#Warden Chi

[ashenwinds]

You shall BOW BEFORE ME! Lest you wish to face the might of my ASHEN LORDS!

[madmaxxing]

Sometimes it takes five cursed pirates to poorly raise a child

[nautikids]

@ashenwinds sent: Chi is just going to walk over and offer out a trophy sized fish to Bruce, " Come here little guy, got some extra fish if you want it~ " No they definitely did not show up simply to give food to the goodest boi.

"Rrrrr?" The little land shark pup looks up from curiously sniffing some periwinkles and seaweed on the beach (It seems he had wandered away from his owners yet again!) when he hears the faint sound of footsteps, combined with... bones clinking slightly?

Oh, a skeleton.

Seeing Chi doesn't phase or scare or unnerve him in the slightest (at least, not yet)... but once they bring out the very large fish and offer it? Bruce's tail immediately starts wagging and his eyes widen, especially once he gets a whiff of the big fish. He bet it tasted yummy! This was such a nice skeleton!

With little hesitation, he jumps up to grab the large fish, and quickly starts eating it, taking very big bites out of the thing (sometimes not even chewing, quite literally inhaling some of the chunks of fish like a vacuum). Mmmm, it was just as delicious as he thought it would be, too!

He is now the happiest land shark in the universe. Thanks, Mx. Skeleton!

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Masterlist: Pokémon x Reader

Sword/Shield

Reader comforting Hop after Bede insults him

HCs: Hop being mentored by a Trainer!Reader who specializes in electric types

Cuddling w/ Piers

HCs: Piers falling in love with Pokepasta!Reader

Raihan reacting to Reader's intimidating Pokémon being soft

HCs: Raihan reacting to Reader, who owns a Zekrom and is sweet to dragon types

Leon encountering Bisharp!Reader in the Galar Championship

Legends of Arceus

HCs: Reader comforting Volo after his defeat

HCs: Warden Ingo w/ a Wanderer!Reader

HCs: Porygon!Reader in Hisui

Reader showing Ingo a Shiny Sneasel (drabble)

Reviving Lady Sneasler (Post-Hisui AU)

Scarlet/Violet

Paldea Trio

Jokingly proposing to Arven

HCs: Arven meeting Reader's Iron Hands

HCs: Meeting Chien-Pao

HCs: Meeting Chi-Yu

HCs: Meeting Ogerpon

Meeting the "Loyal" Three

Meeting Reader's Type: Null (who evolves into Silvally)

HCs: Reacting to Reader's Scolipede

Reacting to Pokepasta!Reader's team

Meeting and helping Mewtwo!Reader who escaped Team Rocket

HCs: Reacting to Reader's Elderly Garchomp (who use to be their grandpa's back in Alola)

HCs: Reacting to Kalosian!Reader who is of royal descent & owns a Furfrou

HCs: The trio (+ Hassel) reacting to Reader who lost their Mightyena

HCs: Reacting to Reader's birthday falling on Halloween

HCs: Reacting to Reader (who is the grandchild of a celebrity model/singer) and their Espathra

HCs: The trio (+ Carmine & Kieran) w/ a Dancer!Reader who is a descendant of sirens and owns Hoopa, Toxtricity, Oricorio, Alpha Primarinna, Meloetta, and Scream Tail

Team Star

HCs: Eri dating Reader, who is also a Shiny Hunter

HCs: Eri w/ Fem!Reader who acts like Team Star's Nurse Joy

HCs: Ortega meeting Fashion Designer!Reader

Gym Leaders + Professors

HCs: Hassel reacting to Reader's Elderly Garchomp

Jacq & Reader reacting to twin Shiny Growlithes hatching from their Arcanines' egg

Reader being cautious of Raifort

Reader convincing Professor Turo to make amends with Arven

Taming Aggressive!Miraidon (Turo Lives AU)

HCs: Cuddling with Turo (angst)

HCs: Larry reacting to Shy!Champion!Reader confessing to him

HCs: Larry meeting Mermaid!Tatsugiri!Reader

Reader w/ Missingno!Larry

Grusha falling in love with a Challenger!Reader who specializes in fire types and easily gets cold

Teal Mask/Indigo Disk/Mochi Mayhem

HCs: Carmine, Kieran, & Perrin meeting Pokepasta!Reader

Reader giving Ogerpon to Kieran (post-DLC)

Kieran reuniting w/ Reader, who was his shy childhood best friend

HCs: Drayton reacting to a reckless Reader

HCs: Kieran (+ Arven) meeting Shy!Reader with a Tapu Koko, Bloodmoon Ursaluna, Salazzle, and Iron Valiant

HCs: BB Elite Four (+ Kieran) dating Reader whose Miraidon get extremely jealous

HCs: Kieran, Carmine, & Drayton reacting to Reader falling into a coma after Terapagos' attack.

HCs: Kieran & Carmine reacting to Reader's new team (BM Ursaluna, Armarouge, Ogerpon, Shiny Slither Wing, Koraidon, & Chien-Pao) in the Indigo Disk

Reader w/ Pokemon

HCs: Paleontologist!Reader meeting Ancient Paradox Pokémon

Iron Valiant rescuing a Child!Reader from Iron Jugalis

HCs: Trainer!Reader comforting Koraidon, Iron Valiant, Mimikyuu, and Maushold after accidentally harming them

Garchomp protecting Fidough!Reader

[pupsmailbox]

HORROR ID PACK

NAMES ⌇ abyss. adelaide. alex. allure. alluria. amnesia. amnesty. annabelle. archer. ash. asher. ashton. athena. axe. axette. bates. beal. belial. belladonna. bellatrix. bellow. billy. blade. blair. bleedesse. bloodiesse. bones. bow. briar. brute. bubba. buffy. butcher. cain. caliburn. calyspo. carcass. carna. carrie. carrion. casey. casper. chainette. chains. charley. charlie. chase. chi. chris. chucky. claire. claymore. clear. colt. connor. corpse. craven. cross. crypt. cybre. cynthia. damien. danger. derry. desdemona. dove. dracula. drow. elisabeta. elm. elmira. elvria. em. enigma. erin. eros. ethan. evelien. eventide. falchion. finale. finalis. finn. fleur. freddy. galatine. ghost. ghostesse. gladius. graves. grim. guts. harker. haunt. hound. howl. hunter. hush. ikino. jace. jane. jason. javelin. jekyll. jesse. john. julie. kateline. kille. killer. killesse. killette. killire. killyr. knifesse. knifette. krueger. lamb. laurie. lavender. lenz. lillith. loomis. lorraine. lucien. lucy. machete. mal. malice. massacresse. massacrette. max. maxine. megan. mia. michael. mike. mikey. molar. mors. morticia. mortis. myer. myers. necro. nephi. night. noir. norman. nyx. nægling. obsidian. onyx. ophelia. pandora. pearce. pike. pin. pointe. pointette. pridwen. pyper. quentin. raven. reaper. renfield. retro. revenant. river. roadkill. rosemary. rot. ryker. sabel. sabre. sacrifesse. salem. samara. sawyer. scum. scythe. seraph. serene. sharpette. sharppe. shaun. shelley. sidney. slash. slasher. slashesse. slashette. slashine. slashire. slashyr. specter. spite. survivesse. survivette. sybil. syd. talia. thomas. vein. verity. vesper. visage. viscera. vivo. warden. weaponesse. weaponette. weaponne. wendy. whisp. william. wraith.

PRONOUNS ⌇　aby/abyss. alien/alien. amnesia/amnesia. axe/axe. bat/bat. bite/bite. bla/blade. blade/blade. blood/blood. bone/bone. brain/brain. brutal/brutal. bull/bullet. bullet/bullet. camp/camp. carna/carnage. chain/chain. chain/chainsaw. chainsaw/chainsaw. chase/chase. choke/choke. claw/claw. co/corpse. content/content. copy/copy. cor/corpse. corpse/corpse. cry/cry. cryp/cryptid. crypt/crypt. cut/cut. dae/daem. dae/daer. dark/dark. de/demo. dea/death. death/death. dec/decay. decay/decay. die/die. eldritch/eldritch. elm/elm. evil/evil. fear/fear. fie/fire. fien/fiend. final/final. flesh/flesh. fog/fog. freak/freak. fury/furious. gau/gauze. gauze/gauze. gho/ghost. ghost/ghost. gloom/gloom. gnaw/gnaw. go/gore. gor/gore. gore/gore. gra/grave. grave/grave. gun/gun. gut/gut. hallow/hallow. haun/haunt. haunt/haunt. horr/horror. horror/horror. house/house. hunt/hunt. hush/hush. k9/k9. ki/kill. kill/kill. kni/knife. knife/knife. lash/lash. lethal/lethal. live/live. machete/machete. maim/maim. mallet/mallet. mask/mask. massacre/massacre. med/medical. medi/medical. monster/monster. murder/murder. night/night. no/none. pin/pin. point/point. point/pointy. pois/poison. prey/prey. pyr/pyramid. red/red. reveil/reveil. revive/revive. rib/rib. rip/rip. rodent/rodent. rot/rot. run/run. sacrifice/sacrifice. saw/saw. scream/scream. scythe/scythe. shadow/shadow. sharp/sharp. sharp/sharpen. sharpen/sharpen. sin/sin. slash/slash. slash/slashe. slash/slashed. slash/slasher. slasher/slasher. slice/slice. sly/sly. sni/snipe. sound/sound. stab/stab. stalk/stalk. steel/steel. step/step. survive/survive. survivor/survivor. tear/tear. thon/thon. tomb/tomb. trope/trope. vamp/vamp. victim/victim. voi/void. weapon/weapon. weep/weep. whisp/whisper. wound/wound. wra/wrath. ☠️. ⚰. ⚰️. ⚱. ⛧. ⛨. 🏥. 🏹. 🐀. 💀. 💉. 💣. 📿. 🔪. 🔫. 🕳️. 🛡️. 🥀. 🦴. 🧛‍♂️. 🧟‍♂️. 🧨. 🩸. 🩹.

[elisajdb]

Brotherly Love Part Four

Raditz treated his new environment as a prisoner transferred to a new facility. He quietly observed his four wardens (Goku, Chi-Chi, Gohan and Goten), his cell (his camera-free bedroom), his food and his new facility (Mount Paozu) and quickly concluded it was comfortable and welcoming like a home. In all his travels, his pod and the planets he visited or conquered were places to rest and eat. They never felt like home where he was completely safe. He hadn’t felt that feeling since he was a child on Planet Vegeta with his mother. His mother was gone but his sister-in-law and youngest nephew made him feel as if their home was his home, too.

Every day, they greeted him with a good morning, fed him scrumptious meals and asked questions. Raditz never felt they were prying to find a weakness in him but were generally curious and wanted to know him. Goten asked about living on other planets and traveling in space. He had to dilute his stories and hide the horror of what he did from Goten. He made it sound like a fun adventure and if Goten got too curious, Chi-Chi would steer the conversation to another subject.

Chi-Chi was an odd one. Raditz understood Goten’s friendliness. He didn’t know the truth, but what was Chi-Chi’s excuse? She knew what he did but aside from her slap when they met, Chi-Chi treated him kindly and didn’t mind his flirting. Her questions were thoughtful and when she gave her opinions, she spoke of someone sympathetic to his situation.

But why?

It puzzled Raditz. Goku and Gohan’s behavior made sense but not Chi-Chi’s. She should hate him. She should distrust him but she didn’t and when he surprised Chi-Chi during her apple-picking, Raditz began to understand.

Two Days Ago

Raditz was happy to not be monitored as he flew around Mount Paozu. If Raditz walked around the mountain with Goten, Goku or Gohan would quietly tag behind but when Raditz ventured alone, no one chaperoned him. Raditz flew over the mountains, trees and rivers fascinated by his new home. Earth was a planet of many treasures with an unlimited supply of food and comfort. He read about it in the books he had access to at the facility but nothing could match the experience of it firsthand.

An hour passed before Raditz made a smooth turn in the skies to return to Mount Paozu. He had the freedom to explore but Raditz knew if he was gone too long, his brother will look for him thinking he was bringing harm to others.

Raditz descended when he passed over an orchard of apples. He made a mental note to pick some to eat on his way back. As he came closer to the ground, he spotted Chi-Chi walking into the orchard. Chi-Chi looked up, surprised to see him but smiled welcoming him. Her greeting smile was alarming. Why didn't she despise him?   

“How was your flight?”

“Good. Peaceful without my brother and Gohan stalking me.” Raditz looked around. “Where are they? They usually hover around you.”

“At home.”

“You’re out here alone?” The way his brother and eldest nephew hovered around Chi-Chi, Raditz didn’t think Chi-Chi was ever left alone.

Chi-Chi swung the baskets in her hands as she went to an apple tree. “I go out by myself a lot. Sometimes it’s easier to get things done.”

“What things?”

“Apple picking. If I come here with Goten, he’ll eat more apples than pick. Same with Goku. Gohan has his studies and I don’t want to disturb him.” Chi-Chi reached for an apple from the bottom branches. “I like to come here alone and be with my thoughts. It’s relaxing.”

Raditz noticed there weren’t many apples on the bottom branches. “And if you need more apples than you can reach?”

Chi-Chi jumped on the lower branch and picked apples above her. “There’s always jumping.”

Raditz elevated off the ground. He took one of Chi-Chi’s baskets. “Or I can help.”

“That, too,” Chi-Chi agreed as she filled her basket. When it was full, she jumped down kindly refusing Raditz’s offer to carry her back to the ground.

Each basket carried a bushel of apples. They were heavy but not for Chi-Chi. She used to wash Goku’s weighted shirts but she didn’t turn down Raditz’s offer to carry both baskets for her. They walked back home together. It was a rare opportunity for them since Goku and Gohan never left Raditz alone with Chi-Chi. He took advantage of this chance to converse with the Son matriarch.

“You’re an odd one.”

Chi-Chi looked at Raditz unsure if she should be insulted or laugh. “I am?”

“Not in a bad way.”

Chi-Chi laughed. “What other way is there?”

“Kakarot and Gohan don’t trust me. I know why. I don’t understand why you haven’t behaved like them. You know what I’ve done.”

Raditz wondered if this was one of those times his foot was getting caught in his mouth again. His brother didn’t hesitate to hit him and holding two bushels of apples left him at a disadvantage to defend himself against Chi-Chi. But his sister-in-law didn’t hit him. She didn’t look angry. He noticed a sadness in her eyes and voice when she said, “Odd is complimentary to what I’ve been called in the past, and if you think I’m odd because I’m kind to you, then I consider that a big compliment.”

Raditz understood why Chi-Chi thought that way. Bulma told him things about Chi-Chi that implied she was aware of the unflattering things said about her. I can cheer her up. “You’re right. When Bulma told me about you, I thought you were a loudmouth, crazy, irritable bitch who controlled my soft brother with her pussy.”

“What?!”

Shit! From Chi-Chi’s clenched fists, Raditz knew he had ten seconds to explain himself or he’d be kissing the ground. ”I thought that but I don’t believe it now.”

“Oh?” Chi-Chi’s fists remained clenched. “What do you believe?”

Raditz took a step away from Chi-Chi. “You control my brother with your pussy but a lot of women do that with their men.” He smirked. “If your pussy is that good, it’s not a bad thing and you’re not irritable.”

“But you still think I’m a loudmouth, crazy bitch.”

Shit. Does she look at Kakarot like this when she’s pissed?  “You’re not a loudmouth or a bitch but you are crazy. You have to be to mate with my brother.” Chi-Chi’s stern face melted slowly. Raditz saw a small smile forming. He knew what to say to make that smile grow and continue living. “Give him two children while ignoring this sexy specimen in front of you.” 

It worked. A full smile bloomed on Chi-Chi’s face. When Chi-Chi laughed, Raditz knew he wasn’t going to die. She turned away and resumed walking. With it being safe again, Raditz said, “I am curious why you don’t hate me.”

“If I had known you ten, twelve years ago, I would hate you. Everything was still raw then. I lost my husband and son for a year. I was all alone. You have no idea what it’s like to have everything you ever wanted and the next day to have that taken from you. Time is very healing.”

Chi-Chi was sad again and Raditz knew he caused that. If he hadn’t threatened his brother or kidnapped Gohan, Chi-Chi wouldn’t have lost so much but at the same time, he was confused. “Bulma told me some things. Kakarot stayed dead for a year and trained under some God. He was gone for a year but you said you lost Kakarot and Gohan for a year. Gohan didn’t die.”

“I know Gohan didn’t die. He---” Chi-Chi paused and stared at him. “You don’t know, do you?” She stepped to him peering closer at his face. “You really don’t know? Bulma didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” What was he missing?

“Gohan was kidnapped by Piccolo after Goku died. He took Gohan and trained him for a year without talking to me first. Gohan went through brutal training. It was probably tame compared to what you went through as a child but it was still harsh and my baby boy wasn’t the same when I saw him again a year later.”

“What?” Raditz assumed all was well with Gohan after he died. Bulma never told him this surprising information. “No… she didn’t.”

Chi-Chi snorted. “Typical Bulma. She’s never one to tell the entire story. She’s always holding something back.”

They resumed walking again as Raditz added this information to his memory. What Chi-Chi said about Bulma was true. She told him only what she wanted him to know. “Bulma told me Piccolo was a rival who became Kakarot’s friend and he’s very close to Gohan. She told me he trained Gohan during Kakarot’s death but nothing about a kidnapping.”

“They weren’t rivals. Goku killed Piccolo’s father when he tried to take over the world. His father was responsible for the death of many martial artists. Piccolo came to a martial arts tournament to kill Goku. He lost. Piccolo vowed revenge. The next time they met, five years passed and they teamed up to take you down.”

“Team up.” Raditz snorted. With this new information, Raditz had a different outlook on that match against Goku and Piccolo. “I scared the shit out of Piccolo. He teamed up with Kakarot because it was the only way to take me down. I was in the way of his quest to kill everyone.”

“Yup.”

Raditz let that settle in his mind. So, I made Kakarot and his enemy become friends. “Wait a second! How can Kakarot and Gohan be friends with Piccolo but hate my guts?! I kidnapped Gohan for hours. Piccolo kidnapped him for a year!”

“Ironic, isn’t it?” The twisted irony wasn’t lost on Chi-Chi. “Piccolo sacrificed himself to save Gohan from Nappa and he nearly died taking a hit from Freeza meant for Goku but I’ve asked myself the same question a few times.”

Raditz mulled Chi-Chi’s solemn response over. To Raditz, Gohan was a late bloomer and needed to toughen up. At his age, Raditz was in space but his time on Earth made him see that wasn’t all a good thing.

“You’ll find this strange to hear but my mother didn’t want me to fight. She accepted I would because I am a Saiyan born with an energy level so high that I could fight with elite Saiyans like Prince Vegeta. Before I left, I overheard my parents talking about it.”

Raditz stood in the doorway of his bedroom as he listened to his parents. He didn’t understand what was wrong. He was going to serve with the young Prince Vegeta on missions across space. His father told him it was a great thing for a child of Third Class Saiyans to serve with the Royal Family. His mother wasn’t enthused.

“It’s a great opportunity for Raditz, Gine. Raditz will serve with elite Saiyans. He will serve with the young Prince Vegeta. Third-class warriors don’t get this opportunity.” 

“Bardock, all you can think about is the status of it all and how important you will look among other Third Class Warriors. You don’t care how Raditz will be treated. As a Third Class, he will be looked down on even if Raditz fights as well as Prince Vegeta. You know how stuffy the upper-class Saiyans are.”

“There will be some prejudices Raditz will deal with but our son can handle it. Because of this opportunity, he won’t be living in villages for Third Class Warriors. If he sticks with Prince Vegeta for years, Raditz will live in the capital and show Third Class Warriors are as good as the Elite Class.”

“And that’s what you care about most, isn’t it, Bardock? You don’t care Raditz will be the fall guy if Prince Vegeta causes any diplomatic problems on his travels. You don’t care Raditz will be the first line of defense in a fight. I know Prince Vegeta will fight but he won’t engage in things as dangerous as Raditz. The heir to the Saiyan throne would never be in that kind of danger but no one would care if a child of a Third Class Warrior is killed. If Raditz dies, they’ll get another child from the Third Class and present it as a grand opportunity when that child will be patsy and bodyguard for the Saiyan Prince.”

“Gine, Raditz won’t die because no child of mine will die so easily. Raditz is tough. He is strong. He will prove he should be among the best.”

“That must have been harrowing for your mother.”  From what Chi-Chi learned, Saiyans were heartless and held no feelings about sending their children into space. “I can imagine her worry of wondering about you.”

“She didn’t have to worry long. I was months into my assignment when Planet Vegeta was destroyed.”

“I see. Was she right to be worried that you will suffer traveling with the upper class?”

“I had adventure, witnessed and experienced things that would make Father envious. I trained under the Elite Warriors Nappa, Bru, Mush and Zucco. They didn’t mock my status. They saw me as an equal. Prince Vegeta was an arrogant ass who made comments now and then but he did see me as a peer. You could say we were friends. That slowly changed when our planet was destroyed.

“When we were thought to be the only Saiyans left, Freeza welcomed us as refugees. Freeza, his father and other associates were sympathetic but it didn’t last long before their masks fell and they began treating us like shit. He created a poisonous divide between what an Elite Saiyan and Third Class Saiyan should experience. Prince Vegeta began to see me as significantly beneath him. I wasn’t allowed to eat in the same room as him. I wasn’t allowed to eat some of the food. I became his patsy and punching bag when Zarbon, Recoome and other shitheads ridiculed and kicked his ass.” Raditz shut his mind to those dark memories but times like now, it resurfaced and he relived the verbal and physical abuse. “Zucco broke the fights between us while Nappa, Mush and Bru cheered Prince Vegeta on.”

“That’s horrible, Raditz. You were the last of your people. You shouldn’t have been treated like that.” It was disgusting to hear but Chi-Chi was grateful for this lesson for it explained Raditz’s actions toward Goku and Gohan.  

“Fear motivates many things,” Raditz resumed his story. “Freeza began dividing us on missions. We all used to travel together but one by one Bru, Mush, and Zucco were given separate missions; each was more brutal than the previous. Eventually, Bru and Mush died on their missions. Zucco figured out what Freeza was doing. He tried to convince Nappa and Prince Vegeta we needed to escape but they refused to listen.”

The frustration on Raditz’s face told Chi-Chi Zucco suffered a grim fate. “How did Zucco die? On a mission?”

Raditz hesitated to say. He wouldn’t be looked on kindly anymore once it’s known but Raditz rather live with truth instead of lies. “I was gonna escape with Zucco but we were discovered. I pretended to not know what was going on. I sold him out to save my ass. I don’t think Freeza believed me but he killed Zucco in front of us so we didn’t think twice about leaving.”

Raditz didn’t dare look at Chi-Chi’s face. He imagined she was disgusted with him but his ears twitched when he heard sniffling. He turned to see Chi-Chi crying. What the hell? Why is she crying?

“You were just a child, weren’t you?”

Raditz shrugged. “I was twelve. Why?”

“You were a child,” Chi-Chi wiped her eyes. “That’s too much for a child to deal with. You reacted out of fear and survival.”

“To survive, you did what you had to. It wasn’t betrayal if it meant you got to live.” It didn’t squash the ache he felt seeing Zucco’s head rolled to him but it was what Raditz told himself to keep his sanity. “It woke up Nappa to what we were dealing with. He replaced Zucco coming between me and Prince Vegeta in our fights. He even defended me to Prince Vegeta who continued his descent.”

Chi-Chi picked up how Raditz addressed Vegeta as Prince Vegeta. She wondered if that was forced on him and after all these years, couldn’t break from it. This conversation was heavy and though Chi-Chi wanted to know more, thought it best to move the subject to something less grim. “Did you know about Goku?”

“I saw him in his nursing capsule. Our father always studied his Ki with his scouter. He said Kakarot was weak.”

“Nursing capsule?” Chi-Chi was unfamiliar with the word. “What’s that?”

“Saiyans are extracted from the mother in the early stages and grow in a nursing capsule until they are ready to be born. He grew in our kitchen.”

“The kitchen,” Chi-Chi mused. “That makes sense, but if you were away from the planet when it was destroyed, how did you know Goku was sent to Earth?”

“My mother sent me a message before she died.”

“What are we doing, Nappa?” Bru asked. “Freeza wants us all back but we still have to finish our job here.”

Raditz wondered that, too. They were given orders to return to Planet Vegeta. Raditz didn’t expect to return home for at least a year but he wouldn’t mind going home. If all Saiyans had to return, then his father would be home. Raditz wanted to see his father and talk about his missions. It would be nice to see his mother and maybe his brother but Raditz would never say that out loud.

“Why the hell is Freeza calling everyone back?” Mush questioned. “Doesn’t that seem odd?”

“If we go and we don’t finish our job here, we’re fucked,” Zucco weighed out their options. “If we finish our job and return late, we…. we still might be fucked.”

“Fuck it,” Nappa growled. “We’ll ignore it and finish our job here. We’ll say we received the message late.”

Though Prince Vegeta had a higher rank over the adults because of his royal status, he was still a child. This left Nappa to be the leader of the group on King Vegeta’s orders. Prince Vegeta grunted his approval and resumed eating his meal.  

Raditz turned away and walked off until Prince Vegeta called for him. “Where are you going?”

“Gotta take a dump,” Raditz lied. Being the prince’s bodyguard, Raditz was ordered to not be away from him. The only times Raditz could be away was for sleep or relieving himself. Raditz walked on until he reached his pod. He received a message from his mother on his scouter a few hours ago. There wasn’t time to check it while fighting but with this break, Raditz used it to check in.

Raditz entered his pod and connected his scouter to the motherboard of his ship. Gine appeared on the ship’s monitor.

“Raditz, I don’t know if you will receive this in time but whatever you do, don’t come back to Planet Vegeta. Lord Freeza has ordered all the Saiyans to return. Your father thinks Lord Freeza is up to something terrible for the Saiyans. He’s left to confront him. He…..” Gine sniffed as tears rolled from her eyes. “He also sent Kakarot away to a planet called Earth. If your father and I die, find a way to Earth. Look after Kakarot, be safe and don’t forget us.”

It was the last time Raditz saw his mother. When he learned Planet Vegeta was destroyed, Raditz hardened his heart to not feel anything. He never cried for his parents’ death so it was confusing to see Chi-Chi weep softly again. Why is she sad? It wasn’t her parents or her world.

“So,” Chi-Chi wiped her eyes dry, “you knew what happened before the others?” Chi-Chi recalled Goku telling her Raditz told him a meteor collided with their birth planet. Vegeta told them it wasn’t until many years later, they learned the truth. “That story you told Goku….”

“It was a lie. Kakarot didn’t give a damn our parents were dead when I told him. I didn’t see the point in telling him the truth. Besides, it was easier to pretend a freak collision with a meteor killed our parents, our world than to accept we were working for the bastard who did it. We had to swear allegiance to him for years and couldn’t do a damn thing.”             

“For a race consumed with pride, that has to be frustrating.”

“You’ve no idea.”

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore. Freeza is dead. You have a second chance.”

Some second chance Raditz snorted. “I’m trying but Kakarot isn’t making it easy.”

“I’ll work on him,” Chi-Chi promised, “and I won’t have to use my body.”

Raditz chuckled. Chi-Chi was an odd one. “You are crazy.”

Chi-Chi laughed loudly at that. “For my family, I guess I am, and that includes you, Raditz. You are family, and as I told Goku when we married, we help each other.”

What Chi-Chi said was so unnatural to him but it made Raditz smile. Maybe this crazy situation will work out.

Raditz spotted the top of the oak tree in front of the Son's house. They were almost home. “What are you going to do with all these apples?”

“Plenty. I will make applesauce, apple cider, apple cinnamon pancakes, pies, dumplings, cookies, cobblers…..”

“Mmm,” Raditz moaned. “Can’t wait to eat it even if Kakarot will fight me for it.”

“No,” Chi-Chi shook her head. “Your competitors are Goten and Gohan. They like sweets. Goku doesn’t eat a lot of sweets.”

“Because you keep him full?” Raditz teased and laughed when Chi-Chi’s face turned pink.

Raditz’s laughing ceased when Goku suddenly appeared before them. Raditz didn’t like the scowl from his brother. Whenever his brother gave him that look, Raditz’s face always touched the ground.

Goku kept his eyes on Raditz. “I thought you were flying.”

“He was.” Chi-Chi spoke for Raditz. “He spotted me and helped me pick the apples.”

“Apples?” Goku frowned at the bushels Raditz carried. “From the tree we planted?” Goku took the bushels from Raditz. “I’ll take them.” He created a bigger space putting himself between Raditz and Chi-Chi.

“Goku….” Chi-Chi chided Goku but he stiffly ignored her. As they walked back, Raditz knew Chi-Chi saw him as family but had doubts if Goku would see him as family.

****

“How is it going?”

“The first day was a struggle. It hasn’t been a month yet so it’s too early to tell.”

“But there are problems.” Bulma wasn’t in the room with Chi-Chi. She spoke to her through the camera on her cell phone, and from her screen, saw Chi-Chi looked troubled.

Chi-Chi scrapped potato skins as she talked. “Goku and Gohan aren’t getting along with Raditz. They’re not trying. Gohan stays in his room most of the time. Raditz tries but a lot of times he speaks without thinking and Goku hits him.” Chi-Chi poured the scraps into a compost bag she’ll use as fertilizer for her garden. She filled another bowl of potatoes and went to the sink to rinse them. She was out of Bulma’s view but could be heard as she said, “Goku never acted like this. There’s something else going on with him.”

“Seeing Raditz is bringing back a lot of memories.”

“I know,” Chi-Chi appeared on the screen again. “It’s tied to that. I tried talking to Goku about it but he’s holding back.”

“Is he hiding on the farm?”

“No.” Chi-Chi dumped the bowl of potatoes onto her cutting board and quickly sliced the skin. “Goku is home. He’s not comfortable leaving Raditz alone with me.” Goku’s behavior when he saw her and Raditz returning from the apple orchard cemented that thought. “I told Goku to not worry since I have Goten but he adores Raditz and that worries Goku.”

“He’s protective of you and Goten.” Bulma didn’t see the wrong in that.

“He’s not spending all day on the farm and he should.”

“Well…..” Bulma defended Goku, “he doesn’t have to do a lot with his speed and strength. He can check on it in the afternoon when Gohan comes home.”

Chi-Chi laughed because that’s exactly what Goku has been doing. “They are working in shifts to keep an eye on Raditz. I know Goku doesn’t need to spend a lot of time on the farm to work. He does use some of that time to train and he hasn’t been doing that.”

“Oh.” Bulma caught on to Chi-Chi’s concerns. She also noticed Chi-Chi emptying the potato skins into her compost bag again, leaving the screen and coming back with another bowl of potatoes to peel. “Isn’t that your third bowl of potatoes?”

“Fourth. I have an extra mouth to feed,” Chi-Chi grumbled as she peeled the potatoes. “I’m open to having Raditz here. He doesn’t take up a lot of space. I don’t have many clothes to clean. His room is neat but he does eat a lot like Goku and that’s more dishes to clean. I’m fine with that but sometimes it feels like I have a freeloader.”

Bulma had a feeling Raditz would quickly overstay his welcome. “I can arrange to send him back to the facility.”

“No.” Chi-Chi wouldn’t do that unless she was forced to but after hearing pieces of Raditz’s ordeal, Chi-Chi knew she couldn’t send him back. “Raditz hasn’t been a bad guest. He wants to get to know us. He’s been good with Goten and he hasn’t been hostile to anyone.”

“What does Raditz do?”

“Raditz waits until Gohan leaves for school to eat breakfast. He watches a few hours of TV, and walks around Mount Paozu with Goten and Goku lurking. He’s tried talking to Goku but he always ends up on the floor in pain. The rest of this time he’s in his room until lunch and dinner.”

“Hmm. Besides the socializing, that sounds like him on the island. He’s your guest, Chi-Chi. Make him do something.”

“I read Adira’s notes. Raditz has been confined for ten years. He has to get used to his freedom. Maybe then he’ll be open to doing things but it shouldn’t be forced.  It should come naturally.”

“I’m not saying you should force him but…..” Bulma stopped herself. She didn’t want to argue with Chi-Chi and knew the woman could be triggered into a fight. “You said Goku watches Raditz when he’s with you. Has he done something?”

“No.” Done with peeling, Chi-Chi began chopping the potatoes. “He’s been kind to me and Goten but he does eat a lot. It’s like having Vegeta with us every day except the ornery behavior.”

In the living room, Goten listened. He noticed the behavior of his father and brother towards Raditz. Goten liked his Uncle. He played games with him, watched TV and walked with him through Mount Paozu. Goten didn’t like his brother and Dad were mad at his Uncle. He didn’t like his Uncle putting more work on his Mom.

With an idea in mind, Goten closed his schoolbooks and went into the kitchen. “Momma, can I go outside with Uncle Raditz? I’m done with my lessons.”

***

Raditz savored the fresh air being pulled into his lungs. He never imagined feeling joy breathing fresh air and taking a stroll under the warmth of the afternoon sun but it was amazing what years of confinement would do to a person. So this is where you live while I bounced from planet to planet, Kakarot. Earth was different from Planet Vegeta. The ground was coarse and barren. The air was dry and humid. Here, the ground was lush and green; the water was fresh and full of abundance where one never worried about running out and animals of many varieties he longed to taste. No wonder you became soft, Kakarot. His brother was spoiled. He didn’t have to struggle or fight for the basics like him. Even though he traveled with the Saiyan Prince, he didn’t with privileges of class like him and what he wanted, he had to fight for. His brother was given everything and became soft. Soft and free his consciousness reminded him.   This soft life gave Kakarot a mate and two children. It gave the Saiyan Prince a mate and a child. What did he have? Years of confinement and a brother and one nephew who didn’t trust him. You kidnap your nephew one time and it’s held against you as if you can’t be trusted. His brother had a hand in his release but it didn’t mean he trusted him. Raditz noticed him trailing behind him and Goten. Raditz could feel his brother’s eyes watching and knew if he looked at Goten wrong, his face would be eating the ground underneath him. “Have you fished before, Uncle Raditz?” “Fished?” Goten pointed at the lake. “Big Brother taught me how to fish in this lake. He used to bring home a lot of dinners from here. Big Brother doesn’t do it anymore since he started high school. Daddy does the hunting now he’s back, but I sometimes bring fish home to Momma.” Ah, now he understood. Raditz was still getting used to the terminology. Some words were the same as what he was accustomed to while others were completely different. “I’ve not heard that word but why do you want to know?” “I like you. Momma likes you but Daddy and Big Brother don’t. I know you did something bad but no one will tell me what you did. Grandpa did bad things, too, a long time ago but everyone likes him now.”

Raditz saw pictures of Gyumao but he hadn’t met the giant man yet. He’s called a few times but Chi-Chi declined his visits citing she wanted Raditz to get settled in. He knew the man was concerned about him because Chi-Chi mentioned several times she was safe.

“Momma’s always happy when I bring home fish. When Momma is happy, Daddy and Big Brother are happy, too.” Raditz understood the scheme of his nephew. “You think if I make your mother happy, then your Daddy and brother will be happy with me.” Goten smiled happy his uncle understood. “Yup.” I can’t believe I share blood with someone so naïve. This trait did not come from the strong blood of his father. And yet, Raditz couldn’t hold back his smile. His nephew was an amusing wonder. “And Momma won’t call you a freeloader anymore.” “Freeloader?!” That was a word he did know. “She calls me that?” “Uh-huh,” Goten nodded. “I heard Momma tell Miss Bulma having you here is like having another freeloader like Mr. Piccolo. I agree.” “You do?” I thought Goten and Chi-Chi liked me! I picked apples for her! It shouldn’t bother him. Raditz had been called worse but it was agitating they thought this of him. His voice cracked, “Why? I picked apples for her.”

“You only did that one time.”

“Yeah,” Raditz agreed with a whine, “but it still counts.” Not to Goten. “You make Momma cook more food and you don’t do anything. Daddy works on the farm. Big Brother goes to school. You--- “Freeload. I get it.” Maybe he’s right but he didn’t have to say it. “Aren’t you too young to know that word?” Goten shook his head. He didn’t think so. “Momma taught me a lot of words but aren’t you too old to not know how to fish?” Raditz stood dumbfounded his nephew effectively burned him. Years ago, he would’ve smacked Goten for his sass but now he felt a smile tug the corner of his mouth. His father had a sharp tongue, too. Perhaps there were benefits of them sharing blood. “All right, Kid. Show your Uncle how to fish.”

****

“Momma, did someone wet the bed again?”

Chi-Chi attached a second clip to a fitted bed sheet hanging on the clothesline. Chi-Chi looked over at her son curiously as she pulled the flat sheet from the laundry basket. She gave it a good shake before she tossed it on the clothesline and secured it with two clothespins. “What are you talking about, Goten?”

“You used to wash the bed sheets once a week but now you’re washing them three times a week,” Goten innocently informed his mother as he read from his schoolbook. “Is it you or Daddy wetting the bed?”

Since Raditz began living with them, Goku has been anxious and frustrated. Goku exercised in two ways: training or sex. Since Goku spent more time at home, Goku relaxed with sex. Chi-Chi didn’t mind but she did have the task of cleaning the bed sheets more often. The spare sheets were on the bed but Chi-Chi wondered if she should buy a third set so it wouldn’t be obvious she was changing the sheets more than normal.

“No one’s wetting the bed, Goten,” Chi-Chi went to a second clothesline where Goku, Gohan and Goten’s clothes were dry. She removed them and placed them in the laundry basket. “The sheets need more cleaning because Daddy’s working harder on the farm.”

“Oh. Trunks said his Grandpa accidentally wet the bed once and it’s a sign he’s getting old.” Goten smiled at his mother. “I’m glad you and Daddy aren’t getting old.”

Chi-Chi brought the dry clothes to the patio table where Goten did his schoolwork. “I’m glad, too.” Chi-Chi shook a shirt and folded it. “After you’re done with your lessons, we’re going to the store.”

“Okay. Is Uncle Raditz coming with us?” Goten asked. “He’ll be lonely if we leave him here.”

“You think so?” Chi-Chi thought Raditz would feel at ease being completely alone. He has been more relaxed since Goku returned to work. 

“You have to go to work, Goku. You can’t wait for Gohan to come home from school to check on the farm.”

“It doesn’t take me long.”

“You’re not doing the work properly and our crops are suffering. Besides,” Chi-Chi playfully pouted. “I can’t get my ‘Chi-Chi, I’m going to work’ kiss and ‘Chi-Chi, I’m home from work’ kiss if you are here all day.”

Chi-Chi thought that would bring a smile to Goku’s troubled face. It didn’t. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”

He was so sweet to be so concerned for her. Chi-Chi kissed him. “Goten will protect me but Raditz won’t do anything. If he did, you’ll be here in a second.”

“How do you know?”

“I know while you’re on the farm you can feel my Ki and the second it drops, you will come. Raditz wants a second chance and he won’t do anything to ruin that.”

Since Goku returned to work on the farm, Raditz began contributing. When he went on his daily walks, he returned with fish, a deer or a boar. Sometimes he came home with a bushel of apples. Chi-Chi liked Raditz wanted to bring food to the household but one morning, he shocked her on how far he was willing to help.

Chi-Chi sipped her morning tea while Goku, Goten and Raditz finished breakfast. Gohan ate breakfast and rushed off to school before everyone. Raditz stayed in his room to give Gohan space. Chi-Chi didn’t want to force Gohan to eat with the family but she didn’t want the family to eat separately anymore. She wondered what could be done for everyone to eat together when Raditz went to the sink with his plates.

“Are you done, Raditz? I’ll take care of that.”

“I’ve watched you enough times to know what to do.” He placed his dishes in the sink and returned to the table to pick up other empty plates and glass containers.

Chi-Chi looked on curious. “What are you doing?”

Raditz placed the dishes in the sink and turned on the water. “I’m going to wash the dishes. It’s the least I can do after you cooked this wonderful meal.” 

Chi-Chi was stunned. The only person to help her with the dishes was Gohan but now he rushed off to school or his room when he came home. Since that day, Raditz took it upon himself to clear the table and wash the dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It made Chi-Chi happy and freed up her time for her other housework but it made Goku suspicious. Chi-Chi didn’t question it. She appreciated the extra help but even she didn’t see what happened next coming.

On Saturday morning, she was awakened by the smell of food. Chi-Chi sat up wondering if Gohan was cooking breakfast. Gohan did that for her when she was pregnant with Goten. The smell coming into the bedroom was so good it awakened Goku.

Goku yawned, “Is breakfast ready? It smells good.”

“It might be but I didn’t make it, Goku.” Chi-Chi got out of bed and put on her robe. “I think Gohan is making breakfast.”

“Why would he do that?” Goku got out of bed. “It ain’t anyone’s birthday.”

Chi-Chi tied the belt on her robe. “Maybe he’s apologizing for his behavior lately.”

“Gohan doesn’t have anything to apologize for.”

“He does. He’s not even trying with Raditz.” As Goku followed Chi-Chi out of their room, she reminded Goku Gohan wasn’t the only one. “You’re not either. You don’t want to listen to what Raditz and I talked about when we picked apples.”

“I still don’t.” Goku walked away from Chi-Chi shutting off the conversation.

Chi-Chi was going to yell but she refrained. Gohan was working hard in the kitchen making breakfast and making up for his behavior. She didn’t want to ruin it by arguing with Goku, but when she entered the kitchen, Chi-Chi didn’t see Gohan but Raditz wearing her apron as he pulled a pan of hot biscuits from the oven.

“Raditz?”

Raditz turned and sent Chi-Chi and Goku a bright smile. “Good Morning. I have made you breakfast.”

Chi-Chi stared speechless for several moments at hot pancakes on three plates, boar and stew meat on two large platters next to two large plates of fried eggs and toast on the kitchen table. “It smells delicious.”

“It smells nasty,” Goku grumbled.

Chi-Chi elbowed Goku’s stomach. “Raditz, I didn’t know you cook.”

“I’ve read a few cookbooks and made a few things in my cell. I’m not as good as you, but I can cook good.” Raditz came to the table with a large bottle of warm maple syrup. “You should eat while it’s hot.”

“We can’t wait to try it.” Raditz pulled a chair out for Chi-Chi to sit in. “Thank you. Goku, let’s eat.”

Goku sneered at Raditz opening a chair for Chi-Chi. “I don’t wanna.” Chi-Chi grabbed the waistband of his boxers and pulled him to sit down.

Raditz returned to the table with a cup of tea. He placed it before Chi-Chi. “Your morning tea.”

A wonderful scent of black tea mixed with a red rose wafted from the teacup. “It smells delicious, Raditz. Thank you.”

“Better let him taste it so it’s not poison,” Goku whispered to Chi-Chi.

“Wow!” Goten came into the kitchen with Gohan behind him. “It all looks and smells so good!”

“Mom,” Gohan gave credit to Chi-Chi, “breakfast smells delicious.”

Chi-Chi giggled amazed at this treat. “I didn’t cook it. Your Uncle Raditz made breakfast.”

The smile melted from Gohan’s face. “I have to do some studying before breakfast.”

“You’ll do it after!” Chi-Chi tolerated Gohan’s refusal to eat with everyone but not this morning. “Your Uncle made us breakfast. We should all sit together as a family and eat it.”

Gohan reluctantly sat down. “I hope it’s not poison,” he muttered.

Chi-Chi was sure the food wasn’t poisoned but when she saw Goten giving Raditz a thumbs up, she knew Raditz didn’t plan this on his own.

This change in Raditz was proof to Chi-Chi that he wanted a second chance. She didn’t ignore his kindness to her and Goten. Whatever Goten wanted to do, Raditz agreed. He laughed at Goten’s victory dance when he beat Raditz playing cards and board games. He was entertained with the TV shows Goten wanted to watch. Raditz sat through a few movies she liked. His commentary made her laugh. It did leave Chi-Chi with mixed feelings. She understood Goku and Gohan’s reluctance but she also knew Raditz wasn’t the man he once was.  

“I wanna see how strong you are, Uncle. Let’s spar.”

Chi-Chi didn’t think this was a good idea. She wasn’t worried Goten would hurt himself. She wasn’t certain Raditz’s ego could handle him being weaker than his nephew. As far as she knew, Raditz couldn’t turn into a Super Saiyan. “Goten, I don’t think you should spar with Raditz.”

Raditz was amused with her concerns. “I won’t hurt him. I wanna see how strong my nephew is. I heard he was good at the tournament against Prince Vegeta’s son.”

“Please, Momma?” Goten begged Chi-Chi. “I could learn something from him.”

‘Yeah. You’ll learn your Uncle can be jealous of you.’

“I won’t hurt the child,” Raditz promised. “And I need to spar with someone. I can’t do it with my brother or Gohan.”

It would be helpful if Goku or Gohan engaged in a friendly spar but they still saw Raditz as a threat. “All right but if I order you stop, you must.”

The match began with playful banter and friendly kicks and punches thrown between Goten and Raditz. Chi-Chi noticed Raditz putting in more effort than Goten. Raditz didn’t look bothered but Goten did as the fight dragged on. He halted the fight when he suddenly pulled back.

“Uncle, I’m a kid but I’m not weak. You don’t have to hold back with me. Fight me for real.”

Raditz lowered his arms slightly winded. “I am. I’m getting a good workout with you.”

“I’m not.” Goten didn’t notice he wearing his Uncle down. “Let’s spar as Super Saiyans.”

“What do you know about being a Super Saiyan?” Raditz jumped at the bright light bursting from Goten as he changed into a Super Saiyan. “You…..” Raditz stammered as he pointed at Goten with shaky hands. “This is not possible! You’re a child?! How can you be a Super Saiyan?!”

Goten shrugged. “I don’t know. I just am.”

Raditz looked at Chi-Chi for answers. “How is this possible? I thought only Kakarot, Gohan and Prince Vegeta are Super Saiyans.”

“I don’t know when Goten discovered it. I saw it when I trained him. Goten was four.”

“Fo…. Four?!” Raditz wheezed. “He was a Super Saiyan at four years old?! How?!”

Chi-Chi knew but she wasn’t telling Raditz. He’d have a heart attack if he knew what caused Goten to be a Super Saiyan. “Goten is a bit of a prodigy.”

“I don’t believe this,” Raditz looked as if the world hated him. “My baby brother and both his sons are strong enough to kick my ass. I thought I had a chance against Goten…..”

“You weren’t playing with me, Uncle?” Goten slowly realized he wasn’t lied to. “You’re weaker than me?” Goten covered his tiny hands over his mouth to suppress his laughs.

“Goten,” Chi-Chi tried to divert her child’s laughing. “It’s not funny. Remember your Uncle was in a place where he couldn’t get proper training.”

“I didn’t have a lot of training when I turned into a Super Saiyan, Momma!” For Goten, that wasn’t a good excuse. “I---” his small eyes grew suddenly. “You can’t turn into a Super Saiyan, can you?” Goten’s laughter couldn’t be stopped. “I’m the youngest Super Saiyan and you’re the oldest person to not be a Super Saiyan!”

“Goten! “ Chi-Chi loud bark silenced her son. “That’s enough. You didn’t like Gohan teasing you about being a Super Saiyan who couldn’t fly. Don’t tease your Uncle!”

Goten lowered his head ashamed. “Sorry, Uncle Raditz. If you want, I can teach you.”

Chi-Chi dreaded to look at Raditz. If he had a short fuse and was hung up on pride like Vegeta, he’d be furious now and filled with a thirst to kill but when Raditz's loud and boisterous laugh ceased her worrying.  

Raditz shook his head at Goten enamored and amused with Goten’s innocence. “How can you teach me when you don’t know how you became a Super Saiyan?”

Goten thought for a second before giggling. “Oops, you’re right. I can still spar with you. Maybe enough sparring will make you a Super Saiyan.”

Since that day, Raditz and Goten sparred together. Raditz wasn’t a raging menace at his predicament. Perhaps, it was due to Goten’s open acceptance of him, Raditz wasn’t angry or felt it was beneath him to spar with Goten. It gave incentive to Chi-Chi that she should take a chance on Raditz and reward him for his good behavior.

When Chi-Chi finished folding the clothes, she jumped off the balcony and landed smoothly on the ground. Her flawless jump caught Raditz’s eyes. He stood from his spot on the grass as she approached him. “That was an impressive jump. Maybe I should spar with you instead of Goten.”

Raditz’s flirting flattered Chi-Chi. She liked it but knew if Goku heard that, Raditz would be eating grass. “You do have a death wish.”

Raditz shrugged unbothered. “I’m a marked man by brother. Anytime I’m nice to you I get the look by him. One of these days, I will fill my quota of ‘the look’ that my brother will finally kill me so I will live as if every day is my last.”

“Hopefully, it’s not today. We are running low on some food.”

“Do you want me to hunt more fish?” Raditz offered his assistance.

“We have plenty of meat. We need other food: rice, flour and eggs for example. Goten and I are going to the store and would like you to come with us.”

Raditz pointed to himself. “You want me to come to a public place?”

His wonderous response was proof Goten was right. He needed this. “It’s a change of scenery and while we are shopping for food, we can find you new clothes.” Chi-Chi jokingly pulled the strap of Raditz’s tank shirt. “I’m tired of seeing this shirt at my table.”

It was still jarring to receive kindness. Bestowing gifts and expressing kindness were seen as weak. Raditz was taught to look down on people who acted this way. It’s not a bad thing. Raditz repeated that in his mind as he followed Chi-Chi to the house.

“Uncle!” Goten put down his books and ran to Raditz. “Did Momma tell you? You are going shopping with us, aren’t you?” Goten flashed his bright smile and climbed his small hand into Raditz’s large one.

Kindness has its perks.

***

Goku frowned at the rows of wilted plants. They can be saved but he needed to give them extra care. Chi-Chi was right. He was getting behind on his farmwork when he stayed home to keep an eye on Raditz. It wasn’t martial arts but Goku felt pride in the growth of his crops. He hasn’t been a farmer for long but his vegetables grew in popularity among buyers at the market. They were big, tasted great and always sold. Goku liked the praise and encouraged customers to return when he had more to sell but he loved this made Chi-Chi very happy.

When he returned to life, Chi-Chi explained their financial situation and reminded Goku of his promise to work. Of all their years of marriage, Goku didn’t carry a job. He did a few freelance work but nothing that stuck. After speaking with Mr. Satan over the money he made off his family, Goku brought so much money into the family that they upgraded their home and doubled its size. If Goku, Gohan and Goten didn’t have Saiyan blood, the money would be enough to live on for decades so to keep the family secure and honor Chi-Chi’s wishes, Goku went to work as a farmer. The work wasn’t as boring as he thought it would be. He liked working the land into a good home for the seeds and tending to them carefully as they grew and thrived into large and edible vegetables. He didn’t mind the work but it was Chi-Chi’s joy he appreciated the most.

Goku also liked Chi-Chi surprise visits when she brought lunch to him. Most days that was Goten’s job but when Chi-Chi came to lunch, he got pampered. After lunch, he’d lay in Chi-Chi’s lap and feel her caressing his hair and singing to him gently willing him to sleep. Goku knew that wasn’t happening today. Raditz was in the car with Chi-Chi and Goten.

Why did he come?

Raditz acknowledged Goku with a friendly wave. Goten didn’t greet him with his usual hug. Instead, he tugged Raditz’s hand and pulled him to look at the field. Chi-Chi opened the trunk of the car and pulled out two big picnic baskets.

Raditz asked to see it a few times but his brother turned him down. This was his first trip to the Son Farm. The land was impressive and split into different sections for each vegetable.

“Don’t go too far,” Raditz heard Chi-Chi say. “We’re not staying long.”

Goku accepted a kiss from Chi-Chi and took the baskets from her. “Is it lunchtime?”

“No. This is your lunch. I brought it early because Goten, Raditz and I are going to the city market for more food and we’re taking Raditz clothes shopping.”

“But he has clothes.”

“And you’ve complained about it.” Raditz wasn’t close to them but he heard the conversation. “Something about me being nearly naked around your wife.”

A low growl rumbled in Goku’s throat. Chi-Chi put a hand on Goku’s chest to calm him. “Goten. Raditz. Wait in the car.” Chi-Chi didn’t see it but Raditz smirked at Goku silently taunting him. Goku’s grip on the baskets tightened. “Don’t be grumpy, Goku. It’s not you.”

“Why are you buying clothes for Raditz?” Goku complained. “Why are you taking him shopping?”

“We agreed to take Raditz in and help him integrate with society. He can’t do that staying home all the time. Raditz is showing he’s changed. Shouldn’t we reward that?”

“Because he’s washing dishes, making breakfast, watching movies with you, picking apples and hunting food?”

“Oh, my gosh.” Chi-Chi couldn’t believe her ears. She thought Goku’s moodiness had to deal with antagonism towards Raditz but now she saw another reason. “You’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous!” Goku protested the thought. “When Piccolo lived with us, you hit him for every day he left Gohan alone. It was months before you thought he changed. Raditz hasn’t been here a month and you’re treating him like a friend!”

“Raditz didn’t leave Gohan alone for six months. He kidnapped Gohan and you got back at him.”

“But I died for that.”

“And whose fault was that?!” Chi-Chi snapped. “You can’t blame your friends for that, Goku!” When Chi-Chi saw the hurt in Goku’s eyes, she knew she had gone too far. Old wounds and memories were reopening. Chi-Chi spent years making her peace with it but Goku’s reluctance to share his dilemma and try with his brother was slowly driving a wedge between them. She spoke with her eyes, passing her thoughts to Goku as if conveying something both felt but never talked about. “Raditz’s being helpful. We should show our appreciation for his willingness to try.”

Years ago, he was in Chi-Chi’s position when he defended Piccolo to her. It was in his nature to give a second chance and forgive former enemies but his brother triggered something deep in him he hadn’t forgotten or forgiven. Goku felt Chi-Chi knew his turmoil but he couldn’t bring it upon himself to open up about it.

Chi-Chi’s soft lips on his cheek pulled him from his conflicting thoughts. “We’ll be home for dinner. I’m gonna barbecue.”

Goku kept his eyes down as he pouted. “You’re trying to bribe me with one of my favorite meals.”

“Yes. Is it working?”

“Yeah.” Goku shared a genuine laugh with Chi-Chi as he pulled her into his arms. He didn’t know how long he held Chi-Chi. He just knew he needed her in his arms now. Goku knew something was wrong with him. He knew Chi-Chi knew, too, but he didn’t know how to convey it. “I wanna tell ya, Chi-Chi. I don’t know how.”

“I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk.”

***

Vegeta flew at a comfortable pace to Goku’s farm. He hasn’t visited the Son Family residence since Raditz’s release. After overhearing Bulma and Chi-Chi’s conversation, he decided to check in on what was happening. There was something he picked up on the women’s conversation he wanted to see with his eyes. Vegeta spotted Goku opening a picnic blanket. Lunchtime. He hadn’t eaten Chi-Chi’s food since they learned about Raditz. His stomach growled anticipating a taste of Chi-Chi’s cooking. When he touched down, Vegeta noticed Goku’s frown as he laid out his bento boxes. Vegeta didn't suppress his smirk. He is jealous.  

“I never known you to look piss around food, Kakarot.” Vegeta sat on the blanket and picked up a bento box. “Is Chi-Chi losing her touch?”

Goku snatched the box from Vegeta. “This is my lunch. Chi-Chi made it for me.”

Vegeta reached for another bento box. “Shouldn’t that make you happy?”

Goku snatched that from Vegeta. “Chi-Chi made this for me.”

They were on friendly terms that Goku wouldn’t mind if Vegeta took one bento box. His annoyance signified he was bothered. “Is it Raditz?” Vegeta gently probed. “Is he causing trouble with Chi-Chi?”

Yes. No. Maybe. Goku opened a box of onigiri rice balls. “He hasn’t done anything bad but….”

Vegeta snatched a rice ball from the box. “He’s doing things with your wife.”

“He’s being nice to her,” Goku complained. “He’s washing dishes and watching movies with her. He even picked apples with her.”

“The bastard,” Vegeta's playful mock went over Goku’s head. Time to rile him like he’s done me. “I’ve traveled with Raditz. He didn’t always keep his hands off what’s not his.”

“Raditz ain’t touch Chi-Chi!” Goku didn’t like Raditz’s closeness to his wife but he didn’t think Raditz would be bold or stupid to touch his Chi-Chi.

“No, but I wouldn’t give him the opportunity. Raditz loves to flirt.” Vegeta reached for another bento box but Goku snatched it from him. Dammit! So close. “Where is he now? Home alone with your wife?”

“They ain’t alone. Chi-Chi and Goten took Raditz shopping.”

 “Shopping?” How wonderful! Vegeta knew he could twist this into an advantage. “Chi-Chi is growing fond of Raditz to take him shopping?”

Goku glared at Vegeta as he angrily chewed his food. Why did Vegeta have to say that? “She ain’t growing fond! She thinks Raditz should be rewarded since he’s helping out.”

“By doing things you would never do.”

“You don’t do it for Bulma!”

“I don’t have a threat in my house!”

“Raditz’s ain’t a threat! He’s…..”

“Someone your wife likes enough to take shopping. Someone she watches movies with. Someone she picks apples with.” Vegeta helped himself to a bento box of dumplings. “Did she do that when Piccolo lived with you?”

Goku glowered at the low blow. Chi-Chi never took Piccolo shopping. She got clothes out of their closet for Piccolo to wear and Piccolo fought against that. It would’ve been a war to take Piccolo shopping. “Chi-Chi ain’t like that. She loves me. She only wants me. She’s waited seven years for me.”

“She’s gotten used to not having you around. She got you working on the farm and a strong body at home to help out when she needs it.” Vegeta proudly bit into a dumpling. “She’s very gusty and cunning.”

Goku yanked the bento box off Vegeta’s lap and slapped the dumpling out of his hand. “Chi-Chi won’t do anything with Raditz.”

“She wouldn’t but Raditz is stronger than her. Gohan has school so he can’t protect her and Goten wouldn’t know if Raditz is making a move on Chi-Chi.”

“Why are ya sayin’ this? You told me my brother is alive. You held me back when I wanted to fight Raditz. Why ya talkin’ Raditz will harm Chi-Chi?”

Vegeta didn’t mind getting in Goku’s head so he could secure Chi-Chi’s lunch. This was all in good fun to get back at Goku over the times he riled him but Goku's anger was genuine and it gave Vegeta pause that something deep bubbled between the brothers. It intrigued Vegeta. “You don’t trust Raditz but you don’t mind him around your wife. Why?”

“I do mind him being around Chi-Chi.”

“Then why is she? You think I’ll let Bulma around someone I didn’t trust?”

“You let?” Goku laughed. “Bulma does whatever she wants. You can’t stop her.”

That remark would’ve triggered a fight but Vegeta had a better way of getting back at Goku. “And you can’t stop yours from going shopping with your brother. I bet Chi-Chi is sitting outside the changing rooms waiting for Raditz to model his clothes. Shirt on. Shirt off. When Bulma took me shopping, she used it to touch me. She pretended to adjust my clothes while I----” Goku disappeared before Vegeta’s eyes. “Finally!” Vegeta opened a bento box. “I thought he’d never leave.”

****

Raditz was an innocent child as he followed Chi-Chi around the supermarket. In all his travels, he never saw a place where there was a variety abundance of food. He ate from every sample tray and sampled foods that were sweet, spicy, sour, tangy and delicious on his tongue. No wonder Kakarot and Prince Vegeta settled here. Who would leave a planet with all this tantalizing food?!

Raditz didn’t have the same experience when Chi-Chi took him to the mall. The sounds were jarring to his ears and smells shocking to his nose. He was used to the solitude of his island facility and the natural sounds of animals and smells of the pine forests, fresh air and clean water on Mount Paozu. The malls had sounds of rapid talking and glaring music that pinched his ears. The many scents from people walking around him wearing scented soaps, colognes and perfumes were toxic to his nose.

He withstood the torture as Chi-Chi took him to a few shops for clothes. Raditz thought to get a couple of shirts and pants but nearly three hours of shopping left Raditz walking around with ten bags of shoes, socks, pants, underwear and a variety of shirts and pants. Goten carried bags of new clothes for himself while Chi-Chi carried bags of clothes for herself, Goku and Gohan.

“One more shop for a suit,” Chi-Chi walked into a suit shop. “Then we’ll go to a beauty boutique and home.”

Raditz grimaced as he walked around the suits. They weren’t loose like the shirts and pants Chi-Chi purchased. “I can’t wear suits. It’s confining.”

“They’re not for fighting, Raditz. They are for special occasions. Sometimes we have to go to events for Gohan’s school. You’ll need a suit.” Chi-Chi saw a sales clerk walking to them. Their shopping bags were a flare, alerting they have money to spend. “Hi. Liza,” Chi-Chi read the name tag on the clerk’s chest. “My brother-in-law needs a suit. We’ll get two today.”

“We are having a sale. Buy two suits and get a third half off.” Liza circled Raditz and measured him with her eyes. She left and met Raditz, Chi-Chi and Goten at the entrance of the changing room. Chi-Chi sat on the sofa with Goten and their bags while Raditz paced hesitant to try on suits. Liza returned with a white, cream, yellow, light blue and black dress shirts, a black, red, yellow and two blue ties in different shades and a black, navy and a charcoal pinstriped suit.

Raditz wanted to voice his displeasure at the restrictive clothes but he didn’t want to anger the woman who had been kind to him and his defense against his cantankerous brother. He took the suits and went into the changing rooms.

Goten played a video game while Chi-Chi patiently waited for Raditz to come out. After fifteen minutes, she wondered if she should send Goten to check on him when Raditz waddled out wearing a black suit, an untucked white shirt and a red tie in his hands.

Goten laughed at Raditz’s waddling. “Uncle, you’re walking like a penguin!”

“These pants are tight,” Raditz growled as he waddled to Chi-Chi. He held up the tie. “What am I do with this?”

“It goes around like your neck.” Chi-Chi looped the tie under Raditz’s collar. She noticed Liz behind them sifting through the pants for a bigger size for Raditz. “Liz is finding the right size for you. She’s usually good with her eye measurements. It’s your fault for having tree trunk thighs.”

“You noticed?” Raditz smirked at her. “I knew you’ve been looking at me. No one can resist this body.”

“You have an attractive physique that will draw women to you but I only get excited for Goku. Liz hasn’t taken her eyes off you. I’m sure Adira looked when you didn’t notice.” Chi-Chi saw the surprise on Raditz’s face. “You think I didn’t notice something brewing between you two?”

Raditz didn’t think anyone noticed and since Adira hadn’t contacted him, he began to think the feelings were one-sided. “If there was something, she would’ve contacted me.”

“This isn’t easy for her, Raditz.”

“How do you know?”

“A woman knows.” Chi-Chi pulled the loop down. “She’s staying away for your benefit. She knows you need time to adjust to life without her. It’s only been a month,” Chi-Chi tried to convince Raditz not long had passed.

“Sometimes it feels longer,” Raditz muttered but catching Chi-Chi’s smirk sobered him.

“Look at that,” Chi-Chi teased. “Someone is getting soft.”

Raditz closed his hands over Chi-Chi’s. If she wants to play around…. “Until Adira comes around, how about you and me have some fun? You noticed my body. I know you want me.”

“About as much as I want to see Majin Boo again.” Chi-Chi pulled the tie through the loop in front until it was tight over Raditz’s neck. “Death wish.” Her fingers loosened when she saw a body materialize behind Raditz.

Raditz winked at Chi-Chi. “I live dangerously.”

“Very dangerously.”

Shit! Raditz knew a punch was coming. I hope he doesn’t hit my stomach. I just ate. He was in the middle of a turn to face his brother when everything went black.

When Raditz opened his eyes, he laid in the backseat with Goten and several shopping bags. His head throbbed as he slowly sat up. “Wha….” He saw his brother in the driver’s seat and Chi-Chi in the passenger side. What the hell? He was in the store. How did he end up in the back seat of the car?

“Uncle?” Goten softly called Raditz. “You can’t play with Momma like that. Daddy doesn’t like it.”

“I see.” Raditz laid back down with a throbbing headache wishing his brother punched his stomach and not knocked him out again.

***

Tensions were tight around the Son Family home the next week. It took a lot of pleading from Chi-Chi to convince Goku to return to work on the farm. As stubborn as Chi-Chi was when she was angry, Goku was ten times worse. Chi-Chi thanked Goku by making his favorite meals, gave him daily massages and visited him for a private lunch on the farm while Goten and Raditz stayed home. It took a week but Goku calmed down where normalcy returned to the Son Family.

If she wasn’t Kakarot’s wife, I wouldn’t be doing this. After the shopping incident, Raditz knew he shouldn’t be here. He never would have gotten in this position if this was ten years ago. He never would be doing this if he was the same man he was before he learned of his brother but here he was, a soft warrior, sitting on the floor of Goku and Chi-Chi’s bathroom in front of their tub against his will.

“What brand of shampoo did you use while living in that facility?”

Since moving in with his brother and his family, Raditz always had a meal companion. Sometimes like dinner, Raditz ate with everyone, but during breakfast and lunch, his meal companion was always Chi-Chi. It wasn’t annoying having her as a meal companion. She’d ask questions, answer some from him or sometimes would be working in the kitchen.

It wasn’t unusual Chi-Chi asked him questions but he never thought she’d ask him about his hair. “I use soap and water on my hair.”

“That’s all?” Chi-Chi was confused. “I thought with that highly secured and expensive

place you were in, Bulma gave you access to fancy stuff.”

“Saiyan’s hair is the same from birth. It doesn’t need a lot of maintenance like human hair.” Raditz remembered the different hairstyles Bulma and Adira wore. He didn’t understand why Earth women had to change their hair so much. “How come with all your technology, you can’t make a product to keep your hair from needing so much maintenance? If you did that, you wouldn’t be changing your hair all the time.”

“It’s not maintenance, Raditz. We change our hair for style, personal preference and comfort.”

Raditz grunted as he reached for another sandwich. “Sounds like women can’t make up their minds.”

“Just like you couldn’t make up your mind on what you wanted for breakfast?” Chi-Chi tossed back. “I asked if you wanted okonomiyaki or waffles. It took you half an hour to decide.”

Why should he choose between two delicious meals when Chi-Chi can make both? “It’s not the same,” Raditz grumbled.

“Yes, it is.” Chi-Chi touched his hair. He looked at her unsure if he should push her away or squirm at Chi-Chi’s fingers caressing his hair.  “Your hair is straight except for the ends. It’s kind of coarse. Maybe you are a 1C.”

“A one what?”

“It’s hair pattern. I think the products I use on Goku’s hair and our sons will work for you.” Chi-Chi removed her fingers from Raditz’s hair. “Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“I’m gonna wash your hair.”

Wash his hair? He wasn’t a child. “It’s not dirty. I showered this morning.”

“It’s not the same.” Chi-Chi stood in the doorway and waved he follow her. Raditz didn’t move. “Indulge me. I don’t have a daughter whose long hair I can play with.”

Raditz put down his sandwich. He figured if he didn’t give in, this would make his brother angry and he’d get hit again. “I understand.” Raditz followed Chi-Chi until they were halfway down the hall. “Are you calling me a girl?”

So, here he was sitting on the floor of Goku and Chi-Chi’s bathroom with his hair in their tub. His hair was so long, Chi-Chi thought she couldn’t wash it properly in the bathroom Raditz and her sons use.

It was the first time Raditz entered their room. He remembered how Goku was closed off to allowing Raditz to look inside. Being here felt forbidden and made Raditz nervous.

Chi-Chi saturated Raditz’s hair with water from the showerhead. “This isn’t a good idea. My brother doesn’t want me in here.”

“I’m his wife and I say it’s okay.” Chi-Chi tilted his head slightly to get more water on his roots. “I’m washing your hair. We’re not doing anything illicit.” Chi-Chi worked the showerhead over Raditz’s hair until it was soaked. She put that aside, grabbed Goku’s shampoo bottle and squirted it on Raditz's hair. “I might need the whole bottle on your hair.” Raditz shrugged. He didn’t care. He thought Chi-Chi was being ridiculous wanting to wash his hair. His hair was so thick and long, Chi-Chi kept applying shampoo until the bottle was empty. 

Her fingers massaged the shampoo in that when she reached his roots, Raditz stiffened at a sudden sensation. “What….. ooo….. what are you doing?”

“You haven’t had a massage? This cleans your scalp, increases blood circulation and it’s very relaxing.”

“I agree with that.” Raditz closed his eyes and embraced the head stimulation. “Move it to the right. A little more. Stop. Right there. Right there.”

Chi-Chi shifted to get in a more comfortable position. “Feels good, doesn’t it? Goku loves these massages when I clean his hair.”

“I believe it,” Raditz groaned. This felt heavenly. How unfair his brother received this pleasure when he didn’t! “My brother is spoiled.”

“He wasn’t always,” Chi-Chi gently worked her fingers from the back of Raditz’s head to the front. “He didn’t get this treatment until we married. Before that, he had it rough.”

Raditz moved his head under Chi-Chi’s direction. “Not as rough as….” His eyes opened to see Chi-Chi’s breasts hovering inches over his face. Raditz knew from their first meeting Chi-Chi had a nice breast size. They weren’t distracting. At least, they weren’t when Raditz was a couple of feet away. It was a different experience with her breasts inches over his face jiggling as she fretted over his hair.  

How the hell did Kakarot get so lucky?

“What’s going on?”

Shit!

Of all the times for his brother to come home…..

He didn’t see me looking at his wife’s breasts. He didn’t see me. He didn’t. Raditz turned to his brother standing in the doorway. Shit! He saw it! Raditz closed his eyes again. He can't hit me if I'm not looking.

“I’m washing Raditz’s hair.” Water poured from the showerhead as Chi-Chi rinsed the shampoo out. “Don’t you dare hit Raditz. This was my idea. I was going to take him to a boutique to get his hair done after we finished shopping but someone interrupted that. So, I’m cleaning his hair and I had to use all your shampoo.”

Goku saw the empty bottle on the floor. It was caved in the middle. “All my shampoo?”

“I will use all the conditioner, too.” Chi-Chi lifted a section of Raditz's hair to rinse the suds. “I’ll buy more before I clean your hair this weekend.” Chi-Chi hummed as she rinsed all the shampoo out. She turned off the water, grabbed the conditioner and doused Raditz's hair. She gently brushed the conditioner in Raditz’s hair until all strands were touched with conditioner. “Stay here while the conditioner sets, Raditz. I'll be back in ten minutes to rinse it out.”

Raditz's eyes popped open. “Come back?” Raditz saw his brother still standing in the doorway. He wore that creepy smile that told Raditz he should not be left alone with his brother. “Where are you going?”

“To the kitchen. I won't be gone long.” Chi-Chi stopped by Goku on the way out and whispered, “Don’t hit him.”

Raditz heard Chi-Chi but he knew a hit was coming. He was growing weary of the blackouts and cheap punches. “Kakarot---"

“Why are you in here?”

“Your wife wanted to wash my hair. This wasn’t my choice.”

“You could have said no.”

Raditz scoffed. As if that was easy. “I haven’t seen you say no to her. What chance do I have?” Raditz pursued a few women that weren’t his. He could always spot a jealous husband and his brother was deathly jealous. Raditz’s experience gave him the confidence to handle it. “I’m harmless, Kakarot. I flirt with Chi-Chi. I laugh. She laughs and reminds me you’ll kill me. When I talk to your wife, your name comes up in every other sentence. She’s crazy about you so why are you threatened when we are together?”

“Why should I be threatened by you?”

Raditz felt there were many reasons. “My good looks. My willingness to help your wife without being asked. How many times have you washed the dishes? How many times have you surprised her with a meal? I guess not much but doing this doesn’t impress her to want me so I wondered why the fuck are you bothered?” Raditz pushed himself to his feet. His strength didn’t match his brothers but standing tall over him Raditz wanted to appear intimidating. “Are you finally feeling competition?”

“Competition?!” Goku weakly laughed. “You?”

“Damn right. I am a handsome man. I’m stronger than any human and I do more around the house than you. Maybe my presence reminds you of your inadequacies as a mate.”

Goku’s hair flared up. His hair hadn’t changed to blonde but his eyes turned teal. “Be careful of what you say next.”

“Stop acting like a jealous husband!" Raditz knew he risked another beatdown but he was too pissed at his brother's cowardly behavior. "Only a weak Saiyan can’t trust his mate!”

Goku's response was swift. Raditz didn't see the attack coming to defend himself. In a blink, his back pressed against the wall with his brother’s arm pressing his throat. “I trust Chi-Chi with my life. It’s you I don’t trust you.”

“You think I will make a move on your wife, Kakarot?”

“You took my son against his will!”

“That’s evidence I’ll force myself on your wife?” Raditz would laugh if an arm wasn't pressing against his windpipe. “I got three people ready to kick my ass if I do and that’s including a child! I have my pride, Kakarot, and despite what you think, I don’t see your wife in the way you think I do.”

“Goku!” Chi-Chi rushed in and separated Goku and Raditz. “What's the matter with you?!" She pointed to the door. “Get out.” Goku pointed to himself. "Yes, you! Out!"

Goku stammered. “But he….”

“Get out,” she repeated, “or I’ll give all of your dinner to Raditz.”

Her stormy eyes and fiery voice made Goku retreat. Being caught attacking his brother didn’t look good but Chi-Chi didn't question Raditz to learn what provoked him. It deeply bothered Goku how lately Chi-Chi seemed empathetic to Raditz while ignoring his feelings. 

What did he say to win her over?

With each passing day, tensions continued to grow between the brothers. The last week was horrible. Rain fell on Mount Paozu for four days. This limited Goku's work on the farm and kept the family inside. One harmless incident after another would trigger arguing that usually ended with Raditz getting hit on the head or laying on the floor in pain. Chi-Chi had thought this petty fighting would ease the longer Raditz stayed but it was increasingly getting worse with innocent casualties.

Their lovely home went under major renovations when Goku returned to life. The house was expanded to have a second floor, a room for Gohan and Goten with a spare room for guests. Her kitchen doubled in size. It was a dream but it was slowly being destroyed by Goku and Raditz's bickering.

One Saturday morning Chi-Chi neared her breaking point. Gohan, who usually stayed in his room, was with Goten in the living room and assisting him with homework. Chi-Chi was happy to see her sons together while she made breakfast. Gohan didn't say it but Chi-Chi had a strong hunch Gohan would join the family for breakfast. Her dream of a peaceful morning was shattered when rustling above her resulted in a piece of the kitchen ceiling falling onto the floor.

“I’ll go,” Gohan offered to be the peacemaker but Chi-Chi knew only she could put an end to this fighting.

Chi-Chi stormed up the stairs and into Raditz’s room. As soon as Chi-Chi entered, Raditz and Goku pointed to each other and said, “He started it!”

“I’ve almost had it with you two!” This was the third day in a row she intercepted a squabble between Goku and Raditz. “You’re adults and you’re fighting like children.”

Goku pointed to Raditz again. “He started it.”

“I don’t care! I’m ending this!” Chi-Chi pointed her angry finger at both men. “In two weeks, we had to replace a door, plaster three holes, repaint the hall and fix the floor in Raditz’s room. I’m not counting the broken glasses, windows and dishes. I will not have my home destroyed by your bickering! If there’s one more thing broken, you two will not eat my cooking for two weeks!”

Raditz and Goku’s mouths fell open. 

“Aw, come on, Chi-Chi!” Goku whined. “That’s too much!”

“I concur with my brother. That’s a very harsh punishment. Kakarot initiates the fights. He should go without your cooking.” His charming smile at Chi-Chi nearly had Goku lunging for him again. “I’ll happily eat his portions so the food doesn’t go to waste.”

Oh, Chi-Chi knew Raditz would love that. Whenever Goku got out of line, Chi-Chi gave his portions of food to Raditz. He’d smirk at Goku like Goten sometimes did to Gohan. For this to stop, he had to be punished, too. “You trigger him, Raditz. If you both have something to lose, you’ll act better!”

“Can’t it be just one meal?” Goku tried to negotiate. He can handle one less meal of Chi-Chi’s cooking. Two weeks without any was torture.

“If you think it’s harsh, then stop fighting!”

Raditz and Goku said nothing as Chi-Chi stormed out. Goku was frightened and that made Raditz smile. He finally had the upper hand on his brother.  He won’t get punched in the stomach or knocked out again. “It ends now, Kakarot. You won’t be hitting me anymore.”

“Why not?"

“Chi-Chi warned what will happen if one more thing is broken. Chi-Chi is your weakness and I damn well will use it to my advantage.”

This was Goku's fear. He wanted to help his brother but he feared his brother's words of changing and asking for a second chance was a ruse. To see he was right, awakened the volcano in him. “You leave Chi-Chi out of this!”

“No.” Raditz pushed a vase off his desk. Goku dove to catch it. “You see, Kakarot? I have tried to show I have changed but all I've gotten is my ass kicked but I have the upper hand now. If one more thing breaks, Chi-Chi will punish you. That means you can’t touch me.” Goku placed the vase on the table. Raditz shoved Goku. “You can’t hit me anymore.” He shoved him again. “You can’t fight me.”

Is that what he thinks? Goku smirked. He had the upper hand. Not Raditz. “I can fight you without breaking anything.”

“Really?” The holes Raditz had to fill in the hallway after Goku shoved his head in told him differently. “You haven’t so far.”

This taunting energized Goku. He liked this challenge. “Then I’ll prove it. Right now.”

Chi-Chi returned to the kitchen confident she put the fighting to an end. Goku would never risk forgoing her cooking for two weeks. Raditz would keep in line, too. But when she reached the bottom step, Chi-Chi had a nagging thought. Maybe I should’ve pulled one from the room.

Sounds of something scraping above had Chi-Chi, Gohan and Goten looking up. They heard growls and cursing from Goku and Raditz. Their brazenness to disobey pissed off Chi-Chi. “That does it!” Chi-Chi stomped up the stairs. How dare they defy her?

Chi-Chi stepped into Raditz’s room to see Goku and Raditz rolling on the floor. Raditz had an arm wrapped around Goku’s neck while his legs wound around Goku’s waist to keep him down. Goku retaliated biting Raditz’s arm.

“Ow! Dammit!! Let go! Ow!!” Raditz howled as Goku’s teeth punctured his skin.

Raditz grabbed Goku’s hair and yanked his mouth from his arm. “Ow!! Let go of my hair!” Goku reached back to pull Raditz's hand away and received a sharp bite into his arm from Raditz. "OW!!!"

"Now you know how it feels!" 

"I only like Chi-Chi's bites!" Goku's mouth clamped on Raditz's arm again making the older brother holler in pain. 

“Stop it!” Chi-Chi came into the room. “Stop it right now!” The brothers kept pulling hair and biting limbs as they wrestled on the floor. Chi-Chi intervened to push Raditz and Goku apart. “When I tell you to stop, I mean it!!”

Goku’s fist was already moving before Chi-Chi’s order to stop. Raditz weaved to the right, tangling his legs with Chi-Chi’s. They rolled stopping when Chi-Chi’s back hit the floor while Raditz’s face crashed into Chi-Chi’s breasts.

If Chi-Chi’s bloodcurdling scream didn’t alert Raditz he was in trouble, the soft and warm flesh pressed against his face that wasn’t a pillow did. “Oof!” He grunted as Chi-Chi’s knee stabbed his stomach. Raditz jumped away from Chi-Chi as if he was touched by a hot poker. Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit! This was bad. This was very bad. 

The growl coming from Goku chilled Raditz’s spine. He was a child when he witnessed his father fight another Saiyan for his mother. This ex-friend thought to take advantage of his father's absence and pursue his mother. His mother's rejection didn't stop him. It was the raw rage of his father that put an end to it. It frightened Raditz to see that rage passed to his younger brother. “This wasn’t my fault!” Raditz defended himself to his brother who trembled like an animal driven by murderous rage. “If you hadn’t thrown that punch…..”  No. Don’t say that. Probably best to not tell Kakarot it’s his fault.

"Goku," Chi-Chi tried to come to Raditz's defense. "This was an accident."

"No, Chi-Chi." Goku's hair flickered blonde. "Don't defend him."

Not even when he kidnapped Gohan did Goku look this pissed. Humor cooled Chi-Chi when she got angry with him. Raditz hoped the same could work on his brother. “It was an accident. Tomorrow, we’ll look back on this and laugh.” Goku’s eyes turned teal and his hair flared up again. “Come on, Kakarot. It's not that bad. If it makes you feel any better, your wife has an amazing set of tits. Be blessed you sleep with that every night.”

“SHIT!!!” Raditz screamed as Goku charged at him like a rampaging bull.

“Goku!” Chi-Chi shouted as the brothers collided, smashing the window and tearing a wall into rubble as both soared out of the house. The growing volcano in Goku finally exploded and Chi-Chi wasn't sure how to stop it.

[yuurei20]

Idia Info Compilation Part 7: Idia and Cats

Idia likes cats extremely, up to and including Lucius. This may even include cat beast-people, as he says “Lions are supposedly part of the Felidae family, but Leona’s about as docile as an angry lawnmower."

He also says "Oooh, I wanna widdle kitty cat to hug and kiss…”

He tries to pet Grim, mistaking him for a cat. Grim, having been watching a horror movie with the player and Ace, subsequently tells everyone that there is an evil spirit on campus, leading Ortho to confiscate Idia’s lab wear.

Idia’s love of furry creatures does not end with cats. In the Harveston event he is thrilled to find a raccoon, rabbit, squirrels and a deer in what he describes as a “paradise”, until they discover a packet of dried fruit in his pocket and proceed to chase him down the mountain.

He also says that while "dogs themselves are okay", he "can't deal with dog people.” Despite his impatience with video game interruptions, Idia says that tests and games are alike: "You get that same dopamine rush when you score high," implying he may perform well in classes.

When asked if he had a favorite stuffed animal as a child Idia responds that, no—he has always preferred his own handmade robots since he was young. He enjoys cup ramen, gifting a box of special, limited-time cup ramen to Deuce for his birthday.

Idia’s favorite food sometimes gets translated as “junk food”, but he specifies that he prefers a sub-genre of snacks that doesn’t seem to exist in English: “chi-iku-type dagashi”, which this YouTuber has translated as “educational confectionary”.

It is where you take different gelatins and things and mix them to create candy versions of things like sushi, hamburgers, etc., in miniature form. I am sure they exist in other places, too! NA translates them as "DIY candy kits", which is also accurate.

Idia is also invested in movies, designing his dorm’s section of the Halloween Event at Night Raven College to be an homage to a B movie called “Creepy Hollow”, that no one knows but he defends passionately to anyone who will listen.

Concerning his online games, we learn in the Phantom Bride event that Idia uses the handle “Gloomurai” online. His closest online friend is a person who uses the handle “Muscle Red”.

Idia turns down an opportunity to spend time with Ortho in favor of Muscle Red. While hinted at elsewhere in the game, it is also in the Phantom Bride event that we learn that Muscle Red is Lilia, but neither student is aware of the other’s true identity.

Idia seems to keep private rankings of different students, which include but are not limited to his “Night Raven College’s most cheerful character” tier list (Kalim ranks first) and the “Turbo Sus Vice Housewardens to Be Avoided at All Costs Rankings” (topped by Rook and Trey).

Idia describes Cater as having a sunny disposition that “is relentlessly smothering”, while Cater advises Malleus against going to Idia for technological help as “he’d probably run if you tried to talk to him”.

Silver says Idia always gets “so flustered” around him (he wakes up to Idia watching him as he slept). Idia describes Silver as “seriously handsome” and “like a prince”. During Phantom Bride Idia describes Vil as “a legit pro”, saying “Leona and Malleus’ faces are mega-striking”.

He describes Riddle as “the traditional prince who’s straight-laced due to his royal upbringing, but who occasionally shows some awkward tenderness”, Epel as “the dainty second prince players just want to protect. His rare, intense expressions are dark yet compelling!”

And he describes Rook as “the prince from a neighboring kingdom who’s revealed to have been secretly protecting the MC, immediately granting him best boy status!”. Otherwise, however, he describes the school’s house wardens as “difficult”.

[acronym-chaos]

Frost and Snow ID Pack

[PT: Frost and Snow ID Pack].

[ID: A purple thin line divider shaded at the bottom. End ID].

Names

[PT: Names].

Alina, Aurelian, Aurora, Bane, Bianca, Boreas, Caspian, Crystal, Eira, Elowen, Everest, Faye, Frost, Glace, Glacia, Gwen, Hail, Hala, Icy, Icario, Ivor, Iris, Jasper, Kalt, Loden, Lucien, Lumi, Mira, Neve, Noelle, North, Orin, Perla, Polar, Quinlan, Silvia, Snowe, Soren, Storm, Talia, Theron, Tundra, Vail, Wynter, Yvette, Zephyr, Zanna, Zarina

Pronouns

[PT: Pronouns].

Bli / Bliz / Blizzes [Blizzard]; Chi / Chill / Chills; Cri / Cryst / Crys [Crystal]; Cry / Crys / Crystal; Fla / Flake / Flakes; Flur / Flurry / Flurries; Fro / Fros / Frosts; Frost / Bite / Frostbites; Frig / Frigid / Frigids; Glae / Glace / Glaces; Hai / Hail / Hails; I / Ice / Ices; She / Shiver / Shivers; Sli / Slip / Slipperys; Sno / Snow / Snows; Tha / Thaw / Thaws; Wi / Wint / Wints [Winter]

Titles

[PT: Titles].

The Arctic Phantom, The Blizzard’s Whisper, The Frozen Fate, The Frostbitten Monarch, The Frostweaver, The Glacial Guardian, The Icemist Warden, The Icy Embrace, The Keeper of Cold, The Silent Blizzard, The Snowbound Wanderer, The Winter’s Chill, [Pronoun] Who Brings the Frost, [Pronoun] Who Commands the Storm, [Pronoun] Who Shivers the Earth, [Pronoun] Who Walks the Tundra

[ID: A purple thin line divider shaded at the bottom, end ID].

Requested by @luxdraconia!

Also tagging: @pronoun-arc @id-pack-archive

[clovermarigold]

MK Oneshots: Titan Fujin x Titan Gender Neutral Reader

Requested by Moonchhu on AO3

Defeating Kronika had been your most difficult battle yet. Free to reshape time in whatever image you desired was daunting at first. But after millenia of careful craftsmanship, you were content with your creation. Your perfect little Garden.

Diligently you plucked the weeds from your garden; Shang Tsung and Quan Chi to name a few. You clipped every stray leaf that defiled your neatly kept hedges; Shao khan and Rain. And in your diligence you found peace.

Peace….

No

You never knew peace. You spent every lonely second awake and hovering over your timeline, paranoid and possessive over the last bit of control you had over your life. You had never wanted this, to be a keeper of time. But what choice did you have, Kronika had damaged your timeline far too much to be without a time god. And there was certainly no one you could trust with the hourglass.

Except… Your Fujin. Oh how you longed for him, how your soul yearned for its other half. The one who softened your strict and cold nature.Who were you kidding, you weren’t tending a garden. You were wardening a prison. Holding your subjects to a script and removing any that dared to say as much as a line wrong. Without free will your timeline was miserable, and so was its keeper.

You spent the first thousand years attempting to recreate your Fujin. But how could you? How could you ever fall in love with a cheap imitation? No matter how hard you tried, your creations couldn’t act like him, not as accurately as you knew he would. And the ones that did… you could only see for the copy they were. Attempt after attempt you failed, growing colder and returning to your previous self. 

Today you stand in your temple, staring loathfully at the hourglass you were so ruthlessly tasked to guard, in the timeline you were forced to steward. The glass reflected your sour grimace, taunting you for all your shortcomings. You debate with yourself, unknowing of what to do next. Should you continue this unfair timeline of tyranny and absolution? You could always restart the timeline with a…. Gentler touch, if you were even capable of that. But wouldn't that make you just as bad as Kronika. Destroying and restarting the timeline whenever you see fit regardless of what your mortals thought. 

By the elder gods, you weren’t cut out for this. Here you are, a time god, the primordial titan with more power than any other in the world, sulking on the steps of your own temple and praying to gods you created purely from a habit formed millennia ago. Perhaps you should have given the hourglass to someone else. Fujin would make a far more suitable time keeper. Had he not disappeared before your battle with Kronika you would have.

Just another reason to curse the mad titan you suppose. The hourglass began to rattle, sand reversing its flow as particles soared through the glass without shattering. Standing to attention you attempted to force it back in, to no avail. The golden flakes grappled themselves to your hands and arms, before painlessly taking bits of you back with them into the hourglass, “What is this?!”. The barrage of gold and lights spread up your arms, eating away at you and pulling more and more into the hourglass, until it spread to your neck. Your vision goes blank when you feel your physical form dissipate, being dragged who knows where. 

But just as quickly as it happened, your vision returned…. Somewhere new. You know this place, you had spent day after day here much to Lord Raiden’s disapproval, basking in his brother's presence. The sky temple, it was different, however, a large silver and blue hourglass similar to your own in front of you. Looking at your surroundings was when your heart stopped, there in front of you was a Fujin. “What is this? Where am I?” you demanded.

“You are safe, my heart” he held up his hands to calm you as he approached. Your chest panged at hearing his name for you after so long. But you dared not hope, you would not tempt yourself with another cheap imitation. “We are in the sky temple. In my timeline ” he explained, stopping when he noticed your stiffness and unease, “Your timeline?”.

“The battle for Kronika’s hourglass has fractured time. Where there was once one timeline there are now many. In your timeline, you defeated Kronika, in mine, it was me. Every one of us has defeated Kronika and in turn created our own timeline”. Multiple timelines? Of course, that’s how he was able to pull you through your hourglass, he’s a timekeeper. But if he was a keeper of time, then that would mean that he was… your Fujin.

He watched as your guard drops and your face softens, piecing together the truth of what he was trying to say. “Then.. that would mean.. That you’re?-” He closed the gap between the two of you, “It is me, my heart”. His hand held your face as he looked down at you with all the adoration you had missed from so long ago, “I wanted to give you the hourglass, but you were gone. Where were you?”.

“Kronika confined me to a prison with Shang Tsung and Nightwolf, fearing our interference. Do not dwell on the past, we are here now, and I will never leave your side again”. You hard slowly cupped over his, “Promise?”. Fujin smiled, pressing his head against yours as you looked in each other's eyes. “For as long as my heart beats, it shall do so only for you. And so long as you permit me, I will never leave your side”. 

You were never good at tending gardens, but that was ok. You were never a fan of them anyways.

[rocky-roadd]

suki appreciation post! (in the order my brain decided)

1. she fought azula head on twice 😋 (both in the show and in the comics)

2. she had the self restraint not to kill/seriously injure biyu even though she SHOULD have 😊 (suki alone)

3. she saved appa, toph (twice), sokka and helped deliver a baby at the serpents pass

4. captured the warden so everyone escape from the boiling rock (by CLAMBERING UP 4 STORIES WITH EASE 🤯)

5. learns chi-blocking and is immediately able to teach a group of people to do the same 🫡 (comics)

6. met kyoshi without aang in sight 🤗 (katara and sokka only meet kyoshi and roku because they ‘possessed’ aang temporarily)

7. is a HUGE secret tunnel fan (so real honestly 🙏)

that’s all my brain can come up with (for now 😙)

[ashenwinds]

     “ You've been staring for quite some time now. . . ” The Ashen Lord growls, a turn over their shoulder for eyeless gaze to settle on the other, “ Is it you've never seen a pirate before or because you've never seen one so towering? ” They are more amused at this, enjoying the reactions from those not acquainted to the curses of the Sea.

↪ open starter

[xiyouyanyi]

Modern Era At Last: Spider Queen Special

My original idea for this AU starts with "Filling up the Celestial Realm", so we'll just say that S1 works more or less the same unless otherwise specified, and let the real diverging point start at the Spider Queen Special.

-Hell no, the trigram furnace isn't kept in the throne room, it is where it is in Tusita Heaven, Lao Tzu's place. And the place is quite empty and quiet when they aren't refining elixirs and the flames have been extinguished.

-Which means MK and Pigsy/Tang wouldn't be going to two different buildings, just two wings of the same building.

-It's also Lunar New Year, during which all the Kitchen Gods went back to submit their reports to the Celestial Host, so most of the officials and guards are gathered around the administrative halls.

-To celestials, it's more of a daily meeting, though. A.k.a. "Those last few hours where you are stuck in the office, desperately wishing you are somewhere else."

-Red Son has access to the place because PIF, as the former Grand Mistress of the Wind Bureau, keeps a backdoor key. The spider minions sneaked in by turning themselves tiny and latching onto the jet's wing before the formation activated.

-The gang landed in the Wind Bureau sky-harbor, right next to Lao Tzu's place, and immediately ran into Lady Hanzhi, known to Red Son as "Auntie Wind"——which, coincidentally, was not too far off from her most well-known title nowadays, Feng Po. 

"Please, that name makes me sound so old! Why not Sister Wind?"

-She acted like she always does: your overly helpful, enthusiastic, pushy aunt who seems to delight in embarrassing the youngsters, and immediately jumped to conclusions, asking Red Son if he was taking his cute dragon girlfriend on a date.

-Upon being met with an unambiguous "NO!" and some desperate attempts at backtracking ("We are just…not hating each other at the moment!") she chuckled, but was perceptive enough to understand they were in a bind, and immediately agreed to help out before Red Son even got the full story out.

-Naturally, that left Mei a little suspicious. "Uh, we are like, stealing your stuff? Ya' really don't have a problem with that?” 

-Hanzhi just laughed and was like, "You think I care about my job? Or want to be here? Even though Little Red's mother left me quite the mess to sort out, I'll take an old friend's kid over The Reasons We Are Here at any time of the year!"

-Which, to her surprise, failed to be assuring when she opened her Wind Sack and told Red Son and Mei to get inside.

"Okay, not to be mean or anything, but that's just…sus." "As suspicious as a bunch of mortals sneaking around in funny modern day robes? My, whenever I thought your fashion standards could not get any worse than these awful queues and melon hats…but ah, I'm rambling." "The point is, your friends are going into Tusita Heaven while the furnace is unlit. No one will be there, except for the new furnace-fanning boy and…That Lady." Hanzhi wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, the old witch with a broom. Pretty easy to fool, but remember, stay at least five Chi away from her, or your entire mission is a bust." "You two, however, are going into the Peach Garden. With actual guards and visitors, and one of my junior brothers as its new warden. You are not getting in, or out, without someone leading the way."

-Kui Mulang is still working as a furnace-fanning boy——he could have been done with it long ago, had he not intentionally fucked up during the Three Rhino Kings fight out of spite and got his sentence prolonged. When the place is not in use, he's put in a cangue and chained to a pillar in the storage room.

-When Pigsy and Tang entered the lab sector in search of the golden pill, he took the latter hostage through a combination of deception and the space-warping magic of stellar gods. 

"Now, hog, pick that vial of liquid off the shelf, and pour it on these chains," The Wood Wolf Star exposed his teeth in a feral grin, as he poked at Tang's back with the ethereal dagger,"very, very carefully. If you spill a single drop on me, my hand may just slip."

-Jiang Ziya's dead and deified ex-wife, Ma The Broom Star, makes an appearance as the cleaning lady on duty.

-She can passively curse people AND immortals with bad luck: not kill-your-entire-family, ruin-your-life level of bad luck like what the Taisui Star or the Dipper Mansion deities are capable of, but things like making people slip and fall on their butts, sneeze/burp at the most embarrassing time, arrive late to urgent meetings, etc.

(Also, firing comets out of her broomstick like a true witch.)

-MK, affected by her Aura of Inconveniences, fell right into the (unlit!) furnace while trying to sneak past her using the building's support beams. She heard the scream, but thought he was one of those bratty immortal acolytes and responded to his cries for help like the bitter old lady she was. 

"Serve you right for horsin' around, boy! Now sit in there and think about what you've done, till I'm done cleaning this place! Goodness gracious, I'm never so glad to have a daughter, not that my good-for-nothing ex-husband didn't try turning her against me, yeah, some Grand Master of Strategists you are, Jiang Ziya…"

-MK then committed the grave error of asking "Huh? Jiang Ziya? Who?" and was subjected to a long, incensed, caustic rant, most of which he tuned out for the sake of his own sanity.

-Meanwhile, at the Peach Garden: Hanzhi walked in without much of a problem, using the excuse that she is bringing her junior some tea right after getting dismissed from the meeting. Said junior is one of the 28 Lunar Mansions: Bi Yuewu of the White Tiger Mansion, a.k.a the Moon Crow Star.

-In ancient Chinese astrology, the Bi Star was seen as having power over rain, and the section of the sky it was in charge of housed the Tianyuan constellation, or "Heavenly Orchard". His Stellar Beast form, a one-legged crow, is based on Shang Yang: a mythical bird that would dance before every huge storm like a goofy weather forecast guy.

-He excels at controlling cloud formations, to the point he got "borrowed" by the Wind and Thunder Bureau more than some of the Water-aligned stars after deification. That did not translate to battle prowess, though, and he mostly relies on his formations to misdirect, trap and stall enemies for the rest of his team to handle.

-After Kui Mulang's sentencing, Star Lord Mao had taken over as the substitute leader of the White Tiger Mansion stars. As a fellow bird star and the anxious secretary to Zi Huohou's shy intern, Bi looked up to him, a lot. 

-Today happened to be his shift——one of the 28 Lunar Mansions is exempt from the daily meetings, to watch over their sector of the sky. Like most celestials, he was used to Hanzhi just walking around, finding people to chat the moment she was off-work, and wasn't surprised when she came out of the treasure storage room without her Wind Sack.

"Little Red, you've actually been here before, I trust you know where the kitchen is? Go there, grab a peach, get out, and please please please don't try to go into the garden proper if you can't find one. Just return to this room and wait, Auntie Hanzhi will handle it." As the shrill screech of a defensive formation triggering echoed through the pavilion, and Bi leaped out of his chair, Hanzhi could not help but sigh and thought, Of course these kids tried to go into the garden, why wouldn't they.

-Except they didn't try to go into the garden. It was the spiders, and a tiny immortal girl with an embroidered ball.

-Yep, it's Li Zhenying, Nezha's little sister, only mentioned once in JTTW! Here, she's a bit older and the holder of one of Nezha's magical weapons, the embroidered ball.

-In Zaju plays, this ball contains a shit ton of demons and evil spirits, subdued by Nezha and now working under his command, but that's not safe for kids so it just has a mouse inside now.

-Specifically, Lady Diyong, who's serving her prison sentence in there after her second capture and acts as Zhenying's unwitting hamster-slash-playmate. 

-The way the ball works: it can keep beings captive and enable the holder to use their powers, like a magical Pokeball. Once something is inside, it can only be released by the one who initially captures it.

-So Li Zhenying used Diyong's power to get under and past the defensive formation undetected, because…she's bored and wanted to practice some Cuju, and just happened to run into two very lost and frustrated spider demons.

-They decided to stalk Red Son and Mei together, in their mini-spider forms——it was the former who had the backdoor key, after all, and without that, they wouldn't be able to get back to the mortal realm safely after snatching up the three items.

-So they crawled into the Peach Garden and lay in wait. And waited. And waited. And no one came. Then, when they tried to leave, they couldn't, and kept circling back to the same place until a 12 year old popped out of the ground and yelled "Stop right there, bug people!"

-They laughed. They stopped laughing when one of them got sucked into the embroidered ball like a Pokemon. The sight of a huge, muscular spider guy desperately running away from a little girl was still pretty comedic, though.

-He didn't last for long. Diyong started screeching inside the ball because ewwwww, spider people, gross! She's not into that and she doesn't want them as her future neighbors! Get them out of here, at once! 

-Zhenying found her terror quite amusing, but ended up doing so because all the screaming was getting annoying. And that was what Hanzhi and Bi saw when they charged into the depth of the formation: Li Jing's youngest kid, swinging her toy around in a circle and sending two black dots flying into the sky.

-Hanzhi let out a silent Oh no at the sight. Bi let out a loud "You WHAT?!" as Li Zhenying explained her encounter with the spider people, and commented that pest control must be quite hard if all the bugs in here could grow into people. 

-Bi proceeded to have a nervous breakdown because I let a spider demon infestation happen right under my nose and trapped Devaraja Li's daughter inside my formations, oh fuck, oh fuck, I'm so dead.

-He was too busy curling up in a ball and rocking back and forth to notice Hanzhi slipping away, an immortal peach hidden in her sleeves, to retrieve Red Son and Mei. Back at Tusita Heaven, however, the rest of the gang weren't having a good time. 

-Ma had finished rambling about Jiang Ziya's great-great-however-many-times-great-grandson, the "Biggest Shame of Qi", and was about to narrate the start of their lineage's miserable downfall with a spiteful glee in her voice.

-MK asked her why she was so angry, which just made her more angry.

"Why am I so angry? Oh, I have no idea! Maybe it is because my bastard ex-husband wrote my name onto his oh-so-mystical-scroll and made sure I can't even DIE PROPERLY, boy! I raised his daughter after he divorced me and ran off to fight a war with his sorcerer friends, and this is how he repaid me——" "No, I mean, why are you so angry at people you've never met before? They are your kids and grandkids too, right?" "Exactly! I never got to meet them, and that's why they are a bunch of pathetic, dull-headed degenerates who got played like a fiddle by their own noble clans!" MK severely doubted that. "I never got to set them on the right path, grab them by 'em ears and scold them properly, match them up with good wives that weren't their own half-sister——for heaven's sake, that Duke Xiang, what was he even thinking?!" She paused. When she started speaking again, the indignance had drained away. "I never got to see any of them with me own two eyes, or speak to them, because I wasn't in their ancestral temple. I never got to meet any of them, and now they have been dead for thousands of years, and I…I couldn't even blame all of that on Jiang Ziya."

-For the first time since MK met her, the old woman fell silent. He was about to return to his own crisis of self-confidence when the entire furnace shook and violently toppled over, spilling him out onto the floor with a yelp.

"Go." She said, the tip of her broom still smoking, without sparing a single backward glance. "Scram back to your quarters, boy, before more of the Broom Star's bad luck rubbed off on you——"

-Then the lab's other wing exploded.

-Let's rewind back to the moment before this, when Kui Mulang was holding Tang hostage and threatening Pigsy into destroying his chains with a vial of corrosive chemicals. 

-With no other choice, he complied, and the moment the last chain came apart with a sizzle, Kui Mulang shattered the cangue via his Stellar Beast transformation——but not before trying to stick the dagger into Tang anyways and failing, due to his golden barrier triggering in a panic.

-Turns out, it was these magical chains that truly shackled him and his powers, and the cangue was just additional humiliation. 

"Ah, a thousand thanks to you," the beast's eyes narrowed into a slit, as it turned towards Tang, who was desperately trying to scramble away inside the golden bubble, "Golden Cicada. Now that you are a Bodhisattva, I bet your Body of Manifestation would taste even more divine."

-What ensued was a pure horror movie chase sequence, as the pair ran for their lives, toppling over shelves, throwing anything they could get their hands on at the Stellar Beast in the hope of slowing it down.

-The explosive reaction between two reagents did end up accomplishing that. Not hurting it permanently, but the big bang managed to draw Ma and MK's attention and stopped the former from asking too many questions.

-Turns out, being one of the 28 Lunar Mansions didn't actually protect you from the Broom Star's field of mundane bad luck.

-It wasn't enough to defeat Kui Mulang, and her comet attacks were doing no lasting damage, but he kept missing his targets by a tiny margin, or tripping and falling like a Looney Tunes character, or MK's staff just happened to knock a chunk of the ceiling loose and pin him down briefly…

-The problem was, her bad luck field worked on her allies too, and there were a lot of mutual misses and wacky fails, and the consequences were worse for MK than for their opponent.

-Red Son and Mei were on their way back with Hanzhi when they saw the commotion from afar; they basically dashed right into that one Community meme. 

-Hanzhi assessed the situation briefly, told them she'd deal with Kui Mulang, while they went and grabbed their mortal friends, as well as whatever they needed from the lab, fast. Then she stepped back and unleashed the full might of the Wind Sack.

-The giant AOE attack caught all three combatants, lifted them off the ground, and firmly slammed them into the nearest standing wall, allowing Red Son to grab a very disoriented MK and rush away in the chaos.

-The fight was still ongoing when the gang hurriedly dragged the furnace into their drone, activated Red Son's backdoor key, and blasted off into the mortal realm. It didn't last much longer after the Thunder Bureau reinforcements arrived, led by Heavenly Lord of the Nine Thunders, Wen Zhong.

-Wen Zhong was a loyal man of principle in life, even more so after his deification, when he was basically made the head of the Celestial Justice Department (Thunder Bureau isn't just in charge of weather, but also divine retribution and punishment.)

-He's what a lot of people think Erlang should act like: grim, serious, utterly dedicated to maintaining order and justice, and an absolute powerhouse (he also has a third eye, btw).

-Hanzhi knew she wouldn't be getting any leniency from her senior brother this time, so she didn't even try to argue when he ordered his Thunder Generals to detain everyone involved and take them away for questioning.

-Bi Yuewu was interrupted from his mental breakdown by Star Lord Mao, who, like the majority of officials, had just been released from their end-of-day meeting when the Thunder Bureau received an emergency message from Tusita Heaven and flew off in a hurry.

-Putting two and two together, he quickly guessed that their old squad leader had broken free, and went to gather the rest of the White Tiger Mansion stars for their own emergency meeting. Bi was the first person he seeked out, and the situation…didn't look all that great.

-But Rooster Man, being the good bro he was, listened patiently to Bi's story, and told him it wouldn't be a problem. He'd take Li Zhenying home to her brothers, let them come up with a cover story, while the spider problem…well, that was what his Stellar Beast form was for, wasn't it?

-A few miles below, two tiny spiders, still falling towards the mortal realm, suddenly heard a rooster's crowing and were struck by the worst headache they ever experienced.

[puellaphantasia]

JCA ↺ - The Order of the Immortals (casual) though I may not ever draw them all in their ceremonial robes, we'll see

Ru Chan- Our beloved Uncle, though tragic circumstances, Ru did not inherit the Chi of Lü Dongbin, but has spent his life tracking down the statue of Shendu hoping to secure him.

Gang Wen - A political activist and Vlogger stationed in Japan with the Chi of Zhang Guo Lao, prepared to defend the world from Po Kong if she is ever released

Caihong Hou: The youngest member of the Order, a renowned flutist and former child prodigy struggling to prove herself worthy of inheriting the Chi Han Xiangzi after her Master fell ill and passed the Chi to her early, charged with preventing the escape of Hsi Wu.

Mei Xing: An engineer at NASA entrusted with the Chi of He Xiangu, Mei Xing originally studied to be an astronaut herself but was disqualified from the program due to an autoimmune disease diagnosis. Despite being unable to go to space, Mei is responsible for safeguarding the portal of Tso Lan, the Moon Demon.

Jie Peng: The Warden at Hollowlands Penitentiary, defending humanity from Xiao Fung with the power he inherited from the Chi of Zhongli Quan

Qiangwei Tian: Standing between Dai Gui and his domination of the Earth, is a horticulturist who owns a large garden and is training her own child, Chunhua to be the next heir to the Chi of Lan Caihe

Bolin Yeung: Former actor turned director, bearer of Cao Guojiu's Chi and the protector of the portal containing Tchang Zu

Haoyu Chen: Having just earned his Mastery, scuba instructor Haoyu Chen inherited the Chi of Li Tieguai from his Master Yujia Duan, and the responsibility of protecting humanity from Bai Tza 

[jenyifer]

Book List Time!!!

And with that I have 10 give or take books to discuss. Now I’m up to over 30 books since May woooo telling tumblr about each one has been a great motivator so I hope my reviews and list help people out in a non spoiler fun way. Gonna rank these in order I want to reread them.

1. Green Creek the series by TJ Klune 🏳️‍🌈🐺🌶️🌲 Wolfsong Ravensong Heartsong Brothersong I am obsessed. Literally read all four books in 3 days. I have bought physical copies and marked them up. Will make you cry, laugh, and stay in your heart forever. Just……. Go read it. But the quick synopsis is Powerful Humans Wolves Witches have to pay for the sins of their fathers over and over again while maintaining their found family and finding their true soulmates. There is Ace Lesbian non binary rep in here as well.

2. The Warden by Daniel Ford🏳️‍🌈 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩🧙‍♀️❄️🪦truly a fantasy masterpiece the romance isn’t the focus but it’s fucking good. First sapphic book to get a 10/10 for me. About a witch(with a magic system that is interesting surprising) growing up and finding herself a family without sacrificing who she is. I loved her and at first you think ehhh is this going to be boring no definitely not. Was surprising made me laugh and cry. Can’t wait for part 2 cause more of the hot gf in there I hope.

3. A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland🏳️‍🌈👑⚔️🌶️🌶️ I listened to this book two times in a row I enjoyed it so much. It’s a bodyguard and prince story. The prince’s depiction of depression anxiety panic attacks was so real. The bodyguard is very endearing. The themes of family are strong and interesting. The mystery was easy to solve but I found it rewarding because I wanted the prince to win so badly haha.

4. Spindle Splintered by Alix E Harrow🏳️‍🌈👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👸🏼🥀😢

Short story about a dying girl who has a special interest in sleeping beauty. It does have a…. Debatably Sad ending. I did enjoy it for what it was trying to talk about. I lost a friend when she was too young. I’m glad I read it.

5. Scumbag Villains Self-Saving System series by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu 🏳️‍🌈🚩⚔️😈🕊️🤓🌶️? I’m putting it up this high because besides that scene in chapter 21 that slapped me in the brain I really enjoyed the series. Only Danmei I HAD TO GET THE REST OF THE SERIES IMMEDIATELY Hell I’ve even now written fan fic for the side ship. About a Nerd being put into his favorite love to hate stallion novel (story about a hero who fucks his way to success) but he’s in there as the abusive villain who the hero is destined to kill. The nerd has to save himself and unintentionally builds himself a harem featuring the most red flag the hero who so sololy motivated by the nerd. It’s great easy to read very fun. But 🌶️ scene in book 3 is a definite skip and delete from memory.

6. Case File Compendium Vol 1 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou 🏳️‍🌈? 😈🚩🩸🕵️🥼

I did just finish reading this so maybe I’m bias but I really did find it a book I couldn’t put down. I even brought it with me to work to read a chapter during my lunch breaks. Main characters are heavy in their homophobic lifestyles but they kiss and protect each other? True crime and mentally ill characters. MC is has a fatal mental illness that makes him unstable and MIL was his former private doctor. MC is trying to date MIL’s little sister. While getting up to shenanigans they stumble into a corrupt hospital and evil forces are maybe after them?! Idk its exciting fun to read but only if you like 🚩’s

7. The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish Vol 1 by Xue Shan Fei Hu 🏳️‍🌈🐟👑🎨🖼️ I did genuinely laugh my ass off during reading this book. It was incredibly easy to read I think I finished it in 4 hours. Very cute. I love the inside and outside art. About a nonverbal Prince who has anger issues and his crush on the modern man who is trapped within an ugly little fish. Now yes the Prince is becomes actively in love with the fish. Lucky for us we are stuck in the man who is trapped as the fish’s pov and he is genuinely just trying to get back to his world by obeying the powers that be System’s prompts to go home. Fish is not trying to seduce the Prince or anything. It’s just funny I had a great time with vol 1 probably will read vol 2.

8. So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole 🏳️‍🌈👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨🐉🏝️ while having dragons and diverse cast it ultimately falls short of expectations wishing for more depth and clarity. The asexual spectrum representation feels muddled and Jamaican inspired cultural elements are unexplored which is at odds with its rich backdrop that could have enhanced the story. The story’s mystery element lacked cohesion resulting in a frustrating bittersweet ending that suggests a sequel and left me unsatisfied. I won’t read the next book. Won’t suggest it.

9. Faithless Book2 by C L Clark 🏳️‍🌈🚩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩⚔️👑😩 a big let down from book 1 but I’m locked in for life I guess. Luca is back in France navigating a way to get the crown. While Touraine shows up with a priest and Teen to some how get food for her people. Most of the plot feels useless both MC characters are stupid and do no growing. The new teen character was interesting. I disliked the poly romance I didn’t particularly feel comfortable about Touraine and Luca why not add another person in what could go wrong? Luca’s reign as Queen looks to be very bad and you will feel extremely disappointed at the end. I’m going to read the next book but only because I like the characters who didn’t go to France.

10. Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore.

I read 90% of this book and I regret it. It’s a trans characters as the leads gay retelling of the great gatsby. I was truly excited to read it I’ve read The Great Gatsby many times. However this book just laughs at the source material. I’m tempted to say maybe the Chat GPT’d the plot and didn’t ask for any over arching themes in the book. I couldn’t do it I’m gonna have to find a better trans representation book in my next set of ten.

DNF’s

Last Night at the Telegraph Club, The Once and Future witches, Gearbreakers, the emperor and the endless palace.

[whatsnewalycat]

I watched “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile” on Friday and I’ve just been stewing about it. Let me bitch. Gonna talk about Ted Bundy’s crimes below the cut so tw: murder, mutilation, rape, necrophilia

I understand what the movie is trying to do. It’s showing Ted Bundy from his long-term girlfriend’s perspective, how she believed he was innocent until the evidence was very obvious. It’s focusing on the trial evidence and Liz’s reconciliation with the fact that she loved a monster. But like. I don’t think they hit hard enough on the fucking horrific things Bundy did.

Until the very end of the movie, I think the most brutal thing we see is the bitemark on Lisa Levy, which is in-line with his trial in Florida. Bitemark evidence was instrumental in convicting him, and to a lesser degree eyewitness testimony of Nita Neary, who saw him leaving Chi Omega at 3:00a on January 16, 1978.

And, fine. If they want to make a movie that only shows the evidence that was ruled on at trial, in combination with Liz’s story, fine. Then why show him fucking someone while in custody? Why show the warden or whatever ripping up the drawing from Liz’s daughter?

The majority of the movie seems to cast a sympathetic light on him and I fucking hate that, honestly. This man brutally murdered at least 30 women. During his spree in the chi omega house, he bludgeoned Margaret Bowman’s skull until her face was split wide open. He raped and brutalized his victims to a horrific degree. Even after death, he kept some of their mutilated bodies in the woods and violated their corpses. So no, I don’t give a flying fuck if he loved Liz. I don’t give a fuck if someone tore up his sentimental drawing. I don’t fucking care, and nobody should.

Even if they show one of the corpses among at least 30 within the last 20 minutes of the movie, recounting the evidence as presented in trial does not provide the impact necessary to drive home exactly how depraved he was. I feel like focusing on the sensationalism of his trial without providing the context of his brutality and disregard for human life is fucking irresponsible and disgusting.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

What makes you think Azula was lying about hurting Suki? She took her clothes and somehow knew Sokka was her boyfriend and already traumatized about losing his first love

I mean, the episode itself basically screamed "AZULA IS LYING! SHE'S A LYING LIAR WHO LIES!" during that scene was a pretty good hint. She was fighting the Gaang to prevent them from going to finding her father before firebending came back, "warned" them about a trap waiting for them where Ozai was (which we know was bullshit), and only then does she suddenly go "By the way I have your girlfriend as my prisoner and she thinks you failed her!" to hurt Sokka - aka the one who was telling Aang and Toph to just ignore everything she said.

We literally see a few episodes later, and sure, she's in prison, but she's clearly not hurt. And more importantly, during their escape, when Suki says this is a rematch she had been waiting for, she is focused on TY LEE and on not letting her hit her once - which could suggest Ty Lee was the one to take down all the Kyoshi Warriors, with Chi blocking, like she did with the Terra Team in Ba Sing Se.

If Azula had done anything beyond just capturing and maybe taunting her over the defeat, don't you think Suki would have wanted to at least punch her in the face or something? Hell, she's more mad at Zuko than at Azula, since he burned her village.

Not to mention, Sokka taunted her in Ember Island Players over losing to Azula, and Suki just looks bothered by the mention of the defeat, not like she's reliving some terrible trauma. The writers could be insentitive at times, but I think even they wouldn't do something like "This character was tortured/raped in prison and her boyfriend makes fun of her for it."

As for Azula knowing Sokka and Suki were a thing, he LITERALLY told Ty Lee about it at the end of season 2, when she's trying to flirt with him. Plus I can totally see Suki going "My boyfriend is friends with the Avatar, and they'll kick your ass and save me" after her defeat.

(Seriously guys, "Dude that is friends with the Avatar and openly supports him is dating the leader of a group of warriors that also supports the Avatar openly" is not exactly top secret information that Azula would need to torture people to find out about).

Also I don't think she show is implying she knows about Yue and how much it affected Sokka. There's a literal war going on for longer than Azula has been alive, Sokka's home was one of the areas the Fire Nation attacked the most, and he has been traveling the world for months, meeting a ton of new people - it's practically mathematically garanteed that he lost someone at some point. Plus "I captured someone you care about and they lost all hope" is the kind of shit that would upset ANYONE, even if they never lost someone before that.

As for the whole "Azula stole her clothes" thing: The Northern Water Tribe stole clothes and armor of Fire Nation soldiers and the Gaang did the same thing in book 3, and Zuko was also made to wear inmate uniform like Suki. "This character had to take this off at some point" does not mean "They were abused while changing clothes."

For fucks sake people, we see Hakoda humiliate the warden and only be sent to his cell, we see guards mocking Sokka for wanting to beat up a prisoner (who just happened to be the traitor prince) as they see that as "new guy trying too hard" aka that's not something that usually happens in the boiling rock, and even the cooler is a punishment for picking up a fight not a place to throw prisoners in randomly. The ONE torture session we see in the boiling rock happens because an escape plan was discovered - and AZULA was the one to stop it, before she even knew what the hell was going on.

("But she visited Suki in the comics and it was implied that Suki was being starved!" Retcons don't fucking matter, we literally see in the show that Suki was fine, just sad to be imprisoned and away from everyone she knew. She was not tortured.)

Azula is no saint, but this "theory" that she tortured or raped Suki is nothing but fans being oddly fixated on the idea of this kids show secretly being Game Of Thrones.