ARe you knew to fanfiction? Then there's some lingo that might seem a little confusing at first. Let me fill you in. One-shot - Basically, a short story, a story without chapters. Multi-Chapter Fic - a fic that is told across multiple chapters Crossover - a mix of the characters and settings from more than one piece of source material.

Chapter 1: Sunset "It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time before all this happened when we were just normal kids, and everyone was happy. I refuse to let the memory of what this place once was fade. I can still see it all, in my memory, the fruit trees are green and teeming with fresh mangos with winged lemurs hanging from their branches, young air benders are training in the courtyards under the watchful eye of their guardians, and sky bison are soaring all around, that’s how it was supposed to be, how it used to be… before… that day. " – Hotaru Inouye 100 Years Ago: August 24th, 1 BG Doragonzu (An Island in the South-Eastern Fire Nation) Hotaru Inouye’s large, dark blue eyes burst open, she sprang to an upright sitting position in her large, four-poster bed, having instinctively grabbed and unsheathed her sword from its display hooks above her bed. Silently pushing the red silk blanket to the side, holding her sword at the ready, she got up and moved towards the door on the right side of the room. She heard a creaking sound coming from somewhere further down the hallway, sliding the door open, she made her way towards the source of the sound. “Aang? Is that you? I knew you’d show up eventually…” She said, but there was no answer. Aang would have answered her. She stiffened. There it was again, a solitary creaking footstep. “Who are you?” She asked, but still, the intruder didn’t answer. She could just make out the shape of someone slightly shorter than herself coming toward her. Her grip tightened on the hilt of her sword as she prepared to defend herself if necessary. “Show yourself!” She demanded. “I’m warning you! “Hotaru, calm down. It’s me.” Said a familiar voice. Then a small flame burst to life, seemingly in midair, until a young fire bender with a stocky build and a wide, round, face came into view. “K-Kuzon?” Hotaru stammered. “What are you doing? It’s late! You can’t just break into someone’s house and sneak around in the dark! I almost attacked you just now!” “I know. I’m sorry for scaring you but; I need your help. Something terrible is about to happen, and I can’t stop it on my own. You’re the only one in the Fire Nation I can trust with this Hotaru.” Kuzon replied. “What are you talking about?” She pressed. “I heard my Dad and Grandpa talking earlier. My dad said that the Fire Lord has given him orders. They’re planning to attack the Air Temples, and Dad’s been assigned to lead the assault on the Southern Temple.” Kuzon admitted. Hotaru’s eyes were the size of melons, her jaw dropped, seemingly to the floor. Every hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Then, seeing the expression on her friend’s face, she pushed away her initial shock. “Kuzon,” Hotaru began softly, “you’re not responsible for his actions.” He wouldn’t meet her eye, his fists were balled so tight Hotaru was surprised he wasn’t bleeding yet, and his carotid artery was pulsating rapidly. She couldn’t blame him. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have your own father not only participate in but lead an attack on your best friend’s home. “But what am I supposed to do? I know Aang isn’t there but-but what about Monk Gyatso and the others?! They’ll all be killed! I can’t just sit back and watch, but I can’t fight them all on my own either. I’m just one kid!” Kuzon’s voice was raised in both pitch and volume and Hotaru could hear an undercurrent of anguish beneath the fear. She grabbed him at his shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace. “Calm down. Listen to me. You won’t have to fight them alone, and we’re not going to let them get away with it. Understand me? You came to me for help, and you have it. We’ll put a stop to this, somehow…” After a few minutes, his breathing and heartbeat slowed and steadied back into their usual pace, and his panicked expression was replaced by a determined glare, barely visible as Hotaru’s eyes adjusted to the darkness. “I’m sorry I freaked out. What do we do?” “That’s more like it,” Hotaru replied with a reassuring smile. “When is this supposed to happen?” She asked. “On the day of the Great Comet.” “That’s only three days from now.” “No one is coming within sight of the Air Temples until then, but Dad’s fleet is leaving tomorrow morning. They’re taking those new, coal-powered steamships, that’s the fasted way to get everyone into position, and the quicker and closer to the attack they actually move in, the less likely it is that the Air Nomads will figure out what’s going on. Dad told Grandpa that their goal is to trap them and so that none can escape, and then,” Kuzon paused, his eyes flashed with panic once more but only for a second, he gulped hard, swallowing his terror at what he was about to reveal, “Kill them all.” “They can’t possibly expect to move fast enough. Even with the comet and the steamships, they’ll be seen before they get there. Maybe it won’t be soon enough for everyone to escape, but some of them definitely will.” Hotaru protested. “They’ll surround the island and then, when the Great Comet appears, the fire benders will come at the temple from all sides. That way anyone who manages to escape the building risks getting caught by the ships.” “Ok, but what about the others? Did they say anything about plans to attack the airbenders who live outside of the temples, like in Feng Zhi?” “Not specifically, but Dad did say that the ultimate goal is to completely wipe out the Air Nomads. To do that he’d have to attack the valley, and the foothills of the mountains around the Southern, Northern, and Eastern temples wouldn’t he?” “Yes, and even then there’d be those who weren’t home at the time. Ok, ok… looks like our only chance is to warn everyone.” Hotaru replied, pushing past Kuzon and practically running down the stairs. He followed. She paused in front of one particular room on the main floor. “Koji! Get up! I need you!” Kuzon heard rustling behind the door before it slid open revealing Hotaru’s only remaining vassal, a boy her own age whose family had served hers for generations. He stood there looking bleary-eyed and confused with his burgundy servant’s robes and chin-length dark hair looking uncharacteristically messy. “What’s going on?” He replied sleepily. “Pack at least two weeks' worth of supplies and get Taiyo ready, and step on it. Kuzon and I have a long flight ahead of us.” Hotaru replied. Koji was clearly confused; but, likely out of respect for his young mistress, he didn’t ask. He simply nodded and did as he was told. Satisfied, Hotaru turned her attention back to Kuzon. “We’ll never reach the Northern or Eastern temples in time, I’m going to send them each a warning via messenger hawk.” She explained as she ran over to her writing desk and used her own fire bending to light the oil lamp while taking out a piece of parchment and fumbling around for her paperweights.” “Good plan except, aren’t we risking the navy intercepting your messages?” “Not likely,” Hotaru replied as she started writing. “The rest of the family might be gone, but the Inouye family name still carries some weight. They wouldn’t dare open private documents bearing my family’s seal.” Then, once she had finished two copies of her warning, she rolled each one up and tied a red ribbon around it. She then heated a small tray of wax, pressed, used a small metal tool to place a small amount on top of each of the knots, and pressed her family seal into the tiny mounds of wax, flattening each one into the image of a dragon circling around the character for ‘courage’. Kuzon followed her as she went outside to an enclosure full of a half-dozen messenger hawks, hook out two, gave each one a copy of the message, and sent them flying to the north and the east. “What now?” He asked. “How fast can you go home, get supplies, and back here?” She asked. “Um, a couple of hours, I know I can be back before sunrise. Why?” “Because it’s best if we leave while it’s still dark. We’ll take my dragon. We’ll go to Feng Zhi first, then continue north to the Western Temple, once we’ve done that, we’ll double back toward the Southern Temple. With any luck at all, we’ll reach the Southern Temple the night before the attack.” She explained. “The navy is in for a surprise. They won’t get away with this, now go, and get back here as fast as you can.” Kuzon nodded and set off back in the direction he’d come from. While Kuzon was gone, Hotaru made her own preparations, putting on a fire-proof, dragonhide bodysuit under her black yukata and fingering her thick, black, elbow-length hair into a thick braid, making two smaller braids out of the shorter sections on each side, and slipping her sword through her belt. By the time he returned, Hotaru was waiting in the back garden, standing beside a dark gray dragon with flecks of red, a gift from her fire bending master. Kuzon had only ever had one run-in with dragons before, and ultimately, it hadn’t gone that well. He stood there in armor with shoulder spikes shaped like dragon teeth, and still, it took all his resolve to not show fear as he approached the beast. “Um, Hotaru, do we have to take Taiyo?” He asked tentatively. Hotaru nodded. “Don’t be a baby. This is the fastest way, even faster than a sky bison. Besides, as long as you’re not a poacher and you don’t mean me, or any of the people Taiyo knows I care about any harm, he won’t hurt you. Hurry up. It’s nearly sunrise. We’ve got a long flight ahead of us.” “If you say so,” Kuzon replied, climbing into the dragon’s saddle behind Hotaru. “Alright Taiyo, time to go,” Hotaru said a second later. Immediately, the dragon spread his massive wings and pushed off the ground into the sky. They were off.

The first time the importance of the White Lotus is hinted to viewers of Avatar: The Last Airbender is in Book 1, Episode 9: “The Waterbending Scroll”. True the subtlety that the series did so well, this foreshadowing has nothing to do with the current activities of our main heroes and takes place as part of, what appears to be, a rather silly B-plot involving season 1’s primary antagonists. Iroh, the now-retired Fire Nation general and Prince Zuko’s uncle, who can be impractical at times, but who is actually a very wise man, orders their ship to switch directions, taking himself, and his nephew Zuko, off the trail of their ultimate goal of capturing the Avatar. Why? Because he has misplaced his White Lotus Tile and his very anxious to replace it; so much so that when Zuko asks him if their change in course has anything to do with finding the Avatar, Iroh replies that replacing his missing Pai Sho tile is “even more urgent”. Why would a man like Iroh waste his time taking a detour for something so seemingly small during an important mission? Well, because, to him, it is that important. However, it is only in Book 2 episode 11: “The Desert” that we find out why, when Iroh uses the white lotus tile and the particular Pai Sho strategy that uses it, to identify himself as a member of a secret society we later find out is known as The Order of the White Lotus; which is described as an ancient group that transcends the divisions of the four nations and values philosophy, beauty, and truth. (Book 3, Episode 19: The Old Masters) Known Members of the Order of the White Lotus and how we know: Pakku - participates in liberating Ba Sing Se King Bumi - participates in liberating Ba Sing Se Piandao - gives Sokka a White Lotus tile Iroh - seeks out fellow members of the order for help JeongJeong - participates in liberating Ba Sing Se Gyatso (formerly, deceased) - is seen using the White Lotus pai sho strategy when playing with Aang in a flashback in Book 1 Episode 12: The Storm The Order of the White Lotus remains a mysterious organization throughout the show. We instinctively trust the Order of the White Lotus more and more as time goes on, as the show establishes a pattern of the most trustworthy adult characters in the show being associated with it, not much about their origins or history is revealed to the viewer, but perhaps, real-world history can provide some insight. A similar, real-life organization known as The White Lotus Society or “Bai Lian Jiao” in Chinese, was founded in the mid-12 century in China. It was originally a Buddhist sect which believed in and rigorously practiced the 5 precepts of discipline, a basic, but important code of ethics for Buddhist laity down to the modern era, especially those of the Mahāyāna tradition. They are: To refrain from killing other living beings To refrain from stealing To refrain from sexual misconduct To refrain from lying and intoxication As a religious organization, the White Lotus Society believed that the Buddha would descend from heaven as a messianic figure and save humanity. They also believed that they could bring about that event, by putting an end to Mongol rule in China. It was out of this belief, that the Red Turbans, the Society’s military arm was born. The Red Turbans were the main force behind the aptly named, “Red Turban Rebellion” which took place from 1351-1368 AD and did, in fact, succeed in bringing an end to the Mongols’ rule over China, thus ushering in the Ming Dynasty. Here’s where the parallels between the historical White Lotus Society and the fictional Order of the White Lotus go from interesting to downright spooky for Avatar fans. The Red Turban Rebellion was led by Zhu Yuanzhang, who began as a peasant who was taken in by Buddhist Monks, who were members of the White Lotus Society, after his family was left destitute by the death of his father, after all, at least the monastery provided him with food and shelter. After leading the Red Turbans and seizing control of Nanjing, he declared himself the new Emperor and spent the remainder of his life working to re-establish native Chinese culture while also allowing the economy and the arts to progress and flourish. This mirrors both Aang and Zuko’s actions both during and after the series. Aang, like Yanzhang, was raised by monks (at least of whom was likely a member of the Order of the White Lotus) and was the one who actually defeated Ozai. After Ozai’s defeat, Zuko ascends to the throne and spends a lot of time during his reign trying to restore what the Fire Nation was like before his great-grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, turned it into the cruel and militaristic empire it became, while also trying to restore the Fire Nation’s relationship with the other nations. I began my research into the White Lotus Society expecting to find a small and mostly inconsequential tidbit, instead, I found an incredible wealth of historical parallels to the world, characters, and plot of Avatar the Last Airbender. I don’t know for sure if these parallels were purposeful, or if Mike and Bryan knew about this when they were developing Avatar The Last Airbender, but there are enough parallels here to make me suspect the White Lotus Society, at the very least, was the inspiration for The Order of the White Lotus. What do you guys think?

I've been an Avatar fan from the very beginning. I remember seeing Book 1 Chapters 1 & 2 the Saturday after they premiered on Nickelodeon when I was 11 years old, and I've loved it ever since. It fed into my growing interests in history, Asian cultures, and storytelling; but on a more personal note, it came into my life at a time when I really needed it. I wasn't in the best place emotionally at that point in my life. A year and a half before Avatar came out, a very close friend of mine had passed away and in a lot of ways, I was still coming to grips with that. Avatar provided a much-needed distraction, something I could look forward to week to week that was fun. I fell in love with the world and even more its characters almost immediately and I wanted to see what would happen next. Aang has always been one of my favorite characters and that's probably because, especially in book 1, his fun-loving, can-do attitude, selflessness, and just overall love of life, despite the fact that he'd already been through a lot, reminded me of the friend I had lost, and that helped me remember all the fun we had without thinking about how it all ended. Watching Avatar became almost healing for me because it gave me something to look forward to while also helping me remember the good parts of the past without having to think about times I wished I could forget. What about you? HOw has Avatar touched your life? To you relate to any of the characters more than others? Do any of them remind you of anyone you know?

We had returned home to Air Temple Island just a few days ago when Dad called me into his office. I followed him in and after shutting the door behind us, he took a seat in his chair, there was something about the way he was looking at me, something I couldn’t quite place. “What is it, Dad?” I asked. “Jinora, I’ve thought a lot about what you asked me and how you handled yourself during our recent battle with the Red Lotus. I’ve come to a decision. I’ve decided, that you’re ready to receive your tattoos.” “Dad, you really mean it?” I asked. “It’s hard to believe that my little girl is ready for her tattoos, but yes Jinora. After the way you led the rest of the airbenders in taking down Zaheer and getting Korra to safety, you’ve more than proven yourself.” He replied. He looked at me in a way he never had before, I’d seen him affectionate, I’d seen him angry, exasperated, annoyed, but this was something new. He looked at me with, respect… like I was, in some way, his equal. I smiled. “we’ll hold the ceremony in five days. We’ll gather the other airbenders, the rest of our family, everyone, in the temple. I’ll give you your tattoos in the morning, then that afternoon, we’ll present the newest airbending master.” Dad explained. It took all of my self-restraint not to jump into the air out of sheer excitement as I walked out of Dad’s office. Finally! Everything I’d spent my whole life training for and working towards, it was all about to pay off! *** The next five days felt like an eternity. I just wanted to get my tattoos already! It felt like everything slowed down. I ate, I helped Dad train the new airbenders, I trained, I meditated, just like normal, except all those things felt more like stuff that was standing between me and that ceremony. Eventually, though, the week did pass, and the night before, I stayed up reading a book about the hundred-year war because I was too excited to sleep. Late that night, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. “Come in,” I said, not bothering to look up to see who it was. “Jinora?” asked a familiar voice. I looked up to see GranGran standing in front of me with her hands behind her back. “GranGran! You came!” I exclaimed, jumping over and wrapping my arms around her. “Of course Dear, I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” She replied. “I brought you something.” “What is it?” I asked. “Here, see for yourself,” she said, handing me a little locked chest. GranGran was eyeing me with a look that told me this wasn’t just any gift. I could feel the weight of it in my hands, it was heavier than I expected. “What’s inside?” I asked. “Honestly, I don’t know,” she said. It was obvious she was really happy for me but at the same time, there was a strange sadness to the way she looked at the chest. It made me wonder, but before I could ask her about it, she explained as though she’d heard my thoughts. “I’ve never opened it. It’s not really from me. It’s from your grandfather.” “Grandpa Aang left this for me?” I asked. “Yes, even though he passed away before you were born, he knew that there would be a new generation of airbenders eventually. When it began to appear that he wouldn’t live long enough to welcome you into this world, or, to see this day come, he put certain things into that chest and locked it. He gave it to me for safekeeping and told me to give it to you when you received your tattoos,” she explained. “You’ll find the key to the chest in a little sleeve on the bottom.” I sat down on my bed and stared at the chest for a few minutes, barely noticing the tears streaming down my cheeks. “I’ve always wished Grandpa was still around. There are a ton of things I’d ask him if I could. It seems strange considering I never actually met him but, I miss him.” I admitted. “I know Sweetheart.” She said, spreading her arms out, inviting me to come to her. I set the chest on the bed and walked over to her, letting her wrap me in a warm embrace, still crying, when I looked up, she was crying too. “I miss him too. He wanted so much to be here when you and your brothers and sister came along, and make no mistake, if he could see you now, he would be very proud.” “Thank you GranGran,” I replied. “Your welcome Jinora. Goodnight my dear, I’ll see you tomorrow at the ceremony. I can’t wait.” I gave her one more hug before she left. “Goodnight GranGran, see you tomorrow,” I said. She left the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as she left, I sat back down on my bed, took the key from the underside of the chest, and opened it. There were several things inside, on top was a scroll rolled up and tied with a cord made of braided fishing line. I carefully pushed the chord off and unrolled the scroll to reveal a letter that looked like it was written in what I had to assume was Grandpa’s own hand, excited, I started to read: If you’re reading this, then the day has finally come. You’re about to reach one of the most important milestones in a young airbender’s life. Congratulations! I had hoped to be there with you to give you the contents of this box myself, but if you’re reading this letter, then I must not be. I prepared this gift for you not long after Tenzin, your father, and his wife Pema, your mother, were married since I knew then that they would give rise to the next generation of airbenders. The first item you will find inside is a bison whistle. I peered down at the chest in my lap and I saw it, a little wooden bison whistle on a string. It looked very, very old. I picked it up and turned it over between my fingers, examining it closely, then put it down on my bedside table and kept reading... It may not seem like much, but don’t underestimate its value! That whistle has saved my life and the lives of my friends, more times than I can count, ever since the day I found it by chance in an Earth Kingdom marketplace when your grandmother, your great-uncle Sokka, and I were on our way to the North Pole. The next item is an amulet. It looks like a very large necklace with wooden beads, four beaded tassels, two on each side, and a big wooden circle with wind spirals carved into it. This was another item I came across in my travels, and unfortunately, it is one of very few genuine Air Nomad artifacts I have to give you. In finding this amulet, I learned the hard way that in the early years of the war, Fire Nation soldiers stole many such objects from the original four temples and used them to lure the survivors into traps. Despite this, it is still precious to me, and I am very grateful that I have it to pass on to you. Be careful, it was over a hundred years old by the time I got it!' I found the amulet and carefully lifted it up for a closer look. The tassels were a little ragged-looking, but it was still beautiful and it was amazing and humbling to hold something that had once belonged to my pre-war, airbending ancestors. I set it down next to the bison whistle and read the end of Grandpa’s letter. The third and final gift I have for you is a journal. Inside you will find everything I can remember about what life was like as an Airbender before the war, as well as everything I learned and experienced in my travels. This will take some time to read, I tried to include everything I possibly could. This way, even though I’m not there, I can still teach you all that I can. Understand this, I left this chest and its contents for you because I love you. Even though you do not yet exist as I write this, I love you. Even if you can’t see me, I am there, because we are part of each other, connected by blood and by the gift we share. I’m not sure how, but I would like to think that I would know, even in the Spirit World, that this day has come, and I am so proud of you. Love, Grandpa As I read the last part of his letter, I started to cry. This was it. It was everything I could’ve asked for and more, to read his letter, to have his journal, to hear him, even if it was only in my mind, speaking directly to me. I always wanted it, but I never knew how much until I had it.