we set our sails against the wind.

“I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me!” I'm the tide, we both know I can't stay, but nothing short of the moon is gonna roll me away.

[quincy-archer]

Nightlife

[hellohightides]

Katara wondered if she would ever get used to the peculiarities of the city. There was rarely stillness here- the city woke up in the morning and likewise came alive at night. Where, in her village, the night was quiet and tranquil, in Bunkyo all sorts of characters came out at night. It was interesting to her to see the lights of the city mirror the nighttime sky. Katara had been warned often enough to understand that there were some shady people she ought to watch out for, especially when the moon was high, but she had never been one to allow her actions to be influenced by fear. Besides, she had always felt a special connection with the moon, the mistress of the tides, and she was more than capable of fending for herself. 

The dark presented a certain sort of limbo in time. It was easy to ignore the hour when you didn’t have the lengthening shadows to remind you the day was slipping away. It was relaxing for her, as someone with a busy schedule, to take a while to forget about her obligations and just enjoy the cool air and the full, bright sky. 

There was a nice breeze out tonight, less bone-chilling than it had been most of the winter. Coming from the South Pole, anything above freezing felt like shorts weather to her, so she was rather lightly dressed for midwinter. Katara turned her head to see a stranger looking back at her- tall, spectacled, dark-haired. 

     ❝ You have been staring at the sky for some time…  ❞

“Oh…Yeah. I guess I just got distracted. It really is a beautiful night, isn’t it? I wish the city lights didn’t wash the sky out like this, though…” She walked towards him and offered her hand. “I’m Katara. Nice to meet you. I just moved here recently.”

[quincy-archer]

 Upon closer inspection the figure was a female close to himself in age. Older, if his assumption was correct, and slightly darker and shorter than him. She greeted him, hand extended, with a warm smile. It was only polite to respond with the same. He accepted her hand and quickly cleared his throat for an introduction.

     ❝ Uryū Ishida. I have recently moved here as well. I am still quite unfamiliar with the town. ❞

 After releasing her hand he reached the adjust his glasses while his head turned to examine the stars above. The sky was, as she said, beautiful. The same beautiful sky that hung over Karakura town. That was what he suspected at least; the boy had never taken much time to appreciate the night sky. It appeared the same. Lacking the opportunities to live elsewhere  left him unfamiliar with a night sky undisturbed by city lights. His next words were uttered unconsciously.

     ❝ I would like to see the sky without city lights sometime… ❞ Attempting to not become lost in the scenery above his attention became focused back onto the girl. By the wording of her sentence an assumption was made as to her previous living location. ❝ Have you lived in the city before? Or perhaps somewhere where you can see the sky better? ❞

[hellohightides]

Katara squeezed his hand gently, smiling pleasantly up at the tall figure before her. His eyes in this dim lighting looked black, but (besides being nearly sure that this was an impossibility- she had come to realize you could never be completely sure about anything in the city) she could see a dark shine of blue in the soft flush of moonlight. 

Despite herself, Katara had yet to become calloused to the people of the city; she wasn't suspicious of every person who passed her by, she didn't cross the street when she saw an unfamiliar figure coming towards her. She thought it was a little silly, the way some people here lived their lives in fear of other people- but, then, she had a viable mechanism of defense slung over her shoulder in a leather water pouch. Her expression was soft and she was almost naïve in her trust of others. 

❝ Have you lived in the city before? Or perhaps somewhere where you can see the sky better? ❞

Katara nodded. Her eyes seemed brighter as she remembered her place of origin. "Yeah, actually. I was born and raised in the South Pole. No lights for thousands of miles around. The sky looks like a painting from there. I don't know that there's anywhere in Japan where you can find that type of view. What about you? Where did you move from?"

[hellohightides]

ooc:// hey, sorry I've been inactive-- I've been caught up in work, but I'll get my responses done tomorrow. ^^

[hellohightides]

Making Waves - Katara & Daiki

Katara moved gracefully, twisting and moving her hands in well-practiced forms, the water following her hands. She felt it, just out of reach but under her attentive control. She ran and pretended to attack invisible antagonists, water gushing forward. She caught it again before it hit the ground, twirling along and redirecting the flow to hit another nonexistent enemy. 

Katara took a hard stance, her breath already coming with some difficulty. The air here wasn’t as thin as where she was from, but during the winter it still had a bite to it. She moved her hands to her sides and slowly forward, controlling the motion, imagining the push and pull of the tide. The water of the lake swayed in accordance with her sinuous movements, coming high up on the shore of the lake before retreating once more. She pulled water from the lake with a careful motion of her hand, balling it up and watching the water ripple as the gentle breeze passed over it. She moved the water more gently now, artfully rather than defensively, making the water shine in the sunlight like a show. 

She turned her head, noticing a stranger watching her out of her peripheral vision. 

“Can I help you?”

[blindbadgermole]

See No Evil [WWII AU] || Katara & Toph

This isn’t happening. 

This can’t be happening.

How could they do this!? What had the world come to, that a whole people would live in fear of the day they would be wiped out simply for existing!?

"Where are they taking us!?"

"What have we done wrong? Why must we be punished like this!?"

A hollow voice beside her asked if she could see anything from the window where she stood, and even as Toph’s blind, unblinking gaze stared past him and everything else and she heard people mutter about how  the view was wasted on a blind girl, she -for once- kept a remark to herself.

There were no words or jokes to be made that would lighten this oppressive mood, this tension so thick it could be cut with a knife. What use was there picking a fight when this could very well be the last few hours of her life?

She turned back to the wall, hunching her shoulders tighter into herself and listening to the air whistle through the window she was lucky enough to find in her cramped little corner of the cattle car. She couldn’t sit, and even though it was gearing up to be a cool night, she was still sweating from being packed into such a tight space with so many people.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you!?"

"Someone, anyone, Bend us out of here!"

"It’s all wood and metal! We can’t get out!"

It seemed that, after all these months, the sword of Damocles, with its ominous shadow hanging over all of Europe, had finally fallen. People had been disappearing left and right in her neighborhood for weeks, but she had naively hoped her family’s previous status might, in a way, keep them safe from such a fate.

She bit her lip and blinked rapidly to quell the tears that pricked at her eyes. Her parents were long gone by now, taken weeks before she had been snatched off the street on her way home from school. It had only been through the kindness of her neighbors that she had had a roof over her head and food in her belly after her parents’ disappearance…but even then, she could not hide from the soldiers.

It really shouldn’t have surprised her as much as it did when they came for her: though she was Asian on her father’s side of the family, she was ethnically Jewish on her mother’s side, a capital sin in occupied Poland.

Being an Earthbender didn’t help either.

The roar of the rails was drowned out by the cries and moans of the others there with her, packed inside the stuffy freight car like cattle being shipped for the slaughter.

"Lord have mercy on us!"

"Shut up! You’re not the only one who’s afraid!"

"…ba’agala uviz’man kariv v’im’ru…”

Someone was reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish, the prayer for the dead. Toph had never been to a synagogue, but even she knew what mourning sounded like.

Toph covered her ears with her hands, trying to drive their pain out of her head. She didn’t need this, not now.

It seemed almost too easy to give in to despair, but she wouldn’t give them that. They would not have the satisfaction of breaking her.

She ground her teeth and fire burned in her white eyes. They had taken away everything, her home, her loved ones, and most probably soon: her life, but they would not crush her spirit.

She was an Earthbender, dammit! She would not bend, would not cower before this. She would stand firm and strong. 

She would survive this. 

[hellohightides]

It seemed these days that the world was conspiring against this town. First, winter had come, stripping Jedlina of its greenery, leaving behind a freezing grey wasteland. Though this was to be expected, the winter here seemed heavy and never-ending. While people had accepted the dim reality that winter would come, they no longer seemed to believe that spring would renew them once again. It seemed unthinkable that there was more beyond today’s pain. 

The streets for weeks now had been eerily silent. Where they had once been filled with the sounds children playing, neighbors chatting loudly, and merchants peddling their goods, they now were only occasionally occupied by the harsh sounds of marching soldiers. Even those with nothing to hide never spoke above a whisper. In this regime, anyone could be next. Not everyone was willing to acknowledge that fact, but Katara had seen it, and she knew none of them were safe under Hitler’s oligarchy. 

Katara refused to live her life in fear. She refused to be silenced. She would keep her mouth shut for now, yes, because it served her purposes, but she wouldn’t let Gestapo keep her from doing anything she knew was right. She had a plan- she had a purpose. She had the ability to help, in her current position, blessed as she was, and she was going to do her damndest. They would come for her, she knew, but she wouldn’t sit back and wait for them. No. She was going to get out. 

Bending was illegal in their New Germany- the Germany that now included her home, Poland. Predictably, Katara ignored this rule completely. She had to be prepared for when the day came and she needed to take a stand. She would know how to protect herself when they came for her, and she wasn’t about to let them herd her into one of their ghettoes like cattle. Not her. 

There was a camp not too far from Jedlina, and there where ghettoes nearby, too, because of it, holding those who would soon be forced into slavery. Katara had heard enough about what went on in those camps to know it was nowhere you would want to end up. She watched the trains chug past a few times a day, filled with moaning gypsies and starving jews. She clenched her fists and promised that she wouldn’t be helpless. She promised that someday soon, she would do something. 

[one-hundred-percent-zutara]

ZW - Voices by svyre

[hellohightides]

tea ask!

earl grey: how do you take your tea?

lady grey: favorite outfit?

irish breakfast: what country do you want to visit?

chamomile: comfort movie?

peppermint: what's your favorite holiday and why?

milk: do you have any allergies?

sugar: tell me about your first crush

honey: type out the last text you sent

green tea: where do you feel most at peace?

bubble tea: what ride would you pick at an amusement park?

mug: when/where do you normally drink tea?

chai: what do you order at starbucks?

oolong: what are you hoping to be doing in ten years?

[quincy-archer]

Nightlife -x- Open

 The streets of Bunkyo were silent and dark as the sun had long past set leaving the city to rest and prepare for the next day ahead. Most shops that normally were busy serving enthusiastic customer after customer were now dark and still. Windows lacked light, doors remained locked, and the occasional passerby made their way to their own homes. One figure, however, did not remain on a path to any  set destination and lingered the desolate streets alone. 

 Uryū’s eyes flickered from structure to structure and rested on other figures momentarily before continuing their scan of the city. It had been the first time the boy had done any exploring of the city since he had arrived. He had become occupied with moving into his dorm and organizing the room, that lacked any kind of roommate, for himself. Studying the school’s curriculum and a map he came across of the city had taken up much of his time as well. After studying the city he felt confident enough on his own to analyze the town for himself.

 The Quincy noted that exploring the town during the day would have a different atmosphere altogether, but he needed a peaceful walk on his own. This routine was common for him back in Karakura Town; roaming the dark streets alone. Back then he searched for Hollows on his night trips, he hoped that problem was long behind him within this town. 

 For a good stretch of the journey the scenery remained the same while the other passing shadows ignored him completely. There was one person that caught the boy’s attention. Uryū now stood at the edge of a park that he had passed previously. A single person stood in the center of the park and, from what he could tell, had been staring at the sky for some time now. With a flick of his falling frames he made an attempt to approach the stranger in question. As he grew closer and unsure of how to begin he made a simple statement.

     ❝ You have been staring at the sky for some time…  ❞

[hellohightides]

Katara wondered if she would ever get used to the peculiarities of the city. There was rarely stillness here- the city woke up in the morning and likewise came alive at night. Where, in her village, the night was quiet and tranquil, in Bunkyo all sorts of characters came out at night. It was interesting to her to see the lights of the city mirror the nighttime sky. Katara had been warned often enough to understand that there were some shady people she ought to watch out for, especially when the moon was high, but she had never been one to allow her actions to be influenced by fear. Besides, she had always felt a special connection with the moon, the mistress of the tides, and she was more than capable of fending for herself. 

The dark presented a certain sort of limbo in time. It was easy to ignore the hour when you didn’t have the lengthening shadows to remind you the day was slipping away. It was relaxing for her, as someone with a busy schedule, to take a while to forget about her obligations and just enjoy the cool air and the full, bright sky. 

There was a nice breeze out tonight, less bone-chilling than it had been most of the winter. Coming from the South Pole, anything above freezing felt like shorts weather to her, so she was rather lightly dressed for midwinter. Katara turned her head to see a stranger looking back at her- tall, spectacled, dark-haired. 

     ❝ You have been staring at the sky for some time…  ❞

“Oh...Yeah. I guess I just got distracted. It really is a beautiful night, isn’t it? I wish the city lights didn’t wash the sky out like this, though...” She walked towards him and offered her hand. “I’m Katara. Nice to meet you. I just moved here recently.”

[pandalillyrose]

ZWDay7 :.Spark.: - Pandalillyrose

[thelocketsholder-deactivated201]

Unchanging blue

[hellohightides]

Katara faltered, wondering if she should bother to pick up the flowers. It did seem rude to leave them there- but did it technically count as littering if it was organic matter? They were still pretty even if they were a little crushed now…

"It wasn’t your fault… I-I.. didn’t notice you…” 

"Oh, no, don’t worry about it- I wasn’t paying attention either," she said, gesticulating wildly. Katara regarded him, now, making note of his oddly colored eyes that contrasted pleasantly against his dark hair. He wasn’t bad looking, that was for sure…

With a face like that, he probably has all the girls chasing after him, she mused. It wasn’t so much that she was interested in him in any particular way; it was more of an observation. She had never really dated anyone formally before. It had never been a priority of hers, nor was it taking precedence now. She had so many other things to worry about- grades, money, getting lost, running into strangers…

"Uh, sorry. I’m not usually this absent-minded, I just get this way sometimes before the weekend. I guess I’m not used to relaxing." She laughed a little bit. 

“Please don’t worry. I have money to buy more. It’s not your fault.”

"Oh…okay." She sighed inwardly with relief and knelt down to help him pick up the rest of the flowers. 

"These are nice. Were they…for someone special?" 

[thelocketsholder-deactivated201]

   Soon, not the slightest trace of sepals remained lain on the pavement. A soaked, whitered paper cone now hoarded a pile of ruined flowers, gathered by the pair of teenagers with the ultimate caution despite their evident uselessness. What a kind person, Raku thought, contrasting the current scene with an hypotetical one involving a certain blonde gorilla instead. There were actual nice people in the world, people he would actually date, people like… Onodera. The mere memory of her name transported the boy to a different universe and lose all connections to reality; at least until the girl spoke again.

   ”A-Ah?” He looked up at her, their gazes met, which gave him a clearer sight of the light blue in her eyes. Just like those he was forced to look into. “Excuse m—” His curiosity would not be satisfied due to the interruption her following question supposed.

"These are nice. Were they… for someone special?

   ”Hell no!” he said in a mood tinged with an air of detestation. “I-I mean…” Promptly realizing his mistake, words began to incoherently flow out his mouth, losing his former composure. “Ah… I-I.. no, well. I’m sorry, I meant yes, these were for my girlfriend, so yeah… I guess she could be considered a special person, right?” Special… that could be interpreted in so many ways. To some, every person is special and, to be fair, Chitoge was one as well… a special girl who suddenly and unexpectedly joined his life a year ago and stay by his side against their will. If that was not something special, an unorthodox relationship, he did not know what was.

   ”A very special person, I would say…” he reassured awkwardly. “Thanks for helping me picking them up. I will get a new bouquet at once. So please wait here, I’ll be back in a second.” That being said, he turned around, walked up to the flower shop and got the same orchids.

   ”Here they are… see? No problem at all.”

[hellohightides]

Well that was...strange, that a boy would so suddenly say that it wasn't someone special only to turn around and say it was his girlfriend. If your girlfriend wasn't special, who was, then? Maybe he was just embarrassed to be affectionate towards someone- which wouldn't really make sense, since he was buying her flowers...maybe it just embarrassed him to say it in front of someone else. That must be it. She wouldn't really know, seeing how she had never dated anyone before. 

"So how did you meet your girlfriend?" she asked upon his return. It then occurred to her that not only had she probably made him late by bumping into him and making him pick up the petals of the first bouquet, but now she was forcing him to chit-chat with her. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, you probably have somewhere to be, but- we're walking the same way," she observed. "Do you want to walk together?" 

[hellohightides]

goodnight all

i'll finish my zutara drabbles tomorrow maybe urg it'll be under that cut i posted before okay

[hellohightides]

blindbadgermole replied to your post:Nightmare.

don’t hug me i’m scared! XD

[hellohightides]

blindbadgermole replied to your post:.

T^T aw that BITES

i wrOTE A WHOLE SAD THING FOR THE DEATH ONE AND NOW IT'S GONE!!! QQ

[hellohightides]

Nightmare.

Raku turned to her from where he was seated in class and smiled. “Hey, Katara,” he whispered. “Wanna see what I keep in my locket?”

Katara glanced at the teacher. She wasn’t one usually to talk during class- she hated getting distracted and missing parts of the lesson- but she had been wondering for months what Raku kept in that goddamned thing! She nodded. 

Raku dug a key out of his pocket and carefully unclasped the necklace, handing the charm and the key over to her. 

"Careful, now." He had a dark look in his eyes and smiled forebodingly. Katara’s hands quivered a bit and she got a heavy feeling in her stomach. She guided the key into the hole in the pendant and turned the lock once, and again, before she heard it click. 

She shifted the locket onto its side and slowly opened it, expecting a picture or a lock of hair- but instead a thick, black liquid began to leak out, just as a trickle at first, but then more profusely, pouring into her lap and stinging her skin wherever it touched. She began to scream, and Raku opened his mouth to cackle when-

Katara sat up straight in her bunk, panting and sweating. What in the world…?

She made up her mind to never ask Raku what he kept inside his locket- just in case…

[hellohightides]

blindbadgermole replied to your post:Old :")

OH MY GOD **ugly sobbing* (brb curling up in a corner sobbing until they find me a dried up corpse) oh hush Nadine this is perf my feelings are everywhere <3

;u; uguuu <33334

[hellohightides]

Old :")

Katara wiped Toph’s forehead again with a damp cloth, holding Toph’s hand with her unoccupied hand. They had been in this situation a handful of times before, but both parties were aware that they didn’t have the time left they used to. 

Katara remembered being in this place when Toph had been injured in the war. It had taken almost a week for Toph to be delivered to her- of course Toph had stubbornly insisted Katara be the one to care for her- and by then the infection had set into her leg. Any later and there might have been nerve damage. Katara did her best not to pity Toph for her disability, but being down to one foot for sight was the last thing her poor friend needed.

She recalled the night of Lin’s birth, with Toph practically deforming her hand for seven hours, gritting her teeth and screaming “Is that all you’ve got?!” at the bulge in her stomach. Once Lin had fallen asleep the night was cold and eerily still after the rush of events. Katara had smiled down at Toph. “Who would have guessed we would be here today?”

And here Toph sat before her, the two of them the last remaining links of Team Avatar. Toph had accepted death as a challenge like any other, and Katara would, like at all other times, be by her side to help her fight the battles. 

[hellohightides]

Nightmare, Kiss, Home, Holiday, Warmth, Solace, Love, Death, Seduce, Old, Passion, & Child

Nightmare: I’ll write my character having a nightmare about yours, or vice versa.

"Go!" Katara called to Aang. "Go ahead. I’ll handle Zuko myself."

Katara lifted her hands in front of her, keeping her fingers straight and in line. Control. She took a step forward with her left and struck a defensive pose. She was ready for whatever the boy in front of her would try. 

Across from her, Zuko brought his hands around to his front in a strong stance not completely unlike hers, with his palms facing outwards so she could see the tips of his fingers. In her village, the hands were considered almost sacred as a means of creation. In contrast, the hands of a firebender were made for combustion. They were crafted only to destroy. 

Suddenly, Zuko leapt forward, clenching his hands into fists and casting a wave of flames her way. She sprang and rolled against the ground, using her momentum to return to her feet again, barely missing the singe of the heat. She ran towards him, shifting her bag on her shoulder to open her sachet of water, keeping her other hand facing him, ready. 

But when she went to call on the water, the water she could feel, could sense, it would not respond to her. She strained, and again, but the water stayed sloshing in its skin pouch. 

No. No, no, no, this could not be happening- what could have-

Zuko seemed to realize something was wrong by her hesitation. His brow furrowed and he shot more streaks of fire that she scarcely dodged as he approached her. 

Katara resolved to evade him while she thought of a new plan through a mind clouded with distress, when she made her final mistake. She landed roughly with her weight on one foot, shocking her ankle. Her foot slid and she collapsed, turning to face her opponent, panting, shaking. He stepped closer steadily, pulling his fist back and striking forward- the flames shooting out to envelope her as she screamed. The light was the last thing she saw. 

Kiss: I’ll write our characters sharing a kiss, it can be innocent or passionate.

Katara slowly faded into consciousness. She was warm all over, she registered; she could feel the warm rays of sunlight against the bedsheets and she knew she had slept in. She felt a hand on her waist and she smiled and opened her eyes, squinting a little through the light, trying to focus in on her favorite familiar face. 

Zuko’s eyes were already open, regarding her drowsily. He pressed forward to kiss her softly. “Good morning, my love.”

Home: I’ll write our characters living together.

The first couple of months were a headache. Katara wasn’t used to- to palace life- nor was she used to Zuko acting like such a- such an entitled little prince. 

Or entitled little Firelord, she guessed it was now. 

There were multiple occasions upon which Zuko had dragged her out of the kitchen and insistedshe stopped waterbending the dishes clean and let the maids do their jobs. 

"This isn’t even civil! How can you sit back and stomach having people serve you all day long?"

Zuko rubbed his temples. “It’s their job, Katara. The idea is that I have more important things to be doing- and don’t look at me like that. I can better serve my people by doing my job instead of wasting time washing my own dishes.” 

Katara huffed. 

She wasn’t accustomed to any of it- the fine clothing, the thousand thread count sheets, the galas and the courtrooms and long, never-ending halls she was supposed to memorize and call home. She felt lost in this place; she felt she would never have enough memories with which to fill it so that she might be able to call it home. She didn’t know if she would ever get used to being here. 

She knew what she could get used to, though- sleeping next to Zuko every night, waking up to him, eating meals with him and relaxing with him in the garden. Her husband, she was sure of. Her house, not so much. But sometimes, you had to choose your battles. 

Holiday: I’ll write our characters celebrating a holiday together.

"Come on, Zuko, perk up." Katara nudged him with her elbow and handed him a glass. 

"I don’t really like to…drink. I’m just not comfortable at these parties, Katara…" Zuko stared into the creamy yellow-white drink, freckled with nutmeg. 

"A little eggnog won’t kill you. Try to loosen up. It only comes once a year, and it’s good to see your family even if…" she looked at Azula. "Sometimes things can be…complicated. Family’s family." 

"Easy for you to say," he grumbled. "Your family never exiled you and tried to dominate the world."

"It’s behind us now, though. Remember what Iroh said…"

"I know, I know."

"Harness your Christmas spirit."

He rolled his eyes and she pinched him. They were quiet for a moment, watching the royal family mingle with honored guests in the crowded, festively decorated hall. Zuko pulled her away, then, walking down a quiet, dim corridor and pressing her up against the wall. 

"So don’t you want to know what I got you?"

Warmth: I'll write our characters getting warm.

After a long day with Katara's relatives in the South Pole, Katara and Zuko finally got to be alone where they could take a moment just to breath. Katara was astonished by the fact that no matter how long she was gone, she was always just as welcome here, she always felt just as much at home as she did as a child. 

Zuko, on the other hand, had always been sensitive to the cold. He grew up surrounded by warmth and flames. He took hot showers and played with his sister and the other royal children in the sweltering heat. He held the power of combustion in the very molecules that made him. 

He had spent the whole day with his hands shoved deep into his coat, shoulders hunched, tense with cold. It made him look even more antisocial than usual. 

Katara placed a few pieces of wood in the hearth in the middle of the wigwam along with some tinder. She smiled over at him gently. "Got a light?"

He smiled back at her and lit the wood with a wave of his hand, walking over to her. She unbuttoned his coat slowly, kissing his cheek as she did so. He turned his head to kiss her as she helped him shuck his coat. She followed suit, shrugging hers off, and they settled down together on the futon on the ground, covered in furs. She leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her, lacing their fingers together. Only there, in the sanctity of their remoteness, did Zuko allow himself to begin to defrost. 

Solace: I'll write my character comforting yours or vice versa

Love: I'll write our character's falling in love.

Death: I'll write our character's mourning over each other.

Seduce: I'll write my character trying to seduce yours or vice versa

Old: I'll write our characters growing old together

Passion: I'll write our characters having intercourse

Child: I'll write our characters raising a child.

[hellohightides]

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