Acknowledgements

First, I want to thank God, because, despite what Father Michaels thought, I did pay attention in Catechism class, and I really don't want to risk getting struck by lightning.

Next, I want to thank my girlfriend. Without her, none of this would exist, and without her, I wouldn't have made it this far, and I really doubt I would've finished it. If there's anyone you guys should thank, it's her, for putting up with me, for liking me, for loving me, and for giving me some of Katara's best lines. She really is the most amazing, most beautiful girl in the world, and after more than three years together, I still wake up every day, amazed that she still seems to dig me. So, to her, I say, Muchas gracias, querida. Tú eres la luz de mi vida.

My next thank you is, like the first, a preventative thank you. Just on the off chance that my mother one day finds out about this little story and skips to this chapter, I want to thank her, for giving me life and doing her best to turn me into a functional, somewhat normal human being. You taught me everything I know, Mom; I wouldn't be here without you. Literally.

Next, I would like to thank the ever-present, always famous, sometimes infamous, Mike and Brian, and all the rest of the Team Avatar crew over at Nickelodeon. I know I take the piss out of the show a lot, and give it a lot of shit, especially in my author's notes, but you know what? I wouldn't have put this much work and passion into what I just created if I didn't have some sort of deep, visceral connection to the original work. So, thanks, guys, for the world you created, and you so kindly let me run amok in.

I also want to thank Austin College, in Sherman, Texas, for giving me the best education money and tens of thousands of dollars in student loans can buy. I would be neither the man nor the writer that I am today without what the dedicated men and women of that learned institution taught me. Also, I wouldn't be as smart, which means my girlfriend would never have wasted as much time as she already has on me, which means that I never would've sat down and written this doorstop of a novel. So, yeah, thanks, AC. Go 'Roos!

Thank you, all of the wonderful writers who inspire me every day. I read a lot, and you guys have taught me everything I know about writing. Please, keep up the good work, so I can keep drunkenly babbling about it at the local bar.

Thank you, Boston Beer Company, for creating the fuel for my attempt at creative genius. If you like beer, you'll love Samuel Adams.

Thank you, Phillip-Morris Company, for you wonderful product, Marlboro Red cigarettes, the glue that holds my delicate psyche together, and the reward I use to motivate me to write one more goddamn chapter almost there GAH!

And this wouldn't be a complete thank you note without a word of thanks to my characters. For me, my characters are, in many ways, real. I create them, flesh them out, give them a world to run around in, and they lead me where I need to go. In this case, I may have started out with someone else's characters, but over the course of the story, they all became something new. I love you guys, even the ugly ones (I'm looking at you, Azula). Thanks for letting me rattle around in your heads.

And finally, last but not least, I want to thank you, my readers. I would've given up long ago, or at the very least, not put as much time and effort into this, if it wasn't for you guys. Love my work or hate it, you all flocked to the review tab and told me what you thought. You hung around, you read, you recommended, you thought. You stayed with me right until the end. You felt the feels with me, the triumph and the sorrows. For that, I can never thank you enough. You guys fucking rock.

Also, quite a few of you are talented writers yourselves. Seriously, damn.

There are three I definitely want to thank: BeakerPD, kaylinthehuman, and daytonanerd. Sometimes, I think you three spend more time reading this than I do, and you three have never been afraid to kick my ass when it was needed. Thanks, you guys.

And with that, we finally reach the end. No more delaying, and besides, I need to take a freaking shower. Thanks for joining me on this ride, and I hope to see you all soon. Peace!