#‘you wanted a real kaiju? i’ll give you one’

[thebiggestfuckgiven]

firebreather au when, at the prom scene, duncan says “dad was right”, he actually means it

He still saves his friends, but doesnt reconcile with them, for whatever reason. pissed and upset he goes full on feral on abaddon and astaroth. fights side by side with Belloc, but instead of sending the two kaijus into hibernation duncan gives in to the rage, killing them.

belloc is obviously proud of him, and duncan, numb and feeling monstrous (he could never allow himself to be around the people he cares about anymore because of what he’s become), accepts to be belloc’s heir. Leading duncan to be crowned Prince of the Kaijus

[liillyliilly]

Detective Business

kenji sato x reader words; 7009 synopsis; enemies to friends to lovers- she's a private investigator and he's just ultraman (but she doesn't know that). she also has to deal with that annoying pro baseball player who just won't leave her alone.

Trying to find the identity of Ultraman is no easy job for the Tokyo Investigative Department, but for her? It’s more than finding Ultraman, it's about also finally arresting Kenji Sato for his reckless driving on the highway.

Unfortunately, she’s also a reckless driver. Which is why Kenji Sato was folding his arms and frowning while she pulled out a pad of ticket paper from under her motorcycle’s seat. The rain was dripping on her helmet and Mr. Sato’s white shirt was getting soaked through.

“I just think I shouldn’t be getting a ticket, Officer.”

“I’m not an officer, I’m a private investigator under contract with the department. Don’t lump me with them.” She bites the pen cap off and starts writing a ticket for him clocking in at around 170 kilometers per hour.

“You don’t even have a radar detector, so the only way you know I was speeding is because you were too.” Kenji kicks off from the wall of the divider on the highway. He inspects her motorbike slowly, dragging fingers over the dashboard and the mirrors. The key in her ignition is black, with a small baseball keychain, he notes this and keeps it in mind.

She grins, “As I said, I’m not a policeman.” She lowers her voice a little, “My bike isn’t factory tuned like theirs are.”

He groans, upset at her for giving him the ticket. But also because she intrigued him more than most people did. MINA spoke into his helmet, reminding him about the Kaiju raging in Sendai. He shushes MINA’s comments.

She scoffs, assuming that the shush was for her. She shoves the ticket into his chest, accidentally soaking up some water that was drenching his t-shirt.

“If you want to fight the ticket, go to Courthouse 5 in Tokyo at 9 am on Wednesday. A representative from the department will have all my notes from this. And Mr. Sato, please drive safely, it’s raining. Hydroplaning is no joke.”

“I’ll drive safely if you drive safely, Officer.” He laced the title with some grittiness, the kind of tone that grinds her gears.

“I’m not an officer. I’m-”

“A private investigator, yes I know, you’ve told me three times before. Since you’re the only one who can actually clock me going above the speed limit.” He rolls his eyes, “Same time next week Officer?”

She sighs, putting the visor of her helmet down. When she gets onto her bike, kicking up the stand and revving her engine, Kenji teases her and blows an overdramatic kiss in her direction where she can clearly see it in her mirrors. She brings her hand up to throw him a middle finger, he earnestly returns the gesture.

The road is empty now, and she’s far enough away to not recognize Kenji using his willpower to morph into Ultraman, needing to get to Sendai soon according to MINA’s instructions.

MINA speaks into his audio system, “You really should listen to her. She’s smart. Safe driving is critical in the rain Ken.”

“MINA, I love you, but please shut up.”

She never liked arrogant people. Maybe because she was arrogant herself? But the real reason for arrogance is that it masks the reality behind the person, it’s a cover for something more futile and undeniably human. Arrogance acts like a shield holding back a person from revealing too much. For her, arrogance defended against her ideals. The world could be changed to be better. Peace is well within a grasp. That ideal, that dream of what the world could be is hidden and buried deep within her. To cover for it, arrogance does a great job biting into people she meets.

It’s a good thing her best friend was always there for her. Ito Yuuta, rookie of the year and a new addition to the Yomiuri Giants baseball team. He was one of the first round draft picks, immediately getting sweeped into the team. So there she sat with Yuuta, while he threw pitches in the baseball cage, her talking about his teammate with disdain.

Yuuta clocked in some high speeds, and was extremely sweaty. His shoulder was killing him, but practicing as often as possible was a new priority if he wanted to be utilized and get off the bench for this season.

“I don’t understand how you can play on a team with a guy like that.” She chews a piece of licorice, a guilty pleasure snack that she was addicted to. Yuuta steals a piece and sits next to her.

She’d met Kenji before, in circumstances where she wasn’t giving him a fine for speeding down highways. When her friend got scouted, she met the members of his team at a mixer. Kenji Sato just didn’t seem to play nicely with his teammates. When Yuuta had initially introduced himself, Kenji had given him a signed baseball card, saying something about how selling it would be worth something.

After hearing that story, which Yuuta laughed at and gladly embraced as a characteristic of Kenji’s behavioral traits, she just furrowed her eyebrows and puckered her face. It rubbed her the wrong way for someone to act like that. But she couldn’t control the roster of the Giants’ team.

“He’s a great player. You’re just too tied up in your whole ‘I’m a harbinger of justice and righteousness’ to see that there are people out there with the exact same personality as you.” Yuuta drinks some water and throws a sweaty towel on her, which she tosses back to him in disgust, “Come to a game, watch him play, maybe then you’ll join a fanclub other than mine.”

She clicks her tongue to her teeth, bouncing her knee in consideration. Yuuta let the whole Kenji Sato thing go, and instead just invited her to come watch him play in the most upcoming game.

He had her try to throw a ball, how to raise her leg just enough, bringing her arm and hand back just enough. While he was adjusting the length of her arm and the angling just so, none other than Kenji Sato walked into the baseball gym. He slinks over to the pitching cage and watches for a moment, the rookie member of his team sliding his hands over Kenji’s pretty private investigator. He just had to make a comment, right?

“You should move her hips a little to the left while you’re at it, Ito.” She jumps a little at his voice, dropping the ball. It rolled over to Kenji’s foot through the wire fencing around the cage, he reached down and picked it up from under the cage. Throwing the ball up a little, analyzing it. Ito accepts the help, and uses his hands to twist her hips just a smidge.

She couldn’t help it that she was ticklish. A brief laugh escapes her, and she chokes when she sees Kenji stare right at her. Except it wasn’t at her face, rather where Ito’s hands began to slide up to her waist to tickle her a little more. Kenji presses his lips into a line, tossing the ball over the cage.

Ito yells out a quick thanks and Kenji waves his hand while walking to the locker room.

She throws the ball that Kenji had returned to her. It clocked in at around 128 KPH. Yuuta lets out an approving hum in reaction to the speed of her fastball. She does a little spin and flexes her arms to show off her natural talent. It’s a good thing the locker room had TVs that showed camera footage from all the baseball cages. Kenji laughed at her silliness while he was watching on the screen, tightening his shoes.

A few days later, at the Tokyo Police Station, she’s getting briefed on the newest details of the Ultraman case. It’s all things she’s heard before, and they were no where closer to uncovering the true identity of Japan’s biggest hero. Biggest hero, her ass, more like the biggest vigilante who runs around fighting Kaiju and also destroying the structural integrity of Japan’s cities.

All the secretaries and computer techs loved Ultraman, all the mugs in the kitchen area were Ultraman themed to prove it.

She spins around in her chair, listening to the Head of the Detective Department drone on in his monotone voice.

“Which is why I’ve decided to reach out to the KDF in helping us.”

Now, that was something she did not like. The KDF were brutalistic, inhumane, and quasi-militaristic. It was like their organization ran on the idea of killing out the entire Kaiju race with no concern for the theories and realities that Kaiju could actually help the world. If only people actually did their research and showed patience with the dedicated scientists who worked tirelessly to find out more about Kaiju.

She would prefer Ultraman to the KDF anyday. Ultraman at least gave the Kaiju respect, and he always seemed to guide them in certain directions once he got them to the ocean. Almost as if he was releasing the beasts to their homeland.

“No way. The KDF are horrendous. They treat Kaiju like pests that need to be destroyed. Any sort of information they have on Ultraman’s identity is sure to be unethically obtained.” She raised her concerns, looking to her fellow coworkers for support in backing her statement. They just lowered their heads when faced with her stare.

“Miss. You’re just a private investigator, all you need to do for us is follow instructions and see where our leads take us. And, you’re one to talk about ethically obtaining evidence, we all know your little tricks.”

She bites her tongue, leaning back into her chair. She had three more months of working for the police and then she could go back to discovering cheating husbands and trailing drug cartels for the other government departments. At least when she was doing that she wasn’t at risk for getting crushed underfoot by a superhero or getting lasered by KDF robots and fighter pilots.

Her boss puts a hand on her shoulder, picking away a piece of lint before going back to the head of the table.

“You’ll meet with a KDF representative, take detailed notes, follow the trails you find, and then report back to me. Do you understand?”

She mumbles.

“What was that?”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

That night, she had to put on dressy clothes for the dinner with her KDF intelligence personnel. On the phone with Yuuta, she’d gotten appraised when she slid on a tight black number, “Damn! I thought you only had jeans and black shirts in your closet. Maybe I’ll have to ask you on a real date and not just the baseball banquet in two months.”

She held her head in her hands, while her elbows rested on her desk, phone sat up against her water bottle. Yuuta put the back of his hand against his forehead, giving a playfully deep sigh as he got a view of her cleavage. She rolled her eyes at Yuuta’s behavior, but still felt slightly proud at her ability to clean up nicely.

“Bye Yuuta, I’ll text you later.”

He waves to the camera, holding up a peace sign before finally ending the call.

The restaurant is dimly lit, live jazz music ebbs and flows throughout the building. Tables have white and black cloth laid out, and there’s an overabundance of marble decor. The KDF employee couldn’t have been younger than forty, but the salt and pepper hair did add an appeal she didn’t expect.

He pulled out her chair for her, and had the waiter take her order first. She sipped some water, not wanting to feel buzzed at all from alcohol. He was nice enough, just making some small talk before they got into the real meat of why they were there.

“We have intel that the ‘Hero’ is likely a sporting figure. We’re leaning towards baseball, due to the popularity of the sport. Also, based on audio recordings, he spent time abroad, using a mixture of slang and an American accent to color his lived experiences.” He downs his beer when he finishes the bulk of his information.

She jots the main points down on her notepad. In between sips of water, and bites of her pasta dish, she finds herself quickly making trails and thinking of all the roads she could go down to find Ultraman. When all the information is expressed, she leans back in her chair, waiting for the waiter to come back so she could pay for her meal.

When twenty minutes elapse, she says she’ll go looking for their server so they can leave. He nods, finishing off his fish and chips.

Turning the corner, she bumps into a solid wall. Except, the solid wall lets out a short ouch. It’s Kenji. Despite trying to clearly cover something up, his suit only goes so high on his neck. There’s black and blue bruises canvassing his face and neck, she glances and sees that there’s marks on his hands as well.

“What happened to you?” She reaches out instinctively to touch his cheek where there’s a dark purple bloom from the peak of his cheekbone to right above his jawline. He whines when she makes contact, but eases up when her warm hands soothe the flow of blood beneath his skin.

“You should see the other guy.” He remarks. In response she just scoffs a little, dropping her hand even though he wishes she would’ve just kept it there.

Soon, the salt and pepper KDF member finds her, “Hey, you need to come back.” He waves his card in the air for a moment, letting her know she needed to pay. He motions for her to hurry and come, and Kenji feels appalled. She nods, but Kenji furrows his eyebrows.

“What kind of man makes his date pay?” His voice is scratchy, and only she can hear him.

She puts a hand on his chest, “It's not a date, it’s business.”

Kenji nods, letting his hand graze hers as it slides down his chest. What once was, no longer is.

When the much older man puts a hand on the small of her back, his jaw clenches reflexively. He twitches in pain when he realizes he pulls the muscles where he’d taken a massive hit from the most recent Kaiju attack. At least he’d managed to make the fight only last around thirty minutes. The quickest fight of the year.

His legs were crossed, bouncing his foot that rested on his knee. He used his chopsticks and prodded at his noodles. His private table was hidden in a nook, with a bamboo room divider separating him and the world. Appetite crushed and meal soggy, Kenji pursed his lips slightly. Contemplation could only last for so long.

Pushing his plate away from him, he leaves a stack of bills on the counter. Stalking away to steal one last glance of her. He saw her hair, the curve of her spine, and heard the click of her shoes as the entrance to the restaurant came to a close.

What kind of business did she have, and more importantly who was he to think about what she was doing? The whole internal monologue was getting tired quick, especially when his thoughts had become plagued with her. Everytime he dished his attitude out for her, she served it right back and with her own additions and special spices.

He’d need some sort of counseling. And soon. But did he really?

She was committed to following the outline of details that the KDF personnel had given her. But she just kept running into Kenji Sato and didn’t get anywhere far with her approach.

At first she had tried to study all the baseball teams that had the quickest reaction times to a Kaiju attack. Each time she attended another game, with her hoodie pulled over her head and hands in her pockets, she just saw people running all around trying to escape the stadiums. Not optimal when a person is trying to go towards the danger instead.

A man had narrowly clipped her shoulder, she kept pressing forwards to get to the field. The Kaiju was on the outskirts of the stadium. If Ultraman really was a baseball player he would’ve appeared in the field from where the players had been. Her line of reasoning was that going down to the field and having her camera ready was the optimal discovery technique.

“What are you doing? You need to get away from the Kaiju, not run toward it?” Kenji, still in his Giants uniform, grabbed her by the arm pulling her further away from the baseball diamond. The Kaiju began to stomp away from the stadium. She groaned, ripping her arm away from Kenji.

“Leave me be.” She tried to go toward the center of the field again.

“You have a death wish and I will not be granting it.” He thwarts her plans and gives her the keys to his motorbike when they get to the parking lot, the Kaiju’s roar rumbles lowly from a distance in the eastward direction. “Get on the bike. I swear to the gods, get on the bike.”

She turns the key, and starts the engine. Kenji goes back to the stadium, leaving her to try and track down all the players from the game today who had already left the stadium, maybe following one of them would lead to the Ultraman reveal. An hour later, the Kaiju was back in the water leaving Japan behind. Ultraman’s face and video footage rang through the screens in the streets. She tossed her camera in the air, annoyance clear on her face.

That was the third time that month that Kenji had done something like that, found her trying to go towards the danger instead of avoiding it, and each time he pushed her away and told her to leave.

It was starting to annoy her more and more intensely that she still couldn’t catch a baseball player turning into Ultraman. Why did there have to be so many baseball games, and why were there so many players on every team?

Yuuta had invited her to a practice match between the Giants and a team from Singapore that had flown in for the friendly. She obliged him, thinking that she could narrow down her list of baseball players better if a foreign team was playing as well. It was around mid-game, and she didn’t expect another Kaiju attack so soon after the last one. Alarms blared and the ground rumbled.

This Kaiju was dark green, scaly, and looked a lot like a water monitor, with fangs like a rattlesnake. The size of it was smaller than most, and it slithered around instead of standing. It lunged at one of the lights in the stadium, and she was shaking against her intentions to remain resolved.

She supposed now was as good a time as ever to see an Ultraman transformation. Except maybe, getting too close to the creature was a bad idea. Yuuta had screamed at her for getting to the field, but he couldn’t stand in and do anything when the tail of the Kaiju knocked her off her feet and she landed on her arm roughly.

Kicking off with her feet, she kept trying to backtrack, elbows bloody and pain shooting through her shoulder. Now she was worried for her life, especially when the Kaiju slinked around the dirt and grass, getting a little too close to the catcher’s area, where she sat. Dirt coated her clothes, and she felt iced into her position.

She closed her eyes for a second, preparing for the worst.

Ultraman always saves the day in the end. The snake-like monster was curling itself around the arm of Ultraman, he shook his arm but the lizard stayed firmly in place. He flung his arm, and to her shock, the snake flew away, Kaiju genetics and formation letting it slither in the air. The Kaiju made its way to the coastline, and the harm was successfully resolved.

The audio muffling voice was just human enough to remind her to come back to her senses. The voice and of course, a huge presence kneeling in front of her would bring anyone back.

His hand was the size of her whole body, maybe even bigger.

“Do you need medical attention?” Ultraman stuck out a finger and she pulled herself off the ground by leveraging her weight and the arm that she hadn’t landed on.

“No, probably just some regular first aid.” She lifts her head up to try and make eye contact, that could be another clue.

When there’s no movement from either of them for a moment, he stutters something out yet none of the words make any sense. Fainting when she sees the Kaiju come back might have been her stupidest biological instinct.

Yuuta sits by her bedside table, snoring. Rubbing her head, she turns on the TV to see what happened after she lost total consciousness.

Ultraman had picked her up and set her somewhere safe while fighting the beast, headlines declaring another day safe because of his intervention. As much as she wants, she can’t roll her eyes.

Maybe there’s more to a superhero than meets the eye.

“Well folks we have it here, the championship game. We have the Giants pitching first and the Pumas at bat. Pitching for the Giants is an upstarter by the name of Ito Yuuta, or as the new fans like to say, the Michelangelo of pitching. And I can’t say I disagree with them, I mean his form is so natural and smooth.” The other announcer elbows his companion in the stomach, “And for the Pumas we have American Clint Wilks ready to bat.”

She sits in her seat, the same one Yuuta had reserved for her so many times before. She has her camera filming her friend, his first pitch he wanted filmed in slow motion, and then the rest he wanted normal speed. Something about wanting tons of content for the promotional manager to work with at various angles. Her phone camera wasn’t the best, but she made it work. And Yuuta had always been satisfied with the videos she sent to him.

When the batter manages to skim the edge of Yuuta’s first pitch she groans a little. The ball was recovered quickly, but Yuuta wasn’t shaken up at all. His next two pitches were seamless, going straight to the catcher in the blink of an eye. She cheers.

Disconnecting from the game for a moment, she scrolls on her phone, she may have enjoyed baseball, but it was Yuuta she only really came for. Yuuta and Kenji that is. Her other camera, her private investigation camera laid safely in her backpack. Should another Kaiju attack happen today she might need an early retirement, especially considering how the last run in had altered her.

It had been a while since she had caught Kenji Sato late at night, ignoring the speed limits with an overwhelming sense of confidence and ability. Maybe the lesson had finally set in, the fifth ticket may have been overkill.

When she hears the announcers say that Ken Sato is out of commission for this championship game due to injury, her ears burn. Now this was a quick mystery that needed to be solved. She had seen him in the pit, yelling with his teammates and jeering at the opposing team. But he hadn’t been quite all there, like his brain was in another body and a robot had filled in for him. When the announcement had been made that Kenji wasn’t going to play, he excused himself and left his team. She noticed that he had been rubbing his arm with a grimace.

The locker room would hold all the answers to her questions she supposes. Yuuta wasn’t going to pitch again for the rest of the game, already knocking out so many strikes in one game. She remembered how Yuuta had told her to get to the additional secret door to the locker room.

Getting into the locker room was easy, seeing Kenji Sato in his current state of undress was the hard part.

She couldn’t say much but let out a small squeak to disclose her presence in the room. Kenji finished pulling up his grey sweatpants, and coughed into his elbow to diffuse any sort of discomfort.

“Uh, sorry. My bad.” She tapped her forearm, keeping her arms locked into a folded position.

“It’s, um, it’s all good. Ito’s still at the diamond, I’m the only one here right now…” He trailed off.

Seeing the full expanse of his injuries across his torso and chest, she feels her heart sink. He’d come up closer to her, shutting his locker and almost circling her to study her. Initially, upon her walking in, she had seen him scrutinize the various marks across his body. His entire length of his arm was purple, almost like it had been wrapped in a rope that had been tightened too many times.

“Is your current partner an abuser?” She bluntly asks.

Kenji’s eyes open wide, “No, I’m not dating anyone right now.”

It was her turn for her eyes to go wide, in addition to extreme heat tingeing her skin and sweat starting to build up. Her assumption was that of a hired sort of company making those marks then. Surveying her reaction, Kenji knows what her best guess may have come down to.

“I also don’t make a habit of hiring escorts. Or any sort of paid companionship.” He swallows thickly. All his attempts to mitigate the tension in the room had absolutely failed. He tries another angle, “I’m glad that you care enough to ask though.”

She laughs at that.

“I guess I do care at least a little. It’d be a shame if you died by hooker, especially since I’ve spent so many hours giving you tickets in an attempt to save your life.”

They settled into their dynamic. Friends, but not quite friendly. Kenji wouldn’t call them enemies either, not when he held her too close to his heart. But her barely concealed occasional animosity did harbor some sort of anger or hate toward him that he’d just have to brush that aside while he categorized their relationship.

Their dynamic was hued by an innate sense of connection, but layers of social conditioning and abrasiveness between the two had deemed their magnetism a fluke.

Maybe that’s why he asks her to come to the baseball banquet with him despite being half naked in the middle of the locker room.

“I’ve already told Yuuta I’d go with him.” She shifts her weight between her feet, trying to remain balanced in spite of the extreme uneasiness that ran through her.

“I got him a replacement date.”

Her eyebrow raised at his slight supplication, he continued, “Ito told me he’d tell you soon. Guess I beat him to the remark.”

The awkward chuckle he lets escape makes him wish that he was anywhere but here. He’d take a monstrous Kaiju wanting to bite his head off then be faced with a rejection like this. Would it even be considered a rejection? He just asked if she wanted to be his date to the championship banquet. He chews the inside of his mouth, it would definitely be a direct rejection if she said no.

The crowd roars and tells the both of them that the banquet will in fact be for the Giants winning and not a solemn affair telling everyone to prepare for the next season.

“Okay. I had already cleared my weekend for the banquet anyway.” She wrings her hands out, twisting and playing with each of her fingers.

“Sounds great. It should be fun, you know, since we just won.”

She turns to leave the locker room, before turning on her heel.

He finishes putting his relaxed Giants jersey on, slightly stunned to see her still in the locker room.

“I’ll need your number, so you can tell me what to wear.” She pauses, unsure of what else he’d need to inform her of.

“And so I can let you know when I’ll pick you up, and where to pick you up.” He starts listing off items, using his fingers to keep track.

“Yeah, all that stuff.”

He gets her number, sending a short ‘hi it’s ken’ text. She feels the pull to exit again. But has to let one last thing off her chest.

“I’m not calling you Ken. You’ll always be Kenji to me.” He pushes down a smile, but she continues her word salad that climbs out of her mouth without much censorship. “Too many tickets written out in your full first name for me to call you anything else.”

“We’ll go with that then, Officer.”

She sticks her tongue out at him before finally trekking out of the baseball changing room.

To- Officer Cutie 💎🌟 : i’m sending you a dress, this is your size right?

ATTACHMENT: 1 Image

To- KENJI SATO 🚨🏍️: How did you know my size? Also you know I can buy my own clothes for a banquet right?

To- Officer Cutie 💎🌟: lemme do my own thing

To- KENJI SATO 🚨🏍️: fine then mr. bossy pants

To be fair, the dress really was gorgeous. Silver with red detailing, although the slit wasn’t quite an expected feature of the dress, coming up to above her mid thigh. The straps of the dress had an almost pearl beading which contrasted nicely with the deep blood shade of the red throughout the dress.

“You know, if my date saw you she’d wonder why I was going with her and not you.” Yuuta teases, because he does genuinely feel excitement for who he was going with, a reporter by the name of Ami Wakita. She does a spin for Yuuta in her phone camera.

“I don’t know all the way though, the colors remind me of something I can’t quite put a finger on.”

She can see Yuuta grabbing his phone and searching on Google due to the angle of his forehead that she was now enduring. When Yuuta laughs, she knows she might be in for some sort of practical joke from Kenji.

Yuuta sends her a photo of Ultraman.

“Damn him to hell. We’re going with an Ultraman theme.” She drags her hand down her face in irritation.

The black Mercedes-Benz he drove to pick her up in was definitely an appreciated touch. He was wearing a silver suit with a red button up underneath. At least they matched really well.

The banquet looked expensive. It smelt expensive. It sounded expensive. With draping fabrics hanging off of tall columns in the cream and gold shades of the Giants logo and uniforms. The bouquets of dense floral scents carried throughout the event center, and the fresh scent of pastries and cooked steaks also added to the aromas floating around the air. Clinking glasses, clicks of heels, laughs that sounded like they were dripping in a blend of nepotism and celebrity status.

Kenji and her are at a table with some of the older members of the Giants team. Kenji isn’t amused with the questions they pester the pair of them with. She wittily responds to each glaring comment that had intended to poke deeper and deeper.

The speeches awarding the team and celebrating the momentous win aren’t bad, just bland. Each time a server comes around with glasses of wine, or champagne, or shots, she grabs one and starts sipping. Kenji sticks to just water and some glasses of juice. He mentions that he’s the one driving so he’d rather not get black out drunk. She chuckles sarcastically.

While they don’t talk to each other too much, he does keep a hand on her thigh or knee for most of the night. Which in turn may have been the cause for her to keep getting drinks.

Eventually, as to be expected, the banquet shifts from an event of elegance into a slight rager. Music transitions from classical to club style hip hop and R&B. She keeps nodding off, much to Kenji’s amusement. He couldn’t imagine accidentally falling asleep when the noises around the building were booming and thunderous.

They sit at the table, the only ones left not on the dance floor. Kenji doesn’t mind, especially with how she keeps nodding off and blinking her eyes to try and stay awake regardless of how the alcohol weighs her cognizance down.

“Hey, pretty girl, you keep falling asleep.” Kenji rubs her back, his fingers touching the bare skin exposed from the back of her dress. His hands aren’t cold, they’re far from it, a warmth blossoms from them, springing forth a desire to feel the heat wherever she has exposed skin.

Mumbling, she says something about his observational skills, a ‘Captain Obvious’ is thrown in there somewhere along a line of insults. She keeps trying to rub the sleep away with the back of her hand.

“Ready to go?” She shakes her head yes and lets him guide her out to his car.

It really was the only solution. She was already asleep in his car, and he didn’t know which key was the one that opened her apartment door.

“MINA, can you please change the temperature of my room to 68 degrees? Keep the pillows cold, but make the blankets warmer.”

MINA adjusts the requested temperatures. Kenji lets her take his bed, opting to sleep in one of the guest rooms in the Ultrabase. He sets out a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless sleep shirt. He puts a hand on her leg, moving it so she’d wake up a little.

“Pajamas are here, I’ll be down the hall if you need anything. I got water and some pain relievers on your side table.” She murmurs in response, her face in the pillows. He puts a lid on the water cup, and turns off the light as he shuts his bedroom door.

She hardly recalls that she changed into the comfiest pajamas she’s ever worn, but she did remember drinking the whole glass of water and swallowing the pain pills. Waking up was surprisingly pleasant though, a perfect mixture of cold and warm coated her senses. She freezes for a moment, remembering how last night had unfurled. With her embarrassing herself by drinking way too much and getting sleepy probably much earlier than Kenji had expected.

A good private investigator would study and analyze each item in a person’s bedroom. An even better private investigator would do all that and make fun of what she could. That’s why she’s considered the best in the business.

The room is relatively bland, but pictures of a pink Kaiju stand out to her. It looks like a dragon, but it’s so adorable she had to stop herself from using her phone to take a picture of the Kaiju. There’s a family photo, and oh, his dad is Professor Sato? The Kaiju whisperer? That’s intriguing to her but she keeps lurking around.

Once she examines his room enough, she leaves the room and goes out to discover further.

The smell of fresh fruit and possibly waffles draws her out further and further from the hallway of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Kenji talks to MINA, asking for help in making the waffles actually edible and not burnt. MINA offers to cook them for him, but he says he can do it and wants to make them himself. MINA rereads the instructions for the waffle maker. He’s wearing plaid bottoms and a black tank top. She admires his arms for a moment before shaking herself out of the slight daze.

She keeps looking around. Until she finds something particularly interesting, she checks that she’s still out of his line of sight and she touches a few of the buttons on what looks like a computer keyboard. Except the buttons vary in shape and size instead of being uniform and sequential.

Falling back a little from the bright holograms she gasps. Kenji whips his head around and drops a spoon that had batter all over it onto the floor.

The holograms display various scenes of Ultraman, and Kenji. Of Kenji turning into Ultraman, of Ultraman transitioning back into Kenji. Of Kenji with the pink Kaiju, of Ultraman with the pink Kaiju. Of Kenji and his dad studying the Kaiju. Of Ultraman playing baseball with a huge bat. Of Kenji messing around with various Ultraman maneuvers and martial arts styles.

She turns her head to Kenji, now exposed from her perching site away from his view. He glances his eyes in all directions. He hiccups and laughs forcefully. He can’t even say a simple, let me explain. It’s just all too clear.

“Whoops?” She offers.

He pushed a bowl of fruit in her direction, she was sitting across from him at the dining table.

“No one can know.”

She keeps blinking and eating another piece of fruit as she processes the whole thing. Almost like a fish, she keeps opening her mouth but then closing it without ever saying a word. She downs a glass of orange juice that he gives her.

“So, you’re Ultraman.”

He shrugs.

“All those times I saw you bruised and injured? Ultraman?” She rubs her temple, trying to make sense of it all.

“For most of the time, yes. I did fall off my bike once.”

“I’m going to have to quit my job.” She deadpans. “If they knew that I knew, but didn’t tell them, I’d be hunted and killed.”

Kenji drops his fork that has a slice of mango on it.

“Not literally, but I’d definitely be tortured for what I know.” Finishing off her fruit, she lets out a deep exhale, and makes eye contact with Kenji. He taps on the table for a moment before exchanging her thoughts for his own.

“I hate to admit this, but that would literally be my worst nightmare because I unfortunately like you a lot.”

She suspends all sense of reality for a moment, also ignoring his confession to her, “Kaiju Island is real?” He nods. “I want to go and see it. I want to see the Kaiju.”

So they go and see the Kaiju.

When Kenji introduces her to Emi, a toddler Kaiju, she stands stunned but amazed at the mystical energy of it all. She considers dropping her career as a private investigator and instead studying a course in Kaiju Sciences. She sees a wide variety of other Kaiju, Kenji making sure she stays a safe distance away from anything that could potentially be too dangerous.

The whole day is spent asking and answering questions. From Ultraman to Kaiju, from KDF to Tokyo Metropolitan Police. He’s aware of what the KDF knows about him now, and he’s grateful to know where to start burying tracks for them.

The beach is pretty in the evening. The way pink and orange dance along the glimmering ocean waves. The way the sun hits Kenji’s eyes just right and makes them look like a vibrant purple. His black earrings almost turn into inky ebony gems.

“This is actually amazing.” She exhales the words she’s been holding in during the entire exposure to this alternate universe that coexists with hers.

He speaks without thinking, something he believes he really should start working on, “You’re amazing.”

“Even with all my sharpness?”

“That’s your whole appeal.” He leans in, giving just enough space for her to back out.

She doesn’t lean away. He dives in.

He doesn’t bother with any brushes of their lips, going straight for an open mouth exchange. She’s the one who grazes her tongue in his mouth first though, leaving him wanting more, needing more, an appetite needing to be satiated with her touch.

He’s leaving a path of heavy kisses over her face to her neck, sucking on the skin as he licks under her jaw. The way her skin tastes should be studied he muses, using his hands to pin her to the sandy bank by her waist. Her hands were too busy fiddling with his earrings and hair to let him pin her by the hands.

The hums he has in his throat make her want to hear what other sounds he can make. Maybe biting his bottom lip was her best option after all because as soon as her teeth came into contact with the puffy skin he shudders and it’s like music to her ears.

He has to lift himself up and off her, out of breath and panting heavily. He pulls her up with him once he’s sitting back down.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first time you cussed me out for almost swerving into you when I was speeding.”

She pauses, letting him intertwine his fingers with hers, he sets the joined hands on his thigh, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand in order to brush some sand off of her.

“That was a while ago.”

“Yeah, so now you know how long I’ve been waiting for this.”

She pushes his shoulder that was right up against hers. He recoils, and she thinks that he might be sore from fighting a Kaiju. So she goes to apologize when he stops her before she can get any words out.

“I think I deserve an apology kiss.”

“What a faker.”

She rolls her eyes but gives him another kiss.

The headlines the following weeks put the world into a tizzy.

PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR QUITS TOKYO POLICE IN A FURY

EX-TOKYO POLICE INVESTIGATOR EXPOSES KDF BRIBING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

KAIJU AREN’T ALL BAD: THE KDF GENOCIDE SCANDAL

KENJI SATO, WHO’S YOUR GIRL?

ITO YUUTA NAMED GIANTS VICE CAPTAIN UNDER KENJI SATO’S CAPTAINSHIP

NEW KAIJU RESEARCH AND SCIENCE RELEASED BY PROFESSOR SATO

EXCLUSIVE ULTRAMAN INTERVIEW: HE’S OBSESSED WITH KENJI SATO’S GIRLFRIEND

[highlordofkrypton]

courting the apocalypse // acotar x pacrim - chapter 3

Read on AO3.

chapter 3 - pan-pacific dead corpse program

Everything the PPDC touches dies.

Whether it’s their beloved rangers or the continents they’re sworn to guard, it’s only a matter of time—it’s only a matter of how. Either you die on the ground, crushed, burned or a thousand other helpless ways (and none of them of your choosing), or you die in Jaeger pretending that you had a semblance of control.

Feyre wants nothing to do with them, so she struggles against her bonds the entire way. She glares at her captors, debating how severe her punishment will be if she spat on one of them. She starts to hack up some spittle, glaring at that shining PPDC badge. It’s her target and she rarely misses.

The truck pulls to a halt before she can do anything, and she’s herded out of it with a graceless shove.

“Don’t touch me!” She snarls, but the soldiers are larger than she is, and she needs to tip her head upwards to meet his eyes. Not very effective when it comes to making an impact.

“Move,” the man counters.

“Hey! Hey, cool it, Okoro,” another PPDC officer holds his hand out to calm her guard. Feyre recognizes his clothes as a pilot’s jumpsuit. His silver hair is tied behind his head in a messy bun, half-squished from a helmet’s embrace. “She’s with me. Can you get the zipties off her? C’mon, those suck.”

When she’s freed, he seems to forget about the others and focuses on her.

“My name’s Andras. Please don’t run, all my friends are watching,” he pleads, apparently trying to make a joke. He holds his hand out to her, and Feyre stares at it. She has no interest in making friends with a PPDC crony.

“This looks a lot worse than it is. You’re really talented, and well, we need your help.”

“Too bad. How the hell do I get out of here?” Feyre has no interest in the kind facade. Anything to get her ass in a Jaeger, right?

Her answer comes in the form of large hanger doors thundering open. A small company approaches her, each person in uniform. On their shoulders and their lapels, a littring of badges gleam at her. Beside the obvious Vice-Marshall, Feyre’s gaze lands on a familiar face, and she openly rolls her eyes.

Great, just great.

“Miss Feyre Archeron,” greets Vice-Marshall Eris Vanserra. His smile is far too cunning and conniving for a government peon. He’d look better off as a Kaiju profiteer, the kind who uses real gold to furnish his Kaiju bunker. Then again, that’s the name of this game isn’t? The Pan-Pacific Defense Corps gives anyone a chance to be a hero, as long as they can pilot a jaeger.

Feyre says nothing, glaring at the woman beside him.

“Hello, sister. It’s about time you came around,” Nesta Archeron smiles at her youngest sister. It has been years since the two of them last saw one another; she’s a spitting image of Feyre, but the features of her face more refined and mature. Prettier, too, but in a severe way.

Feyre has always thought of herself as the ugly duckling in the family.

“Fuck you,” she snarls, but it does nothing to deter her sister or the Vice-Marshall. The red-haired commander simply cocks a slender brow in her direction.

What is up with these people, Feyre remarks bitterly. They look more like models than they do soldiers.

“As you know, it’s illegal to commandeer a Jaeger against PPDC sanction. I’ll save you the details of the law,” Vice-Marshall Vanserra waves his hand, uninterested in his own duty. “You have two options. You can serve your sentence at the wall—”

“The wall isn’t going to work.” It escapes her before she can help herself. Feyre has lived by the wall at her father’s decree. He thought it would be safe, but they couldn’t afford to live inland. The two of them have been struggling near the shore, where animals no longer tread, and where the Wall has yet to be completed. The safest places are the most expensive. With just the two of them, and his injury, Feyre has no choice but to take care of them. She refuses to spend the rest of her life fighting for a lost cause.

Vanserra laughs. “Or your can join our Academy. We need more rangers every day, and as you know, not anyone is deserving of the role. Major Archeron has created an expedited curriculum for you.”

“You left,” Feyre accuses. A lot of information is being thrown in her direction, so she latches onto the loudest thoughts in her mind, and the strongest emotions.

“What did you want me to do? Mother died. I wasn’t going to wait around for my turn.” So, she chose to fight.

“You abandoned us.”

“No, father did and you could have followed once you came of age, but you chose to stay. Actions and consequences,” she says smoothly.

Nesta’s unbothered expression makes Feyre angrier. It’s like she didn’t matter to her sister, as if she didn’t care what happened to her or their father—whether they starved or died, it’s no matter to Nesta because she got out.

“Feyre will be joining the PPDC program,” the Major tells her Vice-Marshall.

��The hell I am!”

“You’d rather the wall? Come on, Feyre. I saw the footage. You really don’t want to do that again? It’s in your blood. Nothing else will give you a high like that. Being in a Jaeger is standing on top of the world.” Nesta hands her a manila folder. “Obviously, you could use some improvement. Here are my notes. I can turn you into the best Jaeger pilot that’s come out of the Academy since the program’s inception.” The confidence radiating from her is palpable.

Nesta glances at Vice-Marshall Vanserra, catching the look he gives her.

“You don’t have much of a choice, Feyre. Come on, I’ll give you a tour. If you still hate it, you’re free to leave.” Nesta waits for no one, turning on her heel, and the small crowd of officers parts for her.

It takes a long moment to decide, but in the end, Feyre decides to take a chance on this insane idea. She jogs after Nesta through the massive hangar doors, and the first thing she notices are the hundreds of eyes on her.

I’ve made a mistake.

[iamthekaijuking]

Gigabash character overview: Balzarr

Last time I made one of these I lamented how Passion Republican Games might not make any more original characters, but I was pleasantly surprised when, for the two year anniversary of the game, they announced a new dlc character pack consisting of the first original characters since the game’s launch!

Balzarr is a technical rush down character. With possibly the fastest movement speed of the roster, high damage, some decent combo potential and a gimmick, a good player can unleash a flurry of attacks and give you little breathing room.

Balzarr’s gimmick is his Predator Stance, where by holding the special attack button while airborne, using certain attacks, or pushing against a building or arena wall you can prop him up on his tail. Using his tail as a springboard he can then launch two quick and powerful attacks, and he can also lock onto an opponent within a cone of vision in front of him up to 1 1/2 body lengths away. Because of this Balzarr benefits greatly from having buildings around the map just like Gigaman and can use them to have a strong first half of a match.

Balzarr does have weaknesses though. He lacks any ranged attacks outside of throwing objects, only really attacks that close distance. And if there are no buildings around then a player will be unable to use his predator stance without comboing into it. He also requires good timing for certain attacks.

Balzarr is also the first functionally quadrupedal character added to the roster (Rohanna technically moves around on four vines but she’s functionally a biped).

Design

As the first quadrupedal character, PRG had some difficulty with designing Balzarr. They took heavy inspiration from the manticore, and tried to strike a balance between a more animalistic design and a more mythical beast one. Here’s some concept art. Design 6 feels very monster hunter.

There’s also the elephant in the room and the biggest source of inspiration, Goldar from power rangers.

This dlc is basically a fake power rangers character pack, even being called the Mighty dlc like the mighty morphing power rangers. But some of you might be wondering “Well why not get the rights to power rangers? PRG already got rights to Ultraman and Godzilla characters.” and the thing is that they probably originally wanted to do that. But Power Rangers as an I.P. is split between multiple different companies, meaning getting the rights to it would be too expensive for the small indi studio. And even if they did then it wouldn’t be available to half the world due to licensing agreements, like how the Ultraman character pack isn’t available in Japan or mainland China.

Even still, I’m glad we finally rounded out kaiju related tokusatsu references in the game. We can finally add Power Rangers alongside Godzilla, Ultraman, and mech anime references. The only real big pillar of tokusatsu left to reference is Kamen Rider, but I don’t think that’s likely since it isn’t part of the kaiju genre (watch me be wrong in like a year).

Lore

“When thou wish upon a shooting star, beware, lest it be the Demon Star. For when its fiery trail crosses thy sight, doom shall follow with darkest might.” so goes the ancient tale that refers to Balzarr, indicating that he might be an alien and has been to earth before. He’s most recently touched down in 2021 and has since rampaged across the globe. The Global Titan Defense Initiative has had trouble dealing with the gold plated lion as he’s so fast that he outpaces their most advanced targeting systems. Since his first modern day sighting Balzarr has been ransacking every Giga Crystal storage facility across the globe.

There’s a bit more to this story that I’ll get into with the next review.

[flamigoat]

My Rayman x Rabbid Peach Playlist 💖🧡

+ Notes from Animatics I’ll probably never make! (Sorry.. I don’t know how at the moment lmao). Maybe someday!! 😆

This silly playlist has been so fun to make! I hope you guys enjoy these. Feel free to leave any more songs in the comments, reblogs, or asks! I’d love to hear them!!!

“Give Her Love”, by Frank Sinatra

Rayman falling for Rabbid Peach when they’re friends. Mostly I picture this song when I imagine Rayman looking at her with this loving, goofy grin as she’s laughing. I totally need to draw that look sometime.

“so american”, by Olivia Rodrigo

Rabbid Peach being super in love with Rayman, just absolutely adorable stuff. Very cute song!

“Nonsense”, by Sabrina Carpenter

Rabbid Peach pining for Rayman. Nothing else to really say besides her being giddy with joy when she thinks about him.

“Girl Crush”, by Little Big Town

Rayman craving for Rabbid Peach’s company, trying to digest his feelings for her. He wants her so badly, to be near her, to be hers. He’s unsure why, yet indulges in romantic daydreams about her and him together. Plus hints of jealousy for Rabbid Mario, wondering if he’ll confess to Rabbid Peach now that Rayman’s gone. At the end, he realizes his feelings are romantic for her. The animation ends upon this realization, he meets Rabbid Peach again after his visit to the Glade, now knowing that he wants to act on his feelings. Phantom Roommates AU context. This one’s a favorite of mine. I think about it a lot.

“Paper Bag”, by Fiona Apple

Rayman yearning for Rabbid Peach while staying at the Glade… unsure if she feels the same and going into a spiral about it. Phantom Roommates AU context.

“I Think That He Likes Me”, by Kooman & Dimond, Kerry Butler

I’ve described this one before! Here’s the link to the post. :D

“Espresso”, by Sabrina Carpenter

Rabbid Peach being flirty with and teasing Rayman, knowing he likes her back. Just her feeling confident in her romantic feelings for him and expressing them openly. He’d just be flustered the whole time. Phantom Roommates AU context.

🚨⚠️ Content Warnings for Upcoming Descriptions: Suggestive Text/Songs + Drug Use Mention Ahead! You have been warned. Be careful. ⚠️ 🚨

“Red Wine Supernova”, by Chappell Roan

Just Rabbid Peach having fun trying to seduce Rayman. Yep! That’s it. It works lmao.

“Sexbomb”, by Tom Jones, Mousse T.

I HAD to pick this one for obvious reasons. Just picturing Rayman trying to serenade Rabbid Peach. Maybe subtly through Karaoke? ;)

“Naughty Girl”, by Beyoncé

Same thing, but for Rabbid Peach. Maybe she’s preforming her Just Dance routine for him? Or maybe she’s preforming it, but makes direct eye contact with him in the crowd! He’s just sitting there, blushing red hot, wondering if she’s implying something with him….the potential… 😳

“Anytime You Smile”, by JT Music, Andrea Storm Kaden

Captain Laserhawk themed animatic!! Basically Rayman dreaming of his reality of the Phantom Show where he becomes friends and lover to Rabbid Peach on a drug trip. Throughout the song, he slowly becomes aware that this reality isn’t real, but desperately tries to hang onto this escape, continuing to indulge in his drug habits. This idea arose from thinking about Rayman dreaming of a reality where he made friends with a friendlier version of the Rabbids to cope with the Rabbid Kaiju destroying his home. It makes me kinda sad thinking about it. Once I can make animations, this is one I would definitely love to do.

And that’s it!! I’ll probably update this later. Maybe it’ll be a master post? Idk. I’ll put it on my pin eventually! I hope you guys enjoyed! 🧡💖

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

WIP Wednesday Things I’m Working On Thursday

I actually worked on the next chapter of Soldier, Poet, King a little bit this week!

—//—

“His readings are all over the place,” Mo Xuanyu reports over the sound of Xue Yang’s screaming. “It’s a miracle he’s not dead, the Kaiju seem to have completely rewired his brain!”

Jin Guangyao takes note of that in a distant sort of way as he stands in front of A-Qing in a futile attempt to shield her from watching Xue Yang’s shockingly rapid deterioration. The Immortals are standing at his head, Xiao Xingchen attempting to keep him from thrashing so much he injures himself and Song Zichen pressed up behind his husband to hold Xue Yang’s shoulders down with a grip so firm his knuckles and fingertips have gone white.

Whatever it is that’s happening to the veins in Xue Yang’s neck is spreading, the same spidery blue veins standing in stark relief in his temples and across his forehead, and he can only assume it’s spreading downwards as well. (With a detached sort of interest he wonders what’ll happen if it reaches his heart, but it’s highly likely that they don’t want to find that out if they also want Xue Yang to survive. Which he does.)

The Wen siblings arrive just as Xue Yang’s screaming is choked off, quite literally, by a profusion of foamy blood, and as Jin Guangyao turns to usher A-Qing fully out of the room he hears Wen Qing calling out orders to her brother and everyone else in the room, taking charge of the emergency with her usual deft authority.

“Wait — is he dying? For real?” A-Qing asks, suddenly sounding every bit her very young age. “Wait stop, Yao-ge, stop! He’s not allowed to die unless I kill him!!”

“He won’t die,” Jin Guangyao says smoothly, though he and A-Qing both know that’s not something he’s actually capable of guaranteeing. “I promised him I’d send him away from all of this, somewhere nice in the countryside where no one would ever bother you or him or the daozhangs again. I’ll keep my promise, but you must calm down.”

A-Qing is small but she’s ferociously strong; Jin Guangyao grapples with her in an attempt to keep her from running back into the lab, their heights evenly matched. For a long moment they stand there locked in a struggling stalemate until A-Qing bites his shoulder and Jin Guangyao manages to get a foot hooked around the back of one of her ankles to kick her feet out from under her and bear her to the ground with the loud clang! of (his) bone on metal.

Jin Guangyao winces for the bruises that definitely left on his knuckles, but that’s preferable to giving poor A-Qing a concussion simply because she’s afraid for Xue Yang’s life. He grits his teeth against a pained shout as A-Qing throws her head back to grind his bruised hand hard enough into the floor that he feels the slight texturing of it for grip start to grate the skin off his knuckles, but he still refuses to let her up.

“Alright come here pipsqueak, up you get.”

Jin Guangyao doesn’t even entertain the thought that Wei Wuxian would dare talk to him like that, so he simply rolls to the side to let A-Qing pop up off the floor — to barrel straight into a much more secure hold in Wei Wuxian’s arms, where she struggles hard against his superior height and strength, and loses.

[rocksinmuffin]

Answering more asks under the read more y’all know how it is on this bitch of an earth

Awww, thank you. I honestly don’t have too many plans for my own stories (other than a sequel to that Twisted Wonderland oneshot I wrote) and I will still try to take time to write for myself in those rare moments of inspiration but I am looking forward to taking new requests. I’m definitely going to switch things up and only answer things that I want to instead of forcing myself to slog through requests that I am uninspired by and I hope that will make a difference.

I’m leaning more towards evil trash because I have seen plenty of loser trash in real life and I want to spice that up a bit. I love villains. But the real winner is evil loser trash. I like a villain who is pathetic and wet.

I haven’t but I vaguely know of it and have heard only good things.

Truth be told most of the games I have played the last few months have been free games on itch.io (mostly visual novels and yandere game demos lmao) but I am considering a few games. I’ve heard incredible things about Disco Elysium and the steam sale has it 75% off. The only reason I haven’t snagged it yet is because I hesitate to give money to the company after they booted all the people that worked on the game (I think that’s a real thing and not something I’m making up).

Cult of the Lamb is another game I’ve ben side-eyeing but it’s only 25% off, I’m in no rush to play it, and I have a feeling if I’m patient I’ll be able to get it cheaper in the future.

I just found out by browsing two seconds ago but apparently a third Monster Prom game came out in October so if I buy any games that will probably be one of them.

And I just realized if I stop to say something about every game I’m considering this will get way too long and most of these are games I know nothing about anyway, but other games I have my eye on include Scarlet Hollow, Beacon Pines, I Was A Teenage Exocolonist, Kaichu - The Kaiju Dating Sim, Best Friend Forever, and The Innsmouth Case. I’m sure there are plenty of other bangers but there is such a huge catalogue on Steam and those are the games that piqued my interest while scrolling through.

I know nothing about this series but I have seen it crossing my dash here and there and hear good things so good for you get that future devil dick

Endless scrolling is the bane of my existence, I hate it so much, and while my blog has pages on desktop it is still endless scrolling on mobile and it makes me want to kill with my bare hands an teeth.

[thequietmanno1]

TheLreads, Vigilantes ch 117, Replies Part 2

1) “OH FUCK RIGHT OFF FURUHASHI

IM GOING TO FIND YOU, AND I’M GOING TO MAKE YOUR EAT YOUR OWN TEETH”- It’s hysterical to see, in real time, your patience with the crazy narrative self-implode and you just soldier all through the remaining madness to get to the end.

(Vigilantes ch 71) 2) “Oh, now we have the imaginary ghost of koichi of arriving home, we`re full of ghosts today I`d say, soon we`ll have the imaginary ghost of Soga of being a piece of shit. That would be hilarious to see again…”- Well, now we’ve got the ghost of Knuckle and Pop floating around, so maybe Soga will wind up inside Koichi’s consciousness as well

(Vigilantes ch 86) 3) “Also, I don`t see why you`d check on her dude, you`re like, 40 chapters too early for her to wake up.”- She doesn’t have to be conscious to give a delirious Koichi some moral support…. (Vigilantes ch 95) 4) “Love this whole emotional introspection stuff that makes it seem like Pop is gonna die so Koichi has regrets over not confessing he loved her before.

…

you better fucking not Furuhashi.”- Does this count as her dying? Or shall we file this under “only mostly dead”?

(Vigilantes ch 104)

5) “Hey Pop, nice to see you again. Having a nice nap there in the fridge? Great, see you again in some 17 chapters.”- Sooner than that even. Even being fridged didn’t stop Pop contributing to this final fight, albeit only limited to a “moral support” role….which actually, is about all she really offered the gang even back in the day, come to think of it.

(Vigilantes ch 104) 6) “Yeah he did. Goddammit Pop.

If you ever wake up from that coma I’ll make sure to give you an earful about this.”- Does this count as “waking up”? Not certain it does honestly, as Pop seems due for the big sleep in reality. (Vigilantes ch 116) 7) “Koichi please, we all know the only person who’s gonna die is gonna be Pop.”- She’s dead, Knuckles is dead, Nomura is basically dead, Koichi is somehow still alive and on the verge of passing the threshold of mortality, AFO is just loving being on the side-lines of all this after his own near-death at All Might’s hands.

(Vigilantes ch 116) 8) “ARE WE IN A FUCKING DYING DREAM OR NOT HERE BECAUSE IF NOT I’M ABOUT TO HAVE SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT GHOSTKLEDUSTER HERE”- We’re in a lucid dying dream, wherein Koichi has connected to the spirit world and the astral planes as he puppeteers his battered body around to fight Nomura with the last of his failing strength, before he finally passes on….to his future hero career.

9) “Koichi this is not the time, you can say whatever you want to the real one rather than the ghost”- Well, he does have the opportunity but….as far as we can tell he never actually said anything like “Love” to her during their talk.

10) “Oh right, there’s a kaiju chase happening right now, almost forgot about it”- All that booze went straight to the memory circuits, huh?

11) “Yeah, we’re absolutely doomed

but hopefully that ghost experience has finally convinced you to kill”- Punch, yes. Kill…. we could have ended it a bit quicker if so, and maybe not have had the inconsistency of Koichi’s invulnerable Quirk failing him when it was most dramatically appropriate.

12) “KOICHI

SMASH!”- Koichi Rip N’ Tear! Seriously, that Kaiju form was as solid as a fart in the wind against his blows.

13) “OH JESUS KOICHI, THAT’S NOT A SINGLE SHOT

YOU FUCKING SWISS CHEESE`D HIM

BUT YOU DIDN’T HIT THE FUCKING BRAIN GODDAMMIT DUDE, YOU WASTED THE ONE TIME POP ALLOWED YOU TO KILL”- I cannot help but imagine what the effect would have been if this power was added to OFA. Seriously, Decay is useless against these force fields and they enhance Izuku’s ability to attack from any distance.

14) “We’re three chapters away now folks… Seems like, tomorrow, it all ends……”- All that alcohol screwed up your chapter count, but it’s understandable really. @thelreads

[im-in-vin-ci-ble]

Hello~ Can I request a Mark x fem reader who’s a lot like starfire and is very Powerful close to omni man and is also an alien princess but she lives on earth and they go to the same school and she’s also a solo hero who one day sees invincible fighting off a tough villain with the teenteam but is losing so she steps in to help and he recognizes her and starts getting all nervous since he has a crush on her and then after that they introduce themselves get to know each other and eventually work they’re way up to mark confessing and she says yes :3

(If possible can it be a slow burn im a sucker for slow burn tropes and stuff 😤)

A/N: I gotchu, this bout to be a lil long 😮‍💨 making the fem!reader a little more human, figured since she’s in an actual school for humans she’d need to adapt to the humor/culture so she doesn’t get suspicious

Pairing: Mark Grayson x Fem!Reader

Rating: M, some swearing and gross monster guts

Warnings: N/A

Summary: Mark is finally joined in battle by an alien princess who has caught his attention. Turns out she goes to the same high school, and if he can throw around 150-pound monsters across the street, surely he can confess his true feelings to a girl... right?

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?!" Rex Splode yelled as he wobbled up off the ground. "We've been on this thing for hours and it only has one damn cut!"

"Calm down Rex," Atom Eve said from behind, "You're gonna get even more tired from yelling."

The two watched as Dupli-Kate attempted to distract the scaly kaiju, replicating herself second after second to give space for Invincible to hit the monster by surprise. The kaiju's screech echoed throughout the city and shook the foundations of the surrounding buildings, forcing Rex, Atom Eve and Robot to move aside and save however many civilians they could.

"Invincible," Dupli-Kate shouted, "I can't keep up much longer!"

A sonic boom overcame the surrounding noise and Invincible appeared from the clouds. Dropping in at maximum speed, the young superhero balled his hand into a fist and took a deep breath. A loud battle cry escaped his mouth but it was cut short as the kaiju's heavy arm slapped him away just in time, throwing him through destroyed buildings until he landed on the pavement.

Out of breath, dizzy, and in a serious amount of pain, Invincible laid on the broken road for a second to regain his strength. The wind softly blew down on him as he focused his sight on a contrail leading towards him, and he watched as a girl in purple land right next to him.

She bent down and held him upright, "Invincible, are you okay?"

"Mmhmm," Invincible croaked with a defeated smile, "Totally fine."

His sight reverted back to normal and the first face he saw shocked him alive. It was her. They never talked in school and he was almost sure she didn't know his real name, but here she was, basically cradling him in her arms and calling him Invincible.

So she knows who I am. At least with the suit.

"Come on, that kaiju is about to be destroy the entire city," she said, helping him get back on his feet and flying away to the seemingly unbeatable figure.

He huffed, "Stay cool, Mark. She's here to help," and he followed suit.

This marked the first time he really interacted with the new superhero; he'd only ever see her on TV or read about how she saved people on the newspaper. He'd be lying if he said he didn't find her attractive — as do most guys his age — but watching her blast the kaiju with the green bursts of energy from her hands made her only even more appealing.

Invincible regrouped with the rest of the Teen Team. "I don't know what else we can do to this thing," Atom Eve admitted.

"I do," the girl spoke up. "Distract it as best as you can but stay far away from the stomach. When I tell you to take cover, make a run for it."

Robot replied, "That seems highly dangerous."

"Let's do it," Invincible quickly replied in a high-pitched voice.

Everyone looked over at him, surprised at the sudden change in his voice and just how fast he reacted in agreement. 

"Uh, it's a good plan," he nodded, causing the girl to shoot a warm smile his way. "I definitely think we should do it... if all of you... uh, think, we should."

Exhausted and out of options, the rest of the group followed her orders and took different corners of the monster. Dupli-Kate handled one leg, Rex Splode handled the other, Robot and Atom Eve took the arms, and Invincible went back to the head. The kaiju struggled to keep its focus on just one of the heroes, and while it remained preoccupied, the girl absorbed all the energy she could muster and flew straight for the stomach.

"Take cover, now!"

Invincible and the Teen Team moved away and they watched as the flying hero's eyes opened in a bright shade of neon green, both her arms extended out as a large ball of green formed around her hands. The rays exploded right through the kaiju and it shrieked in pain as she briefly disappeared into the stomach. The kaiju lost balance and slowly fell forward as the girl, her eyes still green, appeared on the other side and harshly fell down on the ground.

The kaiju landed on the street with a loud boom and the group ran towards the girl who was now covered in parts of the kaiju's digestive system.

"Okay, that's kinda gross," Rex Splode commented, to which Dupli-Kate quickly responded, "Shut up."

Invincible dropped down on his knees and wiped the blood and guts off her face. Subtly admiring her facial features up close, he couldn't believe (and almost felt stupid) that he never recognized her despite the fact that he almost saw her everyday.

The girl groaned in agony softly shook her head, her eyes fluttering open to the sight of Invincible's dark hair, goggles and yellow mask.

"Hey, hey," he whispered, "Are you alright?"

She sat up and hissed at her injuries, holding her head with her bloody hand. "Mmhmm," she gently nodded with a half smile, her eye one still shut. "Totally fine."

---

Mark had a hard time focusing on school. His body ached from yesterday's injuries and he suffered a few bruises from literally tearing through buildings. He made his way to his locker and rested his head on the metal door, dreading the fact that he still has an entire afternoon of classes to go. Closing his eyes in hopes to quickly recharge, his moment of peace was disrupted when a shoulder rammed into his chest and several books landed right on his toe.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," a voice exclaimed.

Mark's head snapped up at the sound of the voice. It's her. He momentarily froze and watched the girl bend down to pick up her things, and when he finally regained movement a split second later, he also bent down to help her out. He kept quiet as he tried to think of the coolest possible response to make her think that he was actually the coolest guy in school, but all he could think of was how heavenly and badass she looked yesterday.

"Thanks," she said as he handed her the book. "I hope your foot doesn't bruise."

They both stood up and he shot her a nervous smile. "T-totally fine," he replied, clearing his throat afterwards.

She crossed her brows at his response and nodded, and a look of suspicion replaced her worried demeanor.

"I'm Mark, by the way," he cleared his throat again and reached out his hand, "Grayson."

"Mark... Grayson, huh?" she responded, scanning his face as her suspicion grew. Her eyes finally landed on the hand that was waiting, and she took one last look into his eyes before deciding to shake it. "I'm Y/N," she introduced herself with a skeptical smile, feeling his sweaty palm wrapped around hers. "I'll see you around, Mark Grayson."

She walked away and Mark's eyes followed her trail as far as he could see. He quickly pulled out his phone to send a text to Eve, who was actually watching their interaction a few classrooms down.

"Mark," Eve called out as she moved towards him. “So I’m assuming...”

"You knew?” he asked her in disbelief. “Why didn't you tell me Y/N was a superhero? I just introduced myself to her as Mark Grayson and I'm almost positive she knows I'm Invincible."

"First off, it's not my secret tell," she answered with a shrug. "Second, you guys didn’t trade secrets or whatever?”

Mark shook his head in a panic, "No, but I'm guessing she also knows that I know her secret the same way I know she knows my secret." He rested his forehead on the locker door once again and groaned, "Ugh, I'm so into her, it isn't even funny. And this whole superhero thing just made it even more awkward."

Eve laughed, "Look, I'm not going to force her to tell you if she isn't up for it, but if you want, I can ask her to hang out with us later. Maybe — emphasis on maybe — my presence will make her comfortable enough to admit who she is."

"Okay, okay," he sighed, turning around to rest the back of his head. "My insides are dying."

"After the kaiju yesterday, be thankful you don't mean that in a literal sense."

---

Where in the hell is Eve?

Mark pulled out his phone for the third time in 10 minutes. Still no call or response from Eve to his text. He was getting evidently nervous; his palms were sweaty again and it felt like someone turned up the heat in Burger Mart. His left leg jerked up and down in anxiety as he stared at his phone, looking at the seconds on the clock icon tick by. If he were left alone with Y/N, he'd have no idea what to say. What does she like? Should I bring up the kaiju yesterday and praise Invincible? No, she'll just think I'm full of myself.

"Hey Mark."

He jolted and saw Y/N standing by the corner of the booth. "Hi!" he replied in that irritatingly high-pitched voice. Mark's heart began to race and the thoughts in his head ran wild. "Um... Have a seat. Sorry Eve isn't here yet, she actually hasn't answered my calls or my messages. Teenage girls, huh? What can you do?"

She crossed her brows again and chuckled, "That's fine, we can wait for Eve. But I think I'm more concerned about you."

"What do you mean?"

Y/N chuckled again, "You seem... nervous.”

He faked an obnoxiously loud laugh, “Me? Nervous?”

She watched him from across the table in silence, waiting for him to regain his composure.

When Mark couldn’t hear Y/N laughing with him, he finally shut up and shook his head. “Yeah, I am nervous, sorry,” he admitted, shutting his eyes tight. 

She giggled, “Totally fine.”

Hearing her say those two words calmed his racing heartbeat. A smile crept on his face and she reciprocated, their eyes locking for a few seconds before both their phones buzzed.

“Oh, I just got a text from Eve,” Mark said. 

“Me too.” She opened the message and began to read it out loud, “Sorry, can’t make it tonight. Something came up.”

“Have fun, you two,” he followed, his voice faltering. He placed his phone, screen down this time, back on the table and sighed, “Sorry, guess you’re stuck with me. That is, if you do want to stay and... hang out, and stuff.”

"Why wouldn’t I?” she replied, her warm smile easing Mark back into a relaxed state. “It’s nice to have a friend who...” she trailed off, “understands.”

“Understands what?” he asked.

“This thing people like us call life,” she answered. “You know, it took me a long time to acclimate here. I didn’t think I ever would, then I met friends who made this place feel like home. And home is a feeling I hadn’t felt in a really long time.”

Mark rested his elbows on the table and leaned in closer, “Well, I’m always here. You know, a-as a friend... or an acquaintance, even. I don’t, I don’t want to push it.”

Y/N giggled again, “You’re a funny man, Mark Grayson. This planet is lucky to have someone like you.” She reached out and held his hand, “And I’m even luckier to have you as a friend, or an acquaintance.” 

He felt the heat rush to his face and he could swear his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. The afternoon flew by in a hurry as they engaged in lengthy conversations, fatty fast food, and childhood stories. While Mark was open to sharing every tiny detail — down to the color of the bleachers at the park where he played little league — Y/N kept hers pretty vague, leaving out descriptions of family members and even the places where these stories happened. 

Mark’s phone buzzed again, but the vibrating pattern indicated it was a phone call. He turned the screen over and saw the unknown number; it was time to suit up.

“Shit, I’m sorry Y/N, but I need to go,” he said in a rush. “I have a... uh, an emergency.”

You couldn’t have thought of anything more specific?

“It’s cool. Um, don’t worry about it,” she said, shaking her head with her eyes glued to the vibrating phone. 

Mark’s one leg was already out the booth before he decided to finally just go for it. Sitting back down with his now quiet phone in his hands, he took a deep breath.

“Y/N, I think you’re really cool. Can I maybe, like, call you sometime, or something?”

Her lips formed into smile that extended to her eyes, and it was enough for Mark to melt a little. “Of course. Yeah, sure,” she replied in excitement and typed down her number on his phone. She handed it back, “Now you know how to reach me if you’re getting your ass whooped again.”

His mouth fell open as his shaky hands grabbed his phone. “Wait—”

She smoothly slid out of the booth, “See you later, Invincible,” she winked, “Don’t get killed today.”

---

Luckily for Mark, no one got killed today. Maybe a few wounds here and there, but nothing painful enough that will land him in the GDA hospital. After spending an hour in the shower, he finally managed to lie down on his bed and rest his body. He sank into the mattress and closed his eyes, taking in the seconds of undisturbed peace that have become rare moments since he got his powers. 

As he replayed the events of today’s fights in his head, his mind drifted off to the hours he spent with Y/N. He pulled out his phone and mustered the courage to press the dial button, and the repeating sound of the ringing was making his pulse race. 

“Hello?”

“Oh good, you didn’t die today.”

Mark chuckled and sandwiched his hand between his head and the pillow. “It wasn’t that bad today, just took a few hits,” he explained. “So listen, Y/N, I was wondering, uh—”

She cut him off, “What are you doing right now?”

“What?”

“What are you doing right now?” she repeated.

“Um, nothing, just getting some rest” he sat up and looked around. “Why?”

“If you’re not too tired, do you maybe...”

Mark smiled, “Maybe...?”

“I don’t know, sneak out? My roof is pretty comfortable.”

Silently fist pumping, he fully stood up and nodded, “Text me the address.”

Just as quietly as he exited his room via the window, he softly landed on Y/N’s roof. Swiftly flying up and greeting him, she took the place next to him and crossed her legs. 

“You’re right, your roof is pretty comfortable,” Mark said.

She chuckled at his remark then noticed a gash by his right temple. Her brows furrowed in worry, “You have a wound,” she said, making sure not to touch it.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied, softly holding her hand and placing it back down with his. “Totally fine.”

Those words brought her some sense of comfort as her eyes softened, causing her to unconsciously squeeze his hand. Mark’s eyes widened and he looked down at their tangled fingers, frozen for a moment.

“Is this... okay with you?” he asked.

She nodded. “Wanna lie down? Since my roof is so comfortable?” she asked with a smirk.

“Sure,” Mark chuckled, removing his hand from her’s and stretching his arm out as they lied down. Y/N rested her head on his shoulder, keeping her eyes up at the stars.

“Hey Mark?”

“Yeah?”

A moment of silence.

“Thank you for coming.”

He looked down at her as she met his eyes, “You’re welcome.” 

The two shared a smile, and Mark took a deep breath as he prepared himself for the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

It’s now or never, Mark. Now or never.

“Watching you kick ass yesterday was... really a sight to see,” he began. “You’re powerful and strong, but more importantly, brave. And you’re so fucking beautiful and kind and smart and...” Mark trailed off, sighing, “I never thought I would be in this position — with you next to me in a very comfortable rooftop under the stars.”

“Mark...”

“And I really like you. Like, really, really like you.”

“Mark.”

“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, but I just wanted to let you know. It’s important that you know—”

“Mark,” she cut him off. “I like you too. A lot.”

He breathed a sigh of relief and covered his eyes with his free hand. “Oh thank god. Thank god!” he exclaimed.

Y/N shushed him, “You’re gonna wake up the neighborhood, Invincible.”

“Sorry,” he giggled quietly, “I got excited.”

She laughed and faced her body towards him. They locked eyes again, and Mark didn’t know if it was gravity or just the adrenaline that pushed him, but he finally leaned down and met her lips. Static ran through his body as he deepened the kiss, and he felt an excitement that was even more exhilarating than the first time he flew.

She pulled away and Mark ran his hand through her hair, resting his hand on her cheek. “How was that?” he asked.

She smiled gently and placed her hand over his, “Totally fine.”

[random-thought-depository]

I’ve been watching some Dune lore fan videos on the internet. Thought I had: one thing a lot of visual depictions of sandworms miss on is the baleen whale parallel. Their primary food source is sand plankton and sandtrout (their own immature forms), right? That’d be logical, there isn’t much else on Arrakis for a creature that big to eat, and it’s what this video says. So they’d be filter-feeders, and filter-feeding whales are the closest Earth equivalent to them.

Visual adaptations make the sandworms look like predatory animals with big mouths full of sharp teeth, and that really doesn’t seem right. Their aggression is defensive-territorial-paranoid, not predatory; they’re like sand kaiju hippos, not sand kaiju sharks! They’re filter-feeders, and their dentition and general shape of their heads should reflect that! Those teeth the Fremen carve knives out of are probably more like baleen!

I guess they could have some sharp teeth too, hippos have tusks, and sharp teeth might be useful for digging through harder ground, but behind that there should be a baleen-like filtering apparatus. That baleen-like filtration apparatus is what you should see if they open wide the way they do in a lot of visual depictions. And they should be built to gulp down a lot of sand and then eject most of it while keeping the food, like filter-feeding whales do with water; maybe have some big vents on the side of the back of the head for ejecting sand after it’s been filtered.

Thinking about it, I think it would make a lot of sense for them to have beaks. When they move they’re ramming head-first through the ground, their heads probably take a lot of structural strain and sand abrasion, so it would make sense for their heads to be armored.

So, I’m thinking: a head that’s basically a just long, tapered, streamlined, armored beak, with two intersecting slits kind of like the Lynch movie design but they rarely or never open super-wide. When the worm isn’t feeding they’re kept closed and lock together pretty tightly for efficient movement, when the worm is feeding they open to reveal a baleen-like structure. Maybe there’d be some sort of catcher to slow down the sand somewhat before it hits the relatively delicate filtration structures while they’re feeding. Then behind the head there’d be two big vents that the filtered sand is ejected through during feeding; they’d look kind of like gill slits and give the worm a sort of fishy feel. The beak would be very thick and dense, and if you wanted to keep the mouth nice and scary looking there could be a single row of sharp teeth between the beak and the baleen-analog, but I kind of prefer the idea of just making the creature’s intimidation factor flow organically from its nature instead of adding extra “scary” bits.

I’m thinking with this interpretation, a sandworm’s primary mode of attack would be to simply use its armored head as a battering ram. Like, if a worm was attacking a spice harvester it probably wouldn’t bite it like in that scene in the Lynch movie, it’d use its closed beak like a trireme’s ram; it’d just “swim” full speed towards the harvester and drive that giant piece of meters-thick super-dense bone that is its break into the harvester at like fifty miles an hour. That feels more fitting for a giant highly aggressive but not predatory creature: it’s using its beak the way a bull uses its horns; it’s not messing around with trying to eat you, you’re poisonous to it, it just wants to obliterate you, and its tactics and natural equipment are set up to most efficiently leverage its size and power toward that end.

Something like the harvester scene done with my interpretation would emphasize the speed and violence of a sandworm attack. The harvester would be just peacefully sitting there and then WHAM, the harvester would just explode with dust and debris flying around as a creature the size of a skyscraper just rams it at fifty miles an hour and basically just obliterates it in less than a second! More of a Cloverfield monster throwing the head of the Statue of Liberty vibe. No opportunity for a slow dramatic shot of the worm, but I think this would effectively convey that sandworms are powerful creatures that you don’t want to mess with!

To me this interpretation makes a sandworm feel more like a real animal and less like an “awesomebro” movie monster, and that’s fitting given that one of the things Dune is famous for is the attention to ecology.

If sandworms are kind of like whales, might they have something like whale song? They might at least have warning calls, basically communicating “I’m here, I’m big, don’t mess with me!” to smaller worms. That’d be a neat touch. Imagine the deep desert on Arrakis occasionally booming with these alien yet eerily beautiful and music-like sounds; worm calls (maybe take inspiration from what dune booming sounds like for modelling them). One idea for when a writer or film-maker might want to emphasize the majestic side of worms instead of just the danger they represent. If so, it’d also be interesting to consider what Fremen culture would do with that; it’s the voice of Shai Hulud, so it would make sense for it to have a lot of cultural and religious significance to them (e.g. I could totally see them having a form of divination based on trying to interpret it).

A while back I noted having a very vague idea for a Dune fanfic but having no idea what it’d actually be about and, well, I still have no idea what it’d actually be about but I’m definitely getting some peripheral worldbuilding flavor concepts lol (I think next post I’ll talk about an interpretation of heighliners I came up with).

[k-sci-janitor]

So I finished DCWT last night and while I know this fic is quote unquote famous and also rightly contentious, I still had some thoughts on it that I wanted to spew out long form style on here, SO-

To be clear, this was a fic I avoided for a LONG TIME

You know when people hype up a thing as like, the pinnacle of whatever? And if you haven’t read it, you’re not a real fan? Yeah well, that was the vibe I got with this dumb fic for a long time while absolutely no one told me that, it was just my dumb brain being judgmental to myself really, lol. Anyway why would I wanna read a fic that famously doesn’t have any tags? I mean, who does that?? Anyway-

So what changed your mind?

Well I watched this wonderful video (everyone, GO WATCH THIS VIDEO) and even tho the creator simultaneously hyped and un-hyped DCWT, it got me intrigued and a little cautious about finally just giving it go. It had literally been sitting on my kindle for months and I just finally decided to see what it was I was missing.

So you got past that opening, huh?

MY GOD. My biggest initial hurtle getting thru this damn thing was just the opening. It was verbose. It didn’t make much sense. It didn’t even seem like this author and I had watched the same movie. Everything about it was off putting and strange and I must’ve picked it up and put it down like 10 times. Don’t do this. I’ve only written a little bit personally but the fastest way I chuck a book/fic/whatever away from me is a terrible opening or like, an opening so fucking confusing that it’s unclear that it’ll get better from here.

So it got better from there?

Okay yes, it did, thank goodness. At a certain point it became more clear and I realized the fic had started with a wildly confusing intro to show, you know, how m e s s e d up they were post-drift, cognitively, emotionally, etc. The story eventually started to speed up and I got engaged with the action and finally I couldn’t put it down. It took a while tho!! But I also HAD to put it down at some points.

Oh, why?

So, remember when I said there was no tags and everything I had gathered about this fic was secondhand knowledge? I didn’t really know how in depth the fic was going to describe disassociation and panic attacks. I don’t mind mentions of these things in other fics I've read but DCWT really delves into them in a way that made me, someone prone to panic attacks, really uncomfortable. It basically just hit a little too close to home for me and I occasionally had to put it down so I could breathe or find myself in a different headspace to be able to read these descriptions. This could easily affect someone else pretty harshly.

And like, I know these descriptions are fictional, they're not going to hurt me but they read real enough to me and they’re happening to a character I care a lot about and it was genuinely distressing to read. I also generally don’t read angsty fics because like I said, I don’t really like thinking deeply about Newt or Hermann having something overtly terrible to their bodies (sorry Kaiju!Newt fans, I get eeked out!!). Sometimes I can handle it if it’s abstract enough but sometimes I can’t. I especially find it hard if it's crouched in something I have personal experience with (the panic attacks, sigh). Tags, people, YOU USE THEM.

So did you even like this fic??? SPOILERS BELOW 👇👇👇

Omg so I actually did. Newt and Hermann’s characterizations were really good. Newt was quite possibly the world’s biggest asshole while I wanted nothing more than to give this Hermann a really big hug. Since this fic is so long, it gets a chance to really hone in on their dynamic and how they care for each other. They literally call each other their "life partners" before they examine if they're actually dating or not. I really enjoyed that a reader could interpret their relationship as ace, it totally works. And I still got my big damn kiss! Jokes that have been building up for like 100k words have an amazing pay off and was super funny to read. Also somehow NO ONE told me about the AI self-driving cars and were my surprise favorite characters. Mako's characterization was also some of the best things I've read about her and I loved her and Newt's relationship a lot.

So it was fine in the end?? MORE SPOILERS 👇👇👇

Well, no, I think I'm just sensitive to the idea that Newt's mind is tearing itself apart due to the kaiju, due to Hermann occasionally taking over, due to his own dumb hang-ups. It's a melancholy read is where I would place it. Their dynamic is difficult and real in it's terror of what's happened to them. A BIG SURPRISE for me was Newt's third drift and the fact the PPDC may or may not have coerced him to do it while he was on anti-seizure drugs?? IT'S REALLY UPSETTING. I don’t like the immediate alienation from the PPDC, I mean, I also don’t like the military but the idea that they would whisk Newt away like that is weird and I dunno. It’s fucked, whatever.

It was just a weird, hard read for me emotionally and I don’t blame anyone who decides to just put it down. And it has SUCH good stuff hidden in there (the AI cars, Hermann buying a Porsche on a whim and being a scary driver, that fucking hair stroking thing) but it’s a roller coaster and I honestly don’t know what to make of a fic that has it’s own PR person to hype it up, lmao.

So what do you recommend?

Approach cautiously! I’ll even make a short list of tags here: Descriptions of epilepsy, seizures, nosebleeds, disassociation, panic attacks, eye damage, hand surgery, Drinking and depictions of drunkenness, underage drinking mentions, implied drugging, descriptions of imagined head surgery, suicidal thoughts.

And hey, you might be a tough guy who reads fucked up fics all the time and I just sound like a wimp here, that’s fine!! I just felt complicated about this fic (liking and hating it, ugh) and wanted to get down what I thought about it while it was fresh. And like, y’all know me, I like cute, fluffy shit where they kiss for the first time or whatever. But I occasionally will dip into scarier stuff. I just don’t know if this is everyone’s cup of tea and wanted to elaborate. 😮‍💨

[cant-blink]

Shin Ghidorah and Mothra: Mortality

Shin Ghidorah has been in a downer mood, despite Mothra’s growing friskiness that day. Either he wasn’t taking her hints or he wasn’t interested, she wasn’t sure. But he seemed bothered, so she offers him an ear.

Setting the scene, tis nightfall. Cleary starry sky, big full moon. The landscape are grassy hills, and Shin is resting on the ground, his necks propped up onto one hill. His three heads resting at the top of the hill, where Mothra also perched. Nestled next to his middle head. 

Here, he lets it off his chest, and asks her if she retains memories of each of her past lives.

Mothra pauses, finally understanding the cause of her partner’s mood.

“I remember all of my lives, some more fuzzy than others due to... circumstances. Like being on fire. That sucks,” she reassures him. “But I’ll never forget you, Shin, no matter how many times I die.”

She felt him relax and starts to groom him. Her ear was still open for him, as he spoke. “It has been a growing concern of mine. I don’t take Earth creatures to be particularly intelligent and I figured throwing a few deaths in there won’t help.”

“Oh, give us SOME credit!” She baps a claw on his snout. They both share a chuckle between them before quiet. 

Before the conversation leads to Mothra telling him how her past selves have been buried at Birth Island where they live, along with many other kaiju.

“I never did understand that,” Shin starts. “That little Earth custom with the dead.”

“It’s a way to remember them, all the good times. A way to pay respect to those fallen,” Mothra explains to him. “Even Skull Boi, if you can believe that, exhibits this, as you’ve seen before.” Shin gave a soft hum on confirmation, and she continues petting his manes. “With a deceased Gigan, from a different dimension. Skull Boi surprised even me, given how Skullcrawlers are.”

Shin was quiet for a long moment before he asks. “As impossible as it would seem,” he starts. “If I were to die on this planet, would that be the fate given to me as well?”

“Is that what you would want?” Mothra responds quietly. “We would remember you for all time regardless, but.... sometimes people can choose how they wish to be remembered. Sometimes, they say it before their demise, sometimes, those left behind do what they think is right, based on their actions and beliefs.”

.......

“So, if it was your wish, then yes. There would be a monument built in your image and you would be buried under it...” Those words and knowing that it would be a very real possibility given Shin’s lack of regeneration powers eventually had her tear up. “Everyday, I would go there, missing you...” She rests her cheek against his. “Maybe talk to you.”

Shin moves to press his snout against her fluffy body as a smile forms. “Talk to me? Such a silly little thing. I would be dead; how would I hear you?”

He succeeded in getting a small giggle out of her. “Maybe it’s more for me. The thought you’d be listening is better. That’s what it is, Shin: mourning. When someone we care about dies, we mourn, because it’s sad to lose them. And thus, the ritual that you don’t understand.” She snuggles against him. “Maybe now you have some insight.”

She sighs. “You kill a lot, Shin. Does it not occur to you the feelings of those left behind? How sad they would be?”

“Of course,” Shin tells her. “That’s part of the appeal. Granted, they don’t last long enough to ‘mourn’. Tis why I never witnessed such rituals until I came to this planet.”

He shares a soft nuzzle against her and in the silence, another concern comes to his mind and he whispers. “That egg of yours that you respawn from, is it indestructible?” 

“... No,” she tells him. “It never was.”

.............

“How then, do you ensure that you will be reborn again? Putting your fate in the hands of others?”

“That’s the trick, Shin, learning to trust. And for a moment, dropping the illusion of control. I could die tomorrow, maybe... Just maybe you would go to the nest to protect it?”

“Of course I would.”

“Right, and it’s weird coming from a Ghidorah~” she teased. “I guess I trust that the choices I make in my life would see me through to the other side. I’m never scared that a death could be my last one. Because I trust those I came to love. Including you.”

She catches a slight retching movement from Shin’s body and she baps. “Don’t throw up, ‘love’ is a good word.”

“My apologies,” Shin chuckled. “It started to come up, but then I swallowed it.” 

A soft BIDIBIDI escapes him, before he rolls over onto his back, allowing Mothra to pet his throat. “I realize that it’s far more likely that I would be the one to perish. I can’t just come back from a tail like Cretaceous, or even regrow a head like Master Ichi. Even the regeneration of my Showa counterpart far exceeds anything I can dream of.”

He lets out a breath through his nose. “It’s why I’m more... cautious than they are. I can’t throw my life away willy-nilly. Yet...” He trails off, the bothered tone to his voice returning.

.............

“Shin?”

“I know I would throw my life away for my Masters, but it’s not really something I would wish to do of my own accord. It’s just.... more programming. Designed to defend those I call Master even if it means my own destruction. I learned that recently...”

He lifts his heads slightly, to look at her. “You are no Mistress of mine, yet I would gladly give my life for you, for your egg.”

“Aw,” Mothra cooed before hugging her claws around his neck, nuzzling into his throat. She heard and felt the purr from him against her chest and they laid together, watching the sky. 

It was Mothra that broke that silence. Now that Shin seemed to be feeling better... “Y’know, I wouldn’t mind staying here for the night. Out in the middle of nowhere. Just the moon, and us. Able to do whatever we want, with nobody to watch.” 

There was a more obvious hint to her words and tone in her voice that catches the Ghidorah a bit off-guard, and he chuckles. “My, Ms. Mothra, and here I thought you incapable of such thoughts.” 

“It’s like you don’t know me at all,” she teased, giving a little moth kiss.

“Perhaps, assumptions have been made,” Shin admits. “You do put on a bit of a persona of purity. I thought I would be the one doing all the convincing.” He lifts a head to lick upon her neck. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Good,” Mothra says before taking advantage of his position and climbing onto him. “Because it’s my turn.”

[cherry-valentine]

Spring 2021 Anime Season

Mars Red is one of two series this season set in one of my favorite periods, the Meiji era. It’s a vampire series that deals a lot with the politics of war as the Japanese military is attempting to establish a vampire unit, supposedly to compete with the British vampire unit (because of course that’s a thing). It focuses on a human military officer named Maeda who is charged with recruiting and managing vampires. Maeda is the type of character I really enjoy. Handsome, a little older than most anime protagonists, chain-smoking, overly serious, and voiced by Junichi Suwabe (who has to have the sexiest voice in all of anime). The series has a classic, romantic feel to it. Its take on vampires is somewhat traditional (they evaporate in the sun, drink blood, sleep in coffins, have super strength and speed, etc.). If it brings anything new to the table, it’s the concept of vampires having different ranks, from S-class down, and how lower ranks naturally fear higher ranks. Still yet, the classic vibe works in the show’s favor. Combined with the historical setting, it gives the show a certain charm. The art is lovely, from the backgrounds to the character designs, and the music is a high point. It easily has the best ending theme of the season.

Fumetsu no Anata e (To Your Eternity) is a unique series. I’ve seen a lot of people comparing it to Mushishi, but with an overarching plot, and that assessment is pretty accurate. The show follows an entity that comes to be known as Fushi. It begins as an orb, and as it makes contact with other objects and creatures, it learns from them and can possibly take their forms. Among the forms it most often takes are a white wolf and a young man. Originally, it’s a somewhat empty shell, incapable of communicating, but as it meets different creatures and learns, it develops a personality and begins to speak. The series is, overall, about Fushi’s journey through this world and all the experiences it gains, both wonderful and tragic. There’s a subtle beauty to the series, with an early focus on nature, but it also has scenes of trauma and violence. The animation is fluid and the facial expressions are amazing. There’s an overall natural feel to it that, like others have pointed out, reminds me of Mushishi (though it’s definitely faster paced than Mushishi). The show also likes to make you cry, so keep that in mind.

Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood is the other series set in the Meiji era this season, albeit an alternate version of it that has a strange form of technology. To be honest, I’m a little fuzzy on some of the details, but it seems to be about a group called the Nue who work for the government to fight against a growing rebellion. The main character is Sawa, a member of Nue who has some sort of special powers involving her blood, which allow her to transform and battle monsters, or whatever else stands in her way. Her goal is to get revenge for the death of her entire clan (implied to be wiped out because of their power). Sawa is a decent heroine, a woman who craves vengeance and is determined to get it through any means, but is, at her core, a compassionate person who would rather live in peace. It’s this internal conflict that makes Sawa compelling (even if it’s not entirely original). The other characters are interesting, particularly Tsuki, whom I won’t talk much about because it would involve spoilers. The plot and details can get a little convoluted, but the action and animation are solid. When Sawa transforms, the art style changes, and it’s a really cool visual effect. The music is also nice.

Shaman King received a remake this season. I was a huge fan of the original, and so far I’m enjoying the remake, but to be honest, I’m having trouble seeing the point. The art is almost the same (just a lot shinier), the voice actors are the same, the plot is the same. Maybe it’s just that it’s been so long since I saw the original, I’m unable to remember the details and so I can’t tell what’s different. But to me it feels like I’m just rewatching the show. Which is fine, because I loved it to begin with. Maybe it gets different later on. Maybe it more closely follows the manga. I’ll keep watching to find out. For anyone new to the series, it looks like the remake is a solid place to start if you want to get into it. I won’t go into plot details for a story this old, so I’ll just say it’s a top tier shounen fighting series with a unique art style and some very memorable characters. If you like that sort of thing, and missed the original (or you just want a refresher), definitely check it out!

Godzilla Singular Point is a true delight. I’m a huge Godzilla (and kaiju in general) fan. I’ve watched every single Godzilla movie, as well as all the related movies (the Mothra films, Rodan, etc.), but I never watched the previous Godzilla anime that was on Netflix a few years ago. It just didn’t sound like something I’d like. Singular Point, however, is right up my alley. Set mainly in a small seaside town that’s suddenly attacked by bird-like monsters known as Rodans, we have two geeky protagonists using their intelligence to figure out what’s going on while more and more monsters appear. Mei and Yun are excellent heroes. They rely on their wits rather than physical strength, which is a refreshing approach. It’s also interesting that they have little to no face-to-face interaction. Instead, they chat with each other via text as they work separately. They often challenge each other with science questions. It’s adorable. The show’s overall feel is fairly upbeat and energetic. The colorful art and peppy character designs by Kazue Kato (who did Blue Exorcist) help with this feel. It should be noted that Godzilla himself doesn’t fully appear until halfway through the series. It says a lot about the quality of the show that I don’t actually mind that at all. Some of the science stuff does go over my head, but the general plot is easy enough to follow and the action is very well done. It also has fantastic music, with my favorite opening theme of the season. Even if Godzilla isn’t your thing, consider giving this series a shot if you like nerdy science types as heroes.

Burning Kabaddi is a sports anime about an unsual sport. I’d never heard of it before now, and if people in the comments were not talking about the very real sport, I would have assumed it was made up for the anime. The show is aware that the sport is obscure, so it takes great pains to explain the rules and details so that we can all follow the action. The story centers on Yoigoshi, a soccer prodigy who decides to drop all sports once he gets to high school due to all the drama and angst that surrounded him (mostly due to his teammates being jealous of his talent), and pursue a career as a streamer. All the various sports clubs at the school want to recruit him (especially the soccer club, of course) because they’ve heard of his skill and he has an athletic build. He rejects them all, but the Kabaddi club is strangely relentless. He ends up being manipulated into joining (the vice captain of the team straight up blackmails him by threatening to show his online streaming account to the whole school). Despite this rocky beginning, Yoigoshi actually starts to enjoy playing Kabaddi, and more importantly, begins to bond with his new teammates. It’s pretty fun stuff that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The art is serviceable for a sports anime and the music is fine. The series isn’t going to blow your mind, but it’s a fun way to spend twenty minutes every week. Worth a watch if you have a weakness for hot blooded sports anime.

The World Ends With You finally got its anime adaptation and I was so excited. The game is one of my all-time favorites. So far the anime is pretty good. The art is a near perfect replication of the bold, thick-lined art of the game. The battles are exciting and cool. Best of all, the anime often uses music from the game. This is important because the game has one of the best soundtracks, ever. Every time I recognize a song from the game, I almost squeal. If I had a complaint, it’s that the pacing feels a little off at times. It feels like the anime is rushing through the story, but that’s understandable. In the game, it took longer for everything to happen because you were walking from place to place, fighting battles along the way, stopping to scan NPC’s, shopping at stores, spending time in menus, etc. The anime has to cut most of that out, so naturally things are going to move faster. The result is that you don’t get to spend as much time with these characters, and so you feel less attached to them. Anyone watching the anime who didn’t play the game might feel like the emotional beats are lacking. I feel like this anime is definitely meant to be enjoyed by fans of the game, rather than newcomers to the story. But if you are a fan of the game? You should be watching this every week. It’s an excellent refresher on the story, just in time for the second game to come out this summer. Super high on my watch list.

Boku no Hero Academia has a new season. To be honest I don’t remember what number we’re on. This season, so far, focuses on a tournament-style competition between the two main hero classes. I would much prefer the plot to move on to something more exciting involving the villains, but I suppose they have to throw arcs like this in every so often just to remind everyone of which characters have which quirks. The plus point is that instead of being an individual competition, it’s team-based. What this ultimately means is that characters that are viewed as weaker or having more obscure quirks actually get a chance to shine. These are characters who definitely aren’t going to win one-on-one battles. In an individual tournament, it’s pretty much a given that characters like Deku, Bakugou, and Todoroki are going to win most of the matches. But in a team, everyone has to work together. The end result is that the lady characters, all of whom have fairly weak or situational quirks, finally FINALLY get to actually do stuff! Even better, in several of the match-ups, the girls have taken the lead in planning and strategizing. It’s been pretty nice to watch. The girls from the other class have been very proactive as well. I really wish the girls could do more in “real” battles with villains, since it’s clear that they can step up when they need to. Who knows? Maybe this is a sign of good things to come.

86 is a new mecha/sci-fi anime based on a series of light novels. The setup is fairly cool: In a country where everyone has silver hair and eyes, the people live in what looks like a utopia. There is a war going on outside their protected land but all combat is performed by automated robots, so there are no human casualties... or so the government would have the people believe. In reality, there is a district that exists on the outskirts of the country called 86, where people who don’t have silver hair and eyes are sent to pilot the robots and fight to protect the country that shunned them. Most of the pilots are children or teenagers. The mortality rate is high. Only a few people in the government know of their existence, mostly military types that include “handlers”. These handlers each take on an 86 unit and communicate with them through a system called “para-raid”. Using this, they monitor the battlefield from their safe positions and issue commands. Naturally, most handlers view their units as nothing more than tools in the war, and most 86-ers view their handlers as privileged snobs who know nothing of actual battle. The real plot kicks in when Lena, a young Major, becomes the new handler for a particular 86 unit. Lena is sympathetic to the people of 86, but it’s going to be hard getting her notoriously rough unit to accept her. The plot is a bit complicated and the show deals with some weighty themes (racism, privilege, war, child soldiers, death). Lena is a likable enough heroine and the members of 86 are all interesting and fairly well written. The music is fine. The art... well, it’s pretty to look at, but it feels a bit generic to me. A bit too shiny. The mecha designs are great, but I’m not crazy about the character designs, which feel like they could be from any other modern anime. I also find it sad but hilarious at the same time that the women’s military uniforms are clearly designed for fanservice (they include mini skirts, thigh-highs with garters, and a short jacket that opens up just above the chest to show the tight shirt underneath) while the men’s uniforms are just totally normal military wear. To be honest it’s just too stupid to actually be offensive, so it comes across as comical. Thankfully, the interesting setup and plot carry the show, making it good enough to overlook the generic visuals.

Moriarty the Patriot has a new season... maybe? I think it’s technically still season one, but with a split cour. Regardless, it feels like a new season so I’m treating it as such. The series focuses on famous Sherlock antagonist Moriarty, here represented as a trio of handsome brothers (though one of them is clearly the protagonist and the leader of the group) who work as “crime consultants” and basically help the lower classes wage class warfare against the nobility. This season shifts the focus away from the individual crimes Moriarty concocts and instead focuses on larger-scale conflicts that involve government conspiracies, corrupt cops, etc. We’re also treated to a lady James Bond (finally!), fixing one of the very few complaints I had about the first cour (that it lacked strong lady characters). The show remains very compelling, with beautiful art and excellent new opening and ending themes.

Best of Season:

Best New Show: Godzilla Singular Point

Best Opening Theme: Godzilla Singular Point

Best Ending Theme: Mars Red

Best New Male Character: Maeda (Mars Red)

Best New Female Character: Sawa (Joran)

[aeroplaneblues]

(ok copy pasting from twitter but still wanna expand on this)

Manga I started reading this year:

-kaiju n8: love that this is a 30+ year old MC and the whole series drinks respect women juice, also its really interesting story. The only thing I don't like is that sometimes it does gags when the moments are serious but I guess that's every manga😂 -witch hat atelier: this got me invested at every turn, the story, ART, lore, characters, writing, its all masterfully crafted I'm amazed it doesn't have an anime adaptation yet. This is one of the few manga i've thought of collecting in physical form

-tokyo revengers: the only one from this list im not super invested in, its the whole time travel fuckery that i dislike the most. It becomes repetitive but the characters are likable enough that you just want them to have a happy ending! Also i dont like the mc but chifuyu is best boy. -the case study of vanitas: this is such a self indulgent in every aspect but still manages to give an interesting and engaging story + characters? DO prefer the manga over the anime for real, ah bones.. -chainsaw man: really thought i read this last year😂 I think i like the story more, usually is characters I like best and not that the characters aren't interesting (i mean pochita and makima exist) but here the world is what kept me reading. IDK i do think the anime will add to the manga but I'll have to wait and see.

And that's it, I do plan to read Blue Period since it will get an anime as well but thats mostly it. I've been enjoying reading manga more than watching anime so if you have any recs lmk! For reference the ones I'm reading as they update (apart from these ones) are: my hero academia, jujutsu kaisen, akagami no shirayuki-hime, spy x family, given, and hanako-kun :D

[hapalopus]

What your favorite Ben 10 alien says about you

This post got WAY longer than I expected, so for everyone’s sake I’m gonna put it under a cut. It’s comprehensive!! If I somehow missed your fave dm me and I’ll add it

Original Series:

Heatblast: You like regular old school superheroes like Spider Man and Batman, and you wish you could fly

Wildmutt: You’re a furry, but like, an edgy furry. Your fursona bites people

Diamondhead: Part of you you kinda wants to be a cop because you genuinely think you could fix our broken justice system. But you can’t. Also you wish you were more buff.

XLR8: You’re gay and you won’t admit just how much you like XLR8′s tail... you swear you’re not a scalie

Grey Matter: You’re a nerd and you believe Roswell ‘69 and Area 51 really involve(d) real aliens

Four Arms: You lift! We know you lift! You already told us how much you lift! And we can all tell you skipped leg day

Stinkfly: You’re convinced all bugs deserve love (including wasps and flies and parasites) and you don’t mind sifting through mud with your bare hands to find bugs

Ripjaws: You’re not just a furry, but also a scalie and a monsterfucker. You wish the fish from Shape of Water would date you.

Upgrade: You’re the only valid person on this list and you have amazing taste in aliens.

Ghostfreak: You’re a True Crime bitch and you watch too many Netflix originals

Cannonbolt: You wish Space Cadet Pinball still came pre-installed on every Windows computer. You have good taste

Wildvine: You’re an instagram plant-mom hoe, but you would violently kill an oil mogul if given the chance

Spitter: You’re weird on purpose and you kinda like that you’re Not Like Other Girls. Also you love betta fish.

Buzzshock: You're the bitch who put your finger a millimeter from your sibling’s face, going “i’m not touching you, i’m not touching you”

Arctiguana: You’re weird, like the Spitter fans, but you’re more into lizards and snakes than fish.

Blitzwolfer: You’re just a regular furry tbh. Most likely have a transformation or pet play kink.

Snare-Oh: You’re the reason all the Ology books were always gone from the school library! Probably believed Dragonology or Wizardology was actually real

Frankenstrike: You’re an Actual monsterfucker who doesn’t count silly fish men and werewolves as monsters, and I respect that.

Upchuck: You like gross-out humor and those cute little lizards who lick their eyeballs. Probably into vore or inflation.

Ditto: You just love cute stuff. You will try to argue that Ditto is good for other reasons, but you really don’t need to. It’s okay to like things just because they’re cute

Eye Guy: idk what to say to you, dude. You’re the only one on this list who’d actually follow up on your threats and fist-fight God, so at least you’ve got that going for you

Way Big: You would give your right arm for mechs and kaiju to be real. Probably went through a transformers phase.

Alien Force:

Swampfire: You like traditional superheroes like the Heatblast fans, but you also noticed that Swampfire can regenerate limbs and Heatblast can’t. You probably forgot that Swampfire is technically a child until his metamorphosis in OV s5e7

Echo Echo: You most likely just love him for his Ultimate form, which is fair, he’s got the best Ultimate. And the way he just screams speaks to you on a deep emotional level

Humungosaur: You would benefit from smashing a car with a sledgehammer to get out some of your frustrations and aggressions. You can actually pay to do that, I suggest you look into it.

Jet Ray: You’d give everything to be able to fly and/or breathe underwater. You probably believe in UFOs

Big Chill: Your primary personality traits are that you’re gay and love Mothman

Chromastone: You acknowledge that the ‘chosen one’ trope isn’t that great, but by god do you love it anyways

Brainstorm: You think knowing a lot of facts makes you smart, but that’s bullshit. You know what makes you smart? Loving your friends. Go help a cat out of a tree or something

Spidermonkey: You’re a furry, but like, and oddball furry. You scoff at people with wolf and cat fursonas. Your fursona is probably a bee or an axolotl or something like that

Goop: You unironically watch slime tutorials and you have very strong feelings about stimboards. You don’t really wanna grow up

Alien X: You like watching your sims die in creative ways. Thinking about space for too long always gives you an existential crisis

Lodestar: You miss Geomag

Rath: You think all your problems can be solved by punching them or by punching them a lot OR you just like watching Fail Compilations on youtube, idk

Nanomech: You’re kinda quirky, huh? It’s alright. You wish you could live in a dollhouse and that’s cool, I respect you.

Rocks or Squidstrictor: Why?

Ultimate Alien:

Water Hazard: You’ve convinced yourself you’d be a waterbender, but we all know you have the personality of a firebender.

AmpFibian: You wanna hide in the Mariana Trench with all the freaky deep sea creatures

Armodrillo: You’re a little emotional, and try to hide behind your tough facade. Or maybe you just really like armadillos, idk

Terraspin: Reptile hoe. “I like turtles” yeah we know you already told us. It’s okay though, I support you. Please tell me more cool facts about turtles.

NRG: You like being in danger

Fasttrack: You’re gay like the XLR8 fans, but you’re also a furry. And you resent that I compared you to the XLR8 fans

Clockwork: I don’t get you, but you seem cool. Wanna watch Back to the Future 2 together some day?

Chamalien: You’re a simple person: You like sneaking up on people and you like lizards

Shocksquatch: Cryptid hoe, but your feralness isn’t just an aesthetic like with the Big Chill fans, it’s an inherent part of your personality. Yes you believe in bigfoot and you want everyone to know it

Eatle: You love bugs, but you're more in love with their sleek designs than the other bug lovers here. A huge part of your bug love is aesthetically motivated

Juryrigg: You kinda wanna chill, kinda wanna watch the world burn. You’d feel at home in a Mad Max world. Girls just wanna have fun

Omniverse:

Feedback: You’ve touched an electric fence twice because you forgot what it felt like the first time. You will touch it again in the future.

Bloxx: You don’t fear lego scattered on the floor. You know it can’t really hurt you and you just hide the pain when you step on one

Gravattack: You really really love his voice. The fact that he has a good design and is really powerful is just a bonus

Crashhopper: You just love having a good time and being a free spirit. You also intimately love bug fursonas but I don’t judge

Ball Weevil: Forget what I said about Upgrade, you’ve got the best taste on this list. Most people won’t get this far because they only care about the original series, but you and I, we know.

Walkatrout: You fear no man or god. When faced with the Trolley Problem, you’d let the train run over the four men instead of the one, just because.

Pesky Dust: You’re a practical thinker. You’re well aware that Pesky Dust is one of Ben’s most powerful aliens and you love to bring up that fact in any Ben 10 discussion

Mole-Stache: You respect Jerry from Inhuman Resources!!!!

The Worst: You’re actually an Atrocian

Kickin Hawk: You love wrestling and care a lot about the kayfabe of it. You want pet chickens (if you don’t already have them I mean)

Toepick: You fear nothing and everything should fear you

Astrodactyl: You like dinosaurs, but only casually, and get mad when people point out that pterosaurs aren’t actually dinosaurs. Also into atomic age space aesthetic.

Bullfrag: You’re kinda freaky. You like secret agents who can work their tongue, of course, but you also love the idea of seduction and breaking all the rules for some love making.

Atomix: Your opinion is that anime peaked in the 70s or 80s and you wish you were dextrous enough to build your own gundams

Gutrot: You think getting a 97% in AP Chemistry means you failed

Whampire: You’re part of the Twilight rennaissance and you’re owning it!!

Nemetrix aliens:

Crabdozer: You really want a pet kaiju

Buglizard: You like bugs, you like lizards, and you probably like gore and body horror too. You don’t care about any alien design unless it’s at least a little off-putting

Slamworm: You recognize that ‘worm’ is the ultimate body plan. All sci-fi should have worms in weird places (but especially deserts)

Mucilator: You have issues

Terroranchula: You are mesmerized by the subtle homoeroticism of Phil and Max’ relationship

Tyrannopede: You love Jurassic Park, including the 2nd and 3rd movies

Hypnotick: Actual bug stan. You read scientific papers about bugs and everything!

Omnivoracious: You like that its name includes vore

Vicetopus: I can tell you’ve rewatched Omniverse an absolutely ungodly number of times because you actually remember this alien. You have good taste

Panuncian: You love Vulpimancers but you’re more of a cat person

Non-transformations:

Acrosian: You recognize Fistina for the high femme icon she is.

Anodite: You love playing a half-elf in D&D and you’re a Spiritual person

Argit’s species: Your favorite characters are all little bitches who only work for themselves but deep down have a heart of passable gold substitute

Contemelia: You’re either the DM or the cleric when you play D&D.

Detrovite: You’re the only one here who remembers how genuinely funny Vulkanus is in Alien Force

DNAlien: Human pet guy, is that you?

Dragons: You just love dragons. Least problematic person here.

Highbreed: You might have to re-examine why you like xenophobic characters. Is it because you love a redemption arc, like the one Reinrassig III went through? Or maybe you just really like their design, which is fair.

Human: You learned that Benjamin Kirby Tennyson is actually the Omnitrix’ human DNA sample and you think it’s hilarious

Kraaho: You’re still mad about the way OV treated Ester, and you’re right to be mad

Lenopan: You fight for social justice, and by fight I mean you’d throw a molotov through a government official’s window

Lewodan: You’re still mad that Jarett of the Pantophage ate the baby and you WISH Rath had knitted his guts into a sweater

Naljian: You think Rubik’s cubes and slide puzzles are entertaining.

Osmosian: You hate how Omniverse retconned Kevin’s background. In your heart Osmos V is a real planet. Also real Osmosians have horns

Pantophage: You just unabashedly like vore

Revohnnagander: You’ve probably at the very least thought of Rook smut

Slimebiote: You think the dumbo squid is the pinnacle of Earth evolution. You also love mix-and-match games and toys

Sotoraggian: Sixsix, Sevenseven Eighteight, and Twotwo are your squad goals and you honestly don’t care that they tried to kill a child, ‘cause their sense of fashion is just that good. You also may have forgotten about their tiny baby arms

Uxorite: Xylene was your lesbiab awakening

Vreedle: You fucked your cousin or you wish you did

Zaroffian: You don’t care that Khyber abused his dog because you’re just that into the Predator aesthetic

[archangeldraws]

Reunion

Since some were so interested in the story of King Ghidorah and their human Eva, this is their story. Please, enjoy (also give me feedback as I don’t usually write stories ^^)

A King Ghidorah fanfiction 

Dorat AU

„Wake up. Come on Ni, wake up boy. Time for walkies!“ A soft voice rings through the air, tickling Ni's ear. The Dorat stirs, sleepily opening one eye and looking around the living room. “Come on Ni-Ni! Don't you want to go outside?” His gaze falls upon a young human girl, standing by the door, hastily putting on her shoes and leashes on two other Dorats like him. His brothers watch him, waiting for him to move. Ni yawns, stretching his golden wings and climbs off the comfortable couch he was sleeping on, trotting over to his master.

She smiles, putting a red collar and leash on the third Dorat, giving him a pet on his fluffy head. “Good boy. Lets go!”

It's a sunny day today, the air is crisp and fresh. It's spring! Eva, their little master, loves this season the most. And they love seeing her happy.

The walk is the same as always. Passing by the same houses, going down the same streets, towards the park.

The park is great. It's big, big enough to stretch their wings and fly around all they want and play.

San, the youngest Dorat loves visiting the park. He's always so eager, flapping up and down, back and forth, almost crashing into his brothers and trilling happily.

Unlike their older brother Ichi, who glides gracefully through the air, looking down on all the passerby.

At the park, Eva lets her Dorats fly free and unzips her backpack, pulling out their toys, a blanket and some drinks and snacks.

Everything is great. They play, enjoy the sunshine and food. Master brought those fish crackers they like.

Ni is chasing another Dorat, a brown one, around the park. That one dared to take a toy! That thief! That one will pay!

A shriek pierces the air, disrupting the chase. Perplexed, Ni looks back. Master?

He watches in horror as a dog, a filthy beast, is attacking Eva. That thing dares to harm HIS MASTER?!

In a rage Ni races towards that monster, flying as fast as he can, not stopping for a second. He doesn't even notice Ichi and San also trying to get in between the girl and the dog.

Ni crashes into the foul beast, bearing his teeth and snarling. The thing yelps, rolling on the ground after the collision. The Dorat, though a bit smaller than the wild dog, put himself between the animal and the girl.

San and Ichi stay with Eva, hissing and screeching angrily, not moving from her side as she weeps and cries in pain, a puddle of blood already forming around her leg on the ground.

Ni growls, daring the dog to move. Do it! Come on! I'll tear you limp from limp!

Not that the dog would have understood it anyway.

In a flash the animal was upon Ni, biting and snapping at him. But Ni isn't afraid. All he sees is red. He bites and claws at it, chomping down on the beasts neck and shaking violently. Ni himself gets thrown around, bitten and scratched. It doesn't matter. He doesn't even feel it. Ni snaps at the soft neck of his opponent, biting and shaking him over and over. The dog screams, letting go of the smaller Dorat and jumps back. In a defiant stance, Ni stays between it and the girl. He growls. And finally his enemy yields and runs.

“NI! OH MY GOD! NIII!! NO!”

Ni turns, Eva approaches him with a limp and she wraps her arms around him.

“Ni! You're hurt! Oh my god, your ear! Your eye!”

A few hours later, Ni wakes up again. Was it a dream? He is in his bed, but something is blocking his view. Why can't he open his left eye? What is that thing?

“Be still, brother. Don't move. You need to heal.” Who is that? Oh, right. It's Ichi. Ichi looks down from his spot at the wall. He likes sitting there. San comes rushing to Ni's side, gently grooming him in a comforting manner. “Are you ok? That fight was really bad! You were lucky you didn't lose your eye, Ni!”

Fight? Oh, yes. Right. That dog. But, what about Eva? Is she ok? Ni looks around the bedroom, trying to see past that weird, round thing around his head. There she is. On the bed. “Ni. You're awake? I'm so glad you're ok!” She smiles, walking towards him and petting him, carefully stroking his back fur.

“The vet said you were really lucky! That dog almost got your eye with it's teeth. But your ear wasn't as lucky, half of it is missing.... Oh Ni, you were so brave! Thank you! I was so scared!”

She quivers, wiping off the tears from her soft, round face.

“You're my hero!”

Ni, not wanting to see her cry leans into her small hand and purrs reassuringly.

“You were hurt.” “It's ok, my leg is better now. Don't worry, everything is ok now. See?” She grins, showing hims her bandaged leg. “Rest now. You'll get a big treat later, ok? You're a good boy, Ni. I love you”

I love you

I love you

I love you....

Ni groans, opening his eyes and stretching his long, powerful neck. Groggily he looks around, spotting his brothers by his side. They've curled up around each other, still sleeping.

As always. Ni, first one to wake up and last one to fall asleep. He hates sleeping. Not sure when it started, but it's been a long time. Sleep brings dreams, memories he'd rather not see.

And now he has to wait for Ichi and San to wake. He sighs, keeping look out. Ni isn't known for being the patient one, but he can be. Not that he has much of a choice. It's not like he could just, get up and walk around. Not anymore. He could wake Ichi. A good bunt in the head would do. But that would also mean getting bit in the snout and right now he wasn't in the mood for a fight. Usually, yeah. But not right now.

His mood was too sour for that.

“Good morning Ni!” San has risen from his slumber and yawns, stretching and rubbing his head against his big brother in a greeting. “Did you sleep well?” Ni sighs. “Same as usual. You?” “Uhm.... I guess so. Got enough sleep at least.”

Ni wasn't the only one plagued by bad memories. San's weren't just memories. They were nightmares. Nightmares that had happened.

Sometimes the youngest brother would wake up screaming and thrashing during the night, begging to be “let out” and biting if you came too close. Ichi and Ni would have to subdue him together, just until the left head would calm down again.

Poor guy had been through a lot. They all have been. But it seems fate has been more cruel to the younger one. He had lost his head, quite literally, many times. Each time he lost more and more of his happy go lucky attitude, if only slowly.

But since that fat lizard had ripped him off last.... They know the memories. They weren't there, but San shared what had happened to him with them, after they reformed that last time.

Last time.... Was the worst. Things are a bit confusing, since they regenerated from a dead head, from a brain that had been dead for some time. They knew their old version had fought on, but their memories stopped after San's death, only to resurface once the humans did something to his brain, feeding him with the energy needed to come back to life.

They know of the pain and fear San had endured, being nothing but a thought in his own mind. Again. Again humans tried to control them, their minds, making them their toys!

But San didn't share everything with them, that they knew... Or they would know of the things he dreamed about and woke from, screaming for help.

They also heard what had happened to their old self. That that one was completely destroyed by the “King” of the monsters, with the help of his Queen.

It is weird to know that you did something, without being there yourself... Never before have they been.... two Ghidorahs. Can they even call it that? Are they themselves even real? Or just a copy?

They know each time a head dies, it grows back with all it's memories. But there had never been a time where.... They had to regenerate their whole being. Until now....

Ichi wakes, shifting and yawning before looking at San and Ni.

“How long have you two been awake?” “Oh hey Ichi, good morning. Not long yet. How was your night?” San smiles at the middle head, greeting him like he greeted Ni with a head rub.

“Luckily, uneventful. Full night rests have become rare” “Yeah.... sorry about that.” “Don't be, San. It's not your fault... Well, now that we're up, let's get out of here. I need some fresh air.”

With that, Ghidorah rose to their feet and walked out of the cave they had carved themselves some time ago. After they had regenerated, they had traveled the world for a while, not knowing what to do with themselves. They were thinking of going after Godzilla again, but..... They were just tired. So they made themselves a small home, if you could call it that, on monster island. They had made an agreement with Godzilla. While they would never yield and submit to him, they promised to stay out of his way and leave the humans alone. As long as they didn't destroy anything, they could be at piece.

Or at least by left alone. And the other Titans did leave them alone.

Wherever they went, the other Kaiju would run and hide. No one dared to try and talk with them.

Except for Godzilla, who would sometimes pass by and check if they still hold their part of the deal.

Sometimes Rodan would come and try to talk with them. That firebird is a huge chatterbox.

Right now Ghidorah made their way down the mountain they had made their cave in, living high above the others, where they had a good view over the island.

“Brothers, look there. A boat” Ni and Ichi look towards the sea, where San was pointing at. “Ugh, humans.... Those pests. They better not think about stepping on this island!” “Calm down brother. What do we care what they do? As long as they leave us alone, I don't give a crap.” Ichi snorts, moving their body down and to the other side of the mountain.

They walk towards a lake and San has a little drink. They don't really NEED to drink and eat, but it's a nice treat and it gives them something to do. One of the few things they can still enjoy, since destroying and conquering is now off the table. At least for now.

Ni looks at his reflection. It's him. But it's also not.

Gone is the round face and the big eyes, gone is the little snout and ears. Gone is the fur on his head and back.

Instead there is a long, strong snout, filled with rows of sharp teeth. His eyes are beady and red and his head adorned with jagged horns, sharp and deadly. Everything on them is sharp and deadly.

But the scar is still there.

He remembers, like in his dream. The scar that made him unique, a hero in that little girl's eyes.

But she's gone now, long dead.

Why is the scar still there? They can heal. And it was gone. But he made it again. For some reason, even though he wants to forget.... He scars himself over and over again, each time it heals, he takes one of their spiked tails to his face and draws blood. He's done it many time, he knows exactly where to cut, how to cut it. Each time a perfect copy.

And his horn. The second horn on the left, he always breaks it off. Where half his ear used to be.

Ichi keeps a look out, watching the smaller kaiju hiding in the shadows of the trees, waiting for them to leave and have a drink.

As they should. Useless lot, they are beneath them. Look at them quivering, shaken to their very core by their fear, Ghidorah's presence almost crushing them like little worms.

Ichi has always enjoyed looking down on others. Since he was a cup, he'd find the highest places and sit there, watching the others. He's always been more cruel than his brothers, that's just who he is. Not that he doesn't know how to be compassionate. He loves his brothers.

Sure, he reprimands them often, especially Ni, as he likes to act up and square off with Ichi.

But he still cares. And he'd do anything to protect them.

Once he cared for someone else. A little someone, though bigger than them at the time, but so small and fragile.

Somehow she made him want to protect her. To love her. And he did. He loved and protected and cared and vowed to stay forever-.... Until forever was over.

Gone were the good days, the days filled with happiness and love and care. Replaced with fear and pain and numbness instead.

They were like her. But they were not like her. Not soft and sweet and loving and warm. No high voices carrying nothing but goodness to his ear but instead, cries and screams and yells of malice and horror and the stench of rotting flesh and dry blood.

Their new “masters” were nothing like her. They never gave them the feeling of being safe. Only fear. Only pain. Only rage!

And then.... Nothing. Sleep without dreams, dreams without sleeping. Moving but unmoving.

Pain but no feeling.

And then they woke up. They woke at a cold place, nothing but ice and piercing cold and blinding white. No humans in sight. No... Her..... Alone. They were alone. And they were one.

They knew they were, have been for long. But now that they were awake, it was strange. Having to learn how to move again.

And the urge.... The urge to.... kill... destroy.... It was ebbed into their mind so deep, into their very core.... All they could think about was “Find Godilla. Kill him. Destroy him. Kill. Destroy. Kill. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy destroy destroy destroydestroydestroyde-....”

The thought was still there, once jackhammering in their head, now a soft drumming... They had found Godzilla. But that one was not the same they knew now. That one fought long and hard, made them weak and trapped them in the ice, where they had awoken the first time. And they slept.

And now.... The same thing. They found Godzilla, a different one, fought and lost again. Were killed this time and somehow they came back.

You'd think knowing that you were able to cheat death like this would make you stronger, would make you want to try again.... And maybe they will, one day. But now they're just tired....

“Hello?.... Are you there?” They look up. “Yes? What is it?” San looks to Ichi. “I didn't call you.” They look at Ni. “Wasn't me” “Can you hear me?”

Confused they look around. Was it one of them? One of the small ones hiding in the shadows?

“What do you want?” Ichi growls at the trees and the little kaiju skitter away quickly.

“It's me. I'm here.”

“Who the fuck is calling us?! Who is it?” They stand and Ni snarls and snaps at nothing.

“Come to me. I'm here. Are you there?”

“What the fuck?” Ichi grows more and more irritated, looking around but seeing no one.

“Come find me. Were you waiting?”

“Ichi.... I think it's coming from there.” San points back at the ocean again. Is it a water Titan? Manda perhaps?

“I swear if that snake is out making a fool of us then we'll have it for breakfast!”

“Good idea Ichi, sound delicious!”

They follow the voice, down to the shore. They don't see Manda, but the human boat is still there.

“Ohoh, it's the humans! It must be them. Of course. Why am I not surprised?”

“Wouldn't be the first time, Ni.” “Should we kill them?” “We can't, Godzilla-” “I know San, I know! But he never said we can't defend ourselves. If they try to attack us, it's free game!”

“My sweets....” They freeze. What did they just call them? No one ever called them that but-... No. No, she's gone.

“Can't you hear me? Please answer me. Remember our promise? I promised I'd come find you”

No... No, no no no, no! It's not true! This is a trick! They are tricking us!

San leans closer, looking down at the boat and the humans on board.

“Ichi... Ni... San.... Do you remember me?”

They stare. They stare at the human woman with the dark hair and eyes. The eyes they know, the eyes they only see in their dreams.

“It's her!” Sam rears ups, shocked and confused. It's her. She's back! She's come!

“Ichi, Ni, it's her! It's her! Master!” “NO! Get a grip San, it isn't!” Ichi roars, staring down at San. “This is a trick, clearly!”

“But-”

Ichi doesn't believe, doesn't trust. Ni wants to believe, wants to trust. San believes, San trusts.

San bends down again, trying to reach the boat, he needs to see her, smell her, touch her. “Master!”

“NO!” Ichi snaps, he grabs San by the scruff of his neck and pulls him away. They stagger, their body, twitching. The heads fight.

Middle tries to dominate left, biting and power grooming him into submission. Usually San would yield, but not this time. He rises, roaring at his brother in fury.

“STOP IT ICHI! It is her, I know it!”

“IT CAN'T BE SAN, SHE IS DEAD!” They are torn apart, feeling an array of feelings.

Yes! No! Want! Don't! Believe! Fear! Trust! Rage! Can't be! It is!

“STOP!!”

They stop. Ichi and San look at Ni. He glares at them. Is this what happens when they see a glint of what had been? It tears them apart just like this? How weak have they become, how low have they fallen?

“Brothers.... Please.... Who else could talk with us like that?” San pleads at Ichi and Ni, lowering his head. His eyes displaying nothing but sadness.

“Our connection is still there... After all this time, all those years our link is still strong. Who else but her could speak with us? Who else knows the names she gave us?”

All three heads turn to look back at the boat. The humans, pointing their weak little weapons at them, stare, waiting for them to move.

Except the woman. She stands at the railing, tears in her eyes, her face contorted as if in pain.

“Please, don't fight... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect you. I promised you, remember? That I would find you, no matter what. I said I would come. And I am here now, my sweets.... Please forgive me....”

She cries. No humans ever cried for them but....

“Eva...?”

Her head snaps back up so fast, you could almost hear it crack. Ghidorah leans down towards the boat, all three heads until their noses almost touch it.

They look at her. The face, the scar of the dog bite on her leg. The way she smiles. They smell her.

Like spring. She smells like spring. Like her favorite season. And fish crackers. She reaches out, placing her soft, small hand on Ichi's snout and smiles that smile that sings of love and happy memories.

“I'm sorry.... Did you wait long?”