#but the fact that he can admit that the fire nation was responsible for one of the biggest losses of his life is a big step for him

[rotationalsymmetry]

Destiny and Ashes

(ATLA fanfic, angst, Iroh. Gen. Canon-compliant. 1k words.)

Imagine you’re Iroh, son and heir of Firelord Azulon, Dragon of the West. Imagine, for the sake of argument, that you’ve been inducted into the White Lotus, organization dedicated to being prepared for the Avatar’s return (the Avatar, who will restore balance to the world) and that along with that, you do in fact think the world is out of balance and that some things that the Fire Nation have been doing in the last century are maybe not that great? But also, that it’s not really your destiny to fix them.

Especially not while you’re still heir. When you’re Firelord, you’ll have the authority to make things better, and the responsibility to. But you’re not Firelord yet. So as far as you can tell — as far as the wise people like Piandao can tell you — your duty is to be patient and obedient. To wait, and to do (…more or less, as much as your conscience allows) what your father and your Firelord and your nation demand of you.

Sometimes that means pretending to kill a dragon. Sometimes that means pretending that you’re trying to win a siege.

You’re good at pretending. You figure you’ve got everyone fooled. And Ba Sing Se is a notoriously well-defended city, surely no one thinks it’s strange that the attempt to take the city has been taking so long, even for one as notoriously skilled in firebending (and in leading an army, if you do say so yourself) as the Dragon of the West. It would be devastating for the Earth Kingdom if Ba Sing Se fell. It would be devastating for your status as the heir if you admitted defeat too easily. So here you are.

And then your son, your only son, your entire life, dies.

The grief hits you as though Ba Sing Se’s walls have fallen onto you.

One thought comes through the wreckage clearly, surely if I call off the siege now, my father couldn’t blame me.

(It is a huge emotional blow. But it’s also a huge pragmatic concern. You only had one child. You only had one heir. This is a problem.)

(Presumably you will be expected to remarry, an idea that has no appeal to you whatsoever. But you’ll be allowed a mourning period first, so you don’t have to think about that now. For now, you can just go home. Without dishonor. Or so you think.)

You get home, and it is not what you expected. A second loss — your father is dead. Before he died, he announced your brother would inherit. Or that’s what people say. It sounds like that is specifically what your brother says. Also his wife is gone, and no one is willing to talk about it. You are not sure exactly what happened (and thinking feels like wading through waste-deep mud right now) but you figure the chance things happened the way the official story tells it are about zero, and you figure most people at court are going to be just as clear on that.

And yet. What can you do?

Are you going to challenge your brother’s claim? You’d have to fight him. Sure, you have an army with you, but they’re tired and they just lost a year-long siege. Morale is bad. You’ve been away from the capitol for a year and your aren't sure which nobles would back you if you called on them. And even if you won a contest for the throne, there would be a shadow over your rule, a cloud of uncertainty, and whenever there’s uncertainty in who should be the rightful heir, well, a lot of the times the aristocracy will side with whoever’s policies they prefer. You couldn’t win and then roll out something likely to be extremely unpopular, like retreating from the Earth Kingdom colonies. Not if you wanted to stay Firelord. Or alive.

There is a pai sho board laid out in front of you, pieces arranged in an end game configuration. Your only moves are losing ones.

You stumble around the palace, a cinder of your former self. You justified your role as general with the idea that it was your destiny and that if you waited, your actions would be justified in the end, that you would end up being able to direct the hot-burning fire of your nation towards creation and life, and away from destruction. But now it was for nothing, you burned and you destroyed and you brought death and fear with you and it was for no end other than more destruction. You do not trust your own ability to make decisions. You do not trust your sense of destiny. You know, in the hot core of your being, that the Avatar is not coming back.

You watch Zuko practice firebending. He is still not very good. His tutor is also not very good, which annoys you. Zuko is a prince, he should have the best tutors. The tutor is also not very patient, and Zuko is not very patient either, and you think that is not a good combination. You think about how you’ve seen your brother treat Zuko, when you’ve been home. You think you make a better father than he does, which is too bad, because you can’t be a father any more.

Zuko’s stance is all wrong and the tutor isn’t saying anything about it.

You grind your teeth at the incompetence. You start to stand up, intending to walk away so at least you won’t have to watch such a travesty of both the art of firebending and the art of teaching.

Then, as sometimes a fire that appears to have died out will suddenly spark to life again, an idea occurs to you. Your brother has not so far attempted to kill you, arrest you, exile you, or otherwise revoke your status as a member of the royal family. As far as the court is concerned, you are somewhat disgraced from the failed siege, but you’ve still got a fair bit of status, as a general, as a firebender, as a member of the royal family. Surely, surely if you stepped forward and told this half-baked tutor that you’d be handling Zuko’s firebending education from now on, surely no one could object?

So you do that. Being a halfway decent firebending teacher and mentor to your nephew is not the goal you’d intended to have in your life, and it’s certainly not as dramatic as turning the Fire Nation away from its course of conquest and domination, but it gives you focus, meaning, purpose. And maybe this time, it’s a thing you can do right.

Things go well enough for a while, although your nephew’s firebending is still quite bad. Then one day there’s a war counsel, and Zuko asks to be let in, and you let him.

#in which I learn that my impression of how siege is spelled is incorrect #original fanfic #atla fanfic #iroh #angst

[aanglican]

I actually find the relationship between Aang and his children super interesting and complex, in ways the fandom rarely explore, it usually just falls into the "LOK is BAD because they made Aang a bad father" when that is not at all what was intended with that. Aang was a complicated person struggling with balance and what rubs me wrong is people dont read into his children either, they just focus on Aang. For example Kya, who now older and on her own, seems to crave a sense of spirituality and connection to the world, yet rejected it in when she was young as she herself admits, is she trying to connect to her father's beliefs now that he isnt around due to feelings of loss or loneliness, guilt, etc? does she feel separated from the others? or how Bumi chose a life of adventure and "heroics" due to feeling inadequate next to the legacy of his father and still year after his father's passing, doesnt really know if his father noticed this or even approved.. Aang clearly loves his children and they love him but there is so much here that lays in subtle readings. It feels very real, like this is how families actually behave, with so many unclear and complicated feelings.

i love your suggestions for each child’s behavior. kya with her waterbending could have shunned her air nomad half in response to (or to cope with?) her not being an airbender like tenzin & bumi could have used sokka or suki or any other prominent nonbender in his childhood as idols due to having neither ability of his parents and siblings. there’s a lot of expectations and insecurities in this family that couldn’t be solved even if aang was present 100% of the time.

as for aang alone, i never got the impression he was a bad father either— if he were then we would hear of it from katara but she never says anything bad about him. instead she’s understanding and knows exactly what it’s like to have one’s culture ripped from you: the air nomads were wiped out but so were southern waterbenders. that is their most tragic link together. kya and bumi clearly felt alienated from aang and tenzin as they were not airbenders, which may have also resulted in a conscious choice to step back from embracing their air nomad heritage. clearly aang had too much duties for one man— he is the avatar and the only airbending master both— so he could not devote equal amount of time and attention to all his children.

tenzin has gone on trips with his father alone but the fact that he conflates these memories with those he’s spent with his siblings means aang included kya and bumi in trips as well. it’s not like kya and bumi were dead to aang the second tenzin came out looking like an air nomad. i even think those fun memories tenzin has with aang were rewards after aang had dragged him to boring events and diplomatic trainings & whatnot. i can totally picture aang taking a tour of kyoshi island after introducing tenzin to the fire nation court or something. “before we get home to your mom, why don’t we let loose for a bit at XYZ?” et cetera.

i love aang’s relationship with his kids as well as toph’s. sometimes i wish we knew about zuko and izumi more, even. i love it when our child heroes aren’t always the most squeaky clean adults. it happens, the circumstances make the outcome realistic, and it makes their dynamics interesting. no one growing up with child soldiers-turned-world leaders for parents are going to have perfect outlooks on themselves nor their ancestors.

#myasks #lok #cloudbabies 1.0 #aang

[rewatch-review-react]

NATLA Episode 2 Review

This episode felt mediocre. Nothing too stand out, nothing super horrendous. It is giving me Game of Thrones vibes in the sense of plots being mixed and matched (I’ve read the books and seen the show all the way through). The word Interesting is going to be the captain of this show, cause so much of it is Interesting in the choices it makes. 

Once more the acting feels stunted, less so than in episode one, but no one is really bouncing off of each other. A lot of talking to the camera instead of each other, like they were told to make sure the camera picks up what they say, instead of having the camera move to pick up what they say if that makes sense. The Sokka and Suki interactions has been the smoothest so far, but still feels clunky. 

Feel like the bending and fighting dropped a bit this episode as well. There were some fun moments, but again, felt stunted and telegraphed choreography than smooth flow of movements and action. 

In-depth spoiler review below. 

Well now, what to talk about first… Guess I’ll start backwards this time. 

First off, No Foaming Mouth Guy. :( RIP he is missed. And no mention of Jasmine tea, even though we did get a Pai-Sho drop so I guess I’ll let it slide. 

The build up to the attack on the island didn’t feel very urgent. It’s like they didn’t know what to do with Katara, so having them continually cutting back to her doing nothing felt more confusing than anything. 

I’m also going to miss the fact we probably aren’t going to get to visit the Fire Sage’s temple. Aang meeting Kiyoshi first over Roku is very much a choice that will be interesting to see the fallout of. I get why, they are on Kiyoshi island, so meeting Kiyoshi herself makes sense, but also Whyyyyy? And Zhao also going to the island? Whyyy? And including Suki’s mother? along with more of the middle age population instead of it being just Suki’s generation and the elderly and the kids is  ??????   

I do admit it took me this long to realize that having introduced Suki does parallel Sokka in his responsibilities in taking care of his village, I know, I’m slow, I’ve seen the original more times than I can count and just now picked up on this, but I probably picked up on it now cause of the drastic changes, so plus/minus in that achievement live-action show. Anyways, moving on, It just felt wrong and off to have Kiyoshi as the First past avatar to contact Aang; Zhao did not belong on the island; and I don’t really know what Suki’s mother contributed to this episode. 

I was looking forward to the Agni Kai as well, since this episode was titled “Warrior”. I was hoping it would parallel more on the different ways a Warrior is defined. You got Sokka as a Warrior, and then Suki and the Kiyoshi Warriors as another Warrior, and then I was hoping to get into the Fire Nation definition of a Warrior by comparing and contrasting Zhao and Zuko through their Agni Kai. But alas, we only got about half of that so there’s that. 

As for the positives I did enjoy the Zuko tantrum. Teenage angst tantrum is key to Zuko’s early character. Sokka being the comic relief also landed better for me this episode. And Iroh being Iroh in both humor and subtle wisdom drops felt better. The characters are more character like so hopefully everyone settles into themselves as the show continues. 

I do have to say I appreciate the Suki Sokka interactions. They were the highlight of this episode for me. Though sad we didn’t get Kiyoshi Warrior Sokka but maybe later, potentially, hopefully, you know, since they are changing and mixing things up, it is a delusional hope. 

That’s about it for this episode. Sorry for not having more positive this time around. 

On to the next one!

NATLA Master Post | Episode 2 Reaction

#natla #netflix avatar the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #natla review #review #atla #spoilers #natla spoilers

[booksandchainmail]

re: your tags because I'm curious and google is only providing a history book about WW1 naval battles - what's castles of steel?

My apologies for this belated response, but here it is:

Castles of Steel (tagline: Lesbians Good, Imperialism Bad) is a quest hosted on SufficientVelocity. Set in alt-history Japan starting in the year 1909, it chronicles the adventures of Princess Arisukawa Haruna as she makes history as the first woman to join the imperial navy. Based on the fact I tagged it on a post about how war is never clean, you can get a sense of how that goes.

It's mostly concerned with sea battles, which do tend to be cleaner than land ones (the one land battle Haruna gets involved in, she's given a not-particularly good map, and the ground is torn up and communications are bad, so she winds up defending a hill that may or may not be the one she was assigned to). But the story is still very aware that this is a war being fought over and on colonial possessions, that neither side particularly cares about treatment of civilians, and that wartime pressure is sliding alt!Japan into facism.

To give an example of how bad it gets, early on Haruna fails a roll to convince a superior officer that trotting out an imperial princess for a PR shoot in an unhappy occupied city is a bad idea, and when this predictably sparks a riot, well, when all you have is a troop of soldiers, everything looks like a combat scenario. The option the thread picked was Fix Bayonets (as opposed to just opening fire), but still:

Once the first blood was drawn, once the screaming started, order broke down almost completely. To the men on either side of the incident, it looked like their formation had been breached, that a brawl had broken out. You tried to call a halt, but nobody could hear you. A cobblestone struck a soldier, and the one next to him thrust his rifle forward to cover the gap, catching a man through the gut with his blade. His comrades reversed their weapons as well, convinced the fighting had turned deadly, and simply pressed into the crowd blades-first. The screaming got louder as people tried to scramble away and others fell to the ground to be trampled in the panic. It worked. They were moving, now. The trucks were almost in reach. You stepped over a body as you moved, a student holding a sign in a death grip. You realized he wasn't dead yet when his hand closed on your boot. You managed not to shriek in surprise and hurriedly tried to shake him off only to stumble over another body on the cobbles. A woman clutching her belly and groaning as she tried to staunch the blood pooling on the cobblestones around her. The blood that was staining the pretty dress in Akitsukuni white and blue that she wore. She looked up at you for a moment, and you wondered what she thought of you.

and afterwards:

You remembered when you had finally gotten into the Army outpost and you had gone to the washroom, there had been blood on your boots. You'd been sick there, alone, where no one could see your weakness. This wasn't what it was supposed to be like. You were supposed to stand on the bridge of a steel castle and exchange blows with an equal opponent seeking to do harm to your nation, not tell scared young men to stab angry students.

And then there pretty much aren't consequences for this, she gets comforted for being in such a scary situation and praised for how she handled it, the whole incident gets blown over because no one really cares about the deaths of protestors in an occupied city. She just has to keep

This story is a companion to an earlier one called Aircraft Design Company, which is maybe the purest example of "Peace Activist Has To Admit Barrett .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Is Pretty Cool" I've read. The story was initially started to playtest the author's TTRPG system for early aviation design, then grew a plot that goes increasingly into "war is hell". The protagonist's boyfriend is a pilot who becomes a flying ace over the course of the story, and we get periodic interludes from his perspective as things get bloodier in the air and on the ground, as the other soldiers around him get more desperate and dangerous to the civilian "servants" of their occupied territory, and as he develops PTSD.

There's one great scene where he gets into a dogfight, and is just utterly done with violence and killing, and so he non-fatally shoots out the other guy's engine, and then signals frantically to him to surrender and land. And there's a moment of tension, and then the other pilot agrees, and it's this rare uplifting moment of camaraderie of the skies, even on opposing sides. And then the other pilot lands and promptly gets shot by Japanese ground forces who don't notice or care that he's trying to surrender.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, at one point the protagonist gets a letter back from him reading:

This war has eroded everything I have. I'm a machine no different from the ones you build for me. I wake up in the early morning and sit on a chair behind the lines with binoculars until nightfall. When I see an enemy machine, I climb into my Dragonfly and go to kill him.​ They don't make me fly regular missions anymore. I am just a killer now, an assassin. I fly five, six times a day sometimes.​ ​ It is hard for me to say this, but I have come to resent you, and to resent the weapons you have built me. I have come to hate how easy it is to line my guns up on an aircraft. How easy it is to kill the stupid young boys they send against me. I hate how the Dragonfly will nimbly pull me from the enemy's sights and keep me flying another day.​ ​ I have found myself thinking I would rather have died quickly, six months ago.​

and then it's time for another vote on aircraft mechanics!

#castles of steel #aircraft design company #sufficient velocity #quests

[ilikepjo24]

Posting my Zucest headcannons cause there's no good reason as to why not! Part 2

Reminder: some take place during or after the search while in some others the comics never happened

(Comics didn't happen) After the end of the war Aang was devoted to close as many sounds as possible, one of them being the one in Azula's mind. He started visiting her and helping her heal. He sometimes dragged the rest if the Gaang along with him. They took their time but they all forgave Azula after realizing that she too was a victim and just a pawn in someone else's game. After all, the war made everyone do things that they aren't proud of. Azula slowly healed and learn to trust them and after she was released from the asylum, she stayed close to them. They're warmth, love, care and happiness fee her soul. They became really close friends and we're always exchanging letters when they weren't close. Azula especially favoured Aang since she sees him as the man who first reach out to her and saved her. And guess who didn't like this... Zuko. He knows it's not Aang's fault but he can't help but feel jealous of the young Avatar. He himself never visited Azula the way the rest of his friends did. He just couldn't do it. He felt partly responsible for his sister situation so instead of viewing those visits as a way to fix his mistakes, he thought it would be like satire to play helpful brother now that the damage was done (what a dum dum). Because of the lack of interactions, he and Azula weren't as close as she was with others. In fact, they walked on eggshells around each other and every single one of their rare and short interactions were extremely awkward. But Azula agreeing to leave the Fire Nation to travel with Aang? That's were he draws the line. "Trust me Zuko. Traveling around the world, getting to know how the other nations are like in times of peace and help heal the ones she hurt will do Azula good, I promise". That's what Aang had said. Well, that sounds like a lot of shit to Zuko. That little asshole is just trying to steal his sister away! And that little traitorous witch agreed with him and left! How dare his sister leave him?! But did you leave her too? An annoying voice in his head kept asking. When she trusted you, you lied to her left her to join her enemies. And when she needed you, you weren't there. Aang took care of her, so why shouldn't she follow him? Okay, the voice has a point, Zuko has to admit as much. But still, just because he's in the wrong doesn't mean he should be okay with the right thing happening. But Azula is a big girl now. She has her own life and makes her own decisions. He can't force her to stay. So he lets her go. He lets her go and he grows more and more miserable by the day, knowing that she's around other people. Other men who will try and will manage to win her heart. She's gone. And there's nothing he can do about it. She's gone. He couldn't be the person she'd want to stay with. She's gone. Maybe it's for the best. Maybe with time, he'll get over her. Maybe, in the future, he'll stop crying when he thinks of her. Maybe, at some point, his heart will stop beating faster when he learns she and Aang will visit. Maybe, one day, his breath won't hitch when he sees her. But that day, isn't today. Today, he opened his office door to see her waiting quietly for him. Today, their eyes met and sparks flew. Today, she looks at him and said "I left because I wanted to help heal those whom I hurt. But recently I realized that by doing so I only hurt more people. So now I'm here to help those people heal as well. I'm here for you, Zuzu. Are you ready to give this a shot?". For years, he's being in pain, alone and everything tasted bitter. But today, she's here and the pain is gone and she tastes so, so sweet.

#azula #zuko #zucest #atla

[princess-of-the-corner]

Just thought of another episode for the Avatar!Ty Lee AU: Does anything change in "Baton of the Water Tribe"?

lmao at the autocorrect on that one!

But yes! Bato my dude!

So this does change a lot of things about this episode(in part because I... I do not like the one part of this episode. y’all know the part.)

Anyway!

So yeah they run into Bato and we get Katara and Sokka excited to see their stepdad friend.

And now Bato. Bato isn’t an idiot. He clocks onto the fact that there’s a bunch of Fire Nation guys here. But four of them are kids. 

However, it is Iroh that gets Bato’s attention. Because it was /kinda/ glossed over in an earlier episode and Katara and Sokka don’t know the weight or context to it. 

But Bato knows /exactly/ who Iroh is. The Dragon of the West, the General who laid siege to Ba Sing Sae for 600 days. Man has one hell of a killcount and that’s just for direct action. 

What is a guy like this doing with a bunch of kids, including two kids Bato considers his own and the Avatars, and seeming to directly oppose the war? 

Bato doesn’t confront Iroh in front of the kids. But he does confront him about it. The only reason he’s not starting a fight is because, somehow, he’s gained Sokka and Katara’s trust. 

Iroh’s response is mostly like ‘yeah that’s fair I am a pretty awful person.’ which catches Bato off guard. Iroh doesn’t go into /everything/ but he does admit that he’s realized how wrong things are, and honestly if he wasn’t determined to change things, he’d be totally fine with facing consequences of his actions. But he refuses to let another child die in this war. Not if he can help it. 

Bato finds this a satisfactory enough answer. He doesn’t fully trust Iroh but he knows that everything is genuine. 

Back to the rest of the plot!

While visiting, we get Katara, Sokka and Bato all just enjoying what they can of their own culture together. And just excitedly sharing stuff from back home with the others. 

It opens up the more culture discussion as the Fire Nation kids ask more about all that, and share stories of the /good/ parts of the Fire Nation. The festivals, the foods, some of the games, theatre performances, etc. 

It’s honestly a lot of fun for potential world building and culture sharing and everyone’s having fun for a bit. 

But Aang is very quiet at first. Just. A reminder that even if Ty Lee is proof that some of the Air Nomads survived, their culture didn’t. 

Ofc in this version someone notices Aang being quiet and either he confesses to that thought or they connect the dots. Either way, they start asking him more about his own culture too! And yeah there’s plenty of things he can tell them about. It is a bit sad still but.... it’s also kinda hopeful ya know? 

We still do get the ice/rock dodging on the boats which is fun for all the kids like hell fuckin yeah more sharing the culture here let’s go!!!

When that letter for Bato comes, Aang doesn’t do any sketch shit about it because 1.) I hate that 2.) he feels a lot less alone than he did. Not just because even if Katara and Sokka left he’d still have people but just in general because like. The whole culture sharing talk was wholesome and less isolating. 

Katara and Sokka do debate on going with Bato to see their dad, but decide that it’s better if they stay on their own path right now. They miss their dad, but they have their own things to do. They do make sure that Bato can tell the others hi for them!

Okay so like. 

As for June. /Logically/ she shouldn’t be here given the changes. But I love her so she can stay. 

I suppose we could either have Zhao hire her instead, or just that she saw the Gaang’s wanted posters and went ‘boy fuckin howdy is that a payday!’. 

#avatar!ty lee au

[sifutoph]

[ reassure ] <3

@flamend chose: for the sender’s muse to place their hand over the receiver’s in a moment of stress and squeeze reassuringly.

there is a young man, an up-and-coming leader from the fire nation colony region, among the sea of politicians and socialites firelord hotman has kept around him. he's called kenji, and he sounds downright irritating half the time, condescending and all-knowing, but again, he's young. charismatic. when he speaks, he speaks politely enough that no one could actually dispute him, and toph doesn't need her feet bare to realise how easily he manipulates the older political voices around him to agree with his points or, in the cases that they don't, have these people somehow miraculously spooked off enough that they, themselves, would like to stay away.

he isn't a threat, per se, but toph just doesn't like him. and the very fact that he'd gotten under her skin since the first time they met didn't help.

they're at another one of these unofficial-but-official meets where she'd tagged along for the heck of it. she's starting to think that that may be her first mistake. now, see, it isn't like toph particularly wants to be involved in the affairs of running a kingdom. she's already got her school and her dad's business on her back that she needs to keep an eye out. that's enough. but, you know, firelord hotman had offered, and it's been a while anyway that she'd taken some time just lazying around near a friend, and she'd agreed. most of the time, though it can be boring, the dispute among the men would be interesting enough for her to sit through and entertain.

some days zuko would even ask her for her opinion or two, and she'd usually supplied on whether the minister was straight up lying, or whether he simply sounds like a dick but said dick may have a point or two.

she is by no means a diplomat, so for the most part toph purposely doesn't let herself be involved — she's not always without her tact, alright, and sometimes she knows enough when not to mess with things that'll blow back in her face — but there were times perhaps that she... could admit she may have butted-in unasked. in her defence, these usually happens outside of any official council meeting which she wasn't invited to anyhow, so she'd figured it's fair game. people said something stupid, she's gonna call them an idiot. whatever.

that evening, kenji found her alone.

she called him with not-so-nice names, and he'd replied back, voice smooth and sure, undaunted at every response she'd thrown at him. she thought it'd be another day where they'd just exchange terse back-and-forth and they'd both be done with it. firelord hotman can have his diplomatic evening tea politely discussing the latest happening and they'd both be off. toph heard there'd be a famous night market nearby and she'd been pretty excited to eat some of the region's famous platypus meat. he even told zuko so. but then, just before she could walk away, kenji said it :

you're here now, but you won't be here for long. ...oh, you think i wouldn't figure out ? that toph beifong's only invited because she's got no one else, no other companion to amuse her. but we both know the firelord, especially the firelord, can't be entertaining you forever. so yes, you're a nuisance now. but not for long at all. barely a pebble in my path, in fact, though ... not any less entertaining.

the evening tea begins, with all the local and appointed ministers and leaders and secretaries taking their spot, exchanging pleasantries. toph thinks she should be angry, she should be upset, but it's as though the words kenji had spoken had snatched the rage out of her and she's left there feeling... feeling anxious instead. unsteady. she wants to reach for sokka's meteorite gift, wants to play with it until she's calmed down enough, but it's as though her whole body's locked up.

half way through, kenji — the bastard — even turns to her. so, he asks in his melodic, pathetic attempt at a pacified tone. i assume the young lady beifong will soon return to her school, no? how unfortunate then. we were all so... ah, raptured by your presence, lady beifong, and toph near damn seethes, though she remains mute, hating herself for every second of it.

and then she feels it. a hand, slotting right into hers.

toph's chin raises up, the only indication she's made aware of the touch at all, and she squeezes back, recognising the warmth easily. sifu hotman, she thinks kindly, in a near childish relief. before she turns to him, voice uncharacteristically subdued: ❝ i'm tired, zuko. we'll leave soon, right ? ❞

the intimacy of hands.

#flamend #............ yes i got away WITH MY THOUGHTS #dont look at me #GREATEST: ANSWERED.

[scipiosmith]

I read the newest chapter of SAPR and honestly made me think:

Let’s say a what if scenario where they were at war how would students react?

What I really like about the point of view between characters: who do you trust and if the orders do say they are at war do you follow those orders?

It is terrifying that today they could be friends to becoming enemies tomorrow…

While I don't think any of them would really like it, I feel like the exact reaction would depend on which students (obviously dependent on character) but also on which academy and kingdom they come from.

At least in SAPR, patriotism between the kingdoms is very unevenly distributed, being far more obvious in Atlas and in Mistral than in Vale or Vacuo (although Vacuo is a bit of a special case).

There's a certain irony that the kingdom that won the Great War has become very mild and retiring and doesn't have much of a sense of its own identity or what makes it special, while the two kingdoms that lost the war are both kind of full of themselves.

Now, that's partly because they're my favourites, but there are also in-story reasons for it as well. Atlas' (somewhat self-appointed) role as protector of the realms of men and their (pretty undeniable) position as Captains of Industry giving them ample reasons to puff out their chests and hold their heads up high. Mistral, on the other hand, suffers from the patriotism of ressentiment; this is a kingdom that has never really gotten over the fact that they lost the Great War, and the resulting decline in their power and influence that comes with that (see Lord Kiro's lament to Turnus right before he tries to kill everyone: they are men bred to rule the world, but ultimately they are heirs to nothing).

And a big part of that saltiness comes from the fact that they are the warrior kingdom, the kingdom of warrior aristocrats - Nikos, Thrax, Rutulus, Agylla, Chrysomallos, Helios, Aetolis, these are families whose entitlement to wealth and status derives from their long history of martial prowess in service to the state; and one of the few ways in which talented outsiders like Arslan can in some way join the elite is by modelling those same martial virtues - the kingdom that gave the world heroic combat as a sport, the kingdom of The Mistraliad and it's deathless depiction of what it means to be a warrior and a hero. So I think, if it came to a war, although they might not love it, I think the Haven/Mistral students would be the most accepting of it, as a chance to redeem not only Mistral's honour but also the honour of their families and also of their entire class from the shame of defeat in the Great War and the apparent failure of their virtues there.

The Atlas students, on the other hand, would probably be very unenthusiastic, despite being actually quite well-prepared for a war, because it kind of cuts against Atlas' self-image, evoking instead the spectre of pre-war Mantle. There's a reason why Rainbow's response is to try and keep a lid on things up in the Amity Arena, and why none of the Atlesian officers find Ironwood's quite low-key response to the Valish attack to be odd. None of them are chomping at the bit to start raining down fire on Vale because that isn't what Atlas is, it's not who they are (at least it isn't how they see themselves). They are the Good Guys, they don't pick fights and they don't escalate.

The Valish... like I admitted above Vale doesn't have such a clearly defined national character, in part because it's where Ozpin is strongest and so his personal ethos of individuality and self-expression has taken strongest root there, but there would nevertheless be some who would welcome a chance to reforge Vale's lost spirit in the crucible of war (or some BS like that; the sort of thing Sonata has played on with General Blackthorn) even as others saw it as the terrible idea that it is while others still had a very pragmatic line on the whole thing. You see this with Team WWSR, where Cardin doesn't want to fight but doesn't see much choice, the fight has started, but Russel is more circumspect and in favour of calm.

And you're right, it would be terrifying, in fact that's probably one of the points of the Vytal Festival, to bring everyone together in such a way that if there was another war, the people who would have to fight that war would not want to do so as a result of the bonds forged between them across kingdoms (also the reason why the schools accept students from other kingdoms not just their own.

#rwby #sapr fanfic #worldbuilding #ask #answered

[catsnuggler]

I'm simultaneously impressed and disappointed with what I've seen so far from Washington's Since Time Immemorial curriculum, although I suppose I can't say I'm surprised at the disappointment. There's a lot of vital information, and even, when talking about what can be done to counteract climate change, proposals to make communities walkable; it's mentioned that some dams have already been breached, with positive results for salmon, steelhead, and the environment; there is a particular emphasis on salmon, as there should be, and on the responsibility of Salmon People - everyone in the Northwest, whether we want to admit it or not - to protect the salmon and the steelhead trout; and importance emphasized on guaranteeing everyone's needs. They also note the diversity of Washington state, and emphasize how this is good, is a blessing - while not glossing over the fact that genocide was committed here, as it has been across Turtle Island, and that the state and settlers alike were responsible for this violence.

All that being said, most of their suggestions for what to do about the economy, environment, etc revolve around individual choices - the choice not to buy bananas that are shipped all the way over from the Philippines is a specific example. There is some merit to individual choices, but we can only cast so many ballots with our dollars, and we are always, always outvoted by those with the most dollars - capitalists, and the government they run.

Well, when I said "we" just now, I momentarily forgot there is no unified "we". Working settler dollars are outvoted by capitalist settler dollars, but Indigenous nations' dollars are outvoted by all the settlers. To say nothing of the people who are neither white nor Indigenous, or people who are both.

There is also a lot of talk about blah blah blah democracy, God bless America, where we all have choice, etc. Not unexpected; quite expected; just disappointing, because of how dishonest that is. Motherfucking Bill Gates, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, all those shits run Washington, no matter how many elections we have. Our state is diverse partly because of the impoverished and undocumented Latin American workers, a great portion of whom are in financial slavery. How beautiful is diversity, if there is a top and a bottom to it? How beautiful is it, when there are the rulers and the ruled? How environmentally-friendly are the dams which have brought the salmon from tens of millions to scarcely 1 million?

I was born in the West, a wet land, a green land, a land of plenty. I was raised in the East, a land of fire and ice, a land of roaring rivers and choking deserts, a land of rushing wind, a land of "green" nuclear power plants and dams, which hurt the N'chiwana river (it's known as the "Columbia" to us settlers, after the hand-lopping rapist). Despite growing in a land of extremes, I have learned patience... But I'm not even 25 years old, yet I fear for my future. I fear for all of our futures. Something must be done. Many things. I figure a good start is dispossessing the capitalists, replacing the old treaties with ones written by the Nations (no edits by us whites, no tricks, no nothing, just signatures), and following their directives on giving back and restoring the land, trashing the old relationship of colonial dominance, and finally, actually being good neighbors, instead.

On a totally unrelated note, I am not a fan of the rhetoric ramping up against Mexico. I have my criticisms of AMLO. He's straight-up not my guy, because he is still the president of a state which harasses and represses the Indigenous-liberationist socialist EZLN, trying to ram Tren Maya through Mayan land, despite the protests of these same Maya, many of whom are in the EZLN. That being said, the US and Canada have threatened Mexico because the government of AMLO has nationalized their power (I forget if it's in part or whole, but it's significant), which affects American and Canadian corporate interests. Pundits and war hawks have also argued on-air that the US has to "intervene" in Mexico to take down the cartels, which the Mexican government, I've got to admit, struggles to contend with, in no small part due to corruption. Imperialism and war is not the damn solution, though. I'm... Not a fan of this, to say the least. I grew up with Mexicans, my partner is Mexican, I even have Mexican blood relatives (although they're so fucking conservative, they're like Ben fucking Shapiro and Rush Limbaugh, agh I love them but they annoy and enrage the shit out of me). I don't know what I would do if the US invaded Mexico. I just know I would rather die than aim a gun South of the border, or at anyone the government tells me to.

[ap-kinda-lit]

Okay so I was kinda vague about some aspects of my rewrite for the ATLA finale and epilogue bc I was thinking of doing a fic and didn’t wanna give too much away. But I’m impatient and have no self control so here's this. - Zuko and Mai do talk before the coronation, but Mai tells Zuko she doesn’t want to get back together. She realized in her time in prison that she does care for Zuko, but not as a girlfriend would. They’ve changed a lot and they’re not the same people and neither are their feelings. Zuko isn’t upset by this, in fact he’s kind of relieved. They do agree that even though they don’t feel that way anymore they still want to be friends, which they’re happy about. - Zuko and Katara talk after the coronation as Katara checks up on Zuko’s chest scar. He tells her about his talk with Mai. Inspired by his Katara confides in him that she knows Aang has feelings for her but she doesn’t like him in that way and she feels torn because she doesn’t want to force herself into a relationship with him that could go terribly but she doesn’t want to break his heart either. Zuko tells Katara she’s doing nothing wrong for not loving Aang romantically and she doesn’t owe anyone anything because of that. He just wants her to be happy and if Aang did truly love her he would want that for her too. - Katara listens to Zuko’s advice but can’t bring herself to flat out tell Aang she doesn’t love him. She sends hints but has a hard time saying it. But Aang’s persistence begins to irk her until at one point she thinks he’s going to kiss her without consent again and she goes off on him. This strains things between them of course. Aang starts to think the problem is with him and Katara feels bad but she also feels relieved and stands by what she said. - Zuko knows Katara will be leaving soon and dreads it but doesn’t want to stop her from going home if that’s what she wants. Katara feels on the fence about returning home. She misses it, but she doesn’t want to leave the Fire Nation (Zuko, actually) either. Zuko finds out there’s no Southern Water Tribe ambassador thanks to Ozai cancelling that job in his reign. So he offers her the job. It’s perfect since it means she can come and go between the Fire Nation and Water Tribe whenever she wants for however long she wants. Katara of course takes it. - Right off the bat, from his coronation, people are not happy about Zuko being Fire Lord. The first assassination attempt happens a week after he’s crowned. - Despite the assassination attempts, Zuko wants to take care of something: find his mom. When he learns where she is, he asks Katara to join him. She goes with him of course. - Five months into his reign and after finding his mom, there’s another attempt on Zuko’s life. This time, there’s a bomb planted on the palace grounds. Zuko notices it though and shields Katara from it as it goes off. He’s only minority wounded but it shakes Katara up. When she finishes healing him (and giving him a scolding), she kisses him. She stops but Zuko kisses her. They admit they can’t imagine losing each other because they love each other. With that, their relationship begins. - They keep it secret for a while because of the assassination attempts and still precarious political atmosphere. When several of major conspirators against Zuko are captured and charged, then they go public. - Aang is broken up by this. The training session, the outburst, and the epiphany and pilgrimage happen. He writes to everyone during his travels, but keeps his distance. He wants to become a better friend before he can interact with them. - Zuko proposes to Katara after her 16th birthday. He takes her to the Crystal Catacombs as a ‘gift’ for her birthday. There, he proposes. Katara’s response: “Of course I will, you idiot.” - Aang returns for that birthday. He’s improved and again apologizes for how he left things with Zuko and Katara. He slowly but surely makes up for everything and starts over with his friends. He even helps Zuko with proposing to Katara. Both Zuko and Katara are glad to have Aang back and are

proud of how much he’s grown, but are also happy that despite how much he’s changed he’s still the goofy kid they met and befriended at heart. - Zuko and Katara wait until she’s 18 to finally marry, as it’s law in the Fire Nation. They marry in the Fire Nation and have their honeymoon in the South Pole. - When Katara finds out she's pregnant with their first child, Zuko comes up with the perfect gift for them. He knows Katara wants their child to grow up in touch with both their heritages and she misses home sometimes, so Zuko commissions for a vacation home to be built on the outskirts of the Southern Water Tribe for them. It's regal but pays homage to the traditional Water Tribe architecture and family homes. Katara is given free reign in decorating it. - Sokka and Suki marry and stay in the South Pole when Sokka becomes chief. They have a big bunch of kids, most of which are girls. Sokka is a proud Girl Dad from day one. - Toph and Aang get together and have a shotgun wedding. She's not pregnant, they're just young and in love and don't feel the need for a big wedding. They elope in the newly founded Republic City with the Gaang present as witnesses.

#I might add more later #zutara #headcanons #zk #zuko x katara #atla #avatar the last airbender #because fuck canon #anti bryke #taang #sukka

[yuueee]

𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 fire lord! zuko x fire lady! reader

authors note: Firstly I just want to apologize for the hiatus, I want to be more active from now on! I’m starting finals next week so I’ll thankfully be done with this semester soon and will also have more time to write. Anyways I hope you enjoy!! I also want to apologize if Zuko is ooc here.

requests:

First of all, your tumblr looks sooooo cool! I’m looking forward to reading all of your future work! Imagine this: Zuko is annoyed by people constantly asking him about a future heir, but when one day his friends also start to ask, and even his uncle and his own mother join the baby fever train, it’s too much for him so he complains about it to his wife who only reassures him with her lovely self and her understanding smiles, not telling him yet that she is in fact pregnant. What do you think ?

Can you write an imagine with zuko who is clearly, utterly and soooo obviously in love with the reader (outgoing, courageous, loving) and maybe with the prompt “So you...well...I mean...I could give you a massage?” Thank you a lot! ^^

As the current Fire Lord and Lady, it wasn’t uncommon for the citizens of the Fire Nation to be deeply invested in your relationship - it was to be expected especially due to the uncommon nature of your union. What you weren’t expecting were Zuko’s close friends and relatives being wrapped up in your business as well. Being outside of team avatar, you were naturally more welcoming to his friend's constant questioning, but Zuko on the other hand was not. He couldn’t understand why they cared so much all of the sudden. They hadn’t been as interested when he was in a relationship with Mai - so why did they care so much now?

It wasn’t as if you weren’t getting along with his friends or family - you got along with them quite well and were very loved by them in fact. Outside of them though, you weren’t always as welcomed, unfortunately, the Fire Nation was still coming to terms with having the daughter of an Earth Kingdom General as their Fire Lady. The arranged marriage was put in place to solve several different ‘problems’. After Zuko broke up with Mai several years ago, he hadn’t begun dating anyone else due to being so busy but he’d eventually be expected to have an heir in the next coming years.

Although they had gotten better, tensions among the Earth Kingdom Colonies were still high and both sides were having difficulty keeping them under control. Eventually, an agreement was made for the daughter of a high-ranking Earth Kingdom General to marry Zuko - that daughter being yourself. Arranged marriages certainly weren’t unheard of in either nation - but a union of this sort was definitely unique.

Though he certainly wasn’t thrilled about it, Zuko understood that it was for the good of the people - and it wasn’t like there was anything he could do about it anyway. Even with his position as the recently crowned Fire Lord there still wasn’t much he could do.

On the other hand, you understandably had some issues coming to terms with your new situation at first. Despite being known by those around you as friendly and just a joy, in general, to be around - the woman Zuko had first met was quite the opposite. He could recall it like it was yesterday. Though it was awkward and stressful at the time, he now considered it to be the best day of his life.

“She’s in there.” A female servant whispered to the young man quietly, as if she didn’t want to speak loud enough for you to hear from your place at the balcony.

“Thanks,” he replied with a soft smile, bidding the elderly woman goodbye as she shuffled down the hallway. Turning towards you he was faced with a warm tropical breeze. His advisors had arranged for the two of you to meet a couple of weeks before that dreaded day, and for some reason, they thought Ember Island was the appropriate place. A combination of anxiety and general distaste for being on the island was causing him to be quite stressed - which led him to be more awkward than usual.

“Um, hello?” he spoke up faintly, as if not to startle you. He was sure you heard him come in, but you hadn’t turned around since he entered the small room. You stood several feet away with your hands placed on the railing, your [hair-texture] locks sifting gently with each gust of wind along with your predominantly red clothing. It was against what you had wanted to wear that day but it didn’t seem as if you had much a say in anything going on in your life recently.

You understood that doing this would be for the greater good of the Earth Kingdom and that your situation could technically be worse. You could have been married off to some old creep - but if you were being honest with yourself being married to the Fire Lord sounded just as bad. As you turned around though, you were surprised at the face you were met with.

He had a much younger face than you had expected, but the slight hollowness of his cheeks and the worry lines on his forehead told you that he had experienced things beyond his years. He also happened to be quite handsome - not that you wanted to admit it though. You had been bent on hating him ever since your father told you who you’d be wedding.

He was the leader of the Fire Nation, of course, you would hate him! The country that has had a century-long reign of terror on the world - and now you found yourself engaged to their leader. What had you done so wrong in your life to deserve this?

As much as you wanted to plan on running away the first chance you got, you knew deep inside that it would only cause tensions to increase and more issues to arise. You wanted the best for the residents of the Earth Kingdom, so you agreed to go through with it, but did so resentfully - which you had every right to feel that way.

But as you glared up at the young male next to you and tried to keep your attention off of the scar over his left eye - you couldn’t help but wonder what if this was the man who joined the avatar in defeating the Fire Lord? He wasn’t what you expected at all. Standing in full armor with his hair holding the fire nation insignia in a top knot - he looked awkward and out of place. You almost felt bad for him - keyword is almost.

“What do you need Fire Lord?” you questioned him, turning your gaze back to the rushing waters of the ocean.

“Um,” he faltered slightly, probably not anticipating your response. “I just wanted to introduce myself-“

“I know who you are.” you brushed him off, turning around and walking towards him - grabbing his collar and pulling him to your height. “We might be getting married but if you think for a second I will ever be nice to you, you are sadly mistaken.” you hissed at him before letting him go and walking out of the door.

Zuko couldn’t recall how long he stood there watching your form leave, all he remembered was standing there like an idiot with a red face. He hadn’t expected you to like him of course but he surely wasn’t expecting that.

As he reminisced on memories long ago while sipping his Uncle’s tea, he couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his features. As stated earlier, It may have been an unpleasant memory back then but now he considered the day he met you to be the best day of his life. Though your relationship had surely faired through many complications for a while in the beginning - surprisingly, you became fond of Zuko over the years.

It was certainly a long time coming but that strange friendship you two shared eventually evolved into love against all odds. That didn’t mean you weren’t constantly giving him an ear full (as you should tbh) your first months together. But as time progressed and you learned that he may not have been the evil prince that you had heard so much about, at least not anymore.

He wasn’t that same angsty teenager he had been years ago looking for the avatar, he was now a young adult growing quite well into the position of the Fire Lord - which was no easy feat. Taking another sip of tea, he watched his Uncle and Mother come to take a seat with him.

“How is it, Nephew?” His Uncle asked with a mischievous grin and a raise of two bushy eyebrows - albeit already knowing the answer.

“It’s great as always Uncle,” Zuko responded with a small smile, his Uncle's expression making him just a bit concerned, causing his Mother to chuckle. Though she had gained a few wrinkles over the past couple of years, she was still as radiant as she had been in her youth. She was also much happier being able to live with the family she had been apart from for many years without fearing Ozai’s intervention. It came with a price though - it seemed as if her relationship with her estranged daughter who was now on the run would never be resolved. She never lost hope though.

“Zuko,” his mother began speaking, catching the young Fire Lord’s attention with a raise of his eyebrows. “When are you going to give me a grandchild?” She asked teasingly, eager to see his reaction. In turn, her son had barely kept himself from spitting out the mouthful of tea.

“Why do you ask that?” He choked out in between a series of coughs with Iroh patting his back gently.

“You haven’t?” She asked in between chuckles, noticing how her son got bewildered at the mention of having children of his own. “You know you’ll eventually have to have an heir at some point right?”

“It’s not that I haven’t thought about it... but Y/N and I are just really busy.” He thought aloud, wishing he could run a hand through his hair - but was unable to since it was pinned in a top knot.

“Zuko, you never know when you’ll get this time of peace again. What better time to raise a child?” Iroh reassured, wiggling his eyebrows. Letting out a groan, the young Fire Lord attempted to mentally prepare himself to go through this same conversation every time he visited his family.

Over the next couple of weeks, the constant badgering he received from his friends and close relatives started to frustrate him further, so who could he turn to? You of course.

Being married for several years now, you were more than used to Zuko’s rants, so you simply just reclined on the bed with an eyebrow raised as he paced back and forth.

“I don’t get it! Why is everyone so concerned about when we’re going to have a child or not?” He questioned seemingly no one as you attempted to keep your face from contorting into a smile. It wasn’t as if you didn’t understand his frustrations, it was just funny to watch, especially since you were already pregnant.

You were surprised that he hadn’t noticed honestly, with you staying in for the past few days due to feeling sick. Who could blame him though? It wasn’t as if he wasn’t attentive and loving as a husband, he was extremely busy as of recent-and also just dense at times. After noticing his silence for a few moments as he looked over the balcony, you decided that maybe this could be the perfect time to tell him.

Getting up and sneaking behind him, you snaked your arms around his waist and turned so you could see his face. He let out an audible sigh of what sounded like relief before returning your smile and your hug.

“You want a head massage?” You questioned pulling away, wiggling your fingers playfully.

“Please.”

For the past couple of years, Zuko had been letting his hair grow out so now it rested around his shoulders.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” You started tentatively, but as usual, he was too caught up in the sensation of your fingers raking across his scalp to entirely understand what you were saying, so he just nodded in response. “I’m pregnant.” You stated plainly, ceasing your scratching. Not getting a response for a few moments, you turned to face him with a worried expression.

Much to your surprise he was grinning up at you and placed a warm hand on your cheek. “Really?”

“Yes. I’m sorry it took me so long to tell y-“ you were abruptly cut off by him pulling you into another hug and placing a kiss on the crown of your head. “So you’re happy about it?”

“Couldn’t be happier.” He responded sincerely, leaning into your shoulder so you couldn’t see the redness on his cheeks.

Maybe your family and friends would finally leave the two of you alone now?

taglist: @practicallylivesonline @chewymoustachio

#Zuko imagine #Zuko x reader #Zuko x you #zuko x y/n #avatar x reader #avatar imagine #avatar x you #avatar x y/n #atla #atla x you #atla x reader #atla imagine #atla x y/n #avatar the last airbender #avatar #Zuko

[pocket-size-cthulhu]

Him: are you ok?

Me: yeah I'm fine :)

Me inside: Zuko's arc in Avatar the Last Airbender is one of the most poignant, concise and accessible explorations in modern media of what it means to be a member of the oppressing group. The Fire Nation has colonized and committed genocide on the whole world and Zuko, despite being a good-hearted individual, is heir to that violent, destructive heritage--his goodness doesn't spare him from carrying some level of culpability for the actions of his forefathers and, more importantly, the responsibility to make it right.

At the end of Zuko Alone the family he had helped and defended rejects him when his heritage is revealed, despite having good reason to suppose that he was a good individual. When I first watched this years ago i was offended on Zuko's behalf (notably, he doesn't seem offended at all. Hurt and sad, maybe, but not offended or particularly surprised). But as I've come to better understand the complex dynamics created by racism, colonialism and white supremacy, I understand it better and i see the family as justified in their rejection of Zuko even though he is the most perfect cinnamon roll on the planet. Perhaps there are no right or wrong choices here, but it is certainly an understandable choice that they would protect themselves by shunning anyone, no matter how seemingly good they are, if they are Fire Nation and PARTICULARLY if they are Fire Nation royalty.

More to the point for myself - and addressing the core reason I reflexively felt offense during this scene - is that i don't have a right to anyone's trust, or to be admitted to anyone's spaces. Despite my good intentions and attempts to educate myself, I still look for all intents and purposes like your average white woman, and for all anyone who doesn't know me knows, I'm equally as likely to call the cops on someone who's just minding their own business. As a white person, I hope to be someone who's trustworthy for POC; but whether or not someone trusts me is not up to me, and if someone decides not to take the risk of trusting me, a white woman, they are well within their right.

Zuko accepts this truth. He accepts the fact that his nation has been to blame for the horrifying atrocities of the last 100 years. He accepts the fact that his father and his grandfather and his people are the reason for the genocide and devastation and famine and death, and that he can't separate himself from them. Because of his openness to these difficult truths, and because he faces them without shying away, he becomes the kind of man who is capable of gradually reclaiming the honor of his dishonorable nation.

There's so little storytelling out there to contextualize the experience of realizing you're part of the oppressing group, and the complex relationships between your self, your heritage, your privilege, and the people who have been hurt most by the life you accepted as normal. And white people are so uncomfortable with our role as members of an oppressive group + beneficiaries of an oppressive system. Is that the cause, or is it the result of not having stories out there to help contextualize our experience and give us words for the complex and uncomfortable social position we stand in? Would white people be more open to anti-racism if we had more words about confronting an unsavory heritage and becoming an advocate for those who our systems have disadvantaged? Can stories help people manage otherwise overwhelming, difficult emotions and do the right thing in the face of great discomfort?

Zuko, y'all

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #atla zuko

[b612sunsets]

Just a random thought and kinda obvious but I'd like to recognize it anyway. The only person that helped Yohan and loved him was Isaac, we already know that. Isaac sacrificed himself to save his daughter which is expected for decent parents who love their children. Everyone else in that church only cared about themselves and even hurt Elijah, a kid.

Yohan could already have some type of interest in Gaon after researching about him and seeing his physical resemblance to Isaac in the picture and afterwards in person, but I think what really made him interested and obsessed later on was the fact that in the very first day of work, in episode one, Yohan witnessed Gaon risking his own life to save a kid and also the grown-man responsible for almost killing them.

We can see Yohan a bit shaken by it and worried, probably because it reminded him of the fire in the church and his half-brother, but specially because of the surprise/confirmation that Gaon is someone capable of caring about complete strangers more than himself, no matter their age or actions. To Yohan it's a bit naive and stupid to risk his life for the guy that caused the whole thing (that's why he walked away and had an almost disapproving face in the end of that scene, after the initial shock and being sure Gaon didn't die) but Yohan hasn't seen anything like that for a long time, he is surrounded by selfish/powerful people that he hates.

And right after finding out that Gaon was investigating him and didn't trust him, Gaon still put his life on line for Yohan and tried to protect him when the bomb exploded, proving once again that it doesn't matter who the person is, he will always try to protect/save them (most of the time at least). And that's why Yohan must have decided to bring Gaon to his own home and get closer, letting Gaon snoop around and whatever. This two incidents convinced Yohan that Gaon is the exception he probably was looking for and missed having in his lonely life (even if he doesn't admit it) ever since he lost his brother. And if Gaon can risk his life for Yohan, why can't Yohan risk letting Gaon in, show his most vulnerable side and even protect Gaon like he wasn't able to do with Isaac? He found someone worthy enough to do it besides Elijah, someone that can fight by his side and understand his pain. Maybe Yohan thinks it can lessen his guilty conscience, having another chance with someone that reminds him of his brother.

At this point Gaon probably doesn't have to worry about being the smaller number in front of Yohan anymore, I'm sure Yohan would still pick him over anyone else and save him, if it ever came to that. He beat the hell out of that guy responsible for the bomb for Gaon's sake, even if the bomb was never meant for Gaon. Is Yohan a bit extreme and crazy (the dinner with Jinju, with the politicians and that Joker moment in the car to name a few) when trying to make Gaon understand in a twisted way the harsh reality they live in or just to get his attention? Of course lol. He wouldn't be called the devil otherwise.

But Yohan still does it for their sake and Gaon will realize it little by little. I'm pretty sure he destroyed the yellow car not only to scare and give a warning to his "bait" but because Youngmin troubled Gaon two times while driving it and nothing can bother "his precious sidekick". Yohan took care of his wounds, exhibited pictures of him during the trial while asking the nation to pray for his recovery (totally overboard and dramatic but it's all about the content and views, right), didn't let his cop best friend visit because Gaon's safety is of "utmost importance" (he never was the target sir, but okay seems legit), took him out on a date and became his sugar daddy, didn't kick Gaon out of the mansion for saying the worst thing anyone could say to him..

I said it before and I'll say it again:

#but then again who knows? #the devil judge #the devil judge analysis #kang yo han #kim ga on #lawful husbands #gahan #kang yo han x kim ga on #btw you can't change my mind #:P

[sokkascroptop]

traitor. (sokka x f!reader) pt 25

part 1 | part 24 

A/N: she’s HERE!!! anyways, post and dip BYE

Y/N bit her bottom lip as she shook the dice around the wooden cup she was holding. She was losing–badly. Sho, a game that Aang had taught them a few days ago when Zuko had let up on their firebending training, was an Air Nomad game that the monks would play. Aang was a little confused on the rules, so they’d filled in the blanks where they needed to with their own. 

And Sokka was good at it, way better than any of the rest of them. Which is probably why he’s suggested they’d start betting money.

“Just roll them!” Zuko growled from next to Y/N where he was laying on his stomach, head propped in his hands. Y/N gave him a sharp look and let the two dice fall from the cup onto the ground. Snake eyes. She’d only be able to move her pieces two spaces. Y/N let her head fall into her free hand with a resounding smack. She could hear the disappointed sighs from the rest of the gang around her. Sokka had already leeched them of their money, Y/N was their only hope, and now she was going to lose too. 

Of course the money that they all had was shared amongst themselves, but it was purely the principle of the fact. 

Sokka snatched the cup cleanly from Y/N’s left hand, dropping the dice into it before shaking it. Surely he couldn’t roll exactly a seven, there was no way– “Are you kidding me?!” Y/N shouted as Sokka laughed and grabbed what meager money Y/N had thrown into the pot and shoved into his now full pouch. “How did you roll a seven? How?!”

Sokka’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “I’ll never tell my secrets.”

Y/N pouted. “I feel like I was just swindled.” Well, at least she knew how those people in the Fire Nation felt when Toph stole all their money. 

Sokka scooted closer to Y/N and threw an arm around her shoulder. She automatically leaned in. “Oh don’t be such a sore loser, I’ll buy you something nice in the next town we stop in.” He winked at her.  

Butterflies fluttered in Y/N’s stomach in response. She rolled her eyes, fought off a smile and sent him a withering glare back which didn’t phase Sokka in the slightest. In fact, he looked more pleased with himself. 

“Shut up, Sokka,” Toph said what everyone was thinking and Y/N felt herself giggle along with the rest of them.

“Aw, Toph we’re buds, you don’t really–”

“No, seriously! Everyone–shut up. I hear something off in the distance.” Toph stood up and turned her head so one of her ears was pointed in the direction of the canyon.

Y/N quickly pulled out of Sokka’s reach and scrambled to her bag where her sword lay, sheathed and untouched since she got back from Boiling Rock. There was a near imperceptible shake in her hands as she pulled the sheath off and dropped it to the side, adrenaline already coursing through her body. Everyone else was frozen, either staring at Toph or Y/N. Despite her asking for silence, Toph turned to Y/N. “Do you hear it too?”

Suki was standing too now. Something about the way Toph and Y/N acted had set her off too. “No,” she answered for both of them. “I don’t hear anything. Not even the birds.”

Truthfully, Y/N hadn’t even thought of that. The cave dwelling birds that lived in and around the temple were always chirping. It had become the background noise to their lives, but now it was silent. 

Y/N let out a shaky breath. It was true, the stillness of the air was unnerving. It reminded her of the fights that happened in the yard at Boiling Rock. The ones where you could hear a pin drop before the brawl began, or the solitary click of boots down the halls in the middle of the night before some prisoner was pulled from their room with a piercing scream. It was the moonlight shining through the leaves in the forest that night before Kaito and his friend attacked. Too quiet was too quiet and it made her stomach roll with fear.

The first explosion rocked the very ground Y/N stood on. It felt like an earthquake, but Y/N knew better. 

Three Fire Nation airships seemed to rise from the canyon itself. Over her shoulder, Y/N could hear bits of the Air Temple crumbling in on itself where the first bomb hit. In the 100 years since the Fire Nation was last here, their technology and weaponry had only gotten more advanced. The temple was old and unkept, it wouldn’t last long enough to protect them. 

Aang broke away from the group and ran to his glider. With a powerful swing he was able to airbend yet another fireball heading for the roof, back in the direction it came from. It exploded next to the far left airship, sending it careening sideways, but it wasn’t enough to take it down. Another one smashed into the fountain sending stones and dust flying through the air. It stung her eyes and choked her throat. Y/N coughed and stumbled backwards, running right into someone. Hands gripped her arms, keeping her steady.

“We have to head to the back of the temple!” Sokka shouted into Y/N’s ear. It was a good thing too, another section of the roof came crashing down, much too close for comfort. She caught sight of Zuko and Katara diving to the side to avoid being crushed by the falling rocks. 

Y/N nodded and the two of them ran towards the back of the temple to where Haru and Toph were bending a hole in the ground large enough to fit Appa. Suki was currently trying to help Aang wrangle Appa, who was having nothing with the thought of being pulled underground. 

“Come on Appa, it’s okay!” Aang tried to reassure as he tugged on Appa’s reins. The sky bison bellowed loudly in response and dug his heels in. 

Everyone else had started to make their way into the tunnel first, Chit Sang was helping Teo navigate his wheelchair over the bumpy rocks, The Duke close behind. All they had to do was get Appa to go too and they’d be safe. Well, safer than where they were now. 

Sokka, Y/N and Katara joined Aang and Suki in trying to coax Appa into the tunnel. Y/N promised belly rubs and as many moonpeaches as Appa could eat if he just took a few more steps forward but he wasn’t budging. 

They were really pushing it close now, with each explosion more of the temple fell away; half of the courtyard was already gone. 

Y/N looked back to the ships, which looked larger than she’d ever seen before. Standing at the head of the middle ship, like it was her own personal army–which it probably was–was Azula. 

And Zuko had caught sight of her too. 

Y/N already knew what was going through his mind before he probably did. “Zuko! Get back here now!” she shouted. 

“What are you doing?!” Aang chimed in, making a move towards stopping him. 

Zuko barely even glanced back and through a pause in the explosions, Y/N could hear his voice loud and clear. “I’ll hold them off. I think this is a family visit.”

“Zuko!” Y/N and Aang both yelled simultaneously. Appa’s reins fell from Y/N’s hands and she reached back for her sword, ready to follow Zuko into battle. 

But her hand paused, just as she touched the leather grip.

What was she supposed to do? Y/N had always, always been tailing after those two. Always soothing both sides after their fights, promising a better tomorrow if–

“–if you just please get along, for me.”

Y/N growled before grabbing Appa’s reins once again. She couldn’t be that person anymore. She couldn’t keep pretending that she was their nurse-maid, there to apologize for when one was mad at the other. This wasn’t about elementary school games in the palace gardens, this was a war; life and death. And as much as it hurt her to admit, Y/N might not be able to save them both. 

Besides, she was sure that her presence would only cause more trouble, it always did.

“This isn’t working.” Sokka pushed his hair out of his face with frustration. “We’ve got to get out of here now.”

Aang shook his head. “Appa isn’t going to go into that tunnel!” 

Appa seconded this statement with a roar. 

“Aang, we can’t fly out of here!” Katara gestured wildly in front of them to the airships that were mostly blocking their only way out besides the tunnel. 

A large shot of orange flames caught their attention. Even in the daylight it was blinding. Azula and Zuko were battling one another, but the airships hadn’t slowed their onslaught on the Air Temple. 

“We’ll have to try.” Y/N could hear the determination in Aang’s voice but she kept her eyes on the ships, on the blue and orange flames that were dancing across the top of the centermost one. 

Y/N turned her head over her shoulder. “They might not be expecting that. It’ll take a while to change their trajectory and we could slip away. If we’re fast enough.”

She locked eyes with Aang and an understanding passed between them. 

“So we can’t take everyone...” 

“No.”

Katara reached behind her absently in the direction of her father. “What do you mean we can’t take everyone?! We aren’t being separated again!” 

“Appa can’t carry us all. We need to move fast if we have any chance of getting out of here.” 

Sokka nodded in agreement. “We have to split up. They can still get away, Katara.” Sokka looked away from his sister to his father. “You can take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship.” 

“No…” Katara’s voice broke and Y/N busied herself with climbing into Appa’s saddle. 

“It won’t be forever,” Hakoda promised before pulling his two kids into his chest. 

Y/N waved down to him sadly, as Suki and Toph piled in next to her. She sent up a silent message to whichever god or spirit that was listening to keep her new friends safe in their own escape. 

“Which way?” Aang asked as he looked out to the canyon. 

Y/N couched near Appa’s head and pointed directly at the airships. “Wait until there’s a break between the firebender’s hitting the temple, then go up as high as you can.” 

Riding on Appa’s back on a good day made Y/N feel like she was floating; where her stomach was in her chest and her heart was in her throat and every gust of wind made her gasp. 

So when Appa dove and rocked side to side avoiding the explosions aimed at him, it was safe to say Y/N was left queasy. The higher they climbed, the less fire reached them. 

In a moment of clarity, where they drifted above the airships in the cloudline, Y/N was able to think about how much she hated where she was; about who she was. 

As she peered over the edge of the saddle, trying to get her eyes on Azula and Zuko, she wished so badly that she would just wake up from this awful nightmare, back in her bed on Ember Island, ten years old and nothing to worry about. Before she met Azula; before her life became this. 

And then she saw them. On top of the center airship, fighting one another like they were true enemies. And for once, it looked like Azula was evenly matched. The siblings simultaneously threw fire-packed punches at each other, and where they met in the middle blew up into an inferno of blue and orange flames, blowing both Azula and Zuko over the edges of the airship, plummeting to the bottom of the canyon. 

Aang saw it first, diving Appa down before Y/N could even register what just happened. 

“Oh my spirits. Aang?!” Y/N hung halfway out of the saddle as they dropped quickly through the smoke in the direction they last saw Zuko. Fear spiked through her body like a white hot knife. “Does anyone see them?”

Y/N was met with silence, just the wind whistling past her to fill her ears. She wasn’t sure if someone spoke up she’d be able to hear them anyways. Her nails dug into the soft leather under her hands, so deep half-moons were sure to be left behind long after she let go. Y/N stared into the clouds, dizzy and hyperventilating. 

One breath in– 

“There!” Sokka hollered, jumping to the edge next to her. 

–and out.

It was by some divine force that Y/N was able to reach Zuko as he was falling. Even with Aang steering Appa in his direction, Y/N almost missed. It’s like she was moving in slow motion, their fingers dug into one another’s arms and the sudden weight of him pulling on her almost had Y/N tipping out of the saddle, shocking her back to reality. 

The only thing that caught her was someone’s hands fisted in the back of her shirt. That was a good idea. Y/N reached around and grabbed the back collar of Zuko’s shirt, dragging him in roughly. 

His hands were scorching hot from the recent firebending but he didn’t let go of her, instead his fingers tightened around her arm as the two of them stared back towards the cliffs. Their eyes were locked on the sight in front of them. 

Like Zuko, Azula was falling too. But she didn’t have anyone to catch her. 

Y/N hated the way she took a shaky breath in automatically. “She’s not going to make it.” 

Y/N made a move towards the back edge of the saddle, as if somehow being closer meant that she could lean out and help. She wanted to look away; she didn’t want to see her best friend plummet to her death but she couldn’t turn away, she couldn’t break her eyes from the sight in front of her. 

But in true Azula fashion, she persevered through all–she was just too stubborn to die yet. She firebent herself closer to the cliff face and caught herself on the rocks with her hair pin. 

“She did make it.” Zuko’s voice was surprisingly full of relief. 

Even from the distance, Y/N could feel the anger Azula emitted. But that wasn’t Y/N’s problem anymore, as much as she wanted it to be. 

She sat down, facing away from the cliffs–away from Azula–and pulled her knees to her chest. Zuko sank down next to her, doing the same. 

Momo, sensing some shift in her emotions, crawled into Y/N’s lap. She scratched absentmindedly behind his ears. She looked across her friends in wonder, all crammed together in the Appa’s saddle, in various states of shock. She wished they’d all met under better circumstances, but she was glad to have met them nonetheless. She would never be the person she was today without them. This was the life she was meant to have, even with how messed up it was. 

They flew for as long as Appa could fly and then some more, needing to get the most distance between them and the Fire Nation airships as possible. They only landed, all fully exhausted, when Appa could go no farther and the sun was low in the sky. 

----

Zuko and Y/N tasked themselves with setting up the tents while everyone else split off from the group and began to set up camp in a familiar daze; no words necessary. 

“I get it now.” Zuko shook one of the tent canvas’ out over the grass, clearing off dust from the journey, doing everything in his power to avoid Y/N’s eyes. 

She yawned as she pulled out the tent stakes and tossed them on the ground near his feet. “Get what?”

“I get, well–you now. It’s something Azula said when we were fighting.” Zuko mumbled. He began to thread the wooden supports through loops in the canvas without another word. 

Y/N blinked wondering if she heard him correctly. “What did she say?” 

Zuko seemed even more hesitant to speak now. Azula was a sore subject around camp before she’d just attacked them. The last thing they needed was someone to hear them talking about her. “Something about how she had to do it. The way she talked, I don’t even want to hear the garbage Father is filling her head with.”

Y/N cringed and with a pang of worry, she wondered how Ozai would take the loss of Aang once again. “You don’t think she’s too far gone, after what she did?” 

Zuko chewed on his lip for a second. “She’s making it very hard to sympathize with her.”

“But?”

“No, I don’t.”

A sudden rush of hope filled Y/N. She wasn’t going to be alone in this quest for saving Azula. She and Zuko had just become allies in yet another way, and while it was never going to be easy, she would at least have a companion. 

And it helped that it made Y/N feel a little less crazy about the whole thing. It was true; since her confession to the others Y/N couldn’t help but think that she might have been wrong all along. She’d rolled that thought around her brain until it became all she could think about when she was alone. With Zuko’s own admission, Y/N felt like the goal was much more attainable. 

Y/N couldn’t help the grin that grew on her face. “That’s–”

“Zuko.”

Y/N’s lips zipped shut and she turned to look at Katara. She looked between the two of them with a sour expression on her face. “Sokka needs help carrying firewood. We need a lot of it, it’s going to be cold tonight.”

Y/N knew that tone of voice. It wasn’t a question of whether he wanted to go help, it was an order for Zuko to get up and leave Y/N alone.

“Uh, yeah. Okay.” Zuko handed Y/N the tent stakes and jogged off in the direction they’d seen Sokka go when they’d landed. 

Y/N barely caught Katara leaving, walking away just quickly as she had come. Leaving it up to Y/N to get the rest of the tent set up before dinner. 

Y/N really did try and give Katara the benefit of the doubt. She’d been through a lot, and Y/N felt like she had dragged her through more by admitting that she wanted to help Azula. But it was hard to ignore some of the outright hostility she showed Zuko–and Y/N too–if she was around him.

While at one time, she had encouraged Y/N to become friends with Zuko once again, now it seemed like that was the last thing Katara wanted anymore. The flip-flopping left Y/N confused and worried. Was her newly rekindled friendship with Zuko the same thing that was dousing the friendship between her and Katara? 

----

Y/N didn’t know what was making her more queasy. What had happened at dinner with Katara, or the fact that she and Sokka were currently spreading out blankets in his tent, for both of them to sleep on. It was so...private. 

“What do you think was going on with Katara at dinner? She was all–I don’t know–pouty. And then Zuko? Running after her?”

Y/N sat down and crossed her legs, fixing a corner of one of the blankets until it was perfectly straight, just hoping to give her hands something to do before giving a noncommittal shrug. “I’m not sure.” 

Zuko had shared a look with Y/N before he got up to follow Katara to the coastline, like they were in on something together. However, she was completely in the dark. Mostly. Well, Y/N was smart enough to make a guess. 

Sokka cocked his head to the side and sat down across from her. “I think you know more than you’re letting on.”

Y/N furrowed her brows. “Maybe. I’m just guessing.”

“Then what’s your guess?”

“Katara is mad about something.”

“Well yeah, obviously,” Sokka scoffed.

“But Zuko hasn’t done anything recently for her to be mad at. So it’s either a long held grudge from Zuko’s ‘hunting the Avatar’ days, or something new is making her mad.” 

“Like what?”

Y/N looked away. “I think she’s mad at me.”

“You? For what?”

Y/N leaned back on her hands, fisting them in the blankets before letting them go. “Come on, you know what.”

“I thought we all were past that?”

“Maybe she’s not.”

Suddenly the opening of the tent was pushed aside and someone came barreling in, stepping on Y/N’s left hand in the process.

“Ow!”

“Sokka, I need to–” Zuko stopped and looked down. “Sorry, Y/N…?” 

His voice trailed off as his eyes bounced from Y/N to Sokka to the blankets spread neatly across the spanse of the tent, all illuminated by one single lantern on the floor. 

Zuko’s cheeks grew pink. “Sorry, I didn’t know... I didn’t mean to interrupt, I–”

Y/N felt her own cheeks heat up as she realized what Zuko was implying, the flush spreading all the way down her neck. “No! You weren’t interrupting anything!!”

“It’s just the way the blankets are all–”

Sokka let out a strangled noise. “Nothing was gonna happen!!”

“Okay!” Zuko crossed his arms across his chest tightly. 

“Okay,” Y/N repeated. She folded her hands in her lap and stared at her thumbnails, unable to meet either boys’ eyes. All three of them were quiet, still cringing over the embarrassment that had just happened. 

Sokka cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “So, Zuko, you needed something?”

“Uh, yeah.” He sat down next to Y/N. “It’s about your mom.”

Y/N’s head snapped up. What she knew about Sokka and Katara’s mom was little to none. She knew that she had been killed in a Fire Nation raid when both of them were younger, but that was the extent of Y/N’s knowledge. Neither sibling liked to talk about her in detail, and Y/N didn’t pry.

“Do you want me to…?” Y/N nodded her head towards the tent flaps, unsure whether this was a private conversation. She looked between the boys, waiting for an answer. 

Sokka shook his head. “No, it’s okay.” Already his brows furrowed deeply. He chewed absently on his lip before saying, “What do you want to know?”

“Tell me about the day she died.”

Y/N glowered at Zuko, wanting to reach out and punch him in the arm for asking about something so sensitive. 

“I don’t like to think about it,” Sokka’s eyes had a far away look in them, like he wasn’t seeing Y/N and Zuko in front of him, but was imagining the way the tundra looked on the day his mother died all those years ago. “I was nine, Katara was eight. We were out playing in the snow with Mom and Dad when the ash began to fall…”

----

Sokka’s story had lasted long into the night, and overall left Y/N with more questions than answers. Of course they were questions that no one could answer for her. No one could explain what was going through that man’s head when he decided that Kya’s life was worth less than his. No one could explain the greater complexities that were behind the Fire Nation’s decimation of other cultures, not in a satisfying way that would help Y/N ever understand. Because that was that; she would never understand–the fear factor, the sense of power that came from knocking one culture aside to make way for your own. (Why would you destroy when you could cultivate and grow and learn from each other? She had learned so much about that in the past few months.)

And all of those thoughts made it hard to sleep. There were too many things going through Y/N’s head as she watched Sokka’s chest move up and down with each rhythmic breath. Furthermore, she knew that Zuko wouldn’t have asked for the story if he didn’t already have plans made for what he was going to do about it, and that did not sit well with Y/N.

----

And she was proven right, the next morning after a few hours of sleep when Katara marched up to her, Aang and Sokka asking to borrow Appa. 

“Why do you need to borrow Appa?” Aang asked with a smile. It slowly faded into a frown as he looked between Katara and Zuko. “What’s going on guys?”

Katara squared her shoulders, steeling herself like she was about to get into a fight. “Zuko knows who killed my mother.”

At that moment, Y/N’s ears started ringing. She frowned at Zuko, who just shook his head and frowned back at her. She should have known that any question he asked last night had an ulterior motive. This was his brilliant plan to make Katara like him??

Without warning, Katara stole Y/N’s attention back. 

“Y/N, you’ll come with me won’t you?”

The older girl looked over and caught Katara’s gaze. “Huh?”

Katara looked down at Y/N hopefully. “I don’t care if Zuko comes, but I want you to. I need you.”

Y/N blinked at her. There were a lot of things that she wanted to say but the words just seemed to tangle around her mouth. She’d open her mouth to say one thing but snap it shut immediately for something else. Finally with a quick shake of her head she blurted out, “No.”

“What?”

“I’m not going to watch you hunt someone down and kill them.” The words left a bad taste in Y/N’s mouth. They were all too familiar to her. And the mere thought of doing that…

“I need this. I can’t just forget about him now that I know he’s still out there. I can’t just let it go!”

“I wouldn’t expect you to forget it,” Y/N replied slowly as she stared at Katara’s shaking hands. 

“So help me.”

“No. And if you want me to be real honest, I don’t think that either of you should be going!” Y/N sent a very pointed look to Zuko. What is this really about? She wanted to ask him. “Revenge is not going to fix how you feel, Katara.”

“How would you know?”

“I just do.”

“Well you’re wrong. This man is a monster. He deserves it.” 

“But you don’t need to be the one doing it.”

“Katara,” Y/N doesn’t have to look at Aang to know he’s sad. It comes through in his voice, clear like bells. “I understand how you–”

“Stop.” Katara’s voice cut through the air like a knife. “If you’re going to tell me not to go then you don’t understand either.” 

“I do understand! How do you think I felt when the sandbenders took Appa, or when I woke up and found out what happened to my people?! Doing this out of revenge is not right and you know it.” Aang was standing now, a divot punctuating between his eyebrows as he frowned at Katara. 

“You’re both wrong,” Zuko murmured. He was so quiet during the whole exchange, Y/N nearly forgot he was there. “This is about closure and justice.”

“Katara, please,” Sokka spoke up from behind Y/N. He too had stayed quiet for most of the conversation. Y/N wondered if he had an idea that this was going to happen after Zuko came to talk to him too. “She was my mother too, but this isn’t right.”

“Then you didn’t love her like I did.” It felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been splashed over Y/N’s body. She jerked at Katara’s words, even though they weren't aimed at her. In one foul swoop Y/N wanted to scream at Katara for saying something so hurtful to her brother and simultaneously pledge to do everything in her power to make the man who killed their mother pay for his crimes. However, Y/N didn’t have time to do either, because while she was still thinking of which was the better option, Katara spun around on her heel and stomped away, not unlike a child having a tantrum.

----

Y/N huddled between Sokka and Aang behind one of the large rocks surrounding their camp, watching as Katara and Zuko, dressed in black, loaded Appa with supplies. Her mind drifted to how cozy Toph and Suki probably were as they slept peacefully around the campfire. The wind bit through her clothes and Y/N shivered involuntarily. She knew that the point of staying up, waiting for Katara and Zuko to sneak away, was to once again try and convince Katara that this wasn’t the right thing to do. Aang thought that confronting them again would somehow bring Katara to her senses, except–this was Katara acting with her senses. As angry as she could get, she never forgot to plan, she wasn’t acting on a whim anymore.

Y/N didn’t know if she could say anything to convince Katara to stay that Aang and Sokka hadn’t already tried; Katara had shown her hand already and her mind was hard to change once it was set on something. 

The three of them stepped out, just as Zuko and Katara were leaving. Y/N made a beeline to Katara. 

 “Please, Katara, listen to me.” Y/N kept her voice low, quiet enough that it was just for the two of them, and tugged on the girl’s sleeve childishly. 

“No.” Katara didn’t have the same idea, her voice was strong and clear and it rang out loudly. Despite this, she still stopped and let Y/N reach to grip her wrist. She could feel Katara’s rapid pulse through her sweater. 

Y/N shivered and crossed her arms across her chest, as if it would hide the gaping wound in between her ribs. The hurt that came from watching her friend choose the wrong path. It was a familiar pain.  

“You told me once that you can’t just wish feelings away. You think by killing him it’s going to make things right. It won’t. You’ll feel better for a moment; a fraction of a second while his life is in your hands and then you’re going to regret it. The moment will pass and you’ll see what you’ve done. You’re strong but that’s not the kind of person you are, nor the kind of person you’ll ever be. 

“Maybe that’s just you.” 

The words stung. It wasn’t even meant to be a particularly hateful comment but Y/N couldn’t help but feel hurt over it. 

She felt numb as she watched Katara climb onto Appa and fly away into the dark. 

----

Something about the dark of camp and the unsettling feeling of having their group suddenly minus three made it hard for Y/N to find sleep. And when she did, it wasn’t peaceful. It had been a long time since Y/N had had a nightmare so realistic. She could still feel blood on her hands–

She sat straight up out of her sleep, kicking at the blankets that were tangled in a sweaty mess around her legs. 

Her eyes took a moment to adjust as she looked around. Sokka’s tent was much darker than it was when they slept outside, the canvas blocking out the natural light from the moon and stars and a dying campfire–and it was warmer too–under all those blankets. 

Then, Y/N realized a majority of the heat was radiating from Sokka next to her. His arm was still around her, knocked from her waist to the tops of her thighs when she sat up. 

He was sleeping on his stomach, his face buried in his pillow–with one half open eye staring at her. “Lay down, is’okay.” He patted her leg with his hand and rolled to his side, both of his eyes closed now. 

Y/N did lay down, even though her heart was pounding and everything within her told her she needed to run, to do something instead of staying here like a sitting duck. 

She clutched her hands in fists, focusing on her breathing, which was still shaky. She stayed rigid, flat on her back–the easiest position to get up and defend from. 

Despite this, Sokka snuggled closer, pressing his nose into her shoulder and wrapping his arm back to where it was across her waist, his hand splaying out across Y/N’s stomach comfortingly. Her shirt had shifted in the night, and his pinky brushed bare skin, leaving Y/N the feeling of butterflies, though she didn’t really mind. 

She was falling asleep now, her tiredness overwhelming her sense of danger, and through that haze she could feel Sokka’s hand move, pulling her shirt further down and covering the bare skin he was once touching. And back was the warmth of his hand, resting protectively over her abdomen. 

----

It had been Sokka’s idea to go out and have a picnic. Only after days of moping between the two of them did he come up with the thought. Though, it might have been spurred by the constant bickering between Y/N and Toph, usually only stopped by Katara’s sharp tongue. What usually started out by harmless banter ended with Y/N half-covered in mud and Toph dangerously close to what Y/N called an “impromptu haircut”.  

It would have been a nice time for relaxation for both of them had they not been so worried for Zuko and Katara who were off Agni knows where, doing Agni knows what. Neither of them meant to, but their minds were in different places instead of here with one another. It had already been a few days since they had left, and their absence was being felt by everyone at camp. 

Y/N dragged her hand through the cool grass and watched Sokka for a minute; wanting to lengthen their time out here, away from the chaos of their lives. She followed his gaze down to the town–their perch on the highest hill around had been strategic, but it provided a nice view too. Y/N noticed that Sokka wasn’t really looking at the houses and stores below, more like looking through them. He was off in his own world, worrying at the inside of his cheek with his teeth. 

She didn’t always get the chance to stare so candidly at him while he was distracted. His hair had gotten longer on the sides but he never made any notion to shave it back down. Y/N kind of liked the scruffy look. Her gaze followed down his cheekbone to his eyes–which were still trained straight ahead. As he blinked, Y/N wrinkled her nose in jealousy; there was no need for him to have eyelashes so long and thick. 

He could have been thinking about anything, a new invention, the slightly muggy air, the sour fruit—but if the pout on his lip was indication, Y/N knew what was on his mind. 

She popped a quartered persimmon in her mouth before speaking. “Maybe we should try this again another day.” 

Sokka grunted and didn’t look back. Y/N chuckled and pulled up a piece of grass, tickling Sokka’s cheek with it. “Did you hear me?”

He jumped and looked back at her guiltily. “Sorry, what?”

“We should try to have a picnic again on a different day,” Y/N smiled softly.

“That sounds like a good plan.” 

On their way back to camp, they walked close, bumping shoulders every time their steps unsynced. They hadn’t strayed too far; their camp was just half a mile down the hill and to the coastline, but it was far enough so that they could be alone. 

Y/N was happy to see that Sokka’s mood had changed for the better since moving off the hill. She reached down and linked her pinky with his. It was much too hot to be holding sweaty hands. 

“Tell me–” Sokka started.

“Hmm?”

“–what happened back there at the temple? If you want...” Sokka quickly added, holding his free hand up to show he meant no harm.

Y/N had to think back, even though it was only a few days beforehand it seemed so distant in her memory. Maybe even a little hazy, like she wasn’t really present when she had done it. That might have been more than just an explanation, she barely remembered jumping up from the ground, just one minute she was sitting next to Sokka and the next she was holding her sword ready to fight. Y/N couldn’t recreate the exact feelings she was having either, but it made her fists clench involuntarily, like she was trying to push away whatever it would bring. 

Finally after a moment of silence, she spoke, but it didn’t offer much of an answer to what Sokka was asking. “I don’t know. I just had a really bad feeling, is all. I heard Toph say that and I just acted.” Y/N chewed on her lip and shivered despite the sweltering heat. She felt worn out like her body had just had a massive adrenaline rush and she was fading now. 

Sokka noticed this. “You didn’t have to tell me if thinking about it bothers you.”

Y/N looked at him and then snorted through her nose. “You asked me to be more open with my feelings.”

Sokka rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled slightly. “Yeah, but not if it distresses you. I just wanted you to know I’d be there for you.”

“It doesn’t distress me...that much.” she added when Sokka gave her a very pointed look. He didn’t say anything but he clearly didn’t believe her. 

“So I’m a little bit on edge, that’s not a bad thing!” Y/N rolled her eyes. 

“It is when you aren’t getting sleep.” 

“I am getting just enough sleep to keep me going.”

“I’m not saying we need to be enjoying our life on the run, but you could act like you aren’t waiting for imminent danger every second of every day.”

“If I didn’t, then who would?” Y/N grumbled. 

“We all protect one another.” 

“Yeah..”

Sokka hummed and cocked his head, a wistful smile flitting across his face. “Sounds like you don’t really believe me.” 

“I just… anytime we have time to breathe is when something bad happens. I am just anticipating it before it comes so it doesn’t catch me off guard. I’m doing that for all of us.” 

“That is no way to live.” 

“This—” Y/N gestured around herself wildly. “—is no way to live.” 

“I know.” 

“And Katara, don’t even get me started on that mess. I can’t protect her when she leaves.” 

Sokka shook his head. “Katara doesn’t need protection.” 

“Well obviously I know that. Neither do you or Zuko or anyone else, but it still makes me feel better if I was standing next to you if someone came after us.”

“You don’t...have to be self-sacrificing.” 

Y/N bit her tongue to keep herself from replying. What would she say to him anyways? Maybe Y/N’s actions were more see-through than she thought. 

It was disappointing to hear, probably just as much as it was for Sokka to say it. She didn’t think of herself like that, but that’s how she felt wasn’t it? Like her life meant a little bit less than everyone else’s because of her past crimes? That if she had it her way she’d do everything and anything in her power to make sure that no one else suffered, even at her own expense? 

Protection. It felt like that was all she was good for. She wasn’t a planner, or a bender, or a leader, but she was tough and Y/N liked to think she was more than capable. A fighter was what she had to be, because there were no other slots that needed to be filled; she would just have to make her own. 

Y/N was tired. And it was more than just physically. Sokka had been correct in saying that she hadn’t been getting enough sleep but it wasn’t like she could force herself to sleep when her brain never stopped screaming, Danger!

It was a relief to see a familiar shaggy beast at camp. It drew the conversation away from things she really didn’t feel like discussing.

“Look, they’re back.” Y/N nodded her head at Appa, who was munching on hay and receiving loving chin scratches from Aang. 

Appa gave a lowly bellow when he saw Y/N and Sokka approaching, which called Aang’s attention to them. 

Y/N was surprised to see a happy grin on his face. “Hey guys!” 

“Hey, buddy,” Sokka murmured as he patted Appa’s snout. 

Aang walked around Sokka and nudged Y/N’s elbow. “Katara is down by the water. You should go see her!”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “Sure.” She passed over the basket full of fruit and pastries that she and Sokka didn’t finish. “Go ahead and pass them out to everyone, yeah?”

As she passed by Sokka he gave her arm a reassuring squeeze, which she returned with a grateful smile.

----

Y/N found Katara sitting at the end of the boat dock, swinging her feet just inches above the water line. The wooden slats below her creaked with each step she took. She stood behind Katara, waiting for the other girl to acknowledge her presence.

“I didn’t realize that I was mad at you until you didn’t want to come with me.” Katara turned around and smiled sheepishly at Y/N. 

“Can I sit next to you?”

Katara patted the wood next to her and stared back out to the water. 

“I’m sorry for treating you so badly.”

Y/N nodded numbly. “It’s okay.”

“It wasn’t.”

“We’ve all said mean things to one another,” Y/N said with a shrug. “While you were gone I told Toph I’d cut off her feet if she tried to stick them in my lap again.”

Katara chuckled. “Seems like I missed a lot.”

Their talk faded into silence as they listened to the waves lap against the shoreline. 

“I was worried you’d leave again.” 

Y/N blinked at Katara. What did she just say?

Katara seemed to sense Y/N’s confusion and continued. “Whenever I saw you with Zuko, always whispering to yourselves like you were keeping secrets, I thought you two were going to leave us.” 

“We would never do that,” Y/N said, incredulously.

“I know that now,” Katara looked away with a shy smile. “I might have interrogated Zuko about it to find that out though. I didn’t want you to become lost again.” 

“Lost?”

Katara paused, weighing her words. “We’re the same. You let your heart rule your head. All logical reason leaves you when you want something done. So I know when you need someone to watch out for you.”

And for the first time ever, Y/N felt fire in her chest. This is how Firebenders must feel all the time, Y/N thought.

That fierce loyalty and protectiveness that Katara waved in the face of adversity, that was for Y/N too. Not that it was ever doubted, but now Y/N could see it; feel it. What Sokka said was true, they all looked after each other. 

But Katara wasn’t even looking at the tears shining in Y/N’s eyes. “That’s all you were doing for me too. 

Besides, it wasn’t all I blamed him for either. He was just the easiest target. And forgiving him; it was easier than I thought it would be. Once I realized that I was blaming him, and maybe you, for something you didn’t do.”

“Well,” Y/N kicked her legs. “I did do something. And you have every right to be mad over it.”

“But now I know why.”

Y/N gave her a quizzical look. 

Katara picked at her wrist wraps, unwinding and winding them back as she thought of the right words to say. “My journey taught me some things along the way. Before.. I didn’t know what it was like to love someone so much that all reason leaves you. I can never understand why you did it, that’s between you and Azula. But I can empathize with you now.”

Y/N didn’t have the vocabulary to respond to that. She realized that’s all she needed from her friends. She didn’t need unconditional acceptance for her past mistakes, she just needed to know that they could still love her despite them. She couldn’t expect them to understand what Y/N couldn’t even understand. 

“I didn’t do anything, so you know,” Katara muttered.

Y/N nodded, she could have guessed as much but she knew it was important for Katara to tell her that. 

“I wanted to, so badly.” Katara’s cheeks flushed with what Y/N knew was embarrassment. “It would have been so easy, but... I couldn’t. You were right, I would have regretted it and resented myself for it. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Y/N didn’t respond to that last part. She’d always suspected that Katara knew more than she’d led Y/N to believe. They probably all did. 

“So many things happened while you were gone. You’ll have to tell me about them,” Y/N squared herself around to look Katara in the eyes. “When you’re ready.”

Katara held her gaze, “You can too.”

“I might take you up on that.” And Y/N was sure she would. Some day. 

----

A/N: you guys should like,,, come in my ask box and tell me what you like about this because i’m feeling very self-conscious about my writing since it’s been so long.

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#atla #sokka x reader #sokka x female reader #atla fics #sokka x y/n #sokka fics #katara #the gaang #aang #zuko #toph #azula #ty lee #mai #suki #avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #avatar resurgence #avatar fic

[zuko-always-lies]

How Well does Iroh Live Up to His Own Wisdom?

In the “Tales of Ba Sing Se,” Iroh tells this to a group of kids: 

Iroh: It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and seek to restore honor.

Good advice, I’ll admit. But how well does Iroh live up to it?

Iroh stands out as someone who has had done many bad things in his life and made many mistakes but who almost never apologizes or acknowledges any of them(or indeed apologizes for just about anything).  The decades that Iroh spent engaging in imperial warmongering, his failure to oppose Ozai and act to end the war after Lu Ten’s death, the way that Iroh failed to intervene to protect Zuko and Azula from Ozai’s abuse, the way that Iroh letting Zuko into the war meeting led to Zuko being burned and banished, the fact that Iroh aided Zhao’s attack on the Northern Water Tribe, and the way Iroh was complacent in the harm Book 1 Zuko was inflicting on the world and Team Avatar all go unacknowledged by Iroh, and he never apologizes for any of them.

However, today I’m going to be focusing on the 600 Day Siege of Ba Sing Se, one of Iroh’s greatest mistakes and one that he is repeatedly forced to confront in the series. The siege caused heavy military casualties on both sides, and, given it was a siege, likely also caused many civilian deaths, both within Ba Sing Se and along the lines of march of Iroh’s army. What does Iroh say about the operation and his part in it? Much more under the cut.

“Winter Solstice, Part 1: The Spirit World”:

Earthbender captain: A place you're quite familiar with, actually. You once laid siege to it for 600 days, but it would not yield to you.

Iroh: Ah, the great city of Ba Sing Se.

Earthbender captain: It was greater than you were, apparently.

Iroh: I acknowledge my defeat at Ba Sing Se. After 600 days away from home, my men were tired, and I was tired. [Yawns.] And I'm still tired.

“The Desert”:

Zuko: Ba Sing Se? ‌Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital‌? Fung: [Calmly.] The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice two more. Iroh: We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city. [Happily shrugs his shoulders.]

“The Serpent’s Pass”:

Iroh: Who would have thought after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace ... [Turns away for a second before turning back with a floral hat on his head.] as a tourist!

“The Tales of Ba Sing Se”:

Iroh: Happy birthday, my son. [Cut to his face, as he starts to cry.] If only I could have helped you. [He sings, but his voice cracks due to him crying.] Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home.

This is the only sincere apology Iroh gives in the entire series.

Finally, “Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters”:

Iroh: [Aerial view of group.] Sozin's Comet is arriving, and our destinies are upon us. Aang will face the Fire Lord. [Extreme close-up.] When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would one day take Ba Sing Se. [Cut to Zuko and the camera pans across to right showing Toph, Sokka, Suki, and Katara.] Only now do I see that my destiny is to take it back from the Fire Nation, [Extreme close-up.] so the Earth Kingdom can be free again.

...

Iroh: [Close-up.] Goodbye, everyone. Today, destiny is our friend. [Whispers.] I know it.

So Iroh never acknowledges fault for his decision to lay siege to Ba Sing Se, never apologizes to anyone he hurt, never admits that doing what he did was something wrong, and never accepts responsibility for anything other than Lu Ten’s death. The tens or hundreds of thousand of other people who died don’t exist to him.

Is Iroh completely unaware that his past actions were wrong and harmful? Not entirely.

“Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters”:

Zuko: [Close-up of Zuko from over Iroh's shoulder.] And then ... then you would come and take your rightful place on the throne? Iroh: [Close-up.] No. Someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart [Frontal view from the side of Iroh as the camera zooms in on Zuko.] and unquestionable honor. It has to be you, Prince Zuko.

“The Serpent's Pass”:

Jet: From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall. Iroh: It is a magnificent sight. Jet: So you've been there before? Iroh: Once. When I was a ... different man. Jet: I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se: for a new beginning. A second chance. Iroh: That's very noble of you. I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances.

Yet Iroh still refuses to meaningful acknowledge his greatest mistake. For all the flak Azula gets for “not showing remorse,” it seems like Iroh is much more guilty of that than she is.

#Iroh #Anti-Iroh #Lu Ten #Azula #Siege of Ba Sing Se #Fire Imperialism #Dragon of the West

[cyoc49]

Auto Pilot

James was 18 and already shaping up to be a disappointment in life. After spending four years of high school slacking off, doing drugs, and not caring about anything, he now found himself a freshman in college with little prospect of where to go. He was attending the local community college - he hadn’t even wanted to do that, but his parents threatened to kick him out and cut off funding if he didn’t do some higher education. Now he found himself wandering aimlessly around campus. He had no idea what his major would be, no plans of any kind, really. He wanted to stay as distant from this college experience as possible.

To be honest, James did sometimes think about his lack of aim in life. The truth was he truly did fear committing to anything in life, for the risk of making the wrong choice, and so invented a “don’t care” persona to cope with his lack of place in the world.

James arrived at his dorm, and made his way upstairs to his room. He shared it with some guy, Clide. They didn’t talk much. As he got to the door of his room, he noticed a package sitting in front of the door. He picked it up and inspected it. Relatively small, lightweight, addressed to him. Odd. Usually this type of thing would be sent to the mail room. As James entered his room, he put the package down on his desk. Clide wasn’t there, he was probably at class.

“Might as well check this thing out,” James said to himself as he opened the box. Inside was a big red button reading AUTO PILOT.

Whatever he had been expecting, it certainly wasn’t that. It was one of those comically oversized buttons like you saw in movies. He had never seen one this big in person. And what did “Auto Pilot” mean?

Looking back into the box, James found a small booklet labeled “User’s Manual”. He picked it up and read the contents:

“INCREDIBLE AUTO PILOT BUTTON

Life can be exhausting. School, jobs, bills, food, house troubles, and countless other decisions have to be made and executed every day. At the end of the day, is all the grind really worth it? Wouldn’t you rather take the easy route? The better route?

The Auto Pilot button is simple. Press it, and your life will be set to “auto pilot”. We’ve spent decades studying the behavior patterns of successful people, and have created a formula by which we have the correct response to every obstacle and issue you will ever face in your life. Job troubles? You’ll always be a hard worker who knows how to get what he wants. Social issues? You’ll have the right line for every occasion. You’ll be more outgoing, more ambitious, and best of all: you don’t have to do any of it. When you’re on auto pilot. You can sit back and watch as your body makes all the right decisions for you. One press is all that’s needed.

Enjoy your life on auto pilot!”

James checked the back to see if there was anything else. He didn’t know what to think. He almost wanted to laugh. It had to be a joke, but the tone of the pamphlet was so certain that it could also be the delusions of some eccentric billionaire. Ah well, at least he finally had something to go on his barren desk. He slid the auto pilot button to the back corner of his desk, then paused. He pressed down on the button, just to see what those big red buttons really feel like.

Unfortunately for James, one press is all that’s needed.

*click*

As the button clicked down, James’ body slumped.

His eyes went dead.

And then he suddenly smiled.

And he kept smiling.

James was 22 and life was looking pretty great. After pressing that button his freshman year, James completely turned his life around, as if overnight. He suddenly started paying attention in all his classes. He began going to the gym, and joined an intramural soccer team. By the end of his freshman year, James had gained 25 lbs of muscle, going from a boney 150 to a beefy 175. He also ended his year, with a 4.0 GPA, and used it to apply to the local state school. It just offered him more opportunities than community college, and had better networking circles. James got in handily, and that fall found himself moving across state to university.

Almost as soon as he landed on campus, James continued his life climbing. He declared majors in international business and finance, knowing the money opportunities that lay there. The course load was nothing for James, as he always worked on homework at maximum efficiency. In fact, he had time left over to join a club lacrosse team.

Through his finance classes and lacrosse practices, James came to realize the social circle he needed to join if he wanted to get ahead: The rich preps. They were the ones who exuded the aura of success he wanted to project, and the ones with the connections to jobs after college. He modeled himself after them. He began to dress like them, in khakis and pastels, and leather loafers. Vineyard Vines, Ralph Lauren, and Brooks Brothers invaded his closet. He began to manage his hair, combing it into a neat side part every morning with pomade. He researched golf news, followed stock market trends, so he would have topics to talk about with these preps.

Slowly, by bringing up the points he now new about with classmates, and by projecting the image of a successful young preppy professional, James came to be accepted as one of their own. One of the boys. His ultimate dream. From that point it was easy: James was Mr All American, effortlessly witty and charming. By the time he was a senior, James was on fire. He had served as captain of his lacrosse team for the past 2 years, was top of his business classes. He had met several of his new friend’s fathers (all of them CEOs), and in most cases the fathers ended up liking James more than their own children. James was a professional in all aspects, and he did it all with a bright, mindless smile.

The one thing James hadn’t accomplished in college was finding a girlfriend. Of course he’d had several offers, but he never took a woman to call his own. Every once in a while he found himself staring at the guys on the lacrosse team while they changed, but these were only fleeting feelings. Certainly not the most efficient way to live his life.

But this didn’t matter to James. In just a few months he would be graduating top of his business program, and thanks to the father of a friend he had a job lined up at Plexicorp, one of the biggest marketing chains in the nation. James was only 22 and he was a consummate professional. Is this what a perfect life looks like?

James was 30 and on top of the world. After graduation he went right into work at Plexicorp, and immediately assumed the stereotype of a “young urban professional”. His work ethic was tireless, and through a mixture of countless golf matches and the perfect water cooler humor, James quickly became the most popular guy in his office, and the model employee. He rose in the ranks quickly, and was now a regional manager with a six figure salary at only 30.

With extra cash to spare, James had gone to work giving his life an upgrade. He bought clothes from extremely expensive brands, though sticking to his preppy classics. He got salon quality pomade for the classic styling of his hair (which had only gotten lighter over the years), and routinely had dermatology and dental work done to keep his face looking as fresh as possible. He bought a serene little cookie cutter McMansion out in the suburbs. Even with all this going on, he perfectly worked time into his schedule for gym and nutrition, keeping his body in peak shape even as he got older. At age 30, James was quickly approaching a DILF.

With the perfect job, the perfect clothes, and the perfect body, you’d think James would have quickly found a suitable wife, or at least someone looking for a QoL upgrade. But even over the years, James still never found himself fully committed to women, even though he knew starting a family young would be most productive in the long term. In a particular night of conflicting emotions, James made his way to a leather bar on the outskirts of town, where a nice 50 year old man with a beard and a harness taught James what he had always known. He was gay. And he loved it.

There must have been a hole in the Auto Pilot system. Certainly heterosexuality would be most efficient for a successful life, but somehow James’ base feelings came through. Of course he had no way of knowing what was going on in his body. All he knew was what was most efficient, and what felt best were in opposition to each other right now.

Eventually, with a smile, the straight James won out. After his encounter with the leather clad friend, he quickly found himself not thinking about sex at all. A life of chastity was certainly good enough for him. Letting sex be for pleasure hardly worked out, as we see. Sex should be for utility. Creating the family. And to get a family, he needed a wife.

The following weekend James took a trip to his local country club, and after a bit of scouting, chatting, and brown-nosing, James was introduced to Amber, an interior decorator. She wasn’t the most brilliant with a conversation, but she was single and looking to marry and that was enough for James. They went on several incredibly vanilla movie and dinner dates, where hand holding was the most action either of them got. After 8 months, they married and moved in together.

Now standing here at 30, James looked in the mirror. He felt his decently-sized chest push against the cotton undershirt and mint green button up sitting on top. His rotund and muscular ass was perfectly wrapped by his khakis. He looked down at the counter of his bathroom. Marble. With plenty of space. Even with his tricky sex situation, James had to admit he had a great body and a great life. He had made (almost) all the right decisions, and was reaping plenty of the rewards. As far as living life, this was a pretty good way to do it.

James was 40, and life was perfect. The shareholders of Plexicorp were so impressed by his keen business instincts and impressive management, and at only 32 offered to make him the youngest shareholder in the history of the company. From there he went from “pretty well off” to “disgustingly wealthy”. James knew how to invest his money well, and from the moment of that promotion never worried about money again. He moved into a mansion in the nice part of town and upgraded his wardrobe to suits, suits, and more suits. Now that he was one of the elites, he had to project as such. He kept his appearance as clean and refined as possible at all times. He loved to flash off in a khaki suit (a nod to his preppy roots), and with his now perfectly-blonde hair, he was the absolute image of refinement. He had certainly aged like fine wine, and there was no doubt about it: James was a DILF.

The only sore spot in his life has been Amber. After years of trying and failing to conceive due to lack of excitement, Amber eventually asked to file for divorce. James knew he had to grant her this, and handled the proceedings quietly (and generously) to let go of her gently. At 35, James was finally meeting a dead end that his Auto Pilot skills were unable to find a solution to.

Until he had an investment meeting with a local stock analyst named Robert

Robert was an image of success, beauty, and sharpness that James had seen in only one other man: himself. It was almost unnatural how beautiful and crisp Robert was. His perfectly parted hair. His well-fit gray suit and polished dress shoes. As James eyed this man up and down, it dawned on him. Robert must have made every decision perfectly in life to look like an image of success in his his 30s, because he did. Robert had help from Auto Pilot too. And judging by the lack of a ring on his finger, and the way he was eyeing James in the exact same way James was eyeing him, James had a suspicion that Robert had the same problem he had.

Robert was someone whose every value, choice, and lifestyle matched up with James’.

James knew exactly the right decision to make.

The two flashed each other perfect smiles and firm handshakes, and although the topic of their first meeting stayed on stocks, it was clear there was a mutual spark between the two. They quickly decided that weekly investment meetings would be best, which turned into lunch meetings twice per week, which turned into dinner, which turned into something much more. The two took it slow, to be safe, but it was clear they were disgustingly perfect for each other. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they met up at the gym at 6AM to exercise together. They had quickly learned they wore the same suit size, and exchanged looks on several occasions. Robert taught James just how he achieved his razor sharp part, and James taught Robert how to match pocket squares to outfits. After a few years of dating they married in a picturesque countryside summer wedding, and both knew this one would last.

Now standing here at 40, James could genuinely say life was perfect. He had gone from an aimless place in his life to the top of the world, and although it had been a bumpy road, he was now with the perfect partner living a life of gentility. Checking his suited image in the mirror one last time, James left the bathroom and walked to the front door where Robert was waiting. The two had plans to attend an orchestra show and get dinner at the nicest restaurant in town.

James flashed Robert the perfect smile, and Robert returned the favor.

“Ready to go, darling?” James asked the man of his dreams.

“Of course, love.” Robert replied in a smooth tenor. The two briefly joined to kiss, before heading outside where the driver was waiting to take them into the city for another wonderful night.

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