It has been 111 years since the last Avatar was brutally murdered in the Avatar state, ridding the world of the bridge between the physical world and the spirit world forever. Avatar Korra was the 6th to last Avatar to exist. As a direct result, the portals to the spirit world, along with all mainstream contact with spirits themselves, had vanished. Luckily, all Airbenders who were rendered the ability to Airbend by the spirits kept the ability after they left. The air temples were now the home to thousands of Airbenders. The world surprisingly didn't become chaotic, in fact, because of the lack of spiritual dependence, the nations were forced to strive forward and innovation and technology became their priority. These are the tales of normal citizens of the Avatar universe, their stories and their horrors. Horrors that could not be alliviated without the Avatar.
(Warning: I'm terrible at coming up with names that correspond to the Avatar universe. The names of characters, locations, etc. can be simple, unoriginal, or just plain weird. You've been warned)
Tale 1: The Waterbending Earthbender
In the Earth state of Tao-Li, a dark cloud has hovered over the back of everyone's mind. Six people have had their lives horribly stolen from them in actions authorities can describe only as "disturbing." The bodies have been twisted and broken in unnatural ways, bones exposed and puddles of blood were always present. To Tex, ignorance was bliss. He was completely oblivious of the ongoing investigation as were every other citizen of Tao-Li. Authorities didn't want a public panic but warned parents to keep their children indoors after dark. Eventually the news was out. Private investigators told reporters they were most likely dealing with a Bloodbender. They were wrong.
Tex walked to school like he always did, with his green satchel over his shoulder and his mind in the clouds. A strom had been passing over the past few days and Tex couldn't be happier. Upon first glance, Tex was a calm and happy 16 year old kid who had a deep respect for the Waterbending culture. Upon further inspection, he was the victim of a dangerous psychological condition that currently has no name.
He saw a girl in a blue coat, blue boots, and a blue ribbon around her hair walking in front of him towards the same direction. It had been slightly raining and Tex had forgotten his umbrella. The few drops that would have wet the girl's dark hair, broke the laws of physics and dodged her completely. She was waterbending. His interest suddenly piqued, he walked faster to catch up to her.
"Hey," he said, "Are you a Waterbender?"
The dark girl turned to him with an awkward smile, "Was it my clothes or my Waterbending that gave it away?"
He chuckled. Tex has been known to be extremely friendly and in just a few minutes, he discovered her name was Kat (at least that's what she asked him to refer to her as) and that she was a new student in his school. They talked all the way until they got to the school; the conversation mostly revolved around Kat's life in the Water Tribes. It was almost like an interview. When they got to the school, Tex knew her backstory and she didn't even remember his name.
Throughout the first couple of classes, Tex could not steer his mind away from the lovely Kat. During history class, while the teacher discussed how the Earth Empire turned into the Earth Democracy with a weak central government and stronger state independence, he scribbled away in his notepad. He drew the water symbol and drew famous buildings from the Water Tribes.
The sky cleared up just in time for physical education class, one that Tex was not too fond of. He was extremely smart but lacked the impressive physical stature of a fierce Earthbender that his best friend, Kylo had. It was the day of physical testing: the boys had to go through different Earthbeding techinques (metal bending, lava bending, seeing underground) that the coach issued them. One of them was one-on-one combat wearing metal suits that contained non-lethal weapons. Kylo and Tex were the first ones to try the suits that day. While the coach hovered temporarily over the students doing their own activities, he noticed Tex and his unusually mediocre endurance while batteling Kylo.
"Come on, Tex, at least look like you're trying," the coach yelled from afar. What happened next started a series of events that would have caused anyone panic. As Kylo launched towards Tex, ready to end the match, Tex stood up and touched the tips of his fingers together and then pressed his palms together. Kylo stopped. Mid-air.
"What are you doing!" yelled Kylo and before he knew it, he was slammed on the ground.
The coach dropped his clipboard.
Tex's parents rushed to the prinicpal's office as soon as they got the phone call. Sitting in the office was the principal, the coach, and Tex.
"What's going on? What happened?" asked Tex's mother.
The principal kindly ask them to sit. "Do you want to tell your parents what the coach caught you doing?" she asked.
Tex had been staring at the floor and didn't alter at the sound of the question.
The principal sighed, "Your son was caught Bloodbending." Silence reigned over the room until Tex's father began to laugh.
"Is this a joke?" asked his mom, "Tex is an Earthbender, he can't Waterbend."
"No," the principal continued, "But the coach caught him manipulating the metal suit we use for P.E. using the exact same technique. He wasn't actually Bloodbending, but he was using the exact same maneuver on a fellow student in the suit."
"Well if he wasn't actually Bloodbending, then what's the problem?" his Dad asked.
"Your son is learning Bloodbending techinques!" She snapped, "I know Tex. He has a very high interest in Waterbending. Mulitple times I've witnessed him trying to sign up for Waterbending classes just to observe them. He reads Water Tribe history like it's a religion and his teachers have overheard him say how much he wishes he was a Waterbender. I'm afraid this is no longer just an infatuation; I think this is a deep obsession."
The parents looked at each other.
"Ever summer he visits the Water Tribes," said his mom.
"I've caught him many times in the lake behind our house," started his dad, "he moves the rocks in the water and from afar it looks like he was creating waves."
"I'm deeply worried," said the principal.
"I don't have an obsession," said Tex finally, "I wasn't actually Bloodbending so I don't see why I'm in trouble."
"I think Tex needs a little time to clear his head," said the principal, "We're suspending him for three days."
"What!" said all three at the same time.
"You can't do this!," Tex yelled, "Bloodbending is forbidden to Waterbenders only!"
"Learning the technique is still illegal, Tex. I'm not sure where you learned how to do it but you can't use it in school. You're suspended." the principal stood up and dismissed them all.
Tex's parents owned a restaurant and worked late. Tex was therefore home alone on his first day of suspension. He decided to head to the library to kill some time. There he learned that his obsession with wanting to be a different kind of bender was not too uncommon. A kind of mental disorder, people sometimes develope a deep hatred for their own bending abilities and a strong desire to be another. An Airbending woman wanted to be a Firebender so badly that she learned how to increase the air temperature to the point where she became a Steambender. She was incarcerated after using this technique on her ex-husband's and his wife's faces, mutilating them permanently. A Waterbender wanted to be an Airbender to such an extreme that he convinced his closest friends that they could fly. Their bodies were found, smothered on the pavement ground after jumping off a tall building.
Then came the most recent report. A Bloodbending Waterbender.
Suddenly, a familiar voice said "Hey" and a hand touched his shoulder. He turned to see Kat standing in front of him with a worried look.
"You looked like you haven't slept in days, are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine," he answered and asked her why she wasn't in school. It was to Tex's astonishment that school was already over. He had spend the entire day at the library.
She asked him why he was surrounded by reports of people dying-- he snapped mentally.
"Teach me how to Waterbend!" he yelled.
"Um, what?"
"I found a way to be an Earthbender and basically manipualte water, I just need someone to actually show me the techiques. I know plenty of them but I would love to have a real waterbender show me. My parents threw out all of my waterbending scrolls and I can't enter waterbending classes in school anymore. Everyone thinks there's something wrong with me but I'm not the only one. I thought they were all crazy until I read about the guy who has been killing people using Bloodbending. He's finally been identified as an Earthbender and his whole technique has been exposed. It's a matter of time before they catch him but I looked at how he was trying to Bloodbend and I think I can do the same with water-"
"Wait, wait, wait," Kat interrupted, "Slow down. You found a way to Waterbend?"
"Yes!" he quickly responded. His undereyes were dark and his glare was almost psychotic.
"How?" she asked.
They both arrived at the lake behing Tex's house. Upon arriving, Kylo was there to deliver his homework. Regardless of the suspension, Kylo and Tex were still great friends.
"There you are," he said, "where have you been?"
Tex rushed pashed him without lookimg at him and Kat had to explain to him what was going on.
"Tex are you crazy?" Kylo asked after being informed, "I know exactly how damgerous this kind of mindset is, it never ends well. My distant uncle died because he attached rocket lauchers to his hands and feet in order to 'become' a firebender. People do deadly things with this kind of obsession, you need to seek help."
"Are you kidding me? I finally discovered how to Waterbend--a dream of mind since childhood. I'm not stopping now."
"You're saying you actually know how to waterbend?" Kylo asked in shock. Tex nodded.
"Think about Metalbending. It isn't completely Earth but we're taught to focus on the little Earth particles that are present within the metal. We are then able to control it as a whole. Now look at this natual lake water. We can move the rocks underwater, and if we focus hard enough, we can bend the smallest pebbles underwater. Just like metal is a blend of other particles and Earth, so is natural water. Earth dissolves in the water, and if I can just focus on the Earth, I can move the water with it."
A disgusting silence pressed over the three and for a moment Kylo and Kat wondered if Tex was playing a sick joke. A moment later, their suspicions were alleviated as Tex moved his arms around and around, like any other Waterbender. Slowly, the water began to move. Then, bigger waves crashed on shore and Tex shot his arms into the air making the water in the lake shoot up as well. He was Waterbending. A feeling similar to an intoxicating high ran through Tex's body. His mind and body changed and it wasn't until Kylo screamed his name that he realized he was laughing meniaclly.
"Tex, you have to stop this! It isn't natural to bend more than one element! Not since the last Avatar existed."
"You don't understand," Tex said in a heated voice, "I was meant to be a Waterbender! I should have been a Waterbender."
"But you're not!" Kat said, "You just have to accept that."
"Nooooo!" Tex covered his ears and kept repeating the same word over and over again "No no no no no no no!"
"I'm calling authorities," Kylo said, "You need professional help."
Tex suddenly stopped talking. He looked up at them with bloodshop eyes. He had found his destiny. He knew once apprehended, he wouldn't be allowed to practice this techique ever again. He's read other cases when people didn't die but had to live in a mental insitute for the rest of their lives. This kind of behavior was deemed insane and anyone who tried to practice a foreign element were locked up for security reasons. Tex wasn't about to let that happen.
"Do you know about the six people who were killed by the Bloodbending Earthbender?" he asked.
Kylo and Kat looked at him. They were scared.
"He used liquid metal. It entered their body through any opening. Like their mouth or nose or ears.The metal went into their bloodstream and coated every red blood cell in the body. From there, Bloodbending is possible for an Earthbender." Tex never blinked while saying this, in fact, his eyes seemed to glow in admirition.
"You've lost your damn mind!" Kylo yelled, "I always knew you liked Waterbenders too much! I knew something like this would happen! You're getting the help you need immediately."
Kylo reached in his pocket to get his phone. Kat searched for hers as well. Unfortunately, they looked away from Tex and failed to notice that he too was taking something out of his pocket. It was a small container and in it was a small amount of liquid metal.
Aurhorites came to the house with an unnerving reluctance. This kind of behavior was becoming more and more common. The two bodies were retrieved in multiple body bags. Some for the arms, one for a head. There was blood everywhere. And this wasn't even the guy from the news. This mindset was spreading.In the back of one of the police cars sat Tex. A calm smile resting on his blood stained face. He had finally made his dream a reality. What happened to him next did not matter to him. All he cared about was that he was able to experience what it was like to be a Waterbender.