Look you can’t dismiss Zukka as a crackship when they, overall, had more positive interactions with each other than many other fanon Zuko or Sokka ships that are taken more seriously because they’re het.
Like okay, you’ve got
the episode 1 armor parallel
Sokka saying “if there’s one thing I know about Zuko, it’s that he never gives up”
Zuko’s time at Western Air Temple where Sokka’s the only one who’s helping him to his room and even smiling at him.
Then we get TWO WHOLE EPISODES(TWO) of Zuko and Sokka working together extremely well and the narrative itself showing how they complement and support each other positively.
Need I talk about the tent scene, yes its funny but also Sokka felt comfortable enough with Zuko at that point that he talked about his mom with Zuko.
The SWORDBENDING KAI
the fact that Zuko, Sokka and Suki become a little sub-trio during Ember Islands
the Search comic where they’re the only ones awake and they’re talking about family.
every zukka shipper knows this one, *ahem* “The prince and the fool, is that all you were, or were to one another?”
If we’re talking on Zutara terms, Zukka is equally as valid. Like yeah it’s funny as a dynamic but also, it’s not like this is completely out of nowhere. There’s stuff in there that backs up the ship rather well.
I think overall, Sokka saw Zuko as more of a person? The crystal caves thing put Zuko on Katara’s shit list, rightfully so, but it’s because Katara’s an idealist and sees the best in people. Unfortunately it goes the other way, she’s a lot more black and white about people than Sokka. Like if it were Sokka in the crystal caves and Zuko had pulled the mom story, Sokka would empathize but he’s not going to trust Zuko in any capacity or see him too differently unless he showed results.
Like he knows to some extent Zuko’s capable of good and even says that just being capable of good isn’t enough. He needs to show it. Zuko betraying them in the Ba Sing Se definitely would’ve pissed him off but like, to some extent, he’d have seen it coming. Sokka’s always been more nuanced on the morality thing than Katara and Aang. Which is why I think he more quickly was willing to give Zuko a chance at the Western Air Temple. Zuko was acting on his ability for good. Sokka being a skeptic actually helped them a lot(oh, Jet my boy).
the truth is i love bugs like just as much as i love other animals because all animals are so epic. but most people dont love bugs as much as everyone else so i think people think i love bugs exceptionally much. its not true. but maybe im wrong. maybe i do love bugs a little extra to make up for other people not appreciating them. bugs
I desperately need to know more about the Tooth AU
i think i have to come out and be honest here and admit that the tooth part is just an subplot in between and mainly its an whole au about sokka still following his father to war. (katara and gran gran none the wiser)
and sokka is discovered hiding on the ship, when the Southern Water Tribe Fleet is restocking on kyoshi. and well... technically its not to late to turn back and drop sokka off back home and ground him for the next 10 years.
but nope. now sokka with sweet fresh 12 years is on a warship. getting the oportunity to be with his tribe and grow to be a full warrior for the next three years.
(don't worry sokka meets suki and she does more then just punch the sexism out of him.) (hakoda adopts his own son au? )
traveling the seas and staying in ports leads to cross path with the fire nation prince jerk that searches for the avatar.
they obviously don't get along. even in neutral/mixed ports or grounds the boys can't help but constantly jab and antagonize each other till one day it comes to a brawl where sokka punches zuko in the face and a tooth gets lost.
(zuko still wins though. sorry sokka you get later your chance)
and uh well... zukos tooth is found by bato and well they kind of keep it? as trophy? who can say they knocked the prince of the fire nation tooth out and has the proof!!! (that nobody believes, because it could be anyones tooth and the crew is not backing sokka up. TRAITORS ALL OF THEM!)
(meanwhile zuko gets his golden one. and his crew wont stop with the pirate jokes. TRAITORS ALL OF THEM)
when i was talking with a friend about it i was always like "the only ship here involved are for transportation" but a few silly headcanons of drunk characters later leads to this sub plot of bato and jee kind of hitting it off behind the boys and their superiors back. sharing their love the wide blue sea and freeing feeling of sailing through her waves. sharing drinks ranting over their brats. jee losing it when he hears that sokka has the princes tooth now as necklace to not lose it. bato having fun pushing jee's buttons to get any reaction out of him (subtly wondering if this counts as bending).
they both know they don't have much time to tiptoe around it, when they meet they have to go for it, who knows in what kind of circumstances they could meet the next time. they drink and make a toast to making the best of their time, share a bitter sweet good bye the next morning, hoping the memories last till their next encounter that could also be their last.
it was mid-autumn festival recently and i wanted to take the opportunity to make dq characters share mooncake :')
ngl my plan was to elaborate on my headcanons for ancient del culture (aka before the shadowlord eroded Del over time) but i don't really have the energy so maybe i'll come back another time with my thoughts
but the short version is that the Topaz is their talisman, and its powers and traits are relative to the Del people. so in this instance, the importance of the moon to the Topaz's power is in parallel to its importance to the people. (what that means is up for interpretation. i have ideas but you may have others)
anyway maybe post-DQ3 they do a harvest festival, or maybe even dragon night itself, and people make some form of mooncake to share with loved ones <3
i need someone to make a comic about what happened once patpran came back and revealed they have to act together in the architecture play - how they hesitantly broke the news and how they tried to look disappointed, how their gangs went on and on about oh no my dear friend has to act with his ex, how waikorn decided to spice the performance up by letting their besties show affection publicly for once; the way patpran had an amazing time preparing and practicing, pran scolding pat who could not remember his lines and pat teasing him in return by trying to make out on every surface on set... inkpa going through the script over lunch and fangirling over the romantic scenes but laughing when they finally force the guys to act something out.. practicing while brushing teeth in the morning, trying to hide how much they're enjoying all of it in public, staying on stage till late at night, the excitement, the nervousness, the happiness that comes from the secrecy and the roleplaying..like it was a whole thing and someone should give me a visual is all im saying