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Proof that the remaining 10% is worth losing your face to Koh for here.

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.

Fics for the sequel, The Legend of Korra, should go here.

Status guide:

Complete: Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
Ongoing: The fic is being updated on a regular basis^note, or has received an update after a significant absence.
Dormant: The fic has not been updated for at least one year but less than two years.
Dead: The fic has not been updated in two years or more, or the author has specifically said that it will not be updated.

Note: Fics listed as Dormant or Dead will be changed to Ongoing if/when they receive updates. If you see a rec with a blank status, and you're familiar with the fanfic, please add the correct status.

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Authors and Websites

Alabaster86

Status: Ongoing
Recommended by Ixmythot, Somariel, Red-Dead-Redeemer
Comments: A Fanfiction.Net author, Alabaster has the rare gift of both hammer and anvil, turning out quality completed stories in months, when most of the same quality would take years. Almost all her works are openly of the Mai/Zuko pairing, which, while more popular than it was originally, is still a pairing that some in the fandom can't say two nice things about. Because of this, or in spite of this, all her works have a natural feel to them, flowing as if they were written as part of the series itself. Furthermore, there's something for just about everyone, romance, drama, politics, even action, despite her claims that she cannot write action scenes to save her life.

Gaang Jr. by Various Contributors

Recommended by Figment Jedi
Status: Dead
Comments: The Spin-Offspring of the Gaang run away from home to travel the world going on adventures, with Toph and an adult Tom-Tom being charged with bringing them back home.
Additional info: The wiki contains information about the project and characters, and links to the discussion threads, while the stories can be found here. There's no set canon for this story, and the contributions are a free-for-all; it's a good idea to read the threads discussing the project, to be up to date, but anyone can write stories about any character and any moment of the story.

Inspector Iroh by Various Artists (AU, Round Robin)

Recommended by Hasone
Status: Dead
Comments: A fan-comic, featuring the Avatar characters, with their relationships and personalities mostly intact, in an modern-day-like AU. The main storyline follows Zuko and Iroh as detectives in a noir heavy setting.
- To participate in the Round Robin, go here. Requires an account, though.

Lady Azar de Tameran

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Dormant
Comments: Another Fanfiction.Net author, Azar has an amazing talent for characterization. Although most of her stories are oneshots, she manages to capture the essence of the characters in each and every story.

Loopy AKA Loopy777

Recommended by Agogobell, Somariel
Status: Ongoing
Comments: A fanfic author famed for both plot-heavy epics and weird comedy like Mai's Ramblings. An excellent writer with a rather caustic sense of humor, he mainly writes stories for ATLA and Korra, though many are AU-ish. Heavily recommended are Retroactive, Lady on Fire, and The Ember Island Lighthouse. Read any and all of his stuff!

Recommended by Lady Of Termina
Status: Dead
Comments: Writes mainly for Kataang, although quite a few of her stories include other couples as well. Most of her works are WAFF, but she pulls off angst with finesse. Definitely, definitely read. According to her profile, Lyralocke is deceased, so any unfinished stories will not be completed.

The Melon Lord Approves

Recommended by Kalaong
Status: Dead
Synopsis: "I like deep character development, A-plot emphasis, and moments of stark power, both tiny and tremendous. I have a Dickensian tendency to cram as many words into a single sentence as I possibly can. I am fascinated by generational stories, seeing how the past influences the present, and how the people who influenced us as children shape who we become, and how that in turn shapes the turn of the world. I am a complete sucker for a pure spirit and a noble heart, but find that throwing in a variety of contrasting (and occasionally extremely dark) characters surrounding this point of light makes for a much more fascinating story. Does it surprise you now that I love ATLA?"

Singer of Time

Recommended by Kalaong, Somariel
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: Yet another Fanfiction.Net author, Singer of Time not only has an amazing talent for characterization and humor, but is able to tell entertaining stories without inventing new threats to throw at the Gaang, instead focusing on high-quality Slice of Life pieces that give the characters the chance to interact without clocks ticking over their heads. The result are some easygoing character examinations without angsty torment. But be forewarned — if you're looking for anything beyond canon couples, look elsewhere.

Wren Sharpbeak

Recommended by hillraiser2011, Somariel
Status: Dead
Comments: Writer of a compelling "Chapter 3: Fire" AU series, Wren originally based it on speculation of what she expected in the then-upcoming Season 3, but officially changed it to an AU once the real season started. What sets the series apart from most "Zuko joins the group" fics is that the eventual joining up with the Gaang isn't a seamless transition for anyone; it takes several "chapters" for Zuko, even with Iroh's guidance, to really settle in among the group, and for the Gaang to realize that Zuko isn't trying to capture Aang anymore...and never really wanted to for his sake.

Recommended by foxkindle
Status: Ongoing
Comments: One of the best Zutara writers in the fandom. If you're looking for a quality well-written fic with a good plot, check out her fics.

Recommended by: ggoulden1695
Status: Ongoing
Comments: an absolutely stunning writer, having written fics like ribs and the series the first rule of earth kingdom fight club...'' with all of them being engaging, wonderful works.

Recommended by: SubversionStation
Status: Ongoing
Comments: CaelumBlue mostly writes stories set before the events of the show, but their specialty is oneshots about Azulon and Iroh's generations. They manage to take a scarcely-referenced period of time for Zuko's family and make it interesting.

General Fics

Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.

A viper-lizard's tales by Yumi Take

Recommended by Orchidperson 969
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: The desert sun burns and Zuko probably shouldn't touch the moving cloth, but he does anyway.
Tags: Angst, Family
Comments: While very long (at over 150 chapters as of June 2021), this fic is nevertheless a great read, featuring Zuko as the reluctant adopted father of a half-Earth Kingdom, half-Fire Nation firebending baby. It's heavily canon-divergent, beginning halfway through Book 2, with (aside from the baby) such major changes as Zuko's much earlier Heel–Face Turn, Jet surviving and even joining the group alongside Zuko, and Zuko and Jet's Odd Friendship. However, much of the first half of Season 3 still remains intact.

100 Years by Assault Sloth

Recommended by: Potman, Lavanya Six, Colonel_Brian
Status: Dead; last updated August 2008
Synopsis: The imprisoned King Bumi, while not annoying his guards, reminisces his century-long life.
Tags: Adventure, Humor

Adaptation by wildgoosery

Recommended by: Joysweeper, Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: In which young Zuko disapproves of "Love Amongst the Dragons" (the tale of Princess Soza, Avatar Kuro, and a love that was never meant to be).

Alloys by DrunkenGrognard

Recommended by: Somariel
Status: Hiatus; last updated August 2011
Synopsis: To foster a child is to have a hostage; but while it can lead to troubled times it can also lead to peace... and the difference can be as thin and sharp as a knife's edge.
Tags: Drama, Adventure

Avatar Aang: An Annotated Bibliography by The Big Rocky Eye

Recommended by Ryan Lohner, Sal Fish Fin, Agogobell
Status: Dead; last updated February 2010
Synopsis: Exactly What It Says on the Tin — descriptions of a series of books written about Aang by characters in the series and others.
- Now has a page.

AVATAR: The Children of Fire By Red Eyes Black Dragon Master

Recommended by The Dark Trex
Status: Dead; last updated January 2013
Synopsis: Zuko and Toph travel about the Earth Kingdom searching for his mother while in the Fire Nation Azula has escaped from prison thanks to the help of Ozai loyalists called the Children of Fire. Some of Aang's powers have copied over to Ozai and the Fire Nation is in threat of being overtaken.

Avatar: The Children of War by Master Ghandalf

Recommended by Ryan Lohner, Colonel_Brian
Status: Dead; last updated June 2011
Synopsis: Ursa is betrothed to Ozai, but soon learns Azulon has hidden motives for agreeing to the match. Meanwhile, recently promoted General Iroh begins to make a name for himself as The Dragon of the West.

Drinking Buddy by MarblesG

Recommended by Ninja Marshwiggle
Status: Dead; last updated January 2015
Synopsis: Oneshots based around Aang and Tophs friendship after the war- specifically them becoming drinking buddies. Cannon Couples plus one-sided Tokka.
Warnings: Discussions of the impacts of trauma on children, the nasty side of Airbending, and questionable parenting.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 4: Aftermath by Adrenaline Rush 1996

Recommended by Alternative Cola
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Exactly What It Says on the Tin. The war's over, Azula redeems herself, but Team Avatar battle against ex-Firelord Ozai for the final time. Ignores the events of the post-finale graphic novels.
Pairings: Aang/Katara, Zuko/Mai, Sokka/Suki, later Sokka/Azula, Ty Lee/Haru, Toph/Teo, Suki/Hahn

Avatar Book 4: Air by Bizmarck

Recommended by Ryan Lohner, Red-Dead-Redeemer
Status: Complete^note
Synopsis: Exactly What It Says on the Tin. The war may be over, but there's still a lot of work to do in getting the world back the way it was and healing old wounds.

Chasing The Dragon by Kyrie Vali

Recommended by Prince Kaen
Status: Dead; last updated August 2017
Pairings: Azula/Ty Lee
Synopsis: Two years after the end of the Hundred Year War, and the Fire Nation has fallen into chaos and disorder. With Ozai's trial on the horizon, Fire Lord Zuko stands at what could be the defining moment of his political career...but first, he needs all the help he can get.
Comments: This fic ties with Opheliac for best characterization of Azula. All the characters' dialogue and thoughts are so well done that it's easy to forget it's not actually canon.

Daughters of Kyoshi by Elisabeth-elicits

Recommended by Marrin
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Five years ago, all the Kyoshi warriors disappeared, except for one. Five years later, a young Suki finds the last warrior practicing in the woods. Thus starts the long, hard journey for Suki as she becomes a daughter of Kyoshi. A pre-series origin story.

Dominion by Aurelia le

Recommended by Allie Montgomery
Status: Dead; last updated December 2019
Synopsis: For the Fire Nation royal siblings, love has always warred with hate. But neither the outward accomplishment of peace nor Azula's defeat have brought the respite Zuko expected. Will his sister's plans answer this, or only destroy them both?
Comments: An extremely well-written, engaging, novel-length story with over 200.000 words. It's a very, very dark story that, in the author's own words, is a "deconstruction of Azula cliches." Zuko and Azula-centric, but the Gaang and other characters are fleshed out as well.

The Escapades of the Blind Bandit and Meathead by Artemis-rae

Recommended by Mcnickel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A series of oneshots featuring Toph and Sokka as they get drunk, raise havoc, and irritate Zuko. Post-war.

Fire and Lightning by Faulty L0gic

Recommended by: New Orbit
Status: Dead; last updated July 2015
Synopsis: Four days after the comet, Azula negotiates with her brother to get out of prison, and works with the Gaang and her friends to restore balance after a century of war, working against well-earned distrust, echoes of her loss of control, and a new threat.
- Now has a page.

Forgotten Ones: Lieutenant Jee by Evilnor

Recommended by Veloren, Somariel, Red-Dead-Redeemer
Status: Complete
Synopsis: After the siege of the North Pole, Lieutenant Jee was branded a traitor and thrown in prison. The war is over now, so what could the Firelord have in mind for him?
- Something of a sequel to Forgotten Ones: Letter to Song

From Mori to Smellerbee by Deep Azula Eyes

Recommended by Ryan Lohner, Progeny Ex Machina
Status: Dormant; last updated March 2021
Synopsis: The tragic tale of how the daughter of a noble house became a Well-Intentioned Extremist named Smellerbee.

Fyre's Guide to Creativity by Forever Fyre

Recommended by The Rich Sheik, Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The Avatar characters are actors, sick of playing the badly thought out, disturbing, and cliche fan fiction. Join Forever Fyre and friends on their quest to promote originality and fresh ideas into the dying fandom.

Fyre's Guide to the Ultimate Story by Forever Fyre

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: That's right, folks! FFN's favorite fangirls are back! I know it sounds like pure insanity, because it is. But seriously, if you have questions about your first story, CLICK! A Save-the-Fandom story. Sequel to Fyre's Guide to Creativity.

Guide Me Home by Qwi-Xux

Recommended by Caellach Tiger Eye, Progeny Ex Machina, Blue Hospitality, Lightninging, Somariel, Red-Dead-Redeemer, Kiomori
Status: Complete
Pairings: Ursa/Hakoda is the main one; Canon Pairings all compliant.
Synopsis: This is a story which looks at Ursa and Hakoda, who meet offscreen during the events of Book One, and their incredible journey as they grow to understand one another and fall in love.
Notes: Now has its own page. It could use some love.

Heart of Fire, Path of Fire, Soul of Fire by Master Ghandalf

Recommended by Ryan Lohner, Ack Sed, Jacob Greyson, Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis:
- Heart of Fire: A year after the end of the war, the renegade general Azun tries to use Azula in his mad quest to return the Fire Nation to its evil ways. However, the amnesiac Azula escapes his men and falls in with a pair of peasant siblings who travel with her as she tries to regain her memories. Zuko and Mai are doing all they can to stop Azun, but it may be only Azula who is capable of doing it. Part one of a trilogy.
- Path of Fire: Azula has regained her memory, but remains haunted by hallucinations. Her latest desperate attempt to get rid of them results in her learning the whereabouts of her mother, sending her on a quest to find her that sees her teaming back up with Ty Lee and meeting more familiar faces. But a mysterious new enemy with incredible powers is also setting her own plans for revenge into motion. Part two of a trilogy.
- Soul of Fire: Azula has completely redeemed herself after rescuing her mother and now stands as a true hero. And none too soon, as now she has to join forces with the whole Gaang to defeat the spirit of war itself. Part three of a trilogy.
- Now has its own page.

Hide and Seek, Our Own Walls and Over My Dignity by Swiss Army Knife

Recommended by Black Charizard, Blue Hospitality, Somariel, yellowukulele
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Three Zuko and Sokka friendship fics. Hide and Seek features the Gaang playing hide and seek as a training exercise; in Our Own Walls, Zuko and Sokka infiltrate a Fire Nation village to get some information; and in Over My Dignity the Gaang (but mostly Zuko with the help of Sokka) deal with post-war negotiations. They aren't sequels, but there is the occasional Shout-Out between them.

I Love Bad Fanfiction by Jiao-Jie

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Dead; last updated September 2011
Synopsis: Do YOU get tired of seeing the same stories over and over again? Sick of Mary Sues? Strange cross-overs? Do you like parties? Yes? Then come inside! This is my I Love Bad Fanfiction party and everyone is invited! An Inspired by Fyre story!

In His Shoes by Avocado Love

Recommended by Acacia, Black Charizard, Tangent128, Shay Guy and Fish Called Waldo, Vifetoile, Joysweeper, Jacob Greyson, Blue Hospitality, boonerunner, darksecret
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Fairly basic Freaky Friday premise: Zuko and Sokka are forced to live each other's lives, and the subsequent plot diverges from that of canon in all the right places to reflect their different approaches to problem-solving.

The Legacy of the Headband by Golden Solidus

Recommended by cocoalover1956, Somariel, Red-Dead-Redeemer
Status: Dead; last updated December 2015
Synopsis: When Aang masqueraded as Kuzon for a few days and mysteriously disappeared after throwing a secret dance party, his actions changed the small Fire Nation school. Societal messages abound. Includes On Ji, Shoji, Hide, and others.

Love, Family, and Treachery by Amanda91

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Dead; discontinued
Pairings: Mai/Zuko
Synopsis: Mai and Zuko thought they had enough to deal with in the three years following the war. They didn't count on a shotgun wedding, parenthood, and a deadly conspiracy from within their own inner circle. Written for the Maiko Big Bang on Livejournal.

My Own Savior by Dragon of The West

Recommended by Killing Joke
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The tale of a troubled earthbender's life and his pursuit of redeeming for his misdeeds under the tutelage of Avatar Aang.

Of All Time by Daughter of Atlas

Recommended by jarell88, Jonn
Status: Dead; last updated October 2007
Synopsis: A series of well-done one-shots about the greatest Earthbender of all time, Toph.

Opheliac by cupid-painted-blind

Recommended by J Blaze
Status: Dead; last updated March 2011
Synopsis: Ozai may not be able to bend, but he's hardly powerless. Desperate to stop his father before civil war breaks out, Zuko is forced to turn to the only person who can possibly outsmart him: Azula.

Pen Pals by Decidedly Odd

Recommended by Veloren, Somariel, Mcnickel
Status: Dead; discontinued
Synopsis: The correspondence of Firelord Zuko and Her Royal Majesty, Toph Bei Fong, Queen of Omashu. Features weddings, assassinations, tea, and other silly things.

Prince Iroh by Acastus

Recommended by Colonel_Brian
Status: Complete
Synopsis: After narrowly escaping capture by Azula in "The Avatar State", Iroh and Zuko travel the Earth Kingdom in disguise. On the road, they save a scatologically obsessed merchant from a group of bandits and are invited to a feast as a reward. At dinner, a storyteller relates the tale of the rise and fall of Prince Iroh. Much older and wiser, Iroh is forced to relive his past in front of an audience of the enemy, and Prince Zuko learns the answers to many questions he never bothered to ask about his guardian.
- This is a story of Iroh's youth at a time when the Fire Nation was losing the war against a resurgent Earth Kingdom. Fire Lord Azulon, fearing both defeat abroad and rebellion at home, sends Prince Iroh to the Earth Kingdom under the leadership of his elder cousin, Prince Xian. The new army boasts terrifying new weaponry, but they face the greatest general in Earth Kingdom history and his mighty Army of the Granite Mountains.

Reassembled by artemisrae (Also on FanFiction.Net)

Recommended by Lavanya Six, flamewolf, Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: When they all come together again. Seven reunions in the immediate aftermath of Sozin's Comet.

Retroactive by Loopy777 (links here and here)

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A mix of adventure, mystery, and psychological horror, featuring Suki and Azula as they explore their shared past and find that they have more enemies in the new post-war world than either could have expected. What is the nature of the conspiracy, who is in on it, and who will survive the resulting apocalypse?

Sacrifices by Kimberly T

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Dead; last updated August 2015
Pairings: Katara/Zuko, Sokka/Suki, Katara/Aang, Mai/Zuko
Synopsis: Takes place post-series. The war is over, and everyone's doing just fine...until tragedy strikes. It is revealed that in fact things are far from fine, and people have to make hard choices. Starts with canon relationships, but will slowly evolve to Zutara.

Shadow of the Dragon King by Lunatique

Recommended by Amanda 91
Status: Complete
Synopsis: In the months before Zuko's exile, he and Azula are locked in a battle of wills for the soul of a nation. Lives are caught in the crossfire, and the Fire Nation will be changed forever. An in-depth look behind Zuko's exile.

Shattered and Erosion by magnusrae

Recommended by GM_ace
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Two fics starring magnusrae's original Earth Kingdom character, Anko, alongside the usual cast. Shattered focuses on Zuko, and then others, falling in with Anko when Aang is captured by Zhao. Erosion is a prequel fic set during the war between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom that expands on Anko's backstory, showing her history up until the days of Shattered.

Shrouded in Darkness by RoMaHazz

Recommended by Black Charizard, Somariel, Agogobell, Telcontar
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The bittersweet story of Toph's life. Following her struggles being a blind girl, under the care of her strict parents, detailing life before she meet Aangvand joined the Avatar to save the world.

Silent by AleinaReigning

Recommended by Caellach Tiger Eye
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Azula didn't always loathe her brother — instead she took her parents' words to heart and believed herself a monster. This story addresses a question I often think about — How loud does a cry for help have to be before it is answered?

Snow by Last of the Loneliness

Recommended by: unmissingpiece
Status: Dead; last updated June 2016
Synopsis: Children raised by misfortune grow into monsters. For Azula, perfection comes at a price. The childhood of the girl who would master lightning and lose herself along the way.

Teaching Toph by blankdreamer-13

Recommended by Black Charizard
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Features Aang teaching Toph the philosophies of the other elements, starting with Airbending, then Waterbending and Firebending. Aang and Toph's relationship grows closer, so if you like to pair them up you can read some subtext between them if you want. It stands better as friendship, though.

Three Years At Sea by amanda91

Recommended by The Evil Oboist , Lotuschan, Somariel
Status: Erased
Synopsis: Zuko adjusts to his new situation, Iroh tries to guide him, and the Universe seems content to make the prince's life as miserable as possible. A series of short fics detailing Zuko's banishment.

Til Death Do us Part by Vivki So

Recommended by Kereea
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The Avatar and company face their greatest challenge: planning and getting through Zuko and Katara's wedding day! Why oh why couldn't they have just eloped? Comedic drabbles and randomness for everyone who hates weddings!
Comments: This is not so much a Zutara fic as a massive crack fic with every "this can funny thing can happen at a wedding" cliche ever. In fact, despite the premise, it's not a pairing fic at all besides having multiple crack pairs hinted at, most people getting happy endings, and Toph making fun of Azula's bridesmaid's dress with the line "I may be blind, but I can sense fugly a mile away". And did I mention that there's an open bar...?

Unbreakable: Eyes Open Wide and Unbreakable: Wordless Goodbye by The Quiller

Recommended by Hekateras
Status: Complete
Synopsis: On a fateful night six years after the end of the war, Zuko is ambushed in a forest, and won't dare firebend for fear of endangering a nearby village. As the fight goes on, he is forced to come to terms with the consequences of that choice.

Better Nature by sodomquake

Rec'd by Joysweeper.
Status: Complete
Synopsis: "Meant to be something that would happen in the show, only dumber." In Ba Sing Se, Zuko gets a baby out of harm's way and has to take care of it for a bit.

Weary Sovereigns by Wribro

Recommended by: Kalaong, USA Bobcat, thebadplace
Status: Dead; last updated April 2015
Synopsis: For them, the whole world is empty. The sands of time howl in a storm that deafens them to the sounds of all else. They have gone mad... and have, since then, gone sane. So unshakably, brutally sane that, at times, they wish that madness would come again if only to take away the sheer cold of the certainty. The certainty that their story will never... ever... end.
Comments: The Gaang are trapped in a never-ending "Groundhog Day" Loop. Some seek inner perfection. Some Contemplate Our Navels. And some are just in it to use the world as a jungle gym. Any true fan of the series can guess who does which. The fun part is seeing five people who have been friends for an eternity travel through a familiar world, giving each other something to think about, and time in which to do it. After all, there's all the time in the world.

What SHOULD have Happened in AtLA by daveshan

Recommended by Gigle, Animenutcase, Ranubis
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Okay, it's not quite a fanfic. It's actually the Avatar characters going through each episode of the show and either choosing to instead do what any reasonable person would do or pointing out how ridiculous what they are actually doing is. Jokes tend to include Zuko's inconsistent fighting capabilities, Appa's apparent unwillingness to ever help in fights and Toph's inconsistent super senses.
- YMMV on this one. This troper found it rather nitpicky, though the author seems to think they're being funny.
  - While it can be a bit caustic at times, it does a good job tying together plotholes, and the end has some of the finest interpretations of character actions this troper has ever seen.

Yes I Am An Animal and Eat The Weak by Slim James

Recommended by KugiGel
Status: Complete and Dead; last updated November 2011
Synopsis: Iroh is dead; Zuko is now truly alone. How will the Fire Prince manage to survive without his Uncle to guide him?

Kaze no Uta by Against.The.Current

Recommended by littlekaijuu
Status: Dead; last updated April 2019
Synopsis: Femininity is not weakness. Courage does not exist without fear. Hope is lost the moment you stop fighting. A grittier take on the 'girl falls into another world' trope.
Comments: Basically a girl falls into the Avatar world and lives in the Southern Air Temple alone for over a year in complete isolation. Some light survival aspects, nice world-building, well written, and a bit slice of life-y. She finds out she's an Airbender, and it would be mary-sueish if it weren't done so WELL. It's recently updated (12/2018) and looks like the plot is really starting to kick off now. Author says that romance, if any, will be in the background.

The First Bloodbender by Ramens

Recommended by: Bright Light
Status: Dead; last updated May 2008
Synopsis: Hama's life during, and after, her imprisonment by the Fire Nation.
Comments: Similar to Blood Moon, another story that I recommended, this fanfic isn't complete in the sense that the author planned it, but rather it ends on a rather bittersweet note that perfectly leads into the events of the canon.

The Discards by Omoni

Recommended by SubversionStation
Status: Complete
Synopsis: You know how there's a million fics about Zutara and Tokka, and how there never seems to be any mention of the ones they left behind? Well, this is a fic featuring ONLY the ones they left behind. Mai-Aang-Suki friendship fic.
Comments: A short 4-chapter fic where Aang, Suki, and Mai band together to process their respective lovers leaving them for their friends.

In the Arms of Angels by TheMirrorball

Recommended by SuperYoshiFan02
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: In another world, she takes down Zuko and faces the Water Tribe peasant that still has no idea of what she’s about to do. Here, her crumbing mind is just a little more unhinged, her movements a little more erratic, and she fails to notice the arcs of lightning jerking angrily around her. — Or, Azula loses more than just her mind in the last Agni Kai.
Comments: A fanfic where Azula accidentally amputates her own arm with her lightning. While healing from her injury, Azula winds up getting the therapy she desperately needs.

The Family You Choose by TunaFishChris

Recommended by SuperYoshiFan02
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Some people are born with soulmarks. Zuko has them, but his grandfather burned them off because they "make you weak." Team Avatar has a few things to say about that.
Comments: An excellent fanfic where all 6 members of the Gaang are platonic soulmates with each other. Soulmates are able to do a "soulbond" with each other where they can view moments from each other's past and provide comfort.

General Oneshots

promises of the heart by delightwrites

Recomended by: Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Lu Ten wakes up and his first thought is that he's dead. His second thought is that he's in a forest and the constellations above are unknown to him. And his third one is that he's not alone.
Comments: Guys, this is HEARTBREAKING. An afterlife fic focusing on a strange cross-generational friendship as two wandering spirits wait to fulfill the promises that will let them pass on from the spirit world. Yet it's surprisingly warm and funny for all that.

The Other Runaway by The_Clockwork_Monk

Recomended by: Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Synopsis: During "The Runaway," while Sokka has his heart-to-heart with Toph, Aang tries to do the same thing with Katara and get her to better understand what Toph is going through. “Katara, in case you’ve forgotten, I’m a Runaway too.”
Comments: A short missing scenes fic that really nails Aang and Katara's characters and dives into why they act the way that they do. It's sweet and thoughtful, and definitely worth a minute of your time.

Bison Monologues by Webdog177

Recommended by JBriskin
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Inner monologues of a flying bison. Inspired by the "Sperm Whale and Petunias" bit from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Comments: Manages to capture the same dry, yet still very sharp, wit that Douglas Adams was known for; also probably a very accurate description of how all non-human animals view us (speaking as someone who believes that our fellow species are inherently superior to our own).

Trust Falls by starsandspiders

Recommended by Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Synopsis:After Zuko is struck by Azula's lightning, his injury is more serious than he lets on. or: Zuko has a rather abrupt lesson in trusting others to take care of him.
Comments: Sweet and intense, read if you have a deep need to see Zuko get taken care of for once. Everyone is in character and actively helping, also canon comliant.

a nation, held by snowdarkred

Recommended by Orchidperson 969, thebadplace
Status: Complete
Synopsis: It doesn’t take long for the rumors to start. The Fire Nation prides itself on its civilization. It isn’t like the other, lesser, nations who throw their children away by sending them into war. Those uncultured and unfeeling savages who are destroying their own future faster than the Fire Nation can save them from themselves. Every Fire Nation child goes to school. They learn reading and writing, the illustrious history of their country, and what will be expected of them as proper, upstanding Fire Nation citizens. They are to be protected, because children are the future glory of the nation. The crown prince is thirteen when his father burns his face in front of an audience of hundreds.
Comments: Told from the POV of many ordinary citizens of the Fire Nation, it's sometimes difficult to keep track of all of them, but this canon-compliant fic is both heartbreaking and realistic as it details the ripple effects of Ozai and Zuko's disastrous Agni Kai, and how it impacts the lives of ordinary citizens.

Compass Lost by Zetjintsu

Recommended by Koop
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Ursa tries to reconnect with Azula during an important firebending rite of passage.

Horoscopes by Originalavatarnerdling

Recommended by Crimson Shogun
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A day in the life of the adult Team Avatar. A new craze has hit Republic City, "Horoscopes" from the fortuneteller Aunt Wu. Ironically enough, Katara sets out to disprove them, leading to revelations and an epic argument amongst the old Gaang.
- Subversion Station: YMMV on this one. While it sounds good on paper, the execution is sloppy, and there are several grammar mistakes. The fact that it's written on a wikia forum page doesn't help matters.

Thirty Avatar Short Stories by Sophia Prester

Recommended by Black Charizard, The Evil Oboist
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A collection of oneshots about several characters, from the main to the minor ones. There's even one for the Cabbage Merchant!

Azula Always Lies by Brownish

Recommended by Gracie Geek
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Azula always lies, even to herself. Azula is escaping the country, followed by the persistent hallucination of Ursa. Set after the show finale.

A Long And Lonely Night by Coeus

Recommended by Gemmifer
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Takes place during one night shortly after Azula seized Ba Sing Se; describes the thoughts and feelings of nearly the entire cast, as they all seem to lie awake that night.

Sleeping Close by Swiss Army Knife

Recommended by Mew24ever, Somariel, yellowukulele
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A Sokka-centric fic examining the role Sokka plays in the Gaang, told through the eyes of Hakoda.

Male Bonding by Rawles and Ali Wildgoose

Recommended by The Lobster, Fire Lizard In A Bottle, Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: As much as she intensely dislikes it, Katara understands why Zuko had to join them. What she doesn't understand is why he and Sokka have to spend every waking moment in each other's company.
Comments: A hilarious oneshot that managed to capture the spirit of the Zuko/Sokka bromance before it was canon.

Never Look at the Sun by May Flyer

Recommended by Rebecca Hb.
Status: Complete
Synopsis: There is no war in Ba Sing Se. Ask Jet. He can tell you.
Comments: If you wanted a Brainwashed!Jet AU, you'll like this short but impactful oneshot.

Tools and Masterminds by Master Ghandalf

Recommended by Ryan Lohner
Status: Complete
Synopsis: There was a bit more to Azulon's death than revealed in the show. Ozai gives Azula a lesson in being a Magnificent Bastard.

Season One Remix: Shirtless Zuko Style by Jakia

Recommended by Marlee Cross
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE!!)
Synopsis: Basically, an episode by episode look at how the series would have been different if Zuko had spent the entire time shirtless. Also check out the sequel: Season Two Remix: Shirtless Zuko Style

Theft Absolute by Vathara

Recommended by Squealing Sandry
Status: Complete, with a Sequel.
Pairings: None
Synopsis: Because anybody who could break into the North Pole has to have thought theft through better than that... AU bit of "The Cave of Two Lovers."

Since You Asked by Mistress of Sarcasm

Recommended by loracarol, Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairings: None
Synopsis: While at the Western Air Temple, Zuko and Sokka bond over swords, sisters, meat and girlfriends.

The Innocence of Youth by Omoni

Recommended by Neenie, Blue Hospitality, Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairings: None
Synopsis: Aang and The Talk

The Airbender and the Noble by SeleneMoon

Recommended by Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Pairings: None
Synopsis: The Avatar knows something about Mai and her little brother. Mai has to make a decision.
Comments: A sweet, hopeful, and intriguing little story where Aang figures out something about Mai's brother and offers a hand. No romance.

Slumber My Darling by auri mynonys

Reccommended by Fat Rat, Ronka87, The Evil Oboist
Status: Complete
Pairing: Iroh/Toph
Synopsis: Toph has spent years trying to reconcile herself with her family, but when that fails, she withdraws to Ba Sing Se – and Iroh's teashop. There she tries to recover from old wounds with Iroh's help.
Comments: Fair warning that this is a Iroh/Toph fic.

Combustion Countdown by snappleducated

Recommended by Candelabra, Andrzej
Status: Complete
Synopsis: When Zuko's burned, branded, scarred, Azula smiles because it's the expression most familiar to her, and she doesn't want to think about what she should be doing instead. — Azula, Zuko

tell me how this story ends and i'll keep them fires burning by kuchi

Recommended by Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Synopsis:“Does anyone know?”
Zuko picks a particularly bright star and glares at it. He can get this over with right now, just like he’s done before. “People know, Aang. I’d be surprised if anyone in the Fire Nation didn’t. It wasn’t a secret why I was banished.”
Comments: Aang discovers how Zuko got his scar. A post-canon fic.

The Alchemy of Fire Arc I and Arc II by Shadowhawke.

Recommended by Candelabra
Status: Complete, Dead
Synopsis: Arc I of a series: The nature of Fire is that it transforms, and so after their victory, the Gaang must deal with the aftermath of 'peace' amidst battle, growth, self-discovery, and the startling changes and beauty of love. Based on a slightly AU finale.

His Fathers Son by Marvel26.

Recommended by Dommie 222, Taxima
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Power is not given. It must be taken — The Godfather III.

The Firebender Hunters by Red_Tigress

Recommended by Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Synopsis:Zuko goes missing, and the Gaang looks for him and talks about some Firebending culture.
Comments: Zuko is captured and the Gaang must rescue him. A heartbreaking and rage inducing look into why Jeong Jeong is the 'first' Fire Nation deserter.

No One Cares About this Story (Or the Stuff That Happened to Xin Fu and Master Yu After They Got Written Out of All the Important Parts of History) by peroxidepest

Recommended by monster_lover13
Status: Complete
Pairings: Slight hint of Xin Fu/Master Yu
Synopsis: Xin Fu and Master Yu do many pointless and idiotic things while the world moves on. Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Warnings: Spoilers for the 2nd season finale and onward. OCs because Xin Fu and Master Yu didn't really interact with the known characters in the time of this story. Also, above mentioned Xin Fu.

Book One: Water by aliwildgoose

Recommended by The Evil Oboist
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A "deleted scenes"-style drabble for each of the episodes of Book One.
Pairings: Mostly gen, but Aang/Katara, Jet/Katara, Jet/Sokka, Bato/Hakoda, Zuko/Mai, and Sokka/Suki are hinted at or discussed.

Baak by trascendenza

Recommended by Lavanya Six
Note on the Title: 'Baak' is the romanization of this fic's actual title, as the original characters cannot be rendered in standard HTML.
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Azula, post-canon, picking up the pieces.

Imakaimaka by Gingeh

Recommended by Yami Vizzini
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The one to kill the Avatar would have to be brilliant, powerful, stealthy, ruthless — and unexpected.

Crossing by Ingrid

Recommended by Lavanya Six
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Three years after the war, four old friends reunite on Kyoshi Island. A Toph, Suki, Katara, and Ty Lee friendship fic.
Comments: A lovely character study that has the added bonus of showing off some female friendships.

Saving Face by meltinglacier

Recommended by Progeny Ex Machina, Somariel, Vifetoile
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The psychological showdown between Mai and Koh that was always meant to be.

Dreams by Simply Christian

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: "Do not judge a man until you have walked a month in his shoes," says a Native American proverb. The spirits are satisfied with Katara walking only one night.

Operational Risk Management by Kimberly T.

Recommended by Somariel, MAI 742
Status: Complete
Synopsis: How could the warriors of the Southern Water Tribe have dared to leave their own people utterly defenseless, to answer the Earth Kingdom's call for aid? Well, as it turned out, Hakoda had a plan... Warning: NOT a cute-n-fluffy fic.

Arnaaluk: The Woman Under The Ice by plumbloom

Recommended by Leradny
Status: Complete
Synopsis: On the morning that Katara turned thirteen, she awoke to the smell of blood.
- The story has been removed from Fanfiction.net, and it seems to have vanished from the Internet. If you ever find a working link to this fic, please update.

Conversations by Georgia Peaches

Recommended by Veloren
Status: Complete
Synopsis: "Zuko… you should grow a mustache." Aang and Zuko were stuck in that green stuff for a long time before the Sun Warriors found them.
Comments: Silly, perfectly in-character crack.

Breaking Point by Kryal

Recommended by Veloren, Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Ozai sent Zuko to serve in the Home Guard, rather than risk Iroh's influence with Zuko roaming the world looking for the Avatar. When love for family comes to be at odds with love for people, however, one or the other must break.
Comments: I didn't recommend this oneshot, but I sure as hell will second it. It paints a believable story where Zuko is a soldier rather than a hunter, and my only complaint is that it's not a chapter fic.

The Fun and Perky Warriors Wolf Tail by Lavanya Six

Recommended by Universalperson
Status: Dead
Synopsis: A collection of one-shots — some speculative, some Alternate Universes, and some Crossovers.
Comments: The author has a wide range and is able to write humor, character studies, and horror very well. It has almost a hundred chapters, but most of the oneshots are short and can be burned through quickly. Less quick is the thoughts and ideas proposed in some of the oneshots leaving your mind.
- Has a sequel, The Countrycide Chronicles, for The Legend of Korra.

Children of War by ohsoxalive

Recommended by Risaga 54
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Katara is the mother of these people. Of these children of war. And Zuko just doesn't understand. Technically Zutara, but it's more about them understanding each other.

Accepting Toph by FaithInHim4ever

Recommended by darksecret
Status: Complete
Synopsis: When Toph comes down with the flu, Katara tends to her, and in doing so, finally accepts her as one of the family. Takes place before "The Library."

Legacies by tofsla

Recommended by beyondthesea
Status: Complete
Pairings: Toph/Sokka/Suki, slight Lin/Tenzin, Katara/Aang, Azula/Ty Lee
Synopsis: Toph raises Lin, with a little help. A story about families.
Comments: Despite all the pairings involved (nature of the beast when telling a story spanning fifteen years, really), this story is definitely driven by the relationship between Toph and Lin. Shipping any of the secondary pairings probably isn't necessary to enjoy it. Other moderately important characters from Legend of Korra include Tenzin and Kya.

Multiplication by Martinet Atom

Recommended by Kalaong
Status: Complete
Pairings: All canon pairings.
Synopsis: Producing more Airbenders is not a problem. At least, it's not Aang's problem.
Comments: Obviously non-canonical little piece on the resurrection of the Air Nomads. Silly as the demigod himself. Origin of the indisputably best term for Tophspawn. And Sokka is a troll.

Looking Like Daddy by DracoMaleficium

Recommended by Iowafoever
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zuko's daughter experiments with art and Zuko doesn't quite know what to do about it.
Comments: Just a short, cute fic about Zuko, his daughter, and face paint. Has a bit of underlying sadness, but Ziyi's innocence more than makes up for it.

thicker than blood by Ford_Ye_Fiji

Recommended by ladyofthelibrary
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Aang discovers who Roku is to Zuko. And he takes full advantage of it.
Comments: Aang's adorably earnest in his desire to act as Zuko's grandfather even if he gets entirely ridiculous and Zuko is the perfect blend of exasperated and touched.

Piandaoist's Short Stories Collection by Piandaoist

Recommended by Bolt_DMC
Status: One-shots complete, a few multi-chapter fics outside the collection are ongoing
Synopsis: Numerous small stories featuring the minor character Piandao, most all being crackfic.

The Morning After by melimsah

Recommended by: SubversionStation
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A poem from Iroh’s perspective, looking back on when his son, Lu Ten, died.
Comments: A heartbreaking piece, very much worth a few minutes of your time.

Burn Therapy by Cadence.

Recommended by: SubversionStation
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zuko and Aang bond on Ember Island. By burning things.
Comments:A friendship moment between Zuko and Aang, as well as some introspection on Aang's part about how far the Fire Nation has fallen since his days pre-war.

Now Kiss by Loopy 777

Recommended by: SubversionStation
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Sokka and Mai turn out to be destined soulmates. Things get worse from there.
Comments: A deconstruction of the Soulmate AU Fic. It's both hilarious and strangely in-character.

One Big Happy Family by HufflepuffChildOfApollo

Recommended by: SubversionStation
Status: Complete
Synopsis: In which the Gaang and co. adopt one (1) scruffy-looking, socially awkward, grumpy disgraced Fire Prince, and he adopts them back.
Comments: If you thought Zuko didn't have an adequate amount of time bonding with the Gaang, you'll like this series of oneshots. Each one focuses on Zuko spending time with a member of the Gaang, and later with a few people not in the Gaang.

you have to promise not to get mad by justasuperfan

Recommended by: SubversionStation
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Zuko has done some...weird things. And he has to share those with the world if he wants them to double check some security measures.

look into the sun as the new days rise by MashpotatoeQueen5

Recommended by: SubversionStation
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Katara and Zuko become friends while dealing with the potential end of world. It involves a lot of hiking, shared trauma, and trying to reclaim their childhoods from the grasps of war.
Comments: Sort of a "missing moments" oneshot where Zuko and Katara go from tentative allies to genuine friends. There's also a companion piece, do whatever just to stay alive, that focuses on Katara relationship with the rest of the Gaang.

a distant yesteday by aloneintherain

Recommended by: SubversionStation, thebadplace
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Iroh had been worried that the gentle tea server from Ba Sing Se wouldn’t survive the Fire Palace. But he can see traces of him in this young prince, this almost-Fire Lord. Ozai didn’t crush Zuko the way he had intended. He survived. He grew strong, and gentle, and more honourable than Ozai could ever imagine. And Iroh is so proud of him.
Comments: Iroh's perspective of Zuko from Books 2 and 3. It's brilliantly written, and you can really feel how much Iroh loves his nephew.

the beginning of a new and brighter birth by aloneintherain

Recommended by: SubversionStation, thebadplace
Status: Complete
Synopsis: In a new era of peace, Zuko works to be a very different Fire Lord than his forefathers.
Comments: Post-series Zuko struggling to both be a better Fire Lord than Ozai and convince his people of that fact, with positive(if sometimes awkward) results.

and we light ourselves on fire to keep warm by JaggedCliffs

Recommended by: Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Synopsis: It starts small. How something sweet twists into cruelty. How she learns to turn her weaknesses, scarce as they are to begin with, into Zuko's. Until they become her strengths. Until there are no weaknesses, no flaws, left in her.
Comments: A character study of Azula. Using just her nickname for her brother, Zuzu, the author to paints a picture of her upbringing and family that is just heartbreaking, and shows us perfectly why she is the way she is.

broken pieces still belong by faerialchemist

Recommended by SuperYoshiFan02
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Forgiveness isn't easy. (And really, who ever said it was?) This fic follows Katara's emotional journey from the events of "The Western Air Temple" to those of "The Southern Raiders," as she experiences firsthand both the challenges and rewards of forgiving others (and perhaps even learns to forgive herself along the way).
Comments: An excellent inner look at Katara during that tumultuous arc in Book 3. It's pretty long for a one-shot, but well worth the read!

Alternate Universe Fics

Stories where one fundamental aspect of the series is completely overhauled from its point of origin.

Absolute Trust by Urbanator93

Trope page here
Recommended by: Mitis
Status: Dead (Discontinued)
Pairings: Aang/Katara, Sokka/Suki, Zuko/Mai, OC/Ty Lee
Synopsis: A Self-Insert Fic where a fan from the real world named Alec winds up in the South Pole by work of a spirit, is eventually adopted by Katara and Sokka, and joins the Gaang to use his knowledge to change things.

Tales from the Amber Dragon by FeatherQuilt88

Recommended by: JBriskin
Status: Ongoing
Pairings: Zuko/Jin, mostly, though Katara/Haru is mentioned in passing.
Synopsis: A series of AU snapshots of life after the war in Caldera City. Here, Iroh has decided to stay in the Fire Nation rather than return to Ba Sing Se, and opens a new tea shop.
Comments: There are some chapters which touch some of the darker aspects of the original series (e.g., the circumstances behind Lu Ten's death, and Iroh's relationship with his father, Azulon), but overall, it's a true "warm-fuzzies" fest, with everyone kept in character (mostly; in a few chapters, some characters are quick to shed a tear or two). Zuko's "father and son in all but blood" relationship with his uncle is explored in more depth, which is much appreciated. The highlight, though, is Iroh's Friend to All Children nature being on full display after he adopts an orphan from a Fire Nation colony of the author's invention; it's just too sweet for words.
- Be sure as well to swing by the author's DeviantArt page, which features illustrations for some of these stories; admittedly, the author's drawing style may not be very well-suited to the familiar look of the show, but the scenes depicted are just heart-meltingly dear.

ab igne ignem capere by Sangi

Recommended by K 9 The First 1, Lavanya Six
Status: Dead (Discontinued)
Synopsis: In another world, Azula was born first. In another world, Azula wasn't the favorite.

Airbender's Child: Water, Airbender's Child: Earth, Airbender's Child: Fire and Airbender's Child: Other Perspectives by SCWLC

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara
Synopsis:
- Water: Zuko's father was always disappointed his son wasn't a good enough firebender. His mother was disappointed he was a firebender at all.
- Earth: Zuko's friends know and trust him. Do they know him well enough, though? Does he know himself well enough?
- Fire: Life can be very hard when you don't know who you can trust, and you have to include yourself as untrustworthy.
- Other Perspectives: As promised, other PoVs from the AC series. These will vary in length a lot.
Comments: An AU where Ursa is an airbender. That little tweak changes everything — you're going to have to read it to see just where the story goes.

Alternate History by rufftoon (webcomic)

Recommended by Joysweeper, Oberoniss
Status: Dead
Synopsis: A What If? comic where 20 some years have passed, and there's still no Avatar.

A Long Way Home by sushigal007

Recommended by Blaidd Dunn
Status: Inprogress
Synopsis: For three years, Zuko searched for the Avatar. But he'd never really thought that much about what would happen once he succeeded.
- Alternatively: Zuko actually has a plan for catching the Avatar at the North Pole. Somehow, it works. But after a few days of pai sho and tea, he begins to wonder if maybe it would've be better if it hadn't.
Comments: By turns funny, tense and scary, this AU kick starts Zuko's redemption in a unique way by having him succeed for a couple of weeks and gradually realise that maybe something isn't quite right with the conditions of his banishment. At least until [[ spoilers: he gets reverse kidnapped/rescued by Aang after his farther boards the ship]], which complicates things somewhat. This fic is particularly special as it boasts one of the best written Aangs I've seen in fandom- the tension between childish humour, curiosity, kindness and serious danger, loss, and fear is brilliant. He works as a perfect foil to Zuko's perspective. Iroh is also a stand out, and his and Aangs interactions often made me giggle.

Another Brother by Avocado Love (link here)

Recommended by Otempora, Black Charizard, Lavanya Six, Warrior Drgn Mage, Blue Hospitality, boonerunner, Somariel, Doodleniks, Oberoniss, Kiomori
Status: Dormant
Synopsis: An AU fic set before "The Boy in the Iceberg." Hakoda finds a scarred Fire Nation boy in a lifeboat. Hakoda takes Zuko back to the Water Tribe, where he befriends Sokka and Katara.

Mountains and Badgermolehills by Glass_Onion

Recommended by Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Synopsis: After the Blue Spirit frees the Avatar from the Pohuai Stronghold, Admiral Zhao captures Prince Zuko under suspicion of treason. Isolated from his Uncle and his crew, Zuko has only one ally: the chatty prisoner one cell over.
Comments: An AU where Zuko and Sokka are imprisoned together and Zuko gets adopted by the Gaang. Brilliantly written, by turns funny, heartwarming and tense, everyone stays in character throughout. It avoids both easy emotional co-outs and pointless drama, and everyones stregnths and imperfections are clear and interesting. Lovely if you just want to see Zuko coming around to the good side with love and support from the Gaang.

As the Sun by dandeliondreams

Recommended by Aegnorosto
Status: Complete
Synopsis: For a hundred years, the Fire Nation has harried its enemy across lives, deaths, and nations. In the chaos, the Avatar Spirit misses a step, yet not all hope is lost. Being born as the Spirit of the World can't change who you are, but maybe things will work out for the Balance ... Avatar Azula.

Ashes, Ashes by dragonsinparis

Recommended by Candelabra, Progeny Ex Machina, flamewolf
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Things go a little differently at the Boiling Rock. As it turns out, sometimes one choice can change everything. Then again, sometimes a different one can change it back again.

''Aang, Sokka, and Katara are Awkward Turtleducks (Literally) by SeleneMoon

Recommended by Blaidd Dunn
Status: Inprogress
Synopsis:Aang, Sokka, and Katara should take more care in where they sleep. Now three little turtleducklings don't know what they are going to do. Fortunately, Prince Zuko has always liked turtleducks.
Comments: The Gaang accidently run afoul of a tricksy spirit with a grudge against the Avatar and are turned into turtleducks with no idea how it happened, or how to turn back. Then Zuko adopts them. This is an absolute chocolate cake of a fic- sweet and comforting. It provides both lovely character studies for all four main characters, as well as a gentle plot to coax them into caring about each other. It's also genuinly funny, and there aren't many chapters where it didn't at least pull a smile from me. Perfect to read after a long hard day.

Assimilation by Rebecca Hb

Recommended by Fire Lizard In A Bottle, Progeny Ex Machina, Lavanya Six
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Mai's father argues to the Firelord that the Water Tribesmen can be educated and made into proper sorts of people. So Azulon sees he gets a boy to prove this on.
Comments: A oneshot where a young Sokka is stolen and adopted by Mai's family. Well worth the read simply for the Sokka & Mai interaction.

Avatar: The Fall of the Fire Empire and Legacy of the Fire Empire by Master Ghandalf

Recommended by Ryan Lohner
Status: Complete, sequel Dormant
Synopsis: It is a hundred years after Aang failed to defeat Ozai, and the Fire Nation rules the world under the control of the ancient but still very powerful and canny Azula. But various people throughout the world are starting to make moves towards finally ending the empire's reign.
- Now has its own page.

Avatar: The Last Firebender by clockworkchaos

Recommended by Ryan Lohner
Status: Completed/Dead (the author posted a summary in July 2020)
Synopsis: Aang didn't run away, and with the Avatar's help Fire Lord Sozin was subdued. However, in his place, the Air Nomads became power hungry and attacked the rest of the world. A hundred years later the Fire Nation capital is finally destroyed and only Azula escapes. Circumstances lead her to the South Pole where she picks up Katara and Sokka, and the three of them need to find a way to defeat the Air Nomads, including the Avatar.

Legend of Katara by Kelev (link here)

Recommended by Hello 101
Status: Dead (last updated November 2016)
Synopsis: The Avatar State was not enough to support Aang indefinitely. As the Avatar Spirit moves on, Aang is informed of the state of the world and given a task: teach the newest incarnation airbending in return for a second chance at life. A slightly darker, grittier rewrite of the series as Avatar Katara comes into her own on her quest to defeat the Fire Nation.
Comments: Aang is found shortly before Katara's birth, and serves as a guide of sorts for her.

The Azulon by Azard Brazul

Recommended by Abdesius Dark
Status: Dead
Synopsis: A dark take on what goes on in the Four Nations and their plots. Starts with the mysterious death and return of Princess Azula after 70 years. An examination of how even the noblest of us can turn into monsters in the face of ambition or desperation.

there is a fire in me by white_knuckle (suzukiblu)(Also on AO3)

Recommended by Mcnickel, Talume
Status: Complete (on AO3 only)
Synopsis: AU in which Jet doesn't die. Instead, when Katara got rid of the brainwashing, she shook loose some other memories, and when Long Feng tries to kill him, Jet defends himself...with firebending. The aftermath is stressful for all involved, including the Gaang, the Freedom Fights, and Zuko and Iroh.
Comments: Do you like Jet? Do you want a well-written fic that's not only focused on him, but gives him character development? Then you're going to want to read this story.

Benders in the Family by PAW_07

Recommended by SubversionStation
Status: Complete
Synopsis: There is a reason Sokka does not respect bending, calls it magic and secretly belittles it. It’s not because he cannot bend. No, no...it is not that. At least he was born with his grandmother’s looks. He knows he will go mad one day if he denies it, but that day is not today. He can hide it for another day. One-shot.

Big Damn Heroes Big Damn Heroes by Damkianna

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Katara pushes past the curtains that block off the bridge—they have got to get a new door fitted—and stops behind Toph's chair. "I take it we didn't drop out of hyperspace on purpose," she says. (Aka THE GAANG IN SPACE.)

Blood Moon by WerewolvesAreReal (link here)

Recommended by Bright Light
Status: Complete
Synopsis: At the age of eight, Katara is taken from the Southern Water Tribe and locked away in a Fire Nation prison, where she learns bloodbending under the tutelage of a woman named Hama. Three years later, she discovers the Avatar and starts to tutor him in secret.
Comments: This AU story was supposed to have spanned the whole show, exploring how events would've gone down if Katara had been taken by the Southern Raiders and locked away with the other Southern waterbenders - well, those who have survived the many decades in the waterbender prison. Hama obviously hasn't escaped in this AU, and teaches Katara all about bloodbending. Long story short, the first — and only — chapter is about how the waterbenders break out of the prison and return to the South Pole. The story may not be "complete" in the sense of how the author planned things to go, but the first and only chapter feels standalone enough to be a satisfying oneshot.

Blood, Silk, and Steel by Lost In A Dark Wood (link here)

Recommended by Nine of Eight
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Features a world where Hakoda died instead of Kya, turning Sokka into something between an Anti-Hero and a Villain Protagonist with shades of Magnificent Bastard. Instead of teaming up with Aang, as he does in the show, Sokka cast his lot with Zuko, helping him capture the Avatar and hitching a ride with Zuko to the Fire Nation, where he eventually hooks up with none other than Princess Azula.

Book 3: Fire by xcgirl08

Recommended by The Otaku Ninja
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Picks up where Season Two leaves us hanging... enjoy.

Bringing Out the Blue by maguena1 (link here)

Recommended by Felinesquids, Somariel, USA Bobcat, Aromli
Status: Dead
Synopsis: The arrow injured the Blue Spirit instead of knocking him out, and Aang never found out his identity. Zuko made a Plan. He didn't expect so many truths to come from the lies. As Zuko struggles with the way that the Avatar and his companions are nothing like he expected, all their destinies begin to change subtly.
Pairings: All canon pairings, the most obvious being Maiko

Brothers In Arms by fuzzytomato

Recommended by Fire Lizard In A Bottle
Status: Complete
Synopsis: In a palace in Ba Sing Se, one man awaits his death, one boy his torture, and another his destiny. An Iroh, Sokka and Zuko adventure.

Burn My Dread Complete by Miles Edgeworth

Recommended by Zero Sennin
Status: Complete; the sequel is Dormant
Synopsis: A:TLA meets Persona 3 (not literally). Aang is a new student at the illustrious Phoenix High School in Ba Sing Se, run by the powerful Phoenix Group. As he meets up with various students, he learns that he is tied to the fate of not only his world, but also another...and that not all of his new friends are as ordinary as they look.

Cabin Fever by Southern Hearts (link here)

Recommended by Bright Light
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Aang was never frozen, but disappeared after the war broke out. Ten years later, Katara, cold and bitter from years of imprisonment, joins an underground resistance led by her brother and is given the task of teaching a cynical and world weary Avatar how to waterbend.
Notes: This AU story mashes up Aang's generation with Katara's. This results in Azulon's generation not existing, Iroh and Ozai being the sons of Sozin, Aang never having been frozen and interacting with the Gaang despite this, Hama being older than Sozin, etc.

Catch and Release by Themanofmanyhats

Recommended by Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The arrows rain down a little faster and the Blue Spirit finds himself on the other side of Pohuai Stronghold. Zuko is trapped in more ways than one.
Comments: This AU starts with Aang being fatally injured in the escape and Zuko saving his life with fire-healing, and explores the gradual butterfly effect as this creates a platonic soul-bound between them. The first in a series, Catch and release is brilliant, but somewhat tragic- mostly working to bring In Spite of a Nail full force, as Aang tries and fails to forge a friendship in the face of Zuko's anger. However this works because it acts as a seriously good character exploration of both Aang and Zuko. The next stories in the series diverge more from the established plot in a way that's natural and engaging. But even this one is worth it.

Catalyst by TheWasp1995

Recommended by SuperYoshiFan02
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Azula openly admits to her insecurities during "The Beach" episode, setting off a chain of events that make her question everything she's ever believed in. How will this affect her going forward. Can she avoid the path of self-destruction before it's too late? Slight AU.
- Has a sequel called Mother's Love.

Chigai by Shinji Shazaki

Recommended by beeftony
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Takes place in a universe where Aang wasn't found until several years after Sozin's comet. Focuses on two characters of the author's creation, Kailas Arav and Hova, and their role in staging the revolution that marks the Avatar's triumphant return.

Children of the War, Book 1: Water,Book 2: Earth,Book 3: Fire,And The War of Flamesby James Golen

Recommended by Jacob Greyson
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A rewrite of the entire series, essentially starting from the second season onward, based around the fundamental changes which result from Jeong Jeong throwing in his lot with Azulon thirty years ago. Ty Lee joins the Gaang instead of Suki, and there's a deeper focus on the psychology of the characters, especially the villains. It has a sequel spinoff, The War of Flames, which focuses on Azula, and serves as her redemption story. The entire series is now finished.

The Chosen by Loopy777 (Also on FanFiction.net)

Recommended by Lavanya Six, Fire Lizard In A Bottle Somariel Oberoniss, Red-Dead-Redeemer
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Following his defeat at the hands of Avatar Aang, an unknown force allows Ozai to live his life over again.
Comments: The Fanfiction.Net version has been assimilated into an anthology fic with other oneshots featuring various characters. The anthology, The Ember Island Lighthouse: A Beacon of Insanity, is worth a recommendation by itself.

Damascus by drakensis

Recommended by SAMAS, Jetfire, and Lavanya Six
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Avatar Aang disappeared a long time ago. Avatar Kanna died at Serpent's Pass, taking Azulon and Iroh down with her. With the Fire Nation almost completely in control of the world, Toph Bei Fong is sent to Omashu where she gains a friend in Mai, and displays an aptitude for Firebending. But Toph, of course, has a secret: She's an Earthbender. Her learning Firebending can mean only one thing...

Darkest Before Dawn by Sifu Toph

Recommended by Deadpool Fan
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Sokka and Toph go deep into the Fire Nation on a rescue mission. But in the current regime ruled by a madman, will they even make it out alive?
Comments: The fic is based in a semi-alternate universe, as it was written before and during the third season. Surprisingly, it managed to predict a ton of canon elements through sheer luck. In the story, things didn't end as happily for Zuko as they did in Season 3, and he grew increasingly insane (especially after Iroh's death). Now his former friends are trying to stop him. Toph and Sokka are sent on a mission to save an important person that's rotting away in a Fire Nation prison, but they're deep behind enemy lines and their chances of success are slim. It's quite a trip, I'll say that.

Destinies Rewritten Master Ghandalf (link here)

Recommend by Eegah
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Lu Ten was not killed during the siege of Ba Sing Se, allowing Iroh to continue and win the battle, before becoming Fire Lord a year later. Now with Omashu the only free Earth Kingdom city (and Bumi the de facto Earth King), Hakoda has negotiated a new alliance between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, leading to some northern soldiers being stationed to protect the Southern tribe. Meanwhile, Prince Ozai is chafing under his brother's thumb and sends Zuko and Azula to find the Avatar so he'll be able to swing popular opinion toward him becoming the new Fire Lord. Enter Katara, Sokka, and an iceberg...

Distorted Reality by Ogro (link here)

Recommended by Ryan Lohner, Progeny Ex Machina, Grand Prince Paul II
Status: Completed
Synopsis: Two years after failing to defeat Ozai, a bitter and cynical Aang is told by the previous Avatars that to fix things he'll have to have a completely new experience. With all his memories but not his abilities intact, Aang suddenly finds himself in a world where the Water Tribe attacked the other nations, as he travels with Zuko and Azula while being pursued by the exiled Prince Sokka and Kanna.

Dragon at Heart by Identical Gemini

Recommended by prefixsuffixnoun
Status: Dead
Synopsis: An AU where Prince Zuko quits his hunt for Aang to find his mother instead, but when the reunion with Ursa doesn't go well, Zuko goes through a metamorphosis to find a new destiny. Meanwhile, the Gaang are forced to realize world isn't black 'n white. Dragons, friendships, and major changes to plot.

Dragons in the Sun by donahermurphy

Recommended by Meteor, Somariel, Kiomori
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Fire Lord Ozai favors a more permanent solution to the problem of Zuko, and the spirits disagree. By allowing him to befriend an orphaned nest of dragons.

Dust by PAW_07

Recommended by SubversionStation
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The last Fire Lord proclaimed that the airbenders' bodies never be put to rest and to enter the temple grounds at your own risk. As an adult, the spirits may have little effect on you...as a child grasping at manhood, a soul is still malleable and open to suggestions.
Comments: A neat little oneshot mixing the show's lore with some well-written horror.

Embers by Vathara

Recommended by RC Mirror, Much Good Little Time, Angel Form, Also Sprach Odin, Bufu, dynus, jarell88, Pepipanda, Foxfier, Squealing Sandry, boomslangvenom, Warrior Drgn Mage, boonerunner, Rihtan, Captain Canuck, Athenaswings, Somariel, Kiomori, Moirae Clotho, eeveelutionlover2000
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Dragon's fire is not so easily extinguished; when Zuko rediscovers a lost firebending technique, shifting flames can shift the world... Follows Theft Absolute.
Comments: Early in Season Two, Zuko, instead of resorting to banditry to survive, reveals a Firebending technique he learned from his mother—Fire-healing. This draws him into a millennia-old conspiracy spanning both the living and spirit worlds where the abominable can only be battled by the cruel; where the few competent "good" parties—of which even Zuko admits that he is a BAD example—would be excellent canonical villains. Be warned—though many consider this a well-written story, it is NOT a nice story.

Enemies and Traitors by Manzai

Recommended by Rodolphus_Lestrange
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A story about two brothers, opposite in personality: Sozin and Kuzon. Once Fire Lord Sozin intends to kill the Airbenders, his brother Kuzon betrays him by freeing as many as he can. Kuzon spends the first half of the war fighting alongside a small group of surviving Air Nomads against Sozin and his army, however can Kuzon escape the guilt from betraying his brother and his country?
Notes: When this was originally written, the author only used canonical information that was known at the time. As such Fire Lord Sozin is much younger here than he is in canon.

Enslaved by sharkflip (link here)

Recommended by Jetfire, Fire Lizard In A Bottle, Somariel
Status: Dead
Pairings: Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: A triumphant war party returns with an exotic slave, a gift for the ruling house.

''Fractures by good_eviening (link here)

Recommended by Bright Light
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: Zuko realizes his destiny much earlier. As in, as soon as he wakes up in the palace after his Agni Kai and is told he is banished. Unfortunately, he's never been a patient one. So he storms right up to Ozai and tells him what he's going to do. And gets locked up for over three years. Then, one day, he's being pulled out and told he's the new Fire Lord.

Fleeing Ozai by Gd2go2

Recommended by Aacorn Soup
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: After being forced into a corner, Ursa gives Ozai what he wants — a way to take the throne from his father. But while he waited for his father to pass, Ursa takes advantage of this and flees the Palace with her children, Zuko and Azula. On the run and in disguise they unknowingly set on a path which will shape the future of the world...
Comments This story manages to perfectly convey how screwed up the Fire Nation royal family's behavior is by the standards of the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes by showing their reactions to why Ursa grabbed the children and ran (both Hakoda and Suki are visibly disturbed by Azulon's willingness to kill of his own grandson and Ozai's willingness to carry out the order).
Pairings: Hakoda/Ursa

Avatar: The Last Airbender Revised by Lovelyb0nes

Recommended by Doc Quinzel
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: Join sixteen-year-old Ain, who was recently freed from self-exile, as he stokes the fires of rebellion and fights the Fire Nation, all with the coming solar flare looming overhead. Aiding him on his quest are nineteen-year-old chieftess Kyasin Jai, her sibling, the seventeen-year-old warrior Sakodi, and seventeen-year-old con artist Sai—but perhaps his friends are not what they seem.
Pairings: Sakodi/Suki.
- Subversion Station: This story is...strange. It's written in the format of a wiki page, which can make it hard to follow. While it has some interesting ideas, it's definitely not your traditional fanfic. Just my opinion, though.

The Gentleman of Weapons by Menamebephil (AO3 link here)

Recommended by Lavanya Six and Grand Prince Paul II.
Status: Dead
Synopsis: In a world where things went just a little differently, Grand Lotus Piandao leads the Order of the White Lotus against the ruthless Fire Lord Iroh.

Gold Eyed Monster by Sugary Cookie

Recommended by Extraintrovert
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Aang failed to defeat Ozai, and the Fire Nation has won the war. Ba Sing Se has rebelled, however, requiring Azula to conquer the city once again.

Gradual Changes by Kasamari

Recommended by Mr Mallard
Status: Complete
Pairings: Taang, Zutara, Azula/OC and Ty Lee/OC
Synopsis: A fic set in the modern day where Aang, as a 12 year old, sneaks into the Bei Fong place to get a ball and winds up meeting Toph who befriends him. A while later he has to leave town. Roughly 6 years later, he comes back and he and Toph become friends again. But something has changed between them, and they don't even know it...

Grounded Lightning by Cazmere

Recommended by: Glave Of Magnus, Mitis
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: When Azula shoots Aang with lightning in Ba Sing Se, a second bolt kills her, but she awakens on the throne a few hours earlier. Another death has the same result, and she soon realizes she's stuck in a Time Loop caused by an unknown spirit or spirits. She believes herself blessed by Agni, but as days of failed attempts turn into years, she soon realizes that something needs to change if she is ever to succeed.

Happy Endings Book 1: The Drifter By Distant-Moon

Recommended by Kthe Cloud
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Julie is unexpectedly thrown into the Avatar universe, and must help prince Zuko find the Avatar. But destiny is a funny thing- its never set in stone-, and soon history begins to rewrite its self.
Comments: The OC is quite well written, the story is very funny, the plot is quite surprising and keeps itself well in-universe, with the characters quite in-character. Don’t pass it up!

His Dream of Skyland by Rasputin Zero

Recommended by: calantian
Status: Dead (last updated May 2008)
Synopsis: Set during WWII, two Mongolian teenagers find a Tibetan monk wandering in the mountains... and the last date he remembers is fifty years ago. Very quickly, they find themselves on the run from an obsessive young Japanese officer...

Imagine the Ocean Series by Damkianna

Recommended by: Kaza 999, iowaforever
Status: Dead (last updated December 2016)
Synopsis: Aang dies right before Katara is born, rendering her the Avatar. Parts 1 & 2 are complete at 14 chapters each; part 3 is incomplete with 2.

Imprisoned (This Time for Real) by Lazy8 (link here)

Recommended by Bright Light
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Katara's plan to rally Haru and the other imprisoned earthbenders goes horribly, horribly wrong, and instead of helping others to freedom, she finds herself in a prison of her own. After waking the Avatar, she'd hoped to help put an end to the war, but now, it may be all she can manage just to survive.
Comments: A wonderfully dark AU oneshot that does away with the Fire Nation's massive Idiot Ball in the episode "Imprisoned". Comes at the cost of breaking and traumatizing Katara, but oh well.

Irreplaceable by stanlylovesyou

Recommended by: Veloren
Status: Vanished from the internet. Please post a link if found.
Synopsis: In which "Prince Zuko" isn't Zuko at all, and Azula feels threatened by her father's regime.
Comments: Azula-centric. Removed from ff.net.

Journey by TezTra

Recommended by templar627
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Avatar Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation and now lives in hiding, just wanting to stay low in the shadows. Dai Li Agent Toph was assigned to find the Avatar before the Fire Nation Princess, Azula, does. All is chaotic, but it is just the beginning...

Knives in the Dark by Menamebephil

Recommended by Meklor
Status: Dead
Synopsis: What if Sokka had been taken by the fire nation during the raid where Kya was killed, and eventually became an assassin for Azula? Starts off at the beginning of season 2, and includes relationships between Sokka/Ty Lee and Mai/Zuko.

Life Bound by clockworkchaos

Recommended by Much Ado About Nonny
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Toph is a properly raised earth kingdom lady. With properly bound feet.
Pairings: Toph/OC, if you squint. He's a suitably awesome OC, too.

Looking Glass Wars by Lady Azar de Tameran

Recommended by: Veloren, Somariel, Kiomori
Status: Complete
Synopsis: His mother is gone. His uncle is missing. And Zuko runs for his very life. An AU one-shot in which a very young Zuko flees the Fire Nation to avoid assassination, and ends up working for the White Lotus Society.

Lotus Resiliens by Misora

Recommended by peachychan
Status: Dead (last updated June 2010)
Synopsis: Season 3 Alternate Reality, past 310-311. Following the failed attempt to confront the Fire Lord during the Eclipse, Aang and his friends, accompanied by Zuko, must discover a new path towards ending the war — and unraveling the course of their shared destinies.

Mandate of Heaven by resonance_and_d

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The night Ozai tries to take the throne goes much differently. With Ozai and Ursa dead, and Azulon mortally wounded, Iroh is forced to take the throne—and to adopt his orphaned niece and nephew. Years later, Zuko is the heir to the throne, and Azula is not happy about it. Short of outright assassination (which she hasn't entirely ruled out), there's only one way to take the throne from Zuko—find and capture the Avatar, to show that she is the worthier heir. Of course, things are never that simple.

Morality Chain by Pureauthor (link here)

Recommended by: Sal Fish Fin, Lavanya Six, boonerunner, Completenerd
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: In short, Zuko and Azula love each other. No, not like that.

my peace has always depended... on all the ashes in my wake by poisonquiver

Recommended by: SubversionStation
Status: Dead (last updated June 2020)
Synopsis: "All I'm saying is, if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself." Firebender!Sokka AU.
Comments: Especially notable for having an explanation for Sokka's abilities that's not the triggering/violent one you tend to see in these sort of stories.

Object Lesson by Second Harrier

Recommended by: Extraintrovert
Status: Dead (Discontinued)
Synopsis: A series of connected but isolated narratives following an alternate timeline after the second season finale, with Aang prematurely acquiring a firebending instructor: Azula.

Our Large White Rock by guyw1tn0nam3

Recommended by ryuclockwork
Status: Complete
Synopsis: They were all naive, young, but most importantly friends. A collection of short dialogues between a group of children, who create a story to convey their grief, despair, and dreams. That story is called Avatar.
Comments: A cute twoshot where the world of A:TLA is just a game made up by Aang and his friends.
- Note: While the original link was dead, a few dedicated fans took a Russian translation of the story and re-translated it into English, which is where the current link leads to.
  - Also, if you're interested in the Russian translation, it can be found here.

Parlor Tricks by Lyralocke

Recommended by: Ryan Lohner
Status: Dead (Discontinued)
Synopsis: In the era of US Prohibition, the city of Omashu is a cesspool of rival bootlegging gangs. After Boss Ozai of the Dragons wipes out the Aces, the gang's only survivor is taken in by the beleaguered Riversiders and quickly revealed to be the Avatar.

The Problem With Zuko By AvocadoLove

Recommended by: Aryashi, Elemental Fire, Wheretheducksgo, Oberoniss, thebadplace
Status: Complete
Synopsis: When Prince Lu Ten returns with the Avatar and his Water Tribe companions in chains, Zuko is put in charge of their imprisonment. But things are not what they seem, both with the child Avatar and his own family. And soon, he will have a decision to make.

Promises to Keep by Kimberly T

Recommended by Stratagemini, thebadplace
Status: Dead
Synopsis: An impulsive pirate in the episode "The Waterbending Scroll" leads to Katara being kept prisoner by Zuko for much longer than either of them expected. The two enemies' relationship gradually begins to change, leading to consequences that ripple throughout all three seaons of the show. Eventual Zuko/Katara.

Reconstructed Destinies by DJNS (link here)

Recommended by Ryan Lohner, Trooper 1023, Kalaong
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Prince Aang, the lighthearted son of Fire Lord Ozai, decides to prove his honor by tracking down the Avatar on his own. Meanwhile, the sullen Avatar Zuko is discovered at the South Pole.

Reign of the Fire Lady Dowager by Snake Staff

Recommender by: Glave Of Magnus
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: Princess Ursa has already murdered one member of the Royal Family to protect her precious son. What is one more? And what is the burden of a throne, next to his safety?
- Comments: A rather well written AU fanfic that knows how to use the ripple effect of Ursa taking the reins on the Fire Nation quite well. It is a really interesting take on the Fire Nation and war and the circumstances surrounding it compared to other stories; by making the Fire Nation more down to earth and less like mustache twirling tyrants that rule with an iron fist. Especially given how Ursa rules here, compared to Ozai in canon. She is not a military person but steadily adapts to the war and the situation in annexing all the nations, and proves to act more politically sharp minded and with a whole lot more heart to her actions. This means that the Fire Nation steadily transitions towards making a lot less stupid and chaotically evil decisions, and through becoming much more diplomatic and reasonable, makes several smart, decisive actions that give them huge advantages. This also adds some complexity to what the current canon protagonists faces as they start to enter the story. They, aside from Aang, grew up amidst the evil and cruelties of Azulon and Sozin’s respective reigns, who really did conquer for the sake of glorious conquest and ego, and consequently still see themselves being conquered as a bad thing. Yet due to Ursa becoming regent of the Fire Nation than Ozai taking the throne, the Fire Nation in the span of four to five years, has become much more reasonable and daresay almost benign than her predecessor’s were. Leaving the Gaang struggling against a Fire Nation that is now very, very good at putting on a face of being the reasonable, responsible adults in all this. It’s only made worse by how much those in charge genuinely believe what they are doing is for the good of the world. The protagonists are ultimately full of heart up against several political and strategic experts who know what they are doing. And quite frankly, the example of Ba Sing Se and how the “Earth King” rules only adds a lot of credibility to their arguments...

Reluctant Hero by P.A.W.07

Recommended by: Caellach Tiger Eye, Somariel, Kiomori
Status: Dead (last updated May 2020)
Synopsis: It had been an accident. That was what Zuko had said to his crew when he bended an element he hadn't been meant to. He wasn't the Avatar. The newest Avatar was in the Earth kingdom, hidden by its walls. Unless that Avatar had died long ago. So... how had he done it? AU.
- YMMV on this one. The pacing is terribly slow—only a few things of note happen in the first twenty chapters—and it has a bad case of "Burly Detective" Syndrome, not to mention some grammar problems. However, the author also beautifully captures the angst that Zuko goes through after finding out he's his own mortal enemy and writes the other canon characters fairly in-character, though their real talent shines in fleshing out some OCs and minor characters that Zuko and co. meet along the way. Ultimately it depends on your tolerance for unprofessional writing technique and whether you're more interested in characterization or plot.
  - Subversion Station here. Would like to second the recommendation, because of all the above reasons but also because the fic (which was dormant for a few years, but started updating again in early 2020) has really picked up on the plot and is currently in its second "book," Water. Plus, the author has been going back and fixing up their earlier chapters, so the errors aren't as glaring as they were previously. It's worth a try if the plot synopsis piqued your interest.

The Requiem of Seasons: Book One - Spring by Radiant Requiem

Recommended by: Shining Amaterasu, Sykan
Status: Dead (last updated March 2009)
Synopsis: Set in an Alternate Universe where the canon storyline and characters from the series never existed, Requiem of Seasons follows the story of Hayate, a boy from the Southern Water Tribe city of Sakuramura. Hayate stands out for being completely devoid of any waterbending talent, which is commonplace in the Water Tribes. The day starts out fairly normally, if not a little annoying, for him, until things take a turn for the worse. During a ceremony, the city is attacked by the Earth Kingdom, falling rather quickly. Most of the population is killed or taken prisoner, and by sheer chance Hayate, joined by resident jerkass Kiro and child prodigy Sukai, manages to escape the captured city. With nowhere to go back to, the three kids set on a journey to find out who was behind the attack on Sakuramura and what was the reason for it. (Planned to be four books; the first is incomplete)

Rink Rats by hoshizora

Recommended by: J Blaze
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Sokka Amaruq is just an ordinary guy in the large East Asian city of Ba Sing Se, but when roller derby girl Suki Tachibana shows up in his skate shop one day, he's plunged into the world of roller derby. Now he has to team up with the Kyoshi Warriors against the Dangerous ladies to save Ba Sing Se's last roller rink from being closed down—but can the underdogs prevail against Azula's cunning? Will Sokka ever get a date with Suki? Will Aang be able to get time off from the Olympics to skate for the team? And what IS Zuko's secret job, anyway? Find out... in RINKRATS.

Roku's Comet by Glyndwr

Recommended by: Progeny Ex Machina
Status: Complete
Synopsis: In his journeys, a naive Roku learns of the horrors of war, and becomes determined to someday put a stop to it.

Scarlet and Black by Vathara

Recommended by: Caellach Tiger Eye, Aromli, MAI 742
Status: Complete
Synopsis: "Zuko lost much more than an Agni Kai... AU tag to episode 2." Basically, Zuko was blinded in the Agni Kai against Ozai, and uses Firebending to detect heat and body signatures, similar to how Toph 'sees' using Earthbending.
Comments: Not a bad little oneshot.

Scars by Dawn_101 and Moonybird

Recommended by: SuperYoshiFan02
Status: Complete
Synopsis: After Azula wounds Iroh in the three-way battle between Azula, the Avatar gang and Zuko in the episode "The Chase", Zuko screams at the gang that they should leave them alone. But this time, the gang stands their ground. They are unable to just run away when someone clearly needs their help. Even if that person is their enemy.
- Has a sequel called Healing

Second Nature by Lazy Artisan.

Recommended by Robert, Somariel, Doodleniks, Aromli, Kiomori
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Zuko is captured by the Northern Water Tribe at the end of Season One, but eventually escapes, and makes his own way across the Earth Kingdom.

The Siege of the South by Lavanya Six

Recommended by Ryan Lohner, Blue Hospitality
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Aang is freed from the iceberg after just 35 years by the teenaged Hama. The two of them soon team up with Kanna, and become good friends as Aang begins his training. He soon needs it when the Fire Nation attacks in force.

Smokeless Fire by Snake Staff

Recommended by Glaive Of Magnus
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: During her visit to Ember Island, a twist of fate leaves Azula trapped as a spirit creature and stuck to Zuko. But that's nothing the Princess of the Fire Nation can't handle. Right?

Speech Acts by ferricent

Recommended by Lavanya Six
Status: Complete
Synopsis: What if bending was like sign language?

Still Stand in the Sun by zenithaurora (link here)

Recommended by Bright Light
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Katara is captured in the Fire Nation raid, and brought to the Waterbender Prison.
Comments: A wonderfully dark and tragic AU oneshot.

Ten Years of Difference by Jeremy

Recommended by Classic Car Man
Status: Dead
Pairings: Sokka/Suki, Sokka/Ty Lee, Zuko/Toph, Smellerbee/Longshot, Kataang; mostly canon influenced with some digression
Synopsis: "The sands of time did not allow the Avatar to stop the Second Comet. Now, a decade later, the Avatar awakens to a world where the balance is broken, but where hope has not yet been extinguished."
Comments: Aang was never found by Sokka and his sister on that fateful day one year before Sozin's Comet. Now, ten years later, the world is a broken place, and Aang must restore balance to a world ravaged not only by the Fire Nation, but also by an increased convergence between the Physical and Spiritual worlds caused by his extended absence. Good action, suspense, and intrigue, along with a little horror.

The End Of Hope and The End Of Mercy by Tonight's The Night

Recommended by Loekman 3
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara
Sypnosis: Taking place shortly after Zuko and Katara speak in the Crystal Catacombs, this story opens with Zuko choosing to side with the Avatar against his sister.
Comments: In this story, Zuko chose to side with Katara against the Fire Nation instead of the other way around, resulting in a direct change of tone of the storyline such as multiple non-mook character deaths which surprisingly includes Ozai himself courtesy of his daughter, romance between the fan favorite pairings, and original and interesting OCs that appear throughout the story.

The Masks We Wear by NiceThorn (link here)

Recommended by Admiral Valerian
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Zuko snaps at Ba Sing Se when he discovers Iroh wants him to choose for good...in other words, to betray his nation. As a result, he becomes just like Azula, so much so that his father fully accepts him, and he actually bonds with his sister.

Three Families by James Golen

Recommended by Nerdman 3000, Aegnorosto, Sally The Great
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Three Families seek the Avatar. Three Families find the Avatar. Three Families use the Avatar. The story of how three sets of siblings are changed by the Avatar, amidst an endless war. AU, Want of A Nail.
Comments: Azula- and Aang-centric story that deals with an alternate take on the series. A couple of well-written OCs and a plot that you can invest in. Has 61 chapters and over one million words. The beginning moves a little slow, but the story picks up once the OC and canon character plot lines converge (just be aware that it will take a while).

Heals all Wounds series by Cadence

Recommended by Ninja Marshwiggle
Status : All four fics are complete
Pairings: Zutara
Synopsis: An alternate universe where Katara heals Iroh at the end of The Chase — which results in changes that cause Zuko to defect to the Avatars group in the Crossroads of Destiny.
Notes: The quadrility is composed of Touch and Go, Cauterize, The Compass Points North, and Toward The Rising Son.

Transference by Scuttlebutt Inc

Recommended by Eona
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Modern AU. Zuko has to deal with settling in a new school after expulsion, dealing with an angry ex and an abusive father. Maybe his new found friendships and growing closeness with Sokka will help him make it through. Slash. Jetko, Zukka.
Pairings: Sokka/Zuko, past Jet/Zuko
Comments: A high school AU that is absolutely amazing. The authors have done a great job making the characters believable. There is a prequel fic, Princess For A Day, that is also worth checking out.

Traitor's Face by Loopy777

Recommended by Colonel_Brian
Status: Complete
Synopsis: In this altered world, Lady Mai of the Fire Nation is the one on hand when Avatar Aang emerges from an iceberg after 100 years. Mai's loyalties are to her nation and the people in it, who would probably kill her for disloyalty, but Aang's puppy love for her presents some interesting opportunities. Adventure ensues. This is a long one, and WILL NOT rehash the cartoon.
- Now has its own page.

A Twist Of Fate by Akatsuki Leader13

Recommended by Ryan Lohner
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Aang is killed in Sozin's purge of the Air Nomads, so that by the time a hundred years have passed, the current Avatar is none other than Azula. She's branded an automatic traitor and outlaw as soon as this becomes apparent and is forced to travel with Katara and Sokka as she struggles to come to terms with her new life.

The Undying Fire by Boogum

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Complete
Synopsis: It all started when an arrow hit the wrong target. Now Zuko must struggle to come to terms with this new and confusing vision of the world; a world where Avatars offer friendship, good and evil is just a blurred line of grey, and ... he can heal?

Water Tribe by Rufftoon

Recommended by Liffguard, Black Charizard, Ack Sed, Karalora, Joysweeper, The Evil Oboist
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A fan comic with the premise that Zhao is spared by the Ocean Spirit, losing his memories and identity but not his basic personality. He's just as much of a Smug Snake as he always was.

The Way It Was Meant To Be by Eilonnwy

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Dead
Synopsis: AU based on the premise that Zuko and Iroh go back to the Fire Nation with Azula in the beginning of Season 2 and Zuko gets sent to the Boiling Rock prison. Fic is Zuko centric and very dark and angsty. This story is rated M.
- The link posed is from an alternate website, as the original was deleted from Fanfiction.net by the author. The author has since rewritten the story as a oneshot titled [1].

What I Learned at SRU by DestinySmasher (Fanfiction.Net link here)

Recommended by thebrignad, goldendragon326
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A version of the story where the characters are students at a college called Saint Roku University. This takes place on Earth (specifically the East Cost) and there is no bending or fantastical elements or anything like that, just alternate versions of the Gaang and their lives at college, dealing with friendship, drama, and all of that stuff.
Pairings: Taang, Sukka, Maiko, Smellerbee/Longshot, and later Kataang, Tokka, Borra, etc. Quite a few pairings, and dynamic ones at that.
Comments: These are not my reviews, but since I don't have the right words to do this story justice, I will have to relay these words from others (from deviantart). (Though seriously, even if A Us aren't your cup of tea, check out the story. It has a lot of homages to the series that hard-core fans will smile at.)
- "You've taken these amazing characters and made them completely your own. It's not "fanfiction," it's a great show getting a new showrunner. Just a different writer making the characters....more."
- "Your story is incredible. You have an amazing way of taking what happened in the animated series and conforming it to college life. Your twist on the characters are phenomenal and their development is well-thought out. An over-all awesome story. Plus it doesn't have many of the cliches of most other AU stories."

What It Is To Burn by Sky Warrior 108

Recommended by Chad
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Due to Ursa's Death by Childbirth, Zuko is Ozai's favorite instead of Azula.
Comments: A good!Azula fic. Some of Azula's character is still there, like her ability to assess situations and her being firebending prodigy, but she's nice. And she gets sent off on what should have been Zuko's quest, complete with half a face courtesy of dear old Dad, but with Ty Lee, because Iroh's dead. Did I mention Azula was a life-long victim of parental abuse? And Zhao's out to bone her? Azula-centric, and obviously, the meetings with the Gaang are different.

When All Your Dreams Come True by Atiaran

Recommended by Darth Saturnina, Progeny Ex Machina, MAI 742
Status: Complete
Synopsis: When Zuko captures the Gaang and his honor is restored, he couldn't be happier... but he quickly learns that the 'return' to his old life is nothing like what he had imagined. AU, obviously.

The World Without the War by S-Michael (link here')

Recommended by: shaun, Somariel
Status: Dead
Synopsis: The world of Avatar as it would have been without the century-long war.
Comments: If for nothing else, read it for the chapter titles.

The Worst Prisoner by emletish (link here)

Recommended by Spectacular Troper
Status: Ongoing
Pairings: Zuko/Katara
Synopsis:
- The Worst Prisoner: The Element of Change: What if Zuko had been the one to save Sokka in the storm? What if crazy fate and a series of poor life choices threw four kids together? Can enemies ever become friends? A Zuko joins the Gaang accidentally in season1 story. A shenanigan-filled fic about unlikely friendship, stupidity and sarcasm. Also Zutara romance and drama! AU, canon divergent from season 1. (Complete)
- The Worst Prisoner: The illusion of separation (Book 2): Four friends separately make their way to Ba Sing Se, learning wisdom along the way. Will our two lovers, forbidden from one another, find each other again? Will Aang find the courage to be the avatar the world needs? Will Sokka be condemned to more conversations about feelings? A shenanagin filled romp through the Earth Kingdom. Zutara yes, but this is primarily a friendship fic (Complete)
- Worst Prisoner Book 3: Fire is life: Aang tries to fix everything wrong with the world. Zuko tries to fix everything wrong with the Fire Nation. Azula tries to control everything. There are mixed results. In book 3: Zuko leaves the Fire Nation Palace to meet up with the Gaang a lot earlier than planned. Gaang focus, Zutara happy ending. (Ongoing)

lessons in tea making by aloneintherain

Recommended by ladyofthelibrary
Status: Dead
Synopsis: AU where Zuko realizes early into his banishment that Ozai is an abusive bastard who sent him on a wild goose chase. Iroh turns their decommissioned warship into a floating tea shop, and Zuko settles down as a tea server onboard the Jasmine Dragon. And then, years later, the Avatar emerges from the iceberg. And then Aang decides that he wants Zuko, the first good firebender he’s met this century, to be his firebending teacher — even though Zuko wants nothing to do with him.

heart of a dragon by discordiansamba

Recommended by ladyofthelibrary
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: Fate turns a little differently, and Zuko ends up being raised far away from the royal palace — and with dragons. But no matter how things change, one thing remains the same — that it's his destiny to teach the Avatar firebending, and to fight against the Fire Lord. That's the easy part. The hard part? Literally everything else.(Or, local feral firebender does his best)

In the Shadow of a Flame by AStarlightMonbebe

Recommended by Stars Are Lighted
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: For years, Zuko has believed the Fire Nation to be unstoppable. That is, until an iceberg washes up on his ship and leaves the long lost Avatar behind — except this Avatar is a fifteen year old girl who hasn't fought a day in her life and is wholly unprepared to stop a war and save the world. Armed with only his dual dao swords, his sister's bending, and the Avatar's skills, Zuko, Azula, and Ty Lee set out to master the elements and stop the Fire Lord, all while the clock ticks down to the end of summer and enemies surrounding them.
Comments: To clarify the summery: An AU where Zuko's friends swap roles with the Gaang. Ty Lee is the Avatar, Zuko is a banished swordsman, Azula is a firebending master. It later features waterbender!Yue and an earthbending (and eventually metalbending) Mai. It's an interesting AU that works surprisingly well.

The Matter of Choice by Dearing

Recommended by Clown-Face
Status: Complete
Pairings: Aang/Ty Lee
Synopsis: Ty Lee discovers it's the matter of choice that makes us who we are. Ang Lee with one Chapter of Maiko, because it's all about those couples no one thinks about. Rated T for character death and suggestive tones in later chapters. Now complete. R&R please.
Comments: AU in which Ty Lee fights and defeats Aang, but finds she can't go through with killing him and saves him from Azula, joining the Gaang and even forming a romance with Aang. Ty Lee is the standout character here, being handled in a surprisingly serious manner, the story showcasing her moral conflict between her loyalty to the Fire Nation and doing the right thing in a way that the show itself doesn't. The story was written before the show ended, so it features its own version of the finale of Sozin's Comet, and it's honestly rather well-done, being dramatic and action-packed. Finally, the romance between Aang and Ty Lee, while not a focal point of the fic, feels genuine and believable.

Honored Son by AkumaKami64

Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: In the fated Agni Kai, Zuko makes a choice that alters the course of history: He fights. In doing so, he departs on a "quest" to find the Avatar, not as a disgraced prince, but as an honored son. But the journey will be far more important than the destination, as Prince Zuko learns lost secrets and gains unexpected allies.
Comments: AU Worldbuilding and some OCs. in this AU, while Zuko is still exiled, there is no bad blood between the father and son his time, and his scar is not as severe as canon's.

Flames and Fruits by Necronicus

Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
Status: Ongoing
Pairing: Azula/Ty Lee
Synopsis: One mistake can ruin a life, or change it completely. One mistake leaves Azula banished and forced to face the world her family has created. Along for the ride is one eager servant that she can't get her mind off - alongside the usual cast of rejects trying to stop the Fire Nation before it is too late.
Comment: In this AU, it is Azula who got exiled instead. After months of searching the Avatar, she decided to try searching for her mother first...

The Last Prom King by Pegelia Von Borrador

Recommended by: Coda Fett
Status: Complete
Pairing: Aang/Katara, Sokka/Toph, Zuko/Suki
Synopsis: It's a whole new world when homeschooled Aang enters high school for the first time, but he quickly discovers that bully Ozai's reign as Prom King has gone on for far too long. So he and his ragtag group of friends – a beautiful art student, a varsity jokester, a rich runaway, and one of Ozai's own best friends – must restore balance to Four Nations High!
Comments: I discovered this story somewhere around 10 years ago and I've basically been reading it ever since. It's a High School AU starring all our favorite characters, remodeled into this setting. What makes it unique is that the writer found a way to mirror the events of the story. It's a little old fashioned, and I'm pretty sure it was written by someone who was in High School at the time, but I love it and I wanted to share it with the world.

Flames of Regicide by AkumaKami64

Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: On the Day of Black Sun, Zuko's confrontation with his father has a lethal yet positive outcome. Now Firelord and essentially ruler of a war-torn world, he forges his own path and his own destiny. Luckily, and surprisingly, he has Azula on his side. Now if he can only keep her from killing everyone that disagrees with him, which is more of a challenge than the Avatar has ever been.
Comment: Good News: Firelord Ozai is dead. bad news? Ozai's supporters are still around, and Azula did not hesitate to burn those who looked at Zuko funny.

Azula the Sacrificed by AkumaKami64

Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: Instead of Zuko, it is Azula that Firelord Azulon demands to be sacrificed. This single change shall ripple across the fate of the world; Ozai shall not be Firelord, Azula shall question everything she ever knew, and the world shall be very different when the Avatar returns.
Have you ever read Azulon as Baddass Good Granpa who snips Ozai's chance to be the next Fire Lord for being a bad father? If you don't, here you go.

Everburning Flame by BlueSoulknight

Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
Status: Dead; last updated August 20th, 2018
Synopsis: When a person from our world is reborn into the Avatar world, he is lost on what to do. Being the second child of the Fire Lord left him with a life of luxury but, in the end, without meaning. When Azula is born, however, he finds his Reason D'etre. Captivated by how innocent and happy Azula was as a child, he makes it his mission to make sure she finds a happy end this time.

Sacred Water, Holy Fire by Elisif

Recommended by allfictions
Status: Dormant; last updated March 15th, 2021
Synopsis: What if the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender was not inspired by the cultures of the Arctic, Japan, China and Tibet, but instead by the cultures and mythologies of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Iran and Ancient India? Same characters and basic premise, whole new plot.
Comment: A really original idea of what I can only call a "Fertile Crescent AU" version of ATLA, changing things about the world of ATLA in really interesting way to fit ancient Middle and Near East, while still being recognizable. For example, in this version, Fire Lord Ozai is basically Zahhak from Persian Mythology. Dormant, but according to this author's comment, they are rewriting the entire thing from scratch.

Elsewhere Fics

Stories that take place in-universe, but have little to do with actual canon, canon characters, etc. Almost always involve a cast of Original Characters, with possible cameos by canon ones. Any characters from actual canon are most likely one-shot characters or those with no given back-story.

The Canals are Burning by Cuofeng

Recommended by Temujin
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Race, class, politics, and belief. Two decades after the end of the Hundred Year War the city of Ba Sing Se is changing. At the river harbor Fire Nation ships unload their cargo. In the inner rings professors and ministers debate the fate of the nation. In the shadows new magic emerges. Ayika is a servant but soon she will be at the heart of a crisis that will rock this ancient capital.
Comments: The author explores the political and cultural aftermath after the end of the show through the lens of one sliver of Ba Sing Se. No canon characters make appearances, but it is still very interesting to see these very enjoyable new people living in the new world Aang and his friends created. For a genre description I would say Urban Adventure with a little Mystery and a lot of Political Drama simmering just outside the view of the main characters.

Final Exam by Magnusrae

Recommended by Ninja Marshwiggle
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A young archer wants to prove she is worthy of being the best of the best. But while her technical skills are great, she lacks the proper yu-yan attitude. Will traveling with a banished Prince help her find her true path? Season one; NO romance.

Avatar: The Legend of Keana by mramirez1991

Recommended by Ryan Lohner
Status: Dead
Synopsis: After Aang's death, the next Avatar is a girl from the Southern Water Tribe named Keana. But there's a mysterious new evil power rising, and her quest to master the bending arts has enough danger to rival Aang's.

Darling by Dark Puck

Recommended by Rebecca Hb.
Status: Complete
Synopsis: During the Occupation of Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li discover that one of their treasures has been stolen and abused. Dai Li-centric, Original Character.

Roses of the Valley by Funk Oni

Recommended by dreamshell
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The journey of a Fire Nation woman as she attempts to spread peace over conflict. Her actions bring her to the Kun valley, filled with adventure, conflict, friendship and a man known only as The Demon of War. Mostly OCs, canon character cameos.

Scorched Earth by J.Idanian

Recommended by Red Cedar, Lavanya Six
Status: Complete
Synopsis: An earthbender from a village conquered by the Fire Nation travels through a war-torn world seeking freedom for his people, picking up some interesting companions and learning more than he really wanted to along the way, about them, himself, and the world.
Additional info: Has its own page.

Spiral's Beginning by Shadow Wasserson

Recommended by Potman, Ack Sed, Blue Hospitality, trekie140
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The story of the very first Avatar, fixing a big war between all the four nations.
Comments: An excellent short tale that reads like it's been ripped straight from the mythology of the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Where Words Fail By TEi of Radio

Recommended by vp21ct, truthofthesignal
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The Story of Longshot and Smellerbee after they stay behind with their leader Jet.
Additional info: Currently in 6 parts. Illustrations for the first 4 parts here.

Plight of the Freedom Fighters by Sioute

Recommended by Aerodactylus, Sal Fish Fin
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Smellerbee and Longshot escape from from the Dai Li headquarters with the mostly dead Jet, determined to save him.

Ultimate Avatar by EllaHayBoyz1234

Reccommended by Lightning Knight
Status: Dead
Synopsis: A girl discovers that she has powers like the flock! Now she has to battle Max for Fangs love but what happens when she goes into another world... THE AVATAR WORLD!
Comments: A deliciously silly trollfic, this So Bad, It's Good story crosses Avatar: The Last Airbender, Maximum Ride, and a teenage girl's fantasies. Rainbow Tracey Midnite Patterson Cullen (no relation to Edward), is given wings and a family in the flock. Eventually she goes through a portal (or protal) and discovers she's an avatar! (Yes, an avatar.)
Now has its own page.

Mara The First Avatar by vifetoile89

Recommended by marikunin
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The story of the very first Avatar, a Water Tribe woman named Mara. Told like a traditional folktale. All OCs.

Gilded Green by CaelumBlue

Recommended by Feline Squids
Status: Complete
Synopsis: "At the end of Iroh's Siege, the Dai Li decide to test their brainwashing abilities on a Fire Nation soldier. They don't know that their guinea pig-rat happens to be a supposedly-dead prince. First in a series."
Additional Info: The series will eventually span the six years Lu Ten spends thinking he's a Dai Li agent(and that everybody else spends thinking he died horribly). The OCs in the fic are spectacular, by the way.
- Unfortunately, the promised sequel was never written. There are, however, a couple of oneshots set in the same universe.
- Now has its own page.

Kyoshi - The Undiscovered Avatar by Amirai

Recommended by Veloren
Status: Dead (last updated October 2015)
Synopsis: A story chronicling Avatar Kyoshi's early life.
Comments: A webcomic. Great humor, though unfortunately it's been dead for a while.

Shipping Fics

Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

Whisper Into the Sky by damagectrl

Recommended by: Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Pairings: Aang/Toph, background Zuko/Katara and Sokka/Suki
Synopsis: Toph has two choices: Go home and get married or have the family fortune and her inheritance given to a stranger. Her problem: She wants to keep her ties to her family, but is quite content traveling with Aang. Her solution: Fight her way through suitors for her freedom. Literally.
Comments: This is the most in character Taang fic I've ever seen — and is so, so good for it. These two are just complete agents of chaos, and the story highlights all the ways they contrast and compliment each other. It's very sweet, funny, and wholesome.

A Million Ways To Say I Love You by Mystic Katt

Recommended by The Affable Paranoiac
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Virtually all of them. From the Canon to the Crack Pairings.
Synopsis: A compilation of short fics based on just about every ship you would expect and many you wouldn't.
Tags: slash, femmeslash, het, animal pairings

Cog In The Machine by ardy1

Recommended by Extraintrovert
Status: Dead
Pairing(s): Sokka/Azula, Sokka/Ty Lee, Ty Lee/Anything that moves, insinuated Azula/Zhao
Synopsis: A Sokka-capture fic, originally intended as a parody of IKEA Erotica Sokka-capture fics, but rapidly evolved into a contemplative, loquacious, heavily character-driven four-way mental battle between Sokka, Azula, Ty Lee and Mai bordering on a Gambit Pileup while still keeping the characters believable.

Tempest in a Teacup by Aka Vertigo

Recommended by Universalperson
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: A counterpoint to Another Brother. Iroh finds a little Katara after a Fire Nation raid.

Memories by urzailove

Recommended by Toa Matau 95
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Ozai/Ursa
Synopsis: He wasn't always the Fire Lord. When they met, he was just a boy. When they loved, he was her prince. Before he found a way to break the condition of an unconditional love, he was just Ozai. Ursa wasn't always sad. She wasn't always submissive. She was the only one who didn't fear him. Until, of course, she did. Ignores The Search.
Comments: A tale of Ozai and Ursa's childhood together, their respective troubles, their eventual romance and the things that come between them, and Ozai's increasingly dark perspective on life. Told from the viewpoint of both Ozai and Ursa, and makes sure to show their views on their past bliss. Ignores The Search entirely.

Lanterns by A-Terrible-Anonymess

Recommended by Revlid, Progeny Ex Machina
Status: Complete/Possibly dead
Pairing(s): Aang/Azula, with moments of Aang/Katara
Synopsis: The Avatar giving the deposed princess a bit of therapy, simple as that. Well, it would be, if his friends would just stay out of the way for one night...

He's Only A Child by sablefalls

Recommended by saltin
Status: Complete
Pairing: Aang/Azula
Synopsis: A companion piece to "Gods and Men". A look at how Aang and Azula's oldest son tries to make sense of his family, especially his parents.

The Sapphire Flame by TintedS

Recommended by Takareer
Status: Dead
Pairing(s): Aang/Azula, with moments of Aang/Katara
Synopsis: The war with the fire nation is over. The Avatar has won. Balance slowly begins to return to the world, but somewhere turmoil remains. A young woman's sorrow consumes her. Can the Avatar help piece a broken soul back together?
Comments: A believable Aang/Azula fic with both serious plotlines and utterly hilarious moments.

Preternatural, Throne of the Soul, and Just Desserts by JoJoDancer

Recommended by Aerodactylus
Status: Complete
Pairings(s): Katara/Aang, Sokka/Toph
Synopsis:
- Preternatural: Sokka does thing differently when he's drunk, and the effects carry over to Toph.
- Throne of the Soul: No one ever said the Avatar was a good house guest. When it rains, it pours. Kataang. Possible Sokka/Toph, Toph/Zuko if you squint really hard.
- Just Desserts: Because the best part of the cake is making it. Kataang smut. Mentions of sex. Deal with it.

Just Another Morning by Maizeandbluekid (link here)

Recommended by Bright Light
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Aang/Katara
Synopsis: On the morning of another postwar meeting with Zuko and the Gaang, Katara just wants to sleep in. But a certain Airbender won't allow it. What can he do to wake her up?

Reign Within by Rawles

Recommended by The Lobster
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Mai/Ozai, implied Mai/Zuko
Synopsis: She knows that she was not the reason. Not nearly. Her mother has merely ensured that she is one of the benefits.

Mai Rants about Zutara by keylee

Recommended by Potman
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Mai/Zuko, Katara/Aang
Synopsis: Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Her rant uses high amounts of sarcasm, so beware.

Release by Superbleh11

Recommended by Deadpool Fan
Status: Complete
Pairings: Suki/Sokka/Toph love triangle
Synopsis: Its four years after Ozai is defeated and the Gaang is trying save Suki from a prison. But the rebels in the Fire Nation have other plans.

An Auspicious Beginning by DJNS

Recommended by Gwen Stacy Wannabe, The Evil Oboist, Progeny Ex Machina, Somariel, Red-Dead-Redeemer
Status: Complete
Pairings: Mai/Zuko, Aang/Katara, Sokka/Suki
Synopsis: Mai and Zuko's wedding day does not go quite according to plan.

Memories from the Western Air Temple by Darth Animus (Eventual slash) (Also on FanFiction.Net)

Recommended by Lua, Somariel
Status: Dead
Pairings: Zuko/Aang. Eventually. Really, most of it is gen.
Synopsis: The amazing thing about openly caring about the people around you, is that you learn to care about yourself as well. Zuko had never truly known companionship before he joined the Avatar.

Okay, We're In Trouble by Suzukiblu

Recommended by Rebecca Hb, MAI 742
Status: Complete
Pairings: Sokka/Jet, Sokka/Zuko, Sokka/Zuko/Jet
Synopsis: During season one, Zuko, Jet, and Sokka get captured and thrown in a metal box together by Earth Kingdom soldiers. Zuko's been drugged but the company's medic is new at the job, and Zuko's horny rather than spilling everything to any questions put to him. Sokka, naturally, wants to get out of the box however possible. Jet is, well, Jet.
- Warning—this is an explicit smut fic involving slash. Definitely don't read it if you don't know what you're in for.

Sexual Dimorphism, or Five Times Sokka Acceded Victory by Juxtaposie

Recommended by Lavanya Six, Joysweeper, Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairings: Sokka/Suki
Synopsis: Five moments every couple must face. Sokka wants to stick to tradition. Unfortunately, so does Suki.

As It Should Be by xcgirl08

Recommended by Marlee Cross, Selryam, Progeny Ex Machina.
Status: Complete
Pairings: Aang/Toph, Aang/Katara.
Synopsis: Aang and Toph are married, and Toph asks him one night if he ever wishes she were Katara.

Dancing in the Dark by DamageCtrl

Recommended by Langelette
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara.
Synopsis: Having heard a rumor about two tea servers in the lower tiers of Ba Sing Se, Katara and Toph sneak away go to investigate only to have their suspicions confirmed. Zutara, Blutara.

The Hunter and the Prey by RedNovember

Recommended by Rabid Rainbow
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: The Prince of the Fire Nation will do anything to find the legendary Avatar, but what if the bait he captures to lure the Avatar decides to fight back and gains his attention in more ways than one?

A Man's Drink by Fandomme

Recommended by Clandestine Clear
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: Upon meeting Hakoda for the first time, Zuko discovers that Water Tribesmen have a unique way of determining manhood.

Things Fall Apart by MoonClaimed

Recommended by Jetfire, Somariel, Red-Dead-Redeemer
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: Each chapter is a facet of the Zutara fandom that has a serious flaw in logic, whether its purpose is to bring them together or keep them apart. No character bashing.

Mai's Ramblings by Loopy777 (links here and here)

Recommended by Badwolfwho, Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairings: Most of them
Synopsis: Mai's secret thoughts on all the Avatar ships—you know the funny is coming when the driest, most critical personality in the show decides to let it all out! Everything Avatar is analyzed and described in the most ridiculous way possible! A fandom classic! (Yes this is the actual description.)

Without a Fight and its sequel Never Give Up by suzukiblu

Recommended by Lavanya Six, Lotuschan
Status: Complete, Complete
Pairing: Zuko/Song
Synopsis: Thirteen years old and alone in the Earth Kingdom, thrown out of his life and family and destiny with the burn on his face still raw and new, Zuko does not want to go on.

Infected by The Plaid Hatter

Recommended by Sara Jaye
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Momo/Appa
Synopsis: Momo thinks about his feelings towards Appa. Fluff ensues.

Stare by RazzyPop

Recommended by Sara Jaye
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Longshot/Smellerbee
Synopsis: A few years after the series' end, Smellerbee reflects and Longshot announces his feelings towards her in typical Longshot fashion.

Uncle Muscles by Archilochus

Recommended by Sara Jaye
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Jun/Iroh
Synopsis: Post-series. Iroh turns down his nephew's offer of a room in the palace for a more enticing option.

Inspirations by MorganEnjoysFanfiction

Recommended by Sara Jaye
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Aang/Katara
Synopsis: A series of drabbles in no particular order.

48th by Otabe Yatsuhashi

Recommended by Marlee Cross
Status: Complete
Pairing: Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: It had been Katara's 48th capture by Zuko. She wonders when Aang and Sokka will finally get the picture.

A Little Murder by Squidward Cullen

Recommended by Marlee Cross
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara.
Synopsis: Set in season 1. Katara breaks into Zuko's ship with the intent to kill him in his sleep. It doesn't work out...well not really.

Stormbenders by Fandomme

Recommended by beeftony
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: S3 AU from FBM. Deep in the Fire Nation jungle, the Gaang discovers a rogue tribe of exiled water ninja who send Zuko and Katara on a mission to recover the Fire Nation's secret battle plans.

The Tall Ships by alligatorade

Recommended by Lavanya Six, flamewolf
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Suki/Sokka
Synopsis: Sometimes the tides turn, and former lovers have to move on with their lives. But then again, sometimes we can learn to use the turning tides to our own advantage.

The Usual Reasons by Ali Wildgoose

Recommended by lettergirl, Joysweeper, The Evil Oboist, Jader, Firelizardinabottle, Lotuschan, Somariel, Dipindott
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Sokka/Zuko
Synopsis: Sokka would swear, later on, that it was completely innocent when it started.

Spilled In Beside Her by Rawles.

Recommended by The Evil Oboist, Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairing: Mai/Zuko
Synopsis: Oneshot following the fall of Ba Sing Se. Mai decides to get drunk because she hates life in the Earth Kingdom and she thinks that Zuko doesn't like her the way she likes him. Zuko joins her, and they get smashed. One Thing Led to Another...

Something to Hold Onto by Ali Wildgoose (AU)

Recommended by lettergirl, Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairing: Jet/Zuko
Synopsis: Since the day the walls of Ba Sing Se fell, the Freedom Fighters have struggled to protect what remains of the city and its people. Jet and his second command, a mysterious boy named Li, have spent the summer piecing together an army, hoping for a chance to take the city back for good. But Li is also Zuko, and the time for that secret is quickly running out. Soon, he'll have to decide exactly who he is, what cause he's going to fight for and where his heart lies.
Comments: This is an AU that takes place during Season Three, and is built on the conceit that Jet never saw Iroh Firebending his tea.

Captive and Captor by theunknownvoice

Recommended by Fat Rat
Status: Complete
Pairings: Aang/Azula
Synopsis: AU. Azula manages to capture the Avatar. Now she is in desperate need of an heir.

Love Amongst the Embers by Misora

Recommended by peachychan
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: After the Ember Island Players' performance, and with the help of a little rice wine, Zuko and Katara decide to rewrite an alternate ending to their story. Oneshot, Zuko/Katara.

Avatar: Ladies in Love by TheWestDriver

Recommended by Progeny Ex Machina
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Almost every female character/almost every other female character
Synopsis: A series of one-shots about a multitude of pairings, from the borderline-canon to the utterly nonsensical, and how they might pan out.

In Our Bedroom After The War by aliwildgoose

Recommended by The Evil Oboist, Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Mai/Zuko
Synopsis: In the months following the war, Zuko is feeling overwhelmed and Mai worries about him. She goes after him one night and tries to help him see that he's doing just fine as Fire Lord.

A Matter of Honor by Adridere

Recommended by Zaptech
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Toph/Aang, Zuko/Katara, Sokka/Suki
Synopsis: Five years after Sozin's Comet, the Gaang is gathering at the South Pole to take part in a peace conference between the surviving nations. While there, they begin to do some serious soul-searching, with the members of the Gaang questioning their relationships with one another. But as the peace summit progresses, Toph finds herself stuck in the middle of a portentious plot that will either destroy her or the entire Southern Water Tribe.

A Danger, Deceit by The Narrator (Illustrated version available here on deviantArt)

Recommended by Lavanya Six
Status: Dead
Pairing(s): Mai/Zuko, eventual Mai/Jet
Synopsis: Two years after the Century War, Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko attempt to win the peace. Behind the scenes in the Fire Nation's Royal Palace, a young noblewoman wages her own war, where the battlefield is the Court and words & alliances are the weapons.

Half Asleep by The Crushinator

Recommended by andromeda, Somariel, Risaga 54
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Zuko/Katara, Sokka/Suki, Toph/Aang, Mai/Ty Lee
Synopsis: Five years after the end of the Hundred Year War, Fire Lord Zuko is hit with an assassin's dart while walking in the marketplace with Mai. It sends him into a coma from which he cannot wake. Nothing can revive him; not antidotes, not rest, not even Katara's healing. But Katara has begun to suspect that there is something else she can do. For all she hears when she closes her eyes is his voice calling out to her from the Spirit World. To save Zuko, Katara must seek out Aang, who is the only person alive who can act as a bridge to the Spirit World. There's a problem, though, and it's not just what Toph calls "Aang's Law." Katara and Aang haven't spoken in over a year.

Road to Hell by skrybble

Recommended by Sammi J
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Zuko/Katara, Katara/Aang, Sokka/Suki, Sokka/Toph
Synopsis: When your sister's dating your angsty ex-enemy, her relatively preferable ex isn't over her, and you and your best friend have the plan of a lifetime, it's paved with good intentions. Sokka and Toph team up to break up Zuko and Katara so that she and Aang will get back together. Hilarity Ensues.

Comedy of Errors by Snoopy

Recommended by Blue Hospitality, Somariel
Status: Complete
''Pairing(s): Aang/Katara, Mai/Zuko, Suki/Sokka, Toph/Iroh
Synopsis: Takes place five years after The Avatar and the Firelord. On the eve of Sokka and Suki's wedding, the Gaang finds out that 18-year old Toph has a crush on the Dragon of the West.

Sozin's Bay by blue-lacquer

Recommended by The Evil Oboist, Lavanya Six, Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairing: Zuko/Mai
Synopsis: Mai and Zuko run into each other in the colonies. She's accompanying her father on a business trip. He's having his ship outfitted for a voyage to the South Pole in search of the Avatar. This chance encounter stirs up long dormant feelings and leaves both of them wondering if they'll ever see each other again. Takes place shortly before Season 1.

Broken Dragon by Nikipinz

Recommended by Iceeh
Status: Complete
Pairings: Ty Lee/Azula, Mai/Zuko
Synopsis: Ty Lee visits Azula in prison, and subsequent action. Post-war. Its sequel, Firelight, is also complete.

People in the Mirror Are Closer than They Appear by Nele

Recommended by Amanda 91, Somariel, Oberoniss
Status: Dead (last updated December 2015)
Pairings: Jee/Zuko
Synopsis: Takes place almost a year before season one. Prince Zuko is growing up and discovering new ways to make Lieutenant Jee's life miserable. Just when Jee has had a bad, bad week of Captain Zhao popping in, an invisible thief stealing his things, his crew acting up, and an enemy bird invading his ship, Zuko brings matters to a head in a bad, bad way.

Stalking Zuko, Not Stalking Zuko, and Not Stalking Firelord Zuko by Emletish

Recommended by: Iceheart 123, Somariel, Risaga 54
Status: All three fics are complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara, Sokka/Suki
Synopsis: Katara starts stalking Zuko at the Western Air Temple in "Stalking Zuko." In "Not Stalking Zuko," Katara has (presumably) left her stalking days behind her, but still has some stalkerish relapses. In both, the Gaang get into trouble, shenanigans happen and Katara and Zuko get into some...awkward moments.
Comments: This story is technically canon-compliant, as all scenes from The Western Air Temple onward appear (though narrated by Katara) and with a lot of background material about what went on in between. Stalking Zuko ends after "The Southern Raiders," while Not Stalking Zuko includes Ember Island and all except the ending of "Sozin's Comet," which finishes off in the last piece. It's funny, cute and includes long, interesting author notes at the end of each chapter. Overall good read, though Not Stalking Zuko has a lot of boring and skippable filler before "Sozin's Comet" finally starts.
- Now has its own page.

Twist of Fate by jazzpha

Recommended by Namacub 95
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zutara, Lu Ten/June, Azula/OC
Synopsis: An AU where Lu Ten survives the Siege of Ba Sing Se and Iroh is crowned Fire Lord. The Avatar has been discovered in the South Pole and it's Katara. Zuko is sent on a mission to the South Pole to propose to Katara so that the fragile peace that Iroh has built up isn't compromised. Meanwhile, in the Fire Nation, Ozai schemes to kill Iroh and take the throne for himself threatening to plunge the Fire Nation royal family into civil war. It mainly focuses on Zutara with a variety of side plots.

I'll walk you home by Justthisguyyouknow

Recommended by Edokage
Status: Dead
Pairings: Sokka/Suki in the beginning, Toph/Sokka eventually
Synopsis: After the war, Toph decides to leave for Gaoling on foot to see her family. Sokka, being the nice guy he is, decides to accompany her and a lot of adventures occur as they travel halfway across the world.

Hooked by TGP

Recommended by Eona, Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairings: Jet/Zuko
Synopsis: When Jet sees the scar on another refugee's face, he is both appalled and drawn.
Comments: This fic is rated for sexual content, but the author does a good job keeping Jet and Zuko in character and on developing their relationship.

Vivisection by Kelsey L Leigh

Recommended by Super Yuuki
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/OC
Synopsis: A story of two very messed-up people meeting each other in a very messed-up world...because the Avatar world is just as flawed as ours.
Comments: The author does an amazing job of integrating a character from our world into the Avatar world, and said character has very believable flaws. Warning: Has some MA content.

Of Tea, Rebellions, and Becoming a Dragon by Airplane

Recommended by throwaawy
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Jin
Synopsis: Zuko and Jin are strong enough to attempt to lead normal lives in Ba Sing Se, and strong enough to fight when the time comes.

Sun and Earth by Carpe Omnius

Recommended by Kalaong
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Mai, Zuko/Toph
Synopsis: The world is still struggling for peace, and now Toph is missing and Zuko may know why. A story about men, women and babies.

Of Air and Fire by DracoMaleficium

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairings: Aang/Zuko
Synopsis: Dragons are creatures of air and fire and for a moment, so, too, are they. Seven stories, seven stages of falling — and being — in love. My attempt to portray a realistic Zukaang... with everything that comes with it.

Love Which is True by Stardust of Orion

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairings: Aang/Katara/Zuko
Synopsis: Aang and Katara are deeply in love, but Aang realizes that Katara and Zuko are also in love, though they would never act on that love. What is an Avatar to do? Zutaraang (A/K/Z)

Arranging Marriages by SCWLC

Recommended by Somariel
Status: Complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara, Yue/Lu Ten, Yue/Sokka
Synopsis: A contracted marriage to seal a treaty brings about a few changes for a few important people.

Pawns by Rhiannon B

Recommended by whimsyful
Status: Dead
Pairings: Zuko/Mai
Synopsis: AU starting from 3.14 and 3.15. In the months following the end of the war, Mai is forced to deal with a missing princess, a string of grisly murders, Firelord Zuko, and soiled diapers. At least it's not boring.

Kataang Island Adventure by AvatarCat13 (link here)

Recommended by Jade's One Of A Kind
Status: Complete
Pairings: Aang/Katara, slight Aang/OC/Katara
Synopsis: Aang and Katara decide to have a vacation five years after the war ended. So they decide to go to an uncharted deserted island in the middle of the ocean and have some fun. But is this place really deserted of humans? And how will they survive with a predator around?
Comments: A lemon fic that absolutely earns its M rating.

The Little Mermaid: Avatar Style! by eframTrabbit

Recommended by fruitstripegum
Status: Complete
Pairings: Katara/Zuko, Sokka/Toph.
Synopsis: Katara is a waterbender who lives under the sea yet yearns to be on the surface world. When she falls for the prince of the Fire Nation, she trades her voice to a sea witch in order to be with him. Can she get him to kiss her and make the spell permanent before the sun sets on the third day? Based off the movie/musical. Zutara.

The Rebuilding by Kore Anesidora

Recommended by beyondthesea
Status: Complete
Pairings: Azula/Ty Lee
Synopsis: Azula has been released from prison after two years and sent to the secure and secluded Kyoshi Island for the final stages of her rehabilitation. Will she be able to fight the internal madness, or will it consume her once and for all?
Comments: Solid characterization, especially for the characters who usually take a hit in Tyzula stories, namely Zuko and Suki. Azula is also kept believable throughout her recovery, and her mental illness is dealt with probably as well as I've seen.

Bloom by resonance_and_d

Recommended by beyondthesea
Status: Complete
Pairings: Suki/Ty Lee
Synopsis: Azula frightened her. Suki makes her brave.

Names by TGP

Recommended by Asleep In The Books
Status: Complete
Pairings: Jet/Zuko, background Longshot/Smellerbee and Aang/Katara
Synopsis: His name is Li. At least, that’s what the villagers call him and when they die in a Fire Nation attack, he carries that name with him to the Freedom Fighters and a war that will test every fiber of his being. Where Zuko ends and Li begins is a muddled thing indeed.

The Sparrowkeet Series by audreyii-fic

Recommended by foxkindle
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: Ba Sing Se has fallen and Katara has been captured by the Fire Nation; a more adult take on the potential progression of S3. AU series of interconnected one-shots. Zutara. Rated for lemons and general darkness.
Comments: This is a very good fic — it's written beautifully, the format is interesting and the relationship between Zuko and Katara develops very nicely. Other characters that make appearances are Azula, Ty-Lee and Mai, and the rest of the Gaang later on. Truly a great read for any Zutara lover.

Closet Negotiations by Rashaka

Recommended by foxkindle
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: Empty closets are good for lots of things. As Katara is going to find out, hiding is just one of them.
Comments: This is a nice 3-part fic that takes place sometime in season 2 when everyone is in Ba Sing Se. Not a lot of plot—in the author's words: "This is basically cotton candy fic. High sugar and high sarcasm, with little educational value". Great read nonetheless if you're looking for some pure shipping.

you make a really good girl (as girls go) by suzukiblu

Recommended by mergirl007
Status: Complete
Pairings: Azula/Yue, minor Mai/Zuko
Synopsis: Early in season 1, Azula arrives at the Northern Water Tribe to negotiate a treaty barring the Avatar from receiving training there. When she finds out that the Northern Water Tribe seals treaties with arranged marriages, she offers herself as a spouse for Princess Yue.

In the Same Candlelight by Like A Dove

Recommended by foxkindle
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: In a world where there is no war, Zuko and Katara spend their summers together. Growing up is messy, embarrassing, and at times sad, but they think it might be okay because they have each other.
Notes: This is a complete AU. Basic information: (1) There is no war, so all four nations have been at peace for the past century. (2) Aang, while still the Avatar, is very old. (3) Due to royal families frequently visiting each other for political and personal reasons, Hakoda and Ozai knew each other growing up.
Comments: This is a great fic about what could have been if Zuko and Katara grew up together. It has a lot of adorable everyone-as-kids and it's a really nice exploration of how their personalities would have evolved. It incorporates some elements from canon very well in a way that makes sense in the context of the story even though it's very AU. Beautifully written and a great read all-around.

Heartlines by kuchi

Recommended by Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Zuko/Katara/Aang
Synopsis: After the news of a catastrophe interrupts Aang and Katara's wedding, they must team up with Zuko to bring aid to the Earth Kingdom. Soon enough they realise that working by old friends reignites old feelings.
Comments: A post-canon, pre-Korra AU where a natural disaster brings the three heros together again for the purposes of coy yearning. A sweet, sensitive poly-romance that naturally avoids the flaws of most shipping fics in fandom by making all three points on the love triangle equally adoring of each other.

Five Worlds in which Sokka Never Did Manage to Propose to Suki, and One in which He Didn't Have To by attackfish

Recommended by SubversionStation
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Sokka/Suki
Synopsis: There are so many ways for it to blow up in their faces, but that's what makes it fun.
Comments: Sokka and Suki are placed in several AUs where Sokka tries (and fails) to show Suki his love and appreciation. Silly and sweet.

Crossing Oceans by jaystrifes and kuchi

Recommended by Blaidd Dunn
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Katara/Aang and (pre?) Zuko/Katara/Aang
Synopsis: After moving in together, Katara and Aang have their first big fight. Each turns to Zuko for counsel as they try to decide what they want from their future.
Comments: Post-canon; Aang and Katara's natural differences and assumptions lead to their first major break up, and naturally they both go to their best friend Zuko for comfort and solice. Zuko meanwhile, is suffering. Is part of a series where Zuko/Katara/Aang does happen- however this is the most complete story wise and works just fine on its own. It is also a lovely character drama that I kept returning to over and over again.

Molotov by silkinsilence

Recommended by boleynapologist
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Mai/Azula
Synopsis: Mai's world has been grayscale too long. Azula lights a match and lets it burn.
Comments: Modern AU. Smut included. TW for incest, child abuse, self-harm, and rape. This is the defining Maizula fic. Like by far. It reads like a literary fiction novel, and it alters your perception of what fanfic can achieve. Truly. It's so good it's unreal.

Crossovers

The 40 by The_Ravenclaw_Werewolf.

The Avatar Strikes Back by MegaBob452

Recommended by: rockysavannah
Crossover with: Star Wars
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A contaminated world, a menaced empire, brought together by mutual interference. A year has passed since the saiyans departed, their actions still leaving their mark on the galaxy at large and one little blue marble in particular. Earth is unprepared for the nightmares ahead, while the Empire finds wonders in an unexpected place.

Is There a Doctor In The House? by firephonixe

Recommended by Chad
Crossover With: House
Status: Dead
Synopsis: A House / Avatar crossover. Aang gets sick, and the Gaang plus Zuko and Iroh are transported to "our" universe, where House tries to discover the problem.

Elements of War by Bico (Crossover with Naruto)

Recommended by Danel
Crossover With: Naruto
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Crossover/Fusion of the Naruto and Avatar series that intertwines the two stories in a clever and original way. Sasuke and his team hunt Aang for his power, while Zuko in turn chases them for revenge. More twists in the familiar stories follow.

Duality and Beneath Between Beyond by AvocadoLove

Recommended by Blue Hospitality
Crossover With: Harry Potter
Status: Complete and Dead, respectively
Synopsis: An accident with two linked vanishing cabinets transports Prince Zuko and Draco Malfoy into a place between their two worlds. To escape they need to learn to work together, and it may turn out that the two aren't very different after all...

Avatar: Bender's Tale by MetropolisKid

Recommended by The Rich Sheik
Crossover With: Futurama
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Bender crash lands in the world of Avatar and joins the Gaang. Warning for Crack Fic tendencies and Drunk!Katara/Zuko pairing.

Fury and Flame by JMIII

Recommended by Sensfan 90
Crossover with: A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones
Status: Complete; Ongoing
Synopsis: Princess Azula finds herself arriving outside of Storm’s End during Robert’s Rebellion. Twenty years later Lady Azula Baratheon of Dragonstone is now a player in the Game of Thrones. And she plans to win.

The Clash of Worlds Saga

Recommended by Killing Joke
Status: Three Completed series, the fourth is yet to begin.
Synopsis: The original Clash was conceived as a comedic, non-canonical Negative Continuity crossover between five well-known Avatar Wiki Fanon stories, with one chapter being written by each author. The second had four of the series from the first being used, with one (Legacy of Fire) being replaced by Guardian. The third had the five series from the second, with two new series that had been created after the first two Clashes. A fourth Clash was recently conceived, following the departures/inactivity of five of the authors from Clash 3. This new Clash will consist of 8 series, with three of the series from the original trilogy (Wanted, Guardian and Child of Destiny) and their authors (Twilitlink, The Bos and Mightybrit) returning, as well as five "next-generation" series and their respective authors joining in.
- Subversion Station: Oy. The whole thing is a headache, and the link doesn't even work correctly. Might want to skip this one.

Solar Winds by Morkhan

Recommended by caelae
Crossover With: Glee
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Kurt Hummel, the current Avatar, finds a Firebending teacher in the young Prince Blaine. But is that all he finds? Or will circumstances conspire to push them into becoming more, to the world, and each other? Fusion Fic!
Comments: Includes Sassy Earthbender!Mercedes and Protective!Finn.

You Can't Take the Sky From Me by cupid-painted-blind

Recommended by Progeny Ex Machina
Crossover With: Firefly
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Six years after the end of the war, the Gaang somehow winds up on a planet called Persephone, where a cheerful mechanic offers them passage on a certain Firefly-class transport to try and find a way home. In the meantime, they find themselves not only adapting to life on Serenity and bonding with its crew, but becoming deeply involved with the workings of this strange new 'verse.

The Black Games, The Rise of One and The Phoenix Queen by Mrs Pettyfer

Recommended by adelz2, foxkindle
Crossover With: The Hunger Games
Status: All complete
Pairings: Zuko/Katara
Synopsis: Once bound by ice, now bound by fire. 12 provinces. 24 tributes. 1 winner. Let the games begin.
Comments: I recommend this because it really is an amazing piece of work. The ending ruined it for me, but 35 1/2 out of 37 chapters are fantastic. Watch out for the deaths of major characters—they will make you cry.
- foxkindle: I second the recommendation, but I'll have to disagree with the comment about the ending — I thought it was pretty good. If you're reading this fic you should definitely read it until the end, you might just have to continue over to the sequels right away!

Avatar Aang And The Sorcerers Stone by AvatarCat12

Recommended by Kyuubi No Tenshi
Crossover With: Harry Potter
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Avatar Aang and Team Avatar are invited to Hogwarts for a mission from Albus Dumbledore and to have some fun! Will Team Avatar and the Golden Trio solve this year's puzzle to stop Voldemort from getting the Sorcerer's Stone?
- Vanished from the Internet. If a working link is found, please update.

The Dragon King's Temple by Kryal (link here)

Recommended by DP Innocent, necrolectric, Kalaong, Somariel, USA Bobcat, eeveelutionlover2000, Pastykake
Crossover With: Stargate SG-1
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The spite of the spirits opened a door better left untouched. On the other hand, with Fire and Earth as one's allies, sometimes escaping is the easy part.
Comments: An amazing crossover between A:TLA and Stargate SG1 staring Toph, Zuko, Carter and Janet Fraiser. Everyone is amazingly in character and the two shows are blended marvelously. Author is excellent at writing action, which is good because there are major fight scenes throughout. Kryal also brainstormed the story with the Crossover Queen herself, Vathara.
- Seconded by Kalaong. Kryal actually blows Vathara clear out of the water with this one, giving every character a chance to be amazing without bashing anyone. Even Aang, the fandom's designated Butt-Monkey, manages to pull off a series of amazing acts of thoughtfulness, wisdom, and badassery. Aang does get a mild tap, but it is immediately followed by some hard thinking on his part that is perfectly in character. The Tok'Ra get a nasty slap, but again, the characterization is spot-on, making repeated references to canonical responses. Also, Kryal spends a lot of time developing a Platonic Life Partnership between Toph and Zuko that the series hinted at but never got a chance to develop.
- And a third by LentilSandEater. A great read for any Avatar fan, Stargate knowledge helps too but you can get by without it. The writing alone is pleasurable to read.

Rest for the Wicked by AvocadoLove

Recommended by Queenbri, thebadplace
Crossover With: Dexter
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Dexter has a heart to heart about what it’s like to be a father, the only way he knows how.
Comments: Ostensibly takes place... um... actually I have almost no idea when this story takes place. Basically it takes place in the Dexter-verse and it involves everybody's favorite serial killer doing what he does best to everyone's favorite Evil Overlord. Amazingly enough, both Dexter and Ozai manage to stay in character.

Avatar of Victory by James Golen(link here)

Recommended by Tikigod784
Crossover With: Mass Effect
Status: Complete
Synopsis: The Cycle of the Avatar has held for thousands of years. Other Cycles can stretch far, far longer. An A:tLA/Mass Effect Cross-Over.
Comments: A blend of the Avatar and Mass Effect universes in that the Earth of A:TLA replaces our Earth. What this means for the universe besides Shepard being the Avatar is that Bending is a present and practiced phenomenon among all the races of the Citadel as well as the presence of spirits and certain other aspects of the Avatar universe. Interesting not just because of the crossover itself, but because it shows an Avatar who is fundamentally broken and has spent most of her life (including parts of this story) making things worse for herself rather than experiencing the spiritual growth that we've seen the other Avatars go through. Fight scenes are excellent and detailed, with most enemies that Shepard faces being competent, and not just because some of them are better at bending then she is. Canon names being included in regard to humans actually does get explained so don't let that throw you off.

The Final Summoning by cupid-painted-blind

Recommended by: Sapphire Blue
Crossover With: Final Fantasy X
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Canon ones, although in this setting most are one-sided.
Synopsis: Katara is a summoner. Sokka is her first, and last, Guardian.
Comments: A oneshot Fusion Fic with Final Fantasy X, set before the game begins. Katara is a summoner, and Sokka (still her brother) is one of her guardians. It seems like an odd combination, but it works, and it's heartbreaking. It's written beautifully, with a lot of focus on the emotions of the characters.

Objects in Space by andromeda3116

Recommended by: Risaga 54
Crossover With: Firefly
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Katara/Zuko, Sokka/Suki, Mai/Jet, Smellerbee/Longshot, Toph/Haru
Synopsis: Aang never woke up from the iceberg, and the world went on without him. Over the next three thousand years, technology advanced astronomically, and the people of the overcrowded world took to the stars. Now, the Avatar is an obscure myth, bending is regarded as a relic of a dead past, and only two of the original countries still exist: the Fire Nation, one of the most powerful forces in the Union of Allied Planets, and the Water Tribe, clinging to life on the Outer Rim, still fighting for the dream of independence. The latest civil war ended seven years ago, in a landslide victory for the Alliance.

Tears of Revelry by Mendeia

Recommended by: Miranda Shadowind
Crossover With: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
Status: Complete
Synopsis: A world in chaos on the brink of war. A secret alliance with the intent to change the world through five very unique young men. A young woman driven to the heights of power with a goal for peace and hope for all. War is so much more complicated when all sides can bend the elements. In the year After Comet 195, the world will rely on five very unlikely saviors.
Comments: Tears of Revelry is the story of Gundam Wing adapted into the A:TLA universe, taking place almost two hundred years after the end of the latter in place of The Legend of Korra. While it deviates from the source material, the overall story remains and is definitely worth a read.
- Also has supplemental material in the form of Tales From Gundam Island, which primarily consists of oneshots that take place either before or after most of the events in Tears of Revelry. These include tidbits of certain characters' pasts and the blended universe's version of how the Avatar came to be (though filtered through the Ember Island Players).

Transformers: Avatar Chronicles

Recommended by Eric W
Crossover With: Transformers (in the style of Transformers: Prime, though containing elements from ALL series.)
Status: Complete
Synopsis: After an accident involving a space bridge, a group of Autobots and Decepticons have been transported to the world of the Four Nations, and have brought their war with them. TF continuity is Prime with bits and pieces of G1 and the Bayformers as well.
Comments: This is a series retelling of the last season of The Last Airbender (with the crossroads of destiny added in). But don't be fooled by that description. With the transformers bringing extra power and ambition to the last days of the war, things are a bit more complicated and not nearly as easy as before. Characters are shuffled, elements from different series emphasized or connected. And the final battle is a sprawling fight even more epic than before.

Worlds Collide (TMNT) by Iron117Prime

Recommended by bbb35, Spectacular Troper
Crossover with: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)
Status: Complete
Synopsis:
- Worlds Collide: The Ninja Turtles find themselves in a world torn apart by a 100-year war. They cross paths with Aang and his team and decide to do what they can to stop the Fire Nation. However, little do they know that soon the Fire Lord will be the least of their worries as a more dangerous enemy will follow our reptilian friends and bring Hell with him. (Complete)
- Worlds Collide - The Ninja Tribunal Saga: The hundred-year long war is finally over. However, Team Avatar and the Ninja Turtles are reunited as they are recruited by the mysterious, yet powerful, Ninja Tribunal to battle an evil worse than any they've faced before. Can our young heroes band together again to save not only their worlds, but all worlds from this darkness? (Complete)

The Saiyan Contamination by MegaBob452

Recommended by: rockysavannah
Crossover with: Dragon Ball
Status: Complete
Synopsis: After defeating Frieza and escaping an exploding planet, Goku was lost in space. He crash lands on an Earth similar yet different to his home, where commanding the elements is commonplace. Wandering the new world Goku meets its heroes and villains, changing the course of the Hundred Year War.

Avatar Rebels by Steve993

Recommended by: SAM 996
Crossover with: Star Wars Rebels
Status: Dead
Synopsis: Following a skirmish with the Empire, the Ghost crew find themselves lost in another world that is in the process of dealing with a war of its own. Not wanting to leave a world in turmoil the Ghost crew will unite with a unique group of heroes in order to bring an end to this conflict once and for all. Takes place after Rebels Season 2 episode 16 and from Book 1 episode 4 of Avatar onwards.

White Knight, Red Queen by Captain of Azoren

Recommended by: Gordhanx
Crossover with: The Dragon Prince
Status: Complete
Pairing(s): Azula/Soren
Synopsis: As the 100 Year War draws to a bitter end, the Fire Nation gets some unexpected help from two siblings of Katolis. When Soren and Claudia accidentally stumble through a portal to the Fire Nation, they are greeted and welcomed by Azula and her family, who are more than eager to accept them to their sides. However, as princess and knight grow closer, secrets of their long forgotten past are revealed and their loyalties are tested. Is love really worth one's morality?

A Home Away From Home by H_Faith_Marr

Recommended by: Gintama200
Crossover with: My Hero Academia
Status: Dormant
Synopsis: Zuko and Shouto keep switching places with each other when they really don't want too. Zuko now has too deal with weirdly concerned adults and going to school while Shouto has to manage to rule a country in Zuko's stead because everyone seems to think he's a spirit Zuko left in charge. Unsurprisingly, neither of them are happy about their situations.

Avatar: The Last Dragon by Dapper_Stomtrooper

Recommended by: Leliel
Crossover with: Legend of the Five Rings
Status: Complete
Synopsis: Akodo Zuko is a samurai. That is all he was ever wanted to be. How will he survive now that he has brought shame to his father? Shame to his nation? Join us in the telling of a tale you all know and love, with a twist!
Pairing(s): Zuko/Katara, Mai/Ty Lee
Tags: Fusion Fic, Aged-Up Characters, Lemon in Book 3 and 4, No Bashing

"A Waterbending Quirk

'' by "dragonfire-217

"

Recommended by: Supersonicdx
Crossover with: My Hero Academia
Status: Ongoing
Synopsis: Katara ends up in a another world where there are no benders but people with super powers.

Disney's RealmWalkers by LumiTea

Recommended By: Ad Impestra
Status: Ongoing
Crossover with: Gravity Falls, Amphibia and others
Synopsis: When Heather and her wife Sasha Waybright discover a girl with mysterious, deadly powers, they find themselves dragged into the center of an inter-dimensional conflict with catastrophic implications for not only the Human Realm- but dozens, maybe hundreds of others as well.
Comments: Unlike many of the others on this page, this is not primarily an ATLA fanfic- but Iroh appears as a member of the Council of Masters, and what appears to be a post-destruction Ba Sing Se (and a young firebender girl) is viewed through the windows of the Citadel. As this fanfic is in its early stages, and the multiverse figures as a central element of the story, all signs point to further ATLA involvement in the story going forward.

Fan Videos

Sokka--Citizen Soldier by reaperdmnrev

Recommended by darksecret
Music: "Citizen Soldier" by 3 Doors Down
Here's Sokka. This is him being silly. This is him being badass and awesome. Sokka in all his shades, set to a song that describes his place in the Gaang. There is a rather annoying little message in the very center of the screen for the first minute of the song, but other than that, this video is awesome.

Stars (An Avatar AMV)

Recommended by gosh
Music: "Stars" by Roxette
A touching and truly fitting video concerning the Avatar and those who follow him.

The Plagues Zuko/Azula

Recommended by Iowaforever
Music: "The Plagues" from The Prince of Egypt
An amazing video that not only catches the meaning of the song, but provides a very fitting translation into the events of the series.

Once I Called You Brother- Iroh and Ozai

Recommended by JBriskin
Music: "The Plagues" from The Prince of Egypt
Another great use of this song in the ATLA universe, from a different framing perspective.

Going Home -- Kataang

Recommended by Much Ado About Nonny
Music: "Going Home" by Chris Daughtry
Heartwarming shippy goodness, I know, but this song really does fit the Aang and Katara to a tee. Combine that with a masterfully edited video with subtle special effects that enhance rather than override the series' natural beauty, and you've got a winner.

The Kings and Queens of Avatar

Recommended by kiapet
Music: "Kings and Queens" by Thirty Seconds To Mars
This video showcases all of the Gaang, combining great meaning with amazing effects.

Zuko: All I've Ever Wanted

Recommended by kiapet
Music: "All I Ever Wanted" from The Prince of Egypt
This song could have been written for Zuko, and the video uses it perfectly to show Zuko's feelings in early season three.

Alone Again, Zuko

Recommended by Mycomp
Music: "One of Us," from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
If you felt for Zuko during season 2, prepare to get your heart punched by an awesome video that mixes rhythm, imagery, voice, and metaphor into a small work of art. A must-see for fanvid fans.
- Interestingly, if you're a die-hard fan of both Avatar AND The Lion King, you might notice that Zuko's character arc mirrors that of Kovu, in several ways; with that in mind, the choice of song for this video is all the more appropriate.

Recommended by daivander
Music: "Deliver Us" from The Prince of Egypt
Amazing music intertwined with amazing scenes
- Update (8/7/2020): No longer available.

atla | wait for it | zuko

Recommended by by Neelh, Mcnickel
Music: "Wait For It" from Hamilton
Excellent song choice and transitions, coupled with emotional scenes at perfect moments.

The Last Airbender Movie (Part 1) -Improved

Recommended by yellowbello
Music: Audio from the Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes
This is part 1 of a fanmade version of the film which is much better than the original. It does not yet cover the whole movie but the series is being updated slowly.

The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Bending

Recommended by Progeny Ex Machina
Music: "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny"
The character consistency, use of clips, and editing make this a pretty epic AMV.

Avatar: The Last Airbender- Weight of the World

Recommended by JBriskin
Music: "Weight of the World," by NerdOut
A fanvid featuring a completely original song written in honor of the series, which perfectly conveys Aang's thoughts and feelings knowing the great burden that he shoulders as the one person who can restore balance and harmony to the world.

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