#atla fic: Gladiator

[wingsfreedom]

This initially was only about the umbrella scene, "Azula and Ren: first help" but then I checked which chapter it was in and ended up rereading the horrible dispute. Ch.250

Here's a good image of the Imperial Guard's full uniform:

P.S I also edited the last Ozai art here by adding a marble texture to the pillar and a bit warmer colors to the piece overall. Just in case anyone's interested in a (slightly) better version.

@seyaryminamoto

[cosmicswritings]

Hey I'd love to hear more about Megatron and Starscream's daughters! Whether your tfp version or Idw version of them. I don't think they've been in any of your fics yet ❤️

To add to that I'm so curious in what their creators feel about them. I think you've mentioned that Megatron carries in every other relationship except with Starscream, so I'm super interested in knowing Starscream's experience with carrying Megatron's sparklings with all the violence in their pasts and how they both feel about their daughters? And a little bit about their daughters' personalities too! If that's okay with you.

so tw for like sparkling/carrier death but they get brought back to life so it's all good.

Oh thank you so much I dont think i talk about them enough. So in all my aus when Starscream and Megatron get together officially and have their daughters they are already good. Like their relationship has been mended and they've been together for quite some time. It is post war, and peace times. And even in my aus where the war IS happening the two would have a good relationship.

But their daughters names are Megatronia, Nebula and Andromeda.

Tronia is the oldest and is most like Megatron but resembles Starscream the most. She has more of the 'leader' personality and in many of my aus takes over megatron's affairs after he retires. And in my idw aus, she and her half brother - Kaon - become leaders of Cybertron together. Kaon looks like Megatron's twin, she looks like Starscream's twin, so it's kinda funny. Tronia is a military strategist and likes fighting. She also really likes children as well given she cannot have her own. She trains under Megatron but also her tfp trains under Airachnid. Tronia is also close to Optimus.

then there is nebula who is more of a free spirit, who looks more like megatron but acts like an airhead in a good way. she loves flying but she also loves singing and dancing. she is also very courageous. Her idw counter part is an accidental time traveler, acutally, so is her tfp counter part. TFP counterpart accidentally goes back in time and befriends Miko while her idw counterpart befriends Tailgate. She and Tronia do not get a long like at all.

Both girls have cybertronian jet alt forms whereas Tronia's is more lik megatron's, Nebula's resembles starscream's.

next is andromeda who is the scientist of the family and has a lot of megatron's smarts. She also looks like starscream but a bit more 'bird like' and that's because she's partially an experiment. She was a still born and starcream actually died when he had her. Luckily, Shockwave was able to save them both. In order for Andromeda to survive however, Shocwave had to mix her CNA/Coding with predacon coding, and he also had to do the same to Starscream. Starscream's biology isn't affected but Andromeda's (and later his final child, Atlas) is. Andromeda unlike her sisters has a harpy eagle like alt form. She is incredibly smart, due to Megatron's genes. She is also the one he babied the most out of the girls and for the first year of her life she wasn't allowed to leave his subspace or play with any one, not even her siblings. Megatron had to go to therapy for paranoia after that. But she is very very sweet and kind. If she had a personality it would probably be Megatron's personality before he became a gladiator.

Starscream is actually very happy too be a carrier despite the major repercussions it has on his body. He doesn't care after a while. In my personal AUs, Seekers aren't supposed to be able to carry or have sparklings simply because of how they are created. They are only assembled to fly and fight and nothing else. Carrying was always a dream of Starscreams but he was told that he couldn't do it, and if he tried then it would injure him/possibly kill him. And it eventually does.

That was so traumatic to Starscream to hear so for millions of years he just pretended he hated sparklings and was against the idea of carrying them when that was one of his greatest desires. So when he and megatron are on good terms and are together, it is something he wants to try. Starscream has four sparklings and nearly loses his life every time, but it's still something he wants, well he does die after he has Andromeda but is revived. Because of how he is constructed, it is very difficult for sparklings to grow to full term so he has a lot of complications but all his daughters are healthy, just small but they grow fast. Starscream's last child is his son who is not born small at all and does not have the 'seeker' frame which is very difficult on him.

Megatron makes sure that is the last child they have together for Starscream's own health and benefit. As traumatized as he is with Andromeda he is even more traumatized that Starscream went through all of that, and still wanted to have more sparklings. So he puts an end to it because Starscream's body physically wouldn't be able to take anymore - whether we talk about his tfp or idw counter part.

[italoniponic]

Fairy Hands | Jack Howl

Synopsis: After the ending of the day’s rehearsal for the Fairy Gala, Jack was already feeling his feet screaming for help but, as always, he wouldn’t say a thing and try to endure the pain the best he could to not worry you. But you noticed it… and you had an idea.

Jack Howl x gender neutral reader / fluff / hurt and comfort / establish relationship / use of “you” pronouns / slightly self-indulgent bc it’s my birthday~

Word count: 3,4k / Warning: This is not meant to be k*nky. If you think so, I’ll bonk you in the head with Jack’s heels

Notes: Okay so, this idea was born after the reveal of the full Fairy Gala2 sprites and I loved Jack’s outfit until I saw the rest of it… the top parts? Good, decent, very Jack-ish. The pants? The heels? Atrocious but that’s just my opinion, who cares right? So I got into this spiral of picturing the fact that Jack never wore this type of thing and as someone who wears heels sometimes, yeah the lack of practice is an enemy :) and I never asked nobody to massage my pained tired feet so, I wanted to imagine making Jack feel better. This also turned more deep in feelings matter, the good old hurt/comfort thing that I love doing with Jack. He fits so well with this trope!! I said once in another fic for him but if you don’t have ideas for Jack, first think of hurt/comfort. It’s a solid start!

And for a title-context: to say that someone has “magic hands”, means that this person is very skilled with their hands. In Brazil, we say “oh, you have ‘fairy hands’ (or hands of a fairy)”. Shoutout to @lovetals who first heard of this idea <3

And for last but not least, happy birthday to me~

Fairy Hands

Jack always had the ability and patience to endure everything. 

Being the eldest of three brothers, he sometimes had to act as a “father” for the younger ones. As a tall guy, everyone asked him to pick up things that were out of reach — or too tall on the shelf. As a strong young man, he impressed students with how much weight he carried. For his newest friends, he needed to be mature and rational and know how to stop them from getting into trouble. 

But even Achilles had his heel. Well, an analogy not very welcome at that time, was what you thought.

You still hadn’t quite understood what the fairies wanted with the school — always the NRC, always — and the weather was so chaotic outside that you didn’t even know how to get from place to place without getting a heat shock. But seeing the boys training a fashion show for the fairies, it was obvious that long days lay ahead. 

And Jack might not survive until there because of the heel they forced him to wear.

It was a silver high-heeled shoe with a somewhat simple design. Strings braided the boy’s ankles like gladiator sandals. A strong heel to support a tall, muscular figure, like Atlas holding the world on his shoulders.

But as much as Jack tried all the time to stay steady and not miss the steps or the choreography once again, you could see the suffering on the surface of his eyes. 

The posture he was forced to have so as not to destabilize himself, the care at every step so as not to fall. The weight of hardships is often shaped from person to person. Some can handle almost anything, others almost nothing. Some people may face an iceberg, but they can’t face a piano. 

“Come on, Jack,” Vil clapped his hands. “High heels never killed anyone.”

You checked the clock, bitterly. Luckily it was almost time to leave because another fifteen minutes and maybe that statistic would actually change.

It was painful to watch that rehearsal. Silver nearly falling asleep while walking, Ortho’s gears needing oil because of the sudden humidity, and Jack feeling like an elephant walking a tightrope. At one point, when he walked back, you needed to run to hold him so as not to fall into a false step.

Jack sighed to himself, tired. Suddenly he looked back and exclaimed. “Silver-senpai!”

The Diasomnia senior woke up just in time before crashing head-on into a mirror on the opposite side of the room. By the great seven, Silver was one point away from developing sleepwalking. 

“Thank you, Jack,” he smiled back at the freshman gratefully and then yawned.

You looked at the heel of Silver’s low boots, small and humble. Why didn’t they choose something like that for Jack? He didn’t need to get taller than he already was. 

But that discussion could wait. You led Jack to a bench near the wall going as comfortably slow as possible because the pain of wearing that shoe was equated with the desire to take it off. He couldn’t force himself too much. Still, Jack’s ears were attentive to everything. 

Maybe it was a Big Brother Syndrome or the result of spending too much time with Ace and Deuce, but Jack paid close attention to everything and cared about his peers even when he should care more about himself. In fact, from what you could see, even in the opportunities to be selfish, he eventually would put the needs of others first. 

When you needed him most to face Leona and Azul. That day, that moment, that exact second. Always. Only fair that you want to take care of Jack. 

You finally got to sit on the bench. Jack almost melted there, body and mind allowing himself a single second of vulnerability — and that was all that lasted. Pulling himself together, he crossed his legs and took off his high heels. 

You were then taken aback by the state of Jack’s foot up close. Taking the shoe from his hands — suppressing a protective urge to aggressively throw it far away from your beloved boyfriend — and setting it aside, you knelt on the ground to analyze that poor, exhausted foot.

“Huh... are you alright?,” Jack asked awkwardly.

You made that same expression when you analyzed strange plants in potions class — these too exotic for the world you used to live in. 

But before your eyes was something not strange, but heartbreaking. And agonizing to your own feet. Marks from the high heel’s laces stood out around Jack’s ankles, leaving his skin slightly red and irritated with skin rash. No wonder it was hurting more than it should.

Because, usually, wearing high heels hurts those who aren’t used to it and gets worse when it isn’t properly shod. 

“You can’t tighten the shoelace so much or your skin will get irritated like that,” you advised him, looking at his foot from all possible angles. “Looks like a Thanksgiving turkey.”

Jack ended up not asking what the hell Thanksgiving was — maybe he would do it later. At that moment, the information about your world that you sometimes let slip could make him curious another time. He took off the other shoe, frustrated. In addition to suffering an entire afternoon, the blame mainly came from him. 

Not that he could know what to do! Give a vacuum cleaner to a cat and maybe the animal will do a better job — though the Ramshackle Ghosts gave a full account of how bad an idea it was.

“I was afraid that if it were too loose, I would fall,” Jack explained, and then sighed. “I'll... try again tomorrow.…”

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“No…,” you lightly touched his foot, and he stifled a groan. “…very much…”

Who was he fooling? Or rather, who did you think you were talking to? Jack Howl wouldn’t admit when he wanted to carry your groceries just to help you, obviously he wouldn't be any different with his own pain. Poor thing.

No, maybe it wasn’t the right way to look at the situation. 

You knew Jack was already feeling bad about tying his shoe in the worst way possible, pitying him would only make him feel worse. And that’s not what you wanted. You were determined to do something to help. That’s why Crowley called you a Beast Tamer!

You looked around. Ace had already fled from there centuries ago, Silver was led by a talkative and animated Rook back to Diasomnia and little Ortho commented with Vil and Crewel on the fabulous mechanisms created by his older brother. They were far away enough to not listen or see about what was going on with you two.

It would be easier to convince Jack that way.

“If you want, I can do a massage,” you dropped this sentence on the air.

Because of his tiredness, Jack took a good minute to understand your words and you knew the exact moment of it because his eyes widened in size, distracting you a little because of the golden glow — maybe a little scared — of that beautiful gaze. Jack’s first words were actually small breaths of air before he spoke very quietly:

“M-massage? On my feet?”

“Why would I do it on someone else’s feet?,” you took a deep breath after retorting, not wanting to be rude beyond the limit. 

“B-but... but…”

It's something couples do! Jack wanted to scream but there were still people in the room.

And in a way, there wasn’t much reason for such a scandal. You were a couple after all. But it seemed too soon. Jack was used to seeing more established couples — read: married — doing this type of thing. 

How many times has he seen his mother offer his father a foot massage when he came home tired from work? Or the other way around: his father doing the same thing when his mother was exhausted and in the times when she was pregnant with each of their three children?

It was such a simple and intimate thing in a way. There was a certain degree of trust put into this action, a sense of comfort that only the person who loves you too much can offer.

Maybe it’s not something restricted to couples only, but it’s the only thing Jack could think of.

He wouldn’t go so far as to massage Leona’s feet and even for Ruggie — another veteran he greatly admired — the most he would do was to look after exfoliating soaps and other things that should manage to help foot stay soft and healthy. And how about you? Jack held his own face, trying to control himself. 

He needed focus.

“I promise not to make it weird,” you said suddenly, drawing his attention. Your hands were raised in a sign of promise. “And if you get bothered, just say so. I let go of your foot faster than a hot potato.”

You both looked at his feet at the same time and you regretted making that comparison. 

“O-okay... just a little,” Jack said and you nodded happily.

You tried to get up from there as calmly as possible, but you were so glad that you managed to convince your stubborn boyfriend to get help — and it was so obvious. You darted around the room in search of a towel, some cream, and Jack’s normal uniform to already have it on hand. 

He watched you in the distance, moving his foot in small circles despite the difficulty. He thought it would alleviate the pain but he could hear something cracking along the way. 

Maybe that was one of the reasons he never saw Mrs. Howl wear high-heels at all, just sneakers. She was already tall enough compared to other women and didn’t need to overtake her husband’s already tower height. And those shoes can be awful when they want to be.

“Where is the Prefect going this time?,” Vil asked as he approached.

“Ah…,” Jack swallowed hard, not knowing if he should answer or lie. Damn, were his ears down? They certainly were. Why wasn’t the day over yet?

“Lock the door when you get out, okay? Whatever you're gonna do. Practice, in fact, makes perfection.”

Jack smacked himself on the forehead for misinterpreting that for a brief second — rehearsal practice! — but Vil didn’t seem to notice. He gave the keys to the room and said goodbye to his friend, rubbing his own arms a little as he opened the door and received some cold air. The temperature was still chaotic.

Finally you two were alone. You suddenly appeared with a bunch of things in your arms and after organizing everything, you sat down and used your knee as a temporary support to put Jack’s foot. You looked like a shoe store clerk or someone about to propose.

What was more embarrassing to imagine?

“You ready?,” you asked and Jack sighed a “yes”. 

He closed his eyes, tense and bracing himself mentally for whatever reaction he would have — you swallowed a comment about you just massaging him, not squeezing a pimple. But after the first touch, Jack gradually relaxed. 

You first passed a cream with a light touch of coconut scent. Because of the strange room temperature, the cream felt warm, and you wrapped his foot with all care, massaging it up and down. You could feel all of Jack’s tension, his body felt harder than a rock. 

He was exhausted. A little regretful but still certain that he would do his best to help with the mission. Squeezing that restless foot, you wondered if people didn’t expect too much from him sometimes. They asked too much too often.

You just wanted Jack to relax from time to time. When all this fuss gets over, you’re sure to do something fun and quiet together! You would make it happen!

“Hey!,” Jack's exclamation scared you for a second.

It wasn’t for nothing, you just squeezed the middle of his foot a little too tight.

“Sorry! I got carried away for a moment,” you said, pushing your hands away quickly.

“Alright, just... pay more attention, okay?”

Jack refused to look directly at you, but all he did was swap his left foot for his right. That made you a little more cheerful. It was a small token of his confidence, no big deal — but it meant everything to you. 

The process from before was repeated and you tried to be as attentive as possible this time. The dance hall was in complete silence. There was only some kind of a paced movement of something hitting in the air. For a minute, you were distracted by Jack’s flapping tail, but with a clearing of his throat, you turned your gaze back to what you were doing.

He didn’t want to say that his feet were hurting more than usual. Running and exercising always produced a tired body, but as time went on, Jack got used to the pain and made it a mere unfortunate nuisance that was easy to pull to the back of his mind.

That foot pain, though? As a child, Jack and Vil once found a book of morbid tales and one of them was of a lady who wore beautiful bright red iron shoes and danced to her death — or something, he erased that memory over the years to get close to red sneakers again.

But it was how he was feeling at the time. 

Jack wanted to simply put the blame entirely and solely on his lack of ability to wear those shoes, but it was much more than that — although that was still one of the reasons. He was frustrated with a lot of things.

They had an important mission, Leona and the whole school were counting on them to resolve the situation. Part of Jack shared Ace’s complaints about the fairies making such a mess unnecessarily, though he didn’t verbalize any of it. He wanted to make everything work out and be able to fulfill the goal. 

But Jack didn’t intend to do anything like this again. 

Truth be told, there was no way anyone could be good at everything. He was doing his best, but would it be enough? Could he meet the expectations of others? Even if he wasn’t made for that kind of thing? At least, he didn’t have to worry about what you thought.

This was obvious from the way you so patiently held and massaged his foot as if it were a piece of expensive tapestry that you were carefully folding and smoothing, pulling out all imperfections, relieving stress from the fabric. Jack only knew this because it was the way his mother advised him to keep a good bed with comfortable sheets.

Staring at you from that high point, the uncomfortable feeling of standing still doing nothing and the comfort of receiving a lovely care act were fighting like angry wolves in his heart, wrapped in the silvery glow of the Moon and the thin blouse he wore. 

Jack wondered how you were able to do things like that with him.

Your touch was gentle and pleasant, charged with a sweetness you didn’t share with anyone else. At least not the way he received it. If you gave sugar to your friends, Jack received the most tightly sealed and expensive honey, with a spoon chosen especially for him. Did you really love him that much?

Did you find him enough, even though he was still incomplete and immature at times? In what you circled his heel, what were your thoughts? Jack could only watch you and torture himself with the doubts he didn’t have the courage to express.

Slowly, he ended up distracting himself bit by bit from the pain. It was still there, but your presence alone took that alert away from his nerves. Jack knew he would walk again the next day thanks to you and he felt extremely grateful. He would find a way to compensate you later for all that.

As you were finishing massaging him, you noticed Jack start to pull the flowers out of his hair, the two bracelets and the necklace he had around his neck. It made you smile.

“Are you feeling better?”

“A little,” Jack answered when he pulled the last plant out of his hair, the largest with white “petals”. It was too stiff to be an actual flower in all honesty. “I think I can already walk to my dorm, at least.”

“Oh, okay. Just when I was getting it right…,” you sighed. “Can we do this more often? I m-mean, I don't want you to bruise your feet for anything! Of course not! But...!”

“Yes.”

It took you a moment to absorb that response. 

“Are you serious?!,” your voice ended up sounding loud in the empty room.

“Not all the time but, I think, yeah, it's okay.” 

Jack looked away from you to the echeveria elegans — the “Mexican snowball”, a succulent — in one of his hands, the free one going automatically behind the back of his neck. He just hoped you were excited and distracted enough not to notice how flustered he was.

“Yay!,” you ended up putting your hands on your cheeks. “Um. “

There was a solid minute of silence. Jack stared at you as you took a little sniff, smelling sweat and cream mingle on your face and reaching your sense of smell. A strange feeling, to say the least.

“I… I really shouldn't have done that.” 

Jack couldn’t stand it and laughed a little. 

“Finally a normal reaction.”

“H-how dare you! I have normal reactions!” 

“No, you don’t. You? Where? When?,” he gave another light laugh and you saw his smile increase, to the point that you could see his extremely white fangs glowing.

If Jack knew how much that smile played with your heart, he would also be as embarrassed as you were. But you wouldn’t say anything. Not when Jack smiled at you like that, making the Sun marvel at the golden glow of his gaze and the Moon envy him for his silvery, gentle light. 

Jack didn’t need to be a flower to be admired. He had his own kind of beauty, something that you would nurture to stay in your memory until the very end of your days. 

Because you got distracted for that brief moment, Jack ended up leaving the echeveria on top of your hair. While he picked up his normal shoes, you touched the little white succulent and held it carefully in front of you. 

“I think that ends today then,” you suddenly commented.

“Thank goodness,” Jack tapped his foot one last time to adjust his shoe, and then quickly turned to you, a little desperate. “I'm not talking about this moment! It’s this day in general! That... that whole thing! Not you!”

“I know, don't worry. It's just, I'm gonna have to go back to Ramshackle, you go back to Savanaclaw, and... it's always lonely coming back.”

“I will accompany you there.”

“No, that's not it. In fact, you don't even have to do it today! I don't want to abuse you just because your feet got better.”

Jack gave you a small smile and stroked the top of your head, putting a little pressure — light, gentle — on you to bend down a little and not see how much he looked at you sweetly. If he had the courage and the necessary romantic streak, he would have picked up one of his hair-flowers and proposed to you right there. It was how much he loved you from the bottom of his heart.

“You don't have to worry about that. I’ve already promised that if I need it, I’ll call you again. Thanks for the, um, massage,” he gulped but just for a second. “You have fairy hands.”

At this, Jack relieved the grip on his hand and as he walked, it passed over your head in a stroke so fine as to be elegant. You stared at his back as he continued, resistant. 

It was time for your heart to beat again and Jack to call your name for you to go out together — or he would leave you alone there, it was your second choice. You laughed and as you followed him, you closed the door. Feelings forever in bloom.

Special Notes: Ik it’s explained already about the “Mexican snowball” flower/succulent but I want to make a disclaimer that this is the most similar plant I found to name the one Jack is wearing in his card, so I’m not 100% sure about it but it serves the purposes of this story. Another curious fact is that, in portuguese, this plant is called “stone rose”.

[seyaryminamoto]

I really like your characterization of Sokka. Not only in Gladiator, but in all your atla fics. You make the most of all his comic potential and his tendency towards drama and over the top reactions, but you also don’t exaggerate it to the point of making it his only trait. Your dialogues between him and Azula in Gladiator are wonderful. Especially when you get to explore their playful banter. It doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the more serious moment we’re currently going through in the story.

:D Why, thank you, nice anon! I'm really happy to hear that!

I feel like it's not easy to strike a balance with a character like Sokka. A lot of fics I've read make him too jaded, too dark, too brooding... then, there's others that make him too goofy, too light-hearted, too optimistic. And while there's shades of truth in all those characterizations, and of course, those characterizations might make sense within their specific context, I feel like Sokka is slightly more complicated than that. That's one of the reasons why he's such an interesting character to write about for me, and what made him such an entertaining character to behold in canon, too.

I do love unleashing his comedic potential as often as can be, and frankly, Azula just promotes that part of Sokka so easily x'D there's just an innate potential for comedy in those two, made even better by the fact that they appear to have similar senses of humor. I just looooove writing them interacting, which should be obvious considering I've been doing it for ten years and I STILL can't get enough of it! The latest Gladiator chapters have been difficult to write because of the lack of banter, really. I miss it so much...

But yeah, sometimes Sokka has to reach the other end of the register and take things very seriously, such as how it is right now in Gladiator. Even then, comedy can happen at times if you feel like it, as the author... but when things get REALLY serious with Sokka, it kinda feels like hell's going to break loose. And part of what provides that feeling (at least, one of the reasons why I think that effect happens when I'm writing him) is the fact that there's such a strong contrast between his leisurely self and his more serious, darker side. It feels like finding Sokka's voice becomes a much smoother process once you finally hit that balance and can do justice to the multiple aspects of Sokka's complexity and potential.

[kigozula]

"But… I've never been happier than I am with you now."

Gladiator Chapter 141

[monday-headache]

“ I can hear the sounds of sirens circling around Forced to watch the ashes floating, softly drifting to the ground”

This is my way to say thanks to the very sweet and talented @annalyticall​ for all your amazing help and suggestion <3

A little movie poster inspired fanwork to the fic “The Halo Project”

Big shoutout as well to everyone on our Discord group for all of your amazing help and support on this project ;)

[sokkathebluewolf]

I am chickened out from gladiator because it is this long and it keeps getting longer is it worth my time to read it ??

... Uh, well. I can’t help but wonder if you’re aware this blog is run by the actual author of the story in question? I don’t know if you expect me to give you a non-biased answer when I’ve considered the story was worth 8 years of my life xD as far as I’m concerned, it absolutely has been worth it, but I can’t speak for the whole wide world when it comes to that. If you want the opinions of readers, there’s probably other blogs run by people who have read the story and who might have critical opinions about it... that may be what you were looking for. If, however, you were deliberately hoping to get my opinion on my own story... well, yes, for me it’s clearly worth it xD Otherwise, I would’ve quit ages ago.

The story is indeed very long and it keeps getting longer, and it will keep getting longer because we’re not done yet and won’t be for a while :’D if you’re the type of reader who can’t stand it when they catch up to stories and have to wait for updates, well, feel free to give it a shot when I’m done writing it, I guess? It’ll be a while until then, but it’s up to you. If you don’t like reading really long stories, then it’s probably better for you if you don’t force yourself to read this one, I know not everyone is ready to dedicate that much time to reading something, especially if they have lots of things to do. Hence, if the length daunts you, that’s alright, it daunts me too and I’m responsible for it xD it’s fine if that deters you from reading it.

But as the way you phrased your question almost sounded like you’re challenging me to give you some sort of sales pitch to catch your attention, let’s see if I can pull it off:

Gladiator is a massive ATLA AU, not only in terms of story length but also scope: it’s a complete rewrite of the entirety of ATLA in a more mature setting, starting chapter 1 with the characters 5 years older than they were in canon. Aang’s adventures in saving the world did not take place here because of a simple enough reason: Katara didn’t accompany Sokka on his boat on the fateful day when they were meant to find Aang, which means the story as we’ve known it simply doesn’t take place. I’ve taken liberties here and there, added some changes from canon when I needed to do so, in order to ensure the story works, but the gist of the story is to set a stage where the Fire Nation marched onwards, practically unopposed, and conquered the Earth Kingdom with the power of Sozin’s Comet (just in case it needs to be clarified, without certain technological developments, Ozai’s wild plan to incinerate the whole world wouldn’t happen, and if Team Avatar isn’t assembled before the Comet shows up, said technological developments simply wouldn’t exist... :’D). I’ve had to figure out how many details would change, how much of the original story would or wouldn’t happen without Team Avatar’s involvement, I think most my choices have been solid, but it’ll be up to you to decide if you think they are or not if you read the story.

The worldbuilding of Gladiator, then, is preeeetty huge and complicated because of that starting point. There’s a lot of elements that are completely new (such as the Gladiator League and all its derivates), some OCs, some lore expansion, so you can definitely say it’s an ambitious project. In a sense, I’ve reset canon to zero, and at the same time I haven’t, which makes things complicated but, for me, really fun to develop. If you’re interested in seeing more of the Avatarverse explored, characters repurposed, with new dynamics and relationships, Gladiator may just be what you’ve been looking for :D

In my experience, the main reason why most people stumble into this fic (other than by sorting FF.net’s ATLA stories by review count and drawing blanks upon glimpsing a Sokkla story on the first page xD) is because they’ve been drawn into Sokkla, or they’re looking for stories centered around Azula or Sokka. Gladiator, evidently, features all three such elements because, obviously, those two are the protagonists and their relationship is the beating heart of the whole tale. I’ve been asked in the past who’s the real protagonist and I honestly still have no idea xD but anyways, if you’re interested in reading a story with a toooooon of Azula character development, even if it takes place across a long, long time, this story may just do the trick. I’ve done the best I could to keep her character as true to what I believed a young adult Azula might become, within the circumstances of this story. She has grown a LOT in 200 chapters, goes without saying (if she hadn’t, I’d be one heck of a failure of an author x’D), so if you’re interested in seeing a slow but effective growth arc for Azula, you’ll certainly find that in Gladiator. Same is true for Sokka, but I think most people who come to this fic for Sokka are interested in seeing him being a badass, which we have plenty of as well xD still, it’s also a long and slow process for Sokka to grow into a powerful warrior, neither him nor Azula start out in the story with all the answers, and they both bump into many hurdles as they navigate their complicated lives.

There’s a lot of humor in Gladiator, perhaps more than expected with a story that has that sort of dark premise, but it’s, on great measure, because Sokka and Azula are inevitably given to banter xD if you want to read a lot of banter between those two, well, you may not be bored in 200 chapters because, while the nature of their exchanges does vary as they both develop, their conversations are usually pretty spirited and they love trying to outsmart each other all the time.

If you are already a Sokkla shipper and the main reason you’re here is because you want more Sokkla goodness in your life... I’ll just say Gladiator has become a bit of a dream come true for me as a Sokkla shipper as well, because it’s the perfect space for me to work with virtually every idea I’ve ever had for these two. Yes, there’s drama and conflict here and there, if you’re not too given to angst there’s a few parts of the story that won’t sit so well with you, though if you love angst you’ll probably enjoy them plenty... yet what I’m most proud of, with this story, is having developed their relationship not only as best I could, but I’ve also attempted to defy typical storytelling structures for romance stories, where the lead couple can’t seem to have a stable relationship because “that would be boring”. Screw that, man: these two have been in a serious relationship together in-story by now for well over half the published chapters, and I’ve had the time of my life writing their dynamics as a couple while the plot continues to develop around them. This, however, is not everyone’s cup of tea, so if you aren’t all that given to seeing such traditional romance storytelling structures dismissed because I wanted to write my favorite ship dealing with all their external struggles while finding strength in the bond they share, Gladiator may not hold your attention long enough for you to devote yourself to reading it beyond chapter 100-ish. On the other hand, if this subversion of romance structure is what you’ve been looking for all your life, or if it’s what you always wanted and never knew you wanted it, or if you’re simply curious as to whether it works or not, Gladiator may suit your interests fairly well. Again, Sokkla is the absolute center of this story, both together and independently, so if you want to see a rewrite of ATLA with them at the core of just... everything? xD that’s absolutely what you’ll find here.

That being said, there’s things I guess you should mind about Gladiator: I have some relatively controversial takes about certain things, including interpretations of fan-favorite characters that some people have been known to take offense over. I, personally, believe my interpretations of those characters don’t deviate that much from canon or that, when they do, the setting itself explains why the deviation works as it does, but due to the fact that I work with a protagonist who was in a villainous role back in ATLA, her relationships with some characters can be more complicated than a lot of people seem to believe they should be. Hence, if you’re not particularly adverse to reading content that brings up big questions about the motivations of certain characters, or how they’d react if the story from ATLA hadn’t happened exactly as it did, you’ll have enough fun in Gladiator. If, however, you don’t particularly care to see anything that shows beloved characters in a not-so-flattering light, this story may not be for you (though, if you’re willing to humor me and allow my story to question your perception of those characters, feel free to try the story as well). 

There’s also a variety of dark themes and situations in Gladiator, something that any reader should be warned about in this day and age: I am 100% against violence for the sake of violence, to name one such subject, and I generally try to portray it with as much nuance as possible, but even if I feature my own characters criticizing their violent world and wanting to put an end to the strife caused by the Fire Nation, some of the violence in Gladiator may be a little too much for the readers who prefer the tone of the original ATLA. Hence, if that’s how it is for you, it’s another reason to approach the story with caution. I won’t pretend I’ve handled every theme and subject perfectly, but I’ve never wanted the darker moments to feel gratuitous in any way, so if you’re open to reading a darker take on the Avatarverse, this may work for you after all.

Alas! If you want to see Azula growing out of the toxic Fire Nation indoctrination, if you want to see Sokka gaining confidence and strength as a man and warrior, if you want to see a fleshed-out but still very much villainous Ozai, if you want to see Toph fulfilling her dreams of joining an all-out fighting league where she can beat people up for a living, if you want to see a myriad of secondary ATLA characters (like Song, or Shoji!) given new lives and even genuine protagonism, if you want to see Zuko discovering he’s allowed to just... be happy? xD Gladiator may prove interesting enough for you.

Furthermore, if you want to see Azula being true friends with Mai and Ty Lee, discovering a dragon, developing new firebending styles, confronting her misplaced beliefs about herself, rebelling subtly (and lately, not so subtly) against her father, growing into a great leader who could change the Fire Nation’s nefarious direction...  aaand if you want to see Sokka fighting creatively (sometimes with TWO swords!), navigating the dangerous waters of interacting with Fire Lord Ozai, staying true to his beliefs while also learning that the world is not as black-and-white as he was raised to think it was, understanding himself better and making the most of his potential as a quick learner, writing embarrassing haiku and being an unapologetic rebel who goes toe-to-toe with Heads of State just because he can... yep. Probably read it? xD

Lastly... if you want to see Sokka and Azula grow through their mistakes, learning to understand each other, fighting side by side, training together, dancing to no music, learning the underrated pleasure of proper communication in a relationship, sassing each other left and right, flirting in ridiculous ways, taunting each other in many regards, laughing at each other’s terrible jokes, protecting each other fiercely, challenging each other to a spicy ramen eating contest, discovering indirect bending, being highly inappropriate at times and places where they shouldn’t be, making long, dangerous yet fun journeys together, sneaking around to meet up when they’re not supposed to, standing by each other in their darkest moments, watching over the other when they’re sick/injured, being ready to sacrifice virtually anything for each other, and even defying and defeating even death to save each other...? Well, I don’t know if there’s any other stories where you might find all of this, but I can guarantee you’ll find it in Gladiator :)

If none of this is convincing enough... that’s a shame, but I understand. If it convinced you to give it a shot, however... I guess I’ll just hope you enjoy it enough to stick around! :) thanks for taking my story into consideration regardless of whatever you decide. Have a nice day!

[gemgirl28]

Since you're looking for Sokkla Fic recs

War & Laughter by Deaddirector

Taming the Wolf by Kebabeater1(same author as the Moon is A Reflection of the Sun

The Sunflower House by Pongowayo

The Smoke Demons Saga by MadameZuki(specifically With or Without You but the whole series is amazing)

The Reason; Love Advisor; White Lotus International Games; by Seyary Minamoto(author of the amazing Gladiator Sokkla fic, which is the longest ATLA fic)

Samsara by Patra_Gem is also a big recommend from me

Ooooo thank you for these! I can’t wait to go through them!!! Slowly but surely Sokkla is taking root in my brain lol.

Side note, does anyone else get nervous when their marked for later dips below a certain number? No, just me? kk.

[certifiedceraunophile]

7, 15, 17 and 20 :)

SO THIS IS MY FIRST EVER ASK ANSWER,

7. What’s the last thing you read that made you cry?

Honestly it wasn’t a fic or anything, it was actually, this blinding beam of sunshine’s-  ( @carolineforbae ) comment on my fic ‘It’s a Touch Regrettable’

 This queen left a whole rant underneath the fic, unadulterated emotions flowing and spilling,Just the memory of it makes me wanna curl up on a warm bed of grass and weave flower garlands, that comment’s screenshot is actually my phone’s lockscreen picture. I’m not kidding.

 I’m in a healthy happy married relationship with that comment and we were actually wondering about kids just yesterday, so yeah. 

15. Post the last line you wrote without context.

‘But then she catches sight of Klaus’ face and she knows whats displayed across her eyes, it’s awe, it’s wonder, it’s reverence and most of all it’s such incriminating disbelief, and he knows just as much as she, those emotions only come from an undeserving woman. A woman with her head screwed on right enough to pass sound judgement on herself and decisively assign herself unworthy, but that doesn't stop her from greedily taking what she’s been given so freely, that she will take with thanks but would never pay it back, because how could she?

She is unfit for having it in the first place.’

17. Describe a fic that is still in the ‘ideas’ stage.

I’ll do you one better, here’s the aesthetic for a fic that has like “I came, I saw, I conquered” my mind, (pun intended, you’ll understand in a moment).

It’s been burning out my braincells like it’s on fire. I mean the amount of story plot lines and random dialogues that are literally bursting out of my mind like confetti strings honestly it was just all over the place I needed to calm down and compartmentalise so I did this to give the ideas in my head an image, and I got a bit carried away, clearly.

It’s an Ancient Rome-meets-Roman Gladiator-meets-Enemies to Lovers-meets-Mikael you son of a bitch I require your head on this platter, so please do the needful-meets-Caroline giving sponge baths to a dirty bruised yet victorious gladiator!klaus-meets-SMUT.

20. Do you have a favourite fanfic or author? If so, tag them/post a link and share the love!

The list of authors is too long, too too long, but I can bring it down to one person for you,

FIRST AND FOREMOST, 

Like, 

Lend me your ears my fellow plebes, as we stand in the presence of divine erudition, seasoned and soft yet coarse as velvet rubbed the wrong way, A blazing gloriole burst upon her lovely visage, cut her open and you shall find sands from a thousand realms spill forth, every flutter of her eyelash a turn of a page, Kingdoms have not crumbled at the touch of her hands, but the spine of a hundred tomes of sentiment narrated with unfettered reach have, bent with atlas humility as if to say, ‘have me, all of me’ and she devours. 

Honestly I have no idea how to end this, but the ‘her’ I’m talking about is the one and only,

@cbk1000

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE I FEEL TO EVEN SAY HER NAME,

LIKE BRO, hold me for a second,

This writer is by far the one writer who has captured Caroline, Klaus, Rebekah and Kol, in the most REALEST way.

Like she knows these characters and presents them to us in their most tragically raw state of being, no dilutions, no misplaced underlining, no flower crowns on their head, they are given to you shrivelled, hurt, broken and aged and you bow your head in reverence.

In their most downtrodden days we will cherish them, in their ugliest cruelest days of such evil no love diminishes, in their most deific of moments your knees will buckle and you will submit.

She does not sugarcoat and downplay the most disgusting aspects of their character, presents it to us as they are and tells us,“Hold them, they burn your hands, but hold them still.” and we will do it, like GOD I’M NOT ARTICULATING THIS WELL, hold on, lemme collect my thoughts 

I MEAN SHE HAS KLAUS KILL A BABY, COOK yes, COOK SAID BABY AND THEN FEED THE ROASTED BABY TO ITS FATHER, ALL UNBEKNOWNST TO SAID FATHER AND I THINK ‘FINALLY, KLAUS AS KLAUS AND NOT KLAUS BUT CENSORED BLUR PLACED ON TOP OF EVERYTHING BUT HIS DICK.’

like does that make sense? I really hope that makes sense.

And OK her writing, like her WRITING itself, like remove Klaroline, remove the originals, remove vampires, werewolves, witches, etc etc, and give her a shoelace to right about and she will BLOW YOUR FCKING MIND AWAY. you will worship that piece of literary wonder, it’s poetry, it’s sacred scriptures, it’s imagery, its a fucking PAINTING.

that’s what it is,

IT’S A PAINTING and it’s A MOVING PICTURE.

She doesn’t create a world for you, no she’s nothing so boorish, she merely rules this universe of hers and she’s magnanimous enough to allow you entry, a visit, stay a few days, EXPERIENCE, LIVE, and then you leave a changed human, and this universe she rules will always have a special place in your heart and soul.

THE DEDICATION this writer shows to research, to historic accuracy, to  literally EVERYTHING that is not necessarily the plot itself, GOD, that deserves a separate spiel for itself, the way she makes everything so AUTHENTIC, her describing the fall of the Romonav dynasty as just another byproduct of Klaus’ recreational machinations, JESUS, LIKE THAT transcends storytelling and now is sitting in a place called shared reverie.

I MEAN GO AND READ,

Wherewith to Sate Its Malice

For the Pikes Must be Together

Five Times the Sinner

AND MOST OF ALL,

AU Original series

and come back and read this author review, you’ll agree to everything I’ve said. I promise.

[memo1005]

ATLA femslash fics ideas/prompts

I’ll be compiling a list of what people would like to read. This can be valuable for writers who have a writer’s block, and there might be a chance for what you want to be written by someone. This can include any atla wlw ship; send me ideas so I can include it. My ask box is open. So far, from what I have received, people would like to read:

An Azutara fic based off of a Greek mythology love story. For example: Orpheus and Eurydice; Apollo and Hyacinth; Eros and Psyche; or any others you may know (Here’s a tip if you want to do this)

An Azutara fic that occurs during the Peloponnesian war (Athens vs. Sparta). Azula would be on the side of Sparta and Katara would be on the side of Athens.

Azutara fic with the theme of gladiators or like based during WWII.

Postcanon, Azula is sent to the south pole as part of reparations and also bc it's cold/shorter days/isolated. Katara is the only one powerful enough and/or compassionate enough to actually visit her (in some sort of stone prison via toph; Azula can't just melt her way out). Katara brings her food and water a week at a time. cue slowburn azutara + redemption Azula + murder mystery wherein Azula and Katara work with each other to clear Azula’s name when she is blamed for it

Modern mailee best friends to lovers that start with Mai and Zuko in a comphet relationship facilitated by Azula and Mai realizing her sexuality. Modern Azula is still Azula but a little more chill (maybe this is college au and after Ozai scarred Zuko, they both live with Iroh now). Ty Lee and Mai adjust their friendship with Azula to account for their relationship and assure her she’s not being left out! (maybe some background azutara)

"Call Me By Your Name" universe. Elio and Oliver, would be switched by Azula and Katara. Katara would be Elio because his parents care for him and are supportive like Katara's parents. Could be Azutara or other ship.

 Azutara au where Azula wakes up from a nightmare and desperately calls Ty Lee but she misdials and calls Katara instead

Kazula fic ideas - masquerade ball. 

Azula seeing the negative effect of the war on the fire nation and it involves the painted lady

Kazula idea - they each teach each other how to do something

Sherlock Holmes au and either Azula or Katara is Sherlock and the other is Watson(?) + arguing + eventually liking each other then they fall in love along the way.

Tyzula // Azula: “What? I'm not gay, I'm straight. I just like Ty lee.”

Azutara // They fight to see who ends up on top

Azula is married to someone and has an affair with Katara ala Game of Thrones 

Tagging the writers that I know: @bellatrixobsessed1 @eshusplayground @noelle-azel @spitefulsapphic @elizabethemerald

[wingsfreedom]

Mess

I didn't expect I'd have enough time to draw after I start attending college but I'm doing better than I thought I would.

Anyway this is a special Zhao&Ozai post with fully colored versions.

Bonus: Sodus by Cemeteries is a song that gives me Zhao and Ozai vibes: the nostalgic guitar beats, the monochrome photo of lively sea and flying seagulls (young Zhao&Ozai setting up for sail) and, of course, the lyrics that is both nostalgic and dark; describing their current situation imo.

@seyaryminamoto

[toffee-hammer]

Athena headcanon for the day: Before Janey Athena had only ever had one (sort of) girlfriend. One of the other girls Atlas abducted for their assassin program. Artemis they code-named her. The ordeals Atlas forced them all into turned her into a deadly warrior like the others but unlike so many of them she held on to her aversion to ruthless murder which caused her to fall behind in her training and anger their Atlas overseers. She was basically just too gentle a soul for the kind of life they were trying to impose on her. Eventually it got to the point where Athena ended up frequently putting herself between Artemis and the people seeking to punish her for her soft heart. More than once Athena accepted those punishments as her own in an effort to keep Artemis safe but eventually it got to the point where they gave up entirely and Artemis overheard a group of them talking about "removing” her fearing her attitude was rubbing off on their best trainee.

That night Artemis woke Athena and told her she wasn’t going to wait for them to execute her and that she was going to try and escape. She asked Athena to go with her but Athena was a scared kid at the time and refused to leave. Artemis gave Athena her first kiss that night right before telling her goodbye and turning and running out of her life forever. Athena never actually found out whether her escape attempt failed and she died or she succeeded and is out there in the galaxy somewhere but to this day she remembers the compassion she saw a girl hold onto even as everyone around her let theirs fall away and it still inspires her to do good (or at least less bad) where she can.

[levitatingbiscuits]

18 and 20? <3

is this for the meta ask? i hope so bc otherwise you’ll be so confused lol

18. a lot of my fics have scrapped scenes that get just. WAY too angsty or violent for the subject material. as it stands, i have a lot of fics that veer wildly from my original vision into angst and melodrama. you’d think i’d write more crack, considering that it’s my favorite genre, but writing crack is HARD. i like to think i’m decent at it, but sometimes it takes months for me to convert my crack IDEAS into fic form. literally the only fun part of writing a crack fic is the brainstorming, which is ironic considering how much fun i have reading them.

for example, of teachers and ta’ayl’e was supposed to be a pure fluff fic!! they were gonna spend the whole time on slave I, boba would parent trap jango and obi-wan, and they’d fall in love. i wasn’t even thinking about how that would royally fuck up the canon timeline or about the clones, the jedi, dooku, order 66, etc. but then jango ruined everything with his revenge quest like he ALWAYS does, that bastard, and we got that bigass confrontation about galidraan and dooku being obi’s grandmaster and then my brain went “FORDO WITH FORCE POWERS HE NAMED HIMSELF FOR THE ALLITERATION” and i’m impulsive in the extreme soooo

one series of alternates i’ve been plotting out is about all the different things that could happen if qui-gon had lived and obi-wan had used the Dark side during the duel of the fates and subsequently taken the barash vow after his master repudiated him (for saving his life, the prick). i already wrote that angsty ass oneshot about vader hunting him down instead of Kirak Infil’a, and i have 2-3 other fics in the works based on that premise. one is where obi-wan returns during attack of the clones (which will probably be jangobi), and another where he returns in the midst of the clone wars (which will most likely be codywan, but the other clones might get crushes lol). what can i say, temuera and ewan have great chemistry.

i also have an alternate dark Azutara idea where katara gets stockholmed and helps azula hunt down and kill aang as a spinoff from my already very dark Zutara gladiator fic but no one reads my atla stuff ;__;

20. I INSERT SO MANY PUNS AND DOUBLE ENTENDRES INTO MY OC NAMES. NO ONE EVER CATCHES THEM AND IT DRIVES ME TO MADNESS. SAY SOME OF THEM OUT LOUD, PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. 

also i leave more hints and meta in my replies to comments than i do in the fics themselves lol. i will take literally any opportunity to soapbox about fiction

thank you, darling <3

[loopy777]

Any tips on about reading a 700k+ word fanfic? Like I wanna read it, I really do, but it’s so intimidating... like I can barely finish a fic that’s 200k+ words, and that’s took me over a span of couple of weeks to fully finish it due to my brain tending to take pretty long breaks when I’m reading stuff; therefore, it takes longer for me to finish. And I remember seeing an atla fanfic that’s over a million words long too [like it’s one story too]! Like whoa! I wanna read them, but my brain. :(

If it’s Gladiator, AO3 has it at 2 million words long now. XD But I hear that there’s some smut parts that can be skipped, so maybe that knocks off about 10k words? I dunno, as I quit at the first time Sokka or Azula had a smutty dream about the other because the story wasn’t working for me, and I’m told that was less than one-eighth of the way into the current state.

But as for your main question, I’m not the best person to ask. I’m the type of person who can blaze through ‘The Lord of the Rings’ in a week. I recently read a 425,000 Brandon Sanderson novel over about two weeks, and that was because I was stretching it out on purpose. I once read a 150k-word novel in a single day with time to spare for other activities, but admittedly that was a re-read.

However, what I like to do for any long-term reading project is break it up into manageable chunks. That’s one of the reason why I broke up Traitor’s Face into distinct episodes and Acts; I didn’t want to do ‘Book 1′-type stuff and separate story entries, since it really is one continues saga. But I also wanted to give it some ‘rest points’ where people could step away for a bit- and where I could stop writing to recuperate! Not everyone is as into story architecture as I am, but I find that most good, long stories seem to naturally fall into an episodic structure- or else those authors aren’t as obvious at labeling such things as I am.

So I’d advise reading up to a point where things seem settled -- the heroes reach a destination and aren’t immediately confronted with a crisis, or a miniboss is defeated, or a major subplot climaxes, etc -- and then step away for a bit. For example, despite that Brandon Sanderson novel I finished having sequels I haven’t read yet, I took some time first to re-read a favorite Discworld novel and a collection of short stories before getting back to the series.

(Incidentally, it’s spooky how relevant Going Postal is to modern times.)

So yeah, that’s the best I can offer. You could even ask the author directly about good stopping points.

Unless you’re doing that, as Traitor’s Face is in fact 700,000 words and an epilogue. In which case my answer is that I intended every Act to be read months after the previous one, so you’ve got your breaks already laid out!

[seyaryminamoto]

Happy Birthday ! :) Go Capricorns <3 Hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Thank you for giving us this beautiful story. If I may ask, as a writer, how do you keep yourself going? How do you stay motivated and inspired for so long? It’s amazing! And the story you deliver is absolutely breathtaking. I admire you so much <3 P.S Thoughts on the new comics/ movies that avatar studios is coming up with ??

Sorry for taking so long to answer! Happy birthday to you too, Anon! I'm assuming it already passed, with Capricorn season wrapping up and all x'D

So, how do I stay motivated...? To be honest, it's a bit tricky to answer that X'D

I've told this story a few times in the past, I think, but the truth is, I actually wound up writing ATLA fics because I was stuck, absolutely stuck, with an original story over some worldbuilding elements I couldn't figure out. I was infuriated and frustrated by it, so I decided to clear my head and go watch this TV show people kept telling me was soooo good, so I settled on doing that and no longer stressing out about my story...!

... Poor story's been fridged for ten years :') so very cruel of me to do that, I know. And I think that, on top of the fridging, I'm actually bound to have to rewrite the whole thing from scratch one day, so... yeah :'D

The point of sharing this is explaining that, as much as I write up a storm sometimes, I don't ALWAYS do it, it doesn't work with everything, writer's block is no stranger for me, if anything I got waaaay too acquainted with it as a teenage writer who was writing whatever came to mind with zero pressure because it was for her eyes only.

My time writing original fiction as a teenager taught me many lessons, though, and among them, the discipline to write on a regular, constant basis. This isn't something EVERYONE can do, every writer works differently, and I can't pretend I'm permanently, constantly ready to write. But just waiting for inspiration to strike is a dangerous game to play, because... often inspiration arrives for the wrong things, or at the wrong time. I don't write anything out of order if I can help it (though my god, Part 3 is sooo trying to mess with that, organizing this chaotic chunk of the story has NOT been easy x'D), precisely because if I don't push myself through the transition scenes, through the lead-up, and I just jump right into the big moments I REALLY want to write? I'll never write the build-up to it because I'll never feel like it :'D

So, for starters, discipline. The discipline I developed is mostly about being ready to power through when things aren't super engaging. And then, if things didn't feel right because you forced them, you scrap and redo it, specifically by pinpointing the problems that caused things to feel forced. I've had to scrap soooo many ideas that just weren't flowing correctly, and I've had to go around that and figure out other ways to write something, both to make it more engaging and to make it actually work better than whatever I had in mind at first...

... Therefore, secondly, gotta learn to adapt! Once you identify something's not right, or a GREAT idea comes to mind but it potentially derails your previous plans, you slow down to figure out how to adapt, if adapting is possible at all. I actually had some very strange ideas for the arc I'm currently posting in Gladiator, and upon reaching the point where I finally had to write them... I realized that concept didn't work. It might work better on a TV show, maybe, in something audiovisual, because it would have required a lot of switching, back and forth, between two situations that looked the same, at the same time? Kinda? And it just didn't feel right when I finally was supposed to write it, it was too confusing. So... I adapted to what felt right, and I think the result is infinitely better for it :D

Thirdly... which probably should be the first thing, honestly: building scenes.

It sounds weird to say it this way, but this is a key element of how I write stories. It's become such an important part of it that nowadays I've become disgustingly critical of how scenes are built in any content I consume -- I'll have to try and figure out if someone's put my feelings about this into words, maybe in academic essays or books or so, because I admit I really don't know how to explain something that feels so instinctive to me...

But anyway: scene building is the core of how I write. If I were planning on writing a car race, I'd have to think about how that race will end, probably even before I think about how it begins. If it ends with a triumph for the hero, or a defeat, or a brutal accident that causes the race to be cancelled? I have to think about how that would happen, depending on the story I'm telling. Once I settle on the outcome, that retroactively informs then, of what I need to do in order to build this conclusion: how do I develop the characters in order to take them in that direction? And once the conclusion arrives... it has to be the biggest moment of the story. It has to carry narrative weight. A lot of that can be built by setting the stage, something I've found a lot of people don't really seem to think about... but even a small room in a house can be a grand stage for a big story's conclusion if the scene is set properly to pay off there.

So... I build up scenes. When I start thinking about telling stories, the first thing my brain is wired towards is envisioning scenes. Once I come up with a scene that I REALLY want to write, or in some cases, multiple scenes, I start to thread things together. Let's take for example... my "Azula and Sokka as spies" AU from Sokkla Saturdays 2020.

First thing I came up with was the idea, of course, of Sokka and Azula having to work together to save Kuei somehow. The exact threat they were saving him from only came to mind later, what mattered was that they would be in Ba Sing Se, cooperating to put a stop to something dangerous.

Then, I thought of the idea of the two of them being stuck together in a closet or a very tight space, unable to move or do anything because the enemy was right there and would catch them snooping about in the wrong place at the wrong time :'D This specific scene, then, became the core of how I built up that story.

From that core, I started to come up with the conclusion (do they win or lose), as well as how they landed in that situation, what's the threat, why they're working together but as separate agents, what their dynamics would be like in this setting, how their mutual attraction reaches a boiling point in that very specific scene...

And at that point, I just focused on preparing everything and setting the stage in order to tell the story of... how Sokka and Azula wound up locked inside a tight space together in Ba Sing Se's Palace X'D

For me, generating those core scenes is crucial for building a story that I can flow through with the right amount of motivation. I don't really know how other people do it, some people love writing stories without planning anything beforehand, and all the power to them if they can do that. I really prefer building things up towards the outcome I'm aiming for, though. At times, new elements come up in the middle of writing anyway, and you can be surprised by unexpected twists that actually bring new life to your story. You just have to let yourself ride the waves and figure out whether you'd rather choose your destination or let your story choose it for you, in a sense. But for me, setting at least some of the course is what seriously pushes me towards creating the story I want to write.

Gladiator-wise, the key has been this same principle, but in higher frequency. Basically, pretty much every arc I've written has one or multiple core scenes that I built up at the center of it all. Sometimes those core scenes could be very small and contained things... sometimes they could be something massive and chaotic. But I basically have pushed through Gladiator without breaking (even when things did get me down at times) because I had those highlights, important moments to look forward to that motivated me (and still motivate me, we're not done yet!) to keep going and push past the build-up that's necessary for everything that comes next.

... Alright, I hope that made sense X'D

As for Avatar Studios and its upcoming projects, as well as Hicks's next comic... I don't really have a lot to say on that front. I'm on a strict "live-and-let-die" policy with canon since North and South Part 1, pretty much, the last comic I ever read in full... because unless canon actually catches my attention and does things in a way I can respect/enjoy, I'm better off not engaging with it. As I mentioned in another ask not long ago, what really bothers me about the latest direction of this franchise is the lack of purpose in the stories they've been telling. Aang's story doesn't feel that way... but pretty much everything else does. Until I get the sense that they do have a direction and a purpose, I don't think I'm going to be overly concerned with whatever canon does. If I'm told Azula's comic is great, I'll definitely give it a read, but I don't hold out a ton of hope for my peace of mind, too. Better not to get excited only to be disappointed later on, as The Search taught me :'D I'd love it if Hicks can do a good job with the comic, of course, but I'm not passing judgment for or against it until it's out... and after it's out, I'll only pass judgment if I actually decide it sounds like something I want to read. Canon is free to do what it wishes to... I live very happily in my AUs and I have no need for canon validation to do what I do. So... that's my stance on that :'D

[kigozula]

Do you ship Azula and Sokka only with each other?? ♡

It is very nice to answer an ask from you here on tumblr. Thank youuu♡!!

I used to look into many fanfictions with Azula after the show ended. And there were many ships with Azula such as Jetzula (I liked that, I think it was more popular back then), Kueizula (NOPE), Chanzula (can be good), Hakozula (can't believe I used to find this interesting0-o...) aaannd Sokkla.

So, Sokkla is my OTP (ATLA). For a veeeryyy long time. I can't even remember, it was kinda always there. And I didn't look for fics other than Sokkla for a very long time as well. I think many fans have a finding-your-true-otp-time.

I would like to say what I think about both Azula and Sokka's possible relationships. So, let's start with my absolute favorite ATLA character Azula.♥️

Some people say the best or even the only lover for Azula can be Sokka, whereas Sokka could do well with others too. I do not believe in this line. I used to like some more Azula ships, but there are two ships which I find the best, canon-wise. One of them is Azula with an OC. I once read an arranged marriage AU with a new character which was pretty good. And I wrote one (in my head) with an OC. If you find a really good OC from the Fire Nation, I think it would end up being a wonderful and unique ship. Azula could be happy with a someone who fits her personality, meaning respects and accepts her as a whole. But I imagine this character not like Azula in everything. I would like to describe what exactly I mean but it would take too long. But all in all, I believe there're some OC possibilities who can end up with Azula and have a very good and interesting relationship. Because it is Azula. She is remarkable, striking, very special, beautiful and cool.

Though, I've said I only like two ships with Azula, but I also like the idea of Chanzula. But with a different Chan. Older, matured and with a more decent personality. Not a big fan (Sokkla blocks the way to all other possibilities^^), but again in a different setting like them being older and in different places in their life. I kinda have that feeling that Chan might get many stuff cause they are "rich" and nobles, but still not having his parents or anyone's true love. And someday he matures, meets a certain beautiful Princess again and his life completely changes.

Now I think I really should say something about a specific and unusual ship, if it can be called that (this is not one of the two I mentioned over there) : Zhaozula. Yes Zhao is older. Yes I know. And his ending and some personality traits in canon are not my favorite (I do not understand why ATLA liked giving cool FN characters shitty endings...).

The thing with this "ship" is: I only like it in a different setting and NOT in the original show. Age, story...etc.

I once read this comic, I do not remember it anymore. But I'm pointing the arrows towards Gladiator. The only fic which has a perfect Fire Nation cool guys energy. (Will say more some other time hopefully). First of all, I really wanted Zhao and Azula to interact in canon. A cool Team and two masterminds (Adding Sokka to this Duo would be even more amusing, happy I have found a fic in which it happens). Zhao and Azula fighting side by side and him being very supportive of her is always an idea I like.

I wouldn't say I ship them forever til the end of their lives and imagine a romance. But I imagine them as partners/friends. Political, even private such as just having a good bond which comes from their past and a trustful partnership. And the idea of Azula finding him good-looking and liking him is appealing to me. Having an arranged marriage or one in which they mutually agree on it can be SOOO INTERESTING!! Finding each other appealing but also not being a "normal loving" couple/Partners could make a good story. I just think he could be a good companion in the Palace for Azula. And I don't know, he could also side up with her when Ozai or her husband doesn't for example. Yeah… or even if they would use each other and have an attractive hate relationship, doesn't matter. It is interesting.

And now, dear Sokka.=)

Now Sokka is not a guy who really was in love. (They are all teenies, but I consider Aang, Mai and Katara as the only ones being really in love). And really, I do not think there is anyone other than Azula in the show, whom Sokka would really be head over heels with time, deeply love and be complete. Yue doesn't fit with him, there is something that doesn't feel right. Suki (I don't hate Yue and Suki as characters, in case fans will think so) is too causal and boring with Sokka. Both of them. But a Sokka with Azula is something very extraordinary and perfect. He would be happy, would have an interesting life, would be more motivated, would really love and create a deep bond. Their's would be an ungorgettable and unique relationship. There's no way he wouldn't find her interesting if she would have joined Team Avatar or if they would interact without being "enemies" (Maybe he already did^^). With Azula he would feel things he never felt before. She is perfect for him.💙 And he for her.

And there is no scene in the whole show, none, which has such interesting and attractive energy like those Azula and Sokka scenes in The Day Of Black Sun (amazing episode). Be it the exciting tension, the attraction or the emotions. It invites everyone (even non-Sokklans) to ship them. I could say so much more and keep talking about them for hours, everyday, such as their similarities and about how perfect they are, but we Sokklans stated that many times. Well at the end I would say both could be on their best and happiest if they would be lovers. But even if not, they could be really good friends and a super good team. The things they could do and achieve together is a "nonstopping list". Too sad we couldn't see more of them in the show.

So, putting the other possibilities aside, nothing ever can top Sokkla. No other possible ships with these two. I feel like they are totally made for each other. All other ideas are less appealing when it comes to Sokkla*_*. These two are a super match, physcially and everything else. I love them💙.