[ In an ideal world, gender does have nothing to do with it. Certainly, Hei has been forged of the kind of unyielding bedrock that doesn't soften for men or women, doesn't differentiate between the two in the battlefield. A threat is a threat, whether it's hidden behind hard-packed muscle and kicking off toxic levels of testosterone, or disguised beneath the allure of soft curves and a coy flutter of eyelashes. Contractors are equal-opportunity killers. ]
[ But it's equally true that everyone's perception of you is colored by your gender. There's no escaping it. Or escaping the man-shaped and woman-shaped traps it confines you within. The world is a labyrinth: to navigate through it, every boy and girl must overcome their own unique hurdles. Cross the minefields of stereotypes, some trivial, others devastating. He'll be the first to admit boys have it easier. The labyrinth is made for men. It's dog-eat-dog, but that's why you have to eat your opponents before they eat you. Small wonder Hei was called a monster behind his back: he'd learnt early that the only way to devour what's bigger than you is to dislocate your jaw. ]
[ If it's a boy-child, then Hei expects the kid to be a fighter. ]
[ If it's a girl ... ]
If the boy's a scrapper, he'll survive. One way or another. This world sees to that. [ Carefully, he flips the prawns on the griddle. They're fluffy and crisped at the very edges, with toasty dark patches. Almost done. ]
[ Quieter, ]
Girls don't have it as easy. From the cradle, they're judged for their lack. To win, they've got to be a hundred times better. Stronger. Quicker on the draw. [ He glances up at Korra, whose stubborn little face reflects a shift from simple annoyance to a more complex kind of anger, a deeper level of outrage. Something in his gaze softens, not combative but confiding. ] Lots of girls are already strong, though. Women, in general, are a lot stronger than people give them credit for.
[ Fiercer. More powerful, the burn of their ruthlessness fed by the complex mechanics of their vulnerabilities. He's seen it in Pai, in Amber, in Yin, in Carmine, in Misaki, in Mai. Back in the City, with Hatter and Carla, their strengths a double-edged sword. Most of all, he's seen it in Korra, Even at her most yielding, most helpless, curled judderingly-tight around him in bed, the tremors of her release still rippling through her in little ebbs and crests, he knows the sun-core of strength that burns inside. Has seen the inner fortitude and self-sacrificing courage that drives her. Avatar, warrior, hero are inadequate words to describe her. ]
[ She's so much more than that. Any daughter of hers will be the same. ]
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Date: 2015-02-27 10:16 pm (UTC)[ But it's equally true that everyone's perception of you is colored by your gender. There's no escaping it. Or escaping the man-shaped and woman-shaped traps it confines you within. The world is a labyrinth: to navigate through it, every boy and girl must overcome their own unique hurdles. Cross the minefields of stereotypes, some trivial, others devastating. He'll be the first to admit boys have it easier. The labyrinth is made for men. It's dog-eat-dog, but that's why you have to eat your opponents before they eat you. Small wonder Hei was called a monster behind his back: he'd learnt early that the only way to devour what's bigger than you is to dislocate your jaw. ]
[ If it's a boy-child, then Hei expects the kid to be a fighter. ]
[ If it's a girl ... ]
If the boy's a scrapper, he'll survive. One way or another. This world sees to that. [ Carefully, he flips the prawns on the griddle. They're fluffy and crisped at the very edges, with toasty dark patches. Almost done. ]
[ Quieter, ]
Girls don't have it as easy. From the cradle, they're judged for their lack. To win, they've got to be a hundred times better. Stronger. Quicker on the draw. [ He glances up at Korra, whose stubborn little face reflects a shift from simple annoyance to a more complex kind of anger, a deeper level of outrage. Something in his gaze softens, not combative but confiding. ] Lots of girls are already strong, though. Women, in general, are a lot stronger than people give them credit for.
[ Fiercer. More powerful, the burn of their ruthlessness fed by the complex mechanics of their vulnerabilities. He's seen it in Pai, in Amber, in Yin, in Carmine, in Misaki, in Mai. Back in the City, with Hatter and Carla, their strengths a double-edged sword. Most of all, he's seen it in Korra, Even at her most yielding, most helpless, curled judderingly-tight around him in bed, the tremors of her release still rippling through her in little ebbs and crests, he knows the sun-core of strength that burns inside. Has seen the inner fortitude and self-sacrificing courage that drives her. Avatar, warrior, hero are inadequate words to describe her. ]
[ She's so much more than that. Any daughter of hers will be the same. ]