#Nomad Factory

[guitarbomb]

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[mezzy-1]

Hi! Yes! I’m the ask! I’m very excited hehe. The 4 agents I chose for: Iso, Jett, Sage and Deadlock. If I had to describe the reader’s personality they’d be like private/reserved sort of very calm and an experienced fighter, reader could be fighting against the selected agents (sort of like how you did Nomad and their recruitment? I really like Nomad btw).

I unfortunately wasn’t able to find Acheron’s exact capabilities but I did decide on a basis for the reader’s abilities (Ice or snow) also I did find a few clips for reference:

https://youtu.be/l1Yw8r4F9W0?si=K-SiYUsK6Qi-v0dD

https://youtu.be/G2xiqsEoFDQ?si=R4VNy-oS_2fQ84qB

COLD RECEPTION // (VALORANT X READER)

Reader Profile//  SNOWFALL

Your status as a radiant made you stand out in the world, and your abilities terrified those around you.  The Scions of the Hourglass made a deal with you, they would train and care for you and you’d help maintain their secrecy.  Abandoning your lonely existence, you became a master of your ability over ice and did work for the Scions.  Soon, you began to doubt your allies and were assigned a Valorant agent to kill as a final test of loyalty.  

ISO 

There was a stillness in the air, brought on by a combination of the night and the cold that blew through the streets of a desolate industrial district

You waited outside with binoculars trained on the sidewalks, waiting for your target.  Deciding that your stakeout was taking too long, you looked over the dossier again

Li Zhao Yu, aka. Iso, defected from the Scions months ago to join an organization called Valorant.  His skills rivaled yours, and his power over radianite was strong too

The picture included didn’t match up with the face of a hardened killer though

Below you spotted something purple flash from the windows of an abandoned factory.  You narrowed your eyes and watched for more

Iso was locked in combat with a number of radiants.  If it wasn’t for the dossier you would've been shocked at how dangerous he was

He dropped each of the radiants one by one.  All the while, he maintained an air of calmness with each shot

He exited the building carrying some strange triangular device.  He put his finger to his ear and muttered something to an unknown receiver

Realizing he was calling in some kind of extraction, you put your plan into action and activated your radiance

Wind began to swirl around as frost collected on broken windows.  You pulled your knife from its sheath and let ice collect along the blade

Swinging the blade, you launched the collected frost towards Iso.  Your careful aim drove the ice spear into his shoulder

Leaping from your vantage point, you jumped from the building and slid down to street level.  You readed a pistol as you got to Iso

“You shouldn’t have left us,” you said, cocking the action back on your gun.  “People like you are one of a kind.”

“If you’re with the Scions, then don’t waste my time.  I work with Valorant now, and I washed my hands of those monsters.”

“They aren’t monsters, they saved me!  I was nothing before they came and trained me!”

“I read some files on you, Y/N.  You were missing for years and turned into a weapon for them.  They fear you, they only want to control you and use your power.”

“Is that what you think?  Is that why you left for some bullshit organization that pretends to care about you?  The Scions are my family now, and I won’t disappoint them.”

“Valorant would take care of you if you decide to come with me.  We can avoid this fight if you stand down.”

“I’d rather die than be a traitor like you.”

“...fine Y/N.  What happens now is on you.”  Iso grabbed the ice embedded in his shoulder and threw it to the ground

Taking your chance to shoot, you suddenly found yourself on the defensive.  Iso had reached for his Sheriff while removing the ice

Bullets almost reached your head as you took cover and blocked out the area with a sudden freezing mist

You heard a window break and ran after the sound, finding yourself inside an abandoned machine shop

With your first steps in, a bullet ricocheted off the wall behind you and sparks danced from the impact

As you moved farther in, more shots came from the darkness.  Iso was tired, injured, and had to hide

“Good.” you thought.  You began dropping the temperature around you while placing your knife in its sheath and charging it with cold

Iso’s breath was now visible from the frigid air.  He was hidden behind a hydraulic press and breathing quietly

You pulled the knife slowly from the sheath, letting ice condense onto it and extending it into a long icy blade

Silently, you moved about the shop.  Your footsteps were quiet from the stealth training you endured

As you moved towards Iso, violet hexagons crept underneath you and made contact.  You fell into the floor and were dropped into some strange realm

The dossier missed the fact that Iso could do this, because you were quickly disoriented by the rush of purple

“Y/N this is your last chance to stand down.  I’m not here to kill you, I want to leave that part of me in the past with the Scions.” echoed throughout the space

Iso appeared in front of you and you charged forwards with your blade, directly for his neck.  You sliced and crescent of frozen air spun towards his throat

He raised his hand and conjured a wall in front of him.  The ice slammed into the hardened tiles as you continued with your attack

Iso turned his wrist and pulled the trigger once.  The bullet went right for your head, and by closing the distance you were in even more danger

Suddenly you were back in the shop and Iso was in front of you

“Dui Bu Qi” he whispered before the world went dark around you

You awoke in a room lit by a single light and restrained in a chair.  Your head was sore and the room was almost spinning

“You’re finally up Y/N.  Hao de, we can finally talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you, just kill me because I won’t tell you anything about the Scions!” you spat back

“I already have all the information I could ever want on them.  I don't need you to betray them for me.”

“You’re one to talk about betraying the Scions.”

“They won’t come to save you, now that they know you’ve been captured.  If anything they’ll either try and kill you or assume you’re dead.”

“No!  They’ll come for me, they’ll make you pay for taking me prisoner!”

“You were sent to kill me when I defected.”

Iso’s truth buried itself in a growing pit of despair in your stomach.  It was so obvious they would save you but something in you began to pull at that conviction

Tears streaked down your face and turned to snowflakes as they fell.  The realization that you would never have your life in order finally fell on you

A warm hand found its way onto your shoulder.  Iso’s palm met yours despite the freezing cold temperature

“Bie ku Y/N.  Don’t worry I know it looks lonely but you won’t be walking away from them alone.  I’m here for you if you need to talk.”

“They were everything to me, but they…they’d kill me just like they’d kill anyone.  Did I ever mean anything to them at all?” you asked already knowing the answer

“It doesn’t help to think of them right now, what matters is that Valorant will care about you.  We aren’t here to kill or control, we just want to do right.” 

You looked up and in your state your power began to escape.  You began to grow colder and shivered slightly

Iso took his hand off of you and began to unzip his jacket

He draped it over your shoulders

“Y/N, you’re freezing.”

“It happens when I’m worried, I think I’ll be fine.”  you tried to avert your eyes but couldn’t pull them from Iso

“Are you saying you want to join Valorant then?”  Iso leaned in towards you

“I don’t have anywhere else to go, but you’ve been so patient with me.  I feel horrible for what I tried to do, but you’re being kind and I want to repay that somehow.” 

“I’ll talk to my higher ups and get you a room at the HQ.  While we wait, we should find a way to keep you warm.  Do you drink tea?”

“Sure, what kind do you have?” 

Having tea with Iso was the first of many moments you shared with the assassin.  Both of you had your respective pasts entwined, but that only brought you closer

Eventually it became a routine, meeting with Iso and just talking for hours on end about whatever you both thought

Months later, you realized that Valorant had become a second home for you.  It was all thanks to Iso

[microsuedemouse]

viable career options in Midsomer, besides ‘murderer’ or ‘person who catches murderers’

Antiques dealer

Veterinarian

Only Doctor In The Village

Wealthy Titled Person

Estate Manager for Wealthy Titled Person

Household Staff for Wealthy Titled Person

Somewhat-to-Completely Useless Adult Child of Wealthy Titled Person

Pub Owner

Snooty Wine Mom

Local Busybody

Some Kind of Nomad

Religious Official

Teacher

Farmer (of livestock, never crops)

Factory Owner

Pharmacist - sorry, Chemist

Spiritualist Of Some Sort, Like It’s The 1850s Or Something

History Buff

Bookstore Clerk

Solicitor/Barrister (presumably there’s a high demand for these)

Undertaker/Funeral Home Director (also in high demand)

Guy (gender neutral) Who Takes Care of Other People’s Horses

Washed-Up Loser Who Used To Be Somebody Noteworthy

Gossipy, Bitter Old Housewife

Town Weirdo

Hotel Staff

Coconut Shy Proprietor

[badbatchposts]

Quiet Corners of the Galaxy

Happy Bad Batch Eve! I'm obsessed with the new season but the content isn't coming out fast enough so I felt like I needed to write my own.

Tech's not dead and Crosshair rejoins the team partway through Season 2 after Mayday's death rather than being imprisoned by the Empire, but this is otherwise canon-compliant. No Season 3 spoilers.

Fic Summary: While on a routine mission for Cid, the Bad Batch encounter a woman fleeing from the Empire. Crosshair suspects her seemingly free-spirited, nomadic existence is actually a cover for something else, but struggles to keep his attraction toward her in check as their personalities and ideals clash.

Chapters posted 1-2x weekly!

Chapter One

“We will be landing on the outskirts of the city ruins shortly. Scanners indicate that it is abandoned, but there is an Imperial outpost located ten klicks East, in the next valley over. This should be a relatively simple operation: make our way to the city center, locate the cargo, and return to the Marauder.” Tech was at the controls of the ship as usual, setting them down in an open, overgrown area where the ruins of the city—little more than rubble and scrap now, haphazardly heaped stoneworks and scorched earth where once there had been homes, streets, marketplaces—were fewer and further between. The remaining members of the squad did their final checks of their equipment, adjusting armor and securing weapons as the hatch hissed open. Wrecker was the first out.

“Woah. What happened here?” The largest member of the squad looked around incredulously. The destruction was not recent; a thick layer of soot, grime, and overgrown weeds was evidence of the neglect that the ruins had been left to. It did not seem that anyone was deeply interested in rebuilding.

Tech had the answer, as always. “A particularly destructive battle toward the end of the war. The city was occupied by Separatist forces. Citizens who were unable to evacuate before the droids moved in were held in a makeshift camp on the North side of town. Luckily, this means that many of them made it out alive once the Republic regained the territory. Their homes…were less lucky.”

Crosshair, Hunter, and Echo followed the pair down the ramp. “What cargo could there even be left to recover in all this?” Crosshair asked skeptically. His voice, as usual, dripped equal parts disdain and boredom.

“Cid’s intel says mostly expensive droid parts,” Echo intervened. “The town had a factory. When the Separatists occupied it, they planned to begin shipping the parts off-world to help with production of their army. The Republic moved in too quickly for them; the factory was destroyed, but the crates were being housed underground awaiting cataloging. As far as Cid’s source knows, they’re still there.”

Hunter looked thoughtful. “Anything to worry about with that Imperial outpost, Tech?”

“Doubtful,” the other replied, examining his datapad. “The cargo is not significant enough to merit their attention, and forces are largely dedicated to patrolling a nearby spaceport, where it would seem most of the refugees have relocated.”

Hunter nodded seriously. “Alright then. Crosshair, get a good vantage point on the hilltop where you can keep an eye on us and any activity from the outpost coming our way. Everybody else, let’s locate that cargo.”

Their forces divided, the rest of the squad beginning to pick their way among the ruins toward the city center, while the slender sniper hiked in the opposite direction. The hills were dotted with trees—not heavily forested, but enough cover for him to dig in and wait. Soon, he crested the peak, settling in at a good vantage point where he could watch the outpost in the middle distance through his scope. Activities at the facility were regular and rhythmic; troopers on patrol, units coming and going from the nearby spaceport. Nothing extraordinary.

“In position. All clear,” he reported over his comm.

“Acknowledged,” came Hunter’s reply. With any luck, the others would retrieve the cargo within a number of hours. He waited, patient and disinterested. He was good at waiting.

Some time later, his comm crackled to life again with a status update. “Cargo located.” It was his turn to acknowledge their progress. For a brief moment, he thought idly about whether he preferred missions like this one—smooth, uncomplicated, if a little boring—or those where everything seemed to go right to shit. At least, he smirked to himself wryly, the latter required more significant use of his skills.

When he heard the screeching sound of failing engines and saw the dark plume of smoke trailing behind the ship on its downward trajectory, all he could think was that the galaxy must have been listening in on him.

It crashed down northeast of his position, the impact of the wreckage echoing out across the valley. The response on his comm came through almost immediately.

“What the hell was that, Crosshair?”

“Downed Imperial shuttle. Drawing attention from the outpost now. Get moving.”

“Well, with any luck that’ll keep them occupied long enough for us to get outta here. Stay outta sight,” Hunter replied. Crosshair shifted his scope from the troopers mobilizing at the outpost toward the crash site, just in time to see a woman emerge from the ship, coughing in the smoke. He had expected a detachment of troopers to come stumbling from the wreckage, not a lone woman. She was human, silver haired, staring back at the shuttle with a look halfway between rage and despair. She slammed her fist against the ship’s hull in frustration, and he smirked a little as she winced, rubbing her hand in pain. She ducked back into the ship, emerging momentarily, pulling a poncho over her head as she strapped a blaster to her hip and pulled on a pack.

He scanned the area around her as she began marching south from the crash, glancing furtively in all directions. She was heading on a trajectory that would intersect any moment with two troopers on speeder bikes. She was moving too slowly, limping a little. This should be interesting, he thought dryly. He was sure the Empire were very welcoming to unauthorized crash landings of stolen shuttles near their facilities.

When the woman and the troopers came face to face, he could only imagine the dialogue accompanying the silent pageant he could see through his scope. The woman slowly raised both hands, throwing a flattering, charming smile at the troopers. She thought she could talk her way out of it, he reasoned. So the flash of the blaster bolt caught him by surprise when she snaked one of her hands behind her head, grabbing a concealed weapon off her shoulder, and fired off a shot.

“Is that blaster fire, Crosshair?!” Hunter demanded over the comm.

“Not mine,” he replied calmly.

“Then who?!”

The round had caught one of the troopers in the chest, toppling him off the speeder bike. The woman took advantage of the confusion to dive for cover behind a tree, exchanging fire with the remaining trooper. What she couldn’t see, of course, were the other half dozen Imperials making their way toward her position. Any moment now, she’d be surrounded.

“Status?” Crosshair queried over the comm.

“Making our way back to the Marauder.”

The woman managed to get a good shot in on the remaining trooper, and he toppled to the ground. However, just as she made a dash for the speeder bikes, two green bolts flashed by, wrecking her getaway vehicles and forcing her to dive once more, losing the smaller blaster. She recovered quickly, unholstering the larger piece at her hip and taking shots at the oncoming troopers as she ran for cover again. It was pointless, he thought. She didn’t stand much chance of escape, alone, on foot. Not this close to the outpost.

From his vantage point, he could see the troopers fanning out, boxing her in. She had the hillside to her back; the elevation would slow down her retreat, even if she could keep up enough cover fire to out-maneuver the speeder bikes. And—the only part that mattered to him—she ran the risk of drawing Imperial attention to the adjoining valley before they finished loading up the marauder.

However, before he could further consider the implications of her retreat, he saw her move to fire off another shot from around her cover. In the brief moment she was exposed, a blaster bolt from one of the troopers clipped her side, propelling her forcefully to the ground. She was close enough for him to hear her strangled cry at the hit, echoing out against across the valley. She scrabbled backwards in the dirt, blaster thrown out of reach. One of the troopers swung off his speeder bike, approaching her slowly as he took aim. They weren’t planning on taking her prisoner. He couldn’t hear whatever words they exchanged, just see the snarl on the woman’s face before her features calmed, peaceful, as she closed her eyes before the inevitable.

Crosshair dispatched the trooper closest to her, expertly, just before the Imperial could squeeze to pull the trigger. He followed it up with three more in rapid succession, the troopers falling dead before they could hope to locate the sniper’s position or find cover. The final two, he saw with some surprise, were caught off guard by the woman, who had managed to crawl over to her lost blaster in the confusion.

She was attempting to limp her way over to one of the abandoned speeder bikes when he caught up to her.

“Stay back,” she warned him, eyes glinting as she aimed her blaster at him.

“Are you even sure you could ride one of those things by yourself right now?” He drawled back at her.

“Of course I can,” she snapped. As if to prove it to him, she gripped the handle of the first one she came to with her left hand, knuckles white, right hand steady as she kept her blaster trained on his chest. She swung her leg and mounted the bike. He watched her grip on the handle loosen as the shock and pain caught up to her, her eyes rolling back in her head as she collapsed.

Next Chapter

[caputvulpinum]

"I was hoping for Teo and the other refugees living in the Air Temple would become airbenders" Maybe I'm too indigenous for this shit but did you miss the part where the refugees were desecrating holy ground and turning the sacred into the industrialized factory grounds endemic to the fire nation which is explicitly hostile to the purpose and beliefs of the air nomads.

[nothingxtosayx]

Pema’s an Air Acolyte, right? Headcanon that one of these girls is her mother. Also, Republic City used to be called Cranefish Town, which formed because of the Earthen Fire Industries factory, which was built on land that used to be sacred to the Air Nomads. So my theory/headcanon is that Aang pulled a Kyoshi and earthbent some of that land that hadn’t been polluted by factories into an island and named it Air Temple Island so that at least some of the land could still belong to the Air Nomads.

[undercoverpan]

A father protects

Jake Sully liked to think of himself as a loving father.

He wasn't the overprotective, helicopter parent that his own father was before he died.

Jake didn't like talking about him. He knew the man loved him and his brother, he'd given up too much for it all to be an elaborate act. He'd been born in an active warzone, where nothing thrived. When his mother died, they were too young to remember, so he truly didn't know. All he knew was that his father trekked thousands of miles to the safest place he could get. They lived as nomads for a while, eating off paper plates and never having a certain place to sleep, but to Jake, those years were the best.

It sure beat being locked in the house, when they finally got one. They lived in a complex, privately owned by the factory his father worked at. He never said what he did at work, they just knew he came home late, exhausted beyond measure, with burnt hands and stiff shoulders. Still, he always smiled and ruffled their hair and kissed their foreheads.

It was simple back when he was a kid. Oh, he can't go out to play with the other kids? Just play inside with his brother! Oh, Jake had to switch to homeschooling? Just fine!

As he got older, he couldn't remain ignorant to the horrors that laid outside their cramped little apartment. He knew what happened to the other kids, knew that their father had shut them inside and bolted the windows and put 3 locks on the front door because he wanted to keep them safe. But his brother, younger by mere minutes, was eager to run away and never return. Had always said that their dad was overprotective and possessive, and sometimes, Jake agreed. Jake was allowed very few friends, most of his free time spent in a locked room. The windows couldn't open, and they were blacked out. 

He recalled one moment in his life that complicated things. His father and brother, screaming at each other about privacy and freedom when, all of a sudden, his father slapped Tommy across the face. The force sent him back a bit, and Jake had frozen. A beat of silence passed through the house, before he rushed to his brother, standing between him and his father. What happened next was a blur, but all he remembers was this: He had to protect Tommy from everything, including their father.

Then, somehow, Tommy left their little haven. Had gone off to college, rarely heard from again. Jake saw how it had broken his heart, but he was happy that Tom had finally gotten that freedom he was chasing.

Then he died, and the rest is history.

____

Jake truly didn't know when it started. 

He wasn't like this with his kids, he could assure you. He–, well, he was the normal amount of overprotective when it came to his sons and daughters. Lecturing them about safety, making sure they were in bed every night, all that classic dad stuff. He got a little worse when they had to leave for the reefs, but he wasn't unbearable.

At least, he didn't think so. Neytiri hadn't thought so, and that was all that matters.

_____

The day he laid his wife and children to rest crept upon him silently. They'd passed away in battle, fighting to protect their new home. Jake considered tying a boulder to himself and jumping into the ocean, if only to join them. To hold them and swear, swear that he'd never let anything hurt them ever again. But he knew how his Neytiri would react if he turned up dead only days after her and the kids. He was Toruk Makto. He should trust Eywa to claim him when the time is right. Every night he begged her to move up her schedule, just a bit.

He thinks that it was after the ceremony that he was unbearable. He was stuck as Jake, Toruk Makto, because Jake the Father had failed. Failed in every way conceivable. But Toruk Makto would never make those kinds of mistakes.

So Spider didn't have a father after his adoption, but he had someone who would keep him safe. Who would not fail him, ever. No matter what he had to do, or who he had to hurt, he'd keep the remaining morsel of his family safe.

____

Spider found that he was not allowed to roam around the Metkayina village alone. Jake told him it was because of how distrustful they were of humans, that he wasn't sure that they wouldn't attack him on sight. Spider believed him, because of course he did, and stayed inside the marui. It was on the edge of the village, overlooking the ocean. The breeze had felt so nice on his skin, sometimes he couldn't help but lean outside, just a little bit.

The boy wasn't quite himself anymore, that much was obvious. He was pliable and quiet in a way he never was before. In a way Jake was thankful. His obedience made it easier to protect him, but it still worried him. The scars that lined his body like the stripes of the Omaticaya, they told a violent story. But Jake rubbed paste and did whatever he recalled Neytiri doing for his injuries and hoped they'd fade. He painted blue stripes over them frequently, sometimes just to pretend the scars didn't exist and that he never got taken and that they were still in the forest, safe.

He could kiss his brow, and trail his fingers over the scars. He pinned and braided his hair 

Just for a few moments, they'd be safe.

____

All good things must come to an end. That is one of the sayings taught to human children.

It's the saying that popped into Jake's head when he caught Spider constantly looking outside. He'd been bouncing his leg as he sat on the floor by Jake's feet, braiding a piece of jewellery. It was a simple anklet, with small red beads knotted tightly into place. It was a bit too big for Jake, and much too large for Spider. The father narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Instead, he silently formulated a plan.

_____

Jake had to leave during the day, to help hunt and repair. Always at a specific time. He knew Spider had picked up on it, which is why, when he bid his goodbye and pressed a lingering kiss to his temple as always, he waited not too far outside his marui. After some time had passed, he saw Spider exit their home. He clenched his teeth, not surprised at the rage that entered his system. Spider knew he was forbidden from the outside, and yet–,

He followed his son to the reefs. The boy stuck close to the natural foliage, avoiding the population. Eventually they made it to an almost empty side of the shore, with jagged rocks and hot sand. It was here that Jake felt his rage and possessiveness boil over. He watched as Spider ran to Tonowari of all people. The larger man bent down, with his arms spread, as Spider leapt towards him. The man caught him, offering a gentle smile. Spider offered the anklet to him, shyly.

He watched with white hot rage as Tonowari accepted, placing a soft kiss on the same place Jake did moments before.

He felt sick. How dare….HOW DARE HE? 

Sneaking out to see someone else? What? Was Jake not good enough? Didn't he provide everything he needed? Didn't he keep him safe? He kept him happy and safe and fed and warm. He did all that, yet here Spider was, smiling and giving gifts. 

____

Jake had a course of action by the time Spider started coming back. He'd left home, too sickened by the sight to stay any longer. He had come to a decision, one that would improve his behaviour, hopefully.

He realised he's been too lenient with Spider. The boy had just returned from being kidnapped, tortured and held captive for months. He just lost his family. What he needed was structure, and Jake tended to provide a goddamn good one. He was sitting in their Marui by the time Spider returned, posture stiff and rigid. He could tell Spider was surprised to see him.

"J--Si--Dad!" He stuttered, flinching at his cold gaze. "You're back early! Hunting went okay this time?" He asked nervously, leaning against the post of the doorway. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, drumming his fingers against his skin. "Dad? Everything okay?" He shifted again, moving backwards. Jake moved his hand slightly, tilting his head, and the boy stopped. He looks like a frightened creature from his first hunt, eyes wild and twitching, like it wants to run. He can hear Spider's heart jackrabbiting in his chest. Good.

Jake remained silent. He wonders what he must look like, to provoke such fear into the child. Suddenly, with a screech of the chair, he stood up. The boy was startled so badly, he knocked into the post. He barely had time to react before Jake grabbed him by his upper arm, dragging him towards the shore. The boy asked endless questions while they walked, like, "Where are we going?" and, "Are you mad at me?"

They came to the skimwing quickly, Jake hopping on and pulling Spider with him. He could feel the boy quivering beneath him, could feel the quick beating of his heart against his chest. The boy's fear was so thick, he could practically smell it. He was as stiff as a board in his hold, breathing quickly and glancing at him. They travelled for at least an hour, approaching a flat stone. 

They slowed to a stop, Jake all but dragging Spider now. He threw him to the ground, the boy wincing so badly, he hardly noticed Jake picking up a rock in his hand. "So what's up with Tonowari, hm?" He asked, his gaze sharper than any blade made by the Na'vi. Spider sputtered, looking away. "Um–, I--I–, I went outside and–" he gulped, "I tried not to let anyone see me, but he saw me, so he," He met his gaze, "He started following me. He said he wouldn't hu--hurt me if I just answered some questions," he babbled on.

"So he was threatening you, is that it?" Jake cut in, his voice harsh, "Didn't look like he was threatening you." He accused, taking a threatening step towards the boy. He shuffled backwards, "W-wait! He was–, he never hurt me, and I thought he was really nice, and you told me everyone wanted to kill me, so I just wanted to spend time with him, yknow?" Nervous, nervous, scared. 

Jake stilled and, "Are you calling me a liar?" And Spider knew he messed up. "No! No, no, no," Jake was on him in a second. "No, you're saying I've been lying to you. You're saying I'm a bad provider. You're really hurting me, you know that?" He continued, ignoring the others cries, "Lo'ak would never do this. Neteyam, Kiri, Tuk, they'd never do such things. You know why? Because they'd be punished." He hissed, and Spider cried louder.

"You deserve to be punished, don't you?" When Spider didn't respond, he gripped his hair and pulled back. "Don't you?" Spider cried as he nodded, desperate to get this over with, desperate to right his wrongs, to appease his father. Without any indication, Jake raised the stone and brought it down hard onto the boy's leg. He screamed out as blood gushed from his leg, tears pooling in the mask.

Jake struck him many times, barely registering the crack of his bones or the blood coating them like a thick layer of snow. Spider screamed and cried and begged the entire time his father all but severed his leg, but he was still at the end, save for a few hiccups. "Pl--please dad, papa, please, stop." He begged, Jake sighed. "Did you learn your lesson, son?" He asked. Spider had probably realised that Jake wasn't interested in repeating himself. He nodded weakly, and flinched as Jake gently pulled him close. The shift  was so strange and sudden, it gave him whiplash. 

He cried into the other's chest as he pressed kisses to his forehead, praising him on how well he did, that he won't do this again if Spider behaves. The boy takes it in stride, because he can't do much else. He thinks he deserves this, that this was normal discipline. 

Somewhere in the haze of pain, there is a thick cloud of fear and a need to get away. He wants Quaritch. He wants Tonowari. He wants Kiri, Tuk, Lo'ak, Neteyam and Neytiri. He wants to be safe and he wants to go home. But his home is in the arms of a man covered in his blood. He closes his eyes and grits his teeth as his leg stung.

"We'll get you home, and I'll fix you up, okay?" He promised as he lifted the boy up, rock abandoned on the surface. "And remember, if you ever go to Tonowari, or anyone else ever again," he looked down at the boy who was slowly losing consciousness, "I'll cut your leg off."

_______

Thought i posted this one before but i cant find it anywhere so here, part 1 of the lil blurb from yesterday

[kadextra]

Hiii I’m Kade :D

this is my 2nd blog to throw the reblogs and extra rambling on! cool art is on main @heartkade

current hyperfixations: kingdom hearts, orv, gravity falls, the dragon prince, dunmeshi, nomads webtoon

main tags

#asks

talking tag - #kade talks

music I like - #musikd

things i’m reading - #kade reads

games i’m playing - #arkade

[list of interests & extended fandom info below]

|| Favorite Interests

cartoons - gravity falls, the owl house, the dragon prince, ninjago, ava/avm, tadc, lackadaisy

anime - mairuma, spy x family, dungeon meshi, apothecary diaries, digimon

manhwa/manga/webtoon/novels (my reading list is below!)

games - kingdom hearts, sky:cotl, ttyd, acnh, mc, pokemon, rune factory, cookie run kingdom

youtube & streaming - jacksepticeye, alan becker, qsmp, life series, chubbyemu

music - bts, eve, porter robinson, sabrina carpenter, vocaloid (ily kagamine rin)

|| Reading List

(favs are highlighted in orange)

novels

omniscient reader’s viewpoint - under the tag #kade reads orv

the third wheel strikes back

webtoon/webcomics

nomads

castle swimmer

señorita cometa

nevermore

jupiter-men

23:4

the mafia nanny

devil’s candy

city of blank

school bus graveyard

manhwa & manga

eleceed

i’m the queen in this life

baby tyrant

reincarnated as the unruly heir

solo tower farming / top dungeon farmer

the dark lord’s confession

star-fostered swordmaster

the s-classes I raised

auto hunting with my clones

housekeeper

magical girl dandelion

witch hat atelier (waiting for anime)

the extra’s academy survival guide

doctor’s rebirth

I stole the number one ranker’s soul

reincarnated as a dragon hatchling

dungeon reset

second life millionaire

talk to me about any of them please :D

|| Thank you QSMP!

my message <3

witness my roman empire, the black signs masterpost

(team blinkies by rukibur)

[rahadaddy]

I am so excited to share art of my rogue, Percy Brightstar, as done by @spicyspell! I've meant to share this sooner, but life has gotten so hectic.

Percy Brightstar is a swashbuckler rogue, ostensibly from the city-state of Daggerford. More accurately, he's from a lot of places. He grew up in a nomadic elven community, which has traveled all over the Sword Coast and beyond. For many years, the Caravan Elves worked as bandits and highwaymen along major trade routes. The push of industrialization drove many elves out of big cities and in some cases, industry seemed to be directly tied to the death of elves and their communities, as nature was mowed down in favor of factories and their pollution. Still, Percy found as much happiness as he could while living on the run. He fell in love and would eventually have a daughter, Daphne. But before she was born, Percy became the leader of the Caravan Elves and realized that there was no escaping human influence on the world. If you can't beat 'em...

He orchestrated a takeover of the Daggerford criminal underground with the help of the Duchess of Daggerford and his band of trusted rogues and ne'er do wells. They installed themselves as the thieves guild in Daggerford. However, around this time, Percy's wife, Talia, disappeared, leaving him with a young daughter to raise alone in a strange society that saw him as the Duchess' court jester some days and inhuman on others. He realized that Daphne would need a human governess to teach her how to exist in society, especially once he was given the honorary title of baronet by the Duchess. He's been raising Daphne with the help of his governess (and longtime crush), Keres, who is our party's cleric.

Percy is the kind of guy who is extremely kind, but savvy enough to know when a lie or a little bit of trickery or thieving is needed. He is the man with the plan in the party and he's gotten all of Vallaki fooled into thinking that he is the Duke of Daggerford, traveling with his lady wife and their friends. He has befriended Van Richten, tried to mentor Victor Vallakovich just a little (and also tortured him just a bit), and has been a thorn in Strahd's side since day one. He's personable, chatty, and a little bit dangerous. He's a devoted father, who just wants to get home, and occasionally, he's a bit of a scoundrel if it means furthering that goal. I love him so much!

Fun Fact: While the other characters are shown wearing Victorian fashions, I asked Spicy to draw Percy in fashion from the late 18th century/early 19th century, when Percy came of age and took control of the Caravan Elves. He's a very stylish man, don't get me wrong, but I wanted art that captured the flamboyance I picture in his manner of dress and self-carriage. So, speaking of...

This was a bonus piece of art Spicy did of him and I absolutely adore it. My girlfriend, who plays Keres, and I have joked that this is how she must see him, that this is Percy in full anime love interest form, and that this is definitely how he dresses on the regular. That last bit is less of a joke than a deep appreciation for how well Spicy captured my guy! <3 <3 <3 They do impeccable work and I highly recommend them as an artist if you're looking to commission anything!

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Pontiac Star Chief Custom Safari, 1955. The Safari was Pontiac’s version of the Chevrolet Nomad, it was the most expensive Pontiac offered in 1955 with a factory price of $2,962 without options. It remained in production with minor revisions until 1957 but was the slowest selling Pontiac of the era so was withdrawn from the market, though the Safari name was subsequently applied to all full-size Pontiac station wagons.

[zukkaart]

What would you think, if, after getting advice from Iroh, Zuko and the gang travel to the spirit world in order to find Aang’s people so that Aang can teach the air acolytes more about the air nomads? Zuko and the others are able to get into the spirit world using a portal. But Zuko gets attacked by a mysterious spirit and then hits his head. He reverts back to post banishment (but pre Season 1) Zuko after losing some of his memories. The gang manage to get Zuko out of the spirit world before the portal closes, but Iroh and Ursa don't make it out in time and end up getting trapped there. Zuko is confused and doesn’t know why he’s firelord. The gang try to explain things to him, but it only causes him to become even more confused. Aang and the gang then leave Zuko behind to spend more time with the air acolytes.

While they’re gone, Zuko is very uncertain about what to do, especially since his dad is presumed dead, but soon corrupt advisors convince him to restart the war. Zuko doesn’t remember his friendship with Aang, but he hears that he once joined Aang, so Zuko assumes that Aang once brainwashed him into joining team Avatar and turning against his Father. Zuko intends to be a much greater firelord than his father, and he and his army raid the air acolyte settlement in their airships in order to hunt down Aang once again, and end up burning down the settlement. Aang and the gang wonder why Zuko chose to hunt them down again. Aang eventually comes to the conclusion that Zuko backslid due to bad advice from his advisors and because he lost some of his memories. Aang then travels the nations and studies things like chakras in order to look for a cure to help restore Zuko’s memories.  

Azula is now alone and more vulnerable than ever because the fire warriors have deserted her, and Zuko sends bounty hunters after her to capture her. Azula tries to escape one of the bounty hunters, but she gets bitten by the bounty hunter's poisonous snake. The bounty hunter offers to give Azula the antidote for the poison if she'll give herself up, but Azula refuses. Azula finds help in the village of Jang Hui where she is healed by two waterbenders who are taking refuge there. Jang Hui is the village Katara helped in The Painted Lady. And the villagers aren’t on good terms with the firelord. The villagers accept her and assume that she’s on their side because she’s made an enemy of the Firelord. The villagers teach Azula how to heal people using firebending techniques inspired by water bending, and she ends up becoming a fisherwoman because it’s a fishing town.

She starts to warm up to the town, but one day she overhears the waterbenders talking about sneaking out to sabotage the smelting factory (which is currently undergoing reconstruction) in order to help the villagers. Azula offers to join their mission, and the three sneak out to destroy the factory, but she betrays the waterbenders over to the fire nation in hopes that she might bring glory to the fire nation. But now that the waterbenders are captured and eliminated, the town is defenseless. Zuko’s army burns the town down leaving few survivors. Zuko didn’t exactly authorize the attack, but he did give his generals permission to do whatever it takes to stop the villagers from trying to halt the rebuilding of the factory used for the war effort. A few survive and declare revenge on Azula for what she did.  

Azula starts to feel terrible about betraying the people who saved her life and indirectly causing the village to be destroyed, since she didn’t know it would be destroyed. And she holds Zuko partially responsible for destroying the village. Members of the army give her a head start before they start chasing her. After wandering around, Azula looks through a telescope and sees Aang try to save a fire nation village from a volcano, and she also sees Zuko. Zuko does nothing after his corrupt advisors tell him to leave the village, saying that Aang will probably die, so Zuko runs away. But Aang manages to save the village from the erupting volcano. Azula gets accepted into the gang when she uses her new healing abilities to heal Aang, who is wounded by the volcano.

Later, Aang uses his newly developed powers to find out the real cause of Zuko's memory loss and he discovers that it wasn't because of the head injury. Zuko's memory loss was due to a spirit possessing him. The spirit was trying to make Zuko succumb to his darkest impulses by fogging specific memories. The more Zuko succumbs to darkness, the more control the spirit has over Zuko. Once the spirit gains full control over Zuko's body, Zuko's spirit will cease to exist. The Spirit is really Azulon. Aang realizes that he needs to expel the spirit from Zuko, and he knows he can't expel the spirit from Zuko if he has a heart filled with anger.

The gang have to stop Zuko (who now uses chemical weapons in the war) from conquering the Northern Water tribe using chemical weapons launched from his airships and finishing what his forefathers started. Soon the spirit of Azulon seemingly has full control over Zuko. It's ambiguous how much of Zuko's actions is his fault and how much of Zuko's actions is the Spirit's fault. "Zuko" soon leads a fleet towards the Northern Water Tribe to destroy it, and he even shoots down and kills Appa while laughing. Driven by grief, Aang tries to kill "Zuko", thinking things will be easier this way, but Azula jumps in his way and gets seriously wounded. Aang then expels the spirit of Azulon out of Zuko causing Zuko to return to normal, and Azula manages to survive her wounds.

Anon this is INSANE

I love this idea because I genuinely don’t think Aang could forgive him for Appas death. But I think that this would probably end with Zuko unaliving himself from the guilt. I wish there was a way that this could have a happy ending but I don’t think there is. It’s so heartbreaking and if a:tla was a horror show then this would be AMAZING

[lordsovorn]

City's Caravans. Some say ghosts of the City's Authority still wander the tunnels, though such rumors are hard to believe. The City of Fire is almost mythological - even those who were born there, who witnessed first-hand its countless dazzling lights, find their memory not quite persuasive enough. The City was home. The City was hope. The City was safety. Along with the death of these concepts, the City itself seems more of a imaginative legend.

The City was order. An organized and regulated kind of brutality - efficient and cloaked in promises of salvation. Civilization does not promise anything anymore - the Authority in charge of each Caravan is different from the Chieftains of the Hand only in the kind of legal mannerisms they employ in order to justify their unilateral commands.

The City is long gone - this place would not allow it to exist. But the isolated Caravans still course between the Gardens, the Fallen Heaven, the Mines and the Factory. The pretense of belonging to an overarching Civilization is little more than a convenient rhetoric, since the contact between Caravans is virtually non-existent - the only thing they have in common is the rules they developed to adapt to this new nomadic life without compromising their sheer size.

Fearful of the dark and the uncertainty it entails, a City's Caravan is a spectacle of light - a surreal and intimidating procession through the silent tunnels. Impossible not to see, but unbelievable to all spectators. Desperate to avoid the Shadow Disease, the Caravan people, ironically, cling to their light - and only rely on their speed, tight order and varied routes to pass through the vastness of the Under relatively unnoticed.

And pass unnoticed they must. The Vicious Hand prowls the tunnels they frequent, and Raptors' keen eyes and ears easily track down such huge masses of people. In order and in numbers humans did find a way to protect themselves - the Caravans are the only things that can truly stand up to the Hand.

Firearms possess plenty of limitations in the caves, but one thing is certain - they can cause pain like nothing else. Having abandoned fiddly and hard-to-manufacture relics of the past, Authority relies on smooth-barreled hammer-action "muskets", loaded with anything from heavy metal bullets to pebbles. It would be foolish to rely on individual marksmanship among the dancing shadows and arching passages of the Under - the Caravan guards' strategy les in a good old-fashioned synchronized salvo, where at least some bullets hit the thing in the darkness.

The Hand is brutal, but not invulnerable or suicidal - it will retreat in the face of steady and well-coordinated musket fire. Unfortunately, it *is* smart - it understands trickery, and it understands fear.

The war between Caravans and the Hand is one "Civilization" is unlikely to win in the long term. And the war with Raptors is another thing entirely. The Hand is feared - the Raptors are hated with bitter powerlessness, the way unfairness of the Universe is.

And so the memory of Caravans gradually fades away, and the stones forget lights shone on them and countless feet threaded in unison. It is unknown how many Caravans truly remain in all of Under, or how many got lost and wander through unknown tunnels. Unlikely that many, and unlikely that there is at least one that is not on the defensive, slowly collapsing in on itself - just like the City did. And still, the rumors say, they roam - and some even say, if their bags are full and hands are few, still they promise safety and deliverance to those they encounter in the darkness.

[supremechancellorrex]

I've been hearing a lot of people say that Ozai in the Avatar: the Last Airbender cartoon isn't supposed to be "developed" because he's a "symbol". My problem with this is that a character can both be well-developed and a symbol at the same time, so why choose otherwise? "It makes sense because he's supposed to represent" doesn't justify leaving the writing a little loose.

In the cartoon, Ozai is hardly a character to sink your teeth into. You can surmise and speculate things about him, but ultimately every discussion was more about Zuko or another character overcoming him and how satisfying that was than any character depth of Ozai himself. On the Day of Black Sun, Zuko and Ozai's confrontation is less an argument and ideological battle with layers between two human beings and more an extremely developed character yelling at an evil cardboard cutout.

The Problem With Ozai

Zuko: "It was cruel and it was wrong."

Ozai: "Lol."

Zuko: "We need to replace this era with an era of peace and kindness."

Ozai: "Lame." (*scowls in annoyance, tries to leave*)

Zuko: "Stay or I'll cut you." (*waves swords*)

Ozai: "Fine. Whatever. Go on" (*proceeds to sit back down and wonder if he's having spiced fire rice cakes for dinner*)

The way the cartoon presents it, Ozai just was a bit too a moustache-twirling villain and that's even considering his actions. It's not even him being morally bankrupt or sadistic, but that his entire character only exists on the surface level. Him being "superficial" and "ruthless" isn't even a character trait because he has no real character beyond "I'm arrogant, selfish and evil". Even some of the worst dictators in human history from Hitler and Stalin to Mussolini and Mao have more complex 'psychological depth' than Ozai, despite committing the most evil and awful acts against other human beings.

I got they want to reflect the toxicity of the Fire Nation with him as a symbol, "fear" and "ruthlessness", but these are symptoms and the result of an ideology, and Ozai and this ideology need a bit more than "The Fire Nation's ideology is that they're superior, share the greatness and just kill people". We never see Ozai really talk about this ideology, how he is *civilising* the other nations (well, besides, setting them on fire). Why does he think Fire is superior? Why does the Fire Nation? We can speculate it's the unity of the Fire Nation and its industrialisation, that maybe the Fire Nation thinks they have better tea ceremonies and cleaner cities, but none of the Fire Nation characters really talk about this. Sharing their 'greatness', how?

And, of course, we know and the show know their 'greatness' is a lie and farce really, but for their citizens to buy into this farce realistically for 100 years, sending sons and even daughters to die for it, presumably working in factories endless hours to keep up war production like that giant drill, one would think the smokescreen would be a little more convincing than a couple lines. Yes, in the Headband, they show the kids are taught a warped version history with the Air Nomad army, but what is the unifying ideology of the Fire Nation exactly? And how does this reflect Ozai? Beyond ruthlessness and being a smarmy jerk?

And this brings me to a scene I have quite a problem with. The War Meeting flashback in Sozin's Comet Part 1, essentially Ozai just goes from 'How do we quell rebellion?' to 'We will destroy their hope by killing them all with fire'. Hehe, well, I mean, why even talk about "destroying hope" when they'll be too dead to despair? Of course, Sokka says after hearing that literally "I always knew the Fire Lord was a bad guy, but his plan is just pure evil". Then they throw in an Ozai baby picture to pretend they have some nuance, and then blah, blah, Energybending turtle appears out of near nowhere.

A Better Ozai

(I want it noted how hard it was to get a decent gif of cartoon Ozai, especially in his Pheonix King regalia. That is how little people care about or are interested in him. There is more Daniel Dae Kim gifs from the live-action than the cartoon version)

The funny thing is Ozai burning the Earth Kingdom could have worked if they actually gave him character arc in the cartoon. Have Ozai start out believing he can civilise the Earth Kingdom, who he views as inferior and needing to be kept in check. We see in the show Earthbending is banned in Fire Nation colonies and annexed territory, but they should also show him introducing policies to ban certain styles of Earth Kingdom dress, specifically their green national colour dress, and customs, forcibly *civilising* these territory with authoritarian laws. Earth Kingdom children have to go to Fire Nation school to be indoctrinated in how their cultures and homes are inferior, and told to report on their parents.

However, as time goes on, Ozai becomes increasingly disenfranchised with the war, as colonised Earth Kingdom citizens continue to resist, Earthbend and continue banned cultural practices in secret. He feels rising disgust at these people's Earthbender stubbornness and 'backwards' practices, resisting engaging in and conforming to Fire Nation's 'superior' cultural practices, science, and education. How dirty they are, so unFire-Nation, he thinks more and more. He begins to unravel in his hate and think to himself things like how "You just can't take the root edge out of people, so I should burn the root to the ground. Make the world clean, pure and Fire Nation".

If they showed Ozai in the cartoon shifting from the standard position of his father Azulon to an even more extreme and horrifying position over time, reacting in all the worst ways to whatever the world throws at him increasingly and increasingly, his turn as the Pheonix King could have been far more chilling. Azula isn't the only one who has to go "crazy" due to the Fire Nation's twisted teachings. It would have further emphasised the cycle of toxicity in the Fire Nation that Sozin set in motion.

Imperialism and fascism is often driven by a number of things in conjunction, commonly economics, but also vain pride, fear and discomfort; pride of your own nation at the expense of others, as well as fear and discomfort of others, how 'different' they are, their 'weird illogical customs' diluting the 'pure culture of yours' that you understand, their 'strange appearances' changing the face of the culture you know, that you like and think is the greatest and should be eternal. They could be spies, enemy agents of chaos and degeneration. They need to be 'civilised' or 'exterminated' to silence conflict and bring order, this 'dark horde' of backwards people who just can't ever be allowed to be 'in charge'. I think a weakness here is that Ozai is never shown to show any discomfort, he's just so confident and evil about everything, but if he were to reflect the dark face of the Fire Nation, a people they say aren't wholly evil demons, he does a bad job showing the twisted human face of evil and it makes him irrelevant in a way as a character with the themes other than "Defeat evil guy".

Lessons Taught Improperly

Now some would try to defend Ozai in that Avatar: The Last Airbender is a kid's cartoon, but I would say that makes it more important when discussing real-life issues. What is the point of lesson if it is taught improperly? Sometimes that can do more harm than good.

Avatar includes a number of mature themes, including the genocide of Aang's entire people and Gyatso's skeleton. Judging by the Tibetan influences in Air Nomad culture, a real-life people who have also been genocided, I think it is necessary and good practice for even kid's shows to make sure the lessons on real-life evils like the concepts and systems of imperialism, colonialism and nationalism are taught well. Because otherwise you get an inaccurate picture of what it is and how it actually works, and what is the point of that?

Stories want to impart lessons on things being "bad" as a message, but often I think they fall short in getting to the point of why they happen. I wonder if that makes them a little pointless in a way, because the reasons why characters/people and nations do things is both important to good writing and real life. If you aren't taught it properly, how well can you recognise it in your own country? And if you can't, then hasn't the lesson failed to be imparted?

[innocentimouto]

So how exactly would you have rewritten Hama?

This would depend on how the rest of the Water Tribes were written, as well as the Fire Nation. Also Katara and swt bending culture.

My issue with Hama is that we didn't get a lot of development on the Water Tribes and the few characters we got were either boring or distasteful. Also Katara's connection to her culture is finally acknowledged only for it to turn dark.

If the Water Tribes were developed, and more Fire Nation victims were allowed to be angry without being painted as extremists or needing to learn some lesson of peace, and the season depicted many of the atrocious actions of the Fire Nation, and we got to explore the Southern Water Tribe, or simply the lack thereof in terms of bending knowledge, then I wouldn't be so opposed to Hama's depiction.

But I don't think she should be handed over to Fire Nation authorities in any situation. Even if she was out torturing them.

Basically Hama's writing is distasteful to me not only because of how it was written, but also because of all the writing before it.

It would be more interesting to see her target actual soldiers. Maybe destroy factories or damage warships. Have Hama depicted as weary and grieved that she can never return home. Because home for her is gone. Even if she manages the very dangerous and long journey of returning home, her home was invaded again and again. She lost so many of her people. Going back to the Southern Water Tribe is like standing in plain sight to the enemy and openly inviting them to wipe them out.

Show how difficult and terrifying it is to live amongst people who want you killed. How every little action you do is followed by fear it may get you caught. How frustrating it must be that you can't follow your people's way of doing things and it's like losing a part of your identity.

Have her maybe have some questionable actions or beliefs and have Katara bring her hope for the future. Expand on Katara and Sokka's own loss. Add in Aang's responsibility of keeping airbending and Air Nomad culture alive. Show Katara's eagerness to learn a lost part of her culture and her grief and anger at the Fire Nation for stealing this from them.

Explore what the Southern Water Tribe has lost. Maybe even what the Fire Nation teaches in schools. Again, Air Nomads too.

They are so many parallels to Aang and Katara in terms of their bending and people that it's such a shame the show didn't explore this.

Include her in the final battle even! So many other Fire Nation characters got redeemed. She doesn't have to be morally perfect or buddies with the Gaang. She can still be morally gray and allowed to be in the story.

[zypria]

Atla The Rift comic sucks part 1

Comparing apples and zucchinis

The past vs future, change vs tradition is very interesting dilemma to explore. And they've chosen two good representatives for each side - Aang, the last of his kind and the avatar vs Toph who refuses to be bound, creates new style of bending utilizing modern structure, does what she wants really. Secondary are acolytes vs factory, same thing. And my God do they suck at pitting these two against each other. Both of these sides take everything in the world and go me. Like those Katara touches necklace memes "lets eat. my mother used to eat". Connecting things that have very little to do each other just so we can have a conflict. misunderstanding but it's unintentional. They just lost the ability to make comprehensive parallels.

100+ year old ritual = bad parenting

Rituals are rooted in tradition. We do them because they are symbolic, we do what we do because that's how it's done. We honor our roots, ancestors etc etc

The phrase triggers unhappy memories for Toph, particularly of her restrictive childhood. Fair enough. But. Some of these aren't even "tradition", her parents were just like that. "This is how it's done" is no logical response to "why can't I play with other kids". There have to be rich kids with friends out there. Blind kids with friends. This is solely Beifong issue. I despise forced parallels

The following statement is just incorrect:

He didn't forget (although 100+ years are justifiable excuse). He was 10 and wasn't paying attention in the first place, figured there is plenty more festivals to remember. It wasn't celebrated because the peeps are dead. A genocide if you will. The world wouldn't end even if there were no humans around, doesn't mean we should just cease all cultural activities

Also it was ESTABLISHED that we're doing this for AANG. You know, our beloved friend the last Airbender? He wants to honor his long gone culture for a special day. Also also past avatar has something important to say, what if something happens (and something ALWAYS happens)

Instead of addressing any of this Aang goes the air nomad philosophy route. just WHY? These are not insults just for the sake of insulting, they have opposing views and should talk about it maybe. Were not even in the place to have change vs tradition argument, we're just having a field trip atm. Simple "this is really important for me and I want to share this day with my found family" solves everything but noooo. Zen mode, it will sort itself out, I'm not actively getting involved (man. this is TOPH. you should know better. rock beats airbender etc etc)

Toph is mean just to be mean. Not the cuddliest character but when did she go around insulting your every move? Especially since they didn't really ask her to do anything. You don't have to actively participate, why are you complaining in every panel? OOC behavior just to keep that gaang rift nice and divided

I can't spend 30 seconds to explain why we're about to be pulverized but I can do ancient history 101

he doesn't deny this! why. to have aang vs toph and co that's why. the most pointless fight in existence. because we have time for that apparently

the spirit is just asshole in the end

I'm not pulling caps for this. Yangchen did everything to keep her promise, not her fault Sozin happened. And let's not forget people ran away in all directions from fire nation for a century, why wouldn't they inhabit this nice empty land? The spirit was angry about his friend's demise (turns out she did that herself and is very chill. And can manifest freely too). Spirit does not ask for balance in any way, shape or form, humans must die so that I can have this land to stare at. What if some spirits decided to reside in Ba Sing Se, we destroy entire city? I thought that refinery screwing nature was going to be the big plot point but nope. Cabbage restaurant -gone. Houses - gone. You can't even walk here, disrespectful, gtfo. Extreme situation that calls for stupid resolution - spirit dead. Although looking back I can find some appreciation for not managing to tie everything nicely, cookie cutter avatar style. But imagine how much better it would've been if conflicts were well written in the first place

We got another festival so all is well?