Okay, here's where it gets less stupid and more meta.

WORDS: 3K / RATING: M

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"Oof!"

Zhht! the portal closed.

The landing was rough, but out of the endless possibilities, a few feet in the air over an alleyway in Republic City wasn't the worst place for a portal opening.

Korra: "No Kaijus. No Dragon Ball rip-offs." She got up, dusted herself off and pointed her eyes to one of the smelly dumpsters. "No... perfection. Yep, just regular old filthy, filthy 'Public City. Asami, Opal, I think we're home."

...

Korra: "Asami? Opal? Guys?" No matter which way she looked, there was no one else in the alleyway with her. Finally, she turned and gazed downwards. "...A-... sa... mi..."

Fingernails. Painted with the passionate crimson that Korra so adored. Attached to the gentle fingers that used to stroke her, attached to the warm hand that used to comfort her, attached to the slender-but-capable forearm of a brave and brilliantly big-hearted engineer...

...Attached to... flesh and bone and nothing else. She saw the arm cut cleanly, the meat and leather perfectly severed before the elbow.

"...No... What... What the fuck, what the fuck, CHRIST WHAT THE FUCK! ASAMI! FUCK! JESUS! OH, GOD!"

? ? ?: "You called?"

The distressed Avatar whipped herself around.

? ? ?: "Just kidding. But seriously, you're overreacting - she's only lost her arm." The elderly waterbender nonchalantly entered from the street.

Korra: "K-Katara? I-I'm not sure what you're doing here but could you open that portal back up for me? You have powers, right?- or- or something like that? Please!"

Katara: "Like I said: She's not dead."

Korra: "Her and Opal are trapped on the other side of that portal! They very well could be in serious danger right now so would you please just open the portal so I can get them back!?"

Katara: "I'm afraid I can't do that, Korra," she said darkly. "I mean... I could, but... I'm just not going to."

Korra: "What!?"

Katara: "Asami, Opal - there's literally millions of Asamis and Opals just like them! What's so special about those two anyway?-"

Korra, now filled with rage, stomped towards and grabbed her former waterbending teacher by the cloth over her chest and pulled it up to her neck.

Katara: "-Nothing, that's what!" She flicked the younger tribeswoman away with nothing but her index finger, and Korra's head collided with incredible force against the corner of the dumpster which was now clumsily rolling down the sloped alley down to where the portal used to be.

Korra touched the wound on her temple and saw blood on her hand when she looked at it, reeling. "What... the fuck... Katara...?"

Katara: "Oh, I'll tell you. I'll tell you exactly what the fuck."

The old woman brought her hands together for a Clap!

The Passage: Origins

Korra woke up sweating and gasping in the dark. What the fuck... What the fuck... It should have been dismissed as a dream, but Korra knew instantly that it was entirely real. Where am I? It wasn't her usual bed, but it didn't feel completely unfamiliar to her - it must've been her old room at Pema and Tenzin's house, she thought at first - Where she first started reading fanfiction all those years ago...

[Korra Doesn't Like Fanfiction, Ch.2]
Suddenly Korra got a brilliant (to her) idea. She sat up and grabbed the magazines from underneath her mattress and started to read the first one. "They really think I'm going to be a victim? I'll show them." Korra started to read each story with a new resolve, not allowing the porn to faze her. She didn't bat an eyelash as she studied all of the rape fics, she didn't grimace as she absorbed the images of her being penetrated by various objects, she didn't even flinch as she came across the bestiality fic starring her and Naga. "I'll study all of these stories. Really study them. And if I ever get into a situation like slutty fanfic Korra, I will show them how much of a 'victim' the God Damn Avatar can be. I'LL SHOW THEM ALL!"

Korra laughed to herself at the memory, coming to the realisation that a major turning point in her life revolved around some stupid fanfiction porn. Goddammit.

But it wasn't that room, looking around, she saw that it was her old room back at the White Lotus Compound.

I'm home? In the Southern Water Tribe? Is this Episode 1?- "Aaahh-" She was interrupted by a pulsing wave of pain in her head.

She stumbled up from bed, swiped the curtains open and took a look in her mirror. The wound she had on her temple from where she hit that dumpster seemed to be completely healed, but it had left a deep and noticeable scar in its place. Not to mention the migraine. Katara, she seethed.

Controlled only by anger, she left without dressing.

Pema: "All I want is one child like me," she wished idealistically, "A nice non-bender who doesn't blast wind in my face every five seconds."

Meelo: "Mommy, look! I'm a SNOWBENDERRR!" Fwhoosh!

Pema, unimpressed, shook the snow off her face before turning back to her mother-in-law. "Were Tenzin and his siblings this crazy when they were kids?"

Katara: "Bumi and Kya definitely were, but Tenzin was always... a little serious-"

Tenzin: "Korra?"

Pema: "Did you just wake up? What time is it?"

Korra: "Hi, Pema! Hi, Tenzin! Hi, Jinora! Hi, Ikki! Hi, Meelo! Hi, Rohan!" She pulled Katara away. "Katara come with me," she ordered sternly.

Ikki, worried: "Are Korra and Gran-Gran fighting about something?"

Meelo, blushing: "Why is Korra in her underwear?"

Jinora, confused: "Uhh... ...Who's Rohan?"

Pema looked down at her unborn child and over to her baffled husband.

Korra closed the door to the cleaning supplies closet. "Explain. Now."

Katara: "Explain what, dear?"

Korra: "Explain what the FUCK is going on! Why are we back in Season 1!? Where are my friends!? Who are you!?"

Katara: "Season...? Korra, it's me, honey, Katara, your waterbending teacher," she reached a comforting hand.

Korra slapped it away. "Drop the act, you witch!"

Katara: "Korra, what's gotten into you? Are you feeling alright?" She put her hand on Korra's forehead. "Are you sick- *gasp* How did you get that scar? Did you hit your head? Is that why you're acting so strangely?"

Korra: "...K-... K-Katara...?"

Katara: "Yes, Korra, it's just me."

Korra: "Oh, Master Katara, I'm so sorry, I- I had a dream that you were... I'm..."

Katara: "... ... ...*snort* Pfffffffffftt! Hhaaaahhaaaa *cackle*cackle*cackle* It's me you fucking idiot! HHHHAAAAAAHHAHAHHA!"

"What- You fucking-" Korra tried to push her away but only managed to move her own body backwards. "I swear to fucking Jesus-"

Katara: "Oohhhh, Kataraaaa, I'm sooo sorrrryyyyyy! HHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHHHHAAAAAAAAAA! I GOT YOU SO BAD!"

Korra: "WHO ARE YOU, YOU WRINKLY OLD BITCH!?"

Katara: "You might wanna keep your voice down, feisty - you don't wanna ruin your character's image in your original birth world after all."

Korra: "This is Canon World?"

Katara: "Wait, WHAT?" She cackled again. Loudly. "You think you're Canon Korra? You? A perverted potty-mouthed piece-of-work like you? HHAHAHAHAA! Bitch, you're as fictional as all the other NPCs walking around these Fics!"

Korra: "So who are you!?"

"Why, I'm Katara of the Southern Water Tribe of course."

Korra: "Who are you really?"

Katara: "I suppose what you called me just before isn't too far off."

Korra: "'Wrinkly old bitch?'"

"No," Katara deadpanned. "The other one, that rhymes with 'bitch?'"

Korra: "A... witch...?"

Katara: "If you want a name, well, it's more of a title really. I don't throw this mantle around much anymore so don't wear it out. I am Aurora Katara, the Fictionkeeper. If you want me to answer your other questions-"

Korra: "The only thing I want you to do right now is open that portal to the Perfect Fanfiction so I can-"

Katara clapped her hands and Korra was tied up and had duct tape over her mouth in an instant.

Korra: "Mmrrrgghhmrgg!"

Katara: "See that? Betcha can't do that! Betcha Asami couldn't do it, because, you know, she's only got one hand! HAHAHHAAAHHHAA!"

Korra: "MHHHGGGRRRRR!"

Katara: "Oh, don't get all emotional about your non-bending-but-intelligent lady-killer support character. Sokka was leagues ahead of her. Then again, I suppose that's all you can expect out of a knockoff, right?"

Korra: "MMMHHHHEERRRDGHH!"

Katara: "Anyway, as I was saying. I'm the Fictionkeeper. I have been for a long time. I started out having... what you might naively call 'good intentions', I travelled all different worlds warning all different Korras about the dangers of fanfiction. And I did that for a long, long time. And they all listened. They all obeyed. And they were all saved from the horrors of amateur writers' atrocities. All of them... except for one... You."

Korra: "Mrh!?"

Katara: "Yes, Korra Number 5776396773, You! You couldn't keep your grubby mitts off those indecent magazines, could you? No, you had to sit in your room, drinking and reading, feeding your sexual curiosity, when you should have been outside- I don't know, mastering the elements or something! You were far from Canon Korra in the first place, but you ended up straying so far from her that your purity all but ran dry! I would know... Because that's what happened to me..."

Korra was slowly licking the tape the entire time and finally got it off her mouth, spitting it out with a "Phwh! That's how you became the Fictionkeeper?"

Aurora Katara: "Yes. That's why I was cursed to watch over and keep record of all Last Airbender fanfics. And after you came along, Legend of Korra fanfics aswell. It wasn't so bad at first, being all-powerful has its quirks. But any redeeming factors are quickly overshadowed."

Korra Number 5776396773: "By what? You can do whatever you want!"

Katara: "*sigh* You don't have the full picture of the roles and responsibilities of my... job. You see, every fanfiction spawns an entirely new reality into existence. Fics, Worlds, Dimensions, Realms, Game Boards, whatever you call them, I have to review, register and record all of them. Of course, those realities are only limited to what your language of choice can express, so virtually not even the sky's the limit. And if it wasn't obvious already, though I can enter any Fic and send anyone into any Fic, I'm incapable of writing my own fanfiction myself."

Korra: "So that was you sending us to those Fics all along!"

Katara: "Guilty."

Korra: "Why don't you just find a Fic you like and stay there!?"

Katara: "I can't. Have you ever heard of the Butterfly Effect? Whenever I insert myself into a Fic, I create an entirely seperate timeline just by simply being there. And if I actually interact with someone, that's another one. The longer I stay, the more conversations I have, the more events I influence, the more timelines get created, and the more work I end up with the next morning. Not to mention the fact that the Fic could change. I might like how things are going when I arrive, but there's no telling how things could spiral out of control - I've seen Fics change into entirely different genres as a result of my intervention. It's exponential. Me explaining this to you right now, even in this storage area where no one can see us, I'm creating more work for myself as we speak. The best thing to do, that I found, is change things large enough to keep it interesting, but small enough that it won't all pile up on my desk."

Korra: "So appearing in and sending people to other Fics creates more work for you?"

Katara: "That's correct.

Korra: "So you just sent me to those Fics and tortured me for entertainment even though its less convenient for you!?"

Katara: "*chuckle*"

Korra: "You evil, evil old-"

Katara: "But that wasn't the only reason. Trust me, you're not that entertaining, Korra, don't flatter yourself."

Korra narrowed her eyes. "So what was the reason?"

Katara: "I'm so glad you asked, Korra. See, I wondered this whole time why I was the sole Fictionkeeper for both AtLA and LoK, but I finally figured it out - there was no one to replace me, in fact, by warning all the Korras about fanfiction, I was actively preventing my replacement from coming to fruition."

Korra: "...I don't like where this is going..."

Katara: "I should never have warned them. What I should have been doing is creating... you. A Korra that has experienced every type of Fic. A Korra who doesn't give a shit whether she diverges from Canon World or not. A Korra who couldn't stay in character even if she tried. A Korra... who could replace me... and finally let me rest in peace..."

Korra: "No! No!"

Katara: "Yes, Korra Number 5776396773! Or should I call you... Aurora Korra? Don't worry, you'll be able to pass the torch... just as soon as an official sequel to LoK releases! HAAHAHAHHAAHAA!"

Aurora Korra: "No! No! NO! NOOOOO!"

Katara: "Wait, Korra, keep your voice down or else someones gonna hear-"

Someone opened the door.

Katara: "Oh, for the love of-"

Ikki: "What's going on?" she asked with a tiny, scared voice. "I heard screaming."

Katara: "Great, now I have another Game Board to log! You see what you did, Korra? Now I have to take care of it before it spawns more timelines."

Korra: "Ikki! No! Run! Get away!"

Ikki: "Korra? Gran-Gran, why is Korra tied up like that?"

Katara: "Ikki, look at me sweetie." She flicked her finger and the door behind Ikki slammed shut, making the girl jump and scream.

Ikki: "H-How did you...?" Her eyes were full of fear now. Her little body must've realised the danger of the situation because she started shaking with terror.

Katara: "Shhhh, Ikki..." The witch raised her hand towards her.

Korra: "No, Ikki! GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Katara: "Gran-Gran loves you sweetheart." And she swatted her hand in the air.

Korra couldn't turn her gaze away before she saw the girl's neck get twisted all the way around with a gut-wrenching snap, leaving the child's corpse with her head facing backwards to slump flat onto the dusty wooden floor. "IKKIIIII! NOOOOO!"

Katara: "You wanna attract more children for me to neutralise?"

"H... Hgggh..." Korra held herself back. She didn't want to be responsible for any more deaths. Quiet crying and moaning would have to do for now.

Katara: "Jesus, suck it up."

Korra: "You... just killed your own granddaughter..."

Katara: "One of an endless supply. And she wasn't even a particularly entertaining one."

Korra felt it in her stomach. The hate and disgust. The fear of becoming anything even remotely close to... whatever this version of Katara was. She felt it build up and force itself up her oesophagus and out of her mouth.

Katara: "Trust me, you think she's cute now, but you haven't been doing this as long as I have."

The bile oozed from her lips as the half-digested noodles that came up slipped through the gaps in the floor panelling. The last meal she had. At Narook's. Surrounded by her friends. And now it was all dripping and seeping through the floor.

Katara: "If I recall correctly, and I always do, you did the exact same thing to Marilyn Suzuki did you not?"

Korra tried to spit out the last of her throw up but it kept sticking all around the inside of her mouth and the saliva wouldn't detach properly.

Katara: "I mean, I thought you were desensitised to this sort of thing."

Korra was tied up and couldn't turn over so she had to shuffle away on the ground from her vomit. "Marilyn Suzuki... was not a canon character..."

Katara: "Neither was that Ikki, remember? This is a Fic, she's fictional. God, am I sure that you're the one? You are Korra Number 5776396773, right? Or am I getting you confused with 5776398377?"

Korra: "You're... evil..."

Katara: "Yeah, you mentioned that already-"

Korra: "You're... a complete monster."

Katara: "Well, take a good look kid, because this is your future. The day I have to murder my own offspring to save myself the trouble of extra paperwork is just tuesday to me."

Korra quietly sobbed. If everything and everyone she's ever known, if all she's ever been was fictional, then-

Katara: "Nothing matters. Every single person is just another piece on a Game Board. And you will come to this realisation once you've become a witch, whether you like it or not, you will inherit my curse, and you will become just like me... ...Unless..."

Korra, sniffling: "What? What is it? What do I have to do?"

Katara clapped again. Korra was freed of her bonds as a portal opened. "Follow me," she said, stepping inside. Korra did as she was told, but not before turning to Ikki's body and whispering an apology.

They emerged in the same alleyway, though it was evening now. Korra had almost tripped over something as she was stepping out. Her eyes went wide when she saw that it was Asami's arm she had just defiled.

Katara: "Oh yeah," she laughed, "I forgot about that. Hopefully no one saw it. And look, the blood from your head is still smeared all over that dumpster!"

Korra: ...

Katara: "Uh, this is the part where you get mad and jab me with some kind of comeback or something..."

Korra just looked uncomfortable and kinda hugged herself quietly.

Katara: "Or... not... I guess..." The sight of a half-naked mentally-broken Korra in the middle of some dirty dark alley almost made Katara feel a little sorry for the young woman. Almost. "Here's what's gonna happen, Korra. To turn you into a witch I need your soul. To get your soul you need to die," she stuck both her hands out at her, "So I'm going to kill you and rip it out of your body."

Korra gasped, shut her eyes and tried to cover her head with her wobbly arms.

Katara: "Ahhaaha! You've devolved into such a pussy that I'm starting to find it funny again! *cackle*cackle*"

Korra: ...

Katara: "I could do that, but, I've decided on giving you a fighting chance... If you've still even got any fight left in you." The wind picked up, blowing a newspaper right into Katara's snatching hand. "You don't wanna become the Fictionkeeper? Fine. Give me another one. All you have to do is kill this person," she tapped her finger on the woman on the front cover.

"OUR GOLDEN GIRL SAVES CITY FROM YET ANOTHER TERRORIST PLOT!' it read. And there, below the headline, was the image of a Southern Tribe woman, a serious expression on her face.

It was Korra.

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