text; un: fireprince

[rediscovering]

1. what do you know about job interviews?
i didnt know you have to interview to get jobs. even if it's just at a restaurant!! regardless of whether the job itself involves talking to people at all!!? stupid

[ Guess who's been bombing interviews as a part-time busboy all over town. And who's only bothering to ask about proper employment beyond random quests, um, now, after several months of just getting by...? He must be getting tired of stealing hotchips from the cornerstore. ]

2. what do you know about going to school as a full-time student here?
i heard you can make a living like this
insight about going to school in other worlds could be useful too. i was homeschooled....

[ But at least he's thinking in terms of solutions. ]

Comments

[whatsamada]

Wait, you can? I don't know if I should be amazed it's that big or weirded out. And whoever named the animal needs to name it better.

How was I suppose to know it's not an eel or a dog together?

But just curious. Did those turtle ducks or whatever bird like animals ever attack you? It just can't be me, right?

[Right???]

[rediscovering]

it's named just fine!!
it's these other spliced up half-animals that are weird!!
like which part of an ostrich-horse becomes an ostrich and which part becomes a horse

[ Oh god this is getting worse ]

when i was a little kid a turtle-duck bit me once, yeah.....
but it was fair.
it was a mom protecting its babies..
our mom used to feed the turtle-ducks bread from her hand but my sister and i used to throw our bread at the water for them to get it instead
and one day when i showed my mom how we did it, i missed and threw the bread at the baby turtle-duckling and hit it by accident
so the mom came up and bit my foot......

[whatsamada]

There's an ostrich and a horse like animal too? What other animals am I suppose to know about in your world?

[All the possibilities were endless!]

I see. But doesn't that prove how birds are secretly evil and demanding?

[rediscovering]

i dont know there are tons of animals!!!
komodo rhinos
platypus-bears
poodle-monkeys
badger-moles
cats


and no
that proves that all mothers are fierce and loving
even animals

[whatsamada]

Cats. And no dogs.

[Just saying. Although, his next words did gave him a pause or two about what he wanted to write back.]

I'm guessing you must have really loved your mother too?

[rediscovering]

we have dogs too...!! normal animals
not half-things


...and yeah. i loved my mom. and she loved me.

[whatsamada]

[There was an even longer pause on Ken's end.]

I'm glad, I really hope that your mother knows that. A son should always let their mother know how much she is cared for.

Otherwise, you might end up regretting it.

[rediscovering]

...yeah.

[ Oh man, this got more personal than turtle-ducks. He's uncomfortable talking about his mom. ]

you sound like you speak from experience

[ But intrigue takes hold, too. ]

[whatsamada]

Let's just say that I have a lot of regrets for not being nicer to my mom when I should have.

[Pause]

Not that I wasn't but I really should have let her know how much I loved her.

[rediscovering]

yeah..... you never know when you won't have the chance to.
i haven't seen my mother for many years. even before coming to these other worlds.

[whatsamada]

[Again, a long pause on his end.]

I apologize if I'm intruding but mind if I ask what happened to your mother?

[rediscovering]

she left.

[whatsamada]

[Once again, there was a long pause on his end before he responded back]

I hope that she left for a good reason.

It must have been difficult seeing her do that.

[rediscovering]

there was. i don't know the whole story. but i think i get the gist.
i was eleven. it was hard.
...thanks

[ He so seldom talks about his mom. It's disarming to have some internet stranger comment so frankly, earnestly, and tenderly on the matter. He'd rather redirect, touched as he is... He's uncomfortable. ]

what happened to your mom?

[whatsamada]

[There was a long pause on Ken's end. He wasn't sure if he should discuss it with someone he barely knew but at the same time? It was only fair when the stranger disclosed his own experience.]

She died protecting me. It's strange to think it's been 6 years now.

private;

[rediscovering]

[ Zuko is feeling similarly conflicted. But hearing that... it’s too uncanny. They’re already this far in, after all. He does make it private, though. He’s not tryna air this about himself necessarily, either. ]

....my mother did what she did to protect me too. i don’t know if she is still alive or not. she was banished. she may well be dead.
it’s been about six years for me since then as well though


how old were you when she died

private;

[whatsamada]

[Ken was shifting his weight a little after he just wrote about his past to a stranger. Was it a good or a bad thing, he didn't know but hopefully he would be able to help this person out.]

I hope that she isn't! I'm sure that she just has to be somewhere out there if there's no evidence of her death!

But I was about 8. I guess I've been taking care of myself since then?

[rediscovering]

it's possible.....
when i return
i'm going to look for her.
i don't know how but i need to know what happened.


eight.
im sorry.

[whatsamada]

I'm sure that you'll find out. Like my leader would say, never give up!

And it's okay, I'm use to it by now. And I learned how to be mature and take care of myself, right?

[rediscovering]

leader??

yeah i understand
it becomes the new normal
made it so you grew up a different way
my sister was only nine when our mom left so..... i know it's hard.

[whatsamada]

Yeah! A leader where she helped us lead a group of us into battle?

I didn't know you had a sister. That makes it twice as difficult. That's all the more impressive that you're managing well. I hope that your dad was able to take care of the both of you.

[rediscovering]

oh. was there a war in your world too??


no.
he wasn't.
...but his brother helped raise me, at least.
she wasn't as lucky.

[whatsamada]

Something like that. It's pretty complicated to explain.

I guess your dad wasn't the nicest father around, was he? But what happened to your sister? If you don't mind me asking.

[rediscovering]

no pressure

and no.
he's the worst father in the history of fathers.
and she was his favorite.
when i was thirteen i left home to travel the world and my uncle started raising me instead
she stayed home with father
which i didn't realize until very recently was probably actually worse

[whatsamada]

Uh...what exactly happened? If he truly is that bad, I just hope your sister turned out okay! She is well, right?

[Right??]