>Wonderful story, as always, but something occurred to me just after
>having read it.
>
>Now, friend Juniper's going to be training in firebending and so forth
>on Diqiu, yes? So, logically, she's going to be steeped in the lore
>and culture of that world. We know from this that Azula's story sounds
>like an ancient mythic cycle to Laura, so the
>embellished-by-legend-and-unscrupulous-historians version is going to
>be even better/worse for Ms. Cross. My question, therefore, is this:-
>
>What the hell's going to happen should Anne and Azula meet?

Well, the events of this story happen during the Exile, which is why Laura can't mention her benefactor (Gryphon) by name. 2336, according to the beginning of Part I. The Diqiu Trilogy in SotS is in 2410. So Anne's -parents- may not even be born yet, let alone her. And we know Anne isn't Detian, at least not yet; she's lamenting her normal lifespan briefly in Blades, which is in 2414. (Mind you, stories written early tend to get Stalinized a bit here and there; for instance, anyone reading them chronologically now would wonder why Anne never mentioned Azana or firebending, especially with how I hope their relationship will change...) But that leaves the question of where everyone would be in their lives by the time Anne and Azula met. Earth- and waterbenders are the two types mentioned with any real longevity, and aside from Korra do not stay young physically. I am not sure what Azula would be doing all this time, but it's hard not imagining her older, bitter, and disillusioned. (Stuck inside of Memphis in a mobile home singing, Mother Russia, Mother Russia, Mother Russia rain down down down... o/~) That's kind of a non-UF way to end a story, though, and I'm hoping something else happens, but we'll see.

Actually, now that I think about it, there IS another way the story can go. I'm not sure Gryphon would recognize Azula again (he only saw her once, after all, and that was before the Exile) but Laura certainly would, and Laura's been about everywhere once she left Creed's care. Korra would recognize Azula's phenotype in an instant, of course, but she isn't in the Big Universe proper until the beginning of FI. Others with cosmic knowledge, like Skuld, may recognize Azula's description of Diqiu if she ever heard it. There ARE ways for Azula to get back to Diqiu eventually, given the right kind of serendipity, but as much as I'd love to have a chance meeting between Azula, Azana, and Anne, I'm not sure how feasible it would be.
--------

this world created by the
hands of the gods
everything is false
everything is a LIE
the final days have come
now
let everything be destroyed

--mu