#cannot explain it

First, an arrow flies. And within the minute it takes to leave the bowman’s fingers to streaking towards him, Aang thinks with a horror he doesn’t get the chance to act on that the person holding him hostage will likely be killed

Second, when the arrow hits it doesn’t hit who Aang initially thought to be their target. Instead it flies right into his shoulder. The pain isn’t immediate and he’s too stunned to consider how much that should hurt. He doesn’t shout. Not until he realizes what else happened.

Third, the arrow didn’t stop at the skin and muscle of Aang’s body; it traveled straight through into the body behind him.

That’s when he shouts, when the momentum driving the arrow throws them both to the ground.

This is when the pain makes itself known. This is when his shoulder that bled profusely into the dirt beneath him refused to allow his arm movement. This is when he thinks back to the cell and being chained and Zhao’s sneer.

“I’ll keep you alive, but just barely.”

This is when for the second time that day, the Fire Nation descended upon him in a mass too great to get away from.

He almost welcomes the darkness that follows.

Like fuck I looked SO masc today. The mullet was 😙🤌 the layers were 😙🤌 the eye bags were 😙🤌