I woke up and chose violence.

In response to this comic where a person is protesting Iroh's presence in Ba Sing se, a Reddit user proposed that you are a refugee in Ba Sing Se, and asked how would you feel about the Dragon of the West living in your city? Here's my response. I cleaned it up a bit.

If I knew who Iroh was, I would draw the following conclusions:

- After his re-installment, the Earth King reinstated the very group of people who betrayed the Earth Kingdom and helped Azula conquer my city. He is either compromised, he's literally brainwashed by the Dai Li, he's an idiot, or all of the above.

- The Earth King is obviously a puppet who can be manipulated, and this ex-Fire Nation general and son of a Firelord wrapping himself in the robes of redeemed teamaker is within a few blocks of his palace. No one seems to be interested in bringing Iroh to justice. Who's really in control of things?

This Iroh person just came out publicly as being the head of a secret organization comprised of elite martial arts masters from around the world who trashed the city while they were 'liberating' it, and then re-installed said puppet king to the throne. Three of the high ranking members of the Order are Fire Nation, ex-military top brass. The organization claims to care about beauty, truth, and philosophy, but it's comprised of elite fighters, headed up by a -former- warlord, and they have their own battle flag and uniforms. If they aren't an independent army, acting on a private agenda, then why do they operate like one?

I would go on to assume that Iroh is the most politically powerful person in the world. He's the mysterious leader of an enigmatic society, having ties to the Avatar, the Firelord, the Southern Water Tribe chief's children, as well as an association with the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the Earth Kingdom. And yet, he's accountable to no one.

ATLA Book 3 soundtrack releases on streaming on July 17th! :O

Present Tense: There’s a nearly full moon tonight, but it’s completely obscured by dozens of tree species whose enmeshed branches form a towering ecosystem, blanketing the belly of the jungle in inkwell-like darkness. The prospect of getting lost puts a pinch on her gut when General Guiying realizes she can no longer hear Piandao’s gentle footfalls. It’s her ability to see the body heat of the living that tells her there are animals all around her, weaving in and out of the lush flora, creeping, stalking, waiting… She doesn’t see Piandao-shaped creature among them.

Before she sees it, she hears the horrifying growl of a viper mere feet from her position. It permeates the darkness, bathed in the light of her heat vision, a long glowing coil of armored muscle slithering toward her. Its mouth opens wide with a hair-raising shriek, revealing its fangs, both containing enough poison to kill a dozen people. It glides toward her over the damp soil and stone at a snail’s pace as if it's taunting her, daring her to make a run for it.

---

Past Tense: The nearly full moon was completely obscured by dozens of tree species whose enmeshed branches formed a towering ecosystem, blanketing the belly of the jungle in inkwell-like darkness. The prospect of getting lost put a pinch on her gut when General Guiying realized she could no longer hear Piandao’s gentle footfalls. It was her ability to see the body heat of the living that told her there were animals all around her, weaving in and out of the lush flora, creeping, stalking, waiting… She didn't see Piandao-shaped creature among them.