An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
a (very) late submission for @sokkaweek day 6: uncle sokka
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: Gen
Relationships: Bumi II & Sokka (Avatar), Kya II & Sokka (Avatar), Sokka & Tenzin (Avatar), Lin Beifong & Sokka, Suyin Beifong & Sokka
Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Bumi II (Avatar), Izumi (Avatar), Kya (Avatar), Tenzin (Avatar), Lin Beifong, Suyin Beifong
Additional Tags: Sokka (Avatar) Has Tourette's, Sokka (Avatar) Has ADHD, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Sokka is a good uncle, 5+1 Things, post-atla and pre-tlok, Ableism, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Sokka Week 2021, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Bumi II (Avatar) Has Tourette's, yeah ik lin and su aren't TECHNICALLY sokka's nieces but, we believe in found family in this household
Chapters: 1/6
Summary:
It’s a lesson he’s still working to embrace, but it’s one he’ll do everything he can to hold onto for as long as he lives.
or: five times sokka taught his nieces & nephews a lesson + one time they taught him something in return
Sokka didn’t know how to articulate all the things wrong with a sixteen year old girl giving her life for an eternity old spirit just so the world could take the stupid circle in the night sky for granted. He couldn’t quite describe how cruel the universe was, to let put so much pressure on her, to make her life so hard, only to snatch it away from her before she could even live it.
“The world sucks, dad.”
Or, in the Northern Water Tribe, Sokka finds a statue of Yue and learns to find meaning in the brevity of their relationship
Words: 1809
Warnings/Notes: I know NOTHING about ephemeral art except basic research, so any symbolism I attempted probably either felt flat or heavy-handed. I drew most my inspiration from Néle Azevedo.
Read here or under the cut
---
Stepping onto the banks of the Northern Water Tribe, Sokka felt a chill travel down his spine. Spring was arriving, but only a tribes person could tell - the snow had yet to melt, and the sun was still a shy thing in the sky. But Sokka knew that the cold he felt had nothing to do with the season.
Unbidden, he searched the sky.
“Welcome!”
Sokka straightened, almost feeling guilty about being caught looking up. Beside him, his fellow Tribesmen straightened as well, though for another reason.
“I’m Tanek,” the man said, a slimy, superior smile in place, “And I will be your guide during your stay in the North. Please, come this way.”
When the gates opened, they were greeted with far more hospitability than when Sokka had first visited, though it made sense. With the war over, a certain tension had seeped out of the Tribe – now, the festivities were in full swing, the cheerful faces of children poking through the guards who were standing on either side of the waterway that led to the palace.
“Chief Hakoda,” Chief Arnok greeted, “Welcome.”
The sight of the man sent Sokka’s stomach churning. He looked like he had aged a decade, not a year, skin wrinkling on his forehead and under his eyes as he smiled. Dad reached forward to clasp his arm in greeting.
“Dad,” Sokka whispered desperately, “I’m going to - go - “
Dad frowned slightly, whispering back, “You don’t want to stay for the meeting?”
“It’s unofficial anyway,” Sokka waved his hand, “I’m hungry.”
“Alright, see you later,” Dad winked, “I’ll fill you in on the boring politics.”
Dad turned back to Arnok and Sokka took the opportunity to escape before he had to talk to the leader of the Northern Water Tribe. To Yue’s father .
In another life, he wondered how this meeting would have gone. If he would have waved at Yue, standing behind her father, and she would have waved back shyly. If their Dad’s would trade Dad jokes and embarrass them, or if they would -
Well. It was over now.
Sokka made good on his promise and made a beeline for the food stands. He didn’t have a lot of money on him, or any Northern Tribe money at all, but fortunately they accepted Earth Kingdom coins just as readily. Sokka’s mind immediately started noting how cuisine had evolved differently from the south, and heard Toph’s voice in his head saying, geek.
Sokka snorted. He preferred nerd.
He wandered the city, making a point to avoid waterways, and marvelled at the intricacy of it. He hadn’t had much of a chance to explore last time. Agna Qel'a’s structures rivalled the ones in Ba Sing Se and the Caldera, though Sokka wondered about the integrity of the buildings. Their supports were built primarily upon whale bones, but the rest really was ice, maintained by waterbenders. Southern Winters were different from Northern ones - they’d have to figure out what to do differently …
Sokka’s mind wondered away from architecture as he ducked under an all too familiar bridge. He caught his eyes before they travelled upwards towards the sky.
The food he had eaten had settled uncomfortably in his stomach, nausea rolling as memories floated into the forefront of his mind. He pushed them away with practiced ease.
“Alright!” Sokka told himself cheerfully, “I should check in on dad and the others.”
He forced his mind back onto the buildings around him, onto thinking about the future of his own tribe, and not the past of another one.
He kept avoiding the waterways. It was a lot harder to get to the palace, but it was a lot easier for him, too.
It was because his eyes kept going back to the skies that he spotted it.
He felt his breath hitch at the sight, a burning climbing his throat and reaching the back of his eyes. The chill he had felt since he got here made him tremble.
The ice sculpture had her arms outstretched, up towards the sky. Her expression painted into a mix of determination and sorrow, just as beautiful as Sokka remembered her. She was dressed in the same clothes, hair tied in the same knot, as he last remembered her. Somehow, even in ice, Yue was beautiful.
He was going towards her without even realising it, as though the promise to protect her had rekindled in his heart.
There was a crowd gathered around her, at awe as they should be.
It was smaller than he expected - smaller than she deserved. Made only of translucent ice, one that would melt when spring came in with full force. Sokka frowned - surely they should’ve used something sturdier to eternalise his girlf -
Do I even have the right to call her that?
A dull ache settled into his heart, one that never seemed to go away. He pulled away from the statue, the sight of it leaving his skin burning.
“Like it?”
Sokka whipped around to look at the woman, her hair greying with age and an adoring smile on her face as she gazed up at the statue.
“It’ll melt,” Sokka replied flatly.
“It will,” she agreed.
“I don’t get it.”
She didn’t seem to mind that he didn’t, “The beauty of Princess Yue’s life was in its brevity - "
“Her life wasn’t brief!” Sokka burst out, “How dare you! You didn’t even know her!”
“On the contrary, I was there for her birth, and every birthday since. I was the one who taught her the beauty of art, of sculptures,” the grief in her voice was undeniable – and unsettling. There was so much familiarity, when she spoke of Yue, something Sokka had never had.
Then she turned to Sokka, “But I don’t remember her mentioning you.”
Sokka felt the words catch in his throat, forming an uncomfortable lump.
“Whatever,” he hissed, “I need to go find my dad.”
The knowing in the artist’s eyes left him feeling uncomfortably cold, even more so than the chill of the arctic did.
---
Sokka wandered into the room that Dad was staying in, directed there by a worried Bato. Dully, he noted the decor, similar to the room he, Katara and Aand had shared during their time there.
Sokka had hated sharing back then, even as he had needed it. He had wanted to invite Yue over, but he certainly didn’t want Katara meeting her and spilling all the dumb stories of him from when they were kids.
Now, Sokka wished he had taken every opportunity to be with the Princess. Even if it meant his annoying little siblings were tagging along.
“Hey Sokka,” Dad greeted cheerfully, “Have fun?”
“Oh ... yeah.”
Dad frowned, “You seem a little distracted. You okay?”
“Do you …” Sokka sighed, “You still miss Mom, right?”
Dad was by his side immediately, pulling him down onto the bed so that they were sitting comfortably. Dad-instincts , Katara called it.
“Of course I do,” Dad said, “I miss her everyday.”
“So it … never goes away?”
Of course it never goes away. Sokka knew that already. Every time he caught himself looking up at the sky, a dull ache in his chest. It never goes away, but life goes on anyway.
“What’s this about, Sokka?”
Sokka wrung his hand together in knots, “Do you remember Yue?”
Dad’s eyes softened, “I remember.”
“They made a statue of her. In the square.”
“Is that so? I’m sure it’s beautiful.”
“It is.”
“What’s wrong, son?”
Sokka didn’t know how to articulate all the things wrong with a sixteen year old girl giving her life for an eternity old spirit just so the world could take the stupid circle in the night sky for granted. He couldn’t quite describe how cruel the universe was, to let put so much pressure on her, to make her life so hard, only to snatch it away from her before she could even live it.
“The world sucks, dad.”
Dad huffed a bitter laugh, “It does.”
Yeah. He supposed that’s the only way to explain it.
---
Sokka stared up at Yue hanging in the sky, just behind her statue. He smiled wryly at the irony, and though Yue might have giggled at it too.
“Ah, you’re back young man.”
This time, Sokka didn’t startle, “Yeah, I guess I am. I’m sorry for my outburst, earlier.”
The woman waved a dismissive hand, “I’m sorry I did not recognise you. Had I known who you were, I would have been more careful with my words.”
“You know who I am?”
The woman smiled, “There are very few in this tribe who don't. Yue was very fond of you.”
“She was?” he asked hopefully, feeling a little bit like a lovesick schoolboy.
(And maybe he was. Sue him.)
The woman laughed, “She was indeed. Anyone who knew her could see it.”
“I only knew her for a couple days,” Sokka admitted.
The woman nodded, and the pain in her eyes felt more like kinship than anything else, “Even so.”
“I feel like I don’t deserve to mourn her.”
“But you lost someone,” The woman put a hand on his shoulder, turning him gently towards the sculpture before them, “Grief knows no bounds, there is no right and wrong to mourning. Princess Yue cared about you - you made her happy,” the woman smiled ruefully, “And I know she made you happy too. And now she makes you sad. Such is love and life.”
“How cheesy,” Sokka mumbled through his tears.
The woman gave him a stern look, “Nothing cheesy about sincerity young man. Now! Tell me what you know about art.”
“I know a thing or two,” Sokka grinned, wiping his tears.
The woman looked unimpressed, “I do recall Princess Yue saying you were, and I quote, charmingly boastful.”
Sokka sighed happily, “She really said that?” he perked up, “So you knew her well?”
“So-so,” the woman said, “She was very reserved, but I like to think I saw a side to her that no one else did.”
Sokka looked at the statue, considering, “Is that why you made a statue of her that would melt?”
She smiled softly, “It is. Her life was short. Shorter than she deserved, but we cannot change that. But we can remember that even in her brevity, she had meaning. That even if you had not known her forever, you had known her, and that it meant something.”
“Art isn’t about how long it lasts, but about what it means in the moment.”
They stand together in the quiet, watching the statue and the moon and Yue. Knowing that it would melt, and be rebuilt, only to melt again. Knowing that the moon would wax and wane. Knowing the water pushed and pulled, in an endless cycle. And knowing that even as life comes to an end, there will always be meaning in it.
---
Authot's Notes: EEEE, at least it's finished I guess. I want to expand this for when people from other nations arrive so I can write politks and tension while also keeping the theme of grieving Yue in the background (in my a world, reborn series). That being said ... I'm a slow writer, so maybe don't expect anything anytime soon, oops.
[video description: an AMV focused around sokka from avatar: the last airbender set to the song “the graduate” by the arcadian wild, overlayed with pieces of dialogue from ATLA. end description.]
SOKKA ALONE || @sokkaweek day 7 (late submission) || “weighed down by a heart of stone, bound to a body of broken bones, fragile and feeling alone — but the whole story hasn’t been told”
[I.D.: Five traditional uncolored sketches of Sokka (Avatar: The Last Airbender).
Image 1: A sketch of Sokka from the waist and up. He is holding a chemistry tube with his both hands, looking at it intently. In the background there is a canvas with the image of a tree painted on it, and a table with art supplies.
Image 2: A sketch of Sokka standing with his hands on his waist, surrounded by Aang, Katara, and Toph, who are sleeping. Sokka is looking at them affectionately.
Image 3: A sketch of Sokka and Yue from the waist and up. Sokka is hugging Yue with his eyes closed, Yue’s back facing the viewer. Behind them and surrounding half of their bodies is the moon.
Image 4: A sketch of Sokka from his shoulders and up wearing his Kyoshi make-up and uniform. He is smiling, and he wears triangle earrings. Over his shoulder reads the mark of the artist, ‘NSML 2021’.
Image 5: A sketch of Sokka from the waist and up. He is dressed in a hoodie and wears headphones, a backbag, and glasses. End I.D.]
I just rewatched episode 1:15 ‘Bato of the Water Tribe’ and noticed something really cool about the ‘ice’ dodging scenes.
Ice dodging is presented as an important cultural coming-of-age and Sokka passes their improvised version with flying colours. But he doesn’t stop when Bato tells him he has passed the traditional requirements. Instead he continues, making use of Aang and Katara’s bending to pass the more challenging obstacle.
It was just a really nice way of highlighting how Sokka is thinking beyond his past experiences, actively incorporating new skills and ideas into his plans. It’s a huge part of his character and what makes him a good leader (and is part of the show’s whole theme about cooperation), and it shows through so clearly in just those few seconds.
—
This bit of analysis has been sitting in my drafts for almost two years; @sokkaweek (day 7: free) seems like a good excuse to post it.
Featuring Sokka appreciating how he looks in red and green ....and an Unagi mirror lol
Also yeah idk- I always liked the thought of Sokka gaining a new appreciation for colours (and visual arts!) after the Kyoshi warrior experience bc?? I mean the Water Tribe uses a lot of blues and grays that reflect the environment right??? So getting a chance to see himself in more vibrant colours mightve been? inspirational ykno???
[I.D: A digital illustration of Sokka (Avatar: The Last Airbender) in his Kyoshi Warrior uniform, from the shoulders and up. Sokka’s back is facing the viewer, and he’s looking himself in a golden mirror shaped as the Unagi. One of his hands seems to be tracing his own face, as if admiring his reflection with a soft look in his face. The two following images are the same illustration in different shades. End I.D.]
[ID: Two-panel comic of Sokka. In the first panel, he is turned slightly to the right, holding his sword out before him, looking at it seriously. He is saying: “My blade reminds me of my wife”. In the second, he is facing forward, smiling brightly with closed eyes, sword held up. He is saying: “Strong and very sexy”. In both panels, he is wearing blue, with shoulder-long hair and some stubble on his chin. The background is light blue. /end ID]
@sokkaweek Day 7: Free Day (also sort of loss/Grief)
---
You were too young for what he asked,
Hidden in the dark waters of the war
danger lurked beyond your understanding.
He asked you to protect and you did
with bright eyes that didn't see the truth.
A prodigy sister and an untrained Avatar
brought you across your war torn world.
They asked you to guide and you did
with instinct from lessons never taught.
She was cold and warm in equal measure
and you knew she was never yours to hold.
She asked you to release and you did
with burning rage at the unfairness of it all.
Your father was down and the battle waged
as the moon slowly closed in on the sun.
They asked you to lead and you did
with a boldness you never knew you had.
You were dangling high above cold waters,
a friend's hand slipping from your grasp.
They asked you to die but you lived
with a breath of resistance in your lungs.
After the war the children played again
under your father's watchful, smiling eyes.
He asked you to join but you couldn't
with a sorrowful regret you replied,
You were too old for what he asked.
---
No hate to Hakoda meant but intentionally or not, Sokka felt a lot of pressure to live up to his dad's perceived standards. Most was self inflicted but still.
I experimented a lot with blues and purples with this one, hope you like!
[ID: a digital bust painting of sokka from A:TLA. he looks forward with a worried expression and he is wearing his whalebone choker. the painting is shaded with hues of blue and purple. the background is a blueish-purple rectangle. /end ID]
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