hi!! how do you think that sokka would work through his emotional repression and zuko through his over dramatic/angry tendencies (+ their trauma in general i suppose) you mentioned in one post so that they could ultimately have a healthy relationship?
i feel like the problematics they could potentially have regarding sokkaâs emotional repression against zukoâs emotional openess (however reluctant) are more due to a lack of communication that creates a lack of understanding rather than the inability itself to understand each otherâs personality or point of view (unlike sokka and katara) and i believe the misunderstanding is more from zuko to sokka than sokka to zuko. in my opinion zuko is a lot like katara in the sense that he emotes in a very strongly and gets defensive when other people disagree/donât emote the same way he does, but that can only soften with time, patience and limitations, which is relatively easier than what comes ahead. sokka is a lot more perceptive of zuko in comparison. sokka and katara can live with that strife between them because theyâre siblings, but if sokka and zuko are going to be romantically involved they must meet in the middle somehow.
if you imagine the resolution as a story, youâd have to establish what each of them knows, get them together, then escalate the conflict until they reach a breaking point and sit down, have a talk, start again. a good, long, honest conversation, in which sokka can make it clear that he does have feelings for zuko and cannot seem to find a way to channel it, and in which zuko can tell sokka where the limit is, and what he expects in terms of the demonstration of these feelings. sokka is not stone-cold either, and he and zuko have a certain understanding between them that sokka and katara do not, so i sincerely believe they will eventually be able to find some sort of balance in which zuko can believe sokka and in which sokka can work through his repression issues at his own tempo (perhaps with a little therapy, which canonically exists, but iâd have to do more research on eastern psychology to give you a more concrete elaboration on this, so). ultimately it would need to have the mild structure of a narrative to it.
after this the problem becomes more of a situation. iâd say the most likely solution would be time. this difference between them doesnât necessarily become a flag for an unhealthy relationship unless one makes it to be. i imagine with time, with more than one conversation after the âbig oneâ zuko would come to understand how sokkaâs emotions operate and understand the quieter, more discreet ways sokka does show he cares; i imagine sokka, as perceptive as he is, would realize what zuko more or less relies on regarding affection and clarification (affection which was limited, clarification which was rarely given to him, even by iroh). as mentioned earlier, itâs not as if sokka is entirely expressionless, so i donât think it would have to become unhealthy but merely rocky. sokka is still a romantic at heart, and he has fell for emotionally expressive royalty in the past, he knows the drill; zuko is more patient and understanding than what he looks like, and he does have a tendency to trust sokkaâs word with his life.
also, their brains are connected in some weird way, they work harmoniously when theyâre together, and they do bring some of the best in each other. a romantic relationship does require certain things platonic relationships donât necessarily need to be healthy. itâs just a matter of being compatible enough to be able to meet in the middle, and i sincerely believe sokka and zuko fit this criteria well enough.
