#I get timid about talking without a live audience lol sorry

[koboldfactory]

Here’s a quiet video of me showing off the new pngtuber! Hopefully I’ll work up the nerve to stream sometime soon

[totaldramafan-lauri]

The trivia was something else entirely! I didn't know the reader was going to witness the cookie vanilla's death, even INFRONT of the reader's face at that! Though the reader do kinda see the archers cookies of the town getting squash by the big monster hound, and surprisingly the most things I found good about is golden cheese pov! I like her pov very much! I wish you could do more but I guess I shouldn't force you? I love how golden cheese was seething at reader, not knowing the full truth! I do wonder.. what will happen if she realized too late though.. I wonder how much emotions she's going to feel knowing that a Super loyal subjects of hers.. wait Reader isn't a subject in that chapter anyways lol but dam.. it most hurt if she decided to leave the reader alone then realize next day that reader was never at fault and their friends are! Like imagined you left your loyal subject to die an unjustified way, golden cheese realizing why Reader acts shy all the time, timid all the time with everyone because of the freaking thing called friends! Golden cheese basically realizes that reader have a hard time and get beat up all the time, getting called useless, nuisance, waste of space.. etc... GC was basically even pissed that she didn't waste her precious time bothering the friends with her graceful presence. Like heck she knows they don't deserve it! and the death of what if she didn't arrive.. would GC left with regret?

Though it kinda left me guessing.. why did she let them live after all that? I mean if I'm a queen, I would probably throw them back to the Colosseum for all the things they've done!

I also wanna see what she reacts when reader finds out about golden cheese's previous anger about the reader's when the reader finds it coincidence through a conversation with someone! Because golden cheese shouldn't practically be alone, since all the time there should be a servant serving her.. I wonder if golden cheese would be disappointed or mad?

(Golden cheese being mad is SSSSSSOOOOO HOOTT, SHE COULD DO ME)

And I was a little unhappy about Golden cheese indulging the reader because the reader wish that GC touch them..

"Golden Cheese is hundreds, if not THOUSANDS, of years old. Intimate acts have lost their impact on her. She does them purely for entertainment and as a reward now"It was a very....cynical way to take the story. So...yeah, I'm BEYOND glad I changed it. That would NOT have made my audience happy.

Yeah I would hate that shit, all that and the tags are Golden cheese x Reader.. I ain't hating but imma be mad if that trope ended up in the story because I'm not gonna lie? I would have dropped the story, because I interpreted that as golden cheese doing this out for fun.. that kinda hurts yk?.. but still I guess I know why.. mortal is mortal, God is God..

Though God x mortal trope is kicky and itches me in a good way, I love it.

"hey get buried in the mine, as close below the audience hall as they can so they can be close to her."

Well that line hurts so much.. died without the relief of GC hands.. All alone, I like that though, it just kinda sadistic.. :((

It kinda reminds of Ana Del ray song of :

"... Would you still love me if I'm no longer young and beautiful~ will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul"

Good job Lauri! You did it so well.. but to be honest.. I Kinda wanna hear you blabber much more on the trivia so I was disappointed you didn't write much! I really wanted you to talk all about the details you wanted to add.. I Wanna hear a lot from you if you don't mind.. do you have plans to make a trivia 2.0?

Y-you're.....disappointed......that I didn't say more....? But.....but....I said EVERYTHING.....EVERYTHING I wanted to.....I-I went over it all....Every single thing I didn't add......I-I don't have any more.....and you're disappointed....? What......? I-I....I'm so sorry.....! I-It wasn't good enough....? I'm so, so so so sorry.....! TT___TT I-I made you wait so long for this.....Oh no.....! Crap.....I'm so sorry.....

Dang, I thought I was rambling too much, but....I didn't say enough...? I need to make another....? But.....but wh-what else was there....? Nothing....I went through everything....and....oh nooooooooo.....ugggghhhhhh......*falls over* you deserve the best, and I'm so sorry......

Ughhh.....

Y-yeah, I really am super glad that I changed those things you mentioned.....So, super early on, before I was aware that many people were reading, and I was mostly writing for myself....I-I.....I wanted to be "realistic" in my portrayal of a God x Mortal relationship....My reason for this is that I wanted to prioritize making Golden Cheese as in-character as I could, and I was so insecure about her liking me that I thought "in-character" meant "unrequited". She would've still cared about Reader - saying this again, she would've STILL CARED about them as her subject. Her care for them wouldn't have been fake. And she would've still enjoyed her time with them. But....y-yeah, it was gonna be a more cynical "Did she ever truly love them back, or was she just granting them their wish like she told them she would" angle to it.....

....before I realized that....I didn't wanna do that. I wanted to indulge myself and my audience. That's what X Reader fics exist for. Sure, I did still wanna do her character justice, but that didn't mean sacrificing the relationship. I could still write her as well as I could while still embracing the fluffy and spicy moments completely without any shame. So....I changed it. I hope that explains it better! It was something I went back on pretty quickly after starting to write chapter 9. ^^

Wh-when I get down to it.....th-the power imbalance trope (which includes God x Mortal) is one of my favorite things, too....M-maybe it's another one of the reasons I fell for her......*cough* butanyway-

I-I'm glad you liked the chapter 6 part. N-nothing really to add here, you basically got it all right....It was pretty satisfying to share that, since I had people asking me about it on here before. I-I'm also glad that you aren't put off at all by the fact that she was mad at them for a time.....

I will say that no, Reader never learns about it. They shouldn't....Oh, and the reason she leaves them alive is that she wants them out of the kingdom and away from Reader as quickly as possible. If they were put back in the Colosseum, it would've taken long enough that Reader would've heard about it and....she knows they would've felt awful about it, even if it wasn't their fault. They would've blamed themselves, still calling those cookies their friends.....They should never think about them again.....So....she did that for their sake.

But....yeah....I-I'm so sorry this wasn't enough....Th-thanks for reading it anyway....I-I'm bummed now.....but at least you found stuff in there to talk about...!

[katyatalks]

Mob Psycho 100: The Stage Play 3 - Final performance content spoilers

Here are all the notes I compiled after getting the chance to see the final performance for ‘Mob Psycho 100: The Stage Play - A Clash with Claw’s Seventh Division!’ live. Note this is essentially a write-up of the play from beginning to end - this will also likely be the version of the play that is used for the DVD release in December. I will also edit this when the recording becomes available for viewing and I can gain some clarity on sections I missed...

PRE-SHOW

- Reigen and Mob do a pre-show announcement relating to covid prevention measures (referred to not by name as Covid but an evil spirit) plus standard theatre etiquette rules (don’t use your phone, put it on silent, etc.)

SHOW

- Begins where stage 2 left off as a ‘Previously…’ segment for the audience. We once again witness Koyama knocking Mob out with the spray and kidnapping Ritsu.

- In the Teru/Dimple/Mob discussion part of the stage 2 recap, Teru takes the bird’s nest off his head and throws it off stage - we hear the birds within fly away.

- ((We immediately see how the reduced audience affects the play - a funny physical gag where Teru and Dimple bash heads happens but this receives no response from the audience))

- We reach the end of stage 2 recap with Mob stating he’ll destroy Claw as he does at the end of stage 2. The screen goes black and we hear the echo of a voice saying ‘Give [it] back… give [it] back, [It’s] mine, give [it] back…’ - this is implied to be Mob talking about Ritsu but the lights turn on to reveal S&S and turns out it’s Shou talking to Reigen about Touichirou’s card

- Reigen gives the card back to Shou, calls him a ‘baggy-clothed asshole’ and tells him to leave since Reigen is busy. Reigen puts his feet up on his desk and goes on his phone, leading to;

S: “What are you doing?”

R: “Reading the news.”

S: “You’re not busy, you’re bored!”

- Shou mentions that he’s also got 10k yen missing from his wallet and accuses Reigen of stealing it - Reigen insists he didn’t but starts doubting himself

- When Shou leaves, Reigen salt splashes in his direction (An English translation is now given under each of Reigen’s special moves ala Olympic parody)

-Reigen calls Mob, leading back to the Mob/Dimple/Teru scene - Terada and his cronies enter and Mob tells Reigen he can’t talk right now, hang up which leads to…

***

OPENING

- Yoru no Honki Dance - Call Out (as the previous two plays)

- Action takes place on the upper and lower stage - Ritsu and the lab kids on the lower stage with Ritsu in anguish with Mob, Teru, Dimple on the top stage

- Action shot with the show’s “Yeah!” line focuses on Reigen and Mob on the top level

***

- Teru tortures Terada with a taser rather than water - Terada is also wearing a ballgag with multiple kazoos inside it leading to a great sound whenever he screams

- Mob and Dimple are terrified of Teru’s taser torture whenever he does it

- Matsuo’s performance is sensual and slimy - great stage presence

- Ishiguro’s voice is distorted using a pitch filter resulting in something creepy rather than the female voice used in the anime

- Ritsu and the lab kids are seen in the jail cell - great banter with them and their Claw guard (Guard to Rei: “I won’t hit you because you’re a girl!” Kids: “A gentleman!”). Guard tells them they won’t get any food and they start rioting

- Mutou is VERY creepy and accompanied by terrifying music - he skulks around the stage with his ridiculous silicone chin

- When Mutou “kills” Kaito off screen we get a ridiculous extended segment featuring Daichi reacting to what is initially cries of his brother’s pain that turn into pleasure as if he is getting a massage - then turns back into pain

- Kaito is wheeled back on in a luggage/weight carrier with 4 knives in his chest

- Teru vs Terada is visually very fun - movement choreography is great, lots of Teru’s dance techniques that got cut from the anime

- Back in the jail scene Ritsu states he doesn’t remember the kids names so they re-introduce themselves to the audience

- Asahi and Hoshino heating up the spoon/bending spoon/on repeat is very well performed

- Ritsu tries to high-five with with one of the other kids when they escape the jail but finds he has no-one to do it with :(

- Back to Dimple/Mob/Teru - when Dimple-chan(puppet) says “Oh who’s that good looking guy? A model?”, Nadagi pulls a whole bunch of model poses

- When Teru tries to knock the security guard out he screams for AGES leading to one of the funniest moments in the play - he finally is knocked out but when Dimple tries to possess him he takes ages to be possessed - Taa (Teru) breaks character completely and doubles over laughing and Itou (Mob) refuses to face the audience making it clear he is losing it as well

- Muraki is creepy looking but his cloak is see-through and sparkly - his actor plays him as quite a timid guy

- Great visual gag with Mob throwing Koyama around and then sending him through the stage wall

- Ishiguro has a moment where he talks to the audience/the new recruits where he shows off the Claw face mask available as part of the merch

- Great fight choreography between SG!Dimple and Gen (played by Baba) - ends with SG!Dimple pulling his trousers down

- Teru tasing people left and right in this play…

- Great stage effects in Teru vs Miyagawa - Teru tases Miyagawa as well

- Tsuchiya calming down Mukai is lovely - followed by Mukai finding a puppet that she believes hasn’t been destroyed by Mob and getting excited - but the head rolls off so she breaks down crying again

- ((My stream cut here so I didn’t see the start of the Ritsu vs Shou interaction and whether or not he recognised Shou from their interaction in stage 2))

- We see a little Shou vs Ritsu - Ritsu flings an array of spoons at Shou - Shou lands a punch that sends Ritsu off stage

- Character design for Takeuchi has been corrected slightly from the anime

- Matsuo vs SG!Dimple stage effects are great. They’re both very flashy actors which creates fantastic visual comedy

- Matsuo takes off his jacket like he’s at a strip club - it’s all very flamboyant and fun

- ((Stream cut again so I didn’t actually see the joke, but some kind of adlib happens with Reigen in the taxi scene that causes Baba to break character))

- When Mob uses his powers to blow Takeuchi away someone comes on stage with a leafblower to blow his hair away

- Screen goes black and we cut back to Shou delivering the final blow on Ritsu. Shou says someone interesting is coming and leaves stage for Mob’s entrance

- Mob finds Ritsu passed out and holds him, finds he’s breathing but won’t forgive who did this to him

- Mutou enters and stalks around the back and creates the image of Ritsu dead on the floor with a knife in his chest for Mob which causes his freak out

- “What a great pair of brothers” - Shou leaning over Mob and Ritsu’s passed out bodies

- Shou floats Mob and Ritsu into the room with Sakurai/Teru/Ishiguro

- Small cut away to Reigen - he sees 500 yen on the ground and immediately runs to go pick it up

- Mob and Ritsu’s hug is very emotional - Ritsu is more panicked asking Mob if he’s okay and Mob is more emotional responding than the anime

- Mob pats Ritsu’s head to calm him down

- Visual gag where Shou steps on Ishiguro’s shoe - Ishiguro freaks out trying to clean it and Muraki offers emotional support

- Guy walks into the room with Sakurai/Muraki/Ishiguro/Matsuo/Shou and informs them “The boss is coming”, which piques Shou’s interest and he comes along to meet “the boss”

- Play then gives us a “5 minutes earlier” scene. Baba’s performance in the Claw break-in is more on the eccentric/aggressive side than the calmer calculating tone Sakurai had - changes the atmosphere for the scene

- The whole scene with Reigen saving the lab kids is redone to be so eccentric with everyone chanting BOSS! BOSS! BOSS! at the end for Reigen

- When Reigen starts making a comment about Teru’s wig and cuts himself off to not offend him, he goes to Mob like “wtf” and Mob whispers in his ear what happened

- Shou included in the scene when Ishiguro etc. face off against Reigen

- ((ARGH my stream cut out again, when it came back Shou had moved over to Reigen’s side - probably some good dialogue there between them that I missed))

- Shou says to Reigen ‘Give me back my 10,000 yen’ - Shou decides to stand back to watch the show

- When Ishiguro attacks, Mob protects Shou as well as everyone else

- We have Shou/Teru/Mob/Ritsu/Reigen all on one side vs the Claw guys on the other (Ishiguro/Sakurai/Muraki/Matsuo)

- When Reigen does his Anti-Esper Drop Kick, they choose to translate this in English as “Dropkick to the espers”

- Shou: ‘You’re really taking [Muraki] on? lol’ Reigen: ‘Shut UP you brat’

- When Sakurai attacks Reigen (first time), Ritsu helps him up

- Lots of good banter between Shou and Reigen (”Stop calling me ‘old guy!’”)

- Shou sits to the side and enjoys the show while Sakurai/Muraki/Ishiguro/Matuso vs Reigen/Mob/Ritsu/Teru happens, makes some comments (ie. “Damn you’re in a pinch, whatcha gonna do now?”)

- When Reigen is getting sucked up by the anti gravity bubble, Shou helps Teru/Mob/Ritsu out with saving him

- Sakurai cutting off Teru’s wig is made into such a Dramatic moment

- Shou joins the fight against Ishiguro - Ishiguro manages to knock him out of the field and Reigen expresses concern (‘Oh crap! Kid are you okay!’)

- Lots of stage theatrics - now that Shou is no longer in play scene plays out as it does in the anime

- Lots of Reigen protecting Mob and leading him away from danger until the climactic moment where Mob decides to fight

- Mob’s scream of ‘Shishou!!!’ is filled with emotion - Reigen collapses quickly and without theatrics, facing the audience

- He doesn’t get a cut in his jacket, nor does he remove it

- When Reigen destroys Matsuo’s pet - ‘Oh Jesus I’m sorry I didn’t mean to destroy your toy’

- More protective Reigen - puts his arm out to protect Teru and Ritsu & get them behind him

- Reigen’s “Purifying Salt Punch” -> English given as Prime Salt Punch

- ‘It’s rude to wear a mask when talking to people!’ - here his mask doesn’t come off - unsure if intentional

- ((The bento story is REALLY well performed comedically but doesn’t land with attending audience))

- Sakurai shoots Reigen and Reigen catches the bullet

- Reigen uses the spray to spray his armpits

- Reigen at Muraki’s forehead “what is this? A doorbell? Ding dong ding dong”

- Lab kids start making fun of Muraki as well (Rei: What is that, cosplay?)

- Rei has a crush on Reigen in the same vein as her crush on Ritsu - Calls him cool and stuff and tries to reach for him

- Mob: ‘Having powers doesn’t make you popular’ Rei: ‘Lame.’ Reigen: ‘Well there you have it.’

- Shou comes back in centre stage and knocks Ishiguro out - goes to Reigen and says it’s time to repay the debt he owes Reigen - knocks Ishiguro out fully as per anime/manga

- As Shou leaves he pats Ritsu on the shoulder

- When Reigen says ‘is this an evil spirit?’ He hold his nose as if Dimple stinks, then grabs his head and shakes him around. Gets some salt from his pocket and throws it at Dimple

- Rei goes up to Sakurai and asks to date him

- Shou goes on the phone on stage top level and calls Touichirou as per manga/anime lines

FINAL SCENE

- Shou returns to S&S - as it turns out Reigen had the 10k stuck in his pocket the whole time and returns it to Shou

- Mob and Ritsu (with a bag) enter S&S while Shou is still there but leaving - Mob thanks Shou for helping them and asks Ritsu to do the same - Ritsu complies

- Shou looks back at Reigen, then toward Ritsu and Mob and tells them all they’ll meet again

- Mob and Ritsu share a heartfelt moment - “Ritsu, you’re amazing” - “No you’re the amazing one Nii-san”

- Ritsu gets out Takoyaki for Reigen/Mob/Ritsu to enjoy and Dimple joins them

ENDING SONG - ‘mob.’

https://katyatalks.tumblr.com/post/659597484715278336/mob-ed-for-mp100-stage-3-a-clash-with-claws

- Itou’s voice is STUNNING

CAST COMMENTS

- Kawaharada Takuya (Teru) addresses the fact that he’s the person who laughed the most out of everyone

- Nadagi says he wants to do a stage 4 and that’s the general vibe with everyone  and it’ll be nice if the anime gets a S3 too

- Lots of talk about stage 4 and it only being possible if everyone comes together

- Itou: ‘Us being able to do this again out of the blue so suddenly is thanks to all of you’

ENCORE

- Itou and Baba

- Lots of crying from Itou relating to covid and how it has cut the audience - he is grateful but he’s still upset about it - Baba gives him a huge hug

[nadziejastar]

Part two of my idea on how X could’ve been implemented better. Have it only be mentioned in the reports and possibly by Saix and Axel. And even then make it a minor thing. Make Isa and Lea the forefront and X in the background. Like she was just another test subject. Nothing fancy like cannon. Keep her role vauge at best. Also 50 bucks that X, Isa and Lea’s relationship is gonna have no development or anything of the sorts. It’s just gonna be stated, like Riku and Kairi friendship in KH3

Yes, exactly! I don’t know how it got to the point where the story got so butchered that they decided to make Lea and Isa apprentices instead of just making Skuld another victim along with them. There was so much more potential with them all being part of the experiments. If she was a lab rat, they would have far more reason to care about her so much, since they would personally be able to understand her pain. I would have had NO problem with another test subject being involved with their backstory and them reuniting later and becoming friends with her. It would have made perfect sense. 

I wouldn’t have cared if KH4 involved them looking for her, either. But you have to show the audience something to make us care, and it has to be believable. Not just TELL us. Oh, they’re super close because they spoke to her a few times in the shadows. I also agree completely that they’re probably just going to write it where Skuld is their best friend and it’s just gonna be stated as fact, like Riku and Kairi, lol. That’s what KH3 made it seem like. But it didn’t have to be that way.

When we did manage our way inside, we spoke with her. That was all the comfort two children like us could offer. But Lea had other ideas. He was determined to free her. We slipped into the castle that day knowing only that we wanted, with all our hearts, to save her. But we did not find her inside on that day or the next, or any of our subsequent visits. Had she been moved? Had we simply imagined her?

I completely agree that her role should have been vague at best. My biggest problem is that Lea and Isa became apprentices, and their goal the whole time in Organization XIII was to find information on this girl. I’m sorry but that’s waaay too much of a stretch. Even in canon, it seems like Lea and Isa only spoke to her in the shadows and in hushed whispers. They never even saw what she looked like. You know, they could have even kept this idea and still made it work. It might have even been more touching that way.

My only solace was the time I spent talking with the two boys who would visit from time to time. One day, a man came to take me from the prison. I could not see him for the darkness, save that he wore an eyepatch. Even now, years on, I feel no closer to understanding who or what I am. May my heart be my guiding key.

Maybe she was in a cell close to Lea and Isa, and they all spoke in hushed whispers when the apprentices weren’t around. They may not have ever seen her, but she would be special to them because they all mutually comforted each other. It would be realistic and believable for them to have an attachment to her in that case. Then she disappeared, and they never knew what happened to her. That is fine. Nothing too drastic. Doesn’t take the spotlight off of Lea and Isa. Doesn’t forcefully try to make her their BFF.

The experiments caused the test subject's heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle. Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight. Creatures that seemed born of darkness...What are they? Are they truly sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my experiments?

Even all the way back when I first played vanilla KH2, after reading all the secret reports, I thought that Axel was probably one of the test subjects from the experiments. That’s how perfectly it fit every single aspect of his character, and how a decent guy like him wound up in Organization XIII. It explained his hatred of Zexion and Vexen, his bleak outlook on having a next life, and his unusual relationship with Roxas. Axel lost his childhood and loved being around Roxas because he was like Sora---purehearted and innocent. That’s how I’ve always viewed Axel. Days and BBS just convinced me of it beyond a shadow of a doubt. 

The shadows that crawl beneath the castle...Are they the people who lost their hearts, or incarnations of darkness? Or something entirely beyond my imagination? All my knowledge has provided no answer. One thing I am sure of is that they are entirely devoid of emotion. 

Even aaaall the way back in the original CoM when he was first introduced, I think Axel was written with the idea in mind that he was a former test subject. He was always a test subject, IMO. During the experiments, Xehanort lost a lot of subjects. I think that was what they were trying to parallel in Days, when half the organization members got wiped out and Axel’s survival was in question.

Perhaps further study will unlock the mysteries of the heart. Fortunately, there is no shortage of test samples. They are multiplying underground even as I write this report. They still need a name. Those who lack hearts... I will call them the Heartless.

I don’t think it was a coincidence that Axel mentioned the organization’s mission to “unlock the mysteries of the heart” while talking about people turning into Heartless and the strength of Sora’s heart. Xehanort wanted to unlock the heart’s mysteries by studying the Heartless in the basement. Axel seemed like he was speaking from personal experience when he mentioned people turning into Heartless and losing their minds and feelings, which he probably witnessed firsthand. There’s no way he’d be involved willingly with that shit, even if he was an apprentice. 

The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I've provided them both living and nonliving samples. They've responded only to the living. They seem to multiply after absorbing something from the living creatures. Their prey vanishes without a trace. I believe the Heartless are taking hearts. They are born from those who've lost their hearts, and thrive on hearts seized from others. The hearts taken by the Heartless become Heartless themselves.

This girl could be someone they assumed got turned into a Heartless and they’d never see again. Xehanort was providing both living and nonliving samples to the Heartless. So, I’m assuming that meant dead people and living people. The dead people would be useless to the apprentices, so it’s easy to understand why they’d be used to study the Heartless. The living samples provided to the Heartless must not have been seen as very valuable if he was risking them like that. Or, it might have been some kind of punishment for disobedience. 

One by one, the Dusks went over the gate and the walls surrounding the mansion. A great number of them were wounded and faded away on the barrier.

No matter when I see the Dusks–to see those guys, Nobodies like me–destroyed, it doesn’t feel good.

Makes me think about how someday I’ll be erased in the same way.

Axel had a HUGE, deeply ingrained fear of disappearing. They could have connected Subject X’s disappearance with that. In the novel, Xigbar called Saïx a “kid without a heart”. He also seemed to view Axel as a kid.

Axel’s attention was on the bridge where Xaldin had fallen. Unlike when a Heartless fell, the Nobodies of the organization turned to darkness and evaporated into nothing. The sight was like watching his own future unfold. It rattled him.

He spoke like he had a lot of experience with Lea having outbursts while the experiments were going on, which he saw as “tantrums”. Lea seemed to be a more naturally bold and fearless person. Isa was probably a more timid and submissive kid, like Ienzo. 

Zexion As he shares something like a master-servant or teacher-student relationship with Xemnas, like Saix, he is a character with strong connections. While he was the superior in that regard, perhaps that was ultimately his downfall. It is likely that if Marluxia and Axel had not betrayed him in Castle Oblivion, he would have played a central role within the Organization. –Nomura

Saïx wanted Zexion gotten rid of because he was his biggest rival for being Xemnas’s lapdog. The experiments were focused on getting a person to renounce their sense of self. People like Lea, who have a strong will, would need to be dealt with in some way. I can see him having “tantrums” over it.

Saïx’s response was icy. “That’s no concern of yours.”

“What about Axel?” he pressed.

Hearing that name, Saïx narrowed his eyes faintly, not even enough for Roxas to notice. He wasn’t attuned to such subtle changes.

“Who knows,” Saïx finally said. “Perhaps he is among the lost.”

It seemed like Isa ALSO had a huge fear of people disappearing.

“None of your concern.”

Xion had expected as much. Saïx never answered her questions.

Then Xigbar poked his face between them. “As cold to Poppet as always, aren’t you—Saïx.” Saïx pointedly ignored him.

Xigbar is always coming to talk to me. He talks to me a lot more than Saïx, so I like him.

“They’re saying Roxas fainted or something, and he’s still out like a light,” Xigbar supplied.

“Huh?” Xion started. Roxas was unconscious…?

“You worried?” Xion nodded at Xigbar. “Heh heh, you’re so cute, Poppet. I can take you to see him after.”

Xigbar started teasing him when Xion was worrying about Roxas.

Maybe she had been sent away somewhere on a long-term mission, like Axel at Castle Oblivion. But…asking about Axel seemed to put Saïx in such a foul mood, Roxas couldn’t bring himself to inquire after Xion.

And when Roxas asked Saïx about Axel, it put him in a really foul mood.

“Humph… all those in the way were rounded up and sent there, that’s all.”

Saïx is probably telling the truth. Those other members of the Organization were in Saïx’s way… no, in our way. But, I wonder why I can’t help being sarcastic about it.

“Don’t tell me I was one of those?” He said it with a grin, but the hint of a frown tugged at the scar between Saïx’s brows.

Looks like he didn’t appreciate that joke.

“You made it back in one piece, didn’t you?”

Were you worried I wouldn’t? Axel almost said, but he didn’t want to deal with putting him in an even fouler mood. Disgust and rage seemed to linger closest to the surface of Saïx’s memories.

It sounded like Axel was making a joke referencing a specific incident from their past. Saïx got the reference and was NOT amused by the joke. It put him in a foul mood. Based on the way he spoke, I think Axel was referring to a time when Isa was very worried about Lea, who might have been eliminated. That basement might have been where people who were “in the way” were sent and Isa was terrified he’d never see Lea again. Braig probably had a lot of fun while that was going on. This is why Axel didn’t want to ask if Saïx was worried about him while he was gone.

With no other choice, Axel opened his mouth. “If you’ve got troubles, you tell them to your friends��� right? Roxas.”

And I don’t think Lea was the only one who got sent to that basement.

“I’m simply caught up in it. If there’s something, please don’t hide it from me, tell me.” Axel got up off the shelf and put his hand on Saïx’s shoulder from behind, peering into that face.

When Saïx was in a bad mood over Xion being a failure, it seemed to be deliberately similar to when Xion couldn’t use her Keyblade and she thought she’d be turned into a Dusk for being useless.

“What’s wrong, Xion?” It was Axel who had noticed, peering into Xion’s face.

“Soon… the other members are going to find out that I can’t use the Keyblade, aren’t they…” said Xion, head down.

“We told you, it will be okay,” said Roxas, peering into her face too this time.

After Saïx rejected Axel, he was thinking how much things had changed between them compared to the old days. Axel was a bit more blunt about it in the manga, but the concept was the same. Saïx was so hard on Xion because she reminds him of how HE used to be dubbed as the useless “failure”. 

So, I think both Lea and Isa got sent into that basement and they had to survive against Heartless. Isa was probably terrified that he’d be turned into a Heartless, and Lea worked twice as hard so they’d both survive, like Roxas did when Xion lost her Keyblade. They probably assumed that Subject X had been sent into that basement before she disappeared and were traumatized by it. If they found out that she actually didn’t, I could see them trying to find her. I would have been completely fine with that. It would have given them both a new goal for the future without feeling contrived.

[dangoghz]

sunsweet

(a sequel to chlorine kisses.)

word count: 1.5k

summary: dnp get married! in the maldives! very warm and fluffy, not really much action goin on here except a lot of soft words about how the sun is heating phils cheeks. lol i wrote it really fast and it’s probs bad but enjoy

———————

Dan’s thumbs cradled the bow tie pinned to his suit. He had been adjusting it for two minutes straight. His stomach felt like little tiny ribbons were being rubbed in its crevices—an oddly specific yet very unpleasant feeling. The young man looked up at the mirror in his tropical hotel room, taking a deep, sensitive breath. He nodded at his reflection. It was the day.

It was the day he would marry his dream boy, his other half. He knew it was cheesy but it could be said they were soulmates. Eight years and his heart leaped more every day to see those black locks and glitter blue eyes. The ribbons fumbled and tumbled.

“Mister howell?” An assistant called, “Are you ready? Everyone else is set.”

Dan took another sharp breath. “Yes.” He scratched at his shaved side and opened his hotel room door. The attendee guided him down the hall.

The music was already playing, meaning Phil, his parents, and Dans dad were already making their way down the carpet. Dan had decided to walk with his mom down the aisle. It was a small wedding on the beach they had planned. Just family and a few close friends. But it made him nervous nonetheless.

The employee and Dan walked through the resort until they reached two buildings. The carpet was obscured by palm trees and the walls of the buildings, and it was a curved path, so Dan wouldn’t be able to see where the ceremony would occur until he walked out. He read the name tag on the assistant who had led him there: Aishath. He thanked her as she urged him forward with a pat on the back.

As Dan stepped onto the velvet, he felt sprigs of nervosity intensify in his torso, but he ignored them. He had been waiting for this for years. Like, a decade. There was no going back. No going back from the way Phil cupped his check. No going back from playing Mario Kart for six hours straight while calling each other ‘nasty twat’ fondly. No going back from ogling each other at the top of the Manchester Eye, unaware of how their lives would entangle like a hybrid flower.

Okay. Stop thinking. Just walk.

Dan gulped and stepped. One, two, three. The trees cleared and sunlight streamed into his blushly face, revealing his family and friends. They stared at him, and dan began to wonder if there was something wrong. He felt to make sure the lily flower hadn’t fallen out of his black suit pocket, and it hadn’t-so why were they staring? He was just a guy from Wokingham…and then he remembered! This was his wedding. It was real. It was good. It was everything he had ever wanted.

As Daniel Lester (that’s right!) strided towards the podium, he could see a gleam on his little brother’s face and a timid but proud look on his parent’s. He didn’t dare look at Phil yet, taking in Bryony and Willow and Louise and PJ, who all looked splendid, first.

And then he glanced up at his fiancé. He saw in those big, whirlpool eyes their whole past, like a fairytale book being flipped through. And how the book started.

A twitter request and an accept. Skype calls for eight hours and forty two minutes. October 19th, 2009: the train station, a hug diminishing all other hugs. Pinof 1, the sky bar, the Uma Thurman poster, the Christmas adventures, the laundry visits, the move, the other move, the tour, the book, the other book, the other other move…….

Oh my god. And their tale had just started. Phil smiled lovingly and held his hand out for Dan, helping him step onto the podium. Phil looked like an angel as always, in a white suit with a red, red rose in his pocket.

The priest cleared his throat. Dan didn’t really listen to anything he was saying. A bunch of stuff that amounted to nothing compared to the way that Phil looked at him and the way Dan at Phil. Everyone could tell they were in love, no matter how they hid it. And it was okay—no, more than okay. Glorious.

“Now, the grooms will say their vows.”

Phil went first. “I’m going to make this short. I love you, you bumbling idiot. I love how you smell like teakwood and how you laugh and how you remind me of Winnie the Pooh. You used to be my fan but now you are the love of my life.” A slight breeze blew through the ceremony, as if to add depth.

“I can’t imagine how my morning would be without you there to eat cereal with while watching Adventure Time reruns on the couch as an excuse to cuddle. You are so much more than you think you are. I hope I am always enough for you. Until death. Please don’t have an existential crisis because I said the word ‘death’.” The audience chuckled. “Yeah. Uh. Love you, BRO!” He ended the speech with a punch to Dan’s gut to emphasize their Bro-ness. Very Phil.

Okay. This was it. He took Phils hand in his, inhaling at the warmth of his palm. “Okay, I was going to practice this and perfect it because that’s what I always do when I want something to be perfect, but I decided that this had to be special. It’s not a video script. I’m winging it.

I love you, Philip Michael Lester, and I have only loved you more every day since seeing that toothy grin through a Skype viewfinder as we talked about Muse and Battlestar Galactica and Attack on Titan and everything else because we were and still are nerds. I can’t put into words how you make me feel. I feel safe with you. You’re like a soft blanket. Wait, no, that’s weird. Uh. You make me feel. Warm. No! That sounds wrong! Fuck it. I love you. Marry me, you bitch!”

Louise started howling in laughter, and Cornelia joined in.

The priest barely had time to say “you may kiss” before Dan grappled at Phils hair and knocked him backwards with a smooch. They parted for a second, Phil laughing, and then Phil kissed him back suddenly. They touched foreheads, light bouncing off of their hair and noses and sand-dusted shoes.

The audience applauded and rose to go to the reception.

—— two hours later ——

Dan and Phil, freshly married, had somehow ended up making out in a cubicle of the bathroom of their own wedding hall. They couldn’t help it—dinner was over anyhow, everyone was dancing, and they could spend their wedding however they wanted, right? Or at least, that’s what Dan told himself as he dappled pecks along Phil’s jawline. Phils breath smelled of red wine.

He could hear muffled music coming from the ballroom. Britney Spears…what state was he in when he made that playlist to put her song in? Whatever.

“Hey Dan,” Phil gasped.

“Yes, hubby?” Dan said with an exaggerated smirk. His tipsiness has made him say hubby like ten times in less than an hour.

“You’re such a good kisser. This is what I married you for. My face is in heaven right now.”

“I know it. And I married you for your sweet, sweet smile which imma kiss right! Now!” And with that he pressed a heavy, wine-stained buss with his lips on Phil’s still open mouth, and stuck his tongue in and out, quickly, as a tease.

They stared at each other for a good minute then, panting. The song ended in the other room. “We should probably go back in—“ Dan suggested, opening the door. And then he heard it. The song. He tumbled out of the cubicle, Phil following him. “It’s-“

“Interrupted by Fireworks,” Phil finished for him. “I put it on there. To dance with you.” Their song, a part of their history.

“Oh, dang it. Sorry we aren’t in there to dance to it.”

A curious smile arose on Phil’s lips. “What do you mean?” He swiftly wrapped his arms around Dan’s torso and pulled him close. Smooth as ever, even in a men’s bathroom.

Dan laughed. “Here?”

Phils rose flopped as he nodded.

“Okay,” Dan managed, lacing his own arms on Phils neck. They swayed to the song gently, as if they were still on the beach and not a meter away from a toilet. The chords strummed gently in Dans ears, nostalgia surging through him. It reminded him of everything. Everything.

Phil looked at him tenderly. Everything but Phil and the song faded as if the lights were dimming. Dans eyes welled up. He was married. To Phil. Phil Lester. How could he be so lucky?

Phil cupped his cheek, a tear cascading silently down his own face. He beamed. “It’s okay. You can cry.”

And Dan did. He sobbed, his filling with tiny reservoirs of water. Salt and memories and joy soaked out into the open, out of pure and ethereal joy. How was this happening? Oh my god.

Phil lifted Dan’s chin up with his hand softly. “Want to watch Haikyuu when we go back home?”

Dan rolled his eyes despite the emotion of the previous moments. He could always trust Phil to lighten it up. “Sure.”