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jasminedragonart · 17 days ago

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A little short story for you guys set in the college au:

The Northern water tribe was otherworldly. It sat between two mountains, some of the structures seen from behind the wall looking to be carved from the ice itself. Everything was crystalline blues and icy white, Sokka's eyes hurting as he strained to see more from the deck of their boat.

The wind was frigid on his cheeks, the coat Sokka wore doing a very poor job of keeping him warm. He had time to put more layers on but as of a few days ago it was almost impossible for Sokka to shed his coat long enough to bathe nevermind lose it for another shirt. He was glad he wasnt the only one suffering as he saw Suki shiver up next to him. Sokka offered his arm, Suki cuddling up in seconds the two of them sighing as some part of them warmed up.

“Wow.”

Sokka looked back to the wall that grew taller by the second. “I know.” Even that was beautiful. There were intricate carvings along the top, all of them joining together in a seal for the water nation. “I can't believe your girlfriend is in charge of all this.” Both Yue and Zuko hadn't told him about any protocol he had to follow.

Well, nothing other than ‘be polite’. But Sokka was always polite so he didn't know what else he could do. Suki wasn't any help either. Ceremony didn't apply to someone who had to be on guard all day.

“I wouldn't say that,” Suki sighed.

“Hmm?”

Suki pursed her lips, her red hair whipping around her face, “The Water Tribes are… they're a fairly patriarchal society.”

Okay… “So’s where I'm from.” They had still yet to have a woman in charge of the government. Not to mention the age gap and crime rates against women and… God it was bad at home.

“Okay,” Suki agreed, since she'd had to chase off Yue’s douche of an ex boyfriend just as much as Zuko last year. “But think pre vote.”

Oof. “Yeah that's bad.”

Suki raised her brows in agreement. “She's only going to become queen if she marries someone. I think there were rumours of a match between her and Zuko but the Water Tribes don't want to encourage more fire nation control.”

Sokka nodded, doing his best to understand. It made sense Zuko, as a second son, would be made to do the political marriage thing. At least, that's what Game of Thrones had told him. “They're not though, right?” Since, while Sokka was all for threesomes and the like, he didn't think he could share Zuko long term. Even if that other person was Yue.

Suki shrugged, “I think Lu Ten and some Earth Nation royal are in the lineup.”

“No one from home?”

Suki scowled, “No one I'm happy about.”

Sokka made a note to keep an eye on Suki as the call went up for docking preparations. The air around them had grown dark as the wall obscured the sun. Sokka could see some of the patterns properly now, a lot of them of some of the animals he'd seen on their way. It was so strange they had cross species animals. Scientists back home would go spare if they knew these things existed.

Koi fish were most commonly found. They weren't any kind of hybrid mix, just plain old koi fish swimming around each other.

His other arm lifted, Yue clutching onto his waist, her coat much thicker than his own. Her face was still cold where she rested it against his own, her blue eyes wistful as she watched the wall come closer.

“Excited to be home?” He heard Zuko ask, watching him walk up next to Suki. Naturally, Sokka lost one of his arm warmers, Suki latching onto their portable heater.

“In ways,” Yue agreed. “I'm grateful I get to leave and explore the world but there's always some part of me that longs for home.”

Zuko hummed knowingly.

Yue tugged Sokka's arm, her spare hand pointing towards the top of the wall, “They're going to waterbend.”

Sokka walked back to see them better. They were on the wall, a whole squad of them spread out with their hands moving in slow waves. Sokka remembered Katara doing the same thing. Less practiced and smooth but some part of her must have known that was how she was supposed to move. Unlike Katara, these men didn't move the water, instead the wall itself slowly parted down the middle, sliding aside until it was wide enough for them to slip through. Sokka ran to the back of the ship to watch them waterbend it back together.

The inside was just as beautiful as the outside. Houses were built into the ice, like Sokka thought, but there were also those that stood alone. There was a market with old wooden posts that had frozen over so many times the snow seemed to be part of it now. Yue pointed out some of the schools, Sokka doing his best to remember where they were as their boat slowly passed through the waters to the dock.

It took about an hour for the call to come up they could leave. By then, a small welcome party had gathered below, Sokka's insides twisting as he spied the sharp bone weapons held in more than a few people's hands. He caught Zuko's hand, his own sweating in his glove, “Are you sure there's nothing I need to do?”

Zuko's mouth ticked up slightly. “Maybe bow?” and why couldn't he have said so a few days ago?

“What kind of bow?”

Zuko shrugged. “I just know what to do at home.” They started walking to the gangplank.

“You are very unhelpful,” Sokka hissed, the outside blasting cold air in his face again. “If I get arrested, I want you to know it's all your fault.”

That got a smile, which hadn't been Sokka's intention. “You'll be fine.”

“I'm a foreigner. They're going to deport me if not worse if I don't do this right Zuko.”

Zuko laughed, snow crunching beneath their feet. Sokka saw Yue dart ahead, running into the crowd of armed men to hug the sole woman present. She hugged her father afterwards, Sokka was surprised to see both of them with dark hair. He'd always thought Yue had at least one blond parent but maybe it was just premature greyness.

Either way Sokka was out of time as Yue guided her parents forward. Zuko took his hand back, falling into a bow Sokka did his best to imitate. He straightened after a moment, Arnook nodding his head back. “I'm glad to welcome all of you here. It's been too long since a Fire Nation noble has stepped onto our land with good intentions.”

Zuko inclined his head, “My grandfather sends his regards. He's very pleased we can meet as friends.” Sokka didn't know what to make of that but Arnook did not look like he believed Zuko. Zuko seemed to know so too as he added, “My uncle also told me tales of the Northern water tribe. Apparently you're quite known for your warm hospitality and good liquor.”

Arnook laughed, his hand leading Zuko forward, “Your uncle would say that.”

Sokka had to quick step to keep up.

It didn't escape his mind that Suki hadn't been greeted by Arnook. He saw Yue’s mom welcome her but Arnook looked to be ignoring her entirely. He thought it might just be a commoner thing, Sokka hadn't been greeted either but as the day wore on Sokka found himself being involved in conversations regarding his home and school and how Yue was getting on while Suki trailed on quietly behind them.

They were given rooms at the royal palace. Big rooms. Sokka had more room than he knew what to do with and thankfully the water tribes knew how to insulate since he had absolutely no problem shedding his coat when he got inside.

They had a few hours to settle in before a welcome feast. An actual welcome feast. Sokka felt like he'd stepped into some kind of fantasy novel as he watched servants melt ice and snow into a bath for him. The water was cold, Zuko promising to heat it up so the servants wouldn't have to. Almost all the doors here were either blocks of ice that needed to be waterbended away or simple fur hangings. Since Sokka wasn't a waterbender and Zuko would probably melt the entire palace if he tried to remove it, they had a simple fur.

“Remind me not to blow you while we're here,” like hell was he having guards listen to them, and Zuko could be very loud.

Zuko pouted over at him.

Sokka didn't give in. It was alright when it was just the four of them, God knows Suki and Yue were just as loud, and they'd long gotten used to each other. But with strangers? No. “We’re only here a week. You can cope.”

“Unless we find your sister,” Zuko corrected. “I told my uncle we might need to stay at least a month if she's here. I want you to have time with her.”

Sokka couldn't help smiling at that. “Thank you.” He was still holding strong about the celibacy.

Zuko did his best to persuade him otherwise. After a very long bath with a very naked boyfriend whose hot hands loosened knots under his skin Sokka hadn't known about, he batted off anything indecent and went to see which of his clothes were clean enough to wear.

Not many.

What he did have wasn't exactly fit for royalty either. He could feel panic start to build as he looked over his options again. “Do you think they sell clothes here?”

Zuko, naked and lounging on their bed, took a break from drying off and glanced over, “Here in the palace or here in a city?”

Fair point.

Zuko got up, his body very distracting now Sokka could see it up close. “Arnook knows you're not from here. It's fine.”

But it wasn't fine. “He's going to think I don't respect him.” But the thing was Sokka had been so consumed with the travel part of their plans he hadn't accounted for the where they were staying part.

“You can borrow some of my clothes?” Zuko offered.

Sokka considered it. “You don't mind?” Zuko was bigger in the shoulders, chest, thighs… Sokka needed to stop looking. The point was, his clothes might be a little big and a little not like Sokka was used to wearing but Zuko was a prince, his clothes had to be better than the tank tops and sweaters Sokka had packed.

They filtered through Zuko's traditional clothes, Sokka not entirely liking how thin some of the material was. “Can we go shopping tomorrow?” Sokka asked, feeling like he was wearing a tent on his legs as he tied them as tight as they would go.

“Sure,” Zuko said, helping him roll the waist a few times. “I need a souvenir for Uncle anyway.”

“Tea?” Sokka guessed. It was what Zuko usually sent to his uncle when holidays and birthdays came up.

Sure enough, “There's a special blend they make up here. I'll ask Yue tonight where I can get some so we don't waste time.”

Sokka gave him a hard look, “We can waste a bit of time.” He knew they had come here for him but that didn't mean the others couldn't have fun too.

The feast started with a small performance done by a group of school kids. They were around eight, maybe nine, and acted out the story of the founding of the Northern Water tribe wonderfully. Sokka gave them the biggest round of applause he could when it was finished.

The food came after. Great heaps of meat and more meat and oh, meat again. There were some greens the seaweed salty and lush on his tongue. Sokka had never tasted things so fresh, and found himself leaning over Zuko to ask one of the men sitting next to them what kind bait they used to fish.

“My dad's a fisherman,” Sokka explained. “Well, one of them. The other runs our restaurant at home. We get good stuff, don't get me wrong but this is amazing.”

The man didn't have a clue. The one next to him did. He introduced himself as Hao and, with a bit of shuffling, was more than happy to tell Sokka about different temperatures and fishing techniques.

The music started up at some point. Dancers followed, their movements practiced and fluid from years of practice.

The benders came at the end. Sokka strained in his seat but he needn't have bothered. Everyone there was male, and while it was impressive, it did make Sokka worry a little about finding Katara.

The food was taken away after the benders left. The music picked up again, wine and spirits handed out that Sokka declined at first before remembering the drinking age was lower here. He gladly called the servant back, his cup full of spirit that made his throat burn and face heat red enough Zuko laughed.

Yue came over once he'd downed some water. “You can't say no to me here,” she warned, a playful glint in her eye as she held her hand out, “I danced in your clubs so you have to dance with me.”

Sokka gave a put upon sigh,.”Well if you insist,” he stood, trailing behind Yue until they had a sizable space to themselves.

Yue was kind about it, telling him where to put his feet and his hands, the two of them dancing around each other. “You're doing better than Suki,” she promised him when he told her he felt stupid. “Did you know they didn't dance in the Fire Nation for ninety years.”

Sokka stopped, “Really?” No dancing? But Zuko loved dancing. Even now Sokka could see him picking up the moves much faster than Sokka was. Suki looked just as lost as Sokka.

“His great grandfather wasn't a fan,” Yue explained. “His grandfather isn't too fond of it either but I think Zuko's uncle persuaded him it was good to bring back some happiness.”

He watched Zuko and Suki dance a bit longer before Yue took his hands and made him dance with her again. “Suki er…”

“She's not happy,” Yue finished for him. “I know.” She put her hands on his shoulders, the two of them swaying like they were at a high school prom. “My mother wants me to talk to suitors tomorrow. I warned her this would happen but…”

“You're her girlfriend,” Sokka sighed. He got it. He knew Zuko had it easier than her. As soon as his uncle heard Zuko had a boyfriend he sent invitations galore for Sokka to visit their home. Naturally, this was pre finding out his boyfriend was a mega rich firebending prince and Sokka didn't quite want to commit to meeting the family if it was just going to fizzle into friendship like Suki and Yue. The point was, Zuko had support. It didn't look like Yue had much of that. “I can take her out tomorrow,” since that was what Yue wanted, “But both of you are going to have to fight about this at some point.”

“We won't fight,” Yue grumbled.

Sokka gave her a hard look, “I dated both of you. I know more than anyone how combative the two of you are.” Zuko too. Sokka really had a type.

Yue sighed, her head resting on his shoulder for a moment, “I just don't know what to do.”

He kissed her forehead, “You'll figure it out.” He drew back, catching Suki’s eye. “In the meantime, I suggest dancing with your girlfriend. Your parents might not like it but they let her come here anyway.”

He pushed her in Suki's direction, Suki ditching Zuko as soon as she saw Yue walking over.

With no other option, Zuko slunk over, the two of them taste testing wine and spirits until they were flat out drunk in their room, the last few battery minutes Zuko had on his phone playing Rihanna as loud as they could get it.

Hungover might not have been the best way to tour around the North Pole. Sokka was fighting off the worst headache in existence as he did his best to read the directions Yue had translated from her father about the bending schools.

He was thankful he'd packed his sunglasses, the sun itself seeming brighter today as it reflected off the crystalline structures around them. Despite that it was freezing. Cold enough Sokka made them stop to shop before going further.

“How long does it take to make?” Since everything, he'd found out in his fifth clothes store, was made to measure.

The tailor finished writing his measurements, “If it's a slow day? Come back by sunset. Fast? Come back tomorrow.”

Not too bad. He counted the coins out, Suki helping him as she made Zuko pay for the coat she was having made up. He would have had Zuko pay for his too except he kind of liked being independent. Fancy dinners were fine. But clothes? He could afford clothes.

He stuck close to Zuko when they left, the cold hitting him as soon as they were outside. Suki took Zuko's other side and, thanks to cold winters at home, Zuko was used to walking with two people hanging off him.

They hit the bending schools after glancing over a few market stalls for some tea. The first on their list led them to the outer rim of the Northern Water Tribe. There were children practicing along the waters edge, small patterns being made with the waves as they froze and unfroze the water. The oldest looked about twelve, Sokka didn't get his hopes up.

Nor did he for the second. Nor the fourth. In fact, it was when they hit the fifth that Sokka wondered if they would have better luck just asking the people around them if they had heard the name Katara. “Why?” Zuko asked when Sokka said just that.

“Look at them,” Sokka gestured out. This new school taught children from ages ten and up, some of them duelling in the middle of an icy training hall.

Zuko's good eye squinted but it was Suki who said, “They're all boys.”

“Oh.” Zuko frowned, looking around them, “Do you think they teach the girls separately?”

Sokka caught Suki's eye. “I don't think they teach them here at all,” he said. He hasn't seen a girl in any of the schools they'd visited. Co-ed didn't seem to be a concept the northern water tribe had heard of.

Zuko frowned harder, “Well that's stupid.”

Sokka caught Suki's half smile, “It is,” she agreed. She took Zuko's arm again, her other grabbing Sokka before he could claim his own spot next to Zuko again. “We’ll still try the next one anyway. Hopefully if we talk to a lot of teachers they'll all talk with each other and we'll find your sister faster.”

It looked like they were right as they visited almost every bending school on Arnook’s list. No one taught girls in their schools. When asked, since Zuko didn't know tact if his life depended on it, one of the teachers actually laughed at them and asked why a woman would want to learn more than homemaking and healing.

It took both Sokka and Zuko to drag Suki away from him. Even after an hour she was still angry, and Sokka couldn't blame her. “I mean, being a wife, staying at home, it's fine. Okay? It's fine,” Suki ranted. She'd been at this for over an hour, loudly saying it both outside and inside the palace. Sokka picked at the spread someone had put out for them, no feast seeming to be required of them tonight. “But it's the expectation that every woman wants to do that. Like we're not capable of more. Like they don't think we're built to survive without a man providing for us.”

Zuko loaded another plate up, bringing some to Suki before taking the rest back to his spot on the bed. “Azula would have killed herself if she'd grown up here.”

Suki's face contorted, “Not to agree with your sister but I don't think I would have survived here either.” She paced along their room again, “I can't believe this is where Yue lives. I can't believe her parents would do this to her. They have the power to change things, to make her life better and they're just-” she huffed, sitting between them, her head in her hands. “What am I going to do?”

Sokka sometimes wished Zuko knew how to read a room as he answered Suki's rhetorical question with, “What can you do?”

Suki stole more meat off his plate, falling onto her back, “I don't know.”

“She has to come back Suki,” Zuko said, as bluntly as ever.

Suki sent him a dark look, “I'm aware.”

Zuko, either face blind or not looking, didn't see it as he continued, “What can you do?”

A heavy silence was his answer. Sokka rubbed her back, letting her curl into him when she turned over. He knew Yue was having the same thoughts. They only had one more year left at college as well. While Sokka wanted to be optimistic and say they would be broken up by the time Yue needed to go home, there was a part of him that worried they wouldn't be.

“I don't care if you quit,” Zuko said out of nowhere. “We both know I don't need you.”

“Dude,” Sokka couldn't help but grind out, nodding down to where Suki was clearly upset.

Zuko didn't see a problem with it, again, as he said, “I don't.” He turned so he was facing them, and Sokka hoped that meant he saw the warning look Sokka was sending him. “My Uncle hired you because I was lonely Suki. He needed me to have a friend, not a warrior. If you want to leave, I'll miss you, but I'd understand. I just want you to be happy.”

“But what if I won't be?” Suki whined, burrowing closer to Sokka. “She has to get married Zuko. She has to be a queen and do queen things and-” her shoulders hitched, her fist coming up to wipe her nose as she started crying.

“She's going to be miserable,” Zuko said. “More so if you're not here.” and maybe Sokka didn't give Zuko enough credit for somehow saying the right thing in his seat of blunt, sometimes cruel, words. “You have a year to figure this out. If you think it's too much then I'm sure Ty Lee would be more than happy to go out with you when we get home. But maybe don't break up with her before you know for sure.”

Suki sniffed as she let out a short laugh, turning over to knock her fist in Zuko's thigh, “Ty Lee isn't interested in girls dumbass.”

Zuko's single brow quirked, “Ty Lee has just spent the last two years on Kyoshi island. She might not have liked girls going over there but I'm sure she does now.”

Suki's laugh was more heartfelt as she wiped her eyes, “You make it sound like a lesbian factory.”

“Is it not?”

She hit his thigh again, standing up to grab something proper to eat. She brought Sokka some kind of dried meat he'd got a hankering for. Taking her place back between them she asked, “So, Yue aside, where do we go from here? I mean, where would your sister go to learn waterbending?”

Since there had to be schools for women. Somewhere. “I'll ask Yue, or that tailor tonight,” since they still had to go out for their new clothes. Back into the cold. Colder than cold actually since the sun would be setting. He turned big eyes on Zuko, “Or maybe a strong warm firebender who doesn't care about temperature could do it for me?”

Zuko rolled his eyes, “You're lucky I love you.”

Sokka agreed.

They had a new list as well as new clothes. They were a lot thicker than those Sokka wore, even if they were the wrap around and tie up rather than sewn together so it wouldn't slip open kind of clothes. They were comfortable anyway, and enough like Zuko’s fire nation clothes Sokka didn't need too much help putting them on.

“Stop it,” he batted Zuko's hand away. “I knew I should have bought an overshirt.

“You look fine,” Zuko promised, his grabby hands coming to ‘help’ fix Sokka's collar. Yet somehow helping slowly turned to slipping a hand between the two folds and copping a feel.

Sokka bit back a smile, trying to be serious as he gave Zuko’s hands back "You're ridiculous.”

“And you're wearing that when we get to Ember Island.”

That Sokka could promise as he grabbed his new coat, the fur thick enough to block out most of the cold. Suki was lingering outside their room when they lifted their fur door. Like Sokka, she was decked out in a new blue coat, the hood as fur lined as the rest of it. She had small decorations at the arms, and for once, Sokka was happy to say, they all blended in.

Suki took his arm, her grip loose today as she made Zuko go on her other side, the three of them journeying into the outdoors. “Laura would have a field day if she knew what we were wearing.”

Ah yes, Laura from their biology class. “Laura's an idiot,” Zuko huffed before Sokka could. Zuko hadn't liked her from day one. To this day, Sokka didn't know what she'd done to him but it had been funny watching their little fights from the back of the room before he was indoctrinated into the Suki, Yue, Zuko sphere.

“She's definitely opinionated,” Sokka said diplomatically. “And she would be throwing red paint on us right now.” Laura was one of those people who was vegan to the extreme. More than once she'd tried to tell Sokka to throw his leather bag out because it was cruel to even own one. He'd heard her saying worse to Yue.

“Just let her try,” Suki grumbled, “This coat is never leaving my suitcase.”

Sokka's either. Nothing faux would ever be able to make him as warm as he was right now in the middle of the arctic.

They made plans to dodge Laura as they walked to the first stop on their list. Zuko, like the good boyfriend he was, had picked up their new clothes as well as dragged Yue to their room last night so she could help them find other places a waterbender might train.

While it was true that waterbending itself was taught in waterbending schools, women didn't often send their daughters as the age cut off was seven. After that, women were sent to special houses to learn the art of healing. But only the women which Sokka found wholly unfair, “I'd like to heal people.”

Zuko looked like he wouldn't mind that skill either, “The amount of burns I could have helped,” the one covering half his face a fairly obvious one.

The women didn't allow the manly folk inside which meant Suki did a lot of the heavy lifting that day. It gave Zuko a lot of time to ask around for different tea samples, Sokka's mouth tired of hot water by the time Suki ran over to them, “They remember her,” she panted.

Sokka wasn't sure he heard her, “Katara?”

Suki nodded, dragging Sokka back the way she'd come.

The healing hall Sokka wasn't allowed into but the woman who ran it happily came out to talk to him, her face old and weathered as she told him about his sister. “A fierce little upstart,” had Sokka laughing.

“That's her.” That was definitely Katara. “Is she still here?”

The woman didn't know. Katara had only been with her until she was thirteen, after that she'd left with her mother. To where? No one knew. Or, she didn't know.

If Katara had been back she hadn't heard about it, and Kya hadn't come to see her either. Sokka felt his hopes fall.

“She's not here then,” He said, sitting himself down. He rubbed at his eyes. He'd honestly hoped they would only have to come here. Zuko had said there wasn't anywhere else she could have safely learned waterbending.

Zuko rubbed his back as Suki thanked the woman. “I'm sorry.”

Sokka shook his head. “It's fine.” It wasn't Zuko's fault. “I should have known it wasn't going to be easy.”

They sat there for a while, long enough for Sokka's butt to go numb and stomach to growl for something solid.

Suki sought Yue out, the four of them talking next steps over dinner. “The south pole doesn't have any benders,” Zuko said, “I don't think she would go back there.”

“Then where would she go?” Sokka wondered. “Why did my mom take her?” Waterbending seemed to be a lifelong thing of learning like anything else. Why take Katara at thirteen when she had a lot more to learn?

“We’ll find out,” Yue promised. “We're not giving up Sokka. We just need to figure out where to look.” And a hint would have been nice. “I'll ask around again. My mother talks to some of the healing houses. If one of them knows Katara another might know your mother. Maybe she said something before she left.”

Sokka could only hope so.

#zukka #yueki #yue #suki #zuko #sokka #atla #avatar the last airbender

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jasminedragonart · 24 days ago

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All commissions will be done digitally on an a4 canvas 300dpi. I use Procreate to create all my art and final commission will be emailed to you in png.

Please provide references (if you have them) as well as your email so I know where to send the finished piece. If you feel I won’t know something send references just in case.

Do’s

Fanart

Ship art

OC’s

Slightly NSFW

Don’ts

Inappropriate ships (adult/child, Incest etc)

Furry art (I know a great furry artist however so still get in touch and I’ll give you their details)

Gore

Explicit NSFW

Please get in touch either on tumblr or through email: [email protected]

all payment will be done through Ko-fi

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jasminedragonart · 1 month ago

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I need the kpop demon hunter tiger earring. I need him so badly.

Unfortunately I don't have my ears pierced and it's not out yet.

Also, look at this: I want it

#kpop demon hunters #derpy tiger

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jasminedragonart · 1 month ago

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I think the only thing I would honestly be curious to use chat gpt for in terms of fic writing is to see where it thinks my story is going. Like, I'm VERY tempted to post The Avatar and The Moon into it and see where it goes. Very. I don't think it'd get even half the plot points i have in my head right.

I have this entire story wrote out in a draft btw. A few things have changed along the way but it's due to the story evolving as i move it into 1st then 2nd drafts. For example, they were supposed to remember about the comet around the time they found Momo but I've put it off for later plot points.

I'm just curious.

I won't do it.

This whole idea came from someone who used generative ai to complete a fanfic they didn't want to wait for an update about and then they posted said generated completed fanfic on ao3 and is refusing to take it down.

AI is not a solution if you don't know how to write. The solution is to learn how to write. And I know, there's people out there saying people have limitations. Well, storytelling comes in a lot of different formats. If you want your work out there, draw it, write it, make a podcast out of it. I had an idea for a youtube channel where I made art for different chapters of my story and you saw me draw it while I told it to you. This was when writers block was hitting me hard and telling it seemed like an easier option than writing it.

You can dictate. How do you think a lot of famous people wrote their memoirs? It's a thing.

Don't use Ai. You're much better than a machine. Also, don't steal content to use in AI.

#ai #anti ai

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jasminedragonart · 2 months ago

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My procrastination project is this new comic and yet my brains decided to procrastinate from my procrastinate by deciding now is the perfect time to crochet myself a cardigan.

I don't even wear cardigans.

Anyway I'm two massive granny squares deep into making a cardigan and I've caught up with the new sandman season. Not a bad day.

#Crafting

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jasminedragonart · 2 months ago

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Hey, so I've made a small zine of my college au.

It is free but if you can donate I would greatly appreciate it. As stated before, my cats caught a virus this month and they have completely wiped out my bank account so any little will help.

I've called it snapshots into another world because, one, it's not a cohesive narrative just kind of snapshots into one. And for another it's a name I can use on another zine into another world that I have lying around in my head- the reverse au or one of many I don't have the time to make into actual comics right now.

I'm not saying they'll never be made into longer comics but it won't be happening until after I get the avatar and the moon out. So if you do like it, make sure to vote for it the next time i ask which comic you guys are interested in reading.

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jasminedragonart · 2 months ago

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I just saw a post about why someone doesn't like the water and fire nation war swap au's and, extremely valid. It's not for everyone and I think a few of them do just try to blatantly swap the roles of Zuko and Azula with Sokka and Katar.

But I can also see a world where they did swap and this is literally how I think it could have gone down. (this is one of the au's that lives rent free in my head).

So, the water and fire nations don't swap exactly. what happens is that there was the start of the 100 year war but at some point the water tribe went to war and won against the fire nation. because of the atrocities the fire nation have caused up to this point they see themselves as a sort of force of keeping the fire nation in check. the water tribes literally gain control of the seas, isolating the fire nation onto their islands.

Now, a lot of time has passed and the fire nation has tried to gain their freedom back- because the water tribe put STRICT rules about their travel across the other nations- and they're in an alliance with the earth kingdom to fight the water nations.

Now this isn't the water tribe that we know and love. These people have been hardened by water tribe propoganda. They believe they HAVE to keep the other nations in check so there isn't another genocide and if a few fire nation soldiers have to die for this to happen then so be it. But, all it takes is for the wrong person to get in power. For the Fire Nation this was Sozin, Azulon and Ozai. For the Water Tribe it could be some other generals, it doesn't HAVE to be Hakoda or Arnook. Especially for Hakoda since he's the chief but it's an elected position (I think? otherwise I think Hakoda's dad would have to be chief before him since Kanna is from the Northern Water Tribe). Some other guy could be in power anyway and Hakoda could just be a general following orders.

The only way the redemption of the water tribe works is if Katara and Sokka stay true to who they are in canon. Katara needs to get over her firebender prejudice. Sokka needs to go through his feminist arc. But in the meantime we do have one of the youngest, brightest war generals in Sokka and a bloodbender in Katara who can and will use their powers to keep anyone from the fire nation and now earth kingdom in check.

On the reverse, Zuko and Azula will be slightly different but that's due to the environment they grow up in. In canon they grow up privileged and while abused there is that safety net of the palace and guards to fall back on. In the reverse au they are still wealthy but their status is significantly limited. They're only powerful within the fire nation. Worse, they're targets for the water nation and Ozai is an idiot so of course he's going to try and put his kids on the line to win a slither of power.

Zuko and Azula are still themselves basically but the only difference is that they believe in the freedom of the world and not just the fire nation. In fact, if you want to make them both still believe in the fire nation you can do that. This can be a redemption arc for everyone.

the point is, as soon as Aang is out of that ice bubble his job is still the same, the only difference is he's working with two fire nation royals he needs to speedrun to get some empathy and then tackle the other two hunting them down.

You can have your cake and eat it, you just need to change the stakes.

#atla #reverse au #avatar the last airbender

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jasminedragonart · 2 months ago

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!!!!!!! Someone put in the notes that we have more about Lu Ten on the wiki and I am so happy right now. He definitely would have been part of the Gaang. I bet you anything he owuld have been Aang's original firebending teacher if he had been alive when Aang was revived.

I wish we knew more about Iroh pre atla.

We have official Lu Ten art now and it's driving me insane. I have so many questions that this art has sprung up. Most notably how different Lu Ten's skin tone is to the rest of the royal family. The hair colour is Iroh's we see that in the art they have the same shade but by making Lu Ten darker, almost water tribe, it does make me question whether Iroh married a royal from the Earth or Water nations.

It makes sense politically. Not only because it's common for royals to marry each other but also because the fire nation wants to get their hooks into every nation it can and what better way than a political marriage?

This begs the question on whether the siege of Ba Sing Se was purely ego motivated for Iroh. Was he truly trying to conquer the unconquerable city simply because he could? Or was it promised to him by another Earth Kingdom royal and he was merely trying to take what he thought was rightfully his?

What dowry was he promised? How did his wife die? How did Lu Ten die?

It also makes me feel certain things about Lu Ten as they revealed that he only went into the army to make Iroh proud. Does that mean he actually holds the same ideology as the rest of the Fire Nation nobles or would he have been team Avatar if given the right redemption arc?

Was his death an accident or politically motivated because someone heard he was sympathising with the other side? Did Ozai have something to do with it? Or Ursa? I believe more Ursa than Ozai. Ozai is not smart enough to have pulled off an assassination attempt pre rise to power. He would have either have had to hava a council of idiots surrounding him helping him plan it or just told Ursa to plan it.

Did Lu Ten know Zhao? I firmly believe they might have been serving around the same time. Did he have something to do with Lu Ten's death? Is that why Ozai promotes him so easily?

I don't know and it's driving me insane.

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jasminedragonart · 3 months ago

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Do you have an ao3 or would you consider ever posting your fic on ao3? I really love it and would love to read it on ao3! 💚

(Personal preference of fanfiction site; sometimes tumblr likes to glitch and make it hard to go between the different chapters 😭)

ive applied to make a new ao3 and the invite should be in my inbox by the 22nd.

I'm thinking about novelising the entirety of the 1st book as well so I'll put everything on there when I'm done and link it here.

#Ask #Inbox

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jasminedragonart · 3 months ago

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The Return to the South Pole

There were islands in between the South Pole and the Earth Kingdom.

Many of them were uninhabited depending on how warm or cold the air was. A few were populated. Hao, a man who had recently married into the South Pole, was from one of these islands. He was a nice man. Helpful and earnest. He always volunteered to go trading with what little the South Pole had to offer and was more than happy to learn about the harsh way of life those at the South Pole lived.

It was because of how nice Hao and his family had been not only to those at the South Pole but the negotiations for the wedding and after that Sokka thought to venture to Hao’s island first.

In their self imposed exile they had ventured to the bird tower with the sole thought to put as much distance between themselves and the South Pole. The bird tower had a bath and a fire, both things that were useful when finding somewhere to lay their heads down at night.

But the bird tower also brought Koh.

He hadn’t shown his face. But all Sokka could think as he lay there that first night was that Lolo was no longer with them. They were alone here at the tower, and every minute noise reminded Sokka of that fact.

So they moved.

Sokka thought people would help. People usually attracted spirits and, if they were lucky, maybe they knew Zuko from the spirit world and would help them out a little.

So Hao’s island was first.

It was a small place situated in warmer waters. It was summer for them which meant Sokka didn’t need his coat even if he did keep his warmer clothes on. Hao was in the South Pole but his family was well acquainted enough with Sokka to give him, Korra and Zuko a bed for the night.

The day after they helped Sokka look for a place of his own. Maybe a trade he could work. They seemed happy when he said he was proficient at fishing and hunting. While they were close enough to import meat from the Earth Kingdom, the idea of someone fetching fresh food was something a lot of people would apparently pay handsomely for.

Really, everything went well. People were friendly, a few parents made plans with Zuko to have a playdate with Korra, even offered to watch her while Zuko and Sokka went to work if that was what they needed. They welcomed the new help with open arms.

Then the spirits came.

The islanders seemed to hold the same system those at the South Pole did. As night fell, everyone stayed indoors. Fires were lit to ward them off from coming inside. If any correspondences needed to be made they were put off until morning.

Sokka expected it to be like those at the South Pole. Not Bug eye, or Lolo as Zuko still called it. But the other thing that had snatched three of their people. It wasn’t. The spirits here seemed more mischievous than evil. They seemed to delight in destroying the man made stuff in their path. The signs on shops or hand planted bushes they pulled up and threw away. They seemed to like making noise as well, their loud hoots and howls keeping Sokka up all night.

They woke Korra too and no amount of stories about Aang or half remembered songs from Zuko would make her go to sleep again. They resigned themselves to an early morning walk as soon as the sun rose both Sokka and Zuko hiding their yawns as they did their best to tire Korra out so she would at least nap the bad mood she’d been put in away.

They’d barely ventured down the street when one of those spirits appeared. It was about knee height, hunched and loping as it walked out of an alley into broad daylight. It didn’t seem to fade in and out, its form solid and animal enough that Sokka didn’t think it was malevolent at all. Zuko still lit his hand up in warning as they passed.

It was that which inevitably got them kicked off the island.

Hao hadn’t known Zuko was a firebender. Hao’s family hadn't known either. As soon as they did no amount of promises from Sokka had them changing their minds. They were back on their boat and sailing away by noon.

Sokka knew Zuko tried to keep his firebending a secret after that. It was like he was proving to himself that he could be on his own, that if Sokka left him there was another place in this world that would have him. But the spirits were present on every island they visited and not all of them were as kind as those on the first.

Zuko didn’t firebend just to keep the spirits away either. Sometimes it was to help Korra when she got out of control. Now their little turtleduck knew she could produce fire she did so as often as she could. Sokka had hoped her first burn would curb her enthusiasm but if anything it just made her all the more determined to figure her firebending out.

It was impressive to watch her, Korra was an extremely intelligent three year old when she wanted to be. Sokka just wished that intelligence spread beyond her bending abilities. But he couldn’t blame a three year old for being excited about her bending. He could blame a bunch of adults for calling her names and kicking them off their island as soon as they saw her water tribe colouring was just a facade.

They didn’t want a firebender amongst them. Not even if she was a baby. So on they went until they could travel no more.

It was turn back or go forward into the Earth Kingdom.

They turned back.

Sokka ventured to the neighbouring island only once more before he took everyone back to the bird tower. He found the birdkeeper who, honestly was not doing a good job of making sure messages got passed along, and informed him he would have company if he decided to stay the night the next time he checked on the birds.

Zuko and Sokka both made some changes to the bird tower as soon as they returned. They set up a sort of alarm. They couldn’t do anything about the arches at the top but they could rig the main entrance. They hung a pelt to act as a door. They ventured to the fire nation ship after and fetched broken metal and rope to make bells. They did this with both tunnels, sending Korra backwards and forwards to make sure they worked.

They kept the fire lit only through the day and the evening, dousing it before bed. While Sokka didn’t like it, Zuko had a point that the less they saw of Koh the less they would react to him. It was emotion that allowed him to steal a face.

While they didn’t want to scare Korra they did have to tell her there might be a monster lurking around. Sokka was glad when Korra decided to hide between the two of them after that. If Sokka managed to keep her little face from being stolen he would and gladly accepted the little kicks and squirms that sometimes woke him through the night if it meant she was still alive.

They split up their duties once they’d finished rigging the tower. One of them would fish or hunt light game while the other would stay at the tower and tend to the birds. Cooking was something both of them figured out. While Sokka was good at making stews, Zuko could barbeque meat like nothing Sokka had ever tasted before. He was practically salivating when it was Zuko’s turn to cook.

They took turns with Korra depending on what kind of mood she was in.

If she was grumpier than usual, sad or otherwise asking for her mom it was a Zuko day. Any other mood and they flipped a bone for her, an S inscribed on one side for Sokka and a Z for Zuko.

Firebending was done in the mornings away from the birds. There was a small iceberg not far from the island that Zuko would take her to, the two of them waking with the sun and practicing until Sokka eventually stumbled out of the tower to start his own day.

It was a routine.

Peaceful.

No spirits seemed to want to come here if they weren’t Koh. When Sokka asked, Zuko said Aang didn’t have to keep them away. They weren’t mad at Zuko. Sokka either, and with Zuko being known to the spirit world they were happy enough to keep their distance from him at the tower.

“No news about Koh though,” Zuko said. “I don’t know if he’s in his cave and I don’t want to look.”

Sokka never asked him to. Or asked him to ask Aang. He didn’t want to do that to either of his friends.

The days passed with the Light Nights growing nearer and nearer. Sokka could see the beginnings of it in Zuko. The extra flare to his fire. The way he wouldn’t tire as easily as he might have any other day. Korra did but Korra was a baby who’d only just discovered her firebending. Even Zuko agreed she wouldn’t be attuned to the world just yet.

Or maybe at all.

“Do you think your thing with the sun is because of your spirit stuff?” Sokka wondered.

Zuko frowned. “I don’t know,” he said after a while.

It was worth thinking about.

If Zuko was more spiritually inclined that would definitely make sense as to why he was so attuned to the sun. Sokka had been mulling it over for a while, his mind comparing Zuko and Katara together. He’d thought, maybe because Katara had grown up in the South Pole her body had forced itself to work in extreme day and night like normal but, even as a child Katara hadn’t exhibited the extremities Zuko did when it came to his health. Katara had been the same year round. Maybe a little more powerful at night but that was it.

Theoretically, the same should apply for Zuko. He certainly was capable of bending day and night but long absences of both, maybe less exposure or, Sokka didn’t know but it kind of made sense that someone with more spirituality to them would have some interesting side effects when it came to their bending.

Zuko definitely thought it was a possibility. He supposed both of them would see as Korra got older as well.

Regardless, as the Light Nights neared Sokka did his best to tire Zuko out so he would get a decent night’s sleep. He even had Korra help him, the two of them conspiring when it was his turn to have her for the day.

Eventually they settled on the easiest solution.

“Dancing?” Zuko asked.

Sokka shrugged. “You’ve been here two years now, it’s about time you joined in a celebration. And since that’s not for another few nights Korra and I thought it might be fun to teach you some Water Tribe dances. Just so you don’t feel like an idiot.”

Zuko gave him a dark look, “Naturally.”

Sokka grinned back. “Naturally.

Korra ambled over before Zuko could come up with an excuse. She was already pulling on his hands, her knees bending in her own little dance. Sokka was happy to see Zuko was just as weak to her whims here as he was to everything else that came with her.

“Fine.”

Sokka taught him the steps to The Tiger Seal and the Arctic Hippo. Korra started spinning and stomping her feet as soon as Sokka started singing,

Unfortunately for Zuko Sokka could be really stubborn when he put his mind to it. Add to that Korra who started dancing as soon as Sokka started a Water Tribe song and Zuko only managed to hold out for so long.

Sokka showed him the steps to ‘The Tiger Seal and the Arctic Hippo’. It was a Northern Water Tribe song Gran Gran had taught him. Sokka, of course, hadn’t realised it was from the North Pole until he’d gone there with Aang. They’d played it at the welcome feast, Yue telling him later she was surprised he even knew the lyrics.

The whole song was about two lovers from opposite sides of the world. The girl thought it was true love and went to follow him home only to find he’d taken another woman as his wife. It wasn’t a happy song, nor did it paint the South Pole in a good light. But the tune was upbeat and catchy and mom had always sang it whenever she was mad at dad.

It took three rounds for Zuko to actually smile while he danced. Mainly because Korra seemed to be having such a good time. She insisted Zuko spin her at least three times every time the spinning part came up and wouldn’t let them continue until Zuko had spun too.

Zuko in turn eventually taught them an old fire nation song. He didn’t quite remember the dance for it but that was okay, the Water Tribe were good at making things up on the spot and Sokka and Korra were happy to fill in the blanks.

It made Sokka wonder what other songs they had in the Fire Nation, what their own celebrations were like. He asked when Korra was asleep, unsurprised to hear, “My father isn’t a fan of the arts.” He’d all but outlawed dancing in the Fire Nation capital.

“Your dad sucks Zuko.”

“He does.”

Zuko said his mother and grandfather had been fond of the arts. His uncle too. His mother used to be an actress before she met her monster husband. It was what had endeared her to Azulon in times the family would be together. Often Azulon would accompany Zuko’s family when a new play was shown.

“I remember my dad would try and talk politics in the middle of them. Grandfather forced him to sit next to Azula after that.”

So even Ozai’s dad thought he sucked sometimes too.

It was vindicating.

Korra insisted on dancing every night after that. If she didn’t get her twirls in she wouldn’t go to bed. The Light Nights didn’t help. Korra was too young to remember them last year which meant when it got late and the sun was still out she didn’t think it was late at all. It made for a few arguments.

It was during one of those arguments Sokka heard a distant voice call, “Hello!” the familiarity alone having him run to the tunnel.

“Gran Gran!”

She’d hitched a ride with Hao, the man venturing home for the Light Nights. Sokka wondered what he would be like the next time they met. No doubt his family would tell him if the South Pole hadn’t by now about the two firebenders he’d been living with. Sokka pushed that aside for now as he ran to hug Gran Gran.

“I’m sorry for leaving,” He should have told her.

She waved him off, “It was for the best.” She handed her sack over, “I packed some seal jerky for you.” He cheered, eating it quickly as they walked up so he wouldn’t have to share. “How’s Korra?”

“Good.” He slung her sack over his shoulder. “She was a bit confused at first but she calmed down after a few days.”

Gran Gran nodded, then filled him in on what happened at home. They weren’t murderous anymore. They were also dearly missing Sokka and Zuko’s presence in the village. They were plenty capable of hunting and fishing themselves but Bug eye had left as soon as they did, the village visited by a few unsavoury spirits in the night. Sokka hadn’t seen Bug eye around. Maybe he had gone back to the spirit world. Maybe Aang had told him to punish the South Pole for trying to murder an innocent little kid.

“What about Korra?”

On that Gran Gran wasn’t too sure. “Ahguta refuses to house her anymore,” which Sokka had expected. He wasn’t going to give Korra back to her anyway. Not when she had been the one to suggest sending Korra off into the wild. “I said I would take her but quite a few people were worried about what would happen if she lost control of her bending.”

Sokka figured as much. “We can’t go North Gran Gran.” He’d had that conversation with Zuko almost as soon as they’d come here. “If someone sees Zuko they’ll tell his father. He’ll be captured and tortured for information and Korra killed before that.” Zuko had literally become a fugitive. Sokka hadn’t realised how deep in trouble Zuko was until he told Sokka what happened after his Agni Kai. About Zhao and the assasination attempt on his life. The fact he’d literally stolen the Avatar from Zhao, more than once too. Zhao was a member of the military, Zuko was a banished prince. By Zuko defying Zhao he’d placed a target on his back almost as big as Aang’s. That wasn't even factoring in the Aang of it all. It wasn’t a secret he’d last been seen with the Avatar.

“You shouldn’t have to go North at all,” Gran Gran promised. “But we may have to make some adjustments when we get home.”

Sokka could live with adjustments.

Gran Gran was a welcome sight to more than just Sokka. She gave Korra a hug almost as long as Sokka’s, her withered hands keeping Korra still long enough to get a good look at her. “She does look well,” was high praise. She turned her attention to Zuko, “You don’t.”

Zuko frowned at her. “Korra’s been a menace.”

Gran Gran laughed and then did some kind of magic as she had Korra in her bed and asleep in the next hour. She hugged Zuko as soon as she was done, the man seeming to beg Sokka for help as he struggled where to put his hands. Sokka held in a laugh.

“You need to sleep,” she told Zuko when she let him go. “It’s not long until the sun doesn’t set. I should have come weeks ago,” she started muttering about tinctures and herbs. Zuko looked over her head, ‘are we going back?’ he seemed to ask. Sokka nodded. Zuko nodded back, his shoulders dropping as he answered Gran Gran’s questions about his wellbeing.

Despite Gran Gran coming to drag them home she insisted on drawing it out for a while longer. “I want those herbs,” she said, but made no move to go get them that next day. Instead, she searched the bird’s nests herself, Sokka keeping the ladder still as he begged her to let him go up instead. She waved him off. It looked like Sokka wasn’t the only one desperate for news now.

But no news was to be had. Gran Gran still insisted on waiting the entire day. The next she sent Sokka on his own to the nearest island. He had a list and with Korra’s pearls to trade with the herbs she wanted thankfully available. He got a good price for them as well. Sokka thought it was suspicious up until the point the vendor told him to apologise to Zuko on their behalf.

“Please don’t send more.”

Sokka almost rolled his eyes. Did they think he had a secret fire nation navy in his pocket?

He sailed back as soon as he could.

Gran Gran was showing Zuko how to tie a tighter wolftail when he got back, the poor firebender wincing as his hair was pulled by one woman at his back and another in his lap. “Herbs,” Sokka announced. Gran Gran made him take over, Sokka’s hands much gentler than the rough pull he knew Gran Gran’s was as he did a double twist before tying Zuko’s hair back up. “If you use the rough part of the ribbon it stays in longer.”

“Thank you,” Zuko said, head pulling down as Korra, with her own comb, tried to mimic Gran Gran.

Sokka removed it before she scalped him, picking her up to tire her out the rest of the evening.

Gran Gran made stew from some of the fish Zuko caught yesterday. She had Zuko guard it as she crushed the herbs up, making a sort of tea she told Zuko to heat up before bed. “We’ll head back tomorrow,” she said. “After everyone has slept for more than two hours.”

No one argued. Instead Sokka packed away most of their things, his mind once again wandering to what was going to happen to Korra when they got back.

They had their dance, and once Korra was asleep Sokka finally remembered to tell her about Pakku. She was surprised to hear he remembered her.

“Remembered you?” Sokka snorted. “Gran Gran I don't know what you did to that man but you definitely made a lasting impression.” He watched her cheeks colour.

She told him a little about her life in the North Pole. About making the decision to leave. “It wasn't easy. But there wasn't much happiness for me there anymore.” Her parents died when she was young, her brother had a family of his own. Gran Gran had loved Pakku but she wasn't happy. The only thing was Pakku refused to leave. He had been granted an opportunity by the chief at the time to build a new school. Pakku wanted to put down roots and Gran Gran hadn't been ready.

So she left.

She took a boat and a friend and she left. She went to the Fire Nation and because she had skipped the bending gene they had paid her no mind. She hadn't made any friends. Even during Zuko's grandfather's reign the Fire Nation was a militant place to live.

The Earth Kingdom she found a real love for. She met a few people she could call friends, all of them old and dead by now. It was while she was at Kyoshi Island that she met Grandpa. He was trading seal skin for silk. They only had a single conversation before Gran Gran knew he was the one for her. She followed him back to the South Pole, the two of them having dad after a few years.

Sokka didn't remember Grandpa too well. He remembered a kind smile and a sense of humour that had dad doubling over. Grandpa had died fighting off the polar bear dogs. Sokka wasn't sure how old he had been. He knew Katara didn't remember him.

“Do you think you would ever see him again? If you could?” Zuko asked.

Gran Gran thought about it. “I think I would. I owe him an explanation, and I really would like to know if he found happiness.” Sokka thought back to the waterbending school. No mention of children or a wife. Just a school and Pakku latching onto the necklace he'd made for Gran Gran all those years ago.

“You should write to him,” Sokka said. “It might not get to him but I doubt the fire nation is going to be interested in a soppy reunion.”

Gran Gran tutted at him but Sokka saw her looking longingly at the birds the next morning.

Sokka ended up having to load both Korra and Zuko into the boat when the herbs worked a little too well. Gran Gran knew her way around so he let her navigate as he tried to find a wind.

Korra woke for breakfast. She almost upset the boat as she ran over to Gran Gran, Sokka clutching the sides as it steadied itself. He really wished Kayla was having a horrible time right now, missing his old boat terribly.

With Gran Gran on board they couldn't stay in the boat all night. Zuko and Sokka took watch instead, Zuko begging her to let his insomnia be useful this once as they slept on an iceberg.

They didn't get a standing ovation when they returned home. They did see Bug eye climb out of the water, his big amphibian body really proving he wasn't the same spirit as the one who'd attacked the village as he hopped to his shady nook next to the wall in broad daylight. Sokka quickly felt very thankful he hadn't tried to attack this spirit. His naps in the shade looked to be just that, naps. Not hiding and waiting for nightfall.

Zuko kept Korra on his hip as soon as they scaled the wall. He looked ready to run, eyes scanning the women around them as their presence was known.

They greeted Gran Gran. Sokka was spared a hello too. But whatever friendliness they had once held for Zuko seemed well and truly gone as they did their best to pretend he didn't exist.

“You said something about changes Gran Gran?”

Sokka and Zuko would be moving. Zuko because he could control Korra's bending. Sokka because he could control Zuko. Or, that's what Sokka told people. In reality Zuko controlled himself and Sokka merely stood there and pretended it was all a part of his plan.

They weren't moving to the dome. The dome was needed as a healing hall after all and Sokka felt like this was very much like when he had first brought Zuko to the village.

Instead, the two firebender's would be staying in their igloo only until their new one had been built. One outside of the wall.

“Are they joking?”

This was effectively banishment.

But they weren't joking. In fact, they had already half built an igloo for him. It lay about a mile from the village. Sokka was welcome to come and go as he pleased but the other two would have to be monitored the entire time. Gran Gran wouldn't be moving either. She was too old, they said, too frail to have the danger of two firebender's around her at all times.

Sokka felt like screaming.

He thought Zuko would be angry too but, “If it means Korra's okay I'm fine with it.”

Gran Gran knocked Zuko out before he could say anything else idiotic. She was determined to get him sleeping at least once a day through the Light Nights. As tired as Sokka was, he didn't join Zuko in their igloo. Instead he left Gran Gran to help Korra and went to go see their new home.

It was pitiful. More a dug out hole than the start of an igloo. It would do nothing against predators or spirits and Sokka had half a mind to go back and yell at whoever had thought to start one this way.

But he didn't. If this really was where he had to sleep then so be it but Sokka was building it his way. Starting with that furnace Zuko dragged from the ship. The village didn't deserve it anymore. He made more of a firepit than the engine it had once been. It funnelled up, Sokka making note of the height as he worked out how big he wanted his new home to be.

When Zuko woke Sokka was running on barely any sleep and a whole lot of determination, his hands making a circular trench in the snow.

Zuko fetched a shovel, the two of them making ice bricks as soon as they had their furnace in place. It took almost the entire day. Sokka had napped twice, rebuilt a wall four times, made the trench deeper and almost forgot to carve a door but they did it.

Sokka had Zuko pack snow into the bricks as he went to fetch their things. He wanted a wall. But a wall could wait until tomorrow. For now he grabbed two spears and a barrel from the stores. If they were exiling him he was taking what he needed. Their pelts were next alongside Gran Gran’s bath. “The baby needs it more than me,” she said, helping him carry it to his new home. “Besides, Hao’s trading me his family's old one when he comes back in a few weeks.” So not really helping him out, more like getting rid of junk.

He was still grateful.

More than she knew since Gran Gran was the only person who gave him anything useful. No one lent him any spare clothes for Korra. Apparently Ila was pregnant so she would be needing them and if not her then one of the other girls who were husband seeking. They didn't share their toys either, the ones Senna had made now spread out amongst the village children.

Sokka stole a pelt and one of Katara’s forgotten shirts, his work clumsy as he did his best to make something Korra could wear when her clothes needed washing.

He saw Bug eye circling the igloo when he returned. Korra was watching him with narrowed eyes from the trench, her face brightening when she saw him.

Sokka felt himself smile back.

He could do this. For her he could.

So he lay their things along the walls and floors of their home. He made a bed and checked the fire pit wouldn’t burn the entire igloo down. He set his spears along the door and rigged an alarm in case a spirit came wandering too close. He gave Korra her dinner, the two of them singing The Penguin Otter’s Ball until she fell asleep in his lap.

He put her to bed with Zuko and after he doused the fire he joined them himself.

It might not be what he was used to but normal changed all the time. If he had to be part of a village of three for the time being then fine, he would do it. He was happy to do it he realised, as Korra nestled into his side.

End

************************

Masterlist | Ko-fi

#the avatar and the moon #atla #zukka #avatar

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jasminedragonart · 3 months ago

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So book 2 is done. Kind of. There were going to be 8 chapters but I think chapter 8 works better as a short story.

I know book 2 seems shorter than book 1 and it is but it's kind of just how i broke it up in order to manage the entire workload of this beast of a project. If anything, it's all 1 book that I'll eventually get around to making into a comic but for now it's broken up like this.

The short stories will span from the end of book 2 until the beginning of the main story which will likely not be out for a while. For those of you who don't want to read the novel and want to wait for the comic I wish you luck on your long journey. For those of you who are impatient and want to read book 2 it's under the novel part of my masterlist.

Thank you to anyone who reads it. I'm having a lot of fun making this thing even if it is long and I appreciate any feedback you guys have.

#the avatar and the moon #atla

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jasminedragonart · 3 months ago

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Sokka had a thousand questions when they woke up. A lot of them had to do with Aang. How he was. What he looked like in the spirit world. Questions he had asked before but just needed Zuko to answer again. He couldn’t stop thinking about his friend. His other questions had to do with Koh. Zuko didn’t know a lot about him. The first time he had ever seen the spirit was last night and, like Sokka thought, he was like a giant centipede. Hundreds of legs that anchored themselves on an armoured body.

Zuko told him about the cave. “It felt grey, if that makes sense. Like all the colour had been stripped. I don’t think it’s Koh’s doing but I do think he chose to live there for a reason.” The creatures around Koh’s cave were like the birds they had found this morning: faceless. That wasn’t even the worst part. These creatures in Zuko’s dreams were spirits but the creatures in their world were living. While the spirits could exist, did exist, without their faces, the creatures in their world couldn’t.

“I don’t…” Zuko sighed, the two of them clambering onto their ship as fast as possible. Sokka raised the sail as Zuko pulled their maps out, whatever he had to say taking until they were on the seas before he said, “I don’t want you to know but I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Sokka carefully made his way to the middle of the boat, his hand resting on Zuko’s. “Tell me.” No more secrets they’d agreed this morning. Although, the spirits thing hadn’t really been a secret. Zuko hadn’t even known if what he was seeing was real or just guilt trying to make him feel better by showing him Aang living on after his death.

Zuko glanced up only briefly before his gaze was drawn back to his hands. “Aang said something once. I asked him, stupidly, if he had suffered. I wanted to- I don’t know,” he sighed. “But he said the face,” he made a motion to his own, “was quick. Then he was scared but only for a second. He said it was dark and- but he could hear me. I… I was talking to him before-” Zuko cleared his throat. “I think he suffocated.”

Sokka wished Zuko had never told him.

He didn’t know why he thought Sokka would want to know that but then, as the hours slipped by and the day grew darker Sokka could see the fear on Zuko’s face.

Suffocation.

“Can he kill you in there?” Sokka asked as they bunked down for the night. “In your dreams?”

Zuko swallowed heavily. “I don’t know.”

Fuck.

They huddled less for warmth that night than to shield their faces from the dark. Sokka hoped that Koh couldn’t swim across the ocean to eat them but he didn’t have to. He’d made his way from the boat to the bird tower. He could move across the water somehow. Sokka woke with every sound. He wasn’t the only one.

Despite Koh being out there they didn’t see him again on their way back. Still, Sokka didn’t feel safe until he saw the village. Bug eye too was a welcome sight after the horror that was the face stealer. He was smaller than usual, nestled in the shadows of the wall as he waited for night to fall.

“Do you know what his deal is?” Sokka asked.

It took Zuko a moment to locate the spirit. “That’s Lolo.”

“Lolo?” Sokka repeated.

He saw Zuko’s cheeks colouring. “I’m sure he has a proper name but that’s what I called him. He was some kind of frog creature. He’s not the same one that attacked the village.” Sokka tried to place just how young Zuko had been when he decided to name said frog creature.

“How do you know? That it’s not the same spirit?”

Zuko shrugged. Another great mystery he didn’t know anything about. Zuko was both the most and least curious person Sokka had ever met. “I do know that Aang told it to keep Koh out. Not all the spirits out here are angry at us.”

“Then why aren’t they normal?” It didn’t look like a frog creature. Well, not what Sokka would imagine a frog creature to look like. It definitely had big eyes. Maybe the crouched body as well.

“I didn’t say they weren’t angry, they're just not angry at us.”

Ah.

They were met with a wall of women as soon as they climbed over. One such tiny woman seemed to have recovered from her fever, her nose bright red as she smashed her face into Zuko’s coat. “She’s been asking after you,” Ahguta said.

Zuko smiled gently, saying a very sappy hello to Korra as Sokka was swamped with people asking for their letters.

Gran Gran’s was after the letter distribution. Zuko had gone ahead and told on him which meant Gran Gran had a bed waiting as she ground up some foul smelling herbs. “Tattle,” Sokka accused stripping out of his coat.

Zuko sent him a sharp grin, handing another shirt to Korra, she toddled off to put it in the wash pile.

The herb paste stung and Gran Gran wouldn’t let him up until he told her every excruciating detail on how it happened. Zuko and him had agreed to tell everyone about the face stealer, maybe about Zuko’s dreams too but Aang they would keep quiet about. Sokka prayed Aang didn’t show up here.

He’d asked Zuko what they talked about when he did see Aang in the spirit world, it turned out Zuko mainly grovelled as Aang asked how Sokka was. Not Katara which Sokka found odd. But if Aang knew Katara was away from home then maybe he had no reason to ask Zuko about her.

Gran Gran didn’t like the sound of this new spirit in any case. “Will it leave like the others?” She asked. Was it afraid of fire she meant?

The answer was no. Koh was an ancient spirit who, while he liked to live in a cave, did so because he enjoyed it. The cave had a lot of hiding places for him. Places he could scuttle his giant insect like body across while he waited for people and animals to be drawn to him. Zuko had said he took the interesting people. An avatar and a man who could dream himself into the spirit world were definitely interesting people.

“So we need to be nice to Buggy,” Sokka finished. “Apparently he’s helping us.”

Gran Gran handed him a clean shirt. “Have you heard from the Avatar at all? Are you certain he can’t help us?”

Sokka caught Zuko’s eye. “This is world wide Kanna,” Zuko eventually said. “A lot more people are worse off than us.”

Sokka nodded, maybe a little too enthusiastically. “Besides, you have me. And Zuko. We’re help enough Gran Gran.”

She didn’t look convinced but she did drop it.

Sokka asked later if Zuko meant what he’d said about it being world wide. Zuko said he wasn’t sure but it didn’t make sense for it to be localised. If anything, the spirits should be attacking those at the North Pole. If they were here, on the other side of the world, then they had to be elsewhere too.

Gran Gran put Sokka on bedrest for a few days to see if his back got infected. He used his time to sleep and write to Suki. He knew he probably wouldn’t get a response back but he still had hope. Besides, if it wasn’t localised, maybe Suki could get word to his dad that they needed help at home.

When his probation was over Sokka was quickly put back into his routine. He fished, he hunted, he washed and built the wall. Same old same old.

On nights Sokka sometimes found himself listening to Zuko sleep. He didn't sleep talk much, for which Sokka was disappointed. But he did sometimes have a tell when he was having spirit dreams. Mainly he looked like someone had said something stupid to him. His face would twist and he'd let out a small huff, his sleep a little more restless after that. Sokka asked him after those nights what he'd dreamed of. Zuko remembered more just as he was waking and after the first few times he didn't tell Sokka to go away.

“I met a very tall woman,” Zuko murmured one morning. “She told me Suki was too good for you.”

Ouch.

“Some fox thing asked me if I wanted a tea party,” was another morning's dream. Sokka was pleased to hear Zuko had indeed attended and behaved himself. Partly because it was hilarious. Mostly because if Zuko managed to keep some spirits happy maybe they wouldn’t come to their world and seek revenge.

Sokka's favourites were about Aang. It turned out Aang did spend most of his time in the spirit world. He was faceless when he wasn't with Zuko, hence seeking him out every time he was there. Usually Aang just wanted to talk, the idea a novelty to him now.

“That bison licked me,” Zuko shuddered as he woke that morning.

Sokka grinned. “Does he still smell?”

According to Zuko's face he wasn't sure but was leaning towards yes.

Zuko stretched, rolling his shoulders when he was done. “Sparring?”

Sokka groaned and allowed himself to be dragged out of bed and to the training field.

They worked on the dao in between half a conversation. I didn’t happen often but sometimes Zuko had things Aang wanted Sokka to know, using Zuko as a sort of inbetween. Sokka hated to admit he did the same. Today Aang wanted Sokka to know that he was stupid to turn down a bunch of ladies wanting to kiss him.

“You did not tell him about that!” Sokka screeched.

Zuko’s mouth ticked up. “I didn’t go into detail if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Sokka screeched louder.

“You’re making it up,” Sokka decided after Zuko corrected his form. “You have to be. Aang was a complete romantic. There’s no way he would have been okay with me wanting to kiss a married woman.” And Sokka had a moment to mourn that Zuko kept it clean because Aang would never be old enough to hear about illicit details. His friend was forever going to be twelve.

“Actually,” Zuko said, and Sokka really hated that tone of his, it always spelled bad news. “Air nomads were known for their… free lifestyles. They valued love and commitment but they also weren’t opposed to,” Zuko looked to be fighting a smirk, “Group enjoyment.”

Sokka felt his face heat up. “You’re making this up.”

Except Zuko wasn’t. He’d researched Aang relentlessly for three years before they met. He knew more about airbender culture than possibly anyone alive right now. Maybe Aang would have told Sokka he was being an idiot for not wanting to sleep with Lena.

He tried not to think about it, channelling his frustration into getting a few hits on Zuko. He got two before another distraction showed herself. Their little turtle duck still had some breakfast in her fist that Sokka stole as he nudged her towards Zuko, the meat not even starting to fill the neverending hole that seemed to be his hunger. He pulled his hood up, building himself a snow hill before sitting, his eyes vaguely watching Korra and Zuko as he steadfastly tried not to think about Aang.

Zuko showed Korra a few more firebending moves, letting a small fire flicker from his palms as he did so. Korra clapped and let Zuko put her in position, her little feet following Zuko’s closely. He corrected her a few times but by the hour mark Korra had it down.

“Show me then,” Sokka called over.

Korra looked back at Zuko who nodded.

She ran over, Zuko starting on something complicated as Korra shuffled into her first move. She was very good for a two, almost three year old. She reminded him a lot of Katara if he was being honest. Sokka wondered if the moon had still been here if she-

“Bah!”

His heart pounded, the world going still as the heat faded from the air. He looked at where Korra was standing, her own face startled as she looked at her raised hand. Zuko appeared from somewhere to lower it.

“Was that you?” Sokka asked.

Zuko's voice shook as he said, “No.”

They looked at Korra. Korra who, now she'd not been told off, excitedly told Zuko, “Fi! Fiiii!” Her hands raised towards him.

Sokka caught Zuko's eye. “Maybe it didn't happen.” He'd not been sleeping a lot, what with spirits and Zuko and the Light Nights.

“Maybe.”

They looked at Korra again. Sokka stood. He either said it or they risked an accident later. “Make her do it again.”

Zuko closed his eyes as he knelt. He put Korra in front of him, his voice low as he told her to steady her breathing and put her hand out.

“You feel that little warmth in your stomach?” He flattened her fingers, “You're going to push it out of your hand. Just like before.” He held his own hand out next to hers, “Just like this.” His own lit up with a controlled flare. Korra reached to touch it, Zuko used his other hand to put hers back out. He told her how to do it again, then again until a tiny flame was lit in her own hand, Korra giggling when she saw it.

Sokka closed his eyes.

He felt Zuko stand, a hand on his wrist. “What do we do?”

Sokka didn't know. He honestly didn't know. One firebender was bad enough but two? And a baby firebender at that. “We need-” he didn't know what they needed. “Maybe a village meeting?”

He didn't need to look at Zuko to know the dread he was feeling was shared.

They called the meeting anyway. They had to. It wasn't fair to keep something like this from them.

They didn't believe Sokka at first. “She's Hantu’s,” was the biggest argument.

Except, the more people thought about it the more small things were admitted. Like the fact Korra had come early. Like the fact Zuko and his crew had been there weeks before. Zuko couldn't vouch for all of his crew being good people. His uncle was the one who had hired them, Zuko had barely spoken to them except to give orders.

“Could it be recessive?” Zuko asked. Sokka saw more than one dark look be given to him. It felt like it was last year again, Zuko's presence questioned more than once when Sokka tried to figure out what to do about this.

“It's not recessive,” one of the elders said. “Senna and Hantu’s family have been here for generations.” And by even asking it Zuko was one step closer from being asked to leave the meeting. “No. It had to have been one of your people.”

Sokka saw Zuko's lip curl but he held his tongue.

Sokka cleared his throat. “Look, it doesn't matter whose she is, what matters is that she can firebend.”

“Exactly,” Aghuta said. “Which is why we should send her to the fire nation.”

“WHAT!” He wasn't the only one to say it, but Sokka was surprised that he was part of a minority. “She's a child. A baby even.” She wasn't even three.

“She's a firebender.” Like that ended the argument.

“She's one of us,” Gran Gran said. “She was born here, she's being raised here, just because her father might not be Hantu does not mean Senna wasn't her mother. She belongs here!”

The argument devolved from there. First came the calls to send Korra away. Then came the calls of leaving her to die in the wild. Literally sending a child into the wild on her own. The last call was to just kill her now and be done with it.

“Are you serious?”

But they were. Korra was everything they despised. A firebender in water tribe clothing. She wasn't harmless now and she wouldn't be when she was older. What happened when she sought out others like her? What happened when they turned her and she led them here? Korra could be the South Pole’s undoing.

“And what about Zuko?” Sokka said, “He's been here for two years now. He's hurt no one! We can't just kill a child because she's a firebender. It's not right. It's not-”

“That firebender shouldn't be here either Sokka,” Aghuta said. Which started an argument about killing Zuko.

Gran Gran sent Zuko out before the threats became action.

Sokka stayed only an hour longer before he too had to leave. He couldn't take it. The tensions were too high and only getting higher. Nothing good would come from staying there right now.

He went to Aghuta's igloo, only Korra wasn't there. Zuko wasn't in his place either. Or his stuff.

Sokka checked the entire village before scaling the wall. One of the boats was moving.

He ran faster than he thought possible, “Wait!” He reached the bank, the boat wasn't too far yet. “Zuko!”

“I'm not letting you take her!” His dao was in his hand, Korra sitting near their packed sacks. “She’s a child!”

“I know!” Sokka said. “I know Zuko but you can’t take her either. She- please come back! You know you won’t get far in that thing on your own.” Which was true but Zuko still didn’t turn around. “I’m not going to let them hurt her. I promise.”

“She’s a child,” Zuko said.

“I know.” Screw it. Zuko wasn’t coming back. Sokka wouldn’t have come back either. He couldn’t just let them leave however. He just- he couldn’t. “At least let me come with you. I’ll follow you anyway.”

Zuko huffed but he must have known the truth of it. Both of them were tied together now and they knew it sothe boat stayed in place long enough for Sokka to grab his overnight stuff. They rigged the boat up, sailing within an hour. When Zuko didn’t seem to have a destination in mind Sokka made the decision for him, setting them North to the birds. At least there they knew there was a fire waiting.

*************************

End of Book 2

The next instalment will be short stories following on from this and to the start of the main story. They will be linked from the Masterpost when I've finished writing them.

MASTERLIST | Ko-Fi

Previous Chapter |

#the avatar and the moon #atla #avatar

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jasminedragonart · 3 months ago

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Ila and Hao were married with an agreement that they would nest in the Southern Water Tribe for half the year and his home island for the other half. They were young enough that Hao’s family came with him for that first half year, Sokka not the only person excitedly waiting at the bank as he saw the Earth Kingdom’s boat float into view.

Hao’s family were a little more accustomed to the way of life so far South than any other island further in. That being they blended in extremely well. Sokka even heard Hao’s father and older brother be asked for their services beyond that of hunting which made Sokka breathe a sigh of relief.

They had connections to the Earth Kingdom that the South didn’t have as well, imports of metal and wood coming every other week as they found something to help fix up around the village.

The present problem was the coal burner Zuko had brought back from the ship. He’d disassembled it easily enough but putting it back together remained to be seen. Mainly that was Sokka’s fault. He couldn’t help it, he kept having ideas on how they could improve it to help the village which put off building it because Sokka wanted to make sure it would actually work before they invested time into something that could very well burn the entire village down.

“I spy potential inbreeding,” Zuko said one morning.

Sokka followed his gaze to where Hao’s older brother was talking to one of Ila’s friends. “She’s not related to Ila.”

“No,” Zuko agreed. “But give it a few generations and no new blood and there’s bound to be some cross contamination.”

Sokka rolled his eyes but Zuko might not have been wrong. Maybe they did need to widen their horizons a bit. At least when it came to the younger kids. Sokka himself was firmly staying away from any propositions that came his way.

“Where’s your turtleduck?” He’d heard Zuko call her that once and hadn’t been able to call her anything else since.

“She has a fever so she’s spending the day at Kanna’s.” Along with half the village as whatever this thing was went through everyone. “She wasn’t very happy when I told her she couldn’t come look at the fish with us.”

“Poor thing.”

They loaded the small fishing boat with their overnight gear. Sokka wanted to check the bird tower again and after all the missing letters last time Gran Gran had happily let him go. It would be a lot slower getting there in their boat but the nights were light enough these days that Sokka didn’t feel too unsafe travelling so far out of the village. He had Zuko anyway, and a spear, and his boomerang, and those dao blades. Maybe some small knives as well.

“What’s the plan?” Zuko asked.

Sokka had been debating going onshore to sleep but, “I think we’ll stick with the boat. But we are going to be following that trail I saw last time. I just know there’s game somewhere that way,” he pointed vaguely left. He’d spied some polar bear dogs the last time he’d sailed that way and was desperate to follow it. Polar bear dogs rarely wandered without purpose.

They rigged and set sail their boat slowly chugging along the ice strewn water as they headed north towards the bird tower.

It was a lot more involved on a smaller boat. They had to row when the wind died and steer carefully when it picked up, the boat jolting sometimes so far one way he thought they might capsize. It was a rough journey but they made it to the bird tower much faster than they had done last time. Sokka thanked the lighter night for that.

Speaking of Light Nights, “Gran Gran’s thinking about getting you more knockout herbs.” They weren’t for a good month, maybe two yet, but they were coming. “Is that something you want or…”

Zuko tossed his sack over, Sokka setting it down before steadying the boat, Zuko hopping out after a moment. “I’m not going through that again so yes, please.”

“You were quite bad.”

Zuko didn’t deny it.

They scoured the shelves, the sun brighter at this time of year which meant Sokka only needed Zuko for the lower shelves. Zuko collected the letters he found into a spare sack as Sokka fought tooth and nail with every bird present. Some of them managed to get through his gloves. One of them even caught his nose.

“Is it bad?” He'd seen the drops of blood as he'd crawled back to the ladder. He could feel it dripping down his nose, his lip, even his chin.

Zuko even winced when Sokka put his feet back on the snow. He held Sokka’s head still, his hands warm even through his gloves as his fingers slowly pulled at the skin on his nose. “It doesn't look deep.” He still turned Sokka’s face this way and that for a few seconds before pulling him into the other room.

They washed and dressed it. Then, once Sokka wasn’t going to bleed out, they ran out for snow when the pair of them remembered there was a bath here. Zuko melted the snow as Sokka read some of the letters.

“Still none from my dad,” urgh. Why was he like this? Katara hadn't written either. He started reading through the other letters for any mention of them.

“You don't think they're being intercepted do you?” Zuko asked, emptying another bucket of snow into the tub.

“Now I do,” Sokka tried to think of some of the letters people had said were off. Not that someone else had written it but that it felt like they were missing something another letter might have explained. “Do you really think the Fire Nation would bother with my dad?”

Zuko looked at him like he was stupid. “Your army might be small but it's still an army Sokka. It's still people fighting against my dad. He's watching them.”

That made Sokka feel slightly better. If he was writing home and Sokka just wasn't getting them then yeah, okay, he could accept that. That didn't mean he still didn't look for mention of his family in the other letters.

The bath filled up, and with the fire blaring Sokka watched Sokka tug his coat and undershirt off. He really had packed his muscle back on. He was still wiry in places but his arms looked stronger than they had a year ago. His chest had filled out quite nicely too, Sokka's eyes lingering on the taut muscle as Zuko shucked his boots and bottoms.

He grabbed another letter, ignoring the satisfied sigh Zuko let out as he chased the chill away. Sokka would get his turn soon.

Maybe longer than he thought as Zuko's warm hand woke him to take his own bath. Sokka rubbed the sleep out of his eyes but even then he was tired enough he merely rinsed off or face drowning as the warm water threatened to send him to sleep again. They really needed to get here early enough for Sokka to appreciate a good long bath. Or maybe he needed to just kick Zuko out faster.

He curled up next to Zuko as soon as he was out, his feet burrowing between Zuko's warm thighs as he plastered himself to Zuko's back.

He woke slowly to Zuko's shoulder knocking gently into his face. The room was still dark, the fire still going at Sokka's back. He watched the light dance on Zuko's skin as a low grunt accompanied another shoulder jerk. A shake really. Sokka watched it move again, debating whether it was coming close enough to his head to move.

Zuko gave a low groan. Then another, his shoulder jerking twice quickly. Sokka felt his face flush as he heard another groan.

It wasn’t like it had never happened before. Never when they had been sleeping like this. Sokka slowly leaned away, knowing he would like his privacy if he’d thought to take advantage of some… feelings.

He heard Zuko gasp, his shoulder moving forward, the skin pulled strangely. Almost… almost like something was pulling on-

Zuko screamed. One short loud sound that had Sokka jerking up and back and-

He screamed himself.

Aang.

Aang was here.

He had a hand over Zuko's mouth, the other to his own faceless form. Sokka covered his mouth, short sob like screeches escaping him.

He backed up until he hit ice, the cold jolting him to his feet. Zuko stayed frozen, half lying on the floor as Aang, or whatever that thing was, made a claw motion to Zuko's face.

Sokka dove forward but Aang didn't touch him. Instead Zuko nodded, grabbing Sokka when he was close enough. “Thank you,” Zuko said before taking their pelts and moving them to the corner. His hands were fast, voice faster as he pushed Sokka down. “Don't move. Don't do anything. You're going to hear something over you but don't react. If you move your face an inch Koh’s going to kill you.” Then Sokka found himself buried in Zuko's chest, his nose squashed uncomfortably until he moved near Zuko's arm.

He tried to jerk back but Zuko was a lot stronger, putting way more hours in on his training than Sokka did.

He held Sokka's legs with his own, his voice low as he told Sokka to keep still. “Don't move Sokka please.”

Then Sokka heard it. Clack clack clack. The same noise as in the ship. Like metal tapping on ice.

It started above them. The birds screeched and flew, their wings flapping as something moved through their nests. Clak, clak, clak. Sokka heard different rhythms tapped out onto the ice. Big. Small. Thin. Thick. Sokka tried counting them but he couldn’t. There were too many small sounds in between the bigger ones. Sokka tried to imagine what kind of creature had so many legs.

It stopped for a moment, soft thumps hitting the ground. Sokka knew the birds were dead.

He thought of Senna. He thought of Aang, their faces stripped and bodies still.

It came into their room, its feet seeming to scatter up the walls and onto the ceiling, circling them before he felt something land next to his leg.

He didn't move. He barely breathed, his body frozen to Zuko's chest.

“Zuko?” He heard. It wasn't Sokka speaking. He felt Zuko shake. The voice came again, “Zuko,” it was different now, a man's when it had been a woman's. “That's your name isn't it? It's nice to finally see the man who's been skulking about my cave.”

Zuko's arms held strong as Sokka jerked. He felt something touch his side, something long and prickly. It moved to Sokka's back, pressing down. He felt it pierce skin. Sokka forced himself not to move even as his throat let out a gasp.

It sank. Sokka squeezed his eyes shut. He could hear it breathing above him, feel the puffs of air as it leaned down. It let out a hum that seemed to vibrate the world around them. Or maybe that was because his foot was lodged in Sokka’s back.

Sokka felt ters leak from his eyes, his mouth salivating as something needed to be let out of him.

Then it was gone, the knife, leg, whatever, slowly dragging itself from his back. “Maybe next time,” it said, its voice changing again. Aang. That was Aang!

Zuko held on for what felt like an age. An age of tears fighting through Sokka's closed lids until he let out a scream as Zuko let go.

He kneeled, his hands reaching for his back. It came away wet. Zuko covered it quickly, his hand warm and strong as he tried to stem the bleeding. “It's not big,” Zuko promised, his own voice sounded wet. “I'm sorry.” Zuko kept one hand on Sokka’s back, the other reaching for a glove he put in its place as soon as he grabbed it. The glove hurt more than Zuko’s hand, Sokka forcing back another scream as he felt skin split.

Sokka pried his eyes open, the room around them looking empty. “Is it gone?” Blurry but empty.

“Yeah.” His hand pressed harder, his other coming to Sokka's stomach to keep him still. “I'm sorry. Aang’s been trying to keep him away.”

Something wasn't right here. “Aang?”

Zuko turned the glove over.

“Zuko!”

“I'll explain,” he snapped back. “Just not while you're bleeding.” Which, after another press that had Sokka winded, he agreed with.

It didn't need stitches but it did take a while for the bleeding to stop. Zuko cleaned and dressed it before making Sokka lie on his front. He heard the bath splash as Zuko cleaned his hands, the footsteps, the hesitation and then he was there, his face maudlin as he refused to look at Sokka.

“What was that thing?” Sokka asked as Zuko seemed to struggle with where to start.

“A spirit,” he said.

“You said it was called Koh.” Sokka had caught that much.

Zuko nodded. “He lives in a cave in the spirit world. He calls people to him. Interesting people.” Zuko didn't specify what kind of interesting. “Aang said he went to ask him about the moon spirit.”

A lot of things fell into place. “That thing killed him.” It wasn't even a question. It had sounded like Aang. But Sokka remembered seeing a giant body. Long. Insect like.

“It takes people's faces.”

Sokka felt sick. Senna. Aang. He’d heard a woman as well as Aang. It had used Aang’s voice. Had that been Senna too? It didn’t sound like her.

“It wears them,” Zuko said, his wet eyes empty as he looked at his hands. “He wants mine.”

Sokka sat up. It hurt but it was better than lying there feeling like his body was about to fall apart. “I don't-” he heard himself keen. “Why? How? Zuko what is going on?”

He still wouldn't look up. “I used to have these dreams when I was younger. I was in a meadow. Sometimes these creatures would come and see me. Sometimes this old guy did too. He took me for a dragon ride once.”

“Okay?” Those sounded like perfectly normal dreams to Sokka.

“They changed when Aang died,” Zuko admitted. “I was still there but,” he sighed, “But Aang was there. He didn't- he couldn't talk at first. I had to think of a face for him.”

Sokka felt sick “The spirit world.” Was that possible? “Zuko, are you saying you dream about the spirit world?”

He shrugged. Sokka rubbed at his neck. This was insane!

But it wasn't impossible. Aang said some people were just spiritually connected to the spirit world. Yue had been. Some of the fire sages had been too. But Zuko? Why Zuko?

It did make sense however. Those things he'd said. About the lights, about what Sokka might see. About being punished.

“It said you'd been next to its cave.”

Zuko nodded. “Aang showed me it when his lemur thing ran off.”

Momo. Sokka pulled on the back of his neck again. “Was Appa there too?” He had to know. He could still hear Appa. The noise he had made in the distance. Sokka had been the only one to hear it. Katara had been screaming, Zuko begging for help and one low sound from outside the cave. Appa had been dead by the time they had checked. Sokka still didn’t know why.

“The bison?” Zuko asked, then thought about it. “Not then. But I think I’ve seen it around. Some dreams I remember better than others. I think I’ve woken up thinking something licked me if that helps.” It kind of did.

They were together. All of them. Maybe not whole but they were together. Sokka swallowed heavily, needing to know, “Does he hate me?”

Zuko frowned at him, “Why would he hate you?”

They both knew damn well why. “We left him there.”

Zuko shook his head, kneeling now too. He pulled Sokka’s hands from his neck, “If he was going to hate anyone it would have been me, you know that.” He squeezed gently, “He’s worried about you,” broke something in Sokka, his vision blurring as he remembered Aang’s faceless body. He wrapped his arms around Zuko’s neck, hugging wasn’t something they did outside of sleep but he needed it. “Sokka he loves you.”

He didn’t know how long he sat here, half in Zuko’s lap, his face buried in Zuko’s shoulder. All he did know was that Zuko didn’t push him off, just rubbed his back, avoiding the place he’d been punctured as Sokka cried.

He wondered where Aang was now. Where he went when he wasn’t following that thing around. Sokka hoped it was somewhere nice. Maybe that meadow Zuko dreamed about. Sokka really hoped he wasn’t stuck here.

Exhaustion stopped more questions from being asked. If he was honest, as soon as the tears stopped Sokka barely had enough energy to lie down, Zuko doing most of the work as they set their nest back up. He kept Sokka on his side when his front was too uncomfortable. Sokka wanted to be able to scout the room. So instead Zuko slotted his head next to Sokka’s, his chest keeping Sokka from rolling back while he did his best to keep his stomach away from Sokka’s back.

He was warm and tired but still Sokka found himself waking every time Zuko shifted behind him. He couldn’t help thinking he would wake to see Aang again.

Some part of him hoped he would.

Another part of him just wished Aang was at peace.

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jasminedragonart · 3 months ago

Text

The months passed.

The days finally settled long enough for an overnight hunt, the new boat they’d built withstanding the weight of an arctic hippo. The spirits didn’t leave but no one else was taken. They seemed to have settled in, adhering to the unspoken peace treaty in that they wouldn’t bother the village if the village didn’t give them reason to.

Bug eye became an almost guardian of sorts. Sokka didn’t trust him for a moment but if Bug eye was there that usually meant there were no other spirits around. Sokka had seen Bug eye even chase off the wolf like spirit. So while it was still creepy to go out on a night and see a massive eye looking at him, Sokka treated it just like he would any other wild animal and went about his life.

His life that now involved marriage.

Not Sokka personally, although Gran Gran had been hinting at him to settle down. Instead, as the oldest man left in the village, Sokka was now chief negotiator in Hao and Ila’s relationship.

“Sokka, tell her she isn’t moving.”

“Sokka, could you please tell my mother it’s none of her business whether I move or not.”

“Do you think you could ask how many children she wants?”

Sokka’s head was thoroughly aching. “I wish I’d never sent them.” Yes, good for them for finding love and all that but why? Why did he have to be involved?

“If you hadn’t sent them Ila would also be in the lineup for your wife,” Zuko pointed out. “Speaking of, your Gran wants to know if you want her to set you up on a date anytime soon.”

Sokka hit his arm out, Zuko evading easily with a small laugh. Sokka wished he could laugh about it. “I don’t want to get married.” Not to any of the girls here anyway. He’d known them since they were babies. It was like dating Katara. Eugh.

“Tell your Gran that then.”

But Sokka couldn’t. He was eighteen now, his birthday flying past at some point in the last few weeks. Gran Gran kept talking about responsibility and taking on his father’s role and producing the next generation so the Southern Water Tribe wouldn’t die out and- it was bordering on too much. In fact, it was too much. “Maybe I could run away.”

“You had your chance to run away when your dad was here,” Zuko reminded him. “You chose to stay.”

Sokka groaned again, not wanting to admit that Zuko was right.

He’d chosen this life over war. Maybe it was his duty to get married.

“Just tell her you’re focusing on the village for now,” Zuko suggested. “Or, I don’t know, you’re hoping to find someone further afield to stop crossing bloodlines or something.”

Bloodlines? “We’re not inbred.”

Zuko gave a disbelieving hum.

Sokka kicked him for it, his foot actually making contact this time. He lowered his elbows from his eyes, the dark ceiling of their igloo not much different. He tried to think about it. Marrying. Children. He couldn’t picture it. Not with any of the girls here no matter how hard he tried.

Then there was the matter of Zuko. What would happen to him when Sokka married? Softened the rest of the village might be to Zuko now that didn’t mean his wife would want to share an igloo with him. Then again, Zuko had kind of grown into his looks, maybe sharing an igloo with him would be a bonus.

He looked to his left, Zuko’s eyes glowing slightly like two candles in the darkness. He wondered again if Zuko could see anything more than he could in the shadows. Some kind of firebender perk or whatever. “What would you do?” He wondered.

“Depends.”

Sokka gave it two whole minutes before prompting, “On?” Like he knew Zuko wanted.

Zuko snorted. “On whether we’re talking about me being you or me being me back home.”

Oh. “Both?” He was kind of curious now.

There was a shuffle, Zuko’s eyes fixing downward as he turned on his side. “If I was me, I’d marry. I’m the firstborn son and politically I need to secure my position as fast as possible. Meaning heirs and estates and… that’s if I was home though.” He let out a low sigh. “But if I were you I wouldn’t marry.”

Which was what Sokka wanted to hear yet, “Why?”

He felt Zuko shrug next to him, “It’s not needed. Yes you’re young and you should be looking for a wife but we need everyone we can get if you want this place to still be here next year. Marriage means pregnancy, which means someone’s not going to be able to pull their weight. Then the child’s born and they need to look after the child. That’s if it lives. If there were more people it wouldn’t be a problem but even I know hunting accidents happen. Lots of things happen that we don’t want. We’ve lost too many people for more to be put at risk.”

Sokka couldn’t believe how much sense that made. “Where was this answer five minutes ago?”

Zuko laughed. “You didn’t ask.”

“Yes I did!”

He laughed harder. Sokka ignored him, his mind settled now he actually had an answer he could give Gran Gran to get her off his back.

Only Gran Gran that was. Eighteen seemed to be opening up a lot of doors for him.

Doors that had Zuko doubled over as he laughed at Sokka’s pain. “It’s not funny.” It was a little funny but Sokka wasn’t going to admit that.

They’d actually managed to secure the boat for themselves today. Mainly so Sokka could take it out and mend it when it started leaking. Zuko was here to warm the tar they’d bought from one of the Earth Kingdom islands. Also to laugh at Sokka.

“She actually asked to lend you?” Zuko barked.

It was a crude way of putting it but, “Basically yes.” It turned out more than one person had been writing away about the lack of penetrating objects that could be found in the South Pole. While dad hadn’t written, at all, the other men had no problem allowing their wives to borrow Sokka. There were specific circumstances for said borrowing, circumstances that were described that morning as Lena asked for a word before he went to meet Zuko. “What do I do?”

Zuko could barely force his words out, and gave up after a while. When he calmed down enough to make conversation all he did was ask to see the letter Lena had given Sokka as proof her husband was okay with using Sokka’s services.

“You’re not seeing it.” He hid it deep in his coat but Zuko tried to find it anyway.

Somehow he got it, wheezing every other line he read. “This doesn’t sound too bad,” he offered when he was finished. “Fun for you anyway.” He handed the letter over, Sokka putting it away so deep in his coat he could pretend it didn’t exist.

“I’m not doing it.”

“Why?”

Sokka gave him an incredulous look. “Why?”

Zuko shrugged. “You probably only have a few weeks before they stop asking.” A few weeks sounded torturously long. “You’re really not going to do it?”

Sokka didn’t know what part of this Zuko wasn’t getting, “Why would I want to? They’re married- I- no!” He didn’t think he would be able to look Lena or her husband in the face again. Besides, if he said yes to Lena then the others who Lena had also mentioned wanting to ask him would take that as the go ahead as well. “Why can’t they just use each other?” If Zuko was right then their husbands were.

Zuko snorted, “Oh they are.”

Sokka felt his neck crack from how fast he’d turned around. “What do you mean they are?”

Zuko arched his brow, “You haven’t heard them?”

Sokka might have but he didn’t think that was what they were doing when he passed their igloos. “Then why do they want me?”

Zuko was definitely fighting laughter as he said, “Did you even read the letter?”

“Yes I read the letter!”

“They er… want you for what they don’t have,” he nodded downwards.

Sokka could feel his cheats heating. “Then why don’t they ask you?”

Zuko pointed to himself, “Firebender. Also,” he gave Sokka a long look, “You’re kind of looking a lot like your dad these days.”

“Stop talking,” Sokka covered his ears, “Stop talking Zuko.” He heard muffled laughter. “I can’t believe you think my dad is hot. You’re disgusting.”

Zuko laughed harder.

He did think about it later. Just a little. He caught his reflection in one of the water buckets, his eyes looking over where his dad might be. He could see a little in jaw, maybe his eyes. Mostly Sokka just saw himself.

He handed Lena her letter back with a firm no. “It’s nothing against you or anything I just- I don’t feel comfortable.”

She understood, telling him to find her if he changed his mind. “You’re a young man Sokka, there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun.”

Sokka walked as fast as he could away from the conversation.

Korra, thankfully, stopped any more conversations like that happening around him. She’d found where Zuko had hidden himself and was now helping him shuck oysters, putting the shells in a pile when he handed them to her. “-like that?” he heard Zuko ask.

“Like what?” Sokka sat himself down, pulling lightly on Korra’s wolftail. She tried to pull his back.

Zuko grabbed it when Korra couldn’t, the girl laughing as Sokka squawked. “I was telling Korra I’d make her a bracelet if she picked out her favourite colours.” It looked like they’d found a few pearls when Sokka peered past the piles Korra had made.

“We could probably trade with some of them.”

Zuko hummed, “After Korra’s chosen her favourites.”

Sokka didn’t argue. He’d learned after Zuko had taken his pick of bones to make her knife that Zuko wouldn’t be swayed when it came to giving Korra gifts. Zuko felt like she deserved some happiness in her little life. He also didn’t like how little she owned anymore. It reminded Sokka that everything Zuko owned was borrowed too. It might be his now but before it had been dad’s coat, Sokka’s hair ribbon, Bato’s boots. Zuko had been born into luxury with possessions that were his from the moment they were bought. So Korra would be getting that bracelet.

Sokka helped when he saw Zuko was out of his depth. He had a bit more practice making jewelry thanks to mom and dad. Then, when it inevitably fell off one too many times as Korra ran all over the village, he helped Zuko make them into beads and did what he’d been dying to do for weeks now and force Zuko to sit still.

“Don’t cut it,” Zuko warned.

“I’m not,” Sokka promised, using the bone comb to get out all the tangles in Zuko’s hair. He was gentle when he got to his scarred side, forgetting now his hair had grown in just how far it had stretched over his face. “How did you get this anyway?” He figured they knew each other now it was okay for him to ask. “Did you fall or something?”

Zuko made a small grunt, “No. Erm…” he shifted where he sat for a second, Sokka waiting until he settled before combing his hair back again. “I did something stupid when I was younger.”

Ah. “Been there.” He twisted the hair in his hand slightly, tightening it enough to hold half in a wolftail. He let the rest fall back to Zuko’s neck before turning to his other visitor. “Come here bug.”

Korra came over, she plonked herself in Sokka’s lap, the beads she’d picked up making small clacking noises as she made them jump. Using Zuko as an example had her sitting still as Sokka untied her hair and let it fall in a soft brown wave.

“Pick a bead would you?” he asked Zuko. Korra let him choose even if she did follow it with her eyes, Sokka forcing her head forward when she tried to look too far back. “What stupid thing did the Prince of the Fire Nation do then?”

Zuko made a face. “My father invited me to one of his war meetings,” Already a horrible start. Sometimes Zuko and the Fire Lord didn’t actually connect in his head anymore. Sokka focused back on the story. “I spoke up against him. Well, one of his generals but it was him anyway. His meeting or whatever.”

Sokka hummed. The only war meeting he’d gone to was the one Arnook held. It had been intense to put it mildly and overall useless considering they were here. “So, what? You decided to prank the General and got burned?”

There was a terse silence then, “No. I…” he winced slightly, “There’s this ceremony in Fire Nation culture. If someone’s wronged you, you can challenge them to a duel. It’s called an Agni Kai. It’s primarily for firebenders.”

Sokka was starting to get a horrible feeling in his gut. “So you challenged the general?” He guessed.

“Yeah.” Zuko didn’t sound proud of it. Then, “My father turned up though. Like I said, it was his meeting so I disrespected him, not the general.”

“...okay?” Sokka saw the burn in the lantern light. The way it splayed out. He’d always thought it was how the fire had connected but they kind of looked like-

“I tried to ask my father to call it off, I didn’t want to fight him but apparently that’s more disrespectful than not fighting so,” Zuko motioned to his scar.

There were probably appropriate words to say. More appropriate than, “Oh.” But the horror had welled up enough inside him that all he could really see was the handprint that had been forever etched onto Zuko’s face.

“My father banished me the next day. Said I wasn’t to come home without the Avatar.”

“That’s messed up,” Fell out of Sokka’s mouth. It was beyond messed up. Dad had only ever raised his hand to teach Sokka to fight. Outside of that dad just- no parent he’d been around would have done that. Not to their own kid. It was so bad as well. A hit, fine. Sokka healed from a hit. Dad had insisted he know how one felt so he wouldn’t freeze up if the Fire Nation came back. He needed Sokka to squirm away, to run to his sister and take her somewhere safe. But to burn someone?

Zuko hadn’t even fought back.

Sokka didn’t know what to do with that.

Zuko hummed low in his throat. He gave a short laugh, “It’s funny. I always knew he didn’t like me. He used to tell me I was lucky to be born. But I still thought he loved me. Even after this,” he motioned up. “I… my Uncle used to try and convince me to come back with him to his home. He has a place in the mountains where he used to vacation with my cousin. He told me the Avatar wasn’t likely to be found if he hadn’t been already. I thought… I thought he was just trying to turn me against my father.”

“And now?” Sokka asked.

Zuko shrugged, “If Aang hadn’t appeared- I was never meant to find him.”

Sokka heard himself snort, “Yeah your luck is insane.”

Zuko smiled. “I kind of wish, some days, I had the chance to actually bring Aang to my father. Not to kill him or anything,” he promised, and maybe that was how Zuko felt now but Sokka didn’t believe he wouldn’t have tried to kill him when they had first met. Then again, all Aang had said was that Zuko had tied him up. He hadn’t tried to execute him on sight. In fact, he’d told his crew to use non lethal methods to capture the Avatar. “I just- I was so close. I did the impossible and, I don’t know. I think I would have liked to see the look in his eyes. I know there wouldn’t have been love. Now I do anyway. But, I’m not,” He sighed, “I don’t know.”

Sokka finished with Korra’s wolftail. “He would have hated you.”

Zuko gave him a sharp smile. “Exactly.”

He would have hated Zuko for doing what he couldn’t. Also for the fact that, likely, capturing the Avatar would have elevated Zuko so high in the court’s opinion that the Fire Lord couldn’t hope to banish his son for a second time without some kind of retribution. Maybe even a civil war if Zuko had managed to play the game right.

He started the tiny braid in Korra’s hair. “Do you think you’ll go looking for them? The Avatar?” It was what Sokka had been afraid of in those early days. That he’d wake and Zuko would be gone, the boat would be gone and Sokka would be a day late in warning the Northern Water Tribe to hide every newborn.

But, “No,” Zuko said. “I don’t want anything to do with him anymore. My father or the Avatar. I’ll keep quiet and when they’re older and they’re ready, I hope they take my father down. He deserves it for what he’s done to the world.”

“He does.” He tied Korra’s braid off, the pink pearl bouncing gently onto her cheek. “All done.”

Korra hopped up, showing her pearls to Zuko again now that she was free. Sokka watched him smile and count them out with her.

He really hoped Zuko would keep to his word.

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