#unalaq: i am better than you

[the-ravenclaw-werewolf]

I would love see that! Tho I imagine some of the more dangerous ones are more far away. Tho like is villain organization also a part of this? Because I think it be interesting to see how some of them will reaction to how the other run. For example Shigaraki actually give the League of Villains more freedom and does treat them with respect. But someone like Muzan who is a control freak over Twelve Kizuki and willing to kill them off.

It would be interesting to see different teams of antagonists interact with each other. From arguing over their ideologies to trying to defend themselves (if they do at all) with their motives/backstory(s). Not the mentions the fights, like the Twelve Kizuki vs the League of Villains. (i.e. Toga vs Daiki or Dabi vs Doma)

Disclaimer:

However I, at first, tried to bring more than one villain from the same show since not all of these here are real antagonists, but then it would make watching these other shows pointless. And there will end up being more characters to keep track of. So I, and Entity, apologize in advance to all the normal people in this list.

(But whoever picks this up, it's up to them to do just 40 antagonists or pick just a few or more.)

(And remember, ALL of this is also subject to change since this just a bunch of ideas FUNINTHEEYEOFMADNESS and I came up together on the spot.)

🚨 THIS IS ALSO ANYONE'S MINOR SPOILER WARNING JUST IN CASE! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! 🚨

Title:

The Antagonist’s Role (Some Conventional)

or something else (In the title I’m trying to convey that these people are the antagonist to the protagonist, but some only fill in that role because of convention).

Synopsis:

Spin-off fic, (non-canon), where the Entity is feeling vindictive against the antagonists of the 40's stories, so it makes another dimension kidnaps the antagonists of the 40. It doesn’t want to take those who are innocent, but there will be an imbalance to the universes if it tries to take more than one from the same dimension, (excluding the 40).

Just like MCS (WE), it will be a reaction fic to their respective stories. However, since Entity wants to rub salt into the wound, the antagonist will also be reacting to what is happening with the 40 cast, showing that they are growing, healing, and all around just doing better than they are.

Characters:

Now some characters are obvious, but others are just antagonists by convention:

Cowboy Bebop: Vicious

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Ozai

Legend of Korra: Amon OR Unalaq OR Zaheer OR Kuvira

Ouran Highschool Host Club: Benio "Benibara" Amakusa (Everything about this woman wants to make me pull out my own hair!)

Death Note: Light Yagami

Black Butler: The Undertaker

Hetalia: Belarus (Listen… if RUSSIA is scared of her, then you need to run for the hills!)

Fullmetal Alchemist: Father

Blue Exorcist: Satan

Hunter x Hunter: Hisoka Morrow OR Chrollo Lucilfer OR Meruem

Kuroko’s Basketball: Daiki Aomine OR Seijūrō Akashi OR Makoto Hanamiya

Attack on Titan: Zeke Yeager

Danganronpa: Junko Enoshima

Free!: Rin Matsuoka (I know I shouldn’t do this to him, but he was an antagonist during the beginning.) OR Hiyori Tono (I still hate him for what he said to Haru!)

Kill la Kill: Ragyō Kiryūin

Haikyuu: Oikawa Tooru (I am not dissing him, I love his character! But he was the antagonist to beat.)

Assassination Classroom: The Reaper

Food Wars!: Azami Nakiri

One Punch Man: Garou

Erased: Gaku Yashiro

My Hero Academia: All for One OR Shigaraki

Mob Psycho 100: Toichiro Suzuki

Yuri on Ice: Jean-Jacques Leroy (I don’t hate him, but like some of the others, he is pretty much antagonistic to the cast of YOI.)

Kiss Him, Not Me: Takeru Mitsuboshi

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: Kusuke Saiki

Miss Kobayashi Dragon Maid: Jida/Jii

The Royal Tutor: Ernst Rosenberg

Kakegurui: Kirari Momobami

Cells at Work: Cancer Cell

The Promised Neverland: Isabella OR Peter Ratri

Love is War: Oko Shinomiya

Fruits Basket: Akito Sohma

Demon Slayer: Muzan

Dr. Stone: The Whyman

Given: Ayano Kasai (I know she is not an antagonist, but she was a little antagonistic.)

Beastars: Melon

Welcome to Demon School Iruma Kun: Ami Kirio OR Baal

Toilet Bound Hanako-kun: Yugi Tsukasa

Jujutsu Kaisen: Sukuna OR Geto

SK8 the Infinity: Ainosuke Shindo/ADAM

Setting:

Instead of a mansion, the Entity makes a prison for them to stay in. There are three levels of the prison:

Level 1: Misplaced

These are characters where they go up against one of the 40/interact with them, but it doesn’t mean they are evil or mean, they just happened to be the antagonists of one of the 40’s stories. They are given actual rooms, their own bathrooms, good meals plus desserts, good clothes, and misc. items to entertain themselves. (Plus their own kitchen, gym, craft room, etc.)

(This will house:

Oikawa Tooru

Jean-Jacques Leroy

Ayano Kasai)

Level 2: Disciplined

It’s almost the same as Level 1 except they are the bad guys of their stories but they actually have shot at redemption. They will have their own room, but only with the bare necessities. They are still served food, but any desserts, misc. items, or any kind of reward will only be given if they actually work to redeem themselves.

(This will house:

Benio "Benibara" Amakusa

Belarus

Daiki Aomine OR Seijūrō Akashi OR Makoto Hanamiya

Rin Matsuoka OR Hiyori Tono

Garou

Takeru Mitsuboshi

Kusuke Saiki

Ernst Rosenberg

Kirari Momobami

Cancer Cell

Isabella (If you choose her)

Oko Shinomiya

The Whyman)

Level 3: DETAIN

There are the worst of the worse, monsters, villains, you name it. They will basically be treated like prisoners for their stay. All of them wear collars that not only block their powers but will shock them if they attempt to do anything remotely evil, violent, etc.

(This will house:

Vicious

Ozai

Amon OR Unalaq OR Zaheer OR Kuvira

Light Yagami

The Undertaker

Father

Satan

Hisoka Morrow OR Chrollo Lucilfer OR Meruem

Zeke Yeager

Junko Enoshima

Ragyō Kiryūin

The Reaper

Azami Nakiri

Gaku Yashiro

All for One OR Shigaraki

Toichiro Suzuki

Jida/Jii

Peter Ratri (If you choose him)

Akito Sohma

Muzan

Melon

Ami Kirio OR Baal

Yugi Tsukasa

Sukuna OR Geto

Ainosuke Shindo/ADAM)

All levels are separated by another floor, with Level 3 in the basement to Level 1 at the top. There is around the clock monitoring thanks to Indigo and they are allowed outside, but Level 3 are the only ones who are scheduled with times and such.

The ground level is where they’ll be viewing what is going on with the 40. And the Entity is much more involved. FUNINTHEEYEOFMADNESS came up with the idea that to the people in Level 1 it would talk to the occupants like an empathic therapist. Level 2 is a no nonsense tough love overseer with the same empathy. And Level 3 is where the Entity will be the jail guard/jester/tormenter, pointing out their flaws, the pyrrhic victories and just rubbing it in. And, for the more arrogant of the prisoners, it will showcase their reality warping abilities to prove a point.

To quote FUNINTHEEYEOFMADNESS, "I would also imagine that for level's 2 and three the entity would make the prisoners do prison chores, but only to prove a point and make them build character. As any real chore can be solved by their reality warping effects."

The prison island would even be surrounded by an Eldritch Abomination to replace the ocean and act as a deterrent to kept them from trying to escape, (not that they could).

Something like this:

The Eldritch surrounding the island is obviously alive, but it reacts differently to the people coming outside. For Level 1, it will act similar to a puppy and all round just be playful and helpful to them. With Level 2 it will act indifferent, not choosing to intervene but will do so if necessary. But if someone from Level 3 steps outside without permission, it will go into berserk mode.

Ending:

Since this non-canon, it's kind of opened ended, but this what FUNINTHEEYEOFMADNESS and I came up with:

They will all have their memories erased OR only Level 3 will have their memories erased, (to which they will get back when they 💀) while Level 1 and those who redeemed themselves from Level 2 will keep their memories.

As to their connection to the 40, there are two scenarios:

1. Those who kept their memories while contact them when they get the chance and apologizes/helps the MCS (WE) cast with their adventures.

2. Somehow, someway, the 40 finds out what the Cloaked Figure is doing, those who have the unredeemable villains would see this a fitting punishment while those who have antagonists who are still redeemable or who are just antagonists by convention would ask if the Entity is insane. (And might even ask Entity to allow those of Level 1 to come back with them to the mansion and Level 2 once they’ve redeemed themselves.)

Reaction/Interaction Excerpts:

And of course, how can a can this be a reaction fic with some reactions?

To their stories/the 40:

To quote FUNINTHEEYEOFMADNESS again, "I would imagine they would either be downtrodden, guilty or seething in jealously. Another good point, since the 40 story is about hurt and comfort, the characters learning from each other and making themselves feel better, the villainous 40 would be judged by their peers and criticized. This can range from insults, being appalled by each other's actions or just rubbing it in each other in a sense of hypocritical moral superiority."

To each other:

Level 3 would have those arguing who had the better plan, motive, who had the harder protagonist to deal with etc. Basically an ego measuring contest. And the other levels would want to stay far away from them.

Level 2 would have them defending their case on why they did such actions, even though most of them won’t buy it, and some would actually engage in nice conversations. Level 3 would just call them pathetic while Level 1 would attempt to be friendly, as long as Level 2 cooperates.

Level 1 are just confused about why they are there and want to go home. Reactions to each other may vary, but they would be nice and comfort each other while allowing themselves to relax slightly since they are living much more luxuriously then they had been before. Level 3 and the stubborn half of Level 2 would be glaring at them while the redeemable half of Level 2 would be glad that they are in good living conditions.

How they would interact:

Level 3:

Ozai, Satan, Ragyō Kiryūin, Azami Nakiri, Toichiro Suzuki, and Akito Sohma would all be complaining to each other of how their bloodline/family members are such failures and how they would want to exact their revenge for going against them. They still don't get along, but they bond over that.

Light Yagami would keep trying to argue that he is not a villain, that he is a god, and all that nonsense, and it's usually Sukuna OR Geto, who yells at him to shut up and threatens to strangle him, shock collars be damn.

Yugi Tsukasa and Junko, somehow, bond over how much joy it bring them to see others in despair.

ADAM and Hisoka (if you chose him) would share in how they are looking for the most skilled/strongest, but when ADAM learn that Hisoka is a... ADAM would request a restraining order against him.

Amon OR Unalaq OR Zaheer OR Kuvira and Zeke Yeager would indulge in their own ideas of equality and freedom along with their radical methods of how to achieve such goals, (Light wouldn't be in this since he sees them as criminals and not himself, talk about hypocrite.)

With every interaction and banter Undertaker would just be shaking and crying with laughter as he finds all of this to be hilarious.

Level 2:

Benibara, Seijūrō Akashi (if you chose him), Kusuke Saiki, Kirari Momobami, and Oko Shinomiya would all be fighting for the leadership role in the group, and some of them are willing to draw blood to get it. (But it's Isabella, again if you chose her, who assumes the leadership role.)

Kusuke would actually try to study Cancer Cell while Garou would also be demanding to fight him to determine who is the strongest. This resulted in the two being threaten by Cancer Cell on a weekly, to daily, basis to stop.

The Whyman would just watch the humans being stupid.

Level 1:

All three of them get along, even though both Oikawa and JJ has egos the size of a house, (though these two would share in their woes of how they are the best and yet always fall short to someone else), and the three would comfort each other if need be. And JJ, who is the oldest in the group, would unconsciously take up the parental role.

Conclusion:

It the same premise as MCS (WE) except that this centered around the antagonists of the stories and most of them are either getting treated like the scumbags they are or are getting redeemed.

I'm not sure if FUNINTHEEYEOFMADNESS or if anyone else is going to actually write this, but if anyone does, or if they just what to keep bouncing around ideas, I'll happily lend a hand and or ear!

[orangepanic]

Highly Specific Ship Ranking

Senna/Varrick

Tarrlok/Shiro Shinobi

Amon/Hiroshi Sato

Suyin/The Chef

Pema/Unalaq

hope these are crack-shippy enough!

Beautiful. *cracks knuckles*

Senna/Varrick

Squick / Just nope / A trainwreck you can’t look away from / Mehh but they are bloody everywhere / Not interested but no negative feelings / I need to see how I could make it work / BroTP / Cute / I love them / They rented a room in my mind and are here to stay

Mostly this is because Tonraq is so fucking hot I don't know why Senna would want anyone else. But I'm open to finding out.

Tarrlok/Shiro Shinobi

Squick / Just nope / A trainwreck you can’t look away from / Mehh but they are bloody everywhere / Not interested but no negative feelings / I need to see how I could make it work / BroTP / Cute / I love them / They rented a room in my mind and are here to stay

Love me a good Tarrlok ship. They're different, but both ambitious performers in their own way. I want to gnaw on this like a bone.

Amon/Hiroshi Sato

Squick / Just nope / A trainwreck you can’t look away from / Mehh but they are bloody everywhere / Not interested but no negative feelings / I need to see how I could make it work / BroTP / Cute / I love them / They rented a room in my mind and are here to stay

For a not-unheard-of crackship, this one doesn't do it for me. Most of this is based on headcanons that Amon and Hiroshi neither like nor respect one another and that there are a lot of power dynamics playing out behind the scenes about the future of the Equalists. I also read Hiroshi as the straightest man ever (Amon not so much).

Suyin/The Chef

Squick / Just nope / A trainwreck you can’t look away from / Mehh but they are bloody everywhere / Not interested but no negative feelings / I need to see how I could make it work / BroTP / Cute / I love them / They rented a room in my mind and are here to stay

As much as I love Sutaar she has absolutely fucked this guy. Maybe they both have? Unicorn!chef?

Pema/Unalaq

Squick / Just nope / A trainwreck you can’t look away from / Mehh but they are bloody everywhere / Not interested but no negative feelings / I need to see how I could make it work / BroTP / Cute / I love them / They rented a room in my mind and are here to stay

Holy shit this is amazing. Pema leaving Tenzin for someone who actually connects to the spirits? What if Unalaq is a better fit for the Air Nomad values than he is? The devastating angst. I am eating this with both fists.

Crackship ranking

[randomwritingguy]

The Myth of Y/N (Korra x Reader UNREQUITED) Part 19

Hello everyone!

Before I start the latest chapter:

After two weeks since I asked the big question to everyone, I have come to a decision.

When looking at the comments from all of my accounts that have The Myth of Y/N story, I divided the answers into three categories. They were:

1) Have Y/N's feelings stay unrequited from beginning to end.

2) Have Korra eventually return Y/N's feelings.

3) Fine with either outcomes.

Overall the results were:

Have Y/N's feelings stay unrequited from beginning to end - 8

Have Korra eventually return Y/N's feelings - 9

Fine with either outcomes - 3

As you can see...it's pretty split between the two choices.

There was also a few who really wanted to see the romance between Y/N and Kyuni and have them being endgame rather than Y/N and Korra.

I remember when I asked the question to you all that at the end of the day I'm writing all of this to entertain you and that's what matters to me the most. And that is true. This story is for you all. However, what's also important to me is that I myself am satisfied with my story.

So what will I do?

As of currently, I am planning on satisfying both sides as best as I can. There will be a romance between Y/N and Kyuni, but the ultimate endgame will be Y/N and Korra. I really hope this doesn't affect any of your enjoyment of the series and if so then I am sorry. If you do not wish to continue reading then I completely understand.

What do you all think? Feedback will be most appreciated.

Also, should I change the name of the story by removing the "UNREQUITED" bit? What do you all think?

Now, without further ado, let’s get started on the latest chapter:

A NEW AGE

Earth. Fire. Air. Water.

After Avatar Korra saved the world from the forces of Unalaq and Vaatu, she told us that nothing will be the same again. She was right. For better and for worse.

This was when the rebirth of a nation begun. This was when I had to face one of my hardest challenges yet.

This...was the biggest change in my life.

BOOK THREE: CHANGE

Y/N'S POV

"Did I mention I'm so lucky those stupid vines haven't entered my home?"

I look up from a newspaper I'm reading to gaze at Kyuni who is looking out of her apartment's window. Ever since Harmonic Convergence two weeks ago there have been a lot, and I mean a LOT, of vines in the city, with several of them having entered many people's homes and other buildings. Spirits, I even heard that one of the vines has made themselves nice and cosy in President Raiko's office.

A lot of homes has been affected by the vines...but fortunately Kyuni's apartment hasn't been affected.

And, spirits, let me tell you how many times she has told me how lucky she is that she hasn't been affected. Seriously, she has told me so many times I've lost count.

I don't mind, though. Honestly, it's kind of cute.

...

Dammit.

"You may have mentioned it once or twice." I teasingly reply, a mischievous smile on my face.

The firebender turns back to me and gives me an eye roll. "Yeah, yeah I get it. I've said it a lot."

I chuckle at her reply and turn my attention back to the newspaper. "You know I'm only joking. I don't blame you for mentioning a lot. You are lucky."

If only President Raiko and Korra were as lucky as Kyuni.

Since the Unalaq crisis and the beginning of the new age, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding how Korra handled it and her desire for spirits and human's living together. There has also been a lot of criticism towards Raiko for how he is handling it as well. I can tell from the latest headline: "Raik-oh-no. Polls pans prez plans!" As I skim read the article I learn that the President's approval rates are at a devastating 15%.

And Korra's?

8%.

When I learned how so little people approved of Korra's decisions and actions I was furious. I get that this big decision is a lot, and I completely understand and sympathise with those who are frustrated that their homes are being ruined by the vines, but Korra just saved all of our asses and she gets this in return? Come on!

I fold the newspaper, place it on the round wooden table, and lie back on the comfy sofa. I sigh in frustration at the whole situation but I take a good time to look at Kyuni's apartment again. It's been a while since I've been here but it hasn't really changed. From the crimson red walls to the gentle and calm candles scattered around and the beautifully painted dragon canvases on the walls. It's a nice place, I got to admit.

Kyuni looks back to me in response to my frustrated sigh, her right eyebrow raised. "What's the matter?"

I glance back at to her and lean forward slightly. "Eh, nothing. Just a bit frustrated at how Korra's been treated by the public since Harmonic Convergence."

The firebender hums in agreement and proceeds to sit down on the sofa next to me. "If there's one thing us humans love to do it's complaining."

I snort at her comment. "You're telling me. Before I arrived here, Korra told me she was going to the centre of the vines with Tenzin and Jinora to see if she can find a way to get rid of them. Let's hope she has found a solution by now."

"Hopefully." Kyuni agrees. "But, hey, I like the idea of humans and spirits being friends rather than being at each other's throats. A more connected community, you know? I've had plenty of experience of infighting myself."

Huh?

I notice Kyuni's eyes go a bit darker as she said her last sentence, a slight frown on her face.

I raise my eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

In a flash, Kyuni's eyes widen in surprise and quietly curses under breath. I guess she didn't realise what she said before it was too late.

"Oh, uh, nothing. I meant like seeing family dramas with other people and such, you know?" she blurts out, painfully obvious that she is hiding something. I won't bring it up, though. If she doesn't want to tell me then I will respect her decision.

"Ah, that's fair." I tell her, ignoring her blunder. "I'm having no family problems at the moment, fortunately. My parents and I bicker at times, but we love each other."

Kyuni sighs (in relief that I "didn't notice" her mistake?) and nods in agreement. "That's good."

An awkward silence occurs after Kyuni's blunder. After a while, I decide it's time for me to go back to Air Temple Island.

"I better head off, actually." I tell Kyuni, rising from the sofa. "I'm gonna check if Korra's found a solution to the vine problem."

"Yeah..." the firebender trails off, clearly tensed.

I walk towards the door and slowly open it, creaking as I do it. Before I walk away, I glance back at my friend. "Hey, Kyuni."

She looks back up at me, her right eyebrow raised again in curiosity. "Yeah?"

I gaze into her golden orange eyes, noticing how they are shining, and her smooth blood-red lips. I gulp in response and I can feel myself sweating a bit. Nevertheless, I continue. "You know you can always tell me anything, right? I'm always here for you.

I see Kyuni's tense posture slowly melt away as her eyes soften and a small, gentle, soft smile forms on her lips. "I know. Thank you, Y/N."

The firebender rises from the sofa and slowly walks towards me, her smile slowly rising as she gets closer. Once she's close enough, she cups my right cheek she leans forward and plants a gentle kiss on my left.

Uhhhhhhhhhh

I feel my cheeks warming up from the soft contact. As Kyuni leans back I see her cheeks are bright red. No doubt my face is like that too.

"Bye, Y/N." she quietly tells me.

Uhhhhhhhhhh

I slowly start to walk away, waving as I do so. "Uh, yeah. Bye, Kyuni."

I finally walk out of the apartment and out into the city, cold air breezing across my face. My cheeks have finally cooled down.

Dammit.

Ever since the whole Unalaq crisis ended I have been thinking a lot. Specifically, my feelings...again. Feelings about Korra...and Kyuni.

DAMMIT!

This is so confusing. I still have a massive crush on Korra, no doubt about that. But now I've been hanging out more with Kyuni I've started to feel...warm, like I feel with Korra. Not to mention I notice things about her that I find attractive, such as her humour, the way she laughs, not to mention her beauty.

It also doesn't help I've been teased about it a lot since I met the firebender.

"Okay, have fun at your date!"

"It's Kyuni, isn't it? I knew you liked her!"

"So...you and Kyuni, huh?"

"I see the way she looks at you."

"If you haven't noticed Kyuni's love eyes at you then you really are oblivious."

"But, if I were you, I would make a move as soon as possible."

The last two comments from Jinora have also gotten me curious. Does Kyuni like me? It looks like she does but could I just be overthinking it? Ugh, this is so confusing.

I walk into a secluded alley as I make my journey to the docks. Weirdly enough the city is kind of quiet today.

My mind is still plagued with all these confusing feelings. I know I care about Korra more, that much is certain. I don't want to lead Kyuni on or anything or give her mixed signals. Should I bring it up? Should I not? Now that Korra is single, I do technically have a chance. I'm not planning on doing anything yet, its been two weeks since her breakup with Mako after all, but I still have a chance.

Do I have a chance, though? Is Korra ever going to like me the way I like her? If not, should I just move on? Maybe Kyuni could be a way of moving o-

-Raava, what am I thinking? I shouldn't think of Kyuni like she's some sort of alternative solution. She's a person, for spirits sake. My friend! Bad Y/N!

Spirits, enough with these confusing feelings. I can think about them later, for now I just need to get back to-

-I feel a slight stinging sensation on my back, as well as hot, heavy, breaths on the back of my neck which make me shiver to the bone.

"Give me everything you got." a rough, croaky, male voice said from behind. "Money, expensive items, everything. And make it fast."

Am...am I getting robbed?

The sharp pain in my back increases as the man drives the object, presumably a knife, a little bit deeper into my back.

"Well, are you deaf?" the man rhetorically asks me, clearly frustrated. "Give me everything you got, now!"

Yep. I'm getting robbed.

I'm not afraid, though. I've been in plenty of situations far worse than this. Also, is this guy seriously going to rob me, of all people, and in broad daylight?

"No offense, but are you stupid?" I cockily tell the man, not afraid by him at all.

"Wh-what?" the robber responds, clearly confused by my question. His confusion and hesitance allows me to elbow him in the stomach, allowing me to break way from the contact and give us some distance. I finally have a good look at this guy. He looks like he is from a Water Tribe, considering his water tribe getup despite it looking shaggy and roughed up with dirt all over it. He also has pale blue eyes, and a short, messy untied beard. And, spirits, he smells like a unwashed Polar Bear dog (no offense, Naga.) The man's eyes are widened and his mouth agape, surprised with my confidence and the fact I created some distance.

"Are you stupid?" I repeat myself, my hands on my hips and a cocky smile forming on my lips. "I mean, firstly, it's broad daylight. Not the best time to rob someone, like, at all. And, secondly, do you have any idea who I am? Clearly you don't since you were trying to threaten me. Trust me, dude, it's not going to work out."

Despite my warning, the man does not listen. Instead, his face flashes to anger, his eyes full of rage and hatred and a massive frown on his face. Yep, he's pissed. "Is this some sort of joke to you?!"

"Yep." I respond immediately, not fazed at all by his anger. "Absolutely."

The robber grates his teeth in anger, the frown deepening, and his eyes gazing right into my own. Here it comes.

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE DEAD!"

Spirits, if I had a yuan for every time I was threatened I would be richer than Asami.

The man charges at me, screaming as he does it, holding his knife right in front of him, ready to swing.

Whelp, time to get some more chi-blocking practice.

I clench my right fist, raise it, and send it right towards the man and-

-Out of nowhere, a gust of wind blows the robber back several meters away and into a dumpster, knocking him out cold!

WHAT?!

WAS...WAS THAT...?!

My jaw drops to the floor as I examine my fist, the robber now long forgotten. My eyes are wider than they have ever been.

WAS THAT AIRBENDING? DID I DO THAT?

MAYBE I WAS JUST IMAGINING IT? YEAH, I HAVE GOT TO BEEN! IF I TRY IT AGAIN NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN, RIGHT?!

I raise my fist yet again and thrust it forward, only for a gust of air to appear out of nowhere once more!

IT HAPPENED AGAIN!

I...I CAN AIRBEND!

OH SHT OH SHIT OH SHIT!

I NEED TO TELL EVERYONE, NOW!

Before I start running, I look back at the robber, still unconscious.

Ah, right.

I'll take this guy to the police station and then I'll get back to Air Temple Island.

I look back at my hands, my shock now replaced with excitement.

I can airbend!

SHORT TIMESKIP

Korra's POV

Bumi can airbend! I can't believe it!

It was all so sudden. We were at the dinner table after I came back from the argument I had with Raiko about the spirit vines to find Bumi trying to airbend. No-one believed him when he said he did it before. I thought Bumi was just being Bumi. That is, until, Meelo threw a plate at him and the retired commander stopped it with airbending! The looks on everyone's faces when we saw him did that was that of complete shock. I felt like my eyes were about to pop out of my face!

Right now we are outside of the temple on the grounds, as Bumi tries to airbend again. So far, though, he is unsuccessful. I'm trying to figure out how this is even possible. Does the Spirit World have something to do with it? I'll ask Tenzin about it.

"Do you think being in the Spirit World during Harmonic Convergence could've given him bending?" I ask him, my voice full of confusion.

"I suppose it's possible." Tenzin responds, clearly trying to figure out an explanation as well.

"Maybe Uncle Bumi is a late bloomer." Ikki responds. Honestly, that is possible. He is the son of Avatar Aang after all, the world's last airbender at the time of the retired commander's birth. Even though there have been no cases of it happening, at least to my knowledge, it's certainly possible.

As I am thinking over the possibilities, I see Chief Beifong and Mako walking up to us, the former weirdly looking at Bumi, obviously confused by his actions.

"Invisible spirit monster attack?" she asks us, her back turned to us. Oh how she couldn't be more wrong.

"Lin! You won't believe believe this." Tenzin begins, clearly excited by what is happening. "Bumi just started airbending."

At the corner of my eye I see the Chief and Mako look at each other, eyes slightly widened. Beifong then turns to us, her demeanour serious. "I'm afraid he's not the only one."

WAIT WHAT?!

"What?!" Me, Asami, and Tenzin all let out at once, our surprise obvious. There are more airbenders?!

"I got a call last night about a guy who just started airbending out of nowhere." Mako explains, his demeanour as serious as Beifong's.

I can't believe it. There really are more airbenders!

"You mean there's another one?" Tenzin asks the firebender, his curiosity at its peak. "Where is he now?"

Mako looks away with us, looking sort of...embarrassed? "He...blew a door down on me and got away."

Ah. Well...that would explain it.

Mako turns back to us, though, his embarrassment gone. "We've got an all-point bulletin out on him right-"

"-GUYS!"

The sudden shout grabs our attention right away as we look to the source of it.

It's Y/N! And they're running right towards us! Did something happen?!

They finally stop dead in front of us, leaning forwards with their hands on their knees as they try to catch their breath.

"Y/N?" I ask them, concern in my voice. "Is something wrong?"

They look back up and, once they have finally caught their breath, looks at all of us with excitement written all across their features, with their big dumb grin and their shining E/C. "I can airbend!"

WHAT?! Y/N IS AN AIRBENDER TOO?!

"What?!" everyone lets out this time, our jaws dropped to the floor.

Y/N raises their hands in a calming motion, their joy not fading. "Seriously! I was walking home from Kyuni's place but then a guy came up and tried to rob me. I was about to chi-block them and then all of a sudden I used airbending and sent him flying. I took him to the police station and immediately left to tell you guys!"

I...I can't believe it! Y/N, an airbender?!

"Hey, you're an airbender too!" Bumi lets out in joy. "First me, then some guy Mako found, and now you!"

"Wait, what?!" Y/N lets out, completely surprised as we are. "There are more airbenders?!"

"It looks like it." Tenzin tells them. "We must find this other airbender as soon as possible."

We must! This is huge!

"Yes." Mako agrees. "As I was saying, we've got an all-point bulletin out on the other airbender right now."

"We can help you look for him." I suggest to him.

Mako, though, ends up freezing, his body tensing up. "Oh, well, you know, you should...you should leave it to the police. It's...police business, you know. It's, um...official."

Uhhhhhh....all right then.

"Okay." I reluctantly tell him. I then remember what Bolin said about Mako practically living at the police station. "How are you doing? You know you're welcome to stay here instead of sleeping at the police station."

That offer seems to make Mako even more nervous, who is avoiding eye contact with both me and Asami. "No, I'm fine. I should just get...going." He finally musters up the courage to look at both us, switching back and forth. "So! As you were...ladies."

And, with a salute, the firbender awkwardly walks way.

Well...that just happened.

I knew things were going to be a bit awkward with Mako for a while since our breakup is still relatively recent but I had no idea it was going to be this awkward.

"So..." Y/N starts, who, like everyone, witnessed that weird conversation. "Do we have any more leads on other airbenders?!"

"At the moment, no." Tenzin tells my best friend with a hint of hope in his voice. "But with what we just learned its highly possible there will be more soon."

Wait, I got an idea!

I turn to Asami, a bright grin on my face. "How about you and I go tour around the city to find that guy?"

A small, radiant smile forms on Asami's lips. "That sounds like a great idea. Lets get moving."

Awesome! It will be nice to hang out with Asami whilst we try to find this man.

I turn back to everyone. "Asami and I are heading out. We'll tell you if we find the other airbender."

Y/N'S POV

I watch as Korra and Asami walk off to head to the city. They've been hanging quite a lot these past couple weeks. I'm glad to see there's no tension anymore between those two. It looks like they are becoming great friends.

My mind is snapped back into reality as Bolin wraps an arm around my shoulder, a massive grin on his face. "I can't believe you're an airbender now! We have each and every element on Team Avatar! Me for earth, Mako for fire, you for air, and water for Korra! How cool is that?!"

I snicker at his comment as I wrap an arm around the earthbender's shoulder too. "I guess so."

Suddenly, all of the airkids rush up to me, excitement in their eyes.

"Does that mean you and Bumi are going to be an Air Nomads like us?" Jinora asks, obvious joy in her tone.

"Oh, yes! Please, please, PLEASE join us!" Ikki adds on, jumping up and down.

"Once you join us you can never leave!" Meelo exclaims, his big grin overshadowing the somewhat sinister nature of the sentence.

Bolin squeals in enthusiasm as well, his smile somehow widening even further. "Oh yeah! You can be an Air Nomad That's awesome!"

Become an Air Nomad?

"All right, everyone. That's enough." Tenzin declares, his voice stern. "Just because Y/N and Bumi are airbenders now doesn't mean we should pressure them. If they do not wish to become an Air Nomad then we should respect their wishes."

The airbending master turns to Bumi and I, his face softening with a gentle smile forming. "However, we will be honoured if both of you decide to fully join our culture."

Bumi doesn't hesitate at all with his answer. "Count me in!"

Tenzin nods at his brother turns to me, a gentle smile on his face. "And you, Y/N?"

Me...an Air Nomad.

That's...that's a huge thing.

It will be a big change in my life, that's for sure.

But am I ready?

I mean...I already know a decent amount of the culture to begin with since I find it all so interesting, not to mention I've excelled at some of the practices. And not only will I help rebuild the Air Nation but I can help so many more people than I have before.

I look down at my hands, examing them very closely.

I was given airbending for reason. This must be it. To help rebuild the Air Nation. This is my destiny.

I look back up and gaze right into Tenzin's eyes, a bright smile across my lips.

"Count me in too."

The Air Kids (and Bolin) scream in excitement, jumping up and down in clear excitement. Bumi and Kya laugh at the scene before them and I see Tenzin's eyes are full of joy too.

I can't believe it! Me, an Air Nomad! This...this is awesome! I have to tell my parents about this!

"Do you have a radio transmitter somewhere?" I ask the airbending master, the enthusiasm on my voice present. "If you do, can I use it? I really want to tell my parents about this!"

Tenzin smiles and nods. "Of course you can. It's in my office"

I shoot him a quick thumbs up and rush to Tenzin's office where the transmitter is. After a short moment the connection is finally made and I hear my mother's voice on the other side.

"Hello, who is this?" my mother asks sweetly.

"Hey, mum!" I tell her, happy to hear her voice again. "It's Y/N!"

"Oh, hey Y/N!" my mother exclaims with clear joy. "How are you feeling, dear?"

"I feel great, better than great, actually!"

"Oh? How come?"

"Before I tell you, is dad there? I want to speak to both of you." I tell her. If I'm going to do this, they both have to be there.

"Oh, yes. He is. One second."

I can hear the faint "Honey, Y/N is calling! They want to tell us something!" in the background, my mother clearly moving away to get my father. I chuckle at what I hear, amused by it all. After a short moment, I hear my dad's voice.

"Hey, Y/N. What's up?"

"Hey, dad! I'm glad you're here!"

"Of course. Wouldn't a miss a call from you. Apparently you had something to say?"

"Yes, I do. Now...what I'm about to say is going to be really, really hard to believe."

"Come on, Y/N. After all we've been through I doubt we won't believe what you're going to say." my mother speaks up.

"Your mother is right, Y/N. You can tell us."

They're right. Of course I can tell them, I know they will believe me.

I close my eyes and take a deep, long, breath...and release. I open my eyes and I finally let it out.

"I can airbend."

There is silence for a few short moments. Did I lose connection with them? Or are they that shocked?

"I'm sorry, Y/N. I must have misheard you." my father speaks up, his confusion at his peak. "I thought for a second you said can airbend."

He's sceptical. I can't blame him.

"You didn't mishear." I reassure him with confidence. "I can airbend."

They go dead silent again. This time for much longer.

"W-When did you find out?" my mother asks who sounds...anxious?

"Just now." I tell them, slightly confused by mother's tone. "Bumi's an airbender too, now. I don't know the reason behind it but I'll ask Tenzin or Korra about it later. But, this isn't even the best part. Tenzin offered me to be a part of the Air Nation and I said yes! I'm going to be an Air Nomad! Isn't that great?"

Once again, the other end goes dead silent, far longer than before. Is something wrong?

"You're joking, right?" my father tells me, his tone sounding...serious?

"What? No, of course not." I tell them, my excitement slowly fading away. "In fact, there has been a case of a man getting airbending in Republic City right now. I wouldn't be surprised if some in the South Pole gets it too."

All of a sudden, I hear my mother gasp. Not in surprise...but in fear.

"You're not going to become an Air Nomad." my father declares, his tone stern and sharp.

What?!

"Are you serious?" I tell them, my irritation rising. "Why not?"

"Because you're a part of the Southern Water Tribe." my father immediately responds, who now seems to be getting angry now from his tone. "Not a part of the Air Nation. End of story."

What?! He can't do this! This is my life!

"No, it's not "end of story"!" I tell him, my voice getting louder. "I'm an adult now! This is my life! I got airbending for a reason and that's to help rebuild the Air Nation! I have always been interested in its culture! This is my calling! This is where I should be and-"

"-What about your family?!" my mother, this time, shouts, her voice seeming to be croaky from crying. "What about your tribe?!"

What?! What is going on?!

"That is not what I meant!" I shout back, now finally losing my patience. "Why are you so upset about this?! I can be a part of two nations! This isn't one or the either!"

"It isn't that simple, Y/N!" my dad yells, who is also losing his patience. "You were born in the Southern Water Tribe, you grew up in the Southern Water Tribe, and had practiced Southern Water Tribe traditions. And now you are abandoning your culture for another!"

Abandoning?! Is he for real?!

"I'm not abandoning anyone, dad!" I reply, my anger at its height.

"YES YOU ARE!" my father immediately responds, clearly done with my arguement. "YOU WILL NOT BECOME AN AIR NOMAD OR ELSE!"

I go silent at that. Same with my parents.

Or else?

What...what did he mean by...?

"Or else...what?" I ask him, my anger now replaced with worry.

Neither of my parents respond.

"Or else what?"

Again, no response.

"Or else what?!"

And, finally, my father responds.

"Or else you will no longer be considered a part of this family." my father declares, trying to be stern, but I can hear the heartbreak in his tone.

...

Wh-what?

I can feel my heart pounding, beating faster than ever. My face and palms are sweating, the corner of my eyes beginning to have traces of tears.

He...he's bluffing. He has to be!

"You-You don't mean that." I tell them, trying to cover up the shakiness of my voice. "Two weeks ago you were proud of me for being where I was needed the most, and I'm doing the same right now!"

"This is a completely different situation." my father counters. "You are trying to abandon your tribe, and your mother and I will not tolerate such a betrayal. If you join the Air Nation then, as much as it pains us so, you will not be considered as our own."

Everything begins to blur as my father's words sink in. All I can hear now is my rapidly pounding heart, desperately attempting to break free from my chest. I tighten my hold on the transmitter, my sweat intensifying. I feel nothing and everything at the same time, flooding my senses completely.

They...can't be serious. They can't-

"-Y/N, please!" my mother begs, no longer trying to hide the sadness in her voice nor the sound of her sobbing. "Please don't this! How about you talk to Korra? Maybe she can remove your bending and-"

"-Don't you dare bring Korra into this." I sternly tell her, my anger restored. At the same time, though, I can feel tears moving quickly down my cheeks. "This isn't about her. I'm not going to ask Korra to do that, and I am certainly not going to let you bully and threaten me to not let me live my life!"

They go silent for a moment, my words sinking in for all of us.

"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE US OF DOING THAT!" my father finally lets out, his voice booming like Vaatu's. "WE ARE DOING WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!"

They actually think that? They actually think this is helping me?!

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING ME AT ALL!" I unleash, not holding back anymore.

All of us remain silent yet again for almost a minute, the tension so thick that it can easily be sliced in half with a katana.

The silence persists until, finally, my father speaks up.

"We are going to hang up to give you some time to think." my father declares. "The next time we talk, you better tell us you are not joining the Air Nation. If not, don't contact or visit us ever again."

...What?

Before I can speak up or say anything, they immediately hang up. No "Love you!", no "See you later!", nothing. Just nothing but the cold, heartless sound of the connection being terminated. All that is left now is me, sitting alone in the office, my hand still clutched to the radio transmitter which is now shaking.

They actually mean it....

They really mean it...

They...I...

Tears beginning to fall and fall and fall with no sign of stopping.

"Y/N, are you okay?"

Bolin.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, not now.

I can hear footsteps coming closer to the office. At almost light speed I wipe away my tears and put on a fake grin just before the earthbender becomes visible in my vision a second later.

"Yeah, I am. What's up?" I lie, hoping my deception would be enough.

Bolin raises his left eyebrow, his eyes full of concern. "I heard some shouting. Are you okay?"

The tears are threatening to spill, I can just feel them, but I fight it off. I have to. I don't want him seeing me like this.

"Y-Yeah. Of course I am." I tell him though, as soon as the words leave my lips, I can tell they do not match the hurt and sadness in the tone.

Bolin sees through my lie straight away and, after closing the door, proceeds to walk closer. He kneels down to match my level and gazes right into my eyes, full of sympathy in his own. And he lets out two simple words.

"What's wrong?"

And, with those words alone, the dam breaks and I feel streams of tears falling down my face.

Dammit! Dammit!

The earthbender sees the tears and immediately engulfs me into a bone-crushing hug, refusing to let go. After a moment of hesitation I hug him back and bury my face right into his shoulder, the fountains of sadness not stopping.

"Just let it all out, Y/N." Bolin calmly tellms me, his tone gentle. "Just let it all out."

And so I do. I let out all of my anger, frustration, hurt, sadness, and the utter betrayal I am feeling from the conversation with my parents. How could they do this to me? How could they be immediately prepared to cast me aside?! How?!

HOW?!

Finally, after what seemed like hours despite it only probably being a couple minutes, the tears stop. I pull back from the hug and look right into Bolin's face, his features welcoming and kind.

"Thanks, Bolin." I tell him, sending him a weak smile.

The eartbender smiles back. "Anything for a friend. Is it fine if you can tell me what happened?"

I sigh and slowly nod. "My parents don't like that I'm an airbender."

Bolin gasps at my revelation, clearly as shocked as I was in the moment. "What? Why?"

I gaze at the phone for a bit, playing with my hair to distract me. "Because I told them I'm going to be an Air Nomad and they are seeing it as me abandoning my tribe."

"That's stupid!" Bolin lets out, his anger replacing his previous feeling of shock. "You could be a part of two nations!"

"That is exactly what I said." I frustratingly tell him. "But my parents are so stubborn that they refuse to listen."

"Well, too bad for them!" the earthbender says, raising his fist into the air. "Just do it! They can't control your life! And what are they going to do? Cut you out of their lives foreve-"

"-YES!" I shout at the man, causing him to jump back in surprise. "EXACTLY THAT!"

I get right up into his face, my teeth grating together. However, despite my rageful state, I see concern in Bolin's eyes from my reaction...and also fear.

I...I scared him.

I lost control. Dammit.

I take a deep breath and, after a moment, release. I sit back down onto the chair and clench my nasal bone. I look back up at the earthbender, who has now relaxed a bit. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lashed out at you."

Bolin calms down and walks back to me, a small smile on his face. "It's all right. But...what do you mean by that?"

I sigh heavily and lean back, looking up at the ceiling. "They told me that if I become an Air Nomad then...then I will not be considered as one of their own."

The earthbender gasps at this. "I can't believe it. They always seemed like nice people."

I continue to stare at the ceiling, hoping the dried paint would distract me from my depressing reality. "I know. It was so sudden too. One minute they were acting as usual, so loving and caring, and the next..."

I trail off. I still can't believe how they acted. They haven't done anything like that before.

We sit in silence for a few moments, both of us not knowing what to say. Until, finally, Bolin speaks up again. "So...what are you going to do? Are you still going to be an Air Nomad?"

I rip my attention away from the ceiling and onto the floor, not wanting to engage eye contact with my friend.

I honestly don't know the answer to that question. My heart wants me to join the Air Nation but I'm so terrified of losing my parents, my family. Despite their cold words...I love them so much. They were the ones who witnessed my first steps, they were the ones who helped me calm down when I had a nightmare, they were the ones who helped me when I needed them the most. I...I can't bare the thought of losing them.

Not knowing the answer to the question, I give my friend the truth. "I don't know."

Silence surrounds us yet again, more uncomfortable than last time.

"I'm sorry, Y/N." Bolin tells me, his tone genuine and honest.

I finally look upon my friend's face, his eyes. They are so comforting and welcoming and I'm so grateful I have a friend like Bolin. "It's not your fault." I earnestly tell him. "I'll think of something."

The earthbender hums in acknowledgement and then frowns slightly. "Are you going to tell the others? Are you going to tell Korra?"

Spirits, the others. What are they going to think about this? They're so happy right now because of the new airbenders. Should I tell them?

After a minute of thinking over my answer, I finally respond. "Not yet. Everyone, especially Korra and Tenzin, are so happy about there being new airbenders. The last thing I want is to damper their mood. I'll tell them eventually. For now, I just want this to stay between us, okay?"

Bolin gives me a soft smile in return and proceeds to wrap me in a comforting hug. "Of course."

I hug him back, finding the contact warm. "Thanks, Bolin."

We eventually release each other from the hug but the moment has not been lost. The earthbender's smile grows slightly. "Anytime. Do you want to head out into the city to have some fun? It would be a nice distraction."

My own smile grows as well at Bolin's consideration but, honestly, going out is the last thing on my mind. I just want some quiet. Maybe mediation? I don't know.

"Thanks but, to be honest, I would rather have some alone time right now." I tell him. "If the others ask just tell them I'm meditating or doing something like that. Come and get me if something important happens, okay?"

Despite my rejection at his suggestion, Bolin's smile doesn't falter. "Of course. Take all the time you need."

Bolin gets up from his position and walks to the edge of the door. Before he walks out completely, though, he turns to me. "See you later, Y/N."

"See you later, Bolin." I tell him gently.

Then, finally, he walks out and gently closes the door.

I am alone again.

Alone with questions.

Questions that determine my future.

Questions that I do not yet have answers to.

Do I submit to my parents' demands and not fulfil my desire to becoming an Air Nomad?

Or do I join the Air Nation...and lose my parents forever?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that's it!

I hope you all enjoyed it! :D

Constructive criticism is always appreciated!

See you all in the next chapter! :D

[shysquidd]

ok so i was able to log in thru my laptop so as promised here are my in depth thoughts on korra 

so we all know lok came out like years ago so what im gonna say probably has already been said like thousands of times over and over, i think when the show first came out i saw a few eps of it and then lost interest. but i was like 15 or something at the time so whatever. 

i have noticed that some people who liked lok better have said that people who dont like lok as much just dont like change, and idk maybe thats the case for some, but my main criticisms for it come from the writing inconsistency. to be clear i thought it was a fun watch! did i like it? yes!!!! did i love it?? not so much 

i think what bothered me the most was the pacing of the seasons. now i hate to draw comparisons to atla, but they are part of the same franchise so I Will. one the things that made atla sooo good was the overall mission stretched over 3 seasons, with secondary villains providing obstacles along the way (zhao,zuko,azula). this provided characters with enough time to develop along the way before facing the big bad (and building suspense to ozai), but still keep viewers entertained through out the seasons 

i didnt really feel the same suspense when watching korra. each season had its own conflict and big bad, and none of them really seemed to come back up a lot after they were already defeated (except for korras uncle i forget his name tbh) 

i think any of the conflicts they had would have worked if they chose to stretch it out over the course of the show. the anti-bending movement and the water tribe civil war would have worked best in my opinion. they anti-bending movement drew valid criticisms from non-benders, and its really weird to see all of that vanish after amon was defeated. as for the civil war, unalaq (i googled his name lol) fell flat for me, he was just kinda evil for the sake of being evil. at first his motivations were intriguing and made a good foundation for the conflict aka wanting to combine the tribes again by bringing spirituality to the swt by force, bt when they brought in raava and vaatu it just kinda fell apart. this plotline definitely would have worked over several seasons, but i kinda wished the origins of the first avatar would have remained a mystery. i am a firm believer of not everything has to be answered

because the show was so fast paced, characters really didnt get the spotlight they deserved, esp team avatar. the gaang in the first series really all had their moments to shine, and you could rewatch the og season over and over again and notice something new every time! im not sure how well this would work with lok since the rest of team avatar didnt really get their own fleshed out story lines 

korra: had the most development ofc. i think she was a great protagonist. it makes sense that aang would want his successor to get proper training before getting thrown into avatar duties  considering he was like 12 when he had to fight the firelord. korra, whos been training her whole life, is caught in the middle of conflict in republic city, and its clear to me that her training took a priority on bending the elements, rather than being a mediator, which is the duty of the avatar. she’s like a fish out of water, and as the series progresses and we see her fight the antagonists, this takes a toll on her and she goes into a slump. it was a very fitting arc for her character 

mako: he was just kinda there for me. bit of a jerk at first and i really did not like the whole korra/mako/asami love triangle. it was all very forced imo considering korra and mako only knew each other for like a few days before they were confessing feelings for each other 

bolin: obvs the comedic relief character. the show doesnt do much for him either which is sad bc i did like his character, hes funny and has a cute design. ill draw another comparison to atla and say that while sokka was the comedic relief, his character was deeply complex and multilayered

asami: my angel my daughter my cinnamon apple. im glad asami was able to reconnect with her father before the show murked him. korrasami was cute and they compliment each other: korra, whos more emotionally reserved vs asami who is empathetic and patient but also is true to her beliefs and holds her ground

anyways this post got super long and if u read this i love u. feel free to comment if u wanna start a discussion. much more to say but my fingers are tired bye 

[atuutluk]

            ‘ avatar wan. ‘

the title is earned; not wasted on the young man before me. yes, he is young and his thousands of years should weigh heavily on his shoulders, yet he wears the same skin. i cannot say the same. i am old. though i, too, am young, i am old.

            ‘ why is it that you have a penchant for wandering so? it certainly gets you into trouble. ‘

@firstbond​ liked!

[chocolate-cringymuffin]

Unalaq: YOU GUYS ALWAYS ACT LIKE YOU ARE BETTER THAN ME!!!

Amon:…

Kuvira:…

Zaheer:…

Who is the best villain of the whole series, (atla and tlok), for u guys?

Everyone look how original I am

[zukkacore]

Whitewashing in AtlaLok: the Western & Christian Influence on s2 of LoK

Ok, so i’m not a big brained expert on all things indigenous or even all things asian but I do think bryke's christian & western worldview seeps so far into season 2 of LoK that i think out of every season it’s by far the most unsalvageable out of everything they’ve ever done in the Atlaverse and is a very insidious kind of whitewashing. I know that sounds hefty but here’s what I mean

For the record, I’m a mixed filipino person & while there is religious diversity among filipinos, more than i think ppl realize or that the catholic majority is willing to let on, when we were colonized a large percent of the population was indeed forced to convert to catholicism so that’s my background, & i don’t know everything about taoism or the what the tai chi symbol represents but the way Bryke westernize the concept of Yin and Yang is honestly… kinda bewildering. They get so many details about yin & yang wrong?? & Yes, it’s possible they could’ve been trying to create their own lore that differentiates itself from the traditional depictions of Yin & Yang, but in the end i think it doesn’t matter b/c the lore they invent is a very obviously western interpretation of the concept of “balance”.

The most important and honestly worst change they make is that concepts of “light” and “dark” are completely oversimplified and flattened to represent basically “good” and “evil” (which, the light and dark side are a bit more complex than representing just “peace/order vs. Chaos” like the show might imply but we don’t even have time for that, but is funny how they get the genders wrong. Like. Traditionally, light is usually coded masculine and dark is usually coded feminine, but never mind that, that’s just a tangent). This really simplifies the nuance of the s2 conflict and makes it a lot less interesting, not to mention just—misrepresents a very real religious philosophy?

And for the record, a piece of media going out of its way to do "the show, don’t tell" thing of stating in the text that “oh, light and dark are not the same thing as good vs. evil” without actually displaying that difference through the writing is just lip service, and its poor writing. A lot of pieces of media do this, but i think s2 of LoK is particularly egregious. The point of this philosophy of balance is that you aren’t supposed to moralize about which side is “good” or “bad”, or even really which one is “better” or “worse”. Even if the show states the concepts are not interchangeable, if the media in question continually frames one side (and almost always its “chaos/darkness”) as the “evil” side, then the supposed distinction between “light vs. dark” and “good vs. evil” is made moot. And besides the occasional offhand remark that implies more nuance without actually delivering, Vaatu is basically stock evil incarnate.

This depiction of conflict as “defeating a singular representation of total evil” isn’t solely christian, but it is definitely present in christian beliefs. And I think those kinds of stories can be done well, but in this case, in a world filled entirely of asian, Pacific Islander & inuit poc, to me it feels like a form of subtle whitewashing? B/c you’re taking characters that probably wouldn’t have christian beliefs, and imposing a christian worldview onto them. Not to mention removes what could have been an interesting conflict of any nuance and intrigue… and honestly, sucks, because I do think s2 has the bones of an interesting idea, mostly b/c there are potential themes that could’ve been explored—I know this b/c they were already explored in a movie that exists, and it’s name is Princess Mononoke! It has a lot of the same elements—tension between spirits and humanity, destruction of nature in the face of rapid industrialization, moral ambiguity where there are no easy or fast answers and both sides have sympathetic and understandable points of view. (Unsurprising b/c Miyazaki is Japanese & Japanese culture has a lot of influence from Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, etc)

Bryke’s western & christian worldview also totally seeps into the characterization of Unalaq, the antagonist of the season which is a real problem. I’m in the middle of rewatching s2 right now and what struck me is that….. Unalaq comes across kinda ecofash AND fundamentalist which is 1) seems like an odd combination but maybe it really isn’t? 2) i think is a really tacky choice considering that the water tribes take the majority of its inspiration from inuit and polynesian indigenous cultures.

I honestly forgot abt this but Unalaq gives this whole lame speech abt how the SWT & humans as a whole suck b/c of their lack of spiritual connection & it was really eerie to me b/c "humans are morally bankrupt and they must be wiped out/punished for their destruction of the environment" is total ecofash logic bc it blames all of humanity for damage caused by those in power—be they capitalists or whoever. It’s a worldview that blames the poor and powerless for something they have no say in, and has real eugenics undertones bc with every implication of culling, there has to be someone who appoints themself the job of culling—of who is and isn’t worthy of death.

This belief also struck me as......... kinda christian in it's logic as well which is WEIRD b/c once again........ their cultural inspirations are DEFINITELY not christian...... The whole "man is inherently evil and must spend their whole lifetime repenting/must face punishment for it’s wickedness" thing and the way that christianity treats humanity as born with original sin or inherently corrupt—as well as above or separate from nature are really stronger undertones in Unalaqs worldview....... which isn't really an indigenous way or thinking.

I'm generalizing of course but from what I have seen from the indigenous people who speak on this is that (feel free to point out or correct me if i’m mostly generalizing abt Native Americans and not other indigenous cultures & there are some differences here) is that while native tribes are not monolithic and do vary wildly, there are a lot of common threads and that reverence and respect toward nature and your surroundings is an important tenant of indigenous beliefs. (I specifically remember the hosts on All My Relations saying essentially that we humans are a part of nature, we are not separate from it, and humans are not superior to animals—I’m paraphrasing but that is the gist of it)

So, yeah, I think it’s just really distasteful to write an indigenous character who is characterized in a way that’s way more in line with a christian fundamentalist & wants to bring about a ragnarok style apocalypse end of the world when that isn’t really a tenant of our beliefs? (btw, the way the end of the world is framed is also kinda fucked up? If i were being charitable, I could say that maybe s2’s storyline is a corruption of the hindu depiction of the end of the world, but even that sounds mildly insulting for reasons I won’t get into b/c i am Not The Expert On Hinduism. I will say that once again, the framing of the concept is all wrong, the show views the idea of apocalypse through a very western lense)

To wrap this up, I think the depiction of Unalaq could *maybe* work b/c he is the antagonist, so someone who strays from the NWT cultural tradition in a way that makes his view of morality more black and white wouldn’t be a *horrible* idea for the bad guy of the season. Especially because the introduction of capitalism to the A:TLA universe could probably cause a substantial shifts to… idk, everything i guess, b/c capitalism is so corrosive. Like. Sometimes people are just traitors. I do think it would be interesting to portray the way capitalism manifests in a society without white christians. Like… I do think there are a lot of ways secular christianity and capitalism are interlinked. But Unalaq is not portrayed as an outsider, he’s portrayed as hyper-traditionalist in a way that’s vilified? I guess rightly so, he does suck, but it’s just hard to conceptualize how a person like Unalaq comes to exist in the first place. In the end, I don’t really think it makes sense, in a world without white people, I don’t really know where this introduction of black and white christian morality would even come from in the avatar world?

TL;DR, Bryke applying western christian morality & world views to non-white characters in a world where white people have NEVER existed to affect our beliefs is a subtle form of white-washing. It imposes simplified “good vs. evil” world-views & cultural beliefs onto its characters. Any attempt to represent or even just integrate our actual beliefs into the A:tla lore are twisted and misrepresented is a way that is disrespectful and saps out any nuance or intrigue from the story, and alienates the people its supposed to represent from recognizing themselves within the final product. And Finally, on a more superficial story level, these writing choices clashe with the already existing world of ATLA--and is honestly just poor world-building.

[wishingforatypewriter]

Ok. I’ve been trying to find a way to articulate this for a while, and I hope this isn’t too controversial a take, but I am just astounded by the weird classist mental gymnastics one has to go through to establish Kuvira as the final boss antagonist in Legend of Korra. Like I understand the whole premise of each of the antagonists having a valid critique of society and just “taking it too far” but....

Amon was a Scooby Doo villain; tragic backstory aside, he had absolutely no business leading a movement surrounding the rights of nonbenders. Unalaq, at his core, was a spirity Scar from The Lion King, who was mad that even after he got his brother banished and disinherited, he still ended up with a more important role in world affairs than him. Zaheer and the Red Lotus were more interesting ideologically, but even if they had succeeded, it wouldn’t have created anything close the kind of world they had in mind. In fact, Zaheer learns this firsthand in season four.

 But then you have Kuvira, whose original sin in the series wasn’t subterfuge, regicide, or kidnapping a baby avatar, but rising above her station. She didn’t leave Zaofu for power or glory, but because she held a fundamental belief that people with the means and skills to help the defenseless also had a moral obligation to do so. This is a belief that was notably missing from Earth Kingdom elites like Suyin, who seemed completely indifferent to the plight of anyone she wasn’t directly connected to, and Prince Wu who (for three years) cared more about the halftime show at his coronation than his kingdom being ravaged by bandits and criminals. (Raiko planning to stack Wu’s government with his own yes-men, effectively turning the Earth Kingdom into a vassal state of the United Republic is another rant for another day)��

Now, this is not at all to say that Kuvira did nothing wrong. In light of what we see through the latter half of season four, that argument would be crazy. Prison camps are bad. Nuclear weapons are bad. Invading cities is very fucking bad. By the end, sis was definitely a villain, and that part isn’t up for debate.  

But what often doesn’t get discussed is the fact that President Raiko and the other world leaders were not in the dark like Bolin. They knew what was going on and did not give a flying, aquatic, or stationary fuck what Kuvira did as long as she was serving their interests. Let’s not forget that these same world leaders did not bat an eye while the Earth Queen, a birthright monarch and member of the world elite, had the Dai Li do much of the same—if not worse—to citizens of Ba Sing Se in her name. 

In series (though not by viewers), Kuvira was only coded as villainous after she denounced a monarchy that had been objectively horrible for years and whose heir was totally unfit to rule at the time (no offense, Wu. I still love you bby). In fact, despite her various actual crimes, the cardinal sins the season focuses on with Kuvira are her defying Suyin and usurping Wu, which imo were some of her better decisions. The narrative seems to be suggesting that she was just objectively wrong to question her “betters” and was doomed to go bad because she didn’t stay in her place. 

The class politics are just so weird here. 

[sakiye]

ok sorry for spamming your inbox BUT eska and desna meeting yue? ..........

eska and desna go to korra after finding out the history of the NWT and they ask for her to send them for the spirit world for a quick visit

(i literally do not know how the spirit world works so)

jinora comes too and she’s like “wow omg you met my grandfather and became the moon and you dated uncle sokka and you’re so cool and pretty wow and yue smiles because wow you sure are aang’s grandkid ok ANYWAY back to water tribe

eska and desna are like their normal selves and yue is stumped on how to get through them.....and she channels her inner sokka and is like “hey want to do an activity together” and they somehow agree and she wows them with a shitty carving (better than sokka’s though) and they laugh, surprisingly and bond over how shitty the high levels of the NWT are (cough pakku and unalaq im looking at you) and then they have to leave and now when tonraq talks to the moon, he has 2 people accompany him and they bond even more and talk about how much they love the women in their lives (because senna was their favorite)

You are fine, dw!!! I love to see it!!!!

And AWWWWWWWWWWWWw

AJSHGKJAHGJKSAGHK

I LOVE TO SEE IT. 

And yes!!!!!!!1 Like, Yue would absolutely love all of them and family bonding? I am here for it man.  

And Yueeee <3 I love her sm

[quetanto]

The latest chapter from Five Ways. Hope you like it!

***

You can’t remember much Before There were lights bright lights And colours All the colours of the world A man you called Dad He could do magic He could turn fire into anything A dragon flowers a friend warmth You remember concentrating with everything you had trying to be like Dad You closed your eyes You opened your Eye Everything is connected

Now there’s just The Mission You have your cage And the Headband You hate the Headband Dad never made you wear a headband But Dad trusted you And you killed him Master doesn’t trust you You’ve always known that So he puts the Headband over your eye every time you’ve accomplished your Mission And he blinds you to the world outside It’s only fair It’s only fair A life for a life You owe him your life when anyone else would have killed you and left your freakish body in the gutter Blocked by illusion

And then One day The fight starts and you attack from afar And a man throws something at you and it hurts It’s like the Headband but sharper harder quicker there and gone You try to See The explosion rocks the world around you

and there’s a man there when you wake up.

he’s short and stocky and bald. he’s nothing like the Warlord. he’s not like Dad either. he gives you water and food. you threaten him with a look and tower above him. he doesn’t move. he doesn’t flinch. even the Warlord flinched. he doesn’t talk much about anything. just the odd question. you don't answer for a long time. and then he just sits there and takes books and reads. the Warlord could read but he never taught you. you’d never need it. but this man reads and he reads aloud. he never tries to touch you. never tries to hit you. never puts a Headband on you.

one day you go over and point to the characters, two boxed-in little shapes.

自由

he says they mean “freedom”. you don’t know what that means. you ask him. he smiles, a big goofy grin. weak. foolish. lost. calm. kind.

"To be free is…to be like the wind. Everything in the world open to you, nobody holding you back, or holding you down. To be free is to know that nothing and nobody can stop you from being who you want to be.

”Everyone has a right to be free. Everyone should make decisions only for themselves.”

The man’s dressed in long white robes with a hint of purple. But he usually takes them off when he visits you, and leaves on a brown shirt and pants. Loose clothing, good for movement and breathing.

After a month you realize you’ve been counting days again. And you remember what a month is.

And you realize that you're in a room. Not a cell, but a room. There are no bars on the window. The walls are stone, but covered in white paint. There's a mat on the floor where you sleep, and a pillow. There's a table where you sit to eat. There's a door there, and it's never locked. You can leave when you want to.

You don't want to.

There are burn marks on the floor, on the walls, on the ceiling. You don’t remember how they got there.

The man starts to bring people to see you. A lithe but muscular man with long hair, who always feels so warm. A short woman with a face sharp enough to cut, whose hands leave patterns of cool water in the air. They joke. They laugh. You begin to smile.

After two months, you can write your name.

"P'Li," says the man. Your friend. He smiles at you.

You smile back, and nod.

He takes his time, and draws two characters.

杷力

Then you write the two characters. They're not as pinpoint precise as the ones in the man's books. They're not as flowing as when your friend writes, brush darting across the page like a leaf in the wind. But they're yours.

You read them aloud, proudly.

"P'Li."

There's that wonderful smile again.

You reach out, hesitating. He takes your hand. The hand is rough. The touch is gentle. So different, so familiar.

He bows his head.

"It is an honour to know you, P'Li. I am Zaheer."

***

150 AG

Years pass.

You learn that Zaheer and his friends belong to a group called the White Lotus. They serve the Avatar. It's a thought that makes your knees buckle. The Avatar, living spirit of the planet itself. Zaheer read to you the stories of an Avatar called Roku, who could turn mountains to dust with a gesture and diverted a typhoon that would have destroyed the east coast of the Earth Kingdom. His last act was saving the Fire Nation from a volcano big enough to plunge the world into an age of ice. You can't imagine what that kind of power would be like to hold.

You learn Firebending again, from another woman who comes by every so often. Zaheer never comes to those lessons, not until you ask him to. Seeing him around makes it easier to warm instead of burn.

You learn, from Zaheer, a story of a woman long ago who had eyes that could pierce through flesh and stone, like yours can. But a kindly monk, from the Southern Air Temple, had taught her to gaze more deeply instead of more strongly. To learn to see into a world of spirits.

You learn to love that story, and the woman whose eyes pierce like your Eye, and the monk. (And you learn that on your own, every character from that little book etched in your mind so you’ll never forget the words.)

You learn that Zaheer rescued you from the man you'd always thought of as Master. He'd been a renegade Fire Nation officer, trying to carve out his own petty kingdom in the north. He'd come across you in an accident. As far as they can make out, he'd broken you in. Used you as a weapon of war against those who would take apart his empire. One day, the Avatar was called in to take him down, and he had brought with him the White Lotus.

"Zaheer over here had heard the stories," says Ghazan one night. "He wanted to see you first, I think. And he'd heard the stories of Chief Sokka taking down a Combustion Man with only a boomerang. I think he wanted to try it out for himself."

Zaheer looks so ashamed. "I regret that deeply, P'Li. I was expecting a fully-grown warrior, and--"

"And instead he got a kid just a little younger than him," says Ming-Hua, grinning. "You could literally feel the blood drain from his face."

"I could have killed you."

You hold his hand. "But you didn't," you say, squeezing it gently. "You saved me."

He blushes at that. Ghazan and Ming-Hua smirk at one another. You're not entirely sure of the cause of either reaction.

"Anyway," Ghazan continues, "after that the White Lotus kind of had to stay in the open. Too many people had seen them, and the new members. Which was handy, for a while, but come on, we're supposed to be protectors here. Not glorified bodyguards for the Avatar."

You look puzzled. "Is it wrong, to look after the Avatar?"

"It's disgusting," spits Ming-Hua. "He ignores everything the Fire Nation did, and the Earth Kingdom is doing, so he can focus on 'harmony' and all that crud. It's hypocrisy. He's trying so hard to preserve the old ways that he's forgotten everything bad that happened back then. And now."

Ming-Hua's family had been captured by the Fire Nation too, you learn later. Nearly eighty years ago, her mother had…fallen in love with her father, who was a Waterbender in the prison, Zaheer says. Their kid had been secreted away. And years later, there was a Waterbender born on a volcanic island, who didn't know what to do with herself.

"And that's why we're meeting with this Xai Bao," Ghazan reassures her. "He says he's got an answer to this problem. And he's got friends on his side, like the prince of the Northern Water Tribe."

"Tonraq?" says Ming-Hua, surprised. "Never thought that oaf would be much of a rebel."

"Nah, the other guy. Kinda scrawny."

"Unalaq," says Zaheer. He doesn't much like him for some reason.

Zaheer usually has good instincts.

"But what does this have to do with me?" you ask.

They all look at one another.

It's Ming-Hua, of all people, who speaks up gently. "It’s because of you, P'Li. The Order's been getting cranky about new members. They say you've been living on their dole for too long now. They want to make you a member."

"Isn't that good?"

"No, it's not," says Zaheer. He's angrier than you've ever seen him. "Because you deserve better than this, this cage. I’ve been trying for years to get them to let you out of this compound. You're not a weapon. You shouldn't have to be someone else's enforcer."

"Enforcer?" you ask.

Ghazan looks stone-faced. "There's this other guy in the Order, Gong Zhi. Completely out of his skull, brought in as a master Earthbender after King Bumi passed on. But he wants to use you as a guard in the White Lotus. There's plenty of them, lots of grunts, but you'd be…special division, he calls it. A tactical line of offence against the warlords."

"Why not? I want to kill warlords." And you do. You really do. You can't think of anyone else wearing a Headband to be controlled.

"P'Li," says Zaheer, pleadingly. "You won't be used against warlords. You'd be used against everyone around them. The people, the armies who don't have a choice but to fight for them. It wouldn't be attacking the warlords. You'd be sent to kill children while the Order," he spits, "arrests their masters, instead of giving them what they deserve."

You think about this.

"Is he wrong?" you ask the other two.

Ghazan doesn't say a thing. Ming-Hua shrugs.

"It's the way of the world," she says. "At least, this world."

"Then perhaps Xai Bao can lead us to a better one," says Zaheer. "Because I'm not abandoning you." He turns to you. "I made a promise that you would be free, P'Li. I'm not going to let some old men and women in those ridiculous robes decide your fate like you're a tool."

You think about that, too.

Finally: "Maybe we can listen to him, at least."

***

The Spirit World, 157 AG

She closed her eyes.

She opened her Eye.

Zaheer loved this place, Xai Bao's grove. Always so peaceful. So true to the spirit of the man who'd shown them the way.

P'Li had only been here once or twice before, but somehow she never felt out of place in this peaceful little valley, despite having every reason to. She was a warrior, not a guru. Could never be a guru.

But she could enjoy the sunshine, at least.

There was Unalaq, walking out from the forest. There was always something so…dark about the man. A midnight blue surrounded him, through her Eye, even without any water to Bend.

Zaheer, sitting cross-legged beside her, bowed his head to the man. "You bring news, then?"

Unalaq nodded back, barely spared her a glance. That was a sore spot between him and Zaheer, and P'Li wasn't going to apologize for that.

"I do bring news," said the Crown Prince of the Northern Water Tribe. "The Avatar has been found."

P'Li felt her heart skip a beat.

"It…hasn't reached our channels in the White Lotus yet…" said Zaheer.

"That's because I was one of the first to hear about it," said Unalaq. "My father was so proud," he spat, "of his little granddaughter."

"Then–"

"Yes. It seems as though the spirituality of the noble lineages has brought another Avatar to the fore again. My niece, Korra, is the new Avatar."

"And at the South Pole," P'Li pointed out. She didn’t like that point about “noble lineages”. Neither of them did.

Unalaq smiled wryly at that, acknowledged her for the first time. "Yes, well. Not for long. We're going to have to ensure that she's ready to let Vaatu forth by the time Harmonic Convergence comes to the fore."

"So that the Avatar may truly be useful again," said P'Li, determinedly.

"So the world may taste freedom," said Zaheer, hopefully.

"So humanity will finally reconnect with the spirits of the world," said Unalaq, gravely. "Are your people ready, Zaheer?"

"My friends will do what they can, Unalaq," Zaheer replied, just a hint of disapproval in his voice. "But the White Lotus is crafty. They'll probably be keeping an eye on her. And so will Chief Sokka and Lady Katara." This last was spoken with a hint of guilt that only P'Li caught.

"Chief Sokka," said Unalaq with a sneer, "is pushing on seventy years and has barely a dribble of energy flow within him. He'll be no trouble. Katara is an old woman, grieving as she watches her husband toddle around someone else's house and burn things and offer insult as easily as breathe. As for the rest…well, that sloppiness in training is why you left, isn't it Zaheer?"

Zaheer pursed his lips. "Something like that, yes."

"Then it's settled. We'll gather together again soon, once we can work out a plan. And the Avatar," said Unalaq, "will learn how to properly restore balance to the world."

P'Li was warm in the Spirit World. Zaheer was a flickering flame, warm and wild and free (and yet somehow constrained, somehow always missing something).

So why, whenever she looked Unalaq's way, did he feel so cold?

[mustangsgloves]

Korrasami Secret Santa 2020

WOW I am late, sorry! 

@spikings the world has been crazy....you asked for something gym related, and this is what happened. I still have one last part of this I want to write, but for now, here it is: (AO3 link)

Pt. 1 - Pt. 4 (of 5)

falling for you - or the four times Korra didn’t act on her feelings for Asami, and the one time she did (while sparring)

1.     “I was hangin’ with you and then I realized”

Two words cut through the silence in the young CEO’s office. “Let’s spar.”

The water Korra was disinterestedly manipulating into different shapes almost fell to the ground as she suddenly turned to look at her friend. She echoed, slightly confused, “let’s spar?”

Asami’s eyes were already on her, blueprints detailing upgrades for her electric glove forgotten on the large oak desk in front of her. A small smile crossed her face as she leaned back into her chair. “Yes, let’s spar. That is what I said.”

“No, yeah, I mean…I heard you, I just…” Korra faltered.

“What’s wrong?” Asami smirked. “Worried I might beat you?”

Korra glared at her, but it held no heat. “No, that’s obviously gonna be your concern.”

“Oh, so you agree that I should be worried about beating you?” Asami laughed.

“That’s not what I meant! You…I – ugh.” The Avatar shut her eyes. “Forget it.”

“Korra,” Asami countered gently. “I’m just teasing you.” She paused, and Korra didn’t have to meet her gaze to know the look of concern her friend was giving her. “I was just thinking maybe it could do you some good to get moving instead of sitting here and waiting for Tenzin to get back and tell you what Unalaq is planning next.”

Korra sighed and focused her attention back to the water before replying. “You’re probably right,” Korra said. “It’s just, I hate sitting here, just…just waiting, when I should be out there stopping my uncle from starting whatever sneaky plan he has in the works!” The liquid curved into small cylinders of ice, each sharpening to a deadly point before flowing back to a fluid sphere.

“I know…or at least, I can imagine,” Asami paused, watching as Korra impatiently tossed the sphere from hand to hand. “But I do think some physical activity might help you feel better – I know it works for me.”

Korra shrugged half-heartedly, “I guess it might help.”

Asami was determined. “Tenzin will be back soon. This way you will hopefully feel better and then you can act more assuredly no matter what news he brings. I know it’s no bending arena and I’m no Bolin, but my dad…” she tapered off. Korra turned her attention back to the engineer.

Clearing her throat, Asami continued. “Well, my dad made sure to include a room for martial arts training and practicing in this building because I took lessons as a kid. That way, when he was at work and I was here too, I could practice. It’s not a bad place to work-out, I mean, there’s a sparring mat and some gear.”

Asami chuckled sardonically before continuing, “but I guess looking back now, it’s pretty obvious it was all just a ploy to keep an innocent child out of whatever diabolical plots he was part of at the time.”

Korra returned the water to the empty vase on Asami’s desk – thinking fleetingly that the huge office room could do with a little bit of cheering up, maybe with a few moon-lilies in the vase – before voicing her decision.

“Let’s do it,” Korra said, offering a hand to Asami who had retrained her gaze to the blueprints in front of her. Asami looked up, and her eyes reflected the same push and pull of anger and sadness that they always seemed to whenever she thought of her father. “Just the two of us, no Bolin necessary.”

Asami took her hand and let herself be gently guided from her chair. Her eyes flashed with a familiar mirth, and Korra could already feel the tension in her body receding. “No Bolin necessary?”

“Nope,” Korra proclaimed proudly, giving Asami’s hand a squeeze before releasing it. “I love the guy, but he and I are decidedly not good sparring partners. And besides…” She glanced at Asami. “I have a feeling you and I are going to be just the opposite.”

“I do too,” Asami said with a smile. Pausing only a moment to seemingly collect herself, Asami started towards the door. “Well, follow me, Avatar, and I’ll show you what a true master of the martial arts can really do.”

Korra grinned, and the rest of her anxiety and apprehension seemed to fade away in the same moment. “Alright, Ms. CEO. Please, show me the way.”

There was no doubt that Tenzin would only bring bad news about Unalaq, but at least Korra could pass the time in an enjoyable and productive way – kicking Asami’s butt at hand-to-hand combat.

Or so she thought.

--

           It only took about two minutes before Korra realized that their sparring match was not going to be an easy win. True to her word, Asami proved to be an extremely talented martial artist: dodging, weaving, and landing blows that most other opponents (such as Bolin, who, as lovable and talented as he was, could notkeep up with Korra on the mats) wouldn’t be able to.

           “I have to admit,” Korra huffed as she dodged a particularly powerful punch from Asami. “I’m impressed.”

           “You almost sound surprised,” Asami countered as she ducked in turn, keeping her wrapped hands up to protect her face. “You aren’t still thinking of me as a prissy, helpless little girl, are you?”

           Korra paused just long enough to accidentally let Asami land a kick to her side.

           “Oof,” Korra grunted, widening her stance to regain her balance. “Definitely not, but I didn’t anyways. You proved the contrary very early on.”

           “Glad to hear it,” Asami managed as she barely blocked a quick combination Korra threw.

           “In fact, I think you underestimate yourself too much,” Korra continued. She dipped her body weight forward and moved past Asami, forcing the other girl to switch up her stance and landing a punch on Asami’s shoulder along the way. “You’re pretty incredible.”

           “Nice one, and thanks,” Asami said, only taking a brief second to acknowledge the blow, “but are you sure aren’t just saying that because I’m kicking your ass?”

           Korra snorted and threw another punch, which Asami dodged easily. “Kicking my ass? As if. I’m not even trying that hard.”

           Asami’s eyes glinted with a spark of mischief that Korra hadn’t seen since the day the engineer had taken her on the racetrack. “Oh no?” she countered. “Let me make this a little harder then…”

           Faster than Korra could follow, Asami dropped herself to the ground and rotated her legs around her in a sweeping arc that caught Korra’s ankles and forced her own legs to give out from underneath her.

           The Avatar hit the ground with a resounding thud, and only moments later, Asami had her pinned to the mat. All of the air seemed to leave Korra’s lungs as she looked at Asami’s bright emerald eyes and the small smile on her face. Both girls were breathing heavily, and a faint sheen of sweat covered their faces. Korra found her heart racing, which made sense after sparring, but it felt different than usual, a little more…nervous? She shook the thought as Asami’s weight shifted off of her and she moved to stand up.

           “Kick my ass, huh?” Asami said as she offered a hand to help Korra up.

           Korra grinned and accepted Asami’s hand. “Apparently not,” she replied as she stood. “You might have actually beaten me there, Sato. Not a lot of people can say that they bested the Avatar.”

           Asami laughed as the two walked towards the storage compartments to put away their gear, and Korra felt lighter than she had in days.

Their suspicions had been correct – they were the perfect sparring partners.

2.     “I didn’t think it was true, I was surprised”

The next time Asami and Korra sparred felt very different from the first, but Korra chalked it up to the fact that she had just lost her connection to all of the past avatars. Not to mention the fact that she’d turned into a giant blue spirit and beat up her uncle, from what Bolin had explained to her a few days after Harmonic Convergence.

“Spirits, it was crazy!” Bolin had exclaimed. “Like, I knew you’re good at bending, obviously, being the Avatar and all, but man. Your hand-to-hand combat skills are better than I thought! It was, wow…it was just, blam and pow and then smack and then Unalaq just like, disappeared into a shiny light! I mean, how cool is that?!”

           “Bolin,” Korra had replied, only slightly exasperated. “Weren’t you still in the spirit world when this happened?”

           Bolin had blushed and admitted, “well yeah, but I filled in the rest after the giant blue version of you went after Unalaq…and besides, my little bro Meelo filled me in! He told me everything he saw from Air Temple Island.”

           “He’s not your brother, Bo,” Korra had said with fake sternness. “He’s way too gross.” The two had continued to bicker during the rest of their celebratory dinner downtown with Mako and Asami.

           Now, almost a month after the fight, Korra finally felt up to trying something for stress-relief instead of dwelling on her severed connection, practice bending drills repeatedly, or spending an entire day trying to move the ridiculously stubborn spirit vines that had popped up around Republic City. Thinking back to just a week before, when Asami had attempted to teach her how to drive, Korra smiled. Finally, she knew exactly what she needed to do to keep herself busy. Grabbing her glider, she shouted a quick goodbye to Pema, who was bouncing Rohan on her knee in the courtyard and launched herself off of Air Temple Island towards the city.

           It only took Korra a few minutes to reach the Future Industries tower. Landing with ease on a wide ledge, she folded her glider and knocked quickly on the expansive windows she knew led to Asami’s office.

           “Korra, hi,” Asami greeted her warmly as she opened one of the large frames to allow the Avatar into the room. “Is everything alright?”

           “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” Korra replied, watching as Asami closed the window and moved to stand next to her desk which held a recently filled vase of fresh moon-lilies, courtesy of Tenzin at the request of the Avatar herself.

           “Well, you usually don’t just show up at my office in the middle of the afternoon…” Asami explained. “Not that I’m complaining, it’s a welcome change from the boring meetings I’ve been in all day but…”

           “Are you busy?” Korra asked, suddenly feeling very embarrassed of her random visit. “I mean of course you’re busy, you’re the CEO…I can go! I can easily go and just let you keep doing your stuff, I just thought…well…maybe you could use a break? Or something, I –”

           Asami quieted her with a brief touch of her hand on Korra’s shoulder. “No, don’t go. You caught me at a good time. Besides, you’re right, a break sounds nice. What did you have in mind?”

           Korra gave her a crooked smile. “Well, I was thinking we could maybe spar? I know we haven’t since we did a few months ago, but with everything finally settling down…it could be a nice way to unwind.”

           Surprise filtered across Asami’s face momentarily before it was replaced with a small smile. “Back for a rematch?” she asked good-naturedly.

           “I don’t think it’s going to be much of a match,” Korra retorted. “Pretty much all I’ve been doing is practicing and mediating, and it seems like you’ve just been cooped up in here.” She gestured vaguely around at the office.

           “You don’t learn, do you,” Asami said with a teasing tone as she pushed in her chair and began to make her way around the large oak desk.

           “Actually, I’ve been told I’m a very quick learner,” Korra shot back.

           Asami laughed – a full, happy laugh – and a small fissure of electricity seemed to jolt Korra at the sound. She pushed it aside, writing it off as relief and excitement at hearing Asami laugh after everything that happened with her father and now Harmonic Convergence, too. Korra couldn’t imagine that spirit vines popping up all over a city in which you’re the CEO of the most prominent technology and industry business would be an easy thing to deal with.

           “Well, for a quick learner, you should’ve learned to not underestimate me twice,” Asami countered, motioning for Korra to follow her to the sparring space.

--

           It turned out, that Asami was once again right – for the most part. The first few blows the two girls exchanged were well-matched if not leaning in Asami’s favor. But Korra could feel the anxieties and fears she’d been harboring since Harmonic Convergence beginning to seep out of her subconscious and into her limbs.

           Asami threw a punch but hit nothing but air, Korra having swiftly sidestepped and instead driving a solid hit into the taller girl’s abdomen. Asami inhaled sharply but quickly retaliated, spinning around and delivering a sweeping kick to Korra’s side. Korra grunted as she was forced to stumble to the side. She tried to suppress the “fight-or-flight” reaction she could feel growing in her gut as she and Asami stepped back to circle one another, each with their hands held up defensively in front of their chins. This is Asami, Korra told herself, not Unalaq, not some giant spirit of darkness…she’s your friend. This had never happened before, at least, not the last time they sparred or any time more recently that Korra had practiced with Bolin or even Mako. She shook her head in an effort to rid herself of the thoughts before offering Asami a small smile.

           “Ready to give up yet?” Korra asked, trying for a confident air to assuage the doubts in her mind.

           Asami just chuckled. “Well I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but I actually landed the most recent hit here so, I think I should actually be asking you that.”

           Korra frowned, “are you always this infuriating?”

           Asami shrugged and replied, “not always,” before stepping forward and striking quickly.

           But not quickly enough.

           Korra ducked and sidestepped, grabbing Asami’s wrist as it sailed past where Korra’s shoulder would have been. Using Asami’s own weight and momentum against her, Korra twisted to then flip Asami over herself and onto the ground. Korra quickly followed and straddled Asami, effectively pinning the other girl with her hands above her head.

           For a moment, neither girl said anything, and suddenly Korra felt as though this was their first time sparring as she remembered being in this exact same scenario which was only now reversed. Their breaths mingled and Korra was abruptly taken aback by how close their faces were – it wouldn’t take much to just lean down and…wait, what?

            In her split-second of hesitation and confusion, Korra flashed back to her battle with her uncle and was bombarded with memories of the way Vaatu had pulled Raava out of her with surprising and disturbing ease. The proximity then was just a little farther away than Korra was to Asami now…the brief second of panic was all that was all it took for her to hastily push herself off of and away from Asami, who promptly sat up.

           “Korra?” she asked gently, still breathing heavily. Instead of shock and something else on Asami’s face that Korra had seen but not quite understood, her features now held concern and curiosity. “Are you ok?”

           Korra could feel the adrenaline coursing through her as she tried to take a few deep breaths…in…out…in…out…in a calming pattern just like Jinora had taught her months ago after Korra had a particularly vivid nightmare about Amon and found herself hyperventilating when she awoke. Vaguely, she registered, and appreciated, the fact Asami hadn’t said anything more and was simply sitting calmly about a foot away. The engineer alternated between glancing at Korra and down to her lap where she was absentmindedly wrapping and unwrapping the coverings of one forearm and hand.

           When Korra finally felt as though she once again had a handle on her mind and body, she sighed, “I’m sorry, Asami.”

           This just seemed to shock Asami once again. “What?” she said incredulously, “you don’t need to be sorry!”

           Korra trailed her hands down her face, heat blooming in her cheeks. “I’m sorry I lost control and that you had to see…that.”

           Asami regarded her for a moment, before gently placing a hand on Korra’s bicep and silently willing her to meet her gaze. Asami’s eyes were gentle, and Korra suddenly felt more embarrassed by her embarrassment than anything else, which was a far more ridiculous situation to be in and sounded like something Bolin would get himself into.

           “Korra,” Asami began. “You…” she trailed off before gathering her thoughts and trying again. “Okay, two things. One, you didn’t lose control, at least as far as I could tell,” she smiled slightly and continued. “All it seems to me is that I just got my ass kicked by the Avatar.”

Korra offered a slight smile and small laugh at the comment.

“And two,” Asami continued, with a renewed glint in her eyes, “don’t ever apologize to me for something like that – unless you purposefully do something to hurt me, which –” she gave Korra a pointed look that said let me finish as the Avatar opened her mouth to object. “Which, I know you’d never do – you never have to apologize to me.”

“Alright,” Korra agreed, finally feeling the rest of the adrenaline and the embarrassment begin to fade. “And what about if it’s by accident?”

Asami quirked an eyebrow. “Well, if you hurt me by accident…I guess it’d be more of a case-by-case sort of thing. I’m sure we could draw up a contract.”

“You’re a good business-woman,” Korra chuckled. “And an even better friend.”

Asami smiled, fully this time. “A woman’s only as good as her partners,” she replied. “And I’m lucky to have an incredible one right here.”

“You’re a sap, Sato,” Korra said as she stood up. She offered Asami her hand – as it seemed they did at the end of every sparring match, or at least the two they’d had. The other girl took it firmly, and Korra felt the increasingly familiar jolt of electricity course through her body from the contact. If she didn’t know better, Korra might’ve thought that Asami’s electric glove was on her hand. Realizing she’d been staring at their clasped hands, Korra blinked and shifted her gaze to meet Asami’s eyes – emerald green, sparkling, and filled with a little bit of that mystery expression from earlier when Korra had had her pinned.

A beat of silence passed, and then Asami spoke as she dropped Korra’s hand. “Well, it takes one to know one, Avatar.”

Just like the last time they sparred, the two moved in tandem to return the equipment and clean the mats.

“Are you up for lunch?” Asami asked. “Bolin and I talked about it the other day and thought maybe the three of us and Mako could grab some today – maybe your favorite noodle shop?”

Korra grinned lopsidedly. “Do you even have to ask?”

3.     “I didn’t wanna believe my feelings for you”

           “No bending this time,” Asami warned good naturedly as she and Korra circled one another in one of Zaofu’s many courtyards.

           “Ah, yeah…” Korra smiled sheepishly, briefly bringing up her right hand to rub at the back of her neck. “Sorry about that.” A few days before, the two had been sparring in the Queen’s garden while they were waiting for news either about Kai, or Mako and Bolin. Korra had accidently gotten a little too riled up as they had discussed the Queen’s plan and used airbending as she had kicked the pad in Asami’s hand, which added a lot of force to the move.

           Asami hadn’t been too worried about the mistake, airbending luckily wasn’t as outwardly harmful as say, firebending, which was still something that Asami liked to avoid. Being good friends with Mako and Korra and seeing the good that firebending could do definitely helped with her opinion on the element…but it wasn’t that simple. Every once in a while when she saw firebending, Asami would randomly flash back to the day her mother was killed – not a happy memory, but trauma tended to stick with you like that.

           Shaking the thought out of her head, Asami smiled at Korra reassuringly. “It’s alright, it’s not like you hurt me.”

           “Well, I’m not trying to have you write up a contract, that’s for sure,” Korra responded playfully.

           Asami grinned and with impressive speed, lunged forward to land a quick combination of punches against Korra’s strong stomach and diaphragm. Taken by surprise, Korra had no time to block or sidestep, and stumbled backwards with an oompfh.

           Coughing as she regained her breath, Korra looked at Asami with wide eyes.

           “If I didn’t know better,” she managed. “I’d say you were trying to get revenge.”

           “Who me?” Asami asked innocently, though the spark in her eyes suggested she knew just what she was doing. “I hate to break it to you, but if you think that was revenge, you’re sorely disappointed.”

           “Hold on, what’s that supposed to mean –” Korra began before, once again, Asami rushed her.

           This was not Asami’s usual sparring method, Korra thought fleetingly as the two fell to the ground. Far from the norm of well-calculated and precisely placed hits she usually favored, Asami was going for what Korra would argue was more of the Bolin method – intense, sudden, and very physical approaches.

           Luckily, the patch of grass they’d decided to fight on was forgiving, and their fall was softened. Korra somehow managed to come out on top after the two tumbled past one of the metal sculptures that Huan had showed their group after their arrival the day before. Korra straightened, straddling Asami’s waist and frantically trying to pin down the taller girl’s arms. Asami obviously knew what Korra was going for. Right as Korra managed to grab her wrists, Asami laughed and arched, sending her hips, legs, and subsequently Korra hurtling up and off of her.

           Korra allowed her momentum to carry her forward, tucking into a roll and then getting back on to her feet. She took a few steps forward before raising her arms up defensively to her face and turning around to face Asami once again.

           The other girl was already standing, ponytail beginning to come undone and smirking slightly. Asami blew a puff of air towards her forehead in an attempt to clear away the strands of hair that threatened to block her vision.

           “Alright Sato,” Korra huffed. “If that’s how you want to play it…”

           She charged forward, but thanks to the distance between them, Asami had plenty of time to simply step aside to dodge Korra’s rush. Korra whipped around and managed to place a hit on Asami’s back as she leapt back to avoid Asami’s sweeping kick. They continued in this pattern for a few minutes – Korra stepping back to get out of Asami’s range as she continuously aimed kick after kick at the Avatar. Suddenly, Korra found her back pressed against one of the few trees in the metal city. Of course, she thought to herself sardonically.

           Asami changed tactics and lunged forward to try to keep Korra pinned against the tree. Korra shifted against the trunk and used her arms to brace Asami’s shoulders back as she considered her options.

           This was decidedly the least spar-like sparring match they’d ever had.

           “What made you decide to go full on wrestling today?” Korra asked as she grit her teeth. Asami wasn’t much bigger than she was, but their height difference gave Asami a distinct advantage as she pushed against Korra.

           “Eh,” Asami shrugged. “I thought I’d change it up, especially since Lin thinks that even Zaofu isn’t safe enough for you. If there’s a bunch of crazy benders out to get you, I might as well try to help keep you on your toes.”

           “I appreciate the sentiment,” Korra responded as she resisted harder. “But I can’t believe Bolin isn’t seeing this – I mean, he’ll never believe me when I tell him you went full on wrestler-mode – he totally thinks that’s just his thing.”

           “Well,” Asami said, bringing her face closer to Korra’s, who’s heart rate unexpectedly skyrocketed. “There’s a lot that Bolin doesn’t know about me…including how I fight.”

           On the last word, Asami let her lips brush Korra’s cheek before she abruptly stopped pushing against the Avatar, who was still returning the pressure, and stepped aside. Korra lurched forward and Asami, ever the innovator, grabbed hold of Korra’s wrist and used the shorter girl’s momentum to fling her away. Korra toppled to the ground, shock from Asami’s trick and the loose gravel keeping her from finding her footing in time.

           Korra moved quickly to try to sit up, but Asami moved quicker. Before the Avatar could even fully prop herself on her elbows, Asami was on her. She swept Korra’s arms out from underneath her and kept her hands firmly on her wrists, causing the Korra’s back to hit the ground. Still straddling her, Asami moved Korra’s arms to above her head, fully pinning the Avatar on the ground.

           Asami leaned down ever-so-slightly, but even with that slight movement Korra could’ve sworn her heart stopped. Why, she didn’t know, but it was all she could do to remind herself to breathe again. For a split second, Korra thought she saw Asami’s bright eyes flicker downwards away from her own, but she chalked it up to her shock the situation, and the fact that as soon as Asami’s lips had brushed her cheek, it seemed that they were all Korra could think about. Despite her attempts to calm herself down, Korra could feel the blood rushing to her face. Get a hold of yourself, Korra thought to herself impatiently.

           The CEO had different plans. She brushed her cheek against Korra’s in a painstakingly slow manner as she leaned even closer to be able to whisper near Korra’s ear.

           “Don’t forget to tell Bolin exactly how I beat you,” she said quietly. Korra’s heart seemed to stop again. “I hate to say it, but I have to agree…I have a feeling that he’s not going to believe you.”

           With that, Asami rocked backwards off of Korra and stood up, brushing off the gravel and dust from her clothes. She turned away from Korra and began to walk back to the Beifong estate, before pausing briefly and looking back at the Avatar, who remained frozen on the ground.

           “That was fun,” Asami said, a familiar, sultry look on her face – the same one that Korra used to hate whenever she would see it aimed at Mako during pro-bending matches. “We should do it again sometime.”

           Korra sat up more fully and opened her mouth to say something – anything, preferably clever – but found it as dry as the gravel dust in her hair.

           Asami laughed, flipping her hair that had long since come undone, and sauntered up the steps.

           Korra gaped after the other girl, willing the heat in her cheeks and the butterflies in her stomach to subside. Don’t make it weird, she chided herself. She’s your best friend…Still, Korra found herself at the mercy of her nerves, which at this point, were beginning to fray. She hurriedly stood up and dusted herself up.

           “BOLIN!” she shouted as she ran towards the guest house where the earthbender was supposedly napping. He’d have time for that later, but all Korra wanted right now was to explain, and try to understand, what in the world had just happened.

4.     “maybe it’s better if I just try to conceal the truth”

Asami sent Korra enough letters for her to be able to catch onto what the engineer was willing to talk about or not…and for the longest time, Asami would not mention anything about sparring. It felt as though Asami viewed it as this sacred thing, something that the two of them did, that they could do, only before Korra was poisoned by the Red Lotus.

At first, Korra didn’t notice it. Asami would talk about her day, mention the projects she was working on, the boring meetings she had to sit through, the frustrations of dealing with Raiko, and the pleasant dinners on Air Temple Island that would subsequently be followed up with a “everybody misses you” that never felt guilt-ridding, only sincere and understanding. Asami would mention Mako’s detective work, bring up Bolin and his antics as well as Opal, Jinora and Kai’s escapades with the Air Nation, and even relay that Yin and the rest of the boys’ family were in good spirits and health. She would reminisce in the way that only she could without causing Korra to feel bad and talk about the way they had managed to get out of the desert on their makeshift sand-sailer – “I’m telling you, Korra, sometimes when business seems bad, I really do consider prototyping one of those sand-sailers. I think there’s some real potential for them in the Earth Kingdom markets!” – and optimistically discuss how they would have to go to Narook’s Noodlery when Korra returned to Republic City, when she was ready. Asami didn’t push or rush her.

           But Asami never mentioned their sparring matches, not when she spoke of fond memories, or even when she wrote about what they would get up to once Korra was back. Korra was embarrassed to admit that she only picked up on this fact after about the fiftieth letter she received from Asami, about eight months into her absence in the Southern Water Tribe. A few times after she noticed this, Korra would sit and wonder why Asami wouldn’t bring it up. Each time, she couldn’t help but conclude that it was because that when Asami had last seen her, Korra hadn’t been able to move her lower body at all. It must’ve been that Asami was sparing Korra from the pain and embarrassment of thinking about when she could move, and so out of the kindness of her heart Asami had decided to omit any fond memories of their sparring sessions. It wasn’t like sparring was something that wasn’t memorable or a common occurrence – especially after Harmonic Convergence and even up to the day that Korra was poisoned, the two girls had sparred quite often. The two of them were so evenly matched that sometimes they could continue for almost an hour without either making much headway.

           But finally, after almost a year passing since she’d left Republic City, Korra finally wrote Asami back. She told Asami how she was sorry for not writing sooner, it was just that she needed time to figure everything out, but she missed Republic City a lot (and her, but Korra was too nervous to include that, for some reason). She asked the CEO to not mention her response to Mako or Bolin, and it wasn’t that Korra wanted to hurt the brothers’ feelings, it was just that it was easier to write to Asami about this stuff. Korra explained how she’d done extensive healing sessions with Katara and was now well enough to not only be walking around by herself, but also get back to bending. She wrote about how she’d first practiced water with her father in the weeks soon after she’d regained her mobility, and then fire, earth, and air later on her own. Finally, at the end of her letter, Korra wrote:

I’ve also really missed our sparring sessions; they always make me feel better. I hope you’ve found another way to keep yourself occupied. When I’m back, I’ll kick your ass, Sato.

She’d debated for a few minutes whether she should add anything more, or just sign off before decided to simply add:

           Thank you, for writing.

           Yours, Korra

It felt awkward, and it didn’t feel like enough, but Korra had figured that nothing really would at that point. What are you supposed to say after you’ve been gone for a year with no contact?

--

           It wasn’t like they had all the time in the world to mess around once Korra finally returned to Republic City, but Korra intended to make good on a promise she’d made to herself: after being gone for three years…she definitely owed Asami a sparring match.

           After the chaos of their lunch-turned-rescue mission for Prince Wu, Korra and Asami finally found a small chunk of free time in the old Sato mansion, where Wu was staying with Mako and Bolin’s family. Mako had tried in vain a little earlier to try to show Wu some self-defense moves, but he had left the room not even half an hour later grumbling about how Wu “wasn’t even trying” and “couldn’t even hurt a fly,” which Korra interpreted as almost sounding endeared with the odd Prince, but she was smart enough not to say anything to the firebender as he stalked down the hall. She and Asami watched him retreat with Wu and Grandma Yin (for some bizarre reason) following shortly after. After they had disappeared, Asami turned to Korra, who had just been working up the nerve to suggest a match.

           “You mentioned something about sparring,” Asami said, “in your first letter back.”

           Inexplicably, Korra felt heat rise to her cheeks and fought down the urge to rub her neck as she tended to when she was nervous. “I did, yeah…” she managed. “I did mention sparring.”

           Asami looked at her with vague curiosity and a slight, amused smile. Asami’s face was a little more angular than it had been three years ago, and her eyes, while still young and bright, held more sorrow and exhaustion now too. Korra couldn’t help but notice the way her new hairstyle made her look older, and more mature…which, granted, she was. With a start, Korra realized she was staring and not listening, but it was a moment too late.

           “…so, do you want to?” Asami was asking.

           Korra blinked.

           “Sorry,” she offered. “I, was, uh…I got distracted. What did you say?”

           For a moment, Asami’s cheeks looked flushed, but Korra assumed it was a trick of the light.

           “That’s okay,” Asami replied. “I was asking if you wanted to spar, since, well…it’s been so long.”

           Guilt flooded Korra at Asami’s words, despite it being obvious that the CEO had no bad intentions. It was anything but accusatory…the gentle way Asami had said it suggested that she too was sad about the missed opportunities of the past three years. Korra swallowed her wave of emotions and gave Asami a small smile, all previous awkwardness forgotten.

           “I did tell you I’d kick your ass, didn’t I?” Korra said.

           Asami just laughed.

--

           It was almost like no time had passed. The two exchanged blows for almost fifteen minutes before Korra gained the upper hand. With a few well-placed punches, Asami tapped out, giving the first round to Korra.

           Ten minutes later, round two went to Korra as well after the Avatar used the trick she’d learned from Asami three years before of sweeping her opponent’s feet out from under them. Asami was oddly quiet, more focused than she had been at the restaurant or even earlier in the day, and a lot less physical than the match they’d shared in Zaofu before the Red Lotus had showed up. It didn’t necessarily feel like a bad quiet, but Korra could tell that there was definitely something on Asami’s mind that was causing her to fight differently.

           “Round three?” Korra asked Asami, trying to get a better read on her. “I’ll give you a chance to show me you didn’t actually let up on your work outs while I was gone.”

           That got a smile from the other girl. “You’re on. Can we take a quick break first though? I’m a little tired.”

           The two sat down and drank some water. Korra let the quiet of the room continue for a minute or two before she broke it, her nerves getting the better of her.

           “Are you mad?” she asked Asami softly, not looking at the engineer.

           “What?” Asami responded. “Am I mad?”

           Korra just nodded.

           There was a pause, and Korra felt her heart sink before Asami continued.

           “No, Korra,” she said. “I’m not mad.”

           Korra lifted her gaze to look at Asami, who was staring ahead thoughtfully.

           “I’ve just got some things on my mind…” she turned to give Korra a small smile. “It’s nothing bad, though. Just something that I’ve been thinking about more, lately. I’m okay. It’s just a lot, you know? You’re finally back, and I’m so glad…it’s just going to take a little adjusting.”

           “Yeah,” Korra replied. “That makes sense…and for the record, I’m sorry…when we’re both ready and we have more time, I’d be happy to talk more about everything, if you wanted. For right now, I want you to know I’m glad to be back, too. I’ve missed this…I’ve missed you.”

           Asami softened. “I’ve missed you too. And yes, I’m sure we can talk about it another time when we don’t have to prepare to fight a dictator and save the world.”

           Korra laughed. “I sure hope we get a break soon, all of us. Besides, then I’d have more time to keep beating you in these matches.”

           Asami snorted and got up, walking back towards the mats. “You always do this, you think you can actually beat me,” she joked.

           Korra set down her water and stood up. “Oh, so you’ve just been letting me win today?”

           Asami’s features took on a familiar air of mischief and confidence. She raised her hands up into a defensive position and smirked, the tone of next words sending a jolt of heat to Korra’s stomach.

           “Why don’t you come and find out?”

           Korra exhaled, and walked onto the mat, squaring up to the taller girl once she was close enough. Trying for a similar air as Asami’s, Korra channeled every ounce of confidence she had into a smooth response. “All right, Sato. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

           Asami wasted no time in going on the offensive, forcing Korra to duck and weave to avoid getting punched. With the ebb and flow of the blows they exchanged and the fluid motions of their attacks and defenses, the two almost seemed to be dancing.

           “I’ll admit it,” Korra huffed as she landed a kick. “You’re just as good as you were three years ago…if not better.”

           Asami smirked. “I know.”

           Korra grunted as a blow landed on her stomach. “Then did you just let me win those first two rounds?” she managed.

           “No,” Asami replied, dodging so Korra’s fist missed her own abdomen. “I’ve never let you win when we spar, and I never will…you always underestimate yourself, don’t you?”

           Korra shrugged and jumped back to avoid Asami’s swift kick. “It’s possible,” she admitted.

           “Have you ever let me win a match?” Asami asked, blocking Korra’s punch by making an ‘x’ with her forearms.

           “Nope,” Korra said.

           “Not even in Zaofu?” Asami pressed.

           “What do you mean, not even in Zaofu?” Korra asked, lunging forwards to force Asami to retreat a few feet.

           “There were at least two times during that match in the courtyard when you should’ve beaten me,” Asami explained. “Why didn’t you?”

           Korra tried her best to simultaneously avoid Asami’s offensive blows and remember back to Zaofu…they had been sparring in one of the courtyards, there wasn’t a lot of grass, or trees – Korra felt her face flush as she remembered the way Asami had…well…distracted her at the tree, and then once again on the ground. Butterflies reanimated in her stomach.

           “That doesn’t count for anything,” she scoffed, throwing a combination punch and ignoring Asami’s searching gaze. “You…cheated.”

           Asami caught Korra’s wrists and twisted them, forcing Korra to remain still as the CEO stepped forward, so they were almost chest to chest. “Oh, I cheated?” her voice suggestive.

           Korra glared at her and tried to free her arms, but for the moment, they were fully stuck. “Yes,” she replied dryly. “You cheated.”

           Asami stepped forward again. “And how exactly did I cheat?”

           Korra swallowed, all too aware of the height difference between them and trying in vain to ignore the pounding of her heart. She growled in frustration. “You distracted me!”

           Asami raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying herself, which only served to frustrate Korra even further. “I distracted you?” Asami repeated. The corner of her mouth twitched, as if she was fighting down a smile.

           Korra twisted and freed her arms, quickly grabbing Asami’s right one instead and pinning it behind the taller girl’s back. Instead of turning Asami so that they would face each other, Korra pressed forward against Asami’s back and kept her arm there. It was a much harder position to get out of, and if Asami now couldn’t see her blushing face, well, that was just an added bonus.

           For a moment, Korra debated how she should reply, before she decided it’d be best to conceal the full truth. “Maybe,” she managed, which didn’t sound very convincing but also wasn’t as vulnerable as a ‘yes.’

           “Well,” Asami said softly, still facing away from the Avatar. “Did you ever consider the fact that I fully knew what I was doing?”

           Korra felt her grip on Asami’s forearm instinctively loosen before she tightened it again. “What, distracting me to cheat?” she asked, “or cheating to win?”

           Korra felt Asami’s body tense up a second too late before the other girl had easily swapped their position, rendering Korra immobile with her arm tucked behind her back. Asami held her there, pinned closely.

           “And here I thought you said you were a fast learner,” Asami joked before trailing off. There were a few beats of silence. Korra shuddered as Asami’s hot breath puffed against her ear as the taller girl continued quietly, almost uncertainly. “Korra, I…the thing I’ve been thinking so much about is y–”

           Korra felt as though her entire body was on fire. What Asami might be suggesting…no, it couldn’t be…Korra had fought down those feelings for the past three years for spirit’s sake…was it possible that Asami, well…returned them? Was there a chance that they both wanted the same thing? Because if Asami wanted what Korra wanted, well –

           Korra panicked…and promptly flipped Asami over her shoulder and onto the mat where she landed with a grimace and a grunt that sounded a lot like “you.”

           As Asami lay on the ground in front of her, Korra took a few steps back, both to properly resituate herself to continue fighting and also to try to clear her mind. How was it that it always seemed to be during sparring matches that she and Asami had some of their most intense discussions? A voice, sounding strangely of Katara’s, responded quietly in Korra’s mind: your body will reflect your emotions and your emotions will reflect your body. Korra huffed and tried to ignore the response, which she was pretty sure was a reminder Katara had repeated often when first teaching Korra waterbending. It didn’t even make sense, it was just more of the philosophical mumbo-jumbo that Tenzin was always telling her…at least that’s what she would’ve thought three years before, but now, well – now it made sense. Of course it was during sparring matches.

           Coming back to reality, Korra looked down at Asami, who was gazing up at her from the ground with an expression full of incredulity mixed with embarrassment. Korra felt herself panicking, and in a desperate effort to steer their conversation back in a safer direction, she blurted: “why didn’t you ever mention sparring?”

           Asami just blinked owlishly. “What?” she managed.

           Korra fidgeted with her wrapped forearms, this was decidedly not a safer direction. “In your letters,” she explained. “You never said anything about our sparring matches – which is completely fine, I just…” she sighed. “Why not?”

           Asami looked at her for a moment before standing up and taking Korra’s hands with her own, effectively pausing Korra’s anxious fiddling. “Honestly? I didn’t know how to bring it up, I mean…you had so much going on when you left and I didn’t want to add any stress,” Asami huffed, absentmindedly brushing her thumb along Korra’s knuckles in a surprisingly calming manner. “Really what it was is that I missed it too much. I couldn’t handle you being gone and remembering how much I enjoyed getting to spend this time with you. I’m sorry.”

           Korra gave Asami a sad smile. “Don’t be sorry, ‘Sami,” she squeezed the CEO’s hands. “I missed it a lot, too, probably more than I’m willing to admit.”

           Neither girl spoke for a moment, before Asami broke the silence. “I know you said don’t apologize, but I am sorry that our sparring conversations always seem to go this way.”

           Korra’s smile was brighter this time as she chuckled. “I was just thinking that, but not in a bad way!” she clarified as Asami’s eyes widened. “It reminded me of something Katara would tell me when she was first teaching me how to waterbend, ‘your body will reflect your emotions and your emotions will reflect your body,’ which I used to think was stupid, but honestly makes a lot of sense now.”

           “It does make sense,” Asami nodded, before smirking slightly. “So that explains why the Fire Ferrets’ performance plummeted after Bolin saw you and Mako kissing, right?”

           Korra shoved Asami’s shoulder playfully, glaring at the taller girl. “I really regret telling you that sometimes,” she sulked. “But, yes, that would be an example of it, I guess.”

           “And you judo-flipping me a minute ago was what, then?” Asami asked.

           Korra choked on air. “W-what?”

           Asami took a deep breath. “Well, I was admitting that I’ve been thinking about you a lot and then it seemed like you maybe panicked based on that brutal flip that ended with me on the mat?”

           “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Korra scoffed, trying to ignore her increasing heartrate.

           “No?” Asami asked, gentle and a little nervous. She carefully extracted her right hand from Korra’s grip and brushed a few stray strands of Korra’s short hair back behind her ear. The Avatar gulped.

           Pull it together, Korra admonished herself. I can be smooth…I think. Steeling her nerves, Korra brought her free hand up to lightly grasp Asami’s right wrist, holding the girl’s palm against her cheek. Korra turned ever so slightly and brushed her lips against Asami’s palm, watching with pride and amazement as the engineer’s eyes fluttered closed at the contact. Finally, Korra let herself think back to some of the most notable moments of some of their previous sparring matches: the jolts of electricity from Asami’s touch, how flustered she would get at close-contact with the taller girl, the way she had completely given in to Asami’s distractions in Zaofu, and most importantly…the growing realization over the past few years that she wanted to kiss her best friend.

           It was about time she did something about it, what, with the impending doom of Republic City and a dictator quickly approaching. Three years had been too long already, why wait now?

           “Asami, I…” Korra trailed off as Asami’s eyes opened and met hers, warm and inviting. Korra swallowed, and Asami smiled softly. “Can I ki –”

           “KORRA!” Bolin’s voice shattered the moment with even less grace than Ikki’s question to Asami years before at Air Temple Island: “did you know Korra likes Mako?”

           The two girls jumped apart as if they’d both been electrocuted, which – with Prince Wu running around the Sato mansion trying on random clothing, including the retired electric gloves – was entirely too possible.

           Bolin rounded the corner into the sparring room a second later, barreling in at top speed.

           “Bolin!” Asami recovered first. “What are you doing! What’s wrong?”

           Korra just glared and tried to settle the heat of annoyance and disappointment in her stomach. “Bolin, I swear to the spirits if this isn’t good I’ll –”

           “Mako just got back with our big special delivery of Narook’s noodles! There’s enough for all of us, even Grandma Yin and the extended Mako-Bolin fam! I just thought I’d let you guys know,” the earthbender explained excitedly, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room.

           Korra growled. Asami put a calming hand on her shoulder.

           “That’s great,” Asami managed a smile. “We’ll be right there.”

           Bolin grinned, offered two thumbs up, and raced back out of the room, off to alert the next unlucky group he’d intrude upon.

           Asami slowly turned to Korra. “Well, I guess we did talk about getting Narook’s once you got back,” she offered, fighting back a wide smile.

           Korra groaned, dragging her hands down her face. “I cannot believe him sometimes.”

           Asami laughed, loudly and fully, and bent down to kiss Korra’s cheek. The Avatar flushed.

           “C’mon Korra,” Asami offered her hand, and Korra took it immediately, lacing their fingers together. “Let’s go get some food before Bolin and his cousins eat all of it.”

           Korra allowed herself to be led out of the room despite her disappointment. Yet this time, Asami’s hand after a sparring match finally felt different. No matter what happened in the next few days with Kuvira and her Earth Empire, Korra was excited. She and Asami had plenty to talk about, maybe over their own dinner date at Narook’s.

[fyregrayfong]

Under Pressure 12|15

FryeArcana

Chapter 12

Battleship Zhu Li

You’re at home as you start packing a bag when Lin steps in the room “you seem excited to get out of here?” she leans against the doorframe with her arms folded “are you not coming?” you look over at her and stop for a second before going to your closet to grab a thick enough coat. She shakes her head “I want to but Raiko needs the city prepped in case the war comes to the city. I have to stay and go over any possible evacuation routes and civilian safety. Keep the city safe”. You drop your coat on the bed “I can stay and help you with that. Korra has more than enough help.” you step around the bed and walk towards her. She looks away contemplating your offer before looking back at you “no, you should go. They might need a metal bender.” You look at her and nod understandingly “if you’re okay with it” Lin hesitantly reaches over and plants her palm on your chest not feeling the armor “you’re not going without your armor are you?”

You just blink “uh…” She huffs “don’t be ridiculous. Metal bender without metal armor” she pushes you back “I got other stuff!” you exclaim as you run out the bedroom heading to the garage as you unlock the cabinet and bend on your brace and sleeves and return. Lin is standing where you left her as her eyebrow raises now it’s your turn to stand under the doorframe and lift your sleeve and show her your metal forearm sleeve, it’s similar to Korra’s wrappings except yours is metallic, it reminds you of the one Suyin wears, giving you protection and the ability to bend out a dagger if needed when in close combat. “I also fashioned my own set of cables” you point towards your back and turn around, showing off the back brace. It’s just like how Lin wear’s hers, the cable spooled on her back and the stringed along the forearm. In basic terms, you basically made an exoskeleton version of the police’s armor. “It’s not much but it’ll make do its purpose.” Lin looks over at your back brace and sleeves “where did you get these?” you smirk proudly “Get it?! I built it! It’s a y/n exclusive. Ever since Amon I didn’t want to have to fight without the cables, so I built my own without having to use the police’s property.”  Lin smirks “Asami?” and you chuckle “she had the materials, but I did the design and manufactured them. What does Chief Beifong think?” you raise your eyebrow as you playfully start flexing your arms and back. She checks you out and smiles “impressive but I still say you would be better with armor” you grin and zip up your bag “if I didn’t know any better I would say Lin Beifong is a worry wart and overprotective” Lin rolls her eyes and groans “negative” you smile as you put your bag aside noticing the time, 1:00 AM. “you want to stay the night? It’s pretty late” you bend the back brace and sleeves off setting them beside the bag. Lin watches you an contemplates whether or not to then sighs “fine, but I’m staying on the couch” she rolls her eyes and walks to the couch. You’re not about to fight her on this if you do decide to offer your bed you think she would just end up getting up and going back to her place. So it’s better not to press her, this is at least some progress in the right direction. You let Lin shower first though, you set your alarm and tell Lin goodnight laying in your bed.

After a couple minutes you start dozing off laying on your side. About an hour you’re of light sleep, you hear footsteps coming towards you then a weight settling down beside you. You smile a bit not opening your eyes or turning over, but you mumble “what happened, did you hear noises?” you mumble as you smirk.

“your couch is uncomfortable” Lin grumbles as she shifts and lays on her back. You lightly chuckle “goodnight” as you yawn then go back to sleep.

Lin looked at the ceiling of the living room as she laid on the couch. She couldn’t sleep not because the bed wasn’t comfortable, but she couldn’t stop debating whether or not to just muster up the courage and stop her stubbornness to just go lay on the bed. y/n isn’t coming back until Raava knows when, not until Unalaq is defeated. It could be days or weeks; this is practically the last time you’ll see her until she comes back. Knowing yourself, you’re going to be replaying this scene over in your head wondering why you didn’t get in bed with y/n. Lin curse under her breath as she get up and quietly walks over to the bed then lays down on the bed. Hopefully y/n is asleep. Please be asleep. y/n asked her what happened, and Lin tries to come up with an excuse “your couch is uncomfortable” Lin grumbles as she fluffs the pillow and lays on her back. y/n tells you goodnight and goes back to sleep. Lin looks over to you and starts laying on her side then scoots over and lays behind, spooning you and puts an arm over your waist, laying her head above yours.

Your body seems to relax under her touch as you sleep, sinking further into the bed and you let out a sigh. Falling into a deeper sleep which Lin takes notice as she too finally closes her eyes and falls asleep. You wake up a couple of hours in the middle of the night feeling a tug on your waist. Looking down your attention is on Lin’s arm wrapped around you, a soft smile appears on your lips. Putting your hand over hers, sliding your fingers between hers you pull her hand up your lips and softly kiss each finger. Her fingertips are callused from her work, yet her hand is soft then add another soft kiss on her palm before resting her hand back down near your abdomen. You’re going to miss these kinds of nights where you get to sleep next to Lin. Nights where even though your days are filled with stress, fights, and chaos in the city you were happy with the woman beside you. Sleep takes over once again.

The alarm blares loudly as you press the snooze button and stir in bed groaning no wanting to wake up at 5 in the morning. “wake up or you’re going to be late” Lin grumbles not wanting to close her eyes and you scoot aside so you can turn on your back causing Lin’s arm to wrap around you. “why am I waking this early again” you mumble not opening your eyes either. “Stop…. Unalaq” Lin slowly mumbles as she falls back asleep. You open your eyes and turn your head to look at Lin and smile before you slowly get up and slide out the bed and start to get dressed as quiet as possible to let Lin sleep. While you dress you keep glancing over at Lin and watch how peaceful she looks, your heart filling up and your stomach fluttering. You pack your brace and sleeves in the bag and zip it up, then sit beside Lin putting your hand over her body and gently shake her awake “I’m heading out. You’re welcome to stay whenever. I’ll trust you’ll lock up after you leave” you gently speak to you then you hesitantly lean down and softly kiss her scarred cheek, then whisper softly “don’t get too bruised up and I’ll try to do the same”. You sit up and reach over at your nightstand and write down something before setting the notepad down. Lin woke up when she felt your lips on her cheek and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she feels your breath on her cheek when you whisper. Then hears the sound of a pen scribbling down on paper but doesn’t move while you get up gathering your stuff and start walking out. Lin turns over “y/n, don’t get yourself killed.” She softly speaks and you turn your head over your shoulder to look back at her. You’re really going to leave with just a kiss on the cheek?! You drop your bag and walk back to Lin and lean down kissing her deeply “Only if you don’t. I would never live with myself if I didn’t kiss you if something were to happen.” You kiss her again before forcing yourself to step back, grab your bag, kissing your fingers and send her a kiss before turning away and head out. Lin waits until she hears the front door close to turn over and look at what you were scribbling about. She reaches over to the nightstand grabbing the notepad and reads what’s on the paper.

"no matter what happens between us. I'm never quitting on you. I'll always love and protect you, Lin Beifong. yours, y/n." Lin looks down and notices a postscript "P.S. Yes, I know...it's mushy" Lin chuckles at the postscript figured you would have known she would have that exact thought. A smile creeps up on Lin’s face as she turns back onto her side looking at your writing. She settles the paper down on the bed in front of her as she grabs your pillow and pulls it close to her chest hugging it. Lin exhales deeply closing her eyes and allows a tear to creep down her cheek. She opens her eyes once again and looks at the note her eyes resting on the word ‘yours’ as lays another hour in your bed.

*

“I know I came up with the time, but no one had to listen to me” huff out as you board the ship helping Asami with her bags setting them in the bunks provided in the ship before walking over to the Captain’s deck to review the route to take and start the ship. Soon you take off and are now on route to head on to the south pole. You look back and watch the Republic City skyline slowly disappear a slight pang in your heart as you’re leaving Lin behind, but you both have jobs to do to help the world. You and Asami both walk back to one of the rooms and you drop on your bed while Asami sits on her. You turn your head over to her and pout, “yuan for your thoughts?” as you turn on your side propping your head up with your arm. Asami shakes her head and stands back up walking over to her bag and you sit up “I’m sorry about the whole Mako thing…”. Asami stops and turns around “he’s a jerk” you can clearly tell that she is angered by his infidelity. “yeah, but it’s mature of you to put your relationship aside to help Korra despite Mako being a little wuss,” You stand up and walk over to Asami putting a hand on her shoulder “not many people would do that. You deserve better”. Asami gives you a soft smile thanking you for your words “how are you and Beifong? Mako mentioned she suspended you from the force…did that effect outside of work?” she looks at you and you remove your hand as you walk back to your bed and sit down. Asami following you but sits on her bed instead as you sigh “uh—yeah, after the bust in his apartment Beifong decided to search my place too thinking I was involved since Mako was incriminated. We had this big blow up of a discussion in my bedroom while she searched. She was calling me by just my name…” you looked down at the floor searching for the words “but Beifong usually calls you Lieutenant or adds your name after your title, “she remarked. A laugh escapes your lips “yeah, precisely. When she said my name… I knew this wasn’t a conversation between two colleagues anymore but between two friends? Girlfriends? I don’t know…. people. She was furious, calling me foolish for trusting Mako and believing him. It being inappropriate to go behind her back and undermining her authority. I lied and completely broke her trust… she…she broke things off with me.” you look up at Asami whose face softens when you catch her up on what she missed of her friend, “but Mako was right. You were right. It’s fixed between the two of you, right?” she looks at you hoping there is some good news in the love department between the two of you. you sigh and shrug “I don’t know, I got my job back, no longer suspended. She slept over so that’s a good sign, I think. She probably feels guilty but is too headstrong to admit it.” You laugh “I did say goodbye with a kiss… so there’s that” you run your hand to the back of your neck and rub it softly. “relationships are hard, especially now. Now doesn’t seem to be the right time for one. You know with trying to help the Avatar save the world from impending doom” you quip and laugh trying to lighten the mood.  Asami laughs softly then stands up “I’m going to the captain’s desk and try looking for any transmissions from the radio…” you stop her “you’ll be fine, Sami?” you ask, and she gives you a soft nod before walking out the room.

*

A deep exhale escapes your lips as your ears are filled with the clash of waves hitting the side of the ship, the aroma of saltwater reaches up to your nose while you’re bending a piece of meteorite in the palm of your hand molding it into different figures. Leaning against the railing, our ear perks up when you hear footsteps approaching you causing your head to tilt in that direction of the noise and see Bolin, you lean off the railing, “hey Bolin, how’s it going?” you mold the meteorite into a shape that resembles a silhouette of Pabu. “Hey, y/n! —woah that’s so cool, looks like Pabu?!” his eyes widen as you hand him the piece so he can review it. “yeah” you chuckle a bit as you notice him furrow his eyebrows while he looks at the little metallic piece “everything okay, Bolin?” Bolin looks up and smiles nodding gently “uh…yeah, all good” he hands you back the meteorite as he watches you bend it back to its original state with ease before putting it back in your pocket. You look back at Bolin who looks like he’s conflicting on whether to ask you something and you frown a bit, “you sure you’re good you look like a cat-owl has your tongue” which causes to knock out of his thoughts before he sighs “it’s just I think metalbending is sooooo cool, ever since I’ve read about how Toph Beifong created it I tried to learn but…. I never succeeded.” He looks down leaning against the railing with his head down and you smile softly “well I could teach you if you want” you smile more bumping his shoulder with your own just to see him smile brightly, his eyes filling with excitement and hope “really?!” he jumps up. You shrug “well I’m not the best teacher but there’s no harm in trying” you look down sliding your hand in your pocket and take the meteorite back out then grab Bolin’s hand and open it placing the space rock on his palm.

“oh, so we’re doing this right now…okay” Bolin comments as he starts gets nervous. You shake your head trying to calm him down as you walk him away from the railing just in case he throws the rock overboard. “no need to be nervous, you’ll be fine. Just try to breathe and relax” you squeeze his should reassuringly as he nods and closes his eyes as he breathes and relaxes. As you watch you start to speak to him calmly “Open your mind, you will see that all the elements are one. Four parts of the same whole. Metal is only a form of unprocessed earth that it has been purified and refined. To metalbend, you’re concentrating on finding the trace amounts of “unpurified” raw earth that is still present in the metal, once you target those pieces, you use it to bend the metal itself” you pace around him with your arms around your back as you look at him taking your words in then stand in front of him. “Now, try to bed the metal, focus on the pieces of earth still trapped inside.” You look at his face seeing him straining as he concentrates on the meteorite after a few minutes he gasp out a breath. “Don’t strain yourself, Bolin. Take a few minutes and try again” Bolin nods and gives you a small smile and shakes off his nervous feelings before he tries again and after another 10 minutes he sighs and looks down “it’s no use. I can’t do it…. Maybe I’m not meant to metalbend” his voice pained with defeat as he gives you back the meteorite. You frown and comfort him giving him a hug “hey, don’t give up. Like I said I’m not a very good teacher. Maybe when we get back to Republic City, Chief Beifong can teach you or even Su…”

“Su?” Bolin steps back confused “who’s Su?”

“Beifong’s…. sister”

“Su has a sister?!”

“yeah…. No one better to teach you than one of the daughters of the original metalbender.” You smile folding your arms

“what about Toph Beifong?”

“hmm? Oh I don’t know… I’ve seen Toph once but never really met her. Who knows where she’s at, probably out enjoying retirement or something”

“oh, Cool”

“um, but just in case it should be better not mention this to anyone. I don’t think Chief would want to find out that you know about her personal life. I wouldn’t want you or me to get the wrath of Chief Beifong.”

“yeah…. Chief Beifong is a badass but she terrifies me”

“Exactly, she would probably get us throw in jail or worse, murder us and have it look accidental” you pat him on the shoulder and smile but Bolin’s face seems to lose color. “it’s a joke, Bolin. Relax. Or maybe it isn’t…” you put your finger on your chin thinking about it.

“We’ll just act surprised if its brought up” you shrug “I’m going to find something to eat”

Bolin wakes up from his little fear thoughts “Ok, I’m going to explore the ship and see what I find. You never know what’ll you find in a Varrick ship”. You turn around and start walking away when Bolin calls out to you “hey y/n” you turn your head back over your shoulder “yeah?” he rubs the back of his neck “thanks for trying to teach me. It means a lot” he sheepishly smiles before walking away. You frown a bit sad at yourself that you weren’t able to help Bolin, but you hope it doesn’t break his spirit to keep trying.

*

Everyone went to bed, you offered to drive the ship and man the controls. Asami offered to stay up with you but she’s been handing all the driving since the morning and you told her it would be best for her to rest. It’s so late at night that you look out at the now pitch black waters. It’s so dark out in front of you feel a weird ominous feeling yet strange sense of calm. You look around at the Captain’s deck and look at the radio, your start to wonder if you would be able to pick up a signal back to Republic City. You take a seat at the table bringing the receiver to your ear as you start turning the knob to and start trying any frequency. “Battleship Zhu Li to com center, do you read me” you try your best with your lingo and try to hear for any feedback from the other end as you try to fumble with the settles. Soon after ten minutes you start to hear a voice “Com center to Battleship Zhu Li. We read you, over” you hear, and you sigh with relief finally able to pick something up. “Glad to hear you command center, can you patch a channel between the Zhu Li to Republic City’s Chief of Police, over” you request the operator “Roger that, Is everything okay out there in the open waters?, over”

“everything is smooth sailing so far, over”  

“copy that, patching you through”

“appreciate it”

There is some static and soon it seems to settle, and you bring yourself down and talk softly “Chief Beifong?” you call out but don’t hear anything. You start to think maybe the signal died and was about to put the receiver back before you hear static and a voice “Lieutenant y/n, is that you?!” she sounds surprised to hear you and you chuckle softly “surprised to hear from me, chief?”

“how did you even get patched to me”

“I have my ways”

“is there anyone with you?” Lin asks reluctantly and you wonder why she’s asking but after a couple of seconds you press on the button to respond  

“No, everyone is resting. I’m manning the ship. What about you?”

“Sent everyone home to do the same. Stayed to work on paperwork.”

Your fingers jitter on the receiver before you talk again “You know I never fought plenty of people, never dark spirit-- or any spirit for that matter-- so I don’t know what to expect, but on the off chance anything happens…”

“the only thing that is going to happen is that monster being taken down”

“ha, that’s very optimistic, coming from you, Lin”

You hear a small laugh come from her “All I know is if you were to die. I’ll bring you back from wherever you are, just to kill you myself.”

Now it’s you that’s laughing “I wouldn’t have it any other way”

There is another comfortable silence between the two of you which causes to ask if you’re still there or did the signal die.

“y/n?”

“I’m still here honey” you say without thinking but you realize what you said. Lin hasn’t responded back “sorry, it slipped out”

“it’s okay… at least…you’re still here”

“I know we didn’t get to talk about us before I left but…”

“just come back to me alive, y’n”

“I will. I’ll come back to you however many times you’ll allow me” your heart races as Lin’s words come back to me causes your stomach to flutter with butterflies.

“Alive” she retorts sternly

“Of course alive, Lin”

You wait a couple of seconds “I…I wish you were here beside me” you confess to Lin. You wished you were beside her curled up in bed holding her or being in her arms.

“I wish you were here with me, but what are we to do. You left to help the Avatar.” She quipped at you causing you roll to your eyes and smile “You were invited to come along, but you wouldn’t leave your precious city”

“Someone had to make sure it doesn’t get destroyed so we’ll still have a place to live”

“There are other places babe”

“Not like Republic City”

“That’s true” you agree, there is not a place anywhere else in the world like Republic City.

You and Lin continue on your conversation throughout the late hours of the night trying to help each other forget of the stress of the dangers in the night. It wasn’t until you notice a silver of sunlight starting to creep up on the horizon that you notice morning is starting. A few minutes later you hear a little snore coming from Lin’s transmission and you smile realizing she fell asleep. “I love you” you whisper into the receiver before ending the transmission on the private channel. A rub your eyes then cheeks as you smile feeling better and filled with motivation to take Unalaq down and end the war. A couple of hours later Asami comes to relieves you and you thank her going back to your bunk to sleep for a couple of hours.

*

“okay, I think I’m done sparing…. try hitting that hay filled dummy over there instead” you grumble as you push yourself off ground Korra offering a hand which you take and rub your shoulder. “I didn’t rough you up too much did I?” Korra smirked and you laugh “not at all, don’t want to hurt you before we even make it to the South Pole” you rebutted and smirk folding your arms. “oh ha ha very funny” Korra furrows as Tenzin advises Korra to keep training and she nods working on her airbending skills while you stand beside Tenzin to watch Korra. You glance at Tenzin and frown a bit “I’m sorry to hear about your daughter, Tenzin. I’m optimistic that she’ll pull through and get her back safely,” you speak softly as you continue watching Korra. Tenzin looks down sadden “Thank you, y/n. I’m worried for Jinora I hope she can stay strong for a little while more. This is all my fault…”

“It’s not your fault, Tenzin. It’s heartbreaking as a parent to see your child hurt and feeling hopeless, but you must stay strong for her. I know we all came along to help Korra but we’re for just the same reasons for you. Who is with Jinora now?”  

Tears form at the corner of Tenzin’s eyes, but he quickly composes himself “Thank you, y/n. That means a lot, and Kya is with her now circulating the energy flow in Jinora’s body.” You nod understanding as both of you go back to watching Korra. “I’m gonna join Bumi and Oogi up above” you bend a cable out and scale up the ship doing a flip and land beside Bumi petting Oogi before taking a seat beside Bumi listening to Bumi play his flute. Bumi turns to you “so you a friend of the Korra?” Bumi takes a small break from playing and you shrug “yeah, I think we’ve established a friendship it started off rocky since she destroyed several shops on her first day in the city. Quite the entrance”

“nothing like a big entrance for an Avatar” Bumi and you exchange a laugh

“Actually, I’m close friends with Asami and I work as a Lieutenant with Chief Beifong in Republic City” you lean back against Oogi.

“well well quite a title for a young fighter”

“Hey! I’m 27, a hard worker and very ambitious.” You smirk looking down to keep watching Korra practice though an amused face creeps up on you when you see Bolin in a weird purple coat thing.

“oh so you’re another ruler stickler like Tenzin and a hardass like Linny” he gruff as he fiddles with his flute and you shake your head and laugh out loud “Linny? I thought she didn’t like being called that” your eyes widen when you said that and dart to Bumi your cheeks blushing coming up with an excuse “I—uh-- accidentally called her that and she practically chewed my ass on the training ground”

Bumi eyes you but shrugs it off and laughs hearing that you almost got bodied by Lin “She’s not here to stop me” you sigh of relief before laughing again “no, not at all, I just got reinstated last night. When I got suspended for going behind Beifong’s back when Mako and I were doing the investigation that led to Varrick.

“oh, it takes some real guts to go behind Linny. I don’t think even Tenzin would do something like that. He’s too much of a chicken to try!” He smiles mischievously as he yelled that last part enough for Tenzin to hear.

“I heard that, Bumi!” Tenzin yelled back. You and Bumi look at each other and laugh

“oh we made the airhead angry” Bumi teased as you quietly chuckle “We should stop the teasing for now, unless you want to be knocked overboard by one of his air punches.”

Bumi huffs and leans over to you and smirks “ha, Tenzin doesn’t scare me” before he leans back to his side and goes back to playing his flute.

Tenzin seems rather annoyed by the teasing you and Bumi caused, which wasn’t helping his feelings about Jinora. He used his frustrations and directed it to give Korra direction in her training. “Unalaq will be waiting for you. you’ll need all of your avatar power to stop him.”

“I’m going to close the spirit portals, lock Vaatu in for another 10,000 years, and make Unalaq wish he’d was never born!” Korra sends a large fire punch to the hay dummy that knocks it’s head off in the direction towards Mako

“wow Hayward didn’t stand a chance” you muttered which Bumi heard and made him cackle “Hayward?! Nice” you smile and laugh along with him. Bumi laughs seems infectious it could be his kid like spirit always trying to keep the spirits up in the group. It helps especially when we’re about to face a crazy power hungry water tribe chief preventing an impending doom.  

You hear a door open and you scoot over to the edge to see who it is and see it’s Kya. You keep having a nagging feeling that you know Kya from somewhere, but you brush it off. “As soon as we reach the southern water tribe….”

“we should probably make our way down, need a hand?” you look at Bumi “nah I got it. I don’t need special bending to get down”

you smirk “I wasn’t going to bend”

“you never mentioned your name”

“it’s y/n” you smile

“well y/n, here’s to some crazy adventures”

you give him a salute before you scoot forward and start sliding down the wall landing beside Kya. Kya startles a bit not hearing you come down, you mouth out a sorry, she smiles softly before giving her attention back to Tenzin ”..we’ll blast through the blockade at the main port. Then we can rendezvous with Tonraq and his troops, crash through the defenses and around the portal, and enter the spirit world.”

“woah, since when does my little brother want to crash or blast through anything?” Kya brings her hands up in the air as she looks at her Tenzin.

“yeah… don’t airbenders usually take more of a defensive approach?” you look at Tenzin confused while you cross your arms.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to save my daughter.” Tenzin raises his voice.

“We all want to save Jinora, but I think your plan might be a tad overaggressive, seeing as there are only eight of us and one ship.” Bumi comments on Tenzin’s plan which you agree with Bumi it’s too much of an aggressive approach which can be reckless. Tenzin turns over to Bumi crossing his arms “Really? And what do you suggest?”

“An attack like this calls for strategy. I remember when I was surrounded by pirates in the hurricane straits. We managed to capture them all with just a feather, two eggs, and a barrel of molasses.” Bumi goes off telling a crazy war story to which Tenzin interrupts him “I don’t want to hear any of your crazy stories now! This is serious.” Bumi stops and pouts crossing his arms looking away. Kya looks at you confused of who you are, and you glance at her “sorry, I’m y/n. we never gotten the chance to formally meet.” You extend a hand and shake Kya’s hand “yeah, I saw you at the Glacier Spirits festival then that whole spirit attack. I’m Kya, Tenzin’s cool older sister, but I’m sure you knew that” you smile and nod your head as you look at her eyes. That necklace look oddly familiar. I think I've seen those eyes before too “yeah, I’ve heard a few things” which causes Kya to raise an eyebrow “oh? If you heard it from Tenzin, it’s a lie unless it was something nice then it was true” she smiles as she nudges her little brother, but you shake your head laughing softly “All good things, don’t worry” your attention is diverted when you hear footsteps coming behind you and turn around to see Asami “Hey Sami, were you able to contact the South Pole?”

“yeah”

“Are we almost there?” Bolin cuts in and he and Mako joins the group

“Almost. But I just picked up a distress signal from the southern troops. There’s a problem.”

[whoslaurapalmer]

For the ask meme: The Last Airbender, Kataang, Azula! And if you're up for it: Legend of Korra, Korrasami, and Korra herself.

oooo!! thank you!!!! 

so i have previously done last airbender and azula, and i still have such absolutely boring kataang takes, so -- 

KORRA TIME

Favorite character: JINORA, zhu li, kya, ikki, eska, korra, bumi  

Least Favorite character: okay.........meelo grates on my nerves, often, i feel bad about that but he does, and i like Get zaheer as a character but i’m very ‘meh’ about him, really, same with unalaq 

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): i am just as boring in my ships with korra as i am with last airbender so it really is just, korrasami 

Character I find most attractive: ....asami’s hair flips are so pretty 

Character I would marry: tough call. not really any of them?? 

Character I would be best friends with: god you know what it’s probably still katara only now i get old badass katara. 

a random thought: i think the show is better watched binged straight through from beginning to end than it was watching it in real time, with the space between books, because i remember being really irritated by korra especially in book 2, but when i sat down to watch it straight from beginning to end after it was all over i liked the pacing a lot more and i liked korra a lot more. 

An unpopular opinion: back when book 1 first happened i thought it would be better if korra could still only airbend at the end of book 1 and spent the rest of the books getting the other elements back but in retrospect i don’t know how that would work (although i mean given wan and the lion turtles? that could’ve actually worked.) but i still get a little Irritated about her just regaining her bending like that. sometimes i feel like the writing in korra, as good as it is OVERALL, is kind of, uneven because i think bryke weren’t ever sure if they’d get the next season???? oh this is not unpopular i’m really bad at unpopular 

okay this is probably the true unpopular opinion, i don’t think pema should’ve been pregnant in book 1 solely because in general (but not always) i Do Not like pregnancy plots because they’re mostly used for certain dramatic moments and then afterwards you have a baby to deal with that usually isn’t ever talked about again because no one has the time to bother with them because now it’s not an optionally angsty plot point i mean seriously what do we really see of rohan after he’s born and if we see him he’s just passed around like a lil potato and not that we HAVE to see character in A NEWBORN but YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN i am of the firm opinion that if you write something you have to deal with the repercussions and that means Dealing With New Baby Character and rarely do i see that happen 

My Canon OTP: korrasami! 

My Non-canon OTP: ..........honestly like the whole cast/happiness 

Most Badass Character: IT’S STILL TOPH 

Most Epic Villain: the thing about korra was because there’s a different villain for each season they all have sort of......an Epic-ness about them, i think? they definitely have a finality about all of them, but they’re all, fairly well-written, but in terms of BEING EPIC i think zaheer is epic in terms of grandeur and kuvira is epic in terms of her whole side-character-to-accidental-villain thing 

Pairing I am not a fan of: is there anyone who’s a fan of mako and korra, at this point? okay probably but. no 

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): okay it’s not that like, i think they screwed up here, but like, what i would’ve done for more info about izumi and just like, zuko as a parent, OH but at (my usual) a passing backwards glance over the series, maybe mako could’ve been, written better, idk, there’s a thin line sometimes between ‘a character rightfully changing over time and making mistakes and other important character stuff and i’m just rightfully irritated at some of the stuff he did cause like the audience is supposed to be’ and ‘a character should’ve just been written better’ 

Favourite Friendship: su and lin do become better friends, right?? (it’s been so long.) and i specify ‘friends’ because i think their relationship has to exist as them being friends compared to them being sisters (not because they’re half-sisters but because of just how they were as sisters) 

Character I most identify with: it’s korra because of The Depression Arc like damn 

Character I wish I could be: yeah it’s still jinora, even before last airbender happened i was always super-fascinated (in the way that children are with the idea of magic) by the idea of controlling air so when the show happen i always wanted to be an airbender, just in general, and i always really liked jinora’s wholehearted belief and confidence in her abilities and how take no shit she becomes (and also “i will make no such promises.”) 

korrasami!

When I started shipping them: the finale happened and i was like ‘well there’s no way i’m not gonna ship them’ 

My thoughts: i really wanna rewatch the show (i haven’t since......when did pokemon go come out, it was that summer. 2016????? really????? fuck.) and really pay attention to their relationship because memory tells me it could’ve been a little more consistent, but in general they have the most genuine, heartfelt chemistry built upon actual respect and admiration for each other and they get each other in a way that mako clearly did not get them. also goddddd the fact that asami is the only one korra can comfortably write to while she’s depressed really fucking gets me 

What makes me happy about them: they make each other happy and (idk in my opinion which rapidly builds headcanons at the speed of light sometimes) make each other feel happy about themselves and that’s really all you can ask for, in a relationship 

What makes me sad about them: when they were weird rivals for a while in book 1 because girl rivals (especially over a boy) hurt my soul 

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: i’ve never actually sought out fic with them!! 

Things I look for in fanfic: in general, i am, a terrible stickler about characterization, and that doesn’t change in any pairing or fandom 

My wishlist: my Absolute Jam, across the board in all fandoms, is post-canon fics (or during canon sometimes that’s applicable) where, the actual canon trauma is discussed and worked through (in some way or another) so if i was going to look for fanfic with them, that would be, at the top of the list, but i would also just take slice of life cuddles because i always think about that sweet art bryan did where they’re in the turtledove float and that’s so comfy and warm 

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: personal happiness 

My happily ever after for them: they get to chill and not have to run around saving the world all the time 

korra! 

How I feel about this character: korra took a while to grow on me, and also like, main characters tend to be typically underrated in a large cast and aren’t usually people’s favorites compared to other characters, but i have come to really like her a lot!! she really is more lonely than people gave her credit for and she has to deal with A Lot, constantly, and so much of korra is her trying to figure out not just how to be the best avatar but how to be the best her and when she gets to do either one and who lets her do either one, and her frustration and rage are so quick and volatile and personal and high-key relatable, and damn was her depression/recovery arc done well 

also the fact that she was accidentally holding onto the remaining lead and had to get it out herself is, yeah 

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: asami! 

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: KORRA AND NAGA i was going through my korra tag and found the comic where she finds naga and god it’s just the best 

My unpopular opinion about this character: hmmmm. is this still unpopular? korra’s occasional brattiness is completely justified when you look at the series as a whole (which is why i mention watching it that way) because wow she’s grown up completely isolated from anyone else her own age and people in her life inadvertently or on purpose took advantage of that 

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: all i would say is her, awkwardness in interacting with people at the beginning of the show because of how she grew up but we do get that, don’t we 

Favorite friendship for this character: korra honestly needs more friends her age 

My crossover ship: none!

[seyaryminamoto]

I've seen A LOT of people thinks Azula is one of the best villains created ever. Can you please list the reasons why? I'm interested.

Well, I’d think it’s kind of obvious, but if you would like to know…

Azula is a really successful character, and that makes her an even better villain. She defies a lot of typical villainous tropes because of many reasons I’ll explain later, but first of all I will insist on one thing: she is a CHARACTER, and not simply a villain. She’s not written merely as a foil in the way of the protagonists, even if she indeed serves as a foil. But she has her own goals, her own strengths and flaws, and as the story progresses you discover the complexities of her character that make her, by far, the best villain in the Avatar franchise. Yes, some people might say she’s not the best villain of all time, I’m not going to force you to agree on that if you like anyone else better, but the reasons why she stands out so much begin right here.

So, first off, she’s a character. She’s not omnipotent, she’s not undefeatable, she’s someone with a mission and who stops at nothing to achieve it (stubbornness of this kind is usually seen as positive traits in main characters, but it’s seen as terrifying in villains). She sets herself up for failure in some ways, as she has unstable and unequal relationships with her friends and everyone else around her, and she has unresolved issues with her mother and her father, not to mention a tumultuous relationship with her brother. So with both her strengths and flaws in mind, Azula feels like a villain who fits in the world we’ve seen so far. Nothing about her is particularly over the top, her bending skills are above and beyond everyone else’s because that makes her a bigger threat, yet Iroh can bend lightning too, for instance. It’s not presented as something unthinkable, even if she is extraordinary for it. She doesn’t really disrupt the rules of the Avatarverse for having blue fire, or for bending lightning, so she’s basically perfectly plausible in this universe.

Azula raises the stakes. Azula gives both Aang and Zuko a brand new villain they both struggle against in their own ways. Azula is out to capture them both, and she will do whatever it takes to succeed, so with her arrival into the show, the characters are somewhat split into three groups in Book 2: the common factor is that she’s always their enemy. A girl who only travels with two other girls can fight and chase both your show’s protagonists and keep them on their toes all along. Have you thought about how awesome that is?

Now, why do I say she defies villainous tropes? Well, I only just reblogged a fun post where they pointed out that Azula strikes Aang down when he’s in the middle of his Avatar State transformation. How many times have you watched shows where this happens? I watched plenty of magical girls shows as a kid, and I am a known Digimon fan: how many times didn’t I joke about how villains should just take out the good guys when they’re wasting 15 seconds of screen time, more or less, by transforming and acquiring all their powers? If you were anything like me, these tropes take you to a point where you have to knowingly suspend your disbelief and simply accept the lack of logic in the matter.

But no, Azula strikes. She sees Aang is floating up there, all extraordinary with his Avatar State mojo, and she decides there’s no point in fighting evenly when he’s in full power. She decides to take out this threat in whatever way she can, regardless of how underhanded and morally wrong it may be. But isn’t that the kind of behaviour you’d expect in a villain? The kind of thing that suits a bad guy, the thing that makes them a serious threat?

A huge thing that makes Azula absolutely extraordinary in my eyes, and it makes me think of Iago from Othello often: Azula plans and succeeds, at least in Book 2 and half of Book 3. She works hard, she doesn’t always win, things go wrong at times and yet? At the very moment where it mattered, Azula got what she wanted, just as Iago got what he wanted. No kidding, Iago gets caught, but not before he destroys Othello in the exact way he intended to. And THAT is what makes a villain worthwhile. The villain’s goal can be something as simple as stealing candy from a child, but if he succeeds and gets away with causing exactly the effect he intended to, regardless of what it costed, that villain is miles better than your average “I want to destroy the world because the writers were giving the hero something to fight against” villain.

So, Azula’s biggest scary factor is that she can be successful. And she’s NOT a big hazy bad guy, like her father, or all other Fire Lords: she’s out in the field, fighting her own battles, planning her strategies and making everything fall into place if she can.

As I said before, she CAN fail. She does, lots of times. But the show does something LOK, for instance, never really did: Azula wins in Book 2. In LOK Amon’s cause allegedly helps fix the bending privilege problem, and Unalaq gets to bring the spirits back, and Zaheer nearly makes Korra disappear forever, and Kuvira somehow gets to fix the Earth Kingdom in her own way. But… they’re all defeated. Zaheer and Kuvira end up in jail, Amon and Unalaq even DIE. None of these bad guys got to actually succeed, their causes apparently did, in roundabout ways, but not them as individuals. 

Azula, on the other hand, succeeds in every level. Azula succeeds where so many others failed, even being the only character who ever came remotely close to killing Aang. She takes over Ba Sing Se with a plan that comes into place right in front of the viewer, and if you love her you relish in this (as I did), if you hate her you are horrified by how EVERYTHING IS GOING HER WAY. It’s not merely her cause that succeeds, the show doesn’t try to tell you that Azula’s victory is good in some roundabout way. Azula is portrayed in a bad light, as a villain, as a real threat to the heroes, and to the values the show is presenting. And she doesn’t wait around for others to fulfill her orders: she goes out to take care of things herself, even fighting without her bending if that’s is how she can protect her nation and father.

As a comparison: how many times in Book 1 did any of us ever really think Zuko was going to succeed at capturing Aang? I, personally, never really thought he was going to do it, not only because of spoilers but because Zuko didn’t feel nearly as threatening as Azula did. Was it because of his temper? Was it because of humorous situations written around him? I don’t really know, but Zuko, as annoying and persistent as he was, and as often as he showed up in pursuit of Aang, never seemed likely to get what he wanted. And he didn’t, despite he had a few chances for it. The writing always frustrated his attempts to capture Aang, or to set traps for him… basically, Zuko always failed when it mattered most.

And Azula failed, plenty. But she didn’t simply fail: she changed her tactics, found new ways to handle the problem, and eventually when Book 2′s ending arrives you’re left with the feeling that this girl simply cannot be stopped. She’s not like Zuko, who worked hard but it never paid off. She’s not like Zhao either, who also made his efforts and found new resources but still failed more often than not. She’s not simply a bending powerhouse like Combustion Man, nor was she like Long Feng, who, yes, was successful for most his life but we only get to meet him when things start to go wrong for him. And she’s also not like Ozai, who was indeed the ominous final boss waiting to show himself at the very end of the story.

So, Azula manages to be a character while being a villain, something rare in mainstream media (seriously, this is the problem of every single Marvel film except for the original Thor. This is why none of their villains are truly memorable or meaningful). And she also manages to be a successful villain, rather than another of those “scary” ones who really seemed to be about to succeed but were stopped at the very last minute: no, she gets what she wants, kills the Avatar as far as she knows, captures her uncle, brings her brother home, and takes over Ba Sing Se. She hits the jackpot, pretty much, but it wasn’t a matter of luck: it was a matter of skill, of adapting to the circumstances and working hard for the sake of her mission.

And that’s just Book 2. In Book 3 she keeps up the efficiency until the betrayal, foiling the brilliant Invasion plans and succeeding at stopping the heroes yet again. By the time her breakdown happens, it’s source really goes back to Azula’s own flaws and problems, to character issues that, although present, were yet to be explored. Yes, it’s terribly convenient for Zuko that his sister would lose her mind exactly when he needed her to, but even then, Azula’s downfall serves to enhance her character’s complexity. It could have been handled better, but as it was, it allowed the viewers to see how damaged she truly is, deep down, and that, again, is what makes her a character and not simply a villain.

That’s more or less the gist of it, but there’s other reasons too, no doubt. All the same, Azula sets a hard bar to match for many villains in mainstream media, and only a handful of them have reached it (if they have, I don’t know how many have overcome it). And that would be why saying she’s the greatest villain of all time has become such a popular thing to do as of late :’)

[araeph]

I don’t get it. Korra had all 3 elements except for air pretty much mastered at a young age; compared to Aang, who had to go through a lot of work to master each one in turn. Korra also seemed to struggle a lot less in getting into the Avatar State. So why does it seem like Korra is so easy to beat in a fight? In every season, the gravitas of the Avatar State didn’t seem to help her all that much in gaining the upper hand and she would only just win at the very end. Thoughts?

Korra is so easy to beat because she has the same problem in everyseries:

She played right into Tarrlok and Amon’s hands in Book 1, using herAvatar status in a way that exacerbated the extremists on the bending and nonbendingsides. She even admits that she got played:

Korra: Don’t hold your breath, bub. Y'know, Tenzin’s been right about you all along. You played me, you played Bei Fong, and now you’re playing  the new Chief of Police too.

She failed to pick up on Unalaq’s obviously evil intentions in Book2, thus aiding him in his quest to open the spirit portals and unleash adark avatar.

In Book 3, she was well aware she was walking into Zaheer’s trap, and yet inshe strolls, eyes wide open.

But at least by Book 4, she knew better than to let a villainmanipulate her into taking a rash action that would escalate the situation andput her own allies at risk hahahaha who am I kidding?

Kuvira: Attention, citizens of Zaofu.  Your leader, Su Bei Fong, attempted to attack me tonight while I slept, ignoring the terms of our truce. Luckily, I now have her and her assault team in custody. Opal: No. Kuvira: Rest assured  that I will not take revenge on the peaceful citizens of Zaofu, as long as your remaining representatives meet me outside the city at dawn to offer the full and unconditional surrender of your city. That is all. 

It’s a good thing Zuko was Iroh’s protégé and not Korra. In Zuko’scase, Uncle gave him a loud, angry speech about not thinking things through. InKorra’s case, he might spontaneously combust. It doesn’t matter how powerfulyour bending is if you let your enemy have every political and strategicadvantage they possibly can. This flaw was ripe for Korra to grow out of by theend of the show, and it would have been nice to see a journey like that.

[threehoursfromtroy]

I like your read on Books 1 ans 2. What's your take on Book 3 and 4?

Man, how to answer this without writing two essays? I’ll try to be quick: Book 3:Pro:Best book -- just like AtLA, Ba Sing Se-related plotlines seem to be best :B

Compelling, complex villainGave the cast room to breatheI... actually like Mako now? Women everywhere! Suyin! Opal! Earth Queen :/ but STILL! Beifong Family Drama. Bumi comes of his own.Top notch action--seriously, the fights this season are gorgeous. They remember Naga exists, several times! Nicely played red-herring with Bolin learning to metalbend--good arc for him. Highest stakes finale, emotionally--devastating final minutes. SO MUCH KORRASAMI

On the other handThe Original Airbenders is a snooze. The mechanism for all these new airbenders is... pretty nonsensical tbh. Just gotta roll with it. Asami... has no plot? Two weeks ago her company was on the verge of collapse? How are you adventuring right now? We just tortured our dark-skinned protagonist--oopsI know that ‘highest stakes’ remark seems odd--the previous finale had the literal fate of the world in balance! But here’s the thing--the audience knows the world isn’t gonna end. Things changed and there were consequences, to the credit of book 2, but by the time you have Korra in a Kaiju fight it becomes difficult for the audience to really contextualize it. Korra vs. Zaheer at the end, though... she’s fighting for HER LIFE. And it is a brutal, devastating fight. Korra doesn’t just walk away from it, and that first shot of Korra in a wheelchair gave me chills. Season 2′s finale had consequences for the setting, but as much as we like the setting, you don’t really care about it, not in a visceral sense. Korra is a person, the young woman we’ve been watching grow and mature and fall in love, and to see her hurt like that... it’s daring as fuck. 

(Though I will say that I know there’s some viewers who really hated seeing a minority character tortured near to death, who see this as playing into the larger media meta-narrative that people of color cannot simply hold power or be confident without being punished for it. I am not a person of color, I don’t feel qualified to comment on that, though it’s definitely a big point. On balance, the recovery arc is set up was so powerful that, for me, the tradeoff was worth it, but I totally get why some people aren’t on board) Book 4:Pro: Lady Villain, finally! And as a parallel to Korra, nice construction! No hand-waving away Korra’s injuries. Separating her physical recovery from her mental recovery--making it clear her trauma lingersKorra’s grownup haircutMore Beifong Family DramaKorra is such a real person and she’s trying so hard and she doesn’t know how to make it better and I love her my precious childThat sound the spirit cannon makes LET’S GO ON A VACATION. JUST THE TWO OF US. Con: Kuvira’s motivations become... muddled, in the last third of the season. It’s not quite as bad as Amon or Unalaq, but I get the feeling that “I must attack Republic City” came less out of a natural character motivation and more because Bryke wanted the last big fight in the show to be there. Some of the specific phrasing in regards to Korra’s recovery arc is... cringey. Particularly Korra’s stating that she needed to go through all that to learn empathy... that could have been phrased way better than that.  Meelo went from ‘I guess some people find this shtick cute’ to ‘this is toxic and unacceptable;Varrick’s redemption arc. I mean, it’s FINE, but this character didn’t really do anything to justify a redemption arc (war profiteer? we’re just forgetting that?), and was way more interesting as a greyhat. This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for...Asami Sato, where are you? You get like one episode B plot where you talk to your dad again and otherwise you’re totally backgrounded WHY SHOW. WHY YOU GIVE US THIS COMPELLING AND COMPLEX CHARACTER AND NOT SHOW US ANY OF HER LIFE EXPLAIN.Clipshow--they did what they could to make it worth it, but that time so could’ve been used to develop the plot at hand... That looks like a lot of negatives, for Book 4, but on balance I mostly like it. Book 4, to me, had something of the same problem Book 2 had--it didn’t get time for a second draft and the network was screwing with it. Considering the headwinds they were working against, I’m happy we got a finale at ALL. But, judging the text as a it is, this is the most personal season, really focused tight on Korra’s journey, and while everything else in the season is kinda all over the place, Korra’s agonizing, hard-fought recovery is what elevates this season and, in a way, the show as a whole. It wasn’t JUST the Zaheer fight that’s been lingering with her, it’s all the terror she’s lived through, and the show approached this from a very mature angle. Korra never ‘cured’ her trauma. She adapted to it. She learned to accept what had happened, find meaning in it, let go of what she’d lost and create a new life. It’s bittersweet--Korra definitely lost some of herself along the way--but the rest of her grew to replace it, and she wound up a strong and powerful woman. She started the show with everybody questioning her place and her purpose, and in the end, she proved herself an Avatar worthy of the title. My read on book 4 is, Kuvira isn’t the main villain. Every season has a main villain and a secondary, often in conflict with the primary. Amon, and Tarrlok. Unalaq, and Varrick. Zaheer, and the Earth Queen.If Kuvira isn’t the primary antagonist of book 4, then who, or what, is? Trauma. Korra’s demons are the real Big Bad. Kuvira is just an external conflict to keep the plot moving, but Korra is the story and that story is amazing.