#for izumi was because he was one of the first people to treat her like an ordinary girl. her biggest worries include not being seen as cute

[tamaharu]

the shikimori anime was a failure because it didnt convey how transgender that girl truly is

[swallowerofdharma]

Which saezuru characters besides Yashiro and Doumeki do you like and why?

It’s Saezuru month! In no particular order:

Aoi

So much time has passed in terms of the release of the first chapters but I find myself thinking back often about her. As the story progressed, we have noticed how the theme of seeing and being seen is a very central and recurring one and the introduction of Aoi works well in that sense. She is in the street and the characters in the building are seeing her through a window above, at a distance. Nanahara thinks that she is Doumeki’s boyfriend, Doumeki doesn’t want to see her, only wanting her to stay away from his new life, Yashiro is compelled to go talk to her, seeing her much better than she has probably ever been seen. It’s a little reciprocal and those scenes under the rain and in the restaurant are so important because we really see Aoi as she is and not through the eyes of her brother. She really needed to be able to communicate with Doumeki to move on and that real motivation made her presence in the story and Yashiro’s meddling so much more meaningful than a plot device to bring Y and D closer and I really liked that. And I would love to know what type of art she creates.

Ryuuzaki

I never gave up on him, I think the banter between Ryuuzaki and Yashiro in present times is so enjoyable. And this is another example of people fitting into the theme of seeing: he looked at Yashiro and saw more than ever he knew and on the other hand Ryuuzaki is someone Yashiro doesn’t see clearly and it’s interesting that, isn’t it. I also like the way they talk, there is intimacy and fun and challenge in that inconsiderate way that has stayed with them since they were both younger. And I think that a very under appreciated element of having sex in these types of stories is the ability to laugh and play. As for the past: in the situations Yashiro put himself in recklessly, Ryuuzaki’s personality and his unwillingness to really hurt Y is much more important than we have given credit for. Ryuuzaki was the gang leader in Matsubara: the other guys would have followed his example in the way they were treating Yashiro and Ryuuzaki wasn’t willing to push too far, hurt Y or really incite violence. He was maybe unconsciously looking out for Y and we see how different the situation is when it’s Misumi the one who takes charge. Who knows, maybe we will see Ryuuzaki again? He may have learned things about Kai in prison.

Hirata

I remain very much non-judgmental when reading fiction, this kind especially. I find it grating when I have to suspend my beliefs too often and I much prefer characters that behave realistically and coherently with who they are, human beings are flawed and contradictory and yakuza are shady and easy to provoke. But it may come as a surprise that one of my favorite characters is actually Hirata. I think he helped me a lot feel like the story was grounded because he is exactly what I would expect from most yakuza. He is one of the most believable characters there is and I enjoyed how his lines were written, the manipulative way he talked with Ryuuzaki, the false way he addressed Misumi and how he could only barely tolerate or openly despised Yashiro. He was a well written antagonist and provided some good moments and an interesting conflict that kept me engaged. And listen, I am who I am, so I might enjoy fictional stabbing scenes more than other people?

Kamiya

Since he appeared with his pants down in an alley I was immediately a fan of him. His facial expressions speak to me: I am fed up with everything and everyone, every single day is Monday and I haven’t time for your drama. I think the external point of view he provided after the time skip was clever and his dynamics with Doumeki so needed to smooth the air. He is also a character that is able to talk and interact with women very normally despite being yakuza and with the introduction of Izumi I believe he can be very useful to have around and he knew how to be discreet but also worried enough to warn Izumi about Doumeki, even vaguely. It’s too early for me to express opinions on newer characters like Izumi that have not yet been fully and actively involved in the story. I think everything has been kept purposefully as a mystery and I am the type of person who has such an ingrained habit of suspended judgment that I am not able to say much yet about ongoing situations and those involved, I lack information to form a strong opinion on newer characters at the moment. Izumi intrigues me a lot, tho. Thank you for the ask!

[fullmetal-scar-simping]

Alright, my Brotherhood character tier list. There are a few characters I could shuffle back and forth between the lower tiers, but thus is the nature of finding most of the cast to be unseasoned and bland.

A mountain of salt and indifference lays ahead:

First tier: No one should be surprised about my top pick. He's the one character I was absolutely rooting for from start to finish, and WOW did I hate what this narrative puts him through. The way this show takes every opportunity to kick him in the ribs while the war criminal characters are given so much sympathy was a ride (derogatory). The absolute anxiety this anime has around what Scar's character represents is palpable and it sucked so hard. In spite of these massive issues, he still managed to be a rich, layered character, and he was the absolute highlight to what was otherwise a trainwreck of an experience. I nearly dropped this show multiple times, with the scene in the abandoned Briggs town being the one that nearly turned me away completely. There are only two reasons I kept watching: to better articulate my opinions on this adaptation, and because of Scar. If he was removed from the story I would have absolutely ditched this mess. Though the disappointing conclusion to his story, post-Promised Day, as a military collaborator and reformist? Hurts my soul. Scar, babygirl? Sweetheart? You're fantastic and you deserved infinitely better than *Hand waves at the entirety of Brotherhood*

Second tier: I really was quite surprised how much I liked these two! Hohenheim was an actually well written character, he was complex and sympathetic, his arc had an emotional weight to it that the show's writing frankly bungles for the majority of its other characters. A very different character from the version of him I'm familiar with, and I liked this one quite a lot!

As for Mei, I won't lie. When she first got introduced I rolled my eyes, thinking she would fall into the "peppy mascot-adjacent kid who brightens up the dour characters and pays no mind to anything around her" role. And although she does match the archetype to some extent, she doesn't end up hollow. Her zeal for combat, her passion towards saving her clan, the care she shows for others and her unabashed friendship with Scar won me over. I really appreciated that she seemed less concerned with ruling an empire and more with securing the safety of her people. Watching her fight was always a treat too (that choreography, man), though I wasn't remotely invested in the romance angle presented with her and the Elrics.

Third Tier: An odd grab-bag of characters that I still liked enough, but on a comparatively superficial level. Izumi was cool but (like half of the Brotherhood cast) was often played up more for comedy relief when she wasn't doling out beatdowns (and often the comedy was because she's such a powerhouse). There wasn't enough here for me to be more invested in her than I would prefer.

Scar's brother is a brief glimpse of a character in any version of fma, so it's not like he has much of an opportunity to shine on his own versus what he provides for the plot. Still, I like him well enough. Too bad he's the "positivity even in the face of imperial aggression" guy, as a key antithesis to what Scar symbolizes pre-reformism.

Greed's effortlessly cool, and although I can appreciate that this time around he has an ongoing role in the story versus FMA 03, I wasn't won over by his particular arc. I can see what Arakawa & co were going for regarding themes of community, and Greed is a big part of that contrast against the other isolationist and war-mongering homunculi, but I'm gonna be real here: the "power of friendship" story is not something I come to fma for. (Jokes on me, that was pretty much what the manga and its direct adaptation are all about.) It can be done with some gravitas, but it felt more... Juvenile, simplistic. Still, I liked the "greed doesn't need to be a bad characteristic" bit, regarding the desire for other people in your life. That's about as interesting as it got for me.

Yeah, McDougal is more a vehicle to kickstart the show than he is a character. And yeah, he's an example of how this show regards radical actions against the state without working within said state. But I'm always gonna stan any character that seeks to destroy the seat of power in an empire, even if that character is meant to be an anti-radical strawman. So fuck you, Brotherhood, McDougal was right. He was the single Amestrian war criminal who actually took the correct actions against the institution he once served: he abandoned it instead of reaping the class benefits from its rampant bloodshed (y'know, unlike our "valiant" heroes, Mustang et al), worked to destroy it, and nearly accomplished exactly that.

Paninya! What can I say, I like Paninya. She's clever, fleet of foot, sweet as can be, and a solid fighter too. What's not to love? No version of fma provides enough Paninya content, and that's a bummer. Also, stfu Winry with your "stop stealing" crap. Damn.

Here's where we start to get controversial. The fourth tier:

I know Ling's a core character. I know he's a fan favourite. I know he's meant to be a paragon on what a "righteous ruler" ought to be. I can't yawn hard enough. I don't hate the guy, and he's got enough entertaining moments for me to mostly provide a polite shrug if asked for my overall opinion on this character. But man, the amount of "the system can be good, we just need good rulers/soldiers" that comes packaged with his character arc and its attending themes gives me critical organ failure.

Winry. Oh, Winry. As much as I like having more screentime for her, I just. Ugh. I really dislike how she got written into being the heartbroken white girl who rises above hatred and revenge, as though she is the ultimate victim of the Amestrian genocide of the Ishvalans. She "breaks the cycle" (ugh) because "her hands weren't meant to kill" (ugghhhhhhhhhh). She's still a headstrong, passionate character, skilled in a complex trade, and overall a kind person. I like that about her! But fuckin' YEESH with that brazen ploy to make Scar look less justified in his actions by throwing the Rockbells and Winry into his backstory and ongoing arc. Like Ed, she exists to be Broho's "moral" backbone, which ruins any potential for complex interiority. Also, I don't care about the good-little-future-wife shtick either. I appreciate that she remains an automail mechanic even after starting a family, but I'm bored to tears that this was the ultimate payoff to her narrative.

On paper, Truth and the character-specific Gates are interesting concepts. In execution, Brotherhood manages to render Truth into a rather goofy entity who happens to dole out consequences for alchemic taboos. And my bias is that fma 03's non-personified Truth-as-concept and a Gate that is wholly indifferent to human suffering, and wholly unsolvable > a personified Truth with a circus theme, cracking jokes while waiting for you to solve their grand Riddle.

So I'm putting Greedling as a separate entry from Greed and Ling 1) because he's a different enough character from both while still serving as a vehicle for both of their arcs, and 2) because WOW was I disappointed with the entire twist of Father 'granting' Ling his wish, monkey's paw style. And my disappointment stems largely from the fact that Ling maintains himself. Like. This body snatching ends with a teary friendship speech, Ling getting his body back intact, a philosopher stone, and his seat as the new emperor of Xing. Greedling, as an amalgamated character, never properly feels like a combination of the two, nor does he come with any real downsides or repercussions for Ling (for Greed, the mind reset from being liquidated is where he suffers tragedy, not from being given possession over a human being's body). Oh no, Ling has become Greed! Now he gets to argue with his new homunculus pal in the interim between this minor setback (where he's become physically stronger btw) and getting everything he wanted! Riveting.

Fifth tier: I won't go into every character on the average tier. I don't dislike them, I'm mostly neutral to em. They're fine. Sid, Pinako, Madame Christmas, Trisha, and Sciezka could all stand to be more fleshed out. I have a soft spot for Pinako, and I love the concept of Madame Christmas (the head mistress of a brothel who helps undermine the state? And a grade A hot older, larger woman who isn't designed to hide her age and stature? Hell yeah!) Sciezka's fun for the one episode we see her, but she's just a one-off, unlike her 03 counterpart. Shame. And the kids are cute and inoffensive, and Gracia's there too.

Sixth tier: Brotherhood's famously bloated cast will inevitably have characters that, much like the previous tier, are average due to having very little meat on the bones character- and plot-wise, or whose presence don't ultimately add or detract from the story, BUT! The dedication from those fans who see something more to those characters can really enhance my appreciation for what would otherwise be more additions to the average tier for me. Shoutout to Manfred (of Funny Bido Comics fame) for his lovely comics and artwork centering the Devil's Nest cast. At least now I can look at these guys and fondly think "Fuckin' sweet". As for the military chimera dudes, I wish there was more to them in-canon for me to better enjoy what they could have added to the cast, but while watching Brotherhood it felt like a lot of bloat. Still, charming fanart has managed to make me look at them a bit more favourably. (I should have put this tier above the basal Average tier, but I'm a fool and a charlatan, so.)

Seventh tier: Critters! Not much else to this one. They don't really count as characters per say (Xiao Mei being the closest one I could call a character, kinda), but hey, they're cute. To be honest, this tier should exist outside of the hierarchy since they don't really fall above or below most of the tiers, barring the top and bottom 3.

Eighth tier: The "both sides!" clutch that Brotherhood rests so much of its goddamned weight upon. Great that they helped wounded Ishvalans! Shit that they're not really characters, they're just perfect white martyrs for Winry's and Ed's character arcs, and a repeated shitfest for Scar's arc. Not all Amestrians, but definitely all Ishvalan rebels, amirite Arakawa?

Ninth tier: Compelling is perhaps a strong word here. They could have been compelling. Father, in Brotherhood's vacuum, could be an antagonist rife with symbolism and pathos. The attempt is there. But instead he ultimately feels more like a cardboard cutout that acts as the RPG final big bad. Bradley and Pride are at least more interesting as characters, and I felt Bradley being a human long possessed by the Wrath homunculus worked far better as a concept over Greedling. Overall the Brotherhood homunculi are flat tires, and as I said in the tier name, they're meant to exonerate the military apparatus by being the core problem with it. (Anyone else notice how much more sympathy the narrative gives King Fuhrer Bradley over Scar? He has a WIFE you know. Isn't he so soft? Man, what a good show /s)

Tenth tier: Easily forgettable. I don't even have anything unique to say about most of them. What I can say is: I wish I liked Lan Fan, Barry and Gluttony are whatever, I don't feel pity for the genocidal dictator's wife, and Sloth was a soggy wet fart.

Eleventh tier: The "you are all so thoroughly overshadowed by your 03 counterparts that I can't feel anything but a numb indifference or disillusionment for these versions" tier.

Al just. Feels too prim and quiet here. He disappears in the backdrop of 400 characters vying for screentime once you hit the halfway point of this show and he hardly re-emerges from that point onwards. Even when we switch back to his side of the journey he's overshadowed by everyone around him. Him meeting his dad in Liore, being puppeteered by Pride and his subsequent mutual entrapment with Pride seems to be all I can recall about Al after splitting from Ed in Briggs (until the final showdown with Twink Father). Characterization feels so flat, especially since I've got years of 03 Al lodged in my brain, and that version is just phenomenally written. Sorry but Broho Al inspires nothing for me, and he doesn't leave 03 Al's shadow one bit.

White Rose haunts my nightmares. And having her gush about how grateful she is for Ed showing her "ignorant" ass the True Way Forward (even with the decimation of Liore) with Winry (while the audience gets to ogle Winry taking a bath lmfao) was just. 😐

Calling Brotherhood Rick a "flash in the pan character" would be an overestimation of his extremely brief presence here. I forgot he was even in this show. F

Maria Ross may not necessarily be the most done-dirty of all the mutual characters across the two fma anime, but man, she just doesn't hit the same high notes as 03 Ross. Brotherhood did manage to get me worked up when I thought Mustang had murdered her, but after that was cleared up, she gets bookmarked until she can return as just a cog for the coup to commence. Sure she had this important role in-universe, but overall her actual impact on the core characters and the broader story was negligible. I get it, she's simply not supposed to be That Character in this version (much like Broho Sciezka vs 03 Sciezka). It just sucks seeing her be more formal and uninvolved with the Elrics, unlike her bond with them in the first anime which really made her shine. As it stands, Envy taking on her form to kill Hughes felt like her most memorable contribution to this story lol

WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY DO TO YOU, LUST?! OMFG WHY?? I still can't believe this version of her exists. Holy shit, I was not prepared to be so thoroughly rocked by how badly this character was going to be handled. She was nothing more than a sexy henchman with a D Plot about a feigned "relationship" with Havoc (which was a steaming load of nothing btw, since we only see this for one scene that lasts, what, a few seconds?) We get a joke about how much Havoc can't resist her massive titties, replete with water sloshing sound effects and anime jiggle physics, and then she fails to kill a pair of idiots which leads to her getting flambeed to death. All while being horny for Mustang's declaration of Immense Rippling Manhood with strong undercurrents of Monogamous Codependent Dedication for Riza. Just. What the fuck. What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the actual fu-

Twelfth tier: Fuck these guys. Love how much screentime the characters I beloathed got. Truly stupendous. I don't hate them all equally, but my dislike was palpable every time any of these assholes were on screen. And keep in mind, I hate them most for what they are for the themes, conclusions, and plot of the show far more than merely how I perceive them as individual characters (which doesn't completely eclipse the fact that I also don't like them as characters either lol).

Miles: One of Arakawa's many mouthpieces for her great takes on reforming a racist institution and why radical violent retaliation against an imperial giant is WrongBad. Make the genociders more diverse! "Did ya ever think of JOINING the military so you can CHANGE MINDS in the boonies at a military base on a border with another empire we're warring with, huh Scar? What were you doing while the military was genociding you and our people in Ishval, hm? Why did you fight back instead of making more gains for this monstrous apparatus? Shoulda signed up to be a pig instead of getting blown up, idiot." -Miles

This Ed is a fucking travesty. I cannot believe the monumental poor taste of the fma fandom for seeing this Ed as a better written, more human, worthwhile character than the 2003 version. It's inconceivable! This pompous, chauvinist racist is your guy? He becomes a meat-headed comedy relief character post-Briggs/pre-coup, which is great because I already couldn't take this version of him seriously. You'd think I'd have more to say, but honestly? 03 Edward Elric already exists. Therefore this jackass is fully irrelevant to me.

I waffled between putting Buccaneer in either the 10th tier (Literally Who Cares) or this one, and I thought "Y'know what? If the other core Briggs cunts are in the 12th tier, then why not keep the loyal squad together?" Piglet, nothing more to add.

The fact that the conclusion to Alex Armstrong's character arc was apologizing to his frothing nationalist sister for not doing enough genocide at his country's behest lands this coward here. A coward not for making a (meagre, failed) attempt at saving some Ishvalans, but for being a sniveling aristocratic boot-boy with no principles to compel him to turn away from the source of his family's generational wealth.

Cornello was an inept clown here. An easy "Literal Who" in this version, but hey he still exploits the Liorans for his own gain. With nothing else to his character or place in the story (which is arguably quite redundant given Brotherhood's handling of the timeline of events), the bin is the only place for him.

Shou Tucker. He's a monster, we all hate him, and yet he still committed markedly fewer atrocities, including against children, than any one of your military faves.

Overrated trash Olivier, the peak patriotic liberal wet dream. She's a top-cop who girlbossed her way to a male-dominated field (warmongering and genocide! But "feminist™")! She spouts pseudo-progressive (progressive if you squint and don't have standards) rhetoric while supporting her nation's imperialist agenda! (Optics>material actions, just how libs love it.) She has no qualms with ethnic cleansing but she doesn't see colour, so obviously she's a 'badass' babe who can dommy-mommy you whenever she even deigns to look your way! But she also has a heart of gold, because she cares about the porkchops under her command soooooooooo much! Wow! 🤢🤮

Riza, everyone's waifu (Mustang's, the show's, and yours too). Super cool how Roy committing genocide wasn't a good enough reason to blow his skull into chunks the way she claimed she would if he ever used her father's flame alchemy for ill. Love that she even joined the military so she could gain that sweet, sweet angsty backstory with her main squeeze while slaughtering hundreds of thousands of brown people. She regretted it so much as the carnage was being carried out that she made sure to do an amazing job of sniping Ishvalans! Because she's conflicted and nuanced.

Pfft. Mustang. Refer to the above. And what gets me is, yeah. He (and Riza) are written to be as charming and lovable as possible. They're both practically the unofficial main duo of this show. And I can't stomach these clowns. Love that nepotism will ensure he gets to be fuhrer of Amestris once Riza's grandpappy kicks the bucket. Btw cool eyesight bro, how many alchemically murdered Ishvalans did it cost? :))))))))))))

Guys guys guys, Hughes! He's the best! He'll sign up to murder as many Ishvalan families as it takes to keep his own (at the time hypothetical) family safe (in the militarily dominant imperium for which they were never once in any danger from the ethnically different occupied country)! Good thing Brotherhood and the manga both RESPECT Hughes, unlike the 2003 anime's movie, which made him a racist pro-genocide jerk!

I don't even remember this guy's name. Genocide doctor one.

And genocide doctor two. Marcoh makes up for his unforgivable actions of making philosopher stones out of Ishvalans for the Amestrian government by giving a philosopher stone made out of Ishvalans to the future head of the Amestrian government.

Hey, does anyone recall that scene where Grumman practically Evil Monologues to himself about his chance to snatch the Fuhrership once Bradley is deposed, so that he can run the military dictatorship? No? No one? Not gonna talk about it? Not even the fact that he got exactly what he wanted? Hello?

Envy could have easily been in the tier with Bradley, Pride, and Father, or even the tier with Al, Lust, etc. But the weird pathetic shtick during his demise, where Ed makes a grand speech about how tragic Envy is, after everyone (including Scar because we gotta highlight how ~reformed~ he is) stops Mustang from killing them, and we're meant to sniffle along to the super sad 'nuance' of this character like??? Nah. Super funny how Riza then thanks Scar for making a pacifist speech at Mustang because he helped stop Mustang from "needlessly" killing Envy, when she herself failed to do exactly that in Ishval AND while staining her hands in the blood of innocents. And Ed feeling so much heartrending empathy for Envy, despite Envy having tried to kill him numerous times, they tried to kill his friends and allies, and they had murdered scores of human beings prior to all that. Yet mere moments earlier Ed was offended that Mustang and Riza had him team up with Scar. ... .... .... ....Did I mention how fucking badly this show treats Scar? So anyway I can't feel anything but disdain for this version of Envy, as yet another key point of Brotherhood's oozing hypocrisy.

Only good thing Olivier ever did was kill this guy and bury him in cement. She shoulda jumped in too. What was his name? Raven? Bah, who cares. Obviously screw him and the entire council of politicians surrounding Bradley.

Genocide doctor three.

Kimblee's a no-brainer, he's a proud fascist through-and-through. But you all know he was right about how naive and stupid Riza, Roy, and all the other idealist soldiers were for thinking their job, as a SOLDIER, was anything other than carrying out the orders of their superiors with the utmost violence. Like. You know he's correct about that, and only that, right? Because apparently even Arakawa didn't think he was right about that particular truth either, what with the Good Cop vs Bad Apples bent to her manga. Yeah so anyway, why the hell did we get a "Fuck yeah, humans rock!" speech from this pus-spewing sack of garbage, in support of Ed, after he had been eaten by Pride? Why did we get a friendship speech from fucking Kimblee?!

Disclaimer: Do I think anyone who likes or dislikes the characters I like/dislike are evil? No. Do I think anyone who likes Brotherhood (or the manga for that matter) are evil? No. Do I hate this show? ✨Yes, absolutely.✨

[windfighter]

Izumi proposes

They’re 3000 meters up in the air, putting their parachutes on. Kouji’s long hair gets caught in one of the straps and Izumi laughs, pulls a hand through her own, short, hair.

”You should cut it”, she says.

She knows why he kept it long when they were kids, but things are different now. Kouji shakes his head, smiles and untangles it. It’s a shame, Izumi’s certain people would treat him more like an adult if he cut it.

”Are you two ready?” their instructor asks.

Asks Izumi, because they read her as the responsible one of the two. Kouji fumbles with another strap.

”Almost”, he mutters.

”Are you nervous?” Izumi asks.

He smiles at her again. She loves when he smiles, it reminds her how much has changed since they first met.

”Not really”, he says. ”Done this before. Although that was an emergency.”

Izumi remembers it, although she wasn’t there. It was after he got fired from the police, when he travelled the world waiting for Tokyo to forget about him. Izumi never had, their whole group had worried. When he returned, Izumi had forced him to move in with her. To make sure he was okay, nothing else. She laughs remembering it. She’s glad he did.

”Hey Kouji.”

They’ve been together for three years now. Izumi loves every moment, even when they fight. And if you love someone that much… Kouji looks away, forcuses on making sure all the straps are tight. Izumi checks over her own.

”Want to get married when we get down?”

Kouji stops. Furrows his brow.

”You sure you want to get married to a cop?” he asks.

He knows cops better than she does, but she shakes her head.

”Ex-cop”, she laughs. ”I’m sure.”

After all, it was never about the uniform, that wasn’t why she choose him instead of any of the other suitors. It was the excitement they shared over doing things like jumping out of an airplane for fun. It was the way Kouji never pushed her to stuff, but didn’t need to be dragged into them either. It was the mornings when he made her breakfast in bed, because he was still the first one to wake up. The evenings when they watched movies and documentaries together. The days, when Kouji stopped by her work to show her exciting new stuff from different papers he worked with.

It was just… the way they shared everything.

”If you’re sure”, Kouji smiles again, ”then yes. Let’s get married.”

”We’re almost at the spot”, their instructor warns them.

Izumi stands up, checks over her parachute once more, then grabs Kouji’s hand and squeezes it. Kouji squeezes back.

”Last one down calls the marrige officiant”, he laughs.

And then, they jump.

[loopy777]

Not that everyone has to have kids, but why do you think Bumi II and Kya II didnt have any kids of their own? Was it because of how Aang wasnt a great dad to them?

Psychologically, their issues with Aang might be the deep-down bedrock-level root cause, but I'm not psychologist and we're talking about cartoon characters, so let's go a few levels higher.

First of all, I want to say that I agree people don't have to have kids. I'm almost certainly never going to have kids. I say this because I don't want my next statement is be misinterpreted:

Bumi and Kya are not complete people.

Think about it. Neither one has any friends. Neither one has a home of their own. Neither one has any kind of community outside their mother and their brother (and Tenzin's family in turn, which includes Korra and her various hanger-ons). Bumi had a purpose in his life with his military career, but he gives that up before we've even heard him utter a single complete sentence, in favor of becoming a freeloader in his brother's place. Kya supposedly traveled the world, but when Aang died she came back to the South Pole to supposedly help Katara- and yet she produces no contacts or information during the story's world-spanning adventures, and Korra never met her before Book Spirits.

How could either of these people consider having kids? I'm not sure they know how to have a conversation with anyone who isn't involved with Avatar Business in some way.

Even if either one theoretically managed to acquire a kid, I don't think that would make them complete people. I can honestly see both of them dropping their kid off with Tenzin and fleeing. Or else showing up at Tenzin's doorstep for his and his family's help raising the kid.

Now, maybe their inability to form connections with literally any other human being they're not related to is because of Aang's parenting. But I don't think the story's intention is for Bumi and Kya to be that damaged by their childhood. And, as long as we're looking at things from a meta-perspective, let's admit that the real reason for this portrayal is because LoK is about Korra, and Bumi'n'Kya are in an outer orbit around her compared to the more consistent cast (and even Asami literally has no one in her life but Korra and Mako and Varrick). However, the result is that Bumi had an entire military career but no old veteran buddies, and Kya is the franchise's first confirmed lesbian but has never so much as been depicted as flirting with someone never mind actually engaging in a romance.

All we have to work with is the text of the story, and that says that neither Bumi nor Kya are outgoing enough to consider procreating. The fandom likes to imagine past relationships for them with Toph's kids or Izumi, but let's face it- those kids probably would have rather died than dated one of Aang's kids, except for Lin, who wishes she had died instead of dating Tenzin, and even she never had so much as a conversation with Bumi or Kya.

If we wanted to repair this portrayal, there are some options. We could say that Bumi preferred to focus on his career, or just have someone Korra's age show up one day and say, "Nice to meet you, Dad. Remember that cute Si Wong sandbender 20 years ago?"

For Kya, it could be even easier; just introduce her grown child as someone everyone already knows about and is familiar with (except Korra, who can serve as our audience POV) and who coincidentally has never been mentioned before now despite there being plenty of logical places where it should have happened. (It's a tried and true LoK storytelling tactic! :P) Or talk about the difficulties that a lesbian seeking to have a child would encounter in the Avatar world. Or just give her a personal reason for not having a kid while also establishing that she has friends and lovers around the world.

The possibilities are endless when you treat Bumi and Kya as actual characters.

[greatideas-badwriter]

Worth The Risk: Chapter 8

"What did you do to that girl?" Itachi hissed at his younger brother as he helped him upstairs and into his room so he could rest. "She looked like she was waiting to be hit! Tell me you haven't been-" "I haven't laid a hand on her."

Sasuke was angry enough at himself for intimidating that poor woman to the point that she all but cowered before him in the kitchen just then; he didn't need Itachi to join in.

"Then why did she act like that?"

The younger sibling sighed, standing with a hand on his forehead to rub his temples with a furrowed brow and a frown, "I haven't touched her, but I haven't been…treating her all that well…either…."

There was a long pause before the recovering man asked, "What's going through your head right now?"

'Itachi's the only one I can tell about this. Anyone else might try to use it against me.'

So, Sasuke told his older brother everything. He explained how confused Sakura made him feel and how his perception of her had changed after last night. He even admitted his regrets: "You saw how scared she is of me. I don't know how to make it…better, y'know?"

"You understand little about forming true bonds with someone."

The younger brother nodded but said nothing. He didn't want to say anything because the topic of how Itachi knew about such things might arise. You see, he was twenty-eight, six years older than Sasuke, and had married his high school sweetheart, Izumi, at twenty. The woman was no longer among the living, and the fact would likely forever be a sore topic for both Uchiha brothers.

'Don't dwell on that right now. It'll only get you worked up.'

"I don't want to form any bonds with Sakura, and you know why. That's the problem. How do I do this without letting it get to that?"

Itachi frowned but understood. After pondering, he sighed, "You want to figure out why she's different, right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Then maybe you should try being her friend. Plenty of people try hooking up and return to being just friends."

The younger brother crossed his arms, leaning against the dresser with a glare, "I don't have female friends."

"There's a first time for everything. Just get to know her a little better."

After receiving a little more advice from Itachi, Sasuke left so he could rest, wandering back downstairs to work on his school assignments in the kitchen while Sakura cooked. It'd become normal for them to be in the same room because it made her feel safer, and the Uchiha man didn't mind anyway. Even if she still feared him, she did so the others to a more substantial degree.

Upon noticing his arrival, the woman clicked off the video on her phone she'd been watching while cooking, pointedly refusing to look his way. Sasuke sat there, his laptop open and an assignment pulled up to work on, but he couldn't stop glancing at Sakura every few seconds.

'I bet her parents taught her to cook while growing up.' Everything the woman prepared for the Akatsuki house was delicious, never bland or improperly cooked.

He watched as she placed a lid over the pot of whatever she was preparing and froze. It was evident she had nothing left to do but let it simmer but didn't know what to do since his gaze was on her.

So, Sasuke averted his eyes to the laptop screen but decided to take Itachi's advice and try actually talking to the woman, "How's your hand?"

"It's fine," she paused before asking, "Would you like a drink?"

The man looked up to see her gazing into the fridge with a pout. Smirking, he said, "Only if you'll have one with me."

Though hesitant, Sakura opened two beers, sitting beside him and handing one over. He lifted a brow at the poorly masked disgust on her face but said nothing, 'Why drink it if you don't like it? Fucking weirdo.'

"I'm sorry about earlier, with your brother. I couldn't tell what you wanted, so I panicked."

"Don't do that anymore." Sasuke cringed. The words left his mouth before he could stop them.

'I wanted to carefully approach that topic, but I just came out and said it.'

"What?"

Sighing, he glared at his laptop screen, not really seeing it, "You don't have to get my permission to talk if someone else is speaking to you and stop cowering like I'll hit you or something. People are getting the wrong idea."

"Oh," she said softly, "I thought you wanted me to-" "You thought I wanted you to stop mouthing off like you used to? Don't be dumb. Why do you think I hired you? It's more fun when you fight back."

'Damn, I sure am on a roll with saying things too bluntly. She's probably confused as hell. …Fuck it.'

Sakura looked as baffled as he expected when he finally looked at her face. She frowned, pretty green eyes narrowed suspiciously, "I didn't come here to have fun. I came here so I wouldn't have to sleep on the streets, and so I'd have a steady source of income."

'That is so like her.'

Sasuke smirked, tilting his head and feeling a little less tense since she responded honestly because she hadn't in more than two weeks, "This isn't the type of job where you have to keep work and play separate, y'know." The pink-haired woman blushed prettily, sending a wave of satisfaction through him.

She struggled to respond, so he added, "Just don't mouth off to anyone but me, or it'll be bad. Got it?"

Her confusion was still intense, but she cautiously nodded, "If you're just saying all this because of last night, you don't have to. That's not why I helped Itachi."

"I know, Sakura," his smirk fell as did the light-hearted aura, "Listen well because I won't fucking repeat it."

His eyes narrowed on her before he groaned and averted them to the computer again. Being honest with people about his feelings was very out of character, so he found it difficult, but he had to at least try, "I didn't realize it until last night, but I've obviously been putting you on edge all this time. I'm trying to give you a damn apology, okay?"

Sakura took her time coming up with a response, "I accept, but, um…if you're saying this because you're hoping I'll, uh…."

"It's not like I'm gonna fucking force myself on you, so relax. What kinda guy do you take me for?" He met her eye again, glancing at the kitchen doorway to ensure no one was eavesdropping, "Just…. Talk more and cry less, and I'll be less of a dick. Deal?"

To his surprise, a small but cute grin met her lips, and she nodded, getting up from the table to stir whatever was cooking on the stove, "Deal."

'This is….unexpected.'

Sakura was currently in the kitchen with Tobi, making all kinds of Christmas treats. Her brow twitched in annoyance as the man spoke about who-knows-what without end. The event at the house this evening is a holiday party, something the woman never expected to encounter around such serious and stoic people.

Sasuke was out working, or so he said, and Itachi was sitting at the dining table reading a book with a blanket over his shoulders as he continued to recover from his bullet wound. "Tobi, can I ask you something?"

She'd had it. Her patience had run thin, and she was millimeters away from losing her cool.

The bubbly man-child faced her, a comically frilly apron over his clothing, "What is it, Sakura? Do you need help with the cider?"

"I, um, well…." She feigned being bashful, surprising even herself with her acting, "I'm ashamed to ask, but there's no one else I can count on. Is it okay?"

The black-haired man's eyes lit up, and he nodded excitedly. Of all the people in this house, he was the only one she felt she could successfully manipulate.

"I'm embarrassed, but can you run to the store and buy me some," she lowered her voice to a whisper, even putting a hand up to her mouth as though trying to block Itachi from overhearing, "lady products?"

A blush met Tobi's cheeks, and he sputtered, "C-Can't you go get them? I don't wanna."

Sakura pouted, "I would, but Sasuke said I have to stay with Itachi, and he's not able to leave the house in his condition. I'm really sorry, but can you please do me this favor? I'll owe you!"

Tobi groaned childishly, taking off his apron and stomping out of the kitchen, "If anyone makes fun of me, I'm blaming you!"

"Thank you! This means a lot to me!" She called softly after him, grinning with a sigh once he was out of earshot.

"I thought he'd never leave. I was beginning to develop a headache," Itachi mused, giving the girl the slightest hint of a smile when she looked at him in shock.

'I totally forgot he was in here! He won't tell Sasuke about this, will he?' Sakura paused, taking back her words, 'No, I don't care if he does. Sasuke said he wanted me to stop being so submissive. I'll yell at him if he says something to me about it.'

Turning back to the stove, she hummed to herself while stirring the cider again. Truth be told, the woman loves the holiday season. The lights, music, and cheerful aura made her feel warm and nostalgic for her childhood years spent celebrating with her grandparents.

Sakura wanted to make cookies, cider, and gingerbread houses but thought even asking to do such a thing by herself would be frowned upon here, so she hadn't. When Sasuke led her into the kitchen and told her her duties this morning, she couldn't hide her elation. The man seemed to find it funny, making some off-handed comments about how she really was a woman, after all.

"Will you be visiting your family for the holiday next weekend?" Itachi asked, not looking up from his book.

"Actually, no. I…."

He looked up when she struggled to formulate a believable lie.

She panicked, spitting out the first thing that came to mind, "I don't have anyone to go back to."

It wasn't a complete falsehood. Her parents knew what her ex had put her through. They found out soon after she moved in with the man and came running home weeks later with a black eye.

'They didn't do a thing about it. No, they told me I shouldn't have angered him like I had. That it was my fault.'

A few more times over the years, the woman had tried asking them for help, even so much as loaning her the money to get a restraining order, but nothing came of it. They were the last people she saw in Konoha before leaving. It'd been her final attempt to make them see reason, and it failed. She vowed after that that she was an orphan because no real parent could watch their only child suffer for four years without lifting a finger.

'I know why they said and did all those things, but that doesn't excuse it. If they needed my help, I would've done everything possible, no matter the cost.'

Her family is as poor as poor comes and always has been. When she was two or three, her father invested almost all of his life savings, including his retirement fund, into a company that a financial advisor recommended. You can probably guess how that ended up.

So, when her ex-boyfriend came along, hailing from an abundantly wealthy family, they urged her to accept his invitation to live together right out of high school. It'd be cheaper on them because they'd no longer have to cover living expenses for her, and the man paid their mortgage every month as a sign of respect.

'Yeah, that's what he called it, but really, he was bribing them to keep their mouths shut if and when I came home for help. It worked, too.'

"Sakura? Are you alright? I'm sorry if my question made you uncomfortable. I won't bring it up again."

She snapped out of her daze, waving a dismissive hand and facing the stove again so he couldn't see how pale her face had gotten, "No, it's my fault for spacing out. You did nothing wrong."

"Holidays are painful for me, too. There's no need to deny it when we're the only ones here," he said with a sad expression.

'He's a completely different person from his brother. I wonder why that is.'

"You can, um, tell me about it if you want, but you definitely don't have to if you're not comfortable."

"Come, sit."

Sakura poured them each a small cup of the freshly made apple cider and sat across from him at the table.

He looked into the mug with a faraway stare as he began speaking, "I was married before. I'm not sure if you knew that."

The woman's eyes widened, "I had no idea!"

"Yes. Her name was Izumi. We met in middle school and became best friends. We confessed to each other on the day we graduated high school, dated for a few years, and married when we were twenty."

"That's really sweet," Sakura commented, but she didn't say anything else because Itachi had used the word "was", meaning Izumi was no longer his wife or had passed away, both being complex discussion topics. 'I'm not sure why he's sharing this with me, but it makes me a little happy that at least one person in this house is opening up.'

"As you've probably guessed, my wife died. We were both twenty-two at the time." 'I knew it,' Sakura thought sadly. She bravely reached across the table to rest a comforting hand atop his. He gave her a grateful smile, continuing with his story, "On Christmas Eve that year, we were on the wrong side of town, and I left her in the car while I ran a quick errand."

'I don't like where this is going.'

"It was less than five minutes, but a shooting occurred in my absence, and my wife was hit with a stray bullet."

Tearing up, the woman shook her head, averting her eyes to their hands because he probably didn't want to be stared at when sharing something so gut-wrenching, "I am so sorry."

The room fell into silence for a moment before Itachi took a deep breath and tried to lighten the mood, "Well, that's my reason for having a love-hate relationship with the holidays. I thought maybe if I shared it, you'd feel more comfortable sharing yours."

Sakura was surprised by his honesty but released his hands and tilted her head, suddenly having the urge to flee, "I'm grateful to you for being so open, but I…. I don't think I'm ready to talk about it yet. I'm sorry."

The man smiled, surprising her, "Don't apologize. It's my fault for trying to guilt-trip you into it. Sometimes I can be too nosy."

So, the woman returned to preparing the holiday treats, and soon, festive serving trays were loaded with expertly iced cookies and pastries. Apple cider, both spiked and un-spiked, was heated up and ready to be enjoyed. The house was spotless, thanks to its new housekeeper.

After setting down the final try on the coffee table in the den, Sakura jumped in surprise when Konan addressed her in an elegant, black party dress.

'She looks incredible. I wonder if I'll ever have a body like that,' she tried not to ogle at the blue-haired woman's curves but found it challenging.

"Very important guests will soon begin arriving. I've prepared an outfit for you to wear. Go upstairs and change into it. Do your hair and makeup as well. Join me as soon as you're finished, and do nothing to misrepresent this household. Do you understand?"

Sakura was too afraid to argue, so she quickly nodded and went upstairs into the bathroom, where a garment bag hung from the back of the door. Locking it, she unzipped the bag, only to pale when she lay eyes on a cute red dress.

'I'm relieved! I half-expected her to force me into a revealing outfit. Then everyone would see my scars, and I'd be humiliated!'

The dress came to the mid-thigh, flaring out at the hips into elegant waves of fabric. Its shade was darker, complimenting the pastel of her hair and the paleness of her skin attractively. It was rather low cut in the front, coming down into a "v" between her breasts, but she didn't mind that as much as she would've if it was backless. A pair of velvety red pumps were also in the bag.

After putting on the holiday-inspired outfit, Sakura put her hair in loose curls and donned makeup that suited the occasion and the rest of her appearance. All in all, she actually felt kind of pretty.

'I haven't worn makeup since the night Sasuke, and I almost hooked up because I don't own any.' She pursed her lips in the mirror, making sure the matte-red lipstick wasn't smudged or on her teeth, 'It was nice of Konan to let me borrow all of this. I'll have to thank her later.'

No matter how down a woman gets, sometimes taking time to dress up and take care of oneself can be a real mood booster. It sure lifted Sakura's spirits after becoming sad because of Itachi's wife's story.

After spritzing a dash of perfume onto her wrists and neck, the woman took a calming, deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom, only to come face to face with Sasuke, "Oh!"

They both took a step back in surprise. The man's eyes roamed over her appearance, his jaw flexed and tense, but he didn't say a word.

'Why do I feel shy all of a sudden?'

"Sorry, I'm done in here. Go ahead."

She stepped around the man so he could use the restroom, but he stopped her with a hand on her wrist. Turning to look at him, her pulse skyrocketed.

Sasuke searched her face with a strange, serious expression, going as far as slightly leaning down so their eye lines would be the same height, "Don't leave my sight tonight, no matter what. I mean it."

Swallowing her nerves, Sakura blushed and looked at his burgundy dress shirt because it made breathing easier than if she met his gaze, "Konan told me to find her as soon as I'm dressed. Should I wait for you instead?"

The man paused before making a negative sound deep in his chest, "No, go ahead. I'll find you in a bit. Don't go off with anyone alone."

Sakura nodded, looking into his eyes again. They shared a silent communication that the people visiting were dangerous. He needed her to listen to everything he said tonight, and she needed him to be someone she could trust not to let anything bad happen. Then the pair parted, him releasing her wrist.

The woman placed her cold palms on her heated cheeks, a soft, high-pitched groan leaving her lips as she tried to shake off the warmth in her body, 'He's never looked at me like that before. Is it because he's worried I'll get hurt tonight? I should stop freaking out about the look in his eye and focus on where I'm going.'

Closing her eyes at the top of the staircase, Sakura said a silent prayer, 'If there's a god out there listening, please let tonight go smoothly.'

[bendingmuses]

sry! yes, hcs abt yua specifically!

I've been meaning to get to this but haven't had the thoughts to. But since I'm at work without a doctor, let's see what I can come up with.

Yua is ten years younger than Iroh II and is a huge daddy's girl. Which also extends to her grandpa. She admires Zuko so much and even learned how to use dual swords like he did. They'll go watch plays and enjoy the arts together. So while Iroh II followed around Izumi when he was younger, she was at Zuko's hip.

She loves books, nature, and history. On one of her birthday's Iroh II got her a set of Kyoshi Warrior fans, and it's one of her prized possessions. If she wasn't a bender, she's probably want to be a Kyoshi Warrior.

A little bit of an Iroh II headcanon, but his men/officers in the United Forces treat Yua like their little sister. You mess with her and you get the whole of Iroh II's top officers raining down on you. Not that she needs the protection, but she might as well be an honorary member of the UF.

If you've been following me or writing with me for a while, you know Yua is a huge fan of pro-bending. Her favorite animal is also a fire ferret. So you can imagine her reaction when she learned about a pro-bending team named the Fire Ferrets.

Yua is the Fire Nation's darling. Even with her troublemaker past, the citizens of the Fire Nation adore her. Probably because she worked really hard to fix her mistakes and put her nation and people first when she started maturing. She's worked hard to gain their trust and support, so they truly adore their princess.

[uchihasavior]

what made you pick up this character?

I decided to catch up to Naruto after a few years break and thought Itachi was nice to pick up because of the Edo Tensei arc!

how did you get into this franchise/fandom?

I've always been into Naruto! It just went dormant for a little bit, but like... you never escape lol. I began watching it on Toonami when I was in late middle school tho. U never forget the first time u see the wave arc and Haku dies......

what’s the best thing about the show/series/books/comics/etc.?

The art! Seriously, watching Kishimoto's art develop from the beginning to the end is beautiful.

what’s the worst thing about the show/series/books/comics/etc.?

Uhh. it's hard to say what I legitimately hate! I have criticisms like everyone else but nothing I hate.

what’s the best thing about the fandom?

Fanart and fanfiction! Seriously, I've gotten into so many ships that I wouldn't have given a chance if I hadn't seen fanart or peeked into a fanfic that seemed kinda interesting.  

what’s the worst thing about the fandom?

Antis, of course, but on another note the media literacy of the fandom as a whole has sunk into the negatives. Too many people taking things at face value and refusing to let the story unfold infront of them. Characters change!!

what’s the best thing about the canon you are writing?

Itachi is the only character who realized his actions towards Sasuke were is own fault and didn't seek excuses. He knows he hurt Sasuke and that Sasuke didn't owe him any forgiveness or understanding.

what’s the worst thing about the canon you are writing?

How Itachi at 13 years old is treated as if the massacre was preventable, and as if he had the decision making skills of an adult and not a kid who was groomed by both sides since he was seven. "just say no to the massacre lol". But this is more of a fandom problem, really.

have you tweaked the character from canon? if so, what did you tweak?

Kinda! But I like working with the challenge of canon, including the novels. Of course to make certain AUs and character interactions work you have to bend canon to a certain degree.

are there some things you dislike about how the show/series/etc. portray the character you have picked up? if so, what?

Not really! I like Itachi.

what would you say is the most unique trait about your character?

Itachi's self reflection! It took him dying and being revived to realize, but he fucking knows full well his "protection" of Sasuke ended up really hurting him and it's 100% his own fault.

are there any other characters from the franchise you’d like to play?

Not sure! I've already dipped into Sasuke, whom I also love with my whole heart.

are there some characters from the franchise you can’t stand? 

From main Naruto series: Sakura :( Mostly because most sakura roleplayers use her as a self insert/projection, I have to say it and it's a really pervasive problem. From Boruto: Daemon. I hate this goblin and I want him to die.

what are your thoughts on the canon ships for the character, if any?

Itachi's only "canon" ship is the implied feelings he had for Izumi! But Izumi is a nice girl, so I like the ship. It's okay!  

what is your personal ship bias for your canon character?

I ship most of the main Itachi ships! ItaKisa, ItaShi, ItaSasu. But I also like exploring "non conventional" ships! RP for me is about exploring things we can't see in canon. ItaIzu, ItaSui (Suigetsu), ItaUra (Urashiki from Boruto), ItaMada, ItaIru, ItaKarin... ItaOro (REALLY love this one), etc.

are there any ships you can’t stand, why?

Itachi/Sakura! It's the one I actively avoid specifically with Itachi. Other ships I'm "I don't see it" about are Itachi/Kakashi, and Itachi/Deidara. Nothing wrong with them, I just don't really get it!

how long have you been writing the character?

Since about 2013, so 11 years or so! Tumblr boomer.......

should people get into the franchise you're* writing from, yes or no?

yes. And this includes Boruto. This is a threat.

if you could sum up your character with one sentence, what would it be?

:)?

which song do you feel describes your character the most and why?

Unfortunately I don't have a song! I'm really bad at connecting music and characters.

tagged by : @osteus (thank you!)

tagging: @bladedhunter @heavenlypaper @thatsneakymedic

[ran-orimoto]

Hello greetings! Thanks for follow me! May i ask why do you like junpei-nisan and ship him with izumi-ne? Sorry f9r my rude and bad english..

Hello! Don’t worry about your english because first of all it is not bad; second, I’m not english myself so, honestly, who cares🤫. What matters the most is to understand each other, right?

I’ve recently written a little post about why I love Junpei so much:

But I guess I could tell so much more about the reason why I love Junpei. That post isn’t exhaustive at all ahaha.

For example, I could tell you about how much I love his personality being so flawed and going through a development that does happen in the background, but it’s still so beautiful. From seeing him starting off as a selfish, rude kid wanting the world to rotate around him, to observing him finding his role in the group, taking step backwards because of their sake (very ehw, but I admit it was written well from his perspective, at least).

As far as concerns Junzumi, the reasons are so many even when it comes to them. I used to ship Takumi (Takuya x Izumi) in the past, but I had never watched Frontier tbh. When I started my watching, my immediate liking on Junpei soon laced itself with a growing interest in the pair. Going beyond the fact I have got a soft spot for pairings in which a boy is so devoted to his crush, loves her so endlessly and would do anything to make her happy, I could make a little list about the main points making me like Junzumi so much.

• The main reason why I love it is that they are both lonely kids and they get constantly paired up at the beginning of Frontier because of this characteristic of theirs. They just deal with it in different ways, indeed, opposite ways: Junpei searches for friends so desperately he even sells himself, becomes a people pleaser, exchanges friendship for material stuff; Izumi has got no friends because she doesn’t want them, she doesn’t want to be treated as a special kid, being put at the center of attention (whereas Junpei DOES want to be the star of situations XD). Both also cope with this situation of theirs in different ways, almost specular, with Junpei feeling a void inside himself but trying repressing it, lying to himself, and Izumi being perfectly aware of her condition but not wanting to go deeper and looking for its root. What really makes this point (and couple) so special to me is that in some profiles about Junpei it’s stated he felt drawn by Izumi at first sight because he could perceive she was as lonely as him.

And I…I am a lonely person too, I must admit. I’m an only child like them and somehow I do relate to their need to have someone around themselves.

• They are the most well-developed duo in the whole Frontier and have got ton of potential because of their personalities clashing, but always finding a way to get along. They are…The Mum and Dad of the group, this is a certainty, but they are also great partners when they collaborate. They started off with Izumi not standing him, Junpei not knowing how to even conversate with her in a normal way. Yet, they soon learn to appreciate each other, unconsciously learn they can grow up thanks to each other. Who’s the first (indeed, only) member of the group Izumi opens up to, has got the best heart-to-heart with? Junpei. Who is the one for whom Junpei goes beyond his limits, understanding how important for him is to protect those he cares for? Izumi. Let’s also add Junpei gets interested in italian thanks to her, but this is something I have to add because of my endless love for this aspect of Junpei’s.

• They can be both a platonic and romantic relationship and, in my personal opinion, in a couple it’s so important to balance the two sides.

• Their personalities help me come up with thousand of ideas for them and it does matter for a creative person like me, I assure you. Imagining them older and applying those explosive personalities of theirs in a boyfriend/girlfriend or ,even funnier, husband/wife context is just everything to me. Junpei is the loyal, extremely devoted, affectionate, sometimes also wise husband pleasing his wife in the most disparate ways he could. There’s nothing he cares more about than seeing her happy and making her believe she’s the most beautiful, -inside and outside-, woman on Earth. Izumi is the wife liking teasing her husband, being so strict at certain moments, taking the reins of any situation and holding the scepter of the household. Yet, at the same time, she’s the most lovely companion of life, making husband feel the most desiderable man on Earth.

AND FEEDING HIM WITH BEST FOOD.

EHM, yes, moments in which you are flooded by emotions. Waves of emotions.

• They are Wind x Thunder, parts of tempests. Their elements also have got a special bond in one of the V-Pets.

• Their Digimon are both bugs in their adult forms and, Jesus Christ, consider me stupid, but I ship Fairymon and Blitzmon so hard too (especially after Blitzmon is revealed to be a simp for her in the 2019 drama).

These are some reasons. SOME, though, because there are ton of others. I…I would be banned from Tumblr because of the excessive length. Anyway! I hope I was clear and answered your question in the way you wanted. If you wanted to know something else about these topics or share your opinions, you’re welcome to do it💕 (just like you’re welcome in my blog from now on).

Thank you for the ask and have a good day🎶!

[hellcatinnc]

Bungo Stray Dogs Season 1 Anime Review

Does Include Spoilers....

Ok so I started watching Bungo Stray Dogs and like most I started because of Dazai. He was sexy and even with his wish for suicide he just got to me. Then I watched the first season and was so happy I did it pulled me in fast. Dazai quickly lost the main reason for the show for me it honestly became my favorite character in first season being Atsushi Nakajima. He had so much heart and compassion that the rest lost so long ago. He made me feel as he learned who he was and who he could help. I grew a strong liking to the character and even shipped him with Kyōka Izumi the way he saved her and even the fact he took her on a date they were just too adorable not to love. Ranpo Edogawa caught my interest mainly cause the voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya who played Baldr Hringhorni in Kamigami No Asobi. I was really surprised that Doppo Kunikida even grew on me and his comedian side to him of how he was with Dazai and always knocking the crap out of him but I could tell he was a good man. Anyways Kunikida's power is pretty cool "The Matchless Poet". I love how he can throw the cards out and whatever it is appears. I also think him and Dazai work so great together.

Now don't get me wrong Osamu Dazai is still a big part of the show and I found it funny how he was about the whole suicide with a beautiful woman. It left me wondering why he wanted to die so much but I know its shown as the seasons go on cause I started season 2 already and already starting to understand but I will leave that in season 2 review of it. So the relationship between Jun'ichirō Tanizaki & Naomi Tanizaki was so weird at first but fuck it I didn't even care they were siblings because not only do you easily forget but they don't look alike at all I feel like maybe there is like an adoption kinda story to them maybe. Anyways you know early on their is not only a relationship with them but its also sexual. However when she almost gets killed the way he responds to losing her and later as well he doesn't get even as a brother he gets even as a lover so I'm gonna treat them just as that fuck it, its not like sibling loves bother me much in anime/otome world. Plus not gonna lie Jun'ichiro his power "Light Snow" is pretty damn neat.

Yukichi Fukuzawa seems like a stickler in the beginning but you find he truly believes in his team and he grew on me. I felt like he cares about each and everyone of them and will fight for them at any cost. He is practically Daddy to them all and I think they would fall apart sometimes if he wasn't the lead of it all. Chūya Nakahara seems to be a cool character but of course I feel like he isn't really a main in the first season however I find him actually pretty attractive as well but I swear its how he dresses more than anything its so damn sharp looking. He gives me that true mafia/yakuza feel to how he looks and dresses. He seems to have anger issues but I love his banter between him and Dazai however I don't see this romance so many want and like. I will pass for now both men are hot and I would gladly be in between these men could make a very interesting smut story thats for sure... lol.

Michizō Tachihara seems like a crazy fuck but still pretty cool character so far based on the first season at least, look forward to seeing him more later he has my attention at least. Even though Ryūnosuke Akutagawa is an asshole in the first season he has one of the coolest powers by far his Rashōmon power like a dragon like creature that he can cut people down easily with. I feel bad for Ichiyō Higuchi because you find fast she is so damn in love with that man and he treats her like pure crap however doesn't stop her from taking on the enemies to bring him back when he is captured. The one sentimental moment where he grabs her hand after she saves him I really wanted after he told her he was sorry I wanted her to tell him she loved him I wonder if it would have changed. I feel like his issue is he doesn't even see her following to him is because she loves him. However its a very toxic relationship at least first season, I just hope it gets better because I think they would be good together plus bad guy or not he is fuckin hot too. Speaking of Ichiyō Higuchi honestly girl has some balls and she will do anything even die for that man I can respect her because she probably could have gotten out from what you get from her but she refuses to leave his side. Gin Akutagawa I still don't know much about him but still seems mysterious and attractive cause of that.

After breaking down the people that all made it interesting for me, yes I know there is more these just happen to be my list of favorites. Still amazes me a show with alot of hot bad guys kinda reminds me of Piofiore in that sense. Anyways I feel like it brings a decent amount of action however every part doesn't have to have it which I really like since I normally don't watch ones that are too heavy on it. I love Dazai's power and how he can hush any of the others with his power practically neutralizing even some of the worst bad guys. I still don't see anyone being gay and I will stand by that and I'm ok because seriously too many hot guys for me to even think about them together I would rather think about them being straight makes it easier to fantasize about them then. Overall I would gladly recommend this to anyone whether your into otome and shoujo the most I think you could still like this if nothing but the comedy side of things. I look forward to the next upcoming seasons as I catch up I will write my review on each season.

[nazuna-tunnel-vision]

I see there is a placeholder for a narusena post in your masterlist.. any chance it’ll be linked soon

hngnggngn i'm sorry anon but probably no... i have no clue how to begin with them because there's so many interesting things about them. gonna just ramble under read more.

i love their r/s where izumi is one of the only people who primarily see her as a Bitch because he literally grew up with her and she used to steal jobs from him Just Because. and also she literally slapped him on their first meeting as kids because Izumi was crying and wouldn't shut up. i love them. i just think very hard about the conversation they had in Euthanasia, where Naru was feeling guilty about breaking her onee-chan persona to insist on her views on Knights' direction. Izumi just went "? i knew you were this kind of person all along. And it's okay to be selfish, have you seen me? We're literally the same kind of person." Izumi epitome of self-love, he understands when people are being selfish because he acknowledges and accepts the selfish part of himself too lmao

and then there's also the way Naru treats Izumi. Pirates (early ! timeline) is super funny because Izumi is just whining the whole time and Naru perfectly wrangles him like a kindergartener by bribing, and he bites it hook line and sinker. But it's also really wholesome and sweet because you have Izumi FS2 where Izumi is giving an unnamed newbie model lots of unwanted advice and Naru correctly interprets that scene as Izumi being kind, because he sees the newbie's potential and wants him to achieve it. She knows and appreciates Izumi's strong points and I just really love that because Izumi is so prickly that it's usually his annoying parts that really stand out. But she sees his charm points anyway. And in the same scene, she steps in and stops him before he gets too annoying because well. She knows him and how he has a tendency to rub people the wrong way. I love how Naru is an expert Izumi-wrangler, but she always does this with so much fondness and appreciation of not just his flaws, but also his strengths.

the way Izumi treats Naru is also so funny because he's just so petty and mean but it rolls off her back like water. idk if you read Checkmate but he used to call her "shitty four-eyes" because she wore specs and "i know you don't like your name so i came up with an alternative". i can't decide if he's being considerate or not.

in I think Runway, Naru actually points out how Izumi is plays favourites because he's always pampering Makoto (in his own way) but all he does with Arashi, who's also a junior model from the same period, is call her a shitty brat. i can't rmb how he responded, but basically he thinks nothing about being slightly mean to her because 1) he knows she can handle it 2) he's not really lying when he says she's a shitty brat. and I think sometimes, she needs the reminder that it's okay to prioritise your own feelings and opinions rather than be a good supportive onee-chan all the time.

their banter is just really really funny. idk if you've seen any clips of the stage play, but they're really great there too. NaruSena was my favourite dynamic when i first got into enstars because they're just so lively and it's clear that neither of their feelings are hurt when they're being mean to the other.

it's also really funny how they can like... be really horrible and enable each other. There's the whole Knights Kidnapping issue where all of Knights enables each other to commit crimes and none of them blink an eye. I think Naru and Izumi really are the key culprits here, because if anyone was to be in a position to stop Izumi before kidnapping became a Knights Thing, it really was Naru. Ritsu was too sleepy at this point of the year to do anything, but Naru was fully capable of seamlessly stepping into the Leader role. And she didn't stop him <3 And during Izumi's birthday this year, she brought Makoto to Izumi's party. It's a running joke that Makoto never shows up for Izumi's party while Ritsu always does and ignores Rei (same birthday as Izumi). And this year Makoto came to Izumi's party because of Naru. I think she truly made his day, they're so sweet. (Poor Makoto.) And don't forget Naru's obsession with Kunigi and how she even changed her appearance to emulate him in her 2nd year. They're really the same person in different font. Platonic soulmates fr. They get each other.

[reddawnmultimuse]

Have another one Itachi is the moon to Izumi’s sun. One of the only few people who didn’t treat her like there was something wrong with her or act as if she was the plague just because she wasn’t a full blooded Uchiha. That was the start of her silly crush. And that’s what she thought it was at first. A silly crush. But then they grew. Itachi was everything she wanted to be. Strong, determined, patient, kind. He let her see parts of him that others didn’t, and it touched her that he trusted her so much. The feeling was mutual. She hated feeling like she could do nothing when the clan began to outcast him as well. She hated it. She even gotten into arguments about it, much to her mother’s dismay. But at that point she didn’t care. Seeing Itachi in pain hurt her so badly it felt physical. Even after the massacre, she holds onto those feelings. And they bloom to the surface once more when he returns to her. All she wants to do is bath him in her warmth, her light. She’s not weak anymore. This time, she’ll protect him. @musesofchaos

Initially, Itachi hadn't an interest in Izumi. She was just like all the other girls at school which fawned over him. However, his interest was piqued upon learning she had the Sharingan, before even he, and tried to talk to her more and more despite his social awkwardness. After that, Izumi became his one and only friend outside his cousin, Shisui. Maybe it was due to this friendship, or encouragement from his Father to start thinking of the "future" of the Uchiha clan, but Itachi developed a crush on Izumi too. Though, it was never official to his knowledge--or maybe it was his failure at social cues that made them think they were just friends until the bitter end.

When it became obvious a massacre of the Uchiha was inevitable, Itachi decided there and then that the two people he wished to spare were Izumi and Sasuke. Unfortunately, it was only Sasuke he could plead for and whilst he was relieved his little brother would live, it killed him to know Izumi would have to die too. That must've been the first time in a long time he teared up. So, he decided if she had to die, it would be a very peaceful death.

Izumi was the first person Itachi ever used the Tsukuyomi on and illusion he subjected her wasn't just handcrafted for her, but influenced his own wishes too. She was the one he one day wished to marry, she was the one he wished to have children with and she was the one he wished to grow old with. He'd never get that but at least she could have that in a dream. He also promised himself that he'd never let himself love another.

Of all the deaths during the Uchiha Massacre, Izumi's death was the worst for him, even moreso than that of his own parents. He lived with such guilt over it. So, to see her again, he broke down as years and years of that guilt came gushing out--but also peace.

He had failed her once but he wasn't going to fail her again.

@musesofchaos

[ninadove]

For the recent ask game: Korra from TLOK!!

(Idk if you’ve seen it but I know you’ve seen ATLA so if you haven’t seen TLOK yet then let’s hear what you think about Uncle Iroh)

I have seen both series, so now you get to hear me rant about two fictional characters! Lucky you!

KORRA ( THE LEGEND OF KORRA )

First impression:

Pretty girl. Muscles. Short hair. Queer.

Need I say more?

Impression now:

I love how much Korra grew throughout the series.

I’m sure many many Tumblr folks have expended on it in proper essays, but it’s refreshing to see that the writing team approached her as they would any protagonist, instead of treating her differently because of her gender ( which makes sense, in a world where cool warrior ladies like Kyoshi have been a thing since the beginning of time ) !

Favorite moment:

No surprise here, I’m going to say the ending. I knew about it beforehand and it is the reason I started watching the series in the first place.

Idea for a story:

I’d love to see more content about Baby Korra discovering her powers and her parents absolutely F R E A K I N G O U T about it! What little we saw of her at that age was so cute.

Unpopular opinion:

Not sure if this is an “unpopular” opinion, but the relationships between the Main Four were the weakest point of the show in my opinion.

I was extremely annoyed by the whole love triangle debacle, and even Korrasami felt a bit underdeveloped ( There were HUGE instances of flirting between the two in S1, and then they kinda… Paused… Until halfway through S4? ). That one is understandable, though - we all know the challenges of trying to sneak a queer storyline into a kids’ show.

Overall, I didn’t get the “found family” feel that made ATLA so great from Korra and the gang. I’ve heard good things about the comics, though, so I might get my hands on them someday!

Favorite relationship:

Despite what I just said, it is Korrasami, 100%.

I like that they didn’t let the love triangle ruin their friendship ( any negative feelings they had were directed either at Makko or themselves, rather than each other ) and how well they work together despite being so different.

And Korrasami did so much for queer representation in general. It might not seem like much when we look back on it now, but these girls really kicked the portal door open for all of the great stuff we’re getting today!

Favorite headcanon:

Many people have created great art of Korrasami getting engaged using a Water Tribe betrothal necklace. I especially love scenarii in which Asami is the one to propose ( engaging in your partner’s cultural traditions because it’s important to them is a huge pro-gamer move in my book ) .

IROH ( AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER )

First impression:

A funny old man who might or might not be sabotaging Zuko’s efforts to find the Avatar on purpose. For his own good, of course.

Impression now:

A much more complex character than I originally expected. He’s great, obviously, but also imperfect, and I love him for that. More on that later.

Favorite moment:

Probably not a surprise either: the reunion with Zuko in the White Lotus camp. Cleared my skin and watered my crops.

Idea for a story:

I’d like to see more fluff of Iroh in his later years, when he can reflect on how much Zuko has grown throughout the years. Maybe play with Izumi as well! Intimate character pieces are my favourite type of fics to read and write.

Unpopular opinion:

He’s not as perfect as the fandom makes him out to be… And that’s a good thing, actually!

I especially think he could have done more to protect the kids from Ozai ( we see him look away when Ozai burns Zuko’s face, and his whole attitude towards Azula, A LITERAL KID, makes me uneasy ). The complexity only makes him more compelling though, and I think we could all benefit from recognising that even good people make mistakes sometimes.

Favorite relationship:

Iroh and Zuko, obviously. I absolutely ADORE the adoptive father figure / troubled kid working through his trauma dynamic ( something something Professor Layton, something something Hershel and Clive ).

Favorite headcanon:

I really hope he got to meet Baby Iroh and understand how much of an impact he truly had on Zuko’s, and probably Izumi’s, lives.

I could also see him b*tching about his nephew with Mai over tea. If they can’t embarrass him a little, what’s the point?

Thank you for these @crestofshame!

For anyone interested, the ask game can be fond here.

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

description for shikimori/izumi/ai kamiya: Shikimori and Izumi are already an established couple at the start—Izumi is known for his infamous bad luck that often gets him in trouble, or gets him hurt. Shikimori loves him nd wants to protect him from his bad luck. Izumi is the more feminine one of the two, he's very gentle, sometimes a bit awkward and shy, but he's known for his kindness to others. Shikimori is still pretty girly herself, but she's seen as masculine with the way she swoops in to protect or support Izumi like a knight. Kamiya is seen in the school as one if those role model, reliable types. She gets to bond with Izumi, the first person who treats her normally, and she even gets vulnerable with him. Meanwhile, Izumi thinks she's also a very kind person, and loves whenever he gets to talk to her. Eventually, Kamiya crosses paths with Shikimori when their school has this fun little gimmick event with numbers and how the same people with same numbers are soulmates or something. Kamiya gets the same number as Izumi, but Shikimori shows up asking for it. At first Shikimori thought she was ok with it, but realized and caught onto Kamiya's true feelings. When Kamiya wouldn't take back the number because she says she feels guilty for feeling this way about Izumi and getting in the way of them, Shikimori tears the number apart and hugs Kamiya, saying that she shouldn't force herself to get rid of the feelings and she should cherish it. She also said that someone who likes the same person as her can't be a bad person, and she just confirmed how kind she really is. In the next episode their common friend Nekozaki gets them to hang out in the mall after school. When Nekozaki goes to the bathroom, Shikimori tries to shiw Kamiya how to play one of the arcade games, but she says it's too hard for her. Shikimori ends up playing and winning some snacks and gives it to Kamiya, saying she won them for her. Kamiya gets all blushy but then says she should get even, because her personality doesn't fit the passive type. Cut to them later and it's revealed they both won a LOT of plushies for each other, getting carried away. It's cute because this parallels Shikimori's competetiveness when it comes to impressing Izumi, and in an earlier episode she also got carried away and won too many plushies for him. But in this one, Kamiya can match her own competitiveness and also tried to keep up with impressing her. And they just blush around each other sometimes and there was a shot that emohasized their physical closeness at one point. Shikimori even admires how pretty Kamiya looks while blushing to herself. A noteworthy parallel is Izumi also seeing Kamiya for who she really is, much like how he did with Shikimori.

hi!!! thank you so much for this omg! i just realized i already had a description for them from the nominations so i May Be Stupid?? im so sorry!! but i'll mix them up!!! is that okay? i'll have to summarize your part, unfortunately, but since u put so much work into it ill add it to thr propaganda tag too. I really appreciate this and im sorry for my goof....

also they sound extremely adorable 💖

[mikeellee]

Something I'd like to vent to you about - Stars and Stripes is the biggest narrative breaker in MHA one that is annoying to cater for and write in fic.

Because every issue in the story could solved by Star showing up and touching something I.e "I order Yagi Toshinori's wounds to heal."

Or even to Shig pre AFO takeover Star could have just come in ordered him to drop dead and he would have. Story done.

In fact - this woman is nearly as old as AM so why hasn't she shown up before with AM and tried to kill AFO the first time with Him? I'm just so frustrated with her broken quirk it takes all the fun out of writing her for me. Your thoughts?

@doodlegirl1998

Hi, so I was thinking about Star and....look, can we say Hori cares or think about his own damn story? No. Can we say Hori cares for AM? NO.

Let me give you an example: Fullmetal Alchemist has a character called Izumi who made a transmutation to revive her dead son...and the payment was she losing the ability to have a child (she lost the organ responsible for this, I don´t recall the details but damn it was crude and terrifying) and while it has some time since I saw the anime...Izumi could have got her organ back if she had sent the transmutted baby back to where it come from...except she doesn´t do that!

Now you are wondering what this has to do with AM?

Well, Izumi could have fixed her situation but chose not bc she had a son and will stick by him -even if he is not human- AM? We never see him ever attempting to fix himself.

Eri healing AM is a concept only one person ever draw. People in this fandom made theories and fic ideas for Eri rewind Shig to his Baby Tenko era but AM being fixed is not even on the top 5.

And why is that? I frankly blame Hori for making AM such a joke that no one would care.

But we never actually see AM trying to find a solution for his problem. Now, Star is HIS STUDENT. She looks up to him a lot-and I think AM has a good relationship with US-so technically she could have healed him asap. Hell, she could have done this secretly. "AM goes to the US for a secret mission, or so the media thinks...and Star heals him"

But it is never explored...as she was never mentioned either.

(To the people who think it would be cool for Izu to lose his power....see how AM is treated in canon...if Hori gives Izu a mansion it would be too uncharacteristic for Hori)

She did try to kill Shig...but (and my theory) since Shig can go by two names...the whole "Tomura Shigaraki dies" is pointless if he is also Tenko. But then again...Tenko and Shig...got such OP quirk and.......nothing comes from this. NOTHING.

Star is there to give a quirk to Shig....and only that.

[heatwa-ves]

top five blorbos and why

under the cut bc this gets pretty long 🤧

1. ritsu- enstars

RITSU. ritsu. he's cute he's sleepy he's silly!!! he makes me deeply and profoundly sad!!! he's so scared of change and abandonment 🤧🤧🤧 I wrote a whole essay on his fear of loneliness in discord dms to my friend that's how unwell he makes me... he's also really cute and sweet tho and he's a vampire (allegedly) and he's in his friends to lovers arc with his bestie so true!!! I read the meowsketeers scout story the other day and it amplified my ritsu emotions by 500% and then I read band ensemble yesterday and uh.

I relate to him an absurd amount and he's so so important to me...ritsu my best friend ritsu

2. izumi and leo- enstars

"tia you can't put two characters in the same spot!! also why is half of the list knights!!" it's my list and I do what I want. and I can't separate my izumi insanity from my leo insanity they go hand in hand.... anyway izuleo make me ridiculously unwell it's the codependency it's the loving the other but hating themselves.... it's leo shutting himself away from the world, from even izumi, when they were so close, and then izumi not knowing how to handle that loss because he can't be honest with himself and so he uses makoto as a replacement for leo and becomes borderline obsessive so that he can ensure no one will leave him again....they're both Severely unwell they make eachother worse and better they're perfect for eachother they are my barbie dolls and I'm making them kiss. anyway. read lionheart. this is my dying request....

3. angel devil- chainsaw man

ANGEL!!! he's everything to me...he's the reason I started reading csm I love him so much... he's such a tragic character honestly like. trying to keep this as spoiler free as possible but his backstory makes me violently sob. anyway his relationship with aki is. ough. something something love despite everything... actively making the effort to protect eachother even though you're a devil and he's a human and you were never meant to get along... when you're essentially a glorified tool to public safety and he treats you like a person. ok. okay. also angel representing exactly how disposable the devils are to public safety and that's why [SPOILER] anyway he's so relatable like me and my bestie who just wanna sleep and eat ice cream and not do work.

4. kyouka- bungou stray dogs

kyouka has become my favourite bsd character I love her SO MUCH the representation of her breaking the cycle of abuse that goes Mori -> dazai -> aku -> kyouka (I don't think mori necessarily abused dazai but that's a discussion for another time) anyway kyouka being able to go into the light is so important even tho people try to drag her back one she's experienced happiness she makes the conscious decision to stay with the ada and they become a family to her that she hasn't had since the loss of her parents... anyway she's a silly little guy. I'm buying her a crepe.

5. kazuha - genshin impact

I'm not really into genshin anymore but kazuha is soooo. so. he's one of the first characters that invoked such a blorboful response from me and I've been obsessed with him since his first appearance back in summer 2021... (I skipped his first banner BC I was saving for albedo and immediately regretted skipping 😭 but hey I got him on his rerun and then dropped the game) he's the character I've put through the most trauma I will hurt him again and again 💖💖💖 so true. I hope more bad things happen to him. my silly billy. also I'm still unhinged over kazugorou they're so important to me ... boy..friemds....