Thank You For This

Thank you for this

how long does it take zuko to convince his staff that he isn’t gonna slap, punch, beat, banish, or otherwise assault them?

that they aren’t about to lose their job (or life) over a spilled cup or broken vase?

that he’s not trying to trick them when he says they can relax the ornate and complex flattery each time they leave the room?

that he means it when he bans corporal punishment in the palace (and out of it) and that they really can come to him if someone forgets that rule?

that they haven’t upset him or wronged him when he asks to take his meal without the full serving staff of twenty watching him?

zuko is sensitive, even when he tries not to be, and watching these people be so afraid of him would break his heart. but that also means we gets to see it when they begin to open up to him.

firelord zuko who’s feeding the turtleduks when a toddler comes running over. she almost topples into the water but zuko sweeps her up before she’s in any danger. he holds her in his lap and shows her how to feed them gently. when the mother comes careening out screaming for her child she stops short at the sight of zuko and collapses into a bow, head to the floor. she begs forgiveness but zuko shakes his head, and offers his hand for her to stand. he hands over her daughter, asks the girl’s name. his guard calls him back into meetings so he leaves with a smile and a bow to both of them. it’s the first time a child hasn’t been afraid of zuko here in the fire nation, and he smiles all week

firelord zuko who spends months trying to win over the kitchen staff enough the let him make his own tea. they refuse at first (as much as one is allowed to) and stand on principle. but zuko is patient, so patient, so he begins to visit the kitchens once a week. he tells the head chef he’s going to come, it’s not a surprise. and he just thanks the staff, asks their names, maybe mentions an earth nation dish he had that’s native to a region who’s dignitaries are coming. once he’s been a few times he asks about their lives. simple things, never much more than yes or no answers; he doesn’t want to force them into speaking more than they’re comfortable just because he is their firelord. but 10 months in, and he finally convinces the guards, tasters, and head chef he can make his own tea. the head chef still insists on checking the tea as it comes in (special shipment from the jasmine dragon of course) because he’s been working in the palace for a long time and he’s seen many leaders but zuko is the first firelord he’s actually wanted to serve. and he’s seen this 18 year old kid trying so damn hard to help the palace and nation heal, tying so hard to win favor with his dishwashers, that he wants to keep safe. he may not prepare the tea, but not a leaf gets to the firelord that isn’t personally checked by him.

and in a couple years, the permeating sense of fear and dread begins to leech out of the palace. maybe the maids start humming in the corridors, maybe the washer women laugh and talk as they go about their business, maybe the royal dressers don’t flinch at the scars all across their young leaders skin anymore

maybe the country is being run by a smart, kind, genuine young man who works tirelessly to restore their honor as people of the fire nation. zuko brings music, art, poetry, dancing and life back to the fire nation. he teaches the wisdom he learned from the sun warriors and old masters: fire isn’t just hate and death. it can be life, light, a sun blazing inside you and he fosters that light in his people. so they can shed the last 100 years of hatred together and foster a new nation of peace

More Posts from Thesadpandagod and Others

thesadpandagod

3 years ago

I feel this! Once I started deconstructing a weird thing that happened was that I realized I hated my wardrobe. It's so boring so I want more unique stuff just to express myself. I just know as soon as I move out I will look like a clown lol

“I could make him better” well I could take him shopping at a Spirit Halloween and kiss him with my apostate lips in the makeup aisle while you think we’re doing homework

Tags

ex jw ex cult pimo deconstruction

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thesadpandagod

7 years ago

The reason I stay up late is because I don’t want my free time to end and tomorrow to start

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thesadpandagod

2 years ago

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thesadpandagod

3 years ago

I know I go on fuck terf rampages every couple of months, but it's really alarming how many people in the ex cath and Christian tags have "terfs dni" in their bio and yet interact with and reblog posts from terfs!!

it can be hard to spot dogwhistles, but if you consider yourself an ally to trans women you have to make the effort. here are my tips for spotting terfs:

(disclaimer: i am a white, transmisogyny exempt trans lesbian, from a very white part of the united states. i was raised catholic, clearly am not anymore.)

If on desktop, download shinigami eyes. This is a browser extension that shows transphobic people in red, and trans allies in green.

Block the tags "radical feminism", "gender critical", and "terf safe". when these posts pop up on your feed, you can usually find a whole chain of terfs to block.

red flags in bios: excessive use of the word female; the word goddess; most mentions of vagina, vulva, or womb; the phrase "gender critical"; mentions of pagan goddesses (more on this below)

i have less than 100 followers on this blog, so i understand that this is not viable for people with larger followings, but if you take 30 seconds to search the word "trans" on a new follower's blog, you see either positive or negative posts about trans people.

another common red flag i see a lot is defensiveness over whiteness. i saw a post recently in the ex christian tag that said "well i am white and live in a predominantly white area but i am still oppressed by the patriarchy!!" and when i went to her blog she ticked off every point on this list.

i specifically mentioned pagan deities earlier. i know that a lot of people, once they have left christianity, jump into pagan religions and they find a lot of solace in them. most of these people are fine. but there is so much rampant transmisogyny, misognoir, and antisemitism in the pagan and witchcraft community, that anyone who advertises this on their blog instantly becomes a red flag to me (and I'm usually right).

I really implore everyone in the ex christian and ex catholic community here on tumblr to start taking action, and start blocking terfs. don't engage, don't argue with them, DO NOT GIVE THEM A PLATFORM, just block them, tell your friends to block them, and move on.

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thesadpandagod

7 years ago

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thesadpandagod

3 years ago

domestic bliss

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thesadpandagod

4 years ago

For if I get a discord

My Personal Fav Emojis I've Done Is Now Resized And Transparent To Be Used As Discord Emojis For Your

my personal fav emojis I've done is now resized and transparent to be used as Discord emojis for your servers! no credit needed and editing is encouraged!

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thesadpandagod

4 years ago

CW: Religious Abuse

Hey, it's my time to vent to the void called the internet. So I'm a pimo exjw and it sucks. Only recently did I realize I was in a cult but now I just feel stuck. I am forced to feign faith, hide my activities, and process alone. If I don't I will be shunned and possibly kicked out with no support.

The cult raised me with the idea that obedience was my whole worth, so my mom found me and the rest of my family easy to abuse. I can't stand having to pretend to worship the god that wanted me to let her hurt me. Even after I set boundries and shook up the status quo, my father let's her hurt him because he knows he will never be able to divorce her and wants to fix her.

I also get torn up when I think about how much being queer in that environment fucked with me. I wanted so bad to be 'normal', and tried to 'fix' myself. I was told your environment and bad habits make you lgbt and that it would probably be a phase. But then time based while I tried to be as perfect as possible. It wouldn't change. I told my parents thinking it would be a phase, who despite saying 'only acting on your feelings is bad', told me to keep it secret to avoid harrassment from other people in the cult. I was regularly exposed to anti-LGBT rhetoric and hate speech from the people closest to me.

Despite all this I wanted so bad to be good for my parents. I cringe thinking of all the things I did in that aim. Who I treated unfairly or had to abandon because they were "bad association". My experience is by no means the worst you will hear, but its telling. I've been taking a lot of comfort in the exjw community and hope this can at least validate someone else.

Tags

vent religious trauma abuse exjw ex jehovah's witness pimo religious abuse

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thesadpandagod

9 years ago