comfort | Slow Burn | Maiko before Kiyoko | no cheating tho | Honour | there is Maiko before Kiyoi and Zuko get together | Found Family | Rewrite of the Comics: The Promise and The Search - The foundations were there so I made it better (If I do say so myself) |Fire Court drama | Court Drama| Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck| No beta we die like Jet |
Navigation:
(things marked in red are only uploaded to AO3 for now but will be coming to Tumblr)
AO3 Link for series if you prefer this work is progressively being cross posted to Tumblr, currently 37 chapters are available on AO3.
Book One: Choice (Chapters 1 to 20 of EOC)
The Stowaway
Stop Blowing Holes in My Ship
Hot and Cold
The Source of the Problem
Obsolete
Direction and Purpose
Headbands and Hair Pins
Welcome Home?
When Push Comes to Shove
What We've Lost
Creature Comforts
The Role We Play & The Masks We Wear
Hunted and Haunted
An Honourable Man
The Best Laid Plans
The Truth
Reaching Shadows
The Strings that Bind
To Mend What is Broken
Lost and Found
Book Two: Resolve (Chapters 21 to 30 of EOC)
Harmony and Chaos
Connections
Unseen & Unspoken
The Tea
Turmoil
Petty Games
A Conniving woman
Confrontation
Retribution
Resolve
Note these chapters are longer than Book 1's
Book Three: Acceptance (Chapters 31 onwards of EOC)
Unbroken Peace
A Union
Sunlight and Moon flowers
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Anticipation
You Me and Su Oku
Low Self-Esteam
EOC Shorts
Tales of Ba Sing Se: the Tale of Kiyoi (available in full on AO3)
As Kiyoi navigates a new life as "Mika" in Ba Sing Se with Zuko and Iroh. She grapples with hidden feelings for Zuko and the weight of her own secrets. When a chance at connection arises and Kiyoi is met with an unexpected obstacle, it forces Kiyoi to confront her true desires and the painful realities of a love built on deception. Can she find a way to be herself, or will the masks they wear become the only hope she has for a life together with the boy she has come to love?
This piece is a One Shot adjacent to The Element of Change, set after Chapter 19, and takes place during the events of the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode 'The Tales of Ba Sing Se'.
The Day of Black Sun: Kiyoi Alone (available in full on AO3)
Part One | Part Two
In the wake of the devastating failure of the invasion, Kiyoi finds herself stranded and isolated in the Fire Nation. With only her wits and a determination to not become Azula's "honoured guest" she makes a daring break for freedom. Things seem to go wrong at every turn until her path intertwines with a neglected eel-hound and some old foes. This is the story of Kiyoi's profound solitude, determination, and fight against uncertainty. Did her friends make it out? Can she find them if they did? Where would they go?
Well, if there was one thing she had experience in, it was relentlessly pursuing the Avatar. She should be just fine.
Takes place during Book Three: Fire Episode 10 & 11 The Day of Black Sun, and Episode 12 The Western Air Temple. And is a continuation of Kiyoi's POV in chapter 20 of The Element of Change.
The Longest Night
A SPOOKY SPECIAL! ( AO3 link if you prefer)
The war is over, but for Commanders Sokka and Kiyoi of the United Demilitarisation Task Force, (Sokka is still working on the name) don't have time to rest. The South Sea archipelago has been over taken by Fire Nation warlords rebelling against Zuko's new rule, determined to continue the war their ancestors started.
However, right now, things are slow. It is the Winter Solstice; the longest, darkest night of the year—and a time when the veil between worlds is thin. As Sokka plans a morale-boosting feast for their mixed-nation crew, Kiyoi insists on caution. The longest night is for enduring, not celebrating, a deeply held conviction rooted in the Fire Nation's fear of weakness. In her mind the shortest day of the year is no cause for celebration.
But Sokka's plans might have an obstacle other than Kiyoi's unwavering commitment to practicality, as their vessel, the Retribution, sights a ship in distress far south of any shipping lane and unresponsive to their attempts to hail it, forcing the commanders to investigate.
A Life Changing Field Trip
part 1 | part 2 | (AO3 link if you prefer)
The Grand Advisor is woken at an unseemly hour of the morning and informed that she is now the emergency Fire Lord Regent. Why? Because the Fire Lord has been kidnapped from his own palace, the culprit leaving a cryptic and threatening note in his place.
Meanwhile, Toph has recruited Zuko for… well, he isn't entirely sure, because the plan keeps evolving. A heist? A business trip? A scam? An all-expenses-paid vacation to Ember Island? Regardless, it is a breath of fresh air away from the stifling Fire Palace and the endless paperwork of the Court’s Council Season. It’s not as if he had a choice, anyway; he had a debt to repay. He owed Toph a life-changing field trip, and since she claimed she cleared it with his staff, he is sure his Grand Advisor can hold down the fort for a few days.
EXTRAS:
Hi! Thank you for reading. If you like this, let me know. Please Like, reblog, or comment. Even if it's just an emoji or pointing out an error, it lets me know you are engaged.
If you liked this and want more The Element of Change (EOC) content, Check out my Tumblr It is exclusively for ATLA and this fic, so it has memes, art, and extras like headcanons and extras which you can scope out on my pinned post for navigation. ALSO: I have asks open there I've done a thing in previous fandoms where I answer Mail in character… so if you have questions for me… or any of the characters in the story, drop an ask in and address it to them :) Sometimes I have polls going. It's great fun.
⚔︎ Who hadn't even realized it was his birthday the next day, being too busy with trying to find the Avatar, until his Uncle invited him to have dinner together
⚔︎ Can feel his heart racing as his uncle practically backs him a corner with plans of over the top grand gestures and interrupting the crews schedule
⚔︎ Is yelling objections at the top of his lungs because he's panicking, and he doesn't understand how to get others to hear his words without being the loudest in the room
⚔︎ Begins getting louder when his Lieutenant comes knocking and now Zuko is feeling flushed, and embarrassed, and frustrated, and way too vulnerable
⚔︎ Feels woozy at the changes of what was meant to be another day, just another day being ripped from beneath his feet
⚔︎ Who hasn't celebrated since his mom disappeared in years and feels sick to his stomach even thinking about it
⚔︎ Prays to Agni that he can convince his uncle that the theatrics are unnecessary and can they please tone it down to just a dinner between the two if uncle continues to insists on them doing something special
⚔︎ Also prays that his Lieutenant forgets the whole embarrassing ordeal
Lieutenant Jee,
𓁼 Who can already feel the incoming migraine as the screeching of Prince Zuko bounces off metal walls
𓁼 Is running as slow as he can towards the sound because he is the unofficial Captain and third highest rank on the ship and has responsibilities
𓁼 Can barely contain the roll of eyes and the scoff in his throat because apparently the spoiled brat is complaining about his birthday
𓁼 Feels anger and disgust feed his inner flame because the General has done nothing but the most for his nephew, even offered to host a party that apparently isn't good enough, and the little shit is yelling and yelling and yelling
𓁼 Is letting the tantrum enter one ear and out the next because that is the only thing keeping his mouth shut (besides the General's ire) and letting the Prince know exactly how the Lieutenant feels about his lack of respect towards his esteemed uncle
𓁼 Who finally hears words like "unnecessary", and "pathetic", through his own temper and maybe if he squints he can see that something isn't quite lining up
𓁼 Starts putting pieces together when the Prince tints green and grows a shade paler at every push his Uncle makes towards celebrating his 14th winter
𓁼 Watches the Prince fight tooth and nail, his singular eye growing shinier in the low lighting of the General's room, and wonders what kind of boy doesn't like his birthday
𓁼 Spends the time he's meant to be asleep avoiding that question, and spends the next morning exhausted and pretending the answer he came too didn't haunt him
“An Agni and Tui play?!” The sparkle in Prince Zuko's eyes dimmed as he paused and scrunched his nose. “Oh, but, it’s probably about Agni defeating Tui or something, right?”
“Actually, it’s a story depicting them as siblings fighting over who owns the sky. By the end, they reach an understanding that they value each other too much to keep fighting and decide to peacefully share.”
Prince Zuko’s jaw dropped. “And they’re performing that in the Fire Nation?!”
Seta nudged his shoulder with a knowing smile. “Have a hand in this one too?”
Too? Pakon gleefully watched Prince Zuko blush and nudge Seta back. He didn’t say anything more on the accusation, but it was much too easy to connect the dots. There was only one other incendiary work in recent years, and it was coincidentally about the very Avatar that Prince Zuko once owned the memoirs of.
Zuko's newest crew continues finally getting to know him :3
Start LTF from the beginning and get know Zuko's first crews! Or start Tsunamis from ch1 and jump in to Aang waking up to a Yangchen fanboy crashing into the South Pole ;3
pirate zuko, bc i'm re-reading "Honor & Vengeance On The High Seas".
notttt:
two fully rendered pieces posted in a row, had to throw in a fuck ass sketch. i love sailor!zuko, whether it's pirate or regular sea farer. i'm always so sad thinking of his crew because on one hand, i would hate the little fucker too, because he was insufferable, but on the other, zuko wasn't a bad leader. i was making an edit the other day and so i was rewatching the last episode and the speech he gives before being crowned? the "media" training had been DONE. the only thing stopping him from being an actually tolerable captain was the task he was appointed, because he put it above the safety and comfort of everyone, including himself. and others, obviously, didn't (and good for them lol).
anyways, i have NO idea what is he wearing as a belt, i just really needed something to bring the design together. i think that pirate zuko would ditch the fire nation armor for convenience to get easier access to wares in ports (and because THAT SHIT IS HEAVY, one man overboard and he sinks like a rock), but only if he found a replacement cheap and fast. because while i like the idea of him completely rejecting the "evil bad fire nation" by throwing all his related stuff away, zuko was actually deeply connected to his nation and condemned the ideals by which it was lead, not his people. so i don't think he would try to erase his connections to it. also, no speed running the character development, or cutting his hair until something drastic happens (like them becoming fugitives in canon). and since most character development of zuko was in reaction to the things happening around him (until his confrontation with ozai), i think it would be very gradual and slow-going, were it to happen at sea, on his ship.
i know a lot of the fandom head-canons the crew as out-casts of the fire nation, but i don't think we ever get a confirmation of that in canon. so, we can assume they all more or less share the ideals the fire nation spreads, obviously on a tamer level, since like most foot-soldiers in wars they probably aren't fanatics. zuko wouldn't really get any wake-up calls from them (or iroh? that's a tough one) in regards to the war. to ozai and his treatment of him?? maybe, but that would require the crew to talk to a prince about his fire lord-father. pirate zuko would probably also never actually call himself a pirate either lmao
