#I know I did Neo metal and I said I wouldn’t do the same character twice

[seagull-scribbles]

@rose12sworld sorry this took so long :)

I Normally won’t change Metals facial structure but Widening their eyes seemed like the best choice here….. may have to experiment with him some more x

I sent your comment in as an ask from my main so it would be the same format as the others, idk if you’ll get the notification though

[Ask meme here]

#sth #request #ask meme #ask #metal sonic #rose12sworld #magicalpouchofmagic #I know I did Neo metal and I said I wouldn’t do the same character twice #but he is technically different so it’s fine #loop holes for my own rules lmao #I haven’t drawn metal in ages this was super nice actually x #still on my art hiatus but I did this on the way to work #figured drawing a character I’m familiar with would be a good start for building up confidence again x

[barnesandco]

Eat the Rich: Chapter 2

Eat the Rich Masterlist

The Avengers are tasked with tracking down an elusive thief, and retrieving the grand amounts of money she has stolen. Even after capture, she turns out to be impossible to break, save for a mystifying interest in Bucky.

Written for @mermaidxatxheart​ ‘s #jamiesmadwritingbash, under the Robin Hood AU prompt.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: mentions of Bucky’s Hydra days, and a short mention of dissociation. Disaster Avengers having breakfast.

A/N: I really really really love that people are saying they like the reader bc that’s the character people envision themselves as when they insert themselves into this kind of fanfic. I hope you enjoy what more we get to see of the reader here. So enjoy, and please continue to reblog and comment -- it makes this so much fun!

I’m not doing taglists, but you can follow and turn on notifications for @ayeshaupdates​​ to be notified when I post.

Divider by the fantastically talented @whimsicalrogers​​!

The dispute that had ensued after Bucky had voiced his wish to Steve had turned to resigned acceptance by the time the first slivers of dawn had started to creep across pristine floors, and Bucky found himself victorious. It's a grim glory that accompanies him down the hall and into the cell you had been moved into for the night. There's no mode of observation for this room, save for the presently closed viewing panel in the door. It's really early, and even though he doubts that you're asleep, given the stressful circumstances, his hand pauses where it's about to knock on the door.

With Steve having left for his run with Sam, and the others asleep or inactive in some way, shape or form, he's alone in the silver hallways of this portion of the Compound. Hand still in the air, tight fist, white knuckles and lip bitten red, and then he composes himself. Stepping away, he sits down on the floor, back against the wall and knees pulled up. 

While he waits, he listens, even if all he can hear is his own heartbeat and the faint, collective chorus of the birds chirping. The sturdy walls and doors between your bed and his floor prevent any speculation on your activities, since the only monitoring permitted is that of vital signs so an alert can be raised if there is danger. He could open the panel, but that might wake you and he doesn't want that. Whether this disruption, and how it is sure to initiate the crucial dialogue he’s here for, is undesired for his sake or yours is unclear. 

His head meets the metal behind him, and the cold stings at his scalp, but Bucky stays that way. Likes the cold bite of it, on occasions such as these, when he needs the ice-crystal clarity of mind, and he knows it'll warm up soon, under his touch. Likes knowing that Hydra doesn't control him all the time, that he can feel the prickle of freezing skin without having a debilitating flashback to cryostasis is indicative of how far he's come. He's no longer the man Steve flew to New Zealand for a month after he had a hellish dissociative episode courtesy of New York's first snowfall.

The metal thaws behind him, sunlight through the thin sliver of window at the top of the wall slides higher on the door. Opalescent solar glare on silver steel, half a rainbow in his exhausted eyes, and the weight of evaporating dew in the air is what precedes a conversation that has his stomach in knots and crosses.

The digital, holographic clock strikes nine above the cell door. 

Rising to his feet, Bucky can feel every single one of his 103 years in his back, the avoirdupois of a century's lamentable events on his weary shoulders. So he does a breathing exercise before he tries the door again.

Allowing his lungs to expand to their full capacity, and then holding that breath there until his alveoli scream, before exhaling in a rush of sweet-cereal scented breath, makes him feel less stone-like. More muscle than metal, soft and pliable and open. Steve would argue that that's perilous, here, in front of a woman who's so touch-and-go, all breakneck smiles, but he's not an Avenger when he enters that room -- he's Bucky Barnes, looking for more pieces of himself, pieces that he'll never find if his eyes are shut tight against the impact.

You answer upon the second knock. "Come in." Your voice lilts to a light taunt, but it’s effect is minimized by the drowsy scratch of your voice. Opening the door after letting it recognize his irises, Bucky thinks that the same can be said about the Christmas-just-came-early spark in your eyes, when they're underlined by dark bags. You're still wearing the green hoodie.

" 'Morning," he says softly, pausing in the doorway. The cell contains a metal chair of the same style as those in the interrogation rooms, and the cot you're sitting up in, back against the wall behind you. There's a small door in one corner that he knows leads to a toilet cubicle.

"To what do I owe this extraordinary pleasure, Mr. Barnes?"

"Bucky," he blurts unthinkingly, and your eyes widen in surprise and amusement. His guard is down, and he needs to be cautious. "And you can thank yourself for being so goddamn persistent and getting on everybody’s nerves."

The smirk brought to your face is aimed at your hands, bound loosely in front of you. A more tender expression than most seen before. The long, fretful night seems to be taking its toll on you. Perhaps you’re slipping. Or perhaps you’re pretending to, his instincts warn. He sighs, clenches his hands into fists, lets his nails dig into his palm. Metal whirs, purrs, and he releases when you move both bound hands towards the chair in front of you. 

Bucky sits down, rubs his palms back and forth over his thighs, lets the grainy feel of the denim under scratch at his hands. "You know me,” he begins.

"Not nearly as well as I'd like,” you say with a grin, looking up from your hands. He glowers. 

"I'm serious."

Your smile widens. "So am I. Come a little closer. I don't bite,” you tease, and he decides to take you up on it. Gets up and sits on the cot a couple of feet away from you, folding one leg up so his foot is under his thigh and keeping the other on the floor. You’re unfazed at having your bluff called. "...Unless you want me to,” you finish, and he ignores it. 

"You kept asking for me while you were being questioned.”

“You were watching? Did you like what you see?”

The temptation to roll his eyes is strong, but he manages to hold it in check, and fixes a strong focus on you. This is important. It’s about his life. “You wanted to talk to me, so here I am. Now let’s talk.”

“Where would you like to start?”

“How about your name?”

“Oh, you’ll have to get to know me a little better if you want me to give up that secret. Try again," you urge, and he huffs. Like drawing blood from a rock. 

Every question he could ask, every query he needs an answer to is being whirled around in the chaotic storm in his head, and it's so difficult to pick out just one. “Have we met?” He decides upon, momentarily forgoing the alternatives: Who are you? Why do I feel like I know you? Why do I feel like you're important? What part of me do you hold in those bound hands of yours?

Head tilted upwards, you consider the ceiling while searching for an answer. “Briefly.” And then you pause. Bite your lip, look down, make a so-so motion with your head. “Well, I wouldn’t say met, exactly. I wreaked some havoc and you watched.” That tells me jack-shit, sweetheart.

“When?”

“February of 2013," you respond instantaneously. Good memory. That's useful. 

“So I was with Hydra," he assumes, instantly going down all the roads he might know you by. A mission, a murder, more violence, another apology. Were you partners in crime, or his target? Or were you just in the way?

“I don’t agree with that phrasing, but yes, I suppose so."

“Did we work together?” He dares to question. 

There's a change: a tangible shift in the atmosphere, like the scent of ozone in the air before a thunderstorm. The stiffening of your posture, how you sit up straighter but hunch your shoulders against some invisible attack tells him he's touching a nerve, nearing cyclone waters. It takes a moment for the mask to fall back into place over your face, before you're able to answer, with venom, repulsed. “God, no. I would never work for them.” It's the most sincere emotion he's heard from you, this disgust. It eases him to know how strongly you feel about Hydra, but he’s wary of your raw response to it.

So, he treads more kindly. Softly. On eggshells sharp and off-white, feeling his way around the balance of your temper. “Then how did we meet?”

“I was on a heist,” you say, matter-of-factly. In your tone of voice, now even and professional, it sounds like the most natural thing in the world. As though stealing from megalomaniac neo-Nazis is just another day at work.

“What kind of heist? Who sent you?” Bucky observes the way you're pulling the edges of your sleeves over your hands as much as you can with your restraints. At this question, your smile returns, and he relaxes. Can now feel his leg falling asleep under him now that he's not so tense.

“Nobody sent me. I’m a free agent. I work for myself,” you announce, chin up. 

“What were you going to steal from Hydra?” He asks, and your head turns slowly towards him, firework sparkle meeting level, cool, sky-blue, a hurricane simmering behind his irises.

“You.”

“We did not sign up for this,” Barton grumbles from his second cup of coffee -- addicts, the lot of them -- adjusting his hearing aid with a frown on his face at the turn of events. 

Sam clears his throat, setting down a half-empty glass of orange juice next to Natasha’s espresso on the table and speaks next, “That’s messed up, man, that’s really, really messed up.” This is said with a shake of his head, and Bucky, having no response to either Barton or Sam, addresses Steve.

“There’s something she’s not telling me, Rogers.” He uses the last name to revert to the days of talking shop in green tents with the gravity of impending shelling in the air. Life or death, and though the circumstances aren’t quite so acute right now, this is a grave matter, too. Steve's standing hunched over the kitchen island, arms outstretched and hands flat on the granite surface, studying the pattern like it holds all the answers. 

Bucky watches him think, but Stark, in Spider-Man PJs and the bed-head of the century, strolls into the kitchen at a leisurely pace and interrupts. “There are a lot of things she’s not telling you. Who she is, where the money is, wh--”

“She’s not telling me why," Bucky interrupts a tirade that he knows could continue forever, given the chance. “People don’t go around stealing super soldier assassins for the hell of it.”

“Maybe she’s working for someone who wanted you to work for them instead of Hydra," Peter suggests over a ridiculously large bowl of ridiculously colorful cereal at the breakfast nook.

“She doesn’t work for anyone. Says she’s a free agent."

“And you believe her?” Sam wonders. It's a genuine question, curious but not dismissive or doubtful. 

“Barnes has quite the built-in lie detector," Nat tells Sam from next to him, her yoga-pant clad legs splayed across another chair. Yeah, he’s good at telling when people are being dishonest, but there’s also the fact this woman is way too fearless, fucking crazy to be made to do anyone's bidding. No chance in Hell does she takes orders. 

Tony slumps in an orange loveseat. “Must be a Russian thing," he quips, and then breaks out into a yawn.

Bucky puts his hands on his hips and glares at all of them, by turn, sharply. "Would you let me finish?" He demands. "She couldn't tell me why she was going to steal me from Hydra, but she said she'd show me." One could hear a pin drop in this room, now, the bustle of Avengers replaced by the obviously preposterous proposition Bucky's relaying. "Just me," he adds.

"Me?" He asks, voice rising in pitch and volume, and he fights to control both, rising to his feet. "Why would you steal me?"

"Have you seen you?" You ask back, eyes scintillating, glowing with mirth. "Gorgeous hair, those eyes, and hands that I'm sure know how to treat a girl right.”

Bucky looks daggers at you, and you look back. "I'm serious."

"I thought you were Bucky,” you say innocently, and he thinks he could scream in frustration, but he drops down, kneels just beside where you sit, and holds onto the edge of the cot like it’s the end of the world he’s falling off of.

"I don't think you understand how important this is to me. You know something about me you won't say. I've been trying to put together my past so I can understand myself better and you have a piece of my history. I need to know,” he enunciates each word as if it’s his last. Needs to convey the severity of the situation, how he has been trying to rebuild himself into a new life from the scraps of the old ones. He’s aware that he’s complete as he is but he also makes choices for himself now, and he chooses to know.

You look down, and although it’s your hands that are bound, you offer a golden prayer. "Let me show you." A lifeline, something he doesn’t want to believe and doesn’t know if he can trust. Hence, the question:

"What?"

A sad shrug of your shoulders is the first answer, and it all starts to unravel from there. "I can't tell you, I really can't. It's complicated and a really long story--"

Bucky elevates himself on his knees, his fingers dig in a little tighter, and the metal of the bed begins to creak ever so slightly. "The way I see it, we have all the time in the world, darlin'," he says in a thick voice, emotion simmering at the corners of his lips.

"Darlin'?" You can’t help but ask, without any flirt this time, any teasing, just a question in a tone as surprised as he is at the slip of tongue.

Bucky decides to ignore the interruption. "So let's start at the beginning.”

Fervently, you shake your head. "I can't." At his wide-eyed disbelief, "I mean it, I can't."

"No, you can, you just won't,” he insists.

"We could have a grammar lesson if you want, or I could show you why I was going to steal the Winter Soldier."

"What do you mean show me?" Bucky asks, moving to sit on the chair again. Leaning forward, he places his hands on his thighs, looks into your eyes to pull forth the words you won’t give him.

You blink, unbudgingly. "I have to take you somewhere. It's the only way to explain."

A sharp bark of a laugh escapes him, and he shakes his head as it recedes into chuckles. Your face is now blank and expressionless, gauging how to handle this, and he gives you the first response that comes to mind. "You're full of shit."

"What happened to darlin' ?"

Meeting your eyes, he says, “You want me to let you out so you can escape. A five-year-old could see through that.” Then, Bucky leans back in his chair, crosses one ankle over the other as well his arms. His hooded gaze is at a stalemate with yours, and it’s a hopeless tug of war. So this is how it ends. A night spent sleepless in vain, a few battle bruises and the tug of disappointment in his belly.

A dismal, and last-ditch sigh ripples through the air, from lips dark and worried bloody. Your eyes look overcast and you open and close your mouth repeatedly to say something, but do not voice your thoughts. Giving you the time to formulate whatever perfect sentence you’re trying to utter is torturous, but he waits. Until you stop, speechless, and he gets to his feet. Turns to the door, and then you speak from behind him, while his hand hovers over the handle.

"Let me take you, and only you, to the place you need to see, and I'll cooperate. I'll give you what I have left of the money, and I'll plead guilty in court and serve my time.” Bucky freezes. "Just come with me,” and you’re the one making requests, making pleas now. It’s inexplicable, he knows he should be looking this particular gift horse in the mouth, and he convinces himself that he will, in time, but right now, he accepts.

"Was that an innuendo?" He asks, still facing away, the question indicating a truce.

"If you want it to be," you say, and he turns around to look at you. "What do you say, Barnes, are we going on a road trip?

Hope swells somewhere in him he thought had been long abandoned for darker days and arduous nights. The same intuition that taught him to ask for this piece of himself tells him something is coming. Something that’s going to make a difference.

"Bucky. It's Bucky. And yeah, I guess we are.”

#ayesha writes #jamiesmadwritingbash #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #james buchanan barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #381

“don’t try to be the one person who has stayed just to say they never left me”

Do you feel bored with your life? Always. Do you miss anyone who was mean to you in the past? I sometimes miss Colleen, but I know it's for the better that we no longer associate with each other. What’s the most weight you’ve ever gained from a medication? I don't know, but a fuck of a lot. Thanks, Abilify. Have you ever been suicidal? Yes. Do you pray? If yes, to whom? No. What do you miss about high school? Memories with Jason. What do you miss the most about college? Socializing. What was the best date you’ve ever been on? A triple date to an arcade w/ Jason and friends. What’s the last great song you discovered? The most recent one? I don't know, really. Do you feel free to post how you feel on Facebook? Yeah. Don't like what I post, delete me. Have you ever done cocaine? Yikes, no thanks. Do you think you’ll ever get married? Do you want to? I sometimes wonder if I ever will. I'm scared of just continuing to be an unemployed leech that is doing nothing significant with her life, in which case it's like, why even be with me romantically. I feel like such a dead end street. I want to get married someday. Who do you care about the most? When it comes down to it, probably my mom. Have you ever made out on a couch? Yeah. Would you ever get gauged ears? I want small gauges, actually. When it comes to clothing, are you the conservative type? Yes, because I hate my body and don't want others to see it. Do you enjoy eating? I wish I didn't. Have you ever ridden in a race car? No. Do you go out of your way to impress the opposite gender? No. Do you enjoy history? Not really, no. It bores me. Are you a pajama person or do you stay dressed all day? I'm just about always in my pjs. Do you value looks or personality more? Personality is way more important. Have you ever changed religions? Yeah. Born Roman Catholic, converted to Christianity when I further understood the differences, then I went to how I am now: I believe in something(s), but I don't quite know what. I wouldn't call myself a Neo-Pagan, but it's what I relate most to. Would you ever wear fake eyelashes? I would for like, my wedding. Foo fighters vs. Red Hot Chili Peppers: I'm actually not a big fan of either. Are you a fan of the SAW movies? I don't really watch them. Do you ever forget how old your siblings are? My two immediate sisters, I'm sometimes a year off. All my others, yes. :x Mountain Dew or Sprite? Mountain Dew, of course. I really don't like Sprite now, which is ironic because as a kid, it was my favorite soda. Could you ever give yourself a shot? Yeah. Have you ever worked as a cashier? That was one of my duties when I worked at a dollar store. If you are on birth control that allows you take pills and skip your period, how often do you opt to skip it? How come? My birth control doesn't allow me to skip, but rather, it regulates it. Is there a book series where you loved the first book, but for some reason the other books in the series just didn’t measure up? I can't say that, no, as most series I just kinda fell out of, like The Hunger Games. LOVED the first book, started the second, and even though I was enjoying it, I just stopped for some reason? Are there any stores/restaurants that you would like to shop/eat at, but there aren’t any located near enough to you? Haha yeah, like lots of west coast fast food places like Jack n' the Box or however it's formatted. If you were told by a professional that you were unable to become pregnant, how would that affect you? Is there something important to you about conceiving a biological child rather than adoption? And finally, if you even want to have children, would you choose adoption or surrogacy or would you go on childless? I don't even want kids, so honestly, I'd be stoked if I learned I was infertile. Wouldn't need to worry about the chance of getting pregnant and facing an abortion dilemma. Is there something that you did not used to take seriously, that you either now take seriously or wish that you had in the past (e.g., a relationship that you miss, your education, etc.)? Hm. I don't know. Are there any subjects that you are interested in so much that you would read whole books or academic journals about them? Meerkats, especially. I will read EVERY scientific article about them I find. Are you physically affectionate with your friends? I'm a hugger. When you were in middle school and high school, did you witness a lot of bullying? How did the teachers react to name-calling or violence? Not really, thankfully. Are any of your friends/relatives actually impressive artists or writers? Are you willing to share an example of their work? Yeah. I have a cousin who's really good at drawing, and my sister is a wonderful cake decorator. Do you drink more apple or orange juice? Orange. Could you forgive your best friend for sleeping with your gf/bf? My hypothetical bf/gf, no. Would you ever donate blood? I have before, and I would again if I knew I was hydrated enough and the opportunity was right there. Would you rather drink coffee or tea? Ugh, neither. Do you get easily embarrassed? YES. How long was your longest make out? TMI alert, like all night. If the person who hurt you most said they’re sorry would you believe them? I honestly don't know. Do you have sensitive skin? Very. What color is your mum's car? White. Do you live in an apartment? No. Do you have a pet fish? Nope. Are you happy with your eye color? I wish they were a more sapphire blue. Solid soap bar or liquid body wash? Absolutely liquid body wash. What color do you want your dream car to be? Baby pink. *-* Do you have more then one favorite band? I say I do, but at the same time I know Ozzy Osbourne will ALWAYS be #1. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship? In a relationship. But it's absolutely not something I'm about to force just for the sake of being in one. Would you be really upset if Facebook ceased to exist tomorrow? Nah. Have you or would you try shark meat? No to both. Do you know anyone that's pescatarian? No. Someone I watch on YouTube is, though. Are you shy or over confident around your crushes? Super shy. Do you think the govt. has a cure for cancer, but is hiding it from public? Hell, I think it's very well possible, but I lean more towards for financial hoarding, they simply don't further pursue potential cures that are discovered. I mean, just THINK about all the "future cures" you've read or heard about. It's fucking outrageous. It's all to fuel the medical industry. Okay, tin hat coming off. Last time you drank a diet soda? A very long time ago, because diet soda gives me a massive headache. Was your ex born in America? Only one wasn't. Name your favorite type of music and why. Metal. I for one just like the sound, and I find it very therapeutic when I'm especially mad or sad. Even when I'm in a good mood, I just enjoy it. I also feel that a lot of metal songs tell interesting stories and/or have very poetic lyrics. Do you own or have you read, or thought of reading any self-help books? I haven't, but I've considered it. Can you breakdance? Definitely not. Have you ever read a book and not understood it? If so which one? Yes. We were assigned this one war novel in middle school that was FUCKING AWFUL, like I was checked out the whole time. I don't remember its name or anything. Have you ever watched a movie and not understood it? If so which one? Yes; the Warcraft movie I mentioned in a recent survey. Orcs and their fucking deep-ass voice that I couldn't understand. Do you blowdry your hair? No. Tell me about your dream last night. Omfgggggg y'all. So, there's one invert pet that I've never understood the keeping appeal of, and that's giant centipedes. Their bites are notoriously excruciating, and they are just SO goddamn fast. Well, for some godforsaken reason, I wanted one as a pet. Got one, and it immediately got loose. Guess who wanted to shit herself lmao. Centipedes are very cool, but only from a distance, ya feel? Have you ever stayed in a fancy high-class rich hotel? No. Have you ever stayed in a rent-by-the-hour motel? I don't think so. Describe the worst fight you’ve ever been in whether physical or verbal. I'm not entirely sure about my *worst*, but I know it was with Mom. We've had a few. Have you heated any food in your microwave today? Yeah, a shrimp alfredo Lean Cuisine bowl. Do you own any items of clothing with cartoon characters on them? Yes. Have you ever played Animal Crossing? No, it doesn't seem like my kinda game. Do you own anything (e.g jewelry, accessories) with your initial on it? Yes, but none of which I personally bought because I don't really like them. Do you own any cats or dogs? What are their names? I have a cat named Roman. <3 Have you added any books to your shelves lately? Which? No. Have you bought any new cosmetics or toiletries lately? Which? No. Do your pets have a specific type of food that they prefer? Roman will eat whatever cat food he's given, while Venus, like your average ball python, is a picky eater. Like when I first got her, she wouldn't eat for almost a year because I just couldn't find a method through which she'd accept food. Now she consistently takes frozen/thawed small rats that have actually sat in warm water (versus doing it by hand under running water), and she generally won't strike it unless it's offered to her by tongs, but not dangling by the tail. Picky, picky miss thang. What's your favourite variety of apple? I'm not very particular about flavor so long as the apple is crisp. I canNOT do soft apples. Which of your physical features do you receive the most compliments about? My hair.

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''orchids'' by stone sour

[hostilebutcuddly]

Lan Fan at the End of the World

[Verse: Kingdom Hearts]

She'd been fighting for so long. Minutes that felt like hours. Hours that felt like days. Still the onslaught continued as the dark creatures poured forth seemingly without end. The mask she'd carved and painted with her own hands lay shattered in some overrun hallway. Her hair was unbound and unkempt, a sign that she'd been taken completely by surprise. One arm hung limply at her side, now useless against the enemies she face.

But she continued on. Tanto in one hand, kunai clench in her gritted teeth.

Everyone around her had long since fallen. Their bodies consumed by the flood of writhing black shadows. All except for that one person she couldn't find. Not in the throne room nor the safety chamber the elders surely would have tried to usher him to when this ambush began. No hallway unchecked. Maybe the flood had take him too, and like a fool she hadn't been there. The one thing she had to do. The one person she'd pledged her life to protect. Lan Fan didn't deserve to continue on. She didn't deserve to rest either. So this was all she had.

A neo shadow rushed in on her side and she was only just able to dodge the incoming blow. Lan Fan took a glance and dully realized her limp arm was gone. She didn't cry out, or even try to bind the stub that was left. She'd lost feeling in that limb hours ago. But she knew there wasn't much time left for her now.  

And then the big shadow appeared, and she knew this was the end.

Lan Fan closed her eyes just long enough to take a final deep breath. She dropped her tanto blade and kunai, pulling out instead every explosive she had available to her. Starting with the flash bombs that would pave the way for her final assault. If this was the end, at least she could say she tried.

Blinding lights sent living shadows scurrying away in surprised fear, making it easier to target the biggest of them with what strength she had left. Better be sure to aim somewhere other than the gaping heart shaped hole in it's chest. She threw high, the blast from her hand held bomb hitting it square in the face. The thing staggered, stepped back and-

It's massive hand came down at her, ready to destroy her with the full weight of a crushing blow. Despite herself Lan Fan held her breath and shut her eyes, waiting for the impact.

It didn't come.

Heart racing, Lan Fan's eyes snapped open and she turned her gaze in all directions with a frantic desperation. Nothing was moving. The remains of her explosion stood still as a painting around the creature's giant head. The creature itself was frozen, it's hand mere inches from her head. She darted out from under it quickly and continued to stare. All the shadows seemed to have become still as statues.

From behind her; Lan Fan heard a voice.

“This world is done for you know.”

She almost made herself dizzy with how fast she spun to face the stranger, qi senses snapping onto the massive signature despite all the muddled darkness still choking the entire world. The woman before her had pale blue skin and black hair. She was clad in a purple dress and here eyes were like burning gold. She moved closer and somehow she was solid and smokey and underwater all at the same time. The woman leaned in towards Lan Fan and the girl felt awkward and intimidated. What was going on?

“W-Who are you. Did you do this?” She finally found her voice. But the woman shook her head, only looking amused.

“Me? No. I don't command them, there's no fun in that. I'm just here to bear witness to the chaos.” Her silky voice sounded like it hid a thousand daggers. She continued. “But this is much better than I was expecting.”

“What do you mean” Now without the constant attack Lan Fan began to feel the weight of her injuries just a bit, her words heavy and difficult. The stranger shook her head.

“Oh no we can't have that. Not when things are getting so interesting.” She said, watching the girl slowly sink to her knees.

“Who are you.” She said once more. “What are you even talking about.”

The woman grinned. “Oh yes of course. I am Eris! Goddess of discord. And I've come to watch these little chaos entities. Or that was what I came for originally. But now; oh! It's too good! A missing Prince, a desperate young lady, sworn to protect him! What will happen? I'm on the edge of my seat and-” She paused. “Oh yes. And. You're on the verge of death, with no hope at all of finding out what you want to know.”

Brown eyes narrowed as she listened to Eris' words. “They're all gone. What do I have left to find out?” She asked.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Something stirred in the background and Eris's self satisfied smile got a little wider.

“You mean...” She didn't want to believe it, but she knew there was a chance. She knew someone like him wouldn't go down so easily. She thought she knew, anyway.

“So here's my proposal.” Eris shifted to a new position, just over the girl's shoulder, leaning against her in a too familiar sort of way. “I've seen what you're capable of. You're quite the warrior and your stealth skills are incredibly useful.” She cooed “So I'll save your life, get that... little missing limb problem solved. And you come work for me. Do whatever I need you to do and in the mean time” She leaned in a little more, her voice low and tempting “You can go to other worlds and look for your lost little prince.”

“Why would I-” Lan Fan started but Eris inturrupted her, gesturing toward the slow increase of movement around them.

“Ah ahh” Eris waggled a finger at the girl. “Time's running out; my little falconette. This world is finished... but you don't have to be.”

Could it be possible? What did 'go to other worlds' even mean? Lan Fan wanted to consider this fully, but Eris was right. The beasts were starting to stir and she didn't want to die waiting. And that was it wasn't it? She didn't want to die. Not here. Not like this. Not if there were even the slightest chance.

She took a deep breath, barely noticing the tears streaking down her face as she sat slumped on the ground, legs splayed out on either side of her trembling, weak body.

“...Okay.” Lan Fan agreed at last. “You save my life and let me search; and I'll devote the rest of that life to serving you.”

“It's a promise then.” Eris said, making an X over her heart with her finger. The mark glowing for a moment and then fading away. “And a goddess is bound to keep her word, no matter what.” She took a look around with a short chuckle and raised her hands, surrounding the two of them in a dark bubble.

“Now let's get out of here while you're still breathing.”

--

Lan Fan woke in a strange bed, in what appeared to be a stone room half eaten by a vast and every shifting desert made of black sand. She began to sit up but searing pain put her right back down and she cast her gaze about, seeing Eris appear in her strange flowing motion once again.

“I granted you a portion of my power.” The woman said, crossing her arms “It healed you up well enough but couldn't regrow what the heartless took from you. So I had to stop over at a neighboring world and get something set up for you there.”

Upon this comment Lan Fan's gaze turned to her side and she lifted what was now a metal, mechanical arm. It felt heavier than anything she was used to but... she could feel it. That alone stunned her out of any words she'd been trying to come up with. Her voice returned to her when her gaze turned to the bedside mirror and what stared back was a pair of once-brown eyes now turned a dull reddish violet.

“Wait... your power?” She finally asked.

“Yes that's right. You needed to be able to do important job related things like opening corridors of darkness and surviving inside such corridors. And of course some aspects of your employment will have you fighting those creatures and others like them. So you need the extra power for that too. Did you know it usually takes years to rehabilitate after that kind of prosthetic is installed?”

Lan Fan attempted to sit up again, with a bit more success “Y-Years? But-”

“Yes for normal people that would be quite the trial. But I need you up and about faster than that so faster healing was an important ability for you to have. Should prevent you from losing any more limbs, for that matter.”

Processing everything that had happened was almost overwhelming, but Eris was right, and Lan Fan could already feel her body adjusting to the weight of the metal. “And our agreement?”

“Yes this is all part of the deal. You wouldn't be able to search for your missing royal if you were laid up for three years either.” Eris waved a hand but it was obvious she wanted to know how this story was going to play out. As if Lan Fan were a character in a mythological epic.

She looked around one more time, wanting to ask about the room and the endless desert. Eris picked up on it almost too quickly. She'd had guests before after all.

“Oh yes welcome to tartarus. My realm of chaos. The black sand is actually a new feature, courtesy of one of my other 'henchmen'.” She added air quotes to the word, as if the woman couldn't think of something better to call them. “He's off doing other things right now though.”

Was this to be her home now? An ever shifting wasteland of sand and decay? Eris seemed to understand her question before she'd even given it a voice.

“You're welcome to say wherever you want.” She said “Just as long as you come back here when I call you. And I will call you.” She produced from... somewhere, a small device Lan Fan had never seen before, laying the object on the bed next to the girl and then rolling her eyes at the clear look of confusion.

“It's called a gummi phone. It's a way for me to keep in contact with you. You can figure out how to use it on your own time.”

And with that she was gone, leaving Lan Fan with more questions than answers. What had she said before? Corridors of darkness? The girl shifted her wait and hung her legs over the side of the bed with a sigh.

“I've got nothing but time for now I guess.” She said mostly to herself. “May as well see what I can do...”

#out of loyalty #nobodie's ninja #princecfnothing #drabble #wow that took a lot out of me #xD

[onepunchmiss]

Ok ok ok ramble time lets go- manga spoilers ahead if you don't read the web comic, beware!

So theres several things that I've been thinking about regarding how the manga is diverging from the webcomic right now- how are the other heroes rejoining the battle going to affect the outcome of the Monster association arc climax? Or I guess rather, how will they themselves be affected by participating in the battle?

Its really interesting and exciting to see that Orochi wasn't just hyped up for completely nothing! Now I'm assuming that part of the reason for Orochi at all was for the Orochi/Psykos power up- specifically because the other heroes will be joining the frey, and I wouldn't think that the over all resolution of the arc will be much different. At the same time, if you're going to amp up the final boss just to be able to defeat the extra hero power that was originally non-existent, why bother with the changes at all? Just to give the other heroes a bit more screen time and please fans? Maybe, in the same vein, just to give webcomic fans new material rather than go panel-for-panel?

What I'm really hoping and honestly feel is probably the case, is that it will serve to get some more character development in there for the heroes and flesh them out even further?? We've been seeing it a lot in the manga as it is, with the introductions of many unique lower ranking heroes, the whole dynamic of the HA, Zombieman and Child Emperor's (blessed) dynamic, even getting some much needed Drive Knight exposition. So I'm thrilled at the prospect of seeing how these heroes are going to handle the situation they're running straight into.

I HONESTLY CAN'T WAIT TO SEE LIGHNING MAX AND SNEK DOING??? ANYTHING?? I'm gonna be honest I have no idea how they're going to reasonably fit in the fight, though I feel like it would be silly and a tad pointless to have them run off from the hospital for no reason?? And correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we have seen them in the web comic at all following the Monster association, so I'm absolutely thrilled that they're staying relevant for now. (Edit: I was wrong and stand corrected, Snek did show up briefly with Child Emperor at one point) But yeah I'm SO CURIOUS

Side note, it was awesome seeing theveryone from the martial arts tournament! Since the tournament was the whole Focus of the second season of the anime, I forgot how long it had actually been since we had seen them in the manga. Not too much longer, but still. Lin Lin is adorable and I still stan.

I'm REALLY loving this Tanktop Master&Mumen Rider friendship we've been getting, so I'm fully expecting to see more of that now. Also, after the Monster Association arc, we found out TTM started feeling uncertain of himself as a member of the S Class anf leader of the TT army from his defeat at the hands of Garou much earlier on. I'm incredibly curious to see how his involvement in the fight will impact that sentiment, if at all, following the arcs conclusion?? I also just love TTM so much y'all don't appreciate him enough I swear,,,

Then, honestly the main reason this has been on my mind, theres Metal Bat. I mean, between his fight with Garou and appearance with the Neo-heroes, we don't see Metal Bat at all. Having him back in the battle will be a great way to flesh out his decision to leave the HA for the Neo Heroes. It's understandable enough that he would ditch the HA considering last we saw, he had to drop his personal life just to babysit an obnoxiously snobby kid and his equally as obnoxious father. Justifiable enough certainly, but I can't wait to see if anything new might also co tribute to that decision moving forward!

THEN, AND THIS IS CONSUMING MOST OF MY THOUGHTS YOU SEE, THERE IS JUST THE FACT THAT BADD IS SIMPLY TOO BAD ASS. ONE himself has said before regarding the webcomic that things would have turned out differently had Metal Bat been there. Well sir, the boy is en route, so what's gonna happen?? I must know???? Was the massive Psykos power-up largely to help the cadres stand a chance against his added help??? Which brings me back to the point of why bring him to the fight just to have the monsters buffed to defeat him?? Was tHiS whOle pLOT DivErGenCE JusT an ExCusE fOr MoRE METAL BAT??? Kidding, but still, Murata didn't lie when he said Orochi would just get one-punched by Saitama despite how it seemed, so like I can't help but think ONE wasn't just talking shit? I feel like Metal Bat alone coming in is really going to fuck shit up, never mind the others?? How is this all gonna go down?????

Ugh y'all I'm LOSIN IT it is LATE and I am TIRED but I need answers NOW

#just one of the many thoughts im having right now #like i really was out here thinking my biggest concern was gonna be naked Zombieman during this whole ordeal #LITTLE DID I KNOW HUH #one punch man #opm #manga spoilers #opmissmumbling #metal bat #tanktop master #tank top master #lightning max #snek #love how i just divolved into a yelling rambly mess through that #metal bat will do that to me i guess

[rwbyconversations]

RWBY Volume 6 Vocal Songs review

Well, we finally have it people- the Volume 6 soundtrack is out. And hopefully this time Spotify mains won’t feel left in the corner like the Ladybug fandom does during the inter-RWBY shipping discussions.

I’ll say overall I adored the songs this year and there weren’t any duds- in fact this is probably my new overall favorite lyric soundtrack since Volume 4, which was just overflowing with bangers. This year was similarly jam-packed, with every new song being the usual outstanding fare that RWBY has become known for.

... and then there’s the remixes which continue to be absolutely awful and will never go onto my playlists but this is the token mention of the remixes. Why do they keep doing them, the only good one’s been Sacrifice.

But regardless, this is my review of all the vocal songs in Volume 6. Enjoy! (forward warning I’m not a music critic so don’t expect anything too deep here)

All GIFs were made by @edelblume​, someone actually proficient in talking musical theory.

1) Rising

Rising was already one of my favorite openings to date for RWBY, if for no other reason than the superb opening animation itself. But fortunately, the song itself more than met my expectations. Featuring an incredibly strong riff from Jeff from Alex along with a surprising synth appearance in places, Rising kicks off the soundtrack with gusto, a defiant acknowledgement that their road is faced with a permeating darkness, but it won’t last, and much as nature simply knows how to be, they were born with the knowledge to do the right thing and stand against evil. For they are paragons, and death can’t hold them down for long. After years of ranking Time To Say Goodbye as my favorite opening of the show, Rising supplants it and takes its new spot on the throne.

2) Miracle

Miracle was a surprise- for the first time since Volume 3 and It’s My Turn, we got a new song in the premiere alongside the opening itself, capping off RWBY, Oscar and Qrow’s desperate struggle to buy the Argus Limited time to escape with its civilian cargo. It’s a much bleaker song than Rising, coming right as the heroes are about to have their senses of morality tested by the truths that Ozpin had been hiding from them for years. Miracle laments how they’re running out of time and that their own triumphs don’t matter- a reckoning is near and they have to answer the question of whether or not the path they’ve been walking was the right one, or just one made of lies. As the heroes scramble for a miracle, they’re dismayed to find that none’s in sight, but as they realize they’re fighting on the sight of light and all that’s good in the world, they’re determined to stand and fight until their miracle arrives.

Miracle can be seen as a proper theme song for the first half of Volume 6, as it more deeply examines the themes of the volume, especially the team’s inner conflict. The final verse especially can be seen as almost an abridging of the Brunswick arc, as the team reach their lowest points and despair at how nothing they do is worth anything before they take a breather and decide that even if the end time are coming, they’ll face it head on and give it a bloody nose before it consumes everything, still hoping for that miracle to arrive- just like a young silver eyed girl arrived in Brunswick to cleanse its tainted halls of apathy. 

Miracle was a surprising song back in October last year, and now that it’s out in full it’s honestly my favorite song lyrically on the track. It’s a perfect assessment of the situation the heroes wind up in this volume, capping off with their blunt refusal to let the end take them quietly. 

3) Lionized

I know they spell it Lionize but I don’t care, they say Lionized in the song for Christ’s sake! 

I’ve been waiting for this song for nearly an entire year since RTX and the short that won me back onto RWBY, and fortunately Lionized didn’t disappoint. Adam finally got his solo song to bow out his character after sharing From Shadows with Blake, and much like his character short, it offers a compelling, if truncated, account of his rise and fall into darkness. 

While Amity Arena’s bio had already revealed Adam’s early life to be horrific- born into slavery in an SDC dust mine, dreaming of looking up at the sky with his own two eyes one day- Lionized also makes no point of hiding the details, having the lyrics open with Adam reflecting on how he was “Insulted and reviled, Enthralled by human overlords since I was a child” (which gives off serious vibes of Adam being a sex abuse victim as a child to me and Jesus Christ). That punishment broke Adam and drove him mad in his desire to make humanity pay for what it had done to him and the hundreds of thousands of Faunus in those mines. 

Jeff kills it in this song- it’s easily my new favorite solo from him as we get a deep dive into what drove Adam past the brink of madness, as his revenge dovetails into building him up and making him more of a figurehead than an actual hero- “Watch them fall as I am glorified,” “You’ll see, I’m their hero/I’m here, I’m your savior, I’ll be lionized!” And the guitars are something else, a constantly churning ripping and shredding beat that combines with Jeff’s voice sounds like a feral animal about to attack. And if there’s one way to get me hype for a villain in anime, grab some guitars and start shredding. 

While Miracle might be my favorite song of the OST on a lyrical level, Lionized just knows how to get me hyped and this’ll probably be the one that gets the most replays on my playlist. It captures the old spirit of RWBY’s original music and delivers with a rip-roaring track that matches its narrators madness with shredding gusto.

4) Big Metal Shoe

I had no expectations for Big Metal Shoe. In fact I figured this would be the weak link of the soundtrack. Surely what seemed to just be a diss track at a villain I wasn’t especially fond of wouldn’t make for a good song, right?

And then we got Caffeine 2.0 and... it was actually kinda good. Again, I’m a simple man- throw some guitars at me and I’ll smile and nod like a kid watching fireworks. This sound wound up being a fun little darkhorse for the soundtrack, alongside a seeming self-imposed challenge by Williams and Abraham to make as many fairytale references in two and 3/4 minutes as physically possible. 

There is one downside though- this song’s actually incomprehensible. I don’t understand half of it. Jeff and Casey have this problem a lot of the time where it’s hard to understand them but this is just peak “Are you even speaking English anymore?” And then Lamar shows up for the Token Lamar Rap Verse that every RWBY OST includes and then it gets even worse.

While I wasn’t expecting much from Big Metal Shoe, it still made for a fun few minutes. Now I can’t wait for Flynt’s lyric video so I understand most of the song! 

5) Forever Fall

RWBY’s track record with ballads can be generously described as “hit or miss.” For every Cold or Home, we have Wings or All That Matters. Forever Fall has a crucial advantage over those weaker examples in that I actually like most of the characters featured in the song. Being about Pyrrha encouraging Jaune from beyond the veil while Jaune struggles to press on, much as she did in the Boundless Jaune Amity Arena bio, it’s a somber tune, and easily one of the better attempts Jeff and Casey have made at a slower, more quiet song. I’m not the biggest fan of how RWBY has handled Pyrrha’s death since Volume 3, sometimes it feels a little like they keep JNR around just to more easily have access to angst fuel for it, but Forever Fall definitely helped set the bitter stage for the statue scene, which does still stand as one of the better scenes of Volume 6 (even if it does lose some of its weight once you realize Pyrrha probably wouldn’t have actually liked the statue due to her hatred of being put on a pedestal). Casey knocks it out of the park with her voice and the piano plays a beat on many a fan’s heart. 

I’m especially fond of the theory that this isn’t so much a Pyrrha singing to Jaune song as it’s a song that can symbolise both of them at the same time. Credit to the crew for that.

6) One Thing

Neo’s far from my favorite character in RWBY, and I’ve made no secret of how I think she’s dreadfully overhyped outside of being a good luck charm for well animated fights. Luckily for her and fans then, her charm status made it into Maya unscathed, and Neo was protected by the universal rule of soundtracks.

The villain songs are always really fucking good.

Casey finally lives out her dream of voicing Neo in One Thing, a bitter revenge fantasy where Neo makes no reservations about how much she’ll love putting down anyone and everyone responsible for Roman’s death. She talks (heh) of how she had nothing before Roman came- not a voice, not a home, maybe not even a name if I’m hearing that one line right. “Then a brand new flame brought a brand new name.” 

Add in a badass as all hell chorus and Neo jumped up a few places in my personal RWBY polls thanks to the presentation of her musical debut alone, to say nothing of her fantasies about killing Cinder (can relate). One Thing shows just how effective a great song can be, setting the scene for a fantastic fight scene, a solid return for a fandom-beloved character and then even making someone who considered her the Boba Fett of RWBY start to like her. I’m eager to learn more of Neo’s past before she met Roman, whenever that day comes.

(btw is it bad if I kinda ship Neo and Roman now?)

7) Nevermore

I don’t have a lot to add that hasn’t been said since the finale aired- it’s a pretty great song and a fantastic closer for the volume, I hope Atlas means we finally stop getting Blake or Yang-focused credit songs because this was the third in a row and it’s getting tiring, the disconnect between the writers and actors calling Adam “the worst” while the songs and bios paint a far more complex picture is a bit of an odd disconnect that I hope doesn’t repeat if they ever remember that Cinder’s an abuser too. 

8) Armed and Ready Acoustic

Nice song, shame it’s gonna get ruined by all the fucking Beehaw/Yorse jokes. You weren’t funny in February, you’re not funny now. You’re not even worth a comment about beating a dead horse. Not sure I like the acoustic going full country but whatever. Wake me up when I’m The One gets the acoustic treatment.

9) Indomitable

Indomitable was the song I was probably the most hyped for in the V6 OST alongside or even surpassing Lionized. Ruby’s Silver Eyes scene was a strong contender for the best scene of the season and single-handedly made up for what otherwise could have been a Breach-level anticlimax of a finale, and part of what made it work was Indomitable, the short but powerful song that played as Ruby gave Bubbles The Leviathan both ocular barrels. Ruby finally getting a song after five straight albums was ambrosia to my soul, after years of having to make due with “Maybe Ruby’s song is meant to be the OP?” as Weiss, Blake and Yang got song after song after song, oftentimes getting multiple songs in a single year (Hi Yang. Stop hogging the jukebox. Please.). Finally, I thought, she’d get a track, and one that appeared to be about her accepting her role as the light standing against the darkness, all capped off with a beautiful quiet tribute to Monty in the form of his old blog quotes about the human spirit.

So I must admit, when I listened to Indomitable proper, I was... disappointed on the first listen. It’s still a lovely song, but it wasn’t what I hoped and wanted it to be and it took a little while to appreciate it in spite of that.

Indomitable is a tribute song to Monty, a la Cold from Volume 3. But while Cold had a double meaning that made it work in and out of universe (being a song from CRWBY mourning Monty that could also reflect on Jaune mourning Pyrrha), Indomitable is far less connected to RWBY in-universe unless Ruby had a dream offscreen where she met a tired looking guy who made worlds based off his ketchup stains then woke up and made a Christian Rock song out of it. 

Rather sadly for me at least, this also hurts the original Indomitable scene in question as well. It doesn’t truly fit the original scene now, as much as it did when we thought the song was about Ruby recognizing her spirit. It was a great way to cap off a volume that was overall great for Ruby. As she finally got to take center stage as protagonist in her own show, we finally got a new song about her standing unyielding against the darkness. What was a great character moment for Ruby has now rather sadly been hurt by the song. Not terribly, I still love the climax of Volume 6. But now the song just feels a touch out of place.

I know some people have already been rather critical of anyone who didn’t like the song because it wasn’t what they wanted (I’ve seen a fair few people express disappointment that the song wasn’t the Ruby-focused song the chorus and placement in the show led us to believe) and that tired old “subverting expectations” argument came up. To which I must reply that “What did you expect me to take from a song showing up during Ruby’s most powerful moment, that the song was actually about Port?” While what we got was still a powerful song that makes for an interesting trilogy of songs of RWBY dealing with Monty’s death in Cold, Let’s Just Live and Indomitable, I think Ruby’s fanbase especially are very fairly allowed to be disappointed that they were stripped of the chance to finally get her first focus song in half a decade. Instead we get another Ruby song where she’s not even the real focus (much like Blake’s trailers get hijacked by her supporting cast, Ruby’s songs get hijacked by anyone within a mile of the recording booth),  

I still liked Indomitable, and it does become a stellar song after the first chorus.. It still has Ruby’s overall attitude and the lyrics do still allow one to reflect on Ruby and her growth over Volumes 1-3 and 6. It’s a lovely, touching and very emotional tribute to Monty and a rousing anthem to celebrate his legacy (wait does this mean Indomitable breaks the Monty Rule? ;) ) and had it been a simple bonus track that we only learned about when the OST dropped a la BMBLB or Dream Come True it would have been a lot better in my opinion. We still got a lovely song and in the heat of the moment, it worked really well for Ruby. But at this point, I really just want a new inarguable Ruby song above all else, and this probably should have been kept as a bonus song instead of being used in-show. Still good, but I’m just a bitter bitch and wanted something else

Conclusion and ranking

Volume 6′s vocal tracks were a near-perfect selection this year. After Volume 5′s tracklist was more comparatively disappointing (Smile and This Time are the only ones I’d really go back to at this point), the V6 tracklist was far more impressive and a near constant streak of home runs. While Indomitable wasn’t what I hoped and wanted it to be, it was still a touching tribute to Monty and proof that his soul lives on in RWBY. If Jeff, Alex and Casey are as on fire next year as they were this year, the wait for the Volume 7 OST will be even more painful. Round of applause for the music team this year, they did a stellar job and I wish them all the best for Volume 7. 

1) Miracle 2) Lionized 3 One Thing 4) Rising 5) Forever Fall 6) Nevermore 7) Indomitable 8) Acoustic Armed and Ready  9) Big Metal Shoe 10) The music that played during Merc and Em’s scene in Lost.  10) The godawful Triumph and Path to Isolation remixes. Please. Leave the songs alone, I hate Volume 5 but even it didn’t deserve that torture. 

Thank you for reading. 

#rwby #rwby volume 6 #rwby volume 6 soundtrack #rwby volume 6 ost #rising #miracle #lionized #forever fall #one thing #indomitable #big metal shoe #nevermore #armed and ready #ruby rose #neopolitan #rwby analysis #rwby review

[ashcraftscrap]

Digging a Little Deeper

In my last post I made a list of all the topics that I enjoy enough to feel they have a shot at becoming my brand, so to speak. I talked a little bit about Writing and why I think it’s going to end up being my primary focus...

Writing has been a long term passion of mine, probably the longest lasting with the exception of animals and nature. I also think it would be the best outlet for all the various things that I enjoy, because then I can work on individual books that cover the topics I love even if I don’t love them enough to make a career of them. Writing gives me the freedom to jump around a bit, to dabble in a little bit of everything without losing focus.

...but I neglected to talk about anything else in the same kind of depth. Why do these other topics have a shot at being my brand? What about them do I like, and more specifically if they did become my brand, what kind of content would I be making? These are rather general topics, so let’s go over them one by one the same way I did with writing:

Art (in various forms)

I’ve done all sorts of art from drawing and painting, sculpting, and photography all the way to glass blowing, jewelry making, and woodworking. I have basic sewing knowledge, I’ve played with resin a little, and I’m up for a DIY project pretty much anytime be it to improve my wardrobe or the space I live. I’ve discovered through my many years of trying different types of art here or there that as fun as two-dimensional art (drawing, painting, photography) is and can be, I prefer working with three-dimensional creations. Something I’ve wanted for years (about a decade now) to do is create dolls of my characters to use in photography that can act as the illustrations in books I write. If I were to make art my brand, it would be an adventure of trying new things and sharing my various creations, probably with a focus on these dolls and making art for my books, the secondary focus being on DIY projects for my wardrobe and home.

Animals

I love pretty much all animals (’cept wasps lolz) and I really love learning about them and sharing what I know. I think it would be a meaningful thing to get educated and share that knowledge, and I would be very humbled to get the opportunity to do something important and help animals however I can. One thing I’ve always wanted to do, but simply have not had the time nor means to do so, is volunteer at a wolf-dog shelter about an hour or so away from where I live.  Another direction that I feel I could easily go is getting into betta fish and/or ball python breeding. I’ve often had bettas present in my life, and I’ve almost always wanted a snake, particularly a ball python, so both creatures are something I’ve on-off considered breeding as a hobby, if I ever had the opportunity. I don’t know if I’d make a career out of it, I’ve never looked into it as anything more than a hobbyist, but I would definitely not be mad if it went that way.

Reviews (Books, Shows, and/or Movies)

My favorite genre, my bread and butter, is high fantasy, but second to that I probably read philosophy and supernatural fiction the most. When it comes to movies, I’m a big Disney fan, but my favorite types of movies are stop motion, hand-drawn animation such as Studio Ghibli or older animated movies, and I’m not sure what I’d call them, but films that implement puppetry and less CGI and such, films like The Neverending Story, the Dark Crystal, etc. Shows I enjoy range from drama and romance to comedy and horror, and I’m not ashamed to admit there are some really great cartoons and anime out there. I’m a theater geek and was a techie in high school, so I get nerdy over set design and ambiance and soundtracks, and would undoubtedly talk about that background stuff too. I don’t think I’d make a very good reviewer, but I think it sounds like a lot of fun, and I’d like to do it for the sake of the fun alone whether it becomes what I’m known for or not.

Video Games

I strongly doubt that this would become my brand/focus, but I really love video games and think no matter what direction I end up going in, I’ll likely still make Let’s Play videos and maybe even video game reviews just because it’s something enjoyable and fun to do. I strongly prefer playing games with my fiance and friends like Don’t Starve Together and Minecraft, but I also like playing games on my own too. I particularly like medieval-style RPGs, slice of life games like The Sims or those silly dating simulator games, and Nintendo, most particularly the Legend of Zelda series and Pokemon.

Gothic Subculture & Fashion

If I had the luxury of having enough money to truly express myself with complete and utter vanity, I would do a huge wardrobe rehaul and deck myself out as badass as It’s Black Friday. Everything would be black on black on black, and I’d live in my dark little black on black on black world with minimal if any color. However, my wardrobe currently is nothing spectacular and my fiance could not stand to live in all black the way I could, so I don’t think I’m in a position to dive into this world all in the way I’d like to. I strongly doubt it’ll become my brand, but rather it’ll be the primary aesthetic I strive for and will likely slowly develop over time.

Philosophy (Neo-Paganism) | Gender Studies (minus feminism)

Both of these topics are things that I have learned a great deal about and have personal, life-changing experiences within. They are also highly personal, controversial things to talk about, and don’t always jive well with people. There’s a particular crowd that these things get discussed with, and while I am a part of that crowd and am not afraid to talk about these things, I’m probably just going to leave my opinions about these things in places where they are more appropriate to discuss them, like Quora. Because I’m so passionate about them, I will likely talk about them in time, but I just don’t know if I’m comfortable attempting to make a career out of either thing. If I do, I think I’d be a lot more inclined to talk about philosophy and spirituality than I would about Gender. Even though I don’t know if I want it to be my main point of focus, I do think it’s important to share my opinions and perspective on these very personal things, perhaps by writing books about them at some point. I guess we’ll just see how much people hate me sharing more about this side of me haha

Music

As much as I love music, I know it won’t be my brand. The most I do regarding music is post good music to my instagram. I don’t play any instruments, and I’m not tone-deaf or anything, but regardless of that, at my very best my voice is simply average, so it’s not like I ever imagined I’d be making music. I might write some songs if I think I can even do that, but one this is for sure - I will talk about good music here and there, especially since my favorite genre (gothic metal) is fairly niche and deserves a little bit of a shout out.

The Furry Fandom

In my previous post I said that my prediction for the topics that are most likely going to be my brand are Writing, Animals, and Art. Well the furry fandom is pretty much made up of animal-loving artists of all kinds and sorts, writers included. So needless to say, I could very easily end up becoming a furry influencer, since it encompasses a good portion of the things I love doing, and is the fandom I’m most involved with as well. I wouldn’t be mad in the slightest if this ended up happening, and I have a hard time believing that my followers won’t end up being made of majority furs anyway. If I had continued my list beyond the top 3 predictions, the furry fandom would have been the fourth listed for this reason.

Hunting | Gardening | Food & Cooking

I’ve learned a lot about the food industry, and I’d like to learn a lot more and be more proactive in changing my lifestyle for the better in order to get away from all the processed, typical American diet shit out there that’s tainting our food. So basically for years now I’ve had this vision and goal for my lifestyle. I want to be a hunter, then I want to go vegetarian (may even vegan idk) with the only source of meat I consume being my own personally hunted game, or I guess maybe locally sourced meat from ethical farmers and such. I’d also like to learn a lot of skills that a good for a hunter to know, like leather-working, taxidermy, and skeletal articulation so that I can utilize all of the resources, not just the meat. I’d ideally like to have my own goats for milk, otherwise only drinking nut milk (preferably homemade), and my own chickens for eggs. I’d like to have a small farm where I grow as many of my own fresh ingredients as I reasonably can, and with all those good and healthy resources, I’d like to become a better at home chef. I’ve just never had the land or money to do all this with, so I’ve kinda put that goal on the back-burner while I focus on my career and finances first. Undoubtedly, however, I will learn more and talk more about this stuff as I get closer to accomplishing these goals, cook more, and hopefully get the money and means to learn more about it and actually become a hunter.

#ashcraftblog #blog #ramble #about me

[masterserris]

FUNERAL FOR A MAGICIAN     Pt. 11 Who Will Know

Grave robbers!

There shall be hell to pay for robbing his grave; disturbing his rest and peace. The magician’s fury explodes forth now!  But how?! No one will like the answer.

Characters: Neo Mysterio (Quentin Beck), Doc Ock (Otto Octavius), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Alexandria Beck (Alex), Maria Beck, Sandman (Flint Marko), Chameleon

THE WARNINGS APPLY TO THIS CHAPTER.

Warnings: Explicit gore and death, violence, mentions of past abuse, mental illness, physical illness, cancer

^These warnings are here for the story as a whole. If you get invested by reading a less graphic chapter, then be prepared for the warnings above in other parts!!

“If I die in this world, who will know something of me? 

I am lost, no-one knows, there’s no trace of my yearning.

But I must carry on, nothing worse can befall. 

All my fears, all my tears, tell my heart, there’s a hole. 

I wear a void, not even hope. A downward slope, is all I see.

As long as breath comes from my mouth, I may yet stand the slightest chance. 

A shaft of light is all I need to cease the darkness killing me.”

-“Who Will Know” Shin Godzilla, 2016

That dismal day of the funeral was relatively uneventful, even though the remaining members of the sinister six had attended alongside their hated enemy. The Avengers perhaps wished to apprehend them, however Otto was once more several steps ahead of them. A quick teleportation device was all that was needed to evade their would-be captors after the service was over. 

However gaudy it was, Beck had finally gotten that statue of himself he joked about having once he became famous. Was it in poor taste? Perhaps, perhaps not. Alexandria Beck paid no mind to it. All she could do at the service was stare at the ground where her brother laid six feet under, feeling only the hallow void that often lingered in their family like a curse. 

Maria Beck was quiet. She was a well mannered child; she did not really get what was going on. The last two Becks left immediately after the funeral. There was nothing in New York they could ever want or stay for. Not anymore. 

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

A week has passed since he was buried. Otto was always the mistrustful type. Something to do with consistent bullying and betrayals throughout his life. That being said, was it so unheard of to keep cameras around the grave site of your recently deceased friend? For Otto, it wasn’t. 

The alarm was raised and Octavius was roused from a rather unhappy slumber. Chameleon was already up. Someone had dared to disturb Beck’s rest? There would be hell to pay indeed. Wasting no time, the pair of them left immediately to confront the grave robbers.

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

It had recently rained, loosening up the soil. The group in question were known body thieves. They often targeted mutants for their DNA. 

Graverobber 1: “Hhhff... they buried this guy... really well...! The soil is packed.”

Graverobber 2: “Should we haul off the statue, too? It has bronze and gold plating. Could be worth a good amount once it’s stripped down.”

Graverobber 3: “We could, but I’d rather get the body more than anything. Do you know how much we could sell the Slayer of a Herald of Galactus for? I also heard they guy had undergone a super soldier serum prototype procedure. We could sell part of him to Hydra for sure. Maybe just his arm.”

Grave robber 2: “The armor is one of a kind. AIM wants the teleporter and quantum matter displacer for 500 million dollars.”

Graverobber 1: “Holy shit, I know you said millions but daaamn... hffff almost there.... I can see part of the coffin... I hope it won’t smell too bad...”

Graverobber 3: “Well, it’s been about a week, so I wouldn’t expect anything exactly good...”

Otto: “...You imbeciles...”

The grave robbers whirled around at the sudden voice, but before they could react, a pair of Octavius’s metal arms had constricted one of them, threatening to snap his neck. The other two pulled out their guns, ready to shoot, when Chameleon lunged out of hiding, tackling and pinning one of them to the ground, his knife against his neck.

The last robber was afraid, and in his panic, called through a radio for reinforcements as Otto swung an arm at him, knocking the fool to the ground. 

Otto was about to land a killing blow when Spider-Man leaped into action, landing a web on the robber and pulling him out of the way as the metal tentacle slammed into the ground where the body snatcher had been half a second before. The robber was far from free, however for he soon found himself wrapped up and immobilized by Spider-Man’s webs. 

Otto: “Spider-Man... We have trash that needs to be cleaned up.”

Spider-Man: “Yeah, but I’m not lettin’ you kill them either Doctopus. I’m taking them to the police.”

Chameleon: “They deserve far worse, Spider. These... this SCUM has robbed probably hundreds of graves... Imagine all the stolen bodies they have desecrated! If you turn them in, I have no doubt in my mind that their friends and clients would break them out once more to tear up more of the dead.”

Spider-Man: “Okay, Chammy, I’m gonna need you to calm down. I’m just as much against grave robbing as any other wall crawler, but creating more dead people isn’t the answer! Let him go and I’ll handle this!”

Otto: “Your track record of ‘handling things’ is mediocre at best. Turning them in will solve nothing. Only direct action will!”

With that, Otto began to crush his ensnared victim. Peter lunged at the pair, attempting to save the idiot who had incurred the wrath of the sinister six. In doing so, some of the excavation equipment fell into the grave, busting open the coffin. The smell wafting out was.... far from pleasant. This made Otto fly more into a rage, whipping his arm to slam Peter right in the chest, knocking the wind completely out of him.

The robber pinned by Chameleon took the opportunity to try and tase the super villain. Chameleon was agile enough to dodge the nearly point-blank attack, but lost his grip on his victim. The thief quickly got to his feet as three more of his friends hurried onto the scene, guns pointed at the two sinister six members and Spider-Man.

Being surrounded and having no real options, the trio stood down as the grave robbers unwebbed their friend. 

Grave robber 4: “Well. It’s not everyday that we get to cart away an extra three bodies, boys!”

Otto: “Do not assume that you can kill us so easily. You will leave here with nothing. Not even your own lives, you vermin.”

As if almost on cue, bright green mist began to slowly fog around the graveyard.

Spider-Man: “...you doin’ this, Ock?”

Otto: “..No... I’m not...”

The robbers seemed perturbed by the sudden fog, however they kept their aim straight, ready to shoot.

That was until a plume of thick green smoke roiled out of the open grave. Everyone recoiled as the sound of cracking mahogany and scrape of metal could be heard below. 

Beck lurched and pulled himself out of his own tomb, raggedly wheezing. He was covered in dirt, mud, and his own blood. His armor was still as torn open as it was on the day he died, his helmet busted open.

The sight of him made everyone’s heart stop. His face was withered and had an expression of enraged confusion. His chest gaped open, his ribs exposed to the night air as his rotting innards hung dangling from what little flesh still held them together. 

Beck staggered to his feet, barely keeping his balance as air hissed in and out of his dilapidated mouth and his torn lungs. He stared at the crowd for a moment, trying to take in his surroundings, he blinked at the sight of Otto and Chameleon, lurching slowly toward them.

Beck: “Otto...? Chameleon...? where.. szztt.. am I...?”

His mouth did not move, but his voice came out all the same. It was distorted and sounded... like it was coming from the speaker within his helmet.

Spider-Man: “Quentin..? What’s...how...? You need to stop moving, you’re coming apart!”

At Parker’s indication, Beck took a better look at himself. Stammering and stuttering at the sight of his own torn carcass. The horror on his face made it all so much worse.

Beck: “HHzztt... h-how... Otto, h-help me.. wh-what..s.. happening?”

Realization at the situation sent an abysmally cold chill down Octavius’s metal spine.

Otto: “...The neutral net,” He breathed. “The neutral net I made for you to control your robots.... It must have... copied your mind into it’s processor... Your body is being animated... by the nano machines in your blood that helped link your suit to your body and repair damaged tissues... Quentin... You... died.”

Mysterio was quiet for a minute, clearly trying to process everything.

Beck: “.....r-right.... Terrax.... I.. was stabbed... I... I’m dead... I was alright with it too... It wasn’t so bad.... I was... shzzt... peace...”

He looked back at his grave, dirt, mud, and tools spread everywhere. His statue stood resolute, with all the authority of fate itself, standing by to judge the wicked on this night.

Beck turned back towards them.

Neo Mysterio: “I was... Alright with it. I was. At. Peace.” 

He gritted his teeth, rage in his mechanical voice. With his dead eyes he glared at the tormentors who would rob him of his rest. His claws came out with an audible “shink!”

Grave robber 2: “H-hey..! S-sorry man! We.. uh. We are just t-tryin’ to make a livin’ in this world, ya know?? We didn’t mean it!! We’ll go! ‘c-cmon guys..! Let’s scram!”

Grave robber 5: “Hell no, he died once, he’ll die again, just shoot the bugger and let’s go!”

A few of them shot at Quentin, the bullets either bouncing harmlessly off of his carbonadium shell or tearing into an already festering corpse.

Beck: “YOU ROBBED ME OF THE LAST THING I HAD IN THIS WORLD! YOU ROBBED ME OF MY PEACE!!”

He marched forward, bullets pounding against him relentlessly as he continued unperturbed by the deadly barrage. Spider-Man, Chameleon, and Octavius dared not get caught in the line of fire, rather they took cover from the spray of bullets scattering across the graveyard.

Relentless, now that was a fun word. He was going to take absolute revenge here and now. Relentless was how he was going to tear them limb from limb and make them feel every bit of agony his soul felt right now.

Beck: “I WAS FINALLY HAPPY. I WAS FINALLY CONTENT WITH MYSELF. I WAS FINALLY OKAY WITH LETTING IT ALL GO. FOR SO MANY DAMN YEARS I HATED EVERYTHING I DID AND EVERYTHING I HAD BECOME. I HAD FINALLY DONE SOMETHING I AND OTHERS WERE TRULY PROUD OF. 

I PAID FOR MY SINS WITH MY DAMN LIFE AND YOU COME HERE OUT OF GREED TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME?! HOW ABOUT I TAKE EVERYTHING AWAY FROM YOU!!!”

Spider-Man: “Beck! STOP!!”

He was a second from tearing his claws into one of their faces when he was dragged out of his atomic rage. Spider-Man yanked the robber out of Quentin’s hands and flung two web bombs at the rest of them, securely immobilizing them to the ground.

Otto: “Quentin! Enough! Enough. You don’t have to keep fighting, it’s.. it’s over.”

Beck paused for a second. The anger still boiled within him. He was a victim, it wasn’t right that he could not take matters into his own hands. It wasn’t fair! 

....Maybe Doc was right, of course. Killing these bastards was their goal, but would it solve anything? Would it make anything better? No. It really wouldn’t. It would only drive them deeper into the hate that had already consumed them.

Beck let his hands fall to his sides. Spider-Man took that has his queue to get out of there and alert the police.

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

With the arrival of the cops, the three reunited members of the sinister six had to leave. At the base, they were met with Sandman staring at them in disbelief. His friend was back from the dead! However zombie-like he appeared, Flint was a kind soul and could not stop himself from welcoming back Mysterio with a hug.

Quentin remained rather silent. He didn’t know how to take anything anymore. He felt as hollow as he physically was. He.. was dead. He was gone. He had been unwillingly dragged back into suffering. A cloud of depression clung to Beck as Otto worked on a way to reverse the bodily decay and fix Quentin. 

Fix Quentin. How can you “fix” a dead man? How can you undo such a traumatic thing as dying? It was certainly interesting once his brain was reanimated. The human brain dies in about five minutes after circulation has been cut off. Beck had been dead for over a week. 

His brain had to be completely regrown, along with most of his innards, slowly through the use of nano machines and intense stem cell cloning therapy that Otto had just delved into. The absolute cutting edge of health care. It could not actually bring back the dead, however. The copy of Beck’s brain patterns were pivotal in restoring his best friend. 

Having his mind transferred back into his body was a melting mix of sensations. All of his nerves felt on fire. He was back. His armor and body fixed, the sinister six were whole once more. 

They tried to get things back to a sense of normalcy. It had been a rough month. Overall, things were back to how they were, but Beck felt differently.

He felt... different. He did not know how to put it, and Otto could tell it was bugging him. Was he alive? He had truly died. Was he just a copy and the real Mysterio was long gone? At this point, it was schrodinger’s magician. 

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

The news had caught wind of the incident, and the Daily Bugle published a story from an anonymous tip that proved Beck was back from the grave. Photographs and video to boot, thanks to Parker.  Quentin was enraged at Spider-Man for filming and photographing his dead body in such a back handed manner. There would be consequences for this disgrace. The news of his ressurrection also sent a chill through the super villain community, and gave the sinister six a new found respect. 

Not even death could stop them. 

Not that it meant anything to Beck. He was listless. They were going to continue with Octavius’s plan like before, but his heart was not nearly as into it as before, at least at first. He owed his friend his life twice over now. He was not about to let Otto down, no matter what happened.

Beck was heartened to hear his sister’s cancer had regressed. The operation date to remove the tumor was already set.

#msocs #neo mysterio #neo mysterio fic #alexandria beck #doc ock #maria beck #mysterio #sandman #chameleon #sfw #marvel #au #cancer mention

[subzeroiceskater]

Nice.

“I thought you liked girls! Didn’t I see you swooning over Pride and Iris?”

“Netto-kun, I was what, eleven? Twelve?”

Bisexuality? Not that compulsory heteronormativy isn’t a thing but. Well, personally speaking, I’d just like to have it acknowledged and not be the binary of “you’re either straight or gay”.

“His name is Jomon Teruo.”

“Jomon?”

“As in Japan’s Jomon Electric megastore?” Rockman chimed in.

“That’s it. His grandfather is the CEO.”

… Now, on top of that, he was beholden to some snotty rich kid. The spawn of one of the country’s most affluent name-brand families, in fact. They’d probably ride off into the sunset together in a luxury sedan, flocked by enough maids and servants to make Yaito-chan jealous.

I wonder if Teruo was chosen just because he’s canon rich to serve this role. Yeah, I’m just skipping to the parts where he gets mentioned.

“My counsellor recommended I check out Japan Club. That’s where I met Teruo-kun. He was super welcoming, and we planned all sorts of cultural events together to promote awareness.”

That’s actually pretty sweet. Good on you, Teruo.

The geek delivered a chaste kiss to the now-standing Tohru’s cheek, an act which caused Netto discomfort. “C-cancelled. S-so I flew here instead.”

“H-hi there, I-I’m Jomon Teruo.”

“Hikari Netto.” They shook hands, and the seated one noted the latter’s stutter.

So this was the wolf himself. Not what Netto imagined. The freckled hafu wore a baggy newsboy hat, rimless vintage pink sunglasses, long-sleeved shirt with circle of iron filings splaying the front and lightning bolts running up the arms, white slacks, and utility belt. He looked more like a mechanic or a rock and roll delinquent than the grandson of an electronics magnate. The only overt indicator of his wealth was his one obnoxious pierced ear, flaunting a diamond earring.

To be fair, this is probably more canon and in-character than everything I’ve ever done with Terry. BUT this is just straight up pulling from his game appearance from the mentions of “geek” and the stutters. This is just straight up his canon design as well, which, in my opinion, is A Look.

Although, I’m assuming if they’re older in this fic, they’d somehow dressed differently? The author is mixing game canon into the anime one (which I’ve never seen. To be honest, if Terry had ever appeared ONCE I would’ve watched the whole thing a million years ago, lol favoritism).

Although, hafu? Where did that come from? Terry's not said to be half-anything in the text or anywhere else in canon--absolutely nothing wrong if he was but this is the only place that mentions it for some reason?

That’s not really based on any canon thing at all. Is it because he was renamed Terry in English? That won't make sense in the Japanese setting of this fanfic? Like, even Terry could just be a nickname from Teruo. Teri is even still a a Japanese electric term.

N-not at all. L-lemme tell ya, robots are fascinating. A-and you’re apprenticing under Aoki Makoto? S-she’s a legend in the robotics community.”

“You should let Teruo-kun have a look at what you’re working on,” Tohru proposed. “Robotics are his specialty.”

“Q-quit it, Tohru-chan.”

Drat. He was modest too.

Teruo’s actually pretty cool with this? I’m anticipating the heel turn any time now but this is pretty nice. Based Teruo, loving and supporting robotics, female scientist and his fiancé.

Putting together Terry and Copybots is such an obvious thing that I'm mostly glad someone else did that!

A genius who could match pace with Tohru’s intellect, wealthy and reputable, with a sturdy career. Netto had nothing to offer. Teruo was everything he couldn’t be.

Well, yeah, Terry/Teruo’s shown to be good with robotics and have a rich grandpa but, seriously, Netto. This is a little too much, pfft. Although, that is the point of a pining romantic fanfic, I suppose. I’ll be honest, I haven’t read fanfics for a long time. It just feels more like the plot is leading the characters on and slotting them into types instead of letting the IC personalities and motivations arise naturally or speak or whatever.

And now I’ll turn into about myself. Am I any better with my own stuff? Nope! Author did this the same reason I do my own art—coz it amuses ‘em.

“His boyfriend is rotten! A scoundrel! The heavenly bodies foretell it!”

Yep, it’s definitely not me Netto-kun likes. Teruo-kun wouldn’t harm a fly! Tohru relished the garlic in his dumplings.

HERE WE GO 😈

The powwows a directionally inadept Dingo held asking his tomahawk for counsel locating Maha Ichiban’s customers came to mind, and Netto justly grew skeptical.

What? Err… You know what, I’ll just concentrate on the Teruo parts. For my own peace of mind. I don’t want to get legit mad again.

Tohru was entitled to the world. On Teruo’s lanky arm, that attitude represented a concrete, dynastic legacy. If the cost of that felicity was that he himself would fade, amen! Tohru’s contentment justified the tribulation. He could take it. For his beloved, he could learn to suffer the grief.

Yeah, this kind of thing. It feels more like Teruo is just an obstacle for the eventual realization of Netto’s true love. Like any trope, it’s not that’s necessarily bad but this is a little too on the nose and a little too overwrought for me. xD Maybe Netto was too different in the anime but I don’t really hear Lan thinking or talking like this, even as a grown up or in love. It’s just stuff like the author is blatantly going “hurry it up and get together” but at the expense of the story. It’s…well, “fanfic” writing.

I’m not explaining myself very well. This is why I don’t write fanfic myself, lol.

“Based on the evidence, we’ve secured a warrant to take Sparkman’s suspected operator, Jomon Teruo, into custody”

HERE WE FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOO

“Now that you mention it, Teruo did express a dubious interest in our research. Gah! Romeda-san was right!” He smacked himself, realizing the phony psychic’s prediction had come to fruition. “The jerk is shady!”

He’s a robotics guy who’s interested in robotics stuff. He seemed perfectly normal when you talked to him. How is that shady.

His vilification of Teruo abruptly gained legitimate weight.

😈 😈 😈 To be clear, I’m not mad or anything. This is actually a lot more fun than I expected it to be. It’s more funny than anything. Like, here’s Teruo being an okay dude who’s being guiltily vilified by Netto…but no, he was right, all along!

“Even though I’m not worthy of your love, even though I’ll never be able to give you the things he can, that doesn’t change the fact that I will protect you, Tohru-kun! No matter what! You may hate me for it, but there’s no avoiding it anymore!”

Teruo’s a shit Netbattler. You’re one of the best. Go beat his ass netbattling or something, Netto.

He located Teruo immersed among the gizmos in his lab. Untidy as a hoarder, blueprints and tools lay disorderly, necessitating Tohru dance around the innumerable hazards to his feet. His grease monkey boyfriend was hunched over a project, welding. Blue embers licked the metal as he mended a garish scar begriming its surface.

Okay, I can’t believe how cool Teruo is in this fic. I mean, he gets to do robotic-labs shit, even if just by implication. What the fuck.

“Yo, Tohru-chan!” Teruo jerked his helmet up.

He was tinkering with a robot. A Copyroid.

No…

“What have you done?”

“My oh my, that Hikari Netto did a number on you, didn’t he?” Teruo patted the Copyroid. “I rewired it. Optimized its destructive capability. Rebooted it without those pesky inhibitors. No safety parameters. I’ve accomplished what Aoki Makoto was afraid to do.”

The loss of the Jomon family successor’s stutter unnerved him. Was it all a ploy?

Like, this is legit cool, man. Teruo’s legit badass. Haha. Based. And he’s giving orders to the neo-WWW? Like, some kind of Dr. Wily analogue? So cool, even if just implication.

Oh, by the way, that’d be welding mask, and not helmet.

“Gramps is holding out on me. Reassessing my status in his will. He dissed robotics and threatened to sever my funding, the geezer! When I caught wind on an Undernet BBS that these lowlife goons were planning to bust out the Professor, I extended my services. In exchange, the Professor lends me his soldiers. It’s a hostile takeover, baby!”

Fuck yeah. I actually love this. This is pretty much his scenario from the game but extended a little more villainously.

“After everything we’ve been through! It was a lie?”

“Never. I do love you. Gonna give you the world, Tohru-chan. Picture it. Us, unlimited coin, and a controlling interest in the organization!”

“You can walk away! I’ll speak to the Net Police! We can hammer out a plea bargain!”

“Aww, how swell of you to defend me. When this is over, you and I are due for a heckuva holiday. Hmm? The Southern Isles?”

And it turns out he genuinely loves Tohru? Like, in his own earnest way? Based.

“You ain’t gonna win! No siree!” Teruo taunted, priggishly unhinged after having been liberated of his tiresome fake speech impediment and goody two-shoes public persona.

The duplicitous jerk! He really was the spoiled rich kid Netto thought!

Okay, but I wanna argue that I don’t think that Teruo (Terry in BN4) was faking—the stutter at least. Terry’s thing is at his heart, a coward. The stutter was him being a scaredy-cat because he was nervous trying to trick Lan and him getting a confidence boost was thinking he’s succeeded. There’s the heel turn I’ve been waiting but the whole way getting here was so fun (and honestly short) so I don’t mind as much.

“Bourgeois slime, I’m gonna enjoy pixelating that disrespectful runt of yours!” Teruo spat.

I was gonna say how weird for him to use bourgeois as insult when he’s the richer one but I just looked it up and this usage is correct: bourgeois relates to the middle-class. Whoops. I also just found out that I’ve been understanding the slang “bougie” wrong all this time. Educational!

Neither Teruo nor Sparkman abided by restraint. Divorced of commitment, they cut loose, exactly as Teruo stipulated, with “extreme prejudice.”

And Teruo completes transformation to vaudeville villain. He’s still fun, though.

Teruo threw caution to the wind. Resorting to cheating, he spammed Extra Codes to push Sparkman to the limit, mashing his PET like his life depended on it. “Take this! And this! And this! Heh heh heh!”

Can it really be called cheating if this was never meant to be a fair legit fight in a contest with rules. Teruo’s just being a poor sport in general. Which is still canon characterization, btw.

“Garbage!” Sparkman was literally falling apart. “You may excel at repairing machines, but you sure stink at Navi operation!”

“Sue me! I’m a robot specialist, not a NetBattler!”

Rockman mocked, “Arguing? Trust between operator and Navi is key!”

“You’re such a hot shot! Why don’t you fix this useless robot body?”

“I oughta sell you for scrap!”

Yeah, this is just from the game. Although, Teruo should be able to do something about the Copyroid body. Okay, you know what, I’ve always want a Full Synchro between them. What’s that? The point of Terry’s story was how he’s so bad at Netbattling and he couldn’t get along with his Navi?

Well, more reason for them to overcome their differences and finally be true battle buddies. Honestly, that’s part of the whole “Terry gets a friend, learns to be less of a terrible shit and gets his life on track” fanfic idea I’ve had since I played his game.

Anyway, he gets arrested. And…hired an assassin to try take Netto out? Lmao, still badass. That’s it for him. I tried looking for that time travel thing but, nothing. I think from context, this is just because this whole story was the time travel thing? Well.

That was more entertaining than I thought it would be. I’d have to wonder why Terry of all people but it may be as simple as he was a rich jerk who never appeared in the anime and so good for a retelling. He was far more important in this story than pretty much anything else I’ve ever seen, outside of my own stupid doodles, hahahaha.

#megaman shitposting #I am the CEO of Teruo Jomon

[crossroadsdimension]

World Collision -- Chapter 19

Yes this story’s still going. I’ve got three chapters left to post before I hit the end of it.

We got more character stuff and exposition in-coming, but the final battle’s coming up in the last three chapters here.

Continuum Shift

When they came out of the woods, Myra felt something crawl over her skin as she looked up at the pink barrier that stood at the end of a short clearing.

“It’s not supposed to look like that.” Myra gulped at the opaque barrier in front of them, standing at four times the height that the other ones had been.

“Things are changing.” Seeker frowned. “And not for the better.”

The Time Barrier rippled as Flare-Up, wearing her armor, stepped through and onto the grass. She put her hands on her hips. “What took you?”

“A few wild Pokémon that needed a thorough beating,” Red replied.

Flare-Up blinked, then tilted her head slightly. “I didn’t think that I’d see a version of Red with wings and a tail.” She raised an eyebrow in interest. “That must make Pokémon battles interesting.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Riley said with a snort. Flare-Up didn’t even bat an eye at the Pikachu speaking in English.

“Optimus and Megs already went on ahead with the others into the Cyber Zone.” Flare-Up motioned at the wall behind her. “I’ve been waiting for you to show up and have been watching time deteriorate in the meantime.”

“Is that why the Time Barrier’s so tall?” Myra asked nervously.

“Partially. I was mostly referring to its color.” Flare-Up’s expression shifted slightly. “Did Scribe find you?”

“…Yes, she did.” Seeker’s eyes narrowed.

“I can’t help but feel like I’m out of the loop on something,” Myra complained. “You know her, I don’t, and she was talking about some big plan that you’ve got going on and I have no idea what it is you guys know because I don’t have all my memories back!”

“I don’t know if what we know would be something you would know regardless of your memory loss,” Flare-Up replied. She motioned with her head for the others to follow her through the barrier. “I’ll take them from here, Red. We have a base set up on the other side. Good luck defending your secret base.”

“And the same to you,” Red replied with a nod. He turned and stepped back into the trees and disappeared from sight.

“Come on!” Flare-Up motioned for the large crowd to follow her back through the Time Barrier. “Seeker, when we reach the base, I’m going to want to speak with you and Myra in private. Cobra – you, in the blue hood – there’s people waiting for you on the other side.”

“Cobra?” Myra repeated in confusion.

There was a commotion near the back of the crowd as the man in the blue hood they’d rescued with the Cybertronians tried to run back to the woods, only to be struck down by Nightwing and Captain America before he could get too far.

“We have to move.” Flare-Up stepped through the barrier without another word, the entire pink wall rippling as she disappeared.

Myra bolted after her, her face smacking into the barrier with enough force that she almost bounced off it, but still went through regardless.

Her feet went from springy grass and earth to hard earth, the change being enough to cause her to stumble before she was able to catch her balance.

Myra looked up as the others came through the barrier with similar reactions to the change in ground and the barrier’s difficulty to get through.

“Welcome to Cybertron.” Flare-Up motioned to the metal world they had just stepped into. Skyscrapers – larger and clearly built for giants – rose up around them into a dark gray sky that was consistent across the other worlds, but it seemed darker here. More…metal.

Flare-Up led the group into a small chamber dug into the foundations of one of the nearby buildings – one that looked like a giant dome that could have once been painted bright colors.

A group of men and women wearing green camouflage grabbed Cobra as soon as Captain America and Nightwing dragged him into the base; they pulled him off into another room exchanging grim grins.

“Settle in, but know that we won’t be staying here for long.” Flare-Up motioned for Myra and Seeker to follow her into another room, not so much as sparing a glance at a man in black with two swords sheathed on his back.

“Who is Scribe?” Myra demanded as Flare-Up pushed a sheet of metal in front of the doorway. “What’s this plan that Kia was talking about back there? I feel like I’m being left out of the loop and—“

Flare-Up held up a hand, cutting Myra off. “I can explain, and I will. Just give me a moment to choose a place to start from; there is a lot happening here that calls back to things that happened in my past.”

Myra blinked at that while Seeker frowned.

“Sis…?” Seeker tilted his head slightly.

Flare-Up rubbed her right temple as she started pacing up and down along one of the blank walls of the room. It was rough, and almost looked like a cave wall. Myra half-wondered how they’d managed to dig this base out of the metal.

“I met Scribe after participating in a fighting tournament,” Flare-Up said, turning to look at them. “It was accidental; she was hovering in mid-air and writing something. She wasn’t expecting to be seen, and as soon as she introduced herself she flashed out of sight without saying anything else about herself or where she was going.” She paused. “Apparently, she’s supposed to be unnoticeable to every person in every dimension she enters. The fact that the invisibility dropped that moment couldn’t have been an accident.”

“You think something forced that to drop?” Seeker asked.

“Probably. Scribe referenced higher-dimension beings – Ancient Walkers, the Axolotl—“

“What are those?” Myra frowned.

“The Axolotl is an aquatic salamander creature that somehow managed to transcend time and space and is now looking over multiple dimensions. Mostly ones involving a triangle and a six-fingered man.” Flare-Up’s brow furrowed, and she shook her head. “The Ancient Walkers are beings that also transcended to a higher dimension, but they belong to a different dimension entirely – one where animals are sentient beings and they can tap into power that comes from gems that are absolutely full of infinite chaotic energy.”

“She only referenced the Axolotl with us,” Seeker said, frowning.

“For good reason. The Dark Arms destroyed the Ancient Walker aspects that Scribe was familiar with – she came from a version of Mobius, as did they.” Flare-Up wagged a finger at him, then went back to pacing. “The Dark Arms are – or were – versions of an alien race that liked to play with their food. Their version of Shadow, a being named Hive, was specifically made to bring beings that tapped Chaos Energy under their power.”

“Shadow…?” Myra was almost hesitant to ask.

Flare-Up made a motion, and something flickered into view in the middle of the room: standing on two legs and wearing nothing but shoes and gloves was a black, furry being, with red stripes on its head and equally red eyes. The creature disappeared from sight a moment later.

“Mobian Hedgehog,” Flare-Up explained without looking over.

“So, you’re saying they destroyed their own dimension?” Seeker asked.

“They did something with it, and since then they’ve been working to bring more dimensions under their control for reasons I have yet to understand.” Flare-Up’s brow was furrowing more deeply. “Maybe they lost it and the people who once populated it were either killed or scattered to the stars. Maybe they’re using it as the core for this collision of worlds – I’m not certain. In any case, Scribe was pulled from that mess before she could become entangled in a mess she would be unable to undo, even with assistance. Eggman certainly couldn’t do anything when he was sent there by Palkia when Neo-Mobius became a thing, so if that doesn’t say anything the World Collision tells much more.”

Myra was tempted to ask who Eggman was, but she felt that it wouldn’t be the best of ideas right at this moment.

“So, what’s to be done?” Seeker asked. “If they couldn’t be defeated in their own dimension, then—“

“That Mobius was blocked off from others being able to go in and help. Now that they’ve brought other worlds into the mix – and us as a result – they’re far more vulnerable than they were initially. But there is only one thing that can be done now in order to reverse what they’ve done and make sure they pay for it in the process.” Flare-Up looked at Seeker. “And I don’t know what’s going to happen afterwards, especially with Airam running rampant across the worlds like she owns all the territories.”

“Your evil double,” Seeker said.

“Unfortunately,” Flare-Up confirmed. “I’ll have to do something about her before the final confrontation.”

“Final – aren’t you planning too far ahead?” Myra asked.

Flare-Up stopped pacing and looked at Myra; Seeker followed suit.

“At this point…” Flare-Up sighed, and her expression softened as she shook her head. “You saw the Time Barrier and felt how it pressed against you when you tried to pass through it.”

Myra blinked, startled at the sudden change of subject. “Uh-uh, yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Time and space don’t like what the Dark Arms have done. They’re fighting back, but the results of that mean that reality is tearing itself apart here.” Flare-Up paused. “Time is going to start going crazy in the World Zones – even more crazy than it already has. Space is going to collapse in on itself and expand outwards at the same time, sucking in everything in its reach. Everything you see now is going to be destroyed if we don’t act now.”

Myra swallowed thickly as the blood drained from her face. “Wh-what do we have to do to keep that from happening?”

“We have to reach the center of this mess. The Cybertronians have everything pretty well-handled here, and if Scribe took Pitch to the Hyrule Zone, everything should be set to rights there as well rather quickly. His abilities in generating fear should help to keep those who are under the Dark Arms’ control in check, allowing any stragglers to fight back and start releasing people quickly.” Flare-Up looked at Seeker. “Those of us who have been jumping from Zone to Zone and have parts of the Dark City as their home dimension need to make the final assault on that place now. Give me time to attract Airam’s attention and take care of her, then climb the central tower and confront the Dark Arms directly.” She looked at Myra. “Your powers counteract hers. I’m going to need your help on this.”

Myra gulped, then nodded quickly. “Y-yeah. Sure. Just…stand out of the way, like last time, right?”

“That’s the basic idea.”

“You still haven’t said what you’re planning on doing in order to reverse this,” Seeker pointed out. “I want to know if you’re thinking what I’m thinking.”

Myra looked between the two of them as Flare-Up’s gaze hardened. “You…you know a way that could fix this?”

Flare-Up paused, and a hand hovered over her chest for a moment as something white flashed under her armor. She shook her head and dropped her hand. “Ever since meeting Scribe again, I’ve been holding back. I refuse to let things stand as they are, however, and intend to confront the Dark Arms one last time before I let instinct take over and hit the reset button.”

“Reset – you mean you’re gonna reset the universe?!”

“Just the worlds here; what I do now won’t affect your home.” Flare-Up held up a hand. “But we need to make sure that as many people are back in their proper dimensions as possible – we are taking only those heroes and villains who belong to the Marvel and DC worlds with us when we go into the Dark City. No one else. There will still be enough with us to cause a ruckus and do something about keeping their forces busy while also rescuing those we can.”

Seeker nodded.

“Wait – how can a World Jumper reset an entire universe?” Myra demanded. “I thought we could only make portals, not – not turn back the clock or anything!”

“It’s not a true reset; some things will change,” Flare-Up replied calmly. “Another name for it is a Continuum Shift – most things will remain the same, but there will be details of things that will be different and hint at what happened before, in the old timeline. And I can’t guarantee that everyone will remember completely what’s happened.” She looked at Seeker. “And I don’t intend to warn them of that.”

Seeker frowned. “Why not? I should think you’d at least want to tell—“

“Captain America and Nightwing, yes; I will be talking to those two about this,” Flare-Up replied evenly. “I simply wanted to speak with you two on it first.” She looked between the two of them. “Take some time to think things over. I’m going to go find those two and let them know what it is that’s going to happen.”

With that, she pushed the metal aside, exposing the doorway again, and stepped out of the room.

“How can she be so calm about this?!” Myra exploded. “She just said she’s gonna – gonna wipe people’s memories?! I just started to get mine back! I can’t—“

“She’s not.”

Myra stopped in the middle of her rant and looked up in confusion.

“My sister is anything but calm about this,” Seeker said quietly and evenly. “Our parents told us about the Continuum Shift the summer before this happened. They warned us of the consequences of it and told us that if we ever had to use it, to use it only as a last resort. Flare has gotten herself entangled in these worlds so tightly that she doesn’t want to think about them forgetting her. Captain America, Nightwing, Optimus Prime…they’re close allies, and even closer mentors. To lose those figures, only to come across them again, when they may act differently and not recognize you, is only making this decision even more difficult. It would be like losing your closest friends and only being able to see them from a distance, and never get the chance to talk to them ever again.”

Myra’s eyes slowly widened as Seeker spoke, the realization of what was going on settling in and leaving a sense of sadness and dread in its place. “You mean…like how if I would go home now, any friends I had at home would be sad because I don’t really remember them?”

“Exactly.” Seeker nodded slightly. “Flare-Up is going to have to deal with those consequences when she starts going around to various worlds again after we’ve fixed all this. She is going to have to deal with that. Whether the rest of us will or not…well, I guess that’s up to the Multiverse to decide.”

“...I…I guess.” Myra’s feet shuffled a little against the metal floor. “How could you tell that Flare-Up wasn’t calm about this? Was it an aura thing or—“

“She paces when she knows something’s going on and she doesn’t like it.” Seeker smirked a little. “She may be more serious now, but that doesn’t mean that she can get rid of all her quirks with a snap of her fingers.”

Myra blinked, wide-eyed. She hadn’t even thought that the pacing was an instinctive thing on Flare-Up’s part! She hadn’t even thought that Flare-Up could ever be not calm.

“What do you think she’s going to do about Airam?” Myra asked.

“I’m sure she has some half-baked plan in the works and will improvise the rest when you finally run into her,” Seeker replied. “That’s usually how she works – she can plan a way in, but not necessarily a way out.” He chuckled a little. “I’d like to see the look on Wildfire’s face when she hears about what’s happened here, that’s for sure. I bet she’d want to have a few words with my sister.” He clapped a hand on Myra’s shoulder. “Get some rest. You’re going to need it for when we start the final assault.”

With that, Seeker stepped out of the empty room, leaving Myra standing alone with her whirling thoughts.

#cross' fanfiction #World Collision #Myra #Seeker/Matthew #Maria/Flare-Up #got some mentionings of fandoms I'm in and gotten into recently #I spy an Axolotl #a continuum shift is what happens when a cartoon/comic is rebooted for the next generation #seriously #if you want to blame someone for the new stuff that you absolutely hate blame it on World Jumpers

[sparda3g]

Fairy Tail Chapter 532-533 Review

I'm not entirely sure if this is affected by Golden Week, but regardless, we are treated with double chapters. I'm not sure if this is a sign that the series is ending before the movie, but it's narrowly close to it as the final boss has traditionally evolved to the unstoppable form. As the arc reaches to the exciting phase, there may be a sign that things could go a bit odd.

When it comes to entertainment, I'll say that it was a success as the event begins to enter the last act or the middle of the last act, however you prefer it. The first chapter focuses on Zeref and his bidding farewell to Mavis as he makes his move that has no return. The second chapter focuses more on one buildup with the Book of END and the showcase of immortal.

Truth be told, I thought the first chapter was the strongest of the two. It's mainly because the focus didn't drift away to show sign that a new deus ex machina is underway and this was a moving chapter. It's practically the last confrontation with Mavis before Zeref's master plan begins.

We do see more of Acnologia and Pegasus as it gradually gets worse for Pegasus, so it's only matter of time that they will lose. Jellal decides to handle the situation alone. Hm, well I have yet seen a storyboard with him for the next movie, so perhaps there is a death flag after all. It's a preparation stage as with Zeref enters the climax.

It's a bit strange that Natsu goes to his dragon mode and proceed to be halted by Mavis. It's like we have no right to be thrilled with the action. I thought that was strange on how the last chapter's cliffhanger suggests a lot of fighting. I don't even know if I should be bummed or be fine with it. It does engage to the next part quicker as Zeref grabs Mavis and begins to drain her magic. Good work, Mavis.

Zeref announces his reasoning behind the plan and it's a convincing argument on his behalf, I'll give him that. In fact, this part is emotional. He claims that Acnologia could not be defeated by magic, so that would mean for eternally, Mavis and Zeref would have to endure the beating by him forever.

The whole scene is what sells the chapter. Mavis thought he can be killed by Acnologia, but it turns out he can't die at all; it's an endless torture. In short, Zeref will lose if he doesn't pull Neo Eclipse. That fear look in his face is telling on how desperate he must do this.

Zeref has no choice since he can't even defeat Acnologia. It's like saying, "Well I can't beat him. Time to use cheat code." He has to go a different direction to win. The sad part is that Zeref in a way doesn't want to do it because he did cherish the moment with Mavis. Now that he's heading towards to his main goal, his last words to her is where his true color shows. For a while, we have seen him as a total villain, even if we know some of his other traits. Now he finally lets out.

It is a tender moment and it ends with a farewell address that they may not see each other in a restart timeline. But he promise to defeat Acnologia in the timeline as comparing to the first page, which by the way confirm that they went all the way, signify that he can't live in this world anymore.

It is pretty dark, but if Zeref knows about the Time Lapse, why not use it on Acnologia? Unless this is his way of hinting that whatever Anna is doing won't work. Maybe it can be that, I don't know entirely. I can't say if that's considered a plot hole, but perhaps I should wait further for anything new. In his defense, I could still see a reason to use Neo Eclipse: to start as a normal kid again.

What's also strange is that they had a love scene. I assume that first on-panel kiss was the confirmation of the pairing. When did that happen? I thought the pairing confirmed and then she goes to sleep. I wonder if that's considered a retcon. I guess the pairing confirmation happened much earlier.

Now that Zeref has absorbed her magic, he does the pose that pretty much yells, "Here is the perfection!" I wonder if that would mean he would be going around saying "ningen." In the end, he achieves the White Mage form and yes, this is the final boss transformation, shounen style; but I do like the design.

The second chapter is more of showcasing the power-up of Zeref, the White Mage. It's a typical format that when a villain gain a new power, they will have to look devastating and somehow always begin fresh and untouchable. Therefore the chapter actually goes by quicker than the last.

It does have some moments that are worth noting, even if one is more on standby but perhaps not for long. Fairy Tail members such as Laxus and Gildartz are reunited, meaning their battle has ended. I think it is a bit of a shame is for now at least that the finale will only leave those main characters we have seen many times.

Granted, they are main characters but I feel as if the side characters didn't get so much momentum before closing the series. I always adore on how Full Metal Alchemist handles the finale, and while it doesn't have to be the same, it should have been treated better. But maybe there's room for one last moment.

There is a small sad moment that does play a part later on and that's a reminder of Makarov's death. It's a bit sad that Laxus couldn't return home to give him the proper sendoff. I'm still puzzled if he is dead for good or resurrection is on hold. The series is close to the end, so we shall wait and see.

The part that is interesting yet worrisome is with the Book of END. As odd as it was to see it return abruptly because of Zeref's transformation, it's a bit shaky that another deus ex machina is in preparation and it has to do with changing the letters. I don't know if it's only fixing the problem of Natsu will die if Zeref dies, but that's concerning. It's like something out of Studio Trigger animation, where it can go over the top fast and become stylish Dragon Ball Z.

Lucy insists to find a way to change the letters, so we'll see how that plays out. Judging by the last part of chapter, it's no coincidence that it may be a case of "just in time." It is true that it is "logical" that the book would connect to Natsu, so changing something would change him as well, but hopefully it's not that easy.

As for the last part, it's pretty much the showcase of  immortal. Natsu whips out a powerful attack at him that it would have been amusing if Zeref really got heavily damaged. It would be a nice change. Of course, he is unharmed, though his power now allows him to rewind the event, fixing the Guild in process. I wonder if Mashima is a fan of Dragon Maid.

The best part to me is Natsu said sorry to Makarov for destroying the Guild, yet Zeref taunts him by repairing it so to say and stabs the hell out of him. The badass line comes after by replying back at him with, "no need to apologize; because he's already dead." Natsu not only lost single-handedly, but learning about his master's death destroyed him for good. That was a really good scene.

Both chapters have pretty solid art and it's done more on the emotional level, including the action set piece. Zeref's transformation design looks neat, though I get that he's a white mage, it wouldn't hurt to have some shade. I wonder if the color would help out though. It does come across as a fantasy game final boss look. As for the set pieces, they are presented well with Zeref's last words to Mavis and Natsu's defeat. That shot of him in defeat is well addressed.

Overall, despite some of the questionable parts and iffy developments that could lead to a game changer with least rewarding, I had a good time with these two chapters. It has a moving moment with Zeref and Mavis, Acnologia continues to put pressure, so there's tension behind it, and although in a typical fashion, Zeref in his new form presented strong with that one hit and line. The series has now enter the last phase; be ready for a farewell.

#fairy tail #chapter 532 #chapter 533 #review

[worldofadvent]

NEO World of Advent Chapter Twenty

Author's Note: I'm thinking about changing the rating from T to M. This would allow me a bit more artistic freedom.

NEO World of Advent Chapter Twenty

Light found himself well and truly having earned his new nickname in the past three days. By mandate of house arrest, he had not been able to leave the room save for a quick hop on the track for exercise or go to the bathroom. His teammates brought him books to read with a tray of food, the only source of entertainment or distraction from his life's rapid downward spiral into chaos and confusion once more. They had been a constant companion as Mist decided what to do with him.

Mist hadn't seen him once, but the others told him that they hadn't seen any sign of her either. After their screaming match over the communication feed and Light's subsequent behavior, they pieced two and two together and figured out about Light and Mist's relationship. At Light's behest, they hadn't talked about it outside their small group, but the news was pretty shocking to them all. Orca especially.

Light smiled as he replayed the memory of Orca's slow coming to the realization that Rak was in fact, the winner of their bet and that he now owed the plucky Advent a yacht. Rak offered Orca the same out that he had offered Rak, but Orca told them he was a man of his word. Still, the stress of finding a discount yacht was apparent on the reploid's face when he brought Light a new book disguised as "Ten Thousand Way to Tie a Knot."

The others and he had done a lot of talking, lately. Even though Light was not allowed to leave the room, that did not prevent them from being able to enter his. They needed answers and he needed a distraction. It was an elegant solution to the mess they found themselves in. While Mist gave them orders by way of instant message as for how they should prepare for whatever maritime mishap might occur, their captain was essentially invisible. Some of them doubted whether she was still on the base with them.

"How did it happen," Fin wanted to know. He was her second in command and had known Mist the longest. He never specified what exactly, but Light knew what he meant. It was bound to be on all their minds, not just his. How could the famous daughter of Fairy Leviathan, Guardian of the Meikai Army have fallen for someone like him? Light told them he wished he knew himself, but that it didn't matter anyway.

"You heard her," Light said. "We're through. Finished. She wants to keep it professional." The words had pained him more than they would ever know, but he had to face the reality of his situation. He was a loner, even if not by choice, who couldn't even keep a simple job in the army without screwing it up. There was talk about how Mist might finally make good on her promise to court martial him.

There was a knock on the door. Light put the book down reluctantly; it was a rather good tale about a shipwrecked pirate and a baroness that had been stranded on a remote island together. Light found it comforting that even if he couldn't get a happy ending, the characters in his books still might get one. Light turned the knob of the door.

"Thanks guys," he said, "But I still haven't finished the last one."

"It's me." Light froze. He recognized that voice, feminine and full of snark, even if it had lust its luster at the moment. She sounded lost, defeated. A bit like he felt, Light thought savagely, and held the door open. She looked around. "I was afraid you wouldn't let me in."

"That would be disobeying orders, captain. We both know how much you don't like it when people do that," Light said, straining to keep his voice level.

Mist glared at him. "I did what I had to, alright? What would you have done?"

"Something else," Light said. "Anything but pretending like it never happened. Like we never happened, then getting yourself damn near killed. What, do you have something to prove? Do you think your mother will care if you die at sea too?"

Mist slapped him. It was a hard blow that stung bitterly. "You have no idea what it's like to be in a position of command. These people need me. Who cares if one silly little girl doesn't get what she wants? That's life. So stop pretending like the world owes you something and grow up."

"You think you owe them anything?" Light gave a harsh laugh as he rubbed his cheek. "Why? Because your mother told you that you did? That it was your civic duty to throw all your hopes and dreams, your fucking life away for the sake of the people just because you were born to Fairy Leviathan?" His breath was short, ragged. But he wasn't done just yet. "And you're wrong. I do know what it's like to have people depend on me. What do you think it's like out there, in the desert? I was in charge. I made sure we were safe. I made sure we didn't starve. I made sure no one died of heat stroke or froze to death."

"So how did you abandon them?" Mist sat down on his bed. Curiously, the question was devoid of any malice. It sounded genuine, as though she were looking for instructions.

"At the end of the day, everyone's just looking out for themselves. That's why those sailors didn't care that you were out there getting chased by a giant mechanloid. So long as it's them, they don't care. When push comes to shove, people always look after themselves first. What's so wrong with doing the same for yourself? Nobody ever lies on their deathbed thinking about how happy they were that they lived for someone else's sake."

Mist brought her face closer and looked as though she would slap him again. She kissed him instead, a look of self-loathing on her face when they broke apart. The kiss was short, nothing Orca or Rak would bring him in a book whose cover had been replaced. But it meant a lot to both of them, Light knew. "I'm scared," she admitted. "I've lived my whole life afraid of my own mother. I always thought that if I did the right thing, did what she told me to do, was the perfect commander, she would love me back." She gave a weak sniffle. "I just wanted to be wanted for once."

Light longed to kiss her, wipe away the tears. But he knew that a kiss wouldn't solve everything like it did in the movies. This was something they had to work out, together. "Who says your life is worth less than any of theirs? That's bullshit and you know it. This fatalistic martyrdom that you've got going on isn't healthy. Maybe you should start thinking about what you want instead of what your mother wants."

Mist gave a small, choked breath in and tried her best to look angry. "It's harder than it looks."

"Then I'll help you." Light held her hand, hoping she wouldn't swat it away or take hers out of it. "You say the word. If you want out, I'll be right beside you every step of the way."

"Okay." The voice was small, but carried the first, rebellious seeds of hope in them. Mist seemed unable to look him in the eye as she said so, but she didn't take her hand out of his, which he took as a good sign. "I can't tell you right now. Let me think about it, alright?"

"I'll be here." Light squeezed her hand and let go. "So what's my punishment?"

"Sorry?"

"Am I getting court martialed or what?" Light tapped the floor. "It's kind of annoying being in the dark here."

"No," Mist said. "But you did disobey a direct order, even if it was to save my life. I'm sorry Light, but I have no choice but to put you back on latrine duty." She held the smallest of fierce smiles as she said it. Even though her face was looking down at the floor, her expression seemed to be saying 'Take that, Mom.'

"Darn." Light grinned. "I guess now I have to deal with you making sure I do a good job, huh? You don't want me to miss a spot after all."

Mist laughed. It was the sound of years spent drowning in silence only to be at last given a hand to pull her out from underneath the surface. Her body shook, and she snorted as it receded. Light looked at her with some concern. "It wasn't that funny."

"I know," Mist said. "You are such a moron." She chuckled, wiping her face with her sleeve. "I guess it's a good thing I find idiots attractive."

Light brought his fist up in a victory pose. "Success! She likes me. I was afraid you thought I was horribly ugly or something."

"Because that's what girls do," Mist said with a hint of her old steel. "They have sex with ugly guys they don't like in grungy little flats."

"My room is not grungy," Light said. "You're thinking of the Black Sky. I'm pretty sure we didn't have sex there."

Mist hummed absentmindedly. "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

Light felt his face heat up. "Wait, what? No," he said as she got off the bed. "Don't leave. There's so much I have to know! We didn't actually do it there, did we?"

"I'll talk to you later," Mist said. "With your answer." Light watched her close the door gently, the agonizing promise of hope pulling his mind into a state of glorious confusion once more. She likes me, Light thought. She could still say 'No' of course, but Light made it his life's purpose to be there for her until she said 'Yes.' Even if it took anonymously sending her a thousand months' supply of condoms in the process.

An hour later, a bucket of soapy water and a sponge was sent to his door with a note that told him she wanted them spotless. Light picked up the metal pail, never before so happy to be told to scrub an entire military base's worth of residual scum in his entire life. Light found himself hoping for a time when he didn't have to settle. He could have the girl of his dreams and his best friends. Life loved to throw him curveballs, but that didn't mean he had to strike out. He just had to learn how to play its game and win.

Light made up his mind to visit the records after mopping the bathroom floors in record time. He had come to the military to find his friends; before Mist there had always been Sanctum's fiery red hair and Chaos's perpetual scowl. It was time he made good on the resources he had at his disposal. Light entered the room where records of the world's disasters were kept in order to monitor relevant threats. Under the guise of looking for shipwrecks, Light accessed one of the computers available.

A quick search for 'Chaos' and 'Sanctum' found hundreds of articles detailing the plight of refugees in search for a personal haven. Light groaned at the unfortunate details of his friends' names and decided to limit the search to 'Advent' and 'Colony.' 'Sand' was added as a quick afterthought. If nothing else, his old home had sand. Lots of sand.

There were a lot of articles on the destabilizing conditions of the desert people, but they mostly concerned the human royalty debating over whether they should keep sending supplies or not. It was only through browsing the cited works in an article claiming that it was a lost cause, that too many colonies had already collapsed for it to be worth Neo Arcadian investment. Curiously, Senator Crux seemed violently opposed to the idea, but Light shrugged it off. Whatever that man did wasn't his concern as of the moment, even if he were infamous for his outspoken hatred of Advents.

Light found his old colony among those that had fallen. It was a wound to his heart, but nothing he didn't already suspect. Each confirmed dead was a blow, but he persevered, hoping desperately to not find his best friends on the list. Thankfully, none of the names held as colorful a moniker as what they had chosen to be called. This was a start, Light thought. They're alive. Or at the very least, not confirmed dead. He looked into the date and cause of the colony's collapse, expecting a report about an attempt to absorb the colony into the city gone horribly wrong. Instead, the files on hand were sloppily written and often contradictory. One report said that a freak spree of heat flares caused the populace to perish while another told of rogue pantheons attacking.

Light's confusion kept him looking. Everywhere he tried to find the exact cause of the colony's death, however, was contradictory or uncertain until his access was completely denied with a flash of the Neo Arcadian symbol of royalty. "What the hell?" Light refreshed the page, but the symbol censored any of his further attempts at investigation. "This is Mist's base," Light said softly. "Who is blocking her access?"

Whatever the cause, he felt it were something Mist should know. Light sent her a private message from his communicator, apologizing for not giving her space, and that it was actually something purely occupational for once. Soon, Mist came inside, harried looking. "You better not have been lying about this being serious," Mist said, but trailed off as she saw the flashing symbol Neo Arcadia used to censor websites deemed too dangerous for the general public. "What the hell?"

"That's what I said." Light showed her his observations. "Whenever I try to access information about this colony in particular, I got this message. Once the system realized I was targeting it in particular, it shut me out."

"This shouldn't happen," Mist said. "I'm one of the Top 4, the Guardians' children. My access shouldn't have been revoked like this. The only people who have higher clearance than I do are the nobles or the Guardians themselves."

"What does that mean?" Light wanted answers. "That was my home, Mist. Something happened and whatever did happen, someone doesn't want me to find out."

"No, I get it. This really is serious." Mist browsed through the list of confirmed dead Light had thankfully screenshotted before his access was revoked. "This is so wrong." She tried a personal code, only to be blocked again. "You said this was your old colony?" She lowered her voice. "Does it have anything at all to do with your being the son of Zero, do you think?"

"No," Light said grimly, "But I think it might have something to do with being Umera's old hideout. He was the one who watched over us at first. He left," Light explained, "But he was definitely there."

"That's kind of the thing I might want to know," Mist said irritably. "In the future, don't keep stuff like this from me. I'm going to look into this, alright?"

"Got it, thanks." Light paused. "Have you given the matter any more thought?"

"Not now," Mist let him down, but gently. "But soon, I promise." She left the room with a physical copy of the death toll scanned on a photocopier. Light looked at the flashing symbol on the screen, hoping that would have good news for him upon her return, be it about their relationship or the status of whatever was jamming their access.

Light found Rak, who asked him if he had seen the Capo excitedly. Light told him that he had, but to keep it quiet. "This is pretty exciting," Rak said. "I never thought one of my friends would be embroiled in an epic t.v. romance." The two had a laugh about that.

"Who knows," Light said, mind still stuck on that flashing symbol. "Maybe things are going to get a lot more exciting."

#megaman #megaman zero #mmz #capcom #long story #ocs #fanfic #fanfiction