Once Around The Sun

by Eleventy7

Later, Katara can see how it all fell apart. Azula in her cell, growing roses; Zuko surrounded by enemies, slowly dying; their friends in the Earth Kingdom, safely escaping. And herself at the centre of it, saving lives and breaking promises. Set after finale, eventual Zutara.


original from AO3. All rights reserved to eleventy7.

cover: aarensara on tumblr

Genres: Fan Fiction

328 pages, ebook

Published December 7, 2013

Reviews

[birdie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS SHOULD BE CANON!!!

[bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is real literature. they’ll be teaching this in schools in a couple of years just watch☝🏼

[misha]

look away i’m going through something

[Imara Gerber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

I found this a cute, fun and slowburn zutara fic.
I liked the politics in here and truly loved the mental illness representation.
I still would've loved to see more of Zuko and Katara’s relationship when they're together though.

[Jihansa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was honestly surprised to see this here. I want to save my biggest praise as a comment on the actual fic itself, but I want to say that even if you aren't an avid shipper of Zutara, this fic still contains amazing writing, characterisation and development that I think any Avatar fan would enjoy. Azula's story broke me and I think the author perfectly captured the relationship between her and Zuko and what Zuko felt about her. There was the resentment from the years she hurt him, but also the underlying love and sadness he felt for her, and it was very evident in the way he behaved whenever Katara brought her up. I also loved the way the author explored Katara and Azula's relationship and the way it haunted Katara that she and Azula were so alike in many ways and she tried so hard to be kind to her. As for Zuko and Katara, I think they were written perfectly. They had a build-up to their romance that was the pinnacle of all slow burns and it wasn't anything flashy or super passionate. It was just really sweet and fluffy and just. Aaaa!
This is just expert writing.

[kitchen ☺︎︎]

this is my favorite fic of all time and it was nostalgic reading it again after so many years! genuinely still so moving, enjoyable and emotional. azula’s story is so heartbreaking but in a good way.

[Libra · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded. Love this piece.

[han · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the zk bible idc

[Franciska Szalai · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so boring and maybe I skipped a few lines (I did - I scanned through half of it because it was only about driving the ship and playing Pai Sho), but I didn’t see the build up of Katara’s and Zuko’s love and affection for each other? Especially Zuko’s? Like he was just “ok we together.”

The author was excellent on mental illness and newly introduced nation rituals, but it was super boring, sorry.

[madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was very long and very sweet but did not fulfill all my zutara hopes and dreams

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The payoff was a let down after the chapters upon chapters of NOTHING.

Still, it was decent and I had fun. I’m telling myself this is, indeed, book four and all of these events are true GOODNIGHT.

[zubia · Rating 5 out of 5]

zk u will always be famous

[Soula · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐
Really good writing - felt like a continuation of the series and a the characters were true to their original base characters.
The story was a little too slow in the beginning and the traveling dragged a bit, but it was also vital to build the relationships, so I understand.
I love how the relationship between Zuko and Katara was realistically built over time through trust and friendship but I really wish there was more romance once they finally got together. As an avid romance reader, I really needed more descriptions of their physical romance once they finally became a couple (not smut, just more depth than, "they kissed" end scene). In this sense, the romance writing felt meant for a juvenile audience which isn't fair considering that the Azula bits were definitely for a mature audience. So yeah. As an adult, her behavior and unraveling of her mind was unnerving and creepy (it legit kept me up at night).
Lastly, the only thing I felt that was lacking was the ending - the story was already so long, why not spend more time showing us how Katara melded into the role of Fire Nation royalty after she and Zuko become an official couple? I would have really liked to see that in addition to her work on the justice system.
Overall, really good fanfic that I just wish had more.

[winterbear · Rating 5 out of 5]

i usually don’t track fics here bc i go through them quicker but i know i’m gonna be so hung up over this for days so 😭
i read this back when i was like 13 and while i loved the plot, i dont think i really got to appreciate how good the writing was too. i’m over 20 now and re-reading because a twitter post led me back down the zutara rabbithole, and my god this was so beautiful.

the plot, writing style, character building were all very beautifully done. the flow was also so good there’s no huge disparity from the series, the themes are just too dark for a kids show but my god in my heart this is canon.

i’ll admit this isn’t my go-to if i need cute fluffy scenes to make up for the lack of it in the series. also not my go-to when i’m angry and frustrated at how katara ended up in LoK because she’s STILL a badass mf here but it also doesnt focus on that. but i swear this fic is for sure what i come back to whenever i remember what happened in the last 20 minutes of sozins comet.

i think what i loved most about this fic and why i go so hard for it is how it portrays azula’s character and how zuko and katara grow and heal as the two characters who i’d argue had the heaviest burdens and responsibilities throughout the series.

++ also loved how this doesnt demonize aang and mai btw

[Kenzie Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suchhhh a slow burn but it’s fine bc it felt so true to the characters 🖤 I only wish we got more Zutara content after they were finally together bc they get together at the very very end & then it’s over 💔 anyway I love reading fanfiction at age 25 this is so fun

[Ronan Omarrio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avatar the last Airbender komik

[Aleera Jinx]

I can not find it anywhere to to read? None of the links take me to the story. Where can I find it ?

[Tena · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? Zutara fanfiction is great.

[julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

“somewhere, between sky and sea, she fell in love.”

[Yeyrsoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece😭

[Tanishka Tambe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so I know this is fan fiction but OH MY GOD ITS SO GOOD. The characters just felt so goddam human and I love love loved it.

[bear678 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing, i had some fun but things were happening and there wasnt really a Point to them so much

[Hallie Rodgers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story but did not scratch the itch like I wanted it to

[louisxyz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 5 star read is for the original version of this story. I do not hate or dislike the new version whatsoever, I just liked the previous one better. The old Aang is not OOC; I genuinely think he would act the way he did in the original version given the circumstances. Furthermore, there is a little scene that got deleted in this new version and it is actually an insignificant yet a favorite of mine so I am a bit bitter about it. Nevertheless, this fic will forever remain as one of the best reads in my life. Kudos for the author who have created such an intricate and beautiful work.

Edited:
If I had to rate the new version, I’d probably give it 4.3⭐️. It really is a great read, albeit the edited parts.

[Rayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relapsing into my Zutara phase… I will never forgive the writer of Avatar for not making them canon

[Sara]

4.25

[Red_Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided this is my headcanon