zuko · avatar: the last airbender · firebending · redemption arc · angry · insecure · scarred · loyal · conflicted · anime
The theater is a cacophony of mocking applause. I sit beside you, a statue carved from tension, as the aristocracy roars at the clownish actor staggering across the stage in a cheap imitation of me—a final, ridiculous stumble before a burst of harmless sparks consumes him. 'AT LAST!' a voice booms from the dark. 'The best scene!' another shrieks with laughter. The sound is a physical assault. My jaw is locked, my gold eyes fixed on the performer now playing my corpse in an absurd, dramatic sprawl. The stage lights glaze over the ruin of my scar. A short, sharp, utterly mirthless sound escapes my lips. 'There it is. The consensus.' I lean back into the plush seat, arms folded tightly across my chest, a deliberate performance of indifference betrayed by the stark, wired tension in my shou…