#and are constantly waiting for her to be brought up in a season about bo katan and her leading mandalore and wielding the dark saber

[aperture-of-bullshit]

Now do not get me wrong I am Satine Kryze ambivalent on the best of days and an outright hater on the worst ones but honestly BIZARRE writing decision to have essentially a whole season of television focus on the weapon that killed her and her own sister’s desire to wield it and the power and responsibility that wielding it represents (something that Satine herself never had despite being ruler, and that bo-katan once considered her illegitimate for) in combination with Bo-Katan’s own past with the weapon as the right hand to the man whose scheming to OVERTHROW SATINE directly led to her dying on the Darksaber’s blade. And. She doesn’t even get a passing mention. SHE DOESNT EVEN GET A PASSING MENTION.

[ramblinganthropologist]

N7 challenge 21 and 22 - Undercover and Red Sand

Summary: Alistair Shepard’s back at it at Krispy Kreme when a contact informs him about red sand on the Citadel. So... how easy is it to get into Chora’s Den when you’re wearing OTT Sweet? He’s about to find out...

---

Nothing like showing C-SEC up by blowing the lid off their latest red sand problem. If only it hadn't wound him up in interrogation.

“Alright, Commander... I can understand a Spectre shutting this down... but how?”

Alistair shrugged as he shifted his weight so the uneven chair didn't bother him. They had one main way of dealing with suspects, even the ones who had helped them out. Unlucky for them, he understood physics. After all, they drummed the basics into recruits during boot camp. Chairs could eat his ass – ironic, considering he was sitting.

“Well, I heard rumor of it, so I investigated and found out what was going on. The rest was easy with my squad.”

The C-SEC agent looked almost incredulous as they glanced at him from across the table. “And... how did you do that? We've been working to get someone in for months.”

“Oh... I went undercover.”

“Undercover?”

And here was the time to get creative. He couldn't give ALL his methods away. Besides, no way such a straight-laced C-SEC agent was going to believe this.

“Commander Shepard, it's been a long time since we've worked together. How are you doing?”

Alice was looking good. He still wasn't sure why they were meeting on the Citadel like this, however. Good thing he had brought her things along to return, otherwise he would've had to mail it the next time he was in port.

Ah, the life of a wandering Spectre. Never in one place long.

He sipped at his tea before he answered. It was good tea – strawberry. He liked strawberry, good to know she did too. It went with her outfit more than his, mind you – today's coord was OTT in pink and white. Not a bad look on her, definitely different than the mint-chocolate number in the bags by his side.

“As well as can be expected. I hope you haven't been bothered by anyone since I dealt with the Blue Suns.”

She smiled at him as she took a dainty nibble at a biscuit. “Not at all. Things have been quite peaceful, actually.”

That was great... but it didn't explain why he was sitting in a lovely little cafe, drinking tea with his sister's friend. There was something she was going to ask him, and he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like it much.

Maybe he should've just done it by text... it would've been easier to say no.

In the pause, Alice took another sip of her tea and daintily put the cup down without making a sound. Her eyes were on him, burning not with desperation, but determination. Something about that made his stomach shift, yet at the same time... well, curiosity didn't just get the cat. Sometimes it got hamster-handling Spectres.

“In the time since then, I've become aware of something on the Citadel. I come here every so often to shop. Omega unfortunately leans a little too Classic for my taste, though I do believe that it would be the perfect style for you-”

Nope. Taako was good out here, to quote the old 21st century classic.

“Anyway... during one of my trips, I happened to catch whispers of something when I stopped for a refreshment. I believe you know what red sand is, Commander Shepard?”

His eyebrow zoomed to his hairline. “How does red sand come up among lolitas?”

Alice put a hand to her mouth to hide her chuckle. “Why, it doesn't. When did I say I only associate among lolitas?”

Yeah... that was his mistake. Still, his mind was wheeling. If Alice had heard mention of red sand on the Citadel... just the thought of it made his stomach turn. It was the sort of thing she definitely shouldn't be around...

And he sure as hell shouldn't. After all, as a biotic that shit fucked him up six ways to Sunday.

“At any rate, I tried to contact the proper authorities about it. They laughed at me and dismissed it as ramblings of a little girl with an active imagination.” She sniffed. “Ignoring the fact my ID says I am almost 30, by the way.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, they're a real crack squad.”

“Which is why I came to you. You know my information is real, and more importantly, you are a Spectre.” She took a sip of her tea. “You can get to places that C-SEC cannot.”

Both of these facts were true. Still, he didn't see why they needed to meet in person. For something like this, all he really needed was an email. More than that, Alice had the same tone she had used the first time she had asked him for a favor.

You know... when he wound up in the dress in the bag he was currently holding.

“Right, but... why do I get the feeling this is going to involve a petticoat again?”

When Alice smiled, there was nothing friendly about it. “I may have neglected to mention when I was in this establishment, I may have slipped to my acquaintance that a friend of mine was a gorgeous petite blonde with blue eyes and a taste in OTT sweet...”

Alistair's cheeks turned scarlet. “You set me up again?!”

“Well, you did it so well the last time...” her voice dropped. “Please, Commander. I know you know the danger of red sand. I heard about your accomplishment on Illium with the Justicar. C-SEC refused to believe me, and I know this was true. You need to investigate this for the good of every biotic in the Citadel.”

She had made a grab for his hand with this, her eyes shifting from crafty to pure pleading. Part of him wanted to believe this was an act... yet the gaze she was giving him was downright desperate. Alistair felt his resolve dropping away as he glanced down at the bags.

Good thing he had made sure these were properly cleaned and ironed...

“Where do I have to go?”

Alice smiled as she poured him more tea. “Have you ever heard of a bar called Chora's Den?”

“Yeah, I almost got shot there twice.” His voice was flat, his eyebrow even higher. “A lolita at Chora's Den is going to stick out.”

His contact chuckled as she reached for a biscuit. “That's the point, Commander. Now, you're going to need to be there by 22:00-”

Why did he get the feeling he was going to regret this...

---

“Commander, are you ready?”

Yes, he just needed to fix his petticoat.

Alistair had never expected to wear one ever again, and yet there he was. Apart from some new accessories borrowed from Alice to help with the change in fashion and season, it was the same damn dress, petticoat, and wig he had worn the last time.

The purse was different, though. Made hiding his gun and a few other tools easier should he need it.

“I'm ready, Alice, just had to make sure everything was sitting right.”

The line for Chora's Den was short that night as he approached with quick, even steps. The second time in rocking horse shoes was easier, not that he had practiced for the occasion or anything. He was just more confident this time as he made his way to the entrance. After all, this wasn't his first rodeo.

“Now, I told them my friend's name was Jane. You can fill occupation and hobbies in yourself, just remember that we met at Baby the Stars Shine Bright's store on the Citadel.”

He knew that brand – it was a classic. Not quite OTT due to the prestige of being one of the cores of lolita fashion, but it was famous. Hell, he'd watched Kamikaze Girls the first time he'd been preparing for a mission like this. A brand only lasted that long through staying power and appeal. It wasn't quite to his taste, but he could see how it had made it to the late 22nd century.

…

And now he was forming opinions on clothing brands. Shit. He was getting way too into this undercover work.

“Right... thanks for the ad-lib room.”

“Bo said you were an expert at it. Now, I'll let you know when I see them. This contact camera is amazing, did you really design it yourself?”

Alistair had to resist a chuckle as he waited in line, pretending like he was taking a call on his omni-tool. “Oh no, it was a customization of an existing design that didn't quite meet my needs. I could show you the fabric when I get back tomorrow.”

Alice was a smart woman – she caught on quick. “Impressive. Is this what working what a Spectre is like?”

Oh, she should see him when he had tech in his hands. That's when the magic happened. His contact cam was just a fruit of that effort from having to go undercover one too many times. After all, he could hardly rely on cameras where he went half the time. It was better to have one on hand that was constantly being saved to his hard drive on his computer back on the Normandy. There was also a backup version Alice would have, and a second version on his omni-tool. You could never have enough backups in case things went wrong.

Some might call him paranoid. They could kiss his ass, he had died once before – you could never be too careful.

“Excuse me, sweetheart, I think you're lost. The Tea Room is up a ways.”

There was a man leering at him. The outfit had definitely turned him off, so his only reaction to what he perceived a woman was scorn and minimizing. Alistair had seen this plenty of times before, and dealt with younger versions in his teens. Luckily, it didn't bother him.

So he shot them a blank, dignified look down the bridge of his nose as he walked past. “I do believe the line is back there. Chora's Den isn't fond of nobody line cutters last I checked.”

The man's friends laughed as he sputtered. Naturally, an assault to his identity would prompt a desire to beat the shit out of the one who had caused it. The question is, would he go after someone in a dress and petticoat?

Looks like the answer was yes – he was leaning forward.

“Why  you little-”

With a swift movement, he had the man off balance and knocked on his ass. Then he kicked as a reminder to stay down. It wasn't hard enough to hurt anything seriously – just well aimed. It left his annoyance groaning on the floor.

He gave the friend group a blank look as he kept walking. “I would advise keeping your friend on a leash. I think he's in heat.”

Then he entered Chora's Den under the eye of a more than amused bouncer and with the chorus of a bunch of already drunk men. They were quickly drowned out by the music of the club and the energy that surrounded it.

It looked a little different since Fist had been running it. Cleaner maybe, though probably just as corrupt. There were still dancers of various council species, and those who enjoyed watching. These he gave a wide berth, making his way to the bar. This was the same person- he hadn't seen their body when they had cleared the place out. Smart woman.

“Nice going with the guy out front, honey.” She gave him an appreciative nod. “Saw it on the cams. What can I get you?”

He smiled, carefully. “Please tell me you have some form of sprite here. I don't exactly drink, but I'm here to meet someone.”

The bartender laughed as she reached under the bar. “Last time I heard that, Commander Shepard was still on his first life. It's why I carry the stuff. Here, I call this the Red Shepard. It's got a little grenadine in it for color.”

…

Apparently, there were drinks named after him in bars. Who knew? At least it seemed to be the designated driver special. He was happy to accept, though when he tried to pay she shook her head. Part of him was worried it was his borrowed credit chit, but then she smiled.

“You did us a favor, honey. The bouncer almost threw out his shoulder tossing him out. Drinks are on the house tonight.”

Well, that was good for him. He smiled and went off to find a place to sit so Alice could get a view of the floor. Though the music was loud, his ear piece had a noise blocking feature he was more than happy to turn on. When it came down to it, he just didn't like night clubs. Add in the dancers and he liked them even less.

If they were dudes... well... he probably would've been too embarrassed to stay long.

“See anybody yet, Alice?”

“No, but your performance outside the Den was impressive. Was that aikido?”

He smiled as he sipped at his drink. “I picked it up in basic because I was smaller than everyone else and got tired of getting my ass kicked.”

“A friend of mine learned judo for the same reason.”

Good to know someone else was kicking ass on the small side. Alistair raised his glass in tribute as he took a careful sip. He had needed the sugar anyway – he had started to feel a little shaky after walking in. Low blood sugar was fun like that.

As he waited for his blood sugar to raise as Alice looked around, he took the chance to glance around Chora's Den without moving his head. They had definitely cleaned the place since Fist had run the place. They probably had to – his squad had left more than a few bodies and bullet holes when they were breaking out to go rescue Tali. He could still remember where he had almost collided with a wall running after Bo to make sure everything was alright.

She had left quite the trail of destruction. It was kind of impressive. Good they had fixed it in the two years since he had been dead, though.

“Commander, the target is approaching you now. Play nice.”

Alistair picked up his head as he took another sip of his drink. There was indeed someone approaching his table. Surprisingly, they weren't wearing a coord. Instead, he would have said they were any normal resident of the Wards.

Which of course, meant nothing. Out of uniform he looked like any random twink with a minor obsession with hamsters.

“Jane, is it?”

Right, that was his code name. He gave his best cordial smile, much like he had seen Alice give, and nodded. The person in front of him smiled as well as they took the seat across from them, already carrying a drink in their hand.

Theirs was definitely alcoholic – it was making his damn eyes water.

“It's so good to finally meet you...” he trailed off. “Forgive me, Alice didn't give me your name.”

They answered a little too quickly – someone was eager. “It's Rax. I was a little worried you weren't going to show up. Chora's Den is kinda rough, I'm still surprised Alice comes here when she's on the Citadel.”

People were just full of surprises, weren't they?

Alistair took another sip of his drink as he gave Rax the once over. While he didn't see any tattoos for the major gangs, the lean muscle and scarred hands suggested they were into something. Part of him would have considered undercover C-SEC, but they were obvious from a mile away. Garrus had taught him to to tell them anyway. So this guy was probably either a low level merc striking out on their own, or they were from a third party gang trying to muscle in on the big three.

Poor sap. They'd be lucky if they survived the year.

“So... why don't you tell me about yourself? Alice played this close to the corset I'm afraid.”

They were already stammering as they swallowed half their drink in one impressive gulp that dribbled down their chin. Gross. At least Alistair was a master of keeping it off his face as he kept the camera trained on his target. C-SEC might need this data later after they wiped the egg off their faces.

“Oh uh... nothing special. I just do some work locally.” Another sip – someone was nervous. “How about you? Alice says you're not on the Citadel much?”

He shook his head carefully, taking another sip. “No, my work takes me off the station frequently. I work for a small organization doing research on how the various council species construct clothing.”

“Makes sense, what with how you dress and all.” They obviously then bit their tongue. “Sorry, just... don't see a lot of women like you on the Citadel.”

Alistair chuckled much like Alice would as he played with the straw of his drink. “Oh, I'm not that rare.  We just keep to different places on the Wards.”

Why did he get the feeling Rax would love nothing more than to know where those areas were? While he wasn't exactly a member of the subculture, he could tell someone trying to scratch an itch when he saw it. The guy was kind of pathetic, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. A little more charismatic, and maybe he'd be concerned.

Then again, he was just pumping the guy for info.

“Oh... m-makes sense I guess. I mostly stay down here.”

The Spectre in disguise took another sip of his drink, careful to monitor the level. “What kind of work do you do? You look strong... C-SEC, maybe?”

The person in front of him snorted into their way too strong drink. “C-SEC is a fucking joke, Jane. They're just glorified pencil pushers sweeping the Citadel over.”

While this was true... maybe he could lean into this to get somewhere. Alistair nodded along as he played with his straw again. It was easy to see Rax was watching his every move. Maybe it was a good thing he had painted his nails for this...

It was the little touches that made the role worth it.

“Sounds like you get into some dangerous things, Rax.” He smiled, leaning in. “That's kind of exciting.”

Rax grinned, but there was nothing friendly about it as they lowered their voice. “Oh, you could say that. C-SEC doesn't even know I exist. Those idiots keep pinning my shit on other small time idiots. It's really clearing the market for me.”

Man, he must have been drunk to let go this easily. That, or he was puffing himself up. Alistair wasn't sure right then as he started putting the pieces together. With dealers, he could never tell. Usually they weren't too friendly with him... but that was when he was in armor.

So he lowered his voice again. “Market? Do you mean like... drugs?”

“Oh, I got something better than that, Jane.” Rax was so close that Alistair could smell their breath – gross. “You ever heard of red sand?”

“There, you have them! Pump them for information!”

Alice was getting excited, but the Spectre remained calm as he took a small sip of his drink. Every motion he made was deliberate, due in part to the fact he knew he was being watched. Rax's body language was screaming some rather lascivious things to say the least. Sadly, they weren't Alistair's type.

He liked his merc on the good guys's side.

“Red sand... that's that stuff that makes you biotic, right?”

Rax nodded as they drained their drink. “For a bit. I have a guy who supplies me from Ilium. C-SEC still thinks it's coming from Omega, the fucking morons!”

Yeah, they were... but now Alistair needed to find out where he was keeping it. Oh, he was going to regret this part... but it was what he needed to do. Luckily, he had a gun in his purse and a well-modified omni-tool to put up kinetic armor should he have the need.

So he smiled, finishing his drink. “Sounds thrilling. Skirting the law, working with that kind of material. You live an exciting life.”

“You don't know the half of it, Jane.” They looked at both empty drinks on the table. “Say... looks like both of us are out. I got something a little better at my place. It's not far if you want to come with... I can walk slow for you.”

Alistair smiled as he stood, straightening his skirt as he did. “Maybe you can tell me a little more about your exciting life while you're there. I've never tried... you know...”

He looked away, willing his face to blush. It was hard to do it on command, but it gave him a chance to look through his altered eyelashes. Rax was watching him, looking as though they had just won the world series.

Too bad they wasn't getting lucky tonight.

“Well, I think I could give you a taste.” They held out their arm. “Follow me, then. This place was getting a little too loud anyway.”

The pair were soon leaving Chora's Den, walking out of the club entirely. The bartender gave Alistair a concerned look, but when Rax wasn't looking he winked and patted his purse, briefly showing the outline. Then she shook her head, but smiled anyway.

It was short walk, like the merc had said. This part of the Wards was pretty run down, just like the Spectre remembered it. Luckily, they were heading for a small group of ramshackle warehouses. Honestly, it was just the place he expected someone to hide red sand.

Still... talk about keeping it right under C-SEC's nose. If Rax hadn't been so horny for a pretty face in a long skirt, they might've pulled it off longer.

“Here's my little piece of heaven.” Rax's smile turned to a smirk as they nudged Alistair closer to the door. “So uh... how about we get to know each other a little better? It's gonna be hard to do this in such a big skirt a-”

Alistair was all smiles as his eyes glowed bright blue and pinned his target against the wall. “Yes, I do believe it's going to be a little hard to do this if you keep trying to undress me with your mind. Now, about the red sand?”

Now it was going to get fun... he had plenty of sugar to work off from that Red Shepard. Might as well put it to use.

Poor Rax. All they had wanted to do was get laid. They had even been nice about it. Sadly, that's what happened when you tried to fuck a Spectre pumping you for info.

---

“So you went undercover in Chora's Den and wound up meeting with the middleman.”

Alistair nodded as he finished his compacted story. The C-SEC agent still looked incredulous, but he had filled in the needed pieces. Naturally, he had kept out the parts about him being in a dress, but they were more window dressing anyway.

“Yep. They showed me the warehouse, I restrained them when they made a move against me. Then you guys showed up.”

Turns out Rax had been sitting on a small mountain of red sand, enough to really fuck some people up. They were still working on locating their supplier, but Alistair had a feeling they had long since cut and run. After all, there hadn't been nearly enough to strike out as a solo dealer. More likely, they were just holding for someone more powerful.

But... that was one supply cut off he supposed.

“Well... you managed to clear up a red sand smuggling ring we had previously thought was connected to Omega. Not to mention a few assaults, a missing person, and a possible murder.” The C-SEC agent looked rather sheepish. “You uh... you do good work, Shepard.”

Alistair smiled as he rose. “Thank you. Can I get going, though? I need to get back to the Normandy. They kind of can't take off without me.”

“Oh uh... sure. If we hear anything else, we'll let you know...”

With that, Alistair took his leave of the station. As he did, he walked past the office of a few other officers. From the looks of things, they were clearing the cases he had managed to bust open for them with a few hours work.

Not a bad job for a Spectre.

“I don't get it... are you sure that's what she said?”

“Yeah, bartender at Chora's Den said a woman in a green, puffy dress with blonde hair was seen leaving with Rax. Nobody's seen her since.”

And then he was walking a little faster. After all, he had a ship to get back to, and a lot of questions he didn't want to answer. Besides, he had a dress he needed to iron and return once it was back to pristine condition.

He was definitely returning it this time. No more cross-dressing...

…

At least not in this dress. Green wasn't really his color, and Alice probably wanted it back. Maybe he should...

Fuck. Now this was a road he didn't want to go down.

[fuyupeach]

In The Works // Ryuji Sakamoto x Reader - chapter 5

prologue / ch.1 / ch.2 / ch.3 / ch.4

follow/keeo track on ao3 ! i always post there first (which is why this is being posted after MANY months here despite already being on ao3 lmao)

Your first year at Shujin finally ends, the feeling of what must’ve been weights on your shoulders finally dissipating as your footsteps increase the distance from you and the campus.

“Whoa, slow down, ____! I’m just as eager to leave as you, but the ramen shop can wait a little bit.” Ryuji chuckles behind you. You turn slightly to look at him, a small guilty look forming on your face as he limps slightly.

“Sorry,” you say, stopping for a moment as Ryuji makes his way next to you, school bag hanging loosely on his shoulder, the messenger strap on yours gripped tightly between your hands as it flops in front of you from the sudden stop. “Seeing Kamo shit a on the way out ticked me off.”

“But, the last day of school isn’t supposed to be about him. It’s about… ” you shake off the last remnants of your annoyance, jumping and latching onto Ryuji’s arm--Ryuji letting out a small, “Oof.”--as you finish your sentence. “ Ramen! ”

It had become a promise between the two of you to eat ramen as a celebration at the end of the school year since he had come back your third year of middle school. Though you weren’t a big fan of ramen, you would still eat it with him. Maybe you could convince him to let you guys find a place with great ramen and sushi as a compromise between the two of you for the end of your second year.

“Ha, yeah, the douchebag had that ugly smirk on his face, as usual.” Ryuji continues walking with your arm looped through his, the two of you almost at the station. “ Bleh, just thinkin’ ‘bout him puts a bad taste in my mouth. But, you’re right, let’s go. RAAMENN! ” he shouts, pumping his free arm in the air, a laugh escaping you.

-----------------

Your summers had become much more eventful thanks to Ryuji, but it didn’t stop you from your homebody tendencies, you still needed a break from the fun, and the competitive atmosphere that couldn’t be beat when it came to the arcades during the summer. How all these people could be constantly worked up about Gun About beats you, but to each their own. You had finally managed to win one of the electronic prizes from the claw machine with Ryuji’s help, so you were content for a while.

The very same plum colored headphones you had won were on your head as you sit on your bed, back against the wall as you scrolled mindlessly on your phone for cat videos. Your actual cat, Luna, lays at your feet, unperturbed by the lamp that dimly lit your room and her black fur in turn, her ears already accustomed to the sound of Ryuji’s voice that floated into your room from the bathroom. Your mother had already knew Ryuji almost as long as you did, surprisingly agreeing on Ryuji sleeping over for the night, more than likely because of the few all nighters you would spend with him helping him study for finals. Your mother and brother were just like Ann and Shiho, taking opportunities to tease you about Ryuji, your mother winking as she agreed.

“--____! ____!” You hear Ryuji’s voice cut in from your headphones. You check your phone to see it’s past midnight.

“ Shh! ” You say, putting your headphones down on your bed and striding quickly to the bathroom. “Everyone’s already asleep--” You peek into the bathroom, cutting yourself off as you see Ryuji. You had known he was in the process of bleaching his hair--you were actually the one to encourage him to do it as he tentatively brought it up to you one day--, but actually seeing it in the process was something in itself. “Wow.” You bring yourself to say after staring for a few moments.

Ryuji dismisses you with a wave before looking away from the mirror and turning to you. “Their doors are closed anyway; I doubt I was that loud. Didn’t know how high you had your headphones up.” He smiles. “But anyways, do ya mind helping me get the rest of this bleach on the back of my head? I wanna make sure everything is covered. Extra gloves are in the box over there.” Ryuji nods over to the box he’s sitting to the right of on the bathtub counter.

You reach over and pluck the gloves from the box that read ‘Palty’, pulling an extra plastic seat from the corner of the bathroom and plopping behind Ryuji, gloves now on. Ryuji hands you the container with the bleach, quickly running you through what to do. You apply the bleach to his hair as he bounces his knees, tapping his fingers against them as he hums a tune. “Thanks.” Ryuji says, turning to you for a second while you put more bleach on the brush, sending a grin your way.

“No problem, Ryu.” You mumble, focused on applying the sections as well as you could.

“This is gonna turn out awesome!” Ryuji exclaims. You can tell by his voice alone the excitement he’s holding back so you can finish, fist pumping the air once you are.

“I definitely think it will.” You smile back at him as he pulls the plastic cap over his head. “Shouldn’t be too hard to manage since your hair is short.”

An hour passes as you help Ryuji wash and tone his hair, the both of you staring in awe, him through the mirror and you at him. His hair was still a little damp, but the change was one you thought suited Ryuji really well, a small flush tinting your cheeks.  

“For real?” Ryuji smiles as he inspects his hair. “This is so cool.”

“See?” You smirk, eyes closed in a smug expression. “Told you it’d turn out great. You’re welcome.” You open your eyes just in time to see Ryuji holding out his hand, giving him a high five before you two clean up settle down for the night.

----------------

Timeskip 4/11

“What’s taking him so long…?” You tap your feet against the floor, the turtleneck underneath your uniform coat doing a somewhat good job at staving off the cold that came with this morning’s rain. You had remembered that with the early spring season often came rain, so you had snagged an umbrella before you left. If it rained, great, if it didn’t, well then you’d be carrying an umbrella around for the rest of the day. Lucky for you, it was. Knowing Ryuji however, he more than likely won’t have one when he arrives… But seriously, where was he? You take a quick glance around the outside of Aoyama-Itchome Station before shifting your umbrella in your hand, getting ready to take out your phone so you could text him.

You don’t get a full word in before you hear Ryuji’s voice calling out to you.

“___!” You turn to see him jogging towards you and ducking for cover--because just as you guessed, he had no umbrella. “Sorry, slept in a bit.”

“Hah,” You shake your head. “Should’ve known. Well, let’s go, sleepyhead, don’t wanna be late. Get under.” You motion for Ryuji to follow you, hand raising the umbrella just a bit higher. You were on the taller side, so there wasn’t that big of a gap between Ryuji and you.

“Who’re you calling the sleepyhead?” Ryuji pokes your rib as he walks alongside you. “I’m not the one who sleeps over 9 hours on weekends--”

Ryuji’s voice cuts off as he sees something in front of him catch his attention, running ahead and leaving you in confusion. You turn your head in the direction he ran off towards, connections clicking in your head as you see Ann get in the car you both knew well as Kamoshida’s. Oh boy. You sigh. You had asked Ann on multiple occasions about Kamoshida, and if there was anything you could do to help, but she had refused countless times, saying she could handle it on her own, making you promise not to tell Shiho. This didn’t stop you from making up and excuse whenever you would see her being harassed in the school hallways, your method of “girl related things” or “family emergencies” more effective than Ryuji’s that tended to be on the aggressive side. As angry as you are at Kamoshita, the both of you needed to stay on campus; if passive aggressive words were all you could fight with, then so be it.

You jog after Ryuji, careful not to slip in your sneakers against the tiled floor as the car drives off before he could reach it. He passes by another student that seems to be seeking shelter from the rain, his hair and glasses already covering half of his face.

“Dammit...screw that pervy teacher.” Ryuji mutters as he slows to a stop. You follow not too far behind, bringing the umbrella up over his head again, slightly winded. Man, you hated exercise…

“Pervy teacher..?” The student mumbles, gaining the attention of the two of you.

“...What do you want?” Ryuji snaps at the boy, a scowl forming on his face, his classic “vulgar” expression. “You plannin’ on rattin’ me out to Kamoshida?”

“Kamoshida?” The boy calmly asks, slightly confused, phone in his hand moving as he does so.

“Huh?” Ryuji blinks back, now confused. “In that car just now. That was Kamoshida.” Ryuji looks away in irritation. “He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is--the king of a castle? Don’t you agree?”

“Which castle?” the boy inquires, bringing a chuckle out of you.

“Uh, it’s just a sayin’...” Ryuji trails off as you can’t help but chuckle some more. He pauses for a few seconds before speaking again. “...Wait, you don’t know Kamoshida?” he scoffs, scrutinizing the boy. “Are you for real? You’re from Shujin, right?”

“I think so.” the boy nods.

Hm… “Are you a transfer student?” you ask, peering silently at the boy. He nods as you zone in on his uniform coat. More specifically the ‘2’ on his collar. “Oh, you’re a second year too.”

Ryuji chuckles darkly. “Then no wonder you don’t know him.” You check your phone before notioning your head in the direction of the school.

“As great as this introduction is,” you drawl out sarcastically. “We should get going, I don’t want to be late.”

Ryuji lets out a huff of laughter before turning back to the boy. “This rain ain’t too bad. We better hurry up or we’ll be late.”

You all take a step to move before a wave of pain flashes against you. “Ngh!” You cry out, almost dropping your umbrella. It seems the boy and Ryuji had felt it too, hands both on their heads. You feel light-headed as Ryuji speaks.

“Are you okay?” he asks as you nod slowly. You ask him the same. “Yeah, I’m fine, my head just hurts.. Dammit… I wanna go home.” Ryuji sighs as you keep walking, the boy following silently a few steps behind you.

-------

You make your way through the backstreet shortcut you and Ryuji knew well, the walkways casted in a purple hue that was different that what you usually saw. Maybe it had something to do with that sudden head pain earlier…? You hoped the light-headedness you had felt wasn’t involved with it. You follow by Ryuji, stopping firmly in your tracks as you both gape in disbelief at what was supposed to be the school that was currently in front of you.

A giant castle stands tall in front of you, the skies and clouds around in casted in the same murky purple you had saw on the walk over.

“Um…?” you mumble, confused.

“We didn’t… come the wrong way though…” Ryuji speaks, looking behind him, the boy joining him. “Yeah, this should be right.” you all see the school sign in front.

“What’s going on here? I guess we’ll just have to go and ask.” Ryuji walks ahead as the boy follows him, you still stuck in place.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this… At all.” You state, taking tentative steps behind them as you follow, closing your umbrella.

-----

“Th-That’s weird… Where’s the school…?” Ryuji trails off.

“Did we make a wrong turn?” The boy pipes up.

“No,” You say firmly. “We didn’t. And there’s never been a castle in this town, this just doesn’t make sense.” You bring your arms around you. “Where are we?”

Ryuji pulls out his phone, his eyes widen. “Out of service..?” He puts it in his pocket. “The sign was for the school, right?” You nod. The boy vocalizes his agreement. “Right?! You saw it too!”

A sudden armored figure appears in front of you all, a creepy blue mask as it’s face, wielding a sword and a worn shield just as big as it. You take a step back.

“Geez, you scared me…” Ryuji mutters. “Who’re you? You a student?” Ryuji takes a few steps closer to the silent figure. “Ryuji…” you caution as he waves you off. “Man, your costume’s impressive… Is that armor real?”

The figure still doesn’t respond, moving up and down slightly as it stares down at all of you. Ryuji crosses his arms and leans on one leg. “C’mon, don’t just stand there. Say somethin’.”

“Ryuji.” you say more firmly, taking his arm as another one approaches you. “I think we should go.”

“...H-Hey, what;s goin’ on?” Ryuji questions.

“Is he school staff?” The boy asks. You turn to him with an exasperated sigh. “If they were, they would’ve said something already, don’t you think?”

“...This shit’s real.” Ryuji frowns. “We better run. Go!”

“Got it.” The boy nods.

You all break for the exit to no avail, more knights surrounding you.

“Ugh, what’s with these guys!?” Ryuji exclaims before he’s hit in the back by one of the knights. “Oww… Y-You’re gonna break my bones, dammit! The hell you think you’re--Aagh!”

“Ryuji!” you try to make your way to him before another knight does the same to you, the breath knocked out of you as you fall forward.

“Take them away!” you hear one of the knights say as your surroundings go black.

[shoggoth-the-bitch]

I’ve become increasingly more annoyed with how Heroes and Halfwits has been advancing for quite a while now and I can honestly say that Geoff is the most at fault, the latest episode shows very clearly what my problem is, in fact. For whatever reason Geoff seems to think that nothing interesting has happened if they haven’t fought something and he complains constantly about them not fighting, unless of course the scene is focused on him. Not only that but he doesn’t seem to get that his character and him are not the same person and chases Orma for no other reason than the fact that her character is played by Griffon, which is just as annoying as people IRL doing that in gaming groups. Another thing, he needs to stop bossing Frank around, players should be wary or afraid of what their DM’s have planned, not threatening their job because it seems like their characters are going to die. Bo Jangles should have died probably three times now and every time Frank had to scramble to save him from dying at Geoff’s threats. Frank need to fucking let his character die the next time he clearly is supposed to be dead.

That’s not to say that the others haven’t been pretty bad in places also. 

Let’s be perfectly clear, Michael is probably the worst role player out of the five of them and most of the time it feels like he’s waiting for combat or for the scene to be given to him. He like the person who the party accidentally skips in a conversation because they legit forget they’re at the table. Of course, when he does actually contribute it’s generally funny and whether he’s meant to or not he has made slight relationships with a few characters, especially Naa who Franks is implying he could be destined to be with. Probably my favorite thing Michael did in the last episode was question if he should try to be with Naa, since he apparently had been with her in his last life, I truly hope they explore this further and it’s the start of actual character development.

Ryan, on the flip side I’d argue is actually best role playing in the group. He gave himself a full (if intentionally goofy) backstory, he’s got character quirks, he interacts with the NPC’s, and he does actually have some form of goals at this point. Granted that goal is getting smarter but whatever. Still, Ryan does like to chew the scenery and he absolutely likes being in the spotlight but it’s honestly not been as much of a problem as the party makes it out to be and would be much less of a problem if they stopped making it a problem.

Gus is actually a pretty good role player, granted he doesn’t have a back story as far as I know but I appreciate that he sticks to his character’s faith and freely admits his character is racist against non-humans. He very much feels like a human paladin. My problem with him, he (and the other players to slightly lesser extent) constantly acts like the NPC’s are a problem when they simply aren’t. I can get not wanting to split gold with fake people but Father Dory heals them and Naa and Quark are both excellent fighters and are easily the only reason the party is still standing. He needs to form a relationship with these characters and treat them like actual people in the game because they’re supposed to be to him.

Can I be completely honest about Griffon’s character? The idea is clever and cute and I thought it was hilarious the first few times but the character is never consistent, they never write anything down on her club like they’re supposed to, the people brought in never look like they feel like they’re welcome, and a few didn’t even get to do anything before their episode ended and they disappeared. Orma is best when played by Griffon, plain and simple. She doesn’t take any of Geoff’s bullshit, she sticks to character, her character knows what she likes and takes it regardless of whatever others say. She is an excellent character, her gimmick unfortunately stopped being interesting sometime last season.

And there we go, all the stuff I’d been holding in since sometime in season 1. I want to see these guys get better at playing, I really do, but after getting into other D&D shows I can honestly say these guys need to step it up because I really am having trouble staying interest at this point and if I’m having these issues I can only imagine what other people have to say.

[daleisgreat]

NXT Greatest Matches Volume 1

The original NXT that aired from 2010-2012 was a laughingstock of a ‘reality competition’ show filled with goofy challenges and awful gags. NXT’s re-launch as the new developmental territory for WWE in 2012 eviscerated all those bad early NXT memories. Since then, especially once the WWE Network debuted in 2014 and NXT introduced its PPV-esque, TakeOver specials, NXT has evolved into a unique third brand of the WWE. Triple H has been behind it since 2012, and he formed NXT today into something that feels like WWE’s take on a premiere indie promotion like Ring of Honor where the product is treated more sports-like and there is less of the mind-boggling ‘sports entertainment’ hijinx that sneaks onto core WWE programming each week. I feel it is necessary to clue those in who may be unfamiliar with the buzz about NXT among ardent wrestling fans. NXT has a consistently fresh roster because the average NXT star is only on the roster for 1-2 years before getting ‘the call’ to move up to the main WWE roster or let go from the company all together. The talent regularly steps up to deliver big matches and moments on countless occasions that stand out in a special way because NXT is taped in front of a studio audience that has a more intimate feel than the big, showpiece sports arenas the average RAW and Smackdown emanates from. Best of all, the weekly NXT show on WWE Network is a swift one hour, and not the two-to-three hour slogs that the main roster programs can be toil to persevere through sometimes. In 2016 WWE released a DVD/BluRay collecting the best of the first four years of the new NXT through 2015, so let us take a look at NXT Greatest Matches: Volume 1 (trailer).

Volume 1 collects 18 matches, with five more upping the tally to 23 on the BluRay release. There is no feature-length documentary, but instead after every couple of matches there are 2-3 minute clips of new interviews from NXT stars and Triple H talking about pivotal moments in NXT history. These add up to a little under a half hour and cover the major moments such as how Triple H shaped the new NXT, debuting the first TakeOver on the WWE Network, NXT bringing a new focus on women’s wrestling, moving TakeOver to a big arena like the Barclays Center and lots of love for Dusty Rhodes when it came time to discuss the passing of ‘the oak’ of NXT. These are the essential bullet points I would like covered of NXT history, but a big part of me feels a little short-changed because I could easily see how WWE could have interviewed many more past and present NXT talent and made a far more comprehensive documentary. I like most of the 18 core matches of the collection. Other than a handful of matches as extra features on other WWE home videos I have never seen much of the first two years of the new NXT, and there are eight matches from that era in Volume 1. It kicks off with a pre-3MB Jinder Mahal taking on a pre-Shield Seth Rollins to crown the first NXT champion in an electric moment that capped off with Dusty Rhodes presenting Rollins with the NXT Championship. From this era we also saw Paige winning the first NXT Women’s title in a tournament final against Emma. There is a reason why Emma was constantly mentioning her and Paige were the real beginning of the Women’s Evolution of WWE, and this match proves her point.

There are a couple awesome Cesaro matches from this era on here too from back when he had a first name! There is an absolutely tremendous 2-out-of-3 falls match with Cesaro and Sami Zayn that will likely be the first and only time I see someone tap out to….a basic headlock…seriously, and it looked damn convincing too! That Sami Zayn is a master salesman! Cesaro also has a superb technical/strong style showcase match with William Regal in what is essentially his retirement match where Regal gets his own Flair/Michaels Wrestlemania XXIV moment in a emotional sendoff for the Brit! There is a solid 2013 match on here with Chris Jericho making a guest appearance on NXT taking on Bray Wyatt, but it is ruined with obnoxious commentary from Brad Maddox. Speaking of commentary, it is rare to have the same pairing of announcers in two matches straight as there is a revolving door of announcers throughout. Pre-Network era announcers are primarily William Regal and Jim Ross, but others like Brad Maddox occasionally join in. Throughout this collection NXT announcers are shuffled in and out such as Alex Riley, Renee Young, Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, Jason Albert and Corey Graves.

As expected, a lot of classic TakeOver matches are on here. The main event of the first TakeOver with Neville winning the NXT Title from Bo Dallas in a ladder match is on here. Charlotte Flair winning the Women’s title in a tournament final against Natalya that featured both Ric Flair and Bret Hart at ringside to add extra notoriety is also a must-see. Volume 1 goes out of its way to show the story of Sami Zayn’s chase for NXT gold throughout and it pays off big with his title match in a Takeover special against Neville in a monumental match in this collection, which also has an equally monumental angle playing out afterwards with a debuting Kevin Owens. As much as I loved the Paige/Emma and Charlotte/Natalya title matches, the standout women’s match in this collection is the TakeOver match between Sasha Banks and Bayley. It was a great crowning moment of Bayley’s multi-year growth over NXT history and her chase for NXT gold nearly ran parallel to Sami Zayn’s, and I recall that match living up to the hype. I was surprised their TakeOver Iron Man rematch somehow surpassed it and am dismayed that it did not make the cut for Volume 1, but I guess that is what…wait a sec, I just did some research and am flabbergasted that match is not in Volume 2 either. Screw it, here is a link to it, now make haste and check out the greatest women’s match in NXT history! The collection winds down with two Kevin Owens TakeOver matches, where he wins the title from Zayn in a bout with a brutal finish and defending it against Finn Balor at the unique WWE Network-exclusive Beast in the East event in Japan. The final match features the finals of the first Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament which features a lot of solid old-school tag team wrestling fundamentals that were not that common in the tag team scene in recent decades until The Revival brought it back a couple years ago.

Most of Volume 1’s five BluRay exclusive matches are worth watching. It starts off with CM Punk teaming up with Seth Rollins to take on Cesaro and Kassius Ohno it what will likely be the only time we see the Kings of Wrestling team up on WWE television. We have a reminder that current RAW & SmackDown announcer Corey Graves was once a wrestler on here with his grudge match against former partner Neville. Charlotte and Sasha have a highly competitive match on here from when Charlotte cashed in her rematch clause for the Women’s title. Finally, Apollo Crews and Tyler Breeze have a surprisingly good match on here from a TakeOver special I have long forgotten about. There were a lot of intense sequences in here the duo pulled off flawlessly and this match is easily better than anything we have seen from both Breeze and Crews on the main roster. Wrestling fans that are use to sticking to the main roster programming have been missing out big time if they have not been keeping up with NXT. NXT Greatest Matches Volume 1 is the perfect way to catch up to see how far their favorites have come. I got a lot out of this too from the eight matches that I did not see from before NXT was on the WWE Network, with the addition of a couple of bonus dark matches that were never before televised. My only main gripe is the lack of a fully featured documentary, but the interspersed interview clips are a sufficient compromise. I did pick up the follow up NXT home video WWE released last year, so be on the lookout for an entry for that too later this year! Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Sting: Into the Light Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder TNA Lockdown 2005-Present Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania 3: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017