#I accepted it (though hoping that the rest of the arcs aren’t rushed)

[fantasticalchaos]

LETS FRICKING GO!!!!! THIS IS MY ROMAN EMPIRE!!! THE SUN AND MOON!!! THE START AND THE END!!! MY BOIS!! LOOK IDK ABOUT Y’ALL BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST NEWS EVER FOR ME TO ANTICIPATE NEXT YEAR!!! (As someone who loves both of these series)

My current 2025 Anime Watchlist is looking like a feast for me! 👀

Also fun fact: Ryusui (The pirate dude in the left poster) and Trey (not shown here but is in TWST) share the same VA/Seiyuu!!! So I recommend checking each media out! Especially the Ryusui Special for TWST fans!

[delicrieux]

corpse husband... 👀 could I get a soft pastel aesthetic reader playing among us with the group and being absolutely terrible at it. maybe like she sees him kill someone and doesn’t say anything or report it and he follows her around to sorta protect her from the other imposter? at the end she asks why he didn’t kill her and he says it’d be too easy but ofc someone’s gonna make jokes and be like “no you’re just a simp” idk i think that’d be funny? you dont have to tho- no worries

⤹⋆⸙͎۪۫｡author’s note: we love pastels and corpse in this house. we love the “i’m helping cuz u cute” trope. we love the public simping. gotta stan this request

masterlist.⁀➷｡˚⸙͎۪۫⋆ ༄

There is a long list of things you’re terrible at, and Among Us is at the very top. But besides your lack of prowess at the game, it is perhaps luck you should curse, for what you have just witnessed will send you into the afterlife: Corpse’s little black astronaut murdering Rae in cold blood. You still by your keyboard; out of the corner of your eye, you see he chat going nuts. The stream just got ten times more interesting.

For a long few seconds neither of you move. You’re not exactly surprised Corpse is the Impostor, it’s just that you desperately did not want to get in his way - you’re bad enough at this game as it is, and trying outmaneuver the master at this game of chess? Impossible. 

Shrugging, you glance at your camera, “I ain’t see nothing.” Before, in-game, you promptly turn on your heel and glide to the other side of the map. Corpse follows. You start sweating, “Noooo, I swear I’m not gonna snitch, please spare me, sir. I swear on my” You idly tap your cat headphones with your hand, “-only prized possession. And my plushie collection.” He’s still trailing after you, even when you hop into Navigation. Turning to the chat, you ask, “Guys, how do I telepathically convey to Corpse that I’m not going turn him in? No one tell him, though, that’s cheating.”

“girl, start manifesting” one comment reads.

“Oh, manifesting, okay. Saw that on TikTok. I also heard it’s like a big thing in LA.” 

You’d imagine that if somehow you were actually transported to the cool chamber of a dying spaceship, cornered by a black figure with devil horns blocking your exit, you would probably start crying. But you’re safe in your little stream room, decorated in fairy-lights and soft colours and even softer blankets. That initial primal fear of having nowhere left to run lingers, though, and you gulp.

A meeting is called and you breathe out a heavy sigh of relief before unmuting your mic, the first to chime, “What happen--No! Rae! Who killed Rae, fess up now!”

“Well, maybe you killed Rae!” Sean exclaims, and even if you can’t see him, you instinctively know he’s pointing a finger at you. 

“It wasn’t (Name).” Corpse says smoothly, “We’re together.” He backtracks quickly, laughing anxiously, “Uh--In game, I mean.”

The conversation rages on, though you’re forgotten, which is a small reprieve. Corpse is quick to frame someone else and everyone agrees to vote. Momentarily you can’t believe you’re betraying your fellow crewmates and wonder why you’re doing it exactly. To make an entertaining stream? That’s definitely part of it. Charlie is flung into lava and you know it should’ve been Corpse but you’re having a bit too much fun to care.

“nooooo!!!! they corrupted her!!!! our sweet baby is on the villain arc!!! RIP”

You hope not mentioning what you had seen transpire minutes prior will dissuade him from killing you - he still could, but he’s just standing by the door, watching your movements. You decide you will only figure it out once your back is turned to him, whilst doing your tasks. Apprehensively, you get to it and--

Nothing happens.

Once you’re finished, you run circles around him. He joins in soon. The olive branch had been accepted. You grin. Rush out of Nav and he, once again, follows after you. 

The game continues like this, you doing tasks and he hoovering by your side like some little guardian devil. You almost forget that he’s the Impostor until he murders Sean right in front of you. You slap your hand over your mouth. Did Stockholm Syndrome kick in already? He self reports and his first words are, “(Name) and I found a body in Weapons.”

You aren’t sure how much your betrayal aided the Impostor victory, but you were the only survivor left between two serial-killers. Your chat spams celebration emoticons and fake-deep monologues about living in a society. While you were an unofficial Impostor, your audience single-handedly decides you were the best one.

It’s all laughter and apologies from your part to your slighted teammates, though even they have to admit it was a good game. Everyone agrees to play another round, but before it can start, you just have to know, “Hey, Corpse?”

“Yes, (Name)?”

“Why didn’t you kill me?”

“Oh,” He mutters, a small chuckle following after his words, “it would’ve been, uhh, too easy, I guess?”

“Lies.” Sean interrupts, “It’s because you’re a fucking SIMP!”

The discord call choruses “SIMP SIMP SIMP” in surprising harmony. You sit in your chair, giggling, smiling so brightly your cheeks start hurting.

“Guys, come on--” Corpse says, sounding like he’s smiling, like he’s got his face covered with his hands, like he’s embarrassed; he laughs - it’s a light, pretty sound, “I just wanted (Name) to have fun. And not be killed by Sykkuno.”

“Wait--” Sykkuno pipes up, “So you just...followed her around the map?”

“...Yeah.”

“Oh my God, you stupid simp!” Sean laughs, “(Name) was there when he killed me, I was so confused why she didn’t say anything because I figured she was the other Impostor, but turns out he just kidnapped her. Don’t worry, (Name), we don’t blame you for betraying the crew. You did what you had to do to survive.”

“It’s the her seeing Corpse kill me and pretending she’s blind for me.” Rae snickers.

“Wait a fucking minute,” Charlie says, “you mean to tell me, (Name), our little pastel princess fucking peach over there, saw Corpse slitting your throat and fucked right off, and then lied like a grade-a-politician during the meeting? Who killed Rae fess up my ass, you all are saying Corpse played us like a fucking fiddle but it was actually (Name) the whole time.” You hear a smile in his voice, and somehow feel a surge of pride, “(Name)--” He’s cut off by Sean trying to interject but quickly shushes him with a few choice words “Jesus fucking Christ, shut up, I’m trying to figure something out. (Name), did you or did you not use Corpse for protection?”

You’re giggling; you can’t control the sporadic giddiness mixed with light anxiousness, “I just...I just didn’t want to die!” You exclaim. More laughter.

“I rest my case, she’s a fucking wolf in sheep’s clothing, it’s always the nice one’s that stab you in the back for the fuck of it.”

“Guys,” Corpse says, “guys, guys, guys...Let’s play another round?”

“Yes”es are exchanged like trading cards. Before long, your screen lights up and you gape at the word IMPOSTOR written over you little astronaut standing right next to...Corpse.

You grin: if the last game was crazy, this one will be straight up insane.

.

hope you liked it! xx

.

[makeste]

some follow-up thoughts on BnHA 306

mostly Deku angst, but also a little Baku angst (and some TodoBaku angst) mixed in for good measure. because there’s plenty of angst to go around.

1. “if I’d only been stronger...”

I’ll talk more about Deku later in this post as well, because there’s definitely plenty to talk about; this is the most character development he’s gotten in almost 200 chapters. but for starters, I want to discuss the possible parallels between Deku’s current character arc, and what is arguably the most iconic moment of angst/character development in the series.

remember how this kid, who up until this point had rarely seemed to give two fucks about the world around him, suddenly revealed that he blamed himself for being the downfall of All Might? remember how it came almost out of nowhere? how he’d been hiding it, and trying to suppress it? “but even if I try to forget... sometimes it all just comes rushing back.”

yeah. so anyway, I got to thinking -- if being the cause of one hero’s downfall could affect someone this badly, what about being responsible for the downfall of all heroes?

what if a boy who wanted nothing more than to keep people safe suddenly found himself at the epicenter of a disaster that killed hundreds, possibly even thousands of people?

now obviously, this is not the sole thing that’s troubling Deku right now; this kid has a whole array of traumas as of the War arc. like, you know it’s bad when Society As We Know It Coming To An End Partially Because Of You is the least of your problems. but still, I think this is worth bringing up, because the hero kids blaming themselves for things that aren’t their fault is hardly anything new. and yet, what with everything else that’s been going on -- all of the Todoroki drama, and Vestige revelations, and hospital antics, and political strife -- I feel like it’s easy to forget or overlook this little detail.

the fact is that AFO put this entire plan into motion solely in the hopes of finally obtaining OFA. every single thing that happened at Jakku -- Tomura powering up; Machia waking up and going on his rampage (after being ordered to do so by Tomura); and even Dabi/Touya choosing this moment to finally strike (because he knew this was when the reveal would do the maximum damage -- when people’s faith in heroes was already wavering) -- every last bit of it can ultimately be traced back to AFO’s desire to steal OFA. which, obviously, makes it AFO’s fault, not Deku’s. but then, Kamino wasn’t actually Katsuki’s fault either. it wasn’t his fault the villains went after him (but he blamed himself anyway), and it wasn’t his fault that people got hurt in the ensuing battle to save him (but he blamed himself anyway).

just. I think we’re underestimating just how strong of an impact all of this likely had on Deku. we haven’t really had the chance to see him process it yet. he’s been too busy, and there have been too many other things going on. but I’m telling you guys, that empty look in his eyes in the final page of the chapter? I can all but guarantee you that at least some of that emotional weight is coming from this.

sure would be nice if he had a friend who knew exactly what that was like, and could help him process the guilt and all of the other associated emotions, just like Deku once helped him. unfortunately I’m not so sure things will be that easy this time around. anyways though let’s move on to a couple of other thoughts and speculations.

2. “...and I bullied him.”

one of my least-favorite BnHA fanfic tropes is the one where the rest of class 1-A somehow finds out about Katsuki and Deku’s history -- i.e. that Katsuki bullied Deku throughout most of their childhood. mind you, it’s not the concept itself that I dislike; it’s mostly how it’s used. a lot of times it’s just an excuse to have all of the other kids turn on Katsuki and ostracize him; either because the author thinks that’s what he deserves, or else so that Deku can eventually come to his rescue and defend him and shame the rest of the class for not seeing how much he’s changed. either way, it’s usually pretty awkward to read, and more often than not the characters are pretty OOC (especially Ochako and Todoroki).

however! there’s a big difference between fanfic and canon, and just because I’m not a fan of this trope in the former doesn’t mean it couldn’t be executed well in the latter. and lately I’ve been thinking about this a lot. mainly for three reasons:

the recent (can we still call it recent?? well whatever) scene where Katsuki confessed to All Might that he used to bully Deku is now one of my favorite scenes in the entire series, and proof that this can be executed well.

both Todoroki and Deku have finally had their respective big secrets revealed to the rest of the class. so like, idk. feels like it just might be secret-revealing season now, you know?

and lastly, as a result of Deku’s secret about OFA finally being revealed, the rest of 1-A now either knows, or can extrapolate, that he used to be quirkless.

and from there, I feel like it’s not all that hard to put two and two together with how terrible Kacchan and Deku’s relationship was when they first started at UA. that’s not a terribly difficult puzzle to solve. so I feel like it might come out anyway, and if so, I’d prefer Bakugou telling them himself, and taking responsibility as part of his atonement process. because we know that he regrets it. we know their relationship has changed. we know that he has changed. and so I think I might like to see this.

alternately, if confessing to the entire class is too much, at the very least I could see him confessing to Shouto, because I’ve always felt like this was one of the big things that made Katsuki so resistant to letting Todoroki call him a friend. because I feel like there’s a part of Katsuki that saw the parallels between Endeavor’s abuse of Shouto and his own bullying of Deku, and thought, he wouldn’t be so quick to call me his friend if he actually knew the truth. and so there’s actually been this roadblock wedged between them this whole time that Shouto doesn’t even know about. because Shouto hates Endeavor. and so it’s not such a leap to assume he’d hate Katsuki too if he knew just how terrible he’d been to Deku when they were younger.

not that I think he actually would! actually I don’t think either of those things is actually true (because Shouto clearly doesn’t hate his father either, in spite of everything that’s happened). but the point isn’t what I think -- the point is what Katsuki thinks. and I really do think there’s a good chance he’s worried about Shouto hating him, and it’s one of the things that’s made him so reluctant to accept his friendship. anyway, so I’m really just rambling now, but you get my point. I don’t know if this is actually going to happen, but it’s a scene I would like to see if Horikoshi decides to indulge me.

3. “...so when you wake up, please give him my best.”

and now, as promised, back to Deku.

ngl guys, when I first saw this image, my immediate thought was that Gran must have died. because I mean, hello, leaving U.A.?? donning himself in his teacher’s old cape?? empty, exhausted look in his eyes?? what else were we supposed to think lol.

but maybe that was an overreaction. because when I think about it more, Gran’s death isn’t strictly necessary in order to push Deku over the edge. first of all, there’s already the whole “hero society is in ruins now because of you” thing I mentioned earlier. but also, there are just so many other things. like, let’s just list them here because omg. what a rough couple of days this kid had.

he was forced to battle TomurAFO and was terribly injured in the process (most of which was his own fault, but he wouldn’t have gone that far with OFA unless he felt like he had no choice)

and it wasn’t just him that was injured, either. in fact, even though he tried to act as bait to keep everyone else safe, he wasn’t able to stop three of the people closest to him from nearly being killed right before his eyes

and of course that last one was especially traumatic, because it was Kacchan, and because he had to watch Kacchan nearly die just to protect him. out of all the things that Deku witnessed in this arc, this might be the one that had the biggest impact on him

he was also basically helpless to do anything to protect Shouto and Endeavor when Dabi showed up. so again, we have this running theme of people he cares about being hurt and him not being able to save them

and he also got sucked into the OFA Interstellar Dream Vortex for a brief spell during the battle, during which he learned that AFO had possessed Tomura. more importantly, he learned that Tomura was Nana’s grandson, a fact which was only briefly touched on during that scene, but which I think wound up being the trigger to the whole avalanche that ended with Deku leaving UA. but more on that in a moment

anyway so just to wrap this all up, the battle eventually ended, Tomura got away despite all of their efforts, and then Deku wound up comatose in the hospital for two days. which brings us to the most recent chapters, during which

Deku learns that he will be the last wielder of OFA, whether he likes or not

Deku learns the identity of the last two mystery OFA users

and then at some point, he wakes up and presumably talks to Gran, and winds up with his cape

something happened during these last two scenes which helped to push Deku over the edge. I won’t delve into the matter of the Second or Third users for now, although most of you already know my suspicions regarding that, and I do think that would fit into the general pattern here (that is, the pattern of Deku feeling more and more strongly that he is putting the people around him in danger, and his fear of losing them becoming so overwhelming that it eventually pushes him to leave).

but that’s not what I want to talk about for now. what I want to talk about is Gran. specifically, what it is that Deku discussed with Gran. and this is where we come back to that reveal I mentioned earlier -- that Tomura is Nana’s grandchild.

basically, what I think happened is that Deku mentioned seeing Nana in the OFA Zany Psychedelic Spirit Void, which led to the topic of Tomura, and the fun fact Deku recently learned about him being related to Nana. this, in turn leads to Gran divulging his various regrets about everything that happened with him and Nana and Kotarou. his intent is to apologize to Deku for placing the burden of their failures on him. unfortunately, the part that Deku actually gets fixated on instead is this:

All for One hunted down and killed Nana’s son (and probably her husband as well), and stole her grandchild and psychologically tortured him into becoming a mass murderer, for no other reason than that Nana had once held OFA

in other words, AFO can and will hurt and kill anyone Deku is close to, anyone who has any kind of connection to him at all, without mercy, and regardless of whether it actually gives him any kind of tactical advantage or not. he’ll do it simply to hurt him. no other reason necessary.

I don’t know about you, but for me that would be a terrifying realization. and for Deku, I think it just might have been the tipping point.

so, let’s recap.

Deku learns that AFO is after him

AFO/Tomura very nearly kills several of Deku’s most important people, including Kacchan

and then he learns that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and realizes that all of their lives are still in danger and will continue to be as long as Deku is AFO’s target

and then add to all of this the misplaced guilt about society already being shambles, and the heroes already having more than enough to worry about. they’re barely holding things together as it is. and we already know how Deku feels about being a burden to them:

and so instead, he leaves. of course he does. in hindsight, I think this was inevitable.

the question is, did anyone else also put the pieces together in time to realize what Deku was planning before he actually left? specifically, did Katsuki, who understands Deku’s self-sacrificial nature better than anyone else, see the signs and put two and two together? like he did back at Jakku?

and if he did, would Deku have been willing to accept his help again?

somehow, I can’t help but think it might not be that easy this time.

anyway, so that was a lot of rambling, lol. sorry about that. I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS about all of this angsty shit. tired nomad Deku needs hugs and comfort and someone to reassure him that he doesn’t have to face this alone, and that everything is going to be all right. HE IS JUST A LITTLE BOY. this is too much, and I cannot handle any of these feels, and oh my god, somebody please help him.

[existslikepristin]

A Two-on-One Match

Part 2 of 3 of the OC Jung Hyunjin's arc. A request from Rex [of the ever-changing name] I recommend starting with A Quick Fix to follow the plot if you haven't read it already.

Tags: TheLounge, Gfriend, Eunha, SinB, male OC Jung Hyunjin, "oh hey I know you", one dom one sub one clueless boxer, some butt stuff, request

~~~~~

The bell rang to announce Yuta’s departure. He turned back as he walked through the door and waved. “Thanks Hyunjin! Good to meet you!”

“You too man! Enjoy!” Hyunjin waved back. It was his second week working at The Lounge and he was getting to know quite the wide range of people, and the first day he was working the morning shift, now that he was fully finished with his evening training.

A familiar voice came from behind, just at the entrance to the kitchen. “Nice catch. How’d you know Yuta would like the cinnamon sprinkle?” It was Hyunjin’s new boss, Kim Soomin.

“Wish I could tell you Ms. Kim. Honestly I just guessed.”

Soomin shrugged. “We’ll chalk it up to intuition then. Anyway, it seems like you’ve got things handled up here. I’m going to start up the oven for some brownies. Sungho is going to be here in half an hour, but I’ll be right there if you get rushed, alright?”

“You got it, Ms. Kim.”

Hyunjin wasn’t especially worried, since he didn’t imagine they’d be getting that many more customers in so early in the morning. When Soomin was gone, he leaned back against the perfectly clean counter and pulled out his phone.

Sowon had told him she was an idol, but he still hadn’t bothered to look up her music. It seemed to him that while he was waiting for customers was as good a time as any. He opened up his default browser and tapped in her name. A second later, his phone was flooded with pictures of Sowon in a variety of outfits, generally much fancier than what he usually saw her in. In the sidebar, her real name appeared, as well as the company she worked for and the group she was part of. “Gfriend,” rung a bell in Hyunjin’s head, at least, though he had no clue if he’d actually heard any of their music before. Maybe at a convenient store while he wasn’t paying attention?

He tapped the link to change the search to Gfriend. The images that showed up were far more zoomed out than before. He could pick out Sowon’s face among the six women in each picture, but immediately scrolled down and saw their names. He nodded his head and kept going down the list. Jung Yerin was next. No clue who she was. Then Jung Eunbi, also known as Eunha. That name sounded somehow familiar to him, but he continued to read. Choi Yuna, also known as Yuju…

He was interrupted by the bell ringing. He bounced away from the counter and popped his phone back into his pocket. Looking up, he saw two women had entered. One of them took off to the side toward the lounge chairs right away, but the other one approached the counter. She walked normally at first, but slowed down when she and Hyunjin’s eyes met.

“H-hyunjin?” she asked.

Hyunjin hesitated to respond. He pulled his phone back out and looked at the images still on the screen. “Do you go by Eunha?”

Eunha nodded slowly. “Yeah… Were you in drama club in middle school?”

“I was.”

There was a long pause.

“Holy shit, Hyunjin! It’s been such a long time! When did you start working here?”

Hyunjin laughed. He knew the name was familiar. “Just a couple of weeks ago. I got referred by Sowon.”

Eunha laughed back. “She and I are in a girl group together!”

“I literally just found that out! I was looking you guys up! See?” Hyunjin held out his phone.

“Woah! Yeah! How are you doing these days?”

The two took some time to reminisce and catch up. Despite the initial moment of not recognizing each other, they quickly remembered their connection. They had grown up in the same neighborhood, and recalled a variety of events they had gone to together as children. Eunha was a year above him in school, but had encouraged him to participate in drama. The Lounge continued to stay effectively empty the whole time. Hyunjin told Eunha about how he and Sowon met and how he ended up there, and about how he was training again to fight. Eunha told him about the rest of Gfriend, and how the other woman she entered with was Umji.

To avoid making Umji wait too much longer, Hyunjin took Eunha’s order and got to work. He was all smiles. When he brought their coffee to them, he included a napkin with his phone number on it and invited Eunha to the fight, but couldn’t continue to chat with the other customers that began to pour in, the bell going wild.

* * *

The bell went wild. It was the end of the last round. Hyunjin wiped at his nose with his arm. His opponent backed off and the two bumped their gloves together. Hyunjin wasn’t especially happy with the turnout. It had been far too long since he’d stepped in a ring, and it showed. That wasn’t going to stop him from being a good sport though. He kept a smile on.

Fortunately, the referee still held his arm up in the end. “... by split decision: Jung Hyunjin!”

The crowd cheered. Whether it was for Hyunjin or not, he couldn’t really tell. The crowd wasn’t exactly huge, and the two fighters nobody had heard of (it was only his opponent’s second official match) in a small venue didn’t exactly have a fanbase yet. Hyunjin couldn’t pick any familiar faces out of the crowd either.

His disappointment was quickly abated by who he saw while making his way to the locker room. Dressed in frumpy, nondescript sweatshirts and hats, Eunha and another girl Hyunjin barely recognized from Gfriend’s group pictures as SinB caught him right at the doorway.

“Hey! We were hiding out in the back row. Congrats!”

Hyunjin ran his fingers through his hair. “Thanks. I was rusty though.”

“Rusty? What do you mean? You were great!”

SinB tapped Eunha on the arm. “No, he’s right. They both looked like amateurs.”

Hyunjin grimaced, but before he could say anything, Eunha grabbed him by the arm. “Hey, let’s go in there, where it’s not so noisy! I can barely hear you two!”

She wasn’t wrong. When the door closed behind them, the lack of noise was a relief.

“So yeah,” SinB started, “what I was saying is that he’s right. They loo--”

Eunha silenced her with a strict look. “SinB...” is all she said, and it was all she needed.

SinB averted her eyes and a blush crossed her cheeks. “It’s um… Nice to meet you, Hyunjin. My name’s SinB.”

Hyunjin smirked. “Hey, good meeting you too. Don’t worry about the fight though. I used to be a lot better. I’m just out of practice. I’ll be starting regular training again next week.”

“You really did do great though,” Eunha said, “I mean, you had to, right? You won.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’m just being critical of myself. But anyway, thanks for coming! I really appreciate the support.”

“Of course! Just think of us as your first fans?” Eunha ended with a questioning tone, but followed up quickly. “Actually, let’s not be fans yet. It’s weird for fans to take you out to dinner.”

“Dinner, huh? I’d like that. I need to get washed up first. Pretty sure I’ve still got some blood in my mouth.”

“Totally, yeah! We’ll just, uh, wait here.”

Hyunjin gave a nod and went to the locker room. He could hear Eunha hushedly giving SinB an earful the whole way.

Undressing was a bit painful. Hyunjin had taken a particularly strong hit to one of his left ribs, and now that he could see the site of the impact, he could already tell it would be bruising. He hoped it wasn’t broken.

As he made his way to the open showers, he could hear Eunha and SinB again. They sounded like they were close to the locker room. There wasn’t a door to block the sound though, so he didn’t think much of it, but he knew something was up when he heard footsteps over the sound of the running water. Nobody else should be on this half of the building except his coach, who he hadn’t even informed of the fight. He quickly covered his dick with his hands and turned to the entrance.

And there was SinB, blushing furiously, looking straight up at the ceiling. “H-hey, Hyunjin. I’m sorry.”

“Um. Well, cool. Apology accepted. But is this really the--”

Hyunjin cut himself off as Eunha brushed past SinB. But unlike SinB, she was completely undressed. She walked toward him, small breasts bouncing with each step, getting soaked as she went directly through the spray of the showers. He started to smile, but noticed and quickly got rid of it. “Eunha, you’re…”

“I’m here to help you get cleaned up,” she finished his sentence for him, though it wasn’t what he was intending to say. “We can get to the restaurant sooner this way, right?”

Eunha grabbed a bar of soap from one of the little shelves along the wall and stopped just short of Hyunjin, who had lost all hope of being able to hide his erection. Not that Eunha seemed to mind, or even pay any attention. But it’s what she said next that made her intentions much, much clearer.

“You and Sowon aren’t exclusive, right?”

“No. I suppose we’ve been very clear that we aren’t.” Hyunjin took a hand away from his crotch to rub the back of his neck.

Eunha put a hand on Hyunjin’s arm, pointing at his neck. “Oh no. Are you feeling sore?” She gestured toward a stool. “Let me give you a massage. SinB!”

Hyunjin watched, half afraid and half mesmerized, as SinB quickly undressed and tossed all of her clothes back into the locker room. He let Eunha pull him down to sit on the stool she dragged underneath the stream of the shower. “I don’t really need a massage. It’s okay.”

“That’s good to hear! I’ll just get started on washing you up then. In the meantime, can you do me a favor?”

“Uh… Sure?”

While sitting on the stool, Hyunjin was just barely shorter than Eunha, which let her lean down to whisper in his ear. Her tone made it clear she was asking a question. “Let SinB practice on you?”

Hyunjin’s eyes went wide. “So Eunha, I don’t mean to sound like a perv here, but are you implying something about practicing a blowjob? Because I’ll take that.”

Eunha motioned for SinB to approach. “No, no. Why would you think that?” she asked, clearly twitching at the corner of her mouth as she tried not to smile. She slowly pulled Hyunjin’s other hand away from his full-mast dick.

In no time at all, SinB was standing in front of Hyunjin, hair getting drenched by the shower, hands behind her back, and eyes anywhere but on him. With a little difficulty, she moved to straddle his lap. The width of her legs put her bare pussy dangerously close to his cock.

Sure he knew where the situation was taking them, Hyunjin shifted his legs, pushing SinB’s a little farther apart. The head of his dick speared her. He watched as her chest rose and fell rapidly. She used her hands to brace herself on his shoulders. He wanted to make a snarky comment, but was having difficulty coming up with anything good. He was also distracted by the feeling of something hard against his cock. He reached around SinB and grabbed her butt. As his fingers explored, he was able to verify immediately that she had a butt plug inside of her.

“This is an interesting night,” he said simply.

Just then, Hyunjin felt Eunha pressing her front up against his back. Her skin glided over his, as if it was (and it was) covered in soap. At the same time, SinB lowered herself further onto his dick in a jerking, twitching way.

“I don’t know what you mean. Is something unusual, Hyunjin?” Eunha asked as she rubbed her tits and stomach up and down his back.

Hyunjin’s sarcasm struggled its way out of his throat as SinB started fucking him, bouncing herself and making a beautiful, wet scene of her slim body. “Not at all…” Hyunjin said, “Perfectly normal Wednesday night.”

Eunha couldn’t contain her giggle. She ran her soapy hands over Hyunjin’s shoulders, arms, and whatever parts of his legs she could reach with SinB in the way. He winced a little when she swept over his new bruise, but otherwise did his best not to react.

“How do you like SinB’s pussy?”

Hyunjin groaned. His grip on SinB’s asscheeks tightened subconsciously. He had to unclench his teeth to say, “It’s alright.”

“Hear that, SinB? Just alright. Maybe a bit amateurish.”

SinB’s shoulders tensed up visibly. “I said I was sorry…”

Eunha walked around to the shelves on the wall to pull a bottle of shampoo off. The close up view of Eunha’s plump, naked, wet ass just about set Hyunjin off. She was obviously arching her back just enough to make it noticeable.

“Damn, Eunha. I always admired your butt when you were my senior, but now… fuck…”

She turned to look at Hyunjin over her shoulder. “Oh thank you! Sounds like you’re thinking about cumming?”

Hyunjin nodded. With no hesitation at all, Eunha set the shampoo back down and pulled a visibly shocked SinB off of his cock. He was shocked too, about ready to ask why Eunha would do such a thing, but found his answer right away.

Eunha, facing away from Hyunjin, positioned herself between his legs and spread her ass with one hand, and grabbed his cock with the other. She directed it to an unexpected target, and Hyunjin’s breath caught in his throat as he was hilted completely in Eunha’s asshole.

“Now you can cum,” she said.

Hyunjin didn’t need to be told twice. He barely needed to be told once. His orgasm hit him harder than his opponent did in the ring. He grabbed Eunha’s hips and held her down against him as he pumped a gigantic load into her ass.

He brushed his hair back, suddenly light headed, feeling like his soul had just been pulled out of him through his cock. He saw SinB sitting back against the wall, still blushing bright red, masturbating as she stared between Eunha’s legs at the spot where Hyunjin was impaling her.

“So then,” Eunha said casually, despite having an ass full of Hyunjin’s dick and cum, “Did you want anything special for dinner? I have an idea if you don’t!”

Hyunjin smiled. He was still trying to comprehend what just happened, but he was happy with it, even if the intensity of his climax left him with the sound of a bell ringing in his ears.

[riathedreamer]

Zero is Null

A discussion of Zero’s love-hate-relationship with RvB and struggling independence; including a hotdog too big for the bun, tragic backstories, a single bow-chicka-bow-wow, and a cookie at the very end.

Welcome to what will be a lot of text. Basically, it will explore why Zero fails as an RvB (with emphasis on RvB) season. I will not be the first one to bring forth some of the points, and I promise to be fair and civil and fun. This isn’t supposed to be a piece of hate – in fact, I’m writing this because I love Red vs. Blue.

Okay, first of all, to increase your fun – take a guess on just how much of Zero is spent on fight scenes. You see, I’ve calculated the exact amount, and I will reveal it later, but for now, take a guess and remember the number. Maybe you are the winner!

Alright, time to share my thoughts. Wait! Since I suffer from anxiety and have this one annoying voice pretending to be all those critical statements my opinion could be met with, let’s give it an actual voice and address the points throughout this review.

“Why would I care about your opinion, Ria?” – I don’t know, you’re the one who clicked Read More.

“Your opinion doesn’t matter!” – Of course, it doesn’t! Geez. Do you think your opinion matters, though? Listen, we’re on Tumblr, the actual equivalent of screaming into the void. And it’s fun, too!

“If you don’t like it, don’t watch!” - *activates Uno Reverse Card* “You can’t talk about something you haven’t watched!”

“You’re just a Hater” – Actually, this is a point I’ll come back to. Like a cliffhanger. Also, at the end of this, there’ll be a cookie. But this will also include me talking about the stuff I like, because, surprise, Zero is not without talent!

“You just don’t like it because the Reds and Blues aren’t in it!” – Actually, that’s a good point, so instead, this review will start with a sole focus on Zero and discuss the problem that lies within that story. Then we can address why the lack of OG cast is understandable and problematic and weird.

But first! Backstory.

When the first 5 second teaser dropped back in spring (you know, when we were young and innocent and the world didn’t feel like an apocalyptic movie yet), I held onto that one image of what I thought (hoped) to be Grif and Simmons in the sunset, hopefully addressing Grif’s hateglue arc, but boy was I wrong because a) that’s not Simmons, that’s Sarge, and b) the image was from a PSA since the Reds are not in Zero.

Actual face-reveal of me below:

Admittedly, when I heard that the Reds and Blues were not going to be the main characters (or even show up), it felt like a gut punch. However, I actually found myself getting excited due to the creators’ hype. I want to praise them for this. It’s been a while since an RvB season was talked so much ABOUT before its release; it had advertisements, it had creators and voice-actors talking about it. Please. More of that in the future. Their passion rubbed off on me, and that deserves recognition. So it pains me that this was clearly a passion-project, and then when I gave it a try, I didn’t want to touch it again for weeks.

Here’s the thing. I cannot whole-heartedly say that Zero is bad. It’s not gonna melt your eyes. It’s not even so-bad-it’s-good. For me, it’s meh. It’s a Saturday-morning-cartoon aimed for a younger audience with a rushed plot and clichéd characters. The problem is that it calls itself RvB, and with that title comes something to live up to – but more importantly, something to continue.

My main issue is that Zero forces its story into existence by ignoring established content rather than adjusting to it. Let’s call this for the hotdog-too-big-for-the-bun syndrome solely for the sake of the bow-chicka-bow-wow that’s coming now. Bow-chicka-bow-wow. Many of the separate issues I will dive into all add to this hotdog-issue, so I will scream “Hotdog!” whenever this is the case so we can all keep track of my argument.

You can continue the story of Red vs. Blue without the Reds and Blues. While that would personally crush my heart, it can be done. There’s a story of Red vs. Blue that can be continued. The world can be expanded, the previous actions of the Reds and Blues can be explored from another angle.

So.

How does Zero do this? It doesn’t.

I just want to make it clear that new elements can definitely be added when it comes to worldbuilding. That’s literally the point of sequels. But Zero’s settings are presented with so little grace and with no connection to previously established worldbuilding. We get Alliance of Defense and GLASS thrown in our face as very big important organizations – yet we’ve never heard of them before. A big central plot point of RvB is the UNSC and Project Freelancers, and those were introduced naturally with the plot. We already have big established intergalactic organizations. What is AOD’s connection with those? We aren’t told. We are just told they exist and expected to accept it, no questions asked. If this was a whole new world and story – fine. But when you need to build on an already established worldbuilding, you need more grace than this. Chorus was a whole new setting, but it was explained, and it was connected to the previous plot. Same with Iris. Same with Desert Gulch. In Zero, it feels lazy. It feels forced. These organizations are just there because the story is built around them (HOTDOG).

This vagueness when it comes to wordbuilding is also reflected in the settings - we have a desert, a training base, a lab, temples, Tucker’s workplace, and we do not know if all those are set place on the same planet. If that is the case, what is this planet’s relationship with Chorus? Is it Earth? And most importantly, what is the deal with the temples? Why are they connected to Tucker’s sword if it isn’t the same planet. Are they made by the same aliens? Are people okay with this? Why haven’t these temples been explored before? Chorus makes sure to establish this, while Zero doesn’t, adding to a growing amount of confusion.

Okay, so no connection with previous worldbuilding. What about characters? I mean, we got Wash and Carolina and Tucker! So we have RvB characters, it gotta be RvB! Technically – yeah. But it feels dirty. These three characters are not here to be characters. They are here to be props to the new cast. They are not given any development. Their presence isn’t even that important, and if this was a whole new show, they could easily have been replaced with an unknown face. Worst of all, they feel miswritten.

Carolina and Wash are working at a new military organization? Leaving the Reds and Blues behind? To help people? First of all, fucking bad idea, Carolina, the last time you left the Reds and Blues alone, they changed the timeline. But most importantly – Carolina and Wash just joined this new super elite military organization? After being mistreated and manipulated by such an organization in the past?

Carolina is there to introduce the characters. That’s it. We are force-fed their personality by having her literally read out loud their personality. There is no gentle introduction to the new cast. We are not allowed to get to know them naturally. Why show when you can tell, huh? That’s Carolina’s role. That’s why she is there. To introduce the cast and explain their story. That’s it. (HOTDOG).

How about Wash? He is there to get beat up and be a damsel in distress so that the new cast has a reason to explore the plot. Oh, and that brain damage that was the consequence of previous seasons – gone now. The guy who literally has trauma from having an AI explode inside his head is fine with having a computer inserted into it instead. Because that’s needed. To explore his brain damage wouldn’t work now when his role is to be a prop to lure the new cast for one episode and then be put onto the bench for the rest of the runtime (HOTDOG).

And Tucker – he is there to die for a second and have his sword taken from him. That’s literally it. And for the few moments he is there, he feels like old super flirty Tucker, which erases the character development he went through in previous seasons. Okay, so Tucker dies, and then not dies, and then he is put on the bench with Wash where they can sit and talk or whatever (‘cause holy shit, the new cast is not allowed to that), because he isn’t important. The sword is. Tucker is just a prop, even more than his sword is (HOTDOG).

Damn. Wash gets beat up. Tucker gets beat up. Dies. Gets his sword taken away. Almost seems like a Red’s wet dream. Sorry not sorry, Blues, you were done dirty.

So there are miswritten old characters. Even worse is the retconning. The plot needs a “normal” Wash, so, bam, magic computer solution. Never mind Wash’s trauma and character traits. Never mind the logic of the new worldbuilding which also includes a character suffering for years to heal an illness. But the brain damage that was such a big consequence that it became the main part of the plot of the last two seasons – gone. I mean, a gunshot to the head can be healed by CPR. That’s canon. But no one gave Wash CPR so it’s a big thing, okay. It was canonically a big thing, and Zero erased that. This is not me saying that a Cerebral Enhancer couldn’t work in the RvB universe. Imagine it being done right. Wash struggling with the choice of getting used to his disability or accepting the possibility of help - at the cost of reliving his trauma. The struggle between what to choose - what should he choose when he wants to help as many as possible, the sacrifices he thinks he has to make, the way it could have been used as a part of his character growth. But in Zero, the enhancer isn’t a part of Wash’s character. It’s there so the story can work without having to deal with the previous plot’s consequence (HOTDOG).

Same with the sword thing. They sorta explain it by having Tucker flatline, but it’s weak. Honestly, I find it sorta offensive. What about Locus’ sword as well? It’s twisting previous lore to make the new plot work (HOTDOG). (Also, are we not gonna talk about the ultimate power being Spencer Porkensenson’s helmet? Have the writers forgotten Spencer Porkensenson? Have we as a community forgotten Spencer Porkensenson?)

If you have Red vs. Blue in your title, you cannot ignore what you inherit from it. You need to respect the worldbuilding, the established characters, and the previous plot. Zero does not do this.

Let’s talk about the Triplets. No, really, let’s do it. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about them before, because season 14 was a mixed bag for me (that I have now learned to appreciate. Thank you, Zero.) because I have heart at the size of the Grinch and can only love a few characters at a time, and that did not include the Triplets. Can’t even remember their names. Well, I can, but I can’t for the love of me remember which state is which, and my tongue is twisted every time I try to say Ohio, Iowa, and Idaho, and I know it’s on purpose. I know it is. And it got me good. That being said, the fandom actually embraced them really, really well! Seriously, I’ve seen more content for the Triplets than for Zero as a whole.

Why talk about the Triplets? (Was Iowa the lesbian? Or was it Ohio? Fuck.) Because like Zero, they introduced new characters with a story of their own. The Reds and Blues didn’t play a role. But here’s what I feel like the Triplets got right. They didn’t change the settings to force their narrative. They used stuff already established (Project Freelancer), added their own story as a continuation of that. They even included old characters in the beginning (Wash and some other Freelancers) but it felt natural and it didn’t feel like it happened at the expense of the old characters. Wash’s writing felt natural, and his presence wasn’t needed to tell these new character’s stories. He wasn’t a prop to them. He was there to establish the setting and to establish the relationship with these new characters, and then he and the other familiar faces (helmets??) left, and we as the viewers were left with these new characters. And the new characters told their own story by themselves. It felt like, hey, here’s something you know – remember Mother of Invention, and remember Wash’ lower rank, but now, try to imagine being even lower rank than him, aren’t you curious about those fates? Now let’s hear their story! It was new, it was something else, but it didn’t wreck what came before it, and it stayed true to the classic vibes of RvB.

As I said before, the hotdog-issue is my biggest problem with Zero. It infuriates me. I will return to this. But there are more issues, even if we try to look past the title-related problems.

If we try to imagine Zero as its own story and universe (as it should be, in my opinion), it still earns the meh review from me.

These isolated issues include awkwardness, the writing, lack of self-awareness, and pacing. First of all, holy shit, this is a tell, don’t show. Nothing is subtle, nothing is allowed to develop. It’s like the show thinks you are six years old with an attention span of a goldfish. You are not just led by the hand – they have literally pulled off your arm by the end of the show. We are force-fed every bit of information, every bit of personality from these new characters.

The voice-acting is a mixed bag for me. Sometimes it’s pretty good, sometimes it’s not. Some of the problems can definitely be blamed on the dialogue that you can only do so much with. It’s not good. I can’t remember any good jokes (the one joke I really appreciate was the cast on armor, and that was freaking visual humor. That was so RvB. Kudos to that. It was fun. More of that, please.), and RvB is known for having memorably good lines. This is a show built on good, clever, funny dialogue. Zero does not deliver. You have to sit through clichéd lines – “You’re not my dad”, “I trusted you”, “Come with me”, “It can’t be!”, “She’s way too powerful”, and “We have to do this together” – performed unironically. I cringed more than I laughed. Worst thing is that Zero could be a good parody. Sometimes, it feels like it is. One-dimensional characters, a villain wanting ‘the ultimate power’, very overpowered characters, bad one-liners, etc. But Zero takes itself seriously, and I was one of the people rooting for Jax to show up at the end and yell “Cut”. That would have been a funny-as-fuck twist. A spin-off parody. If I can’t have “Sarge the Movie”, I would have taken that and loved it. I would have forgiven everything. “We put so much info into finding that power, but we had no idea what it was” is really a line in the finale, and I cannot believe this is real in a show that somehow still tries to present itself as serious. What a plot.

We have to talk about pacing. God, first of all it should be stated that RvB is a mess when it comes to pacing. I honestly get what they were going for. Sometimes, RvB has come across as a bit boring when you get three episodes stretched over three weeks without much going on. I know season 11 did not have the warmest welcome because it was seen as boring until the finale. But when you see season 11 as a whole, as a movie, as a part of a trilogy, it works so well. Zero is more focused on being episodic. They want something to happen all the time so we will stay tuned. The thing that will happen – a fight. Oh god. The fight scenes.

I have done the math. I have run the numbers. I deserve a freaking cookie for this. Are you ready?

If you put all the episodes together, you have a runtime of 106 minutes. HOWEVER, with the introduction of credits in every episode, you gotta account for this. Removing the credits, this gives us 94 minutes of actual runtime. Out of that, 45 minutes are dedicated to fight scenes. That means 48% of the show is fight scenes.

If I wanted that many fight scenes, I’d watch Death Battle. Except the actual RvB Death Battle episode has a runtime of 20 minutes, and out of that, 5 minutes is dedicated to the actual battle. For the people who hate math – that’s 25% of the actual runtime.

RvB Zero has more fight scenes than a show called Death Battle. Take that in.

The pace suffers from this. Where’s the time to explore the characters? Where’s the time for good dialogue? All I can think of is this:

I get that RvB is a show that’s literally making fun of itself by acknowledging all their characters do is stand around and talk. I get that you want characters to do more than that. But for the love of Church, would it kill the new characters to stand around and talk? For just a minute? Stop fighting, I am begging you, stop fighting! Am I a pacifist now? Am I purple? Have I joined Doc’s team? What has Zero done to me?!

The good thing though is that fight scenes are very good. They’re entertaining. However, they seem to deconstruct themselves when we need to get a fight scene in every episode. Usually, the few fight scenes in an RvB season were in some of the most climatic episodes. In Zero, I can hardly keep up with the pace because they won’t stop moving. Fight scenes aren’t plot. They aren’t character development. You need more than just fight scenes. They entertain, but there’s a limit to that.

Noël Wiggins, the co-writer, stated the inspiration was a Saturday-morning cartoon. They nailed that vibe. If that was their goal, hurray, they have accomplished something! Because of the poor plot and constant fight scenes, it feels like you could just switch on the TV and drop in at any moment and let yourself be entertained by the cool and colorful soldiers punching and kicking each other. I will admit that the fight scenes entertained me. But they don’t make it a good season.

If I were the six-year-old with the attention span of a goldfish that the show believes I am, I honestly would enjoy it. The stiff dialogue and the constant tell-don’t-show makes you feel like an audience that’s not supposed to do anything else but admire the flashy fight scenes. I miss the cleverness of RvB. I miss the characters I get to connect with as I see them grow.

I miss the tone of RvB. Because this isn’t RvB to me.

It’s not that RvB hasn’t changed its tone before. Holy shit, I sorta do want to experience the absolute shock the RvB fandom went through when s6 aired and they were given new characters and serious plot. I would have loved to experience that, but I was too busy being ten years old. The Freelancers seasons also introduced a new tone and more fight scenes with very talented fighters compared to the Blood Gulch gang, but a balance was kept by having half of the season still revolving around the Reds and Blues. But Zero – Zero is so much change. And it’s on purpose. At least this has been made very clear from the beginning.

They constantly seem to appeal to new fans, rather than be directed towards older fans of the show. If you want an entirely new audience with a season with a new cast, new worldbuilding, and new tone, I’m confused as to why they don’t just make a new show. The hotdog-problem begs for this solution. This story and environment and characters feel so out of touch with the original RvB, that with a few rewrites and lack of Halo-armor, it could just be a new show. Problem solved.

If not this, then present it as a spin-off. In all ways, it feels like a spin-off (again, see everything marked HOTDOG). But the creators refuse to do this, and I don’t understand why. I could forgive many of these issues, had they officially separated themselves from canon.

Ah, what’s the idiom? You can’t both swallow and blow? (You can hear the Bow-chicka-bow-wow in the distance). Something about eating cake and having it. Forgive me, English isn’t my native language. POINT IS why are you calling yourself RvB while actively fighting against the core essence of RvB? In my humble opinion, you can’t be both. Marketing it as a spin-off would have granted it some defense when changing, well, literally everything, and I just, would someone please properly describe why it isn’t a spin-off? Isn’t this season marked by its association with the plot of RvB rather than a continuation of it? Zero presenting itself as not a spinoff feels like a toddler clinging to the hem of its mother’s dress while forcefully running away from her, ripping the dress in the process.

When they do connect with the original RvB, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. When they let Carolina, Wash, and Tucker appear for a moment, it feels like luring viewers in with the RvB title. Look at me. Look at me! I’m not saying this is the case. I say that it gives me the annoying vibes of being lured, rather than letting the characters be a part of the show for their own development, rather than having RvB in the title to continue its story. I should not be getting these vibes at all. But I am.

If you want to use RvB in the title, something from the core of RvB needs to be embraced. Things can be changed. They should. Something new should be brought in. But there’s a limit to how much you can change and replace and twist until it would have been better with an original show. As a season of RvB, it should tell the story of Red vs. Blue.

From my perspective, Zero fails to do so.

It pains me that the old cast has been replaced, but as stated earlier, a season could have worked without them. However, I do not like the take that one should be excited about all the new characters. That it isn’t a big thing that the OG cast got replaced. That we should just deal with it. Just, try to imagine another show suddenly replacing the main characters with characters we’ve never met before. Imagine RWBY suddenly only focusing on a new team of huntresses with the previous main characters reduced to an Easter Egg presence, or Camp Camp suddenly being about a new team of campers, no warning given. Can you imagine the outcry? So maybe let’s agree that a replacement of the main cast is a big thing and should be addressed and it’s valid to be upset about this change.

Could Zero have worked? It’s hard to answer this. How can I accept something as RvB if the season actively pushes away the core of RvB aside for an isolated story that could have been told in any other media? As a spinoff, I could have ignored it. To enjoy Zero, I have to fully separate it from RvB in my mind, and then it’s alright. S’not good. But it’s not bad. It’s entertaining enough. I really ended up liking Raymond and Tiny, and there were a few good jokes, and the fight scenes were admirable (but too much) and I love the creators’ passion. But it’s not RvB. I also wish that the new characters had been attached to previous worldbuilding, for example soldiers on Chorus or agents from Project Freelancer. That way we could build on familiar lore which would have decreased the confusion and added a much needed connection with the previous seasons of RvB.

God, the anxious voice is back (by the way, it sounds like Tutter from “Bear in the Blue House”).

“You’re racist” – I hope not. Literally, I do not want to be. Tell me if I’ve ever crossed some lines, because I swear, that is not my intention, I will apologize and most of all, change and do better. I included this because I’ve seen this take thrown around in the big ugly mess that is the fandom clashes regarding Zero. And racism is problem within RT community (this includes AH and RvB, sorry, I just use RT as an umbrella term for the latter), and I’m not saying it hasn’t been a problem with this season. Writers should never be harassed, and never-fucking-ever because of their skin color, and voice actors shouldn’t be treated like they are responsible for the choices of the show. But I was legit nervous to post this review, and I hope it’s been factual without feeling like personal attacks on the creators because that has never been my intention. I was delighted to hear about the diversity behind this project, and Torrian’s passion legit blew me away because it’s been a while since I’ve seen that for an RvB project. I’d hoped for it to be good, and when I feel disappointed, it’s for the reasons stated in this analysis. That said, Zero is made by a diverse cast and it’s made with love, and both of those things are so, so great, but it does not mean that Zero cannot be criticized. It can, and it should. It’s a product, just like all the other seasons, and fans are allowed to discuss it – both what they loved, and both what they found troublesome. And to repeat previous points, and be respectful, always, fuck racists, and never-fucking-ever harass the staff behind a season, what the fuck is wrong with you if you do this.

“Don’t you get it, it’s different because it’s trying something new!” – Hey, remember the philosophical question: if you replace all the parts of a ship one-by-one, is it still the same ship when you’re done? If it doesn’t include the Reds and Blues, if it ignores previous plot, if the old characters feel miswritten, if it values animation over dialogue, if it values fight scenes over comedy, if it wants to be Fast and Furious instead of Red vs. Blue – is it still Red vs. Blue? Because it doesn’t feel like it to me.

“It's been 17 seasons, it’s time to let the Reds and Blues go so someone else can shine!” – I simply do not understand us having been with the Reds and Blues for 17 seasons should be an argument to let them go, rather than be an argument as to why their absence hurt like hell.

“The Reds and Blues ran out of things to do!” – Did- did they, though? I mean, if we were discussing pretty much any other show, I’d probably agree that they were running out of content. But for the Reds and Blues… I think the PSAs nailed it this year! I’m not kidding, I had more fun watching the Reds and Blues discuss how to do laundry than watching Zero. You could literally give me an hour of the Reds and Blues trying to bake a cake or clear a gutter or simply settling down with an ordinary life, and I would trust them to make it worth the watch.

“The flaws were due to the fact it’s only 8 episodes long!” – Look, I can only judge a product the way it’s presented to me. I cannot come up with excuses for it. If they had 8 episodes to work with, they need to come up with a plot that works with this runtime. Seriously, this excuse cannot work when 48% of the season is spent on fight scenes. They could have used more runtime, sure, but the show needs to be able to pace itself and be planned accordingly.

“The OG cast couldn’t be a part of this year, hence Zero!” – That might be true. But. Would one year without RvB kill it? Is Zero necessary? Again, I just can’t judge excuses for the show. But trouble with the cast has been an issue before. Season 15 solves Geoff’s sabbatical by actually making Grif’s absence a part of the plot. Zero’s lack of Reds and Blues just feels like this excuse to tell a story that needn’t be a part of RvB.

Am I a hater? I guess? I greatly dislike Zero for the critique stated above. I do, however, not harass the creators and no one should ever do that. However, I have to admit that I feel there’s been this weird rejection of any critique of Zero where everything’s been brushed off as haters gonna hate, including the critique stated above. And I think that’s a problem because critique, as hard as it can be to hear (and I know this. I’m an author of original works. Weird flex, I know), is valid and necessary and shouldn’t just be shrugged away. As always, both sides of the fandom should always be respectful, but my own opinion is that addressing the flaws of Zero should not be controversial.

Does this super long rant/critique/whatever mean you cannot enjoy Zero? Gods no! I almost envy you if you enjoy this season, but holy shit, feel free to love it and tell the creators that you love it! Me pointing out the issues I have with the season shouldn’t be stopping you. I loved (and still love) s15 when it came out, and it was majorly rejected by the fandom. There were many, many critical posts, people were going on about how RvB should have ended with s13, and it evolved into the writer receiving death threats (me, once again: never ever harass the creators, assholes). But I didn’t tell people to stop being negative. I actually agreed with many of the flaws that were pointed out, and I enjoyed the season despite this, because that is possible. We, as RvB fans, should agree that RvB, is... I mean, it’s not the greatest, most flawless of shows, but we love it nonetheless. So go ahead and love Zero. This is not a stop sign. This is my opinion that you chose to read.

Wait, I promised you a cookie, didn’t I? Well, you’re not getting one. Why? Because I’m a Red and this is my chance to piss off a Blue. As Caboose wisely said: “Well, at least I don't go around... knocking on people's non-doors... and promising them cookies... and then NOT. GIVING. THEM. COOKIES!”

Blue Team sucks.

End speech.

[alloftheblackwidowfeelings]

Almost every reviewer on YouTube wasn’t satisfied with this movie IMO they said it was just Marvel combined some elements from other marvel movies so they could throw fans a BW movie so we could stfu, it didn’t do justice to the the character ,what do you think, is it really that bad.

To be honest, I've been working on this one for a while but I keep writing and deleting my response. Because all the things I want to say sound gatekeeper-y, in one of several ways.

I think you can be a Nat fan and not read the comics. I think you can be a Nat fan and never talk about her. I don't think you need to know everything about canon and be an "expert" to be a fan. I'm not interested in a locked-gate version of fandom. I don't think this movie should just be for die-hard Nat fans. And I don't think that all Nat fans will like this movie, for a variety of reasons.

Despite all of that, a lot of the comic book/movie expert reviews I've seen feel, to me, like they were evaluating a movie that isn't the one this movie was ever trying to be, and missing some of what the movie explicitly says it is because that doesn't fit what they want from it.

A bit more spoilery and a lot longer under the cut. I am so sorry I'm like this.

This movie felt tailor-made for me. Not because I loved every answer they gave, but because the questions they asked are ones I've been waiting to hear since 2012, when I first saw Avengers and then immediately went back to see the rest of phase 1. I think people disliking the answers is a legitimate opinion, and I'm looking forward to detangling that with people. What surprised me in reviews was not reviewers disliking the answers, which is legit, but not even seeming to realize the questions had been asked.

Most prominently, what felt like the huge thematic arc of the movie to me has been nonexistent in so many reviews that I've started to feel like I made it up, even though I took notes of exact quotes so I could reference them. The movie isn't a Nat origin story, and it's not about her as a cool edgy villain, so not seeing either of those didn't bother me. It's a movie about Natasha's trauma and how that manifests, and how her attempts to break free of it have harmed others in the past, and how she can move forward from that. We never get the key that unlocks the history of Natasha's past, so if you approach this as a puzzle box, it's going to fail.

THIS INDENTED PARAGRAPH IS THE CLOSEST I GET TO DIRECT PLOT POINTS, FEEL FREE TO SKIP

Specifically most of the reviews seem to view Nat's motivating guilt as over how she escaped the Red Room, particularly one casualty she deemed an acceptable sacrifice. But as I interpreted it, Nat's guilt in this movie came from a much closer place: the other Widows were all she'd had, and Nat being able to escape the Red Room made the Red Room hold on to the other Widows that much tighter. She thought she'd taken it down, but she was wrong. So her freedom, essentially, came at their expense. Natasha working to take down the Red Room this time is personal both to avenge her own trauma and to make up for her guilt in the Red Room still existing and creating more trauma for her peers. Without this context (and to be clear, I have gone back over the quotes several times to see if I'm misinterpreting and I really don't think I am), the idea that all of her guilt is over what she did to a single person makes more sense, but it also makes the movie a lot less interesting. If Natasha is justified in blaming Alexei and Melina for condemning her back to the Red Room, how could the other Widows not blame Nat? To me the entire story swings from that, and by not acknowledging Nat's (inadvertent but still very real) responsibility for continuing the cycle, the movie would feel hollow.

PLOT POINTS OVER.

Many critics they seem to feel like the potential this movie introduced was wasted because Nat's dead, so what's the point. First of all, the point is she's Nat and we care. It's not like we went in to Iron Man expecting that we'd have a decade of a franchise; we cared in the moment, and this movie is asking for the same thing. It delivers for over two hours of NOT murdering Natasha, which is more than I can say for Endgame.

To be clear, BW does set up other things for the MCU, and it's but if you're only watching it for what it's going to tell you about the future of the MCU (and I get it, because that's how I'm watching Loki, and it's a very different type of watching than I did for FATWS), this probably IS going to be a disappointment, because this isn't a big crossover event movie; I mean, none of Sam's "Big Three" show up at all. But again, that's about the movie someone wanted it to be, not the movie this was aiming to be.

Is this like a lot of other Marvel movies? Kinda. It's definitely taking a lot from Civil War for its set-up. Its arc felt like a close mirror of to Winter Soldier to me, to the extent that I'm planning to rewatch that on Thursday so I can see how much that's just me projecting my fave onto it. The third act is very Marvel-third-act-y, as adapted to Nat's character; the adapting to Nat's character are the parts I like and the rest is kind of what I consider the MCU price of admission.

I also kind of hate that it feels like the last few movies- Black Panther, Captain Marvel, now this and some rumblings about Shang-Chi- have all been kind of dismissed with "it's just the Marvel formula." It is, but that doesn't change the fact that different protagonists make it different. Dr Strange is pretty much just "Iron Man 1 with cool magic" and people didn't mind, but "how does this formula change when the protagonist is fundamentally different than the archetype to this point?" is apparently not different enough. I get Marvel fatigue, I really do, but for me it's tempered by how, in this case, Nat doesn't have the moral clarity Steve or Thor or even Tony or Scott has. No one in this movie lets her forget that she's a trained killer who little kids look up to.

Again: there are parts of this movie that don't work. I also don't ever ever EVER want to seem like I'm saying that if someone didn't like this movie they're not a real Nat fan or they're wrong. I know there are reasons to not love this movie, and I'm sure I'll figure out more the more I watch- it may not make me not love it, but it will at least complicate it for me, and i think we all know I live for that shit. Moreover, I intimately know how much it sucks when something you've been enthusiastic about and anticipating for ages doesn't pay off and everyone else seems to like it- it's isolating and upsetting and you just sit there wondering why no one else understands, and that's bullshit and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. People who don't like this movie are valid!

But if someone has a history of seeing Nat as just background, or considering her as a T&A deliver system more than as a character, or caring about hot women with guns but not care about the trauma that turned them into that, or saying they like movies about women but just not THIS woman for every comic book movie about a woman not there for them to ogle, or claiming to be experts in all things comics while doubling down on their theory that Yelena wouldn't appear because she was in Agent Carter (YES THAT HAPPENED, MORE THAN ONCE, THE NORTH. FUCKING. REMEMBERS. AND WISHES THEY KNEW WHERE THEY SAVED THOSE SCREENSHOTS), I don't need to weight their reviews heavier than the adrenaline rush I felt watching this movie.

So in answer to your question, I don't think the movie was really "that bad." I think this movie delivers in very specific ways, which definitely are not the flashy ones or the "every Marvel movie builds to the next great EVENT" ones or the male power fantasy ones, and if those ways aren't the ways you care about, it's going to be a disappointment. Even if those AREN'T the ones you care about, it could be a disappointment for any number of reasons, some of which I noticed during the movie and some of which I'm sure I'll be surprised to read about Friday morning.

But it wasn't one to me. For whatever it's worth, despite the movie's flaws, I loved it, I haven't stopped thinking about it in five days, I can't wait to see it again, and I hope that whether other people do or don't like it, they want to roll around in it as much as I do to pick out every single shred of canon worth overanalyzing.

If this is all we ever get for Natasha- and it is a CRIME if this is all we ever get for Natasha but that doesn't mean it's not so- I am grateful that this is what we got.

[besanii]

shattered mirrors 57

WangXian ; 1676 words

[set after #40 ; directly precedes #19]

“Xian-ge, if you’re not feeling well, we can ask Wangye to come back another day,” Mo Xuanyu says worriedly.

Wei Wuxian shakes his head and gestures for him to pass the pot of rouge on the table. He dabs a tiny amount onto his finger and smears it lightly over the arc of his cheekbone, blending it in to add a touch of colour to his otherwise pale cheeks. The dark shadows beneath his eyes have receded enough to be hidden by creams and powders, and he adds a touch of rouge to his lips as well for good measure.

When he’s finished, Mo Xuanyu helps him into his outer robe, a wide-sleeved robe that drapes over his thin frame, rippling over the dark grey of his middle robes like water, falling to the knuckles of his slender hands. It’s one of his favourites for the way it appears almost black until it catches the light just so and the hidden blue-purple hues become visible; it had been a gift from a client, a wealthy merchant with a generous wallet and access to Qinghe’s finest silk mills.

He shakes out the sleeves one last time.

“Come,” he says. “We mustn’t keep Wangye waiting.”

Xiao Yan is standing outside the private suite when they arrive; she jumps at their approach and shifts nervously from one foot to another as she greets them. Wei Wuxian is immediately suspicious.

“Xiao Yan, what are you doing here?” he asks. “Are you not meant to be serving Honglian-jie?”

“Xian-gongzi,” she stammers. “Ho-Honglian-jie is—”

Her eyes dart guiltily to the closed doors and his insides grow cold. He looks over at Mo Xuanyu, who nods stiffly and pushes past her to throw the doors wide open.

“Xian-gongzi!” Xiao Yan cries out in protest. “You can’t—!”

Honglian’s blood-red lips curve into a smirk from where she’s seated at the table beside Lan Wangji, her body angled towards him as she rests her chin on the palm of one hand. The edge of her outer robe is slipping off one shoulder, exposing her pale skin in what would have otherwise been a seductive manner, if it weren’t for the muscle twitching in Lan Wangji’s jaw and the intensity of his gaze on the teacup in front of him. They aren’t quite touching, but the distance between them is negligible at best.

At the sound of the door slamming open, Lan Wangji looks up with an expression of relief. Wei Wuxian doesn’t spare him a glance as he locks eyes with Honglian.

“Honglian-jie,” he says pleasantly. “What a surprise. I believe your room is down the hall.”

“Xian-er,” she responds with equal pleasantness. “So good of you to join us! I was just telling Wangye about those stunning robes Yang-daye gave you—oh, you’re wearing them now. How lovely.”

Lan Wangji’s eyes narrow as they take in Wei Wuxian’s outfit and his lips press into a thin line, but he says nothing. Wei Wuxian draws closer to the table, the smile still playing on his lips.

“Oh, it really is nothing compared to the…gifts Honglian-jie receives from her clients,” he says, letting his gaze linger on the necklace of gold adorning her neck. The words drip from his tongue, sweet and syrupy. “In fact, it is quite hard not to notice, given how vocally you…sing their praises.”

He watches as the colour rises high in her cheeks as she pulls away from Lan Wangji, her expression stormy. There is a faint flush to Lan Wangji’s ears as well and the thin line of his lips curve downward at the corners in distaste—whether it is from the action itself or the vulgarity of his words, Wei Wuxian isn’t sure, but he feels a curl of satisfaction replace the ugly feeling in his chest at the sight.

“Now,” he continues. “I believe Honglian-jie has her own appointments to keep. Please, don’t let us delay you any longer. It would be terribly rude to keep them waiting.”

Honglian sniffs disdainfully.

“I am not the one keeping my clients waiting,” she says, one hand reaching up to run through a lock of her long, silky hair where it tumbles over her shoulder. “If you hadn’t taken your time getting ready, I wouldn’t be here keeping Wangye company. You really shouldn’t waste Wangye’s time and affections if you do not take them seriously, Xian-er. I am only doing you a favour—”

Whatever she says next is cut off as Lan Wangji surges to his feet, eyes blazing.

“Honglian-guniang,” he says stiffly. “As it seems your presence here was not by request, it is no longer required. You may leave us.”

Her mouth falls open in shock.

“But Wangye—”

“At once.”

Lan Wangji’s tone brooks no argument and Honglian is shameless, but not a fool. She pulls her robes closed and slides off her seat, dipping her knees and bowing her head low while muttering an apology between clenched teeth before fleeing the room. She casts one last baleful glare in Wei Wuxian’s direction as she passes, and he meets it with a chillingly polite smile of his own. The door slams behind her.

As soon as they are alone, Lan Wangji exhales.

“Wei Ying,” he begins. “She was only—”

“Wangye is free to enjoy the company of whomever he pleases,” Wei Wuxian says, his voice polite but abrupt. “Xian-er does not dare to monopolise Wangye’s time or person.” He makes no move to approach the table. “If Wangye would prefer the company of others this evening, then Xian-er will excuse himself.”

“No.”

Lan Wangji rounds the table in two quick strides to take his arm in a firm grip. Wei Wuxian’s breath hitches at the heat of his touch, the blood thrumming in his veins beneath the point of contact; Lan Wangji uses this opportunity to step in closer, until the hem of their robes brush against each other, his eyes heated.

“No, Wei Ying. That’s not what I meant,” he says fiercely, intently. “I want no other company but yours.”

They are close enough in proximity for Wei Wuxian to feel the caress of his voice against his skin, sending little thrills down his spine. He inhales sharply, blood rushing to his cheeks at the memory of last time he had been close enough to feel the heat of Lan Wangji’s body against his, the strength of his arms around him—how, in a moment of weakness, he had clung to him in desperation and begged him to stay.

The hand at his elbow slides across to rest against his lower back as Lan Wangji shifts even closer, his other hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair back from his face.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji murmurs, his eyes following the movement of his fingers as he traces the line of his jaw, his cheek, his brow with excruciating gentleness. “You have not been well.”

A statement, rather than a question. It jars Wei Wuxian from the haze that has clouded his mind like a splash of cold water and he flinches. He pushes Lan Wangji away with hands on his chest, bitterly aware of the futility of the action if Lan Wangji decides not to yield—but he yields, as he always does, however reluctantly, and allows him to step away.

“Thank you for your concern, Wangye,” he says with as much dignity as he can salvage with the tremble in his voice and the flush in his cheeks. He draws himself up to his full height. “I am much recovered.”

It is not a lie, but not quite the truth either. The incident at Wang Dafu’s party had left him bedridden for three days; he is well enough now to resume his work, but he is still taking medicine daily, enough to warrant the need to mask the bitter, biting smell with scented oils before entertaining. But no matter how he tries to disguise his illness, he knows it is not enough to fool Lan Wangji, not anymore.

And yet, Lan Wangji does not press, even though his fine brow is knitted with concern and his hand curls into a fists where it is still hovering in the space where Wei Wuxian had been only moments ago. He exhales.

“I am glad to hear it,” Lan Wangji says quietly. “If you require anything at all—I can arrange for the best physicians, medicines, herbs to be sent here for your use. You need only ask.”

Wei Wuxian dips his knee and bows his head.

“Wangye is too generous,” he murmurs. “Xian-er is undeserving.”

He hears the intake of breath and waits for Lan Wangji to speak, to protest as he has done in the past. He is surprised by the twinge of disappointment he feels when it does not come, and masks it by rounding the table to place distance between them.

“Forgive me, Wangye, I have neglected my duties as your host,” he says with a smile. “Please, come take a seat. I will have the servants bring us a fresh pot of tea.”

He busies himself with the task as Lan Wangji takes a seat, grateful for the distraction. By the time he is seated beside Lan Wangji, he has regained his composure enough to look him in the eyes again.

To his surprise, Lan Wangji is the first to speak once they are settled.

“I have prepared something for you today,” he says. Wei Wuxian smiles.

“Oh?” he laughs lightly. “I thought it was my job to entertain you, Wangye—”

Lan Wangji reaches into his sleeve and draws out a slim box, placing it on the table before Wei Wuxian. His fingers fumble with the clasp, and he looks uncharacteristically nervous as he sits back and waits for Wei Wuxian’s reaction.

“I have been meaning to give this to you for a while,” he says. “I hope you will accept it.”

--

Master Post and ko-fi link on my sidebar!

[akaluan]

Erich/Kisuke: One Night Stand Turned Serious + Balcony Wooing Scene Part 2

They meet again on the battlefield.

Kisuke is late this time, having been caught up in clearing out a monster nest, and isn’t paying attention to his senses the way he should. He’s late, and the Invasion has already begun, and who knows how many people have already died because of his incompetence—

He skids to a stop on the edge of the battleground, eyes widening as he takes in the sheer devastation, the dead and dying monsters, the torn up ground…

And Erich in the midst of it all, exhausted but still fighting, emerald power flaring around his body like roaring flames, tearing through the monsters that remain.

Kisuke wills himself to turn away, to leave before the man spots him, but—

There are more monsters pouring through the Otherworld Tear, the Invasion larger than any other Kisuke has seen to date, and if he leaves…

If he leaves, he doesn’t know if Erich will survive.

So he draws his blade and plunges into the fight, carving a path to Erich’s side without a second thought; they’ve fought together before — fought well together before — and for all he suspects that Erich wants him dead, he doubts the man will sink to stabbing him in the back.

(Erich seems more like a stab-in-the-front sort of man.)

(It’s refreshing.)

Erich casts a startled look his way, then bares his teeth in a grin and says, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Maa, I was a bit delayed, sorry!” Kisuke replies as he settles in to fight at Erich’s side. It’s almost like breathing, if Kisuke’s being honest, the two of them flowing around each other as if they’ve done this all their lives, and in moments they’ve regained the upper hand. They start pushing the monsters back, destroying the invaders with negligent ease, and then—

“Look out!”

Kisuke looks up. Looks over. Curses at the sight of a Behemoth’s head emerging from the Tear, a bright cerulean orb of power already gathering in its mouth.

A Behemoth’s Cero will wipe them and the town behind them off the map.

He can’t let that happen.

“Awaken, Benihime!” Kisuke cries before he can think better of it, plucking at her awareness and rousing her from her rest. She uncoils from within his soul, stretching through his body to reach beyond him, layering crimson power across his blade as he keeps fighting, keeps killing, his attention on the Behemoth as he waits for the right moment—

“Nake, Benihime!” he shouts, slashing his blade through the air as the Behemoth fires its Cero.

Behind him, Erich sucks in a shocked breath as crimson blasts slam into the Behemoth’s cerulean Cero, the two attacks wavering in the air for one.

Brief.

Moment—

Kisuke crows his victory as the Cero evaporates into a small shockwave that knocks lesser monsters aside, then darts forward, another “Nake, Benihime!” calling forth a second arc of crimson blasts that tear through the monsters before him. He leaps. Brings his blade to bear. Cries “Kamisori, Benihime!” as he slashes down, and—

The Behemoth shrieks once, high-brittle-final, before its head tumbles to the ground and its body falls back within the Tear.

(*What barely suitable prey it was,*) Benihime scoffs in his mind as she begins to withdraw, then pauses to peer through his senses. (*So this is who you’ve been so wound up about,*) she purrs, presence draping across his mind with a sensation like sharp nails across his shoulders. (*How interesting.*)

(*Hime…*) Kisuke tries, hoping that he can dissuade her from… from whatever she’s intending, though the effort only earns him a throaty chuckle.

Honestly, he can understand why she’s fascinated, because he’s fascinated too; Erich is using the opening Kisuke gave him to completely destroy the few remaining monsters, his body limned with emerald power and his eyes practically glowing. It doesn’t take long before the battlefield is still and the Tear slowly, reluctantly closes, leaving behind another ruined area littered with bodies.

As if the Tear’s presence was the only thing keeping him up, Erich immediately crumples as his power fades away.

Kisuke bolts to Erich’s side with a curse, barely remembering to sheathe Benihime before he gets close enough to appear a threat. He kneels at the man’s side, scanning for any hint of a wound, but—

“Just tired,” Erich grunts as he reaches up with one trembling hand and shoves sweat-soaked hair out of his face. “I’ll be fine after some rest.”

“Maa… will you… let me help you back?” Kisuke hesitantly asks, then flinches at the bone dry look Erich levels at him in response. “It’s fine if you don’t want me to! But you seem, uhm, that is…”

Erich stares at him for a long moment, then huffs and holds out a hand. “Getting back up by myself is going to be… difficult,” he admits with a grimace. “Help me up and I’ll give you directions to my place here.”

“R-right, yes. I can do that.” Kisuke swallows at the implied invitation back to Erich’s dwelling and forces himself to focus; now isn’t the time to get lost in daydreams, especially with Erich in no condition to do anything but sleep.

(Still, a man can dream, can’t he?)

(Wait, no, damnit!)

(He needs to stop getting distracted!)

Ignoring Benihime’s wicked laughter, Kisuke pulls Erich’s arm over his shoulder and wraps his free arm around the man’s waist, then grunts as he heaves them both to their feet in an awkward, almost drunken stumble. Erich tenses in his grip, gaze slanting wary-uncertain-cautious, then breathes a soft sigh and slumps into Kisuke’s side, letting Kisuke carry most of his weight.

The trip back is slow and painful, the ground too torn and strewn with monstrous bodies for it to be anything else, but they make it back to town in one piece. From there, Erich directs him through the winding streets to another large, multi-family building, then up the stairs and down the hall.

Kisuke already suspects he knows where Erich’s room is: there’s a bucket and a tub set beside one door in particular, both filled with steaming water, just like there was at Erich’s other place. “Do you have people do your laundry at every town?” he asks in amusement as the approach the door.

Erich shrugs awkwardly and straightens up a bit, tugging at his blood-stained shirt in an effort to work it free. “Monster blood stains quickly,” is all he says.

Kisuke snorts but concedes the point: part of why he wears such dark clothing is because of how easily monster blood stains things. He just… finds it amusing that people simply leave buckets of steaming water outside Erich’s door any time a fight happens. “Come on,” he says as he skillfully fishes Erich’s key out of the man’s own pocket and unlocks the door, ignoring Erich’s offended squawk as he does. “In we go. I’ll take care of bringing your clothes back out.”

“Someone’s handsy tonight,” Erich mutters as they enter the room. “And when I’m in no state to appreciate it, too.”

Benihime cackles in Kisuke’s mind as his mouth goes dry and his mind swirls with ideas. “I’m certain I could still make you feel good,” he blurts out, then immediately ducks his head as his cheeks flame.

(Oh heavens above, what has he just done?!)

(Erich is going to kill him!)

“I might just take you up on that,” Erich says with a smirk, then slips free of Kisuke’s grip and settles on a stool with a soft groan of relief. “Though I make no promises on how long I’ll stay awake,” he admits as he starts to pull his clothing off, completely unbothered by Kisuke’s presence.

Kisuke’s mind goes blank-still-fuzzy at Erich’s words, his body acting on instinct to accept the man’s clothes as they’re handed to him.

(Erich wants…?)

(Erich— Erich still wants him?)

(Really?)

He swallows back his disbelief and forces a smile on his face. “Maa, that won’t be a problem at all,” he promises as he steps away to drop Erich’s soiled clothing into the tub of steaming water in the hall, then grabs the bucket, closes the door, and returns to Erich’s side with it. “If I can help you sleep, I’m certainly not going to complain.”

Erich gives him a considering look, then leans over to pull the washcloth from the bucket and wring it out. “There aren’t many who’d agree to that,” he says as he swipes the cloth over his skin to wipe away the worst of the grime.

“Aha, well, I’m hardly your average person,” Kisuke jokes weakly, then takes a steadying breath and leans over, plucking the washcloth from Erich’s hand before the man can protest. He rinses it out, wrings the excess water from it, then straightens up and begins to carefully clean Erich’s body. He takes it slow, watchful for any wounds, and just… lets himself enjoy the moment.

Erich leans into his touch with a quiet hum, head tipping down until his chin is touching his chest and his breathing begins to even out. It’s clear he’s enjoying it, especially when Kisuke gives in and rests a hand on Erich’s shoulder. That earns him a soft, pleased noise and a tiny shift to press closer.

Even the way Benihime is humming beneath his skin isn’t enough to bother Kisuke; her presence is warm-familiar-known and she doesn’t feel bloodthirsty, just curious.

It’s soothing, if he’s being honest; Benihime rarely involves herself in his personal life, but she does tend to make her opinions known if he accidentally wakes her. That she seems to like Erich is… it’s good. It’s a relief. It means he won’t have to be on guard at all times.

Kisuke drops the washcloth into the dirtied water and gives Erich a quick once-over; the man is as clean as he can get without a proper bath, and Kisuke hasn’t yet found any wounds, but he still worries. Worries enough to gather his flagging strength into a healing kido, to press it deep into Erich’s body—

Benihime crows her victory and rushes through his arm, using his kido as a bridge to dive into Erich’s body, her influence arcing through the man and tearing a pained cry from his throat.

“No!” Kisuke yelps as he hauls at Benihime’s presence, trying desperately to yank her back, to pull her away before she can do something irreversible—!

(*He has been wounded time and time again,*) she whispers in his mind, a smug-cheerful-pleased chuckle in her words. (*Feel how ragged he’s been run, my Kisuke. Feel it!*)

And through her, he can: a lifetime of combat has carved its mark deep into Erich’s body, with deep, hidden scars taking their toll on him one battle at a time. And Benihime sweeps into them, pressing the sense of damaged bone-injured joint-scarred muscle into Kisuke’s mind as she sinks her nails into each bit of damage, each spark of pain—

“He didn’t agree!” Kisuke protests, ragged-helpless-aching as Benihime drags strength from his body and into Erich’s. As she tears apart Erich’s old wounds and repairs him. Strengthens him. Builds him anew.

Erich gasps and slumps forward, toppling from the stool and to the floor, tearing away their connection as he does. He groans, weakly shoving himself over onto his back, and stares up at Kisuke with wide, confused eyes as he forces out a breathless, “K-Kisuke…? What…?”

Kisuke scrambles to his feet and stumbles back, legs barely holding him after Benihime’s unexpected actions. She’s purring in the back of his mind, pleased-content-satisfied, and it makes him sick with shock; Shinigami contract with Otherworld Beings to gain their strength, but this… he’s never heard of a contract spirit doing something so against their partner’s will!

What else has she been holding back? What other things has she done that he doesn’t know?!

“Kisuke…?” Erich prompts again, pushing himself up on one trembling elbow. “You okay…?”

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t know— she’s never—” Kisuke takes a breath, his hand trembling with shock as he shoves it through his hair and looks away, unable to meet Erich’s gaze. “I’m sorry,” he forces out with as much strength as he can, before he turns and bolts.

(There’s no way Erich will want him around after that.)

(What has he done?!)

[disgustingtrash]

God of war thought vomit

Pls don’t bully me for all of my half baked

“ theories “ or my HORRID spelling...

Why did the giants break the Atreus healing/killing kratos drawing so much? Change of prophecy? Faye not wanting to accept it ? Thor was at the giants place and ruined wanting to take kratos life for himself? Most of the drawing is ruined and we can’t see what else is to happen beside Atreus healing/killing Kratos. Not only is most of the drawing ruined but it is also COVERED!!! It’s covered by a curtain. Why? Why would whoever ruined the drawing want to cover it up? A change in fate so last minute the giants tried destroying the evidence but they were rushed for some reason and covered hoping no one would find it? Why is it covered!!!!! Another thing , the door that leads to the highest peak. That bit is smashed in , so I assume the room was just a room maybe for worship or was created by Faye to tell a story. At some point tho the door is created and we miss the part that is smashed in. The part is smashed for a door, than why is the Atreus kill/heal part also smashed? For what purpose? Every other part of the mural is fine beside a few non interfering cracks but the kill/heal is almost all gone. Another door to somewhere? Hidden secrets perhaps

Atreus and Kratos healing drawing. Healing? Is Atreus donating some of his own soul to his father to revive him? Or is Atreus stealing kratos’ soul?

We fight freya in her Valkyrie form! Talks about how she wants her wings back, and how much she wants to kill kratos. Maybe if kratos kills thor she gets real pissed and talks w Odin saying that if she gets her wings back she can kill kratos.

The giants called Faye their guardian and she would “ return” in their time of need but she didn’t really guard or protect shit. shit. Maybe her ashes will revive the giants since they were all glittery. The return of Faye could also mean just re uniting with her people as ashes. Could as be that she left the guardian of giants role bc she chose a life with kratos hence the argument with the giants. OR could also be the guardian of giants with Atreus , who is part giant and will let the giant race live on.

Kratos killed the sisters of fate in his own land, he can change his fate how ever he wants. Kratos is not of Norse decent so he is not bound by the fate everyone there is ( if fate does exist in cold ppl world ) , perhaps fate of Norse lands did not expect Kratos who is not bound to their rules of life progression. Kratos can fuck up Norse mythology however he wants.

What if Faye was the one who made all the drawings in the ending room? We know she knew that they got there since her gold pathing is on the rocks. Nowhere BUT in the end is kratos mentioned, I would think some random god from another land fucking everything up would be very important to write down somewhere but it isn’t. Unless I’ve missed lore , the only place kratos is told of is in the ending drawings. Maybe the giants did not see kratos coming , and only Faye knew? The room is opened with all the carvings made by the dead giants , maybe Faye was the last and when she got to the giants land she tore down the past depictions of ragnork and re made them to include kratos since he did make ragnork happen like 100 winters early or something like that. This would explain the broken wall where kratos is seen held in the lap of Atreus. She was making the drawings in a rush and couldn’t complete the rest of the wall.

Pls go to the end of this specific “ theory “ I kinda debunked it 😔😔

Can tyre time travel??? I feel like I should remember something like this :/ In tyre tomb we see the Greek pot with kratos depicted on it , him and the blades. So I’m gonna guess this is by the time kratos is the new god of war ( 28 yrs old according to the wiki ) and ppl r worshiping him ( like how they worship all gods). If Tyre was alive when kratos was the god of war surely Tyre must’ve been young when he died since kratos is like what? 50? And Atreus is 10 or 12? So all of the messy shit must’ve happened when kratos was traveling to Norse lands. But that dosent make sense since everything is talked about as if it was forever ago. So... did kratos time travel??? Bc in game he thinks time travel is crazy but is somehow around for all dis other shit. Tyre being able to time Tavel dosent explain how kratos is so young in GOW4. Just remember kratos IS super fucking old and cannot die from old age despite not being immortal. If I remember right Zeus was like “fuck you

* stab *, now you aren’t immortal lmao “ .

:/ now this “ theory “ is very dumb, pls ignore 😌 don’t wanna remove tho so I can come back incase something else is reviled

Not really a theory , but I think Atreus is gonna have a good/ hero type arc. A lot of people r making it out for him to be evil and that makes a ton of sense seeing real Norse mythology, but I think kratos will be a better dad and instill some yummy good people traits into Atreus. This has no evidence which is why I’m not calling it a theory!

About the actual giant drawing itself , what if kratos is putting something into Atreus instead of Atreus bestowing something upon kratos? What if Kratos is giving up his life for Atreus? Not likely since the body is very weak obv .Another thought , what if Atreus is sharing knowledge with the corpse who I’m assuming is kratos even tho my only evidence is 1- Atreus sad and 2- beard. OOO what if kratos is gifting Atreus his god powers? Making Atreus Loki and the god of war( I guess the Greek god of war but beside the point ). So the world servant is Loki’s son. And the drawing kinda looks like the world serpent even though I believe it’s words and not a snake let me throw some shit out there. What if this is not kratos ( or is idc ) and Atreus is using the body as a vessel to birth the world snake? Maybe stealing the persons life to bring about the ending or ragnork in the form of snake ?

It might not be kratos on da wall. The skirt color is off , looks like he’s kinda wearing an eye patch ( unless his eyes were gauged out ) , and his missing foot. But you go “ it was smashed out! We can see it!” Perhaps not. If you look at the leg , the smashed bit is LINED!!! His missing leg is definite and inked , unlike the arm which was smashed out since it lacks the defining outline. I don’t know of anyone with a missing leg or is super close with Atreus that he’d be crying over it tho. Also , on the farther leg from us , it looks like on the inner thigh there is a tattoo, unless this is like a pouch idk if Kratos is hiding a sexy sexy leg tat. To add , we never see kratos shirtless in GOW4 , or without shoes or pants and in the drawing he’s both pantless , shoeless and shirtless.

This is also not a theory , just over thinking. What if Atreus never turned out to be a warrior? What if he took more of tyres path gathering knowledge and not fighting skill. Would kratos still love him? Faye WAS a warrior. Atreus eventually becomes very useful and is super strong by the end of the game since we murdered baulder together. But like... what if Atreus just didn’t? Does kratos love Atreus cause he’s his son or because he becomes capable? Ik I’m digging to far In but I love hurting myself with ‘ what if’s ‘.

[aion-rsa]

DuckTales Season 3 Episode 22 Review: The Last Adventure!

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This DUCKTALES review contains spoilers.

From the opening moments of DuckTales’ final episode it feels like the end. Almost everyone is here. There’s an extra care put into the scenes, a knowledge that we are in the last hour of their adventures. A last moment of uncomplicated joy before things get messy. And at the center of it all?

Webby. In the beginning she seemed to be the POV character of DuckTales, the one everything seemed to focus around. Some of that was caused by the original air dates of the episodes accidentally putting all her focus episodes at the start but it was a feeling that never left me. The show was an ensemble piece but there was something about Webby that kept her at the forefront. Something that made go, “if anyone had to lay claim as the main character of DuckTales, it’s her.” Boy, was I right about that!

The finale puts her in the middle of everything and finally pays off the mystery set-up at the top of the season. We finally learn about her past and as its slowly revealed it tugs on Webby’s biggest heartstring. Family. 

Her clones May and June press her with questions about the family. How none of the people she has connections with are related to her by blood. They aren’t her REAL family. Scrooge’s family isn’t hers. Her friends aren’t family. They play on a fear that’s been deeply held within her, that for all the talk of family is what you make it they still aren’t REALLY family.

It calls into question that critical core element of this new DuckTales. One could argue the show has done a LOT to say family is what you make it and this shouldn’t be a problem for Webby but come on, she has two sisters right in front of her. That would mess with her head and make her feel insecure.

This question of family extends out of Webby’s plotline and to all the others, especially Donald and Della. Donald wants to go off on a big trip with Daisy, intentionally leaving the family behind for the first time in who knows how long. This is a major step for him. He gave up his life to help raise Huey, Dewey, and Louie. He’s stuck by them even as they lived at the mansion. The guy deserves some time with the person he cares about without the weight of responsibility he’s carried for so much of his life.

Della though can’t take it. She tries to get him to reconsider. She has excuse after excuse but the real reason comes out, she doesn’t want to lose any more time with him. She was gone for so long why can’t he stay and make up for that lost time? He could, but as much as Donald loves Della he’s finally putting himself first. Of course Della accepts it because she’s Della and she’s great. I’m so happy they did this with Donald, the guy deserves it. Just because Della wants to spend more time with him doesn’t mean he HAS to. He can take time for himself, he can be his own person, he doesn’t have to be defined by the loss of Della anymore. Of course he’ll still see her and the rest of the family, he’s just going off to start his own part of the family. That’s a crucial element of family as well; you don’t always have to be together.

But of course when Webby and Huey get kidnapped Donald is right there to help and so is everyone else. The whole family rallies together, though Beakley is off on her own. Earlier in the episode Beakley revealed to Webby that she retired specifically because of her. That Webby was more important than anything else and, as we later learn, she gave up taking out F.O.W.L. to do it. There’s a running theme of how much you’ll sacrifice for your family here, as Beakley puts it, “when you find your family you’ll give up everything for them.” It’s well threaded throughout the episode, the biggest example of it of course being the giant mission to storm the temple.

It’s here the family comes up against the biggest nemesis of the series, Bradford. Bradford’s whole deal is that he was the first Woodchuck (and a terrible one.) He wants to rid the world of adventure, contain all the chaos it brings. What does all this mean? Why is he doing this? On first watch it’s a little unclear but when you zoom out Bradford wants to keep the world in order, in check. No deviations, nothing unexpected, no challenges, nothing unpredictable. He claims he’s a businessman, not a villain… but of course he’s a villain because a LOT of business people ARE villainous. Wanting to keep the world in check and playing by their rules is how they keep control. How they stay in power.

Adventures threaten that. They give power to those who don’t have it; they allow a wonder and mystery to fill the world. To give people hope, to bond them together. For Scrooge, it helped create his family. So of course Bradford would try to shut that down, he’s better served if people are unhappy and under his thumb as a businessman. Controlling Scrooge’s money was also a great bonus.

Bradford threatens the very heart of the series, adventures. He uses Webby specifically to gain the ability to take Scrooge’s adventures away… but of course he underestimated the family. He thought creating Webby’s clones would tear them apart, that separating everyone into cages would keep them from rising up… but you can’t stop the Duck family and Webby is the heart and soul of that. Even when she learns she was just another clone that doesn’t stop her for long. For anyone else that might have been a bigger blow but when she learns that Beakley saved her when she was a baby? That Beakley gave up everything for her so that someone would love her? That keeps her going.

That and the fact she’s (more or less) Scrooge’s daughter. Yeah she was made by F.O.W.L. but WHATEVER SHE’S REALLY A BLOOD PART OF THE FAMILY! At this point I was taken aback. Why does Webby NEED to have a blood relation to the family? Why can’t she just be a friend who became a part of the family? Isn’t that what DuckTales has been preaching for its entire run, you don’t have to be related by blood to be family and even if you ARE related by blood that doesn’t always mean you’re like family to someone else.

Some might consider this an easy cop out, a way for Webby to get what she always wants… but it’s so much more than that. Okay yes, Webby was sort of made from Scrooge’s DNA but that still doesn’t automatically make her a part of the family. They could easily reject her for not being “real.”  But everyone in the McDuck family loves her and that’s why she’s family, blood or not. Plus, the rest of the episode goes out of its way to show that damn near every good person the team has met is part of the family. So yes, Webby is now confirmed to be related by blood but that doesn’t undercut DuckTales’ message about family. Lena and Violet are part of the family, Gizmoduck, Darkwing Duck, Gosalyn, Launchpad, EVERYONE. As Webby tells May and June,

“Family are the people who stick by you. Fight for you. Blindly invade a sinister villain’s secret strong hold for you. Family would do anything to keep you safe and sacrifice everything to love you no matter who and what you are. Like Scrooge, like my granny, like you two.” That’s family and that’s DuckTales. Scrooge is willing to sacrifice it all, to give up adventuring… but FAMILY is the greatest adventure of all! It’s so powerful it breaks the most powerful magic contract of ALL TIME. BOOM, FAMILY! 

‘The Last Adventure’ was nothing short of an absolute masterpiece, the closest thing to a true 2017 DuckTales movie we’ll ever get. The action was big, damn near every character from the show made it in, and it capped off everything so beautifully. It’s stunning how many references and characters are squeezed in here but it never feels rushed or over bloated. All the references work, whether you know the deep cuts or not. My personal favorite was the revelation that Manny is no intern… he’s actually The Headless Manhorse of the Apocalypse AND HE LIVES AGAIN… voiced by Keith David. It’s such an elaborate Gargoyles reference but even if you don’t know that it’s hilarious to see this new side of Manny.

There’s too many moments to talk about. So many little bits that could deserve full articles on their own. Della using her leg like an axe, B.O.Y.D. being just a head, or Launchpad becoming Gizmoduck! If you’ve been reading all my DuckTales reviews you know how much I’ve loved the character of Lena and just seeing her there at the end as part of the family made me smile and warmed my heart. She went through so much and look where she is now, she has people who love her AND she’s a superhero. 

As the credits rolled and all the characters we’ve all grown to love soared past the screen for the final time, it hit me just how much I’m going to miss DuckTales. I’ve reviewed every single episode of the series and it has been an immense privledge. The level of care and creativity that went into every single aspect of the series did not go unnoticed. The people behind the scenes truly delivered something special, a series that will stand the test of time as not just a worthy entry into the Duck universe or just a Disney cartoon series, but as an absolutely wonderful show all on its own. It was incredibly funny, joyously warm, and knew how to hit you with some major life lessons. Lena’s story arc in particular will always stick with me and works as a gut wrenching portrayal of the effects of abuse. Her story was just an example of DuckTales as its strongest, when it was able to use it stories to hold up a mirror to our own lives and safely let us explore them. While also giving us a lot of laughs.

DuckTales has power; it’ll keep having power. Now that the show’s ended I have no doubt more people will check it out on Disney + and realize how special it was. How great it was. How even if it still had more stories to tell it still gave all it had. 

Thank you for everything, DuckTales. You’ll never be forgotten. 

DuckTales Quotes To Make Your Life Better

-“No, no maniacal laughter! We are not common villains.”

-“Come with me if you want DEW-live.”

-“Yes I was right! …. Oh no, I was right.”

-“I LIVE AGAIN… Again.”

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-“Please hold all startled utterances of disbelief for the end.”

The post DuckTales Season 3 Episode 22 Review: The Last Adventure! appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[flying-elliska]

Skam France Season 6 Review

It’s that time, I guess. My feelings are, like many, mixed. I think I enjoyed the season more than most people here, but the ending was a massive let down. Overall it boils down to this : Skam France is great at moments and very bad at structure. A lot of my issues with the season is what is not in it. I saw so much potential that never quite materialized, and it left me frustrated. At the same time, Lola is a really cool character, her arc is really interesting, her relationship with her sister is one of the best things they’ve ever done, and the actors killed it. Loved La Mif, discovering other sides of Eliott, the urbex backgrounds, and Maya. A lot of fascinating character moments. This is definitely my second favorite season after s3 - at times I even thought it would equal it. Sadly, though, Skam France will remain a bit of a one hit wonder for me. Because they are so good at bringing up problems in a nuanced layering way - be it addiction, grief, eating disorders, internalized ableism, racist microagressions - but when it comes to resolving what they brought up, they default towards a ‘let’s all be nice to each other, hug or kiss, love saves the day yay !’ story. Which is, when you claim to deal with real world issues, simplistic, immature, and at times quite offensive. It works for s3, which is at its core a tale of self-discovery, self-acceptance and romance. But niceness doesn’t solve racism, and family problems aren’t solved with a hug, and addiction recovery doesn’t hinge on having someone to kiss, and the series came dangerously close to implying that at times. 

All in all, this is a show that often manages to be both brilliant and terrible at the same time. At least it’s not dull. 

Positives/Negatives/Meh breakdown :

Positives :

- Sisterly love : My favorite thing without a doubt is the relationship between Lola and Daphné. Flavie and Lula killed it. Almost all the clips that made me cry were the ones with the both of them in it. At the beginning their rivalry is so relatable to me : the responsible sibling who takes on too much burdens and is too controlling and parentified vs. the problem sibling who acts out to express the issues the rest of the family are repressing - i have been in both of those spots. you can see how they slowly realize that the gap between them didn’t need to be there, that it wasn’t their fault, that it was the result of their parent’s bullshit and even shittier circumstances. seeing them make little gestures to recognize each other’s pain, to nurture each other, to give each other support, but also to tell each other some unpleasant truths, was so incredibly powerful. Relationships between sisters can be just so...complex, and loving, and petty, and jealous, and supportive, and feral, and annoying, and understanding, and ugh, they made me feel all of that and more. I have a sister, and I have a relationship like that with her, and this season gave me some very important perspectives. Really, relationships between women aren’t explored enough, and this season really did this one thing excellently and if only for that, it deserves to be watched. That moment where Lola talks to Daphné about her self destructive tendencies...so important. I am so happy that Daphné was the one finding Lola in her tower of solitude, and the moment where she says ‘you pay too much attention to what other people think, Lola’ was the emotional turning point of the season for me, because it was Daphné recognizing Lola really cared behind her mask of coldness, but also that she was hurt by that and that she needed to love herself regardless of the love her parents didn’t give her ; and also that she heard Lola saying it to her and that it inspired her too, so there is this amazing reciprocity. It was so powerful, I’m still reeling from it. And it was a beautiful full circle from the beginning of the season. 

- Family of outsiders : the urbex gang was such a wonderful new group this season. It was bound to be tricky getting us to like this new generation, and I think they did a pretty good job. Even tho I wish we got to know them a bit more, they were all intriguing and interesting on their own, and the vibes of Lamif as a whole were just so fun and lovely. Loved the neuroatypical vibes I got from Sekou and Jo. Love that they introduced a trans guy character. Loved Maya as group mom. And seeing them warm up to Lola was really sweet. The social media of them hanging out was more or less the only good social media we got this season lmao. The urbex thing was a great symbol for Lola finding a home with the outcasts, a bit on the fringe of society, and the start of acceptance, of bringing her in from the cold. Maya and Lola’s relationship fit in that really nicely, especially the bits about them talking about their shared experiences of grief, and my favorite scenes with them is showing Lola that her scars can be beautiful and that her rough experiences are part of who she is. The way she didn’t take Lola’s bullshit was great, and even tho I think their relationship was rushed, overall they really fit well together. Love Maya’s character as a concept in general, this funky purple haired lesbian environmentalist with amazing sense of style, and I really hope we see her again in upcoming seasons. And finally, I also really liked Eliott and Lola’s friendship (except for the ending) - the fact that they understand this darkness that they share, but that Eliott has succeded in climbing over it, and so he can give Lola support, understanding, guidance. I loved that we got to hear a bit more of his perspective on mental illness, the good and the bad times, that we saw his passion for movies become more real. I loved the fact that they bonded over creative things and photography, too, and that she found a safe space in the video store. And even tho it wasn’t resolved properly, the scene where he comes to get her and punches Aymeric really made me cry. Also, BASILE. Best bro in law ever. Their scenes together were so homey and warm and sweet. They will have such a good relationship in time. Overall, I really like how central friendship was in this season, shown as so powerful and important. They could have done more with it but I love a lot of what we got. I am just a sucker for found family, man.

- Lola herself : I know she was a controversial character right from the start. She’s been called manipulative, selfish, out of control, toxic. And honestly at times...maybe she was a bit. I still love her. She is just so interesting to me. The lack of compassion towards her in the fandom was seriously depressing at times, and often felt like a symptom of something I’ve seen in a lot of different fandoms, ie the capacity to only tolerate moral ambiguity when it’s attached to attractive white male characters - and to only tolerate mental illness symptoms when they can be romanticized. In the end, she’s a struggling teen from a deeply dysfunctional family who’s had a very rough life, of course she’s not going to be well adjusted. All in all, I think she’s so brave, and she is a fighter. I adored her feral energies in the trailer. I also really liked her blunt honesty at times, even if it was sometimes hurtful and excessive. I think because I have the opposite tendency to be afraid to speak my mind, I really dig a character who isn’t afraid to speak the ugly truth. Even though, again, ‘the truth’ isn’t always cut and clear, and what Lola is often doing instead is listening to ‘depression voice’ who tells her to believe the worst in people. I find that fascinating, because in my experience, yes, depression comes with this terrible lucidity that makes you see through a lot of bullshit but at the same time, is distorting your perspective because of fear and shame, and kicking that, and disentangling your perception from that fatalism, is very complicated. I loved how genuine she was, how mature too sometimes through the pain, more mature than she should have been. It was rough watching her relapse, but I think the portrayal of addiction was pretty very well done overall, not romanticized and explained in a very coherent way. I wish the show had given her a bit more of a clearer view of her inner thoughts towards the end and let her apologize a bit more. And a clearer realisation that her parent’s lack of well expressed love didn’t doom her. But...yeah Following her really made me question my own - more hidden - self destructive impulses, linked to family shit, that pushes me to sabotage and isolate myself. Like Eliott said to her - it’s really a lifelong struggle. I think overall her arc was pretty satisfying, learning to step away from the edge, letting people in, seeing that she isn’t alone, accepting she deserves better and that her failures don’t doom her. That it is about getting up and trying again. Love her using her mother’s camera and wanting to get a phoenix tattoo, a perfect symbol for her. Also Flavie was amazing, she’s got a bright future ahead.

Negatives :

- No follow up to the assault storyline : The thing that I am, without any single doubt, most mad about, is the fact they didn’t bring up the sexual assault again. Along with Charles’ rape apologism, this creates a very dubious pattern of trivializing the issue ‘as long as it’s not real rape’. The fact that the morning after immediately turns to Elu drama is what sort of started my disconnect from the season, and the fact that they don’t bring it up afterwards even once made me angry. I think Lola, before going back to the hospital, should have told someone about the abuse she endured there, and should have told someone about Aymeric, even if only to acknowledge she wants to be done with that part of her life. Aymeric is like...Lola’s biggest villain, in a sense, he is a horrible predator but he also somehow represents her worst impulses, that part of herself that tells her she doesn’t deserve better, and I think that as a character, he was interesting, and he should have been adressed/exorcised better. If Lola was a real person, of course, she would probably have to deal with this in therapy, down the line, later, but as a story, never adressing this again left it unfinished. And this is really the kind of event you NEED catharsis and resolution for. Otherwise, it’s irresponsible.

- A generally overstuffed and disjointed structure : My biggest problems with this season are about what isn’t and what isn’t it. I liked most of the clips, I don’t have an issue with them going dark, strangely enough, but the way they were put together was just...messy. Like many people have said, too much stuff not properly adressed. Palm of most annoyingly useless subplot, the whole Tiff thing. Yes, it was cool comparing her clique to Lamifex and Lola realizing she wants nothing to do with those shallow fake bitches. Sekou hacking her account to replace it with pigeons, amazing. After that though, it should have been DONE, and in general, it should have taken a lot less time and attention. Comparing Tiff’s social media addiction to Lola’s issues felt like some trivializing bullshit. The whole thing was just so annoying. It would have been good if it had led to some discussion of social inequality but like...not this shit. Char, equally useless (although, cool actress, cool style). Another MASSIVE problem is the lack of follow through on big clips. A great thing about SKAM, usually, is that it shows you the aftermath of big moments - characters lying in bed, cuddling, talk to their friends, crying in the shower, etc. It allows the viewer to breathe and really get into the character’s perspective, to be comforted and process drama, and for the emotions to resonate better, to have space to develop richly. Here...we had Lola brush off her assault, we saw nothing after Daphné got her back from the tower thinking she could have killed herself, we learned that they had money problems and the father didn’t go to work and then that was never adressed again and the light was turned back on by magic (????), we saw Eliott go on a major bender and didn’t really see how he got better, etc. Big lack of introspective clips in the latter part of the season took me out of Lola’s head. It was all stressful and breathless, all intensity and no pause like one grating high pitch note instead of music, it felt oppressive, with poor contrast, and very badly paced. It made everything blur together and feel less relevant. The problem with that is it really takes you out of the story ; it’s hard to care when you know whatever is happening might not have a resolution, and it doesn’t put you in the shoes of the character. This was compounded by how mediocre the social media was, when it is usually used to bridge in the gaps. And then to finish : the structure was so uneven, especially in the second part of the season. Towards the middle we had some very short episodes with very underwhelming endings, and Vendredis that felt like non events, and there wasn’t a lot happening - and then, bam, ep 9, drama overload, almost like misery p*rn, and then a super rushed resolution in ep 10. Like they cared more about twists and giving the opposite of what was expected instead of solid coherent narrative and rhythm. The romantic back and forth felt repetitive as hell too. All in all, it made for a very unsatisfying live watching experience, pretty sure anyone who didn’t watch live would like it a lot more. 

- The last two episodes : Really, I could have overlooked all the problems with the season if they had given us a good ending, but...they really really didn’t. And contrasted with last season, where my problems were focused on the middle, for me the ending is really the worst part of this season. I didn’t dislike the controversial club clips, I liked having the insight into Eliott’s insecurities, but they should never have brought those up if they weren’t going to let him adress them properly. Having everything go to shit in Lola’s life at once felt like overkill - they really should have solved those problems earlier, and then dealt with a few ones properly, showed us Lola freaking out on her own, and taken out the bullshit at the high school. Thierry slapping her was also too much, he could just have said these clumsy things. She could have distanced herself from Maya instead of pushing her away again. Also, they really should have had this happen in episode 8 again, and given us a proper resolution. While the tower sequence was incredibly powerful, I pretty much liked nothing after that. It was so annoying that Eliott brushed off Lola’s apology because while he wasn’t wrong that he decided to get drunk himself, she still needed to apologize and actually state that she wanted to get better so she didn’t hurt her friends, so as a resolution it was very mediocre. Thierry recognizing they should have given Lola the choice to go the hospital was a step but really not enough. And the moments with Maya were cute sure but mostly cheesy and unearned. Same for the ending clip. Mostly it’s such an unsatisfying farewell to the old generation, and it really feels like they wanted us to force to move on - didn’t want to properly recognize the end of an era, gave us almost nothing about their BAC or their future plans, etc etc. Also, letting Charles talk and having Arthur and Alexia kiss again ? SO BAD. UGH. I will be forever disappointed they didn’t give us a Multi POV or at least sth better on social media. And not having Eliott’s POV or at least a real Elu conversation (pretty much all season...) so frustrating I will never not be bitter about that. So yeah. The season started so powerfully but went out with a whimper instead of a bang. That whole ‘romantic love solves everything!!!’ shtick...very undercooked tbh. 

Meh : 

- Mayla’s development : I wanted to stan them SO BAD. Like, wlw in skam (that doesn’t turn into a panphobic mess?) YES, all the way yes. Maya and Lola had great chemistry, great dynamic. I loved their first few clips, the kind of confrontational flirting, the boldness, it was like...damn girls ! we love a non useless lesbian ! But...somewhere along the way, their relationship really suffered from the wacky plot structure. They should have shown us more bonding before we got to the angsting (esp during first urbex night). Also, their first kiss was sweet but I hated the ‘you’re my addiction’ line and that kind of put a damper on it. I liked the scenes where they open up about difficult things, the love Maya showed to Lola’s scars, the dandelion symbolism was lovely, but it wasn’t balanced enough with other stuff, and I felt Maya was way too stoic at times. And I really, really didn’t like the ending, honestly. They kept a good balance all season showing Lola wasn’t relying entirely on romantic love, that her family and friends were also important - but saying ‘i’m okay as long as you’re here’ at the end...honestly that sounds unhealthy and codependent as fuck. I really wish they’d done a more subtle, taking it slow ending for them.

- The financial issues : Again a storyline with much potential that wasn’t dealt with properly. It’s really good that we got a main that wasn’t from an economically priviledged background. Especially it felt very relevant to Daphné’s storyline, with the shame she felt at her friends seeing her place, the pressure to make it work, tying into her ED, etc etc. But cutting off the power, the father not working going nowhere...it’s like the plotline meandered and then vanished into thin air. Instead of that, they could have given us a scene of Daphné freaking out over the bills like in OG w Vilde, keeping the focus on her for that plot because she’s the most affected ; and then in the end of the season the father taking them over from her and telling her he’s found another job and that those things shouldn’t be her responsibility. That would have been relevant, instead of just...a loose end.

- Family issues : The Lecomte family dynamic seemed fascinating to me at the start. The mom being this shadowy complicated figure. The inability of the father to deal with anything. Daphné being parentified, Lola becoming the symptom child. They could have done a lot with this, but in the end, it felt like it was brushed aside too easily by saying the mom sent letters so she wasn’t too bad and Thierry is making breakfast so he’s trying. Not enough. I wanted them to let Lola acknowledge she deserved better and that their parent’s crap wasn’t on her. That her mom should have looked for help and the other two shouldn’t have pretended everything was okay. In general, there is way too much pressure to overlook toxic parent behavior and I wish they’d been clearer about this. 

- Mental health portrayal : Some parts of it were really good. Showing Daphné’s ED, letting Eliott talk about his episodes and relapses, showing some of the dark sides of depression and addiction. They just needed to show more of the recovery, because that is often the representation that they lacked the most. I don’t blame them for showing the bad sides of the mental healhcare system (which is terribly outdated and dysfunctional in France, I’m speaking from experience) but they should have shown the good too. Like do they find recovery boring or something ? Because as a person w MI, that’s actually what I’m dying to see, and they’ve been a real letdown in that department. I also think they should have acknowledged that the Lecomte family has mental issues as a whole, that the mother should have gotten help, and the father probably needs it too (still think they should have gone to therapy as a group lol).

- Elu and Eliott’s development : Honestly, not a big fan of how they wrote Lucas in s5&s6, in a lot of clips he was the angry guy with a temper, I miss s4 Lucas who was so compassionate and showed real growth and emotional intelligence. Here it just felt like they were fitting his character to plot needs, and it’s so sad for a character who had such an amazing story development. Now, I loved the glimpses of domestic Elu we got, how Axel and Maxence really showed the intimacy that had grown between them, they really felt married with all the nonverbal conversations and touches, that was sweet. But it’s so annoying that they hinted at Lucas’s insecurities and Eliott’s lack of communications and just brushed it away with ‘oh they love each other they will be okay’ sure bitch but then show us how ? that’s the interesting stuff ? it really feels sometimes like the writer(s) didn’t like how strongly the fans focused on the romance when they wanted to be talking about MATURE dark stuff not that frilly fluffy romance shit *eyeroll* male writers who think they’re above that stuff is so annoying as is the conflating of dark and mature - anyway. Again I liked seeing Eliott in his element this season, he is really thriving, with his movie and the video store, and that made me very happy. I don’t think it’s unrealistic he didn’t make a lot of friends in uni - French university can be so isolating, there isn’t a campus or a vibrant social life like in the US, it’s a very common experience to feel lost and isolated for newbies and it was also my case - but ? Sofiane ? Idriss ??? They could have found a better excuse to implicate Lamifex in the movie making tbh, like Jo egging him on about her passion for directing or whatever, and Sofiane could have been there chilling with them it would have been so cool. I just wish Eliott would have had more of an arc like Daphné did. It wouldn’t have taken much, and since he is my favorite character, I will never not be disappointed at all the wasted potential. 

Yeah so in the end i think this was a very good story they didn’t entirely give themselves the right storytelling tools to tell. Like there is something in the way they prioritize certain moments over others that...I just find very frustrating and weird. So...flawed, but still very interesting overall.

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

In defense of Mika Shimotsuki (season 2)

I watched Psycho-Pass Season 2 for the first time back when it came out and my apologies if it has changed since, but I remember the general consensus being that Shimotsuki sucks a load of ass.

Now that I’m done rewatching it, I’m ready to play devil’s advocate.

Note that I haven’t seen Season 3 yet and I’m choosing to write down my thoughts as of now in order to better revisit them after that.

First of all, wait, that’s who she was? How could I not notice? This immediately makes her more awesome.

My main argument will be that putting aside the kind of person she is, Mika is one of Season 2′s best characters.

I think everyone will agree that season 2 was much too short. Many plot points were rushed, even more so those that should’ve equated to character development. A few characters were introduced only to be killed off immediately afterwards (may Aoyanagi and Kaede rest in peace) and many were shoved to the side, as the show didn’t have enough time to focus on them. This is how Ginoza’s grief over Aoyanagi happens off-stage and Shion and Kunizuka don’t fuck nearly enough.

Shimotsuki’s arc, however, is perfectly well-rounded. While Tsunemori remains the main character, the show doesn’t shy off showing Shimotsuki’s thoughts, feelings, and important encounters. At the end of the day, everything she thinks, everything she does makes sense. Her train of thought is perfectly fluid.

Now, I’d like to mention something which I think she suffered from. However, I couldn’t tell for sure whether that is also due to this season being too short or that was meant to be - and this is the part where I think Tsunemori messed-up.

At no point in season 2 does anyone stop to have a chat with Shimotsuki. She also makes it clear in early episodes she doesn’t feel like Tsunemori trusts her, even though she has been working for the Bureau for one year and half. We know that she started off as a minor, and yet, she receives no guidance that we know of.

We know that she wouldn’t listen to Ginoza even if he tried, and that Kunizuka isn’t particularly eloquent. Guiding her should be Tsunemori’s responsibility, and yet... she keeps trying to do things on her own, and when she does focus on the capacities of her team, as part of her job, all she focuses on are the Enforcers. Tsunemori knows for certain what task to give new Enforcer Hinakawa (God Bless His Soul™), and yet she never seems to take a moment and discuss or research what Shimotsuki would like to do, or congratulate her when she did a good job. (While she’s completely incompetent on the field, Shimotsuki makes a smart researcher, but I’ll come back to that in a few.)

Now, by no means am I trash-talking Tsunemori. She knows things secret to the rest of the world, and she has many responsibilities her coworkers don’t even suspect - she’s also trying her best to make the world a better place with the few abilities she has. Tsunemori is badass and strong and I love her. Yet... She’s only human, and I think she made a mistake.

I know this is from Season 1, but how am I supposed to find a good screenshot without stumbling upon Season 3 spoilers?

Tsunemori is trying to do things her own way, and with good reason, but Shimotsuki is completely out of the loop. She spends most of Season 2 trying to do what she thinks is right by stopping Tsunemori, because she has genuinely no idea how what she’s doing could possibly be the right thing. Tsunemori doesn’t even act particularly friendly, as she brushes her off when she asks how she’s doing after a battle. There definitely is reason for Shimotsuki to think Tsunemori is going astray.

Tsunemori doesn’t actually want a partner, she’s okay with only having Enforcers, since she trusts them completely. Actually, she could probably deal with pretending Ginoza’s still an Inspector. It’s not her fault Shimotsuki wound up in her team - being that of the only Inspector to know Sybil’s secret -, but it’s not Shimotsuki’s either.

In any case, Shimotsuki tries to find someone she can trust within Kasei. She files her best reports in hopes to fix the situation at hand, all on her own since she doesn’t feel like she can trust her team, and that’s when Kasei stabs her in the back.

Uh-oh.

This is where everything goes downhill, and I think this scene is what showcases Shimotsuki’s weakest point the most efficiently.

She’s smart, and she can definitely tell when something’s going wrong, but she doesn’t want to know the truth. She’s not mature enough to handle it. She screams in terror when Kasei tells her she will reveal Sybil’s entire secret. When she has, she doesn’t even want to think about the bad implications of what she just learned - she forces a facade upon herself, immediately accepting that Sybil must be perfect. Oh, she’s definitely a good toy to the cruel mind of Sybil.

And yet, I think Sybil made a mistake by hiring her as an Inspector.

Mika isn’t a bad person in the least, nor is she incapable, but it’s obvious that she can’t take a decision on the field. She’s far too immature for that - or should I say, she doesn’t want to take control. She wants to be able to ignore what’s wrong (so she tried to do in Season 1, even though she knew where to look) by following Sybil’s orders. This sounds like the perfect citizen for Sybil, but it’s not what they need at the Bureau. Even though Shimotsuki has good instinct and knows how to research the information she needs, she can’t - because she doesn’t want to - counteract Sybil’s weaknesses.

This is why Sybil needs someone like Tsunemori.

Sybil’s ideal Bureau would know their secret and be ready to defend it, yet they can’t allow just anyone to know, as most of the population isn’t ready to learn such a thing. Shimotsuki perfectly showcases that by avoiding to think about it, else her hue would likely darken.

Anyway, this isn’t about Sybil.

I can’t really defend her lack of attempt to avoid abiding to Tougane’s blackmailing other than by saying the ending of Season 2 was particularly rushed and we didn’t get to see her internal fight enough. This is the only time Shimotsuki’s actions aren’t the focus when they should have been.

It does highlight her lack of self-will. She is unable to take a decision on her own... No matter how much it hurts her. Similarly, she wasn’t capable of pulling the trigger on Tougane.

So, what’s my defense of Mika Shimotsuki?

As a character, she is the best Season 2 has to offer.

As a person, she would do an amazing office-worker.

What led her to the Bureau were probably her great thinking abilities and whatever her past trauma made her wish. Either she wanted to work on Kunizuka’s side, or she wanted to be able to protect people with her abilities, unlike she had when she led her best friend to death by refusing to act...

Unfortunately, she isn’t strong enough yet.

Shimotsuki is much too immature, but if she manages to grow up, I think she could do great things. Unfortunately, the environment she’s in might only make her worse - a youth spent in a closed environment, untrustworthy coworkers (from her point of view), guilt and secrets she didn’t want to learn might make her want to indulge in her flaws.

I haven’t heard much good about season 3, but I hope she remains a good character.

[hypocrisyofandrewdobson]

Alex Ze Pirate Reboot Book 3

Greetings friends. You may remember me from such submissions as Alex Ze Pirate Reboot Pitch and the looser Sequel Book pitch. I've been meaning to write a third entry while under quarantine, but didn't really have anything I liked until recently, when THOAD reblogged the analysis of Sam. Originally, my plan was to make a story more focused on one of the other crew, but instead I'm going to do something different to my normal work and rewrite an established arc instead of coming up with something new.

---

Chapter One

We begin at a trading post where Alex is haggling for drinks at a bar, the crew except for Peggy are hanging out there and seem to be in good spirits. Peggy comes in with the mail and hands Sam a letter. Immediately his spirits sink and he starts moping, though no one really pays much attention.

At the end of the night, Sam asks Alex if they could head back to Nina's port so he can take care of some personal business, but after last time, Alex has no interest in returning. Sam then offers to leave and go by himself but gets hit for this and then ordered back to the ship. That night he tries to sneak aboard a lifeboat but discovers Atea drilling holes in them under orders from Alex. 

Sam finally explains what's going on. The girl he gave the treasure chest to in the first book, named Jan, is sick, possibly dying, and he wants to go say goodbye. Atea points out that he'd have no idea how to get to the town and probably wouldn't make it on a rowboat. Sam asks Atea to try and convince Alex to give him a ride, which Atea says would never happen. Sam shrugs and walks back into town, looking down, as Atea calls out to him, saying sometimes people don't get what they want.

Chapter Two

A week later, the ship is out to sea. Sam is snappy at first but Alex is having none of it and the rest of the crew aren't all that sympathetic. Soon, another ship comes up beside them. Alex realises they're going to try and board and calls to arms. 

Atea hands out the guns as Sam goes below deck to man the cannons. Unfortunately, he preps and fires on the wrong side, so the other ship is able to board. The crew draw swords and fight the attackers, when they're struck by smoke bombs and Alex realises that none other than Nina the Ninja is on the crew. 

Nina dashes through the smoke and heads down below deck. Alex tries to go after her but is caught up fighting. As the smoke clears, Nina bursts out of the hold with a sack and runs back to her own ship, calling a retreat. The other crew leaves and Alex wonders what was taken. 

Later, after a look through the ship, Atea reports there was no significant damage, Talus reports that the supplies are fine and Peggy reports that none of the treasure was taken. Alex reasons that the sack she saw must have been a trick of the light and that everything's fine. Meanwhile, on the other ship, Nina has Sam. 

Chapter Three

The crew finally figures out Sam is gone and realise Nina probably took him to her home port. At first Alex has no interest in getting Sam back, reasoning that it's not worth risking getting arrested again just for the unworthy slob. Her attitude soon changes when everything goes to hell. 

As they set their destination, the crew starts to argue over who should do the cleaning as it's getting filthy despite their habits not changing. It becomes clear just how much he did for the crew, not just cleaning but by being a lightning rod for their abuse they never turned on each other. 

Realising they need him back to set things in order, they set up a temporary truce and agree to just live in filth since Sam will clean it up when he comes back. 

Meanwhile, on Nina's ship, she enters a cabin to see how Sam's doing. He's looking over the letter he got and hoping he can make it to Jan in time. We also learn that *Dun dun dun!* he was the one who contacted Nina so she'd come get him and take him to the orphanage. 

Chapter Four

It's been weeks since the main crew has washed anything and the ship is absolutely disgusting. But there is hope, they're a day away from the port town and they can see the other ship in the distance. But they're still wanted crooks and possibly outnumbered. So they get in the fixed rowboat and, as quietly as they can, row out to the ship in the early morning. 

The four get on board and try to sneak on, but unfortunately due to the fact that sound carries over water, the other ship knew they were coming and throws them in the brig. Alex demands to see Nina, but Atea points out that Sam isn't in there with them. Alex wonders what's going on, but reasons it won't matter since they'll eventually find him.

The ship reaches port and starts to dock as Peggy reveals he keeps gunpowder in his socks. They blow their way out of the brig, steal some swords and fight their way to the deck, where they see Nina pulling Sam along as they run across the docks. 

Chapter Five

Peggy heads back below decks as Atea and Talus deal with the crew. Alex fights her way through and reaches the docks. She calls out for Sam, but he seems to not hear her. Sam and Nina reach the street and are about to turn into an alley, when the building explodes, knocking them to the ground.

Peggy congratulates himself on nailing the shot as Nina and Sam get to their feet. Nina sees Alex coming and yells at Sam that they need to move. Sam sees her and takes off, pointing out there's another way. 

The cannon fire has brought the guards attention and when they see Alex, they rightly assume she has something to do with it. She manages to evade the guards and continues chasing, not wanting to let Nina win. 

Nina and Sam reach the orphanage, Nina telling Sam to get inside while she holds Alex off. Nina and Alex fight, Nina pointing out how stupid and selfish Alex is being, but Ze Captain will never admit to fault and refuses to listen.

Nina missteps into a pothole and gives Alex an opening to knock her down. Laughing in glee, Alex storms into the orphanage and runs through, shouting for Sam. She finally finds him, kneeling next to a figure covered with a white sheet, with tears in his eyes.

He was too late.

Chapter Six

Alex shuts up, having the decency to look somewhat ashamed. Nina rushes in and sees Sam, realising what happened. Sam mutters than Jan died five minutes previously. This just pisses off Nina, who yells at Alex that if she hadn't delayed them, they would have made it with plenty of time to spare. 

Unable to accept fault, Alex fires back that Sam had a duty to the crew when he signed on and knew they couldn't come back without risking capture. She goes on a tirade, insisting this was all Sam and Nina's fault. Nina has had enough and is about to attack, when Sam pleads with them not to do this in front of Jan's body. Out of respect, Nina walks away. Alex does too, but not before telling Sam he has ten minutes and then she expects him to head back to the docks. 

Outside, the guards arrest Alex and throw her in a cell with the other three. But they're not worried, they know about Sam's account from the second book and know he'll bail them out again. And he does. He heads to the bank, withdraws enough for bail and heads for the jail, when Nina stops him.

Realising no matter what she says, Sam will probably defend Alex or insist that their friends, Nina tries a different tactic. She offers to bail the crew out herself and tells Sam he should use his money for Jan's funeral. Sam admits he'd rather do this and agrees. 

However, she's lying. The crew are sentenced to hard labour, but Alex is in denial throughout the trial, insisting Sam is about to walk through the doors with the money. It never happens, Nina told Sam that the crew would be released in a week.

In the cemetery, a bunch of children who knew Jan lay flowers on her grave as Sam stands there with Nina. Nina walks away to a nearby cliff where she sees the other four being forced onto a prison ship. Alex swears vengeance against Sam and Nina for her predicament and the ship heads off into the sunset. 

---

I'm wondering whether I went too far with this but I'm considering if I kept writing these that Alex and the others would actually make for an interesting team of villains. Of course, when I finished the book two pitch I thought the next one would be a story where Peggy runs into some old friends and we have his origin in flashbacks connected to the current adventure. 

Also, not sure about killing Jan. Maybe I should have said she was pregnant with Sam's kid and that's what causes him to ditch the crew but with Sam, he'd probably try to bring the kid and her along, or try to stay with the crew so he could work to support them. 

Anyway, as always let me know what you guys think and thanks for reading my dumb fan fic that I've probably put way more thought into than Dobson ever did. Seeya next time. 

“Hey, nice to see a Part 3 from you! As for the story itself, it’s definitely different, but it’s an interesting take on the story, so I think it can work well. And there’s setup for additional tension once Sam finds out that Nina lied to him. Sam not making it in time is definitely a tragic moment, one that could also help him decide to not deal with Alex and crew anymore. On the other hand, him getting them in time to have one last conversation(let’s say a minute or so) could work too, if the girl tells him to be happy or something similar. At any rate, well done with this. I definitely enjoyed reading it!” -THOAD

[peace-favor-your-sword]

I would love a Kix and Jesse brotherly love and fluff. All the death is getting to Kix one day, and he's stressed. Another clone lets Jesse know that something’s wrong and then when Jesse gets there Kix is sitting at his desk. he has a migraine and feels really dizzy. Jesse helps him by trying to find some medicine but Kix ends up feeling nauseous, and Jesse moves him to the bathroom where he promptly throws up.

———

Hello!! In honor of the new episode that came out this Friday, I’m going to have Jesse rocking his new ARC trooper outfit. We are so proud of you Jesse!!! Also, sorry ahead of time for the bit of Fives and Hardcase angst. I still haven’t gotten over it if you couldn’t tell. 

-----

Jesse made his way down the hall, his kama swinging solidly against his hips. He was proud that he was able to fill that place and role among his fellow troopers and be of help to them when it came time for missions, and it made him think of another ARC trooper he had become fast friends with. 

Even after all this time, it was hard for Fives to be gone. He had been such a large part of the 501st, that it felt like there was part of them missing. But you did what you had to in war, with your brothers. You honored them the best you could and moved on to fight another day.

He continued to the med bay, to see one of his closest friends. It seemed since Five’s death, Jesse could rely more and more on Kix, and they had become closer and closer which he believed, gave them both a deep sense of relief. At least they had each other. As he approached the door, another brother exited. It was hard to miss this one, with the bright red stripe in his hair. His name was Codes, and he was one of the best when it came to tech issues on a mission. 

“Hey vod, what’s going on?” He asked, and Codes sent him his signature bright smile. 

“Oh, not much Jesse. Captain just wanted us to go in and get a check-up before this next mission. Last one left us all a little shaken I think.” 

His company had suffered severe losses, and the rest had been wounded, so it was good to see him back up on his feet. 

“You might want to check on Kix though while you’re in there. I think something’s wrong, but I’m not sure. He wont really tell me anything.” Codes’ eyebrows were drawn down in concern and Jesse put a hand on his shoulder with a smile.

“Hey, don’t worry about him. I’ll go make sure he’s ok. He’s a tough one. I think we both know that.” 

Codes lifted a shoulder and snorted. “Yeah, I guess you’re right on that one. I hear they still use stories about him back on Kamino to make sure that our brothers listen to their medics.” 

Kix was notorious for ignoring command in favor of protecting or saving his men. He would throw himself into a firefight just to drag out that one, because they were that important to him. It was their lives before his. He was their medic, and that was his job. And if anyone tried to fight him, they learned very quickly what it was like to argue with a medic. Without fail, the clone who had argued would completely back down and accept what Kix deemed necessity. 

Jesse shoved his shoulder a little before the both of them got too far into thought. “You look hungry. Head to the mess and maybe I’ll see you at the training room tonight. I could use a few rounds on the weights myself. See you there?” He asked, and Codes nodded, while halfheartedly trying, to no avail to get back at Jesse. 

“Alright. I’ll see you then.” He said agreeably and headed back down the hall with a lighter spring in his step. Jesse shook his head in a mix of amusement and awe. Some brothers were just like that. They maintained that excitement they had all felt as boys, as cadets, which many brothers lost as the war progressed. A particular brother came to mind, with a trigger happy attitude and a wicked sense of humor. He shoved that memory out of his mind for the time being. It was still too painful to spend too long dwelling on. 

His boots made a solid click against the floor as he looked into the med bay, which was nearly empty from what he could see.  

“Hey, Kix. You in here brother? I could use a fresh cup of caf. Want to come with?” He called, and when there was no answer he started looking into rooms. After looking in over a dozen curtained areas, and finding most of them empty, he wound up in one of the back rooms, and that’s when he found him. 

Kix laid with both arms on the desk and his head laying on top. His shoulders were hunched in what Jesse could immediately recognize as pain. After spending your entire fighting career together, it was hard not to pick up on your brother’s tells. 

“Hey, Kix. What’s up? You don’t look too good.” Jesse said quietly and Kix groaned and mumbled something. 

Jesse came and crouched right next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, vod. Didn’t catch that. You ok?” 

Kix had his eyes shut tight and he made a noise Jesse could only describe as a non verbal “no”. 

“My head.” He whispered, and Jesse’s eyebrows lowered slightly as he realized his brother was suffering from a migraine again. 

The first time it had happened was after Umbara, after Kix had verified too many brother’s deaths and it had taken a steep toll on him. That migraine had kept him down for two entire days, but due to all the intense action and losing battles on Anaxes, it wasn’t a surprise that another had popped up. 

“You have some medicine for that right?” Jesse asked, being sure to keep his voice level. “Tell me where it is and I’ll grab it. We’ll get you fixed up and you’ll be feeling better in no time.” He said, remembering to keep his voice slightly quieter than normal. 

“Across the room, third cabinet in. Middle shelf. Purple hypo.” Kix said and Jesse walked over trying to keep his steps quiet as well. It was amazing when you were required to be silent how much of your actions made noise. He found the correct cabinet and looked through the middle shelf and he finally saw the hypo, when he heard the sound of Kix dry heaving, the breaths stuttering and shallow. Jesse grabbed the hypo in one hand and quickly crossed the room, grabbing Kix’s arms and throwing it over his shoulder with a practiced ease.

“Hey, let’s go.” He said quickly and started them towards a bathroom. “You aren’t throwing up all over your stuff, you’d never forgive yourself.” He joked, and they made it to the bathroom just in time for Kix to stumble to the toilet and empty what seemed to be his entire stomach into the bowl. 

It was hardly the first time Jesse had seen a brother throw up so it didn’t even cross his mind to be bothered. He knelt by him and soothingly rubbed his neck and back of his head, the new hair growth greeting his fingers. “Hey, it’s ok. Deep breaths Kix. Deep breaths. You got it. Get a breath in.” 

Kix sucked in a breath, and coughed, and seemed to shudder before breaking down into tears. He hiccuped a few times before leaning over the bowl again, and again a third time, yet this time next to nothing came out, so Jesse figured he was done. He, as gently as he could, injected the hypo into Kix’s neck and threw it in the trash. He got up and got a wet towel before coming over and wiping the back of Kix’s neck and his mouth, before throwing that away as well. He went to the lights and turned them down halfway before siting with his back against the toilet bowl. 

“Kix. What’s going on?” He asked, and Kix hung his head, and tears flowed in a steady stream. 

“I…I dont know if I can do this for much longer, Jesse. I keep losing them. I keep losing brothers, and I want to save them, but I can’t.” He said, his voice small. 

It was common for medics, Jesse knew, to share that same feeling. They did their best but there was never a way to save all the troopers that went down in a fight, but the squads never blamed them. How could they when your medic rushed into the heat of battle ahead of you to pull unarmed, injured brothers out? 

“I know brother. I know. But you do the best you can.” He said quietly and Kix lifted his head, his cheeks flushed as he cried, and his eyes filled with tears. 

“We’re losing almost every battle we have, Jesse. I mean, look at the captain. That man’s sleeping on his feet, he’s exhausted. Every time we fight, I feel like we lose more men that we come back with and..” He shuddered and pushed back from the toilet a little. “I just don’t know what to do anymore.” 

Jesse scooted forward so he could look Kix directly in the eye, and he stared him down. 

“Kix. You do your best. You know you do. You always told me, save who you can, and be there for the living. None of us every blame you, or any medic for the brothers we lose. I know you’re doing your best. And I know it’s going to turn around soon. It always does. Always. So let’s get you up, get you to your bunk and you can tackle tomorrow when you feel better. Deal?” He asked, and Kix stared back at him, two pairs of identical eyes searching each other, one for any hint of hope and the other steely determination.

Kix knew his brother would never lie to him. He knew he could count on Jesse, and that he could trust him with his life, which he did every day. He nodded slowly, feeling the sharp sting of the headache recede to a dull tightness. 

“Yeah. Ok. I guess I can do that.” He said quietly and Jesse hauled him up again with a smile. As they took him to his bunk, he gave a small smile of relief. 

That was the nice thing about brothers. Every time you fell down, you knew without a shadow of a doubt there was going to be someone to pick you back up again. 

[avehi-the-adamant]

Lost Souls

Mornings in Icecrown were hard to distinguish from night. With the ominous overcast permanently in place over the frozen wastes, time meant nothing. Less so to the undead host who called it home. Be they the mindless wanderers, or the Ebon Knights still in place to keep the peace, the difference was negligible. All the same, Avehi could tell the next morning had come, as slightly more light poured through the broken stained-glass windows of the Scarlet Cathedral.

It was rare for her to find herself in beds, anymore. Without the need for sleep, so too did she lose the desire to sleep. The appeal of it was dreaming, and awakening refreshed and reinvigorated. Now, any sleep she got was tainted. Stained by nightmares, devoid of any true rest. Sleep only brought vulnerabilities without benefits, now. But with Astaloren, she felt she could lower her guard a bit. There were few Knights she trusted as much as she trusted him. Years of fighting alongside each other had forged a firm bond between them, enduring even their prolonged absences from one another. Avehi was comfortable there, in his presence. This run down Cathedral felt like home.

“You plan on getting up, my dear?” the elf asked, securing the last of the clasps on his boots.

“Mm… in a moment.” Avehi smirked. “I still don’t know how you came across such a comfortable bed. I want to enjoy it a little longer.”

She stretched out, the soft mattress cradling her every curve as she did. Soft feather down, silken sheets… the last time Avehi had enjoyed a bed like this was… well, last time she was here. But otherwise, it hadn’t been since Draenor that Avehi had enjoyed a bed so much. She sat up after a moment, the blankets pooling about her waist. The covers were habitual comfort, more than anything; neither of the Knights paid much heed to the cold. 

“Mm, well… the Scarlet Bishops spared no expense for comfort, I suppose.” he shrugged. “Enjoy it as you wish. It doesn’t get a lot of use, otherwise.”

“‘No rest for the wicked?’” she chuckled.

“No rest for anyone, it seems.” Astaloren replied, tone growing severe. “If what you say is true.”

Avehi’s smile vanished; the elf had a nasty habit of changing both subjects and conversational tones with little transition. She was used to it, and usually managed to shift back and forth without issue. But with this particular change in topic, Avehi felt that brief moment of comfort and indulgence stripped out from under her. She’d almost managed to forget about such peril, for a while… With a grunt, the Draenei swung her legs over the edge of the bed to finally get up, and join Astaloren in getting dressed once more.

“It is true. I’m certain you’ve felt it, too. As close as we are to the Citadel, especially.”

Avehi had come out this far to seek Astaloren’s help. With everything her research and investigation had yielded, she knew the problem wouldn’t be one she could impact alone. Let alone solve. It was a growing concern that even the Knights of the Ebon Blade as a whole wouldn’t be enough to undo whatever damage had been done to the afterlife. And the Ebon Blade was far from whole, anyway. So many Knights had splintered off. Astaloren included. Avehi had too, but recently came back. Given the circumstances, she hoped her long-time friend would consider doing the same.

“I’ve felt something. You’re right; it’s not easy to ignore such things around here.” he huffed, in mild frustration. “You’re certain the Ebon Blade aren’t behind it?”

Astaloren’s tenure with the Ebon Blade was short-lived. Long before even Avehi left their ranks, he found himself at odds with the organization as a whole. Of course, the elf took issue with just about anyone who tried to tell him how to live his unlife, after the Lich King fell. Distaste turned to distrust, and festered into disdain. It didn’t surprise Avehi that he blamed them for this.

“Trust me. They were my first suspects as well.” she reassured him. “But it’s not them. It’s not even the Lich King, as far as I can tell.”

She set to getting dressed again, as the two spoke. Astaloren was thoughtful, and as such took many long, thoughtful pauses. Considering. Appraising. Assessing. She admired that about him; his reserved and calculative demeanor. He wasn’t as brash as most elves she knew. Arrogant, certainly. But tempered with a patience she wished she possessed, herself. 

“... Then we need to find out who - or what - is behind this.” he nodded to her. “I’m skeptical, but… I don’t doubt you, Avehi. You wouldn’t have come here if it weren’t severe.”

“Then you’ll rejoin the Blade?”

“Mm. On… tentative terms.” he sneered, slightly. “In the context of helping sort all this out, anyway. Being divided on this helps no one. Hopefully they’ll see it that way, too. And won’t drive me out of Acherus.”

“Their leadership is much more amicable than it was back in the day, Astaloren.” Avehi assured him. “They were fair in hearing me out. Accepting me back, after my laundry list of transgressions against them.”

She stood beside him after pulling up her plated gauntlets, nudging him in a playful manner.

“Not as long a list as you boast, but still - I’m confident they’ll see due cause to work with you on this. I’ll even vouch for you, as I am able.”

She brushed a few loose strands of his golden hair back from his face, smiling at him. Astaloren turned to Avehi, hands finding hers. He smiled, leaning into the Draenei, affectionately. He gave her plated hands a squeeze, nodding slowly.

“I appreciate it, Avehi. And… I appreciate you coming to me about this. In truth, I’ve been worried about it for some time. I wasn’t sure when to try and step in, or even how to--”

The two of them felt it in an instant; heat. Not just any heat, but a crackling, sizzling heat that permeated the air. It was faint for now, but grew stronger by the second. Avehi’s gaze turned to the stained glass. More light poured in through it. More than was usual. It wasn’t an ordinary glow, either. Such radiance could only be exuded by a truly powerful paladin. Or a Vindicator. Avehi didn’t have to guess who.

“... Argonas.”

She cursed under her breath, parting from Astaloren to retrieve Rokaa, her hammer. The elf, too, brandished his blade in preparation for what was to come. 

“You were followed here?” he scowled, a tone bordering on accusatory.

“--No. Not… not knowingly.” she huffed back.

The two stepped out from the bedchamber into the main hall of the Cathedral. Already, Astaloren’s enthralled Scarlet corpses rose to defend their home, rallying in a loose formation. Mindless as they were, a Death Knight’s dominion over them directed them well enough to stage a proper defense. Ten or so shambled along the worn carpet, hollow eyes affixed to the entry. Avehi took her place beside Astaloren as he stood in front of his throne, hammer at the ready. She knew Argonas wouldn’t let things go, even after thoroughly thrashing him last time they met. That damned Vindicator considered himself some manner of Light-chosen hero, sent to dispense justice wherever he’d tread. 

“Who is this, Avehi?” Astaloren asked, brow furrowed. “And how did they find you here?”

That, she didn’t know. Argonas must have been following her at a distance for a while, waiting until she was far from the crowds of Stormwind or Boralus to face her again. Smart. And very much like him. Or did Sylaess tell him where to find her? No, she wouldn’t have. They’d only talked recently. Too recently for her to have gone back to Argonas, and then for Argonas to have arrived. Sylaess had said she didn’t opt to join him in the hunt… and she believed her. 

It didn’t really matter at this point, though - the heat of his righteous rage grew hotter and hotter. The sounds of the undead falling against him outside grew louder and louder. A wave of worry washed over Avehi, causing her tail to twitch. It felt different than last time. Unbridled. Unrestrained.

He certainly hadn’t come to talk.

The doors crashed open, splintering as the holy reckoning barreled through. It was the Vindicator alright; his entire body crackling with vengeful Light. The undead rushed in to swarm him, each falling one after the other as Argonas swung his crystalline sword. Astaloren’s grip tightened on his own blade, as he stepped down the stairs. Avehi stepped down right alongside him.

“--No.” the elf held his blade out sideways before Avehi, to impede her advance. “I’ll handle him.”

“Astaloren, he’s--”

“He’s invading my home!” he quickly snapped, brow furrowed. “I will deal with him myself. He’s not the first Vindicator I’ve killed, after all.”

Avehi scowled, but hung back as the other Knight advanced towards Argonas. She kept her hammer up and ready, prepared to intervene as necessary.

As Argonas cut down the last of the shambling Scarlet corpses, he set his glaring gaze to the two Death Knights in the back of the room. He bore his fangs, growling at them. His focus settled on the elf as he drew near. Who this was, or what he was doing with Avehi, didn’t matter. He could feel the foul unholy aura emanating from the Knight. Sickening. This cathedral’s defiling had his stench all over it. 

It ended here.

“I don’t know why you’re here, Vindicator, but you’re not welcome!” Astaloren commanded. “Depart this place, or I’ll--”

The Vindicator gave him no time to finish, before he charged in. A wide swing of his blade nearly cleaved Astaloren in half, if he weren’t so nimble. He parried, knocking the blow off-center as he jumped back. Argonas pressed his attack, swinging again in a diagonal arc. Astaloren quickly sidestepped and thrusted his blade - only for the Vindicator to bat it aside with the back of his gauntlet. Astaloren had to jump back yet again to evade the third heavy strike. Still, he kept the rhythm by riposting; a firm jab against the behemoth’s shoulder plate. Harmless. But at least he connected somehow.

The two traded swings and jabs in vain - Argonas’ heavy hits never landing on his agile opponent, and Astaloren’s quick strikes doing nothing against the plated embodiment of the Light’s fury. Avehi watched, tail twitching tensely as she beheld the battle. Her every instinct to her to step in. Fingers tensed and loosened around Rokaa’s handle, hooves scuffing along stone steps. 

Finally, one of them connected - ducking beneath a broad swing, Astaloren thrust upward and drove his blade into Argonas’ side. A small gap in his armor. He pressed his sword in deep-- before a swift kick knocked him away, his blade still lodged in Argonas’ midsection! The elf caught himself from falling over entirely, landing on his hands and feet, skidding along in a kneel. He stood up, and scowled.

“The Light has no justice to serve here! It left this place long ago!” he called out. “We’re sovereign Knights!”

“You are defilers!” Argonas growled back.

Rather than pull the blade from his side, he slammed the hilt of his own sword down against it, shattering the runeblade in half! The broken hilt fell to the ground with a clatter - the force of the runes breaking apart blasting Argonas back towards the door.

“--NOOOO!” Astaloren cried, cradling himself as if he himself were struck.

He might as well have been - the Knight’s connection to his runic weapon was strong. He felt the runes shattering at his very core! Losing his blade was akin to losing a limb - a part of him! Argonas regained his hoofing with little effort, despite the localized blast. The explosion shot the jagged side of the blade out his back. But the wound didn’t last long. Latent Light energies swirling around his body both cauterized both the wound’s sides, and expedited the healing within. He hardly looked fazed. With a roar, he charged in for Astaloren once more!

Avehi could stand idle no longer. She rushed in, swinging her hammer broadly. The head connected with Argonas, knocking him back from her fellow Knight just in time. The Vindicator smashed into a pillar, stumbling off down the center aisle. He shook his head, as if to shake the blow off, before narrowing his eyes on Avehi. The real reason he’d come here, after all… The Light sparked off of him, shifting from an amber hue to a malevolent red. He charged at her again, holding nothing back!

Avehi braced herself, hammer ready. She timed her swing well, managing to slam a sturdy hit into Argonas’ side as he neared - but the Light fueled his advance, undeterred. He tackled her, ramming her into the wall a few feet behind her with righteous fury! He cast his blade aside, opting instead to pound his plated fists into the Death Knight. Blow after blow, he let loose a flurry of pummels into Avehi’s chest and midsection - the Light surged through her with every hit, causing her body to writhe. She brought her hands up to protect her face from the onslaught, but couldn’t block them from her chest and stomach at the same time. The plated armor seemed to do little to mitigate them, as even protecting her body from being crushed did little to stop the surges of Light that shot through her. Rokaa fell to the ground beside her as she braced herself as well as she could. But she knew she wouldn’t last long...

Suddenly, he was torn off from her, tackled sidelong by Astaloren. She collapsed to the ground, still reeling from the barrage of hits. Astaloren wrestled with Argonas, grappling the Vindicator with all his unholy might… but the size difference was insurmountable. Argonas kept steady, crouching to a kneel as he slammed the elf into the stone floor. His hands still blazing with holy Light, he pinned him down with a snarl. One hand took hold of Astaloren’s chest. The other, his neck. The Light filled his gauntlets, searing Astaloren’s body with intense righteous heat! He could barely scream, only managing to hiss as Argonas’ grip tightened.

“By the Light…” Argonas growled. “Be purged!”

The Light filled Astaloren, burning him away from within. Without even the ability to scream out in pain, he felt his entire form engulfed in righteous fire. Avehi watched in horror as the elf’s body burst, nothing left behind but a pile of ashes beneath the Vindicator’s massive hands. Argonas was stoic throughout, simply staring into the elf’s eyes as the lich fire within them snuffed out. He rose as the deed was done, and turned his glare back to Avehi.

She screamed.

No normal scream; an unholy, shrill scream echoed throughout the Cathedral, shattering what little stained-glass remained. Argonas quickly covered his ears, wincing from the piercing sound. His mind felt warped… scrambled! He barely had time to react before Avehi rushed at him. She shoved him back, causing him to trip up the stairs leading to the throne. She lashed out at him, clawing for him in a frenzy. Her nails scraped against his plated armor, swipe after swipe - the latter of which left trails of blood in their wakes. Argonas reached out to grip one of her wrists, staying Avehi’s assault for just long enough to slam a fist into her face. He knocked her back into the same pillar he’d struck - this time, the blow collapsing it fully. Rocks and stones buried Avehi in seconds as the vaulted ceiling came down atop her. When the dust settled, Argonas stood up, and approached.

The Death Knight grunted, struggling to free herself from the pile of stones and debris. Argonas watched a moment, before scoffing. He made no effort to help her.

“You brought this upon yourself, Avehi!” he scolded her, wiping her blood from his armor. “I warned you to cease your defilement! But you would not listen!”

“Y-You idiot!” she grunted in response, straining from beneath the stones. “You have no idea what you’ve just done! You’ve damned him!”

“He damned himself, harboring you here.” Argonas grunted. “His death is on your h--”

“--SHUT UP!” 

Avehi shouted, a burst of stones slamming against the wall as she finally broke free. She stood, glaring at Argonas. Her body was in rough shape; one arm broken, one leg clearly misaligned. She was in no state to keep fighting, but it didn’t stop her. She hobbled for Argonas, lich fire eyes aglow ominously.

“You damned him to the Maw! No souls rest anymore, you fucking fool!” she berated him, unable to close any distance. “I’ve been there. I’ve seen it! I’ve seen those who are there, and shouldn’t be!”

She spit up blood, in a blue globule on the stone floor beneath her. A huff.

“Those like your wife.”

Argonas’ eyes widened - shock clearly rushing through him. What did that mean? That was.. Impossible! There was no way she could’ve seen Sinafay! Not when she’d joined with the Light! He frowned.

“You lie…”

“You dipshit!” Avehi retorted. “I’ve been trying to tell you this all along, but you just won’t LISTEN!”

She lashed out for him, only to fall forward. Collapsed. She brought herself up to a kneel, wincing. Definitely some broken ribs, and internal damage. Too much to ignore outright, this time. For all she was, she was still dependent on her body to do anything. A damaged corpse was still damaged. Pain was less an issue, but incapacitance couldn’t be shrugged off in the same manner.

Argonas simply shook his head, brow furrowed resolutely.

“You lie!” he repeated, sternly. “Sinafay joined with the Light! She gave herself to--”

“Are you deaf!?” Avehi barked. “Death is broken! She’s in the Maw, with everyone else!”

“No! No! You are wrong!” he repeated, stepping back from her.

He felt sick. Confused. That couldn’t be possible! But after everything she’d said before, and everything Sylaess had told him when last they spoke… he thought they were maddened ramblings. For Avehi to repeat them so precisely, for the two accounts to tie together like this… he wasn’t entirely sure it was made up anymore. 

He turned from Avehi, and scooped up his blade. Nothing felt right. Nothing added up. He needed time to sort this out, before passing his final judgment on her. Sheathing his blade, he turned for the door, and made his way out.

“--W-wait! You… idiot!” Avehi groaned, unable to do much of anything to stop him.

Her cries fell on deaf ears, as Argonas vacated the shattered Cathedral. Like a tornado, he’d come in, destroyed everything, and left without a trace. She crawled over to where Astaloren was killed, grasping a clump of the ashes of him that remained. She could see the charred outline of his body now permanently stained into the stonework. It was over so quickly… she’d been so powerless to stop it. And now, it was too late. She couldn’t even try to bring him back, like this.

It felt so cruel that she couldn’t cry. A tearless mourning of her lost friend. Astaloren had been a comfort to her, in ways few others could be. He was one of the few people on the planet who understood her. They didn’t always see eye to eye, but she’d come to rely on his guidance and support. He taught her so much. Protected her. Strengthened her. Loved her. 

And now Argonas’ short-sightedness had robbed her of one of her dearest friends.

She let the ashes fall from her hand, and rolled over. The healing process for her wounds would take time - and would be anything but comfortable. But she set to work, her hemomancy slowly piecing herself back together. She glared at the shattered ceiling above her, cementing her resolve. Argonas had killed her friend, and destroyed her home. All in the Light’s name! She was tired of ignorant zealotry taking such things from her! The Light blinded him of the truth of things… but he’d see. She’d make him see.

One way or another.

~*~

(( @sylaess​ and @sinafay1​ for character mentions ))

[ayma-nidiot]

In the White Light - Prideshipping fic Chapter 11

Also on AO3.

Author’s note: This is the last chapter of the Scandalshipping arc. I promise that the next chapter will have... plenty of Prideshipping. Tee hee. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Chapter 11 – A Force I Can’t Run From

~One year later~

“Father…” Atem ran as fast as he could from the zombies that attacked, with Isis and Mahad by his side. Karim and Shada had ran ahead to fend off the enemies at the palace entrance.

“Begone, you beasts!” Mahad hurled a barrage of dark magic balls at the foes, barely keeping them at bay. “There, Your Highness! The throne room!”

“Oh…” Atem had arrived too late and found his father dead on the floor. He ran up to his body and cradled Aknamkanon’s head. “Father… Oh gods, if only I had arrived a few minutes earlier… Father!”

“Atem…” Mahad wanted to grieve for his king, too, despite the dire situation the palace was in now.

“Your Highness… No, Your Majesty…” Isis spoke through tears. “I want to grieve for the pharaoh too, but we need to clear the palace of enemies.”

“…Wait!” Atem began to panic when he noticed his boyfriend was missing. “Where’s Seto?”

“I’m afraid that not long before the attack, he suddenly insisted he had something to take care of and ran off,” Mahad replied. “Considering the circumstances, he’s probably already…”

Atem refused to accept this answer, took the Millennium Pendant from his father’s corpse, and started running. “No. I will go look for him and prove that you’re wrong!”

“But Your Majesty… To abandon the palace at a time like this…”

“I also intend to look for where the enemies are coming from. That way, I can stop these attacks for good!”

“Then… Then we’re coming with you!” Isis insisted. “I believe in our soldiers… In Shada and Karim… They are more than capable of defending the palace.”

“Don’t expect this to be an easy mission, you two. If you’re prepared to face our true enemy, then let us make haste!”

So were Atem’s last words before he, Isis, Mahad, and a few lesser soldiers fled the palace. He searched every sarcophagus, every common house, hoping that he would find some kind of hint.

Just as he was ready to take a break in the village he was in, an elderly woman walked up to him. “Your Majesty? It’s unusual to see you out of the palace.”

“Oh!” Atem had intended to hide his identity and was upset that he had failed.

“I implore you, Your Majesty, flee for your safety!” The elderly woman cautioned as she pointed at shadows flying about in the sky, and a dark hoard of enemies coming their way. “No village is safe anymore from the army of Anubis…”

“Anubis… So, that’s who out enemy is!” Mahad exclaimed. “I figured as much! Atem, he’s the sorcerer who’s infamous for performing human experiments!”

Atem immediately started running, following the source of said shadows. Just as he had the notion to rush on in, he cautioned his retainers, “Okay, here’s the plan. As soon as we open this door, I will start singing the Incantation. Then, when Anubis is vulnerable, the both of you will strike!”

Mahad bit his lip, scared of the fate that could befall his king. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Atem opened the door as silently as he could, and his voice slowly began to crescendo as he walked in. “Usabon o et e irakih, igurust on ig ikaneragek…”

“No!” A voice howled as the zombies in the chamber dissipated into light. “No! It can’t be! The pharaoh is here! That bastard… Aknadin has betrayed me!”

“Imorodom… Etirikihcat… o iomo…” Atem couldn’t finish the rest of the incantation, and fell to the floor, barely conscious. “Anubis! You will pay for the death of my father… and for the suffering you’ve caused my people!”

Mahad and Isis rushed over to Anubis, encasing him in a binding magic circle. “Any last words, scum?”

“Hahaha…” Anubis showed no shame, even in his final minutes. “Young pharaoh, the worst has yet to come!”

Disgusted at this choice of words, Mahad let his Millennium Ring grow brighter, unleashing a dark magic that consumed Anubis’ body and soul. “Hah! The fool wastes his last words on insults!”

“It’s not just insults, Mahad,” Isis spoke up. “He said something about ‘Aknadin betraying him.’ If Aknadin really is an accomplice of Anubis, then we need to find Aknadin and execute him as a traitor to the throne.”

“Agreed.” Mahad had the notion to leave until he noticed Atem crawling into a dark corner of the chamber. “Your Majesty?”

Ignoring his retainer, Atem couldn’t be happier to see the tired, beat-up Seto. “Oh my gods… Seto… Thank Ra that you’re okay!”

“Atem…” Though he had only been gone for a few hours, Seto kissed the pharaoh as if they’ve been apart for weeks. “It… It was horrible… I was searching for my father, then next thing I know, he and Anubis decide to torture me. After all that… only the sight of you could refresh me again.”

“Seto, I’m sorry to hear that.” Mahad helped his fellow High Priest off the ground. “Now come. After you’ve rested, we’ve much to discuss.”

Over the next several months, it was decided that Anubis’ last words were correct. Even though the commander of the zombies had perished, the zombies themselves did not stop terrorizing the villages and the palace. Despite the pharaoh’s protests, Seto took several solo missions, determined to find out who could possibly be stronger than Anubis. Coming back from such a mission with a bloodied-up back and right arm, he tried to sneak to a medical ward. “Oh, good, Atem isn’t-”

Unfortunately for the High Priest, the pharaoh couldn’t be so easily fooled. “I’m not what?”

“Um… Nothing.”

“I’m pretty sure a mangled arm and back aren’t nothing!” Atem rushed for the alcohol and began to apply it immediately to Seto’s wounds.

“Ngh…” Seto cringed slightly at the sting.

“Please stop looking for the enemy by yourself!” Atem protested. “At least take another priest with you!”

“Your Majesty, with all due respect, I cannot do that.”

“But why not?”

Seto said nothing, but only looked at his feet in shame.

“I believe I’m owed at least some explanation.”

��But I can’t tell you!”

Atem almost hit the priest, frustrated at his aloofness. “For the love of the gods, Seto, you’re my boyfriend! Why do you feel the need to keep secrets from me?”

“Please… Please, don’t make me say anymore… There’s just one secret I can’t tell you.”

Atem took another look into Seto’s eyes and saw the hurt this secret caused. Deciding to drop the subject, he said, “I’m sorry, Seto… I’m sorry for pushing you this far.”

“…” Seto let a few seconds of silence pass before saying, “I will tell you one thing, though. I’ve finally learned the name of our true enemy today.”

“Really? Whom?”

“My solo mission today took me to a village called Kul Elna. The zombie soldiers I fought there claim their master as the Dark One Zorc.”

“I… see. And you intend to go out there right away to look for the Dark One, do you not?”

“Of course I do.” Seto got up, and despite having been injured, felt well enough to go back to the fray. “If I don’t find that enemy, all of Egypt will be in peril!”

“No…” Atem yanked on Seto’s robes. “Please… Stay here… Stay here and rest with me.”

“Atem…” Seto didn’t try to resist the pharaoh and sat back down. Pulled in by the longing look in Atem’s eyes, the High Priest stroked Atem’s bare back.

“Comfort me…” Atem begged, holding Seto as close as he could.

Not another word was said as Seto crept a hand up Atem’s thigh, and the pharaoh left himself entirely in his High Priest’s hands.

This moment of intimacy wouldn’t last for much longer as the Dark One himself plotted his next move. For many millennia, he wanted to destroy the royal family and take Egypt under his rule of darkness. And now, thanks to a recent report from his henchmen, he would finally have that chance.

“Milord!” A Dragon Zombie came crawling in to Zorc’s lair. “I bring you good news! We have found the Pharaoh Atem’s palace! He is there right now, and I don’t see that… monster anywhere.”

“Oh?” Zorc stared at his servant, amused. “So Aknamkanon is dead at last, hm? Then all I need to do is kill his last immediate heir, and nobody shall stand in my way!”

“But Your Evilness, Atem wields the Pharaoh’s Incantation. As you know, its power is so strong it could kill us all, including you. And don’t forget the High Priest Seto, wielder of the Millennium Rod.”

“Hah! He couldn’t even sing two lines of the Incantation before passing out before Anubis! Do you really think that such a naïve ruler could defeat me? I don’t fear him or his High Priests!” Zorc arose from his throne, taking heavy steps forward. He summoned a dark spirit to his side and began speaking to him. “Are you ready to exact your revenge on the pharaoh?”

“Yes, milord.” The spirit knelt before his master. “And I thank you for the opportunity to do so. Give me the order, and I will carry it out without question.”

“I want you and some of my humble servants to go to the palace. Lure Pharaoh Atem to your chamber and give me the pleasure of killing him there.”

“Your wish is my command, milord.” So spoke this spirit as he let the minions of Zorc lead the way to the couple who remained blissfully unaware of their coming.

Atem felt no need to leave the medical ward that night, thankful that by this point, most of his guards and retainers accepted his relationship with Seto. Instead, he rested peacefully in the aftermath of lovemaking, letting Seto’s breathing lull him to sleep. “Seto…”

“Yes?” Seto had barely remained awake himself.

“After tonight… Please, no more solo missions, I beg of you. At least let me come along.”

“…Okay. At least you’ll be easier to protect if you’re right there.”

“And in doing so, you won’t do anything rash. Promise me!” Atem’s hands shook under the linen sheets.

Seto hoped his next words wouldn’t exude his reluctance. “I promise. Because where would you be without me, right?”

It was just then that a sudden phantasmic voice cut the pleasantries short. “Pharaoh… Pharaoh Atem…”

All of Atem’s tiredness was gone in that instant. “Ghost! Show yourself!”

“With pleasure!” The source of the voice made his presence – his familiar presence – known.

“Anubis!” Seto roared. “So, you’ve come back from the dead just to haunt the pharaoh, huh?”

“You would be correct in your guess… sort of. I’ve just come to tell you that the Dark One himself awaits you in my old chamber.” Anubis abruptly departed with a cackle.

“…Well, you heard him,” said Atem as he began getting dressed. “If we go, we can finally put an end to this war!”

“It’s a trap! Why would you trust anything that vile cur says?” Seto dressed himself quickly too.

Atem continued to speak as he donned his jewelry and the Pendant. “I’ve got you, I’ve got the other priests, and I’ve got the power of my song. Why not have a little more faith in us?”

“My apologies.” Seto put his headdress on and, being more familiar with Anubis’ chamber, he led the way.

Atem had noticed his High Priest gradually becoming more nervous on the way there. “Seto… Maybe we should turn back and at least call for the other High Priests. A battle of this magnitude requires it.”

“No. I promised I would protect you, and we certainly won’t turn back now,” Seto declared as the two of them entered Anubis’ chamber. “And you won’t need to use the Incantation, either. …Blast, he’s not here!”

“Huh? Are you saying that you plan to take on the Dark One all by yourself?”

“…” Seto said nothing as he heard commotion outside the deep, dark chamber. Knowing full well who awaited him out there, he closed his eyes. I have to thank you for choosing to battle outside, Zorc.

“Seto? Seto, say something!”

Seto only began to talk when he turned for the door. “Atem… Just in case I don’t make it out of this battle alive, I want you to know that I love you very much and will take that love with me before Osiris.”

“Seto?” Atem became terrified of Seto’s words and ran after him. But before he could, the High Priest had already shut the door and locked it from the outside with the Millennium Rod. “Seto, what are you talking about? Open this door, dammit! Seeeeetoooo!”

His chest seared with a pain that grew every minute, every hour, that Seto was gone. Atem tried as best as he could to barge the door open, but he wasn’t the most muscular person at the palace. Every push on that door sapped his muscles’ strength and whatever little faith he had left in himself. “Seto… Oh, gods… Please…” he cried, sitting hopelessly at the door as a headache came on. All he could do in that moment was pray to the gods that he would soon be released from the chamber – and that Seto would be the one left standing after the battle. “Seto… I promise it, too… I will not ever renounce my love for you, even in the afterlife.”

Though Atem felt the urge to sleep, he fought to stay awake until that door opened. When it finally did, he spoke with a raspy glee, “Seto! You’re okay-”

To his surprise, his “rescuer” turned out to be Mahad. “…Your Majesty.”

“Oh, Mahad. Isis. When did you get here?”

“I awoke not two hours ago after I heard tumult from outside the palace,” replied Isis. “The monsters led me here, then all of a sudden, they vanished without a fight. We’ve surveyed the area, too. There are no more monsters, and Zorc appears to be dead, too.”

“Then… Then that means Seto is okay, right?”

“…” Mahad turned away to hide the shameful look in his face.

“Mahad?”

“I think you better come with me. There’s… something you need to see.” Mahad helped Atem to stand, and with wobbly legs the pharaoh followed him outside.

Atem didn’t like that Isis cried on the entire walk outside. “What is going on? What happened?”

“That.” Mahad pointed a shaking finger at a body lying in the sand dunes. “That’s what happened.”

The panic began to set in when Atem noticed a flicker of gold and blue. “Oh no… Seto!” Atem ran up to the body to confirm that his deepest fear had come true: Seto had died in the battle against Zorc. “Seto! Seto, no!”

“Atem…” Mahad had never cried in front of anyone until now. “Forgive me… I have failed Pharaoh Aknamkanon, and now Seto… I should have been awake when I needed to be, and then Seto would still be with us.”

“AAAAAAAAHHHH!” Atem wailed to the sky, holding onto Seto’s cold hand desperately, as if trying to restore life into it. “Seto… Seto, you promised… You wouldn’t do anything rash… Oh, my love…”

“Your Majesty, we can mourn him back at the palace,” Isis spoke after she had stopped crying. “After several hours of trying to escape that chamber, I’m sure you’re both tired and hungry.”

“…” As Mahad picked Seto’s corpse off the ground, Atem got up and walked silently. He would remain as such for the entire journey back to the palace. He would remain as such for the entire following day, refusing any food, drink, or human interaction. His retainers pestered him so much that he found it harder and harder to refuse their requests but managed to do it anyway.

Finally, after an entire week of this behaviour, Mahad decided he didn’t need a council meeting or anything. He felt that he was the only one who could talk Atem out of this slump of his and resolved to have a heart-to-heart with him that day, come hell or high water. Marching into his room, he declared, “Your Majesty! We are going to… have a… talk?”

“Mahad?” Shada had come in to the room, too, in an attempt to speak with the pharaoh. “What is it?”

“The pharaoh isn’t in his room!”

“What?” Isis and Karim came onto the scene as well. “Then where?”

“Let’s try the throne room!” Mahad suggested as he led the other High Priests there. Unfortunately for him, he would find no pharaoh there, but instead a glowing light coming out of the Millennium Pendant. “Oh… Oh, no… I think I know what happened.”

“Mahad?” Isis looked at the Pendant with concern.

“He’s trapped himself in an alternate dimension, which means he may not come back.”

“But he still might, won’t he?”

“Who knows… All we can do is pray.”

As much as the priests and all of Egypt prayed for him to come back, none of them could save Atem from what he was about to do. “Seto… My love, wait for me… I’m coming soon…”

Knowing that his time was at an end, he continued to sing the Incantation as his soul slowly left his body until nothing was left.