Gospel of a Glassbender (Reader x Korra)

Revolutionary Thought

Republic City: the zenith of modernity, a place where people of all backgrounds and ethnicities can come together to clash and meld and harmonise in curious ways, creating a peculiar, ever evolving culture. Its history is equally tumultuous and chaotic. When the Fire Nation and its empire was defeated decades ago it left a fragile, explosive world in its wake. The lands once conquered by the Fire Nation were host to a unique culture of colonisers who weren't prepared to abandon their lives to return to the land of their forefathers; indeed, many had never seen the ashy sands of the Fire Nation proper. And yet at the same time, the indigenous people of the Earth Kingdom were not prepared to give up the land they'd lived in for centuries past. So, the two solutions were presented thusly: the creation of a new type of country which was beyond the notions of culture that had defined the world in the past, or ethnic genocide. Avatar Aang, apparently not a fan of the latter idea, opted to co-found the United Republic of Nations.

Now, in hindsight, that might have been a mistake. Or at least it could've better executed.

The thing is, this Republic's capital: the creatively named Republic City, is a kingdom in itself of both opulence and dirt in equal parts. Never before has organised crime reached such great heights, never before has the sky been choked by so much smog, never before have people dressed in silk and gold walked so close to those who have nothing but rags and rotting teeth. The city is densely packed too, as though the people are swarms of bees stuffed into hives. New skyscrapers reach to the sky like the bones of old gods, and the government of the Republic still kneels to foreign powers. Although in honestly the council only controls barely a half of the city through their metalbending police force, while the other half is in the clutches of bending triads and emerging corporations. Yet upheaval and revolutionary thought too finds itself feasting upon the living carcass of the city and its stench of inequality.

You find yourself here in response to those revolutionary thoughts, called by the song of the weak and oppressed and drawn to this den of suffering along with your old comrade, Amon. To most he's the enigmatic and masked vigilante leading a dangerous and daring new movement against the benders of the United Republic of Nations, but to you he's your oldest friend.

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The equatorial sun bares its full shine today, bathing the city in its light and bliss. It's equal parts enjoyable and terrible, causing your skin to ooze sweat since you refuse to take off your long, forest green, padded coat (Old, fraying and dirty but trusty none-the-less.). Under that you wear a dark threadbare shirt and similar trousers. You wipe your brow and walk down the crowded streets. Civilians wander and talk between themselves, or trade goods for yuan coins. The whole city breathes in people, ideas and dreams, then breathes out millionaires, vagabonds and the fruits of industry. It's nothing like the old world, back when Avatar Aang was alive. It brings with it new problems and strife, and no one seems willing to tackle them except for Amon. Regardless, that's not what you're thinking about right now since it's one of the few days you don't have a job to do, instead you're just enjoying the rumble of life and urban living. Or at least trying to. Though Fate seems to have other plans, and she weaves her stories in strange ways.

As you're strolling lazily down the pavement you notice a strange mass approaching down the road. It's white and large, only getting more so as it approaches. People scramble out of the way as the white mass barrels through crowds and stalls selling trinkets. You've barely taken a few steps before the figure is skidding to a halt in front of you, threatening to trample you under its thick paws. Luckily, just before it crushes you under its muscular weight, it stops, barely a few centimetres in front of you. You see it much more clearly now: canine head, sinewy limbs and a bulky body. It's a polar bear-dog, and a mighty one at that. It looks at you apologetically, a look you can't help but think is cute, before another, much more human head pops up above it.