#kyoshi is real for that i fear

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Me: *points at Rangi before Kyoshi is found to be the Avatar* Me: Sugar Mama-Nepo Baby. Me: *points at Rangi after Kyoshi is found to be the Avatar and inherits all of Jianzhu's wealth* Me: Sugar Baby-Nepo Baby.

[thebanishedmoonspirit]

headcanons:

1- azula hated doing anything like ursa

she showed her rebellion through doing anything in the opposite way for example the turtleducks ursa and zuko feed them while she throw rocks at them

it's like she dislikes everything good her mother do because she didn't see the good being done to her its like a protest.

2- mei never loved azula nor feared her she just likes playing with the fire because her life is dull.

3- azula cares what people think about her because of two reasons:

1: for manipulation

2:she's insecure

3- azula and zuko have acting skills inherited from their mother and both of them used these skills to get to live normal lives without outer pressures or for their safety and we could see this in the beach episode when azula didn't reveal her and zuko's real identities and when she disguised as s kyoshi warrior.

4- azula secretly likes tea as much as uncle iroh does lol don't ask me why I got this idea.

5- azula is momma bear ( if she healed and had children) and she would try her best to not exclude any of her children.

6- azula would click with sokka and they'd start doing pranks together.

[aangarchy]

Netflix atla live action review ep 4-6

So, they completely ruined Bumi. Spoiler warning.

The more episodes pass by the more confused i get with the choices that were made. I wrote down commentary for the episodes and the thing that i wrote down the most was "why does this happen?". The writing is incredibly confusing and messy, feels too rushed in some spaces and too slow in others. There's just... so much going on and so little at the same time. They brought in elements that in the OG don't get introduced until later in s1, s2, the comics, or even the legend of Korra. The reason these things get introduced so early here is not clear at all, because they don't serve any purpose other than to be an obstacle to Aang, Sokka and Katara on their way to the North.

Mai and Ty Lee are.. there. They get introduced earlier but they don't serve any purpose at the moment other than stand around, watch Azula train, ask questions so that Azula can give us the answers the viewer needs. My guess is they only got introduced for the audience who watched the OG to go "oh we know them!". We get the secret tunnel story earlier too, but it has absolutely nothing to do with love. Somehow "love is brightest in the dark" now correlates to the badgermoles being able to sense a human's emotion. It's a waste of a storyline, doesn't teach us anything about love, gives us Omashu lore which is useless bc neither Sokka nor Katara actually use love to escape the tunnels. Also Oma and Shu are lesbians now, but you only know that bc they changed Shu's pronouns. Wow, so progressive! We have lesbians in the story now! Boy do i feel represented as a sapphic!

We get Koh early on as well, but his entire gig got changed. Now suddenly he doesn't steal faces but he "feeds", and hunts using the fog of lost souls (which is tlok lore mind you) as a tool to trap humans. We introduce the mother of faces (comic book lore!), or rather pendant of her that Koh owns. There's no reason for her to exist in this story though other than to be an easter egg to everyone who read the search (Not even the majority of the fandom!) and to offer a solution to this problem we've created, which is Koh capturing our friends in order to eat them and us not being able to convince him into letting them go. There's no feeling of dread in the Koh scenes at all because the whole problem of not showing emotion is just not a thing now. No suspense, no fear, just a weird cgi clown face worm. The worm doesn't even menacingly circle around Aang to invoke a feeling of being surrounded, it just sits there. I also just don't understand why Koh is here already bc now who is going to give us information about Tui and La?

This decision also creates a problem that Hei Bai's story just isn't about Hei Bai anymore. We get fed a few lines from a talking fox about how the forest spirit got hurt, but there's really no solution? Aang buries a pinecone in front of the statue and tells him not to give up hope but he didn't even really need to do that, because Hei Bai wasn't the one kidnapping villagers! It was Koh. Why did we appease Hei Bai if Koh was the real villain? Hei Bai/Koh's story leads us to Roku, but Roku is completely useless. All he does is undermine Kyoshi's advice to Aang, tell Aang about the mother of faces pendant so he can appease Koh, and then we leave. I knew in advance Roku wasn't going to warn Aang about the comet here bc Albert Kim already told us working with a deadline like that with child actors is just impossible. But with Roku suddenly not being Aang's main Avatar guide he just gets nothing to do. There's no suspense in this part of the story either, bc the time limit of the winter solstice isn't a thing here at all. Aang also ends up flying over Fire Nation borders without issue, and gets led right into the sanctuary without the puzzle of figuring out how to open the door, and without the problem of Zhao's soldiers waiting for him when he comes out. It creates this issue of there not being any excitement, at least for me. I genuinely am getting a bit bored with the show, which was never an issue with the OG for me. There's a reason all of this extra material didn't get introduced until later on. There's too many characters and they all get too little time to really do anything useful, they're not fleshed out, the stories aren't thought through and it ends up getting very confusing and boring. I'm genuinely curious for the perspective of people who have never watched the OG cartoon, bc i wonder if they're even able to follow along without prior knowledge of this universe.

Bumi is just... not Bumi. They completely changed his character to be this bitter old senile man that resents Aang for abandoning the world. This doesn't make any sense because in this version of the story Bumi shouldn't know that Aang is the Avatar at all, because Aang was told right before he disappeared! So why does Bumi immediately know that Aang is the Avatar, and why does Aang immediately recognize him? Also the original point of Bumi's tests is to get Aang to approach fights and puzzles from a different angle, so he can learn versatility as the Avatar. But here the tests are just happening because Bumi is mad at Aang for leaving and wants to get back at him for being gone so long. He says some lines about Aang having to learn to make hard choices and you can't rely on your friends, but Aang ends up proving him wrong in the end! What is even the point of Bumi's part in the story now, except for him just being another obstacle on the way to the North Pole?

There's a lot of instances where I feel like the bond between characters gets completely lost. We barely spend any time with the side characters like the mechanist, Teo, Jet and the freedom fighters, and the people in the spirit village. It makes some scenes feel very out of place. These storylines all happen at once, and they don't get their individual moments to shine. We have no room to feel betrayed by Jet or Sai, because we barely got to know them to begin with. Jet and Sai only spend time with One member of the gaang each, but when their betrayals come to light the rest of the group acts devastated, as if it was their dear friend. Sokka also gets really mad about the Jet thing, but he only met Jet once when he smuggled them into Omashu, and Jet didn't even tell Sokka his name. He said it afterwards when Katara met him again. It makes absolutely no sense why Sokka is yelling at Katara for trusting Jet only bc she finds him attractive, when Sokka wasn't even there during all of that!

The sense of family between the gaang that we get from the original also just doesn't happen here. Especially because these characters so far have spent more time apart than together. Aang constantly gets separated from Sokka and Katara, leaving no room for them to bond. We get Katara and Sokka bonding, but they shouldn't need those types of scenes because they're already siblings (which isn't very clear in the show either btw!). I ended up forgetting that Sokka and Katara were trapped by Koh, bc we spend so much time away from them (a whole episode, which is now an hour!).

I have little to no criticism for the Blue Spirit story. Want to guess why that is? Bc they left it pretty much untouched. We even get a little bit of an extra scene, with Zuko and Aang talking while Zuko recovers after getting hurt during the escape. I liked this choice, especially bc it highlights how conflicted Zuko is.

This is where we get Zuko's backstory. I have one question here: why did they make Ozai more sensible and less ruthless? Was that a Daniel Dae Kim decision? Bc it feels like a Daniel Dae Kim thing to do. They're very on the nose with the way Ozai is abusing Zuko and Azula, but then they turn around and make this man visit Zuko after he burned him and praise Zuko about finding the Avatar. I understand that they did this to show how Ozai uses Zuko's accomplishments in order to push Azula, but even if it were to do that: the original Ozai would NEVER. The problem here as well is that they don't let the viewers draw any conclusions themselves anymore. They're holding the viewer's hand through the whole thing, leaving no room for nuance or doubt.

I just finished episode 7 and 8 and I have Things To Say. None of which are good. Writing it down is challenging so it might take a day or two.

[swiftsaltsweet]

Phoenix Flame Ch 1: Awakening From the Ashes

Characters: Rangi and Kyoshi (RoK characters tbh)

Pairing: Rangshi

Rating: T

Summary:

First she was dying from a stab wound from Yun, then the next thing she knew, Rangi was in her room back at the mansion. Two years in the past. With memories of her adventures with Kyoshi and the Flying Opera Company still fresh in her mind, can she stop the same disasters from occurring again?

(Aka “What if Rangi mentally time-traveled back before Kyoshi was discovered as the Avatar, knowing everything from R/Sok?” and “What if Rangi flirted with Kyoshi the same way she does after they’ve been dating?”)

Other Sites: AO3 

A/N: Oi oi oi! Ya put that pitchfork down! I can stop making AUs when I damn well WANT! Yes I know I have a problem, but I don't care! uwu

Listennnnnnn this idea came into my house in the dead of night and grabbed me by the throat. And then kidnapped me. I’ve been held in its basement ever since. u_u

…….Ok for real I can’t control myself. Because this wasn’t even the original idea! :’D Originally I wanted to do “what if Kyoshi went back in time” (aka “the speedrun to kiss Rangi” fic) but then I was thinking of how much harder Rangi would have a seemingly harder time and needed to snort up that angst really fast. (Kyoshi keeps some whimsy while Rangi’s like….on the struggle bus. Not my fault Rangi revealed to Kyoshi she’s been running around like a loon because she liked her since way back, and she never asked Kyoshi when she started to fall for her. Get your priorities in line Rangi! Gosh!)

Don’t worry, for those who want the Kyoshi Time Travel AU, I will still do it. 

As for the name. I was resistant to naming it this, despite it being the most fitting thing I could think of (and on the nose uwu; listen I gots a sched to attempt to keep TT0TT If y’all have a better name I’m allllllll ears *sob*). Because “phoenix rising from ashes” is more of the western phoenix (aka Greek/Egyptian area) than say the Chinese one. Buuuuut then I remember ATLA conflated the two with Ozai so jfsdklfj Screw it~! 

_______

Pain. Unimaginable pain and the ever encroaching, unfamiliar, cold. Rangi knew this was going to be the last thing she felt. Unless she did something. She was defiant like that, even in her dying moments.

With the last of her strength she looked up to the one she loved the most in the whole world. Kyoshi’s eyes were slammed shut, tears of light spilling from the cracks. Even when she was crying she was still so beautiful. But beauty or not, she couldn’t bear to see Kyoshi in pain. She knew what her last act needed to be.

“Kyoshi,” she rasped. She barely had the strength to talk, but she needed to power through it.

Kyoshi’s eyes opened in surprise and looked deep into Rangi’s. Despite the godly light that spilled from them, Rangi could only see the humble maid she fell in love with all those years ago. 

Rangi slowly reached her hand up to Kyoshi’s face, intending to wipe away the tears. 

“Stay here with me,” she whispered. She gave Kyoshi her best smile, one filled with reassurance and love. To tell her it would be alright. To tell her everything she couldn’t say with what little words she had left. She wanted to say more, but a sudden shudder took her body and darkness started to flood her vision. 

The last thing Rangi felt before slipping into the darkness was not pain, or cold, or fear. It was love.

______

The sound of a pigster crying jolted her awake. She unceremoniously rolled out of bed and onto the floor from the start it gave her. Despite landing face first, she clutched at her lower back in pain.

Wha–what the hell? What’s going on? Where’s Kyoshi? And Yun? Jinpa? Kirima? Wong– AH!

Forehead pressed to the floor, she shook her head the best she could, trying to get her thoughts in order. When the pain in her back finally loosened, she gathered the strength to finally sit up.

She was in the Avatar’s estate. But, instead of the ruins of the training ground surrounding her, she was back in her own private room from when Jianzhu was in charge. In fact, she could hear the nostalgic commotion that the mansion used to exude just outside her window. 

People? But…how?

She attempted to gather strength to her legs, but flopped back down onto the ground. A wave of nausea rolled over her as she attempted once again. Finally, she decided to forgo her dignity and crawl on the floor to her vanity table. When she got there, she used all her strength to pull herself up to look at herself in the mirror. 

The first thing Rangi noticed was that she was pale. Well, she was always pale, but this was the sickly kind. Her skin was underline with a green tint rather than her usual pink. And she had heavy, dark circles under her eyes. The second thing she realized was…despite only minor changes occurring in her body between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, they were still noticeable enough. 

Her face had fewer edges… Her limbs, despite being unable to stand, felt a tad shorter. She’d comment on how her hair was shorter, it would’ve been…if not for the impromptu haircut of dishonor she was wounded with at the age of sixteen. It took a year for most of her hair to grow back. Most didn’t notice the length change, but she did.

What’s going on? Why am I… Why am I fifteen again? Pain throbbed in her head. Maybe she wasn’t fifteen? Maybe this was the aftermath of being stabbed by Yun? Maybe she was just delirious and the changes in her limbs and hair was just her mind playing tricks. The changes in her face were just swelling from a fever and infection? 

She finally pulled herself up to a standing position, and half leaned against the table. She pulled her tunic up the best she could, angling her body so she could assess the wound on her back in the mirror. Her eyes widened when she saw not a stab wound, but a nasty looking bruise in its place instead. 

What in the– Her thoughts were cut off by an intense throbbing sensation that slammed against her temples. She doubled back over onto the floor, clutching at her head in pain. She let out haggard gasps, trying to right herself again. 

I need to find Kyoshi… Questions alone weren’t getting her anywhere, she needed to get out of this room and find some answers! She gritted her teeth and attempted to stand up again, she didn’t care how much pain she was in, or how broken she felt. If Kyoshi was in trouble, she needed to get to her!

On her fifth attempt to stand, she heard a brief knock at her door, and the door clicking open.

“Cadet!” a familiar voice roared sternly.

Rangi flinched slightly. Her old title…from two years ago. Indeed, this was the past. She stopped her attempt at standing and looked towards the door. 

“What in the blazes are you doing?! You’re late–”

Hei-Ran, Rangi’s mother, stood before her with wide eyes, taking in the sight of her ill daughter. Her long hair was still pulled into a topknot, still honorable. She looked healthy and strong and vibrant, just like she had been before was poisoned. A small bubble of happiness floated about inside Rangi, her mother was healthy again! 

“Rangi–” she breathed, all military formality and stiffness seared away from her voice in an instant, all that was left was a mother’s worry.

“Mother…” Relief flooded through her, and with it, the rest of her energy. 

Rangi was out before she hit the floor.

______

Visions of the past two years, mostly Kyoshi’s stint as the Avatar, played in front of Rangi, sped up and slowed down all at once. Even in her dreams she knew, she knew they were real. But she didn’t know how this was happening. She died from Yun’s stab wound…right? How was she in the past? 

Perhaps it didn’t matter? Maybe a kind spirit took pity on her and her alone? The thought was laughable enough, but she was connected to the Avatar. Maybe something out there in the cosmos deemed her worthy of instigating a re-do of some sorts? To help Kyoshi?

Well…she could do that. She didn’t need to be told twice. If she could stop the trauma and pain that would befall the girl she loved in a year, she’d do it gladly. 

But before she could do any of that, she needed to wake up first. 

She fought her way upwards, towards consciousness. Barreling past memories that threatened to drag her back down.

Finally, she opened her eyes. It was a semi-familiar ceiling that laid above her, it must’ve been the infirmary. She felt something cool on her forehead. She attempted to sit up, but her body refused to listen. She was out of energy.

Come on… Mind over matter… Move! She growled at herself. She didn’t have time to lay around! She needed to–

“Rangi!” Kyoshi’s voice cried out just out of Rangi’s field of vision. “Spirits, you’re awake!”

Rangi’s eyes widened and somehow found the energy to flick her head in the direction she heard Kyoshi’s voice. All the air left Rangi’s lungs when she saw her. 

Kyoshi stood there with her hands over her mouth, eyes shimmering back tears. Beautiful as always. Her dark umbre locks framed her elegantly long face, with deep bronze skin star dotted with freckles across her high cheekbones. 

Not much had changed for Kyoshi in two years. The only difference is she lacked the scars, the marks of her strife. Her scars didn’t tarnish her beauty in any way, despite what Rangi’s initial reaction to Kyoshi’s injured hands may have sounded like. But Rangi was still determined to make sure Kyoshi didn’t have to face the same trials this time, to bear the same pain. 

Rangi felt a lump form in her throat, Kyoshi and her mother were safe and well. She’d really gone back in time. And that meant even Master Kelsang…and…Lek. Yes, she was going to do everything in her power to protect them all.

Something slid from Rangi’s forehead and covered her vision. She was in the middle of sending energy to one of her arms when it was removed from her face. Kyoshi plucked a damp cloth away from her face, it was probably used to help with a fever. 

“Oh thank the spirits, thank Yangchen! You’re ok!” she cried, placing the towel in a bowl of water to soak. “Do you have any idea how long you’ve been out?”

Rangi shook her head, not trusting her voice just yet. Please don’t say a week…

“You’ve been out for basically a whole week!”

Damn it… Just her luck. Well, that would explain why her body felt so stiff. She closed her eyes and grimaced. This was going to set her back physically. She didn’t want to think about how many extra minutes of horse stance she’d need to catch up to her regiment. 

The sound of movement near her caused her to open her eyes again. Kyoshi was there with a gourd of water in one hand. Her free hand hovered over her shoulder, ready to help Rangi sit up. Rangi used what strength she had, and lifted her neck and shoulders to help Kyoshi’s hand get under her back. 

As she drank, a brief feeling of embarrassment overcame her. She could tell that her back was soaked with sweat, and she felt all grimy. If she and Kyoshi were dating this wouldn’t have been an issue (they’d seen each other at their worst), but now… She wasn’t sure she remembered where she stood with the maid, and it made her self-conscious. 

Rangi had a feeling she would’ve acted more pridefully and refused the help. Probably would've yelled at Kyoshi for helping her. Then she would’ve pouted about how she did that and how she probably ruined her chances with Kyoshi. Then the cycle would repeat.

Her younger self was a real idiot. Because, really? Wanting the girl she liked to notice her, but self sabotaging her own chances at every turn, and then pouting about it later? It was a real wonder that Kyoshi still ended up liking her. It was, however, no wonder that Kyoshi ended up confessing first. Considering Rangi’s track record, it all made sense. Even Rangi knew she was too pig chicken to confess.

But Rangi was different now! She’d matured. A lot! She ignored the fact she’d reverted back to her old childish habit of wrecking every nearby furniture she could get her hands on back during the Szeto festival. She was under an insane amount of stress at the time, that’s why she regressed. She’d kick the habit once already, and she could do it again!

Besides that, she didn’t think she could just…fall back into how she used to act around Kyoshi. They’d both changed too much since the whole Jianzhu incident. Kyoshi had to toughen up, and Rangi in contrast softened up. That version of Kyoshi may not be here right now, but that didn’t mean Rangi hadn't changed.

But if Rangi started acting differently, acting softer than she used to…wouldn’t that raise suspicion? She mulled it over for a moment, and decided to not attempt to act how she used to. The fever…the minor coma… Yes, she would use that as an excuse for her sudden change. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to change after experiencing an illness like this. She’d use the excuse of having a new outlook on life now. 

Kyoshi finally pulled the gourd away from Rangi’s face when she finished drinking and placed it back on the shelf. 

“Is that enough? Do you want more? Wait! Food! You need food!” Kyoshi shot up out of her chair. “And your mother! I should inform her that you’re awake too!”

Kyoshi started moving away, and Rangi quickly grabbed her hand before she got too far. The motion made her dizzy, clearly, Rangi still hadn’t recovered fully.

“W–wait!” Rangi said, her voice cracking from misuse.

Kyoshi stopped and stared at Rangi, surprised. She definitely wasn’t expecting Rangi to act this way, so vulnerable. Nevertheless, Kyoshi returned to Rangi’s side. 

“What is it?” she asked, worried. She squeezed Rangi’s hand. “Are you in pain? Do you–”

Rangi shook her head. “Just…don’t leave…”

Kyoshi furrowed her brow. “But… Rangi, you need food. And Hei–I  mean, your mother has been beside herself since you collapsed. She’s not here right now only because we begged her to get some rest in her room…”

Rangi felt a pang of guilt hit her, but she really didn’t want Kyoshi to leave. “It’s fine, let her rest.” She worried her lip, trying to gather the courage for what she was about to say. “What about you?”

“Huh?”

“Where have…you…been? During all of this…I mean…” she slowly got out. 

Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Kyoshi’s cheeks tinted slightly and looked away. She scratched at her cheek, a little bashful. 

“I’ve been here…with you and your mother…” She gestured behind her. Sure enough, it looked like there was someone else who had used a nearby cot. “We were trying to sleep in shifts but she… She was adamant on staying awake for long periods of time.”

Rangi bit her lip and nodded. She understood what her mother was probably feeling, and doing. She’d done the same while she sat bedside, waiting for her mother to recover from her poisoning. 

Rangi absentmindedly interlaced her fingers with Kyoshi’s, looking for comfort. 

“A–anyway!” Kyoshi said abruptly. “I’m so glad you’re awake! Do you know what happened?”

Rangi shook her head. “I don’t know, I just woke up like that.”

“A–ah…must’ve caught the latest bug…” Kyoshi trailed off. Her eyes were darting between their hands and random parts of the room. “Are you feeling better now?”

Rangi looked down at their joined hands, and noticed how much cooler Kyoshi’s skin felt against her own. She considered what she was about to do briefly. She didn’t know when Kyoshi started to return her feelings, they’d been too distracted at the time for her to ask. So anything too aggressive may scare Kyoshi away… But she also knew Kyoshi responded very well when she’d been the forward one. Of course, they were dating by that point…but…still. Maybe a toned down version would work in her benefit? Couldn’t hurt to try, anything was better than her disastrous previous attempts in the past. 

She rearranged their hands and brought Kyoshi’s hand up to cup her cheek, and nuzzled it. They were just as soft and smooth as she remembered. She couldn’t help but sigh in content.

She felt Kyoshi tense under her hold, and saw her eyes widened. Kyoshi knew that touching a Fire National’s head was off limits, so she was probably surprised by Rangi’s lack of decorum. Delirious out of her mind with a fever to notice her own transgression.

Damn decorum! And damn propriety too! Rangi nuzzled her face more into the palm of Kyoshi’s hand. 

“I am now,” she said. Then she noticed the lack of breathing coming from Kyoshi. “Your hands are cold, it feels nice,” she added quickly, and noticed the tension retreated from Kyoshi’s body.

She snuck a peak at Kyoshi, the maid looked uncomfortable. However, the slight reddening of her cheeks, and her biting back a smile made Rangi think she made the right move. 

“G–good, I…uh…kept them cold just for you!” she attempted to joke. 

Rangi’s lips curved upward into a small smile. “My hero.”

Kyoshi coughed at the praise. “Are you sure you don’t need something to eat?”

“I know what I need, Kyoshi,” she whispered. “Just…stay here with me.” It may have been unfair, repeating her dying words to the girl she loved yet again. But it was what she wanted.

She felt Kyoshi tense again for a moment. No doubt, her mother probably personally asked Kyoshi to fetch her if Rangi woke up. Kyoshi was always good about following orders, but apparently, it only took one plea from Rangi to undo all that training.

“Alright,” she said softly, sitting down in the chair next to the bedside. Careful not to move her hand away from Rangi’s cheek. “I’ll stay.” 

They stayed like that for a good while, until Rangi slowly started to drift back to sleep. 

However, her nap didn’t last for long. She was soon jostled awake by her mother, disheveled (by her standards), shaking her shoulders hard and yelling at her to wake up. The second Rangi’s eyes were open, Hei-Ran was attempting to shove Fire Nation style of samgyetang down her throat. Kyoshi, who must’ve gone to fetch her mother while she slept, did all she could to keep Hei-Ran from accidentally putting Rangi back into a coma.

_____

A/N: “Pigster?” Pig Rooster. “Why not call it a pig rooster?” I dunno, apparently it’s called a “pigster” according to the lost avatar lore. I usually check the “fauna of avatar” on the avatar wiki for these things. And the lost lore is the source so…. 8U As my cat would say, “Eh.”

Anyway…. Frantic!Hei-Ran~! \u0u/ Let her be worried about her baby! She’s not gonna be like that all the time, I just wanted to show her cracking a lil’. :3c But for real for real, I feel like she would be a damn WRECK if Rangi was really hurt/sick. I know I played it a bit for a giggle at the end, but fire mama was in the right for her freak out and trying to get her daughter to eat. TT0TT

You know, I can fuse this idea with the “What if Rangi just….used the same level of flirting she did once she started dating Kyoshi? How fast would Kyoshi be blown outta that closet? TT0TT” AU idea I had. Yeah I like that. Two AUs with one stone! :D (of course that AU was starting at day 1 of meeting her and was more of a comedy, I think I theorized Kyoshi would be bomb blasted out of the closet in less than 3 months. And it’d also reveal she was the Avatar a lot sooner jklsfdjkla maybe I’ll still do it as a mini comedic thing, but I’m happy to be incorporating the ideas here).

[low-budget-korra]

Comments on Netflix's Avatar The Last Airbender

*spoiler alert*

First of all I'm gonna start by saying it is one of the best adaptations I've seen so far. And that's the key word, adaptation. I've seen a lot of fans and others complain about some things that honestly, doesn't make sense because some things only work in a cartoon(just as much as some things only work in a book or a video game)

And before I start to talk about some topics that I judge important, I also wanna say that the production is fantastic, from the costumes to the CGI. It all looks amazing. (A part from Yue's wig)

1. The Script

It's not easy to pick 20+ episodes and make it fit in only 8 but damn they did a hell of a good job, especially when judging what was important to show and what they could let it go. Some fans commented that since there's no fillers, the Gaang and others miss some development but I think that for the universe of the live action what we got here it worked.

I can express how much I like to see Ozai and Azula's relationship and how it is now clear that he uses the siblings against each other, manipulating them to get what he wants. But I will admit I miss the fear Azula had, since it's implied in the show and some extras that she does fear Ozai, and fears becoming like Zuko.

I hope the 41. Is just fine after the battle in the north. See all of them bowing to Zuko after discovering that Zuko was the one that saved their asses and was heavily punished by that...it was beautiful. I loved the writers did that, give names and faces to Zuko's crew and a beautiful yet sad arc when Ozai banished his son and the men who he saved.

I also loved that they put weight into things that was treated as a joke, like Katara talking about her mother. She was a little kid who saw her mom get murdered in front of her and the live action made sure to let us know that it is not okay to make jokes about something so traumatic. All of the deaths here have tons of weight in it, it's not some random person, is someone we met, someone we liked, someone who helped. The costs of the war, something the cartoon manages to show us but know in live action, with real people, the massage gets stronger.

And they didn't forget Iroh's past like the fandom does, which is great. That actor, the earthbending soldier really let it all out, that's how you use the few screentime you have.

Sokka's isn't sexist and y'all were making a storm outta a cup of water, is not like Sokka sexist didn't go away after like the 4 or 5 episode in the original show. I think the live action was able to bring more depth to him in comparison to the first season of the cartoon. We see how he feels about his father's, the absence of him and his duty as warrior who kinda doesn't want to be a warrior.

I need a Gyatso in my life, I didn't know I needed to see more of him until the live action gave us more of him. Kyoshi was the Thor coming to Wakanda from this season, WHY THE FUCK BRYKE DONT WANNA GIVE US A KYOSHI SERIES? She is absolutely a jewel of a character. Roku and Kuruk, damn poor Kuruk man, so much pain in his words but again that's what it means to be the Avatar, it's not fun and games. Zhao saying to Aang what Korra villains said to Korra😭 that the world doesn't need the Avatar anymore, it hurt.

Guys I'm gonna say it, there's no way in hell for anyone to ship Kataang here. I'm saying this because some shippers complain that the secret tunnel part was different but c'mon, look at Kiawentiio and look at Gordon, it would be so s awkward and weird and just wrong. I know they don't have a big age difference, is only like 3 years but when they filmed Gordon looked so much younger than her, maybe in the next seasons the difference won't be that big.

The pace is good, once you start you don't wanna stop.

2. The Acting

Everyone is really good at capturing the essence of it's characters and somewhat making them their own. The highlights for me were Dallas and Ian, Its like they came straight from the show. Ken Leung's Zhao was also amazing as he was way more threatening here than he was in the show.

Kiawentiio was the Katara we were looking for, she is kind yet strong, brave and caring. And Gordon was Aang, sure, he has to learn a few things since he slipped a few times in his acting but nothing that could ruin the experience, that kid is good and just needs some experience.

Elizabeth Yu was Azula. It was different but yet the same character, is like learning something new of her and I like how cleared she show emotions with her eyes. Maria Zhang had great chemistry with Ian and I can't wait to see more of Suki. Arden Cho and Yvonne Chapman as June and Avatar Kyoshi look like they came out straight from the cartoon. Daniel Dae Kim...man is Ozai, so cold, so sharp, so scary, already way better than the cartoon version. I wanna see more of Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Iroh since the character he really starts to shine in book 2.

3. The live action doesn't have the spirit of the OG?

Yes, it does have. The thing is now that we are seeing real people, things get dark one way or another but I don't think it ruined the spirit of the show. Aang is still a kid, Sokka still making sarcastic jokes, Zuko still annoying as hell, Katara still hopeful and strong... There's everything there really.

The thing is stuff like genocide, murder, war, death and suffering are, for some people, better to watch as pixels in a cartoon than real people.

I think it's a great adaptation and I would recommend it to every fan.

[itslenagain]

My thoughts on episodes 1-3 of Netflix ATLA (SPOILERS):

1. Commander Zhao has middle-aged white guy manager energy. I feel like this man is about to lead me in a team-building exercise

2. Aang having his origin story changed irks me! He ran away impulsively in the original show and got stuck in the ice. In this version, he fully monologs to Appa about his fears, but then just leaves for a joyride and gets stuck. It takes away from the significance of Aang leaving in the first place. When Kyoshi berates him for running away, it doesn't feel right because in this version, he didn't really run - he just got stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time

3. The Zuko that stood on an iceberg during a full Moon and challenged Katara to battle would be absolutely enraged at the Zuko that ran from the conflict in Omashu

4. Also, the fact that Zuko has not mentioned honor yet? What the fuck?

5. Seriously, Commander Zhao has a LinkedIn. He's got great networking skills

6. I miss aggro Katara. This version is way more subdued (though we do get a sibling fight in episode 3) and somehow listening to Aang's weird circular philosophy helps her learn how to waterbend and I don't get it

7. Seeing Aang be joyful is a nice change from the movie that shall not be mentioned

8. If Gram-Gram putting the waterbending scroll in Katara's bag replaces the storyline where Katara says fuck cultural looting and steals one I will scream

9. It's interesting to see Azula so early in the story, but I'm bummed we missed out on the whole blackmail thing with her & Ty Lee

10. Do you think Commander Zhao pays his employees a fair wage? Do you think they have health insurance? 401k matching? Vacation time? Sick days? What kind of benefits does his company offer?

11. This version of Sokka is definitely not silly enough

12. I feel robbed that Aang got to transform into a magical girl but we didn't get a magical girl transformation sequence

13. Also, we were robbed of Sokka crossdressing as a Kyoshi warrior and they are so rude for that

14. The graphic murder of the Airbenders felt. Weird? Wrong? I don't think we needed to see that. The impact it had when Aang arrived at the temple to find all of them gone in the original show felt heavier than in this version. We saw what happened, we know they're all dead. As a kid watching ATLA the first time, I remember feeling hopeful for Aang that maybe he wasn't really the last one. We don't get to feel that with this version

15. They did not understand Uncle Iroh at all. His character is so weird. Maybe it gets better???

16. The pacing is weird but maybe that gets better too???

17. I have never related more than when Ozai just burned that Earth nation dude who was about to start monologing, please shut up in my presence

18. Apparently everywhere has names?? Who decided on these names?

19. As a lesbian I also get horny on main immediately for girls who could definitely kick my ass, Sokka was so real for that

20. Overall I think they lean into the idea that the audience for this show is primarily older than the audience for the original (they're not totally wrong!) but I worry about it losing some of the messaging along the way. Part of the beauty of the original ATLA show was tackling these big, complex issues in a way that both kids and adults could relate to and understand. Anyone who knows me knows I also love Bluey for this, along with a few other shows that do it well. Media like ATLA that tackles the ideas of colonization, genocide, war, and so many other important issues is crucial! I hope that these topics are handled just as well as they were in the original series.

Am I going to watch the whole thing? Probably, yeah. Will I enjoy it? I hope so! It's not terrible, but it's also hard to do a show that has so much nostalgia attached to it in a way that will please all viewers.

If you haven't watched it, I think it's worth a shot. Just don't expect it to be an exact retelling of the original story.

[avatar-legends-confessionblog]

No offense to that one anon but there's only one Mai. When Azula "asks" her to call off the deal with ominous azula music playing in the background Mai is shown deliberating for like 2 seconds before giving in. That girl did not care about tom tom like that until the comics where she kind of warms up to him so go figures. Then Mai isn't a particularly warm person so I don't understand why she or ty lee for that matter would try to befriend suki...like they weren't talking crap about the kyoshi warriors even in the midst of battle and just like book 1 zuko have no reason to see the kyoshi warriors as anything other than enemies.

While on the topic, I think Mai's relationship with Azula is interesting because while she does fear and respect her she's not "wary" of her like the way one would be of say a violently rabid dog. Instinctively she knows not to go against (like her letting Azula place a burning apple on her unptotected head at her request, occassionally referring her with her title when she senses Azula becoming calculative, or playing along with her when she's facetiously asked to leave so that she can talk to zuko etc.) but is also shown to find humor in her intimidating personality, express indirect defiance, and even explode at her in the beach episode. Behaviours that Azula herself permits and is seemingly accustomed to until the boiling rock episode where she's blatanly betrayed! Something that, instead of immediate anger, Azula responds to with questioning and befuddlement, reminding her of the consequences of directly defying a superior. In fact she doesn't respond angrily until Mai almost deliberately undermines the arrangement of their relationship in favor of her more sincere/non hierarchal relationship with her brother. It's like throughout the series we're watching Azula and Mai play their parts in a relationship that heavily reproduces the social/class dynamics venerated in fire nation society and up until that moment in the boiling rock we don't see how these expectations have corrupted what could have been a real friendship. Mai's "fear" of Azula is a valid component to how she was written and perhaps unknowingly the relationship between the 3 girls may just have been a results of the writers' unconconcious efforts at reconciling what they understood as the societal regard for deference as a form of respect in japanese culture and the inter group dynamics of toxic femininity prevalent in white american pop culture. Unlike some people who argue against the consistency of her protrayal in the series I think if you really understand her character and why the friendship between the girls is strained and toxic to begin with you'd know why Mai saying she fears Azula and experienced a repressive childhood is consistent with her characterization.

Anyway, live, laugh, love Mai ♡

X

[king-bumis-armpit]

Hey! I’m just reaching out to say that I would be really interested in reading the continuation for the “how Zuko finds out Mai and Kei Lo broke up” fic.

I love your fics! Thank you for giving us Maiko content!

Put a Ring on It, Part 2

Find part 1 here

Summary: Mai goes out on a date, and comes back to find her ex-boyfriend loitering in her Aunt’s shop.

Author’s note: Thank you so much to everyone who showed interest in a part 2!! It makes me so happy you all enjoy my silly little stories ^^ And big thank you to @ninolovers. I love your page so much!! 

This one got… a little less silly and a little more angsty. And my hand slipped, so I added more sappiness than intended. It’s perhaps a tad ooc, but I hope you all enjoy!!

Also, I’m still taking fic ideas, but I will probably be slow in writing them. Thank you to everyone who’s given me ideas so far <3

Cross posted on AO3 and Tumblr

TW: Canonical violence and more kissing than I normally write.

WC: 3349

“Um… so… what do you like to do for fun?” Kage asked.

Mai held back a sigh. The awkwardness was palpable, but the young man in front of her was trying his hardest to make conversation. Mai knew she should make an effort as well. “I like throwing knives, sharpening my knives, and collecting rare knives.”

Kage ran a hand through his hair. “That’s cool.” 

Silence descended once more as the pair focused on their lunch. Ty Lee owed Mai so many cups of tea for this. 

She had recently started dating Kaori, one of her fellow Kyoshi Warriors. Of course Mai was happy for her, she liked Kaori well enough and it was nice to see her friend even more bubbly than usual. However, when Kaori’s brother came to the Fire Nation for a visit, Ty Lee not-so-subtly began pushing for a double date. Mai, wanting to be a good friend, agreed. Big mistake. When she arrived at the garden restaurant, it was just Kage. The girls had “urgent warrior business to attend to,” which Mai assumed involved making out in the sparring rooms of the palace.

Nonetheless, Ty Lee had chosen a great spot for a date. The restaurant was outside of the Caldera proper and built on one of the smaller hills overlooking the harbor. The owner of the establishment had turned the surrounding grounds into a large outdoor garden, and installed large picture windows on every wall. Even in the rain, the view was striking. 

Mai was trying very hard to keep her irritation at bay. It wasn’t this guy’s fault that Ty Lee had ditched her. And Ty Lee herself was probably trying to help. After Mai’s break up with Kei Lo, Ty Lee had encouraged her to either talk to Zuko or start making a serious effort to move on. This was clearly a ploy to get her out in the dating game again after so many months of refusing. Unless… unless there really was urgent warrior business that involved Zuko’s security.

A bolt of anxiety coursed through Mai’s chest, and she forced herself to tamp it down. That was not a possibility. Zuko was safe. She needed to think about anything else. “I met your sister in prison!” It was a rather inelegant attempt at human interaction. Mai was normally much better at this, and Zuko was the one who floundered. 

“Oh, yes. She told me. You and her girlfriend were part of the resistance to Ozai’s rule, right?”

Mai feared that Kage had been told a nicer version of events, but she did not have the mental energy to figure out what was safe to say. If there were rules, then Ty Lee should have come to enforce them. “We were eventually, but first we actually helped Fire Nation conquer Ba Sing Se by pretending to be the Kyoshi Warriors. It was really ironic when Ty Lee became one for real.”

Kage frowned. “So when did you join our side and get arrested?”

Mai stiffened. “That’s a long story. We actually broke my ex-boyfriend out of a different Fire Nation prison.”

“Are you all known for your prisons or something?”

He had no idea. “Umm… some of them. The one my ex-boyfriend was being held in is called the Boiling Rock. My uncle is actually the Warden there.”

Kage smiled, “That’s good! He must have helped you.”

“Uh…” Mai did not know how the conversation had blown up so quickly. “He kind of hated my ex. He threatened to end him for breaking up with me in a letter. But my ex’s friend took him hostage…” Kage was staring blankly at his plate. “Um… anyway, what did Kaori tell you about Ty Lee?” That would have been a much safer place to start.

Kage looked up. “She told me about the aura-reading thing. Ty Lee said my aura was vibrant orange. What about you?”

“She says it's gray.”

He looked sympathetic. “That’s not very nice of her. I’m sorry.”

Mai raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think it’s so bad.” Personally she thought orange was hideous, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. “I like gray. It goes with the steel of my knives.”

Kage pursed his lips. “Right. Your knives.” Mai would’ve thought he’d be used to female knife wielders, being related to a Kyoshi Warrior and all. But she acknowledged that her life story made for a rather unsettling lunch topic.

She searched her mind for a mundane question to ask: “So… how has your visit to the Fire Nation been so far, Kage?”

“It’s been really nice. The scenery is so beautiful here,” he gestured around them meaningfully, to the stormy gardens.

“Are you staying in the capital for the week?” Mai asked.

“Yes. And then my sister and I are taking a trip to Ember Island for a few days. Have you ever been?”

“Many times. I used to go there as a child.” Mai thought back to those sunny days playing with Zuko and Azula in the sand. Then her mind turned to her most recent visit.

— — 

After wrecking Chan’s house, Azula declared a tactical retreat before the authorities showed up. The four friends made their way back to the sea-shell cottage, but Mai was too wired to sleep. Azula marched confidently inside with Ty Lee hanging off her arm. Zuko followed, but paused at the threshold, noticing that Mai had stopped.

“I think I need to decompress. I’m going to go for a walk.” 

Zuko let the door close. “I’ll come with you.”

Mai pursed her lips. He had said a lot around that campfire earlier, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it all. She had forgiven him, but it still stung.

Sensing her hesitation, he walked over and took and took her hand. “I'm sorry for earlier. I promise I’ll be quiet if you want me to. Just don't go alone.”

She leaned into his side. “It's fine. I have an idea.”

She led him across the beach in the opposite direction of Chan’s house. They reached a rockier stretch of shore and Mai knew they were in the right place. She guided him through the rocks until she found what she was looking for. A large tide pool lay at their feet.

Zuko gasped, “This is just like when we were kids. Do you remember? We would search for urchin-crabs!”

Mai smiled, “I remember. Why do you think I brought us here? Can you give us some light?”

Zuko created a small flame in his palm and the pair crouched down to peer in the water. 

“There!” Sure enough a deep purple spiny shell scuttled across the bottom. Zuko laughed, “I loved coming here because Azula was afraid of the crabs. It was the only time we could play together without her.”

Mai smiled at the memory. “Yeah. But come to think of it, that was probably good for her. It gave her a chance to be alone with your mom.”

“Hmm. I guess that’s true. I hadn’t thought about it before. It’s… hard to think about those times. I know I keep saying this, but everything feels different.” 

Zuko stood, and Mai followed with a frown. Ever since Zuko returned, he kept talking about how everything felt off. She knew that he was referring to deeper issues, his relationships with his family and feelings about affairs of state, but it was hard not to take it personally. When he left, she was a shy little girl and now she was a moody teenager. 

Mai sighed. “It’s been a long time since you’ve been home, and even longer since you’ve been here. It’s natural that things have changed.” She put a hand on his back. “If you need time to figure out why you’re so upset and so angry, then you can have it.”

Zuko had the nerve to pout. “You normally tell me that not everything’s changed and that I don’t have to worry.”

Mai rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well it doesn’t seem to be helping.” She dropped her arm. “I’m saying that if you need… if you need to be on your own, and reassess what we thought the future would be, you can do that. Just let me know sooner rather than later.”

Zuko furrowed his brow. He was about to speak, and then it clicked. “Are you breaking up with me? Again?! Mai–” her name sounded like a strangled prayer. 

“Calm down! I’m not breaking up with you. I just– I don’t know how to help! I thought maybe I was part of the problem.” Mai abruptly sat back down at the edge of the tidepool and brought her knees to her chest. She felt tears prick her eyes and so she hid her face.

Zuko sat slowly behind her. “Mai, you are the only person I have never doubted. When you kissed me in Ba Sing Se, it was literally a dream come true. The only reason I didn’t jump for joy was… uncle. But I really like how you are now.” Zuko wrapped an arm around her.

“I thought I was a big blah.”

Zuko winced, but he didn’t retract his arm. “No. You’re not. I was just frustrated because I can never tell what you’re thinking. I really thought you liked Ruon Jian for a second there.” 

Mai unburied her face to glare at her boyfriend. “But why? I hardly spoke to him! He came up and talked to me for like two seconds before you tossed him across the room.”

Zuko chuckled. “That felt good.” Mai narrowed her eyes, and Zuko pulled her in closer. “Seriously though, I think the fact that I’m relying on you so much is part of the problem. I mean it when I say you’re the only thing that hasn’t changed for me. If you found someone else, I would be all alone. And I know that isn’t an excuse to be awful, but I want you to know it’s not like I don’t trust you or anything. I was just scared.” 

Mai could relate. Even in his banishment, when Mai pictured her future, Zuko was by her side. For him to return so unsettled in his own vision of the future… it was affecting her more than she’d realized. 

Mai tucked her legs under her and put her arms around Zuko’s neck. “Honestly, I’d already forgiven you. Now, tell me more about the feelings that haven’t changed.”

Zuko was smiling broadly now in the moonlight. “First of all, I love you. I trust you. I want to be the person who makes you smile the most.”

Mai blushed fiercely, glad for the cover of darkness, “Okay–”

But Zuko continued, “I’ve always wanted to undo your hair and run my fingers through it.” He moved his hand from her shoulder to the back of her head and took out one of her buns, and her hair cascaded down her back.

Mai laughed, but protested, “Hey!”

“And I want to kiss you.” Zuko buried her fingers in her hair. Mai closed her eyes. They both leaned in. She could almost feel the touch of his lips when–

Sploosh! Something in the tide pool made a noise and Zuko let out a rather unmanly squeal, as they sprang apart. He called the fire back to his palm. Another urchin-crab had joined the first, ostensibly by utilizing the belly-flop method. 

Mai cackled, “Looks like Azula isn’t the only one who’s afraid. Don’t worry, my sweet prince, I’ll protect you.”

Zuko smirked. “Please do.” At long last, they shared their kiss. Zuko pulled back to look into her eyes. “For real, Mai, keep protecting me. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Mai held him close. “I promise. I’ll always be by your side, as long as you want me.” And she was, until she wasn’t.

— — 

“Umm… Mai, I asked what you did? On the island?”

Oh, right. She was on a date. With Kage. It appeared she had frozen with her chopsticks halfway to her mouth. Her mother would have some choice words about the propriety of such an incident. 

“I always enjoyed searching the tide pools for urchin-crabs. You can also collect shells on the beach if you’re…” She really shouldn’t say stupid, “into that kinda thing. Or you could play beach volleyball.” He seemed unimpressed. Maybe she should try for a joke? “Oh! I had one friend who was really into arson and destroying private property, but I wouldn’t recommend it for your first visit.”

“Right. Well… this has been really great but I just remembered that I wanted to take a walk around the gardens. Alone. So, I’ll just…” Kage stood. “Thank you for your time.” He sprinted into the rain as thunder cracked in the sky above.

Mai had officially been ditched for the second time in one day. Third, if you counted Kaori’s ditching separately from Ty Lee’s. And now Mai was left to foot the bill of both meals, after which she would have the pleasure of walking home alone in the rain. Yippee.

— —

For some reason, Auntie had hung the closed sign on the door. Not that Mai minded, she was most certainly not in the mood for small talk and, in this weather, they probably weren’t getting any customers anyway. 

She stomped in and began shaking off her coat. “How was your outing, dear?” her aunt asked. Her tone was weirdly formal, but Mai was too preoccupied to think too deeply about it.

“It was awful!” She whipped her coat in the air, and it made a satisfying crack. “I never–” crack– “want to see–” crack– “another man again!” crack!

Satisfied with the state of her coat, she hung it on one of the hooks by the door and turned to face her aunt. And, standing beside her, was the Fire Lord, ruler of the nation and her ex-boyfriend. Mai said a silent prayer to Agni, letting him know that now would be a good time to engulf the world in a sea of flames.

Auntie Mura broke the uncomfortable silence. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it, then.” With that, she disappeared into one of the many back rooms.

“H-hi.” Zuko looked terrified. He was white as a ghost, and he was holding his hands behind his back in a poor attempt to conceal something. She remembered Ty Lee’s urgent business, and she knew her aunt’s shop was registered as a secure escape location when they were dating. What if there was an attack and his hands were injured?

Mai made her way through the plants in the shop to stand before him. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

“What?” Zuko asked. “I’m fine. Why?”

“You look shaken. And Ty Lee said… Ugh, never mind. She was probably lying to make out with her girlfriend.”

Zuko chuckled. “You mean Kaori? Yeah, I’ve had to talk to them about PDA on duty. Suki tried but she couldn’t get through.”

Mai allowed herself a small smile. “Good luck.”

Zuko bit his lip. “Mai… the truth is, I am nervous. I ran into Kei Lo earlier while he was engagement ring shopping.”

“What?!” Mai was astonished. They’d only broken a few months ago, right? She didn’t like him romantically anymore, but it hurt to realize he’d outpaced her. Especially with how her date earlier had gone. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” Zuko seemed very uncomfortable now. “I didn’t think you would care.” She could hear his temper sneaking into his voice.

“I don’t!” It didn’t sound convincing even to her. “I mean, I don’t care that he’s moved on, but now I feel… like I lost a race.’

Zuko snorted, “That’s not how it works–”

“Yeah, I know. Get on with your story.”

“Right,” Zuko continued. “I thought he was going to propose to you and I might… have gotten just a bit jealous.”

Mai’s head was spinning. “If you’re proposing now, I can’t.”

Zuko shook his head. “Not yet.” Her heart fluttered. “But I did get you something.” He brought his hands in between them and offered her a long jewelry case. She opened the lid. Inside rested a beautiful silver necklace. The charm was a plum blossom, her namesake flower, and in the center sat a garnet, her favorite gem.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s gorgeous, and it’s exactly my taste, but why?”

Zuko delicately took the necklace back and moved behind her to clasp it around her neck. “When I was in that shop, I realized that I would never be happy if I didn’t try to fix things again and remind you of how I feel. I know it’s been a long time since our breakup, but consider this an apology and a vow to do better.” His fingers grazed her nape as moved her hair back in place over the necklace.

Mai crossed her arms. “And do you know why you have to apologize? You can’t just throw jewelry at me.”

Zuko walked back around and grasped her upper arms. “I never should have stopped talking to you. I never should have hidden things from you. Mai, I was afraid you would realize how bad of a screw-up I was and leave. But, in the end, I drove you away on my own. I am so sorry. Please–” his voice broke, and a tear rolled down his cheek. “Please come back.”

“Okay,” Mai’s own voice was quivering and her vision was blurry. She embraced him tightly. They stood like that for a few minutes listening to the rain fall.

Mai realized that she still had that same old fear of heartbreak and future rejection. It was temporarily sated, but she could sense it beneath the surface. Perhaps it was part of her, and nothing to do with Zuko at all. She held onto him with all of her strength. She had always known the reason he brought out that emotion was because she loved him in a way that she hadn't loved anyone else before or since. It was so worth it, there was no one else for her. Now, it was her turn to trust him to protect her in the future. And she found that she did.

“This is the best day of my life,” Zuko whispered into her hair.

“And it's all because of Kei Lo?” she asked teasingly.

“Honestly yes. I wouldn't have had the courage to talk to you without him.” He pulled away slightly to frown at her. “Especially since your Aunt told me you were on a date.”

Mai laughed. “Don't worry, you heard how that went.”

Zuko remained unmoved. “Was that guy rude or creepy to you?” He moved his hands to her waist and brought her close again. “I can and will have him exiled if he–”

“No, no, no.” Mai assured him. “I think I was the weirdo. Besides, he’s Kaori’s brother so he's returning to Earth Kingdom soon anyway.”

“Good riddance.”

“Zuko, you don’t even know him.” 

“I don’t need to!” he insisted. “At least you were happy with Kei Lo.”

Mai rolled her eyes. “Kei Lo was my boyfriend, and Kage was a blind date. There’s a difference there.”

“Well I don’t like him! I wish I knew the second you and Kei Lo broke up. I would have been here in a heartbeat.”

Mai caressed his cheeks. “You could have visited sooner, as my friend.”

“I’m not proud of this, but I don’t know if I could have handled that.” Zuko was right. They both had a lot of progress to make.

“I understand… I probably would have turned you away. I’ve still been figuring things out too.”

Zuko smiled, “Can we figure them out together?”

Mai smiled back at him. “Honestly, I would love that.”

They leaned in, and, as their lips met, the sun appeared from behind the clouds. Even through the windows of the shop, it reflected the gold of his crown and the silver of her necklace in a brilliant array. 

[paragonrobits]

a while back I made a joke about Sokka acting like rationalism is a valid philosophy in the setting he is from and trying to deny the existence of spirits as an extreme way of coping with their alien ways (and possibly alienation from his people's ways, depending on how much you consider the Southern Water Tribe to have a close cultural connection to vibing with spirits in general that has been lost due to the severe loss of information from so many of their people dying over the Hundred Year War) and the punchline was Koh the Face Stealer apparently now just following him around out of bored curiousity and now I actually want to make that a whole thing

the specific vibe here is that Koh is not an active danger to Sokka in this context. This works on the assumption that Koh does the face stealing thing in specific circumstances, but he won't do it unless you specifically go against the rules governing that: you gotta do it by showing emotion around him (which is bad for Sokka) and during specific situations and contexts which are apparent and he or another knowledgable being is obliged to inform people of this and the consequences (which is good for Sokka).

This further would emphasize the idea that spirits act according to their natures and functions; Koh stealing someone's face is not a moral decision, no more than a cuckoo bird smashing the eggs in another birds nest and laying its own in there is a moral decision. While its clear spirits are sapient, they're also bound by their natures to think and act in certain ways, and I take the idea that Koh is related to the concept of empathy; when he steals faces, he sees things through their perspectives in an extremely literal way.

This, in turn, leads to him being fascinated by specific people. In this case, he is following Sokka around because he intrigues Koh. He is an apparent contradiction in many ways; a man professing to a purely rationalist view of the world despite the power of bending ignoring what he knows of the laws of the natural world, having percieved the existence of the spirits as a form of reality that supercedes those same laws of nature. A brother-in-law to the Avatar (or just real close to him, depending on whether or not marriage is actually a thing Katara and Aang care for), but indifferent to the fact that Aang's existence is indispitable fact that the spirits exist.

A man shaped by fear of those outside his home, and yet a self-made polymath of sorts willing to learn from all nations. A warrior of the Southern Water Tribe, proud of what few traditions remain, and also one studying from his experiences all across the world, making something quite unrelated to those traditions but still defined by them. A man who can conceive of impossible, revolutionary technologies from first principles; completely untutored in the scientific principles behind them due to his people's decline, but able to still figure out the broad strokes from imagination alone, leading a way for geniuses to figure out how to make the idea work.

A benign paradox. A man shaped by fear and knowing every unfamiliar shape on the water could be another night of mourning, but still journeying across the world, befriending others and making connections across the world anyway, in the Earth Kingdom and Kyoshi Island and in the very nature that would have destroyed his own home, and through Aang, extending a hand to the memory of the Air Nomads.

And so Koh finds him fascinating. He wants to understand him, and not purely through the lens of his mind. Koh wants to speak to him, hear him speak, and offer his own statements on his perspective.

And also from Sokka's perspective, a notoriously dangerous spirit so powerful even Avatar Kuruk couldn't kill him is now following him around, and might just steal his face on a whim if he's not careful.

Because, the truth is, with spirits... you never know. They're not human. They might be friendly, or hateful, or kind and bitter and they run on seemingly incomprehensible rules that make absolutely no sense to him and he has no idea what he's supposed to do with this information, and now a giant centipede monster is following him around wherever he goes.

In the shadows; watching, listening.

Judging.

[jbk405]

Despite losing my weekend and everything else, I was able to read The Reckoning of Roku over the past few days. I was a little hesitant getting into this one, because it has a different author than the previous “Chronicles of the Avatar” book and I have trouble imagining anybody living up to F.C. Yee.

It’s not bad and much better than I feared it would it be, but unfortunately its concept is better than its execution.

Two glaring problems struck me throughout its run and really “pulled me out”. The first was the political and economic terminology used throughout the book, which doesn’t fit the Avatar world and their normal manner of speaking. It’s all CORRECT, but not how they would say it. For example, Gyatso describes hired soldiers working for an evil company as “cogs in the machine” — i.e. not the people who bear ultimate responsibility — but that saying is so out of place in a world without either an industrial revolution or an economic revolution that shifted the power away from the landed nobility to corporations. In a different conversation he calls Roku’s family and the rest of the nobility “the oppressors”, and again he’s not wrong, but it’s not a criticism that makes sense in a world where feudalism is omnipresent in all nations.

I saw a great post here on tumblr a few weeks ago that I apparently didn’t reblog (At least I couldn’t find it when scrolling back through my blog) about how historical figures may have believed and argued and fought for the same things we do, but their entire language for how they ARTICULATED those thoughts was forged by the society and time and language they lived in. Kyoshi and Yangchen dealt with corruption and poverty and exploitive business practices as well, but it was presented through the lens of this world. Gyatso could have made all the same points, but in a way that made sense for his character.

The second problem for me was the idea that Sozin has always been Evil. That completely removes the tragedy of him being corrupted by power and turning on his oldest friend. The book does make it clear that Sozin views Roku as a “real” friend, so it’s not like he’s been planning to manipulate Roku since childhood. But at 16 he’s already comfortable staging a fake attack to maneuver Roku into his desired plan of action, and at the end he literally KILLS someone out of a prediction that this person may someday turn against him (He's correct in that prediction, but that's not the point).

With a controlling, domineering father on one hand, and a genuine friendship with the Avatar on the other, Sozin's character should have been "This person had the potential to be Zuko, and isn't it tragic that without an Uncle Iroh to save him he fell down the path of darkness". Instead he's already committed to self-aggrandizement, and in turn this makes Roku look like a fool for never catching on. I don't blame him for not understanding right now, he's still young and trusting, but even adult Roku never caught on to what kind of person Sozin was until he literally had already launched an invasion of the Earth Kingdom. He didn't even understand beforehand when Sozin flat-out told him what his plans were. And it's understandable if this happened gradually over the decades they spent apart, but this guy's Full Sith starting before he's 20.

It's still an overall enjoyable read, and I'll buy The Awakening of Roku when it's available, but unless this gets better on re-read it's on a lower level than the preceding books.

[allgremlinyaps]

Have you seen the father glowworm design from avatar generations? What do you think?

YES and I'm happy but conflicted

Like YAY!! FINALLY FATHER GLOWWORM ART !! Overall I really like this design; I also interpreted him as having tentacles, I like the carapace/bug theme with atla spirits in general... Also his description was pretty vague/hard to interpret artistically so I'm impressed/happy with this.

Personally I would have made the eye bigger/more of a focal point and made his tentacles more... blood vessel-y if that makes sense, since I imagine his ambulations to be more lumbery/crawly than slithery. Like he has to be able to wedge himself between trees and in mountain holes/run across spirit swamps.. etc

My only REAL grievance would be. WHERE ARE HIS TEETH !!! WHERE ARE THE TEEEEETH ??? Where is his collection of human teeth that he uses as talons/his own teeth in his gooey gooey appendages :((? they were so cuntyyyyyy... I fear that going forward the more pg-13 elements of the Kyoshi novels are going to keep getting nuked 😔

[crownshattered]

@honorforged inquired: "i will fall in love with you over and over again." For Kira

⁕| Epic: Ithaca Saga |⁕

It almost didn’t feel real… Never in a million years did Kira think she would find herself here, in this position, with the Fire Lord at that. Romance had never been something she strived for. Kira was happy where she was, carefully guarding her heart as she had always done. But Zuko somehow slipped through the cracks. And it scared her to know someone was there to see the deepest parts of herself…parts that she kept even from her Kyoshi Warrior sisters. Her heart, her trust, was fragile. It left her terrified to think of it ever being broken.

But as soon as she started to find herself lost in her fears, Zuko always managed to diffuse them. What if this was all just some infatuation? What if this wasn’t meant to last? On the inside, Kira feared she wasn’t as strong as she made herself out to be. To let someone in and fully see her heart… It took a piece of her. And if they were to end this quiet relationship of theirs, all she would be left with was a hole in her protective walls and someone who knew the deepest parts of her. Yet here he was, assuring her indirectly that this would never happen. That he has—and he will—keep falling in love with her time and time again.

She doubted he would ever know how much it meant to her to hear that.

" You are…the best thing in this world, " Kira told him, gently taking his hand in hers and pressing his palm against her cheek for her to nuzzle into. Sincerity poured from her words. She truly meant that, with all of her heart. Zuko has already come so far in healing the world…and healing Kira too. She opened her eyes, turquoise hues blinking up at him with affection and care. " I love you, too. "

[hersterical]

I was in the shower at 2 am the other day and I started thinking about 1. How weird it is that Kyoshi Island of all places stayed neutral during a hundred years of war in which evil colonizing dictators were taking over the world and 2. How weird it is that all of the Kyoshi Warriors were teenagers. Like it makes sense for the Southern Water Tribe for Sokka and Katara (and Kanna) to be the oldest because everyone older than them went off to war. That doesn’t make much sense for the Kyoshi Warriors. And it also doesn’t make much sense to me for Kyoshi Warriors to just retire the moment they begin reaching their physical prime. So I did what any sane person would do and came up with an overly complicated and detailed explanation that probably raises more questions than it answers:

Even before Sozin’s Comet comes the lesson that the Kuoshi Islanders have begun to take from the story of their island’s creation has shifted from “standing up to evil colonizing dictators and helping those with less power than yourself is awesome” to “outsiders are dangerous and the Kyoshi Islanders need to look out for the Kyoshi Islanders” which lead to them becoming much more isolationist and insular.

Then the comet comes. The islanders don’t know exactly what happened but they know that it can’t be anything good. They have a protocol in place to take all of their most precious avatar artifacts and hide them in the safest part of the island at the first whiff of danger. Good thing too because not long after the day the sky turned dark with ash and blood the Fire Nation raided the island. The Kyoshi Warriors fought back, but they were never meant to handle this kind of threat. The Fire Nation soldiers searched the whole island for any sign of escaped Air Nomads and any potential sign of the Avatar, burning any and all Kyoshi artifacts they came across in the process. The Fire Nation may not have found any airbenders, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t miss any or that some may show up at a later date, so Sozin kept a close eye on Kyoshi Island by turning it into an outpost. The soldiers aren’t exactly on the island itself because of their presence there was too strong then no airbenders would ever choose the island to hide, but they are close enough, and come to the island frequently enough to make they can catch any suspicious activity.

The islanders fought back at first. They couldn’t risk fighting the soldiers head on, especially with the number of warriors that died in the initial conflict, so they mostly resort to sabotage that are actually surprisingly effective. However, any Kyoshi Warrior who is caught sabotaging was dealt with. Never publicly so as to not cause outcry and riots, but just enough details of what they did to these Kyoshi Warriors were whispered about to cause their sister warriors to lose sleep at night and feel fear and despair slowly chip away at their will to fight. Even if they are temporarily even more incentivized to attack by these rumors having this happen over and over again does weigh them down. The attacks and sabotage lessen in both frequency and intensity over time but they’re considered more of a nuisance than an actual threat. Kyoshi Island is considered one of the cushiest posts you could possibly be assigned outside the Fire Nation (said with affection by some soldiers and derision by others). Some of the low ranking soldiers even come to genuinely love the island and the islanders and commit some low level treason to help where they can. They aren’t at peace, nor do they have a truce, but there is a sort of calm between the two groups.

Then Firelord Sozin dies. Firelord Azulon has different priorities. He figures that if there were any surviving Air Nomads hiding out on Kyoshi Island that they would’ve been found by now and the Avatar must’ve been reborn into the Water Tribe. Kyoshi Island offers no real strategic advantage and is just enough of a threat for it to not be worth the effort of bringing it into the Fire Nation by force now that Azulon is in such a rush to find the Avatar in the South Pole. The soldiers stationed at Kyoshi Island are ordered to join up with the Southern Raiders the moment the leader of the island signs an agreement to officially agree to be subservient to the Fire Nation. However, the chosen Fire Nation delegate is in a great rush to join with the rest of the fleet since he’s also getting a promotion out of the move, and his opponent is incredibly clever. The leader of Kyoshi Island manages to manipulate the Fire Nation delegate into agreeing that the Fire Nation will not conquer Kyoshi Island so long as they remain neutral in the war. Before the ink is even dry the Fire Nation delegate races off to his promotion in the Southern Raiders, not realizing how much he screwed up.

Kyoshi Island is officially a neutral party in the war. But the Kyoshi Warriors are another story. They couldn’t possibly sit back and do nothing. But to do so openly would cause the Fire Nation to show the islanders no mercy. One night all of the older Kyoshi Warriors disappear. Officially, no one on Kyoshi Island knows where these warriors have gone. No one on the island is to say a single word about these missing warriors. The whole island basically just Ba Sing Ses themselves into forgetting those warriors ever existed in order to protect themselves. Some of the Kyoshi Warriors come back years later, no questions are ever asked about where they were or what they did, but most of the warriors never come back. Some of the Kyoshi Warriors disguise themselves as men and join the Earth Kingdom army, but most of them travel to smaller Earth Kingdom cities and villages to teach the civilians how to defend themselves and to organize themselves so as to defend against robbers and thieves and maybe even a small platoon of Fire Nation soldiers.

It becomes a sort of tradition over time. As soon as the younger generation of Luoshi Warriors are old enough to look after the needs of the island the older warriors disappear without a trace and no one ever acknowledges it just in case the Fire Nation ever comes back.

Firelord Azulon dies and Ozai ascends to the throne. Ozai just straight up forgets Kyoshi Island exists. He didn’t think it was important in his geography lessons as a young prince so he didn’t bother remembering it exists. He’s royalty, you can’t expect him to remember every insignificant island in the world

The latest generation of Kyoshi Warriors has only been gone for about a year when the Avatar shows up. The whole ‘staying neutral’ thing quite literally goes up in smoke and yet Kyoshi Island remains standing. Just like in the show the Islanders all decide it’s time to finally officially join the war.

No one ever mentions the past Kyoshi Warriors (on screen at least) out of habit and because the not talking about them has become such an ingrained part of their tradition.

After the war ends, all of the surviving Kyoshi Warriors who still think of Kyoshi Island as home returns and lives out the rest of their lives at peace

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Do you have any Avatar Kuruk headcanons?

Hmmmmm I have a few! (under the cut for length)

So Kuruk is known as a party animal, and while I think it has SOME truth, the over exaggeration of it isn't really him. He's kinda Bruce Wayne-ing it half the time. And while he was a bit of a romantic and a little flirty, he wasn't nearly as bad as his reputation later became. Like he wasn't a manwhore/rake or whatever you wanna call him (at least before the spirits). (after the spirits..... I'm tempted to believe that even if he did sleep around....I fear it might've been because he was preyed on like that one maid did, maybe not all the time but I don't think he was surrounded by a lot of good people ;w;).

UNFORTUNATELY, his old team and supposed close friends had their perception colored later in life and forgot his real personality. Remembering only the silver tongue flirt, and thus they thought Yun was the perfect ringer.

The only people who saw his real personality since fighting the spirits was probably Ummi and Nyahitha, and Kelsang (that one time). And ironically that had more similarities with Kyoshi than other's probably saw. (which is why Nyahitha gives her so much shit and clocked her in like five seconds kfjdksjfa)

Kuruk was TOTALLY and 100% working OVERTIME in Rise of Kyoshi. This guy was trying SO FREAKING HARD to get Kyoshi together with Rangi. TT0TT Like he was totes feeding her lines of his poem because of how Rangi looks, and legit forgot Kelsang knew the poem. Kyoshi even mentions how it looked like Rangi was outlined by a spirit during the Chameleon Bay chase, and that spirit HAS to be Kuruk. TT0TT My man is the best wingman, he was trying so hard for his OTP to be together TT0TT

Kuruk and Kyoshi def vibe in the afterlife. They founded the "I Miss My Wife" club. Only for the most miserable though, which is them. ("I get Kuruk but what about Kyoshi-" My headcanon for how Kyoshi's love life goes is not a pleasant one ;w; So yeah, club founders).

Kuruk was totes fine with Kyoshi killing Xu, he probs would've been up in her face like he was with Chaejin/Huazo incident if he wasn't at least a lil' chill about it. Maybe at worse disapproved, but it was probs something like "Eh, he's an ass, you gotta do what you gotta do. Not my move but who am I to judge?"

If the "you get the face of your loved one when reincarnated" is correct, then he is so happy and sad whenever he looks at Kyoshi. Kyoshi might've decided to present herself wearing make up in the afterlife because she saw how much it hurt him.

Because of that, for the time Kyoshi hated him, he was devastated. TT0TT

He's still Yangchen's biggest fanboy, but likes to tease her about spirits. All in good fun tho. He was always so happy to talk with her.......even when his life was falling apart. TT0TT

He likes to brag about having it easy and being sandwiched between two awesome Avatar lady eras. They usually do all the talking for him when ppl hit up the Avatar past selves line (I like to think Kyoshi and then Roku found a better way to deal with spirits, so Kuruk gets to just kick back and delegate to a different Avatar now. His best advice being "don't kill the spirits" now TT0TT). He deserves rest and this is the closest he's getting to it damnit!

HC that Roku is a fanboy of Kyoshi, Kuruk has a soft spot for the boy since he totally GETS IT.

Kuruk tried his best to keep Kyoshi alive when she was younger. Not much you can do as a spirit, but he was always by her side through her worst fevers. It hurt him seeing her like that, especially when his dying wish was to make sure his friends did right by her. TT0TT

He really likes Korra, little upset he didn't get spiritbending, but hey watchu gonna do? He totally took off his hat/coat when talking to her cause of her animal guide tho fkjsadkfja He's glad she brought back the airbenders (especially since it made Yangchen happy).

I'm fascinated by his past relationships with Hei-Ran and Ummi. I think the song "If We Never Met" by John K fits him and Ummi's relationship tbh (since a lot of the lyrics seem to fit what we know about them).

That's all I got right now. I wish we got more information, I hope he gets a novel soon. TT0TT

[swiftsaltsweet]

The Hunt for Kyoshi: Chapter 14: Kyoshi- The Cave of Two Lovers Pt. 1

Characters: Rangi and Kyoshi (plus whoever appears in Rok)

Pairing: Rangshi

Summary:  

“What are we going to do?” She asked steely, still not looking up from the ground. She was ready to uphold her duty, or at least, what remained of it. “We need you to capture Kyoshi,” Jianzhu instructed. “Capture?” “Yes, we need to set an example of an Avatar murderer,” Jianzhu responded, oh so matter of factly again.

(Canon Divergent AU- “What if Rangi wasn’t there when Kyoshi ran away, and Rangi had to hunt her down?)

Other Sites: AO3 

A/N: Me: I fear there will be not a lot of comedy for awhile Also me: *opens up this chapter with SOME humor at Kyoshi’s expense*

I fear I am a filthy liar. uwu (listennnnnnn characters are going to character, I’m merely an instrument to their tomfoolery!) But at this point we should know this jfaskfja TT0TT

Ok ok ok, tbf I wrote the beginning well before I even finished the Kirima scene in the last chapter, let alone the fight and ending scene. But I did come back to somber it up just a tad (at least with Kyoshi), keep in mind that the FoC have NO IDEA the depth of real drama that’s going on between Rangshi hence I feel justified in allowing them to be funny uwu

And yes, I’m a shippy bitch we’re doing this. No one can stop me! Not when I have the power of anime and gay ladies at my side! uwu

Anyway, anyone watch the Netflix ATLA show? No? Oh...there's a reference to in here, IYKYK, if not I'll explain at the end. 8U

Notes: -Haori: I think the first layer of Kyoshi’s iconic green robes is called a “haori” -thinking emoji- Not sure if that’s how you’re supposed to wear them but it’s better than me just saying “robes” multiple times (esp when they have layers) TT0TT So haori it is! (Note: lol I know I just posted this chapter but....upon further inspection.....I think Kyoshi's top robe might be more of a kataginu rather than a Haori... so I will try to make that change at some point, sorry for any confusion u_u kataginu has shorter sleeves than a haori and yeah....)

-Kataginu: So that thing about a Haori? Ignore it~! uwu Both are a robe that goes over a Kimono. Haori has longer sleeves, while Kataginu (something samurais wore iirc) lack the sleeves. Which I think fits Kyoshi's outfit more!

Kimono: If you look at the Generation’s art for Hei-Ran (both her casual and battle attire) and Rangi. Hei-Ran is wearing robes in her casual, but when she puts the battle armor on she still has the same robe but the armor is over it (and sleeve tucked into the gauntlets). I’ve deduced that Rangi has the same getup but we just never see the robes by themselves. It looks closer to a Kimono than a Hanbok because of the sleeves (I try to stay consistent and give Rangi/Hei-Ran Korean assigned things but we’re going with Japanese here since that’s what it looks like)

____

Kyoshi clutched Rangi’s hairpin and held it flat to her chest, just above her heart, and continued sobbing as Kirima used her waterbending to heal her thigh. It was the worst wound Kyoshi had on her physically at the moment, though it looked a lot better since they took off hours earlier. However, the pain still paled in comparison to what her heart was experiencing.

Now that she was away from the fighting, the adrenaline, she could finally process it all. Rangi wanted her gone. The last person Kyoshi cared about in this accursed world, didn’t want her to exist. 

And the worst part? Rangi didn’t even want to continue living onward once Kyoshi was dead. In her mind, Kyoshi’s existence had ruined her life beyond repair and it was better to not continue on at all.

This was all Jianzhu’s fault. Forget killing him. She was going to something far worse. She didn’t know what it would be, but he wasn’t getting off easy with a swift death…

Kyoshi curled in on herself more as she cursed Jianzhu’s name, as her mind relived her previous moments with Rangi. She let out a choking sob of a scream as a new wave of pain hit her heart.

“The hell is your problem?!” Lek called from the reins. “I get it hurts, but you’re being way too dramatic!”

“Can it, Lek!” Kirima shouted back. “I’m trying to concentrate!”

“Have some humanity, Lek! She was just stabbed by her girlfriend!” Wong added to the conversation. 

“Ex-girlfriend!” Lek countered. “What’s so different from the past few times she tried to getcha? She’s already headbutted you before!”

“No shit! Anyone would be an ‘ex’ after an attempted stabbing,” Wong rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe she used her hairpin to do it, though. No Fire National would treat their hair, or their ornaments like that. It must’ve been really personal…”

“I–I gave her this pin,” Kyoshi explained through sobs, having to hear the words ‘girlfriend’ and ‘Rangi’ in the same sentence felt like a stake was driving into her heart over and over again.

Oh, it was personal alright, she’d been stabbed with her very own present. What a hell of a way to return a gift. That reality just cemented the finality of it all the more to her. There was no going back, her friendship was damaged beyond all repair.

“WHAT?!” Kirima yelled in shock, her arm movements ceasing as a result, and causing the water she was bending to drench Kyoshi.

Kyoshi would’ve complained, if it wasn’t for the metaphorical hole in her chest distracting her from the pain in her leg. Well, the pain all over her body, really.

“What?” Kyoshi sniffed.

“What do you mean you ‘gave her this pin’?!”

Kyoshi blinked and finally looked at Kirima. “For her birthday. I got it for her for her birthday.”

“And she accepted it?!” Kirima looked at her incredulously. “You–you–! You’ve completely undersold how serious your relationship was!”

Undersold? No, no… I think I oversold it. We aren’t even dating… 

“Y–yeah, she’s worn it since then. For like, almost the past year?,” Kyoshi could only look at Kirima dumbly. Why was the waterbender getting so riled up? “Is there an issue?”

Kirima closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You do know what that means, right? What that present means? To a Fire National? What you did?”

Kyoshi just stared back. Afraid to confirm or deny. 

“You had that kind of relationship and then just up and left!” Kirima scoffed. “Spirits, no wonder she stabbed you. I’d stab you!”

Well now she was just being rude. Kyoshi was suffering the worst heartbreak imaginable, and here was Kirima being the worst big sister anyone could ask for. 

“Why?! And what do you mean ‘that kind’ you knew we were dating!” Again, they weren’t despite Kyoshi wishing it was true but, again, that’s what the Flying Opera Company had convinced themselves of. Still, it didn’t make her heart hurt any less when she had to keep the lie up like this…

“Oh spirits help us all! You proposed, you daft idiot! That’s way more serious than just dating!”

There was a beat of silence as Kirima’s words sunk in.

“Proposed what?” Kyoshi asked, still lost. However, this time it was on purpose. She really hoped it wasn’t what she thought Kirima meant. Kyoshi didn’t know how much more she could take today. 

Kirima grabbed at her head and pulled at her own hair as she yelled towards the heavens. “Are you KIDDING ME?! Girl! C’mon! You got your Fire Nation girlfriend a hairpin without realizing what that meant in her country?!”

“I–I asked the other servants at the estate if it was a good idea, though!” Kyoshi tried to defend.

“Were they Fire Nationals?” Kirima asked, calmly.

There was another long beat of silence. “...no,” Kyoshi finally muttered.

Kirima responded by taking a nearby rucksack and throwing it at Kyoshi’s head. Kyoshi let the hard object hit her. She deserved it. 

“Why the hell are you so pissed,” Lek yelled at Kirima.

“Someone’s gotta be!”

“I think Topknot’s got plenty of pissed off working for her as is,” Wong grumbled.

“Y’all really don’t get it just– Oh Tui and La and all of the water on this damned planet!” Kirima whirled back to Kyoshi. “And she accepted it?!” 

“Y–yeah?”

“And she wasn’t even mad you gave it to her?”

“S–she said it was the best present anyone had ever given her,” Kyoshi mumbled. “And that she’d treasure it always…”

Obviously not anymore… Another wave of pain rolled through Kyoshi. For her. For Rangi. Had this present, this constant reminder weighed her down the entire time? Was that why she returned it the way she did?  

Kirima’s mouth unhinged itself to such a severe angle, Kyoshi wondered if it was at risk of falling off. Then the woman somehow rehinged her jaw, and put a hand to her eyes. Like she was trying to protect herself from all the bull pigshit that was happening around her.

“Onyourknees,” Kirima said way too quickly.

Kyoshi blinked at Kirima, surely she heard Kirima wrong. “I’m sorry, what?” Kyoshi wasn’t exactly in the condition to get into a seiza pose.

“On. Your. Knees,” she repeated.

“R–right now–?”

“GET ON YOUR DAMN KNEES!” Kirima shouted.

Kyoshi jumped and scrambled to her knees, ignoring the flaring pain in her thigh.

“NOT TO ME! TO THE PSYCHO!” Kirima yelled hysterically as she removed her hand. “I shouldn’t even call her that! No wonder she’s going crazy! I’d be going crazy too!”

“I’m just saying, I’m not turning this bison around,” Lek quipped. 

Kirima pointed at Kyoshi. “You get on your knees and deliver your best apology ever and then tell her how much you love her. Maybe then she’ll stop trying to stab you!”

Kyoshi’s eyes were spinning. She was still reeling from her encounter with Rangi, and now the revelation that she had basically committed a big faux pas and proposed to her best friend almost a year earlier. She hadn’t the energy or ability to connect the dots Kirima was giving her just yet. 

“S–suuuure,” Kyoshi agreed. “Can I ask… why? What makes you so sure that’ll work?”

She’d already tried convincing Rangi that Jianzhu was the killer, and that blew up horribly in her face. Even tried to appeal to their past friendship and that still didn’t work! While she wasn’t against what Kirima was suggesting (she’d take anything at this point!), she also wasn’t exactly confident a sudden love confession could convince her friend of anything. She’d probably end up getting stabbed again…

“Hey Rangi! Listen, I know you didn’t listen to any of the other times I’ve been talking, but I totally think you’ll hear me out this time! I’m in love with you! And also, sorry about accidentally proposing all those months ago. Didn’t know what I was doing. Anyway, you want the hairpin back?” Oh yeah, that’ll really go over well. Kyoshi mentally eye rolled to herself. 

Kirima gave her a deadpan stare. “You're shitting me, right? How the hell did you two even date if you’re this thick in the head?”

Well we weren’t dating but you guys didn’t believe me when I–Oh never mind… Neutral jing. Neutral jing. If there was one positive about being with the Flying Opera Company, they knew how to take one’s mind off of things.

“Only family members and spouses give each other hair accessories in the Fire Nation! It’s even used as a means of proposal!”

Yes we’ve established that, it was a real guff on my end…

“It’s not some light faux pas you can trespass on, it’s a very serious thing! She should’ve set you on fire for what you gave her back then!” Kirima was waving her arms around. “But she didn’t, she accepted your hairpin! She didn’t even get mad! She–she– that girl is obviously and hopelessly in love with you, Kyoshi!”

A beat of silence followed Kirima’s tirade.

“Rangi’s… in love…with me?” Kyoshi repeated. The words hit her like honey and molasses, and tasted just as sweet too.

“Yes! How are you this blind and dense?! This isn’t some cute-puppy-love-teen-dating-thing, this is serious!” Kirima yelled back at her, and she continued on her tirade but Kyoshi couldn’t hear her. Her mind was full throttle, absolutely preoccupied with this new revelation.

Rangi’s in love with me? Kyoshi repeated the words in her mind. They slowly seeped in like honey filling in cracks in her being. Rangi’s in love with me… Rangi’s in love with me! 

This was the best thing she’d hear in a while–no, ever! She was fluttering with euphoria. Hell, she would’ve been thrilled with just puppy love, but the idea Rangi truly loved her? She felt like she could jump over the moon itself! This entire time, Kyoshi’s feelings were reciprocated, and she never realized! She really was dense. She really did have rocks-for-brains like Rangi had once said. 

If Kirima’s right, then maybe what she said earlier could work! Kyoshi grinned to herself. 

Then, in the midst of her high, the last look Rangi gave her as Kyoshi was pulled away flashed in her mind. The anger, the desperation, the sadness…

And a part of her being came crashing back down to Earth. The duet of joy and despair that sung in her heart created the saddest choir known to man. 

“Using words I want to hear to manipulate me into doing what you want!” Rangi’s words echoed in her mind. It didn’t make any sense to Kyoshi when she first heard it, and if she was being honest, a part of it still confused her. But she did understand one thing now… She knew what Rangi meant, what words she wanted to hear…

Care… Love… That was what Kyoshi had said to Rangi earlier. And if Kirima was right then…

Kyoshi closed her eyes and curled in on herself again. “I’m such an idiot,” she whispered.

She must’ve sounded really pathetic, because Kirima stopped her tirade and drew the water she splashed on Kyoshi out of her clothes and back into the air. 

“Yeah, you are, kid,” she sighed and began healing Kyoshi again.

_________________________________

“Are we sure we should be stopping?” Kyoshi asked, helping set up camp. 

“Pengpeng seems a little worn down,” Lek said sullenly, stroking the bison’s nose. 

Pengpeng growled appreciatively, and Kyoshi couldn’t help but feel bad. She’d been working the poor thing to the bone, but she was happy Lek was there to treat her right. He had been there to defend Pengpeng from the shirshu attack as well. 

Apparently the second shirshu had gone after Pengpeng. Luckily, Lek had been on duty and valiantly defended her. It didn’t take long for Lao Ge and Wong to come to his defense and help fend off not only the shirshu, but the group of researchers that had followed the beast. The resulting battle ended with all the researchers unconscious, and a dead shirshu. Courtesy of Lek’s bullet.

Once they secured their safety, they made their way to the village. They ran into Kirima who was fighting the other shirshu, unfortunately it appeared to have gotten away before they could finish it off. After that, they hunted Kyoshi down and the rest was history. 

Kyoshi was grateful for their save, and expressed her gratitude once her leg was more or less healed up (Kirima needed a break before she could heal the rest of Kyoshi). 

Still, she wasn’t entirely sure about the place they’d touched down on. It was far away, but with how fast Rangi was…Kyoshi couldn’t help but think it wasn’t far enough. 

“But are we sure this place is safe?” she asked. 

They had touched down in a small gorge, nestled between two mountains. It looked like stairs and alters had been set up, leading to a cave that was up ahead. Something about the place felt special somehow. A memorial? A place of worship? 

“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” Kirima waved at her. “If anyone comes running, we’ll run into the cave and lose them in the tunnel.”

Kyoshi put her hand on her hip and quirked an eyebrow. “And how would that work exactly?”

Did they have a map or something?

“There’s an ancient and vast tunnel system in that there cave. More of a labyrinth than just a normal tunnel to be honest,” Lao Ge grinned as he pointed at the entrance. Kyoshi followed his finger and squinted. It was dark out, but looking at the cave once again, it looked like there was writing on the top entrance of the cave. “Easy to get lost in.”

“But doesn’t that mean we could easily get lost?” Kyoshi asked, exasperated. How were they all just fine and dandy with that sort of plan?

“Maybe,” Wong grunted. “But I don’t think we’ll get attacked. We’ll be fine.”

Kyoshi sighed, that didn’t exactly answer her question, but was too tired to push it. Instead she wandered up to the cave to get a better look at the writing. The inscription on top read ‘The Lovers’ Cave.’

“The hell is ‘The Lovers’ Cave?’” she asked, walking back. The word ‘lover’ wasn’t exactly what she wanted to think about at the moment. 

“You don’t know about ‘The Lovers’ Cave’?!” Wong said aghast. 

Lek shook his head mournfully. “Can you even call yourself an Earth Kingdom Citizen if you don’t know it?”

Kyoshi looked over at Lao Ge, hoping he’d give her some insight. 

“It’s a popular children’s bedtime story,” he clarified. The knowing look he gave Kyoshi made it apparent that he didn’t need to explain any further, and that he knew a bomb was about to go off.

“Oh, well, no, I don’t,” Kyoshi didn’t bother to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She didn’t have the strength, and if she could channel her anger of the day at her dead parents then so be it. “I was abandoned at five years old and was treated as an outcast by the villagers. So, no. I was a little lacking in the bedtime story department!”

The Flying Opera Company rode her heated fury out like it was nothing. Well, except for Lek. He always made it apparent he didn’t like her talking ill of her parents. But to his credit, he held his tongue.

“Did that monk who raised you not tell you any stories growing up?” Kirima asked lazily. Her devil-may-care attitude had a way of defusing a situation. 

“He did when he was around, but he only told me ones with happy endings,” Kyoshi wilted, remembering Kelsang. “I’m guessing this one doesn’t have a happy ending?”

“Spoiler: One of the lovers dies,” Lek said. 

“Well there you have it,” Kyoshi sighed. That story was definitely not on Kelsang’s ‘pre-approved bedtime stories for Kyoshi’ list.

Lek shot to his feet. “Tell me you at least know the song!” 

“If I wasn’t told a story because it had a sad ending, what makes you think I learnt the song?!”

Lek screamed like a possum rat just crawled near him. “No way! We need to change that! The dramyin! Where’s the dramyin?!”

Kirima pulled him back down to sit on the ground. “Don’t you dare touch that! You broke the strings last time!”

“Plus, your voice is horrible,” Wong sighed.

“How about we tell the story first? Then we can indulge ourselves with a song,” Lao Ge smiled at the group.

Kirima sighed and got up. “I can do it, but let’s rearrange some things. I want to get in the mood.”

The group rearranged themselves around a fire they started. Kirima sat up straight, ready to project her voice the way a professional storyteller would.

“Long ago there were two lovers from rival villages. A woman named Oma, and another woman named Shu–”

“It’s not two women!” Lek protested. 

Kirima frowned. “They were in the stories I was told…”

“Well it’s wrong! Oma’s the lady, and Shu’s the guy!”

“No, they’re both women!”

Wong leaned towards Kirima and whispered, “Kirima, what other differences are in your version?”

“Well for starters, Oma–” the rest of their conversation was too hushed to make out.

Kyoshi leaned over to Lao Ge. “So…who’s right?”

Lao Ge just smirked at her. “Who’s to say?” 

Kyoshi frowned, she wanted answers not more questions. “If this story is connected to the cave and there’s a memorial here, that means there might be truth to it, right?”

“You’d be correct, girl.”

“So, shouldn’t you know? Aren’t you super old? Were you around during that time?”

Lao Ge grinned at her. “Yes, but I’m not going to tell you~”

Kyoshi wanted to punch her sifu, but she refrained when she heard Kirima clear her throat. Apparently she and Wong were done discussing the discrepancies in the story. She straightened up to give the women her full attention.

“I decided to tell the story how the Earth Kingdom Citizens are told… Instead of how the Fire Nation and Water Tribe are told.” She rolled her eyes. “Even though they’re wrong.”

“How are we wrong?! It’s our founding earthbending story! You’re the ones appropriating our lore! Where the hell did you think the phrase ‘Oma’s bastard children’ came from?!” Wong smacked the ground passionately. 

Kirima waved her hand unperturbed. “Misogyny, I would know. I’m Water Tribe.”

“Wait, people from other Nations know this but I don’t?!” Kyoshi threw her hands up in the air. She figured it was because Kirima just spent time in the Earth Kingdom, that’s why she knew the story. This wasn’t fair. Kyoshi had heard so many things on the piers of Yokoya, but never this! She felt cheated somehow. 

Kirima clapped her hands. “Anyway, let’s continue!”

Kirima cleared her throat and got in the zone again. 

“Long ago there were two lovers from rival villages. A woman named Oma, and a man named Shu.” She gave a pointed look to Lek and Wong. “They’d meet on top of the mountain that divided their two villages. Their villages were enemies at war, which kept them from being together, but their love was strong and they found a way.”

Kirima motioned to the cave’s entrance. “The two lovers learned earthbending from the badgermoles, and became the first earthbenders. They built tunnels in the mountain so they could meet secretly without being followed, and anyone that did would be lost forever in the labyrinth.”

Kirima’s face grew grave in the firelight. “But one day, the man didn’t come. He died in the war between the two villages. Devastated, the woman unleashed a terrible display of her earthbending power. She split the warzone and raised new mountains from the earth’s depths.”

Kyoshi couldn’t help but feel a sense of deja vu, like how she raised the seafloor back at the iceberg many weeks ago. And that was just because Yun was in danger… And then she remembered how she cratered a mountain when Kelsang and Yun had died… She didn’t want to think of what kind of power she’d unleashed if Rangi met a similar fate. 

“She could have destroyed them all,” Kirima continued, pulling Kyoshi from her thoughts. “But instead she declared the war over. Both villages helped her build a new city, where they would live in peace together.”

She turned to Kyoshi. “They named the city after them, can you tell me which one?”

“Omashu?” Kyoshi answered after a brief moment. It was pretty obvious. 

Kirima snapped her finger at Kyoshi in appreciation. “Correct~! The great city was named Omashu as a monument to their love. And that’s about it.”

Kyoshi gave a clap, followed by the rest of the Flying Opera Company, Kirima even got up and gave a small bow. 

“So what else differed? Between the two stories, I mean.” She wanted to think about something else at the moment, beside dead lovers. 

Kirima shrugged. “Oma’s the one that dies in my version. I’ll be honest, narratively, I prefer her living. Her name is derived from ‘mother,’ which is fitting for an origin story about the ‘mother of earthbending.’ Meanwhile Shu–”

“Shu’s name just stands for being a stinky old smelly shoe!” Lek interjected, laughing.

Kirima gave him a deadpanned look. “I don’t think that’s it, but I don’t care enough to oppose nor correct you.”

“It’s because I’m right!”

Kirima waved him away. “That being said, I don’t see why they can’t be two women. Ups the stakes, and makes even more sense they’d want to keep it hidden. Earth Kingdom and all.”

Wong shrugged. “Can’t be helped. Anyway, scooch over. It’s my turn.” He pulled out the dramyin and started strumming it. Guess it was time for the song portion of the night.

Two lovers,  forbidden from one another  A war divides their people,  and a mountain divides them apart,  Built a path to be together With love as their guide (love as their guide) Beware all who may enter For the labyrinth will devour All of those who want scour Their secret hiding place Be sure to use love as your guide (as your guide) Or you may get lost And die Secret Tunnel Secret Tunnel Through the mountain!  Secret Tunnel~

Kyoshi and the group clapped, enraptured by Wong��s deep beautiful voice. It would take a while before the meaning of the lyrics hit Kyoshi.

“It’s a little longer than that, but most of the verses repeat, and I thought to just keep it short,” he coughed. 

“What did you mean by ‘Love as their guide?’” Kyoshi asked. It felt important somehow, it did come up twice in the song.

Wong shrugged. “Who knows? Exactly what it says?”

“It’s part of the legend, that’s how the Lovers made their way through the cave. Their love guided them,” Kirima added.

Kyoshi couldn’t help but grimace. All this love talk was really making her feel even worse. “So…is that how you all intend to get through the cave if we have to run into it?”

The entire Flying Opera Company burst out into laughter. 

“Kyoshi, we have four earthbenders here, I think we’ll be fine,” Kirima said through jovial tears.

“Oh please! More like three and a wannabe baby earthbender,” Lek heckled. 

Kyohsi puffed her cheeks out in embarrassment but didn’t retort. She wouldn’t know what to do in the damn cave, so it must’ve been a higher level skill of earthbending he was hinting at.

“Ok ok, I think it’s time for bed. We all need to rest up,” Wong announced.

“Before everyone goes to bed, take a pack. I made it just in case we have to go into the mountains and we get separated,” Lao Ge said. He handed Kyoshi a pack while the others grabbed their own packs from his little pile. Kyoshi wondered how he got these all together so fast. Was it during the story? Or maybe he had these made back in Hongcun? 

Kyoshi raised an eyebrow at him, he must be planning something. He was never this helpful. She took a peek inside her sack. It had a handful of spare torches that could be lit by friction, a spare blanket, a waterskin and some dried fruit. She frowned. 

“Are you going to throw me into the cave for training or something?”

Lao Ge chuckled. “Well it’s never a bad thing to be prepared. Let’s just say that.”

Well that’s not ominous. She rolled her eyes.

“Before you go to bed, I do want to talk with you about something. You could think of it as training,” Lao Ge said as they walked away from the group and sat down.

Kyoshi eyed him suspiciously. “So what did you want to talk about?”

Lao Ge gave her a knowing smile. “I think I remembered something important about firebending. It may help you.”

Kyoshi instantly became enamoured with this conversation, she leaned forward enthusiastically. “That’s fantastic! What is it?”

“Remember what I said before? When I first told you to study that firebending scroll?”

Kyoshi remembered. 

“As you've probably heard before, firebending is the one element that’s influenced the most by one’s emotions. Partially because it comes from within.” Lao Ge’s voice from not so long ago continued in her mind. “Sometimes, those emotions cause problems. Inner turmoil or stressful events can harm them. It’s all spiritual and mental, but it can cause their flame to not produce, which in extreme cases, can put their life at risk.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Good, good,” Lao Ge nodded, satisfied. “Tell me, have you thought about what could be causing that for you?”

Kyoshi felt herself deflate. “Not…really…” In all fairness, there had been a lot on her mind, and a lot of things she’d been trying to absorb.

Lao Ge looked disappointed. “Well, I suppose I can’t be too surprised.”

“Is this all?” She was hoping for new information…

“No no, I have more to say,” he said, returning to his cheery demeanor. He grabbed a stick on the ground and started drawing the earth and fire element into the ground. ”’Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring.’ In other words: stubborn!” He looked up at Kyoshi and grinned. “And I dare say, you are one stubborn girl! Hard to move, even when you need to heal.”

Kyoshi frowned down at him. This wasn’t making her feel better, but, then again, maybe she was a fool to think that’s what she’d get out of this conversation?

“So, because I’m so unyielding and stubborn, that’s what’s keeping me from accessing the other elements?”

“Possibly?” he grinned.

“Possibly?! Can’t you give me a straight answer?”

“I can’t give you any answers Kyoshi, I can only guide you,” he said, then pointed at the fire symbol. “Now let me continue. ‘Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want.’”

“Well I have plenty of that! Power, desire, drive…all to take Jianzhu down!” Kyoshi scowled, clenching her fists. This felt like he was spitting in her face, as if telling her she had none of that!

Lao Ge didn’t let her temper tantrum phase him. “I know you do, child. But…that’s not the only thing that fire represents.” He took the stick in his hand and poked her chest with it, right in the middle, where her heart would be. “It’s life.”

At the word, Kyoshi felt something resonate within her. Longing, sadness, and pain rippled through her.

Lao Ge pulled the stick away from her, a sad but knowing expression on his face. “Your life has been full of hardships. And now what you had left of it has been uprooted. Your inner fire is going through intense inner turmoil. Perhaps these two factors are what’s keeping you from moving forward?”

Kyoshi felt tears prickling at the sides of her eyes, then she wiped away from them. “I thought you said you weren’t going to give me answers?”

The old man shrugged. “Maybe I’m softening in my old age? Or maybe that’s just a step towards the greater answer you’ve yet to uncover.”

Kyoshi rolled her eyes and groaned goodnaturedly.

“Now run along to bed, girl. You need your rest. I’ll take the first watch,” Lao Ge said, a small twinkle in his eye.

Kyoshi could only nod, too tired to even offer to stay up with him. She bowed gratefully, and made her way back to the ground she claimed as her own.

Before going to bed, Kyoshi decided to take stock of herself. She had the rucksack that Lao Ge had given her, filled with all the supplies he said it would have. She put it down where she’d be laying her head, to use as a pillow.

She turned her attention to her attire. She was missing one of her fans (Wong nearly shat a brick when he found out), and the outfit Jianzhu had given her was damaged. The skirt was cut down in a four inch jagged line, that would be relatively easy to mend, the real issue were her pants and obviously body parts.

The side where she was stabbed was darkened with blood (a pain to clean but doable). Understandable, when you’re stabbed fairly deep and then the same object is dragged four inches across, it would be weirder if blood didn’t spill. She was pretty sure her leg was dripping with blood within seconds of the horrific incident.

As for her pants, they didn’t have a similar hole as her skirt, instead, when Rangi had stabbed her and hung off of Kyoshi for the brief moment she could, she’d end up tearing and taking a piece of Kyoshi’s pant leg with her. 

Kyoshi’s free hand went to the wound, now a pink raised scar accompanied by a giant bruise on her thigh. Kirima may not have been the best healer, but she did a pretty amazing job for someone that’s not talented in the art. At the very least, Kyoshi wasn’t left bleeding out on the bison floor…

Once satisfied with her inspection, Kyoshi laid down to go to bed, rolling onto her good side. She held Rangi’s hairpin in both hands, pressed up to her mouth. Almost like an Air Nomad would do with prayer beads. Or, perhaps, it looked more like she was holding a stake, one to ward off an evil spirit?

_____

When Kyoshi opened her eyes, she was back in Yokoya. Standing on the nearby beach, letting the water lap at her toes. Though panic thrummed through her, her body moved very calmly. She looked down at herself.

She wore the familiar sun damaged blue robes that most Yokoyans wore, patched up and all. Something Kyoshi used to don before she became a maid. But what also stood out to her was that she was skinny. So very skinny. Like before her employment at the mansion, when hunger used to ravage her every day. But what was odd was…she was as tall as she was now at the fresh age of sixteen, not thirteen or fourteen… The math did not add up… 

Strange… All of this was so strange. Why would she still be a homeless orphan at this age? Wait, is the mansion not–

She looked away from the sea, towards the big hill and– Yes, it was there. Still there. So why…

Wait… where is everyone? Kyoshi realized there were no boats, no fishermen. Even in the immediate distance she couldn’t even see the farmers. 

Her eyes drifted towards the mansion, as if it was calling to her. Despite her panic, her feet started to move towards the building. She didn’t want to face Jianzhu yet, she wasn’t ready, but it didn’t stop her body from heading towards certain doom. 

As she approached the end of the main path to the estate, she saw it. The Yokoyans were gathered outside the mansion gates, farming tools in hand raised above their heads. Obviously they didn’t seem pleased. Grumbles and shouts seemed to be calling for Jianzhu to take responsibility for…something, or that they had some complaints they wanted to share with him.

Get in line… Kyoshi thought sarcastically as she made her way through the crowd. 

She was about to push past the guards when they stopped her.

“Halt! Where do you think you’re going?”

Kyoshi looked at them like they were daft. “Um, I work here?” Well I got fired, but I am the Avatar… Oh, does it really matter?

The man snorted. “You? Please. Why would we have trash like you work here?”

Well he didn’t need to be so rude about it.

It probably would’ve stung, but Kyoshi had heard worse. Instead of fighting with the man, she decided her energy was worth someplace else. Like sneaking in! Or…something.

She quickly got away from the crowd and made her way around the back of the mansion. 

If I remember correctly, a secret servant’s entrance should be–

She stopped in her tracks, stopped looking for the secret compartment, and turned away from the wall. As she looked out she saw a mountain, and had the intense urge to climb it. 

She tried to shake the urge away, turned back to the wall… Only to see it the wall growing smaller. Her feet had yet again decided things for her. 

Ok, ok. You want me to go this way. Fine, I will. But after this I’m breaking in!

If any place was going to have answers, it’d be the mansion! And if not answers! Then Rangi! She would surely be there!

It surprisingly didn’t take that long to climb the mountain, nor did Kyoshi find herself very winded…at all in fact! Which didn’t add up, like everything so far, if she was as skinny as before she got the job at the estate she wouldn’t be able to make this hike…

As she approached the crest of the hill, she heard something. Crying… Familiar crying. Sharp inhalations she’d only heard a few times, but there could be no mistaking it. Kyoshi quickly sprinted up the rest of the hill and saw a familiar figure sitting on a nearby boulder. Hunched over with their head in their hands. 

“Rangi!” Kyoshi yelled. She hadn’t expected her friend to be here, nevermind seeing her so distressed. 

Rangi’s head shot up and whipped around towards Kyoshi’s voice. “Kyoshi!”

The firebender got up and ran at her in a full sprint, for the briefest second Kyoshi remembered their fight and a voice deep down told her to run. But her feet kept moving forward regardless of her thoughts. The two girls collided in a tight embrace, gripping ferociously at each other. Kyoshi almost erupted into pure joy, not expecting this kind of welcome after their previous trials. 

When they pulled away, it was only just enough so they could see each other’s faces. Rangi’s face was woefully tearstained, like she’d been crying for hours. 

Kyoshi cupped her cheek, and wiped at the tears with her thumb. “Rangi, what’s the matter? Are you ok? What’s going on–”

Rangi grabbed both sides of Kyoshi’s face and pulled her down into a fierce kiss. Kyoshi’s eyes widened and body still for only a moment, surprised by the action, then quickly melted into the kiss. She felt Rangi’s warm tongue graze her bottom lip, and Kyoshi eagerly let her in. Rangi was as warm and as soft as she had fantasized about. 

They kissed for spirits know how long, but all Kyoshi knew was that it wasn’t enough. She could stay in that moment forever in fact.

Rangi was the first to speak, “Thank the spirits, you’re alive! I–I thought…” Her voice cracked as she nestled her face into Kyoshi’s chest.

Kyoshi hugged her back fiercely. “Rangi, what’s going on around here? I–”

The entire experience since she’d woken up had been strange. Nothing in Yokoya was adding up, Jianzhu wasn’t after her (in fact his estate turned her away!), the Flying Opera Company was nowhere to be seen… And Rangi was acting like the past few weeks hadn’t happened.

Oh. Kyoshi realized, slightly disheartened. This is a dream.

That would explain the anomalies, the fuzziness, the inability to control her body. But after the realization hit her, she couldn’t help but wish she could take it back. She wanted to live in this bliss for just a little longer. 

She felt Rangi grip her arms and shake her. “Kyoshi! You need to get out of here, it’s not safe!”

Kyoshi blinked at her. Of course it was safe, it was just a dream after all. “What do you mean?”

“Have you forgotten? A war is about to break out!”

War?! There was no wa– No, that didn’t matter. This was a dream, Kyoshi needed to remember that. Especially if she was going to be aware she was in a dream, no need to add more stress to her life. Even the unconscious one. 

“What war? With who?” Kyoshi asked. 

“Between the Avatar’s estate and the Yokoyans,” Rangi looked at her disheartened. 

Despite it not being real, it set Kyoshi’s teeth on edge. She wanted to question why it was happening, but remembered. Dream. It was happening because her brain wanted it to happen. 

Fine, if her mind wanted there to be a war, Kyoshi would rebel against this. She clasped Rangi’s hand between her own, and told her the words she wished she could’ve spoken when she ran from the mansion all those weeks ago.

“Run away with me.”

“What?!” Rangi looked at her, shocked.

“Let’s get out of here! Let’s run away together, just you and me. We don’t need to be a part of this damn war!”

Conflicted warred on Rangi’s face, Kyoshi could tell she desperately wanted to but something was holding her back. Then Rangi’s head turned back, to look at the mansion off in the distance.

“But… My mother…”

“She can come too! We’ll sneak her out,” Kyoshi said without missing a beat. She wouldn’t make the same mistake here like she did in the real world. It also did not elude Kyoshi that Rangi was on the estate side of the conflict while she was on the Yokoyan’s side.

Why does this sound so familiar? She tried racking her brain to recall the familiar memory, but the dreamy daze kept it at bay. 

She took Rangi’s face into her hands and kissed her one more time. “I’m not leaving you behind again, I’ll do whatever it takes to get you both out. So, please, run away with me.”

Rangi looked up at her, eyes shining and smiled. “Ok, we’ll meet you here tonight, when the moon is high.”

“Ok, I’ll see you then–” Kyoshi cut herself off as Rangi disappeared from her arms like dust in the wind. The scene quickly changed into night. “What–”

There was a loud bang followed by yells and clanging. She quickly turned around and saw the mansion and all of Yokoya on fire. The battle must’ve started, but Rangi and Hei-Ran were nowhere to be seen!

Kyoshi found herself sprinting down the mountain, ready to jump into the heat of battle. Fearing that Rangi got caught up in the fight. When she got down to the beach, it was a bloodbath. Spears, swords, shovels and rakes were scattered about with bodies from both sides. On top of that, the entire battlefield had been completely terraformed with earthbending. 

Kyoshi felt herself being pulled to the middle of the chaos, like an invisible cord was leading her to where she needed to go. 

Uphead, she could see a battle, Jianzhu was fighting hordes of Yokoyans, slaughtering them with ease. But what stole her attention was the figure that laid much closer to her. In the middle of all the chaos, framed by the moon’s spotlight, as if in some sick play, lay Rangi suspended just slightly into the air. Drenched in blood, and a stone spike piercing her chest from behind. 

“NO!” Kyoshi screamed, sprinting towards where Rangi was, waving her arms to earthbend the spike away.

Kyoshi caught Rangi’s body as it fell back to the ground, her head lulling to the side. She was ice cold. Kyoshi stared down into Rangi’s glassy eyes. Dulled bronze, the fire snuffed out. Lifeless.

Kyoshi held Rangi’s body close to her, and let the white light take over her vision. 

____

“Wake up! We have to move!” Wong screamed, jostling Kyoshi awake. Kyoshi jolted upright, from the nightmare, and from the loud noises around her. The earth was shaking. “To the cave! Quickly! Just run! Go!”

Kyoshi didn’t bother to ask, she grabbed the rucksack beneath her and started booking it to the cave entrance. She stumbled, feeling the earth shake beneath her, but was steadied by Lek who helped pull her along.

“C’mon, slowpoke! That demon is back!” he yelled. 

There was a cry and Kyoshi chanced to turn back and saw the black mass of the remaining shirshu charging at them. Kyoshi realized the ground was rumbling because of its burrowing, Wong and Lao Ge’s earthbending, and Pengpeng’s own stumbling feet as they barreled into the cave. 

Wong threw a few large boulders and pushed the beast back before sealing the cave off. Kyoshi quickly reached into her bag and struck a torch off the ground, lighting it.

“What the hell is going on?!” she panted, looking around.

“That damn monster followed us! That’s what!” Lek yelled over his shoulder, his hands were busy at Pengpeng’s leg.

“What’s going on? Is Pengpeng alright?” Kyoshi asked, fear for her furry friend welling up inside  her.

“I–I dunno, that thing hit two of her legs with its tongue– She tried getting up in the air, but I think those legs are numb and–” 

“No offense, but we need to keep moving!” Kirima interrupted them. Kyoshi and Lek turned on their elders, offended that they wanted to make Pengpeng move in this condition. But Kirima continued before they had a chance to retaliate. “She can still move a bit, right? That’s good, because that damn thing can burrow, remember?”

That lit a fire under their ass. Kyoshi helped Lek push Pengpeng further into the cave, Kyoshi on Pengpeng’s right and Lek on her left. The poor creature seemed to hate being underground, and Kyoshi couldn’t blame her. Despite being an earthbender, despite being the Earth Avatar, she couldn’t help but find this whole place suffocating.

She fought to keep the lyrics of the Cave’s song out of her head, fearing she really would be devoured. 

As they approached a diverting path, they heard a loud crashing sound. It must’ve been the shirshu! It dug itself through the cave entrance’s blockade! Then, the whole cave started to rumble, like they were in the middle of an earthquake!

“Which way do we take?!” Kyoshi yelled at the boys, unsure of which of the two paths would help lead them out. 

“To the left,” Lao Ge indicated after tapping his foot on the ground. 

Kyoshi and Lek started pushing Pengpeng to the left when a high pitch screeching could be heard. Something slammed into Kyoshi’s back and knocked her over. She kept her hand glued to her torch, not wanting to lose the little light she had. As she tried to scramble back up to her feet, she felt something sink its claws into her robes, claws hooking over her rucksack and into the armor beneath them, and yanked her up.

“Wolf bats!” She heard Kirima yell.

The next few things happened in a blur, she could hear sounds of fighting happening on the other side of Pengpeng. People screaming out each other’s names including her own. She felt something fluffy and strong slam into her and the wolfbat, sending her flying to the other side of the cave. The cave and Kyoshi groaned on impact. The impact smacked the wolfbat off of her, but it also put a lot of difference between her and her team…and put a lot of wolfbat obstacles between them as well. The animals seemed to be spawning by the dozens.

Kyoshi took out her lone fan and earthbent a boulder at a few wolfbats that looked like they were about to sneak up on Lek. Worried more about his safety, she threw the boulders at them with all her might.

The boulders slammed the four wolfbats into the side of the cave, causing the cave to groan again. In that instant, Kyoshi found herself slammed back into the cavern floor, the earth rumbling beneath her and how its quake assaulted her ears. She looked up to see Lek’s shocked face.

“Kyoshi!” he cried. And then he was gone.

Everyone was gone.

Kyoshi stared in horror as she comprehended what just happened. She caused the cave to cave in. Did her actions accidentally kill her allies?!

“Kyoshi!” She heard muffled voices through both the ringing in her ears and through the rocks that separated her. 

“I–I’m here I’m–” 

A screeching around her cut her off short. A new form of terror thrummed through her as she realized she was alone with the wolfbats. She turned around wide eyes and saw their glowing eyes gleaming at her through the torchlight. They were beginning to surround her.

“Wolfbats! I have to– I’ll see you outside!” she screamed before booking it down the pathway.

____

When Kyoshi was younger, she didn’t have a lot of access to food. She spent more time eating garbage, roots and tree bark, and other foliage she could get her hands on.

One day when she was six, while skulking around the fishing docks, she overheard and watched fishermen teach each other survival skills the other didn’t know. One of the fishermen showed how to make snares to catch animals on land. Kyoshi absorbed the lesson like a sponge, and went about collecting sticks and whatever she needed to twist a small rope. Driven by the desire to eat meat once again.

She set a few snares in the forest, imagining the feast she was sure to have. She just had to be patient.

It took three days for one of her snares to entrap an animal. A small lop-eared rabbit, its leg was caught in the trap, squealing hoping for something to come and save it.

Kyoshi watched the thing struggle, she realized in horror that the snare didn’t kill the animal while she was away. She’d have to kill it herself. 

Driven by hunger, she grabbed a rock nearby and raised it above her head. Her mental image of herself resembled Aoma, and how she liked to hit Kyoshi with rocks for fun. But just then the animal looked her dead in the eyes, its glassy eyes gleaming in terror. A will of fire still burning strong within its being.

Kyoshi dropped the rock in yet another realization (six year olds weren’t known for thoroughly thinking out their plans after all). 

“I don’t know how to make a fire,” she whispered to the rabbit sadly. She wouldn’t know how to make a fire for a good while, but she knew if she wanted to safely eat this rabbit, she’d need a fire. And perhaps a knife. Tears started to fall as she realized she caused the animal harm for no reason. “I’m sorry.”

I wish I was a firebender.

____

Kyoshi felt horrible. From the lack of sleep. From her weird dream. From her memory of her first almost kill, possibly her first assisted kill. She’d let the rabbit go, but she was pretty sure another animal ate it later due to the limp in its leg.

But what made her stomach churn was the splotches of wolfbat blood she was still wiping off her face. She’d outrun most of the animals, but a few caught up to her. They were not deterred by the torch in her hand, so she had to use her fan to…take care of them so to speak. Some of the creatures' remains happened to splatter on parts of her. Well her clothes were already soaked in her own blood, what’s some more?

She fought the urge to throw up.

No! Think of this as your training! She chided herself. If you can’t handle killing animals attacking you, what makes you think you’ll be able to kill Jianzhu?! Suck it up!

The threat of puking washed over her, but it didn’t stop how horrible she felt. 

I need to get back to the other’s but how? She’d been wondering for hours, but hadn’t seen a soul in sight. She’d gone through most of her stock of strike torches. She was now only down to three. That’s only three hours, and then she’ll be wandering lost and in the dark.

I’ll die at this rate. Might as well. My legacy is already in the gutter. Might be better for people to have remembered what Yun had done than to know about my own shortcomings. 

“Look out Kuruk, I’m coming to beat your record,” she joked dryly. Maybe if she died here, Rangi wouldn’t be able to find her body? So she’d keep up the game of chase for another sixteen years until the next Fire Avatar was announced. Maybe then Rangi may rethink her ideas of dying? 

Kyoshi sighed and banished the thought from her head. No, she needed to get out of here. Someone needed to stop Jianzhu. And it would be easier for her to keep tabs on Rangi and keep her alive if Kyoshi was also alive. 

She smacked her cheeks trying to hype herself up. “Ok Kyoshi, you got this. You’re an earthbender! You’re surrounded by your element! You just gotta bust your way out of here!”

She walked over to a nearby wall, with her fan hand she brought her arm down and watched as the wall of the cave sunk down into the earth. Kyoshi grinned and started walking through the opening, when her face suddenly slammed into a solid wall. 

She let out a string of curses as she grabbed at her nose. It was only bruised, thankfully. After the pain subsided she looked up and saw the cave wall had returned to its original position!

Now I know I’m not that shitty of an earthbender. Kyoshi grumbled, throwing her arms down again. The wall disappeared again and she took a step to walk through it. But as soon as her foot hit the ground the wall shot back up! Kyoshi's eye twitched as she threw her arms and the wall down again, only to shoot right back up yet again. She did this about five more times until she yelled in frustration. 

“Fine! I won’t go that way!” she yelled. She must’ve been going insane, she was talking as if someone was there. Maybe the cave itself was alive? Whatever, she’d find a different wall.

Kyoshi walked for a few minutes until she decided to try again. She got close to the wall, ready to dive through in case it decided to shoot back up on its own accord. She brought her arm down, and the wall came with it. When she picked up her head, her face was met with a fleshy pink mass snorting at her. Kyoshi raised her torch up higher and paled as she realized she came face to face with the missing shirshu.

Kyoshi’s arms shot up instantly, pulling the earthen wall back up between her and the beast! Then she turned around, took stock of where she was, and sprinted down the path she’d yet to take, screaming the whole way.

______

An hour later, Kyoshi finally calmed down as she struck another torch off the ground, only two more hours remaining. The shirshu hadn’t followed her, but it still didn’t set her at ease; she was trapped in this damn place with the thing. 

“Oh it’ll be fine! We’ll use earthbending to find our way through the labyrinth! You worry too much Kyoshi, we'll lead the way no problem! Just trust in love!” Kyoshi said to herself, imitating each of the Flying Opera Company’s voices. “Damn assholes, I’m gonna make them pay if we all get out of here alive!”

Kyoshi stopped her long walk to face another wall of earth. She stared at it hard. “Ok, I’m going to try this again. There better not be a damn shirshu behind it!”

She threw her arms down and brought the earth with it. It wasn't a shirshu. A shirshu wouldn't be able to hold a torch or fire. For the briefest second, she thought she had reunited with her team. But when her eyes finally refocused from the new light, it wasn't the Flying Opera Company Kyoshi had reunited with.

It was Rangi.

The two stared at each other with widened eyes, then Kyoshi raised her arms up to put the earth between them. The wall did not return. Kyoshi tried it a few times, but she might as well have been trying to lift a house sized stone slab with her bare hands.

Why! Won't! You! Cooperate?! She yelled in her mind as the earth failed to yield to her demands. 

She swore, and turned her attention back to Rangi (should’ve never taken it off of her to begin with). “Let’s not do anything hasty–”

She barely dodged the fireball that Rangi threw, Kyoshi’s hands flew up to her face, dropping her torch as she caught Rangi’s flying knee kick. She saw through Rangi’s feint, and now Rangi was going to pay for it. 

While she was still airborne, Kyoshi kept one hand on Rangi’s knee, and used the other to grab her by the collar. Then, using Rangi’s momentum, twisted her body downwards. Slamming Rangi into the ground onto her back. 

Rangi slapped her arms out and down to the side and small jets of fire poured out beneath her, weakening the momentum and thus softening the blow. Her foot jutted up and out at Kyoshi’s face, and Kyoshi rolled to the side just in time to avoid a small stream of fire. 

Kyoshi remembered she was an earthbender, and attempted to…do something. Either bring a part of a wall or ceiling down on Rangi, or encase her in earth. But the earth didn’t yield yet again.

Oh, come on! 

Now was not the time for what little bending she had to completely go haywire! But apparently it was, and she’d have to brute force her way through this fight.

Rangi charged at her with a flurry of punches and kicks, Kyoshi fell back, trying to keep enough distance between them as she blocked what hits came her way. She was doing a fine job, almost too fine. Each blow that did manage to collide didn’t feel nearly as powerful as previous matchups.

Is she pulling her punches? Kyoshi thought, as she fell for a feign, and Rangi slammed kick into Kyoshi’s injured thigh. The impact caused a ripple of pain to shoot up through her as she yelped. She was distracted enough that she couldn’t even block Rangi’s next kick to her solar plexus, causing Kyoshi to slam into the wall behind her. 

Rangi grabbed her by her kataginu and had a fist raised, probably to slam a fire fist or an explosion fist through her skull. Kyoshi gasped, she was having a hard time breathing thanks to the two hits. She wasn’t sure if she could dodge this next attack. Kyoshi looked deep into Rangi’s eyes, they were unfocused. She looked even worse for wear than before. Sicker somehow. But it could’ve been a trick of the torch light. 

“I got…you…” Rangi panted. “It’s over… Nowhere…left…to…ru–”

Rangi’s fist dropped and hold slacked as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, then she fell to the side. 

“R–Rangi!” Kyoshi overcame her pain and grabbed Rangi as they fell to the ground, protecting her from hitting her head. 

After Kyoshi recovered from the pain, she sat up, cradling Rangi's body in her hands, shaking her. “Rangi? Rangi! Hey!” Kyoshi continued to shake her, her voice becoming louder and more frantic as time went on, trying to suppress the memory rising inside her. “Come on, wake up! This isn’t funny! Rangi!”

 Rangi’s head bobbled side to side, breathing shallow, eyes closed with dark shadows under them. She was ice cold.

Terror ran through Kyoshi faster than a tsunami taking out a town. Crashing into her being and drowning all other thoughts and emotions in its wake. The memory of her dream, of Rangi’s lifeless body in her arms. The ending to the Lover’s story… It was becoming a living nightmare.

Was Rangi dying? Why? 

She bit back the threat of the light in her eyes coming full force. No, Rangi was breathing, she was still alive. Kyoshi had to figure something out while she had time. Not lose it.

She took a shaky hand and felt for a pulse on Rangi’s neck. It was there, but it was weak. 

“Why? Why is this happening?!” 

This was the worst possible scenario. Kyoshi wasn’t a healer! She hadn't learnt any other element besides earth, how was she going to help Rangi?

And that’s not even working right, right now. She grimaced. Her bending was a mess, they were trapped in this cave, nay, tomb. Only able to cradle the girl she loved in her arms as she took her last breaths.

Damn it! Damn it all! What do you want me to do?! Kyoshi cried in her head. Damning all the Avatars and sages and spirits and everyone that put them into this position. At this rate Rangi was going to…

Rangi let out a weak cough, and it snapped Kyoshi out of her spiral. “Rangi? Rangi are you awake?” 

Rangi didn’t respond, and Kyoshi caressed the back of her hand against Rangi’s sickly pale skin. Ice cold, more fitting for a waterbender than a firebender.

If only I could bend fire… She thought. Her brow wrinkled, confused why she thought that. The earlier memory was about food not about… Rangi being cold. She shook her head, trying To find reason in her jumbled thoughts.

Because I could keep her warm? She tried offered to herself.

Because if I could light a fire, I could keep her warm. I could…light… Ignite? Kyoshi’s eyes widened, her training, her lessons flooding back to her. I could reignite her inner fire!

Kyoshi didn't waste any time. Even if she couldn't firebend now, she would make the damn flames appear! Rangi’s life depended on it.

She took the rucksack off of Rangi’s shoulders and deftly untied the armor, then opened the top half of Rangi’s kimono so there was only one layer between Kyoshi and the chi pathways. With almost all barriers out of her way, she started on her task at hand. 

“The first step was to follow the pathways…” Kyoshi mumbled to herself, rubbing her hands together to warm them up. She couldn’t get her hands to glow like in the scroll, but it wasn’t going to stop her. Kyoshi ran her hands an inch over Rangi’s body, following the pathways starting at her stomach. “I do this and then– I’m supposed to exhale fire into her mouth I think? But I don’t feel any flame…”

Kyoshi bit her lip, and decided to avoid the last step for now, her instincts told her it wasn’t the right time yet. Her fingers moved in the same pattern. Once, twice. A dozen times. But still…nothing. No spark. No warmth.

Kyoshi was taking short shallow breaths as her panic continued. “Please,” she whispered, pleading to any spirit who would take pity on her. “I don’t care what happens to me. I don’t care if I lock myself from firebending forever. I don’t care if I have to give up my own inner fire and life, just– If she dies, I don’t see any point in–”

Kyoshi choked on another sob as tears fell from her eyes. A few droplets landed on Rangi’s face, she twitched and murmured something incomprehensible but didn’t wake. Kyoshi gently wiped the tears from Rangi’s face, and felt a new wave of determination flow through her.  

As she started at Rangi’s stomach again, she felt it. Like spring to ice, she felt a thaw start to take place. Kyoshi’s hands did not glow, there was no fire, but she could feel a heat. And she clung to it so it wouldn’t escape. 

Her fingers traced the pathways yet again, feeling them warm under her movements, until one hand led up to Rangi’s throat, tilting it back. Kyoshi knew now was the time. As Kyoshi let one hand trail back down the pathways to Rangi’s stomach, where the inner fire was stored, she dipped her head down and captured Rangi’s lips with her own. And breathed out pure heat. 

A pulse. What felt like a little heartbeat fluttered under the palm of Kyoshi’s hand where it hovered over Rangi. Kyoshi only pulled away when she ran out of air, and noticed Rangi’s ice cold lips felt a little warmer. 

I did it! But she didn’t let herself celebrate too soon, she repeated the process a few more times. Rangi got a little warmer each time. Kyoshi kept at it until she exhausted herself, it felt as if she just overused a muscle she never knew she had. 

After the last breath, Kyoshi caressed Rangi’s cheek and put her ear up to her lips. Rangi’s breathing was even, growing stronger by the second. Remnants of familiar heat coming back to her skin, pinking instead of green like before. Kyoshi let out a shuddering breath of relief and pressed her forehead to Rangi’s, weeping happily. She was ok! Rangi was going to be ok!

She quickly folded Rangi’s kimono closed, she needed to keep the new heat insulated. Kyoshi wondered if she could carry Rangi through the cave, but decided to have them rest and try to keep Rangi warm instead. Looking around the cave, she saw the torch just a yard or two away and got up to grab it. It still had an hour or so left on it. She didn’t think there was a way to douse it then reignite it later, nor did she want to tempt fate. It was best to just leave it burning. Maybe she or Rangi could make a hand torch later?

She gathered their things and placed them up against the wall. Kyoshi made a move to start putting Rangi’s spiked armor back on when a memory tugged at her.

“You can’t sleep in that getup. Especially not the armor,” Rangi’s voice echoed in her mind. Back when they spent a night under the same sheets, floating on an iceberg in the middle of nowhere. Rangi had been so warm then, like a little glowing coal in the hearth. But it was Kyoshi’s turn to keep her warm now. 

Kyoshi quickly placed Rangi’s armor and rucksack next to the wall. Then she readjusted her clothes, removing her hidden layer of armor and keeping her long kataginu tucked out of her belt. They didn’t have any blankets so she’d have to make due with this.

Kyoshi sat herself next to Rangi, leaning against the wall. She moved Rangi’s body so she was sitting in her lap, cradled in her arms, making sure to place her inside her kataginu. The right side of her head resting against Kyoshi’s left shoulder. Once settled, she wrapped the robe around them, making sure Rangi was secure and the heat was trapped between them. Almost instantly, Kyoshi could feel it working, and breathed a sigh of relief. 

Kyoshi looked around the cave, the events of the day and her being rudely woken up were finally hitting her. She made a good call choosing to take a moment to rest. 

Just a few minutes, I just need to close my eyes for a few minutes…

She stole one more glance down at Rangi. She was sleeping soundly, her top knot-less hair cascading down her face, unrestrained for once. Kyoshi could feel her heart clenching, happy that Rangi was only sleeping and not worse. 

Then a storm cloud washed over her, the memory of her dream hitting her full force. The danger Jianzhu had put her and Rangi in…

Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. Kyoshi held Rangi even tighter as she made her declaration, then she kissed the sleeping girl’s temple. 

Spirits help anyone who would take Rangi from her.

___

Map (source/explanation):

___

A/N: Ahem. I told you it was time for their N-A-P! uwu

Actually, as of this chapter right now, I can safely assure everyone that the girls are going to have a better sleep sched. uwu Unless something happens in the future, then I’m a big fat liar. (but fr fr I don’t really have any intent on any more sleep deprivation, we’re past that now. uwu but if something like that happens later despite what I just said… well…then characters and plot will just….character and plot 8U)

Also, if you couldn’t tell, I was trying to expand on what happened with Zuko during his “metamorphosis.” I mean I was putting Rangi through a similar dilemma that messed with her sense of self so. 8U Weee~! (him and Azula's breakdowns are the big inspos for Rangi's so yeah)

“Man you sure do like your dream sequences” I want them to kiss god damnit TT0TT Sue me! It’s hard slow burning sometimes, lemme indulge. u_u *cough* Anyway….

*inhales* SECRET TUNNEL! I’m not a lyricist, I apologize if I’ve offended anyone trying to expand the songs lyrics and did a poor job of it u_u I know Chong says “and die” is "the rest of the song" but he legit can’t remember anything so I’mma pretend there was more between those two lyric lines~! (and ones that incorporate the tale into it more) Anyway, I like to think this song originated eons ago and has been passed down throughout the years and has expanded to other nations. Tbf a Fire nation soldier in ATLA mentions knowing the song, but it doesn’t HAVE to mean they only heard it cause they’re colonizing the EK…they could’ve just heard it because it’s a well known song/story~!…. I’d say there’s some wiggle room~! :3c

Oh right… the Netflix thing. Anyway, if you watched it you’d see they changed aspects of The Cave of Two Lovers episode between the Cartoon and LA. BESIDES it not being in the right season, and it focusing on Katara/Sokka sibling stuff instead of the ship tease of Kataang (well that’s a choice!). They changed the tale of Oma and Shu. In the LA ver, Shu is now a woman and so they are a wlw couple. Also, OMA is the one who dies and SHU is the one who stops the war. Completely opposite of the cartoon. Not sure why they changed who lived and died but… ok. O_o

Anyway, because of this discrepancy… I thought it would be cool to play with it. Hence the inconsistent tale of the lovers. :’D (something I also noticed was that, in both versions, Oma is usually red, and Shu is blue. Which means… in the wlw/NATLA version it’d mean Rangi was Oma/red and Kyoshi is Shu/blue. >:3c Interesting~! nyehehehe~)

Fun fact: If you’re a Persona fan and have played Persona 5 Scramble, then I’ll have you know. Kirima’s “On your knees” bit was inspired by Ryuji saying “Send the effin’ thing back!” scene. She says it in the same tone of voice. (not sure how many fans here overlap with Persona but.... yeah 8U)

[araveninthedarknight]

A New Character in the Story chapter 1!

So this is my first full length/non drabble fanfic, please don't expect much from it. It is Yasushi X OC and while i know most characters will be out of character, I am still new to writing and am for now just focusing on bettering me as a writer..Call it creative license and personal interpretation. That being said, I won't have a set update schedule for it for the time being, maybe in the future.

Warnings: Normal high and low swearing, fighting and all that jazz, probobly out of character high and low (sorryyy)

A young boy who loved High and Low but hated storms was home alone, waiting out a thunder storm, but as it crept closer, so did his fear, he was wishing for Yasushi to be real, to be there to be the big though one while he curled into him like a whimpering lost puppy. He decided that to distract from the brewing storm, he would watch High and Low, eat some popcorn, and hope to drown out the horrible noises and block the flashing lights with blackout curtains. Bobby booted up Netflix, turned on the movie and cranked the volume, making some popcorn and plugging his phone in.

A particularly loud clap of thunder roared like a lion over head, shaking the small house on it's foundation and jump-scaring the poor storm spooked late teen aged male on his couch. His sandy brown hair was all over his face, slightly shaggy and now tickling at his eye lids as the jolt from the storm caused it to move out of place. His green eyes darted to find his remote, wanting the television up louder though it couldn't actually go up much more.

"I need Yasushi to come roar at the damned thunder with Kyoshi to scare it away..." He mutters softly as he pulls a blanket from the couch back over his shoulders and lap, hoping to scramble for any type of comfort as his fear loomed over his head like a personal storm cloud. In reaching for his phone,just as a bolt of light lit the sky an erie purple, Bobby got shocked, sending him into a knocked out state. This zap would change the course of his life, but he had no clue it would.

A groan came from tired lips, a lingering dull throb in the brunette's head. He felt like he had been plowed down by bricks, sitting up almost made him fall back in exhaustion. But something seemed different then he was used to, this did not feel like his home at all, and he would be the first to proclaim he was afraid. Bobby hated the unknown and begrudgingly opened his green eyes, clear glasses on the bridge of his nose. He confirmed while using a finger to shove the lenses to his range of view, that his was NOT his house, and he had somehow ended up outside on a clear day sitting in an area that seemed all too familiar to him. He decided it was all just a dream, he would close his pools of emerald, lay back and let his cheeks feel the flutter of dark lashes, long fans over cheekbones, and sleep. Clammoring seemed to make the boy groan inwardly, hoping that whatever was in his dream state would leave him alone to his weird dream escape plan.

"Hey, what's this? A new kid?At Oya??" Fujio asked with confusion seeping from his every word, they never really got many new kids, let alone ones that looked so damned out of place.

"Please tell me this is some kind of fever dream.." Bobby thought to himself as he sat up once more, dread in his gut as he came face to face with the Oya students, ones that only existed in a fictional world. Damn had that zap in the storm messed with his brain. He surveyed the crowd around him, recognizing Fujio at the front, still as puppy-like as he was in the movie, the leather couch under him felt almost searing hot to the touch, making it more life like than ever before, and he never had had such a lifelike dream, he was now well and truly afraid. Eyes landing on Todoroki, the teen felt even more unnerved, he had quite the intimidating aura up close and Bobby felt like this was going to be the end of his short life as he knew it, for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This had to be a dream right?

Yasushi watched everyone around the boy, Jamuo trying to talk to the new face, and even the male with the bleached hair and braids knew the poor thing was shaking in his boots and looked ready to cry, overwhelmed and wanting nothing more than to hide away from all the rowdy teens.

"OY, let the guy breath, it won't get you anywhere to be half way to being on top of him." He yells loudly, making the newcomer jump in his spot, slightly cowering in fear and causing weird feelings to arise in the chest of the bleach blonde male, but he pushed it away. He had decided it was best to ignore any issue causing feelings and go to his though exterior.

Bobby sat curled in a ball on the farthest corner of the old leather couch, trying to avoid all eye contact, a new voice broke the silent barrier that had been the air, stirring more feelings of dread within the deep pits of the teen. "You don't look like you are from here, where do you come from, and why are you here?" Asked Todoroki, his voice like a teacher, frim and proper, enough to make someone be cautios, if smart and not against athority anyhow.

"W-well, I'm originally from the united states, but I just recently moved here." Bobby lies,trying to keep his voice smooth,firm and steady, but he knew these guys would sniff out one fuck up, so he only had one chance, had to make it count, "And my name is Bobby, so I would prefer to be addressed as so." The teen was inwardly impressed with how stern he had been, holding his own like a brave lion against a diffrent lion in a den for domanance.

Kyoshi noticed how Yasushi looked at the newest oya attendee and raised an eyebrow to himself, wondering if love had started to blister at his seemingly anti anything other than fighting and Kyoshi heart. It seemed silly to most to notice a change like that just in the eyes, but after being basically brothers as long as the two had, he knew in a heartbeat it was a foreign look to his friend and he needed to figure out how to get it more often, hoping to help his friend like a good wingman.

Bobby stands as the crowd thins, putting his hands in his pockets of his black jacket as he looks over the roof of the school, people milling about looking much smaller from his new vantage point than he realized, to be fair he had only been on a roof once now, and that was something he was convinced it was a dream still, just one that felt so real that you could taste and smell and even feel the dream world around you. Bobby had no clue it wasn't a state of a relm only found in sleep but a random freak accident that gained him his one with, as if it was a geni wish grant for the brunette's own glee, despite the current state of fear he was engulfed in like he had been during the storm. This could be a disaster, or this could be one hell of an adventure, only time will tell.