#fun fact he was voiced by mako

[violetlunette]

I got nothing. This is just one of my favorite jokes of all time, so I'm sharing to see if it'll make someone else laugh.

[zzprompto]

thanks for requesting. i accidentally deleted this draft, luckily i had a screenshot of the request.

☆ mutual

cloud strife x ftm reader [he / him]

sypnosis: above.

the lowercase is intentional !

cloud and [name] were friend ever since they were little.

sure, the two boys weren't that close with eachother, but they were still friends. even if cloud talked to tifa most of the time and went off to join the soldier program, the two of them were still friends. no matter what.

[name] had always liked cloud. the young boy liked how strong willed cloud was and how determined the blonde was to be the number one solider. it really inspired [name], and made him fawn over cloud.

but he'd never say anything, of course. he was too scared and he never knew if cloud reciprocated. [name] was a trans boy after all, so what if cloud didn't even like him as a guy? it would break the boy into little pieces. he wouldn't be able to take it.

what [name] didn't know was that cloud felt the same. cloud always liked [name], not tifa, not zack or anyone else. just [name]. he always wanted to get closer to [name] and confess, but he couldn't. he was scared of rejection, the same way that [name] was. but that didn't stop either from liking one another.

it had been a few years since the two past met, cloud had left nibelheim to join the soldier program and [name] left to explore midgar. they hadn't caught up or seen eachother ever since then.

[name] was walking around wall market, taking in the vibrant lights outside the various buildings and the bustling nightlife. he had been there multiple times before, but each time it felt like the first.

there were so many things to explore at wall market, so many things to try. that's why [name] kept coming back. it was a fun experience, not just for the honey bee in or the various attractions in honour of don corneo. the buildings themselves and the people are what attracted [name].

[name] was minding his business, doing his usual as he went around the area. he looked at a few shops, inspected some materia and weapons on display and he got some food.

the young man decided to walk around with his food, which ended up being a bad idea. there were huge crowds everywhere on this particular day, and he just happened to bump into someone.

all of [name]'s food went flying, straight onto the floor. it was all ruined. people were stepping on it as it dropped to the floor, so [name] definitely wouldn't be able to eat it anymore.

[name] groaned and he looked down at the floor in annoyance before speaking, because the person he had bumped into for some reason hadn't left yet.

"you should watch where you're going next time." [name] grumbled to himself, unsure if the other person actually heard him or not. to his surprise, they did.

"you should also watch where you're going, some people are in a hurry." the person scoffed, and their voice sounded oddly familiar.

[name] raised his eyebrow and he looked up, still annoyed at the fact that this stranger made him drop his food. "well that's not my problem, is it? my problem is the fact that you made me drop my food. i spent a lot of gil on that-"

then, that's when [name] saw who it was that bumped into him.

it was cloud.

his old friend and crush was standing right there infront of him as multiple people barged past the two of them. [name] couldn't believe his eyes.

"holy shit." [name]'s mouth dropped as he stared infront at cloud. he did not think he was going to run into cloud at wall market of all places. shouldn't he be doing some soldier training right now anyway?

[name] wasn't mistaken. he thought he was seeing things but it truly was cloud infront of him.

the striking blonde hair, but with the ponytail now gone. the blue eyes that had a hint of green in them due to the mako. the pale skin that was reflecting all of the neon signs.

it truly was cloud. [name] wasn't seeing things.

"cloud? what are you doing here?" [name] asked, scanning cloud's figure once more to triple check he wasn't hallucinating.

cloud was a little confused at first. he didn't 100% recognise who was infront of him. [name] had grown up and transitioned into being who he truly meant to be.

"[name]?" cloud responded, taking a good look at the man infront of him. it was [name], cloud wasn't hallucinating either.

[name] nodded and he immediately hugged cloud, not believing the fact that his friend was there infront of him still. he didn't know how to grasp the situation. it had been years since they last met and there were no goodbyes shared or anything.

cloud was a little startled by the sudden hug, but he decided to embrace it anyway. it wasn't going to hurt. he was just hugging his old friend.. his old crush.

cloud felt like he was a kid again.

the poor guy was blushing again and he felt his stomach churn. he couldn't believe this was happening.

why now of all times? why were the memories flooding back to him? all the times that [name] and cloud would stay up late to talk or play games.. it all came rushing back.

"i didn't think i was going to ever see you again.." [name] confessed, whispering into cloud's ear softly. he was so happy to see cloud after all these years, cloud had to know.

"neither did i." cloud responded, chuckling lightly to himself as he ended up reciprocating the hug.

he wished he could stay in [name]'s arms forever - but he couldn't. he had a mission to do for avalanche, he had to save tifa. he couldn't stay in [name]'s arms for too long. he had things to do.

"[name] i'm sorry.. i have to go." cloud sighed, stepping back from the hug and looking at [name] with a frown. he didn't want this to end so soon.

"what?" [name] also took a step back, feeling all upset now. the smile he had on his face was wiped away in instant.

the man shook his head and he grabbed cloud's arm, keeping him in place. he wasn't letting him go this time. he was going to tell him everything. he didn't care if cloud was going to be late to whatever he's doing. he was selfish, but for good reasons.

"cloud, you can't just leave me after we've not seen eachother for years!" [name] started, still keeping a firm grip on cloud's arm. he sure as hell wasn't letting the blonde go yet.

"i haven't stopped thinking of you all this time.. and now you're back but you want to leave me again." [name] sighed, letting go of cloud's arm. it seems as if he has given up so quickly.

[name] looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. there was still a frown on his face and it was clear to cloud that he was hurting.

cloud wished he could comfort [name], hug him, kiss him or something else but he couldn't. time was running out, but it felt so slow when he was around [name].

"i should've told you then that i liked you. maybe if i wasn't a coward, you wouldn't of left and we would've been able to be something then.. but it's too late." [name] sighed again. he didn't even know if cloud was listening. "something else is clearly more important, so you should probably just go and do that thing then."

cloud couldn't believe what he had just heard. [name] liked him too? well, that changes everything. maybe cloud can spare a few minutes..

"seriously?" cloud spoke up, walking closer to [name] and holding one of his hands. he couldn't believe that [name] felt the same way he did.

"that.. feeling is mutual. i liked you back then too, but i was also too scared to say anything." cloud frowned slightly and it seemed that he had forgotten about everything else going on in his life.

[name] looked back at cloud, his frown slowly fading away. he was glad that cloud shared the sentiment, even if his confession was more of a 'heat of the moment' thing.

the man took in a deep breath before he spoke again, looking at his love with a smile on his face now.

"i'm glad to know that, cloud. i really am.." [name] says as he brushes a few strands of hair out of cloud's face. "i seriously didn't think you were interested in me at all. i thought you would've fallen in love with someone at the soldier program or something." [name] laughed.

cloud smiled in return. it was a small smile, but it still managed to melt [name]'s heart after years of not seeing it.

"i'd really like to catch up someday." [name] hummed and cloud let go of him, nodding at the other's words.

"of course." cloud responded, definitely wanting to catch up with [name]. they had a lot to catch up on. dates, kisses, hugs.. and even more.

[name] cleared his throat and he looked away, remembering that cloud had something important to do.

"you should.. go now. don't you have something important to do?" [name] mumbled, a heat rising to his face as he felt suddenly embarrassed for no reason.

cloud nodded and he gave [name] a quick kiss on the cheek, letting the other know that the feelings are still there. he then walked away from [name], going to do what he had to do.

"i'm glad our feelings are mutual!" [name] called out as cloud walked away.

cloud had a huge blush on his face as he walked, feeling flustered that a bunch of people now knew about his situation with [name].

at least the feeling was mutual...

☆ author's note: hope you enjoy! for those who have been waiting for p2 of the fyodor x male reader fic, it'll be out soon i promise!! i feel so bad for making you all wait 😭 i might also start writing for re2 and re4, so you can request for characters from those games!

☆ masterlist ▪︎ request

[everythingfiction13]

Disclaimer: I may have cried while writing this.

Korra and Asami, along with Mako and Bolin, Tenzin and his family, Kya, Bumi and a-very-much-deprived-of-any-fun Lin decide to visit the Southern Water Tribe for one of their many festivals.

Once there, the others are quick to jump into the action, and Mako wins several gifts for Ikki who still isn't over her crush on him. Meanwhile, Bolin and Meelo playfully race along the roads of the SWT, but the general rule is that they don't use their bending. It is purely a test of speed and power, and nearly all of the gang has placed their bets on either boy, mostly in favor of Bolin. It is not quite a surprise when Meelo actually wins.

Jinora, for once, decides to let her hair down and enjoy the parades with Kai, and through much persuasion, Tenzin sort of relaxes thanks to his mother and Pema. After all, the children won't be as such for much longer, a fact that the Airbending Master can not get over, no matter how old his children get. Lin and Kya spend much of their time together, drinking and placing bets, trying to showcase who is stronger and who can hold their liquor, and at some point, Korra could have sworn she'd seen them flirting though they would surely deny it later on.

All in all, everyone's having fun and enjoying a much needed respite from saving the world from anyone who thinks of wreaking havoc again. All except for Asami, but nobody notices. Korra has her suspicions, deems it wise to let her girlfriend confide in her when she's ready. They'd already had this conversation before with Asami confessing that sometimes, when things got a bit overwhelming, she just needed her space. And Korra gave her all the space possible, letting her hang back while the others threw themselves in a series of shenanigans, yet always kept a watchful eye on the heiress. At some point, Korra was distracted long enough for Asami to slip away, this particular bout of uncertainty taking longer to shake off than normal.

Asami could feel her chest tightening, the air in her lungs barely enough to keep her on her feet, but she was well-versed in the art of hiding her turmoil, a smile always at the ready to protect her from any inquiring looks.

A gentle hand finds her shoulder, big enough to clasp her whole bone, yet tender and warm.

"Hey kiddo." Tonraq. Asami would always recognize his voice.

She turns to him a moment later, flashing that same practiced smile. But a look of concern furrows the man's brows, and he towers over her, large and imposing and so caring that the heiress can't help but feel so small.

"You feeling alright?"

"Yes, yes," she says, though the lump in her throat threatened to choke her.

Tonraq sees right through her. "Asami, you know you can confide in me. I may be Korra's dad and all, but I'm still here for you."

Tears swell in her eyes, but again, Asami will always hide her feelings in such moments. She can not afford to be weak, to let herself be so easily uncovered. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. But I promise, I'm fine."

"Have we not passed over the formalities? You are dating my daughter."

At that, a genuine grin curled Asami's lips. It feels weird, however, to call him by his name, almost as if she is breaking some unnamed rule. "I suppose so. I'll need some time to get used to it, though."

"As long as it takes, honey. Are you sure you're alright?"

Asami nods, swallows the knot in the back of her throat. Tonraq, she knows, is not convinced. There is little, however, she can do about it, only hopes that he isn't as persistent as his daughter.

He isn't. With one last smile, he rejoins the others, leaving Asami to her own thoughts. Relief washes over her, but she still can't find herself to breathe properly, the need to disappear for a moment gnawing at her.

Later, when everyone is fast asleep under the heavy covers to keep them warm, Asami finds herself clutching at a cup of tea she's made herself, sitting on a chair in the private kitchen even though the main hall was all but empty. This place was smaller, cozier. It suited her mood just as well. In her other free hand, Asami holds the one thing Lin was able to salvage from the wreckage that was the hummingbird Hiroshi and her had used in the battle against Kuvira, a pair of bent golden spectacles with no glass to keep it together. Asami can't bring herself to look at it, but it feels good to have it between her fingers, clasp at the very last thing that connected her to her dad.

"Oh, sorry I...I figured it would be empty," Senna breaks the silence. "Asami, are you okay, sweetheart?"

The young woman's lips quiver, unable to hold it together any longer. She swallows, her voice wavering. "Not really, no."

Senna pulls the chair beside her. She does not fail to notice the glasses, but makes no move to reach for Asami's hand. The latter doesn't blame her, she wouldn't touch something as tainted with blood either. Her father was a criminal after all.

"Sweetheart."

A single tear streaks down Asami's cheek. "My mom used to call me that. All the time. I miss her."

Another tear. Senna ticks with compassion, grabbing the younger woman then in a hug Asami had not been privileged with for so, so long. And for once, she hangs on, fingers clutching at Senna's shirt as her tears flow freely down her face.

"I can't...I can't breathe," she chokes out. "I can't breathe."

Tender hands clasp her face, and Korra looks so much like her mother, just as Asami reflected Yasuko's features, only older.

"I need you to breathe with me, sweetheart. Can you do that?"

Yet again, Asami nods. Her tears do not stop. Her breathing becomes erratic instead, but Senna's touches, firmer now, ground her. "You're okay, sweetheart. I got you. I got you."

"Why does it...why does...hurt...? Why did they leave me all alone?"

"Oh honey, they didn't. They never did leave you."

"They did. Everyone leaves me. Everyone..."

"Asami, sweetheart, that's not going to happen. Your friends are here, and you have Tonraq and me, and Korra..."

But the words fall on deaf ears, try as she may to take them in. "I never got to say goodbye. It hurts..."

"I know it does. But believe me, your mom and dad are with you, Asami. They will always be a part of you. Always."

"You don't...know that."

"But you do. In everything that you do, Asami, every waking moment, your being alive and well and happy is a testament to how much your mom and dad loved you." Senna brushes the girl's tears, pulls her in closer so that her head rests upon her chest. Tea discarded, glasses still clutched in her hand, Asami lets herself cry for what feels like the first time in years.

Of course, she'd done so before, several times, when the hurt became so much she was going to explode, but those were in her private moments. Never in front of anyone. Never.

"Sen?"

Great. If she had felt embarrassed at the start of her confession, Asami doubled in it.

Tonraq catches on quickly, and he wraps his arms around them both, setting a soft kiss on Asami's head. He does not need to say a thing because with Senna's words and his embrace, Asami feels safe again.

[lis-muerta]

“The people that were supposed to help me hurt me.”

Tw extremely difficult and dark content, noncon, physical damage. Also an extremely long draft I've been working on this since Anon sent the ask.

Read at your own risk this is the last warning.

TRIGGERING CONTENT UNDERFLAP

If she wasn't a corpse on two feet, she would've been heartbroken. She just felt fragmented, as if she wasn't even human anymore. Her skin seemed fused to the thin line between love and hate.

She remembered where she was—holding her expression steady, with Mako sitting across the table. The men across from them laughed crudely.

"Look at what we have here," they sneered, their eyes devoid of any humanity. Lin couldn't place where she had seen them before; her mind was rebelling against her. Yet, they recognized her, and she must have known them at some point.

"She's ugly now, but I bet she still has all that money—and she doesn't fix her nose, it's crooked, looks like a frog." The men's words slurred slightly, still under the influence.

"What did you say, punk?" Mako's voice was sharp as he glared at the 60-year-old man adorned with tattoos on his face and body. Lin suppressed a look of disgust. They were trying to provoke a reaction; she didn't know why, but she couldn't remember. Her hands trembled—a common occurrence when the weather turned like this. She sensed they were eager to remind her of their past acquaintance, casually using her first name as if they were old friends.

"How's Su, in her fancy platinum city?" The younger men chimed in, their faces lighting up with a mix of mockery and intrigue.

Lin remained silent, her expression unreadable. She waited to see if they would reveal more, but it was Mako who spoke next, his tone laced with suspicion. "How do you dirtbags know Su?"

Lin continued to listen silently, maintaining her neutral facade, unwilling to give these despicable sex traffickers the satisfaction of any reaction. But then they dropped a bombshell: Su had done them a favor, always ready to assist the Terra Triad.

Lin exhaled slowly, focusing on the fact that they had slipped up while their lawyer was still en route. It wouldn't hold up in court; the whole interrogation could be deemed pointless. Reacting to their bait would only jeopardize the interrogation. She needed to ensure they made it to trial.

"Are you confessing to a crime? Everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, and you've asked for a lawyer," she stated firmly.

"If this lands me in jail, your sister will be right there with me for facilitating, and I don't think it would be just a small slap on the wrist either," the man with the neck tattoo retorted, crossing his arms, his demeanor showing no fear of the law.

Mako turned to Lin, his eyes searching hers for guidance.

"Depending on what you say next, we might discuss immunity, but remember, your counsel is still on the way."

"I'll waive it," the man declared boldly, his voice echoing slightly in the stark interrogation room.

—

Lin grabbed the paperwork with Mako telling him he would lead; she was disoriented, unsure of what was unfolding. They signed away their rights, driven by a vendetta against Su for betraying them decades ago. They smirked, sizing up Lin with contempt.

"If that bozo Zolt hadn't forgotten to lock the door to the hideout, that bitch would've been in a concrete grave," the man with the neck tattoo said, pointing at Lin, sending a chill through her veins.

The memories flooded back in an instant. She had been out for a run, feeling unwell and deciding to rest on a park bench. It was late; she should have been home already. Her vision blurred, and suddenly, two men appeared from behind the bench. She slumped over, her head ablaze with pain, her stomach cramping, and then she awoke chained to a bed. They injected something into her arm; time became a blur, the abuse relentless.

"Sure would've; she was starting to get boring. It was fun while it lasted. I'm honestly surprised she managed to recover; she was nearly dead by then. We even considered setting her on fire to finish the job, but then the boss thought about stuffing her in a drum, filling it with concrete, and leaving it for her loved ones to find, though they didn't seem to be looking."

"Are you insinuating that my sister was involved in my kidnapping?" Lin asked, her voice sharp and unfazed by the violence they described.

"Well, believe it; she was the one that drugged you before your run and told us where you'd be—that you took exactly 30 minutes to get to the park from the Beifong estates. It was hard to miss a sexy barely 18-year-old. Shame you decided to arrest Gao's right-hand man; he wouldn't have been so rough with you, and would’ve had more time to have fun. The funny part is that your mom found out and buried it; even she didn't give a shit about you."

"Okay, and your proof?" Lin said, her voice steady. Nothing could hurt if you didn't feel anything anymore. Mako, on the other hand, was livid, disgusted, and shocked that her sister might have done something so cruel, that her mother covered it up.

"Well, if you want to give us a deal, I can show you something. I'm sure you would like to have it back. Not like I'll be getting out of prison, but if you don't give us death, we'll give you everyone running this operation."

"Fine," Lin lied, knowing they had made their mistake. They weren't in charge of deals; that was up to the lawyers. They had just waived their right to counsel. It was a reasonable deception.

Mako wondered what was next. Lin was going to let them get away with it. That was when he took off the necklace. Lin raised a brow; he wore the evidence of his crime. He was that sure he had gotten away with what he had done.

Lin stared at the necklace—a jade boar with wings, golden wings, her initials carved in and gold-leafed. Her grandmother had given it to her shortly before she died. She hated the feeling she suddenly got, that they began to laugh, that the memories of what they did to her came back in a flash.

The earthbender remembered calling for her mom, begging for her; she couldn't walk anymore, she crawled, she was barely able to use or reach the bathroom, trapped in that shed. It was cold as it snowed outside. She pleaded for half an hour as they attacked her for not being able to make it, forcing her to drink her next mess.

The way they smashed her face into the floor by jumping on her. The clatter as her teeth hit the concrete, and her nose broke from being pressed into the ground; how she wouldn't be able to breathe from it again until she got surgery years later. How her face swelled more and more as they brutalized her starved body, how they had dropped a boulder on her body many times, breaking many bones in her legs and hands, ribs.

The cuts and burns that were all over her unscarred body. Cigarettes and hot metal were pressed against her skin. The drugs fed to her, and how wild it got as they passed her around like a doll the first weeks to all of their friends in the triad while she still looked pretty. How the ringleader's father joined in instead of calling the police; he didn't want to pass up on sleeping with a hot young lady.

That people could hear her screams but didn't dare call the cops. The word got out, and the other boys in the triad who hated her mother and her type came in droves to abuse her body. Anything and everything became a new way to torment her as they put things inside her body. She never knew pain like this, and she had no memories of not being harmed in her life. That she wasn't publicly seen for a long time due to the damage to her body and her mind, that she was unrecognizable for months, her face was so swollen.

That she wouldn't be able to bear children, not that she wanted them. From all the violence done internally with objects. The glee that the older man gave as he described her screams, how this probably didn't even bother her because she was used up and ran through even before then.

Her mother didn't hesitate to ensure Su wasn't involved, despite the drugs used to ensnare Lin, and make her unable to fight back , were found in her room along with other trophies of their crimes, which the men hid in the Beifong house. They laughed heartily as they described feeding her drugs to keep her unable to bend, how Lin had been reduced to crawling and being unable to eat, drink, breathe, and use the bathroom properly. They destroyed her legs, hands, and body.

Lin wanted to die every day if it meant being freed from this numb world. She remembered how long it took before she was able to walk again, to see; her face was so swollen, nobody recognized her for weeks, she couldn't talk from how much she had screamed. How much this should hurt, but she felt nothing. Lin Beifong died a long time ago, and after Amon, she hadn't been able to regain feelings in any meaningful way. She felt like nothing, a void in her being.

Beifong forgave them; she had every right to be upset at them both, but everyone said lin was the problem. She started to believe it was her, that she was cold and no good. Her sister looked her in the eyes and said she was the reason Lin did a banged-up job keeping the family as it was, broken, knowing what she did nearly crippled her, and Su let that guy steal Lin's last memory of their grandmother, who she had. Her personality and cognitive functions were never the same; she couldn't emote even when she tried. She couldn't express herself no matter how badly she wanted to.

"Every time I see your face in the paper, I look at that necklace and remember how you cried and begged for your mommy to save you. How she was more worried about your bitch sister, How we ruined you—that Master Tenzin lost interest in you because you were broken by us. All that money and power, and you did nothing with it. Wasted, on a dumb broad who's just a good body."

Lin's eyes never left the man's face as he described his plans to kill her, every gruesome detail. Her expression remained neutral, almost bored.she had no idea what he had to prove.

"Hm, is that so?" Lin said, her voice dripping with nonchalance. Inside her mind was churning as those lowlifes got too comfortable.

Nowadays, she didn't even know where she was, with whom, or why; it was all a blur. Nothing stayed still enough to catch the details. It was like her grandmother's hair slipping through her fingers; she didn't know what she was anymore, but she didn't feel human. Chief Beifong was just a response to what was right in front of her, with no details, too tired and impatient of everything, like how long it was taking for those lowlifes to make out their list of people involved with the current trafficking ring, the thing she cared more about. Everything took forever, everything was just out of reach.

The man's grin faltered, expecting a stronger reaction. But Lin just stood up, her movements fluid.

Mako walked out of the room, his statements already taken. Lin followed a small smirk playing on her lips.

"You have tons of time to think about how you wish you had killed me," she said, her voice sweet. "Especially since you're going to get the death penalty. And you made a plea deal with the wrong person, genius."

The man's face twisted in rage, but Lin just turned and walked away, leaving him to his fate.

Mako blinked, admiring Lin's ability to hold onto her emotions. "Hey, Lin, are you okay?" he asked, catching up to her as she walked past him briskly, hoping to avoid this.

Lin shrugged. "Been through worse than what they did."

Mako frowned, concerned, but Lin just headed to her office to work on the paperwork. He decided to follow, his eyes fixed on her back.

"How do you do it, Lin?" he asked, his voice low. "How do you stay so calm after everything you've been through?"

Lin shrugged.

"Lin, wait. Are you going to be okay? That had to be hard to hear."

"Been through worse. It's too late now, no use in dwelling," Lin said, her tone so detached it could have been about anything.

"Been through worse—Lin!" Mako was horrified at the idea she thought this was no big deal. "You're going to let her get away with that?" Mako said, growing frustrated.

"Su already did, didn't you hear? She was a minor, and there are at least two adults who will get all the blame for her facilitation and possession. Besides, it was nearly four decades ago, and with her rebrand that fooled everyone, she'll never see the inside of a jail cell or court," Lin said, her voice measured, caging in all the betrayal. Su and her have been on talking terms for years now. She was actively deceiving her.

The heartache the chief felt as she thought of their words—not even her mother gave a damn about her.

The fact that Su nearly crippled her, that she had serious damage that still affects her, that she couldn't have kids, that she didn't leave her home for a long time. She was silently struggling with the withdrawal from the drugs they fed her. She was unrecognizable for months, never the same person as her brain was damaged by the things they did to her.

"Besides, there's no use risking the tiny bit of stability the Earth Kingdom has. It's barely stabilizing itself, and I won't lose sleep over it," Lin said.

"But you deserve justice for what they—" Mako started.

"I don't deserve anything. Just leave what happened out of the report, and drop it. I've been through the worst; it's going to be fine, and I'm fine. I'm going to turn in after I finish the paperwork."

It was early for Lin to leave, usually being the first one in and the last out.

Mako knew it had to bug her, but she kept herself guarded. She refused to open up, even though she usually preferred working for as long as possible. She was choosing to head in early; she was hurting. He realized she was heading to her office.

"Lin, will you promise me you will consider talking to someone you trust? This has to be hurting, even if you say that it isn't the worst thing you've encountered, that you're no stranger to betrayal, which frankly is terrifying to think." Lin kept the same expression she always wore as it grew closer to the end of most detectives' lunch breaks; they were starting to filter in. She was stone-cold as Lin walked into her office, wondering if she even trusted anyone anymore because she didn't have anyone she turned to show him that Lin Beifong was fine. She wasn't sniveling and crying; she was numb to the world and its evils, hardened and unbreakable on the outside.

"Just omit the things pertaining to me from the report. The last thing I need is for the media to get wind of this," Lin said as she pushed the door open to her office again, closing and locking it behind her, taking a deep breath before getting to work.

—

It had been two days since that afternoon. Lin had not shown up for work and Mako couldn't sleep.The group sat in stunned silence, processing Mako's revelation.

"Su set Lin up?" Korra asked, her voice laced with disbelief. "She facilitated a kidnapping?"

Mako nodded, his expression grim. "Lin was 18. She was kidnapped, abused, and nearly killed. Su's was the reason she was targeted; she told them about Lin arresting the leaders right hand man, that Lin was always on Su’s case as she fed them information in hopes of joining the gang.They told Su they would deal with Lin if she gave info and she wouldn't bother her ever again and she can join their gang." The implication was that Su knew they would hurt Lin but Mako also knew Su was twelve, he really hoped she didn't realize what she set her sister up for.

Tenzin's face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. "I knew she was kidnapped, but I didn't know the extent. We didn't see her until she recovered from her injuries, away from Republic City."

Pema's expression turned stern, her voice firm. "I'm going to check on Lin, right now. She needs our support."

Tenzin countered, his voice calm . "Pema, we can't just barge in on her. She needs space."

Pema's eyes flashed with concern. "Space? She's been through trauma, Tenzin. She needs us. The people that were supposed to help her hurt her! her own mother covered it up I can't even imagine horrible Lin must feel inside"

Kya spoke up, her voice laced with understanding. "Actually, Pema, Lin's more likely to get angry if we violate her boundaries. She values her independence."

Bumi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and she's been dealing with Su's betrayal. She needs time to process."

Pema's face was determination. "I don't care. I need to make sure she's okay."

Tenzin's expression turned gentle but firm. "Pema, we're not questioning your concern, but Lin's strong. She can handle this. Forcing our presence on her will only make things worse."

Asami added, "And think about it, Pema. Lin's been through so much. She needs to feel in control of her life right now."

Bolin chimed in, "Yeah, and if we show up uninvited, she'll feel like we're taking that control away from her."

Pema's voice rose, her frustration evident. "You're all just making excuses. She wants to be alone because she's scared. But I know her, she doesn't want to be alone."

Kya's voice turned soft but firm. "Pema, we're not making excuses. We're trying to respect Lin's boundaries. She'll come to us when she's ready."

Pema's expression turned stubborn, but the others stood firm, convinced that giving Lin space was the best decision.

"You're all just making excuses not to check on Lin. She needs our support, and I'm going to make sure she gets it."Pema's breaths were heavy, filled with an anger she had not felt in decades.

Kya countered, "Pema, Lin's not going to want us to be there. I’m telling you it’s going to be a fight.”

“She's vulnerable, she needs someone to fight for her, just as much as anyone else, and I doubt anyone will let her share that or even asked. You all act like she’s a machine and not a person.” Pema felt heated, particularly because of her own similarities in sibling betrayal.

that Pema didn’t doubt Lin endured all of that and was expected to go about her day regularly once her body recovered. Her own mother covered this up. That they were just going to wait until she dealt with it her own way before bothering to check in when she was over it. They were cowards.

Tenzin added, "We're not making excuses, Pema. Lin wont respond well, and we can't just march in unannounced."

Pema's voice rose. "You're always saying that! Lin doesn't want to be alone. She's heartbroken, and she needs us. You're just too scared to face her."

Kya explained, "Pema, Lin's brain damage made her personality and ability to emote change. She wouldn't talk unless necessary. She obsessed with getting stronger and being a good influence on the city. It might frustrate her or overwhelm her if we approach her first it's hard for her to communicate."

Tenzin said, “She didn't speak for months, but eventually, Katara helped her reintegrate. However, she was a different person."

Pema argued, "That's exactly why we should be there for her! But no, you're all too busy making excuses. I'm going to check on her, and I'm not leaving her alone with that."

Bumi sighed. "Pema, we're not trying to abandon Lin. We just don't want to intrude on her space like Kya said it might overwhelm her."

Pema shot back, "when has Lin ever not been there for us? Never! She's always been the strong one, and now she needs us, and you're all too scared to be there for her."

Korra's eyes dropped, her mind racing with regret. "I can't believe I forced Lin to talk to Su. I didn't leave it alone all those years ago. And now,I find out Su was behind a serious crime."

Asami's hand on her shoulder offered comfort. "Korra, you didn't know. You were trying to help."

But Korra shook her head, her guilt evident. "I should have listened to Lin. I should have respected her boundaries. If only I had."

Tenzin's wise voice interrupted her thoughts. "Korra, you can't change the past. But you can be there for Lin now. When she's ready to talk."

The group fell silent, weighing their options. Finally, Pema stood up, her expression determined. "I'm going to check on her, with or without you.I'll come home if she doesn't want company."

Pema thought of the scars on her wrists. The little girl that needed somebody by her side to be her voice that it never came as she became the scapegoat for the things her brother and his friends had done to her.

She would be the person that they both needed; she wouldn’t turn her back like Lin’ supposed family friends. Pema left, got Oogi determination in her blood along with anger at her husband and everyone else turning a blind eye.

@btheleaf Pemas headcanon is theirs, I have more I need to write in part two and Pema gets a bigger part.

@dont-blame-it-on-the-kids

[a34trgv2]

The Problem With Exposition Dumps

In any form of entertainment, it's important to establish some context for the events of the story. There is a right way to do it and a wrong way. Dumping exposition onto the audience is most certainly the wrong way. For this post, I'm going to explain my problem with exposition dumps and how to better convey exposition. And in case you're wondering, no, I'm not going to put down writers who use exposition dumps as "lazy" or "pathetic."" My intent is always to educate, not belittle.

You should be familiar with what an exposition dump is as they pop up everywhere. In movies, TV shows, video games, radio podcasts and etc.. Characters will stop the story dead in it's tracks to spend more than a paragraph talking about lore, character backstorys, or the setting they're in. This makes for boring entertainment because at that point, the characters are just spouting random trivia from the story bible and not actually telling a compelling story. I'm all about fun facts and interesting lore, but not at the expense of good storytelling and creative world building.

Let's dissect this clip from Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Moon Girl says that she's tired, yet the way she's animated in the clip leads me to believe otherwise as she's not panting or sweating. She also mentions that the bad guy is getting stronger, then asks "but how?" I can suspend my disbelief enough to get behind a child prodigy befriending a dinosaur and fighting bad guys in New York, but I don't buy for a second she doesn't know what a troll is. But okay, let's actually assume she doesn't know what a troll is (as unlikely as that sounds); she should still put 2 and 2 together when she sees that everytime she takes his petty comments personally, he gets stronger. She should've known before this particular clip that he was feeding off her negative emotions like a parasite, or in this case, a symbiote. She then zooms in on the troll and realizes that it's a symbiote before spelling out for the audience what a symbiote's weakness is. First of all, even if people didn't know what a symbiote was, you could've still showed us what it's weakness is by having Devil roar immediately. Or better yet, leave it a mystery to be solved in a latter episode because it honestly doesn't matter too much in the context of the episode. Second, you mean to tell me this kid knows what an alien symbiote is but not a troll? This makes her less of a relatable kid who just so happens to be smart and more like a socially inept outcast who's so caught up in science and math that she's basically stupid when it comes to being a human. Not only was this exposition dump useless, but it was also poorly constructed based on what we already know about Moon Girl and what kind of girl she's supposed to be.

Is there a way to give exposition without it feeling pointless and boring, though? Actually, yes. One of the best examples I can think of is the opening to Samurai Jack. It perfectly sums up the main driving force behind Jack's quest with the late-great Mako's chilling and sinster voice, and eerie flute plaing, and the still images that look like ancient Japanese artwork. The lines used are also vague enough for the audience to fill in the gaps and we're told just enough to be invested in the story. Exposition can also be told in a way that's funny, such as in the Wander Over Yonder episode The Ball, where Beeza nonchalantly explains to Wander and Sylvia that the world is ending (again) at the paws of a giant space puppy. The comedic timing is on point as Tara Strong gives a very relaxed and soft spoken delivery as Beeza mentions cannibalism and starvation as possible fates for her people. Exposition can even be sung in a banging musical number, such as Part Of Your World from Little Mermaid, One Day More from Les Miserable, or the iconic Oompa Loompa songs from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In the hands of the right storyteller, the exposition scene could be an audience member's favorite moment from the story.

As the saying goes, less is more. This is especially true when you're writing exposition. Dumping exposition on the audience will either frustrate them or bore them to sleep. If you're gonna give exposition during the story, try having it delivered in a way that's interesting; i.e. during an action scene like in Kung Fu Panda, a funny scene like in The Bad Guys, or in a musical number like in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Just because exposition is necessary doesn't mean it has to be boring. Exposition is the avocado of storytelling. Alone, it's as bland and boring as paint drying on a rainy day. With the right ingredients, though, it can make for some pretty good guacamole. See you next time ✌️

[diabolicalacid]

ONCE MORE TO SEE YOU

you find yourself smashing your phone against the gear of kenma’s car, a loud thud and he turns to you for a brief moment before his eyes dart back to the road as the crowd of vehicles in front of you shifts further ahead, one of the thousand strings weaving the traffic set loose.

you’ve been stuck in the traffic for what it seems like an eternity now, and shoyou’s idea of making a group chat for you to contact the jackals seemed good enough to you, actually very convenient, until you couldn’t keep your cool around sakusa kiyoomi anymore.

sure, you had decided to be civil about this. in a conversation following the one you had with kenma sometime between the week, you had promised not to create another ruckus. after running away the last time and going off the map for more than forty eight hours, this was your sure shot at redemption. but somehow, as it is in the nature of the man to stick to his vices, often spurning his virtues, you are no different.

you have no idea what pushed you off your edge earlier, no clue regarding the factor that butted you outside the boundaries of your comfort zone, but whatever it was, all those texts you made an effort to spam on the group chat were unannounced for. that much, you know well. if it had been a personal chat, things would’ve resolved quite swiftly. but considering you chose to erupt at sakusa kiyoomi in the group chat with his team’s starting line up gawking at the drama, you know you’re doomed to suspicion for perhaps the rest of your life. unless you decide to come clean, but you know that’s a far cry in this moment.

in this moment, kenma’s warning seemed legit, and perhaps, you should’ve let your ego simmer off to the edge and just given up on this project. you would’ve ended up with a major gig a few months down the line anyways. you know mankanshoku mako enough to know that she’s fair when it comes to distribution of work. so why did you ever insist on continuing on with the job, you cannot answer. because really, it was nothing more than your pettiness to prove your co workers wrong.

now that you’re in the deep, quite lost as to how to go back and pretend like what just happened never did, you regret ever considering this interview in the first place. if only. if only. IF ONLY. if only you would’ve looked up musubi once online, you would’ve given up long time ago, when the water in the ocean was still and the clouds were bright and white. you would’ve. you should’ve. now that a flood is enraging, the water is no longer calm as it was, the clouds are grey and bursting, and the thunder is cracking voids across the same sky that was once pleasant and sunny, you don’t know where to begin or what to do starting this moment.

mostly, you just want to start by instructing kenma to take the next u turn, because you know you don’t want to face the jackals anymore. at least not today. about tomorrow, you’ll look into that later.

“what?” kenma asks, switching gears, eyes on the road. he knows you’ve messed up. one brief look in your direction, the tense expression sewed into you face, the crack you stretched across the screen guard when you smashed your phone, the teardrops soaking the opening of your caruncle, all enough to indicate that. plus he isn’t a stranger to your ways to begin with.

“i think i messed up again.” you confess, no, you speculate, because you aren’t so sure about where the mess you made today places you with jackals anymore. your voice is almost a whisper, eyes soaked with tears as you sink back into the seat of kenma’s car, not awaiting what’s about to come for you.

kenma moves his hand off the gear and places it over your knuckles, rubbing his thumb against your skin gently, reassuring you when he hears a soft sob peeling off of your lips, “we’ll see about it later.”

fun fact : it took yn everything she had to apologise to sakusa in the group chat. mostly it was the fact that she didn’t want to lose the interview. but homegirl was not eager to apologise in the least.

↬ PART 12 : [redacted]

↬ MASTERLIST

↬ PLAYLIST

#previous • #next

↬ A/N : as we can clearly see, someone knows no bounds and is clearly very petty. yn is on a streak to mess things up for herself. on a second note, i made a playlist for this smau, so feel free to check it out!

✦ taglist (open) : @wolffmaiden @k444zuha @kurooloveschurroo @yachisupremacy @ladle-things @suhaaaefre @saaraunicorn @midnight-drives-with-sunarin @mitsuki-simp @karasunoya @hangecanweholdhands @kiyoomimybeloved @scrawled-in-ink @ixej @softtashoney @sukunasrealgf @tobiot4life @thoskyrn @duchess-l

[ BOLD cannot be tagged ]

[orangepanic]

Zhu Li Moon agreeing to marry her unscrupulous employer Iknik Varrick wasn’t even the worst part of the wedding. Nor was it being dogged by Prince Wu, who insisted on telling Iroh again all about his heroic actions during the Battle of Republic City and how much more useful they’d been than anything the United Forces had managed to do. As if everyone from here to Ba Sing Se wasn’t already aware. Nor was it the fact that Iroh had come alone to an event intended to celebrate the happy unions of couples. He’d only been in the United Republic a little over a month and had spent what felt like all of his waking hours since then at work. Though the United Forces may not have seen action in the battle with General Kuvira’s forces there was seemingly no end to the demand for Iroh’s troops now that half of Republic City was in ruins. It wasn’t so unusual then that he hadn’t had time to identify a date. Even if wandering around the celebration solo was a tad lonely. 

No; the worst part of the wedding was Avatar Korra.

He’d only heard the comment by chance. Iroh had been walking past one of Air Temple Island’s many pavilions when he’d heard voices on the other side of a hedge. The first he recognized instantly. Pema had been a close family friend for as long as she’d been married to Tenzin; Iroh had even stayed with them when he’d first arrived in the city before he’d found his own long-term accommodations. 

“Oh, there must be somebody here that strikes your fancy,” she said in a teasing tone. “You’re both such pretty girls. Not that looks are everything. But it’s been a hard year for everybody. You two deserve a little love and fun now that we have peace again.”

“Well, maybe there’s someone.” Korra’s voice.

“We’re still figuring it out.” Iroh didn’t recognize the second woman as easily, but she sounded familiar. Asami Sato, maybe?

“You’re not fighting over Mako again, are you?” asked Pema, confirming his guess.

A laugh. “Definitely not,” Asami said. 

“Hmm. You’re going to make me guess then. It sounds like someone you both know. Bolin is taken. There aren’t that many other young folks here. Wu doesn’t seem like either of your type.”

“No way,” said Korra. “And you don’t need to guess. We’ll tell you another time.”

“Wait, I’ve got it! That man from the band. The one who used to be a pro-bender.” 

Someone made a retching nose. Iroh smiled. He didn’t mean to be eavesdropping, but it was also nice to know he wasn’t the only one who’d come to the wedding alone. That was, until…

“General Iroh.”

Iroh’s breath caught in his throat. Him?

“Oh gosh, never,” said Korra. “You couldn’t pay me enough.”

“Really?” Asami’s voice. “I like General Iroh. I mean, not like that, but you know. He always seemed nice.”

“That’s because you don’t know him,” Korra replied. “Don’t get me wrong, I like Iroh, too, and he’s real hot when he wants to be, but Asami he’s got to be the most boring man on the planet. Trust me, I’ve known him since I was a kid. All he likes are books and maps and dead languages and fusty old museum exhibits and going to work. I don’t think he’s even been to a pro-bending match. He’s nice to look at but sheesh, the most interesting thing about him is his collection of teas. Which he organizes by region in his cabinet.”

“That’s a little harsh,” said Pema. “I like to think of Iroh as more of an old spirit in a young man’s body. Tenzin was the same way at his age. It’s endearing.” 

“Well, you’re welcome to him,” said Korra, but Iroh was already walking away. He’d heard enough.

[queenmagnusao3]

Legend of Squid Game

So I first wrote this back when Squid Game was really popular and everyone was doing "What If"s for fandoms with the marble game. I wrote almost the whole thing, made myself REALLY sad and never brought myself to finish it. I didn't realize how close to complete it was so I've decided to go ahead and publish it!

Read Full Fic HERE

________________________________________

The players stopped their chatter as the hauntingly cheery voice came to life with a new announcement.

“For this game, you will be playing in teams of two. Please look around and find someone you wish to play with.”

Team Avatar huddled closer together with Korra taking immediate charge.

“I’ll team up with Asami since she’s a non-bender and that will likely put her at a disadvantage.”

Asami made an indignant sound, crossing her arms as she gave Korra an annoyed look.

“I don’t need to be a bender to beat any of you at whatever game they make us play.”

Korra’s cheeks reddened as she realized the error in her words.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I promise, I was just thinking, realistically, it would be safer for you to be with someone….”

She trailed off at the look on Asami’s face.

“I’m not making this any better, am I?”

Bolin was shaking his head at her over Asami’s shoulder and Korra groaned.

“Okay, forget the whole bender thing. You’re my girlfriend and I want you to be my teammate. Is that better?”

Asami’s face had softened into a look of mischief.

“I don’t know if I want to be your partner now. I think it might be more fun to show you just how well this non-bender can play.”

“Asami no, I’m sorry. Please-“

“Avatar! We both know you and I are the strongest players in this game and I want to win. Let’s team up.”

Korra, Asami, Mako, and Bolin all looked over, surprised to see Kuvira making her way toward them with a look of determination on her face. Behind her Bataar was looking just as confused as Team Avatar before letting out a loud sigh of frustration.

“What do you say, Avatar? I know we’ve had our differences in the past but together we could be an unstoppable team.”

Korra stared at Kuvira, clearly still processing what was happening. Mako decided he would try and break the tension by circling back to the conversation they had been having before being interrupted.

“I can be Asami’s partner. I’m not the Avatar but I can help protect-“

“What is wrong with all of you?!”

Mako’s eyes got wide as Asami threw her arms up in frustration. Kuvira seemed to see Asami and the others for the first time, one of her eyebrows quirking upward in amusement.

“I don’t need protection from ANY of you. I’m just as capable as anyone here. In fact, I’d argue I’m more capable since I don’t have to rely on bending to win.”

Kuvira smirked and Mako looked down, his cheeks reddening.

“I only meant-“

“Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but overhear.”

Mako trailed off as the group was interrupted by another newcomer. Kya had sauntered over, slyly positioning herself between Bolin and Asami an arm wrapping across the younger girl’s shoulders.

“How about you and I team up, Sato? I could use the young blood on my side and it sounds like you’re better off without any of these idiots.”

Asami paused for a moment before smiling and slinking her arm around Kya’s waist with a smug look at Korra.

“I’d be honored to be on your team. Good luck to the rest of you.”

Korra gawked as the pair left. Kuvira took the opportunity to grasp the stunned Avatar on the shoulder. She looked Mako and Bolin up and down, smirking.

“Looks like I’m your best bet, here, Avatar.”

Korra recovered, sighing.

“Fine. Mako, you and Bolin can be a team and I guess I’ll join up with Kuvira.”

“I promise we’ll go easy on you boys if we end up facing off.”

Kuvira barked a laugh as her and Korra walked to where the next game was to take place. 

“Just you and me, bro. Return of the Fire Ferrets!”

Mako smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. He and Bolin were about to make their way to the game entrance when he noticed Opal standing alone. It appeared that Su had taken pity on Bataar, leaving the youngest Beifong without a partner.

“Let’s go, Mako! What are you looking at?”

“Looks like Opal doesn’t have a partner yet.”

Bolin’s head whipped around and Mako sighed, knowing what was going to happen next.

“You should go ask her.”

He turned back to his brother, his signature puppy dog eyes wide.

“Are you sure? Who will you team up with?”

Mako rolled his eyes.

“Don’t worry about me. Just go ahead.”

Bolin smiled, giving Mako a quick hug.

“Thanks bro!”

Mako watched him run off, Opal blushing as she accepted his partnership. He looked beyond where they stood and noticed that the chief had also been approaching Opal, stopping when she and Bolin found each other. She muttered something under her breath that Mako didn’t quite hear and he sighed. Being teamed up with his boss was not the ideal situation but he supposed he could do worse and the two of them might actually make a good team.

He had only taken a single step towards the chief when someone else got there first.

“Lin?”

Mako watched as she turned around to face Tenzin, a small smile on her face. He said something else to her and she rolled her eyes and nodded, the pair walking away to the game entrance.

Now he was starting to panic. What would happen if he couldn’t find a partner? Who was even left? Who was he forgetting?

“Looks like we’ve both been betrayed by our brothers.”

Bumi clapped his hands on Mako’s shoulders. Mako flinched but then quickly relaxed. He had forgotten about Bumi.

“You don’t mind having an old man on your team, do you?

Mako smiled as he turned around.

“Let’s do this.”

“All players, please follow the staff to your designated positions for the game.”

“Please take one bag each from the staff member before you.”

“In this game, using your set of ten marbles, you will play the game of your choice with your partner. The player who manages to take all ten marbles from their partner wins.”

[mikoyamisheadcanonblog]

Going for a Swim

@mintounette

Mako let out a deep sigh, the Polar Tang and long been docked on a small island after a week of traveling under sea. It was for most the members to get out of the small submarine and stretch their legs and take in the fresh air they couldn’t normally get when backed in the tiny sub. They began scavenging for food and began preparing for a small barbecue to enjoy the night air before they were submerged underwater again.

But Mako watched as her crew members seemed to enjoy swimming in the sea with little restriction while a few others were fishing. She on the other hand was to remain landlocked searching for fruits and vegetables that would be edible. While most of the crew enjoyed the beach Mako and Law were left sitting on the side under the shade of the palm tree, the Devil Fruit users couldn’t enjoy the pleasures of swimming.

Though Law seemed unbothered by the fact he was excluded from joining his crew in the water and instead was more focused on reading the new medical book he got from the next town over. He leaned on the palm tree flipping lazily through the pages while he listened to Mako sketch in her sketch book.

She paused, from her sketch as the heart wasn’t looking quiet right, “Hey captain,” she called out he gave no visible sign he was listening, “do you mind bring me a human heart?” it would seem an odd question for any passerby but it was normal question within the Heart Pirates and in particular from the woman wearing the shark hat.

Law raised an eyebrow at the request and pointed to the submarine, “There should be heart in there,” he causally answered. “Going searching for a villager’s heart would raise suspicion and it goes against my code as a doctor,” removing an innocent villager’s heart would cause a commotion but also puts an innocent person in danger as a pirate would the control for them to live or die.

Mako puffed up her cheek pouting, knowing better to argue more with her captain when he gave her a sharp gaze silencing her. She focused back on her sketch book mumbling under her breath about the stinginess of her captain. A small chuckle escaped Law’s lips and he focused back on his book. 

The scene played out in front of Shachi while he sat on the sidelines enjoy a game of beach volleyball in the water, but his eyes would wonder to the young female sitting beside his captain. Her cheeks were puffed out and she was sketching furiously in her book, but occasionally, she would pause and glance at where the rest of the crew were playing.

“Watch out!” Penguins voice called out too late the beach ball slammed into Shachi’s face knocking the orange haired man into the water and removing the shades that protected his eyes.

“Team Bepo wins,” a female voice cheered. Ash gave a high five to the Polar Bear Minx as he watched his friend with concern, before walking to help her friend find his shades that fell into the water. “What has you so unfocused?” She followed where his gaze had been and glanced away quickly when she saw the Heart Pirates captain sitting in the line of view. She dunked her head underwater finding the shades quickly.

“Nothing,” Shachi mumbled grabbing the shades roughly from Ash.

Ash didn’t say anything, her eyes stopping back at Mako who was watching the group from the safety of land, she couldn’t hide the look of envy that was forming on her brow and longing to join the three other members playing in the water.

“I didn’t know you were aiming for my face,” Shachi was trying to change the subject. He didn’t want them knowing the overwhelming guilt he felt watching Mako sit on the sidelines while they all had fun, when before she used to join them in the water would have joined his and Penguin team in beating Ash and Bepo during volleyball.

“I was,” Ash answered nonchalantly, she had her hands on her hips. She was still adjusting to becoming an official member of the Heart Pirates, being part of a large family again. But having known and worked with the Heart Pirates for years it wasn’t hard to find her place in the group.

“I am sorry,” Bepo said bowing his head, Ash smiled and gave a gentle pet the minx before glancing at Shachi.

“You know you could sit with her instead of pouting,” Ash said a little annoyed he didn’t give her more of reaction. It was no bullying Shachi or Penguin if they just chose to ignore her childish taunting. “It isn’t like there aren’t other ways she could have fun with us,” a giant wave crashed into them almost knocking Ash don’t Bepo held on to the small girl keeping her standing.

Shachi glanced at Shachi, “But she would have helped kicked your and Bepo’s ass,” he taunted giving her a toothy grin. Ash would always choose chose to team up with Bepo no matter what game the group would play. Bepo was her teammate.

Ash crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at Mako her eyes lingering at Law for a bit longer than she would have liked. He gave no notion that the felt her gaze or even glanced at her direction too absorbed in her book.

“We could ask her to join us,” Penguin stated the obvious they were on the shallow end, the water reaching up to Ash’s waist, the smallest of the four, “I am sure sitting with the captain is dull,” he wasn’t insulting Law just that Law was more interested in studying then group activities.

“She will sink,” Shachi said as another big wave crashed into them.

Ash frowned as the boys were debating on how what to do, she glanced at Mako feeling a bit guilty for leaving her friend out the activity, “We can go shopping,” Ash said, “I have a rough idea,”

“We can’t go to the village captain ordered us to stay put and not cause trouble,” Bepo warned, “taking a large group of five strangers would cause suspension to the peaceful little village, they had long refueled and restocked a while ago and were just relaxing at the beach to take a breather.

“We aren’t breaking the rules if we don’t get caught,” the girl said tilting her head. Law hadn’t looked in her direction once and she had spent an hour trying to find the perfect swimsuit that would attract his attention. She was feeling a bit bitter, “and it will just be me and Shachi,” Ash said, “if we all go Law would be suspicious,”

Shachi glanced at Ash before grinning while Penguin and Shachi could only watch with concern but knew they couldn’t stop the two.

--

The marketplace was peaceful as Shachi and Ash walked down the street window shopping, Bepo and Penuguin having stayed behind and playing their volleyball game without the two as to not cause suspension. Having changed into normal clothing to blend in better, they strolled around stopping at each stall that had beach toys.

“What are we looking for?” Shachi questioned Ash shoving his hands in his pocket this was the third stall that stopped at.

“A kiddie pool,” Ash finally answered walked into the crowded store and glancing at everything her eyes lingering at kiddie pool that hanging from some rope near the top. It was a cute little pool with a whale and shark swimming around. It felt perfect, “Having her play in the ocean is risky and she could be swept away by tide,” she then spoke to the old lady running the shop about purchasing the pool.

“You know I read that ocra’s bully great white Sharks,” Ash stated while they waited for the pool.

“Did you read it, or did you hear about it?” Shachi questioned.

“Read about it,” Ash stuck out her tongue. She bought a children’s book about animals in the North Blue. It had random facts about each animal and Ash would read it to Bepo. Polar Bears eat around 1500 pounds a day. Penguins can swim up to 22 mph. Spotted seals are very shy and sensitive to human interaction. And Each Snow Lepard had a unique pattern with their spots. She had fun reading it, “They get bored and bully great white sharks just because they can,”

“What is the point of telling me about this?” Shachi questioned, paying the old lady for the rubber kiddie pool, he couldn’t hide the annoyance in his voice.

“Nothing just a cool fact I learned about recently.” She answered he glanced at Shachi he rolled his eyes, she knew his feelings for the young female, how he would tease and bully her like a grade school kid. Or how Ash handled her crushes.

Law was unfortunately waiting for them as they were heading back arms crossed over his chest and a permanent frown on his handsome face. He made eye contact with Ash already knowing who the culprit was for disobeying his rule, did she really think he wouldn’t notice her sudden disappearance. Bepo didn’t look good in her bikini as she thought he would.

“Snow Leopards usually pounce at their pray when they are 20 ft away,” Ash said sticking out her tongue and slowing her steps. She wanted to avoid being lectured by Law. “I thought he wouldn’t notice Bepo looked so cute in my bikini top,” Ash whispered trying to hide behind Shachi.

Seeing the white bear turn crimson when Ash walked out after changing holding her bikini top. It was a suggestion that the bear wear her top to “fool” Law.  It wasn’t going to work from the start, but Penguin and Shachi joined in wanting to see Bepo in the bikini top.

“He does have a cute body,” Shachi chuckled, Ash smirked in response. Law started approaching them, taking long strides thanks to his long legs.

“Ash,” he hissed stopping the two from walking further, “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you disappearing?” a vein appearing on his temple. He wasn’t going to let Shachi get away either, he was older than Ash, and should know the importance of keeping her safe and out of trouble.

“Bepo and I are the same size,” Ash was trying to keep her cool, she was much smaller than the bear with a much smaller physic, and curved all in the correct places, “I didn’t think you would notice,”

Law sighed and lectured the two on following orders, and the safety of crew and not wanting to raise suspicion. He grabbed Ash’s wrist with Shachi following behind.

“We just went shopping for Mako,” Shachi said showing Law the rub kiddie pool, “we felt bad because she looked like she was being left out and we wanted her to join in,”  

“In other words, you are bad company,” Ash stated.

Law raised an eyebrow at Ash before glancing at Shachi, “We just wanted her to have fun with us again,” Shachi whispered adjusting his hat and pulling it over his brow. It was evident that he was still feeling guilty for bring the Devil Fruit on to the ship and Mako eating it.

“She ate it on her own will,” Law said, “it is just one part of being a devil fruit user you adjust and learn while holding this strong power in your hand,” he gave a gentle pat to Shachi as they were reaching back to where the Polar Tang was. “I am sure she will like it,” Law said still holding Ash’s wrist while Shachi walked off to show Mako the gift he bought her.

“The kiddie pool was your idea?” He questioned, already knowing the answer. Ash had a tendency to help people in the most unusual way but deny her involvement or act like it was a pain to even do.

“It just…you know,” Ash was feeling a bit embarrassed she was planning on pinning the sappy idea on Shachi, “Don’t tell Mako,” she said her cheeks red, “I also wanted her to join us in the water, team Bepo can’t keep kicking ass without a challenge.” 

Law smiled, “We have to buy you new bikini Bepo ripped yours,”

“I guess we don’t have the same body type,” Ash teased their fingers lacing together, “do you think he will accept my little gift as apology,” Ash joked.

---

Mako listened to Shachi as he brought out the inflatable swimming pool and shared the idea. She could join in without drowning, they could even have the pool docked on land or on the Polar Tang. It wasn’t the same, but she would at least join them without the fear of drowning or sinking. It was more a bandage to the wound, but it was good bandage and solved what needed to be solved.

Bepo blew up the pool before, Shachi and Penguin filled it with water and both of them basically tugged it along to shallow part of the ocean where the five of them began a small game of volleyball. Bebo and Ash vs, Shachi, Mako, & Penguin. It was an exciting game with Mako almost falling in several times and Shachi catching her before she fell. Both would become a blushing mess and move away from another but neither could hide the attraction from one another from watchful eyes.

After an hour of splashing around after the game and everyone joking, Ash finally say something. “I think I will go save Bepo from the company of Law,” Ash joked, her cheeks red, it obvious she just wanted alone time with the captain too. Stretching her body, she was wearing a tight she put on to make up for the lack of bikini top did she call quits. She was getting tired and a bit bored, nudging Penguin to follow her to leave the two love birds alone.

Bepo and long left the water wanting to try out his fur and sit with his captain for a bit and seemed to also wanted alone time with the captain and dry out his fur.

“I guess they left us,” Shachi said watching the group swim away from them, “I think we should follow,” the water was starting to get cold, and the tide was starting to shift if they didn’t get out they would be dragged into the sea. He would be fine, but he wasn’t sure how long the inflatable pool would hold out.

Mako pouted crossing her arms over her chest, she wasn’t ready to ‘get out of the water’ she hadn’t been in the ocean in so long she just wanted to enjoy it longer.  She sighed as Penguin started pushing the pool towards land before stopping. He noticed her pouting and stopped.

“What’s wrong?” he questioned the young woman. He had so much fun in the water today, tomorrow they would be back in the Polar Tang back to work back to normal. He and Mako would plan something to prank the crew with and teasing their captain.

“I am…. I am not ready go back in,” she finally said. She glanced down at her lap, she wasn’t ready to go just yet. She had a lot of fun today, for the first time in a long time she felt like she was old herself again, part of the crew while they goofed off and relaxed. She placed a hand on heart they would be back to normal when she hit land again, a reminder that she might not get a chance like this again.

“We can stay a bit longer,” Shachi said turning the pool around a bit, he moved to a more stable part of the beach, a small reef so Mako wouldn’t be dragged away by the tide.  “We can watch the sunset here,” he wasn’t trying to be romantic he was unaware it was a romantic spot but the glow of orange and red setting over the ocean created the prefect atmosphere for the both of them.

Shachi jumped onto a small border, showing off the firmness of his body. He was toned in the correct places; it was a sight to see. “You know we have to get out of the water, or you will catch a cold,” Shachi said after a few minutes of silence.

“I know,” Mako said, glancing at his body and trying to hide her blush. He was delicious looking, “but can’t we enjoy a few minutes of silence and watch the sunset before we head back to reality,” she whispered glancing away from Sachi’s six pack and staring at the sunset.

Shachi glanced at the sunset before glancing back at Mako as the sun created a halo around her, “It is a beautiful sight,” he whispered. A softer look on his face.

[tamras-shieldmaiden]

Heyo, Lady Oscar! I'm excited to see what you have to share! I'll do a separate ask for each character (six in total), to keep things simple.

So for this first ask... well, I have to start with Kuvira, of course~

Okay! Let’s do the thing starting with my main girl, Kuvira. *cracks knuckles*

1. Sexuality headcanon 

I've been headcanoning Kuvira as bisexual since I began writing fanfics about her. I personally don't see Baatar Jr. as a beard in their relationship because she seemed to sincerely care about him in canon (until she didn't, lol!) I also don't buy the comphet argument because IMHO, it doesn't fit her personality. I think she's demiromantic, and specifically with Asami and Baatar Jr. I can see her as sapiosexual. She surrounded herself with three intelligent people in the likes of Baatar Jr, Varrick and Zhu Li (and a token himbo, Bolin) on her inner circle so I believe she has a thing for intelligence. Fandom usually headcanons her as a top or dom but I see her more of a switch, especially with Asami and Korra, and between them it's pretty much an endless battle for dominance in the bedroom. 😏

I also lowkey ship her with Mako who I also headcanon as bi so it’s a Bi4Bi scenario, and in this case she’s more of a top because I do agree with the headcanon that Mako is more of a bottom. Fun fact: her voice actress Zelda Williams is bi, as it is Janet Varney, Korra’s VA.  

2. OTP

Oooh, this is a tough one because although OTP stands for “One True Pairing” I ship her pretty much equally with both Asami and Korra. With Korra, I indulge in the angsty, dramatic side of things. They have so many parallels that are ingrained in canon that it makes for an interesting exercise to explore the ways they resemble each other and in the ways their differences serve to complement and balance each other. It’s basically a lot of “the sunshine who can kill you and the badass who can kill you” relationship meme with these two. 🤣

With Asami I play on “what if” canon divergence scenarios which make for more lighthearted and flirty situations. They make for such an amazing power couple that is just too darned good. Plus their sexual chemistry is off the roof, a “can’t keep their hands off each other” kind of chemistry that's way too much fun. 😉

3. BROTP

Although he's the romantic interest in canon, I headcanon Junior as more of a second in command/partner in crime than as significant other material and they’re very much BROTP in my stories. Jinora is my other candidate as BROTP for Kuvira in a Republic City setting because Kuvira is a jock/dancer/soldier who is also cunning, smart, and well versed in strategy,  so I can see her bonding with Jinora over books and history. And of course, my beloved Lin Beifong and Kuvira would bond by swapping stories and gossip about Suyin, and boy I bet they both have a lot to talk about Su. I think they would realize they have more in common than they think since they’re both the type to bottle up their emotions and to put their work before everything else, and they both wanted to impress their maternal figures. Lin would be an excellent mentor and friend for Kuvira, since Lin won't take crap from anyone so shr would keep Kuvira in the straight and narrow with her no nonsense attitude.

4. NOTP

I basically don’t ship her with any of the Beifongs but the big NOTP for me is Suyin. I just can’t shake the mentor/protege relationship off my mind to see them even remotely romantic. From an objective standpoint, I can see the appeal with all their drama but it's a big nope for me.

5. First headcanon that pops into my head?

She’s a sleepwalker. Her childhood trauma manifested in sleepwalking which was pretty severe during her first years with the Beifongs but she grew out if it gradually as she grew up. Following the events of Book 4 and Ruins of the Empire which ends with her in house arrest, her sleepwalking came back but not as bad as when she was a child, which it’s fortunate because I can’t imagine the mess she would leave behind while bending in her sleep. 😱

6: favorite line from this character 

"I owe the Avatar my life. Her power is beyond anything I could ever hope to achieve. I'll accept  whatever punishment the world sees fit”. 

This is from The Last Stand. Although the entire scene with Korra and Kuvira in the Spirit World is amazing since we get to witness Kuvira’s emotional breakdown, it's in her surrender that we see what we can consider the beginning of her path toward redemption, meaning that her story is not over yet. 

7. One way in which I relate to this character 

We're both familiarized with military service and the concept of discipline and service to the nation since I also served. I also relate in the need to prove ourselves, something that is evident in the way she ends up emulating her mentor Suyin and in having strained relationships with siblings, like the one she had with Opal. Come to think of it, having strained relationships with siblings seems like a very Beifong thing to do. 🤔

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

The whole having her foster brother end up as her fiancee thing is kinda weird so I totally get Opal when she was all weirded out with the news of their engagement.

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

Both! 🤣

[autisticempathydaemon]

Hi hello !!! I'm here for the Redacted Audios match-ups, sooo Here ya go !!!

Punching Bag by Set it off, I love that band. I've been listening to them since middle school. I like when it says, “So say goodbye to your Mr.Nice Guy you got your wish, he’s rotting in hell..”, cuz that’s when the beat drops and I just like how it sounds. 

So I took the test just for this and apparently I’m type 5 “the investigator”. I don’t really know much about this but hope that tells you whatever you need to know. 👁👄👁👍

Not really, but I do love watching movie and drama video essays as background noise while I’m doing something else.

I didn’t have an imaginary friend...so…💀👌. Nah you know what let me make up one. His name was Bob the builder and he was the filler for my absent father figure. 😀👍

I usually end up falling asleep while listening to ASMR, I mean one of the reasons I love ASMR is cuz its great background noise.

I’ve never really wanted to change my name, but I think names like Hyacinth and Rain are pretty cool. They sound like character names and also I love nature so it’s like the perfect match up.

At the moment I really like listening to Milo’s play-through of the Mortuary Assistant. I just find it entertaining to watch and, again, I like to put it as background noise.

Ollie (sorry), I just don’t really find him interesting at all. Which I get he isn’t trying to be a super complex character, like that isn’t his purpose, but because I just don’t have much feelings for him.

H2O just add water and Mako Mermaids were my shit when I was little, and even now I still go back from time to time, I’ve watched all the seasons of both series multiple times over and to this day I continue to be a mermaid fanatic.

I LOVE HUXLEY WITH ALL MY HEART !!! LIKE HE IS SO WHOLESOME AND COMFORTING I JUST WANT TO HUG HIM.

Not really, at least not that I know of, but I do love knowing random fun facts about miscellaneous subjects. More specifically about Greek mythology, space, and folklore.

Gatorade with a ham sub sandwich.

I don’t really know if you are asking about music or ASMR so I will give you both. I’m currently obsessed with ‘EPIC the musical’ . It's a musical about the Greek poem ‘The Odyssey’.

My guilty pleasure is, very predictably, ASMR. I just find it relaxing and I love the stories that can be told through. 

Other stuff about me: I’m a Taurus and my mbti is INTJ. uuh I don’t really know what else to say so I hope this is enough info about me. This was pretty fun. I felt like I was having an interview about myself. :]

Ahhh, a Type Five, INTJ, oh, that is fun (and the same stats as Sherlock Holmes probably). Intellectual, curious, thoughtful, always thinking, always learning… I think a little serenity might do you some good.

Something about the way you talk about background noise while you work and relax makes me wonder how busy your brain must be; does that make sense? (I’m the same way, like I need mental fidget toys to focus properly?) I imagine Cam would be so helpful in that respect, with his even voice and his soothing demeanor.

You know what would be so lovely that I could absolutely imagine? Cam strikes me as a pretty old daemon, not as old as Vega but older, distinguished… the type to love Shakespeare, Dickens, the classics. Just imagine leaning your head on his shoulder as he reads to you, whatever book of whatever country’s lore your heart fancies that day. You get a nap, he gets a snack, everybody’s happy~!

Song:

When your legs don't work like they used to before/ And I can't sweep you off of your feet/ Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love/ Will your eyes still smile from your cheek

I don’t know how I feel about mixing Cam with Ed Sheeran either, I’ll admit, but it’s the vibes. Man strikes me as a romantic who likes a slower, sweeter kind of song- the kind you don’t necessarily dance to but hold each other and sway, you know? (Also, to throw a little bitter in with that sweet, he would actually love you until your legs don’t work like they used to before… and then some. Probably forever.)

Runner-Ups:

Lowkey, I like Morgan for you because he gives off a lot of the same vibes as Cam: sweet, understanding, a good listener. Elliott, I like for you because he would have lost his mind at your absent father figure joke. Don’t ask me how I know that, but he just would definitely have that sense of humor. It would make him literally lol, and that’s just fun /pos

Note: I feel you I’ve had Warrior of the Mind stuck in my head for weeks

Tell me about yourself, answer some fun questions, and I’ll match you with the Redacted boy I ship you with the most! 💌

[adamwatchesmovies]

TMNT (2007)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

In some ways, TMNT is a better film than the previous live-action installments in the series. Unfortunately, it still suffers from major shortcomings. This makes it less fun than even the worst of the ‘90s adventures because there’s nothing nostalgic about it and no elements that are so bad they can be kind of fun despite themselves. This movie is doomed to obscurity - theatrical release or no theatrical release.

3,000 years ago, a warlord named Yaotl opened a portal whose energies granted him immortality but turned his four trusted generals to stone. The portal also unleashed 13 monsters into our world - previews of the army the portal would unleash the next time someone opened it. In present day, Leonardo (voiced by James Arnold Taylor), Raphael (voiced by Nolan North), Michelangelo (voiced by Mikey Kelley) and Donatello (voiced by Mitchell Whitfield) have grown apart. Leonardo has been sent away to South America to train and his brothers have either taken on mundane jobs or become masked vigilantes. When Yaotl resurrects his generals and begins gathering the monsters with the help of the Foot Clan, it can only mean trouble for New York and its shell-wearing protectors.

While there’s a certain charm to the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies and their practical special effects, making the next chapter in the series an animated film was a good idea. It gives the characters freedoms they never had before and they're the most expressive they've ever been. Too bad they have nothing interesting to say and the plot is a complete mess. There’s just way too much going on here. Why 13 monsters to collect to open up the portal? Eight of them are captured during a montage and the turtles only interact with three of them, making that number way excessive. In fact, why are there monsters in the movie at all? Isn’t a villain that's trying to open up this portal to a dimension of demons with his four granite warriors - none of which get more than a handful of lines - enough?

Let's examine this story deeper. The portal only opens up once every 3,000 when the stars align, and only if the creatures are arranged in a circle. Yaotl sure was dragging his feet gathering them then, wasn’t he? They’ve been around for longer than Christianity and he’s gotten exactly NOTHING done before the plot kicks in. Thankfully, the monsters are - for reasons that are never made clear - hanging out in New York city, waiting to be scooped up like Pokémon. This entire plot is so muddy and so full of holes you just don’t care about any of it.

Not helping are the titular heroes. Splinter (voiced by Mako) has sent Leonardo away to train to be a better leader. Did he really need to go to a different continent to do this? Speaking of bad ideas, the “Nightwatcher” subplot makes NO SENSE. Raphael has been wearing a disguise and sneaking out at night to fight crime. Why? The turtles live in secrecy in the city's sewer tunnels. He has no civilian identity to protect. The disguise fools no one anyway - well, except his brothers, who take forever to put two and two together. As if the huge humanoid with three fingers and a big shell on his back jumping around doing martial arts wouldn’t be immediately recognized by them. And if he is going around fighting crime as a vigilante… so what? The turtles have always been vigilantes! So is their friend Casey Jones (voiced by Chris Evans)!

Once again, the plot centers solely on Leonardo and Raphael, with the other two turtles given nothing to do. You’d think with the years of comics and television series, someone would’ve figured out a way to give everyone involved some task crucial to defeating the villains. Donnie could hack into a security system, April (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) could gather intelligence or put on a disguise, Mickey and Casey could distract the guards, that kind of thing. No. We get hammered by themes of family and brotherhood over and over but all the siblings do is argue until the final act when they finally put their differences aside. None of it is any fun, and certainly not with the quality of the jokes we're subjected to. The entire picture only contains one funny moment, which makes the brisk 87 minutes feel like an entire season of a TV show you’ve been forced to sit through.

Despite all my criticisms, I must admit that an 11-year-old who loves the ninja turtles would probably love this movie because the ridiculous story seriously (too seriously, I’d say) and feigns a grim and gritty theme throughout. Nothing about the story or visuals will date TMNT like its predecessors but it’s hard to imagine anyone fondly looking back at this 2007 film. (March 26, 2021)

[emcscared-whumps]

WiJ 2023 - 04: Share Whumperflies Media

WiJ 2023 Navigation Post

A Show/Movie/Book/Series that Gives Me Whumperflies

Honestly? I'm far too picky about whumpees and I don't consume all that much media (especially not these days since i have my own purpose-built character who is capable of hitting just about EVERYTHING I like) to have many items to rave about ^-^'

HOWEVER.

That does not mean that there is nothing :)

I'll go right back to the start, in fact (in rough order)... just keep in mind that I don't watch for whump, and these aren't whump recommendations except for one lmao, they're just what have managed to give me whumperflies in the past.

Cybergirl (2001-02)

An Australian sci-fi superhero T.V. series that was airing in the morning when I was a young kid, maybe 6 or 7, back before I understood how T.V. scheduling worked lol. I don't often get whumperflies from media, but I think this time, I did, and it's actually my earliest memory of whumperflies.

Cy ended up trapped in a Big Fancy House by the Big Bad, Rhyss. It's been many years since I last re-watched the show so I don't remember a whole lot except there was a lot of urgency and a zappy barrier that Cy couldn't pass through, and I definitely got some kind of feeling about that :)

The writing was very average, not very substantial for an older viewer, but it was excellent for a kids' show. There was so much lore that just never got expanded on, and it didn't go particularly hard with the whump :')

H2O Just Add Water (2006-10)

To no one's surprise, I ADORED this series as a kid. My obsession with mer had just started, and honestly, this shit FED ME. This was another Australian show that I watched when I was fairly young (again, 6-7 and onward), but I don't recall watching it when it aired. I instead had a collection of DVDs.

The girls and co got into some pretty interesting hijinks while trying to guard their fishy little secrets, but shit got REAL in season 6 when a marine biologist coworker of the friend of the girls' Lewis managed to leave a sample of their skin/scale in the lab... OOPS.

You can guess where that lead-- the scientist trying to track down the owner of the magic scale that could turn back into skin (somehow lmao, ~magic~), and she eventually trapped the girls in their little grotto with a gate that she had installed at the underwater entrance of their grotto spot on Mako Island.

Here's where I mention that I did not actually get whumperflies from this lmao, but it was a close one (the scientist didn't go far enough lmao). That's okay though :) One self indulgent decision just under 10 years later sure fixed that :))

Vampire Knight Anime (2008, English Dub aired in Aus in 2011)

The whole show. Every episode. I'm not even kidding. (Well, just about every episode lol, there was maybe only one where I didn't). As many problems as I have with the series, (mainly that every time I see Yuuki or hear her voice I want to strangle her), Zero was just so. fucking. scrunchy-- almost the perfect whumpee ^-^ And the English voice actor does such a glorious job of voicing Zero's pain, the whole series is ABSOLUTELY worth enduring Yuuki's stupidity.

Iirc, my favourite episode was Crimson Chains-- full of spoilers, a lot of plot bits come together at that point, so I can't say much other than that Zero's lost his shit and has a whole big scene where he writhes and pants on the floor with the agony of his hunger. I am convinced the author ALSO liked that XD

I would sit at night and watch that episode over and over and over because man, those whumperflies were something else, super intense, 11/10 lmao

Doctor Who (1963-present)

Nine had that one episode where he got caught by some collector dude and tortured to figure out what made him tick, or rather that he had TWO hearts that made him tick... Fun times, that DEFINITELY gave me whumperflies and had me furtively returning to the episode to keep watching that scene.

A lot of Ten's run had me by the throat, most memorably his regeneration at the start of his run, and his regeneration at the end directly after an hour (approximately) of whump was. AMAZING. I kept coming back to the start and end 😅

There were a couple more times I got whumperflies throughout his run. The main episodes that come to mind are Midnight, set on the planet of sapphires and lethal radiation, and 42, involving a spaceship hurtling toward a sun.

There was only one more whumpy instance, and that was that one movie they made. I forget who, when... EVERYTHING except the dude that played looked like Gene Wilder and it took place on NYE of the new millenium. It was another shitfight with The Master. ANYWAY. The whumperflies were at the START of the movie when The Doctor wasn't doing so well, I think he got shot?? And then rushed to the hospital, all while trying to avoid that and trying to communicate that they'll kill him

Supernatural (2005-20)

Ok. This one is weird in two ways. I forget which episode it was, but it was season 2 where Sam and Dean were trying to kick a group of vampires out of a town, but they were actually cool/chill vampires...?

Or at least some of them were...

ANYWAY.

This other hunter had this vampire chic tied to a chair baaaasically torturing her...? Memory's a bit foggy on what exactly what they were doing (the brainworms wouldn't stop wriggling about AUs), but I got these itty bitty whumperflies from that vampire lady getting hurt. That was weird because 1) I've only had whumperflies off the ladies once before watching Cybergirl which was SO long ago, and 2) I never have had them from watching a side-character, I usually have to be emotionally invested.

Weird right?? Absolutely wild though!

Anyway, that's pretty much everything, even though I've seen and read a fair few things lol, hope you enjoyed my rambling!

[dragon-of-timeless-blue]

About the Latin Spanish dubbing of Free!

OK HEAR ME OUT

I have always loved dubbing, I think that one of the things that excites me the most when an anime or show that I like is popular is waiting for the L.A. Spanish dubbing to be announced, I have a lot of fun watching interviews with the dubbing actors and practically one of my dreams in life is to get an autograph from Mario Castañeda (the voice of Goku in Latin Spanish)

Anyways, someday I would like to make a post to express how much I love dubbing, BUT THAT WILL BE LATER BECAUSE JUST TODAY I HAVE COME TO COMPLAIN

And it is that, leaving aside how much I appreciate that dubbing it has even been considered, I will always scream on the air when I remember that there is a latino dub of Free! and to say the least, it's... not that great

Ok, I'll try to order my thoughts and make them seem logical, but the truth is that the anger that this dubbing produces in me could be just because of my own interpretation of the series and how much i'm used to the Japanese voices, so dont expect much this is mostly a rant and babbling:

First here are some reviews through the voices of our beloved main cast

Haruka : Not the best thing that could have been done, i think the best way to describe his voice is GOOD, like not great not bad just good, they managed to capture his calm tone, but he comes across as too condescending at times and lacks the necessary nuance in some comic scenes and sometimes his voice sounds too whispery so yeah, like I said: good

Rei : A voice as deep as the one they gave him might not have been the best choice, but in any case it would have worked if the way of speaking had been a little more mannered? like not so much in a way of manners (even though this also applies cuz Rei is mostly polite) more like in that dramatic tone that Rei usually uses to show off or express his love of beauty, I feel that the voice was more in "just a dude" when Rei is more like: "Im finally the star!!!"*says moments before tripping and falling with a crash*

Makoto : Strangely, I don't have much to complain about with Mako's voice, it's probably one of the best of all, soft and with a paternal tone, I think Mako's essence is very easy to capture and there is no major difficulty in interpreting it, maybe I could start complaining on how he ALWAYS sounds nice but that's something the original Makoto does too so it doesn't count. I will say that 9.8/10

Now, please excuse me if I start to get violent here but I seriously lose my temper with these last two:

Nagisa : Oh, my child, my sweet cinnamon roll, what have they done to you??? HEAR ME OUT, It's not that Nagisa's voice in the dubbing is especially horrible or anything like that, BUT, the biggest problem and one thing that can't do more than make me mad is that the voice sounds excessively forced, like I literally couldn't get through two minutes of the episode without wanting to shut up my beautiful little penguin boy's mouth PORQUE POR TODOS LOS SANTOS, I know that many people complain about the sometimes annoying voices that the characters have in the anime, but it is worse when a voice that is not annoying is made annoying. And I think the huge mistake that they made with Nagisa (and that they often make in current anime dubbing) is that they tried to imitate the Japanese voice, that is, that childish and imperactive tone that why lie i think it can only sounds truly good in japanese. The dubbing is an adaptation, not an imitation. and it is much easier and more pleasant that, despite the fact that the character does not have, let's say, "the same voice range" if they have the same emotion and a similar tone, that makes you think "hey if he was from latin america he would probably sound like that", ANYWAYS I WAS JUST SO PISSED THE MADE MY BOY SO DIRTY WHEN HE' S ACTUALLY A SWEETHEART.

Rin : Rin is (along with Haru) my favorite character and im totally bias by Mamoru Miyano's interpretation so there's no need to say that i felt half fed, all the while i felt something was missing and the performance didn't convince me at all, i don't want to say i hated it but i think it's the closest to what i feel. At first I had a lot of faith in it, really a lot, but as the series progressed I felt like the actor never got to the point. He got very close to a perfect balance in tone and then BAM pal suelo, Rin is distinguished by being passionate and having a certain tone of flirtatious disdain in his voice when challenging a rival (a.k.a Haru) and, specifically in this season, Rin's tone sounds like a lump in the throat, that voice that tries to contain and ignore the painful and frustrating feelings he's going through and to me at least, most of the time in this dub, Rin sounds more angry than frustrated and doesn't seem to convey how hurt he actually sounds in Japanese.

I will give him this, in the gate scene the part where Rin says he can't go on if he doesn't swim with haru sounds really vulnerable, but on the other hand, I think the worst I heard was, ironically and painfully, the cherry tree scene, THE CHERRY TREE SCENE, yes, exactly, the same one that is one, not to say, the most important scene in the entire season, the voice sounds I don't know if it's exactly the right term but something like grawling(? like as if he was making a lot of space inside the mouth and he swallowed his voice (sorry for that kind of expressions but I'm in a choir so they tell us to avoid "eating our voice" and, ah... at this point i dont know if i make any sense) . The thing is that the main reason why this performance really left a bad taste in my mouth is that it could have been great but it just wasn't and that's a lot more painful than just a miscast.

Ok, now that i rant individually, time to go into the big picture, read as: "The two reasons why I have a problem with this dubbing "

1. Adaptation

When I speak of "adaptation" here I am referring more than anything to the translation and interpretation of some dialogues, even tho this does not seem to be a very big problem, it can become an issue at the time of delivering the message that the series tries to leave in the viewer, not to go any further, I feel that even though they didn't get to the point that the main message of the series was lost (the importance of friendship/bonds, how much fun it is to share the joy of practicing a sport with friends and never losing sight of your path despite the obstacles you may cross). Some important points were lost based on the modification or directly the replacement of dialogues in some parts. As far as i know the dubbing was done from the script in English so basically it's more of an adaptation from English to Spanish than from Japanese itself which makes things even more difficult

For example, and again taking the scene of the gate as an example:

In this part when Haru tells Rin "don't embarrass yourself" the phrase used is "No hagas el ridículo" which, within the context of the scene, sounds perhaps more jaded than it should, sounds like Haru is saying "Please don't make a scene, it's annoying" rather than "Please, I don't want to see you hurt again" and it can give a wrong idea about what Haru thinks about Rin and the whole situation that happened between them.

2. Use of suffixes/honorific

One of the things that attracts my attention the most in anime dubbing is seeing the ways they find to replace the constants honorific that are used in Japanese, and that, well we know, can recontextualize the nature of a relationship or the dynamics in it. For example, in Inuyasha when Jaken and Rin address Sesshomaru they call him "sama" which in Spanish ends up being adapted to " Amo Sesshomaru" and "Señor Sesshomaru" respectively (honorable mention to the classic and legendary "Amo bonito") They work well and show the respect that both have him in a clear way for the viewer.

NEVERTHELESS It seems that in this case they where just lazy af to find an alternative to these suffixes, since they keep these as they are in the original, being the most marked (and annoying) example of all Nagisa's, who in the dubbing continues to use "chan" to refer to his friends (random but the way he pronounce "Haru-chan" It ends up being so close together that it sounds like he's saying "Maruchan" like the instant soup lol) and leaving aside that it sounds unorganic and too fast to fit the timing it's also completely useless if you don't know the meaning of the chan, imagine being someone new to anime and you see this in the dub, one is left wondering: ¿Por qué chuchas el rubio este dice chan chan al final de cada nombre?

Rei is another one that this affects a lot, because being as formal as he is, he keeps saying honorifics with practically everyone in the show (Haruka-senpai, Nagisa-kun, Makoto-senpai, Rin-san) and god freaking damn, the scene where Rei yells at Rin would have turned out so good, REALLY GOOD, if it wasn't for the constant "Rin-san" over and over again, seriously the voice actor was giving it his all yelling at Rin (whose voice wasn't the best but not too bad either) and having the "san" "chan" was like a pebble in the shoe.

CONCLUSION

To conclude, it's not that the dubbing is completely bad or unwise, it's simply that the care taken in the execution was perhaps not as much as I expected it to be, obviously this is not a hate post for dubbing directors and much less for dubbing actors. I'm just here ranting a little, Free! is one of the first projects that Crunchyroll dubbed so nothing to do when we compare this dubbing to the current dubbing of Chainsaw Man or Spy x Family (OH ONE DAY I WILL TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH I TOTALLY LOVE THE DUBBING OF DR.STONE)

The actors that participated in this project are really talented, for example:

Miguel Ángel Leal (the actor who voices Rin) is the voice of Draco Malfoy in "The Prisoner of Azkaban" and he does an excellent job

Bruno Coronel (the actor who voices Nagisa) is also Near in "Death Note" and the cold but childish voice he gives the character is perfect and i really like it more than the original.

I think that, more than anything, as it happens with most of the projects, they were not very aware or involved in the plot and well that always takes away the emotion in some parts because they do not have the context of the weight that the scenes have in the story, However, I am not going to say that it was all a mistake to hear because I repeat that there are parts that I really feel are good and have quality.

I think i might just being picky bc of how much I love and appreciate Free! but, yeah, here it is whatever the frick is this post.

BONUS: RiiIiiiiiIinNnNnNN

Honestly i don't know whether to laugh or cry ಠ⁠◡⁠ಠ

[vulpiximisa]

number24 review

I went into this of course for seiyuu reasons and Ayu’s character was pretty cute so Im pretty satisfied. Rugby definitely wasn’t a sport I would ever watch but if the characters are good then it’ll carry. (Its not like I watched Eyeshield 21 for football)

Anyway the pros of the show is definitely the cast. Natsusa is a very amusing and interesting character, especially with how the show starts up with his accident. Coming out from REmain not too long ago, it’s not like its something new but I like the prospect of an ex-player turning into a manager, or something just to stay close to the sport. Natsusa’s personality is lots of fun too, it makes me wonder what he would have been like if he was still a player. 

Ibuki has the second best characterization of the series, imo. Maybe I don’t mean characterization but he get’s lot of focus and he has relations with many of the other characters so that he isn’t Just “the third guy in the friend trio”. Which unfortunately Seiichiro kind of feels like. Maybe because I personally don’t like when childhood friends are attached to each other to the hip and only do things for the other person, but Sei feels a lot like that, especially when his character arc had to do with Natsusa.

Yasunari had his whole arc early enough and I’m glad to see him mellow out later. And ngl, I was already kinda shipping him with Yuu way before they even interacted, so seeing that the series actually pushed for them together, I’m winning. Yuu is my sweet baby boy and if anything happens to him, I’m going to kill everyone and then myself. Anyway, YasuYuu good. Gochisousama deshita.

I keep comparing number 24 to Free, because I can feel that the creators made the series with the intention of selling “Male Friendships.” So Natsusa, Ibuki and Sei are the Haru, Rin and Mako, respectively. (In that respect, Yasunari and Yuu are the Rei and Nagisa or whatever.) I like, don’t super mind that that’s what they’re trying to sell, because if I like it I’ll take and if I don’t then I’ll ignore it. It’s not like I was here for the sport anyway so I definitely am looking at the guys bonding. 

I personally prefer Ibuki and Natsu’s relationship, theyre so funny. Natsu is a little mean to him sometimes but that’s what they’re like. The fact that Ibuki is actually their senpai but theyre also childhood friends but Natsu does not go easy on him or is not super chill makes it really interesting I’m pretty sure Natsu calls him senpai just to mock him because he “hates” him so much. Sei and Natsu are sweet but I didn’t care for Sei being so Natsu centric. Like yeah, Sei does interact with a few other classmates but he is very Natsu centric.I could already feel it from episode one. I’m glad Sei and Ibuki get a good amount of scenes together as well and aren’t just Natsu’s two boyfriends.

I also thought Ibuki and Ethan were funny but man, there’s too many guys. And then theyre are the two yellow team guys (voiced by Soma and Kaito but are unfortunately brothers, booo) who also have a certain beef with the main 3. Wish we got a little more from them instead of showcasing the rest of the way too colorful team. 

number 24 fails Because they have such a huge cast. We did NOT need to know the names and faces of all…. Number of the Doushisha team. The fact that its a college club means that there are 1 to 4 years of classes, and it just makes remembering the characters even harder. Especially because All the characters have to Have A Distinct Look. If the series had been a two cour, and they slowly brought up some of the side players, it would have definitely helped, instead  of dumping all whatever number from episode one. Or just make the less important characters not that bright and colorful. It’s okay to have the Ita trio if you trickle them in slowly. The Ita trio weren’t even whole characters in the early chapters of HQ anyway, they were mob charas without a set design.

They did mostly focus on the main 5 (Natsu, Ibuki, Sei, Yasu, Yuu) and sometimes the captain/vice captain and that should have been it for the 12 episodes that they had.

Also the fact that the character designer’s works are way too soft for a sport like Rugby. I think they should have used a different character designer. I didn’t like how all the pretty anime boys were playing their sport without a helmet. Also, ngl, rugby isnt super pretty to begin with, so if they were trying to be Free (shirtless and rippling abs or whatever) they failed because I dont think fujos like the rough man on man grappling. Unless they do, not gonna judge, but the ending images are just so jarring when watching the series/op and what they do.

I’m surprised they actually had a budget because a lot of the rugby plays were pretty good. So I guess it wasn’t a complete cash grab. I mean, it does feel like it, but I was surprised. Oh, also Ive said in another post that I don’t care for sports anime where all the rules are never explained because the cast already know and love the sport and there’s no noobie to explain the rules to (and the audience.) So I went the whole show not knowing how rugby worked, and only had a slight inkling by the end because it was a little like AmeFoot (which the only knowledge I had was from watching Eyeshield 21). So its a good thing that rugby players werent the main focus because I would have bounced a lot earlier.

Uh, anyway, that’s numberTwoFour. Not a complete waste of my time but not something I would highly recommend to anyone. If they do have a cour 2/season 2 of course I’ll watch it but I highly doubt it.

[master-of-stringz]

Christmas Date.

hi! i'm new to this; but i love writing and got big on shuyuka on this last week. any feedback is appreciated! just dont be too mean pls ^^" also, english is not my first language so there's probably some mistakes here and there qwq

Christmas Eve of 2009. 20:30, Paulownia Mall.

It was a snowy day at Tatsumi Port. Even though the cases of apathy syndrome were increasing, and the SEES team knew about the doom approaching their livelihoods all too well; they tried to take these days to relax a little, reducing the training at Tartarus and trying to be happy in these times of wintery joy.

Yukari had made plans with Yuki to meet at Paulownia and then go around town, to have the fun that the month had lacked so much.

–”Aaand… he’s late again! He’s lucky I like him, or else I’d already left this dumb place.”--. Said to herself the Lovers Arcana. She wasn’t really *mad*, moreseo annoyed. She can't be blamed though, everyone really needs times like these to spend with each other.

Then, a weird sound came from some feet away where she was seated. As if a door had just been closed. Makoto had appeared on scene, coming out of what he called the Velvet Room. –”What hour is it?... Damn, guess I’m late.”--. He looked at his phone to check the time, to then mumble those words to himself. He approached the girl in pink, sitting at the center of the mall. –”Hey. Sorry for the wait, I was occupied with some–”--. He got interrupted. –”No need for formalities, Mako. At least you came…”--. She was clearly annoyed, but at least it looked like she didn’t wanna ruin the mood with her bad temper. –”Well… you wanna do something or…?--. The kid was still, as awkward as ever. He did have some intention to have a good night, but God if it isn't taking him his whole chest to speak. –”Of course I want to, idiot! Come on, let’s go find a place to eat or something.”--. She stood up and grabbed the Fool by his arm, with both of her hands; clinging onto him. –”Sounds ok to me, ma’am.”--. They wandered around the place for a few minutes. –”How does Chagall Café sound to you, miss?”--. Makoto was pointing towards the café, of which he’s heard there’s some good food to get at night-time. –”You can stop with the whole ''miss”, ''ma'am”; stuff already, please. We’re the same age and you’re NOT funny.”-- She seemed a little pissed, while she was bringing the boy into the café with her, by force.

They were sitting on a table, waiting for their food to come. –”So… what do you think we’ll be doing after all of this?”--.Takeba spoke to break the ice. –”I… I don’t know. I think the both of us have already decided what we’ll do with Ryoji, right?”--. Yuki talked with a serious tone in his voice, reducing all his sarcasm to 0. –”Yeah… I’m sick of the fact that we can’t do anything about it, and can’t begin to imagine how hard it’s gotta be for you…”--. The girl was staring at the ground, sorrowfully. She knew they had to fight; even though it seemed so hard to do.

–”Yeah… I don’t think we can do anything else. It’s for the better of everyone, really.”--. Makoto looked at her directly, with a meek smile on his face. –”Well. I guess there’s no point in being sad, right?”--. He said, in what seemed uncharacteristic from him. –”Huh?”--. Not even Takeba could’ve seen that coming from him. –”At this point we’re at, we can’t walk back. We won’t.”--. A light was shimmering inside his eyes, as if he was truly sure of this. –”We will fight. We can change fate. I know we can.”--. –”Where did all that hope come from? I don’t think i’ve ever heard you talking like this–”--. Yukari was taken aback by the words coming from her lover.

–”I sat back and took some time to think. Thought about everyone who gave their lives for this…”--. Yukari gasped for a second, to start processing what came from Yuki’s mouth. –”The last thing my mother told me before passing… she told me to “live”.”--. Takeba was staring toward the boy, intrigued. –”I never really understood that. “What does “Living” even mean?” I wondered… I always felt as if Death came with me everywhere after that. Never spoke too much, never thought too much… I spent my days alone in my sorry room listening to music. Now I know that probably had to do with the Death Shadow within me, but still. It never came out until I got here, and I doubt anything would’ve actually changed… without you.”--. Yukari started to get red at Makoto’s words. –”Not only you, but everyone. You guys changed my life, seriously. But you were always there for me, Takeba…”--. Yukari, still blushing; responded. –”You say it like it wasn’t you who saved our asses that night at the rooftop.”--. She laughed a bit, looking a little happier. –”And who stayed at the hospital with me, even without knowing who I was?”--. Makoto’s smile became more genuine by every sentence he spoke. –”I’m going to fight. For everyone. For us. You showed me that I really could do something in this world, you know?”-- He had a warm smile on his face. –”Now that you say it, it is kinda funny.”--. Takeba was grabbing her own arm and looking at the floor with a light smile on. –”You and Mitsuru really changed my view on things. About myself, my family… I can’t begin to imagine where I’d be without you two.”--. She laughed it off.

–”I guess you’re right, Mako… But well. What do you say we amp up the mood a little bit?”--. She said, reaching for something in her purse. –”I didn’t exactly know what to get, but I remembered that plushie you gave me one time. Jack Frost, was it?”--. She said, pulling a little Black Frost out of the blue. –”Matching Jacks, huh? I didn’t know you were that corny, Yuka”--. Yuki took the plushie from Takeba’s hand. –”This is really cute though, I like him.”--. The boy had a smile on his face as he put the plushie on what would be his inventory. –”I’m glad you liked it!”--. Yukari was notoriously happy, as if they hadn’t just had a whole existential conversation seconds ago.

Their food came and went, and afterwards; they left the café. Not to go to the Dorm yet, but to wander around Iwatodai Station, and sit back on a bench, watching the stars.

–”Yuki?”--. Takeba was resting on Makoto’s shoulder, as he had his head softly resting over her own head. –”When everything is over… I want to take you out, somewhere outside from here. Just the two of us. I’ll ask Mitsuru if the Kirijo group can get us some kind of transportation, and I’ll take you somewhere. Maybe a big city, maybe a beautiful countryside; whatever you want. Just… to be together. Spend some time, you know?”--. The sky was full of stars, all shining brighter than the last. It had stopped snowing, though the floor, bench and everything around them was full of snow. –”Hey, hey. No need to be fancy with me, Yuka. You know anything works well with me, I’m a simple guy.”--. He said, chuckling a little. –”I just wanna make it special! You know, after everything you’ve done for me… I thought I could at least repay you, somehow…”--.

Takeba blushed in an intense tone of red while speaking. Yuki grabbed her hand, speaking up quickly. –”Don’t be stupid, Yuka. You’re already “repaying” me, whatever that means. Just… being here. It’s enough for me.”--. He looked directly into her eyes, and could see how Yukari was as red as a tomato. Before she could speak up, he stole a quick kiss from her lips.

–”Let’s… stay here, like this. For a little while. We´ll go home later…”--. Takeba squeezed his hand as gently as she could, as she was full of different emotions at the moment. –”You–... I–... I love you.”--. She whispered, as she responded to Yuki’s moves with a profound kiss of her own.

After some minutes, they both went back to the dorm; where they continued the act at Makoto’s dorm. Finally, they fell asleep on his bed, waking up early the next morning and having Takeba go to hers as quickly as possible, with no one noticing.