#that fight scene was dope af

[angel-graces-world-of-chaos]

@imagines--galore Well, I think I found my favourite chapter O_O <3

||The Thread of Fate|| Part Twenty-Eight

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.

Previous Chapters - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen, Part Seventeen, Part Eighteen, Part Nineteen, Part Twenty, Part Twenty-One, Part Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven

A/N: This was a roller coaster of emotions let me tell you!

"Well it looks healed enough. But it will leave a scar." Katara stated as she straightened up from examining Orora's burn. The older girl sighed before nodding at the sympathetic look she received from the other girl.

"I figured as much." She muttered, sitting up from where she had been lying on the bed. Toph sat across from her on another bed, while Sokka and Aang stood at the doorway, leaning against either of the wall. "Its better if you share with Toph for now." Katara added to which the blind girl nodded.

Her feet were still elevated. "I don't mind. Means Ice Princess can give me healing sessions and I'll be up and seeing in no time." She raised a hand in Katara's direction. "No offense Sugar Queen, but when it comes to healing Orora here is more of an expert."

Katara shrugged. "No, I agree with you. She has been doing this a lot longer then I am." Orora smiled at the compliment, before her eyes shifted towards Sokka who was frowning, as if he were deep in thought.

"You alright there Sokka?" She said, startling the boy out of his stupor. "If you think any harder you're gonna hurt yourself." Though everyone smiled or chuckled lightly at the joke, Sokka didn't join in. Pursing his lips he contemplated briefly if he should speak his mind before doing just that. "No, I was just wandering if you'll be alright."

Orora frowned though a smile of confusion stayed on her face. "I'll be alright. You heard Katara, all these wounds will heal and-"

Aang stepped forward, cutting her off. "That is not what he means Orora." The boy glanced at Sokka who nodded before continuing. "He means Zuko."

The smile fell from her lips, her eyes casting down to the ground. Her hands rested just next to her thighs, allowing her to gently grip the soft bedding underneath. "What we're asking is," Aang continued, ignoring the way Katara's face turned especially dark at hearing the name of their new team member. "Are you alright with him joining our team? We know how much his betrayal effected you, and we don't want you to feel weird about the whole situation."

Toph nodded. "Yeah, say the word and I'll throw him off the nearest cliff and make it look like an accident." Though her words were spoken in jest, Orora couldn't help but flinch as her mind conjured the image of him doing just that not even an hour ago.

Her heart and mind still couldn't comprehend just how easily he could've died.

Something she could examine later, the waterbender promised herself, as she lifted her head to look at each of her friends one at a time.

"Truthfully, I'm not thrilled that he's here." She revealed. "I'm still mad at him for what he did, and I guess I will be until he's proven himself. I don't know." She shook her head, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts.

Her gaze met Aang's. "You need to learn firebending to defeat the Fire Lord, and having Zuko on our side is a tactical advantage as well." She had to look at all of this in a pragmatic way. Keep her feelings out of it, that was the best course of plan.

"If Zuko's being here means we have a chance to end this war, then I am not going to let what he did to me get in the way of that."

Silence followed her words, before Toph grinned. "See, I told you she would say that." Orora looked at her in confusion, but was distracted by Aang reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you Orora." He said, smiling at her.

The older girl smiled back, reaching up to squeeze his hand in return. Katara simply gave a nod before walking out of the room. Sokka watched his sister go before looking back at Orora's worried expression. "Don't worry. She'll be fine." He reassured her.

Then he grinned and walked to her to lightly punch her shoulder. "Its great to have you back Orora."

She nodded, returning his smile. "Good to be back."

                                            ————————–

Since she was still recovering, Orora was put on bed rest.

Per her own orders.

Toph was forced to do the same, yet neither of the girls were complaining. It gave them time to catch up and just chat. Sokka had come by earlier and dropped off Orora's things, which she was currently going through.

Since the area around her stomach and waist had to be cut and was also burned off, she had to stitch it up. And already an idea to sew a waistband to cover herself up was forming in her head. Luckily she still had some cloth leftover from creating the lining of her shirt. It was a light blue so it should be good enough. Cutting the fabric to the length she wanted it to be, Orora listened as Toph explained what had happened after their return to the main Invasion Force.

"Then they piled us kids on Appa and we came here. Nothing much to tell." The blind girl concluded, playing with her space rock as she laid back on her bed, one arm behind her head. "Not as interesting as what happened to you I should say."

Orora shook her head as she threaded a needle. "I was wandering when you'd ask that." She muttered under her breath, though loud enough for Toph to hear her. "Oh come on, you're telling me nothing happened?" She asked, curiosity lacing her tone.

Successfully pulling the needle through the small hole, Orora began to sew. "Other then him bandaging me up and bringing me here? No, nothing at all."

Toph laughed softly as she shook her head. "You know I can tell when people are lying right?" She stated gleefully.

Orora stabbed herself with her needle.

                                            ————————–

Having gotten all of his stuff and a room assigned to him, Zuko turned his attention to the water skins and belt Orora had left behind. No time like the present to bring it to her then, he thought to himself, picking up her things and walking out of his room. It was still light out, but the evening was fast approaching.

Locating where Orora was staying was easy. He just had to follow his string. It was always taut now that they were almost constantly near one another.

"-ave you told him yet?" He heard Orora's voice as he neared the room.

"I haven't exactly had the time. Between getting our butts kicked and worrying about you, I didn't think it was appropriate to drop the bomb on him about us being soulmates." Zuko paused. Maybe this wasn't the right time to disturb them.

But then he didn't walk away either.

Instead he stopped where he was, just a few steps away from the open doorway, leaning against the wall so even his shadow couldn't be seen. He was lucky Toph couldn't feel him standing there.

"Well, you're not getting your butt kicked now, and I'm back, safe and sound, so you better get to it young lady."

He heard Toph snort. "What're you my mother?"

"Would you rather Katara be on your case then?" Zuko could picture the look Orora was giving the earthbender when she said that.

Silence.

"Alright, you have a point. But can't he come up and talk to me about it?"

"Toph, he's probably just shy. One of you has to take the first step, and I'm urging that you do." He heard Orora respond.

"Is that what happened with you and Zuko?" The sudden shift in conversation nearly had him dropping what he was holding. "My situation with Zuko was complicated. Trust me, you're getting a very simple story to finding your soulmate, so take it."

The word complicated couldn't even begin to describe how strange their soulmate journey had been so far, Zuko thought to himself, frowning to himself.

"You get two stories though don't you?" Toph said. "And in both those stories he saves you."

"I saved him once too." Orora cut in, and Zuko briefly recalled how she had pulled him out of the way to avoid getting burned by the lightning during the storm on top of that mountain all those months. "But, hey who's counting." He heard Orora sigh. "Toph just, ask what you want to ask." She said a hint of exasperation in her tone that anyone could've picked up on.

"I'm just wandering how your story is going to end, that's all."

Zuko felt himself freeze. His eyes widened and he felt his heart give a particularly painful thump before it resumed it's normal rhythm. No one spoke from within the room for a good few seconds.

But then he heard Orora.

"I don't know."

"Have you forgiven him for what he did?"

Agni, he knew how this conversation was going to go. Placing the water skins and belt on the floor to be collected by Orora later, he turned.

And with a heavy heart, he walked back to his room.

Completely missing the rest of the conversation.

                                            ————————–

"No. At least, not completely."

"And will you forgive him? Given time, as he proves himself and helps us?

"I....don't know."

                                            ————————–

Once the bandage was in place, Orora tied the waist belt she had sewn the previous night, around her waist. The material ruched naturally once she tied it at the side of her waist, the one that wasn't bandaged of course.

Glancing at Toph and smiling at the girl as she snored away, Orora rose to her feet, intent on starting the day and ask Katara what are duties would be around the camp. It was best if she kept busy, she mused to herself, slipping her shoes onto her feet. Once everything was in order she moved to step out of the room.

Only to step on something.

Looking down she was met with the familiar sight of her belt and water skins. Frowning she picked them up. There was really no need to wander who had left them there.

Zuko.

Why hadn't he come in and given them to her?

More importantly, why did it bother her that he hadn't given them to her himself?

Shaking her head and briefly stepping back into her room to toss the items on her just made bed, the girl pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

                                            ————————–

Katara and her were the first ones to arrive. The younger girl insisted that she could handle breakfast, forcing Orora to just sit down and relax, while also wait for the others to appear.

And they did.

Teo wheeled in first, grinning at Orora and waving at her. The older girl waved back. Next to step in was Aang, who rubbed his eyes, yawning as he slumped on the floor beside Orora.

And promptly fell against her shoulder as he fell asleep again, snoring lightly with Momo curling up in his lap.

The older girl smiled down at Aang while Katara shook her head at her soulmate's antics. Haru and The Duke were next to walk in. Both of them greeted everyone before taking their place in the circle as well, with Haru sitting next to Orora.

Appa growled from where he waited for his breakfast just beyond the clearing where they sat, prompting The Duke to leave his post of helping Katara hand out bowls of rice and make sure Appa had his hay. Sokka finally arrived carrying Toph. He set her down on a broken column before taking his bowl of rice and began shoveling the food down his throat.

The last one to arrive was Zuko.

Which was funny since he was the first one away, what with the tendency to rise with the sun and all.

She'd picked up on his habits as well as his Uncle during their stay in Ba Sing Se.

He accepted his breakfast bowl from The Duke and once he sat down on Aang's other side, began to eat. Orora kept her gaze trained towards her bowl of rice, her chopsticks held firmly in between her fingers as she did.

"So, what do you think?"

A voice drifted through her train of thought muffled and yet it pulled her back from whatever she had just begun to think. Raising her head, she blinked at Haru who was looking at her and smiling.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening. About what?" The earthbender smile before repeating himself. "I just asked if you'd like a tour of the Temple. We've found some pretty cool things."

"Oh." She paused, looking at him before glancing back at her food and cleared her throat. "That sounds fun. Maybe later?" She suggested to which Haru nodded, prompting Teo to speak up from where he had just finished his breakfast. "This is an amazing Temple! Better then the one we lived in. The Duke just found something really fun yesterday, and we can't wait to show you."

                                            ————————–

From where he sat next to Zuko, Sokka had a pretty good view of what was going on.

And this is what he noticed.

He noticed how Orora's smile appeared strained, as if she were forcing her muscles to pull upwards.

He noticed how Haru's shoulders slumped, probably at the thought that his plan to show Orora around alone had just fallen through since Teo and The Duke would want to tag along as well.

He also noticed, how Zuko's expression was set in a dark scowl. One that was directing towards Haru.

Sokka may be oblivious at times, but there were some things he was rather observant in. And when it came to all three of his sisters, he was ever watchful.

Even though Katara had made no mention of it, he knew Aang was her soulmate. She would tell him when she thought right. Besides Katara was one stubborn and willful girl, and he knew she could handle things on her own.

Toph was a little tough to read. HA! See what he did there? But he liked to think he understood her now more then he had at the beginning. He had suspicions about who her soulmate was, and he had plans on talking to The Duke about it and ask him what he planned to do.

Orora was a completely different story. He looked at the older girl and pursed his lips in thought. There was so much going on with her, and Sokka was worried because she hadn't let all those emotions out yet. And when that dam broke, Sokka knew there were going to be casualties.

The major one of whom would be Orora herself.

He just hoped he had the chance to talk to her before that happened.

Worried eyes jumped from Orora, who was still focused on her breakfast, to Zuko who was now shaking Aang awake and telling him to finish breakfast before they started training.

And maybe he should speak to Zuko about Orora soon too.

                                            ————————–

"Hey Orora? Mind if I ask you something?"

Looking up from where she had just finished giving Toph a healing session, Orora smiled at Aang. "Sure." Pulling back the water and tossing it aside because she had just been healing feet with it, she walked after Aang to stand a little ways away from the rest oft he group.

"So, you know its my first day of training firebending right?" He said, clutching his staff and looking nervous. Orora nodded. "Well," He rubbed the back of his head. "I was comfortable with Katara and Toph because I knew the kind of teachers they would be, but with Zuko I don't know anything."

She stayed quiet. "And well, you've known him the longest out of all of us, and I was just wandering if you could tell me what I should expect, just so I'm prepared." He ended, looking at her so hopeful and anxious that she sighed, closing her eyes briefly as she did.

"Well, don't expect him to be patient with you." She finally said after a small stretch of silence. Her eyes glanced at Zuko who was helping Toph down from the column so she could test her feet a little. "And he won't let up until you've perfected whatever form he is teaching you so be prepared for a lot of hard work."

Aang's entire body hung as he sighed. "This is gonna be hard." He stated dismally as Orora reached out to pat his back in a reassuring manner. "You're a talented kid, Aang. You'll get the hang of it." She smiled at him, before her gaze faltered towards Zuko once more.

Only to catch him looking at her.

She watched as his eyes widened, as did her own. Both of them quickly looked away, but not before their eyes met.

Not before the colors on their strings flared before settling into a more light hue or blue and red.

And certainly not before Toph picked up on how their heart beats picked up just then.

"I hope you're right." Aang muttered, oblivious to the inner turmoil Orora was feeling in that moment. Orora patted his back one more time. "Just mind your breath. That's what Master Iroh always told me." She said, smiling at him. It took him a moment before he too smiled and nodded.

"You ready?" Zuko's voice had her glancing up at him before stepping away from Aang, who nodded with a determined expression. "I'm ready. Lead the way Sifu Hotman."

That was certainly not what she had been expecting Aang to say.

Add that to the expression on Zuko's face and she could barely keep a small laugh from escaping her. Aang grinned at her, proud to have made her laugh, while Zuko's eyes darted in her direction before quickly looking away.

"Don't call me that." He stated, his tone annoyed as he began to lead the way towards wherever they would be training.

Aang skipped after him. "Understood Sifu Hotman."

"What did I just say!?"

                                            ————————–

This was getting to be frustrating as well as humiliating.

With another loud grunt, Zuko tried to create a fireball. Only to fail.

Again.

Why couldn't he get it right? He'd always been able to produce powerful flames no matter what. He paused in his actions, looking in Aang's direction who was laying atop the column he was perched on, looking at the clouds overhead.

Movement to his right had Zuko turning to the spot, only to catch sight of Sokka as he sat down near them. Aang sat up as well, gazing curiously at the watertribe boy.

"Hey, jerks!" Sokka said through a mouthful of apple. "Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerkbending?" He asked with a snicker.

Already frustrated, Zuko was quick to snap at him. "Get out of here!" He shouted, pointing to the way from where Sokka had just come form.

Sokka held up his hands, his mouth opening to say something.

"Sokka!" His mouth snapped shut, his eyes widened and sheer panic overtook his face as he glanced in the direction from where the shout had just come from. "I wasn't here!" He squeaked out in fear, before racing off as if a dragon was at his heels.

Just in time too, because Orora suddenly rounded the corner. "Where is he?" She demanded to know, her ice blue eyes glaring first at Zuko then Aang. Both boys were quick to raise their arms to point in the direction where Sokka had disappeared to.

"Sokka when I get my hands on you, you better pray to the Moon I don't break your arm for dumping your dirty laundry on me!" And she was off, her voice getting lower and lower as she walked further away, yet closer to her target.

Leaving Aang and Zuko to stare after her, wide-eyed and a little scared. "Maybe we should ask Orora for some of her fire?" Aang joked to which Zuko dropped his head in dejection.

                                            ————————–

After nearly breaking Sokka's arm, and only letting go when he promised he would do all of her clean up duty for the rest of the day, Orora went about her day as normally as she could.

She chatted with Toph for a good hour before walking off with Haru, Teo and The Duke to explore the Temple. And Orora had to admit, it truly was a work of art. She'd have to ask Aang to give her a tour soon, just so she could ask him about the history of the place. He may not have lived there, but he had visited the place when it was bursting with life. Now it sat empty and hollow. And that was sad.

Once they all returned for lunch, she was quick to ask Katara for a little waterbending one on one. Nothing drastic, just a few maneuvers they both wanted to master that the other had created. Katara with her wall of water that she had taken from Toph's earthbending, and Orora with her wave of water using her leg that she had been inspired to do after seeing Zuko create a plume of fire with just the sweep of his leg.

Orora didn't miss the way Katara kept glancing at her finger, where her string glowed a warm red. Obviously the other girl couldn't see the color, but it still made her nervous. But she made no comment about it, simply focusing on the training and nothing else.

Dinner was Haru and The Duke's responsibility that night, so both girls arrived once everyone else had already begun to eat.

Everyone except Zuko that is.

Orora frowned at his absence, but quickly pushed it to the side. Instead she walked past the warm bowl of food that waited for her to go give Appa his feed for the day.

Only to stop short when she saw Zuko leaning against a column just beside the bison, his arms crossed as he looked below. Clearly, he was deep in thought. The girl quickly walked over to Appa and pulled out the hay from under the tarp where they stored it. "Here you go buddy." She smiled at the giant creature. "Eat good." She patted his nose as he gave her a happy groan before beginning to eat.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Zuko's voice had her frowning. "You just did." She responded, a slight bite in her tone which probably had him flinching. An awkward silence ensued, one that had Zuko nearly squirming where he stood.

She closed her eyes before opening them again and turning to face him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Does what you have to ask effect Aang?" Keep her conversation with him short and to the point, while also keeping the topics on anything but them.

Not like he meant anything to her.

Right?

He nodded. "Yeah, I-I think I've lost my inner fire. Or maybe its weaker somehow." A twinge of concern ran through her as she blinked at him. Over his shoulder, she saw the rest of the group glancing in their direction, obviously curious as to what they were speaking about.

She turned back to him. "Look, I know you said you wanted to be a part of the group. And being a part of the group means we solve all our problems together." Nodding over his shoulder she gestured for him to start walking. "Best to have them be involved as well."

Zuko stood there quietly for a few moments, before he nodded. "You're right, I shouldn't burden you with my problems." Instantly Orora's entire demeanor changed. Her eyes grew ice cold, and her lips pressed in a thin line as she glared at him. "That's not what I said." She hissed at him, to which he raised his hands in a placating manner.

"No, yeah I know you didn't. Its just what I think." The two teenagers stared at one another for a few more moments. "Well you shouldn't think that either." Confusion ran through her veins. Why would she get angry at Zuko thinking he was a burden on her?

With that Orora walked back to the group, ignoring everyone's questioning looks and busying herself with her dinner as Zuko approached.

And especially ignoring the way her string had flared at the last few words she had said to Zuko.

She was a little tuned out from the conversation as she tried to regain her composure, and calm her suddenly rapid heartbeat. Toph did glance at her curiously, but decided not to say anything.

"Well, it's not lost." She heard Zuko say, his voice somehow bringing her back from the murky confines of her own mind. "It's just........weaker for some reason."

Katara, who was sitting next to Orora held up her bowl and glared at Zuko. "Maybe you're not as good as you think you are."

"Ouch." Toph stated, smiling sarcastically as she fed herself some carrot with her chopstick.

Orora, without even looking up from her bowl of food, where she was listlessly stirring her noodles spoke up. "Trust me, he is good." Everyone glanced at her surprised. Even Zuko. "He had an amazing Master," She finally raised her head to point her chopsticks at Zuko. "And he's too stubborn and determined to not be good." Beside her Katara pursed her lips, her eyes flashing with anger as she glared at Orora.

Zuko, taking confidence from the fact that Orora didn't think him weak, decided to put forth what he had been thinking over earlier. "I bet it's because I changed sides." He stated, frowning in thought.

"That's ridiculous." Katara muttered under her breath, as she drank the broth from her bowl.

Aang hummed in thought. "I don't know. Maybe it isn't." He look to Zuko. "Maybe your firebending comes from rage and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to?"

For some reason she felt compelled to add to the conversation. "You did always use your bending more when you were angry." Why couldn't she just stay detached like she had told herself to be? It was her weakness, she figured, wanting to help people she cared about.

Or had cared about at some point.

Or did she still care about Zuko?

Sokka, never wanting to miss a chance to mess with the Fire Nation Prince leaned towards him and pointed a finger. "So, all we need to do is make Zuko angry. Easy enough." He declared, glancing slyly between Zuko, Orora and Haru. He probably didn't value his life enough, which was what prompted him to say what he did next. "Either we can have Haru flirt with Orora to get Zuko angry."

His suggestion had mixed reactions.

Katara's gaze was so chilling that it nearly rivaled the one Orora would normally wear. Aang and Toph both coughed into their broths, trying their best to mask their laughter. Teo and The Duke looked around oblivious. Haru's eyes widened and he looked away, though the blush on his cheeks was hard to miss.

But the best reaction was Zuko and Orora's.

Their eyes promised death as they both glared at Sokka. But he remained oblivious, as he picked up his sword and grinned. "Or!" As another option, he began to poke Zuko with the hilt of his weapon. He hit the other boy several times on the head and waist, laughing as he did.

"Okay, cut it out!" Zuko finally snapped, once he had calmed down considerably and didn't feel the urge to firebend the water tribe boy off the side of the Temple. He only stopped because he reminded himself that he wanted to win these people over. Sokka did stop, his sword slipping from his hand and flying up before falling on his own head.

Sighing Zuko pinched his nose. "Look, even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore." He stated firmly. "There has to be another way."

Toph was the one who spoke up this time. "You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source." She said, eating another vegetable from her bowl. "I recommend the original source."

Looking a little too excited for someone who was hit with his own weapon, Sokka perked up. "How's he supposed to do that‌? By jumping into a volcano‌?" He said, his question ending in a laugh that had Zuko scowling in annoyance.

Toph shook her head. "No." She stated firmly. "Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is." She explained further.

Raising an eyebrow, Sokka asked again. "So, is it jumping into a volcano?" He'd barely finished his inquiry when suddenly a blur of blue flew through the air and Sokka found himself, once again, with a mask of ice latched around his mouth, effectively shutting him up.

"Your opinion is no longer needed Sokka." Orora stated, as calm as could be, sipping from her broth and ignoring the way everyone was looking at her. Zuko felt his lips morph to a brief smile as Sokka began to mutely struggle with his binds. "Please continue Toph." The older girl urged Toph who grinned before nodding.

"For earthbending," She began, placing her bowl on the floor. "The original benders were badgermoles. One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me. So we understood each other. I was able to learn earthbending, not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the world." The girl finished a nostalgic smile on her face.

Everyone stared at the girl, stunned. "That's amazing, Toph!" Aang stated, the awe in his voice evident before he turned his attention back to Zuko.

"I learned from the monks, but the original airbenders were the sky bison." He waved his arm in the direction of the mural they sat opposite to which depicted three sky bisons flying above the clouds. Grinning the boy looked in Appa's direction. "Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime, buddy." His received his answer in the form of a sleepy groan from Appa.

Licking her lips, Orora cleared her throat before she began. "For the waterbenders we learn from the moon." He gaze turned towards the sky just beyond the awning where they were sitting underneath. "How she pulls and pushes the tide towards her every night." She shrugged. "I guess that's also the reason we're so strong at night. Especially during a full moon."

A smile pulled at her lips as she continued. "I used to sneak away to the Spirit Oasis whenever things would get too much at home." She revealed, thinking back on all those nights she had sneaked out of the house and to bask in the tranquility of the Spirit Oasis. "It was there, while watching Koi Fish swim in an infinite circle that I was able to discover my waterbending."

Zuko stared at her in slight awe, once more taken aback whenever she would reveal something about her past. Still, what they had all shared wasn't something that helped him. And he stated as such. "The original firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct."

Sitting up straight Aang frowned. "What do you mean‌?" He asked. "Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when I was a kid."

Once again, frustration won him over and Zuko burst out. "Well, they aren't around anymore, okay?"

Aang moved his arms in an appeasing manner. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He said, remembering what Orora had told him earlier, to let Zuko just calm down on his own.

For his part, Zuko looked around the group before his gaze landed on Orora. Their eyes locked for barely a moment, and yet he felt a certain calmness overcome him and he exhaled deeply.

"But maybe there's another way." He said, walking towards the nearly destroyed fountain. "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors."

Aang stood, approaching Zuko and standing beside him. "Sun Warriors? Well, I know they weren't around when I was a kid."

Zuko shook his head, turning to look at Aang. "No, they died off thousands of years ago. But their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins."

For his part Aang nodded in understanding. "It's like the monks used to tell me." He said. "Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present."

Having finally had the mask melted away from his mouth Sokka spoke up. "So, what?" The Avatar and the prince turned to look at the group as Sokka continued. "Maybe you'll pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing where they stood a thousand years ago?"

Orora hummed. "Well I discovered my bending by just looking at the Koi Fish, so why can't it work for them?" She asked, gesturing towards where they stood.

"More or less." Zuko stated, agreeing with the both of them. "Either I find a new way to firebend," He looked to Aang. "Or the Avatar has to find a new teacher."

Aang gave a worried look while Sokka hummed thoughtfully. "Hmmmm, I doubt another one will miraculously appear like Zuko did." He paused before glancing around. "Unless one of you are hiding a firebender like Orora was."

For his trouble, Sokka received another ice mask to the mouth, courtesy of a fuming older sister.

                                            ————————–

As she watched Appa take off, carrying Zuko and Aang, Orora couldn't help but feel a bubble of worry settle in her chest. Surprisingly, this worry had nothing to do with the doubt that Zuko would betray Aang and capture him, or worse.

This worry was over the fact that her little brother and soulmate were going to a place where she wouldn't be able to protect them.

And now she was even more confused.

Why wasn't she doubting Zuko's intentions? She had more then enough reason to, and yet somehow, she just.......didn't. Did that mean she had forgiven him? No, she was still angry at him. Wasn't she?

But then if she were angry at him that meant she still cared enough for him to have feelings for him?

Not to mention on the front of worrying about the two boys getting intro trouble and not getting out of it, she felt her stomach tense.

"I don't like this."

Katara's voice had Orora snapping out of her thoughts. She glanced to the side where the girl stood, mirroring her act of staring at the sky, watching as Appa grew smaller and smaller into the distance. Everyone else had already scattered, aside from Sokka, who sat near a broken column, polishing his space sword.

"Katara," She said, her voice gentle. "I know you're worried, but you don't have to worry about Aang going alone with Zuko."

"How can you be so sure about it?" Katara demanded to know. Willing herself to be patient, knowing just how scared Katara really was, Orora offered her a soft smile, placing her hand on her shoulder. "What happened in Ba Sing Se, isn't going to happen again. Zuko won't allow it."

Instantly, Katara's entire demeanor changed. Where she had looked worried and scared, now her features morphed to one of sheer fury and utter rage.

"How do you know he isn't taking Aang to be captured by the Fire Nation?" She said, turning on her heel so she could face the older girl fully, pushing off her hand in the process.

Maybe that had been the wrong thing to say. Orora pursed her lips, trying to think of a way to diffuse the situation. "I've known Zuko the longest Katara, and I believe he has changed." She responded her voice calm, hoping her tone would help soothe Katara's temper.

Nostrils flaring in anger Katara glared at her older sister. "Why are you defending him?" She demanded to know, prompting Orora to frown slightly.

"I'm not-" She began to say, only to be cut off. "Yes you are." The other girl's voice had started to raise in volume. "You shouldn't be defending him. Not after he betrayed you and broke your heart." The reminder had Orora flinching.

"Katara, this is our only chance of ending this war." She said, feeling a strange emotion simmering just under the surface but pushing it aside in favor of speaking gently to her younger sister. "You have to consider how it benefits us. Otherwise Ozai will beat us and the Fire Nation will finally take over the world."

A laugh of derision echoed against the walls of the long abandoned Temple. "Is that really your excuse?!" Katara demanded, a mocking smile on her lips with her arms crossed in front of her chest as she glared at Orora.

Orora frowned. "Its not an excuse Katara." She said, anger seeping into her tone as she regarded the other waterbender. "I want this war to end just as much as anyone."

"Oh do you?" Katara knew she was being cold, unfair and even spiteful, but she couldn't help it. And neither did she care. Not when she was this angry and worried at the same time. She needed to let her emotions out, and it seemed Orora was her target. "Or do you just want a chance to reconcile with your soulmate even though he is the enemy?"

Seeing Orora's mouth fall open and stare at her in utter shock was rather satisfying. "Do you really believe me to be that selfish Katara?" The other girl demanded, her volume now matching Katara's. "Do you really think I would put my family in danger for the sake of reconciliation with my soulmate?" Her hands were clenched in fists at her sides, causing the twin pots that held their water storage to tremble.

Sokka, who had been following their conversation closely since the beginning now set his sword aside, ready to intervene if need be. Maybe he should've stopped them before things got too heated, but then their next encounter wouldn't have been as calm as this one had been so far.

They needed to talk things out.

"He is the enemy!"

"He isn't the enemy anymore."

"He's the Prince of the Fire Nation."

"And that makes him bad? You've seen the citizens Katara, all of them aren't bad. They're just misguided."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Oh and you think you'll be able to guide Zuko back to the right path do you?" Orora faltered, frowning and shaking her head.

"N-no. This was all his choice, I had nothing to do with-" The other girl looked away, scoffing as she did, not wanting to look at her sister any longer lest she grew even angrier.

"Save it! You may turn a blind eye Orora, but I see the way he looks at you." Katara stated in a cold tone.

"What're you talking about Katara? What way?" Oh but she knew. She knew the answer to this question. Knew Katara's response would either make her or break her. She'd seen him look away from her, and she knew how he looked at her.

It was the same way Orora had seen Aang and Katara look at one another when the other wasn't looking.

A look that filled her with joy for her two friends, and yet sadness because she didn't believe anyone would look at her the same way.

Until now.

Katara opened her mouth to reveal the truth, but at that moment, Sokka stepped in partially between them. He gave his younger sister a look, silently telling her not to say another word. And for once Katara listened to her older brother.

With one final look of anger and eyes full of spite, the girl turned on her feet and walked away.

No sooner had she disappeared from view when Orora felt her legs tremble. She would've collapsed onto the floor if Sokka hadn't reached out to wrap and arm around her waist to keep her standing. "Easy there, come here, sit." He urged, gently guiding her towards one of the flatter rocks. Orora barely noticed as she tried to focus on her breathing, trying to calm her heart and mind as they raced ahead. Sokka crouched in front of her, a worried look in his eyes as he gripped her hands in comfort.

It took a few minutes for her breathing to even out, and once it did, Sokka finally spoke. "You good?" He asked, the concern evident in his eyes. She gave a small nod, pulling one hand from his grasp and cradling her head by pressing her forehead against it.

"Spirits! Whats wrong with me?" She muttered. "I was always so good at locking away my emotions and not feel anything for weeks but now its like I can barely keep my emotions in check." Raising her head to look at her brother, Orora bit her lip. "Am I weak now? Is that what this is? I have a weak heart?"

Sokka shook his head, squeezing the one hand he held as he smiled gently at his sister. "You're not weak Orora. You're one of the strongest people I know. And I've traveled almost the whole world, so that's saying something."

His attempt to lighten the mood had the older girl giving a small smile. "Even the strongest of people get overwhelmed sometimes Orora. And you were bound to be." He patted her hand in an affectionate manner. "The best way to unburden yourself is to let it all out and talk to the people involved."

She opened her mouth to say something, but Sokka held up his hand, stopping her. "Katara is right on her part to stay on guard. She nearly lost her soulmate because of his betrayal. Yes, I know about her and Aang even though no one has told me, I don't have that detective hat for nothing you know." Briefly smiling at her disgruntled look, he continued with a more serious face.

"But I am happy for you Orora, because now you have your soulmate on the same side of the war. And sure, he has a long road ahead of him to prove himself, but from what I have seen, in just a day, he is going to give it his all." Sokka grinned. "Mostly because I can see just how much he cares about you."

Trying hard not to blush, and failing, Orora bit her lower lip, before sighing. "I'll have to talk to Zuko when he gets back won't I?" Her response had Sokka nodding. "Yeah, and I know you're both at ends right now, but maybe after that talk, things won't be as tense."

The girl nodded, pursing her lips and exhaling softly. "You're right. We should all try to move forward, and focus on ending this war once and for all." Sokka frowned. "That's not what I-"

But Orora cut him off as she stood, pulling him to stand with her. "Thank you Sokka." She said, smiling at him before pulling him in for a hug, after which she walked off, leaving a rather confused watertribe boy behind.

After a moment he shook his head. "And they say I'm oblivious." He muttered to himself, making a mental note to talk to Zuko before Orora had the chance.

                                            ————————–

Surprisingly it was the hunger that got to them rather then the boredom.

Being glued to the ceiling with nothing to do but stare at the changing sky above did tend to get rather tedious. However, Zuko and Aang entertained themselves, after multiple failed attempts to escape their trap, by simply talking.

"So you're telling me that Orora joined in on the scamming thing?" Zuko asked, once Aang had finished relating the entire tale to the firebender. The boy nodded as he smiled. "Yup! She even came up with a couple of scams with Toph. Pretty good ones too." He added with a chuckle.

Curiosity burned in him as he frowned thoughtfully, trying to picture Orora actually going along with all of that. "I remember she used to tell me off for stealing stuff while we traveled through the Earth Kingdom." He revealed with a nostalgic smile. Aang hummed.

"Well she did urge us to stop once we had enough money for supplies and stuff. And she didn't join in after the first day, so yeah, maybe that Orora you hung out with came back." It was strange to think of what she had gotten up to while traveling with Aang and the others. In Zuko's mind she had been with him since he had been seeing her everywhere.

Zuko frowned. "She was probably too worried about me to actually do something fun while were traveled together." He stated, his voice full of remorse. He did remember her being worried about them all the time. Not so much as herself but more his Uncle and him. "Oh come on, I'm sure you both had some fun." Aang's cheerful voice cut through his gloomy thoughts. Despite how uncomfortable his current position was, Zuko was glad Aang couldn't see his face as he blushed, thoughts of what fun he had Orora had gotten up to flashed through his mind.

"And people do tend to worry about their other half when there is danger involved." Aang attempted to shrug, but the glue stopped his efforts. "I mean, Katara and I worry about one another all the time."

A brief moment of silence passed before Zuko finally asked. "So you've known Katara for this long and neither of you have talked about being soulmates?" He was curious how the both of them could walk around and not acknowledge something so......significant. Sure he and Orora had tried to deny it in the beginning but fate had other plans.

Aang grimaced. "It just never seemed like the right time." He finally revealed, the reason sounding stupid, even to his ears. He heard Zuko let out a sound of disbelief.

"Oh so going into battle with a low chance of survival wasn't a good time?" He said, the sarcasm evident in his tone which had Aang jumping to his own defense.

"Well I did kiss her before it all started." The young Avatar stated in a proud tone which only prompted Zuko to roll his eyes.

"And yet you still haven't talked about it, have you?"

Silence followed his question, before a small grumpy voice responded with a simple:

"No." Came the dejected response.

This time Zuko shook his head, his gaze following a cloud as it floated above. "Agni, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." He muttered under his breath, prompting Aang to purse his lips in anger and take a metaphorical swing at his friend.

"Oh! Like your situation is any better." Alright, so maybe it was a low blow, but Aang had to admit, he did feel a little anger towards Zuko for what he had done to his older sister. And as her self-proclaimed younger brother, who also happened to be the Avatar, it was his duty to make sure she didn't get hurt. Again.

Even though it wasn't much of an argument, Zuko still tried to make his point. "At least Orora and I know that we're soulmates."

In response, his friend rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? And has that done any good to either of you?" He heard Zuko take a breath, ready to response, but Aang continued to speak, cutting him off. "I mean you saved her and leave, only to attack her before helping her again and taking her with you. Then you betray her and then change sides, save her again and now where do you two stand?"

Shocked silence followed his words. Zuko had suspected that Orora had told her friends about what had happened between them, but he hadn't been aware of just how much. He wandered if she had told them about the more intimate moments they had shared and how their relationship had begun to shift.

Clearing his throat, the young Prince, once again, tried to make an argument. "Well its more complicated when you say it like that."

A beat of silence.

"I know you can't see me right now, but just know, I'm giving you a look." Came Aang's voice, full of sarcasm, a trait Zuko had no idea the young boy even possessed.

Still he shook his head. "Okay, so I admit I've made a lot of mistakes when it comes to the whole soulmate thing, but I'm gonna make up for all of it. I don't plan on giving up."

His words came out with as much conviction as he could muster. Not to mention the tone of his words had Aang frowning in thought. "You really mean that?" He asked.

"Look, I know I've said that I changed side because I wanted to help you, but I would be lying if I didn't include that a major part of my changing was because of Orora." The teenager sighed. "She once told me, that I should find my reason for living, but she never said I couldn't find two reasons. The first one being ending the war and restoring balance to the world and the second reason is......her. Just her."

To say Aang was a little stunned would be an understatement.

A sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of his being echoed in the clearing. "I just need to make her see that she's my reason." He said, his voice dejected and sorrowful.

Though it was difficult, Aang managed to move his head enough so he could catch a glimpse of Zuko's face. Or at least the side of it.

"You promise never to break her heart again?" He asked, to which Zuko shook his head, as much as he was able to.

"I would rather give up my firebending then break her heart again." That was a very serious proclamation. Even saying something like that out loud was considered bad luck, and yet Aang found it was exactly what he needed to hear to make up his mind.

"Then I'll help you win her back." He said, smiling when he saw Zuko's eye widen in surprise. "You'll really help me?" The firebender asked, his voice full of disbelief.

Aang turned his gaze towards the sky again, thinking of the girl who had become such an important person in his life. "I just want Orora to be happy. She's like a sister to me, but she will be stubborn. Not to mention she has the tendency to lock her emotions for a long time. I just hate to see her destroy her chance at happiness. Besides, its never good to always live in anger, as you've already done. No offense."

"None taken."

"She deserves to be happy," The airbender stated firmly. "Especially after all that shes been through."

"I just want her to be happy." Came Zuko's voice. "Even if she doesn't accept our bond, I just want her to be happy."

And that was when Aang knew, Zuko's feelings for Orora went beyond simple affection. The realization had the Avatar smiling to himself, hoping that Orora would recognize her own feelings for her soulmate and just be happy.

                                            ————————–

She spent the rest of the day alone.

It helped that everyone kept their distance, but it also helped that she decided to walk away under the guise of exploring the Temple on her own. The silence was welcoming and honestly, she had needed the respite. After all that had happened in quick succession, one after the other, Orora had barely had any time to really sift through her thoughts and just be by herself.

Meditation, her Master had taught her, was the key to discovering self and gaining control over one's emotions.

And so that was what she did.

Luckily for her, she found a hall that would suit to her needs. It was big and airy, with plenty of light. But the best part was the giant fountain bubbling away in the center. There were several smaller ones as well and she remembered The Duke telling her how Teo had managed to fix the mechanism that made it work and now the fountain bubbled away as it had done a hundred years ago.

She looked around, admiring the architecture and the simple splendor of it all. The Air Nomads truly were amazing architects, she mused to herself, sitting down at the edge of the fountain and looking at the clear water.

Had her mind been at ease, she would've admired everything even more.

But for now, the young waterbender simply crossed her legs underneath her. Reaching up, she pulled her hair free, allowing the mid-length dark brown locks to settle around her shoulders. Settling her hands in her lap, one above the other, the young girl took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The sound of her element calmed her, and slowly her breath evened out as she began to delve deeper into her meditative state, loosing herself to her mind, heart and soul.

                                            ————————–

"Well now that we have our firebending." Aang said with a cheerful smile. "What say you and I get started on our lessons?" He asked his thoroughly distracted teacher who was looking around the small group that had greeted them upon their return.

"Where's Orora?" Zuko asked, not finding the girl anywhere. He had noticed her absence as soon as they had arrived, but had only just voiced his concern. "She discovered the fountain Teo fixed up in the eastern part of the Temple and went back to it straight after breakfast." Toph revealed. "She's actually been there almost all the time since you two left. Only coming back at night for dinner and to sleep." The younger girl added. They'd all wanted to see what was wrong, but Sokka had told them not to interfere. He had explained to Toph what had happened, and she wasn't really happy with Orora isolating herself like that. The last time she had done it, her older sister had nearly lost herself.

Worry gnawed at his chest, as Zuko glanced down at his finger where his glowing blue string was leading him towards her. Without another word, he began to walk in the direction Toph had just mentioned, his every step determined as he walked further and further into the Temple.

As he drew closer to the hall, he could hear the sound of water. His string tightened and he knew it was the right hall. Turning the corner, he walked towards the door, entering the large room and stopping at the threshold.

Orora was there, standing in the middle of the fountain, fully clothed, and going through a rather intricate waterbending move. Even from here he could see the concentration on her face and he didn't want to break it.

It took her a few minutes before she finally stopped, bringing herself to a halt with a deep exhale, her palms down in front of her. It was then that he moved forward, walking further into the room even as she started another waterbending form.

"Hey," Zuko greeted over the sound of the water splashing and the fountain gurgling away. "Aang and I just came back and I wandered where you were."

"I've been here." She responded, her voice calm, never once breaking her stance as her arms circled around in front of her, creating a bubble of water that was a perfect sphere.

Clearing his throat Zuko nodded. "Well, I've got good news. I got my firebending back, and Aang learned it too." She finally looked up to meet his gaze.

But only briefly, before she returned to her water sphere, which she was now splitting into multiple smaller ones.

"That's good news." She responded. "Now you can start with your firebending lessons."

Zuko frowned, having expected more of a reaction from her then what she was giving him. "We learned to firebend from the masters." He added, hoping to surprise her with the existence of dragons. "You won't believe who they were."

As she transformed the water spheres into spheres of ice, Orora turned away from him. "I'm sure nothing you can say would surprise me."

Finally he sighed, frustration seeping into his tone as he spoke. "So is this how its going to be? You barely speaking to me?" He asked, deciding that maybe the best way to get through to her would be to stop tip-toeing around her.

"I've found that the best way for me to move forward is to keep my interactions with you brief." She revealed, despite the fact the words felt heavy on her tongue and even heavier on her heart.

Zuko scowled, arms coming up to cross over his chest. "You never had any problem hiding your feelings before, so why can't you just come out and say what you are feeling. I can't read your mind Orora, so you'll have to help me out in understanding whats going on in your mind." He paused after his outburst, looking at her where she still had her back turned to him. "We used to-" His voice broke as he bit on his lower lip before picking up again. "We came to a point where we talked about everything Orora. Can't you bring yourself to share what you're feeling with me like you once did?"

He saw her shoulders tense, saw her her entire demeanor shifted. Zuko knew her long enough to read her body language, and in that moment he knew, she was beginning to loose her grip on her emotions. She turned, and for the first time since had had arrived, Zuko noticed her hair was down.

"If you really want to know." She said after a brief length of silence, her ice spheres still floating around her as she kept her arms lifted. "I'm angry, frustrated and sad."

Zuko nodded. At least she was talking to him. "And I guess all those feelings are targeted towards me." It was more of a statement then a question, still the look that followed confirmed his guess.

The boy nodded in understanding. "In that case, why don't you take it out on me."

Silence.

"What?"

He dropped his arms at his sides to appear as non-threatening as he could. "Come on. I promise I won't fight back, and I'll stay on the defensive."

She rolled her eyes at him, turning away once more. "I'm not going to do that Zuko." She responded, trying to shut him out. Of course, he wouldn't let her.

"Come on, I'm offering you a chance to just let loose." He urged her. Maybe if she had an outlet, he would have a better chance of actually gaining her trust again.

"No Zuko." She responded firmly.

"Just let it out Orora."

"Just leave Zuko."

"I can handle it." His voice was beginning to get louder.

And she matched his tone. "I said no."

"Look we have to work this out somehow." He burst out, his voice echoing against the walls and the water. "We can't just ignore each other. But if my being here makes you uncomfortable I can camp somewhere else. Aang can always come to me for firebending lessons."

He would do anything, anything to make her happy. Even if it meant removing himself form her life. Zuko knew it would have a very very negative impact on him.

But he didn't care.

Not when it came to her.

His string glowed bright and blue, though what caught his attention was when her side of the string glowed a crimson red.

Just as a water whip flew through the air and he barely created a pillar of fire to block it.

Though why did she break?

Why finally let go of the emotions she had worked so hard to regain control over through meditation over the last few days?

Because the thought of him sitting alone and friendless was what finally broke something in her.

Later Orora could never really remember what happened. How many times she attacked him and how many times he deflected her.

She had no idea when the others arrived, standing at the threshold with Aang and Sokka both holding Katara and Toph back from intervening.

What she did remember, was when she began to scream at him.

"You left me." The words echoed against the bare walls as she threw an ice disk at him.

Zuko jumped out of its way, landing on his feet. "I'm sorry." He shouted back, his features set in a look of anguish at what she said next.

"You broke my heart and you just left." Sokka tried not to feel just how true the words rang for him as he thought of Suki captive somewhere. "How could you do that to me?" An icicle shot through the air.

"I regretted it!" He twisted out of the way of the incoming projectile. "I regretted it as soon as I did it." Though her moves were starting to shift back towards the basic they were only growing in speed and viciousness.

Orora gritted her teeth, her face appearing almost unrecognizable with the amount of anger and utter anguish that she was feeling in that moment. "I'm your soulmate, was I not enough for you?" She paused, coming to a standstill in the middle of the room.

"No that's not it." Panting for breath Zuko stood opposite her, just a few paces away.

"Then what?" She roared, getting ready to attack him again.

His voice raised to match her volume as he finally revealed. "I thought you were leaving with your friends."

She faltered, her eyes widening and the water dropping to the ground where she'd been getting ready to strike. "How could you think that? I would never have left you." Whatever small pause she had taken ended the next moment when she created a wave that flew towards him. Zuko spun on his feet, creating a whirlpool of fire to protect him that dissipated her water wave.

"I know that now." He responded, straightening up. "I was just scared. I was scared of loosing you."

The revelation only seemed to make her angrier, as her attacks began to get sloppy yet stronger. Never before had Toph felt two heartbeats so in sync and yet frantic. "You went back to your family. The people who hurt you."

"I didn't realize it then, but I had to." The firebender cried out, doing his best to evade her attacks as best as he could. "I had to face them one last time. Confront them about all they had done."

Silently urging Zuko on, Aang hoped he would reveal everything to her. And then he did. "But all the time I was there you were always on my mind Orora." The young Prince revealed. "I told you, I didn't stop thinking about you. You were always there with me."

Katara frowned, her anger starting to replace her worry as she took in the way Orora's attacks kept changing in brutality and speed. And they were, as Zuko was beginning to find it harder and harder to defend himself against her attacks.

"Fight back!" Orora screamed as she threw a large sphere of ice in his direction which exploded into sharp icicles as it neared him.

Bringing up a wall of fire and burning the ammunition, Zuko shook his head. "No! I won't fight you!"

She paused, her entire body trembling, her eyes ablaze. "Fight back you coward!"

"No!" His voice was firm and true. "I won’t hurt you Orora." He watched as she closed her eyes, as if she were trying to block out the sound of his voice just by doing so. So he spoke even louder. "I’ve hurt you enough. And I will never hurt you again!"

A scream of sheer anger and heartbreak rang through the air, as Orora flung her arms behind her to create twin water whips. "Fight back!"

The first water whip, he was able to dodge. However, the second proved to be impossible.

A loud grunt of pain escaped him when the strength behind her attack caught him in the chest, sending him flying into the wall just next to the doorway.

For a moment he had his very breath knocked out of him, before he slid to the floor. He tried to get up, but barely got to his knees when he collapsed again, groaning in pain.

"Zuko!"

Her eyes were wide, her breathing ragged, and a horrifying fear she had never known before raged through her body as she stood there frozen, staring at the unmoving figure of her soulmate.

Aang, Sokka, Katara and Toph were the first to reach him, crowding around him.

"He's alright, I can feel his heartbeat." Toph responded, as Sokka laid him down on his back while Katara moved to pull water from her water skin.

But his hand darted out, pushing away Katara's offer to heal him. "No. I don't want to be healed." He said, his voice conveying how much pain he felt. Aang straightened. "Well maybe Orora can-" He trailed off as he looked around.

"Where'd she go?"

For as soon as she'd heard Zuko's voice, the young waterbender had raced out of the room. With tears blurring her vision and her heart all but in a million pieces, she ran until she collapsed.

Where?

She did not know.

And then she just cried.

Fully aware of how his string had not lost it's color despite what had happened.

Then again, neither had hers.

                                           ————————–

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[choking-on-ice]

Ok, so I've seen the latest episode. Not willing to spoiler it if you haven't seen it yet, but I do want to know your thoughts if you did see it. Currently working on ideas with it. Mostly involving Lex.

Spoilers for S2E9 of MAwS

- I was so happy to see Lex outside for the first time in the show, good for him

- I've been secretly praying for more Steve + Jimmy content and I absolutely SCREAMED

- Steve implying that his wolf mural represents him and Jimmy made my day

- Steve giving Kara such a solid casual af pep talk was perfect to me

- I feel like this ep is a great potential to have Lex's "turning point" in a fic or something. Like seeing everything go wrong and Lex helping spring Jimmy bc he realizes he fucked up, or just straight up jumping ship on Wallace when Jimmy gets arrested

- I'm hoping Jimmy's phone still live streaming Wallace wasn't just a throw-away plot device, bc so many people would have seen that and I'd like to see her pulled into the spotlight

- Jimmy attempted to use kryptonite against Brainiac-Clark in the previous ep, I could picture a lil team-up scene as he explains to Lex why it won't work

- Jimmy yet again displaying the emotional availability and communication skills that like 90% of the cast woefully lack (no shade, love them stubborn shits)

- Super Lois was dope, and the world would absolutely not be safe if she got to keep all that power lmao

- something about this episode activated my lil gremlin brain that wants to see my faves all angsty and sad:

- Lex thinking Jimmy's gonna die and it will be all his fault and how he'll never be able to face Kara.

- Jimmy thinking his failed plans led Kara and his friends to their doom and believing one of his biggest failures was never reaching Lex and pulling him out of Wallace's clutches.

- Kara finally has something to fight for only to fail at the hands of both her Father and Lex's robots, all while her fragile Jimmy is left to watch her defeat from the sidelines

- the Daily Planet showing up to save them made me so happy, these goofy journalists are more helpful than literally any cop or government official

[lazysublimeengineer]

I'm just glad that Kubo has a direct supervision of his work now.

We've got an additional 12 minute fight of Ichigo and Uryu which is not present on his manga due to him being rushed and overworked by the management in the past.

The overall management and manga industry in Japan should take notes. They shouldn't rush the authors in a weekly deadline.

Yes it's all about business and capitalism.

But you should take care of your ARTISTS.

Authors, mangakas, animators and other artists in general.

Their talent and creativity is what brings them money in their business.

The least they could do is to take care of the well-being and mental health of their artists and employees.

I'm just really glad that Kubo is doing okay now and has a direct say in the animation of his own work.

The fight scenes between Ichigo and Uryu is cool and dope af.

[stephland]

apparently this is a wild opinion but I watched ep 1-5 of the Acolyte show and so far its.... good. I don't understand the frankly insane amount of hate. like yeah, I could nitpick a few things, but overall its just solid. At this point I'm convinced people hate to have fun and be entertained lol

also the fight scenes/choreography are all just dope af and the hand to hand in particular is amazing. seeing jedi actually show some hand to hand fight skills??? chef's kiss.

[melonpalooza]

🍦🐝

Hi melon! :) hope you're having a good night.

hi ammo!!!

the emoji combination is so cute

🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate

asdasdasd my first reaction was shredder but then hisoka from hxh took over my brain with such vitriol. so hisoka it is:

he's strong. his unpredictability and personality were positive points in my book. idk i like it when a character doesn't take things seriously but they're strong enough to not be obnoxious

sticks to his clown theme. (never strayed from it an i appreciate the commitment)

he makes the scenes he's in interesting. less so when he got a fucking boner while fighting gon. the story writes it in a way that's like "oh he's attracted to gon's power" but he still finding attraction in a kid so he got on my shit list like super fast lmao

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

@awzominator you're such a talented artist! you art always make me smile. and although you might not think so but your writing is good too! i enjoy reading your work :)

@raphaelesbian your insights on the oroku family honestly change my ways on how i view them. your media observations and comprehension are dope af.

@doctaaaaaaaar you're so chill and talented! writing with you is a blast and no one can stop us.

[takibikaen]

My top 5 Bleach women and why I love them: Part 1

(Some of this based on what makes them awesome, or how they're written. Also, this is Part 1 of the entire post, so it'll only show the first 3 characters, due to Tumblr's limit on how many links/media I can use.)

5/5. Ikumi Unagiya \~ Owner of Unagiya Shop

Why?

It’s an unique choice since she doesn’t get that much screen time compared to the others but I really think she’s got a fun personalty and somewhat of a good adult character in a shonen manga that doesn’t have many adults that’ll be there for the MC on an emotional level.

In the Fullbringer arc, she’s one of the only adults in Ichigo’s life who tries to be there for him even with her unawareness of shinigami and hollows. Ikumi still reminds him that he is a kid and he should be able to rely on her, and I think it’s really profound that she says this but Ichigo hasn’t ever really believed in that for most of his life.

Another underrated moment is her getting Ginjo to stop subtly upsetting Ichigo and made him leave her shop. Ginjo wasn’t even a villain at this point but Ikumi still knew the questions he was saying about Ichigo’s dad and his family were screwing with Ichigo’s mind. Maybe I’m giving her too much credit for being a reliable adult for a shonen manga, however it still puts her in my list.

Even in the TYBW arc, she’s still there to be a form of stability to Ichigo who goes through hell before visiting her. Her personality between a dependable, intuitive adult and a stubborn woman who kidnaps teenage employees in broad daylight is what stands out to me as a character.

4/5. Tier Harribel \~ Tres Espada

Why?

Her whole look with the jacket and the hollow mask is honestly pretty cool to see in the series and her serious, calm personality is nice to see among the Espada. Plus her motif as the ‘Espada of Sacrifice’ adds a whole new layer of her concern for her Fraccion, like Nel who was the former 3rd. Her sword release is also dope, “Tiburon”.

In the Arcancar arc, she only gets one main fight (which she got done dirty on) and then gets betrayed by Aizen, but at least I have to appreciate the moments throughout the arc that build her character.

Again, it’s really rare here to see an Arcancar care about their own considering the whole process of Hollows devouring each other from Menos Grande - Adgjunchas - Vasto Lordes. Plus, having the balls to go up to Head-Captain Yamamoto and say you’ll avenge your subordinates is pretty insane.

There is no world without sacrifice. Are you unaware? We are in a sea of blood, ashes floating in hell crying the name of a fading world. - Bleach Vol. 42

The series could have used her more outside of the Arcancar arc but in TYBW arc, she was the ruler of Hueco Mundo and saved Nel & friends from Yhwach. However, they forgot about her for the rest of the TYBW arc which I’m hoping the anime will fix, maybe adding a scene. In the timeskip, she’s adjusted to the role of it all and looks OP af, I personally love this look on her.

Appearance-wise, it’s obvious how stunning how she is honestly.

I used to think “Harribel” was her first name but Tier is actually her first name.

https://twitter.com/jessjessdraws - Artist who drew the Harribel sketch on bottom right panel.

3/5. Unohana Retsu \~ Squad 4 Captain and First Kenpachi

Why?

Almost every Bleach fan loves Unohana but besides the obvious mommy vibe she gives, I really appreciate the dual traits she's had. I really love how she’s a healing captain whose committed to the Gotei 13, and how it’s revealed later that she was one of the original Gotei 13 and the First Kenpachi. The way she holds herself from the beginning of her debut to her death, she always been caring to those she healed and worked with but held a intimidating demeanor around her.

Battle is everything - Bleach Vol. 59

Kubo’s character design is something that took me a while to realize there’s certain symbolism in it. Unohana’s mainstream design is much more meaningful when you find out the core of her character and how she started. The braid she puts her hair in resembles chains that Unohana put on herself to hide away her past of immense bloodlust as the First Kenpachi like the scar on her chest.

At the core of her character, fighting is everything to her considering the environment she’s grown in. The Soul Society and Yamamoto has harnessed her strength and killing prowess for the sake of protecting their interests. One of the themes of Bleach is the “The Heart” where many characters and groups have revolved around the belief of what the heart means to them. Unohana’s role in TYBW shows how her heart is centered around fighting and how her sin is the foundation of her persona as the kindhearted, healing Captain of Squad 4.

I always heard criticism about how Unohana got centered around Kenpachi and got killed for Kenpachi’s development, but I point to the overall themes of the story and how shinigami like Unohana who had to fight harshly to survive in the Rukon district. They often centered or associated themselves around another person who brings a feeling, emotion or sensation within them, that drives them to do actions in a story.

Learning healing kido to extend a fight for who knows how long is a pretty unique concept for the whole medical character trope. It’s so riveting to me that even through healing others, Unohana was helping the other shinigami live on for another fight which is something Kenpachi advocated to Ikkaku, besides doing her job. In her final battle, she was doing that not for Kenpachi but for the sake of the Soul Society’s survival. Thus, her heart and purpose might be with Kenpachi now, but she found meaning outside of her original role for centuries, and briefly enjoyed peace from being a fighter of bloodlust until the Wandenreich arrived.

@Mak_ai_ on Twitter is the artist who made the Unohana art with grey-black backgrounds and @srkbom108 on Twitter made the Unohana art that has red backgrounds to it. Check them out!

Bottom left art by @joranz1204 on Twitter and bottom right art by @Mak_ai_ on Twitter

Made by @rakusakugk on Twitter. Sorry about the whole art dump in this answer but I couldn’t help it lol, there’s just so much good Unohana art on the Internet, also I own none of the fan art here.

Hope you enjoyed it so far! Here's Part 2 of the post!

My top 5 Bleach women and why I love them: Part 2

Also, talking about her themes

Check me out on Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kirun-Uzumaki

[criminal-sen]

So I had the weirdest idea at work today.. was thinking about how I'm trying so hard to get better at a manga style of drawing.. then also was thinking how cool Mayuri vs Bount is.. and how it sucks there's no manga version since it's a filler arc...

Guyyysssss!!!! Wouldn't it be dope if I manga-ized that fight???? Cmon you KNOW it would be dope af, that fight Fucks start to finish and the only thing holding it back is the cheapo quality of the animation. Not to sound egotistical but I KNOW I can draw Mayuri better than he looks in some of those scenes. The bar is low!!! Is what I am saying!!! Plus Mayuri gets arm blown off AND half his torso blown off in that fight, meaning I would get to draw gore>:3 Really it would be such a blast to draw, I just know it😩

[flannelepicurean]

OMG, Homie O'Stacies... Had another one of them wild-ass, dumbass dreams, and I'm gonna tell you about it. 😂

Our guys. Our dudes. Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta. And I think Krillin and Yamcha. They were in some kind of "we have to break into Lumpy Space but also survive there long enough to find the thing we came here for and break back out" scenario. Except it wasn't Lumpy Space, it was kinda like...the Jersey Shore and also one of those out of control parties at Jesse Pinkman's house. But the whole fucking city.

And the rules were the same; the stakes were high, because the longer they stayed in Doucheville, the higher the chance was that they'd turn into party animals and forget the mission and get trapped there and all sorts of terrible things.

And it was getting down to the wire. People were like... "recognizing" them, but not as themselves, just calling them by their personas that they would become if they stayed there. And they were like, slapping Solo cups out of each other's hands and getting all sweaty and frantic like, "NO, GUYS, COME ON, STAY FOCUSED!" "I CAN'T, THERE'S TOO MUCH GLITTER!" "NO! STAY FOCUSED, DAMMIT, WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT! WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT HOOOOOME!!!"

And shit got dire, and they realized they weren't gonna be able to retrieve the thing and make it out without a man on the inside or something. And Piccolo was like, "...I gotta do it. I have to." And everyone was all like, "Piccolo...Piccolo, NOOOOOO!!!" And he went into a total fighting-the-werewolf-transformation thing in the storm of lamentation, and was like, "I have to! If we're gonna make it out of here...I...I gotta...I gotta become TallBoi! RRRAAAAAHHHHHH..."

Next thing you know, Pickle's blasting onto the scene in like...a skin-tight vinyl crop-top and some gold parachute pants and a sideways snapback covered in disco ball mirrors or some shit and the most obnoxious sunglasses you ever seen.

TallBoi.

TALLBOI.

And I... I do not care. I know everything worked out in the end, I know this in my heart. But I stan TallBoi. You KNOW he was like the kale & kush smoothie of Snoop Dogg and Ludacris, and Flavor Flav was his uncle. You KNOW he stepped on the scene like, "Let's fuck it up, sluggies," and EVERYBODY fuckin' SCREAMED. You know he was tending bar and cheatin' at flip-cup and doing all sorts of stupid shit with his stretchy arms. You know he started trends for antenna jewelry. He probably recorded and released an album THAT NIGHT, and it was dope AF, and Piccolo hates the fact that he still loves some of those tracks because they are 🔥🔥🔥. He still has tracks from "TallBoi: Pour it Down Ya Throat" on his workout mix.

Vegeta is not allowed to listen to any of it. For multiple reasons.

Anyway.

TallBoi

[judzea]

As a person who writes, reads and thinks about spidypool all the time I have complicated feelings about Deadpool 3 I think others like me can relate to.

I saw @thefuzzyaya talking about it and I felt their feelings.

I have read allot of comics for these characters and even more fics and they mean too much to me. But I also don't wanna b a hater so I am gonna ramble my negative feelings with a positive after each one because there were positives.

Wade was not queer enough. Sorry I know we knew this would happen but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. Yes Wade was horney for Logan like allot. But it was also so saturated with jokes about it so it somehow didn't feel real. Again centralising Vanessa made all the jokes about Logan come across as wild and un serious when we all know Wade in fact is 100% serious about it. For a movie so open about gay sex jokes it never one has a genuine moment of affection between those two men that could be read as romantic even one sidedly. Did I need them to kiss (one on the cheek would have been very in character tho) no. Did I need them to show actual care for eachother just a little yes.

On the other hand I love that they didn't shy away form the hot for Logan jokes Wade did feel like a stand in for the female audience they were trying to market to with the sexulisation of Logan. This is huge I fully admit to this.

Wades physicality. One of the best things about Wade being made live action was being able to see his crazy body language and physical humor. Ryan truly embodied this in dp1. He is a character with a variety of body languages that can go from crazy funny over the top jokes to overly effeminate and fun and queer to deeply intimidating and down to bissnuess. His body language is over the too because a he is and because he is in a full suit they do that to express themselves though the mask (look at andrews performance in spiderman with a mask that has still eyes he compensates). I felt in dp3 for some reason this was lacking mabye because Logan was a focus or just so much dialogue that there were more face shots idk but I did notice it.

Highlights where his physicality did show, the Honda scene, the pole dancing in the end dp vs dps fight and the gay clap at the end for dog pool.

Deadpool was not scary. Deadpool is scary. I love him and one of his best features is that when it comes down to it and he needs to be he can be intimidating as fuck. Can be scary. He is funny sure. But he is also a killing machine with rage issues. In his last 2 films he has had great moments when he shows he is very capable of being serious and scary. Dp3 lacked this never once did I feel Wade was a competent and potentially scary character. Which I think is key to dp being dp.

I think they upped his flexibility factor in the fights and a I loved it. There were some great shining moments when dp did some dope af tricks in fights that were both skilled and more flexible than we had seen him before. As Ryan renolds is more slim than dp is on most comics I think makes sense for him to be like this. Added nice juxtaposition to Logan fighting style.

Motive. What even was it. The last 2 moves for this version of Wade have a clear follow through of theme and motive for Wade. He is trying to figure out where he fits in the world. What his motives are and what he wants to do with the powers he gained in the worst ways. Dp 2 is about him comming to terms with the kind of hero he wants to be. The kind that kills when he deems needed and saves when he thinks he should. It was frankly a great take on him for me personally. But him fucking with that by bringing Vanessa back irritated me to no end. And the way they used her in this film even more. It is bad enough to fridge a great female character but to then use her like this was so odd. Why would a woman who married a mercenary try to make him a hero. Why would Wade try to be normal at all that was never him. How the fuck did him keeping her alive not create a new universe or some shit. Just don't get me started on the universe time travel time lines not lining up shit. Bottom line is Wade wanting to save his peope sure makes sense they in no way needed to add the relationship drama too it. It cheapened his motives and Vanessa's bring back if u r going to keep him In a relationship to keep the boys afraid of queer dp satisfied fine. Then don't fucking break them up.

I enjoy Wade tring to be a hero and being crap at it. It is one of my favourite stores Wade can tell. What happens when someone with issues as bad as Wade tries to do the right thing. Where is the line between vigilante, anti hero and hero? It is so fun to play with. And I like that Wade is still struggling with it.

Sexism. None of the deadpol moves pass the bechtial test. I know this. But did the first dp movie have a character who was both a stripper the love interst but still a fun lovable female character yes. Did it have a female villan who was cool and not in a bikini yes did it have a dope as sassy as teenager I loved yes. Did deadpool 2 have a cool as hell additional character that was plot relevant fun and a woman of colour yes! Dp3 had a female villain I will give it that. But she was both the main villain and a secondary one it was weird. The other women were 2 cameos that were very in conecuencual and the love intest being used as the motivator for the man again. Boring over done motivate yourself you don't need a woman breaking up with you for that.

Ultimately whilst I understand the appeal of a fun time I am very done with hero movies being nothing more than a fun silly time. I wanna cry in hero movies again. I wanna be shocked. I wanna feel the need to rewatch over and over again to notice new little details. Deadpool 3 is none of these things for me

[cheemken]

do u watch anime? any u cn suggest?

I don't watch a lot of stuff anymore so I just read the manga but here are some that I've watched/read that I think are pretty dope hahah

•Chainsaw Man

•Spy x Family

•Im in love with the villainess (this one's really really dope since it talks abt gender and sexuality and god it made me cry too cnmdnd)

•Sousou no Frieren (this one's my fave atm it's so dope you should go watch/read it)

•Campfire cooking in another world

•The Ancient Magus' Bride

•Sk8 the Infinity

•Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (tho I haven't read the manga for this one, the second season fight scenes were dope af)

•Hitman Reborn

•To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts

[saltinekryze]

ahsoka 1x08 (finale!!) liveblog / post-mortem

under a cut because a) i have a lot of thoughts, and b) i finally updated my tumblr app and i can do that on mobile now

in the recap where thrawn talked about “wren and bridger” as a team and there was a shot of them grasping each others’ wrists mid-fight, the epitome of trust and partnership — chef’s kiss. i luv them

“even i fell victim to the heroics of a single jedi” yeah thrawn you better give ezra his flowers

the nightsister ritual is cool af. i’m still wondering why morgan elsbeth looked mostly human in the first place. is she generations removed from the nightsister line?

“the blade emitter is too narrow” lmao was that a nod to the criticism about how the lightsabers in rebels looked skinny

ANOTHER KANAN MENTION

“HE TAUGHT ME EVERYTHING I KNOW” 😭😭😭

EZRA’S USING THE SAME EMITTER AS KANAN AND USING A BLUE KYBER CRYSTAL 😭😭😭😭 THERE’S ONLY TWO EMITTERS OF THAT SAME KIND. IM FINE!!!!!

oh i’m glad sabine got her helmet back. (did she get it back last ep and i just didn’t notice?)

ahsoka, sabine and ezra all fighting the troopers is VERY COOL!!! please imprint that scene onto my brain

oh it feels soooo good to see ezra fighting with a saber again

zombie troopers! oh shit!!

“what’s your excuse?” “i missed you” AWWWW I LOVE THEM ❤️❤️

“for dathomir” 🥺 idk can we get merrin and morgan to have a cup of tea together or something. can they just vibe together

yessss let diana lee inosanto’s skills shine!! major props to rosario dawson too, i can’t imagine the amount of training she undertook

ezra and sabine fighting more troopers together with lightsabers HELL YA

ezra’s nervous smile as he stabbed the night trooper PLEASEEE that is so him

so there we have it… sabine using the force…. cool moment but again dave. we don’t HAVE to make everyone force-sensitive. that being said, i do enjoy the contrast of the effort it took sabine to summon her saber vs. the ease with which ezra summoned his. different levels of force-proficiency! i suppose that’s something they’ll explore more later (in a different series or in the upcoming filoni film?)

ezra’s trust in sabine!! sabine’s trust in herself!!! THE FORCE JUMP!!! (i guess sabine really unlocked her force abilities just then. 0-100 real quick. i am still figuring out how i feel about that.)

the troopers just standing in a circle watching ahsoka and morgan fight lmao. like a cursed dance battle

SABINE CAME BACK FOR AHSOKA 😭😭😭😭 oh this is such a good moment for her character. i’m so proud of her

ezra up to his old tricks stealing stormtrooper armor and imitating voices on comms :)))

“i knew your master” sick thrawn novel reference. so where’s the chiss ascendancy

SABINE AND AHSOKA ARENT MAKING IT BACK HOME. I FEEL SICK. IM SO SAD

SABINE AND EZRA WERE FINALLY REUNITED AFTER ALL THESE YEARS AND NOW THEY’RE SEPARATED AGAIN. I AM ILL

MORAI!!!!!!

oh there’s shin. that shot of her on howler-back raising her saber? dope af

BAYLAN STANDING NEAR MORTIS GOD FIGURES???

the Daughter’s head is missing. so i guess they are setting it up so ahsoka will take her place somehow and restore the balance. she’s imbued with her spirit after all

the fuck is thrawn planning to do on dathomir?

so like. did ezra just steal a ship and sneak away? no one noticed? or cared?

DID CHOPPER RECOGNIZE EZRA FROM AFAR?? IM CRYINGGGG

“hi hera. i’m home.” THE LOOK ON HERA’S FACE ❤️❤️ EZRA’S TEARY SMILE

ahsoka telling sabine “it’s time to move on” … leave me the fuck alone. sabine HAS to get back to the ghost crew. she just has to. i cannot bear it if she never sees them and never gets to go home again. i can’t even think about it too hard

FORCE GHOST ANAKIN WATCHING THEM (sabine can sense him too so i suppose she’s officially part of The Disaster Lineage. good luck bestie)

THE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC!!!!!

i do have some bones to pick though: namely — NO ONSCREEN HERA AND EZRA HUG????? NO ONSCREEN EZRA AND JACEN MEETING??????? DOES EZRA EVEN KNOW ABOUT HIM?!!

i wish we got more of a hint of what baylan is up to. ray stevenson is a tremendous actor and his presence will be greatly missed.

i might just write an angsty fic about ezra returning to the empty communications tower sabine lived in and maintained in his absence. i’m in shambles. goodbye!

[dipstick-university]

i wanted to tell you all about how incredibly cool it was that my bf googled his old rec centre's wushu teacher and found this dope video clip of the wushu teacher in a sick chase scene filled with exacting fight choreography, jumping between cars, and a lady kicking a dude's ass in 1990. its honestly one of the best action scenes ive ever seen, but now im mad that fb MAKES YOU CLICK IT AND SIGN INTO FB INSTEAD OF SHOWING THE VIDEO LIKE A GOOD VIDEO HOST. WHY CANT WE HAVE NICE THINGS? WHY CANT THINGS JUST WORK? WHY CANT I MAKE A POST ABOUT A SINGLE TOPIC? DO YOU KNOW WHEN THINGS WENT BAD? THEY WENT BAD IN 2014 WHICH IS THE YEAR THAT THE MAJORITY OF WEB TRAFFIC SWITCHED FROM OPEN LINKS TO CLOSED APPS. APPS THAT REQUIRE SIGN INS. 2014 IS THE YEAR WE CHOOSE CONVENIENT AND BEAUTIFUL PLATFORMS OVER SHITTY HTML PAGES. AND 2014 IS ALSO THE YEAR WE CHOSE FENCES. AND NOW THAT BEAUTY AND CONVENIENCE IS GONE BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO GIVE META AND MARK FUKSUKZUKERBURG YOUR DATA TO SEE THIS COOL AF VIDEO INSTEAD OF FEASTING YOUR EYES ON IT HERE AS YOU WOULD HAVE DONE A MERE 10 OR 15 YEARS AGO ON A MORE OPEN WEB. IM SORRY IM JUST SO ANGR

[my-turtleduck]

someone reminded me that the mcu is planning to make 20+ more movies but im so so tired

[herosborn]

i rewatched bla.de once again.

[l1l1l1l1]

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2 Part 2 review - spoilers

I love Tempest and those who dwell in it. This part of the season was fun and had a couple of twists that I didn't see coming. Although the first half the these episodes were mostly meetings about their plan to defeat Clayman and how to get everyone to understand how Rimuru is now a Demon Lord, it was fun nonetheless. Velodra became one of my favs because of how funny he is in human form. It was hilarious seeing him read all those manga during those meetings. I have to say, I hate those clown people, like they just give me creepy vibes lol.

Once we were done with those meetings, the. fight scenes were dope as usual. We got to see Benimaru defeat the Charybdis in literally a second. I was also surprised to see Shuna be hella strong because we don't see that side of her. Milim vs Veldora was cool and Rimuru vs. Clayman

It was absolutely funny to see Clayman spouting bs at Walpurgis and the other demon lords just sitting there not giving af. I was surprised that Milim was never under his control but also not because I was thinking, she's one of the strongest how can that happen??

Anyway, it was a super fun to watch and see all these characters again! I almost forgot how much world building there is in this show, I love when the different monsters/nations come together in Tempest to become even stronger.

Rate: 8.3/10

[hellothisissade]

some squid game thoughts

as someone who is an avid kdrama watcher and absolutely loves the whole ppl with money making the lessers die for sport---i found squid game mid-tier af.

maybe i would feel differently if i hadn’t watched alice in borderland first, but whatever:

1. the series starts off amazing, we meet gihun who for all intents and purposes is a shit bag with a gambling addiction whose consistently poor choices keep catching up with him.

2. i guess he loves his daughter tho

3. i think it’s weird af that despite gihun’s obvious gambling addiction and incompetence as a father, his wife is low key framed as a heartless bitch for leaving him

4. GONG YOO’S CAMEO OMG the way this man can wear a fucking suit I SWEAR. he’s utterly captivating on screen, i literally couldn’t take my eyes off of him. 

5. i really loved the very first game we see gihun play as a sort of hazing into the squid game arena. it’s very telling of his state of mind how quick he was to keep playing (completely mindlessly) and how quickly he forgot about the cash reward (more focused on getting revenge). it was a GREAT scene

6. the loading, drugging, track suit distribution and red light, green light game was all dope af. really loved the use of color between the contestants, guards, and the setting. from the stark almost asylum-like nature of their “dorm room” to the candy colored and maze-like quality of the setting itself. 

7. the red light, green light game was hella iconic, i honestly dont think any other game comes close in comparison for me tho if i HAD to choose it would be tug of war. the little tightrope number that comes later was fun too.

8. at first i thought it was odd af that they were allowed to go home but it made for an interesting break to allow us to see just how desperate someone must be to enter the arena again

9. i’m sorry but i think it’s wild af how we’re lead to believe that gihun is entering the arena (again!) to save his mother when he literally leaves her for dead LOL. the reason why she wasn’t able to get medical attention is bc he kept gambling her money away. and instead of humbling himself to actually accept the money he asked his ex for on behalf of his mother, he lets his “pride” get in the way. pride in what, i can hardly imagine.

9. the gangster guy and the woman clearly there to be the residential psycho got annoying af to me REAL FAST. so incredibly one note, it was so obvious where their story was heading i rolled my eyes so hard during their sex scene. the only valid outcome would be if she slit his throat in the bathroom so i woudn’t have to suffer through that tired ass kdrama gangster archetype but ALAS that was not to be the case

10. it’s so weird how in one scene the guards dont condone fighting but in the next, just to allow the gangster guy free reign to randomly beat the shit out of ppl for profit. i feel like i need to re-watch to be sure but i swear the guards step in to breakup a fight prior so i was super confused but maybe i’m remembering it wrong.

11. HOW COULD I FORGET ALI?? i was pleasantly surprised to see migrant working representation in this show at all. and honestly ali is great. i will say tho there is a difference between being naive and being dumb and it seemed ali toed the line a little to often depending on how the writers needed him to be in order to further the plot

12. i DID NOT like how the random “crazy” woman went on a xenophobic rant against ali AND NOT A SINGLE PERSON STOOD UP FOR HIM despite the fact that he’d literally saved their lives multiple times by that point. i think it’s one thing to have a xenophobic character, a whole other thing to have the narrative SUPPORT said xenophobia through the silence of those that witness this behavior

13. same also goes for sang woo’s extremely sexist rant prior to the tug of war game. i thought FOR SURE the narrative was going to check him (like he really did take it too far) but NOOOOOOO the narrative doubles down on it by making it a game of brute strength. while in the end it was strategy that helps them win, the female characters still remain largely invisible in this game having been labeled “useless” by their male counterparts. all the clutch moments come from ali, the old man, sang woo, and gihun.

14. it’s weird in general the lack of female characters and the mediocre writing they all receive but i was really excited by seobyeok. she seems like a lead, especially given the fact that she’s the only female character we get any real backstory on. but for the most part she’s a background character. present when the plot needs her, rarely contributing to strategy. VERY resourceful (yay!!) but the second she’s no longer needed she gets randomly injured and unceremoniously murdered just to further the rage (and plot!) of her male counterparts. yikes!

15. omg i love the organ selling side plot LOL. i’m sad it ended as soon as it did. made me wish we got more perspectives from the guards given how many of them there were. 

16. how did the cop dude not die? he was so sloppy with his investigation after a while it was silly they couldnt catch him despite the eleventy million cameras in the facility. i also low key didn’t care about his story once the organ selling plot ended. i completely forgot he was looking for his brother LOL

17. i hated the marble game wow. with the fire of 1000 suns wow. i think this was the episode where squid game lost me a little. the plot armor around the gangster guy was ridiculous, he should’ve met his hubris in that game instead of subjecting us to more of his predictable ass behavior.

18. seobyeok’s scene was the only one worth my heart in the marble game. i’m sad they literally brought the other girl in for one game just to die in the next, she was so great i would’ve love to see seobyeok develop a stronger friendship with her even if she died later. sheesh! 456 contestants and only 3 women with speaking lines??? ridiculous. 

18. and idc what anybody says, sang woo’s “plan” in the marble game was such an obvious lie. it literally made no fucking sense. ali “falling” for it made him look stupid af and i’m mad he went out being made a fool of like that. i’d forgive it more if sang woo’s “plan” was even remotely believable. like damn, fool me too! but ali just ends up looking like an idiot, running around like a chicken with its head cut off as if all common sense left him when you can CLEARLY SEE IN EACH PAIR THAT ONE PERSON IS CONSISTENTLY DYING. like come tf on!

16. the moment the VIP’s open their mouths to speak is when squid game goes from intense to straight up camp. it’s just silly and incredibly difficult for me to take the games seriously from that point on. the dialogue and acting is just awful. 

17. this show had ZERO queer representation until they needed one of the VIPs to be predatory LMAO. like wow, talk about poor fucking taste

18. the actor who plays the cop is just BAD lololol. like what in the 2 facial expressions nonsense?? shoulda kept the mask on

19. the tight rope game was cool but dragged on a little too long for me. i think it’s bc the VIPs fucking suck LOL. i was REALLY looking for gangster dude to finally be revealed as a spineless fuck but NOOOOOO more bullying and intimidation. honestly so pathetic. 

20. gangster dude deserved to die due to his own failures IMO but NOOOOOO. i swear the “crazy” woman lasted as long as she did just so she could say his dick was small and some rando VIP could utter “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”. i’m sorry i rolled my eyes so hard at that scene, doesn’t she have a newborn baby?? LOLOLOL like what a pathetic way to die, sorry.

21. FRONTMAN IS LEE BYUNG HYUN??? LMAOOOOO!!! i mean what in the cameo?? it was impossible for me to see him as frontman after that “luke i am your father” moment. and the irony of byung hyun playing role is just extra rich given that he was literally blackmailed in a similar squid game story IRL. and where is she now? and where is he now? hmmmmm

22. and again i have to express my rage. seobyeok randomly getting injured by the blown up glass (literally WHY??) just to struggle eat and bleed out LMAO. and then be “mercy killed” by sang woo’s stank ass JUST to give gihun the motivation he’d need to kill sang woo?? fucking foul. the ONLY COMPETENT FEMALE CHARACTER and they couldn’t even do her the dignity of going out through a game. they literally kill her to further the plot of her male counterparts. awful

23. i mean by the time the final game comes, ngl squid game completely lost me as an audience. i just didn’t care anymore. and like who am i supposed to be rooting for anyway? the asshole sang woo who's in debt bc of a blue collar crime? or the asshole gihun who’s in debut due to a gambling addiction that literally left his own mother unable to financially take care of her sickness?

24. HOW exactly are either of them suffering at the hands of capitalism again?

25. i was so happy when the fight ended and gihun was finally ended up the victor, not bc i wanted him to win i was just tired of the psuedo-moralism he randomly developed at the very end. like give this man his money and wrap this shit up.

26. j/k he comes back home to a mother he left to die and then wallows in misery for a year even tho he promised sang woo and seobyeok (also why ali’s wife and child wasn’t important enough to include on this list is very telling but whatever) that he’d take care of their families, he becomes a drunk instead.

27. like i WANT to feel sorry for gihun bc trauma but i literally do not care. like the ONE TIME he should actually be putting others before himself and he STILL can’t do it

28. oh but look a squid game card! THAT’s what spurns him to action. not atoning for the lives lost but the concept of getting revenge...for a game...that he actively participated in...knowing that they’d kill contestants indiscriminately LOL. like i literally cant. i get why he’s angry but here he is with a second shot at life and it’s like the only change in his character is MORE TRAUMA™

29. i feel bad for seobyeok’s little brother most of all. sitting there thinking his sister abandoned him FOR A YEAR poor thing

30. i felt the scene with the old man was unnecessary and went on for too long. but then again at that point i’d lost complete interest in the show so LOL

31. i mean honestly gihun gambling AGAIN with someone’s life just to prove the old man wrong LOL. i thought he felt guilty? i thought he was traumatized? why do the writers keep trying to frame him as heroic when he’ll throw everything away to gamble EVERY. TIME.?????

32. so one midlife crises dye job later and gihun is so desperate to not be a father that he enters squid game again. for revenge or whatever LOL

*whew* my goodness, i think i needed to get that out.

like i found squid game wildly entertaining overall but the ending but absolute trash. and i just dont care enough about gihun to want more story from him, he really should’ve gotten on the plane.

i also find it interesting that ppl saw the show as a critique on capitalism when really i felt like it doubled down on it. but maybe that’s just me idk. regardless, i’m happy for the show’s success. better squid game at number one than fucking bridgerton LMAO.