Zukka Dragonriders of Pern AU fanfic idea I guess???
What year is it? Seriously, self, how much are you gonna date yourself with this garbage?
So… everyone likes transgender Zuko, right? Right. Cause that’s what’s up with this fic. Don’t know what DRoP is? That’s fine! It’s prolly best you don’t know the source material.
The main thing to take away is people can impress dragon hatchlings (similar to ducks) and then form a telepathic bond with them, then riders use said dragons to burn a parasite that eats all organic matter (Thread) out of the sky before it can, you know, kill things. I’ll try to explain anything else that’s relevant as much as I can in the notes below.
Warnings: rape/dub-con that people think very little about (this is common in DroP), attempted grooming, underage characters having sex, various types of abuse, mentions of suicide and suicidal ideation, and graphic depictions of injuries.
Like seriously, messed up stuff. You’ve been warned.
Some quick setting details: though this will have the same types of telekinetic dragons from the Pern series, we’ll still keep it within the same planet that ATLA takes place. There will not be benders, just some people of elevated status called Dragonriders who have managed to impress a dragon hatchling.
Places where dragons and their riders live are typically within old volcanoes or mountain caves that have been hallowed out to create a series of tunnels are called a dragon Weyr. Cities or villages will sometimes be referred to as Holds (short for stronghold iirc). Generally, since everyone faces the threat of Thread, people mostly focus on a more community-based style of living, taking up useful professions of trade rather than hoarding wealth, though there are often struggles for power among the ambitious.
For those more deep in Pern lore, you can basically expect the rest to kinda fall away. The dragons, rather than being bioengineered megafauna, will be gifts from the spirits or may even be considered spirits dwelling in mortal form who make connections with the people of the world to help protect them. Klah, the Pern verse’s word for a spicy, caffeinated drink, will be replaced with general tea and coffee. The Avatar world is also rich with various animal species so there won’t be the limited species available for people or dragons to eat.
Thread will be a common threat to the world, and also fall in cycles, though never with such a long interval as is in the original Pern series. Usually Thread is pulled from space into the atmosphere for a good 70 years, breaks for about 40, then returns again to repeat the cycle.
Currently, I’m thinking there need to be at least 6 major Weyrs to help cover the vastness of the world, with the North and South Pole hosted by “minor” Weyrs located in the Northern and Southern Air Lands. The Fire Nation has 2 major Weyrs, the Caldera Weyr and the Archipelago Weyr, while the Earth Kingdom has 3, for Omashu, Ba Sing Se, and Yu Dao, and the Air Nations holding only one major Weyr at the Eastern Air Lands. The reason for having minor Weyrs is that little grows in the South and North poles, so much of that land is considered “negligible” if it doesn’t host human life.
And just a little more information on the dragons: in the original canon they have a natural “hierarchy” where the highest ranking dragon is a Gold, sometimes called a Queen, dragon that are always female and have the ability to lay eggs to perpetuate the species. The other dragons fall in line after Gold as Bronze (male, second largest, and usually the only type to mate with Gold dragons), Brown (male, middling size, which have very rarely mated with Golds), Blue (male, and are generally speedy), and Green (female, are also very speedy, and while they mate often with all male types, they cannot bear eggs).
Usually male dragons impress on male humans, and female dragons impress on female humans, but that’s not a hard and fast rule in this AU because I said so. The riders get the dragons I say they get, and that’s that.
Riders tend to be ranked depending on their dragon’s color status rather than the status of their own birth, so being born noble means nothing if you don’t impress a high level dragon. The ones who hold the most status in a Weyr however are the Weyrleaders, who are riders of the Head Queen dragon and whoever rides the dragon that manages to mate with the Head Queen. This means the Weyrleader can be changed out if the dragons are competitive enough during mating flights, but older Queen dragons usually only rise to mate every several years, so it’s not too often of a process.
Due to the open, free-for-all nature of mating flights, Weyrs are generally very sex-positive places. There’s little shame in nudity or sexual expression. Some people who live outside of Weyrs tend to fall more conservative regarding sex, and think sex outside of hetero couples as deviant (their justification being the supposed inability to continue family lines). It’s not unusual for people who show more queer tendencies to seek out way to join Weyr life, whether that means running away from home or else making themselves noticeable by visiting riders who may take an interest in them as potential candidates for hatching ground sands.
I think for the purposes of this AU the dragons will keep their hierarchy, but unlike the canon the Golds will be able to join the rest of the dragons in fighting Thread, though that’s also somewhat dependent on the Weyr. For those that have multiple Golds it’s fine, but not worth the risk when there’s only one to help reproduce.
Anyway, the main story begins with Zuko (17) being found by Sokka (16) while he’s scouting some of the westernmost islands of the Eastern Air Lands. Zuko and his dragon look close to death, with Zuko obviously suffering from an infected burn wound on his face and his small “Brown” dragon nearly gray from worry and neglecting their own health. At first the other dragon refuses to let Sokka near and won’t even speak to his Blue, but with some coaxing that they only wish to help the suffering rider do they manage to convince them to help fly Zuko to help.
Sokka determines it’s too dangerous to fly between (teleportation where the dragon syncs to a location put into their mind by the rider and blinks into existence in the air over that location), so they fly straight to the Southern Air Weyr. It means they arrive super late at night, and Hakoda, Kya and Katara are waiting up for him. Good thing, because Sokka is sure Zuko won’t last much longer.
Katara goes immediately into Healer Mode, while Sokka explains to Hakoda where he found Zuko. Hakoda is troubled but decides to look into the matter later; for now, they’re more intent on saving Zuko and the distressed dragon. Katara is able to help Zuko break his fever a few hours later and Kya manages to coax the distressed dragon to eat from the pastures, then it’s just up to allowing the injured rider to rest.
Several days pass before Zuko fully wakes and at first he’s terrified. He calms only when he meets his dragon again, which he then corrects to everyone else that his little “Brown” is actually a Gold dragon. Everyone is shocked because she’s so small, but Zuko is a bit cagey about the why so they leave it alone once he makes it clear he has no desire to usurp the Head Queen’s place in their Weyr.
Zuko starts to settle into the Southern weyr’s patterns, making friends and learning their turf, but continuously dodged questions about himself. Most people leave it be, except for Toph who only cajoles half-seriously.
Despite still being a bit young, Zuko’s dragon starts to show signs of readying to mate (she’s 2 and the usual age for that is 3 to 5) and Zuko has a panic attack over it. Dragons and riders are linked mentally, so often when one experiences strong feelings the other feels it too. This also translates to mating, and the riders whose dragons couple end up having sex as well.
Zuko finally confides in Sokka, not sure who else to speak to about his fears, but Sokka has always worried over him and seemed to care and wasn’t a Father, so… he tells him. About how when he first impressed his Gold at 15, much later than weyrlings usually impress, his father hadn’t said much, but his uncle and mother had been proud and it seemed like the rest of the Weyr had been happy to finally have a potential successor for when Ursa and her Gold retired from the spot of Head Queen. A lot of riders were happy, and suddenly a lot more interested in Zuko despite his father’s reputation for being harsh towards Zuko.
Zhao, a Bronzerider, took a special interest in Zuko, and for a while Zuko thought he wanted that attention. It was nice to be surprised with gifts, have someone take interest in his day and his hobbies, and generally just be kind to him. Encourage him. Make Zuko feel like he was special just as he was. And so when Zhao started stealing kisses and touching him more, Zuko had also returned the affection, thinking little beyond it being just a natural progression of feelings.
Age differences didn’t matter quite as much in Weyrs as it did for non-riders, and Zuko had been brought up in the Weyr though he hadn’t spent much time considering how things like this might affect a growing Gold dragon. There hadn’t been another Gold dragon in the Weyr for years, so how could he have known there was something more to Zhao’s actions.
Iroh was the first to realize what was going on, and though he hadn’t been inclined to mess with Weyr politics after his own son and weyrmate passed away, he did worry about Zuko’s future and the safety of his dragon.
At first, Iroh tried to tell Zuko he was allowing too much, that if he wanted Zhao’s attention in another year or so it would be fine, but he should hold back for the dragon’s sake. He hadn’t wanted to distress Zuko by telling him he could be harming his own dragon’s growth process; Zuko was still young, still impressionable, while Zhao ought know better. But Zuko had brushed Iroh’s worries aside, insisting he didn’t think Zhao was trying to hurt him, not when he was being so nice.
(Iroh then attempted to corner Zhao on the matter, but the younger Bronzerider had just told Iroh to keep out of his business. This isn’t part of Zuko’s story to Sokka, but it’s important to note Iroh did attempt to stop Zhao, who absolutely did know what he was doing could trigger early heat in a Gold dragon well before they’re ready to mate, which could be incredibly dangerous for the dragon and thus the rider. But a rider’s preferences can sometimes affect a dragon’s mating, and Zhao was banking on his own favor in Zuko’s eyes leading the Gold to choosing his dragon when the time came to mate.)
Without any other options, Iroh went to Ozai, believing that as Weyrleader he would step in to help Zuko and reprimand Zhao for his inappropriate advances. Ozai listened quietly, then sent Iroh away to consider how he would handle things. Iroh thought the matter would be settled, but he had no clue how Ozai actually took his words.
Ozai, in fact, took Iroh’s words in a very different direction. Ursa had been showing signs of declining mood and health over the past few years, and with no other Queen dragons currently residing at Caldera Weyr Ozai believed Zuko was instigating a seizure of power. If Ursa were to die so would her dragon, and thus Zuko would take her place as a leader and whoever mated his dragon would take the mantle of Weyrleader from Ozai. Zhao, despite his narcissism, was an effective flier during Threadfall and had the respect if not the friendship of the other riders. He absolutely was a threat to Ozai, and Zuko was allowing the man a free ride into his seat of power.
Thinking back on his father’s twisted sense of reality, Zuko could now see why Ozai might have brought himself to that conclusion. Zuko never wished for his mother to decline in health. He wanted her to stay strong for as long as she could, he wanted her to survive into her winter years!
But Ozai isn’t the kind of man to be reasoned with after he’s made up his mind. No matter how much Zuko protested and pleaded his case, Ozai would not hear of it. He had cornered Zuko in his own Weyr, and when he was over Zuko’s excuses, he grabbed his son’s by his hair and pressed his face into the burning hearth. Zuko’s little Gold woke up from feeling her rider’s pain and struggled into the room, attacking Ozai to save Zuko. If she hadn’t managed to intervene it’s likely Ozai would have outright killed Zuko, new Queen dragon’s own life be damned.
Zuko doesn’t remember much after, but he managed to grab onto his Gold and they went between. It was a dangerous choice; in this much pain it’s easy to lose your train of thought, but Zuko managed to hold onto a place of safety, of Ember Island. But even when they managed to get there, neither he nor his dragon felt they could stay. Ozai could still follow them, so they kept flying, despite not knowing where they were going.
Somehow they managed to make it to the island Sokka found them on, and that was that.
Sokka pleads with Zuko to talk to Hakoda about it, the Weyrleader can do something to help! But Zuko is too terrified. Instead, he settles for speaking with Kya. She’s just as horrified as Sokka at the story, but she understands Zuko’s fears can’t be addressed just yet. First it’s time to deal with a too young Gold going into heat.
Kya sends Zuko and Sokka to rest while she speaks with Hakoda about the details of Zuko’s upcoming mating flight, which could be any day now. It’s decided that since Zuko and his Gold are young, they should limit who participate in the flight, which is… controversial, to say the least. His Gold is also very small, so Kya and Hakoda declare no Bronze are allowed, and while there’s some outspoken who try to argue against it, the Weyrleaders are firm in their decision.
Zuko is both relieved and upset that his previous decisions put such a limit on his dragon but she just consoles him, not understanding why he’s so upset. She’s a little more moody and feral the next day, and Zuko doesn’t have much time to mentally prepare for what comes next.
Since Golds are fairly territorial over mates during flights, Kya has to leave the Weyr for a while and she instructs all the Bronzeriders to follow her, ensuring Zuko’s and his Gold’s safety. Katara’s Gold is still young without mating urges, so she remains in the Weyr as well as Hakoda, the only Bronzerider staying behind to make sure the flight continues safely. (Hakoda’s Bronze isn’t a threat to Zuko’s Gold, he has very little interest in the “Hatchling Queen” as he sees her.)
There’s still a lot of Brown dragons and their riders to vie for the position, but Sokka’s even surprised when his own Blue dragon insists on flying along to try to catch Zuko’s Gold. And of course, in the end, Sokka’s Blue manages, because Zuko’s Gold is so very small; she’s a lot more agile, nimbler than any Gold a Brown dragon has attempted to mate before. And she’s friends with Sokka’s Blue, enjoys playing with him in the sea and the nearby lake, hunting together, cuddling…
Zuko can’t help but feel immense relief that his first time is with someone just as young and fumbling as he is. And it’s someone he can meet at the same level, and not feel like he’s constantly playing catch up or being humored for being naïve. And besides all that, Sokka is so very warm.
And that would probably be the first half of the story, with the second stretching into more fallout. Hakoda eventually pushing the issue, insistent he has to know what happened to Zuko to make things right. A confrontation with Ozai at a Hatching, where all the Weyrleaders are expected to meet and show respect to one another. Iroh and some other characters, like Mai, searching for Zuko. Ursa and Azula attempting to figure out what actually happened to make Zuko run away…
All the while Zuko and Sokka are fumbling their way through attempting to understand where they stand with each other and how much more they want, even as Zuko struggles to better care for his stunted Gold.
This would be a lot of fun to write, but boy would I have to figure out some names to call these dragons because lol there’s A Lot and it gets complicated just referring to their color.
Sokka has a Blue dragon because I’ve always loved Blues. They’re so shit on in canon for being the “lowest ranking” male dragon, but they play such a vital part in fighting thread, just as Greens do. I considered giving Zuko a Green to give Ozai a reason to look down on him, but then I didn’t have a reason for him to outright attack Zuko, so I felt Gold had more impact. And besides, Ozai doesn’t believe Zuko is worth much, so seeing him impress the highest rank of dragon feels so justified.
I know I didn’t mention them by name, but other characters like Suki, Ty Lee, Bato, etc. will all be in the story as well. I haven’t hammered out the details to in-betweens of the Main Plot, but I imagine there will be a lot of chaos with younger riders and dragons working out their place in their Weyr.
If anyone has any particular thoughts on this AU I would totally welcome them.
