As Gladiator draws to a close, I've spent the past year working on my next project: an original story, unlike anything I've ever written until now!
Set in the year of 9432, humanity has one final opportunity to save a dying Earth: across the entire galaxy, only two pilots can fulfill the mission that may finally revitalize the planet... but there are complex forces at play that may just alter the course of destiny before that mission is fulfilled. And perhaps said forces have already changed fate once before...
Feel free to read more about 7KLYA on this free Patreon post! I'll be posting more about it in the months to come!
After ten years of hard work, Fire Lord Azula and the Storm Eminence Sokka face a surprisingly light day. After tending to their three young children, the pair prepare to receive the Royal Scribe: he brings big news regarding the books that chronicle their legend, soon to be published all across the world...
In school, a youthful Hotaru is caught off-guard by her friends' revelation pertaining how the war came to an end: puzzled by their certainty that her parents had something to do with it, the Crown Princess decides to investigate the truth, on her own terms...
Read Gladiator HERE or HERE
For a snippet of the new chapter, support me on Patreon!
Hello! I felt like I had to reach out to you. First of all, congratulations for finishing gladiator!!! You are the most dedicated and consistent and amazing author ever for seeing this through and I’m so grateful that you did. I’m incredibly sad and devastated to see it end. I’ve been reading gladiator for 8 years and I can wholeheartedly say this fic means the most to me. It’s basically ingrained into my life routine, waiting for a new update, checking the calendar to see which date it will come, and snooping around your blog to see the preview for the next chapter. Once it ends I’m going to feel like one of the stable pillars in my life is gone, and a chapter of my life closing. I already cried when I caught up and realized there are only three chapters left :’) I cannot express to you how much gladiator means to me. This fic being with me for almost a decade is unbelievable and you writing it for 13 years is seriously so remarkable. It’s very surreal that the finish line is just a couple of weeks away when long ago I felt like this fic would just keep going and going. I’m not sure if you remember me but I made a fanart that celebrate gladiator’s 200th chapter years ago and a few silly drawings too. Anyway I really hope you see this message. Thank you so much for writing gladiator, I really can’t tell you how special gladiator is to me. Thank you for being such an awesome and dedicated writer. Just thank you, you don’t get enough praise and appreciation. Congratulations again for finishing it. I’m going to be a wreck reading the last few chapters ❤️
You are so very sweet to send this message, anon <3 I do believe I remember you... but hey, if you wanna come off anon, feel free to reach out directly and I'll gladly confirm my suspicions!
I'm nowhere near as active around here as I used to be, but it does feel like ending this particular stage of my life means a lot of mysterious supporters who have been mostly lurking throughout Gladiator's run will vanish, and that may be the saddest part of seeing the story conclude 🥲 I really am grateful for all the good things that came my way thanks to Gladiator, and I hope that, once I find the right avenue and the proper way to publish my next story, I'll have a whole new myriad of fun experiences of the sort to look back on with pride... but for now, remembering the early days of this story, the crazy reception it got when I was barely starting out, the massive support it still gets and the way it unquestionably changed my life? All of it is amazing. While the FF.net stats page has been broken for AGES now (I thought they'd fixed it but they apparently broke it again or never did fix it at all), I loved scrolling through it to see where people were reading me, finding readers tracked all the way across unexpected countries all over the world (it was extra funny when it tracked stuff like 1 reader from Peru and 59 hits, so that way I'd KNOW the person was actually reading the whole thing like crazy, hahaha). It's been such a surreal experience, no matter how difficult it could get at times.
I do hope the last two chapters, our little epilogue, will be very enjoyable with their silly little plot. It's nothing super intense, but I thought it would be the funniest way to bring things full circle, to a fault... now, with our next gen growing up and starting to understand the world their parents worked so hard to build for them! Sorry for the lack of update this week, I'm afraid life has been kicking me like a can in some regards and I kepe losing track of time, but the first epilogue chapter will drop next week, for sure!
I was looking through files on my laptop and came upon this video:
I had made this for the 200th chapter release for Gladiator. Didn't plan on watching this today but it put an emotional smile on my face. It hasn't been that long ago, yet it feels like it was. I was so motivated putting my favorite quotes and artworks. The last slides were spoilers back then, no one knew what exactly would've happen. Reading the quotes of how Sokkla dreamed about a better future, where they can love each other freely...
It struck to me just now again, of how big an impact Sokkla has been on my life. Passionately waiting for the next chapter, the next arc...
Time passes quickly, and memories such as this video stay <3
Out of many scenes I've had in my head from the final moments of Gladiator, this one might be among the first that crossed my mind. It even has a little soundtrack! Pretty sure listening to that song is literally what spawned the notion of the scene, tbh, haha.
So, our little Hotaru, a firefly in her own right, runs about the garden, full of pretty little green-yellow lights. Eventually, she runs right back into her parents' arms (how I would love to be a quick animator so I could depict the entire thing but I know my limitations...). It was such a small, simple moment but it embodied so much peace, well-deserved after everything they've faced across the years of toil that led to this moment.
Again, I tried my luck at a few techniques I've been trying to get better with, hopefully it's coming across :') anyways, hope you guys like it! If you'd like to support my creative process with these pieces, feel free to make even a $1 pledge on Patreon! Every donation goes a long way in ensuring I can continue making a living through my art and stories!
Last month, my patrons voted on this particular scene for the prompt selection... aaaaand I totally forgot to post it here, woops. Sorry about that! :'D Here it is, though, as good as a remake of an older artwork I made of this scene many years ago. This is a little less ambitious in some regards, but far more satisfactory for me, partly because it lines up with the scene a little better and focuses the wholesome little rebellion of Azula against her confused father, who has no idea wtf she's doing.
If there's something I kind of regret here... it's the fact that I actually did a pretty decent job with that temple gate and it just barely shows because of the trees and characters hahahaha. What can you do... it's not as important as everything else anyway! I've been trying to implement some art techniques I'm picking up from reading some manhwa lately. While I can't say it's perfect, I do think it's helping improve my art overall... I hope it shows, at least to some extent, haha.
Hope you guys like it! I'll be posting this month's artwork later, as long as I don't forget again :'D If you'd like to support my creative process with these pieces, feel free to make even a $1 pledge on Patreon! Every donation goes a long way in ensuring I can continue making a living through my art and stories!
Toph and Shoji team up as they begin to develop their concepts and business plans for the new and improved Gladiator League. After making many decisions pertaining rebranding and securing funding, Shoji presents the project officially to a friendly, enthusiastic Sokka...
The reality of the League's return triggers an unforeseen reaction in the Gladiator's heart, one he discusses that night with the Fire Lord. As the project progresses, and the new Gladiatorial Battle Hall is constructed, Sokka finds greater peace and purpose with his past, as he looks towards the future...
Read Gladiator HERE or HERE
For a snippet of the new chapter, support me on Patreon!
After a year of stability in the wake of the grand wedding between Azula and Sokka, Aang returns from a journey to the west with scarce leads on the Air Nomad survivors from the Hundred Year War. The Fire Lord encourages him not to lose heart, and to cling to the hope that he won't have to be the last airbender...
Upon coming home, Azula winds up roped into an unexpected game with Hotaru and Sokk. The pleasant mood between the married couple leads to consequences, however: Azula is quick to suspect the cause of her sudden sickness, a few months after that enjoyable night...
Read Gladiator HERE or HERE
For a snippet of the new chapter, support me on Patreon!
What did Sokka do during the hunt in chapter 412?? Will it be shared in the next chapter 413?
The wedding was so cute!! I love how all of Azula's friends and family present in the tribe tried to calm her down. And everything afterwards was perfect. This is exactly what I've envisioned for literal years for their Water Tribe wedding. Just like the newly weds, I smiled the entire time reading it :)
As is obvious, we never learned :'D but the idea was basically that he did what we saw him do in his hunt with Hakoda, back when he came back to the South Pole in the first place: the man just went wild, sniping everything within their usual hunting grounds, and being the general overachiever he tends to be :'D it's probably very silly but it suited Sokka to just... go overboard. It's food. He's very excited. It's his wedding day! He can't help himself xD
I'm really glad you enjoyed that wedding so much... hope you'll enjoy the fourth and final one too! I can't say that I have a favorite over all, but the last two weddings I wrote for them were certainly very heartwarming. Really hope you'll enjoy it! :D
How many kids does each couple in your avatar fic have?
Well, for the sake of people uninterested either in the topic or the spoilers, I'll leave this under the cut...
Azula and Sokka: 4 total, Rei (adopted by Azula) (F), Hotaru (F), Shun (M), Yuuna (F).
Song and Rui Shi: 2 total, twins, Soo-Min (F), Ji-Seon (F).
Suki and Zuko: 5 total (they get a VERY late one, mind you this was the idea of one of my collaborators so their huge family is her fault x'D), Mari (F), Zi (F), Iroh II (M), Kerra (F), Ryou (M).
Katara and Aang: 2 total, twins, Tashi (M), Tallah (F).
Toph and Jet: 1 total, name was never decided, but it was a boy, 100% accident, Toph has never stopped chugging the anti-pregnancy tea since.
Mai and Ruon Jian: 2 total, Yuudai (M), Renshu (M).
Ty Lee and Haru: 1 total, not sure, unborn in the latest entries so who knows whether it was a boy or girl! Relatively late pregnancy, another total accident
Yue and Kino: undecided total! From Yue's first marriage, 3: Amarok (M), Shina (F), Kallik (M). Entirely possible they make more of their own but I never really settled on that so... up in the air! Three is already plenty, though.
There are other couples, if I didn't list them here it's either because I dunno what went down there or because I never planned on them making kids :'D this doesn't mean it's impossible and that it'll never happen (entirely possible that Kori and Sneers might have kids, Smellerbee and Longshot too, Tiang and Jin!), but I honestly only plotted this particular batch for the next gen.
... Along with this? A necessary, if maybe obvious clarification: Aang, Katara and Toph, heck, also Zuko, aren't going to have their canon kids here. This is a whole new roster. I loved Lin (hated Suyin) but there was no chance I was gonna tie my story to LOK in any shape or form. Gladiator is very much a spin-off that drifts far from canon's direction, and I never intended for it to result in LOK. The world's configuration will be PROFOUNDLY different to begin with, so expecting the same kids to be born here as they were there... would've been kind of a stretch :')
Have you seen the leaked Aang movie? any opinions on it?
I have not, as the previously answered ask mentioned... I really don't have it in me to punish myself with canon these days. I just don't. Especially when I'm trying to write something important, and I've experieced canon frustrations that sap away my will to do so far too many times already.
I've heard conflictive accounts on it. Some people seemed to enjoy it. Someone I know says it was absolutely dismal. Another person gave me a more-or-less spoiler-free review. The only thing I see everyone agreeing on is that it achieved basically nothing in regards of plot progression. Without having watched it, I conclude it's mostly a way to bring back the Gaang to cash in on all that nostalgia... but I saw the two first leaked scenes, not knowing the extent of the leak at the time, and I know I didn't particularly like what I saw. The silly banter wasn't that funny, certain jokes were very clearly pandering to CERTAIN sections of the fandom that will nonetheless eat up those crumbs while getting nothing of substance, and several characterization choices were just REALLY questionable.
... I still do not understand, but feel free to share, if the story ever explained why Zuko decided to retire the Fire Lord crown that his daughter later wears in LOK anyway. My theory was that he got bored of ruling and already abdicated, so his toddler daughter is ruling in his stead! But then I saw that there's some scene of him presiding a throne room that looks MORE pretentious than Ozai's (way to go, spending the money where it matters, Mr. Fire Lord, fantastic job, you're gonna build a ballroom next, I see you...), so I'm guessing there's some other explanation. Did he send it in to get polished, maybe, and it's not back in time for the movie? :')
Whatever the case, it's literally stuff so small and so dumb such as these details that make me shake my head and wonder why we even bother with this IP anymore.
Safe to say, once Gladiator's final scenes are done, I will consider watching the movie. Worth noting, I would also prefer not to have to watch it like THIS, because frankly, as little as I care for Avatar Studios and their projects, I have a greater understanding of the film and TV industries since the past years and... anyone who thinks these leaks did these people a favor are shitting themselves. Leaking this movie is a massive dump on Bryke and everyone who works in that studio. I'm not blaming the people who watched it, and I'm not judging anyone for that choice, I'm even considering doing it myself eventually... but pretending that this was SOMEHOW going to make Paramount "understand" that Avatar needs to be released in cinemas? This is basically like tying your shoelaces together, tripping, falling in your face in the mud and wondering why you didn't blast off into space instead.
Paramount is a business. Avatar Studios is also a business. They need Paramount's money to do their business. Paramount expects Avatar Studios to make them MORE money through the money Paramount gave them. The minute this movie got leaked and distributed illegally everywhere, Paramount didn't see a lesson to be learned: they saw a massive loss of money that most likely will never ever be recovered. No cinema release will fix it: how many people watched it illegally, got disappointed and said they were glad they saved their money? Glad they don't have to buy this Paramount subscription to see something so disappointing? I'd dare say... a fair amount. Enough that it'll mean a considerable loss in the income Paramount was expecting off Avatar Studios.
Unless the leaker was actively a hater of Avatar and wanted the IP to die an abrupt death, this was the stupidest possible thing someone could do to show support to any franchise. Right now, the fate of that studio seems to ride of Seven Havens and I think we've already seen how well received the concept art and synopsis were. So. Yeah. This shit's looking bad :')
But yeah, I remain undecided as to whether I'll watch the leak or wait and see if I can do it legally instead. Frankly, I never had any issue with waiting for months until it's out. If anything, I was stoked about having a pretty long, safe period of no new canon Avatar releases, and I thought that meant I would have a great time writing without a hitch until Gladiator was complete... and then the leak happened and that didn't work out :') but yeah, ultimately, I'm not desperate to see it, clearly there's very little there for me, so... one day, maybe. For now, there are far more exciting things in my future than watching this movie... and I do hope that future is a little more stable and promising than that of Avatar's IP. Sorry not sorry.
Out of curiosity: In the 13 years you’ve been writing Gladiator there were moments where you felt your inspirations drifting away? I don’t think inspiration is the right word. Maybe enthusiasm to write would be more appropriate. I mean, Sokka and Azula have an amazing dynamic, but 13 years is a very long time. If so, how did you deal with it?
:') I'd be such a lousy liar if I claimed that this totally never happened, oh, no, that's impossible, I'm undefeatable and my passion never wanes!
Frankly, there were many, many snags along the way. So many instances where it felt like giving up would've been easier. Hell, all the way at the beginning of this story, one of my closest friends at the time warned me that I'd be here for a decade if I kept plotting to this extent. I said "well, then, I'll be here for a decade!" Her response hurt quite a bit:
"Then maybe brace yourself because most other people won't stick around."
... She was right. Of course she was right. That's the part that really hurts, far more than her words or how rude that could've sounded at the time. Across thirteen years I've had friends come and go, I've seen interest in my story rise and wane in waves. In consequence, I've questioned my worth as a writer and wondered if maybe I suck ass, no matter how much I still want to do this... so many people who had such boundless enthusiasm would eventually stop showing that enthusiasm and started walking away instead. Be it to other fics, to other ships, to other fandoms, or to bigger things in life...!
And I was still here, watching them go, feeling like I was getting stabbed every time but knowing it was all on me. Either it was because I failed to keep their interest, or I was being overly dramatic, and it wasn't my fault, and them drifting away has nothing to do with me, it's nothing personal (yeeeah, of course, not for them it wasn't personal. Certainly was for me...). The reader-to-friend pipeline was... not really what I hoped it would be. I kept seeing other people building these super strong beta-reader dynamics with their best friends and I wished I could have that too...! But every attempt I made, I fucked it up somehow, and soon enough, it felt like I was better off shouldering the entire thing alone.
Thus, I continued typing my life away, it seemed, basically on my own. Trying to tell myself it was worth it, no matter if so many people whose opinion I prized turned their backs on me, and in doing so... they basically seemed to imply that it really, REALLY wasn't worth it. Maybe it wasn't their intent to say so! Maybe they thought I was strong enough, or had enough support that I could keep going regardless, they couldn't be THAT important, right? But they were, you see. At least, they were at the time. And I bet to you... if roles had been reversed and I'd been the one to walk away from whatever they were pouring their hearts out for, they would've felt no less miserable about it than I did.
Alright, that was the worst part for sure, but there's more than that:
Rude comments and reviews! Unpleasant people, badmouthing two-faced assholes who assumed I wouldn't find out that they were taking figurative dumps on my work or me, be it in public posts that I would come across on the Sokkla tag here, or in slightly more private ones, like forums! Somehow, their dismissive BS wound up at my doorstep and it hurt like hell every time... and, of course, never forget the harassers, the people who badgered me left and right because one thing or another didn't suit their preferences 100%... (gods I hope I don't summon them back just by mentioning them but it's safe to say I do not give enough shits to give them attention at this stage): all those things were serious blows to my willingness to write, they hurt in places I can barely describe, and made me wonder if this was worth it at all. I kept going because I very much had nothing else to cling to. Gladiator was my lifeline in many regards, it really helped me stay afloat across so many rough times that some of you may know about (my country went through some VERY bad shit all across Gladiator's publication, there are enough author's notes there that could be easily be traced to whatever was going on in Venezuela at any given point in time since 2013). So... stopping because of this stuff? It really wasn't an option... but sometimes it felt like I could just stop being so ambitious, stop trying so hard to amount to something, and just settle for whatever life was throwing at me instead.
The last reason why I'd hit bumps while writing Gladiator may be a little less depressing, maybe even amusing: every time a new canon lore drop happened, particularly if it concerned my story or ATLA's characters in general, I'd hit a wall for the day. I'd spend the entire day gnawing at whatever new thing had happened, and not feeling like writing at all because... eh, let's be real, I most likely did not enjoy whatever new thing canon had released and I was fuming over it :> hence why I stopped reading the comics since as long ago as North and South 1. Just... not worth it if all it did was make me sulk and stop me from wanting to write, right?
Alright, so! How did I deal?
Mostly, as I mentioned just now, I either waited a day or two for the bad feeling to go away, or I ranted about it (there ARE a few meltdown posts somewhere in this blog, I'm not exactly proud of them but I do know that I was going through shit when that happened and I needed to let it all out). Little by little, I started learning lessons when it came to finding value in my work and my story regardless of whatever people might say: I knew what Gladiator was, I knew its purpose, I understood its vision like nobody else. People who didn't have the full scope of it at the time would of course assume whatever they wanted about me... and even people who see that scope NOW, with the entire story merely a few chapters away from wrapping up, might still think it wasn't worth it: I don't care if they think so. In the end, it was worth it for me. Anyone who wanted to join this journey with me was welcome to. Anyone who came and went, I appreciated. And everyone who rooted for me from day one to the very end, thank you for that too. But I will say... it was in finding the motivation WITHIN me that I remained focused and set on my goals. It was by knowing that Gladiator was the most epic thing I had ever written, and by reminiding myself that I NEEDED to get to that next scene I looked forward to writing! Or the next! Or the next! :')
That last thing, honestly, was the key to the inspiration side of things: always having something to look forward to. Always having a fun scene or another, even if not in transition chapters, but in each arc at least. There had to be SOMETHING I wanted to write, and so, I motivated myself by dangling such scenes ahead of myself so I could get to them, ASAP. It might be odd advice, if it's advice to begin with... but it's what worked for me! :'D
As for my current situation...
I very much have around 2-3 scenes left to write. That's it. Gladiator is almost complete.
I am excited about it, don't get me wrong, but... there's definitely a weight on me. Thirteen years don't go by in vain, fleetingly. This is almost half my life. I have been doing this for about as many years as I spent between preschool to graduation from high school. That's crazy shit, wouldn't you say? :')
I'm finally cutting myself loose in ways I never did before. I forced myself in MANY ways to stay focused on Gladiator and nothing else. I kept other fandoms that looked fun at bay because this was priority #1. I didn't allow myself to go too deeply into other things because this had to be done. It was always the biggest thing in my life, always.
... So of course, losing this particular pillar of stability feels WEIRD. Not quite like cutting off a leg, but maybe more like getting off a med you've been relying on for a very long time and then... you're not sure if you're gonna be okay. If the next one's gonna have the same effect, or it'll be better, or maybe you won't need any meds anymore!
But right now? I'm genuinely, honest to gods enjoying the sense of freedom that I feel upon knowing that I'll fulfill my promises, that Gladiator WILL be completed... and that I can finally let myself look at other horizons and wander among other characters and stories that have been beckoning me for a while, and I only allowed myself to sink into them now.
Most of all, of course... I'm so looking forward to starting my original story. The first draft for a first book already exists. I've forbidden myself from starting to write it properly because it's captured my imagination and interest to such an extent that I cannot promise I'd be able to finish Gladiator if I get started with it now. So... guess I do have a new med! :'D and I will say... it's insanely LIBERATING to feel full creative control over my work. To conform to no one's expectations, to not worry about satisfying fandom opinions, to make choices that are risky and crazy and bold just because I can! I feel like 95% of the people who read Gladiator would look at 7KLYA and go "... yeah you can keep that weirdness to yourself, I don't want it," but seriously? I don't care. I learned something from the worst, dark low points I faced while developing Gladiator: I know what I write, I love what I write, and I write what I love. Everyone else is welcome to join in, but it's up to me to determine the value of what I do. If I believe this story is worth 13 years of my life? Then it's worth that. Simple as that :')
... That being said, I do hope 7KLYA won't take me 13 years this time x'DDDD but honestly, I am ready for this new adventure. So goddamn ready. You have no idea. I'm not saying I'll abandon Sokkla and never show my face around these parts again... but you said it yourself. 13 years are... a lot. I have given everything that was mine to give for this community and ship, and if someone so much as DARES pretend otherwise, they're welcome to write seven million words worth of Sokkla fanfics, and create hundreds of artworks, even to make AMVs, to prove it. I have no regrets, and if anyone is tempted to show up in this inbox to beg me for more... why, I have plenty of stories that got very little traction and attention! Might as well start off their post-Gladiator period by exhausting my entire catalogue, and if that's not enough...? Welp... read Gladiator again! :'D maybe by the time you come back, I'll have finished my new trilogy and maybe the Sokkla bug will be burrowing in my brain and demanding that I return to the mothership (?)
... But for now, I am certainly ready to jump over to my new journey. I never imagined I'd write anything bigger in scope than Gladiator... goes to show I should shut the hell up and not say such things :'D I've ended up in sci-fi, of all things, and this new story is literally bigger, in scope, than a singular planet's hundred years of war. Let's try speedrunning seven thousand years of human history instead across multiple timelines, am I right? :> I do not believe 7KLYA will ever be as LONG as Gladiator, wordcount-wise, that's extremely unlikely, the story is far more contained, with a much smaller cast... but it's going to be ambitious, crazy, and hopefully mindblowing in all the right ways. It has been for me in its development stages, so far... may it be for you, too! :D
And... I guess that's all I can say about inspiration and losing the strength to write :'D
Don’t know if anyone ever asked this before but, besides Gladiator, which fic you wrote for Sokkla is your favorite? Out of everything, including the one shots you’ve only posted here and entries for Sokkla Saturdays (except the ones that take place in Gladiator’s universe)
Gee, it's hard to do this, ngl. I'll probably just list a few favorites and if one stands out, I'll give it the #1 spot :'D
Yakuza AU (1, 2) absolutely was a thrill, I really loved writing the two chapters for it. It kind of became my favorite modern setting for these two, even if I'm sure the ending of the second chapter still feels like there's too much up in the air and unresolved...! But, not gonna lie, I still have no idea how things would unfold from there :'D let's just say they won the gang war and lived happily ever after... (?)
My only properly published Republic City story, Sokka and Azula as Councilman and Ambassador respectively, with fake dating turned real! It was VERY LONG but I just... I was vibing so damn much with that one x'D it was a riot. Couldn't stop until I had unleashed it all. I think the specific dynamic between them here is one of my preferences for a post-canon Sokkla opportunity, there's enough friction that can translate into a whooole other sort of tension... it was really, really fun. I loved developing it.
I cannot ignore It Had To Be You, of course, that one was absolutely my favorite one next to Gladiator for a veeeeery long time. It was really cute, really silly, and really wholesome, I also loved writing them in that high school context, FAR more than I ever imagined I would! Another one that consumed me, for sure.
The Day Will Come gets a shoutout for being a very helpful tool for me to further flesh out my new story's setting, even if I most likely will have to change a lot of things about this story in the future...
The Shadows in her Reflection was another really fun one to work on, I had spent ages wanting to make a story where Yue was relevant to Sokkla, had some nebulous ideas as to how to make it happen, but it didn't come together into a solid plot until the idea for this story came to mind, and I was very happy about it once it did.
Azula and Sokka as White Lotus Agents... but I'll highlight the one in Leap of Faith, frankly. While The White Lotus International Games was great fun, the WL Sokkla from Leap of Faith was such a great outlet for so many of my frustrations with the fandom, and with a lot of modern interpretations of these characters. And I STILL didn't take it as far as some people do in their headcanons and toxic opinionos about a certain sibling relationship. Which is crazy. But it was a memorable story all the same... TWLIG was great to write too, but at this point I don't think I could rank it any higher than this one.
My D&D story was also way too much fun, to the point where it even inspired a short script I wrote. Maybe one day I can file off the serial numbers for it and it can become its own thing, but it was just sooooo entertaining to write mischievous player Azula trolling DM Sokka... what a delightfully chaotic story it was.
Body Swap AU! That one was soooo silly and yet ended up being... goddamn PROFOUND?? X'D I did not anticipate some of the turns this one took, but it was very fun to work with it too. Admittedly, writing Sokka and Azula in each other's bodies was tricky because I do visualize what I write in my head and... thinking "Azula" but having to visualize Sokka, and vice versa, was REALLY hard to get used to x'D it was a really funny one though, I still look back on it with a lot of pride.
Azula joining the Gaang in The Chase against her will... yet another classic that I looooved writing, and a fun spin on one of our typical Sokkla tropes: "Sokka gets captured" was such a staple in our fics that even within the community there were jokes about how we needed to make up something new. The idea of flipping it so Azula would be the captive was way too much fun to pass up!
... Alright, so, those are my personal favorites. There were some stories that I feel were better in ideas than in execution (Dragon Age AU, for instance, because good GOD I could've rocked that one so much better but TIME CONSTRAINTS! I had to squeeze 100K into a SINGLE CHAPTER?! It was too challenging even for me...), some that I was vibing with initially and then vibed less... some are precious to my heart, but not to the point where I can rank them all the way up here. Shoutout to The Reason and its timeline, of course, for starting me out on this journey... but I'm honestly really glad I have made enough stuff that The Reason is no longer even close to being one of my best fics :') my first foray into this ship really helped me get going, but I definitely cherish everything that came after faaaaar more than those humble beginnings.
Anyway... hope that's a good enough shortlist! But, if I have to pick one and ONLY one out of those...
... Honestly, Republic City Ambassador and Councilman might take the cake. I look at this list and the one that makes me go "I totally would read that one again" is this one!
I hope that's not a disappointing answer, but honestly, I'm kinda glad that's the one that wins for me, simply because I spent AGES trying to tell a story in a post-ATLA, pre-LOK setting that I TRULY enjoyed, in Republic City, and it just never felt entirely right, or inspiring, or as enjoyable as I would've liked. This is the one time where the idea was too good to pass up. Took me like ten years to finally find the right story to tell about them in that setting, and I'm delighted that it still feels right!
Invitations to the Fire Lord's wedding are delivered to their chosen guests. The Capital city buzzes with activity, be it from those who oppose the union between Azula and Sokka, or those who support it. Detractors stir in the shadows, hoping to sabotage the preparations for the upcoming nuptials...
As the pair spin certain opportunities to their benefit, rallying public opinion in their favor, Sokka also comes up with a brilliant proposal for their wedding feast. Trouble stirs in the horizon, however, on the day their chosen cook travels to the Fire Nation's Capital...
Read Gladiator HERE or HERE
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