#even if drawing in hero mode is an absolute pain in my ass
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Theyâre doing lalonde brainwave communciation. Be patient.
#homestuck#homestuck fanart#homestuck art#roxy lalonde#spideypawz#okay time for obligatory tag talking#I think this one is alright. I donât dislike it as much as I didnât when I finished it#I love how I did canon roxy though haha#even if drawing in hero mode is an absolute pain in my ass#I also love how I did Roxyâs low puffs & her edges.#her low puffs r my favorite part of how I design her#such a joy to draw every time#anyways I pray this one actually posts this time!#have a nice day. you deserve it. :3
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GX Month Day 4: âSwing of Memoriesâ
Ah, yes, those sweet, precious memories shared with siblings...and a few youâd rather forget. Explore the bond between Asuka Tenjoin/Alexis Rhodes and Fubuki Tenjoin/Atticus Rhodes today! A sweet sibling hug? A heated argument? Show us!
Yes, I summarized and skipped over parts of the actual duel. This thing would have been so much longer if I hadnât. Cheese and crackers this monster. O_O
This is not how Alexis expected this night to go. She almost regrets her idea for all of them to crash together when they are now standing on a magic platform above lava that will destabilize with every turn that passes. Syrus already looks ready to pass out, clinging to the back of Jadenâs jacket for dear life.
âIsnât this counterproductive for you?!â Alexis yells at the shadowy creep. The way the darkness clings to him makes it impossible to distinguish any features, beyond the fact he wears black and that creepy mask. Even his voice sounds distorted. âIf we die, you canât duel us for the keys!â
A dark laugh like shadows on the walls. âDo you know why the Keys cannot simply be taken?â the man asks instead of answering.
âBecause the Keys form a bond with whomever holds them,â Bastion snaps. Of course they already asked the important questions when Chancellor Sheppard told them about this crazy shadow war. âTherefore that bond must be broken through ritual combat.â
âMmm, well youâre half right.â The man tilts his head, sounding smug under the layers of shadows that mask his real voice. âThereâs more than one way to break a bond. A Key holder could give their Key to another- a simple, painless transfer. But I donât expect you lot to do that. Youâre far too good.â For a moment his voice is viscous, deadly, and sends a shiver down Alexisâ spine. The next he returns to almost mockingly light-hearted teasing. âHowever, if a Key holder dies, thereâs nothing for the Key to bond to, now is there? A Key without an owner is free for the taking.â
Great, just great! So much for âcan only be won in a duelâ. If this wackjob figured out a loophole, then how many of the other Shadow Riders know about it?
Bastion inhales sharply, eyes darting back to the dark platform under their feet as Christina snarls a curse and Syrus and Chumley wail.
âOf fucking course!â
âI donât wanna die~!â
âDonât you worry about that.â That shadows-on-the-wall laugh again. âIâll win this match long before you can fall. I want the pleasure of taking you all out myself.â
âCertainly confident,â Bastion grumbles, but thereâs genuine fear in his eyes.
âNot gonna happen!â Jaden yells with all of his usual bravado; Alexis shouldnât be surprised.
The duel starts to everyoneâs dismay but itâs not like they actually have a way off this volcano. Alexis still doesnât know how they got here beyond falling through the magical darkness that overtook Jadenâs dorm room. The first round isnât anything special, the most excitement comes from Chumleyâs leg falling through the platform as he tries to convince himself itâs still stable. Syrus and Chumley both scream as they all yank him back up and stare in horror at the brand new hole in the only thing between them and certain death.
â-Red-Eyes Black Dragon!â
What?
Alexisâ attention snaps back to the duel as the familiar monster takes the field in a blaze of glory and proceeds to blast Jaden back several feet. Syrus goes tumbling with him, and Christina shrieks as they come dangerously close to the edge, but Jaden skids to stop with a foot to spare, one hand braced against the platform and the other fisted in Syrusâ jacket.
Barely able to breathe, Alexis turns back to Nightshroud and Red-Eyes Black Dragon. âWhy do you have that card? What did you do to my brother?!â
âYour brother?â Bastion yelps but Alexis canât focus on anything but the man in front of her.
Nightshroud pauses, head tilting. âWho? Sorry, I donât know what youâre talking about. This card has always been mine.â
âLiar!â Alexis screams, voice raw, chest heavy. âThat card is a tournament exclusive!â Atticus gushed over it for weeks, showed it off at school, more excited about the card than winning the tournament. This is the first sign sheâs seen of her brother in two years! This man has to know something!
âYou dare call me a liar?â A dark bolt darts out at Nightshroudâs command and sends Alexis careening back. Her foot slips off the edge.
âALEXIS!â
Jaden yanks her back by the arm with a grip hard enough to bruise, and Alexis startles at the absolute terror in his eyes. âHey, not cool!â He swings back around to face Nightshroud, the bravado back in full force, but this time Alexis knows what it hides. âYouâre dueling me! Leave them out of this!â
Nightshroud only snorts, a derisive sound. âThen duel me, since you want to save them so badly.â
Alexis is still close enough to see the cards as Jaden draws Polymerization and fusion summons Rampart Blaster to deal Nightshroud damage even from defense position. The shadows shiver as Nightshroud suffers the pain of his own shadow game, momentarily revealing brown hair.
âFeel like talking now, buddy?â Jaden taunts with a grin.
Nightshroudâs legs shake before he stands tall once again. âI already told you! This card has always been mine! I donât know anything about the girlâs brother!â For a moment, the shadows obscuring his voice part and it sounds almost familiar.
Rampart Blasterâs defense proves futile as Nightshroud hits Jaden directly with the spell Inferno Fire Blast. The flames that engulf Jaden are far too real for any hologram, and Jaden sinks to his knees and nearly through the platform as it gives way beneath him. Christina and Syrus scramble to drag him back up as Bastion checks him over for serious injury.
ââM fine.â Jaden tries to brush them off and stand on his own but immediately winces and sways.
âFine my ass!â Christina hisses.
âIâm inclined to agree!â Bastion pushes up Jadenâs sleeve to reveal an angry red splotch. âYouâre covered in blisters if not more severe burns!â
âWe can worry about that later!â Jaden pries his hand free with another wince as Nightshroud uses his next monster to force Rampart Blaster into attack mode.
âWait. No.â A cold spot appears in Alexisâ chest as she takes a step back. She recognizes more than one card Nightshroud has played. âItâs not just Red-Eyes... I think he has Atticus��� whole deck.â
âWhat?â Christina spins from where she stands to act as Jadenâs support.
âBut how is that possible?â Chumley stammers.
âI donât know!â Alexis snaps, shaking. She has this horrible, horrible feeling. No matter what Nightshroud claims, he must have done something to her brother and taken his deck. She never once let herself consider the possibility, because it meant giving up, it meant letting her grief win, but what if... âI-â
Syrus shrieks as the platform gives way underneath him, stumbling forward as Chumley catches and hauls him back to safety. Their safe places to stand are dwindling quickly. Jaden finishes his combo by fusion summoning Thunder Giant. The two monstersâ clash ends in a draw as both are destroyed, setting up Burstinatrix for a direct attack.
âLetâs see how you like it!â
Nightshroud barely flinches against the assault of flame as the shadows around him flicker and swell as if fending off the attack. Pouting, Jaden moves onto his next play then passes the turn to Nightshroud. Mirage Dragon takes the field and Alexis startles as Nightshroud refers to the dragon with feminine pronouns. Thatâs how Atticus always referred to that card. Most duelists default to masculine pronouns unless the card art is obviously feminine, but Atticus was different.
-âShe just gives me, âcranky old ladyâ vibes, ya know?â- Atticus said when Alexis asked. She hadnât known, not all, what Atticus meant.
Atticusâ deck was one thing, but this particular quirk... It couldnât be.
Jaden goes down again as Mirage Dragon takes out Burstinatrix; Christina drags him back to his feet and away as a new hole opens up in the platform. His next turn sees Elemental Hero Tempest take the field and obliterate Mirage Dragon. This time, Nightshroud flinches as the shadows scatter off his form; and even with that mask on his face, Alexis knows what she sees.
âATTICUS?!â
âHold on whut?â Jaden jerks, gaping at her.
Alexis starts forward and stumbles as her foot falls through another hole.
âAnd who the hell is that supposed to be?â Nightshroud growls, and itâs Atticusâ voice now that the shadowy echo no longer obscures it.
âYou!â Pulling herself upright, Alexis watches the floor for holes as she continues forward. Her friends call after her but she ignores them. âI know thatâs you, Atticus! You really think a dumb mask would make me not recognize my own brother?!â
âMy name is Nightshroud-â
âWhy are you doing this? Why are you a Shadow Rider? What happened to you, Atticus?!â
âLexi!!â
She manages to duck this time before the darkness strikes her, elbows banging hard against the platform. The breath shudders out of her and she realizes sheâs crying.
âI donât know you, little girl.â
It hurts. It hurts so much. She found him but like this and he doesnât even know who she is. A hand on her shoulder alerts her to one of her friends, unsurprised to find Christina kneeling next to her. âItâs him...â Alexis whispers brokenly as Christina pulls her up.
âI know.â
âWhy is he...â she hiccups, unable to finish the sentence. Christina squeezes her finger as she leads Alexis safely back to their friends.
Atticus summons Red-Eyes back to the field with Red-Eyes Chickâs ability then trades it in for a card Alexis has never seen before - Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon. Darkness. Nightshroud. That thing has her brother and she needs to figure out how to get him back from its clutches. Jaden ends the turn with Negate Attack, surviving to the next round. He hesitates as he draws his next card, then plays Wroughtweiler in defense and switches Tempest to defense.
âJay?â Christina sends him a look.
âI honestly donât have any other plays right now,â Jaden says, voice low as he glances back at her. âBesides, if thatâs Lexiâs brother... Doesnât the loser of this duel die?â
Alexis breathes in sharply. Christina hisses through her teeth.
âBut what if winning gets rid of whatever is controlling him,â Bastions says. âAssuming heâs been possessed by some sort of dark power.â
âYeah, maybe, but-â
âJaden.â Alexis forces the words out as he turns to look at her, those eyes so full of compassion and concern. âIf you lose, we all die. We can worry about the rest of it later.â
Jaden flinches. âAre you sure?â
âOf course Iâm not!â Alexis loses the battle against her emotions as a fresh wave of tears overtakes her. âBut what other choice do we have?â
Jaden stares at her a moment longer before turning back to face his opponent as Atticus attacks Wroughtweiler with Spear Dragon. He activates Wroughtweilerâs effect and goes down with a scream as his Life Points drop because Spear Dragon deals damage even if the monster it battles is in defense. Still, Jaden gets to add Sparkman and Polymerization back to his hand and gets back to his feet with a little help. Not that it does much good. The force of Tempestâs destruction sends him reeling back into Bastion, and Bastion yelps as the ground threatens to cave under their combined weight. Between the four of them, they manage to keep their friends on stable ground, but Jaden looks like heâs barely conscious at this point. With 600 Life Points left and their safety net looking like swiss cheese, Alexis glances at the lava below and turns back to her brother.
âEnough! Enough, Atticus! This duel is over!â she declares with all the fire she can muster. âYou want a Spirit Key so badly, then you can have mine!â Ignoring the startled outburst from her friends, she pulls the object from its place around her neck and holds it out. âYou said it works if itâs given freely, right? Let my friends go, and you can have it!â
âAlexis...â Jaden rasps, held upright by Christinaâs arm. Alexis never looks away from her brother.
Atticus scoffs. âWhile Iâm flattered that youâd give me your Key willingly, Iâm afraid just one Key wonât do. I want them all.â His voice darkens, distorts into something unrecognizable again as the shadows rise up and cling to him. âWait your turn, little girl. Iâll duel you next.â
âAtticus!â Alexis pleads, except this time she knows sheâs not talking to her brother anymore - if she ever was - but this thing thatâs taken over him.
âMake your move, Key keeper. If you can.â
Pulling his arm off Christinaâs shoulders, Jaden glares his opponent down. âOh, I can. And Iâm winning this duel!â
âBut you can barely sta-AAAAAA!â Syrus screams as he falls entirely through the platform. Alexis dives, catching his hand as Bastion grabs the other. Together they haul him back up while Jaden watches, pale as a sheet.
âWhatever youâre about to do, do it fast!â Chumley clasps his hand together, legs shaking so hard Alexis is surprised he still stands.
âRight!â With Christinaâs hand on his shoulder, Jaden draws his card.
The combo he gets off next is a spectacular comeback. Atticus hits his knees with a scream as darkness rolls off his form in waves, and Alexis runs for him without a second thought. She doesnât get far before the dark platform vanishes completely from beneath her feet. She has a single terrifying moment to think, This is how we die, before a bright golden light engulfs her.
When she opens her eyes again, she pushes herself off the cold, rocky ground of the mountainside while Syrus and Chumley cry over not being dead.
"What was that light? It looked like it came from your deck," Bastion murmurs, and something glows faintly as Christina shuffles through her cards with a frown, Jaden slumped against her.
Alexis spares them only a glance as she continues straight for her brother, collapsed face down on the ground feet in front of her. âAtticus!â She drops to her knees and rolls him to face her.
His eyes flutter briefly open. âWho...?â he mumbles weakly before his head lulls again, and Alexis fears the worst as she searches for his pulse. It flutters under her fingers, slow but strong, and she finally releases the breath sheâd be holding. It comes out a sob.
âIs he...?â Bastion ventures closer, not daring to finish the inquiry.
âHeâs alive...â Alexis breathes, cradling her brother close as another voice breaches the mountain air.
âHeeeey! Whatâs going on over here?!â
Alexis looks up as Zane and Chazz come running. âZane. Zane!â she calls, heedless to how broken her voice is and doesnât miss the way Zane immediately speeds up. âItâs him! Itâs Atticus!â She holds her brother closer as Zane freezes in his tracks, face flooding with shock. âI found him...â
âWhat-â Zane croaks as he kneels next to them slowly, and reaches out like he expects Atticus to disappear under his fingers. The emotions that play out over his face when his hand lands on Atticusâ shoulder are too complicated to name. âWhat happened?â
âI donât know.â
They sit in silence like that for another moment, just soaking in that Atticus is back. Then Zane shifts to slide his arms under Atticusâ limp form. âHere.â Nodding, Alexis moves aside to let Zane lift Atticus into his arms. Some distance away, her friends hoist an unconscious Jaden onto Chumleyâs back.
âIf he looks this bad after winning, I donât wanna know what losing looks like,â Chazz gripes.
âThat?â Syrus points hesitantly at Atticus.
âWhat?â
Zane sends Alexis a sharp look. âHe was a Shadow Rider,â Alexis whispers, and glances away as Zaneâs expression breaks again. âHe didnât recognize me. Thatâs all I know.â
âOkay,â Zane says at length and they begin the long trek down the mountain.
Alexis still has so many questions...and fears. She once thought finding her brother would make everything okay again, but now... Now sheâs scared this is only the beginning rather than the end she sought. What if he wakes up and still doesnât recognize her? Can she handle that? Can she handle learning what turned him into a Shadow Rider? Her hand fists itself into Zaneâs coat tail. If he notices, he doesnât comment.
#gxmonth2021#alexis rhodes#tenjoin asuka#tenjoin fubuki#atticus rhodes#nightshroud#jaden yuki#syrus truesdale#chumley huffington#bastion misawa#chazz princeton#zane truesdale#ygo gx#yugioh gx#yu gi oh gx#long post
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Rei
Totally random thought here, but can we consider how absolutely crazy the LOV plot couldâve been if theyâd taken in Rei? Like, total crack theory, but there are so many fun ways that couldâve been spun.
-It all just starts off with them trying to take out the new number one hero, and nobodyâs really sure who mentioned that Endeavorâs wife had been hospitalized (not exactly common knowledge), but it seems like a pretty easy way to take a hostage and lure him in
-Dabiâs kinda pushing against it, but thatâs not super shocking as heâs always been a pretty grey-area villain, and if any one of them are likely to have doubts about kidnapping mentally unstable women and putting them in potentially life-threatening situations, of course itâs this crispy dude
-So they take some time planning this whole thing out, and when the time comes around to actually pull it off, it works without a hitch. In and out, nobody notices a thing- particularly not Reiâs caretakers who canât tell the difference between the real Rei Todoroki and one of Twiceâs clones (which is saddening in and of itself)
-They all get back to the base and are putting on this whole evil production, trying to really play up their front and frighten their captive a little bit, but part-way through Shigarakiâs speech about how sheâs going to be the bait that helps bring down Endeavor, Rei just...Cuts him off?
-Everyoneâs kind of a little taken aback, because nobody does that unless they have a death wish, but hereâs this frail wraith of a woman looking completely undaunted while literally tied to a chair, helpless and surrounded by villains
- And she looks their leader dead in the eye and tells him that if theyâre looking to take down Enji, there are better ways of doing itÂ
-LITTLE DID THEY KNOW they kidnapped a literal powerbank of info on their number one target, yes, but they also kidnapped a broken woman who has a story to tell, an army of skeletons in her closet, and more than a few grudges to settle.
-And so, this is how the League of Villains become the first group to hear the truth of what went on behind closed doors in the prestigious Todoroki household, and the facts churn more than one stomach. After all, they might be villains, but for the most part theyâre not total monsters, and not a single one of them present can deny that the whole situation is ten variants of fucked up.
-If Dabi had to leave for a cigarette or two when Rei started talking about her children, well, that was his own business.
-When the whole tale is said and done, it doesnât take long for the league to come to the consensus that hell, if Rei wants to join their cause and crush her husbandâs career, theyâre not in any position to stop her. They were on the hunt for new recruits anyway, this is really just a win-win situation.
-Things are different with her around; Rei might be part of the cause, but sheâs not a true villain like the rest of them. She sets the ground-rules pretty early on; what she doesnât and doesnât agree with, what she will and wonât help accomplish. None of them really argue it, because itâs not like they can truly force her to become an evil-doer, and in some ways, itâs nice having a motherly figure around and knowing she wasnât cleaning blood off the knives in the kitchen earlier.
-And with time, she does gradually become the den mother of sorts, in an odd, peculiar way. It was to be expected, as many of the LOV lacked parental figures, and Rei had a hole in her heart where her children had been stripped. That doesnât make it any less strange to walk in on Rei patiently braiding Togaâs hair while the teen chatters on about boys and blood like the two subjects were interchangeable, but Rei missed the opportunity to have bonding time like this with Fuyumi, and sheâll be damned if she passes it up again.
-Eventually, this compassion spreads throughout the other members of the league, though, and itâs evident in all kinds of little ways. Compress is meticulous about finding her pretty objects and flowers every time they go out, something to brighten the womanâs day, especially after years of staring at the same four walls. Twice is particularly good at finding new rom-coms for him and Rei to binge when time allows for it. She and Kurogiri know how to make everyoneâs individual favourite kinds of tea (and stronger drinks as well, with the exception of Toga)
-She sews Shigaraki a pair of gauntlets that cover one finger and leave the rest of his hand exposed so he can touch things and not have to worry about destroying them, and ooh boy, emotions are high that day.
-They often give her âprogress reportsâ about how Shoutoâs doing too, tell her about how strong heâs getting and what new tricks heâs learned from whenever they encounter her son in combat situations. Nothing will ever top the time that Twice came back with three missing teeth and a broken nose, and proudly told Rei Todoroki about how well Shouto could roundhouse kick
-Is it weird to be keeping a special eye on up-and-coming heroes, and be proud when they kick your ass? Probably. Most of them donât care though, because thatâs Reiâs son, look at the little squirt go-
-Poor Todoroki becomes doubly confused when a few of the LOV visibly perk up whenever he uses his ice, which makes no fucking sense, and you can guarantee that he and Midoriya theorize the hell out of it like the true conspiracy theorists they are.
-Dabiâs relationship with Rei is oddly strained, and nobody seems to understand how the typically mild woman manages to put their sarcastic edgelord into extreme defense mode. Itâs remarkable to him that none of them have made the connections between Reiâs son Touya and the fire-wielder who they see every damned day, but he canât tell if itâs worse or better that Rei herself hasnât seemed to pick up on it either.
-and hAWKS, DEAR LORD HAVE MERCY HAWKS
-Of course, upon doing his undercover work in the league, heâd expected to come across a few surprises, but finally convincing Dabi to let him meet the league and immediately running straight into Endeavorâs wife was not anywhere on the list. Itâs something he knows he should be reporting to the Commission as soon as heâs clear, but thereâs just... Something not right about how this is sitting, and it causes him to wait things out a little bit.
-And then, upon getting to know her, and finding Rei to be surprisingly sweet and kind for the people she was affiliated with, some red flags were bound to go up. Like, he was confused as hell to begin with even seeing her in the League, but seeing her there and knowing that sheâs helping take down Endeavor without being a complete nutcase? Not a good sign.
-So when he too finally gets the whole story, it completely rattles the entire world he stands on. Everything heâs thought of this man heâs looked up to his whole life, everything he thought he was surefooted in putting his faith in, has been completely shattered. Itâs devastating and horrible, and a really hard pill to swallow.
-But beyond that, and despite whatever airs he puts on, Hawks is one smart chickadee and it takes him all of 2.36 seconds to figure out that the brooding 20-something-year-old with a vendetta against this same man and a fire quirk too powerful for his own good is none other than Reiâs son Touya without a doubt. He doesnât blame himself for missing it before, but knowing Dabi and knowing the whole story of what went down suddenly brings things into a whole new perspective, and it unfortunately makes a lot of sense.
-Eventually, after about a month or so and neither Dabi nor Rei seeming to make any move to reconnect, Hawks intervenes a little, pulling Rei aside to nudge her towards the struggling young man. Itâs a surprise to find out that sheâs known all along, has known since the day they took her from the hospital, and she first laid eyes on him. âHeâs different, older,â She says with a small smile, patting the winged heroâs arm, âBut Iâd recognize my son anywhere.â
-Hawks chooses not to mention how Endeavor had faced Touya in person and not even come close to the same conclusion, but the knowledge of the thing still simmers in his gut.
-She says sheâs waiting for him to come to her and tell her himself, but Dabiâs a stubborn little shit, so when things get a bit too overwhelming for the fire-user one night and Hawks has to bring an absolutely drunk-off-his-rocker Touya Todoroki back to the league or risk him passing out in a gutter somewhere, he takes him straight to Rei. Heâs a mess, has been for the last three hours since he first broke into Hawksâ apartment just after midnight and began info-dumping his story to him then and there, scuffed knuckles and bleeding scars indicating that heâs already had some trouble earlier in the night.
-Of course, Dabi isnât in the mood to chat and takes one look at Rei before trying to walk right back out the door. But the strain is becoming too much for Hawks too, and itâs time to lay some old demons to rest.
-Itâs a little uncomfortable, being a bystander to their reunion, but Hawks canât honestly trust that Dabi wonât flee if heâs not blocking the way and tracking him down again would be an absolute pain in the ass. So instead, he tries his best to be a mute fly on the wall as Rei approaches her rigid prodigal son, and gently raises one hand up to his cheek, using the sleeve of her sweater to carefully wipe away the blood trails.
-âI knew a boy just like you once.â
-Hawks canât deny that his heart breaks a little as Rei tells this unmoving statue of a man about her Touya, how kind and gentle and loving he was, how he played so well with his younger siblings, and always put them first. How much she loved him, how much they all did, how sheâd treasured his crayon drawings and cried in secret when he burned, and the slowly crumbling look on Dabiâs face is something he never wants to see again.
-âWhat happened to him?â Dabi asks, voice wavering, and itâs devastating that heâs still trying so hard to keep that mask on, to hide behind a scarred face and dyed hair like he doesnât already know who he is, like he wasnât admitting it all in Hawkâs living room an hour beforehand, pacing a hole through the carpet.
-âNothing that was his fault,â Rei answers quietly, finally letting the unshed tears roll down her cheeks, even as she smiles, âIâm just glad to see heâs still alive.â
-It takes half a second for both of them to be embracing in a crumpled heap on the floor of the warehouse, and damn it, even Hawks is crying when he hears Dabi call Rei âMomâ for the first time in twelve fucking years, both of them sobbing, though the tears arenât all sad. Thereâs a relieved look on Reiâs face as she combs through Dabiâs hair soothingly, saying his name over and over again until it finally doesnât feel strange to associate it with the broken man Hawks has come to know.
-Things are better from then on. Explaining this revelation to the rest of the league the next morning was⌠Something, but Dabiâs smiles come easier after that night, and Hawks is learning to appreciate how simple it can be to make him laugh. Thereâs a light in his eyes that wasnât there before, and while Hawks knows he shouldnât be making these kinds of promises, not with the orders heâs under, he swears he wonât let it flicker out again. Damned hero instincts and all that.
Honestly, I have a lot more ideas to run with this prompt, but I donât want to make this unbearably long- let me know if yâall are interested in a part two!
#bnha#boku no hero academia#mha#my hero academia#bnha dabi#bnha hawks#dabi is a todoroki#dabi is touya#rei todoroki#league of villains#bnha headcanons#bnha prompts
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M9 Signature Combat Moves (and what they say about them)
AKA, I nerd out over battle strategies and patterns.
Fjord: Fjord is lovely and my favorite person to watch in battle, because his main combat strategy is, get out of dodge, then distract the enemy away from your friends, then get out of dodge, get your friends out of dodge, shove a healing potion down your unconscious friendâs throat while youâre getting them out of dodge. Heâs all for the guerilla warfare, and is understandably upset whenever someone implies that itâs not super noble and heroic looking, because it works, right? Keeps him and everyone alive. So among his signature moves are:
Thunderstep. Which he uses to a) bampf himself and his friends (but mostly his friends) out of harmsâ way or b) bampf some help to his friends. And by friends we mostly mean âCalebâ because this poor man needs everyone he can looking after him so he isnât ground into meat paste in .02 seconds. Routinely holds the spell while Bad Shit Is Happening so that he can use it at the exact right moment.
Major Image. For those times you really want the enemy to be looking the other direction while you get out of dodge, or, to encourage them to massacre the group that is not you (an effective distraction!)
Misty Step. Getting some distance, like a hero.
Summon Greater Demon. For chewing spellcasters he doesnât like to bits, but mostly for absorbing damage from all the mooks that might otherwise be targeting his squishy friends.Â
Beau: Beau is also lovely, so lovely that she takes precisely the opposite approach to Fjord in battle. The nature of what she does means she is in the enemyâs face. Grappled in every other fight (3/4 of fights?) and on the main? Thinks escaping from the grapple is a fuckinâ waste of time. Sheâs right where she wants to be, punching your lights out, and learning how better to destroy you all the while. And sure, it might be dangerous, especially when the creature holding your limp unconscious body splashes acid whenever itâs damaged, but hey. The logical upgrade to punching ghosts is to be a punching ghost. So for this violent, curious bean, you have:
Sentinel. Iâm sorry, did you forget who you were fighting? Youâre fighting Beau. Youâre not fighting anyone else. And she is going to stay in your face, whether you like it or not.
Step of the Wind. Used less often for running away from things than running towards things, like things she wants to punch. But also for running towards other goals--like the Plank King who can put an end to the fighting on the docks, like her friend who is burning in lava and needs to be rescued. The reason she has so much movement, you see, is so she can drag your sorry ass out of trouble.
Stun. And thatâs why sheâs not leaving your space. The power that gets all of the worst creatures completely destroyed. Bye bye giants, bye bye Lorenzo, bye bye Krynn warrior--no, fuck! Well, whoever was responsible for offing the spellcaster is responsible for that, not Beau.
Extract Aspects. Wherein her punches and curious nature help her friends fight more effectively. Hey--hey CALEB! Theyâre not super wise! Wait--is Caleb down again? Fuck! JESTER! Theyâre not super wise!
Caleb: The easiest way to describe Caleb is to say that he has two battle modes. By and large, he is the nice and helpful support caster, making his friends more powerful and his foes a lot weaker while he ducks as much as he can out of the line of fire. But thereâs another side to Caleb....when things truly go to hell, he brings hellfire raining down upon you, giving no fucks about anything but death. Leaves scores of incinerated bodies in his wake. Makes Fjord do a happy jig. So for him, you have:
Haste. Along with expeditious retreat, this is the spell that leads the whole party to just take it as gospel that Caleb is âas fast as balls.â In general, Caleb casts Haste on people less as a kind of strategy and more to display in his kooky way his love or favoritism or Desire for Friendship. Wants to get on Beauâs good side after telling her his secrets? She gets all the hastes. Feels guilty about leaving Nott to nearly get mauled to death by a dragon? She gets Haste. Needs to demonstrate to a stressed-out Fjord that he supports him in these trying times? Haste. And even if itâs not combat, we should never forget Hasted chopsticks to show love and friendship for Jester. Caleb....maybe you should use your words instead of your spell components, yeah?
Slow. Fuck you, you are not attacking his friends. Bye bye multiattack, bye bye, crazy AC. Heâs so keen on saving his friends that he never even manages to wait for Caduceus to make landing the spell easier for him. Itâs like a debuffing race between those two.
Fireball. From Caleb, fireball is a death sentence. You have the fleeing giant, but also...........all those pirates. All those gnolls. When Caleb casts Fireball, chances are itâs when heâs passed the point of caring about his own well-being and is only interested in fucking up other people. Downed with a crossbow bolt and just barely revived by Fjord, his only thought is to stumble forward, bleeding profusely, and finish what he started--make everything blow up.
Counterspell/Wall of Fire. So far, used in tandem, and to accomplish the same purpose--to put a big middle finger up at other spellcasters. His goal is to block their line of sight to his important people, bonus points if he can also light some people on fire, and if you even think about fucking with his spell he will smack whatever you try to the ground. Even half dead from exhaustion, heâs just better than you, and heâll let you know it.
Nott: Like Fjord, she is all about guerilla tactics, about distracting and attacking, and hiding to attack again. She really likes attacking, and has the kill count to prove it. Also like Fjord, Nott is invested in the purchase and dispersal of healing potions--to the point where she annoyed him by buying the potions he requested (so that he could give them to people in trouble) only to keep them herself (so that she could give them to people in trouble). But unlike Fjord, she utilizes the running strategy not to get herself or others to safety necessarily, but rather as another form of distraction, to draw attention to herself and away from the others. For her, you have:
Phantasmal Force. The spell most likely to make her turn up her nose at Fjord and say, âbut do you need me to make the illusion even more realistic?â She takes a great deal of pride and joy in it. Absolutely wonderful--a spell to distract in creative ways, to control other people to âthinking things that arenât real,â the targets justify the illusion, and it deals damage! While Nott uses it for distraction, she also employs it for more creative purposes, like making Avantika relax and change priorities by thinking her journal was recovered.
Bonus Action Disengage. Or more strikingly, not disengaging. Nott will run like hell, and she will take the hit so that the people she loves wonât.
Bonus Action Hide. When the going gets tough, crawl behind something and wait it out, or wait for a good shot. Sometimes works brilliantly--other times what youâre hiding in is a burning building or beneath a bridge actively being collapsed on top of you. The moral of the story Nott takes from this is, running is probably better. At which point you do what youâre more used to--dashing.Â
Fury of the Small. "Thatâs my secret. Iâm always small.â Thereâs an interesting commentary to this being a goblin racial trait, because in Nottâs case it probably isnât fury at things bigger than her so much as fury at being made a goblin, a fury that only grows more potent with time, and more deadly.
Jester: Imagination that kills you, with humor and cuteness! You have to wonder if the pink bits on her dress are floral designs or blood splatters. This woman is a terror, and a person who loves to enter the fray--to the point of picking bar fights with her friends for the thrill of it! You might think, âoh, the cleric wants to get in my face to hurt me, Iâll just make her sufferâ but the truth is, the one suffering is going to be you.Â
Spiritual Weapon. As Iconic a weapon as Fjordâs falchion, and used a lot more frequently. Bludgeons people until theyâre nothing more than bloodstains on the ground. Other clerics wish they were as good. Especially Shakaste. Poor Shakaste.
Invoke Duplicity. There to help her friends whenever Jester canât--or shouldnât--get somewhere herself. Will fight furniture when Jester needs to look around for a way to help Fjord. Will walk over lava to harm a giant as a distraction. Will, sometimes, be sent over to heal someone who needs it. The beauty of it is that, besides distracting and protecting, it allows her to be wherever she is most needed for a spell.
Inflict Wounds. Jester likes one thing above all, and it is to fuck people up. Sheâll do it through her duplicate or sheâll do it herself, but one way or the other sheâs going to wind her hands around you and make you bleed through your eyeballs. Sheâll cast it on hydras. Sheâll cast it on dragons. Sheâll cast it on fire giants. Sheâll cast it on her best friend who thought that this was a friendly brawl. And it is. Jester is nearly always friendly when sheâs destroying you.
Hellish Rebuke. Unless sheâs not being friendly. Once upon a time, she had a quip for when she was attacked. Now she will scream and cry out, and just the sound of it will send icy pain to whoever dared to hurt her.
Caduceus: Of everyone in the M9, the most averse to close combat, or more broadly to making a target of himself, ever. Is surprised and upset whenever creatures get close to him, or get it into their heads to attack him. Heâs the support. You shouldnât even notice heâs there. Here are some bugs--how about you attack those? What do you mean he has to get close to do touch-based healing--nope, nope, healing word it is, and only after people are unconscious to maximize its usefulness.
Hidden Step. He really doesnât want you to notice that heâs here. If he doesnât do this, he might try literally sinking into the ground to avoid you.
Bane. The quintessential Caduceus spell. Aptly named for how miserable it makes all his enemies. Works beautifully both for protecting those who are close to the enemy, and gels very nicely with Jester fucking shit up and Fjord distracting the enemy and whatever the hell Caleb is planning to do if....if they fucking wait for him to cast it..............
Sentinel at Deathâs Door. He really doesnât want his friends to die. Itâs expensive. And thereâs a certain impatient ass of a wizard who just might have died instantly if he hadnât been hovering around him at the time. Sigh.
Path to the Grave. Caduceus is not one to get his hands dirty. Well, dirt is fine, but not so much the living blood of his foes. No, he likes to deal his damage by proxy, through his bug swarm but especially through Yasha. She already deals so much damage, and isnât it beautiful to watch her deal twice as much of it? Bonus points if it makes Yasha look like the big scary target, and not him.
Yasha: As always, Yasha is a hard one for me, because I want to distinguish Travis-Yasha from Ashley-Yasha, but the fact of it is I havenât seen much of Ashley-Yasha for a while. So itâs hard. But thereâs one thing in particular that has stood out to me about Yasha and the way she works, and that isÂ
Rage. Or rather, her hesitation to rage. Sheâs a fighting machine who isnât happy being a fighting machine, and there are so many times she chooses not to fly into a rage and start hitting things when she thinks being calm and talking things out is an option. She asks the lightning-creature a question, asks if it was sent from the Stormlord. âYeah...heâs going to attack you,â Matt says. But thatâs the important thing--she didnât instigate. Ever. She didnât get angry first. She waits, and tries everything other than the killing, until sheâs provoked past the point of reason. You could even argue this as a story justification for her low initiative rolls--she just doesnât want to get angry and attack. Not unless she has to.
#critical role#cr spoilers#meta#fjord#beauregard#caleb widogast#nott the brave#jester lavorre#caduceus clay#yasha nydoorin#I also want to do a non-combat post
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