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armageddon-generation · 11 months ago

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Fixing Netflix's Avatar: the Last Airbender

(Live action ATLA is a fundamentally bad idea because it disrespects the medium of animation and the original is near-perfect. But the wasted potential of this show annoys me, so there.)

This rewrite has 12 x 60 minute episodes, because squashing this story into 8 is insane. Maintaining its per-episode budget, this would still only make Netflix’s Avatar (NATLA) a little more expensive as their One Piece, which it's performing better than.

Each episode of the original show is 22 minutes, so even adapting two eps shot-for-shot per live action ep leaves each an extra 16 mins of runtime. For this new material I'm drawing on a lot of the comics and expanded canon.

If a NATLA change or addition isn’t mentioned (Azula and Ozai, the Cave of Two Lovers, the Mother of Faces, Kurruk’s dumbass knife) assume it’s gone because it’s Bad.

(Also, I recognise that my examples of dialogue are cringier than NATLA. But I’m not a paid for this, so you’ll have to forgive me.)

1. The Boy in the Iceberg

A pretty straight adaptation of the first 3 episodes of the original show smoothed together, removing the Zhao/Zuko subplot from 1x3 The Southern Air Temple

Extra scene- when Katara yells at Gran Gran for supporting Aang being banished, she narrates a version of the flashback sequence from 3x8 The Puppetmaster, showing the slow depletion of the South’s waterbenders, and how the ship Katara and Aang explored got there. This big extra action beat contextualizes how prosperous the South used to be, and Gran Gran’s anxiety over Katara’s bending

Extra flashback of Aang’s tattoo ceremony in the Yangchen chamber from NATLA– his whole class is there, cheering for him- Aang will find their skeletons with Gyatso’s, who died protecting them

2. The Shadow of Kyoshi

Combines 1x4 The Warriors of Kyoshi with 2x5 Avatar Day, where a village prosecutes Aang for Avatar Kyoshi killing their leader, Chen the Conqueror, long ago

Aang rides the Elephant Koi and provokes the Unagi right into a conflict between mainland and Kyoshi fishermen. Contrast how the two sides perceive Aang– Kyoshi as a big celebrity, the mainland as a criminal. He gets hit with the full breadth of the Avatar experience all at once, and naturally gravitates towards those who treat him better

They organize a ‘trial date’ where the mainlanders will return to demand justice, and Aang will defend Kyoshi’s honor This is how word spreads to Zuko.

Sokka’s subplot with Suki is unchanged from the original. THE SEXISM STAYS. The new NATLA stuff with them bonding over their parental issues and being non-benders can go after he’s been humbled

NATLA hyping up Kyoshi at the expense of Roku was bizarre fandom-pandering, especially as canonically Aang basically hates her. Here, Aang is initially convinced Kyoshi couldn’t have killed Chen because an Avatar never would.

This leads naturally into him and Katara reading up on Kyoshi’s past in her shrine as they do in NATLA, but Aang keeps getting distracted by the islanders' celebrity-worship. Eventually Katara leaves him to fend for himself in a huff.

Instead of trying to ride the Unagi, Aang goes to the trial alone and overconfident, but Kyoshi possesses Aang to confess she did kill Chen. Chen dying because he refused to retreat directly foreshadows Zhao dying because he refuses to take Zuko’s hand in the finale– wannabe conquerors crippled by their pride

Kyoshi possessing Aang is not pleasant. While he’s under she rags on him for abandoning his duty and not taking things seriously

Meanwhile, Zuko attacks the island. Sensing this, Kyoshi blasts off and lands in the middle of the village like in NATLA, brutalizing the Fire Nation soldiers.

When Kyoshi sees Zuko she tries to kill him- directly paralleling the flashback of her killing Chen, a moment of genuine fear for Zuko. Aang snaps out of it at the last second, refusing to kill him. Zuko recovers enough to strike, but Katara arrives just in time to knock him back again.

This moment foreshadows Aang’s conflict over killing Oazi– when Zuko says he should do it, Aang reminds him if he’d had that mentality in this moment Zuko would’ve never been able to redeem himself

The Gaang run, and Katara argues against what Kyoshi said– that killing is the only answer, that Aang deserves to be punished for abandoning his duty. This is a key difference to NATLA, which seemed to revel in tearing Aang down at every opportunity

Aang then puts the fires out with Unagi as in the original

3. The Price of Freedom

Combines 1x5 Imprisoned with 1x10 Jet, with a little 1x9 The Waterbending Scroll sprinkled in

Begin with Katara showing Aang her waterbending moves after Kyoshi told him to take things more seriously, and Aang totally outshining her, only for them to bump into Haru doing the same with his Earthbending. This is an initiation into Jet’s gang, using his bending to fight Fire Nation after his dad’s imprisonment drove him here. Unlike the rest of the outlaws, Haru has a mother to go home to

NATLA Jet helping Katara tap into her trauma to power her bending is interesting, but the execution was bad. Here he’s doing the same for Haru, too.

If we emphasize this aspect—Katara letting her rage drive her—her dynamic with Jet foreshadows her conflict in The Southern Raiders.

Playing both Katara’s Book 1 ‘love interests’ off each other contrasts them in an interesting way

Use the extra runtime to build Aang’s relationship with Jet—a Lost Boy looking up to Peter Pan. Jet is the kind of leader Aang wants to be as the Avatar, with his found family and ‘fun’ approach.

Jet’s target isn’t to destroy the dam, but to ‘get onto’ the Fire Nation prison, which doubles as a shipyard.

I liked NATLA’s slimier, more conniving version of Zhao. His introduction would fit perfectly here, replacing Imprisoned’s warden.

When Haru is arrested, Jet and Sokka clash in whether to help Katara go after him

Jet helps Katara because he wants her to see how broken and hopeless the prisoners are for herself.

Bato is also a prisoner here. He and Katara have an emotional reunion, which leads into her failed attempt to rally the other prisoners

Zhao summons Katara to his study after to taunt her and lay down the law. This Zhao is a wannabe scholar, obsessed with learning about and stealing from the other nations. Classic colonial mentality, and hidden in the background is the map he stole from Wong Shi Tong’s library, hinting at his plan in the finale. Katara also spies the waterbending scroll in the study, tying into her inadequacies in the opening scene

The Freedom fighters plot to hijack the Gaang’s escape plan and blow up the prison’s furnaces, killing everyone aboard. Sokka realizes and is captured.

When the truth is revealed, Katara fights Jet– another signature Katara RageTM moment where she summons a huge wave– and draws the guards’ attention. But it’s too late, and Jet triggers their plan.

It’s revealed Sokka escaped the Freedom fighters and neutralized Jet’s plan. Aang arrives with the coal, but the Earthbenders are still unwilling to fight.

Zhao uses the Freedom Fighters to taunt the prisoners- even their own people have given up on them. Then Haru starts the riot.

Zhao is tougher than the original Warden– Aang teams up with the earthbenders to knock him overboard

This shifts the conflict in several ways- Jet’s target is no longer innocent civilians but a shipyard with military, strategic value. At the same time, his willingness to sacrifice new recruit Haru is more callous than the original.

4. The Warrior and the Waterbender

Combining 1x9 The Waterbending Scroll with 1x15 Bato and the Water Tribe, and a dash of 2x4 The Swamp

Picks up where last episode left off; reinforcement Fire Navy ships are closing in on the prison as the prisoners evacuate, but Katara recklessly doubles back to grab the Waterbending Scroll in Zhao’s office. Aang follows.

The Fire Navy opens fire on the prison, triggering Jet’s bomb. The prison is crippled. Katara grabs the scroll and flees with Aang.

Katara’s necklace is lost in the chaos.

Thus we’ve cut the pirates but kept Katara endangering the group to get the scroll. Losing her necklace is now also a consequence of this

Aapa and Momo are separated from the group by the Fire Navy attack. Bato grabs a boat and directs the Gaang into a rapid river to escape the bigger ships- a precursor to Sokka’s Ice Dodging later.

Bato reminisces about similar times with their father and suggests Sokka and Katara join their Southern fleet. He’s headed to Omashu, the biggest Earth Kingdom stronghold in this region, where it’ll be far easier to find them

Aang hiding the map to Hakoda in Bato of the Water Tribe is often seen as his most unlikeable, childish moment, and the ‘Liar Revealed’ conflict is unusually contrived for ATLA. I’m cutting the that element but still exploring Aang’s separation anxiety through Bato

Aang and Katara reflect on last episode. Aang reiterates that violence wasn’t the answer, and her kindness and compassion is her greatest strength. It’s already saved him. He can’t describe how lucky he was to wake up in her arms, of all people.

He gifts her his handmade necklace from The Fortuneteller

This is a crucial way I'd like to shift shift Katara and Aang: In the original Katara does the vast majority of their emotional labor, and though it’s beyond doubt she loves Aang, there’s not *much* to set up her romantic interest, and so it comes off a little one-sided wish-fulfill-y. To improve this without pushing romance early, emphasize what Aang has to offer Katara. Here he’s her emotional support over their mutual betrayal by Jet

It also reiterates how dependent Aang has quickly become on Sokka and Katara, justifying his separation anxiety as their potential departure looms. He focuses on the waterbending scroll to strengthen that connection they have – ‘after Jet, let’s do this the right way’. But his talent only heightens her frustration

At the same time, Katara realizes her necklace is gone– losing a connection to her heritage VS Sokka growing closer to his through Bato.

Appa and Momo get a comedy subplot like in 2x4 The Swamp, because if I get to Book 2, that’s one of the episodes I’d cut

Meanwhile, Zuko investigates the wrecked prison and finds Katara’s necklace. He trails the reinforcement ships, who rescued Zhao and whisked him to a Fire Nation Colony port. They clash, but Zhao has no interest in an Agni Kai

Zhao has hired June to track down his escaped prisoners. Zuko offers her a more lucrative job finding the Avatar

Meanwhile Katara’s conflict from The Waterbending Scroll plays out. June captures her when she’s isolated herself to practice, and they pounce on the others. Sokka manages to get them free by turning June against Zuko over Aang’s reward like he does the pirates. Aang fights Zuko for Katara’s necklace while she uses her waterbending to get Bato’s boat back into the water while Bato and Sokka fight June and the Shirshu– playing on Bato’s stories of him and their dad wrangling wild beasts

They all escape on Bato’s boat– Sokka finally gets his turn at the coming-of-age Ice Dodging, using Katara and Aang’s improved waterbending to pull of an impossible escape

Aang steals the animal whistle that finally attracts Appa from June- mirroring Katara stealing the scroll

5. Omashu

Combines 1x4 The King of Omashu with 1x12 The Storm

Aang is anxious because Omashu was where he was going when he abandoned the Southern Air Temple- to find refuge with Bumi, who never fit in and made his own rules

The Gaang and Bato arrive in Omashu. Desperate to postpone Sokka and Katara leaving, while Bato requests an audience with the King, Aang drags them off to do the mail chutes– a desperate ‘look how fun I am! Please don’t leave!’ and his last chance to relive the high of his friendship with Bumi

Bato’s audience with Bumi is interrupted by news of the chaos the Gaang have caused. He’s cripplingly embarrassed when they’re matched in– ‘you really are your father’s kids’

Aang realizes who Bumi is quickly. He’s overjoyed– but Bumi is aloof, and demands to know why his friend abandoned him. A more personal version of the old fisherman from The Storm

Aang runs off and Katara follows. Sokka defends Aang to Bumi- he didn’t believe in Aang at first either, but the kid quickly changed his mind. Bumi ‘imprisons’ Sokka and Bato

Meanwhile, Katara finds Aang in his and Bumi’s old hangout spot, and he tells her how he learned he was the Avatar and ran away- his half of the flashbacks from The Storm. He understands if Katara wants to leave him and go with Bato now she knows

A royal messenger arrives– Bumi wants to bargain for Sokka and Bato’s freedom

Because Aang already knows who Bumi is, his challenges all link to key memories from their friendship. One was a meetup with Kuzon, Aang’s Fire Nation friend. Even before he was the Avatar Aang brought the nations together

After Bumi is satisfied with their final fight, he reveals he decided to forgive Aang before the challenges even started. They weren’t meant to torment him with the past but help bring lessons from it into the future.

This way we get to explore Bumi having a more critical reaction to Aang like in NATLA without sacrificing the core of Bumi’s character, or the fundamental goodness of their friendship

Bato parts ways with Sokka and Katara at the end

6. The Winter Solstice

A pretty straight adaptation of 1x7 The Spirit World and 1x8 Avatar Roku

On the Fire Nation side, I liked the NATLA addition of one of Iroh’s captors being a victim of his siege on Ba Sing Se. Unlike NATLA, this should be the first time Iroh is ever truly serious in the show.

When Aang sees the burnt-down forest, he flashes back to when he was a small child, and the monks taught him (with the same kids from his tattoo ceremony) how to care for scared natural spaces through Yangchen’s Festival (as featured in post-canon graphic novel The Rift). This more explicitly intwines Hei Bai losing his forest with Aang losing his culture

We follow Sokka when he’s held captive by Hei Bai. Building on his coming of age with Bato, Sokka has visions of returning home a warrior only to see it lain to waste– everyone he was charged with protecting dead. This foreshadows the loss of Yue.

Speaking of Yue, I’m keeping NATLA having her visit Sokka while he’s trapped in the Spirit World, guiding him out of his vision, but when we meet Yue the context of this will be very different

Sokka re-emerges from the Spirit World worried about home, but learning about the comet reaffirms his commitment to Aang

When Aang gets stuck in the Spirit World, he gets properly lost in the shifting, alien landscape we only saw in the original’s Book 1 finale

This sequence is inspired by the scene in The Legend of Korra Book 2 (hear me out) where Korra turns back into a toddler. Here, Aang’s panic turns him back into the age he was in the Yangchen Festival flashback

This story shouldn’t feature Koh, who totally overshadows Hei Bai in NATLA, but as Aang runs through the Spirit World, confused and alone, discontented spirits shout and jeer about the Avatar’s failures– specifically referencing Kurruk’s war with the spirits

Roku’s dragon swoops in to save Aang from himself. When he takes Aang to Roku’s Temple, the Fire Sages sense him and ward him off, to create more continuity between the story’s two halves

Similarly, when meeting the corrupt Fire Sages in person we call back to and contrast with how the Air Nomads upheld their holy sites

When the good Fire Sage is chained up alongside Zuko, he asks if he’s the son of Lady Ursa, and obliquely hints at Zuko’s familial connection to Roku

After his disastrous encounter with Kyoshi, Aang is cautious around Roku, but Roku is apologetic (‘this war is my fault’) and supportive. Unlike when Aang was taken over by Kyoshi, Roku inhabits Aang with permission and after agreeing not to kill anyone

(side-note but I’m not keeping the Gyatso scene because it’s contrived and dulls the personal impact of the genocide)

7. Masks

Combines 1x13 The Blue Spirit with the Zuko portion of 1x12 The Storm

Appa is injured fleeing the blockade and Aang is angry. He draws Zhao away from Sokka and Katara, and gets captured and transported to another of his prisons.

NATLA’s additions work best here. Lu Ten’s funeral, Zuko’s crew being the 41st legion. Lu Ten’s funeral should be the second time Iroh is serious and melancholy all season.

DO NOT have Zuko fight back in the Agni Kai. Stupidest decision in the show

Once Aang has saved Zuko from the prison, add a flashback from his perspective, which I’m adapting from the (honestly pretty good) M. Night movie prequel comic Zuko’s Story:

Immediately following the Angi Kai, Azula visits Zuko to mock him.

Later, she finds him sleeping on the docks after failing to gather a crew, and gets him his crappy ship and ‘crew of failures’, which ties nicely into them being the 41st division. Azula presents it as a mercy, but she’s just sweeping all the trash under the same rug.

This introduces Azula in Book 1 without being OOC or ruining her armor of perfection too soon

8. The Northern Air Temple

Adapts 1x17 The Northern Air Temple with an extra subplot: Conflicted about what to do with the settlers, Aang meditates and consults Avatar Yangchen, the Air Nomad Avatar before him, and they debate Aang’s responsibility to preserve their culture

If you must show the genocide, show it here– in brief, traumatising flashes as Aang explores the Temple. NATLA’s take on the genocide was pathetic. The Airbenders put way too much of a fight– they should be overwhelmed by huge columns of fire, dragons etc- think this fan-comic showing two Airbender boys trying to escape the attack on the North

The Mechanist’s son Teo studies Air Nomad culture. This gives his character more meat and explores the appropriation conflict presented through the Avatar Aang Fan Club in The Promise comic; ‘My culture is not a game’

Katara asks Aang to teach her to glide to pull him out of a dark spiral. Again, building that Aang/Katara dynamic, this should be a fun parallel to Penguin Sledding in episode 1– Aang unlocking Katara’s inner child, giving her a freedom she never had before him. It should really emphasize their trust. Let Aang be confident and encouraging!

The Mechanist is making weapons for Zhao (just like his shipyard), and it’s revealed Zhao deliberately spread stories about Air Nomad survivors to lure Aang into a trap, which is a tactic Fire Lord Sozin used to mop up the Nomads who survived his genocide. This idea is from The Lost Adventures comic Relics, fits with NATLA wanting to be ‘darker’, and ties into the genocide flashbacks

Zhao arrives with a battalion, ready to spring his trap and take the Temple

Now the battle for the Temple directly mirrors the genocide sequence- Aang explicitly defending his home like he never had the chance to before

9. The Old Masters

Combines 1x18 The Waterbending Master with 1x16 The Deserter

Jeong Jeong surrendered himself to the North when he fled the Fire Nation. The conditions here naturally suppress his firebending, as seen in Book 3 of The Legend of Korra

Sokka learns about Jeong Jeong during warrior training. Aang’s frustration with Pakku’s teachings pushes him towards Jeong Jeong to learn firebending too

Contrast the two elements, how Aang struggles more with firebending after getting water so quickly

Aang burning Katara and her discovering she’s a healer intersects perfectly with the North funneling women into the healing huts– is this really what she was destined for?

I appreciate NATLA trying to make Princess Yue a more active character because she’s not given much in the original and Sokka’s love at first sight crush on her is pretty shallow. However, making Yue too active undermines the point of her character in the original; that she lets herself be a passive vessel for duty right up until her final choice to help the Moon spirit

To that end, keep Yue being a waterbending healer– she is the personification of the system Katara is rebelling against. When Yue was young, she had dreams of defending the North with her father that were quickly squashed by her duties. Katara does what Yue wishes she could have

Sokka connecting with Yue because she comforted him when he was alone in the Spirit World is good, but here instead of being a revered spiritual leader, Yue’s trips into the Spirit World are secret, rebellious things, straying outside her strict duties and endangering herself. In this way Sokka is the face of Yue’s own private rebellion. She is both terrified and thrilled by the chance to meet him in person

Her fiance Haan is still a douche

Keep Gran Gran’s betrothal necklace pushing Pakku into self-reflection. People rag on him only letting Katara train with him because of nepotism, but that’s how it be sometimes when pushing societal reform. Personal change first. I did like how NATLA emphasized Katara inspiring other women to fight, so that can continue into next episode, showing how Pakku’s personal reflection led to widespread change

Katara being ‘her own master’ felt like forced girlbossery, especially as her level-up in the original show is already very quick, but I like the idea of her drawing from other bending styles to fight

Instead of the cut pirates, it’s the Yu Yang Arches who assassinate Zuko for Zhao

10. The Siege of the North

A pretty straight adaptation of 1x19 and 1x20

Katara and Aang spar in the opening and she trounces him- a nice progress marker from the stuff with the Waterbending Scroll. The footwork/moves here foreshadow the energy of their dance in 3x2 The Headband

Yue arrives looking for Sokka, having snuck away from Royal duties. Katara asks about her intentions with her brother– wasn’t it just announced that she’s engaged? Yue insists it’s platonic.

Yue: Have you ever looked at someone and just seen… freedom? [Aang’s laughter in the background] Katara: ...Just don’t break his heart

Sokka arrives to pull Yue away. Her brief trips into the Spirit World give her a wider perspective of the war’s impact than the North’s isolated leaders. Sokka taking her up on Appa sets up the possibility of her leaving with the Gaang to become an envoy to the South or a Spiritual Leader, making her sacrifice hit harder

They bond through their mutual anxieties over leadership

Sokka: You’d be a great diplomat. You’re charming, kind, clever but never condescending, even to a Southern peasant like me. And you’re so strong, to put up with everything you do. Yue: What I put up with is hardly comparable to the dangers that Southern peasant has fought through. Sokka: You have so many responsibilities. So many people to protect, so many relying on you– I know how hard that can be. At least a little.

They discuss why Yue’s parents are so protective and controlling, explaining her Moon backstory earlier on. Framing her father’s protectiveness this way emphasizes Yue’s sacrifice as a final act of agency and embracing her true destiny

Instead of Roku, Kurruk leads Aang to Koh because he’s familiar with him, letting him better pace narrating his backstory with the spirits than monologuing straight to camera

Kurruk warns Aang against letting personal attachments cloud his duty, and letting those he loves be hurt- we transition from the face of Kurruk’s dead beloved to Katara frantically searching for him.

Sokka/Katara discussing protecting Aang vs protecting Yue

Show the female waterbenders from Katara's healing class supporting the warriors in the battle, and fighting alongside Pakku

As Zhao marches through the North he finds his old master Jeong Jeong in his cell, and they talk before Jeong Jeong escapes. Follow this with an extra scene of Jeong Jeong crossing paths with Iroh

Now we get the full Zuko vs Zhao Agni Kai, played as a direct parallel to the staging of Ozai’s. Zuko spares Zhao, only for Koizilla to snatch him as he walks away. Zhao still refuses Zuko’s hand.

In NATLA, Katara called out to Koizilla and Aang turned as if hearing her, but it was still seeing the restored moon that stopped his rampage. I’m adjusting things so Katara’s words wake Anatlaang from the Avatar state- proving Kurruk wrong about attachments- and Aang communicates with the Ocean Spirit like he communicated with Hei Bai, pointing out the restored moon. Then the Ocean releases him

We linger on the destruction like in NATLAatla la s, setting up Aang’s fear of the Avatar state in Book 2– ‘Kyoshi would be proud’

#netflix avatar #atla #atla spoilers #avatar: the last airbender #atla aang #katara #sokka #zuko #uncle iroh #natla #atla live action #atla la #avatar kyoshi #rewrite #my wriitng #natla spoilers #atla netflix

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nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice · 5 years ago

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Why does everyone like Teo’s dad so much??? Personally I thought he was kind of a jerk lol Aang is rightfully furious that he’s desecrating a holy site and this mf has the audacity to just completely hand-wave it and go “nooo we’re making it BETTER!” Then when Aang won’t relent he just goes “buh-buh-but my poor son” And if you ask me, never shows any real remorse for that or all the weapons he sent the to FN. Like he felt kinda bad but it’s totally not genuine.

I don’t think people so much like him as much as they want to defend his (atrocious) Count Olaf hair.

And I agree! He completely disregarded the sacredness of the temple and didn’t really understand why Aang was upset and that was super shitty of him. I’d argue he did get a redemption arc in the form of building submarines for the invasion, but for The Northern Air Temple as an episode, I think it set up an interesting aspect of Aang’s character that became more prominent in season 3, that being him dealing with the loss of his people and culture and deciding to carry on their legacy in his actions rather than focusing on the physical aspect.

In season 1, Aang is rightfully angry that the Northern Temple has been industrialized all to hell and this place he thought was untouched is just as wrecked by the Fire Nation as everything else. That scene where he opens the door for Teo only to find that the Mechanist is already using it to build Fire Nation weapons? That’s heartbreaking. Because it was the last safe place and the Fire Nation already got to it. It’s similar to the scene in The Library where Sokka finds that the Fire Nation already burned down the wing with information on them. It’s the continuous feeling that everything has been and will continue to be ripped from them and they’re powerless to do anything. The Mechanist doesn’t get why this is important to Aang and Aang’s still barely coming to terms with the loss of his people. This is only the second temple he’s been to and it just makes him feel helpless.

But then we get into a new idea: maybe the physical aspect of the temple is different and the people are different, but those aren’t the things that make the biggest difference. It’s the life and the spirit that persist. There’s a kid who can’t walk but with creativity and freedom, he gets to fly. There’s the whole hermit crab metaphor that actually matters a whole lot because it’s Aang deciding that his people would want the refugees to be safe and free from the Fire Nation over anything else. It’s kind of similar to Katara’s decision to let her mother’s killer go in the The Southern Raiders, he forgives the Mechanist and the refugees for his own sake, not necessarily because the Mechanist promised to change anything (which he didn’t and that was objectively shitty of him), but because that made Aang feel better about the situation. He lets go of the notion that the spirit of his people rests in statues and walls and appreciates the kindness and freedom of the refugees.

And this idea of letting go of the physical world pops up again in season 2 with The Guru and the Avatar State. The guru tells Aang that in order to master the Avatar State he needs to let go of the physical things in the world that are grounding him. That in order for him to truly master it he must detach himself from what he loves. He refuses to do this because he thinks it means letting go of his love for Katara, but I don’t think it’s that simple.

At the beginning of season 3 when Aang wakes up to find his hair grown in and the whole world thinking he’s dead, he feels lost. He feels like he not only failed the world because of Ba Sing Se, but if he’s dead that means there’s no more airbenders. It means he failed his people. His resistance to hiding his arrows and keeping his hair is indicative of this conflict, but the real climax of the conflict comes when he decides to burn his destroyed staff. This is a relic that is really one of the last things connecting him to his people, but he burns it in a volcano so it won’t give them away. He keeps growing his hair out and hides his tattoos in order to keep his group safe. And it’s devastating that he has to hide these parts of his culture in order to be safe, but he accepts these as necessary actions until the invasion. In the moment where he decides to burn his staff, he’s taking that step closer to detaching himself from the things he loves, but does it to keep the people he loves safe.

Then he gets a new staff. And it’s one made by the Mechanist himself. It’s updated while still keeping the same agility as his old one. It’s not the same thing, but it’s not about the nostalgia of the tool that matters, it’s what he’s going to use it for. He’s going to fly free. He’s going to protect his friends from a river of lava. He’s going to save the world. He shaves his head and wears his tattoos proudly because he’s going to do right by his people as the last airbender and doesn’t want the world to forget them.

And this is why I think Aang was finally able to master the Avatar state: he’s let go of these small things and adapted to this new world and decides that the monks would want him to detach himself from the world and earthly pleasures in order to find spirituality. He talks to Avatar Yangchen about why that’s why he doesn’t want to kill Ozai, because the monks taught him that all life is sacred and he needed to detach himself from the world, to which she responds that as the Avatar he can’t do that. But he’s not just the Avatar. He’s the last airbender. He’s going to keep the world safe and continue living and embodying his people, but he doesn’t do it in the form of holding onto statues and gliders, but in choices that he knows would make the Air Nomads proud. He masters the Avatar state and takes away Ozai’s bending because he’s decided that keeping the Air Nomads in the world is not rooted in physical objects or people or anything like that, but in his actions. It’s in his choice to show mercy. He ends the series in an outfit similar to Monk Gyatso because he’s reached that point of spirituality the Air Nomads strived for. As long as he has his morality and keeps the world free, he’s done right by his culture and at the end of the series, he’s accepted that that’s enough.

#aang #the mechanist #the avatar state #the guru #the southern raiders #sozin's comet #long post warning #the northern air temple #atla #avatar the last airbender #meta #the babes are asking #hot leaf meta

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su-univeralai · 4 years ago

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GOOODDDD MORRNNNNIINNNGGGGG SUU 💛

I am here for your essay. Or yknow, just any dunebaby facts that you can spare.

*heavy breathing* oh no, she's come for my OCs exactly like she said she would.

lolol Ok, I've got bios on 9 out of 10 of my kids so far, but I wrote a quick blurb about them so hopefully you can't figure out who I didn't start until now lol. The older 4 (which 3/4 are legit characters in LOK, but tweaked to my liking) are grown-ass adults while the other 6 are probably between 14-21. So, our beloved Taang parents have been popping kids out from when they were 18 or 19 to 39 or 40 years old.

At some point I'll make a family tree for you, since most of the older dunebabies have their own families and that can be confusing. Some have more information than others, but more will be added on each of them as time goes on. I just haven't figured them out yet.

Also, gonna put a cut here, because it's a long post and I know not everyone wants to see my OCs lol.

Ok Onto the Dunebabies from oldest to youngest:

Gyatso (M) Airbender, 35: Named after Aang’s father figure, Gyatso is Toph and Aang’s first born and first of several airbending children. He has a knack for the art and excelled quickly with mastering it, narrowly falling short of beating Aang’s record of mastering airbending at 13. As he got older and his parents continued having children, he became like a father figure to the younger ones. That’s the best part about having tons of kids, right? At some point the older ones raise the younger ones and the parents can just have fun. Once Tiao Wu turned 13, Gyatso and his own wife, boyfriend, and kids moved away from home and resided in the Western Air Temple with some Air Acolytes.

Lin (F) Earthbender, 32: Lin is a straight arrow, always following the rules. Sometimes Toph’s jokes that her first born daughter is actually Katara’s because wasn’t as goofy as Gyatso and Tenzin. As kids, Lin and Tenzin butted heads like no other. They may have had a year or two when they got along, but that was when Lin was training to be a police officer and Tenzin was always out because he was dating Pema. They constantly bicker at family gatherings, but make a mean team when they spar against the other next gen kids. Their twin telepathy (yes, they are twins in my universe) comes into play and they are undefeatable. That is until the triplets becomes masters in their own right. While Lin is a talented earthbender and metalbender, she struggled with picking it up (perhaps because of Toph’s hardcore teaching style). She responded to a “more gentle approach” as Katara would say, and Aang helped her learn the basics until she was ready to take on Toph’s more intense lessons. Lin is definitely closer with Aang than she is with Toph, but goes to mom if something needs to be done quickly and under wraps. Lin works long hours as chief of the police force in republic city, so she doesn’t have much time for romance. When she finds a spare moment for intimacy, she frequents a bar that accepts everyone. She brought Songa with her before her little sis fell in love with (insert steambaby daughter name here).

Tenzin (M) Airbender, 32: Tbh Tenzin still marries Pema and has his four kids, like in LOK. Lol. Unlike the show, with the weight of the whole air nation not on his shoulders, Tenzin was not a serious kid. He played pai sho with the white lotus members and roughed it up with Lin. Tenzin had a difficult time mastering airbending, though. He lacked the spiritual connection that his father and brother easily had. He blamed being stuck with an earthbender in the womb for 9 months at his lack of skill with airbending. His masters airbending at 21 and is pumped to finally get his tattoos. Since Pema is an air acolyte, I'm saying that her parents were also acolytes, and she and Tenzin met as kids and got along really well. They started dating at 16. Tenzin wanted to wait to get his arrows before proposing to her, so they date for 5 long years as Pema cheered him on in the grueling training. Tenzin and Pema eventually move to the Northern Air Temple and kept Teo company.

Suyin (F) Earthbender, 26: Suyin was a troublemaker when she was a kid, always pranking her siblings. She spent way too much time with Sokka. At least that’s what Toph says. Her teenage years, that’s when things became dicey. With Lin on the streets as a cop and Su committing petty crimes, the two were bound to cross paths. After Lin brought her in for whay must have been the thousandth time and Toph had to bail her out, Toph sent her to the her old stomping ground: the Earth Rumble 6. Toph still had her ear in the stadium and stayed in touch with The Boulder, and she thought it’d do her some good to get beat up by other earthbenders. Su stayed with her grandparents and got the structure she needed and got her act together. She got pounded by her opponents the first few years, but she slowly moved her way up the food chain and eventually held her mother’s old title as champion. Once she turned 18, she left to travel the world, meeting up with Kya (can't decide if Kya will be a steambaby or a Sukka baby. Is there a cut name for Sukka babies?). Along the way she met Bataar and fell in love with him and together build zaofu and have all their kids from LOK.

Songa (F) Airbender, 21: The oldest of the triplets to be born. Songa is a calm spirit, she reminds Aang of Yangchen with her way of keeping the peace in their large family. She’s a true romantic like her father and catches the attention of a lot of men, but alas, her heart is won over by one of Katara and Zuko’s daughters, (insert steambaby name here lol). She sees the best in everyone and trusts a little too easily. Watch out though, if you get on her bad side or betray her trust one too many times, her mother’s sass and tongue come out and no one wants to be hit by her earthbending styled airbending. Songa is a talented bender and has a tendency to use her airbending like an earthbender, facing things head on. She can seemlessly switch between styles, but she'd prefer to take her opponents on directly.

Kera (F) Nonbender, 21: Kera is the heart of the triplets. She’s passionate like a firebender and meets conflict head-on like her mom. Being the first non-bender didn’t feel great coming from the lineage of the Avatar and Toph Beifond, strongest earthbender in the world and metalbender originator, but she found peace in being a non-bender when hearing all the stories of Sokka, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee, Teo, and their many other friends taking down bender and non-benders alike. Kera begged her parents to live in the Fire Nation to study under Mai and Ty Lee. Aang and Toph didn’t have any problems with her going, but Zuko and Katara did, fearing she (being a dunebaby) would cause mayhem in the palace. Only after swearing to Zuko that she wouldn’t make a mess did the Fire Lord allow her stay with them. During her time there, she mastered Mai and Ty Lee’s techniques and trained under the Yuyan archers. When she came home, she could beat the other two thirds of her triplets easily. Only when she teams up with the other two, can they take down Lin and Tenzin.

Choekyi (M) Airbender, 21: The last of the triplets to come be birthed. Choekyi is a free spirit, much like his father. He enjoys traveling and meeting new people. As a child (and an adult) he is easily excited and is a very charismatic guy, which gets him far with the ladies in his teens and early twenties. He’s never scared of trying new things, sometimes to his detriment, as he gets hurt a lot for someone light on his toes. His preferred method of transportation is air scooter. Choekyi gets along with Uncle Sokka the most, with his never ending jokes and letting him learn how to throw a boomerang even though he’s a bender. Choekyi spends some time in the swamp with the swamp benders just because he finds them to be hilarious and interesting. This is where he connects with his spirituality and returns to excel in airbending, and earns his tattoos.

Songa and Kera are idenitcal twins, so no one (beside Toph and Choekyi) can tell them apart until Songa earns her arrows. Choekyi looks similar to them, as he is their triplet, but since he came from a different egg, he turns out to be much taller than his sisters. Just imagine Toph's face when she feels three freakin' heartbeats along with hers. Idk if that's scientifically sound, but it's my universe, so I can say what I want lol.

Gyun (M) Nonbender, 18: He's a very musical guy. Gyun means music, but it can also mean germ or bacteria. So his older siblings make fun of him when he’s young. While his bending siblings practice and spar, he masters most musical instruments and even becomes a skilled singer. He’s a favorite of Uncle Iroh’s and spends time with him playing music and perfecting his tea making when he’s not training with Master Piandao and mastering different types of sword fighting styles. Gyun is a lover, not a fighter, and is recruited as the youngest member of the national opera company. He rises in fame, without having to reveal his high ranking connections to his family members. Gyun is a true renaissance man (you know if the renaissance existed back then). He looks up to all of his siblings and soaks in all the stories and advice his can get to perfect the art of storytelling and acting.

MeiLin (F) Nonbender, 17: MeiLin may be one of the youngest, but she’s definitely the sassiest of the bunch. With the personality like her mother, it’s no wonder she’s a bosslady even from a young age. She doesn’t take shit from anyone. While she’s the beauty of the dunebabies (but who really isn’t attractive in this family?) and can hold her poise better than any royal, from the tender age of three, she’s wanted to become the fiercest fighter in the world. After a lot of convincing, Toph and Aang let her train with Aunt Suki and learn how to fight like a Kyoshi Warrior. After she masters that, She begs her parents to send her to the Fire Nation to study under Mai and Ty Lee. By the time she’s 14, she’s already mastered the art of dagger throwing, chi blocking, and the Kyoshi warriors fighting style. Aang isn’t too pleased that she fights in tournaments like Toph did, but Toph watches every match she can get! MeiLin asks her to bet on her and they split the wealth at the end. Lin wants her youngest sister to join the police force when she turns 18, but MeiLin isn't sure she wants to enforce the law like Lin.

Tiao Wu (M) Earthbender, 14: The baby of the family, and loves it. Unlike MeiLin, Tiao Wu is a homebody and a huge mama’s boy, though really isn’t a mama’s boy in the Beifong Family? Like his name suggests, he’s a great dancer and for an earthbender, he sure is light on his toes. While Gyatso is called Twinkletoes Jr, Tiao Wu is known as the Fancy Dancer. Literally. That’s the stage name he chose for his bending dance competitions. When he’s not dancing or hanging out with Toph, he’s studying his cousin’s bending forms, wanting to incorporate it into his repertoire. Tiao Wu is also close to Aang, as he showed an early talent to be one with the spirits. As a six year old, he would meditate next to Aang and beat the freakin’ Avatar, master of all four elements and bridge between the physical and spiritual world, to the Spirit World. He’s also known to be the only human who is allowed to visit Wong Si Tong’s library there.

ALRIGHT Joy, here are some basic facts about my dunebabies universe. If you or anyone else wants to send me asks so I can more deeply construct their personalities, feel free!

#I did it Joy!!#thanks for the ask #my asks are open #ask me about my dunebabies #eventually i'll create steambabies and other next gen #but her now only dunebabies #who's your favorite?#can you guess who I didn't have a backstory for yet?#you and stitch should be proud of me #ignore the fact that I haven't looked at my wips in months #i mean what?#I definitely am working my wips #👀

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solatude · 5 years ago

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Aang Being a Bad Father is Not Realistic

I don't care what ANYBODY says, Aang being a bad father is NOT realistic! You don't go through what he went through and end up showing favoritism to one of your kids! THIS is the same monk who was taught to treat all people equally? Why would that teaching NOT extend EVEN MORE to his and Katara's own children? He witnessed how Sokka and Katara felt whenever they talked about their mother and father. He witnessed how restricting Toph's parents were. He witnessed how The Mechanist helped his son thrive with his disability. He helped Katara reunite Haru with his father, guided the couple in the Serpent's Pass, and all of a sudden he just grows up to be detached from his two other kids? He even fought Ozai, arguably the worst father in the entire series; the same one who scarred his children physically, mentally, and emotionally. If your child has grown up to become an adult and is still resentful about how they were treated, you can't just brush that off and make it seem like everything was okay otherwise. Kya and Bumi are middle-aged and are still living with the reality of how neglectful their father was.

What makes ME angry is how people try to justify it because they claim it's "realistic". Realism isn't something that is always negative or something that always has to have a negative outcome. It's ALSO realistic to be a good parent, to become a better person, to continue to do good. Why does realism always have to be portrayed as something that taints a character rather than something that improves a character? I think it's poor writing to just throw that in when Aang isn't like that at all. Through his friends he was able to learn intimacy and attachment. Before meeting them he was constantly avoiding his responsibilities and still dealt with unhealthy detachment when confronted about fighting Ozai. It's something that Aang had to learn to overcome. It's not fair to leave out his other children from activities just because they're not airbenders. Are people forgetting that all of his kids are mixed race and have both air nomad and water tribe genes? If Kya and Bumi ever decided to have children, there COULD be a possibility that they could be airbenders, in addition to waterbenders and nonbenders. Is it not important for them to know BOTH of their cultures? Kya is characterized as a spiritual person, can she not learn techniques from airbending that can improve her own waterbending? Isn't she a healer? She would benefit GREATLY from airbending lessons considering they are so spiritually attached. Bumi was a commander in the United Armed Forces. Couldn't he also benefit from learning leadership skills from these missions? Couldn't he learn evasive techniques from the fighting methods of the air nomads? I feel like making Aang neglectful to Kya and Bumi made for an unnecessary conflict and I wish they found a different type of conflict to attach to these characters. When Bumi became an airbender and he was talking to Aang's statue, it made me sad that he felt he was worthless without his powers before. Aang would NEVER look down on someone for not being a bender, because he didn't prioritize his abilities over his relationships with others.

I would also like to point out that restoring the Air Nation was NOT Aang's biggest dream. I thought it was established in the show that he had to learn to not overcome, but come to terms with his feelings of the Air nomad genocide. When did he ever mention this was a goal at any point in the show? In the comics? It also kind of sounds gross based on the implications of Katara's role in their marriage, as if she's there JUST to produce airbenders. It's okay to introduce new motivations, but this one seemed unrealistic based on the events of the last series and how Aang learned to adapt to a new world.

So many other plotlines could have humanized Aang more without neglecting his major character traits and motives:

🌪 With the advancement of technology, he could have struggled to fight off new villains, and he would have to theorize new ways of fighting or strategizing in order to do so.

🌪 Bumi could have trouble paying attention and may have a weak spiritual connection. He realized that Bumi lacks direction and doesn't know what to make of his life. He notices that this is a trait he once shared and decides to take Bumi on a trip to various locations to meet nonbenders with different skill sets. Bumi gets to meet Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki, The Mechanist, Mai, Ty Lee, the Freedom Fighters and others who are talented at different things to inspire him to carve out his own path. He learns to view his lack of bending as a gift, as he becomes in charge of his own destiny.

🌪 Kya could have trouble with her spiritual connection, and feels like she would never be able to waterbend or heal properly like Katara. Being the only girl in her sibling group, Aang encourages her by taking her to the Eastern and Western Air Temples, which only housed female air nomads. Kya is educated on airbender culture and the process of earning one's tattoos. Aang draws similarities between airbending and waterbending to help visualize the connections they share. Kya then realizes that healing isn't something to be rushed because every expert was once a beginner. I envision her and Aang riding back home on Appa, with Kya looking back at Avatar Yangchen's statue, feeling proud and inspired to be related to such a powerful bender while also gaining confidence in herself and abilities.

Those are just a few examples out of many that could work to make Aang bond with his kids. Was Aang a bad father? It's canon, so unfortunately yes, but is it realistic? Based on his character arc and his friend's character arcs? Based on the lessons he has been taught and how much he upheld air nomad teachings? Based on his playfulness and optimistic attitude? Based on his need to include everyone and make them feel happy? No, it is not "realistic" for him to be a bad father. At least not to me.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #aang #legend of korra #kya #bumi #katara #mai #ty lee atla #sokka #suki #avatar yangchen

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flerkenkiddingme · 4 years ago

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The jetru server was wilding over kuruk and ummi last night so I wrote this thing that I'm lowkey proud of:

Kuruk released a deep breath and opened his eyes. The vast expanse of the Spirit World surrounded him. Most of his memories of the place were traumatic, as many dark spirits had led him to the darkest, creepiest corners of the realm. But he couldn't worry about that now. His current mission would hopefully be much less high-stress. But then again, it was very rare that Spirit World visits ever went his way.

"Yangchen," Kuruk called out. "I need your help."

He'd expected the previous Avatar to appear out of thin air, much like the smaller, benevolent spirits sometimes did here, but Yangchen simply walked up from behind a hill to answer his call.

"This is rather unexpected." she said. "What do you need my help with?"

"Okay, this is a little embarrassing," he started. "But I was wondering... is it possible to appear to other people in the physical world? I know some spirits can do that, but every time you appear, it's like only I can see you."

"I can only appear physically to the Avatar. No one else can see my spirit projection."

"Oh," Kuruk turned away. Of course his idea wouldn't work. Of course the universe couldn't even let him surprise his girlfriend the way he wanted.

Yangchen's face softened at his reply. "Why do you ask? Who did you want me to appear to?"

"Well, uh..." His face grew hot at the prospect of telling his past life about his love life. "I remember Ummi had said something a few days ago about how cool she thought you were, and if she could meet anyone else, dead or alive, she would want to meet you. And since her birthday is really soon--"

"You wanted me to speak to her. Is that right?"

"I--yes."

Yangchen nodded. "What a beautiful gift."

"Well, you just said you couldn't appear to anyone else, so now I have to settle for a stupid purple parka with no sentiment whatsoever." Kuruk knew it didn't make sense to get mad at the Airbender, but he couldn't help it. All he wanted was to make Ummi's childhood dream come true, and there was no way in Tui's name that he would bring her into the Spirit World knowing what could be waiting for them.

"Actually, there is still a possible way I could reach her," said Yangchen. "But I need your help to do so. I did this once for someone I loved as well, but being on the other side of it may be difficult. Can you do it?"

Kuruk raised his head to look her in the eyes.

"What do you need me to do?"

+ + +

"My parents will come around eventually. They liked that airbending trick you did earlier." Ummi insisted. She wasn't a huge fan of the big family parties her family held every year for her birthday, but having her boyfriend there this year made it a little more bearable. Her mother was pleased, if a little shocked, that Ummi had captured the attention of the Avatar, but her father had his doubts. He only saw Kuruk as the heartbreaker he used to be, and no matter what either of them said about how he left that life behind him, her dad was as stubborn as ever.

Unlucky for him, she'd inherited that same stubbornness, and would defend Kuruk to her last breath.

"Okay, so that's one thing they like about me, compared to the sixty-eight things they hate about me," Kuruk's tone was light, but his eyes gave away how crushed he really was.

"My mom doesn't hate you, really, she's mostly just in awe," Ummi kept trying. "And my dad... okay, he kind of does, but you don't deserve it."

"Yes, I do. He has every right to be worried because of my past." He took her hands. "But you don't. You're everything to me now. I wouldn't ever forgive myself, in any of my future lives, if I were to hurt you like that."

Ummi pulled him into a hug, burying her face into the pelt over his shoulder. "He can go jump in the ocean if he can't accept that I love you." She kissed him softly, then let go to pull her hood down. "So, what was that gift that you couldn't show everyone else at the party?"

"Head downstairs and close your eyes, and I'll let you know when it's ready."

"Okay." Ummi nodded, and Kuruk disappeared upstairs. She closed her eyes, envisioning what it could be. Why would it be such a secret? Nothing she could think of seemed to make sense, but she trusted that it would blow her away. He had a natural knack for that.

After a few minutes had passed, she heard footsteps coming back down the stairs. They almost sounded like Kuruk's, but there was just something a little bit different.

"Is that you, honey?" she asked, still not opening her eyes. She felt a hand touch her shoulder, and took that as a signal to look. She turned around and almost fainted on the spot.

Avatar Yangchen, in all her glory, was standing there, glowing faintly but otherwise looking exactly the way most paintings depicted her. She was taller than Ummi had imagined, but her tattoos and robes were the real deal.

"What the--how--but you're--Yangchen?!" Ummi stammered. Why didn't her mouth work anymore? And where was Kuruk? He would go bananas if he could see this.

"It's wonderful to meet you officially, my child," Yangchen's voice was smooth and resonant. "Kuruk has spoken very highly of you."

Usually that kind of compliment would turn her into a blushing mess, but since Kuruk was still nowhere to be found, all she said was, "He speaks so highly of me, yet he's not here with me talking to you right now?"

"He is here, do not fret. The way I'm speaking to you right now is through his body. He asked me personally if I could meet you, since you've expressed that you're a big fan."

"I... guess you could say that," Ummi's mind was reeling. Her ridiculous, adorable boyfriend asked his past life to visit her? Was this the gift he didn't give her at the party?

"You're a very lucky woman, Ummi. And not because he was me, but because he's not," Yangchen almost looked sad, but then smiled at her again. "Did you have anything specific you wanted to talk to me about?"

"What happened with General Old Iron? Did you ever fall in love with anyone? What happened to your friends who died in battle? Should I stop talking now? Yeah, I should, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I can tell you all those stories any time you want. All you have to do is ask."

"This is probably the most incredible gift of all time. Thank you so much for doing this, Yangchen, but can I please have Kuruk back now? I have something for him too."

"I guess I should leave you two alone, then." Yangchen's glow began to flicker. "It's been a pleasure, Ummi."

The room went dark, and once the lamps re-lit one by one, there stood Kuruk, in Yangchen's place. He looked up at her with that lopsided grin she adored.

"Was it worth the wait?"

"One thousand percent!" She kissed him hard, channeling all her excitement and awe into it. He started laughing in the middle of the kiss and lifted her off the ground.

If the spirits were in her favor, every day would be just like this.

#simran and agus this is for y'all #kuruk #ummi #what is this called? kummi? ummiruk?#either way yes

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daughter-of-mamalilith · 5 years ago

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So... these are absolutely not 100% accurate, I get that. I really did try to capture more the spirit of things, because until there is an ATLA Love Nikki event, if ever, I won't have access to 100% accurate suits. But until then... I have managed to craft 4 character BASED outfits. (Just going to call this a complete AU, maybe some kind of fashion model au. Yeah, that's what I'm going with, my girls are all highly susceptible models showing off their elements.)

Katara - Waterbender, she gets lots of blue, ice swirling around her, water sleeves, and a full moon background. I know her hair and make up aren't perfect, but I was most trying to get the colors of her hair, eyes, and skin as close to accurate as possible. I think she's a little too dressed up for a fight maybe, but this could be a slightly more modern party look?

Toph - Earthbender, lots of greens for her, as that is the Earth Kingdom's color. She gets mountains in her background to signify her bending, and as close to a flying boar as I could find for her family's symbol. Her hair was difficult, yes, those are earmuffs... I wanted to get close to the style... but it really wasn't easy to get the "headband" to look right... No shoes for Toph because that's what she prefers, and the makeup was chosen because I think the expression works for her better than the others did.

Azula - Firebender, a more militaristic based look, all in reds, golds, and blacks. It's also not a perfect match, but I felt it was on Azula's "branding" maybe? She gets laterns and fireworks in her background because that was the only fire related background I had, a flaming lion cause again I didn't have a lot of fire options, and her signature blue flames, which I was thrilled to find in my foreground list. Also... I like her hair, I think it's pretty.

And finally.... the one that is probably most... off, and was definitely the most DIFFICULT TO MANAGE, I couldn't pick Aang because I most definitely did not have the necessary options in a "male version," and I wanted to only use ALTA characters for now (if this isn't just ripped to shreds, might attempt LOK in the future?) I... apologize if this is just too far off, this one really is the most loosely based because I know so little about the character and options were very difficult to make work...

Yangchen - Airbender, for this one, I picked the background for the openness of it, sort of like symbolizing freedom? And I tried to stick to Air Nomad colors and airy looking clothing. The sandals... I just completely forgot what kind of shoes Air Nomads wore, and thought these were cute. But she gets flowy clothing and long flowing hair that's pulled back to expose the markings on her forehead. No arrows, but this is close? And there wasn't a tattoo option of arrows, so sleeves to cover the arms, and there was a no hair option, so I went with as close as I could get to what I had seen Air Nomad women do with their hair. I really tried, I wish I could have done Aang, but it just wasn't possible with what I have to work with.

Anyway, yeah... that's it. Hope you at least don't hate this. I tried to match everyone as close as I could to how they looked in the show, it just didn't always work out 100% right, like Azula's eyes... I didn't have any golden eyes makeups that would work.

This was just meant to be a kinda cute AU type thing.

#love nikki #katara #azula #toph beifong #avatar yangchen #fashion au #loosely based on ATLA

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kkachi95 · 6 years ago

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New canon information from The Rise of Kyoshi

Alright, so I’m little bit over 42% through The Rise of Kyoshi and I’m HOOKED.

This book does a lot of worldbuilding and the new characters are well-developed.

I’ll be consolidating new information I find from this book on this post. I’ll keep updating the list as I progress through the book!

SPOILERS, obviously

1) KYOSHI

Kyoshi was abandoned as a child by her parents, who were leaders of an underground criminal organization.

Her mother was a rogue airbender hailing from the Eastern Air Temple. Yep, you heard it right, Kyoshi is half air nomad. Her mother apparently became a master at young age and fell in love with Kyoshi’s father, an outlaw, while traveling. Kyoshi’s mother modified her arrow tattoo into a serpent and her airbending ability lost its power due to her attachment to worldly concerns. She compensated with a pair of fans, which Kyoshi inherited.

Kyoshi’s father is from a family lineage that traces back to Royal Theater School in Ba Sing Se. Kyoshi inherited her make up and headdress from him.

Kyoshi was very tall even in her young age. In her teenage years, she is constantly described with terms like “giant,” “massive,” and “towering.” Since she’s taller than most men, I’m going to assume she’s at least 6 ft.

She spent her early childhood as a street urchin in Yokoya and was neglected by the villagers until she was discovered and taken under the care of an air nomad named Kelsang, who was a companion of Avatar Roku. She was, and still is relentlessly bullied by other children in Yokoya.

Kyoshi is initially very shy, non-confrontational, has very low self esteem, and inept at earthbending. Kyoshi is extremely strong for her age as she lifts a man by his neck without any trouble. Also, she has distinct freckles!

She is an extreme clean freak with a constant urge to “maintain order and minimize clutter." She starts out as a serveant assigned to clean up after the (misidentified) Avatar.

I believe Kyoshi is 16+ years old in this story.

Kyoshi’s outfit has chailmain armor underneath it, and she started wearing gloves after suffering major lightning wound on her hands.

2) KYOSHI’S COMPANIONS

As a teenager, Kyoshi has two friends: Yun and Rangi, who are both her age. I won’t go too much into their plot.

Yun is the ‘misidentified’ Earthbending Avatar who is a former street urchin. He is said to be handsome, playful and flirty. He has brown hair and jade green eyes.

He is extremely talented in earthbending and is loved by everyone. He ships Kyoshi and Rangi but also flirts with Kyoshi too (and basically everyone)

He was discovered ‘late’ as the Avatar and genuinely wants to do his best as the new Avatar.

Rangi is a Fire Nation noble girl who is sworn and honor bound to serve as the Avatar’s bodyguard. She is military-trained in the Fire Army Junior Corps. She is intimidating and hot-headed, but also very protective of her friends.

She is said to be beautiful, with delicate skin, porcelain doll face and jet black hair. She has a “charred rasp” voice and “dark bronze” eyes.

She is the "straight man" character of Kyoshi's entourage and takes things very seriously, but she's also the unintentionally funniest character of the group. She eventually becomes Kyoshi's swon bodyguard and depite her best judgement, she's dragged into many questionable situations by Kyoshi. Rangi is definitely my favorite new character. Think of her as a more sane, less murder-y version of Azula.

Her nickname: topknot, hairpins, and hotwoman

Rangi’s mother, Hei-Ran, was a companion of Avatar Kuruk, who gave up her commission in the Fire Nation Army, then later her position as headmistress in the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, to teach the Avatar. Hei-Ran and Rangi are said to be spitting image of each other.

Kyoshi is romantically attraced to both Yun and Rangi.

Kirima is a young female waterbender from the outlaw group Kyoshi’s parents founded.

She has wolf-like features and piercing blue eyes. Kirima is also said to be lithe and light on her feet.

She’s easy-going and likes to tease people, especially Rangi.

Wong is a huge male earthbender in his 30s from the outlaw group Kyoshi’s parents founded.

He is very tall, thick, and has smooth, clean shaven face. He has a very prominent protruding gut and isn’t the most loquacious type.

Lek is the youngest male Earthbender member of the group and is said to be 14-15.

He is from the Si Wong desert and was brought into the group by Kyoshi’s parents, whom he thinks very highly of. This caused Kyoshi to resent him initially.

He values his family and likes to tease other people just like Kirima. Lek has very precise control of small earth projectiles, which he uses as bullets.

Lao Ge is an old, mysterious Earthbending assassin who is said to be hundreds of years old. He pretends to be a drunken fool and only Kyoshi knows of his true identity.

He travels with the group and goes off on his own to kill people he deem unworthy of living. Kyoshi asks him to be her Sifu.

3) THE AVATAR CYCLE

Avatar Kuruk died at the age of 33. He was said to be one of the greatest Pai Sho players in history and a highly-skilled bender, but lacked leadership and diplomatic skills. He spent his time traveling around the four nation seeking pleasure. He was also one of the best hunters to have ever lived.

Two of Avatar Yangchen’s friends and teachers died protecting her from the enemy.

Each nation has its own way of discovering the Avatar and identifying a toddler’s ability to bend

Being the Avatar’s companion was considered to be an honor beyond reckoning that only few got to experience. Those who taught the Avatar held massive influence over the world.

Period between the death of the previous Avatar and discovery of his/her successor is often filled with political turmoil. The Rise of Kyoshi is set in a politically turbulent time as Kuruk died in young age and the new Avatar was discovered much later than usual. This led to the rise of many opportunist criminal factions.

4) BENDING

Unlike the show, bending is openly depicted as being LETHAL in this book. People are impaled, burned, crushed, buried, sliced, and so on.

Seismic sense is a skill shared by all earthbenders, not just Toph. Most people’s skills are extremely rudimentary, though.

‘Dust stepping’ and ‘mist stepping’ are abilities practiced by certain earth and waterbenders to create floating platforms that move with them, which allow them to run through thin air. Rangi mimics this move with firebending after having witnessed it.

Firebenders have naturally warm bodies and they can project heat, which allows them to do things like increasing a room’s temperature by several degrees.

Firebenders' "inner fire" allow them to resist poison.

People in the Fire Nation identify bending ability of their children by placing a bowl full of highly-flammable materials to see if their children can resonate with it. This is done as early as possible to prevent accidental fires as young children don't have good control over their flames.

Lightning bending is a skill so rare that people thought it of it as a folktale or a long lost knowledge. Barely any living witnesses who can confirm its existence exists.

Airbender are seemingly immune to the weather.

5) EARTH KINGDOM

Earth Kingdom is highly fragmented and has multiple kings. This is attributed to Ba Sing Se’s failure or unwillingness to actively assert control over the continent.

Bandits and pirates plague the countryside. Small settlements and towns have to form militias and fend for themselves as the official Earth Kingdom military seems to neglect their plight.

Earth Kingdom’s Northern and Southern dialect are said to be so different that they might as well be different language. People of the Si Wong Desert barely share any culture or custom with rest of the Earth Kingdom.

Beifongs were known for their wealth even in this era.

Kyoshi Island was originally known as Yokoya. Farming yields little and people scrape by to meet end’s meet. People here are said to wear blue clothes despite their earth kingdom heritage. Kyoshi was left here as a child and initially grew up as a street urchin because the villagers neglected her for being an outsider.

6) FIRE NATION

Apparently, firebenders are notorious for always talking about honor.

Fire Nation was involved in a conflict with the Earth Kindom in the distant (?) past.

Fire Navy is the most capable Navy in the world.

Royal Fire Nation Academy for Girl holds Agni Kais and there are many “accidental” kills.

Firebending instructors used to maim their students for insubordination.

Hair is heavily linked with honor. Losers of Agni Kai would shave parts of their head bald as sign of humility but would leave the top knot alone since it’s considered sacred. It was never touched except in circumstances akin to death.

7) WATER TRIBES

The Souther Water tribe is said to be poor, undeveloped, and vulnerable. It’s significantly behind the rest of the world in terms of development. Southern Water Tribe doesn’t have a legitimate Navy because it doesn’t have trees necessary for shipbuilding. It is a peaceful nation, though it is involved in a territorial dispute over an island with the Earth Kingdom. It’s ruled by multiple chieftains.

“Tui’s gills!” - Water Tribe equivalent of ‘Oh my god’

8) AIR NOMADS

Air nomads are regarded with great respect and reverence for their wisdom and spirituality.

Head nomad of an air temple is referred to as an Abbot.

9) DAOFEI (BANDITS)

Daofei plays a huge role in the story. A vast underground criminal scoiety with its own code of honor run deeply throughout the Earth Kingdom, which is "too big to police" for the Earth Kingdom Army.

As mentioned earlier, Kyoshi's parents were leaders of a prominent Daofei group and Kyoshi herself officially swears her Daofei vows to learn bending skills from her parents' old colleagues. Kyoshi absolutely despises Daofei, though.

Several years before the novel’s start, these bandits staged what is known as the Yellow Neck Rebellion, which is an analogue of the Yellow Turban Rebellion (184–205 AD) during Han Dynasty China. In real life, the rebellion led to the tumultuous time period known as the Three Kingdoms Period, where various warlords fought over control of China.

#the rise of kyoshi #Avatar The Last Airbender #avatar #atla #the last airbender #kyoshi

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lovefrozenswan · 5 years ago

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So when I saw Frozen II, I was immediately struck by the similarities between it and ATLA. Im sure yall did too. I decided to write a fic and then revive my tumblr to promote this.

Elsa is clearly the Avatar and so im writing a really ambitious crossover. I hope yall like it.

Longfic planned. Not really a shipfic, but there probably will be a F/F pairing eventually (and probably with a canon ATLA character).

Ignore the horrible header, I cant make manips to save my life but fics always do better with them..

The Last Waterbender - ao3 link

The Fire Nation celebrated its victory over the Avatar cycle when they killed the very last Waterbender in the north pole. With no host to be reborn into, the Avatar cycle ended with Avatar Yangchen's execution.

Until 100 years later, when Elsa found that Ahtohallen was more than just memories.

Prologue

Every inch of me is trembling But not from the cold Something is familiar Like a dream I can reach but not quite hold

Crossing the dark sea was exhilarating. Elsa felt the water spirit galloping beneath her and the air whipping around her. She was aware of the elements in ways she had only ever been aware of the ice before. She had never felt so certain she was making the right choice. Leaving Anna behind had hurt but she could never have survived the water spirit's anger. She only hoped Anna would forgive her.

Elsa would find the truth about Arendelle, the Northuldra, and about her powers at Ahtohallen. The siren sang on.

I can sense you there Like a friend I've always known I'm arriving And it feels like I am home

The glacier at her fingertips hummed with power the way nothing ever had. At first touch, her mind flicked to the strange people she had seen her entire life at the edge of her vision. A tall woman with painted blue arrow tattoos. A man who could spit fire itself. A painted face, clad in armor and surrounded by earth. They were more clear in her mind than the fuzzy glimpses of her childhood. She needed to meet them. They had to be in here.

I have always been a fortress Cold secrets deep inside You have secrets, too But you don't have to hide

The ice flowed in her blood. Moved like a frozen river. Elsa was thrown into another vision of bright arrows and wind so strong it could only be Gale's influence. She pressed onward, giddy with power.

Show yourself I'm dying to meet you It's your turn Are you the one I've been looking for All of my life? Show yourself I'm ready to learn

The teasing light drew her deeper. Elsa thought back to a moment in childhood that she thinks might be her first memory. When the ice had first responded to her, she had seen a woman with a deep blue furred cloak beside her in the snow. She wore beads covered by the elemental symbols the Northuldra worshipped. It was all connected, it had to be.

I've never felt so certain All my life I've been torn But I'm here for a reason Could it be the reason I was born? I have always been so different Normal rules did not apply Is this the day? Are you the way I finally find out why?

As the glacier opened up, the ice showed her moving dioramas of people she had never met. Impossible visages, moments lost to time. Anna always said her powers were not a curse, they were a gift. Elsa had never once believed her. Here though in Ahtohallen, surrounded by the memories of her people and ice so old it had witnessed all of history, she almost believed Anna.

She saw her mother's face among the ghostly figures and began to cry.

I'm no longer trembling Here I am I've come so far You are the answer I've waited for All of my life Oh, show yourself Let me see who you are

Arendelle's history was laid out now. The truth about the Northuldra, about her grandfather, about the dam. It was more than she could take. She had to get this back to Anna.

But it wasn't enough, where was the voice? The people from her dreams?

Where the north wind meets the sea There's a river Full of memory Come, my darling, homeward bound I am found

The air was thinner here, everything had an untethered feel and Elsa knew in the back of her mind she should stop. But they had to be just a little further.

The newest icy figure in front of her stopped her dead in her tracks. Another ice magic user. The moving statue was visibly Northuldra, at least in the face. She threw ice spikes in a brilliant arc out in front of her palms towards a man in unfamiliar armor. His face twisted with anger and he held his odd stance, unafraid of the ice. Walking around them, she saw the female figure was guarding a child. The mystery of the moment was overwhelming.

Before she could puzzle any further, a new statue caught her eye. She turned to see the woman with the arrow tattoos standing tall and still. Her eyes met the statue's own, taking up her entire field of view. It lit up incandescently and made a smooth motion unlike anything Elsa had ever seen before freezing cold air washed over her. In that moment, Elsa felt the truth about her power deep in her very bones. She was the fifth spirit. And something else.

She had only moments to get a single message to Anna before everything went dark. She had found the voice inside her.

"Its good to see you, Avatar Elsa. I have been waiting a long time."

Step into the power Throw yourself Into something new You are the one you've been waiting for

All of my lives

#frozen #frozen 2 #frozen 2 spoilers #atla #the last waterbender #my writing

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jolivira · 6 years ago

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I can’t believe I did it!

The final chapter of my Legend of Korra fanfiction: Sacrifice for a Lost Cause

Chapter 9

COSMIC ENERGY

It was finally time. Korra was as ready as she ever would be.

She had left Naga at the Water Palace. Despite the strong resistance from the polar bear-dog, eventually she gave in and agreed to stay behind. As she was leaving, Korra tried her best not to see or be seen by anyone, in special her parents; she knew that if she encountered them, even for a mere second, she would want to give up on her quest.

A few hours later and she was crossing the spirit portal and heading to the opposite portal. Korra carried nothing but the clothes on her body, everything else had been left with Naga.

Once in the Northern Water Tribe, she followed her gut and headed to the place that had the biggest spiritual presence in their culture, since the very first days of the avatar: the Spirit Oasis, home to probably the strongest and most important spirits for waterbenders in general. Tui and La.

Days ago during their meeting, masters Tenzin and Jinora had refused to give their personal opinion on the last chakra. They offered advice on how to proceed with the meditation itself, explained to her where Aang had failed and, most importantly, why. But they never suggested a place to go like they had with all the other ones.

The crown chakra was special, the hardest type of energy to set free to roam through your body. Some call it the bridge from the human mind to the universe as a whole, she also knew what it would lead to happen.

The world needed it to happen.

Korra walked through the tall temple that marked the entrance to the Oasis. It was the first time she had ever seen it but she could sense a strong familiar pull towards it.

Her breath was immediately taken away by the beauty of the place. Past the circular wooden door was a big lake protecting a small grass patch and the Koi Fish Pond, as it was called. None of the bodies of water here were frozen, in fact the air was miraculously warm and cozy, somehow the open sky there presented brighter stars than in the other parts of the land.

The two bridges that led to the pond were small and looked extremely fragile. Ancient. The waterfall that stood behind the temple had a constant flow of water but Korra couldn’t hear any sound coming from it.

Once she reached the end of the short bridge, Korra took off her boots before stepping on the grass. As her skin came in contact with the leaves, Korra felt strong energy waves running through her body, she was surrounded by purity of it. She approached the circular pond and observed the structure that stood behind it: a traditional spiritual gate engraved on wood to symbolize the merging overlap between the physical and spiritual worlds.

About 50 years ago, Aang had meditated here to seek the spirits’ help. And on the same day Princess Yue gave up her life to save the Moon Spirit, at this place they became one. Or better, they went back to one being.

Seemed appropriate as a closure to her journey. Whether it would end up to be heroic like Aang’s story or tragic like Yue’s, that was another matter entirely. It was honouring to see everything with her own eyes. Korra respectfully bowed to the Koi Fish; Tui and La were swimming in a perfect circle, their eternal dance where balanced opposite forces pushed and pulled, never touching and never getting further away from each other.

Korra then sat under the wooden spirit gate, she settled in full lotus position and took a deep breath closing her eyes, calming her interior. A second later she opened them and saw it:

They were all there, every single one, she was sure. Across from the pond in front of Korra, floating just centimeters above the lake, light spirit forms of all the avatars were sitting cross-legged in deep meditation. Some were old people, the centuries old masters, but it also surprised her to see two or three very young children there as well. They all stood together in the same glory and sharing of the same will.

She recognized some faces: Aang was right in the front alongside avatar Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk and Yangchen. Korra couldn’t see all of them, but she managed to recognize Yutae and Zei Kan a little farther in the back. Lishiamo and Wan were probably reaching the entrance of the lake as there were about one hundred faded white figures. Looking again, the spirits all seemed to be in a peaceful sleep state.

Seeing them all there, patiently waiting for a reunion with Raava and Korra’s spirit, it all made her head go dizzy and her heart sorrowful. They were so close now… she needed to succeed.

Korra interlaced her fingers with the ring finger pointing up, right thumb on top of the left one. She lifted her hands to the height of her chin to complete the om mudra. Her eyes focused directly on the past avatars, barely blinking. She took a deep breath and meditated on the crown chakra on the very top of her head.

Very few people in the Four Nations’ history had become a Mahatma, that is, a Great Soul. A person that opened the last chakra successfully and lived the rest of their lives as a guru. They all had the same characteristics though: they learned to separate anxiety for the future, from the reality of the present; unanswered questions such as “what is my place?” and “why am I here?” had vanished for them, losing all meaning. By connecting to the Universe, there was no reason to worry or wonder about the impossible. Some isolated themselves looking to find peace while many walked the world to share their wisdom with others. They all had no attachments to their life nor any fear of dying, walking miles barefoot and only carrying water with them.

Korra’s focus now was to think like them, aspire to become one of them. The avatar must put the world’s needs before their own personal beliefs, and that meant Korra had to leave it all behind. Without the knowledge of the past, the future would most certainly lead to chaos, as true balance demanded sacrifices.

She thought of what attached her to this world, what mattered most to her, what would make Korra give up everything for?

From the high stars above, Korra saw specs of light shooting down like meteors. Their glow was significantly different from the avatars’, these were sharper and had a silver aura to them. The shiny lights danced in the air and moved freely around.

The more the lights moved, the more definition they gained to their shapes and forms. One of the flashes reached the pond and circled the water following Tui and La’s rhythm. A few seconds passed by quickly and four figures shot from the water.

Standing in front of her, Korra saw Toph and Lin and right behind them were Bolin and Mako. Each one had influenced her life in a unique way, they all had shared their own strength with her. Korra loved and admired them deeply.

She stayed still as they walked past her, crossing her physical body with their silver essence. Each one that passed she could feel a pull at her heart and stomach. Korra fought the urge of looking back to see them go once the four of them had crossed. She couldn’t look back, it would be the proof that she wasn’t ready, that she wasn’t able to go through with it.

Korra took a deep breath and watched as another light shape sprint through the skies as it circled the pond. First, three spirits merged from it, then later another two. She saw Katara’s old figure, her hunched back and her braided hair; beside her were Tenzin and Pema. The three of them symbolized her past with Aang, but they were also her support, her reinforcement and encouragement to keep going and to keep fighting. They had taught her how to protect herself and how to love others. It hurt even more to imagine them leaving.

The three of them passed through her at the same time, she felt every inch as they got closer, every step they took towards her. And then they were gone.

Korra had no time to think or regret her choice once the next two spirit forms in front of her started marching as well. Her parents.

Senna and Tonraq were smiling, they looked proud of their humble beginnings and proud of Korra’s many achievements. They were at the core of her origins and the ones she needed to show the outermost respect and gratitude for their consistent care.

Instead of walking though, the image of her parents’ memories reached down and engulfed Korra’s body in a hug. She felt their spirits fading through her as the hug melted away from her grasp. Her heart beat faster and her breathing stopped for a second. She couldn’t see, but she had to feel the intense pain as they went. It finally made the tears start forming in Korra’s eyes, both from the physical and psychological pain she was feeling in that moment.

Korra was now breathing harder, her eyes stung. She pushed past, ignoring all of it, focusing on the avatars in front of her: Zei Kan’s willpower reached her along with Lishiamo’s strength, reminding her of the purpose of this quest.

Although she had the thoughts clear in her mind, it didn’t stop the wet tears from rolling down her cheeks. Korra did not dare moving even an inch from the mudra and, regardless of her body begging her to stop, she kept going.

One more light descended to circle the pond and four more ghostly images, four pairs of feet gracelly touched the grass. Korra watched nostalgically as Jinora, Ikki, Meelo and Rohan calmly paced around in her direction. Differently from the visions back at Makapu Village, the four of them were now grown up. They all had blue master tattoos except for Rohan, of course, who was still fifteen years old. Their expressions were soft, they wore the clothes Korra had last seen them on.

The air kids represented for Korra the bright future ahead, it was the safety of a nation she had fought tooth and nail to guarantee. She was their safeguard and their protector, looking out both for their physical and personal wellbeing. And thanks to their close relationship, the Air Nation was more prosperous now than it had been in the last 200 years. All thanks to these kids; kids that she would soon need to start referring to as adults.

When they passed through her body, it was like being tickled by a feather. Korra had never felt such gentle and light energy going through her before, and it only worsened the stinging pain on her stomach.

But again, refused to turn around and look back.

Then, the last one of the cosmic lights shot down to the pond, stronger and brighter than any of the previous ones. Korra observed as the light pulsated every other second until two spirits emanated from it, dissipating all of the light that was previously in the pond.

Naga and Asami were standing right in front of her. More tears started to roll down korra’s eyes as she was reminded of every good memory she ever had with them, and all of that she had learned to love and appreciate most in her life. Naga’s tail wagged from one side to another, Asami had her hand on the polar bear-dog’s head as she gently caressed it.

They slowly walked together in her direction. Naga went ahead running, she barked at Korra, which only made the woman chuckle and smile sadly at her companion. Once she jumped through Korra’s body, she saw all of their past together. The little pup she had saved from the freezing snow back in the South, she saw as Naga grew up and followed her everywhere she went. And she saw herself, not more than the day before, leaving her behind to finish the task.

Naga’s loyalty and unshaken love would still be there for her, forever.

Lastly, Asami walked silently in a slower pace than all of the others. Her spirit kneeled down as Korra felt a gentle hand on her cheek, wiping away some of the tears. A smile spread across her features and she reached up to lay a kiss on korra’s forehead.

Asami moved past Korra’s body, forcing her to say goodbye, to let go of all that she found beautiful and pure in the world. Naga’s and Asami’s spirits continued their walk, Korra could sense their breathing and their own sadness as it expanded and intensified, absorbing all of the Spirit Oasis in the sentiment. Korra closed her eyes for a second time, reminiscing all of their seconds spent together, all of that she had learned. She gave herself a few seconds to recompose, to regain her courage.

With one last deep breath, Korra let all of those attachments go, all of these people that would make her give everything up, disappearing and flowing far away from her.

Korra sensed her eyes glowing as she entered the avatar state, her spirit was transported to a different world, to a different spectrum made of ethereal matter and cosmic dust. All her tears and emotions were gone as she saw herself on a perfect rounded path made of light. At the end of the line there was a bigger Korra, a higher spirit of herself, shining in celestial pink and purple tones.

She started to walk in that direction, then she found herself sprinting down the line, running to reach her pure energy and to finally be connected. Korra extended her right arm towards it. Almost there. So so close.

Everything went white. Suddenly, all around her, everything was too bright.

Korra reopened her eyes. The avatars were still all there, and now they all had their eyes open as well. They weren’t floating in the distance anymore, they were close, becoming a part of her again.

Aang was the first to stand up, he stared directly at her eyes as he approached and kneeled just like Asami had. But instead of dissipating through her body, Aang spirit materialized inside of her, fusing with her and Raava’s. After that she felt them all, Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen. One by one, she felt their minds merge, their lives becoming hers again. She was relieving each second and breathing in each one’s life.

It felt like an eternity. Wan was the last one, his spirit embraced her, sealing their souls together for eternity.

It all came at the same time:

Names, fears, stories, memories, lovers, enemies, villages, identities and so much more. Hundreds and hundreds of years of living, dying and being reborn. Death and doubt and hope and love. It came to a point where it was unbearable to Korra, she felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside, her mind was imploding. All at the same time. Her body and mind screamed together.

The figures and spirits now vanished. Korra was left to the shiny stars and the swimming of Tui and La. Alone. But not quite.

It was with that revelation that Korra’s weeping begun, her chest convulsed and her muscles ached on her skin. Every cell and every organ. Her limbs were weak and her mind was an unstoppable mess.

She did it. She had them back, reconnected by Raava’s light and Wan’s will. All of it, inside her again.

The cycle was finally, finally whole.

Korra’s sobbing could be heard through the rest of the night from that point. the avatar cried for everything that she had leaned with her past lives, cried for her fears and guilt that were finally lifted from her. She cried for those she lost today, and all of the infinite lives she received today.

For hours and hours, sobs and whimpers so strong no one had ever before thought possible.

#I CANT BELIEVE IT #aaaaaaaaa #sacrifice for a lost cause #legend of korra #lok #avatar korra #avatar the last airbender #atla #fanfiction #jolivira #ninth chapter #last chapter #ITS OVER

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carpetheotherfandoms · 6 years ago

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Soul

I was inspired by one of the most beautiful art pieces by @vetyr

It reminded me of Katara and suddenly this was born.

Enjoy.

He finds himself floating

He wonders if its through time or space or a combination of both

But he doesn’t feel at ease yet

He has not found where he was meant to go

So he continues to float

Continues to feel his body less and less from where it sits

The hard ground is not there beneath his legs

The rippling of a faint breeze isn’t cooling his skin

The treep tops aren’t miles over his head

There is just one before him

One tree

It is bigger than any he has ever seen

It rests on a barren landscape against a purple hued sky

There is a soft voice inside him that whispers

“The tree of time, Aang

This is home”

There is a warmth swirling inside his chest that ripples forward the closer he moves to the tree

It is as if it is trying to break through his skin

He can feel himself drifting towards the ground

It is leading him

He has no control and yet he does not feel wary

His feet softly land and lead him forward

The closer he moves the more his translucent blue form is suddenly enveloped in white light

It is warm at first, wrapping itself around his ribs and down his body

But then it feels like all the air is being sucked from his lungs

A tight rippling across his skin

The white light begins to float away from him

Peeling itself from within his chest and taking everything with it

He loses sight and strength

His throat tightens, his soul feels as though it is being stretched

Despite the overwhelming feeling of being enveloped by something all too much, he is not afraid

And then it eases

And the voice comes to him again, this time, not from within

“Avatar Aang”

His eyes slowly open

He can feel his fingers, his feet on the ground, the familiar scent of the spirit world around him

There is the soft figure of a woman before him

She is ethereal, almost like the moon spirit

She appears to be the embodiment of the glow that once wrapped itself around him

Her hair floats around her in long streams of white, blue markings travel the expanse of her body

“My name is Raava”

He nods

Unsure of whether to speak, of whether he is able to

Her voice feels like an old friends

“I am the spirit of peace and light.”

His eyebrows furrow as he stands before her, this woman who he feels connected to

He remains unsure of why the Spirit World has sent him her as his guide this time

“I am the Avatar spirit.”

And it clicks

She smiles

Aang can practically feel her glow all over again

Warmth radiates from her and within him

“Why am I here?”

She turns to look back at the large tree

“Do you know where we are young Avatar?”

The landscape around him is less than familiar

But still he finds the word that falls from his lips feels right on his tongue

“Home”

Raava smiles at him

And Aang turns to stare at the very large and winding branches that appear to be reach up at the ever changing skies

“It is home yes, the home of all your pasts, your presents and your futures”

The space inside, the giant gaping hole facing them, seems dark and empty

He wonders how it keeps all his life times wrapped up inside its knots and folds

“It connects all realms we have ever seen and will ever see”

As if on queue, the space inside begins to erupt

There is a whirling deep inside

A vibrating Aang can feel up his body from where he stands

There is a light churning that expands to fill the space inside

Images of his past selves blending together, images he has never seen

Avatar Kyoshi

She is dressed in the garb of the Kyoshi Warrior as a young woman

She is standing on a winding sandy beach

There is nothing but slow waves and soft salty air around her

Aang can feel the sand on his feet

There is another woman

He can feel his palm warm as their hands intertwine

Feel her warm breathing and the heavy weight of her head against his shoulder

It is a familiar feeling

Avatar Yangchen

She is a young air nomad in the Western Air Temple

She is sitting with the Air Nuns

He can feel the bubbling of laughter in her chest

The way she bites her cheeks to keep still, to keep quiet

They appear to be scolding her for the tunnels she has devised

He can’t help but remember fondly when he found them for the first time

Avatar Kuruk

He is glowing, as Aang is now

His body wanders aimlessly, heartache etched into him

It is like a heavy weight has been placed inside Aang

The air is thick, like a smog

And he can hear Kuruk pleading

Ummi, Ummi, come back

There is no peace

Then the images manifest into him

He sees himself, thirteen years younger

There is an iceberg that begins to glow

The eyes of a young girl, eyes he could never forget

The image transforms to the collapse of Wan Shi Tong’s Library

There is sand and her fingers gripping his wrist and Sokka’s voice all too loud, all too afraid

He sees himself entering the Avatar state and feels a sharp pain roll up his spine only to be soothed hours later

Those eyes again

He sees the eclipsing of the Sun and the overthrow of the Earth King

Then he sees her

Her dress is a soft green with curving red designs

The pink carnation in her hair a flower he could never forget

His chest tightens

And eases again as Raava lays her hand on his heart

“That is why you are here”

The images swirl together again

Times of meetings and conferences and galas

Of lonely nights and dark travels and heated arguments

Of their last moment together

Regret fills Aang like a pool

Anger, guilt, devestation

The Tree itself freezes on a final image

The Southern Water Tribe

A heavy snowfall, a full moon

A single being standing on a hill overlooking the neverending ebb and flow of water against ice

“She holds part of your soul”

Aang’s eyes widen at the statement

“What do you mean?”

My soul, my soul, my soul

Raava waves her hand towards the image as it once again changes

“How can someone hold part of your soul?”

Raava continues to stare at the Tree

The colours are so vibrant Aang can barely look away

“Can you not see it Avatar?”

The tree begins to shake as the light that it emits becomes overwhelming

It is Katara

She is standing in a softly lit room

Her arms moving before her in a practiced routine as the pools around her begin to obey

The water cloak

It wraps around her skin, reaching out in tentacles around her

It reminds him of the branches of a tree

Of the way flowers crane their necks for the rain

The water rises, swirling around her in waves and ripples and strips

Her thick brown curls moving freely around her

Brushing against the exposed skin from wearing only her sarashi

“Can you not feel the piece of us that lies within her?”

And he does almost instantly

It is crawling beneath his skin, the electricity of Katara

It’s as if it stems from his heart and reaches every corner of him

Katara herself begins to glow as he acknowledges it

“The connection”

Raava’s voice is soft as she watches him

Aang’s eyes find Katara and as the gold begins to emit from his body

He sees what Raava is saying

The skin under her ribs, along her collarbone, down her arm glows

There is a soft pink that runs down her back and across her rib cage

A deep red under her chin

A blinding yellow radiating from her stomach and arms

The contrast against her dark skin makes it all too enthralling

All too bright

Yet Aang stares on

There are glowing purples and greens that run through her hair as it floats around her

The side of her face, the sharp angle of her shoulder, the backs of her hands become golden

Soft wavy lines curving into circles

Aang can just make out the shape of roses that now pepper her skin

It’s as if the light has confused her smooth skin for a garden and has taken its shape

Her eyes slowly drift closed as her hands reach towards the sky

The water moving towards the roof of the dome she stands in

A wave crashing up from behind her

Her body holding still, all her muscles obeying to controlled movements

She always said bending brought her peace

“The water will heal you”

Is what she would always say

“Let it teach you”

As Katara finishes the mantra of her bending the glow beings to diminish

The roses bleed back into her skin

The image begins to fade to black

“Wait!”

The tree stills

With the colours gone, the space inside just looks like an empty black hole again

“Go back, show me Katara, please!”

Aang pleads with Raava

But she continues to stare

“It is okay young Avatar”

Aang stares at the tree as Raava lays her hand against his arm

“She is within you”

The white glow of Raava’s hand is met with a golden glow against Aang’s skin

The gold suddenly erupts with red swirls

“Fate”

Aang follows the red line with his eye as it drifts both towards his heart and down his arm

It aligns with his pinky finger and continues onward

As the red begins to drift from his body it elongates

It drifts to the ground and starts to float across the ground away from him

It is pulling at his skin, tugging at the strings that lie within his heart

“Raava what’s happening?”

She places her hands against his face

“Do not worry Avatar, your soul will guide the way”

And then she is fading, her form becoming a small ball of white light

She floats into his chest and Aang’s skin explodes

There is an electricity as he feels his eyes blaze white and his tattoos light up

He loses the feeling of his arms, his legs

His sight goes dark as the pulling becomes stronger

He cannot fight it

But he feels it dragging him across many plains, many times

He feels like he has crossed the expanse of the ocean several times of several sunlit days

But then he wakes

His skin is met by cold arctic air and the smell of fresh snow

He is standing at the base of a hill, there is nothing but moon light around him and the sound of waves crashing against ice

And then he sees it, the red string

It is faint but it is there and it is winding up the hill

The figure from the Tree of Time is before him and the string runs up their arm

It fades as soon as he realizes it and he knows now

He understands now what Raava means

His soul will be his guide

His soul will take him to a place of peace

No matter the distance, the responsibility or the weight that plagues him

His soul cannot be broken for too long

Cannot be torn from its other half for too long

That is how he drifts out of balance

Katara

Although he hasn’t spoken aloud the figure turns

And he sees those eyes

Deep, dark, nothing but warmth

He has found his peace

0 notes

lovefrozenswan · 5 years ago

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The Last Waterbender

So when I saw Frozen II, I was immediately struck by the similarities between it and ATLA. Im sure yall did too. I decided to write a fic and then revive my tumblr to promote this.

Elsa is clearly the Avatar and so im writing a really ambitious crossover. I hope yall like it.

Longfic planned. Not really a shipfic, but there probably will be a F/F pairing eventually. Elsa is def gay or ace to me.