OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN

Yue and Yi Lin seem to be having so much fun there! I can eat this pic for lunch, it's so adorable/prettyful (really diggin' the coloring job)!

>>69790

HHHHHHNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG

I MUST FINISH MY FRICKIN STORY.

AND THEN

>>69794 I like how the design seems to bit quite proper, but it looks to be very restrictive of her bending.Does she take the Toph method and get rid of the soles of her shoes?

Inspired by some stuff from the DoD thread, I'm currently working on a multi-page summary for people who want to find out more about Gaang Junior but are too confused by the wiki. I'm not sure how long it will take since my midterms are coming up, but I've already completed the descriptions for each of the kids.

>>69794
Very nice, and I like how you included the champion belt.

They grow up so fast ;_;

>>69795

Indeed, the shoes are sole-less husks of what they once were, thats why its wrapped in the middle, to keep them on. Helps her maintain the semblance of adorable little earth kingdom girl so she is underestimated in a fight.

Though the champion's belt might be a big hint.

>>69790
>>69794

I lurv you guys!

>>69794
Gah! So adorable ^^ I like how the green overdress-thing works, or at least, how I assume it works. Are those buttons? Awesome.

As for my comic, it'll probably be up sometime this week, depending on how my school work goes. ^^

I have prepared a summary of the fundamentals of Gaang Junior to help out people who are curious in the project. I may write out something more about how it all started and where it's going, but for now...

STORY

The events of Gaang Junior take place twenty years after the Century War’s end. In that time, the Avatar and his allies have more or less settled down. Aang still travels regularly as a part of his duties. Katara often follows her husband, instructing novice waterbenders across the world. Sokka and Suki live on Kyoshi Island, serving as pseudo-political figures and passing down their knowledge of martial arts. Zuko and Mai, of course, are busy keeping the Fire Nation peaceful and prosperous. Unlike her friends, Toph never really set down roots, and occupies herself with whatever endeavors catch her interest (such as bounty hunting). The seven friends still keep in touch, occasionally gathering to relax and reminisce.

The story begins when, during one of these gatherings, the Gaang’s five children set out on a boat to seek adventure of their own. Their parents attempt to bring them back, but their duties force them to give up the chase. They recruit Toph to retrieve the kids, with Mai’s younger brother Tom-Tom (now a Captain in the Fire Nation Navy) to aid her. Toph is happy to accept the duty, though she shows no intention to actually put an end to the kids’ fun. And so the quintet of young adventurers set out to explore the great wide world, sailing from island to island with no real goal in mind. Along the way they encounter all manner of weird and wonderful people, places and things, ranging from friendly and harmless to hostile and deadly.

CHARACTERS

Name: Hayoda
Parents: Sokka and Suki
Age: Sixteen-ish
Hayoda is the kids’ de facto leader by virtue of both age and enthusiasm. Fed from a young age by his parents’ stories of high adventure and epic battles, he is filled with a sense of romanticism that heavily influences his worldview. As the ships’ captain, Hayoda takes it upon himself to lead his crew on whatever adventures present themselves. Though he does not always see eye-to-eye with the others, he is undeniably the heart and soul of the boat. Though he lacks any bending abilities, Hayoda has received extensive training in martial arts from his mother, father and “Aunt” Ty Lee. During the adventure he recovers his father’s lost Space Sword and wields it with expert skill.

Name: Yue
Parents: Sokka and Suki
Age: Twelve-ish
Yue is the youngest of the children. Reserved and somewhat shy, she sometimes seems ill suited for adventure, but her sense of curiosity and admiration for her brother keep her engaged despite her moments of uncertainty. Yue’s innate rapport with all living things makes her a skilled botanist and animal handler, which both come in handy during her journeys. In particular, she cares for Po, the giant pangolin otter that pulls the boat. Yue inherited the gift of earthbending from her mother’s side of the family. However, her gentle disposition prevents her from gaining much control of her powers, despite having Toph Bei Fong as her personal sifu.

Name: Yi Lin
Parents: Aang and Katara
Age: Fourteen-ish
As the second-to-last airbender, Yi Lin is lighthearted and easygoing. Though a tad scatterbrained at times, she finds something to interest her wherever she goes and has the mind of a true adventurer. Despite being slightly naïve, Yi Lin has an interest bordering on the obsessive when it comes to the romantic relationships of others. She often makes unlikely matches in her head and searches for proof of the theoretical couples’ validity. Yi Lin makes good use of her airbending talents and possesses her own gilder. Though far from being a master, she often paints her skin with traditional Air Nomad markings as a reflection of her heritage.

Name: Tseng
Parents: Aang and Katara
Age: Thirteen-ish
Tseng is very serious-minded for his age, often coming across as a stick in the mud. He does not approve of reckless behavior and fruitlessly tries to dissuade the others from letting their adventurous urges get the better of them. Tseng acts as the crew’s general caretaker, cooking meals, healing wounds, mending tares and performing other tasks befitting the “team mom.” He is also a skilled navigator, attempting to guide the ship away from unsafe waters. Tseng is an accomplished waterbender, with a large focus on its healing uses. In combat, he rarely relies on brute force, instead implementing creative bending techniques and making use of his environment to gain the upper hand.

Name: Irah
Parents: Mai and Zuko
Age: Fifteen-ish
Born and raised a princess, Irah sometimes feels suffocated by the expectations placed upon her. Though she seeks freedom from her royal restraints, she still enjoys the better things in life, the first and foremost of which is good tea. Though she possesses quite a lot of common sense and upper-class education, Irah prefers to go with the flow and enjoy herself even when she knows that she should do otherwise. She is, in her mind, taking a break from sensibility. As expected of Fire Nation royalty, Irah displays much innate skill with firebending and has already learned how to create blue flames. She is beginning to experiment with lightning, though her technique needs a lot of practice.

Link and/or copypaste this wherever it is needed.

>>69818

>the Century War

>>69818

I think that works fairly well to describe what's what around here.

Though my own minor nitpicks, I always called the war "Sozin's War" in my head. Also, since we're not defining the kid's ages exactly, perhaps we should say "about 20 years" or 2X years?

I've always called it The Hundred Years' War.

And I agree on 2X years, people can make their own assumptions since then.

>>69822

Yeah, I think that keeping the amount of time after the war vague makes things easier.

Most people have pretty much hashed out their own ages for the kids anyway, and really, we all peg them about the same. There might be a year or two's difference, but whatever.

Wait, you mean no one's got a hard-on for timelines and charts and specific dates? Just me? Oh OK then.

>>69827
Mari, that's gross. Nobody wants to hear about your penis :|

>>69827
I get a raging boner when I see dates and timelines.

>>69827
Time is an illusion. Just like pants.

>>69818
As far as fundamentals and summaries go, I think you did a good job. That's part of the reason I really want to get my comic finished, cuz I think it could be a nice intro to the plot and characters. Its also why I've added a little bit at the end (which you guys haven't seen yet), to really set the stage for the rest of the ADVENTURES!

Lets never speak of this again

>>69852
Oooh!
I'm particularly pleased by the presence of those earrings... continuity!

>>69852

(going up the lift, Tseng is scared stiff)

Tseng: Is it over yet? Is it over yet? Is it over yet?

(they reach the top of the lift)

Jing: Yeah, we're done.

Tseng: (opens his eyes) Whew...

(going down the first drop)

Tseng: FFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUU- YEAAAAAHHHHHH THIS IS AWESOME!

Jing: ::laughs:: GREAT! NOW PUT THOSE HANDS UP! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

>>69852
All I can think of is Yue standing next to a "You must be this tall to ride" sign and looking sad.

I've wanted to suggest or do this for a while now, and Dr. Genome's summary just pushed me to make an effort with this.

Basically, I'd like it if several of the authors here gave their own opinions and interpretations of the characters, so they can be complied under each of the character bios in the wiki. That way we get to see what the main underlying themses of a character are, we can understand an individual authors work more, and it provides some nice reflection for anyone who wants to then go and write another story.

I'm basically asking for the kind of stuff we always talk about, but this time in a more specific and concentrated way. To kinda show what I mean I've already done the main Gaang Jr. (with Toph and Tom Tom being added tomorrow, and maybe Jing + Nikiru too). I hope y'all will follow suit, or at least think this is a decent idea. 'Cus I'd hate to have done this for nothing.

________________________________________


Arright, lets get this show on the road. Before we start, I just want to make clear that this is just how I personally see the characters, and it’s not some blanket thing that everyone need adhere to. Also, given as I tend to do most of my thinking about characters when actually having to write about them, I’ve done alot more thinking on certain ones than others, which...well, it’s not ideal. Also, I’m not sure how exact my focus will be, here. I guess I’m just trying to give a general impression of my...uh...impressions. Don’t expect every little thing to be addressed, like character relationships; I’m trying to keep it all insular.

Now, without further ado:

Hayoda

At first it was easy to just think of him as a guy with something to prove, hoping to live out the childhood adventures he felt were owed to him due to his heritage, and being forced to do so now he was reaching the cusp of adulthood. I guess there is even some truth in that, too. I also don’t think it a stretch to believe that Hayoda has some fighting capability issues from being surrounded by benders (much like his dad)...although honestly, I think that’s probably all in his head; judging from his teachers I’d say he’s got the skill-set to take on top-tier benders just as well as, say, Irah.

I think the most important thing to remember when writing Hayoda, though, is to remember that he’s not really putting on a show. Unlike lots of other outspoken, brash and reckless characters, he’s not JUST doing it to put up a front to others, he really does have all that confidence and all that ability, even if, at times, he forgets it. You get what you see with Hayoda, and all his hidden depths and worries don’t tend to stem from him worrying about not being strong enough, but rather the consequences of his actions.

As far as his leadership abilities go, I think Hayoda has it down to a fine art. He’s got the confidence, and although he can get abrasive and fall out with his crew he has probably the most appreciation of their unity as a group, meaning he knows when his crew needs leadership, and what he needs to do to rally them to listen. He has the right amount of conviction to make it happen.

I believe I wrote a story once where he cited his reason for going on this adventure as being that he wanted everyone in the crew to have an adventure TOGETHER, and that it would be something to bring them closer to each other and something they’d remember fondly for the rest of their lives. That, I feel, is the kind of sentiment that exists at the core of Hayoda. The whole ‘let’s adventure while we still can!’ might add incentive, but the REASON for the adventure, and for anything Hayoda does, is about being awesome, and sharing that awesome.


Irah

Hmm. I get the feeling that she started on this trip as something as a holiday, and it’s only around the start of season 2 or the end of season 1 she actually starts appreciating in a real way what they are doing, and then starts to take advantage of the trip properly. Because of this kind of attitude, I don’t see her as a particularly active force on the ship most of the time, generally being the calm rock which all the other characters storm around. Hey, that’s actually a pretty good metaphor! Because I can see that, if the storm gets too much, it starts eroding on the rock. I’m smarter than I thought.

So, yeah, eventually I see her getting with the program more, in a more...hmm, hard to explain. Like she was a part of the group before, and great friends with people in it, but after a while it stops being something to do, and becomes something that she is, and they are. I think that this slight change in her outlook would lead to some unnecessary stress, as she becomes more proactive in trying to stop the madness that daily consumes the group, or at least more sensitive to it. At the same time, she probably finds the experience more rewarding; you get out of it what you put in, afterall.

She’d also take this opportunity to work on her bending. I like the idea that she goes off privately to practice lightning, due to her wish not to injure anyone (and a slight auntish desire for no-one to see her be poor at something, and thus be shamed), but I can see her slowly getting over that and at least letting someone sit and watch her while she practices, or has no problem practising on whilst still on the boat. For serious sparring, I think she’d go to Tseng, though I can also see her taking an interest in non-bending martial arts to supplement her real talents, and would thus practice on occasion with Hayoda, for a bit o’ rough an’ tumble.

Temperament wise, I imagine her to be more genial than her mother, but otherwise retain alot of her sarcasm...if well hidden beneath layers of culture. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had a cutting remark always on the tip of her tongue, yet always manages to keep it from coming out. When she does get riled, it’s usually in very short bursts...probably only a sentence or two out. She’s a little like her aunt Azula used to be, except more capable of taking emotional stress and answering taunts and the like appropriately...though I think that this also leads her to being more generally introspective and, dare I say it, more melancholy overall. Still, better that than going insane for a year or two.


Tseng

A studious young man if ever there was one. Out of everyone in the crew, I see Tseng as being the one most capable of EVIL. I’m not saying that he is, or is going to be, but there’s just something about that boy which says to me ‘be careful about what he learns, and how he learns of it.’ How far would he go to protect those he cares about? Too far, I dare say. Much fear I sense in him.

This is probably just a part of what, to me, seems the sum of Tseng’s character, in that he is just a kid, yet acts like such an adult. Perhaps is forced to be one through necessity...also he still ‘chooses’ it, he’s more than likely aware that it is also a bit of a demand. He’s good at heart though; he doesn’t actually blame anybody other than possibly himself for his current state of affairs, and he genuinely enjoys being such a valuable asset to the team, even if he won’t admit it. Much like he won’t admit actually enjoying this crazy kid-like adventure, actually. Boy’s in a lot of denial.

As the series goes on, I’m unsure as to his progression. Actually, I guess I see him as taking all of these duties into his stride a little more, and, although still arguing with Hayoda about all the little discrepancies, to be less prone to be a downer just for the hell of it. I think ‘mellowing out’ goes a bit too far, but I daresay he’d end up learning a little more patience, and to be a little more tactiturn. This could also lead to some grim determination in battle, not terribly unlike how I picture Irah, at times. Except less ‘cold’ and more ‘resolute’.

Speaking of bending, I imagine that he would train, and that he would step up his training and give it more import, as the crew gains greater need of capable fighting. He doesn’t base his life around it, and he doesn’t mind that, say, Irah is better than he is, but unlike Irah who improves for herself, for her self-worth (nothing wrong with this) and because its integral to how she perceives her place in the world, I see Tseng’s motivation as being more practising for others, and to reflect on how it meshes with his life, and what it means (meaning he views it almost as something separate from himself). This might change as he goes along and gains a better understanding of his bending potential, and should prove...interesting.


Yue

I get slightly annoyed at Yue’s moe-blob image. I don’t like it when it seems the sole purpose of her charater seems to be to make people go ‘Aww, how CUUUUUTTTTEEE! D’AWWWWW!!’ I think this does her a disservice. Mainly because such a view makes her seem useless. Her purpose would be to fail, and fail adorably.

I see Yue as someone who attempts to get over her shortcomings. Someone who TRIES. She might lack confidence in herself, but I think she’s willing to try and change that, and uses her intelligence to that effect. She’s not content to stay as she is, so this adventure, for her, is about finding that ‘new her’. Well, yeah, she got dragged along by her brother at the start, but I think she moves past just going along with it all pretty early on.

A word I like to use when thinking of Yue is ‘augment’. I don’t think that she should ‘change’ so much as she is looking for a way to improve things about her. No shift in her core activities, she isn’t going to end up like Toph or anything, she’ll still be bookish, love plants and animals, she just wants to be better at nurturing them, and at expressing herself. Which is what her brother wanted her to pick up on this trip, I suppose. Maybe she does, too.

Bending-wise, I am quite content to have her advance by way of lateral thinking. She’s not too proud of her bending, but she wants to surprise her brother and the like, so I can see her secretly practising in little ways, with the dirt in her plant pots, reworking her rock gloves and the like. Showing off to Yi Lin also seems good, because she’s smart enough to know that she needs someone to measure her at times, and, well, Yi Lin’s always interested, and not likely to blab to others. A good kinshipping going on there. I always imagined her bending to be something she’d like to keep close and underwraps, which goes with the general consensus of her not being terribly proficient with it the further away she gets from her element. As such, I always wanted her to work, very slowly, on how to make rock-body-armour, that she’d discreetly have on under her clothes. I like thinking of Yue as being a tough sonofubitch underneath all those layers of poof. Seems a lil’ symbolic.


Yi Lin

Happy-go-lucky Yi Lin. Lovely Yi Lin. Not a care in the world Yi Lin. And, by and large, I like writing this as truth. I also like to presume that she’s bloody good at running away from things. I like Yi Lin, I consider her a hard character to get to in some ways, but maybe that’s why I like her so much. It’s not that she masks what she feels, but I think, on the truly deepest of issues, personal things about friendship, romance and the like, her unique way of working through these processes makes it hard for others to understand her.

As a result, I see her as fast at making friends, but having difficulty making it anything more than ‘acquaintance’ level, unlike her bro, who seems more like a ‘bro 4 lyfe’. It is and it isn’t her fault, and, given her tendency to have Katara-like grievances, I imagine she carries her fair share of regrets. She doesn’t mope over them, not unless something has thrown her entirely off course or taken her unawares, but I daresay they’re there. Perhaps the best example I can think of is how she acts like a big sister to Yue, because she hasn’t REALLY been one to Tseng. It’s the kind of thing I expect and this is great about her; displacing her feelings, rather than blocking them off, very airbendery. I guess she doesn’t much get the chance to do everything she wants, so she just looks for things where she can.

The same might apply for her bending. She was obviously born for her element; she’s so airbender it hurts. And maybe it has. What’s her relationship with her mother like? Still, she’s vry capable with bending; she could probably go as far as she wants with it, it’s just a case of trying, which she doesn’t do. Now that I think about it that’s a potentially interesting point. Why doesn’t she try? I’ll have to think about that (though the obvious answer is because she doesn’t have, or doesn’t want, to make a commitment like that.) Ah. Maybe that is it.

Despite what might seem a damning, insular view of her character, I still see her as a very upbeat, whimsical lass. I just like to think about all this stuff so when it comes to writing her, I can think about how all of this gets translated through the Yi-Lin-processor and comes out all happy on the other side. It doesn’t weigh on her. She’s fine, and she’s probably more comfortable with herself than most anyone on the ship, due to her near insistence on living in the present. That might change over the voyage, and she might learn the benefits of being more responsible and what her responsibilities actually ARE, or should be...but otherwise, she’s alight.

>>69859
I like this idea. Something like this is good character building, just like the whole questionnaire thing. (By the way, I can't find those on the wiki. I think there's a link missing). I'll work on this tonight.

>>69858
Next frame: She has used earthbending to raise herself those three critical inches.

>>69870
Silly anon, Hiskoo AU doesn't have bending... OR DOES IT?

Actually now I can picture them secretly being super heroes on the side, while their mild mannered altered egos attend school.

>>69871

Is it just me or is it really kinda easy to imagine Avatar characters living in the world of X-Men Evolution? I usually think in terms of the mains, but it'd probably apply to the Gaang Jr. kids too.

>>69873
I might have to beg someone to right this AU. Or do it myself eventually. With the X men there too. I'm just picturing their reaction to Nightcrawler....

>>69874

I could see about writing a fanfic with the original Avatar cast. I imagine their first assumption would essentially be that Kurt is some sort of cantankerous spirit being?

Ty Lee would find him cute, I'm sure.

Well, here's my little bit on the characters. Take it as you will. ^^

Hayoda

With him, what you see is what you get. Hayoda’s really a very straightforward kind of guy. I’ve always pictured him, at least at the start of the adventures, as a naïve, less skeptical version of his father, mostly due to the fact that he’s grown up in a time of peace. As the adventures go on, I think he sheds that a little bit as he learns more about the way the world works, but he still holds himself to the codes of honor and heroism that he got from the stories, because that’s who he is. Hayoda enjoys the bravado. He may not always think things through all the way, but he’s exceptionally loyal, and would do anything for his family or friends. When it comes down to it, his role as leader is mostly due to this loyalty, and not because of any particular skills, though I do agree that at this point, he knows exactly how to use each member of his team in the best possible way.

Personally, I think the only real insecurities that Hayoda suffers from have to do with growing up. Sometimes, I think he worries about missing out on something, not just for himself, but also for his friends. And I think he sees adulthood as some kind of ticking time bomb. He sees all these things his parents did as kids, and has sort of subconsciously set these deadlines for himself that he has to achieve. I think part of the reason for his troubles with developing his relationship with Irah stems with not wanting things to change and move on towards adulthood.


Irah

I’ve always seen Irah as being exceptionally similar to Mai, only capable of expressing herself emotionally, probably due to growing up in a much more understanding home. I’d probably say she’s the most intelligent of the group, which is where her boredom comes from: she wants to constantly be absorbing new information. Which is why she wanted to go on the adventure in the first place. It was something new. The intelligence probably could also lend her to being more likely to develop a bit of depression, but her friends keep that darker part of her personality in check. I also see her as being a perfectionist, and thus secretly exceptionally hard on herself, which seems to run in the family.

Sometimes, I wonder how much of her family history she’s aware of. She admires Azula a great deal, considering what her aunt has done in the past, and I’d be curious to know exactly how much she knows of what her grandfather did. With people like Zuko and Iroh in her life, I’m sure she doesn’t take any of those things onto herself, but still. Speaking of Iroh, I always pictured them being exceptionally close, and even her love of tea developed from wanting to be even closer to him. Possibly to the point where she didn’t like it all at first, but just wanted an excuse to spend more time with him, and it slowly became a love of hers too.

Her princess-status has definitely shaped a great deal of her personality. Even though she’s nowhere near as reserved as her mother, she still holds stuff in, with manners coming first. However, I see her being like Zuko in that her emotions can definitely get the best of her. I think as adventures go on, she definitely balances this part of herself out more and more.


Yi Lin

Out of all the Gaang Jr., the one I relate most to is Yi Lin. That probably seems weird considering the ridiculous, out-there way in which she’s usually portrayed. I definitely agree that she swings back and forth between obsession and short-attention span more than the average person. Actually, I see her as someone on the verge of growing a great deal as a person into someone much more healthy and balanced mentally. But at the moment, I think she has a great deal of insecurities as a person, and uses her shipping as a way to suppress them. Her relationship with Nikiru is probably the best example of this. Despite the fact that she is best friend, Yi Lin comes of as exceptionally oblivious to Nikiru’s feelings for her. (I’m operating under the assumption that Nikiru does in fact think of Yi Lin as more than just a friend, but doesn’t know how to deal with that). I think she subconsciously holds people at arms length with her flightiness, and breaks relationships down into scientific data to prevent herself from being hurt. I feel like the adventure is, again subconsciously, a way of keeping her friends close. Her confrontations with Hayoda, too, probably stem from her fear of losing Irah to him.

I also think that while her parents would never put this pressure on her, growing up knowing that she was now the second-to-last airbender probably affected her greatly. In typical airbender fashion, however, she tends to avoid issues rather than confront them. Like her dad, I see her holding things in. As the adventures continue, I see her eventually having to confront the things she’s been avoiding, and really coming into her own for it. I’m not saying she’ll ever stop being creative, flighty, or excessively joyful. She’ll just start being able to form close relationships and expressing her emotion healthily.


Tseng

Ah Tseng. Our little adult. If Irah’s the most intelligent, he’s definitely a close second. He has even her beat in maturity though, which probably came from feeling he had to watch out for his older sister. I see him probably being very much like Katara in that he’s the Team Mom, as well as prone to Katara style rages. I don’t think he shares Katara’s sort of all encompassing compassion for all of humanity though. Tseng is probably concerned first and foremost with his family and friends, to the point where he could probably be callous towards people outside of his inner-circle. But the people he does care for, he probably throws his entire being into the relationship and making it work. That’s why he puts up with his sister’s flightiness and Hayoda’s bravado.
Tseng’s probably also the most self-sufficient of the group. I think if he knew his sister felt even the slightest bit guilty over not being a good enough older sibling, he’d be angry at himself for making her feel that way. I don’t see him liking to ask for help in anything, and probably did a lot of self-teaching in bending with his bending, even with his mother being as skilled as she is. I think that’s one of the reasons he loves Jing so much, he’s sees her as someone as almost as self-reliant as himself.

The adventure started out for Tseng as simply him taking care of his friends, but I think he’s slowly starting to really enjoy it for what it is as he learns that he doesn’t have to be nearly as protective of them. I think the adventure is really starting make him feel free of responsibilities for the first time in his life, and while he’ll never admit it, that makes him exceptionally happy.


Yue

I think Yue is probably very similar to her brother in that what you see is what you get, in a much milder form. Obviously, her shyness is as much a part of her as his bravado is him. I think, where he is quite comfortable with who he is, Yue sometimes feels as though she’s inadequate. Especially when it comes to her earthbending and combat. The adventure is sort of allowing her to find her niche in a way she never would have been able to had she stayed on Kyoshi Island. Each day she becomes more and more comfortable with her place, while perhaps not as a warrior, but still as a great earthbender. She’ll always be quiet and contemplative, but that’s what makes her so good at what she loves, that being animals and plants. I think the key to understanding Yue is that like her element, change comes very gradually. I would also be willing to bet that if pushed, she would be exceptionally stubborn.

Yue sees Hayoda, at least in the beginning, as sort of her courage, and she absolutely loves him for pushing her to do things that she wouldn’t normally do. I think she wishes that there were some way for her to make it up to him. Slowly, she learns that what makes him happiest is when she does well and is confident in herself, and in trying to fake it for him, she’s begun to do it for real. I also think she probably originally didn’t quiet feel comfortable with how “cute” everyone seemed to find her, but as she became more confident in herself, she’s come to embrace it, even to the point of using it to her advantage. While deviousness doesn’t come quite naturally to her, she is her father’s daughter, and can be quite adaptive, as proven with how she’s adapted her bending to suit her needs.

>>69852

Man, I love Tseng's new dreadlocks.

>>69858

Must be done.

>>69880

Excellent. We seem to synch quite nicely on all of the main attributes, which goes some way to proving we've written these characters right.

More! MORE I SAY!

Speaking of authors doing things, who's stepping up for the next CFI bit?

Oh hey status update: made some progress on the Hope story today, should have something to post pretty soon. I was able to get past this one part that had been causing me troubles (mainly because of Milli who helped give me confidence in it... sort of), so I should be able to get back onto track with events that are easier to describe. Though, at this point I really need to make sure that I'm not writing this as a bland synopsis, and I also need to timeline out this whole thing so I don't end up missing a scene I've already posted past.

>>69912
>mainly because of Milli who helped give me confidence in it...
:D

>sort of
D:

Just so you guys know, I thought I'd be able to finish that new comic page this week, but it probably won't get done. My little sister got surgery, and she's not reacting to it terribly well, so the whole family is pretty much taking turns watching her. She'll be fine, but until then, stuff isn't getting done.

>>69907

I believe Murph said he'd do it over IRC.

>>69992

>>69993

...Then I guess he's rescinded that offer.

>>69992
Um, IRC?

>>70006

irc.rizon.net #plus4chan

or click the IRC link on the top-right of plus4chan's main page

Suprisingly not much talk about the Yue design proposed. Compared to the other S3 designs, there is little discussion.

>>70032
Probably because it's really not a drastic change compared to everyone else, and also because Tseng sorta eclipsed her.

>>70032

Yeah, that sounds about right, Yue's new clothes are like a fusion of her Season 1 and 2 clothes, whereas everybody else's are very different by comparison. You know, I once thought of a Yi Lin outfit myself, I might share the idea later. And I did like the idea of Yue in an Aodai, even though she's the equivalent of half-Inuit/half-Japanese, and I think Aodai are Vietnamese.

>>70032

It's not a terrible design, it's not a bad design, it's not a terrific design, it's not a great design.

Though I think the real reason so little discussion has come from it is due to the lack of conversing yon Maye's been doing on the thread about it. It feels a terribly distant.affair right now, and there are things I'm sure everyone would like to know.

The main thing for me is; why shoes at all? Toph needed them so she could hide her earthbending in the fire nation. So does Yue want to hide her bending? I thought she'd be getting steadily more proud of it. And if she HAS to hide her bending, then why?

So many questions...

>>70036
Because Yue is not Toph.

She likes her shoes, they're cute.

>>70041
Agreed. The shoes balance the outfit, and look cute.

I never thought Yue looked good without shoes.

sdjbvkjdfhblkdjfhgbs

Sorry guys, I'm in the process of running away from home moving out so I don't have much time for the internet to write out full explanations of my design process, also I like to include it on the finished ref sheet, and that was just a test. If someone thought there was something heinously wrong with it, I don't have to redraw the entire two full body images with notes but just one, this was seen with the Tseng outfit.

I wanted to finish this by tonight, but I'll settle for 50% - 65%. I like working in little chunks anyway.

Sorry for the HUGE fucking delay. I had a really bad case of writer's block followed up by a litany of computer problems.

Note: I admit to stealing adapting some of Anon's ideas from when I posted the last part of this. But I guess that's one of the side effects of this format. :3
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Tseng, Yi Lin, and Hayoda were flat on their backs. The teenagers recovered from their prior tussle in their own separate ways. Tseng struggled to catch his breath while he wiped away the tears he shed during his laugh-attack. Yi Lin rolled back and forth, giggling to herself in triumph. Hayoda kneaded his sore shoulder. "Ugh, I think I pulled something back there," He groaned, "Eh, I'll live. Well I'm glad that's over. How about we chart our course for the night, Navigatorrrrrrr?" Hayoda slurred as an object in the sky caught his fancy. "Hey Yi Lin, I think your glider is about to get blown away."

"I'm not falling for that, Hayoda. My glider is folded up against that boulder behind us." Yi Lin snipped.

"Then what is that up there?"

Tseng finally gathered himself and squinted at the visitor. "Is that...Dad?"

"DAD?" Yi Lin floated to her feet and clasped her hands together.

"UNCLE!" Hayoda gulped and scrambled to his feet. "Quick Tseng, enact Parental Unit Escape Plan Twenty-Nine-Green-Tiger-Seal-Phoenix! GO!" Tseng crossed his arms and replied, "What does that even MEAN?!"

"I… er-..." Hayoda stammered for a moment before a voice beckoned to them from the sky.

"HEY EVERYONE, CHECK THIS OUT!" Aang bellowed. Sent his glider into a nosedive toward a spot on the rocky shore before he let go of the glider’s handles and curled his body into a ball.

"Ooh. This is a new one!" Tseng said as he stood up.

"WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE? WE GOTTA GET MOVING BEFORE-" Hayoda protested. Tseng put a single finger against Hayoda's lips, "Ssh. For now, just watch." The older boy was taken aback by the dismissive command; he couldn’t summon a response (for a change).

The Avatar uncoiled his body and stomped on the earth, a wave of dust and pebbles rippled throughout the shoreline. The trio ran up to the impact site. Yi Lin dispersed the debris cloud with a wave of her arm, unveiling a man-sized hole in the ground. Yue and Irah sprinted into view. "What's going on?" Irah inquired.

"I...don't know," Hayoda scratched his noggin, "One moment I’m saying we should haul butt over to the ship, the next I'm watching Uncle Aang crash...naturally, it’s all Tseng’s fault."

"What do you mean, 'crash'? He clearly did that on purpose." Tseng insisted. “And this isn’t my fault!”

Yue shuffled about excitedly. "You guys feel that? Wow, I can feel it in my toes!" The others stared at her blankly and answered in concert, "Feel what?" Moments later the ground beneath them trembled. "Hehehe, THAT! Here he comes!" Yue squealed just before a hole opened up several feet away.

Aang emerged from the opening feet first, turned his person upright with a gust of wind, and landed gracefully on his feet. He wind-milled his arms and effortlessly plucked his errant glider out of the air behind him. "Neat trick, huh? Bumi and I thought it up a while back, we call it the ‘Badgermole Bomb’.” Aang flashed his trademark smile. “So, how are you guys doin’?”

“IRON SEAWOLVES, ASSEMBLE!” Hayoda pointed skyward as he shouted to his comrades.

Aang stood unfazed as the gang huddled together. “Ah, I had heard that’s what you were calling yourselves! Neat name…oh darn, I was focused on my bending I forgot why I came to see you all,” Aang’s knowing eyes made contact with Yue’s as he continued, “I have some great news for my kids!”

Hayoda shot his uncle a skeptical glare as he leaned in toward his crew with a whisper. “He lies. Aunt Katara is probably waiting somewhere nearby ready turn us into icicles. Yue, get Po back in his harness; it’s getaway time again. As for the rest of us: we have to distract Uncle to cover for Yue.”

“But Hayoda, I *really* think we should hear what Uncle has to-“

In his panic, the Captain ignored his little sister and bellowed his battle-cry, “SEAWOLVES ATTACK!” He stepped confidently toward the Avatar reaching for his blade. It only took him a few paces to notice that none of the gang was beside him. “Uh…crew? Attack. Seize? Fight? Engage?!”

“You’re nuts. I’m not fighting my dad.” Tseng said, crossing his arms in a huff.

“As Princess of the Fire Nation, fighting the Avatar would undoubtedly be an act of war. Besides, I have a strong enough reason to believe him.” Irah placed her hands on the hips of her firedancer’s outfit.

“Airbending Practice! You’re going down this time Dad!” Yi Lin finally sprung into action, she launched herself high in the air and prepared to unleash a whirlwind at Aang.

“Yeah! Kick his butt, Yi Lin!” Hayoda encouraged.

“Ooh! I just remembered something else.” Aang noted as he twisted the handle on his glider-staff. A handful of sweets fell out of the staff’s storage compartment into his open palm. “I have Fire Gummies!”

“FIRE GUMMIES?!” Yi Lin halted her assault his leap and floated to the ground in front of her father, “Oooh! Oooh! For me? I love Fire Gummies!”

“Yep, just for you my little protégé!”

“Thanks Dad!” Yi Lin exclaimed while inhaling a mouthful of the chewy candy.

Hayoda couldn’t believe what he just saw, “No! He disabled our airbender! Looks like it’s all up to the Valiant Dashing Brave Guy-Who-Beats-Everyone-Up Captain Hayoda! Irah hold on to Space Sword for me, it’s Chi Blockin’ time.”

To Be Concluded

HE'S DISABLED OUR AIRBENDER!


I will love that line for all of eternity.

>>70049

>running away from home

D:
D:
D:

I'm totally fine with the Yue design you posted. It's fluttery yet practical for adventurin'! It looks like she could be hiding something (in more ways than one).

I also loved Anon's more 'casual' Yue design posted to the last thread. I can see Yue dressing like that when she's doing SRS GARDENING at home or Azula's Island on a spring day.

>>70057

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Yi Lin halted her assault his leap

should read as

Yi Lin halted her assault mid leap

Editing fail!

>>70049

Ah alright then, sorry to have said.

>>70041
>>70042
>>70046

But they're not ACTUALLY- okay, fine fine. I never said that the shoes looked bad with the outfit, just that I find them logically confusing. Have your husks.

>>70057

Haha, man, you really do like to work in bits and pieces. I guess Hayoda's gonna get schooled, huh?

>>70049

Hugs! Why do the really talented ones always have such tough lives. =(

I think it's karmic law or something...the greater the obstacles to get over, the greater the reward...

'Course, that's just my inner idealist talking...

By the way...is it me, or are the season 3 designs are all..."Sentai" flavored...I mean, there's casual mode..and then ADVENTURE mode...weird...

>>70134
I fail to see the concern.

Just noticed a typo on the Irah page in the wiki. "Irah firebancing edit by Rimmer"

Firebancing

>>70174

Think about it...

>>70174

fixed.

The beauty of a wiki is that anyone edit it (an account takes mere seconds to create), so if you see any errors or want to upload a file, go right ahead.

>>70176

Wait, it was actually a typo?

I thought it was a play on words.

Bending + dancing = Bancing.

>>70049

You'll make it chica! Just keep your wits about you and don't let people take advantage.

If I may make a suggestion: seeing as you've built up an impressive portfolio and seem to have quite the eye for character design, why not expand your horizons (at least to pay the bills if your heart's not in it) and apply for some jobs in the video game industry?

Blizzard's hiring!

>>70210
>Blizzard's hiring!
Practice drawing axes and shoulderpads!

No, this isn't technically a Gaang Jr. story, but there's no reason it couldn't happen in that verse or pretty much any other verse where Suki and Sokka marry. But I figured, that since the idea of using 'cabbage flower' rather than 'brussel sprout' was my idea, I should kick in a small something.

The Cabbage Flower:

Sokka stared at his dinner plate, disconcertingly. Oh, there were many things on it that he liked. The meat was always appreciated of course, and the rice was fine too. But there was something else on his plate. He bent down slightly for a closer look. They looked somewhat like tiny cabbages. Curious. He looked back up at Suki, wordlessly requesting explanation of what this bizarre vegetable was.

"They're called cabbage flowers, Sokka. Don't look at them like they're white jade flowers. They're good for you and they taste fine." Suki smirked slightly. "Honestly."

Sokka looked again at the bizarre vegetable. "Cabbage flowers, eh?" Well, it was reasonable to assume that if they looked like cabbages, they would ... taste like cabbages? Was there a disgruntled merchant of cabbage flowers that would glare at him whenever he went to the market? How did one grow a cabbage flower? Was it a different species of plant? Or was it cultivated somehow, like a bonsai tree? He looked back up at Suki for a moment. She seemed to be happy enough to eat these cabbage flowers.

Carefully, he poked one of the cabbage flowers with a chopstick. He looked at it carefully. It appeared that Suki had steamed the cabbage flowers. He was unsure what the relevancy of that observation was, but perhaps it was important. As he poked it again, he noticed Suki looking at him again. This time she was not smirking.

"Sokka. Just try one." Suki sighed, looking a little frustrated.

Right. They were cabbage flowers. Just like a cabbage, only small. And weird. Sokka deftly manipulated his chopsticks to pick a cabbage flower up, and with a slow deliberate movement, took it to his mouth to eat it. It seemed to be small enough to take in as a bite. Perhaps that's why people ate cabbage flowers. So they could eat an entire 'cabbage' without appearing like gluttons?

Aware that if he tarried too long, he risked being delegated to the couch for the night, Sokka put one into his mouth. He regretted it immediately.

Fin.

>>70214

And sexy, sexy Blood Elves.

>>70217
This is a fun little one shot. I like it a great deal, especially Sokka's entire thought process/workings. Good job ^^

>>70217

I like Brussel Sprouts. Steam them, add a little hit of mayo for a thin coat, maybe some pepper...then again, mayo doesn't exist in the Avatar-world.

Anyway, onto something that actually helps discussion. Something I'd wondered lately, it seems that for a while now, likely since thread #34, more people have been putting Tseng and Jing's relationship at a very advanced stage, or even have them already sexually active.

I'm just kinda thinking about that because for the longest time, the "ship" of the project had been Irah and Hayoda. I mean, take thread #34 for instance, how many adult pictures, or better yet, how many adult fics produced during the thread featured Tseng and Jing compared to Irah and Hayoda? I guess you could say that standards are different in the Avatar world when it comes to these matters, but at the same time, Irah and Hayoda are within the same age group, they could be considered to be in the same peer group. Even during the show, the same could have been said of Aang and Katara.

As much as Tseng pushes himself to be the team mom and the responsible one, that isn't quite the same thing with him and Jing. So why exactly have we left this particular detail out, possibly at the cost of exploring the other relationship aboard the Blue Flame? (Hell, I think Yi Lin and Nikiru have more than that, and that technically isn't supposed to be an actual romance.) They're more or less a typical couple, nobody's really explored the actual social aspect behind this. What do Jing's parents think of some child being such an intimate part of their daughter's life? (Have we really characterized Jin and Haru all that much, either?) What would Aang and Katara think of their oldest son being a part of something like this when he's so young?

And when the hell did we push Hayirah to the wayside in favor of Yikiru and Jinseng?

>>70232

I think it's been left alone because its currently a bit of a non-relationship, or a relationship that is in quasi-hiatus, as neither participant knows how to go about enacting it all. And no-one wants to write the story where they move up relationship-wise, because the STATUS QUO IS SACRED. And yet, I don't want this to wait until the last 'episode' to happen. I want to see this shit go down. End of season 2, maybe.

The lack of 34 or any real relationship-esque story about them is unfortunate, and probably stems from this will-they-won't-they state...which is kinda amusing, given that cartoons are like this all the time and shit-tons of 34 done of it. I guess it's just that people currently CAN'T write a fic where Irah and Hayoda pose nude, or go on a date, or anything like that.

Also, it always seems to be Irah who pulls Hayoda out of the fire and be the damsel. Not that I'm not fine with this, but wouldn't it have to be the other way around in order for the relationship to happen, given the fantasy that those two have set up for themselves? Or would it be them two teaming up to save everyone else? There's not an awful lot sorted out about how it would come about.

I generally think it's the unspoken rule that when the relationship starts it won't be much different to the relationship they have now. Maybe that's why there's no interest in it from the community at large. Plus, nothing kinky; just a dancing costume. Nothing like Tseng's cross-dressing adventures to please everyone.


Ah, on another note, I figured out Yi Lin's motivation just under a week ago, after reading something that caused me concern on a DoD thread on /co/, running through a list of character archetypes. One of them was 'young carefree character who grows into responsibility'. This aused me concern, because it seemed exactly what Yi Lin is expected to be; that this trip would end up handing her responsibility and that she'd be okay with it.

However, upon further reflection, I realised what the true lesson to be learned was. Yi Lin, during the deep of the night, already thinks that she has a responsibility, many responsibilities, and that she's not living up to them, and is infact running away from them. That's not true at all. Yes, she's the last of the airbenders and the like, but she has NO responsibilities to fufill regarding that, or anything else. Her parents never wanted any of it for her. So this trip, her revelation will be that she doesn't need to shoulder responsibility, and can thus cast off her burden and move on, only doing what feels fufilling, doing favours for friends, and not considering them duties. In a way, being responsible without feeling pushed to do anything. A weightless spirit.


...But yeah. Irah and Hayoda. A tricky one. I'm sure whenever it happens Irah will go mental at some point during.

I think of Hayoda and Irah as already being in a relationship, and have for quite some time. They're just not very demonstrative, partly because they're insecure but mainly because they're both conscious of the vast class disparity between them.

Also, as with Jinseng, the girl is the one calling the shots in the relationship, and Irah just doesn't move fast. She's... careful.

>>70234

I suppose it's true that a good healthy relationship between the two wouldn't change much between them. Maybe that can be the "d'awww" factor behind it. They were already a couple the whole time, they just needed to admit it. But still, even in the context of friendship, we haven't seen much actually developing their relationship, just a few snippets here and there made way back when, nobody's picked it up since. Even just admitting the whole thing *does* change things, even if their attitudes do not. Yi Lin finally has to shut up about Jing and Hayoda, or else now she gets both Tesng *and* Irah angry at her. This is obviously going to change Irah's relationship with her father, what with her being the next in line for the throne, and of all people, she's interested in Sokka's idiot son. It honestly has potential we're not exploring here, and that's odd, considering that at one point, it was the only romantic ship of the project.

>>70236

You think the class thing has that much to do with it? That'd be the case if they were both serious about it I guess. Would one then consider to try and fob it off as something casual in order to actually make it a more involved relationship? Or would one try and cut it short due to awkwiditty coming later on?

I can see Irah nearly reaching that verge. You're right about her being careful. Unfortunately, she seems to be the type to overthink things, and be waaay too careful.

Jinseng is hot, Yikiru is LESBIANS! and Irayoda is... plain.

I mean, they're cute, but the nature of their personalities regarding each other seems to be so held back and reserved for whatever reasons. Jing and Tseng are super open with each other, which if fun to write, and Yi Lin is just an idiot about Nikiru, which is also fun in it's own torturous way.

Idk, I like the couple, but yeah, it prolly ranks lowest on my faves. Hell, Tomtoph has more to work with.

>>70240

As a relative outsider to the project as a whole, though having read some of the stuff, I'd say this is pretty much it. It seems slightly weird to me that Hayoda, being all ADVENTURE, wouldn't be just a little more openly persuing with a relationship.

Regarding the class issues, it seems like he'd be more inclined to pretty much say 'damn the torpedoes' about it. It might force Irah to think her priorities over or somesuch? Put some ... energy into that relationship?

>>70242

I'd give Hayoda a little more credit than 'Damn the torpedoes!' thinking when it comes to getting lovey-dovey with Irah. If anything,I would imagine that he's the one that this class difference arrests the most, with Irah having a more 'damn the torpedoes' view yet being overly cautious about other aspects of their relationship.

I'd contend that the Irah-Hayoda dynamic is the most interesting intellectually...but the least satisfying on a physical or writing level. Which is a damn shame, really.

I don't have much to offer on the Hayoda x Irah dynamic other than I always thought of it as a kinder, gentler, simplified version of Indy x Marion.

GOIN' ON ADVENTURES.
GETTING IN DEEP SHIT.
RESCUING EACH OTHER FROM DEEP SHIT.
SPUR OF THE MOMENT MAKEOUTS AFTER GETTING OUT OF SAID DEEP SHIT :D

As for their future in the Avatar World and courtship? I got nothin'.

>>70243
Yeah, I've never thought of Irah being all that concerned with class differences.

Personally, I think the reason the relationship isn't progressing as quick as say Jinseng is because of the whole "status quo" bit. They're both ready for it to really turn into a full-blown relationship, but neither wants to take that final step. Which I think, is probably true of all of us, too. There've been hints and moving closer in stories, but none of us are willing to cement it. They hint during near-death experiences, because that's what you do during near-death experiences, but I don't think that's how the "moment" between the two of them is going to come about. I have a feeling one of these days, we're all just gonna crack and go with it.

Hayoda: So, uh, are we dating now?
Irah: I think so...
*Crazy make-out session ensues*
Everyone Else: GREAT SPIRITS! ITS ABOUT FREAKING TIME!
*Irah and Hayoda pull apart quickly, embarrassed*
Everyone Else: FOR THE LOVE OF... It's not like we all didn't know!
Irah and Hayoda: Really....?
Everyone Else: Please. We knew before you did.

Eventually, I kind of see them alternating between ridiculous physical passion and then awkwardness when other people point it out. Because what is Irayoda without awkwardness? It's adorable.

Whoops, I appear to have dropped something.

Thanks for the practice, fop.

>>70265

D: This pic again? Poor Yi Lin! Nice coloring job, though. Nikiru's eyeshadow give her that certain 'edge' that completes the scene.

>Cabbage Flower Island Round Robin part 4

Mr. TDL has been urging me to write a new part for it, but I'm just not up to it right now (literally can't write worth anything lately...so unsure...). If I can't finish what should be a silly ending to my current story, how can I continue a story filled with danger, adventure, and a mysterious pursuer?

With that, I pass on this next part. Anyone else have an idea on how to continue it, be it small or large?

>>70266
Yeah, somebody step up! I'd do it, but I already wrote a bit for this one. That and I'm a terrible creative slump right now.

>>70267

>I'm a terrible creative slump right now.

A-HA! So it's YOUR fault there's been such pitiful amounts of activity on this thread!

...But yeah, someone should take the reigns for the next part. In other news, The next part of In Synch is less than a month away. We'll see exactly HOW less by the end of this week.

>>70268
Bah. Typos. Whatever.

Although I do feel like sometimes I'm a threadkiller.... every time I post it just.... dies...

>>70273

Awww, don't think that way, Eo3. It just seems the lot of us are occupied elsewhere/uninspired at the moment. Now that I solved my computer woes I hope to get back on the ball very soon.

>>70275
Its been two days.... I told you so. :-P

>>70309


Well technically you could blame that on Murph.

Hey, remember my Hope story? WHADDAYA MEAN YOU DON'T REMEMBER A MEANDERING STORY FROM FEBRUARY oh that's ok neither do I

Here's part 1: http://community.livejournal.com/gaang_jr/17077.html
Here's part 2: http://community.livejournal.com/gaang_jr/24350.html#cutid1

And here comes part 3... or rather, part 2.5. I'm a little ashamed that this section is only about 1300 words (instead of the 3000 words each that the other ones are), but this is just about all I feel confident about right now. I'm also trying out "writing pieces up and not sleeping on them before posting" -- here's Hoping it works OK.

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

Tseng heard the babbling flow of a fountain behind him. He blinked his eyes open. Bright grey stone filled his blurry vision, and he stared blankly for a few moments before lifting his head off his crossed arms, lifting his bare arms off the grey railing, feeling that strange cold numbness from their pressure against the cold rock.

He was standing on a worn rock balcony. The sky stretching before him was overcast, though its pale twisting clouds were bright enough to hurt his eyes, and he had to squint as he looked everywhere before him. The clouds stretched beneath him just as far as they had above.

There were a couple spattered drops of water on the bleached balustrade before him, all in a little cluster. And it was only as he stared at them that Tseng realized just how quiet it was. No wind, no rain or distant thunder despite the now-roiling clouds that quite literally surrounded him. Even the unseen fountain had become unheard. It was as if the silence were a something, and even his soft breaths felt an intrusion on it.

And only as Tseng became uncomfortably aware of his presence there did he notice his hand on the railing. It was clenched in a fist, and it was wet. Another drop slid down his fingers and met its cousins on the stone balustrade. He pressed his palm firmly against the cold, wide railing until it was dry and a dark print remained on the rock. No sense in wiping it on his clothes, after all.

Suddenly, the sound of exploding stone behind him shattered the silence, and a faint rumble ran through the stone under Tseng's fingers. He whipped himself around. The marble fountain now lay in rubble, and rough, angry water churned out of the floor, painting dark lines right towards him.

As the violent streams began to coalesce around his boots, Tseng hoisted himself up onto the railing, watching the water pass through the vertical slits of the railing, a dozen separate streams pouring into the mist.

Tseng closed his eyes, feeling himself shake his shoulders as he adjusted his footing. Slowly he swung his arms up above his head, palms out, fingers pointed to the sky. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself off the railing and dove into the clouds.

The air was cold and Tseng could feel it pushing against his arms as he spread them wide. And the sound! The whistling air rushed past his ears, and the fabric of his clothes flapped like sails in a frenzied wind. He felt his breath quickening at the exhilaration of it all, and as he moved his cupped palms in little waves, swimming through the air, he could not help releasing the carefree, happy laughter that bubbled within him.

This must be what it's like for Yi Lin, Tseng thought, as pointed, green-roofed towers rocketed past him. It's a shame she doesn't do this anymore.

Wait, what? That didn't make any sense.

Tseng blinked, and with it the clouds rippled away, replacing the flat grey below him with the image of a great, rubble-strewn mountain, and its massive boulders swiftly rising to meet him. He let out a helpless cry, flailing in vain for something to grab onto, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his head with his arms before--

Tseng's body tensed up, and he snapped his eyes open. Two bright grey circles stared down into his, only a couple inches from his face. He jumped, scrambling to sit up and wincing as his bound, broken arm proved painful support.

"Yi Lin! You shouldn't scare me like that," he muttered at the girl kneeling over him. He gingerly nursed his arm, taking in his surroundings. A weak breeze came in through the windows, gently rippling the silk curtains around him.

His sister was unshaken. "What are you talking about? You acted all scared before you saw me. Have a nightmare, little brother?" And from her singsongy tone, she seemed exceptionally cheery this morning.

Tseng shook his head, trying to shake away the memory of his dream. "I probably just felt your breath on my face." He gave a tiny smile. "Or smelled it."

Yi Lin gasped in mock offense, pulling Tseng's blanket up and over his head. Tseng's good arm flailed for a second before grabbing the silken pillow behind him and swinging it around, an unseen grin breaking out as it struck true with a satisfying thwump. For a second they were little kids again, back home in the Air Temple.

Above Yi Lin's giggles the siblings heard a soft cough. Turning, they saw Hope standing outside the alcove, a steadying hand on a table as the other gripped a heavy brown bag.

"I'm heading out now to do my rounds," the healer said, crooking her head slightly. It was hard to tell who she was speaking to.

Yi Lin quickly stood, patting Tseng's head before darting across the room to grab her shoes.

"Oh, we're --the rest of us, that is--" She fiddled with her poofy hair self-consciously. "--we're gonna go check out the town today, tell people about you, get the word out... if we ever get ready!" the Airbender yelled up the stairs, shaking her head as Irah shouted back down for the girl to hold her ostrich-horses.

"Wonderful," Hope beamed warmly. She hoisted the bag over her shoulder. "And I should be back this afternoon, Tseng, and we'll get those bones set properly, okay?"

Tseng barely had time to nod before Hope whisked herself through the front door, off to heroically rescue sickly bodies from the ills within, as Yi Lin would probably say.

Almost an hour later, after the kids had had a long and respectable breakfast of cold leftovers, each mouthful accompanied by an impatient Airbender's tut-tutting, they were all, save one, finally about to leave. While Yue finished stacking the dirty dishes and hastily wiping down their table, Yi Lin turned around, chewing her lip as she stared back at her brother lying on the plain bed.

"And you're sure you'll be all right?"

"I'll be fine."

"You've got some water..." she said, pointing to the bowl next to him.

"I know--"

"And some leftover meat-cheese-glop--"

"Yi Lin, I'll be--"

"--or I guess now it's leftover-leftover--"

Hayoda popped his head through the partition. "Do you have your bedpan handy?" he grinned wickedly.

"Thank you, Hayoda," Tseng sighed as his cousin snickered. "I was wondering when you were going to let your immaturity shine."

"Come on." Tseng heard Irah's voice -- quiet; she seemed the only one to remember that they weren't the only ones in the hospital -- from behind the silk, and watched Hayoda's head slowly withdraw as he was pulled away. "We should let him rest."

Hayoda gave a sheepish shrug as he disappeared, one that didn't even need shoulders to communicate something along the lines of 'I wish we weren't leaving you here alone, but Yi Lin will just yell at us more if we don't tag along with her'. The building fell into silence again, broken only as Yue called out from the entrance. "Get better, okay Tseng?"

"O-okay!" And with that the door swung shut. Tseng sighed, carefully lowering himself back onto the mattress, listening to the calming wind and the staggered creaking of hanging wooden signs. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the stack of filthy bowls and cups all too visible through the gap in his curtains.

In the alcove next to him, the man with the hacking cough started again.

>>70319

"Do you have your bedpan handy?"

This installment was utterly heartwarming, Mari! I friggin' love it. And it has to be said: IT'S ABOUT TIME, YOUNG MA-AAN. [/Wang Fire]

>>70319
Well there's something I never thought I'd see!

Thread's dead, so here, have some draaaaaama.

Idk, you guys can each figure out your own scenario to this.

>>70349

Teen pregnant~

>>70350
it's Hayoda's

>>70351

I meant Yi Lin, but I guess that's a good twist.

>>70352
well, we're rolling with the Hayoda twist now regardless, cause now I've gone and drawn this

>>70349

N:YOU ATE ALL THE COOKIES!

Y: Oh yeah I did, perhaps I was inconsiderate to... wait a second! THOSE WERE MY COOKIES I ATE GO GET YOUR OWN!

N: *gasp* Why....why u do dis?

>>70355

om nom

>>70356

Tseng: It's ok, Nikiru. I have something better. Snow Pea Pods! They're natures candy! Here's have some.

Nikiru: *munches* Well, I guess they're kinda sweet...

Tseng: Right?

Nikiru: ...cookies are better. >:(

Tseng: :|

>>70349
Being the outfit nerd I am, I immediately forgot the argument/discussion, and saw Yi Lin's clothes. Hmm... its uber cute, whatever she's wearing... how details are fuzzy... but I might have to draw her wearing something like that.

Also, Cabbage Flower Island! Somebody Step UP!

>>70361
Ahaha I actually drew it when my internet was being a dick, so I couldn't go grab reference for Air Bender lady clothes. So yeah, I just made it up. It's kinda super ugly and doesn't make much sense, but who cares, cause Nikiru's cute~

ATTENTION ATTENTION
Everyone should read Maritova's latest fic, cause it's all trippy and dream sequencey, and I totally derailed it's glorious appearence.

Ignore my doodling drama and go read his fic, dammit!

(lol sage for double post~~)

>>70363

OI OI OI OI!!

UNTOUCHABLE, UNDEFEATABLE, UNFORGETTABLE, WITHOUT SHAME OR REGRET,
BLAZING THROUGH THE SEAS WITH A FIERY HEART AND A KEEN BLADE,
WE SHALL BREAK THE EARTH AND COMMAND THE RAIN AND WIND!!

WHETHER IT'S IMPOSSIBLE OR LAUGHABLE, THIS IS THE PATH TRUE ADVENTURERS WALK!! WE'RE THE IRON SEA WOLVES!!

WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!

>>70319

The above was for you, Mari. Naturally, I could never be derailed from excellent fiction.

The only true problem I have with it is that it it took so long getting here, and is so slight for it. Give me more to work with, and I'll give you better feedback.

Until then, ROW ROW, FIGHT DA POWAH!!

  >>70369

Motion for official 2009 Gaang Jr. Halloween costumes. Tseng slips into Rossiu's outfit quite nicely though I tend to think he would be more reasonable than Rossiu's ramptant douchebaggotry.

Video very related. Rap is a man's soul.

>>70349
(1) "What are you so upset about?"
(2) "You know what you did, Yi Lin!"
(3A) *Oh man, how do I get out of this?*
(3B) *I've got to distract her.*
(3C) "Hey, check it out! Boobs!"
(4) *The fiend! She knows my weakness!*

>>70363
Oh man, I'm so behind on fics in general. When I have some more spare time I'll have to spend a few hours just going through the archive.

>>70369
You deserve a banana sticker!

What if I don't ship Tyzula? can I still read this?
;__;

>70382

Technically, the only person who ships Tyzula is Yi Lin. There isn't anything actually saying they're a couple, they're just friends. Anything saying otherwise is really just personal canon of the author. Some would consider them an item, some wouldn't.

>>70382
Uh, yes, you can. Nobody really says you can't read it if you don't ship Tyzula.

Just be prepared, it's heavily implied, usually for comical purposes though.

Mari told me to make an Ad for our WoW guild, and I was so lazy that I just altered my last piece of art. It should read as follows:

1) 'I don't it, why are you so mad?'
2) 'You know why!'
3a-c) 'That's not fair, I had just as much right to roll on the HH mount! I tanked that shit!'
4) 'I'VE BEEN DOING THE DAILY FOR DAYS!'

<The Iron Sea Wolves> on Korialstrasz. Come play with us! :3c

>>70393
YESSSS

Join us! I'm "Hayoda" on that server (and also the guild leader, pst for invite), Milli's "Irah", and we've also got a "YueJr." We've been busy killing murlocs in Westfall.

Oh and here's another pic that Milli had been working on when Brewfest was still going on. It was awesome and there was much drunkenness.

>>70396

<:| why have you dug this up

>>70396
And I'm Grahnibalrod.

>>70369
oh god it makes me love you TDL

Something I've been meaning to post regarding the OP image:

You are now manually imagining Yi Lin and Yue landing from their little joyride. Their hair wound up knotted together in a few places from from the flight.
‭
"‬Ow,‭ ‬ow,‭ ‬ow,‭ ‬ow ooh‭!"
"Yi Lin, just move a little- ow!"
"Twist a bit to your left- aw forget it!"

*AIRBENDING BLAST* and they're free!

Yi Lin pulls out her pouch of trail mix, "Now. Where were we?"

>>70420

Followed swiftly by a passionate make-out session.

>>70424

OH U

>>70424

DON'T TEMPT ME!

>>70428

"Whoops, now it looks like my tongue is going to tangle around yours..."

>>70393
If I played WoW...

>>70431
Start a trial and come hang with us for a week :3

Don't listen to her Eo3, lest ye become as dead to this thread as the round robin!

Srsly guiz, someone pick that up.

>>70458
Don't worry, I know the evils of WoW. Its more addicting than heroin. Or So I Hear.

Any, yeah. Round Robin! Somebody step up! GOGOGOGO!

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." - Unknown (no, not Einstein or Franklin)

I've overcome my scruples with the ending of Breakfast/Lunch Time and shall have it ready by tomorrow. I get so dead-set on trying to write a scene the right way to the point where I forget that I can go about it from another angle. Blast it all.

And after I get this done, I'll get to work on the next part of the cabbage flower island round robin. Sorry it took me so long to say so, but I really wanted to be confident in the finish of my own story before committing to it.

Hope you all like! The conclusion to my thrilling story!

.
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.The young adventurer‭’‬s words snapped Aang out of his aloofness.‭ ‬He let his glider-staff drop to the ground and took a few steps away‭ ‬from his daughter.‭ “‬Hayoda,‭ ‬relax.‭ ‬I’m not here to fight or drag you all home, Avatar Promise!‭ ‬I just want to talk with my son and daughter, it’s an urgent family matter.‭”

Tseng and Yi Lin's‭ ‬brows furrowed. “Urgent‭?” They mused in concert.

"It's all a set up. Don't let him trick you, Sea Wolves!" The Captain exclaimed, offering the Princess his sword.

‭“‬Hayoda,‭ ‬don’t...‭” ‬Irah took the sheath-ed blade from Hayoda’s outstretched arm with her left hand while reaching for his shoulder with her right. She grabbed nothing but air as ‭Hayoda bolted away from her reach. "Nothing personal, Uncle! Just a couple pokes and we'll be on our way!" He bellowed as he ran toward the Avatar.

‭Aang reluctantly entered a defensive stance, "I said I wasn't here to fight."

‭His nephew refused to cease his approach. "No matter that, here I come, Uncle!"

‭"This is ridiculous." Aang swirled his arms to and fro as if he were drawing the ocean waters toward him, but the shallows only ceased their usual swaying. Moments later, his assailant found it difficult to find solid footing. Hayoda felt like he was trying to run in a slurry, each step sank deeper and deeper into the amorphous surface. His progress was slowed down drastically, but he still persisted. "What- What is going on?!" He stammered as he stumbled closer to Aang, his knuckles still curled in anticipation of a potential jab at a key pressure point.

‭Despite the adversity, he was a mere 3 paces away from The Avatar. His confident veneer refused to vanish. Hayoda cackled, "Ha ha! Too little, too late!"

‭"Enough!"

‭Aang swept his hands upward, a tremendous amount of water rose out of the ground underneath Hayoda and into the air, soaking him in the process. The slurry suddenly transformed into a makeshift stockade around his upper calves, he was literally frozen in his steps. The Captain could only watch as Aang calmly returned the water he borrowed from the cove.

‭Aang faced Hayoda with stern eyes and spoke, "For the last time, Hayoda. I'm not here to bring you all home. In fact, the thought of the five of you exploring the world reminds me of my travels with the Air Nomads, before the War." The Avatar looked off to the side in a moment of nostalgia. Perhaps these youths are keeping a little bit of his people's adventurous spirit alive in in the world, he thought.

‭His gaze softened as he looked the Sea Wolves over. He noticed how each of them have changed since they ran away. Grown, even. Aang paused when he seen how...revealing Irah's outfit was. It was quite a jarring contrast to her royal robes. He cleared his throat and continued, "To prove my point, I'll help you get back to your travels. But I have to speak with my children in private before you all leave, alright?. Hey Tseng, wanna lend me a hand?"

‭Tseng seemed oddly chipper as he jogged to his father's side past his immobilized cousin. "Sure, Dad! What do you need?" Aang whispered a few instructions into Tseng's ear before pulling away, "Well, are you up to it?"

‭"Let's do this." Tseng beamed with pride.

‭The Father and son tandem moved to the water's edge. They faced each other and gave a respectful bow before they began. Tseng loved practicing this kata. The two waterbenders swayed their arms from side to side. Toward and away from the water in synch with one another. Push and pull...push and pull...they repeated this motion several times.

‭Smile met smile as they felt the water's energy flow through their bodies until Aang felt the time was right. "Ready Tseng? And...NOW!" Aang and Tseng shoved their arms toward the anchored Blue Flame as they exhaled a super-cool breath upon the water. Within a a mater of moments a shiny new ice bridge formed between the shore and the kids' ship. "Good work, son! I see your travels haven't stunted your bending progress."

‭"It was kind of a necessity, really." Tseng rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, 'Urgent family matter'? Is there something wrong?" Yi Lin nonchalantly drew alongside her brother, still munching her Fire Gummies. "Myeaahh. Wussup wif awwl tfhat?"

‭Aang opened his mouth to speak, but Tseng seemed pull the words out of his mouth before he could say them. "Irah, Hayoda, Yue, head back to the ship and get it ready to go. We'll catch up with you after we talk with Dad. Ok?"

‭"Fine, fine." Hayoda said. "But I can't go anywhere until Uncle extracts me from-WHOA!" He was launched a few feet in the air, free from his shackles. Ever the showman, Hayoda tumbled forward and hopped to his feet. "Aah, sweet freedom. I was beginning to cramp up down there! I'll go grab the pot."

‭Yue felt a sharp elbow poke her in the ribs, it startled her enough that she dropped Po's cumbersome harness. Irah gave her a sidelong smirk, her eyes all but said "This is it! Let's go." She guided Yue by the arm to the edge of the ice bridge. She called back to the Captain "Can you grab Po's harness, too?"

‭"Why can't one of you carry it?"

‭"You don't want your sister's feet to get a case of frostbite, do you?" Irah inquired as she lifted Yue up onto her back, "We'll drag the rowboat back to the ship alongside the bridge."

‭"Good thinking, Princess. I'll be right behind you with our cargo." Hayoda struck a machismo-laden pose before he set to work.

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

‭About ten minutes or so later, back on The Blue Flame. Hayoda just finished hoisting the rowboat back on-board and was currently below deck storing Tseng's cooking pot back in what passed as the "galley". Irah stood alongside Yue, helping her hook Po into the bow of the ship. The young earthbender seemed preoccupied. She asked Irah in a hushed tone, "So...do you think he told them yet?"

‭"YESSSSSssssss!" Yi Lin's joyous cry was heard off in the distance. Irah grinned crookedly, "There's your answer." The two girls couldn't help but giggle when they looked inland. Yi Lin was clutching to her brother and was leaping to impressive heights in celebration. The young airbender unfurled her glider without warning in the middle of a leap and flew toward the ship with Tseng dangling from her waist, holding on for dear life.

‭"GUESS WHAT?!" Yi Lin shouted after she landed on the ship's deck. Tseng collapsed on all fours, face as white as the antarctic barrens. She pulled her brother to his feet and drew him in to an embrace from behind. "GUESS WHAT?" She repeated.

‭"What?" Irah and Yue answered. Hayoda emerged from below deck, slightly confused, "Huh? What? Tseng doesn't look so good. What's up?"

‭"MOM'S HAVING A BABY!" Yi Lin released her brother from her grasp and spread her arms in triumph. Tseng stumbled toward Irah and Yue, they welcomed him into a much more tempered kind of hug. Yue noticed his mixed expression. "What's wrong Tseng? Aren't you happy? This is great news!"

‭"Of course I'm happy, I'm just a little nauseous after 'Baby Bird' over there took on a ride I wasn't ready for- uhoh...'Baby Bird'. Ugghhh. I just had a vision of another airbender in the family, flying all around the place." Yi Lin's feet fluttered as she floated over and joined the embrace with a gleeful laugh. Tseng sighed, "Oh Spirits..."

‭Hayoda placed an assuring hand on the waterbender's shoulder and pointed to the skies. "A baby cousin? You know what this means, Sea Wolves? A new member of the family to pass down our tales of adventure, wonder, and danger! Time to pull anchor and shove off! Navigator Tseng, lay in a course to-"

‭"Hey fellas!" Aang called down from his glider as he circled above them. "Before I get back to your mother at the Swamp, I have one more thing to say. I'll keep in touch, General Iroh has...ways. I'll keep you posted as Mom gets further along. Maybe I can convince her to meet with you all without acting like an over protective Mama Platypus-Bear! No promises, though.

‭"I love you all, be safe! And Yue, you should be more careful around those flower pots, kiddo. They make quite a mess when you break 'em. See ya!" The Avatar broke his circling pattern and flew off into the afternoon sky.

‭"Quite a mess indeed, Uncle Aang."

‭Yi Lin looked at the younger girl, perplexed. "Yue, are you ok?"

‭"I am now!"

‭-END-

>>70474
Fuck yes Aang you are the best ever. :D
Also I'm getting delightfully overloaded by adorable Tseng and Yi Lin sibling antics. I can't help but crack up whenever Yi Lin stuffs her mouth full of Fire Gummies.

Also,
>"I am now!"
DIABEETUS

>>70474
I just have this really awesome image of Yi Lin boucing ridiculously high... heheh.... the wonderful thing about tiggers....

Murphles that was adorable~ I love sibling interaction!

>>70474

Diabeetus.

>>70475
>>70476
>>70477
>>70479

Thanks youse guys! I'm glad that I finally finished that thing. Preggers Katara = canon :awesomeface:

Anyway, I updated the story archive to present time outside of my Irah's Masterpiece story. I have a question to ask about that. Is that story too 'gonzo' to go up on the regular archive? It can always go on the /34/ blog...

Any thoughts on that?

>>70480
As much as I really love that story, I kind of feel like we should keep the mainstream stuff PG. I mean, the story kind of strongly implies that Tseng and Jing have sex at some point shortly after the story. And yeah, they're teenagers and that's what they do but.... the whole based off a "kid's" show thing. It'll always be part of my head cannon though.

>>70481

I- er- oops! Had a mental lapse when I typed that post. Absentmindedly forgot the implications of that story. Nevermind! Mari please post it to the /34/ archive.

.gif is the visual representation of me slapping myself for forgetting that my story is the Southern Raiders tent scene on steroids.

To be honest, until I read it just now, I didn't even get the implication, but I guess it is there (though I will offer that it doesn't demand that they're going all the way now, so I don't think it's imposing too much on how far their relationship is). I've gone ahead and uploaded it to the /34/ blog.

However! I don't feel very comfortable sending it there to languish, forgotten, considering the interactions in it (particularly what Irah and Jing are like together, which we haven't seen as much), and considering how tastefully and maturely it handles the subject matter. So I've gone ahead and linked it on some of the wiki's story lists, putting a warning on it. If others really don't think that it should be on there, they can remove it. :) Of course this requires someone else to actually edit that thing more than once in a blue moon. Ha! Haha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA

Oh wait, I guess Murph did just update the wiki with the stories he put onto the LJ. Sorry! :X

It's your call. I just feel sad about taking a great story that is totally canon to me (far more than my other "personal head canon" choices) and sticking it somewhere where it's on the same level as the obvious "just fapfiction" on there.

>>70491
I know what you mean. It's well written, with great character interaction, and handles the situation very tastefully. The story just happens to be much more mature than most of Gaang Jr.

We need a better solution than just tossing it to 34. >>70490 I'm definitely cool with including it on the main lists with the proper warnings accompanying it.

link to the /34/ blog please?

>>70501
It's at http://www.gaangjr.com/34/ .

Now to change the subject...

Recently, TheDaiLi and I have been thinking of some ways to get some creative juices and discussion going, and we thought it might be good to try and work through our ideas of the kids by writing a little about them in some situation.

So, the one we thought up was, "How does Hayoda/Irah/Yi Lin/Tseng/Yue get ready for bed?" (or just "bedtime" in general) I wrote up something in an hour or two that helped answer it for me.

As you'll see from mine, these don't need to be planned, or connected with anything, or even good! A couple paragraphs of prose, some dialogue, or even just a few thoughts on what this character would do, it's all excellent. And if there's something that inspires you from just the general prompt "bedtime," all the better.

At last. Tseng set aside the finally-clean wok and wiped his hands dry. Hayoda had missed his day to clean dishes -- again. But he was asleep now, and the arguing and venom that Tseng wanted to unleash upon him would have to wait for tomorrow. Not that he was against rousing his cousin to give him an earful, but at this point Tseng could barely keep his eyes open, much less yell in any satisfying manner. It had been an exhausting day, and he wanted to collapse right there on the spot, but he knew he wasn't done quite yet.

He shuffled along the deck, wiggling his fingers as he sensed each of the water barrels stored right beneath his feet. One, two, three... The idea was that if (or when) he next found himself surrounded by pirates or sea monsters or, even worse, Aunt Toph and Captain Tom-Tom, he'd have at least one more surprise up his sleeves. ...eight, nine, ten... It hadn't come in handy yet, and the water was probably stagnant and sickly by now. But Tseng just couldn't bear to get rid of them yet. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.

Half the situations he anticipated were outlandish and convoluted ... and had never happened once, so he must be doing something right.

Pausing at the bow only to throw Po a few fish and give the pangolin-otter a well-deserved scratch behind the ears, Tseng finally headed toward the bunks, his mind iterating through the dozen plans and traps and contingencies he always had set up. He hadn't needed any of them yet, but he knew he would once he let them go, and so he persisted in the one superstition he afforded himself, beating back that crisis for another day through nothing more than mere ritualized preparation.

Tseng's knees wobbled as he went down the stairs, making his way to the sleeping quarters. His boots were still tied, his mantle still on his shoulders, but neither fact registered with him. As he passed each of the sleeping forms in the room, formless under their blankets and colorless in the deep night, finding his own bed was all that mattered. The ship was ready for bed, so he was too. Even before his head hit the firm mattress with a muffled thump, he had fallen into a deep and heavy sleep.

>>70512
That does sound like Tseng. Last to fall asleep, on the verge of collapse. Though for some reason, I feel like Irah (as long as it wasn't too hard of day, and she isn't too tired) probably waits up for him, even if she doesn't let him know. Cuz she's responsible like that. Like, she'll pretend sleep in bed until she knows he's in bed too, maybe even had to go pick him up off the floor once or twice cuz he didn't finish all his "duties" in time and just fell asleep where he stood.

>>70532

I'm ded. You just killed me ded.

There's a reason why people secretly ship IrahxTseng

>>70538
My bad?
>>70552
Lol. I actually wasn't thinking of it in shipping terms, it just sort of suits Irah's personality to be like that, at least to me... but yeah, I guess I see what you mean. I just think she's one of those people who doesn't like going to sleep until she knows everyone else is safe in bed for the night. My dad's the same way.... and if Tseng is the Team Mom, then Irah's definitely the Team Dad.

Damn, Tseng really does ship with everybody. Damn his sexy good looks.

>>70552
JingxTsengxIrah

>>70575
Delicious Tseng sandwich?

In which Milli is too lazy to draw clothes on Jing.

Irah was always naked though

>>70586
Tiny Jing fills me with such glee...
Also I'm really loving the jewelry Irah's got; any particular inspirations for that?

>>70587
Years of shoujo manga

This is all Maritova's fault

...well okay this one is my fault

...yeah this is my fault too

>>70588
Ah, shoujo, I know you well...

I hope to have the next part of the round robin posted on Tuesday night. We'll see how that turns out :3.

BUT FOR NOW I HAVE THIS
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How does Yue get ready for bed?

Yue finished the remnants of her bowl and set it with the rest of the dirty dishes on the tray. She was stuffed. Tseng's Sea-Cucumber stew was as delectable as it was filling. The late dinner was an excellent cap to a peaceful day the kids enjoyed without harassment while in-transit to their next destination. She excused herself to the railing and rested her head on her arms, staring out at the horizon as it swayed up and down. The gentle slapping of the swells on the hull of ship was rhythmic, almost hypnotic.

A faint cry beckoned Yue to turn around. JiYi sat near the door to the hold and mewled again, indicating the ocelot-raven wanted to retire for the evening. A notion she agreed with. "Ready for bed, girl?" Yue softly asked. "Tseng, are you sure you don't want any help with cleaning up?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, it's Hayoda's turn tonight, anyway."

"Well, OK then. See you down below." Yue padded toward the cabin door, stopping short of a particular nasty looking splinter sticking up from the deck. She shifted around it and sat on the top step of the hold as her pet climbed up on her shoulder.

Yue reached into the tiny foot-locker on the other side of the doorway, produced a pair of comfy woolen Tabi and slipped them on her bare feet. She sighed as the softness of the Tabi comforted her. As an Earthbender, Yue knew she had to connect with her element and build a strong connection with her element. But there was no 'earth' on the ship outside of her garden and calluses were growing on her calluses. During moments like these, the girl knew she deserved some quarter from the abrasive surfaces she walked upon daily.

Cushioned footfalls echoed from the steps as the little Kyoshi native descended into the cabin. "Up on your perch, JiYi. Bedtime for mama!" She nudged her pet airborne and quickly shed her traveling clothes for her comfy blue and green nightwear. Yue placed her Earth Rumble Championship belt upon the sloppily built mantle Hayoda made for it above her bunk. She polished a speck of dirt off the faceplate before plopping down on her bed.

She reached underneath the bunk and withdrew a blank parchment and a simple ink-and-brush kit, she set to work on the document.

"Dear Mom,

"You'll never guess what happened to us the other day...."

About ten minutes later, with her work done Yue placed her eyeglasses on the mantle above the bunk. She rolled the parchment into a scroll and stowed it back under her bunk along with her utensils. She made a mental note to retrieve it the next time they make landfall near a messenger-hawk center.

Yue considered kicking off her Tabi for a moment, but there was a chill in the air that night (no need for cold feet in the middle of the night), so she kept the toasty stockings on as she slipped under the covers. Irah entered the cabin not long after and finished her own bedtime preparations.

Irah slipped into her crimson red silken kimono, set a kettle of tea upon a fire, curled up on her bunk and began to lose herself in her latest novel. Yue asked her with eyes at half-lid. "Good story, so far Irah?"

That was all it took. Yue would close her eyes and listen to the details of the story Irah was currently ensconced in. Not long into Irah's banter, the sweet smell of the brewing tea and the gentle rocking of the Blue Flame lulled the younger girl into slumber.

>>70590>>70591
I have a new reaction image!

>>70596
This is wonderful. Not only Continuity!, but it's all so sweet and peaceful and I feel like curling up in bed as I read it. Also d'awww at "Bedtime for mama!"

Between her tabi and Irah's reading and the letters home (something I hadn't considered but works surprisingly well), there's a lot of little details here that are great to expand my image of these characters, and that's what this is all about, eh?

>>70594
I know, right? Hence my love of giant eyes and nippleless boobs.

I really gotta expand my horizons

>>70590

It's so cute! I wanted to make something too, but it took a while, so... here it is.

Not porn, but a bit undressed for some tastes.

>>70532

I have many, many ideas revolving around bedtime, but this post in particular made me write the following short blurb.

I'll write more things tomorrow.


______________________________________________________







Irah lay on her back, her eyes closed. There was no danger of her drifting off like her friends though; her mind stayed sharp and unwandering, no gentle haze blurring the front of her mind. Her vision remained black and formless.

She was waiting for Tseng’s return. As usual, he’d taken it upon himself to do the last rounds, even though he’d checked the storage, corrected their course, iced clean the decks, triangulated their next course, cooked all their meals and helped Yue teach Jiyi a new trick. Honestly, that boy...

Everyone else was slumbering already. Yue slept...well, like a rock, and Hayoda was similar, although his breathing, she had noticed over the weeks, was much gentler than everyone else’s even after a few hours. A light sleeper? She guessed you needed to be when you’re ship captain. Who knows what perils awaited in the night?

Irah smiled at that, and managed to keep it, listening to Yi Lin drift off. It seemed the Avatar’s kids had the most sleeping peculiarities out of the crew...with ‘Lin’s being both the most amusing and the most worrying. Still, that didn’t seem to be an issue tonight, she was sleeping as soundly as Yue. As silently as her, too.

Tseng still wasn’t back yet. It had been an hour. Feeling the smile sink off her face, Irah opened her eyes, staring at the night-tint of the ceiling. Grey blue. Phmm. She really didn’t need to check. He was capable, and she wasn’t worried.

'...'

Quietly as she could, she slipped out of bed and walked out onto the deck, briefly stopping to heat herself as a gust of sea wind rippled her silk pyjamas and blasted her perfectly groomed hair. Oh well. She could go a night without straitening it.

Rubbing her arms, she stepped out into the night, letting the stars adjust her eyes until the deck became as clear as day. One without a waterbender on it. Irah felt her hands irrationally tighten on her arms. Irrationally, she reminded herself. The water wasn’t so rough he could have...no. He was capable, and she wasn’t-

-A thud almost made her shout, and certainly made her jump. Spinning around she looked up at the upper deck’s balustrade. Up there.

Dashing to the stairs, she thumped up with a determination set between dread and resolution. Injury? Assailants? Didn’t matter, she’d take care of...

She relaxed, breathing out some relief. Tseng lay sprawled on the deck, as only one fast asleep would lay. Looking up along the rim, she could see why; he’d been busy trying to repair a break in the banister. She looked back at the exhausted waterbender. Honestly, this boy...

She wondered what to do. Bring a blanket out here? She looked up to the sky. No. She didn’t know much about weather, but knew it’d be no good to stay out here tonight; even if it didn’t rain, it was still getting terribly windy. Wake him? Out of the question, he works too hard as it is and deserves all the sleep he can get. Nothing for it.

Kneeling, Irah prepared herself. It wasn’t like she’d had to do this before, but...it was still...she couldn’t explain it. Just do what you have to, think about it later. Or don’t. Whatever suits her highness.

She moved tentatively, carefully, nothing to disturb his rest. Move his arms like so, alright, good, now-

“Mmmphl...”

-...

“...”

...Irah slid her arms underneath him and picked herself back onto her feet. Just like last time, he was surprisingly...light. Okay, maybe she was worried a little. Was he eating right? Trying for as gentle pace as possible, Irah glided down the stairs, keeping a careful eye on the boy in her hands. Even asleep, she couldn’t figure him. He looked so peaceful.

She didn’t like holding him. Not like this. He was too light, and it just felt wrong. Like she would jolt and set fire to him by accident. Like he could just burn away in her hands like a tissue. And he’d still look so peaceful as he did so. The thought unnerved her. It seemed so easy...

She lay Tseng down on his bed, giving him a once over. She couldn’t take anything off him without waking him...or she could, but just didn’t want to risk it. For either of them.

Reaching to the foot of the bed she drew up his blanket, sweeping it over him in a single motion. It didn’t take him long to grasp it, even in his slumber. He always was such a mobile sleeper. Irah knelt there, not knowing what else to do. Maybe it was because of just the way they were with each other, but she always seemed to indecisive when it came to Tseng. It was ridiculous. She wanted to thank him. Or comfort him.

Her mouth opening a little, she reached out, slowly, towards a braid that had fallen over his face. It seemed so...

She withdrew her hand. He turned to face the wall, rolling the blanket with him.

Comfort him? She couldn’t even touch him.

‘Goodnight Tseng.’ She whispered, a grin coming to her face for lack of a better expression, ‘Sweet dreams.’

She stood up...and came face-to-face with an equally grinning Yi Lin, thought the swift moment of mortal terror such a shock gave her made the shared grin only a passing thing.

Oh, and Irah knew THAT look.

‘I-it’s not what it looks like.’ She whispered as loudly as she could.

‘Mmm hmmmmm,’ Yi Lin replied knowingly, rolling over in triumph, ‘Goodnight Irah.’

Irah stood there for a few seconds longer, trying to think of something clever to say. Something that WOULDN’T just end up in Yi Lin’s shipping log.

She couldn’t think of anything.

Oh...damn it all.




END

Well, since I sorta started this with my comments earlier....
*
*
*
*
In the galley, Irah washed her face, working around the pile of dishes that lay still unwashed, probably owing to the fact it was Hayoda's turn to do them. She sighed. Hayoda was great, amazing even, at a lot of things, but chores were certainly not one of them. Combing her hair as she walked, Irah headed towards the Captain's usual evening perch at the helm to say goodnight.

She never quite knew what to say for this. A simple goodnight, a reminder to finish his chores, or maybe.... no not that. As she approached Hayoda at his post, she made herself known by yelling up to her bestfriend, still perched in the crow's nest.

"I'm going to bed, Yi Lin! Try not to wait too long to come down!"

"'kay!" The short response was expected. Irah knew Yi Lin was busy writing. But now came the hard part.

"Well... I'm going to bed now..." she started.

"Oh, okay... uh..."

"Goodnight"

"Yeah. See you in the morning..."

"Yeah."

Irah finally turned and made her way down to the sleeping quarters. As usual, Yue was already there, curled up under her blankets. A quick change, and Irah started on her favorite part of the evening. Tea and reading. As she curled up to enjoy the story, she heard the soft, sleepy voice of Yue.

"Good story so far, Irah?"

Irah nodded, and began gently recollecting the book so far, knowing full well Yue wouldn't hear a word of it. As Yue's breathing steadied into the quiet rhythm of sleep, Irah poured herself some tea, and turned to her book. Soon, Yi Lin wandered down the into cabin, yawning hugely.

"Just a few more... yawn... notes to make," as she flopped into her bed. Irah smiled to herself as she watched her cousin, then returned to her own book.

When her tea was finished and she had arrived at a suitable stopping point in her story, Irah lay down under her blankets. She allowed her eyes to shut, but still kept awake, waiting til she heard Yi Lin, then Hayoda, finally fall asleep.

Irah kept waiting though, because the last one still wasn't in bed. Tseng was always last, usually because of something his sister or Hayoda did. But she waited, til she heard him stumbling in the door, exhausted, and fall into his blankets.

Sighing, she slid quietly out from her warm bed, and went over to Tseng. He had fallen asleep half-off the bed again, with his shoes still on. Gently, she lifted him onto the bed and removed his footwear. Tseng did such a good job taking care of everyone else, but always forgot about himself. After laying a blanket on top of him, Irah climbed back into her own, and finally, let herself drift gently to sleep.
*
*
*
No, I don't ship Ireng or Tserah or whatever, they're strictly platonic in my mind. But people interpret these things however they want, so whatever.

>>70628
Lol. We posted Irah bedtimes at the same time. Different instances though. They work together nicely, in my opinion.

>>70630

Seems they do.

God, why the hell are they so awkward around each other?

(And don't think I don't see the twinkling of Ireng, the RIGHTFUL ship, in your eyes)

>>70628
>>70629
Doubly impressive!

And once again we've gotten something that normally wouldn't pop up, but feels "right" when reading it. I'd like to ponder this thing in TDL's story about Irah and touching Tseng -- something I don't think either of us are really sure why it is, but it just seems to fit.

I really don't know; I'll just throw up some IRC chat in hopes it touches on something:
>[01:26] <Maritova> I don't know if it would be anything more than coincidental imagery, but this thing with Irah unable to touch Tseng reminds me of that one BAD END thingy I wrote a while back
>[01:26] <Maritova> with Mai finding herself incapable of touching Irah
>[01:26] <TheDaiLi> Huh.
>[01:27] <TheDaiLi> In turn, it could be Irah has never held anyone in her arms like that other than Tseng.
>[01:27] <Maritova> not much opportunity I suppose
>[01:27] <TheDaiLi> She's never handled a baby. Maybe she's worried about that.
>[01:28] <TheDaiLi> As in, when she finally does, what if she can't do it right? Or at all? Or what if the baby bursts into flames!
>[01:28] <TheDaiLi> Though I'm sure this would only be a very small part of why she doesn't like touching Tseng specifically. At least the baby part.
>[01:28] <Maritova> yeah
>[01:30] <TheDaiLi> She might have a legitimate fear of causing harm to someone in those kinds of situations, where it's as if their life is in her hands. Maybe she doesn't think she's worthy of that kind of trust.
>[01:30] <TheDaiLi> Or she thinks she's not a good a person as she really is.
>[01:30] <TheDaiLi> nd that makes her worry.

>>70586

>Jing's comment

:D

Stupid Sexy Tseng. Making people fall for him all over the place.

Another short.




_____________________________________________



“See? I told you she does.”

Yue stifled a giggle, her and Tseng hanging off the frame of one of the bunk beds, finding great entertainment in their subject for the evening.

“Muh...Going to the park...few minzz...”

The two stifled more laughs as Yi Lin carried on talking in her sleep, shifting onto her back. According to Tseng she used to talk almost every night back when they were younger, but these days it had settled into a more regular pattern of once every few weeks.

Being well versed in this peculiar phenomenon seemed to allow Tseng to act more his own age, having rustled Yue out of her bed so the two could conspire around his sister as a lightly nefarious double-act.

“You can talk to her, too.”

“Really?” Yue said, her tone expressing disbelief, her face asking how.

“Mm hmm, lemme think...” Tseng replied, his eyes sly with mischief as he ticked through what tricks he could pull for his audience.

Finally, he alighted on just the thing. Checking himself so he wouldn’t fall over, he pulled further up on the wooden barrier, shifting closer to his sister’s ear.

“’Lin...Yi Lin...can you hear me?” He asked, barely keeping his voice even.

“Yeah.”

The two kids jerked back a little at the clarity of the reply, expecting an angry or puzzled airbender to start whomping them with air blasts. Instead, they just got more clear breathing from a still-sleeping girl. Regaining his composure and his smirk, Tseng leaned back in.

“’Lin, Toph and Tom Tom aren’t an item. Can’t be together.”

“No...”

“Yes, Yi Lin. No Tomtoph. Toph and Tom Tom don’t go together.”

Yue took a hand off the supports so she could cover her mouth. Oh, this was mean. This was really mean. Meaner still was how hard it was not to laugh. The earthbender both wanted to chide Tseng for trying to manipulate her like this, and...to just sit and watch to see what happened. She was being bad.

Tseng had leaned in closer, whispering lower as Yi Lin’s frown deepened. He was the worst. Shifting over along the edge of Tseng’s bunk, Yue continued to eavesdrop.

“But why...” Yi Lin murmured, struggling to get her head around this fact.

Tseng didn’t miss a beat, “Because Ching is interfering, Yi Lin.”

“...Ching is...”

“Yes,” He carried on, for the first time actively enjoying something about his sister’s weird shipping habits, “She’s interfering in true love.”

“Interfering...” Yi Lin was frowning again, but this time looking more indignant that confused.

“That’s right, Ching’s interfering, confusing poor captain Tom Tom and making Toph look bad.”

Tseng stopped for a second, having caught Yue’s glance and thus almost breaking his own composure.

“ *AhUM*, Yeah, it’s all because of Ching. So if you really want TomToph to work, you need to beat Ching up, and try super hard. S-So, when you next see her, what’re you going to do?”

“Do mbest...f’love.” Yi Lin answered, determined.

Oh, that was so bad! You can’t do things like that! Yue laughed into her hand, bumping Tseng’s shoulder with her own to chastise him.

“I used to do this all the time,” Tseng whispered nostalgically, “She’d wake up with tons of dumb ideas; mom and dad had no idea where she got them from.”

Recalling back to his present company, he narrowed his eyes in conspiracy and nudged Yue back.

“Hey, your turn.”

Her? Yue’s eyes widened, hand still over her mouth as she regarded her sleeping cousin. No, she couldn’t. That’d be wrong. She couldn’t. Could she?

“I-I wouldn’t know what to do.” She pleaded, fascinated by the muttered threats against Ching Yi Lin was breathing out.

“You can just ask her a question,” Tseng persuaded, keeping his gaze on his latest victim, “Then you follow it on from there.”

Yue flitted her eyes around, unsure. Wasn’t Tseng supposed to be the responsible one? She guessed that something about this situation, and the fact Jing had recently visited, had something to do with this side of him she was seeing now. It was scheming. It was evil. But more than any of that, it was really, really...fun!

“A question?”

“Yeah, just ask her a question. Something to do with shipping would be easy.”

“I-I dunno...umm...”

Yue leaned in, moving her hand away from her mouth and onto a wooden beam to make sure she didn’t fall right on top of her slumbering cousin.

“Umm...hi...ah, can you...hear me? Yi Lin?”

“Mmm hmm.” Came a distinctly more drowsy reply. That first trick probably tired her out.

Yue stiffened a little. This was so weird. This was so cool! Wetting her lips, she pushed on. Something to ask, something...hmm.

“Umm, s-so, who is...who is paired up with Nikiru? Romantically?”

“Nikiru...” Yi Lin’s brow flinched, trying to process the question.

“Yeah, N-Nikiru. Is there anyone she can be with?” Yue asked more confidently now, a silly grin on her face.

“...Mn...Nikiruz too good, f’nyone.”

“But if you-” Yue pouted for a second, thinking how Tseng did it, and now desperately wanting an answer of her own, “-Nikiru...needs someone to be with, Yi Lin. Your, um, your book won’t be complete without it, will it?”

No reply, but there wasn’t any disagreement. Yue soldiered on.

“So, so...you have to pair her with someone, okay? So, ah, w-who do you...um...pick? Yi Lin?”

“...Ahm...Nikiru...”

Even Tseng leaned in to hear this, the two cousin’s faces touching each other as they waited for the decision. For her part, Yi Lin couldn’t seem to stop moving; as if the question had burned itself into her mind.

“...No. Nikiru goezonly with...”

“...With?” Yue prodded once more, using the last of her breath.

“...Nmph...m-”

And then Yi Lin was looking at them.

Uh oh.

“...Hi, sis.” Tseng tried, sheepishly, “Sleeping well?”

“Were you...” She hazed, until snapping into a grimace, “You WERE, weren’t you?! And with YUE?!”

“Now sis, let’s just put the pil-“

“-AAUGH!! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU TWO!!”

“Time to go, Yue!”

“COME BACK HERE, YOU-!!”

“AAAAHH I DIDN’T MEAN TO TSENG MADE MEEEE!!”





END

>>70627

Hayoda snoozes he loses D: Tseng's shocked and conflicted. Shocked and conflicted I say!

>>70628>>70629

These two drabbles convey similar feelings in their own way. I move that they be FUSION HAAA!'d so we can appreciate both at the same time! Muahahahaha!

>>70670

This was a deviously funny exploration of Tseng actually acting his age, pestering big sister. It's great to see Yue letting a little bit of her inner devil loose, helps round out her personality.

>The general pace of this thread

Where are all the ganng juniorites lately? I'll end this post with a request for a rollcall. If you're reading, just post that you're still following! In the words of Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, "IS ANYBODEEEE ALIVE OUWT 'DARE!"

>>70674

Here.

...Yeah I know I just posted, but a roll-call's a roll call.

I don't intend to stop writing or coming up with ideas for a whole yet either.

>>70674
I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time following GJ right now. I've been either busy or distracted for a while. But I promise that you haven't seen the last of me and my irritatingly slow writefaggotry!

>>70674
Sorry, haven't had the time to mention I'm working two jobs now.

Been working on something, several somethings, but coming along slowly. Still read.

Love the stories. Dislike season 3 designs.

I guess I'm still here, technically.

>>70679
Why is there a chipmunk in a cage?

>>70670
ohohohohoho Tseng >:3
This is wondrous! Tseng being all evil and scheming (and the implication that Jing brings out the worst in him :3) is a delight to read, and I love seeing him and Yue get up to crazy shenanigans (and Yue breaking Yi Lin's mind).
>“I used to do this all the time,” Tseng whispered nostalgically, “She’d wake up with tons of dumb ideas; mom and dad had no idea where she got them from.”
How much of this monster was one Tseng created :<>

>>70674
Mari Tova reporting in! I've been having trouble finding some real time to devote to writing my own stuff (school and work never seem to ever. let. up!), but I'm definitely around here!

>>70674

I'm here! I'm here! I'm just busy with my own things right now. I've finally started my Big Novel and my mind's stuck wandering the streets of Prague. Very sorry...

>>70687

Oh, how I miss Prague.

>>70686

>How much of this monster was one Tseng created :<>


That's EXACTLY what I was thinking...

>>70674

Vicente here, still following the thread in a dying, shitty pc and having lots of indecent ideas for crackpairings.

Specially Tseng/Hayoda and Irah/Tseng/Jing.

Sadly I have a daily job and too little free time to draw for my various blogs and galleries... but I still check the thread almost everyday.

Still watching the threads, just focused elsewhere with my fanboy enthusiasm.

I'm here, though I'm not much of anyone so...

>>70695
Well we know Tseng was responsible for Hayoda's obsession with adventure...

>>70722
>Well we know Tseng was responsible for Hayoda's obsession with adventure...

Really? I don't think I was around for that. How'd that come about?

>>70734
It's cause Tseng is tsundere for ADVENTURE!. We all know deep down this is all his idea so that he'll never be seperated from his precious, precious ADVENTURE!

...don't make me dig up the picture.

PS I'm here

Well, that was a nice rollcall. Thank you all for checking in!

While I have your attention:

1) CNB, your latest archive uploads aren't showing on mediafire anymore. Mind re-upping them when you get a chance? I'll make sure to pull a copy down for my own storage (on my sparkling new HUEG hard drive)
2) The reason why I tried to download the archive: the topic of the internal layout of the Blue Flame came up on IRC, I distinctly remember somebody drew one up. I know for sure rasputin_zero did one for the Respite of Winter's Love, was he same guy who drew up the floor plan for the Gjr's ship? I think it was either him or Ninja....

Anyone know what I'm referring to? If you do, and you posses a copy of this image, please re-post!

>>70745
I remember a couple of sketches, maybe thread 4 or 5.

If not we could always come up with something new.

>>70734
I guess only I remember it cause I wrote it...

One day long ago to get Hayoda to settle down, stop running all over the place while visiting, and to get him into reading Tseng gave him a scroll...
It was an adventure story...

I need to look back and figure out what thread I posted that in...

Been a reader since thread 35. I have followed it since, yet don't ever think I will create "works". Glad to see the longevity of Gjr

Quick update on the next part of Cabbage Flower Island. Working on it tonight, should be up by tomorrow night!

>>70779
Huzzah!

Murph delivers! Enjoy!
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hayoda slashed his Earth-blade through the under-brush with fervor. The grade of the slope increased. They had to be getting closer to the top. Yue followed close behind him, she found herself sharpening the edges of rock-gloves as they ran in zig-zags away from the fire-breathing lizard. The swipes she made at the cumbersome plant-life were just as ferocious as her brother's. The girl's heart pounded so hard her sternum began to ache.

Behind them, threatening footfalls seemed to be closing in. The brush seemingly collapsed itself to allow their owner easy passage. This wasn't fair at all. Stupid island.

A few slashes later, Hayoda found some daylight. "Yue, stop!" He halted their forward motion on a narrow grassy cliff, an innocuous looking stream flowed about 20 feet beneath them. The way this day was going, he knew *something* profoundly dangerous had to be lurking in those waters. The Captain sought out the craggy peak of the island, he looked wide and far. "I think we're lost somehow, sis. Where did the top of the island go? I think we got turned around..."

"Uh....it's right over there." Yue pointed across the uneven gully the stream carved into the island. The island's apex was a mere 30 feet away and about a 10 feet above them. "Heh, guess our pace was faster than I thought." Gotta get across the chasm. He looked to the right. A fallen, seemingly healthy tree trunk spanned the gap. "Over here!" Hayoda grasped Yue's rock-encased hand and sidled over to it.

Hayoda took a few precursory steps onto the trunk. "This should work. Follow me, Yue." He shifted his weight on the log to steady his balance. It answered with several creaks and a muffled crack. "Hayoda, this won't hold us!"

"Oh come on sis, these crazy critters probably cross it several times daily."

"Nuh-uh. I'm not going on that thing! Did you not hear it crack just now?" Yue planted her feet into the earth, literally. She wasn't budging. Hayoda hopped off the log, "We gotta get to the peak! What if-"

ROOOAAAARRRRRR

A gigantic lizard leapt out of the foliage behind them and landed on the fallen tree. It snuffed the air and spun around, detecting the siblings' scents. Hayoda steadied his Earth-blade, Yue prepared to summon her Earth-gun. The beast's eyes narrowed, it licked its lips, and prepared to cook its newest meal with a breath of fire just when...

*CRACK!*

The log gave way underneath the lizard, it tumbled into the stream below, a weak volley of flame shot from its maw in desperation. Nearly immediately as it submerged, a thousand pairs of teeth pounced on their next meal in a feeding frenzy. A scarlet foam seeped its way downstream.

"I'm gonna hurl." Hayoda said, covering his mouth with his free hand.

"It's...it's only natural. The food chain and what-not!" Yue raised a finger and assured her brother (and partly herself). Her complexion was just as green as his, she has never seen wildlife act this brutal. Ever. This place was surely a departure from the norm. Stupid, stupid crazy island.

Hayoda straightened himself while he gave Yue's back a comforting rub. "Welp, have any Earthbendy ideas how to get over to the peak now that our Doom Log has fallen?"

"Hmm, perhaps..." The young teen scampered over to a pig-sheep sized rock that sat near the edge of the gully. "Crouch on this, Hayoda." She directed, tracing a circle in the soil around the jagged boulder. "You sure you know what you're doing, Yue?"

"Kinda, heh." Yue climbed onto the rock alongside her brother. "Ready?"

"Go for it, sister!" Hayoda yelled. Yue balled her rock gloves into an axe-handle grip and slammed into the peak-facing side of the rock. A pillar of earth shot the pair skyward like a pinball plunger, they cleared the gap with room to spare. The girl was so amazed at her feat she didn't notice that she was going to land square on her head. Hayoda released the grip on his Earth-blade, gathered Yue in his arms mid-air, and righted themselves for the rough, tumbling crash landing that welcomed them to the island's peak.

"Ooof!"

"Ooow!"

"ERRGHH!"

"..."

"..."

"Great job Yue! Are you OK?

"SKEEE!"

"Y-Yue?" Hayoda cocked an eyebrow. He focused on the tiny little green monster perched on Yue's head. She shooed the thing off her head and the two of them stood up, batting the dirt off their clothes. She said, "Aw it's just one little critter, nothing to worry abou-"

"Skee!"

"Sk-sk-sk-skee!"

"SKEE! SKEEEE!" The tiny lizard's companions echoed their compatriot hundredfold. The bouncy one with the Big Brown Mane was gone, but two new delicious pieces of meat suddenly landed on their turf in her place.

"HAYODA. RUN!"

"YES MA'AM!"

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

Meanwhile, closer to sea level, Tseng and Irah were free to explore the island without much harassment. Tseng reasoned the giant lizard favored Hayoda because of his unwashed, musky body odor was easier to track. The two of them pushed through a few low-hanging palms and happened upon a stream tainted with blood and various green-skinned giblets.

"Eww. What do you think happened here, Tseng?" Irah asked.

"Ugh, I don't think I wanna know." Tseng replied before gazing beneath the surface of the flowing water. "Whoa, look at the teeth on those fish! We're better off looking elsewhere for Yi Lin. Let's look some more down-stream."

Aahhh! So niiice. EVerYthiNG is soo niiiice...haIR nice, grOUND nice, sun nice. YEahhhh.

"What was that?" They asked each other. It could have been human, or it could have been another trick this blasted place had up its sleeve to lure in another victim.

Sooo tIReddd, but what is TIRed? No sleep NO slEEP. Sleep not feel niccce LIke thiiis.

Tseng's expression went blank. "That's Yi Lin, isn't it?"

"Might be." Irah folded her arms and gestured with her head across the tiny river. "It's coming from over there, across the 'stream o'death'. Want to find out?" Tseng entered his waterbending stance. "We don't have much time, do we? I'll freeze a bridge across for us, you cook the water a little upstream, and we'll run across. I don't feel like becoming fish food today."

"Got it! I'll do it on your mark, Tseng." Irah gathered her limbs into a stance of her own, poised to fry some saber-tooth piranha as Tseng began his motions. A few seconds later he spread his arms out over the stream, a small section of the water became a giant ice-cube, but the current threatened to thaw it in a hurry. Irah took care of that, several jets of flame vaporized a generous section of water up-stream. "Tseng, go!"

"Go it!" Tseng dashed across, Irah followed close behind him. The fact that she was dressed for the beach evaded her mind as her bare feet met the cold pathway. Irah hated the cold. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ouch. Cold! Cold!" She hopped along the ice and was nearly across, she looked to her right just in time to see a pair of sharp teeth about to munch on her face. "Help!" she shrieked. A jet of water blasted the hungry fish to the other bank. "Irah, come on!"

"Thanks, Tseng." The princess settled her prickled feet into the warm grass of the jungle. "Aah. Much better. Let's go find that source of that voice."

Thissss is the BEssT. *sigh*

"It's right over there, Irah." Tseng pointed toward a set of bushes with enormous leafy blue-and-yellow leaves. The pair ran up to one of the bushes and peeled a giant leaf aside.

In the middle of a clearing topped with an lush canopy-roof, Yi Lin sat cross-legged. She never seemed so content. Her hair was completely undone, wild. Various leaves and twigs clung to her brown locks. He clothes were slightly tattered, but still intact if not a bid muddied. "Wooowwww, even THe WIIIND feels gOOd. Hmmmm..." She crooned to anyone in earshot. The girl was not of right mind. Not at all.

"I'll signal the others." Irah ran back toward the stream and shot up a bright blue signal flame.

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

Yue and Hayoda took a little while, but eventually they worked out a system between each other to deal with the swarm of little green malcontents.

"There's another one trapped on the right, Hayoda."

"I'm on it, Yue!" Hayoda ran up to the snapping immobilized creature and batted it into the nearby cave with the flat side of his earth-blade. "Skeeeeeeeee......"

"Only a few more to go. Finally..." Hayoda hefted the rock to his shoulder, ready to bat some more of the little buggers back to their home. Yue concentrated on the last 5, her hands sank deep into the earth looking for the perfect opportunity to bind their annoying little claws to the ground. Blasted moving targets. "Aaaaannnd...THERE!" She clenched her hands and the critters were stuck. Hey brother gave them each a thwack to finish off the job.

"Skee!"
"Skee!"
"Skee!"
"Skee!"
"Skeeeeeeeee!"

Yue ran up to cave entrance and pulled a sheet of rock out of the ground to seal it up before poking some air-holes through it. "There. That'll keep em out of our hair, the storm winds should crumble that fragile barrier after we're gone." She blinked a few times, remembering their reasoning for traveling to the peak. "Uh...where's Yi Lin?"

"She's not here, obviously..." Hayoda brushed aside a few stray branches on the ground and uncovered an object of interest. "...But her glider-staff is. Something funny is going on here, sis. I don't know what."

PFWWOOOOOOMMM. Irah's signal flare crackled off in the distance. Hayoda wiped his forehead in relief. "They finally found her! Let's join up with them and blow this joint."

"Uh..." The earthbender walked to the edge of the peak and leaned on a narrow palm trunk, she looked off in the direction of the flare. "How are we supposed to get WAY back down there before the storm hits, Hayoda?"

"Back the way we came, I guess. It's downhill so it can't be that bad can, right?" Yue whimpered a bit, her brother knew she needed a some more motivation. He swung his earth-blade with gusto at nearby palm, intending to park it in its flesh and begin one of inspiring speeches about how awesome it is to be an Iron Sea Wolf but then....PING.

The echo of rock-on-metal resonated on the island's peak, Hayoda's arms shook like the prongs of a tuning fork. "Whu-whuuuh-whaat kind of tree is this?" Yue examined the "trunk" Hayoda struck. "It's not a tree at all, Hayoda. It's solid steel...and there are no leaves! It just has one really long...vine?"

Hayoda shook his arms free from the shock. "That's no vine, sis. It's braided metal painted a vine color. A line..." The Captain's eyes followed the line to its end, below the area Irah's signal-flare appeared. "Hrm, Bad News: We're probably not alone on this stinkin' island. Good News: We found the 'express line' down the mountain'! Yue can you fashion a-"

"Bracket for sliding down the line? I'm...just about...yeah...done!" The girl popped into view and handed her brother a crude crescent-shaped rock frame perfect for zipping down the long line. Hayoda looked over her work, astonished. "Helmsman- er...Yue I could kiss you!"

"Hehe! Right here on the cheek, if you may." She coyly pointed to the side of her face. Her brother gave her a quick peck before he asked, "Ready to ride down this crazy wire?"

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

"Look at her, she's acting so foolish! Can we just grab her and get out of here?!" Tseng whispered raggedly at the Princess. She held him steady behind the leafy bush. "Just wait til the others get here. Something doesn't seem right about this. While we all were chased around by fire-breathing lizards and nearly eaten by plants and savage fish, she's been sitting here all day out of her gourd after she traveled up to the very peak of the island? Think about it, Tseng."

"I- I guess you're right, Irah. I'll wait."

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

Where are those blasted mammals? Their companion sits all alone in the middle of my island. Surely they MUST care about her well being. Hrm. They might have ran off into the ocean and drowned themselves out of fear, he he he. I'll give them 10 more minutes before feeding the female to my precious creatures. Pitiful thing.

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

"Wheeeeeeeee!" Yue and Hayoda tumbled through the flora behind Tseng and Irah. Yue popped to her feet and dusted the greenery off her person, "That was *awesome* Hayoda!"

"Best fun we've had all day! We definitely need one of those for Kyoshi Island." Hayoda brushed his nose and noticed the other Sea Wolves squad staring at him wide-eyed. "Oh hey fellas, found Yi Lin? The storm cloud is almost upon us, let's go. Chop-chop."

"Well we did, but there's a problem." Tseng said.

"Hrm, let me guess. Yi Lin got captured by some loon and is being used as bait of some sort." Hayoda posed while he scratched behind his ear. Tseng and Irah stared at him in amazement, "H-how did you reach that conclusion?"

Hayoda looked skyward. "Eh, wild guess

"...But we did find Yi Lin's staff up on the peak.

"....And we just slid down from the peak on a mysterious man-made steel cable on an island dominated by insane wildlife we've never seen before. If there's someone living here, he's gotta be friggin' nuts, right?"

Tseng beckoned Hayoda closer to the bush, the Captain walked over and peeled back a leaf of his own and examined the scene close to Tseng's ear. He whispered, "What do you think, Navigator. Your sister seems to be incapacitated, at least more than she usually is."

"Hey!"

"I don't see any obvious booby-traps. This whole things seems like the perfect set-up, though.Maybe you should try your some of your swamp-bending mojo. Look at those vines near the center..."

Tseng snapped his fingers. "Oh right. Thanks for reminding me, Hayoda. It's been a long day..."

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

Such a shame. The hunt was rather enthralling for the better part of the day. My prey was tenacious and incomprehensibly lucky. I figured they would put up a better fight. Oh well, time to release my beauties to clean up the bait-....wait what is this?

The vines are moving on their lonesome, am I going mad? Did I let some electric-pythons loose on accident? No...they ARE vines. They are moving the female! They're taking my bait away! All my platypus-bear traps, blowguns, flamethrowers. All that painstaking assembly, for nothing! This is an outrage! I've been bamboozled! A pox on them all, I'll show them!"

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

"Got her?" Tseng asked.

"Yeah." Hayoda gathered the out-of-her-mind Yi Lin onto his back. "Iron Seawolves, retreat to the Blue Flame! Let's get our butts outta this crazy place!"

"Right!" They answered in unison and started off toward the shore just when an Eelhound burst through the underbrush.

Their hunter sat atop his mount with his crossbow in hand. He looked down at the kids with wild, savage eyes. "You can leave my island any time you want, but I'm afraid your heads must remain here atop my mantle!"

-TO BE CONTINUED-

>>70810

Ah, just the thing to see on my birthday!

I was taken aback at the horrifially bloody death of the dino-dragon, but quite pleased with the character's reactions to it. Also, everyone not falling for the jungle-man's trap was nicely clever.

And of course, Yi Lin being 'gone' like that is very entertaining, and you handled it well; I can easily see her taking as much pleasure in being carried off as she does from just sitting there; the group's reactions I suspect would be quite amusing.

I wonder though...won't she need a cure? It doesn't seem to be the kind of thing that wears off, else the plant that makes it wouldn't be so successful. Just a thought for the next writer, whoever that might be.

>>70811

Really, Dai Li? I need to visit the IRC more...

Happy Birthday!

>>70812
Heck yes you do. :3

>>70810
Whoa. This is both substantial and impressive! Actual, real, terrifying peril! :O I'm scared just reading it (holy crap dino ripped to shreds!)!

I'm very impressed by Yue's Earthbending, and really enjoying the detail on the motions she draws and how they interestingly solve her and Hayoda's obstacles. Seeing her beam with occasional confidence is adorable:
""Hehe! Right here on the cheek, if you may." She coyly pointed to the side of her face." <-- yeah I d'awwed at this.

Irah and Tseng are great with their teamwork in getting across the piranhas, showing off those combined tactics we talk about with them but don't show nearly enough. The way they anticipate possible dangers before making their way across the bridge (who would have thought to cook the water upstream as well?) pleasantly reminds me of a D&D group, where the party tries to plan for every conceivable contingency, knowing their DM's love of traps.

And Yi Lin! The way she's not all there is well-written, and I'm biting my nails as to how she'll be fixed up HOW HOW I ASK YOU AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa

http://www.mediafire.com/file/o4x4o2gyjud/gaang jr pics.rar

http://www.mediafire.com/file/it1gonmmiaz/gaang jr threads.rar

>>70810
I was actually terribly amused by the dinosaur ripped to shreds, and then Tseng and Irah's reaction downstream. Which can only say bad things about my character....

I also liked Irah's reaction to running over the ice. Made me chuckle. Also, electric-pythons! I want some of those....

Oh! And happy birthday Dai Li!

>>70817

Snagged em both. Thanks for the re-up CNB! I'm gonna sift through the threads tonight and see if I can pull gaang fortress outta there.

>>70816>>70822

Thanks for the commentary, fellas. Glad you liked! Who's got next (last?)

>>70811

I don't think that says anything bad about your character, particularly. Your amusement was indeed the intended effect!

Okay, I've assembled the 4 parts of Dr. Professor SCIENCE Adventurer's Gaang Fortress 2 into one lj entry for easy reading. http://community.livejournal.com/gaang_jr/38610.html#cutid1

This was a fun parody work and I recommend it for the relative newcomers to Gaang Jr.

It's ashame I have no talent whatsoever or else I would have contributed something, but whatever, I won't want to waist your time with something that sucks.

>>70912

You seem familiar.

>>70912
Hey dude, even I can write up a script style snippet.

>>70914
Quite.

>>70915
Snippets are pretty pointless though.

Hayoda: Hey!
Yue: What?
Hayoda: Oh nothing.

>>70919
It all depends on how you frame them really. A snippet is nothing without a proper scenery and setting.

Suppose Yi Lin and Tseng had been fighting lately, and they have been out brothered and sistered by Hayoda and Yue. So, she decides she has never actually seen those two fight, and that she must cause a conflict between the two of them, to release the years of suppressed anger and frustration. She does this by flicking tiny rocks into the back of Hayoda's head while only Yue is on deck with him.

<The small rock flies into the back of Hayoda's head, causing him to spit out the fruit juice he was drinking. He looks around for his assailant, finding only his sister.>

Hayoda: Hey!

<Oblivious to the assault on her brother, Yue turns, sweetly and innocently.>

Yue: What?

<He eyes her suspiciously for a moment. Is this the first sign of a mutiny? Is the crew toying with him, testing his reactions to surprise assaults? No, not Yue. She would never be party to such a thing.>

Hayoda: Oh nothing.

<Yue returns to whatever it was she was doing, while Hayoda returns to taking another delicious sip of his apple mango drink. But as he swallows the beverage, another small pebble careens with the back of his head, causing him to spit out the drink.>

>>70920

::golf clap::

Very well done, Anon!

Now that you mention it...Hayoda and Yue are excellent siblings. They have a very wholesome relationship. Don't they?

>>70923
It's interesting you say that, because I had another idea for how that snippet could go.

On their way to another adventure, the Iron Sea Wolves stop for a night in Aunt Wu's village. A young apprentice fortune teller/match maker starts talking to Yi Lin, and soon she is taught the ways of The Proof. Unfortunately, she doesn't quite seem to get exactly what Yi Lin means by couples that are meant to be, and mistakes sisterly affection for something else all together.

Then there are love potions, a little "Who is this mysterious beauty?" followed by some "Oh god its my sister I've caught hillbilly madness." and Hayoda running off into the woods to slam his head into a tree until all the crazy leaks out.

>>70924

>hillbilly madness
D:

Awkward situations aside, you bring up an excellent point. The Gaang Jr. has yet to visit Makapu Village! This error must be rectified somehow!

Didn't we make Meng into a busty older version of herself who tried to molest Tseng several threads back?

>>70938
Wow. I read that wrong the first time. Thought it said "Meg". Which brought up to interesting questions: Why did you make *me* a busty-Tseng molester, and how the hell do you guys know my name....

Needless to say, Meng clears things up a bit.

>>70940


It could be from the e-mail in your name.

>>70940

Well, it's right there in your e-mail...

Also we didn't really expand on what Meng was doing, we just said "She's totally hot now" and had the idea that she tries to mack on Tseng. That seems to be the common idea here, that Meng grows to be very shapely and apparently a little promiscuous, even that one fic by Murph had...oh god...horrid thought.

Silly request...

>>70947

"Huh? What was that? Hayoda's tired of ADVENTURE? PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE NOT LYING! PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE. 8)"

I would just like to point out that in the 1.25 years that we've been working on this, to the best of my knowledge no one has ever invoked Rule 63.

Get on that.

>>70950

You're going to have to wait for Thread 63, I'm afraid.

>>70950
Irah: Hayoda! We're in public! Stop playing with those!
Hayoda: But they're so soft and jiggly!

>>70942>>70941
Damn you all and your logic.

Anyway, has anyone stepped up to write the next bit of CFI yet?

>>70955

Nope. Nobody has yet, Miss Of Three.

You heard the lady YOU MAGGOTS. One of you MAGGOTS sack up and call dibs on the next part of our thrilling round robin!

MAGGOTS.

>>70963
Allright, I'll write another one. Shall I kick off the final battle and leave a cliffhanger for the next writer or try and wrap it up?

>>70988

Fantastic! I love zis doc-tor! [/heavy]

I have no problem with wrapping it up if you have a solid idea on how to end it. Though I don't speak for everyone else. :S

If anything else, it would cap off our contributor count for this story at 5 (with 6 parts), similar to Sen's Coming Out Party (5 writers with 5 parts and 1 non-existent epilogue. SEVVVVVVV, you said there was going to be one you Double Viper)

>>70988
Go with whatever feels right. ^^

Think fast!

Chicken Fight! Hayoda and Irah vs. Tseng and Yi Lin. Yue is the referee. Who wins? HEAVEN OR HELL! LET'S ROCK!

>>71013

Toss up between Hayoda actually being taller than Irah, and thus having an easier time lifting her, versus Tseng being a water-bender, and not worrying about weight ratios anyway.

>>71015
How is being a waterbender going to help Tseng not worry about lifting large, unwieldy objects?

He could use the water, or even use ice, to anchor himself, I figured, or just cheat and slip a little undercurrent beneath Hayoda's feet. I guess since you're in the water, it helps just a tad with the weight, but if Yi Lin sits too high up, then it's all just his strength holding her and none of the water's buoyancy. It wouldn't help if she's too fidgety, either.

Here is the thrilling conclusion to the Cabbage Flower Island Story!

-----

The old man jumped down from his eel hound and sent the beast off into the woods, keeping his crossbow trained on Hayoda the entire time. He wore a variety of pelts and skins, the larger ones fashioned into a patchwork tunic and the smaller ones hanging from his belt, like trophies. The Iron Sea Wolves would have looked at him fearfully, but after a day of being chased by fire breathing ghost dragons, they were mostly just annoyed.

"Yes, stand paralyzed in fear! You know there is no where to run this time," he said to the irritated teenagers before him.

"Tseng?" asked Princess Irah, mostly ignoring the old man.

"Yeah?" said Tseng, also ignoring the old man.

"This is the worst vacation ever."

"...Oh come on!"

"Uhh, excuse me?!" said the hunter. "Man with a cross bow here! Ending his chase with the most dangerous game!"

"How is ANY of this my fault!? It was named CABBAGE FLOWER ISLAND! Not Crazy-Death-Around-Every-Corner-Island!" said Tseng, completely ignoring the end of the old man's chase with the most dangerous game. "Besides, Hayoda drags us to way worse places all the time!"

"Woah woah woah there, Tseng. I think your dreadlocks might be a little tight right now. Name one, ONE place, that is worse than this freaking island. I dare you!" said Hayoda as he spun around to face his accuser.

"Wheeeee~!" said Yi Lin, enjoying the spin.

"Helloooo!" said the old man, trying desperately to regain the focus of the group.

"Okay, how about that island filled with the crazy fire benders that wanted to make Irah's aunt PHOENIX QUEEN!?"

"That one wasn't Hayoda's fault!" said Yue. "Those guys tricked us all into going!"

"And those fire benders weren't trying to eat us!" added Irah. "And I actually got to wear CLOTHES on that island!"

"HOW IS THE BATHING SUIT SITUATION NOT HAYODA'S FAULT!" shouted Tseng.

"You picked the island! Everything that happens on it is YOUR FAULT!" yelled Hayoda.

"PAY ATTENTION TO ME!" screamed the old man.

"And you!" said Hayoda as he dropped Yi Lin and pointed an accusatory finger at the hunter. "What is your problem!? It's not enough to live on some crazy deathtrap island, so you gotta start hunting PEOPLE!? What kind of twisted freakjob does that!?"

"Be quiet! I'm the best hunter in the entire world! This is MY island! Everything on it is MY PREY!"

"My dad told me about jerks like you. Tough old geezers that live out on the far end of the ice all alone and isolated and its OH SO HARD and the only real reason you do it is because YOU JUST SUCK AT INTERACTING WITH OTHER PEOPLE!"

"I usually find this method to be dead on," said the hunter as he fired his crossbow directly at Hayoda's head. There was a gasp from the other Iron Sea Wolves as they saw what they thought was the arrow sticking out of Hayoda's head, with their beloved captain grasping at the wound. But slowly, Hayoda turned towards his crew, revealing that against all odds he had somehow caught the arrow with his hand. At point blank range. The smile on his face was huge, and it annoyed Tseng greatly.

"DIDYOUSEETHAT!?!?" started Hayoda as he continued with an excited whirlwind of exclamations of how amazing he was. So proud was Hayoda that he did not notice the warnings form his friends or the old man behind him quickly reloading his crossbow.

There was a thwip, followed by a sharp pain. Hayoda very calmly and quietly dropped the arrow he had caught, and limped over towards Tseng.

"Tseng." said Hayoda.

"Hayoda are you all right?" asked Tseng.

"Tseng. There is an arrow. In my butt." said Hayoda. "When we get out of here, I am going to get you for this."

"But HE shot you!" protested Tseng.

"AH! AH! AH! AH!" said Hayoda. He looked down at his wound, and saw that the young air bender he had dropped on the ground was still there, and was batting at the arrow protruding from Hayoda's backside.

"tWaaAAaaanNnn Geeeeeee!" said Yi Lin as she flicked the arrow again.

"Man, what the heck did you do to her!?" said Hayoda as he shuffled out of the girl's reach. He turned towards the old man, or rather, where the old man was, just a moment ago.

"Me? I did nothing!" said a voice from out of the jungle. The Iron Sea Wolves stood back to back, scanning the trees for the source of the voice taunting them. "She fell into a field of rotbloom. I thought it was unusual, because usually only the most stupid creatures on the island fall victim to that particular flower."

"hEEEEeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy..." said Yi Lin while she pawed at butterflies that only she could see.

"I wouldn't be too worried about her. She should be in a rather euphoric state of bliss while the pollen eats her mind."

"What?!" exclaimed the Iron Sea Wolves.

"Yes, your foolish little friend has less than a day to live... unless she gets THIS antidote!" said the hunter as he dramatically sprung from a bush, holding a bright orange canteen.

"Well great. Hand it over and we'll let you get back to whatever twisted things you were doing with these Ghost Dragons in the first place!" said Hayoda.

"Ohhh no. Not after you besmirched my honor like that. I think we'll play a little game first," said the old man as he started to circle the group slowly. "Maybe something like I give you this antidote if you manage to evade me for the entire night."

"You... want to play hide and seek?" asked Yue.

"NO! I WANT TO HUNT YOU ALL DOWN AND ADD YOUR SCALPS TO MY TROPHY BELT! IT IS MUCH WORSE THAN HIDE AND SEEK!" yelled the old hunter. He breathed heavily for a few moments before regaining his composure. "But to be honest, I don't like the odds of you all making it through the night alive."

Tseng looked at each of his tired and irritated friends. And then at the madman who was threatening to kill them all on what was quite possibly the worst vacation in the history of mankind. Everything about this old man made Tseng angry, from his yellow teeth to his stupid pelts to the way he was shaking the canteen of the antidote his sister needed...

"Wait," Tseng asked. "That's the antidote? What is it?"

"This? This is an extract I made by boiling the root of the gumguava tree, the only one of which isAAOOOGHFF!" said the old man as Tseng jerked his hands forward, causing the canteen to leap from the hunter's hand and slam into his nose.Tseng sprang on this opportunity, tackling the old man while he was disoriented. He started pummeling the hunter with his fists.

"I JUST WANTED A NICE VACATION! A QUIET DAY ON THE BEACH!" said the young water bender in between punches, his face twisted in anger. He stopped when he felt Hayoda's hand on his shoulder.

"I think you got him, dude," said Hayoda. Tseng turned from the old man he was beating up to see Yue and Irah helping Yi Lin drink the antidote out of the hunter's canteen.

"Yi Lin! Are you ok?" asked Tseng as he went over to his sister.

"Owwwwwwww my head. Why did you pick this terrible island, Tseng?" asked Yi Lin as she was helped to her feet. The angry scowl returned to her brother's face immediately.

"OK, I think we're done here," said Irah.

"Right. Iron Sea WOOooooh that's tender," said Hayoda as he attempted and failed to give a rousing cry to his crew. He rubbed at his painful wound gently. "...Let's just get out of here."

"You're not going anywhere!!!" shouted the hunter as he ran towards the departing Iron Sea Wolves. The young sailors turned and screamed in terror as he leaped through the air towards them, but it was not until the jaws of the Tyrannosaurus Rex closed around him did the hunter realize they were not screaming at him. The giant lizard tossed the hunter's body up into the air, and swallowed him whole. It then turned to the stunned children, and roared at the delicious bite sized snacks it saw before itself.

"This island is horrible!" shouted a terrified Yue as the large creature came ever closer.

"I KNOW!" shouted Tseng.

As the creature took its final step towards the Iron Sea Wolves, another roar echoed across the island, this one a hundred times louder. The storm that had threatened to break finally made good on its promise, and within half a second the entire island was drenched in a pouring rain. The momentary distraction the rain provided gave Tseng and Yue an idea. They both pushed their arms outward, sending the muddy ground and the rain flying into either side of the terrible thunder lizard. The creature tumbled and fell off into the jungle.

The Iron Sea Wolves were about to congratulate each other on once again successfully surviving one of the many perils of Cabbage Flower Island. But unfortunately, they were far too busy screaming and falling down the slope of the island, due to a rather large mudslide caused by Yue and Tseng's bending. After a minute of tumbling, crashing, and sliding into what seemed like every tree between their point on the island and the shore, the Iron Sea Wolves landed with a wet splat on the beach near their boat. A sleeping Po woke up and lifted his head towards the muddy and exhausted sailors, giving them a inquisitive cry.

The last of Yi Lin's wonderful state of pollen induced ecstasy had worn off somewhere further up the slope, and the world was once again cold, dark, and soggy. But at least whatever she had landed on was soft and warm.

"Yi Lin," started Irah. "Please get off me." The air bender rolled off of the topless princess, and handed her the muddy swimsuit top that was tangled in Yi Lin's hair. Irah quickly took it and wrapped the cold piece of fabric around herself. "You owe me a new bathing suit, Tseng."

"Make that two," said a naked Hayoda as he stood in front of the rest of his crew. A flash of lightning showed the captain's outline as he stood cross armed over his water bending cousin. The tattered remains of his bathing shorts hung from the arrow still lodged in Hayoda's buttocks, like a pathetic flag.

"Ok. First, we're getting on the ship and leaving. Second, we are getting this arrow OUT of my BUTT!" ordered Hayoda. He scooped Yue up on his shoulder with one hand and helped Irah up with his other. All but one of the Iron Sea Wolves moved through the freezing rain, and climbed on board the the Blue Flame. Only Tseng remained lying in the wet sand of the beach, a look of total defeat on his face.

"I really need a vacation..." he whined.

-----

On the other side of the island, the pouring rain served to conceal the sounds of the injured hunter cutting his way out of the dead monster. The creature's teeth had wounded him, but he was resolved to suffer through it. He would make his way to the shore, where his long abandoned boat was waiting. The storm would prevent his prey from leaving quickly, he would catch up with them, and while they thought they were safe, he would strike.

"Skee?" said a small creature behind the hunter. He spun around, recognizing that sound.

"Skee!" said another one to his side. And then another, and another. And within moments, the hunter found himself surrounded by the small green lizards, all barking at once. He looked at the small things, then looked down at the boots he was wearing, that long ago he had fashioned from about twenty of these small creatures, just to see if he could. He looked up again, and pulled out his hunting knife.

There was a scream, a crash of thunder, and then only the falling rain.