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3[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/2807429/chapters/6301253 Repairs, Retrofits and Upgrades]] is a ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' fanfiction written by [[http://archiveofourown.org/users/Progman/pseuds/Progman Progman]] taking place immediately after the end of the series. After their vacation in the spirit world, Korra and Asami are forced to deal with the aftermath of Season 4, with the Earth [[strike:Kingdom/Empire]]/Republic/Confederacy/Federation/Whatever in pieces despite Kuvira's surrender, Republic City dealing with refugees and damaged infrastructure, and Asami trying to counter spirit energy weapons while the United Forces oppose Earth Empire loyalists.
4
5The story is actually Part 7 of the [[http://archiveofourown.org/series/188699 Spin the Rails series]], which also includes ''Fanfic/SeekingSato'' by Ficsandmusings, but constitutes the entirety of the post-series content while also containing numerous references to other works within the series. It is recommended the preceding 6 stories be read before this one, since each one is a gap filler for different points in the canon timeline proper.
6
7Be warned, this takes place post-finale, so expect spoilers for the series.
8
9----
10!!Repairs, Retrofits and Upgrades contains examples of:
11* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler: The Red Lotus sandbender]] is particularly vulnerable to lightning and combustion bending.
12* AloneWithThePsycho: Asami has to keep [[spoiler: Artana occupied, who is fully aware of what she's doing, by playing Pai Sho with her. It ends with Asami getting her arm broken and thrown out her office window]].
13* AmbiguousGender: [[spoiler: The Red Lotus sandbender]] is completely concealed by their robe.
14* AmplifierArtifact: When Asami got the letter from Korra about her inability to go into the Avatar state, she created a suit that uses tiny acupuncture needles placed along chi pathways, along with the first five chakras, to amplify bending strength (or, more specifically, making the act exponentially more efficient). However, extended use leads to PowerIncontinence. For example, Mako set himself on fire, Tahno nearly drowned himself by pulling water out of the air, Lin destroyed a full city block, and Jinora almost bent a small village into the sky. [[spoiler: Artana, however, has managed to master its usage]].
15* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler: Metaphysical Annihilation as a result of the barriers between the physical and spirit worlds falling apart]].
16* ApocalypseWow: The effect of [[spoiler: the breaches in the fabric of reality arcing across the sky]] is gorgeously colorful.
17* AuthorAppeal: Nuclear weapons, Cold War politics (or rather the lack thereof), and mutually assured destruction all come into play for this reason.
18* AwesomeButImpractical:
19** Discussed regarding the Colossus. It was apparently a massive pain to engineer, despite the simplicity of just attaching the spirit energy weapon to one of the many, many airships available, but Kuvira wanted a psychological weapon and personal control.
20** [[spoiler: Lampshaded by Asami. She improved upon the original concept, to see if she could, and designed a [[VideoGame/MetalGear bipedal tank]], which would have been a fraction of the original's size and cost had she ever constructed it]].
21* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler:Opal has had at least one child after the three year TimeSkip to the DistantFinale, and is pregnant again]].
22* BadassBookworm: Besides the canon examples (namely Asami), Artana is both an engineer ''and'' an earthbender, and has used the fact that most people don't expect an engineer to be a bender to her advantage before.
23* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:Even though Artana's plan to smash the spirit world and the mortal realm together is stopped, and the Red Lotus destroyed, the Red Lotus goal of a world where the nations are less divided is achieved]].
24* BattleAura: [[spoiler: Asami gets one when she unlocks her chakras]].
25* BeyondTheImpossible: Asami [[spoiler: opens her chakras to get enough power to fight Artana without actually achieving enlightenment, with superhuman results,]] though technological application and intellectual problem solving, working around the time and effort normally needed to do so.
26* BigBadFriend: [[spoiler: Artana, who'd been thus far working with the rest of the cast, is actually the cloaked glass/sandbender and the most prominent physical threat]].
27* BigBadWannabe: Zaheer. [[spoiler: He thinks and acts like he's playing a pivotal role, but the rest of the Red Lotus regard him as an expendable idiot.]]
28* BirdsOfAFeather: Bolin and Opal.
29* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The Krew manages to come out on top, but a lot of people still die, and spirit vines are still an issue in the DistantFinale]].
30* BreatherEpisode: Chapter 22.
31* BrickJoke: Early on, it’s mentioned that Tenzin got a long-corded telephone, since he likes to walk around while on the phone, and it’s openly asked how long it’ll take for someone to trip on it. He finally trips on it and breaks it in chapter 18.
32** After Korra and Asami find out about the SideBet [[EveryoneCanSeeIt regarding how long it would take for them to get together]], a new one is started regarding the name the former Earth Kingdom will end up with. In the DistantFinale [[spoiler: Opal's Earth Federation bid is the one it ends up being, and Opal wins big]].
33* CallBack: Many, including to other works in the "Spin the Rails" series, as well as canon.
34** This moment stands out:
35-->'''Asami:''' What is this?\
36'''Korra:''' What's what?\
37'''Asami:''' Us. This.\
38'''Korra:''' [[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS4E2KorraAlone I don't know. But won't it be interesting to find out?]]
39* CastFromHitPoints: [[spoiler: Another drawback of the bending suit is that it causes the wielder to burn through their reserves faster than normal]].
40* CerebusSyndrome: It was intentional, but the story gets noticeably darker after the first few chapters.
41* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler: Artana, who not only manipulated The Krew (and friends/acquaintances/the general public), but the Red Lotus ''itself'']].
42* CloseCallHaircut: Happens to Asami during [[spoiler: the final fight with Artana]]. Even then, the result doesn't look half bad.
43* CombatPragmatist: The [[spoiler:Red Lotus Sandbender]] is a big fan of guerrilla tactics, which annoys Korra to no end.
44* CoolPlane: [[http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/116645205901/just-realized-i-never-actually-formally-posted The Satohawk]], a VTOL craft designed by Asami.
45* CrazyPrepared: Varrick not only has a lawyer for ''everything'', he's been paying for Bolin and Opal's wedding every three weeks for ''three years straight''.
46* {{Crossover}}: The story overlaps with other Legend of Korra fics, though it is ''not'' a shared continuity:
47** Varrick's backstory, and by extension Zhu Li's, corresponds to that depicted in [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/2808119/chapters/6302432 Icarus and the Sea]].
48** Korra hallucinates a conversation with the [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/3168725/chapters/6880583 Republic City Blues]] version of Asami while in the swamp.
49** In Chapter 19, Keisai, the lawyer from [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10905734/1/Ironclad Ironclad]] has taken a job working for Varrick.
50** Ginni, Asami's former publicist from ''Fanfic/SeekingSato'', appears in Chapter 22 to offer some meta-commentary on the direction the plot took.
51* CyanidePill: Or to be more precise, a spider-rat poison pill. Kuvira issued them to high-security personnel with orders to take them if captured, and [[spoiler:Lee takes one after he's exposed as TheMole]]. [[spoiler: Same goes for the Red Lotus defenders at the Boiling Rock]].
52* {{Cyborg}}: One of the visions Kuvira has in the swamp shows a version of her that was made into one by Bataar after a severe injury.
53* DeadPersonConversation: [[spoiler: Lampshaded and subverted by Asami when 'Hiroshi' (a projection of Asami's subconscious) appears to her in the final act, with his 'presence' being the final piece of the puzzle towards beating Artana]].
54* DeathByIrony: Varrick's mother, a waterbender, drowned, in a ShoutOut to [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/2808119/chapters/6302432 Icarus and the Sea]]. Asami's mother, Yasuko, almost killed Hiroshi by running him over in a Satomobile.
55* DecapitatedArmy: After [[spoiler: Artana uses the EE navy to get to the northern spirit portal, Kuvira sends out orders for troops to kill their own commanders as traitors]]. Of course, the one person anyone actually wants dead survives.
56* DemotedToExtra: Tenzin, big time, as opposed to his role in the show.
57* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: Asami managed to con Wan Shi Tong when she visited the library (though, as she lampshades, he's not as smart as he likes to let on).
58* DistantFinale: The final scene in the story takes place after another three year TimeSkip.
59* DoubleStandard: A species variation. As Asami points out after their visit to Wan Shi Tong's library, humans have respected spirits (for the most part) for millennia, and spirits have got to start respecting humans in turn now that they're closer than ever.
60* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:Though there is a lot of hardship along the way, the Krew manages to defeat the Red Lotus and save the world]].
61* EasilyForgiven: Kuvira, politically if not personally. Team Avatar still loathes her for what she did, but her status as former head of the Earth Empire and her knowledge of spirit vines making her too valuable to kill or isolate. Played straight with [[spoiler: Baatar, who was pardoned after Asami strong-armed Raiko so she would have access to his engineering knowledge, and acts (relatively) informal with the main cast]].
62* EmbarrassingNickname: Due to a complicated metaphor comparing the development of modern civilization to soup, Asami is "noodles".
63** Inverted with Korra who, thanks to that very same metaphor, is "hot water". Needless to say, she very much enjoys the double entendre...even if Katara made the same 'joke' over fifty years prior, and nobody laughed.
64* {{EMP}}: Satohawks can use these offensively.
65* EmpathicEnvironment: The Spirit World, as usual. At one point, Asami's fear (the effect of which is amplified by her hanging onto Korra) causes a few spirits to turn dark, and the plants around the Republic City portal apparently ''really'' liked Asami and Korra kissing.
66* EvilVersusOblivion: The potential devastation to the Spirit World [[spoiler: brings Koh the Face Stealer down on the Earth Empire forces]].
67* FailsafeFailure: Zigzagged with [[spoiler: the Unity Defense System. As it turns out, while it did reduce the damage of the Omashu and Fire Nation Capital bombings, it's more effective against a spirit ''beam'', which is focused in one direction, than the omnidirectional energy blast produced by a spirit vine ''bomb'']].
68* FantasticNuke: Spirit vine weapons are the Avatar-verse's version of nuclear weapons.
69* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler: Korra threatens to destroy Zaheer's seventh chakra, thus rendering him unable to find inner peace, fly, or enter the Spirit World unless he cooperates, which would be this to him]].
70* FlashbackFail: Varrick's description of Kuvira's forces advancing on Ba Sing Se. Bolin (who wasn't there) destroyed the wall with lavabending (they flew over in airships) but were attacked by sandbenders who destroyed their mechs (which weren't invented yet).
71* ForgotAboutHerPowers: Korra's tendency to go without waterbending skins and metalbending cables comes up a few times, [[spoiler: with the former being explained in-depth]].
72* FriendToAllChildren: Korra’s skill with the Airbabies is lampshaded when she manages to calm them down after they’d been driving Tenzin nuts all night.
73* GenerationXerox: Yasuko met Hiroshi by nearly running him over, then took him out to dinner. Like mother, like daughter (sort of).
74* GreenRocks: In addition to the liberties taken with platinum in the series, making it far more common and durable than the real world on top of being bending-proof, now it's also resistant to spirit energy beams (since otherwise the cannon blasts would have burned through the barrel whenever Kuvira tried to fire it).
75* HavingABlast: [[spoiler: The Fire Nation has a combustion bender Special Forces unit]].
76* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:Asami says a variant of the famous quote when telling Artana off for her actions]].
77* HopeSpot: After the development of the Unity Defense System, things start looking up. [[spoiler: Then a spirit bomb is detonated in the Fire Nation capital at the same time one is set off in Omashu, killing over 200,000 people and taking out a third of the latter city]].
78* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: Bataar Jr. says that if Bolin ever does anything to hurt Opal, and ''doesn't'' marry her, he'll dedicate himself to inventing machines to make Bolin's life a living hell. [[spoiler: Bolin finally proposes in Chapter 18]].
79** Korra makes a similar threat to Kuvira when taking her to the Swamp with Asami, complete with Avatar State eye glow. While the former dictator is reasonably sure Korra’s bluffing, she doesn’t push it.
80* InMediasRes: Chapter 12, which starts off with [[spoiler: Team Avatar, Varrick, and Zhu Li (along with Kuvira and Artana) preparing to fight the Earth Empire loyalists attacking the Sato estate]].
81* InterruptedIntimacy: Jinora spirit-projects herself to Korra while she's taking a bath with Asami.
82** The reverse occurs when Korra checks in on Jinora via the Spirit Vines [[spoiler: in a panic for fear that she and her family may be in trouble. Or worse]]. She ends up 'walking in on' her and Kai. Jinora promptly lampshades this when she spirit-projects herself ''back'' to Korra, just to deliver a quick, frustrated reminder that it's not so fun being on the other side.
83* JerkassHasAPoint: President Raiko, for all his scheming, is working against the very real threat of spirit vine weapons, the Earth Empire [[spoiler: and the Red Lotus]].
84* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: The Swamp shows Kuvira a vision of her doing this, trying to TakeOverTheWorld instead of just reclaiming the United Republic for the Earth Empire.
85* JustAFleshWound: Korra reacts this way to some glass in her arm (since, of course, she's a healer).
86* KiManipulation: [[spoiler: The bending-booster suit allows this ability in non-benders, such as Asami]].
87* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:Asami has Kuvira kill Artana so Korra won't be tempted to do it herself when she's done fixing the rip in the worlds]].
88* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Varrick is creating a mover version of the series’s events, called “The Legend of Avatar Korra”.
89* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Kuvira didn't know the specifics of Korra's battle with Unalaq, or the nature of Vaatu and Raava, because she got her information about it from the mover (which she didn't really understand).
90** Played more seriously when [[spoiler: she finds out that Raiko had been lying to her for ''months'', telling her that Bataar Jr. was dead because she killed him]].
91** [[spoiler: Prior to the pilot getting torn to shreds by glass, Kuvira had no idea that the Red Lotus sandbender could ''bend glass'']].
92** [[spoiler:Koh's been under a rock in the spirit world, apparently, because the cycle being reset was news to him]].
93* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:Nilani, Artana's wife, whose name she used as an alias]].
94* ManipulativeBastard: Raiko, who attempts to manipulate Korra and Asami to have Future Industries supply weapons to the United Forces, and uses Kuvira [[spoiler: as bait for a loyalist attack on the Sato estate]]. The first item fails, but the second [[spoiler: does get Future Industries involved in the war effort, just not Asami personally]].
95* TheManBehindTheMan: The heroes believe that [[spoiler: the Red Lotus is back, strategically aiding Earth Empire forces to prolong the fighting and maintain anarchy across the continent, and there’s a hint or two that they’re interfering in the Fire Nation too]].
96* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Artana viewed her destroying the world as preferable to living in a Cold War scenario where MutuallyAssuredDestruction was only ever a moment away and fear gripped the nations]].
97* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: Zaheer with his ability to travel into the Spirit World as he pleases (which is also useful for [[TortureIsIneffective escaping torture]] and allowing him to still lead the Red Lotus), if not his flight. [[spoiler: Korra threatens to take this away from him to get him to talk]].
98* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: Zaheer again. [[spoiler:In addition to his killing the Earth Queen allowing Kuvira to come to power, the fires from the riots killed Artana's wife Nilani, and although they managed to use the impression to mislead their foes, they aren't happy with him for revealing their existence to the world like he did]].
99* TheMole: [[spoiler: Lee turns out to be a Red Lotus spy]].
100* MoodWhiplash: The end of chapter 18 goes from [[spoiler: Korra and Asami talking with Opal over the phone about Bolin ''finally'' proposing to a spirit bomb attack on the Fire Nation capital]].
101* MutuallyAssuredDestruction: Unfortunately, this trope, while explained, is ''not'' in play with spirit vine weapons, because [[spoiler: of the Red Lotus]].
102* NGOSuperPower: [[spoiler: The Red Lotus]] possesses their own base and a sizable array of military hardware, [[spoiler: including their own submarines]].
103* NoBodyLeftBehind: [[spoiler: Part of the reason it was so hard to narrow down the number of casualties after the bombings is the fact that the spirit bombs that decimated the Fire Nation capital and Omashu vaporized anyone caught in the blast]].
104* NoEndorHolocaust: Not only does the damage to Republic City not just go away after the battle is over, there are refugee camps formed by people who fled the Earth Empire around the city, since Raiko won't let them in.
105** [[spoiler: While the attacks on Omashu and the Fire Nation capitol weren't as bad as they ''could'' have been, thanks to the Unity Defense System, they still killed a combined total of about '''230,000 people'', and the one in Omashu destroyed nearly a ''third'' of the city]].
106* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: Spirit vine weapons are quickly proving to be the ''Avatar'' version of nuclear weapons, and trying to find a way to counter their spread and use is a major concern for the heroes.
107* NotMeThisTime: Well, Not Me ''That'' Time. Kuvira didn't order Prince Wu kidnapped in "Reunion", her agents took the initiative, apparently.
108* NotQuiteFlight: One function of Asami's Airburster suit.
109* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Asami lampshades how Varrick tends to get up in everyone's face.
110* NotSoAboveItAll: Developments in Korra and Asami's relationship seem to be entertaining Lin to no end.
111** Later, when [[spoiler: bringing in Kuvira and Bataar after the attack on the Fire Nation]], she slaps a metal strip over Kuvira's mouth and leaves it there for a while.
112* OhNoNotAgain: Raiko at first is getting kind of annoyed with how his door keeps getting demolished, but he seems to be moving more towards this by chapter 19.
113* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
114** Asami is probably the sweetest, kindest character in the entire franchise. [[YouKilledMyFather That]] [[BrokenBird is not]] [[TookALevelInJerkass the case]] [[BreakTheCutie here]].
115** Korra is also more than willing to support Future Industries producing weapons if it means crushing the Red Louts, on account of how they threatened the Air Nation, and the continuing threat to her family.
116* OmnicidalManiac: [[spoiler:After Asami gives up on working on means to stop spirit vines, further progress being impossible, Artana decides to destroy the world as a sort of MercyKill to prevent a Cold War scenario with MutuallyAssuredDestruction just a button push away at any given moment]].
117* OneSteveLimit: Averted, as both Irohs are present and mentioned in the same conversation.
118* OperationBlank: Operation: Make Asami Forget About the Thing, where said thing being Korra's contact with Kuvira. Said operation being Bolin [[spoiler: telling her he plans to propose to Opal]].
119* OutOfFocus: Thanks to his severe arm burn, it takes six chapters for Mako to do much of anything.
120* OutrunTheFireball: [[spoiler: Asami makes it to the Satohawk with just enough time to escape the destruction of the Boiling Rock.]].
121* PoliceAreUseless: While Lin and Mako are pretty competent, and Lin tries to keep the rest of her men up to snuff, it's a bit of a RunningGag in the series that (partly thanks to Cabbage Corp airships) their response time is crap.
122* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler: Part of the reason the damage to the capital caught everyone off guard is because Raiko ignored Asami's statement that the beam weapons and bombs functioned differently, and made her use a beam in the UDS's demonstration]].
123* ThePowerOfLove: [[spoiler: Invoked and lampshaded explicitly several times as the means Asami used to go BeyondTheImpossible and defeat Artana, complete with her own BattleAura]]. [[YouHaveGOTToBeKiddingMe The villain is less than amused.]]
124* RaceAgainstTheClock: Once Team Avatar starts working on their battle plan, they have about forty hours left to save the world.
125
126* ReallyGetsAround: Korra admits to Asami that she wasn't exactly celibate during her trek throughout the Earth Kingdom.
127* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: [[spoiler: Artana]] gives one to Zaheer, explaining how he's been abandoned by the Red Lotus for how useless and incompetent he was, giving rise to the Earth Empire and exposing their secret society to the world.
128* ReformedButRejected: All over the place with Kuvira. Korra recognizes her as her ShadowArchetype and tries to be kind, but isn't her friend, Asami absolutely hates her [[YouKilledMyFather with good reason]], the rest of Team Avatar dislike her but recognize her efforts to improve as genuine, [[spoiler: while Baatar has mixed feeling about her given how she destroyed their relationship, but is sympathetic when he learns his "death" was used to break her, and may have lingering feelings]]. We don't hear it directly, but Raava has contempt for her as well. [[spoiler: Inverted with her loyalists, who refuse to believe she isn't their Great Uniter anymore, and would gladly take her old dictator self back]].
129* TheRemnant: Kuvira's army is divided and leaderless, but still trained, armed and intent on preserving the Empire. [[spoiler: And they're royally pounding the United Forces]].
130* RequiredSecondaryPowers: As Asami points out, platinum's ability to block spirit energy is this, since if it didn't, the spirit ray would have burned through the barrel of the weapon every time Kuvira tried to fire it.
131* RunningGag: With the monarchy abolished, the Earth Placeholder has yet to be given an official name, with characters betting on what it will be.
132** The fact that the bad guys keep using tunnels.
133** Team Avatar and co. knocking down Raiko’s door.
134** Asami complaining to Lin that she needs to work on the RCPD's response time.
135* SamusIsAGirl: [[spoiler: The sandbender is Artana]].
136* SecretTestOfCharacter: The Krew brings Kuvira to the swamp [[spoiler:when trying to investigate how it grew back so fast]] because according to the information they have, it'll only show her a vision if she's genuinely trying to improve herself. It works, and they get the confirmation they wanted. They just didn't expect it to show ''them'' stuff too.
137* SelfDeprecation: Chapter 22 has a scene pointing out the state of several {{Aborted Arc}}s, such as the development of the Satohawk and Kuvira's legal standing, which fell by the wayside as the Spirit Vine plot came into full swing.
138* SelfDestructMechanism: [[spoiler: The Red Lotus rig their Spirit Vine energy generator at the Boiling Rock so it does this, as they'd been informed that they were compromised. Asami is unable to stop it from going off (though she does delay it long enough for the attacking force to escape) and the entire island is destroyed]].
139* SerialEscalation: What is at stake if the Krew fails continually rises.
140* SexForSolace: Apparently Korra did this, and more than once, when she traveled through the Earth Kingdom. Needing a place to sleep sometimes factored into it too.
141* ShipperOnDeck: Presumably everyone who won the SideBet, but Bolin and Opal are the most enthusiastic when it comes to Korra and Asami.
142** Lin counts too, she’s the one that started the side bet in the first place.
143** Bolin and Opal's friends like them together too. In fact, Varrick has been paying and booking their wedding tri-weekly for ''three years straight'', [[CrazyPrepared just so things would be ready when Bolin finally proposed]].
144* ShoutOut:
145** The second Asami hallucination that Korra encounters in Chapter 11 is in fact an alternate version of the Asami from ''Fanfic/RepublicCityBlues''.
146** Apparently, while the UDS development team (Asami, Varrick, Zhu Li, and Artana), along with Kuvira and Bataar Jr., were arrested and questioned on suspicion of [[spoiler: perpetuating the spirit bombings of Omashu and the Fire Nation Capital]], Mako was trapped at the grand opening of Cabbage Corps' new high-tech headquarters, Nakatomi Tower, by a group of terrorists who, as it turns out, were actually thieves looking to steal a cache of gold from a heavily fortified vault on the top floor. [[Film/DieHard Yippie-kye-yay]].
147* ShownTheirWork:
148** The author put quite a bit of thought into [[http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/114642565116/spirit-vine-meta-physics-or-how-mako-nearly how spirit vines work.]]
149** Korra seeking SexForSolace during her trek throughout the Earth Kingdom is something that isn't uncommon among those suffering from PTSD.
150** During the times (both in the main story and the prequels) that the Krew is going to other locations, the author uses the official ''Avatar'' world map to make sure their travels are accurate, and lampshades the amount of detail it has.
151** All of the [[spoiler: sand/earthbending]] moves are compliant with the information on the wiki, save for [[spoiler: the whole glass trick]]. [[spoiler:And in the commentary, the author points out that glassbending would be even ''easier'' than lavabending, since glass forms at lower temperatures than lava]].
152* ShowWithinAShow: The "Future Gadget Hour", a 'never ending' romance-radio play from the Fire Nation about two scientists.
153* SideBet: Many characters regarding Korra and Asami getting together, which was started after Lin noticed how close the pair was getting in Zaofu. Exact amounts aren't disclosed, but Lin won big (she is a detective, y'know) and Mako is tight for cash.
154** The group then makes another bet, this one about what the Earth Kingdom's new name will be. [[spoiler:Opal wins with "Earth Federation", taking the pot they'd added to over the years]].
155* SixthRanger: Opal is effectively a member of Team Avatar in this story, and ''Kuvira'' comes with them into Earth Empire territory on a mission.
156* TheSlacker: Lee, a White Lotus member indicative of their lowered standards.
157* SmashCut: Several in Chapter 18.
158* SoftGlass: {{Averted}}, [[spoiler: and the sandbender turning sand into glass is a very dangerous technique because of it]].
159* SpiritAdvisor: Raava occasionally talks to Korra, giving her advice on things like navigating the swamp, [[spoiler: helping her sense a spike in negative energy]] and ''not having sex with Asami in the Spirit World''.
160* StrappedToABomb: [[spoiler:The Red Lotus does this to Two-Toed Ping with a vine bomb in an attempt to attack Raiko's press conference]].
161* SubStory: [[spoiler: The Red Lotus manages to create mass-produced submarines with their own engines]].
162* TakeOverTheWorld: Kuvira is shown a vision of herself doing this by the swamp, attacking the other nations with the Colossus despite originally being interested in the Earth Kingdom's old territory only.
163* TattooAsCharacterType: Artana, a nomadic earthbender and former-Earth Empire engineer employed by Asami, has [[http://progmanx.tumblr.com/post/114556736701/thejmpr-my-beta-and-good-friend-cooked-up-these several tattoos]] of varying significance to her along the right side of her body.
164* ThereWasADoor: It's become a RunningGag for Team Avatar (and others) to burst through Raiko's door, even destroying it.
165* TookALevelInJerkass: Asami, unfortunately, as her father's death has not done wonders for her mental health. The fact that Kuvira is still walking around and seemingly making pals with her girlfriend doesn't help matters.
166* TortureIsIneffective: Zaheer can easily avoid the pain by going into the Spirit World, making any interrogation useless.
167* TrapIsTheOnlyOption: [[spoiler:Korra and crew realize that Zaheer's information about the Red Lotus base at the Boiling Rock is likely a trap (though it's proven to be true when they arrive, regardless of it being a trap or not), but feel that they don't have any other option]].
168* UndyingLoyalty: Kuvira's supporters still fight for her vision, regardless of what she tells them.
169* UnreliableNarrator: Varrick, as usual.
170* UnwantedRescue: [[spoiler: Kuvira's supporters attempt to take her back, and won't accept her HeelFaceTurn]].
171* WarForFunAndProfit: Asami has the resources to supply the United Republic with superior war machines, for considerable personal gain, but can't stand the thought of the blood on her hands. There's also the problem of the Earth Empire holdouts [[spoiler: being aided by the Red Lotus]] posing a threat to the United Republic [[spoiler: and to Korra specifically]]. [[spoiler: Eventually, the war becomes destructive enough for her to delegate the task to ''Baatar'' of all people]]. Varrick also refuses to participate on account of that shiny new conscience he got.
172* WeaponsOfMassDestruction: Much of the plot revolves around controlling the spread of spirit-vine weapons, no small task seeing as they can be made with a vine and a small electric current. Vines which literally grow on trees [[spoiler: and regrow very, ''very'' quickly]].
173** They eventually create [[spoiler:special pillars that redirect the energy of a spirit vine bomb or weapon back into the spirit world, called the Unity Defense System]].
174* WeddingSmashers: Averted and briefly lampshaded for Bolin and Opal's wedding in Chapter 22. While nothing derailing occurs, the main cast is still keenly aware that nearly every celebration and/or event they've attended has ended this way, even going so far as to remember that the Probending Arena, where the wedding takes place, doesn't have the best track record when it comes to big events. However, as Varrick points out, none of those instances were weddings. Which apparently makes all the difference.
175* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Korra admits that Jinora is wiser than she was when she first came to Republic City.
176* WhamEpisode: Chapter 18, which has [[spoiler: Bolin finally propose to Opal right before a spirit bomb attack on the Fire Nation capital]].
177** [[spoiler: The next episode reveals that not only did the attack (which Korra, Asami and Naga barely survived) destroy 10 blocks of the Fire Nation Capital City (with the pillar system only limiting the damage) and kill 30,000 people, but the Red Lotus (who were apparently behind the attack) set off a ''second'' bomb at Omashu ''simultaneously'', which destroyed a ''third'' of the city, killing ''200,000 people''. Also, Zaheer is communicating with someone via the Spirit World.]]
178* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: In keeping with the pattern established in the series proper for their antagonists, Artana is one as well]].
179* WrongContextMagic: [[spoiler: The Red Lotus, as usual, in this case a powerful sandbender who can somehow turn their sand into glass and mimics other bending styles]].
180** Artana also appears to earthbend without moving.
181* XanatosGambit: [[spoiler: Artana, and by extension the Red Lotus, have been operating under one of her own design]].
182* YouCannotKillAnIdea: Asami intends to do just that by erasing all information about spirit vine weapons, and wiping out all [[spoiler: members of the Red Lotus]].
183** [[spoiler:While they succeed in the latter, many of the ideals that the ''true'' Red Lotus fought for (according to Artana) turn out to be the same ones that the world chooses to follow after all is said and done.]]

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