#this was one of the first zukka fics I read and like…. I’m so so so SO glad I did

[fanfic-gremlin-ft-trauma]

if do you take this jerk to be (your one and only) by @jatersade has 1 000 000 fans I am one of them. If it has 100 000 fans I am one of them. If it has 1 000 fans I am one of them. If it has 100 fans I am one of them. If it has 10 fans I am one of them. If it has 1 fan then I am that fan. If it has 0 fans then I am dead. (yk what that’s a lie I’ll still be a fan in the GRAVE)

[momos-servants]

Older Zukka fics (that are not on Ao3)

Hello there ! I’m obsessed with searching and finding older Zukka content as the show was coming out or buried Zukka content nobody seems to find. S/o @nvergonnajimout and @somethingfoamy for being curious.

This fic list is crazy because fanfic writing back then was… different. But I’ll tell y’all what’s in it. These are some fics that I actually ended up reading and got hooked.

Here’s da list

Dragon’s prey by ajj77subhawk.

Y’all this is just straight smut in some parts. I liked it tho because Zuko is like a spirit dragon thingy?? And it was Sokka-centric. But it has power dynamics definitely so if y’all are okay with all three of those things go for it. Honestly I was hooked the first chapter. I consider it well written for being a fanfic from 2007. But it is not like the classy AO3 literature y’all might be accustomed to. There’s 28 chapters.

FYI this was the one site I was like iffy to be on because I thought my phone was going to get a virus, but it didn’t! It’s a safe site (to my standard). This was the only lengthy fic on the Zukka section on the site, but if you want to explore you will find much more smutty Zukka fics.

Zuko Sokka fic by violet-plude

DeviantArt!!! I miss you.

Anyways this is a collection on one shots I believe? I only read chapter 1 and chapter 4, but both of them are cute. It could be read as a bromance if you want. You can definitely tell it’s DeviantArt literature, it’s so early 2010s I miss this era.

Spirit’s Eve by Captain Peregrine

Halloween festival fic!! Loved this one. I think anyone would love this lil oneshot lol.

Play Nice by Scuttlebutt inc

It’s a bromance fic, but you can read it as Zukka. It’s just them bonding and having fun with sparring.

Quiet by Usagi Youkai

Oneshot !!! It’s a lil over 1,000 words. This author is pretty good, they were definitely carrying Zukka on their back on fanfiction.net back in the day.

Fire Child by Usagi Youkai

So this is probably the biggest warning: it’s mpreg. Which is definitely not everybody’s taste. I was iffy but I still read it and it actually surprised me. There was not over femininzation of Sokka. If you like to read kidfics, this is a good one!! There’s like 3 other fics the author wrote connecting to this fic. There’s 25 chapters. It’s the whole classic cliché where one of them gets pregnant (Sokka) and hides it from the other (Zuko).

Just Let Go by SomniumAngel

If y’all love reading toxic fics, this is for you! It’s a one shot and a song fic.

What's In a Name? by Kalira69

This is actually the youngest fic on the list as it was published in 2017. It’s a soulmate oneshot. The dissection of written language is Chefs kiss.

-

Anyways these are the fics that I have found so far and enjoyed! If I find more, I’ll definitely make another post! :)

[ecoterrorist-katara]

love love love ur parentification analysis on sokka and katara especially katara’s section! it puzzles me so when KA’s say ZK’s do not understand the show nor katara when to me it’s so obvious we do 😭

thank you so much anon! I’m so happy that my post resonated with you!

A while back I saw a Tumblr survey about favourite characters and ships. It basically showed that for people whose favourite character is Katara, Zutara is the most popular ship. Obviously the Venn diagram between Zutara shippers and Katara fans isn’t a circle, but I think the overlap contributes to why so many ZKs are passionate about Katara. Also, ZKs who are Katara fans tend to be pretty flexible with Katara ships: many people like Harutara / Jiangtara / Yuetara / Sukitara / Azutara (though most shippers of Azutara tend to be Azula stans first and Katara stans second). What’s really funny and a little sad to me is that non-ZK Katara fans who dislike her canon arc get accused of being ZKs by antis (this happens weirdly often to @sapphic-agent). It’s like some antis can’t comprehend the idea that people might just love Katara without the ship war.

I generally like reading POVs from Katara fans of all ships, but I recently discovered that I tend to disagree with POVs from Zukka shippers. They often try to defend Katara’s “childhood” by pointing out that Katara sometimes goofs off and Sokka also takes responsibility, so she’s not just the “mom friend.” To be clear I’m not disagreeing with those points, but I don’t think downplaying her parentification trauma is defending her childhood, especially since goofing off & being impulsive make her parentification more realistic, not less. It feels kind of disingenuous to accuse the fandom of being the ones to parentify her when The Runaway exists, especially since they downplay Katara’s parentification in order to play up Sokka’s parentification. There’s nothing feminist about ignoring the invisible labour performed by a woman in a cartoon, not when brave women IRL have been agitating to recognize care work for literal decades. I wrote my undergrad thesis on invisible labour performed by women, especially women of colour, in radical activist spaces…so I feel really strongly about this.

I think it’s interesting that a lot of ATLA fans claim Katara shouldn’t be with Zuko on the grounds of her colonial trauma, but refuse to entertain the notion that maybe she shouldn’t be with Aang (a kid who evades responsibility) because of her parentification trauma. The murder of her mother stems from imperialist violence, but her subsequent parentification stems from patriarchal gender norms around divisions of labour and assignations of responsibility. The patriarchy is a thing in ATLA, and it’s canonically something that Katara hates almost as much as the Fire Nation (incidentally, reason 27363729 why the fic Southern Lights is so special to me is how it deftly explores both anger at a colonial apparatus & anger at your own people for their patriarchal oppression).

[haroldtea]

hi bestie okay so i rewatched all of lok season four in the past twenty four hours and i also reread several chapters of complicated do you uhhh have more wuko fic recs for me <3

reporting for duty 🫡

i’ll start off first of course by linking complicated, in case anyone who follows me still doesn’t know that this is one of THE fics of all time. but beware you WILL come out of it a full wuko believer. jo is proof.

part 2 of complicated (a mid fic wu pov snippet)

part 3 of complicated which takes place after complicated, which i have never read??? it came out only a few months ago?? brb

i basically recommend every wuko fic the complicated authors have ever done:

bad liar (this one was put on permanent hiatus i guess :/ the most recent chapter sets up how the last chapter might’ve gone pretty well so… i just kinda imagine it’s complete lol)

in the dark

so good it hurts

boy problems

haunted house

stone cold

yours, wu

other wuko fics i loved:

on a cold winter night

take my hand written by YOU!! it’s crazy bc i probably read this way before i ever got into zukka not knowing i would and that we would become friends!

the art of wu(ing) which is part 2 of a zukka fic, which lowkey made me at least appreciate zukka from a distance, which led me to read blue and then we were done lol. basically you can thank this fic for me even being part of zukka nation

these are fics i haven’t read yet but look great:

i’m feeling good (like i never should)

negative space

this might sound weird but i like you

mako and the terrible, awful, no-good, very bad road trip - i have been waiting for this one to get completed before i read the whole thing but i might cave

i’m also gonna cc @kingwuko on this post bc they are my fav wuko blog and might have other fic recs that haven’t crossed my radar! xoxoxo

[ambriel-angstwitch]

One thing I find really interesting about fics that have Hakoda and Zuko as a tag is that they almost always follow the sentence “Zuko sees Hakoda like he’s his dad” It always applies because depending on how you say it it means entirely different things. If you’ve read fics pertaining to these two you probably know what I mean but I’m gonna explain.

Option 1: Zuko sees Hakoda like he’s his dad as in Zuko has a terrible father so he assumes Hakoda is going to hurt him (and sometimes he does). Sometimes in these fics Zuko will try to protect Sokka and Katara from Hakoda whether it be talking them up so Hakoda won’t see them as failures or literally stepping between them when he thinks he’s going to hurt them (which he isn’t). This option has been present in a significant amount of Zukka fics I’ve read, often after boiling rock. Sometimes it starts out with a fearful relationship and then will transition into the second option.

Option 2: Zuko sees Hakoda as his dad. Dadkoda fics! Very wholesome, Hakoda somehow find Zuko and goes “that’s a child” and decides that the child deserves better than what he currently has. Sometimes you have slow burn adoption fics where you start out with option one (like Salvage by MuffinLance). Though given that it’s Zuko there tends to be at least a sprinkle of option one as he’s never going to trust a father figure right off the bat.

Now for me to shamelessly recommend fics. I already mentioned Salvage with its slow burn adoption

Lifeline (series) by The Chronic Cryptid (Dadkoda for the win)

Ozymandius King of Kings by Think_of_a_Wonderful_Thought (more of a Zukka fic doesn’t have Hakoda and Zuko tag but definitely has an option one relationship)

The Kids Aren’t Alright (Series) by Patsiree_Blu (the first two hints of both)

[inexplicablymine]

WIP WEDNESDAY

It is the first WIP WEDNESDAY of 2024 and in preparation for the start of the new year I have something fun for you!!! All of my WIP posts going forward into this next year will be for multichapter works that I have coming out sometime in 2024.

So for today, a current shortlist of multichapter works coming out + some little snippets

Giftmas

12 fics of Giftmas: 9 one shot works left to post that will resume in a “10 days of posting in a row” festivities once I am settled into my new home in a new country after a very abrupt move over the holidays

Looking for Orion

6 CH | art by @okayandre_art

5+1 Alive Arthur fic, five times Henry had important conversations with Arthur while hunting for Orion and one time Alex did. You can read my snippet here.

Olympic Proportions

3 work follow up | art by @noodles_and_tea

follow ups to my fic Because I’m A Scoundrel following the boys on their Olympic journeys to Paris 2024 (in real time) with the qualifying events and the Olympics themselves

Mind Over Matter

14 CH | Canon Divergence

Magical Mindreading AU; when Alex is granted the gift of being able to hear thoughts about him from those he is most compatible with, everything goes… slightly different.

Sweater Weather

9 CH | Letters Focused

Childhood Best Friends to Lovers over the course of their first year in college on opposite coasts as D1 Soccer players (yes it is football I know, apologies, they are playing in the US)

the ties that bond us

10 CH | art by literally almost everyone (not kidding)

Bond/Q actor AU following the boys over the ups and downs of shooting and promoting a new Bond trilogy and the epistolary view from the outside world as they get together!

[Redacted] co write with @celaestis1

15 CH | Dual POV

Strangers to Lovers AU, what happens when you don’t have that DTR, and the hilarious differences in the understanding of “what are we”

Ice Ice Baby

37 CH | Zukka | ATLA | art will be commissioned by @jasminedragonart

Olympic Figure Skating AU that follows the gangs journey over nearly a decade in the limelight. Yes that’s right. A full length ATLA work that has been outlined for 2+ years. I figured it was time. ;)

[redacted] for The Pairing

… yes that’s right I already have an idea for a work 👀 can’t wait to get my hands on the book and languish in it

Thank you to everyone recently for the tags in the end of year games ~ I have just complied them ALL below both as a thank you for tagging me and a tag back + some amazing wonderful people I would like to see how you are doing in this new year <33 (also open tag PLS SHOW ME THE THINGS!!!)

I am in the middle of an abrupt move and have not been as present taking care of those pesky real life things that adults must partake in.

@absolute-audacity @adreamareads @affectionatelyrs @alasse9 @anchoredarchangel @anincompletelist @arand0mdutchgirl @athousandrooms @babiemonk @celeritas2997 @cityofdownwardspirals @clottedcreamfudge @cricketnationrise @cha-melodius @14carrotghoul @dumbpeachjuice @daisymae-12 @everwitch-magiks @firenati0n @gayrootvegetable @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @happiness-of-the-pursuit @heartitinthesilence @historicallysam @hypnostheory @iboatedhere @indomitable-love @kiwiana-writes @leaves-of-laurelin @matherines @nontoxic-writes @orchidscript @onward--upward @peachesobviously @read-and-write- @rockyroadkylers @raysletters @smc-27 @saintlynomenclature @suseagull04 @songliili @three-drink-amy @tintagel-or-cockleshells @treluna4 @vonpeepsisback @welcometololaland @xthelastknownsurvivorx @zwiazdziarka

And there are more but I am limited by tagging conventions shakes fist

[autistic-katara]

said this in the tags of a previous post from like 5 minutes ago but does anyone have any angsty / hurt/comforty zukka fic ideas they cba to write/want me to write? (bcz there are seriously not enough of those like how the fuck have i read like all of them on ao3 that interest me??? anyways conditions(?) for what i write under the cut)

i don’t like aus much so pls don’t include any (just a personal preference // canon divergence is one idm as much but don’t love)

when it comes to hurt/comfort it doesn’t have to be them comforting eachother (me personally i love those “hakoda finds out accidentally and zuko freaks the fuck out bcz fire nation homophobia but sokka’s just insanely embarrassed and hakoda’s a rlly good dad abt it” fics, also love the idea of iroh talking to zuko abt stuff or other members of the gaang finding out+talking abt it)

would prefer if it either included a focus on either queer stuff/coming out or outing/homophobia discussions/etc or mental illness shit (eg. zukos extreme daddy issues or shit like sh/suicide bcz fuck you i like what i like)

piggy backing off that i have no idea how to write mcd so pls don’t suggest it

am cool with making it zukki/suzukka instead of just zukka

the ship itself doesn’t have to be main focus of the fic i just want them in there

idm at all writing stuff that implies/references sex and i don’t really mind including actual sexual content but i’ve never written smut before and don’t wanna write smthn rn thats nsfw-focused so if u include that in ur prompt just be aware i might have to skip and imply the scene or i might not write it bcz yay writers block (it’s connected i promise-)

VERY happy to make either of them autistic and will probably write zuko like that anyway

PLEASE if u have an idea but think it’s cringe or weird or whatever just send it (on anon if u want) and if u have an idea but are not sure if it fits just send it with a disclaimer, i’d rather have a lot of bad ideas like what happens everytime i ask for bsd ideas than nothing bcz the eldritch horrors have maybe allowed me to write for the first time in ages and i rlly wanna put a fic out

please don’t be super vague i’m too autistic for that 😭

plz send the requests as asks, not a reblog or comment (just so i have them all in the same place)

sorry this was kinda long and idk if anyone’ll respond to this but yeah there’s srsly not enough of this kinda fic in this fandom (and i’m not even gonna mention how i wrote my kyoshi fic in april and it’s STILL the only fic like that abt her so what the fuck)

oh also yeah my ao3 is Raines_Adopted_Son

[ssreeder]

oh my god. oh my goodness fucking gracious me.

so I just have to tell you that I found your fic this morning and I fucking SPEEDED through that shit (even though it was SO long--IM NOT COMPLAINING I LOVE LONG FICS) but oh my god. oh my god

you're so talented??? first of all, like I'm on my knees wondering where all this came from. like you came up with this?? it was in your head?? and you wrote it by yourself? oh my god reSPECT

also it's so beautifully written‼️‼️ I went back and looked at the character development and the everything because good lord it was so well paced. like I was on the edge of my bed seat during every single chapter. good lord

zukka + all of ATLA is my current hyperfixation and your fic has soothed me so completely

jesus christ on a cracker do you understand how talented you are?? do you *grabs you aggressively by the shoulders and stares deeply into your eyes* DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW INCREDIBLE AND SKILLFUL AND GORGEOUS THIS IS??? PLEASE

okay but in all seriousness, here are some of my favorite lines(mostly from the last chapter because jesus fuck I do nOT have time to scroll back through everything your wrote):

"And here he was, all these years later… not used to it. He knew he would never get used to the blood curdling scream a person made when the fire stripped their body clean and their bones were reduced to nothing but a pile of ash and a terrible smell.

No wonder the world referred to them as ash-makers."

Jesus fucking fuck. CHILLS BBY I HAD CHILLS

"Watch out for your little brother" OHOHOHO HEHEEEE

"'Your teacher will be someone who has mastered Neutral Jing. You need to find someone who waits and listens before striking. Do not worry about your old friend Aang, he isn’t buried in the ground yet!' Bumi cackled the way that he had since they were just kids.

...

'The white lotus Pai Sho piece? I don’t have a set, no one else knows how to play.'"

AHAHAH THE TOPH AND UNCLE IROH DROP IM GOING TO BE SICK

"I'll go wherever you go." KILLING MYSELF WHY ARE THEY SO SWEET

anyway that's enough from me (I feel like you should know I typed all of this while either rolling around on the floor screaming or sitting very still with a DEEPLY disturbing (so I'm told) and very somber expression on my face).

i hope you have a lovely day you gorgeous beautiful perfect human being

This is me reading your ask… dude wtf this is so nice!!!!

I AM BEING SHOULDER GRABBED WITH LOVE AND I REALLY LIKE IT AHHHHH!!! its so funny because its been so long since i wrote the first book you sent me those quotes and im like uhhhuhhh ohhh yeah mhmmmm wait i wrote that?? Haha (except the “watch out for your little brother”) cause that was twisted in a way that made me smirk.. haha that sentence meant so much!!! (I do think the bumi quote was directly from canon though so I take zero credit for that just trying to keep it canon haha)

I’m glad you like my writing enough to come scream at me. I love when people scream kind words at me I WANT TO BE SHOULDER GRABBED WITH PRAISE MORE AHHHHH!!!

thanks for this epic ask you’re fucking amazing never change

[blu3berrydraws]

@aangsfrogs said: I’m always a slut for Zukka! If you wanna spoil me you don’t even have to draw I just wanna know your adult headcannon for Sokkas hair and like what he does with it and what any little braids or beads mean :3

--- okay WELL, I like to ground my headcanons in historic reality, which atla does themselves too { which is in part why i love it so much to begin with }. Traditionally, in inuit culture and also many indigenous cultures at large, the braiding of the hair has a spiritual meaning and represents the entanglement with the creator. In contrast, free flowing hair is associated with the freedom of life. Personally, I don't think Sokka is a terribly spiritual person { quite the opposite }. It makes sense to me that he likes to keep his hair loose, yet out of his face, so I am generally drawing him with his trademarked wolf tail {as an adult though, he grows it out much longer}.

HOWEVER. Sometimes I'll draw him with braids incorporated. and the idea of them actually having a meaning is not one that purely sprouted from my brain. I first read the idea of braids as signifiers of status in Hold Me Like You Do, Cover Me In Blue by @chitsangenthusiast. I've since also read more info on @atlaculture's blog and found during own research that this was a common use of braids in many cultures (including viking culture, which is interesting to me because his hairstyle first struck me as very viking inspired when I was 14 lol).

Many cultures (African tribes, Inuit, the norse) will use the hairstyle of both men and women to signify their age, marital status, wealth, religion, and even the tribe they came from. Usually, when I draw Sokka with a braid, It's close to his shaven head and gets pulled in to joining his wolftail in the loose hair. Personally, I like to think it means tying a tether (Zuko) into his otherwise laissez-faire life. It might be a signifier that he is 'taken' so to speak. I also like to draw him with more braids as he gets older, braids that might indicate chief- or warriorstatus that would let other watertribepeople know that he is established and to be respected. Sometimes though, I'm just drawing him with braids because I want to, because I like how it looks lolol

I haven't looked into the use of beads and ribbons much, but i do know that there is an Inuit/native custom of wrapping braids completely in cloth, which I don't think is Sokka's speed. The intricacy in chitsangenthusiast's fic is really nice though, so do recommend !

[fallingdeeperintothispit]

10 characters/10 fandoms

Thanks for tagging me @dirtbag-linecook-kyloren! Let’s get into it 🦆

We’re gonna go chronologically just like the post I was tagged in because it’s late and I have no original thoughts!!

1. Kirishima Eijirou / Boku No Hero Academia

So sweet. My boy. And so criminally underrated. I feel like I really connected with this character back when I was in the fandom, because for those who don’t know his origin story was that he was super boring and bland in the (Japanese equivalent of) middle school, and when he got to high school he had completely changed his personality and flourished. I wanted to be him in a way, strong and brave. (Was this where issues with gender began? Maybe.)

2. Pitch Black / Rise of the Guardians

HOOOOH BOY. So many people identify Jack Frost as their first animated crush, but goddamn it if I didn’t immediately start being totally obsessed with Pitch. Now, as the years have passed, it’s become difficult for me to tell if I wanted to be with him or /be him/, but I always thought that he deserved much better than he got.

3. Sokka / Avatar the Last Airbender

Sensing a pattern? Yep it’s another unappreciated side character used for relief that I identified with and stuck to like a cactus. I actually really liked his character when I first watched the show, and now am an avid Zukka fan! Will I ever write a fic for that? Maybe. But don’t worry, Kylux will forever and always be my main source of inspo. Those blorbos were made for each other.

4. Runaan / The Dragon Prince

Listen. LISTEN. I started watching this show years ago and it is SUCH A COMFORT. I adore it. As I watched the show, of course I immediately connected with Soren, but something about Runaan’s character and the fact that he was so powerful and cut off but also a father and a lover and he NEVER GOT JUSTICE,,, it impacted me. I’ve read every SCRAP of fic I can about his life pre-TDP. Love him to death. Save my boy next season please!!

5. Saiki / The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

Something about a generfluid aromatic main character just hit home for me. The fact that it was so normal that Saiki was born a girl and just changed his gender and no one cares is such a tiny moment in the show but it introduced the idea of “this is ok” to me. I hold that show in a special place in my heart. Doesn’t hurt that it’s also hilarious.

6. Muriel / Good Omens Season 2

We come to the present! Or, well, a few months ago present. Loved the kiss scene. Cried at the ending. Something about Muriel made me want to protect them. They’re so,,, blorbo. Kinda reminds me of Mitaka, now that I think about it 🧐

7. Jim / Our Flag Means Death

Oh boy. OHHHHHH BOY. Him. I love him. I want to be him. Just,,,, JIM. His origin story, his love interest, his bloodthirsty personality, that one scene with Spanish Jackie… just a chef’s kiss all around.

8. Armitage Hux / Star Wars - Sequel Trilogy

SAY IT WITH ME: “HE WAS DONE DIRTY!!” He had so much potential and they just SQUANDERED IT. He could have been the next Thrawn! He had the brains for it, and the wit. I don’t know why Ylasmirs aren’t used more in Star Wars cannon. Did I mention that Hux was a GENIUS?! He built a better, more powerful Death Star and was killed by A CHARACTER THE FANDOM HAD JUST MET. Also, he was the spy??? REALLY?? …I’m so normal about him.

9. Clyde / Logan Lucky

Recently watched this movie with my family and adored it. It’s up there in my list of Perfect Heist Movies! I feel like Clyde’s character was really well executed, and at no point was he made lesser for being an amputee, which I really enjoyed. Also, with the Ferrari movie coming out, maybe another heist is set to happen 👀

10. Stensland / Crashpad

Listen. This movie. This fucking movie. It was SO BAD. And kinda misogynistic? But… I really enjoyed Domhall’s acting. Stensland was lovable and dumb and my heart ached for him when he got rejected. Does that excuse the movie’s weird ending? No. But I still like the character.

Honorable Mention: Captain Phasma / Star Wars - Sequel Trilogy

I love Gwendolyn Christie. I love a woman who can beat the shit out of me. I love a woman in armor. Need I say more? Also, that character’s death was very anticlimactic and I feel like she should have been in TROS.

No-pressure tags! @fridayincarnate @dragonflies-draw-flame @ironsoulmaker

[princessstevemunson]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better, tagged by @spice-and-lemonade (Thank you for tagging me!)

3 ships

I’m not sure if this means of all time or not. Steddie—I’m pretty sure that’s how most of you found me. Zukka, and FinnPoe

First Ship ever

According to my mom, I’ve been shipping Magneto and Prof. X since I was like 5 (when X-Men (2000) came out.) The first one I remember was Kataang when ATLA first aired or Scorose because that’s the first ship I read/wrote fic for

Last Song:

No Children by the mountain goats, but the version where it’s the audience singing the lyrics instead. This song has gotten me through some tough times, and it’s actually nice to hear other people who it probably helped singing it.

Last Movie:

I’m a big lover of cheesy 90’s-early 00’s romcoms. I’ve been in a huge Hugh Grant phase lately and I’ve been rewatching Notting Hill. I don’t why I adore this movie so much but I do.

Currently Reading:

When not reading Steddie fics I’m currently reading You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince. It’s an LGBTQ Christmas romance.

Currently watching:

I just finished watching Dead to Me, and I’m looking for something else to watch. I’ll probably rewatch Stranger Things or finally watch Gilmore Girls.

Currently consuming

A bottle of water and cookies for Santa.

Currently craving:

Marinated Asparagus it’s a tradition with one of my aunts for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I haven’t had it in years

Tagged: @averysiriuschromie @solosnail @tuvens @spectrum-spectre @henderdads @metal-dads @justanopossum @patheticgirlsteve @stevesbipanic

[poibynt]

AO3 wrapped!

Respond to this with what you would call the top 5 fanfics you’ve read in 2022. Any genre! Any ship! (Bonus points: if you’re a creator, make this a 5+1 and include your favorite fic you wrote in 2022!)

Then leave this in your friends’ asks too. Let’s give creators one more spotlight before the year ends, and share some of what we’ve enjoyed along the way!

First off, how DARE you MAKE ME CHOOSE 5. 5????? Crimes. To be contrarian, I’m doing 6+1. Fuck you.

There’s so many ways you can rate fic, bc I’ve truely read so many amazing fics this year. I’m gonna go by how much brain space these fics took up, and how many times I’ve gone back to reread them. I’m also not counting anything I’m betaing for since like it’s my job to reread and let those fics take up a lot of brain space, and also bc in my mind betaing a fic isn’t really “reading”. If I was counting them though they would make the list.

6. |a leap in faith| by littlekaracan

Star Wars, codywan. 10k.

I’m an absolute sucker for wing fics. SUCKER. And this fic just has such a lovely level of intimacy, but with just a smidge of repression & pining that makes it very compelling. It’s an incredibly comforting and comfortable read and I find myself coming back to it now and then when I want something soft. Littlekaracan is one of my fav Codywan writers and they write Cody so well I’m always very compelled by the way they represent him!

5. Stalker’s tango by crashing_meteros

Star Wars. Bobadin. 7k

I was and still am very taken by the nonlinear structure of this fic. It’s incredibly well done and remains not just coherent but very expertly builds the plot. I’m always very intrigued by Boba and Din have met before aus and this fic’s take on that idea is just so unique and compelling. I support bobadin’s rights to be total and utter shitheads.

4. The wrong stars by tciddaemina (@ticddaemina)

RDR2. Charthur. 36k

I am not immune to eldritch cowboys. I am NOT IMMUNE TO INCREDIBLY WELL EXECUTED ELDRITCH COWBOYS. I don’t think I have anything more coherent to say other than ELDRITCH COWBOYS.

3. While Mighty Oaks Do Fall by witchofendor (@a-witch-in-endor)

Atla. Zukka. 155k

This fic’s premise, incredibly oversimplified, is atla but Zuko is a lawyer. And I LOVE IT. It has this incredible blend of theology, law and political manuvering. I love some good old politics but I don’t know a lot about religion and law. This fic not only made me care and be invested in fantasy theology and law, it made me care more about real life theology and law which I think is a major accomplishment. The author clearly knows their stuff and it makes the fic way more compelling. The fleshing out of institutions like the firesages and the theological practices of other nations is incredibly well executed and compelling. I deeply care about WMODF zuko and literally just every time I re-read chapter 15 I cry.

2. War Games by Lovely_Elbow_Leech (@lovelyelbowleech)

Atla. Zukka. 271k

This one wins the “OC character most likely to tempt Flynn’s aromanticism” award. Everyone and their grandmother goes on about how much they like Shen BUT OH MY GOD I LOVE SHEN. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!!! While I love love love War Crimes (this fic’s prequel) War Games does such a stellar job balancing so many moving parts, characters and plot lines that it’s incredibly impressive. It’s handling of the aftermath of War Crimes and the kind of damage that does to Sokka and Zuko is Very Very Good and feels realistic & grounded and not torture porny. This is also maybe my fav characterisation of Suki like ever. I can’t wait to see how this fic unfolds and comes together.

1. A simple thing by Iridan (@ryehouses)

Star Wars. Bobadin. 808k

The rest of the fics on this list are very close together, with little separating them between ranks. This fic is the exception. 2022 has been the year of AST for me in a lot of ways. I can’t go into all the things I love about this one or we’d be here all day. It has crept into the fibers and seams of my mundane life in a way only few things have been able to. It’s helped me keep time, to know what day it was relative to updates. It’s let me examine parts of myself I didn’t know we’re there. It’s kept me entertained, and thinking, and given me the ability to reflect and grow as a person. There’s not much you can do to top that.

(Honourable mention: ruins, healing by mistake by Scourge_of_nemo. Star Wars. Bobadin 5k.)

+1. At ash’amur, norac at norac. At oyayc, pel’gam at pel’gam.

Star Wars. Bobadin. 4K

I have written 2 fics this year, but seeing as only one of them is currently published I’m going with that by default (rip my podfic this isnt about you). This fic was written in one sitting directly after the finale of tbobf made me briefly loose my mind. I have a lot of fondness for the feeling I had while writing it, and I like the way it turned out. Really should go back and edit it someday huh.

[ao3feed-zukka]

Talk Too Much

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/p6oOWzS

by thehundrethpoet

“What’s this?��� Zuko asks, arching a brow as he takes the napkin he’s offered, eyes flickering over the digits inked in smudged calligraphy but readable. “My number. So you can call me later.” The guy with blue eyes and hickeys along his collarbone says, smiling confidently for a moment. Truly, only a moment. Next thing he knows some insecurity passes by his face and he is crumbling into excuses, talking too fast and too much and this side of neurotic. “I mean, if you want to call me later. I don't want to assume, it's just last night was nice— not nice, hot— no, not hot, good. Last night was good and I like you so— not like you as in love you, like you as in you're nice— not nice, hot— no, not hot— fuck!” His face meets his hands and he lets out a quiet sound of gut-wrenching despair. “You're a rambler, aren't you?” He answers amusedly, good eye crinkling at the edges with a held back smile and bad eye hidden under a dark curtain of hair.

(Or the one where Zuko's one time flings talks like he expects not to be listened to and Zuko listens. Over and over again.)

Words: 35226, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of knit your soul to mine and i will turn you into a poem

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Aang (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Bato (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai (Avatar)

Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar)

Additional Tags: god help me people actually liked my first one - freeform, and it’s been three whole ass years, but atla live action looks GOOD, and i finally made it, so here we go aGA I N-, I AM BACK, hide your feelings hide your children, hi terra, I'm sorry this was meant to be your Christmas gift and I am so majorly late, like... by three whole ass years, but it's still my gift to you, it’s just not Christmas, yay (?), pardon a girl her shortcomings, to all of you i hereby promise, no angst just softness..., fine there's ONE (1) piece of angst, but it's just the onE, i think, don't quote me on it, Dorks in Love, Fluff and Humor, Romantic Fluff, Happy Ending, zukka - Freeform, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Sokka (Avatar)-centric, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Zuko's Scar (Avatar), Minor Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), minor Kataang, minor bakoda, Uncle Iroh And His Cup Of Tea, Azula (Avatar) is A Good Sister, Azula (Avatar) And Her Asexual Smolder, Poet Zuko (Avatar), Poet Zuko (Avatar) Supremacy, College Student Zuko (Avatar), College Student Sokka (Avatar), the title says everything you need to know, so does the summary, The Author Regrets Nothing, begone fics where these two insist on hurting each other through miscommunication, ( yes i am aware my previous Zukka fic is one such story what about it ), and let's have healthy and good communication!, here we fucking goooooooo

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/p6oOWzS

[gaybd1]

First of all, I'm soooo excited for that finished Zukki drawing. I am feral over it!! Also, could you maybe give a summary of each of your wips? I'm curious about all of them!

Thank you so much!!

Sure, I'd love to give some summaries! Then maybe y'all can PLEASE tell me what u are most interested in reading to help me figure out what I should prioritize?

The current priority is the one going by "Zuko Sees Sokka Fucked Up" lol bc @witchering10123 wrote the most beautifully painful Whumptober series about Hakoda and Sokka just Going Through It and I wanted to write the last two entries from Zuko's perspective when Sokka gets found because I think that would be so good and I love pain and suffering!!

Let's see... Modern Taiwan AU is the one I'm most excited about! This will be a long one and I've never written a modern AU before but basically it's based on SKAM (particularly season 3 of Druck) so it's like a cute trans love story BUT it is also going to have a LOT to do with Taiwan's ghost month and is going to be kind of inspired my Marry My Dead Body hehehehehe

Toxic Jetko I just posted about but basically it's my take on if Zuko and Jet had tried to make things work but it really just wouldn't have. It IS based kind of note for note on a real relationship I've had in the past because the dynamic was way too Jetko and I was like wow wouldn't that be a great fanfic actually

(how terrible it is) to love something death can(‘t) touch is a FUCKING. VAMPIRE AU!!! and it's so so so far from being ready but it's uhhhhh basically like if IWTV was about Zukka and Izumi. So there is some Divorced Zukka in there and also references to asshole Zhao in flashbacks... It's going to be angsty and exciting, but probably also pretty long

i will not be great, but I’m grateful to get through is a very niche sequel to if i fade away (the awful things we do to make the head go quiet) because that is a Dead Dove fic with a cliffhanger ending and I'm excited for the healing that we will see in the sequel but it does deal with heavy shit so I haven't been super quick at writing it. It does fix the Big Problem we saw in the first one though.

ZAtD Katara Arc - So when I wrote Zuko Amongst the Dragons I rushed it a bit too much and I love the universe that has been created for it so I want to go back and revisit some stuff. I skipped over the Puppetmaster and the Southern Raiders episodes in the plot and I thought it would be cool to write something with that like a deleted scene where Dragon Zuko is with Katara dealing with these terrible things

ZAtD Izumi Epilogue - I couldn't fit this into the main story BUT I want to write like a 5-10 years later snapshot of Zukka so happy with Druk and Izumi and kind of revisit how Zuko is dealing with his humanness, and is he the Fire Lord or nah?

ZAtD Divorce Epilogue - This would be way later but I'm obsessed with the idea of Divorced Zukka BUT with their psychic connection from their Dragon Bond and like what would happen any time they get into a room together hehe

ZAtD Extended Torture Scene - This is just because I had so many ideas for when Azula interrogates Sokka at the Boiling Rock that I left out of the original fic bc it kind of disrupted the tone but I DO like whump and angst so I WOULD like to finish what I had kind of wanted for that scene muahahaha

So yeah anyway, any opinions on what I should try to finish and publish first???

[benwvatt]

my stomach churns - chapter 2!

chapter 2 of my Zukka fic is uploaded now!

In which Zuko is healing from his Agni Kai with Ozai on a ship, and Sokka is his healer. They quickly become best friends and bond over the shared pain of the past.

Left cheek hurts, Zuko says in sign language the next day. Uncle had always told him he might need it for an emergency (“what if you lose your voice, hm?”) and the high court’s tutors were more than happy to step in and teach. Zuko hates to say that Uncle was correct, but he kind of was. Is.

Dammit.

Everytime Uncle wins an argument, Zuko has to put a copper into the ‘my extremely intelligent uncle was correct yet again’ jar on his desk. (Yeah, can you tell who named that one?) When it fills up with coins they like to toss a few in the fountain and then purchase ice cream with the rest. They walk around the park and hand out extra ice-cream cones to parents and kids walking by.

“Huh?” Sokka asks. He sets down a pile of laundry, mostly bandages stained ruddy-pink with blood, and walks over to the prince. Zuko’d been rambling all of this, signing softly from his bed, and Sokka hadn’t paid enough attention to catch the words. “I can’t read you that fast.”

Zuko holds back a smile. Sorry, he moves his hand to his chest, making a fist. I was just yammering on. I get so bored sitting here alone. Do you understand me alright?

Yeah, mostly! I’ve worked with a lot of, Sokka pauses to grin, deaf patients before. My mom taught me a long time ago, and sign language stuck because I was so young… but I’m rusty now. Give me a sec. He runs to the laundry room for another towel and he slowly freezes it. Lay this across your cheek. I can do more healing if you need.

Okay. Zuko takes a gentle breath in. He hasn’t been able to breathe deeply since… since the day he doesn’t want to remember. My uncle has a jar of coins, he begins the story. Zuko isn’t exactly sure if something’s lodged in his throat, or if he’s so parched that he can’t speak, but this is - this is just easier for now. No need to rely on his voice.

Zuko’s words are puppets, brought to life by string.

It’s a little difficult to move his eyebrows as he signs. After all, he only has one good eye now, but Sokka grins and signs back all the same. Your uncle is very kind, you know.

Yeah, he’s the good one in our family.

The good one? Are there bad ones?

Oof. Uh, this is not a conversation Zuko feels like having with his teenage healer.

He gulps and prepares his hands to dance through burning air. When he loses his temper, sometimes he can’t help but emit smoke as he signs. Yes. Zuko tries to breathe slowly.

read the first chapter on AO3

read chapter 2!

[princecosmosanon]

Heya! First, I just wanna say I'm a huge fan of hotm and can't wait to read more! Your style and characterization are fantastic, and the story has such great flow. It's easy to read and enjoy. c: I was curious about what other works you've posted? Obviously, you're anonymous so I can't really stalk your ao3 account and binge your other works, but I love abo, especially in the ATLA fandom and was wondering about what else you've written and if you'd be willing to share some of it.

Hello! Thank you for reading Hearts on the Mend and sending me a nice message! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it so far! Hopefully I’ll manage a chapter again soon, but I’ve had a bit of a dry spell with writing, so I couldn’t put a date to it.

That being said, if you’d like to read any of my other fanfics, I actually have them linked in my pinned post on this tumblr account. There’s only three of them, including Mend, but they’re all omegaverse, so perhaps you’ll like them!

The first is How to Seduce Your Husband, another zukka fic but this one has Zuko as an Omega and Sokka as the Alpha. They meet at a fancy party meant to be used as a faux mate hunt and end up together before they even know one another. When I first started writing it, I was inspired by Behind the War Worn Mask by zeerogue, which is another arranged marriage Zukka fic, as well as When in Fódlan by PumpkinSpiceHimbo, a Fire Emblem Three Houses omegaverse Claurenz short story.

Just the idea of meeting someone you’re fated to be with, and having to cover your face at first and hide your true self… it just inspired me! But as it stands, How to isn’t finished either lmao whoops

The third fic I’ve written (and still isn’t finished) is different from Mend or How to. I must preface this by saying this one is not for everyone. It’s called Heaven Sent/Hellbent and it’s not a Zukka fic. Instead, it’s a Piandao/Zuko omegaverse story.

In HS/H Piandao is forced to marry Zuko basically right after Zuko gets burned by Ozai, and Piandao is like “fuck that” and basically makes it his life’s goal to keep Zuko as his ward. After Aang appears and takes down Ozai, Piandao officially annuls their sham of a marriage and Zuko becomes the next Fire Lord. This fic jumps between the past, when Zuko is living with Piandao as his ward, and the present, when Zuko is several years into being the Fire Lord and is now being pressured to produce an heir to the throne.

As you can see, it’s got some crazy things going on, but I did fuck around with the age gap in that one. Piandao actually doesn’t have an official age in the Avatar universe, we just know that canonically he’s the youngest of the white lotus members, so I changed things around a bit. But there’s no underage sex in the fic and the characters don’t get romantically involved until Zuko is in his mid 20s so… take that as you will. Again, it’s not a fic for everyone and I won’t be upset if you’re like “ew, no.”

Anyway, these are the three current writing projects I’ve got going so far. I do hope you enjoy them, whether it’s just the one or all of them! I like writing but it’s difficult trying to stay afloat in this capitalist hellscape and manage my free time otherwise. But knowing there’s still people out there who like my stories enough to send me little notes and questions always makes me smile :)

As always, thanks for reading!

~Prince Cosmos Anon