#hope appa's glider is free(?)

[nolan-chance]

You probably don't know but I used to LOOOOVE ATLA when I was younger. Like, a LOT. Despite that, I think I'm not buying any avatar skin, probably just the mini battle pass thing, and not even that if Appa's glider is free (?) I rarely change the skin I use, despite loving the characters i don't love them enough to buy them... The one I could consider buying is Zuko and I don't like that version of him (yes I prefer the bald one so sue me xD). I just don't think is worth for me.

[starlightinhumanform]

The Untold Tales of Ba Sing Se

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender 

Ship: Sokka x fem!Reader (Romantic Relationship)

Summary: The daughter of an airbender has lived her entire life trying to hide her bending, but upon hearing the news that the Avatar is in the city, she is determined to meet him and learn more about her culture. But things never go as planned, and she finds herself sidetracked by a water tribe boy. 

Warnings (in order of strength): None (Please let me know if anything needs to be added)

Genre: Fluff, Meet-Cute

A/N: Well... my hand slipped. This is based on this request and it was so fun to write!!! I’ve never written x reader before so I hope it’s ok! Love you all 🖤✨

Ao3   Fic Masterpost   Fic Request Info

It was a dusty afternoon as you tried to walk inconspicuously through the crowds at the top of the middle ring of Ba Sing Se. As the sun beat down and the people bustled into each other, you were grateful for the loose, thin material of your clothes and its light yellow colour which kept you far cooler than the deep greens and browns of the earth nation. Your mother told you that dressing like an air nomad— you had shaved your head and everything in an attempt to follow tradition— was like drawing a target on your back and maybe she was right, but it was so much more comfortable.

The thought of your mother’s chiding turned your mind towards her and guilt began creeping over you. She would kill you if she knew you were here, trying to sneak into the upper ring of the city to meet the Avatar. She was incredibly cautious and, in turn, incredibly protective of you. You couldn’t really blame her, though, given her own experiences as an airbender barely escaping the carnage of the fire nation. She had managed to reach Ba Sing Se and hide her identity almost completely. Almost. Her foolproof plan had one tiny crack in its great structure— her daughter. By either blessing or a curse, you had been born with the ability to airbend like your mother. Unlike your mother, however, you did not have such an easy time tamping down those abilities. You could feel it all the time, the spiritual energy surging through you and all the powers of the sky trapped within your body. You felt like a caged bird, desperate for freedom. And finally, you had the chance to fly. The Avatar could be your way out if only you could reach him.

“Oh, hey! I didn’t expect to see you here!” A boy’s voice only inches behind you startled you from your thoughts. It was rough, with a hitch in the middle and it didn’t sound like anyone you knew.

You felt your heartbeat begin racing as he came up beside you and threw his arm around your shoulders, “What are you doing here?”

I’ve been caught haven’t, I? They know I’m trying to sneak through the wall. You tried to swallow but your mouth was dry. Your mind began racing to come up with a plausible excuse. The crowd was thick and if you could just break free, it would be easier to hide amongst all these people than it would be to try and talk your way out of this.

You ducked from under his arm, prepared to walk swiftly in any direction away from this situation but he quickly caught your wrist, gripping it tightly.

“Where are you going?” His voice was deeper now, dropping as it had shifted to a serious tone.

Guilt and panic churned in your core, your heart sinking to join the mix as you realized there was no way out of this. You turned to face him, actually looking at him for the first time. He was about your age but definitely taller than you. You could tell immediately that he was from a water tribe, his tan skin and blue clothing giving it away. His eyes were blue as well but what you noticed more than the colour was how sharp his eyes were, like they had been chiseled into his face.

Realization dawned on you, “You’re Sokka, aren’t you?”

He squinted like he was trying to read a small font, “And you’re not Aang, are you?”

The adrenaline still pounding through your body was making your head feel light and at the thought of being mistaken for the Avatar, you doubled over laughing, “No, no, that’s not me.”

Sokka let go of your wrist and rubbed at the back of his neck with his now free hand, obviously feeling self conscious, “Well, uh, sorry about that whole mix up.”

You couldn’t help but laugh lightly at his awkwardness. You had heard stories about Sokka, he was supposed to be a great warrior but he was just… a boy. It was kind of cute, actually, “No it’s fine, even if you did give me a small heart attack.”

“Is there any way I could make it up to you?”

A grin spread across your face, “Take me to the upper ring?”

You grabbed his hand as he led you through to the center of the city, noting the blush spreading to his face as you did so. Oh, definitely cute.

Sokka cleared his throat, “So, uh, why were you trying to get up here anyways?”

Your face turned red, “Was it really that obvious?” 

“Oh yeah. And besides, you’re not exactly dressed for stealth,” He gestured at your brightly coloured clothes, “Why do you wear that anyways?”

“Well… I wanted to get up here to meet Aang and as far as my clothes,” You could feel your heartbeat quickening again. You could trust him, right? He was friends with the Avatar and was fighting against the fire nation. He was safe. The crowd was far thinner now as you continued walking, but there were still too many people. Your mother had taught you that even one could be too many if they were the wrong person, “I’ve just always felt a connection to the air nation I guess.”

“Huh.”

You began chewing on your bottom lip at his noncommittal answer. He can tell I’m lying.

“Aang’s not around right now,” Sokka broke the tense silence, “He’s looking for Appa.”

You nodded; you had heard about the Avatar’s missing bison and had been looking for signs of the animal yourself.

“But, you know, you could hang out with me. If you want, of course. Just until Aang’s back. But I understand—”

That adorable awkwardness was showing again as Sokka tried to get the words out. You smiled, “Yes, that sounds great.”

Sokka’s face split into a beaming grinning, “Ok, great!”

————————

The day passed quickly as Sokka took you on a tower of this elite portion of the city. He had even taken you to lunch at one of the fancy restaurants because— as he said, with a wiggle of his eyebrows, of course— he “had connections.”

Now you were sitting together on a hill from which you could see almost the entirety of Ba Sing Se burning with the rays of the sunset.

Sokka was sitting beside you, the sharp lines of his face accentuated by the deep shadows. You had convinced him to let his hair down and now tucked a piece of it behind his ear so you could see his profile more clearly.

He glanced towards you and you were almost startled by the intensity of his gaze. He was an idiot, no doubt about it, but that silliness was just a fraction of his personality, counteracting his fierce cunning. Now all of that intelligence was being directed at you, his eyes sweeping over your body.

“You’re an airbender, aren’t you?”

You turned away, your eyes searching for something to look at in the city below, anything but his eyes that continued to pick you apart.

You couldn’t see his face but his voice softened as he began to speak again, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you, I just—”

“No, you’re right. It’s just… my mother has always taught me to hide my bending. And she’s right, with the,” You lowered your voice, “with the war and all. We’re not supposed to even know about the war here, but my mom told me about it. She told me how she escaped one of the air temples and she taught me just how ruthless the fire nation army can be. She’s right, I should keep it a secret.”

Sokka placed his hand over yours, “You shouldn’t have to keep who you are hidden. You deserve better than that.”

Water was supposed to be cool, but Sokka was anything but cold. His voice flowed over you like a summer breeze and the warmth of his hand seeped into yours, your fingers thin and somehow far more delicate beneath his. And now the warmth was spreading upwards, reaching your face as your eyes began to fill with hot tears.

Sokka reached over with his free hand, gently tipping your chin upwards to face him, “I promise that one day this war will be over, and you’ll never have to hide again.”

You nodded, not sure what to say. The only other person you had ever talked about airbending with was your mother, and those conversations revolved entirely around fear and secrets. This was completely different, “How did you know? That I was an airbender, I mean.”

“Well for one thing your clothes,” He grinned, “I knew there had to be a good reason for a pretty girl like you to wear those big old robes.”

You shoved him lightly, trying to play off the blush rising to your face. You were grateful for the shift in the conversation but still completely unsure of how to react.

“But really, there’s something about the way you walk and move,” Sokka’s eyebrows were woven together in thought, “like your footsteps are lighter than they should be. I don’t really know how to describe it but it’s something I’ve only seen in one other person.”

“Aang?”

Sokka nodded, then suddenly pointed up into the sky, “Look, there he is now.”

You looked up where Sokka was pointing. The silhouette of a glider circled against the fading red of the sky before landing amongst the buildings a little ways down the hill.

Sokka began moving as if to get up, “Do you want to go to talk to him?”

“Wait!” The word slipped out of your mouth before you had the chance to think. You didn’t want to go yet, didn’t want this— whatever this was— to end yet.

Sokka shifted back into a sitting position, leaning lightly against you, “Everything alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine, I just… I just wanted to say thank you.”

He grinned quizzically, “For what?”

“I don’t know. For everything, for today, for showing me that there’s hope for a different future. Also for this,” You leaned forward, pressing your lips against his and feeling him sigh into the kiss.

He broke away after a moment, his cheeks a bright pink, “Oh, that, ok.”

You winced slightly, “Sorry, was that alright?”

“What? Oh yeah that was fine!” He laughed then pulled you into another kiss, one hand holding the back of your head and the other lacing through your fingers.

You melted into it, feeling yourself smile against his mouth. The Avatar could wait.

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[babypandawrites]

Allies, Pt. 9

The Northern Air Temple 

Pairing: Sokka x F Reader Warnings: None Word Count: 3,813 Summary: You thought that the chance of there being Airbenders other than Aang was too good to be true, sadly you were right. 

Note: How I completely forgot about this until now I'm not sure but! Another piece of this series I’ve done for the fun of it is outfit designs- If that kind of things in fics isn’t your cup of tea then feel free to act like these don't exist! But for those who are interested or who might just wanna see; here you go.  This is just what I personally envisioned while writing, again feel free to ignore it if you want, but I figured I might as well share :)  I was also going to wait until tomorrow to post this bc Wednesdays is my upload day for it on Ao3 but I’m also a chapter ahead there and wanted to get my tumblr uploads caught up- so back to back post today and tomorrow :) Yay 

-Navigation- | -Atla Masterlist-  -Last Part- | -Allies Masterlist- | -Next Part- 

Taglist: @boomeraangin​ | @brokennerdalert​​​

“So, travelers, the next time you think you hear a strange large bird talking, take a closer look, it might not be a giant parrot, but a flying man! A member of a secret group of air walkers who laugh at gravity and laugh at those bound to the earth by it!”  Aang smiled. “Aren’t airbender stories the best?” “Was it realistic? Was that how it was back then?” Katara questioned.  “I laugh at gravity all the time. Haha! Gravity.”  A pair of hands holding a hat suddenly appeared in the space inbetween Sokka and Y/n. The storyteller shook the hat, the jingling of coins being heard.  “Jingle, jingle.”  The two searched their pockets for any money. Y/n didn’t have anything, and the only thing Sokka pulled from his coat pocket was a small ball of lint and a bug.  Y/n offered the storyteller a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”  “Aww. Cheapskates!” The man left them, going to ask other audience members for donations.  She turned to look at Sokka, a disgusted expression apparent on her face at the bug that wiggled around in his hand. “Why… was there a bug in your coat?”  “Hey! Don’t question a man and his bug.” The bug rolled over, and started to crawl up his hand. Sokka yelped and shook it off.  Her expression twisted into amusement. “A man and his bug, huh?”  “It’s not my fault we can’t afford to keep him fed.” 

The next morning, the group found themselves on the way to the Northern Air Temple. Apparently, the airbenders in the story they heard were seen the previous week. It seemed a little too good to be true, that there might be airbenders other than Aang still out there, but Y/n wasn’t going to be the one to crush the kids' hope.  That was Sokka’s job, not hers.  “Hey, we’re almost at the Northern Air Temple! This is where they had the championships for sky bison polo.”  Y/n looked at Aang with a smile. “Sky bison polo? That sounds fun.”  “It is fun! So much fun!”  Katara moved to sit next to her brother. “Do you think we’ll really find airbenders?”  “You want me to be like you, or totally honest?” Sokka asked, focusing on whittling a piece of wood.  “Are you saying I’m a liar?” Katara crossed her arms over her chest.  “I’m saying you’re an optimist. Same thing basically.”  “They’re not the same thing at all.” Y/n commented. The boy just shrugged his shoulders.  “Hey guys, look at this!”  Appa was starting to approach the Northern Air Temple. It sat up on a sheer peak, several people flew around it, and smoke rose from a few pillars.   “Huh! They really are airbenders!” Aang leaned, crossing his arms unhappily. “No, they’re not.”  Sokka pointed up at the people flying around. “What do you mean they’re not? Those guys are flying!”  “Gliding maybe, but not flying. You can tell by the way they move. They’re not airbending. Those people have no spirit.”  Y/n tipped her head to the side, watching the gliders. “I mean, they look like they're flying to me, but you would know best.”  As she finished speaking, a glider passed over the group's heads, nearly taking them off. The glider’s pilot laughed, turning to pass by Appa again. Getting a closer look at the kid, it could be noted that his glider was built out of the wheelchair he sat in.  Katara pointed in the glider’s direction. “I don’t know, Aang. That kid seems pretty spirited!”  The glider made another pass, and soon Aang was standing up glider in hand, before taking off. Another glider flew in front of Appa, startling him and causing Katara and Y/n to fall backwards into Sokka. The three grunted at the impact.  “We better find some solid ground before it finds us!”  Appa made a landing on one of the temple’s outer terraces, the trio getting off him and watching as Aang and the boy in the wheelchair glided through the sky. Aang eventually came down and landed next to them, the other boy also coming to a landing. A few kids came other and detached the glider from his wheelchair, before he wheeled over to the group.  “Hey! You’re a real airbender! You must be the Avatar! That’s amazing! I- I- I’ve heard stories about you.”  Aang rubbed at the back of his neck, embarrassed. “Thanks.”  “Wow! This glider chair is incredible!” Sokka rushed over to the kids who had the glider setup, inspecting it.  “If you think this is good, wait until you see the other stuff my Dad designed.”  He began to wheel away, the group following. They were led through the huge main gate of the temple, into the main chamber. The room was dominated by steam-powered machinery with many wheels, gears and pipes.  “Wow!” Sokka ran forward, looking around the room excitedly.  “Yeah, my dad is the mastermind behind this whole place! Everything’s powered by hot air. It even pumps hot air currents outside to give us a lift when we’re gliding.”  Aang took a look around. “This place is unbelievable.”  The boy in the wheelchair smiled. “Yeah, it’s great isn’t it?”  “No, just unbelievable.”  Y/n tried to hold back a laugh, clearing her throat to force down her laughter.  “Aang used to come here a long time ago. I think he’s a little shocked it’s so… different.” Katara said, before following after Aang when he walked off.  “So better!”  Rolling her eyes, Y/n elbowed Sokka in the shoulder. He gave her a look.  “Come on, you don’t think this is cool at all?”  “Not really.” 

Soon they followed the boy, Teo, to another part of the temple. This time it was a courtyard of sorts, it was untouched, and there were statues of airbenders.  Aang was much happier about this, than he had been about the other room. “It’s nice to see even one part of the temple that isn’t ruined.” He spoke, as him, Y/n and Katara looked at a huge statue of an airbender monk.  “Look out!” A voice shouted out, shortly before a wrecking ball crashed through the statue. The three flew backwards with the debris, and everyone started to cough from the dust. As the dust settled, several people could be seen through the hole that’d been created. One of the people walked forward, a middle aged man with a mostly bald head who wore a monocle, a green tunic and an apron.  “What the doodle! Don’t you know enough to stay away from construction sites? We have to make room for the bathhouse!”  “Do you know what you just did? You just destroyed something sacred! For a stupid bathhouse!” Aang, clearly upset with the man, took on an airbending stance.  The man waved a hand in front of his nose. “Well, people around here are starting to stink.”  Aang pointed at him. “This whole place stinks!” He slammed his staff against the ground, sending a strong gust of wind through the hole in the wall, knocking the wrecking ball and it’s rig off the building's foundation. “This is a sacred temple! You can’t treat it this way. I’ve seen it when the monks were here. I know what it’s supposed to be like.”  “The monks? But you’re twelve!”  Teo wheeled over. “Dad, he’s the Avatar. He used to come here a hundred years ago.”  Aang walked closer to the man. “What are you doing? Who said you could be here?”  “Hmmm… doing here… A long time ago, but not a hundred years, my people became refugees after a terrible flood.” He gestured his arms for effect, before moving to stand behind his son. “My infant son, Teo, was badly hurt and lost his mother.” Sniffling, he held back tears. “I needed somewhere to rebuild and I stumbled across this place. Couldn’t believe it! Everywhere pictures of flying people. But empty! Nobody home! Then I came across these fan like contraptions!”  He held his arms out as if they were wings, making flying motions with them as he walked about the courtyard for a short moment. He stopped in front of Aang, who was clearly still upset.  “Our gliders.”  “Yes, little light flying machines. They gave me an idea. Build a new life for my son, in the air! Then everyone would be on equal ground, so to speak! We’re just in the process of improving upon what’s already here and after all, isn’t that what nature does?” Aang was still upset, while Sokka and Katara stood behind him, teary eyed from the story. Y/n rolled her eyes at the siblings, before moving to stand next to Aang, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Sure, the story was sad, but to her the boy’s feelings were more important.  The Mechanist turned to look through the hole in the wall he’d created. “I suppose that’s true. Unfortunately, progress has a way of getting away from us.” He looked down in a bout of sadness, before his head snapped up to look at an odd candle device..? A bit aways from them. “Look at the time!” Three candles burned brightly on a stone pedestal, each separated into their own sections. Next to the pedestal, a large mallet rests, sitting head down. The Mechanist turned to one of the scribes behind him. “Come the pulley system must be oiled before dark.”  Sokka approached the candles, observing them. “Wait, how can you tell the time from that thing? The notches all look the same.”  “The candle will tell us. Watch.”  The candle’s flame snapped four times in a row.  “You put spark powder in the candle!” “Four flashes, so it’s exactly four hours past midday, or, as I call it, four o’candle!”  Sokka let out a laugh, as The Mechanist looked at him, seemingly pleased he was interested. “If you like that, wait till you see my finger safe knife sharpener!” Y/n’s attention moved to the man at the mention of that, watching as he held up his left hand, where three of his fingers were made of wood. He detached them from his hand, before tossing them to Sokka. “Only took me three tries to get it right!” Sokka let out a scream, as he caught the wooden fingers. “Follow me!”  The Mechanist turned to leave, the men who were with him and Sokka quickly followed. As the boy passed by Y/n, he grabbed onto her wrist and dragged her along with him. She offered a quick goodbye wave to Aang, Katara and Teo as she was dragged away. 

Quiet steps echoed through the narrow hallway, as Y/n, Sokka and The Mechanist descending a narrow staircase. Each of them held a lantern, glowing with sparse blue light.  “These lanterns are terrible! I can’t see.”  Y/n ran into Sokka’s back, as he abruptly stopped to open the jar to his lantern. She flicked the back of his head, as he continued to speak. “Why would you want to use fireflies for light- Hey!”  She snickered, watching the firefly that escaped from his lantern.  The Mechanist turned to look at them. “Hey, close that up! They’ll get loose. Fireflies are a non-flammable light source.”  “Are you meaning to say that something down here is flammable?” Y/n asked, as they all continued walking.  “Well, why else would I need a non-flammable light source?” The Mechanist offered a chuckle, as they approached a door. The edges of it were blocked by some sort of sealant, which he felt around, probably to check for leaks.  After checking he turned back to them. “Cover your nose and hold your breath.”  Once they’d done so, The Mechanist slid open a panel in the door, which they all looked through. It just showed a dark and empty room. “Okay, so you brought us all the way down here to see an empty room.” Sokka spoke with a somewhat confused tone.  “Wrong.”  Eyebrows furrowing together, Y/n watched as the panel was slid shut again. “You brought us all the way down here to see a room full of flammable explosive gas?”  “Correct! It’s filled to the brim with natural gas. Came across it my first time here. Unfortunately, I was carrying a torch at the time. Nearly blew myself and the whole place even more sky high. Thought my eyebrows would never grow back! Anyway, there’s a vital problem that needs solving. From time to time we have gas leaks and they’re nearly impossible to find.”  Y/n took a few steps back, as Sokka helped check the door for leaks. “So this place is an explosion waiting to happen?”  “Yes, until I figure out how to locate something I can’t see, hear, smell or touch.”  “Right, is it safe for us to be around this gas? Should we be wearing masks or something, in case we come across a leak so we don’t, you know, inhale it?”  “Oh don’t worry, we should be fine.” The Mechanist paused for a moment, straightening up after finishing checking for leaks. “Well, as long as you aren’t a firebender or something- hah!” He let out a laugh, which Sokka quickly shared.  Sokka nudged her in the arm, as they started walking back. “Oh come on, that was funny. You know that was funny.”  “Yeah, hilarious.”  He threw an arm over her shoulders. “Come on, loosen up. We’re gonna be fine, even if we do come across a leak.”  She put her hands up in defense. “Okay, okay.” 

The Mechanist led the pair to his workshop, and very clearly told them not to touch anything, before going to look over some papers on his desk. Sokka, of course, did not listen to that and started poking through things the moment the man's attention wasn’t on them.  “Sokka, he said not to touch anything.” Y/n whispered, smacking his hand away from something he was about to mess with.  He gently pushed her away a bit, before going right back to poking around. “Calm down, it’s fine. It’s not like I’m going to break an-” Sokka cut himself off, as he knocked some stuff over. Grimacing, he tried to keep it from falling to the ground.  “I said don’t touch anything!”  When The Mechanist spoke up, Sokka dropped the things to the ground. Y/n crossed her arms over her chest. “Not gonna break anything, huh?”  The Mechanist came over, to help Sokka pick the things up. “Oh, don’t worry, that experiment is old and that egg was just part of last week’s lunch.”  Y/n kneeled down to help them too, as Sokka sniffed the air. “Ugh! Week old egg smell!”   “Quick! Find that egg!”  The three started to crawl around, looking for the egg, but none of them were having much luck.  “How could something that’s so small you can’t even see it make such a big stink!?” Sokka complained as they looked. The Mechanist perked up at the comment. “That’s the solution to our problem!”  “Yeah!” Y/n looked at the two, confused, as they faced each other with excitement. “What?”  “If we put a whole mess of rotten eggs in the cellar where the gas seeps up..” Sokka started the thought, which The Mechanist continued.  “The gas will mix with the smell of rotten eggs…”  “Then, if there’s a leak…”  “You smell rotten eggs! Then you just follow your nose to the place where the smell is coming from..”  “And plug up the hole where the gas is escaping!”  “You’re a genius!” The two spoke in unison.  Still, Y/n looked between the two with a confused expression. “ What? ”  Suddenly, a large bell started to ring, and The Mechanist was quick to get up and rush from the room. “Something’s wrong I’ve got to go.”  “Wonder what that’s about.” Sokka said, getting up himself. He helped Y/n up, grinning. “We should follow him.”  “Always a snoop, huh?” Laughing softly, she shook her head. “Alright.”  Grasping onto her wrist, he dragged her out of the room to follow after The Mechanist. They’d followed him to another room, one that was filled to the brim with different war machines branded with the Fire Nation’s insignia. 

“You make weapons for the Fire Nation!?” Sokka was clearly angry with his words, rightfully so. Y/n was pretty mad about this development as well. She pointed a finger at The Mechanist.  “You! You're terrible. Horrible terrible!”  The Mechanist looked at the ground in humiliation and shame.  Teo looked at his father angrily. “Explain all this! Now!”  “It was about a year after we moved here. Fire Nation soldiers found our settlement. You were too young to remember this tale. They were going to destroy everything, burn it to the ground. I pleaded with them, begged them to spare us. They asked what I had to offer. I offered… my services. You must understand, I did this for you!” Teo turned his wheelchair away, clearly upset. The Mechanist turned on his heel, and walked back down the hall, leaving the five kids in the room.   Teo shook his head. “I can’t believe this…. This is terrible.”  “I know..” Aang looked at the weapons with disdain. “There’s so much here.”  Y/n crossed her arms over her chest. “The Fire Nation could be coming for this soon…”  Aang breathed out a sigh. “Your right… I’m going to go figure it out.”  “I’ll come with.” Teo said, as Aang started to leave the room, before following the boy.  With Aang and Teo’s return, they found out that the Fire Nation was coming soon. And they were intending to burn this place to the ground. They were all outside on one of the walkways, trying to figure out a plan.  “This is bad! Very bad!”  Katara looked over to Aang. “Aang, what are we gonna do? How can we possibly keep them all away?”  “I’ll tell you how.” He pointed to the sky. “We have something they don’t. Air power! We control the sky. That’s something the Fire Nation can’t do. We can win!”  “I want to help.” The Mechanist approached the group, as he spoke up.  Aang offered the man a smile. “Good, we’ll need it.” 

“We finally got the war balloon working, thanks to Sokka. This boy’s a genius!”  “Thank you. You’re a genius!” “Thank you!” Y/n rolled her eyes at the exchange. “Can we get on with this?”  Sokka cleared his throat. “Right. See, the problem with the old war balloon was you could get it airborne, but once you did, it just kept going.” He demonstrated with a model that flew up and hit the ceiling. “You could put a hole in the top, but then all the hot air would escape. So the question became, how do you keep a lid on hot air?”  “Ugh, if only we knew.” Katara commented. Y/n, Aang, Teo and Katara herself all laughed at the remark.  Ignoring them, Sokka pulled the model down from the ceiling, now showing off the mechanism to open and close a lid on the top. “A lid is actually the answer. If you control the hot air, you control the war balloon.” He demonstrated again, but this time the model didn’t fly up to the ceiling, thanks to the lid that could be pulled open with a string.  Katara crossed her arms. “Hmm. That’s actually pretty smart.”  “Okay, we’ve got four kinds of bombs. Smoke, smile, fire and-”  The Mechanist cut Sokka off. “Stink. Never underestimate the power of stink!” 

“We’re going to have to modify this to the new design, and fast.” The Mechanist said, as him, Sokka and Y/n worked on bringing the War Balloon he’d already constructed outside. “With both of you helping we should be able to get it up and running pretty quickly though!”  “Yeah! And I’m pretty sure Aang and Katara will be able to hold off the Fire Nation with everyone’s help.”  Y/n furrowed her eyebrows. “They’ll be able to hold them off, but we can’t count on them too for too long, even if we have the skies. The Fire Nation’s army is huge, who knows how many soldiers will show up.”  They got the balloon set up to do the necessary modifications. “Oh she’s right, time is not something we have on our side right now.”  Sokka nodded in understanding. “Right. It’s only one modification though, so it can’t take terribly long, right?”  “Let’s hope not.”  Getting to work on the War Balloon, they probably could have gotten things done a little faster. But nonetheless, they got it done, and just in time too apparently. While Sokka and The Mechanist got ready to take off in the war balloon, Y/n went to find the others to see how they were holding up.  “How are things going out here?” She asked, once she found Katara, Aang and Teo. The three looked at her with slight concern.  “Not well.” Katara started. “Please tell us Sokka is coming with that war balloon soon.”  Before she could give an answer, the war balloon rose up from behind them all, and started moving towards the battle field. From where they all stood, they could see Sokka and The Mechanist dropping giant slime bombs onto the Fire Nation soldiers. The bombs that they had didn’t stop the soldiers, however, and they were starting to advance closer to the Temple.  Katara put a hand on Y/n’s shoulder, to get her attention. “What are they doing..?”  She squinted in the direction of the war balloon, trying to see what was going on. “I’m not sur-” She cut herself off, watching as something fell from the basket of the war balloon. Was that the balloons fuel source? “Did they just push out their fuel source..?!” “What?!”  A sudden explosion set off, a really really big one. The entire Temple got clouded in a ginormous wall of grey smoke. When the smoke dissipated, it was revealed that the Fire Nation was retreating.  Aang pointed to where the army was leaving. “Look! They’re retreating!” Everyone started to cheer at the success, but the joy was cut short, as the war balloon started heading downwards quickly. Thankfully though, Aang was able to get Sokka and The Mechanist before the balloon crashed below.  Currently, they all stood outside on the main terrace of the Air Temple.  “You know what? I’m really glad you guys all live here now. It’s like the hermit crab.” Aang spoke, as he carefully picked up one of the hermit crabs near them all. “Maybe you weren’t born here, but you found this empty shell and made it your home. And now you protect each other.”  Teo offered a smile to the boy. “That means a lot coming from you.”  “Aang you were right about air power.” Sokka pointed to the sky. “As long as we’ve got the skies we’ll have the Fire Nation on the run!”

[infinitebread]

Freefall

Pairing: Toph/Aang

Rating: T+

Description:  For a brief moment they were free falling together, completely at gravity’s mercy. And Aang was the only thing Toph could see in this world.

*******

Toph really didn’t care what Aang was thinking.

She didn’t.  

In fact, she wasn’t the least bit bothered when they flew back to their make shift camp in complete, absolute, mind numbing silence. A gentle woosh, the tell-tale sign of a typical earth kingdom summer night, filling up the space where laughter and chatter should have been.

She wasn’t the tiniest bit perturbed when the first thing the young airbender did when they landed was wordlessly slide off his seat atop Appa's head and immediately busy himself with setting up the camp without so much as a peep sent in her general direction.

And she definitely didn’t have any feelings of indignation when he finally approached her, extending a friendly arm into her space, only to realize, as their excitable lemur companion hopped off her shoulder and onto Aang's waiting forearm with a series of enthusiastic chirps and gurgles, that it was meant to be a perch for Momo.

It took everything within her to stay calm and not hault his movements by earthbending him halfway into the ground with a furious, “What is your problem?”, right then and there…

But she didn’t care. Really.

Though Toph would never admit it out loud she was aware of the fact that, as a child, she wasn’t always the best at controlling her temper or dealing with conflict. But she wasn’t a little kid anymore.  At nineteen, Toph had sat through a lifetime of diplomatic meetings (much to her chagrin), negotiated with countless criminals during hostage situations (even though she would have greatly preferred pounding them into the ground), and even survived her most challenging discussion to date: reconciling with her parents.

Which is precisely why when Twinkletoes decided to give her the silent treatment without reason or preamble she reacted as any mature, adult person would: she bended the biggest freaking earth tent she could muster and sat in it, seething, for over half an hour.

You know, as one does.

Digging her heels into the soft, loamy familiarity of the ground beneath her, she reached out using her seismic sense, pinpointing her cantankerous other half’s barely-there-feather-light vibrations. He was preparing something on a fire, his tall lanky form moving with uncharacteristically heavier steps, as if he was being weighed down by thoughts too grave to utter out loud. The earth bending master felt her stomach sink. Worry began to colour her irritation. She thought back on the day’s events in an effort to make sense of her companion’s sudden change in demeanor.

*******

He had been in high spirits earlier that morning when they had received a report of suspicious activity occurring around a small earth kingdom town. It was suspected that a nearby factory was being used as a hideout by a ragtag team of dangerously violent robbers and miscreants who had been terrorizing the townsfolk for months. Lucky for them, the Avatar and Sifu Toph Beifong were on the case. And unluckily for the robbers, the factory in question just so happened to be etched onto the side of a cliff.

The mountain was colossal, forebodingly so, the terrain peppered with jagged rocks and heights that promised any soul cursed with a slippery grip a nightmarish demise. This would have no doubt intimidated even the most experienced climber. But Toph and Aang merely smirked at the challenge. The robbers couldn’t have picked an area more suited to the duo’s talents if they tried.

“It’s almost like they’re begging us to take them down.” Aang grinned. With one simple movement he drew out his staff and then released the wings of the glider in another, ready to execute a plan they had concocted seemingly through shared thoughts alone.

“It would be rude of us not to, to be honest.” Toph agreed. Cracking her knuckles in anticipation. Confidence exuding from every pore.

They were almost always in sync. Their hearts and minds operating on a wavelength made just for the two of them.

“We should split up. I’Il take the skies. They probably won’t be expecting an aerial attack. That’s when you--"

“I'll take advantage of the distraction you’ll have created and metal bend as many of those goons into the walls as I can. Got it.”

He smiled fondly. Enamored by her cockiness. The affection he directed at her was almost audible.

“Anything to add?”

“Yeah, actually. How about this time I fly in through the roof? Just to shake things up a little.”

The sound of his laughter reverberated through her like a gentle shockwave and the subsequent quick kiss he placed on her forehead filled her stomach with butterfly-moths.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“But you’re considering it.”  She teased.

“Not gonna respond to that.” He had already started running, gaining the momentum needed to take off before shouting, “Be safe.”

“Do damage.” She called back.

She stretched out her senses, reaching downwards, deep into the ground beneath her, calling upon the stubborn element that was hers to enjoin. A large pile of rocks catapolted her into the air briefly, before another rose to catch her, and then another and another until she reached her destination.

The factory was quiet. And yet it wasn’t. The whirring, ticking, pounding and clanging of metallic machinery was unmistakable. If there was one sound Toph knew very well, it was the sound of metal: obnoxiously high-pitched and unapologetically sonorous, as if to mock the very nature of the soundless earth from which it was born, with its incessant clickity-clacking.

The factory had once been used to manufacture weapons for fire nation soldiers in the former Earth Kingdom colonies, but almost 8 years after the war had ended, it was practically abandoned. Save of course for the criminals said to be using it as a hide out. But that was just the thing. There was plenty of sound coming from the machines but Toph couldn’t detect a single human heart beat from within the building.

Did they receive the wrong intel?

Then it hit her.

She heard the explosion before she felt it.

A trap.

 The words had barely registered in her mind before she realized she was airborne. She was airborne and her ears were ringing. She was airborne and there were little chunks of debris falling all around her. She was airborne and the wind had been knocked right out of her. No she wasn’t airborne.

 She was falling.

Her entire world was a conglomeration of shapes, vibrations and sounds but without her beloved earth beneath her her world was empty and quiet and dark. And terrifying.

She had no idea how far off the ground she was, too disoriented to even make sense of which way was up or down. A distant blast of heat radiated towards her. She felt it on her face. And suddenly this all felt familiar. She had been in this situation before. Years ago, dangling precariously over the edge of a war blimp. A comet raging through the sky as she held onto Sokka’s fingertips for dear life. The feelings of suffocating hopelessness and indescribable fear forcing her to shed silent tears.

Toph was certain she was gonna die.

Both then and now.

Warm arms suddenly enveloped her. The quiet nothingness around Toph was replaced by the frantic yet comforting thump-thump of a familiar heart beat. He held her to him and probably said something she didn’t hear with the roaring of the wind and violent crunch of debris crashing down around them. For a brief moment they were free falling together, completely at gravity’s mercy. And Aang was the only thing Toph could see in this world.

*******

She wasn’t quite sure what exactly happened next after that. Next thing she knew they were back on solid ground, the inky black void dissipated the moment her feet touched the earth and she was almost overwhelmed by the return of all her senses. She felt like she could breathe again. The shock of what had just transpired soon left her system, and she had been back to herself again, ready to regroup and kick ass. Those robbers had just ticked off the World’s Greatest Earth Bender and, as soon as new intel surfaced, there would be a reckoning.

Aang on the other hand, after doing a quick inspection of her for any serious injuries had fallen into an almost meditative silence. Which concerned her at first but it went on for so long, it began to irritate her.

Correction. Irritated. She no longer cared.

Nope. Not at all.

She cared so little in fact that when Aang rapped lightly on the front of her earth tent she absolutely did not jump to her feet entirely too quickly, and she definitely did not bend the makeshift stone door down before he had even begun to knock a second time.

Okay. Maybe she cared a little.

He held something out in the hand that hadn’t been knocking. She recognized the aroma immediately. He had made congee. With mushrooms. Her favorite.

A peace offering?

“A bribe.” He stated sheepishly. As if he could read her mind. “Come over by the fire, I wanna try to heal your wounds.”

She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t touched by the thoughtful gesture. However, she wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily though.

“So you decided to finally break your random vow of silence? S'that it?” she asked once they were settled by the fire.

She crossed her arms in an effort to look unimpressed only to immediately uncross them and wince in pain when her fingers brushed against a bruise on her forearm. Her arms were littered with them, cuts too. But those were the extents of her injuries. She had been very fortunate.

“What do you mean?” He responded distractedly, the sound of water splashing as he bended it onto his palms to heal her. He had learned from Katara so she knew he was competent at healing but only with minor surface level injuries.

“You’re kidding right? You’ve been ignoring me all day.”

“I have?”

She contorted her face in a way that she hoped conveyed both utter annoyance and the non-verbal equivalent of ‘duh'.

“Guess I just had a lot on my mind. I’m really sorry.”

“Uh huh.” An unwelcome thought suddenly occurred to her. She exhaled loudly and braced herself for her next words. “Look Twinkles, I understand if you wanna blame me for messing up back at the factory.”

“Wait, what?” his voice was genuinely incredulous, but she needed to say these words, even just for her own sake.

“I should have realized it was a set up sooner.” She clenched a fist in her lap.

“Toph.”

“They set off all those machines to drown the bomb out but still I should’ve--"

“Toph.”

Aang silenced her with a gentle tug on her wrist and pulled her closer.

“I don’t blame you. At all. Not even a little bit.” He cups one of her newly healed hands in both of his. The gesture annihilates any ensuing words she had planned to say. “I almost lost you today, Toph. I kept thinking about what would have happened if I hadn’t caught you in time…and you looked really scared…I don’t even wanna think about what could’ve--,” he breathed in deeply, gathering his emotions, summoning courage, “I love you, Toph.”

Her whole body stiffened in shock. But he continued on, his heart beating with all the nervous energy of a trapped sparrow-keet, yet his voice remained calm and betrayed nothing.

“I know this is kinda sudden and unexpected,” he carried on while beginning to heal the abrasions along her arm with feather light touches, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. “but I’m sure of how I feel now. I guess I have been for a while actually.”

She blinked at him, mouth slightly agape. He swallowed anxiously.

“You don’t have to say it back. I completely understand if this is too random. I just wanted you to know that I care about you, Toph.” He chuckled in spite of himself, “A lot.”

He had moved his hands to heal the cut that ran along her face, just below her eye, swiping it away with the stroke of his thumb across her cheek bone. Before he could move his hand away, Toph held it in place with her own. A move that surprised both of them.

“I love you too, Aang.” She said honestly. She had never ever been one for mushy declarations but…he made it so easy. She had long suspected it and the sincerity in both their heartbeats merely confirmed it.

“Really?” Their faces were close together now, foreheads almost touching. The proximity thrilled her.

She answered him by closing the gap between them, crashing their lips together. He immediately responded grabbing the back of her neck and deepening the kiss, causing her to lose all coherent thought. Her arms wrapped around his neck instictively and for the second time that day, it felt as if the whole world had fallen away and there was only him. Neither of them noticed the abandoned bowl of congee tip over and spill into the soil. All Toph was aware of in those moments were needy hands and a series of heady kisses on her cheeks, her nose, along her jaw, on her neck and her eyelids, until he claimed her lips once more.

She felt like she was falling again.

They finally broke apart, panting, eyes closed, hearts racing, foreheads touching.

Before her senses returned to her in full, Toph found herself wanting to tell him more. She wanted to tell him he meant so much to her too. She wouldn’t know what to do without him either.

 And that she thinks she’s not afraid of falling anymore because she knows he’ll catch her…

But mushy declarations still weren’t her forte. She would say all of this to him. One day.

Today, she gave him one more quick, lingering kiss, smirked and told him,

“The congee’s getting cold.”

[gaangadventures]

Soulmates

Part One / Part Two

Feel free to request if you want! 

You had hardly been able to sleep on the bison’s saddle, and you weren’t entirely sure whether it was because you were used to sleeping on an actual bed, or because of the distrusting looks you kept getting. Which was fair you thought, your brother happened to throw their grandmother after rudely grabbing her and then terrified their village.

Although, you couldn’t exactly say you knew why they hated the Fire Nation so much, not by every detail at least. You managed to hear a little bit of truth from your uncle when your brother was too busy either skulking or dramatically burning things. 

But maybe you just liked to hear stories, turning your gaze to the sun rising in the sky. Like a true firebender you thought, crossing your legs and placing your wrists on your knees while you closed your eyes.

Meditating while flying in the air was certainly something, you almost wanted to ask for another ride on his glider. That had been fun, but you couldn’t say that you wanted to because like almost everyone you were related to, you had a bit of an issue with your pride.

Waiting until everyone was awake to open your eyes wasn’t all that difficult, as you had been more focused on meditating and the sun was always helpful in that regard. 

They were already lowering down to the ground when you opened your eyes, the light making it seem like it was a new place. But you had already seen it before, a few months before your brother had come across the water tribe and the avatar himself.

“Wait ‘til you see it Katara, the air temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world.” You held back a wince at his optimism, not having wanted to say anything and end up hurting him.

“Aang, I know you’re excited, it’s been a few hundred years since you’ve been home.” Katara tried to say, only for said avatar to get even more excited about returning.

“That’s why I’m so excited!”

“It’s just that a lot can change in that time.” 

:”I know, but I need to see it for myself.” He added, and you only looked down at your hands as Aang hopped off of Appa after tying off the reins, you weren’t quite sure exactly what he was doing.

“Wake up Sokka, air temple here we come!” He exclaimed, leaning over the older boy who was still lying on the ground, all bundled up in the sleeping bag?

“Sleep now. Temple later.” He responded, before turning around and immediately beginning to snore. Aang practically lit up like a light bulb when he suddenly got an idea, getting a mischievous smile on his face, before picking up a stick and lightly drew it along Sokka’s sleeping bag.

“Sokka, wake up! There’s a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!” He called out, 

“Ahhh! Get it off! Get it off! Ahh!” The water tribe boy was quick to get up, jumping around inside of his sleeping bag before promptly falling face-forward. You tried to hide your snickers while his sister and Aang had no qualms about it.

“Great, you’re awake, let’s go.” He had said, and the four of you were back to flying on Appa after camping for the night.

Hearing a surprisingly loud stomach growl, you’d been surprised to learn that it hadn’t been you.

“Hey, stomach, be quiet, alright? I’m trying to find us some food.” You heard from Sokka, and you briefly glanced at him, unsure of whether or not you should give him some advice on hunger, but you assumed that he would probably not like that.

So you chose not to say anything this time. After all, you had gone hungry more times than you could count on both hands. Who would have wanted a princess who ate too much anyway? When you were younger, you used to sneak into the kitchen to get more food, but you made sure to eat it in your brother’s room since you would’ve gotten in trouble if they knew it was you.

“Hey! Who ate all my blubbered seal jerky?” He ended up asking, after searching through his pack and finding nothing. You would’ve shared yours, if you had enough time to grab anything when you left.

“Oh, that was food? I used it to start the campfire last night. Sorry.” Aang admitted, looking back at his friend, although your gaze was back on the cloud, only half-way paying attention.

“You what? Aww. No wonder the flames smelled so good.” Sokka muttered, and you bit your tongue as your own stomach growled.

“The Potola mountain range! We’re almost there!” The avatar exclaimed, finally drawing your attention.

“Aang, before we get to the temple, I want to talk to you about the airbenders.” Katara started, and you avoided looking anywhere but the two talking.

“What about them?”

“Well, i just want you to be prepared. The Fire Nation is ruthless. They killed my mother, and they could’ve done the same to your people.” With that, you couldn’t help but wince, and you agreed. You couldn’t help but look at your shoulder when she spoke, you could have sworn you saw a spark of yellow coming from your hand. 

Looking down at your hands, you let out a breath of relief when you saw that it wasn’t lightning like you feared, but fire still.

“Just because no one has seen an airbender doesn’t mean the Fire Nation killed them all.” How was he still so optimistic? You knew that it was clear that the Fire Nation had ruined lives, families, and more that you probably didn’t know about.

“No, she has a point.” You added quietly, not having expected anyone to really hear you speak but it caught more attention than you meant.

“They probably escaped.” He continued, his gaze moving from the sky back to Katara.

“I know it’s hard to accept.” She started, 

“You don’t understand Katara, the only way to get to an airbender temple is on a flying bison. And I doubt the Fire Nation has any flying bison. Right, Appa?” he asked, petting him and he started to fly around a mountain.

You blinked for a moment, not wanting to show how vulnerable you really were at this point. Here you were, on a flying bison of all things, you had no clue where you were and you were starting to really regret sneaking out of the map-reading classes you had before.

Holding on tight to the saddle, you started to go up higher through the mountain and above a forest, only to see the temple.

“There it is, the Southern Air Temple.”

“Aang, it’s amazing!”

“We’re home, buddy. We’re home.”

Truth be told, you were hardly paying any attention. You hadn’t been since you realized that this was your soulmate’s home and your nation had killed his people. You may not have been the one to order it, but it was your family. Were the spirits losing it? Why would they have matched the two of you up?

With that thought, you hesitated in getting off of Appa when he had landed on the ground. You had heard of people having different soulmates in a book you read once, so were you his? You already knew that he was yours.

You were grateful for a moment that they hadn’t particularly wanted to talk to you, or your quietness probably would’ve been mentioned already.

“So where do I get something to eat?”

“You’re lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to ever visit an airbender temple, and all you can think about is food?”

“I’m just a simple guy with simple needs.” Listening to the two siblings talk had made you miss your own, but you certainly hadn’t missed the expectations that came with either one.

“So that’s where my friends and I would play airball, and over there is where the bison would sleep.” Aang had said, pointing out to each place when you and the water tribe siblings had caught up with him. He let out a sigh, dropping his hands as if he was beginning to realize something.

“Aang, what’s wrong?”

“This place used to be full of monks and lemurs, and bison. Now there’s just a bunch of weeds. I can’t believe how much things have changed.” He finished, looking over the short cliff, before turning to look at the three of you.

“So uh, this airball game--how do you play?” Sokka asked, walking a bit closer to the edge of the cliff where the monk was. Was this going to be a fair game? Probably not, but you were hoping to see the water tribe boy lose anyway. With that simple question, he brightened and then the two had gotten onto the odd poles, each on the opposite sides. 

Aang began by making an airball and kicking it at an angle, only for it to ricochet between the poles and hit the older boy in his chest, knocking him off of it entirely.

“Aang 7, Sokka 0.” He laughed, making the numbers with his arms, a grin already on his face. As you tried to figure out how exactly the game was played, you hardly noticed what the nonbender was muttering.

“Hey Aang? What are the rules in this game?” You couldn’t help but ask. There were rules in everything, and this would most likely be no exception.

“There are no rules in airball! You just make an airball and get it through the hoop while the other person tries to stop it!” He had said, throwing you for a loop and the confusion must’ve been obvious on your face when he spoke again. “Here, I’ll show you!”

Making another airball wasn’t difficult at all in his case, but physically impossible in yours. Standing where Sokka had been was a little daunting, not that you would admit that, and you were about to hold your hands out to stop the airball, but you couldn’t bring fire to this place. Not when so many firebenders themselves had wreaked havoc here. You wouldn’t put yourself among them either.

“Aang, there’s something you need to see.” Katara had called out, and the two of you had started to head over there, Aang still playing with the airball.

 “What is it?” Knowing what the topic had been before, you had a suspicion of what it was but you weren’t going to mention it. But before he could see anything, the waterbender had moved the snow only for it to land on her brother. 

“Uhh, just a new waterbending move I learned.” You leaned forward to help the older boy with the snow, since as a firebender you could definitely do that, but he shrugged you off and you hadn’t attempted again.

“Nice one. But enough practicing. We have a whole temple to see.” Aang had said, already walking away from you three.

“You know, you can’t protect him forever.” Sokka was still brushing the snow off, and you couldn’t help but think that they were ignoring you. But with that thought, you had received a sideways glance from Katara and an attempted glare from Sokka. Resisting the urge to roll your eyes at the glare, you knew they had every right to not trust you and the like, but you had seen and gave better glares than that.

“Katara, firebenders were here. You can’t pretend they weren’t.” Only halfway listening to the siblings, you started to walk away and towards the fountain, barely catching a glimpse of Aang as he ran around.

You hardly remembered much about the temples or the three-year trip around the nations themselves, as you had still been recovering from your burns when your brother decided that he hadn’t needed you and by the time you had recovered, you wanted nothing to do with the Fire Nation.

Placing your hand onto the stone fountain, you could already see quite a bit of the snow melting around you, only for you to quickly take your hand off when you started to see steam. You had been losing most of your control with your firebending when you became upset, but that hardly ever showed when you weren’t.

Lost in your thoughts, you almost started to panic when you realized that the water tribe siblings were walking away until you had heard Aang call out to them, assuming that he had meant only them after all.

“Hey guys! I want you to meet somebody!” But at the exclamation, you couldn’t help but follow after them anyway.

“Who’s that?” Katara had been the first to ask, once they noticed Aang pointing to an old statue of an old man. 

“Monk Gyatso. The greatest airbender in the world.” He answered, turning to face the statue instead of his friends, only to turn back to them, gesturing to the statue. “He taught me everything I know.” Giving a bow to the statue itself mere moments after your soulmate had, you were saddened to see the run-down state of the statue

“You must miss him.” Was she always this motherly? You almost wanted to point it out, but you knew she had the ability to beat you in a battle and you were not willing to risk your life yet.

“Yeah.”

“Where are you going?”

“The Air Temple Sanctuary. There’s someone I’m ready to meet.” Who could be still alive long enough to meet him? No one, they wouldn’t be. Not after a hundred years, not to mention a literal genocide.

Following the avatar in the temple was an easy decision of yours, you had wanted to see it for yourself after your brother had mentioned it so many times anyway.

“But, Aang, no one could have survived in there for a hundred years.” The waterbender brought up, you agreed with her much to her dislike.

“Maybe they never did.” You added, slightly unsure of yourself upon seeing the trumpet-looking contraption at the door. How were any of you supposed to open that?

“It’s not impossible.” Aang spoke up, as the group had stopped before the large door. “I survived in the iceberg for that long.”

“Good point.”

“But you’re also the avatar.” You added, almost wanting him to stop being so optimistic for five seconds.

“Katara, Y/N, whoever’s in there might help me figure out this avatar thing.”

“And whoever’s in there might have a medley of delicious cured meats.” Running at the door, he had not made it through like he hoped, landing on the floor with an “oof.” He tried to push it open even after that though, and you almost wanted to laugh. “I don’t suppose you have a key.”

“It looks like it needs more than a key.” You looked at the door, thinking that maybe air had something to do with it, and your thought was proven correct when the airbender spoke up.

“The key, Sokka, is airbending.” He took a deep breath and gestured his hands to the door, air blowing into it, making the blue shells on it turn and show the other side. The doors began to open with ease, showing a room filled with statues as far you could see.

“Hello? Anyone home?” Aang was the first one to walk inside, with the three of you lagging a bit behind, and you were a bit ahead of the two siblings. You hadn’t wanted to intrude on really any of this, but you had read more than you had thought about the avatars, probably because of your brother. 

With that thought, you immediately frowned, having hoped for the three of you to reconnect but now, you were sure there was no chance of that for at least a while, considering your brother was most likely calling you a traitor for what you did and your sister, well, she was still in the palace with your father and it was the last place you had wanted her. If he hurt you and Zuko, who’s to say he wouldn’t hurt her?

“Statues? That’s it? Where’s the meat?” Shaking your head ever so slightly, you turned your attention to the older boy complaining of no food and you felt your eye twitch but you bit your tongue.

“Who are all these people?”

“I’m not sure, but it feels like I know them somehow.”

“They’re avatars.” You interrupted, only recognizing a few from what you had read about them, stepping towards a firebender while Aang and Katara pointed out airbenders and waterbenders, each to their respective element of course.

Leaving them be for a few moments, you began to follow the pattern of avatars across the room. Fire, air, water, earth. It took you a bit longer than you would’ve preferred, but you managed to find the last avatar. 

You glanced over when you heard footsteps coming towards you, seeing Aang as he looked up at the statue. You had been expecting for him to say something, but you noticed that he was practically entranced into staring up at the avatar before him.

“Aang!” You had spoken up, beginning to shake him and you were grateful that you hadn’t had to shake him for long. “Who is that?” When you asked it, you hadn’t been expecting an answer.

“That’s avatar Roku, the avatar before me.” He clarified, and you realized why he had looked somewhat familiar. You read about him, and that he’d been close to Sozin, your great grandfather. Close enough for him to give the crown prince ornament.

“You were a firebender? No wonder I didn’t trust you when we first met. Uh, no offense.” Sokka asked, as the two siblings grew closer to the last statue in the line.

“None taken.” You added, having heard worse but you mostly expected it.

“There’s no writing. How do you know his name?”

“I’m not sure. I just know it somehow.”

“You just couldn’t get any weirder.” The water tribe boy grunted out, and you sent a scowl for it, knowing that you might look more intimidating than your brother. 

But the group went silent once you could hear light footsteps and almost instantly each one of you hid behind a statue. Katara and Sokka were behind the same one, as well as Aang and yourself.

“Firebender. Nobody make a sound.” Sokka had whispered, and you gulped. There could have been a few stragglers, and you knew that there would be a bounty on your own head, much like it was with your brother and uncle. You had all been considered traitors to your nation and banished.

“You’re making a sound.” Katara retorted, and you couldn’t help but snicker at the two siblings while the boys continued to shush you both.

“That firebender won’t know what hit him.” You frowned at his words, but you had felt a spike of fear when it had been brought up. Would they act like this towards you one day? You severely hoped not, they could be quite destructive if they wanted.

As each of you had poked your head out from behind the statues, you heard a chittering and you immediately softened, your heart rate going back to normal as well.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

“Lemur!”

“Dinner.” The two boys had said in unison, causing you to look at the only other girl in the group with a mildly concerned look. This wasn’t going to go well, was it?

“Don’t listen to him. You’re gonna be my new pet.”

“Not if I get to him first!” Your thoughts had proven correctly when Sokka and Aang began to run after the lemur, practically scaring it to death.

“Wait! Come back!”

“I want to eat you!”

You could only roll your eyes, before beginning to follow after them. The lemur needed a way to escape after all.

“Hey! Come back! Come on out, little lemur. That hungry guy won’t bother you anymore.” Aang said, moving some old curtains out of his way. “Firebenders? They were here?” He murmured, before moving his gaze to see the skeleton of his old mentor. ”Gyatso.” With that realization, he dropped down onto his knees.

“Hey, Aang, you find my dinner yet?” Sokka asked, moving the curtain as well as you had hurried after them, nearly tumbling into the older boy himself. You had let out a quiet gasp when you saw the room filled with Fire Nation soldier skeletons and only one airbending skeleton. But what had you most concerned was your first friend crying.

“Aang, I wasn’t really gonna eat the lemur, okay?” You only shook your head, making your way towards him, stepping past Sokka as you did so. “Oh, man. C’mon Aang. Let’s get out of here.” Before you could say anything to help, Sokka had put his hand on the avatar’s shoulder and his arrows and eyes started glowing.

“Aang, come on!” He tried, but the wind grew worse, sending both of you flying into the remains of a wall. But you had never been one to give up, and he started to levitate in the air, so you had to try something a bit different.

“I know you’re upset, and nothing can replace Gyatso! It’s hard to lose the people you love. Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. Katara, Sokka, and I, we’re your family now.” You yelled out, hoping that at least some of it would get through to him. And it seemed like it had when the wind died down and he started to come back down.

“We aren’t gonna let anything happen to you. Promise.” Sokka had said when you were finished, the two of you holding his hands for a moment and the glow from him faded and he fell into your side.

“I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay.” You murmured, letting out a breath that you hadn’t even noticed you were holding. “It’s not your fault.”

“But you and Katara were right. And if firebenders found this temple, that means they found the other ones, too. I really am the last airbender.” You couldn’t help but just hug him. While you weren’t particularly keen on physical touch with anyone, he needed a hug and you happened to be the person that he was laying on.

When he was feeling a little better, the two of you headed back to the sanctuary while the two siblings started packing everything back up.

“How did you know what to say?”

“Well,” letting out a quiet laugh, you gave him a glance before continuing, “my mom disappeared when I was younger. Then more things happened, and I don’t think we have time for my whole life story.” What you said was true, you didn’t have much time before you would be leaving, but you were mostly looking for a way out of that conversation.

“Thanks, Y/N. But how is Roku supposed to help me if I can’t talk to him?”

“Maybe you’ll find a way.” You suggested, absolutely unsure of how that would happen. It’s not like they wrote instruction manuals on how to be the avatar, but in hindsight, maybe they should have.

“Everything is packed.” You heard Katara say, and quickly thanked her before hearing the same light footsteps from before, all of you turning to look at the lemur, only for it to drop food at Sokka’s feet.

“Looks like you made a new friend, Sokka.”

“Can’t talk. Must eat.” He spoke through a mouthful of food, and you almost laughed. If your father could see you now, he would’ve been so mad. But that wasn’t the case now. You weren’t Azula, and you spoke against him so perhaps he wouldn’t care at all. Regardless, you sorely hoped that he would be in for it, the next time you met.

“Hey, little guy.” Aang greeted the lemur that was now on his shoulders, and you couldn’t help but pet him. You always did have a soft spot for animals, and Appa was no exception.

“You, me, Appa--we’re all that’s left of this place. We have to stick together. Katara, Y/N, Sokka, say hello to the newest member of our family.”

“What are you gonna name him?” You asked, having been redoing your hair into two low braids and leaving it at that. Much different from having your hair up into a Fire Nation knot like you had been. With that question, the lemur had climbed onto you then Sokka, just to steal a moon peach an inch away from his mouth before scurrying back to Aang’s shoulders.

“Momo.” You couldn’t help but laugh along with them, finally beginning to feel like a part of the group instead of being just there like you had been for the start with them and the majority with your brother.

Maybe this could end well for you after all.

[nanaminsonyfans]

Between Worlds; Chapter Six

Previous, Next, Masterlist

A/N: Thank you all for being to patient with me while I took a break. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I am actually very proud about this one. Thank you to my editor @imagine-yourself-happy

Gif is not mine

!!TW!! Swearing, injuries, mentions of blood

The statue’s eyes began to glow a light blue color, then a silhouette formed, stepping out into view. “Roku?” You asked softly upon seeing him. “I-I have a question for you…I understand you brought me here for something else but I’m just so confused. I don’t belong here. Why am I here and not Aang?” You walked forward, trembling slightly with each step. “Y/N, this was always your destiny. No matter how you look at it, this is yours. Aang may have had it first but this is yours.” Roku put his hand on your shoulder, squeezing it softly. “But...I don’t know how to do any of this. I mean, Air comes naturally to me but I can’t control it. I almost hurt Katara and Sokka.” You said as you started to cry.

Roku shook his head and lifted your chin up so you’d look at him. “You are a strong woman. You can do anything you set your mind to. Look how far you have already come. Y/N, you protected two villages even after you were burned, you saved another one.” He spoke in a comforting tone and wiped away your tears. It was the reassurance of an adult that made you feel safe. You sniffled and nodded as you peered up at him. “How do I control my bending? When I get emotional, it just takes over. I don’t want to hurt anyone by being blinded like that.”

“You can control it. It’s okay to have a few slip-ups. I wish I could give you more time and not rush you, but…you have to master all four elements by the end of the summer.” He explained with an even tone. “I know…I’m just scared. What if I can’t do it? What if I’m not strong enough?” Your eyes began to water again, your throat became dry as you tried to hold back a sob. “You are. As I said, you’ve made it this far. You also have the past Avatars to help you.” You looked back behind Roku, seeing the light slowly start to fade. He had noticed as well. “By the end of this summer, another comet will come. It will give the Fire Nation the rest of the power that they need to fully need to take over the rest of the nations. You must stop them.” 

“Y/N? Y/N!” Katara’s voice snapped you out of your trance as you mindlessly were applying a cold cloth to Sokka’s forehead. “Oh…sorry.” You whispered and stood up. “Is Sokka feeling any better?” You asked softly and stood up, looking at him with concern. “Not very well. That storm really did a number on him.”

“Well, I found a map. There’s a herbalist, I’ll go see if they have anything for tea. That might help.” You explained, but turned to Katara when she started coughing. “Oh no, not you too?” You went over to her and laid her down on Appa next to Sokka. “Just rest here and I’ll be back with medicine.” You wrapped her in a blanket and grabbed your glider, running out of the small shelter you had. 

The rain made a small pitter-patter against your skin and gilder. It was soothing, considering everything preoccupying your mind - what Roku had said, your encounter with Zuko, Jet, that horrible storm, and now taking care of the two Water Tribe siblings. You sighed softly as you walked up a trail to a greenhouse or terrarium-looking thing. When you entered, you were greeted with the scent of roses, lavender, and...cats? You looked down and saw a cat rubbing against your ankle. It was a beautiful white cat, fluffy too. You bent down and scratched it’s head softly, the small gesture made you feel ten times better. 

You noticed an old woman tending to her plants and herbs. “Umm…ma’am? I’m very sorry to barge in like this, but my friends are sick and I need medicine for them or even a little ginger for tea?” You spoke fast and with urgency. “Calm down, young lady. Your friends are fine. I’ve been up here for forty years you know, there used to be others but they all left years ago.” The old woman pet the cat that was now on the table, “Now it’s just me and Miyuki.” You stared at her, growing a bit impatient. “Ummm, that’s nice. Could you tell me what I need to do to cure my friends?” You noticed her starting to pick herbs and such. “One moment, I am doing something…” She muttered to herself and walked around the garden.

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Ten, fifteen minutes passed of her trying to find a herb and it still wasn’t even to help you! That was irritating. It was only food for her cat. “Ma’am, could you please tell me what a cure for my friends is?” You asked for maybe, the fifth time. “Oh yes, about that. You must go to the swamp for frozen wood frogs and then have your friends suck on them! They must be frozen though!” She grinned crazily. “You’re insane aren't you?” You snored. “Go on now! You don’t have time to sit around and talk!” The woman ushered you out of her greenhouse.

You rolled up your pants as you stepped into the murky swamp, gagging softly at the smell. Eventually, you found four and stuck them in your pockets. Just as you were about to grab a fifth, three arrows pinned your shirt sleeve to a log. You yelped in surprise and used your Airbending to shield yourself as more arrows were sent your way. “Uh, do you want your arrows back?” You called out as about four people jumped out of the trees. You gulped and looked at them as your heart started to pound. You waterbended an ice wall but it was quickly shattered by an arrow. “Shit-” You mumbled to yourself as your shirt collar was pinned to another log. You winced feeling the sting of the arrowhead grazing your collarbone. You were shot with a tranquilizer then a net, resulting in you losing consciousness. 

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Your eyes opened. Everything became a blur. There was an attempt to move your feet but you quickly realized they were tied together by a rope and your arms were chained behind you. The chains jiggled as you tried to struggle but it was no use. “Well, this is the Avatar? Master of all the elements? I have no idea how you eluded the Fire Nation, but your game of hide and seek is over.” You recognized that voice, Admiral Zhao. “I wasn’t hiding from you, Zhao. Untie me and I’ll fight you right now!” You yelled fighting with the restraints. “Uhh, no. Tell me, how does it feel to be the last Airbender? Do you miss your weak people?” You teared up at the thought, but you were quick to blink back any visible tears. “Don’t worry, you won’t be killed like they were.” You dug your nails into your palms and gritted your teeth. “Shut up.” You growled, glaring up at Zhao. 

He only smirked at you. “If we kill you, the next Avatar will just be reborn again and the Fire Nation will have to search all over again.” He bent over and grabbed your chin, forcing you to look up at him. “I’ll keep you alive, but just barely.” You glared and spat in his face. He backed away in disgust. “You little bit-” You blew a gust of wind at him, knowing him off his feet. “Blow all the wind you want. No one is coming to save you.” He hissed and walked out, his aggressive footsteps fading off in the distance. You screamed in anger and started to thrash around, only giving yourself rope burn and bruises around your wrists. You started to cry softly, from anger and pain. “Fuh-Fuck you Zhao.” You mumbled to yourself through the tears.

After thirty minutes, you gave up trying to break free. You were sweaty and bloody, the palms of your hands were bleeding, ankles burned, and wrists were bruised. You heard a soft ribbit and croak. Oh, no! Frogs started to jump out of your clothes, still half frozen. “No, no, no, no! Get back here! I need you to cure Katara and Sokka!” The frogs obviously didn’t give a shit about your feelings, and honestly, that kinda hurt. “Please, come back.” You cried and leaned forward in defeat, your tears now hitting the metal floor. You were snapped out of your pity party hearing metal and something heavy dropping to the floor. 

You looked up and saw someone dressed in all black, but a blue dragon-like mask. You furrowed your eyebrows and felt a familiarity with the person. “Wh-Who are you?” Your voice cracked. It made sense since you’ve been crying for the past twenty minutes it seemed. “Ar-Are you here to rescue me?” There was a hint of hopefulness in your voice. The person didn’t say anything. They just opened the door after freeing you from the restraints. “I-I’ll take that as a yes.” You mumbled and followed the other out. Then it struck you. The Blue Spirit…Zuko. Joy filled your body as you followed him. You turned your head to croaking, your frogs! You ran to find them, they were thawing out. 

“Please don’t thaw out! I need you!” You tried to grab one but was pulled back by your collar. You winced in pain as the fabric rubbed against the cut you received earlier. The Blue Spirit let out of you immediately after hearing your reaction. “I-I’m fine. Just sensitive, there is all.” You mumbled as you adjusted your clothing. “But, thanks for coming for me, whoever you are.” You smiled softly and kissed the mask. “My hero~” You giggled and was dragged off by the Spirit. 

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“I want a full transcription written down and sent to the Fire Lord. I only want glowing testimonials from the soldiers and generals.” Zhao said as he walked down the dimly lit halls with a scribe. He was snapped out of his trance with ordering when he heard moans and croaks from frogs. “What the-” He turned, seeing guards tied up and gagged. He gritted his teeth and kicked open the door that you were supposed to be held in. “The Avatar has escaped!” He yelled, running down the halls. 

“There, on the wall!” A soldier yelled pointing to where you and the Spirit were climbing. “Shit.” You grumbled, trying to climb the rope on the wall faster. One of the soldiers cut your rope, forcing you and the Spirit to fall to the ground. You screamed in your way down but quickly hopped up. The Spirit unsheathed his swords and started to run. “Stay close to me.” You said and ran in front of him, blasting all the soldiers in your way with wind.

The third gate was close, but then it closed before you got there. “Fuck.” You hissed and turned to the spirit. All the soldiers took aim at the two of you. “Wait! The Avatar must be kept alive!” Zhao yelled, causing the soldiers to step back. The Blue Spirit moved and out his swords to your neck, close to cutting your head off. “What the hell?” You hissed in shock and he started to back away. To avoid being cut you pressed your body against his, you heard his breath hitch slightly as you did that. 

“Open the gates.” Zhao grumbled. “But sir-” A guard interjected before being cut off. “I said, open the gates! He’ll kill her if we don’t.” He hissed, the soldiers nodded and opened it. The Blue Spirit and you backed up slowly, exiting the yard. You shuffled backward, following the Spirits lead. You got halfway down the trail but an arrow was shot, cutting your earlobe and knocking the mask off of your savior. Everything happened in slow motion it seemed, you acted fast. Using your Airbending, you brought the Spirit and yourself to safety in the woods. 

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You chewed on your lip as you sat on the root of a tree. You saw him, now that you knew for sure was Zuko, wake up. “Thank you for saving me…but I know you didn’t do it out of kindness, but rather for your own gain.” You took a deep breath, “I may not remember much but I know I had friends a hundred years ago. Now, I have a family - Sokka and Katara. I wonder, if things were different, do you think we could ever be friends, Zuko?” Your voice was soft and calm as you stood up. He  glared at you and unsheathed his swords in a threatening manner. “I’ll be here...if you ever do decide to make things different.” You sighed and used your glider to take off, leaving Zuko. 

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“Suck on these. You’ll feel better.” You mumbled giving Sokka and Katara a frozen frog. The sister took notice of your distraught and frowned. “How was your trip, Y/N? Did you make any new friends or meet new people?” You tucked a piece of hair behind your ear and sighed.

“No…I don’t think I did.”

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Taglist; @imagine-yourself-happy @toobsessedsstuff @bluecrystals01 @cheyenne-dunn-universe @foolishgang @alrightberries @givemetundies @anxietyriddledcollegekid @gra-hamcrackers @marionette-ghoulette @miracle-rat @bangtanboyswriting123 @wattpadwaterandfire @hopelessly-hopeful-hope @alexander-the-great32105 @mavix @mcartist @furblrwurblr @celamoon @ghost-of-the-oldwest @whatanicepanohthatsjustme @itscomplicateddw @panini-the-bird-killer @yoongnysus @willa-the-bean @so-fuckin-tiredd @utterlyconfused-tm @ctrl-alt-jeon @gabsnac @angxlicwanda @snackgod @gardenofideas @aexonian @chewymoustachio @possumbender @analovesyouverymuch @hopefully-a-decent-person

[stitch1830]

do you have any domestic tophxaang and sukixsokka hcs

Hi Anon, thanks for the ask! I definitely have some HCs, and I'm happy to share!

I'm guessing you're asking for Taang and Sukka together with their kids, but if I'm wrong feel free to drop another ask :)

For reference, my Dunebabies are Lin (120 AG), Gyatso (124 AG), Suyin (126 AG) and Kenji (130 AG) and then my Bladebabies are Malek (112 AG) and Kiyoko (117 AG).

Since Malek and Kiki are older than all the dunebabies, they definitely play the part of older cousin/sibling and do a lot of doting on the dunebabies when they're younger, and a bit of babysitting when they're older. When Lin was born, Malek thought she was cute and squishy, but Kiki begged Aunt Toph and Uncle Aang to let her hold Lin. And as new parents, they were a little weary (but the kid was adamant, whatchu gonna do... lol).

Sokka and Suki live in Republic City from time to time, so they are usually the go-to sitters when Aang and Toph have a mission. And same goes when Sokka and Suki have to run.

I forget who I said were all the next gen kids favorite aunts and uncles, but Toph and Aang always help the bladebabies get into trouble or help with pranks if need be.

Kenji is the baby of all the next gen kiddos, and he's very attached to Toph as a baby. But in a pinch Suki is a great sub (Kenji loves his aunts a lot lol).

Kiki loves flying on Appa with Aang and Lin (eventually all the dunebabies). Often, she asks to be taken up on the glider with just Uncle Aang because she thinks it's the coolest thing ever.

Kiki and Suyin are double trouble despite their age difference, so if those two are ever alone together, the parents immediately search for them because they know chaos may soon follow.

Gyatso thinks Malek and Sokka have the funniest jokes. He laughs every time, and is very gullible around them.

Malek and Kiki love asking Aunt Toph to make earth slides for them. Aang would do it, but he asks too many questions sometimes.

And... That's all I have for now! Thanks again for the ask, Anon. Hope you have a great day! :D

......

Send me asks about ATLA, or anything, really! :D

[presumenothing]

one more light

ALRIGHT SO this isn’t a new fic but i just realised i somehow never did post this to tumblr, so here it is: 2k worth of atla zombie apocalypse non-au. 

no archive warning content beyond the fact of. y’know. zombies

(AO3)

i.

“It’s not your fault, Aang,” Katara says after they beat back the latest siege, and only his sister could still sound sincere even in something they’ve all said at least a dozen times by now.

Sokka feels so proud of her that his heart is almost bursting… or maybe that’s just the effort of hacking his way through dozens of actual damned zombies. A bit of both, really.

Not that the rest of them don’t believe what she’s saying. This whole mess is Sozin and maybe Roku’s fault if it’s anyone’s, and Sokka would gladly repeat that until he went hoarse if he thought Aang would listen.

But Katara is the one who’s always believed in Aang before any of them did, and that sort of thing made a difference.

Or it used to, at least, but today there’s no brightening in Aang’s expression as he stands up, glider having never left his hands. “I’ll take first watch.”

Biting her lower lip, Katara meets Sokka’s gaze as Aang flies off without waiting for any response, and Sokka shakes his head slightly: let him be.

“Twinkletoes fly off again?”

“Yeah.” When Sokka looks over, Toph’s eyebrows are furrowed in what he would’ve called concern if it hadn’t been on someone who could still fling him off the cliff even after a whole day of fighting. “He’s… not doing too well.”

Not that any of them really are, by this point. Toph doesn’t even call him out for stating the obvious, only crosses her arms. “I wish Sparky was here.”

“You and me both,” he admits – and fine, yes, it’s already enough of a lucky coincidence that the four of them had been travelling together when the sudden case of apocalypse broke out, so asking for more would just be tempting fate, but…

Sokka sighs. “I’m sure he’s fine. Jerkbender doesn’t know how to lose.”

Toph’s punch on his shoulder is far lighter than her usual. “You’re a real shitty liar, Snoozles.”

“Doesn’t make me wrong,” Sokka retorts, and he really really hopes he isn’t wrong. Because Zuko has his firebending and his dual swords and a whole palace full of scarily armed guards plus Suki hellbent on protecting the first sane Fire Lord, so there isn’t any reason why he shouldn’t be okay except that there is.

A century of war dead, in every corner of their world. Legion doesn’t even begin to cover it.

.

.

ii.

Aang had still tried to be careful, at first – dodging blows from shambling corpses is easier than usual, if anything, and he could call up enough water or earth to freeze a half-dozen bodies in one sweep even if it wouldn’t be fatal (insofar as that applied to the undead).

Not that they really had any other option besides stopping them permanently; Katara had tried healing once, on someone who’d just been turned an hour before, and the way her entire face had gone grey answered that well enough.

But Aang is still their most powerful fighter, and after everything with Ozai none of them had been willing to say anything until they almost lost three people to a too-quick thaw. Toph had been the one to react, a flying shard of rock decapacitating the half-frozen zombie with extreme prejudice right before it could lurch onto the cowering villagers, and later she’d also been the one to say it.

“They’re already dead, Aang! Someone’s going to die if you keep this up, and it’s gonna be one of us still alive!” Toph had shouted, eyes glimmering even as Aang stood too quiet and too still, and even now Sokka isn’t sure which had been the worse sight.

.

.

iii.

In a way, taking down zombies as a non-bender is – well, maybe not easier, but at least a sword thrust clean through the throat works just the same on everything.

It wouldn’t have been Sokka’s first choice of target before, but at least he hadn’t needed to change strategies as much as the benders had: internal injuries from blunt force rock don’t slow down an opponent who lacked working organs to start with, and getting frozen in ice probably ranked as a minor inconvenience compared to literally being dead.

Toph had begun hoarding metal after their first fight, and now could bend and fire wickedly-sharp blades in a manner scarily reminiscent of Mai except she never ran out. Katara’s ice missiles aim for the head instead, and Sokka doesn’t need a closer look to know that her ice had gotten denser, heavier somehow, even if he doesn’t quite know how.

At least air still works the same in clearing a swathe through the hordes when they need it, which is just as well – Aang fights almost solely as an airbender, now.

It had taken Sokka a while to realise, since he’d initially sorta assumed that Aang had just been avoiding any use of fire (because the stench of rotten flesh burning is really enough to make anyone consider joining Aang in vegetarianism).

But then he’d paid more attention, and confirmed it with Katara and Toph: Aang really doesn’t fight with anything but air unless he’s forced to. Like he’s not the Avatar at all.

And that makes its own sense, in a twisty sort of way – even after they’d ended the war and brought some sort of peace Sokka knows that Aang still blames himself for having let things get that far, and being the bridge to the spirits doesn’t help this situation at all because it had nothing to do with the spirits to begin with as far as they could tell, so what good is the Avatar?

…just because it makes sense doesn’t mean that Sokka has to like it, and he is going to confront Aang about it one of these days as soon as he’s figured out what to say. Just like how he still needs to talk to Katara about what the heck happened during that fight in the desert.

(All Sokka knows for sure is that Katara had run out of water to bend even though they still had far too many zombies to take down, so instead she had reached and–

Empty bodies had fallen like cut marionettes in a half-circle around her, in the same moment that Katara had turned to the side and thrown up, and if Sokka’s being honest with himself he thinks he can figure out what happened there too even without asking Katara about it.)

(There are many things they don’t talk about, these days.)

.

.

iv.

At least it’s a blessing in disguise that Aang and Zuko had already gone through the Air Temples to perform the appropriate rites, because they’ve proved to be the current best option for evacuating people and keeping them safe.

Not that the temples are invulnerable, not by a long shot – but it’s better than staying on flat ground, and definitely way better than it would’ve been if there’d still been century-old corpses scattered around.

Also, it turns out zombies aren’t really keen on higher altitudes. Who could’ve guessed?

Admittedly the temples were never built to host that many people, especially not after standing vacant for this long, but it’s the best they can do for now. Iroh had told them about the White Lotus safehouses, of course, just in case everything went wrong during the comet and they needed some place to regroup, but Sokka has to wonder if those are fortified enough.

He tries to imagine Master Piandao preparing for the zombie apocalypse and can’t help a snicker.

Aang, staring straight ahead, doesn’t notice.

It’s just the two of them on Appa now as they make their way back down from ferrying more people up to the temple, so Sokka isn’t expecting it when Aang shoots upright from his seat on Appa’s head, turning wide-eyed to shout in the direction of the saddle. “Take the reins, I have to get down there!”

Sokka almost yelps in alarm when Aang barely waits for his glider to open before throwing himself out mid-air, but then he looks down and does swear a dozen things that would have Gran-Gran washing his mouth out if she heard, because there’s no mistaking those bursts of blue fire.

He urges Appa down at top speed and scrambles off once they touch land to see Katara facing off squarely against Azula, Aang by her side and Toph a few paces behind.

There’s at least a dozen ice daggers hanging in the air around Katara, but Azula doesn’t even seem bothered. “Zuzu? Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I took you down once, Azula.” Katara’s voice is scarily level as Sokka slows to a stop beside Toph. “I can do it again. For the last time: where is Zuko?”

Azula doesn’t even bother to answer now, only throws her head back with a laugh, and Sokka can see Aang tensing up in preparation to redirect lightning–

–can see Toph twitch in something like surprise, opening her mouth to say something just as another voice roars: “Hold your fire!”

A grin spreads across Toph’s face even as Sokka turns, and there they are: Zuko supporting Suki as she limps up to them, both looking worse for wear but still safe.

Suki waves at them with her free hand, smile a little wan. “Hey. Sorry we’re late?”

.

.

v.

Sokka volunteers for first watch before anyone else can.

He’s only just gotten settled in when Zuko comes over to sit beside him, and if Zuko notices that this position conveniently lets Sokka keep a lookout while still being able to see Suki – screw it, okay, he hasn’t seen his girlfriend in ages and he’s missed her like hell.

They’d gotten the chance to talk earlier while Katara had been healing Suki’s twisted ankle, but even now that Sokka knows she’s okay, it’s still good to have the visual reminder.

Zuko doesn’t comment on it, though, so it’s up to Sokka to point out the obvious. “You can rest, y’know. Katara will wake you when it’s your turn.”

“In a while, maybe. I’m not sleepy yet.” Zuko shakes his head even as Sokka gives him (or more accurately the dark smudges beneath his eyes) a dubious look – but then again, none of them are strangers to being exhausted but sleepless, whether from adrenaline or something else. “Suki has been taking more than her share of night watches, anyway, she’s the one who really needs the rest.”

Sokka almost snorts but stops himself. Honestly he might’ve done the same, if he had been sharing a camp with Azula. “So how are things in Firetown?”

“Still standing when we left,” Zuko answers, which Sokka takes to mean possibly overrun and definitely on fire. “I gave the decree to open the imperial bunkers to anyone who needed shelter, right before the Fire Sages burst into the hall and demanded I immediately leave and seek out the Avatar to end this blight upon our world.”

Sokka raises an eyebrow. “That a direct quote?”

“Yeah. I don’t even think I’ve ever seen the Sages literally running, but apparently there’s a first time for everything.”

Like mostly-ending the war only for the walking dead to happen, Sokka’s pretty sure they’re both thinking. “Don’t suppose they might’ve mentioned what exactly Aang is supposed to do?”

“That would’ve been too easy,” Zuko says dryly, before sobering. “Aang hasn’t figured anything out?”

“He doesn’t even think there’s a spirit behind this.” Which had all sorts of disturbing implications that Sokka refuses to consider right now. “So Suki decided to come with you?”

Zuko doesn’t say anything about the blatant change of topic. “Insisted, more like.”

Sokka grins – that’s Suki, all right – before he looks over at the other addition to their group. “And Azula?” he asks quietly.

“She’s my sister. I–” Zuko scrubs a hand roughly over his face, shakes his head. “I couldn’t just leave her behind. She’s my sister.”

And if Sokka hadn’t already noticed how tired Zuko looks, that would’ve been clue enough. Yeah, they’ve all made their fair share of jokes about Zuko being a broken record about honour and capturing the Avatar way back when but really, he’s never been one to repeat himself. Sokka isn’t even sure Zuko realises that he’s doing it.

He takes a page from Toph’s book and punches Zuko on the shoulder. “Get some sleep, hotman,” he says over Zuko’s splutter. “We’ll still be here in the morning.”

“You better be,” Zuko grumbles as he heads off to bed, but when he flops down to sleep it’s right between Suki and anything that might come at them.

Sokka turns back away with a smile.

.

.

.

.

hell yeah sokka pov

also my other atla fics are here and here if you need a pick-me-up after that, i swear they’re actually like. my usual funny fare

[i3utterflyeffect]

On Agni’s Honor - Chapter 7

On AO3

The Gaang has a not-so-friendly run-in with some pirates. Zuko tries to prevent it, but fails, unfortunately for everyone.

The rest of their shopping trip wasn’t going as quickly as Zuko had hoped.

Merchants were calling out at every turn, Aang kept running to the stalls and looking at the merchandise, and Sokka and Katara weren’t stopping him, and they were wasting time looking at stupid things.

It wasn’t like yelling at the Avatar was a good idea though if he wanted to live, as much as he wanted to drag Aang along and get going.

“Earth Nation! Water Nation! Fire Nation! As long as bargains are your inclination, you’ll love it here!” A nearby trader called out. “Don’t be shy, come on by!”

How about you shut up? Zuko thought, walking faster.

“Oh! You there!” The trader called out, and Zuko stopped abruptly, suppressing a groan as he saw them running towards the group. “I can see from your clothing that you’re world traveling types! Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?” They crowed.

“Not interested,” Zuko said, glaring at them.

“Sure!” Aang chirped anyway. “…What are curios?”

The man paused, thinking. “…I’m not entirely sure. But we got ‘em!” He said, before wrapping an arm around Aang and leading him into the ship.

Katara followed, but Sokka and Zuko stopped, exchanging a look that was apparently universal between them.

This is going to be trouble, isn’t it?

—

As the others looked around, Zuko decided to just hang by the door.

He, personally, didn’t see the point of buying pointless trinkets— although those dao swords were a little tempting.

He glanced around, before jumping when he heard a rough voice speak.

“I’ve never seen such a fine specimen of lemur. That beast would fetch me a hefty sum if you’d be… interested in bartering,” A man said, walking out with a reptile-bird upon their shoulder.

Momo hissed at them, and Aang swept the poor lemur into his arms. “Momo’s not for sale.”

Zuko glared at the man as well but was distracted as he heard Katara gasp, looking back to see she had a scroll in her hands.

“Look at this, Aang! It’s a waterbending scroll! Check out these crazy moves!”

“Where did you get a waterbending scroll?” The airbender asked as the man walked over, pulling the scroll away.

“Let’s just say I got it up north, at a most reasonable price; free.” He said, rolling up the scroll.

“Wait a minute…!” Sokka said, looking up. “Sea-loving traders… with suspiciously acquired merchandise… And pet reptile birds?!” He exclaimed.

“They’re pirates.” Zuko finished the thought, already having figured it out.

“We prefer to think of ourselves as… high-risk traders.” The pirate with the earring said, moving to amiably put an arm around Zuko— who quickly caught their hand, leveling a glare at them.

Katara looked down at what they had left— a measly two coins— before looking back up. “So how much for the, uh… traded scroll?”

“I’ve already got a buyer; A nobleman up in the earth kingdom.” The pirate dismissed, before smirking. “Unless you kids have… 200 gold pieces on you right now?”

“No.” Zuko said curtly. “Come on, you three.”

“Wait,” Aang interrupted. “I know how to deal with these guys! Pirates love to haggle.” The airbender held out a hand to Katara, who placed the coins in his hand. “Watch and learn.”

Then, he turned to the pirate, flipping a coin between his fingers as he put on a stereotypical ‘pirate’ accent. “What say ye’ to the price of… one copper piece?”

Zuko facepalmed.

The pirate, of course, burst out into laughter. “The price is 200 gold pieces. I don’t haggle on items this rare,” They said, shaking their head.

“Okay then, what about—“

Zuko finally snapped, grabbing Aang by his shirt collar. “We’re leaving. None of us have time or money for a stupid scroll.”

“Who made you leader?” Sokka piped up, folding his arms as he looked at Zuko.

Zuko glared at Sokka. “These are pirates. I’ve been at sea for three years; I know how dangerous they are.”

“He’s got a point,” Aang piped up as Zuko placed him back down.

“Yeah,” Katara agreed. “Besides, I don’t like this place either. I feel like we’re getting strange looks.”

Aang frowned at them for a moment, before grabbing his glider, looking up at the pirate. “Aye, we be casting off now!”

—

“What was that all about, you two?” Aang asked.

“Yeah! I was just starting to look through their boomerang collection!”

“You heard me the first time, didn’t you? Pirates are dangerous. So we’re not going to waste time running around a pirate ship, especially not when people would probably pay for our heads.”

The three exchanged looks.

“Hey you! Get back here!” A pirate called out, and some pirates swung down.

“I don’t think they’re here to trade with us,” Katara exclaimed.

“Nope.” Zuko wasn’t a ‘people person’ like his sister, but even he could tell that. “Run!”

The four of them set off into a bolt, running down an alleyway. Zuko kicked down a barrel, setting it on fire.

The pirates yelled in surprise, but as he looked back, he saw them jump around it.

“This way! Let’s cut them off!” Some pirates yelled out, going the other way.

Zuko picked up his pace, running towards the front of the group as Katara waterbended some water out of a bowl, freezing it on the ground.

He stumbled into a cabbage cart, pushing it out of the way, and heard a whoosh of wind and a distant “My cabbages!”  as he picked up pace.

He skidded to a halt as he saw pirates jump out in front of him, making a sharp turn in the other direction.

“Come on!” He shouted at the others.

The four of them turned the corner, but found themselves faced with a dead end, turning and seeing they were cornered.

“Now,” The pirate with the earring said, brandishing his dual blades, “Who gets to taste the steel of my blade first?”

“No thanks,” Aang said, making a gust of wind with his staff and kicking up dust. He unfolded the glider as he began running forward. “Grab on tight, guys!” He said, looking back as the three began to follow.

“Aang, I thought we were running away from the pirates!?” Katara exclaimed as she and her brother grabbed on.

“Just hang on!”

They’re going to leave me behind—

Zuko tried not to panic as he reached out, trying to catch up.

Then, Sokka grabbed onto his hand, tugging Zuko towards the glider just enough for him to grab on.

As they soared just above the pirates, close enough to kick off of their heads, Zuko gripped on tightly, crying out as he looked down at the ground as it grew more and more distant.

He really hoped they weren’t flying too far.

—

In fact, they weren’t— just to their previous campsite.

That didn’t mean they had an easy landing, though.

As the glider began to reach ground level, Zuko, Katara, and Sokka all tumbled down onto the ground, while Aang landed gracefully with his airbending.

Zuko spat out grass, groaning as he pulled himself off the ground.He looked over to where Sokka was unlucky enough to find himself face-down in mud.

Sokka got up, not bothering to wipe off his face. “…Let’s stick with Appa next time,” He said, to which Zuko muttered an agreement

“Sorry guys,” Aang said with a sheepish smile.

“Well, at least Sokka can wash off in the river.” Katara said, laughing a little at her brother. “You look like a mud monster!”

Sokka groaned, but made no further protest as everyone began to settle down.

—

Zuko sat by the river, looking over as Sokka got out from the water.

“I used to kind of look up to pirates, but those guys are terrible,” Aang said.

“I know,” Katara agreed— but then smirked. “That’s why I took this,” She said, holding out the waterbending scroll.

“No way,” Aang looked distressed.

“Isn’t it great?”

“It’s not!” Zuko said, standing up and snatching it away. “You do realize they’ll probably try and murder us for this?”

“Yeah, as much as I hate to say it, I’m with Zuko on this one,” Sokka said.

“Where do you two think they got it?” Katara said, frowning. “They stole it from a waterbender!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Sokka exclaimed. “You put all of our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid fancy splashes!”

“These are real waterbending forms! You know how crucial it is for Aang to learn waterbending!”

“Whatever,” Sokka huffed, walking away.

“…Well, what’s done is done,” The Avatar said. “We have it. We might as well learn from it.”

Zuko sighed, retreating over to where Sokka had sat down.

He had a feeling this was going to be a long evening.

[twotrees]

The Two Trees, The Two Heroes

The Two Trees, The Two Heroes

By Bray Colloway

As a part of this experience, the titles section of each part link to a particular song by The 1975. Please click the link and let the song carry you through the chapter while you read. When you have finished reading a section, please close out the previous song before moving onto another. The sections will not take the whole song to complete, so feel free to advance at your own pace.Thank you!

PI: Frail State of Mind

“Fuck, It’s over….I guess” he said aloud as he looked out over the temple steps that lead to the steep cliff that dropped away, plunging into the foggy depths, the ground not in view. He was sitting down on the leaf covered apron leading out from the Sanctuary of the Avatar. He hadn’t been back to the Temple in quite some time, 2 years or so. Well, at least not since his 115th birthday, his first birthday after the war. So many things whirled around his brain like the air he bent at complete ease. It was the middle of winter, but thanks to his firebending, he kept himself nice and toasty. These new Air Nomad robes, that the great clothiers of Ba Sing Se had made for him, felt like that didn’t fit. “Am I shrinking? No...that’s just my heart.” He gave himself one more blast of heat from a deep, deep breath. With that, he took out his new staff, made by the Mechanist, ran with abandon towards the steep drop-off laid out before him, closed his eyes, and took flight into the cold night. For the brief half step before the wings of the glider opened, he felt the thousand meter drop below. It felt...inviting. 

As he flew through the evening sunset, which was masked by the thick clouds turning it sort of a brown tinted grey, he began to tear up. He couldn’t tell if it was the cold wind hitting his eyes or...something else. “Come on”, he thought to himself, “it’s been 2 months, fucking pull yourself together”. The crisp air was soothing in a way to him. The slight bite that the air made made him realize that he could actually feel something again. 

After a few minutes of loitering in the sky surrounding the top of the temple, he saw a particularly dark cloud approaching the complex. Something drew him to it, he wasn’t sure exactly what though. With a quick shimmy of his shoulders, and a turn of his core, away he darted towards the dark form that sat between him and the quickly dimming sky that lay beyond it. When he came head on to the cloud, he felt a deep sense of dread as he plunged into darkness and chaos. This thundersnow flung his carefully crafted glider left and right with quick force. His left hand began to slowly slip from the formed handle. He battled his sweaty palms but felt a moment of calm: What if I just….let go?...shit no no no I need to get back, they need me! I-I think…

It was at this moment a flash of lightning came down 20 meters in front of the airbender, the Avatar was startled, but saw a glimpse of the silhouettes of the people closest to him. Time stood still as he peered across the outlines of his brother in arms, the greatest teacher he ever had, his enemy turned friend, and the love of his l--the one he loved. When he saw the last shadow he brought the wings of his glider in, offering himself to the storm and feeling the earth pull him towards its center. He fell. He fell some more. He closed his eyes. I did my duty. Am I wanted or desired? Is there a point? 

As he expected to be caught by the rocks below, he felt a soft caress of head, and his momentum shifted horizontally. He opened his eyes and saw the tufts of thick fur below him. It was Appa, carrying him back in the direction of the Southern Air Temple, for a long awaited audience with his past lives. “Time to talk, Aang” he heard a voice say to him.

PII: Be My Mistake

There’s a reason I am leaving, a reason I am going away. They think it’s because of the Morgul Blade wound and the weight of the burden I carried, but it’s really another ache and weight in my heart. 

Laying in bed, he stared at the ornate ceiling above him, counting the number of times the great shipwrights of the Grey Havens had nested a leaf into the crowning of the walls. He knew the great White Wizard recognized that something was amiss, as he had tried to call upon the ring bearer multiple times. He didn’t care. The wizard could never understand what he was going through. He hadn’t come out of the cabin of their Elven ship, on the Straight Path to Valinor, since they left out of view of the harbor. The outer creases of the hobbits' eyes were crusted with the dried remains of all the tears he had shed over the past few days. All he wanted to do was be in the arms of the one he loved once more. The two of them had been through so much, shed to many tears together, and had grown up together.

“Master hobbit”, came a deep rumble from outside the door, “there is something outside you should see”. He smelled the smoke from the Longbottom Leaf come from underneath the cabin door. “That smells like them”, he thought as he rolled over and covered his head with the blanket. *thud thud* rapped the door. “Fuck off! I am to be left...alone” the halfing yelled from underneath his covering. Then, nothing. The young master waited for a few seconds only to roll over and see the long beard, flowing robe, and kind eyes of Gandalf the White sitting on a stool beside the bed. “You know I bloody hate it when you do that” said the hobbit, “I don't know why you’re even in here right now Gandalf.” They both took a beat to read each other. “I am concerned for your wellbeing Frodo. You waste away in this small room, it will be a long journey if you keep up like this”, Gandalf said through a kind smirk coming across his face. There was a pause while both of them waited for the other to break.

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway does it?”, snapped Frodo, “Where you are taking me, I will never die! It’s in its name ‘the Undying Lands’, real creative the Valar are, eh?” The hobbit finally sat up and dangled his feet over the bed. For a normal man, this would be the perfect height for one to slip their slippers on, but for the dear Baggins it felt like a cliff. “I know why you are truly leaving dear Frodo”, spoke Gandalf with a more hushed tone, “this feeling too shall pass.” The Maiar got up from his seat and began to leave the room, gesturing towards Frodo to come join him above decks. “You think so?” asked Frodo. “I sure do hope so,” responded Gandalf, “or else you’ll have an eternity full of regret”

Frodo begrudgingly crawled onto the sun baked deck and stood just beside the wizard’s cloak. He watched as the last glimpses of the sun began to disappear underneath the horizon. The sunset was as beautiful as the face of the one he loved, and felt just as distant too. With a call from the helm, the captain of the vessel filled the sails with wind, and the ship began to rise up and away from the water’s surface as the ship and crew began the Lost Road to Valinor. The place where Frodo will call home until the end of the Song of Time.

PIII: Ballad of Me and My Brain

Aang was on his back, clinging on for dear life on top of Appa’s saddle, the reins falling into his hands as if they were guided by some outside force. He grasped them tightly, tears coming to his eyes as he let out a whimper, “I’m so sorry buddy. I don’t know what came over me. I’m scared, I’m lost.” he said to his longest tenured friend. Appa tilted his head side to side and let out a deep and resounding MMMOOOOAAAAAAHHHH before shaking his shoulders as thought to tell the seemingly young Avatar to lay down and rest.

Appa touched down back on the apron outside the great Sanctuary, his great landing sending all of the leaves tumbling away in a circular pattern. Aang hopped off, landing with the light feet that his teacher and friend Toph would always tease him for. With each step towards the Sanctuary door, the Avatar felt a tightness in his chest grow more and more. He reached out to send the currents of air into the door mechanism, but stopped just shy of sending them. He dropped to his knees crying, not knowing what he was doing or why. He felt lonely, abandoned, and terrified of what the rest of his life was going to look like. He sat with his back to the great door, head in his hands, and lost all track of time. He came to, with the sky a bright orange and pink. Was it morning? Evening? Dawn or dusk? He couldn’t tell. “Open the door Aang” he heard the voice command. With ease, the great bender sent hurricane force winds into the maw of the locking mechanism, hearing gears and levers shift, finally letting out deep tones like an organ. The doors opened, revealing once more the lines of statues depicting all of the lives of the Avatar, his past lives.

Aang made his way to the middle of the cavernous chamber, sat down into Padmasana, and began breathing deeply. He had done this countless times before, the deep meditation that Gyatso taught him, but this time it felt labored, tiring. No matter, Aang pressed on, sinking deeper into his inner self, into his past lives. Normally when he passed into the Spirit World, he could see his body floating before him, but not this time. It felt like days passed before Aang finally opened his eyes. His body was nowhere to be found. All he saw around him was a wide meadow upon a hill, as he looked up he saw two great trees before him, one golden and the other silver. The Great Trees emitted the most incredible light that Aang had ever seen, filling him with warmth and awe like nothing had before. “Wait here,” the great voice said to him, “there is someone who is to join you in due time. Be patient and wait. Listen to the tree and the songs they sing”. Aang did as instructed, finding himself in Lotus position once more, this time sinking himself into this Root position. He waited….

“Hello”, Aang heard softly, “you must be who I am looking for” Aang opened his eyes to see upon the ground in front of him two very large and hairy feet.

PIV: Somebody Else

The rest of the journey away from Arda went by quicker than Frodo expected. This was aided by the longbottom leaf weed that he stole from Gandalf’s personal stash, and the elvish ale that he consumed at regular intervals. He didn’t take in the beauty of the world slowly drifting away beneath him, or the stars finding their shapes, or even the light becoming warmer. Frodo kept himself in a constant state of high and drunk. 

Two days before arriving in Aqualande, Frodo found himself standing on the bow of the great ship, a pint in one hand, a necklace in the other, and a pipe sitting precariously balanced between his teeth and lips. He knew that the helmsman and deck hands were watching him...he didn’t care. All he did that evening was yell into the wind, and then hold up the chain of the necklace high in front. On the end of the simple silver chain was a small black oval, made of cast iron. Frodo knew what it was, and hated it. Not even Gandalf could guess what it could be.

Gandalf stared at the small black iron oval with great intrigue as he carried Frodo’s inebriated little body down the gangway of the ship and towards their new home. He laid the hobbit down to rest on a small cot and sat beside him for three days until he woke up. “I’m sorry Gandalf, a broken heart is a harder burden to carry than any I have before” said Frodo meekly. “That’s quite alright Mister Frodo”, responded Gandalf. His bushy eyebrow twitched and quickly he gazed out the side window towards the two lights off in the distance. “Frodo”, addressed Gandalf, “Do you see those two great lights in the distance? Go to them, sit at their roots, and you shall find the peace you seek.” 

Yah right old man, send me on another fucking wild goose chase fucking adventure bullshit goddam-”Yah alright Gandalf….if you say so” 

The following morning, with a pack full of Lambas Bread, Frodo began his walk to the two lights. To the hobbit’s surprise his feet never tired, his mouth never dried, and his pace never slowed. He covered a great distance in his first day, and found a small grotto for that night’s rest. During his sleep he saw a young man sitting cross legged with his eyes closed. He looked young but yet so old, but he certainly wasn’t an elf. “You must meet this being”, he heard call to him. “I will do what I must'', responded Frodo, almost instinctively. The following morning, Frodo finished his walk towards the lights, which he began to realize were the canopies of two great trees. When he arrived at the plaza beneath them, he came upon the young boy, sitting at the base of the silver tree, the young boy from his dream. “Hello”, he said sheepishly, “you must be who I am looking for”

PV: I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it

Aang stared at the two hairy feet laid out before him. They were very large for how small the legs were that sprouted from atop the ankles. As his gaze slowly went higher, he saw a green cloak covering simple brown trousers with a fine wool top, with small bronze buttons poking through the brown monotony, leading to a kind face. Smooth, unkempt dark hair crowned this frame, all only a little over one meter tall. “Hi,” declared Aang, reaching out his hand, “I’m Aang, the Avatar.” The small man seemed to recoil at first, but quickly stood back up to the tallest posture he could muster. “Iluvatar?” retorted the kindly dressed man. “No, the Avatar….uh...like master of all 4 elements? Do you know what that is?” “I-I can’t say I do, no...sorry. I am Frodo, hobbit of the Shire” “Nice to meet you Frodo, would you care to sit down with me?” Aang said while gesturing to the patch of perfectly manicured grass that lay beside him.

The hobbit named Frodo seemed to let his guard down momentarily, put his pack down and sat beside the Avatar. After a long period of awkward silence, Aang relented and asked Frodo where they were, and what this place was. Frodo explained that this was Valinor, the Undying Lands, and that the two immense trees they were sitting under were Laurelin (the Gold Tree) and Telperion (the Silver Tree). This world was separated from his home world of Middle-Earth when Eru-Iluvatar (the deity that Frodo mistook Aang for) bent the oceans, leaving only the Straight Road as the connecting path between this world and his home. “What brought you here then?” asked Aang. “Y-you wouldn’t understand” uttered Frodo as he began to get up and slink away. Frodo began to walk down from the top of the plaza, finding a steep set of stairs and making his way down them. Aang, concerned for his new acquaintance, drew a vein of air underneath him and scootered his way to the bottom of the stairs and waited. As soon as he landed, Frodo turned the corner and jumped. “Fuck me. You know, you’re not the only person who shows up out of nowhere, and I’m tired of his shit too”, exclaimed the hobbit. Aang replied, “Look I am just trying to help here. I don’t know anyone else here, in fact you're the first person I’ve seen. Something drew me through the Spirit World to be here with you.” There was a long pause, only the sound of the breeze running through the leaves high above them making a noise.”Look”, Aang began, “In my world, I don’t know what my point is anymore. My great task was completed, my friends are no longer around me like they used to be, and I don’t know what the purpose of going on is anymore. But, I think I am here to help you.”

Frodo broke down balling, collapsing into Aang’s arms. Through the tears, Aang was able to hear, “I went through so much with Sam. He literally carried me to hell and back. I thought we were going to die together. At what was certainly our end, all I saw were Sam’s eyes. They were so intensely seared into my brain, that when we returned home to the Shire, I was broken, and then he went running into Rosie’s arms. I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t know exactly when I was feeling. I saw Sam fall more in love with Rosie, get married, and have kids! So, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to leave, and go somewhere far far away.”

Aang held Frodo tight for what felt like an hour.  Aang felt so sorry for this person he just met. He felt helpless just like him. Aang could relate. Aang could also feel all of the energy in this person, bottled up and unable to free themselves. “Okay here is what we are going to do. I am going to show you how to open your chakras, one by one. You will never be able to achieve peace until you do so.”

Aang then guided Frodo through all of the steps of opening the chakras that Guru Pathik showed him, all those years ago.  First they went through the earth chakra, then water, fire, and finally air. Frodo saw things that he couldn't even comprehend, and Aang could feel the barriers in the halfling's heart shatter, the scares began to heal, and the full force of his energy returned to him. Aang wasn’t able to confirm it, but for a brief moment it seemed like the Trees of Valinor got a little  brighter.

Frodo’s tears changed from tears of heartbreak to those of joy, and when he opened his eyes, he was a new hobbit. “Thank you”, gushed Frodo, “I feel whole again.” “Oh, you’re welcome,.... I guess” remarked Aang, “Guess you don’t need me anymore now then.” Frodo thought long and hard. “Actually, there is one thing…” Frodo mused, “Come with me.”

PVI: Pressure

Frodo led Aang back towards the home that he had stayed in his first night in this new land. His heart was still singing from the experience that he had just had. The weight of heartbreak had been lifted, and he was ready to enjoy this life eternal in the Undying Lands. As they approached the ornately tiled building, they saw a warm glow from the windows above. Frodo gestured to get low and stay quiet, hearing two hushed voices talk back and forth, with a familiar scent wafting in the air. Frodo began to scurry along the bottom of the outer wall towards an unlit door, beckoning Aang to stay close behind and enter the house behind him. “What are we doing?” asked Aang. “Right now”, Frodo responded, “I am on cloud nine, and you, my friend, need something to help put things in perspective. My good lads, Merry and Pippin, shared this with me long ago, and now it is my chance to pass it onto you.” Aang looked perplexingly at the ringbearer. “And what would that be?” queried the Avatar. “Mischief and Longbottom Leaf!” responded Frodo.

Together, the two of them waited until the two voices they heard, Gandalf and Bilbo, recede to their bed chambers for the night. On Frodo’s signal, the airbender sent a flurry of wind to push the hobbit, who had cloaked himself in the camouflage robe given to him by the Lady Galadriel, towards the unlocked larder of Bilbo Baggins. Quickly, Frodo began to grap every instrument of libation and liberation he could find. Once all of the necessary tools were acquired, Frodo turned to exit the small pantry, only to come face to knee with Gandalf the White. “And just what might you be up to Master Hobbit?” posited the great spellcaster. “Oh...um well...you see...um” stammered Frodo like he was 20 years old once again. “It’s quite alright Master Baggins. I knew this was to come. Go ahead, enjoy your evening with your new friend. Your task has been completed.” interrupted Gandalf. 

With that, Frodo scurried out with a grin larger than when he and his cousins would snag potatoes out of Farmer Maggot’s field. He grabbed Aang’s expensive sleeve, and ran out into the brisk evening, making a beeline for the beach.

PVII: If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)

Frodo Baggins and Aang sat together on the beach of Aman, watching the light of Laurelin fade, only for Telperion to take over and shine the night sky with a sharp brilliance that neither hero had ever seen. They swapped stories of their great adventures, Frodo showing off the scar from the Morgul Blade, while Aang pulled up his shirt to show the lightning mark, courtesy of Azula, on this back.They recalled the trouble that their friends got them into, and also how they would never had made it through their ordeals alive it wasn’t for those same people. 

They smoked more Longbottom than any Shire-folk ever had before. Their horns of ale seemed to never hit bottom. They laughed and cried together for hours and hours, finally calming down to just watch the waves of the Endless Sea crash before them. “Thank you, Aang” said Frodo. “No,” replied Aang, “thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I would have never seen how I can help someone no matter what. Our great ordeals are over, but it seems as though our lives are about to begin.” With that the two of them leaned their backs against a large piece of driftwood, and began to doze off to sleep. Right before succumbing to slumber, Aang felt his spirit transport up and away quickly into the heavens. He found his eyes opening, in padmasana, in the middle of the Great Sanctuary he had been in last. 

With a deep breath, and a bow to his past lives, Aang walked outside into the cold winter air, climbed onto Appa’s back, took a hold of the reins. With hope in his voice for the first in years, he said, “It’s time to go home buddy…. Appa, Yip Yip.” With an immense force, the Sky Bison leapt into the air and began to fly effortlessly towards home, where Aang’s friends awaited his return.

[firenation-turtleducks]

Day 2 - Hidden Identities

This is a continuation of my fic from Day 1. And...more of a “revealed identities” than “hidden identities,” to be honest.

Day 2 of @thirtydaysofzutara

Zuko could hardly believe his ears. He stared at the waterbender, feeling his heart speed up.

A sky bison. Here in the city.

That could only mean the Avatar was here too.

Could this waterbender be the one traveling with him? The one Zuko had fought at the North Pole? No, that wouldn’t make sense—what would she be doing alone, running around in the Lower Ring? Zuko hadn’t seen her with the Avatar or the Water Tribe boy any night she’d been here, and the three of them always traveled together.

(Of course he wouldn’t admit it, but above all, he didn’t want the vigilante waterbender to be the one traveling with the Avatar. She’d become something of a comforting presence to him, another person with a similar short-term goal. He’d taken up the Blue Spirit persona again because he couldn’t stand being nothing more than a tea server—he wanted to be a part of something bigger, doing something more important. And this city was filled with people like the Earth militia in that kid Lee’s village; Zuko couldn’t let them lord over the people here, the people who couldn’t so much as fight back. The waterbender had to feel the same way. They had something in common, and he held onto that.)

“No,” Zuko said eventually. “What have you heard?”

Maybe the Avatar was with the bison. Maybe he was looking for it. Either way, Zuko had to follow this lead. If he had another chance to find the Avatar—to go home…he had to take it.

The waterbender was silent for a beat. “Only that there’s one here,” she said. “I’m worried it might be sold on the black market, and it’s probably the only one left.”

Zuko nodded in acknowledgement. “I’ll help you find it.”

He had a chance. Even after being declared a criminal, he might still have a chance to go home.

“Thank you,” said the waterbender. “Could you meet me back here tomorrow night? We can share what we’ve found out.”

Zuko nodded again, and the waterbender left.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he muttered once she was out of earshot.

…

His uncle was going to be opening a tea house in the Upper Ring.

Zuko’s first reaction was a cold stab of concern. He slammed the door as he left the tea shop and slumped against the wall outside. Everything was going to be ruined—how would he get back to the Lower Ring and find the waterbending vigilante? He and his uncle probably wouldn’t move before tomorrow, but how much could either Zuko or the waterbender figure out in one day? Finding the bison could be his last chance at finding the Avatar. He needed more time.

A slip of paper drifted down from the sky and Zuko picked it up as it fell. His eyes widened as he recognized the drawings on it: the bison and the Avatar.

It’s not just a rumor, he thought. It’s here in this city, and—if flyers are being dropped, who could be dropping them but the Avatar on his glider?

He cast around for the tallest building he could see and climbed it as quickly as he could. His heart pounded. If he could so much as see where the Avatar landed…

The sky was empty. Nothing but clouds as far as the eye could see. A growl built up in Zuko’s throat. He was so close! The Avatar had been in the same city as him for Agni knew how long and he hadn’t even considered it until now!

He had to find that bison. He’d find what he could tonight, then meet up with the waterbender and see what she knew. He didn’t really see another option. Over everything, he needed to get home.

…

After knocking out the Dai Li agent he’d ambushed and interrogated, Zuko made his way to where he’d agreed to meet the waterbender. She was waiting for him when he arrived.

They both said at the same time, “Lake Laogai.”

“You found something on Lake Laogai too?” she asked in a hushed voice. “That’s got to be it. Thank you. Thank you so much. I know I don’t really know you, but this means a lot to me.”

He stomped out the pang of guilt he felt at the realization that he was essentially using her. Lying to her. It wasn’t as if he was going to hurt the stupid bison. He just—he just needed it to locate and capture the Avatar. After that it would be free and happy just like the waterbender apparently wanted.

“It’s nothing.” It wasn’t. “But I don’t think I can help you anymore. I don’t want to get caught up with the Dai Li.” It was a little too late for that, but the waterbender didn’t know that and he didn’t have another excuse. He wanted to get to Lake Laogai long before she did. He couldn’t tell her that he was—what? Stealing the bison? Using it as bait? Whatever he figured out when the time came—so he had to be long gone by the time she showed up. He tried not to feel bad for lying to her.

“Of course,” she whispered. “It’s...really a situation. I wouldn’t ask you to do that.” She paused. “I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here. But if I don’t see you again...good luck in life.” He thought she gave a quick smile under her mask.

‘Here’? Where, Ba Sing Se? Where else would you go? Why would you leave when you’re doing so much good here?

But he didn’t know how to say that, so he said, “You too.”

She gave a tiny wave as she walked away.

The Dai Li are holding it under Lake Laogai, the Dai Li agent had told him. To the southeast. The entrance is hidden under a few inches of water at the south side of the lake. That’s all I know. Please, believe me, that’s all I know.

Zuko started walking.

…

His plan (if he could really call it a plan), of course, didn’t go as smoothly as he’d hoped. But he was far from surprised by that. Frankly, he’d be more surprised if things did go his way.

As he made his way through the cold, dripping underground corridors, he heard shouts and the rumble of earthbending. Warily, he followed the noise. The Avatar always seemed to attract trouble, and if his bison was here, that was a good enough reason for him to be.

Drawing his swords, he approached a gash in the stone wall torn by an earthbender and ducked through it after catching a glimpse of one of the Avatar’s friends.

Zuko found himself in a cavernous room filled with Dai Li agents, the Avatar’s two Water Tribe friends, an earthbender girl that he recognized from the fight with Azula at the ghost town, and Jet’s two cronies from the ferry. But no Avatar.

And the Dai Li, unfortunately but not unexpectedly, noticed Zuko.

He dodged a barrage of rocks bent at him by the nearest Dai Li agent, then spun and shattered another rock hurtling toward him with a blow from his swords. He leapt at the earthbender to put him on the defensive, slashing at him only to be blocked each time by stones the earthbender kept levitating. Eventually, he landed a blow with the pommel of one sword to the agent’s head and he crumpled.

Only a handful of Dai Li were left standing at this point, now outnumbered. Zuko brandished his swords at them and the Avatar’s friends drew closer to him, facing off the last of the Dai Li. It was strange to be fighting against the same people as the Avatar’s friends, even if he wasn’t fighting on their behalf.

“You’re here!” exclaimed the Water Tribe girl as she stood next to him, not taking her eyes off of the Dai Li. “I can’t believe it—after you said you wouldn’t come! Thank you!”

“What?” How did the…

Oh no.

His heart dropped. She was the waterbending vigilante. And…

“You’re the Avatar’s waterbender.” He’d been so stupid—the waterbender had said she’d go to Lake Laogai today, and what other waterbender would be wandering Ba Sing Se but the one traveling with the Avatar? He’d just been hoping that it wasn’t her, as if hoping could make any difference.

Her brow creased. “What?” She flung an ice dagger to meet a rock sent at her, both shattering on impact. “How do you know I’m traveling with Aang? And—my name’s Katara!”

“How do you know this guy, anyway?” the Water Tribe boy muttered to the waterbender—Katara—as he caught his returning boomerang.

“You’re the Avatar’s waterbender,” Zuko repeated quietly.

Katara warded off another earthbending attack and glared at him. “And? What does…” She trailed off as she gasped. “No...Zuko.”

He fought not to cringe at the amount of poison she put into his name. The one person he thought he might have something in common with and she was his enemy. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

He had to get out of here. His mind whirled. Find the bison—find the Avatar—get away from here and back to the Fire Nation.

Katara swiftly turned her attacks on him and he bolted across the rubble-strewn floor for the gap in the wall. Water slammed into the wall behind him as he ducked out of the way and sprinted down the empty corridor.

…

Two Dai Li agents blocked Katara’s path and sent chunks of stone flying towards her, forcing her to block and engage in another fight.

Aang had mentioned the Blue Spirit helping him escape from Pohuai Stronghold, only for it to turn out to be Zuko trying to capture Aang for himself. Katara had recognized the mask but didn’t think it was related at first. There was more than one Blue Spirit mask, after all.

But when he’d been so shocked that she was the Avatar’s friend, the pieces had started falling into place. How quickly he’d agreed to help her find Appa. How he lied that he wouldn’t be here, then showed up anyway, probably because he was after Aang again. The mask and dual swords.

She’d thought he was a decent person—more than that, a good person, for helping the defenseless people in the Lower Ring. And then he turned out to be the prince of the Fire Nation. Why would he be up to vigilante business in the Lower Ring anyway? She’d bet it was all part of some horrible trick to find Aang, running around interrogating people at swordpoint about him. He probably hadn’t even been helping people at first and just started doing that to get on her good side so that she’d give him information or something. And it had worked! She’d told him about Appa and Lake Laogai—he might’ve figured it out on his own anyway, but she felt so extraordinarily stupid for falling for whatever he was up to! She should’ve at least recognized his voice!

Finally she struck the Dai Li agent she was fighting with her mass of water and sent him sprawling. Around the room, the remaining Dai Li were unconscious or simply not willing or able to stand.

“That was Zuko?” Sokka demanded as the five of them regrouped and Toph opened the door on the far side of the room that Aang and Jet had disappeared through moments before Zuko had shown up. “I’d say I can’t believe he’s here except I can. Maniac’s chased us across the world already.” He looked sideways at her. “But you need to tell us how you knew him when he was Creepy Mask Guy.”

…

I want my honor, I want my throne, I want to go home, Zuko thought. But his uncle was right. This wouldn’t get him anywhere. He had no plan, no way to get the Avatar to the Fire Nation even if he managed to capture him. He didn’t know what he was doing—didn’t know if it was what he even wanted to be doing. But he had to. It was his destiny, his only way home, his only way for things to return to any semblance of normal.

He threw his swords to the ground and roared in frustration.

“Prince Zuko,” said his uncle from behind him, “you have the opportunity to choose between the destiny that has been laid out for you, and the one you can lay out for yourself. The choice is yours, and I hope you are happy with your decision.”

He thought about the destruction the Fire Nation had caused in the Earth Kingdom. He thought of Song’s burn scars, Lee’s missing brother, the refugees desperately flocking to Ba Sing Se. He didn’t want to be a part of what caused that. He didn’t want to be someone who deserved all the hate Katara spoke his name with.

And if he wanted to, all things considered, he didn’t really have the opportunity to return to the Fire Nation now. He was a wanted criminal, with no plan for capturing the Avatar and no way to travel back home.

He strode up to the sky bison and crouched beside one of its shackles, sending a concentrated stream of fire into the lock. It burst in a matter of seconds.

…

Katara couldn’t quite believe it, but there was only one person who could have freed Appa. She and her friends hadn’t gotten to him, and if he was free, Long Feng hadn’t either.

She wondered if, just maybe, not everything Zuko had said and done was a trick.

[araeph]

Also, if you wrote out everything Katara has ever wanted and planned to do, Aang has always been supportive. Emotionally present and supportive. Distracting her from bad feelings!

Uh … sure he has.Say, it’s time for a new Katara essay called:

The Tip of the Iceberg

It’s a well-knownfacet of Katara’s personality that she pretends everything is fine when it’sreally not, even denying when things are wrong in order to play the role of theperfect sister, mother, and friend. But she is only human, and when thepressure gets to be too much, she blows up at everyone, even people who aretrying to help.

A helpful diagram.

So let’s take alook at the times when those inner emotions rise to the surface and ask:

Does Aαng recognize the underlying cause of her outburst?

Does Aαng succeed in helping her with the underlying cause?

If Aαng does not help her, who does?

Tip of the Iceberg #1: The Iceberg

Katara: You arethe most sexist, immature, nut brained… Ugh, I’m embarrassed to be related toyou! Ever since Mom died I’ve been doing all the work around camp while you’vebeen off playing soldier!Sokka: Uh… Katara?Katara: I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirtysocks? Let me tell you, NOT PLEASANT!Sokka: Katara! Settle down!Katara: No, that’s it. I’m done helping you. From now on, you’re on yourown!

Katara blows up forthe first time at Sokka because of the life she’s been leading up until now. She’sconstrained by her circumstances and unable to develop her gift the way that shewants because the war has depleted and isolated the Southern Water Tribe.

But wait, is iteven fair to bring Aαng into this incident? After all, Aαng is still in theiceberg at this point. To which I say: yes, it is fair to mention Aαng, because his not having been there for thepast 100 years of war is a character flaw that he will struggle with throughoutthe show. In fact, the first thing Katara ever says about Aαng is:

“But when the world needed him most – hevanished.”

Still, once Aαng doesshow up, he offers to take Katara to the North Pole with him on Appa so thatshe can learn waterbending, too. So because he makes an effort to rectify thisbehavior, we’ll call it a wash.

Tip of the Iceberg #2: The Waterbending Scroll

Katara: Will you PLEASEshut your air hole! Believe it or not, your infinite wisdom gets a little oldsometimes. Why don’t we just throw the scroll away since you’re so naturallygifted! 

Aαng is veryconsiderate toward a Katara who is seething with jealousy in this episode. She hasworked so hard to achieve the few moves she knows, only to see her “pupil” rushthrough them in a few humiliating minutes. I imagine it’s much like what Zukowould feel, watching a young Azula. She lashes out at Aαng, who recoils,but who quickly accepts her apology and even tells her it isn’t her fault lateron, when they get captured. He encourages her by calling her a fellowwaterbender and relying on her talents to help move the boat and make theirescape. Katara apologizes again and all is well.

But …

There’s more tothis outburst than simple jealousy. On Kyoshi Island, admiring fangirls attractAαng’s attention very quickly, leaving Katara in the dust, but Katara doesn’treact so strongly about that. No, this is about Katara having the burden on hershoulders of being the only waterbenderof her tribe. And unlike Aαng, she is not a master of her element. If Kataradoesn’t learn these techniques, if Katara is not the best she can be, inKatara’s mind she is failing not only herself, but her people. So although Aαnghelps with the symptoms of Katara’sfeelings, that deep well of anger and longing for mastery is still there and isnever addressed. This particular iceberg will continue to grow until it cracksopen again.

Tip of the Iceberg #3: The Waterbending Master

Katara: No! No wayam I apologizing to a sour old man like you! Aαng: Uh, Katara… Katara: I’ll be outside – if you’re man enough to fightme! Aαng: I’m sure she didn’t mean that. Sokka: Yeah, I think she did. 

Again, Aαng doeswell by Katara as a friend when he discovers that Master Pakku won’t teach herbecause she’s a girl. He initially refuses to learn from Pakku if the latterwon’t teach Katara, and then volunteers to tutor Katara himself,when Pakku’s not around.

But once their ployis discovered and Katara is made to apologize, Aαng plays peacemaker in a waythat glosses right over Iceberg Katara. First of all, when Pakku demands anapology from Katara, Aαng should have asked to be treated as equally guilty,since he was the one who was actually doing the teaching. Second, he shouldhave pointed out that Pakku has no monopoly on Aαng’s culture, so he has noright to dictate who Aαng can and cannot teach waterbending to once he learnsit. Third, Aαng tries to pretend that Katara doesn’t mean what she so obviouslydoes. He is willing to downplay Katara’s righteous anger and ignore aninjustice so the people around him stop being angry.

Aαngis just not seeing the big picture here. Katara is the last waterbender of the Southern Tribe; her cultural heritage ofwaterbending has been all but wiped out whilethe North did absolutely nothing. And now that the population of southernwaterbenders has been reduced to 1 due in part to the North’s inaction, they arewilling to let combat bending in the South die out just because they don’t wantto teach a woman.

Remember in the“Northern Air Temple”, when Aαng wavered between angry and devastated at thecultural destruction that the Mechanist was wreaking on the temple? I’msurprised, as the last of his kind, that he didn’t take this challenge toKatara’s mastery more personally. But setting aside personal feelings, as theAvatar, it is Aαng’s job to protect the culture of a sovereign nation frombeing extinguished in order to maintain balance in the world. He had the authorityto intervene on Katara’s behalf, and he should have.

Tip of the Iceberg #4: The Chase

Katara: How canyou be so infuriating! Aαng: Should we… do something?Sokka: Hey, I’m just enjoying the show. Aαng: Okay, okay, you both need to calm down.Katara: Both?  I’m completely calm!

Points to Aαng forat least trying to intervene herewhile Sokka does the equivalent of eating popcorn. There is a squabble that’saffecting group dynamics, and he gives it his best. But just like before, Aαngdoesn’t get to the root of the problem; he just wants everyone to stop beingangry so things can carry on the way they always have … even if the way thingshave been isn’t optimal.

Like it or not,there are problems with the current situation. Toph’s refusal to be part of thegroup activities is harmful to the GAαng as a unit, whatever she may thinkabout being independent. And really, it should not have been left up to Katarato address this alone—but she knows that no one else will step up until shedoes. It’s a sign of Katara doing more thanjust pulling her own weight. As I’ve pointed out before, countless times inA:TLA we see her in the background doing some thankless chore so these kidshave hole-free pants and hot meals every day. This is a major burden that’s onKatara’s shoulders continuously; she helps ease Aαng’s burden as the Avatar onmultiple occasions, but sadly, Aαng never does the same for her.

Tip of the Iceberg #5: The Awakening

Hakoda: What’swrong Katara? Katara: He left. Hakoda: What? Katara:  Aαng. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has thisridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone. That it’s all hisresponsibility. Hakoda: Maybe that’s his way of being brave. Katara: It’s not brave. It’s selfish and stupid. We could behelping him. And I know the world needs him, but doesn’t he know how much thatwe need him too? How could he just leave us behind? 

This time, Aαng does more than notresolve the underlying problem; he exacerbates and in some ways causes it. Idid an essay before on Katara’s issues with abandonment; basically, losing her mother and her father to the war, albeit indifferent ways, leaves her very vulnerable to people running off on her. In“The Awakening”, Aαng shuts her out and flies away, still injured, and may verywell have perished were it not for Avatar Roku. This worrying over her friend’ssafety is the last thing Katara needs while she is still dealing withresentment over being left parentless for several of her formative years.Katara even knows that she’s being unfair to Hakoda in blaming him for leaving,but she’s simply unable to cope with the emotions she’s stored up inside whilehe was away. Aαng returns from his unsuccessful solo venture, but never makesit up to Katara or helps her with this longstanding issue.

Tip of the Iceberg #6: The Painted Lady

Sokka:  Didyou even think this through? The army’s gonna blame the villagers. They’reheaded there right now to get revenge. Katara: Well, what was I supposed to do? Sokka: Leave! Do nothing! Katara:  No. I will never, ever turn my back onpeople who need me.  I’m going down to the village, and I am gonna dowhatever I can. Sokka: Wait. I’m coming too. Katara: I thought you didn’t want to help. Sokka: You need me, and I will never turn my backon you. 

Just like in “The Waterbending Master”, it’s all fun andgames for Aαng when he’s helping Katara break the rules, but acceptingresponsibility? Not so much. He knows as well as Katara that Sokka, their planguy, has a strict schedule that they are adhering to in the hopes of making itto the invasion point on time. When he finds out that Katara has been delayingtheir mission to help the people of the town, he volunteers to help—not help asin learning healing from Katara, but help as in blowing up a munitions factory.And at first, it’s nice that he thinks Katara is a superhero, but when they’rediscovered, Aαng is quick to dodge the blame:

Sokka: Katara, what you did put our whole mission in jeopardy. We’re leaving rightnow. (He turns to Aαng.) And how long did you knowabout this? Aαng: Hey, I just found out this morning. 

Yes, if by “just found out” you mean “was an enthusiastic participant in the deed most responsible for attracting the enemy’s attention”.In the dialogue that follows, he leaves Katara alone to defend herself, just likehe did in “The Waterbending Master”.

But worst of all, the same thing is happening here that hashappened in the last several outbursts: Aαng understands that Katara wants todo something in the moment, but thereis no epiphany where he gets just why that is. Whyis Katara so compelled to help everyone who needs it, regardless of far-offconsequences? What is the underlying cause of her determination? Aαng neverreally finds out, so once again Katara’s overprotectiveness will rear its heada few episodes down the line.

Tip of the Iceberg #7: The Runaway

Katara: Fine!It’s a lie. But you’ve been so out of control lately, I knew something was up.I knew you were hiding something, and you were.  Don’t you walk away fromme while I’m talking to you! Toph: Oh, really, Mom? Or what are you going to do?Send me to my room? Katara: I wish I could. Toph: Well, you can’t. Because you’re not my mom, andyou’re not their mom. Katara: I never said I was! Toph: No, but you certainly act like it. You thinkit’s your job to boss everyone around, but it’s not. You’re just a regular kidlike the rest of us, so stop acting like you can tell me what to do. I can dowhatever I want! 

Katara and Toph areat each other’s throats again in an extension of the problem they had in “TheChase”. This time, Aαng doesn’t even do as much as he did there, where he toldeveryone to calm down. He doesn’t tell Katara how much he appreciates all shedoes for him; he doesn’t take Toph aside ask if she really thinks these schemesare a good idea. Katara is going overboard with her role as Team Mom, a rolethat she is paradoxically becoming fed up with. We learn in this episode thatKatara has been taking on the burden of keeping her family together since she wasjust a little kid, and after all this time, she doesn’t know how to let go ofit. But we don’t learn this from Aαng, and Aαng isn’t even around when we hearabout it. And Katara mothers him just as much as anyone in this episode.

Tip of the Iceberg #8: The Western Air Temple

Katara:  Youmight have everyone else here buying your “transformation”. Butyou and I both know you’ve struggled with doing the right thing in thepast.  So let me tell you something right now. You make one step backward,one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aαng… and you won’thave to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I’ll make sure your destinyends right then and there… permanently. 

Wait a minute … wecan’t blame Aαng for not helping Katara with this one, can we? He wasn’t evenin the room when she threatened Zuko! Anyway, it was Zuko who betrayed hertrust at Ba Sing Se, and Zuko who has to earn her forgiveness, right?

Well, yes and no.Zuko siding with Azula against the GAαng in “The Crossroads of Destiny” was ablack mark in Katara’s book that he had to make up for, all the more so because he had confided in her and made her believe he had changed. Butremember, this is about how Aαng recognizes and responds to Katara’s moments ofemotional turmoil. And the fact that she confronts Zuko in private afterpublicly going along with what Aαng wants is a red flag that she doesn’t want Aαngto see how huge the Katara Iceberg is.

Besides, let’s notforget just how obvious Katara’sanger at Zuko was to the entire GAαng. She sniped at him in public episode after episode—even “The Firebending Masters”, which barely featured her. There’s absolutely no way Aαng didn’t notice this, or how much Zuko’spresence was upsetting her. Did he do anything, even something small like helpher with the chores? Did he try to talk to her or Zuko at all about what theirproblems were? Did he let Katara know that her feelings of betrayal were valid,and that he would help her understand what he saw in Zuko?

Maybe they shouldn’t have just kept flying over“The Great Divide”, because Aαng sure could have used those negotiation skillsin this situation.

Tip of the Iceberg #9: The Southern Raiders

Katara:We’re going to find the man who took my Mother from me. Zuko: Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it. And Iknow how to find him. Aαng: Umm… and what exactly do you think this would accomplish? Katara: I knew you wouldn’t understand. Aαng: Wait, stop, I do understand. You’re feeling unbelievable pain andrage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? Howdo you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to mypeople?Zuko: She needs this, Aαng. This is about getting closure andjustice. Aαng: I don’t think so. I think it’s about getting revenge. Katara: Fine! Maybe it is. Maybe that’s what I need. Maybe that’s whathe deserves. Aαng: Katara, you sound like Jet. Katara: It’s not the same. Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he’s amonster. 

Wow, did Aαng bungle this one.First, Katara knew he wouldn’t understand—thatright there is a big blow to the notion that Aαng is there for Kataraemotionally. Second, Aαng tries to tell Katara he does understand by using acompletely inappropriate example. Aαng’s pain and rage on seeing Appa stolencan’t hold a candle to Katara’s mother getting murdered, nor is the Air Nomadgenocide  comparable because Aαng didn’t personally witness the perpetrators, andall of the people who carried out the massacre are already dead. Third, hejumps to conclusions that this is about revenge before Katara even says itis—the way she says, “Fine! Maybe it is; maybe that’s what he deserves” makes it seemlike she’s mulling the idea over in real time as it occurs to her. It’s possiblethat Aαng’s premature suggestion actually plantedthe idea of killing Yon Rha in Katara’s head, where before she just had anebulous idea of confronting him. And as if that weren’t bad enough, Aαng thencompares Katara to Jet, who took revenge for his village’s destruction on anentire town of innocent Earth Kingdom civilians. 

Aαng tries to drumthe idea of forgiveness into Katara’s head fourtimes in this one episode, an idea that she repeatedly and finally rejects,even at the episode’s end. This is a huge clue that Aαng wasn’t letting Katarado what she needed to do to getclosure, but kept trying to pressure her into doing what Aαng personally wantedher to do to maintain his own Air Nomad ideals. He made her pain all abouthimself and the wisdom of the monks, the least helpful thing he could havedone. And let’s remember that, like with Katara and Zuko’s long détente, Aαnghad plenty of times throughout the series to ask about Katara’s mother andwhat happened, possibly helping her to heal by sharing his own experiences. Buthe never, not once, sympathizes with her or even seems to realize how huge awound she still has—not until it stands a chance of violating his personal precepts.

So let’s take stockof all of these situations where Katara’s anger was a sign of dire emotional distress. How many times did Aαng recognize and respond to Katara’sanger in a way that got at the source of the problem? “The Waterbending Scroll”is the only time he comes close, and arguably, each of his attempts at diffusingKatara’s anger is worse than the one before it. By no means do I think Aαngshould have solved Katara’s problems for her, or that he should have had thematurity of his technical age. But think of all of the people who step in anddisplay genuine, helpful understanding to Katara in these moments: Hakoda,telling Katara how much he missed her and how he hated being without hischildren. Sokka, telling Katara he’ll never turn his back on her. Toph, tellingKatara that she can be fun, too. Zuko, helping Katara find the man who murderedher mother. Considering how Katara and Aαng are held up as soulmates in theshow, it’s quite depressing how few moments of helpful understanding Kataraactually gets from him, not to mention how often she has to hide her emotions in fear of being judged for her angry reactions. And yes, there’s a good chance that Aαngis simply not mature enough to do more than skid along the surface of Iceberg Katara.But if that’s the case, the last thing he should do is make himself a permanent resident.

[kships4you]

Ship with Monsta X (hyung line)/iKON (hyung line) pretty please~.

I’m a Female Libra who is 5'5 with long caramel colored hair, bluish-green eyes (they change color sometimes their green, sometimes their blue) & a bit of a tomboy. I love blogging, singing, archery & just being myself 100% of the time. I’m a bit of a thrill seeker so I absolutely love doing things that most people wouldn’t/would be too scared to do because I have 0 fear/am not scared of anything. I’m the type of person who will willing ride all the crazy rides at a Carnival or an Amusement/Theme Park lol. Though I do have a bit of a calm/relaxing side where I love being outdoors in nature when I can be, cooking/baking (not to mention I’m great at it) & listening to music & singing whenever I can (which is basically all the time lol). I absolutely adore/love all types of animals/pets & they seem to adore/love me right back because once an animal sees me it won’t leave me alone/leave my side. I currently have 2 pets, a Black Lab/Collie mix dog (Sparky) & a Sugar Glider (Midnight) whom I both love very much. I tend to mask/bottle up all my emotions/feelings & have a hard time trusting people as well as letting people in due to personal issues I’ve been through in the past. I tend to give off quite a cold/bitchy & mysterious vibe since you never know what I’m thinking or what I’ll do next (I’m basically the Queen of Resting Bitch Face lol), but I’m a very open minded & extroverted person who has no filter & always speaks her mind. I like to keep things real without sugar coating it & call it how I see it which is why I got the nickname Queen Bitch from my close friends. I have a very fiery temper with a short fuse & a silver tongue so when I go off it gets a bit nasty/chaotic (because all those bottled up emotions/feelings I have come out), but I do have a very bubbly & sweet 4D personality that makes up for it all. I absolutely love skinship & pda whether it be giving or reviving it & when I’m in a good mood I’ll even end up breaking out some aegyo. I will say though I have a bit of a soft spot for guys that do/try to do aegyo (even if it’s “failed aegyo” I’ll still find it adorable). I may get a little too clingy at times, but there are also times where I like to disconnect myself from the world & everything around me & just keep to myself (i.e I’ll just go really quite/stop talking & won’t talk again for a little while) & enjoy the quietness of life while being left alone to ponder my own thoughts & to just let my mind wonder. ~Extra~ I’m an INTJ~ I’m a “textbook” definition of a “Kuudere” Sun: Libra Moon: Gemini Ascendant/Rising: Aquarius Mercury: Virgo Venus: Leo Mars: Leo Jupiter: Capricorn Saturn: Aries Uranus: Aquarius Neptune: Capricorn Pluto: Sagittarius Mid-heaven: Sagittarius

A/N: You sound like so much fun @katiekittybones!!! (I’m also pretty sure I have requested from your ship blog before XD). Also, i’m pretty sure I’m the princess of resting bitch face, so I get it!! I hope you enjoyed your ships!!

From Monsta X (hyung line) I ship you with…

Appa Bear Shownu!!

(or Changkyun XD)

(okay squishy calm down)

He’s known for looking quite emotionless, so he’d understand your RBF. He’d love to play around with Sparky, while you cook dinner!! He’d also love to sing with you. You two would have the cutest jam sessions!! He’d do anything in his power to see your aegyo (he thinks its the most adorable thing in the world). We all know he’s such a cuddle monster, so I believe that at all times he would either be holding your hand or he has an arm wrapped around your waist. (or he’d be playing with your hair) He’d love how amazing your are with animals!! He’d also love to take you for long walks outside!

From iKON (hyung line) I ship you with…

Bunny Bobby!!

(this may be fairly long just warning ya) (I see like a small peek of donghyuk and i love it)

You’d have a total soft spot for him!! Anytime this boy smiles it’s like aegyo galore (but i bet your aegyo is better and jiwon agrees with me)!! He’d be fascinated by the fact that your eyes change color, he’d be constantly gazing into them. Bobby would love to take you to amusement parks and go on all the crazy rides with you. He’d enjoy the fact that you have no fear, and he would love to do archery with you. I feel like Jiwon is also a Kuundere, so there is a total mashup with that!! I believe Bobby is an ENFJ, so he’d match pretty well with you! He’d also be head over heels for Midnight! He’d be in love with your sugar glider and would want to know everything about it! You both have a fairly 4D personality, and Bobby would love to listen to music with you! He’d always be there for you no matter the situation, and would be completely understanding when you let your emotions burst. Bobby wouldn’t mind that some times you want to be alone (unless he wants attention). Jiwon loves to cuddle at night, (pooh may have to join tho) and would love to participate in any form of skinship with you! I ship this so hard, invite me to your wedding!!!

As always please feel free to request again!!

Remember that you are all beautiful, talented, and amazing in every way you can imagine.

And, “Stop trying to pretend you’re normal, you’ll never fit in. You were born to do so much more.”- Mike Nakadai

💙⚪️~Admin CT-7567~⚪️💙

[shadow-wasser]

WIP Fic Friday - Atla Zombie AU

WIP Fic Friday is a place where I will put a ‘quick and dirty’ first draft of either a short story or a chapter from a longer story. This will hopefully encourage me to improve my writing output

Sorry, forgot this Friday to post!! Here’s a makeup.

Chapter 2: Triptych

2 years ago, the Northern Air Temple

The Mechanist left his 10-year-old son in the living quarters that they shared. It had once been a dormitory for airbending students, but no one thought about that much. “I’ll be back soon, Teo,” he said. “I have a lot of work to do.”

Teo lay on the floor, concentrating intently on a wooden puzzle splayed out on the carpet. “Okay,” he said, not even glancing up as his father left.

The Mechanist walked down the halls of what had once been the Northern Air Temple, swinging his tool box from side to side. He loved his son, loved him with all his heart. And to protect him, to protect his people, his family, he would do just about anything.

The pressure was mounting. Word of the Mechanists’ inventions was spreading, and not all of the ears that listened were friendly. He’d been propositioned just last week. The choice was presented quite clearly. They could continue to live in peace, or the Temple grounds could once again become the site of a massacre.

The Mechanist thought of his son, and steeled himself. This must be done.

No one could know. The Mechanists’ people were peaceful. They were advancing all of mankind. They were Earth Kingdom, yet they were flying. But if the community knew of what the Mechanist now had to do to keep them alive, they might not give him such free rein over their public works. Indeed, they might not give him any rein at all. Hence, the need to finally unlock the most carefully-concealed place in the temple, the Sanctuary. The airflow-triggered bolting mechanism that concealed the room was ingenious to say the least, and cracking that lock would be worthwhile simply for the challenge, even if it weren’t necessary for survival.

The Mechanist came to the Sanctuary door, and wheeled the bellows from their nearby alcove. Worked by hand, they simply weren’t strong enough to open the air-lock, and most steam-engines broke the bellows before the air got moving with enough force.

Kneeling down, the Mechanist opened his tool box, and fiddled with the bellows’ convoluted innards. What was the problem? Did the pumps work too quickly? Was the air bladder too small, or made of the wrong material? Perhaps it just needed more oiling…

Ah, of course! It was overheating. Even after yesterday’s trial, the engine was warm. Well, pack some snow melt around it, and…

The Mechanist brought in buckets of icy water, which he quickly made a basin for, then used a waxed hide to water-proof the poor, overheated engine. The result looked a bit jury-rigged, but it would do.

When the Mechanist started his machine up again, it worked like a dream. The levers hissed and pumped, the leather pipes used to direct the air flow into the locks swelled from the bellows, and the mechanism on the doors began to whistle and twitch.

As the locks and bolts aligned, the Mechanist stood up, and thrust his thumbs into his belt with satisfaction. That hadn’t been hard at all. Looked like ancient Air Nomad technology couldn’t stand up to modern ingenuity.

Then, the doors opened, and the Mechanist was blown off his feet by a blast of stale wind. Tumbling heels over head, he just barely managed to catch himself by grabbing onto his rattling bellows.

After the wind died down, he lifted his face in time to see a group of people standing in the darkness behind the doorway. They were thin, gaunt to the point of emaciation, and wore torn, faded yellow robes. They were bald, with arrows on their brows. They were looking at him with sunken, empty eyes.

“Who are you?” gasped the Mechanist, and tried to get up.

They began to come forward, and another gust of wind nearly floored him. “You’re airbenders!” the Mechanist cried. “I can’t believe it!”

In reply, they only moaned.

-------

Early Winter, just off the west coast of the Earth Kingdom

The rain lanced down in sheets, in curtains, in waves, hitting Aang and Katara so hard it was like tiny, watery needles. The two benders scanned the horizon, barely able to see anything, it was so dark and the rain so thick. The little sailboat that held Sokka and that fisherman would be nearly impossible to find in this growing typhoon.

Appa battled the winds, struggling to stay airborne in such strong downdrafts. Sokka, thought Katara, and Aang looked around, desperately hoping for a sign.

Then, Aang heard a sound, a faint and wordless groan, carried by the wind. He looked up.

It looked like a yellow kite, suspended in the storm, a hundred feet over the Avatar’s head. It was like a piece of cloth, or a ragged sail, or-

The next lightning strike illuminated the figure in sharp relief. It was a man, wrapped in a yellow robe, floating in and buoyed by the wind, with no glider at all. Aang’s jaw dropped. It wasn’t possible, was it?

The next downdraft nearly blew Appa into the sea, and Aang had to take his attention off the figure to aid the bison in his efforts to stay aloft. Then the next wave nearly put them under again, and when they were finally flying at a safe height, the figure was gone.

“What is it?” asked Katara, seeing the look on Aang’s face. “Do you see them?”

“No, I…” Aang swallowed. “I just… I thought I saw something. It wasn’t, though. Let’s keep looking.”

Appa soared deeper into the storm.

--------

Late Winter, the Northern Earth Kingdom

“So, travelers,” the storyteller continued, “The next time you think you hear a rustle in the night, it might not be a meadow vole or a raccoon-dog, but a horrific cannibal spirit from beyond the grave, come to devour you whole!”

Sokka, Katara, and Aang stared at the storyteller, eyes wide.

“Are there really cannibal spirits?” asked Katara, looking at Aang.

The airbender shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, though… we’re near the Northern Air Temple, and I used to come up here for the sky bison polo championships. I don’t remember ever hearing about cannibal spirits.”

“Oh, they’re real, my boy. Trust me.” The storyteller shoved his hat in front of Aang. “Now, jingle jingle!”

“Have you seen them?” asked Aang, looking concerned.

“No, but ask anyone in the villages around here, and they’ll tell you, they keep their doors and windows shut tight. I’d pass through quickly, if I were you.”

“Uh…” Aang frowned. “Thanks for the warning.”

“Tell it to the hat.”

After dropping a copper in the hat, Aang turned back to Sokka and Katara. “Think we should check it out?”

“I dunno, Aang,” said Sokka. “We can’t stop to look up every ghost story we hear. It’s probably just nonsense anyway.”

“And we’re so close to the Northern Water Tribe,” added Katara. “We can come back after we learn waterbending.”

Aang sighed. “Okay… but what if it’s real?”

Sokka snorted. “Then all the more reason to keep moving. I don’t want to get eaten, do you?”

“Katara-” started Aang, but Sokka interrupted.

“I knew ghost stories were a bad idea!”

Aang sighed, but relented. They would continue to the Northern Water Tribe. They could always come back to the Northern Air Temple later.