#that's the guy who makes Ozai shit his pants he is

[seyaryminamoto]

Fic-to-Art #35: Sokka leads the charge into Ba Sing Se

Here's my monthly artwork! The prompt this time was a scene that excited the readers quite a bit, and it seems that Sokka's big campaign on Ba Sing Se was the idea everyone liked best! This isn't really the best rendition I could've hoped to do, but unfortunately time constraints didn't allow me to go much further. Hope it's good enough like this anyway!

I still don't particularly thrive in drawing animals, but we needed Foo-Foo in this artwork, haha. I hope he looks as cool as he should! As for Sokka and his cool helmet, I'm sorry, I have a hopeless case of forgetting-the-helmet-itis so I never seem to recall to put it on his head. Oops :'D

Anyway! I'm not even sure what else to say, haha. Hope you guys like some epic Sokka!

If you'd like to be part of the creative process behind these pieces, a $1 pledge on Patreon makes you eligible for suggesting and voting on monthly art prompts, as well as reading Gladiator snippets 6 days before the next chapter is released!

[peach-jelly-lemon]

I've never seen a single episode of avatar the last airbender in my life here is what I've gathered from it resurging on like every social media I have

- There are four elements earth air fire and water

- Katara is the only person in her tribe that can control water

- Her brother Sokka is sexist at the beginning and this causes them to find a kid in an iceberg who has the power of all four elements named Aang

- Aangs job is to keep balance between the four elements

- The leader of the fire guys is named ozai and he's a very bad emperor and an even worse father

- He sends his son Zuko to kill Aang

- Zuko fails, which is a running theme

- Zuko has an uncle that everyone likes and he says cryptic stuff, drinks tea, plays a little tic tac toe game, and was a war criminal at some point

- Uncles name is Iroh

- I think hes the guy in that one meme of pants are an illusion and so is death

- Anyway fire child chases Aang and Co for a while and continues to fail

- At some point they come across a blind earth controlling girl who has more balls than me, you, and everyone on the team combined

- She was a wrestler or something and her name is Toph

- They want her to teach Aang to control earth but shes mainly uncooperative because she is twelve

- Many episodes in between this and them finding the fire emperor in which they see a bad play about themselves, find a really cool warrior girl named Suki that makes Sokka not sexist anymore, and meet people that are probably high and sing about secret tunnels

- Also the fire boy realized his dad is shit and joins Aangs team

- So they split up into groups for the Final Battle where Aang goes and fights Ozai, Sokka and Toph are on a big flying ship, and Katara and Zuko go to fight Zukos sister Azula because she is even better at being evil than their father

- They win

- Nobody likes the Legend of Korra for some reason

[cottagecorewhore420]

Zukka Fluff <3

Protective!Sokka, Fluffy Zukka

Just a short drabble of these two lovelies being emotional on main; also, Sokka finds out how Zuko got his scar.

I hope you like it! Please lmk what you think, I’d love to hear!! <3

They were laying out under the stars, Zuko’s head cushioned by Sokka’s chest, laying contendlt as Sokka carded his hands through the elder’s hair.

“It’s hot,” Sokka complained. Not because he was truly bothered, but he wanted to break their (albeit comfortable) silence.

“Do you want me to move, because I can-“

“No!” Sokka held tighter to Zuko, wrapping both arms around him to prevent him from leaving. Zuko laughed, reorienting himself in a new position, accepting the aplogetic ‘please-don’t-leave’ kiss from Sokka with a grin.

“I was just observing, is all.”

“oh.” There was a beat, before Zuko continued. “Well...You’re hot.”

Sokka looked down at Zuko, who was grinning cheekily up at him from his new position of laying with his head on Sokka’s lap.

“Just observing, is all.” The fire lord said flirtatiously, before turning and looking out to the ocean.

Sokka chuckled quietly, so happy that they had made it to the point in their lives that Zuko was happy and  felt safe enough to joke and flirt like he did. It wasn’t suave, by any means, but the attempts at seduction were so Zuko that it was all the better.

Zuko was idly tracing patterns on Sokka’s calves, when he noticed a scar, about three inches long, shining white in the moonlight. It was obviously old, and long-healed, but he hadn’t ever seen it before.

Admittedly, though, they had only been dating for a few months, during which time Zuko had been trying to make reparations to the rest of the world on behalf of his nation and family.

He wanted to know what it was, wanted to know everything there was to know about Sokka, but additionaly, he knew how hurtful it was to always be asked about a scar; how it reduced you to nothing but some messy looking skin tissue.

Sokka had noticed the traced patterns starting to zero in on the old wound though, and unbothered, decided to tell Zuko.

“It’s from a fishing accident when I was a kid.”

Zuko jolted slihghtly, worried that he had somehow made it too obvious he was interested, but Sokka pressed on, obviously still content and not upset at all.

“Me and Katara were going with our dad and Bato to the ice-holes, to go fishing. Me and Katara had one hole, and then Bato and dad had one each. Me and katara were, predictably, arguing back and forth, and we started pushing each other and arguing- we hadn’t caught any fish, and we both were convinced it was the other’s fault. Anyways, I decided I was gonna make my own fishing hole, to prove that it was her fault we weren’t catching any fish. So, I stomped about ten feet south of her, and then realized I needed something to make the hole. So, being the stupid little kid I was, I yelled at Katara to throw me the bone-dagger we use to skin the fish. And, being the stupid little kid Katara was, she threw it. It, uh-,” Sokka sheepishly cleared his throat, before continuing. “It detached from the holder mid-air, and went right through my leg. It slashed my calf really bad, but that’s all that’s left, at this point.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Nah, it’s all healed up now. Besides, I’ve heard scars are sexy. They apparently help pick up cute guys.”

Zuko sat up, quirking his non-scarred brow at Sokka, who laughed and just grabbed Zuko, moving him towards him until they were hugging, stomach to stomach, Zuko in Sokka’s lap.

“I’m just kidding- I really only wanna pick up one guy.”

“Hmmph.” Zuko looked away playfully, ignoring Sokka’s attempts to kiss him. “Is this mystery guy a cute guy?”

“Oh, the cutest.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah. He’s got this really hot teen angst, brooding vibe, but once you get to know him he’s a total softie. It’s really quite endearing.”

Zuko’s cheek colored, blush matching his other cheek’s red.

“Well… seems like a lucky guy if he’s managed to catch you.”

“Oh, I’m definitely the lucky one.”

“Yeah?”

Sokka was in Zuko’s face suddenly, breathing in the same air, hot puffs of breath hit Zuko’s lips. Blue eyes met gold, both blown wide with lust.

Leaning forward, centimeters away from his lips, Sokka whispered “yeah.” Before leaning forward, capturing Zuko in a heated kiss, grabbing Zuko’s thighs and moving him higher up on his lap, stabilizing him.

The movement and flippant showing of strength from his insanely hot water-tribe beefcake of a boyfriend made Zuko moan brokenly into the kiss, which just allowed Sokka access to lick into Zuko’s now-opened mouth.

~

They laid there, panting, Zuko completely atop Sokka, his non-scarred ear pressed against Sokka’s chest, listening to the beat of his heart, allowing it to comfort him.

Despite laying fairly-openly on the beach, he hadn’t felt this safe and protected in a long time than when he was here, right in this moment, basking in the afterglow with Sokka.

“I have a scar from a family member too.”

“Yeah, baby?” Sokka’s tone was light; he didn't want to pressure Zuko into sharing his scar’s story. 

Even when Katara had pressured him when they began dating, he had remained firm that if Zuko never wanted to discuss it, it was his own prerogative, and that was fine, too.

“Yeah… I was thirteen, and my uncle had talked the war-room guards into letting me sit in on my first strategy meaning. So, we went in, and this general was talking about how he was going to move an entire division of troops into a suicide-mission, purely as a distraction.”

The night around them was quite, still except for their voices, as if Yue was watching to make sure nothing interrupted them from this obviously-important moment.

Sokka was sickened at the horrifically brutish militia tactics the fire nation used to employ- to willingly sacrifice hundreds of lives, just for a slight strategical advantage? Disgusting.

“I… I didn’t agree, didn’t think that was right. I spoke up, even though Uncle had warned me not to. But I went on and said how reprehensible that was, how those were real people, with families and lives, and a loyalty to our nation. I was quickly rebuked, and in a show of anger, I agreed to an Agni Kai.“

“Oh my god- at 13?!”

“Yes. And I was stupid enough to take the offer.”

“Oh my god- baby, I’m so sorry.” Sokka curled an arm protectively over his boyfriend’s form. Sokka ached for 13-year-old Zuko, scared and desperate to please his father, to please his nation.

“When I got to the arena, and prepared for the Agni Kai, it was revealed to me that I wasn’t going to be fighting the general. Because I had spoken out of turn in the fire lord’s war room, my slight was against the fire lord, not the general.”

“No-“ Sokka gasped, heart clenching at what he suspected was going to come next.

“My father was there, and said he would be who I battled in the Agni Kai for my honor. I- I had no idea it was him I would be fighting. I dropped to my knees, in front of the whole stadium, crying, pleading. I refused to fight my own father, and I told him as his humble and loving son, I refused to do so. I was so sorry, I was so scared.”

Zuko at this point had sat up, staring out at the ocean, legs crossed in a meditative-esque pose, hands on their respective knees. His voice was small, almost drowned out by the gently cresting waves. 

To hear him, Sokka had moved so he was sitting directly behind him, purposefully not touching his boyfriend despite a visceral want to do so. He  knew this was a hard thing for Zuko to discuss, and he also knew physical touch was something his boyfriend struggled with.

“My father… he told me I had brought dishonor to myself, and in punishment held his hand over my eye, and shot a burst of flame into my face. He banished me that night, and Uncle went with me… he said I would only be allowed back, to restore my honor if I brought him the avatar.”

Sokka jumped up, and started aggressively pacing back and forth, parallel to Zuko.

As if pulled from a dream, the thousan yard stare Zuko had adopted broke, looking shocked at the tensed body of his boyfriend.

“Sokka?”

When he didn’t get a response, Zuko worriedly stood up and approached his stony faced boyfriend, shocked to find tears rolling down his dark cheeks.

“Where is he?”

“Wha-“

“Where is Ozai?!”

Zuko was shocked at the aggressive tone of Sokka’s voice. He had never heard him this… feral sounding. And, pushing past the thought that is was insanely (I mean, really, insanely hot), he was worried.

“Why do you need to know where my father-?”

“Don’t call him that, Zuko! That disgusting animal doesn’t deserve any relation to you.” Sokka looked like a mongoose-viper, coiled and ready to strike. His growled words and obvious anger were very confusing to Zuko, who just watched warily. He didn’t think Sokka would hurt him, but he was confused at the anger literally emanating from Sokka in waves.

“Why are you mad?”

“Why am I- Because I am trying to stop myself from building a ship, sailing to mainland, and hunting through every prison cell in the fire nation until I find your deadbeat father.”

“What- why?!”

“Tui and La, Zuko, because that vile excuse for a human had the audacity to lay his hands on you, his own fucking son with such a sick fucking intent- I just. That shit isn’t okay. If this were back home, I would have his fucking head, for doing that. To a- to a kid, Zuko!”

Sokka was crying now, tears illuminated under Yue’s averted gaze.

“Baby, I’m okay.”

“But it’s not okay. I am- I’m so sorry Zuko. The hand that you were dealt was so fucking unfair. I am so sorry, I wish I could protect you from that fucking monster. I just- I want to rip his head off. How dare he-“ Zuko brought his distraught boyfriend into his arms, who slumped down into the smaller framed man.

Sokka’s tears were steadily flowing, soaking Zuko’s bare chest.

“It’s okay, Sokka. I’m sorry I said anything, I-“

“No, please- I’m- God, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be the one being comforted right now.” He pulled away from Zuko, scrubbing his face with his hand. His form, now fully matured, towerd over Zuko. (Holy shit that’s hot Zuko thought staring at his jutting muscles in the moonlight, before admonishing himself that now was not the time to be horny on the beach.)

“It’s just- the mere thought of someone laying a hand on you, baby, especially with such an evil purpose, it makes my blood boil. I love you so much, Zuko, and I know you probably aren’t ready to say that, which is fine, but I love you so fucking much and all I want is to protect you, and heal you, and save you from-mmhph!” 

Sokka was silenced by Zuko’s fervent kiss, hungrily moving his lips against his boyfriends.

When they both needed air, the pulled apart regretfully, panting in sync.

 “I love you too.”

They fell back into the sand, and back into each others arms, languidly kissing, feeling blessed to be with the other, in their small, personal realm of love and safety.

~

“Iroh.”

“Hello, Sokka. What an unexpected surprise!” The reitred war general regarded his nephew’s boyfriend warmly, if not slightly appraisingly as he stood outside Iroh’s quarters in the palace.

“Is it?”

“Ah, well, perhaps not entirely. My nephew mentioned he has told you the story behind his scar.”

“He did.”

“When he came to me, he seemed very shocked to find your reaction so… visceral. I had to explain to him that anyone who loves him truly and deeply will react much the same. He still has trouble realizing his worth, how his treatment as a child was so flawed. He’s still accepting that the world’s treatment of him wasn’t right, and wasn’t deserved.”

“I… I haven’t felt that kind of anger in a long, long time. Maybe ever.”

“Hmm. That is just the price of love, Sokka.” he mused. Turning his wizened eyes to the younger man, “Now, I’m sure you’ve come to see me for more than a hello, yes?”

“Do you know where Ozai is being kept?”

Iroh regarded the man, studying him, not letting the shock show on his face.

Far from the young child-soldier with traditional face paint on who he first saw many years ago; Sokka had grown so much.

In place of that lanky, pubescent boy, stood now a full-fledged southern water tribe warrior, who had the traditional tattoos, battle scars, and hard-earned wisdom to prove his standing in the world. He had fought for all he had, and he protected what he saw as his.

With a deep sigh, Iroh moved aside from the doorway. “Hmm... this may be a bit longer than I thought. Do come in, Sokka… won’t you play me in a riveting game of Pai Sho?”

[ourimpavidheroine]

First of all, screw Netflix for only having ATLA in the US. I mean, I have a VPN and I know how to use it, but honestly. (Don’t @ me with why they do it; I know why. It’s still bullshit.)

I haven’t watched this show in years. Years! It is so fucking good. Just amazing.

1) Zuko was, is, and will always be my best boy. My best autistic boy. Fight me. Also, not to put too fine a point on it, and I know this show was called ATLA but this entire story is, in some ways, more Zuko’s story than Aang’s. And I love him so much.

2) Telling us that they never planned for Zutara is BS. Come on guys. You did. Fine! You changed your minds! I’m a writer, it happens. I’ve done it! But don’t tell us it wasn’t endgame at one point. Zuko putting Gran-Gran’s engagement necklace on Katara after you’ve set up what that necklace is and the meaning behind it? Uh huh, right. Sure. Kataang was endgame. Yeah. Ooooookay.

3) Sokka is, without any doubt, the smartest of the bunch, hands down. Jesus that kid is smart. In that ADD kind of way where everyone assumes they are a fuckup that doesn’t pay attention when in reality, there’s an entire universe spinning in their brain 24x7. Also, they did the right thing letting Jack DeSena just run his mouth and improvise because it takes Sokka from a good character to a great character. Good voice actors do not get enough credit, and he’s one of them.

4) I do not buy for one second that Toph Beifong grew up to be a police chief. I mean, I write about it because it’s canon and because of Lin, but there’s no way I am headcanoning that she took that job on because she wanted to somehow promote the law and seek justice. That child lives for chaos. I love her. She’s the worst. THE WORST. Also, I get that this was a kid show and they couldn’t do it but sometimes I like to think of the profanity she would have learned hanging around all of those pro-wrestlers earthbenders and how, being Toph and being competitive AF she would have taken intense pleasure in raising the profane bar higher. I watch this show and every single time she speaks I am, in my head, adding all of the profanity I know this twelve year old hellchild would have spewed.

5) You know what, Bryke? Feisty, angry, brilliant, brave and caring girls do not have to grow up to be serene old ladies. In fact, I’d argue that when feisty, angry, brilliant, brave and caring girls do grow up to be serene old ladies, something has gone wrong. You did not do Katara a solid as an old woman, and I am never going to forgive you for that. I have never believed for a single second she would have just sat around with that old cow chewing her cud expression on her face during the South Pole’s Civil War. Seriously. Fuck off, Bryke. (Toph sitting in the swamp and being like, meh, I could care less, I believe 1000%. Katara? No.)

6) Honestly? I’d like to kick Aang in the seat of his pants sometimes. Or send him to his room. There. I said it. I do not hate Aang - not at all! - but there are times when the fact that he’s still only twelve years old is more obvious than others. (Also, I have a LOT OF THOUGHTS about what being a child soldier did to this child avatar and how that reflects in his next incarnation, Korra, and why it addresses so many of the things people didn’t like about her but that’s for another time.) I never want to ground him more than when I see him being romantically pushy with Katara, though. Let me tell you, if I had heard MY twelve year old son being pushy like that with a girl there would have been a big old Come to the Lionturtles talk in this household because that little airbending free love twerp is respecting neither consent nor boundaries.

7) Suki is a great character and they should have done more with her. Also, I am pretty sure that even teenage Suki and Sokka had an open relationship and she would have been down with having a Zuko OT3. That is all.

8) Mai. Still don’t like her. Like canon Huan, I feel she was an in-joke for the writers that got old real quick. I kept waiting for the real Mai to shine through but she never did. Yeah, we get it, Angsty Goth Girl. Hyuck hyuck hyuck. Remember how in Parks and Rec April had beautiful moments of humanization? That’s what made her character likable and relatable. Mai just continues to be a joke through the end. It’s funny when it is a one-off character. But when it happens with a main character, they start to become monotone. I always felt Mai was monotone. Also, not to be rude, but her calling out Zuko by essentially saying shit was hard for her too was BS of the highest caliber. You think that being rich and bored and having to live in the sticks compares with being abandoned by your mother, disfigured and blinded and cast out by your father? Really? Really? Although I guess that was pretty on point for her character. (Also, and I am quite sure this was never the intent of the writers, but how she treated Zuko was very similar to how I was treated as an autistic teenager by people who claimed to be my friend and that can’t help but influence how I see her character. Fair or no.)

9) Azuuuuuuuuuuuuuuula. The first time I watched this with my kids they were little, about seven or eight. Now they are seventeen and so I’ve been the mother to a fourteen year old girl and let me tell you, thinking of the things that her father must have been doing to her behind the scenes makes me feel sick. Because again, kid show. But I think, if we all look at it with adult eyes, we know what was going on there and why she was the way she was. And honestly, I do not like to slag off on mothers, fictional or otherwise, because I’m a mother and it is damn hard work, but fuck Ursa for her little business with Koh and having her memories of them erased and therefore just getting to move on with her life while her husband systematically destroyed her children. Fuck her sideways.

9) Which brings me to Uncle Iroh. I am not shitting around when I say that Uncle Iroh had a direct impact on my own parenting. I took to heart how he loved, supported and treated Zuko. I took to heart his general attitude to the world. Listen, Iroh also had a redemption story: he was the Dragon of the West! He was the Crown Prince, not Ozai! He was a ruthless general and perpetrated who knows what kind of atrocities as such. Then his son was killed and he went to a deep, dark place before he pulled himself out of it. I’ve always thought that if they wanted to do a book series they could do one about Younger Iroh and his redemption story.