"When in Doubt, Go to the Library
" is an "Avatar: The Last Airbender" For Want Of A Nail fanfic, written by Returquoise on Archive of Our Own.
The nail in this case is Ozai sending his son to the Earth Kingdom after scarring and banishing him, hoping for the young prince's demise. However, one Knowledge Seeker took pity on the boy and decided to bring him back to the great Spirit Library.
Wan Shi Tong isn't happy about having a human child in his library, especially a firebender, but on the other hand he really could use a clerk — and Zuko really could use the opportunity to become his own self.
Contains the following tropes
- Deity of Human Origin: It's apparently possible for a human to be trapped as a Spirit through the genuine belief of others. Zuko is horrified at the possibility.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Since he's banished, Zuko decides to stop styling his hair in the usual phoenix plume and instead opts for a low ponytail that helps to hide his scar.
- Happiness in Slavery: Zuko is forced into work for Wan Shi Tong, but it gives him access to knowledge a lot of people would kill to obtain, and it also grants him the opportunity to break from his father's toxic teachings.
- Heel–Face Turn: Over a thousand years before the story starts, the Air Nomads were known as the Air "Legion". This serves as the basis for much of the more modern Fire Nation propaganda.
- I'm Taking Her Home with Me!: The Knowledge Seeker that found Zuko on the shore near Ba Sing Se outright disobeys his boss in order to bring the boy to the Spirit Library. Wan Shi Tong is unimpressed and punishes his servant with copying duty but nonetheless allows Zuko to stay.
- It Amused Me: Why did the Knowledge Seeker save Zuko? It just felt like it — an argument that doesn't please Wan Shi Tong.
- Knight Errant: Zuko often travels the disputed territories of the Earth Kingdom on missions to steal documents for Wan Shi Tong's Library. Despite trying to keep a low profile as The Drifter, he often can't resist the urge to aid people in need.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: As in canon, Zuko is a skilled and stealthy swordsman. However, Wan Shi Tong has given him some kind of blessing, since Zuko's doing these missions on his behalf. How much of the Blue Spirit's activities are just Zuko, and how much are affected by "Spirit shenanigans" is unclear.
- Misplaced Retribution: Wan Shi Tong forces Zuko into indentured servitude just because the boy is a firebender like the man that destroyed part of the library, in spite of Zuko protesting that he himself has never raised a hand against the Owl Spirit.
- Mook Horror Show: The brief fight in chapter 26 is written from the perspective of a group of abusive Fire Nation soldiers. It doesn't go well for them.
- Parental Substitute: In spite of being a giant owl suffering from Blue-and-Orange Morality, Wan Shi Tong shows hints of becoming this for Zuko, the boy he basically enslaved.
- Riches to Rags: Formerly the Crown Prince to the Fire Nation, Zuko is made a clerk for Wan Shi Tong.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Wan Shi Tong would rather blame bad teachers than improperly-taught students, and is aware that children don't always know to ask for more information.
- Spotting the Thread: While going over reports about the genocide of the "Air Legion", Zuko keeps coming across two phrases that paint a very different picture than the Fire Nation preemptively taking out a dangerous threat: "no weapons" and "minimal casualties".
- Stern Teacher: In spite of his aloofness and Fantastic Racism, Wan Shi Tong nonetheless encourages Zuko to read as much as he wants, answers his questions and pushes him to critically think about his nation and history.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Wan Shi Tong sometimes wishes for the ability to strangle his Knowledge Seekers. Since the critters do things such as bringing in a human child despite his ban or forgetting to bring necessities to the new clerk, it's easy to understand his annoyance.
- Time Dissonance: For a spirit like Wan Shi Tong, something from 150 years ago is still considered "recent", to Zuko's shock.
- Unreliable Narrator: Lampshaded when Wan Shi Tong explains the concept of a historical national narrative to Zuko — a nation will downplay events that don't fit their ideals while putting emphasis on the ones that do. Everybody wants to look their best and feel the best about themselves, so nations will put together narratives which enable it.
- Unwanted False Faith: Zuko becomes increasingly incredulous at how his Blue Spirit persona is not only believed to be a real Spirit, but soon becomes a figure of worship.
