prismatica | 10/7 // video; un: laurea

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10/7 // video; un: laurea

[ titus's smiling face appears. it is very close to the camera. ]

Lunatia!! Amegahara, Lyestellus! Et cetera! Moonblessed and Moonheld! Hello!!

[ he makes a slight gesture, and the camera zooms out far enough to show a fuller view. anyone who knows him will notice right away that he's different! for one thing, his hair is so long that it's disappearing out of the bottom of the shot. for some others, he's wearing ceremonial silver armor and a heavy gold-trimmed cloak, and carrying an ornate golden staff taller than he is. his forearms, formerly badly cracked and set with stones, are perfectly smooth. and he looks more grown-up—though it might be hard to tell whether that's due to change in his features, or simply to his bearing. (also, subtitles to the video are appearing in real time.) ]

It is I! Titus Alexius! I have just now returned to this world! I gather that it's been three days here, just as it was three days the last time I left and then returned... Really, I wonder why it is three days?... but this time, for me, more than three years have gone by. So much has happened, and so much remains to be done, but what a gift it is to find myself once more in this place! My memories are returning all at once, and yet they are already years old... How strange and wonderful, to experience such instantaneous nostalgia...

[ abruptly, he leans forward and claps his hands together, letting the staff slip into the crook of his arm as he does so. ] In any case—honestly, I don't know how much of this is Cordis talking, but I am so, so excited to be back! I want to see and speak to you all again! I want to meet all the people I've never yet met! I want to eat, drink, and be merry! Of course, I want to moonlace—anything from handholding on up... Oh, speaking of which, I should update my profile on "the apps," shouldn't I?... ...Ah, but that can wait.

Everyone!! I will be permitted to drink them now, so please recommend your favorite alcoholic beverages! They have so many more varieties here than we do back home, and I am excited to try them, but I do know better than to sample too many at once.

Oh!! One more thing. I should like to retain the ongoing services of anyone with healing capabilities, for any compensation you deem appropriate. It's possible that I don't actually require it—perhaps the rejuvenating effect of moonlacing will be enough by itself—but I wish to err on the side of caution.

And... let's see. Please tell me the last thing that made you smile... or your favorite thing about the world of Prismatica. Or, perhaps, tell me an interesting fact! (And just so you know, my standards for what counts as interesting are extremely easy to meet.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

three years??! are you... ok? i guess? not sure what to ask in this scenario

last thing to make me smile is my uncle

Thank you—I am very well! Much better than I ever imagined was possible, in fact. (Though I did in fact die, and it was incredibly painful!!) But I would love to hear more about your uncle. How long ago was this? Also, who are you?

what the fuck??? you died??! did you come back to life in your world or only when they brought you here? how the fuck can you be so cheery and nonchalant even about your own death, i don't get you.....

uncle arrived here in the city recently. im just relieved he's here now.

oh this is zuko by the way

Edited 2020-10-11 06:10 (UTC)

Oh, Zuko! Hello! Are you really a prince, or is it just the username? I apologize if I seemed too nonchalant about such a grave matter. I think I have always been too keenly aware of death, or at least more than is typical; after all, I was never supposed to survive past my second year. (I am not human, at least not naturally.) For a long time it was only a source of dread and despair, but I see it now as the keystone that makes life itself so precious and irreplaceable—the reason we must focus always on the present, never delaying justice or joy. But in any case, my death took place just after my return home, three years ago; my revival, which was entirely unforeseen, took place shortly thereafter. I'm really glad to hear that your uncle is here! Not least because, if he were not, it would mean you hadn't smiled once since I met you.

no just the username

i didnt know any of that about you..... but all that makes sense to me. i never thought about it like that but i think i agree. where I'm from, so many soldiers willingly die in battle, but even more innocent people die in sieges, get taken as war prisoners, fathers and brothers and sons disappear... when i was traveling, seeing the constant fear people in other nations live in was sobering. but the people i met there were all still very kind even to thankless strangers. they live their lives as well they can even under threat... because of the war at home, even though i didn't go through those things myself, i understand what you're saying. but not delaying justice in the present is an investment toward the future, too. i agree with that part the most.

do you remember dying...? i can't imagine

also that isn't true, I smile!! just cuz you haven't seen me doesn't mean i don't. I have friends here, I smile with them! but the last reason i smiled was cuz i thought about how uncle is here now.

I never told you, so you could not have known. But I would be happy to tell you anything you wish to hear now. I'd like to know more about you, too. I remember. For me it was an active experience; I deliberately released all my remaining power at once so I could interrupt the draining of life force from the fifth-class citizens and reach the chancellor at the center of the vortex. My body was destroyed in the process, and my spirit was drawn in and remained at his side until the Medium was finally destroyed. That may be why I was able to maintain my identity instead of dissolving into the Great Flow. I'm very glad that you have occasion to smile so often. I hope I get to see your smile someday!

so you sacrificed yourself to save an oppressed class of citizens from a corrupt leader...? what is the Medium? like the person who is the link between the living realm and the Spirit World? is that what the Great Flow is?

i don't know what questions i have otherwise, i guess i just meant i wouldn't have expected all this from you, you are so cheery... i don't know what you'd want to know about me, my life at home is not that interesting, but sure. you can ask what you want. if i don't want to answer i won't.

maybe..... i said i smile sometimes, not often, ha. i still hate this place even if i have a few friends. my best friend here hates it too. :)

Putting it that way makes me sound very noble. But it was a complicated situation... Chancellor Mogamett was trying to protect his homeland from a war on two fronts. Moreover, his way of thinking had become twisted from a lifetime of pain and sorrow. He had done truly awful things, and I had no choice but to stop him. But he also showed amazing kindness to me during my time in Magnostadt and stopped me from making a dreadful mistake, and I know that he gave hope to countless young magicians who had been rejected by their homelands and even their own families. I am glad that in the end he found a measure of peace, and grateful for the role I was able to play in providing it. The Medium was a creature born from an immense quantity of power and souls dyed black with despair, with Mogamett at its core. Its goal was to call down a godlike entity from another level of existence in order to return the world to nothingness. All the world's greatest empires and alliances had to join forces to defeat it! My mother Lady Scheherazade, too, gave up the last of her current body's power in the effort, and her original body finally succumbed shortly thereafter. (She created many spare bodies, of which I was one, in order to continue passing down her consciousness and protecting the Reim empire once her original body had grown too weak.) (She was 268 years old) So then, we both appeared together in the Sacred Palace, where we met the being responsible for overseeing and maintaining the cycle of magi rebirth. He could have revived Lady Scheherazade directly, but she allowed me to be reborn in her place in the last spare body she had completed. (So now I am a magi, and I have all of her memories!)

[ he's still answering questions zuko literally never asked... but every time he says something he knows is going to make no goddamn sense, he feels compelled to keep adding context until it kind of maybe sounds reasonable... ]

But come now, why are you pretending to be uninteresting? Didn't you tell me about how all the preparations are in place for you to put an end to that terrible war with your own hands? Or something. I still think this is a silly place to hate, but congratulations on finding a like-minded friend to sulk with! :) Does your uncle hate it, too?

ok so that was..... a lot. a lot to read and a lot to process. i don't usually talk this much and there's a lot to unpack.... but i do have a lot of questions about your crazy fucking life at home, and now i have relevant things to tell you about my home too, so bear with me.....

so the chancellor was an evil leader because life dealt him a bum hand and he took it out on the world. but he cared about the people in his personal life even though he was evil. do you think he loved anyone? or just found value in people around him? he wanted to train magicians for battle?? or another reason? why? just out of the goodness of his heart, what little there was? do you think he had an inner morality that was obscured by his power, like a duality that tipped the scales the wrong way.... or was it a genuine evil — he wanted to destroy the world into nothingness, right — but he cared about people selfishly, cuz he cared about his own will, not on principle. he cared only about the people he cared about. so it was his own will that led him to do evil things. do you think he regrets? do you think he will ever change in his soul? did you kill him when you fought him? or did you find another kinder way to defeat him?

i ask because this sounds sort of similar to the war in my home... it's a world war as well. both the Southern and Northern Water Tribes and people from all over the Earth Kingdom (huge place) banded together to form a revolution against the Fire Nation (that's where I'm from, but I also lived in the Earth Kingdom for a while, and traveled a lot the past few years, so I saw a lot of the world and the real face of the war).... but the Fire Nation has dominated the world with military force for a hundred years. three generations of violent kings. the Fire Lord right now (at the moment I left, i mean) planned on burning the entire Earth Kingdom to the ground to start over and create a new empire and dominate the world for good. that's what we were trying to stop, and dethrone him before it happened. it was a huge group effort, not only me and my friends.

it's a lot more complicated than that. specifically one uniquely powerful person has to stop him. this person is destined to be the peacekeeper of the whole world in every incarnation. but in his present life, he is a twelve-year-old monk. he's a pacifist and does not want to kill the fire lord, he doesn't know how he will defeat him without killing him, though. but the father lord needs to be stopped no matter what but..... i don't want him dead, either, honestly. just to stop killing people. so this is the present dilemma i left. my last memory at home, it was only a few hours before both the invasion and the coup were supposed to begin. so i don't know what happens in our war, like i told you. but from one evil despot who wants to turn the world to nothingness to another evil despot with a similar goal..... I'm asking about the chancellor's true nature and his future for these reasons.

i don't understand exactly the things with your mother but it sounds crazy and i bet you really miss her even though you... are... her... now?? i don't understand that. but she must have loved you a lot to sacrifice herself to protect you, even if it meant she had to leave your life or end hers..... she sounds like a good mom. is that who taught you to be nice?

Edited 2020-10-13 21:56 (UTC)

Okay, so I'm tired of writing, that took me forever, I'm new at this. But that was all important to me.

As to Uncle, Uncle doesn't hate anything. He's a wise person with a positive outlook on life, even though he's been through a lot — because he's been through a lot, maybe, I dunno... But we're really, really different. You'd probably get along better with him than you do me, to be honest. But Uncle's raised me like a father ever since his own son died five years ago, kind of before then too, not really — but if there's anyone from home I'd want to be here, it's Uncle Iroh. He's the person who taught me to be nice and trained me in my firebending. He's peaceful but powerful. He likes tea and music and a boring board game only old men like called Pai Sho. But mostly tea.

[ Pause for breath and redirection; he's not had a conversation like this possibly ever, but for as much as he is confused by this technology, the reality is the communicators, uh, help Zuko communicate. It's a new social freedom, alien but comfortable. He's getting on board more lately. Never stop grumping, ever, but this is easily the most positive shit he's said in months, and it's surprisingly clear in his voice as he opens up, half-thinking out loud, half-connecting. Good job, Titus, you worked your magic somehow, finally. ]

And as to Gokudera— We don't "sulk!" We have fun and talk and stuff. But we share Chroma when we hang out, that's all... He's a good person too, actually, even though he's also had a hard life — but he's more like me, less like Uncle. He has a lot of good reasons to be angry, but he's also kind and helped me a lot recently when I had moonblessing problems. He's a good friend. I don't have a friend like him at home honestly. We're kind of similar in strange ways... I think it's destiny that brought us together here, but that's something else to unpack, and now I'm tired of talking, too. Done.

Thank you for going to the trouble of saying so much, even if actually writing and then speaking it aloud were troublesome! It's good to hear your voice.

As to your points, well...
It seems I gave the impression that Chancellor Mogamett was evil, and Lady Scheherazade was good. But it was not so cut and dried; in point of fact, they were not all that different from one another.

First I should clarify that Mogamett never truly wished to destroy everything. He did create the Medium, but it grew far beyond his own will, and even further beyond his ability to control. When it was weakened sufficiently, my dear friend Aladdin was able to reach Mogamett inside it—and me, though of course by that time I was nothing but pure spirit. After they spoke, Mogamett returned to the rukh peacefully, and the Medium dissolved and vanished. Of course, it did later turn out that the magi of Kou managed to steal that immense quantity of black rukh, with all Mogamett's knowledge inside it... but he never actually succeeded in using it for any nefarious purpose, and I believe he no longer even has any particularly nefarious goals, so it is all right!

As for Mogamett's evil, his love, his regrets, his change, and his defeat:
The source of his evil was the steadfast belief, forged by the brutal oppression and exploitation of magicians in the land of his birth, that magicians and nonmagicians could never live alongside one another as equals. He concluded that magicians should be the ones to rule, and that while nonmagicians ought to be protected and cared for, they must never wield power over others, or really even over themselves. Eventually he stopped seeing them as human at all.

On the other hand, his love for all the magicians of the world was genuine, with no ulterior motive. His sorrow over all those who had been killed in the battle, and resolve that absolutely no more must be lost, was the reason he started the process that gave birth to the Medium. With that power, he intended to utterly defeat both invading armies—to preserve the lives of all Magnostadt's magicians, at the expense of the lives of nearly all its nonmagicians.

He did come to deeply regret his atrocities. His final wish was to convey to all those he led that he had been wrong, and that no person was superior to any other, regardless of the power they could command. And though we did not kill him, he did not survive. Of course, that was inevitable from the beginning; his fate was sealed the moment he began the process of harvesting and wielding the black rukh, and he was well aware of that fact.

Now, as to Lady Scheherazade.
She taught me many things during the fourteen years she spent cultivating me, but nothing whatsoever about how to behave! I had to learn that on my own after she sent me to Magnostadt. If anyone truly taught me to be nice, it was probably Aladdin.

I also know that, in her own way, she did always love me. But...
Well, it is a little strange to talk about... I want to cast her in the best light I can, and yet when I think about our past as mother and son, her regrets never stop welling up within me. It was not until the very end that she acknowledged me as my own person, and not... just an extension of herself. Who, like her, should have been concerned only with the prosperity of Reim... and should have known better than to form attachments that would make it difficult for me to accept my fate as my brief lifespan came to its end.

...It was also Lady Scheherazade who started the war. She invaded Magnostadt, intending to make it a province of the Reim empire and use it as a buffer against the Kou empire's expansion in the east. That attack resulted in staggering losses on both sides, and spurred Kou's army to make its own move... thus driving Mogamett into a corner, and triggering the cataclysm that nearly ended the world. And while she rightly abhorred Magnostadt's treatment of its nonmagician population, she chose to simply avert her eyes from the thousands of slaves, both gladiators and forced laborers, whose suffering propped up the whole of her own empire.

But she too came to sincerely regret those grave errors and to change in her soul. So if she and Mogamett are anything to go by, the odds really seem quite good that there might be some way for the Father Lord to see the light and mend his ways.

Speaking of which, it is really interesting that a twelve-year-old chosen one is ultimately responsible for stopping the Fire Lord and saving your world! As the world's fourth magi and keeper of the Wisdom of Solomon, Aladdin is something of a chosen one himself; he has always gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid taking lives, and at the time of that battle he too was twelve years old.

Your uncle sounds like a wonderful person, and I would love to meet him—I could access some of Lady Scheherazade's knowledge and appreciation of tea for the occasion. And how interesting to hear that your friend is Hayato Gokudera! I had no idea he disliked it here, but it makes sense that you two get along. I get the impression that you both consider yourselves quite a bit less likable and more unpleasant than you are in reality... I hope I will get the chance to spend more time with the two of you! Separately or together.

...Ha, it really is rather tiring to say so much at once, isn't it? I am somewhat used to delivering long orations, but those tend to be composed beforehand, so they don't require as much thought in the moment... Being able to see those I'm speaking to probably provides a bit of an energy boost, too. Not that I am trying to talk you into turning on your camera!

Okay, so I had to listen to that a couple times, so... I'm probably missing a lot of points, b-but anyway!

Mogamett and Lady— Scheherazade... both sound complex. The duality in Mogamett makes sense, he was trying to protect a community in trouble, cuz you said the magicians were oppressed, right? But it's like he went morally off-course... There's always good in bad, and bad in good. Magnostadt sounds awful. There's no slave class like that in my world, not that I know about, at least... And it'd be terrible if benders tried to oppress or eradicate non-benders, or if non-benders did the same to benders. There— Well, there was a genocide in my world. The Air Nomads were all eradicated around a hundred years ago. But it was for a different reason — it had to do with that twelve-year-old monk I mentioned. I want to hear more about Aladdin, too, on that note — maybe he's like Aang, Aang has helped me learn to be kinder, too.

Anyway, the situation in your world is much more complicated than mine. The Fire Nation has just wanted to expand its empire for the past hundred years. They believe we're the best civilization in history, because we have the most advanced technology, most education, most wealth... most military power. But it's been at the expense of the rest of the world for the past century. The war has ravaged the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes, no wonder their not as advanced! It's just been a pure quest for power and military occupation, not anything noble. Three generations of violent, power-hungry regimes. We grew up hearing this amazing lie that the war was our way of sharing our flourishing culture with the rest of the world. But I learned the reality is they hate the Fire Nation, for all the pain and devastation we've caused, missing people, broken families, villages burned to the ground... We're not sharing anything. We're just taking everything we can, even joy and safety and peace. The Fire Lord wants to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground to rebuild it as part of a new empire, total global domination, basically. So the Avatar — the monk, Aang — has to stop him before that happens. And that was the day I left.

So, yeah... That's the situation in my world. It sounds really different from yours after all. And Magomett sounds really different than Fire Lord Ozai. He's not concerned with oppressed people. He disdains compassion in general. But he also doesn't target any groups in particular for this reason, I think. Just... targets everyone equally, I guess. Personally it's different, but as a ruler, he's very fair in his violence. He has no regrets about anything ever, either — unless it was something that got in the way of his quest for power, in hindsight. I wonder if he ever will regret his war crimes. That's why I was so curious, I guess — looking for parallels... But there aren't many, I guess. Thank you for sharing so much, though. It's interesting, at least. Your world seems more intense than mine — and your life sounds crazy. No offense.

O-Oh, and also! You know Gokudera, too?! I didn't know his full name is Hayato... Huh. I'll tell him I found out, ha. But yeah, we're really good friends, I like Gokudera a lot. I don't think he's unpleasant; I think he's really funny — I smile a lot with him, too, actually, not just Uncle. We spend a lot of time together. We talk a lot — like, a lot... I've never been so open with someone. It's weird, but cool... Actually, I met Gokudera the same day I met you! We met hugging, too! But we hung out for a couple hours after that, it was really fun, I've never made a friend like that~ Would you say you guys are friends, or...? Do you know Yamamoto, too? You guys would probably get along, too, so cheerful...

[ The stark difference between Zuko's tone and energy level once he starts talking about Gokudera is a mood Titus has absolutely never seen in the boy. He's not just surprised, there's a subtle— giddiness, for lack of a better word, despite how strange it may sound to describe Zuko as giddy in any implication. He's unconsciously eager to gush about his best friend; it was one of his first orders of business to tell Iroh all about Gokudera upon his uncle's arrival, even. Exciting stuff. Zuko's perception of the bomber is drastically different than most anyone else's, probably. The words caring and understanding and funny and impressive and humble are the types that come to mind; not typical descriptors of someone about as gruff and bristly and hotheaded as Zuko is himself. Typically, at least. ]

Ha! Indeed, they were both exceedingly complex.

Perhaps you will be glad to hear that much has changed in both Magnostadt and Reim since that war three years ago. Magnostadt still leads the world in magical development, but its levels of citizenship were abolished after the war, and both magicians and nonmagicians live together as equals. And in Reim... Well, it was a struggle, but we've abolished slavery throughout the whole of the empire, and today's gladiatorial contests are purely entertainment rather than bloodsport!

Your Fire Nation might be a little like the Kou empire. It too went through a long period of aggressive expansion, with the ultimate goal of total domination... Had it not been for Prince Hakuryuu's coup and the civil war that followed, dealing with them might well have come down to exactly the kind of world war you are fighting now.

I am sorry I could not offer any particularly uplifting knowledge about parallel situations. However... It sounds like you and Aang both know that, at this point, stopping Ozai is what matters most. At the same time, I understand why you hope that he can be saved as well, and I don't think there is any reason to give up on that hope. Perhaps when you've won and the Earth Kingdom is safe, he can learn from your example.

Anyway, you wanted to hear more about Aladdin! He is an interesting case. In the beginning he was a complete mystery; it was as though he simply appeared out of nowhere one day. And, in fact, he did.

In every age in my world, there were always exactly three magi—magicians beloved by the rukh, who could call upon power not only from within themselves but also from the world around them. Magi were capable of granting amazing power to "king vessels"—essentially, the people they chose as their candidates to lead. And whenever one magi died, another was born somewhere in the world. But Aladdin was a fourth magi who was totally independent of that cycle. I am not sure if there is any concise way to explain his origins...

...Well, I'll just start explaining and we will see how it turns out. Before my world existed, there was another world, Alma Torran. It was destroyed, but our world was created as its successor, and its peoples were reborn there. Aladdin was the son of Alma Torran's great king; he was conceived in Alma Torran but remained unborn and in stasis for countless ages, watched over by the guardian of the Sacred Palace. That guardian was actually the one responsible for the magi cycle... Well, he was responsible for nearly everything about how the world worked, since he was the one who created it. ...Anyway, finally Aladdin was born, and when he was around ten he left the Sacred Palace and began traveling the world. He met many people, learned many things, fought many battles... and made many, many friends, of which I am honored to be one!

As the keeper of knowledge of the former world, he was unique even among the other magi. When we met in Magnostadt, we were both hiding our identities, and we had a terribly rocky start... Actually, I tried to kill him, but thanks to Mogamett's intervention, he was not seriously hurt. That is the dreadful mistake I mentioned earlier that Mogamett kept me from making! ...Though, come to think of it, I did still make the mistake... he just kept me from successfully following through on my bad intentions.

...But anyway, Aladdin accepted my apology without reservation, and we began working together! He was my first real friend. Both of us had felt completely alone, and we were burdened by our secrets. So it meant a lot that we were able to open up to each other... I think, perhaps, it was not so different from how you feel having met Gokudera.

Speaking of whom, I do consider him a friend, though we are not yet all that close. I also know a Yamamoto, though I did not know he and Gokudera were associates; I hope I can become better friends with both of them, and with you!

I'd like to hear more about the Kou Empire and the Hakuryuu's coup, as well. I don't think Fire Lord Ozai will learn from anyone. He is set. But maybe.

...Your Aladdin sounds a bit like my Aang, even if other parallels don't hold up. The Avatar is the only person who can control all four elements, who is reincarnated again and again. They're responsible to keep peace in the world. But Aang ended up in hiding for a hundred years. In that time, the war began. Our friends found him and released him a century later, but... it was too late for his people. He's the last of the Air Nomads. The only airbender left in the world. He also had to travel the world to learn all the other elements, being only twelve — he'd been frozen those hundred years, not training, he only knew airbending. But he needed to master the elements in a matter of months, whereas most Avatars take years to learn. So he searched all over for teachers, kind of on a time crunch cuz of— some astronomical solar stuff related to the Fire Nation... I-In any case, I, um— I also sought out the Avatar to capture him before I ended up joining his team... For three years... and then for like half a year after I found him, just chased him from one end of the globe to the other. It took me seeing the real face of the war in doing that to realize I was fighting for the wrong side. And it also took him him some time to accept that I'd changed inside before he agreed to let me join him and teach him firebending. After that we became friends... He was kind of my first real friend, too, I guess. And now that you say it like that, we both also felt alone... and burdened by secrets... It also sounds like me and Aang. In a weird way...

It's funny you say it sounds like me and Gokudera, too, though — which it does, I mean, you're right, but...! I have a working theory that Gokudera is the Avatar in his world. So this dynamic in common between him and me and him and Aang feels like it holds up. Lots of little parallels like that. Hm~

A-Anyway! Uh, yeah! You should get closer to Gokudera and Yamamoto, they're great guys.

It will certainly be very difficult for Ozai to learn and change. I imagine he was taught the same fanciful, self-serving lies as a child that you were—and unlike you, he probably believes most of them still. Hand in hand with his malice is a profound ignorance. So perhaps the shock of encountering his own limitations for the first time will be what inspires him to finally learn and grow.

The Kou empire was dedicated to the ideal of uniting the world under a single banner—via conquest and expansion—since its founding a few dozen years ago. Ren Hakuryuu was the youngest son of the first emperor; he was six years old when the palace was attacked and set afire, and his father and older brothers were killed. Hakuryuu himself barely survived, and to this day he bears scars from the terrible burns he sustained—including, by the way, one over his left eye. Which makes him the third person I have met with a burn scar over his left eye!

In any case, due to Hakuryuu's youth and the initial uncertainty as to whether he would recover, the throne passed to his uncle and the line of succession to his cousins. His mother, Ren Gyokuen, remarried Hakuryuu's uncle and remained empress.

But now I must explain the organization Al-Thamen. We now know that this was the selfsame group responsible for Alma Torran's destruction, that they survived as pure will and hatred, and that they were dedicated to calling down their dark god to destroy the new world as well. Al-Thamen was founded and led by a woman named Arba, one of the three magi of Alma Torran, who betrayed and murdered Aladdin's parents in that other world. Like Lady Scheherazade, she was capable of transferring her consciousness into new vessels in order to survive for centuries—but instead of creating clones of herself, she simply took over the bodies of her blood descendants. Her latest incarnation was Ren Gyokuen.

Al-Thamen was responsible for the attack on the palace that took the lives of Hakuryuu's father and brothers, but their involvement was completely covered up, and the attack was attributed to political enemies; subsequently, Al-Thamen rose to power and prominence within Kou as the priesthood supporting the emperor.

As the attack's sole survivor, Hakuryuu was also the only one who knew that Al-Thamen had carried it out. And he knew as well, because his brothers told him with their dying breaths, that the one behind all of it was Gyokuen—though it was many years before he could truly understand or accept that part of the truth.

So the Kou empire's power and territories continued to expand, particularly under the leadership of the first prince and general of the Western Subjugation Army, Kouen Ren—Hakuryuu's eldest stepbrother and cousin. Hakuryuu's older sister and his other cousins likewise became generals in Kou's army, and they all gained the power of djinns by claiming them from within the dungeons summoned for them by Judar, the magi and high priest of Kou and Al-Thamen. Only Hakuryuu refused to accept this power, as it was still his hidden goal to find some way to defeat Al-Thamen and take back his homeland.

Before I myself ever met Aladdin, Hakuryuu became his ally and friend, and he gained the power of his own djinn with Aladdin's support. Many other things happened as well... Hakuryuu's uncle the emperor died, so the throne was expected to pass to Prince Kouen. However, Gyokuen instead crowned herself and took direct control of the empire for the first time. By this time Judar too had secretly turned on Al-Thamen after realizing they had manipulated him since birth. He and Hakuryuu joined forces to conquer another dungeon, and then to execute a coup and kill Gyokuen. Hakuryuu then declared himself emperor and took over Al-Thamen's remnant using his second djinn's power to control minds. He cut ties with Aladdin, and they fought a fierce battle in which both Judar and Aladdin's king vessel were lost.

Meanwhile, after receiving news of Hakuryuu's coup, Kouen also declared himself emperor and led the massive force of Kou's subjugation armies, which were loyal to him, in a campaign to retake the capital. All the other dungeon conquerors of Kou sided with him as well, and it seemed impossible that Hakuryuu could triumph; he commanded a much smaller army and no longer had the support of a magi. However, by marshaling all the strength of his djinns, the remains of Al-Thamen, and the strategic alliances he formed in secret... he claimed victory.

Of course, Hakuryuu had no interest in continuing to expand and conquer the entire world. The alliance he had joined became the basis for the International Alliance, and as its power increased, Kou's diminished. Hidden threats rose at the heart of the alliance, and Hakuryuu and Aladdin joined hands once more and went into hiding... Many further things happened... Judar and Aladdin's king vessel returned... nearly everyone in the world had our wills rewritten when the Singularity seized control of the Sacred Palace... and then the ultimate threat was finally defeated through the destruction of the magi system and departure from the world of all 72 djinn, who were, of course, originally the leaders of the peoples of Alma Torran.

Now the world is in complete disarray, and we are all doing very well, Hakuryuu included! He even has all his limbs back. I wish you could meet him!

If Gokudera is an analog to the Avatar, perhaps he is something like a magi as well! Please tell me what makes you think so.

Titus. Titus...

[ He sighs. This is the official point of confirmation of their friendship, that he listened to all this at all. Zuko's practice in patience in Lunatia is... always being challenged by good people, it seemed... ]

You know I had to replay that, like... three times? I took notes, okay, so I wouldn't forget some points! Just to make sense of it! I think you just said more in one message than I have all day! At least!

[ Ayyy, kid's got (always half-true) jokes, he's opening up, clearly. ]

I feel like a little kid listening to a fairy tale. I have so many questions about your world, you say so many words I don't know... like djinns and Singularity... I don't know about the "dungeons," either... But it's fine, it's fine. We'll gloss over it for now.

Okay, then. So let me get this straight— I probably got a lot of these details wrong, but whatever, that's your fault.

[ what how. welcome to friendship with Zuko. very nice. ]

Alma Torran was destroyed by Al-Thamen, an insurgent group led by a magi named Arba. A nation called the Kou Empire sought to “unite” the world by military force, expanding its reach by occupation of all the other nations. So Al-Thamen sought to gain control of the Kou Empire next, and destroy it. Arba then reincarnated herself as a woman named Gyokuen, who married the Kou Emperor, and plotted with Al-Thamen to assassinate the emperor and all their sons. However, by some twist of fate, the youngest prince Hakuryuu survived, although he sustained serious burns... and a scar over his left eye... His brothers told him their mother was secretly responsible for arranging their murders. After Gyokuen’s plot succeeded, Al-Theman created positions of power for themselves as priests in the Kou Empire, led by another magi, the high priest Judar, more relevant later... Gyokuen continued her reach for power by marrying the late Emperor's brother. All his children, Prince Hakuryuu's cousins and now stepsiblings — that's royal family trees for you, ha — they were all great military leaders. Regardless, Gyokuen usurped the eldest's rightful place on the throne once the second Emperor died — I assume Gyokuen had him assassinated, as well — and she crowned herself Empress. Only Hakuryuu knew the truth behind Gyokuen's actions, and vowed to defeat his mother and Al-Thamen to reclaim his homeland. The high priest, Judar, realized that he'd been disillusioned by Al-Thamen, and joined forces with Hakuryuu. Once he killed his mother, Prince Hakuryuu gained control of Al-Thamen, and declared himself the Kou emperor. His eldest cousin, though, General Kouen, was also the rightful heir to the throne. Once he heard his stepbrother had dethroned his stepmother, he sought to usurp him in turn. Hakuryuu commanded a small coup against Kouen's armies, but against all odds, Hakuryuu's revolution won out. As emperor, he ended the Kou Empire’s military expansion, and formed the International Alliance to work toward peace, I take it... But it, too, became corrupted — that also checks out, heh. So once they were aware of the internal threats, Hakuryuu rejoined with Aladdin... But why did they go into hiding? Had the traitors within the Alliance hired a hit on them both? What were the threats? Did Hakuryuu stay in power? You said the world is in disarray, though, but that he's well... How's that? And he lost all his limbs — how?! And how did he regain them?

There's a lot else you said that didn't make sense — but I think I got the gist otherwise? Right?

I wouldn't want to wish him here, but I'd like to meet Prince Hakuryuu, too. The Kou Empire does sound similar to the Fire Nation, you're right. My turn, I guess, ha...

A century ago, Fire Lord Sozin began the Fire Nation's expansion. The Avatar opposed him, so he killed him, and ordered for the extermination of the Air Nomads, knowing the Avatar would be reborn as an airbender. But Aang had run away before this order was made, and survived, hidden in an iceberg in the South Pole, unbeknownst to anyone. The world thought the Avatar had died forever. Meantime, Fire Lord Azulon carried on his father's violent tradition. Azulon had two sons, and Ozai was the younger. The Crown Prince had been an esteemed general, but he abandoned a siege he'd led on the capital of the Earth Kingdom for 600 days, in mourning after his only son died in battle... So Ozai went to their father begging to be made Crown Prince in his brother's stead, since he'd been disgraced for his surrender and no longer had a bloodline. Azulon punished his son for such a cruel suggestion by ordering him to pay the same price his brother had, by killing his own only son, but Ozai's wife convinced him to spare their child's life. That same night, she mysteriously disappeared, Azulon suddenly died, and Ozai was crowned Fire Lord instead of his older brother, by their father's "dying wish..." All at once. This was only five years ago. But now that the Avatar has miraculously returned, there is hope in the world again that the Fire Nation may finally be overthrown, after a century of corruption and pain. The Avatar's army is small, almost nothing compared to the power of the Fire Nation's army and navy and advanced weapons technology, but hopefully like Prince Hakuryuu's coup, I think against all odds, we'll win. And I know I'm fighting for the real greater good by joining them now.

As to my theory that Gokudera's an Avatar: honestly, I'd love to tell you about it, but it's not my place to tell his story. I can't really share enough details without betraying his trust. But believe me, I have a strong case. Besides, I'd probably talk for even longer than you if I tried! There are lots of weird little parallels and fine details that can't be attributed to anything but destiny.

[ There's a considerable pause of several minutes between his messages, revisiting the chat off and on self-consciously in that silence, deliberating whether to send another or not as he weighs his emotions. Can he skirt around it? It's such a mindblowing concept he's entertained himself with ever since he first met his new friend. But he can't share his excitement about it with anyone else, not really. ~~Except Uncle, he doesn't count, because he counts so much.~~ Clearly, it takes too much explanation... But hey, they've gotten this far. And Titus already knows Gokudera, after all... Even though he's already been talking so long, himself, Titus should feel lucky for this rarest of occasions that Zuko wants to open up about his own thoughts and feelings; this isn't just talking about politics and war. He can't resist talking about his ideas surrounding Gokudera, that's the bottom line. ]

So... I told you how I searched for the Avatar for so long, even though he hadn't been seen for a hundred years, but I knew it was my destiny to find him. Destiny never turns out how you think it will, though... and like you and Aladdin, once I finally found him, Aang became my first true friend.

[ Pause for feelings. His voice is a little tentative, but again, sounds gradually more excited, a lot more than he's sounded in any other moment he's talked to Titus or... anyone else, probably. With the exception of the bomber in question, perhaps. He's clearly not just excited to be talking about Avatar stuff. ]

What are the chances, then, that I get spirited away to some alien planet — talk about destiny surprising us, first of all! And the first friend I make here ends up being this amazing guy, who I just click with immediately like no one I've ever met before, and he also has all these crazy cool powers that just so happen to give me reason to suspect he's an Avatar from another alien planet?! I mean, it's not like I just go around accusing people of being Avatars all the time! I wish I could tell you more, I swear it makes so much sense if you knew the fine details... But we'd have to have a whole separate conversation about Gokudera's world then, and how his firebending works — I mean, it's not firebending exactly, it's much different in effect, maybe like bending in the future or something, but it sounds like the same basic principle...

And what are the chances he fights with flames, anyway?! And bombs?! He's some kind of alien firebender, but he's the only one who can do what he does, and no one knows why... My theory is that his world just doesn't know about the Avatar. Maybe they've lost touch with the natural world too much, or who knows, maybe Gokudera is the first Avatar in his world! Cycle has to start somewhere, right? Anyway, there's only one Avatar at a time, so it's no wonder no one's told him! How should he know on his own? He's taught himself all the different kinds of flames he knows, just on instinct! Isn't that incredible?! Ugh, I wish I could explain it in full, but I don't wanna reveal anything more than just my hypothetical ideas... Sorry I'm rambling. It's so fascinating, though, I swear it makes sense. I know it's my destiny to find the Avatar, and that our destinies are linked as true friends — because it's happened twice, even in an alternate universe!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

10/7 // video; un: laurea

text; un: fireprince

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1/2; omg their friendship is blooming ; A ; war and violence, ticket to zuko's heart apparently lol?

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im sorry

1/2 omg thank you for your time and effort, im honored lol. one of my own kind— so many words lol.

2/3 jk i lied, they're bonding, quintessential "talk on the phone 5eva" teenage friendship, aww~ \o/

also i just like the image of zuko lying in bed kicking his legs as he talks into his phone, lol qt~