- Water - Earth - Fire - Air -

Long ago, fans lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when Aang attacked Katara's face. Surely the Avatar, master of all four elements, could have anything—anyone he wanted, but when Katara needed him to listen, he wouldn't. A few years passed, and Katara discovered a new relationship with a firebender named Zuko. And although his listening skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to let himself be loved by anyone. But the fans believe, Zutara was meant to be.

Welcome to the insomniac's guide to the Darkness Universe. This resource may only be helpful for ME (because I often write fanfic at night when I can't sleep, and sometimes my own characters slip my mind). BUT it could also be helpful for anyone choosing to read just one story or pick up in the middle of the trilogy (it's OK, committing to 300K words is… well, a commitment). I try to help along the way with author's notes, but if you are wondering what is going on and who the fuck is that, etc… then yeah… (I know, OCs and ANs can be soooo annoying. Sorry! I was/am new at this.)

Subsequent chapters are divided by the elements/nations and contain descriptions of those respective characters and/or relationships. Below is a list of each fic that fits in the Darkness Universe and its placement in the overall timeline/headcanon. Also, I know I've said it in multiple places, but I picked up the plot where Emletish's Not Stalking Fire Lord Zuko left off, so she did all the awesome awkward teenage drama buildup for the Zutara relationship, and I actually don't know what the hell I'm doing. But I'm having fun, so ya know…

Darkness Before Dawn – first installment of trilogy. I wanted it to be a trilogy because the Stalking series was a trilogy. So that is how I started, and I'm sticking to it.

Rising Tide – the sequel to Darkness Before Dawn.

Beyond the Silver Lining – the finale (in progress)

The Dragon and the Wolf is this random (sorta) supposed-to-be side fic/oneshot about Hakoda-Zuko interactions that ended up captivating my interest there for a while (not to mention generating reader traffic) so it somehow became a 73K-word, 33-chapter piece that could very well stand in for the third part of the trilogy. I'm currently trying to work this out with my initial plans for the overall story arc.

Burning Passion – the Ozai-Ursa backstory. It ain't pretty, but insightful to certain elements of the trilogy as Ursa recovers from her own respective trauma.

Deal Breakers – the conspiracy surrounding Azulon's death and Ursa's banishment. It provides supplemental scenes from the Zuko Alone episode to complement the Darkness story arc.

The Doctor Is In – detailed account of Zuko's experiences with psychotherapy. I am not sure if this one is finished or not. Dr. Jung will make a reappearance in Silver Lining, but I don't know if he and Zuko will have sessions again. Extra emphasis on the fictitious nature of this fic.

Sage Advice – the Ozai backstory on why he became the Phoenix King. I have a lot of symbolism surrounding the Phoenix throughout my universe. Ozai claims it, a Water Tribe prison based in the Fire Nation is called that, it is Hama's nickname, and it is Katara's spirit animal.

In Appa Ate Momo, Chapters 14-16 correspond with The Dragon and the Wolf. Chapter 17 is also part of the Darkness Universe. All of these are smutty, and I never thought I'd write stuff like that, but I did, and so there.

I have a goal in mind to go back and rework/clean it all up when I'm done writing the trilogy. Maybe post on AO3? I will be at a crossroads for sure...

Destiny is a funny thing. Like how I ended up here one year and some 400,000 words later.