#can we talk about how good asuka looked last night though

[samijey]

it's like those titles never left them 🧡

[lys-lilac]

The Realization of Importance

Part (2/3)

This was in my drafts for so long... So I thought not to let the cliffhanger stay for more time.

A/N: This is to say that all the characters and the main story line belong to Voltage Inc. Only the fictional story is a work of mine, as well the fictional characters, Hana, Touma and Akari. Also this story is based on dream event, because I had this as a dream many days ago. It might be a little different from the usual genre, a little more angsty, so this little girl wants to know your honest opinions about the work. Be honest and do let me know what you think. But, if it feels a little bit dreamy or weird, you can discontinue reading from here.

Part 1 II Part 3

                                                  Part (2/3)

Okay, now that I have cried so much and wiped away my tears, it's time to figure out things. How this all happened, or maybe I am still snoozing.

MC: But first, I need to find somewhere to live for now...

I can't probably return to my apartment, because the other me might be living there. Even if I go there, I will feel awkwardness surrounding me. So, I decide to take shelter in Asuka's home for tonight.

[Asuka’s Home] 

{A/N: This is not shown in the MS, so I just added a fictional place}

A surprised Asuka greets me at the door.

Asuka: MC?

MC: Hey Asuka, if it's not troublesome, can I stay here for the night?

Asuka: Of course, come in.

Relieved that Asuka didn't doubt me, I put the slippers on and sit on the sofa in the living room.

Asuka: Color me surprised though, what brings you here, and today itself?

MC: Hmm? Can't I visit your home and stay over like we did in university days? I was just hit with nostalgia and-

Asuka: That's not the case. Didn't you tell me during lunch that you and Dr. Kasumi are going home together for the first time in two weeks of exhaustive work?

MC: ...

Now that I think about it, I arrived here in the evening, so it might be possible that I didn't know about the schedule beforehand. For now, I have to find an excuse to convince her.

MC: Err... yeah! Kasumi had some post-OP scheduled with new interns, so he told me to leave early, but due to the weather...

Wiping my hair and damp clothes with a towel, Asuka nods her head as if she understood what I meant.

Asuka: Poor girl... You could just have given a call, so that I could have rushed there.

MC: Asukaa!! You are literally my paradis-

Asuka: But, that would have caused Dr. Kasumi to blame me for stealing his girl.

MC: Wha?

With her light banter, we both break out into a laughter. She is really a savior to me, even though she doesn’t know the situation now.

Getting into a pair of PJs that Asuka gave me, I lie down on the sofa. Events of the day start reeling in my mind. Now’s the time to figure out what exactly happened. Is it just a dream? But it’s too realistic... Or what if I am thrown to another world, just like what happens in mangas?

A little bit confused, I open up to do list on my cell phone to check the schedule, but the next sight leaves me agape.

MC: I am a new resident in cardiovascular surgery starting from tomorrow?! 

And my name is not MC, it’s... Hana? Well, it’s better this way, as anyone will not get confused anymore. After all, I am someone who is not meant to be here...

MC: Gahh! I will think about it tomorrow, otherwise who knows what will happen to my brain... I might as well get an ischemic stroke in this situation.

Putting a lid to my thoughts, I doze off to sleep.

{A/N: From here, actual MC is Hana, and the other MC is just MC. I just came with a random name for the MC.}

~

Sekai: MC, you will be all fine... Don’t worry...

Hana: Aww Sekai, thank you... You really are my- wait what? Why are you addressing me as MC?

With a shock, I sit up. 

Hana: Just a dream, huh... Guess I better hurry up.

With a short yawn, I prepare for the day.

[Morning: Dean’s Office]

Matsunaga: ...and therefore you will be assigned in the cardiovascular surgery starting from today.

Hana: ...

Matsunaga: Hana?

Hana: ! Ye-yes! I completely understand. It is a pleasure to be working with you all.

I bow deeply.

Matsunaga: Though I have to say, you really look like Dr. MC. Are you sure that you are not her long lost twin sister?

Hana: It’s a pure coincidence, haha. But I have a way to recognize both of us!

Matsunaga: Oh?

Hana: Yes. Look at this!

I show him the pearl beaded hair pin in my hair. I bought it when I went to the zoo with Kasumi. But, he might not remember this too.

Matsunaga: That’s a great way. You are really a smart girl!

Smiling on the approval, I bow once again, and leave the office to my work.

On my way to Cardiovascular medicine department, I decide to take a turn towards the EICU. After all the act I put there, I should at least apologize properly. It doesn’t matter if Kasumi doesn’t remember me now. Even though it hurts me to change my behavior towards him, just like strangers for now, I can never let the boy who suffered so much to lose his smile once again. Now, only my job matters!

[Seimei University Hospital EICU]

As expected, everyone is there for the morning briefing, including the other me. I take a deep breath and knock on the door, making all of their gazes turn towards me. The confusion would have all been over now.

Hana: Good morning, everyone. I am here to apologize for the mess I created here yesterday. I am sure I had hit my head somewhere yesterday that I-

Takado: Can I tell you a copycat? You are exactly the same as this one over here, talking without stopping...

Hana: ...

They didn’t blame me for yesterday. I guess that’s good for now.

Hosho: I am now starting to believe that miracles are true.

Hana: Wha?

Hosho: Yes. I have never in my life met people with such exact features. It’s interesting but confusing at the same time.

Hana: Oh, about that, I have a solution! Look at the hair-pin tucked here. You will recognize me. And it’s not like I will work in the EICU. I have been assigned to the Cardiovascular Surgery from today. So I will rarely visit here.

Kasumi: Oh.

What makes him say that... Well, I can’t think of that myself. Maybe his curiosity is piqued, that’s all.

Kyogoku: Drop by the Pediatrics if you need any help.

MC: We would appreciate your help in the ER too.

Ok, now what? WHAT THE WHAT?! The legendary bodyguard is lending me a hand if I get in any trouble? And the other me... she is like 100 times more sweeter than me. No wonder Kasumi deserves a better one like her, not someone like me who behaves like a child till now.

Ekuni: And, if you run out of snacks, I can recommend you some.

Why are they all so sweet? Keeping my fast beating heart to myself, I mutter a small ‘thanks’, bow once again and leave the EICU. But, I feel a gaze looking at me from behind. Maybe I am hallucinating...

[Seimei University Hospital Cardiovascular Medicine Department]

After some greetings in the Cardiovascular Surgery Dept., I get to work at once. Apparently due my good grades here too, I am immediately handed a case of a surgery. 

The patient is 11 year old, who is admitted today morning, has tetralogy of Fallot. This disease is generally congenital, which causes cyanosis, that is, bluish skin and oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and to the rest of the body. If treatment is not done soon, it may become more severe.

Without any other delay, I head to the cabin where Touma is. Oh yes, Touma is the patient whose case I have been handed now.

[Seimei University Hospital Private Cabin]

When I enter the cabin, I see a gloom Touma sitting on the bed with his mother, Akari.

Hana: Good morning, Akari, Touma.

Akari: Good morning, Dr. Hana.

Even though she smiles, I can see her face washed with sadness. It’s okay, after handing so many cases with Kasumi, I have stabilized myself enough to deal with my anxiety. I reach out to her, and with my hand on her back, I look towards Touma, who is also a little bit scared.

Hana: How are you, Touma?

Touma: I- I am fine.

Hana: I know you came here way early in the morning. How about we go and get a drink for ourselves to cheer you up?

A little happy, he nods.

Touma’s treatment is starting from today afternoon, so luckily, saline and other devices have not been put on him for now. Means, he is free to move.

Holding his frail hand, I lead him to the refreshment zone.

[Refreshment zone]

I grab myself a can of coffee and give a bottle of orange juice to him.

Hana: So, what is Touma’s favorite activity? Hana is curious.

Touma: I like gardening, and going sightseeing.

Hana: Oh? You know how to plant flowers?

Touma: Yeah! Not only that, I know how to plant vegetables and fruits too! You know Hana, I harvested a lot of fruits, like strawberries, grapes last year that we had my friends and mama’s friends to finish it up.

Seeing Touma’s eyes sparkling, confiding in me and trusting me by calling my first name, I couldn’t help but smile.

Hana: Wow! You are really talented, little one! What about sightseeing? What places do you like? 

Touma: I like Hokkaido. The weather there is so beautiful! But... I know I couldn’t do that after the surgery.

The little sun who was brimming just now with happiness, looks like the flame of a flickering candle.

I hold his hand and say.

Hana: I know you can do it. With me here, you can share anything you want. You are strong to handle every problem that comes to you. I can get that from your passion of gardening. Even if a storm comes, you can do anything to protect your little space, right? I want that confidence of yours in you too. 

Touma goes silent. I see his face, surprised, and a little... flushed?

Touma: I brought some dandelions for you, Hana. I thought they could be my thank you gift to you for listening to me.

Hana: Thank you. That’s so sweet of you.

Oh my god. How sweet and mature he is! I was not even half of it during my teenage.

Touma: But, I have a favor to ask.

Hana: Sure, as long as it’s in my reach, I can do it for you.

Touma: After I recover, can you visit with me somewhere?

Hana: Where to?

Touma: I want to show you my garden.

Hana: Oh, sure. I would love to!

The happiness that left his face comes back.

Touma: It’s a date, then!

Hana: ...

What did I hear now? A. DATE. What?! But sighing, I put away the awkward thought and my lips curve upwards.

Touma: Although... Who is that guy behind you?

Surprised that I didn’t notice anyone, I turn backwards and see...

Hana: ?!!

~

This got a bit long, so I broke it further into two parts. Last part is on the last phase of editing. I will try to post it by tomorrow. Who do you think stands behind Hana? What will happen next?

Stay tuned.

[rainbowpacifiers]

Twin Kingdoms (A3! Event story) - Chapter 8

The last few chapters are going to take me a bit longer. Sorry!

Chapter 7 | Index | Chapter 9

Shift: That was the kettle just now? Haruto: Yeah. Shift: The stubbornness and that she's not honest about her own feelings - that's just like you. Shift: Do you not go home to your family at all? Haven't you talked about your hometown in an interview before? Haruto: That was for the "setting" I'd established as Asuka Haruto. I don't go home for either Obon [1] or the New Year, nor do I call. Shift: So not even once have you thought of calling? Haruto: .......

That first Winter after I'd started living alone in Tokyo, I searched for theatre troupes to join while making ends meet with part-time jobs. It was an excessively cold room, in a wooden apartment building. There was a terrible draught and because my futon was thin as well, I caught a cold.

Figuring I'd recover right away, I brushed it aside - and immediately got worse. I suffered because of the fever and wondered whether I'd simply die alone, without anybody knowing and without having achieved my dream. Just when I tried to at least call my mother before dying, the eletric kettle left in a corner of the room suddenly caught my eye.

At the same time, my mother's voice came back to me. This wouldn't do.

If I died because of a worsening cold, I had to at least become a famous enough actor so that it would be featured widely on the news and reach my mother, or there would be no meaning to having thrown away my hometown to move to Tokyo. I picked myself up somehow and drank the tea I'd boiled with the teapot to ward off the coldness, and I braved my cold.

From then on, I worked even harder. I also attended a lot of auditions.

It was then, while I was studying acting and watching the performances of every theatre company on Veludo Way, that I met the GOD Troupe.

I thought of them as the theatre company of fate. A beautiful world like the one I had seen in my dreams since I was young. A sublime and wonderful world filled with all my ideals. From that moment on, I could no longer think of anything aside from standing on that troupe's stage.

At the audition, I showed off my enthusiasm like mad and was somehow allowed to become a trainee... I was a low-ranked student at the beginning and was admonished for my intonation habit again and again, but I desperately fixed it. I even considered that I might not be suited for performances using the standard language, but little by little, my utmost efforts bore fruit, and I was able to be promoted to a regular troupe member.

If I kept working hard like that, I might be able to become the top one day. Then, I would invite my mother to a play with me as lead.

The moment I renewed my determination, an actor who had joined after me named Takato Tasuku rapidly distinguished himself and climbed all the way to the top seat.

We came to act together and I was amazed by Tasuku's acting junkieness and his talent. His genius was overwhelmingly different from mine. As long as Tasuku was there, I feared that I might never be able to reach the top.

Then, I will never be able to invite my mother to a play. Even so, I kept giving it my all and have made it this far, and if I do better than Tasuku does, I will surely surpass him someday. That was my belief, and I continued as an actor.  

One day, all performing actors got harshly scolded by Reni-san. After practice, I left the practice room with everyone and pretended to go home, but carried a key with me and secretly returned to the practice room alone. I was always staying behind and practicing on my own like that.

But for some reason, on that day, the door was unlocked. When I opened the door, Tasuku was there. When our eyes met, he called out to me somewhat happily, "You're staying late too?"

When I looked at him, who possessed a lot of qualities that I didn't and yet, always put hard work in as well, it irritated me.

Shift: So, did you end up practicing with Tasuku-san? Haruto: No way. I told him I'd left something behind and went home. Shift: That's so like you. Haruto: After that, I thought that I couldn't surpass Tasuku with just the amount of practice alone, so I listened to every word Reni-san said and worked hard to gain his trust. Haruto: I also tried my best at fanservice for customers, which Tasuku was reprimanded about most by Reni-san. Haruto: I was planning on someday overtaking him by slowly increasing the things I could win at outside of acting. Haruto: But that was the very moment when Tasuku suddenly left the GOD Troupe. Haruto: And with the kind of look that seemed to have no regrets whatsoever, he just threw away the top seat that I'd wanted so much and worked hard enough for to bleed. Haruto: After that, I lost to him in two act-offs, too. Haruto: With the collaboration play, I thought the time had finally come, but in the end, the result is the same. Haruto: Tasuku keeps growing as an actor, gets complimented by Reni-san and as always, doesn't slack off. Haruto: Someone who already has talent, gets to be a junkie about effort too. No, he who already has everything, even has the talent to work hard. Haruto: If I can't win against him with talent, and can't win with the amount of effort.... I might never be able to catch up to him in my entire life. Haruto: ....Argh, I had no intention of talking about this. Shift: I realised immediately that you were a hardworking person, Haruto-san. Shift: I don't think of it as bad at all, and when I look at people who do their best, it makes me like them even more. Haruto: It is my own practical branch of learning to not want to show my no. 1 rival my hardworking appearance. Shift: Even if that's the case for Tasuku-san, you don't have to conceal your efforts from me, who will be standing on stage with you together forever. Shift: Instead, if looking at you can make me think of trying even harder, I might want you to show me your hardworking appearance. Haruto: ....Alright, I shall do that for you. Though it's a pain. Shift: Do you have to say it like that?~ Shift: Oh, that's right! This is a message from Tasuku-san. Haruto: What? Shift: "Since the rehearsals for this performance started and I got to practice with you after a long time, I have been inspired once again." Shift: "Your efforts day by day, and your attitude to perfectly fix what Reni-san has pointed out until the following day..." Shift: "Playing the co-lead alongside a lead with a high level of awareness is rewarding and fun." Shift: "To me, Haruto is a rival that I don't want to lose against, and that is something that hasn't changed since my time at the GOD Troupe, so get some good rest and return soon!" Haruto: --. Shift: Ah, right, Tasuku-san told me to buy some ice cream, so I got some. I will put it in the freezer. Haruto: Why ice cream in this goddamn cold? Shift: It's delicious when you eat it right after getting out of the bath. Please have some congee before it gets cold. Haruto: ...Thanks for the meal. Haruto: ...I haven't had porridge since my mother made it for me when I was sick. Shift: It was on my mind when you were talking about the eletric kettle before, but... Shift: I'm sure your mother is wishing for you to succeed as an actor and is curious about your acting. Haruto: I was thinking of inviting her once I'd been selected for the lead role someday.... Haruto: But I didn't really feel like inviting her to a play with me as lead that came around as a windfall because Tasuku quit the GOD Troupe. Haruto: And immediately after that, I was demoted. Shift: This is just a guess, but "Fervent Islands" was on a national network, so wouldn't she have seen that? Haruto: I didn't tell her I'd appear, so unlikely. Shift: I'm sure she did. I'm sure she watched it over and over again. For a while, my mother would watch it every night with my little brother. Haruto: ...... Shift: I'm sure she'd happily come to see our new play too. Since you're the lead. Haruto: It was sold out on the spot. Anyway, there's no way she could get a ticket. Shift: We'll send her an invitation then. Haruto: No, we won't. Stop poking your nose into other people's family matters. Shift: ....Sorry, I was too pushy. Haruto: ...But it might be nice to stand on stage with her planning to come. Feels motivating. Shift: That's right! Shift: So, as for my reasons for aspiring to be an actor.... Haruto: I'm done eating the porridge, so I'm going to sleep. Shift: Aww, how mean. Haruto: Tell me all about it next time. Shift: Got it. Get some proper rest!~

_______________

[1] A Japanese festival celebrated in summer to honour the spirits of ancestors.

Chapter 7 | Index | Chapter 9

[very-grownup]

THE YEAR IS 2020 AND I WATCHED NEON GENESIS EVANGELION FOR THE FIRST TIME, PART 11

Episode 23.

Misato is going to be haunted by fuckin' Kaji forever and so am I. Fuckin' Kaji.

This appears to be the episode where I have to assume budget and deadlines were becoming intractable foes for Anno because there doesn't seem to be any easy way to paper over gaps and I spent the entire time feeling faintly like the experience was dissolving.

My grappling for understanding behind the cut.

Here's what I do know: Misato is so absorbed in listening to fuckin' Kaji's message in her office that Shinji and Penpen are left to their own devices, which are just being concerned about Misato.

Ritsuko talks to her grandmother about a dead cat.

Ritsuko's desktop background is an old photo of her, her mother, and Gendo Ikari, where her mother left room for Jesus between her and her daughter instead of her and Gendo (you'd need at least five Jesuses for protection from the hollow-eyed ghoul of insecurity and misery). I hate it.

Overcome with her sense of failure, Asuka's just broken into the class rep's home and has imposed the world's longest and worst sleepover on this poor normie girl. Asuka's just playing videogames, crying, and sleeping which ... yeah, fair. At night Asuka shares a bed with Hikari and curls on her side, far away and miserable, her face hidden, whispering about her failures and her hatred and her hatred of self. Hikari stares at the ceiling and can say nothing of substance because she is also a child.

The Obelisk Committee is back, interrogating Gendo to absolutely no end because you have to ask questions AND get answers to them for an interrogation to work and also when he gets notice that there's an Angel sighted he just nopes right out of there. Your interrogation is not going to be successful if the guy you are trying to pin to the wall can just go 'sorry I have to take this call' and flush the phone down the toilet while you watch.

This week's Angel is a giant hula hoop made out of light and x's which I feel probably puts it right in the middle of the cuteness scale. It's not horrifying to look at but it also doesn't have a cute little face. I miss the ones in the early episodes that had cute little faces.

The obelisks are determined to crush Gendo and suspect he isn't loyal to them which ... again, the obelisks make some good points.

The plan is for Rei to sniper the Angel with Asuka providing backup. Asuka feels terrible, miserable, and pointless about the whole thing because seriously it seems like no one has talked to her since last week when she was psychologically tortured by the Angel? I'm surprised Asuka's even there, in the robot, but I suppose habit is powerful.

Once the EVAs are deployed, the Angel turns into a long sticky laser snake which Rei tries to shoot with her giant robot sniper rifle. This is not effective and the Angel begins to burrow under the EVA's armour to the fleshy bits underneath and shit gets veiny.

In the NERV command centre someone talks about the Angel trying to make first psychological contact and you can't keep saying that, this is the fourth time AT LEAST we've seen an Angel try to do weird brain reading with one of the kids so this is at least fourth contact. We are all operating on the assumption the Angels are ... some kind of unified force or being or ... something, right? Like, they're all on the same ... side? Part of the same force? If they're all independent and unrelated monsters of the week, NERV makes even less sense.

So, so, so Rei's EVA gets veiny and Rei gets veiny and Asuka is given orders to provide backup and then when her EVA is on the surface she and it just ... stand. Asuka tries to make it move but nothing happens. Finally, NERV lowers the EVA elevator again.

Gendo remembers he has a son and Shinji is deployed in Asuka's place to rescue Rei from the veins and not only does Asuka have to deal with her failure to pilot the robot in this moment, but she's filled with sad jealousy that Shinji wasn't sent to help her last week. Oh, honey.

So the light tentacle snake is making the veins and probing Rei and her memories and the EVA and like with the other kids, Rei confronts herself. One Rei is waist deep in the orange tang of the sub sub sub basement ocean while the other Rei floats above the surface. Rei is lonely? Or, one Rei is lonely, while the other Rei tries to express that Rei is lonely because unlike Rei, who is surrounded by others, Rei is by herself. One Rei knows more than the other, one Rei emotes more than the other. I am confused. None of the Reis seem as distressed as Shinji or Asuka did when they were getting psychoanalyzed by an Angel, at least. There's a weird shot that's just on one of the Rei's mouths, smiling and getting distended and wavey and also a Rei has a vision of smiling, glasses-free Gendo. Rei in the EVA comes back to herself when she realizes she's crying but the Angel is still doing its vein attack and all that pulsating Akira flesh starts happening and the light snake shoots out to Shinji, which is bad. There's more pulsating Akira flesh, just overflowing masses of veins bursting up and above the EVA, trying to shape something, the torso of Rei's EVA bulges out into, like, an armoured pocketed dome ball, which seems bad.

Then the light snake attacking Shinji turns into a giant naked Rei with a strange nightmare face who tries to make out with the EVA even though thankfully we at least have been spared horrible human lips to go with the horrible human teeth and fingers we know are in it.

Rei is like, do I want to become one with Shinji so I'm not lonely anymore? Is that what laser snake is trying to tell me and I just don't even know where to begin with all of this, where are you even getting this stuff Rei?

Rei realizes that letting the Angel snake made of light that looks like a giant her make out with Shinji's EVA is not the answer to her existential crisis and exerts her will over it or ... something? I don't know, she makes it like a rubber band that's suddenly reached its end. SNAP goes the light tether between giant naked Rei and Rei's EVA and it whips away from Shinji and the nightmare Rei's light face looks upset by these developments before it's like SCHWOOM back into the EVA ... ... and all the pulsating flesh becomes unpulsating and the dome stomach bits get popped like each segment of the dome is a bubble wrap bubble and then Rei blows herself and the EVA and I guess also the Angel up and I guess it's more effective than guns.

The obelisks want to interrogate someone, Gendo and Number 2 are already dealing with the fact that Rei is dead and just have some really weird conversation in front of machinery about how Rei is all of Number 2's sins and all of Gendo's hopes or ... or something? The obelisks go through a powerpoint of all the Angels defeated so far and I GUESS the kids have been fighting Angels that are all listed in the Dead Sea Scrolls and according to the Dead Sea Scrolls there's only one Angel left which, sure, we're on episode 23 of 26.

Shinji's lying on his bed not listening to music (music is playing but he doesn't have the headphones in) and Misato comes in to try and talk to him about how Rei killed herself to save Shinji. Shinji talks about sadness that's so intense even when tears can't come ... There's no time in this episode to dwell on this honest, awkward little pebble of grief, though. Misato tries to take Shinji's hand to comfort him but that isn't what he needs, he just wants to be alone and rejects Misato's overture.

Misato wonders about whether Shinji has a fear of women (what?) or intimacy (huh?) but when even Penpen refuses to be company for her, she realizes maybe she was projecting her own issues onto Shinji which hey, good catch, Misato! You and Shinji are similar but not the same.

ANYWAY NO TIME FOR THAT BECAUSE REI IS DEFINITELY MIRACULOUSLY ALIVE AND NOT DEAD even though Ritsuko and a bunch of dudes in HAZMAT suits were going over the spot where the EVA blew up and Ritsuko found something that had her going WELL THIS IS SOME X-FILES SHIT.

Shinji goes to see Rei at the hospital where she is bandaged all to hell and staring vaguely at nothing in the hall and he tries to thank her for her exploding sacrifice on his behalf. Rei basically says you're welcome but I have no idea what you're talking about. Shinji doesn't make much headway in expressing his gratitude further because Rei just straight up says I probably don't know what you're talking about because I'm the third Rei. Just straight up 'oh if I seem weird it's probably because I'm clones'.

It's not that Rei is clones that is surprising, it's just the total nonchalance with which Rei drops 'I guess I'm clones' on Shinji.

SO ANYWAY THE OBELISKS ARE INTERROGATING A NAKED RITSUKO BECAUSE GENDO WON'T LET THEM INTERROGATE REI AND HE'S JUST LIKE HEY THIS SCIENTIST WILL SPEAK ON HER BEHALF AND ALSO SHE'S NAKED but who knows who had the bright idea of naked interrogation. Maybe it was Ritsuko. Say a brief, silent prayer of thanks that there's no naked Gendo interrogation because if there is one thing I have learned so far in Evangelion, it's that the more of Gendo I can see, the more distressed I am.

I DON'T EVEN ENTIRELY KNOW WHAT THE OBELISKS ARE ASKING RITSUKO ABOUT.

Rei goes to her apartment and removes all her bandages and she's fine because she's clones so sure, all the bandages were for show. This Rei sees Gendo's old glasses and picks them up and starts to try and crush them in her hands but also she's crying? Reis is conflicted?

Misato's found a datachip that fuckin' Kaji hid in a pill and she's listening to another recording which is maybe all the stuff he learned while spying on NERV I don't know I don't know I don't know anything at this point.

Ritsuko calls Shinji and tells him he's temporarily not being monitored so he ... look, narrative cohesion and scene transitions are a thing of the past, we don't even have glue between disconnected bits anymore. RITSUKO TALKS TO SHINJI ON THE PHONE.

Then Ritsuko is ... somewhere ... work ... I DON'T KNOW MISATO IS BEHIND HER WITH A GUN AND THEN RITSUKO'S LIKE OKAY I'LL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING BUT SHINJI IS HERE SO WE HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO HIM TOO and it's like just flip on the lights in this one spot and bam there's Shinji NO TIME. ELEVATOR. DOWN DOWN DOWN. DOWN DOWN DOWN. THIS SUBBASEMENT LOOKS LIKE REI'S APARTMENT. BECAUSE IT IS REI'S APARTMENT. WATER MEMORIES. LOOK THIS ISN'T WHAT MISATO IS HERE FOR, MISATO IS HERE FOR THE GIANT SEPHIROTH AND KABALLAH AND CROSS HOLLOWS FULL OF GIANT BONES. EVA skulls and bones and Ritsuko's just like yeah those are all the prototypes from ten years ago that didn't become murder robots piloted by teens we just keep them in these religious pattern caves to form the basis for some real gothy jigsaw puzzles. Oh PS Shinji if you find it familiar it's because you've been here before even if you don't remember it this is where the experiments that kill disappeared your mother went down. NO TIME FOR ANYONE TO REACT TO THIS.

LOOK I'M SURE IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING THIS AND YOU KNOW THE SERIES YOU ARE LIKE RITSUKO AND ARE LIKE GET ON WITH IT JUST GET US TO THE CHAMBER WHICH RITSUKO SAYS IS WHERE THE DUMMY PLUGS ARE MADE AND THEN SHE TURNS ON THE LIGHTS AND WELCOME TO THE NIGHTMARE AQUARIUM. THE ONLY EXHIBIT IN THE NIGHTMARE AQUARIUM ARE REI CLONES SMILING AND GIGGLING AT YOU FROM THEIR ORANGE TANG HABITAT. Ritsuko says the captive Reis have no souls, they're just vacant flesh in the shape of a human, there's only one Rei /personality/ which is the first Rei and I guess when she dies they take another one out of the tank and she becomes the Rei with the soul I DON'T KNOW. Ritsuko hates the Reis not because they are the result of some human science meddling in things they cannot understand or control but because somehow the existence of the Reis mean ... Gendo doesn't need her?

BECAUSE RITSUKO, LIKE HER MOTHER BEFORE HER, ALSO WANTS TO BONE DOWN ON THE MAN WHO IS HATE'S SKELETON, WITH MARROW OF PARENTAL NEGLIGENCE, AND A BLACKHOLE SUCKING HIS FLESH ILLUSION EVER INWARDS TO DARKNESS.

NOW IT IS TIME FOR RITSUKO TO TURN OFF THE TANG AQUARIUM LIFE SUPPORT AND ALL THE GIGGLING REIS BEGIN TO BREAK APART, GIGGLING AS THEIR LIMBS SEPARATE AND THEIR ENTRAILS SPILL OUT AND ALL IS DARKNESS BUT THEY'RE STILL GIGGLING AND HOW ARE ANY OF US SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO THIS?! Oh, and the obelisks' plan for the destruction of Tokyo-3 is proceeding on schedule WHAT WAIT WHAT I THOUGHT WE WERE TRYING TO PROTECT TOKYO-3 no wonder Misato drinks. No wonder /you/ drink. This concludes my report on Episode 23 of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Edit: the obelisks talk about having lost the spear of Longinus. It's on the moon, obelisks. You're welcome.

[jumukus]

A3! Event: Re: Tag Match Halloween Episode 10 Translation

Now that their previous problem is solved, both God-za and Mankai Company only have to collect candies to win the competition.

Haruto: Time is almost running out; we've gotta get all the remaining sweets.

You better do your best as well, since we're gonna take you on last.

Shifuto: Ah, Haruto-san, wait for me! See you later, guys~!

Muku: See you!

We also should let everyone know and make up for the lost time.

Tsumugi: True. They must have been quite worried. ...Fufu.

Muku: Tsumugi-san?

Tsumugi: You looked like a real prince when you came to save me, Muku-kun.

You were so cool that I almost feel sorry for those who were with you.

Muku: Huuh! No, I'm not…

Uh… I'm happy if you say so, though.

Tsumugi: Thank you again for saving me, Muku-kun.

Muku: You're welcome!

***

Muku: Looks like we've collected quite a lot of sweets. I think we have made up for the lost time?

Tsumugi: You're right.

Guess all we have to do now is looking for Haruto-kun. We've made a promise to do an Etude Battle with him last, after all.

Announcer: Etude Time for this year's Veludo Way Halloween has finally come to an end!

Good work, everyone. Those who participate in the event, please gather around the stage! We are going to count each pairs' sweets.

Muku: Ah…!

Tsumugi: The time is up…

Shifuto: Hey, you two. So you're here, huh.

Muku: I'm sorry, the event ended before we could hold our battle…

Haruto: It can't be helped. We can only compete through the number of sweets we have.

MC: The winner of this year's Veludo Way Halloween is… God-za's Arakawa and Asuka!!

Citron: Oh… God-za took away the winner spot again…

MC: And--Mankai Company's Sakisaka and Tsukioka! We have double winners for this year's contest!

*applause*

Muku: Wh…What!?

Tsumugi: We did it, Muku-kun!

Kumon: Awesome, Muku! Grats!

Sakuya: Congratulations!

Omi: Haha, good job.

Citron: I expected no less from you two! That's so awesome, being double winners!

Muku: Guys… Thank you!

MC: Let's welcome both winners to the stage. Please enjoy their shows!

Izumi: Muku-kun, Tsumugi-san, good luck on your special performance!

Tsumugi: Thanks.

Muku: We're off!

**

Haruto: "Now, show me your magic…!"

Shifuto: "O light… illuminate our way!"

***

Muku: Both of them are so good…

O-Oh no, I'm getting nervous…

Tsumugi: It'll be fine, Muku-kun. Since today is Halloween, let's have a blast on the stage together.

Muku: You're right. Let's go, Tsumugi-san!

***

Tsumugi: "U-Ugh…"

Muku: "...! A-Are you okay!?"

"Let me help you. My home is just around the corner, you can rest there."

"Are you hurt? Hungry? If there's anything I can do to help…"

Tsumugi: "...Why are you… Why are you so kind to other people even though you're a vampire?"

Muku: "...!"

Tsumugi: "I'm thankful that you're helping me out, but… Isn't a vampire supposed to have dignity and fearful vibes?"

Muku: "...I know--I know I'm not like your usual vampire."

"But I don't know what to do…"

Tsumugi: "I have no choice, then… As a thank you for helping me out, I shall accompany you in your special training."

Muku: "R-Really!?"

***

Tsumugi: "Be more confident! You don't sound fearful enough!"

Muku: "Gi, Give me your blood!"

Tsumugi: "Aaah, geez, no good! Speak louder! Show your fangs! Glare at me!"

Muku: "F-Follow me!"

Tsumugi: "Even when you're laughing, don't just simply smile. Laugh scornfully, make a grinning face."

Muku: "L-Like this? ...Grins."

Tsumugi: "...You look like someone who is in emotional pain."

"Be cooler, more refined, smile more beautifully but make sure you still instill fear in others!"

Muku: "Cool! Refined! More beautiful! ...Grins!"

Tsumugi: "*sighs*. It's no good after all. You're truly not vampire-like…"

Muku: "S-Sorry…"

"Oh… I've got a letter, and a message from the familiar spirits."

Tsumugi: "What is it?"

Muku: "My vampire friends apparently like the raspberry juice I told them about before. They want to know other recipes."

"As for the familiar spirits… Fufu, they're inviting me to go on a night out in the sky."

Tsumugi: "...You're quite liked by others, huh."

Muku: "Is that how it looks?"

"Oh, yeah! Let me treat you to some juice and sweets as a thank you for accompanying me in training."

Tsumugi: "...You're such a strange fellow. Even though you always look out of it and not very vampire-like, I can't somehow bring myself to hate you."

"Well, I guess that's what makes you different from others, and maybe it can be your charming point."

"Just stay the way you are. No need to force yourself to be like other vampires."

***

Shifuto: Your Etude was super interesting!

Haruto: Hmph, it wasn't that bad.

Muku: Ehehe… Thank you!

Shifuto: Oh, right, I heard this from Reni-san--.

Looks like God-za will do a victory parade when they win the Veludo Way Halloween.

Since you two are also the winners in this event, why don't you join us?

Tsumugi: Huh, a victory parade?

Haruto: Hey, you, I've told you to stop deciding things by yours…!

Shifuto: Reni-san never opposed to it, though! It's such a good chance! I'm gonna ask him!

Muku: W-Will it be okay…

Tsumugi: I don't know…

Muku: Wow, a Halloween-themed convertible...! Amazing!

I can't believe we're really allowed to join the parade…!

Tsumugi: Same. Riding a fine convertible at a parade like this is kind of embarrassing, though.

Spectator A: Grats on your win!

Spectator B: It was really great! I'm gonna watch your show as well!

Muku: Thank you!

Citron: Muku! Tsumugi! I'm jealous of you!

Sakuya: You look really cool!

Tsumugi: Y-You guys…!

Izumi: Look here, you two!

Muku: Tsumugi-san, I think Director-san is taking pics right now.

While we're at it… shall we strike a matching pose? Like this bat-like pose...What do you think?

Tsumugi: Oh, that's cute! Like this?

Muku: Yep! Perfect!

Izumi: 3...2...1! Say cheese!

Tsumugi: Thank you for letting us join this parade. It was very memorable.

Muku: Same! Please give our thanks to Reni-san.

Shifuto: Sure. We also had fun going on a parade with you two.

Haruto: That aside, we were really planning to beat you up this time around. I never knew someone would get in our way like that.

Well… You helped us a lot more or less.

Muku: I'm also glad Haruto-san was with me!

Haruto: I'm sure there won't be any misconduct next time.

So when the next Veludo Way Halloween comes around, I'm totally gonna beat you up. No more double winners.

Muku: I'll also do my best…!

Shifuto: You could have saved any talks about the next event later. Let's just celebrate our win today.

Tsumugi: Hahaha, but it was so Haruto-kun to say something like that.

< Episode 9 | Masterlist | Epilogue >

[danwhobrowses]

WWE Wrestlemania 37 Day 2 - Review

And we are back! Wrestlemania hit hard with Day 1, good shit and big moments fitting of the show

So let's see if Day 2 can match up to it, lots of big matches on the card, we'll see how it goes.

See the Night 1 Review Here

Spoilers for Night 2 and References to Night 1 included, you have been Warned

Pre-Show Like the last Night, no matches on the Pre-Show, just drivel and promos. So the same criticisms really, Lawler saying 'Wrestlerainia' doesn't make it any better than when Cole said it, his attempts at jokes were awful even when they were his material. When they recapped Night 1 though they should've shown footage of Ford celebrating with Bianca rather than just say it - a Picture says a Thousand Words. Standard Promo Package lies apply too, 'Rhea Ripley has brutalized everyone she's come through' ...except Io Shirai and Raquel Gonzalez, similar went down for the second half of HOF because Great Khali is only there to pander to India - also what did the Mayor of Knox County ever do for WWE? Sonya also popped up again, strangely to talk about the Nigerian Drum Fight - which Booker T talked about the most, if I wanted to watch a bunch of old dudes talk over Sonya Deville I'd be drinking bleach. She also stuck for Sami vs KO, and barely talked in that too.

Also the promo they had about Kofimania was rough to watch, considering how it ended and how Kofi fared on Night 1, all this to promote a cheesy Cricket commercial about him not touching the ground...

The 24/7 title even got a continuation of ads, but it was more a 'to be concluded on Youtube' - honestly the belt has run its course, Truth has ran out of jokes and it's been reduced to an Old Spice ad crossover.

Main Card Starting once more with 'America the Beautiful', replacing the boob window with a bright yellow hat. It was fine, as a Brit 'America the Beautiful' does nothing for me.

They then did the same intro package as night 1 just with some different clips, skippable. And the shoddy camera switching is still there.

Hogan and Titus came out again this time in pirate outfits, there was noticeable boos in Hogan's bits with cheesy pirate puns. In the end the host concept was wasted on them. Reminder that names in Bold are those I predicted to win.

Randy Orton def. The Fiend [w/Alexa Bliss] (Pinfall via RKO) Orton opened night 2 in white tights and a fairy long-winded entrance, the melted Fiend then walked through a corridor of fire LEDs as CGI burned away into his original Fiend look...but Alexa's Firefly Funhouse music hit. Cutesy Bliss approached a giant Jack in a Box commentary act like just 'appeared'. The Fiend arose from the box in a combat vest, posed then dove right at Orton. Red lights cover the match throughout, Uranage and a neck snap started the match as the Fiend continued to do his spooky thing, it looks like he was gonna set up the punt but Randy rolls out of the ring. Randy hits the back body slam on the Announcer's Desk but it's no sold into the Mandible Claw, rope break and apron DDT from Orton only staggers the Fiend but rebounding his neck off the ropes grounds him momentarily. Orton tries to methodically beat down the Fiend but the monster hits back hard, a missed Senton and a senton follows some head kicks and another apron DDT, he sets up for an RKO but the Fiend gets the Mandible Claw (which commentary no sold even though he has won titles with that move), he sets up Sister Abigail but the ring posts pyro like Kane and before Fiend is Bliss with new makeup, dripping in black goo she extends her hand to the Fiend from the jack in the box, RKO and...3!? Post match Fiend and Alexa stare down, the electricity shorts out and both members disappear.

That's it? That's what we got? The Fiend was burned alive and survived but 1 RKO does it? The Fiend no sold so much in his career and one RKO felled him. The fuck man, this was as bad as the last time these two went at mania, you'd think like the brilliant Firefly Funhouse Match last year we'd get some course correction. But nope, Fiend's story is just being taken over by Alexa and this daft-ass black goo stuff, I don't get the motivation either. Fiend helped Alexa straddle Orton for a 3 count at Fastlane, talked all big for months about how the Fiend was going to obliterate Orton and it lasted about 8 minutes, the entrances lasted longer! Last year the Fiend was great with a cinematic match, but WWE have somehow managed to systematically destroy one of their most inventive characters time and time again, not a good start.

Backstage once again Bayley gets buried by the Hosts and this time Eric Bischoff as she tried to push Ding Dong Hello and got jealous of them talking up Bianca vs Sasha from last night.

WWE Women's Tag Championship - Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax (c) def. Natalya & Tamina (Ref Stoppage Submission by Baszler on Natalya via Kirufuda Clutch) Not a promising sign to follow the opener with this match, the challengers entered quickly with Natalya having a slightly altered attire. Jax and Baszler came in with red, black and gold. Natalya and Baszler start the match with some mat wrestling, Natalya almost gets the Sharpshooter so Shayna tags Nia in, Nia shoves Natalya and demands that Tamina - her old tag partner - be tagged in. Both trade headbutts, Tamina almost lifts Nia but fails, she tags in Natalya for the double back body drop and drops the blind tagged Shayna onto her partner. Natalya tries a Sharpshooter but is schoolboy'd for 2, Natalya retaliates with a German Suplex, whipping Shayna into a Clothesline, then launch pad into a superkick. As Shayna strikes back an advantage she stiffs Natalya in the mouth with a knee (legitimately, there was a picture of a welt before) Nia brawls with Tamina outside, hitting a powerslam outside of the ring. Another knee strike floors Natalya for 2 as Shayna works on the leg, kneebar and then an ankle stomp, Nia follows up with a Legdrop over the injured leg, another kneebar and then combos of swing/knee strike and irish whip/powerslam. Nia runs into the turnbuckle as Natalya floors Nia with multiple lariat attempts, Nia though hits back with a Chokeslam/Powerbomb thing they called a Spinebuster but the pin is broken by Tamina. Tamina gets the hot tag against Shayna, Baszler tries to weaken the leg, then the Kirufuda clutch but Tamina powers into a Samoan Drop. She goes up for a Superfly Splash but Shayna kicks her, Nia looks to do an Avalanche Samoan Drop but Natalya pulls Tamina away, she lariats Baszler but Nia hits the crossbody on both opponents for 2, favouring the knee after. Talking trash to Tamina she gets hit with a slam, Nia's repositioning couldn't be missed by the wide shot as Tamina goes for the Superfly Splash, but nobody home. Natalya's tagged and she goes for Baszler in the corner, Baszler counters and blind tags as Nia lifts Natalya up, but she wriggles out, floors Baszler again and sets the Sharpshooter on the now not legal Nia. Baszler cinches in the Kirufuda clutch and the match is over.

The fact that this was more eventful than the opener speaks volumes. It was a match, I don't think there's many people who feel like Nia and Shayna deserve this spot. Shayna was great in NXT but she's not doing herself any favours stiffing her opponents, Nia's rubbing off in a bad way. I had the challengers to win because I'm bored of them still being champions - only briefly giving it to Asuka and Charlotte so Charlotte can add that to her list - they should've either dropped to NXT or let the Riott Squad win, there was nothing in this match to invest in.

Rey Mysterio is used to promote 2K22. A surprise since we thought WWE and 2K's partnership was done, I am a huge fan of Rey so it was nice to see, much nicer if he was actually on Wrestlemania and getting a push...

Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn [w/Logan Paul] (Pinfall via Stunner) JBL is the guest commentator for this...for some reason. Sami struts to the ring in dark green trying to pull off a Che Guevara look, a mini tantrum at the ramp before heading to the ring and grabbing the mic to introduce Logan Paul, who walks to the ring as Sami dances super embarrassingly in the ring. Owens then charges into the ring with vigor to get the crowd amped up. The bell rings, Sami tries the Helluva Kick and gets hit with a Pop-Up Powerbomb. KO punishes Sami in the start, dropping Sami gut-first on the ropes, corner clothesline and Cannonball as the camera awkwardly keeps cutting to Logan Paul. Sami gets a suplex on the apron to get back some momentum as he demands for Owens to be counted out, Owens rolls in at 8 but Sami continues to club at KO's head. Cole calls a Michinoku Driver a Blue Thunder Bomb but this time gets called out on it, pinfall is 2 and Sami gets into the ref's face. Attempted Superplex leads to a fistfight in the corner, Owens headbutts him off and Frog Splashes for 2, tries the Pop-Up powerbomb, Sami leapfrogs, Sami tries the Michinoku Driver but Owens reverses it into a meaty Pumphandle Neckbreaker for 2. He goes for the Package Piledriver but Sami hits the corner exploder, tries for the Helluva Kick but misses, KO tries the Stunner but it's reversed into a Blue Thunder Bomb for 2 as well. Two Exploders and a Brainbuster for 2 frustrates Sami further, brawling in the corner, he tries for a Superplex but gets hit with an Avalanche twisting Fisherman's Suplex. KO hits Sami with some corner clotheslines but as he runs to bounce off the other corner he runs into a Helluva Kick, Sami catching his collapsed friend as he sets it up again, 2 Superkicks from Owens and a Stunner finishes Sami off as Logan Paul applauds. Post-Match Logan checks on Sami and congratulates Owens, which Sami takes umbrage with. Logan shoves Sami as he storms off, Logan holds KO's arm in the air to boos, cheers start to rumble as Paul is hit with a stunner to a pop.

KO and Sami rarely disappoints, I don't think they really got to get out of second gear but it was still a good match. The Logan Paul stuff though was stupid and unnecessary, sure we got him to eat a Stunner but the ends don't justify the means. Also why was JBL there?

Backstage Riddle scooters across to Great Khali, stoner comedy doesn't land as Khali no sells it, RVD shows up to wish Riddle luck. Segment was meh.

US Championship - Sheamus def. Riddle (c) (Pinfall via Brogue Kick TITLE CHANGE!) Sheamus arrives blinding white but no special gear, Riddle scooters down in an Evil Knievel jacket, hologram doves with pirate hats and eyepatches adding to the cheese. Sheamus uses his power to start, but Riddle comes back with some chops, Sheamus hits back in each of his attempts; knee to the gut, then driving Riddle's sleeper in the corner, then a reversal swinging slam. Irish Curse gets 2, Riddle tries a Tarantula Armbreaker but Sheamus hits his Beats of Bodhran, he goes up high but Riddle reverses with a Spanish Fly Belly to Belly on the top turnbuckle. Riddle rallies with strikes, hits a Pele Kick and a Senton, to slight Goldberg Riddle hits the Jackhammer on the second time of trying but only gets 2. He tries the Bro Derek but Sheamus rolls back, Riddle kicks Sheamus away but in his slingshot lands into a Brogue Kick, 1, 2, No. Alabama Slam, 1, 2, No. He tries a White Noise on the Apron but gets pushed into the Ring Post and then German's on the Apron. An Apron PK and Moonsault keeps Sheamus down enough for Riddle to hit the Twisting Moonsault, he locks in the Reverse armbar but it's reversed into a deadlift powerbomb, Riddle then latches the sleeper for the rope break. Sheamus tries again for a Top Rope White Noise, Riddle tries to Sunset Bomb but fails, Riddle tries the Spanish Fly Belly to belly again but Sheamus grabs him. A stumble means that the two hop off the Turnbuckle for a normal White Noise, Sheamus goes up with a Knee Drop but it only hits 2. Sheamus calls for the Brogue, gets rolled up but catches the Knee strike, Riddle dodges the lariat, goes for a Springboard Moonsault but lands into the Brogue, 1, 2, 3. Post match Riddle is bleeding from the mouth, he angrily stares at the gleeful Sheamus who leaves with the title.

A good title match and much deserved from Sheamus, who has delivered in many matches on the later stages of of the Wrestlemania year, shame he was on the wrong brand to complete the set, he only needs the IC title to win everything. Riddle doesn't do it for me in this gimmick (which as I gather is mostly himself stoned) but credit where it's due, he put a good performance and that was a strong finish.

An odd package followed where Triple H handed Bad Bunny a golden briefcase with a skull microphone, which he opened atop his truck. The briefcase says Tour 2022 to promote his future tour.

Nigerian Drum Fight for the IC Title - Apollo Crews def. Big E (c) (Pinfall via Dabba Kato Chokeslam TITLE CHANGE!) The promo really hurt my ears to hear Apollo's accent devolve into this foreign heel gimmick. Wale though performs to enter Big E, more questionable camera cuts to E and the Fireworks. E's jacket represented Feeding Tampa Bay as a nice nod to the food bank, Apollo came out in Nigerian colors with his scarf and Spear. Commentary's line saying 'this isn't about percussion' falls kinda flat when there's drums around the ring.

Both men roll out to grab Kendo sticks, trading blows which E gets the power advantage over. E grabs the giant cymbal but Apollo knees it away, hits E with some more Kendo Shots back into the ring. You can hear the WAFT of Apollo's missed shot as E knocks him away and then does the out-of-ring spear. E sets up the lower steps near the apron but gets hit with a DVD on the apron, pinfall gets 2. Crews grabs the top half of the steps, lays E on the one he sets up and throws the other steps at it, but E rolls away just in time. On the apron Apollo hits a big boot, but on the second attempt falls into an Uranage onto the flat steps (which Cole called an Uranage Suplex for some reason...), after some trash talking E gets a table set up in the ring near a corner. Apollo kicks back and flurries E with a Kendo Stick, he rolls E onto the table to go for the frog splash, but E rolls away sending Apollo crashing through the table. E hits the Big Ending, but Dabba Kato/Babatunde in a military jacket breaks the pin, a sorta Samoan Spike and a Chokeslam leads to him dragging Apollo onto E for the win. Apollo gets a lot of unnecessary pyro and shakes his new comrade's hand.

Bit short that, the gimmick didn't really come into play. I mean, I'm glad Apollo gets a chance to hold another title and E can look towards the top of the card but I don't think this was really the way to do it. It didn't need to be a 'Nigerian Drum Fight', could've just been a No DQ, Dabba Kato gets his third repackaging since Greatest Royal Rumble probably as Apollo's 'General' which is kinda no different to what AJ and Omos are doing just with more foreign heel-isms. But yeah, bit disappointing on the means of it but the outcome was right, just...kinda stop faking a thick accent it's getting you nowhere acting like you're on the set of Black Panther.

Again we look back at Night 1, this time with minor clips of Ford congratulating his wife, but should've been a segment on its own rather than a flash-through recap. Stone Cold Mania 38 Texas promo and the HOF promo they did on this Pre-Show happens again which is unnecessary but the hologram of a ghost ship was cool, the HOFers come out and Kane gets the entrance, he does his pyro and that's it - that's how you do it, Hogan.

Raw Women's Championship - Rhea Ripley def. Asuka (c) (Pinfall via Riptide TITLE CHANGE!) THIS IS MY BRUTALITY! performed live as Rhea wastes no time coming out, leather biker outfit this time, no Vegeta costume. Silly camera cuts to Rhea and the Singer AGAIN though, stop it WWE it's distracting. Asuka dances down the ring in a bit of a Jason mask, but the camera keeps cutting to Rhea which is off-putting. Also commentary on 'she has never seen Rhea Ripley up close and personal', they were in a tag match together a week and a half ago and in Survivor Series 2019 she faced her in Team NXT as part of Team RAW, seriously WWE...

Asuka starts hot with her athleticism, dropkicks, rebounds and rollups met with more shoddy camera cuts, Rhea leaves the ring to take a moment as Asuka taunts her, she baits Asuka out of the ring as she rolls in but her leg is caught, pop-up knee strike returns Rhea to the ring but she misses the hip attack, gifting Rhea the slamming facebuster for 2. Rhea wears the champion down and taunts her with leg scissors and hits a couple of clotheslines, Asuka reverses the third into an ankle lock but Rhea rolls into a Release German Suplex. Rhea grinds away at Asuka's back and sets up for a super German but Asuka elbows her away and lands the Missile Dropkick, Release German, Hip Attack, a strike combo, another Hip Attack but it only gets 2. Asuka goes up top but is dropkicked to the outside, Asuka tries a PK on the apron but is caught into an Electric Chair position and dropped chin-first onto the apron. Trying to roll Asuka back into the ring, the champion returns to hit a DDT from the apron to the outside, after breaking the count Asuka only gets 2, stomps at Rhea but her running knee gets caught, Rhea stomps at Asuka and sets up the Texas Cloverleaf, Asuka rolls out and into the Armbar but Rhea swings Asuka into the bottom turnbuckle. Deadlift suplex back into the ring for 2, Asuka reverses a waistlock into two armbar variations and then an Asuka Lock, Rhea rolls back for 2 and the hold to break but gets gutted with kicks to the chest, Rhea demands more so Asuka runs to the ropes, Rhea catches her, Riptide, 3!

That finish came out of nowhere, which was not a good thing. We were having quite an enjoyable match which ended around the 15 minute mark, it wasn't short but the narrative wasn't quite there yet. I'm happy for Rhea, who I predicted to win but like Sasha/Bianca it came with the heavy heart. Like Sasha, Asuka has often been slighted especially at Wrestlemania, she deserves her moment too, especially Asuka who carried the Women for most of the Empty Arena era.

WWE recapped the opener which was a bad idea, Hogan and Titus thanked all the viewers at home and the fans but were interrupted by Bayley who demanded and got her pyro, then out came the Bella Twins. Bayley got a good zing by calling them Elmo but then Nikki slapped the mic away from her when she says 'John Cena isn't here tonight', Bellas said 'Ding Dong, Goodbye' and beat down Bayley. This was shite really, Bayley had been buried across 2 nights and her 'comeuppance' is the Bella Twins, not the woman beginning with B I was hoping for, and the John Cena comment was heavily forced, fans know they broke up ages ago Nikki has a kid with her husband who is not John Cena, fans aren't stupid WWE.

WWE then promoted 'Wrestlemania Backlash' for May 16th, a whole month away. They say it'll be a whole new season for WWE so I'm wondering if it's just a storyline reset...y'know how Wrestlemania is supposed to be, slapping Wrestlemania on other show names doesn't make it Wrestlemania-tier guys.

Universal Championship - Roman Reigns (c) [w/Paul Heyman & Jey Uso] def. Daniel Bryan and Edge (Pinfall on Edge and Bryan via Con-Chair-To) To the Main Event, one of the few storylines in Mania's card that was consistently good in build. Bryan comes out first, camera angles flashing during the YES! chants. Huge pops and smoke rage for Metalingus and Edge enters in white and Red (bookending with Orton), fireworks camera shots though. For once, Roman Reigns enters the Main Event without a chorus of deafening boos, but he takes his time to come out, in his red wreath flanked by Jey Uso and Heyman, cameras cutting to each opponent's faces a bit too much, especially to Bryan. Bad call not to bring in Justin Roberts to announce Edge either. Roman makes sure to hoist the belt while facing both his opponents before the bell.

Reigns starts by suckering Bryan and then going after Edge. He throws Bryan out of the ring where Jey superkicks him and sends him into the steps thanks to Triple Threat rules. Edge eats a superkick from Uso too when he's thrown out as Roman cleans up the announcer's table, as Edge is grabbed by Uso, Reigns is hit by Bryan's suicide dive but eats an Uso superkick, this gives Edge time to throw Uso into the steps, pinballing Reigns against the barricade and apron until bouncing off of the ring post. Edge then sets his sights on Uso, hitting a DDT on the steps to take him out of the equation, medical team swarm Uso as Heyman halfheartedly looks concerned. Edge chases Heyman away and enters the ring with Bryan - a moment which would've been sold better if the camera didn't cut to a close up of Roman alive and well on the outside. Bryan gets the Yes Kicks in the corner but his Super Rana is reversed into a sunset flip, Edge-o-matic but it's only 2. Roman comes back on the apron both men attempting to suplex the other, Bryan slides under Roman and cuts Roman's legs from under him - jawbreaking Edge on the ropes - he hits the Missile Dropkick on Edge, kips up and hits the uppercut, after dodging the lariat he tries to suicide dive Roman but he's caught by the champion and hit with a belly to belly suplex. Edge brings Roman to the ring but gets hit with a clothesline, Roman sets up the Superman Punch but Edge turns it into an Edgecution. He sets up the Spear but Roman knocks him down, Roman sets the Spear but it is reversed in a Sunset Flip, both men collide with spears to take each other out. During a wide shot Bryan goes up top, he lands a diving headbutt on Edge, then on Roman, he pins Roman but only gets 2. Yes Kicks to both men, Roman dodges one and pushes him towards Edge, but Bryan ducks the Lariat and hits the Buisaku Knee, Roman tries the Superman Punch but is kicked in the gut, Buzzsaw Kick! 1, 2, No! Bryan stomps on Roman's head and sets up the Yes Lock, but Edge breaks the hold, so Bryan puts Edge in the Yes Lock and Roman breaks the hold, clubbing at Bryan and powerbombing him onto Edge. After dumping Bryan, Roman pauses before setting up half the steps near the Announcer's Table, he's incited by the 'Roman Sucks' chant and powerbombs Bryan through the Announcer's table, but is then blindsided with a Spear! Edge goes to bring in a chair but Roman keeps his foot on it, he pulls the chair away and tries the Guillotine but Edge locks in the Crossface, as Roman powers out Edge grabs a part of the chair leg that fell off and uses that in his Crossface - a humorous face from Reigns as I pause the vid as well XD - he's about to tap but Bryan grabs the hand, and locks in the Yes Lock! Annoyed that his win is stolen, Edge demands he break the hold, but Bryan refuses, leading to a headbutt fight and Bryan pounding at Edge. Bryan then stomps at Edge's head and looks for the Buisaku Knee, but gets hit by a Spear! Roman tries a Spear but Edge hits one of his own! 1, 2, Bryan pulls the ref out of the ring. Furious, Edge introduces more chairs, hitting Bryan and Edge one after the other. He sets up Con-Chair-To to both men, hits it on Bryan but Jey Uso returns to attack, eats a Spear and a load of Chair Shots, Reigns hits the spear on Edge, hits the Con-Chair-To, drags Edge over Bryan and pins both for the win.

The show closes with pyro and Fireworks as Roman talks trash on his opponents and holds the title aloft, ending Wrestlemania 37.

It was a very good back and forth match, Roman of course relying heavily on Jey's interferences and the animosity between Edge and Bryan to come out on top. Keeping the Spear and the Con-Chair-To for last was the right move and the latter was definitely impactful enough to ensure that Bryan could sleep for a few minutes, especially with his and Edge's history of neck injuries. I bet on Roman because of his past record, how after finally turning heel he gets the right heat and because in Triple Threats involving a Heel Champion and 2 Faces, you either bet on the third man or the heel champion, since the story was that Roman could lose without being pinned I chose the latter, the heel often finds the escape. All three men had great chemistry together and I hope for more, SD's world title scene having an absolute slew of competitors waiting to challenge the head of the table.

Conclusion Overall another good night of wrestling...just not better. There were some super baffling and poor moments in the first half of the show and 3 title changes in a row (as well as 2 live performances in a row) was probably not the best card layout Night 2 could've done. Overall it was still a good show though and as a whole Wrestlemania 37 was a success, if not without its glaring flaws. But it goes to show that a 2-Day Wrestlemania continues to flourish as a new season of WWE kicks off.

[gamergirl929]

Forget It Ever Happened (I Could Never Forget You) (Charlotte Flair x Reader)

After a drunken one night stand with a beautiful blonde, you quickly realize that the beautiful blonde wasn’t just anyone, it was Charlotte Flair, a WWE Superstar, a daughter of a WWE Hall Of Famer, a company you’d just joined as the first LGBTG commentator. 

This fic is pretty smutty so be prepared! 

“Fuck.” Charlotte lets out a groan as she grinds into your lap.

You let out a rumbling growl that has Charlotte sighing against the flesh of your neck.

Needless to say, you were wasted, as was the blonde in your lap.

You’d met at the bar and here you were two hours later rutting against one another like horny teenagers.

“Fuck.” Charlotte says as she grinds into you, her brow furrowing in pleasure.

She lets out a sudden gasp when you move to your feet lifting her into the air by her waist.

You lean her back against the nearest wall, her legs wrapping around your waist as your hands roam.

“Oh.” She gasps as you nip at her partially exposed breasts at the top of her dress.

Charlotte places both hands on your shoulders when your fingertips swipe at her inner thigh.

Y/E/C orbs lock with Charlotte’s green ones and the woman groans as your fingertip drags across the wet fabric at the junction between her thighs.

“More. Please.” She begs and you’re only happy to oblige.  

Rubbing tight circles over her damp panties has Charlotte mewling as she hides her face in your neck.

It’s not long after that that Charlotte’s breathing quickens.

“I’m close. I’m so close.” She whines out and you grin as you pull her panties to the side.

Your fingers still and Charlotte let’s out a growl in protest.  

“No, please don’t st-

Charlotte’s sentence ends in a loud groan as you push two of your long digits inside of her.

You shush her softly as you nip at her ear lobe.

“Don’t want anyone hearing us.” You smirk as you brush your thumb against her clit.

You curl your fingers inside of her and her body shakes and shivers as she lets out a breathy moan.

You drag your tongue up her neck until you reach her jawline, kissing the hard bone tenderly.

You set a relentless pace, Charlotte moaning and groaning in pleasure as she rides your fingers.

She cums with a gasp and a shudder, her body tensing in your arms.

“Fuck.” Charlotte moans as she begins rocking against your hand once more her inner walls tightening around your fingers.  

And that action alone is the catalyst for the rest of your night.

                                                           ***

Needless to say, you’d come into work with a massive migraine, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at you.

You straighten your tie as you move through the backstage area, muttering your lines under your breath nervously.

The night before was a blur the only thing you’d remembered being a pair of pretty green eyes and a head of blonde hair.

Suddenly, something out of the corner of your eye causes your Y/E/C orbs to widen.

A familiar head of blonde hair is what you first see, and seconds later green orbs lock with yours.

You stand stock still as Charlotte Flair makes her way towards you, her own eyes wide.

She grabs your arm and drags you down the hall until she eventually finds an empty room to shove you into.  

“What the hell.” She whispers and you shake your head.

“I’m just as surprised as you are.”  

Charlotte scoffs.

“You’re trying to tell me you had no idea who I was last night?”  

You snort, your scarred brow arched.

“I was plastered.” You shrug. “You didn’t know who I was either.”  

Charlotte rolls her eyes, mumbling something under her breath.

“What?” You ask and she rolls her eyes.

“Nothing, you know what? Just don’t mention last night ever again. It never happened.” She sneers before turning on her heels and leaving the room.

                                                           ***

“Goddamn.” Charlotte sighs as her head bounces off the wall, her mouth dropping open in a silent scream.

You smirk up at her from between her legs a brow arched.  

“Do you want me to forget tonight too?” You ask and she groans as she shoves your face back between her legs.

“Less talking.” She sighs. “Put your mouth to good use.”

You smirk as you dive back between Charlotte’s legs, nipping at Charlotte’s already swollen clit.  

The blonde lets out a shudder and you smirk as you swipe your tongue against her dripping core.  

Charlotte’s hands fist in your hair, pulling you close as your tongue works against her most sensitive parts.  

Suddenly, Charlotte cums with a lengthy groan, her eyes rolling back in her head as her back arches.  

You flick your tongue against her swollen bud until she’s pushing you away, too sensitive to take anymore.  

You look up at Charlotte with a smirk.  

“Should I forget about tonight too?”  

Charlotte rolls her eyes.  

“Yes.”  

                                                           ***

The weeks that followed were much of the same, you and Charlotte sneaking around in secret.  

You being the first LGBTQ commentator on the RAW commentary team and it was going over well with the fans, they liked your charisma and the way you’d call out Jerry when he made certain comments about the women.  

You were quickly becoming the commentator that everyone listened to, they valued your opinion and the way your voice warbled over the microphone was something they enjoyed.  

Still, you and Charlotte had tip toed around in the dark, careful not to be caught by your fellow superstars.  

“Wait. Stop.” You say as you hold your hand up, stopping Charlotte from closing the distance between the two of you.  

“What is it?” She asks and you take a deep breath.  

“We can’t keep doing this, if someone found out I could lose my job. I can’t let this jeopardize my career.” You frown and Charlotte takes a deep breath.  

“Yeah, I mean I understand. It was just for fun anyway.” She shrugs.  

At that your heart aches slightly in your chest, but none the less you nod.  

“Yeah that’s right.” You nod, your voice strong as you fight off your emotions.  

Charlotte nods for a second before she takes a step towards you, gently pushing you back into the wall behind you.  

“I mean we still have tonight.” She purrs as she ducks her head, pressing soft kisses to your jawline.  

You swallow hard, your arms slipping around Charlotte, your hands resting on the small of her back.  

“What’s stopping us from having one more night together?” She asks as she takes your earlobe between her lips and gives it a tug.  

You let out a groan that makes Charlotte shudder, you’d had that effect on her since the first time the two of you had started this little tryst, but she was quick to ignore it.  

Suddenly you flip her around, pushing the taller woman back against the wall.  

Charlotte’s leg hitches up over your waist and you smirk.  

“I suppose one more night won’t hurt.” You smirk as you slip a hand behind Charlotte’s head and pull her into a kiss, one you don’t realize is softer than usual.  

                                                           ***

Months had passed since the two of you had shared an intimate moment together, months and the two of you had turned into nothing but colleagues, at least that’s what you told yourself.  

Your heart skipped a beat every time the woman’s music hit and you had the honor of calling her match.  

Each and every dangerous moonsault had you holding your breath, fearful that the move would go terribly wrong.  

The trysts you told yourself had meant nothing, meant a lot more than nothing.  

You’d caught feelings for the one and only Charlotte Flair and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t shake them.  

You’re pulled out of your thoughts when familiar music hits, music that makes your lip curl angrily.  

The Kabuki Warriors celebrate in the ring, earning a win over a couple of Jobbers who didn’t stand a chance.  

“Of course, though they were against a less threatening opponent, Asuka and Kairi need the green mist to win as per usual.” You roll your eyes as the pair stops at the top of the ramp.  

“Will they ever get a clean win?” You scoff.  

You realize that out of the corner of your eye, Asuka is quickly advancing on you, somehow hearing the words that had just left your mouth.  

Suddenly you’re sent sprawling, a round house kick to the face sending you falling backwards off the stage and onto the floor below.  

Your commentator partners, Vic Joseph and Jerry Lawler are quick to their feet, The King coming to your aid while refs and medical staff run from the back.  

Refs do their best to keep The Kabuki Warriors away from you, but when a familiar music hits, sounding loudly throughout the arena, you know The Kabuki Warriors have much more to worry about than the refs.  

You can feel something hot and sticky running down your face, courtesy of the gash across your eye brow.  

The medical staff are quick to cover your eye with gauze to keep the blood from out of it.

Almost immediately you’re pulled to your feet and being guided backstage, noting that both Asuka and Kairi are laid out on the stage.  

Charlotte rushes to your side, her arm slipping around your middle.  

“Are you alright?” She asks worriedly and you cringe as you pull the gauze away, revealing the injury across your eyebrow.  

Anger sparks behind Charlotte’s eyes as she leaves your side in favor of stomping on both a downed Asuka and Kairi Sane.  

Unfortunately, you can only hear the fans cheering in appreciation at the beatdown The Kabuki Warriors are receiving instead of seeing it for yourself.  

You’re led through the backstage area and into the trainer's room where you’re forced to sit on the bed.  

The trainer soaks a cotton ball in what you guess is alcohol and presses against your bleeding wound, causing you to let out a pained growl.  

“Looks like this is going to need stitches.” He frowns and you sigh.  

The door to the trainer’s room flies open and Charlotte marches inside, her green eyes locking with your Y/E/C orbs.  

Her lip curls in a snarl when her eyes land on the bleeding gash across your eyebrow. She cups your cheek before she takes the cotton ball from off the table and places it on your bleed flesh.  

“I’m going to kill them.” She growls as she gently dabs the wound with the cotton ball, the ball filling with blood quickly.  

“She’s going to need stitches.” The trainer frowns as he places the necessary items on the tray beside you.  

“Could you lie back?” The trainer says and you nod as you lay back, body aching from the fact that you’d fallen a few feet off your chair before hitting the hard floor below.  

Charlotte is stuck to you like glue, her hand in yours as the trainer produces a needle.  

“Now you’re going to feel a pinch.” You cringe.  

“It’s okay.” Charlotte whispers. “Look at me.” She commands and almost immediately your eyes dart to her.  

She cups your cheek, frowning when your face scrunches up in pain.  

“Shhh.” She shushes you softly and you sigh as her thumb runs gently back and forth across your cheek.  

Your eyes flutter open and you give her a small smile.  

“We’ll let that numb and then we’ll get started, shouldn’t take too many stitches, but it’s deep and wide enough you need them.” The trainer says as her hands Charlotte a cotton ball soaked in alcohol.  

“How are The Kabuki Warriors?” You ask with a smirk and Charlotte literally growls.  

“I dealt with them, but I’m not done with them, not by a long shot.”  

You smile as she ever so gently dabs at the still bleeding wound.  

Eventually, the pain subsides and the trainer is turning towards you.  

“Are you ready?” He asks and you wince.  

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” You grumble and he smiles.  

“It will take no time at all, and trust me, this is better than dealing with an infection.” He shakes his head and you nod.  

The procedure begins, and you turn your attention to Charlotte who gives you a small smile.  

“Something tells me that won’t be the last time I’ll get smacked around.” You snort and Charlotte’s eyes narrow.  

“Well, if anyone touches you, they have to deal with me.”  

Your eyes dart around Charlotte’s face, your brow furrowing.  

The feelings you’d been doing your best to hide resurfacing at the visible anger and worry you see on Charlotte’s face.  

A part of you wondered if there was a chance that she felt the same, but you quickly pushed that feeling aside, knowing there was no way that Charlotte Flair could ever feel that way about Y/N Y/L/N.

Your eyes flutter shut as you focus on the feeling of Charlotte’s finger tips gently tracing your jawline and not the feeling of the pressure just above your right eye. 

Charlotte smiles as her green orbs dart around your face, anger making itself known as she looks at your slowly closing injury.  

Charlotte knew that the trysts between the two of you were more than just fun, she wanted more and a part of her, a large part of her, wished you felt the same. 

The trainer finishes your stitches shortly after, examining his work before he moves to his feet.  

“Let’s just get a bandage on there and we’ll be all set.”  

He places two thin bandages across your wound with a small smile.  

“Just be sure to keep an eye on it for the next 48 hours okay?” He nods and you sit up slowly, wincing as you nod.  

“You got it doc.” You smile and the man nods.  

His eyes dart between the two of you before he makes his way out of the room, leaving the two of you alone.  

You move towards the edge of the bed, your feet dangling off the end as Charlotte stands over you. She gently spreads your legs and moves to stand between them, her hand gently cupping your cheek.  

“I was so worried.” She whispers as her fingertips trace the cut across your eyebrow.  

You close your eyes at the feel of her breath on your face.  

“When I saw her hit you, I just...” Charlotte swallows hard, her eyes closing.  

You stare up at her, your tongue swiping at your lips.  

You finally gather some courage and lean up, your lips brushing against her own.  

You inhale sharply and pull back eyes widen when green orbs lock with your own.  

“I... I’m sorry...” You swallow hard.  

Charlotte, much to your surprise, smiles as she cups your cheeks.  

The blonde leans forwards, her lips pressing gently against your own.  

You reciprocate the kiss happily, the kiss, far from the ones you’d shared with the woman before. This kiss is softer and driven by passion instead of lust.  

The two of you pull apart, your eyes fluttering open at roughly the same time.  

Green eyes lock with Y/E/C and you both smile tenderly at one another.  

“What do you say we start over...?” Charlotte whispers and you smile, ready to forget the past and start over.  

“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”  

Charlotte’s lips split into a massive grin as she leans forwards pressing her lips against your freshly stitched wound.  

A wound that would eventually scar.  

A scar that Charlotte made sure to kiss every chance she got.  

A scar that became one of her favorite things about you.  

[deepdisireslonging]

Standing Against the Past

A rumbling is spreading through the locker rooms. Should retired wrestlers continue to fight, or should they let the next generation have their chance to make history? The children of two legacies, Charlotte Flair and Randy Orton, seek to answer this by forming an alliance. 

Pairing: None

Warnings/Promises: wrestling violence, unusual formating

Word Count: 4220

Note: I would love to write out this whole thing. But I don’t have the time, nor the energy for it. So, I’m trying something a little different. I wrote out what is usually an outline for me, and that is what I’m going to post. Nor am I waiting till Friday to do so. Here and there are scenes that I really need to keep from bouncing around in my head. If this works, for the most part, I might keep doing things this way so I can continue to create content, and continue to be creative for creative sake. Let me know your thoughts about this with comments, reblogs, gif reactions, etc. Enjoy!

January - Monday 2/Week 1 “Recap”

“Natural Selection near the ropes. Could this put away Lacey Evans? Wait- what?”

Charlotte Flair twisted around, wondering why the three-count had not been completed. Ric Flair pointed at the bottom rope, and at the ankle he had just put there. She took in the sight of Lacey’s ankle not on the canvas, but on the rope. She slowly turned to look at her father. He backed away from the ring. The Nature Boy had never been a face, not really. But damn if he didn’t try to look innocent.  

The match continued for about another thirty seconds. If that long. With another interference from her father, Charlotte lost the match. 

Quickly, Ric backed further away from the ring, terrified of his daughter’s quiet rage fuming there. By the time Lacey was by his side, he was all smiles. 

*What the hell just happened?* Charlotte thought. 

***

Randy Orton glared across the canvas as Triple H hauled up his iconic sledgehammer. But it was wrong. Very wrong. Flames covered the hunk of metal at the top. Soon, that was the only light in the arena. When it went out, it took the Cerebral Assassin with it, replacing him with a purple hue and burned apprehension into Randy’s chest. 

Slowly, he turned to look over his shoulder, spotting Alexa Bliss. 

Pain.

Within another thirty seconds, his eyes were burned by the firebolt that Little Miss Bliss shot at him. He rolled on the canvas, screaming in agony as the show came to a close. 

***

Even when he removed the icepack to his lap, he didn’t glance at her as she stepped into the shadows. “Legends are hard to get rid of, aren’t they?” He chuckled. “Thought you’d be enough for Lacey though.”

“And I thought for sure that you’d be enough for Alexa, but here we are.” Charlotte shuddered to control herself. “I hate that I have to ask, but how did you do it? When you wrestle, your Dad barely comes up at all besides the odd mention that you’re a third generation.” She grit her teeth. “I can’t seem to breathe without his legacy coming up.”

“I have the benefit that my Dad doesn’t come around the ring anymore. Yours can’t seem to stay away.” He made eye contact. “Despite your best efforts.”

Knuckles paling under the force, Charlotte held her fist to her lips. “There’s a way to fix that,” she whispered.

Now she had his full attention. Randy turned to face her. Under her calm complexion, he could see, and understand, the rage boiling in her blood. The blood of a Flair.

“For me to get rid of him-”

“Permanently away from the ring-”

“I would have to break his spirit. Wrestling has been his whole life.” Randy cocked his head to side. “Are you ready to accept the consequences?”

Charlotte hesitated. She licked her lips. “At a minimum, do enough to keep him away long enough for me to demolish Lacey.” Her breath stuttered. This was probably a mistake. Randy was too ready, too eager to destroy a life. To destroy a heritage. “If you go even an inch too far,” she snarled, “I will cut the head off the viper myself.”

He had to laugh. “That’s supposed to dissuade me? Maybe I like the idea of that challenge. Perhaps I can kill the Flair name for good.”

“Try, and I can promise you there will not be a fourth generation of Ortons to step into the ring.”

“Threatening my family-”

“Do not think to overstep our understanding. We were both bred for this business. Cross that line, and I will cross you further than you’d ever be willing to go. But this isn’t how I want to do things. I’m here to offer help with your little Bliss problem in return-”

“You’re here because you can’t do yourself,” he shot back. He stepped into her space. “Because you’re scared ‘daddy’ won’t love his little girl anymore.”

Unbothered, Charlotte tilted her head. Randy’s mind flashed with the memory of Alexa Bliss tilting her head in a similar fashion. And the danger it meant. “If our places were switched, and you were the one stifled under your own family name, would you be able to do it on your own?”

Randy leaned back, levelling his gaze. After a minute of consideration, he rumbled out an answer. “I would do whatever it took to stand on my own feet.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Do you have a time limit to this… request?”

“As soon as possible.” They nodded at one another. Before she left, Charlotte tossed back, “I won’t forget this, Randy.” She disappeared down the hall.

Randy grinned. “You won’t. I won’t let you.”

***

January - Monday 3/Week 2 “Beginnings”

Hunter is still missing. Commentary questions Randy’s next move, and the health of his eyes after last week’s attack.

Lacey vs Charlotte Part 2:

Ric is fully in Lacey’s corner

Halfway through the match, Randy RKO’s him onto the ringside mat before disappearing behind the Thunderdome screens.

Charlotte wins undeniably and brutally

Charlotte tells her post-match interviewer that, “Yes, Lacey was not the first nor the last person to flirt with my father. But she was the most satisfying to put down.”

By her side, Randy avoids questions about his “assist”

***

January - Monday 4/Week 3

Lacey talks nasty about Charlotte allowing Randy to RKO her own father. Claims they could have settled this “like women.”

Peyton walks up and points out she tried. It was Lacey who “threw the first punch” by kissing Ric’s cheek a few weeks ago.

They have to team against Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler

They lose because of squabbling

Randy’s eyes are more healed

The lights go out backstage, but they come back when Charlotte hurries to back him up. They both find that interesting

There’s a rush of people down the hall: Hunter has been found

A message is left on his body: a 1st-degree burn on his face of a handprint covering his mouth. He is taken away to a medical facility

Charlotte wonders what she’s gotten herself into

*** February - Monday 1/Week 4

Asuka and Charlotte are scheduled to defend

Asuka asks her if she trusts Randy

Charlotte doesn’t, not by a mile, but Lacey and Ric seemed to be handled. So she owes him a little help like she promised.

They face Nia and Shayna

Lacey interferes, but it counts as a disqualification and the Women’s Tag Titles are retained

Peyton claims nothing to do with it when Charlotte and Asuka glare at her

The Hurt Business challenges Randy because he’s “free, and the biggest threat on Monday Night Raw. Well, besides Bobby Lashley.”

"You need to be taught a lesson in how to respect 'your elders.'" "My elders? You haven't been paying attention."

In the background, a Rambling Rabbit with red cross-stitched eyes and patchwork fur pops up

Cedric Alexander interferes in the match, still snubbed that his contributions to the Hurt Business haven’t been appreciated

Randy launches at him for ruining his match, but before he can RKO Cedric for his trouble, the lights go out and Alexa Bliss shows up

Acting before she can shoot him again, he runs at her. The lights go out again, but this time when they come back up, she’s on the opposite side of the ring. He dodges the fireblast. Alexa continues to toy with him.

Charlotte appears on the apron, bringing a kendo stick down on Alexa’s head

Alexa disappears, leaving Randy and Charlotte to look at each other.

***

February - Monday 2/Week 5

Randy confronts Charlotte, asking her why she got involved like that. He didn’t ask her to attack Alexa

Charlotte claims she wanted them to be even, favour for favour

Randy says that was a mistake. Now Alexa, and Wyatt/the Fiend, will target her too

Charlotte: “I can handle myself.”

Abby the Witch puppet watches from aground a corner. Her vein is now red and her mouth hangs open, lopsided

Asuka/Charlotte vs Mandy/Dana

Alexa interferes, and the titles are lost

Asuka blames her. Charlotte fully understands and agrees.

Charlotte: “Now you’ll have time to defend the Raw Women’s Championship like you should. And you won’t have to look over your shoulder for me. I’m going to be a little busy.”

After Asuka leaves, Randy walks up. They don’t say anything, but share a nod. Time to get down to business.

***

February - Monday 3/Week 6

Charlotte demands that Alexa shows herself, Randy watches their backs

In a Firefly Funhouse episode, Alexa is putting the Funhouse back together.

Ducktape on the walls is covered over with strips of brightly-coloured Washi tape, there is more Alexa-esque pink in the room

The burning house portrait is bigger

Alexa only talks to Charlotte

“It’s long been said that you can pick your nose, and your friends, but not your friend’s nose… but Randy is one friend you should not have picked.”

Alexa compares her to a bird in her ring regalia and suggests she be careful not to catch her wings on fire

Randy: “I should have torched the place.”

Wyatt/the Fiend’s laugh ends the episode, covering up Alexa’s laugh

Charlotte is aghast. “What the hell was that?”

Randy: “Welcome to the Funhouse.” And, “If a voice starts asking you to ‘let Him in... “

Charlotte steels herself for war

Update about Hunter: he is physically recovered but hasn’t spoken much, suggesting psychological damage

***

February - Monday 4/Week 7

A package is delivered to Charlotte. It’s a puppet carticulture of herself. A match is announced between her and Alexa for later that night

Asuka offers her Green Mist, Charlotte declines

Randy vs Cedric Alexander

Randy: “I owe you an RKO.”

Randy keeps looking over his shoulder for Alexa/Wyatt/Fiend/any shenanigans

Cedric keeps a lookout for the Hurt Business

Ricochet surprisingly shows up for commentary

Wants to see what Cedric is like post-Hurt Business

Lights go out, but not for Randy. It’s Retribution for Ricochet

In the confusion, Randy catches Cedric with an RKO and wins

Charlotte vs Alexa Bliss

Charlotte wins, only because she started right off the bat with heel-ish short cuts

Alexa laughs with her loss

The Fiend makes an appearance, teleporting Alexa away before Randy can catch him

***

March - Monday 1/Week 8 + PPV

PPV: 2 on 1 with Randy/Charlotte vs Alexa Bliss

Alexa toys with both of them, riling them both up into making mistakes

Randy RKO’s her, and Charlotte ties her up in the Figure 4 for the win

Monday Night Raw

Randy and Charlotte discuss the match

Randy: “That’s not the end of it. There will never be an end.”

Charlotte: “Agreed.” She slips into thought. “It would be nice… to have a little backup.”

Mustafa Ali vs Ricochet vs Cedric

Mustafa wins with minimal assistance from Retribution

Charlotte shows up backstage to talk to Mustafa Ali

“Well, what can we do for you Ms Flair?”

Charlotte looked away from Mustafa Ali’s smug welcome. A tiny tilt of her head to the right, and then to the left, confirmed that she was surrounded. Retribution didn’t waste time. She could appreciate that, despite the imminent danger she was in. A Queen is not bothered by the movements of minions. “I was impressed by your little speech on Raw Talk, and your passion since then. Not many people are brave enough to call out the WWE for placing their heroes on unsteady pedestals.”

“Unsteady?”

As Reckoning stepped close enough to feel her breath on her skin, Charlotte rolled her shoulders back. “Yes. It’s very… easy for a legend to fall. Especially if they continue to come back into a world full of younger blood.” She bit back a snarl as Mustafa’s smile slid onto his face. “Very easy for them to… embarrass themselves.”

He didn’t beat around the bush. “Like your father with Lacey.”

She hissed a breath. “Yes. Like my father with Lacey.” Patiently she waited for him to ask what she wanted. What he could do for her.

Instead, he leaned against a crate and crossed his arms. “I want to hear you say it. I want you to admit it.”

Retribution chuckled around her.

“My father was long past his prime. He had no business being near a ring beyond token appearances for when the WWE Universe wanted to reminisce. And he had no business,” she hissed, pinching her fingers together, “getting involved in my matches. Especially not for that-”

“Be civil, Ms Flair.” Mustafa joked, “you are a queen after all. And must hold to higher standards-”

“Cut the bull shit.” She ignored the tittering laughter around her. “I may not agree with the methods you’ve used over the past several months to weaken the roster. But-” with a shallow breath she had to admit, “I agree with your… teachings.” Her eyebrows met in confusion. “If that’s what you’re calling them.”

Mustafa shrugged. “Close enough.” With a nod, Retribution abandoned haunting Charlotte and stood at his side. “That’s all well and good. Having your… backing.” He side-eyed Slap-Jack. “But we never needed your permission to attack your father. We could have eliminated him any time we wanted. Luckily for him, the Viper put him out of his misery first. None of this explains why-”

“We are the children of NXT. It is our job to pave the way so that the next generation can walk into their spotlight. The only weakness in your teachings is that people who listen to them do not abide by them. Ricochet still hasn’t joined your fold. And the Fiend is still wreaking havoc on our- your roster.”

The leader’s eyebrows shot up.

Charlotte swallowed away the dry taste in her mouth. “You could do great things in the WWE, Mr Ali. I want to assist you. Briefly.”

“Well now.” Mustafa walked slowly around her. “That is a promising opportunity.” He stopped by her shoulder. “I assume you’d want assistance in turn with Alexa Bliss.”

“Yes.”

He nodded at Reckoning. She ran off, disappearing into the hallway’s shadows. “We’ll look into it. Tonight. As for the Fiend…” Mustafa pursed his lips. “That will take time. Let’s talk.”

Like a hive moving as one, Retribution followed their leader further into the darkness of backstage. After a moment’s hesitation, so did Charlotte Flair. 

***

March - Monday 2/Week 9

Retribution vs. Hurt Business

Charlotte takes it to MVP on the mic, making him stutter and flustered

Randy teams with Slap-Jack against Lashley and Shelton and beats them

They all pose in the ring

Mustafa climbed into the ring as the Hurt Business rushed to escape it. As he took his position in the centre of the ring, Charlotte and Randy flanked him on either side. As he raised his arm to finish his pose, the rest of Retribution filed in, completing a pyramid that filled the ring. 

The collective of such a body of wrestlers was a loud message: there was no room in any ring for anyone who thought otherwise than them. Retribution, and the legacies of Charlotte and Randy, were going to take the wrestling universe by storm like never before.

Mustafa and Randy “chat”

Randy is updated with Mustafa’s cause, and made aware that the continuation of his career is dependant on Mustafa’s mercy. Randy has been wrestling for a long time, almost too long to be considered “this generation.” But… Charlotte, a fellow child of NXT, vouches for him. So they’re good. For now.

When asked about why she’s added teaming up with Retribution, Charlotte points out that her alliance with Randy Orton started because her father put his nose into business he shouldn’t have. It was just luck that she found Randy first. Both alliances would have gotten her to this moment, achieving exactly what she wanted to do: cementing her reign over the WWE Universe.

***

March-August: Week 10

Over the next several months, Retribution continues to convince the WWE Universe that the “Old Golden Age” of WWE is over. It’s been over for a long time, and now is the time for the new, fabulous talent that the McMahons and ‘powers that be’ have been hiding backstage to make their mark on history.

Mustafa confronts Drew McIntyre about facing Goldburg at the Royal Rumble when there were plenty of wrestlers he could have faced from his own generation.

McIntyre looks like he’s about to retaliate, but Charlotte and Randy walk out onto the stage, flanked by Retribution. McIntyre pauses enough for Mustafa to continue.

“Respect had nothing to do with it. He called you out because he wanted to be relevant again. Because he wanted a paycheck. If you’d done your job, you would have reminded him that by retaining your World Title, that he was no better than Brock Lesner for being a three-appearance-a-year wrestler.”

He gets slapped, and Claymore kicked for pointing it out. Randy and Retribution come to his aid, beating McIntyre down. They undermine his matches after that, even going so far as to take out Sheamus and Keith Lee, dragging them to the ring to prove a point to the Scotsman.

They do the same to Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, Daniel Bryan, and any Legend-apologists.

Wrestlers start to choose sides. Most of them agree with Retribution’s influence.

Ricochet is the only one that remains truly neutral, and mostly because he knows Mustafa Ali best.

He doesn’t face him head-on; not in the ring. Mostly he confronts people with the opposites of their observations. If they are anti-Legends, he digs down as to why they believe that. If they are pro-Legends, he asks why they are so quick to disagree with their peers.

Charlotte and Randy both drop their last names, though Randy reluctantly.

***

Week 11 - September Week 2

McIntyre offers an open challenge, assuming Randy Orton will accept it

Mustafa answers instead and wins

McIntyre: “You won’t let him keep it. You’re not that kind of man, Randy.”

Asuka stands with McIntyre and the Legend Apologists

Charlotte tries to point out that Asuka was shoved into the shadow when she moved to the main roster from NXT. Her undefeated streak was broken.

Asuka: “Yes. By you!”

Asuka vs Mia Yim/Reckoning for the Women’s Raw Championship

It ends in a draw

Charlotte is ringside, but she never interferes

On Smackdown, Hunter meets with Roman Reigns

Hunter receives a cold reception

Seth Rollins won’t talk to him either

Roman and Seth don’t talk to one another or even look at each other’s matches, but they acknowledge each other’s presence backstage

***

Week 12 - September Week 3

McIntyre challenges Mustafa for the World Title back

Fails

Charlotte steps into the ring before he can rampage against Mustafa. They stare each other down.

McIntyre backs down claiming respect for her father. She slaps him.

Retribution and Randy step in front of her before he can retaliate.

McIntyre surrounded, Ricochet/Sheamus/Keith Lee/ other Legend Apologists come out t back him up

Asuka issues open challenge for the Raw Women’s Championship expecting Charlotte or Reckoning/Mia Yim to accept

Rhea Ripley answers the challenge, officially moving to Raw. She fights Asuka unaided and wins

***

Week 13: Confrontation - September Week 4

Hunter speaks to Randy again. Before it can break into a fight, Stephanie McMahon shows up with Charlotte and Mustafa quick on her heels.

Hunter has to look Mustafa in the eye while being blamed for not “upholding the promise you made.”

Mustafa calls him a future legend.

“You’re not in the way. You don’t fight unless provoked. That’s how a legend, how a legacy, should act. They need to stay out of this generation’s business until called upon.”

“Those that retire need to stay retired.”

***

Week 14 - October Week 1

Charlotte dares MVP to put Lashley’s USA title on the line. She pokes and goads him until he accepts, much to Lashey’s chagrin

Open Challenge: Cedric Alexander answers and wins with Retribution’s help, since Shelton and MVP kept involving themselves in the match.

The other Retribution champions come out, holding their titles high.

Mustafa Ali with his Heavyweight title, Rhea Ripley with the Raw Woman’s title, and Cedric with the USA title. Randy and Charlotte stand behind them, hovering.

That Friday on Smackdown:

Hunter visits Roman again, warning him about the impending Survivor Series show coming up.

Hunter: “They might come for your championship too.”

Roman: “Let them try.”

***

Week 15: Survivor Series Season/Hunting Season - October Week 2

On Raw, there is a video package from Retribution promising that the whole WWE Universe was going to see the world in a new light, one provided by Retribution

Smackdown: Retribution/Randy/Charlotte invade Smackdown, beating up Roman and Smackdown’s Leged Apologists, including Daniel Bryan and Sasha Banks

Sami Zayn, Shinsuke and Cesaro, and Baron Corbin help with the destruction of their peers, aligning themselves with the Raw visitors

***

Week 16 - October Week 3

Smackdown and NXT invade Raw at the same time

Io Sharai and Damian Priest stare down Charlotte and Randy

The Undisputed Era faces down Retribution. Mustafa is shocked. They should be on the same side, he thinks.

Candice and Johnny fight Rhea and Cedric

There is no sight of Seth Rollins

***

Week 17: Survivor Series - October Week 4 Part 1 (Sunday)

Roman/Sasha vs Charlotte/Randy vs Damian/Io

Karrion Kross and Scarlet Bordeaux try to interfere, but Alexa Bliss and the Fiend prevent them, officially coming back after missing and silent for weeks

Undisputed Era vs Retribution eight-man tag match

Candice/Johnny vs Rhea/Cedric

They discuss their matches and philosophies before the PPV

***

Week 18 - October Week 4 Part 2 (Monday)

With the Fiend and Alexa back, that means trouble for Randy and Charlotte

The Fiend and Alexa are not aligned with Hunter. Corey Graves brings up the handprint the Fiend left on Hunter’s face the last time they met.

A Firefly Funhouse episode happens while the Fiend is in the ring. Wyatt has come back fully split into two pieces of himself: Bray and the Fiend

Randy and Hunter face off again

It suggests a possible alliance, at least as far as defeating Wyatt

Stephanie disagrees with the alliance; Charlotte convinces her.

***

Week 19 - November Week 1

A pre-filmed cinematic match shows off the triple threat tag match

Charlotte/Randy vs Hunter/Stephanie vs Fiend/Alexa

Retribution tries to interfere by helping Charlotte and Randy. Most of them are beat down, though Mustafa fights through enough to stare down the Fiend.

Charlotte/Randy/Mustafa win the match

Wyatt: “The whole Universe is in your hands.”

He backs off

***

Week 20 - November Week 2

The stage crackled and popped with bursts of lighted fire. By the ring, Michael Cole and Corey Graves caught the home viewers on last week’s recent events. The trio of Charlotte Flair, Randy Orton, and Mustafa Ali had triumphed. 

“What do you think the Fiend meant,” Corey asked, “when he said that the Universe was in their hands?” He shuddered. “I don’t think it’s in the Fiend’s nature to give up on a potential… I hate to say it, but a potential Funhouse friend?”

Michael Cole winced. “I’m more concerned that the Fiend was able to say something more than ‘let me in.’ I hope it doesn’t mean he’s getting stronger. Either way, it means that the strange alliance of Charlotte, Randy, and Mustafa Ali has proven their point. And it means their path is clear for… whatever next step. What will it be?”

“Whatever they want it to be, I guess.”

In the ring, the said trio was prepared to announce such a plan. Standing at each of the turnbuckles were the members of Retribution and the other champions. 

Charlotte stepped forward. Her smile glowed with assurance. “We did everything we set out to do.” Looking at Randy she said, “we defended the WWE Universe against the Fiend and Alexa Bliss.” Looking at Mustafa, she added, “even more, we have freed the Universe from being held back by the dead weight of so-called Legends. From here on out, anyone… absolutely anyone can earn their place in this ring by fighting on their own.” Sinking into herself, she thought of the arguments against them. Against her. “As for those with a legacy behind them. The steps they take to get here, to get to this ring… as long as they use their own skill to build up their own name, they will be welcome competitors here.”

To one side, Mustafa nodded. Charlotte had come a long way. Even further than her NXT days when she first fought against her father’s legacy. To the other side, Randy Orton crossed his arms. His face was a practiced mask. He eyed Mustafa warily. 

The stage lit up again. It startled the group in the ring as “Burn it Down” played overhead. 

Seth Rollins had returned to Raw. 

The group in the ring rushed to the ropes as he was joined by two more people. 

To his left, Austin Theory stepped out. To his right, Becky Lynch stepped out. 

Charlotte stood a little straighter, seeing her old friend there. At the sight of his constant rival, Randy gripped the ropes so tight, his knuckles ached. Mustafa Ali simply smiled. 

The more things changed in wrestling, the more they stayed the same.

***

***

Masterlist 

Forever Tags: @blondekel77​​ @brianaraydean​​ @chwehansol98​​ @fireflyfunhousetrash​​ @laochbaineann @ramblingsofabourbondrinker​​ @savmontreal @shieldgirl18 @tinyelfperson​​ @writtingrose​​ @xladyxfatex​​ @gold--gucciempress​​

WWE Tags: @1dluver13xx @a-home-for-stray-stories​​ @flightofthefantasies​​ @livelifewondering​​ @mother-forker​​ @neversatisfiedgirlfics​​ @racheo91​​ @roman-reigns-princess​​ @scuzmunkie​​ @secretagentfangirl​​ @wrestlersownmyheart​​ @thirst-n-bullshit​​ @top-1-percent-blog​​

[goodnightallwhites]

Paying Pilots by Zenalite

Chapter 1 - America, America... Asuka kept glancing out the window and shifting in the car seat. That damn Misato. Why is she taking so long? Outside, Americans were walking the sunburned streets, going about their day. No doubt EVAs, NERV, and sync tests were the last thing on their minds. And here she was, one of the few people in the world capable of handling the damned things, important enough to be brought in special to test the American units, only to be left waiting with blank-staring Rei who sat in the backseat saying nothing. All Asuka wanted was to sleep after the long flight. People came and went through the reflective doors of the hotel, none being Misato. The whole place smacked of pure decadence - just an obsidian pillar rising high into the sky, like a black middle finger flipping off the whole world. Asuka brought her feet up against the dash and knocked at the window in exasperation, hoping to summon Misato with sheer willpower. Come on, come on... At lengh, Misato came rushing out of the hotel, her hair stirring in the light breeze, her huge breasts bouncing with every step that she took. All the men either glanced or stared, but if Misato noticed it she would only smile with feigned embarrassment. What a whore, judged Asuka. Why does she always have to show off? Her hands instinctively groped at her own chest, feeling up the doughy breasts that had developed in the last few months. Mine aren't nearly that vulgar and unflattering. Misato playfully tapped her foot againt the car. "Come on, girls! Time to go!" Rei got out with Asuka, jumping when the latter slammed the door in annoyance. Her gaze remained focused on the diverse looks of the passersby. So many types of people, so many lives unfolding... They grabbed their bags from the trunk and went up the stairs that led to the entrance. Inside, Rei stared curiously at the high ceiling. The whole place resembled a mausoleum, cool and dark, with a marmoreal surface running down the floor and up the walls to the ceiling.   Misato ran up to talk to the people behind the desk while they waited by the elevator. The employees checked them out, giving Rei a long look. Asuka glared at her. "I told you not to wear your school uniform, you stupid idiot." What else would I wear? Rei wondered, uncomprehending. Misato came back and used a keycard on the elevator, then hit the button for the penthouse suites."It's wonderful here, girls, you'll see... We're privileged to stay in a place like this." Asuka made a face. "I'd rather we go out."   "Soon, soon... Maybe tomorrow. I'll" - she smiled - "try to get some funds together for us by then." Asuka clicked her tongue and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, a deep frown on her face. "Tomorrow," she mumbled. "How can we have money to stay here but no money to go visiting?" Misato gave a shrewd smirk. "Because NERV covers the hotel bill. Unfortunately, they don't pay for booze." One apartment was assigned to Rei and Asuka, while the other went to Misato. Each had a luxurious living room that connected to a bathroom and a kitchen, with windows running the whole length of the walls. There was, however, a shared bed. "What the hell is this!" cried Asuka."All this luxury, to share a bed? Seriously?" Misato patted them on the head. "You two be good. I have some business to attend to. When I'm back, maybe we can go out together." Once she departed, Rei found herself staring at Asuka's grumpy face. "What the hell are you looking at?" snapped the ginger. She dropped the heavy bags to the floor and crashed inelegantly on the bed, falling asleep within the minute. Rei got on the other side of the bed, leaving as much space between them as possible. She, too, fell asleep. Darkness. An unfamiliar ceiling. Rei awoke to find Asuka gone, the place where she had slept now cold. The cityscape's sea of lights stretched below as far as her eyes could see, far beyond the horizon. She got up and wandered in search of Asuka, only to find the bathroom door a centimeter or so ajar, the bright light flooding into the living room. Rei padded over. Asuka stood in front of the mirror with one leng propped over the sink, inspecting herself over her shoulder. Her hand kept going down, testing the firmness of her bubbly butt. She stared at it, squeezing and kneading it between her fingers, pulling it up to check for stretch marks, then slapped and tested its wobbling potential. "What are you doing?" . Asuka whirled, twisting her leg in the process, and nearly crashed to the floor. She tottered towards the wall and pressed against it with her back, as if threatened, her blooming-red face seething with rage. "You idiot! You stupid idiot!" "Are you ill?" Asuka went and shoved her away, then shut the door. That little freak! As if this trip wasn't bad enough - as if she needed the added embarrassment of being caught by some bakayarou.   She smoothed her tank top and relaxed. With a deep breath, she headed back out. Rei stood right where she had left her. What the hell is wrong with her? "The city," said Rei, pointing to the world beyond the window. "Yeah, I see it." Asuka crossed her arms and moved her head from side to side in restless annoyance. "I want to go too. I'm bored out of my goddamn mind!" She sniffed indignantly and threw her head back. "You know what, let's just go. Get dressed." The outfit for the night would be a pair jean shorts that showed her lower ass, a tank top worn without a bra that hugged her breasts, and a pair of shiny stiletto heels that she could barely walk in. Only when she had finished applying makeup and lipstick did she look over to see Rei still dressed in her loose uniform. "I can give you something of mine to wear," she offered. Rei stared at her said nothing. 467. Definitely the right number. Asuka stood before the door and knocked. "Misato-san!" No reply. "Hey! Open up!" The insistent knocking drew the attention of a maid going by, but she said nothing. "I'm not going anywhere until you come out here!" The door opened, but what appeared was no Misato. It was a towering guy with dark skin, holding a towel around his waist and looking them down contemptuously. Long dreads wound down his bulky shoulders. Much of his chest had been tattooed with intricate patterns that writhed in the low light. Who... Asuka swallowed, somewhat surprised. But this was the right apartment. And she wouldn't let anyone intimidate her, not even if he stood two heads taller and weighed three times as much as her. He could probably kill me with a single blow, she realized. And yet, the very next moment, she yelled into his face: "If you don't get Misato here, I'll break this door down!" So much for opting for safety. He sniffed in disgust and began to push the door back, when Asuka rushed in and blocked the gap with her body. "Misato! Now!" Would he hit her? He said nothing. He simply walked off and left the door open for them. Asuka grabbed Rei by the arm and dragged her into the empty living room. A series of low cries echoed through the apartment. Asuka gave Rei a questioning look. Of course she has nothing to contribute. Was Misato hurt? Was this guy bad? But how could he have gotten in here? Heart drumming in her chest, Asuka towed Rei with her and ran after the guy. You don't scare me! They followed him through the doorway into an unlit bedroom filled by the stench of alcohol. The two walls that made up the far corner of the wall were made of glass and through them flooded the lights of distant signs and skylights. A gigantic bed crouched in that corner, surrounded by bottles, some of which rolled empty. Misato lay facedown on the bed, dressed only in some black lingerie, groaning in pain. For a split-second Asuka thought she might be in dire condition. But when two coal-black hands came up to squeeze her ass and drive it down harder on his cock, things became clearer. When the hands went down again, Asuka caught the writing in English on Misato's asscheeks: BLACK OWNED. And following that written in smaller letters: FACEFUCK $25, PUSSYFUCK $50, ASSFUCK $100. All three were marked several times over. M-M-Misato-san?... "They're here for you," the first guy, then whipped her ass to attention. Misato lifted her face to look at them. Runny makeup ran down her face, creating a black web of dried tears that reached all the way down to her glossy lips and smudged lipstick. Only now did Asuka notice that her large breasts were getting sucked on greedily by the guy below her. "Girls..." The guy that had led them into the room got behind her and let go of his towel. It unfurled from the back, taking a few seconds to run down his cock and theatrically unveil its length. A black cock as big as a horse's hung between his muscular thighs, strings of cum dripping from the engorged head. Asuka stared at it dumbfounded. W-What... A colossal pair of balls sagged and swayed beneath the shaft, dripping wet. The whole thing brought back the memory of Shinji flashing her by accident when his towel dropped. Back then, she had felt both grossed out and a little excited to see a boy's cock for real - never mind the teasing she gave Shinji for letting it happen, calling him "limp" and "too small" and whatever else she could think of to humiliate him. In truth, she had no real standard by which to compare it, she only wanted to drive him crazy. Compared to this, though, it barely reached a quarter in size. Were Asian dicks really that small, as people said? Or were these guys modified? How could they be so... so fucking big? A tingle spread from her pussy up to her stomach, making her itch and shiver all over. "I..." Misato started, but right at that moment the guy pushed his cock in all the way to the balls, slapping them against her vulnerable Asian pussy. "God..." The captain shuddered in despair her anal partner took it out only to thrust it in even harder than before. Asuka could only imagine the level of agony. Out of all the toys she kept at home, not even the smallest could fit her tight white asshole. Even the slender vibrator half the size of her pinky killed her when she tried to shove it inside... That must've been unbearable. Looking at them, Misato tried to smile through it. "Girls, what's wrong?" Asuka needed to remember how to speak herself. "We wanted some money to go out..." Misato whimpered like a puppy as the black cock splintered her asshole without care and sent electrifying bolts through her body. The guy below rushed his in and out of her pussy as fast as he could, readying to come.   "Just let me finish with these nice gentlemen, and then I'll have some money to give you... Just sit down, we'll be done soon." "But..." "Sit your ass down!" barked the guy on top of her. Asuka stepped back, her spine coming apart with terror. She glanced at the door, thinking of making a run for it. This wasn't Misato, not by any means. Drunk or not, cash-strapped or not, surely Misato wouldn't do - her eyes flickered to the fragile Asian body sandwiched tightly between the black ones - this for cash. She tugged on Rei's arm. "Let's go! Come on!" But Rei did not even turn her gaze around. She only stared at the spectacle in front of them, so taken in by it that she seemed unable to react with anything but unabashed fascination. Asuka spotted a small armchair behind them. She made Rei sit down, then took her place beside her, their two young and slender frames still leaving enough room between them for a third person. As much as she tried, she simply couldn't look away. It was so shameful an embarrassing. She might've used toys on herself and watched porn at home, but she did that alone. How could she just... watch them do it? The guy put his entire weight into his arms, using every single working muscle of his ripped body to assfuck his way into Misato and stretch her asshole bloody. Sweat glistened and flew off of his back, while his dread's got grabbed onto by a weeping Asian girl begging for mercy for her sensitive ass that in no way resembled Captain Katsuragi. This was only was only a fertile black cock slut that got what she deserved. Breeding by two strong bulls. And no mercy. They both increased the speed of their thrusts, the double penetration getting Misato from every angle and causing her entire body to twist and turn for a way out as she shrieked in indescribable pain. The two only pressed and squeezed her between them, groaning and laughing as they began to dump their seed into her ready womb and broken body. Asuka pushed her thighs together nervously, trying to fight the irresistible urge to touch herself. She lowered her purse between her thighs and squeezed it hard, letting the corner rub against the lips of her pussy, tingles spreading throughout her body all the way up to her hardened nipples. They, too, begged to be touched. A final low, drawled-out moan left Misato's lips as they pulled out, her toes curling as the biggest orgasm of her life kept ripping through her asshole and pussy. Her raw pussy and gaping asshole leaked with their thick seed. The guy with dreads stepped away and wiped the sweat from his face with the towel. The other rolled Misato over and got out, grimly excited at her current state and how far they had managed to humiliate her. Misato rolled back onto her chest, now panting and smiling like a mental patient, looking at Asuka without seeing a thing, giggling as the after-effects of the breeding continued how have an effect on her unprepared body. The towel guy stepped up to Rei. "You there." Rei found his eyes. He pointed down to his dripping cock. "Clean this up. Get on those fucking knees, and clean my cock up with that little Japanese mouth." Are you stupid? Asuka wanted to shout at him. She can't understand you! Not only that, but she wouldn't do it. How could he ask her to do something so disgusting?   Rei dropped to the floor and folded her legs under her bottom, then brought her mouth to his hanging cock. She rolled her tongue over the surface without knowing of what she was doing or how to do it.   "That's a good girl. Does your friend asshole taste good?" "Yes," answered Rei, without a hint of emotion. He cackled grimly. "I bet it is." Asuka gaped at her vile display, unable to believe it. She's licking Misato's ass juices off his cock. With me right here. Then the second thought came: Why did he choose her over me? But as much as it offended her, the intensity of her cravings only grew, and she wondered what it would be like just to touch it. It really is so big... Not a single toy of the tens at home compared to that. Not even close... He slapped Rei playfully with his cock as she struggled to clean it. "Are you a virgin? Have you ever had sex?" Asuka answered for her: "Of course she hasn't!" The guy suddenly reached down and grabbed Rei by the hair, then pulled her over to the bed. "Time you and I have a little lesson." ... while the other guy strolled happily towards Asuka, cock whipping back and forth with his steps. This was one was lanky where the other was beefy, with the long and sinewy limbs that made his already knee-down cock look that much bigger. Skin so dark that all she could see was his pearly smile. "Well, who might you be, darling girl?" He came to stand in front of her, the ebon shaft of his manhood only inches away from her face. Unlike the other, this one was uncircumcised, the head tapering down to a small point of foreskin. It still throbbed powerfully, enlarged veins struggling to keep it running. Cum dripped steadily from the tip, now directly onto Asuka's bare legs. She avoided looking into his eyes... but that only led her to stare at his cock. It's so fucking big, she thought breathlessly. At home, she had once tried to fuck herself with a dildo perhaps only a third of its size, and even that had been a painful experience. Asuka flinched as his fingers touched her skin, gently caressing her smooth cheek. "You looking real pretty, you know that?" His eyes went down to her breasts and the way they shot through the tank top. Chills. She lowered her eyes, feeling watched and vulnerable. Why did I have to dress this way... His dark fingers went through her hair, running down the ginger strands with sexual exhiliration. "You're so young and beautiful. I've always wanted to be with a redhead like you..." No! resounded the determination in her head. No, no, no, no, no! But even as she rationalized how terrible it was to get touched by this stranger, by this random guy that had just creampied Misato, she couldn't quiet her body down. Her mind might not have wanted this, but her pussy seemed to ache for it. Not that she would tell him such a thing. "Stand up," he ordered. "To hell with that!" "I told you to stand up. Do you want me to make you?" At length, she decided it would be best to stand up and get it over with. But that was it. That was the end of the orders she would take from this uncouth insect. Propped up on her heels, their eyes almost met at the same level. She could sense the intent in his dark gaze... "Take off your clothes." "What?" barked Asuka. "You must be joking." "You can take them off, or I can take them off for you." She crossed her arms. "You can try." Before she react, he reached down and ripped apart her shorts, popping the buttons with a pull and that sent them flying across the floor... So strong, she thought, feeling a little woozy. The shorts fell to the ground, leaving Asuka exposed in her undersized cotton panties. They were patterned with strawberries. But they were already moist around the outline of her pussy. Asuka looked to the bed for help, but Misato could barely be counted as conscious. Rei was on her knees looking up at the other guy with his cock in her small hand, seemingly captivated with being a subservient slut. "Take your top off," the guy ordered Asuka. Asuka swallowed. He could do whatever he wanted with her, but she would never break before him. You'll have to kill me. "Never, asshole," she dared to say. The guy nodded sagely. Then smacked the side of her with one savage blow. Her face burned. Her ear rang. Her gaze swam. He grabbed onto her tank top and tore it off with one motion, throwing the rags to the floor. "I told you to listen. Stupid white girl." Asuka stood before him, trying to suppress the tears that came, trembling as he reached up to touch her pale skin. "Awww, don't cry," he said, bringing his large hands up to cup her cheeks. The black palms slithered down, stopping for a moment over her long and frail neck, then coming down to her full breasts. Asuka could feel his rough fingers kneading the flesh of her breasts, pinching and tugging at the bullet-hard nipples. Stop... The harder he handled them, the stronger the waves of arousal came - goosebumps spreading over her weakening body. "Does that feel good?" "No, you b-baka... To hell with you!" she forced herself to say. He took her hand brought it down to his swollen cock. The tips of her fingers went over the wet skin, sensing the power the power that came with it, instinctively wanting to grab and pleasure such a beautiful big dick. "Is that nice?" "D-D-Disgusting," she stammered. "It's so big and gross. And so dark." He grinned. "You got something against dark?" "It's ugly," she insisted. He took a handful of her ginger locks and yanked her head down. A moment later he spit in her face. "You sure like that, don't you?" He dragged her off before she could respond, Asuka tottering perilously in her heels on the way to the bed. Just who did he think he was to treat her like... like this?... You asshole! He pushed her on the mattress. Within arm's reach she could see Misato, whose eyes had closed and seemed to be passed out. The stench of alcohol that came from her breath was enough to make Asuka want to throw up. You drunken whore! This is your fault! He pushed her face down against the bed, raising her ass and spreading her legs. One of his fingers brushed over her pussy, passing through the ginger fuzz spread around them. Asuka let out a soft moan. She cursed herself, hoping he hadn't heard it. She hated his guts for this treatment and wanted to ward off his attacks, but the rest of her wouldn't listen. His touch only made her weaker and wetter, spamming her with wave after wave of pleasure and bringing about a mad desire to feel his cock again... "What do you think, should I fuck you?" Asuka tittered, though she did not sound confident. "You can try, asshole. A little cock like yours is never going to satisfy me." "Oh. You've been with bigger guys, have you?" She forced the facade further. "Bigger than you can ever imagine. But I guess I can do you the favor and think of them to help you out..." His black fingers tore her panties apart. Only her heels were left now. Her soft and fertile white pussy dripped, all wet and ready for his hard cock, glimmering beads of her juices mingling through the ginger hairs. An exhilarating shudder went through her when the tip of his cock touched her lips. But instead of pushing it in, he simply left it there, making her all that much more desperate... Does he want me to beg? I won't, I.... She was an EVA pilot. Quite literally one of the most gifted individuals to have ever existed, one whose very existence humanity depended upon. And she was supposed to beg for... for... for a black cock?  "Too scared to put it inside?" she muttered. "Hmmm," he said. Then he grabbed onto her ass, and with an expert thrust, pushed it deep inside. Asuka shrieked. Rei knelt before the dark-skinned man, trying to understand this this new predicament. She kept licking and sucking on the thing between his legs, but he seemed displeased. Every so often as he drank from the bottle he would drip some down over his cock and into his mouth. Rei had never tasted alcohol before, but though its strident taste and odor burned, she could feel herself relaxing... He put a finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to him. "You need to take it deeper, do you understand? You can't just keep sucking on the head. You need to clean it all up. Do you understand?" She grabbed the shaft between her hands and held it, while her lips wrapped around the tip. The head went snugly into her mouth. Rather than force it down, she waited for the ticklish sensation at the back of her throat and the ceiling of her mouth to diminish, then went on pushing it deeper with precision. When she was about a quarter of the way down, she looked up to seek his approval. He took another swig of the bottle and fluffed her hair. "That's my girl." But the movement made the thing jerk inside her mouth and nearly activated her gag reflex. "Ah, my bad, my bad... You just do your thing. See, can you take it all the way to the base?" He tapped his finger to the scraggly bush of dark hair from where the shaft originated. I will try, decided Rei resolutely. She was not quite sure what this was all about. At home, she had received training and instructions in so many things, but never in this. Why? Strangest of all was the itching sensation that originated from between her legs and went all over her body. The only other thing comparable was when Shinji had asked her to wait for him on a bench, only for her to sit down patiently even as a host of ants began to make her way under her uniform and crawl all over her skin. But this was different. To that she had remained indifferent, while Shinji screamed as soon as he saw it happening. But now she discovered that she could not simply do as ordered and nothing else. An intense desire made its way to the front of her consciousness, an itching need to rub between her legs. Rei did so, but rather than feel release, it only worsened. Why? There was no incident in her memory that could account for this or allow for an inductive explanation. Yet the more her fingers rubbed at it to make it stop, the stronger it became, till she could not cease at all. Meanwhile, her heart drummed, and Rei realized that her whole body was entering some sort of overheated and unstable state, making her worry. She went on pushing the thick shaft down her throat, tilting and angling her head in such away to do it without any sort of malfunction. But the deeper she took it, the tighter her throat got. And now the thing itself seemed to throb harder than ever, its veins tickling the walls of her interior. "That's right, keep going..." he ordered. "You're doing great." Rei slowly brought it down till she reached the base, her face buried into the musky-smelling hairs that scratched at her face and entered her nostrils. She struggled to hold it down, till she finally heard him say, "Release." Rei came up breathlessly. Looking at his cock now, as it had swollen to a size even larger than before, she could not understand how she managed it at all, or where it could fit inside her tight Asian throat. She even choked on food at home sometimes. Yet, she could do this. An odd sense of pride came over her. "Now lick my cock again. I think there's still some juices left from your whore friend. You tell me when it stops tasting like her." Rei wasn't sure what part of it tasted of Misato, but she did as ordered. To her, it all tasted good. Though it had come out of Misato's anal hole, it tasted surprisingly wholesome and satisfying. "You like suckind black cock, don't you?" "I don't know..." "Yeah, you do. Say it. Tell me you love me to suck black cock." "I love to suck black cock," repeated Rei expressionlessly. He laughed. "Tell me you would never suck off an Asian or white dick. That they're small and pathetic." "I'd never suck off an Asian or white dick. They're small and pathetic." "Tell me you want to get black bred." Rei whispered as she sucked on the tip of his cock, cum bubbles frothing around her lips. "I want to get black bred." "Beg me to put a black baby in your Asian womb." "Please put a black baby in my Asian womb." Rei had no idea what exactly he meant by all this, but it repeating what she was told seemed like the right call. She went on treating his cock with care, stroking it up and down with her small hands. The contrast between their skins was striking and fascinating, almost otherworldly. She put a hand over his tattooed chest as she licked his shaft, watching the way it outlined her pale fingers perfectly. She could feel the muscles working under his dark skin. And yet again, the need to touch herself grew stronger still. He grabbed her hair and held her. "You gotta be a good girl now. I need to fuck your throat, and you have to take it all. You understand? Don't you dare choke or gag." Rei swallowed his cock, this time upping the speed as it went deep down her throat. But her muscles had learned from the previous exercise, and now from the second, and soon she began to take it in and out without much issue, keeping herself relaxed while he guided her head up and down. She could feel his member pulsing harder and harder against her throat, till his hands stopped moving her head altogether. Instead, he held her down as he lifted himself up, fucking her throat fast and hard from below. Every time, as soon as she felt close to choking and gagging it went out, only to come back inside even faster and harder, eager to ruin her throat and keep her guessing. Her open mouth and lolling tongue unleashed a steady stream of warm drool that oozed down his godly shaft. Then he rose and began to stroke his cock, ordering her to massage his balls, while he aimed the head over her head. A rope of thick cum shot into her mouth, followed by another, then another, and another, filling it all up. "Don't you swallow," he said between groans. At last, he milked the final drops right into the pool of cum her tongue swam in, and gave her another order.... Asuka did her utmost not to react from the pounding she received. The guy had simply stabbed into her unexpectedly, and ever since continued to pummel her white pussy hard, eviscerating her insides. The hot, wet insides of her pussy felt numb and tingly, while a soft warmth spread through her body all the way up to her desperate nipples... She could feel her resolve weakening. Her mouth kept opening on its own, looking to moan, while her eyes rolled back each time he went inside. It hurt, but she loved it. Of course, she couldn't say that... She wouldn't give this absolute nobody the satisfaction of making her feel a thing like this... I'm an EVA pilot... One of the few in the world... But the more he pushed her, the harder it became to control herself. Sooner or later a moan escaped her mouth, and once it did, the others flooded out, her self-control no longer able to combat the black cock that took control of her senses. Her heel flew off her foot as her whole leg quivered from the hard fucking, hitting the window and clattering down to the floor. "You like that, don't you? You fucking ginger slut. You love that big black cock filling up your white pussy." She panted in a daze of pleasure. Yes, I love it... Her head rested on the bed and her hands squeezed the sheets hard. He yanked her up by the hair and tilted her head so far back that he made eye contact with him upside down. Yes! Give me that big black cock! Fuck my ginger pussy me! Like a bitch in heat, she moaned wildly, giving him syrupy eyes, unable to restrain herself. But even as her body trembled from the wracking effect of that big black cock going through her, she still found enough focus to whisper, "I'll kill you for this." But first fuck me, oh, please, fuck me... Rei appeared into view out of nowhere. The front of her uniform was wet, her hair all over the place. How embarrassing... To be seen like this by such a damned baka. "Don't you look at me..." Rei took a step closer, her face drawing near. Asuka, in the throes of pleasure, did nothing to avert her face nor to close her mouth as Rei leaned in and kissed her. WHAT!!! She tried to fight her off but it didn't work. Rei used an unexpected amount of physical force to hold her in place and keep the kiss going. She could feel Rei's tongue bumping against hers, and with it... something salty and gooey, passing from one mouth into the other, slowly trickling down Asuka's throat as they kissed. Cum, it's cum!! She felt so angry and humiliated that tears came to her eyes, but there was nothing she could do. She used her remaining force to punch Rei in the side of the head, but that did nothing. Rei only went on facefucking her, raping her with her tongue, while both the guys could be heard laughing, one egging the other on to fuck Asuka that much harder and make her scream. My first kiss... The taste of black cum lingered in her mouth as she surrendered to Rei probing tentacle-tongue. The guy squeezed his hold on her asscheeks, and began to piston her pussy while the other guy bent down and tickled her feet, further adding to the insane amount of feeling her body was asked to endure. A scorching heat emanated from her lower body, swallowing her up... But just as she prepared to let go and come, the guy pulled and released her, while Rei stepped back. They left her there, desperate and close to exploding, her insides thoroughly melted, her pussy and legs glistening with ropes of his cum. She could see more of it oozing out of her pussy, and that the guy's cock still dripped, not yet done... She reached down, trying to make herself come in haste... ... but it was no use. She needed his big black cock. "You!" she screamed. "I told you you couldn't do it! I told you! You can't make me come!" He shrugged. "I don't care." Asuka got up, hopping about in her one heel, rushing towards him. "You finish what you started! Right now!" She pushed him. "Look at her!" the other guy yelled. "Feisty little thing." "Beg me and I'll do it." "W-What?!" stammered Asuka. "Beg you? In your dreams, asshole!" But even as she put on the brave pose, every part of her body ached for it. She needed it, more than anything. Just looking at his cock made her legs open up instinctively for him. So big. So black. So beautiful. I need it inside of me... At last, realizing there was no other way... Asuka lowered her head. "Please," she whispered, a deep frown scarring the overbearingly proud face. Being this pathetic put her in physical pain. Just how much of a degenerate had she become to do this... At least no one will know... "What was that?" "Please..." "Please what?" "Please fuck me with your big black cock... Please..." "You're sure that's what you want?" "Yes..." He put her on the bed again on all fours. As she waited for him to go inside, Asuka watched how the other guy undressed Rei, slowly, romantically, kissing her snow-white skin, running his black fingers over the small waist, the little butt, and her delicately small breasts. Asuka suddenly felt arms going over her legs and linking up behind her head. "Uhhh, what are you doing?" she asked, panicked. But the guy simply raised her in that hold, keeping her pressed against his chest. Asuka ended up caught in his full nelson, while she watched Rei slowly mount up her own big black cock and start riding it cowgirl style. A tickle came the area of her asshole as he tried to put it inside her. "Wrong hole!" she cried, terrified. "What are you doing..." It wasn't the wrong hole. He angled it so that it would go precisely in her ass as he lowered her. He was having none of her resistance. He simply pushed his cock into her asshole, stretching out as he went, ignoring her pleas and screams, digging deep into her insides and demolishing her virgin hole with his big black cock. Asuka shrieked as tears ran down her face, but no one was interested. Rei rode her own big black cock with uncharacteristic excitement, her hands gently caressing the face of the bull, her own having on what looked like a slight smile, her head tilting back in bliss. The little breasts bounced up and down as she rode... The bull carried Asuka towards the window, where through the tears she could see nothing but a spread of light. He began to fuck her harder, ignoring her cries, while she helplessly slapped against him, begging for mercy. "Please, stop..." she mewled. "I can't take this anymore..." How humiliating would it be if anyone saw her like this? I'm an EVA pilot... returned the crashing thought. You can't use me like this... Her asshole endured the assault, and as time went on, her muscles relaxed and the pain turned into pleasure... ...  a little while longer and she began to enjoy it fully, taking comfort in the feeling of being assraped against her will, utterly unable to move as this alpha male prepared to break her apart and fill her with every drop of his black seed.... "Please..." she started. "Faster."   She had no control whatsoever - and that's a good thing. She relished the feeling of total submission before this primal force that decided to have its way with her, before this monster that stripped her of dignity and took her virginity by pumping her violently with his black cock. "Yes, fuck my ass with your big black cock. Please ruin me however you like, master! I love your big black cock! I need it!" She learned to flex her hole and squeeze him as he went in and out, making sure he got the very best from from her virgin asshole. Only I can make him feel this way. I was made for this. I was made for his cock. This is better than being a pilot. More important... I'm the one and only... "Please, don't stop, sir..." Her toes curled and her body quivered from his crazed assfucking like an instrument in the hands of a master. Her eyes rolled back and she nearly passed out from the intensity of it all, when his hold tightened enough to make her joints pop and his cock buried itself as deep as it could go, striking parts of her she never knew existed. Every strike of that big black cock reverberated in her young being, till the last holds on her sanity came undone and her lust for him became the most dominant, central part of her personality. "FUUUUUUCK!!!!" she howled. Her pussy unleashed by itself without a single touch, showering her juices over the glass wall in a mad spray that went everywhere. She had never squirted in her life, and now she had done so only from being assfucked. "I love you," she confessed, weak and soft - white clay to be moulded and broken in strong black hands like his for years to come. For the first time in her life, Rei felt intensely about something: her newfound love for black cock. She herself was shocked at the sudden change in her mode of being. She lay on the bed kissing her bull while he held her down in a mating press, her skinny arms and legs wrapped around his muscle-bound back, caressing his beautiful dark skin as he filled her up to the brim. Each thrust of his cock spilled seed from her full womb. Around the point when she had ridden him, she realized that she loved him. That she loved being fucked by him. That she could never go back to not feeling this way. The feeling of his cock was overbearing and his body was so strong and beautiful. Rei felt so grateful to him for teaching her all of this... For giving her a real purpose.   "I want to be your Asian slut forever," she whispered lovingly, using her tongue to lick at his face. "I want your big black cock inside me. I want to carry all your babies." He thrust with all his power, sending splintering pain into her stomach and up her spine. "Doesn't it hurt to be such a whore?" "I want it to hurt," said Rei, her mouth opening in total cocklust. She licked her lips, still tasting his cum. "Big black cock should always hurt. Asian pussies were made to be broken." The next thing she knew Asuka was thrown on the bed next to her. The two were side by side, each one resting her head against a passed out Misato. The ever-angry Asuka glanced at her, blissfully zen. She seemed to have discovered the joy of surrendering as well. A moment later she screamed, proclaiming herself and her white pussy to be made for breeding. Hearing her made Rei that much wetter. Even she has found herself... She searched for Asuka's hand and grabbed it, giving her an encouraging squeeze. Asuka squeezed back. The two exchanged a loving glance, finally able to appreciate each other as total BBC sluts. The two school girls kissed deeply, happy to be in this together, to be bred at once by such amazing cocks... The bulls came inside them again and again as the teens begged for every drop of their cum, for greater pain and punishment, for a lifetime of service in the service of BBC and nothing else. "Please breed us," they said in unison, showing them the eternal peace sign. "Please let us carry your black babies." "You need to come to Japan with us," said Asuka, crying with pleasure. "We need you there so desperately..." "We don't want those small dicks!" added Rei, eyes burning with worship for their BBCs. The two bulls grabbed a marker and drew a Queen of Spades over both their wombs, officially accepting them as breedable cocksluts that belonged to BBC and BBC only. A lifetime of black breeding awaited the white and Asian duo. Their heavy balls spent every drop of cum towards that goal, lavishing their wombs with scorching seed, feeding their hungry mouths, and coming all over their tight bodies.   When all was said and done the two bulls rose and left behind a mess. Asuka lay on her side, somehow still wearing her one heel, her body twitching. She sucked on her finger and mumbled incomprehensibly about being a pilot. Rei lay face down, completely exhausted, a gooey puddle of hot cum forming at the base of her pussy, spams still wrecking her cum-covered body. The gobs of cum planted all over her ass shone brightly in the predawn gloom. Misato snored softly, just as before, too fucked up to come out of her coma blacked. The bulls dropped fluttering dollars all over the bed, covering all three of them in green, taking pity on the stupid foreign bitches. "Go get yourself a soda or something, kiddo," said Asuka's partner, then gave her a final merciless slap on her abused asscheeks.

[freezing-kaiju]

a stupid stubborn sort of vow

an AsuRei fic, 1.5k words

Summary: After an emotional confrontation between Asuka and Hikari over the latter’s moving away, a confession goes badly and  Rei finds herself having to comfort a miserable Asuka, her sworn rival. Vows are exchanged, of a sort.

(au detail: modern au, set during community college, no evangelions, au to be named soon)

It was precisely 7:32 PM, Friday, a mild September night. Rei left her window open, as ever. She didn’t have a particular fondness for the night air; she was indifferent, as she was with a laundry list of things.

That list was waning, though, thanks to the person who was now occupying her thoughts, as she did jarringly often nowadays.

Asuka Langley Soryu. Her rival. Nemesis. Adversary. Enemy, opponent, opposite... match, even. The first time Asuka declared she hated her, Rei had expected their petty rivalry to stop in a month. Asuka’d move on to the next annoyance, the next thing to be furious on, and Rei would be left behind as ever, ready to proceed on her way.

But Asuka stuck. Through third grade, fourth, fifth, all of middle school and now two years of high, Asuka was a thorn in Rei’s side, and Rei a thorn in hers. Rei supposed Asuka was, aside from her brother, the closest thing she had to a friend.

And Asuka loved to argue.

So the duo whiled away the nights over the years making up a host of feuds. Any topic that came to mind, Asuka’d take a stand on, Rei’d pick something opposing and stick to it as much as Asuka stuck to hers. 

Asuka loved pop music, the kind she could dance to. Rei picked classical, the only kind she listened to. Asuka preferred magical girl anime, Rei decided she prefers shonen. Asuka argued the best fruit was apples, Rei countered with pomegranate. Sometimes they’d spend a whole evening trying to come up with what to fight over and end up dozing off side by side on Rei’s bedroom floor.

Tonight though... well, tonight, Rei hoped Asuka wouldn’t come. Not that she didn’t look forward to another bout with her, of course. But, well...

She put her book down for a moment, marking it with one of Monday’s completed worksheets, and picked up her phone. No texts from Asuka. She tapped the contact regardless, and stared at their brief exchange from that afternoon.

Asuka: sayin googbye 2 hikari 2nite Asuka: *goodbye, FUCK Rei: Ah. Asuka: leave the window open ncase i fuckup Rei: I will. Good luck. Asuka: fuck u wonder girl Asuka: dont need ur luck Asuka: seeya, h8 u 4ever Rei: You too.

Rei treasured those interactions. But she knew Hikari was more important to Asuka. Sometimes, when they went on hikes to out-endure each other or exploring abandoned buildings to see who chickens out first, Asuka’d ramble about how long she’d had a crush on her best friend. How much she wanted to kiss her, hold her hand, how she was sure Hikari’d be the one to always stick with her, the one she could spend the rest of her life with.

Needless to say, Asuka had been pretty pissed about it. And paranoid, and stressed, and panicked, and above all sad. Rei knew by now how to tell apart the various shades of anger on her emotional palette, but the past week had seen a roiling blend of all the worst.

Rei placed her phone back down on her desk, an island in the void of mostly empty space, and picked her book back up. The Horse’s Song, another in her carefully organized shelf of nondescript books. So far it failed to provoke anything, but the clipped pace and strange dialogue kept her attention well enough. Asuka would tear the book a new one, if Rei convinced her to read it. She’d save that idea for another topic-less day.

Seven pages further in, a sound split Rei’s concentration. The clang of someone tripping over that bucket Shinji still hadn’t found a place for. A scream of “FUCK!” Hard footsteps on the grass.

Rei put aside her book, turned her chair to the window and placed her hands on her lap.

After a few moments and a series of loud slams, Asuka’s hands slammed onto the windowsill. The paint on her nails was chipped. She groaned and slowly lifted herself up, eyes fixing right on Rei’s. Her expression twisted into her customary glare, but wavered, unable to stick in its natural state. Her makeup ran like a storm drain down her face, blue eyes red from crying, hair clips barely holding on. Her cheek bore an unexpected bruise.

“I’m here.” Rei softened her monotone, hoping that the sentiment overcame her blank expression. Evidently it passed muster; Asuka’s glare shifted slightly, her grimace twisting into a sweet sneer.

“Yeah, I can— Ugh,” Asuka grunted as she clambered the rest of the way through the window, “I can see that, Wonder Girl.” She kicked off her shoes and flopped back-first onto Rei’s bed.

“Your makeup’s running.”

“I know.”

“You were crying.”

“I know.”

“You have a bruise.”

“I KNOW!” Asuka snapped, bolting upright. “God, you really are a robot, you know that? ‘Scanning rival, injuries detected, initiate snide remark protocol’. Ever thought about talking like a person? Asking what’s wrong?! Or hell, maybe I’m lucky you’re a robot in a meat suit, any rational human would’ve slammed the window on my goddamn hands so thanks for being a freak I guess!”

Rei paused for a moment, weighed her responses, and settled on, “I trust you too.”

Asuka took this about as well as a sucker punch. She gaped, eyes wide, balled fists going slack.

“You— wh, what even, I’m— what?!”

“The bruise,” Rei veered the subject ninety degrees, “where’d it come from?”

“Wh— oh.” Asuka covered her cheek with her hand, staring pointedly at the nothing on Rei’s walls. “...Hikari.”

“You fucked up?”

“No!” Asuka snapped. “...well, I did, sure,” she admitted with a glower, “but so did she!”

“How.”

A miserable smirk cracked across Asuka’s face. She spread her hands as if to announce exactly what wasn’t up her sleeve. “So, picture. Me, helping lug all her stupid luggage into her dad’s car. Hikari sticks behind, looking up at me, class-prez poise and a shy little grin on her, okay, gorgeous face. I’m trying not to cry. Turn to her, about to ask if she’s gonna keep in touch.”

Rei nodded, eyes focused on Asuka’s. 

“And...and, like a stupid jerk, she fucking— she kissed me!” Asuka said, with the same level of incredulity as someone discovering they’re an elf. “She kissed me, and she said that she l...lov...lo...” Asuka sputtered, “liked me!”

“Oh no.” Rei could already tell where this was headed.

“And being me, I just had to panic. I don’t remember everything that happened, it was kinda a blur! But I remember...my hands were on her shoulders and I was...god, I think I was begging her not to go.” She tch-ed. “Pathetic of me. Disgusting, really. No wonder she clocked me.”

“Liar.”

Asuka gave Rei an utterly withering look, but Rei continued. “You aren’t pathetic. Or disgusting. You’re Asuka. Those words aren’t compatible with Asuka.”

Asuka’s look softened instantly; Rei could see the beginnings of tears prick her eyes again. “Goddamnit, Wonder Girl. No, you know what? Get over here.” Asuka patted the spot next to her on the bed. Rei obliged, leaving her chair to nestle in just close enough to not upset Asuka. To her shock, though, she felt Asuka’s fingers ghost along her palm... then grasp it like a lifeline to her last hope of salvation.

“Wonder Girl. Ayanami. ...Rei,” Asuka began, and Rei could tell her teeth were gritted. “You and me. Our whole...our whole rivalry. How the fuck long are we gonna keep this up?”

“When you stop caring,” Rei said instantly, the response one of the few she never thought she’d need but prepared for the sake of it. “When I’m no longer useful. When it doesn’t matter to you.”

Asuka’s answering laugh was the hollowest Rei’d ever heard.

“Right then. Then... then I’ve got an idea.”

Rei tilted her head and Asuka took it as her cue to continue. “What if... what if we swear on it?”

“How?”

“Easy, stupid. Here, I’ll go first.” Asuka scoffed, then put on her most arrogant affectation and proclaimed, “I, Asuka Langley Soryu, promise to forever be your rival, your foe, your most trusted enemy, to hate and to keep. I swear to follow you, Rei Ayanami, to the end of the world, through thick and thin, of spite and sheer devotion.”

Rei hummed for a few moments in response. “...I, Rei Ayanami, promise to forever be your rival, your foe, your most trusted enemy, to hate and to keep. I swear to follow you, Asuka Langley Soryu, to the end of the world, through thick and thin, of spite and sheer devotion,” she parroted back, meaning every word with her whole, dull, robotic heart.

Rei knew Asuka would never let her see it, but she could feel her smile radiating out at her. 

The two girls laid there, for what could have been a minute or an eternity (but was precisely eighty-seven seconds). 

It was a vow they both intended to keep.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Deca-Dence 5 - 6 | Moriarty 3 - 4 | Yashahime 4 - 5 | Maou-jou 4 | I7 s2 5 (22) | Akudama 4 - 5 | HypMic 5 - 6 | Taiso Samurai 4 | HPGC 4

Deca-Dence 5

“…cannon won’t ignite in time!” The subbers spell cannon as “canon” later as well.

Off to the cliffside, where Kaburagi goes to die…

Deca-Dence 6

“Maybe someone intervened.” – I think Minato did, somehow.

This Death Dive reminds me of Wipeout.

Moriarty 3

I once made up a quote that goes, “When life detests you, fight back.” I think it’s also roughly along the lines of advice Albert needs.

I remembered an odd line from Macbeth: “Brother, he has killed me!” Seriously, Moriarty is scarier than some actual horror anime, I swear…Update: It’s actually “he has killed me, Mother!”, but same impact.

I had my hands over my mouth from the moment the fire began. That’s how intense this is.

This ED…doesn’t sound like an ED. It sounds like the OP for a different anime, like Joker Game or something. Also, having Saito Soma as Gentaro and Moriarty…is a bit unsettling because they have a lot of overlap but one’s basically the evil twin of the other.

Yashahime 4

“…was raised here…”

“…we can…”

I felt a heart twinge when I saw Towa tear up…man, it’s been years since I last dealt with Inuyasha properly.

“…nights where I can’t fall asleep.” – So…you’ll play it a lot then, Setsuna.

Oh, so Kirara is a nekomata? I never knew until now.

Kikyo!

According to the mythology, the kirin rules over the middle…so why is Kirinmaru the monster in the east?

Is “s***” unwarranted here? I didn’t have the volume on, so I don’t know…Going back, I think Moroha said “kuso”, but it’s still kinda weird to have a swear word in a mostly family-friendly series in a slot near Detective Conan. (Then again, Detective Conan is where I learnt “kuso” from…so my standards are probably not as up-to-scratch as they should be.)

Rin! People keep saying Rin is the mother of the girls and it’s basically the only conclusion that could be done, considering the relationship the two had…but it’s still kind of squick…(Says a person who has no problem with SGRS s2’s ending.)

Update: Someone on ANN said the teacher’s name (Osamu Kirin) being similar to Kirinmaru is sketchy and I agree.

Maou-jou 4

There’s no pun for Rocket Turtle…that’s kinda startling, actually.

I’m not going to translate the eyecatches anymore. Seems they were actually translated in the manga and someone just copies them over or something.

I’ve seen some characters use wa when they really aren’t that feminine. However, the voice Suwabe uses for the Sorceror leads me to believe this guy really is trying to be feminine, even if in just a vocal capacity.

…aw, no puns here too.

Oh no, the seal…!

…hmm? The Scissors Sorceror’s info is…we’re not allowed to look at it. That’s what the red text says.

…my brain exploded for a second when I suddenly heard jazz music. It’s a Detective Conan parody! *screams*

Iina! doesn’t really mean “Lucky!” It means more like “cool!” or “It’s good, isn’t it?”

I7 s2 5

I missed these boys!

I like the Kinako transition. It’s cute.

I don’t really like it when Tenn looks at the screen…it gives me 1st person cam vibes.

Why is Tsunashi being called “this”, anyway?

Oh yeah…mensore = youkoso = welcome.

Uh oh…is Yuki actually evil???

Riku (earth) vs. Tenn (heaven). Hmm.

I still can’t believe they don’t believe Gaku is the soba guy. It’s so obvious!

Chikuzen-ni.

Someone on staff ships Gaku and Tsumugi together…hmm…

Oh! So this is DESTINY, huh? I’ve probably heard it on Spotify before, but I don’t recognise it by sheer sound like I do HypMic. (Then again, the half-year off the airwaves probably really hurt I7, man…)

Akudama 4

Say what you will about how bad Funi translations can get…they’re definitely entertaining!

Geesh, Doctor gets all the sexy shots, but Brawler gets all the ab shots. Can I get a sexy Courier shot…?

“…she’s right.” – There’s a lot of dialogue here, so…uh, who’s “she” in this case?

What’s a “bro fro”?

Wow, Brawler, talk about being punched into next Tuesday…(partially joking)

Swindler’s face, LOL. (I know she’s an ordinary gal, but calling her “Swindler” is shorter to type.)

I remember reading around and people agree Swindler works at the Seal Centre.

The shark and bunny’s shirts say things like “Kanto/Kansai”, “earth, air/water” and “pollution/clean” during their montage.

“feminist” – Uh, ex-squeeze me?! Feminism does not equal “ladies first” or “going easy on ladies”. Update: I went and listenend to it and although one of my ears is mysteriously almost constantly plugged these days, I’m fairly sure Doctor did not say “feminist” (in katakana). Update 2: Then I listened to it again and…I’m not sure anymore.

LOL, Hoodlum hit the in-series camera. With his face.

Oh, vault = garage or storage. Right, how did I not know that?

Cat, nooooooooooooooooo! Don’t die!

HypMic 5

After the two “darker” divisions, it seems almost strange to not have a “dark” introduction about the seedy underbelly of alt. future Japan…

Oh, my gosh. That’s Ichijiku on the phone.

The studio has the word “drops” on it.

Lemme guess: Neither hand!...Yup.

The only spoiler I know for this ep. is it’s a Halloween episode, and “Ramuda ruins Halloween”. That quote is way too subjective to mean anything, though…

…hmm, Gentaro doesn’t say “shousei” in that sentence involving “this humble bard” (not that I heard, but one of my ears is mysteriously plugged after I stayed up late browsing Twitter on my phone – don’t tell anyone that, though! They’re not meant to know!). Gentaro is not a humble bard (although that would translate “shousei” quite correctly in the Shakespearean), he’s an author.

LOL, that “ding!”

Gentaro actually says “ghostbusters” in katakana, LOL.

I almost thought this Shinjuku man was Doppo…but no, this Aoyama Cemetery exists. It has nice cherry blossoms.

The “dun dun dun” soundtrack is great. It really sets the atmosphere.

Gentaro really is an idiots’ minder, just as I used to characterise him. (Then the FP and M manga and developments regarding Ramuda being evil changed my mind.)

I-Is this just gonna be an episode of FP being scared and Ramuda yelling? It’s fun for a bit, but when you’re stopping to analyse every few seconds, Ramuda’s voice is gonna get annoying eventually…

Kurosu seems to be a cross between Jyushi and Doppo.

This ep…makes FP look money-crazy. Dice is only money-crazy when he’s broke…because of course you would be…but the others aren’t.

That rock track that plays when FP hand out flyers is cool!

Are they…eating squid?...Welp, squid jerky. I’d say I’m correct.

Oh, so they’re all street photographers? Not just Tom?

I was wondering…how would the “tie to a different division” occur in episode 5, considering episode 6 is where the plot really kicks in? Turns out…they tie back to BB, which is not a thing I was expecting at all.

BB have a BB tablet…makes sense, because I think Hypster have iPhone cases for each division.

Oh, they’re planting the seeds of Ramuda’s ability here, so to speak. By knowing what Hypnosis Mics are capable of doing, you can see the building blocks of Rap Abilities as well.

Okonbanwa! The extra O is meant to make things formal, but only in front of nouns (sometimes it’s “go”, e.g. goshujin), so it’s Ramuda being overly formal to be cutesy and unconventional.

*lightbulb goes off in head* It makes sense that the group affiliated with illusions and randomness does the Halloween episode, actually.

…Yargh! Of course all these onee-sans are FP stans!...*lightly touches temple, as if to get rid of a headache* I should’ve known.

The new song is “Shibuya Ghost Night” by Tokyo Health Club, Yuki “T-Groove” Takahashi and Yuma Hara.

*stops video before the darn airhorn sounds* Thank goodness…hey, isn’t this quote from Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka…?

This episode is very seasonal, but doesn’t really make sense outside of airing on Halloween. C’mon, couldn’t you have given us a Sasara appearance instead of having Ramuda yell down the house…? I knew the FP episode was going to be either lighthearted with a dark undercurrent, like the BB ep (considering we haven’t gotten to Ramuda dying yet), or full-on lighthearted, but…I somehow wonder if the staff had an empty spot labelled “Fling Posse episode” due to COVID and went, “Okay, it airs on Halloween this year, let’s make it Halloween-inspired”…or something. Also, I feel Gentaro got the short end of the stick here.

Update: As for yakuwarigo, Ramuda trends towards the feminine side, which is not something I noticed until my groupwork partner pointed it out to me. The message in this episode has a “yone”, which proves that point even further. “Dayo~n” is a variant of the gender-neutral “yo” ending. Meanwhile, I have game samples that prove Dice uses “ze” like BB/MTC, while Gentaro uses “yo” and desu/masu like Jakurai, so it was really Ramuda anyone wanted to pay attention to since his speech patterns are the most feminine-leaning, possibly due to his extensive hanging out with ladies. (I once read a Tofugu post on how non-binary people deal with language that said if you hang out with ladies a lot, you take on feminine yakuwarigo and if you hang out with guys a lot, you do the same in that direction, but I clearly remember Ramuda using “sa”, which is a slightly male-leaning ending.)

Taiso Samurai 4

There’s something in the background which stops me from listening to it and one of my ears is blocked, but I gotta find out what Tackey was saying about the NHK Cup (the joke, I mean). Update: So I think it’s ninja/nukihara/kekkou, but I may have heard that wrong due to my blocked ear…I should get someone to clean it out properly.

Here’s the YoI monologue about competitions again. <- (neutral on it) Also, NHK is in English letters/romaji in the term “NHK Cup”, but the “Cup” isn’t (it’s in kanji).

Sekigahara had a huge historical battle.

Huh? This episode’s called “Samurai Musume (daughter)”, so…where did “Battling Samurai” come from? That’s one of the previous episodes, right?

Selfies, before they were cool.

I was wondering if Leo actually calls Rei “Rachel” like he calls Jotaro “Joe”…and he does. I just haven’t paid much attention to the audio, that’s all.

The Battle of Chibi? Never heard of it until now, but the Battle of Red Cliffs is the same thing.

Leo Naruto runs…LOL.

If Rei was in 4th grade in 2002…are we going to see the characters in the present in the end? She would be 28 in 2020.

I guess I should’ve guessed from “hat trick”, but a Bergkamp trap is related to soccer.

There’s a random Japanese-sounding track in the background…didn’t expect that.

A cemetery…on the day after Halloween.

“Grandma’s place” = the bar…Ohhhhhhhhhh. I was wondering, didn’t the grandma and Rei live together? Then it all came together.

Jim Beeam (sic), LOL.

I wonder, are Tackey and Ayu dating like he asks?

Gotta love a man in a suit! *chef’s kiss*

Yashahime 5

Who’s this Tokotsu guy again…? Also, the “ja” in Jakotsumaru means “young”.

Oh, Myoga. It’s been a while.

Can there be 4 Perils when there’s only 3 of them…?

Well, it makes sense that a dog demon would have demon fleas…in a sense.

Why is “trying to swallow up this world and turn it into a degenerate age” (or whatever Kirinmaru’s aim is) so vague? You could say the present is already an age of mass degeneracy…

Maybe the Dream Butterfly took Moroha’s memories…?

Wait, why is Myoga only allowed to drink Moroha’s blood when she puts on the rouge?

So this is an arhat. Also, aren’t morals an Anglophone ideal imported into Japan and the rest of Asia? That’s what separates Towa from Setsuna.

Akudama 5

This drone definitely won’t come in handy at all…(sarcastic)

There’s an Evangelion feel to these “masks”…

That box is like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs! It’s great!

I like how the kids jump to the potential fact (?) this is a Swindler trick.

You can see Courier’s bike in the background when the bunny says “…and I mean everything.”

*Knights of Sidonia music starts playing* Search! And! Destroy! *record scratch as music stops*

I think this little discussion between Courier and Swindler will go down in Akudama Drive history as one of my favourite moments because it’s the little conversations that count. Also…does Courier have a mechanical hand, or is that just me thinking weird things…? Is that a glove?

Ooh, scars. Sexy. (On the Executioner Master, at least.)…Now I get why the guy wears that mouth covering.

HypMic 6

Halfway through the season already…? Yikes, how time flies. By the way, my assignment’s come and gone so I don’t need to focus on it anymore.

Hmm? Why did the subbers put “Prime Minister” when Ichijiku merely says “yes”…?

Wait, 1st question: how does one sign up for a rap battle? I don’t think that’s ever been answered. 2nd question (well, not a question): Dice is paying attention to Otome now…

I’m fairly sure that red brick warehouse was just that…as in the Red Brick Warehouse in Yokohama, which was also featured in Bungou Stray Dogs. Update: Oh, it’s (partially) a shopping mall…? I didn’t know that until now.

See, I told you they’re (Tom, Iris and Rex) probably foreigners…

That one shot of Jakurai? *chef’s kiss* Beautiful. Give me a million of ‘em. (Okay, I’m kidding to some degree, but I can’t help staring at it. Jakurai’s just too pretty…)

“Tweet-like lyrics”? Eh? When was Twitter a collective pessimist?

Oh, that’s basically the scene from the drama track. Where the heck is Jakurai fishing though…? I always imagined it to be at a river or a pier, not some concrete complex. Update: According to a user on Twitter, the fishing place is called “Ichigaya Fishing Centre”. It is, as you would expect, found in Shinjuku. Apparently, even Osomatsu-san featured the place...which would explain why it looks vaguely familiar to me.

Wow, I can’t believe how upfront they’re being about Ramuda breaking up TDD.

Ramuda thought in his deep voice…I almost didn’t recognise it for a second. It doesn’t even sound like Shirai. It sounds more like…Hayami, in fact.

“F*** yeah!” - …and they’re still going with the F bomb. Keep being you, subbers, keep being you.

That shot of Saburo in a dimly-lit room almost looks like the SR card in ARB, except in that one he has his headphones on (and might be outside, to my memory).

Oh, so the round thing really is Ichiro’s ring. It’s got an “I” on it too, i.e. the Roman numeral for one.

*Ichiro explains what happened to TDD from his and Samatoki’s side* - I don’t think we’ve ever seen the story from Ichiro’s or Samatoki’s perspective enough to know either thought this (or this way).

“Jiro! Saburo! Let’s go!” - …and Tom’s just taking photos as they leave, LOL.

I didn’t expect the TsudaKen guy to be back again, really.

Well, if this Google route is to be believed, “Sadamezuka’s soul” only lasts about 30 minutes by car crossing from one point to the other, hence Jiro’s remark.

Googling “Toyotama” and “Toyotama Line” gets you…Ghost of Tsushima links…?

…hmm. I’m not listening to it on a hugely loud volume, so I can’t quite tell what the pun is, but I think the word for “monk” in this case is “bouzu”. Then what’s the word for “electric dynamo”…? Update: The pun, according to Takahisa Maeyama, is Erekiteruteru Bouzu.

That ticking thing was really effective in terms of the song…but sasuga HypMic. Things went ka-blammo again.

So we’re probably going to see BB’s first DRB round next ep…or Matenrou doing another takedown similar to ep. 3. Or both. Both is good. (Or it could be the FP/M side of things, much like we got the BB/MTC side of things here.)

...Uh, shouldn’t that be “dawn”? The anime’s generally been very good about this (aside from the obvious typo in the BB logo), but…welp, they’ve done it now.

Update: The LOVE you see Hifumi and Doppo near is this one.

Update 2: As for the yakuwarigo, it…turns out, to no one’s surprise, it stays oddly consistent across all media, although individual treatment of the characters can differ depending on the author.

HGPC 4

Ooh, is this Element of Light?

Fate/Stay PreCure! Here we come!

Moriarty 4

Why is the “to” capitalised? (Is that even capitalised?)

Quinine.

I kind of knew the grapefruit and the heart condition and/or quinine would be relevant somehow…and boy howdy, was I right! I just didn’t really know what it was going to do, that’s all.

I thought the ED didn’t match very well, but looking at the translated lyrics…now it kind of makes sense.

[saveonesouls]

Chapter 5 of The Gods Aren’t Dead is out! Feel free to read it on AO3 and also I have posted it under the read more below! Feel free to like, reblog to share it around, and send messages and whatnot of what you think of the story so far and what you think might happen next :D

Charlotte was the first to appear near the scene in France, being able to successfully teleport near the scene and walk the rest of the way. She was fortunate that her abilities still worked just as good as they did before. In a way, it was like they never were gone, like they never were shut off.

Charlotte walked near it and passed some pedestrians, heading to the front to see the damage. Her blue eyes gazed at it all and she let out a breath. It was bad. A building lost, people being put in ambulances, people being covered by white sheets. She clenched her fist. She was angry, mad... livid. She wanted to find Gaia and give her a piece of her mind for messing with the mortals, for causing damage. She turned and walked away from the crowd, touching her phone screen and pressing a few numbers before it began to ring.

“Hello?”

“Sasha, it’s me.”

“What’d you find?”

Charlotte sighed as she stopped and looked over at the crowd and around at the damage. “It’s bad. She had to have done this. It looks like an earthquake than a landslide, though. Where the building is has fallen than look like a slide, though I can’t be sure. There’s too many people around for me to look.”

“We’ll have to check when it’s dead of night.” She heard Sasha sigh. “Meet me at Tyson’s place. He has it all set up and Bayley is there picking her weapon of choice.”

“I’ll be there soon. I’m going to check more of this place out. See if any of them are lurking or what other evidence I can find. Have you talked to Vince yet?”

“Other than this morning? Yes. I’m going to text him your updates now, but he’s... Well let’s just say that Florida is about to get a thunderstorm.” Charlotte sighed heavily as Sasha continued. “Mother will talk to him.”

“Mother wants nothing to do with him. You heard her last time. She told him she was going to chop his balls off because he keeps trying to sleep with other women.”

“Well, it’s dad and mom finally figured out to stop taking his shit like we’ve told her many times.” Sasha huffed. “What do you expect? I will get her to talk to him, but I know it’s no promises. Now, get to Tyson’s. I will talk to you then.”

“Alright.” Charlotte hung up and sighed as she looked back at the damage. It worried her how bad this was getting already. This was the very beginning of what was going to be a war on Earth and Charlotte knew it. Turning to walk, she took a few steps to make sure she was not in people’s view before she disappeared and reappeared by Tyson’s training facility for them. It was dressed up like a warehouse, but inside was a different ballgame. She walked inside and already could see a few people, Becky and Asuka to be more exact, sparring each other. It made her smile as she walked in. She even saw Bayley with Tyson looking at what seemed to be a bo staff of sorts, which had her curious to that choice. Though she knew Bayley had her reasons. Maybe not to slice through something or someone. Who knew, honestly besides Bayley.

“Charlotte.”

Charlotte turned and saw Becky walking over with Asuka. “Hey you two... I see everything is looking pretty great here.”

“Oh yeah. Tyson really pulled things together and got this place to tip top shape.” Asuka said softly with a grin on her face. “I have to go” She looked at Becky and patted her shoulder. “Great sparring today. You haven’t lost your touch.”

“Neither have you, old friend.” Becky grinned as Asuka walked away and then she turned her attention to Charlotte. “What did you find at the sight?”

“You haven’t spoken to Sasha yet?” Becky shook her head and the two started to walk in the direction of Bayley. “It’s Gaia. She somehow managed to move the earth under the building and pulled part of it down and caused tons of damage.”

“People are dead I assume and injured?” Charlotte nodded and Becky sighed heavily. “So what is it that we do?”

“I do not know yet. Sasha has to talk to Vince about it to see what we should do because in all honesty we cannot go out and start using our abilities like we used to. The people only know us as myths, as stories.”

“And to show them that we are not would be a bad idea.” Becky sighed as they stopped right behind Bayley and she spoke to her. “So the staff, huh?”

Bayley turned to look at the two and she smiled a little as she twirled the staff a few times. “Yeah... Is it a bad choice?”

“Not at all.” Charlotte shook her head. “It can do decent damage like a sword or a bow. It won’t make any piercing damage, but you can break a few bones with that thing in all honesty.” She looked at Tyson who she gave a light smile to. “As usual you never disappoint with good work.”

“Thanks, Charlotte.” He said and he turned and grabbed what was Charlotte’s sword and handed it to her. “This is yours. I’ve upgraded it a bit to be stronger and not break so easily. I also have used a bit more gold and some blood red on the hilt of the sword.”

Charlotte grabbed it; her eyes widen at the sight of the artistry of her sword. She pulled it out of the sheath and everyone just watched her quietly. Charlotte was like a kid in a candy store with her sword as it had been years since she needed it, since she had to ever use it. It shined bright of the steel reflecting the light in the warehouse, the hilt being a mixture of blood red and black like Tyson spoke about the and gold... Charlotte loved it. She could never hate anything Tyson did when it came to his artistry of weapons. Though this, Charlotte teared up at the sight.

“Ptolema...” Charlotte whispered to the sword as she ran her finger lightly on the sharp edge of it. “I missed you so much... We have so much work to do, so much to catch up on.” Charlotte sheathed the sword before she wiped her eyes and looked at Tyson. “I thank you for bringing her back to me.”

“Of course, Charlotte.” Tyson smiled and held out her shield next and what seemed to be a spiked headband. “Your shield and this... Father stated that in modern times your helmet would be seen as too back in the day. So, I made you a spiked headband that is moreso like your crown. Your shield will have your helmet symbol to show who you are and what you represent of course, but this--”

“--Will fit me currently.” Tyson nodded and Charlotte didn’t hesitate to slip on the crown headband within her blonde locks. She stood there now with her shield in one hand, her sword in the other and she looked at the three before her, especially Bayley who seemed to have this bright smile on her face. “Why are you smiling?”

Bayley saw everyone look at her now and she smiled more. “Because you’re happy. I can see it.” She gave a little nod. “You’ve been waiting for a moment like this to be back to you, we all have. Though we’ve been forced back into this way, we all are back to ourselves in full force and it’s what we need.”

Charlotte grinned at the brunette and at Becky who nodded in agreement. Then they heard clicking of steps after a door was shut and she turned her head, seeing Sasha walking in. “Good timing.”

“Good timing indeed.” Sasha smiled at her blonde-haired sister and nodded. “You look good.” She looked at Tyson. “I assume you have my things as well?”

“Of course. Let me grab them out of the weapons closet.” He turned to go into the separate room.

Sasha looked at Becky and grinned. “Your sword fits you. Glad to have it back?”

“Of course.” Becky smiled happily. “I think we all are happy to have our weapons back and acquiring one” She briefly looked at Bayley. “Charlotte here had tears in her eyes.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Shut up.” She said with a breath and looked at Sasha. “What did Vince say?”

Sasha sighed heavily. “He’s asking us to keep an eye out for other issues on the news. He doesn’t want us attacking yet but to prepare.”

“They’re just going to keep killing more people and recruiting the mortals for their cause.” Bayley said as she leaned on the table Tyson was near. “We can’t be holding back like this. Not when they think we aren’t here and they can take over the world as how they wanted it before Vince took over.”

“I’m aware, but that’s what Father said. We have to respect it for now.” Sasha shrugged before looking at Charlotte. “I need to ask you something.”

“Okay...” Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows confusingly. “What is it?”

“If you did something like what Gaia did, what would you do next?”

“... You’re asking me because I am basically the chaotic one in this group, aren’t you?”

“That and because you are the more aggressive one than I and I would do something more strategic and not something... chaotic.”

“Well” Charlotte put her sword and shield down on the table and turned to Sasha, leaning against the table. “What would you do then?”

Sasha paused a moment, thinking and analyzing solutions in her head. “I would see if I could track one of us down and attack. Either that, or go to Greece and destroy one of the monuments.”

Charlotte nodded. “Either would be logical and smart. If they wanted to be chaotic to the point where they want to cause pain instantly? I would find out if the gods and goddess of our circle are alive, but get the less important ones.”

“Like me.”

They all looked at Bayley, her looked uncomfortable and worried.

“Well... Yes, but you and Becky are surrounded by me and Sasha so they wouldn’t dare try.”

“They don’t know that though.” Sasha said with a sigh. “Wouldn’t they want to try and start a war or something?”

“Why? There’s two already happening.” Charlotte said before Tyson walked out and held out Athena’s shield, sword, her own headband that was golden leaves and olives on it, and what seemed to be two pairs of armor. “I assume one is mine?”

“Yes. I almost forgot to give it to you.” Tyson said and handed it over. “I tailored it to fit your female frame by making it a little smaller. If it doesn’t fit, I will adjust it.”

“Thank you, Tyson.” Charlotte and Sasha said at the same time before Charlotte started to speak to Sasha. “We need to make sure to warn everyone about what’s to come and I mean everyone. We can’t be holding back any information because we are all in danger.”

That’s when Becky chimed in. “I’m meetin’ some of them at Hunter’s bar. I’ll let ‘em know what’s going on and make sure they stop by here to see Tyson about weaponry or whatever they may need.”

Bayley lowered her gaze as the three spoke and she looked at Tyson who merely grinned at her and she grinned back before she ehard her name. She looked over at blinked. “Huh?”

“I asked if you’re ready to head home.” Sasha said softly. “Bex has to go to work and Charlotte has a fight tonight so I thought we could ride together.”

“Oh! Sure!” Bayley smiled warmly. She then looked at Tyson. “Is there a way to... hide these things?”

“Oh of course. Just have to utter krymménos, hidden in Greek, as you hold it or looking at it and it while be invisible as if it wasn’t there. You also can do the same and tell it to appear somewhere else, like your home, and it will be there.” Tyson explained with a nod. “I had to work with Naomi on getting that done with all the weapons. Didn’t take long, but it was rough to speak with her about it.”

“Not surprised...” Charlotte said with a sigh. “Anyways, we should all go. Thank you again Tyson.” Tyson gave a brief bow of the head and the four went their ways: Charlotte went off to the house by teleportation, got in her car to head to her match, Becky got into her car that was at the place and headed off to work, and Sasha and Bayley drove home.

It was a mostly silent drive other than the music playing off Sasha’s phone, which happened to sound like and positive with some not having any vocals at all and still gave that power and uplifting feeling. To Bayley, Sasha weas the one that was most positive when it came to many things besides herself, and she loved that about the other more than anything. They bounced off the positivity when it was really needed.

Once they got home, they put their weaponry in a locker and Sasha put a lock on it and put in the passcode, which she told Bayley what it was and was going to tell the other two when they got home. She stated “it’s better to tell them in person so no one hacks into their phones and somehow gets it and takes the weapons. They’re basically artifacts to the modern world and we do not want anyone or anything taking them from us”.

Bayley let out a breath as she crashed onto the couch and put on the TV, instantly going to the news to see if anything new came up about the Titans causing trouble, but it was everything normal, nothing too out of the ordinary. She sighed heavily, wishing she could just go out there and actually do something about all this. The fact that she read so many comic books and learned about superheroes really got her into the idea that that’s who they really were going to end up being: The real-life superheroes to the modern world. They were the gods and goddesses that ran the world the best they could and they evolved into minds much greater and wiser and that meant they had to as well, which they did. Now, with everything going on and the Titans causing a hassle, it had to be time right? In Bayley’s mind, this was the perfect time. This was the best time to do that. No one knew exactly what to do other than to prepare and ready up, but Bayley wanted to do more. They needed to do more!

“You’re thinking too much.”

Bayley jumped as she snapped out of her thoughts and saw Sasha walking into the living room with a glass of water and sat on the couch next to her. “H--How do you know?”

“Your face. You looked super serious as the news was talking about the oldest dog in the world is the tallest dog in the world. I don’t think you’d look so serious over that and more “aww” and cry of how good of a puppy he is.”

Bayley rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Thinking about the Titans?” Bayley nodded. “We’ll get them. It may be a while, but we’ll get them.”

“But when? We should start acting now. Form a group and just... go after that, protect this world, our mortals.”

“Protect? You sound like you’ve been reading too many Spiderman comics again.”

“M--Maybe I have, but the comics have a point in our situation. We have these abilities no one else has because we are immortal Gods and can only die by each other’s hands. The Titans may find us and kill us and then what? They take over. We should be... I don’t know! Like the Avengers! It’s time to avenge and protect our planet.”

“Our planet is fighting against us, Bay. You know, Gaia and all.”

“She’s not our planet. She stopped being that the moment she decided to hurt it.” She saw Sasha smile and she knew she was right and made a good point. “It’s time, Sash. All that talk I’ve said for the past couple years, it’s time.”

Sasha sighed and looked away. “I’d have to talk to Vince, you know that. Everything we do, I have to go through him and--”

“Talk to Hunter or Roman.”

Sasha raised an eyebrow, her face scrunching in confusion. “What? Why our them?”

“Hunter and Roman know how to get through to Vince better than you, no offense.”

“None taken... You’re right, but he’ll want my opinion on it as well.”

“Then the three of you can talk about it.”

Sasha nodded, knowing Bayley made a valid point. The three of them really could get Vince to just sit down and chill. Though, at this rate the old man was not chilling any time soon. In reality, Vince never was one to chill, not even when he was sleeping around and causing terror back in the Ancient Greece days. It is what made her mother, Lacey, be her own version of a calm before the storm situation. Athena didn’t blame her mother in the least bit. Though sometimes the anger went to her and the others, but with the women Vince went around with, they got more of the pain and anger. Just that thought made her shake her head and she looked away from Bayley.

“So you know I’m right?”

“Yes.” Sasha sighed. “I will speak to them at another time. Right now, we’re all on edge on who did it in the first place and since no one is blaming Charlotte for it, the blame is shifting to who knows who else on the spectrum of us.”

“I still like my own theory better.”

Sasha looked at Bayley. “Which is...?”

“They got out themselves. Charlotte had a point, Vince forgets to do certain things and we’ve had to pick up after him a few times. Maybe he actually did forget to close the gate and this is the time that the moment he did, they took over.”

Sasha sighed and looked at the news for a while, seeing something about a fire and she just stared at it for a while, which got Bayley staring too.

“... You think they caused that?”

“I don’t know.” Sasha leaned forward to focus on it and she sighed. “It’s hard to tell because they could do anything. They haven’t been around this world so they view is a different. For all we know, they don’t know what’s going on and are ruining it because they think it is an illusion.”

“I think they’re doing it because they think this is our handiwork of making the world like this when we haven’t done anything. We let them do it and we work with them with minimal skills.” Bayley shrugged. “I’ll text Becky to see if she can find out about that fire since it’s in the city. Maybe something in the police report can give her an idea on if it is them or just an average fire caused by mortals.”

Weeks started to pass and it seemed that things were escalating and Sasha was the one to get all the questions, but then the end of the month came and that’s when the mortals found out about the Titans. They revealed themselves to easily that it was no joke.

Gaia, was there causing an earthquake after she and Cronus, had appeared in front of national television. The announced who they were and the whole press conference was cut short as they saw Hyperion appear. He used the light to set the room aflame and cut everything short. That’s when the four women looked at each other with shock on their faces.

“We are the Titans and we have returned to claim what is ours! We are your rulers! We are your dictators! You mortals stand no chance when your Gods are dead! Zeus, Hera, Artemis, Apollo, Athena, Ares, Hecate, Poseidon, Demeter, and Hades... They are gone and they have been for years and now? It is our time to rule.

“It is our time to take back what’s ours.”

[very-grownup]

THE YEAR IS 2020 AND I WATCHED NEON GENESIS EVANGELION FOR THE FIRST TIME, PART 3

Episode 11.

Self-governance is an illusion and humanity has replaced the decision-making process with some supercomputers because no one's read "I Have No Mouth and I Mist Scream".

The rest of Episode 11 and Episode 12 behind the cut.

So, there's this episode of Johnny Quest where a spaceship crash lands outside this military base and it leaves behind this black orb that in the night opens and it's a glowing red eye and super long spider legs extend and it shoots a laser out of its eye. The Angel in this episode reminds me of the giant space spider robot in that episode of Johnny Quest but it's like a rhomboid instead of an orb and it is covered in triangles and each triangle has an eye and later the eyes cry orange acid and that's upsetting but I love spider.

There's a power outage in this episode caused by I think the Angel just throwing a breaker and shutting everything down and absolutely no one was prepared for this eventuality. Like, everything is underground mostly and what emergency power there is gets diverted from the life support to the supercomputers which seems like the kind of decision EVIL SUPERCOMPUTERS WOULD MAKE but that's not even the important thing.

Shinji's been told by his teacher to talk to his dad because the kids are doing, like, their future goal planning guidance counselor stuff or whatever and parents need to be involved and the little scene of Shinji calling his father from a payphone is heartbreaking. Just awkward anxious stuttering mostly focused on Shinji's empty hand clenching and unclenching helplessly while his father interrupts him to tell him to spit it out already and tell him why he's broken what seems to be a no contact rule between them and it's so real. So futile. Shinji really tries to tell his father the message he's supposed to pass on only to get the brush-off again, the whole thing impatiently dismissed as unimportant and part of all the responsibilities for Shinji that have been delegated to Misato. Then we get the beginning of what is clearly Shinji's father telling his assistant not to forward Shinji's calls in the future before the power outage and the call disconnects. Shinji tries to talk to about this to Asuka and Rei. The disconnect has just enough uncertainty to it that Asuka is able to go 'sounds like a tech problem stop worrying so much and reading into it you wiener'. Shinji tries to lie to himself that Asuka's right even though this is just the latest bit of abusive negligence from his dad. It's sad, it's just so sad, it makes me so sad and there's no one to tell Shinji straight up that his dad sucks and is neglecting him and it's not cool and there's no excuse, not really.

There's stuff with the kids needing to get to NERV with the power out, Asuka trying to get into a power play with the others that they are completely disinterested in, a clearly anxious and adrift Shinji asking '... it's weird we're being attacked by things we call angels right?'

The kids get to the robots which have been prepared for them. Shinji sees his father working with the grunts to get the robots ready all analogue and hand-cranked or whatever and he's allowed to believe this is because his dad had faith the kids, including Shinji, would get there. Which is such a cruel lie to perpetuate about this man who was ready to drop a nuke on his son in the last episode, but Shinji takes it and actually gets into the robot with spirit because he's so desperate to believe that he's even on his father's radar, let alone important to him.

They have to chop a bunch of tubes with axes so the robots can punch and kick their way to the Angel and get acid-cried on and when the tubes are axed they gush really upsetting fluid and I hate it. But mostly I just keep thinking about Shinji's empty hand clutching at nothing while trying to get his father to hear him. This concludes my report on Episode 11 of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Episode 12.

In the year 2000, as we all remember, Antarctica got blown the fuck up by an energy giant appearing. Who survived this incident? Misato and I assume a single penguin. Misato was a child who was there with her father because no one knows what work-life balance is or where it's appropriate to bring children and to save her, her father put her in a metal coffin tube. TRAUMA.

Back in the present (I have now forgotten what year this is supposed to be taking place in), Misato has been promoted to major and Shinji's two friends, the horny boys who try to have an empathy, notice before Shinji and Asuka do (parental figures can never change). It turns out with her promotion and Shinji's shitty dad and that other old dude being away (in Antarctica where everything is blood and northern lights), Misato is the most senior person at NERV and I got a feeling so complicated. Because it's great that professionally Misato is getting recognition and authority, especially in the wake of Kaji existing, but ... Misato is a disaster and NERV is a disaster and being the top disaster dog of a disaster seems ... not great.

There's a bit that is both sweet and sad where Shinji's friends make them throw a little party to celebrate Misato's promotion and they are genuinely trying to do something nice for her even if it's partially propelled by horniness but also ... no peers? Honey. (Ritsuko and Kaji do show up so it's not just Misato and middle schoolers but Kaji is a negative to the adult count, the peer count, and the friend count so it's all null.)

The important thing in this episode is the connection and parallels between Shinji and Misato. Shinji realizes that although they're celebrating her promotion, Misato isn't happy. Misato admits this is kind of the case and Shinji is baffled. The promotion means that outside authority figures have recognized Misato's hard work and are validating it and why wouldn't that make Misato happy? Surely that's why people do things, to get external validation? Because it's why Shinji makes the decisions he makes. Validation and happiness are complicated, naturally, and it's saying that, but also implicit in the exchange is that Shinji has never received external validation. This is his holy grail. Once he has that surely everything will feel different.

When an Angel that looks like an orange boomerang or maybe a bop-it with an huge eyeball in the centre attacks and Misato's in charge, she uses her authority to make some wild and risky calls which boil down to 'throw all the teens in robots at it at once'.

The Angel drops orange globs of itself onto the earth below and each glob is like a little nuke that leaves a smoking crater behind but it's pretty cute, like someone put decarabia from SMT through a funhouse mirror. Not a fan of the orange globs, though.

Ritsuko confronts Misato in the bathroom about making bad decisions for the wrong reasons (as opposed to her usual bad decisions but for the right reason), suggesting that Misato just wants to get revenge on the Angels and destroy them which ... is what I thought NERV was for? It seems very double-standard and bullshit and I don't buy it as being something that makes Misato's decisions any better or worse than they would be otherwise. Ritsuko just seems to be covering her ass because Shinji's dad is away and only he gets to send teens into death.

Misato takes some time to explain to Shinji why she joined NERV and the complicated feelings she has not towards the Angels but to her father, who was a shitty father who was emotionally distant and neglectful and only seems to have managed to be a good dad once before promptly dying. Misato is still trying to figure out the intersection between anger and grief and how to feel about a man who does important work and to who she doubly owes her life but who was a shitty dad in a moment-by-moment sense. The guilt of still being angry, even after his death: Misato is still grappling with this and the echoes of shitty parenting, a cyclical thing that she is simultaneously enabling and attempting to divert by stepping into Shinji's life and it's no surprise something she's still grappling with flies over Shinji's head.

The kids get in the robots to fight the Angel all at once in Misato's reckless plan that works because ALL THE PLANS ARE THROWING TEENS IN ROBOTS AT GIANT MONSTERS. One of the kids tears the membrane off the giant eye and stabs it with a giant robot knife and it's gross. ALSO on defeat the Angel STILL BLOWS UP AND LEAVES A HUGE CRATER, SOMEHOW THIS IS SUCCESS?

Shinji's shitty dad calls in to validate and commend Misato's incredibly reckless decision because of course he doesn't have a problem with plans that might kill teens. He was ready to nuke his son an episode ago! Shinji's shitty dad then speaks to him directly, calls him by name, and basically tells him 'good work' and between this and his talks with Misato, Shinji learns the lesson that if he continues to do this thing he hates beyond all understanding, his father will see him. It's awful because Misato was trying to find words to explain how fleeting to nothingness external validation is when it doesn't align with your own desires and this didn't reach Shinji but also because what his father gives him is lip service. Empty words. Nothing. But they're still the most Shinji seems to have ever gotten from his father and so this nothing is everything. This concludes my report on Episode 12 of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Supplemental: with how poorly Misato explains things to Shinji, it feels like she's never spoken about her anger towards her father and her anger about her anger being complicated by his sacrifice and death. She has no real friends she feels safe opening up to.

[comicgeekscomicgeek]

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 58: An Exam Cometh!

Presenting the next raw and unedited chapter of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

Earlier chapters can be found here

There was a somewhat somber mood in the classroom as 1-A settled in Tuesday morning.  The funeral yesterday had been the cap to a long week that stretched back to the Nomu attacks and had been a roller coaster for many of them ever since.  But things looked to Isamu like they were finally getting back to normal.  The class was back together again and even if they weren’t all up to their usual selves, they were getting there.  Even Shinso had been in a slightly cheerier mood last night, joining him and Midoriya for a few rounds of Smash Fighters 3000 in Midoriya’s room.

The room fell into a hushed silence as Aizawa entered.  They knew by this point not to screw around once he was there.  Well, most of them did.  He was pretty sure Mineta and Sero hadn’t gotten the same message as everybody else.  

Aizawa stood at his podium for a moment before speaking.  “Only three seconds to quiet down.  An improvement.”   His eyes swept the room and his face relaxed a fraction of a centimeter.  “I know your Internship experiences were harrowing, but I’ve also had the opportunity to review the feedback your mentors provided, and you all acquitted yourselves well, even in the face of some concerns over discipline.”   There was a glance reserved for Mineta and Sero again at that.

“However, that does not change the fact that your final exams will be in two weeks.  Your subject exams will be the Monday through Thursday of that week, with the practical Heroics exam on Friday.”

That wasn’t a surprise, really.  The dates for final exams had been in the syllabus on the first day of class.  But that seemed like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.  There was the phrase “time flies when you’re having fun”, but had the term really been fun? It seemed like much of it had been long moments of calm split by absolute and total panic.

Then again, in the time since that first day, he’d made friends, won the Sports Festival, interned with Deku, seen a monster, gotten a girlfriend…

Yeah, okay, there was some fun there.

Up in the front row, he saw Izumi raise her hand.  Once Aizwa gave her permission to speak, she asked, “Will you be telling us any details of the exam, Sensei?” she asked.

A good question, and Isamu sat up a little straighter in his seat to listen.  Regular final exams would be difficult enough—they weren’t kidding when they said U.A. was academically rigorous!—but he couldn’t imagine what the Heroics exam would be like.

And then something happened that sent a chill up Isamu’s spine.  Aizawa… smiled.  It wasn’t a normal person’s smile, but a rictus grin, and it looked deeply unsettling on his face.  It was the smile of someone about to deliver a devastating smackdown onto a foe and take utter delight in doing it.  A shrill scream split the air.  It was Sero.

“Dude,” Sato said, “what was that?”

“He’s smiling!” Sero wailed. “We’re doomed!  Dooooomed!”

“I’m too young to die!” Kaminari wailed.

“I’m too hot to die!” Mineta shrieked, joining in the wailing.

Even Midoriya, in the front row, seemed afraid.  “Oh no, oh no, oh no, not good!”

Isamu felt his own heartbeat quicken, but he took a look to the opposite end of the row to decide what was the most appropriate reaction.  Kirishima-Bakugo looked deadly serious, as opposed to her usual pissed off. And even she seemed slightly ill at ease at the prospects hidden behind that smile.

“Funny you should ask, Todoroki,” Aizawa said.  “You all did an impressive job working together during the Sports Festival.  I don’t know which one of you came up with it, but it was impressive tactical thinking.  And since you all like working together, the teachers decided to change up some of the conditions of the Heroics exam.”

There was a mad glint in their teacher’s eyes now.  “Either you all pass… or no one does.”

***

That night, Class 1-A gathered in the Common Room.  As usual, Isamu sat on one of the couches with Shinso, Izumi, and Sora Iida.   Midoriya and Tokoyami were at the front of their room, with a whiteboard.  One of the other couches was occupied by Sero, Sato, Ojiro, and Tensei Iida. A third couch was occupied by Aoyama, Koda, Shoji, with Aoyama looking rather small compared to his two classmates. Mineta and Kaminari had pulled up chairs, while Kirishima-Bakugo stood behind the couch Isamu and the others were on, together with the class, but apart as always.

Most of them were chatting away, while Midoriya and Tokoyami, the Class Representatives (Yeah, that was definitely not a job he wanted.) tried to get everyone’s attention, unsuccessfully.  “Hey!” Shinso shouted, putting just a little something into his voice to make it echo and pierce the noise.   “Toshi and Asuka are trying to talk!”

That got everyone to quiet down.

“Sorry Mom and Dad,” Sero said.   That got a laugh out of several people, until Kirishima-Bakugo moved to behind him and gave him a smack upside the head.

“Thank you, Shota,” Asuka said.   Frog-Shadow was out again, sitting on her shoulder.  “So we’ve got two things to discuss.  The first is the formation of study groups for the subject area final exams. Math, Science, Literature, History, Science, and English.”

“We’re hoping to have someone who’s doing well in each class lead some study sessions or make themselves available to answer questions,” Midoriya said.  

“We’re all going to die,” Ojiro wailed.

“Kimmie, it’s not that bad,” Sato tried to reassure her.

“This is just going to tank my grades, Kenta!”

“They couldn’t be any worse than mine, Kimmie,” Sero said, grinning.  

She punched him in the arm. “That’s not something to be proud of, Takuma!”

“Hey, leave him alone,” Kaminari said.  “He’s the only person who’s grades are worse than mine!”

“See,” Sero said, “when it comes to being the worse, I’m the best!”

Both of the Iida twins thrust their hands into the air.   “We volunteer for science and math!” Sora Iida said.  

Midoriya flushed a little at that.  “Ah, actually, Sora, I was thinking maybe not you?  Not that you aren’t smart!  But, ah, you’re both a lot smarter than most of us. I don’t know if you could dumb it down?”

The hands went down. “That is… acceptable,” Sora said.

“We would not wish to hinder anyone’s progress,” Tensei agreed.  “And we do have additional Support Class projects to complete.”

Reluctantly, Isamu put his hand up.  “I can probably handle science,” he said.  “It was mostly physics this term.  I’m good at that.”  He had to be, thanks to his Quirk.  Knowing how much force to apply and where it was going to send him flying and how much he needed to break at a certain speed was vital.

“Excellent, thank you,” Tokoyami said.  She handed her marker to Frog-Shadow, who looked at it curiously.   “If you’d write that down?”

“Why me?”

“Because you asked to be more involved,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, right!” Frog-Shadow bubbled, before flying off to write his name down.

Mineta stuck a hand in the air.  “I can take English,” she said.  “Vocab and translations, anyway.  Grammar’s still a little weird.”

“I guess that works,” Midoriya said, though he didn’t look like he believed it.  “Just… be on your best behavior, okay?”

“When am I not?”

“If that’s your best behavior, Horse-Girl, I’d hate to see you worst,” Kirishima-Bakugo growled.

“Allow me to provide what Mineta cannot,” Aoyama said.  He looked pretty smug about it.  Of course, everyone knew that he and Mineta didn’t get along. He was probably relishing an opportunity to show her up in something.  “I am reasonably trilingual, after all, n'est-ce pas?”

“And I can take History,” Izumi volunteered.

“Great!” Midoriya said. “Now we’re getting somewhere…”

***

Eventually, they came back around to the subject of the Heroics final exam.  Midoriya cleared his throat and looked a little red from embarrassment.   “So, this is probably my fault, guys.  The whole Sports Festival thing was my plan.  Sorry I got us into this mess….”

“Oh, bullshit,” Kirishima-Bakugo said, causing all eyes to fall on her and Isamu to jump.  “Maybe you threw some gas on the fire, Toshi, but you have to know Aizawa was planning something like this.  Him and his “logical ruses.’”   She crossed her arms and nodded, as if that explained everything.

“She does have a point, Toshi,” Izumi said.

“She does?” Midoriya asked, surprised.  Then he looked over at Kirishima-Bakugo, who was glaring at him.  “She does!”

“You couldn’t have known,” Isamu said.  “And it was a good plan.  I don’t know if I’d have won if you hadn’t gotten us that far.” If he’d had to race and fight at the same time, without Mineta watching his back (making innuendos the whole way), he doubted he would have done half as well.  

But it wasn’t surprising that Midoriya thought it was his fault.  The guy always seemed to fall into a pattern of trying to take care of all of them, which meant he was just as likely to try and shoulder all the blame.

“None of us blame you, Toshi,” Tokoyami insisted.  

“Besides,” Isamu offered, “I talked to Kana over in 1-B…”

He was interrupted by Ojiro. “Did you hear that?  He’s using her first name now!  Squeeee!  They’re getting closer!”

Okay, he was going to pretend he didn’t hear that.  He really didn’t need to end up the topic of conversation on her web show.  “As I was saying, I was talking to Kana and she says Super-Ball told 1-B the same thing.  Only not as scary as Aizawa was.  They’re pass or fail as a group too.  She said Super-Ball said it was about building up their teamwork skills.”

“My friend, Mizuno, from 1-C said much the same thing,” Koda said.  “Battle-Fist also emphasized the need for better teamwork.”

“Looks like you sparked a revolution, Midoriya,” Sero said, only to be silenced by a smack from Ojiro.

“Okay,” Midoriya said, nodding, taking a couple breaths to steady himself.  “So sounds like it was something they were going to do anyway. Not my fault.  Good.  Then if the Heroics exam is going to be a pass/fail for everyone, we’re going to need a plan.”

“How are we going to do that?” Shoji asked.  “We don’t know what form the exam will take.”

Midoriya nodded again, now in his element when a plan was required.  “We don’t,” he agreed.  “But we do know, whatever it is, it’s going to require us to work together and it’s going to be bigger than anything we’ve had tossed at us before now.  That’s the only reasonable extrapolation of the pass/fail condition.”

“So that means,” he went on, “we need to train like we’ve never trained before.  Until anybody here can work with anybody else.

“Right now,” Toshi finished, “it doesn’t matter who your best friend is.”   He looked over at Sero, Ojiro, and Sato.   “It doesn’t matter who you don’t get along with.” This look was given to Aoyama and Mineta.  “Or how mad everyone might make you.”  A look went out to Kirishima-Bakugo.

“Right now, we’re all in this together.  We’re Class 1-A and we need to come together.”

Shinso let out a cheer and a clap.   Even Isamu had to admit, he felt pretty inspired.

“Fancy speech, Toshi,” Kirishima-Bakugo said.  “But you got a real plan to back it up?”

Midoriya looked a bit deflated at that.  “Not entirely,” he admitted.  “But Asuka and I were going to discuss some likely scenarios.  If you want to help, you’re more than welcome.”

“Damn straight, I will. I’m not letting any of you pull me down with you.  We’re gonna pass even if I have to kick your asses every inch of the way.”

Midoriya’s confidence returned.  Even Isamu knew this was just her way.  “Well, you heard her, people.  We’re going to pass!”

Somehow, this became a rallying cry.

“We’re going to pass!   PLUS UTLRA!”

***

Izumi’s room always reminded Chihiro of the fact that while she was extremely well off, Izumi’s family was so rich it practically made the word useless.  There was a four poster bed, an ornate oak desk, wood paneling added to all the walls… even the desk lamp looked like it cost way more than things like that should.  “Don’t touch anything,” she warned Mika.

Mika shot her a dirty look. “I’m not a child, Chi.”

“You’re not always graceful, Mika.  Like a bull in a china shop.”

“That’s hurtful.  And possibly racist”

Chihiro facepalmed at that.   “I’d like to apologize for her in advance,” she said.

“Please, do not worry about it,” Izumi said, standing as they entered.  “May I offer you tea and sweets?”   She indicated the tea tray and plate she had already laid out.

After she and Mika had accepted Izumi’s offering, all three took seats.   “So what’s up?” Chihiro asked.   Izumi asking to talk to her was one thing; they were good friends.  But other than when she was around, Mika and Izumi didn’t usually have too much to do with one another.

“I need your help,”

Okay, add that to the list of things she never thought she’d hear.  “I’m guessing not with homework or anything?” Chihiro said.   “Because that’s definitely not me.”   Izumi was way towards the front of the class anyway.   So was Mika, for that matter.   She belatedly realized she was the dumbest person in the room.   On the other hand, she might still win the medal for most common sense.

“Not homework,” Izumi assured her.  “The matter is more personal.”

“Is this about a guy? Or a girl?” Mika asked.  “Because I was ninety-nine percent sure you didn’t go for that.”

Startled at her friend’s abruptness, Chihiro smacked her upside the head with one of her Cords.  “Don’t be crude.”

Izumi, fortunately, took it all in stride.  “You are correct that I do not “go for that.’”

Huh.   Chihiro had always known that Izumi hadn’t displayed much interest in anyone, but given that her other best friend was interested in everyone, she’d figured it was just less interest, not none.  How had she been that clueless?

“So what do you need?” Chihiro asked.  

Izumi closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath.  When she opened them, she looked as serious as Chihiro had ever seen her.  “I need to find my grandfather.”

“What happened?” Mika asked. “Was there a big tax scandal?  Is Grandpa Yaoyorozu hiding out from the feds in the tropics?”

“No,” Izumi said.  “Not him.  My grandfather on my father’s side.”

“Endeavor?” Chihiro asked. “Why?”   A thought occurred to her, something that had come up during her Internship with Aunt Momo. “Wait, does this have anything to do with Plague?”

Next to her, Mika had pulled out her phone, but right now, her friend’s rudeness wasn’t her biggest concern.

Izumi’s eyes went wide. “How do you know that name?”

“Daddy called Aunt Momo. Said you’d found out about somebody with that name.”

Izumi took another moment to collect her thoughts.  "What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room."

"Izumi, you're scaring me."  Her friend was never this intense.  Whatever it was, this all had to be deadly serious.

Izumi locked eyes with her. "Promise me, Chihiro."

Chihiro was worried now, but kept eye contact. "Okay. I promise."

"Do you remember when I was sick?"

That did very little to narrow it down.  Izumi had had plenty of health issues over the years.  Chihiro had visited her in the hospital countless times.  "You're going to need to specify, Izumi. You've been sick a lot."

"The time I was very sick.  The time that really started it all."

Oh yeah.  That one.  Chihiro looked at the floor.  "I remember."

Izumi sighed.  "During my internship, Uncle Denki let it slip that there was possibly something more... complicated behind it."

Daddy was in on whatever this was?  "Complicated? How?"

"Complicated, as it was the implied that it was a villain, this “Plague,” who got me sick."

“Okay,” Chihiro said, her head spinning as she tried to make sense of it.  Nervously, she tapped the ends of her Cords together.  “Okay, did you talk to your parents about this?”

Izumi shook her head. "I did not. After the Nomu attacks, Mother and Father...they wanted to pull me from the school.  I exhausted myself.  Again."

Of course they did. She knew it was ongoing drama with Izumi and her parents.

Before she could speak, Izumi held up her hand. "I managed to talk them down. For now. Part of me suspects that at the next big incident, the next time I falter, they'll try again. That's why I didn't ask them. I couldn't. I didn't want to bring up the pain they went through again."

Izumi pointed to a plush rabbit on her bed, one which looked fairly new.  “I am certain he visited me in the hospital.  Things are… becoming complicated.”

Izumi inhaled deeply before continuing. "I've been thinking a lot since then. I've been remembering things. Things I thought I forgot. I want to find out what happened to me, but I can't go to my parents. I can't go to anyone, not your father, not Uncle Deku, no one, because they'll go to my parents. I know I can count on you to keep my secrets, both of you.

“I cannot burden Katsumi with this.  She has enough to carry right now without carrying me as well.  You don't have to help if you don't want to get in trouble-"

“Found him,” Mika said, looking up from her phone.

“…How the hell did you do that?” Chihiro asked.  It could not possibly have been that easy.

“Daddy never changes his login ID or password for anything,” Mika said.  “I just used one of the databases available to Heroes to look up an address.  It’s not even that far.”

Chihiro just stared.  “Every time I think I’ve got you figured out…”

Izumi looked equally startled, worried, and pleased.  “Thank you, Mineta,” she said, quietly.

Mika shrugged.  “Hey, what’re friends for?”

***

Normally, Toshi did his morning jog with Katsumi, sometimes joined by Kana Tetsutetsu.  He’d also occasionally convinced Haimawari to join them, though that was fairly rare.  But this morning, he was alone.   Katsumi had begged off for wanting to focus on weight training instead and Tetsutetsu was apparently busy with some emergency in her dorm, according to her text.

Which was fine.  He could be alone with his thoughts.   Like the thought that he didn’t have idea one what they were getting into with the exam and it would definitely be his fault if they all failed, bringing shame upon the Midoriya name and leading to Sora dumping him and Katsumi killing him.

Well.  That had escalated quickly.

“Mi… Midoriya!” The sound of his name drew him out of his panic.  It came with labored breathing and he came to a stop, turning and seeing Shiro Monoma, dressed in workout clothes, running up behind him.  Monoma’s not out of shape, but it’s a wiry build, more suited to agility and gymnastics, than Toshi’s more muscular one.  

“What’s up, Monoma?” he asked.  Monoma hadn’t done anything antagonistic yet, which was a good sign.  In fact, Toshi couldn’t remember seeing him at all during the past week, or even hearing him, which was even stranger.  He didn’t have the same extreme dislike for the other boy that Katsumi did, but he would hardly say they were on friendly terms, even though they were neighbors.  Honestly, he mostly did his best to ignore Monoma’s jabs at the class.

“I need to talk to you about the exam,” Monoma said.  

“I don’t know what they’re going to do any more than you do,” Toshi told him.  “I can make a few educated guesses though, based on our Heroics classes and all though.  Happy to talk, if you want.”

He stole a glance at his watch.  “Can we run though?  I want to get this in before classes and my heart rate’s already dropping.”

Monoma looked rather pained by the prospect, but nodded.  “Okay.”

Since he wasn’t completely unfeeling, Toshi did tone his run down to something slightly less than his usual, letting Monoma keep up.  “So like I said, I don’t really know, but I can guess.  Got to be something large scale, if they’re going to be able to score all of us on it.  And that means something with a lot of different moving parts.  Probably Villains to fight, people to rescue, maybe something to find like a bomb…”

Monoma was, to his credit, keeping up with Toshi, though he looked like he was pushing himself a bit to do it.  “That’s… good thinking…,” he said, between breaths.  “But not what I wanted to ask about.”

“Then what?” Toshi asked.

“I need to know,” Monoma said, with such seriousness that it took Toshi aback for a moment.  “how you got… everyone to work… together.”  

Toshi took pity on him and slowed down a little more.  “Everyone. Teamwork from the get go.  How do you get them to follow you like that?  How did you get all those different personalities to work together like that?”

Shiro’s voice turned bitter. “I try and I try to make everyone better.  I want them to succeed, I really do.  But no one listens to me.  I can’t… Hardly any of my class made it through the final round.  And I got lucky as it was.  I’m worried about them and the final exam.”

“Them?” Toshi asked. His phrasing there was odd. “Them,” he’d said.  Not “us”.

Monoma frowned.  “I had hoped to keep this a secret.  Almost no one knows about this.  But I’m leaving once this term is over.   I’m not cut out for this.   But with how the exam is going to work…  I can’t cost them their futures just because mine’s going to be something else.”

Toshi couldn’t keep the surprise off his face, but fortunately, Monoma wasn’t looking at him to see it. “You’re…” he began.  He actually came to a stop.  Running was a good way to lose himself, and he needed all his wits now.

“I am,” Monoma said, finishing the thought for him.  He bent half off, breathing hard.  He righted himself after a few breaths.  “Don’t try to talk me out of it.”

Now Toshi frowned, but he nodded.  “Not my place to do that.  But I think it’s a mistake.”

Monoma shook his head. “It’s not.  But what about my class?  And what about the exam?”  There was a moment of silence, and then, “Please.  I can’t let failure be my entire legacy here.”

If he lived long enough to become the new Number One Hero, Toshi never would have thought he’d have heard Monoma talk like this.  Usually, the blond boy was full of bravado and confidence, always trying to prove his class’s superiority over 1-A.   And to be fair, 1-A contained the children of a large number of highly ranked Heroes, something that few of Class 1-B could claim.  None of their parents were low ranked, but there was a certain degree of disparity there.  And a much larger portion of Class 1-B had no Hero parents at all.

“Okay, the first thing you have to remember,” Toshi told him, “is that we’re almost all childhood friends.  Some of us more than others and in some different combinations… but we grew up together.  Our parents are close and they passed that onto us.  Trust’s easy that way.”

Given that his parent’s Class A had gone through hell together over three years in a way that their contemporary Class B hadn’t, it was easy to see where stronger bonds might have been forged.  

Monoma nodded.  “My father’s class drifted more during the years. Kana is the only one I was anything close to growing up, along with Mika and Akaya.”

“The other big thing is… Look.  My dad’s the Number One Hero.  I wanted to do the best I could, but the Sports Festival was never about winning for me.”   And sure, he’d managed to share third place with Kocho.  He was proud of his accomplishments, and he’d gone in intending to give it his all, but it hadn’t been his main goal.  Toshi would have been just as happy not to have placed, if it meant other of his friends did.

“So I went in it from the start doing it for them.  And they knew that, so they went along with it.  It wasn’t even about beating your class or anybody else in the race; I just wanted to make sure everybody had the best chance they could.  Somebody like Ojiro or Sato would have had a real hard time doing that in the obstacle course.  So I asked everybody to take a step back now so that they could all have something later.”

It hadn’t quite been as easy as he made it sound.  Convincing Aoyama had been one of the most difficult parts, but the promise of future glories had eventually been enough.

Monoma looked as though he’d been punched.   “…Shit.” His expression devolved further, becoming truly miserable.  “During the Sports Festival, I was so concerned with… things turning out a certain way, I pushed for flare and making a splash.  And not all of them even made it past the Obstacle Course.  Maybe I really do drag them down.  Maybe she was right.”

Toshi frowned.  This was turning pretty dark on him.  And he wasn’t sure who “she” was.  “Look,” he said.  “You want what’s best for them.  That’s admirable.  But if you go so hard on trying to show somebody up, then that’s all you’re going to see.  That’s what Endeavor did for a long time, and you know what happened to him.”

Monoma sighed, then nodded. “Then I am more certain than ever I’ve made the right choice.  But at least I know what I can do for them to help everyone else pass.  Thank you, Midoriya.”

As Monoma left, Toshi wasn’t certain at all that he’d said the right things there.  It certainly didn’t seem like a victory.

***

In the teacher’s lounge, Aizawa looked over the finalized draft of the Heroics practical exam. Talking All Might into it had been difficult, but worth it.  He’d staked his job and reputation on it, but he believed the results would be worth it.

His students, all the students, were talented.  But even with recent events, what they needed was a stark dose of reality to push them further along their paths.

He looked at the profiles spread out in front of him.  The people he’d found would be just the ones to do it.

[lemoncakepanda]

Top 50 NaLu Anime Moments {Pt 1}

And thus we get back to me fangirling over my favorite NaLu moments once again, only this time we do it based on the anime-only moments, which covers: canon, filler, movies and ovas. 100 year quest is not included bc it hasn’t been animated (yet) and it’s still fairly early in the story to start listing my fave moments, so we’ll just cover these I mentioned. If you’re not up to date with the anime, I recommend you skip this list.

Originally, I was just going to do 30 moments, but the list kept getting bigger and so on, and here we are. So I’ll post from least favorite to, well, most favorite, and will divide the list in 5 posts. In this first one, I’ll list my fave moments from 50 till 41.

Warning: lots of gushing and fangirling over a beautiful ship. also, a few moments will be differently placed on this list contrary to where they ranked before (some may be higher and some may be lower) and that’s due to the fact that some of them were better in the manga, whereas some were better in the anime, and some of them are lower simply bc dragon cry exists. so, here we go,

50. “Hang out with me a little longer.” (Ep 125).

We starting off with a filler moment, and you may wonder why it’s so low, since it’s such a cute moment. One, it’s filler. Two, it made into the list, which is already saying something. There’s many great NaLu moments, and they have a lot of scenes together, so choosing only 50 moments was hard enough, so no judging the rankings, kay? It’s the only scene ever where Natsu and Lucy are dancing, so I couldn’t leave it out. It’s such a great moment because, especially at first, Lucy hardly initiated the NaLu moments, and this was post Tenrou, which is known for its NaLu amazing-ness and where the ship truly start to develop, so to see Lucy grab Natsu’s hands even though he “ruined” what she thought would be a romantic moment, and just pull him in for dancing, was actually really sweet, especially at the sound of “Glitter” which is a great song. Also, it’s easy to miss, but Natsu is blushing when she pulls him to her so they can dance, which made the scene extra cute. Let’s ignore the fact that he probably puked on her next, lol.

49. Lucy stops Natsu in Edolas. (Ep 82).

Does anyone else find amazing the fact that Lucy can calm down Natsu and talk him out of so many fights? Natsu Dragneel, the guy who storms into fighting without a second thought? Because I do. And this moment here is no different. Back when I was watching this, I had no idea where we were going with NaLu as a ship, esp bc I knew Lisanna was coming back this arc, so it was nice to see them having moments like this, where you can see Lucy’s affect on Natsu, the way she calms him down, even when she’s upset too, like you can see on the photo. Also, a back hug, which is a total NaLu thing, so it’s a must on this list.

48. “That was dangerous. Thanks, Lucy.” (Ep 59).

BLUSHING LUCY IS SO CUTE! Srsly, though, I love seeing her blush over Natsu, especially so early in the series. I headcanon that she had a little crush on him around this time, but didn’t know how to deal with it, so she just buried it, but moments like these would happen, and it would slip out. Also, the matching outfits are a plus! I don’t have much to say about this moment, other than it’s hard to show this photo to someone and have them explain how could this be platonic in any way. I mean, they’re friends, ain’t nobody denying it, but it’s not just that.

47. Original Team Natsu is formed. (Ep 3).

Time to travel a bit back in time, back to when I didn’t even ship NaLu, and they certainly did not have romantic feelings for one another, but it’s still a pretty special moment, and that’s when Original Team Natsu, which consisted of Natsu, Lucy and Happy, was formed. I love how in sync they were with each other since the beginning; they certainly had immediate chemistry with one another, even when they were still getting to know each other. Gotta add this one, bc, where would we be if the Everlue mission never came in about? If they never needed a blonde? I mean, Natsu would probably choose Lucy anyway, but this was very essential to the building of their friendship, as it also opened the door for them to start spending time together.

46. Natsu saves Lucy from Zash. (Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry).

And from one jump in time, to something more recent, and where Natsu and Lucy are 100% the ship we love, which would usually not be so low on the list, but God, there are so many moments that weight more, especially on the emotional side, for me. This moment I feel it’s important to point out bc we all know nothing good was about to happen to Lucy, and Natsu once again comes through to save her, to make up for the fact that he almost hurt her, and he just burts in yelling “Give Lucy back!” and just wrecking in everything and punching that creep in the face. And he still picks Lucy up in his arms and is all flirty with her and starts sniffing her. Also, for someone who complains about Lucy’s weight, he sure doesn’t mind holding her like this, does he?

45. Lucy and Natsu falling from the waterfall. (Ep 59).

For those of you who don’t know, I feel it’s fair to point out Orácion Seis is my least favorite FT arc (yes, I know Alvarez exists, but at least it’s entertaining), and the only thing I really liked about it was Jerza, Wendy’s introduction, and, well, the moments with Natsu and Lucy, individually and together. I wanted to bring this moment in because it’s always nice to see Lucy being the one to save Natsu, but also because it shows how their relationship is slowly but surely progressing; before, every time he got motion sickness, she’d tell him to snap out of it or just call him pathetic. And then, somewhere along the way, she stopped finding it ridiculous. As we can see on this moment, I think for the first time, she’s so worried about him and goes on to save him even when she’s all banged up too, and she risks her life to protect him, even when he’s about to be sick right at her chest. She doesn’t ridiculize him, she doesn’t roll her eyes at him, nor ignores him, she steps in to save him because she already cares about him so much. It was a nice development in their relationship, and I’m very grateful for this moment. It’s always nice to see NaLu being reckless together.

44. End of the Starry Sky arc. (Ep 150).

And whereas in one we had Lucy jumping from a waterfall grabbing onto Natsu for dear life to protect him, here we have Natsu straight up jumping at the sky to save Lucy from falling to her death (again), with a beautiful scenery, with all the stars falling, nice background music, and, after the long roller-coaster arc we had, ending it this way, with Lucy giving Natsu one of her sweetest smiles after he catches her and then throws himself on the ground as they fall so she doesn’t get hurt, gave such a warm feeling to my heart. The nice reminder that although Lucy had lost all of her family (Layla, Jude and Michelle), she still had a family right there in him, in everyone else at Fairy Tail, and they would always be there to catch her. 

43. The “almost kiss”. (Ep 219).

While I’m sure we all knew there was no way Lucy and Natsu would be kissing in the middle of the anime, and certainly not in an omake, it was very entertaning to see how they both would react to the suggestion of doing so, which resulted in: Natsu was all okay going for it, and Lucy became a flustered mess. I like how the anime added her heart speeding up when Natsu came closer, right before she pulled Happy to the middle. And can we talk about how Natsu just went for that kiss, though? He didn’t seem bothered by it in the slightest. Oh, if only Lucy wasn’t so shy! But it’s okay, I’m sure it’ll be even better when it actually happens in the actual story. Also, kudos to little Asuka, the mvp, speaking for us NaLus and trying to make dreams come true right there, lol.

42. “We can’t let it end here.” (Ep 122).

A small addition the anime made for the scene where they’re all getting ready to defend themselves from Acnologia, during Tenrou Island, which was very much appreciated. To see once again how Natsu knows exactly how to comfort Lucy, how he gives her hope, how they become stronger together, and have so much trust between them. Also, holding hands, which is always welcomed. They could have shown Natsu comforting anyone else, literally, it could have been anyone else from the guild who felt hopeless, just like they could have had anyone else comfort Lucy and give her hope. But, for this situation, who better than these two? They do so much for each other. Moments like these, filler or not, showcase how important they are for one another and the affect they have on each other. It could be their very last moments of their lives, and they were spending it with one another. Simply amazing and very touching.

41. Last moments before the war. (Ep 291).

Yup, I love this moment. I love how Natsu knows war’s gonna break out the next day (it happens on the same night but only bc Zeref is extra like that), and he goes to spend his last peaceful night at his favorite place, with his two favorite people, Lucy and Happy. I also like the talk they had and how Natsu explained himself to her, about how he loved fighting, but he didn’t like hurting/killing, and he only wanted to protect his guild. In moments like this, you can see Lucy look at him like that, like she’s thinking, yup, that’s why I love him so much. And when he says stuff like that, I think she can’t help admiring him even more. And this is the moment that opens the “let’s talk of the future” thing between NaLu, which has a nice conclusion by the end of this arc, which I’m sure you all know what is, and I’ll bring this moment back, but we’re still far from it. Anyways, a great moment because, even though it’s little, you can see how close they are with one another, and after spending one year apart, they’re more than happy to stay with each other for their last peaceful night too bad it gets interrupted huh.

Part 2 will be posted tomorrow!

[danwhobrowses]

WWE Royal Rumble 2021 - Initial Thoughts

I know I’m late, but employment is still a thing, and I had to prioritize that over an all-nighter, but it’s time for the Royal Rumble, one of the more exciting shows of WWE’s schedule, so let’s get on with it!

Spoilers for Royal Rumble, you have been Warned

I might not invest too much in kickoff matches but the Women’s Tag Match was not a good time

It was fine before the end, but who the hell decided that Charlotte should control 90% of the champions’ offense and have the hot tag!? Asuka is the RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPION, not Charlotte. After the tag Asuka literally had one spot and she was dead, completely taken out of the match for *checks notes* being thrown over the Announcer’s Table...you know that thing several wrestlers come back from easily.

The finish was just too much too, Ric distraction didn’t work, Lacey distraction didn’t work, Kirufuda Clutch didn’t work but then the brass knuckles did. Too much.

And why TF are we putting titles back on Nia!? We should’ve just given the titles to the Riotts, or the winner of the Women’s Dusty Classic. It also cuts me deep that Asuka and Shayna are treated this way, even as champion Asuka is a side character to Charlotte T_T

Main show though and I don’t like the package and interviews between entrances

Drew vs Goldberg was just...meaningless.

It was cringy enough that Cole had to spout drivel to make 60 year old Goldberg seem strong but to have Drew be ‘injured’ by a barricade spear - something much more tired wrestlers have and will get back up from in less time and continue a longer match - was daft. Also saying that Goldberg’s spear or jackhammer is the best move of all WWE is stupid, it was a WCW thing

Thank God Drew Won, but the post-match does remind you of the meaningless circumstances this feud came about. Suddenly Goldberg is okay with Drew’s same manners of respect

I mean, Carmella’s entrance and gear is cool, but do you think it eats at Corey a little that Carmella’s ‘behind the curtain’ bit is a tad...red light district?

Sasha’s promo didn’t hit for me unfortunately

Reginald didn’t deserve to be ejected for that! He caught Sasha and get beaten up for it

Jesus Carmella! Sasha got barely any of that dive

Screeching and faffing aside, Carmella got a good showing...I do hate quick tap outs in title matches though

Sami cuts a good promo, but his content wasn’t exactly the best. New Day are hardly the management’s faves, it’s taken this long for E to get a singles run, Fans literally had to Yes Movement their way into giving Kofi the world title.

New Day’s Brodie gear was good though

Bad Bunny as the ‘Biggest Latin Artist’? Is Cole for real? I didn’t even know who he was before today

If the song is about Booker T then why is he dancing around GI Bro?

Come on Book, you hang on the Sucka! That’d be like if the Rock just went ‘If ya smell what the Rock is cooking’ without the drags or pauses

Ric’s ‘with a tear in my eye’ promo was after the Rumble though...

It’s actually a sad stat that just over half of the Rumble winners win titles

No Morrison segment for the escape spot!? He did it as much as Kofi dammit!

Sorry Greatest Royal Rumble is not canon for me

This Stat Attack has taken far too long

I’m okay with Mike Rome but couldn’t a woman have announced the Women’s Rumble? Where’s Lillian at!?

NAOOOOOOOMIIIIIIIIIIIIII GIRL WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?

That hair is amazing as well

I know you can’t say it, but we all remember that Benoit won the rumble in the first two as well

Was...Bianca wearing earrings on her entrance, she looked like she was taking them off

Billie actually had the right idea, can’t be in the match until you enter the ring, it’s clever stuff

That tank did not look like it was meant to turn that direction XD

It actually surprises me every time how tall Shotzi is, I always imagine her short

Billie no...not with Shayna

The piped boos are highly unrealistic to boo even a heel Toni Storm

Shotzi eliminated and then horrible singer Jillian comes in? Urrrrgh, Bad Singer Jillian was terrible

Wrestling wise she hasn’t missed a beat though

Billie’s surprisingly being a highlight here with actual narra-OHMYSHITITSVICTORIA

Gear was a bit meh but Victoria definitely can still go

Oh Peyton the purple looks good on you, and her Widow’s Peak was not bad at all

Ah, good for Santana, for a moment I thought it said Santina and got a very bad chill

Damn Liv, Speed Machine!

Ooof, the betrayal is real Billie

THIS IS MY BRUTALITY!

Somehow I’m genuinely upset by every elimination so far, good job!

Aaaaaand then they got rid of Victoria and brought on Charlotte to immediately take out Rhea -_-

That was a clever move from Bayley but damn Ruby landed hard

Are we seeing a Bayley/Peyton team? Or is she just eliminating the Riotts for revenge for Billie, but also Liv Nooooo!

Torrie now, eh okay

Ouch for Dana

Lacey...no, this ain’t working

Poor Peyton, her elimination was a side chapter

And we missed Bayley’s elimination!? For Shame

Mickie! Good to see ya! Aaaaand being beaten by Charlotte...

Nikki Cross is back too! Hopefully they find a good story for her

Alicia Fox? I guess she sobered back into the good gra...R-Truth? No

Oh yeah, Humberto is a thing

Jerry shut the fuck up!

The 24/7 stuff was super unnecessary, we did not need to take focus off this match

Lacey eliminating Mickie, rude.

Dakota should’ve gotten more time, she barely lasted a minute

Reginald again deserves better

See Tamina vs Rhea would be exciting...if Tamina was booked better

Naomi’s chemistry with Bianca is really insane right now

Lana *reminded of her feud with Shayna and Nia* Also Lana *goes for Rhea*

That was a hard tackle on Alexa by Rhea...aaaaand she’s eliminated mid ‘transformation’ a bit worthless for me

Road Warrior Ember Moon! And right into the Eclipse that’s the good shit

Baszler probably shouldn’t have eliminated Lacey story-wise

The Betrayal is real for Tamina as well

What’s with the crazy camera cuts!?

Nia eliminating Baszler? Nah...

Hold on Cole, baiting Nia over the ropes isn’t a ‘tremendous elimination’

The betrayal is real for Lana too, Nattie sure shrugged off that double assault

I get that the narrative is that Charlotte has beaten both Bianca and Rhea before, but to hang against both of them after already being in a match and hanging on from two apron attacks was daft. Stop making her super strong, she’s mega talented yes but giving her the Brock Lesnar energy does her no favours

That close call though with Rhea and Bianca was great, need more spots of two wrestlers about to be eliminated at the same time

The final bit of chain wrestling too was great, that’s what you need at the final part of a rumble, the mini-match

I had Rhea as my win prediction but am more than happy for Bianca, who was my second choice. Winning at No. 3 is great and her emotional promo just gets her more over. Bianca vs Sasha’s gonna be wild too

Overall the Women’s Rumble was good, most of the women got shine and there were a few mini stories too, do wish that more time was given to some women and that Sonya was in the rumble but the returns were good and most of the eliminations got me good

Miz talking about guaranteeing a championship run like he didn’t lose the last cash-in and didn’t have a chance to cash in previously this night when Drew was ‘reeling’ from the barricade spear.

I reiterate that I wish Sonya was in the rumble, but do like her endorsement of Bianca

Again, this 24/7 stuff is wrong place and time right now

Last Man StANDing Match for the UniVERSal Championship

Cole, there is Champion’s Advantage. Triple H vs Michaels Last Man Standing, neither men made the 10 so Trips kept the title, 17 years ago. Royal Rumble 2004.

See, this is where a Finisher Spotfest works, because it’s not about pinfalls it’s about keeping people down

The camera switches are not doing good on this portion of the side of the thunderdome

Yes, attacking the knees, this is the Cerebral ‘rope breaks with his pinkie finger’ Owens I like to see

Ooof the Golf Cart, a la Kane and Stadium Stampede

Why is this training area just like a second arena

Lil’ running ref in the background

Right into that conveniently placed mini-ladder

Not the forklift! Think of Judy Bagwell!

Oh that curtain is the thing Becky took a photo of! I mean she was always gonna be backstage

Corey before the match ‘there must be a winner’, Corey after Owens went through the stage LED ‘The ref should consider stopping the match’

Did the Ciampa move there to stand up

I don’t think you’re allowed to use a Ref Bump that way

Then the Second Ref restarts the count and stops at 5!? If this doesn’t come back next SD it’ll be a misstep

It was a physical match, not the best I think the finish brought it down. The problem is that KO has lost 3 times now and the last time is a botch finish, and we can’t have him lose again - the poor guy needs a win

ON THIS DAY, I SEE CLEARLY!

I will say this immediately, revealing Edge and Orton as 1 and 2 beforehand was a terrible idea, just because you don’t have a live crowd doesn’t mean the people watching from home can’t be surprised

‘Number 3 is the worst number to draw on average’ - Belair just won at No. 3

Ali at 4? Then went after Edge and not Orton?

Sami, just don’t get in Orton’s face

Refs what are you doing? No rules in Rumble, where were you with Nia and Shayna with that logic

‘What does Shin need to do to be more successful?’ - for one not face AJ Styles, he is still a tag, US and IC champ as well as a RR winner, that’s quite successful

Carlito finally shows after the Legends Night tease and yes those are some abs

So...Randy’s just sleeping with this knee injury

Big E enters with some snappy camera angles again

I was hoping for more Ali - especially since Ricochet came immediately after - buy angry E was nice to see

Wait is that Elias’ entrance? Where’s the guitar strum?

Priesty, wonder if this is his main roster call

What DJ leaves his equipment on stage anyway?

‘The biggest star in the world in the music business’ - for real?

‘I’ve heard of flying squirrels but flying bunnies!?’ - Corey you need to watch Tokyo Joshi Pro, they got a flying sugar rabbit

To quote Ross Tweddell, MMMmmm Riddle...does not do it for me

Stop with the camera cuts I beg of you!

Mayor of Knox County!?

Ricochet eliminated by Kane, le sigh

The betrayal is real for DBry

Big Elim for Priesty though

‘Now it’s a Royal Rumble’ - reminder that Edge is a KOTR winner too, and that Nakamura is the King of Strong Sty-oh and Corbin eliminated him :/ what was the gauntlet about if you’re gonna Corbin him?

Otis’ new gear is slick

aaaaand Corbin’d again

Big Dom Fuck im Uhhhhhh Spinebuster’d

Damn he got him though

Dang that bounce sound from DBry

Bobby no why you gotta do Dom like that!?

Hurricane back from his Gangrel crossing and disposing Sammy Guevara’s broken body in Elite Deletion to do another rumble

One of these days, he’ll hit that Chokeslam and shit will go wild

Christian! This time getting the more emphatic reaction

Oh that smile, that hits you in the chest cavity...then Riddle ruins it

Rey comes in and WWE made him an advertisement ¬_¬

Edward James Omos what are you doing? well...I know what he’s doing, IC feud between AJ and E

Edward James Omos fuck you for eliminating Rey

The betrayal is real for Shamu

Cole how did you know it was Seth before his entrance hit?

I don’t think we were supposed to pick up Shamu welcoming Christian back but that was sweet

Then finally BWOAR

And Bwoar eliminates Cesaro, what was the point of his push? (it’s because his contract’s nearly up isn’t it?)

Again with the camera switching

Seth No! And where’s the boos pipe music!? DBry was a heavy favourite, that would’ve caused heat

Can’t believe Mmm Riddle lasted ahead of DBry

I didn’t forget about Orton, but the finish was good, that Orton tease got us good

It was a decent rumble, in hindsight you could tell Edge was winning given how they put express focus on Michaels winning at number on in the stat attack, Edge being face in peril for the first 10 entrants and Cole reminding us how long Edge has been in there

I don’t at all hate the end result, though I do question whether it was the best choice in the long run. Edge had his rumble win returning from injury already and throwing more legends at Drew does imply a heavy lack of depth in the current roster. Edge didn’t really need the win, but I’m not disappointed in him winning

The Men’s Rumble itself wasn’t as good as the women’s I don’t think, a lot of favourites of mine were unceremoniously dumped out quickly, any layered storytelling didn’t get enough time and it did feel a little by the numbers, almost a microcosm of modern WWE booking

Overall it was still a decent PPV, happy with the winners of the rumbles and that’s mostly all we need from a Royal Rumble. The Road to Wrestlemania starts here