Aang heard about a certain cameo in Legend of Korra. Also, voicetesting.

[actually112]

Wait, I never mention that firebender guy? Uh... what's his name? [Zhao, Aang.] Zhao?

Um, sorry, future kids! [He has no idea if said future kids are even here, so he's going to wave his arms around and talk at the sky because clearly that is the best way of communicating.] That was one of the Fire Nation guys who were hunting me down! He sort of killed the moon spirit, and then I sort of fused with the ocean spirit and it was really angry, so I guess it took him into the spirit world after we were done to be punished for killing the moon in the first place. [It was actually a terrible experience for all involved. He's still not sure that the ocean/avatar state hybrid didn't kill people during its rampage.]

So... if you ever meet him again, now you know! And, uh, sorry about that whole, you know, people mistaking you for me and trying to catch you thing. [Too little too late, huh?

Aang sighs. He's the worst future dad ever.]

Comments

[bamfong]

They seem to have managed just fine regardless, Uncle Aang. I doubt you have much blame in the matter. [Look! You get a rare Lin Beifong smile Uncle Twinkletoes.]

[actually112]

They did! [Sigh of relief.] Oh, that's good, I only heard a little bit and thought it might have blown up. [Wait. He was just called 'uncle'.

He perks and looks Lin up and down, taking in the minty green eyes, the metal armor, and the solid stance before smiling.] You're Lin, aren't you? [He's heard of Toph having a daughter named Lin, but he hasn't actually seen her before now.]

[bamfong]

They seem to have muddled through on their own. Though from what I hear it took your son long enough to realize something incredibly basic. [A beat.] Not that that surprises me.

Guilty as charged. It's been... an experience, meeting versions of you in this place who are far younger than the man I knew. It's good to see you.

[actually112]

He might have gotten that from me. [He gives a big smile and a shrug.] I don't realize basic things all the time! [Seriously, if the rest of the team weren't around to keep him from running after every animal he sees, he'd have died a long time ago.]

It's good to see you too. I'm sorry I don't get to see you anymore. I mean--that I die before now. Not that I'm dead, that you're--that--you can't see my older--ugh. [Give him a second to hold his temples.] This time stuff is confusing.

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

All these years later, and I still wish I could've seen that.

[actually112]

I wish you were there too. You would have sent that general packing with a good stomp. [Emphatically, he stomps on the ground and a pillar of stone punches out of the earth, and one can imagine that pillar hitting Zhao in the back.

And then the pillar sinks back into the ground and he cranes his neck to look up at Toph properly, giving a smile.] Hey, when did you get taller than me? [Hopefully, he grew alongside Toph with time. He didn't want to stay the size of a twelve-year-old forever.]

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

[Toph just chuckles, the joke going waaaaaaaaay over Aang's head, of course. That's Twinkle-toes for ya.]

Yeah, really would've been quite the sight.

[Seriously, Aang, you make this too easy.]

Oh, I hit my growth spurt a year after you put Ozai away. Too bad you never caught up~

[actually112]

[Toph, this is the kid who thought it was a good idea to try sending a written message to Katara and saying it was from you. Do you really thinks he will catch on to your blind jokes without Sokka around to point them out?]

I'm told it was. I sort of don't remember much after I fused with the ocean spirit--speaking of, I don't think you've ever fused with spirits before, but it's not fun.

[That's his job.]

What? Oh, man! [He pouts and slumps. In the back of his head, he has a feeling that Toph is just teasing him, but hey. It's more fun to be melodramatic.] Don't I at least break five feet?

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

[Aaaaaaah, how she has missed trolling Aang~]

Nope, you stay arm-rest size forever. Something about the ice stunting your growth or something.

[Casually just gonna rest an arm on your head now, Twinkle-Toes.]

[actually112]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww... man!

[Give him a second to make a whiny noise and slump. And then--armrest.]

Come on, Toph!

[Not like he'll actually push her off. He's always sucked at standing up to her unless he's really worked up.]

[bamfong]

[Have a wave, mama. Your girl grew up just as feisty and cantankerous as you. Except maybe a little more rule abiding.]

Hello, mother.

[greatest_earthbender_ever]

Hello, Lin.

[Hey, Feisty and cantankerous is just in the genes. And because it wouldn't be Toph if she weren't constantly embarrassing Lin...]

You ever going to make me a Grandma?

[bamfong]

[Having grown up with Toph, Lin isn't easily embarrassed. She's been hearing those jokes since she was old enough to date after all.]

I'm afraid that ship has sailed, mother. Besides, seeing Tenzin's brood only makes me certain my decision to refrain from procreating was the right one.

Hope an AU Amon is okay.

[avatar_amon]

To be entirely fair, you did not have a reason to think such information would be relevant to them. It was an honest mistake, Avatar Aang.

Sure is!

[actually112]

[He has no idea who you are, but he's used to people knowing who he is at this point, so he's going to assume you just know him later.]

I know. I still wish I had thought to say something. Thinking back on it, it makes sense that he would have ended up in the Fog of Lost Souls. [He shudders at the thought. That's honestly a fate he wouldn't wish on Ozai himself.]

[avatar_amon]

Unless you have some kind of ability to see the future that no one ever wrote down or noticed, I don't think you can really blame yourself for any of this. We can't look forward to the future, only back to the past. And if you get mired down in what you should have done, you won't accomplish anything.

Besides, your children pulled through. They're strong people, Avatar Aang.

[abitofawildman]

Apology accepted.

[actually112]

[Okay. You don't have an arrow, so you're not Tenzin. You're not a woman, so you're not Kya. That leaves...]

Are you Bumi?

[He smiles and wraps his arms around himself. He doesn't quite know how to deal with his future children, especially since he has no idea what kind of father he'll be. Being raised by monks, he doesn't have a lot of examples of what fatherhood entails and is sure he'll screw it up somehow. But regardless, he knows he cares about his future kids, and he's really relieved they're okay.]

Hi. I'm your future father. I mean... past father, I guess? I'm Aang. [He blushes a little, because time travel is confusing.] I'm glad you guys are okay.

[abitofawildman]

I might be.

[Bumi raises a single, large, bushy eyebrow as the boy introduces himself. It's almost comical how Aang doesn't seem capable of seeing himself as a name and face that everyone knows. But then, at this age he knows nothing of the statue in Yue Bay or his likeness being used on the Yuan. Both of those developments are decades off.

Bumi purses his lips, in an effort to keep from smiling.]

Are you sure?

[actually112]

[Aang is able to get used to being recognized as the Avatar on sight--after all, there aren't a lot of kids running around with arrows on their heads--but people knowing his name, his face? Without meeting him? That is a little hard to swallow.

He cocks his head curiously.] Am I sure that I'm glad or am I sure that I'm your father?

[He smiles and shrugs.] My mun told me I have three kids named Bumi, Kya, and Tenzin. I trust her word. If you're accepting my apology, and you're not a woman and don't have arrows, then you must be Bumi!

[And then he smiles wider.] And of course I'm glad! My future kids got in and out of the spirit world safely! I can barely manage that, and I've never gone to the Fog of Lost Souls. [He giggles to himself and waves a hand.] One of my first times in the spirit world, I almost had my face stolen. It's a dangerous place.

[abitofawildman]

[Try as Bumi might to keep and hold his very best Drill Sargent expression, he's just no match when presented with the full wattage of his father's smile.

Even if his father is a fraction of himself.
In fact...that almost makes it worse.]

Eh, nothing I haven't seen before in my travels. Kya and Tenzin were lucky I was there to protect them.

[actually112]

[No one can maintain a straight face when Aang smiles.

Look at those eyes.]

Yeah, I bet. [Even though this Aang doesn't know them, there's still affection in his eyes, because while he doubts that that's entirely how it went, he's completely okay with playing along.] You managed to fight off all the other lost souls for them?

[abitofawildman]

Pssht, of course. I'd say single-handedly, but Kya helped...in her own way.

[This would hardly be the first time Bumi had stretched the truth to his father, but...old habits die hard.]

And Jinora, don't even get me started on Jinora. Has your Mun told you about her? Because...that kid is amazing.

[actually112]

Of course. Wish I could have been there to see. [He has no idea how he'll manage the whole fathering thing, seeing as he was raised by monks and has no example for how fatherhood and child-rearing is supposed to work, but he still looks forward to properly meeting and taking care of his children. They sound like a colorful group.]

Jinora? No, no, my mun hasn't mentioned anyone named Jinora. Do you have another sister? [Ooooh he hopes that's not the case, because that would mean his mun made him completely leave out one of his future children. NOT COOL, MUN. It's only cool when he does it.]

[abitofawildman]

[Bumi shakes his head and sighs.]

Muns. Can't live with them, can't feed them to buzzard-wasps.

Jinora is the most spiritual kid I've ever met, and I've met a lot of kids in my time. She's kind hearted, smart as a whip, and without her we'd have been thrust into ten thousand years of darkness.

She's also my oldest niece.

[He tilts his head, smirks, and just waits for Aang to do the math.]

[actually112]

[Blink blink.]

Wait, I'm a grandpa too?!

[He doesn't know if he should be excited or scared. He's a little of both, to be honest.]

Is she Tenzin's or Kya's?

[abitofawildman]

[He grins madly and nods.
And then...at the mention of Kya having children, nearly doubles over with laughter.]

Tenzin. She's Tenzin's oldest. Kya? Have kids? That's almost as funny as me spawning.

[actually112]

Okay, okay, soooo... [He starts counting off on his fingers.] You and Kya have no kids and you don't want them. But Tenzin has more than one, and the oldest is Jinora. Who are my other grandkids?

[GIVE HIM DETAILS, BUMI.

On that note, just generally tell him about your lives. He wants to know more about his future children.]

[abitofawildman]

Well now let's just hold on a second there. I don't have kids of my own, but that doesn't mean I don't have kids. I served in the United Forces for nearly forty years, and in that time I've helped raise hundreds of kids. Some of them even better than their own parents did, if I do say so myself.

But diapers. I just draw the line at diapers.

[He pulls a face.]

But since it'd take way to long to name all of them, I'll just keep to the Acolyte side of things.

[As he talks, Bumi reaches into a pocket on the interior of his UF uniform coat, and retrieves a canvas wallet. Embroidered on the wallet are an Air Nomad symbol, a Water Tribe symbol, and a pink turtle-duck. He offers the wallet to Aang. Inside he'll find several snapshots.

One of Tenzin, Pema, and the kids shortly after Rohan was born, and one of himself, Kya, Tenzin, and Katara taken several years ago.]

Jinora's the oldest, followed by Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan's just fresh from the oven in that shot.

[actually112]

What's the United Forces? [Bumi, remember that the United Forces hasn't even been founded yet for him.

He accepts the wallet, taking a moment to admire the embroidery--he had thought that he would be the last one who cared about the symbol of the Air Nomads--before looking at all the pictures.

He immediately softens. A warm smile crosses his face.

His family. He doesn't know them and he doesn't know how he'll take care of them, but they're his.]

You all look happy.

[His voice is just a little thicker than usual. He doesn't know if he'll live long enough to know his grandchildren and see how his kids grow up, but he hopes he does. He didn't think he'd have a family besides his team again after seeing what happened to the Southern Air Temple.]

[abitofawildman]

[When Bumi talks of the UF, he stands just that bit taller.]

Third wave of the Harmony Restoration movement. It's purpose was to fill the power vacuum left after the Fire Nation's war machine was fully dismantled in a way that didn't favor any nation. We've got all manner of benders fighting along side each other, and quite a sizable non-bender population in our ranks as well.

[Bumi's particularly pleased with that last part.

He cranes his neck in order to look at the pictures along side Aang.]

We do, don't we.

[actually112]

Soooo you guys are like an army, but for peace? [He perks at the thought.] And every nation works together for it?

[He doesn't move his eyes from the pictures.] Are you? [He looks up at Bumi earnestly.] Are you happy?

[That's one thing he hopes he'll be able to say about his family. He has a feeling it'll be rough for them, trying to balance Water Tribe and Air Nomad cultures and being the last Air Nomads in existence, but he hopes they'll be happy.]

[abitofawildman]

More for balance.

[Bumi punctuates this correction with a wink. It's something his father corrected him on often growing up.]

Eh, I can't complain.

[This would be one of those times when Bumi inadvertently emulates his late Uncle Sokka.]

[actually112]

[Aang laughs softly, because yeah, that sounds like a distinction he would make.] Balance works too. [He's glad that a son of his continues to work for what he does, but Aang can't help but hope he never made Bumi feel like he had to do so. He's seen how Sokka acts with the pressure to be a warrior like his dad.

Regardless, he smiles.] Then neither can I. [Dude, you sound like your uncle, and it's hilarious.]