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mxlktxa · 2 years ago

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ʜᴇᴀᴅʟɪɴᴇꜱ

ᴍᴏᴅᴇʀɴ!ᴀᴜ

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ᴄᴇʟᴇʙ!ᴇʟʟɪᴇ ᴡɪʟʟɪᴀᴍꜱ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ; ᴇʟʟɪᴇ ᴡɪʟʟɪᴀᴍꜱ*, ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴠɪᴇᴡᴇʀꜱ

ᴄᴡ; ɪɴᴠᴀꜱɪᴠᴇ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴꜱ, ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ, ꜱᴛʀᴀᴘ-ᴏɴ ᴜꜱᴇ (ʀ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ), ᴛᴇᴀꜱɪɴɢ/ᴘʀᴀɪꜱɪɴɢ, ɴɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇꜱ/ᴘᴇᴛ ɴᴀᴍᴇꜱ

ᴡᴄ; 1.1ᴋ ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ, 6.0ᴋ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ

‘Famous singer/songwriter and artist, Ellie Williams seen with famous actress and singer/songwriter Y/N’

‘Songwriter Ellie Williams, leaving the studio with Y/N? Is this the internet's new favorite couple?’

“So, as you know, we’ve seen some things about you and Y/N. Is there anything you’d like to share about the two of you with your fans?”

“I wish there was something to share. We’re just good friends. I’m just trying to see if I actually want to get into the acting industry. She’s my—, like… I don’t know, she’s my decoy. My practice, if you wanna put it like that.”

“Look, we know this isn’t a very appropriate question and it’s been asked a lot. Y’all are fuckin’?”

“Who?”

“C’mon, Ellie! You and Y/N, of course! We gotta know. Give us the scoop, man.”

“Jesus, no. I’ve got my eyes set on somebody else anyways, she’s just a good friend.”

“You two, Y/N and you, have been spotted together a whole bunch lately. Is there any reason or coincidence to it?”

“I mean, no. Other than just she brings me with her to check out what the acting industry is really like. It’s… It’s crazy, honestly. Props to her for having the courage for that, she’s a fucking… She’s super fucking strong.”

Blah, blah, fucking-blah. I hated all these stupid fucking articles and interviews with the same dumbass questions. Why did people have to know my relationship status with someone else? Why did they care so much? Why is it a problem for people who don’t know either of us? Just let us live our fucking lives, good-fucking-god. Can I just live my life the way that I want to without being harassed about my love life?

Y/N and I had met at an award ceremony, both fairly new to the respective careers we had gotten ourselves into. We were both assigned to open the show and also seated next to each other. She's such a lovely girl, super chill and respectful. She also minds her business when she's supposed to and never bothers anyone. But her fanbase? I don't know how or why she deals with any of the men she's attracted, but good on her.

I couldn't even be mad at the people asking such invasive questions because here I was, in a hotel room with her, burying my strap deep into her, face contorting into such a wonderful face that I needed to be engraved into my mind. She was so sweet and delicate, a wonderful view to just gaze upon. She sat on my lap as I used my hands to guide her hips down and push my hips up into her. The drool slipping from her lips, hanging from the corner let me know just how much she was really enjoying our time together.

"Fuck, Ellie, I can't do this anymore, I can't take it," a rich whimper came from the gorgeous figure above me, hands gripping onto my shoulders like crazy. A smirk grazed my face as her teary eyes came to meet mine, begging for us to come to an end. I couldn't help but lift her ever-so-slightly so she would offer me yet another cry from those beautiful lips of hers.

I couldn't respond to her. No way, no how. I tilted my head to glance down at the mess she was making on my lap, chuckling at how crazy it was. One hand slid up to her slightly parted lips, thumb slipping in to press down on her tongue. Those lovely moans were now muffled, hips grinding on mine to create that friction she had loved so dearly, starting to now shake at the euphoric sensation she had been receiving for the past hour and a half.

"Oh, but you're taking me so well, princess. How many times have you finished, hm? It's a fucking disaster down there, y'know."

As much as she wanted to respond to me, we both knew she couldn't. She was sucking on my thumb at this point, those delicious sobs still detectable. Chuckling at her attempts, my arms wrapped around her waist as I shoved my face into her chest to lick from her sternum to just below her neck while my thumb had left her oral cavity.

"You're so cruel, Els."

"I'm cruel? You really think so?"

"Mhm. I can't take this. It's too much, I'm so shaky."

She was not kidding about that. She was shaking like a little chihuahua, holding onto me for dear life. I hummed at her situation, peeling away so sluggishly.

"My sweet girl," I whispered, "I'll let you lay down next time. I promise."

"You said that last time and had me against a wall for a full forty-five minutes."

"You looked so angelic. What was I supposed to do? Give you what you want?"

"Yes!" She pouted, though there was a slight smile in that pout she gave me. I shook my head at her, helping her up from my lap as she tried not to fall over and eat shit. I should really give her a break but... She's all good. I know she is.

“I wish we didn’t have to hide this shit anymore,” her face rose up only to hide in the crook of my neck, sighing softly as she ran her hands up and down my arm, “if only people could mind their own fucking business.”

“We could always just say fuck it and go public. I don’t care anymore, they already know.”

Y/N’s eyes popped up, all wide and happy, a lovely smile taking over the pout I knew she had set up just seconds ago. I nodded to her, sitting her in the chair I was in, grabbing her a damp rag and her clothes that had been dumped on the bed.

“But that’s only if you’re willing to answer some questions people ask.”

“I don’t care. As long as you’re okay with it then I am too.”

Shrugging, I cleaned her up, taking my time when I came to run the rag over her still hardened nipples and her cunt which still was glistening in the dim lights. Her chuckle brought me back to looking at her, speeding up the process before kissing her forehead.

“So,” I chuckled, “that song we recorded is getting released at midnight and you are going on tour with me. You think that’s enough confirmation from the both of us?”

“Oh definitely. If they need more, sucks to be them.”

“Okay, fair enough.”

“What are we gonna do? Put out a sex tape?”

“I mean…” I smirked softly, glancing at our phones on the bed, “we—,”

“Shut up, Ellie,” a giggle cut me off while her hand beckoned me over, “you get an hour and a half. Go crazy,” her legs spread open, the heaven’s calling my name as I stared down at her glistening core.

“You know me so well.”

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 2 years ago

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Black Light 2

Warnings: namecalling, violence, other dark elements. Proceed with caution.

Note: someone said August.

Part of The Club AU

"Kam," you tug on Kamlai's arm, "we have to go."

The guy she's with gropes her from behind, grinding on her as she keeps him from tugging up her skirt. She gives you a look. The look. Please.

"Dude," she elbows the spiky-haired pervert, "get off."

He's reluctant until she stomps his toes. She yells at him in Thai, you're not sure what, and sways his arms away from her. You shake your head as you pull her free of his embrace.

"Where's Manda?" She asks with a slur dragging her tongue.

"Dunno," you cling to her, "that weirdo tried to roofie me."

"Huh?" She yells behind you.

"Put something in my drink."

"Ew," she nearly bowls you over as you stop short.

"Yeah, uhhhh," you look around, "where would she–"

"Gross!" She points over your shoulder, "typical."

You follow the direction of her finger to Amanda tangled up, macking on the guy she picked from the lot. Ugh, she really has to be the one and only. You roll your eyes and haul Kam with you as you approach.

"Amanda," you call above the music, "let's go."

She doesn't stop. Doesn't seem to hear you as you latch onto her arm. It's only then she turns her head, the guy's mouth almost continuing its sloppy work on her ear.

"Fuck off!" She shakes free of you and shoos you with the flick of her acrylics.

"Manda," you shout, "we gotta go."

"I'm having fun," she barks back, "you wanna go home, go."

"But–"

"Fuck her," Kam pulls you back. "Look."

You turn with her and look across the room, Cole and the spiky blond staring in your direction, chatting to each other. Shit. You thought the bouncer scared him off.

"But…" you spin to face Kam.

"Nope, not sticking around for her. She got the hot one anyway."

Kam lets go of you and stomps off in her heels, ankles threatening to bend as her arms swing violently. You trail her in a tenous scramble, hands sligthly out to keep from toppling. The flashing lights and the pumping music add to the disarming atmosphere.

The cool night breeze beckons to you through the open door. Kamlai is first out but as you exit, you run into the elbow of an unsuspecting barrier. The same bouncer as before recoils and grumbles.

"Sorry," you smile sheepishly. "You okay?"

He stares at you, his face drowned in shadows, "yeah," he answers dryly, "I'll survive."

You cringe and brush by to catch up with Kam. The glow of her phone lights up her features as her pointed nails tap.

"Calling an uber," she mumbles, "I can't believe Amanda. She's so stupid."

"Mmm," you peek back at the doors. "Maybe we should go back and get her."

"You think she'd help you? She's selfish," Kam sniffs, "remember the school trip to New York?"

"Uh huh," you squint at the dark figure beside the door. You can't tell if he's looking at you but it feels like he is. "I… guess you're right."

"You know I am," she scoffs.

🥂

Just after noon, you wake to the chirp of your phone. You snatch it blindly, rolling over to check the messages. Just Kamlai whining how hungover she is. Mood.

There's a notification that Amanda posted a story. You check it, anxiously, relieved at least to see her alive in the video, though unimpressed at the naked back of the man next to her. If she wants to make Seth jealous, you're sure she's doing a great job.

You get up and get going, the previous night following you around as it rattles in your head and mulches in your stomach. Such a happy birthday, almost drugged and ditched by your supposed bff. And that bouncer… a bit gruff but you can't deny he saved you.

Hmmm. You know exactly how to thank him!

🥂

You walk up to the club. It's not yet open and in the light of day, it's a bit less showy. As you approach, you see a face you recognize. The second bouncer, the pudgy one, yawns as he struts up to the doors.

"Oh, sir, sir," you run forward, your skirt fluttering around your legs, "hi."

He looks at you woth a crooked smirk, "why, hello, darlin'."

"Uh, hello," you reply, "um, I'm looking for your friend."

"Friend?" He frowns.

"Um, yes, the tall one! The other one," you explain poorly, you can't even remember what he looks like.

"Auggy? Ah, well, he should be 'round," he thinks, "didn't think he was seeing anyone."

"Oh, no, no, no," you deny, "I was only hoping to thank him. He really helped me out so I bought some cookies from Marie's…"

"Cookies, you say? I might know where to find him for a price."

"Uh, sure," you open the lid, "snicker doodle?"

He smirks and takes a cookie. He chuckles as he turns on his heel and heads for the door. He elbows it open as he swallows, "hey, Aug, out here."

He lets the door close and you wait on the stoop. You bounce impatiently and after a few minutes, the hinges grind again. You look up as the large man pokes his head out with a dull stare.

"Oh, hi," you keep your smile wide. You didn't notice last night the scars along the right side of his face. A curved ripple around his temple, and several long marks down his cheek and jaw. His eye is completely white and part of his eye brow permanently shorn.

"What?" He snarls.

"Oh, I… you might not remember me, but you uh, you helped me last night so I just wanted to thank you."

He sneers and doesn't react. You open the box and angle it towards him.

"Cookies!"

He stares. Silent.

"Cause you were so nice–"

He steps out completely and you lean away, but don't retreat. He grabs a cookie gruffly and holds it up. He wraps his fist around it and crushes it, letting the crumps rain to the ground.

"I don't want your fucking pity, you bimbo," he slaps the box out of your hands as he looms over you, "so why don't you get the fuck out of here?"

You stand in shock, hands still out as you look at the cookies littered over the pavement. You gape at him and fold your arms over your stomach.

"Why–"

"I said go," he growls, "don't let me see ya back her either."

He steps forward, half a lunge that has you staggering backward. You let out a pathetic squeak as you spin and flit away. You get halfway down the street before you look back over your shoulder.

Wow, he didn't have to be so mean. If he didn't like snickerdoodles, he could just say so.

#august walker x reader #dark august walker #august walker #dark!august walker #black light #au #drabble #series #mission impossible: fallout

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sanhatipal · 2 years ago

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"Noble d'Apchier"

A little watercolor painting of Chloe,with the Zorn palette! I found out about this palette a while ago and I really wanted to try it out! (More on that below )

Chloe's hair is something I adore, it's gotta be one of my absolute favourite character designs ever,I love how swirly and fluffy it is,very fun to draw. I've drawn her normally before,I wanted to do one with her vampire eyes and fangs too. I decided to try to draw a white fuzzy rim around the foreground against the plain background,for a change,like in some of the VnC panels.

The Zorn palette,or Apelles Palette was a colour scheme used by Anders Zorn in the late Victorian/Early Edwardian era. It ,or something similar,might have been used by artists of old civilizations too, because it avoids the use of blue and green entirely: which would eliminate the need for rare pigments . It's essentially a colour mixing challenge,to draw the entire paintings with 4 pigments,2 basic colours: Ochre yellow, Vermillion,and Black and white,which can be mixed into different shades. It can be an excellent exercise and means for portrait painting

Modern artists use red instead of vermillion,but the essence is the same. So that's what I did too. I considered using vermillion,but I realised that it would introduce a lot of yellow tint, making the picture very warm. Which is usually something I prefer honestly,but not what I was going for here. Also,I need to consider the fact that I'm a watercolour artist,which is very different from the original intended palette. Zorn used oil paints,but other artists use it fine for gouache and acrylic too, however,that too is different from watercolor, because instead of mixing with white, I'll be diluting with water,which changes the composition of the palette considerably. So I went with these supplies: ochre yellow and red watercolor pencils (for me, basically watercolor pigments,I don't use them to draw,I grind and dissolve them in water),white and black watercolor tubes,and white ink. In addition: lineart with sepia,grey and black brush pens,which are well within the bounds of the palette

To be honest,I ended up not using the white paint tube at all,water makes more sense to me. I didn't use anything else though,and stuck with the original materials.And the results:

Does it work? Hell yeah. It's not perfect,but I'm happy with how she turned out

Was it restricting? That's kind of the point,to paint with some limitations

Was it hard? Honestly? No. Not at all. It's definitely very different from what I'm used to,I use a lot of colours both as is and mixed,but this was surprisingly easy. Perhaps because of my subject,which didn't have much colour to begin with

Do I recommend it? If you want a small challenge,or to experiment or practice colour mixing,definitely

Will I do it again ? Absolutely. I feel like I haven't utilised much of the potential of this palette. I ended up using mainly red and black, hardly any yellow at all. So I'd like to do something more colourful with this palette, perhaps a sunny painting of a gingerhead girl with flowers,and for this I'll probably use vermillion,not red

Anyways, that's all! If you read all this,thank you for your time!!

#chloe d'apchier #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #VnC #my art #traditional art #zorn palette #vnc fanart #vanitas no shuki #jun mochizuki #case study of vanitas

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treason-and-plot · 1 year ago

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[previous]

While Renee and Alec grind on the dancefloor, Anita has been tasked with an intelligence-gathering mission: to try and determine if the Hot Bartender might be interested in Alec. She plonks herself down at the bar and when he approaches she decides with intoxicated abandon to get straight to the point: life is too short for subtlety!

“Hey,” she says. “My friend thinks you’re hot. And he wants to know if you’re interested in him. He’s the good-looking ginger up there on the dancefloor. So….are you?”

“Ma’am, I’m working,” says Hot Bartender, a gentle smile illuminating his chiselled cheekbones and pale blue eyes. “It wouldn’t be appropriate or professional for me to comment one way or another. Now, is there anything I can get you?”

“My friend really wants your phone number,” says Anita.

“Like I said, it wouldn’t be appropriate or professional-“

“You know what?“ says Anita. “I met my partner when he was working behind a bar. Oh my God, I spent so much money on drinks trying to get him to notice me! It nearly sent me broke. And nearly turned me into an alcoholic. But what can you do? It was love at first sight. For me, anyway. You just gotta do what you gotta do. Right? Which is why I just came out and told you directly that my friend thinks you’re hot. Cut to the chase. None of this beating around the bush bullshit. You know what I mean?”

“I appreciate your candour,” says Hot Bartender.

“I appreciate your…oops, I’d better not say,” giggles Anita. “I’m a terrible flirt when I’m drinking. Terrible. But flirting’s harmless, right? I mean, it’s just a bit of fun. I like to have fun. Just because I’m the…the wrong side of forty doesn’t mean I don’t like to flirt with an attractive man. There’s still a lot of juice left in this engine, you know what I mean?”

Alec sidles up to her ten minutes later. Renee is still on the dancefloor, dancing with Nancy Landgraab. Alec smiles at the bartender.

“What would you like to drink, Anita?” he asks. Anita tries to refuse, but her tongue feels as if it’s made of shagpile wool- words keep sinking into it and disappearing. Finally she manages to speak.

“Nothing, thank you. I’m actually very wasted and I don’t want-“

“Another Simsmapolitan for the lady, thank you Sir, “ Alec says. “And I’ll have a tequila shot. Actually, what the hell. Give us two shots each." He ignores Anita's groan of protest and winks at the bartender, who raises an inquisitive eyebrow. “I’d like to inform you that I'm really good at swallowing shots. Really, really good.”

#Alec from Adidas #Renee #Anita #back to Bridgeport #5 years later #sims 3 #ts3 #sims 3 story

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kafus · 3 months ago

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bc of eggtempest's comic that i reblogged earlier i have now realized i have really strong opinions on what would happen in a likodot body swap hypothetical actually

to be clear this isn't a critique of their comic i'm just using it as a jumping off point to talk about my personal interpretation of the characters lol the comic is hilarious. but anyway

i don't think liko would get in the gurumin suit. she is a bit more normal about gurumin now because she kind of has to be to be friends with dot, and she was able to hold the suit without nervousness in HZ049 while saving it from the varoom dragging it around, but it's still a massive leap to get in the suit and i think being in dot's body would frankly make that worse, not better. i can see her bashfully suggesting doing it, but by the time it's in front of her she's like (head in hands) no. i can't do this with my oshi. otaku crimes (embarrassment)

liko would definitely have a "woah" reaction to being short ("wow it's like i'm 8 again!" or something like that LOL) but i think dot would actually have a stronger reaction to being tall. for one just on the principle of it and two, she is going to see her own body... from liko's eyes... and realize that THAT'S HOW LIKO ALWAYS SEES HER. LIKO ALWAYS SEES HER THAT SHORT AND HAS TO LOOK DOWN LIKE THAT. she's never going to recover from realizing that from liko's POV she is TINY

this leans really hard into HC territory and isn't based on the show at all really but i think after the initial fascination with liko's body that isn't a literal stick like her own, dot would actually be kinda uncomfortable and would hyperfocus on figuring out the science of the synchro machine to turn them back (assuming that they are stuck like this for a while), both to cope/focus her attention on something else and also because she's fascinated by the science of it and how it affects pokemon too. like she was so ready to swap with quaxwell in the recent episode for a reason. but really i just don't see her being very comfortable with other people seeing her in liko's body type & with liko's features (embarrassment about usually being short aside, dot is a lot more comfortable with her own body)

on the other hand liko has no qualms with being in dot's body and is having a great time though routinely getting flustered about it LMAO. like there's a lot of emotions to go through some good some bad in relations to worries about turning back but mostly she's having a good time. while dot is hyperfocused on the synchro machine liko's disappointed that dot doesn't want to goof off more while they have the chance (and she probably makes dot crumble and drags her away to do a couple things at the least!)

liko would totally go out of her way to eat while in dot's body because she worries about dot not eating enough still even though she eats better than she used to lol

dot would be uncomfortable in liko's clothes i think, might even go out of her way to put on her looser pajamas (one of the first things she notices is how the sleeves of the jacket aren't loose enough and she takes off the jacket)

also similar to the episode roy would probably know but they would try to hide it from everyone else before turning back lol

all of the above hinges on the interpretation that dot wanted to swap with her pokemon because of the scientific interest and liko wanted to swap with her pokemon because it's cool/sounds like fun LOL - swapping with dot would probably be more desirable for liko and for dot i think swapping with liko instead of quaxwell would be unexpected

probably more but whatever i'm breeding bronzor in platinum right now i gotta get back to the grind

#kiki was here #kiki.txt #horizons

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dysfunctional-doodle · 7 months ago

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YPI PROJECT BEAT MY ASS AND I’M SUPER TIRED BUT THE TOO MANY TURTLES COMMENTARY GRIND NEVER STOPS ‼️‼️💯💯💯

betrayal…. (playing uno is 100% more worth your time than patrol, can confirm, best game ever, played a game with 20 people in a german exchange (but it was kinda quick since we only had one pack of cards and. well. 20 people))

HELL YEAH, WE’RE MAKING PROGRESS!!!!! (i have a feeling this might get a bit angsty…)

😭😭😭😭 (speech to text is really annoying i get the struggle)

y’know, of all the turtles to slander clothes, i didn’t think it’d be him

god noooo the feels 😭😭 (i never quite experienced the bad-teacher side of the neurodivergent experience (my physics teacher was crazy supportive despite the fact i never scored higher than a 40% in his class) but i would get a loooottttt of shit from classmates,,,,,,, sucks ass i feel for mm mikey)

gotta keep expanding your horizons!

ok but. of all the turtles………

love it when this happens

taking action! (also hold on 2012 mikey is an adult in his timeline???)

sighhhh i hope tech stays with the mikeys forever because their dynamiccccc 😭😭😭

not sure if i’m ready for the angst that is most likely coming our way. BUT i’m excited for it

Happy you liked my insane rambles again!

Referring to what you said about teachers, I have personally had some struggle throughout school with the way they teach things which I kind of use to write the issue mm mikey is having, very loosely. Though I don’t have a neurodivergency diagnosed (though a lot of people have kind of told me that I most definitely probably have big ADD or something similar rattling in the old noggin so idk) I learn much differently to what schools want. I am a very hands on learner, and really struggle with visual/auditory classes. It’s like being told how to write a good story but not actually doing it - I just tune out, or it is difficult to get it to “click” unless I explain it to myself in a weird way that actually makes much more sense to me. Once this “click” happens it’s great, I have no issues, but I have a lot of questions and thoughts that others don’t get prior to this point that I’ve unfortunately been disregarded for, as my teacher just didn’t want to explain and deemed me as stupid and needing extra classes because I didn’t learn in the same way. Not to brag but I’m pretty intelligent without even studying so this was a slap in the face for me.

So yeah, I kinda based at least some elements on this experience, though obviously a lot is also made up/fictionalised.

Wow that was a ramble

Anyway, you also mentioned Mikey’s age? I don’t think I’ve ever properly written down the ages outside of a discord I am in that talks about this fic, oops. In short, the timelines are not linear, but rather dotted around the place. A breakdown:

1987 are the ones where I’m not 100% sure on what to age them as, but I imagine around 17 - 19, all the same age

Rise boys are about 6 months - a year after the events of the movie

2012 are about 20 - 22, a few years after their final series (with Mikey being an extra 2 years ahead due to Dimension X)

2007 are what I believe are their cannon ages at 21? Takes place a few months after their 2007 movie (I also consider the 90s movies to be from the same universe due to the details present in 2007)

2003 are a few years after the crossover movie, making them the oldest at around 25 (Mikey being 24 due to him being a few months or so younger when they were sold)

Mutant mayhem boys are literally a couple of weeks after their movie

Bayverse boys are a year after their second movie

Hopefully that clears things up a little :)

#tmnt #rottmnt #too many turtles #tmnt asks #asks and replies #tmnt fanfiction #wow this was a long ramble #tldr: I do not like school

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cyten0 · 2 months ago

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A Symphony in Crimson

Act 2: A Movement in White

Chapter 5-B

♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯

The battlefield lies before you. The clouds darken the sky. You have ALL your weapons to play with!

Oh this is gonna be a GOOD day!

♯♪𝄡 “THE STARS ABOVE AS MY WITNESS!!!”

Mi’s music blares out from above!

Let’s GO!!!!

You charge forwards, greatswords in hand! NORMAL people would say they’re ‘massively over-sized’ but honestly they are as light as daggers to you. With simple, quick swings, you crush people’s bodies before the edge splits them in half, showering you in blood, viscera, and shards of armor!

STARS, YES!!!!!

You can FEEL the sins of these people with your gift, so you have absolutely NO remorse!! Someone tries to stab back at you, but you dodge to the side, and SLAM them into the air with the flat-side of your blade! Whoop! There they go!

Oh, you see a big guy to your side! He looks tough! WAIT!!! That means you can test this weapon!! You use that magnet craft Ti taught you to pull it over! It hits a few people on the way, so it’s already pre-bloodied! Nice!

You rev up the awesome, and almighty CHAINSWORD!!!! Epic combo of excessively oversized greatsword and chainsaw! Is it practical? Nope! Does it make a lot of mess? Yes! Is that the point? ASH YEAH!!!!

As the blades on it’s edges spin rapidly, the guy you were charging at ducks out of the way, hearing the sound of your weapon as you approach. You swing again, and dig into his flesh, Watching as bits of him fly EVERYWHERE as it grinds him into blinding PASTE!!!

You have NO idea when you started laughing, but you are not gonna stop!

♪ “Having fun?”

Aurola walks up next to you, sniping away rapidfire craft with their bare hands in a rain of perfect targeted blasts. Making their little fingerguns to focus them into precision destruction.

♯ “HAHA YEAH!!! STARS it’s been WAY TOO LONG!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!!”

Next weapon! Oh, that cool sword you got from Ka Bue! Normally they make them smaller, but BLIND THAT! This might not be as big or heavy as most of your stuff, but it’s REALLY sharp!

You focus craft into the sheathe and in a single motion, pull the blade from it’s sheathe, unleashing it into a slice razor thin! Think you got like, 13 ish people with that? You only saw their bodies fall a second after it happened! Cut is so precise it’s practically surgical, even on this scale!

Not as messy, but still SO SATISFYING!!!!

You are about to turn towards the next group, when a wave of craft rips apart the earth towards them, like an explosion!

♯ “Aw, I was gonna get them!”

𝄡 “They were archers. Could have hit the town.”

Oh, yeah, good point, they might have panicked if you attacked them. Okay then! You’ll let Ti have that one.

You hear someone speak in your headphones.

❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁

HOLY CRAB they really are just TEARING through the army! What the crab even ARE these people?!

Whatever, gotta do your job, that group is coming in hot! Literally! Those torches look like trouble!

❁ “Second group, coming in from the north of town! Looks like they got fire!”

♪ “I’ll get them, Re and Ti have things covered.”

You watch as La leaps out of the battlefield, and starts running the walls, before suddenly a barrage of craft snipes down the lot of them from halfway across the town! WOW okay!!

Some of them are getting into town, but this mysterious black armored knight lady has been clearing them out. She’s not on the same level as the others, but she’s really good! And she’s got a knack for command. Looks kind of like the lady in the painting?

Honestly, this is kinda cool! You take the phone Re gave you and pointed it at Mi a little! They need some screentime cause Crab they are really awesome and the music gets your blood pumping and they look like they’re having the time of their life performing and it’s kinda cute, especially when they smile at the camera-

A-Anyways back to the action! WAIT WHA- How the crab did someone make it up here?!!

You slam your hammer into them, and it knocks them off the clocktower! Whooo okay, that scared you for a sec. Crab, it’s kinda just hitting you this is a crabbing warzone! You’ve only ever fought the odd weak sadness, You are NOT prepared for this!!

♫ “Thank you!”

Mi gives you a smile.

Nevermind, You are absolutely crabbing ready to deal with literally anything that happens.

𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢𝄢

You watch as Nille takes care of that threat. Good. All is secured.

You focus on maintaining your concentration. Keeping yourself steady. The streets are getting flushed clean, the citizenry is secured near the farther side of town, away from the battle, and you have the defenders making use of local knowledge to ambush those who do make it within the walls. A manageable amount for them, thanks to your Allies outside.

𝄢♮ “Good work, Defenders! Keep it up!”

You see a soldier in the street, and charge at them, focusing energy from your gauntlet to knock them out with a mechanically powered punch to the face! They get knocked back from the blow, and their neck nearly snaps off. You then charge at the next group. You won’t let any citizenry get hurt today!

♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯

As the dirt and grass below your feet slowly turns to mud from blood alone, You continue to cleave a gruesome path through the army! You did take a few small hits, but you can barely tell with the raw craft and adrenaline running through your veins!

Φ “Enough! Face me, Demon!”

You just barely manage to parry the blow as the commander dives at you from above, spear in hand. Oh he’s strong! You actually had to fight him off a bit!

Φ “By the Dragon, you shall die today!”

♯ “Heh, We’ll see about that! Ti, give us a little arena, I want people to watch this!”

Let’s see if this guy can keep up! Ti nods and with a flip of his pages, a column of earth rises from below the two of you, lifting you both into the air.

You call your own spear over. See if you can beat this guy at his own game!

♯ “Come On! Let’s see what you’ve got!”

He leaps into the air, diving at you, but that trick won’t work twice! You sidestep him and punch him straight in the stomach! He skids across the ground, but uses his polearm to keep himself going off the edge.

You dash at him, spear first, as he Leaps out of the way. Jumpy, ain’t he? But you kick off the ground, and intercept him mid air. Manage to clip his flank this time, but he catches you off guard when he swings around, using his cape as a glider to swoop midair! You block the blow, but it sends you crashing down.

Oh, you’ve heard of this! A Poterian Dragon-Knight! Oh this is SO crabbing cool!

Φ “From on High, I shall send thee whence you came!”

♯ “Fighting in the Air, huh?”

Oh, stars this is so cool, like that play you saw back in the day! Oh You have GOT to play the part!

♯ “Then together we shall soar! And let us see who flies higher, the Dragons almighty-”

You use craft to bring your greatswords up, and hold one in your hand, while using magnetic craft ride the other like a surfboard, then send it careening through the air!

♯ “Or the Stars above!!”

Your movement is fast enough to catch him off guard, but he swoops just out of the way, with you only slightly grazing him. But he won't expect this! You stop right after the blow, hovering just above him, and then using your rides hilt as a handlebar, swing below to kick him in the face! He flies back, then turns the momentum into an upwards sweep, which you just barely manage to dodge out of the way.

Five seconds of seeing how you move and he’s already adjusting! He knows his stuff!

Φ “Enough! Begone!”

He kicks you in the face with enough force to knock you down again. Aw, you were having fun...

Φ “You shall not have your way! We WILL reach our goal!”

Wait… Do you smell… Sugar? Wishcraft?!

His spear fills with craft so brilliant it seems to be alight with flame, and then, he dives down with full force!!!

As the commander rockets into the earth, buckling the land like a crater’s impact, the Poterian soldiers cheer.

But as the dust settles, you watch as the commander’s face goes from confidant to horrified.

As you simply caught his lance in your hand before it even hit the ground.

♯ “...You called on Wishcraft? For this? To slaughter innocents?… That you would desire such a thing so purely.”

He starts to shake. You are furious. But. You can’t help but laugh.

♯ “In that case. I can’t afford to let you live.”

You fling him up into the air. A Dragon-Knight shouldn’t die anywhere else. Then, you feel your heart beat, filling you with power. As you amplify your magnetic craft, and lift ever single loose weapon from the battlefield.

And drive them towards him, from every angle.

In one moment, he’s left nothing but a mangled corpse, barely visible through the blades in his body.

You look out at the army. Seeing his death, they freeze.

And then run. Run for the hills.

♯ “And don’t you BLINDING come back!”

...Blind it. That soured your mood.

You look at the man. He cared enough for whatever it is he was trying to do.

♯ “...May the Phoenix carry your soul home.”

You don’t know a Poterian prayer that matches that, but you guess it doesn’t matter.

Battle is over anyways.

>>>

After a nice shower at an inn room someone lent you all, you’re feeling MUCH better! You get yourself dressed back up, and join the others in the lobby, having meals while the locals barrage you all with questions and praise.

It’s a little tricky to go into detail, given everything, so you all settled with ‘travelers from the lost island on a secret quest’. Which, is close enough that people accept it. And mysterious enough to keep most from prying too much.

As you sit down, a defender instantly jumps up and asks you-

▣ “I gotta know! How did you get so strong!”

Well, you don’t mind giving a little advice!

♯ “Hard work, experience, and Dedication!”

▣ “...Okay, that’s bullcrab, you cut an army in half.”

♯ “Not really! Those are the important bits! The rest is just fancy rituals that wouldn’t have worked without them.”

▣ “That also how you threw swords around with your mind?”

Okay, you CAN’T take credit for that! Sure, you might have made it your favorite craft at this point, but…

♯ “Nah. Ti actually came up with that. His little Bladeheart signature is he can invent new minor craft types if you ask. Stuff that'd take ages to figure out otherwise. I just got really god at that magnet craft he taught me, cause I found it fun!”

❁ “Bladeheart signature?”

𝄡 “Every Bladeheart knight gains a special ability, unique to them, based on the nuances of the wish they made when they took their oaths.”

♯ “For example, I can track down people from those who know them. Works best on finding people who’ve hurt them, but also can find those they want to protect, if they’re worried. Like I did back in Bambouche!”

❁ “Huh, why that?”

Oh… That’s… Stars, It feels awkward to say. Makes you remember... Unpleasant times. Things you’ve tried to move on from.

...Ah, Ash. You see Nille’s face and just. Yeah. You can tell them. You have suspicions they’d get it.

♯ “...Later. It’s kinda personal.”

A kid walks up and drops a gift box on the table.

∘ “Here! You were super cool so I made you a thing!”

♯ “Oh, wow, thank you! I wasn’t expecting that! Let’s see-”

You open the box and with a loud POP, a burst of glitter fills the air!! You are absolutely coated in the sparkling stuff!!! As is the surrounding table, all the rest of you, some bystanders and…

Not La. Who was standing back.

♯ “AUROLA!!!!”

♪ “What, I totally, absolutely had nothing to do with that!”

That gets a laugh out of a lot of nearby patrons. And. Ah, blind it, you chuckle a little too. It’s been a while since you got a proper La prank!

∘ “Wait, but where’s the gift I made?”

♪ “Check your pocket.”

∘ “Huh?… Woah. How’d you do that?!”

♪ “Magic”

The girl pulls out a small handmade plushie of the change god, but it’s holding little copies of your swords!! OH THAT IS AMAZING!!!! You think you let out an involuntary squeal of delight!!

∘ “You like it?!”

♯ “Oh my stars I love it so much!! Oh this is absolutely joining my collection!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!”

She hands it to you and you give it a big squeeze!! Oh you love this so much!! You then give them a big hug! Oh this is so blinding sweet you love it SO MUCH!!!!

𝄡 “Perhaps we could return the favor. Didn’t Darkon commission some plushies of us at some point? Might have a spare.”

The little girls eyes practically sparkle!

∘ “Really?! Can I?!”

♯ “Yeah! I… Ah stars, I actually don’t have a spare. Um...”

𝄡 “Hm. In that case, We could teach you a little ritual to make the favor tree give you one.”

▣ “A Ritual? Not just normal asking?”

So’s face flickers to a cheerful, informative one.

𝄢 “It’s called wishcraft, and with the right steps, you can turn a desire for something into real effects! It’s frankly comparable to magic.”

Ti Finishes writing down the steps and hands a copy to the girl.

∘ “Okay! I’ma go get a magic mini Knight lady! Thank you!!!”

She runs off, excited. You wave her off.

❁ “Is that safe?”

𝄢 “Favor tree ritual isn’t anything serious. You can maybe conjure a simple item, help learn a skill. Small things like that. Things that ‘feel’ within reason to do yourself, but would otherwise be difficult.”

▣ “Okay, but that’s still wild. Could’ve helped against the king, maybe! Bunch of people wanted that.”

♫ “Maybe. But it won’t help clean up this glitter. I hope you’ll help the Innkeeper with that, La.”

♪ “Oh, very well, I suppose I should.”

You enjoy the rest of your meal, even if it’s a little glittery, and enjoy the afternoon! Basking in a job well done!

… Something still bugs you though.

If nobody knows about wishcraft then. How did that Poterian guy know any?

𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞��𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞𝄞

You watch over your other family. Hidden away in the corner, using a little wishcraft to keep yourself hidden. Not an easy thing to do, especially with Aurola there.

They still think you’re dead. That you died with the refugees when 'someone' let monsters into the safehouse. A reasonable assumption, and one you played into a bit when you realized they wouldn’t be on board. With. ANYTHING you’re doing.

You’d like to keep it that way. They know about you. They’d try and stop you. And they are the only people with any kind of knowledge about what you’re using. Right of kings, Arcana, Primodials, ect. Even if they don’t have NEARLY as much knowledge as you.

You don't like being distant from them any more then you do your other family. You lived a very happy life with them. They helped you. Grounded you.

But you HAVE to do this. You would do this a thousand times over if it helped them. You'll bring back Astravia, make it a good place, and fix the whole rest of the world while you're at it. Make it perfect.

They might figure out something is up later, but every second you can buy yourself helps. For now, they won't notice the little things.

Like how they didn’t notice pieces of Arcana in the Poterian soldiers. Now seeping into the earth. You’d have hoped they got a little farther, but they covered a good chunk of the coastline.

It was easy enough to convince them. Told them the ‘blessing’ those shards gave them was for a holy quest. That the rituals were teachings of the dragon. And, STARS, they ran with it! Poteria always did put on the best shows!

And now this land counts as Astravia for the Royal blessing. As will the people living on it, given a days time. As they drink the water, breath the air, they will slowly but surely count as subjects. But you aren’t going to use that right away.

No, they’re buffer. You’d rather your Astravian family doesn’t get sacrificed. They still have that little blessing on them, so they are much farther down the list for the Arcana. But just in case, you want a few extra names on that list. You still care about them. Even if they hate you for this, you don’t care. As long as they live it’s FINE.

Breathe in. And out. In. and Out.

Now all you need to do is get Isa to start the cycle. Throw wide the gates, but put the blood on HIS hands. You’d rather it was anyone else, but it’s fine. Too late now, you can’t make another. Only reason the Empress made a second king at all is cause you hid yourself. Two kings gets messy, and they know it.

But it’s also the only thing that works. The only way to appease Judgment’s price.

You walk out of the inn, and when out of sight, use your translocator. You’ll head back to base, then tomorrow, you head back to Réfroir. And start this show for real.

♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯

...Eh, you’re sure it’s fine! Could have dug that stuff up from anywhere.

You hug your gift. Change god with swords is so cool! And they’re YOUR swords, which is cooler!

You finish up your meal, and chat with people. It’s a little tricky, cause obviously they have questions, but you kinda can’t answer all of them cause it’ll give them headaches. Though once they figure that out, they kinda ease up on it.

They do ask about Suki though. Some noticed she was Vaugardian, despite the white hair.

♫ “The white hair was from some wishcraft! A-A lot of people from our home have white hair, and she wanted to fit in.”

❁ “Huh, that’s kinda cool. Changing to fit in with a new home.”

𝄢 “She cared a LOT for the Island. She saw the potential for a good place. And she fought tooth and nail to try and make it that. To help it change, as it were. Course, Darkon and her getting together helped, but she got by on her OWN merits. She was one heck of a Queen.”

❁ “Wait, she was a QUEEN?!”

♫ “Yep. Darkon was Crown prince at the time.”

▣ “Wait, Darkon? Like the guy who wrote Cursing of Chateau Castle?”

♪ “Same one. That series turned a LOT of heads, being so subversive on the ideas of nobility and royalty, ESPECIALLY with it being written by the current king. The entire work was practically a scathing review of the entire political climate.”

▣ “… I might have to re-read the entire series.”

So’s face lights up but you can’t tell if it’s in a good way or a bad way.

𝄢 “I HAVE to see the Vaugardian translation at some point! How did they translate the symbolism?! The cultural context?! Do people even KNOW about the romance? Or have ANY idea who Hermes is?!”

▣ “Wait the guy who showed up in issue 43?! Is that a reference? Does he come back again?!”

𝄢 “I hope not!?! That’s the spirit of the first King!! Married to the Patron Star!! That’d be like if the Change god was a reoccurring character!”

▣ “Crab, if this wasn’t starting to give me headaches, I would ask SO many more questions!”

𝄡 “Eventually that wish will be taken down, and you can learn more then.”

Huh. That’s. Interesting to think about.

Your home has been gone for seven YEARS now. You kinda grew complacent with the idea that it’d stay gone. Sealed up and buried. But. It won’t. Not forever.

Ash, that’s a sobering thought. Might be able to build Suki’s Astravia from the ground up. Literally rising from the ashes, just like the dove of Hermes. Awfully fitting, if a better Astravia is reborn like they were. Maybe the Universe thought this was the best way.

>>>

You just get into your room to relax for the rest of the day, while So and Mi go about getting supplies for your trip, when you get a message.

▲ {Hey, it’s Isabeau here. Letting you all know we aren’t gonna be doing a call today. Something happened, and we’re a little shaken.}

♯ {What happened, we gotta know!!}

▲ {Heard you all knew about Fa’s horn turning black? Yeah that.}

♪ {Huh, thought it wouldn’t come up. It tends not to, unless someone deserves it.}

▲ {Oh so the whole ‘murder our enemies’ thing is normal? That’s good to know. What about the eating people?}

𝄢 {Only if they do something truly unforgivable. So what happened? And do you need help covering up a murder?}

▲ {Okaaay, was NOT the response I was expecting! But thankfully no. Some Timecraft Fa got back in Dormont kicked in, and now neither them NOR Odile are dead. Though all three have some trauma now.”

𝄢 {TIMECRAFT?!? That is excessively dangerous! Especially if it can reverse things! My brother is the only recorded person in HISTORY to manage it at ALL!}

𝄡 {Given Fa has Siffrin’s memories, that would explain how they managed it. Regardless, watch out for changes.}

▲ {Hold on, brb, we’re having the Change god take a look for that.}

You sit and wait there, kicking your feet as you sit over the bed. You pull out a sigil Ti gave you and conjure up a pile of your stuffed animals, so you can just lie on them. You need comfort. Oh PLEASE let Fa be okay!!!

▲ {Back. Change god confirmed it. Timecraft got permanently etched into Fa, and it’s messed them up a bit. They’re gonna need more food from now on, and that’s making them and everyone nervous.}

𝄢 {Blind it, the worst time for their divine nature to kick in.}

▲ {Divine nature?}

𝄢 {Odile hasn’t mentioned yet? Part of them, specifically the fallen star part, is the same kind of being as Change or the Arcana.}

𝄢 {They were formed from Astravia’s faith and excess wishcraft. Decidedly mortal now, but still.}

𝄢 {They can be affected by what kinds of wishes they grant, and in Fantasia’s case, their own wishes. Again, why they are banned from wishcraft.}

▲ {Huh. How many people know about that?}

♪ {Pretty much just us, why?}

▲ {Change saw it was done by force. Like some kind of secret wishcraft surgery. Someone, or something, MADE this happen.}

You freeze solid.

Someone. Forced changes. Onto Fa.

♯ {WHO THE ASH HURT THEM AND CAN I STAB THEM?!?!?!}

♫ {Calm down Re! When we meet up, you can track them with your gift, right?}

Right. Someone HURT them. You are really. REALLY good. At finding people who hurt others.

♯ {I am gonna mess them up so much I’ll give Fa in Black a run for their money.}

▲ {Oh absolutely. We are gonna kick this person’s butt.}

Ash yeah, a fellow but kicker!!!

… Oh stars, you just realized you swore in chat. You REALLY hope Fa doesn’t see that. You’ve been doing really good at not swearing in front of them all these years. Just using baby swears like stars or blinding!

You are not loosing that bet, not after 20 years! Ash would ABSOLUTELY count as a swear, and is way too close!

▲ {Actually, weird aside. You all know what it means if your hair and eyes turn that same weird shade Fa’s secret monster eyes?}

𝄢 {You mean red? That’s the name for the color. Or shade, as you’d call it.}

▲ {Yeah, that. I made a weird wish, and the uh. Empress Arcana wasn’t sure how I was able to do it? Mentioned a third party, which is why I thought to bring it up. Thought that might be related.}

Wait. If they have the same thing Darkon and Siffrin had then... Are they… Oh my stars that’s really cute.

♯ {Guys, looks like Fa got their prince charming after all!!!}

♪ {Never thought that would happen! Grats on becoming Royalty btw Isabeau.}

▲ {Huh?!? Can I get some explanation?}

𝄡 {The eyes and hair are a symbol of the Arcana’s blood flowing through your veins. By divine right, all under their influence are your subjects. Rather impressive to get that without being a direct descendant.}

▲ {Huh, explains the name. But what’s that actually mean?}

♪ {Practically speaking? Two things. One is the power to summon the Arcana. Powerful beings of world shaping power, but it’ll cost innocent lives to do so. So don’t.}

▲ {Yeah, I heard about that. No worries, I don't plan to!}

You remember Siffrin talking about it, once. The royal secret. The Coronation of Celestials, the ritual to summon the 22 fragments of the patron star into the world. How each one is already unbelievably powerful alone. How if all of them are summoned, one can literally remake the world like a god.

Not surprising, So mentioned the Change god has fundamentally altered reality on accident just trying to show up. You suppose YOUR local primordial could do it on purpose if they get remade. Favor for the trouble.

But no king ever managed to summon them all in recorded history. Not enough lives to spend, you guess. Or something came up. You don’t know.

♪ {There’s a second benefit, but I’d rather not mention that one. Lot of kings get really twisted with that one. It hopefully won’t come up, but if it does, you’ll notice. Do NOT take advantage of it, if it does. It’ll put every Astravian in danger if you do. Us included.}

▲ {Concerning but. I’ll take your word for it.}

Yeah, you REALLY don’t want them to find out what happens if an Astravian king gets killed. Wouldn’t be good at all. Even if you all are sort of protected. You hope. Darkon’s blessing stuck after he died, so Siffrin’s should too. Either way, there aren’t many Astravian’s left.

Still. This whole business is super concerning. That the most dangerous things from your homeland are coming back in concerning ways… You aren’t a fan.

❁ “Sup, I’m back.”

♯ “Oh hey, Nille!”

You’re sharing a room with Nille, just cause of room setup. She plops down into her bed, and rolls around, before checking the phone So gave her, catching up on the conversation.

❁ “… What’s this about Fa doing murder?”

♯ “Old bodyguard instincts. Astravia got rough, so they kinda put all that into a box in their head. Guess even after, it’s still around. It only comes out when people are in extreme danger, and just to protect them.”

❁ “...Promise it won’t hurt Bonnie?”

♯ “Swear on the universe! It only comes out if violence is a given. If Bonnie ever sees Fa like that, they'll probably save their life! Even if it's violent, they don't hold back!”

❁ “...Fine, I’ll take your word on it. Still doesn’t sound good though.”

♯ “Fa would agree with you, on that front. They don’t like doing stuff like that.”

Nille looks through the phone a bit more.

❁ “Soooo..... Why can you track people?”

Oh! Ash, right, you did promise to tell them that.

You do as Ti does, and breathe in. and out. Nice and slow.

Okay. You can do this.

You hold a hand up to your chest. Feel your heart. Remember the day you plunged that dagger into it. And what you wished for, so hard you had to scream it out loud to cover the pain. That you repeated, over and over, as you clung to life...

♯ “...I … I wished for the strength to make sure nobody would ever get hurt like I was.”

Nille pauses, and closes the phone, looking directly at you. You're still kinda shaking. Even if it was only a day, it felt like years of pain and struggle.

You breathe again. In and Out.

♯ “I remember that wish so clearly. I-I guess the tracking part is to find and stop people, before they can either get hurt or hurt others. That’s what it feels like at least, whenever I use it.”

❁ “Oh… I can guess why that wish must be personal.”

♯ “Heh! What, you thought a wish made while stabbing your own heart wouldn’t be?”

Nille just stares silently. Clearly feeling guilty for asking.

♯ “… It’s alright. I. Didn’t have a good time growing up. Parents were… Horrible. Nobles typically were, honestly. Kinda avoid looking like one to distance myself.”

You felt more in common with the poor folk they would torture anyways.

♯ “They... beat and starved me for not playing up to their standards. For not being their perfect little pawn. For every misstep I made.”

Started out as not being proper enough, even if you were only four. Then not being interested in boys enough to ‘ensure the line’, even if you were only seven. And then just whatever excuse they could come up with, till that day at twelve years old.

Nille holds her own arm. You know that look. You still sometimes feel your dad’s blows on you, if you think too much about it. You hold your side to wave away the memory.

♯ “Familiar territory, I’m guessing?”

❁ “...Yeah. Had to bail from our place. Took Bonnie with me, so they wouldn’t suffer what I did. Glad we made it out.”

♯ “Glad you did too. Nobody deserves parents like that… Still, I guess you got lucky you could run.”

❁ “You didn’t?”

You curl up into a ball. Stars, if only you had somewhere you could have run to... Instead...

♯ “...Nope. Had to kill mine.”

You still remember so clearly. The dagger in your hand. The weight of it’s metal. The blood around you. You didn’t know to be glad, scared, or sad. Settled for hysteria. You don’t know when you stopped stabbing. But it was before the guards showed up. Only cause you could barely lift the blade anymore.

You were nearly gone by the time they did. Starvation and injuries started taking their toll by that point. If you hadn’t killed them, you don’t know if you would have lived to see the next day. Think they were planning to just have another kid and get rid of you, at that point.

Course. The guards wouldn't have been sympathetic. They were under your parents payroll. But They'd invited the royal family to a party that day, and Darkon had been nearby.

♯ “I-If Darkon hadn’t taken me in. I’d have been executed. Got myself a position in the royal guard, to keep close to him. But mostly just cause I could. Made me feel safe, somehow.”

It feels weird that the day you killed your own family was when you learned you liked killing. Liked fighting. Loved the feel of a weapon in your hand. Of being drenched in blood... Not good things to like. But it makes you feel safe. Like you’re in control. Like you won’t get hurt again.

Might have made you make some bad calls early on. But the others helped keep you steady. From falling too far down that rabbit hole. Thankfully you had that mostly ironed out by the time you become a Bladeheart. Probably wouldn’t have made it through the ritual if you hadn’t.

♯ “Eventually, we decided we didn’t want Astravia to be a place where stuff like that would happen. So. Yeah. That’s why I did it.”

Keep breathing. It's over. It's over. You're okay.

You try and get yourself out of your head a little, shake off the memories. You’ve had YEARS to try and get over that. But you guess in the end it’s stuck in you forever.

Nille just stares at you. You can see she’s having to think it over, when a little nervous smile creeps up on her face.

❁ “Crab. Is… Is it weird I’m almost jealous?”

HA! Oh it's messed up, and you wouldn't wish it on anyone! But...

♯ “… Yeah, I get it. Least I know mine are gone for good.”

You know that the worst they can do you now is maybe watch from the stars. You still like having safety but. You know you don’t need it from them at least.

You look at Nille. They have this echo of your younger self. Heh. You know one thing they might enjoy then. A little taste of the childhood you both missed out on.

♯ “So… Wanna lie on the plush pile with me? It’s comfy!”

Nille looks at you for a second, and then chuckles.

❁ “Yeah. That sounds fun.”

She joins you, and you share her a fun game you finished coding up some time ago. Rhythm games take some time to make charts for, but once you got the framework, it’s just plugging in what you want. Fantasia loved the prior version, and you saw Darkon sneakily playing some now and then, when he wasn’t being all kingly.

It made you feel better, every time they did. The smiles on their faces. Something you could do right. That your parents couldn't taint. That was all you.

You both sit there, relaxing. Knowing that both of you are safe.

#isat #in stars and time #isat au #SymphonyInCrimson!au #The army is slaughtered #The people saved #But it is in the quiet the heart can release.#And the first Bladeheart wish is learned.

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yakuzabrainrotlive · 2 months ago

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Gaiden has been progressing well! I'm having a TON of fun playing and it's just. SO GOOD SKDJKWKW. I'm having fun with fights again! This is already shaping up to be a contender for my TOP3 games list.

I'm in chapter 2.

Okay first of all, Kiryu has an agent arc??? Interesting! Also this game is GORGEOUS. As gorgeous as Kiryu himself kdjdkwksw🫡 Damn does he look mighty fine in this one.

Based on the year given, this seems to be set around Like a Dragon? So this is a kind of "Meanwhile elsewhere" type of thing? Makes sense now why my mutual said that this game HAS TO be played at this specific point.

Please do not. Remind me of this. I haven't healed yet. Ouchies. Brb, gonna cry a little. Just a bit. I KNOW why he made this decision but it's painful 😭

I don't know why, but the whole "I gave up my name" thing hurts me surprisingly lot. I never really thought about it much, the thought of having to give up my name and being forced to live behind aliases makes me ache.

It's one thing to have your name changed on paper, but not having a proper name at all just makes it feel even more like you're totally isolated and will never be able to settle and be a part of society again. Never fully belonging anywhere; just drifting along without proper attachments. And in this case, fully dependant on Daidoji to have a place in the world at all. And I know it's basically what Kiryu signed up for, but... oof.

Kiryu in general has this extremely depressed look and vibe. He seems very numb and sad. Which is totally valid considering EVERYTHING, but it really does show just how terrible his mental health is right now. The last time he seemed this apathetic was at the start of Y5, but even then he seemed to at least have a sort of anger or frustration keeping him going. Now he's just... empty.

For a single second I was going HANNYA MAN FROM YAKUZA KIWAMI??? And then realized this guy's build and hair are totally different and that Majima's tattoos don't go that far down his arms :( And there's the whole fact that Majima saw Kiryu for the first time again at the Daigo-Watase "We're quitting and so are you" party.

First of all, MASSIVE meme potential here.

Secondly...

PLEASE DON'T DIE, COOL OLD MAN. I love you <3

I find Kiryu and Hanawa's dynamic interesting. Despite Hanawa being... well, not an asshole, but seemingly not very pleasant either, Kiryu seems to actually like the dude somewhat. He did say Hanawa is "the only connection I have made in this dull, pathetic existence" which is... okay - first of all - let's not unpack all that trauma, hurt and depression right now!! But I also get the feeling that there is a type of fondness here. Idk; maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome. But I have a hard time believing that 100%.

The first "That's a Lot Of Men" of the game for me. It's not like a MASSIVE horde of people, but this is still kinda early on in the game.

Yupp, knew immediately Kiryu wouldn't take the deal. Firstly, reviving Kiryu Kazuma and going back to his family would basically just take him back to the situation he escaped by dying. Back to square 1.

Secondly, Kiryu would never have a man killed just to be happy himself. That's just not how he operates. You'd think people would have that figured out by now.

Also can y'all stop using the Morning Glory kids as a "haha gotcha now you gotta help us"??? That never ends well for anyone, never has; y'all are idiots😭

I love Akame!! She's incredible ^_^ She's like... Sotenbori's own Florist but she looks after her people more and takes on a more active role in helping them.

....

Speaking of... what DID happen to the Florist? Did the man die?? Or was he finally sent to... The Side Characters We No Longer Need Void™ ??? Insane. RIP you legend.

ANYWAY. I feel like being around Akame will definitely do Kiryu some good. Having someone who's not a total asshole around might help him feel at least somewhat better for a bit.

I'm gonna grind the SHIT out of Akame network, the perks are way too good to pass up on. And I don't wanna rush through the game.

Hii my precious!!! ☺️🫶🏻

Tiger Drop is actually very cheap. Gonna go for it fr. I'm not in the habit of spamming it on everything, but I find learning the timing and using it properly very satisfying. I feel like it's gonna be VERY difficult to pull off in this game since the combat IS very different from Y6.

#yakuza spoilers #like a dragon spoilers #yakuza thoughts

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dokidokitsuna · 11 months ago

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I f-finally cleared all the palettes in Side Order...( ＿＿)ノ*collapses*

If you don't know what you're in for with Eight's Palette, I won't spoil it for you. All I'll say is that its particular mechanic is very evil and very challenging, and getting through it once was quite enough for me, thanks. ^^;;; I look forward to climbing the spire for funzies and grinding for Prlz with the easy weapons from now on. 👍

I'm a little disappointed that the ordeal didn't end up giving any additional relevance to Agent 8's character...I liked seeing the backstory of [spoiler] but I don't see what that has to do with Eight's Palette (i.e. their identity, memory, and soul) in any significant way. ._. It seems the directors' burgeoning habit of throwing fan-favorite character backstories into random places because "we gotta reveal 'em somewhere" persisted in Side Order after all. :/

Anyway, I guess I shouldn't have expected much-- at this point, it's pretty clear that the Agents are more or less blank slates, which fits with their highly-customizable nature. It just irks me that the story very often treats them as if they are actual characters, piling on depth and trivia and yet never allowing them to develop.

It's hard to feel anything about Agent 8 befriending Off the Hook when they have very little discernible personality...the same way I felt nothing when I saw that Agent 3 (original) became the new Captain. At most my reactions to these things are just "that's cute, I guess" and it's starting to bother me...Nintendo games are full of silent, blank-slate protagonists, and yet Splatoon is the only series I know that treats them so weirdly. If you insist on trying to give them continuous storylines, maybe show them doing something in-game besides following orders, staring blankly, and being vaguely nice? Like, it wouldn't take much to properly characterize them; just a couple seconds of expressive animation here and there would be more than enough.

It hurts most with Eight because they have a LOT of depth. There's so much you could do with a character like them, with their origins and past, and established goals...they're supposed to be an amnesiac, for crying out loud! And yet they feel no different from Agent 3 (new), who doesn't have any of those character details. So what's the point, then??

When Side Order was first announced, I assumed that Agent 8 was the protagonist again for a reason, something beyond "they just happened to be the first person Marina chose". If they were replaced with Agent 3 or Agent 4 or a totally new character, it would barely affect the story, and that's...disappointing. I'd still rate the game mode a 10/10, but I definitely expected more.

#splatoon #musings #side order spoilers

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fereldanwench · 4 months ago

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so i did commit to cullen for this playthrough

i forgot flirting with blackwall to a certain point meant you were locked into that path unless you "break up" with him so i alllllllmost stuck with him, but cullen just makes more sense for this run

it's been interesting running through that romance again--i think i have reached a point of zen where i can pretend like his VA doesn't exist as an actual person lmao, but there are some deliveries of lines that just make me go 🤢🤢🤢 bc the ellis-ness just really comes through

it's also funny noticing how my tastes have changed over the years because while there are things i still like about the romance (the chess scene if you flirt is still super cute to me and i do still like getting him all flustered), some of it just ain't doing it for me anymore. like the first kiss--i remember being soooo into it back in the day, and the interruption part of it is still fun, but i was kinda underwhelmed this time

some of it could also be from the janky animations breaking immersion tbh. even considering this is a 10-year-old game, they are sooooooo rough; honestly, i feel like there's always been a noticeable disconnect (to me) between the level of detail in the character designs and the animations, even playing it on launch. i was trying to take a few shots during the cinematics, but they're bad, lmao. and his mantle thing gets in the way a lot

anyway, i'm about halfway through the main quests, but I'm only level 12 so the recommended DLC levels are still way too high so i gotta keep grinding

i was not planning on 100%ing this run at all--i'm completely ignoring the shards, for instance, but considering how long it's taken me to get to this point and what my schedule looks like between now and Halloween, I'm thinking i might sit out some maps almost entirely. D: I've never liked the exalted plains so i was thinking about ignoring that one, but i feel like the dalish lore there will probably be useful going into veilguard. conversely, i like emprise du lion a lot, but i feel like that one is probably the most "non-essential" map for my purposes so that might get skipped

#t: wench games #g: dai #s: dragon age #oc: delphine trevelyan

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drownedinlavender · 2 years ago

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Helloooo, so I'm writing a long kyman fic. It's gonna be a slow burn multi-chapter one. I got like a good 1/3 of it down with like a skeleton of events mapped out. Since I haven't been active in any fandom or like written fanfic since I was a teen, I wanted to post an excerpt to kinda test the waters a bit haha I'm kinda shy about sharing stuff but was greatly inspired by a lot of people's work.

Anyway, the premise is Cartman impulsively taking the fall on something and being admitted to inpatient cause of it. This excerpt is when he facetimes the gang to tell them about it. Stan and Kenny are at school during lunch, Kyle's at the hospital (has to do with what Cartman took the blame for), and Eric's at home about to leave.

I'd greatly appreciate any criticism or input! Thank u for ur time 💜💖 ^^)/

"Dude, a psych ward? That sounds pretty serious," Stan looks mildly concerned.

"It is serious, Stan. That's why Kyle's gonna owe me big time when I get back," Eric smuggly declares, "Like sucking my balls big big time."

Kenny sneakers at the brunette still obsessing over a bet they made years ago when they were just kids.

"Man, you gotta lay off the balls thing, Cartman. That's hella gay," Stan drily informs while munching on a fry.

"Hey! It's not gay! It's about humiliation and having power over an individual," Eric offendedly denies, choosing to die on that hill.

Kyle, who has been absolutely seething in the background, finally bursts, "Fuck you, Cartman! I didn't ask you to cover for me, you did that all on your own!"

Eric scoffs, "Okay, fine, Kahl, would you prefer me going to PC principal and telling him I take it all back. That he should take you off the team like he wanted? Is that what you want, Kahl?"

Kyle tenses his jaw muscles as he grinds his teeth. Of course that's not what he wants but is Cartman holding one over his head any better? His eyes flicker to the side as he contemplates for a brief moment. Stan continues eating, staring at his screen waiting for his best friend to speak as if he's watching an enthralling reality tv show. Once Kenny's giggling fit finally subsides, he lays his head on one outstretched arm and sneaks a French fry from whoever's lunch tray is right across from him.

"Fine," Kyle bitterly concedes with a sigh, "but I'm not helping you do anything illegal like murder or whatever. And I'm definitely not sucking your balls," he points at Cartman through the screen.

"Oh…" a small voice utters in surprise across the room from Kyle. The redhead looks up at a shocked nurse half way through the door. "I-I'll come back in a second to check your vitals," she embarrassedly scurries out of the room.

Kyle's mortified face soon matches his hair. "God, damn it, Cartman!"

Kenny practically dies of laughter, not even bothering to hold his phone up right anymore.

"Dude," Stan snorts before cracking up as well.

Kyle hides his face with one hand, trying with every fiber of his being to maintain any ounce of composure he can muster before combusting from rage.

Eric's amused smile warps into a shit eating grin, he absolutely could not be any more delighted by the current turn of events. He obnoxiously clears his throat before continuing, "Very well, I'll leave a legally binding contract in your room before departing, Kahl. Now Kenny," he seamlessly changes the topic.

Kenny straightens himself out the best he can. "Uh-huh?" He responds through tears.

"Wait a second, fatass, do NOT break into my room!" Kyle protests.

Eric purposely ignores his rival, knowing it'll anger him further. "Kenny, my mom says you can use your spare key to clear out my fridge whenever. She's gonna stay up in Denver with some cousin until I'm out. We don't want the food rotting up and stinking up the place so do it sooner rather than later, got it?"

"Seriously, dude?!" Kenny immediately straightens himself out in elated surprise. Woohoo!" He cheers. He knows their fridge is always packed so he and his little sister are definitely set for bit.

"Knock yourself out, dude, just don't let anything rot in there. Seriously, I'll kick your ass if I come back and my house reeks like spoiled ass."

"You got it, bro," Kenny assures with a thumbs up.

"Don't ignore me, asshole!" Kyle's demands only serve to further Cartman's amusement.

"Welp, gotta go pack up some essentials. Don't know how long I'll have to be admitted … but it's all worth it for my dear friend Kahl's sake," Eric fakes sincerity. With a hand over his heart, he winks at Kyle.

"Oh, Fuck off," Kyle rolls his eyes.

"Well, good luck, dude. Don't blow up the place trying to escape," Stan waves goodbye from his screen.

"Guys, wanna say bye to Cartman? He's gonna go do some time at a loony bin," Kenny asks, reversing his camera to show the rest of their lunch table.

"We heard. You guys are super loud," Craig complains before biting his burger.

"Hey! Don't call it a loony bin, asswipe! That's totally insensitive to people with mental health issues. Not cool dude," Cartman condescendingly lectures, doing what he does best, playing the victim.

"Cartman's getting admitted? Dude, that's crazy!" Tweek comments.

"Wait, who's getting what now?" Clyde looks up from his phone, unaware of the conversation going on around him.

"Cartman, dude, he got in trouble again so PC principal's sending him to a psych ward," Tweek rapidly explains.

"Oh," Clyde responds in his usual nasally tone.

"All in order to save Kyle from getting kicked off the team," Cartman adds.

"Don't act like you did it from the kindness of your heart, fatass!" Kyle quickly corrects.

"First it's Cartman, then they'll be coming for the rest of us!" The jittery blond panics.

Craig pats his boyfriend's shoulder. "No they won't, honey, we don't cause the town to blow up every other month like they do."

"Hey!" Kyle indignantly exclaims.

"We haven't been directly responsible for the town's destruction for like," Stan counts the time in his head, "at least a year now!" He defends himself and his friends, receiving a middle finger from an unimpressed Craig.

"L-l-later, Eric, don't dr-dro-dr-dro-drop the soap," Jimmy jokes before offering up his signature smile.

"Jim, that's for jail," Tolkien corrects.

"Aw, we'll miss you, Eric! Don't take too long in the psych ward!" Butters gleefully shouts.

Kyle rolls his eyes, feeling himself getting more and more irritated by the situation at hand. "Oh, for Pete's sake, it's not like he's dying, you guys." The longer these farewells are dragging on, the more he can feel a twinge of guilt spreading throughout his subconscious and twisting up his guts.

"Poopsikins, mommy can't find Mr. Kitty's carrier, do you remember where we left it?" Liane can be heard calling from the background.

"Just a second, meeem!" Eric hollers off camera before getting back in frame and sticking out his tongue with a peace sign, "Later, losers ~ " he sings-songs and hangs up.

"You know …. For someone being sent off to an insane asylum, he seems really unbothered by it," Tolkien points out.

Kyle's eyes flicker down for just a second before choosing to quickly dismiss further analyzing Cartman's reaction to being sent away. "Well, yeah, it's Cartman. Do you really expect him to react normally about anything?"

"That's true," Tolkien immediately agrees, chalking it up to Cartman just being Cartman.

For a brief moment, Kyle remembers the time he was admitted when the town wouldn't believe him about Mr. Hankey but before he can even decide on entertaining that thought, Stan speaks.

"Wow … so he's really leaving, huh?" Stan says more than asks, looking a bit absent minded.

"I guess so," Kenny pensively looks down at the lunch table, head resting on crossed arms. He turns to Stan and forlornly admits, "dude … I'm actually feeling kinda bummed out."

Kyle bites the inside of his cheek. The reality of their current predicament further sinking in.

"Aw, Ken," Stan frowns and pats Kenny's shoulder.

"It's okay, Ken," Butters comforts, patting Kenny's back, "he said so himself, he probably won't be there for long."

"Isn't this a good thing though? Things are going to be a lot more peaceful while he's gone," Tolkien suggests.

"If Cartman gets admitted for the rest of the school year, I'll be sooooo happy," Craig chants in a monotone.

A sniffle directs everyone's focus towards Clyde.

"Clyde, you okay, buddy?" Craig puts down his lunch to fully focus on his friend's concerns.

"We *sniff* were starting to *sniff* get along more *sniff* this year," he powers through a closing throat.

Kyle bites his cheek even harder. Cartman was certainly a lot tamer as of late. Things were finally getting comfortable between the two of them, too.

"He was being a lot c-coo-c-coo-cooler this y-year," Jimmy admits.

The nurse knocks before entering Kyle's room this time. "I'm going to take your vitals again, okay?" She smiles.

"Yeah, sure," Kyle replies before addressing his friends, "I gotta go guys. Stan, can you come pick up my keys and move my car before my parents get back? I have a minor concussion so I'm under observation for a bit."

"Yeah, dude, totally," Stan confirms.

"Later," Kenny mumbles, waving with one hand, his face fully immersed in his crossed arms.

"Alright, thanks, see you guys later," Kyle says his goodbyes, queuing the nurse to begin taking his blood pressure.

Kyle barely moves, too busy contemplating Eric's departure. First, Stan moves and now Cartman's going to be gone for God knows how long? He bitterly sighs.

#kyman #kyman fanfic #kyman fanfiction #eric x kyle #eric cartman x kyle broflovski #cartyle #south park kyman #drownedinthekiddiepool

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tactician · 1 year ago

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it's time for a reides update!!! this post is going to focus on reides the kingdra's generation 6 adventure!

first of all, you might be wondering why there's no post devoted to the ribbons of generation 5. like i mentioned briefly towards the end of my gen4 post, the gen5 pokemon games have no ribbons in them... not even one for entering the unovan hall of fame! thankfully, this weird lapse in the ribbon trend was relatively short-lived, as ribbons came back in earnest for generation 6! and so the grind continues...!

this generation of the pokemon games includes both the kalos AND hoenn regions. thanks to my friends and our shared memories of playing these games together, i have a whole lot of personal fondness for this generation - so i knew that i'd enjoy this segment of reides' journey. also, since reides hails from emerald version, it meant that he was going to have a bit of a homecoming.

of course, i gotta take a quick moment to mention my other ribbon master posts! they can all be found in my ribbon master tag or on my neocities blog.

now then, let's get started!!!

luckily, since i got my first file of y to the post-game and never replayed it, i was able to use playthrough from Way Back When in reides' ribbon quest. this saved a whole lot of time, of course! for those who don't know, gen6 of pokemon introduced a somewhat controversial decision. in an attempt to streamline the ribbon page, gamefreak consolidated all of the contest and battle tower ribbons into two fancy plaques. on one hand, this is kind of sad, as it meant that 48(!!!) ribbons were now just... 2. that meant for way less scrolling on the ribbon page. however, on the other hand, it's kind of cool, too, as the contest memory ribbon and the battle memory ribbon are both styled like plaques and are really, really gorgeous.

since reides managed to gather all of the relevant ribbons, he got two shiny gold plaques for his hard work. you can see those plaques in the bottom row of this picture, which i took upon his arrival in kalos.

it's worth noting that, in generations 6 to 8, the golden battle memory ribbon has a requirement of 8 battle tower-related ribbons. in these gens, if you have less than 8 battle tower ribbons, you get a silver plaque instead. a few months ago, however, gamefreak made a FANTASTIC decision and changed the golden battle memory ribbon's requirement to 7 ribbons! this was likely implemented to make up for the now-defunct gen4 wifi servers. it was great news for people who didn't have the means of connecting to the fan servers that i detailed in my gen4 post. regardless, i was still really happy to have the gold plaque at this part of my journey. i didn't regret my decision to take on the world ability ribbon in the slightest... even if the sight of a perfectly normal machamp now makes me tense up out of fear of dealing with a hacked no guard sheer cold user.

anyway, my first order of business was definitely opening up pokemon amie so i could FINALLY play with reides!

i was looking forward to this for such a long time!!! i immediately fed him a bunch of poke puffs and pet him a whole bunch. i would've done this even if i didn't have to do it to get a ribbon - but it turns out that maxing out your pokemon's affection in amie is, in fact, a requirement for one of the gen6 ribbons! namely, you need your pokemon to ADORE you for the best friends ribbon.

there's actually a way to grind for this ribbon so that you can get it pretty quickly! i'd feed reides pokepuffs until he was full, then i'd pet him until he started spawning music notes instead of hearts. at that point, i'd play three rounds of tile puzzle on easy mode so that i could get more pokepuffs, reset his appetite, and get my petting to spawn hearts again. each round of this puzzle game can be completed really quickly, so i figured it was the optimal difficulty for my purposes - but any minigame would definitely work! the tile puzzle game also gives you some cute little pictures of your party as you complete each puzzle, which i thought was a great added bonus! sometimes, additional pokemon would photobomb, too.

for maxing out reides' affection, i got a throne fit for royalty.

i then visited bonnie in lumiose city, where she was chillin over in prism tower. (apparently, she only shows up after you beat lumiose's gym leader - namely, her brother, clemont.) she was impressed with the bond that reides and i shared and we got the best friends ribbon.

we then scuttled on over to the pokemon league, which we challenged in order to get the ribbon for entering kalos' hall of fame. i'm still sad that we couldn't get one in unova, but i digress... maybe someday, be it in a remake or some sort of new adventure set in unova. (since we're going to unova for the upcoming indigo disc dlc, maybe it'll even be there!)

at any rate - i somehow forgot that kalos' league is absolutely amazing! each member of the elite four is so iconic, and they each have BEAUTIFULLY decorated rooms that reflect their respective personal styles very well. i had to take a photo of champion diantha's room; it was just so, so gorgeous. the stained glass flooring reminded me a lot of terapagos' terastal form! the place's aesthetics aside, reides was pretty much able to solo the league on his own... what a champ! even though he did most of the heavy lifting, my whole party (including this random gengar named gaspar that i got wonder traded way back when; he was in my party when i arrived so i decided that he could come along) got kalos champion ribbons.

it was then time to take on one of my favorite little mechanics introduced in the kalos games: super training! while ev training off wild encounters is my usual go-to nowadays, i really like this feature. back in the day, it pretty much introduced me to the concept of ev training, so i feel like it deserves a whole lot of my respect, haha. i had all of the courses unlocked thanks to my training in the past, but i still had to clear all 30 of them with reides. i got to work on that while i was doing some super training of my own - i.e. while i was walking on a treadmill. lmao.

eventually, reides had all 30 of the necessary medals for the training ribbon. i hopped in a cab to go see the character who'd give it to me and learnt that super training is a whole Thing in kalos; the term 's.t. meatheads' had me losing it.

though i put it off for as long as i could, it was finally time to face gen6's battle tower - the battle maison. thankfully, gamefreak realized that they went a little too wild with gen4's six battle tower-related ribbons and i only had to get two battle maison-related ribbons in gen6. the first of these ribbons would be from beating one of the normal battle modes (namely, emerging victorious against the chatelaine at battle #20 of it). the second one was for achieving a streak of 50 on one of the super battle modes, which would require beating the chatelaine at battle #50. i decided to take on the single battle mode for this ribbon master quest, which... may have been quite the choice. it was my first time taking the maison on, and i heard (both from friends and from various posts made by people online) that the single battle mode was the hardest one. you may be wondering why i opted to choose that mode, then. unfortunately, i don't really have an answer for that. I Just Did. HAHA. speaking more seriously, i'm generally more comfortable with battling one-on-one, so i opted to go with what was familiar to me versus what would be easier to me. as it turns out, the first battle maison ribbon (the skillful battler ribbon) was incredibly easy to get on reides. i used the same ol' team of albatross, origin and reides and yoinked it on my very first try. after breezing through it, i had one HELL of an ego. "gen4's tower was way worse," i told myself. "if my team got through that, they can get through anything." I WAS WRONG. AND THIS SMALL CHILD WAS RIGHT.

my streak in the super singles battle mode broke several times in the 30s; more times than ever before!!! my team was being hard-countered. even when i opted to replace reides with persana the suicune (you only need your ribbon master for battle 50; it's fine if you don't have them present in your party for the full streak), we were still having an incredibly hard time. i knew that i couldn't brute force my way through the maison if i wanted to get through gen6 in a timely manner. so i opted to try out a very, very popular little strategy for grinding wins in it.

this strategy involved none other than the cute steel bug known as... durant.

(fair warning: this part of my post is gonna get a little technical!)

wild durants typically have the swarm or hustle abilities. however, truant is available to durants as a hidden ability... and a truant durant is the absolute crux of this strategy.

truant is a strange little ability that makes it impossible for your pokemon to attack consecutively; your truant pokemon can attack on turn one but will then spend the entirety of turn two lazing around. this ability sounds like it'd be absolutely useless on a durant, right? it probably would be... if our awesome little bug didn't learn entrainment at level 44.

entrainment allows your durant to change its target's ability to match its own ability. this isn't permanent, of course - a pokemon who got its ability changed by entrainment gets its ability back to normal once it's switched out, or after the battle ends. but pokemon in the battle maison are very rarely switched out, so... you see where i'm going with this, surely!!!

the truant durant strategy basically relies on outspeeding your opponent and landing entrainment on them so as to pass the traunt ability to them. after doing that, you swap your durant out for another pokemon. it can't just be any pokemon for this strategy to work, though. you'd need one with the move protect, as well as a stats-boosting move, such as dragon dance or shell smash. by using protect on the turns that you expect your opponent to attack on and using your stats-booster on its traunt-afflicted turns, you can safely max out your pokemon's stats and proceed to sweep the entire enemy team. the general pattern is therefore as follows:

your durant uses entrainment, giving the opponent traunt

you swap to your stats-boosting pokemon*

your stats-booster uses protect, avoiding damage from the opponent

your stats-booster uses its stats-boosting move*

repeat 3 and 4 until your stats-boosting pokemon has maxed out stats

SWEEP!

* = your pokemon takes no damage, as it is a traunt turn for your opponent.

please note that this order shifts a bit if your durant gets knocked out on turn one! if it does, you get a free swap *into* a traunt turn, so your stats-boosting pokemon doesn't need to start off with protect and can get right to boostin'.

in order to get a traunt durant, i knew that i'd have to use sweet scent in order to spawn horde encounters. within hordes, pokemon have a small chance of having their hidden ability. however... i also needed that durant to have a speed boosting nature so that it could outspeed whatever enemies it faced. ideally, i wanted a jolly one; one that would have reduced special attack for increased speed. i COULD have simply caught a small army of truant durants, but i was wary of testing my luck like that and decided to test it in another way that was, hopefully, less time consuming. basically... i hatched ralts eggs until i got a jolly one with synchronize. with this ralts leading my party, the pokemon that i encountered had a 50% chance of being jolly natured, themselves - even while the ralts was fainted. i then grabbed my sweet scent user - a cute little spritzee - and got to challenging hordes of durants. after catching 3 truant ones, i finally managed to get my hands on a jolly natured durant with the traunt ability. i named her 'donatella.'

then came the matter of my stats-boosting sweeper pokemon. i went through my boxes and noticed that i had a ton of leftover pokemon from various breeding projects during my y playthrough. (just as this gen opened my eyes to ev training, it also opened by eyes to iv breeding!) i saw that i had an adamant dratini with perfect ivs, as well as its hidden ability. i knew that dragonite's hidden ability, multiscale, would give it some tankiness in the battle maison (it reduces the damage that the pokemon takes when its hp is full), and i also knew that dragonite could learn dragon dance (a move that increases both speed and attack) as well. i decided that it was finally this little dratini's time to shine after spending years and years in my pc. i named her 'venus.'

finally, there was the matter of my third pokemon. using one of my already-trained pokemon was definitely an option, but i saw a LOT of people online talking about how cloysters with the skill link ability can easily hard-counter the super single battle chatelaine's team. to employ strategy, you give your cloyster a focus sash and have it use shell smash on the first turn of the battle. the focus sash keeps your cloyster safe from being ohko'd on that first turn, and, after getting the shell smash buffs, it can outspeed most of the battle chatelaine's team. skill link allows cloyster to land the MAX NUMBER!!!! of hits for multistrike moves, giving its icicle spear attack a whole lot of power - enough power to k.o. the chatelaine's tornadus and thundurus. while the chatelaine's choice scarf-wielding landorus potentially poses a problem (as it may outspeed your cloyster and potentially finish off the last of its hp), you can easily circumvent this by using ice shard on it, instead.

this little strategy works consistently, so i figured i'd raise a skill link cloyster, myself... just to be safe. while trying to hatch a jolly ralts with synchronize, i actually hatched an adamant one with synchronize, too - so i used him for my little shellder hunt. i fished a suitable shellder up from the sea in no time at all and named her 'applause.' here is a picture of my new battle maison warriors, all ready for the training grind:

i ev trained this trio of pokemon by giving them power items (which boost the amount of evs that you get per battle) and by taking on hordes via sweet scent. since i had the same ev build in mind for all three of them AND since gen6 introduced the party-wide exp share, i was able to ev train them all at once. i took out weepinbells on route 19 for attack evs, wingulls on route 8 for speed evs, and hoppips on route 7 for special defense evs. you can make this process SUPER fast if you use a high-levelled pokemon with earthquake or surf, as you can take out all 5 members of the horde with one use of the move!

once everyone was all ev trained, i levelled them up by repeatedly challenging cafe le wow in lumoise city while keeping the party-wide exp share on. it was during this training-fest that reides finally hit level 100, too!

in the end, this was my battle maison team:

donatella the durant (choice scarf) ability: truant nature: jolly evs: 252 atk, 252 speed, 4 sp. defense - entrainment - toxic - x-scissor - iron head

venus the dragonite (lum berry) ability: multiscale nature: adamant evs: 252 atk, 252 speed, 4 sp. defense - earthquake - fire punch - dragon dance - protect

applause the cloyster (focus sash) ability: skill link nature: adamant evs: 252 atk, 252 speed, 4 sp. defense - shell smash - icicle spear - ice shard (for landorus) - protect

this team worked like a dream for the whole maison, and i was able to get my streak of 50 wins on my very first attempt with it.

admittedly, i kept applause the cloyster in my pc until the final battle, during which i swapped donatella the durant out for her and slotted reides in, as well - but i was just so relieved to maintain an unbroken streak. there were a few thorny situations, so i don't think this team is entirely unbeatable or anything of the sort, but i definitely recommend the truant durant strategy if you're struggling with the maison. it felt SOOOO great to finally get through it... i did NOT expect it to be as difficult as it was.

also, in hindsight, i could have likely sped this process up a whole lot more if i followed donatella up with applause the cloyster rather than venus the dragonite. i seriously underestimated skill link; that thing lets icicle spear hit like a TRUCK! furthermore, venus needed to use dragon dance 6 times to max out her attack and speed stats, whereas applause's shell smash would only need 3. so... you know. i do think that dragonite offered better coverage, at the very least, so all's well that ends well, i guess. while it may have taken longer to clear the maison with venus, i'm really happy that i was able to raise her properly. that alone is a huge reward, since i LOVE dragonite. more pals sharing in reides' ribbon master journey is always a good thing, too, right?

once i got those final two ribbons, reides' time in kalos reached its end. before leaving, i randomly decided to raise a kangaskhan, because i remembered how cute mega kangaskhan was and wanted one for myself. (shoutout to my friend, rachel, who traded me a kangaskhan with awesome ivs Way Back When and made it super easy for me to raise one of my own!) i named this new kangaskhan 'chips,' since i was snacking on some really delicious sour cream and onion chips at the time, and decided that she'd accompany reides on his adventure, too. (...along with her little baby, of course. that goes without saying!)

with kalos' ribbons handled, it was time for reides' homecoming! i plopped him back into pokemon bank and then booted up my copy of omega ruby. he was all ready to go home to hoenn. hilariously enough, i didn't have a file in the post-game for omega ruby. if this ribbon master challenge has taught me anything, it's that i have a shocking amount of pokemon games that i drifted from without ever completing. fake fan alert. (I'M KIDDING!!!!!) but, anyway... i only had to wrap up some wild plot cover-legendary-related business and nab my 8th badge, so it wasn't like i had to replay the entire game. i really enjoyed how everything played out, and it was also a treat to meet wallace again. he's one of my fav pokemon characters ever, and his oras redesign is absolutely incredible!

immediately after getting my 8th badge, i slotted reides into my team and rushed on over to the pokemon league. since my alpha sapphire file is currently devoted to my shiny badge quest (which will hopefully be a post of its own, someday!), it was actually my very first time taking on the pokemon league in the oras games. not gonna lie, i had low expectations, as i figured it'd be a simple 1:1 reskin of the rse league rooms - but it kind of took my breath away.

like the kalos league, the revamped hoenn league was utterly gorgeous. i tore through it with my team until we eventually faced the LEGENDARY steven stone. it was reides' first time facing him as a champion, as, in emerald, wallace was champion, instead. since he was a level 5 horsea while the rest of my team faced wallace in emerald, i gave him a shot at a hoenn champion battle and let him take steven on.

once reides single-handedly took down steven, my team entered the hoenn hall of fame. even though reides already had a hall of fame ribbon from hoenn, he actually got a second one for entering the oras one!

after weeping openly at omega ruby's beautiful credits, we then headed to lilycove city. once there, we took a bit of a break from the ribbon grind and paid a visit to the cove lily motel. it turns out that some small indie company called gamefreak had just checked in. i talked to the game director, who was amazed upon seeing reides. since reides was from emerald version, he noted just how far he had come and gave us the time travel award. as lovely as this award is (you can even put it up in your secret base!), it's worth noting that the art featured on it is inexplicably shiny locked?!?! so reides had his normal kingdra colouration in mine! it's still a beautiful award, though, so i edited it for the purposes of this post!

i put the award up in my secret base and focused on a much-anticipated part of reides' ribbon master quest: the hoenn contests (part two)! the contests on oras are similar to the ones in rse - however, instead of giving ribbons for each and every contest win, the oras contests give a brand new ribbon for each *master* contest win. this meant that reides needed to take on the master contests for each of the 5 contest categories (the same ol' cool, beautiful, cute, clever/smart, and tough ones). like i mentioned all the way back in my gen3 post, oras also took the sheen limitation away, so i was finally able to max out reides' contest stats. since his stats were already really good, i didn't have to feed him too many pokeblocks for him to have the perfect contest spread.

i was so proud of him for finally having everything maxed out!! it's truly what he deserves. the contests themselves were also pretty easy. i'm not sure if it was necessary or if having perfect contest stats meant that they hit a cap, but i went and picked up the red, blue, pink, yellow, and green scarves from the pokemon fanclub in slateport and put them on reides just in case. also, while i couldn't use the amazing rest + snore combination of rse fame, i used the double team + secret power one (which i learnt about thanks to this post on the ribbons subreddit). my general strategy was:

turn 1: double team for the 1st pumped-up star.

turn 2: double team for the 2nd pumped-up star.

turn 3: secret power! (big boost thanks to being pumped up!)

turn 4: double team for the 3rd pumped-up star.

turn 5: secret power! (for yet another big boost thanks to being pumped up!)

the audience wasn't too pleased about the repeated double team on turn 2, but that didn't matter, as reides was able to win each and every contest category on his first attempt.

since he got the 5 ribbons for winning each contest category at its master rank, reides also got the contest star ribbon as an added bonus!

this was the last ribbon that i needed in gen6, which meant that reides' time in hoenn had come to an end. after wandering around the region a bit, peeking into various friends' secret bases and seeing the sights... it was time to pack our bags once more and gear up for the next part of reides' adventure.

gen7 has even less ribbons than gen6, but i never thought that the battle maison would end up being such a big challenge in gen6 - so who knows how gen7 will go?! (...i do, actually, because i was slightly evil and grinded out gen7's ribbons before making this post. sorry. i won't spoil it, though.) regardless, i hope you enjoyed reading about reides' gen6 journey!

#pokemon #ribbon master #jamietxt #reides the kingdra

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argumentl · 2 years ago

Text

The Freedom of Expression - Vol:16 - Spring (2023/03/25)

(*This is a very long post, so to summarize the topics discussed quickly:

•Baseball/ The WBC

•Hanami/Cherry Blossom viewing

•Kaoru's dislike of chalkboards

•First Meetings - Kaoru tells a fun story about this.

•Spring Songs

•Moving house - Kaoru talks about dealing with cockroaches, and house sharing with Kyo.*)

K: Ok, here we are getting started with The Freedom of Expression on our Niconama channel. Im Kaoru from Dir en grey.

J: Im Joe Yokomizo.

T: And Im Tasai from Tokyo Sports.

*applause*

J: Well, everyone's writing cherry blossom emojis in the comments.

K: Yeh, its already blossoming, right?

J: It did seem to be at full bloom, but then with the rain it might already be starting to fall.

K: Ah, yeh, maybe. Actually, today its cold all of a sudden, isn't it?

J: It is, yeh.

K: It was really warm until yesterday, but today I even have to wear a leather jacket.

J: Yeah, you need it to keep the cold out.

K: But then Tasai is here dressed like that! *points to Tasai* You came from home like this??

J: Hahaha

T: Yeh, I was so cold.

K: I bet you were!

J: Its weird...Out in the dressing room he was saying he was cold, so I told him to put a jacket on, and he was like, 'No, I came here like this'.

K: You must have felt cold when you left home though?

J: Its not even a little bit warm today!

T: Yeah, but I thought I would be ok. I mean, on the way to the station I saw a woman wearing a coat, and I had a moment of doubt, but then I thought, 'No no, I can do this'.

J: Cause its already evening, right? By the time we finish this, it'll be really cold. And you've gotta go home like that.

T: Yeh, I havn't got the hang of this adulting thing yet.

J: Adulting thing, haha.

K: Haha

J: Im not sure if thats really the issue here, haha. Well, today, its just the three of us again at long last, but I should ask you Kaoru, and Tasai, as you both like baseball...the WBC was on until last Thursday, right? Did you watch it? How was it?

K: Did YOU watch it?

J: No, I didn't even watch a second of it!

K: Haha, I thought so.

J: I can't say anything about it, but I figured you two could. So, did you watch it?

K: Yes, yes, I did.

T: Of course we did!

J: Did you watch all the Japan games?

K: Yeah.

T: Yes

J: Well, I should ask who played well etc, but..

T: Ok, Joe, do you know this...what pose was trending during the WBC?

J: Oh, a lot of people were doing this. This twisting motion (*twists fists one on top of the other*?). What is this?

T: Its...strangling the eel (*or something, I dunno, haha*)

K: Hahaha

J: No way, haha, the Samurai Japan team wouldn't do that.

T: Haha, like squeezing an eel.

J: I mean, that is quite Japanese though. What actually is that pose though?

T: Don't you know? Its like grinding pepper. Like with a peppermill.

J: Why are they doing a grinding pepper pose?

K: Yeh, why? I dont actually know either.

T: Well, you know the player, Laars Nootbar? He's part Japanese, he's really likeable.

J: Oh yeh, I've seen him.

T: His mother is from Higashi-matsuyama city. But anyway, its his move. The meaning behind it is grinding, like making a big effort, and doing a perfect job. For example, you can do this action to congratulate someone who tried hard and did well. So Nootbar uses this pose, and its just started trending in Japan.

J: I see. Hey, lets do something like that for this show, for when we have fun conversations.

K: Like what?

J: I don't know. Viewers can give us suggestions in the comments about what pose they want us to do.

K: Haha, no no, this was your idea, you think of something!

J: Ahh, I can't think of anything of the spot. But for people who didn't watch the WBC, just give us your highlights. Who played well, the best moments, etc.

T: Lets hear Kaoru's thoughts.

J: Yes, Leader first.

K: Wellll...of course Ohtani was memorable. But for me personally, I think Yoshida did well.

T: Ohh, from the Red Socks.

J: What did you like about Yoshida.

K: Well, he hit when I wanted him to.

T: He was great. Especially in the game against Mexico, he got 3 home runs. And he could hit even a perfect pitch. He was amazing.

K: Even when they used to play at Tokyo Dome, Ohtani and others would hit regular home runs and get the crowd excited, but Yoshida would just hit the ball right out of the stadium.

T: Yeh, if we didn't have him...

K: If we didn't have him, it would have been tough.

J: Japan might not even have won, or might not have even made it to the final?

K: Yeah...well, that goes for all the other players too.

J: Well, yeah.

T: All the players were very active, right?

K: Yeah, but there was also that special 'Goodbye' at the end of the semi-final.

J:...I have no idea about any of this.

K: I cried a bit with Murakami at the end. He hadn't hit anything until then, it was like, 'What is this guy doing??'

T: Do you know who Murakami is, Joe?

J: I don't know who he is, but I've seen the news that he had been playing in bad shape, and some people wanted him replaced etc. But I don't know where he's from, or what was actually going on, or anything like that.

T: He plays for Yakult.

J: Oh right.

T: He won a triple crown

K: Yeh, he is the youngest to get it.

T: He's had 56 home runs.

J: Haha, Tasai, why are you sitting like that all of a sudden. Oh look, someone commented, 'I thought Murakami was like a god'. Amazing. Lots if people watched it. So, Murakami was great?

T: All the players did great though.

K: Yeah, they all did.

J: Ive heard people telling me the manager was great too. Whats his name again, Kuriyama? What do you think, Kaoru?

K: Well, yeh, he had faith in the players.

T: Yeh, he is the type to throw his support under the players to raise them up, as opposed to pulling them up from above.

K: He would have been criticized for this method if the team had lost though.

J: Yeah, people would have said he should have been more strict. Ahh, it all depends on the result.

K: Yeah, thats it.

J: Well, anyway, they won. What do you think? Lets hope for more of this when the pro-baseball season starts this Spring?

K: Yeh, it starts next week.

J: How is it gonna be this year?

K: I think it'll be interesting.

J: If anything, the amount of baseball fans will have increased after the WBC.

K: Yeah, baseball is gaining more fans every year. Its great.

T: I think they will keep increasing too. Oh, and then this year, the Tigers have Okada as their manager. They are aiming for THAT*, right? (*Translated from the japanese word アレ meaning 'that thing', which is pronounced 'ah-re', and written as 'are' in roman script)

K: Oh yeh, THAT.

J: What? I don't understand.

K: You know, THAT.

J: THAT...

K: A-R-E, 'アレ'(THAT)

J:...A-R-E...?

K: Its the team slogan.

J: Really? I had no idea! Why A-R-E?

K: You know, THAT/アレ!

T:The only thing a player in yellow can aim for!

J: ...To win?

T, K: Just THAT/'アレ'!

J: THAT?

K: Yes, everyone is aiming for it!

T: Look at the comments!

J: Oh yeh. Everyone knows what this is??.A-R-E, is it like the english word 'are'?

K: No, just アレ(THAT).

T: Of course its THAT!

J: Tasai you are scary today.

T: Haha, its cause I didn't sleep last night.

J: You've been acting weird today!

T: Joe, you are still on air, haha.

J: Ok, ok, well, both of you enjoyed the WBC, but for the show today we'd like viewers to send in lots of messages. Anything is fine, ideas, opinions, suggestions, send them in. If you are using Twitter, you can use the tag TFOE. The first part of this show is free for anyone to watch, but the second part is for members only. If you become a member, you can watch this broadcast in the archive for one year, and we also have extra videos for members only. So please use the link at the top of the screen to become a member and watch to the end. Ok, so today, Leader, we have this chalk board behind us, with various phrases written on it. Its already Spring!....Well, its already Summer for Tasai...

T: Yeh, I saw a comment about this, so I'll just show you my tshirt.

K: Ah, its our Phalaris shirt.

J: Yeh, but I wore that already on here!

K: Haha, there's no need for.....Ok guys, thats enough...(*gestures to break up fight between J and T*) Thank you, thank you, I appreciate it, haha.

J: Haha, its a fight over who loves Dir en grey more!

K: Hahaha

J: Ok, so today we're gonna be talking about all these Spring topics that are written on the chalk board behind us. Oh, there we go, we have a close up of it. Leader, could you read out the topics for us?

K: Yes, 'Graduation', 'Starting school', 'Hanami', 'Spring songs', 'New starts', 'Food you want to eat in Spring', 'Spring Clothes', 'April Fools'....'Moving house'

J: No, hold on, hold on...haha. Leader, you missed that one right in the middle!

K: Haha, 'April Birthday'.

J: Yes, but who's?!

K: 'Joe Yokomizo's April Birthday', haha.

J: Thats right, thank you. haha

T: Were you born in April?

J: Yes

T: Which day? Must be the 1st, right?

J: No no, the 8th. Its the same day as the Buddha's birthday.

K: Ohh, thats a shame for the Buddha.

J: Haha, don't be like that! You should be celebrating!

K: Haha, ok, next...'Sports Days (Recently, some schools hold Sports Day in Spring)'....Oh, ok, yeh...., and then, 'Koshien', and, 'First meetings'.

J: Thank you. Ok, so we'll discuss some of these topics, so if you see any you'd like us to choose, please write them in the comments. If anything really stands out in the comments, we'll go with that.

T: So, its really up to the viewers?

J: Yes, the viewers can get involved. This is really how niconama works. Ok, someone suggested Spring songs...

T: Joe Yokomizo...

J: Koshien...Hanami...

T: We could talk about them all.

J: Haha, yeh....Moving house...

T: Lots of people saying Spring songs.

J: Yeh, is Spring songs the most popular? Oh, maybe Hanami?

T: Yeah, Hanami....Joe Yokomizo.....Hanami isn't one of the topics.

J: Yes it is!

T: Oh yeh

J: Hanami...First meetings....There are a lot of votes for Hanami.

K: Lets go with that then.

J: Ok, the first topic of conversation is 'Hanami'! ( Cherry Blossom Viewing)

T: As for Hanami, im generally against it.

J: Eh?! Are you trying to ruin our plan? You are scary today! I mean, cool. Haha.

K: Why are you against it?

T: Well, don't you feel cold doing Hanami?

J: No, no, thats just cause you don't dress warmly, haha.

K: Yeh, you are too lightly dressed, haha.

T: Haha, its just a coincidence today, really.

J: You would be cold dressed like that! Haha

T: No, but when you do Hanami in the park or somewhere, you sit on a sheet spread out on the ground, right? Don't you think the ground is quite cold?

K: Thats right actually, it is cold. Well, its not bad during the day, but at night it does get cold.

T: Yeh, and I always end up wanting to go indoors to drink, so Hanami loses its meaning for me.

K: Well, yeh, after you've bought all this stuff from the supermarket to eat, you do end up thinking you might as well have gone to a restaurant.

J: For something nicer and warmer, right? Haha, yeh, there is that.

T: See, Kaoru is coming over to my side.

J: You don't actually spend much time looking at the blossoms either, do you?

K: Yeah, people just want to drink.

J: Yeh, its an excuse to drink. But still, it is only a short time when the blossoms are here.

K: Its fine during the day, but you can't even really see the blossoms at night. Plus, its warm during the day, well..today was raining, but yesterday would have been great for Hanami.

T: But someone just commented, 'Hanami is impossible if you have hayfever'

K: Ah, of course, yeh.

J: Look, someone wrote, 'I prefer the food carts in winter', Ah, winter, right?...'Street vendors are fun!'. But there are food carts out in some places at this time of year too! Havn't you seen any?

T: Ohh, they are good.

J: Yeah, see!

K: There are some places that do have loads out, like how you see at festivals.

J: Ah, like in Ueno park.

T: Those are good.

K: Yeah...but there are some places that have like a restaurant feel, right? There'll be oden, and you can grill seafood, like you can sit around the grill and have a drink.

J: There's a good atmosphere.

K: Right?! That type of place is good.

T: Didn't there used to be something like that at Hanazono Shrine?

J: There was, yeh. Leader, tell us about some of your Hanami memories.

K: Well, yeah, it does just feel a bit cold, and the food is usually nothing impressive.

T: See!

K: But I do like having a drink outside.

J: Yeh, it feels spacious, right?

K: Yeh, but its better when its warm.

T: Someone's commenting about pizza for Hanami.

J: Thats pretty interesting.

K: Well, you can get it delivered easily with Uber.

J: Oh right, so you could specify which tree you're under, and you just raise your hand when they call out your name?

K: Well, yeh.

T: I read something in a magazine ages ago about how people playing pachiko used to order pizza, and even specify the machine they were sat at, to get it delivered directly to then.

J: Ehh, to pinpoint their location?

T: Yeah.

J: Well we'd love viewers to let us know their hanami memories, or recommendations for good hanami spots, so please send them in. Hey, we could do daytime Hanami on this show next year?

K: Yeh

T: Someone wrote, 'I want Kaoru to pour me a beer from a Tora no ana food stall'.

K: Like one of those ones? How do you even get those, we probably can't, right?

J: Tokyo Sports could do something for us, couldn't they?

T: No, I don't think so.

K: Aren't those the type of things that get handed down to people?

T: Im not sure.

J: Hm, you probably have to have connections in the street vendor business. Tokyo Sports has power in that sphere, right?

T: Not at all, haha.

J: But Tokyo Sports is like a street vendor.

T: Well, the street vendor of mass media maybe.

K: But even if we didnt have that kind of thing, we could do it with just a regular hot plate, or your pressure cooker...an event where we make that kinda stuff would be good, like a public live broadcast.

J: Oh, thats a good idea!

T: Apparently you can rent food stalls.

J: Well, if we have enough support...

T: Someone wrote 'The pressure cooker is nostalgic'...Nostalgic?

J: Well, we could do The Freedom of Expression Hanami next year.

T: I wanna do it this year.

K: Oh, those comments are too fast, I can't read them! haha

J: Why do they go by so quickly sometimes?

K: I don't know.

J: Can't Dwango even tell us? Ehh. 'Cause they do fly past too quickly sometimes don't they?....Oh, it only happens to long comments? Long comments move fast!

K: Ah, I see. That makes sense, cause it goes fast when people use lots of applause emojis.

T: Oh right! Lets test it, everyone do lots of clapping in the comments.

J: Ah, Tasai, you're on good form.

T: Aren't you curious? haha

*everyone sends in a load of long emoji strings*

K, T: Oh, look how quick it is!

J: Amazing

K: Wow, its so fast!

J: Should we really get so happy about something like this? haha. Ok, so that was our first topic, Hanami. Leader, could you erase it from the board.

T: Isn't it that one in the middle next to April Fool? (Joe's bday)

J: No no! Don't erase that one yet! Not yet! Erase Hanami.

K: Ughh, I don't really like chalkboards.

J: Why? The noise?

K: I just imagine my nails on it. Just looking at it I get a nasty feeling in my nails!

J: Aghh, there always used to be someone who would scrape the board like that, right?

K: I can only picture that when I see it. I just get so sqeamish in my nails, haha.

J: I know what you mean, and you feel ticklish all over too, right?

K:....Well, no, I don't feel ticklish.

J: Eh, why is that just me?

K: My nails just get this awful feeling.

J: Don't you get this ticklish sensation down 'there' though, too?

K: No.

T: Hahaha, this is too funny.

K: But actually, its not the noise that bothers me. Its that sensation of nails draging on the board.

J, T: Ahhhh

K: I hate that.

J: Kaoru, you are showing your cute side. So you hate even looking at the chalkboard?

K: Yeah, it just makes my nails feel awful.

J: Ahh, I cringe just imagining that sound aswell. Ok, well we finished Hanami. Lets decide the next topic. Write what you want to hear about in the comments.

T: How about we choose the first really fast one?

J: Ok, but there is a bit of a time lag, so just wait a sec. The first fast one right? Ah, there!

T: Spring songs!

K: First meetings!

J: First meetings overtook Spring songs!

T: Haha, lets go with First meetings.

K: Spring first meetings, right?

J: Yeah, like meeting people when you start school, or start a new semester etc. Haha, there are a lot of Spring song comments.

T: Haha, someone wrote 'There's a perv* around' (*Looking for a better translation of 出会い厨*)

J: 'We hit the limit', haha, great. Anyway, Spring first meetings!

K: Well, I've never worked for a proper company, so I can only draw on memories from school.

J: What do you remember?

K: Well, I have a friend from high school, I still go for a drink with him now and again, but this story is from our school days. It was a mixed school in theory, but in reality, there were only a handful of girls in each year group. So in our classroom, my seat was at the front, my friend's was behind, and behind him was a boy called Hirai Miki. So on the first day before we'd all met, that friend of mine looked at the seating plan and thought, 'Oh score! I've got girls in front and behind!' (*Kaoru and Miki are both commonly used as girls names too*)

J, T: Hahaha

T: In between Kaoru and Miki! He thought he got lucky, haha!

K: Then when he sat down, he was like, 'Who the hell are you two?!'

J: Haha, like, 'You're in the wrong seats! These seats are for Kaoru and Miki!'

K: Haha, yeah.

T: He didn't expect that you were boys, haha.

J: Ahhh, Kaoru chan and Miki chan! Someone wrote, 'His harlem'

K: Yes, but we were both boys.

T: Thats a good story.

J: Tasai, do you have any stories?

T: Hm, let me think...

J: Oh, by the way, the members only video is great this time, don't miss it! Isn't that right, Leader?

K: Yeah.

J: Yeh, so everyone please...

T: Well, I have a story from my university entrance ceremony.

K: Haha, he just cut you straight off!

J: Haha

T: Yes! As I was saying, my university entrance ceremony. haha. You never know what type of people you will meet at university, but the guy next to me at the ceremony was really friendly to me, and you could also tell he was really well-built. But I was just talking to him, trying to blend in, as you do, and I noticed he kept looking at his watch. Then at a certain time, he apologized to me and got a banana and a protein drink out of his bag, and had them right there. He was like, 'Its time to feed my muscles', even in the middle of the entrance ceremony! So that was one first meeting of this kind of strange person.

K, J: ....

K: That was a bit if an anticlimax.

J: Yeh, the story was ok, but...

T: Aghh, Im sad now.

J: Hey, but the members only content this time is brilliant!

T: Hey, thats not fair.

J: No, but even the staff laughed this time! They have never laughed at any of the members only content until now!

T: Can I ask for some super fast bananas in the conments to make me feel better?

J: Oh, banana emojis in the comments? Ok everyone, make Tasai feel better with some bananas.

T(*reading a comment*) Ah, no, Im not still in contact with him.

J: Oh, the protein guy?

T: Oh look, here come the bananas!!

J: Wow, so many banana emojis!

T: Thank you, haha.

J: Its kinda dirty, right?

T: No, Joe, thats just you!

J: Its just my freedom of expression. I want the whole screen covered in bananas!

K: The screens gone all light, haha

J: They all merge after a point.

K: (*Sees the macho muscle emoji and copies that pose*)

J: Haha, the macho emoji!

T: This is turning out well.

J: Yeah, I think the viewers are getting used to nicinama.

K: But we've had guests a lot lately, so its been quite structured. This time is more chilled, haha.

J: Its good having a bit more freedom, right?

K: Haha, yeah.

T: Ahhh, more bananas! Someone wrote, 'My finger hurts', haha.

J: Ok, lets move onto the next topic.

K: I'll just erase First meetings (*grimaces after contact with the board*)

J: Tasai, you choose the next one.

T: No, I'll leave it to the comments.

J: Strictly the viewers choice?

T: Today we are doing this together.

J: Haha, you sound like a bandman saying that type of thing. Ok, comments. It doesn't have to be a fast comment?

K: Nah.

J: Spring songs... Koshien.

T: Ok, lets go with Spring songs....Oh, but Koshien!

K: No, there were a lot of votes for Spring songs earlier, so we should go with that.

J: You don't have much of a Spring song image though, Leader.

K: Hm, yeh, I don't know any Spring songs.

J: If we had to make a Spring song playlist for this show, what would you put on it?

K: Can I use our songs? Well, probably '304 goushitsu, hakushi no sakura'.

J: Of course, yeh. That was in the comments too.

K: Oh, 'Kaishun' aswell....But what songs would you call Spring songs in general?

J: Anything by Moriyama Naotaro.

K: Ahh

T: And there are a lot of songs out there titled, 'Sakura'.

J: Whats the first Spring song you can think of? What Spring song would you hum in the bath?

K: What would you?

J: Ohh, what would I...?

T: (*reading comment*) Ah, Yuming, right. (Matsutoya Yumi)

J: Oh, I heard a song on a show I did yesterday...What was it again?

K: You won't remember, haha.

J: No I will, haha...Kawaguchi Kyogo!

T: Ah, that singer/songwriter?

J: Yeh, that song is 'Sakura...something', isn't it? I couldn't remember it after all, haha...(*reading a comment*) Oh yeh, Fukuyama Masao too.

T: Joe, someone said that song is called, 'Amnesia'.

J: No, thats just me they're talkIng about. haha. Leader, what are your Spring songs?

K: I don't know.

T: Egao saku....Buck Tick.

J: How does that go again? Ah! *sings*

T: Ah, Sakuranbo! (cherry)

K: Is sakuranbo a Spring thing?

T: Well, it has sakura in it...

K: No, but I mean the actual fruit.

T: Hmm, its not a fruit of sakura is it?

K: No, it can't be. Cherries, yeh?

T:Yeh, its not the blossoms.

J: Wow, its like two teenagers are talking right here.

K, T: Hahaha

J: Anyway, someone just commented, 'Kitakuni no haru'

T: Any cherry experts, let us know....Oh, cherry season is from May...so thats a summer song then.

K: Hm, yeh, Sakuranbo is not a Spring song.

J: Loads of people suggested it though.

K: No, its wrong.

J: Ah, wrong season. Leader, cant you think of any sakura songs off the top of your head?

K: No.

J: What about you Tasai?.....Of course there is Yuming with 'Haru yo, koi'.

K: Ahhh.

J: Also, that one from earlier....🎶mata haru ni aimashou🎶

K: Ah, Hide san.

T: Also, Ketsumeitsu....and 304 goushitsu again.

J: But you can't really think of any Spring songs, Leader?

K: Not really.

J: Ok, shall we do one more topic for the free part? Hmm, lots of people saying Yuming. Well, time to pick another one. Spring songs has been erased.....Oh, look, a strong vote for Joe Yokomizo's birthday!

K: Nah, I couldn't read that.

T: Yeah, what did it say??　

K: I didn't see it.

J: But it came up slowly after that!

K: Nah, didn't see anything like that.

J: Haha, now its just turned into JoeYoko in the comments

K, T: Hahaha

J: Ah, but maybe JoeYoko is best saved for the paid section.

K: Yeah, thats a good idea!

T: Ehh?! You should be paying them to listen to it!

J: Haha, like, 'Pleeease!' No no, seeing me being teased can be paid content....Someone suggested a two level billing.

K: Oh, we had someone before talking about that, right?

T:Toshi-Low, right?

J: Yeah, can we even manage that with this system?..Ah, no, unfortunately not.

T: Moving house!

K: Shall we go with Moving house?

J: Yes, ok. Bandmen move around a lot, don't they?

K: Yeh, well I've moved 5 or 6 times since I came to Tokyo.

J: Have you had any disastrous, or dangerous moves?

K: Not reallty.

J: Any hauntings?

K: No, I have no supernatural sense at all, but then again, who knows?

T: Ohh, thats lucky to not sense it.

J: Do you, Tasai?

T: Well, Im really sensitive to noise. So I'll get freaked out by the tiniest thing.

K: Hahaha

T: There was stuff like that appearing on this show too, wasn't there?

J: Yeah, and voices appearing. What even was that?

K: I don't know.

T: We went for purification on that snowy day though.

J: Yeah, and I was foretold many blocked roads for the year.

T: Yeah, how was 2022 in the end?

J: It wasn't that bad really....I just finished my tax return too.

T: Are you talking about your fee? haha. Not about achieving what you wanted or anything? Your fee?? haha

J: I did achieve what I wanted! No, I did, and thats one element of it, haha. Anyway, as for moving, I wanna hear from Kaoru, what was your most difficult move?

K: Hmm, well I have moved after finding cockroaches in my place.

J: Ehhh?

T: I understand that.

J: Thats like a woman.

K: Yeah, thats how much I hate them.

J: Ehh. So if you moved house and found cockroaches straight away, what would you do?

K: Well, I would first try to get rid of them, and if they were gone after that, then its fine. But if they kept coming back, I would have to move.

J: You would give up and move out? Ahh, you would move because of cockroaches?

T: Even with all those cockroaches in your music videos...

K: That has no relation to it.

J: Someone asked, 'Do you get rid of cockroaches yourself?'

K: Well, I get them in a paper cup or something, and then put something flat under it, then take it outside like that, then throw it away. (*demonstrates with notes*?

J: You're so gentle! You let it go?!

K: Well, now I can kill them, but even then I will still always use paper...but they dont run off quickly then, obviously.

J: Yeh, it would be good if they go quickly, haha.

K: Also, when you kill them, they might have eggs, which is gross. So I if I can just catch them with paper, I will, and then just throw them out.

T: 'Use soap on them'. Ahh, yeh.

K: I do sometimes use a plastic bag to catch them, and then tie it up.

J: Ahh, and then throw it away?

K: Well, I will hit it while its in the bag first.

J: Ah yeh, someone wrote, 'If you find one....(there isn't just one)'. Thats true. Its a tough problem, but really difficult if you have to move because of it. Someone else sent a question, 'Do you hire a moving company when you move?' Or do you get your friends to help?

K: I tend to hire someone, yeh. But a long time ago, like when I was first here, I would get the manager or someone to help, and shove all my stuff in the band van.

J: Well, yeh. 'Do you like house hunting?'

K: Not really. I only do it when I have to.

J: You don't always check around.

K: Nah.

J: Ah, someone commented they moved house 12 times. People wanna know how much your rent was back in the day. Where was the cheapest place you lived? Was it an apartment?

K: No, it was a unit. Well, I talked about this on my blog before, but it was towards Nerima ward. It was a two bedroom place on the third floor, and it had quite a big living area, like the size of this room. I lived there with Kyo, with a bedroom on either side. I think it was about ¥120,000 a month, between us.

T: Thats cheap.

J: With seperate bedrooms and a big living space?

K: Yeah, but we didnt really use the living area, because we had our own rooms. Of course we had a fridge, and a bathroom etc. But we never spent any time in the main area, so we just used it to pile up all our band equipment.

J: You put your instruments there?

K: Yeah, and obviously garbage would pile up, and we ended up with cockroaches, haha.

J: Kyo strikes me as someone who would be able to deal with cockroaches.

T: No, I bet he hates them.

K: Yeh, he seems like he hates bugs.

J: I see. 'Did you have a cleaning schedule?'

K: Not at all!

T: Did you write your names on your desserts in the fridge and stuff?

K: Ah, yeh, I think so.

J: 'Did you fight over food in the fridge?'

K: Hmm, no.

J: Ok, well that was the Moving house topic. We've done 4 topics so far, but there are still a lot left. We'll move over to the members only part next, so I'll let you know how you can watch it. You have to be a member if you want to watch to the end. If you join, you can watch this broadcast in the archives for a year, and there will also be a members only video released in the next few days, so check it out. Leader is pointing to the link you need to join. If you click this link, you will get a screen asking you to choose your payment method. Choose your preferred method, yes, Leader is pointing to it now, click proceed, and then enter your details, and then you're good to go!

K: (*Doing thumbs up to the camera*)

J: Haha, thats the 'You're good' gesture! If you havnt already joined, please do to enjoy the rest of the show. Leader, show us your gesture for 'enjoy thr show'.

K: (*spreads both hands out happily*)

T: Haha, they like that. Well, we'll be getting to know Joe more in the second part.

J: Yeh, the Joe charge.

K: Haha, Joe charge.

J: Do you have anything to announce before we switch?

K: Uh, the tour will start next month. Oh, also, I mentioned this at Tora no ana with Joe, but Im planning another art exhibition.

T: Oh, when?

K: Im not sure yet, but I'll let everyone know when I can.

T: Do you have a lot of material?

K: Im in the process of creating.

J: Yeh, you mentioned it at the talk event...is event the right word? What was I calling it?

K: Yes...you were saying talkshow.

J: Yes, we talked a lot there. There was an evening part and a midnight part in Tokyo, wasn't there?

T: How long were you drinking for?

J: Oh, well into morning.

K: The midnight part finished at about 4am, right?

J: Yeh, it would have been great for fans who went to both parts. Anyway, an art exhibition this year. Can you give us any hints about the upcoming tour?

K: No, I can't say anything yet.

J: Well, regardless, me and Tasai will get Kaoru talking a lot in the second part.

T: Ahh, Im sleepy today.

J: Haha, sleeping during the show?? Anyway, we will change over here, the screen will change for a moment, but the next part will start shortly. Please join us for part 2.

#dir en grey #the freedom of expression #translation #kaoru #薫

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