*whump wheel ask* also id like to say that it won't be awful because your writing is amazing (unless you meant in a subject matter way in which case I think we all enjoy that)

for the pairing maybe sokkla if you write for that, or if not zukka everybody loves zukka

Whumpwheelwhumpwheelwhumpwheel yayyyy! You got it!! The whump wheel is my favorite kind of wheel!!

I tried to do something with sokkla for this at first but really im just not familiar enough with the dynamic to write it well so uh... here's some zukka whump!!

Also I 100% appreciate the compliment but yes I absolutely mean in a subject manner way. I love to write and read awful whump

Send me a 💀 and a character/pairing and I will spin the whump wheel and write you something awful!

The wheel has selected: Blinded!

I'm so sorry in advance

[okay yeah so this is basically Dead Dove Do Not Eat. I'm just gonna tell you now this is a lead-up to a canonical Major Character Death, though I don't write the death here.

TW: Graphic injury, TW: mention of vomiting, CW: Divorced Zukka, TW: Mentions of torture ]

Zuko spat blood, hoping Sokka wouldn't hear, and that he also hadn't heard the wet cough bubbling up in his throat since he'd been returned to their cell from his most recent interrogation.

The Red Lotus was playing games with them, and he was tired of it. And he wasn't as young as he once was- he really didn't know how much more of this he could take.

"Talk to me, Zuko..." Sokka's voice came from across the cell, weaker than it had been even a few hours ago.

The conversations had been their only line of communication, their only line to sanity for the past however many days they'd been locked up down here like animals.

They'd both awoken blindfolded (Zuko's blindfold was just an eyepatch over his right eye, which he knew was meant to humiliate him, but frankly made no practical difference- it was too dark in here to see anything out of his bad eye anyway) and chained to opposite walls, hands behind their backs for maximum discomfort.

Zuko's ankles were also shackled to keep him from bending. He could still breathe fire from his mouth, but he'd already discovered it was no help in escaping, and only served to anger the powerful benders that were holding them.

He thought about how to answer Sokka's question. The good news was that their blindfolds saved them from having to see each other's injuries, and Zuko knew Sokka was lying to downplay the effects of his torture just as much as Zuko was to him.

"It wasn't that bad this time," he tried to keep his breathing steady and voice even to suggest that more than half of his ribs were not in fact broken, and that none of them had pierced a lung, "More of the same... They just kept asking me where the Avatar is... I told them I've been finding creative answers to that question for over fifty years now... and they ought to try something new." He didn't tell Sokka that they had tried something new, and he'd paid the price with his flesh.

It would all be worth it, Zuko knew, now that young Korra was safe and the Red Lotus couldn't get to her. He'd promised Aang before he died that he'd keep her safe- they all had- and his life meant nothing next to that.

And with any luck, Tonraq and Tenzin would be here to rescue them any time now.

Zuko had lived a full life, and he was prepared to sacrifice it- but he wished his torturers would hurry up because he really didn't know how much more pain he could take.

He'd lived a full life, and he wasn't nearly as young as he once had been.

The biggest torture of all was sharing this cell with Sokka. Sure, things hadn't worked out between them, but Sokka would always be the love of Zuko's life, and it ripped him apart that he could only guess as to what had been done to him.

Zuko had suffered here, yes. Neither of them had been fed their entire time here. The only reason he hadn't died from blood loss was the bastards kept cauterizing his wounds. The only chance he had to drink water was in the icy tub he was constantly held down in. The only reason his heart didn't give out completely during any of the torture sessions was because Ming Hua was there to bring him back every time.

But it was nothing compared to what he could only guess Sokka had been through.

Sokka had admitted to a nasty head wound- Zuko could confirm that based on how lost and confused he'd sounded this whole time (Agni, he just wished he could hold him) and how he had repeatedly vomitted when there had still been anything in his stomach to throw up. He'd said they'd broken his legs, both of them, and burned his skin (just a little, he'd said, but Zuko could tell by the severity of his fever that it was more than just a little).

Whatever they'd done to him most recently worried Zuko the most. Sokka wouldn't talk about it, but he'd come back with his spirit broken. The deadness in the man's voice made Zuko's skin crawl, and knowing it had once been full of so much life, and remembering the moments he'd shared with that voice and that spirit... It was almost too much for Zuko to bear.

Sokka swore to Zuko he hadn't told the Red Lotus anything, and Zuko believed him, but that worried him more.

The cell door creaked open. Zuko hated that his first instinct was to make himself as small as he could, almost invisible, like a kid again.

It was too soon.

It would be Sokka's turn now, and Zuko didn't know if he had enough strength left to survive.

Or if Zuko had enough strength left to lose him.

He jumped when he felt a rough hand brush against his face, tearing off the eyepatch. He blinked up to see P'Li standing over him. She reached down and unchained his hands from the wall. Zuko just looked up at her in confusion, not enough strength left to figure out what this meant. This hadn't happened before.

The expression on her face was not kind.

"Say goodbye to your friend," she said, "It's his turn next and Zaheer's decided we only need one of you alive."

It took an embarrassingly long time for Zuko to comprehend her words, but when he did he filled with rage. He tapped into new reserve of strength he didn't know he'd had left and lunged for the combustion bender with a roar.

She didn't even flinch, just reached out and shoved him hard, causing him to fall hard back onto his back, sending him into another agonizing fit of wet coughs.

"You have ten minutes. Pathetic old man..." She was already outside the cell, locking the door behind her without a look back.

Zuko blinked the stars out of his eyes and slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position. It registered to him that he hadn't heard a sound from Sokka this whole time. Did they already-?

He whirled around to find Sokka's familiar form slumped over across the cell. Slowly, painfully, Zuko crawled over to his side.

Tears filled his eyes instantly as he took in the sight of his dear friend. If it weren't for the groan coming from Sokka's lips as Zuko laid a trembling hand on his shoulder, Zuko would be sure the man was already dead.

The first thing he noticed was that Sokka had been more honest about his injuries than he'd expected. But he'd downplayed them tremendously.

His legs were broken, but crushed would be a more apt descriptor. He had been burned, badly. Repeatedly and nonstop, it seemed, with a fire whip, all over his body. He was covered in blood from various injuries, and his head wound-

Zuko choked back a sob.

"Agni, Sokka, your eyes..."

"My eyes...?" Sokka slurred. Zuko moved his hands to cradle the man's face. Sokka flinched but then leaned into the touch, "Zu, that you...? ...Feel like shit, can't see. Help me take this blindfold off?"

Zuko sobbed again.

Sokka wasn't wearing a blindfold.

Those bastards, those... savages... had burned out Sokka's eyes. His beautiful, blue, kind, Sokka eyes... and they'd fucked him up too much for him to even realize it.

"D... don't worry about it, babe. It's... real dark in here anyway..." Zuko tried to keep his voice steady for Sokka, for their last moments together. There was no way out- Zuko knew this was the end. "Can... can I hold you?"

Sokka grunted in affirmation and Zuko tried very, very carefully to arrange their bodies in the way that brought them both the least amount of pain. Eventually, he'd managed to pull Sokka up into his lap (difficult, with Sokka's hands still chained) and bring his arms around him.

Still, it had left Zuko out of breath, head spinning, and Sokka had screamed and gone limp.

"...Don't worry about it..." came Sokka's voice eventually, already prepared for the apology on Zuko's lips, "...This is nice... Like old times..."

His body burned from fever and Zuko didn't know how much longer he would last even if he wasn't about to be tortured to death.

Zuko felt so, so sick...

"Sokka... Do you... know what's happening?"

Sokka chuckled dryly and nodded, " 'S about time, don't you think? I've been dying for days now..."

Zuko's throat tightened. Normally, he'd shout at Sokka for being so morbid, but he didn't say anything. It was the truth, after all.

"I always loved you, you know? Even though we... it couldn't be perfect..." Sokka's voice was stronger now, like he knew this was their last chance to have this conversation.

They were both sobbing.

"Sokka, I'm... so sorry for everything... But it was so good while it lasted..." Zuko pulled him tighter, as tight as he could without hurting too much, and wished he could just never let go, "And I'm so sorry I've failed you. I'm not... strong enough to fight them off when they come for you..."

"You didn't fail. We saved Korra. That's what matters. Just.... Take care of Katara? And Izumi... Maybe I'll see you soon?"

Zuko couldn't help but to laugh through his tears. He really did wish they were going to their deaths together. That would be the only real way for this to end.

Sokka shifted his head in the darkness, turning toward Zuko, searching. Zuko met Sokka's lips with his own and they shared one long, desperate, overdue final kiss.

It was salty and bloody and full of decades of things left unsaid, of decades of love and pain and the lost opportunity to grow old together.

And when it ended, they knew there was nothing else need be said.

"Just hold me," Sokka said.

And Zuko did until the very last.

[parallel originally pointed out here]

it goes back to book one the way aang, katara, and zuko are set up to be the main thematic triad of the show, all three of them sharing the qualities of being idealists at heart, generally guided by a strict moral code they impose upon themselves, impulsively heroic at times to the point of naivety, and the belief that they have a great destiny to fulfill, for better or for worse. all of them have a certain legacy, a certain chosen one-ness to them, whether they are aware of the fact the entire time — aang as the avatar and the last airbender; katara as the last southern waterbender — or they have an idea, but aren't aware of the full picture until later on — zuko's legacy from both sozin and roku.

a triad is, of course, not made out of the dynamic of three characters together, but rather the individual pairs, then the function them three manage to balance out. in other words, it does not work like a/b/c but rather a&b / a&c / b&c. aang and zuko share, among many others, the weight of a crucial mistake they made in the past and are desperately trying to fix — mistake that, eventually, leads them to fully become the person they were meant to be; the meaning of identity as what you choose to be every day. zuko and katara share the most intense part of the triad — the rage and grief and anger, as well as the faith, hope, willingness and passion that comes with being a hero; they are the emotional fuel, the drive. aang and katara share the most intimate part of the story; of being a child, and a victim, and standing up despite and maybe because of this — both child survivors of genocide, finding solace in each other as each other's first and best friend, and as a grounding prescence in the midset of the cruel reality of war. when all three different dynamics are combined, you finally get the thematic triad — the three characters that embody the themes and values the show intends to portray and represent. the three of them are indoubtedly the heart of the show, and this is made clear throughout the entire first season. katara as the narrator of the story, aang as the protagonist, zuko as the deuteragonist (as well as antagonist, but in terms of primary titles the deuteragonist always comes first.) they are the most important characters, the basis for every other character that comes after, etc etc.

then there's sokka.

i like to think of sokka as the fourth part of the thematic triangle. he is not essential in the way aang, katara, and zuko are in theory, but he is still immediately established as a main character throughout the first book and accordingly developed in later books 2 and 3. and it works wonders, because while sokka's designated role of the comedic relief character would generally be considered enough to make him a main character, sokka is everything aang, katara, and zuko are not. i'd go as far as to say his entire character is contructed this way.

where aang and katara and zuko are idealists at heart, sokka's pessimism/skepticism is able to protect them from a possible threat their story-structured minds might have not been able to predict, for it might not fit the narrative they construct as it fits the reality of disaster that sokka is very much aware of — which is not to say that aang, katara, and zuko do not know the harsh realities of war, two of them being genocide victims and one of them being pretty much a war veteran, but merely to point out that they believe that somehow, everything will turn out exactly as it has to be above all, while sokka... doesn't, and he approaches every situation as such.

where aang, katara, and zuko are all some sort of chosen one and often act and think according to it, sokka does not have a great destiny to fulfill nor he believes in destiny as a concept. sokka is — self-admittedly — just some guy. the avatar's friend, the last southern waterbender's brother, the son of the chief, etc etc. his strength comes from his unique way of approaching things, his creativity and intelligence and most of all his identity as fundamentally, no one. sokka grew up to believe he was disposable in comparison and he actively worked — possibly even unconsciously — to be important, to be valuable, to be necessary. he was not born great, but achieved greatness, as one might say. the weight of being no one and having to work to become somebody contrasts beautifully with aang's and katara's and zuko's and even toph's inherent specialness, especially mixing up with aang's and zuko's concept of becoming who you are meant to be because of your choices.

where aang and zuko value human life above all else, and katara will never turn her back on people who need her, sokka is never afraid to get a little dirty when he wants things to go his way, or when there's simply more important things for him to worry about. sokka has what i like to call the practical murder syndrome, not necessarily as murder — though he does quite a lot of those and is willing to let zuko, ultimate deuteragonist extraordinarie, die in a blizzard, simply because it's convenient for them at the moment — but also as the way he's not willing to go out of his way to help every wretched village they come into contact with (see: the painted lady). sokka has his moral code, surely, and he has his limits, but while aang's morals, katara's morals, zuko's morals persist through war, pain, and punishment, sokka's morals are shaped by these concepts. this brings a certain balance to the text, to the group dynamic of the gaang, to the main cast in general, and it helps broadening the audience's perception and objectiveness as well. (see: katara is the narrator, and we mostly perceive the first part of the show and most of her relationship with sokka solely through her lens, but in reality sokka was more right than wrong, and that doesn't mean katara was wrong, either. once you watch the show twice, thrice, and you begin watching it objectively, sokka's motivations and general characterization becomes clearer, and makes more sense, despite opposing katara's point of view in so many ways.)

finally, where aang and katara and zuko are impulsively heroic, sokka is a chronic planner and organizer — while katara and aang are focused on fighting the firelord as an idea, sokka worries about how they will fight the firelord, and plans an entire invasion to give aang the window of opportunity to strike the final blow. while aang wants to fight off the fire nation as his duty as the avatar asks of him, sokka knows he's in no condition to fight, and in any case, there's still no need for him to waste his energies in a fight just yet. while katara wants to help people and fight for what's right, sokka needs to remain focused on the big picture, and when this doesn't do anything for katara's heroic nature, sokka offers an elaborate plan to make katara's bringing-of-justice as doable and safe as possible, for everyone involved. while zuko wants to defend his people against the injustices he knows he could have committed in another time, as his first instinct is always help them out, it's always this isn't fair, they deserve better than this, exactly the way he did it when he spoke against the massacre of the 41st division, sokka has to physically restrain him from making the same mistake zuko made at thirteen. because it's not that sokka cares less, but he knows when to care, and the way to do so as safe as possible — sokka is always planning things ahead, one might even say he overthinks, because albeit with a good reason, sokka is, at heart, kind of a coward. he's always tiptoeing between logic and reason, and outright paranoia. he is right to be a coward most of the time, because he knows bravery is a privilege, bravery comes with a price. he is right to be a coward because aang, katara, and zuko are not, and they are right, too.

sokka manages to perfectly balance the thematic triad of the show and its individual double dynamics possibly accidentally and on his own, giving the show its own taste of sokka's arc of broadening perspectives about the world and the people in it. the same way sokka is able to offer the logic and reason heroism often lacks when needed, aang and katara and zuko's idealism and heroism affects sokka in its own way, helping him to let go of this self-critical overthinker who often commits self-sabotage, to become some sort of unconventional hero himself — achieving this balance, undoubtedly makes sokka the fourth part of the thematic triangle.

GOOODDDD MORRNNNNIINNNGGGGG SUU 💛

I am here for your essay. Or yknow, just any dunebaby facts that you can spare.

*heavy breathing* oh no, she's come for my OCs exactly like she said she would.

lolol Ok, I've got bios on 9 out of 10 of my kids so far, but I wrote a quick blurb about them so hopefully you can't figure out who I didn't start until now lol. The older 4 (which 3/4 are legit characters in LOK, but tweaked to my liking) are grown-ass adults while the other 6 are probably between 14-21. So, our beloved Taang parents have been popping kids out from when they were 18 or 19 to 39 or 40 years old.

At some point I'll make a family tree for you, since most of the older dunebabies have their own families and that can be confusing. Some have more information than others, but more will be added on each of them as time goes on. I just haven't figured them out yet.

Also, gonna put a cut here, because it's a long post and I know not everyone wants to see my OCs lol.

Ok Onto the Dunebabies from oldest to youngest:

Gyatso (M) Airbender, 35: Named after Aang’s father figure, Gyatso is Toph and Aang’s first born and first of several airbending children. He has a knack for the art and excelled quickly with mastering it, narrowly falling short of beating Aang’s record of mastering airbending at 13. As he got older and his parents continued having children, he became like a father figure to the younger ones. That’s the best part about having tons of kids, right? At some point the older ones raise the younger ones and the parents can just have fun. Once Tiao Wu turned 13, Gyatso and his own wife, boyfriend, and kids moved away from home and resided in the Western Air Temple with some Air Acolytes.

Lin (F) Earthbender, 32: Lin is a straight arrow, always following the rules. Sometimes Toph’s jokes that her first born daughter is actually Katara’s because wasn’t as goofy as Gyatso and Tenzin. As kids, Lin and Tenzin butted heads like no other. They may have had a year or two when they got along, but that was when Lin was training to be a police officer and Tenzin was always out because he was dating Pema. They constantly bicker at family gatherings, but make a mean team when they spar against the other next gen kids. Their twin telepathy (yes, they are twins in my universe) comes into play and they are undefeatable. That is until the triplets becomes masters in their own right. While Lin is a talented earthbender and metalbender, she struggled with picking it up (perhaps because of Toph’s hardcore teaching style). She responded to a “more gentle approach” as Katara would say, and Aang helped her learn the basics until she was ready to take on Toph’s more intense lessons. Lin is definitely closer with Aang than she is with Toph, but goes to mom if something needs to be done quickly and under wraps. Lin works long hours as chief of the police force in republic city, so she doesn’t have much time for romance. When she finds a spare moment for intimacy, she frequents a bar that accepts everyone. She brought Songa with her before her little sis fell in love with (insert steambaby daughter name here).

Tenzin (M) Airbender, 32: Tbh Tenzin still marries Pema and has his four kids, like in LOK. Lol. Unlike the show, with the weight of the whole air nation not on his shoulders, Tenzin was not a serious kid. He played pai sho with the white lotus members and roughed it up with Lin. Tenzin had a difficult time mastering airbending, though. He lacked the spiritual connection that his father and brother easily had. He blamed being stuck with an earthbender in the womb for 9 months at his lack of skill with airbending. His masters airbending at 21 and is pumped to finally get his tattoos. Since Pema is an air acolyte, I'm saying that her parents were also acolytes, and she and Tenzin met as kids and got along really well. They started dating at 16. Tenzin wanted to wait to get his arrows before proposing to her, so they date for 5 long years as Pema cheered him on in the grueling training. Tenzin and Pema eventually move to the Northern Air Temple and kept Teo company.

Suyin (F) Earthbender, 26: Suyin was a troublemaker when she was a kid, always pranking her siblings. She spent way too much time with Sokka. At least that’s what Toph says. Her teenage years, that’s when things became dicey. With Lin on the streets as a cop and Su committing petty crimes, the two were bound to cross paths. After Lin brought her in for whay must have been the thousandth time and Toph had to bail her out, Toph sent her to the her old stomping ground: the Earth Rumble 6. Toph still had her ear in the stadium and stayed in touch with The Boulder, and she thought it’d do her some good to get beat up by other earthbenders. Su stayed with her grandparents and got the structure she needed and got her act together. She got pounded by her opponents the first few years, but she slowly moved her way up the food chain and eventually held her mother’s old title as champion. Once she turned 18, she left to travel the world, meeting up with Kya (can't decide if Kya will be a steambaby or a Sukka baby. Is there a cut name for Sukka babies?). Along the way she met Bataar and fell in love with him and together build zaofu and have all their kids from LOK.

Songa (F) Airbender, 21: The oldest of the triplets to be born. Songa is a calm spirit, she reminds Aang of Yangchen with her way of keeping the peace in their large family. She’s a true romantic like her father and catches the attention of a lot of men, but alas, her heart is won over by one of Katara and Zuko’s daughters, (insert steambaby name here lol). She sees the best in everyone and trusts a little too easily. Watch out though, if you get on her bad side or betray her trust one too many times, her mother’s sass and tongue come out and no one wants to be hit by her earthbending styled airbending. Songa is a talented bender and has a tendency to use her airbending like an earthbender, facing things head on. She can seemlessly switch between styles, but she'd prefer to take her opponents on directly.

Kera (F) Nonbender, 21: Kera is the heart of the triplets. She’s passionate like a firebender and meets conflict head-on like her mom. Being the first non-bender didn’t feel great coming from the lineage of the Avatar and Toph Beifond, strongest earthbender in the world and metalbender originator, but she found peace in being a non-bender when hearing all the stories of Sokka, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee, Teo, and their many other friends taking down bender and non-benders alike. Kera begged her parents to live in the Fire Nation to study under Mai and Ty Lee. Aang and Toph didn’t have any problems with her going, but Zuko and Katara did, fearing she (being a dunebaby) would cause mayhem in the palace. Only after swearing to Zuko that she wouldn’t make a mess did the Fire Lord allow her stay with them. During her time there, she mastered Mai and Ty Lee’s techniques and trained under the Yuyan archers. When she came home, she could beat the other two thirds of her triplets easily. Only when she teams up with the other two, can they take down Lin and Tenzin.

Choekyi (M) Airbender, 21: The last of the triplets to come be birthed. Choekyi is a free spirit, much like his father. He enjoys traveling and meeting new people. As a child (and an adult) he is easily excited and is a very charismatic guy, which gets him far with the ladies in his teens and early twenties. He’s never scared of trying new things, sometimes to his detriment, as he gets hurt a lot for someone light on his toes. His preferred method of transportation is air scooter. Choekyi gets along with Uncle Sokka the most, with his never ending jokes and letting him learn how to throw a boomerang even though he’s a bender. Choekyi spends some time in the swamp with the swamp benders just because he finds them to be hilarious and interesting. This is where he connects with his spirituality and returns to excel in airbending, and earns his tattoos.

Songa and Kera are idenitcal twins, so no one (beside Toph and Choekyi) can tell them apart until Songa earns her arrows. Choekyi looks similar to them, as he is their triplet, but since he came from a different egg, he turns out to be much taller than his sisters. Just imagine Toph's face when she feels three freakin' heartbeats along with hers. Idk if that's scientifically sound, but it's my universe, so I can say what I want lol.

Gyun (M) Nonbender, 18: He's a very musical guy. Gyun means music, but it can also mean germ or bacteria. So his older siblings make fun of him when he’s young. While his bending siblings practice and spar, he masters most musical instruments and even becomes a skilled singer. He’s a favorite of Uncle Iroh’s and spends time with him playing music and perfecting his tea making when he’s not training with Master Piandao and mastering different types of sword fighting styles. Gyun is a lover, not a fighter, and is recruited as the youngest member of the national opera company. He rises in fame, without having to reveal his high ranking connections to his family members. Gyun is a true renaissance man (you know if the renaissance existed back then). He looks up to all of his siblings and soaks in all the stories and advice his can get to perfect the art of storytelling and acting.

MeiLin (F) Nonbender, 17: MeiLin may be one of the youngest, but she’s definitely the sassiest of the bunch. With the personality like her mother, it’s no wonder she’s a bosslady even from a young age. She doesn’t take shit from anyone. While she’s the beauty of the dunebabies (but who really isn’t attractive in this family?) and can hold her poise better than any royal, from the tender age of three, she’s wanted to become the fiercest fighter in the world. After a lot of convincing, Toph and Aang let her train with Aunt Suki and learn how to fight like a Kyoshi Warrior. After she masters that, She begs her parents to send her to the Fire Nation to study under Mai and Ty Lee. By the time she’s 14, she’s already mastered the art of dagger throwing, chi blocking, and the Kyoshi warriors fighting style. Aang isn’t too pleased that she fights in tournaments like Toph did, but Toph watches every match she can get! MeiLin asks her to bet on her and they split the wealth at the end. Lin wants her youngest sister to join the police force when she turns 18, but MeiLin isn't sure she wants to enforce the law like Lin.

Tiao Wu (M) Earthbender, 14: The baby of the family, and loves it. Unlike MeiLin, Tiao Wu is a homebody and a huge mama’s boy, though really isn’t a mama’s boy in the Beifong Family? Like his name suggests, he’s a great dancer and for an earthbender, he sure is light on his toes. While Gyatso is called Twinkletoes Jr, Tiao Wu is known as the Fancy Dancer. Literally. That’s the stage name he chose for his bending dance competitions. When he’s not dancing or hanging out with Toph, he’s studying his cousin’s bending forms, wanting to incorporate it into his repertoire. Tiao Wu is also close to Aang, as he showed an early talent to be one with the spirits. As a six year old, he would meditate next to Aang and beat the freakin’ Avatar, master of all four elements and bridge between the physical and spiritual world, to the Spirit World. He’s also known to be the only human who is allowed to visit Wong Si Tong’s library there.

ALRIGHT Joy, here are some basic facts about my dunebabies universe. If you or anyone else wants to send me asks so I can more deeply construct their personalities, feel free!

Does zukka fit a flower shop/tattoo shop trope? No, absolutely not. Am I writing head canons for it anyway? Yes, because I want to, and I said so, so I’ll make this work

-zuko loves the arts. Has loved the arts since he was young. He passion starts in the theater, and that’s where he starts to branch out

-maybe, just maybe, he leans away from theater a little bit because of his dad

-he doesn’t really talk about it, but he knows that he ended up going into his field because it was a little bit more masculine

-it takes a couple of years and a lot of therapy for him to separate his history with his dad from the work he very much loves to do, even if he started for all the wrong reasons

-but he’s good at it

-he’s a really good fucking tattoo artist

-zuko does almost exclusively in blackwork

-on occasion he does spot color, and ok of course his signature spot color is red, because its BOLD

-but he really really loves blackwork

-there’s a flower shop on the same block as the shop he works at

-but lets get this straight sokka absolutely does not own this flower shop

-aang does. Sweet sweet aang, who’s a vegetarian, who gifts his beautiful girlfriend katara flowers every other week despite the fact that its literally from his work

-katara loves it no I do not take criticism

-sokka just likes to stop by to bully aang hang out

-a lot

-its also because katara hangs out there so often and sokka just really loves his sister okay

-plus sometimes he brings his work (he’s an engineer, what a smart boy) and works in the back room, paperwork and math and all the administrative stuff

-there’s a little restaurant around the corner that the gaang goes to all the time, its cozy and warm and they don’t mind when their group gets a little too rowdy because they’re nice and they tip as best as they can for young adults in these trying times

-anyway every single person in the goddamn world works on this street okay

-yes this restaurant is iroh’s. We like it that way

-iroh is very nice to them and they are very nice back

-zuko does live in the area but come on, cities are big, you don’t run into people you know ALL the time

-even when they hang out at your uncle’s restaurant all the time

-zuko also has weird hours. He kinda sets up his own schedule, especially around his clients appointments

-but one day zuko is at the shop and a client is a no show, which always sucks even though he has their security deposit, so instead of sulking and going all the way home, he grabs his bag and heads to iroh’s

-settles down in a corner there, out of the way, with a sketchbook and headphones in so he can work on a flash sheet

-his uncles presence is warm and inviting just like his restaurant and zuko feels better just for being there

-and then, even over his music, he hears someone go “hey! He did my tattoos!”

-and zuko looks up to see the gaang, only one of which he recognizes - ya know, cuz you kinda don’t forget doing a massive body-scale blue arrow tattoo?

-and aang didn’t really intend for it to become anything, he was just excited, but zuko also isn’t sure because he’s awkward so he does say hi

-and the gang just kind of hovers over his flash sheet for a while and invites him in and somehow he ends up at their usual table

-(maybe its because he’s AT their usual table, he realizes. Small world, everyone wants the corner)

-now let’s not forget

-sokka is a bisexual disaster

-zuko is beautiful and sokka kinda wants to hate him for it? He doesn’t but he would love to

-also he doesn’t see any tattoos on zuko so he’s skeptical like aang are you SURE you didn’t hit your head

-toph is delighted no I did not forget her she just is too good of a character for me to write her justly

-but anyway she punches sokka (with affection) any time he voices too much skepticism

-on a different day, sokka goes in to zuko’s shop, because he’s around and he wants to see it for himself

-he isn’t allowed to watch zuko work of course, but he does get to watch zuko come out with a finished client and take some pictures of it

-it’s very impressive, and okay, maybe he DID do gang’s tattoos

-which just means sokka is smitten

-zuko is also smitten do not worry. They are both disasters

-zuko gets adopted into the gaang and they start to hang out. Their shops are so close, they love iroh, their ages are similar, and they get along after enough time. Its nice. Zuko likes it

-one day it rains, and gets really humid, and its fucking hot. So zuko finally takes off that dumb beat up leather jacket he always wears, only this time its not covering a long sleeves shirt, he’s wearing a tank top

-and sokka takes it back because zuko not only has tattoos, but they WORK for him

-zuko doesn’t have any shitty tattoos, because he spent so long dreaming of the theater and thinking that he couldn’t have tattoos if he ever wanted to be on stage, that by the time he finally acknowledged that his dreams had changed, he was working with and around tattoo artists and could afford to jump straight to full on intricate sleeves that took several sessions each

-it is the only good thing his father has ever given him. Jk he doesn’t credit his father for shit and somewhere in this universe there is room for his father to go to jail. Its already happened, and he’s sure he’ll have to tell his new friends at some point, but not now. He doesn’t wanna

-anyway his tattoos are beautiful. And all botanical

-they all have little scientific names nestles between the branches and stems, it dips below his clothes line, but they’re gorgeous

-pretty much everyone wonders why the fuck he doesn’t show them off, but he shrugs

-“I do, just not. here.”

-he likes to be recognized for his OWN work on his street, by his shop. Not for the work that’s on him

-aang is very excited and begs him in that way where you don’t REALLY have the option to say no to come look at his flower shop

-zuko does, its very pretty

-sokka pays attention to all the flowers and colors he likes

-color was hard. Zuko only does blackwork, how is he supposed to know which color flowers to give him?

-if he ever asks zuko out. Which he’s gonna at some point, because aang may be happily oblivious (or is that just his own way of playing the game? Sokka never knows) but katara is onto him and he has a limited amount of time to ask before katara does it from him

-they meet at the shop, the whole gaang, but this time everyone shuffles out early to leave the two dumb boys alone, and sokka asks to walk zuko home

-“idiot! You’re supposed to take him OUT not HOME”

-but the walk is nice and sweet and then, sadly, too short

-but sokka does make it a habit

-eventually he gives zuko a package and dashes away after their walk

-its a picture frame, with a bunch of pressed flowers, collaged in with snippets of poetry. zuko can tell they’re from different books, because the sizes and kerning and fonts are all different, and that’s a nice touch of detail

-when he looks them up, he finds a couple of them are from plays, not poetry books, and he binges the plays

-it also comes with a note from sokka that says “you get what I’m saying, so just. Text me if you wanna talk about it”

-he does text sokka

-they go out on a very nice date to a restaurant that ISNT owned by zuko’s uncle, and then go out on many more dates after that

-aang is always happy to give sokka discounts on flowers. sokka’s favorite thing to do is (have aang) make bouquets up of the flowers zuko has tattooed

-(Occasionally, when he gets The Zuko Bouquet, he tells aang a new flower to add to it. aang doesn’t ask, but he does smile. He’s very happy for sokka)

-(turns out zuko’s entire back is covered in tattoos too. sokka is going to lose his mind)

zuko is also my favorite! hehe his arc is just *chefs kiss*. sokka and toph are close seconds. i could also talk about the series for hours. but omg i have the kyoshi books and comics! also the legacy books hehe

AND OKAY HEAR ME OUT. AN ATLA AU WITH THE TR CHARACTERS (i may or may not have something up my sleeve)

YES HIS REDEMPTION ARC IS WHAT MADE ME LOVE HIM SO MUCH 😩😩 I was so proud of him <333 he deserves the entire world tbh <33 MY BOY SOKKAAAA please I also love him so much, so many of his one liners rattle in my brain constantly HISHSJ. OMGGG bruh it is so nice to know someone else with all the extra lore 😩 I went into great detail explaining it to some other friends and they all looked at me like 🧐🧐

NOOO WAY— A TR AU?? AYO I NEED YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT RN PLEASE LEMME HEAR YOUR TAKES- if you’re posting it, tag me, please on god. I think it would be so interesting to compare and contrast the characters.

For Want of a New Beginning

Summary: A year after the War, Iroh has returned to Ba Sing Se to re-open the Jasmin Dragon. Late one evening he receives some unexpected visitors. 

Pairings: read to find out :P

warnings: a character disappearance is mentioned but other than that not really anything else honestly

cross posted to: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12516836

Shadows fell over Ba Sing Se in peace. After enduring three sieges over the course of the Hundred Years War, the damage was extensive but after the past year much was repaired, and life had gone back to normal. Most of the rest of the world was recovering as well. Zuko was crowned Fire Lord and his bride, Katara, had given birth to Crown Princess Izumi. Aang was travelling with his partner Toph Beiphong attempting to heal the hurts of the war. Suki and Ty Lee were guarding the Fire Lord with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors. For most the peace was a victory. For Aang and his friends it was bitter sweet. When Zuko and Katara lead the raid on Boiling Rock, Sokka, who was in a fire nation prison, was sentenced to death by the former Fire Lord. After the war’s end no record could be found of his fate. Princess Azula went missing within a week after Ozai ordered Sokka’s execution. After Fire Lord Zuko could not find any new information, he issued a 200,000 ban reward on Azula to bring her in for questioning regarding Sokka’s disappearance. Although Aang and his companions did their best to work through their sorrow and move on, Katara continued on with the hope that one day, Sokka would return.

A few months after Zuko’s Coronation, Iroh moved from Royal Caldera City to Ba Sing Se, hired Smellerbee and Longshot, and re-opened the Jasmin Dragon. For him, this was his dream, being at peace with his own tea shop once again. At this time of night most of his patrons had left, going back home to sleep, to work, or to other businesses open past sunset. Due to the late hour, he had sent Smellerbee home to Longshot, finished up with a few customers and was preparing to close when the soft ring of his bell came. Looking up, Iroh saw a man and woman who must be in a relationship as the woman was holding his left hand with their fingers interlaced the way couples do. Both were hooded and wrapped in travel stained, warn grey and brown cloaks that were probably Earth Kingdom green when they were new. The man carried himself like a soldier, walking with confidence but not too fast that his companion couldn’t keep up. Everything about his face but lower half was obscured in the shadow of his hood; he had a brown beard along his jawline and chin and had the complexion of a water tribesman. His companion’s face was also shadowed by her hood, but she was entirely different, having full lips and a pale complexion with locks of strawberry blond hair peeking out. Though she carried herself with a straight back and the confidence that the soldier had, Iroh could see her nervousness in the way she gripped his forearm with her right hand and the way she looked around the room. Iroh approached to couple and directed them to a small table.

“It’s a wonderful evening, is it not? Might a suggest a blend of chamomile?”

The woman nodded, not at Iroh but at her companion, who had removed his hood revealing a full head of brown hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and familiar deep blue eyes that reminded Iroh very much of the Fire Lady.

“Are you Iroh, General of the Fire Nation?” the man asked.

“Former General, but yes, Mr….”

“Tianlon,” the man replied, then gestured at the woman. “This is my wife.”

Iroh looked at the woman, who had also taken off her hood to reveal her long strawberry blond hair and a set of piercing amber eyes laced with hope yet also fear. He instantly recognized those eyes and wondered as they were not eyes that he would have ever guessed would contain fear.

“We came to you for help.” The woman said as she looked at her husband as if for courage. Her unforgettable voice confirmed Iroh’s conclusion. He raised his eyebrows at the couple.

“We need shelter, and well,” The man said with a wave of his hand. “We are willing to work for it. We need jobs too.”

“Why not go to your family in the Fire Nation?” Iroh asked the woman. “Im sure…”

The woman shook her head rather violently before forlornly staring at her hands in her lap.

“Circumstances prevent us from going to our family.” The man replied, passing Iroh a Pai Sho tile. “We were told we could trust you to help us.”

“That is not surprising,” Iroh nodded as he picked up the white lotus tile, passing it between his fingers. “I might be able to, Mr. and Mrs. Tianlon. But first let me close my shop.”

Iroh got up to lock the front door, shut the windows, and preceded to brew some Jasmin tea knowing it was the woman’s favorite. He returned with three cups and the steaming pot and poured for the couple.

“Please drink.” He said before sipping his own tea. The man sipped but the woman stared at the tea in front of her before taking a tentative sip herself. Her face lit up before contorting with worry and shock.

“How did you know?”

“I would never forget what my niece’s favorite tea is.” Iroh replied with a grin. “If I may ask, Mr. Tianlon, what is your first name?”

“I guess there isn’t any point in hiding anymore.” Azula replied with a sigh. “My husband’s name is Sokka.”  

“Well.” Iroh said as he kept his surprise at that revelation hidden. “Azula, Sokka, tell me your tale, start from the beginning.”

I dont own Avatar or its characters. but i do love the series. <3

This will be part of a much larger multipart fanfic that will start with Day of the Black Sun and end during Legend of Korra. obviously a major redemption ark is coming :P

based on and inspired by Living life and Life Collapses, by whitetigerwolfe, two of my all time favorite A:TLA fics (links to these works in the notes of Book 1: Turmoil). Go find whitetigerwolfe on Fanfiction.net; they have some awesome stuff! <3

if you have feedback i would love to hear it :) <3

Confession 2 to make......

It contain spoilers for those who hadn’t watched ATLA. To them, please don’t read this if you are planning to watch that series. Thank you!   When i was like 13, there was this show that used to come in nickelodeon channel ‘Avatar: the last air bender’. I wouldn’t have watched it, if it weren’t for my cousins (i was visiting them). They were watching it and suggested us to join too. It caught my interest and i thought to resume it, once i returned home. But then hours didn’t match because my studies got tough and eventually i stopped watching it.   Now at age 21, i picked it up again and just finished watching it two days ago. I then began to wonder ‘why didn’t I watched this earlier?’......it was so awesome! :D  I wanted to bonk myself on the head because i had nil idea what i was missing!  The plot was weaved so well. It contained stories, secrets and mysteries of all kind.The characters were procured perfectly. The show had a right amount of each emotion: Happiness, anger, gratefulness, ecstasy, remorse. It carried a sense a realism. It taught many lessons about friendship, bravery, kindness and patience. But what really rooted me was, it’s regards towards the word ‘balance’. Sure, it was the job of Avatar to keep balance among the nations and the worlds, but it just didn’t obliterated till there. It was the balance of emotions as well. Katara would have killed the man who took her mother, but she didn’t. Aang would have killed the firelord but he didn’t. It was a difficult decision for him. With so little time left, he resigned himself to do the worst job (according to him), until the creature came to him and aided him. The series taught about not acting rashly because it won’t do much good. My favorite character was probably Iroh. That man was powerful but kind at the same time. He was lively cause he knew how to have fun. Plus he made such good tea :D He was a patient man and had a sense of what was right and wrong. He lost a son too and that loss should have turned him bitter. But it didn’t. Humility came to him and made him open his eyes.    Sokka sarcasm was priceless. The way he panicked always cracked me up. Despite not having any bending abilities, he competed others by mastering the art of swordsmanship and scaling out large plans. Katara was pretty good too but sometimes she turned kind of annoying. Like the time when Zuko was begging for forgiveness, she didn’t budge. I know, i know.....the past of her was painful but Sokka forgave too. He also lost his mother as well. And there was this scene where Zuko was fighting Agni kai with Azula. The fight was going to get over soon and Azula was gonna lose any second. Just in last minute, Katara stepped in and i was like ‘The hell?!’ Because of her, Zuko got hit and well you know what happened. Good thing Zuko survived...but he could have die because of someone’s else mistake ~_~ About the ships.....i was pretty much satisfied with it.  Aang and Katara ship was so cute and it always made me smile. The last scene was so heart-warming, because this time, Aang didn’t leaned forward but Katara did for the Kiss. It meant that the latter one was finally ready.  Sokka and Suki......i can presume they ended up together. I liked Suki and i think she was perfect for Sokka XD  Mei and Zuko......okay don’t kill me and i know much of the fandom is a fan of ‘Zutara’....but i like this ship. Before you send me threats and everything, hear me out!  At first, i myself wasn’t that much impressed with Mei. i found her so dull. Who knows her first word might probably be ‘boring’ instead of ‘Mama’, because she hated everything. I only liked the way she fought with swords, but that was it. What changed my mind was, when Zuko dumped her for the second time, she still helped him escape the ‘boiling rock’. This just shows how much she loved him. That scene kind of melted my heart and well i started shipping them. I never saw that kind of chemistry between Katara and Zuko. Yes, they did respected each other to the point that they covered each other backs but that’s all. I know i might have offended some people with this last post, but that’s what i felt. Nevertheless i will respect any shippings, and that includes the ‘Zutara’ too. If you start hating me just because of one shipping you support and i don’t, that’s very immature of you. It will just reveal how small you can be. All in all.....i really had a great time watching ATLA. Please watch it. I highly recommend it. It’s one of the best series of all time ^_^               

what do you mean when you say that zuko is a pessimistic idealist and sokka is a pessimistic realist? i love your analyses and i’d love to hear more of your thoughts on that!!! (also love how you say sokka and zuko are perfect for each other because they’re both grumps lol)

i do not remember saying that however it does sound like something i would say lmao. i think what i (would) mean with the statement “zuko is a pessimistic idealist” is that he grew up... idk if unappreciated is the exact word, but in the militaristic hypermasculine society that valued traits that he did not have in comparison to azula, zuko was always at a disadvantage and he had to run for it, sometimes make rash decisions as they were the better/only decisions he could make at all in order to be appreciated and most times it did not pay off which resulted in the entire mess that is zuko’s personality. for all of this, zuko has a tendency to see the worst part of the situation he’s in (coming to mind atm ‘it blew up in my face — like everything always does!’ ‘this city is a prison’ more or less?), so in other words he’s grumpy and kinda sour as hell, all the time.

but at the same time, zuko has a certain... idea of the world, a kind and caring heart, a strong sense of justice, an overall vision for a world that’s good. when zuko comes to understand the fire nation is actually actively pushing back this vision, and he practically immediately turns away from its ideals and pursues a philosophy and a group that actually fit his ideas of what’s better for the world. zuko spent three years at sea looking for a myth, in hopes that finding it would finally put an end to his suffering, making him and katara the only people in the world who truly believed the avatar was still out there. zuko is always expecting everything to blow up in his face like it often did throughout his childhood, and he sees the worst part of the situation before anything else but he always pushes back to make it better, or to what he believes would be making it better.

my favorite example of this is during the blue spirit after zuko finds out zhao got the avatar before him, and he gives iroh a speech about how all hope is lost for him and he will never ever have love honor or happiness ever again, and about five hours later he’s behind a theatre mask with two swords against the world rescuing the avatar just so he can capture this avatar himself in the future, while also letting him go afterwards because it’s not honorable to take him in the easy manner he could take him at that precise moment(???) and that was just nuts. therefore pessimistic idealist.

on the other hand there’s sokka.

sokka is a pessimist through and through, a serial complainer, a paranoid neurotic strategist. sokka grew up in disadvantage to the rest of the world and overshadowed by a his little sister — not because katara was a bender and sokka was not, but because katara was the last bender they had left. i’ve talked about this before but basically it’s no wonder katara is a solid optimistic idealist with all the hope and faith and determination in the world while sokka is a pessimistic realist and pragmatic depressed cynical bastard. presumably his village but also sokka put himself at disadvantage. it is safe to assume sokka sacrificed his own uhh. hope? naivetè? innocence? for katara to keep hers and in order to protect her better — after all katara is the last southern waterbender, their collective hero, and you can’t have a hero with no hope, you can’t have a dead hero. and also sokka is an eldest sibling, it’s instinctual.

now don’t get me wrong, sokka has a huge heart full of love and devotion and wonder. he is an inventor, an artist, a scientist. sokka is filled with ideas, but he is always waiting for the lowest blow, he is always waiting for a disaster to happen (and with a good reason!). sokka believes optimists are liars, he thinks destiny and fate is more or less bullshit, he has a pragmatic and careful approach to almost every situation he’s presented with and even though he has a clear sense of morality, he is willing to make certain sacrifices as are the demands of war – where zuko is willing to save zhao without hesitation, who tried to kill him multiple times and whom he had been fighting not one minute ago, for example.

sokka wants the world to be a better place, and at the same time he has little trouble turning away from people who aren’t in any immediate danger even if they are suffering because he has more pressing matters at hand (the painted lady), he obviously would want the avatar to come back and save them, but aang being a complete stranger signaling to a fire nation ship is most definitely a valid justification for sokka to banish him (the boy in the iceberg/the avatar returns i don't remember lol). among many many many other situations in which sokka is technically right, even if it doesn’t fit other characters’ idealistic views or it doesn’t make for a good story, sokka is the realist they all need in order to survive.

also i admit ‘perfect for each other’ can be kind of a stretch and i believe that it being because they’re both grumpy is kinda reductive since that can also be the basis of mai and zuko’s relationship and we all know what i think of those two aksjaks (this is NOT mai slander. # mai deserves better 2k21). however i do think sokka and zuko fit together because they have different types of emotional constipation and they actively push each other to be more balanced in order to reach to the other. sokka wants to believe deep down, and the fact that he is in a story even if he doesn’t really believe it plays its cards sometimes which translates into the universe’s obsession with sokka, and zuko is destiny fan #1 so he can give sokka an overemotional speech once in a while that sokka will ruthlessly dismiss and dismantle verbally but that at the same time will warm his heart and help him loosen up on his scheduled cerebral to a default existence on the long-run; zuko needs grounding once in a while which he usually got from iroh or at the very least iroh made an attempt to get through him, and sokka is intellectually crude enough to give zuko a reality check while making himself understood and because of their shared wavelength he can do this without crushing all of zuko’s hopes and dreams in the process.

they are also two eldest siblings one with depression the other filled with rage and they are the only real ‘pessimists’ in the gaang, so while yes, zuko will take action to solve problems he will also complain about it forever more and he can do that with sokka. together they can yell at god, complain about jocks, complain about prescriptivists, bond over their very niche taste in art that nobody ever understands, and absolutely tear apart everything that doesn’t fit their competence standard (it’s a very high fucking standard, those are two grumpy neurodivergent people) among many other grump-activities that seem to make them miserable but that actually serve both of them to validate their annoyed kind of love for the world and it makes both of them really happy :)