My fic for @atla18bigbang! This was so fun and I really enjoyed writing it and participating in this event. Thank you so much to our lovely mods! And also thank you to my beta, @thereindeerlady and my artist, @zukkanthis.
My fic can be found here! And I’ll be updating every three days.
[ID: A digital painting of Mai and Ty Lee dancing together in a ballroom. Mai is standing with her back to the viewer, arms slightly apart, one hand holding Ty Lee’s. She is looking at her partner. Ty Lee is wearing a pink hanfu with golden details on the inside layer. Her sash is light pink. The layer on top of her main dress is darker pink with intricate patterns. She has a pink ribbon tied into her hair. Mai’s hanfu is in her signature dark red. Over it, she is wearing a similar garment resembling a haori; it is dark red and transparent. There is a nature motif embroidered around the edges. The wall behind them is white and gray marble with tall columns connected with arches. Between every second column, there is a bouquet of lilies with a lot of green leaves forming a teardrop shape. Above them is a crystal chandelier. The floor is made out of gold tiles. /End Id]
[ID: A digital painting of Mai and Ty Lee dancing together in a ballroom. Mai is standing with her back to the viewer, arms slightly apart, one holding Ty Lee’s hand. She is looking at her partner. Ty Lee is bowing slightly with her body facing the viewer. Her right arm is in the air holding a traditional fan. Ty Lee is wearing a pink hanfu with golden details on the inside layer. Her sash is a gradient from light pink to a darker shade of orange pink. On top, she is wearing a blue garment resembling a haori with gold flower embroidery. There are some gold accessories in her hair and she wears golden earrings with blue stones at the bottom. She has a traditional flower painted on her forehead. Mai’s hanfu is in her signature dark red. Over it, she is wearing a similar garment to Ty Lee’s but this one is dark red and transparent. There is a nature motif embroidered around the edges. The wall behind them is white and gray marble with tall columns connected with arches. Between every second column, there is a bouquet of lilies with a lot of green leaves forming a teardrop shape. Above them is a crystal chandelier. The floor is made out of gold tiles. /End Id]
Keep in mind I made it some time ago so I see a lot of things I’d improve.
[ID: A digital painting of Mai and Ty Lee dancing together in a ballroom. Mai has one hand behind her back holding a lily, the other resting around Ty Lee’s waist. Ty Lee is resting her hand on Mai’s shoulder; both of them have their eyes closed. Ty Lee is wearing a pink hanfu with embroidered flowers at the bottom edge and at the collar. Her sash is a darker shade of orange-pink. Mai’s hanfu is in her signature dark red with golden details. Both of them have black earrings. The wall behind them is white and gray marble with tall columns connected with arches. Between every second column, there is a bouquet of lilies with a lot of green leaves forming a teardrop shape. Above them is a crystal chandelier. The floor is made out of gold tiles. /End Id]
[ID: A digital painting of Mai and Ty Lee dancing together in a ballroom. Mai is guiding Ty Lee into a spin. Ty Lee is wearing a gradient light to dark pink dress. Mai is wearing one in a dark red to purple gradient. They are both wearing some jewelry. All visible nails are painted black. The wall behind them is white and gray marble with tall columns connected with arches. Between every second column, there is a bouquet of lilies with a lot of green leaves forming a teardrop shape. Above them is a crystal chandelier. The floor is made out of gold tiles. /End Id]
Mai might not mind her mom’s denial of her sexuality if not for the endless stream of blind dates she’s sent Mai on in the hopes of “proving” Mai likes men. The good news, though, is that Ty Lee has an idea that might just get Mai’s mom off her back.
The bad news is that Mai is quickly beginning to realize she’s developing very real feelings for her very fake girlfriend.
And as this fake relationship ploy continues, Mai finds herself falling harder and harder for her best friend - her best friend who almost certainly doesn’t feel the same. But how is she supposed to talk to anyone about her dilemma when no one knows the relationship is fake in the first place? Should she confess her feelings in the desperate hope that Ty Lee might not hate her, or should she just end things before she can call this feeling fizzling within her love?
written for @atla18bigbang seven chapters // 36k+ words rating: teen & up updating weekly on sundays
zuko immediately holds his arms out to grab aġnaḳ. she goes along without a word and settles into his arms without a fuss. sokka smiles. “oh, this is not what i expected her coat to feel like,” zuko says. “it’s… warm? and soft?”
“yeah. i’m not actually sure what it’s made of. her actual body is like rock, it’s super solid, but her coat is some kind of dense fur. her body runs super cold, so she needs it. it’s a bitch to dry, but it’s doable,” sokka explains. aġnaḳ gives a full-bodied shiver and relaxes even more, if possible. she’s barely shaking at all. warm. cosy, new friend, comfy. tired. sleep now?
sokka furrows his brows and raises a hand to touch zuko’s arm. “oh, shit, you’re really warm.”
[ID: fanart of Zuko and Sokka walking together in the rain. Sokka is holding a red umbrella over both of them, and he has his hand on Zuko’s upper arm. Zuko is holding Sokka’s Snorunt, Aġnaḳ, and she’s sleeping in his arms, happy and warm with her new friend. Sokka’s Poliwhirl, Naraseq, is enjoying the rain near Sokka.]
Sokka’s chasing a ghost story that leads him to a small farm in the British village his mother grew up in. Owned by an older man, Iroh, the farm has seen better days. Things are great until Iroh’s impossible nephew, Zuko turns up. Running from his ghosts, Zuko isn’t happy to share his uncle. Can a collection of misfit farm animals help the pair find peace with their pasts? When the harsh winter threatens the farm the unlikely pair have to work together to keep Iroh’s home.
[ID: pictured is a fan art of Sokka and Zuko. Sokka is on our left and he is riding a grey with darker grey spotted horse. He is wearing brown boots, jeans, and a blue shirt. His hair is down and he is looking to our right with a smile on his face. On our right is Zuko with shaggy hair and he is looking forward with a content look on his face. He is wearing a red button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black jeans, and black boots. He is riding a chestnut horse with a white stripe down her face. They are riding in a meadow with long grass and flowers. The sky is sunny with a few fluffy clouds.]
I am excited to present to you my art for the story Bittersweet Beginnings by @kiranwrites!!
[Image ID. The art is a traditional, sketchy colored-pencil drawing depicting azula in a bun and slouched robe. The robe is falling off of one shoulder and she has two small pieces of hair framing her face. The drawing has no eyes and only minimal outlining of her lips and nose. Azula and her robe are depicted in all gray. She is surrounded by swirls of blue, red, orange, and purple. End ID.]
These features all depict the uncertainty azula feels early on in the story and her conflicted and confused feelings.
[Short ID: A digital portrait of the main characters from Avatar: the Last Airbender set against a blue-gray background. The characters are divided into two rows. From left to right on the top: Suki, Zuko, and Sokka are drawn from the chest up. From left to right on the bottom: Toph, Mai, Aang, and Katara are drawn from the waist up. They are all surrounded by fog. In between the two rows of characters is the title of the fic: never shall we die, by zukosadragon-ace. The artist’s signature in the lower right corner reads hiraethia. End ID]
He chuckled and, a smile playing at his lips and sincerity shining in his eyes, asked, “Sokka, how many times must I ask you to call me Zuko?”
“At least once more, Mister Huo. As always.”
or,
A Zukka Pirates of the Carribean AU, featuring infamous pirate Suki Suzume, governor’s nephew Zuko Huo, blacksmith Sokka Amarok, cursed treasure, and a whole lot of pining.
Kanna knows the North is not her home. When the pain of staying outweighs the pain of leaving, she takes her courage and her strength and her love and builds herself a new life on her own terms.
Yugoda Loses a dear friend, choosing instead to devote her life to healing and teaching. Sometimes she wonders if Kanna is happy, at peace with her life in a way she never was in Agna Qel'a, and if they will ever see each other again.
Pakku lets his betrothed slip through his fingers, and the hurt makes him cold, entrenched, and bitter. Until a young bender from the south shows up with a familiar glint in her eye and an even more familiar necklace.
Hama guides a ship into port, not knowing it carries the woman who will become her anchor, her lifeline. When she is snatched away and forced to become someone else - someone cruel - she wonders if she could ever bear to let Kanna see what she has done.
[ID: pictured is Kanna on our left and Hama on our right. They appear to be young, in their 20s and sitting inside a Southern Water Tribe house on a white and grey fur rug. Kanna has her hair styled like book 1 Katara and wears a blue and light purple overcoat trimmed with white fur. Hama sits with one knee up and her arms resting on the knee. She has long brown hair and a similar overcoat with white trimmed fur. The two women are looking at each other with soft smiles.]
ID: image is split in half, one half with Sokka and one with Zuko, both shown from the knees up. Sokka, wearing a blue tee and blue jeans, waves one hand at someone off screen, smiling. Off screen, Katara says, “Just get a fake S.O.!’ and Sokka responds, "we are riding the same brainwave right now.”
In the second half, Zuko, in a maroon sweatshirt, black jeans, and a messy bun, rolls his eyes and says, “Sounds like a scam… or an MLM.” His arms are crossed. Offscreen, Ty Lee insists, “it’s not a scam or an MLM!” END ID
Second piece:
ID: Zuko and Sokka sitting at a table in a café, both with cups of tea with boba. Zuko wears a black shirt and grey apron, and Sokka wears a dark blue tee and a necklace. Sokka is blushing and smiling slightly as he looks at Zuko, who obliviously looks down at his phone, smiling as well. Zuko’s hair is in a bun except for strands that frame his face, and his hand wraps around his tea as he texts with the other. A bubble appears above the phone as if Zuko has just sent, “(My name is Zuko.)” Sokka’s hand is resting on his own phone which is faceup on the table; there’s a notification saying one new message. In the background, the register is unmanned; teacups and ingredients sit in shelves against the wall. The walls are a calming green. END ID
Both pieces are based on @lovelyzukka ’s fic, the link to which is here:
Modern AU || One-Shot (11k+) || Rated T || ATLA +18 BB (@atla18bigbang)
Sokka’s fine with being single, but after being teased and pestered constantly for being partnerless, he decides to pay for an invisible boyfriend to get Toph, the perpetrator of his attacks, off his back. Sokka never expected to fall for his invisible boyfriend, “Ramon.”
Zuko’s out of cash and needs money to pay rent. Ty Lee has a way to make “easy money,” and while he thought being an invisible boyfriend would’ve been a pain in the ass, he finds Sokka endearing enough to develop a crush on him.
Little do either know that they’re neighbors and constantly cross paths when they least expect it.
On Ao3 Rated M for politics, ptsd, and assassinations (no sexual content)
At the Siege of Ba Sing, Iroh saves Lu Ten from death, but dies in his place. The Siege fails without the Dragon of the West and Lu Ten returns home, shaken, to tense politics and a callous battle for the throne against his uncle.
–
Or, Iroh and Lu Ten swap places, but Lu Ten has his own ways of doing things, and grows in his grief and anger. A political intrigue of Lu Ten’s rise to power in the Fire Nation (and the end of the War).
At the Siege of Ba Sing, Iroh saves Lu Ten from death, but dies in his place. The Siege fails without the Dragon of the West and Lu Ten returns home, shaken, to tense politics and a callous battle for the throne against his uncle.
[ID: pictured is Lu Ten from Avatar the Last Airbender series. He is sitting in a seiza position in elaborate red and gold robes. He has shoulder length black hair and three gold arrows coming out on each side of his fire emblem headpiece. Behind him stand Azulon from the shoulder down with hands raised. He is bending fire in the shape of the fire lord crown. The background is a blurry image of red and gold that appears to be a throne room.]
“She got what she deserved if you ask me,” a sinister disembodied voice tells him. “A shame it spared you, my worthless son. She was talented, I admit, but any warrior who would put their life on the line for yours is no loss.”
He’s going to be okay, Sokka breathes. I’ve got him and he’s going to be okay. -@beachytablecloth Chapter 3 of Signs of Light
[ID: A traditional watercolour painting made up of three frames. The top frame has Katara in a bloodbending pose, with flecks of dark red, almost black blood spinning around her, she’s outlined by a silver moon. In the middle frame, Sokka is crying as he cradles an unconscious Zuko in his lap. There’s a gold beam of light behind them fading to red at the edges. The bottom frame is a Red semi-circle, reminiscent of a setting sun, over a gradiated blue background, overlaid with cursive handwriting reading “He’s going to be okay.” The artist’s signature is in the bottom left corner. END ID]
My art piece for the ATLA 18+ BB is finally here! Thank you Brooke for writing an Incredible story that I absolutely adore, and everyone on the team for their hard work! And to everyone at @atla18bigbang for the past few months <3
As always, there are some details under the cut :D
Below are the links to every creation from the 2021 ATLA 18+ Big Bang. A big congratulations to all the incredible people who participated! If you see anything you really like then please give it a reblog - it helps out creators tremendously. This event was a lot of fun and a big success - thank you everyone for such a great time! <3
- Alex & Scarlet
Disclaimer:the content warnings and ratings on the following fanfictions do vary and it is your personal responsibility, the reader, to heed these warnings before consuming them. They are all appropriately labelled, filtered and tagged on AO3. All content was created and published in good faith by adults. Thank you.
LINKS:
1. Due to the cap on @s in posts, we have not used them, although the handle names for all the creators should be correct.
2. Any late art/podfics without links have had the creators tumblr account temporarily linked instead (its not a typo!) and are highlighted it in pink. Feel free to follow them and be the first to see when their work is released!
[ID: A digital drawing of a badgermole from Avatar: The Last Airbender. It holds one paw palm up, and on the paw sprawls Zuko in his Blue Spirit disguise, one hand to his masked head as he swoons. The background is a simple blue sky and orange-brown earth. End ID.]
I drew this piece for an ATLA canon-divergent AU by @friendlystrawberry as part of @atla18bigbang! In this story, Sokka is turned into a juvenile badgermole while in Ba Sing Se, and he ends up kidnapping Zuko in a desperate attempt to regain his humanity. Cue romantic comedy - think Zukka mixed with Princess and the Frog mixed with King Kong? Had a great time drawing this bodice-ripper-esque cover for such a fun story.
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, Sozin Incorporated has kept a firm grasp on their monopoly through a combination of carefully-negotiated mergers, hush money, and hostile takeovers. They provide their staff with everything needed to survive; air, food, even new body parts when needed.
Zuko was one of Sozin Inc.’s most efficient augmented employees, but his last mission ended in humiliating failure. Demoted and disgraced, he is reassigned to the small moon of Gaipan to assist with the establishment of a new titanium mine. There he meets Jet, a charming engineer that he inexplicably feels drawn to. But something dangerous is brewing on Gaipan, and it has the potential to tear Zuko’s meticulously constructed world apart.
[ID: pictured are Jet and Zuko from the Avatar the Last Airbender series. Jet is on our left looking to Zuko who is on our right. Jet has a brown mullet, is wearing a blue sweater with gold shoulders and khaki cargo pants. Zuko has long black hair in a ponytail. His scar is replaced with a cybernetic eye piece. His arms are both robotic with gray and gold details. He is wearing a white zip up jump suit. Jet is saying “Dude what? You’re really attractive! You don’t see that?” To our right is a red poster with the fire nation emblem and the words ‘sozin,’ 'where,’ and 'family.’]
“Zuko” Sokka gently whispered. Sokka pressed the back of his hand softly against Zuko’s clammy and burning forehead. He scrunched his nose up at how gross the heat and moisture felt on Zuko’s sick body. “Zuko,” he said more firmly, “Zuko, can you wake up for a minute?”
Zuko grunted, barely audible.
Sokka sighed, bowing his head a little and shaking Zuko’s shoulder just enough for Zuko to squintily open his eyes.
“What?” Zuko rasps, confused and slightly irritated.
[ID: Sokka sits on the edge of Zuko’s bed, hand on Zuko’s shoulder. He’s smiling softly down at Zuko, obviously trying to gently wake him up. Zuko is groggy from being woken up, and he’s also flushed from being sick. His head is raised from the pillow, halfway propped up as he looks up at Sokka.]
Description: Zuko wants to follow his destiny to be good, especially to those he loves. After reflecting on his time with Sokka since his crowning as Fire Lord, Zuko decides to throw Sokka the best birthday party he can imagine. But will his imagination be enough?
[image i.d. The bones of a dragon curled up and missing several arm bones. Zuko and Aang are kneeled next to the bones in poses of frustration and anguish. the background is various shades of brown to depict the surrounding earth. end i.d.]
[Image ID: A digital drawing depicting a hug between Zuko and Katara under a tree. Zuko is facing the viewer whille Katara has her face burrowed on his neck. Zuko has a placid expression with his eyes closed. Both are covered in the shadows casted by the leaves of a tree and the sunlight that comes through the branches. End ID]
“You’ve done enough,” said Zuko firmly. “I promise.” She wrapped her arms around him and breathed in the smell of him. She couldn’t place what it was like, but it made her think warm and safe. Zuko held her close and didn’t pull away.
[ID: A digital painting of Sokka, Zuko, and a 4 year old Izumi at a snow covered park with a pond. Turtleducks swim up to a smiling Izumi and she’s kneeling to look closely at them. Sokka and Zuko stand behind her, gazing at each other and holding hands inside of Sokka’s mitten.]
“Suki,” he says, muffled. “Suki, tell me to stop crushing on the hot single dad at work.”
Suki doesn’t look up from painting her nails. “Go out and bag yourself a DILF, babe.”
—
Zuko’s insistence that it’s him and his kid against the world is being seriously tested by Izumi’s new teacher.
Sokka’s determination to ignore hot parents is waning more and more as he gets to know the single dad of the new kid. Everyone else is just waiting for them both to get their acts together.
[image i.d. Sokka is standing in a lily flower. only his upper body is visible. he is shirtless to represent his vulnerability and is looking down at his chest. his hands are feeling at the hole in his chest, and the hole is bursting with flower petals. The flower sokka is standing in and the flowers coming from his chest are in reds and oranges. the petals from his chest are fluttering out and landing in a small pile next to the flower sokka stands in. end i.d.]
“The way Zuko was running to greet him was a breath of fresh air—it was the rays of sun on a gloomy day, the rainbow after the rain.
That joy and that vulnerability that came along with being a human person is part of what made Zuko so beautiful, it’s what made him shine and light up the room, what made his heart beat faster.
… it’s what made the vines in Sokka’s body crawl, what made his stomach writhe in pain as they continued to grow.
The very person who gave him life, who made him feel alive, was the very person sucking the life out of him.”
[Image ID: A picture of the sun setting over mountains. The words “signs of light” are in large text. Underneath them in smaller text is written “a zukka fic by beachytablecloth inc.” End ID]
And now, out of breath from running, Sokka can feel the anxiety beginning to overwhelm him, stitching his sides and pounding in his ears.
“It’s Zuko,” he finally gets out, panting. “He’s missing.”
or,
Zuko gets kidnapped; Sokka falls apart.
signs of light by beachytablecloth, written for the atla 18+ big bang! beta-ed by coreyandgrace. art by beck and podfic by viviana coming soon!
[Image ID: A digital drawing depicting, from left to right, Sokka, Zuko, Yue, and Suki on a barely visible couch, with relaxed and affectionate expressions on their faces. They are wearing modern clothes. Zuko and Sokka are looking at each other, as so are Yue and Suki. Yue seems to be on top of Zuko and Suki, and Sokka has a hand at the top of Zuko’s back. Behind them, a starry sky extends in the background. End ID]
It starts like this: Yue and Zuko meet at a party they didn’t mean to go to. It goes like this: They’re not meant for each other, but mend their touch-starved souls. It ends like this: Maybe they’re meant for each other in ways they didn’t anticipate, maybe ‘meant for each other’ doesn’t mean anthing.
A story about connection, questioning the permanency of self, and drunkenly staring at the stars content with serendipities.
[ Image ID: A banner with an off-white, blueish background with gold-star confetti and golden fairylights in the right half. In the left-hand corner is written “tell the stars you’ve won,” in the lower right-hand corner is written, “written by schmokschmok, art by goorin, read by rionaa” / End ID. ]
Written for the @atla18bigbang, this is basically my magnum opus <3
It starts like this: Yue and Zuko meet at a party they didn’t mean to go to. It goes like this: They’re not meant for each other, but mend their touch-starved souls. It ends like this: Maybe they’re meant for each other in ways they didn’t anticipate, maybe ‘meant for each other’ doesn’t mean anthing.
A story about connection, questioning the permanency of self, and drunkenly staring at the stars content with serendipities.
[Image ID: A picture showing Zuko at the center, Katara at his left, and Sokka at his right, from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Zuko is holding to what seems to be a rock that shines very brightly, iluminating their faces and eyes with reflective light. End ID]
Regardless of Zuko’s understanding of rocks, the gem is getting gradually warmer.
Incredibly confused now, Zuko opens his hand from its grip around the moonstone to see the rock glistening in the moonlight. Except it isn’t reflecting the moonlight. It’s casting its own light. A light that is glowing brighter and brighter until Zuko reflexively closes his fist around it to hide it from view. His fingers glow red.
[ID: A digital artwork of, from left to right, Yue, Suki, Zuko, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Toph, in the armor style of Dragon Age 2. Yue has long pointed ears like an elf and tattoo branches across her face, the symbol of the moon on her forehead. Her light armor is shades of blue with a green scarf and leather gauntlets, belt, and leg guards. She is barefoot and appears to be walking towards the viewer. Suki, a human, is in heavier armor, with a metal chestplate showing the symbol of Kirkwall, the main city in Dragon Age 2. She has green sleeves and pants, with accents of red and gold down to her boots, which have gold points like a crown around the shins. She is standing with her hands on her hips and her head tilted to the viewer’s right. Zuko is a half-elf with light armor, a taupe tunic that has purple belts around the waist and across both sides of his chest, disappearing under a brown capelet and red pointy pauldrons on his shoulders. He has red boots with gold encasing the heel and toe. His scar extends down his neck, arm, and hand on the left side of his body. He appears to be taking a step towards the viewer. Sokka, a human, has medium armor. A padded blue tunic with buckle closures. His pauldrons are made of leather, with buckled straps crossing over his shoulders. He has brown-orange pants with a strip of blue running down the sides. His boots are blue with silver metal around the heel and toe. He is standing sideways with his torso facing front. Katara, also a human, is wearing light mage armor in varied shades of blue and silver with a red shirt underneath showing at the collar and at slits in the waist. She has a decorative silver belt buckle with four belts attached, branching off around her hips. She has light blue pants and leather boots with silver metal around the tips. She’s facing forward with her hands on her hips. Aang, an elf, has medium armor mostly made out of leather with accents of green, blue, red, and yellow. He’s wearing a hood that sticks out at his ears, creating an odd shape around his head. He has a belt around his lower waist connected in the middle by a gold ring. There’s a pouch on his hip. He has bandages wound around his right arm. Across his leather chest covering are small green vines. His arrow tattoo is made out of small swirling patterns and dots to be more in the style of Dragon Age. He is standing straight, facing the viewer. Toph is a dwarf with a medium length black beard, with small braids on either side of her chin. She’s wearing a green coat that ties in the middle, dark green pants, and a dusty pink tunic, a swirling pattern along the hem. She’s standing facing the viewer with her fists clenched. She’s barefoot.The background is a dark black/grey gradient with the Kirkwall symbol behind them, nearly blending in with the background. Text above their heads reads in all caps “Sokka Hawke Survives (?) Kirkwall”, “An ATLA/ Dragon Age 2 Crossover”, “Author: raininginthestreets, Beta: thereindeerlady, Artist: zukkanthis”. The text is in red and white. End ID]
