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Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
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@vatabender
independent writing blog for AANG, THE LAST AIRBENDER. inscribed by MOONY.
A STUDY IN: the aftermath of total genocide, survivor's guilt, being the last surviving member of an indigenous group/culture, hope against impossible odds, altruism, remaining true to one's faith and culture, spirituality, animism, pacifism, elements of tibetan buddhism, interconnectedness, nonduality, non-western thought systems, etc.
“True self is without form.”
— Zenyatta, Overwatch
He’s calm but not weak.
Form is temporary. The spirit is eternal.
----- ZENYATTA
Elsa stepped from the treeline, and the morning mist curled around her skirts as she followed the familiar trail of warmth that always seemed to lead straight to trouble where Bruni was concerned. And, as expected, there they were. The little fire spirit sat happily in the clearing with a bright red bun clutched between tiny paws as magenta flames lazily licked along their back in clear contentment. Her gaze shifted from Bruni to the young monk beside him, taking in the glider staff, the orange and yellow robes, and the easy calm he carried with him. There was something peaceful and strangely familiar about him.
Bruni gave a pleased chirrup and took another bite of the bun, and Elsa sighed, though the fondness in it was impossible to miss. “Of course,” she murmured, already knowing exactly how this had happened.
She crossed the last few steps into the clearing and crouched, carefully scooping Bruni up into her hands along with their prize. They made no protest whatsoever; far too occupied with their snack, as another pleasing flicker of flame danced over their spine. “I’m sorry,” Elsa said, glancing up at Aang with a small, apologetic smile. “They have a habit of deciding that if someone has food, they’ve obviously brought it for them. I promise they’re usually better behaved than this,” her eyes dropped to Bruni taking another determined bite. “Actually, no—that would be a lie.” The corner of her mouth lifted slightly. “I’m Elsa. And thank you for humoring them.”
She straightened then, Bruni settled comfortably in her hands, still happily working through their stolen treasure. “You look like you’ve been traveling for quite some time,” she said, her voice gentler now. “The Northuldra village isn’t far from here, and visitors are rare enough that no one would mind one more.” A faint smile touched her lips. “If you’d like, you’re welcome to come with me. At the very least, I can offer you something to eat that Bruni hasn’t already claimed for themself.”
the sorceress's presence was a cool bloom that spread throughout the vale. aang is almost surprised by it, as it radiated from elsa's person. a powerful spirit. a sacred sage. it almost feels like familiarity, as their eyes meet, cloudy grey eyes struck by her piercing blue ones.
aang looked away, at bruni, and then back at her, smiling amicably. "it's alright! sounds like a lot like my friend, momo. he's a flying lemur. i'm used to it." he reached into his satchel, prepared to offer bruni another treat, another firecracker bun to sate their hunger.
aang radiated kindness. peace. a permeable light that matched her own. he wondered if she could sense it, too, this great kinship between them, this swirling energy that encompassed all the elements of the earth.
"i have some arctic hen, too, if they prefer meat. i'm partial to the puffin-duck myself, but those went extinct about a hundred years ago," he grins, sheepishly, but his honesty is true. true to him. true to his very soul. he feels like a child, again, staring at something wondrous.
"are you a spirit? i mean. i don't mean to be rude. i know how the spirit world can be tricky with the rules over there. but, well, you seem... familiar. in a funny way."
in aang's way. his eyes. his worldview. his heart.
@vatabender
It was Appa that sensed the change first. Something that slithered through the ground like a swarm of angry serpents, digging deep into his marrow and filling him with a strange unease. He paused from where he was grazing, nostrils flaring in agitation. The sky bison’s tail raised up high and then slammed down into the earth—an act of intimidation.
Momo chattered, clinging to one of Appa’s horns as he attempted to get a higher vantage point. To scout out what possible threat could be coming. The skies seemed to darken, as if a great storm was about to roll in upon them. The air felt colder, the flying lemur hugging himself and rubbing at his arms to keep warm.
The grass around them wilted in a perfect circle. Life dying in the dark.
“Welllll…” A low voice slurred from around them, a million mouths speaking from the shadows in every direction. “I was waiting for the chance to have a conversation with you, oh dearest Avatar.”
A low chuckle.
“I’ve been waiting to see what shape my twin would take next.”
he senses vaatu's presence before he sees it. aang's worry feels tangible, as he notices appa and momo's reactions. the verdant fields of sky bison scatter, taking to the air, as if knowing that something was inherently wrong. darker. aang watches the scene, as it happens; he remains steadfast, his heart full with courage.
"whoa, buddy. it's okay. nothing's gonna hurt us," he consoles appa, hands scratching appa's furry cheeks.
the sky darkens. the air feels colder against his skin. aang is wary, but not unkind. he feels the stirring of his past lives, the familiarity of vaatu's energy. a brother. a partner. an opponent. raava is with aang, now, an abstract energy that breathes life into every avatar.
"you must be vaatu. from the old stories." to aang's credit, he seems curious.
aang stands in front of appa, protective. the urge to take on an air-bending fighting stance is present in his body. but he is not afraid.
"what are you doing here?"
Four wings spread wide, the star like patterns on the dark membranes glittering with an ethereal aura. The one who is two regards him curiously, cocking their head to one side. "You bend the winds, yes?"
aang sits comfortably atop a rock that rises up from the earth like a spire. the winds are stronger, here. but he remains perfectly still, eyes closed, knuckles pressed together in meditation.
he feels his spirit detach. becoming one with the spirit world. he feels the four wings in the wind, the star-like patterns shimmering against them.
"i do," aang replies, serene, practiced. the energy of @zodiacgcds reminds him of the dragons he had danced and bent fire with, all those years ago.
"my name is aang. what's yours?"
we'll meet again don't know where, don't know when
guru laghima was inspired by the real-world hindu belief of laghima, one of the eight major siddhis (spiritual or paranormal abilities) of a spiritually advanced person in some traditions of hinduism. laghima, a sanskrit word meaning “absence of weight,” is the power to make the physical body so light that it is almost weightless and, some believe, could float in the air or levitate. from the official canon trivia: in yoga, "laghima" is a supernatural power attained through a spiritual practice known as a siddhi. It specifically deals with becoming almost weightless. laghima is described in the Vibhuti Pada of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. this is why guru laghima is particularly famous for becoming weightless, achieving the air-bending technique of flight, spending the last forty years of his life never touching the ground. in some ways, he is a personification of the concept of laghima.
avatar yangchen called laghima the air nomads' "most legendary guru" and according to zaheer, he was the wisest airbender who ever lived.
zaheer was one of the most enlightened human beings in air-bending history; this would not have been possible without the teachings and techniques of guru laghima.
but it was avatar sonam's spirit that drove zaheer to seek a radical sense of balance, and bring a great change upon the world. some would think this is contradictory, but it was sonam's creation of the mystical staff of spirit-bending that ultimately reflects her desire for radical, global change; she chose to create a peacekeeping "army" of air-benders to preserve the harmony between the four nations, as it was her duty as an avatar and one of the most powerful air-benders in history.
the air nomad gurus and avatars of history are a part of aang, he believes. the avatar state, and his ability to communicate with his past lives, is not exclusive to his past lives; he feels the lives of the air nomads, his people, their culture, their spirituality, their metaphysical philosophies. they live in his heart. in his blood. in his spirit.
i think a part of aang would have considered zaheer a true air-bender in spirit, if he ever met him; that the circumstances of zaheer's anarchy and radicalism was not unusual for air nomads, although air nomads typically approached it with gentility and patience.
known writings and sayings of guru laghima:
instinct is a lie, told by a fearful body, hoping to be wrong.
Let go your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty and become wind.
New growth cannot exist without first the destruction of the old.
But what is wisdom? Is it poems written on a page? Is it actions done in my name? Is it words spoken on the wind? Wisdom is formless, for only the wind remains when all else is gone.
Himalaya
Tholing Monastery, Tibet. 2023. Steve Lee.
aang
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
-Dalai Lama
