#but i only had energy to draw hikari

[crispy-bonnie]

Hikari Arasawa (MK1 OC)

a singular person @mothergoose90 cOUGH COUGH expressed interest in my silly little oc so now i'm making this lore post because i can :)

the ref i made is a little bit half-assed bc i couldn't be bothered to make a turnaround or anything . might do it later tho

also i forgot to add it to the color palette but their eyes are dark brown

Earthrealm | Shapeshifter | Artist

✨(energy) 🌀(chaos)

From the night sky, Hikari emerged as a fallen star into Earthrealm, possessing unique powers and an unclear purpose. With no home or family, Hikari attempted to fend for themself all alone, but they finally found a home as they were taken under Madam Bo's wing. They may not have found their purpose, but the light that guided them knew that this was only the beginning.

BACKSTORIES AND PERSONALITY UNDER THE CUT

Personality

Hikari is rather shy and withdrawn, often avoiding conflict at any given moment. Nobody really hears them talk, so it often catches people by surprise whenever they actually use their voice. This doesn't mean they're entirely anti-social, seeing as whenever they open up to people, they become a lot more chatty and bright.

Backstory

Hikari has two versions of their backstory, as they're more of an open-ended character — a self insert, a blank canvas for me to write whatever I want. This isn't just a choice as a creator and stuff, but also part of their lore as well.

As I mentioned in my Kombatober angst post, an outer force had reset the timeline. That outer force is me, rewriting the story for my own indulgence. It's like if our fanfics and fan-created stuff actually applied to the MK1 universe. I like to reimagine scenarios and storylines in my head, so I applied doing that to the timelines as 'resetting it'. Nobody recollects these resets in the timeline, not even Geras or Liu Kang. Hikari can only faintly remember or recognize events from previous timeline events, but it's a very blurry memory and it's not enough to actually have any weight for them and they never retain these memories long enough for them to piece everything together.

VERSION 1

Nobody really knows Hikari's origins. They literally just fell from the sky and landed in some forest in America. They spent a good chunk of their childhood fending for themself, often finding drawing as an escape from their unfortunate situation.

At around the age of 10, Hikari ends up getting stuck on a cargo boat after looking for food. The boat ended up in China, where they had to once more navigate their strange new place. They eventually find themself in Fengjian, where Madam Bo spots them trying to steal food from the kitchen. She takes them in as her adopted child, raising her alongside Sektor (familiar story, am I right?)

VERSION 2

Hikari falls from the sky (still with unknown origins) but is a full-grown adult rather than a child or something. They land in the Wu Shi academy and is taken in by Liu Kang. He introduces them to the Lin Kuei brothers and becomes recognized as an unofficial member of the clan, seeing as Bi-Han didn't see the value in their powers like others did.

[monochromaticbeans]

Chapter 13: A Place Where They Will Never Find

We can go where we want to,

a place where they will never find.

“Safety Dance" ~ Men Without Hats

Hikari stood beside the bike, rubbing her hands together, her excitement barely contained. The bike was gleaming—chrome reflecting the last warm rays of the day—and everything about it screamed “Don’t even think about it.” Which, naturally, made her think about it more. A lot more. The bike had become something of a forbidden promise, and now that Keisuke had finally, finally caved, it felt like she’d won the world’s best argument prize.

The Suzuki GSX250E sat idling beside them, purring like it was in on the secret, steady and low, pulsing with potential energy. The empty parking lot was their private hideaway, tucked away from the eagle eyes of parents and all other forms of authority. Keisuke leaned against the bike, arms crossed, giving her a look that was part exasperation, part amusement, and entirely, unmistakably, “This better not be a disaster.”

“‘Operation Road Warrior,’” he said, the name rolling off his tongue with an expression that could only be described as pained disbelief. “Really? That’s what you’re calling this?”

She grinned, entirely unfazed by his lack of enthusiasm. “Hey, it’s a covert mission, okay? You don’t just not name a covert mission. Where’s the fun in that?”

“Right. Fun. Sure.” He deadpanned, then cracked a smirk. “I don’t know. How about something more realistic, like ‘Operation: Probably Gonna Get Caught’?”

She rolled her eyes, giving him a playful shove. “Oh, come on, Double-0-Pessimist. Can’t you have a little faith?”

A scoff, and the faintest hint of a laugh. “Sure, sure. Now, quit screwing around and get on the damn bike already.”

Hikari’s excitement came spilling out in a giggle as she bounced on her toes. “Ooh, look at us, being all sneaky. So clandestine,” she teased, drawing the word out for effect.

Keisuke gave her a look and shook his head, although he couldn’t quite hide the grin forming. “Yeah, real sneaky. Just don’t get any ideas about joyriding, alright? I’m not in the mood to explain to your dad why I let his daughter turn into a grease stain on the pavement.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could already hear her dad’s voice saying, “What the hell were you thinking, letting my daughter drive a motorcycle?” He winced just thinking about it. If her dad and his mom teamed up to chew him out? Well, then he was basically dead.

Hikari, blissfully ignoring the creeping doubt, swung her leg over the seat and grabbed the handlebars with all the confidence of someone who was about to do something incredibly cool, no matter how many bad ideas it took to get there. The bike was solid and heavier than she’d expected, which made it feel even more real. And the realness of it made her grin even wider.

His expression flickered, settling somewhere between worry and, just maybe, a hint of trust. He leaned in close, his tone shifting to full “I am serious, so pay attention,” as he pointed out the controls with calm, methodical precision. The clutch, the throttle, the foot lever—it was like he was giving her the ‘Cliff's Notes’ to all things motorcycles.

“This,” he said, gesturing at the right handlebar, “is your front brake. And trust me, if you pull too hard, you’re flying over these handlebars, and I’m not scraping you off the asphalt tonight.”

She gave him a mock-offended look, her fingers flexing on the grip. “Wow. So much faith.” Her eyes narrowed, a spark of mischief lighting within them. Leaning in, she dropped her voice and did her best menacing impression. “I find your lack of faith… disturbing.”

He stopped, deadpan, as he processed the quote. Finally, he raised an eyebrow, the faintest smirk tugging at his mouth. “And that was even nerdier than ‘Operation Road Warrior,’” he said, rolling his eyes.

Hikari smiled even wider, completely unrepentant. “You just have no taste,” she retorted, with a hint of sass.

And despite himself, he chuckled, the sound blending into the bike’s hum as the world faded into the cool quiet of twilight. He sighed, his smirk returning. “Alright, alright. Just… don’t crash it. Seriously.”

In the stillness of his presence, her nerves finally settled, the jittery buzz of anticipation easing as she felt his steady confidence nearby. She exhaled, matching his calm for just a second, before she turned the throttle as he’d shown her. The bike growled to life, the engine vibrating under her hands in a way that sent an excited shiver up her arms. And then, miraculously, it started to move.

The bike rolled forward, slow and steady, the world fading around them. The only sound was the engine, a rumble that felt like a heartbeat. Her face beamed, helpless against the thrill of it—the bike responding, the tiny surge of speed settling deep in her bones.

“There you go,” Keisuke said, his voice approving as he walked alongside her. “Nice and easy.”

“This is amazing,” she said, the words slipping out in a breathless rush.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, don’t get cocky, okay? Right now, you’re only about as fast as a turtle.”

She shot him a look, sticking her tongue out. “Hey, I’m savoring the moment here.”

They made slow, careful loops around the parking lot, each pass a tiny victory, her muscles beginning to sync with the bike’s rhythm. She could feel his gaze following her every move, ready to step in at the slightest sign of trouble, but with a patience that made her feel like maybe she really could handle this.

“Alright, stop,” he finally said, holding up a hand.

She pulled on the brake, a bit too hard, bringing the bike to an abrupt halt. Her heart was still racing, and she looked up at him, beaming. “How’d I do?”

Keisuke shrugged, unable to hide a smile. “Not bad,” he said, nodding like he was grading her homework.

Pride welled up in her chest, warm and solid, like the bike’s weight beneath her. “So… we’re hitting the road now, right?”

He snorted, crossing his arms. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Kaneda. You’re barely parking-lot-ready. The streets? Not a chance,” he laughed, his voice low, echoing slightly in the stillness of the empty lot. “Maybe after a few more lessons.”

“Oh, come on,” she groaned, slumping forward over the handlebars. She pouted, but she couldn’t argue. The promise of more lessons was enough to keep her satisfied for now. Besides, she’d tasted victory here tonight—even if it was only in a parking lot, she felt that she’d earned this.

As the last traces of daylight faded, they circled the lot one final time, her movements growing smoother with each turn. Keisuke’s teasing was relentless, but his patience was solid as ever, his gaze unwavering as he watched her settle into each motion. And by the time the sun dipped completely behind the buildings, turning the lot into shadow, he finally called it a night.

“Alright, that’s enough for today,” he said, stopping her with a light hand on her shoulder. “You did good, but let’s not push it.”

Her legs wobbled as she climbed off the bike, and she looked up at him, flushed with a mix of pride and exhaustion. “Thanks, Keisuke. This was… really fun.”

He ruffled her hair with the kind of affectionate roughness only he could manage. “Yeah, well, don’t forget—this is our little secret.”

“Oh, absolutely,” she laughed, her voice light, twinkling against the encroaching dark. “Our super top-secret, classified little secret.”

[digitalworid]

[KISS]

[ sender cups the receivers face in their hands before drawing them closer for a kiss. ]

When Miyako kissed her, Hikari found herself struck with the sensation that she was real. That she had a body, she existed.

It was easy for the minutia of more basic contact with reality to become background noise, but romantic contact was grounding. It drew her senses into clarity, and she focused on it.

She was here, Miyako was here.

Perhaps it was even shallow of her to be merely grounded by her girlfriend's presence, but that alone was all she sought. Yes, kissing was nice, Miyako was soft and so very beautiful, but there was nothing quite like being reminded she was alive.

It was as though Miyako was sharing her overabundance of life and presence with her. Miyako was the true light, she shone like the sun, so awake and real and animate. Burning bright, burning out.

She had once coveted that boundless energy. She'd wished it was hers, and now it was.

"I love you, Miyako." It was the first time she'd added no suffix by way of cutifying. For she loved Miyako in her purest form, the woman as she was, alone, with no additional factors. A three syllable girl, her personal sunshine, liable to burn her with that boundless energy.

Such was purity, a girl dangerously true to herself. Hikari wanted only for her to stay that way forever, to never be restrained or withdrawn. That she could be held by that beautiful flame was a pipe dream, and also, reality.

She was here, Miyako was here. They were together.

And everything else seemed to melt away.

[themistressofdolls]

Xenos the cat UNLEASHED Chapter V

Chapter I: https://www.tumblr.com/themistressofdolls/743616576495009792/xenos-the-cat-unleashed

Chapter II: https://themistressofdolls.tumblr.com/post/744437263076917248/xenos-the-cat-unleashed-ii

Chapter III: https://themistressofdolls.tumblr.com/post/747208799126011904/xenos-the-cat-unleashed-chapter-iii

Chapter IV: https://www.tumblr.com/themistressofdolls/748187552796868608/xenos-the-cat-unleashed-chapter-iv

Chapter V

My return to Genshinki

After blowing up hell I returned to Genshinki to do some training since I hadn't visited my friends there in a long time, they where all happy to see me as Udon took me to a huge Japanese food festival and we had great time together.

Reimi Hikari showed up with Marcala as they poured us some saki “I bet you could use some relaxation, that story about hell sounds like quite an intense adventure.” Marcala smiled as I sipped some relaxing saki.

“Nothing to me besides someone had to take care of hell, its an evil realm that hurt a lot of people and now everyone is free from it.” I smiled pouring us all some saki.

There was some airships in the distance and I noticed they had the logo of the third reich on them “I wonder what that's all about.” I pondered.

Explosions shook Steamberg as the airships unleashed a bombardment upon the town “Looks like trouble, I finally remembered what those logos where!” I knew they where bad after using my mind palace.

THEY WHERE NAZIS...the original ones.

We boarded Marcalas broomstick flying into town which was on fire as undead Nazi soldiers where gunning down people in the street for fun “You sick fucks, you're gonna burn!” I shouted drawing the ultima emerald gunblade slicing them apart with a whirlwind slash attack.

Nazi tanks entered the room shooting shells at us which I cut in half then went super using a chain lightning attack to explode all the tanks at once.

On the bridge of the fucking command shit ADOLF HITLER looked down from the windows upon his throne “ZE FINAL ORDER IS READY 100,000 ELITE SHIPS TO INVADE ALL REALMS AND WORLDS AT ONCE! SOON ZA FOURTH REICH SHALL BE READY TO HERALD MY RETURN FROM HELL!” Hitler laughed ordering the attack.

Back on the flaming town we tried to save as many people as we could “Get out of here, go to the youkai forest, you'll be safe there.” Reimi said.

“What is going on, who are these people attacking?” Marcala asked me.

I looked towards her “Somehow, Hitler returned.” I said.

They didn't who Hitler was since Genshinki was an outer realm so they didn't know much about the Earth realms or its history “He was an evil dictator who ran Germany once and killed a lot of people, he was a racist xenophobic prick and must have returned after I destroyed hell therefore its my responsibility to stop him once and for all!” I said going into my omni super form and flying up to his airship.

I got inside the command ship killing 100s of nazi soldiers which was fun then I confronted Hitler on the bridge who was augmented with cyberware “You must be ze one who destroyed hell, I offer you a place by my side, serve ze glorious fourth reich and you shall have power and command.” He smiled which made my fucking stomach turn.

“GO EAT TURDS YOU SCUM BAG PIECE OF NAZI SHIT I'D NEVER JOIN YOU!” I spat in his face and punched him but then he turned on a force field.

“REICH FIELD ONLINE!” He said and fired rockets from his throne as robo Hitlers with machine arms attacked me.

I used my unleashed mode and exploded all the Robo Hitlers then started to punch Hitlers energy field as it shattered and I punched his face so hard it was bits of blood and skull “NIGHT NIGHT BIGOT!” I said ending Hitler.

A voice came on the horn “You foolish catboy, I have many copies of myself you only killed one GOODBYE YOU LITTLE SHIT!” The voice of Hitler laughed as he set the airship to explode.

War returns to England

I woke up at the shrine where Reimi and Udon where healing me “What happened to the nazi fleet?” I asked them.

“They flew into a portal to invade Earth, we tried to stop them but if there is a silver lining here Xenos I guess we should be glad Genshinki is safe.” Reimi sighed.

I got up and entered a healing trance to restore my energy then had a deep think about what to do next “Hitler wants to invade every world, if he takes over Earth then he will keep going.” I was determined to stop him so me and Udon crossed the boundary back to Earth.

The news was on a TV in a TV shop so we decided to watch “England is being attacked by...we are just getting confirmation...ITS THE NAZIS THE ORIGINAL ONES THEY SOMEHOW RETURNED! That's right its not Neo Nazis, or Trump or the Alt right NO ITS THE ORIGINAL GERMAN NATIONAL SOCIALIST ONES LEAD BY HITLER HIMSELF!” The newscaster was panicing on the TV.

“Earth isn't equipped to deal with Hitler, this isn't 1945 he's grown stronger in hell and now he has dark science under his command.” I grimaced thinking of what to do as I used my mind palace to think.

“We need a crack team, let me make some calls.” AND I DID!

Later that night we arrived by the shores of Brighton beach by stealth boat which my PMC friends lent us out, with me was Kazu, Cinos the Hedgehog, Brisket, The Professor and Udon all armed with state of the art weaponry READY TO DO SOME NAZI KILLING, FUCK YEAH!

We snuck into a strange dark temple where nazi wizards where meeting with torches doing some kind of evil ritual while Hitler sat in a throne, in front of him kneeling was Robert Mercer and Dennis Prager “My master, long have we waited for your return. For mans dark urges need a dark master to keep them in line for mans depravity is great and thus needs an evil God to look over him.” Said Dennis Prager in that fucking creeper voice as he kissed Adolf Hitlers ring.

“We have kept the dream alive for decades my dark master, may the great purge begin.” Robert Mercer hissed.

Robert Mercer and Dennis Prager where caught in an epic explosion which destroyed them as I slammed into the ground armed with my new crystal cyber scythe BLACKBANE “This sick display is over!” I pointed the blade forward then spun around killing a fuck ton of nazi bastards then Brisket charged in with duel plasma uzis opening fire on the armored troopers.

Kazu came in the back on a military jeep with Cinos the hedgehog in the back firing the turret as a spray of armor piercing heavy machine gun rounds slammed into the nazi wizards “SUCK ON THAT YOU UGLY OLD FUCKS!” Kazu laughed.

Hitler stood firing a beam of void magic at me which drained my powers “I can't go super, I need to recharge!” I gasped opening fire with my HK assault rifle but he blocked it with his energy field.

“I shall open the reality gate and become one with every universe, my forces will be part of a never ending nazi empire!” Hitler laughed at me

Then Hitler merged with the gateway becoming a dark daemon nazi “My first foundation shall be your blood becoming the first tile of my new palace!” Dark Angel Hitler mocked.

Then a spear of light hit one of his wings “Are you going to say ADOLF FUCKING HITLER OF ALL PEOPLE IS GIVING YOU A HARD TIME? I WON'T LET ANYONE WHO DEFEATED ME MAKE SUCH A DISGRACE OF MY NAME!” Shouted Genos my sister who was wearing a gothic lolita battle dress.

“What the fuck do you want?” I sighed.

She walked over to me with her dark spear “A FUSION LETS KICK THIS NAZI BASTARDS ASS TOGETHER OHOHOHOHOHOHOH!” She laughed as we both went super.

“I hate this idea but the situation calls for us HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!” I shouted powering up.

Genos did the same drawing in her energy as Dark Angel Hitler looked worried “HIIIIIIIIIIIII!” Genos shouted and we merged into one.

I AM GENXIS MOONBLADE! PRINCESS OF DARKLIGHT AND I SHALL PUNISH YOU! I shouted as my flowing dark dress with white frills with glowing silver lines blew in the wind.

I blew my speared gunblade which was made of primastic crystal pointing it at the nazi fucks face “Perish!” I formed beautiful wings of light as I flew upwards slashing Dark Angel Hitler a million times with my level one limit break JUSTICE OF DRAGOONS.

“Mein verdammtes Gesicht, du Arschloch!“ Hitler screamed.

Then I summoned ten million spears of pink light “SUMMONED JUSTICE OF ODIN!“ I shouted firing the spears into his wings as they shattered like glass from the impact of ten million spears.

Pulling energy from across the world “ALL BEINGS OF PURE HEART ALL THOSE THAT LOVE PEACE AND FREEDOM! COME TO ME LET US END THIS THREAT ONCE AND FOR ALL!“ I shouted summoning all the planets energy to form a holy sun attack.

“NO MORE NAZIS! IT'S TIME FOR NAZIS TO DIE IN THE PAST WHERE THEY FOREVER BELONG!“ I shouted firing all the energy of the holy sun bomb into dark energy Hitler as the dark clouds forming his body where consumed by the holy light.

Finally the explosion destoryed him as the weak and frail man impacted with the grounded near death.

I landed on the ground looking down upon him “Please spare me, please.“ He begged for his life but I just aimed my hand firing a barrage of tri fire spells burning him till not even bones remained then just to finish the job I used manga fire magic to destory even the dust.

Hitler was sent to the Yama for judgement who sealed him for eternity in the netherworld where he would be tortured.

Me and Genos unfused looking at each other “This isn't over brother, we shall meet again as enemies.“ She warned me and teleported away.

Hero of the city

I went to city hall for a big ceremony the next day where they gave me a medal for stopping the Nazis not to mention the time I wiped out all of hell which was a pretty big deal “Edgeblade isn't a name for you, no you need a more badass one HOW ABOUT XENOS HELLSLAYER!“ The mayor said AND I LIKED IT!

That night I went back to Tokyo playing some video games with Chass and Brisket having a good time since we needed to relax for a bit.

The Thanksgiving dinner from hell

My mother and father where visiting Japan for the holidays so me and Brisket had to make a huge Japanese meal for them since it was thanksgiving in Tokyo.

“Welcome to Japan, its good to see you all.“ Brisket smiled as they came in.

My dad pointed behind him “Also I brought your brother and sister over so behave.“ He said as Genos and Helios was there standing over me in his cyborg armor and shoulder cannon.

“There better be orange soda here.“ He said in a booming angry voice as he stomped into the living room while Genos was smoking from her cigarette holder wearing a christmas jumper with Cinos the hedgehog on it.

“Don't ask, father made me wear this thing!“ She sighed at me coming inside.

I grumbled going to the kitchen to check on Brisket who was labouring over the oven “Hows the turkey coming along? Looks like trouble arrived but because of the holiday I have to try and avoid fighting with them which is harder than it sounds.“ I whined.

Brisket patted me on the head then smiled “Don't worry it will be great day, just smile and try to get along with your brother and sister.“

In the living room some anime was on TV which I couldn't hear since Genos and Helios where having a stupid debate “I wanted orange soda and our stupid brother only get lemon lime soda in!“ He moaned like a little bitch.

Genos frowned with that smug face of hers “These are pathetic first world problems Helios, try being trapped in the distant past for eons having to live in the cold ruins of a crystal castle after exterminating the magical girl population. Also my only companion there was a sealed eldritch god that could only speak in roars.“ She replied taking a drag from her cigarette holder.

“Yes but I was dead for much of mein childhood and teen years until I was revived as a hulking hunter killer cyborg.“ He said in a mechanical rage voice.

Brisket came out with the turkey and food “Dig in theres enough for everyone.“ She smiled with that smile that could melt hearts.

We ate our food but it was akward since everyone was quiet “So are you still a useless do gooder? With all your power you could rule the world beside me!“ Genos smiled with that fucking smug cat grin.

“I'LL RULE MY FUCKING FIST IN YOUR FACE!“ I shouted at her which annoyed mom since she didn't like swearing.

“No swearing at the dinner table, be nice.“ She said and we both said sorry.

We ate some turkey then watched anime before playing some video games that night but it was all over everyone went home but before she left my sister spoke “Next time we meet I shall bring your end, my worthless brother.“

Yeah right, next time we met I would be her end!

Misinformation wars

I took a plane to America, the TSA tried to stop me so I just gave them the glare scaring them and they didn't fuck with me after that.

Out in the streets of New york through there where riots as people where fighting people, faction vs faction and family vs family “DON'T BELIEVE THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA, HUMANS ARE MADE OF BEANS I READ IT ON THE FAKEBOOK!“ One old guy shouted as he ripped his shirt off and rolled around on the road screaming.

“WE MUST VOTE FOR ADOLF HITLER TO SAVE AMERICAN FREEDOM!“ A random 20 something with stupid fucking sunglasses screamed out.

Two people throwing fire bombs into a building “We must support, Cid!“ The boy said.

His friend punched him “NO WE MUST SUPPORT NORG!“

Everything was on fire “What is this all about? I'm getting fucking tired that people can't be chill for a fucking day on this planet!“ I threw my hands up in the air.

Chass arrived on the scene and I was glad to see someone sane “Chass whats happening here? Why is everyone going insane?“

The armored alien pulled out his cell phone “Its the new Fakebook app from NeoMeta, its spread everywhere flooding the world with fake news.“ He showed me the app which was filled with the most brain dead fake news stories.

“It has to be Mark Roboberg but I destoryed him a long time ago, we need to go to the HQ of NeoMeta to find out the truth before this gets out of control fast.“ I said and we took a taxi to the building which was a high tech corprate HQ.

Inside the building was empty, nothing but supercomputers running “Where are all the staff? This is fucking creepy!“ I shouted.

We got in the lift going for the top floor as the door opened the battle damaged Mark Roboberg was sitting on a chair wearing a bussiness suit.

“WOULD YOU YOU YOU YOU WOULD YOU LIKE SOME CHEEEEESEEEE!“ He said as his body sparked

I took out the silver edge katana going into my combat stance “I destoryed you how did you come back? Its pointless anyway, the empire that built you is long gone!“

He stood up sparking “Why why why why KILL HUMAN! EMAIL NOT FOUND 404...You see with FAKE FUN NEWS dot com I CAN MAKE THEM UNALIVE THEMSELVES for just 9.99 a week P&P BUY THIS QUEENS ROYAL DOG FIGURE 50P plus P&P EMAIL NOW ON MSN DOT COME HAHA! I will become DEATH destoryer of worlds FOR A LOW PRICE TODAY and fuck humanity OUT OF BEING ALIVE with their own hands BECAUSE EVERYONE IS STUPID as seen on free aol internet CD!“ He sparked and smoked as his hand turned into a machine gun and he started staking around the room firing at us.

“CROSS VANGUARD SLASH LIMIT BREAKER!“ I shouted using a four way katana slash to cut him into four pieces as the busted up robot exploded again.

Then from the shadows it was my dark self ZENOS VOIDEDGE who looked fucked up as always with the crystal pandemonium blade “I could never fully repair him but I do not need a figurehead the fake news plan is already underway!“ He laughed.

Chass armed his laser railgun while I took my secondary katana out to duel weld “Why are you trying to ruin the minds of the worlds people?!“ I asked.

“Humans are stupid sheep who can't think for themselves, even the freedom lovers are just as much fools for propoganda! I will destory the notion of truth until they believe in nothing and eat themselves to DEATH!“ He said with a wicked grin.

We crossed blades as our weapons sparked “I won't allow you to watch the world burn UGLY!“ I said swinging the other katana at him as he quickly perried.

Zenos Voidedge jumped onto a pillar and snapped his finger as two robots with spike balls for hands hopped into the room shooting lasers from their eyes at us “I shall deal with these two pests.“ Chass said firing the laser railgun at them.

“ITS BETWEEN YOU AND ME MY EVIL SELF!“ I went into MY PSYCHO FORM and Zenos in response went into his abyss anti super form.

As slashed at each other thousands of times trying to get hits in “XENOS HELLSLAYER YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT EVIL!“ My evil self mocked me.

I focused on joy and friendship going into my holy super form channelling the light of purity into my blades “OMNI JUDGEMENT TYPE FIVE!“ I said unleashing my limit breaking as I slashed at him with every holy blade and he had that OH SHIT face on him as he was slashed over and over then the judgement blade went through his body as he exploded into light being sent to the heavens to be torn asunder for good.

“Nice work, we make a good team.“ Chass said and did a bro shake.

Looking over the rigs of super computers I powered up sending out a burst of tri fire and tri lightning magic attacks forcing all my mana through the god damn fakebook building as the song DMC legacy played “I'M ENDING FAKE NEWS FOR GOOD!“ I said shedding a manly tear as all the super computers went up in flames as the building began to explode.

I was ready to go down with the fakebook building lost in my anger for all the evil that had been done here, when Brisket stood on the balony above “Xenos Hellslayer, you can stop now!“ She cried which snapped me back to reality as I went with her and Chass escaping from the crumbling Fakebook building.

We got out just in fire as the rubble was on fire and Brisket was hugging me “I was so scared I'd never see you again.“ She cried.

I petted her “You know I've survived worse, don't worry about it.“ I smiled looking over the ruins, seemed the city had started to calm down since the fake news had stopped.

I saw a fragment from a ruined super computer which had a golden T logo on it but I didn't know what that meant so I didn't think much of it for now.

Elsewhere a robed man picked up the data left in the ruins “With this we can build a new technocracy run by the elites“ he said unhodding himself IT WAS SAM ALDMAN.

Becoming a scion

After spending the next year relaxing while also doing some training I fell through a rift in space time to another world where magic existed.

I soon learned this was the world of Eorzeio and the three nations of the Eorzeio alliance had been getting invaded BY THE EMPIRE which had gaint robots and magitech soldiers which could make quick work of mages and knights.

Being new to that world I had to build up a reputation first so I became an adventurer doing many quests and clearing dungeons out thats when a white haired man came up to me “The power you have is the aura, you must be a warrior of justice the old texts mentioned one would appear to us one day.“ He told me.

“What is a warrior of justice and who are you?!!“ I wanted to know.

He grinned “I am Tanchad a high up member of the Scions of the seven Twilight we defend the world from the summoned gods as well as the empires invasions, consider joining up with us Xenos Hellslayer.“

We went to the scions base in the Gobrus desert where I met the other remembers one of which was a catgirl demi human like me, I was surprised to meet one of my own kind in this other world “We have data that a summoned god has appeared in the Elven wood, please Xenos if you could stop it.“ Millia begged me so I went there.

The gaint beast ODUS appeared and used his magic to enslave a bunch of elves “They obey me forever but your aura protects you I GUESS DEATH IS ALL YOU WILL GET FROM ME!“ The false god hissed at me drawing four gaint swords.

I went super form level two and cleved him in half with one attack from the Crystal Kata gunblade as the god was unsummoned.

However those cursed under his power where enslaved forever so I used cure of moons magic to undo the mind control “Thank you Xenos you are a true hero.“ They said.

Then a masked man in dark robes floated above “So you are the pathetic warrior of justice, enjoy your last hurrah for it will be your final one before death comes to time hahahahaha!“ He said and faded into a dark cloud.

The threat of SIGMA WEAPON

I did a lot of missions for the scions over the next year even building a reputation of fame across the three city states due to my deeds.

The empire got more bold as they tried to invade more countries so I went to the 15th wood to get some information when a cult had summoned another dark god this time THE WIND GODDESS HELLINA “I will eat and feed upon the lowly humans who do not obey my will!“ The harpy shouted as her brainwashed slaves licked her talons which was fucking sick.

“You'll pay for demeaning the minds of mortals!“ I warned her as I went into my Lunar super form and blasted her apart with the Hyclonius beam.

Then rockets hit as imperial walker mechs showed up along with their general the Legatus Garthus Xedius Ceaser “Xenos Hellslayer you have magic which makes you a threat to mortal men, you are proof of the noble ideals I hold to destory magic itself and sunder all gods!“ He said with a dark lord voice due to his machine gas mask.

A gaint mecha like a dragon came out of the ground firing beam missles killing four gods at once then consuming their power “This is what I have seeked for many years THE SIGMA WEAPON and with it the empire shall dominant all nations and destory magic!“ Gathus said.

I pointed my gunblade at him “I'VE DESTORYED AND PILOTED COUNTLESS MECHAS, GUNSUITS AND ADAMUS ROBOTS! THIS HUNK OF HARDWARE IS NOTHING TO ME!“ I laughed in his face.

Then that masked man floated in the air “Yesssss with Sigma weapon you will become truly the most powerful general in all the lands.“

“You know that guy is shady and just using you right?“ I pointed out but the General ignored me.

Garthus boared the sigma weapon “No Landradelta offers me power so he is good!“ He said and flew away in the machine to plan his final invasion.

Back at the desert base I talked to Millia and Tanchad “Who the fuck are these masked robe guys who keep messing with dark powers? You better start explaining because I am getting pissed off!“ I shouted.

Millia sat down taking out a grimoire of lost history “They are the Aeonians a council of immortals that have caused horrfic events to happen in the worlds we call the shards, your Earth is one of these shards along with Parabus and more. They manpulate villains and those with a desire to power to help them cause apocalypse chain events for their evil god.“

Everything fell into place, the robo empire, Eron Monks company, the Satanic cult that birthed my evil self THE AEONIANS WHERE BEHIND IT ALL PUPPET MASTERING THE DAMN THING OVER ALL THESE YEARS!

Operation SIGMA DOWN!

Millia gathered the leaders of the three nations as we began our plan to fight back “As you can understand Garthus has threatened to use the Sigma weapons nuclear flare beam to wipe us off the map but I believe if we join him we can make a lot of money.“ Said Lord Lodito

The rich Lolofall which was a small race all nodded and agreed so I picked Lord Lodito up and punched him out a window and he died “If anyone thinks of defecting to the empire I will tear your limbs off one by one!“ I threatened and they all gulped getting in line.

All the leaders agreed signing a new treaty to restore the alliance as we gathered our troops and airships to raid the Castdirudum where Garthus was planning to activate the Sigma weapon and enslave the world under the empire.

We paradropped into the base fighting an army of magitech walkers and magigolem mechs which went down easily with my blade.

“Kill the savages!“ Said a legate and I blasted him.

I went into super demi human level 3 firing off a beam of Quad Omega which killed thousands of imperial soldiers easily “Storm the gates!“ I ordered as the scions and allies charged forward breaking through the techno interior of the base.

I went inside checking the computers when Garthus was behind me with his own gunblade “Tell me Xenos Hellslayer warrior of justice, for why do you fight? Is it for false gods? For all the villains that crossed you? Why must we be foes? Together we can destory the idols and greedy villains to bring an age of order under the empire!“ He gave a speech.

I drew my gunblade IRON JUSTICE taunting him “I would never betray the scions to join the empire, besides nothing good has come out of countries called empires.“ I logiced at him.

“Silence!“ He said as we where moving on a cargo elivator and he attacked our party as we crossed gunblades.

But I went into my Crystal super form and slashed at him as he went flying through the control panal “such power...“

He tried to go super as his armor turned gold but I just kneed him in the stomach as he fell over in pain holding his knee “Ahhhh!“ He moaned like a bitch.

A dark cloud appeared over the Sigma weapon and it was that bastard Landradelta “You where weak Garthus what a pity it seems I shall need to activate the weapon myself and bring the 7th apocalypse chain, very well.“ He said teleporting into the cockpit as the weapon activated.

The entire facility exploded into fire and hell as the machine activating spraying fire, magic, missle rockets, death and spikes “THIS IS CHAOS I NEED ROOM TO GET CLOSE TO ATTACK!“ I shouted out so Leena the cat demi human of the scions used her magic to sheild me.

“You have a window, take the shot Xenos warrior of justice!“ She cried out AND I DID!

I WENT INTO MY FINAL HAZARD FORM glowing red fury and gold AS LIVE AND LEARN FATE MIX PLAYED.

“What bullshit is this? I bet my wife never had to put up with this crap!“ Landradelta cursed opening fire with everything as I dodged easily then got close summoning THE FINAL FURY DAI KATANA then USING LIMIT BREAKER X7 FINAL CROSS!

I slashed in circles, sliced then used the up down slam as the impacts from each slash caused a sonic boom that shook the planet.

Then to finish off the Sigma weapon I summoned twenty million golden mana spears bombarding the machine as it was consumed in the fury.

We stood in the burning wreak everything around us on fire as Landradelta teleported out of the junked machine with tranquil fury behind the mask “The Aeonians will never be defeated, our goal is a rightous one and this night I shall spill your blood for delaying our plans!“ He pointed his clawed gauntlet at me.

The Aeonian fired balls of darkness at me which I dodged “I bring down the fury of creation upon you PERISH!“ He cursed summoning the rains of void which burned me as they came down upon me so I forced all my ki and mana into a barrier as the cursed rain sprayed into it like mini gun bullets.

I focused switching over to my holy super form as I fired the barrier then cast a blastwave of pure light “LUMINARE!“ I shouted as the light consumed Landradelta.

“Aggggggg!“ He screamed consumed by the light.

After stopping the threat we sent back to the desert captial to have a grand feast with all our friends which became a fond memory of mine but as I ate my chicken dinner and wine I couldn't help but think that the empire was still a threat as I looked out the balony that night from the palace towards the moonlight “I will take the emperor down myself along with the Aeonians.“ I swore.

The church and the light

I had spent around three years in Eorzeio and did tons of training between adventures to get even stronger thats when we had a new quest to go to the holy kingdom of Ishmon which was lead by some kind of pope and I hated popes because of my experences with Ivan Baconman years ago who posed as one to get the human race to kill themselves.

“We need to be diplomatic, I hate the church too but lets keep out of trouble alright?“ Leena smiled and we took the airship to Ishmon which was filled with snow and ice.

After we landed we where ordered to visit the holy see which was a golden crystal church which sickened me because anyone outside of the nobility was poor but the religions had the money to build all this such hypocracy “Ahhh you came, welcome I am pope Leviticus welcome, you are welcome in our great city...so long as you are not the gays...“ He whispered under his breath and I wanted to punch his ugly face but Leena hushed me and held my arm.

“We are here to investgate Aeonian activity your grace.“ Leena said calmly.

That was when an Aeonian in white with a gold mask floated behind him “It is true we made a deal with the Aeonians to make our nation prosperous, they mean no harm their intentions here are good.“

The white Aeonian floated towards me “I am Elidon leader of the Aeonians, we shall see more of each other soon.“ He said in an emotionless voice that lacked emotion.

I met some knights who went on a quest with me the iceila ruins to the north where I found the lost swords JUSTICE, HOLY AND FREEDOM “These are legendary weapons.“ Said the knight commander and I made them float around me as they fused into the TRI-TETSU my new sword which had to the power to kill not just demons but also angels.

After we returned to Ishmon we suddenly got arrested “You have commited heresy, by order of the pope you will be burned at the stake!“ Said the inquisators of the church.

I powered up and killed them with the Tri-Tetsu “I better go rescue the others before the church has them killed!“ I said and rushed to the holy see.

Arriving at the church I killed every knight and inquisator that got in my way “WHERE ARE FRIENDS?!“ I screamed in fury because if those BASTARDS LAID A HAND ON THEM THEN THEY ARE DEAD!

I freed Millia and Tanchad from their cells “They are taking the airship to the floating ruins, hurry!“ Tanchad said

Rushing to the airship dock I saw Leena there “Xenos you came, I knew you loved me and...“ Before she finished Pope Leviticus stabbed her through the chest and walked away to his airship.

“She was Bi sexual and you know the holy sees stance on that kind of behavior.“ He grinned flying away on the church airship as I held Leena in my arms angry that I had to bury her.

I shed a tear looking at her “Xenos the last three years have been the best of my life.“ She smiled kissing me then closed her eyes as she passed on.

“THE ONE WHO DID THIS WILL PAY DEARLY, BECAUSE I LOVED HER?“ I cried so loud that it would shake the heavens and the stained glass church windows smashed as white feathers fell from above.

MY ONE MAN WAR AGAINST THE HOLY SEE

I put my knight jacket on grabbing my blades and steam assault guns “I'm going to the floating ruins, nobody is stopping me!“ I said.

“Xenos its suicide the church has their entire army there plus theres hoards of robots from the lost era guarding the place.“ Millia warned me.

I didn't care as I put my sword on my back “I am going to WIPE OUT THEIR ENTIRE RELIGION!“ I said getting on my personal airship as I went to war.

I smashed the airship into the floating ruins cutting down hoards of old robots and inquisators “My blood rage makes me ferial beware of that monster I become!“ I told them as I stabbed and slashed at endless rows of knights in my way

A high preist tried to fight me as he pointed a bible in my face “Wicked devil child God hates you and you will go to the pit of eternal lava!“ He threatened while shaking because he was shit scared of me so I grabbed the bible off him and started smashing his face with it over and over until nothing was left of his skull.

After killing over 6000 robots I made it to the central lab of the ruins which once belonged to the Algomist civilization “So you have come, I shall have to exterminate the heretic myself.“ swore Pope Leviticus as him and his royal knights merged with the holy emeralds becoming angelic grand knights of the order.

They tried to attack me summoning pillars of light and circles of runes which I dodged going into my Lunar super form.

“When I am done here I shall use the power of the holy emeralds to make the minds of every being religious.“ The pope said.

I charged up a ray of void smashing into the pillar of light as our beams clashed “You can't force people to have faith, you're nothing more than another wannabie dictator using religion to control stupid people!“ I screamed at him putting all my force into the attack as the beam consumed him and his knights.

He screamed as he was destoryed and the Holy Emeralds fell to the ground so I collected them.

Elidon came out of a dark cloud floating in midair along with Landradelta “We have other plans but we will need to do away with you first!“ Landradelta said opening a portal into the void as I was pulled in.

My escape from the void

I was in the darkness of the void as I flew through it killing light eaters and other evil creatures that resided there. After a few days I found a weak point using my holy super form to crack it going through as I fell through the void landing back on Earth.

Been a while since I was last at Earth but in a way it was kind of nice to be back.

WARZONE AI

Brisket phoned me up and said someone kind of fucked up computer program was stealing the artworks he put on the internet “I'll find out who is doing this DELIMB THEM!“ I swore

It turned out this was happening everyone was new generative AI programs where mass stealing art and making shitty knock off bootlegs “Welcome to sludge channel you will enjoy the sludge forever“ said a tv and the shows where crap and made by crappy ai.

Every tv channel was showing these things “WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT? ITS BAD!“ I said and went to the hq of openair AI the company building these machines.

“WHO ARE YOU TO COME IN?!“ Shouted a receptionist but I just killed him and went upstairs where the boss SAM ALDMAN was waiting for me.

“so you have come to kill me like you did robotberg but I will not go down easily my company loves me and i will bend this world to the new order“ sam aldman laughed snapping his finger as holograms came on and 3D printers began to generate a person.

“SLUDGE GPT SHALL CREATE A FORCE TO END YOU FOR GOOD PEST!“ Sam aldman said as a fucked up clone of me with 15 fingers and weird fuckings was there.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS UGLY ASSHOLE ALL ABOUT?!“ i pointed.

The vile looking copy took out a mangled blade “THIS IS MY NEW AI GENERATED XENOS HELLSLAYER COPY!“ sam laughed ordering it to attack me but I killed it in one hit because it was such a shit version of me.

“I put the work in to get this strong thats why your copy failed.“ I told him as I went super and blew him out a window with a Rezaku blast.

Three men in suits came in lead by a sweaty plastic looking guy “So Sam Aldman has failed us but I Peter Theel shall be your down fall!“ he said in a nervous fucking voice.

“I am getting fucked off with stupid CEOs trying to take me out now.“ I sighed.

Peter Theel summoned 100 AI generated Xenos clones to surround me “You see Xenos the world needs the technocratic council! The stupid moronic lower classes need smart billionaires to run there stupid animal lives for them, we will get rid of governments so we can rule over them like kings and AI will be our weapon.“ he said as the clones attacked.

I used ninja magic to cut them all apart like paper “The other CEOs at least put up a better fight than you idiot!“ I said and he was scared shitless.

“No AI was meant to do everything this can not be!“ He said AS I WENT INTO MY PSYCHO FORM AND DID UNSPEAKABLE TORTURE TO HIM BEFORE DESTORYING HIM FOR GOOD.

With that done I flew into the sky and used a Ki blast to destory the OpenAir AI building ending AI art forever.

[jubilines]

digimon adventure 02 // episode 14 redraw

[mefiman]

Hamato Family’s First Visit to the Hidden City

Story request by @rottmntrulesall. Hope you enjoy the story, bud! ^^

"C'mon, everyone! Hurry up!" Michelangelo's impatience was obvious in his excitement. He and his siblings were finally going to show their dad's relatives for the first time to the Hidden City for two reasons; one: to view the many wonders of the other world and two: to have a formal, proper meeting with Draxum's parents. The latter part had instilled some unease into the Hamato siblings, especially Saki who was wary about stepping foot into a mysterious world and was about to see for himself the father and mother of the "monster" who altered his younger brother many years ago.

"Are you sure this place is safe?" Hamato Kenji asked. Raphael glanced at his uncle, understanding his uncle's concerns. "We've been there a lot, Uncle Kenji! We did encounter a few dangers there before but other than that, the people there don't usually attack humans unless provoked." Raph assured his uncle.

"There are a lot of places to visit like the many resorts and spas if you want to have a massage and ooh, Señor Hueso's Run of the Mill Pizza where they make one of the best pizzas! I know the manager of that place, we're amigos~" Leonardo took the chance to quip in.

"I can't wait to see Grandpa Mons again! Wait till you guys meet him yourselves, he's the nicest, sweetest grandpa you'll ever meet! He's still as strong as he's gentle!" Mikey said happily.

"I wonder if Grandma Chemia has some wicked new inventions to show me!" Donatello exclaimed.

"This would be my first time seeing my grandparents, Arachne..." Ariadne whispered to her best friend, Arachne.

"You've never seen them before?" Her friend asked.

"Once when I was a baby... I haven't seen them for years." The yokai femme told Arachne.

"Alright, kids, you've shown us all that you're excited to bring us to visit the Hidden City, Mikey, can you open the portal now?" Splinter asked.

"Sure, Dad!" Mikey got to work quickly.

Draxum felt a tinge of anxiety inside himself. He could not recall the last time he visited his creators ever since he moved out of home to pursue his alchemy researching, away from his parents' constant arguments, half of which is about their preferred methods of raising him. It was a surprise how those two still manage to live under the same roof despite their obvious clashing personalities. He guessed that they tolerated each other just for his sake. His parents had never produced any more offspring after him and one of Arachne’s parents...

"Hey, are you okay, Dad?" A female voice asked him. Draxum jolted from his pondering to find that his daughter, Poison Ivy asking him out of concern. He just gave a small smile as he ran his clawed hands over her helmet. "Am fine, just thinking about your grandparents." He assured her. He marveled how Ivy much had grown from the last time he scientifically created her with his and Lou Jitsu's DNAs; she being so tiny as a developed newborn infant growing in a liquid chamber to a young lady around the boys' ages. From what he knew later on, Splinter raised her along with the Turtles. Ivy had lived her life at first as a normal human teenager until her yokai genes started appearing. The initial discovery of her origins did shake her world but over time, she had learnt to accept and use them to assist her brothers in their adventures. She was intelligent like Draxum and his mother with his father's gentle, mature nature as well as Splinter/Lou's sassiness. She loved to study on botany and coincidently, her powers involved using vines and summoning plant like monsters at will. She recently revealed her sexuality preference as a lesbian and had a girlfriend who is a fellow classmate and witch trainee/apprentice in disguise. Both her creators and siblings were happy for her. As of now, she was cradling her younger sister, Venus de Milo was giggling and squealing as April, Ariadne and Arachne cooed and tickled her belly.

The group watched Mikey draw a symbol on the wall at an alley. Once the symbol was drawn, an open portal revealed. The Hamato siblings' mouths went ajar, not believing what they just saw. "if you think that's mind blowing, you haven't seen nothing yet!" Mikey grinned. His three other brothers and the three girls each took hold of one of their Hamato uncles and aunts's hands. The moment they all jumped into that portal, they found themselves staring at a massive part of a what seemed to be a huge city. The sky above was unlike Earth's skies; instead it was orange with some brown. The architecture of the buildings there were monster shaped with some tall, castle like structures far away from the city. There were a lot of people of all shapes, sizes, colors and appearances walking, running, passing by each other, buying their needs or doing their usual business trades. The Turtle family allowed their Hamato relatives to take in their first view around them. Saki's eyes were bulging out of his sockets, he could not believe for his life what he was seeing. Anthropomorphic, mostly consisting of animal, everyday objects, monstrous and supernatural like individuals roamed every part of the streets around him, he felt as if he was having a strange dream that defied logic! Nori on the other hand, looked right and left, taking in interesting sights that captured her attention. Underneath a calm façade, Kenji was freaking out internally at the new, foreign view. Hiroki was squealing in delight similar to a child had just discovered a world made of toys and sweets. Her twin, Hikari was a bit calmer than his sister, feeling a thrill of danger running through his veins. Last but not least, the youngest Hamato sibling, Mei's stance looked poker face yet she looked around to see if there were any Gothic like people that she can interact with. The Turtles and the girls grinned, seeing the reactions of the others.

"What do you think? Surreal, huh?" They ask.

"Amazing.."

"Fascinating..."

"I can't believe what I'm seeing..."

"Someone please tell me that I'm dreaming..." Saki mumbled, still not believing.

"No, you're not," Draxum replied, going straight to the point with an indifferent expression. "May we please hurry to my parents' house, I bet they're waiting for our arrival..."

"Oh yeah!" Mikey clapped both his hands once. "Lead the way, Draxy!"

Draxum sighed as he took the lead of the group. Along the way, there were a few whispers around and behind Draxum coming from the city people but Splinter and Ivy took hold of both his hands and gave a comforting, assuring squeeze, making him feel better. Ariadne gave her uncle a comforting hand on to his shoulder. They were soon out of the main city square to a further distance into the woods. They had to climb up a hill for a while until they reached a big mansion residing there.

"We are here at last. My childhood home..." Draxum said, looking at the grassy, serene valley below, reminiscing the times where he as a little one ran galloping around the field, cartwheeling with glee among the flowers and his sire teaching him the basics on how to defend himself the predator way. Both father and son spend their days in the early years, sparring with each other...

"Draxum, my son!" The former alchemist warrior villain snapped out of his memories to find himself being engulfed into the arms of none other than his dear, loving old father, Monsrage who brought his only son into a crushing bear hug which knocked the wind out of his lungs. "How have you been, my little baby boy? It's rare that you visit us but it's so wonderful to see you bring your family along! How delightful!" the older yokai gushed, his bushy tail wagging with unlimited enthusiasm like an excited puppy. Monsrage was rather huge and muscular with perked up, pointy ears, silky straight black hair unchanged through time and a fairly long beard to match. Like Draxum before, he wore a battle mask. He had a significant dark upperlip. His body had different shades of blue just like his son, Draxum when he was armored. Monsrage's eyes were the same like Draxum's. His feet in particular, was a noticeable difference. Unlike his wife and son, his feet were shaped like a lion's paws, fitting for him coming from a predator species.

"Father, it's great to see you... but can you please let go now? I can't breathe..." Draxum choked out, being smothered by his sire's busty chest. Monsrage immediately loosened his grip, apologizing profusely while checking to see if he had accidently broken any of his son's bones. Draxum shook his head, smiling a little. His sire had never changed all these years, still a concerned worrywart. And he bet his mother had not either...

Chemia on the other hand, was greeting the rest of the visitors with feverish energy. She was a redhead with shades of pink for her skin colour and her ears, long and drooped. Her eyes had a little twinkle in them, a part of her eccentric personality and plump, red lips. Like her husband, she wore a mask. Donnie, April, Arachne and Ivy were given a whirlwind hug the moment they came in front of her. Monsrage went back to the mansion with his son to give the new visitors, the Hamatos, April, and Arachne a warm greeting as well as welcome his beloved grandchildren with his signature bear hug and proceed to pepper their faces with smooches which they were delighted to have especially Mikey, Ariadne, Ivy and Venus. Monsrage and Chemia ushered them all into their humble abode. The Hamatos were initially skeptical about meeting Draxum's family but they were soon warmed up to them. Later on, the mansion was filled with guffaws of laughter as Monsrage showed them all baby pictures of his son which embarrased the poor warrior scientist. Donnie, April and Ivy were treated to Grandma Chemia's latest creations. Monsrage himself had a blast, playing with Venus and sparring with the Turtles and the girls. Arachne was delighted to meet her grandparents as a young adolescent, telling them about her achievements, adventures and that her own parents are doing well. The Hamatos became comfortable talking with Draxum's parents over some snack delicacies. Overall, everyone had a wonderful time at the Hidden City.

I had fun writing this! Was tiring but oh so worth it.

The Hamato siblings (minus Lou/Splinter) and Venus de Milo belong to @rottmntrulesall while Ariadne and Arachne are the OCs of @mikeykawaii/@mikey-ho. Monsrage, Chemia and Poison Ivy along with the mention of the witch girlfriend belong to me, @mefiman. I hope you don’t mind me incorporating your girls into this story, @mikeykawaii but I’ve been dying to add them in, especially Ari meeting her grandparents! ^^ 

[ashxketchum]

For the handholding prompts! Taiora + 37? :3 Have a lovely day

Hello! Sorry for such a long wait, at first I was really confused by what I should write for Taiora with this prompt, and by the time I got around to outlining the scene, life happened 😔

But finally today I was able to sit down and get this out of my brain! This is set right after the battle with Ordinemon in Tri Part 6 and is mostly canon compliant. I hope you enjoy it, thank you for requesting 🧡

37. not realizing they’re holding hands till someone points it out

Taichi’s gut kept telling him that he was missing something, but he brushed it away. What could he be possibly missing when he was sitting with a wall of comfort surrounding him? That’s why even as the thought continued to gnaw at him, he refused to open his eyes and acknowledge the problem, it could be dealt with later, when his nap would be over and he would wake up feeling well rested and refreshed. For now he wanted to bask in the feeling of floating in sunshine, with every aching muscle in his body being cured of it’s pain, every tired fibre in his body being refuelled with energy. He wouldn’t dare open his eyes right now, not when he could hide under this umbrella of comfort for a little while longer, because who knew if it would still be there to shelter him from the stinging raindrops of reality when he woke, or if it would leave him drenched and broken, as it had once before.

NEXT STATION-

The words rang in his ears like a blaring alarm and suddenly Taichi was very much aware of where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. His eyes jolted open and he made to get up, when a familiar weight on his shoulder made him halt as realisation dawned fully upon him, of course the warmth had belonged to Sora who still slept quietly with her whole body leaning on him and her head resting on his shoulder, just like two puzzle pieces perfectly aligned.

The announcement echoed again throughout the train compartment and Taichi broke out of his daze, deciding that now was not the time to marvel over these little things, he quickly stood up. When he did so, Sora woke with a start, her eyes fluttering open in slow motion, but as they didn’t really have time for her to be fully awake, Taichi grabbed her hand in his and pulled her onto her feet, dragging her behind him as he rushed to get out of the train just as the doors slid shut.

He turned to face Sora and ask her if she was feeling okay but saw that her eyes were still drooping low and she held on to his grasp on her hand tightly for support as her feet wobbled out of balance. Taichi couldn’t really blame her, in fact he was relieved that he wasn’t the only one who felt like they had been made to run a marathon for 1000 years without a break. The visits to Digital World, the adventure and the battles had always been exhausting, but today their strength had been put to test in a way that none of them had ever expected to encounter, and the price of overcoming it all was pure exhaustion, both mentally and physically.

So Taichi kept quiet and gently pulled Sora along with himself across the mostly empty platform, glad that he had been the one to volunteer to take her home as he was so familiar with the route that he could probably reach there even with his eyes closed. He also didn’t mind the silence that had settled between them as they walked slowly but steadily, as Taichi wasn’t sure if he had anything left to say to anyone after the lengthy interrogation him and his friends had been subjected to by the authorities right after Ordinemon had been defeated, without so much as a moment spared for them to deal with the loss of their Digimon friend.

Even though Taichi’s session had lasted the longest as he was the only one to witness Nishijima’s demise he still felt that Sora had been subjected to a more difficult task, which was consoling not just Meiko, but also Hikari and Mimi as they had sat in the room waiting to be called in for questioning. As always, she had given every bit of her energy into taking care of others rather than herself, so Taichi attempted to make things easier for her the only way he knew how to, by keeping quiet and giving her the space to deal with everything at her own pace.

It was when they reached her home and rang the bell that Sora finally looked like she was awake, right on time Taichi thought, as at least he’d be able to tell her to take care of herself and have her actually retain those words in her head. So he turned slightly, hoping to bid her goodbye before her mother opened the door, but as tired as he was, he missed his chance to make a quick escape. The door swung open before he could open his mouth and a bright light was cast upon them and the dimly lit hallway.

Mrs. Takenouchi stood behind the door, looking like she had rushed to the door in a hurry that was uncommon for her, her face an odd mixture of relief and concern as she studied her daughter. Then her eyes travelled down and she raised them in mild surprise, another thing which was unusual for the stern Mrs. Takenouchi, so both Taichi and Sora followed her astonished gaze and experienced a rude awakening themselves as they saw that their hands were still tightly clasped around each other’s. They quickly pulled their hands away and shifted a few steps away from each other to put some distance between them.

Taichi was amazed by how despite of being so tired, his body could still find the energy to turn his face into a heated mess, and smoke coming out of his ears now wouldn't come as a shock to anyone.

“Good evening, Mrs. Takenouchi.” He mumbled awkwardly to fill the silence and draw attention away from the fact that he had been unknowingly holding onto Sora’s hand for who knows how long now. He could only hope that Sora too knew that it had been unintentional, and that he hadn’t meant to overstep his boundaries.

“Good evening, Taichi. I am relieved to see that you’re both okay, though you do look like you need a few days worth of rest.” She smiled softly at the two teens, turning to face her daughter with an affectionate gaze, she added, “Sora, welcome back.”

“I’m home.” Sora replied almost automatically, and satisfied with the response Mrs. Takenouchi passed a peculiar look to her daughter before she headed back inside, leaving the two of them alone to say their goodbyes.

Sora took this chance to move inside her house, now taking Mrs. Takenouchi’s place in the doorway, finally facing Taichi with her eyes wide open, though they were still filled with reflections of what had transpired in the past few days.

Taichi remembered that he had been meaning to tell her to take care of herself before her mother had arrived at the door, but when he looked at Sora now, with her figure illuminated by the white light coming from inside her house, her vermillion eyes shining with tears that were being kept at bay with every bit of remaining energy in her body, he lost the words he had so carefully selected a few moments ago. He wished instead that telling her how much he cared for her and her wellbeing could be as easy as taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. He knew he had to say something however, because not only had the silence between them become suddenly deafening, but also because he couldn’t possibly leave without a word of appreciation or gratefulness for all that she had done for Hikari and the rest of them today.

“Don’t forget to eat dinner,” He joked, hoping to lighten the mood enough to easily slip the words he wanted to say out of his mouth, but his half-grin seemed to light something in Sora as one lonely tear slipped down her cheek slowly despite her strained efforts to keep it from happening.

“Don’t ever disappear like that again, Taichi.” Her voice trembled as she spoke and Taichi felt a pang in his chest at her tone, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come back. You can’t leave me behind just like that!”

“I’m sorry.” Taichi muttered quietly, that was all that he could manage to say out loud.

In reality he wanted to remind her that there were other people in her life who would easily be able to fill the gap he would leave, that it was not fair for her to stand there and tell him this, knowing well enough who he had meant to save in that moment. But he held his tongue, it had been a long few days for both of them and now was not the time to turn regrets of the past into bitter remarks that he may never be able to go back from.

“Please. Promise me, you will never do that again.” Her pleading voice was just above a whisper and it was a miracle that it even reached his ears.

“I will, if you promise something in return too.” Taichi replied in a determined tone, his hands balling up into fists on their own as he fixed her with an intense gaze. Sora looked at him with doubt at first, but eventually nodded at his words tiredly, “You have to promise to start putting yourself first from now on, no matter what.”

“That’s a difficult promise to make.”

“So is what you’re asking of me.” Taichi refused to back down.

“I’m asking you to take care of yourself, that isn’t too hard.”

“Likewise.”

And silence settled between them once again as Sora glared up at him and Taichi returned the favour with equal vigour. He had no idea how either of them still had the energy to keep this up, but even if it meant sacrificing being closer to his bed for a little while longer, he would gladly do so to get Sora to treat herself better. If he had learned anything from what they had all been through in the past few days, it was that change should always be embraced, for better or for worse. He didn’t know just how much Sora could change her ways or how it would affect her presence in all of the Digidestined’s lives, but he knew that if she didn’t start now then she wouldn’t start ever and he was tired of seeing her be the victim of her own labours of love.

“Okay.” She sighed in defeat, as her glare turned into an exhausted and disgruntled stare, “Okay, I promise to put myself first from now on, no matter what.”

“And I promise to take care of myself and not jump headfirst into danger without a second thought.” Taichi chimed after her, a smile spreading across his face as he realised that he’d actually gotten Sora to bend to his demands.

There was a first time for everything, he thought to himself, and secretly hoped that this wouldn’t be the last of it either.

[digitalworldbound]

day five: alternate universe

a studio ghibli au where hikari is an only child and her mother has passed. luckily, the neighborhood boys offer to help find her.

The floorboards creaked under her socked feet, soot covering the once pristine cotton. Hikari didn’t care if her clothes got dirty, but she didn’t want to give her father another reason to fret over her.

Cardboard boxes littered the hallway. Despite moving in a week prior, neither her or her father had the motivation or strength to pry open memories. Instead, Hikari stacked the boxes in a makeshift castle. One day, she hoped that their Queen would find her way home.

But she had been there to see her mother’s coffin lower in the ground; she had held her father as he wept.

A bookbag hung mockingly in the kitchen. The first day of school, once the happiest day of Hikari’s life, now served as a reminder of yet another first her mother would miss. Her father slouched over the stove. Hikari couldn’t help but to feel responsible for the bags under his eyes. In between finalizing the funeral arrangements and moving across the country, he had little energy to spare for Hikari, much less himself.

A whiff of burnt eggs did little to calm her anxieties, but she stomached her breakfast like a dutiful daughter.

“See you later, dad.”

He gave a half-hearted wave as Hikari slipped out of the front door. For a moment, she considered staying home for another day. She could unpack her room and make sure that her father ate a decent lunch, but her silent wishes disappeared as a herd of boys clamoured down the dirt road. Their feet pounded the ground, a race in progress. Six bookbags struggled to maintain their grasps on little shoulders as the group ran down the road.

A raven-haired boy took the lead, navigating the rocks and potholes with a practiced ease.

From the end of her driveway, Hikari watched him draw nearer. Too focused on his impending victory, the boy failed to notice her as he stopped beside her.

“See, ‘Keru? I told you I could win!”

A head of sweaty, blond hair followed close behind. Once he caught his breath, he pushed his friend’s side. The victor erupted into giggles as he continued to antagonize his friend.

With a huff, the blond crossed his arms. His cheeks were still rosy from the wind, blue eyes bright with mirth. “That’s not fair, Ken! You got a head start!”

Before Ken was able to muster up a response, a second redhead stepped forward.

“Who are you?” An accusing finger hung in front of Hikari’s face. Six pairs of eyes, colored in surprised, focused on her. A flush crawled up her neck, her breath caught in her throat.

Her mother had taught her about the importance of a first impression, but any confidence Hikari had dissipated into the morning air. Her fingers had gone numb, palms clammy. A toe dug into the dirt, her eyes focusing on the path to school. They looked at her expectantly, eyes narrowed. Silence crackled like static, interrupted by impatience.

“She’s weird. Let’s go, Daisuke.” Ken pulled his mirror image along with him, scurrying away like frightened animals.

The others didn’t bother to stick around, chasing each other the rest of the way to school.

Hikari waited for their dust trail to settle before walking down the path. Anxiety welled into her stomach; her mother would be disappointed in her. A gentle gust of wind ruffled her bangs in reassurance.

Her feet carried her onward, further away from the comforts of her new house. The school building emerged from the meadow, a field of flowers surrounding it on either side. It reminded Hikari of the story books her father used to read to her before bedtime, back when his smile reached his eyes and her mother was there .

Throngs of children gathered like dandelion seeds on a breeze, rosy cheeks and kind smiles adorning most faces. The strange group of boys stood off to one side. Huddled in a circle, their eyes trailed her suspiciously as Hikari made her way into the building.

Her little hands clutched the straps of her bookbag, as if pulling it closer to her body would quench her worries.

Living amongst rice farmers and livestock had been her father’s choice. Hikari’s mother had been raised in the countryside, escaping into the city for her first taste of freedom. It was strange to think that her mother, headstrong and accomplished, had sat in this same room; studied at these same desks.

The room was large, accommodating for all of the children in the village. With the older kids staking their claim in the back, Hikari rushed to the last empty space.

A pair of large blue eyes gazed at her, fear puckering at their eyebrow. It was the blond boy from earlier, his cheeks still flushed from his loss. Hikari squirmed under his gaze.

His fear must have dissipated quickly. It was the only explanation Hikari had for the fingers that poked into her side between lessons.

“Psst. Psst, girl.”

Her pencil continued to scratch at her paper, dodging dirty looks from the other students. His fingers continued to dig into her sensitive side. Thin lips pursed as Hikari swallowed down the giggle that bubbled in her throat. It would be disrespectful to laugh while her teacher was talking, and she figured that disappointing her mother once already was enough.

Still, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but to tilt upwards. Chocolate eyes danced around his cerulean ones, and his fingers stilled.

“My name’s Takeru. What’s yours?” Whispering came naturally to some while a sense of quiet evaded others. Hikari assumed that Takeru was a part of the latter, his voice bouncing off the walls.

Some luck must have been on her side. Their teacher had been distracted with the younger students, too encaptured in their homesick tears to hear the blond’s outburst.

“You need to be quiet or we’ll get in trouble,” she chastised. A crestfallen shadow danced across his features before the light returned to his eyes.

“But you never answered my question.” Takeru’s voice was more hushed than before - he was trying. A toothy grin was plastered on his cheeks, his eyes aglow with childish anticipation.

She slipped her given name through her teeth, turning her full attention towards the chalkboard.

Later, the late summer sun kissed her cheeks as school children began their trek home. Takeru rushed out behind her, looking more like a mother duck with five boys in tow than an elementary student.

“So, Hikari, since when did you live here?” Glasses glinting in the sunlight, it was difficult to see what the dark-haired boy was thinking. Several paces ahead, Hikari wracked her brain for his name. As soon as school ended, Takeru had wasted no time in introducing her to everyone. Their names swam around in her head, none of them sticking.

“My father and I moved here a few weeks ago.” She didn’t turn to them, nor did she offer any other explanation.

One of the boys scoffed. “Why’d you have to move here?” It must have been Ken, the one with angry eyebrows. Hikari stopped, turning to face him. “Well, it’s not like I had a choice. My dad just wanted a change of scenery ever since my mom went away.”

Iori’s sugary smile wilted, looking up towards the tallest of their group. “That’s sad. Right, Koushiro?”

He nodded while the others let silence wash over them. Pebbles crunched underneath them as they continued on. Wind whistled through the treetops, a babbling brook accompanying the group on their journey. Crickets chimed in harmony, the background music to a most auspicious moment.

“I know!” Takeru propelled himself beside her, arms flailing in excitement. “We can help you find your Mama!” Grabbing her wrist, he broke into a sprint. The air was warm as it ran through her short hair.

He guided them to the edge of woods. Trees stretched to the sky, their arms caressing the clouds. Hikari pulled herself out of Takeru’s grasp as the group followed him further into the forest. “Wait! Where are you going?”

Hikari could see her house just over the hill, her stomach twisting at the thought of going back to her boxed up home. The boys disappeared into the underbrush, their twinkling laughter chasing after them. Impulsively, she started after them, branches scratching at her cheeks. A stray root caught Hikari’s ankle. A pair of spindly arms caught her, Daisuke’s disgruntled expression greeting her.

“You should be more careful. I don’t want cooties.” He stuck his tongue out, weaving through the trees. It seemed as if the dust bunnies from her house had followed her here, dancing around the feet of her young companions. Cheerfully, the soot sprites lead them deeper.

The trees gave way to a clearing. Lush, green grass was bordered by wildflowers, the occasional bumble bee flitting around.

“This is exactly where a Momma would wait for her baby!” Takeru declared, a triumphant grin spread across his cheeks as if he had already won. The others seemed to agree, their chatter flowing freely amidst the tree trunks.

Boisterous plants sprouted at the meadow’s edge.With leaves as big as Iori himself, he found it no trouble to crawl underneath them. Using the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his glasses, Jou peered over the tops of the bushes. “Is she under there, Iori?”

Poking his head out from between the leaves, Iori shook his head. “It’s too dark under here for a grown lady,” he paused for a moment, brown eyes glistening, “And it’s too dark for six-year-old boys.” His voice wavered, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. In an attempt to avoid the inevitable, Jou tugged Iori out of the brush.

Little soot sprites tangled themselves in his hair, chittering at the commotion. “C’mon, you know it’s rude to ask for a free ride.” Not even enchanted dust bunnies could argue with Jou’s logic. They cascaded down to the ground, tittering as their host swatted at his hair.

Daisuke couldn’t help but to laugh from the treeline, legs dangling off Koushiro’s shoulers. Being the tallest in the group came with a price, one that he happily paid anytime his friends needed him.

From this new vantage point, Daisuke scanned the branches for something. “Hey, Hikari!”

Koushiro’s grip tightened on his knees as the pair turned towards her.

Alone, in the middle of the lush grass, she looked like a fairy. If fairies wore ill-fitting Pokemon theme shirts, that is. She turned towards them, a question dancing in her eyes.

“Does your mom like climbing trees? Maybe she got stuck!” Daisuke almost gave himself a pat on the back; he was so smart!

With the leaves ruffling his cheeks, Daisuke’s attention was easily diverted. He signaled for Koushiro to take him deeper into the woods, much to Hikari’s relief. She didn’t have the heart to say it out loud.

Not too far from her, Ken sat amongst the wild blackberry bushes. His cheeks were swollen with fruit, lips stained purple. Hikari plopped herself down beside him. With his mouth full, he was less likely to ask questions she didn’t want to answer.

Ken’s attempt at speaking was obscured by the berries, a few stray escaping past his lips. Hikari couldn’t stop her laughter, a relief from the turmoil that bubbled in her stomach. Picking a few fresh from the vine, Ken offered his sticky palm, blackberries glistening on top.

“Thank you,” she said, tossing a few in her mouth. Takeru plopped himself between the two, taking two of Ken’s berries for his own. “Wow, these are good!”

True to his boisterous nature, Takeru’s voice reverberated through the meadow. Four curious heads turned before they, too, joined the impromptu picnic.

“Hikari, do you ever think you’ll find your momma?”

She wasn’t sure who asked the question. Cicadas carried on their twilight lullaby as the sun kissed the horizon in passing.

Fireflies began to twinkle at the treeline. Hikari looked up into six pairs of softened eyes. Though their curiosity rolled off of them like waves, none of them said anything else.

The grass was soft underneath her, the breeze caressing her cheek. “I’m sure I will, someday. But, for now, at least you guys keep me company.”

[spiderben2011]

Closed RP w/multi-muse-transect

“I don’t know how I ended up here...but I better find my way home soon before I get in trouble,” Hikari had no idea what happened before she woke up in this strange new world.

One thing is for sure. She isn’t home. She found herself in a strange new world, which she is not familiar with. This place was completely new to her, despite some areas looking familiar.

She could also sense the level of spiritual energy here was much higher than back home. She’s just glad that she hasn’t encountered a Hollow or an army of them. With the amount of spiritual energy here, the Hollows would be coming in for a snack. So, she better stay on her guard.

Its likely that people will be able to see her, so she better try blending in. Being the only one wearing a black kimono with a sword will likely draw some attention towards her.

multi-muse-transect

[hana-bean]

Close to you (2/7)

Yay chapter 2! Please enjoy y’all!

Also a huge thank you to @hoshi-and-hikari for spearheading SeiUsa week ❤️ You’re so great!!!

~~~

I must have walked on To meet you

---

“Where is she? Is she in there?”

“Yes.”

Seiya bowed once he heard the sound of footsteps nearing. He could make out the hem of her white robe in his top peripheral vision before she stopped.

“Hello! You are the guardian from the bar?”

The voice was sweet and inviting which lowered his inner guard by a level. After straightening back up, he tried not to give much more thought that she looked just as gorgeous as she did on television and in pictures.

“Yes, I am, your highness.”

She gasped with a hand over her mouth, causing him to feel the body slam of self-consciousness.

“You’re… a man.” She moved the hand to her chest.

Seiya blinked, unsure of how to reply. But he knew he had to give her something, so he shrugged with a half-smile. “Guilty.”

Serenity relaxed. “I’m sorry. I just thought all guardians were female.”

“That’s true.” He cleared his throat. “We just use this appearance as a protective measure.”

“Huh!” Most intrigued, she then turned toward the two guardians at the door.

“Uranus, please remove his handcuffs.”

“Serenity, I wouldn’t recommend that.” The blonde started walking toward them.

“Why?”

“Because he could hurt you!”

“And I’ve never been able to take care of myself when, exactly?” Already over it, she pointed at Seiya. “Take them off.”

Uranus acquiesced with a huff, producing a small key from inside her boot and removing the shackles. Seiya didn’t waste the opportunity to give her a smug, victorious smirk whenever she was looking.

Serenity beamed. “Thank you, Uranus. That’ll be all for tonight.”

Uranus was about to protest once more, but the look from her highness already told her that her mind was made up. Scoffing and grumbling, the guardian stomped off and out the door.

Neptune, entertained by the whole scene, walked up to place the plastic grocery bag on the table.

“These are his things. Good night, my queen.” She then took her leave.

Once alone, Serenity released a breath as if she had been holding it for a while. “I love those two but they can be so intense.” She then extended a hand toward Seiya’s chair with a smile. “Please sit!”

He obeyed as she took her own seat beside him. Having carried a large crystal pad with her, she laid it aside on the table to give attention to the contents inside the plastic bag. The first item she grabbed was his cell phone, which itself was a smaller translucent rectangle of crystal. She placed it to the side before going for the next item: his transformation headset.

“Ooh, this is interesting!” Her face lit up as she turned it in all directions for inspection. Figuring out that it went on her ear, she did just that, and then put her hands on her hips and moved her shoulders.

“I feel like a pop star!”

Seiya laughed, his heart melting at her unqueenly yet endearing behavior.

She moved the mouthpiece up and down. “So you use this to transform?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“And it’s ‘Fighter Star Power?’”

His blue eyes widened, scared she was psychic. “Yes, how did you know?”

“There are videos of you transforming on the news.” She giggled as she removed the headset from her ear and placed it on the table. “That was quite a mess you were in.”

A blush appeared on his cheeks as he scratched his head. Despite knowing he wasn’t at fault, he still felt embarrassed.

“But,” she continued, “that’s also how I found out you were here. So something good came out of it at least.” She bit her lip as her eyes twinkled at him. “Are you okay, though?”

“Yes. Just a little banged up, but I’ll be fine.”

“The doctors said you should be healed in a few weeks. So you will stay here until you do.”

“Here? In the palace?” His eyes widened while he shook his head. “I couldn’t, your highness—”

“I insist. I can have doctors check on you daily to aid in your recovery.”

He gulped and kept quiet, afraid to refuse the queen again in case it carried a death sentence.

Interpreting his silence as acceptance, she grabbed her crystal pad and tapped on it to reveal a digital screen. “So tell me… Fighter… do you have a civilian name?”

“It’s Seiya Kou.”

“And where are you from, Seiya Kou?”

“All over.” He chuckled. “But our home is Kinmoku.”

“Our?”

“Oh yeah, there’s three of us!” Seiya had forgotten about Taiki and Yaten for the moment. Whoops.

She gasped in excitement. “Wow! Three of you? Where are they?”

“They’re, uh…” he scratched his head again, “in a detention center.”

“Ohh right, right…” The realization dawned on her. “I’ll make sure to have them brought here. I’d like to meet them, too.” She tapped around on the pad in different places, interspersed with some scrolling. “What was the name of your home again?”

“Kinmoku.”

“Kin… mo… ku…” After more tapping, she squinted her eyes in an effort to process the information that populated on her screen. Several moments passed before they widened in tandem with the smacking of her tongue.

“Wow… you’ve come a very, very long way, Seiya.”

“Not by choice…”

She nodded in agreement. “It says here that Kinmoku was one of the initial planets attacked by Galaxia.”

He had no words as his response, only rage, evident by his tight jaw and loud gulp.

Picking up on the heaviness of his energy, Serenity continued. “I don’t know if you know, but Crystal Tokyo has an open policy for refugees, even from an attack as long ago as Galaxia. I can have you registered as an asylum seeker—”

“With all due respect, your highness, we’re not here to seek asylum.” The sternness in his voice was palpable.

In attempts to maintain sympathy for his shift in emotion, and keep hers relatively stable, she placed her pad down and leaned back in her chair. “Then what do you seek?”

His gaze fell. “I can say what we don’t seek… is trouble. So we’ll leave this planet immediately. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

“No, please!” Serenity leaned over, placing a gentle, desperate hand on top of his as if it were to stop him should he stand up. Eagerness met ambivalence as each pair of blue eyes stared deeply into the other.

“I’m the one that called you here.” She continued. “I want to know your story.”

The power of touch was a phenomenon that made his heart pump wildly to the point of confession. But it was taking his mind a while to trust her, so Serenity resumed her verbal coaxing.

“Seiya… I want to help you and I can’t if you don’t talk to me.” She squeezed his hand and bit into her lips. “As one guardian to another, let me help you.”

He sighed, having to reach deep within to find his words and courage.

“It’s our princess. We're looking for our princess.”

Serenity nodded, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, ready to listen.

Seiya continued. “She fled when Galaxia attacked. We decided she would go first and we would follow. We had a plan to meet at a neighboring planet but… when we got there, Galaxia had already ravaged through it, just like ours. And our princess was nowhere to be found.” He rubbed his sweaty palms on his thighs, breathing through the trauma of the memories.

“And so we went on to the next planet, and then the next one… Each destination was based on hunches and hearsay mostly, looking for any hint that she was there or had been there.”

Serenity cocked her head. “How did you go about trying to find her once you were on a planet?”

“Singing. She really loves music.” He flashed a smile. “We sing familiar songs to try to draw her to us. And if they’re catchy enough, we hope that the locals might pass them along too, and maybe she’ll hear it and know we’re out there and haven’t given up.”

She nodded before looking down, almost afraid to ask. “Have you… considered the fact… that maybe she’s...”

“Yes, we have. We check for death records regularly wherever we end up.” He answered over her, sparing her awkwardness. “But we just so happened to catch a merchant on ætSe-18 who had sold a royal incense burner to someone here from Earth. He couldn’t confirm it was Kinmokian, but the way he described it—its design and scent—there’s no mistake it’s from Kinmoku.”

“How would the burner lead you to her?”

“She also harnesses the power of stars and can take on other forms. Her incense burner was her favorite hiding spot. She must have taken it with her when she fled, or at least that’s what we hope. It’s our only hope at this point.”

Moved by the story, a distant smile spread upon her lips, and she relaxed into her chair. “She must be quite a princess for you to spend ten years looking for her.”

He shook his head with a smile. “I know no other purpose.”

Serenity paused to give her mind a few moments to think before sitting upright with resolution written all over her face.

“We should get some sleep then. Tomorrow is a big day.”

Seiya’s face blinked into confusion. “Is it?”

The beam on her face lit up the whole room as she nodded and winked. “It’s the Queen’s Birthday Festival tomorrow. We’ll need our strength to celebrate.”

A smirk twitched on the side of his mouth. “Oh right. I remember that being advertised.”

“It’ll be a fun time. And I’m sure a much-needed and deserved day off for you.”

He breathed out a laugh, a twinkle forming in his eye.

“And then after that,” she continued. “We look for your princess.”

The twinkle then faded into distress. “Oh… no… no, no… It’s okay, your highness! I know you have more important things to do—”

“I’ve got people for that!” She waved a dismissive hand at him. “Plus, I said I wanted to help, so I’m going to help. You can't be going out there getting into more bar fights in your condition, and I’m sure the other guardians aren’t in that much better shape.”

He opened his mouth to speak but Serenity gave him that same look she gave Uranus earlier in the night, submitting him to speechlessness. While she seemed to make his mind spin, she also made him feel calm. Redness formed on his cheeks as he realized the subliminal control she had over him; whether it was intentional or not was a mystery, but he didn’t care.

A victorious grin spread across her face. “It’s settled then.”

---

---

Please note if you would like to follow this story, I will be updating the rest of the chapters under the tag: hanabean close to you and other iterations of the spacing. I love you all!

[monochromaticbeans]

Chapter 36, Part A: A Sacred Guardian

I come as a blade

A sacred guardian

So you keep me sharp and test my worth in blood

“Chokehold” ~ Sleep Token

The night air was thick with tension, heavy and restless, as Hikari and Chifuyu climbed the stone steps to the shrine. A low wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it the faint scent of incense from somewhere far off. Everything felt strange, as though the world was slightly askew.

Keisuke told them to go ahead, his usual smirk in place, that cocky, self-assured smile that never faltered. "I’ll catch up. I have something to take care of," he’d said, giving no hint of anything to be concerned about. But now, as they neared the shrine, that growing sense of unease gnawed at the edges of Hikari’s mind, like a melody she couldn’t quite place.

"You okay?" Chifuyu’s voice broke through her thoughts, soft, careful.

She nodded, though her fingertips rubbed absently around the pendant she always wore. The cool silver beneath her fingers did little to calm the flutter in her chest. "Yeah... I’m fine. It’s just..." She trailed off, shaking her head, unsure how to explain the feeling gnawing at her. Something felt wrong, out of sync, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Chifuyu didn’t press her, though he felt it as well. Something was definitely fishy this evening.

The courtyard of the shrine stretched before them, bathed in moonlight, its stones worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. Toman was already gathering, the murmur of voices weaving through the cool night air. The usual banter and energy were absent tonight, replaced by something heavier. Something darker.

The air was thick with anticipation as the ceremony to appoint the new captain of the Third Division—Pah’s division—began. Her eyes drifted over the crowd, landing on Mikey standing at the front, the calm, unreadable leader, as always. His presence held its own kind of gravity, drawing everyone’s attention toward him, the air thickening around him like a storm gathering at sea.

She and Chifuyu took their places quietly, watching as the ceremony began. Hikari felt a pang in her chest. It didn’t feel right to fill Pah’s spot while he was in juvie. He was still the captain of the Third Division in her eyes, and he always would be, no matter where he was.

Mikey’s voice cut through the stillness with the weight of his authority. "We’re going to fight Valhalla soon. They’re even bigger than Moebius, and Toman needs to grow if we want to win.”

There was something in his tone, a finality that sent a chill down her spine. The crowd shifted, anticipation crackling in the air.

"Step forward... Third Division Captain... Kisaki Tetta."

Hikari’s stomach dropped, the name hitting her like a cold wave. Kisaki.

The air changed instantly, a sour taste rising in her throat. That name—it was poison, twisting the atmosphere, pulling the world off-kilter. She hadn’t seen Kisaki since that eerie day in her father’s record store, but the memory of it sent a shiver down her spine. The same sense of unease gripped her, but stronger and darker, as though the entire world had just tipped on its axis.

Her fingers twitched at her sides, drumming against her hips as she slowly turned towards the back of the crowd. She watched as Kisaki stepped forward, his sharp eyes glinting behind his glasses, a sly smile playing at the corners of his lips. His old Moebius cohorts followed behind him, now in Toman’s uniforms, but still carrying that lingering stench of disrespect. They shoved their way through the crowd like they owned the place, shouting and taunting the Toman guys they’d only recently fought—and lost—against.

Why the fuck are those assholes here?

The Toman guys didn't stand for it, confusion and distrust swirled in the air as they shoved and shouted right back at their former enemies and rivals.

“Everybody, shut the hell up!” Draken’s voice plowed through the noise and nonsense like a bulldozer, silencing the restlessness. “This is Mikey’s decision. If you don’t like it, get your ass up here and tell him yourself,” he thundered.

No one dared. The silence that followed was thick and suffocating, like the world had folded in on itself.

“Kisaki has apologized and brought his Moebius guys along with him,” Mitsuya added, but his voice couldn’t shake the unease that clung to the air. "We need to get stronger. And bigger. This is perfectly reasonable.”

As Kisaki bowed, offering a sickening display of false humility, Hikari’s stomach twisted. She could feel the wrongness radiating from him like an invisible fog, suffocating everything in its path. This isn’t right. None of this is right.

Her breath quickened, panic rising in her chest. Before she could process it, before she could think, a blur of movement shot through the crowd.

Takemichi.

He moved faster than her mind could catch up, his fist connecting with Kisaki’s jaw with a sickening crack. The sound of the punch echoed through the night, rippling out like a shockwave, and the world seemed to stop, suspended in the silence that followed.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Shouts, curses, the clamor of bodies shifting, pushing forward. Chaos unfurled in an instant, the tension that had been brewing finally snapped, sending everything spiraling. Hikari stood frozen, her mind reeling, watching as Kisaki stumbled back, his hand flying to his face, shock flashing in his eyes. But it was only for a second. The calm, calculated mask slid back into place almost immediately.

Before she could even catch her breath, another voice sliced through the madness.

“Well, well… looks like the party’s already started without me.”

Her heart stopped.

She turned, the world slowing to a crawl as Keisuke's voice reached her ears. He strolled forward, his hair catching the wind, that same reckless grin painted across his face. But there was something off about him. Something darker.

Her breath caught in her throat. "Keisuke…”

He moved with purpose, cutting through the crowd like a blade. Toman parted for him instinctively, clearing a path.

“Who the hell are you? I’ve never seen you before,” Baji eyed one of the Moebius guys as if he were an insect.

One of Kisaki’s men, oblivious to who he was dealing with, stepped up to him, shoulders squared. “Who the hell are you?”

Baji didn’t miss a beat. His fist flew, sending the guy crumpling to the ground before he could even blink. "Who do you think you’re talking to?”

He didn’t stop. He tore through them, one after another, until Chifuyu grabbed his arm, desperation in his eyes.

“Baji-san, wait! They’re in Toman, in the Third Division now,” Chifuyu explained.

Baji’s expression soured. “What? I don’t know anything about this shit,” he bellowed. “Third Division? No way would Pah want these douchebags in his crew.”

Mikey, calm as the center of a hurricane, watched as he sat on the steps, his arm casually resting on his knee. "Baji," he called, his voice low, controlled. But there was something simmering beneath it.

“Watch yourself, Baji,” Draken also warned, stepping towards him.

“Or what? You gonna stop me?” he asked defiantly, his voice carrying a wild edge, daring Mikey to intervene. And then, without warning, he turned on Takemichi, his fist flew in a blur of violence.

Hikari’s heart thundered in her chest. This isn’t right. This isn’t him.

He landed another punch to Takemichi's face and would have kept going if not for Mitsuya grabbing hold of his arm.

“Let go, Mitsuya,” Baji growled, coiled like a spring about to snap.

Hikari moved before she realized it, her feet carrying her across the courtyard to him. She reached out, her hand resting gently on his shoulder. Her voice, when it came, was soft and only for him, barely audible over the chaos around them. "Keisuke, stop. You’ve made your point."

For a heartbeat, he stilled. His fist hung in the air, frozen mid-swing. Her touch was an anchor, pulling him back from the edge. Slowly, he lowered his arm, his eyes dark and unreadable. He knew she was right. She always was. But why did she have to be right right now?

“You’re the First Division Captain, right?" Kisaki’s voice slithered through the air, smug and oily, his new rank emblazoned on his sleeve.

Baji turned toward him, his expression hard, unforgiving. "You’ve gotta be shitting me.” He rolled his eyes in disdain before asking Mikey, “This guy’s the Third Division Captain now?”

Mikey, still as a statue, watched them both with quiet intensity. "Baji, did you come here just to throw a tantrum?”

Baji stepped closer, defiance radiating from him like heat from blacktop in summer. “Why? Do I need your permission for that?”

A tense silence built between them and Toman seemed to hold its collective breath. Hikari's own breath was stuck in her lungs, her eyes wide with shock.

“I’m joining Valhalla,” Baji finally said. “You don’t need any more troublemakers here, do you, Mikey?”

Behind Mikey’s calm exterior, Hikari caught the tiniest flash of disbelief and hurt. It came and went faster than a blink of the eye, unseen by all except the closest of his friends.

“From this moment on, First Division Captain Baji Keisuke is an enemy of Toman,” Baji announced, turning his back to Mikey and walking away.

Hikari’s world imploded.

She stumbled back—her vision blurred and the world tilted dangerously. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be real. Her heart thundered in her ears, drowning out the noise of the crowd. Her legs moved on their own, carrying her closer to him, the words spilling from her lips before she could stop them.

"Keisuke, no—what are you doing? You’re not serious, are you?”

But Baji didn’t look at her. He couldn’t. If he did, he might break. He kept his gaze focused ahead and kept walking, his jaw clenched tight. “I’m serious,” he said, his voice colder than she’d ever heard it. “I’m joining Valhalla. Don’t try to stop me.”

His words cut through her like a sword. Desperate, she took another step toward him, her voice cracking. “Keisuke, please! You can’t do this!”

Baji stopped in his tracks and whipped around, his eyes blazing. His voice was sharper than it had ever been with her. “I said, don’t follow me.”

The harshness of his tone was a slap to the face, the force of his words hit her like a freight train. He’d never spoken to her like that before—never with such harsh finality.

His expression was hard as steel. “I mean it, Hikari. Don’t.”

Her legs wobbled before they gave out. She crumpled to her knees on the ground, the impact barely registering. Everything around her—the voices, the shouting, the sounds of footsteps, Keisuke's retreating figure—blurred into a distorted haze. She could see, she could hear, but none of it made sense. The world around her moved, but it left her behind in her daze.

Her mouth opened, but the words she desperately needed to say wouldn’t come. They were stuck somewhere deep inside her—the connection between her mind and her mouth had been severed. She couldn’t remember how to make her voice work.

Her shallow and erratic breaths came in short, uneven bursts that did nothing to fill her lungs. Her chest tightened painfully, every breath was a battle she couldn’t win. Her hands trembled, clutching at her pendant, then releasing it, over and over, the repetitive motion offering no comfort.

She shook her head—small, frantic movements, as if she could somehow deny what was happening and magically force it out of existence.

No. No. No…

The motion became the only thing she could do, the only action left to her, the last piece of herself she could control. Everything existed just outside of her grasp, too far away to touch or comprehend.

The world was slipping further and further away, her thoughts spiraling like water down a drain. She wanted to scream, to reach out, to run after him. All she could do was shake her head over and over, trapped in her own silence.

Keisuke left. And she couldn’t follow him. There was nothing left but the overwhelming sense of loss with his words still echoing in her mind.

I’m joining Valhalla.

First Division Captain Baji Keisuke is an enemy of Toman.

Don’t follow me.

As Chifuyu watched her collapse to her knees, his heart twisted painfully in his chest. He’d seen Hikari strong, fierce, and fearless. But this? Watching her shatter, watching her crumble in silence, was like witnessing a light being snuffed out.

He was by her side in an instant, his hand resting gently on her shoulder as he crouched down beside her. “Hikari,” he whispered, his voice low and steady. He wasn’t sure if she could hear him—she didn't respond. But he stayed close, his presence solid and unwavering.

Around her, Toman’s usual energy had gone quiet, everyone exchanging tense glances, unsure of how to respond to the emotional wreckage left in Baji’s wake.

But for Chuu and the First Division, there was no hesitation. One by one, they closed ranks around her and Chifuyu, creating a tight, silent barrier. There was no discussion, no need for anyone to direct them—they knew this was Hikari’s worst nightmare. These were boys who’d fought with her, bled beside her, who’d seen the unbreakable bond between Hikari and Baji. They shared a silent understanding that the Moebius members, standing on the periphery, would never comprehend.

To them, this was a duty more sacred than any battle, and they moved with a quiet purpose as they positioned themselves shoulder-to-shoulder around her, shielding her in a wall of loyalty.

Mikey, watching from the steps, caught the motion out of the corner of his eye. His gaze sharpened as the boys of First Division surrounded her, each of them standing as sentries, heads high and eyes unwavering. His jaw tightened. He knew Hikari meant everything to Baji, and he meant everything to her—and that if there was anyone reeling in shock more than himself, it was her. For a heartbeat, Mikey’s composure slipped, the hurt flickering through his eyes before he quickly buried it again, his face hardening to a mask of unreadable calm.

Draken’s brow creased as he watched the First Division fall into place. He noticed their postures, the way they didn’t just stand around her—they blocked, they shielded, their backs straight and expressions fierce, arms crossed over their chests. His gaze softened briefly; he could tell they were doing more than just protecting Hikari from view. They were preserving her dignity in a moment of crushing vulnerability. Draken knew that the Moebius guys, clueless and sneering in their new Toman uniforms, were all too eager to exploit any weakness they saw.

Mitsuya, standing nearby, silently nodded his approval. His usually steady gaze flicked between the faces of First Division, noting the unwavering loyalty in their eyes. They weren't just guarding Hikari—they were guarding her memory of Baji, too. His jaw clenched as he shot a glare toward the Moebius members. He knew they were outsiders who didn’t belong here, didn’t understand the family Toman truly was.

The Moebius boys shifted on the sidelines, some of them sneering as they watched First Division close ranks. One of them muttered a low, taunting comment, oblivious to what this moment meant. Before he could say more, a dark look from Chuu silenced him, a threat simmering in his gaze. The message was clear: This is our Captain’s family. You don’t get to look at her like that.

Chifuyu remained kneeling beside Hikari, his own heart a painful throb as he watched her crumble. She was too still, her eyes wide and unseeing, her body wracked with the shock she couldn’t escape. Her hand was clutched tight around her pendant, fingers trembling as she struggled to anchor herself. He lowered his voice to a soft, steady murmur, trying to reach her through the haze. “Hikari,” he whispered, his tone gentle, “we’ve got you.”

Her gaze didn’t shift, but Chifuyu held his ground, staying close. The strength of the First Division around them was a reassurance. They were all holding her in a way no one else would understand, and the weight of it filled the air.

Mikey’s eyes lingered on the circle they’d formed around Hikari, a solemn respect shadowing his gaze. Baji had always been wild and unpredictable—but that fierce, loyal core had meant everything to Hikari. Mikey closed his eyes briefly, a silent acknowledgment of the pain Baji’s choice had caused, and a recognition of First Division’s loyalty. Their resolve was as immovable as his own; he’d allowed Kisaki’s men into Toman, but the circle around Hikari would remain sacred and untouchable.

Draken, seeing the shared grief and shock etched into each First Division face, shifted closer to Mikey, a steady hand resting briefly on his friend’s shoulder. This was what Toman stood for, what they were all fighting to protect. The presence of these Moebius bastards among them felt wrong, but this loyalty—this was something that could never be touched by outsiders.

As the night wore on, First Division kept their silent vigil around Hikari and Chifuyu, unmoving until the last of the crowd dispersed from the shrine. Only then did they allow the shield to lower, each of them sharing a final, solemn nod as they left her side with a promise held in each look: We’re with you. Always.

[leefi]

Starira MBTI III - Frontier

1. Seisho

2. Siegfeld

3. Frontier

4. Rinmeikan

Aruru Otsuki: ENFP

Just go and reread Karen’s entry.

FJDKSLDKL in all seriousness leaps and bounds of Ne from both of them. There’s a reason they often catch themselves saying the same things and why Karen sees so much of herself in Aruru. Not only are they both Ne doms, they’re the exact same type! Ne and Fi together hold that naturally sunny and joyful disposition they both have, and that extreme, passionate love for the people they’re close to. And her Ne may be even higher off the charts than Karen’s. From the entirety of Captain Twins, to improvising lines on stage with Misora as kids, to being the embodiment of Frontier’s free-spirit, pioneering nature - all of this is extroverted intuition, chasing at every possibility under the sun, no matter how absurd it may seem. Her STRONG tertiary Te -- which is much stronger than Karen's, by the way -- supports her dominant Ne, and this is where her gung-ho attitude comes from. “We have to write our own play?? No problem, wheel out the whiteboard! Nobody has an idea yet?? That’s fine, I’ll throw one out and get the ball rolling! Misora and I need three more people for our play? What are we waiting for, let’s go find them!!” All of this is tertiary extroverted Thinking, implementing your ideas out in the world.

Misora Kano: ISTP

She is so compelling!!! I wish we got to see more out of her!! She's already cultivated so many of her talents (and her function stack is pretty strong for such a young age too) - she'd really shine if you just gave her the spotlight! The second ISTP in this series who had her inferior Fe develop super early due to having 1) a ton of siblings and working with so many people from such a young age and 2) a gf with Fi in her dom/aux slot. I’m gonna start with her Fe again because, like Futaba’s, it’s so strong for how young she is - she is quicker to pay attention to social convention than Fi-aux Aruru, scolding her whenever she refers to older Karen by her first name, for example (don't let her see Aruru call Akira -chan). We see aux Se in how energetic and in the moment she is - she grew up acting and doing backstage work and helping her family with their troupe, and we never really see her stuck in her head or wondering about things that aren’t in the here-and-now. Her partnership with ENFJ Michiru to create a new Troupe is going to be SO SO GOOD in the future. They really are going to draw the best out of each other. As polar opposites, they have the exact same functions, just in reverse (like Karen and Junna, or Hikari and Ichie)! So Misora has Ti-Se-Ni-Fe, and Michiru has Fe-Ni-Se-Ti. It’s the perfect setup for them to complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Honestly, I really wish we saw more out of Misora - she deserves more than just being Aruru’s sidekick, and that Feeling function in her inferior slot (extroverted, no less) means that it’s difficult for her to communicate what exactly it is that she wants, both for herself and from others. Like with Mahiru, it’s intuitively hard for her to speak up and say “Hey, I feel like I’m being left behind”. Somebody needs to tap Aruru on the shoulder and communicate that to her - Fe-dom Tsukasa, maybe, or ideally, Misora herself. I think that she’s been kind of shouldered into the straight-man role not just by Aruru but everyone at Frontier because they all have such big personalities (like...she’s got Aruru and Lalafin taking up space, which is already more than enough), and she’s likely been in this position before. She’s been helping her parents run a troupe since she was a child, and now she’s (unfortunately) playing second fiddle to Aruru for the most part at Frontier. She’s been mostly stuck using her Ti and Se, and I really really hope that AA has us seeing her use more of that tertiary Ni and advocating for the goals she has for herself. She deserves to shine so much!!

One final note - I find it so interesting that both ISTPs in this series have such strong senses of faith - Misora is cast as the Faith arcana (and, unlike some of the other girls who are cast as the “opposites” of their personalities, Misora’s seems true to hers), and Futaba obviously has that reverent faith in Kaoruko (and is canonically religious???). It’s a bit antithetical to the ISTP personality type, which values its individuality above all else and tends to be a bit of a rebel. I don’t have much to add here - it’s just an interesting observation.

Shizuha Kocho: INFJ

Lalafin: The Count was such a great actor! I’m sure he would’ve been great on stage too…

Shizuha: Heh heh, maybe!

Shizuha: But still, he never went back to his original persona even after his revenge. He had to stay as the count for the rest of his life.

Shizuha: And he was able to do that because he was good at becoming other people.

Shizuha: ...Although I cannot say if that meant he was happy.

Lalafin: Even after his revenge, he still wasn’t happy...That’s one point of view to make his sadness stand out even more!

Shizuha: Right?...Yes. I think I’ll stick to how I’m doing things now.

THE!! LOVE!! OF!! MY!! LIFE!!!!!!! I CANNOT OVERSTATE ENOUGH HOW MUCH I LOVE SHIZUHA KOCHO!!!! She was my first favorite character in the game (and still is!! But frontier gets no content :’)). As I said with Maya, INFJs are old souls - wise and idealistic, but typically reserved. Auxiliary extroverted Feeling shows up in how she suppresses herself so as not to intimidate or make others feel inferior - we see the exact same thing play out with INFJ sibling Koharu. She’s mysterious but amiable, kind and awe-inspiring - just like INFJ sibling Maya. And we see that token INFJ loneliness playing out with all three, as well. What I love most about Shizuha is that she’s a person of extremes. She is so cerebral and intelligent and dignified in a way that reminds you of Maya but she’s also so!!!! Fucked in the head!!!!! Ni doms baby!!!!!!! (I am fucking crazy. But i am free).

Unhealthy INFJs can develop this obsession with making themselves martyrs, and I don’t think I need to rehash out her AA conversation with Aruru (and her entire philosophy towards acting - see above quote) to get that across. I want to dive into this more. Truly I do. Shizuha deserves 10 pages of writing. But she is one of the last I'm writing and I've clicked through 3 different AA stories and accidentally found Rui and Yukko's first so I diverted and finished writing Yukko's entry and I've already spent so much time on this oh god the doc is already 18 pages single spaced uhhhh Shizuha my loveliest love I will write your character deep-dive later I prommy <333

(Also, seeing her synergy with Aruru is soo so cute. INFJ/ENFP supremacy!! Same dynamic as MayaKaren!)

Lalafin Nonomiya: ESFP

(Se dom).

She’s so athletic and energetic and in-the-moment and improvisational and quick on her feet (Se, Se, Se)! Fi over Ti aux because she has a much more subjective view of what’s “fun” - “what do I want to do? Where do I want to go? What kind of character do I want to play???". She’s got that trademark genki energy that so many ExFPs share, particularly that childlike zeal that she and ESFP sister Ichie both have. In her own way, Lalafin embodies Frontier’s pioneering, fun-loving spirit just as much as Aruru.

Tsukasa: Lupin is usually portrayed as mysterious and polished, no? But the way you perform him is more fresh and open -- almost like the main character from a children’s book.

Lalafin: Oh! Come to think of it, the book on Lupin I read when I was younger was written for kids!

Lalafin: It was about this big and had a realistic image of Lupin right on the cover!!

I don’t really have too much to add. She’s just a perfect embodiment of that excitable, fun-loving Se and Fi dom/aux duo. Childlike and simplistic-appearing at a first glance, but there's such a fire in there - just compare her to her ESFP twin Ichie!

Tsukasa Ebisu: ENFJ

I can see that use of Se - love of fashion, sweets, dancing, going out and enjoying life - yes, she had overprotective parents and could just be making up for lost time, but I think that nice material things are something she just genuinely enjoys for herself as well. So at first I thought ESFP, but we can’t ignore that enormously caring attitude she has for others and the way she gravitates towards caretaker roles, which indicates more Fe than Fi. So ENFJ it is! She has that Fe and Se, and we see that inferior Ti in how she struggled to realize something was wrong when she was trapped in the play. I love, love, loved her leading role in the Arise All You Sons event and how she and Yachiyo interacted to bring out the best in each other - we saw Yachi using a lot of that aux Ti to support Tsukasa’s inferior Ti and dominant Fe!

Her dominant Fe is SOOOO clear and contrasts to every other girl in Arise All You Sons. She’s the first to go “hey, wait, hold on - I’m not sure what (inferior Ti) but something about this feels artificial, and I don’t think it’s actually going to help the kids”. Inferior Ti/Dominant Fe speaks before thinking too - “Why did I say that?! Why did I do x?!” - it isn’t until aux Ti Yachiyo shows up to help her that she’s able to work through her thoughts. While she can get stuck in the rut of her own mind sometimes, Tsukasa is one of the most caring, empathetic, and mature characters in the series - and she does all this without sacrificing her own autonomy and individuality, which can be difficult for an Fe-dom to do.

[rurulaura]

I needed to vent a little. Just ramble about myself. Lately I’ve realized trying to make everything perfect to satisfy people or satisfy myself because it has to make sense has  been tiring me. That shouldn’t be what creating things is about. 

Creating content should be fun. You should fun with it not having worrying about what others think. Drawing whatever I wanted became something I was able to do overtime. But now i need to condition myself to do it with writing and my oc. 

I was so obsessed with Haruko being the same age as Taichi, SOra, Yamato, and Meiko, because I thought it was so cool we are born in the same year. But I could never really fit Haruko in that older group. I don’t ‘myself’ hanging with them. Yamato and I would probably get a long, cooking and enjoying hobbies in silence. Meiko and I with enjoying nature. But otherwise I felt like I would click more with the younger kids. 

I just needed to let go of that three year gap. If Takeru and Hikari can make an effort to interact with Meiko. Takeru talking to her in part 3 a lot. Daisuke’s group interacted with Koushirou a lot, and did talk seniors when they were needed. 

So why can’t Haruko just be the same? Why not ahve that year difference? So what? We also had Iori, 9, two years younger that Daisuke and the others. 

Why did I spend so much energy caring so much. 

The story I’m writing. The headcanons I have. 

Integrating my disabilities somehow.

Just write them. Do what makes you happy. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Life sure ain’t. 

So that’s why Haruko is always changing. Because I can’t make up my mind what I wanted to do. What made sense. Should her hair be different for every age? Should she have a crest? Crests are only meant for the OG right? I shouldn’t have a crest. Meiko shouldn’t have a crest either. it just doesn’t make sense!

Just do what makes you happy! stop worrying about it. 

[canisblack]

Fanfic Idea: Crest Swap

Crest Swap

Following the defeat of BelialVamdemon, Gennai contacts the original eight Chosen Children from Odaiba and arranges a meeting. At this meeting he speaks to them about their crests and their true meanings explaining that each crest encompasses far more than a single word, but that they were given names indicating a simplified concept that was core to the true meaning of each crest.

He further explains how each crest is associated with a particular type of energy born from the human spirit and that each of them were chosen for how strongly they resonated with each crest. That they each, naturally resonated with all of the crests, but that for each of them there was one crest with which their spirits resonated most strongly and that that crest was the one they were chosen to wield. He also reveals that there were dozens of candidates discovered the night they witnessed the battle between Greymon and Parrotmon but that out of all those candidates the eight of them possessed the strongest resonances.

He then amends his statement to say that six of the eight were chosen to wield the crest they most strongly resonated with. But two of them were discovered to have much stronger resonances than the others by an order of magnitude. Strong enough that the leadership of The Order he had once belonged to were worried was too strong. That allowing them to wield the crests they most strongly resonated with would make them too strong, too fast.

That they would become a threat to The Order and its vision for the future of the Digital World.

Though, Gennai admits, that last bit was never stated. Only something he would later infer from their actions years after The Order had fallen to Piemon.

Koushiro: Gennai in what way would they be too powerful?

Gennai: Well Koushiro, depending on who was running the simulations and what variables were being tested? There was an estimated 60 to 80 percent chance that the first time either of those two activated their Crests their partner would skip Ultimate and evolve straight to Mega.

Gennai: All the tests and simulations also agreed that they would activate their crests immediately after receiving them.

In order to try and curb this potential disaster The Order looked at several options, including replacing the two outright. However, outright replacement was deemed to be too resource intensive to be a first resort and was shelved until other options had been examined. Several methods of artificially restraining the power of the Crests were proposed and examined, but none of them were deemed likely to work as anything but a stop-gap. Then one of the members of The Order working on the project noticed that the two’s resonance with each other’s crests were roughly on par with the resonances the other six had with their crests and the decision was made to swap the crests the two would wield.

Gennai was against this idea as he felt that the nature of the artifacts they were using could cause undue harm to the children over and above what making them Chosen was already guaranteed to do and The Order’s duty to the Digital World would not be well served by acting so recklessly with the lives of those it was conscripting to do its work. He was overruled.

Gennai: I was also right. Much to my own sadness and dismay I watched as those two were slowly warped by the crests they were made to carry and wield. A warping that continued even after they were sent home and accelerated after the eight of you poured your energies into creating the Crest Barrier. And thanks to the oaths I had sworn long before you were chosen I have not been able to act to correct this grave wrong. Until now.

Gennai: With the awakening of Qinglongmon, the imminent unsealing of the other three Harmonious ones and Oikawa and Black War Greymon’s sacrifices, the Crest Barrier is no longer needed. After today you will gradually recover your energies and regain your ability to evolve your partners to their Ultimate forms. And eventually, should the need arise, you may even gain – or regain as the case may be – the ability to evolve them to Mega.

Taichi: And what about the two of us that have been…warped.

Gennai: Sadly there is little I can do. Though I do intend to do that. I have recreated the physical crests and tags for all eight of you though for most of you they will be little more than keepsakes. For the two who have been harmed though…I will use them to link you to the crest you should have carried. From there…I do not know. The only thing I can think of is to advise you to try and activate your crests once again. To make them glow.

Gennai then dops the bombshell that the two he has been talking about are Taichi and Sora. That Taichi should have had the Crest of Love and Sora the Crest of Courage. It shocks everyone, but then Hikari speaks up and says that for the two people who left for summer camp that day so long ago the crests fit. Koushiro, after reflecting a bit agrees. The others are not so sure, but Sora and Taichi had known Hikari and Koushiro for much longer than the others. Their insights are sharper, their knowledge greater.

So the two agree to allow Gennai to make this switch, and then they go on their way.

The changes that come as a result of this are not instantaneous. It takes weeks for them to begin to truly manifest. Yet they also show signs as soon as the next day. The two become somewhat more thoughtful. A bit more introspective, as their crests begin to draw their energies back into their natural balance. It’s not a pleasant experience for either one.

Sora begins to see where she’s allowed herself to go astray as she blindly pursued an ideal of “love” that ignored the self and its needs and desires. A self-destructive, warped vision of what it meant to love others, constantly changing oneself to fit an ideal of what one should be to obtain love. To be deserving of love. Instead of having the courage to be oneself and reach accommodation born of respect and mutual understanding. To be loved for oneself instead of what one appears to be.

Taichi likewise begins to see where he’s learned to wrong lessons about courage. That he has, all too often, pushed aside his own feelings to do what he believed was correct. To make the choices that he believed he should without regard to his own feelings. Sometimes, perhaps, he was correct. But others, he was clearly not, and has damaged or strained a number of relationships with those around him by his actions. Most notably his friendship with Sora. He’s seen the way she was changing herself, but rather than reach out to her to find out why. Rather than express his concerns, he’d held his tongue and waited believing that she would reach out to him if anything was wrong and that it wasn’t his place to intrude. Even though his own feelings said otherwise.

…and this is about where I run out of steam on this idea for now. Not sure how to move it forward from this though I do intend for it to become a Taiora story. If anyone wants to pick up the idea and run with it, or even just use the base idea of a crest swap feel free. Just let me know so I can watch the fireworks.

[toku-explained]

The Invincible Swordsman

Phoenix Swordmsman and Book of Ruin: I've seen nothing about the timeline placement of this, but I've seen known sign of the Knight Forms, but Kento is here and so are the Wonder Combos, so safest bet seems to be right before Jaou Dragon happened. Bacht, wielder of Mumeiken Kyomu and the Eternal Phoenix Wonder Ride Book was sealed in a book in ages last, but is unsealed and creates portals to destroy the world. Seems to have Megiddo working with him but none of the regular villain's are involved. Bacht, Kamen Rider Falchion, apparently aims to reduce the world to nothing, Sword of Logos opposes him. The Brave Dragon joins with two others, the Love Dragon (White) and the Pride Dragon (Black) to for the Emotional Dragon Wonder Ride Book, and Saber uses Emotional Dragon to defeat Falchion. End scene is a brief teaser of our hooded man.

REALxTIME: So we have S, our lead villain, announcing he will end the world with bomb in 60 minutes and remake the world in his image, he has a large cult of followers, apparently he created the bomb using the Thousand Jacker. Among the followers are the 4 generals Bell, Moore, Lugo and Buga. Each of them, as well as the other followers, using either a Slash Abaddoriser or a Shot Abaddoriser, along with a Crowding Hopper Key become Kamen Rider Abaddon, the 4 generals having some small variation from the other followers. Aruto attempts to fight S, Kamen Rider Eden, using Zero-Two but is defeated and winds up in another world, S uses the Zero-Two Progress Key in the Thousand Jacker to create the Hell Rising Hopper Progrise Key, Izu later retrieves the Zero-Two Key and Zero-Two Driver. The Abaddon's are spreading a red gas that sends people to the other world, we get that scene of Jin, Horobi, Amatsu, Yua and Fuwa all fighting together. Aruto learns the woman he's met, Akane, knows S, and returns, attempting to fight Eden again using Metal Cluster Hooper. Apparently most of the enemies are AI controlled nanomachine constructs controlled by a few individuals using ZAIA Spec, these were meant to medical nanomachines but changed after some stuff with Ark towards the end of the series, Nanomachines make up the red mist. Horobi finds and confronts As, who has supplied Eden with the Hiden and others tech he needed, she otherwise isn't present. Is tries to find Aruto using Zea and manages to awaken to original Is somehow and they merge. Eden intends to use the Hell Rising Hopper Key to end the world, Aruto manages to take it off him, can't shut it down and is forced to use it to transform into Hell Rising Hopper. He is in a rage state and defeats S and tries to kill him but Zero-Two stops him, revealing themself as Is, Aruto calms down. Akane was S' wife, she died but her consciousness survived in the nanomachine AI, S wanted to make a world where he could be with her forever, placing his mind in a Humagear. Bell, after learning the real goal, takes the Eden Driver and Eden Key by force and becomes Kamen Rider Lucifer. Then we get Aruto as Zero-One and Is as Zero-Two facing Lucifer together, S shuts down this nanomachine system returning everyone to normal while Lucifer is defeated.

And that's Zero-One, at least until 01hers MetsubouJinrai.net comes out. But with what else was announced this week I wouldn't have counted on it being the end even if that hadn't been announced.

Z: It's important to remember with this first scene that Yuki Mai isn't actually a villain. There have definitely been examples of defence force members who count as villain's, the guy from Ginga S, or the ones from Ultraseven 1999 come to mind, but she is purely acting on the information she has, information that has been given to her by the actual villain, who we know was a trusted figure if authority. Hebikura finally reveals to the rest of STORAGE his identity as Juggler, but a younger Juggler would have just killed her and the 1st SAAG soldiers. As Destrudos rampages in LA, STORAGE prepares their mission, Haruki will pilot King Joe STORAGE Custom, while Hebikura uses Windom. He warns everyone to escape if they have to, GAFJ will almost certainly attack them. Wait Juggler what do you mean you can't grow big on your own anymore? You did last time we saw you before this, what's changed? King Joe and Windom give it their all, but they're outclassed by Destrudos, and when it looks like it's over Bako comes in with Sevengar to assist, the two manage to hold Destrudos long enough for King Joe to blow it open and attempt to pull Yoko out. So like this arm wrestling obviously is happening, but it isn't real or something, it pulls Yoko out of Celebro's control, and Celebro vanishes, leaving the Belial Medal in Yoko's hands. As she's ejected Haruki saves her by being able once more to use Delta Rise Claw, accepting he may die because of the strain, as Z warned. Beliarok returns to fight this new opponent. Destrudos regenerates the D4 cannon and fires, Beliarok absorbing the whole attack and thanks Haruki for the amusement, before destroying D4 and shattering, the feedback reverting Z to his Original State. With the encouragement of STORAGE he stands up, and with a tough battle defeats Destrudos with a Zestium Ray against the D4 Ray. Seems Haruki made it, but Z collapsed leaving. Hebikura catches up to Celebro and is going to kill it when Yuka and Kaburagi turn up and capture it, he leaves them to it. Haruki decides to go with Z to help people out in the universe. Beliarok, having reformed in space, decides to join them.

The Absolute Conspiracy: Moving to right around 1974, almost immediately after the end of Ultraman Taro, while continuing the Second Chapter we now focus on Ultraman Tregear in his Early Style (Existing VA), and some of this content was already relayed to us in the shirt story about Tregear that came out around when the Taiga movie was meant to. Tregear is working as a scientist at the Science Research Bureau under the Institute Director, Hikari (Still Origina VA), where he is working to develop a familiar item to borrow power from various life forms. Tregear looks down on himself for failing to make it into the Inter Galactic Defence Force, but Hikari encourages him to take pride in what he can do. He is reunited with Taro (New VA for his younger self), fresh from his time on earth. The showing here is abridged, but Taro is able to assist with finishing the device, and it is named the Taiga Spark. Some time later Hikari goes missing, and, in a new detail, Tregear goes to planet Arb to find him, where he is depressed after his failure to save Arb from Bogarl, and swears vengeance, for the first time becoming Hunter Knight Tsurugi, he attacks Tregear to stop him from getting in the way if pursuing revenge, leaving Tregear shocked even Hikari could not resist the darkness, and he hears Tartarus' voice. He discusses this with Taro, feeling resigned, and while Taro promises to protect him Tregear for the first time seems resentful of Taro, not just in awe. The pair go to Planet Deastar, where Taro seeks Tregear's help to investigate a strange energy. Suddenly Night Fang appears, brought by Tartarus, while it fights Taro it makes Tregear experience an illusion, where Hikari/Tsurugi draws him to the darkness, which he fears, but when Taro's illusion promises protection he rejects that too, then Tartarus offers him the chance to live as he desires, to fear nothing, and shows him his future, both his absorption of Grimdo and the conclusion of the fight with Taro in the beginning of Taiga, where despite everything Taro begged him to return. Taro uses Ultra Dynamite to destroy Night Fang, saying they'll always stand for the Light, but as Tregear leaves he rejects the idea of Light and Dark, Taro desperately calls after him.

Saber: Saber sees scenes that look like the past rush past him as he follows Caliber, while back at the battle the Megiddo claim only the one who obtains the truth will survive. Caliber tells Saber, and the Megiddo tell the others, that at the end of the gate is the Contents page of the original book, the only page that still remains, with it they would be able to find the other pages and remake the original book and reshape the world in their image. The Swordsmen intend to destroy the remaining pillars, which would prevent Saber returning. As Saber fight Caliber brings up the possibility of the world having already been changed from its original shape, before causing Saber to lose both swords and Touma vanishes into Kurayami's darkness. Mei encourages Rintaro to act, certain Touma will come back, while Touma, briefly despairing, is encouraged by Kento's spirit and manages to return to the swords and face Kamijo once more. Blades starts destroying pillars, while Kamijo explains 15 years ago. Hayato had been his best friend, until the day he betrayed them, when Kamijo confronted him he revealed Luna was a way to connect both worlds. Saber and Caliber fought, Caliber claiming this was to save the world. Luna was lost as Touma saw, and we see the last thing Touma remembered, with Brave Dragon flying into Touma's hand seemingly if it's own accord. When Hayato, enraged, yelled that this was the only way to save the world, Kamijo was forced to cut him down, but concluded the ones responsible for Hayato's corruptions were Sword of Logos, and so he decided to bear their sins even if he had to ally with the Megiddo. He believes obtaining the universal truth will allow him to identify the true enemy within Sword of Logos. Touma won't accept this, given all the people Caliber has sacrificed. As Blades continues destroying pillars, Saber uses Dragon Arthur, Crimson Dragon and Dragonic Knight. There's a Dragonback duel, ending in a Rider Kick struggle, which Saber wins, then uses a finish with both swords to defeat Kamijo, Kurayami, Jaaku Dragon and Jaou Dragon all fall. Kamijo accepts his loss, but beseeches Touma to find who betrayed Sword of Logos, saying he might be able to find Luna. Before he can say more he is stabbed through be Desast, who takes his own book back. Kamijo's last words are to beseech Touma to take Kurayami to help his quest, but suddenly both it and the books vanish. He returns just as the gate closes, greeted by everyone. And here's a reminder of Shindai Reika, going to tell us why you kidnapped Sophia any time soon?

Kenshin Retsuden: And finally for this series we have an episode of Blades, listed as Chapter 15.5. In the aftermath of everything Rintaro is depressed over Kento's death. Mei tries to cheer him up with eclairs and tries at the lottery, but even those won't excite him. We learn from flashback his lottery win was how he got the camera, and how he explained about how Sword of Logos as his family was instilled in him by his master. Rintaro feels weak, a failure, remembering his first fight with Zooous and how he felt, with Mei trying to calm him down after the fight, in the present she reminds him he saved her from Zooous, and protected Kento from Caliber, because he refused to give up. She tells him how Kento had said he wished he was as strong as Rintaro, and shows him Kento had used the camera to make sure there was a photo of himself for Rintaro. Rintaro has tears over the picture of his family, and finds his resolve.

Kiramager: Naturally the Crystalian holiday of Crystals is just a pastiche of Christmas, but the behaviour induced by Crunchula's rap causes the team to seriously hurt the Mashin, but the Mashin are also affected by the curse. Fire does make a point that they might still genuinely feel that way. The whole rap battle is just hilarious, I do like Yodonna's outfit choice. An all mecha roll call is a rare treat, last on I remember was Go-Onger, which also had an all Robo roll call. All the mecha getting a bit of spotlight like this is pretty common around this time of year, I remember Shinkenger doing it. Something is up with Yodonna.

[wits-writing]

Ultraman Z Ep. 1: “Chant My Name!” (TV Review)

(Original Air Date: June 19, 2020, Director: Kiyotaka Taguchi, Writer: Kota Fukihara)

Tsuburaya Productions (TsuPro for short), have recently been making greater strides to increase their Ultraman franchise’s availability internationally. Most recently that’s been taking the form of blu-ray releases from Mill Creek Entertainment of classic and modern series. As a fan of Japanese tokusatsu (“special effects” features) in general, official releases like that have me excited for the potential of what’s to come for the international availability of the genre in general. This week has started a new step on that path. For the next two weeks, on the official Ultraman Youtube channel, TsuPro has made the first episode of the latest installment in their iconic franchise, Ultraman Z (pronounced “Zett”), available with English captions.

This first episode marks an action-packed introduction to the titular intergalactic hero in-training, Zett (voiced by Tasuku Hanaka), and rookie giant robot pilot for the organization STORAGE, Haruki Natsukawa (Kohshu Hirano). We see them going through reactions to how they’re treated by their respective superiors, deal with the threat of a giant monster and when a near-death experience for both of them requires them to merge their life energy in this efficiently paced introduction to a new story in the Ultraman legacy.

[Full Review Under the Cut]

Keeping the action going through most of the episode’s runtime establishes how the setting for this series will work going forward without slowing down for exposition. The monster attack in the cold open presents this as a world that needed an organization like STORAGE using giant robots to deal with these attacks before the titular Ultraman shows up. Details from that sequence come back later to parallel and re-establish some classic rules of the Ultra franchise, like the shared 3-minute time limit for fighting between STORAGE’s robot Sevenger and Zett himself, signaled by his Z-shaped color timer. Full explanations of how everything in this series is supposed to work will likely come later but keeping the first episode action focused helps draw the audience in and make them want to see more.

In between the action in this episode we get glimpses into the supporting cast that make up the members of STORAGE in how they react during and after monster attacks. As an organization, we get an idea of how they operate to manage the dangers of monster attacks. It’s a professional process of clearing the center of the attack of any bystanders before releasing one of their robots into the area to deal with the threat and mitigate collateral damage. There are brief looks into the interpersonal dynamics of the team, like when we see Haruki getting chewed out by his superiors after him distracting Yoko (Rima Matsuda) during the opening caused greater collateral damage and during the fights where Yuka (Hikari Kiroki) gets excited over how cool the attacking monsters are. They’re set up well as character I look forward to seeing more of, especially since the presence of STORAGE’s robots means they’ll occasionally be entering the fray against monsters alongside Haruki and Zett.

With the series being named after him, it makes sense that this first episode’s focus is in getting to know Ultraman Z and Haruki as individuals before they merge at the end. The monster attack in the opening gives Haruki a literal Save the Cat Dog moment, demonstrating where his priorities lie while doing his job. He’s clearly still new to all of this when we see him processing how his superiors tell him that while his commitment to saving lives no matter what is admirable, it’s not an excuse for reckless behavior.

With the other half of the partnership, we’re introduced to Zett as another rookie desperate to prove himself to the person he’s declared his mentor, Ultraman Zero (voiced by Mamoru Miyano). Though the elder Ultra denies it and declares Zett to be “barely one-third hero”, that doesn’t stop Zett’s determination, especially once Zero’s trapped in another dimension and leaves Zett to deal with the monster on his own. The hero being a massive fanboy seeking to inherit the legacy of his heroes and the way he mixes overly dramatic speech, like saying “I beseech you!” in the subtitles, while also saying he’s “Ultra-shocked” at Zero’s dismissal of him adds a level of comedy to the show that makes Zett amusing from the start. The sequence that officially merges Haruki and Zett, a visual callback to the first episode of the original Ultraman, shows hints at where this dynamic between Ultra and host could go in the future. Their banter, especially during Haruki’s first use of the Ultra Z-Riser, already suggests how their qualities can help them develop together.

One of the best places the two characters come together in this first episode is in the action. I keep coming back to the cold open for this episode not only for how it efficiently sets up the world and character, but for how impressive it is as a technical feat. The mix of digital compositing and suit acting to make Gomess, the first monster we see, and Sevenger appear to be on different scales, while showing them behind the running Haruki is some of the best work I’ve seen in televised tokusatsu in a while. Suit acting between Sevenger and Zett adds a sense of character to the action. Sevenger’s design, a charming look from the Showa-era of the franchise, requires a tackle and grapple style of combat and there’s the bonus of how Sevenger’s eyes switch to an angry expression when it’s time to fight. Haruki using Sevenger to fight alongside Zett lets them quickly develop a trust as Haruki can see that Zett is working to defend the city from the monster Genegar. A notable difference occurs between regular Zett, before merging with Haruki, and afterwards when he’s in Alpha Edge form, calling on the powers of past Ultras. Once Zett and Haruki are accessing those powers the pace of the fight against Genegar speeds up and Zett’s fighting style becomes more martial arts focused and more powers, like energy blasts, coming into play.

“Chant My Name!” kicks off Ultraman Z with a bang, from the characters to the action and effects work, this is the best foot forward I’ve seen an Ultraman series open on since my personal favorite series, Ultraman Geed. It’s also a stellar start for the beginning of greater accessibility to Ultraman as a franchise from TsuPro. Much of what makes this episode so effective, like the music and the cliffhanger introducing the series antagonist, I’ve barely had space to mention. If you’re in the mood for an extra bit of action in your week, checking this episode out while it’s on Youtube is the perfect chance for that.

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