#ltf update

the storm (and riding it) part 2

Katara was staring a hole into the side of his face, but Aang refused to look at her, to properly see her expression and what she thought of him. He laughed nervously. “So, you know, if you think about it… It’s my fault my people are gone.” “It is not!” Katara shouted, jumping to her feet. She loomed over him, forcing him to look at her in surprise. Her hands were on her hips as she fiercely glared down at him. “What could you have done when the Fire Nation attacked?! So what if you’re the Avatar? You were only twelve and hadn’t started learning any other elements! In fact, I have no doubt that Gyatso would have pushed you to run away rather than fight even if you had been there!” Swallowing roughly, Aang pushed past his emotions to say, “And I probably still would have headed toward the South Pole, without a second thought about the Fire Nation following me. From what you’ve mentioned of what the Southern Tribes have been through… The Fire Nation expected me to do that too, and took precautions on the chance I had escaped.”

Secrets and revelations and hope abound. It's the conclusion to the storm!

the blue spirit (and others)

Seemingly waiting for the opportunity to make the shot, Mirinae observed Prince Zuko’s fighting pattern. He went high when dodging more often than not, fearlessly jumping to and from the battlement when it benefited him. His back was to the central tower, which worked in Mirinae’s favor. He was unlikely to notice and attempt to dodge the arrow aimed to narrowly miss him.  Mirinae drew her bow, prepared to make the shot. “Actually,” Zhao’s voice drawled, interrupting her. “You have flaming arrows, don’t you?” [...] The sense of wrongness spiked as Zhao called fire to his palm. He grinned, finally turning to her as his flames sent flickering shadows across his face. “Then I’d like to test something.”

On the surface, nothing's changed much from canon. Zhao gains control of the Yuyan Archers, they kidnap Aang, Zuko stages a prison break... And yet everything's changed.

the warriors of kyoshi (and the scholar of yangchen... or the son of the firelord?) final part

Sokka pulled a chair up to the cell and crossed his arms. But… was that intimidating enough? He shifted, spreading his legs and leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees. There, that was a good interrogation pose, right?  “So, you weren’t trying to firebend at me. And you didn’t mean to kidnap Aang either. All of this has been one big misunderstanding.” Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai, lit up with a bright, relieved smile. “Exactly! Now, if you would just let me go already so I can go back to my ship before my uncle realizes I’m not in my room, I promise I’ll come right back to wait for the Wings.”

It's the conclusion to our stay on Kyoshi Island! Does Zuko successful convince everyone that he didn't kidnap himself? Do Iroh and the crew storm the island in search of Zuko? Guess we'll find out~~

the sazanami (and the raiu) part 2

“An Agni and Tui play?!” The sparkle in Prince Zuko's eyes dimmed as he paused and scrunched his nose. “Oh, but, it’s probably about Agni defeating Tui or something, right?” “Actually, it’s a story depicting them as siblings fighting over who owns the sky. By the end, they reach an understanding that they value each other too much to keep fighting and decide to peacefully share.” Prince Zuko’s jaw dropped. “And they’re performing that in the Fire Nation?!” Seta nudged his shoulder with a knowing smile. “Have a hand in this one too?” Too? Pakon gleefully watched Prince Zuko blush and nudge Seta back. He didn’t say anything more on the accusation, but it was much too easy to connect the dots. There was only one other incendiary work in recent years, and it was coincidentally about the very Avatar that Prince Zuko once owned the memoirs of. 

Zuko's newest crew continues finally getting to know him :3

the blue spirit (and others) parts 2

Cold sweat ran down Iroh’s back. He had no reason to think twice about Zuko turning in early last night, citing feeling under the weather. Iroh had assumed he was sleeping in when he hadn’t arrived for breakfast. How could Iroh make such a mistake? It had been quiet the past few days! Zuko never let his failures hold him back long. Iroh had mistakenly believed Zuko wasn’t acting impulsive on his own anymore, and now was blindsided by whatever harebrained scheme Zuko came up with while Iroh foolishly thought he was sulking. Iroh shook his head, pasting on an amused smile all while his heart raced. “I’m afraid this is a wasted trip, Admiral Zhao. We hit a rough patch of weather a few days ago, and Prince Zuko has been feeling sickly. He’s in no state to get out of bed, let alone travel all the way to Pohuai Stronghold and stage a prison break!” “Well, I’ll just have to see after the prince’s health myself, won’t I?”

After Aang and Zuko's eye-catching, aerial escape from Pohuai Stronghold, Zhao is pissed and eager to catch Zuko before he gets back to his ship...

the sazanami (and the raiu) part 1

“Giving my crew a day or two of rest hardly means I’m being negligent in my quest,” Prince Zuko said with strained evenness. “It’s said that taking time to rest leads to better work in the long run.” Commander Zhao scoffed. “Said by whom? General Iroh?” If he were in different company, it was obvious Zhao would not be giving General Iroh the respect of his title nor his name. The condescension dripping from his voice promised several unsavory epithets for the royal general. Seta had heard several horror stories about this man from his friend on Outpost 205, but the gossip had not prepared him for this. And Prince Zuko had been dealing with him for three years?! “My uncle has lots of words of wisdom,” Prince Zuko said, baring his teeth in a poor attempt at a polite smile. “I’ve only recently matured enough to understand them.”

It's time. It's the Crew 3 chapter(s)! Just what's been going on behind the scenes, and how have recent events changed their perception of their residence young prince?

the spirit world (the in-between and the spirit plane) part one

Zuko felt it the second they entered the boundaries of Hei Bai Forest. An otherworldly spirit chill settled over him, but it was different from how he remembered. Something felt wrong. It didn’t take long for him to figure out what. At the furthest edge of his heatsense, Zuko could feel something smoldering. “There was a big fire nearby,” Zuko announced. His commentary wasn't necessary anymore, but it felt like an important observation to share. “It’s cool enough, though, that it couldn’t have been Uncle. So we keep going.” “This is seriously creeping me out,” Seaman Zenil whispered, not quiet enough. What was creepy? The fire?

The Gaang get enlisted to help with spirit hijinks and Zuko is in pursuit of a kidnapped Iroh. Thankfully, no one else is getting kidnapped! Well, by the Earth Kingdom ;3