#Mako will show off those scars from now on

[yukaro353]

Control yourself Mako, the chief just wanted to encourage you.

❤️‍🩹

Lin knows what she's talking about, she has mastery in scars

[sephirthoughts]

for the random character ask game: 3, 17, 19, 20, 31 with Nero?

3. This isn't obscure to anyone who sees all my ridiculous posts about the Vincent family, but I do HC Vincent Valentine as half Chinese, which makes his biological son Nero (and also Sephiroth) a quarter Chinese. I don't think he knows or cares, given his life up to this point, but it's a part of his heritage and part of what makes him so beautiful (in my multi-layer delusionverse at least).

17. So, Nero has two sides. One is a highly competent, cold-blooded sadist who has enough power and charisma to control those wily Tsviets in his brother's stead. But the side of him we all love is the real Nero. That seething, crawling, clinging, clawing, demanding, begging, bloodthirsty, no one can have you but me and I will tear apart anyone who would dare to hurt you or even anyone who looks at you for too long Nero, that loves and worships his brother to the point of actual madness. Weiss loves him back, and would never leave him, of course, but if he ever tried, I think we'd see the true depth of Nero's absolute obsession, even to the point of making his brother stay by his side if he has to.

I have a lot of songs for this, but the most spot-on I can think of at the moment are Rid of Me and Legs, from PJ Harvey's gorgeously psychotic 1993 album Rid of Me. Pretty much the whole album is Nero's shattered psyche talking to itself. Give it a listen, for real.

19. Nero can canonically make all kinds of things with his darkness, which includes people. So, when he's lost and alone, after the events of DoC and winds up stuck at his bio father's house being wardened by Sephiroth and isolating himself in his room, feeding into his own madness, the need to soothe himself would overpower his reason, and cause him to manifest fake versions of Weiss, interact with them, which will only make his grief and longing for the real Weiss worse, and also lead him to tear himself apart with shame and guilt about it, later [this will come up in his story and i already have a scene half written 💀].

guys making fake Weiss is nero's VICE I'M HILARIOUS SHUT UP

20. The worst ones are the horrible mutilations done to his back and shoulders, to implant the wings. The actual articulated wing pieces were heavily damaged and then lost during DoC, but the implanted mounts, to which they connect, can't be removed now without paralyzing him and leaving huge gaping holes in the muscle tissue, so they are still there. The wing mounts had to be spliced to his nerves so they would function, and that had to be done without anesthetic, to ensure the connections were made correctly. That means Nero's body was restrained and rendered immobile with mako-enhanced paralytics, while his mind was kept awake with stimulants, to endure a twenty-six hour surgery, in which the pain was so excruciating, it caused him to have a psychotic break, and to suffer permanent mental scars, as well as the physical ones on his body. Also he has a bunch from medical abuse, punitive torture, and combat.

31. Nero would like to officially state, for the record, that the Weiss the Immaculate fan blog on tumblr, all-hail-emperor-weiss, does not belong to him and that he has no association with it whatsoever, and if he gets one more anon ask, accusing him of being Weiss' crazy brother, he's going to fucking show you fucking internet nerds what crazy really means so everyone fuck off and go back to shitposting your Weiss headcanons so he can tell you why they're idiotic and wrong—er…so the blog owner, whoever they are, can tell you why they're idiotic and wrong. Except that one who said they HC Weiss and Nero as soul mates and a pair of mandarin ducks, who would be together in every universe. That person is excepted from the general fucking off.

[malachitezmeyka]

Soft Kuviren headcanons (a.k.a after they figured most of their shit out) because I finished an English test early and now I'm bored:

Suiren is 100% the little spoon. She would rather slice her other leg open than admit it but she very much needs to be held

On that topic, when she is being held, she clings to Kuvira like a lifeline. Buries her face in the crook of Kuvira's neck, leaves as little space between them as possible, etc etc. She finds that she gets a lot less nightmares when Kuvira is there

Suiren is perpetually exhausted, so when there is nothing for her to worry about, unless it's a full moon she will fall asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. Kuvira likes admiring how peaceful Renny looks in her sleep, and often gently traces her features, just light enough not to wake her. Suiren still wakes up sometimes, given how jumpy she is, but pretends she hasn't and enjoys the soft touch

Communication is still a hard thing for them, with their traumas and issues and hard-headedness. Touch is their love language and support system. If one of them is agitated, all it takes is a quiet "C'mere" and a silent offer of an embrace from the other to calm the first down

Building off the previous point, Suiren calms down quickest when she's leaning back against Kuvira, wrapped in her arms with Kuvira placing small kisses along the back of her neck and shoulders. For Kuvira, she needs to lie down with her head on Suiren's chest with Suiren running fingers through her hair

On the other hand, people touching her hair can be a major trigger for Suiren, thanks for nothing Haya. Kuvira learned it the hard way (flying ice is a great teaching tool) and now takes care to respect that boundary, including not pulling on it in a more... private setting, if you know what I mean. Sometimes Suiren allows Kuvira to tuck stray strands behind her ears, but it depends on how her sensory issues behave that day

Now you couldn't waterboard this out of her, but the first time the two of them got intimate (driven by anger and frustration), Suiren was actually worried that, given how 80% of their interactions is throwing insults at each other, Kuvira would say something about her body. She's in pretty good shape, sure, but a childhood of malnutrition left its mark, along with the much more noticeable scars from her years as an assassin. But unlike certain other people, Kuvira has some tact so even if she thought something along those lines, she stayed quiet. Since then, Kuvira has kissed and touched every inch of Suiren and pretty much worships her, especially after they both accept their feelings for each other and let real emotion show through

Kuvira can pretty easily lift Suiren up, and Suiren gets very flustered when she does so

Similarly, colour rushes to Suiren's face whenever Kuvira calls her beautiful, or any variation of that (including "pretty little face" when teasing). She knows full well she's attractive, but it's that Kuvira sees what's underneath and still finds her beautiful is what gets her

At first, all of Kuvira's nicknames for Suiren were mean spirited (ice dagger and waterbending menace being among them). After they get together, Kuvira finds out about the name Suiren's parents called her – 'my little water lily', and how Suiren doesn't like it much because she's not that child they left behind anymore. Kuvira mentions that it's ill fitting, she's not a water lily, she's a red lotus, through and through. The nickname sticks. Suiren tries to say it's way too cheesy, but hearing Kuvira call her "my red lotus" warms her heart

Suiren absolutely sucks at making up nicknames (she calls Mako 'fire boy', and while it does sound intimidating coming from her it's still extremely dumb) so she just calls her 'Vira

Kuvira isn't one for afternoon naps, while Suiren is the personification of a cat, so Kuvira is completely content with just reading or getting lost in thought while Suiren rests with her head in Kuvira's lap

Hand kisses. Nose kisses. Forehead and neck and cheek kisses. All the kisses. All the subtle (and in some cases not so subtle) acts of affection that they both so desperately crave

[aangarchy]

So i wanna add some extra notes here bc some of the replies rlly irk me lol

"Maybe mako is less powerful and thus his lightning doesn't have as much oomf" "maybe mako's lightning was weakened due to the bloodbending" "maybe mako can control how much power his lightning has" yea sure all of those things could be true but that's all a big fat maybe. We don't know, and the show doesn't explain it. That's my point. All we see is in atla lightning is regarded as super dangerous and deadly, every person we saw get hit was down for the count (one dead one gravely injured), and now it doesn't even singe the uniform of the person that got hit.

Even the most powerful firebenders (aka iroh) refuse to use it as often because it requires precision and concentration. He didn't shoot lightning at Zuko during training because it could be deadly. Iroh is established as one of the most skilled firebenders in the show (we know this bc when iroh threatens to fight people take that very seriously + he invented his own technique) so if even Iroh can't control lightning to make it so it only stuns, what makes y'all think Mako is able to do that, WHILE being bloodbent? Mako is established as talented yes, but not extraordinary. He was able to wrestle with the bloodbending enough to conjure the lightning and aim at amon, i don't think he had the luxury of deciding to stun or not.

"Aang got shot in the heart that's why he died and Amon just got stunned" bro LOOK at that fucking scar!! You can't just get up after a hit like that no problem, even if it didn't pass through the heart.

That's a severe burn. Amon should at least be staggering, uniform burned off of him, breathing heavy. But no, he immediately ran out the door after Mako, and was capable of bloodbending again just like that. Iroh had fire shot at him from a distance into his right shoulder/chest area, and he needed several days of rest before even attempting to ride an ostrich horse to the oasis. Why is it that LIGHTNING suddenly has less of an effect than plain old fire??

I found several screencaps from the scene in question, look where that hits. This isn't just electrocution, this is a bolt of lightning zapping out of Mako's fingertips. (I was going to point out Zuko got hit in the same spot by Azula, but i remembered this was during a powerboost by the comet. Nevertheless, the Aang and Iroh part still stands.)

"Amon probably has rubber stuff installed in his uniform bc they also worked with electric weapons" now that's the ONE explanation that makes sense. The single issue i have with this though is that he's not wearing a chestpiece, which is where Mako shot him. It could be under his hood/shirt, but again we don't get that context from the show. This is another maybe and i really hate maybes.

So i'm not that good at physics and other sciency stuff. Do rubber soles prevent electrocution even if that's not the place where the electricity touches? (This is the part where i'm rlly uneducated so do explain in baby terms pls.)

I saw someone in the comments try to explain that Mako's lightning is less powerful, and it's proven bc he and a dozen other benders provide power to the city by shooting lightning into an electrical plant, and that shooting lightning as powerful as Azula's into the plant would basically overpower it and blow it up. Listen that's a decent point to make, but this is the atla universe, not ours. I'm assuming they made powerplants that were capable of containing the amount of power regular lightning has in the show, so to me it still doesn't explain why Amon was just able to walk away no injuries no nothing.

To reiterate, the point i'm making here is just this: they suddenly underpowered lightning with no clear or proper explanation in tlok, and i don't like that. Plain and simple. We can sit here and theorize all day but that's not my point in the post. That's it. Ok bye!

God i still hate how much they underpowered lightning in tlok. Mako shot a lightningbolt straight at Amon's chest. That should have killed him instantly. Aang got a bolt shot at him from way further away into his back and he died. Mako was literally inches away from Amon. And don't come at me with bullshit like "oh Mako made it so his lightning wouldn't kill him" because why on earth would Mako not aim to kill here?

Honestly the way this show maimed both lightning and metalbending is really annoying. I get it, these skills get perfected over time and more and more people start to train to learn them bla bla bla. I'm still allowed to be pissy about it lol

[randomwritingguy]

The Myth of Y/N (Korra x Reader UNREQUITED) Part 11

AMON’S ENDGAME

Korra's POV

Three days. It's been three days since Amon took control of Republic City. General Iroh and the United Forces tried taking it back with their fleet, but they were no match for the Equalists. I'm just glad Tenzin, Pema and the kids escaped in time before they got captured too. The original plan was that while Iroh, Kyuni, Bolin, and Asami head off to the Equalist airbase to stop the biplanes, Mako and I would ambush Amon at Air Temple Island. Instead we found Tarrlok. Not only did he tell us that he was Amon's brother and who he really was, but he also told us Y/N was in the Pro-Bending arena! They're okay!

Speaking of the Pro-Bending arena, Mako and I are currently on our way there. We planning on  exposing Amon as a bloodbender! That will make Amon lose his true power: his support.

When we finally reach the arena, we see how it's full of Equalist propaganda. All of the charm and wonder of pro-bending is just...gone.

Focus, Korra. Now is not the time. You need to stop Amon.

Mako and I finally reach a balcony, where we see the stadium completely crowded. So many people that hate benders...

Then on my left, I see Amon emerging from below and onto the stage and into the spotlight. The crowd erupts into thunderous applause.

There he is.

"Thank you all for joining me on this historic occasion! When I was a boy, a firebender struck down my entire family and left me scarred. That tragic event began my quest to equalise the world."

Lies. All of it. Lies.

"That's a lie, Amon!" I shout at the masked man.

The crowd erupts into gasps, everyone's attention now drawn to me. I take off the Equalist mask and glare right at Amon.

"Or should I call you Noatak?"

Despite telling him is real name, the extremist doesn't look worried at all. It's like he doesn't care I just exposed him.

"Everyone, calm down." Amon assures the crowd. "We have nothing to fear from the Avatar. Let's hear what she has to say."

It's time to end the Equalists once and for all.

"Amon has been lying to you!" I explain to the crowd, my voice full of confidence. "The spirits didn't give him the power to take people's bending away. He uses bloodbending to do it! Amon is a waterbender!"

The crowd erupts into collective gasps and murmurs, shocked by what they just heard.

Despite this, however, Amon is still calm. "You're desperate, Avatar. Making up stories about me is a pathetic last resort."

I ignore his comments and continue exposing the equalist. "Your family wasn't killed by a firebender! His father was Yakone, and his brother is Councilman Tarrlok!"

The gasps and murmurs from before intensify at the revelation of Amon's heritage. But the bloodbender still isn't panicking. Instead he's...chuckling?

"An amusing tale. But I will show you the truth."

Amon pulls down his hood, and unties the knots on his mask...and takes it off.

What I see shocks me to the core.

I see the face of Amon, burned and scared diagonally from left to right. His burns...I've never seen anything like that before. I doubt even a skilled waterbender could heal those.

"This is what a firebender did to me!" he tells the audience.

Then before I know it the crowd turns angry, their rage directed at me.

"The Avatar is lying!"

No no no no no no no

"I'm telling you, he's a waterbender!" I tell the crowd, desperate for them to believe me, but to no avail. Dammit!

I turn to Mako, the man taking a fighting stance. "They don't believe me. It didn't work."

Mako doesn't seem bothered by this though. "We said what we had to. Let's get out of here."

However, before we exit the stadium, Amon speaks up again, his voice booming.

"I wouldn't leave yet, Avatar. You'll miss the main event."

I turn back and see a lift emerging from the stadium. There I see...

TENZIN?! AND THE AIR KIDS?!

"No. They got away...we saw them get away!"

I look to the far right of the lift and I see...wait...is that...

"Y/N?!"

Y/N'S POV

I hear my name called out and I look to my right, and see Korra and Mako.

They're alright!

But that still doesn't change the fact that I'm changed up with the airbending family.

"Tonight, I rid the world of airbending...forever! And after that, I will show you the true colours of the treacherous Chi-Blocker Y/N!"

The crowd erupts into cheers and applauds. Shit!

"Amon, let them go!" Korra shouts at him, her voice containing traces of anger and desperation.

Of course, the equalist doesn't listen to her command. Instead he goads her on. "You're willing to come down here and try to stop me."

After a few seconds of inaction from Korra, Amon begins walking to the airbenders. "The Avatar needs to be reminded of the power I possess."

NO!

Before Amon could reach Tenzin, I see Mako shoot a powerful lightning bolt right to the stage. The Equalist dodges the attack and the bolt creates a mini explosion. The crowd panics and begins fleeing the scene, while Korra and Mako run along the wall using their firebending. Once they reach the stage, they begin attacking the Equalists. Whilst Mako is distracting them, Korra goes and slowly but surely releases us one by one starting with Tenzin. Once the the airbending master is free, he sends two of the opponents flying. Amon dodges both of them, even leaping right above Mako's blast. Before he could come any closer, however, Tenzin sends an air kick towards the bloodbender, sending him flying.

When Korra finally approaches me, I see relief and concern painted across her face. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, Korra. I'm glad to see you and Mako are alright." I sincerely reply.

We all rush into one of the pro-bending corridors. Tenzin and the kids rush off to free Pema and their newborn child whilst Mako, Korra, and I try to distract Amon. When the Equalist arrives, Korra sends a wave of flames as some sort of barrier and we rush into one of the gyms.

"Scatter!" I tell the other two, and we all run into different positions to hide. A few moments later, intense silence all around us, and before I know it I hear the sound of a door opening and walksteps filling in the void. I don't move an inch, terrified to the bone. I then hear Amon stop walking, the silence returning.

Shit! Did he find one of us?

A second after I finish my thought, he starts walking again.

Phew, I guess no-

"-AHH!"

KORRA!

Mako and I rush out of our hiding places and see Korra getting bloodbended! The firebender sends some of his flames towards the equalist but he effortlessly dodges them, bloodbending both him and I into the air and slamming us onto the ground. I'm paralysed in pain as I see Amon approach Korra and placing his hand on the back of her neck.

"KORRA!" Mako shouts out.

"NO!" I yell, desperate to try and help...but I can't.

Amon places his thumb on Korra's forehead and she lets out a loud gasp...and collapses onto the floor.

He...he did it. He took her bending...

"I told you I would destroy you. Finally, you are powerless."

HE TOOK HER BENDING! HE WILL SUFFER FOR THIS! I'LL KILL-

"-Amon!"

That voice...

I glance at the figure behind the equalist and it's...the Lieutenant?

"The Chi-Blocker told me that you were a bloodbender, but I refused to believe it. And then the Avatar said the exact same thing! Everything they said is true, wasn't it?! I just saw you bloodbend them!"

Amon takes a slight step backward, expecting a confrontation.

I see the Lieutenant drop his head in shame, take off his mask, and shatter the glass of his goggles with his foot, symbolising his shattered faith in his former leader.

"You traitor!" he shouts at the bloodbender, full of rage and betrayal, "I dedicated my life to you!"

The man charges at Amon, ready to strike...but it's pointless. Amon bloodbends him into the air, twisting his limbs into unnatural positions.

"You served me well, Lieutenant."

Then, in a blink of the eye, he tosses his former henchman away into planks of wood, crushing them and bringing him and them to the floor.

But that doesn't matter to me.

He took Korra's bending away! He will suffer!

I concentrate, harder than I have ever done before, focusing on everything I have learned about chi-blocking and chi in general, and I, very slowly, begin to rise, ignoring the excruciating pain of the bloodbending.

Amon turns and sees me slowly rising, and I see his eyes widen slightly.

"You took her bending away!" I spit out, venom in my voice. "You'll die for this!"

I expect the equalist to be frightened...but instead he sighs.

"I see you are able to partially resist my bloodbending." he comments. "Such wasted potential."

Suddenly his bloodbending grip on me intensifies and I am forced back onto the ground again.

It...it wasn't enough...I failed.

Amon approaches Mako, ready to take away his bending too, but then out of nowhere the firebender shocks him lightning! I feel his bloodbending grip on me disappear entirely as I hear his blood-curling scream of pain. He goes flying right into a wall, and Mako sends flames to the wooden planks surrounding him, causing them to fall right onto the bloodbender.

Mako rushes forward and picks up Korra, holding her tenderly. "Let's get out of here, Y/N!"

We both rush out of the gym and run as fast as we can down one of the corridors. Korra slowly opens her eyes, and she glances at both me and Mako.

"Mako, Y/N...my bending." she weakly speaks out, her voice so full of defeat.

My heart breaks at the sound of it, but I have to reassure her. I need to.

"It's all going to be fine, Korra! Trust me!" I tell her, desperately hoping she will believe me.

Our victory is short lived though, as I feel Amon's bloodbending grip on me again, freezing Mako and I in our places as Korra is sent flying to the floor. He throws the firebender and I into the ceiling, floor, and walls, my body pounding right into the harsh metal, and we collapse.

"I'm impressed." Amon exclaims, his voice containing a sense of pride. "No-one has ever gotten the better of me like that."

I see Mako getting bloodbended where he is sitting on his knees, as Amon slowly approaches the firebender.

"It's almost a shame to take the bending of someone so talented. Almost."

NO!

Korra's POV

Despite being so weak, I look up and open my eyes. I see Amon about to take Mako's bending!

NO! NOT HIM! NOT MAKO TOO!

"NO!" I yell with all my might and throw a fist. I know I have no bending, but I have to-

-Suddenly a gust of wind appears out of nowhere, blasting Mako and Y/N to the walls while sending Amon flying back!

"Impossible!" Amon says, completely shocked by what he just experienced.

Wait...was that...

"I-I can airbend?" I ask myself as I look at my hand.

I can! I just did it!

"I CAN AIRBEND!" I proudly exclaim.

YES!

I rush forward. I throw air punches after punches, putting all of my rage into each and every one of them, and they all send Amon flying to a wall and then to the end of the corridor. The equalist growls at my retaliation and throws his hand out, sending me back into his bloodbending grip.

NO! NOT THIS TIME!

"No...you...DON'T!" I shout out, and I send a air kick right into Amon, sending him out of the window and into the ocean.

I...I did it! I bested him!

However, the feeling of triumph quickly fades.

But he still took my bending...

Y/N'S POV

She did it! Korra defeated Amon!

Mako, Korra, and I walk to the end of the corridor. I see Amon's mask in the ocean.

The crowd outside end up yelling in our direction, realising what just happened.

Spirits, come on!

Before any one of us can refute their yells, a huge water sprout emerges from the ocean and at the top is Amon, unmasked and with no scar. Even that was fake too.

The crowd turns around, and let out large gasps. I hear them speaking to one another.

"He's waterbending!"

"He is a bender!"

"The scar is fake!"

"The Avatar was telling the truth!"

I then see Amon looking right at us, staring right into Korra's eyes at first, and then mine. No words are exchanged in this brief, intense moment.

Then before any of us could react, Amon twirls and the sprout disappears, the man falling into the ocean. He's trying to escape!

Mako notices this too as he sends flame after flame to Amon but they all miss, and the Equalist goes out of our line of vision.

He escaped...after everything...he escaped.

Korra and Mako embrace into a tight hug, the firebender comforting Korra after what Amon did to her. Not wanting to to interrupt the moment, I simply place a hand on her shoulder and squeeze it as my own form of comfort. As this is happening, I gaze off into the distance.

Where is Amon going?

NO-ONE'S POV

Tarrlok sits in his cell on Air Temple Island, worn and tired. How long until all of this is over?

His thoughts are interrupted by a hatch opening and a hooded figure emerging.

Tarrlok recognises him instantly.

"Noatak."

His brother approaches the cell and pulls down his hood. His eyes are full of sadness.

"It's over, brother." Noatak tells him melancholily, "I'm sorry for what I had to do to you."

Tarrlok knows he is sorry, he can see it on his face alone. The former councilman sighs and looks away. "Our father set us on this path. Fate caused us to collide. I should have left with you when we were boys."

Saying nothing, Noatak approaches the cell lock and unlatches it, opening the cell gate.  

"Leave with me now." his brother pleas with him, "We have a second chance. We can start over together. Please, you're all I have left in the world."

Tarrlok doesn't respond. He slowly gets up and leaves the cell, and both brothers leave the island on a speedboat, riding the waves like there is no tomorrow.

"The two of us together again!" Noatak proudly exclaims, "There is nothing we can't do!"

Tarrlok doesn't react to the exclaim. Instead he responds with a simple "Yes, Noatak" with a neutral expression.

"Noatak." his brother says aloud. He chuckles, as if he found it humorous. "I'd almost forgotten the sound of my own name."

The former bloodbender stares at his brother. If they start a new life, will they have children? Will they have bloodbending too? Will this cycle of revenge keep on going and going forever? Will his father's ghost shape the future generation of bloodbenders?

Tarrlok knows what has to be done.

He glances at the equalist glove, then his brother, and back at the glove again. He puts it on,  slowly unravels the fuel lid, and hovers the glove over it.

He closes his eyes.

"It will be just like the good old days."

And in a moment of bright light, it is all over.

TIMESKIP

Y/N'S POV

The ride to Air Temple Island was an uncomfortable one. No-one spoke a word. Korra sat the furthest away from all of us. I wanted to comfort her, but I didn't know how. Amon took her bending away. I can't imagine how she must be feeling right now.

Currently we're all in Master Katara's home, seeing if the healer can restore Korra's bending. From the airbending family to, me, Mako, Bolin, Kyuni, and Asami, to both Korra's parents. I am praying to you spirits, please help her.

After a long, dreadful wait, the door slides open. It's Master Katara...with a sad look on her face.

No...please no...

"I've tried everything in my power, but I cannot restore Korra's bending."

No...

Lin speaks up, desperation in her voice. "But you're the best healer in world. You have to keep trying!"

Katara turns to Lin, her eyes full of regret. "I'm sorry. There's nothing else I can do. Korra can still airbend, but her connection to the other elements has been severed."

No...spirits no...please...

The door opens again, and Korra emerges. She looks so defeated, so sad.

She looks at all of us...I've never seen her so...empty.

"It's going to be all right, Korra." Tenzin attempts to assure her.

I wish it was...but it isn't.

Korra shares the same thought. "No, it's not."

She walks past all of us, puts on her coat, and goes outside, not saying anything. Mako rushes out to stop her.

I sigh and look down. This is all my fault. I should have trained harder, I...I should have been stronger.

Korra's POV

I failed. I failed everyone. I'm the worst Avatar in history. Actually, I guess I can't be considered an Avatar anymore.

"Korra, wait!"

Mako...what does he want?

"Go away." I sternly tell him, hoping he would listen.

"I will, but I just want you to know I'm here for you." Mako tries to assure me.

He thinks leave for now? He should leave forever. There's no need to hang out with me. I'm not the Avatar anymore. I'm a worthless nobody.

I tell him exactly that. "No, I mean go away, back to Republic City. Get on with your life.

Mako looks confused. How does he not get it?!

"What are you talking about?" he asks me, desperate for an explanation.

An explanation? I'll give him an explanation.

"I'm not the Avatar anymore. You don't need to do me any favours."

I try to walk away from him, but he grabs my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.

"I don't care if you're the Avatar or not." the firebender tells me, genuine in his voice. "Listen...when Tarrlok took you, I was losing my mind at the thought of never seeing you again. I realised...I love you, Korra."

He...he loves me? I...I don't deserve his love.

"I-I can't." I weakly tell him, and I rush off to Naga, ignoring Mako's call. We travel far away from the White Lotus base.  I need to get far away from here.

Finally, I reach a cliffside. I slowly reach the end, gazing off into the distance. The tears I tried so hard to contain now release, falling down my cheeks and off the cliffside.

Should...should I...do it?

The very thought intensifies my tears, as I bury my face in my arms and sit at the edge of the cliff.

I failed. I failed everyone.

Then, very faintly, I hear footsteps coming closer to me.

I release my face and, at the corner of my eye, I see Air Nomadic robes.

It's Tenzin. Please...I just want to be alone.

I tell him that, wiping away my tears. "Not now, Tenzin. I just want to be left alone."

"But you called me here."

Wait...that voice...that sounded like...

I whip my head behind me, and I see, not Tenzin, but...

"Aang."

The airbender has a gentle smile on his face, his gaze comforting. "You have finally connected with your spiritual self."

What? I did?

"How?" I simply ask him.

Aang's smile widens. "When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."

Suddenly, all of the previous Avatars emerge behind Aang. Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen and more. My predecessor walks up to me, places his thumb on my forehead, and in a bright light I feel my connection to all of the other elements slowly returning. Once it is done, they all disappear, leaving me alone with Naga once more.

The elements...they're back...I can feel them!

And that's not just it. I open my eyes, pure white, and I feel the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. I feel myself floating in the air, as I bend all of the elements.

Air!

Fire!

Earth!

Water!

I gently fall back onto the ground, feeling whole again.

I feel another presence.

I turn around and see Mako, his shocked face at my display of power shifting into a warm, loving  one, his smile gentle. I send him one back, and I jump into his arms. We hold each other like life depended on it. We pull back, and gaze into each other's eyes...and I say four simple words.

"I love you too."

We lean in, and our lips meet in a gentle, but passionate, kiss.

I've never felt so happy.

LATER

Y/N'S POV

I can't believe it.

Korra got all of her elements back!

When Korra and Mako came back to the White Lotus base, the former having a bright smile on her face, I knew something happened. I gave her a bone-breaking hug and she told me everything. I pretty much started crying in joy when she finished. I still can't believe it!

I'll never forget the scene of Korra restoring Lin's bending and the smile on her face when Tenzin told her that he was proud of her. That will forever be embedded into my mind.

Right now we're sort of having a celebratory party. Everyone's chatting with each other with food and drinks everywhere. This is great!

I look to my right and see Asami, smiling but...it has a hint of sadness.

Of course. I heard about what happened with her father.

I approach her, two drinks in my hand, and lift one to her. "Want a drink?"

Asami's smile widens slightly, and takes it. "Thanks."

I nod to her response and we stand in a comfortable silence, watching everyone. After a few minutes I turn to her. "I heard about what happened with your father...are you okay?"

Her smile fades and she sighs, taking a long sip of her drink. When she finishes she looks down at the glass cup. "I will be. It's painful to think about...but I'll be fine. It will also be hard to get used to Korra and Mako now together."

Ah...that.

I glance to Korra and Mako, talking to Tenzin and Pema, their hands interlocked.

Jealously invades my mind and stomach but I shake it off. This is Korra's day. She saved Republic City. It may be painful to for me to watch but Korra deserves to be happy after everything. I'll worry about it later.

I nod at Asami's comments. "That's understandable. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here."

Asami's eyes flash with gratitude as her smile returns. "Thank, Y/N."

I send her a smile back. "Anytime."

I walk around the party, talking to people left and right. Then out of nowhere I feel a massive pain on my right shoulder as I realise I've been slapped.

OW!

I turn and see Kyuni, with a angry look on her face.

Uh oh.

"What was that for?" I ask her, rubbing my shoulder.

Kyuni points at me, her eyes glaring daggers at me. "That's for scaring the daylights out of me when you were kidnapped!"

I chuckle nervously. "Ah, yeah, sorry about that. It won't happen again, hopefully, but I'm here now!"

Her angry look fades away, and is replaced with a warm smile.

"Yeah...you are."

She leans forward and...what is she doing?

She leans forward and kisses me on the cheek.

Uhhhhhh.

"Talk to you later, Y/N." she cheekily tells me with a shit eating grin, and begins approaching Asami.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

That was a friendly kiss on a cheek, right?

After a few minutes of silence and me rubbing my kissed cheek, I see Korra and Mako approaching me.

"Hey, Y/N!" Korra cheerly says.

I snap out of my zoned-out world and smile at them. "Hey, guys. You good?"

Both of them nod frantically, massive grins on their faces.

"Never felt better." Mako replies as he glances at Korra, his eyes full of love.

"Yep, same here." Korra adds on as she glances at Mako, her eyes full of love too.

Oh yeah, it's teasing time.

I chuckle at the scene before me. "Yeah, I can tell from the googily eyes you lovebirds are giving each other."

My teasing works, as both of their faces become crimson red.

Okay, now serious time.

"But seriously, if one of you breaks the other one's heart, I'll show you no mercy."

And my threat also worked as they stare at me with wide eyes and then start chuckling nervously, repeatedly muttering "yes" and "okay".

Before any one of us can say anything else, Bolin calls Mako.

"Mako, come here, you have to see this!"

Mako chuckles, kisses Korra on the cheek, and begins approaching his brother.

I ignore the jealousy within me and smile at Korra. "Man, if someone told us a few months ago at the South Pole that you would defeat a bloodbending revolutionist, I would become a chi-blocker and famous, and you would become a pro-bending player AND date one of your teammates, we would have said they were crazy."

Korra laughs at what I said, throwing her head back and small tears emerging from her eyes. "Yeah, totally. I've never felt so happy. And this is just the beginning for Team Avatar."

My smile widens. "Yeah, it is. I can't wait to see what unfolds."

Korra sends me her beautiful smile and we both embrace into a caring hug.

Sure, it will be painful for me to see Korra and Mako dating and it will take a long time for me to get used to it, but that doesn't matter.

Korra and I found our own family. And seeing her happy is worth everything.

I can't wait for more Team Avatar adventures to come.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that's it! That's the end of Book One for The Myth of Y/N! Thank you to all who have been on this journey with me so far, I really appreciate it! Now we move on to Book Two: Spirits.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated!

See you all in the next chapter! :D

[hypnote]

We Don't Talk About Newton

I definitely did NOT watch Encanto and did NOT listen to this song a bajillion times and did NOT eventually imagine Pacific Rim characters singing it and did NOT imagine Amara Namani asking Raleigh and a hospitalized Mako about what happened to their friend Newton because then --

Raleigh: We'd be talking about Newton and we... can't talk about Newton right now.

Mako: … Why do you ask about him, anyway?

Amara: Well, I thought that since they're bringing him here, and you guys knew him, we could find how he got this way, y'know? And we can find clues to what the Precursors will do next --

*Mako grabs Raleigh's arm to pull herself closer to Amara*

Mako: We don't talk about Newton, no, no, no

We don't talk about Newton... *Looks around*

But!

The war clock had run out --

Raleigh: The war clock had run out

Mako: We in our Jaeger and we killed Otachi in Hong Kong

R: Why had it gone to Hong Kong?

M: We asked him later about his red eye --

R: THUNDER!!

M: You telling this story or am I?

R: I'm sorry, Mako, go on...

M: He drifted twice with Kaiju brains

R: Didn't want us to help him

M: Must've pushed him to drift again

R: And light up the Pacific Rim

M: He caused me a world of pain...

R: At least you're okay but anyway --

Mako & Raleigh: We don't talk about Newton, no, no, no

We don't talk about Newton!

Jake: Hey!

Grew to live in fear of Newton stuttering and stumbling

I could always hear him sort of muttering and mumbling

I associate him with the sound of dripping blood...

Drip, drip, drip

It's a heavy lift with a drift so humbling

It left Dad and the Shatterdome fumbling

He studied those monsters in ways no one understood...

Only Hermann would

Vik: Seven foot frame, monsters at his back

When he calls your name, it all fades to black!

Yeah, he sees your dreams and feasts on your screams (Cadets: Hey!)

Vik, cadets, and Jake: We don't talk about Newton, no, no, no

We don't talk about Newton...

*People gathering outside dome*

Kaiju cultist holding skin parasite: He told me my pet would die, the next day, dead!

Cultists: No, no!

Hannibal: He told me I'd get eaten, and just like he said!

Hannibal's Scavengers: No, no!

Scavenger: *takes off helmet to show head scarred from kaiju acid* He said that all my hair would disappear, now look at my head!

Hannibal's Scavengers: No, no! (Hey!)

Hannibal, Scavengers & Cultists: Your fate is sealed when the kaiju are your friends!

Hermann: He told me that the life of my dreams would be promised and someday be mine...

He told me that we would change the world with inventions that we would design...

Julie: Óye, Lambert is on his way!

Jake: He told me that the man of my dreams would seem just out of reach, going out with another

*Julie walk towards Jake with Nathan on speaker phone* It's like I hear him now... (Liwen: Cadets... I want not a sound out of you)

*Julie waves phone behind him* It's like I hear him now...

*Turns around*

Oh.

I can hear him now! *takes phone and runs*

Amara: Um, Newton... Yeah, about that Newton.

I really need to know about Newton,

Give me the truth and the whole truth Newton!

Vik: Dr. Gottlieb, your BOYFRIEND'S here!

Everyone, but mainly Julie and Liwen yelling at Viktoriya: What'd I tell you??

*Lambert, Jake, and soldiers pull out and escort a weary, handcuffed Newton through the path into the Dome*

*Everyone singing around each other as they peer through windows and Jaeger scaffolds*

V: A seven-foot frame (M: The war clock had run out, R: The war clock had run out)

V: Monsters at his back (M: We were in our Jaeger)

V: When he calls your name (M: and we killed Otachi in Hong Kong)

V: It all fades to black (R: Why had it gone to Hong Kong?)

V: Yeah, he sees your dreams (M: We asked him later about his red eye --)

V: And feasts on your screams (Hermann: He told me that we would change the world, R: THUNDER!)

Mako: You telling this story, or am I?

Raleigh: I'm sorry, Mako, go on (H: Our own design... Julie: óye, Lambert is on his way)

M: He drifted twice with Kaiju brains (V: a seven-foot frame, monsters at his back, R: Didn't want us to help him)

M: Must've pushed him to drift again (H: Drifted with another, another, R: and light up the Pacific Rim)

M: And then he caused me a world of pain (H: And I'm fine, and I'm fine, and I'm fine, I'm fine!)

Everyone: He's here!

Don't talk about Newton, no! (Amara: Why did I talk about Newton?)

Not a word about Newton!

Amara: I never should've brought up Newton!

[raindrops-and-tubestops]

Random prompts - KyaLin: 14.  “Okay, so maybe I didn’t see that coming.”

Here you go Nonnie, I hope you enjoy! 💕

“Where is she?” Kya wasn’t wasting time.

The words were out of her mouth as soon as she ducked around the corner of the building. She crouched in front of the younger detective, waiting patiently for his his answer. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Mako looked up in surprise, trying to find a frequency but getting only static from the radio on his hip. He had been pinned down at this corner for the better part of fifteen minutes.

How in the hell had Kya managed to get through?

As if wanting to answer his question, the Master Healer leant around the wall drawing water from the pouch at her hip. With a flick of her hands, that was probably more complicated than he was able to see, she sent a torrent of water out into the skirmish. He grinned as he heard screams and what sounded like bodies thudding against the stone of the street.

Looking back at him, she winked conspiratorially.

“Mako, honey,” she tried again, her voice softer, “where is she?”

He didn’t have to question who she was talking about. He could see the worry behind the blue eyes, all though anyone else only would have seen the determination. Kya needed to get to the Chief, Mako had a bad feeling about all this.

This whole debacle started twenty minutes before the end of shift. A call came over the emergency radio at the precinct that there was an attack on the new clinic just west of the new spirit portal. The Triads were trying to make a statement to the Chief of Police as well as the rest of the city.

They were able to establish a blockade before the fighting reached the inside of the clinic. The doors, front and back were barricaded. The patients and healers inside were safe, some were out here on the front lines working to heal the fallen officers, Kya included.

Mako swallowed, his throat dry and sticky, “The last I saw her, she was swinging on her cables in that direction.”

Kya followed his finger as it pointed across the street, landing on the roof tops of the alley way directly across from them. He watched her run through some things in her mind, maybe calculating the risks of crossing through the battle raging in the street.

As they peeked around the corner, it was clear there were no signs of either side stopping. There was fire flying through the air only to be intercepted by water from an unknown source, pieces of the street and the buildings rippled as they were manipulated by earthbenders from both sides.

Metal from nearby stalls and storefronts groaned as it was manipulated by officers, quickly shaping into flat sheets, encasing the wounded or protecting those volleying off counter attacks.

If she hadn’t been looking for it, she would have missed the shink of cables being released from their casing and subsequently Lin swinging across the street. She came to rest on the side of the clinic, one hand wrapped around the cables imbedded in the wall and the other gripping the hand hold she created on the brick.

Kya had a momentary flashback of when they were younger and Lin used to grip the walls of the Air Temple Island dormitories in the same manner…it never failed to freak her mother out. She chuckled quietly to herself, feeling the exact moment that Mako spied the Chief as well. The metalbender seemed to be looking for something, she was scanning the foray, clearly thinking she was up high enough to not be noticed.

But someone had noticed her…someone was silently curling a water tendril along the wall, not quite touching the stone. She wouldn’t be able to feel it.

Before Kya could call out, she watched as the tendril wrapped around Lin’s ankle, the look of shock on her face would have been comical in any other circumstance. The Chief was ripped from the side of the wall, disappearing from view behind a large pile of wreckage, her cables hanging lifeless, still attached to the wall.

The next thing Mako knew Kya was running, and then he was too, trying desperately to keep up with her impressive pace. He guessed it was the adrenaline and worry that made her so reckless, but at least he was there. The waterbender was able to doge most of the attacks flung her way as she rushed towards where the Chief was last seen, but Mako did fling the occasional blast of fire, he had to make sure she stayed safe at least.

Kya rounded the side of the wreckage where they had seen Lin disappear, tripping and landing in the water spread across the ground. She managed to keep her footing and pushed off the ground with the palm of her hands. She stopped short and if he hadn’t been paying attention, Mako would have slammed into the back of her.

The Chief was on the ground, lying extremely still..too still, the only thing that kept Kya from dropping to her knees was that she could see her chest rising and falling. Slowly, but it was a win nonetheless. Next to her, with a metal spike sticking out of their chest, was the waterbender Kya assumed had ambushed Lin. They weren’t moving, not even their chest.

Mako gripped her shoulder and brought her back to herself, the surroundings coming back into focus. They sprinted the rest of the way, Kya dropping to her knees next to Lin, barely registering the sting of her battered skin or the sound of Mako dragging the body away from them.

She pulled water from the flask at her hip and began to assess the younger woman’s injuries. A dislocated shoulder, a bruise on her right cheek discoloring the skin around her scars, a possible concussion…not sure how bad that was and two cracked ribs. She would be ok.

“Thank the spirits,” Kya mumbled, hanging her head in relief,

Mako was now crouched beside her, the blue glow of the healing water casting shows on all their faces. He would scan the surrounding area and then return his gaze to Kya and the Chief every so often.

Kya released the catches of Lin’s uniform, knowing just how unamused her wife was going to be when she regained consciousness and found herself in just her uniform pants and under tank. Kya stifled the absurd laugh that bubbled up, practically choking on it.

As the water was concentrated on her left side, the ribs, Kya could feel the awareness returning to her partner, her heartbeat picking up slightly. That was all the warning she got before Lin sat up, her forehead barely missing Kya’s.

“Whoa,” Kya intoned softly, Mako behind Lin instantly, offering her support, “take it easy Chief.”

Lin winced and moved to grab her head, her shoulder and ribs protesting violently.

“What the hell happened,” she groaned.

Kya was now focused on Lin’s head, trying to relive the pressure that was causing her partner to be slightly nauseous. The healer glared at the metalbender, Mako cowered in sympathy.

“Lin, what was Aunt Suki’s main rule in combat?”

The Chief looked at Kya in confusion, whether from the change in topic or from the head injury, Mako wasn’t sure.

The glare deepened, “What was it Lin?”

The anger in Kya’s voice immediately snapped the metalbender out of her daze. They connected eyes, snapping blue to sheepish green, and Lin was reminded of all the times she had seen those eyes. Most notably when they were caught sneaking back onto the island as children and when she did something particularly stupid. Kya may have taken after Uncle Aang in the Air Nomad sense, but her temper was all Aunt Katara.

“Keep track of your surroundings,” Lin sighed as the pressure in her head finally lifted.

“Yes Lin,” Kya continued, voice hard as she moved to the shoulder, “and what didn’t you do?”

Lin followed the movements and relented, “Keep track of my surroundings.”

Mako stifled a chuckled at the clearly admonished Chief…they needed to bring in Master Kya more often he thought.

Kya huffed, “Exactly, now this is going to hurt.”

As soon as she gave the warning Lin grit her teeth, sucking in a breath as Kya quickly reset the joint. The pop making Lin sick to her stomach, the searing pain keeping her from losing it completely. The ache was soon replaced by the cool feel of the healing water, a relief that Lin didn’t know she needed.

“I had the situation under control,” she bit out.

Kya went still, eyebrow raised in a challenge, and Lin had the good sense to back down slightly.

“Before or after that waterbender plucked you off the side of the building like a ripe moon peach?”

The Chief’s cheeks colored slightly, as she looked down at her lap. She started when she realized she was no longer wearing her uniform. The glare directed towards Kya was one for the books, she was not pleased.

Kya huffed indignantly, she could really give a shit right now.

Lin leant forward, taking some of her weight off Mako as the detective went to stand. She nodded towards the boy, a quiet thanks that he returned as he settled into a cautious stance.

“Okay, so maybe I didn’t see that coming,” Lin relented.

Kya didn’t respond, just kept to her task, working to heal her wife. She was furious…and scared, Lin could sense the residual adrenaline in Kya’s system.

She inclined her head, trying to catch her wife’s eyes as she worked on the shoulder joint. When Kya finally gave in and looked up, Lin could see the sheen of tears just along the water line of her lashes. She cursed herself.

Lin leant forward and cupped the back of Kya’s head, their foreheads connecting, the air between them charged with emotion. She could feel Kya shaking, everything in the last hour finally catching up with her.

“I’m ok,” she reassured the healer, her voice gentle, “I’m sorry and I’m ok.”

Their lips met tentatively, soft at first but slowly growing desperate. The need to feel, to know that each other was alright, winning out over decorum. Mako turned slightly, giving them as much privacy as their situation could allow.

New Prompt List 💜

PS: the prompts can be original too 😊

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

He followed along after the man accepted his false name, internally questioning if Zack was truly far too trusting these days now or if he was more careful than Sephiroth could perceive. He barely took in the rules, nodding along and taking it in enough to follow them as closely as necessary, but he would skate those lines and violate them if he must if his time here demanded it. Perhaps a few patients might need an extra dose of their current darkness, and there was no telling the physical altercations that might come about when all was revealed between the two of them.

As they arrived and he looked over the space for bathing, he hesitated, body tensing, only half for show.

He would have to become bare. He couldn't very well avoid suspicions by keeping his dirty garb on forever...but none could know him, not now, not yet. His energy, his abilities, every ounce of power and potential had felt scattered and far off to him since he arrived, he didn't dare attempt to tap into any of it lest he prove what he was incapable of now (the very fact that his stomach grumbled, his throat lay dry, and his muscles ached proved just how much had been stripped from him). But he had no choice. He had to test what was there, and what was gone. Right in this very moment.

Covering his strain with a put on coughing fit, Sephiroth sought that power, the divine otherworldly energy that had become his only companion since those flames and that dip in the mako waters rebirthed him into something new and other....and it was so weak, so scattered, it was nowhere near what it should be. It was almost...terrifying, but more than anything, it was infuriating. The rapid emotion led him to gasp between the coughs, before he finally strained to gather all the potential he could into the ability he needed most.

His body was much like his own, it did not shift, much less noticeably. It was more that he was able to shift his face itself, and tame the scars on his body as much as possible. The scar across his lower abdomen and the one along his shoulder blade where a wing once sprouted, that is what lessened into smaller more obscure but still present scars. Then it was his face and hair. He could only change those features so much. He rounded out his face a bit, thin lips thickened only a little. His eyes softened and changed to a natural brown, even if with an strange shin that can be mistaken for gold flecks. And that noticeable silver hair with recognizable bangs shifted into black hair, all of it falling stray down around his face and down his back. It was the same length, that could not be helped, but the color and bangs were different enough. It was all he could muster, and as his false cough eased, a true one over took him for a second longer.

Weakness...he hissed under his breath with the disdain it caused him.

But he was guarded with the false visage, now. He finally, slowly dropped the messy shawl to reveal himself clearly to Zack, and for the first time since arriving, to look him in those blue eyes.

Hey!

Wait, for real?!

Sephiroth...I trusted you...

And WHAT?!

No! You're not the Sephiroth I once knew!

Thanks!

Hey, Sephiroth...you okay, man?

Vision...? Auditory memory...? Sephiroth shook his head, unsure what could have prompted all of that... He recognized it all as memories, as moments, but he could understand why they would come forth now. Why? They had no worth to him. He turned his gaze to the shower, carefully tugging at the tattered top he wore, full of loose threads and holes.

"Thank you...Zack..." his voice was careful, low, with an attempt to soften the tension that permeated it. His voice was one of the things he hadn't managed to transform.

Aliases weren't uncommon, though he usually tried to get people's names out of them. Just in case he could find extended family. Though, these days, few had that still. Too many were lost in the various catastrophes.

"Alright, Remus." Zack smiled warmly, as if trying to impress that if he could he would've shaken Remus' hand in a heartbeat. "I'm Zack. I do have a few more questions for you, but they can wait for now."

He motioned for Remus to follow as he explained the protocol and rules for entering this clinic. There were standard rules in place: no fighting, don't disturb the other patients, things of that nature. He could easily take anyone in a fight should there be a disturbance, but would rather it not get to that point.

Zack pulled a curtain out of the way, showing Remus a small, humble bathing room.

"I'll wash your clothes for you as you shower. I do have some spare clothes but I'm not sure if they'll fit you. Take your time - I'll check in with you afterward for a physical assessment," Zack said as he set down a pair of clean towels and a bar of soap.

[dutchdread]

No offense bro, but why are you always so protective of Cloud? No disrespect to you or anything but I've heard quite a bit of different opinions and theories on Cloud myself and I do agree with the people who say that he takes Tifa for granted. Going through trauma in the past is not really an excuse for his behavior. He also does act like he's the only one who has suffered in his life. Do you have other reason to defend him other than the fact that you "relate" to him? Just wondering.

Sorry for the late reply, my life has basically left no room for hobbies these past months. Your question is hard to reply to because I am not sure what you mean when you say I am protective of him. I guess you mean I defend his actions? Specifically in ACC? Firstly let me state that there is a difference between being a good character and being a nice character, there is also a difference between agreeing with someones actions, or just understanding them. Personally, I never really liked Cloud, especially not when I was younger. A lot of my defense of Cloud doesn't come from me personally liking him, but from me thinking he's a good character. I also think Snape is a good character, but I don't like his actions, and I don't defend them, although I still understand them to a certain degree. I should also say that as I started to understand Clouds character more, I also started liking HIM a bit more, although I still don't like the things he did, and would very likely not be friends with him. But I do understand why he did what he did and cannot be too critical of him because of that. You've probably heard that before you judge someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That's great advice, if you want to judge someone, you should imagine what it would be like to be them, however, I've noticed that too often when people try to walk a mile in someone elses shoes, they refuse to take their own shoes off first. They don't think "what would it be like to be him", they think "what would I do in that position". But Cloud is not you, and you cannot judge him by how you would act, you've not gone through the same things he has, your thought patterns aren't the same etc. This matters because too often I see people judging Clouds actions in ACC, and establishing his motivations by saying things that boil down to "If I were in his position, I would only do those actions if I loved Aerith/didn't love Tifa/whatever". But they're not Cloud, and they're not understanding how Cloud thinks, and that it's different from how THEY think. But like you said, I do see some recognizable elements of myself in Cloud, which is why I do understand his actions, and why I feel relatively certain in defending them, because I see them coming from a good place. It's common for me to react to things in a way that others find counter-intuitive. Let me give you an example, my brother once was mad at me because I had not told him my girlfriend of several years and I had broken up while I did tell a random stranger at the pub. He said that he felt like he wasn't important to me if I told a random stranger but not him. The truth was the exact opposite, I love my brother, and could not bear to face him for some reason, as I told him: "if not caring enough was the problem, then I wouldn't have told a random stranger". I see people exhibit that same lack of understanding when discussing Clouds actions, where they feel like his actions must be the sign of him just being a bad person, or not caring. But ask yourself what is more likely, that Square-enix wants their hero to be a bad person, or that you simply are misunderstanding the character? I understand why people don't get Cloud, Cloud suffers from obvious mental health issues, and mental health issues simply are not something that the general public understands, even today. Not only that, but Cloud went through the most insane series of traumatic events anyone could ever imagine. He had an alien parasite in him, saw his entire town murdered before his eyes, then saw Zack murdered in front of his eyes, then saw Aerith murdered in front of his eyes, and just when he started living a peaceful life he is forced to watch his child succumb to sickness in front of his eyes, and then he finds he himself is dying. All this on the psyche of a man who had had a fear of failure ever since he was a child, spent most of his life essentially in war, and had a severe identity crisis as well. Do you think you can honestly judge him by going "that's not what I would have done"? Would that not be incredibly

presumptuous? Have you suffered from depression as a result of severe post-war PTSD and a lifelong feeling of inadequacy combined with a fear of failure and the belief that many of your loved ones died because you failed and were inadequate? Because that's the context in which you have to view Cloud when watching Advent Children. Saying "Going through trauma in the past is not really an excuse for his behavior" is just incredibly short-sighted, your behavior is determined by who you are, and who you are is determined by what you go through in the past. You can't expect a broken child to become a well-adjusted adult when being a well-adjusted adult is the result of having a normal childhood.

I also don't want to cause offense, but this really is a mindset you should change, because this mindset is one of the most pervasive and damaging ones in our society, it's the one that probably bothers me most when I hear it because it makes zero sense. It's like breaking a robots self-repair unit, and then being angry at it on the grounds that the self-repair unit should have fixed it. It's also very insensitive in general, it's the equivalent of saying "why are you depressed, just stop being depressed", people don't choose to be depressed, people don't choose to have a fear of failure. People don't choose their emotions, they're just there. They can be influenced by behavior over time, sure, but behavior is equally influenced by who you are and your emotions, which, as mentioned before, is determined for a large part by your past. People don't just "snap out of it". They fight and fight and fight, and sometimes they win and break out of the spiral, and sometimes they lose and it breaks them.

FFVII, and especially Advent children, is all about that struggle, and during those struggles you will have high-points, and low-points. FFVII shows all of those. It shows Cloud trying, it shows Cloud wanting, it shows Cloud failing, but it also, ultimately, shows Cloud prevailing. Judging Cloud for not breaking out of the spiral by the time of Advent children, when he was mentally only barely 18 years old, and when he started at the worst place anyone could ever imagine, is just not reasonable. It's the modern day equivalent of "let them eat cake", something that can only be said from the place of privilege of not knowing what the struggles of the people you're critiquing are actually like. So having that out of the way, lets look at Clouds actions from the perspective of Cloud. Cloud is a young boy, and he's in love with the girl next door, he wants to get her to notice him. One day said girl walks up a mountain and he follows, she falls off a bridge and ends in a coma. Cloud followed her because he's in love with her, and he gets the blame from the adults. Cloud internalizes this, and its important to imagine what this must be like for a child, to have the adults all tell him it's his fault that the person he loves ended up hurt. "your fault", "your fault". Afterwards Cloud starts thinking Tifa hates him and starts acting out. I think this is a good moment to point out btw that this child has no father figure. This is the start of his feelings of failure and inadequacy, he blames himself for not being able to protect Tifa, failure number 1, he thinks that if he were strong, he'd be able to protect her, he thinks that if he were like Sephiroth, then even Tifa would have to notice him. Now until this time Cloud is not an asshole, he's a bit of a rebellious kid yes, but notice that he's not a bad kid as much as he's a kid who wants to protect someone, has no direction, and is acting out. So Cloud thinks he's not good enough, but he leaves town confident that he'll become good enough, and even makes a promise to Tifa. All this follows logically from what we know about Cloud, and tells us a lot about how deeply seated these feelings are. Becoming Soldier wasn't a small thing, not some small passion project that he just came up with one day, it's the result of the things that happened in his childhood and he left everything behind make it so. He told the girl he loved, he promised, he boasted. And then he failed. Failure number 2. He comes back to Nibleheim and can't bear to look Tifa in the eye and admit that he couldn't do it, that he's a failure. His entire life so far has revolved around this and he wasn't good enough. So here we have Cloud, not in a great mindset, thinking he's a failure, and what happens? His entire town is murdered by the person he admired, someone he worked with. His Mother is killed, and Tifa, the girl he PROMISED to protect, gets slashed open so badly that apparently she needed to have her ribcage reinforced with metal. I think we can all agree that this by itself would be enough to potentially scar a person for life. (Cloud, not Tifa XD) So what's next for the boy who left town in order to become a hero? Well, he gets captured and experimented on for 4 years, during which his mind and sense of identity is bombarded with memories and knowledge of the lifestream in the form of mako, muddying up his thoughts. Cloud already had a weak sense of self as a result of his childhood, it's why he failed to enter Soldier and now this distaste for who he is makes him extra susceptible to Jenovas influence. The next thing Cloud sees, (he didn't consciously experience the 4 years of mind-fuckery) is his best friend getting killed trying to protect him, because Cloud wasn't strong enough. Failure #3. At this point, in Clouds mind the list of people dead because he could not protect them, because he's a failure, include his mother, his entire town, his best friend, and as far as he knows, the girl he loves. This is his life. His mind is broken, he hates himself, he doesn't want to be himself,

he has a mind-altering parasite inside of him trying to adjust his identity and Clouds just goes "I reject this reality and constitute my own". And why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't he want to live in a fantasy world where he wasn't a failure, where he made it into soldier, where he was cool and successful and not a disappointing failure? Zack tells him to be his living legacy and Cloud goes with it, then he runs into Tifa, Jenova adjusts Cloud further based on Tifas memories of them and rejoined with the girl for whom he joined Soldier Cloud is unconsciously all too willing to play the part. FFVII starts and it doesn't take long for the cracks in his fake persona to show, he meets Aerith, and becomes her bodyguard. He gets to be the hero he always wanted to be. But then, even as "Cloud strife, soldier first class", Cloud is still a failure, the plate still drops, killing thousands, he gives Sephiroth the black materia, he beats up Aerith, and ultimately, fails to save her as well. Tifa was the First Failure, and Aerith was the Final Failure. Even as a soldier, Cloud still couldn't save anyone, he loses even more faith in himself, he doesn't know who he is, he doesn't trust himself, and then when he also loses Tifas trust in who he is, he just breaks and gives over to Jenova/Sephiroth. Even Hojo calls him a failure. Cloud feels like a nobody. Now mentally weakened, under the influence of jenova cells, he gives Sephiroth the black materia AGAIN, and meteor is summoned. Another entry on the long list of moments Cloud can look back on in shame later on in life. He falls into the lifestream and again his psyche is under attack. We know what happens afterwards, Tifa finds him, cares for him, and saves him through his feelings for her. Cloud realizes who he is, realizes he's weak, and goes after Sephiroth without lying to himself. In the end he defeats Sephiroth mentally and is supposedly rid of his direct influence.

But that doesn't mean that this mentally 17 year old is now fine, we should remember these events when analyzing ACC. Cloud has been in constant fighting/war/peril ever since he left home as a child, and is now a traumatized 17 year old in a 21 year olds body. Novels and other materials give us an insight into how Cloud thinks during these times, and how he thinks about himself. We hear him say that he's going to live because that's the only way he can atone for his sins. He talks about wanting to change, and about believing he can change because he now has Tifa. He's a man (boy) who just exited war, and wants to be positive, but is still clearly blaming himself. We see that this initially goes well, we are told that Cloud experiences peace and happiness that he's never experienced before. We're also told about the things that make it go badly, when he has to deliver flowers to the ancient city for instance. While Cloud regained the sense of who he was the belief that he wasn't good enough, that he was a failure, was never solved, if anything it was put on hold until he got his memories back, and now he is forced to deal with it.

While he is no longer directly manipulated by Sephiroth he's still suffering from PTSD and, most notably, survivors guilt. He blames himself for the deaths of Zack and Aerith in particular, and starts visiting the church. Now most people might think it's natural to avoid places that make you feel bad about yourself, but that's not how a depressed person thinks, Cloud thinks he deserves to feel badly he WANTS to punish himself, he WANTS to feel bad. He's ashamed of the moments where he's carefree and laughing with Tifa. Why should he get to be happy when Aerith and Zack are dead because of him? He shouldn't be happy, he should be in pain, he should remember them, not doing so would be an insult to their memories, he must never forget how he failed them! That's how Cloud is thinking. We know of course that this is non-sense, Aerith and Zack wouldn't want this, if anything it's this mindset that is tarnishing the memories of Aerith and Zack, but that's not how a mentally unwell person thinks. Cloud wants to atone, and thinks he finds salvation in Denzel, whom he finds at Aeriths church. He thinks that by saving this life, he can, in some way, make up for all the death he caused. Tifa has a similar belief when she finds out Denzels parents died in the plate crash. And when Denzel joins the family, and Cloud has path towards redemption in his mind, things start getting better again. Because this is the cause of the problems Cloud is having in ACC. When Nojima says:

first off, there’s the premise that things won’t go well between Tifa and Cloud, and that even without Geostigma or Sephiroth this might be the same

This is the conflict he's talking about, he's not saying "Tifa and Cloud are incompatible, it has nothing to do with Sephiroth", he's saying "if Sephiroth didn't show up during Advent children, Cloud and Tifa would still be having problems because Cloud is going through survivors guilt."

But the good times don't last, Denzel has Geostigma and Cloud cannot find a cure, Denzel....is going to die. Cloud, has failed again. Not only that, but Cloud catches Geostigma....Cloud is going to die. And THIS is why Cloud leaves in Advent children. And you have to look at this as Cloud. Cloud said he was going to live to atone for his sins, but instead he's going to die. He won't atone for his sins, even worse, he's going to leave Tifa and Marlene behind. He failed again. He couldn't protect Denzel, he potentially brought an infectious disease into their house as well. Literally all Cloud can think about is that literally everything he's ever tried has ended in failure, everyone he's ever tried to protect, he's failed at. Do you understand how easy it would be for a person like this to fall into the trap of thinking "I deserve to die", "I don't want Tifa and Marlene to see me die", "Tifa and Marlene are better off without me anyway", "they'd be happier if I weren't here". Etc. Now we know this is nonsense, but come on, how many instances have you heard of depressed people genuinely believing that their loved ones would be happier and better off if they just didn't exist? However, throughout the movie, Zack, Tifa, and Aerith, all confront Cloud, and urge him to not give up. Cloud eventually does try again, and ultimately finds redemption not by being stuck in the past, but by letting the past rest and be beautiful (a lesson Cleriths unfortunately never learned). "I never blamed you you know, not once" "I want to be forgiven. By who?" "Isn't it about time you did the forgiving?" In the end, Cloud moves on, and therefore, so do Zack and Aerith. Aerith and Zack walk into the light, Cloud plants flowers on Zacks grave, and lets Zacks buster sword rest in Aeriths church, now no longer rusting, but shining. Instead of the past being a negative reminder, Cloud lets the past be beautiful. Cloud was doing Aerith and Zack a disservice by remembering them the way he did, because it was ruining his life, it wasn't a good thing, but it did come from a good place, from a good man whose ashamed of not being good enough. Yes, it harmed Tifa, people going through these things often do hurt those around them, but it's not because they're bad people, or even weak, but because people are imperfect and Cloud has gone through hell, both internally, and externally. Are his actions really that weird or deplorable? "He didn't even go save the kids!" Yes, he's hesitant about saving the kids, why shouldn't he be? Everyone Cloud tried to protect or save, ended up maimed or worse, or as Cloud puts it: "I can't even save myself". "He left Tifa alone!" Yes, he thinks he's going to waste away and die, can you blame him for not wanting to put Tifa through that and for thinking she'd be better off without him? "He drinks!" Wouldn't you?! Who wouldn't want to forget that stuff? But in the end, He's only gone for about a week, he never intended to harm Tifa, he never physically harmed Tifa or cheated on her, his entire life revolved around wanting to be better for Tifa and blaming himself when he wasn't good enough, how is it reasonable to say this man takes Tifa for granted when the fact that he thinks he has to BE BETTER in order to be worthy of being with her has been a constant throughout his entire life and story? He DOESN'T take Tifa for granted, that's why he's beating himself up, that's why he leaves, not because he thinks he's better than her, or that he'll always have her, or that she'll follow him like a dog, or something like that. But because of the opposite, because he thinks HE is not good enough, that SHE would be better of without him. Saying Cloud takes Tifa for granted, is honestly, simply, wrong. It's 180 degrees the opposite of what is happening in FFVII, the biggest constant in Clouds life, is that he doesn't take Tifa for granted, and I don't understand how anyone could argue otherwise.

[clareguilty]

The Strongest Metal

This is a commission fic! Junkrat/Roadhog Rated: M | No warnings, injury recovery Word Count ~2400

“There’s nothing for you to worry about with me, Mr. Rutledge. To many, I am just as much of a criminal as you are. Turning you in would also result in a sentence for myself.” The voice was unfamiliar. Heavily accented. Stern but soothing. The words floated around, barely making sense.

“I can’t thank you enough. If I had been in your position, I don’t think I would have done the same.” That was Mako. He sounded tired, anguished. Jamison hated that.

He couldn’t remember what happened. He felt terrible, like he’d been on one hell of a bender.

But they had been fighting. He remembered that much. Those guys with the dark armor and the red helmets. Didn’t they know that the outback belonged to the junkers? There may have been no official law in the land, but that didn’t mean they were just going to roll over for any band of soldiers that showed up. They had been fighting to protect their natural resources since before the crisis.

And then those other blokes had showed up. He’d heard about them before. Overwatch. The pride and joy of humanity’s defenders. They’d been shut down last he heard, but he recognized them when they showed up on the battlefield.

Oh. Jamison remembered now. He had died. Been blown to smithereens. Exactly the way he’d always thought he’d go.

Was this heaven? Not where he thought he’d end up, really. But Mako was there, and whoever this lady was. An angel?

Jamison cracked one eye open, wincing at the bright fluorescent lights overhead. Oh yeah. That was definitely an angel.

Wispy blonde hair, piercing eyes, literal fucking wings. She was in all white armor and glowing gold. She looked exhausted.

And Mako was there, looking just as tired. He always looked tired, really, but not like this. He sat slumped in a chair, unmasked and hair down. Jamison had never seen him so miserable. Some sort of afterlife this was.

“Hello, Roadie,” he croaked. His voice sounded terrible. His throat was dry and scratchy. He was starting to think he wasn’t dead.

Both Mako and the angel snapped their heads towards him. “You’re awake!” the angel gasped. She immediately reached for a biotic scanner. “How do you feel?”

Jamison hadn’t really thought about it until she asked. He hadn’t really felt anything if he was being honest, and he told her as much. He was sore, disoriented, but he couldn’t really feel anything.

She frowned. “I guess that’s not the worst thing. Can you move at all?”

He raised his arm, wiggling his fingers with a grin. Then he saw his hand. 

“What the hell?! What happened to my arm?” Last he’d checked, only his right hand was cybernetic, and it certainly didn’t look like that. He looked at both of his hands, except these weren’t his hands. They were sleek, polished metal with tiny spindly joints. But they moved when he wanted them too, and he could feel them, even if they weren’t flesh and bone.

He flexed and curled the fingers in front of him. His frown only deepened as he inspected the high quality engineering. It wasn’t scrap, that was for sure. Much too fancy to be a part of him.

“Who did this to me?” He demanded. “Give me my old arm back!” He had made that arm. That arm was a part of him.

“Jamie,” Mako reached out, but he pulled his hand away before he could touch the horrible mechanical monstrosity. “You’re arm is gone. You were in an explosion. Dr. Zeigler saved you.”

“Saved me?” Junkrat looked down at his body. Where there was once flesh and blood and scar tissue, there was nothing but metal and wires and -- still quite a lot of scar tissue. “I look like a fucking omnic!” The angel winced.

“You’re alive,” Mako said. “You owe these people your life.”

“What life?” Jamison spat. “What am I now? Did you give me a fancy new leg too?” He sneered at the doctor, throwing the sheet aside to look at his legs. Thankfully, his peg was still there. And aside from some bandages, his flesh leg was still intact.

The doctor fumbled over her words. “We wanted to wait until you were fully rehabilitated, but there is the option to change your prosthesis, or even try to integrate some cybernetics.”

“I don’t want any of your corpo bullshit tech.” 

“Jamie,” Mako scolded him. “You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Angela. She did the best she could to save you.”

Jamison glowered, but kept his mouth shut. Mako really did look like shit, and he probably hadn’t left his bedside in days.

“We’re at an old Overwatch outpost,” Mako continued. He knew Jamison would listen to him over the doctor. “Quite a few former agents have come back. They helped us in that fight against the black-suited soldiers. Apparently they come from an organization called Talon.”

“I don’t care about any of that,” Jamison waved his hand. He hated how the motion felt. “I don’t want anything to do with them.”

Mako sighed. “We don’t have a choice. It’s going to be some time before you’re healed. Angela has explained to me what you’re going to need. She has experience with cybernetics, but there isn’t a lot here.”

Jamison said nothing.

Why should he care about Overwatch? Or Talon? Or any of that shit? He wanted his body back. He wanted to be as far away from doctors and agents and civilization as possible.

But he had never seen Mako like this, not even after the worst job. 

So he sat through the doctor’s check up, begrudgingly answering her questions and letting her poke and prod at his new body. 

“How long have I been out?” he finally asked.

“It’s been nearly a week.” She was gentle, hesitant as she redressed his wounds. “The biotics have helped to heal the most severe of your injuries. But, I have limited resources, so I have to make them count. I know you aren’t… happy with your cybernetics. They’re rudimentary and certainly not where I’d like them to be. If you so choose, we can always modify or upgrade anything once we have access to proper engineering. This outpost has been out of operation since the crisis and-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jamison cut her off. “Roadie trusts you, and that’s enough for me. But I want nothing to do with your Overwatch.” He wanted to be gone as soon as possible. Back to Junkertown, back the the safety of the outback.

It was another day before they told Jamison the full extent of his condition. He slept fitfully, a combination of biotics and medication and paralyzed numbness. He hated moving in the hours he was able to. It wasn’t his body. It wasn’t him.

He had been caught in an explosion in the fight against Talon. The blast had ignited the gunpowder on his own gear. He hadn't been in very good shape when Mercy -- Doctor Ziegler -- had found him. It was through sheer luck that he had been saved by the one doctor who pioneered full body cybernetics.

The hospital at the Australian Overwatch outpost had been… lacking, but between the doctors and engineers on hand they had managed to stabilize Jamison and fit him with rudimentary cybernetics.

Jamison knew he should be grateful. He was alive because of their generosity. But he couldn’t tamp down the resentment. He didn’t ask for this. Why would they go through all that trouble just to save some lowlife junker?

But he couldn’t leave Mako. If any of the two of them was going to be left alone it was going to be Jamison, he had resigned himself to that. Maybe he would have to pull through just for the old bastard.

The doctor -- he had taken to calling her blondie just to see how much it annoyed her -- fixed the nerve receptors and recalibrated the movement on his cybernetics. He knew how tedious the process was, he had done it all himself when he lost his arm the first time.

But that had been on his terms. He had gotten himself blown up and he had fixed it. None of these battles or fancy hospitals or strange people practically dissecting him every damn day.

Every time he tried to throw a fit, Mako would shoot him a look that would guilt him into playing nice. Mako would say thank you when the doctors finished up for the day. Mako would help clean him and dress him and feed him. He felt like a damn baby.

They finally let him out of the hospital after a few days. He wasn’t perfect -- not that he was anything special before this whole shitshow. But he doubted he would ever feel right again.

He staggered down the halls to the room Mako had been staying in. The Overwatch base was nice, but it felt too sterile, too civilized. Jamison and Mako were used to their little shack in the outback, they had never needed any fancy bells and whistles.

“Roadie,” Jamison whispered, “Maybe we could slip out of here tonight. Steal one of them fancy all-terrains and head back home.” He had seen the vehicles they came in one. They would scrap for some nice parts or sell for a good bit of money.

“No,” Mako didn’t even blink. “You’re still not well. The doctors here will look after you. We’re not leaving until you’re better.”

Jamison scowled. “Fuck them. I don’t need them. I can build everything I need out of scrap at home. I’ll just need your help.”

Mako was unfazed. “It’s too dangerous. You barely survived as it is, and the stuff they pieced you back together with isn’t going to last very long.”

He knew that. He knew he was on a timer. Without access to any real, up to date medical equipment he was just wasting away on the temporary machinery. He wanted to say it didn’t matter, that he’d rather go out on his own terms than be strung along from one set of parts to another, but he couldn’t do that to Mako.

“I hate it here,” he said.

“That’s fine,” was all he got in response.

The room was cozy, dusty, impersonal. It had been decades since Overwatch had any real presence on the continent, something that showed in every part of the base. The dorm was small and empty, a little run down, but the bed was big enough for both of them.

There was a small pile of gear on the desk, Mako’s gun and mask, some biotic canisters. None of Jamison’s gear had survived the explosion.

“I’m going to have to build a new gun, aren’t I?” Jamison asked. He was going to have to start over on everything. There was nothing left.

Then he caught his reflection in the mirror. It was jarring, to see his own face on an unfamiliar body. The wires and the plates and the joints. He was staring at the stranger in the glass when something soft smacked him in the face. One of Mako’s shirts.

Jamison unfolded the soft, faded material. He couldn’t even feel the texture of the cotton. “I’m pretty hideous now, ain’t I, Roadie? Uglier than ever.” He pulled the shirt over his head, wincing at the ache and pull of his healing muscles. 

“I don’t care how you look, Jamie,” Mako said quietly. “As long as I have you here with me.”

Frowning, Jamison washed his face in the sink. He liked being away from the constant supervision of the hospital room. All he wanted was to be left to his misery. He didn’t care about calibration or pulmonary function or anything like that.

He flopped onto the bed, glowering at the ceiling. Mako lay beside him, sighing and resting his hands on his stomach. “You don’t have to like this,” he said.

“Good. ‘cause I don’t.”

“You should be nicer to Doctor Ziegler.”

Jamison snorted. “Why?”

“For me.”

That wasn’t fair. Jamison would have continued being an asshole with no regrets if it weren’t for those two words. Because he would do anything for Mako, even if it meant letting some doctor make him miserable every damn day.

He would survive. Just for Mako. Even if he hated what he had become. It’s not like when he lost his leg, lost his arm. That had been before he had Roadie, and he had fixed himself up on his own. On his own terms. He had still felt whole, even with a peg leg and a scrap arm.

Now he was premium alloys and advanced sensors, and he had never felt more broken. Even Mako wouldn’t look at him, wouldn’t touch him. They treated him as though he was fragile, made of glass and not the strongest metal his body could carry. 

He woke in the night panting and sweating. The same nightmares that had followed him for years. Metal fingers scrabbling at the plates on his chest, the wire channels running to his neck. He needed it off.

Two massive hands closed around the thin metal joints of his wrists. Calloused fingers, chipped nail enamel. Mako.

“Jamie,” he said.

“Roadie,” Jamison croaked. They had done this before. Countless times. 

He was surprised when Mako threw his arms around Jamison, pulling him close. It was the first time he had truly touched him since he woke up in that damned hospital.

“I’ve got you,” Mako whispered. He didn’t even wince at the feeling of metal against his skin. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Jamison huffed in disbelief, but nuzzled into Mako’s chest. The familiar sound of Mako’s raspy breathing helped to ground him. “I’m the one who almost croaked. I just didn’t want to leave you with all these Overwatch weirdos.”

“They’ve been good to us.” Mako murmured. “We owe them.”

“You’re too nice. We don’t owe them shit, and the first chance I get im going to rob them.”

Mako chuckled. “They could help get rid of those soldiers.”

“I’m done with soldiers,” Jamison groaned. “I’m done with everything. I just wanna go back to the shack and drink my weight in beer.”

“We will.”

[morri-m]

Byakuya helping an injured Makoto who got jumped in the street and injured cuz no one hurts his little brother:

It was 11:45 PM. Byakuya was lying on sofa and reading one of his usual crime novels, a glass of water on the coffee table in front of said sofa.

He read word after word until a disruptive knock on the door stopped him from reading, and he groaned in annoyance as he shut his book and aggressively sat it on the couch arm, mentally preparing himself for yelling at whoever had interrupted him at this hour.

But all thoughts of ever doing that ended as he looked at the person standing in his doorway.

Because standing there covered in bruises, bleeding scars, a black eye and a definitely broken wrist was Makoto Naegi. Someone who he would never admit, felt like a little brother to him.

Acting like his heart hadn’t just shattered into a billion pieces, the blonde gripped his friend’s shoulders and in a very aggressive tone asked; “who did this!?”

The smaller boy sniffled in reply as he hugged Byakuya tightly, not caring about the pain that shot through his tiny body, as he was just so happy to be with someone he trusted again.

And though it had taken him off guard, the older one hugged him back as gently and carefully as he possibly could, whispering reassuring words into his ear.

“Mako, it’ll be alright. Come inside. I’m going to tend to these wounds, and than you’re going to tell me exactly what happened so that I can get it dealt with.”

Every word that came out of Byakuya’s mouth was stern, like Byakuya was demanding that it happen. And knowing what he was like, it most certainly would.

Makoto only nodded and sobbed more, and his taller friend proceeded to wrap an arm around his little frame and guide him into his living room where he had been a few moments prior to this.

The brunette sat down on the couch and let more tears slide down his deeply sad and terrified looking face, crying out in pain, and Byakuya, as calmly as he usually tried to portray himself, than placed a hand on Makoto’s shoulder soothingly.

“Makoto, I’m going to go and get some stuff to treat all of this. I should be back in a few minutes or so. Just stay still and try not to move at all. Don’t worry, I’m going to help you as best as I can.”

———

Byakuya went upstairs to the bathroom were he kept medical stuff like bandages, medicine, and much more. He grabbed whatever he needed to treat Makoto extremely quickly and than went back downstairs once he had everything he needed from the bathroom, and than he had to go to the kitchen to wet a cloth to clean up those bloody scars.

“Okay, Mako. I’m back now. Let’s start with treating these cuts. But I’m warning you now, this will hurt a little.”

The green eyed boy was nervous about the hurt but, but nodded anyway as Byakuya placed the cloth on Makoto’s arm and carefully began to clean it, placing his left hand under Makoto’s one to stabilise himself.

Sure enough, the younger one flinched as the elder took care of cleaning up the blood, and after about three minutes of doing so and after cleaning up his right arm, sat the now blood-soaked towel down and than began to bandage up the limbs.

“Dear god, this is so bad I should probably be driving you to the hospital right now.”

The tall blue eyed man sighed as he finished wrapping up Makoto’s arms, he than moved onto the wrist which he had left unbandaged for obvious reasons.

“I’ll put this in a cast. I know how to make one, you can trust me. My family made sure I was trained for this sort of thing growing up. I know what I’m doing.”

Makoto nodded his head again whilst Byakuya got to work at tending to his wrist.

He knew how to make casts, it was yet another thing he had been trained in. And it didn’t take long for him to have dealt with Makoto’s wrist.

“Another one done with. I think this is all the major injures now. I’ll get you some ice for your bruises, can you show me if you have any more other than your face?”

The little one made an “mhm” kind of noise before lifting up his shirt and hoodie a little, revealing quite a lot of bad looking bruises on his stomach.

“Jesus Christ..” Byakuya uttered in disbelief. And he still had no idea how this had happened! Which just angered him even more.

“Wait here again. Like I said, I’ll get ice for this.”

And so he left the room and headed for the kitchen again, trying to find a cloth he could use to wrap up the ice in, frowning when he realised that he couldn’t find anything.

He than looked at his blazer. It would work, but was he really going to lend it to a commoner so that they could relieve some of their pain? Even if he had such a strong bond with them?

Yes. Yes he would. He immediately removed the article of clothing and got some ice from the freezer, wrapping it up in the material.

Byakuya than went back to Makoto and handed him it, the lucky one seemed to notice that it was his blazer and looked at his friend in surprise.

“Well this is unlike you.” He smirked, as if he hadn’t almost been crying in pain a few good minutes ago now.

“Oh be quiet. You should be thankful I even did this for you at all.”

“Whatever you say, Kuya.”

———

After another few minutes the blonde asked Makoto another question.

“Does Kyoko know about this? You’d better tell her if you haven’t. Actually, tell me what happened to you first.”

“I-I.. Some people jumped me on the street. They took my wallet after beating me up. I-I knew your house was close by so I went to see you because I knew you’d maybe help.”

To say Byakuya was taken aback from the tragic story was most definitely an understatement. He was going to murder whoever did this to Makoto.

“Oh god, Mako.. T-that’s..”

He felt awkward and slightly sympathetic. And for once, he gave Makoto a hug rather than the other way round. It definitely surprised the smaller one, but he was happy to be hugged by someone like Byakuya nevertheless.

“I’ll call Kyoko, I’ll tell her what happened. You just stay here and rest a little. Maybe try and go to sleep. In fact, would you like a painkiller?”

Makoto replied with another nod, and so yet again the older one had to go upstairs to his bathroom to get one of the painkillers he had with the rest of his medicine to give to the littler one.

———

“Here.” Byakuya said as he walked back into the living room and placed a new glass of water on the coffee table and the pill in Makoto’s good hand.

The brown haired boy gave him a look of gratitude as he put it in his mouth and took a sip of water, swallowing them both at the same time.

“Thanks, Kuya.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Makoto. What else am I supposed to do with my injured friend appearing at my door suddenly during the night?”

The blonde than cringed as he realised that for once he had referred to him as his friend, and sure enough, Makoto now had a playful smirk on his face, and than his eyes flooded with fake tears.

“Huh...? We’re friends!!? Oh my god I can’t believe it! Byakuya Togami has a soul after all!”

“Shut up”

———

Makoto was now curled up under Byakuya’s left arm, softly snoring whilst he slept. Kyoko wouldn’t be able to come over due to the fact that she had to deal with something, so Makoto had to crash at Byakuya’s house.

The smaller boy was snuggled against his chest, and Byakuya was pretty much stuck there since he knew it would disturb Makoto if he moved. Plus, he often could still hear people while he was still early to being asleep, therefore Makoto would hear any sudden movement.

Byakuya rubbed soft, solacing circles into his back, trying to make him sleep even deeper, and Makoto cuddled him even more.

It was going to be a long night.

[appleb18]

Cartoons Relationships Are Terrible

Back in the day of cartoons, the romantic subplots were simple and yet very heartwarming to see such as 

Katara and Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender

Phineas and Isabella from Phineas and Ferb 

But now, modern cartoons are taking romantic subplots into heavier territories that something that some live-action shows would do. While it does sound interesting that making relationships more realistic and complex but the way that has been written in the previous decade is pretty bad. The writers try to make romance relatable to the audience but fail on doing so such as making likable characters to really cringy and awful people, shoving down our throats of how cute it is and having the romantic subplot more focus than the actual plot.

Adventure Time and Regular Show 

So you must be wondering why I put Adventure Time and Regular Show together instead of separate categories. The thing about these two shows is they used to have bad romantic subplots but as the show progresses, they really did it well and I have to say it did better than most cartoons that failed to do which I’ll talk about later. 

For Adventure Time, Finn and Flame Princess broke up in “Frost and Fire” due to him deceiving her by having FP fight Ice King/Simon Petrikov for his amusement

After their break, he tries to rekindle his romantic feelings for Princess Bubblegum and thinks age is just a number in “Too Old”. However, it doesn’t end up too well that she has people to watch over and that’s when he realized that he really did donk up with Flame Princess. 

Although he apologized to FP in “Earth and Fire” to her it didn’t fully restore their relationship and Finn still had romantic feelings for her and Princess Bubblegum. 

Thankfully, Finn matures in later seasons.

Finn realized it’s better for him to be friends with Princess Bubblegum 

He then fully apologized and realized what he has done wrong to Flame Princess and she tells him that he really matured and hang out by playing guess who and rapping in “Bun Bun” 

and Princess Bubblegum, and Marceline. They both finally reconcile at the end of “Varmints” and start to hang out more which develops their relationship from being platonic to romance.

For Regular Show, in “Steak Me Amadeus' ' Mordecai asked Margaret to be his girlfriend and although she would like that, she can’t because she got accepted into college which broke his heart.

It didn’t last when he’s been reunited with CJ in “New Years Kiss”. 

As the show progresses, the two become a couple but then things get complicated when Margret returns. It made things awkward between CJ, Mordecai, and Marget like CJ always gets jealous and runs away when she sees Mordecai and Margret together. 

By the end of season 6, he dumps CJ in front of everyone in Muscle Man's wedding. 

Like Adventure Time, Mordecai and Margret hangout and realized they should stay as friends in “Just Friends” 

While Eileen and Rigby become a couple. 

Now it’s time to talk about other cartoons shows and their romantic subplot problem  

Steven Universe 

Steven Universe relationships can sometimes be well written but most of the time can handle poorly.

Such as Lars and Sadie were starting to develop their relationship in “Joking Victim” however it repeats itself throughout three seasons until the end of season 4 where Lars develops. Then there’s Sadie trapping him and Steven on the island in “Island Adventure” so he won’t have to leave and they don’t resolve and don’t even mention it ever again in later seasons. All they show was Sadie scar and that’s it

In “Steven Universe: Future”, Sadie and Lars didn’t get together and she’s now with Shep and they did it off-screen. So throughout the whole thing with Lars and Sadie, they don’t get together. The show kept teasing it and they might get together in the future but the writers just said screw it, let's have her date a nonbinary while Lars goes on a space adventure. It feels like a waste of seeing those two characters that the show keeps showing them together and not have them become a couple. Unlike SvTFoE, Shep just came out of nowhere with no proper introduction and doesn’t establish they and Sadie's relationship and it’s really bothersome! 

Connie and Steven's relationship was good for the first four seasons. It was really had good chemistry and she was a good partner for him 

then season 5 came in and it kinda got ruins by after Steven escape from Gem Homeworld and coming back to Earth, it starts off with Connie leaving Steven with lion and never to be seen for a month according to “Keven Party”. The Steven and Connie arc was really bad like why was it dragged for five episodes? The whole thing could’ve been resolved in one episode by having them talk about their feelings like how “Mindful Education” and “Full Disclosure” did by they talk about their emotions instead of running away. 

Then in “Gemcation”, Steven the most important thing to him is Connie's relationship than worrying about Lars and the Off Colours' safety. That has to be the dumbest thing I’ve heard in my life and I can’t believe Rebecca and the Crewniverse have written it like that. 

Then there’s Ruby and Sapphire. I’ll be honest, the relationship feels like old Disney love stories like Cinderella, Seven Dwarfs, and Sleeping Beauty and that’s not a compliment. In “The Answer”, after they accidentally fused, they escape and wander Earth that caused them to fall in love which kinda contradicts what Garnet said to Jamie about love, at first sight, isn’t good in “Love Letter”. 

In “Pink Diamond” Arc, the plot came to hold to make room for Ruby and Sapphire’s wedding. 

While it is revolutionary that they show an LGBT wedding live on television but as a narrative standpoint, it feels rushed. The reason for that is after that Blue and Yellow came in after the wedding. They were no build-up or anything, they just came.The reason why they did it so some countries can’t take it down due it the main story which is stupid. It’s nice they represent LGBT but why in the middle of a major story arc, that’s just sloppy. 

Voltron 

So Voltron has a reputation of queerbaiting the audience that Shiro is gay and he has a boyfriend. The writers keep telling us on Twitter that they’ll show his boyfriend in season 7 but when it finally aired. It was terrible 

The first time we saw Adam was a flashback but it was nothing, it was more friendship than romance. 

When he finally shows up in the present he dies. Shiro goes to the memorial and signs than that’s it. 

The writers really made a dumb move of hyping it up but they let us down by having him die. They try to make it up by having Shiro marrying some guy who has a very little screen in the final season. Similar to Regular Show with Mordecai marrying a batgirl but not dumb while Voltron trying to get brownie points for having LGBT rep. 

Lance and Allura were really forced. For six seasons, Allura was never interested in Lance and only saw him as a friend but in season 8, the two confessed their love for each even though there wasn’t any chemistry nor sign that they truly love each other and they insensitively become a couple for one date. I would’ve supported if their relationship was established back in season 2 

The Legend of Korra

The love triangle between was handled so poorly with bad timing, making characters look terrible, making things force and having it engage more than the plot. 

For the first season, there was a love diamond. Bolin liked Korra, Korra likes Mako and Mako liked Asami and those two go out. Korra and Mako kissed which broke Bolin’s heart but he got over it but when Asami finds out when Korra was missing, she gets jealous. I understand that she was concerned about her relationship with Mako but during when Korra, the avatar that is missing while Equalis are on the move? That’s not the right moment to get jealous when Republic City is gonna be under attack but of course, Mako and Asami break and Korra gets in with Mako. 

In season 2, things get worse when the happy couple keep nagging and they break up

Which he tries again with Asami 

After Korra got her memories back but forgot breaking up with Mako, she asked him if it was bad however though he lied and everyone judged him for that dick move, especially Asami who started to have feelings for him again. Thankfully they broke up because that was just an awful way to get someone back by having their mind erased. 

Also, Bolin was with Eska and it was abusive. Forcing him to be her man, changed his whole entire to match with hers and she forced him to marry her. 

What’s worst about it is no one is concerned about him being with her and instead they just laugh like it’s supposed to be funny. Being in an abusive relationship isn’t funny and I hate how the show treats it so. By the end, they just forgot the whole thing that ever happened and moved on with their lives. 

Season 3 and 4 kept the romance to a minimum with Bolin x Opal and Jinora x Kai but there was one romantic relationship that had to happen with no hints or build up and it’s Korra x Asami. By the end of the series, they decided to go to the spirit together while holding hands and having their eyes glazed toward each other and they become a couple. 

While many of you may say that they hinted it since season 3, however, it looks like friendship. Blushing and writing to her isn’t enough to say they have feelings towards each other. That is what best friends do too. The creators even have to confirm that they are a couple and the comics showing their love while it’s nice and all but it would’ve been a lot better to show it either on streaming service or live television than buying volumes to see more of their pairing, it’s balderdash. Now it’s time to talk about a cartoon that has one of the worst romance I’ve ever seen in my entire life of watching shows. 

Star vs The Forces of Evil

Star vs The Forces of Evil has one of the WORST romantic subplots I’ve ever watched, it is even worse than CW’s Arrowverse romance and that’s saying something. The romantic subplot makes Star and Marco look like terrible people that only care about each other more than other characters. 

Jarco 

Out of all ships in SvTFoE, Jarco has the most establishment than most others. Marco liked Jackie when he was little and it was bound to happen that those two will date. Ever since season 1, the relationship has been growing to platonic to a romantic couple in season 2. 

Their chemistry together worked well but then “Sophomore Slump”. When Marco finally went back to Earth, he was obsessed with Mewni and Star and he won’t stop talking about and he still wears the cape. When Jackie told him to stop obsessing over Mewni which he tries to do but it got the better to him by he still wears the cape when he was on his date with Jackie. It’s really BS when Marco said to Jackie “You’re my best friend” which ruined everything that it established since season 1 and this, of course, caused them to break up.

 Then he left Earth to go to Mewni the day after their break up. It’s a real shame that building up their relationship and giving Jacie character got shoved aside for Starco. Although she returns and meets up with him again I can’t help feeling that it just for fan service and being inclusive for Jackie being Bi

Tomstar 

Before the show started, Star and Tom were a couple but broke up due to him getting angry very easily and he wanted her back for the past two seasons luckily he stopped trying in “Mr. Candles Cares”. Their relationship becomes healthier when Tom gives Star space and that causes them to get back together and not have feelings for Marco anymore.

 Tom went through a lot of development for Star and it was a Mewni x Monster romance which is similar to Eclipsa and Globglor and it fits season 3. After rewatching it, it was pretty good. However, like Jarco, it was doomed from the start due to fans wanting Starco to be canon even though Tomstar was getting good. Also, Star was a terrible girlfriend to him. 

Star never told him she kissed him, Marco did and when Tom confronted her about it, she got mad and tried to walk away. 

She mistreats him by nagging somethings, blowing on his face and angrily ask translate

She declined on going on a vacation with him so she can be with Marco.

Even his mom was afraid that she might break his heart again and her response “Everybody breaks up. That’s what teenagers do! Teenagers are dumb”. He went through so much development, changed his character and gave her so much but she never returned the favor. What an awful girlfriend 

Kellco

With Tom and Star getting together (for now) it left Marco feels devastated that she’s dating someone and can’t get rid of his feelings for her while Kelly doesn’t want to be with Tad which she broke up with him. They both have something in common and start to hangout and their relationship has developed throughout season 3 and he’s with her more than Star. 

They became officially a couple as “breakup buddies” in “Kelly’s World” and it also when they did a perfect synchronization between two partners. 

So they’re pretty much a good pair but everything changed when the episode “A Boy and His DC-700XE” and did an off-screen break up. I don’t care who or what you write but never, ever a major plot point or character development offscreen. Kelly finds happiness when she leaves Tad but they break up with no explanation. It was glossed over like for five seconds and Marco doesn’t even care about their break up, what an a*hole. 

This relationship feels like a real waste of time and serves nothing to the plot nor character development, it was just there to waste time.

Starco

Before I talk about Starco, I used to ship it and I thought they were enjoyable characters. They would've worked in a relationship if things were written better and would have been the next Phineas and Isabella but sadly the writers messed up probably the easiest romance to write. 

Season 1, Star and Marco became best friends. Although there weren't many romantic moments they still look pretty good together 

Season 2, As Star was happy for Marco that she’s finally dating Jackie, the girl he has had a crush on since preschool,

 on the other hand, she started to have feelings for him and she has trouble expressing it. 

In season 3, Marco started to have feelings for Star which caused him and Jackie to break up. Star told him that he wants nothing to do with him romantically in “Lint Catcher” and Tad told him that he does have feelings for her in “Lava Lake Beach” and he wasn't happy to find out about it at all. Then in Booth Buddies, they were held hostage by some freak until they kiss and they were completely in denial about having feelings for each other

Then season 4 is when Starco becomes really sour. Star and Marco always keep saying that they don’t want to have feelings for each other and yet the writers have several episodes before the end of the series

. They never showed any romantic interest until “Mama Star” where he confessed his feelings to her and then they kissed in the second last episode. By the finale, instead of either of them going back to their dimensions they went back to the World of Magic and held each other. It would’ve been more meaningful if they got together before the end of the  show. 

It’s very odd that they risk their lives for a relationship that just started. However, for some miracle, both of their worlds collide and become one with no explanation of what so ever. 

Starco could’ve been a lovely ship but the writers have to keep messing around with it till the very end. 

Conclusion 

Whenever a show presents a romance, I don’t mind as long it either fits with the narrative of the story it be fun but 2010s romantic subplots have been written very terribly by having it the main focus but sacrifice pacing and quality of the story, forcing characters to become a couple without establishing it enough in the show, and having characters go off for the sake of drama. Romantic stories can be simple and cute like Kim x Ron from Kim Possible, Suki x Sokka from Avatar: The Last Airbender and Starfire x Robin from Teen Titans and that’s all right. I do hope that this generation will fix what the previous decade of cartoons has failed to do. 

[much-obliged-timothy]

Whumptober #12

Mass Effect - #12 - Broken Bones

*

“Just like the old days in the Mako, huh?” Kaidan said as they sped along. 

Shepard scoffed. “This handles way easier than the Mako. I can’t even remember how many times I flipped that damn thing.”

“I can,” Garrus said. “I still have the scars.”

Shepard clapped him on the shoulder. “One more scar won’t make a difference.”

“You’re hilarious,” Garrus said dryly. 

“Are we staying with these contacts, or heading back to the Normandy after?” Kaidan asked, deciding to break up their little fight before it could grow into a true argument about driving. 

“It depends on how long this meeting takes. We need to negotiate for that supplies, and it sounds like it could take a while,” Shepard said. “We should reach their outpost in an hour at this rate. It’ll start to get dark around then. We might be better off staying for the night, depending on how the negotiations go.”

“And if they go poorly?” Garrus said.

“Then it’s a good thing Kaidan seems to like this vehicle so much, because we might be sleeping in it,” Shepard said.

“Whoa, hey, I never said I liked it. I was just being nostalgic. I don’t want to sleep in this thing,” Kaidan said.

“Then we all better be on our best behavior at these negotiations,” Shepard said.

“I’m always on my best behavior, Shepard,” Garrus said.

Shepard sighed heavily. “Should’ve brought Tali.” 

He drove down a particularly sharp incline and onto flatter land. Kaidan saw the way Shepard tensed up the slightest, like he always did in this terrain. 

But other than that slight tensing, he didn’t slow down or hesitate. Despite the horror he’d faced on Akuze, he kept going, not letting any fear show on his face.

Kaidan and Garrus shared a quick, silent look. Shepard had a lot of nightmares to battle, and the thresher maw attack he’d survived on Akuze was no different. He shouldered on against the horror, but he didn’t have to do it alone.

“Shep, what’s our tactic for this negotiation?” Kaidan asked, to keep Shepard’s mind occupied on something else.

Shepard shot him a knowing look, but played along. “Neutral, at first. We’ll hear what they want in exchange for the supplies, and adjust our attitude from there. If it’s something simple, we can do this the nice way. If they want to be stubborn, so can we.”

“I like being stubborn,” Garrus said, perking up a bit. 

“No drawing weapons on them,” Shepard said sternly. “We need to-”

He cut off with a loud curse, spinning the wheel. The vehicle kicked up debris as it swung to the side, narrowly avoiding the eruption of ground as a thresher maw tore through.

So much for keeping Shepard’s mind off of thresher maws.

Kaidan and Garrus had their guns out already, aiming and firing as Shepard tried to regain control of the vehicle. He swung it around to face the thresher maw, firing from the vehicle’s cannons. 

His expression was that hardened one he always got during battle, no sign of the sudden fear spiking through him on instinct. He’d faced thresher maws before, and he could handle this if he could just keep a level head.

The thresher maw spat acid at them, and Shepard maneuvered the vehicle around it. Kaidan and Garrus were shooting, bracing themselves against the side of the vehicle as Shepard weaved around to make them a harder target to strike.

The thresher maw dove back underground, and Shepard continued weaving the vehicle, eyes darting around for any sign of it. The whole ground was shaking now, and he couldn’t pinpoint where the damn thing would come up.

“Should we retreat?” Kaidan asked.

“No, we’ll just have to fight it on our way back. If we have to stay out after dark because of bad negotiations, we don’t want that thing out there with us,” Shepard said. “Best to take it down now. Stay on your guard.”

The ground shook harder. Shepard saw the ground before them starting to give, and tried to twist the vehicle away.

But he was just a fraction too slow, and the thresher maw burst forward, striking the side of the vehicle. It went airborne, spinning in the air, and Shepard tried to cling to the wheel.

But then the vehicle crashed to the ground, and Shepard was flung from the force of impact. He soared through the air, limbs flailing.

Shepard crashed to the ground, and howled out in agony as his legs hit first. The sound of breaking bones echoed through his ears as the rest of him hit the ground.

He laid there, panting desperately as pain tore through him, his vision blurring with it. He dug his fingers into the ground, desperate to stay conscious. His friends. He had to know what had happened to his friends.

He fought past the pain to gently move his neck. Not broken. His back hurt, but he could move it, so that was good. Both arms were banged up, but seemed alright to move.

His legs were the problem.

He’d landed wrong, and both were broken. He tried to drag himself forward, but the pain was too great, and dark spots swarmed his vision. He pressed his forehead to the ground, sucking it air until his vision steadied. 

Not good, not good.

“Kaidan! Garrus!” he cried hoarsely. 

“Shepard!”

That was Kaidan’s voice, not too far off. But where was Garrus?

“Garrus!” he called.

“He’s okay,” Kaidan called back. “Trapped in the vehicle. I’m trying to get him out.”

Shepard tried to drag himself forward again, but abandoned the attempt when his vision wavered. He couldn’t risk passing out now. His friends needed him.

Instead, he grabbed his gun and twisted the best he could to aim at the thresher maw. It’s focus was on Kaidan, and it reared back to spit acid.

“Kaidan! Move!” Shepard yelled, firing on the thresher maw.

Kaidan dove to the side as the acid struck where he’d just been standing. Some of it caught the vehicle, disintegrating part of it. Kaidan ran back, slamming the butt of his gun against the weakened vehicle until the side caved in.

Kaidan helped haul Garrus out. Both men were bloodied but standing. Garrus had a mild limp, but both back up and aimed their guns, which was good. They could still fight.

They were backing towards where Shepard laid. Kaidan gestured to Garrus, who pushed past his limp to move around and draw the thresher maw’s attention.

Kaidan ran to Shepard, eyes going wide as he took in his condition. He dropped to his knees beside Shepard.

“Shep,” he said, sounding a little helpless. He took a deep breath, replacing his concern with determination. “Can you move?”

Shepard shook his head. “Legs are both broken. I’ll pass out if you try to move me.”

“Joker, we need an immediate evac,” Kaidan said. “Shepard needs medical attention, and Garrus and I need backup.”

“ETA two minutes,” Joker replied.

“Dammit,” Kaidan hissed. He reached out, then hesitated.

“Just my legs,” Shepard said, grip tightening on his gun. “I can still fight.”

“Don’t.” Kaidan’s voice was sharp. “If you shoot at it, you’ll draw its attention. You can’t move out of the way of an attack. It’ll kill you, Shepard. Garrus and I will keep it distracted.”

“You need me,” Shepard argued. “You can’t take that thing down on your own.”

“And you can’t move,” Kaidan shot back. “You’re down for this one, Commander. You stopped it from taking out the vehicle and killing us back there. You did your part. Let us have your back now.” He placed a firm hand on Shepard’s shoulder. “None of us are dying here. That includes you.”

Kaidan moved to get up, but Shepard gripped his ankle. “I lost my whole team on Akuze. That’s not happening again. I can still fight.”

“You can’t move!” Kaidan said, gesturing to Shepard’s broken legs. “Shepard, please. Let us protect you. You’re not good to us dead. You need to trust that we can handle this. Do you trust us?”

Shepard reluctantly pulled his hand away from Kaidan’s ankle. “I trust you, Kaidan.” 

“Don’t move, and don’t shoot at it. It shouldn’t pay any attention to you if you just stay still,” Kaidan said, and took off running away from him.

Following those orders was a tough ordeal, especially after Garrus’s injury caused him to have a close call with the thresher maw’s acid spit. But he managed to evade it in the end, even as Shepard aimed his gun with a pounding heart.

Bursts came from above, striking the thresher maw. Shepard craned his neck to look up, and relief flooded him as the Normandy sailed past, firing relentlessly at the thresher maw. It evaded the thresher maw’s retaliation easily, and managed to take the damn thing down without much of a struggle. 

The ship landed as Kaidan and Garrus hurried back to his side. Kaidan reached out and gripped his shoulder.

“Thank you, Commander,” he said seriously. 

“You guys have my back. I know that,” Shepard said with a nod. “There’s no one in the galaxy I trust more than my crew. My friends.”

“Shepard, what the hell have you done this time?” Chakwas demanded as she hurried over, Tali helping her push a stretcher. “How are you even still conscious?”

“Sheer determination,” Shepard said, and laid his head down as a wave of dizziness came over him. “But the adrenaline is wearing off. Think I might pass out soon.”

Chakwas sighed heavily. “That’s probably for the best. Let’s get you on board so I can check the extent of the damage. Is your spine alright?”

“Everything is sore, but only my legs are broken,” Shepard assured. 

“This is going to hurt,” she warned as she knelt beside him. “Kaidan, Garrus, help me move him onto the stretcher. Carefully.”

“Ready, Shep?” Garrus said, getting his hands under Shepard.

He really wasn’t ready. But he meant it when he said he trusted them.

“Go ahead. And I’m begging you to shoot me up with all the morphine on the Normandy,” Shepard said. 

“One look at your legs has me planning on it,” Chakwas assured him.

The three counted down and carefully lifted him. Despite how cautious they were, Shepard cried out in pain, burying his head against the nearest shoulder as his vision finally went dark.

As he lost consciousness, his last thought wasn’t even concern for whether or not his legs could heal properly from this. Instead, he thought to himself how glad he was that his friends had survived the attack to carry him to safety. 

[s-ephiroth]

Sephiroth Week 2020 ( @week-of-silver-winds )

Day 1 - The Cat In The Box [Specimen]

( Also available on AO3 )

"Are you still sure you want to go down there?" Genesis asked him. "There's still time to back away, you know? After all, he was the one who—"

"Yes, I'm aware of that. He did it three times. It's seared into my soul by this point."

He chuckled, but the sound of it was slightly off; a little anxiety showing its colors during their exploration of the place, though Sephiroth would refuse to admit it. It could've been an eternity since then, but still. Walking through areas so full of medical equipment — abandoned medical equipment — never failed to do a number on him on the inside.

"I know that you're aware. What I mean to say is that, once awake again — if we can get him to wake up, that is — he'll try again, Sephiroth. And he will succeed if he tries."

"Of course. That's what he does," he nonchalantly spoke of the matter, "Then I die, and it'll happen again and again and again. Maybe this time he'll even keep something of mine as a trophy, I believe. It wouldn't be so bad. A proof of my existence for the museums and all that. Not that I really want the fame."

"Sephiroth, please. I'm trying to show concern for your well-being here."

"Hn. I always thought you reserved that for Angeal only, after all that happened. And yet, here we are."

Genesis let out a dramatic sigh.

"You're insufferable. Is this, by any means, some sort of revenge for Loveless? Hitting the bits where it hurts worse?"

That of all things stole a little smile from Sephiroth. A little maybe. But that really was Sephiroth, so it was likely to be part that and part dodging the concerns of others about himself… albeit in a somewhat twisted way. A wounded wolf trying to bite when poked right in his wounds. Fair enough, but still—

"Bastard," Genesis mumbled under his breath, with a little touch of poorly disguised fondness.

Sephiroth had approached the door to the next chamber and pressed a hand against it, gently. Even under his gloves, the metal felt cold. It was falling apart at the edges and somewhat rusted, as most of the underground structure seemed to be after that long, but it still held itself up.

Unlike the rest of the city.

Unlike him.

"So are you," he mused aloud, "and you know it. The two of us are bastards... Unlike him."

"Who? Your murderous cat inside the box?"

Sephiroth shook his head and simply said, "No, Angeal."

Another sigh.

"You speak of me but you hold him on a pedestal way more than I do, you know that? He… our Angeal… could be a bastard, too, when he wanted. Sometimes a sneaky one at that. A soft bastard."

Genesis was pretty sure that he heard Sephiroth mumbling "our Angeal" under his breath before trailing off to process what it could've meant. He itched to explain his point about that, but thought that Sephiroth wouldn't believe him even if that bit of extra information was presented to him. So he left it at that and forbade himself from thinking once more that, had things not fallen apart as spectacularly as they did, he could've sat down in his living room at Shinra back in the day with Angeal and Sephiroth both and possibly arrived at a pleasant agreement about what he wasn't explaining directly now.

He focused on the fact that Sephiroth and him were deep down into the ruins of what used to be Deepground, instead.

And that they probably shouldn't be, but Sephiroth insisted on coming and opening the box; to discover if the cat inside was alive or dead. Or severely traumatized and ready to kill someone.

"I miss Angeal," Sephiroth said, "I wish he was here."

If he was, Genesis thought, would there be a cat inside the box to be found?

"Me too," he agreed, instead, "I miss him every day."

Sephiroth had to tear the door down, just like many others on the way. The rust eating away at them made the things troublesome to open normally, even for him. And if he stopped to open them the regular way, he would hesitate.

He was already troubled enough about it that he had to ask.

"What would anyone do to Cloud for him to be down here?"

"Guess."

"But Hojo was dead long after my last revival—"

"Wrong guess. But warm. Try again."

Sephiroth stared at him a little dumbfounded, but tried to think. That was Deepground and he had been down there a few times, under Hojo's supervision. To test things that would disrupt other people's work if tested in the building above. Things that scarred his spirit. Genesis had also been there, he had told him, kidnapped by the rebellious Tsviets and asked to "participate". Asked to offer his cells to them so they could—

"Someone else tried to clone him…?"

What for?

"Bingo," Genesis smirked, "I still don't quite know what for, but if I had to guess... Well, he killed you. When there's someone who can kill a certain Sephiroth in the world and when said Sephiroth is a threat to said world, you have to make sure that certain someone continues existing somehow, you know?"

"That's… idiotic. His clones wouldn't be him. He had to be himself to manage what he did. I don't think it would have worked otherwise."

"Oh. You put him on a pedestal, too. I see."

"I was merely stating the truth as I know it. It wasn't a matter of his strength or ability, but a matter of the technique he used. His capacity of adapting and improvising can't be copied."

"If you say so. But your eyes do sparkle when you speak of him, old friend. I stand by my point, still." Genesis took to leading before continuing, "I only found out because his clones started showing up dead in a few places. And especially now that you came back, it became possible to trace his location."

"Oh… Lucky me," Sephiroth mumbled sarcastically, a little distracted by the conversation, despite the horrifying nature of the topic. After all, he had been to the labs before as basically a lab rat through a significant portion of his life.

He never wished the same on anyone.

But Cloud… Cloud had somehow ended up that way as well, more than once, aside from all the poking around in his mind that Sephiroth himself, along with Jenova, ended up doing.

Hence why, among several other reasons, Sephiroth froze in place when his eyes landed on the mako tube containing him; probably the only truly preserved thing in that entire laboratory.

He didn't look a day older than the last time they fought, aside from his wild, long hair. Sephiroth stared him up and down; his mind a thousand miles away from there, from the scars on that body, mainly those in the center of the chest.

I don't put you on a pedestal, he thought to himself.

I never put you on this pedestal, I—

"...Sephiroth?"

It's Hojo and his legacy who put people on these pedestals. I know it, because—

"Sephiroth, are you listening to me?"

He put me on a pedestal.

"Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth blinked slowly once Genesis stood in front of him and pulled him down a little — because somehow, Sephiroth had returned from the dead even taller than he was before — to keep him from looking too much at the mako tank; to remind him to breathe.

Not that he had forgotten how to breathe. It was more that his breathing had gone all over the place with that sight.

If they all went back in time, that could've been him; staying in the tank for a solid two weeks because Hojo had been dissatisfied with his performance on tests. Grounded in the mako to reflect about his failures.

“Do you… do you want to wait outside?” Genesis asked, a little hesitant, “I definitely can handle—”

“No. It’s… it’s fine, I just… I just— Ah. Let’s just get him out.”

At that, Genesis just stared at him for a few, but far too long seconds before letting go with a sigh and turning to face the cause of their… visit. Would the mako still be fully liquid in there? Or would it have started to solidify by that point? He wondered. Wondered but didn’t let himself get distracted by such thoughts; moving fast to compensate for Sephiroth’s stiffness.

The machines, unlike the doors, could no longer be operated normally. So breaking the glass it was.

Breaking the glass and watching that wild cat fall right into Sephiroth’s arms, trembling like a fish out of water.

[greyfongschemmenti]

Under Pressure 13|15

FryeArcana

Chapter 13

Bombs Ahoy

Summary:

You've made it to the South Pole. As the time is nearing to take down Unalaq in his plans. Will you be able to stop him in time?

Notes:

Some keys:

y/s/n = Your Sister's Name y/s/s/n or y/b/s/n = Your Second Sister's Name/Your Baby Sister's Name y/a/n = Your Aunt's Name

Asami tells everyone the news which causes Korra to get emotional and Tenzin tries to calm her down. “We’re almost there once we’re close we can take Oogi to make it to the healing hut fast.” Korra balls her fists and looks down.

Once we make it to the port everyone hurries on Oogi Tenzin passing Jinora to Bumi who gently sets her down beside Kya. Your eyes sadden as you look down at Jinora taking her hand “hang in there, kid” you whisper as you look at Kya whose face is filled with worry “she’s going to pull through. She’s strong” Kya takes her gaze away from Jinora and looks over at you and softly nods before a sense of guilt washes her “it’s my fault, I encouraged her to guide Korra to the spirit world. She’s stuck there because of me” she whispers her voice pang with emotion as she tears up. “There are always risk when doing anything. Jinora is very mature and strong for her age. You had no idea this would happen. You’ve done all you’ve can to keep Jinora’s body alive. We’ve made it to the South Pole. We have to keep our spirits up for Jinora. She would want us to keep fighting.” You put your hand on the cuff of her shoulder giving her a light squeeze “thanks, y/n. That’s kind of you.” you give her a small smile before dropping your hand down then looking out at the horizon seeing the healing hut coming into view.  

           You offer to hold Jinora to let Kya get down with Tenzin while Korra runs to meet her mother. You pick up Jinora cradling her in your arms and once Tenzin is ready you pass her down to him. Once Tenzin has Jinora in his arms everyone makes their way down from Oogi and make way inside the healing hut. Korra and Kya open the doors for Tenzin, and it surprises the whole group to see the healing hut filled over its capacity with injured soldiers. Your eyes scan the whole room your stomach dropping to witness this scene but your eyes land on a woman with large curly hair taking care of a patient. “y/s/n” you whisper under your breath as you see your now adult younger sister as she is healing a man’s shoulder. Katara turns and sees the group walking towards the team “what happened?” Katara checks out Jinora in Tenzin’s arms “her soul is trapped in the spirit world.”

“oh, my goodness. How long has she been away?”

“Almost a week. I’ve tried to keep her energy flowing, but I can feel her slipping away. You’re the only one who can help her now, mom.” Kya cups Jinora’s cheek as she reports to her mother on Jinora’s health. Oh man almost a week. You don’t know much about spirituality but even for you that’s far too long to be away from your body. Katara and her family walk into the private healing room to help Jinora right away.

You’re standing at the entrance when you start to step forward walking past Team Avatar going towards your sister. “y/s/n” you speak as the woman looks up and her eyes widen as realization hits of who the person calling her name, “y/n!” she drops her wrapping on the tray and hurries to you and gives you a massive hug “Oh Raava, what are you doing here?! Can’t you see were in the middle of a civil war!” she mutters as she steps back looking at you, you let out a single laugh. “I see you’re still the worrying type like mom” you both exchange smiles as she’s letting go of you “it’s been three years since we last saw each other, y/n. Now what are you doing here?”

“I wasn’t going to let you have all the fun. I came with Avatar Korra to help the war front and stop Unalaq. Also, I wanted to make sure you were safe” your eyes soften at the end “I’m glad you are. If anything happened to you…” you trail off as you feel your throat tighten “hey, come here” your sister walks you to a corner of the hut away from the patients and pulls you into another hug “I’m not the same little kid that you dropped off at Aunt y/a/n’s hut anymore. I’ve become quite the healer since studying under Master Katara and Kya. I can handle myself.”  

You nod as you listen to your sister, she’s always been caring, kind, and sensitive. Been in tune with her emotions and always knew when you or y/s/s/n were feeling off or needed a hug. Empathic of your emotions. You pull back as you wipe the couple of tears that were able to escape as your sister looks at the closed doors of the private room “what happened to Master Tenzin’s daughter?” she softly asked, and you explained to your sister Jinora’s condition and you watch your sister’s face saddens. “poor child, but she’s very strong to have lasted this long. If anyone can help it’s Master Katara..”

“she’s the best healer in the world.” You both ended in unison a soft silence comes between the two of you before your sister speaks again.

“so you’re in close company with Avatar Korra. Did you meddle in that too?” she smirks, and you roll your eyes. Your sister always teasing you on how you like to meddle in things especially a hit on the fight that caused your burned scars. “actually no, I didn’t. We kept bumping into each other so why not become friends” you quip. Your sister shakes her head as a fellow healer walks over and whispers in her ear, “ok, I’ll head right over” she whispers back to her. “I have to go, be safe, don’t be reckless, and please don’t try to be a hero.” She stresses as she grips your arms to try to stick those words into your head. “oh-kay, mom” you tease her as you smile. “please, I’m way more fun than mom” she nudges you. “Hey…. mom and dad would be so proud of you, y/s/n. As a person and the healer you’ve become. Especially mom.” you smile as you look at your sister whose eyes tear up with the recognition. “They would be proud of you too, y/n. When push comes to shove you always stand up to do the right thing protecting those who are defenseless. Even though it gets you in tough situations. The way you think things through, I don’t know where you got it whether from mom or dad”

“probably a mix of both” you smile

“Mom was never a fan of violence nor was dad, but I know they would be proud as hell to know their daughter is helping the Avatar save the world. I and y/s/s/n are proud too” She smiles squeezing your shoulder as you smile back. The healer from earlier calls for your sister again and she acknowledges the healer as Tenzin, Kya and Bumi walk out of the private room and start heading out the healing hut. “ok, now I really have to go” you nod understanding and let her go. She stops and turns around to look at you “Whoever you have in your life right now. Keep them close. Your aura has changed drastically for the better since the last time I saw you” she smiles again as she waves goodbye to you and goes back to work. You think over your sister’s words and wondering who she’s talking about. You take one more look at your sister smiling with pride then walk out and meet up with Team Avatar and Team Avatar B, or T.A.B. as Bolin calls it. You’re walking down the stairs as you hear Korra reporting her findings “Unalaq’s got the southern portal surrounded. Harmonic Convergence is only a few hours away.”

Tenzin joins in adding to Korra’s urgency on the matter “then we have to break through the enemy lines ourselves and get to the portal now”

“there’s no use in talking anymore. We know what our mission is.”

Bolin sucks in air through his teeth feeling uncomfortable by a lack of plan

“yeah, a suicide mission”

You look at everyone and try to reason with how dumb it is that Tenzin and Korra are wanting to go aggressive in their plan of attack. “it won’t be a suicide mission if we think this through. We can’t just run in without any sort of plan”

Bumi starts to reminisce on one of his war stories “you know, I was in a similar situation once. My platoon has crawled through the desert with no water for a week, but when we finally located the only oasis for 100 miles, it was surrounded by angry sandbenders. I realized our only chance to get to the water was to drop in from above. So I fashioned together a catapult, and with the help of a few well-trained hog-moneys—” you notice Tenzin’s face starts to shake and his irritation starts to boil over as he explodes

“ENOUGH OF YOUR RIDICULOUS LIES! Can’t you see that the fate of the world and Jinora’s life depends on what we do here today?” Bumi shows a hurt expression as his eyes dart to you when you put your hands up and start to speak to stop Tenzin from blowing up any further “Hold on, I get that was a long story, but Bumi made a valid point and I think it could work...”

“he did?!” Kya’s eyes widen as she looks at you confused that you made sense of one of his outrageous stories.  

“yes, drop from above…an air attack. No one would expect us to hit from the sky”

“Hold on. Maybe Bumi’s right. We don’t have a catapult and hog-monkeys, but we have a flying bison, and there’s a plane on Varrick’s ship. Maybe we can attack from above.”

Korra looks at you and Asami “What are you thinking?” you glance at Asami giving her a nod

“Mako, Bolin, y/n and I can use the plane to create a distraction and scatter some of the defenses. You, Tenzin, Bumi, and Kya can fly into the spirit portal on Oogi when you see an opening.”

“Let's get moving.” Everyone nods understanding the plan.

*

Mako and Bolin stand on either wing while Asami gets in the cockpit to drive the plane. You…you decide you’re going to ride the plane on top of the upper wing like you’re surfing it. Yeah I’m totally not being reckless right now. You bend your cables to wrap around the wings and then it wraps around your waist for added stability and further ground yourself to the plane. The plane takes off and soon you meet up with Oogi and the gang,  

Asami looks at the three of you and starts asking if everyone is ready.

“I'm an earthbender strapped to the wing of a plane hundreds of feet in the air, so, no?” Bolin hollers against the air currents hitting against us “Aw come on Bolin, this is fun! I feel like an airbenders” You smile as you maintain a grip on the cables.  “Don't worry. There's no way they'll be expecting this.” Mako calls out as the clouds start to clear from your view and you see the spirit portal coming into view but there seems to be something flying around the beam of light. “what is that?” you yell out wondering if anyone is seeing the scene in front of you. “Yeah, but do you see that!” Bolin yells back pointing at the circular defense formation around the portal as he holds on tighter on the wing of the plane “I think they were expecting it!” You look down and see the defense of waterbenders and mecha-tanks ready to prepare to fire at you. You ground yourself then watch as large sharp pieces of ice coming in your direction and your eyes widen as you drop down on the stomach to avert getting stabbed. Asami jerks the plane moving out of the way, Mako, Bolin and you try to hold on tight as you guys yell “Asami!”. Asami prepares to maneuver the plan to dodge the attacks coming your way until she gets closer to the camp and orders Mako to fire. Asami makes another turn around then heads back to the camp to get Bolin start throwing explosives and then detonates them using a remote detonator.  You guys keep this plan of attack going throwing explosives and Mako’s fire throwing causing as much destruction to the camp as possible. Giving Korra and the rest of the team an opportunity to get into the spirit portal. Bolin watches the camp in flames and exclaims “I wish Varrick was filming this. (makes a fist pump) We could call it "Nuktuk: Sky Warrior"! Bolin raises his fist in the air triumphantly. You throw another explosive “Now’s not the time, Bolin!” as you press the remote again and another series of explosions go off. Something urges you to look behind and you peer over and see two figures chasing you “uh…guys we have company!” before Asami can try to maneuver away Eska and Desna kick splash towards you guys the water blasts freeze into ice and strike the tail, breaking it in two. The tail of the plane explodes, and it goes into a nosedive. “Brace yourselves!” Asami calls out.  you prepare for the impact trying to stand up once again on the wing you grunt your teeth waiting for the right time to jump off. You bend your cables off and you jump to prevent getting trampled by the plane and land in the snow hard. You slide across a couple snowed land a couple ten feet from impact and knock out cold.

           You’re coming in and out of consciousness as you feel like you’re being dragged and you look up and see Unalaq and you grunt your teeth mustering up your strength and grab his wrists and flip him over into the snow, dropping you and you get up to try to unlock the cuffs but it’s not coming off Platinum “Don’t bother bending yourself out, it’s pure platinum. You didn’t think we would know about you metalbender” Unalaq snared as he sends a splash of water that turns to ice and it hits you at your chest then at your head in a one two punch knocking you back out a slight bruise on the right side of your face. Unalaq and his two creepy kids drop the four of you inside his captain’s quarters. You all grunt once your bodies make impact to the ground and you fall unconscious. “what did you do” Asami looks at you then at Unalaq “she wasn’t cooperating, so she had to be restraint.” Unalaq spoke unbothered by his actions. You wake up from your hit and hear the conversation between Korra and Unalaq you can’t figure out what they’re saying but your hearing clears and you catch Unalaq say “this time, I'll be here to level the playing field. When Harmonic Convergence comes, I will fuse with Vaatu.” Your eyes widen as you turn your head at Unalaq “And together, we will become the new Avatar. A Dark Avatar. Your era is over.” Tonraq leans forward in pain from his injuries looks at his brother both desperate and saddened of his plan.

“Think about what you're doing. I know that you've always had a deep connection with the spirits, but you're still a man. You're still my brother. You're Eska and Desna's father. Are you willing to throw your humanity away to become a monster?”

“I'll be no more of a monster than your own daughter. The only difference is that while she can barely recognize her own spiritual power, I will be in complete alignment with mine. Vaatu and I will be as one”. Unalaq starts raising his voice “No one will be able to stand against us. Keep them locked up.” Unalaq turns to his daughter as Eska turns to her father

“After the Harmonic Convergence, I will come for Korra. “

“Yes, father.”

Tenzin softly speaks his face broken with a newfound sense of lost, with Kya leaning on his shoulder. “I failed in every way. We've lost Jinora forever.”

“There's still a chance. They didn't get Bumi.” Tenzin bows his head and groans, obviously not believing in Bumi at all. You grunt as you turn on your side and sit up “here lean against me, y/n” Asami softly speaks to you as she sits up with you and you guys leans against each other’s sides while Bolin and Mako do the same. “he roughed you up pretty bad, y/n” Bolin commented as he looks over at you. You look confused back at him “what?” then look at Asami and she brings her cuffed hands up to point on her face of the bruise of where yours is. Your curiosity brings your hands up and touch your right side of your temple and it slightly hurts but nothing serious “it doesn’t hurt, it’s just all show. I’m fine. Honestly that drop roughed me up more than those three” you quipped and gave them a small smile to assure them you’re good. Korra looks at her cousins and grunts “we’re wasting time we need to get out of here” she whispers to the group then speaks up “Eska, Desna, listen to me. You've got to help us stop Unalaq. I know he's your father, but Vaatu has made him completely crazy.” Eska and Desna turn to face you guys “We will never turn on our father.”

“Please, if you let me out now, I can still stop him from destroying everything. Once he fuses with Vaatu, no one will be safe. Desna, he won't be your father anymore.”

Desna narrows his eyes, then moves to confront Korra angrily by her words “You don't know what you're talking about! Our father is the wisest man in the world, if he says what he is doing is right, I believe him.”

You plant your palms on the ground as you push yourself up to sit straighter, but you feel a slight rumble in the ground. “hmm?” you plant your hand firmer on the ground and it seems to grow gradually “uh…what’s going on outside?” you ask turning up to Desna and Eska “what human?” you eye her weirdly but keep going “there’s something going on outside I can hear the earth rumbling of something big outside” Bolin moves and puts his ear against the ground and feels the vibrations “oh yeah it’s big”

Desna and Eska look at each other “quit your foolish ba--” your eyes dart to the front of the camp as you and everyone’s heads perk up as you hear a shriek get louder as it approaches the tent to see Bumi spinning in a mecha-tank seat comes crashes into Eska and Desna both from behind, knocking them flat on their backs while he come to a complete stop in front of the group “All right, guys. Rescue time!” he grins as Naga and Pabu jump in the tent knocking Desna and Eska yet again and pins them to the ground.

“that’s quite the entrance, Bumi” you quipped giving him a smirk while everyone else has their jaws dropped shocked to see Bumi alive and well. Bumi starts helping to free everyone as Asami takes out a pin from her hair and helps get you out of yours. Mako and Bolin help Tonraq and everyone steps out as your eyes widen at the scene. The whole encamped is crushed and in flames “Bumi, how did you manage to take out this entire encampment on your own?” Tenzin asks his older brother in disbelief and Bumi reaches in his shirt and pulls out his flute to show Tenzin “I did it all with my trusty flute and- “he hangs his head low in despair “Oh, never mind. You wouldn't believe it anyway.” he begins marching, leading the group away. “Let's get moving” he waves the group out of the camp and you jog up to reach Bumi putting a hand on his shoulder “Hey, Bumi, I believe it. I mean sure you exaggerate a tad, but I think this story will be your best one yet” you smile as you remove your hand and follow the group heading towards the spirit portal.

           Tonraq tries to say that he will fight whoever will come after Korra, but he is in no condition to fight. He can barely walk let alone stand. Korra encourages her father to go back to the healing hut and asks Asami to take her father on Oogi which Asami accepts willingly. Korra and Tonraq embrace exchanging I love you and Asami, Tonraq and Oogi take off. Korra’s plan was Tenzin and his siblings go in search for Jinora while Mako and Bolin guard the portal in case anyone comes. You were welcomed to join whoever you wanted to help while Korra closes the portal, so Vaatu can't escape.

Bolin speaks up nervous “Wait a second. Worst-case scenario: So we're fighting Unalaq, you close the portals, and let's just say something happens to you, are we gonna be trapped in there for eternity?”

“If everything goes as planned, we'll all walk out together after Harmonic Convergence. If not... “. Somber expressions appear on everyone’s faces as Korra bows her head and sighs, then looks up at the group.

“it’s an honor fighting alongside all of you. I don’t regret anything” you speak making eye contact with everyone before landing your eyes at Korra and nods

“Let's go.”

*

Everyone runs into the portal and make it into spirit world. This is not what I was expecting the spirit world to look like. It looks so dark and evil. Your eyes dart to the front of you and there’s a massive tree where a large spirit is trapped inside with Unalaq standing beside it. “Tenzin, go find Jinora!” Korra yells as Tenzin nods and calls for his siblings “Come on!” you look at the young adults ahead of you then at the older group and decide to join Tenzin they have Bolin maybe the siblings will require your earthbending. “I’ll join you; you might need my bending and detective skills. No time to argue” you come with your logic before Tenzin tries to rebuttal he nods, and you guys start running off. You look up at the sky as you’re running with the Kataang kids as you watch the sky turn into a deep purple then feel the earth shift you’re trying to regain balance. You slightly tumble on the ground as it shakes stronger than before, but you push yourself up quickly without skipping a beat and keep running. Your mind races back to Lin and hope she’s safe. For Raava’s sake and mine please be safe Lin.

*

Harmonic Convergence has commenced, and a purple light blankets the landscape in the whole world. The purple light covers Republic City, Lin as she holds her hands in front of her, protecting her eyes from the wind as the dark energy sweeps over her, rendering her and her surroundings in a dark purple hue. Lin looks up toward the sky, and sees green lights dancing in the purple atmosphere. Her eyes widening as she fills with worry “y/n….” she mutters under her breath “…please be ok”. Lin was keeping her part of the deal and was hoping that you were doing the same. Hoping you were safe so you can return to the Republic City. She was really hoping that you were alive and safe so you can come back to her. Please be okay, y/n.

[loopy777]

the big, big problem with airbending and korra, is the fact that in ATLA, we are told and shown over, and over again that the thing that defines airbending, is freedom. certainly, spirituality is a large part of it, but when push came to show, it was freedom and the ability to not be tied down by any one place, that was one of aangs strengths. its not a coincidence that the moment he loses this with appa, that everything goes wrong for him, and it turns around after their reunion.

by comparison, Korra is tied down to places throughout her entire life, and its not really before season 2 that this is no longer the case. she's tied down to the south pole, tenzins home, to republic city. the girl has never in her life, known true, freedom, with the very, very brief exception of between south pole and republic city. if i had been writing the story, this one brief period, i would have had korra for the first time in her life being able to airbend, showing she was finally free.

then have her immediatly lose this brief single window of progress once she comes to republic city, and once again shackles herself to a place, one that ironically was made to train new air nomads. have this be a source of anger for her, and a point of anger towards tenzin as he obviously(in her view) is doing something wrong, as she lost the little progress she made, while under his tutolage. have tenzin struggle not knowing what he's doing wrong, as he hasnt encountered this problem before.

then at the end of the season, korra realises that the problem isnt tenzin's training, but the scars her isolated and completely sheltered upbringing had on her, leading her to decide to actually travel the world, and learn what it is like to just live. then have season 2 start in the middle of that, korra is resentful against the white lotus and her father, but she is finally starting to learn airbending on her own, and is ready for the spiritual step, and as such goes to her uncle to learn...

then have season 2 be about how korra is now trying to learn the spirtual aspects of being the avatar, and chooses a terrible choice for a teacher, as she simply doesnt trust the white lotus to either train her, or help her find a trainer. this could be a great source of conflict, as tenzin could have had an arc, with him realising how stupid the way korra was raised was, and him trying to make ammends, with the two only reconciling at the very end of the season.

I like a lot of what this is doing, especially that you’re dramatizing the sense of freedom that Korra needs to attain.

I think this concept could be linked more directly to what the cartoon was trying to do, though, by making Republic City itself into the symbol/manifestation of Korra’s need for freedom. Air Temple Island itself could be the place where she doesn’t feel the freedom, but those early episodes -- where Korra was fighting crooks and running from cops and sneaking away for Probending and hunting down Equalists -- I think do a good job of showing the kind of freedom she needs and wants. Perhaps those kinds of adventures could lead to her spontaneously Airbending to her surprise, but in such a way that there are no witnesses and she’s not sure if she actually did it. Mako or some other compatriot could have been looking away for a second and assumed something else knocked over that crate or caused the Triad attacker to trip, or something. So we could get a moment where Korra laments Airbending being invisible and doubts her abilities when she goes back to Tenzin in the temple and then can’t Airbend again.

She could even lose the sense of freedom she gets from Republic City when the Equalists start really rising up and the authorities rise up against them.

...

Oooooooh, so maybe the big climax where she Airbends unmistakably against Amon could be not to save Mako, but an action to somehow save the city? Perhaps she keeps Amon from setting off a bomb by remote or something; obviously the whole finale would have to be restructured to accommodate this moment. The story could even play up some location in the city that’s symbolic of its ‘good’ side (other than the Probending arena, if we keep the earlier assault on it), and that’s where Amon is going to do his final big damage.

Anyway, those are my unformed thoughts, but I really do like the idea of making spiritual freedom into the crux of Airbending. Perhaps something could even be uncovered that showed that Airbending ability diminished among the Nomad Elders of Aang’s time as the threat of the Fire Nation grew more apparent, hence their heavy investment in training Aang to fight.

And Korra’s background is perfectly setup for this to be a major theme of her story. It could even be tied into her romance with Asami, and the freedom to act on her feelings. The cartoon tried to eventually say it was about Korra learning compassion, but I never felt like that was a problem for her.

Dang, I really wish the LoK creative team had the time/chance to do another few drafts on their overall story before starting the scripting. There were so many good elements in play, and it was just never brought together.