My prompt for a Zukka server Valentine’s event I’m in was quiet valentines night in which I might or might not have mistaken for “quick valentines night in” tbf I did not know what to do for the other 2 prompts and I might have butchered this, but here’s two sillies having basically a Netflix night in
BONUS!
I think they would dad a Siamese cat and also have very different ways of holding her
Azula is supposed to be a villain, antagonist, bad person, and bad friend. When she does something bad or morally wrong, it's not a narrative problem since she's fulfilling her expected role. If she was supposed to be a hero or even neutral character, things would be different, but she's not.
On the other hand, if Azula starts coming across as morally equivalent or even morally superior to one of the "designated heroes," that's a massive problem, narratively, since they're the heroes because they're supposed to be better than the antagonists.
To give an example, when Azula terrorizes Ty Lee into joining her mission, it's a really shitty thing to do her friend, but it's fully inline with what her role is supposed to be. On the other hand, when "redeemed" Zuko tries to terrorize his "best friend" Aang into training and never apologizes or is held accountable for it, it's a real problem, especially since the writers have Iroh declare Zuko morally perfect the next episode. Terrorizing your best friends into doing what you want, rather than spending 30 seconds explaining things to them, is not a heroic trait. If a character is supposed to be a hero, then they're supposed to consistently act heroic.
Been thinking alot about WarTrophy!Sokka after going through an old fic, and I gotta say my younger self was cooking with the concept lol I really like the close-but-not-close vibe I gave it bc I remember wanting to give him a strong sense of class difference between him and the siblings. I was like a preteen at the time so i don’t think it came across that great lmao
Honestly all I remember is that I was really hell bent on making it super tragic on Sokka’s end. It made sense to me bc he had just been plucked from home, shoved into a viper pit of a capital, and told to survive. He was point-blank informed that he was only kept alive to be friends with a sociopathic-kid and her socially awkward bother, and that can really fuck with a persons head.
It made him super hypervigilant that his survival depended on Zuko and Azula’s approval, which in turn made him extremely conscious of societal rules (titles, seating arrangement, etc.) and extremely dedicated to his studies.
In his eyes, he’s always gotta be invaluable to the siblings (training against benders to prove his strength, being blatantly patriotic to show his loyalty, staying smart so he didn’t annoy them (azula), trying to be funny so he’s always interesting, etc.). In a way the siblings get it bc Ozai is breathing down their necks, but Sokka’s def in the worse position. He’s not a bender, he’s got blue eyes, and he was literally bought by a woman Ozai didn’t love. Plus, Zuko and Azula were attached to him, and Ozai din’t like that either bc a) he obvi hated Zuko ergo hating sokka, and b) Azula only ever should be loyal to him.
Sokka was eventually gonna end up screwed either way without the banishment and for a kid thats a lot to handle
Having Ozai plus a bunch of politicians praying for your downfall is horrible but then the lady who got him (ursa) abandons him, leaving him with 0 protection. Personally, i think Iroh aint the best politicker out there, so he wasn’t much help to Sokka. (The guy literally stepped down and let his psycho brother become king-of-the-world basically (yes ik it was due to grief but still))
Sokka cares for the siblings greatly though, despite the extreme power balance (in his eyes) and it's what makes him put up with all the crap they drag him through, but at the same time is it because he has no one else to love, or is it because he actually cares? Does his loyalty mean anything when he thinks that if he doesn’t have it, he’s dead? Is that even loyalty at that point or just pure self preservation?
It’s why I added the stockholm syndrom tag bc tbh Sokka never had any choice but to love the siblings and hope it made the lonely kids love him too. The other option was death and Sokka is too stubborn a character to accept that. He’s also prideful enough to keep his self-respect, so he’s not exactly a doormat. Just a very conscious person who doesn’t lie to himself about his status, and uses every arm of power he has to constantly reinforce it, so that he doesn’t end up dead. Even if he isn’t consciously doing it or thinking it, he’s def acting on it. I think in the story, I wanted to make it such a big and giant thing in his life (constantly making himself indispensable), that it’s just become a part of him to deeply and viciously hold onto his status and protect it.
(spoilers ig but not really bc who knows if i'm ever gonna go through with it) It’s why the whole ‘We’re-your-family-stick’ with his dad and sister was always gonna go south. In Sokka’s mind it wasn't just a simple reunion. To him it boiled down to two choices: a) go with them and be hunted by a nation you sunk 8yrs of dedication to and have made morally dubious decisions for, or b) exploit them as a chance to further prove your loyalty.
guess which one he goes with lmao
To me that was always such a cool concept, all that tragedy and angst all wrapped up in a super fucking toxic love. Great storytelling opportunities imo Maybe one day I’ll write on it lol
Stitch, how do you think Aang would react if any of the dunebabies ask about grandma and grandpa (Aang's parents)?
Hi Ronin! Nice to chat with with you as always :) And you always ask such great questions! Lemme think...
In the event that the dunebabies ask about Aang's parents, I think it could go a couple ways.
I think when the kids ask Aang why they don't visit his parents, he would probably not be too surprised, but perhaps the moment in particular surprises him. But, he expected this conversation to come up, and since the kiddos were young, Aang and Toph talked a little bit about how they could navigate this conversation together.
First, Toph and Aang (Aang mostly) would talk about the familial structure of the Air Nation since they were separated by gender at the temples, and how the monks raised the children in more of a communal/group style. So perhaps Aang doesn't quite know his parents anyway just because of his upbringing.
Then, I think they would go into the people in Aang's life growing up that were important to him, and then what happened to them. Why Aang is the last airbender.
It would be a pretty serious conversation, and depending on how old all the kids are, Toph and Aang might make parts of the explanation a little more lighthearted than it actually should be (or Toph may take them somewhere else so Aang can explain everything).
Perhaps this is a moment when Aang would talk about Monk Gyatso in detail? The kids know the fun stories and everything, but they don't know about everything else and why he was an important person in Aang's life.
Once the kids understand or learn about what happened, perhaps they take any visits to the Air Temples a little more seriously at first, or they take more time to learn about their dad's culture.
I don't think it would drastically affect how the kids view Aang, but they might respect his resilience more than they used to. He lost his whole culture and family when he was a kid, and they can't imagine what that might've been like for him. But, he's still their silly Baba who loves making fruit pies and silly jokes and pulling pranks on their aunts and uncles. They love that even though he had many struggles growing up with losing his family and the stress of the war, he's still around and is the best dad he can be.
Okay I think that covers the question. Thank you for the ask, Ronin! :) Hope all is well and that you have a day as fabulous as you are!