Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra AU meme

[lifescratched]

Earth, Fire, Air, Water.

Welcome to the World of Avatar, which your characters is now in — whether AU, or dragged through the magic of time and space. Is your character from any of the four nations? Are they a bender, or not? Are they an able chi-blocking artist, or do they sell cabbages out in the streets of the Fire Nation, Ba Sing Se, or even in the South Pole? Do they have to ride the large naval ships of the Fire Nation to get across, or do they have access via beautiful steampunk-inspired ships...?

It's your story.

▶ ERA
1. BSC — Anytime before Avatar Aang was born. Have you met Chin the Conqueror, or Fire Lord Sozin?
2. ASC — Avatar Aang's era. There's no such thing as Air Nomads anymore.
3. ASC, 70 years later — Avatar Korra's era. We're on the road to Republic City!
4. ASC, After Korra's era — Welcome to the future!

▶ SCENARIO SUGGESTIONS
1. Welcome, Avatar — You are the Avatar. Enjoy learning all four kinds of bending! And, perhaps, the secret fifth one.
2. Cactus Juice — Thirsty in the Si Wong Desert, or wherever you happen to be? Not a problem, open up a cactus and enjoy the juice, or buy it from the establishment nearby. It's trippy.
3. Fight Fight Fight! — You're challenged to a duel, or an Agni Kai — save your honor! Or disrupt it, whatever sets you on fire.
4. Pro-bending — We hope you know the rules. If you're the Avatar, please stick to one element or you're disqualified. Don't you want to win?
5. Chi-blocked — Suddenly, your bending abilities were taken away! Or were you the one that blocked their skills?
6. There is no war in Ba Sing Se — Get ready to escape Lake Laogai, if you can, or are you there to save someone?
7. Underground Library — The Knowledge Spirit has allowed you to read.
8. I'm ready, Sifu — Are you a bender, a humble fighter, or a beginner? Either way, your training starts now! Impress your masters, have fun with your classmates.
9. Is that a Polar bear-dog? — One animal plus one animal makes a crazy combination! Ready to ride a sky bison, or are you ready to run from a pack of armadillo lions?
10. The Cave of Two Lovers — Were you bothered by a band of hippies, and ended up here? Good luck finding your way out. Maybe the riddle they told you would be useful right now. ("Love is brightest in the dark.")
11. Cart riding in Omashu — Using the delivery system as your personal slide. Don't crash into too many houses, now.
12. Kyoshi Island — Want to ride the large Elephant Koi, or the Unagi? Or are you exploring, or a protector of the Island?
13. Wildcard — Lost in a swamp, losing yourself in the Avatar state, or did you drink the wrong tea? The choice is yours!

(Original meme lifted from bakerstreet.)

Comments

[invigorates]

[ more like has he always been that huge? once he lets go of her, she ends up barking out a laugh when she stumbles backward, unable to keep from clutching her side.

that cheerfulness doesn't last for long though, not when he's mentioning the raid that took his mother's, her mentor's, and countless other innocent villagers lives. she looks up (way up) at him, unable to hide her own sad expression betwixt the joy she just felt in seeing him. ]

You did not know. No one did. [ that was the point. ] But I am here, and you are here, and we have so much to catch up on! Come, come! [ the cheerfulness is back now! she grabs a hold of one of his hands, tugging him along as she goes to retrieve the bag she just dropped. ]

[lifescratched]

[Still in a daze, Connor doesn't return the cheer or enthusiasm with any of his own, but he does allow her to lead him along. He scans the street and the market stalls, suddenly conscious of the fact their conversation may have been overheard, and then glances back at Lior as she retrieves her bag.]

How many here know your identity? It would be best if we spoke somewhere in private.

[invigorates]

Only one. [ she picks up her bag, hoisting it over her shoulder with the hand not currently holding connor's. ] Only my earthbending teacher knows who I am and why I am here. To everyone else, I am merely a wandering water tribe woman who lost her home in a raid. [ which, by the way, is not entirely inaccurate. ]

Until we reach my home, please just call me Lio. [ that's the only advice she has to give him as she starts guiding him down the street. her 'home' is a pretty shitty little shack, but whatever. she doesn't need much. ]

[lifescratched]

You can Earthbend? [The idea of her Earthbending is so foreign to him, least of all because they grew up in a terrain where there was no earth to bend. Things have changed so much since then -- they've both changed much since then. She's right, they have a lot of catching up to do.] Who is your teacher, Liori-- Lio?

[Gotta remember the nickname. As for her living conditions, it doesn't faze him in the least; he's spent much of the past decade living in forests, rebel hideouts, struggling farming villages, and in the squalor of Ba Sing Se's poor districts. If there's one thing the vast majority of the Earth Kingdom has in common, it's crippling poverty.]

[invigorates]

Yes! I can firebend as well. I can show you later, if you wish. [ seriously, she's been pretty busy while they've been apart. as is appropriate, given that she is the avatar and doesn't really have time to screw around.

she releases his hand only when they're in her home and the door is closed and locked. she sets her things down on her bed, quickly moving toward the kitchen area (if it can even be called that) and putting on water for tea. do you like tea, connor? you better. ]

As for my teacher, I have had the pleasure of working with a young blind girl named Toph Beifong. She is one of the most talented benders I have ever met, though she is rather... off-putting, to some.

[lifescratched]

[Connor stops short in the doorway as she bustles around, staring at her like she'd just kicked him in the stomach. Anything about her earthbending teacher goes unheard as he struggles to keep his anger at bay.]

You learned firebending? What for?! It has no use except to cause destruction.

[invigorates]

[ as if she just realized what she said, she comes to a halt as well, frowning down at the pot on the stove. she said it so casually, too, without even thinking about the consequences. ]

I have little choice in the matter, Connor. I must master all of the elements, even those that have hurt me and those I loved in the past. [ she bites her lip and looks up at him, finally. ] It is not only meant for destruction. I know that you will find that hard to believe, but there is far more to it than that.

[lifescratched]

What is there to understand? Fire exists only when it is destroying something else as fuel. All the other elements do not need to cause harm to be used.

[He can't contain his temper now, with years of pain and frustration in his seemingly endless battle against the Fire Nation. He crosses the room, wanting her to look him in the eye.]

Everyone in the village thinks you are dead. The entire world believes you are dead. Searches have already begun for the next Avatar. Has it not occurred to you that instead of learning the enemy's tricks, you could be out saving people?

[invigorates]

That is not true! [ connor will get his wish, because as soon as he says that, she spins on her heel and sets her eyes on his. she knows why he thinks that - she thought the same thing for years, and it still hurts her to this day, but she has learned so much since then. she learned that fire is not just for pain and destruction.

of course connor wouldn't think that, though. he hadn't had the teacher she did. he didn't know. ]

It is better that they think me dead - or so my mentors have told me numerous times. [ so much for looking him in the eyes, cause she's already turning her attention to the floor like a child being scolded. ] Do you think me so heartless, that I would not assist those that I met on my travels? With the knowledge I have gained, I have done all that I can to save those that needed my help, even if they did not know who I was. But I am only one person, Connor, and though it pains me greatly to admit it... I cannot help everyone. Not as I am now.

[lifescratched]

Why is it better the world should think you dead? Without the Avatar, there is no hope. For many, their spirits are broken, and they accept Fire Nation rule without question. You may be one person, but you are the one person that can save our people and the Earth Kingdom.

[He seizes her by the shoulder and kneels slightly, in an effort to get her to look at him.]

Think on what you could achieve if you set out to fight against the Fire Nation now. The longer you wait, the stronger they become, and more suffer because of them.

[invigorates]

[ he will have to forcibly turn her head and pry her eyes open for her to look at him now. her shoulders shake in his grip, and she is doing everything she can not to burst into tears. ] I know... [ god, she knows. ] But I am not prepared - I have only mastered two of the four bending arts, and I am only halfway through my training for the third. I do not know where I will even find an airbending teacher, and I--

[ so much for not crying. tears streak down her cheeks, eyes clenched shut as if that will stop them. she reaches up to grab connor's hands on her shoulders, holding them tight, ] I cannot do it alone. I do not wish to fail everyone - more than I already have. And if they know I am alive now, they will expect so much that I cannot give them...

[lifescratched]

Lioriley... [Connor relents a little when he sees he's upset her, and he feels a twinge of guilt. Was he asking too much of her, being too harsh, Avatar or otherwise? Even with their time apart, she's still around the same age as him. She has things left to learn. And Avatar or not, she'd still been his friend -- still is.]

I cannot teach you bending. But I do wish to help stop the Fire Nation in what ways I am able. If finding an airbending teacher for you will aid in ending this war, I will do it.

[invigorates]

[ almost on cue; the teapot whistles loudly behind them, and lioriley takes the chance to tear herself away from him so she can tend to it. 'tending to it' consisting primarily of moving it to another eye, and taking those few seconds to try and compose herself. this isn't what was supposed to happen.

when she turns back around, she finds that connor is still standing close to her, offering her assistance. it's nice - and so like him to do so, but he's so upset with her, and now she can't stop thinking about it. ]

I-I would greatly appreciate your assistance, Connor. But are you certain you wish to come with me? It can be quite dangerous at times, and I do not wish for you to be hurt...

[lifescratched]

I have been in far more dangerous situations than seeking out peaceful nomads, Lioriley.

[Said with one of his rare displays of dry humour. He goes to sit cross legged at the low table, thinking it best to back off and give Lioriley some breathing space. Realising he said some harsh things, the guilt is already setting in. Quietly, he adds:]

I do not wish for you to be hurt, either. I will go with you.

[invigorates]

I do not suppose I have any room to argue with you, hm? [ she says it quietly, turning back toward the stove to pretend she's hard at work making tea. it doesn't take that long to do it, and soon enough her brief reprieve is over and she's setting a cup down in front of him. ]

I am sorry, Connor... I did not wish for our meeting to be like this.