#sccared of what they'll say

[springblossomofwisdom]

Today a mental health awareness speaker came to school. He was actually really cool. He did this exercise where we named 5 people who knew everything about us. The bad and the worse. 5 people out of 400 raised their hands. Then he asked two questions to the audience.

Like why don't you let people know the real you?

I could have said: I've worked so hard to create this image of myself that's the perfect me. A kind independent smart hard worker with every opportunity given to me. But that's not what I want me to be. That's what I've grown into. People don't like much change. I don't either. I'm scared if I ever do "not hide" then everything will get much more complicated and I will be even more confused and overwhelmed than I usually am like this. My projecting self.

Then he asked what do you think when I say all this to you.

I could've said: I think I'm selfish. At first, I think Why can't people notice what I'm going through? I hope someone can see that I'm struggling. They should help me, someone needs to help me get better. Then I realise, I'm not the only one. People have shit going on all the time. They have their own problems. I don't look around to help people because I need to help myself first. But they are doing the same exact thing. Then, I think, people have it much worse and they need a lot more help than I do. I don't deserve to be thinking these thoughts because everyone has it bad. NO ONE IS WORSE THAN I AM. I PROBABLY HAVE IT BEST.

But I didn't.

[kingwuko]

(Please note I haven't read the comics.) Hello, good morning (at least where I'm from!) Or good afternoon or evening, I have brought to you some more Wuko headcanons and they are, drum roll please:

-The outside of their fridge is stacked with papers. (The inside of their fridge has, like, two eggs and a cartoon of milk, they need to go shopping.) Papers from Lin about the police department, recipes from Pema for airbender food, recipes from Grandma Yin for what to do with all the halfway-decent fruit from Lu's cart in Ba Sing Se she sends once a month, a NutTuk magnet, a landscape drawing of Republic City drawn by Meelo that he insisted go on top of all the other papers, an 'airbending scroll' drawn by Ikki that Wu and Bolin both agree just look like stickmen dislocating their stickjoints, a colorless sketch of BumJu that Jinora said they could gave the final picture of once it's done. (Probably didn't give it to Uncle Bumi because he'd gasp in horror and say "This isn't BumJu! This is a fire ferret!" And she'd either end up taking that to heart or starting a lecture about spirits.) Also on the fridge is a list of emergency contacts with Asami at the top.

-Their apartment isn't really decorated besides for the fridge. The only thing they have hanging up is Mako's badges and various awards from the police academy, Probending awards, and pictures of Team Avatar and Co. Some pictures, like the one Mako took of an off guard Bolin playing Pai Sho with the champ Pabu, get smushed up against the spirit vines growing outside their apartment complex. (Mako couldn't decide whether or not being the farthest away or closest to the Republic City portal was good or not until Korra AND Jinora lectured him about spirits and humans living in harmony, good spirits and bad spirits coexist, he can't remember the rest.) They have a radio that plays quiet, jazzy tunes Wu will dance to and sweep Mako in, it's right next to a science experiment they did with Meelo and Ikki (hypothesis: do plants from other nations grow faster than others? with each plant with different soil from each nation.) It's a simple life and a lot less suffocating than that of the Earth Kingdom, but it also has the Avatar and her engineer girlfriend, a lavabender, a rebirth of a nation, and 💖Mako💖

-That's not to say they don't go on adventures. They'll often accompany Tenzin and Pema to find airbenders, sometimes Kya and Jinora will join and Kya will tell embarrassing stories. Tenzin will come back with how they didn't talk to each other for months over fighting over Lin. Kya will then reply "What do you know you're the youngest" (which is so freaking funny) and Tenzin will just clench his jaw and change the subject. Once when this happened, he suggested signing songs and decided to start off with an "airbender song Father thought me." It was Secret Tunnel. Wu immediately pointed it out because he had learned some songs from Chong when they were in the Earth Kingdom and that it was more Earth Kingdom (specifically Omashu) origin than anything else. And Kya just starts cracking up at that and points out "Not everything Dad taught you was a secret airbender thing!" Tenzin was grumpy and silent for the rest of the ride. Ever since then Wu will quietly sing Secret Tunnel and it just makes him break out into a grin because, oh my god, airbenders are hilarious. Mako just melts at his singing, no matter it may be, and his big grin.

-Since Wu can't bend and it's something he feels insecure about, he decided to take up weaponary. He heard Tenzin's Uncle Sokka was a master at weapons and even had a space sword but, sadly, there were no cool outer space rocks to make into swords in Republic City. It's ok because he didn't really like the way a sword felt almost like it was tipping him foward because he didn't have balance, bow and arrows caused blisters on his hands and he needed aim anyway (shitty eyesight Wu rights), and boomerangs came back fast and knocked him backwards when he did catch them. Finally, he tried throwing daggers and they're much easier and don't require aim, just general area. He has a set of two throwing daggers, a green orietnal set with an Earth Kingdom symbol and badgermoles on the handle, and a practice set that Mako got for him. It has a simple wood handle and blade that constantly needs sharpning. The handle has a heart and a "M+W" carved into the handle. He first tried throwing them on the spirit vines until Jinora got upset, then Mako got him a dart board and they'll play knife darts. They've both gotten really good at throwing.

-Mako didn't get back into Probending because of his arm and he feels weirdly jealous when he sees Bolin with a bruise the size of a pizza pan on his stomach and Korra with healed burn scars on her arms. He knows he why he's upset and that's because he misses Probending and the exhilaration of it, and knowing why he's upset makes him more upset and it's a cycle; so sometimes when Wu catches him listening to the match while clenching and unclenching his jaw, he'll softly turn off the radio, run a hand gently up his sccared arm, tracing the scars like it's the Bayan-grove tree roots, telling him it's ok, there is bravery in your scars, and pick his hand up to kiss his knuckles. When it's really bad, like when he wakes up at night feeling filled with electricity and lightning and the power Ozai praised Azula for having and shaming Zuko for not, he'll open the window and point his scarred arm outside. Nothing happens. Nothing ever does, but he feels a little relieved and will go into the bathroom to wrap his arm up tight before going to bed again. Wu notices and leaves the window open while they sleep, sometimes wrapping his arm for him.

-Sorry for the angst, but now, please consider: them babysitting BumJu and it's a mess because what do spirits eat? And Korra, BumJu went into the Spirit World agai, is that normal? And Jinora how do you play with spirits, do you just chase them around or throw a stick?

Anyway that's all I got, have a great day!!!! 💖💖💖💖💖

OP all this is beautiful and well thought out. I especially like Wu using throwing daggers.