Nuile the Paracosmic Tulpa

I thought I'd drag this out into the light of day. Short and sweet. I like the way you tied Lhii's simple, subtle scenes into the greater story. However, I think his introduction was lackluster. You might have showed us what he looked like and who he was, but instead you told us this, and that's rarely a good thing. I enjoy BIONICLE romance for the way it reduces love to its purest and simplest terms. The relationship between Jaller and Hahli has always been my favorite. And you wrote their roles to perfection. They were both the characters they are supposed to be, and the story suited them. Now, style. It is, in my opinion, the most important part of a story; it makes it or breaks it. A good style can make up for a bad story, but a good story cannot easily make up for a bad style. Style either enhances a story or ruins it. Moreover, because style is harder to master, good story generally accompanies it. Style, of course, is unique to every writer, but it is an art and it has its precepts all the same. Yours, then. It was short and pointful, which can be a good thing, but sometimes leaves the story feeling a bit lacking. The rule "show, don't tell" is apt here. There are exceptions to it, and you have to decide when it is prudent to tell rather than show, but I didn't see nearly as much showing as I would have liked. I enjoy feeling and living a story, seeing the world conjured by the words as if I was one of the characters; not as if I was looking at a monochrome picture, denotive of the vital facts but not descriptive. I would, however, like to compliment your vocabulary. You did not merely throw around haphazard words, but you chose instead the words that were best suited to your purposes. Still, there were times when your word choices lacked flavor, and other times when they were spiced excessively; by the latter I mean that there were times when you replaced mediocre words with more distinctive ones merely to make it more colorful, which by experience I know is a bad idea. Your choices should be dictated by aptitude alone. A few nitpicks here and there: It wasn't necessary to hyphenate that. Why the period after the ellipsis? That shouldn't be there. It is proper to punctuate a sentence that ends with an ellipsis, but not a sentence that begins with one. And I don't feel that speak is the right word to use here. I suppose, if you want to be technical, it could be used, but it feels out of place. And sometimes writing is more about what feels right than what is technically correct. Another word that doesn't fit right. Maybe you meant cognize? That quotation, continuing into the Jaller chided of the grater sentence, should have ended in a comma. "Fade" means "to disappear gradually"; things fade out, not in. I would recommend appear or materialize. Or it could manifest itself in his mind. "What the Karzahni is a shoe, Jaller?" Overall, well done. Keep writing, Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Congratulations, Fortnightly Flash Fiction Contest winner! As a member of the Ambage, you earned yourself a review from a contest judge. Better late than never. At first I thought this was an allegory. Then I read on and, finding the protagonist almost explicitly refer to it as such, thought it wasn't. Then I read to the end and realized it was indeed, brilliantly and almost satirically executed. But if anything it's an undertone, not even relevant to the story itself, which is contained entirely in the last six paragraphs.Not to say that I think everything before that was unnecessary. Unnecessary, perhaps, to the story itself; but not to the storytelling. You could have just said, "So this guy was running around a simulated maze, not realizing it was such, fighting clones that represented his faults in a ruthless conflict to assert his superiority as the one true and whole version of himself. Then he woke up." But I think we can all agree that the eight paragraphs you used in place of this were far better. You didn't focus on what was valuable to the plot at the expense of what was valuable to the narrative, but you wrote what was worth reading, and even then not without forsaking what was valuable to the plot. Excellently done.I have little to say regarding characters because, effectually, there were none. We have "I," nameless, with no personality or backstory. But he didn't need any of that. He didn't need to be a character, just a person. In a metaphor literalized, he killed himself and became an empty husk.I fervently oppose present tense. I understand that some find it more engaging and are immediately pulled into the story by it, but it has the opposite effect on me. It feels awkward and inelegant; it pushes me away. Allow me to illustrate an example of what I mean: Here's one problem with present tense. Past tense is so conventional that most writers are accustomed to it, and mistakes will happen. I think that precisely that is what made reading this difficult for me; my subconscious was screaming in protest at every verb. If it was a novel I would have put it down, probably before finishing the first chapter--if I ever finished it at all.However, I recognize that there are those who enjoy present tense, and if you call yourself one, so be it.Moreover, I will commend you for sliding gracefully into the tense. It might have been jarring, but instead you started out with what could easily have been a part of a past tense narration. You got the reader reading first, so that by the time the narrating began, they would be knee-deep in present tense before they even realized it. Anything else, and I would have been discouraged and might not have read on at all. Very nicely done.If I have to find something to criticize, it's this: That just didn't feel right. I am an ardent defender of synonymization, and I always approve of rephrasing to make words sound less vulgar and more elegant--but with a prudent sense of proportion. In this case, vulgarity would have been smoother and better suited the narration previously displayed. The simple words tripping him up would have been wholly sufficient.And if that's the worst thing I can say about you, congratulations. This is a fine piece of work here. Keep writing, Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Tutelary Spirit "Gone." This was the first word she uttered as I walked through her door. "Gone. No--no--it's--He can't be dead!"She gaped at her mother in horror. I could feel the emotions developing within her; fear gave way to astonishment and incredulity, while her heart slowly crumbled beneath the weight of growing grief. And there was something else. Something that pained me to see her bear, as much as it pained her to bear it: guilt.Her mother murmured, "He never opened his eyes after the ambulance took him. He was dead before they got to the hospital.""That's impossible! He can't--no, he can't be!" She was fighting to keep her voice level, but it was fluctuating dangerously."I don't know what I can say, Gwen. But it's true. He's gone."The tears began to flow freely now. For a moment she could only reiterate the word, "No. No, no, no . . ." Then her face fell into her hands and the first sob shook her.Her mother sat by her side and put her arms around her small shoulders. I seated myself on her other side and did the same, but neither paid me any heed."It's wrong," she gasped. "It's impossible. He--if he hadn't--If he hadn't pushed me out of the way--the car would have hit me. I--I should have been the one--I should have been lying there--looking up at him--but because of m-me--"She broke down completely. "I loved him!" she wailed. "He can't be gone!" Her voice shattered. Her body convulsed as weeping overtook her.I leaned closer, wrapping my arms more tightly around her. "I loved you too," I whispered. "You know I did. And I still do."Her head turned sharply, searching the room for the source of the voice. It brought a twisting strain to my chest. Could she really not see me beside her?I felt my throat choking with sorrow, but I forced out the words: "I'm sorry I had to leave you, Gwen. But you can't blame yourself. I don't regret what I did. It was my choice, and I'd do it again, for you.""It--it can't be," she said, half to herself. "He's dead!"Her mother misinterpreted. "Yes, he is. But he's not exactly gone. You know that, don't you? He's somewhere still, and if I know him half as well as you, I'm sure he's waiting for you."Gwen nodded. "I'm sure he is. And if he can do that--I--I can wait for him."I rose sharply, unsteadily, to my feet. Somehow, that hurt more than anything. I couldn't allow her to throw away her life for me; even if I had, mine for hers. I was dead. I couldn't let her live as if she were, too.I drifted through the wall into the next room and to the telephone. I didn't bother picking it up; I didn't think I could anyway. I just walked straight into it.It was effortless. I felt my mind flying to where I willed it. The phone only rang twice before a young man answered it."Hello?"I pushed down the old acrimonies rising within me. This was the only option. No more were we rivals in love, but two men with one in common; and only one of us had the beating heart to give it.I said, "Hi, Lance. Did you hear about Gwen?""N-no. What about her?""Well, not her exactly. Her friend, Arthur."His voice became cold. "No, I haven't heard anything about him.""He's dead." I paused, letting the astonishing words sink in with a cruel satisfaction. "He got hit by a car. He saved her life.""My--God! Is--is she okay?"I said, "She's not hurt. Well, not physically. But her heart's taken a bruising."His tone wavered. "Yeah, I--yeah, I know how she felt about him.""But what she needs right now is a friend, Lance. Maybe--something more than that?""I don't know if--""Go to her, Lance."There was silence. Finally he said, "Okay. I will.""She needs you.""I'll go right now. Goodb--Hold on. Who is this, anyway?"I merely answered, "That doesn't matter. Just go to her."I withdrew. If words can describe what I did, I evanesced, remolding in her room. She was in her mother's arms, crying vehemently, exactly as I had left her.I called to my mind the moment. Perhaps I really did go back to it, as physically, at least, as I stood beside her now. I saw the car coming, as clearly as I had that night. I saw her standing there, frozen like a deer. I heard the screeching of wheels, I felt my legs move as they had never moved before and never would again, I felt her in my arms as I lifted her and flung her to the side. And then I felt the pain all over again, exploding throughout my body.The next thing I knew she was by my side. I heard her speak as if from far away, almost as I can only hear her now. "No--Arthur, no! Are you all right?"It was an irrational question, and we both knew it. I gave an answer we both knew to be false. "Yeah--yeah, I'll be fine." The weak groan belied my words."You have to be," she pleaded. "You can't--Don't--Please, you have to be all right!""Don't worry," I said. I fixed my gaze on her face, absorbing for one more time every portion of her aspect. "I'll always be here for you. I promise." And then I had closed my eyes for the last time. The last feeling I remember was of her lips against mine, of her tears rolling down my face, and of her arms around me.I had always known I couldn't live without her. I wouldn't have to, now; but no matter what I felt, I couldn't let her live without someone.What really surprised me, though, was how easily tears could flow from eyes that would never open. A heart that no longer beats can still be broken.For a moment longer my eyes lingered on her gracile form. Even wacked as it was with woe, even with her face hidden, her beauty was peerless. It shattered me.My voice quaked as I said, "I'll always be here for you." I turned away. "For both of you."And then I evanesced into the night, leaving nothing left of myself in the world but a tear dropped on a young woman's floor. Nothing but that . . . and a promise. Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

It occurred to me that this is the first work of yours that I have read. That being as it is, I did not entirely know what to expect. Knowing you only through critique and causerie, both of a written nature, I had only these to draw upon to premonish what your creative writing would be like. Even casual writing often reflects the style of the writer, and I thought that you were the type in whom this would hold especially true. The conclusion, then, of my conjecture was that your style would be of a technical tone, much more than an artistic one. I foresaw prudence and volition, stiff refinement, character but not as much personality.Having now read one piece, at least, of your writing, I see I was not far wrong. In fact, all that exceeded my expectations was a warmth I had not anticipated, something of a saving grace, in my opinion. It loosened the stiffness and allowed an opening through which to be engaging. In your sentence structure there was the sagacity and deliberation, as well as the complaint, I expcted. The complaint is that there was no real beauty in it. You chose words like the nuts and bolts of a machine, rather than the flowers of a bouquet. You can't build beauty. Prudence is vital for writing, I do not argue that point, but it also needs aesthetics, otherwise it ceases to be an art and becomes a science.My other criticism is the overabundance of similes and metaphors. It had the affect of making up proverbs and thrusting them in to add personality where otherwise it is lacking. "I do not say a proverb is amiss when aptly and reasonably applied, but to be forever discharging them, right or wrong, hit or miss, renders conversation insipid and vulgar."Overall your style is very much a structure, which may not be to my taste, but it is well-built, that I will grant you. If a mechanic, to which you have a similitude, can be called an artist, then your style is artistic in its own way.As regards plot, I got here exactly what I expected: a sound foundation, a firm frame, over which was built a facade not unpleasing to the eye. I really have no complaints here. On the contrary, I am impressed that you so adroitly compacted this story into so small a space. It could have been bigger, but it didn't have to be, and it was excellent as it was. It was sweet and very touching. There was a lack of emotion, but that suited the characters, so all is well.Speaking of characters, my favorite is Grace. I would have liked to know a little bit more about her, but it wasn't necessary. She holds an important, allegorical place in the story, and she didn't need anything more for that than a name.There are two kinds of a good story: one with a great plot, one with a great style. Note carefully my choice of adjectives. A great plot can't rise above a poor style, nor can a poor plot rise above a great style. Such combinations even it the quality out merely to "good." A great story consists of great plot and great style. Of all this, I am sure, you are well aware. All this, moreover, is digressive.A few annotative comments: Well, of course he could have. But he should have; that's more to the point, I think. I realize, however, that this is just a cavil. This was an example of how stiff your style got at times. There was no flow; the sentences were abrupt and terse. Mostly it's the last one that set my teeth on edge. The others would have been fine, but the last one ground it all to a jarring stop that ruined this whole paragraph. This sentence was unnatural and pathetic; and that's exactly why it was apt. It was an unnatural moment, he felt a bit pathetic, and though at superficial glance it doesn't feel right, looking closer it does.I take as much pride in my grammar as, clearly, do you. When there's an error to be found, however, I find it. That comma should have gone inside the quotation marks.You will probably consider this as an insult, and consider it as such if you wish; but I think our styles are not very much dissimilar. They may be antipodal, in that the one is technical while the other is artistic, but they are not antipolar. Either you're fond of speech of a metaphorical caliber or just Johnny is, but "our difference is East to West, not North to South." In my own opinion, this is not an insult, but in part a commendation, and in another part a criticism.While this story was not a great story, it was a good one. You met my expectations, which were not low. I enjoyed it very much, and I look forward to reading more of your work.And so absorbed was I in reviewing it that I burned my muffins. Consider that a compliment, because those are my favorite muffins.Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

As pertains to style, I already went into as much depth as was necessary--and maybe more--when I reviewed The Son Becomes the Father. But I will say that this story confirms your style as, not one affected for a character in first person, but your own.Now on to the stories itself. It starts out deftly enough; this old man is sifting through long-ago memories. Then his wife comes in with a loaf of bread, which is as out of place as their exchange, which mentions something about studying politics, which is not at all what the man was doing. If he was reading the newspaper I could understand, or if it had even been established that he had been distracted from his reading.Then we find out abruptly that this man is about to die, and that he doesn't care enough about his wife to die in her company, but has to go gallivanting off to find out more about his "old, old friends." It doesn't make me fond of the man. No more am I fond of how quickly and simplistically the scene transition took place. Here you started stating facts and neglecting to make them worth reading about, condensing the story and leaving out the flavor.And then we're buried by names and people and it beings to get a little confusing. It took me a moment, when Randall spoke, to figure out who he was and disentangle what his words meant. Next we're thrown this unexplained matter of promises and some form of beginning. Finally we collide into a brick wall in the form of two words: "the end."I think it's a story worth telling, but not enough of it is told. I always say, "Let the length suit the story." In The Son Becomes the Father you showed me how it is possible to defy that rule, proving: "Otherwise, let the story suit the length." But you didn't do that here. Instead of tailoring it to fit you merely shrunk it in the wash, which with something so delicate results with unraveled threads and loss of color.(Apropos, I confess, I overuse similes and metaphors too, most commonly when I review.)So as I say, there was some structural integrity lacking, but I love the story itself. I want to see more, as much because I want to see it improved as elaborated. Your readers as much as your characters deserve more, and I would like to see that.You also touched upon a personal aversion, and that's the monotonous use of the word said. But I know your opinion on the point, and I won't argue such a matter of taste.Commentary: It sounded repetitive here, and only became worse as it recurred. It's also inconsistent with all the subsequent times the phrase was used, when you include a comma between the olds. I wouldn't be happy about this in first person; I would tolerate it, but I wouldn't be happy with it. In third person it's entirely out of place. Now here's a little flavor added to the terseness of the middle story. The first sentence has an air of artificiality about it, but the second is golden and amusing. I had to laugh at this. We all have these moments. I only wonder what manner of editing or what odd line of thought might have moved one of your periods from its proper place to the end of a second sentence.Overall, considering the two samples of your writing that I have read, this is not your best. But second is no dishonor. Although if you want to be pessimistic, it's also last. If you want to be pragmatic, I've only read two stories and that's not much to go by. And to stop rambling, I still like the story behind this story, if not this story itself as much. I would like to read more in the continuity, if there is any.Keep writing, Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

In response to Kraggh, your insertion of blue urges me, inexplicably, to sing. Only I don't quite know what I want to sing, and when I'm left to the freedom of concocting a lyrical something to suit the chimera of inspirations within me, it doesn't turn out well. As for calling this depressing, well, I think that may be a superficial view of the story. I'd call it a satire, proving cheer through comedic melancholy. It gladdened me to write it, and it Yes, well, if you of all people have to go to such desperate lengths to find something to criticize, that's something. Now, I'm just trying to figure out what sort of something it is. But it is nice that there's a happy medium somewhere between our highly conflictive tastes, even if it's on the field of comedy. And I think this story abounds with circumlocution, albeit a different kind than I habitually use. ;P As for you, my windy friend, I rather thought you would. =P Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Thank you for reminding me that short stories need to be denoted as such. XP I was going for a Snicket feel, actually. I'm the type who looks for metaphors and magic in everything. I assure you, however, that my reflections are typically more positive and optimistic. But it would seem that I have wrought my simple plan, for I have gotten you thinking. I agree absolutely that the world around us is what we make of it. What we see reflects who we are. Do I have to take it? Why in the world would I want a Miru pasted upon anything that's mine? (In other words, thank you; I am honored.) Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Those crazy Ambagers are at their writing-off again. This theme was "Rainbow." Polychromatic Frowns Rainbows make me want to cry. Surely you’ve seen one. Surely you’ve seen how dreary they are. They’re big frowns plastered across the sky. And their bright colors are incongruently cheerful. It doesn’t make sense. It’s illogical. Irrationality in nature makes me want to weep. The frown itself is bad enough. It makes me want to frown. But the colors mock my woes and make me want to cry. It’s like the rainbow is frowning at me, and then pretends to be cheerful just to make me feel my own grief more keenly. A rainbow is like a sad clown. Full of color, but woeful in disposition. It only makes it all the sadder, and even a bit scary, now, because we’re talking about clowns. Clowns are terrifying. Be honest, you’re afraid of them, too. But that’s another topic entirely. Just the other day, for instance, I was walking along a path through a meadow. Well, that goes without saying, I suppose; I wasn’t skipping along the path. Nobody really skips. Except Dorothy. And if I drove along the path I would have given a lot of people heart attacks. If you’re the sadistic sort, you might do that; but I’m not, and I didn’t. I might have been riding along the path, of course, but I don’t know how to ride a bicycle, and I never ride anything with a mind of its own. So I was walking along this path. The ground was wet and muddy after the rain and it was dirtying my shoes and splashing all over my nice clean clothes. I hate mud, too, but that’s another story. I was walking along this path because I didn’t like walking through the tall grasses which always make me itch, and I can’t stand the smell of flowers, and all the bugs disturb me, and of course there could always be snakes. And you never know what could be lurking in those verdant trees, like cats or angry birds or ballerinas. Ballerinas are possibly even more frightening than clowns or bugs. In fact, they probably are. As I say, I was walking along this path. I wasn’t feeling very happy, which I might have been, if I hadn’t been feeling so sad. It’s hard to be happy when you’re very sad. You can be cheerful when you’re just a little sad, but when you’re grievous it’s hard to be even cheerful, and you can never be happy when you’re sad, of course. Where was I? That’s right, I was walking along the path, because I don’t like walking through the meadow; and I wasn’t feeling happy, because I was feeling sad; and I looked up. I was looking down most of the way, but it’s hard to see where you’re going when you look down, so I looked up. And I saw a rainbow. It was vividly colorful and wearing an obdurately melancholy moue. And it made me sad. Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

I realize I didn't make my deadline on this, and I apologize for that.Betrayed, has now been reviewed. Thank you for choosing the SSCC, iBrow. Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Nuile here, reporting to answer an SSCC request.To speak, for a moment, on an unofficial level, I just got through reading all the FFFC "Tablet of Transit" entries, and I'm sorry to say that yours really didn't stand out for me. I was disappointed by the lack of originality in this contest; but I will admit that one of the reasons I did not enter personally is because it was such a hard theme.Speaking now as a critic and evaluating this story on its own merit, I still see nothing more than a scene. It's difficult, in so short a space, to tell a story, but not impossible. Personally I prefer my stories to have a story in them; but I've read plenty of vignettes and even written a few, and in that category this was not a bad story.But the problem is that when you write a scene only, it leaves so much unexplained. Who is this Matoran, how did he come by the tablet, and why did the Makuta kill him? Beyond that, why should I care? Why should I feel compassion for the "Matoran so easily betrayed" when I know nothing about him? I never got a chance to know who he was before he died. And in what way, exactly, was he betrayed? What was he running from and why did he expect the tablet to save him? I confess I know little about the Tablet of Transit and that knowledge may be the key to answer some of these questions. But only some of them; but even for those you should have given, or even hinted at, an explanation for the ignorant reader like myself.Grammatically you made no misstepps and I commend you.Thus left with precious little to say as far as plot or grammar goes, I will turn my analysis instead to your style. That was what carried me through a short story that otherwise did not compel me. It was your flavorful, vivid descriptions and your powerful prudence of language that gave life to a lifeless tale. I'll get a complaint out of the way first. This was a bit awkward and unclear. It appeared, at first, as if rockslide was the subject of caused; and so while I was waiting to see what the rockslide had caused several islands to do, I ran up against back and had, which disrupted the flow of the sentence and pulled me out of the story for a moment to disentangle the words. This happens with awkward sentence structure. As many sentences as a writer writes of the course of his or her life, of course, no one has ever avoided this; it happens to the best, and often. But it's something you want to look out for. Here's a fine example of powerful description. But you don't dive right into the details; you gracefully slip into them by starting out with a little narration to give life and character, and then bringing us to the description through words adeptly chosen to strike the same fear into our hearts as you strike into the Matoran's.Overall I thought you were lacking structural integrity; but in a piece of art, it's not the canvas or the paint that matters, but the painting itself. For what this was, it was excellent.Thank you for choosing the SSCC,Keep writing, Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Open. It is entirely up to your imagination and the lead of your pencil, the ink of your pen, or the keys of your keyboard.Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

I can tell you're really burning the candle at both ends, but I hope you're not so busy that you can't accept another request:The Last AvatarReviewChapters One to Nineteen (includes the epilogue)Thank you in advance! Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Epilogue Endless Circle But when I opened my eyes, I wasn't in the field. I was staring at one of the whitest, most uninteresting ceilings I had ever stared at in my life.I was in a hospital bed. When I tried to move, my torso protested against the pain. I groaned."Oh! You're awake!" It was Jenny. Her smile appeared over my bed on one side, while Tobi approached on the other. "How are you feeling?""As if I were a pincushion," I complained. "How long have I been unconscious?""All night, all morning, and most of the afternoon.""Why didn't you heal me?"Jenny looked away. "I--I couldn't.""Why not? You've done it before.""No. The Avatar did it before.""But you are the--"Jenny shook her head. "Not anymore.""What do you mean?"Jenny sat on the edge of the bed. "See--well--Koh wanted my face, right? And he was taking it. I couldn't fight it. I can't describe how it felt. It was horrible." She paused to shudder, then proceeded, "So I realized there was only one thing I could do. Give him my face. All of them. You saw what happened, didn't you? I could feel it: each and every one of the Avatars, passing through me, and into him, to--to kill him from the inside. And they--they died in the process. The Avatars sacrificed themselves to slay Koh."A silence followed. I could hardly believe my ears. As suddenly as it had come, then, it had gone."You mean--it's over?" I stammered. "It's all over?"Jenny nodded. "The Avatar is dead. I'm just--me, now.""That's why you were at the end of the genealogy," I realized. "Because you were the last Avatar. And you know what? Wuqing; I think he knew, all along."Tobi cleared her throat. "I--uh--I have a confession to make. Wuqing did know. And I knew, too."Jenny looked across the bed at her. "Then why didn't you tell me?"Tobi frowned. "I promised Wuqing I wouldn't. He didn't want you to know. He didn't want you to have to bear the burden of that knowledge. But I don't think even he expected that it would turn out quite the way it did. I know I thought that it meant you would--" She broke off with a nervous shrug of her shoulders. "I'm just glad that it worked out this way.""I'm not," I moaned. "I wish you could have healed me before killing yourself, Jenny.""I had more important things on my mind at the time."I sighed. "Fair enough. I can take it, for the team. Though I guess we can't call ourselves the Avatar Battalion, or even Team Avatar now. Tyro Team still fits, though."I cried out as something heavy landed on my chest, pressing hard on me at four very painful points. Jenny dragged it off of me with a scolding, "Tommy! Don't do that!"When the pain ebbed, I wiped the tears from my wide eyes to stare at the cat. "Tommy?" I echoed. "But--but he--"Jenny nodded eagerly, cuddling her pet joyously. "Isn't it great? We found him in the park last night!""But--but he--" I repeated emphatically.Tobi explained. "It's not Wuqing. Well--not exactly, at least. It's kind of like how the Avatar died, but Jenny didn't."Wuqing's last words came to my mind. I repeated them: "Life and death is an endless circle." I smiled. "It's just as he said. Even though the Avatar and Wuqing are dead, their spirits live on, in a way. This isn't the end. It's only the beginning.""And now things will go back to normal," said Jenny. "We'll have a time of it explaining to our parents what we were doing at the park in the middle of the night and how you got hurt, of course. But after that--" Her voice trailed away with a small laugh."It's a shame, you know," I sighed. "It'll be disappointing to wake up from this dream. It's the best one I ever had. I'll be sure to tell you all about it when I wake up, Jenny. I'm sorry to say you don't exist outside it, Tobi. All things considered, I almost wish it had all been real, after all." I moved to fold my hands behind my head, wincing in the process. My eyes bleared with the pain. Through gritted teeth I added, "But only almost!" ~ * ~ ~ * ~ Legends are funny things. For thousands of years they have been sources of wisdom and entertainment. They can be tools, or even a trade. Legends are a part of who we are, whether as a part of our cultures, our families, or our daily lives. Myths are embellishments of the truth, and that's what makes them so timelessly endearing, even when we don't believe in them anymore.Take the Avatar, for instance. Surely that doesn't exist. And what about humans with the abilities to control the elements? Or shapeshifting spirits? A face-stealing phantom? These are mere dreams.But one thing you'll find in a legend that you'll also find in the waking world: a hero. Heroes exist, in all shapes and sizes, of all varieties and calibers. Heroes are real. And I know . . . because I've met one. "It looks like this is the end." - Sokka Review Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Chapter Eighteen Vengeance Unleashed "The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginningless time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light." - The Lion Turtle The sky opened its floodgates in earnest. The rain fell in a torrent, sizzling and steaming in the fire that erupted from Jenny's hands. Koh was running rapid circles around her, the attacks hardly staggering him.She turned instead to water. She gathered the rain on the ground around her, propelling it at Koh in a wave that washed under him and froze solid, trapping each and every one of his legs."Is that all you can do, Avatar?" he jeered. "I can fight fire with fire."The caterpillar faded. At the center of the patch of ice there now stood a man arrayed in heavy battle armor, with spiked shoulder pads and helmet. He raised a hand and fire spewed out at Jenny. Surprised, she stumbled back, narrowly deflecting the flames with a blast of air.She retaliated with a bombardment of boulders, lifting them into the air and then kicking them at her foe. Koh knocked some aside with fireballs, dodging others. When he found an opening he launched another jet of fire. Jenny doused it with the rainwater and hurled icicle daggers. Koh raised a wall of flame. Jenny cut it down with a billow of earth, knocking the spirit off his feet.When he stood up again, he had become a young woman, her wet blonde hair plastered to her shoulders. The arms she lifted were lean and strong. Two pillars of stone rose on either side of her, tipped, and dove at Jenny.The Avatar propelled herself into the air on a shaft of flame. The stone pillars cut through its base, causing her to fall. As she came down, fire burst from her feet, descending upon Koh.When he emerged from the blaze, he was a hairy man dressed in animal pelts. The rain around him froze in midair. Before Jenny was even on her feet again he hurled the frozen spikes at her.Jenny clapped her hands, creating a current of air that parted the barrage, diverting the spikes to either side of her. She made a wave of earth and swept it at Koh. He surfed out of the way and created a curved ice ramp that brought him to jenny. He flung streams of water at her, which she knocked aside with her hands. One appeared to break through her defenses, but she caught it narrowly before it struck her body and shot it back. Koh collided head-on with the full force of the spout and fell.Next he assumed the form of an elderly woman in brightly colored robes. She blew a gust of air at Jenny that sent her sprawling.The woman launched herself over Jenny's head, landing lightly beside her. Wind rushed from her hands, buffeting Jenny and keeping her pinned down. She couldn't breathe. Koh was suffocating her.Jenny fought against it. She ignited her leg and slid it in a semicircle, trying to trip Koh. He jumped over the flames, only to be thrown back by a solid splash from Jenny.Meanwhile, Jenny's forces, Tobi and I in the lead, had met Koh's. The Avatars and faceless benders lit the night with fire and shook the earth beneath our feet, making good use of the rain and wind.I cut into the enemy ranks, throwing qiblocking strikes left and right and left again. One agile woman dodged my fists and kicked me in the stomach. I staggered, but I had managed to catch hold of her leg. From there it was easy to topple her and stifle her qi.I felt arms around my neck, and my aggressor felt an elbow in his stomach. I twisted my body, seized the smooth head, and levered the man over my shoulder.Another turned to me and held up his hand like a crossing guard. I knew if I stood still I'd get more than a ticket. I ducked a belch of fire, somersaulted out of the way of another, and stood up beside him. He swung a flaring fist. I blocked with my arm and qiblocked with my knuckles.Two mounds of earth swallowed up my feet. I turned to see an earthbender heft a rock over his head. Before he could throw it, however, his arms went loose and the boulder fell and cracked on his head. He collapsed, revealing Tobi standing behind him.As the stone around my feet crumbled, I said, "Thanks. I owe you one."And still the duel raged between Jenny and Koh. He had resumed his hairy waterbending body and was lashing at her with hydraulic tentacles. She was cutting them back with airbending slices or firebending blasts. She deflected two simultaneously and threw a current of air that bowled him over. Jenny gathered the water from his tentacles and washed it over him and froze it solid.The ice glowed a deep red. It shattered. In his spiked armor Koh heaved a massive ball of flame at Jenny.She raised her arms to defend herself, but it was too fast. It struck her full on, throwing her back. Koh advanced, shooting smaller fireballs with a ruthless rapidity. Jenny pitched well-aimed blocks of stone to extinguish them. When she was back on her feet she stamped them hard into the ground, creating a powerful ripple that Koh barely managed to spring over. He slid down into the crater she had created, showering fire down on her head. Jenny created a dome of earth over herself.The firebender disappeared and Koh was the young earthbender. In her body he smashed through the dome of earth.A geyser exploded from within it, lifting her high up into the air before dropping her hard in the grass.On rockets of flame Jenny rose up and descended on the young woman. But suddenly she was gone, and the gray-haired matron was there. A rush of air blew Jenny off course, and she landed clumsily far from her target.I was distracted by a circle of thugs around me. They were beating me back and forth between them, tossing me as if I were a doll. I felt bruises swelling all over my body, and the rain stung a gash in my forehead.One of the bald-faced men swung to punch me, but I caught it in my fist. With the other hand I struck two blows to his arm and then to a nerve in his neck, and he crumpled. Two of the others grabbed me from the sides, and a third from behind. I allowed them to carry all my weight, using my legs to kick out at the one in back of me. He fell and I landed firmly on the others' feet. They released me in their pain, and I qiblocked them simultaneously.Nearby I observed Tobi grappling with a man twice her size. He had her wrists in a grip of iron. I wove through the throng to her side and punched the man's arm. His arm fell numbly, and Tobi made use of her free hand to jab a pressure point in his neck and send him over with a kick to the chest."Thanks," she said."I owed it to you." I looked over her shoulder. "Duck, by the way."She obeyed, and I hurled an uppercut to his jaw. His rippling chin went up and I delivered a felling punch to his throat."Jump!" Tobi warned, and without bothering to ask "How high?" I was in the air. She swung a leg under me, tripping an earthbender with stone boxing gloves behind me.I extended a hand. "Not bad."She shook it. "Not bad yourself."She pointed over my shoulder. "Fire bender.""Give me your other hand."She obeyed, and I swung her like a discus, letting go to fling her up. I ducked a stream of fire as she arced over it, twisting in the air to land at the bender's side. She delivered a quick qichoke, and he was down.An air current tripped me, and before I could move there was a foot on my back. I don't know what the bender was planning, but whatever it was, he was knocked off my back by a stone hurled by a white-faced woman with a pair of fans.I scrambled to my feet in time to duck down again to avoid a splash from a waterbending woman. I sprang forward, dodging another gush. I swerved through her attacks to her side. But before I could block her qi, she encased my arm in ice. I tipped under the weight, stumbled, but managed to left my leg and kick her away.A firm hand gripped my shoulder, and I turned to see a lamp stand with a naked light bulb towering over me. He drew back a fist. I turned, swinging my frozen arm to shatter the ice against his chest. He collapsed.In the center of the field the battle was heating up between Jenny and Koh. In firebending regalia the Face-Stealer was battering Jenny with a constant jet of flame. Jenny was countering with a stream of water that met the fire between them creating a shroud of vapor over them. They were rendered invisible, nothing to be seen but the occasional orange flash, until the cloud cleared.When it did, Koh had become an earthbender again. They were at it tooth and nail now. Koh slung a boulder that Jenny kicked aside. She caused a ripple in the earth. Koh shapeshifted into the waterbender and surfed his way over the ripple and toward Jenny, sweeping her off her feet in his wave. But with a blast of air it exploded, tossing Koh into the air. As he came down he was the airbender, slowing his fall with a cushioning wind. When he found the ground her staggered Jenny with gust after gust of air.She tried to parry the attacks, but they came too swiftly. She stumbled back until she was up against the trunk of one of the oaks. Koh shapeshifted into the water earthbender and propelled a slab of earth at Jenny. She blew herself up into the safety of the tree branches, which shook when the slab struck. In the next instant Jenny hurtled out of the tree toward Koh.He raised a wall to defend himself, but Jenny hit it with such force that it fell on top of him. He broke his way through with a blast of fire and emerged as the ancient soldier. He and Jenny were at such close quarters that she elbowed aside his fist when he tried to throw a fireball, and he grabbed her wrist when she tried to gather a water whip.His image dimmed and strengthened as that of the golden-haired woman. She slapped her foot down in the grass, raising a column of earth where she stood. But Jenny grasped her firmly by the arms. The earthbender lost her balance at Jenny's pull, and she fell to Avatar’s feet.Her face became buried in a tangle of facial hair. The waterbender splashed Jenny in the face and froze it, encasing her head in ice. Koh took advantage to climb to his feet and assume the body of the airbender. Jenny put her hands to her face and melted the ice with an instantaneous flare of fire. Before she could move, Koh was right in front of her. He pressed his hand over her mouth and nose. Jenny's eyes bulged as he began to bend the air right out of her lungs.She thrust her knee into his stomach. He buckled, releasing her face. She prostrated him with a rush of wind. He rolled over. The gray hair on his head turned into a horned helmet. He spewed fire, and Jenny stepped back out of the way. She sprang into the air to evade a sweeping billow of flame.When she landed, she heaved the earth beneath Koh, pitching him to her side. But when he fell at her feet, he vanished entirely.I was in the process of qiblocking a particularly aggressive waterbender when it happened. I wasn't looking behind me until I felt a hand seize my collar and pull, twitching my head back. I stared up into Koh's faint, icy smile.The world faded and then reappeared. When it did, I was out in the center of the field. I heard Jenny say my name from nearby, but I was transfixed by Koh in his true form, still gripping my collar, the masked face of the firebender glaring down at me with Koh's usual lack of expression."Are you ready to see," he said coldly, "just how much pain I can make you feel?"He leaned closer, putting his face inches from mine. All at once, the mandibles encaging his face sunk into my flesh, sharp as razors. I could not help but grimace and cry out."Pain!" Koh exulted. "Such a delicious emotion!""Jacob! No!"Koh retracted his mandibles and turned to Jenny. I turned, too. We both saw the wide eyes, the open mouth."Fear," Koh murmured dryly. "All the better."He crawled over to Jenny, moving in a tight circle around her, leaving me lying in the grass to watch. The terror on Jenny's face only grew."And now, Avatar--you are mine." The face vanished, leaving an empty hole in its place, a gaping abyss, ready to consume Jenny's emotion.It started as if her face were evaporating, fading into a steam that Koh breathed into his parted jaws. The glow of her eyes began to dull. The skin paled, her lips lost any color at all. Her face was dissolving, while a mirrored image was appearing on Koh's.Suddenly Jenny's eyes shone brighter. Koh's copy of her face seemed surprised as it melted back onto Jenny's head.Behind her, all the Avatars of the past had lined up at her back. I spectated in silent amazement as, one by one, they vaporized into Koh's mouth. Each after the other, faster and faster, until they had all been eaten by the Face-Stealer.Someone was screaming. Until the last of the Avatars disappeared, I didn't realize that it was Koh. His body was bloated and convulsing uncontrollably. He looked like a balloon filled to bursting point.A scar of lightning rent the sky. A deafening rumble of thunder drowned Koh's cries. And then, he stopped moving altogether. He fell onto his side. The eye where the face of his choice appeared was closed. And slowly, he faded.The rain was lessening. Around us, the fighting had already stopped. Where had stood Koh's army of faceless minions now stood a small crowd of men and women, gazing about them with expressions of confusion and shock. Most of them, chiefly the benders, had vanished; the dead had passed on. Now the living, their faces restored, dispersed.Jenny sat up. She appeared dazed, but otherwise unharmed. Even as she gasped and hurried to my side, I closed my eyes with a smile on my face.And meanwhile, Koh was dead. The battle had been won. The Avatar had confronted her greatest challenge, and had emerged victorious. And we were all alive to tell the tale. All would be well; as soon as Jenny whipped out some of that magic water and healed my searing wounds. . . . Review Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Chapter Seventeen Face-Off "You must show no fear. You musn't show any emotion at all." - Avatar Roku An army. An army. It was the only thought running through my head while my feet were running through the night. As if Koh wasn't bad enough, we had a whole army of his face-bereft minions to deal with. Could they all be benders? Probably not, but I didn't see that it made much difference. How could even the Avatar, with nothing but two teenagers behind her, combat such odds? All my worries returned to me tenfold.I was turning along a street, still a good two blocks away from the park, when I saw them. Stretching even this far stood a sea of bodies, men and women, tall and short, bulky and thin. It was like an orchard full of ripe melons. My jaw fell open and my eyes bulged. Jenny had not been exaggerating in her estimation.I didn't stop to stare for longer than a moment. From there, as fast as my legs could carry me, I took the long way round. The streets here were empty, as in a sane world they should be. It seemed Koh and his forces had lined up at the end of the field opposite Jenny's house, and there they were waiting, their numbers so great they spilled out along the side streets.I arrived, out of breath, at the rear of Jenny's house, where I found her waiting in the backyard.Leaning on my knees for support, I panted, "Did--you--call Tobi?"Jenny nodded. "She's on her way.""What now--then?""Now we confront Koh.""But--but--but--""It's time, Jacob. He's finally decided to show himself, and I'm not going to back down." She rose from her seat in the grass. "Just remember. He's called the Face-Stealer for a reason. You can't show any emotion. I think that's probably why Wuqing had you and Tobi join us in chakra meditation. You have to master your feelings, like he said. Koh will probably be occupied with me." She swallowed audibly. "But guard yourself."I bobbed my head. Straightening up, I asked, "Are you ready for this?"She clenched her fists in front of her. "Yes. I am.""Good. Neither am I."Crossing the street, I took slow breaths to calm myself. I cleared my mind, as if we were only meditating as we had with Wuqing all those weeks ago. Show no fear, I reminded myself. Show no guilt or shame, don't lie, don't be distract by illusion, don't show attachment. Show no emotion. I had trouble seeing how all seven chakras had any bearing on the matter at hand, but I ran through the list as a precaution.We passed the playground, stepped under the arch created by two oaks, and strode forth into the field. I kept repeating to myself "show no emotion, show no emotion." Around me there was a deathly hush. My ears rang with the silence.Koh waited at the head of his army. He wore his familiar mustached face and that same suit. Though he appeared nothing more than a man, he emanated a quiet intimidation. His stoic eyes glared a calm malignance."Avatar!" he greeted. "So you decided to meet me, after all! I am sorry to see it. Yet I would have been disappointed had you done anything else.""That's right, Koh," Jenny called calmly. "I'm here. How do you feel on your last night?""I feel"--he breathed in and grinned viperishly--"powerful. More so than I have ever felt before. You don't realize it, do you? You cannot see that this is more than just any regular solstice." He looked up at the full moon, dulled behind the darkening clouds. "This is so much more. Tomorrow is the twenty-first day of the twelfth month of the year two-thousand and twelve."Twelve--twenty-one--twelve. Of all the emotions I had prepared myself to suppress, the sudden urge to laugh senselessly was not one of them, but I quelled it anyway."I have been waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Tomorrow at last the day will finally arrive. The most powerful solstice of all time. There has never been one like it since the beginning of the world, nor will there ever be. Centuries of biding my time, building strength and resources, culminate on the morrow. I have been planning for far too long to let the likes of you stand in my way. Why, you are but mere children. Is this really a battle you wish to fight?"Jenny lifted her chin. "It is.""I will make the offer to let you turn back in peace only once more.""Don't bother.""I was afraid it would have to be this way. But so be it." He began to pace before the front ranks of his soldiers. "It's important you know that once we have concluded our business here, I will find the most creative of endings for your family, Avatar . . . and for yours, Jacob. And"--he looked up--"for yours, Miss Tobi."Jenny and I turned in time to see Tobi as she joined us. She made no expression, either verbal or facial, merely nodded to each of us and met Koh's gaze.Koh halted. "I have always wanted to acquire the face of an Avatar for my collection. And now, at last, I shall. What an achievement it will be to preface my greatest victory."Jenny closed her eyes. Her body became rigid. "You won't have my face, Koh. You won't harm my family. You won't harm anyone ever again. Because tonight--you will die."Koh seemed amused. "And who is to kill me? You?""No." Jenny lifted her eyelids on a sharp blue glow. "By the Avatar. All of them."There was a flash. I felt a drop on my head. I heard a clap of thunder. Looking up, I saw black clouds gathering above.Maybe it was that which made me turn around. Maybe I felt, in a way, the presence. Whatever the reason, when I looked over my shoulder I gasped. With my back to Koh I could not help but display my surprise.Immediately behind us stood Korra. At her side I recognized a hulking mass of muscle as Jenny's predecessor. On her other side a bald middle-aged man with an arrow tattooed across his head smiled at me. Behind them in triangle formation ranged all their forebears, each and every one of Jenny's past lives.The rain began to fall harder. When I revolved to face Koh, his only display of feeling was to slit his eyes.I leaned closer to Jenny to whisper, "I've got it.""Got what?""A name. I've got a name for us, now. We're the Avatar Battalion."Koh stepped closer. "Are you ready, Avatar?" His body started to flicker. "Are you prepared to face your nightmares?"And then the mustached man's body was gone. Now Koh took on his true form, a myriapodous, legged serpent in all its fearsomeness. His forces surged forth like the ocean waves breaching the shoreline.Jenny ran out to meet Koh. She launched fireballs at him, which hissed in the growing rain. He curled his body and they glanced harmlessly off his thick hide.I raised an arm over my head. "Come on! The battle has begun! Avatar Battalion--attack!" Review Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

One day you're talking about the new Avatar, and the next you're talking about your new avatar. You're going to confuse people, Tekulo. People like me who'll do a double take because they think this entry is more about Avatar. Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Chapter Sixteen Uncertainty "Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel, you can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving you will come to a better place." - Iroh I said little during training as the days dragged slowly by, bringing us steadily closer to the solstice. Tobi and Jenny, I think, accounted it to the apprehension we were all feeling. They made an extra effort to maintain a cheerful atmosphere, though I cannot say it did me much good. Koh's words pressed too heavily upon my mind. I was not even certain whether I should tell Jenny about it or not.It was late afternoon on the twentieth that I reached a comparatively decisive conclusion. Jenny and I had parted with Tobi, none of us quite sure what to say."Good-bye," Tobi had said, a word selection that seemed emphatically deliberate. "It's been an honor to train with you, and it will be an honor to join you tomorrow, whatever happens."Jenny bowed. "It's been an honor learning from you."I copied her. "Yeah. It's--it's been great.""Tomorrow, then," had been Tobi's last words. "Bright and early. We'll be waiting for Koh."Upstairs, Jenny and I now waited in silence. I hesitated for some few minutes before I at last spoke."Hey--uh--Jenny? I-I've been thinking.""It's an intelligent way to pass the time."But I didn't smile. She cocked her head at me as I went on, "What is it that we're fighting for, exactly?"She screwed up her face in surprise. "What are we fighting for? What do you mean?"I said, "Think of all the risks we're taking. Think of the price we might have to pay. Is it worth it? Is it really worth it?"She stared at me. "What are you saying? Of course it's worth it! We have to stop Koh. We can't let him harm any innocent people. We may be the only defense standing between him and his revenge on the Spirit World.""Do you really believe that? He tried to take over the Spirit World once. But the King defeated him. Koh was banished, without our help. Surely he will be again.""But Wuqing said Koh's been growing in power. He's been planning and plotting and recruiting forces. Yes, the King will stop him--but what if we're that chosen line of defense? If it's our destiny, we can't turn our back on it.""You mean you, Jenny," I snapped. "You're the Avatar. Maybe it is your destiny. Maybe you are the last line of defense. But I'm just me. I can't fight Koh. I can't watch you face him and lose."Jenny nodded slowly. "I'm scared, too. But I still have a job to do. If I try, I might lose. I guess that is true. But if I don't try, we're all doomed."I said nothing, so she continued:"Even if we fail--even if we die--we'll have done something worthwhile. Because whatever happens, we'll have stood up for our beliefs, and for what is right." She paused and looked at me. "Jacob, tell me. You're not the Avatar. It's not your duty to fight this battle. So why have you followed it so far?""Well--" I thought a moment. "Because of duty, like you said. You're my friend, and I couldn't let you down.""But it was more than that, wasn't it? You couldn't let the world down. You found yourself in a position to either help, or to turn away. So you said, 'I'll do what I can.' I may be the Avatar, and you may be just a regular human being, but that doesn't make it any less your destiny than mine to do what's right. You're a part of this for a reason."I smiled faintly. "You sound like me.""Well, you're a pretty wise guy. In more than one way." She elbowed me. "I've only been saying exactly what you've been saying all along. The winds of fate are carrying us toward destiny, or however you put it. You said we have to cope with it. But we'll do more than that. At the risk of sounding even more like you, we'll--we'll--""Excel," I offered."We'll transcend," she finished. "We're a team--you, and me, and Tobi, and even Wuqing still. And behind us we have all the Avatars." A smile sneaked its way onto her lips. "We're the Face-Saving Squad!""You were right," I sighed; "that's a stupid name."She laughed. "One more day. You can do better."And for some minutes we were quiet. Then Jenny asked, without warning, "You will be there tomorrow, won't you?"I pursed my lips. "I don't know," I said at length. "I--I don't know."She looked at her hands. "But you'll figure it out. You just think about it." And she left it at that. With a shudder I remembered Koh saying the same thing. I thought of his further words: You'll see that I'm right.Yet there had been none of the same presumption in Jenny's voice. She had not been insistent or falsely preachy. She had been nothing but sincere. ~ * ~ At home that evening I shunned the world from between the covers of a good book, and turning to the computer I found solace in writing my own world. I lost myself in the aromas and warmth of preparing a hot meal. And then I meditated.I thought about what Koh had said. And I thought about what Jenny had said. And I knew that Jenny had been right, and that I had been a fool to listen to Koh.The things I had said came crowding back into my mind.It's no use to fret.You'll leave Koh flat on all his stolen faces.We're Team Avatar!It's only natural to fear, but this is a groundless one.You are strong enough.You can face Koh, and win.You're the Avatar.Jenny's destiny was to face Koh. And when I asked myself what my destiny was, I didn't need to ask twice.I made my choice.There was no choice to be made.The sun was long gone and the clouded moon cast the night into a silvery gloom. I was not sure Jenny would be awake, but there again I doubted if she would sleep that night.So I called.I heard her voice on the other end."Jacob?"She sounded surprised. And—concerned?"Hello, Jenny. I just called to tell you--that I've been thinking about what you said today. And I've decided that whatever happens tomorrow, I'll be behind you every step of the way.""Thanks. I didn't doubt it. I'm glad, but"--she faltered--"you don't need to be there tomorrow.""Of course I do.""No, I mean, you really don't. I--was just about to call you." "Call me? What for?" "Koh's out in the field. And it looks like he's brought an army." Review Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Meanwhile, Elsewhere, reviewed.And welcome to the team, Jerzy!Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Nuile reporting with a review, afforded you through the munificence of the Short Story Critics Club and our Charity Reviews.I think the idea of Phileas Fogg traveling through time in "eighty days" is brilliant. Time can be a difficult subject to handle, but you did it well. Only I was disappointed you never explained how he did it. A man can't simply walk through time without a logical explanation to his ability to do so. In a way I can understand that it would not have been easy to explain and that it would have complicated a simple short story; but surely you could have found some way to slip in a way to justify time travel.I am personally a fan of the novel, and I was very gratified by the accuracy of your portrayals of the characters and the several references you made. I was rather displeased, on the other hand, that you did not try to emulate Verne's style; or if you did try, that you did not succeed. But I don't think you did, and I won't hold it against you, but as a matter of preference I would have liked to see a better effort on that count. Besides that, however, I think this fit very well into Verne's canon, with the exception of the one very obvious, very big discrepancy: Where was Mrs. Fogg? This can be explained easily enough, I think, by saying she remained behind; but I don't believe that suits her character very well, though I fail to remember her very distinctly, so I may be wrong.Also, I realized midway that the old man was Passepartout. Crafty, my fellow writer, crafty indeed.To get my last complaint out of the way, I thought your style was, at times, a bit incomprehensible. Not because of a profusion of sesquipedal words, of which I am actually very fond, but because the sentence structure merely became, occasionally, awkward and tough to apprehend.A few mistakes I would like to point out: This is a prime example of odd sentence structure. I still can't figure out its meaning. Surely you mean 1872? Secondly, the two uses of point were slightly repetitive, though perhaps using them togather was intentional? I would still suggest a snyonym. Eighths? I get it! Excellent, very excellent! This is one of those references I commended. In an instance like this, usually those ellipses are replaced by em dashes, and placed on the outside of the quotation marks. Thus: . . . of"--he paused for a moment--"London . . . Recognized, unless you're British, which Fogg is, so I can accept it. That second should be either in picking or pick. Lastly, there should be a comma after that muttered.There were a few deficiences, and a small number of mistakes; but those are only matters for improvement. This was a very good story, worthy to be called fan fiction to Around the World in Eighty Days. Very good, sir,Keep writing, Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Chapter Fifteen On the First Day of Christmas . . . "You have the power to end it here and stop what you're doing." - Avatar Aang Training, that fourteenth day of December, was less spirited, more urgent, than usual. It was depressed, and almost desperate. Even I was having difficult keeping an upbeat attitude, and my jokes were worse than usual."I've seen better firebending from a turkey!"In my defense, it made more sense in proper context. Thanksgiving had had its own excitements that year."That's enough for today, I think," Tobi panted. "Great work. Both of you. You've learned quickly, and you've learned a lot. Wuqing would be proud.""Of us all," I added, returning a smile.Jenny had her back to us. She was staring vaguely into space. "One week," she murmured somewhat shakily. "Seven more days.""But on the upside, only twelve more days until Christmas!"Tobi frowned at me. But I could hear a slight smile in Jenny's voice when she said, "Maybe. Just maybe. Or maybe not."I stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Jenny." She half-turned. "This is what we've been training for. We are ready. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, Koh's as good as dead." I paused. I think I heard Tobi's hand strike her forehead. "Um--bad choice of words. But you know what I mean. Koh's as good as French toast. Except, he's not French."Tobi appeared on Jenny's other side. "What he's trying to say is, you're the Avatar. This is your destiny. And we all know you can do it. You're the only one in doubt.""I know. But I'm the one who counts, aren't I? I don't mean it that way, but I'm the one who has to stop Koh. Like, say, what if--""There are no what-ifs," I interrupted. "No maybes, ands, or buts. Seven days from now, whatever happens, you'll deal with it. But you won't have to do it alone. We'll do it together. We're a team." I pumped a fist. "We're the Face-Saving Squad!"They stared. I frowned. "Come on, guys. You're ruining the moment. How about a Face-Saving Squad cheer? Or a group hug?""'The Face-Saving Squad?'" Jenny echoed. "Four months, and that's the best you could come up with?""Well--I had lots of other ideas," I said evasively. "There's a week yet. I can come up with something better.""Promise me one thing, Jacob.""Of course. What is it?""Whatever you do, don't embarrass me in front of Koh." ~ * ~ "Jacob. . . ."I bolted upright in my bed."Jacob. . . ."A chill swept up my spine. I knew that voice. But I had not heard it for months. I almost didn't recognize it.Throwing off the covers, I threw my bare feet to the cold floor and tiptoed to the window. I pulled a slit in the blinds, and looked out. Though the figure I saw standing in the moonlight was only a confirmation of what I had already realized, I still gasped.I didn't linger for more than a moment. I launched myself out of my bedroom and navigated to the back door. I considered calling Jenny, but decided against it, for the moment. If I had only dreamed what I had seen, Jenny would kill me. And even if I was still dreaming, the prospect of being murdered by the Jenny of my subconscious mind was no more pleasant.And thus it was that I, alone, shuffled out into the freezing night air, shivering less, I thought, for the cold than for nerves. I didn't have to search for him. He was waiting immediately outside, and he was no illusion. I nearly turned right around to go back inside and call Jenny, but I didn't. I almost wish I had."Is--is that you?" I gasped. My breath hung in the air, turned silver by the moonbeams, like a miniature Milky Way hovering in front of my face. "But how can you be? How are you alive, Wuqing?"He stroked his long beard, and said, "I am a spirit. I was not alive to die, and so I am still not alive.""Whatever you call it, I thought you--faded?""Appearances," Wuqing murmured, "can be deceiving.""But what are you doing here? Why come to me?""I wished to visit you so that I could deliver a warning."My jaw began to chatter. "W-warn me? Ab-b-bout w-what?""About the danger you are in. The danger you, and the Avatar, will soon face. Koh is stronger than you think. Stronger than I allowed myself to think. He can't be stopped. The Avatar can't win. You have no choice.""W-what are--what are you s-saying?""You can fight . . . and you will die. Or you can submit and live. There's no other way. There's no hope."And he smiled. But it wasn't Wuqing's smile. It was a smile icier than the air around us. I stumbled backward in shock, though logically I should have realized it already."K-k-koh!"Wuqing disappeared, and the mustached face materialized. "Come now, I expected you to be a little faster than that.""B-but h-how?"Koh moved closer. Before I could react, I felt his fingers around my neck. "The solstice is getting nearer. Or hadn't you noticed? I'm getting stronger, each day. And when that day comes, whatever it takes, the Avatar will not stand in my way." He tilted his head. "I could probably steal your face right now, if I wished it. But that would be a pity, would it not? You can be of more use to me as you are. I need you." And he released me.I swallowed hard, gritted my teeth, and hissed, "There's nothing I'll do to help you!""Now, now, surely you will listen to my generous offer before you refuse? All I want is for you to convince the Avatar to give up the battle.""Are you mad?"Koh's smile only grew wider. "Now think, for a moment. Why do you want me to be stopped so badly, anyway? What will it accomplish? If you challenge me, you will die, you, and the Avatar, and that other friend of yours, and all your families. Now am I really worth all that?""To save the world is worthy enough for me.""But it is as I said before: the mortal world is no concern of mine. Of course, I may continue to feed upon a face every now and then. But if your little friend, the Avatar, promises to remain out of my way--I can offer you and your families absolute impunity.""But at what cost?" I shot back."Oh, naturally there may be a little destruction left in the wake of my conquest. People may die, it's true. But people die every day, Jacob. Life always ends in death. There's nothing you can do to stop that. Stopping me won't change anything. So you see, it's not really me you're fighting. I am but a symbol of what you fear. What you hate. I am death; I am evil. I am chaos and destruction. But I am nothing. I am only a spirit, far from home. I only want to return to the Spirit World. I only want to get my revenge. What does any of that have to do with you? Why continue a battle when you know you will lose? Why stop me when you have nothing to gain by it?""It has nothing to do with me. But it's the Avatar's duty.""And why is that? Because some old ghost told her so? What makes her the Avatar? Just because she can throw a little fire and churn a little earth, that makes her some great and powerful hero who has to protect the world, does it? No. You listen to me. Call me evil, if you will. Call me a villain. But I'm just one villain. Even the Avatar cannot purge the world of evil all alone. Is it worth dying just to try and stop me?""One person may not be able to purify the world, that's true. Avatar or no Avatar, it's Jenny's duty, as it is my duty, as it is every person's duty, to do what's right. If I won't, why would anyone else? If I say, 'I'll let someone else do it,' so will everyone, and then who will? I can only do so much, but I can only do as much as I can, and hope that it will cause a chain reaction to bring about a greater effect.""Don't be a fool. Don't sacrifice all you hold dear for an ideal. Will you watch as I rip Jenny's face from her body, and say to yourself, 'I might have stopped this'? Will you perish alongside her in your little battle for nobility when it all could have been avoided if you had just convinced her to stay home on the solstice? That's all I'm asking. That's all I want. Is that really so much to ask of you?" He waved a hand and turned. "You just think about it. You'll see that I'm right. Just ensure that you do so . . . in time."He vanished. He didn't walk away; he just faded into nothing, like Korra, like Wuqing. But unlike them, I knew he would be back. And that day was only a week away.I returned to my bed and buried myself in the blanket before I caught my death of cold. Although, I asked myself, what was one week, more or less? Review Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Chapter Fourteen Avatar Training "Whole seasons are spent Mastering the form, the style None call it easy" - Madame Macmu-Ling When Jenny summoned Korra the following morning, the latter said, "Okay. Let's get started."Jenny began awkwardly, "Look--I'm sorry I--"But Korra staunched her with a hand. "You don't have to say anything. Trust me, if Tenzin--my airbending master--were here, he would laugh. What goes around comes around. But still, you are a more patient, dedicated student than I ever was. In your face, Tenzin." She smiled. "So come on. Try again. Focus your mind. Force of will, strength of body, power of spirit. Release all your emotion. Let the cosmic energy flow through your body."As Jenny tried yet again to accomplish this, Korra offered to practice my qiblocking on her. I accepted."But be warned," she said as we entered the arena, "I will defend myself."I suppose I should have taken her initial words more literally, for the moment her mouth closed on her last words she hurled a cloud of fire at me. I narrowly dodged to the side in time. I batted at my smoldering sleeve while Korra raised her foot and kicked more fire at me. I embraced the age-old method of duck, cover and roll. It actually worked. By the time the flames had dispersed and Korra could see again, I was ready.I popped up right in front of her face. She pulled back a blazing fist, but a sharp blow to her wrist quelled it. I ducked a roundhouse and swerve around to her good arm. Three jabs and the qi was blocked.She dropped into a squat, swung out one leg, and swept the ground with fire. I jumped in time to evade the attack, but not the breath of air she blew at me. I was flung back, landing hard on the stone.With a groan, I rose. Korra gave me a hand, pulled me to my feet. "You did well. Tobi is a worthy teacher."Tobi and I bowed. With a nod to us both Korra turned and rejoined Jenny."Good job." Tobi offered her own congratulations. "Do you want to spar with me now?""No thanks. I thought today I'd rest, offer Jenny my moral support, and make faces at her while her eyes are closed."Tobi giggled, and we walked over to stand beside Korra.Jenny was breathing heavily. Her eyelids were so tight, I was afraid she was compressing her eyeballs. Her whole body seemed to be shaking with the effort."Do you think you should tell her to relax?" I asked Korra, but she hushed me.Instead, I said encouragingly to Jenny, "Remember, it's just like Wuqing said. To master the Avatar State, master yourself." I wasn't sure whether she was listening, or if she even heard me, but I went on, "And the easiest way to do that is to allow it to happen. Submit to your own will."Minutes passed, and it appeared Jenny had taken no heed of me. Becoming bored, my mind began to crowd with mischievous ways I could entertain myself when my victim was so focused she would have no idea I was doing. I observed dully, "Jenny, your shoelaces are untied. Oh, and I tied them together. And I might have made some rather unruly knots in your hair. I won't admit I did, but I might have. Oh yeah, and you remember about a month ago, when that ball struck you in the back of your head, and I insisted it was your brother? Well, I lied. That was me. And then there was the time--"I paused. Jenny was no longer breathing. She had become still. Her muscles had relaxed.I took a step forward. "J-jenny?"She opened her eyes and cried, "Of course I knew that was you!"I staggered back in surprise, tripping over my own feet. Jenny laughed. Then she cast an apologetic glance at her instructor."I'm--I'm sorry, Avatar Korra."Tobi and I gaped. Korra suppressed a smile. "Well, you did your best, didn't you?"All in an instant, the ancient Avatar drew the water from a cooler in the corner and slid her foot to create a boulder before herself. Simultaneously she propelled these, a spurt of fire, and a blast of wind at Jenny.Jenny flinched and cried out, raising her hands to cover her face. As she did so, it all stopped a few feet in front of her. It remained suspended in midair until Jenny looked up and lowered her arms. The water fell harmlessly on the floor, the boulder crumbled, the fire vanished, and the air currents calmed.She blinked her glowing eyes. Blue shone around each word as she gasped, in her own voice, "What was that? How did I do it?"Korra beamed. "Congratulations, Avatar Jenny. You just entered the Avatar State. My work here is done." ~ * ~ If you have ever worked to learn something in your life--which, unless you live under a rock, no doubt you have; and even then there must be a lot of skills involved with living under said stone that you must learn--then I am sure you know that one success does not mastership make. Yet, when once one has accomplished something, and therefore knows how to do it, doing it again can be a far less daunting task than some might think, if not as easy as others might think.But the next day, Jenny found herself incapable of reentering the Avatar State. The day thereafter she succeeded not once again, but twice more, which made it, in a way, a solid three-for-three.As the days passed, Jenny found that operating the Avatar State, after she had entered it and imposed her will upon it, was far easier than anything else had been. After putting her mind in control it was easy to maintain, allowing her full, unhindered access to the skill and knowledge of all her past lives.Korra kept coming back for the remainder of the week. At the end of this period of time, when Jenny had turned on and off the Avatar State a near dozen times, Korra at last announced her job complete."You have made amazing progress, Jenny," were some of her parting words. "You've taken to the Avatar State like none before you. Keep practicing, and you can soon call yourself master."Jenny bowed. "Thank you, Avatar Korra.""You've made me proud. But I'm just another Avatar. Your job is to make the world proud. Go to it, Jenny."With that said, she closed her eyes and faded, returning to the Spirit World of her own will.That same day, Jenny, Tobi and I gathered around one of the tables at the end of the chamber to discuss plans. The general consensus was that all we could do was to wait. If Koh showed any of his faces, Jenny would wipe him out the moment he did. If he lay low until the next solstice, which we expected he would, then we could but be prepared for whatever that day might bring.I need hardly go into detail regarding the months that ensued. Jenny continued to train, and so did I. She learned the basic forms and skills of the four bending arts, and I became an accomplished qiblocker. The "qichoke," as Tobi called it--canceling all the qi in a bender's body at once--eluded me for many weeks, though as December was rearing its wintry head I strangled Jenny, figuratively, for the first time. She strangled me, literally, in return.In combat, now, we were well matched. I could evade her bending defenses long enough to weave my way nearer until I could begin my qiblocking takedown. Who would win each time was as back-and-forth as a game of ping pong. But if Jenny could activate the Avatar State in time--and as time passed, she did this with a much greater frequency--I was toast, or drowned, or a pancake, or winded in more than one sense of the word. Which one merely depended upon which element she happened to choose.As the holidays passed, we found ourselves less able to enjoy them than usual. Halloween was the worst. One set of triplets walked the streets in a black caterpillar costume, which I found particularly unamusing.Thanksgiving brought unusually philosophical reflections on all we truly had to be thankful for. Call it potential doom, call it our eyes opened to the things we always see but take for granted; both are accurate.Yuletide decorating was especially nostalgic. But they failed to inspire within me the old excitement, the old magic. The ornaments lacked their usual cheer, imbued instead with a somber elegance tainted with dread.But most important, every day spent in that sun-bathed park became something more precious than the last. The trees became more beautiful; all that mattered was seeing how many we could climb, or how high we could climb them. Every minute to run, playing this game or another, became all the more valuable. Relaxing to talk afterward was bliss. We savored all the precious laughter.Because in the backs of our three minds, one thought loomed over it all: each day, every moment spent with our families and friends . . . could be our last. Review Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Chapter Thirteen Bitter Work "While it is always best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing." - Iroh "Air, water, earth, fire. The Avatar is the combination of all the elements. Mind, will, body, spirit. The Avatar State requires the disciplines of all the elements. Focus your mind, force will over emotion, use all the strength in your body, draw the qi from your spirit. Let the cosmic energy, the energy of all the past Avatars, flow through you." Korra barked, "Try it again!"Jenny was standing rigid, every muscle in her body straining. She looked like someone trying to convince herself she could fly like superman with enough effort. She had been doing this every day for the past week, exhausting herself, thus far to no avail."I am trying!" Jenny protested. "I have been trying!""But you're not trying hard enough!""I'm doing all I can! It's just so hard to focus on everything I'm supposed to focus on at once!""Everything is a singular word. It's one entity. It's only one thing to concentrate on.""That doesn't make any sense!" Jenny cried.Korra sighed. "Come on. We'll give it a rest for today. Let's meditate.""No! I'm sick of meditating, and I'm sick of trying to let a bunch of dead people into my mind and control them! I'm going home!""Do what you want, but be back here--" But before Korra could finish, she vanished. Jenny had shut her out of her mind, sending her back to the Spirit World. She stormed away, her steps resounding within the chamber until she disappeared into the hall, and then I heard the metallic song of the ladder as she climbed the rungs."I had better go, too," I said to Tobi, with whom I had been sparring. Over the past week I had become quite capable with the basic qiblocking attacks; but though Tobi had demonstrated it to me several times over, and even Korra had given me a few pointers, I was still struggling with the advanced ability of blocking qi from the whole body all at once."I'm sorry I about Jenny," I added over my shoulder, halfway to the exit. "You just have to understand how hard this must be on her."Tobi nodded. "Hurry and catch up with her."Without another word, I did just that. I met Jenny in the reception room, halting her by the wrist before she flew out the door.I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could so much as utter a sound, she hissed, "Not now! I'm not in the mood to listen!""But I only wanted to say--""I know exactly what you're going to say! You're going to say, 'You can do it, Jenny! I believe in you!'" Her voice was an unflattering mockery of my own. "But did you ever think that maybe I can't, Jacob? Maybe I was never meant to be the Avatar; maybe this whole thing is one big mistake! I can hardly bend to save my life, and I'm as far from controlling the Avatar State as I am from walking to the moon! The winter solstice is only a few months away, and even if I had a thousand years to train, I could never be strong enough to defeat Koh! It's hopeless, can't you see that? It's absolutely hopeless! You were going to tell me that Koh won't stand a chance against me--but it's me who won't stand a chance against him!""But Jenny, I--""You were going to say that I have no choice but to be the Avatar, but I'm just not! You were going to say that I can live up to my destiny, but I can't! You were going to say the world needs me, but it seems to me it's done pretty well over the past few centuries, without any Avatar! You--you were going to tell me that I have what it takes, that I am the Avatar, and I don't need to worry--but it's all a lie. I'm no hero."It was almost a sob, but only almost. Jenny, as usual, kept her tone well in check. She wasn't even shouting. Instead, she imbued each word with a quiet rage."But I wasn't going to say any of that," I returned calmly, slowly. "I was only going to tell you that I know without a doubt that Wuqing would be proud of you."Jenny froze. Her jaw moved up and down, as if she were chewing over the words to utter next or trying to swallow the ones she had been planning. For a moment she stood there, uncertain, staring at her feet.Then she whipped around, yanked open the door, and disappeared.But I knew she would be back tomorrow. Review Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

The Book of the Dead The fading sunlight imbued the upper reaches of the bland gray stone with a gold tincture. The shadows stretched away from my window, as if running away from me. I felt like shooting the sun. But I knew even I couldn’t make that shot. Besides, it was behind me. I was peering across the crowded street to the rooftop garden where a young man lounged in his undergarments, reading a book. I hoped, for his sake, it was a good one, worthy of his final moments. As I took out my gear and began setting up, I asked myself the question. If I was about to die, what book would I want to read? To Kill a Mockingbird? I laughed at the thought. There was irony in that. Maybe a murder mystery. An Appointment with Death. One thing was certain, if I died, it would be with the grin of my last joke forever immortalized across my inert face. Until it rotted. But that was life. And this was death. I peered through the sight and lined up the cross-hairs. I had a perfect shot from here. Maybe I didn’t know my employer, but he sure knew what he was about. And all I needed to know was my job, the fact that my boss had money, and a few good jokes. I waited. Through my binoculars I could tell he was nearly through with the novel. I wasn’t busy that night; I would give him time. I’d let him finish reading, then I’d kill him. The sun disappeared and the shadows deepened. He moved only once, to turn on a light. Then he returned to his reading. I wondered what book it was. I couldn’t make out the title. But I guess that didn’t matter. I was less curious why I was hired to kill him, but that didn’t matter either. Even if I was just a toy, the instrument in a stronger arm, I didn’t care. I enjoyed what I did. That was all that mattered to me. Oh, and the money. Yeah, the money. That, too. Finally he turned the last page. His eyes roved down the page, though I couldn’t see them. Then he closed the book, closed his eyes, and leaned back, sated and smiling. One of those books that left you feeling there was nothing more to life than that brief escape to fiction, I hoped. Because, for this fellow, there was nothing more to life. I aimed. I pulled the trigger. And I packed up. Time to pick up a check and then head to the bookstore. Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith

Chapter Twelve Jenny Finds Herself "You must gain balance within yourself before you can bring balance to the world." - Guru Pathik The next day, bright and early, we met as usual at the White Lotus. Everything was much the same as always, except that it all felt empty and lifeless. Wuqing was the physical representation of all the paranormality that had transpired during the previous two weeks. His voice was the voice of bending and Avatar wisdom. Without him, it all changed. It became less tangible; and yet more real, grounded as it now was in a human being: Tobi.She had suggested that Jenny take a few days to rest, but the offer had been firmly refused. And so there we were, not after twenty-four whole hours had passed since Koh's attack, to continue the Avatar's tutelage.After an exchange of greetings, Tobi began awkwardly, "I don't really know where to start. Wuqing left me with a little knowledge and plenty of resources--but no plan.""Well," Jenny suggested helpfully, "Wuqing said to train with Korra. So I start there.""But it's not that simple, unless you know how to contact spirits. You've never spoken with your past lives, have you?""Afraid not.""I spoke to my future self, once," I said. "I wrote a letter and mailed it to myself. When it came back, it was a message from my past self. But I guess that's not really beneficial in the present situation."Jenny rolled her eyes. "Not really!""Although," I added, "it could be metaphorically beneficial." They questioned me silently, and I went on, "See, it sort of shows that time is nonexistent. It's nothing but a figment of the human mind. If I can break the supposed barrier with nothing more than a pencil and paper and the U.S. Mail, then it's clearly not hard.""I'm--having trouble--figuring out if that makes any sense," Jenny stammered."Wuqing would have said it better." I quickly covered up the tactless remark by going on, in my best imitation of the spirit's voice, "Time is immaterial. All that exists, exists within you. Look inside to find the key that unlocks the past, present, and future."There was a pause. Jenny was regarding me as if I had grown another head. For all I knew, I had; weirder things had happened of late.Tobi said, "You know, I think he's right--in a roundabout, enigmatic kind of way."That's what I'm here for!"Tobi went on, "I remember reading that the Avatars of the past dwell in the Spirit World, but also inside the Avatar. It's like they're one, but they're not. Entering the Avatar State lets them all in, but it's more like letting them surface. Maybe you can do that with just one.""So--if I just look inside myself--I'll find them? I'll find Korra?""Maybe. It's worth a try.""There's just one problem. Letting the past Avatars enter me is exactly what Korra needs to train me to do. If I reach her, then I can already do what she needs to teach me--and if I can't, then she can't teach me."Tobi shook her head, tossing her chestnut hair. "It's not quite like that. Letting the Avatars into your mind isn't the same as controlling them. Wuqing said that the Avatar State is ruled by instinct, but that you can rule it yourself. That's what Korra will teach you to do.""But Jenny already did that," I pointed out. "Last night, she entered the Avatar State, by her own will."Jenny bit her lip. "But I wasn't in control. I think it's like Tobi said; I only let them in. It was easy to do that in the heat of the situation. But they were still controlling me."Tobi nodded. "So what you need to do is to let just Korra into your mind.""And how do I do that?"I grinned. "Silly little Jenny! You should know that by now." I assumed Wuqing's voice again. "To discover yourself, you must look within."Jenny groaned. "Meditation," she grumbled. "I hate meditating."This hatred notwithstanding, Jenny seated herself in the usual meditation ring, in the center, between the two inner circles.Meanwhile, Tobi beckoned me to one of the chalk arenas. "We need to start your training now," said she."My training? What is there to teach a well-rounded perfection such as myself?""You can't fight," she answered bluntly."I can too fight! I held my own against Koh's men last night.""You wouldn't have for long if Jenny hadn't saved you.""Benders don't count. They cheat. Just because I can't bend doesn't mean I'm defenseless. You can't bend, either!""But I know how to fight.""So do I!"Suddenly Tobi came at me. I felt her hands grip my arm and her foot strike the back of my leg, and the next thing I knew I was on my back. With a dry smile, she pulled me to my feet. "You can't fight," she repeated.I sighed. "I submit myself humbly to your teachings.""I'm new at defending myself against benders, too," Tobi confessed. "But Wuqing taught me the technique. He says--he used to say--that limitations exist only in our minds. The way for a non-bender to stand up to a bender is to level the playing field.""And how does one do that?" I inquired."By taking away their bending.""Wow!" I breathed. "That's possible? You can do that? Just--take it away?""It can't be done permanently, not by regular humans like us, at least. But you can stop their bending temporarily, and leave them practically defenseless. It's called qiblocking.""It's not some sort of incantation thing with elaborate gestures or something, is it?""Elaborate gestures--in a way," she replied slowly. "They're more generally called punches.""It can't be that simple. I landed quite a few punches, and as far as I noticed, they could still bend.""Well, it isn't quite that simple.""Stop being so mysterious, girl! Out with it!""It's all about pressure points." She poked my elbow. I felt a slight twinge. Inch by inch, she worked her fingers up to my shoulder, and then pressed gently on my neck. I flinched. "The body is weak in the right places. These vulnerable spots can be bruised easily. A bender's qi has to be bruised in the same way."She punched by arm swiftly in three places. Pain surged through my arm and ebbed just as suddenly. My arm hung numb and limp from my shoulder. With my other hand I poked it. I couldn't feel anything, only a tingle in my shoulder as it swung. It was as if the arm belonged to someone else."That's amazing!" I gasped. "And this stops bending?""Only in that arm. So they can still use their other arm, or even their legs. It's effective, as you can see, on regular humans, but there's a better way to qiblock a bender throughout the body.""I could use some quiet," Jenny complained. "Everything you say echoes in here!""Can you show me how to qiblock Jenny?" I whispered."I heard that!"Amused, Tobi said, "I'll show you more later. Let's give her a chance to meditate."We joined Jenny, sitting cross-legged, outside the circle as always. We practiced the breathing Wuqing had taught us. By now it had become very easy, even for me, to clear my mind and calm my body. I cannot say how much time it was which passed before Jenny broke the silence."Korra," she murmured. Her lips hung on each syllable. "Korra. Is--is that you?"I opened my eyes. There was a second body inside the circle, taking Wuqing's usual place. At first she appeared ghostly transparent, as if she were glowing vapor. Then lines and contours of her body sharpened, and her dulled colors became vivid.The face beneath her hair was younger than her gray hair suggested, as if by sheer force of will she had kept it from wrinkling. I could see enough force in her vigorous eyes and set jaw to intimidate any crow's foot. She reminded me, in a way, of a much older Jenny.She wore a sky-blue caftan with a fur shawl draped over her shoulders, navy and trimmed with white. A matching overskirt hung from her waist to her knees, or would have if she had been standing."Avatar Korra?" Jenny asked tentatively.The woman nodded. When she spoke it was with a voice deep and firm, cracked by many years of living, and probably many years of yelling. "You need to learn to master the Avatar State, Jenny. I'm here to teach you. If you thought unlocking your chakras or learning to bend was hard, you were wrong. Now comes the real Avatar training. So we're not going to waste any time. Let's get down to business." Review Sincerely, Nuile: Lunatic Wordsmith