An Alternate Universe Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfic of epic proportions. Significantly Darker and Edgier than the show, Blood, Silk, and Steel asks the question: What If? Hakoda had died instead of Kya, prompting Sokka to join the dark side?
The story starts five years after Sokka helped Prince Zuko capture the Avatar and finds Prince Zuko restored to his birthright and Sokka well-established in the Fire Lord's court.
Can be found here
. It's not to be confused with the trope Silk Hiding Steel.
Provides examples of:
- Anti-Hero: Well, there aren't any straight-up heroes.
- Darker and Edgier: Very, very dark. Tries to realistically portray the realpolitik of war.
- Duel to the Death: Sokka v. Hahn. Sokka spares Hahn's life during the duel, but has him killed later.
- Fantastic Racism: Sokka is continuously being called a savage by the Fire Nation people.
- Fate Worse than Death: Aang is being kept prisoner by the Fire Nation, and has been mutilated to prevent him from being able to bend. Also, what the people of Ba Sing Se did in order to survive during the Second Siege.
- Heel Realization: Zuko, when he finds out what happened at Ba Sing Se. Though, subsequent chapters may imply that it’s more of an Ignored Epiphany.
- Homoerotic Subtext: Things get pretty steamy during the duel. Also, Ling and Flem. Maybe. Possibly.
Word of God has it that Ling and Flem would probably hook up, if it weren't for the fact that Ling is straight and Flem is either asexual or Azulasexual. - Hope Spot: Sokka is ready to turn his back on his plans in order to be with Yue. Alas, Yue tells him to be loyal to his fiancee, who, unbeknownst to her is Azula.
- Humiliation Conga: Sokka humiliates Hahn fairly often. And then he kills him.
- Info Dump: Chapter 18 has a long history of the Fire Nation's technological progress.
- In Spite of a Nail: Even with the world as dark as it is, some things never change. Sokka loves meat and bad puns.
- Manipulative Bastard: Sokka and Azula and Zuko, once he asks himself "What would Azula do?"
- Mama Bear: To Kya, anything is secondary to the safety of Katara and Sokka.
- Misplaced Retribution: Sokka wants to murder the innocent daughter of the man who killed his father. Even Azula objects.
- A Nazi by Any Other Name: The Fire Nation's ideology is explicitly modeled on fascism.
- Revenge: Sokka's main motivation is to punish the people responsible for the death of his father.
- Shipper on Deck: Azula wants to hook Zuko up with Mai.
- Stay in the Kitchen: Without Katara to teach the Northern Water Tribe about women's lib, they're still pretty bad.
- Time Skip: We're told that at some point in the recent past, Sokka arrived in the Fire Nation. Since then, he's done an excellent job of establishing himself at court.
- What If?: What if Sokka was evil?
