Ba Sing Se Lights

Zutara/Gaang Modern AU • social media fic • complete (22/05/2021)

[zk-modernau]

SUMMARY

Katara moves from the Southern Water Tribe to the Earth Kingdom when she is 18 to study medicine at Ba Sing Se University. Here she meets Toph and Aang and she shares an apartment with her brother. 

Four years have passed and, almost two years after her relationship with Aang ends, Katara attends a party where she meets Jet and spends a night with him.

Few days later, at another party in the same city, Jet has a one night stand with a boy who asks for his number.

He gives Katara's number to Zuko.

Welcome to Ba Sing Se Lights, a Modern AU Zutara story which involves instagram posts, awkward conversations and the weird life of a chaotic group of friends.

Links to posts, playlists and fanarts:

Trailer

Link to the first post

Playlist

Katara's Birthday Playlist

Zuko’s Playlist

Ao3 Series (or, "when I break the Text Fic Rule")

Katara's lovely fanart by @risemaclay

Smol™ Zuko by @becasart

Ember Island

[zk-modernau]

I sometimes think back to this blog and just appreciate the level of detail you put into the story.

Aw thank you so much! I had so much fun last year with this story, it will always have a special place in my heart.

And I still remember your comments and cherish them. Thank you, really 💓

[zk-modernau]

I received a notification from this blog for your reply to badlucksav's ask. It's almost a year and I still have notifications on for this blog. I hoped you created something new for this blog, but obviously I was wrong.

I'm still happy people think about your story, as I do, because is such a beautiful and sweet one 💕

You don't know how many times I've thought about it, because in my head these characters have never stopped existing and every now and then I find myself thinking "who knows what the gaang is doing" or "who knows how Zuko and Katara are doing" - yesterday was Katara's birthday in this universe and my mind started wandering dksjad

Thanks a lot, Rise! I'm glad someone is still thinking about this story. It means the world to me, it's everything a fanwriter can hope for. ❤️

[zk-modernau]

I still think about this fic at least once a week

And now I'm crying 😭

Truth is I think about it a lot too. I still haven't been able to delete the apps I used to write it, because sometimes nostalgia hits hard and I like to go back and read the conversations, the posts and the parts I never posted too. It has been such a special time and I miss a lot sharing a little bit of this world with you every day! 💕

[zk-modernau]

i finally finished semester so i can now properly send You this. Can't believe i started following this story back in november ish and now it is finally done, took me a while to process, i actually cried but i'm forever grateful for You and your decision of making this beautiful story. Not only did you took the time to write a unique story respecting each character's goods and flaws (nailing it perfectly and which btw ur Katara's portrayal was amazing, fell in love with her) u also took the time to gather beautiful pictures to show us how you imagined every single thing (while also respecting key elements).

Can't tell what was My favorite part bc everything was done beautifully but i can assure you i laughed, cried, gasped, awwwed and even made my guesses of what was gonna happen next. I loved every single part of it but def i can't stop thinking about zuko pianist, swiftie katara and the lantern spectacle.

Anyways thanks You so much for inmersing us in your beautiful story throughout this months and i hope You keep writing because OMG your writing is incredible. I also hope You enjoyed as much as we did, take care and i'm sending you lots of love 💖

A girl might think that after weeks she would stop sobbing - and yet here I am, back with tears in the corners of my eyes 💕

I vividly remember you being one of the first people to comment on each chapter of the story and you don't know how happy I was to see your notifications every day!

I remember that in Katara's birthday chapters you guessed the cake Zuko got her and I was like, "omg, has anyone actually spent any time thinking about this story and speculating???" 🥺

Thank you so much. ❤️

I'm so happy that parts of this story stayed with you, I think that's the nicest thing a fanfiction author can hear.

And most of all, I'm so happy that you liked the characters, because I really wanted them to keep the most important aspects of their characterization and to be able to come across as real, including their strengths and flaws.

This ask made me so happy! I'm really going to miss interacting with you in the comments!

I had a lot fun writing this, I miss so much making the daily posts, searching for the right pictures and sharing it with you! It has been the best part of this year. 🥺❤️

Thank you again, sending you lots of love! 💕

[zk-modernau]

Okay, listen.

So Ive had notifications for this story turned on since about post 20, but it's taken me a little bit to process that this is actually done (insert muffled sobs). So now that I think I have, I just want you to know that it was the highlight of my work days-- I would see it pop up on my phone and I knew that once my session was done I had another part of the saga to read!

Thank you for this work of love and all the hard work you put into it!

Aaaa thank you so much!

I had so much fun writing this and sharing it with you everyday was the best part of it. It almost feels unreal that it's over!

Thank you for sticking around all this time - I remember that when you started following the blog I was like, "omg???" because I love your stories 🥺

And I'm so, so happy that this story has been a little source of joy for you in the past months.

❤️❤️❤️

[zk-modernau]

Ahhhh I’ve put off reading this for a while since I suspected that Ember Island might be the end of this fic. And while I’m sad to see it end, I’m so happy that you put your time and effort into this wonderful fic.

I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve “awwwwwed” so much that the people around me thought I was watching cute cat videos, only to be disappointed when I told them I wasn’t. The buildup was sooo good, and when those two idiots finally went for it, I cheered like a super fan at a sports game. Zuko is so sweet in this fic, while also maintaining some of his...lesser...qualities, but in a balanced way that makes him feel so realistic. All of the characters were on point. Bravo.

Also, this fic truly made me fall in love with pianist!Zuko. I’ve always had a soft spot for it, but I was inspired so much that I made it a thing in one of my own fics, and will definitely continue to do so in the future.

But seriously, kudos to you. I’m a writer, but coming up with an entire social media fic is a daunting task that I’m not quite up for. So thank you so much for all the work you put in. Hopefully one day you’ll come up with another one, and I’ll gladly stick around for it.

Alright, I'm in tears again!

Thank you so much, this is so sweet and it brightned my whole day 💕

I'm sad, too, that this is over, this week was super weird because I kept thinking "I need to prepare the next update" and then I would remember that the story is over dljddb but still, I'm so glad you enjoyed this, reading your comments always brought me a lot of joy!

And I was worried that some character would have been ooc, 'cause part of their identity is shaped by living in a specific contest and by their own history, so I'm so happy to read that you found them on point, especially Zuko!

And now I have a huge soft spot for pianist!Zuko too (at the beginning of the story it wasn't even planned, it just happened 🙈) and we definitely need more pianist Zuko in this world, so I'm absolutely overjoyed that it's a thing in your fic! (as soon as I have time, I'll check it out!)

Thank you again, really. ❤️

[zk-modernau]

I’m in denial like many other people for the ending of this story asdfghjk 😭 it was so good, but I still haven’t read the last updates because I still can’t accept it :c anyway I loved it 💕

(Tranquilla che la finirò, purtroppo sono una che odia finire i libri e racconti e molte volte mi fermo per un po’ a pochissimo dalla fine 🙈🙈🙈)

Aaaaa thank you so much! 😭 I'm so sad to let this story go too! 🥺💕

E tranquilla, ti capisco! Non posso che citare Doctor Who: "I always rip out the last page of a book, then it doesn't have to end. I hate endings." ❤️

[zk-modernau]

Aaaaa it's so sad I hate it when good fics are over, took me a couple of days to send this bc denial is my middle name, but I started the new fic you shared and was able to accept the end of this one hahaha

Uh well, apparently we share the middle name 👀✨

Aaaaa thank you so much! ❤️

I hope you'll enjoy the other one as well!

[zk-modernau]

i wrote you not so long ago already, but i just want to thank you again SO MUCH for this! 🥺❤️ it was so so nice to read it, it made me really laugh and cry, it is just so beautiful. i wish you only the best 🥰😊 <333

Aaw thank you so much, it's been such a pleasure to write and share this story with you 🥺❤️

I'm gonna really miss this fic and interacting with all of you 😭💕

[zk-modernau]

don't know what i was expecting today but it wasn't this, oh boy i wasn't prepared 🥺 thank you so so much for writing and sharing this story, it was so beautiful and soooooo catchy I would stop whatever i was doing if i saw there was a new update, always made my day better. you did an amazing job with the texts, breaking the text fic rules 😂 and ALL THE EXTRAS oh my god i'm gonna miss this so much, i wish all the best for you in your life and whatever you do next, thank you again 💕

Aaaaaa omg thank you so much, I've been crying for three days 🥺

The truth is this story wouldn't have gone on like this without your support and comments, so I really can't thank you enough, it's been great sharing these months with you ❤️❤️❤️

[zk-modernau]

Thank you so much for this beautiful fic. I honestly don't know how I would have gotten through these past few months without it being a bright spot in my life.

Thank you for reading this, I read all your comments in the tags yesterday and I was crying 💕

To be honest, I can totally relate, because writing this fic and interacting with all of you is what helped me get through the last semester.

So thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️

[zk-modernau]

Loved this series so much! Do you have any other projects in mind??

Thank you so much, I remember you were one of the first people to follow the blog and I was always waiting for your comments 🥺🥺

I am currently working on this new text fic on ao3, which is in a more classic format!

(I would love to work on another project like this, but maybe in the far future, because these characters still live in my head and in my heart right now 🥺❤️)

[zk-modernau]

Thank you so much for making this amazing fic!! I have followed every update and have enjoyed the journey you have taken us on! I’ll miss being notified when you update! But I look forward to whatever you work on next!!! 💕❤️💕❤️❤️

Thank you very much for sticking around to follow every update, it meant the world to me. And I am so happy that you enjoyed this story, I will miss waking up in the morning and finding your notifications immensely.

Thank you. 💕

[zk-modernau]

Just wanted to say one more time how wonderful this journey though Ba Sing Se lights has been! You're immensely talented, and I'm in awe of your ability to tell a story in so many formats! I hope you keep writing, and keep sharing wonderful stories.

Thank you! I'm looking forward to re-reading this many times in the future! 💖

Oh gosh, I'm sobbing again!

Before I joined the zutara fandom, I thought I would never start writing again (and certainly never expected I could write in English), so reading this seriously makes me cry with joy.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️

[zk-modernau]

It was a lovely journey. Thank you.

[zk-modernau]

aaaAAAAAA I can’t believe this story is over !!!! It was such a staple of my life for a while I would check everyday. I remember when I first came across it half asleep and read it for so long aaaaaaaaa. I loved it SO much please never stop writing

I can't believe it too! I had so much fun writing this story, but above all it was wonderful to interact with all of you on a daily basis.

Thank you so, so much! ❤️❤️❤️