The city damn well knows there's a war on, it wasn't too long ago Iroh broke through the walls of the place. It's just something you don't talk about.
Deep Red (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
- Thread starter kosm
- Start date
- Location
- California
Hey. It's not fair to call us appologists just because we wanna rule the world.
- Location
- Site 19A4
Yeah! World conquest is a very noble and fun goal! After all, peace is the absence of war. Ergo, if we conquer the entire world and end the war, we will have brought peace!
We get to conquer the world, they get Fire Nation technology, and we all get along happily. . . Right guys?
Edit: But in all seriousness it's a quest and we get a chance to be baddies (though not stupidly evil), so let's have fun in the process.
Last edited:
Poliamida
(Verified Heavy Molecule)
- Location
- Beyond the Stars
There are two walls, the exterior and the interior one. Iroh breached the exterior one but was pushed back, he never got into the city proper. Kuei didn't know there was a war going on, and he was 25 at the time of canon, for him to have no idea means that Long Feng had been under control for at least 20 years, and that's if Kuei's father wasn't also a puppet of the Dai Li (my headcannon is that Long Feng killed Kuei's father to stay in power). So... yeah, that depends on what you consider 'the city' because my understanding of it is that there's a sizable part of the population that truly has no idea, and the ones that know are too afraid to speak up, or are just silenced.
I think we can all agree that the FN are not the good guys, their methos are horrific and I disagree with many of their policies, but I don't agree with the 'good guys' either. The Avatar, after all, is trying to enforce a system based on segregation and issolation. Yes, he later learned that was not the way to go but it took Kori and Zuko threatening with a new war to get there. I don't like Ozai's way, I don't want to burn the world, but I don't like the previous version of it either.
Chaoswind
Lord of nonsense
- Location
- Latin America
The edits of the earth king aren't worth THAT much, the earth kingdom wasn't ever unified the only two leaders that almost managed to do THAT in known history are called Kuvira and Chin the conqueror and both ultimately failed.
Each Earth fiefdom has their own ruling nobles with their own local armies and they pay tribute to the Earth King... If they want... I think Ferelden is a good example of how the earth kingdom and its "army" works, the king can demand troops and each noble family sents what they can OR WANT, the QUALITY of those troops would be wildly irregular, this is why the Fire Nation could take on them even though earth bending is the most useful element an army can have.
So yeah Piandao is probably correct on most accounts, but he is also wrong in others.
Edit: You'll note that by the timeline, the 50th King is likely the one that had to deal with Chin's rebellion, so that doesn't speak very well about the "wide" acceptable of this edit by the nobles and would imply the rebellion happened because the nobles didn't want to obey the king.
Each Earth fiefdom has their own ruling nobles with their own local armies and they pay tribute to the Earth King... If they want... I think Ferelden is a good example of how the earth kingdom and its "army" works, the king can demand troops and each noble family sents what they can OR WANT, the QUALITY of those troops would be wildly irregular, this is why the Fire Nation could take on them even though earth bending is the most useful element an army can have.
So yeah Piandao is probably correct on most accounts, but he is also wrong in others.
Edit: You'll note that by the timeline, the 50th King is likely the one that had to deal with Chin's rebellion, so that doesn't speak very well about the "wide" acceptable of this edit by the nobles and would imply the rebellion happened because the nobles didn't want to obey the king.
Last edited:
Shadow Archon
Protoss Preserver
- Location
- Louisiana
Nitpick.
The one that dealt with Chin was the 46th Earth King.
He was beset mostly by peasant uprisings who wanted to get rid of the monarchy, not nobles.
Chaoswind
Lord of nonsense
- Location
- Latin America
Right! Forgot that Avatars live absurdly long on average (Kioshi went over two hundred).
Anyways the rest of my point still stands, the closest the earth kingdom has to proper armies are the ones from Ba Sing Se (and they are more concerned with the city and palace than the rest of the kingdom as a whole). Its one of the reasons the fire Nation can win at all without the massive multiplayer granted by their Navy when attacking locations that aren't close to the coast.
The 46th Earth King provoked Chin the Conqueror's uprising by trying to centralize the Earth Kingdom; Avatar Kyoshi eventually came after him too and forced him to reform the Earth Kingdom into a constitutional monarchy and cede more of his power. The 50th Earth King was King Kuei's grandfather. There's no canon information about him, but in Deep Red's continuity he felt threatened by the Fire Nation's industrialization under Sozin and decided to try once again to centralize the Earth Kingdom to compete, through more diplomatic means. He didn't really have the power to force nobles to go along with his literacy initiative, but Ba Sing Se was still under his direct control and was the heart of the Earth Kingdom's economy, so he just opened up the coffers to give nobles a monetary incentive to go along with his request. The nobles who went along with it gained some public funding, the Earth King gained some prestige and the appearance of authority, and the Earth Kingdom gained increased literacy and cultural coherency as a result. He might've even continued down that path of peaceful centralization by building more roads or things like that, using Ba Sing Se's wealth to buy his way back to political relevance. But then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
The idea was inspired by the fact that, in canon, even the little farmboy who Zuko meets in Zuko Alone was able to read the inscription on the knife Zuko gave him, despite being poor and living out in the middle of nowhere. In the show this might've just been for convenience's sake, but I decided to take it as a piece of worldbuilding and say that the Earth Kingdom must've historically put some work into spreading literacy among the peasants.
I agree with this interpretation; a huge number of people in the Lower Ring were refugees, and even in the Upper Ring people seemed to know about the war but were too scared to talk about it; for the common people, it seemed like the Dai Li just didn't want anyone stirring up a panic or questioning the ability of the Earth Kingdom's army to defend the city. The only person who absolutely needed to not know about the war at all was the Earth King himself, because if he knew about anything going on in his country he might try giving orders on how to address those issues. And then Long Feng wouldn't have free reign to run things.
Edit: Sorry for the wall of text, writing this story has turned me into such a Avatar nerd DX
Last edited:
- Location
- Boston
There are far worse things to be a nerd for, imo.
Anyways, love the dynamics you have going, and how well you've managed our input in order to make a coherent story, and not just a run-of-the-mill quest!
Probably very few, proportionally speaking. The Dai Li are good, but Ba Sing Se is really big, even by modern standards, and really crowded, not to mention full of refugees.
But the aura of fear by disappearing those who talk to loudly about the war disincentive talking, not to mention most people, specially refugees, probably do not want to talk about it, specially if with them currently living somewhere that's not getting directly touched by the war.
Long Feng real screw up was not set up a meeting between himself and the Gaang to arrange for the Eclipse stuff instead of just denying them a meeting with the king.
You jest, but that's not entirely wrong. Quite likely the only reason the Earth Kingdom is not in a constant state of relatively low intensity internal conflict punctuated by brief moments of high intensity conflict is because the Fire Nation is serving as an external enemy unifying the many diverse factions and warlords that de facto rule.
With a sane and non-monstrous fire lord in charge, there's a real argument for "conquering for their own good", basically retreading the arguments of imperialism, and to some degree, interventionism. Inherent tendency to lead to abuses of power and general screwing over native populations (as well as erasing local cultures, although that's yet another discussion all on its own) versus certain cultures and countries being actually improved by conquest by external power and the concept of Pax Romana, specially if you take it from a pre-modern perspective that does not have peaceful diplomacy always taking priority except in the most extreme of cases as an ingrained value at a cultural level.
It's an interesting subject, although the cartoon obviously didn't explore such deep and likely highly controversial aspects of sociopolitics.
Last edited:
- Location
- Castle Drakenhof
This is assuming that there's actually an Earth Kingdom to rule over by the end of it all. Between atrocities committed by the more enthusiastic generals, a resistance with a spine of steel, and the upcoming comet, it's more likely that what's left will just be ash and rubble than anything worth having.
For interventionist policies to really work, they'd have to creep forward, interfering with individual kingdoms and relying on the Somebody Else's Problem effect. What with how they functionally started the war by committing genocide, a harmonious resolution with the Fire Nation on top is all but impossible. The Earth Kingdoms have too much to lose.
Interlude: Zuko
Have another interlude for yall! This was chosen for the monthly bonus on my patreon. Thank you so much to everyone who supports me, it really means the world to me! <3 This interlude is about Zuko in the palace while Akane is overseas. Tomorrow I'll get back to writing for the main story. The interlude doesn't really have any shocking revelations or anything, so I'm worried it might be boring or mediocre, but I hope you enjoy anyways! Let me know what you think! ^_^
-----
97 AC (13 years old)
Fire Nation Royal Palace
You are Zuko, prince of the Fire Nation, brother to Akane and Azula... and you're pretty sure Father is going to work you to death.
"Again, Prince Zuko!" he snaps. "Faster!"
The form is one you actually enjoy - or did enjoy, before Father started tutoring you personally. It's a powerful, rapid series of punches and kicks, releasing torrents of flame. When you managed to perform it for the first time, you were elated. And then Father informed you that your version of the form is a pathetic imitation of what your sisters were capable of when they were less than ten years old.
After just a day of Father's training, you're so exhausted that you can't perform the form any better than when you started. Even though you know how to now. But you go through the form again just as Father commands, pushing through the burning in your muscles -
And you stumble and fall.
Father is silent as you pick yourself up off the ground. You can feel his stare like a physical weight on your shoulders.
"Get out of my sight, Prince Zuko," he finally says.
You do.
After changing and dragging yourself back to your room, you spend the night reading and taking notes on military history, trying to commit it all to memory. This is life ever since your sisters left; every moment of every day has to be occupied with training and studying, now that Father's attention is finally on you. Everything else is just distraction to be burned away, fuel for your inner flame. This is your chance. This is your moment to prove yourself.
It's never quite enough. When you master one form, Father immediately has you move onto the next, and his disappointment at your predictable failure isn't dimmed by your earlier success. When you answer all his questions about one military campaign correctly, he moves onto asking about one you haven't even started reading about yet. Father makes it clear he'll only be satisfied when you've mastered everything, so you have no choice but to just keep going. If the fact that you're trying as hard as you can, spending every waking minute working, makes him proud at all, he doesn't show it.
But you will make him proud. You're already improving quickly. You'll earn Father's respect.
If you can ever get out of Akane's shadow.
Two and a half weeks pass before you receive your first letter from her - and news of the assassination attempt on her and Azula. Worry boils up in your stomach for just a second before Father's satisfied smirk dispels it. Akane killed five earthbending assassins and captured another, you learn, and only needed minutes to do so. Father looks at you pointedly as he relates the news, and he doesn't need to say anything for you to know what he's thinking.
Any time he compares the two of you, Akane always wins.
"How would you respond to an assassination attempt, Prince Zuko?" Father asks after a moment. "What do you believe your sister should do?"
You swallow and try to think back to the books you've read before answering.
"I would have to maintain order," you say slowly. "I would secure the city, and assure the people that everyone who did nothing wrong has nothing to fear -"
"Really?" Father interrupts. "This population has produced a threat to your rule, has produced a rebellion of such strength that it can send assassins into the regional capitol to attempt to kill royalty, and your first instinct is to coddle them? Why should they hesitate to betray you if there is no danger in doing so?"
"I-I misspoke," you say. Father folds his hands, watching you. "I wouldn't coddle them, I would establish martial law and tell them that as long as they cooperate they have nothing to fear -"
"And by establishing martial law, you only make the rebels more attractive to the masses," Father counters. "You drive the people into the rebels' hands."
"But if I don't, I'm just letting them get away with it -"
"Will you always simply echo whatever your advisers tell you, Prince Zuko?" Father snaps. "Or will you learn to think through and justify your own decisions?"
You look down. Before you can answer, Father folds his hands and continues.
"When you were three years old," he says, "While we were on Ember Island, there was a day when you saw a small turtlecrab on the beach, and a hawk attempting to catch it. Do you remember?" You hesitate, and he sweeps his hand dismissively. "Regardless. You ran across the beach as quickly as you could and rescued the turtlecrab." He levels an even, emotionless gaze on you. "Even then, you seemed to possess an instinctive connection with the weak and the unworthy."
You don't know whether to apologize, so you say nothing.
"But once you had the turtlecrab in your arms, you hesitated." Father looks at you pointedly. "You saw the leanness of the hawk, and the hunger in its eyes. Young as you were, I believe you understood that your choice to protect the weak would come at the price of condemning a far stronger, nobler creature to starve. But did you act on this realization, Prince Zuko?"
You think you remember this day. You shake your head quietly.
"You did not," Father agrees. "You hesitated, looking between the two of them, until a wave swept you off your feet. Had I not intervened, you would have drowned. All for the sake of a turtlecrab and pointless hesitation."
Father's stare never wavers. You can't look at him for more than a moment at a time.
"What do you believe Princess Akane would do, Prince Zuko?" he asks. "Would she side with weakness, or with strength? The turtlecrab, or the hawk? Would she coddle the prey, or would she allow the predator its feast?"
You can't imagine Akane having a moment's sympathy for the weak. She hates anything that's less than perfect.
"She would side with the hawk," you say.
"Really?" Father asks. "And let it eat the turtlecrab? When was the last time we had hawk for dinner, Prince Zuko?"
There's never a right answer. "I'm sorry, Father, I -"
"And there you are, being swept out to sea again!" Father snaps. "That is the point, Prince Zuko. The hawk and the turtlecrab can both have value if they are saved and put to proper use, but if you continue to change your mind every time you are questioned you will never be able to accomplish anything! Fire is the element of will, Zuko, and in that you continually show yourself to be lacking!"
You force yourself not to shrink back into your chair. "I do have will, Father -"
"Do you?" he asks. "Then I will be very glad to see it someday."
You clench your jaw and stay silent as he continues.
"Hesitation and navel-gazing are the domain of those whose wills are too weak to transform the world through action," Father tells you. "They are the hallmarks of cultures incapable of progress or transformation, cultures which our lineage is rightfully purging from this world. Fire does not hesitate, Zuko. It does not apologize. Fire acts, and fire grows. The greatest among us simply choose their actions, and lead through them, without apology to their lessers. Those who cannot make such choices must simply believe, obey, and follow. At no level in our society is there room for gutless moralizing, hesitation, or equivocation - and certainly not in the royal family. Do you understand, Prince Zuko?"
"Yes, Father," you say, nodding determinedly. "It's not the choice that matters, it's sticking with it."
"Yes, that is perhaps the simplest way to put it," Father says. Of course it is. Of course you wouldn't say it right. "You must choose to take power, Zuko, and you must choose how to wield it. Challenges are things to be defeated, not things to cower from or apologize to."
But... what if you're actually wrong?
"Do you understand, Prince Zuko?" Father presses.
"Yes, Father!" you say quickly.
Father snorts.
"I suppose we'll see," he says.
* * * * *
97 AC (13 years old)
Fire Nation Royal Palace: Training Grounds
The second imperial firebender hits the ground. You hastily close in on him to prepare to strike again, but he groans and taps out.
"Excellent work, Prince Zuko," Sergeant Zhang says, standing. "Your power and ferocity are truly a sight to behold."
You bow briefly to him, and help your opponent to his feet. You're breathing hard. Fighting two imperial firebenders at once - two adults with years of experience in combat forms - is grueling.
Akane could probably do it with her eyes closed.
"Another round," you pant, "Once we're ready."
"As you wish, Prince Zuko," Zhang says, bowing. He motions to the other pair of imperial firebenders standing by, and they start stretching while the men you just fought go and get water.
Mai nudges the pitcher of water towards you as you walk over towards her bench. She goes back to reading her book as you pour yourself a glass.
"That was amazing, Zuko!" Ty Lee gushes. She's doing a handstand behind the bench, so you can only see her legs bobbing in the air as she talks. "It was all like, foosh! Boom! Bang!"
"You beat them pretty thoroughly," Mai comments neutrally.
Your face is a little hot still, it's hot out.
"There were just two of them," you disagree. "Azula and Akane could've beaten them way faster."
"Yeah, probably," Mai says.
You gulp down your water and turn back to face the training yard. If Father was here to watch, he would never be satisfied with a performance like what you just did. You were sloppy. Slow. Akane could have -
"Yeah, but that's Akane and Azula!" Ty Lee chirps. "They can beat anyone!"
Thanks, Ty Lee.
"Why don't you take a break?" Mai asks. "Aren't you exhausted? Save me from listening to Ty Lee ramble about circuses all day."
"Circuses are fun," Ty Lee mumbles.
You can't let yourself get lazy just because Father's busy with the merchant lords right now. He'll probably be finished any minute now, and if you're taking a break when he comes to check on you...
"I can't take a break," you say. "I need to keep training. I have to catch up with Akane."
Mai doesn't say anything, which tells you exactly what she thinks about that. Mai acts nice, but she doesn't actually think you can amount to anything. Just like your sister.
Mom was the only one who thought you had any actual talent.
"I'm going to fight another round," you mutter.
"Don't work yourself to death," Mai mumbles. "It's hot out."
"I'm fine."
You face off against another pair of imperial firebenders, this time with your head filled with thoughts of your sisters. Their easy skills. Their luck. Their arrogance. You let the thoughts build instead of pushing them aside; that's the secret to really firebending well, you've learned. Let the anger build. It's useful fuel.
The fight is long and vicious; you're exhausted, but refuse to let yourself lose. Father arrives while you're still trying to finish off the second one.
When he goes down, he goes down screaming. Angry red blossoms across his skin from his chest to his cheek. You freeze, fist still outstretched, as the Sergeant steps in to hastily extinguish the flames. Your mouth opens, but you meet Father's gaze.
Your apology dies on your lips, and you bow.
He nods.
You feel something in your chest, and it isn't nausea.
* * * * *
97 AC (13 years old)
Fire Nation Royal Palace: Throne Room
"And how did Fire Lord Sozin finance the establishment of the Third Fleet prior to the war?"
You read this the other night. "Even though the treasury was at its limit, Fire Lord Sozin knew that the merchant lords had an untapped supply of private wealth that could be used to expand the empire," you say. "In 18 BC he established the official Council of Merchant Lords, offering the most successful and loyal merchants the status of nobility and a direct say in economic policy. He convinced them that the profits from expanding the empire would go to them, not just to his personal wealth, and they practically financed the fleet themselves."
"Who are the merchant lords, and what are their primary sources of wealth?" Father asks, still circling you.
"Lords Sato, Meng, and Tanaka deal in weapons, mounts, and military ships," you list. "Lord Tanaka has an effective monopoly on merchant vessels and controls most shipping and fishing. Lords Ito and Watanabe focus on agriculture. Lord Ito also owns a large number of mines. Lord Hu owns the most mines out of any of them, and Lord Gao controls the textile and paper industries. Lords Morishita and Abe control forestry and most construction."
"And which of them is the most important?"
"Lord -" You hesitate for half a second. "Tanaka."
"What is the correct approach to managing the affairs of the Merchant Lords?"
Um. "Let them do whatever they need to to maintain their wealth, but make sure that they pay for any policy requests with investments in the war effort?"
Father grunts. Your heart soars when he doesn't criticize you. "How many people outside the Royal Family have been granted sanction to wield the cold-blooded flame?" he asks.
Is that current or total? You don't know the total. "Four," you say. "High General Inoue and High Admiral Fujita, and Generals Kondo and Harada."
"How much of our population is capable of bending fire?"
"Twenty percent."
"How much of our population is capable of reading?"
"Ninety percent."
"What is the most valuable resource to be gained through the colonization of the Earth Kingdom?"
Coal. Labor. No - "Land."
"What are the major interest groups among the nobility?"
"The merchant lords collectively advocate for policies that help the economy, like lower taxes on the wealthy," you say. "But they're also split into the Expansionist group that wants to focus on building up the military and seizing more land, and the Elevationist group that wants to focus on investing in the colonies we've already established. The Generals and Admirals compete for funding for their branches. War Minister Qin and his closest associates form a Technologist faction that wants more funding for scientific research. The old nobility form regional interest groups and collectively advocate for more authority for them and less for the merchant lords. The colonial governors form an interest group, but their group just goes along with whatever the Fire Lord says because they can have their positions reassigned anytime. And Lady Wan and her associates have historically advocated for equality for women."
Father grunts again. You must have named all the important ones, or at least enough. Your heart is pounding. You haven't lasted this long without getting a question wrong before.
"What limitations exist on the authority of the Fire Lord?" Father asks.
"None."
"Get up and show me the twenty-eighth kata, Prince Zuko."
You fight to keep your grin from showing on your face as you rise. Father backs away and sits on his throne again as you bow. You take a deep breath, concentrate to summon up your anger, and -
"Fire Lord Ozai!"
- nearly let out a growl as you round on the servant who's interrupted your demonstration. He rushes into the room and prostrates himself before you and Father. There's a letter in his outstretched hands.
"Why do you intrude on the throne room?" Father asks levelly.
"A message has arrived for you, Fire Lord," the servant says breathlessly. "It -"
"Deliver it to the seneschal," Father instructs, "And inform him that you intruded on the throne room while I was instructing my son."
You literally feel your back straighten.
"Forgive me, Fire Lord, but the seneschal sent me," the servant says. "The letter - it's from General Iroh. He's returning home."
Father stands.
-----
So, nothing much, just a brief snapshot of Zuko. I hope it was okay! Thank you all for reading!
-----
97 AC (13 years old)
Fire Nation Royal Palace
You are Zuko, prince of the Fire Nation, brother to Akane and Azula... and you're pretty sure Father is going to work you to death.
"Again, Prince Zuko!" he snaps. "Faster!"
The form is one you actually enjoy - or did enjoy, before Father started tutoring you personally. It's a powerful, rapid series of punches and kicks, releasing torrents of flame. When you managed to perform it for the first time, you were elated. And then Father informed you that your version of the form is a pathetic imitation of what your sisters were capable of when they were less than ten years old.
After just a day of Father's training, you're so exhausted that you can't perform the form any better than when you started. Even though you know how to now. But you go through the form again just as Father commands, pushing through the burning in your muscles -
And you stumble and fall.
Father is silent as you pick yourself up off the ground. You can feel his stare like a physical weight on your shoulders.
"Get out of my sight, Prince Zuko," he finally says.
You do.
After changing and dragging yourself back to your room, you spend the night reading and taking notes on military history, trying to commit it all to memory. This is life ever since your sisters left; every moment of every day has to be occupied with training and studying, now that Father's attention is finally on you. Everything else is just distraction to be burned away, fuel for your inner flame. This is your chance. This is your moment to prove yourself.
It's never quite enough. When you master one form, Father immediately has you move onto the next, and his disappointment at your predictable failure isn't dimmed by your earlier success. When you answer all his questions about one military campaign correctly, he moves onto asking about one you haven't even started reading about yet. Father makes it clear he'll only be satisfied when you've mastered everything, so you have no choice but to just keep going. If the fact that you're trying as hard as you can, spending every waking minute working, makes him proud at all, he doesn't show it.
But you will make him proud. You're already improving quickly. You'll earn Father's respect.
If you can ever get out of Akane's shadow.
Two and a half weeks pass before you receive your first letter from her - and news of the assassination attempt on her and Azula. Worry boils up in your stomach for just a second before Father's satisfied smirk dispels it. Akane killed five earthbending assassins and captured another, you learn, and only needed minutes to do so. Father looks at you pointedly as he relates the news, and he doesn't need to say anything for you to know what he's thinking.
Any time he compares the two of you, Akane always wins.
"How would you respond to an assassination attempt, Prince Zuko?" Father asks after a moment. "What do you believe your sister should do?"
You swallow and try to think back to the books you've read before answering.
"I would have to maintain order," you say slowly. "I would secure the city, and assure the people that everyone who did nothing wrong has nothing to fear -"
"Really?" Father interrupts. "This population has produced a threat to your rule, has produced a rebellion of such strength that it can send assassins into the regional capitol to attempt to kill royalty, and your first instinct is to coddle them? Why should they hesitate to betray you if there is no danger in doing so?"
"I-I misspoke," you say. Father folds his hands, watching you. "I wouldn't coddle them, I would establish martial law and tell them that as long as they cooperate they have nothing to fear -"
"And by establishing martial law, you only make the rebels more attractive to the masses," Father counters. "You drive the people into the rebels' hands."
"But if I don't, I'm just letting them get away with it -"
"Will you always simply echo whatever your advisers tell you, Prince Zuko?" Father snaps. "Or will you learn to think through and justify your own decisions?"
You look down. Before you can answer, Father folds his hands and continues.
"When you were three years old," he says, "While we were on Ember Island, there was a day when you saw a small turtlecrab on the beach, and a hawk attempting to catch it. Do you remember?" You hesitate, and he sweeps his hand dismissively. "Regardless. You ran across the beach as quickly as you could and rescued the turtlecrab." He levels an even, emotionless gaze on you. "Even then, you seemed to possess an instinctive connection with the weak and the unworthy."
You don't know whether to apologize, so you say nothing.
"But once you had the turtlecrab in your arms, you hesitated." Father looks at you pointedly. "You saw the leanness of the hawk, and the hunger in its eyes. Young as you were, I believe you understood that your choice to protect the weak would come at the price of condemning a far stronger, nobler creature to starve. But did you act on this realization, Prince Zuko?"
You think you remember this day. You shake your head quietly.
"You did not," Father agrees. "You hesitated, looking between the two of them, until a wave swept you off your feet. Had I not intervened, you would have drowned. All for the sake of a turtlecrab and pointless hesitation."
Father's stare never wavers. You can't look at him for more than a moment at a time.
"What do you believe Princess Akane would do, Prince Zuko?" he asks. "Would she side with weakness, or with strength? The turtlecrab, or the hawk? Would she coddle the prey, or would she allow the predator its feast?"
Akane would side with the hawk. (21)
Akane would side with the turtlecrab. (14)
Akane would side with the turtlecrab. (14)
"She would side with the hawk," you say.
"Really?" Father asks. "And let it eat the turtlecrab? When was the last time we had hawk for dinner, Prince Zuko?"
There's never a right answer. "I'm sorry, Father, I -"
"And there you are, being swept out to sea again!" Father snaps. "That is the point, Prince Zuko. The hawk and the turtlecrab can both have value if they are saved and put to proper use, but if you continue to change your mind every time you are questioned you will never be able to accomplish anything! Fire is the element of will, Zuko, and in that you continually show yourself to be lacking!"
You force yourself not to shrink back into your chair. "I do have will, Father -"
"Do you?" he asks. "Then I will be very glad to see it someday."
You clench your jaw and stay silent as he continues.
"Hesitation and navel-gazing are the domain of those whose wills are too weak to transform the world through action," Father tells you. "They are the hallmarks of cultures incapable of progress or transformation, cultures which our lineage is rightfully purging from this world. Fire does not hesitate, Zuko. It does not apologize. Fire acts, and fire grows. The greatest among us simply choose their actions, and lead through them, without apology to their lessers. Those who cannot make such choices must simply believe, obey, and follow. At no level in our society is there room for gutless moralizing, hesitation, or equivocation - and certainly not in the royal family. Do you understand, Prince Zuko?"
"Yes, Father," you say, nodding determinedly. "It's not the choice that matters, it's sticking with it."
"Yes, that is perhaps the simplest way to put it," Father says. Of course it is. Of course you wouldn't say it right. "You must choose to take power, Zuko, and you must choose how to wield it. Challenges are things to be defeated, not things to cower from or apologize to."
But... what if you're actually wrong?
"Do you understand, Prince Zuko?" Father presses.
"Yes, Father!" you say quickly.
Father snorts.
"I suppose we'll see," he says.
* * * * *
97 AC (13 years old)
Fire Nation Royal Palace: Training Grounds
The second imperial firebender hits the ground. You hastily close in on him to prepare to strike again, but he groans and taps out.
"Excellent work, Prince Zuko," Sergeant Zhang says, standing. "Your power and ferocity are truly a sight to behold."
You bow briefly to him, and help your opponent to his feet. You're breathing hard. Fighting two imperial firebenders at once - two adults with years of experience in combat forms - is grueling.
Akane could probably do it with her eyes closed.
"Another round," you pant, "Once we're ready."
"As you wish, Prince Zuko," Zhang says, bowing. He motions to the other pair of imperial firebenders standing by, and they start stretching while the men you just fought go and get water.
Mai nudges the pitcher of water towards you as you walk over towards her bench. She goes back to reading her book as you pour yourself a glass.
"That was amazing, Zuko!" Ty Lee gushes. She's doing a handstand behind the bench, so you can only see her legs bobbing in the air as she talks. "It was all like, foosh! Boom! Bang!"
"You beat them pretty thoroughly," Mai comments neutrally.
Your face is a little hot still, it's hot out.
"There were just two of them," you disagree. "Azula and Akane could've beaten them way faster."
"Yeah, probably," Mai says.
You gulp down your water and turn back to face the training yard. If Father was here to watch, he would never be satisfied with a performance like what you just did. You were sloppy. Slow. Akane could have -
"Yeah, but that's Akane and Azula!" Ty Lee chirps. "They can beat anyone!"
Thanks, Ty Lee.
"Why don't you take a break?" Mai asks. "Aren't you exhausted? Save me from listening to Ty Lee ramble about circuses all day."
"Circuses are fun," Ty Lee mumbles.
You can't let yourself get lazy just because Father's busy with the merchant lords right now. He'll probably be finished any minute now, and if you're taking a break when he comes to check on you...
"I can't take a break," you say. "I need to keep training. I have to catch up with Akane."
Mai doesn't say anything, which tells you exactly what she thinks about that. Mai acts nice, but she doesn't actually think you can amount to anything. Just like your sister.
Mom was the only one who thought you had any actual talent.
"I'm going to fight another round," you mutter.
"Don't work yourself to death," Mai mumbles. "It's hot out."
"I'm fine."
You face off against another pair of imperial firebenders, this time with your head filled with thoughts of your sisters. Their easy skills. Their luck. Their arrogance. You let the thoughts build instead of pushing them aside; that's the secret to really firebending well, you've learned. Let the anger build. It's useful fuel.
The fight is long and vicious; you're exhausted, but refuse to let yourself lose. Father arrives while you're still trying to finish off the second one.
When he goes down, he goes down screaming. Angry red blossoms across his skin from his chest to his cheek. You freeze, fist still outstretched, as the Sergeant steps in to hastily extinguish the flames. Your mouth opens, but you meet Father's gaze.
Your apology dies on your lips, and you bow.
He nods.
You feel something in your chest, and it isn't nausea.
* * * * *
97 AC (13 years old)
Fire Nation Royal Palace: Throne Room
"And how did Fire Lord Sozin finance the establishment of the Third Fleet prior to the war?"
You read this the other night. "Even though the treasury was at its limit, Fire Lord Sozin knew that the merchant lords had an untapped supply of private wealth that could be used to expand the empire," you say. "In 18 BC he established the official Council of Merchant Lords, offering the most successful and loyal merchants the status of nobility and a direct say in economic policy. He convinced them that the profits from expanding the empire would go to them, not just to his personal wealth, and they practically financed the fleet themselves."
"Who are the merchant lords, and what are their primary sources of wealth?" Father asks, still circling you.
"Lords Sato, Meng, and Tanaka deal in weapons, mounts, and military ships," you list. "Lord Tanaka has an effective monopoly on merchant vessels and controls most shipping and fishing. Lords Ito and Watanabe focus on agriculture. Lord Ito also owns a large number of mines. Lord Hu owns the most mines out of any of them, and Lord Gao controls the textile and paper industries. Lords Morishita and Abe control forestry and most construction."
"And which of them is the most important?"
"Lord -" You hesitate for half a second. "Tanaka."
"What is the correct approach to managing the affairs of the Merchant Lords?"
Um. "Let them do whatever they need to to maintain their wealth, but make sure that they pay for any policy requests with investments in the war effort?"
Father grunts. Your heart soars when he doesn't criticize you. "How many people outside the Royal Family have been granted sanction to wield the cold-blooded flame?" he asks.
Is that current or total? You don't know the total. "Four," you say. "High General Inoue and High Admiral Fujita, and Generals Kondo and Harada."
"How much of our population is capable of bending fire?"
"Twenty percent."
"How much of our population is capable of reading?"
"Ninety percent."
"What is the most valuable resource to be gained through the colonization of the Earth Kingdom?"
Coal. Labor. No - "Land."
"What are the major interest groups among the nobility?"
"The merchant lords collectively advocate for policies that help the economy, like lower taxes on the wealthy," you say. "But they're also split into the Expansionist group that wants to focus on building up the military and seizing more land, and the Elevationist group that wants to focus on investing in the colonies we've already established. The Generals and Admirals compete for funding for their branches. War Minister Qin and his closest associates form a Technologist faction that wants more funding for scientific research. The old nobility form regional interest groups and collectively advocate for more authority for them and less for the merchant lords. The colonial governors form an interest group, but their group just goes along with whatever the Fire Lord says because they can have their positions reassigned anytime. And Lady Wan and her associates have historically advocated for equality for women."
Father grunts again. You must have named all the important ones, or at least enough. Your heart is pounding. You haven't lasted this long without getting a question wrong before.
"What limitations exist on the authority of the Fire Lord?" Father asks.
"None."
"Get up and show me the twenty-eighth kata, Prince Zuko."
You fight to keep your grin from showing on your face as you rise. Father backs away and sits on his throne again as you bow. You take a deep breath, concentrate to summon up your anger, and -
"Fire Lord Ozai!"
- nearly let out a growl as you round on the servant who's interrupted your demonstration. He rushes into the room and prostrates himself before you and Father. There's a letter in his outstretched hands.
"Why do you intrude on the throne room?" Father asks levelly.
"A message has arrived for you, Fire Lord," the servant says breathlessly. "It -"
"Deliver it to the seneschal," Father instructs, "And inform him that you intruded on the throne room while I was instructing my son."
You literally feel your back straighten.
"Forgive me, Fire Lord, but the seneschal sent me," the servant says. "The letter - it's from General Iroh. He's returning home."
Father stands.
-----
So, nothing much, just a brief snapshot of Zuko. I hope it was okay! Thank you all for reading!
Last edited:
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Huh. Things went better for Zuko then expected, it seems. Unfortunately it looks like more exposure to Ozai hasn't done his mental state any favors, though.
Dude really needs more positive reinforcement of the non-abusive kind.
Takareer
Words and feathers
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
Interesting that it's Akane's shadow; not "my sisters'", Akane's. As I mentioned before, it makes me very excited to see all this from the Avatar gang's perspective... in time.
I feel like when you play XCOM and you have to make a decision to go save one country while another gets rolled with UFOs. Akane has increased her closeness with Azula, and with the colonies, but Zuko is likely forever lost to her.
It had so much development that I cut out 50% of the quotes I wanted to mention because I didn't want to trip the mods' spaghetti radar.
- Location
- Illinois
AFAIK sphagetti is only an "issue" in arguments, not in reaction posts.
Even then, there are degrees.
- Location
- United States
So effectively Ozai has realized that Akane is a threat to his life and power (she killed the last firelord so could kill him next) so when she takes her leave he switched his focus to creating a proper weak puppet heir/mini-me In Zuko.
Unfortunately this means that Zuko is probably going to be the antagonist, ie take Azulas role in helping Ozai genocide the world... Which means I'm actually hoping he fucks up like he did in canon and gets scared so that he doesn't fallow his fathers insanity...
Unfortunately this means that Zuko is probably going to be the antagonist, ie take Azulas role in helping Ozai genocide the world... Which means I'm actually hoping he fucks up like he did in canon and gets scared so that he doesn't fallow his fathers insanity...
- Location
- Philippines
I wonder how much this is going to change canon? Zuko will probably not be banished. Akane will probably become crazy instead of Azula. Most importantly, what side will Akane join? The fire nation or the avatar?
Will I dont like the fire nation's fascism government, the avatar's role is not that much better.
Will I dont like the fire nation's fascism government, the avatar's role is not that much better.
Yep Zuko did pretty well, now Akane just has to turn up say she's proud of him and knew that he'd rise to the occasion.
As for the next bending style to be looked into I'm thinking Earth bending. Not only is it easily available (everyone is an earth bender where Akane is) it's also the style she's most likely to fight. Additionally it should help ground her which should be helpful for her psychological state. It might also lead to her being able to ground lightning, which should be pretty damn good for lightning bending.
Alternatively choosing Piandao to be a tutor might work well, he's pretty experienced and a total baddass.
As for the next bending style to be looked into I'm thinking Earth bending. Not only is it easily available (everyone is an earth bender where Akane is) it's also the style she's most likely to fight. Additionally it should help ground her which should be helpful for her psychological state. It might also lead to her being able to ground lightning, which should be pretty damn good for lightning bending.
Alternatively choosing Piandao to be a tutor might work well, he's pretty experienced and a total baddass.
- Location
- sweden
He has lived under the whip for too long.
He thinks it's absence is love.
- Location
- Sweden
Also it will neatly lead onto the whitw Lotus plot if we begin philosophising. Secret society backers to the game of thrones.
JuliusClonkus
Scatterbrained Speculator
- Location
- Federal Reichspublic of Karlsland
Ozai kind of has a point in that Zuko can't seem to make decisions and 'stick with them'. That indecisiveness isn't really useful - the only problem is that Zuko will make the wrong decisions and stick with those instead.
Had his father been anyone other than Ozai, I'd say that getting out of his sisters' shadows is good for him, simply because he does crumble when people who should be his equals surpass him.
If only it had been Iroh teaching him right now.
Though I'm surprised that Ozai seems to advocate measured approaches, like the assassination attempt. He might have gone for the harsh option himself, but it sounds like he does approve of the fact that Akane thought about the effects of her choice.
You know, it's bloody weird that he's not this faceless fire monster he looked like in the show.
Had his father been anyone other than Ozai, I'd say that getting out of his sisters' shadows is good for him, simply because he does crumble when people who should be his equals surpass him.
If only it had been Iroh teaching him right now.
Though I'm surprised that Ozai seems to advocate measured approaches, like the assassination attempt. He might have gone for the harsh option himself, but it sounds like he does approve of the fact that Akane thought about the effects of her choice.
You know, it's bloody weird that he's not this faceless fire monster he looked like in the show.
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Ozai's being helpful in his own way, kinda scary... Surprised to see May and Ty Lee stick with him hopefully their support will be enough to stop him being too twisted before Akane comes back to do damage control.
Hmm, sad thought. Azula comes back to see Zuko surpass her with her friends and father being nice to him and it causes her to double down on team Ozai, training and cruelty.
Hmm, sad thought. Azula comes back to see Zuko surpass her with her friends and father being nice to him and it causes her to double down on team Ozai, training and cruelty.
Poliamida
(Verified Heavy Molecule)
- Location
- Beyond the Stars
I wholeheartedly disagree! This is... masively diferent from what I was expecting to happen, and that worries me a bit. Aparently the presence of Akane has made it so Zuko is more competitive, and willing to push himself in front of his father. This could be se bad in so many ways.
Also Iroh is back! And he returns to a FN without Ursa. I wonder what she'll try to do with the children.
That's the thing, he is still very much a monster, this is the guy that smiled in approval at the sight of his 13 years old son causing major burns to one of their subjects, and at the news of his 15 years old daughter killing a bunch of assassins. The fact that now he has a face, that is shown as human, might make him even worse.
- Location
- Here
Akane will have to get back into the spirit of pulling knowledge from other cultures, first. Remember the Mitsuko interlude?