#oh forgot to mention it but I also did all the climax battles I can for the time being- so a little over half of them maybe? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

markleesthighs · 3 years

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good 4 u

pairing: guitarist/singer!y/n (fem) x badboy!jeno

genre: angst, fluff (if you squint), smut, strangers to lovers to enemies

song: good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo

a/n: mentions of cheating, breakup, depression, underaged drinking (please be safe!!) picture/GIF from @pureboyjun

Everyone told you to watch out, everyone warned you about him, Lee Jeno. You and Jeno weren’t in the same friend group, you were as what society called an “art freak” with streaks of colors in your hair and black eyeliner. You also always kept guitar picks with you, always wanting to sneak into the music room and practice on the electric guitar. The wannabe’s compared you to an Avril Lavigne-type girl. Your best friends were also your bandmates, supportive of you and your dream, unlike your parents. You and your parents had a deal, as long as you kept good grades you could continue to play music as a “hobby.”

You also worked at a music store, which is how you ran into Lee Jeno. He was looking for vinyl of a specific artist which happened to also be one of your favorites so you knew exactly where it was. He thanked you and you hoped that would be the last you’d see him. But he came in every day to talk to you and eventually had the courage to approach your lunch table. All your bandmates glared at Lee Jeno, knowing his reputation and his motives. Once he left they’d all trash him for trying to talk to you.

“y/n you shouldn’t really associate with him.”

“Yeah, all of his ‘fangirls’ will tear you to shreds.”

“Jeno hits and runs, you better stop talking to him before it turns into something dangerous. You’ll only get hurt.”

You didn’t think much of their words, since Jeno wasn’t really your type anyway. There’s no way you could ever fall for him. Oh boy, were you wrong. Jeno went out of his way to swoon you in any way he could. He’d walk you home at night, visit you in the music room and at work, he’d even invite you to his lunch table where you’d be met with his other ‘bad boy’ friends. He would get you your favorite coffee, just the way you like it, and get your lunch order so you wouldn’t wait in line. All of this attention grabbed the attention of his fangirls, constantly threatening you about how “Jeno is mine!” and bullshit like that. You honestly didn’t care because you reassured them you and Jeno were not dating.

That was until he invited you to a party, saying that you could meet his one friend that was also into music and could help you break out into the music industry. You agreed, excited to meet someone in the industry. When you arrived at the party, you met his friend who worked at Columbia Records, you bonded and everything got his contact information in hopes of getting an internship. Jeno met up with you again, asking you to repay him, in a game of fear pong (beer pong with truth or dare elements). You agreed, joining him on his team against Johnny and his girlfriend. One of the dares you guys had to do was make out for one minute or drink. You were about to drink when Jeno grabbed your face and started to make out with you.

God, did he taste good. His lips were soft brushing against yours the taste of beer and light cigarette smoke made his lips only more addictive. Everyone watching was hooting and hollering at the two of you. Jeno licked the bottom of your lip, which you opened your mouth to let his tongue enter, causing your tongues to fight for dominance. Jeno’s ultimately dominated and touched your throat. You gave a small moan which only made Jeno kiss you harder. Johnny coughed causing you two to stop.

“You realize you two were making out for like 5 minutes right?” Johnny laughed.

You pulled away but Jeno held on to you by your waist.

“What can I say, Suh, she tastes really good, I wanted to savor it.”

That made you blush. You guys continued the game and you and Jeno won, out of excitement (and slight intoxication) you kissed Jeno. He looked at you in shock and you apologized before he kissed you back. Since that game, you two were attached to the hip the whole night. Jeno didn’t feel safe letting you go home so he let you sleep with him in a bedroom upstairs. When you guys were tucking in for the night he wrapped his arm around you pulling you closer to him.

“y/n, I love you.”

You giggled “You’re drunk Jeno...get some rest.”

“No, I mean it.”

“You’re really funny.”

“Do you need me to prove it to you?” He spoke in a deep voice, shifting his body to hover above yours.

“If I didn’t love you do you think I’d be feeling like this right now?” Jeno whispered into your ear. When he leaned down you felt his member rock hard against your thigh.

“J-jeno, you’re confused, do you know what you’re doing right now?”

“If you want me to stop I’ll stop. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, I can take care of myself in the bathroom if you don’t want to do it.”

As Jeno was moving off your body you wrapped your arms around his body to pull him back.

“N-no, stay, please.”

“Are you sure y/n, you sure you want to do this?”

“Y-yes.” Little did you know that you would regret sleeping with Lee Jeno.

Jeno kissed your lips softly, knowing how tired you both are. You felt his member twitching with every kiss. He moved on to your neck, leaving soft kisses and a purple mark on your collarbone. He moved all the way down your stomach down to your flower. He kissed your thighs and ate you out vigorously, he was sucked down on your clit while fingering you. You were trying to hide your moans but Jeno hit your sweet spot almost every single time, causing you to not be able to contain yourself. You were tugging and pulling at his har which also caused him to moan. You were about to climax when Jeno pulled away which caused you to whine and pout. Jeno kissed your pouty lips as he pulled out a condom from the drawer (be safe kids!) and tore it open and put it on his member.

He looked at you and asked again for your reassurance and you nodded.

“I’ll be slow and gentle I promise.”

He slowly slid into you as you clenched around him you squeezed your eyes from the pain, he was a lot bigger than you thought. Jeno moans harmoniously along with you as he waited for you to let him move.

“P-please m-move..”

Jeno smiled as with every thrust he kissed you, he made you feel comfortable in his arms.

“F-faster, please...”

“What’s my name?”

“J-jeno! Please!”

“That’s daddy to you.” He said as he thrusted harder inside of you.

“Y-yes, daddy, please go faster.”

“Good girl.”

Jeno pushed harder and faster as you moaned louder and louder, finally climaxing with Jeno. Jeno removed the condom and threw it in the trash as he walked to the bathroom and cleaned you up along with a few kisses.

“Hey Jeno?” Jeno turned to look at you.

“I love you too.”

After that night you and Jeno were going steady for a couple weeks until he ghosted you. He stopped talking to you and his friends would laugh at you or Jeno would tell you to go back to your old table. You heard their conversation as you were walking back.

“I can’t believe Jeno got her to sleep with him.”

“Easiest fucking $100 he’s ever made.”

When you went back to your bandmates you were broken. Endless nights of tears and suicidal thoughts swamped your mind. Why me? Why did I have to fall for his stupid trap? He only wanted me for some cheap cash huh? How can he just move on so easily? Did nothing we have mean anything? Well screw that and screw you, Lee Jeno.

“Hey y/n?” One of your bandmates asked.

“Battle of the bands' championship for the school is coming up, do you know what song we are going to cover?”

You looked at Jeno. “Oh, I fucking know what song we are going to sing.”

You and your bandmates got the sheet music for good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo and practiced it until it became natural for everyone. Finally, the battle of the bands' championship occurred. It was hosted by your school to fundraise for the music program and scholarships. Before your group came up, you all huddled, and they all gave you the words of encouragement you needed to perform in front of Lee Jeno.

“Sing it from your heart bitch.”

“Kill him with those words.”

“Make him feel like the shit head he is.”

As they hyped you up, you felt much better as you all walked out to stand on the stage. You saw Jeno in the crowd with his new supposed girlfriend. You began playing the first notes on the guitar.

Well, good for you, I guess you moved on really easily You found a new girl and it only took a couple weeks Remember when you said that you wanted to give me the world?

You stared right into his eyes singing every lyric, letting him know what a scumbag he was for dating someone new in a few weeks when he confessed to you after he fucked your brains out. What kind of a person does that?

Now you can be a better man for your brand new girl

You raised your hand and pointed right at him and his new girl who looked like every other bitch who wanted to get with Jeno, you couldn’t compare to her, you had to show Jeno he made a mistake leaving you for $100. You wanted to make those $100 worth nothing because he left you for someone who’s only worth $1.

Well, good for you, you look happy and healthy, not me If you ever cared to ask Good for you, you're doin' great out there without me, baby God, I wish that I could do that

You sang you heart out to those lyrics almost feeling emotional. How could Jeno sit there with a smile on his face while you almost crying during this set. You then realized Lee Jeno is an emotionless piece of shit. But just this once, you wanted to see him cry.

I've lost my mind, I've spent the night Cryin' on the floor of my bathroom But you're so unaffected, I really don't get it But I guess good for you

It wasn’t fair that you cried endless tears, while Jeno came to school with a smile on his face. Your eyes would be dark and baggy from all the crying and endless sleep, but he came to school happier and brighter than ever, fuck you Lee Jeno.

It's like we never even happened Baby, what the fuck is up with that?

Everyone forgot about you and Jeno the moment he dropped you. How come everyone took his side and let this slide past everyone? Did no one care about how you felt? How humiliated you were? How can someone forget something like that?

And good for you, it's like you never even met me Remember when you swore to God I was the only Person who ever got you? Well, screw that and screw you You will never have to hurt the way you know that I do

Jeno and you became strangers, nobodies, to each other just back at square one, how did this happen? He would complain about how his friends would make fun of his music tastes and hobbies, making you think you were the only one who understood him and supported him. You wanted to make him feel guilt and shame for toying with you.

Maybe I'm too emotional But your apathy's like a wound in salt Maybe I'm too emotional Or maybe you never cared at all

You’ve thought about how you were the problem, that Jeno didn’t want you for you. He would act reassuring when you were in bed, but once he left you, he brushed off every concern you had. He never had any feelings for you. He never cared about you.

Before the final chorus you pulled out a picture of you and Jeno printed out on paper and one of your bandmates set it on fire. The picture of Jeno’s face starting to well up with tears when everyone in the gym started to stare at him. It was music to your ears.

Good for you, you're doin' great out there without me, baby Like a damn sociopath

You were now crying in the last chorus not out of sadness but out of joy, finally, Lee Jeno knows what it’s like to have his heartbroken. All of the other girls and guys were screaming and singing along with you, you were jumping and high-fiving all of them, rocking out to the music. Your mascara was dripping down your cheeks and you looked emotional and powerful.

Well, good for you, I guess you moved on really easily

As you played the last chord on your guitar everyone was cheering. You thanked everyone for the performance as your group hugged your bandmates thanking them for getting you through the performance. You turned to look at Jeno one last time to see him crying. It was beautiful.

good 4 u, Lee Jeno.

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shlutnutt · 3 years

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My favorite pet

-kai anderson smut-

hopefully its good lol not really proof read also

warnings⚠️: gun play, death mention, hardcore penetration, oral sex, fingering, name calling, slapping, sir kink, spit kink, harsh language, bath sex, 69

Working for Kai Anderson has never been easy, you needed the money and urgently for your father's open heart surgery. Kai was extremely cruel almost as if he was just born with a rotten heart, but Winter usually makes it known that he's a great guy.. Even if he doesn't show it.

"Hurry the fuck up you slut! You're here to serve me, not make me wait" Kai demands from the basement in which he'd stay most of his times at in his head designing his world domination plans. "Im on my way Kai! Had to clean up a little, sorry." you apologize as you walk down the creaky stairs leading to his dusty dim basement manwhich in hand. "What have I said about the sorrys Y/N?" Kai gazes up at you while you dont dare step another foot, an intimidating expression suited on his rough face, manwhich in hand, comfortably seated on his wooden chair.

"Sorrys are stupid and unecessary, stupid little sluts like me don't apologize. " you complied. "Good girl." Kai praises, as you automatically sprint back upstairs. There were no words to describe how intimidated you were by Kai Anderson, not because of the fact he was a psychopathic cult leader serial killer, but because of the way he carries himself. Always firm, vigilant, direct and determined . He was also illustrated as a sex god amongst a few of his cult members, they'd talk about how he'd make them come in just one minute in addition to leaving their legs trembling for hours. Even though you were slightly terrified of him you'd not give up the chance to hooking up if he'd offer.

Arriving back home to your little kitten (Dex) you were up for a hot steamy bath after the exhausting day Kai had given you. As you run the water carefully stepping in the oversized bathtub you begin to relax, coming up with the brilliant idea to drink some hennessy to boost your relaxation. You soon jump at the sudden buzzing coming from your phone, noticing it was Kai you instantly pick up to avoid his aggressive protests.

Y/N: "Yeah.. What's up?"

Kai: "You forgot your cat food at my place, Y/N."

Y/N: "Can I umm.. come by pick it up tomorrow? Im kinda busy right now."

Kai: "Nope. No need. I got it, Im at your front door, if you don't mind opening?"

Y/N: "Shit.. Im taking a bath, uhh there should be a spare key under the mat somewhere."

Kai: "You sound dru-"

You terminate the call quickly as your heart soon skips a beat due to the loud unlocking commotion coming from your front door echoing through your empty home. Dex's meowing began to rise, you dont think much of it since Dex gets overly excited from the pure sight of cat food, but when you hear his meowing getting closer along some heavy footsteps you grow alerted, getting ready to step out the bath.

"Can i come in?" You hear a familiar masculine voice politely question from the other side of your bathrom door. "What? no. Im taking a bath can you wa-" Kai enters, pretending to cover his eyes to give you privacy. "What the fuck." you yelp. "Hey, I just needed your help opening the bag, its kinda weird made, plus your little pussy needed attention." you chuckle to yourself from his use of words. "You wouldn't want it to starve to death huh?" Kai questioned you, proceeding to prentending to cover his eyes with the one free hand he had. He looked better than ever.. He wore a black long sleeve shirt which hugged his ripped body along some black fitted jeans, accompanied by his hot man bun, he noticed how you hungrily checked him out and took his hand off his face revealing himself fully to you.

"Like my outfit?" Kai asked in an overly charming voice giving you a silly twirl, which weirded you out since he's alwalys been a meany, could've been because he wasn't in his old deppressing basement away from his deadly cult who does nothing less than slaughter people for entertainment, or maybe it was because of how intoxicated you were. "Yeah, I actually like it. You look so fucking hot. Wait shit I d—" you accidentally let out one of the many thoughts that circled your mind triggering an unexpected shiver to run through your veins causing the little soapy foams that covered your body to vanish into the warm water unintentionally revealing your bare body for Kai to see.

"Oh, God. Don't move, you stay just like that." Kai demanded as his voice deepened to the sight of you. His dark appealing eyes scanned through your own causing your breathing to quicken at an inhuman speed. Unawaredly you bit your lip, effecting Kai's bottom lip to slip under his teeth also. Tension filled the bathroom as you two just stared at eachother, not one of you attempting to break the eye fucking you've been holding onto.

"Take off your clothes." you instinctively order. Kai's eyes widen as he slowly lifted up his long sleeve revealing his battle scars along with his divine form, as you just admired in the temperate warm bathtub you continued to comfortably lay on.

"That's it?" you question as Kai teased lowering his pants down slightly revealing his boxers and sharping v line. "I want more, baby" you order once again, this time softly attaching your hands to your soaped up breasts. "I think I might need some more inspiration." Kai suggested. "What kinda inspiration?" you interrogate once again. "Touch yourself for me, pet." Kai groaned out.

Rolling your eyes a little in response to Kai's nickname you begin to trace your hands down to your soaked core, rubbing it a few times before slipping a finger halfway in, moaning to the view of Kai pleasuring himself through his pants, you gasp to him pulling out a pistol from his inner hip, pointing it at you instantly.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" Kai questions, his warm breath fanning your face softly as he traced his gun up and down your body. "No." you shook your head terrifiedly as Kai's hand wiped the tears that your petrified eyes had shed before slapping the fuck out of you leaving a red mark instantaneously. Whimpering in fear and in pain you spat on his face in disrespect.

Kai paused and slowly cleaned off your spit with two fingers of his bringing it towards his mouth seductively sucking them clean before guiding his fingers from his mouth to yours. "Spit again" Kai motioned his fingers against your mouth signaling you to spit on them once again.

You spat on his fingers as he repeated his past actions, suddenly grabbing you by your neck to his mouth brushing his lips lightly against yours as he whispers against your mouth " You're gonna be good for me, right?" "Yes." you respond attempting to close the gap that you both held when he automatically pulled back to look deep into your eyes saying "It's yes sir, Y/N." "Yes si—" you're immediately interrupted by Kai's harsh lips on yours not giving you an opportunity to come up for air, continuing to trace his gun choking you and pulling your hair aggressively.

You pull on his pants signaling him to take them off as he hears your calls and unbuckles his belt allowing it to loudly make contact against the tiled floor. Tossing his pants elsewhere, Kai pushed you deeper into the bathtub as he joins you, turning on the hot water faucet.

"Open your legs for me." Kai intructs as you obediently do as you're told feeling his fingers fill you up quickly. Keeping his steady rhythm Kai continues fingering you, making out with you allowing his tongue to explore your mouth completely, loud moans filling your bathroom.

"Im really close, Ka– ..sir" you instruct in between needy moans reaching for his cock, provoking Kai to pull his fingers out of you angirly.

Another slap reaches the other side of your face as you whimper in pain. "I told you to call me sir, pet." "But I di–" "Shh, pet. Shut the fuck up. Suck your master's cock will ya?"

You proceed to straddle Kai's bare body against yours slowly and carefully drifting your head down to his erected member and your needy core to his face, forming 69. Beginning to kitten lick Kai's tip you feel his fuzzy face vibrate against your innocence making you moan against his, returning the same vibrations.

"Don't stop doing that.. it feels so fucking good." Kai instructs against your clit in which you obliged. His tongue swiped up and down your core aggressively, sucking your bud and tongue fucking you at times, making your pleasure on him sloppier by the second. Kai grabbed your thighs harshly digging his nails in deep trying to get as close as possible to you whilst flickering his tongue antagonising your swollen clit in which you let out a long deep groan against his freeing your juices all in his mouth in which he slurps dry immediately.

Kai chose to face fuck you belligerently causing your blood flow to your head making you dizzy in the instant as you allow your intoxicated body to be used as a sex toy. "Get on 4, you pet" Kai demanded as he pointed a corner of the now empty-waterd bathtub. "Yes, sir." you obliged once more switching your position as your legs trembled along the way causing a deep chuckle to escape Kai's lips, proud of his work.

Kai slid his erection past your soaking needy folds with no hesitation, causing your back to arch instantly against his. Kai had insane stamina in which you knew the sex wasn't going to be over unless he was done. His hips contacted your ass everytime, creating beautiful wave patterns to form on them, turning Kai on even more by the second.

"F–fuck.. you feel so good, my little slut." Kai praised as he gritted his teeth in between each slap against your ass, making you scream in pure pleasure as your climax was getting closer and closer. "Scream louder for me, Y/N." Kai instructed as you screamed for dear life against his nonstopping thrusts, satisfyingly sighing at the feeling of Kai's member softening inside of you as his warm liquids leaked out of your pussy.

"You're a fucking god, Kai." you praise, calling him by his real name purposely. "Next time I fuck you i'll make sure that you're left in a fucking wheelchair, Y/N." Kai snaps at you totally serious about what he just said while you giggled at his words.

"I love you, byee" your intoxicated self says to Kai's exhausted self, putting on his clothes whilst his wet hair shielded his dark intense eyes.

"Fuck you and feed your cat" Kai responds pointing at Dex who's been locked in the bathroom the whole time, witnessing it all.

"Oh shit."

Damn. Poor Dex lmao

#evan peters #american horror story #ahs cult #kinkyaf #kinkystuff #kinky sub #kinkyshit #smut #ahsfx #kai anderson

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half-blood-goods · 2 years

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Watching The Mummy Returns for the first time, enjoy the live commentary

Oh cool, immediately into battle again

Wait isn't the Scorpion King a movie

Y'all just started walking into the middle of the desert, what was the plan there

Not the evil Anubis bullshit please. I'm so tired of Underworld Gods portrayed as evil. My man was just doing his job.

Hello there handsome man

Oh god, why

Why is there a child 😭

Why are y'all back in tombs, last time wasn't enough?

Oh, dreams, gotcha

NOPE NOPE NOPE

Wrong place for tarantulas

None of the side characters will live till the end, especially not these 3 fuckers, I can already tell

Excuses moi? Whomst U ma'am?

Oh, a vision

Homegirl low-key acts like the entire last movie didn't even happen

Aaaand the certain doom box contains....

Oh cool, the bracelet

This scene single handedly contained more water than the entire last movie

Oh cool, we going back to last place

Diggin' a hole, diggin' a hole

Hey ma'am, why are you looking so good? Weren't you a mummy last time?

Where the fuck did you get both books?

Not the fucking scarabs again

What the fuck is that

Oh, it's Imhotep

✨ exposition✨

Why the FUCK would you put than on your hand you STUPID kid

MY MAN

Oh the Cleopatra treatment? Classic.

TATTOO GUY MY BELOVED

Damn girl, you weren't slacking these last years were you?

✨dramatic cape flip✨

Oh cool, we are saving the world again

Why would you leave a figurative child and a literal child alone in a car?

Ooohh it's a cult. Probably should've pick this up earlier

Oh that's a bit early for the mummies to show up

Sup Imhotep, how have you been?

Is this chick like a spiritual successor or something?

Perfect timing my dude

There's a lot more guns this time and I'm not sure if I like it

THEY JUST TOOK A BUS LMAO

Hope you have insurance on that car buddy

Damn these priests have been practicing

YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE EYES

The opposite of Yeet the kid: Yoink the kid

You know I would appreciate some subtitles for these two

Nice to see a fellow monsterfucker

It's the fucking plague box again

Suddenly you learned English my dude?

See I told you, one fucker down, probably the other 2 too

This Izzy guy will never top old guy, no one will

In his defense, i would have also stabbed that kid's hand if he started the "Are we there yet" bullshit

Imhotep cleaned up good again, but his monster form is still hotter

I hate when they make the villains suddenly incompetent when they have to move on with the plot

I'm low-key confused on what's going on. Why were they fighting and why did they show up the bracelet

W h a t

Ooohhh he brought back his wife

Oh he's leaving context clues. Smart kid.

Wooooahhh. That's a LOT of people

✨water magic✨

Thank God the bird is okay

We goin' on a jungle tour

NOOO NOT THE BIRD I FUCKING JINXED IT

I do NOT like the shrunken heads, thank you very much

I'm getting strong "Don't go into the tall grass" ala Jurassic Park vibes

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

I DON'T LIKE THESE FUCKING TINY-TIKI WANNABES

GET FUCKED, THIS IS FOR THE BIRD

TATTOO GUY NOOO

DON'T FUCKING SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN

That was lucky timing

HOLY FUCK

She's not dead is she? Like, she's gonna come back, right? RIGHT?

Did he just lost his magic?

You know all this scorpion stuff and they didn't even mention Serquet once, I'm kinda disappointed

This guy really isn't looking too stoked about his sister's death

Again, why am I more invested in the villain side's love story?

Oooh, I like the soldiers' design

It's rematch time

Coooool design for the Scorpion King

WAIT IS THAT THE FUCKING ROCK?!

HOLY SHIT THAT'S A LOT OF SOLDIERS

VICTORY

This was a long-ass climax

BETRAYAL

THIS IS WHAT YOU GET, BITCH

Oh god this wonky ass CGI is killing me

Oh hey, I forgot this guy existed

Peace out Tattoo Guy, i never learned your name but you're still the best

Well this movie was... something

Definitely worse than the first one. I felt like this has way too much action and the characters had way less breathing space. Plot was kinda all over the place. Still a solid movie, i guess a 6.5-7/10

All I know is that there's a 3rd one which is like, completely detours from these ones? Which is never a good sign honestly. THANK GOD THE CHILD WASN'T AWFUL. I was fearing that honestly from the minute i saw him, but he did a good job. Also is the Scorpion King movie related to this Scorpion King in this one or is it unrelated? I gotta check later.

#the mummy #the mummy returns #reaction #movies #live reaction #evelyn o'connell #imhotep #rick o'connell #brandon fraser

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tact-and-impulse · 3 years

Text

At Arm’s Length Chapter 15

Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! Let’s kick off the year of the ox with an appropriately obstinate Kamiya dad.

At last, Koshijiro arrives in Kyoto, where reunions and revelations await! The whole gang’s here! Now that I’ve reworked the plot, we’re actually at the halfway point of the story. I’ll be taking a final exam today too, so I’d appreciate knowing what you think! FF.net / AO3

Chapter 15: Reunion

The train’s steady rocking caused him to nod off once or twice, but the sun, cresting over the horizon, kept him awake for good. The sky changed colors, from light purple to intense orange to gentle blue. As he watched, he massaged the back of his neck. It had taken a while to settle in his futon last night, and his muscles were somewhat sore.

Takani had been lightly dozing, and she stirred when the light poured in through the window. She yawned, covering her mouth with one hand. “Did you not sleep, Kamiya-san?”

“On and off. We still have some time before we arrive.”

“Oh, I can’t anymore. I should be ready to work once we disembark.”

“I did hear Sagara-san might have done something that will upset you.”

She clicked her tongue. “Typical!” After a moment, she asked. “Did you hear anything else?”

Mixed feelings. “Nothing medical.”

Her lips pursed in suspicion. “Anything that would upset you?”

“I have no reason to be upset.”

“Hmm. Your arm’s length rule is funny.” She remarked. “But otherwise, I’ve noticed Kaoru has a lot of freedom in her life.”

“I’m her father but she is her own person. Above all, I trust her and she knows if I don’t like something, I will be honest.”

She gave a bittersweet smile. “You and my father would have gotten along. He was very progressive, like the rest of our clan. Men and women alike were encouraged to study medicine. My father was direct too, he always believed patients deserved the truth. I forgot that, over the years.”

“I think your father would be happy that you’re in a better place now, doing good work.”

She did not reply to that, turning her face slightly away. “I’ve been thinking of going back to Aizu.” She slowly said. “Not right now, it hasn’t been finalized, but I am looking for a job there.”

“Do you miss your home?”

“A little, yes.” She hesitated. “I want to search for my mother and brothers. I know it’s probably unlikely they survived, it’s been a decade. However, Dr. Gensai told me about what happened to you and how you turned out to be alive. So…”

“I understand. Would you like me to help? I can send a message to the department there and see if they have any information.”

“Would you?!” Her eyes widened before she forced herself to be composed. She interlaced her trembling fingers. “I…I would be very grateful.”

“It’s no problem. I should have done so earlier. Although I must warn you, it might not be good news.”

Her expression was wry. “I’m a doctor. I’m used to bad news and I’d rather know for certain.”

He nodded. “Yes, that’s true. Can you give me any information?”

She opened one of her books, flipping to a blank section and writing in earnest. “My mother. My oldest brother, and my second older brother. I can give you their dates of birth, and here is our former address. They disappeared, during a fire at Wakamatsu Castle. Do you need anything else?”

“It should be enough to start with. Don’t tear out the pages now, I’ll investigate when we return to Tokyo. Just in case I forget, please remind me.”

“I will. Thank you, Kamiya-san.” Her hair fell forward as she bowed at the waist. When she was upright again, she discreetly wiped at her eyes and Koshijiro pretended not to notice. Outside, the landscape blurred past in shades of green.

When their last train slowed to a hissing halt, it was already mid-morning. Asking for directions, they made their way to the Aoiya. The streets slowly revealed destruction, fallen debris littered about and scorch marks upon walls. Then, there were wooden support beams propping up buildings, and round pits in the streets. Koshijiro stopped. What was supposed to be their destination was half destroyed.

“Hey! You got here fast!” Yahiko approached them, rigidly waving. Bandages wound around his head and disappeared down his neck. He was keeping his torso straight; he must have suffered an injury.

“It’s good to see you.” Koshijiro reached out to steady his shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He grinned. “The Aoiya is worse off.”

“That’s certainly true. Where is everyone else?”

“At the Shirobeko. Uh…” His expression became serious. “Sano’s okay but Kenshin was hurt really bad. Some doctors were brought in last night, but they haven’t left yet.”

That caught Takani’s attention and they followed him to the restaurant. “I thought Kaoru said you were all safe! And you should be resting!” She said indignantly.

“Well, we are safe, we’re not getting attacked. And um, I wrote the telegram. Kaoru hasn’t left Kenshin’s bedside, so she told me to send a message. We figured you both would be here soon, no matter what I’d say, so I just tried to keep it short. Those things are expensive! By the way, how did you make it in one day? Last time, it took three to get to Kyoto.”

Koshijiro provided the explanation. “There was a fight between two gangs, and I was compensated for additional interrogations and paperwork in the aftermath. I was able to pay for the extra expense to take the new railroad route from Yokohama to Kobe. It was luck that we met at the Aoiya.”

“Yeah, I was tired of lying around. I volunteered to get some info, so they can start rebuilding.”

Takani wasn’t pleased. “I’ll examine you later, and I’ll have a word with whoever let you go.”

Fortunately, the Shirobeko was no worse for the wear and after greeting Sae, they walked to the second floor. One room was bustling with activity; Takani rolled up her sleeves and joined the fray, introducing herself as Himura’s doctor from Tokyo. The door closed behind her, and although Koshijiro strained to look, he was unable to see past the huddled group to find any trace of his daughter or Himura. He considered going in but couldn’t think of how he could help. It was best to leave the professionals to their work and Yahiko led him back down the stairs, to find a quiet spot in the yard.

“Do you wanna know what happened?” The boy was eager to divulge the battle in Kyoto. It was a long one, full of action and daring feats. “I took down this guy with wings!”

Some parts were difficult to swallow at first, but he trusted Yahiko. He tended to exaggerate, but he was honest. After his initial fight with Shishio’s second, Kenshin had received a new sakabato from the son of the original swordsmith. This was technically crafted with the first, and it had been the version given to the gods. Now, it would do well in Himura’s hands. Shishio’s naval attack had been thwarted by Himura, Saito, and Sagara; the city was defended by the others, along with the numerous policemen. Yahiko had picked up one of Himura’s moves and used it to claim victory over his opponent.

“You figured it out from watching him?”

“Yeah, but I had to practice in secret, since it’s not Kamiya Kasshin. Kaoru knows now, though.”

“I’m impressed. You’ve become an excellent student, just within this year.”

“Thanks. I want to get stronger, to fight with everyone.” He gave a toothy smile. He had matured a little since Koshijiro had last seen him. “Kaoru also took down one of Shishio’s gang. Her shinai broke, but she kept fighting and won!”

“Did she? I’d like to tell her she did a good job.” He glanced up at the building. He hoped she was alright, as was Himura.

“She wasn’t hurt too bad, and Kenshin will make it. They’ll be okay, Kamiya-san.” Yahiko was very certain of this, or perhaps, he was trying to convince himself too. “And then, Kenshin and Sano-”

“Someone say my name?” At the familiar voice, they turned. Sagara was in even worse shape than Yahiko, with twice as many bandages and his face badly bruised. His right hand was rendered immobile in a sling, and his left fingers were wrapped up as they lifted in greeting. If this was ‘okay’ in Yahiko’s mind, what condition was Himura in? “Hey, old man.”

“Sagara-san, how are you?”

“Still kicking.” He grinned. “Fox is here too?”

“She’s upstairs with the other doctors.”

“Right.” His good humor evaporated, and he trudged over, exhaling loudly as he sat on the back steps. “Kenshin’ll be fine, he definitely will. Now that the fox is helping out, he’s in better hands. Anyway, what were you talking about?”

“I was telling him about our fights!” Yahiko supplied. “But I didn’t mention your new punching technique yet.”

“Leave that to me.” He spun a tale of wandering in the forest, which led to a fateful instructive meeting with a monk. The new technique was essentially a double punch, resulting in increased destructive force. Unbeknownst to Sagara at the time, his teacher was one of Shishio’s comrades. It made for a bittersweet duel in the final battle, and the monk, Anji, had willingly turned himself in.

One by one, the rest of the Ten Swords fell, either in Kyoto or defending their leader, and Shinomori had settled his grudge with Himura in their own match. The story reached its climax with a four-way fight against Shishio. It had been vicious, with Himura using the succession technique of Hiten Mitsurugi, and ended with the other man succumbing to his burns in the prolonged battle. Even after sacrificing his lover, Shishio had died laughing in an inferno.

By the time the story reached its end, it was lunchtime. Sae urged them inside, and as they sat down, Koshijiro realized that there was someone he hadn’t seen yet. He glanced around, craning his head. No sign of him at all, not even a hint of cigarette smoke.

“Where is the assistant chief inspector?”

Neither of them responded at first, exchanging glances. Yahiko stalled. “Uh…”

“We don’t know.” Sagara said. “Last time I saw him, it was after Shishio went up in flames. Saito just walked back in, but I don’t think he died!”

Koshijiro didn’t believe so either, but he wondered what he was going to tell Tokio. “It’s possible he had some work to finish, for whatever the Minister wanted him to accomplish. If he hasn’t returned by tomorrow, we can try to look for him.”

“Yeah, I’ll lead the way. Sounds like a plan, old man.”

The atmosphere remained tense, and Koshijiro was unable to savor much of his meal, though he encouraged the boys to eat and recover their strength. After the dishes were cleared away, he intended for a short stroll outside.

The strong aroma of sake was the first thing he noticed. Leaning against the restaurant’s wall, a tall man was drinking out of a jug. His coat was draped over his shoulders, his long hair in disarray. He wiped his mouth, and his dark gaze landed on Koshijiro.

“So, my idiot apprentice has more people from Tokyo to visit?”

Koshijiro politely ignored the modifier. “Your apprentice?”

“Yes, the idiot who hasn’t woken up yet.” He briefly jerked his head towards the building.

“I’m afraid Himura-san is still unconscious.”

“Hm.” He took another pull, the liquid sloshing. “How do you know him?”

“Himura-san has been living with us. I’m Kamiya Koshijiro.”

“Ah. You’re the tanuki girl’s father.”

“...tanuki girl?”

“The kenjutsu master, who my idiot apprentice is besotted with.” He lifted his hand to his chin, with a smug smile. “Her face reminds me of a tanuki.”

Koshijiro was at a loss to interpret any of that.

“Anyway,” The stranger continued. “I am Hiko Seijuro, the Thirteenth Master of Hiten Mitsurugi. And as it seems, most likely the last.”

“He isn’t dead.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

Kaoru’s letters had not described him in great detail, but Himura’s teacher really was an strange person. Assuming he’d only obtain more questions than answers, Koshijiro opted for another subject. “I heard that you helped protect the city. Thank you for your effort.”

“I only came since it was a request.” His eyes darted to the upper floor again. “I had to get supplies anyway, they still haven’t been delivered yet. Speaking of which…” Abruptly, he straightened and corked his jug.

“Do you need any help?”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle on my own. How’d you lose the arm?”

What a blunt question! Even Hayashi’s son was more tactful, and at least, he had the excuse of childhood innocence. “…Satsuma.” He left it ambiguous to whether it was last year or during the Bakumatsu.

“Hm. This is why I stay out of politics.” Before Koshijiro could respond, he was already stepping out of the alley. Hand lifting in farewell, Hiko walked into the main street without even swaying. The entire encounter had left Koshijiro feeling off-balance, not helped by the overt smell of liquor, and he made his way in the opposite direction.

The other swordsman was still gone when he returned, though something was clearly different within the Shirobeko. Sagara had dozed off and Yahiko had acquired an inkbrush, which was paused in midair between them.

“This…this isn’t what it looks like!” He protested.

Koshijiro suppressed a sigh. “Is it a message you can’t put down on paper?”

“Well, he has ‘evil’ on his back, so I thought he’d like it on his sling too.”

“Let’s ask him when he wakes up. For now, you can practice.”

They must have been too loud, because Sagara snorted and lifted his head. “What’s going on?” Upon Yahiko’s admission, he readily agreed to the addition. “Hell yeah, you can. Thanks!”

“Sure, I’ll start right now!” He aimed for the white cloth.

“Wait a second. Do you know how to write the character?”

“I’ve seen it so many times.”

“Seeing is not the same as practicing.” Koshijiro added. “It’s the same with kenjutsu.”

“You’re right, old man.” Sagara took his side. “Come on, Yahiko, get some paper.”

Grudgingly, the younger boy began to draft his rendition of ‘evil’. Sae approached with a fresh pot of tea and rice crackers, inquiring about her sister and the Tokyo branch. The conversation was a good distraction for a number of minutes.

At last, footsteps echoed from upstairs; the doctors were leaving. Their expressions were not grim, but not totally satisfied either. After they filed out, he heard her voice first.

“Thank you again, Megumi.”

“We’re far from finished. It’ll be a long road of recovery ahead, and he has a very high risk of infection. If it weren’t for the full hospital beds, I would have transferred him to the closest one. The next few days will be critical.” Takani warned, as she descended to the lower floor.

And then, there was Kaoru, following behind her. “I know. I just wish there was more I could do.”

“You’ve done well until now, and unless I call you again, your presence is enough.” The doctor briskly nodded, and then in the direction of Koshijiro. “I’m sure your father will agree.”

Immediately, her face lit up. “Otou-san!” She rushed over to embrace him, and he held her tight. It felt like it had been years since he had last seen her. “I’m happy you’re here!”

“So am I. You look tired, Kaoru.”

“I’m fine.” She argued. There were dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, and her hair was mussed. He laid the back of his hand against her forehead. She wasn’t feverish but she obviously needed rest. Grumbling, she did her best to glare at him. “Geez, I said I was fine.”

“I heard you, I only wanted to be certain. It’s been six weeks.”

She smiled. “Otou-san, you were lonely, weren’t you?”

He deliberately cleared his throat. “We’ve just finished lunch, but I can order anything you’d like.” She had supposedly eaten a late breakfast and claimed not to be hungry, but she sat down with relief. When Koshijiro pushed the rice crackers toward her, she did grab a handful.

“Ken-san has been stabilized, and two of the Oniwabanshuu are watching him in the meantime. I don’t know when he’ll wake up.” Takani informed them as she took a seat. “I will not lie, his condition is serious and we’re treating it as such. We’ll keep a close eye.”

“Thanks for letting us know. Drink up, you deserve it.” Sagara nodded at the teapot.

“Oh? I won’t refuse-what?” Her gaze had followed his sling and she gave a cry of horror upon noticing his right hand. “What did you do?!”

“Sorry.” He said without a trace of regret. “I learned something new.”

“Being foolish isn’t exactly new for you, rooster head.”

“Hey!”

As they sniped back and forth, Kaoru exclaimed. “I almost forgot! Misao should be finished soon with her recon, and she wanted an update. She said she’ll be going through the back.” With that, she stood and hurried through the dining area.

Koshijiro followed suit, and by the time he caught up, his daughter was greeting another girl around her age. She was shorter, her hair in a long braid, and her garb was designed for maximum mobility. She had a familiar face…recognition struck him.

“Otou-san, this is Makimachi Misao.”

“Nice to meet you!” She bowed in greeting, and he certainly remembered that cheeky voice.

“Thank you for hosting my daughter and her friends. But I believe we’ve met before, in Tokyo.” He said meaningfully.

A beat followed, as the girl scrutinized him. Then, her jaw dropped. “Oh. Ohhh. I did, uh, borrow your wallet.”

“Misao!” Kaoru was appalled. “You were the girl who stole from Otou-san?”

“I didn’t know, and I was running low on cash! Sorry!” She held up her hands, palm to palm in apology.

“It’s alright. I believe you’ve fully repaid with your hospitality. Although, it would be wise to refrain from stealing again.”

“For sure, I don’t need to anymore. I’m home again, and so is Aoshi-sama.” At this, her smile dropped. “Physically at least.”

“Are you speaking of Shinomori-san?” The last time Koshijiro had seen that man in person, he had broken into the dojo. He had followed a meandering path since then, but he must have changed for the better.

“Yeah…he’s been hurt too, but he doesn’t talk at all. It’s the emotional pain, I think.”

“That takes time, even longer than the physical.”

“I guess.” She gave a heavy sigh disproportionate to her petite frame.

Kaoru clasped her shoulder. “Misao, why don’t we get Megumi and my father settled in?”

“True, that’s something we can do. It’ll keep our minds off worrying about the men we love.” With renewed purpose, she bounded into the restaurant.

He gave his daughter a very pointed look. “And what exactly did she mean by that?”

Kaoru furiously blushed. “Otou-san, let’s talk later, okay?” And then, she rushed after Makimachi.

So far, people here had been hinting at something, but now this! This response was entirely unfamiliar, and he felt like his feet had been kicked out from under him. What on earth had happened while they were in Kyoto…?!

Somehow, he processed that he was assigned to the same room as Sagara and Yahiko, while Takani would join the girls. Space was cramped, but they had to make do. While his futon was set up, Kaoru had slipped into Himura’s room again, to his frustration. Later, indeed.

Makimachi introduced him to the rest of the Oniwabanshuu, four young men and women with variable injuries but equally bright smiles. They referred to her as their leader, which caused her to turn crimson. “That’s me, the Okashira. Haha!”

Her reaction was odd, and Koshijiro inquired. “Did you not want the position?”

“No, I do. That’s why I took it, when Aoshi-sama…well, he wasn’t in his right mind and I stepped in. But I’m still not used to it yet. But don’t think I’ll quit! I’ll embrace this responsibility, and lead the Oniwabanshuu into a new era!”

A new voice entered the conversation. “Well said, Misao!” Walking up to them, an older man stroked his gray beard. His bandaged shoulder concealed wounds of his own; this must have been Okina. “That determination is exactly what we need. And is this another of Himura-san’s friends?” After the usual pleasantries, he added. “Himura-san mentioned you.”

“Did he?”

“He said you were our trusted ally for the second line of defense in Tokyo, if we happened to fail here.”

Koshijiro glanced back at the too-quiet room. “I’m glad it didn’t have to come to that.”

“I feel the same way.” He smiled kindly. “Have faith in him, Kamiya-san. I was also on the precipice and I pulled through, even at my age. Himura-san will wake when he’s ready.”

Okina then spoke to Makimachi, of what seemed to be innocent errands but the deliberate phrasing made Koshijiro suspect it was code for internal matters. It was clear that he was nudging her into her role, presenting the decisions suitable for a leader to resolve; she was initially nervous but stood her ground. At the end, he was satisfied with her choices and she seemed bolstered. Saying that he’d see them around, the spy left to fulfill his duties.

Makimachi gave another heavy sigh. “Now, what to do, about Aoshi-sama. Oh! Maybe, he’d talk to you. Could you try?”

“I only met him briefly, and you know him best. At the moment, I believe he needs space.” Koshijiro then suggested. “You could write notes to him. My wife and daughter did so, when I was struggling in the past.”

“Notes, huh. That’s a pretty great idea, I can slide them into his room.” She beamed. “Thanks, Kamiya-san! I think I saw the ink and paper downstairs.”

As she grabbed the materials and ran, he remained in the dining area. Sagara and Yahiko were passing the time, playing a game of Go.

“How is he?” Sagara spoke out of the corner of his mouth, as he moved to capture a few white stones.

“Nothing new, as of yet.”

“But Kenshin is the strongest in Japan.” Yahiko insisted. “And he got some of Megumi’s medicine we brought, so that should help.”

“Did Kaoru give it to him?”

“Yeah, while they were talking on the rooftop.”

“Talking on the rooftop?” Koshijiro repeated, and the boy immediately clamped a hand over his mouth. “Why were they there?”

“Er…um…” His eyes were roving about. “They were sitting next to each other and talking really quietly, so it seemed serious. Like, they were gonna kiss or something…”

What?

“Come to think of it,” Sagara mused as he rolled a black stone between his left fingers. “Kenshin said something weird while we were in Shishio’s base. He thought he heard Jou-chan’s voice, and he felt better even if he only imagined it.”

What??

“And she was crying a lot when we came back, saying ‘please don’t die, Kenshin, stay with me’.” His voice hit a terribly executed falsetto. “She wouldn’t let go of his hand until the doctors came. Ah, oops. Sorry, old man, maybe you shouldn’t have-”

But he was already walking away. Before dinner began, he intended to have that conversation with Kaoru. She wasn’t in the girls’ room, only Takani was. She was in the middle of combing her hair and anticipated what he would ask.

“Are you looking for Kaoru? She’s still in his room.” She coolly said.

“Thank you, Takani-san.” He paused. “And thank you for your work today.”

“That’s what I can do for him. Apparently, Kaoru really helped overnight as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a fairly new practice in Japan. When someone loses blood, they can receive more from another person, but there are limitations and it can be dangerous. We’re still figuring it out. However, some people can give blood without fear of hurting someone. Kaoru is one of those people, she said she found out last year. With how much he’d already lost, there was no time to test Ken-san, so it was good to know that about her. Ken-san couldn’t have been stabilized so quickly if she wasn’t here.”

He considered this new information. “I didn’t know. Did you give him any blood as well?”

“I’m not in the same category as Kaoru. So, my expertise is all I can do for him.” Recognizing the double meaning of her own words, her rouged mouth twisted and she resumed pulling the comb through. It was best to leave her alone.

The door was slightly ajar, and he peered inside. Himura was covered up to his chin by blankets. Kaoru knelt at his side, and there was a severely torn gi in her lap, the needle jutting out of the fabric. Her expression was brimming with concern as she looked over him.

“Kaoru?”

She jerked her head towards him. “Otou-san? You can come in.”

He did, properly closing the door behind. He sat next to her, watching Himura’s slow, even breathing. “Any change?”

“No, he hasn’t woken up yet.” She undid a stitch, creating a tighter one in its place. “It’s hard to wait.”

“I know, Kaoru. It’s difficult, but he’s healthy and resilient.”

She didn’t respond at first, her throat working. “When they came back, the moon was rising. Behind them, there was a trail of blood. His blood. He couldn’t walk on his own, or raise his head. He was cold. And when the doctors were closing his wounds, he didn’t even react. Shishio bit into his shoulder, close to where the vessels were. I’m so scared for him.”

“However, you should take care of yourself as well. Overly worrying will not do you or him any good.” He gently reminded her.

“Yeah, but I can’t help it. Okaa-san died in her sleep too…” Her voice diminished as she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand.

At the memory, Koshijiro’s chest tightened. Without speaking, he lifted the blanket enough to find Himura’s hand. A few scrapes were already scabbed over, and his nails had been cut and cleaned. He placed two fingertips upon the sleeping man’s pulse. Rapid, but not abnormally so, given that his body was working hard to heal. “At the moment, he’s not in immediate danger. I heard he received some of your blood?”

She clasped the inner part of her left elbow, where it must have been taken from. “I did. While you were gone, the hospital was paying people for samples, that it could help in emergencies. It was after the students left, so I signed up. I was told that I have good blood, I can restore almost anyone.”

“Well, I expect nothing less from my daughter. You’ve done excellent work, from fighting off Kyoto’s attackers to giving your own life force to Himura-san. I’m very proud of you.”

Her smile was strained. “But he’s still fighting. Otou-san, I don’t want to lose him. We have to return to Tokyo together.” She was on the verge of tears, and he held her shoulder.

Waiting until she was calmer, he quietly broached the question. “Do you love him?”

“I…” She took a deep breath. “Misao’s been in love with Shinomori-san since she was very young. I only met Kenshin at the beginning of the year, but…I really care about him. After we were finished here, all I could wonder about was whether he was safe. I want him to be happy, and even though he carries his past regrets, I want to help him. I may not understand all of it, but if I can make him smile, that's enough for me.” She looked at Himura with an emotion Koshijiro had seen before but not from her. It had been in Kyoko’s face, when he read aloud to her while she was ill. It was longing, tenderness, a deep and unwavering love.

Oh. She really did love him. Not that he was completely surprised, but her confession made it definitive.

However, Himura had not declared his intentions at all. Towards Kaoru, what did he feel? Was it equal to her own for him? He had said goodbye only to her, but what if that had no deeper meaning? And what were the mixed feelings he had spoken of, when they reunited? There was still room for doubt, and thus, still a possibility for Kaoru to be hurt. Right now, Himura’s health was the priority, but after he recovered, there had to be a conversation. Until then, if she wasn’t directly assisting him, keeping the two of them apart at arm’s length was the best course of action. If Himura really did care for his daughter, he would be respectful, and at the very least, begin a courtship. If not…the distance would protect her. Even if she was an adult, Kaoru would always be his little girl. She deserved to be loved in return for what she gave, and anyone who treated her badly would earn his eternal resentment.

“Kaoru, when-” A rustle of movement interrupted him, as very slowly, Himura opened his eyes.

She set aside her sewing, drawing close to him. “Kenshin?”

He lifted his gaze, and his mouth formed a small smile in recognition. Almost too quietly to hear, he murmured. “Kaoru…dono.”

“I’m here, Kenshin. You’re safe at the Shirobeko. I’m glad you’re awake. Thank goodness…” She wiped away her tears of relief.

Urgently, Koshijiro stepped out, calling for Takani, who immediately rushed over. Unfortunately, he was already drifting back to sleep by the time she arrived, but she seemed reassured by the development. Sagara and Yahiko, panting from running upstairs, were disappointed that they hadn’t witnessed the moment. From below, someone complained of scattered Go pieces on the floor.

During the night, they took turns watching him, settled by a tournament of janken. With a win and a loss, Koshijiro was dealt one of the middle shifts. Through his two hours, Himura didn’t stir at all. If he was dreaming, it was hopefully good.

***

At dawn, he went with Sagara to look for their missing ally. They searched the shoreline, where the ship had sunk, and followed the trail to the rebels’ base, which Shishio’s remaining lackeys had fled. He spoke to the Kyoto police, who were making arrests, but no one had spotted the man nor his katana. It was altogether strange.

“Well, there hasn’t been a corpse.” Sagara pointed out. “But what was he thinking? There’s gotta be a reason that he went off alone.” He continued down the path, grumbling to himself.

Aloud, Koshijiro said. “Even wolves hunt better in packs. Isn’t that why I was given responsibilities in Tokyo?” The whistling wind was his only response.

When they returned, Yahiko shared that Himura was able to stay awake long enough for breakfast. Sagara barged in first, cheering to the point where Takani admonished him for being disruptive. She dragged him out by the ear, remarking that his dressings needed to be changed.

Koshijiro saw Himura uncovered for the first time. In the daylight, Himura was startlingly frail. He must have pushed his body beyond its limits, to defeat Shishio. Both of his shoulders were wrapped, the fabric crossing his abdomen. Another wound was at his right flank. Propped up on pillows, he was being spooned broth. By Kaoru.

He felt a twitch in his forehead. “Hello, Himura-san. I see that you are looking better.”

“Hello…Kamiya-dono.” His voice was slightly uneven.

Kaoru fed him another mouthful. “Let me know if you want your tea.”

Himura gave the barest nod, and even that required visible effort.

“The last time we met, it was before you left for Kioisaka.” Koshijiro said, sitting by the door. “I know you did not want to initially leave, but thank you for preserving this country’s peace. I am very glad that you survived, and that you did not have to break your vow.”

“So is this one.” He breathed out. “But this one came close, only once.”

Kaoru had evidently not heard this, because she lowered the bowl. “Kenshin?”

He spoke slowly, hesitantly. “It was after the first sakabato broke, and this one went to find the original smith. He had passed away, and his son was no longer crafting swords, to live quietly with his family. Then, one of the Ten Swords took their infant hostage. This one was given the only katana remaining, in order to save the child.”

Koshijiro frowned. Balancing the vow not to kill against the life of a baby? What kind of person would impose this choice upon Himura? “What did you decide?”

“This one used the scabbard to strike the enemy, and as he went down, this one saw that the sword was a sakabato after all.”

“So, that’s what happened.” Kaoru softly said.

“However, for a moment, this one considered drawing anyway.” His tone was serious; the memory weighed heavily on him. “In that second, it didn’t matter what kind of sword it was. But this one remembered something. The night when Jin-e kidnapped Kaoru-dono. The answer she gave this one, when her life was in danger. To not give in, even when it is tempting. To remember that life should be protected. So this one changed tactics. This one’s first thought was suited for Hiten Mitsurugi, but the issue was settled by Kamiya Kasshin.”

Himura had saved the child, while the principle of ‘the sword that protects life’ had saved him in turn. Since the beginning, he had taken the school’s message seriously, yet this was the first time he explicitly had it in mind during a fight. He was not only wielding a reverse-bladed sword, but the foremost lesson of Kamiya Kasshin as well. It was a subtle change, and Koshijiro approved, with an upwelling of pride and satisfaction.

Kaoru had recognized the significance as well, eyes wide and unconsciously leaning towards Himura. Her voice was hopeful. “Kenshin, you were thinking of Kamiya Kasshin?”

“This one did say that he preferred your vision.” And he smiled at her, a true one that reached his gaze.

Koshijiro realized that this was probably what Yahiko had seen on the rooftop. This closeness, like a magnetic draw to each other, even if they weren’t touching. Before he could remind them of his presence, another voice floated overhead.

“Finally, my idiot apprentice is awake.” Hiko was standing at the threshold, expression impassive.

Himura blinked. “You were here, Shishou?”

“Of course. It took me far too long, because you didn’t tell me the location of a place called the Aoiya.”

To Koshijiro’s surprise, Himura seemed annoyed. “This one believed you would ask.”

“Did you think any of these people would stop and provide directions, while the city was under attack?”

“If you did not know where it was, you could have said that, when this one first told you.”

“Both of you, stop it!” Kaoru interjected, lifting the spoon to Himura’s mouth. “Hiko-san, don’t pester him. Kenshin, you should take it easy. Everyone’s okay, so no more arguing. Understood?”

Reluctantly, they both nodded. A tentative stalemate. The silence was only disrupted by Himura’s sips.

She gave him the last of the broth, then half his tea to wash it down. She was about to stand, but Himura’s free fingers pinched her sleeve, keeping her close. “Thank you, Kaoru-dono.”

“You’re welcome, Kenshin.” She smiled down at him. There was no sign she was resuming her previous action.

“Arm’s length.” Koshijiro said, out of habit, only to remember that Hiko was standing right there.

The man erupted into loud, malicious laughter. “Is that how you’re living, baka deshi? At arm’s length?”

Himura actually scowled. “Shishou…”

“I’ve heard of horrific mothers-in-law, but you? You have a strict father-in-law.”

“Father-in-law?!” Koshijiro and Kaoru exclaimed simultaneously.

“W-what?” She stammered. “That’s not how it is! Otou-san doesn’t act like a…that would mean…”

Himura’s face was a shade close to his loose hair, and his jaw clenched. “Remind this one why you are still here, and not at the mountain.”

“My supplies are taking too long.”

“Yes, they are. Your demands must have been overwhelming.”

This was a different side of Himura, more like the young man he really was. Koshijiro thought it was refreshing, and honestly, his master was insufferable. Tired after finishing his meal, Himura’s eyelids started to fall. Kaoru ushered the men out to leave him be, though she didn’t linger either, stepping out moments later and taking his tray to the kitchen.

With nothing else to do, Hiko leisurely headed downstairs. “Will he be going to Tokyo with you?”

Koshijiro replied. “That is the plan, unless he expresses otherwise.”

“I doubt he will. I’d never seen my idiot apprentice at a loss for words, until your daughter walked into my house.”

“Didn’t he say he had mixed feelings?”

“Ah, so you’ve heard. Half anger and half relief, that’s what he said.”

Anger, presumably that she had followed him when he had willingly gone on this mission. But relief…he had been relieved to see her face. Neither of those emotions, however, were indicative of romantic love.

“But while he’s here,” Hiko continued. “I’ll make up for lost time. It’s entertaining to watch you put him in check. To think, after all these years, the idiot would actually listen to someone and it’s an overbearing tanuki father who just lost his arm.”

“I did not tell you when that happened.”

“No, but it’s in your bearing. You’re awkward, you haven’t entirely adjusted. You still believe you’re inadequate, and that burden is heavier than this coat. Well? What have you done to correct that?”

He really didn’t like this man. He retorted. “At the very least, I wasn’t drinking myself into a stupor out of worry.”

Hiko whipped around, coat flaring and eyes narrowed. Koshijiro refused to flinch.

Then, the so-called Thirteenth Master showed his gritted teeth. “It wasn’t out of worry. Sake is good at any time of the day, as long as there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“And I am content enough to be alive, with or without my left arm.”

“So, if neither of us have complaints, then we have nothing more to speak of. Tell my idiot apprentice I haven’t finished my supply run.” Abruptly, he marched on, striding out of the Shirobeko.

With his frustration boiling over, Koshijiro took the opportunity to begin repacking. He could handle his belongings perfectly fine. And he hated that Hiko’s observation had genuinely disturbed him. When the boys had described the battles, he had been thinking as well, of strategy and how he would have acted. But he had to rework every move, to account for his current state. The one-handed variant of Kamiya Kasshin was in development, and even though he had tested it, his opponent had been unskilled. With how he was now, he wouldn’t have been able to protect anyone in Kyoto, and his own responsibilities had their importance. But seeing everyone’s injuries had stung the swordsman in him. Once he was in the dojo, he’d have to continue his progress.

Kaoru must have heard the noise, because she knocked. Looking around the room, she asked. “You’re going home today?”

“I am. I have work tomorrow.” He turned to her. “Do you want to return with me?”

Immediately, she shook her head. “Kenshin can’t travel yet, and I don’t want to leave him. Or everyone else.”

Sagara and Yahiko were not ready either; Takani intended to continue her care of all of them during the week. On a positive note, Kaoru also enjoyed Makimachi’s company. The younger girl was boisterous and trained in martial arts, so it was no wonder they had become fast friends. “It’s alright if you stay.”

“Really?”

“Yes. After all, I’ll be back next weekend.”

She blinked. “Huh?! I mean, Otou-san, you don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do. Who else will enforce the arm’s length rule?”

“Geez, Otou-san! It’s still in place, even when Kenshin’s hurt?”

“Helping him is an exception. If nothing inappropriate will happen, then there is no issue.”

“I shouldn’t have told you anything.” She grumbled.

He gave a leveling stare. “Kaoru. You don’t mean that.”

“No.” With an exhale, she crossed her arms. “You’re just being really picky about this.”

He sensed that if he unveiled his full reasoning, particularly the possibility that Himura did not care for her in the way she most desired, she would be incredibly upset. Instead, he said. “As a young man and woman, this ensures that you’ll be mindful of how you act around each other. It seems that’s slipped in the past weeks.”

“So we should talk behind folding screens?” As if she hadn’t poked holes through rice paper when she was younger.

He ignored the sarcasm. “If your feelings are true, they will endure. Unless you become formally engaged, the rule will remain.” Wait. Damn it. Damn Hiko for mentioning the word ‘father-in-law’.

Kaoru was bright red. “…Alright.”

“I’m not saying that I expect an engagement or that if there was such a thing, you would be free to do whatever you like.” He hastily added. “It was a hypothetical example.”

“Uh-huh.”

Acutely aware he was digging a deeper hole, he excused himself to say goodbye to the others. Makimachi was in the hallway, lightly humming and glancing up from her ink-covered sheet of parchment.

“Are you leaving already, Kamiya-san? The rest of the Oniwabanshuu are out on tasks, so that’s too bad.”

“Give them my regards, although I’ll be here again in six days.”

“Oh, great! I followed your advice, by the way. Would you like to say anything to Aoshi-sama?”

“Only that I wish he recovers and despite a rough start, I appreciated his aid in this.”

“You got it!” She finished her note with a flourish and turned to the nearest door, cracking it open. She pushed the paper inside, and it fluttered to the tatami. A glimpse showed that Shinomori was in a meditating position, his rigid back towards them. She closed the door with forced cheer; she definitely had an uphill battle, but kindness always won out in the end.

Takani was mixing medicine, though she asked him to let Dr. Gensai know she would be staying. “And here are the pages.” She carefully tore them out of her book.

“It may take time, but I will do the best I can from my end.”

“Thank you, Kamiya-san.” She returned to her work, still melancholy but a little less than before.

Yahiko was next, and he handed off a folded square of paper. “It’s for Tsubame, I said I’d write to her after we won. Don’t read it!”

“I have no intention of doing so.” He gravely answered. Sae also approached with her own message to her twin, which he promised he would deliver. He reiterated his gratitude to her and the staff, and that he was sorry to impose upon them again. It was no trouble, they insisted, and it was fun to have the Shirobeko so lively. Throughout the city, many others had been left with damaged homes, and as it had been with disasters in history, it was the time to come together.

Sagara was attempting to use chopsticks with his left hand, clacking them together. “See you, old man. I’ll be as good as you with one hand, next time we meet.”

“I’m far from an expert.” He humbly said. “Please don’t overexert yourself.”

He did enter Himura’s room one last time, but he was still sleeping. These initial days of recovery would be vital, and Koshijiro hoped he would never receive a telegram bearing bad news.

He took the afternoon train, and his daughter saw him off. “I’ll see you soon.” He intently looked at her.

“Bye.” She huffed but gave him a quick hug before he boarded. And with that, he was alone once more.

***

Despite the late hour, his first stop was the home of the assistant chief inspector, and Tokio greeted him. Her gaze briefly searched behind him, though she maintained a neutral, polite face. He delivered the facts, that her husband was unaccounted for.

“Have you received any correspondence from him?” He asked.

“No, not since he asked if we could take in Eiji.”

Silence fell over them, the worst possibility left unspoken.

“Did he have any contacts I can reach out to?”

“My husband’s work is highly classified, and I don’t think we are at that point yet. I’m more concerned with why he hasn’t notified me. Nothing can tame a wolf of Mibu, but he comes home if he’s told to. And I told him to come home.” Tokio emphasized. Her gaze was tracked on the horizon, and only the slight trembling of her hands gave away that she was in turmoil.

“You will be the first to know if I hear anything from Kyoto.”

“Thank you, Kamiya-san.” From within the house, Tsutomu whined, and Eiji called out hesitantly to her. She gave a quick bow before hurrying to the children, the door closing behind her.

If…no, when he saw Fujita again, he would have to give him a piece of his mind. Worrying his allies and his own family was too much.

The following morning, he kept his promise to Takani. He sent the information she had provided to the police department in her hometown, requesting for anyone who met the descriptions and to write back to him. In the meantime, he would continue to work, with his lunch break at the Akabeko so he could deliver the letters. Tae thanked him, and Tsubame had turned pink upon reading her paper.

According to recent reports, there was a scavenger in the vicinity of Chinshu Forest, and the station was told to keep an eye out. The younger officers also said there were rumors of a ghost, which Koshijiro ignored. When one of the rookies, Ikehira, went to investigate and confessed he had just missed whoever this scavenger was, but they could set up a perimeter. Koshijiro detoured there on his way home, to see if he could uncover more.

He heard the noises first. Dull scraping, heavy breathing. He kept his hand on his baton, as he drew closer. Near a small shrine, there was a young boy, scrambling in the dirt. He was around Yahiko’s age and he was singularly focused on rearranging the ground. Grass bits and clumps of earth were scattered around him.

“Hello?” Koshijiro called out. “Are you lost?”

The boy turned, and Koshijiro saw that he was a filthy child, as if he had been living in the wilderness. Like an animal, he bared his teeth and ran off. Koshijiro made to follow, but the boy was faster and smaller, disappearing into the brush. Within a few minutes, he could only hear his own footsteps. Unable to pursue any further without venturing into unknown territory, he resorted to finding his way out of the forest, back into town. He had not heard news of a missing boy, so who was that?

#rurouni kenshin #fanfic #kamiya koshijiro #kenkao #which our narrator is forced to address again #i have a much better idea of this story from now on #so i hope you'll cry a lot and laugh a lot too #<3

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makeste · 5 years

Text

BnHA Chapter 231: hey wHAT THE FUCK

Previously on BnHA: Horikoshi was all “lol what if the guy who can clone himself but is too afraid gets over his fears and makes like 200,000 of him,” and then he chuckled and did it. Re-Destro was all, “(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ...hey, Skeptic.” Skeptic was all, “!!!” and quickly faded himself out of existence like that kid in that one meme. The Legion of Twices rolled across the city leaving chaos in their wake, and helping Compress out of a jam in the process. Meanwhile King Cone continued to harass Dabi, who’s apparently starting to cook himself from the inside out, which I think we can all agree is probably not good. Then, over in the Ol’ Villain Laboratory, Ujiko abruptly decided to throw the LoV a bone and wake up Machia, because I guess Horikoshi was all “so anyway we should do that climax now I guess.” So on to the climax we go?

Today on BnHA: Machia awakens and starts zooming toward where the action is. We then cut to Osaka, where Hawks is apparently waiting for Dabi to show up (he’s late, wonder why that is) because he has a delivery for him. No idea what said delivery is, none whatsoever. Oh hey there, flashback of Best Jeanist -- OH NO. FLASHBACK OF BEST JEANIST, HAWKS IS COMING. OH MY GOD HE HAS AIRPODS ON HE CAN’T HEAR US ffffff. Anyway so we’re just going to ignore all of that, and back in the present Twice catches up with Spinner and Tomura who are both happy to see him and very pleased with his recent character development. The group of them have almost made it to Re-Destro’s tower, although both Spinner and Twice appear to be concerned about Tomura’s current exhausted state. The chapter ends with Twice (well, one of the Twices) arriving in the tower to rescue Princess Giran from Re-Destro’s clutches, which, fuck yeah.

(All comments are my 99% unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity immediately afterward, and added a couple of ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.)

so if anyone tried to send me an ask in the last 24 hours or so, you may have noticed that my inbox was temporarily closed (I’ve reopened it now). this was due to a very polite anon ask I received yesterday morning which was nonetheless ominous as fuck

like, holy shit, lol. so of course my brain immediately panicked and came up with a whole list of things that this could possibly be referring to

Giran dies

someone else dies

Horikoshi kills another dog

Kacchan’s provisional license is revealed but his thumb is conveniently blocking out his hero name because Horikoshi is, in fact, evil

Re-Destro transforms into a big ugly spider-crab creature like Overhaul

RD transforms into something even worse, like a mushroom, or a centipede

worst-case scenario: “My Hero Academia will be on break next week.” or for two weeks. or, god forbid, an entire month. can you even fucking imagine holy shit

so anyway, as previously mentioned I immediately closed my asks so as to protect myself from any potential spoilers, and then I settled in to wait. and now I am finally reading the chapter, so I guess I should brace myself for whatever terrible things are about to unfold

and we’re opening with... what the fuck...

I guess it’s a nose lol

lmao oh my god

are you telling me he is going to track down Tomura by scent. Tomura just how rank are you after six weeks of nonstop battling in the woods. no wonder Machia hates you so much. was it really so simple this whole time

anyway, so now this is happening

I’m not even the one he’s hunting down and even I’m terrified. say a quick prayer for the Liberation Army of Assholes, everyone. they were, as the name implies, assholes, but I’m not sure anyone deserves what’s about to go down. Geneva Convention about to be violated something fierce

ASKDFJLWIREFJOAIJDLKLSDKFJSLDAKF

WELL IF IT ISN’T THE BIRB TRYING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIS BOYFRIEND, WHO UNBEKNOWNST TO HIM IS CURRENTLY FIGHTING GOOD HUMOR WHILE TRYING TO COPE WITH HIS ORGANS BEING ON FIRE. HELLO THERE, HANDSOME

8. new worst-case scenario: Hawks fucking dies. oh my god. I’m about to go put this whole fucking chapter down right now and go take a walk while trying not to panic

so Hawks is crouching on that rooftop with a big ol’ bag. whatcha got there Hawks

(ETA: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻)

and he’s being smart and stuff

okay correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that Various Bits Of Giran ominously turning up at all of the League’s Greatest Hits locations ought to count as an incident related to the League. eh?? sounds to me like the Hero Network has been slacking

-- NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9. NEW NEW WORST-CASE SCENARIO BEST JEANIST FUCKING DIES WHAT THE FUCK

(ETA: and I also missed the part about the sidekicks the first time around! what the fuck!!)

BITCH I REALLY AM ABOUT TO GO OUT ON THAT WALK!?!? WHAT’S HORIKOSHI’S EMAIL I WANT TO WRITE HIM A VERY STRONGLY WORDED LETTER

shit. well look. if I just stop right here and don’t finish the chapter then it can’t hurt me. but on the other hand, if I quit BnHA right now and delete my tumblr then I’ll never find out Kacchan’s hero name. so anyway this is a really big dilemma for me as you can see guys, but I guess I’m just gonna have to suck it up and read on anyway because I apparently hate myself

ohhhhh shit

who’s he talking to?? that doesn’t sound like Dabi. and Tomura doesn’t know that Hawks exists. I’m thinking this must be Ujiko, then

lol he’s apparently out in public while taking this call, and his adoring fans are all “OMG WHO’S HE TALKING TO IS IT HIS GIRLFRIEND.” first of all, I think we all know Hawks doesn’t swing that way. and second of all, haha nope

anyway so now he’s flying off to go get some fucking privacy

okay now I’m absolutely positive this isn’t Dabi lol

because if that is Dabi being all “SPICY!!!” then I must say I’ve really failed to get the correct read on Dabi’s character up to this point. like, I could not have gotten that more wrong if I tried

wow Hawks is really going all in on his whole “secretly disgruntled traitor” act. if I didn’t know better I sure would be convinced

I love the juxtaposition between what he’s saying and what he’s actually thinking here. he’s so fucking smart, it’s ridiculous. constantly playing this dangerous game of chess in his head and judging what to say and how to act to best gain their trust

wow who is this?? maybe it really is Dabi

either that or someone new?? is the plot thickening?? jesus christ I was not prepared for any of this, I thought it was just gonna be a chapter of Gigantomachia fucking shit up. not all of this Intrigue

yep it is Dabi. wow Dabi. I’m gonna call you Spicy from now on you little freak

-- HOLD THE FUCKING PHONE

BACK THE FUCK UP. IS THIS IMPLYING THAT FUCKING HAWKS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR KIDNAPPING OR FUCKING MURDERING MOTHERFUCKING ULTIMATE FINEST JEANIST, BECAUSE I’M ABOUT TO LOSE MY SHIT OVER HERE WHAT THE FUCK

AND NOW WE’RE CUTTING TO ANOTHER BUILDING SOMEWHERE, STILL IN FLASHBACK MODE, AND IMMA KEEP THE CAPSLOCK ON JUST IN CASE BECAUSE I HAVE A FEELING THAT WE MAY JUST BE IN NEED OF IT

I CAN’T BELIEVE HORIKOSHI WENT FROM “HAHA LOOK AT ALL THESE TWICES” TO “HAWKS FUCKING MURDERS BEST JEANIST!!!” IN THE SPAN OF A SINGLE CHAPTER OH GOD

OH GOD!!!

BUT CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT TWO LUNGS, BEST DEAD MAN WALKING???

FUCKKKKKKKKKKKFLSDKJ

MAYBE I DON’T REALLY NEED TO KNOW KACCHAN’S HERO NAME AFTER ALL SOB IT’S BEEN A GREAT MANGA EVERYONE, WONDERFUL GETTING TO KNOW YOU ALL BUT I CAN’T

... [CLICKS TO NEXT PAGE WHILE SOBBING!!!]

HEY WHAT THE FUCK WHAT IS THIS! WHERE DID THE FLASHBACK GO!!

HEY GUYS. OKAY LISTEN. IF BEST JEANIST’S HEAD IS IN THAT BAG, I’M ABOUT TO RAGE QUIT THIS WHOLE SCENE THOUGH

aaaaaaand now we’re cutting back to King Joffrey* VS Choco Taco. great

*this is a reference to Game of Thrones you guys. “bring me his head!” it’s not the best joke because I immediately realized it would probably require an explanation, hence me explaining it right now. but I’m not gonna go back and delete it though because, well. if the shoe fits, Spicy Boi

maybe it’s not Best Jeanist’s head. maybe I’m having an extreme overreaction to this whole thing. maybe the bag is filled with flowers. or letters to Santa that he’s delivering. or something else really good and wholesome and not-terrible

maybe they found someone with a cloning quirk like Twice’s, and they made a fake Jeanist and decapitated him? Hawks isn’t a fucking murderer though, like surely he wouldn’t go that far to gain the League’s trust even if it would save a lot of lives in the long run. right?? someone please reassure me here I feel like I’m on a boat slowly drifting out to sea with no way back sob help

oh hey look who finally decided to show up again!

and Spinner too! somehow I straight up forgot about him. maybe he’ll finally show us his quirk and we can forget all this Sopranos bullshit

wow, despite being completely fucking tanked from sleep deprivation Tomura is actually having a very reasonable conversation with Spinner and I’m fucking impressed actually

it’s really starting to seem that the lack of sleep is actually making him saner, which is extremely intriguing. it’s like whatever brainwashing/mental manipulation that Ujiko and AFO did is slowly losing its effect because of how tired he is. first the flashbacks, then the power upgrade, and now this uncanny single-minded focus that he’s developed. idk, just my theory, but I think we’re seeing a bit of his real personality starting to shine through here

anyway so I guess all these fuckers are about to die

place your bets everyone. will it be Tomura continuing on his rampage? Spinner finally revealing his quirk? Machia making his grand entrance? or a surprise entrance from Hawks wondering why his boyfriend didn’t show in Osaka like they agreed to retrieve his head in a bag sobbbbb

and maybe I should take back what I previously said about Tomura becoming saner, though. ...

though I mean, even if he’s saner in general he is still kooky from the no-sleep though

also it looks like the Twices have finally arrived! I didn’t even include them as an option to bet on. I’m really losing my touch here. it’s almost as if I’m distracted by something!!

okay, and now Twice is tackling Tomura to the ground for some reason while screaming “HIYAAAAH!” not how I was expecting you to deal with the situation Jin but okay

okay but not only is Tomura accepting this with more grace than some football quarterbacks, but he’s genuinely starting to remind me of Deku now holy shit. I take back my take-back. jesus christ when did he get so mellow?!

“I have no idea why you just fucking shoved me into the pavement for no reason but wow, you’ve really gotten stronger bro!” okay, things I was not expecting to happen in this chapter: Hawks going Full Evil while Tomura inches ever closer toward being a straight up nice dude

Twice is all “yeah!!” and says he hopes he can finally be useful to Tomura now. aww

meanwhile the Army of Dipshits is charging in again since they all want to die, apparently. I keep waiting for a few of them to have an epiphany in the background and be all “you know what, maybe I should get the fuck out of here and to hell with Re-Destro though.” but nope, they’re all idiots. it’s really something

Tomura is so fucking nice. his niceness is the balm I needed to soothe my anxiety over Best Deadest Jeanist

... [headpats]

he remembers from before that RD and Giran are supposedly up in the tower, and he’s more than ready to kill the former. quote unquote, “kill him reeeealll good.” that’s what I like to hear, Tomura

oh my god

motherfucking League of Softies right here. well except for Todoroki “Queen of Hearts” Touya. there, I worked in a more accessible chopped-off-heads reference for you guys. anyways he has issues, but the rest of the League of Angels is very sweet though

so Twice is shouting “just leave it to mes! hang on Giran, I’m coming for ya!” and I suddenly got scared all over again for Giran oh my god. please don’t hurt him, I was prepared for it before but now Best Jeanist is dead probably and I’m a fragile, vulnerable mess who’s trying to cope with humor and failing sob please

oh my GOD

SHIGARAKI TOMURA I KEEP JOKING ABOUT HOW NICE YOU ARE AND YOU KEEP ESCALATING YOUR LEVEL OF NICENESS TO MATCH MY FUCKING EXAGGERATIONS THOUGH, WHAT THE FUCK. “I WON’T FORGIVE YOU FOR TOYING WITH PEOPLE’S HEARTS LIKE THAT.” FOR REAL?!?! WHO EVEN ARE YOU

oh it’s this guy again

so did I honestly

you deserve to die a quick and brutal “Indiana Jones shooting the guy with the big sword” death, buddy. my fingers are crossed for Gigantomachia to just plow right through you as soon as I click to the next page. Horikoshi owes me, so

goddammit

wow this is almost verbatim Syndrome’s speech from the first Incredibles

also these guys just keep on getting more horrible. good job assholes

so Spinner’s thinking to himself that every time Hanabata gives a speech his lackeys get more fired up. and he’s wondering what to do because ‘I can’t let Shigaraki get any more exhausted!’

the love these guys have for each other though, I swear. like it genuinely is the sweetest thing. honestly the only real problem I have with this arc so far is that my disbelief is going to be crazy suspended if and when they go back to kidnapping kids and shit after this arc. there’s just no way I’ll be able to reconcile that in my head with the current League of Darlings here. I feel like it would be more consistent for their next scheme to be them angrily raising money for a charity or something

now what’s happening up in the tower

oh shit

that was fast Jin

and he continues to be hot. now he’s even doing it while still wearing the Deadpool mask! this is outrageous

gotta love that trash talk. “so you’re the asshole that kidnapped our broker and chopped off his hand and beat up my girlfriend! well guess what! YOU’RE BALD YOU BIG JERK”

Giran hotness status: still hot. this one basically goes without saying but it’s still worth a mention

bold fucking move bringing up your dead mouse secretary, Re-Jerko. sob. please don’t kill Giran or Twice. is that the real Twice?? -- no, because the real Twice is still sitting in that backyard with his arms broken, that’s right. but still, I’d prefer if you didn’t kill this one either though but whatever

where is Skeptic. you’d figure he’d have run into him on his way to the top of the tower. that’s unsettling, him still being out there somewhere

lastly, so long as Schrödinger’s Jeanist’s status remains unconfirmed I will go ahead and assume those really are letters to Santa in Hawks’s bag. that’s so sweet of you Hawks. you’ll fit right in with the League of Saints and I’m sure they’ll be pleased to welcome you

what a sweet and wholesome chapter where nothing bad happened and Best Jeanist is probably just off in Tahiti somewhere enjoying life with his one remaining lung well good night everyone

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dr-gloom · 4 years

Text

The Climax (Ch 2)

Commission Me (please)

Ch 1 Ch 3 Ch 4

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Fandom: Sanders’ Sides

Pairing: Moxiety

Tags/Warnings: discussion of rape, depressed character, depression behavior, self-deprecating/self-hate, mentions of a character refusing to eat, slight guilt-tripping

Read it on AO3

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Virgil had held Roman’s hand as he gave a statement to the blank-faced cop, eyes locked on the faux-wood table. After fingerprinting and DNA collection, they asked if they could do a rape kit. Virgil only agreed to it once they reassured him Roman could stay in the room, and he’d hiccupped and sobbed into Roman’s shoulder as clinical hands collected evidence, Roman shushing him softly and petting his back. Once that was done, they asked to take his clothes and offered MDPD sweats for him to wear home. Virgil changed into the soft, loose clothes and left with Roman, gripping his hand.

Virgil refused to get out of the car when Roman drove him back to the apartment. Roman supposed that was a stupid move on his part and started driving to his place without another word, turning on the radio to break the silence.

“Hey, Roman,” Virgil mutters. Roman glances at him out of the corner of his eye and hums questioningly. “Do you think… You think Pat’s gonna break up with me?”

Roman actually looks at Virgil at that with a bewildered expression. “Why would you think that? He loves you! Once he hears what really happened, I’m sure he’ll take everything back.”

Virgil shrugs limply, looking out the window. “I let him do it again. I cheated on him. I’m tainted.”

Roman purses his lips and pulls over, putting the car in park and turning fully to face Virgil. “Virgil, look at me.” Virgil turns his head to look at Roman, looking tired and defeated. It made Roman’s heart clench. “You did not cheat on Patton. You were raped. None of this is your fault, and if Patton ever holds this against you I’ll kick his ass. Not that I think he ever would.”

Virgil just sighs and goes back to looking out the window.

Roman fluffs the pillow one more time, smiling down at his work. Unlike Patton and Virgil he couldn’t afford a two-bedroom apartment, so Roman had set him up on the couch, complete with bed sheets, a blanket, and his softest pillow. He smiles and turns to Virgil, who’d been standing in the entrance to the kitchen with a mug of tea while he worked. “What do you think? Not too shabby, huh?” He grins. When Virgil doesn’t immediately respond, his smile fades. “Virge? You okay?”

Virgil gnaws on his lip, looking anywhere but Roman as he asks quietly, “Can I… Sleep with you? Don’t wanna be alone…” Roman’s heart clenches. He’d thought Virgil would feel uncomfortable laying next to someone else after what happened, but he forgot that Virgil had basically just ended things with Patton, too. Of course he would want to be close to someone. And Roman was all he had, at least until this was all sorted out.

“Of course, V.”

Roman doesn’t bother fixing the couch, instead making sure Virgil’s done with his tea before lightly dragging him to bed and curling up next to him. He smiles softly as Virgil wraps his arms around Roman and closes his eyes, falling asleep soon after.

Roman wouldn’t be so lucky, his mind working furiously on how to fix this before it gave in and mercifully let him sleep.

That had been nearly a month and a half ago. Virgil was still living with Roman, and with each week that passed more of his things were integrated into the apartment. Patton had proven nearly impossible to get ahold of, but Roman was sure he was staying with Logan; when he went to get more of Virgil’s things, he’d notice some of Patton’s missing as well. No matter when he called or how many times he did, Patton refused to answer. Logan would, of course, but if asked about Patton he would simply say “That is not my business to divulge” and hang up. It was beyond frustrating.

Virgil had barely left bed the entire time he’d been staying with Roman. On a good day, Roman could get him to spend a couple hours on the couch watching a movie, or get him to sit on the little patio connected to his apartment. Though, on the bad days (which greatly outnumbered the good ones), he would only get out of bed to go to the bathroom, and sometimes to eat. That in itself was a battle. Sometimes he just didn’t care, sometimes he didn’t have the energy to, and sometimes he thought he didn’t deserve to eat Roman’s food.

Roman was at his wit’s end. It was breaking his heart seeing Virgil like this, and he was beginning to fear for his health. The weight loss was visible now, Virgil’s cheeks hollowing out a little, his hands a bit more bony. Roman was sure he was weeks if not days away from hair loss, and Virgil didn’t even seem to care.

After the second week, Roman had gently recommended that Virgil sleep on the couch if only for a change of scenery, and Virgil had become nearly inconsolable, gasping and sobbing that he was disgusting, even his friend couldn’t stand to be around him anymore, he was useless, ugly, worthless. Roman had nearly cried hearing what Virgil said about himself, spending nearly two hours talking Virgil down and apologizing. He hasn’t broached the topic since.

Roman thought about all this as he got dressed, pulling his shoes on with a sigh and pocketing his wallet and keys. He slips into his room, pressing a soft kiss to Virgil’s hair. Virgil’s eyes flutter open and Roman smiles at him kindly. “Gonna run to Starbucks. Want anything?” Virgil seemed to think about it for a moment, Roman holding his breath.

“... Hot chocolate?”

Roman beams. Virgil hasn’t wanted to eat or drink anything besides water in days. “You got it. Back in a bit.” He gives Virgil another head kiss and slips out of the room, humming to himself as he makes his way out of the apartment and to his car. As he drove, he continued to think. If he could just see Patton in person, he could explain everything and Patton and Virgil could talk it out! The trick was finding Patton, or getting him to go somewhere when he wouldn’t even answer the phone.

Roman parks outside the Starbucks and gets out, heading inside. He orders a tall non-fat vente latte with extra whip and Virgil’s hot chocolate, then stands to the side. He looks around, admiring the decorations on the walls.

And then he sees them.

Roman thanks whatever deity is out there looking out for him as he marches up to Logan and Patton’s table. He slaps his palms down on the wood, looking right at Patton, feeling a sense of satisfaction as Patton looks up and his smile dies. Logan watches with a raised eyebrow; truthfully, he’d been thinking a confrontation was overdue.

“Why won’t you answer our calls?”

“W-well, I-”

“You know Virgil’s barely left my bed? He also barely eats. He thinks he doesn’t deserve to.”

An unreadable look crosses Patton’s face. “But I-”

“You didn’t even wait for him to explain! You just left him there, alone , after he was raped!”

The words are out of his throat before he even realizes he’s said them. Roman’s eyes widen and he looks around the small shop, most of the chatter dieing down. Oh, screw them, they don’t matter right now. Roman turns back to Patton.

Patton’s face is pale as a sheet, his eyes wide, hands slack around his coffee cup. His voice is barely more than a whisper as he asks, “What?”

Logan sighs, motioning to the chair in front of Roman. “You might as well sit down.” Roman nods, pulling out the chair and sitting down. Normally, he’d say it wasn’t his place to share this story, but they needed to hear it and Virgil wasn’t going to say anything. He sighs, beginning his recount of that day a month and a half ago.

Tears are streaming down Patton’s face. Some of the anger Roman’s felt since that day ebs away, knowing Patton regrets everything he said and did. He stands up when his name is called. “Look, I’m really sorry to just leave like this, but V wanted hot chocolate and right now, nothing else matters more to me. Text me later if you still wanna talk.”

Logan nods in understanding as Patton wipes his eyes. “Thank you, Roman. We’ll be in touch.”

Taglist: @bunny222 @a-fander-named-skittles @eggy-boyo @hungry-red-panda @neonb-fly @punsterterry @unbefuckinglieveable @metaphoricalpluto2

(also i noticed when i was adding links to past Parts that my taglist used to be bigger so im sorry some of yall got dropped i fixed it)

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notspoondere · 4 years

Text

The Mechanical Flavor of the World Legacy Characters

[This blog post discusses “flavor” with respect to the card design in Yu-Gi-Oh!. If you’re not already familiar with this term, it’s captured pretty well in this article by Mark Rosewater. Just keep in mind that flavor may also describe card effects.

Also, all of the images embedded in this post can be viewed full-size here.]

With the printing of Girsu, the Mekk-Knight Orcust in Eternity Code and the full spoiler of Rise of the Duelist, it is looking more and more likely that we’ve reached the end of the World Legacy storyline. It’s possible that new story-focused cards for these archetypes will be printed in the future, but it’s probably going to take a backseat to functional legacy support, similar to what happened with the Duel Terminal archetypes that received support in the Link VRAINS sets. As a result, I figure this is a good time to talk about their overall design and point out what I feel is its biggest success over Duel Terminal: flavorful designs.

To illustrate this difference, let’s consider a pretty key player in the Duel Terminal storyline and keep track of his effects as he changes forms throughout the story. (Consult the translations for Master Guide 4 if you’d like evidence that the first three monsters all portray the same character.)

We can see a pretty linear increase in stats from Sentinel to Roach, and he has a theme of caring about level 5 or higher monsters. This gets a pretty nice followup, becoming a Vanity’s Fiend for lv5 or higher monsters in... Evilswarm Ophion, which is a totally different card not present on this chart, because the powers of the Sacred Tree let him nuke the field instead!!

He then inherits the powers of Sophia and ends up weaker because Exciton got banned. Bravo. (It’s worth mentioning that the original form of Ophion, Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, has a completely unrelated effect of discarding cards to destroy cards, and Evilswarm Bahamut steals monsters instead of bouncing cards like Brionac, but Evilswarm Ouroboros at least tries to approximate Trishula.)

Can you see the problem? I was going to make another image showing this off until I realized that following Gem Knight Lazuli all the way through Construct’s various forms would take way too much horizontal space, but feel free to construct an explanation in your head for why combining Apoqliphort Towers (the real one) with El Shaddoll Construct (foolish a Shaddoll/Catastor eff) makes Shekhinaga (Divine Wrath on a fusion) or why adding in Infernoid Devyaty (wipes backrow, also tributes to negate a monster) and some ice turns that combo into Anoyatyllis (Konami said fuck Nekroz). It’s because these cards are either not designed for flavor, or are designed around the flavor of their archetypes rather than that of their characters, so the characters in general have a pretty weak identity.

You could maybe say that’s because Duel Terminal is a grand-scale war story, so none of the characters are meant to stick out. That would make sense, sort of, so what about stories with fewer characters that change forms multiple times? The Dracoslayer lore did that.

I’m not typing out all of what Master Peace 2 does, but in case you weren’t around from May 2017-2018, you can read that here. He’s a Wyrm because all the True Dracos are, except his previous form wasn’t, except all of them probably could have been without hurting their chances of seeing play (until we got Guardragons Elpy and Agarpain).

The sole thing that ties all of these cards together is that they supposedly feature the same character, and all have effects that destroy cards. They have about twice as many differences. Master and Luster are both Pendulums, while the other two aren’t. Master Peace 1 is a Special Summon by Tributing, but Master Peace 2 requires a Tribute Summon to gain effects. Master Peace 1 has a negate, for some reason, even though none of the other forms have it, so if he gained it from the Dracoverlord tributed for his summon (these are his enemies, by the way), then he apparently forgot it by the time he reappeared in the story. Speaking of which...

In the lore, he essentially aids three tribes (Majespecter/Dinomist/Igknight) trying to fight off the Amorphages, and the Extra Deck Dracoslayers represent their powers combined. True Dracos exist because, in a totally different world, three completely different tribes (Zoodiac/Crystron/Metalfoes) are being assailed by the True Kings. They form a summoning circle (Dragonic Diagram) to summon him for help, and he accepts the power of the other True Dracos or something. The other True Dracos (who are also based off of the first three archetypes, like the Dracoslayer extra deck... for some reason) are disciples of Mariamne, the True Dracophoenix, who mechanically is a True King and shares minimal synergy with any of these cards, and the one who seemingly gets things done is Metaltron XII, the True Dracocombatant, who probably is just the three tribes’ power combined. Who also gets protection from effects by being Tribute Summoned and also floats into anything from the Extra Deck that isn’t LIGHT/DARK. And Konami says he’s a Zefra now. And who the fuck is Dreiath III supposed to be? He’s not even good?

I have many problems with True Draco. Anyways, let’s get to the point. (Nin/Long/Din)Girsu’s character arc, as shown through monster cards in the World Legacy story, is much more internally consistent.

Let’s assume that Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight is a de-powered form from after the battle inside the World Gears (presumably he lent this power to Avramax, though this isn’t shown in the artwork; also, he has Ib’s ribbon on his arm). It’s understandable why the maindeck cards and extra deck cards should do something different, and the first maindeck monster is a vanilla anyways, so I wouldn’t consider it that bad of a break. No idea why he’s a Mekk-Knight though.

These effects form a pretty clear pattern. Girsu here sends things to the GY without targeting them and eventually gains protection effects as he grows in power. His ultimate form is the only one that lets him protect other cards, which is maybe a statement on his goals given how long he spent trying to revive his dead sister, and if that holds water, Mekk-Knight Orcust Girsu is evidence of his eventual success. After all, this card by itself can summon every single one of Ib’s forms except her vanilla and Knightmare incarnations.

That is to say, we gain a bit of understanding of Girsu’s abilities, goals, and bond with his sister through the mechanics of his cards, and if you don’t think that’s the tightest shit, well, I just made you read nearly 1k words on why it is. Better yet, there’s more:

Auram’s extra deck incarnations all have ATK-boosting effects, and his World Chalice form translates him getting more powerful with the World Legacies. Both Blademaster and Crusadia Equimax activate effects by tributing monsters they point to, suggesting how he calls upon his allies for help--there’s a reason Ningirsu went off and ended up with a bunch of brass instruments as his only company while Avram wandered the world with his best friend (who is a fucking dragon) and scored himself a choice elf harem. They call him King because he wears the crown, you see?

On the topic of Crusadia, let’s take a closer look at how Equimax is typically summoned. Typically you’ll try to get a Normal Summon on board, hope it sticks to make Magius, summon again to search Draco, and build your way up with Crusadia monsters to make Equimax. Afterwards you’ll want to boost his damage with the effect of Maximus, summon a large monster to one of his zones, or buff him with the spell you searched off of Regulex. Any two Crusadia monsters with different names can do most/all of this, so think of it as an “all your powers combined” thing a-la Metaltron XII, except executed much better.

(Sidebar: If you’re willing to entertain a bit of theory, the Crusadia maindeck is the epitome of a successful flavorful archetype design. Pretty much every Crusadia list maxes out on every monster in the main because they’re all interchangeable, even though they all have different effects. You could argue that Draco and Reclusia are way better monsters than Leonis, but fundamentally it doesn’t matter; you need two of them and it doesn’t matter which two. This lends them a sense of uniformity without erasing their uniqueness, which suggests that the Crusadia are an army of equals and Maximus may be the leader “de facto”. I highlight this because World Chalice tried to do the same thing, except that deck eventually cut its normal monsters down to a single copy of Chosen, and nobody ever played Crowned.)

Meanwhile, Avramax sports his ultimate ATK-boosting effect, protects other monsters from attacks, is immune to targeting (these two might seem out of line, but they’re upgrades of the protection effects that the previous two Mekk-Knight Link Monsters have), and non-target shuffles a card if he dies.

This is where I’d like to shift the direction of this discussion towards power levels and, implicitly, gameplay balance. Yes, I’m about to get into a powerlevel discussion about fictional characters portrayed on Yu-Gi-Oh! cards which have actual power levels, but hear me out.

Based on their original incarnations, Auram is ostensibly the main character, but strictly weaker than Girsu. Both have 0 DEF as Normal Monsters and Girsu has an extra Level and 200 ATK over him. With the power of the Chalice, Auram can revive allies and potentially gain more ATK than Girsu, but there were hardly even 5 World Legacy cards in the game at that point, and Ningirsu actually has removal. Later on, World Legacy’s Nightmare shows Girsu holding his own versus all of the Knightmares, but when it comes down to the climax of that arc, Avram inherits the power of Mekk-Knight Blue Sky and promptly gets overpowered by Iblee anyways, leading to Ib’s death and the scattering of the party (He is also still weaker than Ningirsu here). Auram and Girsu end up at odds several years later as Crusadia Equimax and Longirsu, the Orcust Orchestrator. If you look at the way these two cards might interact as enemies, it tells us a lot about this matchup: Equimax doesn’t start with enough ATK to hit over Longirsu, and Longirsu seems to have the upper hand thanks to removal, but with the power of friendship, Equimax can safely negate Longirsu’s effect and even swing over him. Finally, as Dingirsu and Avramax, Dingirsu loses or goes even at best: Dingirsu sends Avramax to GY, Avramax spins Dingirsu when he dies, both parties end up with nothing. Keep in mind that Avramax no longer needs support from allies to do this and Dingirsu absolutely cannot swing over Avramax at any point in time, so if the resource game isn’t in consideration, these cards will either trade or Avramax will always win.

That’s a cool interaction, but why did I bring up card balance? This interaction was only uncommon in tournament play because Orcust was an insanely popular deck. Playing Salamangreat, I’d regularly make Avramax versus Sky Striker and expect it to stick for a while, but versus Orcust? That boy would be gone in a second, and I’d rather not commit a link-4 worth of material to have a monster die and only get to spin a card. Keep in mind that going card-for-card is maybe not always favorable for the player.

What I mean to say is, Avramax would be a pretty insane card in a format without Nin/Long/Dingirsu’s non targeting removal. Consider the following scenario: Girsu’s extra deck forms do not exist. You are going second versus old Danger! Thunder playing the Trishula fusion. They half combo you, ending on something like Colossus + Avramax made with I:P Masquerena, and in doing so, banish the Borreload out of your extra. Do you even play a card that can out an Avramax otherwise? Probably not. Avramax could have put us into another Dark Destroyer format where targeting sucks, but Girsu kept us safe.

If anything, I hope R&D puts this level of thought into their flavor moving forward. World Legacy was a pretty big success on most fronts and I’d like to see what they do going foward in the next OCG series.

Thanks for reading. This is my first time writing about the game from a non-competitive perspective, so let me know how I did.

#yugioh #yu-gi-oh #yugioh tcg #world legacy #long post

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anninhiliation · 5 years

Text

Like I Would

A/N: Heyy! So @sparklevag requested a part 2, so here it is! I was not planning on writing a part two, so choosing a direction for this was a bit tough! So maybe I could write my different directions of thoughts if you guys would like! A few songs I was choosing between was Torn by Natalie Imbruglia, I broke us by Cierra Ramires ft. Trevor Jackson, and Love will remember by Selena Gomez! Or maybe you guys would like songfics to other characters? I do not have rights to the song, gifs or characters of Riverdale. This is also my second song based fic, I am still getting used to it! Also, the italics are the lyrics!

Side Note: Cherrying is when someone lights the weed in a bowl or bong and smoke, but it's still lit for someone else to smoke and not have to relight. (I don't know if that makes sense to you, but I don't know how else to explain it hahaha!) Stash is referring to weed, a hit means you smoked it, so three would be you smoked three times as in the bowl, bong, blunt whatever was either passed to you or you lit it three times. (Okay THAT was a terrible explanation I am so sorry I don't know how to explain stoner slang I just know what it means and how to use it) And when I say smoked, I don't mean it total in someone’s life, I'm trying to say like took a drag, or puffed it, okay sorry I probably don't make any sense, but I am just trying to explain to those who don't know stoner slang)

Masterlist

Eyes Closed (Part 1)

Like I would (Song) Zayn

Warnings: There's mention of drug use, its weed I do not see it as a big deal but in case you do I'm just letting you know now! Light smut as well.

Hey what's up? It's been a while

Talking 'bout it's not my style

Thought I'd see what's up, while I'm lighting up

It's cold-hearted, cold-hearted

Know it's late, but I'm so wired

Saw your face and got inspired

Guess you let it go, now you're good to go

It's cold-hearted, cold-hearted

Sweet Pea’s POV:

It was a normal Friday night hanging out in the Quarry with Toni and Fangs. We had just left a northside party after it got dry and went to spend the night smoking a younger serpents stash. After three hits I was high and completely zoned out. Toni began cherrying what I left as I felt my phone buzz. I went to check what it was, but it was just a text from Josie, I unlocked my phone and forgot which led me to start mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. Suddenly I saw Y/N’s face on my feed, making me scroll back to double check. I saw that it was under Jugheads username and it was captioned “hacked”. Betty and Y/N made a slideshow of smiling and making silly faces.

“Fangs can I see your phone?” I blurted out looking up from my screen.

Fangs and I locked eyes, and he made a facial expression as if he was thinking about it.

“I won't do anything I just need to see something,” I added.

He nodded as he unlocked his phone and handed it to me. I looked through his apps, finding Instagram and tapping on it. I looked up Y/N’s username and went on her profile. After she found me with Josie she set her Instagram to private and deleted my account from her followers. A week after she blocked my number and started seeing Reggie Mantle. All her posts of me were deleted and replaced with Reggie. A pit of guilt formed in my stomach, seeing her face, her smile, she did it. She moved on from us.

Oh, oh, it's probably gonna sound wrong

Promise it won't last long

Oh, oh, if we can never go back

Thought you'd like to know that

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Y/N, please listen to me!” I pleaded with the girl I betrayed.

Her eyes appeared to have been made from glass by how they glistened when they met mine. It was a few days after she caught me with Josie and she had finally agreed to let me explain myself.

“It was a mistake.” I sighed. “It meant nothing, it was just a kiss. I don't even like her like that.”

He, won't touch you like I do

He, won't love you like I would

He don't know your body

He don't do you right

He won't love you like I would

Love you like I would

As I sat at the lunch table I watched as Reggie put his arm around her small frame. How he would lean his body towards hers, and she would snuggle into his. They shared fries together and would giggle at each other.

“You okay Pea?” Jughead asked interrupting my thoughts.

“Yea Jones I’m great.” I snapped, getting up and storming out of Riverdale High.

It's okay to want me, 'cause I want you

Been thinkin' it over, but I'm through

So stop wasting all my time, messing with my mind

It's cold-hearted, cold-hearted

It was a rainy Thursday night when I heard a knock on my trailer. I was shocked to see it was Y/N.

“Hey.” She barely whispered out.

“Hey, come in,” I said as I opened the door further.

Out of habit I leaned in towards her and cupped her face. Out of reflex, she leaned her head into my hand and our lips met. The kiss began softly but quickly turned heated. My shirt went flying and her small soft hands roamed my back. I pulled on her bottom lip as she removed her shirt. I grabbed her thighs in the middle of our tongues battling for dominance. Her arms snaked around my neck and her hands lightly tugged on my hair. I lifted her thighs up and they wrapped around my waist. I carried her to my room and we fell back on old habits.

Oh, oh, it's probably gonna sound wrong

Promise it won't last long

Oh, oh, if we can never go back

Thought you'd like to know that

Once we both reached our climaxes she turned cold.

“I started something with Reggie.” She blurted out as she put her clothes back on.

“This was a mistake, but I thought I should let you know that there's no saving what we once had.” She added as she found her pants by my closet door.

“Okay. Do what you want.” I responded emotionlessly as I stared at the ceiling.

He, won't touch you like I do

He, won't love you like I would

He don't know your body

He don't do you right

He won't love you like I would

Love you like I would, like I would

He, won't touch you like I do

He, won't love you like I would

He don't know your body

He don't do you right

He won't love you like I would

Love you like I would, like I would

A month later at a northside party, I watched from the corner of my eye as I hustled some northsiders how he would place his hands on her hips and she would grind against him. How she would move her hair to the side to grant him more access to her skin. Their bodies were in sync but did not fit the same as her and I.

“Dude I know you’re staring at Y/N.” Fangs mumbled loud enough so only I could hear.

“I just can't see her actually liking that guy.” I mumbled.

He can't love you like I would

He can't love you like I could

He don't know your body

At the party, I watched as she went into the backyard and some Bulldogs pulled Reggie away. I nonchalantly followed her outside once Reggie was out of sight.

“I bet he doesn't fuck you like I did,” I stated watching her lean against the deck railing.

“That's no longer your business or concern Pea.” She sighed.

“It took me three months to figure out all the little things you like Y/L/N. Im just saying I bet he doesnt do half of those things.” I admitted.

He, won't touch you like I do

He, won't love you like I would

He don't know your body

He don't do you right

He won't love you like I would

Love you like I would, like I would

He, won't touch you like I do

He, won't love you like I would

He don't know your body

He don't do you right

He won't love you like I would

Love you like I would, like I would

“What If I told you he does a better job?” She whispered staring into the backyard and a little smirk grew upon her lips.

“I could prove that wrong and you know it.” I teased as I leaned against the wall.

Fangs suddenly flew open the sliding doors.

“Dude we have to go emergency meeting!” Fangs said with panic.

“He wont love you like I did Y/L/N.” I mumbled as I walked back into the house.

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demigodofhoolemere · 4 years

Text

Long bitterness below because I saw something that drove me crazy and I wasn’t gonna be able to rest until I articulated my frustrated thoughts

~~~~~

@ the person who wrote this I just wanna talk

https://screenrant.com/mcu-avengers-most-shameless-things-loki-ever-done/

Most of these are just outright wrong and it only takes the slightest glance at canon events to prove them as such, and the ones that have any amount of accuracy to them are devoid of critical context.

I don’t remember seeing much of this stuff before Ragnarok but it’s everywhere now and it’s kind of telling of the narrative bias that movie planted in everyone’s heads that people are now looking back with a lens that’s colored to be against him from the outset without bothering to take into consideration context, critical thinking skills, or empathy. The narrative tells us that he’s just bad so let’s not look any further than that I guess.

Wasn’t gonna debate each of them but the more I think about it the more it’s gonna bug me until I do, so here comes the bitter canon police...

Number 10

1) Right from the off: “Loki and Thor have always had a love/hate relationship — though it gravitates more toward the ‘hate’ part.” Um... always? Because last I checked, despite their differences, they grew up as best friends. Their problems that we see onscreen span from 2011-2017, a measly 6 years compared to over a thousand years of life together. This is a blip on the radar, one that certainly doesn’t constitute leaning towards mainly hate for each other. Heck, even during this time period, they’re clearly shown to love each other. Loki definitely gets angry, but I wouldn’t say he outright “loathes” Thor, at least not in a way that diminishes the love he also has for him.

2) “As such, Loki has betrayed Thor and his adoptive family many times.” This is so wrong I barely have the energy to explain why. People love to give examples of all of Loki’s supposed betrayals and they pretty much all fall down under scrutiny. The only ones I can understand listing are lying to Thor about Odin being dead, along with his attempts to kill Thor at the climax of the first movie (this stuff was when he was waaay out of his right mind, btw — not that he’s not responsible for his actions, but context is still important when taking into account anything he does), and various things in Ragnarok that were out of character for him to do in the first place. Anything else, even if it’s bad, cannot be counted specifically as betrayals against his adoptive family, since things like coming to Earth weren’t about them. If only a couple of instances are able to qualify as betrayals, then no, he has not done this “many” times, no matter how much people like to push that idea.

3) “Of course, Thor often got the brunt of it.” I’ll let that one stand because Thor got a fair number of screams aimed at him, but honestly, I’d say the person most negatively affected by Loki’s actions tends to be Loki. Thor really didn’t get more than he could handle. And as much as I love him, he’s not innocent of dishing his own stuff onto Loki as well. Wording it this way makes it sound like he’s Loki’s abuse victim (when more than anything, they are both the victims of Odin’s awful parenting rather than each other).

4) “So, it’s basically a normal sibling relationship that they portrayed. Oh, and Loki is never apologetic about his violence against Thor — siblings through and through.” First of all when I see stuff like this I have deep concerns for other people’s relationships with their siblings and am reminded of how grateful I am for my sister, but secondly, I don’t get the impression that Asgardians do much apologizing overall. You don’t see Thor apologizing for violence against Loki either. Terrible habit, but it seems to be the culture they were raised in. Besides, I feel like dying for Thor multiple times is decent substitution. (And while it’s not totally clear what he was specifically referring to, it’s worth noting Loki did profusely tell Thor he was sorry on Svartalfheim.)

Number 9

1) Oh my word, I am tired of seeing this. That scene was filmed as a real death, and everyone from Tom Hiddleston to Kevin Feige continued to refer to it as such after the reshoots. I wouldn’t know where to find it right now but I know there’s a quote from Kevin about it being real and that it was only just non-fatal enough for him to survive it. The only place anyone ever says he faked it? In Ragnarok, which is already filled to the brim with retcons, and it’s said by Thor (or whoever that is in Ragnarok who took Thor’s face) who has no knowledge of what really happened, he just makes assumptions and accusations that Loki isn’t given the chance to refute. It. Was. Not. Fake.

2) “He was rather casual about it and didn’t care much about how the rest of his family would take the news.” Source? We don’t exactly get the time to see his feelings on the matter. Also, Thor is the only one who would have cared anyway. Frigga was killed and Odin wanted him dead.

Number 8

1) “One of the reasons why Loki faked his own death was to seize a great opportunity [...]” He must not be good at carrying out his own plans then, since he immediately genuinely tried to offer the throne to Thor. Thor turned it down. Was there still satisfaction from getting the chance to prove that he can be a king? Yeah, because he’s still never felt like he’s been able to prove himself as equal. The chance to prove people wrong about him, and especially the chance to prove his own worth to himself, is exciting, hence that grin at the end. He’s certainly not upset at that opportunity. But that only happened because Thor didn’t take him up on the offer.

2) “The worst part was that he cast a spell on Odin and exiled him in a retirement home on Earth.” The... the worst part? That he removed the man who would have killed Thor upon return and was willing to have all of Asgard and everyone in it destroyed? And still had the mercy to send him somewhere that he’d be safe and taken care of every single day? Uh... okay.

3) “For a time, Loki ruled the Asgardians in their process of recovery from the Dark Elves’ attack.” Yeah, exactly. Thanks for aiding my point. Even Ragnarok of all things, despite the issues I have with the way Loki was portrayed as king, still manages to prove this point by showing things on Asgard being peaceful and repaired.

Number 7

1) Mostly correct this time, but missing the context of why Loki is angry enough at Odin to want the Dark Elves to go after him. Without considering all of the lies and heartache Odin caused that sent Loki’s mind spiraling in the first place, let alone the fact that he left him to spend the next 4,000 years of his life in solitary (which is outright torture, and Loki knew it would be because he seemed to have no problem with the thought of being executed instead), it makes it sound like it was a purely petty betrayal rather than based in any reason. Loki does everything for a reason.

2) “One would think that Loki would’ve learned a lot from this but he kept on being his usual self after a short bout of guilt and anger in his cell.” First of all I think you greatly underestimate how long that’s gonna stick with Loki. Secondly, if by ‘kept on being his usual self’ you mean the immediately following scenes wherein he helps Thor go get revenge on the monsters that killed Frigga and ultimately dies to avenge her and save his brother’s life, then you forgot the actual events of canon again and also inadvertently complimented him by saying that’s normal for him.

EDIT: You know how you can watch something a thousand times and somehow it takes that thousandth time to catch something? Yeah. Anyway, Loki directed Kurse to Asgard’s power plant so he could turn the shield off. THAT is what he was directing him towards, it was to let the Elves in to get to Odin. He didn’t even unknowingly lead Kurse to Frigga, Kurse just went where Malekith was, and Malekith found Frigga because she was guarding the Stone. Kurse would have killed her anyway, Loki’s actions had no bearing on that. Hold him responsible for getting the shield shut down and letting more Elves in (while still referring to point 1 for why), but Frigga’s death never had anything to do with him because Kurse got out anyway. Loki just doesn’t know that. But a character blaming themselves doesn’t mean they’re right.

Number 6

1) Another thing I wish would stop cropping up in all discussions of Loki. Stealing the Tesseract isn’t his ~thing~. I’m annoyed with this one just on principle lol.

2) “Throughout all the MCU movies, Loki has stolen the Tesseract at least thrice, each in three different movies. He just doesn’t know when to give up.” None of those times were just for the lolz like people say. In Avengers he had to get it for Thanos to save his life. In Ragnarok, what the heck was he supposed to do, leave an Infinity Stone floating around in space for anyone to get? It’s not like it would have been destroyed with Asgard. Better to take it and keep it safe. And in Endgame, while I felt that was starting to lean too much into ‘haha I love taking the Tesseract’ territory, it was to get away from the imprisonment and possible death that would have been waiting for him in either SHIELD or Asgardian custody. Loki does everything for a reason.

Number 5

1) “[...] he immediately embraced his evil tendencies.” ROFL I’m sorry but the idea of THIS kid having had prior evil tendencies is actually hilarious.

2) “[...] killing countless innocents on Earth [...]” In canon, there were 74 fatalities in the Battle of New York, which were caused by the Chitauri that Thanos sent rather than directly by Loki. Loki’s personal kill count on Earth can be listed on one hand — literally, it’s something like 5 confirmed onscreen deaths by his hand, with several other unconfirmed ones because we just see him attack but not how badly people got hit. The 80 people that Natasha mentions were the SHIELD agents that went down with the base in the beginning, which wasn’t Loki’s doing, outside of the few guards he killed when he got there. That was pretty easy to count.

3) “[...] and probably other planets as well.” Supposition. Not even the slightest bit of hinting of that in canon. Next.

4) Loki himself was being tortured and under extreme emotional duress and mental manipulation during this movie. Not that he’s automatically 100% absolved of responsibilities, because he did make choices of his own, but again - CONTEXT. This was a fight for his life. He was not well, physically, mentally, or emotionally. There is almost nothing he did in this movie that he would do under normal circumstances in his right mind.

5) “In addition to that, he also put his homeworld of Asgard in constant danger. Odin’s words about Loki being followed by death and destruction wherever he goes definitely rang true.” If you’re referring to the first movie when he lets the Jotuns in, both instances of that were planned in such a way that no Asgardians were supposed to be in danger; he couldn’t have known the guards to the vault wouldn’t be able to take them (and that first plan was intended to protect Asgard from a young and arrogant Thor’s reign; another of few instances that can count as betrayal, but done with reason), and the second time he brought them in was specifically to kill them because, with the combination of his unstable mind and the kind of things Odin praises, he thought it would finally gain him approval from his father (and he was raised with no regard for Jotun lives therefore he didn’t even grasp that it was wrong). That’s the only time Asgard was even slightly jeopardized by Loki. In every single other instance, he is pretty darn devoted to protecting Asgard. Time and again. Odin’s words are a load of crap. Loki has only been surrounded by things like that in the last couple of years, when out of his right mind or coerced or both. This is not something that has always been, and it’s certainly hypocritical for Odin of all people to be making accusations like that when he and his favorite son have done worse things. Heck, Thor’s body count on Jotunheim in the very beginning is on its own a larger number than Loki’s body count in the entire MCU, all for being called a princess. Many of the heroes in the franchise have worse — even significantly worse — body counts than Loki.

Number 4

1) Tortured and controlled by Thanos. Next.

2) “[...] the culmination of all of Loki’s plans ever since he left Asgard to become a villain.” For one thing I love how this makes it sound like he made the conscious decision to run away and be a villain lol, but I just... you remember how he left Asgard, right? When he made a suicide attempt by falling into the void that he could not possibly think he would survive through? He didn’t exactly have future plans in mind. He was trying to die.

3) Now you’re only assuming people died? I thought it was countless?

Number 3

1) This wasn’t a takeover of Asgard. Frigga, who knew that he’s a Frost Giant, appointed him as regent for the time being. What he did with the power is what’s questionable, but the way he got it was completely legit. There was no scheming — he didn’t even want it at first. The thought of proving himself got to his head but he didn’t take the throne purposely nor was it illegally, or done in deception or under false pretenses.

2) While the things he did were wrong, it was not technically a betrayal of Odin or Asgard. He did what he did precisely because it was the sort of thing his father and his people would usually see as heroic. If you wanna call it a betrayal of Asgard for taking the risk of having Jotuns there, I guess, but not of Odin, and it was not done maliciously towards them. The ones who actually suffered for this were the Jotuns.

3) “[...] quickly transformed into one of Asgard’s most dangerous enemies.” He transformed into Odin’s enemy. If he were an enemy of Asgard he wouldn’t have spent his years on the throne protecting it.

Number 2

1) This one is mostly fair and I consider this to be the worst thing Loki’s done. However, this is hardly about shamelessness. This (and seemingly all of the article) is written in the assumption that his actions were done in his right mind. Again: he was in the middle of a mental breakdown. That doesn’t exonerate him but it’s sure as heck important context.

Number 1

(covered the image because no one needs to see that)

1) “[...] betraying the whole universe just because you can is pure evil.” Yeah, it would be. Good thing for Loki then that that’s not what he did.

2) “Loki consciously served Thanos with the initial goal of becoming ‘king’ of the Earth.” Loki was consciously fighting to stay alive because disobedience and failure would mean unimaginable horrors.

Working with Thanos is NOT something he would do just because. As far as wanting to be king of Earth goes, Thanos canonically messed with Loki’s head. He made him think that was what he wanted, just like he dug into his mind to make him angrier at Thor. Thor himself, who has known Loki their entire lives, noted that his behavior and goals were uncharacteristic of him.

3) “It seems like Loki got his just desserts on that front.” Gotta say, I’m genuinely a little horrified when I see people say that Loki deserved that death. No one deserves to have their windpipe crushed and neck snapped brutally by their abuser. That was the most gratuitously graphic character death I’ve ever seen. Even if you think he wasn’t tortured by him before and willingly joined forces with him, he still wouldn’t deserve that fate. It’s too morbid for anybody. ‘Just desserts’ is supposed to be about justice. There’s no carrying out of justice here. It’s just senseless and cruel, and done to a man who had gotten out of the dark place in his life to start anew.

~~~~~

That was longer than I ever intended to let myself get worked up over a dumb ScreenRant post but I feel better with that out of my system.

Here’s to fact-checking before making accusations that have no basis 🥂

#as usual i’m trying to stay in my lane keeping my negativity under the cut but just beware that if you click you will see bitterness #marvel #loki #marvel critical #ragnarok critical #tbh mostly article writers critical #i long for the day when people stop writing about things that they don’t know well enough while acting like they’re obviously right

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jarmes · 4 years

Text

Blind Shield Nuzlocke Notes 10 (Finale)

-Starting off the tenth and possibly final session

-Current Team: Freight the Coalossal, High Voltage the Toxtricity, Nosferatu the Dreadnaw, Riot the Falinks, Snowball the Frosmoth, Warrior the Grapploct

-I updated Warrior’s moves in preparation for Raihan, he now knows Drain Punch Waterfall Superpower and Ice Punch

-Even though Raihan is a dragon specialist, I’m not using Snowball. Last time he led with a Gigalith so I’m leading with Nosferatu and Warrior

Raihan

-Oh god he reworked his team for one on one battles there goes my plan

-Why the FUCK does he have a torkal

-Like, from a story perspective, why would he try to take out Charizard boi with a drought Pokémon?

-Whatever I’ll just use rock side

-OH FUCK IT MISSED AND NOW NOS HAS NO HEALTH SWITCHING TO FREIGHT

-Okay, it tanked a solar beam and it tanked a rock slide

-Second rock slide killed

-Raihan switched to Flygon, I switched to Snowball. Flygon Used sandstorm

-I’d use quicker dance, but I can’t risk a stone edge so I’m using Aurora beam

-Well, it used dragon claw so I messed up

-Turtonator? Time to switch back to freight and take no damage from that fire blast

-Rock slide, sunny day, miss, dragon pulse, rock slide, dead

-He sent out Goodra, dynamaxing and using Max rockfall

-Raihan Used rain dance? This team has a lot less synergy than the last one. Whatever, canceled it out with max rockfall

-Raihan made it rain, AGAIN, and died to a third max rockfall. Which made it sandstorm

-Unfortunely, dynamax wire off and he switched to GM Duraldon. Switching to Tiot cause freight is low

-Tanked a Max rockfall and Max knuckle, took half with a Brick Break

-OH GID MAX DEPLETION PUT ME AT 8 HP AND THERES A SANDSTORM

-Thank god, Close Combat killed and the battle ended

-Now for champion Leon and/or Tesla CEO Rose

Leon

-Dont know what he’ll use except Charizard and possibly Sobble. Putting Snowball up front because I know Charizard will be last and I may be able to sweep with quiver dance

-The cheering of the crowd fills you with determination

-“Wait, hold on!” Goddamn it rose

-“It’s time I brought about the darkest day, for Galars future of course” it’s called the darkest day you can’t be an antivillain and still call your plan the darkest day

-I knew dragonville tower was evil plan place

-“But you’re terrible at directions, what if you get lost along the way?”

-Hop acknowledges the fact that he sucks good

-Hell yeah! Going back to the slumbering weald to catch god!

-Oh sweet a life orb giving it to Warrior

-I’m glad they brought back the evil team interrupts the elite four thing from black and white

-Shield dog is in front because it is important

-Sonia can’t see god dogs because Sonia isn’t a stand user

-Getting Zelda vibes

-Honestly, the Shield is more fitting for a Nuzlocke than the sword. You aren’t trying to destroy, you’re trying to survive, to protect the team members you care about

-The dogs are dead, aren’t they

-I’m actually surprised I’m not just fighting Shield dog, this is different

-The leaders evacuated Hammerlocke, making themselves useful

-How did hop get past Oleana?

-Hey! It’s good mook! I forgot to mention her earlier but she’s cool

-Rampaging dynamax pokemon in the power plant hell yeah

-Eternatus! The least kept secret in the game! I’ve seen this thing and it’s cool and I’m glad I get to fight it instead of waiting for ultra Shield

-Leon’s fighting on the roof like a badass

-Is that an egg

-Ooh summoning Satan to use as green energy what could go wrong

-THAT CHOIR

Rose

-I still have Snowball out front

-And he’s using escavalier. Time for freight to continue carrying this team

-Uh oh swords dance

-Nevermind, outsped it ant took it out with heat crash

-“You’re go tough that’s not fair” life isn’t fair bitch

-Ferrothorn, really?

-It survived a heat crash. Operative word being A, because the second one killed it

-Rose, I know why Leon beat you as a kid. It’s because you exclusively use steel types and he has a goddamn Charizard

-Klingklang got off two wild charges but it’s dead now

-Freight’s at half health and can take out purrserker, but I don’t want to switch into Rose’s GM anchor so I’m going to Riot

-Took a lot of damage in the switch, but took it out with a Max knuckle

-“I’ll show you a move that hits so hard you’ll be speechless” I doubt it

-OH GOD FAIRY MOVE

-Whatever it’s dead now

-That chuckle and clap, gg mate

-“Leon is just like a knight in shining armor coming to rescue the princess from a dragon!” Glad pokemon is finally giving lgbt representation

-Leon caught eternatus doggie doggie what now

-Side note, I just realized I haven’t used any of my dynamax candy yet. Used them all of Nosferatu for obvious reasons

-And Leon hasn’t defeated eternatus yet great

-A fucking pokeball, Leon? Really?

-Okay were fighting this thing now I guess

Eternatus

-Snowball dodged a flamethrower out of love and took away half of eternatus’s health with aurora beam!

-Switching to Freight, tanked a dragon pulse. Almost died to a crit dragon pulse, but got it into red with a rock slide

-Switched to Nos, took slightly less than half damage from a dragon pulse

-Killed it with ice fang

-OH GOD IT DYNAMAXED

-Time for round 2?

-ITS A RAID BATTLE WIRH HOP!

-Oh god Snowball can’t attack and Eternatus is storing power

-Time for sword and shield

-The gods dogs jesused and teleported to us! They saved Snowball!

-And now we’re in box art form!

-Now it’s a real max raid battle! We got four fighters, three of which exist solely to take hits for Snowball

-It’s potswick! Wait, no, it’s everywhere!

-God dogs have abilities that buff each other that’s cool

-Shield dog uses light screen and sword dog used howl!

-Good job Snowball, tank that G-Move

-Eat Ice, dragon fuckboy

-Quiver dance time!

-Behemoth blade and bash!

-Snowball, put this mother fucker on ice

-Okay it would have been cooler if that killed but sure that’s fine

-And sword dog steals the kill!

-Oh, I have to catch it? I’d prefer to kill it but this is fine I guess

-I used an Ultra ball, Leon. Take notes

-Welcome to the box, Eternatus. Or should I say, “XD lol haha”

-Yeah I gave it a lame name because it’s evil

-Bye bye doggies

-Time to take on Leon, for real this time. I could swap someone for XD lol haha, but that isn’t my style. I’m winning this with the team that got me here. And also Warrior

-No major changes for the final battle. Swapped Freight’s Rocky Helmet and Nos’s Assault Vest, replaced Tar Shot with Giga Impact, and evened the team out to level 61 with rare candies

-I’ve loved this game and it’s climax, but the end is here. Let’s look over who we have with us. Also the only girl which is weird

-Freight, the longest lasting member of the team who’s carried me through countless battles

-HV, who I raised from a baby and is our greatest offensive powerhouse

-Nosferatu, who was brought on after the deaths of his brother Dracula and JORSTIN. He quickly proved himself a vital member of the team

-Riot, who fought his way on by killing Mondo and proved to useful to hate

-Snowball, a late member who I spent hours bonding with the evolve

-And Warrior, who I have literally never used in battle

-It’s time to take on Leon

Champion Leon

-He’s starting with an Aegislash, so I’m swapping Snowball for Freight

-Side note, the champion wielding aegislash is so fitting

-I love this theme

-Ha! It used King’s Shield!

-Sacred sword hurt, but Heat Crash took it out

-Swapped to Haxorus, I’m swapping to Snowball

-Good thing I did, cause he used earthquake

-Risking a quiver dance

-And he killed Snowball with iron tail fuck

-Time for Warrior to justify his existence!

-Almost died to outrage and only did half hp with ice punch good job buddy

-Now, this may seem mean, but I’m not going to switch. Letting Warrior die gives me a free switch to HV, who can take out Haxorus and sweep most of Leon’s team

-With Choice Scarf HV boombursted Haxorus to death

-Inteleon! Yes! He kept it!

-Critical hit! It’s dead now

-Mr Rhine tanked a boomburst and killed HV with psychic

-FUCK I THOUGHT IT WAS ICE NOW

-Going to Nos and Dming. Max rockfall crushed it

-Okay, Dragapukt is definetly a dragon flying. It paralyzed Nos with thunderbolt, but he’s still in the green

-Enter The Charizard

-You know, I mentioned my feelings about GM Charizard earlier and I’d like to reiterate it. I hate Charizard spam, but it is a cool design and I like the idea of the champion having a Charizard as a starter and having won at ten

-OH GOD MAX OVERGROWTH NOS IS DEAD

-Switching to Freight, it used Max Rockfall but I survived and got off a rock slide. I won’t survive another one so I’m switching to Riot

-Okay, Riot is in the green and Charizard isn’t giga anymore. Now what?

-And it killed Riot with Fire Blast

-Leon Used a full restore because he’s a cunt

-Okay, this is it. I’m ending this with a rock slide. For Apollo and Dracula and Bob Murray and Idol and JORSTIN and Ophelia and Mondo and Chaos and Pluck and Echo and Snowball and Warrior and High Voltage and Nosferatu and Riot and every Pokémon in the box and Freight and for me, I’m taking you down!

-It survives with a sliver of health

-And it died to the sandstorm I created

-It’s over. It’s finally over

-I mean, I know there will be a post credits battle because every game in the past six years has had one, but it’s over

-Ten days, ten posts, fifteen fallen friends, and it is finally over

-And what a final battle it was

-“Thank you for the greatest battle I’ve ever had” same brah

-To think that I, Blinkin, a young blind British boy with a dream could defeat every powerful trainer in the country in less than a fortnight

-Okay, while the credits roll I’d like to talk about this game. This isn’t a formal review, just some thoughts. This has been the most contentious pokemon game in a while and I’d like to say that I...absolutely loved it. The new Pokémon were creative and fun, the wild area was a great idea I’d love to see expanded in future games, dynamaxing was surprisingly tactical, the characters were surprisingly engrossing. This game was amazing. It wasn’t perfect (linearity, exp share always on, lack of turning animations), but most problems I can think of are nitpicks. But, of course, there is the Cufant in the room: Dexit. Dexit was horrible for collectors and some competitive battlers, I’m not denying that, and there are deeper conversations about game freak as a company that I’d like to have on a later date, but honestly? Dexit didn’t affect my enjoyment of the game at all. I almost exclusively do challenge runs, so I rarely care about the national dex or post game. And, as a game for challenge runs, this game is amazing. X and Y are actually some of my favorite Pokémon games to play just because there are so many different Pokémon and team combinations to try. I think those games had ~450 Pokémon in their regional dex and this game had about the same, and that really goes a long way. Take Black and White, for instance. How many Pokémon were in that game. You might say 500ish, but I don’t see it that way. There are 150 Pokémon you can catch. Less than that, counting version exclusives. So yeah, there were more Pokémon programmed into that game, but you don’t see most of them without importing them from another game. Even with Dexit, this game felt like it had more Pokémon than any I’ve ever played. And again, I feel for the collectors, but I’m not going to not enjoy a great game because of an aspect that doesn’t effect me at all. Let’s get off Dexit. There are two aspects of this game that stand out as especially good. The first is the Galar region. This region was filled with so much charm and care that I could barely put it down. I love Galar, this beautiful country filled with so much goddamn British culture that I can barely breathe. The second reason I love this game is the League. This game breathed new life into the series and featured hands down the best league in any game. I felt, more than in any game, like pursuing the title of Champion was my goal. The stadiums of cheering crowds, the tournament at the end, that brutal champion battle, I loved this league.

-Anyway, lets make fun of the credits

-Oh right, the art director was the Englishman

-Legit, the other guys at Gamfreak call him the Englishman in interviews. Anyway, that explains a lot about this game

-Rock band!

-Okay, these Pokémon are all based on the idea of hardcore British rock and the credits theme is very much not that

-Hey, gym banners.

-They have the fighting banner even though she is sword exclusive

-Side note, when the mentioned minor league leaders I hoped that they would be fightable. Maybe in the post game

-Oh right, in sword the ice towns leader uses rock types. Maybe a Coalossal for the steam theme?

-Oh hey Leon banner

-Yeah I don’t have a lot to say about credits

-WOLLOO

-Huh, no post credits battle

-Okay, Full disclosure, I was spoiled that you fight Hop in the forest and assumed that that would be the post credits scene. When I booted the game up again it showed the forest so I’m going to go check it out

-Thank you for the master ball old lady foster

-Okay Hop, lets go. You vs my remaining team

Hop

-Dubwool did jack shit and went down to two Heat Crashes

-Snorlax killed Freight with a High Horsepower

-You know what? Good job, kid. You earned this

-Now to send out XD lol haha end exterminate Hops fucking bloodline

-Oh, you used a full restore, Hoppy boy? Well, I don’t see why I shouldn’t use the thirty full restore in my bag to destroy everything you love

-Eat shit Hop

-“Congrats on Beating Leon” “It was nothing”

-Oh Sonia’s the Professor now okay

-Thank you for the book, it is going on eBay

-These men have sword and shield hair what the fuck

-You gave Sonia’s book one star? I’ll fucking kill you

-Who the fuck named their sons Sordbord and Shielbert

-I hate these men and want them dead

-Oh, you’re princes? A shame I don’t have any Pokémon who know guillotine

-Okay, Nofumi but somehow even more insufferable, I’ll take you out with my god

-So were doing the aftergame now extra long post I guess

-Of course he has a sirfetched

-What is a king to a god fuckboi?

-The god is me, by the way. Not Eternatus

-Goddamn it Hop

-Okay, fuck it. I can’t beat this losers with only Eternatus. Time to sacrifice XD lol haha to Ghiratina to bring my whole team back yes this is in the Nuzlocke rules

-Are they not going to give Sonia’s girlfriend a name?

-Dynamax In trufield better be something new and cool

-Ugh, it’s just leggy onion. Whatever, lets raid it

-That sounded better in my head

-RARE CARDS I WANT THEM

-God I hate these guys

-I can exaggerate? Hell yeah!

-Piers is an ex leader? So Marnie’s a leader now cool

-So am I just going to visit all of the leaders again? Well that part can be skipped in the notes unless something cool happens

-Okay, it was only the first trio

-Good time my team are immortal zombies because Sword jackass oneshoted freight with his golispod and shield bro one shotted Echo with his Falinks

-Nameless assistant! How dare you betray us!

-Okay, I’m out of battery. Delaying this post til tomorrow so I can finish the aftergame

-What’s up It tomorrow I killed a frosslass and Haxorus and dusknoir. Saved Bede for last because he’s a prick.

-Okay, Bede beat the dynamax pokemon on his own and wants a fight cool

-Side note, Rapidash and Hatterene are both psychic fairy and it’s a miracle I didn’t loose Echo to Bede in session 9

-Burn up is such a cool move

-It was fun beating you again Bede eat shit and die

-Yamper is a good boy

-Oh, douchebags are evil because we revealed historically accuracy that makes them look bad

-Stop being mad to god dogs

-Kill him sword dog! Do it!

-Side note, it’s interesting that this game features both legendaries pretty equally

-Okay sword dog is dead now where’s the real dog god

-Shield Dog! I’m glad you’re hear, but you don’t have to waste your time saving Hop. A little stabbing could help the boy

-Also both god dogs have messed up ears that’s interesting

-Eat the bad man, Shield Dog!

-Okay, I can catch Zamazenta now

-You know what’s bullshit? If I hadn’t messed up the the naming convention Zamazenta would have a Z name. I mean, I could skip to Z, but then there’d be no Y

-The shields fixed his ear cool

-Okay, I know I caught XD lol haha here, but I’ve already dropped Nuzlocke rules so I’m catching this good boy with the master ball

-Welcome to the team, Yorrick

-Okay, lets go kick Hops ass for a final time

-Legit I would not be able to beat Hops final team if I was still Nuzlocking

-You want to be a professor, Hop? Isn’t that sweet, you think you can get a doctorate

-YES! I AM THE KING NOW. AS FIRST DECREE I ABOLISH THE MONARCHY PLEASE DONT GUILLOTINE ME

-I know that the Battle Tower and League Rematches are in this game but I’m going to end this here. Thank you so much for reading and following me on this journey

#pokemon #nuzlocke #pokemon nuzloke #pokemon shield #pokemon sword and shield

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kingofthewilderwest · 5 years

Note

Did you notice any parallels between The Hidden World and the first two movies? I caught two, one being free falling- into the fire, towards the Bewilderbeast, and towards the ocean (where Hiccup and Toothless both fell). The other is Hiccup watching things he loves leave to sea- with the ready the ships scene, Stoick's funeral, and the dragons leaving. Of course there's also the brief parallel with the "So what're you gonna do about it?", but I'm wondering about parallels that span the trilogy.

Oh my goodness, bless. I love parallels, and I love that post you made about those parallels you saw. It’s beautiful writing to see the same things intentionally structurally rise again. The HTTYD trilogy has a lot in there, all to the effect of making every movie and every moment more effective and meaningful.

I saw someone else make a list that seemed thoughtful and comprehensive, but because I’m a blurblebutt logs-for-brains, I forgot to bookmark it. I’m sure they listed awesome things I won’t have thought about in this list below!

The “This is Berk” opening. The movies open with a speech where Hiccup says “This is Berk,” and we see the camera zoom in over the oceans to the island’s village. Each time, Berk has grown and become more colorfully constructed.

Entering a wondrous dragon’s nest. We see the Red Death’s foreboding layer in 1, the Bewilderbeast’s haven in 2, and the Hidden World in 3. It’s interesting to note that, for all these are important dragon nests, they’re ultimately ones that human characters can’t or wouldn’t return to. Hiccup and Astrid are chased out of the Red Death’s layer, and later the Red Death’s place is broken into with catapults; the Bewilderbeast’s haven gets attacked with major damage in HTTYD 2; and Hiccup and Astrid are chased out of the Hidden world in THW.

The high point meaningful flight. These flights are a significant emotional high for Hiccup and/or Toothless, showing hope and wonder. In HTTYD, it’s Romantic Flight; Astrid sees the beauty of dragons as she flies on Toothless’ back. In HTTYD 2, it’s Flying with Mother, in which Hiccup and Valka bond in the skies. In HTTYD 3, it’s Toothless and the Light Fury soaring in the skies, bonding.

Hiccup creates a significant improvement for Toothless’ flying. This is often accompanied with a significant moment it Works for the first time. Hiccup crafts a new tail for Toothless, and then after trial and error they succeed in flight. In HTTYD 2, Hiccup figures out both how to use his flight suit and for Toothless to manage to use the tight turns so he can re-catch Hiccup. In HTTYD 3, Hiccup creates a new tail for Toothless in which he can fly on his own. Not the strooooongest parallel between the three films, but I’ll list it.

As you mentioned, Hiccup gazes out to the sea as he watches what he loves leave him.

Hiccup receives a comforting pep talk when he’s emotionally most vulnerable. Astrid is the one who talks him through in 1 and 3; in HTTYD 2, it’s Valka at the funeral.

The entire village being attacked and Hiccup swooping in to save them, using the Power of Human-Dragon Friendship to change tides! In HTTYD, the Hooligans are in the middle of a losing battle against the Red Death when Hiccup and the new dragon riders enter the fight. In HTTYD 2, Drago is destroying Berk with the Bewilderbeast, when Hiccup and his gang of friends sweep into the fight. In THW, Grimmel takes all their dragons, and Hiccup and his companions figure out a way to fight back, reunite with their dragons, and save the day. (Grimmel also attacks and burns Berk).

Hiccup and Toothless falling from the skies in the climax. This is the one you pointed out and I love it! In every film, Hiccup and Toothless make a selfless danger that could end in their deaths… but they do it to save the other friend. Toothless dives into fire to save Hiccup falling in HTTYD; Hiccup dives off a dragon to grab Toothless in HTTYD 2; and Hiccup lets go of the Light Fury to let her save Toothless in HTTYD 3.

In the final moment, it seems like Hiccup might lose and die. This is similar but not the same as the point above. Again, he falls in HTTYD. He also gets encased in ice in HTTYD 2 before Toothless breaks him out. And THW, it’s again Hiccup letting go of the Light Fury.

Hiccup, in the process of maturing into an adult, loses something. He loses his leg, his father, and his best friend.

There’s always a close-up with Hiccup and Toothless looking at each other, right at the end of the film, after Hiccup’s saved the day… but it’s played as a touching, emotional, bittersweet moment. He stares at Toothless upon realizing he’s lost a leg. He tells Toothless the dragon never ceases to amaze him once they defeat Drago’s Bewilderbeast. He says farewell to Toothless and lets the dragons go free.

Hiccup making a significant bonding moment with family at the end. In HTTYD, Hiccup and Stoick repair their relationship, Stoick acknowledging that what his village needed was Hiccup. In HTTYD 2, Hiccup and Valka have a moment where Valka says his father would have been proud of him, and she’ll support him in Berk now herself. In HTTYD 3, Hiccup and Astrid marry.

An ending riding triumphantly on dragons’ backs, with a voice over optimistic epilogue.

Please keep adding on! I know there’s more out there!

#httyd 3 spoilers #THW #httyd 3 #httyd3 #How to Train Your Dragon 3 #The Hidden World #httyd #How to Train Your Dragon #httyd2 #httyd 2 #How to Train Your Dragon 2 #it's also worth tagging #GOTNF #Gift of the Night Fury #analysis #my analysis #ask #ask me #imarvelentertainment

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dcarevu · 5 years

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Batman TAS: Moon of the Wolf

“If it’s a fight you’re looking for, try starting one with me!”

Episode: 43 Robin: No Writer: Len Wein Director: Dick Sebast Animator: Akom Airdate: November 11, 1992 Grade: B

This is perhaps one of the more infamous episodes of Batman TAS, being grouped with episodes like I’ve Got Batman in My Basement on several “worst” lists I’ve seen. But I don’t know, I didn’t think it was that bad the first time I saw it, and I don’t think it’s that bad now. Not a classic episode by any means, but it held my and Char’s attention, giving us some excitement and a pretty cool-looking villain. I can’t speak for everyone, but I think the werewolf-factor may directly affect people’s opinions, even though we’ve seen very similar through Tybrus and Man-Bat. If we can accept a giant cat-like creature created in a laboratory and a human-sized bat that flies around and turns back into a human, why is a werewolf suddenly just too much to believe? Probably because of how the story presents all this, which we will get into in just a second, but I did want to drop the bomb that I like this one, and all the complaints I have are pretty light.

So when the title card drops, we get some weird electric guitar that sounds like no other music the series has played. Think along the lines of The Last Laugh with how foreign that hip hop felt at the time. But now we’re more than 40 episodes in, and we’re so used to the orchestral stuff. On top of the werewolf, a lot of people seem to have a problem with the instrument choice, and I think that the episode could have gotten around it if the electric guitar was slowly inducted, reaching its most intense during the climax. That would have given us a little time to get used to it. Even though I like it, it was jarring to hear right away, right after the theme song we get to see every time.

After the title card, we start out at the Gotham zoo. Umm.. Okay. We’re starting at the zoo again? For the second episode in a row? The zoo really isn’t that interesting of a Batman location in my opinion. If I were writing this show, that would be a last resort setting. Y’know, not only is this the second episode in a row to start at the zoo, but it’s also the second episode in a row that deals with a human-sized creature of the night like this. Was this because of the time of year? Were these originally both planned for an October release? They must have had animals on the brain. Anyway, at the zoo a security guard’s dog starts going a little crazy, and a werewolf pops out from the shrubbery. This werewolf is incredibly awesome-looking, with gross slobber, these glowing eyes, and a very high intimidation factor. The werewolf gives the guard a hard time, but then Batman arrives on the scene, kicking the thing away. Batman does not typically pop up this early without some setup, so jumping into this type of action was a nice change of pace, even if other aspects we have seen recently. Batman fights off the werewolf, but it eventually gets away of course, because we’re still early in the episode. Going back to the Batcave, Batman tells Alfred that he fought a mugger wearing a werewolf mask. Looking at the creature, it’s pretty evident that this is no costume (or at least, no costume that your average mugger would likely be able to afford to run around and get into fights in), but more importantly, I don’t know why Batman doesn’t just assume that the creature is what it is. Bringing up Tyger, Tiger again, he just fought a humanoid-animal. It’s already been established that this kind of thing can happen in this world. Let’s move on from this! Batman notices some wolf fur on his gloves, and he actually ends up testing it, revealing it to be legitimate wolf-fur. But Batman thinks that it could just be an incredibly expensive costume. Look, guys, superheroes get brain-farts too. “What if that guy wasn’t wearing a mask?” Oh, I don’t know, I guess it would be exactly like what you’ve already experienced!

We get to see the identity of the werewolf as it arrives at this little shanty, and it turns out to be some guy named Anthony Romulus. The person in charge of him, forcing him to do his bidding, is Dr Milo, someone we saw in Cat Scratch Fever. He was honestly the last villain I ever expected to see again, and had no memory of him showing up here. Um. Welcome back, Milo? Dr Milo is a smug son-of-a-gun, and is using Anthony to…well, I think he’s just using him for money, as far as I can tell, and for doing his errands and chores (like killing the security guard). I don’t know why he wanted the security guard dead, because the security guard had no idea who he was anyway, but maybe he’s just tying up loose ends. Anthony explains (after turning back into a human) that Batman got in the way of the mission, and Dr Milo arranges a plan to get rid of the caped crusader before trying to deal with anything else. The plan is for Anthony (who is a star-athlete with plenty of money) to announce that he’s doubling up on a donation to a charity if Batman receives the check. We get a little more chatter on this in another scene where Bruce Wayne is shown to be working out with Anthony at the gym. I found this part to be fairly unnecessary, but it was harmless enough. Funny, though, how some of these characters that we’ve never seen before are all of a sudden shown to know Bruce when it’s their episode to become the villain. I like how they handled Two-Face much more, establishing him before the tragic episode. Now knowing about the check, Batman shows up to Anthony’s and is knocked out with gas. Dr Milo takes his utility belt and chains him down in this open area, which is to act like an arena where he will be torn apart by Anthony’s wolf-form (I’d love to know why these criminals always take his belt before taking his mask, by the way). While Batman is still unconscious, we get some exposition on why Anthony is the creature that he is through flashback, and this flashback is a bit confusing. There is a moment where is fakes you out because the flashback Dr. Milo starts narrating, and then it goes back to the present Dr. Milo. This makes it a little harder to follow in one watch, but I think Char and I handled it okay. Anthony’s werewolf origin is okay, but I did find myself questioning a few things. Not necessarily the writers, but the characters. Like, Anthony, why were you so quick to drink that substance which would ultimately transform you? Dr Milo said it hadn’t been tested. It could have immediately killed you. And for what, some gold medals? This puts a bad taste in our mouths over this character because of his willingness to cheat to succeed. He has his face in cereal commercials, being exposed to tons of people around the country and acting as a role-model to many of them, but he’s a filthy, rotten cheater. I also have to question Dr Milo. His plan is insane. Tricking someone to drink a solution that turns them into a werewolf so you can then control them by dangling the antidote in front of their face, getting free work and cash from it? I mean, whatever works for you, but there’s gotta be something a bit more inconspicuous. Throughout this, it’s hard to tell who to cheer for, but I think that at this point, Anthony has learned his lesson. It’s obvious that he finds Dr Milo’s work reprehensible. Dr Milo has absolutely zero redeeming qualities.

Shout out to the director (the show does little Easter eggs like this all the time, keep your eye out!)

Anthony changes into the wolf once the moon comes out (Milo’s scientific explanations never explain how the hell this works) and attacks Milo, throwing him through the wall of the shanty. Damn! Batman, before being attacked, comes to and finds a pin on the ground, using it to pick the locks that are keeping him restrained. I hope Milo provided that on purpose, and for the sake of me liking this episode, that’s what I’m gonna imagine. Otherwise, that is just way too convenient (and allows the writer to dance around Batman actually finding a clever solution). Now free, Batman and Anthony have a fight which moves to a rooftop where they are visible to the Gotham police force, being led by Bullock. It’s a really intense battle, and I couldn’t help but get into it. Oh, I’m aware that this episode is all style and very little substance, but hey, if it works it works. Not every episode needs to make me question morality and life itself. Just give me some dumb action every now and then with an awesome soundtrack and spooky vibes. Unfortunately, the fight comes to a close when Anthony is struck by lightning, and falls into the water below. Pretty stupid way to close out.

Oh, a highlight that I forgot to mention is when Bullock is interrogating the zoo security guard about the missing timberwolves. He pushes the dude right up against the cage, and we can see their jaws snapping, clearly getting agitated by the ruckus. “I want the truth before I decide to feed ya to your furry friends here.” Apparently the term “furry friends” can sound intimidating as hell if it comes with a slick accent like Bullock’s. Not only does Bullock get this moment, but when Batman and Anthony are on top of the roof, Bullock yells at the officers to not fire, and to let Batman handle the situation. This may have been to avoid conflict considering that, well, it’s a scary god damn werewolf which could easily eat all of them if it wanted, but I also like to think that after 40-ish episodes, Bullock develops the tiniest hint of faith in Batman. He’ll probably always be the cocky, sleazy oaf that we’ve known from the start, but it’s nice to see a little bit of development from such an unlikely episode. And that’s not worth nothing.

Oddly, looking back, Batman was never clued in on the entire steroid-situation like we were. I don’t even know if Batman figured out the identity of the werewolf. What an odd feeling. I don’t want to call it an oversight on the writing side of things, but this must be the first time that Batman just didn’t solve the mystery. Huh. Maybe Dr Milo is right, then, and he’ll get away scot-free. Then again, Batman is pretty smart. There are sure to be all kinds of clues lurking within that shanty.

I know I complained a lot, but that’s mostly because the logic was certainly not all there. I don’t grade these episodes based on anything but my enjoyment-level, though, so…

Char’s grade: B

Next time: Day of the Samurai Full episode list here!

#dcau #dc animated universe #moon of the wolf #btas #batman tas #batman the animated series #werewolf #halloween #batman #wolfman

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miamaroo · 6 years

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Northern Migration- Chapter 21 (Notes + Preview)

We’re finally out of the Suffering Game, so you know what that means! We can finally move on with our lives and stop being anxious all the time in case someone else manages to get their souls kicked out of their bodies. But hey, let’s reflect fondly on our times here in Wonderland with our final set of notes for it. Like always, be sure to give the actual chapter a read but if that doesn’t float your boat then I guess you can just sink (jk).

Spoilers Ahead!

So since the previous chapter was a break from the slough that is Wonderland, I tried to make the opening scene a refresher of what’s going on, where everybody is standing, and what condition they all are in. Hopefully, I worked or else that fight scene got real confusing real fast.

I mentioned this a long time ago, but when I started this fic, I forgot that Avi is a massive jock. Like, he has two character traits and I completely forgot one of them. In order to convey my falsehood that he’s a nerd, I made sure to emphasized at every given moment that even though he has a sword, he has no idea how to use it. Now that I know better, I’m starting to incorporate the fact that he’s a jock back into the story. In this case, by having him jump onto a mob of mannequins and just brawling it out. I’m going to make the fact that he carried around a sword he did not know how to use a sort of character beat (that I’ll hopefully actually remember to go back to), but just know that I do notice when I make mistakes like that and there are times when I will do my best to reconcile my fic with canon.

In another instance of revisionist writing, I also did not realize that Maarvey is the leader of the Hammerheads until I was relistening to the Petals to the Metal a while back. Of course, I already wrote in a new boss for the gang, so I guess they’re married now. Guys, the Hammerheads are going to be so insignificant in the long run. Please don’t think about it too hard. I’m trying.

A whole lot of you were getting super excited to see Merle rescue Barry, and I was so sure you guys all forgot that Sloane was following Johann around. I don’t blame you guys for forgetting since it was actually months ago, but now I just feel foolish for not sticking a reminder somewhere in the story.

Lydia and Edward’s fighting styles as Lucretia and Taako are, of course, twisted versions of the magic the people they’re possessing are known for. I made sure to only have Edward use spells only Taako knows, which was actually super fun to write. I chickened out a bit with Lydia since some of the different ways I thought barriers could be used were a little bit too gruesome for my taste.

Also, I really hope that fight scene wasn’t too confusing to read. There were too many things that had to be happening at once for me to choose one character’s perspective to stick with, but a lot of the sequences were way too short for me to break up with lines. I tried doing this sort of long shot effect where I started with one person and used things from the environment as an excuse to track the camera to someone else. So for example: Julia in trouble > Davenport can’t reach her due to beam > Ren can feel vibrations of the beam. If it was too confusing to read, just say so and I will never use this format again.

Where do I start with Ren and Lup? Remember two chapters ago when Not Taako first appeared and the umbra staff flew from Ren’s hand into his? That was supposed to be Lup thinking that Taako had come back to her, so when she realized seconds later that this is a fake, she zapped him. No one seemed to have caught onto that, or at least no one told me they did. So in this chapter, when Ren senses Lup being upset, this is Lup essentially thinking that Taako is gone forever.

I imagine that the umbra staff’s ability to help Ren know where everything is in a given space is the same ability that Lup uses to spread her senses beyond the umbrella. Essentially, Lup handed over her sense of sight to Ren so that she could “see.”

I never mentioned Killian having different types of crossbow bolts before because???? I don’t have a good excuse?? So sue me???

I actually had to look up spells for this fight scene so I guess I’m officially putting more work into this than I first said I ever would.

I hope with Kravitz’s arrival in this scene is a good indicator of how differently time passes on the Astral Plane. His arrival also marks the spot in the story where I should have spilt this chapter into two parts but oh well.

When you really think about it, bardic magic sounds terrifying. Anything can count as being music, so like you really got to be careful not to insult those suckers or else they’re just gonna scorn you.

I apologize if the POV got really wonky for the second half of the Hammerheads scene. Again, there was a lot of things happening at once, and the moment Barry went unconscious, I was having problems finding a good perspective to anchor the rest of the sequence on, especially since I wanted to give Merle some kind of moment in this chapter but I also had to explain Johann’s plan. It got real messy and, once again, I am so sorry for that.

Okay, so I wrote the song Johann sings. And by wrote, I mean I threw some lines with a rhyme scheme together and called it a day. It’s like not good at all, and really it’s super bold of me to claim that it’s the most beautiful thing Sloane has ever heard.

We’re going to talk a bit more about Stevie and John because I still have more to say. Stevie and John’s subplot is my favorite to write, and I am very excited that I can now start giving you guys a real idea of where it’s going. Initially, when I first started writing this story, I knew that I wanted John to play a major role before the story’s climax and I knew that I wanted Stevie to be more than just decoration for her parents. Putting these two together has led to some ideas and plot points I can’t wait to show you guys and I really hope that you’re as down to see them as I am. Everything I said in the in-chapter notes about Stevie having a good ending is true. Right now I am on the fence about how this will end for John because I can either let it end with him redeeming himself like in the original show or I can make it an excuse to reinforce his villainhood. Tell me when you guys would rather see, and I’ll do my best to make it happen.

Also, you know how John says he forgot Stevie’s name, giving her the opportunity to say it again (and essentially introduce herself for the first time without her realizing) and how Stevie never catches on that she got played? I once watched a Harry Potter movie where something like that happened and I remember thinking to myself “damn, that one smart kid for realizing they’re something fishy in someone doing that” and that’s where this was born from!

Also, I hope Stevie’s choice at the end there makes sense because I didn’t want to overstate it since it really is a culmination of her character arc so far.

Julia hitting Not Lucretia with her prosthetic leg and yelling “horseshit” is the best moment in this fic thus far.

The ending of actually collecting the bell is really rushed but the chapter was getting really long I didn’t want to have to spilt it up into two parts. I hope it does work, and whatever you think needs more time to breathe will probably get more air in the next few chapters.

I debated if I wanted to let Taako’s line be the ending note for the scene because, on one hand, I had a completely different moment in mind where Taako reunites with Magnus and realizes that he’s missed out on so much. But that lined happened and, even though I don’t have Taako say that catchphrase a whole lot (since he doesn’t actually say it a lot in canon) it felt like such an emotional peak that I knew I could not do better than that. The chapter had to end there because Taako saying his own name just felt right.

So I’m going back to school in a couple of weeks, which means that updates are going to slow down to a crawl. I’ll do my best to keep you guys posted on how things are going writing wise, but please feel free to drop in and strike up a conversation about anything. I am a lonely person and I always like hearing from you guys. In the meantime, please enjoy this preview for the next chapter:

It’s been a long time since he’s had to mess with the gurney. It’s made from a light wood, carved from Magnus’s deft hands. Taako puzzles over it for a moment, trying to figure out how the intricate straps are supposed to work when the mystery woman interrupts his thoughts. “Just help me sit right there,” she says, pointing to one end. Both her teeth and red bandana are bright against her dark skin, and his eyes hurt to even look at her. “Just sit opposite. I’m pretty sure it’ll balance itself out.”

“Yeah. Fine. Sure.” He’s not heartless, so he grabs her arm and drags her close enough to the gurney that she can pull herself on. It’s hard work, and the sweat that drips down his back is as unpleasant as he remembers it being. She shifts, makes sure she has her sword and shield strapped to her back. When he takes his designated spot, she tells her stone to lift them up. The ground disappears under his feet. From this high up, he can see all that remains of Wonderland—nothing but a pile of junk and rock. He spits down at it.

A second later, he hears Kravitz’s distant but still clearly disgusted shout. Taako cackles.

[...]

When the gurney reaches the deck, the murky feeling from before comes back in full force. He jumps over the rail, feet landing on the familiar wood. It’s the same silver railing, same layout from stern to helm. After all this time, nothing’s changed. Sure, Lucretia is laying on the ground with Davenport still worrying over her, but that doesn’t count. Everything else—the scratches on the wood where battles had been fought, the carving of their names by the helm for future prosperity—is still here in mint condition. Nostalgia sweetens his lips, punctuating every step of movement as he spins and takes in the sight of home. This is home.

And there’s Magnus. He’s standing by the buttons that operate the gurney lift, eyes wide as he stares at Taako. He’s older—thicker in some parts, worn out in others like a bruised shield. But his smile is the same as he takes three large steps from the buttons and engulfs Taako in a hug. “Holy shit—Taako!”

Taako wheezes, every rib cracking. Magnus’s arms are thick and strong, and Taako can’t deny how great the feeling of being affectionately suffocated is. “Ey, big guy—”

“I thought I was never gonna—”

“Momma!” At the sound of a girl’s voice, Magnus drops Taako. Hug over. His hands stay resting on Taako as the little human girl who is peaking out from the steps below deck, hiding for a moment longer before racing up to the gurney.

Taako feels Magnus’s hands leave him. “Jules,” he says, his hand now brushing over the little girl’s head as he approaches Julia. His mouth agape, he tries to find a place to start. His hands hover over Julia under she takes one of his and presses it to her cheek. His other hand copies it, and Taako can see the gold glint of a ring on his left finger. “Jules, what happened? This is… what happened?”

Taako stares at the ring, then at the loving sadness in Julia’s eyes. He looks down at the child, and a part of himself he really hates can piece the narrative into a whole picture. “What the fuck?”

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starco-conut · 6 years

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Our Thoughts on Season 3

Hey everyone!! as you may have seen...Alan and I have been just a bit let down by some of the stuff going on. Luckily, we’re both huge ass nerds so we wrote it all out in a multi-paragraph post. With visual aids! if you’ve been feeling a little offput by the new episodes but can’t place why, we probably have your reason put into words somewhere in here.

Reviews, replies, general additions to this post are not only permitted, but strongly encouraged!! :D

bold is nicole. italics is alan

Scent of a hoodie

I mean. one word summary;... Uncomfortable. it was rough to watch my girl obsess like that and honestly??? there was no clear message at the end... with the whole ‘the scent is in ur heart....’ do they mean to imply she’s getting over marco or that he’s always gonna be around in her mind??????????. yeh. not much to say here.

this episode was kind of strange and felt really awkward with star’s obsession with marco but had a sweet ending with star learning that its really unhealthy for her to latch onto marco like this and its time to move on. it felt like one of those iffy episodes throughout most of it but the end was decent enough

Rest in Pudding

Her little monologue to glossaryk was super cute and well done!! that whole bit was just. Good! felt like Old Times! but then there’s

This was... a gag? I dont know. when i saw it first my gut reaction was that they were setting up some angst about how star’s calling people on earth that aren’t her best friend Marco and THAT got me!! i was Ready To Be Hurt by that! but then like...nothing. Unless it comes up in a nearing episode this was just a bad joke. overall episode wasn’t bad at all though!!

i really enjoyed this episode! the pacing, mystery, and comedy all held up to the Star standard and only had a small amount of plot progression which felt appropriate for a halloween episode. my only gripe is that after the whole Battle For Mewni deal, i expected Moon to believe Star a bit more when she says Glossaryck is alive

oh yeah that too for sure

Club Snubbed

pretty much made me want to die and barf simultaneously. when it got to the scene above, where she talked about just needing a friend i thought, hey, thats cool. and accurate. maybe that dance scene clip, since its unfortunately not a flashback, is going to be presented as platonic!

nope. anyone in for a suicide pact?

To be fair, i should elaborate. Tomstar, in theory, is super cool. I definitely vibed with the fire and butterfly magic mix happening, back when I thought it was a flashback. But...Its been, what, 5, maybe 6 episodes since marco left and she’s already just...whoop? who’s marco? haha what? There’s not enough time.

And from what I can tell, none of their old issues have been addressed. Tom still has anger issues, but because ‘its hard’ and he’s ‘trying’ suddenly star’s all over him? sleazy ppl come to their exes like ‘i’ve changed!!’ for a reason. the ex should actually. want. to see. change. Star seems content to say ‘fuckall, tom’s here, why not’

WHICH..could actually be good? If it’s presented that way? My hope is that she’s latching on to Tom because they have history, and a bond already. Marco’s gone suddenly, she’s urging for somewhere to direct her affection- lord knows the sweet girl has lots to give. and then they’ll part as friends after she realizes whatever they are now is unhealthy and ingenuine romantically. I have no backing for this and honestly it doesn’t look like that’s the way they’re going but... I’m gonna hope.

this episode definitely throws a spin on our view of tom as an “uncaring, lying, manipulative ex boyfriend” and for the first time i felt like i really saw Tom Lucitor, a boy with anger issues and an unfortunate history with his actions. i was really glad to see this character growth for him but i feel like the writers completely skipped over the real impacts that a relationship like tom and star’s had on each other.

yes!! i didn’t say but, i kinda love tom as an independent character. his anger issues are presented as a part of his personality, he is a guy who has anger issues, not Anger Issues in a physical form. lots of cool depth on that.

realistically, star would not immediately fall back in love with tom because...why would she? we as the viewers know that Tom has changed but to Star? he has a significant history of lying to manipulate her and marco to get closer to them and star doesn’t have a real reason to believe what he’s saying is true and she shouldn’t have 100% faith in him so quickly especially when she had 0 trust in him just a few minutes prior. overall i was impressed with the development for tom but the future implications were disappointing to me

i will be talking more about my issues with Star and her trust issues later.

Stranger Danger

My only issue with this episode is that it doesn't exist outside of its own ten minutes. I literally forgot about it til i looked up an episode list of s3 to write this post. Eclipsa is sitting there, queen of darkness, in the same castle grounds as star, and shes nor the trial is brought up in the subsequent episodes. Alan goes wild on this one so I’ll let him take it away- he’s 100% on point here.

THIS IS A LONG ONE BOYS, STRAP IN,

i agree with nicole here, there is no buildup to the immense revelation that eclipsa is free and roaming the castle gardens. battle for mewni had planted the seed that eclipsa was breaking out but there was no mention of this in any other episode. and then there’s this:

what was this all about?? did no one notice that Eclipsa, the Queen of Darkness, one of the most powerful queens and magic users in Mewni’s history, and a wanted criminal, was FREE FROM THE CRYSTAL THEY FROZE HER IN?? And in BFM, Moon even visits Eclipsa’s crystal prison to check if she’s still there but now? she didnt seem worried about it AT ALL. only when Star is peacefully talking to her does Moon and the magic high comission show up because...plot reasons.

aside from that, however, i feel like the pacing in this episode was not planned very well. from the opening scene of Star taking care of Glossaryck for well over 4 minutes, it felt like this was going to be a fun silly episode with general shenanigans (there’s nothing wrong with silly episodes, it just didn’t end up being one). but halfway through the episode, eclipsa shows up and suddenly the plot is moving at a rapid pace. and while this felt like it should have been the climax of the 11-minutes, the climax just continues? there is no falling action in this episode. it continues with star being decontaminated and at one point she is strapped to an examining table and flashes through some disturbing faces

why is she smiling? who drew this? this feels really creepy, like someone is putting their kinks into the show and its really uncomfortable to watch and think about. there is a heart touching moment with Moon and Star talking about their actions and both side have somewhat understandable reasons, though star clearly has the show’s bias so the plot progresses (which is not necessarily a bad thing). afterwards, Star meets Eclipsa in her cell and still, the climax of the episode has not fallen at all with all the arguing. and then finally when star confronts eclipsa in her tower, she says,

“Just because i didn’t want you crystalized again, doesn’t mean i trust you.”

????

She literally has no past with eclipsa other than having a pleasant conversation with her. She knows next to nothing about her actual actions or personality but immediately doesn’t trust her? but in Club Snubbed she immediately trusts tom? the guy who directly had severe negative impacts on her life?? Why?! Why are the writers so inconsistent? nothing makes sense! It’s cheap, forced romance that’s why!

and after this ridiculously long climax the episode just ENDS. there is no resolution, and it doesn’t touch on it again anywhere in the next four episodes. It’s bad show writing.

Demoncism

I picked this screenshot because it was the most disgusting!!! this is just...more of an opinion here but I really like the trope where one is out of their mind, dangerous, causing magic destruction and the other defies the risk and holds them, curing the issue with The Power Of Love. it’s corny but I love it. and yet.

here. they decided to just. chuck it in. I’ve seen shows do this trope Very Very well (oddly, one example i can think of also involves a wild demon kid and a forest in blue fire.....) but to just...throw this in there. with. like 8 seconds of buildup. n-o. no. ESPECIALLY because tom and star, where they are currently in the show, aren’t ready to be romantic, and this trope always has romantic implications.

i got extremely mixed feelings from this episode. on one hand it had a great message that you shouldn’t force change but rather to grow naturally and learn from your mistakes. on the other hand, a lot of it is still tainted by this cliche, boring, romance. Star immediately barges in and claims that he’s only doing this for her and generally is untrusting of his actions.

......

are you noticing a common theme here? writers purposefully twisting characters’ interactions for the sole purpose of causing drama? give me one good reason for star’s sense of trust to be flip-flopping like this over and over again. im being serious, if you even read this far, leave a reply and call me out because i CAN NOT THINK OF ONE GOOD REASON.

“Okayy, but no tickling.” Again, more creepy bdsm, moving on.

Then later when hes doing that whole floaty, blue veined, writhing scene i will actually commend the writers for making a very good analogy of how painful and unhealthy this process is for tom to quickly force himself to change. then star comes back and hugs him and says shes here for him which would have actually been a very sweet moment if they had just been friends but of course, they’re not. its just a reminder that “uwu they’re in love now”. and then there’s this:

confirmation that yes, the show is going to do that. rush star and tom’s relationship bc #teendrama. and the worst part of it is: star and tom could actually have been an acceptable, if not role model relationship if it wasn’t written so poorly, which is what the next paragraph or so is dedicated to.

I don’t hate Tom and Star’s relationship. I don’t. i see it as a missed opportunity. Tom and Star were two people who used to be a couple in the past and broke up for reasons unknown. we can speculate that it was because of Tom’s anger issues and problems with lying, and also Star’s inability to deal with complex situations and face her problems. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY COMMON REAL LIFE SITUATION. This was a ripe opportunity to go in-depth with Star and Tom’s issues, not just their own but also the issues between them. and it is wasted. I know that its hard to fit this into one measly episode but there’s a whole half season to develop them at a proper, realistic pace! i wouldn’t care if the entire season is dedicated to Star and Tom working to solve these issues if it meant we had this enormously important topic resolved in a healthy and wholesome manner.

But the problem is, none of this happens. And it’s not going to. The writers completely skip over all of Tom and Star’s anger towards each other and go straight to “UWU THEYRE IN LOVE NOW”. Star is just rebounding off Marco and onto Tom and there’s going to be more unnecessary drama, and someone’s going to get hurt.

And I am disgusted.

Sophomore Slump

jarco saved this ep ? the only parts of it i could really relax and enjoy was the little jarco montage it was cute. and then. and THEN. the random dumping. I get what the writers were trying to say, y’know? ohohohoh, nudge nudge, we all know who marcos REAL best friend is...hohoho...except. they shouldnt have. said it. at least not via jackie. She was used in this disgustingly common way where she’s just there to deliver a message and help marco realize something. do y’all realize the most drastic adjective i can apply to her realizing she+marco wont work is like....”bummed”. It’s realistic to cry, to be fucking mad, to show...FEELING...i don’t care how cool and chill she is. It’s an absolute travesty to her to not let her be upset about it.

AND THE CAPE. it was obnoxious, I hated his attitude about it, not because it was annoying but because he expected others to stop ‘acting weird’. I had hope when jackie knocked sense into him but then he...was then REWARDED for his obsession with it? He ended up getting what he wanted, a ticket back to Mewni, by being a stubborn arse about it. no.

god where do i begin. alright.

Marco was so out of character this episode. im not talking like “he isnt the safe kid anymore he takes some uncharacteristic risks”. no. I don’t know who this kid is but it is not Marco Diaz. He’s some plot device created by the writers to create drama. Why is he so obsessed with his cape? Why is he forcing his experience on mewni into every conversation? Why. Is he. The Croissant Girl. The dude spent over sixteen YEARS in other dimensions going on quests of epic scale and comes back home without a single issue readjusting. Not one word. but then he spends one week in the butterfly castle and serves essentially no purpose the entire time other than freeing Star from her chains one time. He was completely and utterly unimportant in the grand scheme of the BFM movie. and then he comes back to earth and feels this great pride as if he was some great part of the event. Why? what does he have to be proud of? there was no mention of this development in any of the earlier episodes. and i havent even mentioned the ridiculous forced breakup yet.

at some point it seems like Jackie’s words really do come through to Marco. He snaps out of his daze and seems to genuinely want to make it up to her. the scene with Marco and Jackie having a fun date at the pier was incredibly sweet and was generally a good experience. We got to see more of Jackie’s fun side that we were desperately searching for in season 1 and the first half of season 2. it was very satisfying to know that jackie was a character everyone would eventually come to love. but then

that. Why? Why has Marco not moved on at all and learned his mistakes? why does he not understand that he’s being destructive. why do the writers like creating unnecessary drama. you know what show had a very similar plot issue and resolved this properly??

That’s right! Everybody’s favorite racist, ableist, offensive, generally unfunny show: The Big Bang Theory. I don’t even remember this dude’s name but when he came back from space and was being annoying, his girlfriend talked to him and he realized that “WOW IM ANNOYING LET ME THINK ABOUT OTHER’S FEELINGS FOR ONCE.”

100%. if they had stopped with the callout via jackie, and he had actually taken off the cape, I would have been fine. lesson learned. but, obviously, they didnt do that.

If this show (which has an incredible track record for doing crappy show writing) can get it right then why can’t Star vs the Forces of Evil? A show that is usually praised for it’s amazing talent for intelligent, easy to understand, and great moral messaging?

Because of the writers. They don’t want to teach important messages for these kids (the target audience may i remind you) to latch on to and learn from. They want to write their angsty fanfiction and throw it into canon.

Nicole-TL;DR my lasting hope is star’s affections for tom are, and are revealed as such, a way to cope with going cold-turkey on marco and things resolve without a stupid fucking love triangle also jackie and janna start dating. aaand im just. disappointed with the show rn. something’s different and after shoving this amazing ass show in everyones face for so long just to see it kind of...well, it’s starting to peel. idk why. but im just hoping this is like...banagic incident but...several episodes long.

Alan-TL;DR

#svtfoe #star vs the forces of evil #star butterfly #marco diaz #alan #nicole

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