#My Light (Zelgadis)

[emerald-dragonflame]

My most recent vs my very first fictional crushes comfort characters.

Wouldn't say that Owen and Zelgadis are very similar, in terms of personality, or even how they go about life, however...

They either would be really good friends, or want to kill each other, and I honestly have no idea which one is more likely.

[ipraygreywords]

“....why, yes.”

The release of Rezo’s hold on Zelgadis’s little hand is reluctant. 

Keep him near. He is useful. 

A flinch. A flickering, rippling something in his mind’s eye. Dark and light in swift harried shadows, as the sighted might describe light through bare trees in winter, cantering on horseback. 

How much they take for grated. 

The flurry of shapes returns and vanishes as quickly. 

How fortunate, his practiced, earnest, hard-working devotion. Imagine granting him everything he asks. Can that really be so bad? 

STOP. 

“Yes, eat up.  It’ll help you grow faster.”

A pause, a fierce frown. 

Stop, stop. What  am I thinking?

“Just don’t eat so many that you get sick.” 

Grow fast.

I would never hurt you, Zelgadis....

Faster.

Never.

Oh, never.

Never....

ipraygreywords​: 

That nagging sensation that something is wrong, something is stretching out the perimeter of his skull, something that doesn’t belong, returns to Rezo.  Why should he be so concerned that Zelgadis places faith in him? Hundreds of thousands of people do that every day. 

Yet it’s here in the sanctum of privacy, with his own little blood family, that Rezo finds he must most be someone worth admiring.  And Rezo knows that not every patient can be saved. No man can be a king every moment of every day.  

     “I’m just a human being, love,” he hears himself warning Zelgadis, as though his own consciousness is growing further away.  And then, words that belong to someone else, moving his lips, stealing his voice: “But I accept your offer readily.”  

“I know I’m still too little to go with you. But when I’m bigger and can use a sword and a bow and ride horses and got really good at this ‘triangation compass’ stuff I can go with you and learn herbs and protect people coming to you for help! And help set up camps and stuff!” 

The boys’ mind was beginning to reel with the ideas breezing through it. Maybe on the road he could find a cure for his condition. His shame. Being unable to perform any of the spells he tried out of the white magic primer his grandfather had left him. He studied the words, the concepts, the theory behind what was supposed to happen with the same force of will he applied to every important thing. But despite doing the exercises over and over and over again just like the book described he hardly ever got more than the tiniest glow of healing light or levitated more than a few feet up before the strain became too much.

He wasn’t ready to give up, though. Maybe magic would come to him when he got tall like the bigger boys he saw swinging sticks around like swords. He couldn’t wait to grow tall. Taller than his grandpa. But just a little. He didn’t want to be weirdly tall. 

“Can.. we eat more cheese now?” His hand was still captive by Rezo and he didn’t want to be rude and pull away. But there was cheese to be had. And strawberries and grapes.

[frilly-porcelain-dolly]

My female version cosplay of Zelgadis from Slayers! I love this character so much! Cosplaying him made me feel so happy and cute (despite the bad lighting in my room making it look otherwise)

[hoetao]

I've finally started reading the slayers light novels on my vacation and im having a lot of fun, even reading the plot i already know about from the anime. it's just fun to see how like. gourry was characterised at the beginning and how much lina being the narrator influences the whole experience. like in the first book he really wasnt acting that stupid, and i also remember noticing it in the anime at the beginning, that he seemed to become more and more comedy relief-ed. also their entire first meeting with zelgadis felt different in the book. well i just have lots of thoughts.

[harocat]

your first ship and what fandom was it from?

what ship do you hate most?

The first ship I was ever into fandom wise was Zelgadis and Amelia from the nineties anime and light novel series, Slayers.

They may as well be the the codifiers of the sunshine/grumpypants trope imo. They’re so cute and silly, and they’re still one of my top fave ships of all time.

My most hated ship ever? IDK that’s pretty hard. I don’t talk about it much, but I tend to either like or dislike things, with not as many ships I’m ‘neutral’ on.

I guess the ship that has caused me the most internal ire throughout my way too long fandom history is Kagome/Sesshoumaru. I loathe it to the point that even now whenever I see a pairing that at all resembles it in another series, I recoil.

[dopepoisonivyoncrack]

I knew being into BG3 will bring me back into Slayers and today I already woke up with Filia thoughts! I definitely want to do a playthrough as Filia ul Copt at some point and it will be the 1 run where I know for sure I won’t romance Astarion, but will try to befriend and help him as IC. And here is the thing… it won’t be easy but Filia was able to persuade Lina and the gang, even Zelgadis, to go along with her quest. Threatening Astarion won’t work like with Lina, but it got me thinking about Filia’s character.

In the beginning Filia was the type of character for whom the purpose excused the means. She had no qualms with threatening Lina and exploiting her weakest point - her sister - at least twice. She even proudly confesses this view while arguing with Xellos. It is wrong when Xellos does the same thing because he is a Monster, but it is right when she does it because her goal is better, morally superior, as a servant of the Gods. 

It is an important part of Filia that changes as the story progresses, especially when finding the truth about her kind’s past. The golden dragons dared to excuse a whole genocide for the so called purpose of peace and were down to do a lot more damage going by the same principle. It is clearly a fundamental view of the golden dragons that serve the Flarelord Vrabazard and proclaim themselves as the keepers of peace, and that was ingrained into Filia throughout her life at the temple and simply by living exclusively among them. 

Yet, in the face of all that happens starting with the scene where Almayce appears in the temple, she is capable of opposing it. She opposed her leader, her own kind’s teachings and views, she searched the truth of their history and faced with the grim proof she renounced priesthood. Sure, being exposed to Lina and the gang helped, but she genuinely retained enough freedom of mind and desire to do the right thing. I don’t think it was an easy thing to do. Centuries of views and beliefs don’t change in the spare of 5 minutes just like that. It would have been so easy to just obey the Elder, or even agree with him, when he wanted to give the Sword of Light to Almayce and sell the other worlds to doom as long as it meant to keep DarkStar out of this one (a deal that had no guarantee but Almayce’s word, that could have very well been a lie). Yet she did not. She thought for herself, and opposed the Elder, and sided with Lina and went on to search the proof for Valgaav’s serious accusations.

The whole story’s moral conflict revolves around this - does the purpose excuse the means? With everyone having their own stance, through which alliances are made or broken and conflict is born between parts of different views. And it is interesting how their views change, not just for Filia, but also for Almayce, for his pals, even for Xellos that comes to better understand his Master and his own stance in all this. Also can’t go without mentioning my favorite thing about TRY, that it questions the purpose itself! the purpose of the eternal battle between Gods and Monsters, the purpose of maintaining the current world, the balance, the peace.

I might have deviated a little but Filia starts as someone for whom the purpose excuses the means, and realizes that it is not always the case, and shows enough strength, freedom of mind and genuine desire to do good, and stand by what she believes is the right thing to do and not blindly follow her people’s ideas.

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: ‘Slayers’ Collector’s Edition #2

Slayers Volumes 4-6 Collector's Edition by Hajime Kanzaka My rating: 5 of 5 stars Trouble. Trouble. Trouble. The self-proclaimed "warrior-slash-sorcerer extraordinaire" has somehow managed to get on the bad side of several temperamental demons, a cult seeking to resurrect a certain city-destroying beast, renowned professional assassins, and a small horde of chimera warriors. Such are the travails of Lina Inverse. SLAYERS Omnibus v2 reaps the rewards from well-structured and interrelated storytelling as well as progressively complicated monster fighting. Not every book in this collection has everything for every reader: dynamic and innovative spellcasting, exquisite swordplay, overlapping geopolitics, worldbuilding lore. The more of this novel series one reads, the more one understands the long-view taken to balance the story mechanics that frame all of Lina's raucous adventures. To summarize, what readers don't get in one book they will likely encounter in the next. The author has hit his stride. In book four, The Battle of Saillune, one finds an eagerly awaited introduction to Amelia. The young woman is frequently touted as a "shrine maiden," living under heavy guard in Saillune City. Indeed, the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Saillune, the greatest resource of white magic in the land, is also home to a nasty squabble for the throne. Sir Philionel El Di Saillune, Phil, needs a bit of help from some swords-for-hire to smooth out said political mess. Interestingly, the novel-version of Phil is less obnoxiously gregarious than he is a simple fool with varying bouts of over- or underconfidence. Thankfully, Amelia is a character who arrives on the scene fully formed and ready to engage almost from the start. Her routine speechifying from high places, for example, never grows old. This book's story merges a handful of intriguing dilemmas, not the least of which is the tangled family drama. Phil and Amelia enter into open conflict with Phil's brother (Christopher) and nephew (Alfred), forcing Amelia to step into her own to save her kingdom from usurpers of all types (Amelia: "I really hate not being able to trust my own family," p. 58). But this book's most pressing issue is Lina's conflict with Kanzel, a sorcerer whose skills are frightfully impressive. Nobody really knows where Kanzel came from or where his interests lay. The only thing they know for sure is his ridiculous summoning skill. Pocket dimensions? Giant beetles that slumber beneath the Kravale Volcano? Kanzel doesn't play around. Lina and Gourry's tag team effort to turn Kanzel into dust is one of the cleverer final moves in all of Slayers lore. The attack strategy also hints at other spellcasting tricks to come: Lina deliberately combines innately disparate spells. Gourry is not amused ("You can't cutesy-pie your way out of this!" p. 124). And in the heat of battle, this book initiates what most light novels (or their anime counterparts) rarely do: The story exposes the lead protagonist to grave injury. The Silver Beast, is fun to read but tough to enjoy. Book five of SLAYERS Omnibus v2 has so many moving parts it's difficult to keep track. In terms of character development, the book introduces Xellos the malevolent and meddlesome magician as a friend/foe, establishes Amelia as part of the main cast, and brings back Zelgadis for some righteous action, to say nothing of the title's numerous villain and assassin characters. In terms of narrative elements, the book discusses the challenge of ritualistic demon cults, reifies the dilemma of demons having a grudge against Lina, introduces the concept of the legendary Claire Bible (tome said to hold the secrets of magic and demons), and does a rush job of articulating the immensity of Zanaffar, the Beast of Sairaag. If, in another universe, the author wielded the latitude to redraft book five at twice the length, to allow for stronger characterization and more efficacious worldbuilding, The Silver Beast might just carry the dramatic weight it seeks. For example, Xellos deliberately disengages from most conversations and only rarely exhibits his true skills. Part of this is a power play, sure, but it establishes unnecessary narrative distance between a critical character and his capacity to propel the story forward. Lina is on Xellos's case from the very start, noting his "very out-of-place smile on his otherwise unremarkable face" (p. 162); and yet, because the book has so many moving parts (and because they're all moving so fast), readers never truly glimpse a fuller picture of the character. A great deal of Xellos's charm is his aloofness, but too much aloofness breeds obliviousness (and therefore, uselessness). To be fair, the author shows readers Lina is chilled but undaunted by the mysterious priest. In one of the book's most subtle yet compelling moments, Xellos brushes off the oddness (that is, the humanity) of his new compatriots, denigrating them by saying, "You're proverbial birds of a feather"; to which Lina, dispassionately, points at the man and says one word to his face: "Bird" (p. 202). Book six, The Darkness in Vezendi is where it's at. Incredible sword fighting and perilous spellcasting duels run through this book from start to finish; The Darkness in Vezendi is all action. An encounter with a vicious assassin named Zuma, and not for the first time, pushes Lina and the gang in the direction of a trading hotspot called Vezendi City. Once there, petty merchants, mid-rank demons, and bad luck converge. Kanzaka really put in the work for this book and it shows. The deeper one wades into the story, the more dangerous the river of action. For example, on multiple occasions, the author is writing a scene with five or more spellcasters in action (and at the same time): Zelgadis is up against Duguld (demon, who wields spheres of darkness), Amelia braces herself against Guduza (demon, whose hair writhes like slender snakes), Gourry fights off the assassin Zuma (skilled with the sword and with spells), and so forth. It's maddening, but since the author handles it so deftly, it's also incredibly exciting. Who doesn't want to see Lina cast ragna blast, in which a pillar of darkness arises from an inverted pentagram, set beneath her target, and erupts with scorching black plasma? The Darkness in Vezendi is a showcase, exhibiting every main character at their best. Amelia, for example, has the wind knocked out of her and breaks one of her hands, but she muscles through impressively. The young woman summons several memorable spells, like vis farank ("channeling magic power directly into her hands," p. 36), which she uses to physically pummel Guduza in the face with brutal efficiency, as well as the spell elemekia lance (break) (spear of white magic), which is a modification of the trademark attack, which now splinters into 10 difference lances when the weilder snaps her fingers. Zelgadis steps up, too. Most notably, the golem-daemon-guy debuts his spell astral vine, which infuses his broadsword with magic, turning the blade faintly red. He also casts a tenacious attack called elemekia flame, which is apparently an enhanced elemekia lance, "but was powerful enough to flay a human's spirit in one blast" (p. 322). SLAYERS Omnibus v2 is excellent and sincerely builds its world and its characters, bit by bit, if a little too awkwardly in some books. Viewing these three books more broadly, the gradual integration of Amelia, then Xellos, then Zelgadis (again) is smart and systematic. The only downside is that some of the team's adventures are a bit too convoluted for their own good. Some mid-level demons show up once, only to be conveniently dismissed off-page. Some secondary characters, who serve as the impetus for the entire leg of certain journeys, are laid up in bed and never heard from again. When the balance is off, readers will readily discern something's not quite right (e.g., a villain dying a quick death feels anticlimactic). But when the balance is on, Slayers is fantasy-adventure literature at its most fun. The novel series is at its best when readers glimpse these characters as intelligent, fragile heroes who demand the best of their comrades. For example, on two separate occasions, Zelgadis discusses his quest to regain his humanity. The allegory he offers up is a dark one: a chimera creation is like a person draining some juice into a tankard of ale, mixing the two; "but to separate them again... It might not be impossible, but it certainly wouldn't be easy" (p. 196), for "even a recipe for the most delicious juice cocktail won't tell you how to extract only the orange juice from the final product" (p. 259). When Lina informs readers that Zelgadis rooms in the slums and is charged double the cost of a regular inn ("for a room twice as nice"), it really hits home how much the man has lost. Similarly, readers may not fully appreciate how much energy the author put into ensuring Lina's skills and knowledge base remain as finely tuned as they are. When the young woman isn't out and about, blowing up bandits, she's sneaking out drawing up new spells. She experiments daily. Whenever she hears a new spell, she memorizes it instantly, as with the humorous case of her filching Xellos's four talismans and recalling their "amplification chant" after listening to it only once. Lina talks about altering summoning spells to obtain different types of beasts or creatures; she clarifies the importance of studying, repeatedly, magical artifacts and weapons to familiarize oneself with their magical wavelength; and she openly admits to having invented some of her most deadly spells by pure chance. It's no surprise Lina is all ears when Xellos accidentally starts an absolutely brilliant lecture on the power scales of "black" magic and "white" magic, when discussing Zanaffar. Whenever Slayers gets deeply nerdy with its spellcasting, Lina isn't far behind. SLAYERS Omnibus v2 is more of the good stuff. The novel series' limitations largely stem from the barriers native to the books' original format. One can only hope the author eventually learned to moderate and balance his narrative expectations, depending on the size and level of engagement expected of the primary cast. But given the quality of the stories through six short books, such complaints are small and middling.

Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

[rainysflowers]

Rainy answers this because it doesn't have enough people who would actually send in asks for an ask game so it'll just do it on it's own!!

1. What was the first anime you watched?

The first anime I ever watched was Pokemon Black and White when it aired on Disney XD. Ofc, at the time I didn't consider it an anime for whatever reason, and that has stuck with me forever, so when asked this question, I always answer with the one I consider to be really the first anime I watched. Ouran High School Host Club. Summer camp, awards ceremony, final day. My friend comes up to me and says, "Hey, have you heard about this show??" I said no, and went and watched it on Netflix. Instantly hooked. Kyoya was my favorite host, btw.

2. What was the first fandom you were involved in?

Pokemon and Warrior Cats. I 'wrote' fanfiction for Pokemon in my head since the age of zero, and made so many Warrior Cat OCs as a baby. Had a HUGE playlist of M.A.P.s too. Both of them had a long impact on my life going forwards, and I'm not entirely certain which came first.

3. What fandoms are you involved in right now?

Gosh, atm? Nothing specific. I've been in a depressive mood for a while so I haven't watched anything at all in a LOOONNNGGGGGGG time. It's sad, to be honest.

4. Who is your favorite character from Lost Universe and why?

DAMN, putting me on the spot right away, god. Okay, so LU is a spin-off of Slayers and I have to be honest, I don't have a favorite character from it, mostly because it's not all that much of a favorite anime to me in general, BUT for the sake of this question, I think Rayl would probably be the one I like the most. Tho, that's cuz he's kinda aimed to be the Xellos of the anime...

5. Who is your least favorite character from GetBackers and why?

Easy. Drunk Vash. I, uh, don't know his name, but if you've seen the anime he's the other blond older man with light powers who shows up in the second half. To be fair, I hate the second half period, as it feels like a retread of all the cool stuff they did with Maku-chan and the Fortress in the first half, but I also think that Drunk Vash is just boring. The random assholes he brings along are boing (Not Toshiki, I respect his manga characterization), his motives are boring, and his ending is boring. And that's coming from someone who hate the manga's ending!!

6. How do you feel about Boa Hanncock from One Piece and why?

Of course the wheel chooses the long asf anime, smh. I'll have you know I put a decent amount of people on the other wheel. I hate her. I cannot stand her. I want her to go away. Great, very sad story though!! Okay, seriously, I HATE Boa, I hate her probably more than I hate any of the other characters that I hate. She kicks small animals, she's a dick, she's vain, and I hate her. She has a beautifully tragic and traumatic backstory I love. I love the symbolism of it that she has to carry, and how that has affected her into her later life. I cannot stand her. That should summaries how I feel about her.

7. What color do you associate with Zelgadis from Slayers?

Hmm, I'd have to say lighter blue. Not light blue, just a lighter blue. A grossly dusty and depressingly grey lighter blue. It is his skin color, so that's little surprise. But other than that, maybe a little bit of yellow. The sickly bright eyes of a creature watching you from the woods, stalking your every move. Will it attack you with its monstrous teeth and blood-stained claws, or is it making sure that you can't hurt it like everyone else whose come to this forest?

8. Have you read the manga for Ghost Slayers Ayashi?

Actually, I have not. I do own it, it's a two volume series, and I have an extra volume one that came with the collector's box set for the anime, but I haven't read it yet. I should, GSA is pitifully under stocked with content.

9. What is your favorite anime op?

I don't really think about this all that often, but if I had to choose, I'd probably say Death Note OP 2, What's Up People. Its fun. Other than that, We Are from One Piece.

10. What is your favorite anime ed?

Have a Nice Music!! from Show by Rock!!, or Revolution from Slayers Evolution-R. Mostly the latter.

11. Who is your favorite character to write for?

I think it'll have to be Xellos. That's hard to say, but I do really enjoy writing about them interacting with other characters, and they're one of my ONLY antagonistic characters I write for. Writing their world view as the Slayers equivalent of a higher demon is fun, and I just love using their character voice in the things I make.

12. What is your favorite headcanon for Crow from Show by Rock!!?

Oh boy. I'm not super fond of Crow, personally, I don't think about him too often, but if I had to choose something, it'd probably be that he actually does care about Aion, but just teases him cuz he feels like it. Basic, I know, but this headcanon applies more towards various fics and AUs I like to write. Most of them deathfics. A large through point is Aion breaking down to any degree and isolating or removing himself from the group, which causes the tri to go and find him. I usually like to have Crow most affected by this when I am writing him because it's a good contrast.

13. What is your favorite character to read fics about?

I don't have an all time favorite character to read for, but I do have characters who I like to see focused on in the fic, if that makes sense. There's not one that's more than the others, tho, cuz I usually read fics fandom by fandom. Character's I prefer to have a focus on (NOT THEIR POV THO) are: - Xellos (Slayers) - Ban (GetBackers) - Jack (L/R) - Sanji (One Piece) - Yoji (Weiss Kreuz) - ECT... Basically look at a list of my favs and you get the point. Funny enough they're also all my favs to read about dying er uh who said that!!

14. What is your favorite ship from Death Note?

Oh no. Why would it land on this. Oh well. If I have to admit it, I do really like Light/L, but not in a super sexual or even romantic way. I like them more as a fucked up, evil dynamic that can't be quantified, like 'love and hate are both the same' type sentiments. I particularly like them ship-wise when in a No Kira!Cops! AU I have, because it allows me to mess with them not liking one another BEYOND the scope of being a serial killer and a cop. Other than that, and a worthy mention, I also like Misa/L, both in canon and in that AU I mentioned. I just think it could be cute :3 No Light/Misa tho, not in canon most certainly, it skeeves me out

15. What is your least favorite ship from L/R: Licensed by Royalty?

Time to sound awful. Uh... I don't really like Claire/Rowe... I don't want you to get the wrong idea, they're fine, I'm just not into their chemistry. It's not something that I would enjoy writing about or consuming solely. That's mostly because I ship the boys, Jack/Rowe, the non-canon gay ship, but I really don't mind seeing Claire/Rowe in general. I'm just not into it. I don't really have strong feelings on characters outside of the main three (Jack, Rowe, Noelle) in this anime so the two being in a relationship means I'm not interested in half of it and it's hard for me to engage with it. Sorry two other L/R fans on Earth :P

16. What ship will you go down with?

... Okay, uh... this is weird, but my fav fav fav ship is Shuu★Zo/Aion from Show by Rock!! It's an enemies-to-lovers ship with two character who I don't believe have ever spoken before once... BUT I have this AU. So in the show, Aion ends up possessed by a negativity demon, and wanders to the roof of a very tall building (He seeks out high places when distressed, he's very mentally ill). Shuu notices and tells Aion's band where to find him. In the AU, it's Shuu who goes and saves Aion instead of the band, and they grow closer after this, which is hindered by the fact they are in dueling, opposite genre bands (Aion is vkei, Shuu is jpop). I love them so much.

17. Who is currently your main comfort/emotional support character?

I have like five million but a sold fall back is Xellos from Slayers. I don't know why, but something made me gravitate towards them and it was never the same after that. Other notable ones are, like, Ban from GetBackers or maybe L from Death Note, but Xel is def the all time fav.

18. What is a comfort character you have that makes other people go ??? "Really?" 

I honestly can't think of anyone that would fit that description, but I like Kiriko from Black Jack and I think that he might be one of the weirder ones?? He's an old man twink who does euthanasia, but he's got a good story and I like that he just shows up sometimes lol.

19. Have you used a quote from an anime/manga in a relevant situation?

Nope. I have referenced the plots of anime/manga in situations before, however, like when I let made my friend explain the semantics of Minecraft Parkour Civilization just to say "OMG that's like GetBackers :3"

20. What anime food would you like to try?

L's strawberry shortcake from Death Note. It's a weird choice, right, but it just looks sooooo good. Perfect strawberry, good looking cake, and it's L's!! What's more to ask for?? Or I'd like Sanji from One Piece to make me something. Anything at all, I just wanna see what he'd give me.

21. What anime place would you like to visit?

Not an anime place, but omfg take me to Sapporo or Okinawa. They are soooooo pretty in Yakuza 3 & Yakuza 5 respectively, I wanna go NOW!!!!!!! But if I'm allowed to choose a fictional anime place then probably... I think I'd like to go to Shinjuku cuz Count D from Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo is there and the GetBackers boys are there too. I'd like to meet with them.

22. What anime animal would you like as your pet?

I feel like I'd rather BE an anime animal more than having any that I WANT, but if I had to choose, then... The person I reblogged this from makes a good point with an eevee from Pokemon. I kinda want a persacom from Chobits but thats not really an animal...

23. What anime movie is your favorite?

I don't watch many anime movies, but I guess if I had to choose one it would probably be either the Castle of Cagliostro or The First, both from Lupin the Third. Great films really, each extremely well animated and easy to get into... well... Cagliostro is, not so sure about The First... BUT you should still watch them, they're wonderful!!

24. What is the saddest anime you have watched?

Trigun 98. By far. Saddest shit you will EVER see, I highly recommend it. It starts off really fun and goofy, but as you get into it, the anime slowly creeps in its depressing things until you get halfway in and its game over from then on. You will watch Vash cry at least once per episode, and you will watch as he is broken down mentally and physically till he's nearly nothing. Great show, tbh.

My overly sepcific ask game with questions no one wants an answer to

Alternative title: things I want people to ask me but no one does

What was the first anime you watched?

What was the first fandom you were involved in?

What fandoms are you involved in right now?

Who is your favorite character from (anime) and why?

Who is your least favorite character from (anime) and why?

How do you feel about (character) and why?

What color do you associate with (character)?

Have you read the manga for (anime)?

What is your favorite anime op?

What is your favorite anime ed?

Who is your favorite character to write for?

What is your favorite headcanon for (character)?

What is your favorite character to read fics about?

What is your favorite ship (from a specific anime or in general)

What is your least favorite ship (from a specific anime or in general)

What ship will you go down with?

Who is currently your main comfort/emotional support character?

What is a comfort character you have that makes other people go ??? "Really?" 

Have you used a quote from an anime/manga in a relevant situation?

What anime food would you like to try?

What anime place would you like to visit?

What anime animal would you like as your pet?

What anime movie is your favorite?

What is the saddest anime you have watched?

This took me forever to make please don't let this flop

[mysticdragon3md3]

I have filled out the Nendoroid Survey, and there was a big space for comments and no limit on the number of characters to ask to be made into Nendoroids, so I went a little long. ^.^

4. Characters you would like to see as Nendoroids (rereleases included):

Claude von Riegan, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Ambrosius Goldenloin, Ballister Boldheart, Rukia Kuchiki, Lelouch vi Britannia, C.C., Zelgadis Greywords, Ranma Saotome, Akane Tendo, Ky Kiske, Sol Badguy, Arsene, Gokotai, Akita Toushirou, Clare (Claymore), Megurine Luka, Sophia (Persona 5 Scramble), Kairi (Kingdom Hearts II), chocomint Kirby (Kirby's Dream Buffet), Phantom Thief version Futaba Sakura

8. Feedback about Nendoroids:

With regular Nendoroids becoming more expensive, I am looking forward to even more downscaled versions, for more affordability. I appreciate DX version Nendoroids and Nendoroid More Face Swap sets being available for those who can afford more accessories. But I enjoy the option to skip extra parts, when I cannot afford it. I very much enjoyed Nendoroids like Haikyuu's Club Jersey versions and Way Of The Ace versions, which had no extra faceplates, limited accessories, but were fully articulated, at normal Nendoroid size, and very affordable. I hope the upcoming Nendoroid Light line is similar. I didn't enjoy the lack of articulation in Nendoroid Co-de, nor the smaller scale of Nendoroid Surprise, nor the limited posing ability of Nendoroid Swacchao. I'd prefer a basic Nendoroid, fully articulated, with parts able to swap with other characters, and a versatile pose. I realize other fans complain about Nendoroids not having enough accessories, but I would rather skip accessories, to be able to buy my favorite character's Nendoroid, rather than be unable to afford a fully accessorized Nendoroid altogether. I prefer the option to buy extra accessories later or when I can afford it. I also appreciate customizable blank faceplates and Archetypes being more frequently available. Thank you for the recent Nendoroid Doll Archetype Kids, as I prefer their cuter proportions. Please offer the Nendoroid Facemaker outside of Japan. Or please offer faceplate sticker sheets, similar to Nendoroid Kagamine Len and Rin, or stickers specific to characters' facial designs, since Nendoroid Doll Eyes don't look enough like usual Nendoroid eyes. Also, I love Good Smile's original characters like Rose, Ciel, Berg, Makoto, Ryo, Chiaki, the Toy Soldier, the Queen of Hearts, and the Tea Time Series. I would love to buy just their heads, so I can match those original characters with Nendoroid More Dress Up bodies. I always look forward to more Nendoroid More Dress Up sets. Thank you for all your hard work.

[ipraygreywords]

I want to take part in a really admirably well constructed dialogue about "sorting" Rezo and Zelgadis, but I hesitate because

A) not to center myself but rather to be self-aware, I'm going through the longest slow-bleed personal trauma of my entire life irl (a legitimate worst-fears-coming-to-pass situation that keeps relentlessly passing every "it cant possibly get worse" threshold) and I think that would negatively impact my analysis of anything right now, but especially of a lonely disabled person onto whom I'm already tempted to project,

and

B) the analysis uses tropes framed inside a Harry Potter universe, and while I would never pretend that I wasn't once a huge fan of the franchise, things that have come to light both about the books and about their author make me too uncomfortable to participate.

But God, I wish I could, and I just want the two people involved in the dialogue to know how much I admire their brains. ❤️. I remember having the energy to be that passionate about Rezo--hell, about characters period--and I thank y'all for keeping the conversation going.

[stonebody-coldheart]

"I need to tell you something. I need you to look at me. And let me tell you something. You *never* failed me. Do you understand, Zelgadis? There are some things we can't stop, no matter how much we might want to. You *never* failed me." / ipraygreywords

It took a long moment for Zelgadis to digest the words Rezo was saying. He looked away then, speaking slowly to forge words into sentences in carefully measured tones, not wanting to say the wrong thing. “I was the one who knew you best. Really knew you. You were.. my best friend as a kid, I should have noticed..!” His fist clenched at his side. “You’d never cared so much about your sight before, I should have realized your obsession wasn’t entirely your own. That you twisting my words and our mission wasn’t.. really you. I did fail you, Rezo. Badly. Maybe if I hadn’t been such a selfish fool I could have saved us both and.. the others with us... And yet..”

He cut himself off. The older man would know, from his experience with the more taciturn knight, that he was trying to not show very strong emotions. Failing Rezo had sent the man down his life path. True, Roddimus and Zolph would probably still be alive, but without things happening as they did he wouldn’t have met Lina and Gourry, let alone Amelia, Sylphiel, or Philionel. Wouldn’t have gone on the adventures he had, saved the world, started to come out of his gruff shell a bit, get knighted.

“I was a selfish fool who failed you. But we’re both victims of the source in different ways. So I know it’s not my fault I failed, eventually that thing would have come out. And if things had been different Lina wouldn’t have been around. Gourry and the Sword of Light wouldn’t have been around. I might not have been there to call out to you to help us however you could. The one situation where she could gamble the world on a coin flip, call heads, and win as cleanly as she did.”

It had been hard to have lost and gained so much in so short a time. 

[ipraygreywords]

I feel like I ought to find and send you the novels upon novels of rp logs I’ve written of variations on this scenario.  @stonebody-coldheart and @cholericchimera have been notable, impeccably IC Zelgadises to my Rezo muse.

I also hate how the anime handled this scene, how rushed it is, and as you pointed out, how illogical; the manga for this season of the anime did a MUCH better job with the complexities of their relationship (though also left many things unresolved), and, in the finale, gave Rezo a line that the anime gave to Xelloss--a line upon which Rezo embellished to tell Zelgadis that “the light I finally saw was the light of you and your friends.” Lke, fuck. I bawled. 

Every time you post something like this, I try SO HARD to resist info-dumping my headcanons onto you, because I want you to have a legitimate, un-spoilered, unmediated first experience of the content, like I did. AROOOGAH! Tell me if and when you want me to verbally Special-Interest myself at you, about a character for whom I am Totally Normal™ ahahaaa. Ha. 

This exchange at the end of Evolution-R is always a little ??? to me because like. What do you mean you're "fine" with Rezo now? And why?

Like. I am a staunch Rezo Apologist but we never see him give Zelgadis a proper apology or anything like that. So like most people I just kind of have to. Try reading between the lines/do some headcanoning as to why Zel would say this at this point and what he means by it, which I personally think is a little more along the lines of "I have a sense of closure about my relationship with Rezo and it's no longer a Hot Button Issue for me," as opposed to "I forgive him for all the shit he did."

But anyway. Out of the very, very small pool of "Rezo is revived, Shabranigdu-less, Zel and Rezo suddenly have to navigate having some sort of relationship again" content out there, I think most of what I've seen has pretty much ignored this exchange. Which makes sense because again, it feels a bit inexplicable.

But I'd kind of like to see a story where Zelgadis, instead of being outwardly >:( is very deliberately :| or even :] at Rezo, because He Is Perfectly Fine About This And Has Moved On. And like... he has, a little, but not anywhere near as much as he purports to be.

And Rezo can 1) tell, and 2) is very uncomfortable with Zelgadis Being Perfectly Fine and kind of finds himself wishing Zel would just try punching or yelling at him or something.

[flameofchaos]

Whispers in the Dark - The Slayers fanfic

Warnings: blood, and I think xellos himself is a warning. Everything he does or says is disturbing. What do you expect from a demon? ^_^”

Like always THANK YOU to my dear Beta: @naiokiara

Chapter 4

“I’m soooo hungry, Lina!” complained Gourry for the third time within an hour, traipsing behind the sorceress.

“I knooooow!” she howled almost like a wounded wolf. “Me too! My stomach is so empty it will consume the rest of my guts soon.”

“I caught a small lizard. We can roast it when we stop to rest,” Zelgadis sighed deeply. Although his chimeric body was much stronger than his comrades’, he also felt uncomfortable. They haven’t eaten anything since the previous morning.

“When we stop to rest I’m going to roast a much bigger, golden lizard!” hissed Lina, crushing the blond girl with her chestnut-brown eyes.

“Miss Lina, it’s not very kind to call Miss Filia a lizard,” noted Amelia faintly, knowing it was unhealthy and unsafe to talk to the witch when she was starving.

The dragoness gritted her teeth. “In the evening we should be in another town. Stop complaining, already! How will you save the world if you can’t stand such a small inconvenience?”

Only the fact that Lina had to save her energy stopped her from throwing a Fireball right into the proud priestess who walked in front of her.

The red-haired sorceress had been in a bad mood since the previous evening. It’s not like she’d slept badly. Actually, the nap on the demon’s chest was very comfortable. Too comfortable. But Xellos making fun of her… Lina licked her lips again, but she still couldn’t get rid of the Mazoku’s flavour. Probably it wasn’t on her tongue anymore, but somehow it affected her mind. She couldn’t stop thinking about his stupid joke. He kissed her! No, it wasn’t a kiss, right? He just licked her tongue. Gross! So why had this awful act made her feel so strange between her thighs?

Gods, she will go insane with those demons and dragons.

Xellos had awakened her after midnight with a whisper that it was time for Zelgadis’ watch and then melted into darkness. Lina, sleepy and suddenly alone, had felt with double strength the cold wind all around. She had awakened the shaman, added to the fire some twigs from completely dry bushes growing near, and laid next to Gourry near the campfire. The blond warrior had been in deep sleep while the sorceress observed him with ambivalent feelings. He had breathed loudly, his strong chest moving up and down. The silent snoring had buzzed in Lina’s ears, somehow calming her. They had travelled together for so long, it was almost impossible for the sorceress to even imagine it would ever change. When once she had asked the swordsman how long he was going to be her protector, she had surprised him with her question. “For the rest of my life?” He had answered without hesitation.

He was a good man. Too good for someone so wild as Lina. He deserved someone delicate and pure like himself, like that priestess from Sairaag City, Sylphiel. She had always been in love with Gourry and only Lina’s presence by his side was an issue. 

The sorceress had smiled and shifted a blond lock away from Gourry’s face with a fond gesture. What should she do with him? What does she feel for him? Her heart was filled with warmth for the warrior… but the other man had just made it drum like crazy this evening. Why would she even think about Xellos that way? She didn’t want to! It wasn’t her fault the demon knew exactly which string to pull to sneak into her thoughts. He was an evil magical creature, not a human! Technically he wasn’t even alive. Nothing had happened. He had teased her, had his fun, and probably made a fat supper of her emotions. That’s all. She would behave like there were no embarrassing intimate acts between them. Because there weren’t, right? A foot massage, mental bonding (it could be considered a magic ritual), some friendly reminiscing, and fooling around with those kisses, only to make her feel uncomfortable. Typical for Xellos. But even in the morning, Lina still couldn’t stop thinking about that. Better for her to buck up, otherwise that bastard would easily notice how his mischief had worked and continue with it.

“We have to talk, Miss Lina.” Filia slowed down so the other girl found herself by her side.

“About the fact we will die in this desert without water and food before anyone decides to destroy this world?” 

“About Xellos.”

Great. She needed distraction from him, not to focus on him.

“From the moment he appeared he has treated you all as good friends. I insist that we must abandon his companionship! It is an offence to us, especially me, as a priestess of light, to spend even a second in his filthy presence.”

Lina rolled her eyes.

“And what should I do? He doesn’t react to a “Shooo!” command. He does what he wants. So long it isn’t us dripping all in red, I am fine with his company.”

“But he is a Mazoku!” Filia stopped in front of Lina to embolden the words. “What if he betrays us?”

Lina smiled sourly.

“My dear Filia, the question isn’t if he betrays us, but WHEN he betrays us.”

“And you say it so calmly?” At her emotions, Filia’s long tail slipped out from under her skirt.

“Can I do anything about that fact? No. Can I tell Xellos to leave us alone? Yes, but he’ll ignore it. If we piss him off, we will have against us not only Valgaav, but also the fourth most powerful Mazoku in this world not counting Shabranigdo. Do we need that? No. Can we handle such a threat? No. Sorry, Filia, but your dignity has to stand up to much more than his jokes about golden dragons. Besides, it is always you who starts fights.”

“Well said, Miss Lina.” Air wavered, condensing into a shadow that formed into a male shape. Xellos smiled brightly at the group. “Good morning. Have you missed me? How is my sweet Filia the Destroyer today? My deepest respects! My Mistress, the Greater Beast, sends her regrets that she couldn’t see the show herself.”

Filia’s face momentarily became red with rage.

“Give her a break, Xellos! What do you want, again?” snarled the chimera. 

“Not nice, Mr. Zelgadis.” The demon pouted. “I dropped in to bring some food and water. Straight from Seiruun’s best restaurant.” He took out from the dimensional pocket some delicious-smelling packages. “But if you don’t want it, then…”

“OUR SAVIOUR!” Lina and Gourry practically jumped on the man to get the meal. 

“Oh, my.” Xellos stepped out of their way. “Filia, you really should start to feed your workers. They were ready to bite off my hand. Even, we, Mazoku, don’t drive our minions to such a state. Miss Amelia, Mr, Zelgadis?” The demon offered packages also for the princess and the shaman. Both sighed shamefully, but took the gifts, trying not to look into Filia's eyes. Hunger at the moment was stronger than loyalty.

“And what about you?” The Greater Beast’s Priest smiled angelically at the dragoness.

“I prefer to starve to death rather than take anything from such a filthy monster!” Hissed the girl, her tail waving angrily. “Miss Lina! Don’t eat it! It's poisoned for sure!”

“Then I will die with a full stomach!” snapped the sorceress with the mouth filled with food.

“Slowly, Miss Lina; you will choke yourself! My, they are so enthusiastic, aren’t they?” giggled the Mazoku. “Come on, Filia. Maybe an apple?” A red fruit appeared in his hand. “It isn’t poisoned. I need you all as a bait for Valgaav, did you forget?”

“I won’t…”

“Take it!” Lina’s glare could melt rocks into lava. 

“Fine!” Filia finally reached for food too, trying to ignore the fact Xellos had abandoned politely titling her as Miss. She wouldn’t allow him to provoke her again.

“Good little dragoness,” praised the demon.

“You are a real friend, Xellos. We would die here for sure without your help. Phew!” Gourry happily patted his full belly with relief.

“As I said earlier, I need you all alive. That’s all.” Xellos shrugged, crouching next to Lina to show her a map. “In this direction is the end of the desert. Here is a small inn on the trail.”

“But there is the town we wanted to visit.” The sorceress sounded disappointed, indicating the other direction.

“Better not. I checked. Gravos and Jillas made another trap there for you. Valgaav isn’t with them. As we heard it, Almace ordered him to withdraw temporarily. There is no point in another confrontation with pawns.”

“True.”

“And you think we would believe you?” Filia was ready to start another quarrel with fresh strength now, since she’d finished not only the apple but also the dish Xellos had left next to her just in case she changed her mind.

“I think you are not in a position to decide today after that wonderful disaster in the previous town.” The demon’s eyes shifted from the dragoness to the sorceress. “What will you do, Miss Lina?” 

The redhead nodded.

“We will stay in the inn.”

“Wonderful.” Xellos moved his hand to wipe something off Lina’s cheek and slid the finger into his own mouth, making the sorceress blush deeply. “My apologies; I love this sauce. Sometimes things are so delicious I can’t resist.” He smiled, trapping the girl’s gaze in his hypnotic glare under half-closed eyelids. “Till the evening then.” He vanished before two stones, thrown in the same moment by Lina and Filia, reached his face.

***

The Mazoku, with regret, left the company of his favourite humans (well, he had to admit that dragon girl was also very amusing, even if the sweetness of her anger was a little spoiled by her sacred power) and jumped into the Astral Dimension, dispersing his physical form into dark energy. From here, where the material body didn't limit his power, he could divide his attention among the travellers, Valgaav's minions waiting in the town (poor things - they will be so frustrated when no one appears) and the rest of the nearby lands looking for any other sign of the traitor. 

Valgaav was good at hiding. Or maybe not directly him, but his new friend's nest somehow shielded him from the Mazoku's Astral Eye. 

No need to be angry about that. The traitor won't have his revenge on Lina sitting on his ass. He has to make a step forward. It looks like Jillas and Gravos don’t act directly on Valgaav's orders, but… they just wanted to help their master of their own wills. How touching… the loyalty and worship in their hearts.

Xellos soon got bored with tracing towns, fields and the desert without any success. Images of it were flowing through his mind, but the Mazoku's thoughts returned to the previous night with Lina.

It had been a masochistic torture to have her so closely clinging to his body for so long. The Chaos in her was calling him, almost demanding that he sink claws and fangs into this mortal girl. Only the fact Xellos was an experienced old Mazoku let him control his bloody needs. It was painful, but the longer he had kept her in his embrace, the more the feeling changed into a pulsing pleasure. 

She probably hadn't noticed anything, thinking that his touches were nothing more than his usual teasing. If Lina could see how limited his senses are… How hard is it to resist the urge of deep contact with her… she would attack him immediately.

The sorceress apparently had been sure he had only wanted to give her some warmth with his cloak, even when she knew the cloak wasn’t a fabric but part of himself. In fact he had wrapped her body tightly only so he could be closer to her. The Chaos was radiating from her whole body faintly. The more he interacted with her, the more he could feel that. Her clothes were a barrier. The demon needed the thinnest way to get to the source. The Chaos flew in Lina's veins, filled her muscles and organs, and pulsed in her mind as well. The most sensitive places on her body were pathways to it. The places where skin was thin and innervated: lips, neck, ears and others that the human species used for procreation. Lesser Mazoku desired only to tear this young woman apart to devour her and make the Chaos one with them… of course only till the moment a stronger beast of darkness would hunt them down to get the power for themselves. 

Xellos had a much better plan… as long as he is able to stay conscious while being near the Chaos for so long. 

It had been hard to not steal a kiss or two from her. The skin of her nose and forehead was a little salty from the sweat from a hot day, which dried by chill night. The demon's lips had felt ticklish after the contact, especially after the moment Lina had noticed his heart hadn't beat so he’d heightened the level of the reality of the human vessel, shaping organs inside of the body. This only sharpened his human senses. 

Xellos sometimes liked taking such a form. It demanded more power and focus to create a good human body copy, but it was very helpful in the art of manipulation, not to mention the improved pleasure of mortal senses. Like in that moment when he had used her distraction to brush his tongue against hers. The effect almost had shattered his control. His perfect falsification of taste buds felt the sweet wetness and slick inside of Lina's mouth. The experience had been intense itself, but mixed with his Mazoku's abilities, had made him moan internally. Chaos was so close, somewhere under this thin layer he had touched. Her saliva, which had remained in his mouth, had been full of very tiny parts of that terrifying power dreaming in the girl. 

So hard to not reach for more! He had to be patient and not scare away his precious sorceress. Her emotions had gone crazy. Lina was startled and angry with his boldness… but he could also feel what he had needed: human arousal, shame and embarrassment.

Soon he was going to get more. Much more.

***

The inn was a great choice. The food was tasty, and rooms small, but it had everything tired travellers needed to refresh themselves.

Lina wished to finally lay her head on the pillow and drift away, so she didn't listen very carefully to Filia's complaints during the meal. Thank gods, Xellos didn't join them there, so the priestess returned to her usual panic about the prophecy the group had heard so often they were able to wake up reciting it in the middle of night. 

After food they finally headed to bed. This inn was much more modest than the previous one where they’d had the pleasure to sleep, so Lina had no other choice than to clean herself in a bowl of warm water. Better this than nothing. 

When she finished and changed clothes into a nightgown, she started to brush her red long locks energetically, wondering lazily how likely it was that the threat to the world was real. Of course their lives were in danger like usual, but Lina, not for the first time, had serious enemies to deal with. The most important thing was to keep fighting.

The sorceress gasped when, reaching for another strand of hair, her fingers had met an unexpected shape she recognized as someone’s hand. She looked quickly in the mirror and in the darkness behind her, two reptilian amethyst eyes glowed delicately. A stranger's digits ran through her locks again.

"May I?" Xellos took the hairbrush from the shocked girl.

"Someday you will lead me to the grave. I HATE when you do that! I didn't invite you here!" Lina finally reminded herself about breathing. He seriously scared her. "Mercy, Xellos. Doors really were invented for knocking!" 

"My apologies, I didn't want Filia to know I'm visiting you again." His hands were skillful, and Lina's shoulders tired, so in the end she allowed him to brush her hair. "Is something wrong? This time I waited till the moment you finished refreshing."

"And how did you realize that I was finished?" Asked the sorceress with a weak tone. It was more than obvious he had peeked at her from the Astral Dimension. "Do you even know the meaning of the word privacy?" She snarled, observing his reflection while the demon was tying her locks into a plait.

Xellos smiled. "Of course I know. That's why I'm meeting you now. We couldn't have our nice scientific talks next to your friends."

Lina grimaced. Their ‘nice scientific talks’ cost her all night and a day of feeling funny in some parts of her body. "What do you want? Evenings in your company end with a headache. I don't want you here today."

"Quite the opposite, Miss Lina. You are yearning for my company." Xellos' smile widened, and Lina growled helplessly. "Don't be afraid of me, please. I swear I won't do anything against your wish this evening."

"My wish but not my words." Noted Lina sourly. She wasn't sure if she liked that because her emotions were insanely conflicted between enjoyment of his presence and fear of the demon.

"Correct," confirmed Xellos happily, shifting the finished plait on Lina's chest. "Is that a problem?" He sat on the bed's edge next to the chair occupied by Lina.

"Why are you here?" The sorceress sighed heavily.

"You haven't given me the answer on my offer yet," the Mazoku reminded her.

Lina bit the inner part of her cheek. Her eyes darkened. "It's been too little time. I need more than one day," she whispered. The fact Xellos had proposed a contract was a huge thing. Normally she would laugh at any such Mazoku's proposition, but… refusing openly to this one would be dangerous for her and the rest of the company. Creatures of darkness rarely could stand such an offence calmly.

"That's ok, Miss Lina." Xellos reached his arm and touched the witch's cheek directing her face towards him, so their eyes could meet. "Take as much time as you need. I didn't say I want the answer now. But…" His thumb brushed the line of her jaw, and the girl felt a cold shiver travelling down her spine. "... I'm not going to sit and just wait. Meanwhile I will try to convince you."

Lina's heart just tried to escape through her throat. 

"Could you not touch me, please?" She asked weakly.

"Why?" He purred, wrapping her plait around his fingers and pulling her towards him till the moment the demon could feel her irregular breath on his face. "Because of those things your body does against your will? It's not a shame to crave another person, Miss Lina. This is how your species works. I like the scent of your arousal. And your lovely shame… it tastes like strawberries."

The sorceress’ sight blurred in panic. With one quick move she jumped on the other side of the room. In her hands had already formed a ball of fire aiming at the intruder… but the bed was empty. Lina cursed under her nose. She shouldn't let him provoke her.

"Now, now… Such spells are dangerous indoors." Hands appeared from behind her, grasping her wrists firmly, forcing her to let the energy melt away in the air. "Calm down, Miss Lina. You know you can't win with me, however I appreciate the attempt. Is this what you, humans, call foreplay?" Breath of his giggle blew into her nape, raising every single hair on Lina's body.

She would swear that a moment ago, he hadn’t needed to take air into his lungs. A sudden closeness of his body behind her, and the awareness of the lost fight while the demon knew everything about how he works on her, frustrated Lina extremely.

Xellos turned the girl around so she would face him. That annoying smug smile on his handsome face enraged the witch.

"What a lovely blush! Smile, Miss Lina. I know you enjoy those little acts of mischiefs… or at least your body does."

"Stop fooling around!" She snarled, trying to free herself, but he only laughed at her, raising her hands to his mouth and kissing top of both warmly, before he pulled her again towards him, wringing her arms behind her back and pressing her body to his. Lina momentarily became docile, unsure of what would happen.

“I’m afraid I enjoy our evenings too much, Miss Lina,” the demon whispered, looking into her eyes with amusement. “So till the moment you give me the answer, I’m going to spend them with you.”

“So from the next town on, I’m going to share a room with Amelia,” the girl snapped back.

“Miss Lina! A triangle? So soon? You dirty little girl.” His wide grin almost drove the sorceress crazy with fury, but before she could gift him a bite or kick attempt, he pushed her onto the bed. 

Lina quickly used her freedom to grab a knife from under a pillow, pointing it at the Mazoku.

“Really? You want to use this against ME? Is that a joke?” Xellos too sat on the bed.

“Don’t mind it. It just makes me feel a little better. The illusion of control of the situation.” Lina’s body was tense and ready to attack at any moment. Most of her reactions were instinctive. Somehow she knew that Xellos really only toyed with her now and all she had to lose was a little dignity.

“I see. Then use it.”

“Pardon me?” She blinked.

“Cut my body, Miss Lina.”

“But…” The sorceress lost her confidence. Even if she knew the blade wasn’t able to harm Xellos at all, she couldn’t force herself to do it. 

The man smiled at her and pulled her ankle to have the sorceress closer. Even now she resisted attacking. Xellos raised his eyebrows.

“So… you trust me, Miss Lina.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t trust even myself.” She snorted and caught the air desperately, when his hand traveled up her ankle, slipping under her nightgown, through the shin and stopped on her knee.

“Even now you won’t attack? Is this an invitation?” His smile reminded her of a wolf’s one 

Lina threw a pillow into his smug face.

“What's wrong with you today?”

“I don’t know. Probably, the way I affect you got me a little drunk.”

“Can Mazoku even get drunk?” Lina was sceptical.

“In some ways, apparently yes.” He took back his hand, and the sorceress felt unexpected disappointment and chill in the place his fingers had rested. “I promised to convince you of the contract with me. Treat these evenings as an opportunity. I will be more willing to share the forbidden knowledge than usual.”

This immediately pinned Lina’s attention.

“Can I ask whatever I want?” Her eyes gleamed like a child’s on its birthday.

“You can ask, but I choose what I will answer, my dear. Let’s say, the larger base of knowledge is available after the contract is formed.” 

Lina blushed again at his fond tone and wondered about the first question. She didn’t want to push her luck too much in the beginning, so she chose a safe one. “Do you breathe only as a masquerade?”

“Hmm…” Xellos brushed his chin; “It’s a more complex topic than you think. The basic answer would be: yes, I do it mostly to hide among mortals, but since we are here for a longer conversation, we can go deeper into the issue.”

“Is there a connection with the heartbeat you can turn on and off?” Lina remembered the previous evening.

“It is all connected. Creating the physical vessel is more demanding than you’d think. That’s why only the most powerful of us can reproduce the human body in a way that seems to be real. I think a small presentation is needed.” The Mazoku reached his arm out to Lina. His dark coat and sleeve melted into a shadow absorbed by the rest of his body, shaping a bare forearm. Xellos’ clothes looked strange now, like someone had cut off half of them. Muscles seemed to be real, though.

 Lina furrowed her eyebrows, cocking her head to see better. A subtle map of veins and tendons were visible when Xellos stretched the arm. Till this moment she didn’t realize how complicated the construction of human organisms was. No wonder the lower rank Mazoku looked creepy, not being able to make their physical forms as good as Xellos’. Randomly placed eyes or limbs often mixed with animal parts. Chimeras from horrors fully deserving to be called monsters or demons.

“Cut my arm.”

Lina glanced at the Mazoku unsure, but Xellos grasped her hand and slid the blade through the flesh, before the girl could react. Inside the wound was blackness and emptiness which started to pour outside in the form of smoke for a short moment before the cut healed.

“So it’s only the perfect surface,” she concluded.

“It is,” the Mazoku confirmed. “Only at this level. Check now.” He pressed her fingertips to the inner side of his wrist. Lina shifted uneasily, when she suddenly felt the pulse. “This level of detail demands much more energy from me in creating the vessel. Cut my arm again. Deep!”

The sorceress clenched her jaw, but did that, almost immediately gasping in surprise when sliced flesh parted under the knife and blood (black like a night sky) burst out. She could easily see muscles, veins… even a bone deep inside. Xellos hissed in pain, but the wound started to heal before a panicked Lina could find anything to wrap up his arm.

“Easy, Miss Lina. Everything is alright. It is only a good copy. Even having the body in such a faithful form l am still a Mazoku. I will regenerate wounds immediately.” He chuckled at her terrified face.

“Warn me next time, before you drown my bed in blood, you asshole.” She punched him in the chest.

“Sorry about that.” Black stains on the sheets vanished, returning to the monster as smoke. “This state lets me feel in a similar way to humans: taste, pain, pleasure. I reconstruct everything inside: my all organs can work exactly like yours… if I need that. Additionally I still have my Mazoku powers. I can smoothly jump between my physical forms in a blink of an eye, but it costs me lots of energy.”

“So you are able to eat, drink and enjoy the sense of touch like every human.” Lina was impressed. 

“Copulation also isn’t a problem, and there is no risk of impregnation. I can’t copy the body to THAT level.” Before he’d finished, another pillow hit his face. “Oh, Miss Lina, you shouldn't be so shy. We are talking from a scientific point of view, right?” His bright teasing smile told her the opposite.

“Exactly. I’m not going to even consider that a veiled offer.” The sorceress murmured, totally red to the tips of her ears. “I was sure even you couldn’t create such a perfect body, but you can reproduce all five human senses… why are your eyes still so inhuman?”

“Because your species' sight is imperfect. I prefer to see well in darkness even being in the physical form. This is why I mixed into my vessel some animal abilities.”

"But how did you know how humans work? You have to know that to make such a perfect copy."

Xellos' smile faded and the demon remained silent.

"Don't tell me: it's a secret." Lina rolled her eyes.

"It isn't, but you wouldn't like the answer. Do you want to hear it after all?" 

Lina swallowed nervously. She could guess by herself: "Lots of very nasty experiments," the sorceress whispered.

"Astral possessions, enslaving humans, torturing them, examining. Dissections, vivisections… Should I say more? What did you expect? I am a Mazoku. Shaping my physical vessel to the level I showed you took me hundreds of years."

Lina wrapped her knees with her arms, pulling them to her chest, feeling sick. 

"Your race has an adorable tendency to underestimate someone who behaves in a friendly and silly way. Even you, Miss Lina, sometimes forget my true nature."

"You were right. I don't like the answer and it rather won't convince me to make a contract with you. So… good night?" She waved in the direction of the door.

"Everything has good and bad sides." Xellos ignored her words. "I don't need to do those things anymore. I'm afraid I’ve spoiled the mood. I better prefer you to be enthusiastic than gloomy. Any other questions?"

"Not today." Lina turned away her eyes, hoping that the demon would finally leave the room, but the Mazoku only shifted closer to her, taking her hand into his, stroking gently.

"You don't need to be afraid of me for now. You are… special to me."

"I feel that." She snorted, returning to her rather confident attitude, finally glancing at the man from under her eyelashes. "Even Filia isn't so harassed by you. I just wonder what makes me so interesting. My beautiful eyes? My intelligence? Sense of humour?" The sorceress joked, but then she bit her tongue, seeing Xellos smiling in a way she has never seen before. His amethyst eyes gleamed in a candle’s light, making her feel strangely hot in a way she already had enough.

"It's a secret," he finally answered, kissing her fingers, and then pressing his cheek to the inner side of her palm.

"Okay, you are scaring me," whispered Lina, and it was true.

"Not only scaring you." She felt his lips on her cheek, and realized he smiled wider, inhaling her scent into his fake lungs. "Strawberries." A low whisper in her ear, hot breath on Lina's neck. "Maybe someday should I try this dessert?"

Lina turned towards him ready to tell him what she thought about that, but suddenly she was alone in the room. Even the candles were extinguished. 

The witch lay more comfortably in the bed, but she couldn't fall asleep, observing the ceiling as though there would be answers for how to deal with everything that had fallen onto her fragile back.

"I hate when he does that." 

[nehswritesstuffs]

Cozytober 2020, AmeZel Edition! - Part 4

Long story short: I came across a prompt set for October this year that’s very chill and laid back, so I decided to try my hand at it. Each  prompt is for a couple days and you can find it [here].

485 words; takes place some years post-EVOLUTION-R, post-admittance of feelings, post-a lot of things if we’re being really honest

Part One - Part Two - Part Three -

Cozytober Days 13-16: bakery; Traveling doesn’t often afford one a comfortable bed to wake up to.

Amelia woke to the warm and inviting smells that were permeating the room. The inn they were staying at had a bakery in the back, its entrance on the alley, and her room was directly above the part that housed the ovens. She lazed in bed, hands resting on either side of her head, and enjoyed the moment—there wasn’t many like them on the road, especially while on the road when the deep chill of autumn was more a preview of the winter to come.

A soft knock was at the door and Zelgadis came into the room. He walked over to her bedside and sat on the chair next to her bed, keeping his distance just in case there was an accidental intruder.

“We should get going soon,” he stated. “I’m here to escort the Seyruun Royal Ambassador to Lyzeille for the Vezendi Accords, remember? Or did you forget…?”

“Just because we’re having a nice time on the journey doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten,” she said. She reached out towards him and watched him hesitate for a moment, then taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. “My offer still stands—we don’t have to show up as princess and bodyguard.”

“Your grandfather will somehow be cured of all his ailments in order to murder me.”

“You say that with such seriousness,” she giggled. He shook his head and sighed.

“Only because it’s a better thought than the alternative of your father and uncle combining their resources to have me assassinated; now please hurry up.” He stood and leaned over her for a moment, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before turning to leave. “I want to be out of here within an hour.”

“Pushy, pushy,” she teased. He left, allowing her privacy as she readied herself for the day… not that she wanted any privacy… not when it came to him. She quickly dressed and packed her things, opening the door to her room to find Zelgadis’s back facing her—ah, “guarding” her room. A quick pat to his rear and she slipped past him.

“Hey! Don’t do that!” he scowled. “I’m just doing my job.”

“You don’t need to do it that well, Mister Zelgadis,” she smirked, taking the lead as they went down the stairs. According to all the other travelers who had stopped at the inn for the night, the two of them were merely a wandering priestess and sorcerer-swordsman, allowing wanderlust to take them wherever their fancy might lead; a decoy was headed to Lyzeille with all their official clothes and everything sans the most sensitive documents. It was still good for them to keep their veneer in public, however, despite how electric their light touches had become in recent months. They sat down at a table, with a waitress placing a small basket of fresh bread on the surface soon as they were settled.

“What’ll it be for breakfast?”

[andersunmenschlich]

An Experiment

In which Xellos gives a lecture

「 『魔法』とは―いえ、『魔』とは一体何なんでしょう？」 "'Magic' is—no, 'ma' is what, do you suppose?"

「―本来、この世界には存在しない法則や力―」 迷うことなく答えたのはアメリアだった。 "Laws and power that don't naturally exist in this world," Amelia answered without hesitation.

ゼロスくん、満足そうにうなずくと、 Xellos gave a satisfied nod.

「その通りです。すなわち魔法とは、もともと何もないところから、呪文によって、この世界の因果を一部狂わせ、力や、別の法則を生み出すものです。 "Precisely. Magic is a thing which, by means of spells, deranges this world's laws of nature and produces power and another set of rules from a place where originally there was nothing.

この世界での魔法の発動は、世界と裏表―どころか紙一重の位置にある、精神世界面（アストラル・サイド）に呪文によって干渉し、なにがしかの力をひき出しています。 "The invocation of magic in this world intrudes into the world's other side—the astral side, a place so close to being 'here' that it's not even a hair's breadth away—and draws out power.

地水火風の精霊術は、それを物理的な力として具現させてから、目標となるものにたたきつけるわけですが、物理的な力として具現してしまった以上、物理的な防御力で防ぐこともまた可能です。 "Elemental spiritism embodies that power as physical force and strikes the target with it, but due to the fact that the power is physically embodied, it is also possible to avert using physical defensive force.

しかし精神系の魔術や黒魔術は、攻撃力の大半を具現させず、精神世界面（アストラル・サイド）から直接、相手の精神世界（アストラル）にたたきつけるわけです」 "However, astral (psychological, mental) magic and black magic strike the target's mind (psyche, mental world... soul?) directly from the astral side without giving physical form to most of their attack power."

「せんせぇ、しつもぉん」 あたしははたはたと手を上げる。 "Teach," I said, waving my hand urgently, "I got a question."

「はい。リナさん」 "Yes, Lina."

「魔竜烈火咆（ガーヴ・フレア）なんかはモノに火線が見えるし、龍破斬（ドラグ・スレイブ）を城や山なんかに直接かけることもできるわ。……まさか山や城に精神世界（アストラル）があるとは思えないし…」 "Spells like the Gaav Flare (Demon Dragon Roaring Inferno) have a visible line of fire, and the Dragon Slave (Dragon Destroyer) can be thrown straight against things like castles and mountains. ...I can't think mountains or castles could possibly have mental worlds...."

「うーん。いいところに気づきましたね。 "Ah. Well spotted.

龍破斬（ドラグ・スレイブ）にしても、術をかけると、うっすらとした赤い光が、目標物に向かって収束していくのが見えますよね。 "Even with the Dragon Slave, when you cast the magic, a faint red light can be seen heading toward and focusing on the target.

魔竜烈火咆（ガーヴ・フレア）の火炎、冥王降魔陣（ラグナ・ブラスト）の雷、龍破斬（ドラグ・スレイブ）の赤光、これはすべて、いわば導火線の役割を果たしているんです」 "The blazing flames of the Gaav Flare, the thunderbolt of the Ragna Blast (Hellmaster Summoned Demon Army), the red light of the Dragon Slave—these all play the part of a fuse, so to speak."

「導火線？」 オウム返しに問うあたし。 "A fuse?" I repeated like a parrot.

「そうです。それらが収束、もしくは何かに反応したその地点で、精神世界面（アストラル・サイド）にたまりまくっていた攻撃力がはじめて、この世界に具現します。目標物が生物でないならそのまま、生物なら、その精神部分をずたずたに引き裂いてから、残ったエネルギーがこの世界に具現します。 "Correct. On the spot where these focus, or where they respond to something, the offensive power collected on the astral side takes form in this world for the first time. If the target is not a living thing, the power simply comes through as physical force: if the target is living, it shreds the non-physical part of it, and then the remaining energy is embodied in this world as physical force.

―むろん、烈閃槍（エルメキア・ランス）のような、精神世界（アストラル）だけに効果がとどまる術もありますけど」 "—Of course, there are also magics whose effects are confined to the mental (spiritual) realm, such as the Elmekia Lance (Fervent Flashing Spear)."

「もうひとつ質問」 "Another question." と、これはアメリア。 This time it was Amelia.

「はい、お嬢さん」 "Yes, young lady."

「なんでそんなに詳しいんですか？魔道士協会でも、魔導についての本質は、すべて究明されているわけでもないのに」 "How are you so well-informed? Even the Mage Association hasn't investigated everything regarding the basic nature of sorcery."

「それは―」 "That is—"

「ひみつ？」 "Secret?"

「魔道士協会の通説だけが、魔導理論の最先端というわけではありません―とだけお答えしておきましょう」 "Let's just say that the commonly accepted ideas of the Mage Association alone aren't precisely magical theory's cutting edge, and leave it at that."

「おれからも聞いてかまわんか」 うんざりとした表情で尋ねるゼルガディス。 "I have another question, if I may," Zelgadis said, looking fed up.

「どうぞなんなりと」 "Anything you like."

「それで―いつ本題に入るんだ？」 "All right, then—when are you going to get to the main point?"

—Slayers 5, pg. 161-164

[ipraygreywords]

@magickforged REZO TO ZEL.