#goku can be kind of awful to her sometimes

[songouda]

i keep thinking about how i'm portraying goku while shipping him with my s/i and i feel kind of bad because i think if i were really in the db world and in a relationship with goku, he would treat me just like he treats chichi (WHICH ISN'T A BAD THING but it's more like he would be kind of unaware of how his actions affect mozz and would constantly run off w/o saying anything and be kind of rude) which makes me sad

but then i remember these are my toys and i get to play with them the way i want to so i get to make goku 100x more love dovey with mozzarella than he actually is with his canonical wife and that while goku might still forget to tell me things when he's running off to save the world and/or train, he would try his best to remember and at the very least would entrust someone else (like piccolo or krillin or chichi herself) to inform me of what's going on. he also hangs out with me allll of the time and never wants to leave my side and we go everywhere together and live happily ever after :o)

[floating-mid-air]

Under The Mistletoe

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Hi everyone! I've returned once again. Firstly, I want to say thank you for 200 hundred followers! It's crazy to think that someone as inconsistent as I am could reach 200 followers. So I've decided to do a little two hundred followers special! This is part one (of two lmao) of holiday-winter-themed fics. (The other one I have planned is a Goku x reader btw) 

And thank you so much for your constant love and support. I never would've thought there'd be so many people who would actually enjoy my writing. I've been writing for practically my entire life, and I always get bored of the fandom I'm momentarily obsessed with, but I always seem to come back to this one. And I think it's because of all the kind words and support. And as always, my DM's/comments are always open if you have any comments, questions, or concerns.

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Hey you! Yes you! Check out my Masterlist

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Paring: Vegeta x F Reader

Rating: None

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During this time of year, there's always one thing you know you can look forward to. And that's Bulma's yearly holiday party. You're not sure how she does it, but she seems to outdo herself every year. And even if the party wasn't extravagant, you'd still look forward to it. Because the most important thing to you is being around all of your closest friends, having all the people you love together for at least one day out of the year.

Usually, You'd be skipping, singing carols all the way to Bulma's. Nothing could ruin your good mood. But this year is different. This year you have the Grinch trailing behind you. You and Vegeta have been "together" for a while now. You've never defined your relationship, but you think you're dating? Nothing's ever clear with that man. And if you asked, you know you wouldn't get a clear answer. He'd probably just yell at you, calling you a "foolish woman."

With every step you take, your disdain for Vegeta's grumbling grows. Normally you can deal with his chronic complaining. You even tend to find it amusing, but not today. "Can you at least pretend to be happy?" You snap at him. It was bound to happen. It's a miracle that you lasted as long as you did. 

"That would be a waste of my energy. Besides, my awful mood is your fault." Vegeta scoffs. "Dragging me to the blue-haired woman's absurd gathering.... with your idiotic friends."

"They're your friends too." You roll your eyes. He's sometimes just so infuriating.  

"They are not my friends! I put up with Kakarot and those earthlings for your sake."

"You're such a killjoy." You sigh. You're not even sure why you keep bringing Vegeta to these events. The only thing it seems to do is ruin your day. "If you're going to keep acting like this. You can just hog the buffet table with Goku and then sulk in a corner of the room like you always do." You won't let Vegeta's crummy attitude bring you down any more than it already has. So you do the thing every responsible adult does in a healthy relationship. You ignore Vegeta the rest of the way to Bulma's place.

You finally get to your destination. You walk through the front door with Vegeta only a few steps behind. "You're here!" Bulma shouts, running over to you, throwing her arms around you. When she pulls away, her gaze lands on Vegeta, who is now standing beside you. "Vegeta." She rolls her eyes at him. It's no secret that the pair don't get along. Vegeta grunts, nodding his head. It's clear that's the best response she'll get. "Come on, the others are already here."

Bulma leads you further into her house, but you're stopped when Yamcha enters the hallway. "Bulma, can you tell--- Oh, hey, Y/N.... Vegeta." Before Bulma can scold him for not waiting in the main room like she asked, he speaks again. "Hey, look, Mistletoe." He wiggles his brows at you. You look at the ceiling to find the familiar green plant hovering above your head. You've always found mistletoe to be pretty. It's always perfectly tied together with a bow. "You know what that means."

"What are you going on about, you moron?" Vegeta furrows his brows at the taller man. 

"When someone's standing under the mistletoe, you kiss them. It's just a fun holiday tradition." Bulma tells him.

Vegeta scoffs. "What an idiotic tradition. It's pathetic, even. Do humans really need an excuse to kiss their lovers?"  

"Oh, come on, Vegeta. It's bad luck if you don't kiss her." Vegeta rolls his eyes at Yamcha's explanation. There's no such thing as luck. You work hard to succeed. "Well, fine, I guess I'll have to do it then."

Vegeta's head snaps toward him, his eyes narrowing. "Come near her, and I'll snap you in two!"

Yamcha holds up his hands defensively. "I was joking!" He shifts to move behind Bulma. "I don't have a death wish." He mumbles under his breath.

You turn to Vegeta, crossing your arms at him. "Oh, you can't be serious!" Vegeta shouts. "You'd let that neanderthal put his lips on you because you're standing under a stupid plant?"

"I'd let you kiss me under the mistletoe." You've never really thought about kissing your partner under the mistletoe before. It's not like you've chalked it up to be the most romantic holiday gesture of all time. But just for once, you wish Vegeta would go along with your "silly" human traditions. 

"Well, that's not going to happen." He turns his head away from your gaze. "I'm not going to degrade myself like that."

You huff, puffing out your cheeks. "Fine. Forget it." Your face falls as you push past Yamcha and Bulma, walking away from Vegeta.

"Someone's in the doghouse," Yamcha mutters.  

"Oh, come on, woman!" Vegeta shouts. "You can't seriously be upset over something so trivial?"

As the night goes on, it becomes clear to Vegeta that your annoyance with him wasn't just one of your temporary moods. You'd normally come over to him and pull him out of his solitude at these events. But right now, you refuse to meet his gaze. You won't even look in his general direction. Looks like Yamcha was finally right about something. Because Vegeta is definitely in your doghouse. If he knew something as stupid as refusing a small gesture of affection would upset you so much, he would've just done it before. 

Vegeta huffs, swallowing what's left of his pride. You, a human woman, with your pathetic human emotions, have no right to have this much control over him. Vegeta strolls over to you, grabbing your wrist, pulling you up off the couch. "Vegeta!" You shout as he begins dragging you away. "What the hell? Where are you taking me!" You finally break free of his grip when you enter the hallway. "Why are we out here?"

He ignores you, placing his arms on your shoulders. He moves you a bit forward. "Stay there."

"Stop ordering me around! I'm not doing anything until you explain!"

He sighs. "You daft woman. Look up!" You shift your gaze up at the ceiling only to find the same green plant that was hovering over your head just hours ago. 

"But I thought you think kissing under the mistletoe is stupid?"

"Oh, believe me, I do." He pauses, his cheeks flushing. "But it'll make you happy." 

"Vegeta." Before you can get another word out, he places his lips on yours. His lips feel so warm, as they move softly against your own. This is nothing like your usual kisses. Rather than taking your breath away, he's settled for making your heart swell.

He pulls away, placing his forehead on yours. "Are you pleased?"

"One more." Your voice is barely audible, but Vegeta definitely heard you.

He smirks. "You're getting greedy." But he complies, teasingly brushing his lips against yours. 

"Vegeta." You whine against his lips, causing him to chuckle. He decides to stop teasing you, firmly pressing his lips against yours. Your lips are like a drug to him. Every time he gets a taste, he just wants more. Maybe he's truly the greedy one? He pulls you closer, wanting to feel more of you. But before things can go any further, you pull away from him. "We... We need to stop." You pant, putting some space between you.

"You're usually the one begging me not to stop." He snorts.

"Vegeta!" Your face flushes. "L- Let's go back inside." You grab his hand, pulling him back to the party. Maybe this whole Mistletoe thing isn't so bad after all? In fact, Vegeta can see himself getting used to it. Think of all the opportunities he'll have to fluster you in the future.    

[thecagedsong]

Most of the time I’m on team “but are you sorry?” and “did you earn it?” for redemption arcs. Are the heroes really just gonna let the villain sit beside them like nothing has happened? Like the past isn’t real? Without an actual showing that the person’s changed?

#your fav will never be zuko.

But now I’m writing a fanfiction and a character is struggling with how weird it is that the heroes are letting him just . . . move on from his past. The heroes accepted him because it’s in character for this group of heroes, so be in character I can’t also have a drawn out ‘prove yourself and earn redemption’ kind of arc. 

But when writing, sometimes I started to wonder if the truth was that I was the one underestimating the power of forgiveness. Of letting someone suddenly decide to switch sides, and the new side welcoming them. If a villain is betrayed, exposing themselves to the awfulness of evil, and the heroes immediately welcome the former villain, doesn’t that reinforce the concept that this was the right choice. Isn’t this chance the real impetus to break the bad habits they learned during their time in the dark side? 

We all know the cycle of “meet bad guy->bad guy does bad things->defeat bad guy->treat bad guy like a human and ask him to stop doing bad things and believe him when he says he wont->new friend and ally acquired”

In this cycle, as a child I think I understood the ‘beat-up’ part as the height of the cycle. The villain stops because they realize they can’t win. The hero has overcome the trial and saved the day from the bad guy.

The redemption doesn’t make sense from there because there’s no change in behavior on the villains part, a change in tactics is more likely. The narrative tension reinforced this because the climax was always “who’s going to win the fight” from the heroes’ perspective. 

I think I understood it wrong though, in these arcs that feel under-developed and rushed. And maybe they were if the real point didn’t get enough attention. From the villain’s perspective, the height of the arc is the forgiveness. That’s what breaks the ideology. That’s what makes the change. For the hero, it’s bleakest when it looks like the villain is going to win (usually a second time). For the villain, it’s bleakest when they’ve lost everything. 

How much more power is there in the hero that says, “Well, that was a good fight, you want to go get smoothies?” with a smile to someone the villain knew they should hate. That past and reason says you should hate. To a villain, I think it can be everything/ It is stupid, and dangerous, and a reckless hope and a defiant trust that when given the support and opportunity to be good, even the person you want hate most in the world will chose to be good back. 

The characters that offer villains that immediate forgiveness are often considered silly and naive as part of their personality. Goku. Usagi. Natsu Dragneel. Lord Death in Soul Eater. Bakarina. (that’s the anime I can think of off the top of my head, where this trope is strong/central) Characters strong enough and earned enough respect and leadership points from the crew to let them make the call, but still ultimately naive.  

I wonder if Zuko and Katara had walked up to Azula after the comet passed, smiled at her, and said “Do you want to get out of here and have some fire flakes? You’re not going to hurt anyone anymore, right?” Letting her out of her shackles. 

Zuko always had instantaneous forgiveness for his actions from Uncle. Maybe that was what Azula actually needed all along. 

[queenharumiura]

☘ for goku and emi >)

SEND ☘ FOR A COMPLIMENT FROM MY MUSE ||Accepting||

For Gokudera

Hm... there was so much to say but also so very little. You could compliment Gokudera on many things, and there was a high chance that he’ll just go ‘tsun-tsun’ and not actually accept the compliment. She mulled over this for a while, trying to figure out what kind of compliment he was more likely to accept than to either dismiss or get flustered over and go full Tsundera on her. 

Sigh  Woe is Haru, sometimes. (She’s just being sassy, ignore her)

“You know, I found some old records that go into some of the stories of the first generation and their accomplishments. They’re very awe-inspiring. It’s amazing to think that these people started the Vongola and it’s grown so much to become what it is today. It’s very interesting to read about who they were from the point of view of the people who wrote about them.” 

“I think, with with everyone working together, the 10th generation can far surpass that of the first generation. Your hard work and dedication will be what helps keep Tsuna-san’s ideals alive.” She says this with her tonality as calm and matter-of-factly as she can. 

Surely... with this... he can just accept her words as they are, right? He better appreciate that she gave an actual compliment! She could’ve just gone ‘hey, you started bullying Lambo less, that’s great.’ 

---

For Emi

It was never a secret that Haru adored children and she liked being a source of support or comfort for them. It was quite something to consider how far the Vongola had come, that they were in the process of getting the next generation ready for the hand off. It was surely a ways away, but all is well with that. 

It was better to start training young so when the time finally came for it, the transition would be smooth and seamless. She’d been with the Vongola 10th generation as things were starting up and she watched over the younger kids then. Now, she watched over the new generation. 

Sure, there were a few hiccups here and there but-- that’s what youth is about. Even back then the 10th generation guardians bickered a lot and fought with each other. It wasn’t to say that she thought the situation of now was the same, but she could at least recognize the fact that while there would be squabbles, it wasn’t as though it would persist forever. Look at how well the 10th generation get along now. (The best they can in their own ways, anyhow)

“Emi-chan, you’re going to make an excellent Cloud Guardian of the 11th generation Vongola. When I see you, I can see why Hibari-san is so proud of you. I’ve no doubt in my mind that things will be a-okay.” 

[sevenstarsinning]

Summary: Raditz loses his mate when Planet Vegeta is destroyed and finds himself working alongside Prince Vegeta. When he comes to Earth to recruit his brother, he’s dealt another devastating blow when Goku refuses to join and leaves him near death. He’s found by a human and attempts to adapt to life on Earth.

Ch.1 - Ch.2

Chapter 3

Raditz

Raditz stared back at you with murderous intent. A human questioning his worth? That was something he could not stand for.

But as you went back to tending to his wounds, not disgusted or berating him further, something occurred to him. Humans were weak, that much was obvious. But the weaker ones weren't cast aside as nothing. In the very short time he spent in West City before tracking down Kakarot, he saw it first hand. The weak were not treated as less and the strong as more.

His eyes trailed down your body, fully taking in your appearance for the first time. He found you pretty, for a weak human, anyway.

He did feel slightly bad about destroying your house but your attitude made him not care as much as he should've.

"Sorry about going off on you," you finally spoke, as if you were reading his mind. His brow furrowed, curious if you really were a mind reader.

He arrived on Earth with very little information about it's inhabitants. For all he knew, that's exactly what you were, a mind reader and all of his deeply guarded secrets were wide open for you to invade.

After you finished patching him up, he watched as you examined all of the damage the crash had caused. Your entire bedroom was gone, replaced by his pod. The bathroom across the hall was salvageable but still a disaster. Half of the kitchen was collapsing but, luckily it was the side opposite the major appliances. Overall, the damage could've been much, much worse.

"Hey, Raditz, can you lend a hand? I need to get this at least partially closed up before the storms start tonight," you called from the kitchen.

Raditz reluctantly agreed, at least it would distract him. He helped close up the open spots in the walls with tarps and plastic sheeting from the shed. It wasn't perfect but it would keep most of the rain out.

"I guess we're leaving the pod here for now," you said, examining what was essentially a UFO.

Raditz watched you take in every detail of the pod you could while you circled around it. For him, there was nothing extraordinary about it because he was used to seeing them and traveling in them only when absolutely necessary. But to you, he imagined it was something quite remarkable based on the childlike wonder you displayed while you ran your fingers along the edge of the door.

He held his hand up to a scanner to the left and the locks disengaged. The door slowly lifted revealing the inside.

"Okay, totally thought that was just a window," you admitted before stepping forward to take a peek inside.

"It's very small compared to the other transports we have... had on our planet," he corrected himself without considering the ramifications. All he could do was hope you didn't catch it.

Right when you turned your attention to him, he braced himself for a marathon of questions. But they never came. You merely looked at him with an expression he wasn't entirely familiar with. You seemed... sad. But that couldn't be right unless you really were a mind reader.

"Do you mind if I check out the inside?" You asked, turning your head back to the pod.

"Don't press any buttons." His tail uncoiled from his waist and moved slowly back and forth behind him while he watched you explore. He tried to keep his mind as clear as possible in case you were listening in.

When you sat down in the plush seat, you looked up at him and immediately screamed when you saw the furry brown appendage. His tail puffed up and whipped around wildly.

"What!?" Raditz looked around for whatever threat nearby that made you let out that god awful sound.

"Is that a tail? I thought it was some kind of ridiculous furry belt." You took a deep breath and calmed your nerves while his tail went back to it's normal amount of floof.

"A furry belt... why would I wear something like that?" He asked, puzzled by the odd assumption.

"Dude, you're wearing a battle speedo, a furry belt is not that far out of the realm of possibility."

"A battle speedo? Are you still speaking this planet's language?" He asked, brow furrowed while his tail darted back and forth.

"It's called English, it’s not the only language here, and yes, I'm still speaking it. That little piece of spandex covering your... " you trailed off and gestured towards the middle of his body, "that whole area is pretty much a speedo and you said you're a warrior. It is, therefore, a battle speedo," you explained.

"Step away from my pod, you can't be trusted if your mind conjures up those sorts of ridiculous things," he chided, ready to close his pod up and ban you from it for making a joke about the remainder of his Saiyan clothing.

"Whatever, big guy. I need to call the insurance company and get screwed over on this claim anyway." You brushed past him to the living room and made yourself comfortable on the couch.

By the time you got off the phone, you were seething. It turned out there was no fine print in your insurance premium about losing part of your house to a space pod. Most of what you were saying went over his head. He had no idea what insurance premiums were and considering the way you were acting about it, he didn’t care to find out.

"This is perfect, I have no idea where I'm going to sleep or how the hell I'm going to fix this." You crouched and leaned against the pod. Fighting off anxiety was a lot more difficult than it should've been. It had a way of swallowing a person whole and plunging them into darkness.

Going against everything his own brain was screaming at him, he sighed, "you can sleep in my pod."

"Thanks, but where are you gonna sleep?" You asked, looking down at the shredded hunk of springs and memory foam that used to be your bed.

"In my pod, obviously. You're not foolish enough to think I'd leave you alone in there, are you?"

"Come again?" You asked, eyebrows raised as you regarded him.

"It's just sleeping, human. What's the problem?"

"Sleeping next to random strangers you found in a field isn't exactly safe for females here."

"It's cowardly to attack while someone is asleep or unable to defend themselves." He felt a twinge of guilt saying that, he wasn't afraid to fight dirty if the situation called for it.

"I guess if you were going to hurt me you would've done it by now. It's not like I could fight you off, even injured." You stood and looked around for something to keep you occupied before the stress did you in.

The sun lowering in the distance turned the sky into a tapestry of pink and orange. Raditz was sore from his rib injury but he was still determined to keep himself distracted by helping you move some of the bigger things in your house. He wasn't sure what compelled him to do it. He had zero interest in befriending humans, you were no exception.

Sometime after midnight, Raditz retired to his pod. You opted to give the couch a try and see if it could work as a bed for the time being.

He climbed in his pod and engaged the locks. It was far too soon to be back in the cramped space but it was at least a piece of home. The only piece he really had left. His armor was broken along with his body and he was stranded on a planet meant to be a quick stop on his journey.

Everything changed so drastically in such a short amount of time that he barely had a moment to process all that he lost when Planet Vegeta was destroyed.

His chest ached when memories of her played through his head. That was the biggest question that needed answering. How was he supposed to continue without his mate? Their bond was stronger than it had ever been last time he saw her. And then she was just gone, dust spread among the space in which his home planet used to reside.

A tap on the door was a welcome reprieve from the thoughts that haunted him. He blindly hit the side panel to open the door for you.

"So, I'm terrified the roof is gonna collapse on my ass," you announced. Without a word, Raditz scooted as far to the left as he could and put his massive hand out to help you climb in. The two of you kept your eyes on one another as he pulled you in to settle next to him.

The same expression from earlier returned to your face. You looked at him as if you could see past all of the bullshit and right into his mind. But it was more than that and it finally clicked in his stubborn head. You weren't reading his mind at all. You recognized his overwhelming sadness because it was in you too.

[youseethingsandyouknow]

A/n: I just finished the end of DBZ and although I knew what was going to happen, I was annoyed by the ending. I don’t think there’s a need for Goku to be MIA from his friends and family when he’s training Uub on Earth and he has instant transmission. Most of friends and family can also fly so they should be able to visit both ways so I’m not sure why DBZ ended like that. So I made a headcannon of Chi Chi telling Goku off. Also I think they fight like any normal couple so FYI. Also this is the first thing I’ve written in 3 years so be kind. :)

Two Weeks after the End of DBZ

“ We need to talk.”

Goku’s head snapped to the familiar voice and narrowly dodged Uub’s kick. Below, on the ground was his wife with her arms crossed, looking up at their sparring session mid-air. How did she get here?

“Chi-Chi? What are you doing here?” Goku asked confused.

Chi-Chi could feel her anger rising but she refused to let her emotions take over what she wanted to say to her husband. In times past, she let her emotions and short temper cloud her actual feelings and because of that she was dismissed by others, especially Goku. She knows he loves when she gets upset which sometimes works to their benefit and they are able to move past issues rather quickly. But, this time she had to get through to Goku about how hurt she is. She needed him to for once take her feelings into consideration.

Goku descended from mid air and landed right before her with a big grin. Chi-Chi was not smiling back.

“Can we go somewhere private? I don’t think it’s fair for Uub to hear this.”

Goku nodded and lightly grabbed her hand and walked them to the side of the hill under a tree far away from Uub and anyone within ear shot. He knew this is unusual for Chi Chi to be so calm and collected and he waited for her to speak.

She took a deep breath and start, “I don’t understand. Why couldn’t you just take a minute to talk to me about your plan before flying off. I don’t want to hear that there was no time or any excuses. Tell me the truth.”

Goku gazed at her confused, “The truth? The truth was that he is the reincarnated Buu and I need to train him, Chi-Chi. He needs someone who’s going to teach him right from wrong and someone who’s going to show him how to protect the Earth. I’m not gonna be here forever, and I need to know that when I’m gone someone is going to protect the Earth and its people. I didn’t think, I just acted because I knew we have so much work to do. “

“I don’t believe for a second you just acted on a whim. You knew about him for quite some time. You knew that there was a possibility that you might be able to train him depending on how the tournament went. Why didn’t tell me any of this? If you were so bored and unhappy with our life you could’ve just said so instead of running off. I don’t understand how you can continue to put yourself above your family time and time again.”

Goku frowned, “Put myself above my family? One of the reasons I train is so I can get stronger for the next threat. I’m always thinking of my family and even if you can’t see it yet this is about protecting you. Uub is the future, and I have to be the one to train him. So if that means sacrificing time with my family to protect you guys than fine.“

“You are so quick to take the first opportunity to leave us. I thought after all these years that you would want to stay, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Chi Chi, I know you don’t understand but please just trust me. I need to do this. I’m sorry if that hurts you.”

“You’re sorry if it hurts me?! You don’t understand how much it hurts me, Goku. You left! You left me again!”

Now Goku was the one needing to keep his emotions in check. He couldn’t really believe what was coming out of his wife’s mouth. Leave her?

“Chi Chi, when have I ever willingly left you?! I died protecting our son. Twice. I don’t know what you mean by leaving you but that’s never been the case. Do you think I wanted to die? I did it to save our son and the world, and I’d do it again. But if I train Uub right then maybe it won’t be on my shoulders to save Earth in the future. I have to do this.”

“What about Yardrat?” Chi-Chi quipped.

Goku groaned, “Aw, Chi-Chi come on-.”

“Or refusing to be brought back after Cell killed you. Two examples. Two times that you chose to stay away. Two times that you left.” Chi-Chi seethed out angrily.

The hurt etched on Goku’s face made Chi-Chi want to take back those words but the damage was already done. She brought up the most sensitive times of their marriage. Times they both prefer to forgot and worked very hard to move past. All the pain, the fights after Yardrat, and the loneliness after he died were at the forefront of Chi-Chi’s mind. Her self control was out the window. Her anger skyrocketed and she shoved against Goku’s chest.

“Two times you left and I had to pick up the pieces. Two times that I had to wonder what I did wrong or what was so bad about our life together that you stayed away. Two times that I even doubted if you wanted to be with me. And now you’ve done it again. You left ME again, Goku.”

She went to shove him once more but he was quick and caught both of her wrists.

“That’s enough, Chi-Chi!”

It was rare when they fought that Goku raised his voice.

“ Listen, I can’t go back and change the past. I thought we moved past this? Yardrat was over 10 years ago and you know why I had to stay away. I was protecting you and Gohan. As I was when I decided to stay dead.”

Goku released Chi-Chi’s wrists and spun away from her, clenching his fists. He then turned back around and said, “ I don’t know what you want from me, Chi-Chi. I’ve apologized for Yardrat and for staying dead but dammit, that was so long ago and you’re still blaming me! What do I have to do to tell you I’m sorry? Or are you just going to keep holding this against me so that whenever I do something that you don’t agree with you bring it up, huh? All I’ve ever done is try and protect you and I won’t feel guilty for those choices anymore! I’m sorry that training Uub and living here hurts you but this is bigger than you and I. You’re just going to have to live with this.”

Chi-Chi peered down, tears brimming her eyes and she spoke in a hoarse, sad tone, a voice Goku has never heard before and he immediately wanted to take back what he said when he heard her voice.

“I always have to live with it, Goku. At least that won’t change.”

Chi-Chi turned and started to walk back to Piccolo. She said what she had to, Goku said what he said and there was no point in arguing anymore. Once again, her husband’s needs came before her own or their family’s. Now, she knew where they stand, and there was a small comfort in that.

As she walked away, Goku took step forward, “Wait, Chi-Chi.”

She didn’t respond and kept walking away, the silence between them deafening.

Tears ran down her face when she made it to Piccolo. Piccolo didn’t ask what happened and they head back home.

When he dropped her off, she pleaded with him, “Please don’t tell Gohan or Goten about this.“

A week Later

It’s been a week since their fight in Uub’s village. In the past they’ve been under the same roof so they would have been able to confront each other about what happened and move past it together. But with Goku on another continent that reconciliation doesn’t seem possible. Both of them were pretty firm in what they wanted to do, with neither wanting to bend. Chi Chi had to come to grips with a life without Goku once again. She’s done it before, she knew she could do it again although it might take some time. All the other times he’s been gone, he was stuck in a distant place that she couldn’t reach but now they’re on same planet just couple hours away from each other.

When Chi-Chi was feeling depressed, she usually liked to cook a big dinner. Her sons were out playing with Pan at Gohan’s while Videl was visiting her father so it will just be the four of them for dinner. This made Chi-Chi smile. Pan always brightened her day.

As she was chopping the carrots against the sink, a pair of strong hands wrapped around her stomach and squeezed her tightly against a familiar solid chest.

“I’m sorry.” His quiet words whispered into her ear as Goku bent his face and rest his chin on the crook of her neck and held his wife close.

They stood like this for a few moments, peace and understanding beginning to form between them. Chi-Chi was the first to break the silence and turned to face Goku while she was still locked in his embrace.

“I’m sorry too. I was hurt. I know that you would never leave us unless there was a reason. And while I don’t understand why you have to be gone, I know training Uub is important to you.”

Goku smiled down at her and held her cheek, “But you were right, there’s no need to be away and train Uub. I can still train and see my family. So how about if I come home a few days a week after training? I can’t promise I’ll be on time everyday, but I promise I will come home.”

Chi-Chi’s overcome with emotion and hugged Goku tightly, causing him to yelp.

“You mean it? Oh Goku, this is wonderful.”

Goku smirked, “I thought you’d like the idea.”

Before she could answer back, front door opened and her sons walked into the kitchen.

“Dad?!”

[cerberus253]

Demon Deep Dive (JCA)

Someone asked if I could do headcanons for the Eight Demon Sorcerers from Jackie Chan Adventures, so here it is, and more! Much more oh God...

Canon Stuff

All seven Demon Sorcerers HATE Shendu for his conniving nature and deceptive past towards/with them (Drago just hates him because father issues)

The Demon Sorcerers do not need external objects to perform spells, for it simply comes from their physical being

They are all old fucks

There are plenty more demon sorcerers, but these eight/nine are all those that were ever mentioned

All want to rule the world

Everyone, aside from Shendu, actually somewhat care about each other and agree to rule the world together. Why is that even though they shouldn’t have “social urges“ because of their biology? We’ll discuss that later

Looking back on the very first episode they were all in together, they are fucking in sync as all Hell! They were finishing each others’ sentences, they knew what each one was thinking. Damn, son, they be tight AF; family goals, amiright?

How to start a Demon Sorcerer meeting: Step 1) Find Po Kong, Step 2) Call everyone else over because it would take too long moving her at all

About the individual demons themselves (Most of this is reworded from the Wiki, but confirmed through watching their episodes):

Hsi Wu

Guerilla tactics for the win

Oddly patient, ya know, for someone so kind of childish

Becomes bored easily, so he has the knack to pick on his siblings and humans, with the latter being in more vicious and cruel ways

Aside from Shendu, Hsi Wu is the most bullied by his siblings (it’s because he’s small, isn’t it??)

Although he hates Shendu like the rest of his siblings, he is more “cold and apathetic“ towards him, with occasionally getting along, albeit extremely slight

High pitched noises hurts his ears

“His wings are sharp enough to cut through concrete“

Playful, although in a sadistic way

Simply flies to get where he needs to be

Likes to pester and make fun of Po Kong specifically

He just. Constantly smiles or has this big wide, toothy grin on his face all the time

*gremlin noises* *cat hisses*

Best/Worst Actor Award goes to...

Tso Lan

Sophisticated and more-or-less monotone sounding, he is always on alert with his senses. Despite this, his reaction timing is awful

Seemingly emotionless, his relaxed demeanor breaks when something doesn’t go his way. He does display some sarcasm, though

According to the wiki, he is very hard to please and never compliments anyone. What a stuck-up asshole

Along with Bai Tza and Xiao Fung, he is one of the more authoritative demon figures of the family

He apparently is one of the elder siblings

He is one of the most powerful sibling because he can bring the fucking Moon out of fucking orbit like it is nothing

He is Shantae He can control his hair, as well as float and glide gracefully

He can survive in space

He does indeed have legs, for he has been seen walking ONCE and we get to see his boots (Demon World (Part 2))

Shendu (My apologies, but not my regret, about if you are upset with me and my loathing for Shendu)

Selfish asshole who doesn’t like sharing, even with his family

Everybody Hates Shendu and Shendu Hates Everybody, and they all want each other dead, including Drago

Legit, he made a truce with Uncle, the mortal enemy, so he could horribly punish Drago. What a good father, amiright???

Can hold a grudge for, like, ever and hardly ever keep his promises. He also willingly admits he’s a traitorous bastard

Greedy and sophisticated asshole

Like, Jesus Christ, I wanted to give Shendu some slack because I did not want myself to be blinded by hatred for the guy, but my God is he the worst

“Shendu is not only devoid of compassion and sympathy for mortals, but also cares little to nothing for his family-members - this is displayed most markedly by how he left his siblings to rot in the Netherworld so he could rule the Earth himself.“

“Father and son's relationship was so toxic that Shendu even declared when Drago was being sucked into an interdimensional rift that his son deserved no less than to be trapped on the other side for his disloyalty.“

“Despite this, in response to Drago's apology and profuse pleading, Shendu visibly contemplated for a moment and hesitantly decided to try saving Drago from his fate (with a warning that his son must remember he is second to Shendu while they're on Earth), suggesting Shendu might genuinely care about his son to some extent (or at the very least, as close to caring about another being as Shendu is capable of).“ Um, not sure if I agree on the “genuinely care“ part, but totes on board with the “just wants him for a playing chip“ thought

Although he may be one of the most powerful demons of the family, that does not stop his siblings from actively going against him, which surprisingly makes Shendu submissive to them. Hmm...

He legit cares about no one but himself and that is no overstatement. I’m sorry to all those fangirls out there :V

Once ruled all of China

Shendu gets all whiny and high pitched, often stuttering, when expressing fear (which is every single time he gets a family reunion, which reminds me...)

He can be such a cheeky charmer

Although Shendu only cares about himself, he does seem pretty observant with recognizing what others do want, and of course uses that to his advantage. Hm, observant guy; no wonder he has fangirls

Tchang Zu

Not that talkative, even during fights, and rather only speaks when he feels the need to. However, when he does speak, it is rather loud and/or commanding

Hates when he isn’t respected, especially out of fear. He hates it so much he verbally explodes with anger when something personal to him is disrespected

Is willing to get down and dirty when reaching his (and his siblings’) goals

Is most likely the most colorful with his wording and admiring architecture

Really only attacks those he deems worthy (apparently there was a crowd of humans he only bothered scaring away and not attacking, even though they only saw him as entertainment?)

Become Goku Flies on a cloud to get where he needs to be

Oh my God he sits criss-cross-applesauce

Dai Gui

A little under average intelligence, but his brutality and strength make up for it, being an absolute bulldozer with anything that stands in his way

I must reinforce the “a little under average“ part because he does use the word “ludicrous,“ which is no caveman word

Violent and macabre imagery is his verbal forte

A big bully, since he loves throwing his authority around to those under him

Similar to Tchang Zu, Dai Gui is also willing to do dirty work, but mainly for himself than for others

Absolutely LOATHES “pretty“ things, like flowers

Sometimes talks in third person

Seems to prefer using his raw strength than his magical powers

Laughs at his own jokes

Persistent and dedicated. Nice!

Po Kong

Hungry Hungry Hippo; food is always on the mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if her want to rule the world was second on her list

Although she can and would eat anything, she is still picky

Her favorite flavor is human and salt

She knows French (ah yes, one of the “Love Languages”)

She snores

Po Kong likes to torment Hsi Wu

She can walk on her own

Favorite food: Human

Bai Tza

Hates Shendu the most

Most outspoken and dominating out of all the demons (”verged on superiority complex”)

Tends to deal with situations more realistically, as well as learning from past mistakes

Despite her intelligence, her hubris still gets the best of her

Along with Tso Lan and Xiao Fung, she is one of the more authoritative demon figures of the family

Apparently didn’t have humans living in her palace, which was Atlantis

Can levitate

Bunch of banshee screeches. Yeesh

Xiao Fung

Talkative and slimey diplomat that prefers debating with his siblings rather than arguing and fighting

Enjoys fights to the death between his underlings

Has an interest in drama and being a part of it

Seems to be the most cooperative and decent when working with humans. Cool!

Absolutely despises the Netherworld so much that a human prison is “paradise“ to him

Along with Bai Tza and Tso Lan, he is one of the more authoritative demon figures of the family

Need to get somewhere? No problem, just jettison your way with wind bellows from your lungs through your mouth

Although he does care for his siblings, it’s apparently not enough to “carry the burden“ of freeing them. Maybe it’s out of pure laziness? He does seem against doing active things (other than blowing wind, which only he can do)

Headcanon Stuff

Why do the Demon Sorcerers (besides Shendu) actually care for one another and agree to share the Earth between each other? I did say they do not possess the inherent-to-parent instinct, but I never said they were not social animals. The demons may not have the need to reproduce or want sexual anything, but they do posses the need/want to have company, which is kind of supported by the fact that canonically and in real life, Chinese demons mainly want to be praised and treated like gods. One cannot be considered a god, nor be praised in general, if one does not have beings beneath or beside them for confirmation

So, in a way, you could say they all desire some sort of reassurance of their importance.

Their relationship with humans is understandable, given from with what I just said, but the relationship between one another is a little more... deep? They obviously consider each other legit family, so they do care about one another (with some rough-play rivalry), but I think it’s less on the biological factor and more of the “fitting in“ factor.

Here’s my theory: Yes they are biologically family, but they did not view each other as such originally. After a while of being with one another, experiencing similarities, they became family-close in the metaphorical sense (in addition to the literal sense). This would explain how Shendu could have lost touch with them intimately while the others did not with each other, all the while still considering each other as family.

So, despite my whole push on the demons having little compassion, they do still harbor it; expressing it through family feelings. However, just like humans, there are always those who posses less compassion than the average person, and that would be Shendu. Shendu is the psychopath of the family-- the Black Sheep, if you will

In addition, theoretically, for all those fangirls and guys out there, they could love you like a precious pet. Just sayin’ (so, like, imagine the Demon Sorcerers having human pets and treating them like we do our own “Look how much of a chonkster my human is!” “Oh yeah? Well mine started getting ready for winter early; look at this massive boy-o!” I call my cats “stupid, stinky babies who I love” and then proceed to cuddle them all the time :V)

Fuck it, they have family movie/theatre nights because I find it endearing even though it may be Out of Character

To begin this next section, I want to state that the Demon Sorcerers are based on The Bagua. However, it is merely their elements that are the inspiration, not anything with the philosophy behind Bagua. However however, I will be looking into it and seeing what the Bagua has that still can reflect on the sorcerers. In other words, instead of basing the demons on the Bagua, I’ll be “basing“ the Bagua on the demons, if that makes sense.

Smol

Hsi Wu’s kingdom was probably located on the eastern coast of the USA

Judging by that teacher’s transformation with some of his chi, he may have “avian tendencies” with flying south for the winter and building nest-like structures

Probably the most convincing one to “befriend“ a human. Not because of his past friendship with Jade, but because people could relate to him of being picked on from size and lack of abilities, in addition to being more approachable because of his size and playfulness

His demeanor is mostly childlike, especially with how cruel children can be

Probably dislikes orchestral music, especially violins, flutes, the triangle, etc

Would most likely become a memester. Maybe.

“How do ya do, fellow kids?“

Likes to listen to music/singing while doing things and stuff. So, maybe he has to be distracted to some degree to be content, or he will be grumpy? (AD(H)D)

Real Talk: At one point in Tale of the Demon Tail (where Jade “befriends” Hsi Wu, or really his persona), Hsi Wu’s persona of being Jade’s friend actually disintegrates. Meaning, that “mask“ he put on to befriend Jade, at one point dissolved into an actual aspect of himself. So, when he answered Jade’s question of ‘are you going to the dance‘ or whatever, his initial response was that of an actual human-child Hsi Wu friend. While yes he was still acting, his initial response was almost unconscious, and then he realized what he was saying and said the other thing. I mean, it could have easily been “Nah, that’s stupid-- oh wait, that’s a good idea to get inside the house, actually,“ but that still follows the unconscious response action. What am I getting at here? Well, the interaction the two had proves that a clump of Hsi Wu’s personality does click with Jade. I’m not saying “I ship it“ or anything, what I’m saying is their personalities attract one another in general and could work between two different characters. As much as they seem to get along, there are other characteristics the two have that oppose one another and definitely shatters that friendship. So, Jade and Hsi Wu Being Friends? No; Some Personality Traits They Have Connect to One Another in General and Could Work Between? Yes.

The ye olde game of Chase is probably his favorite. Ya know, the game where you chase people around? Yeah, any game where he gets to chase/hunt his pray would be his favorite

Very similar to Shendu, Hsi Wu is one of the craftier folk of the family. However, unlike Shendu, creativity is his primary weapon which is, of course, used to make up for his size. 

Similar to Xiao Fung, Hsi Wu is also one of the siblings that listens and pays attention the most. Their difference being is the information he learns is more for his selfish advantage than a “getting along” way. 

Despite his dishonesty towards Jade, he is the most integral to himself. What I mean is, while yes all the demons follow their demon ethos, I believe Hsi Wu is the most true to himself and wouldn’t back down or reject something he is honestly interested in. However, probably because he knows how others know him, he can use this integrity to fool others into believing him with ease.

Hsi Wu is also probably the most inclined to have faith in others, but this DOES NOT mean he easily trusts people. What I’m saying is he may not easily trust others, but when he does, that faith in them is near unwavering

“The Beauty of Mischief”

“Lord High Lord of the Sky,” or “Lord High Lord of Firmament”

Vamps

Tso Lan’s “kingdom“ was probably located on the Moon

Like all sophisticated assholes, he probably enjoys reading, but only books that deal with the fall of humanity and apocalypse stuff. Maybe even some space stuff, like the movie Interstellar? (Star Wars can kiss his ass, though)

Can posses dark matter? Because of his dark magic bolts and his affinity with gravity?

Doesn’t like being around people. His siblings are fine, but he rather not have company, judging by how he most likely spends his time on the Moon and rarely visits Earth. Antisocial personality disorder much??

Like we have stated earlier, Tso Lan never gives out compliments, for he is oh so difficult to please. He watches intently and is careful with his neutral wording, always sounding cold and cruel. However, despite his emotionless disposition, he does have some ugly colors. For example, he does get angry, especially when he is interrupted. Example two, he does take pleasure in tormenting his enemies. However, the good color of natural tranquility explains his seemingly “lack of emotion.”

If he can ever “give respect” to anyone, it’s probably so difficult to achieve it should be considered impossible. But hey, if you do somehow get his compliments, consider yourself special, home slice! In addition, it’s probably also highly unlikely to get him to laugh. Like, not even a chuckle. Maybe a sarcastic and flat “Ha,“ but nothing too intense.

He may not think of himself as king or an emperor, but he does view himself as some sort of higher metaphysical power, like a pontiff. In addition, he probably sees his position being the highest because of his throne on the Moon and his power over gravity (and maybe dark matter). Being used to this placement, he has distanced himself from just about every living thing, being untainted with normal, petty desires. Oh but being a demon has its drawbacks, for wanting is in the blood. Meaning, there are most likely some things out there that he may desire (Fanfic Writers, assemble!)

You want him him to talk dirty to you? Why yes, you should keep good hygiene and not be smelly. Real Talk, though, because of his lack of emotion words, he probably would have difficulty conveying emotion verbally. But hey, his voice and tones are enough to get anyone aroused :V

Might secretly like dancing, but only simple ones. Like, The Waltz would be the most active he’d like

Might also hum tunes every so often. Despite that, he still prefers silence over noise of any kind.

“The Beauty of Isolation”

“Lord High Lord of the Moon,” or “Lord High Lord of Satellites”

Shit Dad

Probably studies magic the most and has a huge library filled to the brim with spell books and whatnot

Drago may be on his mind a lot, but probably not for any positive reason

Probably had Drago made for that thing in Taoism where two beings can connect one another metaphysically, and if one is in trouble (like they died or something), the other can help out (and resurrect if need be). Or, he wanted someone that wasn’t human on his side because he’s sure as Hell his siblings won’t side with him

While Drago is way more hotheaded than his Dad, it seems Shendu is more likely to let a petty grudge get in the way of his goals

Shendu hates family reunions

Dude’s a mad scientist

Probably regrets having Drago

Oh God, oh fuq, it’s the Big Bad Dragon that wants everything for himself. He must know what his name translates to because oh boy does he feel entitled to his mighty sovereignty. Like, he lusts for power so much that no amount of trickery could mask his clarity of greed, ya know, like a “true” dragon. What he wants, he will obtain, with let nothing obstruct his path… other than a petty grudge. He’s so full of passion and thermal rage he sticks out like a sore thumb amongst his brethren. He would even sink to deep lows to get what he desires, even if it is heavily depending on humans, lying, cheating, and stealing from his own family, doing forbidden things with humans to have a “son” he only wants to use as a playing piece, and even bend reality to his liking.

However, I must say it is impressive and admirable how adaptive he is with every situation he finds himself in. He is rather courageous and would try anything to reach his goal, even if it is siding with the enemy. Shendu speaks in sophistication and eloquence, to which the latter trait he shares with Xiang Zu, despite his childlike outbursts of rage.

He may not be the most elementally powerful sibling, but he is The Best with knowledge about other magics like spells and potions.

He does perform the stereotype of “dragons are beasts of greed” exceptionally well, which, I can admit, is pretty hot, being a monster lover myself

Something I’ve noticed with his face is that he lacks lips, which are replaced with external tooth-like structures. This actually forces the creators to make him expressive through other means, like his eyes. So, he’s expressive, and he fits the draconic poem I read in a book somewhere “Beware the glint in a dragons’ eye/ It is cold as ice to the liar/ It is sharp as a knife to the knave/ It is hard as iron to the greedy/ It is a burning flame to the brave.”

“The Beauty of Wrath”

“Lord High Lord of Fire,” or “Lord High Lord of The Thermal”

Sparky

Tchang Zu’s kingdom was probably located on the western coast of the USA

Would request for extravagant buildings and structures, as well as being a big fan of theatre (Beowulf, anyone?)

I can imagine him having a deep, boisterous laugh that is an award to trigger

Probably the best war strategist, everyone would hate playing Axis and Allies with him (He’d either play Russia for the size, or Germany because, well, you know)

(I’m just repeating what I’ve already stated, but whatever.) Similar to Tso Lan, Tchang Zu is careful with his words. However, what the latter does is speak only when he deems it appropriate, and sometimes with eloquence. When he does share his thoughts, it is in an assertive tone, making everyone stop and listen.

Tchang Zu is rarely ever caught off guard and surely plants himself where he stands, literally and figuratively. Despite his assertiveness, he does not come off as one of the most “authoritative” figures of the family. Instead, he’s more of an overseer and commander, making sure everything is falling in line under his, and his siblings’, iron-fist.

He is one of the few that would take the initiative when confronting a problem, which must be pretty terrifying for the opposition, seeing as how intimidating he is. Oof. Although he is on the shorter side, it does not bother him, for he knows his power is just as great as his siblings’.

Unlike his siblings, he wouldn’t be one of the “crafty” folk. What I mean is he isn’t a trickstery cuck like Hsi Wu and Shendu, but actually follows demon code and honor. I mean, not that “demon honor” is anything greater or equal to “human honor,” but the point still stands. What is “Demon Code and Honor” you ask? I dunno, watch Jackie Chan Adventures and observe demon culture yourself.

His demeanor may be slow and steady, but when he fights and flashes lightning, so much power and energy erupts from within. Majestic

Knows how to use semicolons properly

“The Beauty of Imperiality”

“Lord High Lord of Thunder,” or “Lord High Lord of Electricity”

Dai Guinguini

Dai Gui’s Kingdom was probably located on the western coast of Europe, maybe more specifically Spain

Let’s take that “hates pretty things“ even further beyond. The words “delicate and innocent“ usually come to mind when the words “pretty“ and “flower“ are shown. So, I headcanon he hates weak and fragile looking things, as well as cute. The more petite and dainty something looks, the more of an urge to destroy rises up

Probably needs to hold down a vomit when seeing romance in any medium (lava vomit?)

Also probably iffy on crystals and gems. Like, they are shiny and pretty and are sometimes delicate, but man, the massive structures these things can form into is crazy.

Dai Gui reminds me of the colossi in Shadow of the Colossus when viewed just wandering around. We know he acts like a brute and hates petite things, and is quite aggressive when he fights, but there’s something about him that makes me think of some majestic creature that likes to walk around all alone in a wide open space. There is some beauty to his “monstrosity” and I feel like that’s overlooked by him always being described as, well, a brute. 

Although not as intense as Shendu’s, rage can also be a common sight with Dai Gui, but it’s mostly from his non preferred environments. Also, similar to Tchang Zu, Dai Gui appreciates his structural surroundings, but has a more keen interest in its earthly variety. Mountains, canyons, plains, plateaus, mesas, volcanos, deserts, etc. would be his ideal territory. Like I have mentioned before, I feel like he’d often roam around his landscape, constantly fixing and changing anything he desired. 

Even though he doesn’t like flowers and such, I do not think he hates nature in general. Maybe most of it, but not all. He may like huge ass trees for their size and might, grasslands (like savannas) because, although grass is all over, it still gives a vast emptiness of calmness, which deserts give a vast emptiness of despair.

Quick note, I’m not saying he’s artistic and elegant. What I am saying he isn’t just a dumb idiot caveman that just lusts for destruction, but rather actually has a hobby of shaping the earth. Yes, he might find the terrestrial variety of the earth interesting, but he isn’t all, like, “Hmm yes, insert fancy art words here;” he’s more like “Hm yes, me like; I shall do more over there” and then just… does it without any pre planning or anything.

Not only does he like creating earthly structures, but also destroying them. Have you ever built something so cool (or have just seen something so cool) with Legos or whatever, and for some reason want to destroy it just because ‘ha ha destruction fun’? Yeah, that’s him sometimes.

I’d also like to add he likes bugs. Not only eating them, but also admiring their earth shaping tendencies. Their structures won’t stop him from eating them all, but he does like to see what they make before the big snack

I bet he likes to sunbathe sometimes. Mmmmm, warm rocks always feel good. Cool rocks, too! (This also made me think of belly rubs… hmm)

“The Beauty of Incessance”

“Lord High Lord of Earth,” or “Lord High Lord of Formation“

Mount Vesuvius

Po Kong’s kingdom was probably located in Japan, and/or Japan itself

Most likely the one to zone out on meetings with just thoughts on food (ADD maybe?)

Although she’d eat anything, Po Kong probably appreciates and remembers excellent meals. In addition, she probably could describe in detail of various tastes

Or, alternatively, since she eats so much all the food just blends together

Apparently, humans taste like chicken. So maybe, genetically create giant ass chickens, like in Skyrim, and feed her that if humans become scarce and/or too small for satisfaction

Probably the most difficult demon to satisfy, but not just because of hefty demands, but because she is practically the personification of gluttony. Like, I’m sure she can and will eat anything she wants, even inorganic things. She likes it? Nom. She hates it? Nom. She will never be fulfilled until she has consumed all… or until she explodes or whatever. I’m being dramatic. 

Luckily, she is not picky. Unluckily, she is also picky. I guess it just depends on her hunger mood. One day, she may want just a bunch of salty snacks, likes chips and fries, and on another day she may want a giant bundt cake filled with gooey human flesh and blood. 

Legit though, her kingdom/empire would be the number one food place in the entire world, with having the largest kitchen and all the best cooks (ha ha, like a collection. You could say she would have Too Many Cooks, but “too many” doesn’t exist in Po Kong World!). She would have food critics to make sure the meals she really wants to enjoy taste wonderful. Dude, like, imagine Gordon Ramsay and Guy Fieri at her command. She’d laugh her ass off with Ramsay yelling at people and Fieri with all of his antics; they’d be her favorite little humans. Funny, they’d both still be practically doing the job they do now, just being ordered around by a tyrannical demon who also likes food.

Has no interest in video games and picture shows, but does have the interest in the unique food that appears in them and of course demands them to be made for her.

To get on her “good side” is to be absolutely loyal to her and her eating habits. Ya gotta make the best meals, serve them in delightful ways (she actually doesn’t care about any fancy stuff, but appreciates the effort if done right).

I bet she likes getting spoiled. I mean, yeah, all the demons would want gifts rained down upon them, but they wouldn’t express as much glee as Po Kong would. She’d probably sound condescending half the time, but hey, at least she’s happy and smiles. Gotta give her big gifts though. Go big or go home, folks.

Just like us folk, she prefers Maximum Comfort when eating. That means sitting in her favorite chair, eating from her favorite dish, and watching her favorite entertainment pieces.

Ya into vore? She’s your woman *finger guns*

“The Beauty of Indulgence”

“Lord High Lady of the Mountains,” or “Lord High Lady of Beasts“

What do you call a fish without eyes? A Fsh

Bai Tza’s kingdom is factually Atlantis, but in the JCA universe, Atlantis might be close to the southern coast of Europe in the Mediterranean Sea

She’d be the one initially planning family get-togethers  

Do I dare say I could imagine her being a dominatrix? Yeah sure

Similar to Tso Lan, she has/had an isolated kingdom away from humanity, but unlike her brother she most likely had subjects, which lived coastal in southern and south-east Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle-East. Every civilization took a part in building her castle and its decor, but soon after it was complete, she sank it to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, never to be gazed upon with mortal eyes ever again.

Although she can survive in either, Bai Tza prefers warm and salty waters over cool and fresh waters. 

Because of her unique bond with water, which literally has her able to morph to and fro between a liquid and solid state, she probably traveled and oversought numerous locations around the world, with any place being close to warm and salty seas. Did she hold dominion over them? Maybe, seeing as how just the Mediterranean Sea and most of its surrounding land is quite small for a kingdom when compared to her siblings’ territories. 

Bai Tza may not be one of the most powerful siblings, but she is the most feared. She’s able to restrain herself when angry, she thinks outside the box when confronting obstacles, and her dynamism makes her tricky to confront. She is straightforward, blunt, and has a wicked and sharp tongue. Like stated before, she is one of the more outspoken relatives, being very dominant in every activity she takes part in. Wouldn’t surprise me if she was a control freak. However, enjoying her power so much leads her to be arrogant, making her hubris the number one weakness.

Bai Tza is probably the most cruel because she actively thinks about the damage she can cause instead of just doing it. Despite her cruelty, she isn’t heartless; she may in fact be the one that cares about her family the most, with having the most hatred for Shendu because of his betrayal to said family. On a side note with Drago, she probably rejects him mostly for his differences than his relation with Shendu, but of course the latter still counts. So, welcoming those into her tight personal circle would be a ‘no.’ 

Despite her evilness, she can and will compliment things that amuse her, and being super protective of them like personal property.

Would drown ships with anti-demon supporting humans on them, as well as anyone who enters her territory without permission. Probably could be convinced with gifts, but they better be good. 

Theoretically could forgive past mistakes, but they must be made up with something equal or greater amount to said mistake. 

Likes to wear jewelry, especially gold.

“The Beauty of Absolution“

“Lord High Lady of Water,“ or “Lord High Lady of the Abyss“

Froggy

Xiao Fung’s kingdom was probably located in Latin America

One of the smarter siblings, Xiao Fung prefers to discuss and debate over physically fighting. Not sure why, but maybe because he doesn’t view physical fighting as something “high ups” do; all of the dirty work is for the peasants beneath them. However, if forced and there being no other way, he would partake.

Knows the art of conversation quite well and usually dishes out the best conversations. He may not be eloquent like Tchang Zu, or very particular with his words like Tso Lan, but damn can he keep a conversation going if need be. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d yak with others if he’s bored. Maybe try talking some existential stuff with him; that’d be neat. Or keep asking ‘why’ like an annoying child, and he’d probably be tricked into answering each one, with getting annoyed more and more the longer it all goes on.

Despite his laziness, he still would do activities that require his assistance, as long as it’s something only he can do. If there is someone else available, he’ll leave it to them.

Xiao Fung is probably one of the more “approachable” demons, being how he doesn’t immediately give off  “fear and respect me or die” vibes. He’s still intimidating, but to those with any amount of courage could muster up to confront him. Ya know, if it isn’t anything personal to him, then in that case you’d be the one telling everyone how terrifying he is, also, ya know, if he lets you go back to your village. 

It wouldn’t surprise me if he had decision making issues when it comes to something he likes vs something useful/”right” 

If a human went up to him and made a deal, he most likely would take it as long as he gets something in return that he wants, as well as the odds being in his favor. 

Human antics are strange and insignificant, but they are still intriguing to him and would converse about it. Just don’t think you’d make him change his opinion on us; that won’t happen, fo sho. 

The most forgiving and patient of the family, although it may not be by much. It most likely stems from his diplomatic character, being willing to discuss situations, even thoughts he leans more against. It’s really the subjects she is 100% not on board with he will not discuss, but something around 70%-60% he’d be more willing to listen to. Whether he actually agrees with you and is not just listening for amusement is another story. 

Really enjoys music, favoring well put together orchestral.

Could hold some serious long notes, and probably sing in all sorts of keys (Dude. Singing bass)

Dude probably loves board games like chess.

Tchang Zu and him probably get along well because of shared interests in theatre and strategy games.

Would be the one to bring up topics to get everyone arguing if things got boring, like politics. In addition, he would also bring up playing the “Friendship Ender” games we all know and love, like Uno and Monopoly.

While Hsi Wu carries the “shit eating smile,” Xiao Fung has the “smug cat” face.

“The Beauty of Disruption“

“Lord High Lord of Wind,“ or “Lord High Lord of Currents“

Bonus Factoids Upon my Research

Theoretically, because it is stated that the Twelves Talismans are physical manifestations/vessels of Shendu’s powers, the other eight sorcerers (this includes Drago) could have their own Twelves Talismans

Apparently, killing/destroying a demon causes the disruption of balance within the universe, causing a “stronger evil“ to manifest and fill that “wound.“ So, again, theoretically, could a “stronger good“ happen as well if a situation summons/calls for it??

Sadly, according to Shendu, the all chi-absorption thing Drago did at the end of Season 5 is irreversible. So, canonically, Drago is technically forever stuck as a Cthulhu abomination. I am forever sad. Like, yeah I’m a terato lover, but I really prefer Drago as normal :’( However, Shendu answered to a human using a man-made chi spell. What if the actual Demon Sorcerers did a chi spell, to which apparently is conductible without external means? Could they be powerful enough to reverse it if all of them worked together???

[Chinese and English Name/Japanese Name- Chinese Translation/Japanese Translation]

Hsi Wu/Tokage- Evil Lizard/Small Lizard

Tso Lan/Kyuketsuki- Flood maker/ Vampire

Shendu/Kiryu- God of All (oof)/Spirit Dragon

Tchang Zu/Oni- Soldier of Madness/Ogre

Dai Gui/Shishi- Great Ogre/Stone Lion

Po Kong/Daikaiju- Feared Cliff/Giant Monster

Bai Tza/Nisei- Force of Defeat/Second Generation

Xiao Fung/Keroro- Little Wind/Frog

Early Christmas gift to y’all :V

God I hope this is good enough. I’ve been spending all my free time working on these guys just to get the original ask done. Don’t get me wrong, I did like doing this and forming at least some kind of unique character with each, but I am so exhausted from how long I’ve been working on it. It’s mainly my fault for being such a try hard, so don’t blame yourself, Anon who asked for this; you all good, bruv.

[engineerdz]

confession: the original draft of Guiltless (AO3 link) was much more fast paced. it was edited because I didn’t really know where to go from here, and I wanted more pining. deleted scene below: 

“Liar,” Majin Vegeta said. “Fine. I can’t change back. Are you happy now?” 

Goku blinked, and brought his hands back down to his sides. “Can’t? What do you mean?” 

Vegeta turned to him. “I mean I don’t know how!” he roared, and shoved Goku’s chest. Goku stumbled back two steps under the sudden pressure. “So if you and the woman could just leave it alone-”

“We didn’t mean to bother you, we just didn’t know,” Goku said. “Uh, no offense, but you’re kind of hard to read like this.” 

For some reason, this seemed to mollify Vegeta a little. “Good,” he said. “You earthlings are always trying to get into my business.” 

“Aw, we just like you, Vegeta.” 

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. “Why are you always flirting with me?” 

Goku’s heart skipped a beat. His throat was suddenly bone-dry. He opened his mouth in an automatic denial, but all that came out was a few sputtering noises. He coughed, hard, to clear his throat. “Um, what?” 

“You heard me.” 

Had Vegeta’s gaze always been so piercing? Goku couldn’t breathe under the weight of his eyes, still an artificially light blue from Super Saiyan. “I wasn’t flirting. I just want to help you with this whole-” 

“Bullshit,” Vegeta called. “You do it constantly.” 

“What was I doing that was flirting?” 

“The compliments,” Vegeta fired off. “All the looking, the touching, the complete lack of personal space-”

“I’m like that with everyone-”

“The hell you are, Kakarot!” he snarled. “I will not live my life dancing around this anymore!” 

For an instant, it was years ago, and he was standing in front of Majin Vegeta again. I will not live my life as your second! past-Vegeta had said, right before he’d destroyed everything. 

“That time is over,” past and present Vegeta said in unison, and then he grabbed Goku by the jaw, dragged his face down, and kissed him. 

***

Vegeta’s lips were hot. His aura felt like lightning. He’d managed to knock Goku senseless even faster than he had last time he was Majin. 

With effort, Goku managed to rip himself away. It took him a second to force his tingling mouth to form words. “Vegeta, what the hell?” 

Vegeta shrugged. He didn’t look sorry. “Well why not?” 

“You’re married!” Goku said. “I’m married! What’s Chi-Chi going to-”

“I couldn’t give less of a damn about her right now, Kakarot,” Vegeta interrupted, staring up at him. He took a step closer.

Goku stepped back. “Bulma,” he argued. 

“She’ll get over it.” 

He took another step back. Vegeta kept advancing. “Look, this kind of came out of nowhere, maybe we can have some space-”

“Nowhere?” Vegeta echoed sarcastically. “Three years in the hyperbolic time chamber-”

“We were training-”

“When you refused to save the entire universe because I was in the way of your precious your spirit bomb-”

“We got Buu anyway, it worked out-”

 “Your thoughts when we fused?” Vegeta asked, and Goku’s breath caught in his throat. “Gogeta was less than a year ago, you think I didn’t have access to all your thoughts?”

Goku’s cheeks felt warm. His thoughts - look, obviously, he’d had some thoughts about Vegeta. Vegeta was so stunning, so striking - everybody must have had thoughts about Vegeta. What it’d be like to kiss him, to be able to bury his face in Vegeta’s chest, to hold him close - he knew, from when they’d shared a mind in fusion, that Vegeta had had some of the same thoughts about him. A particularly vivid fantasy about ripping off Goku’s arm-bands and tying him up- 

But they were just thoughts. They didn’t talk about it. Sometimes, after a hard spar or day training on Whis’s planet, Goku would look over at Vegeta and Vegeta’s gaze would drop to his lips, and he knew- 

“Fine,” Goku growled, voice low. “Maybe it’s not completely out of nowhere. But it’s wrong, Vegeta. We can’t be like this.” 

“Says who?” he demanded. “If it’s you, just say so.” 

“It’s me,” Goku said instantly. 

Vegeta’s power level spoked instantly, and he jumped up to Super Saiyan 2. “LIAR!” he roared, veins popping out of his skin, suddenly furious. “I’ve seen your thoughts, Kakarot-”

“We can’t be together like that, Vegeta!” Goku shouted, jumping up to Super Saiyan 2 to match, fists clenching at his sides. “Our families-”

“Like I give a shit-” Vegeta roared, face red. 

“And we wouldn’t work, and I’m not risking our friendship!” Goku finished, making his decision and sliding back into his fighting stance. “You’ll understand once you’re back to normal.” 

Vegeta squared up. “All I understand is that you’re a coward.” 

For a second, Goku just stared at Vegeta. It probably wasn’t too late to drop his guard, and go back and kiss Vegeta after all. He’d never get a second chance at this. They could do it, while they had the excuse, just to get it out of their systems…

Like he’d ever get this longing for Vegeta out of his system. It was probably written on his soul. 

Goku darted forward, jumped into the air, and punched Vegeta in the jaw. 

[nyndelion]

hmmm... mob psycho 100, serirei and shou! you don’t have to do all of them ofc

im doing all of them bc i love them ah

001 | Mob Psycho 100

Favorite character: this is so difficult, dont make me choose.... anyway, top three: Shigeo, Teru and Reigen

Least Favorite character: any adult character that feels like its ok to brutally attack teenagers??????? i dont think thats ok even if they are espers.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): serirei, terumob, ritshou

Character I find most attractive: hhh serizawa and reigen bc im gay :-)

Character I would marry: well ok first of all i dont wanna marry irl but.... serizawa

Character I would be best friends with: almost all of them!! i think i would vibe with Tome, i’d think of myself as her big sibling she could look up regarding lgbt stuff (along with reigen i guess)

a random thought: i was just talking w my partner about how mp100 changed our way to watch anime and i told them i probably wont bother to watch any other anime if it isnt as good

An unpopular opinion: mmh.... idk.... i think Matsuo should have been more explored as a character

My Canon OTP: is Serizawa canon enough? (this show doesnt have any relationships shown except for shigeo and ritsu’s parents now that i think about it)

My Non-canon OTP: this is tricky, how can you prove any of my otps arent canon?...

Most Badass Character: Clearly Shigeo has the biggest most raw powers, but he’s most badass in his character development i think, in the way he sees the world, how he as a main character manages to skip all the “i’m a misunderstood and lonely person bc of my powers” and realize he is the person he is bc he has people around that loves and cherishes him as he is, and that way he feels compelled to be good and kind and the best version of himself.... Epic. Also Reigen is badass bc as ridiculous a character he is, with dubious morals and a lying habit, he is a good person overall and also would die for his loved ones. And idk how he can get away with everything tbh, my mind explodes anytime he twists words and ends up winning arguments, like sir... thats a mad skill right there

Most Epic Villain: Shigeo’s hidden emotions could count as a villain? idk

Pairing I am not a fan of: anything creepy and Bad .... you know the ones.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): idk really, i cant think of anyone. But i remember i was thinking how there arent a lot of female characters, even if the ones it has are super amazing and good... i would like if there were more, and also more explicit nonbinary characters as well... and explicit trans and gnc ones if we are here already...

Favourite Friendship: the entire Body Improvement Club! they all are precious and good pals.

Character I most identify with: Shigeo and Serizawa

Character I wish I could be: sometimes I wish i was as eloquent as Reigen, but then i remember separation arc and its like... no sir. I guess I’d like to be Serizawa to have a job i am good at where the people there know my struggles and are committed to support me through it

002 | Serirei

When I started shipping them: like a month and a half ago? I thought they were cute together a lot of time ago, but it was when i started hardly hyperfixating on mp100 when i was like *eyes emoji* over serirei. Watching the OVA and then reading the manga and all the theories supporting the thesis that its a slow burn coworkers to friends to lovers made me go ♥♥♥♥♥♥

My thoughts: they are dumbasses in LOVE

What makes me happy about them: their interactions overall are priceless, they balance each other a lot and give each other a sense of purpose and stability. Also, i project a little on serizawa and reigen is... y’know.... a flamboyant kind of dude.... which is my type, so.....

What makes me sad about them: the angst when thinking reigen could doubt his feelings or actions around serizawa, worrying over he isnt manipulating him into thinking he is in love, and serizawa thinking he isnt enough for reigen bc he is too nervous about not having enough relationship experience.....

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: when they picture them realizing they have feelings for each other bc they are jealous thinking they could be dating other ppl. I am polyamorous so i Do Not vibe with this trope At All

Things I look for in fanfic: pining... longing.... yearning.... then kiss... fluff.... thats enough to make me cry tbh

My wishlist: (idk what this is about so im skipping hh)

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: idk??? there arent many other characters they have that many chemistry...

My happily ever after for them: they start a thematic restaurant together! bc reigen loves cooking and with their success in Spirits & Such he decides to become a chef and Serizawa works with him, while also attending people’s troubles with spirits. They keep their contact with Shigeo and the rest of the kids and go on trips with them often. They see them grow up and become good people that go after their dreams, and are there for them if they have any trouble or are going though a rough patch.

003 | Shou

How I feel about this character: I feel like i have to protect him, but i guess he wouldnt accept it xd it makes me sad he has such an awful dad, and that it will probably lead to suffering to him as he grows up, bc that kind of abuse can really fuck you up, specially when you have to act like an adult to your parents at such a young age

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: ritsu! they just click together, and i love how their relationship is depicted as super funny by other people. They are best friends first and over all, but also are in love.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Its more of a headcanon but with Serizawa! I think he would get protective of Shou and try to check up on him from time to time, but Shou would do the same for him bc he is worried at how his dad treated him and the thing he said the last time they saw him. But actually they are projecting their own need to be protected on the other, so it ends up being kinda messy, but then they become friends and are able to laugh and do other stuff that doesnt include talking about Shou’s dad and Claw

My unpopular opinion about this character: i refer to him as redhead goku instead of jonny test xd

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: that his feelings about his dad were explored more deeply, and also the thing i said before about Serizawa, i think that would have been spot on and could be a character development thing for both

Favorite friendship for this character: Ritsu!

My crossover ship: .... sasuke?

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

The Beginning... Episode 1 Part 3

Game 1

Ganondorf: Alright, alright alright! It’s finally time fro our first game of Volley-Bomb! Representing the Crying Goombas is Link, Leaf, Red, Joker, and Rosalina! Representing the Ugly Koopas is Samus, Roy, Pit, Lucina, and Erdrick!

-

In the Confessional

Samus: I had high hopes going into the first round. I mean, Leaf and Red can barely be qualified as teens. They’re tiny. Then again we’ve got Pit... but the kid’s an angel! And he’s beaten Dark Lords and Evil Gods without any Pokemon.

-

Ganondorf: The rules are simple... don’t kill each other! Oh, and stay on your side of the court. Aside from that? Go nuts!

Joker: Wait, seriously? No rules?

Ganondorf: People don’t want to see a fair fight! They’re here for blood, guts, and the occasional booty shots. *to the camera crew* Make sure to get Link’s moneymaker. Apparently fangirls like it.

Link: *covers his butt with his hands*

Ganondorf: And, without further ado... BEGIN!

*Link serves the bomb, throwing it over to the other side. To counter it, Erdrick draws his sword and uses it like a baseball bat, sending the bomb flying back to Link’s side.*

Link: Oh, so that’s how you want to play?! *draws the Master Sword* I’m the sword Ping-Pong champion!

-

In the Confessional

Link: Finally! That Final Boss sequence in Ocarina of Time pays off! Never thought I’d be thanking Ganondorf for something.

-

*Link charges up and unleashes a Great Spin sending the bomb back over with the force of a comet. It hits Lucina and the subsequent explosion sends her flying out of the arena*

Ganondorf: Point, Goombas!

Lucina, legs sticking out of the sand like a reverse ostrich: Sorry guys.

-

In the Confessional

Samus: I may have spoken too soon.

-

*the game begins again. This time Samus serves and sends it over to the other side. Rosalina catches it with her wand and whips it around her head like a sling*

Rosalina: Let me drop THIS bomb on you!

Everyone: ... *crickets chirping in background*

Rosalina: What, I thought it was a good one. *sighs* Oh well. *hurls the bomb back to Samus’ side*

*Roy intercepts the bomb and ripostes, countering and sending it back at Link’s team.*

Samus: Nice one flame-brain!

Joker: Oh yeah? How about this! *dramatically rips mask off, summoning Arsene* ARSENE! FIRE YOUR- *as he is preparing his epic anime-style attack the bomb hits him square in the chest sending him flying and dispelling the Persona* Oww.... my everything.

Ganondorf: And the Koopas even the score!

Link: Okay, no more screwing around! *picks up a new bomb* Just call me Marcellus Wallace, ‘cause I’m going Medieval on your ass!

-

In the Confessional

Rosalina: Oh, so when Link does a one-liner it’s cool! How is that one different from mine? Puns make great one-liners!

-

*Link tosses the bomb in the air and draws his bow and arrow. He lines up a shot and send the arrow flying. It hits the bomb and sends it over at Samus’ team.*

Pit: Oh yeah? Well two can play at that game! *Pit fires Palutena’s bow and sends the bomb right back at Link*

Link: Grr! *fire his bow again, hitting the bomb and repeating the process.*

Samus: I don’t think so pretty boy! *Samus summons up her Power Armor and Z-Jumps into the air. She fires her Zero Cannon, blasting the bomb down with such force it takes out both Link and Rosalina*

Ganondorf: Oh, snap! That’s  two-fer! Way to play for keeps Samus!

-

In the Confessional

Link, bruised and bloodied: Okay, not gonna lie... that was pretty hot.

-

Samus, her Power Armor flaling away: I play to win.

Ganondorf: Damn! Guess it’s down to just Redie Freddie and Leafy Green for the Goombas. How are they gonna get outta this one?

Red: Welp, guess it’s time for Plan P.

Pit: Plan P?

Leaf: Plan Pokemon!

*Leaf and Red throw their Pokeballs, summoning Charizard, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.*

Roy: Wait what?! They can do that?!

Ganondorf: Nothing says they can’t.

Erdrick: That’s totally cheating!

Ganondorf: Guess who doesn’t give a shit ya Goku rip-off.

-

Confessional

Erdrick: It’s not my fault I was designed by Akira Toriyama!

-

Leaf: Bulbasaur! Use Vine-Whip!

Bulbasaur: ‘Saur! *grabs the Bomb with their vines and throws it into the air*

Red: Charizard! Use Flamethrower!

Charizard: ‘Zard! *Blasts fire at the bomb sending it at Pit with the force of a meteor*

Pit: Oh, applesauce. *Gets blasted out of the court*

Ganondorf: Oooh! And that’s another one for the Goombas!

Samus: Alright, that’s it! *turns to Erdrick and Roy* Morons! Swords out!

*Erdrick and Roy draw their weapons. Samus nods and spikes the bomb over the net.*

Leaf: Bulbasaur use Vine-Whip! *Bulbasaur grabs the bomb out of the air and tosses it high*

Red: Squirtle, use Hydropump! Charizard, use Flamethrower at the same time!

Charizard: 'Zard!

Squirtle: Squirtle!

*Squirtle and Charizard use their attacks at the same time. The resulting blast on the Koopas side blasts Samus, Roy, and Erdrick off the court*

Ganondorf: Holy Jompin' Gibblets! Red and Leaf win the first Game with an abolutely EXPLOSIVE VICTORY!

Red: Boo yeah!

Leaf: Pokemon Power! *they high five*

*The others of their team come and crowd surf them while Koopa Team picks themselves up and dust themselves off*

Samus: Well, that was the most humiliating thing ever.

Erdrick: My three favorite Pokemon just beat me up! This is a dream come true!

Samus: Lucina, hit Erdrick for me. I'm too tired.

Lucina: *whacks Erdrick upside the head.*

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

Game 2

Ganondorf: After that explosive display, it's time for Round 2 of VOLLEY-BOMB! Both teams gave a great effort and, frankly, both deserved to win... is what I'd say if I were a LOSER! The Koopas sucked harder than a Hoover vaccum making sweet, sweet love to a Roomba!

Peach: Well... there's another image to repress with alcohol.

Ganondorf: The Koopas are going to need this win just to tie it all up. This time we've got Daisy, Ike, Corrine, Marth, and Bonny Janet representing the Goombas! Opposing them is Zelda, Dark Pit, Robyn, Peach, and Captain Falcon!

Captain Falcon: Aw yeah baby! Let's get this party started!

Dark Pit: I hate everything.

Peach: Uhh... Dark Pit? How are you not sweating.

Dark Pit: I'm an emo. Emos don't sweat. We simmer along with our burning hatred for all things bright and happy.

-

Confessional

Pit: Pittoo scares me sometimes. But I know that deep down he's a big old ball of sunshine! He's my brother after all. How bad can he be.

-

Confessional

Dark Pit, stabbing a voodoo doll of Pit: Why! Won't! You! DIE!

-

Bonny Janet: Ai'ght ya bleedin' coonts! Time ta show these hootin' tootin' flea-ridden, sheep-humpin', rat-faaced, doo-lillies tha' the Goombas ain't ta be messed with!

Corrine: Yeah! ...I think. Was that supposed to be inspirational?

Ike: Yeah.

Marth: How can you tell?

Daisy: The adorable Scot is right! LET'S FUCK 'EM UP!

Peach: Umm... Daisy darling? I'm right here.

Daisy: THERE ARE NO BREAKS ON THE ASS-KICKING TRAIN!

-

Confessional

Daisy: Yeah... did I mention I can get kind of competitive?

-

*Peach pulls down Captain Falcon by the arm and whispers in his ear*

Peach: Take Daisy out first. She's good. Too good, you get me?

Captain Falcon: *nods*

Ganondorf: Alright my funky-fresh friends! Let's get ready to ruuuuummmmmmmmbbbbbllleee!

*The battle is joined. Captain Falcon serves the bomb, sending it flying at Daisy. Daisy whacks the bomb with her baseball bat and sends it back over.

Daisy: GO LEGALLY BRAIN-DEAD BY CHOCKING ON MY ENTIRE ASS!

Zelda: Well that's just uncalled for! *Zelda summons up her armor to whack the bomb back over*

Ike: AETHER! *Ike swings Rangell, the sword wreather in blue flame. The bomb flies over... and out of the court entirely*

Ganondorf: Ooh, tough luck! Ike is out!

Corrine: What?! You didn't say anything about that!

Ganondorf: It's one of the basic rules of Volleyball Corrine, get with the fucking program girl.

Corrine: But this is Volley-Bomb!

Ganondorf: Look, I'm the host and I say that Ike's out.

Marth: Corrine, please just drop it.

Corrine: But he's just pulling this out of his ass! What we can use our powers but we can't knock the ball out of the court?!

Ganondorf: Okay, you know what?! You're out to missy. Grab Hunk of Burning Love over there and get off my court.

Corrine: WHAT!?

*Ganondorf Warlock-Punches her off the Court*

Ganondorf: ANYONE ELSE WANT SOME!? *turns to Ike* HOW ABOUT YOU MUSCLES!? YOU WANT SOME

Ike: Nope! No. Nuh-uh. *leaves and collects a delirious Corrine*

Ganondorf, cheerful again: Alrighty then! The Goombas are down two players. Can they make a comeback? Let's find out!

-

Confessional

Corrine: Okay, arguing with the Man-Child of Evil may not have been my best move. But I don't like assholes doing whatever they like! Such a prick.

-

Bonny Janet: A'ighty then... we're fooked ain't we?

Daisy: No we aren't! No yet! Come on guys! We can still win this. If Red the Twig and Leaf the... well Leaf the Leaf can pull off a win against all odds then we can too! So let's roll up our sleeves, grease those elbows, and WIN! THAT-

Captain Falcon: Falcon PAWNCH! *The bomb, struck by the Falcon Punch, hits both Marth and Bonny Janet, koncking them out of the arena*

Daisy: Game... Fuck.

Captain Falcon: FALCON PAWNCH! *Falcon knocks Daisy out of the arena with another bomb*

Ganondorf: AND LIKE THAT THE SECOND GAME IS OVER! THE KOOPAS TAKE AN ABSOLUTELY EXPLOSIVE VICTORY! Not losing a single player and absolutely DOMINATING the Goombas!

Captain Falcon: Oh yeah! High fives all around!

Ganondorf: And with that, the score is all tied up. You know what that means. It's time... FOR A TIEBREAKER!

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

Tiebreaker

*The entire cast has assembled, including those nursing injuries.*

Ganondorf: The rules of the Tiebreaker are simple. Each team will select one, I repeat: ONE, champion each. These two champions will play each other in a 1 v. 1 game of Volley-Bomb. But this time, instead of ten player and one bomb... it's ten bombs and one player each!

Marth: Well, I'm out.

Robyn: Me too.

Red: Cowards.

Marth and Robyn: Yup.

Ganondorf: So, select your champions and let's get to this Sudden Death Elimination!

-

With the Goombas

Link: Okay, so since most of us are nursing injuries and they're probably going to be sending out Captain Falcon... who should we choose?

Bonny Janet: Oh ho? So now yer askin' our opinions?!

Link, fed up: Bonny, shut up! I don't know what crawled up your ass and died but shut up and let me talk!

*there is a long moment of silence as Bonny Janet glares at Link... but remains silent*

Link: Thank you.

Corrine: I can't go. I'm still working through that concussion.

Leaf: You all look pretty banged up.

Red: And they'll probably be planning for our Pokemon. We won't be able to pull that trick again.

Daisy: I'll go.

*They all look at her*

Marth: Daisy-

Daisy: No. I owe it to the team to try. Besides, I owe Falcon a little bit of payback.

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

*The battle lines are drawn. Captain Falcon representing the Koopas and Daisy representing the Goombas. Ganondorf  grins evilly and throws all ten bombs into the arena, ten to Daisy and ten to Falcon*

Ganondorf: Lights! Camera! SLAUGHTER!

Daisy: Oh yeah! *Daisy catches four of the bombs and delivers a massive kick upwards, sending the last one into the atmosphere. Daisy*

Catpain Falcon: You're going down girlie! *Falcon catches one, two, three of his bombs* Falcon KICK! *Falcon kick's one of the remaining bombs at Daisy.* Falcon KICK! *Falcon sends the other one at Daisy

Daisy: Sorry Falcon, but this flower's got thorns!

-

Confessional

Rosalian: And now Daisy's doing one-liners two?! Ugh.

-

*Daisy catches both bombs and sends one sailing at Falcon. Falcon dodges as the bomb hits the ground. Daisy throws the second one, but Falcon dodges again.*

Falcon: Hah!

Daisy: Sorry Cappy... I'm not done. *Daisy prepares to throw her remaining four bombs.*

Captain Falcon: Aww crap.

*Daisy throws three of her bombs. In a panic, Falcon responds. The bombs crash into each other, exploding on contact with each other. Falcon is officially out of bombs and Daisy has one left*

Daisy: Dodge this Falcon Dick! *Daisy throws the final bomb*

*Captain Falcon front flips over it. The bomb hits the ground where he had been standing moments prior.*

Captain Falcon: Wait a minute... we're out of bombs. What now?

Daisy: Oh... are we?

*Captain Falcon frowns, not understanding. Daisy smirks and points up. Falcon looks up and sees the final bomb. The one Daisy launched skyward, hurtling right towards his face.*

Captain Falcon: Aw, fu-

*the bomb explodes in his face, launching Falcon out of the arena. Daisy has won!*

Ugly Koopas: NOOOO!

Crying Goombas: BOO YEAH!

*The Goombas race forward, wrapping Daisy in a massive group hug*

Ganondorf: Well Holy Hell! That was one awesome tiebreaker! How're ya feeling Falcon?!

Captain Falcon, from the CF shaped hole in the nearby cliff face: No mommy... I don't wanna wear the pink bow...

Ganondorf: Eh, he'll be fine. Goombas! *The winning team stands at attention* I promised you a reward and now I'll deliver! You win invincibility, you cannot be voted off this island tonight. In addition, your team has earned... a beach party!

Crying Goombas: WOO HOO!

Ganondorf: There'll be good food, fine drinks, and all the volleyball you can play! … The none explosive kind, of course.

-

Confessional

Daisy: Wow! So this is what it's like to be the hero? To be the one who saves the day?! It *sniff* It feels good.

-

Ganondorf: Koopas. I'll be seeing you at the bonfire site, where you will vote off one member of your team. *evil grin* See you there.

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

The Bonfire Ceremony

*As the lights of the Goombas' beach party blaze in the distance the Koopas sit in front of a massive bonfire in sullen silence. Most are nursing injuries and glaring daggers at the team bellow them on the beach. Peach sits with Pit and Zelda on either side of her*

-

Confessional

Peach: I was confident that I wouldn't get voted off, especially after the poor showing of Samus and Falcon. Then again both are pretty powerful. I'm not sure if their failures today will be enough to get them voted off. Samus is more tolerable company, and she didn't fail as spectacularly as Falcon did. Still...

-

*Ganondorf walks around the fire to face the Koopas, carrying a tray of One-Up Mushrooms*

Ganondorf: Welcome, losers, to your first bonfire ceremony! I have on my plate, nine One-Up Mushrooms. These one-ups represent immunity and safety for the coming week. If you fail to receive a marshmallow, you will walk the Dock of Fools, board the Boat of Failures, and be taken away from the Camp forever. And, lose your chance to ear the twenty million dollar reward.

*the Koopas shift around nervously*

Ganondorf: When I call your name, I'll throw your mushroom. The first goes too... Peach. Ganondorf throws it at Peach* Next up... Erdrick. *The Hero gratefully catches the mushroom.* Zelda. *Zelda catches hers* Roy. *Roy spear his mushroom as it flies at him* Pit and Pittoo.

Dark Pit: THAT'S DARK PIT!

Ganondorf: Shut up and eat your mushroom! *Pit happily eats his One-Up as Dark Pit begrudgingly chews on his* Next is... Robyn. *Robyn sighs in relief and eats her One-up* The second to last Mushroom goes to... … … Samus.

-

Confessional

Samus: I was actually scared that I would be voted off first episode. Whew! I'd of never lived that one down.

-

Ganondorf: I have, on this platter, the last One-Up Mushroom. Falcon, you let your team down when they needed you the most. And Lucina? You got knocked out before anyone else, pretty pathetic.

Lucina: Fuck off.

Ganondorf: Prettier girls than you have tried sweetie.

Lucina: Hmpph.

Ganondorf: And the last mushroom... goes too... … … … … … … Lucina!

Captain Falcon: What!?

-

Confessional

Peach: Sure, Falcon's strong, but Lucina is by far the better thinker. Strong can be replaced. Thinkers can't.

-

Confessional

Dark Pit: He's the one person on my team more annoying than Pit.

-

Confessional

Roy: Call it a Fire Emblem bias... but Lucina should stay.

-

Captain Falcon: This... this can't be happening!

Zelda: Sorry Falcon... I wish it didn't have to-

Falcon: This is bullshit! I-

Ganondorf: Cram it buddy! *Ganondorf grabs Falcon by the scruff of his neck and hurls him to the Dock of Fools* And that's your first episode of Total Drama Smash Bros! Falcon is the first to go, but have we seen the last of him? And what will become of the new teams? Find out next week, on Total, Drama, SMASH BROS!

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And that’s a wrap on episode 1! I’m so excited for this series you guys. I’m going to have so much fun with it!

I really hesitated to put Falcon down as the first off, but he was one of the few characters I didn’t have long term plans for. Sorry if you wanted him to stay.

Also, for a bit of extra fun, submit your own ideas for challenges! It will definitely help get my creative juices flowing.

Be good people!

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Z 271

Last time, Super Buu nearly broke the universe, but Vegito punched him in the face, so it’s okay.   Meanwhile, King Yemma is watching this fight on a big screen TV.    Well, it’s probably one of those projectors like they use in office conference rooms, but it looks like a big screen.   It would have been kind of funny if it was like one of those projector deals, though, and they spent like two episodes trying to get it set up.   Then they sort of get it working, but they can’t make the sound work in full screen mode, so they have to window open and you could see all of Yemma’s desktop icons over on the left.  

Anyway, Yemma credits himself for things working out this well.   Goku wouldn’t have stood a chance against Majin Buu by himself, but thanks to Yemma, he now has Vegeta to fuse with.    All of the oni who work for him give him a standing ovation.

But Baba’s not all that impressed, since she always saw Yemma as a big dumb guy who sits around all day stamping papers.  

So, back to Buu, he’s taking a deep, calming breath to calm down from the last episode.   I’m not sure why he’s bothering, since he’s in the middle of a losing battle, and he’s got a short fuse to begin with.  

Vegito eggs him on, so he tries to attack again, and it doesn’t work.  

But Buu can put himself back together, so it kind of seems like a stalemate.   What difference does it make how much stronger Vegito is if Buu can regenerate indefinitely.  

But Vegito’s still holding on to Buu’s head tentacle, so Buu wants him to toss it back so he can reattach it.  

So Vegito does, but then he shoots it in mid-air, completely annihilating it.   That seems to freak Buu right out.

Vegito threatens to do the same to the rest of Buu, adding that if all of Buu was destroyed in one shot, even he couldn’t regenerate from that.

So Buu has no choice but to grow a new head tentacle.   Well, if he could have done that, why did he want the old one back?   I’m assuming the point of all of this is that there are limits to Buu’s regeneration powers.   We’ve already seen him get destroyed and reformed  several times.   One time he did it to himself.   But usually, it takes a great deal of effort to hurt Buu that badly, whereas Vegito inflicts that sort of damage almost every time he attacks.   So this is far and away the most intense fight Buu has been in, and he’s starting to tire out.   Eventually, Buu will get blown apart so many times that even he won’t be able to pull himself back together.   The impression I get is that it would have been easier for Buu to reattach existing peices of himself than to grow new ones.   If Vegito keeps destroying head tentacles like this, it’s going to wear him down even faster.  

Or Vegito could just destroy Buu all at once, so why doesn’t he do that?   That;s what the Kaioshin want to know.   The Elder Kai gave Goku his own life and the Potara Earrings to defeat Majin Buu, so why doesn’t he just finish the job?

Even Vegito’s surprised by how much stronger he is than Buu, so he tells him not to be too upset over the way the fight is going.

But Buu is upset, so he resorts to one of the moves he picked up from the fighters he’s absorbed.   He’s somewhat surprised to find that Vegito’s familiar with the Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack, but he figures it’ll still hurt Vegito while allowing him to keep his distance.

Except Vegito has that attack scouted.  He just throws five ki blasts from his fingers, and detonates all five ghosts before they can get near him.   In the dub, they called this the “Banshee Blast”, and I don’t know why.  I do like the name, though.

Vegito scoffs at that attempt, since it was a move thought up by a child, but Buu insists that this was just a warm-up for his real attack, which will commence shortly.   

So this time, Buu makes ten ghosts instead of five, and instead of rushing Vegito, they all perform the Kamehameha.

This seems to make Vegito nervous, and he turns around and flees to avoid the blasts.

But these are those bendy Kamehameha’s, like the one Goku used against King Piccolo, so no matter where Vegito goes, the blasts track him.

So Vegito flies into a narrow canyon, which causes some of the Kamehamehas to hit the sides and explode before they reach him.   But Buu was counting on him to do that...

Because he has three ghosts waiting for Vegito on the other end of the trench, and they fire Maseko blasts at him when he approaches.  

And he can’t avoid it all in time, so it all blows up in his face.  Where were the other seven ghosts?    I would assume they all flew down from above to cut off the only escape.  

But it doesn’t work.   Buu’s mighty pleased with himself until he realizes that he can’t find Vegito’s body.   Then he senses Vegito behind him but too late to stop his head from getting blasted off.

Yeah, Vegito just used Goku’s Instant Transmission, and Buu’s like, “Oh, yeah, I forgot he could do that.”   I sort of wonder if this is why Goku doesn’t use it more often than he does.   Sometimes we’ll see him zap himself around rapid fire, but usually he only busts this out once in a great while, and maybe it’s to lull his opponents into a false sense of security.  

So the fight resumes, and Buu cries foul for Vegito using fusion, which is pretty rich coming from a guy who absorbs his opponents when he can’t beat them.   By now, Vegito realizes that he doesn’t even need to use his hands to block Buu’s attacks.

This is sort of like that episode where Frieza did the same thing to Goku until he finally forced Frieza to use his hands, except Buu can’t pull that off.   He tries a ki blast, but Vegito just soccer-kicks it away.

Meanwhile, in heaven, the girls are still searching for Gohan.   Dabura, now a good guy, promises to find Gohan even if it costs his life, but Bulma reminds him that he’s already dead. Okay, so when she raps her knuckles on Dabura’s belt, it clanks like it’s made of metal.  So how does any of this work?  Did Dabura get to keep his belt when he died?    They acted like Goku keeping his physical form after death was a great honor, but here it looks like everyone in heaven gets to have at least half of theirs.   I sort of assumed they were all made out of ghost stuff, but if Dabura’s belt is real, then I have to wonder about his pants.  

Now that I think about it, what’s up with Chi-Chi?  She wasn’t wearing yellow pants, but she has a yellow ghost tail, so what’s up with that?  Same with Videl, really.  But if you touched these ghost tails, would they feel like they’re made out of fabric.  Anyway, Videl thinks they can’t find Gohan, because she still believes he’s alive somehow.    She can feel it, though not in the same way Goku can sense ki.

So Bulma is supportive of this.  Even if it’s wishful thinking, she believes that if you wish hard enough and long enough, your wishes will come true.    Speaking of wishing for something long and hard, Bulma points out that Videl’s in love with Gohan.

D’awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Dabura’s ecstatic over this, and I get the impression that he didn’t know what love was until now.   Anyway, he gets a little overenthusiastic about it, and it gets weird.  Way to kill the mood, Dabura, and this is coming from the guy who made a “long and hard” joke a minute ago.

Speaking of long and hard jokes, Buu may have put up a good fight after absorbing Gohan, but it’s not enough to stop Vegito, or even make Vegito try hard.  He informs Buu that he’s beaten, and suggests that he surrender.

I’m not sure what Vegito would do if Buu actually gave up.  I guess he would demand that he cough up Piccolo and the others, assuming Buu even knows how to do that.  Then what?  He just collects the Dragon Balls four months later and wishes everyone back, and Super Buu just gets to hang out?  

Anyway, Buu doesn’t give up, probably because he knows he’s on his own here, and the only thing Vegito can do is kill him, so he eggs him on.

And this is just a trap to lure Vegito in so he can turn him into candy.

Specifically, coffee-flavored candy. 

From ringside, Dende and Mr. Satan are horrified.  This is one of my favorite bits from the dub, because Dende asks “Why coffee-flavored?   That’s gross!”   And instead of “Nani?” Mr. Satan just asks “Candy?”   He’s seen Buu do this before, but he just doesn’t get it.  

From the cheap seats, the Elder Kai flips out.   Vegito just snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.   I’d like to say Kibitokai is siezed with mortal terror, but that’s kind of been his default mood ever since they went into Babidi’s spaceship.

All that’s left now, it seems, is for Buu to decide how to eat Vegito.  I’m with Dende on this: Why coffee flavored?  I went to Starbucks a few weeks ago on a lark.  I don’t think I’ve been to one more than twice, and the first time was like 15 years ago.   Anyway, I decided to get an iced vanilla frappucino, just for the sake of trying one of these overbooked coffee things they’re famous for.   Turns out it was terrible.  I wasn’t sure if I’d like iced coffee or not, but I didn’t expect it to be that bad.   It tasted like coffee that’s been sitting around for a really long time.  Like, imagine if you brewed a pot of coffee, and just dumped it into a stoppered sink and forgot about it for like a week, and then you came back and sipped it up with a straw.  

And I enjoy coffee from time to time, but I never realized just how important the temperature of it can be for the experience.   I knew people drank it on ice, and I honestly thought that made sense.   Yeah, the same flavor, only cold, I could see that.   And yeah, that’s exactly what it tastes like, but it’s awful.    It was like eating the middle part of a Hot Pocket that hadn’t cooked all the way through.

And I know it doesn’t matter here.  The point is that Buu’s survived Vegito, so it doesn’t matter if he tastes good or not.   But still, he could have turned him into anything, so you’d think he would have gone with a better flavor.

Anyway, yadda yadda, Z stands for the end, but ice coffee sucks.  

[dustofinsanity]

𝑈𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡. 𝟜

ㅤ

Chan / Reader ft Seungmin ㅤ ㅤㅤ Fantastic AU ㅤ ㅤㅤ Words count: 3.1k

Summary: “Whether we see him or not, it’s the same. He’s just a ghost, nothing else.” That’s the kind of things Y/n was used to say about the third person she has to help.

Content/Warning: Comedy, fluff/romance, angst .

Inspired by: 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd

Previous part / Next part

The witch's words were playing in loop in my head while I also couldn't stop thinking about what Eunhyuk said to that girl. It let me no respite. Moreover, since my next mission didn't show up yet, I couldn't focus on anything else. Fortunately, I wasn't alone and, even if Chan was the only human who could understand me, seeing Jeongin and Wooyoung almost every day helped me to feel a bit better. Even seeing Goku was becoming a good thing!

Honestly, I never thought I would like these guys but, day after day, I knew them better and realised they were really nice. I even "met" Chan's best friends, Jisung and Changbin, that I used to bully too when I was a human. It was weird to spend time with some people I hurt but, somehow, I felt like I was the reason that brought them together, even if I was a really bad reason.

But, seeing them talk and laugh together... That was the most important.

However, even if I was happy for them, I was still worrying about my next mission. Almost two weeks had passed this time and I've seen no one with the white light. I was a cat for almost a month already and, even if I started to get used to it -but don't talk to me about washing myself with my tongue or when I want to... you know... when I want to... go in the box... anyway!-, I wanted my human form back.

Curled up in a ball on Goku's back, I was faking a deep sleep when Wooyoung hailed someone that I didn't know, a certain Seungmin, calling him the best artist of the university and asking him how he was. Jisung, even invited him to join the group. Shyly, that Seungmin agreed and sat with the boys, thanking them. His voice was smooth -not as much as Wooyoung's but Wooyoung was my favourite human on Earth so it didn't count- and his smell was sweet, reminding me the scent of a delicious candy.

"Did you draw something recently?" Wooyoung asked and I could imagine the smile on his face.

"Students but it just some sketches not paints like I showed you last time." Seungmin answered before Chan and Jeongin asked him if they could see his drawings. "Yes, of course." The new boy said, looking into his bag and handed them a sketch pad.

"Is that Y/n?" The younger asked after a moment, making me open my eyes.

"Yes, I've drawn her few times." Seungmin admitted. "I liked drawing her face when she smiled, she was beautiful."

"Maybe on the outside but, on the inside, she was just a bitch." Changbin chuckled.

"That's rude." Wooyoung told him, surprising everyone.

"She bullied you everyday, hyung." Jisung said, frowning a little. "She bullied all of us. How can you take her side?"

"I don't take her side. What she did was more than mean but, I think she did this to protect herself. I don't know why but I always thought she was sad and felt lonely. I knew one of her friends, Eunhyuk, since we went to the same elementary school and you can trust me, this man is a dick, more than you can even imagine. I was pretty sad for Y/n when I saw her with him because I knew he would break her heart in the most awful way possible and no one deserves that."

"That doesn't explain why she was a bitch with us." Changbin replied. "You can protect yourself without acting the way she did."

"It's true" Wooyoung agreed with a nod. "But, you know, sometimes, being mean with people is the easiest way to protect yourself. If people don't like you and avoid you, they can't hurt you. I'm not saying what she did was fair, I know we never wanted to hurt her, but I'm just trying to understand her."

While Goku was slightly chuckling under me, I stood up and was about to rub my head against my favourite human on Earth's arm when I saw Seungmin, when I saw the white aura all around him.

Finally!

Immediately, I crawled into his lap and purred against him when he started to pet me, noticing Chan rolling his eyes. What?! He said I was beautiful when I smiled! He was my second favourite human on Earth!

But how could I help him? What was his problem? Does he have one?

Thankfully, Chan got an amazing idea -without really wanting it- and asked Seungmin if he already thought about holding an exhibition. Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, the new member of the group chuckled and said he would love to do that but didn't have the money, explaining that renting an art exhibit room was pretty expensive.

"My parents already pay for my studies and my allowance goes into my drawing stuff. Maybe one day I'll rent a showroom but, for now, I really can't afford that."

That was the answer to my question and I could help him so easily than I thought the witch had made a big mistake when she chose him as my third mission.

After school, on the way back home, I told Chan I have an idea to help Seungmin but, once again, I needed his help. Chuckling slightly while he was holding me in his arms, my human said he expected that, adding jokingly that I would be lost without him. Honestly, he was half right.

"What can I do for you, this time?" He asked, putting me on his bed and taking off his jacket.

"You will send an e-mail for me. One of my mom's friends have a exhibition room and she always saw me as the most perfect girl on Earth."

"Because she didn't know you?"

"Ah, ah, really funny, Chan." I sighed, jumping on his desk throwing his pencil case onto the floor. "I understand why cats do that, it's pretty funny."

"They also sleep for almost all day, could you do that sometimes?" Chan teased me, raising an eyebrow. "Well, give me her e-mail address and tell me what I have to write."

Crawling onto his lap, I spelled the e-mail address and then dictated him the message in which I asked my mother's friend not to tell anyone I contacted her, not even my mother, saying I was fine and needed some time for myself. I knew she would understand and keep our conversation secret.

In the mail, I told her I would send her two of my friends the next day, explaining that one of them was a really good artist -even if I hadn't looked at his drawings- and I wanted her to tell him what she thought about his work. I knew she would see the portraits he made of me and, since she loved me as if I was her daughter, I was pretty sure that, even if she didn't want to exhibit Seungmin's drawings and paintings, she would ask to buy them for a really good price.

"And how I will explain that to Seungmin?"

"Tell him I kept in touch with you and that I really want to help him because... because... Just say I want to help him."

Chan nodded, not really convinced by the idea and sent the e-mail, adding he was, once again, pretty proud of me and the efforts I made.

Honestly, I was proud of myself too but not for the reasons I expected. Of course, I was happy because I completed my missions but, more than that, I was happy to help people who deserved it. Jeongin was an adorable guy who deserved nothing but being loved, Wooyoung was a hard worker who did all his best for his parents and Seungmin... Well, even if I hadn't seen his drawings, I don't know why, I was sure he was really talented and deserved to be recognised for that.

Thinking about Seungmin, I remembered all the horrible things I could say about him and remembered that I used to call him "the ghost". When I was human, I always saw him alone, in a corner, writing on a notepad -now I knew he was actually drawing-. When I passed by him, I said really rude words like "Did you feel that? It's like someone is here but we don't see him. Do you think it is the ghost of that kid? You know, the one who no one cares."

Yeah, Changbin was right, I was a bitch.

The day after, when university was over, I waited for Chan and Seungmin, seeing them coming closer together, my human explaining something to his new friend. Seungmin was listening to his elder, furrowing his eyebrows, an expression of curiosity and surprise across his sweet face.

"Are you sure is not a joke, hyung? It wouldn't be surprising from her. Hey, Boo!"

"I don't know." Chan shrugged, letting his younger take me in his arms. "But it's worth a try, no?"

Seungmin nodded, petting me and making me purr, and they started to walk to Mrs Park's exhibition room, talking about school and the fact I kept in touch with Chan after what I did to him. Chuckling, my human said that I may have fallen in love with him since no one could resist the Australian charm.

Wait, Australian?

When we reached Mrs Park's exhibition room, I noticed that the wonderful woman was waiting in front of the building, wearing a really elegant grey suit accessorised by a golden vintage brooch and some discreet jewels. As always, she was stunning, a bit intimidating but it was just a look, she was so sweet actually. And the smile that stretched her lips when she saw the boys proved my words.

"You must be Chan and Seungmin, right?" She asked them, bowing slightly. "My dear Y/n told me you would come."

"It... it wasn't a joke?" The younger breathed, eyes wide open.

"Why are you so surprised?" Mrs Park chuckled sweetly, letting them in. "Do you want to drink something?"

"Water will be fine, if you don't mind." Chan smiled before looking all around and seeing the paintings on the walls. "You have a beautiful gallery, Mrs Park."

"Oh, thank you, dear. I worked hard to get it but it was worth it." She replied, coming back to them and handing two glasses of water. "So, my sweet Y/n told me you have some drawings to show me."

"Ye... yes... but... but it's... it's..." Seungmin stuttered, visibly impressed by all the artworks around him.

"Easy, sweetheart, easy." Mrs Park chuckled again, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Don't pay attention to the paintings and believe in yourself. If Y/n told me to look at your work, she did it for a good reason and I'm sure you're a really talented young artist."

Her words seemed to ease Seungmin's stress and, after taking a deep breath, the young boy grabbed two sketchpads and a file from his bag.

Honestly, I was as nervous as Seungmin could be and Mrs Park's expression didn't betray what she was thinking, staying horribly neutral. But I knew her and I guessed the exact moment when she saw my portraits because she swallowed slightly and licked her lips discreetly as if she tried to hold back her tears.

"She's so beautiful when she smiles." She whispered, rubbing her fingers softly on the paper before closing the sketchpad and looking at the paintings. "Well, Seungmin."

"Ye... yes." He stuttered again, freezing a bit and tightening his grip around me.

"Your choices of colours are really curious and your sketches are a bit... hm... messy. But I think it's what defines your style. I even think that you could sell some of your sketches."

A smile stretching his lips, Seungmin looked at Chan then at Mrs Park and thanked her promptly. By the fast pace of his heart, I could guess he was happy, happy and relieved.

"Would you be open to sell me a portrait of Y/n?" The wonderful lady added, showing him which one she wanted. "And, if you want, I can exhibit your work for free for... hm... A whole week? Would it be okay for you?"

Hearing these words, the young boy opened wide his eyes and nodded quickly, not believing what was happening. Then, they followed Mrs Park to her office and, as I thought, she gave a really good price for my portrait, surprising Seungmin when he saw all the numbers. They then agreed on another meeting, during which the artist could bring other drawings and paintings when Chan said something I didn't want him to say.

"You seem to really like Y/n."

"She's a sweetheart." She breathed sadly, making the two men opening wide her eyes. "I know a lot of people don't really like my Y/n because she can be a bit rude sometimes but... If they know what she's going through at home."

"Could you tell us?" Seungmin asked shyly. "We don't really know her but we really want to."

"Take a seat, my dear."

At this moment, I jumped from Seungmin's arms and left the office, running outside and hearing Chan say that I wouldn't damage anything, I was a good cat.

Actually, I didn't want to hear what Mrs Park would tell them because... because I already knew what she would say and I didn't want to think about it. More than that, I didn't want to see Chan's face when he would hear some things about me, about my life. I was sure he would be sorry for me and I didn't need that.

After what seemed an eternity, they went outside and my human took me in his arms, kissing my head, while Seungmin was thanking Mrs Park again. The younger seemed so happy for his future exhibition but, at the same time, I guessed that what he learned about me made him a bit sad.

"Tell him not to speak about what your heard to the others." I whispered to Chan, feeling him nod against my head.

We were about to leave when a voice made me lift my head up, a voice that I was craving to hear but that sounded too... happy. She was here, walking with her boyfriend, a large smile on her lips, wearing a beautiful and so refined dress. She looked so... happy.

"Mother." I breathed, tears reaching my eyes.

Visibly, she was visiting Mrs Park but her smile disappeared when she saw me and a disgusting expression quickly crossed her face. Without paying attention to Chan and Seungmin, she took Mrs Park in her arms and introduced her new boyfriend.

"Hi." Mrs Park said a bit coldly before turning to the boys and introducing them to my mother as my friends. "Mr Kim Seungmin will hold a exhibition next week. And he also drew some fabulous portraits of Y/n."

"Oh." My mother only said, looking at the young boy from head to toe.

"Do you have any news of her?" Chan asked, his heart beating fast in his chest. He was so mad at her, I could hear it.

"Hm? Oh, yes. She sent me a e-mail few days ago." She lied, faking a smile that I found despicable. "She's fine. We both really needed some time away from each other." She added, insisting on the words "needed" and smiling at her boyfriend.

Furrowing their eyebrows, the students nodded slightly and left the place, thanking Mrs Park once again. I couldn't believe what happened. Why did my mother lie? Why did she seem so happy? Why did I feel she was happier without her daughter, without me?

On the way to Seungmin's house, the boys talked about my mother but I didn't really listen to them, my mind too focused on a lot of things. First, Eunhyuk. Two, the witch's words. Three, my own mom. Who would be the next person who would show me his or her life was better without me?

After we left Seungmin, Chan and I came back home without saying anything. I guessed he knew I didn't want to talk about what he learned or what happened in front of the exhibition gallery. And he was right, I didn't want to. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to break down in front of him.

But, I needed him.

Silently, I crawled onto his lap while he was doing his homework and curled up into a ball. He didn't say anything nor looked at me, keep writing in his book, guessing exactly that I just wanted to be next to him. But, after a moment, I felt his hand on my back and, still working, Chan petted me, chewing sometimes on his pencil.

I couldn't say that I liked this stupid dumb, he got on my nerves so many times, even if it was just for teasing me. Yeah, he was annoying but he was also the one who could help me and, even if it was just a bit, the one who, somehow, shared my pain. We weren't really close, we couldn't say we liked each other but, he was the one who knew me better than anyone, the one with who I felt safe.

"Tuna?" Chan asked, getting me out of my thoughts.

I nodded slightly and saw him leaving his room when I felt someone next to me, someone I didn't want to see.

"Yeah, I know, three in nine." I sighed without looking at her.

"Such a grumpy cat." She chuckled viciously, patting my head. "I heard you saw your mom, today. How is she? I hope her pain is not too big..."

"What do you want? I'm doing my missions, I understand that I wasn't as nice as I thought. What else can I do? Why do you make me suffer this way?"

"You're too stupid to understand, Y/n. But don't worry, with time, you'll see what I want to show you."

I heard Chan coming back, smelling the tuna he was bringing to me, when the witch disappeared. My human crouched in front of me and, petting my head softly, invited me to eat a little, wishing me a good appetite while he finished his homework.

"Thank you, Chan." I whispered, head down, looking at the food. "Thank you for staying by my side."

"You're welcome, Boo." He smiled without taking his eyes off of his book.

Tag list: igotyeesjams, xx-blacknight-xx

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤ ⁓•⁓ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Thank you for reading! 💜 ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ⁓•⁓

[nerdsideofthemedia]

Should the term “Mary Sue” be retired?

The original. 

I didn’t have any intention of posting my non-RWBY, non-MHA blog posts here, but here’s this one seems to be becoming important with the rise of the claims that Arya Stark is a Mary Sue. So here it goes:

In my walks through Dan Olson’s twitter, I came across this:

Which got me thinking: is the term “Mary Sue” completely pointless?

Before I wonder about this question, let’s take a quick journey through time. In the 70s, Paula Smith noticed a character pattern among the Star Trek fanfic and created a parody to point this out, “A Trekkies’s Tale”, whose protagonist was called Mary Sue. During the following years, the “Mary Sue” wasn’t necessarily considered as something bad, instead it was considered as a phase every writer will go through as it was intimately associated with self-inserts and was only applied to fan-fictions1;2.

In recent years, the term has left the fanfic and began being applied to original fiction too, losing its meaning along the way and gaining a pretty negative connotation. In fact, nowadays, “Mary Sue” is such an extremely subjective term that even TV Tropes admits:

“TV Tropes doesn’t get to set what the term means, the best we can do is capture the way it is used.” 1

Hell, I’ve even come across with this subjectivity, as once I called Orihime from Bleach a Mary Sue, on youtube, and one person defended my use of it by explaining she was liked by everyone, which wasn’t the reason I considered a Mary Sue to begin with and consider that justification to be pretty dumb.

Why is being liked by everyone not a good parameter?

Have you ever read/watched a shonen? Most of the good guys are on good terms. Even when there is some animosity between a main character and another one, it’s usually because of the other, like Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z, who dislikes Goku because he’s better than him, not because of anything egregious the latter did. In “My Hero Academia”, Bakugo hated Midoriya mostly because of pride and arrogance (they are now on good terms).  Yes, the Avengers may have not loved each other from the get-go, but, by the end of the film, they were ready to live happily ever after. And when the sequels even stop (they never will), they will end up being on good terms.

Another definition of what is a “Mary Sue” is it’s a character that is overpowered/great set of skills + tragic backstory, (sometimes even without the latter). So let’s take a look at:

Superman: an alien whose planet was destroyed, adopted by 2 humans, and has a set of skills that would make Goku turn… Well, he would probably just find it cool, but Vegeta’s head would explode for sure as he threw a temper tantrum. His powers include flying, super speed and strength (to the point of almost completely invulnerability), X-ray and heat vision.

Bruce Wayne: a poor (not literally) orphan who was raised by his butler and whose riches go beyond Taylor Swift’s wildest dreams, let alone poor (far more literal) little us. Thanks to it, he has access to technology that has little to no limitations, yet his money never ends.

Goku: an alien whose planet was destroyed, adopted by an old man who was killed by him in giant monkey-form. Not only he can fly, he is particularly powerful even for his people even though he’s a low-level specimen according to the planet’s hierarchic structure.

Ichigo: a guy who turns out to be part-Hollow, part-Shinigami, part-Vizard, part-who-the-hell-even-cares-anymore, even though some of them are pretty rare.

Harry Potter: an orphan raised by his aunt and her family, who all treat him badly, finds out he’s a wizard and finds out his parents have left him a mountain of gold (literally). Everyone either admires him or feels jealous as he is famous for “defeating” a particularly powerful wizard as a baby, without any damages besides a scar. He’s also part of a prophecy.

What about those self-inserts?

I guess we could still use the term as just a self-insert, but considering that most of the time we don’t know the writers, then we can only know their self-insertion if they tell us.

It also doesn’t justify its negative connotation. Writers are people, I presume, which means they have flaws. So why is a character based on oneself bad? Provided the writers are realistic and self-aware, those should be some of the most realistic characters. Now, I know there’s a trap in here, which is the tendency of favoring ourselves and make us just a bit (or a lot) more special than we actually are, but 1) this doesn’t necessarily happen to every self-insert; 2) that can happen whenever writers begin to favor a character for whatever reason, even if it wasn’t a self-insert, leading it to become more and more special or less flawed.

They’re the personification of perfection.

OK, except perfection seems to be kind of subjective, since what I like isn’t the same as everyone else’s. I mean I may like active characters and some may like passive characters. You may think perfection is pizza without pineapple, while I say “you are objectively wrong”.

Jokes asides, being different human beings, usually we end up writing “perfect” characters with our definition of it, which may not correspond to someone else’s.

For example, Bella Swan is called “Mary Sue” a lot for being perfect, but she’s deeply flawed. She’s co-dependent and suicidal. Edward Cullen is the one “Gary Stu” that actually stuck, yet he’s manipulative and a stalker. Yet, there is truth to the claim they are perfect, not to me, but to Stephanie Meyers as they are both idealizations to her, regardless of our opinions of them.

I suppose a character can be drop dead gorgeous, have all sorts of skills and being loved by everyone, but, eventually, he/she will make something that many will consider to be wrong. If that doesn’t happen, then there’s probability not a good conflict, which reveals that, maybe, the problem is in the story itself, not necessarily in the character.

Speaking of subjectivity in flaws and virtues…

“So why did you used to call Orihime a Mary Sue?”

Well, because I thought her flaws were inconsequential with Bleach begging me to sympathize with her for awful reasons and smart characters being really stupid, meaning causing unnecessary plot-hole or plot-contrivance for her. The few most glaring examples I recall (and I’ve read/watched Bleach at least half a century ago, so it’s possible there are a few lapses in my memory) being:

Her almost kissing Ichigo while he was unconscious. That scene is framed as if I am supposed to sympathize with her, instead of what it actually is: creepy as hell and also falls under almost sexual assault in many countries.

Her having an obsession for Ichigo to the point of only thanking him for coming for her in her mind, even though Rukia, Chad, Uryu and Renji were also there to save her. This again is framed as I’m supposed to empathize with her, instead of thinking she’s being narrow-minded and has an unhealthy obsession with Ichigo.

About others acting stupid: Uryu takes her to where Ichigo and Ulquiorra are fighting even though where they were before, Ichigo was losing cause he was holding back to avoid hurting her. Yes, the other place was bigger, but their powers were huge and Uryu taking Orihime should have been a stupid idea (and he’s supposed to be smart).

Not to mention, of course, she resurrects Ichigo by crying and yelling his name which was also major bullshit.

And yes, it’s time to talk about the gender-thing and to admit to my own prejudices despite being a woman, because Orihime isn’t the only character I know who has her flaws not being acknowledged or being perceived as good. Many male characters have all of those yet, I still don’t call them “Gary Stu” or any other male equivalent.

Sun Wukong from RWBY has pretty much all the same problems as Orihime: he stalks Blake for months yet faces no actual consequences. And his actions were framed in the show as “needed”, even though they weren’t since the entire Menagerie arc could be written without him with only minor changes. Creepy actions being framed as right and sympathetic – check.

He also abandons his team several times, which, again, was inconsequential (even if he confesses to being an awful leader in V6) and no way in hell a combat school would interrupt classes for an entire year. He’s completely oblivious of the Faunus struggle, though he’s a Faunus and goes to school in one of the most racist territories. And Blake goes from super paranoid to so relaxed she doesn’t even believe him when he says he saw a WF member wearing a mask for no apparent reason. If I had to guess it’s because if she kept being super paranoid, it would stand to reason she would be the one noticing Ilia spying all by herself, rendering him almost useless and without interrupting her talk to Ghira, which would have made Sun completely pointless. At some point, Orihime became all about Ichigo, Sun was always all about Blake (until V6).

Like I said, I have criticized Sun for being badly written, unnecessary and the contrivances his presence demanded, but I have never ever called a “Gary Stu”. Looking back, I think it’s a combination of a few reason:

I know “Mary Sue” is a term too subjective to be used without an explanation afterwards;

We just don’t tend to hold the same standards for male characters;

Even when we use them for male characters, it almost never sticks.

And I know I’m not the only one doing this.

Once, I came across an article that accused several characters of being a “Mary Sue”, including Orihime, but because she’s too perfect (are you sure about that?) and Sailor Moon, yet claimed Goku wasn’t one.  It’s particularly funny, because Sailor Moon is written to be more flawed than Goku (even if I much higher tolerance for Dragon Ball and DBZ to Sailor Moon).

Goku is an absent father and husband, yet his family never really holds that against him. His wife may complain about it a few times during the anime, but there’s no real strife between them and Gohan never holds it against him either. He gives Cell a senzu bean so that he and Gohan can have a fair fight, even though the entire world is at stake. It still is mostly inconsequential, until Gohan’s arrogance gets in the way.

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon is stupid, coward and petty many times, and it’s clear the writers knew it because they acknowledge those flaws within the show. She is mocked because of them, and her lack of resilience even leads to the death of one of the Sailors in a season finale, if I remember correctly (admittedly, I watched it 5 centuries ago, so I might be wrong). Yes, I know they come back from the death.

This is not an argument that Goku should be called a “Mary Sue/Gary Stu”, rather that the term is heavily gendered. It’s much more applied to female characters and even when used for a male one, it almost never sticks. Even in the example I gave, Edward Cullen, which was successfully labeled as “Gary Stu”, still feels like it was gendered-motivated. Not because of his own, obviously, but for the target audience’s: the majority girls and women. So there we notice another double-standard: the sex of the target audience also affects the claims to “Sueness”.

Ultimately, I have to agree with Dan, with the term “Mary Sue” being too subjective to actually have any validity and is deeply rooted in sexism. Explaining why a character doesn’t work for us  and why we think they’re badly written is far more productive. Let’s keep in mind, we aren’t supposed to like every character writers make, even the ones who are meant to be likable and relatable.

Note: Yes, I watched Overly Sarcastic Productions’ video on the subject. While I like Red’s take, I’d say almost no character in original fiction fits the mold. That in itself wouldn’t be the problem, but the fact that it will remain extremely subjective, I still find the term to be counter-productive, heavily gendered and it needs to die.

1 – https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MarySue

2 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

[funkymeihem-fiction]

Fire and Woohoo- The OW Trio Plays The Sims

(D.Va, Lucio, and Junkrat have a very special game night with an old classic.)

The snacks had been warmed, the drinks chilled, and they had gathered in Hana’s room again. Game night had just begun, and it started off with a proclamation.

“First off, J-Man and I had a meeting and we both agreed that we’re not playin’ any more fighting games,” Lucio declared. “The only way either of us can win is by him cheesing you with that low kick move on that one dude, and then you both start fighting in real life and I gotta break it up.”

Hana glared at them both. “Well maybe because there’s no skill involved in legsweep spam!”

Junkrat’s ever-present grin only turned sharper. “Oh-ho-ho! Still pissy because that one time I kicked your arse usin’ an effective strategy I invented myself, and you can’t just admit—”

They were starting to lean a little too close to each other already, and Lucio sighed as he shouldered in between them and spread both arms to keep them at bay. It was a well practiced strategy that he’d had to do many, many times before when tempers flared. “See! There you go! I mean it this time, we are so not doing any more fighting games. Just choose something else for game night.”

“Ugh, fine. What do you boo-hoo babies want to play tonight? Dress-Up Pony Adventures? Pachimari Island? The Sims?”

Junkrat seemed to give the choices serious thought, apparently not understanding her sarcasm. “What’s a The Sims?”

“Oh, uh,” Hana looked slightly taken aback while Lucio only smirked. “You don’t want to play that. Even I haven’t played that in years. It’s just a game where you live every day life. Like you can make little people and a house and have them get jobs and adventures and just…wacky stuff sometimes? Like I made us in the game ages ago—”

“Wait, ya made me in a game? I wanna see me! Show me The Sims Junkrat!” he demanded.

Lucio’s smile turned into a grin at the scowling Hana. “Hey, that sounds fun to me. You made a little game version of me too? Show us.”

“Oh my god, you guys,” she snorted, spinning her chair back around to face the screen. “Fine. I’ll show you the Overwatch House and your little dudes, but only for a minute. I am not spending the whole game night on The Sims. Babe, grab me a drink?”

Lucio abandoned his chair to meander over towards her mini-fridge while Junkrat pulled up both long skinny legs to rest on the edge of his chair— a chair so dirty and soot-smeared, with the cushion ruined by his peg leg and bony rear, that it had been made his own personal game chair and nobody else dared touch it… after Hana had given him an earful for trashing the thing. He perched on his seat, watching curiously as the screen lit up with The Sims 9 logo and the cheerful title theme began playing.

“The fuck is this music?” he asked, giggling madly.

“I warned you it was goofy!” she snapped, looking a little embarrassed as she snatched up the beer Lucio offered to her. Clicking it open and taking a sip, she watched as the cutscene played and the little sim characters went about their act. “See? Those are the simulated people. Get it, The Sims?”

“Wot.”

“Never mind. Lucio, you ever played this?”

“I think maybe once when I was a kid? Not this one, though.” He snapped open his soda, taking a gulp and frowning at the taste. “Aw man, did they change the ingredients in my soda again? I gotta rethink that endorsement deal. I don’t want the kids thinkin’ this is good stuff.”

Hana nodded, flicking through her save files as the game continued on. “I warned you, you have to watch the drink companies in particular. They’re always trying to change the quality. My team had a clause that no drink product could change their recipe without going through our manager first. Oof, after what happened to The Starstrikers when all those kids got tooth rot…”

Junkrat grumbled from where he was gnawing at the blackened edge of a fingernail again, up until Hana smacked his hand away from his mouth. He snorted, looking dour as he glanced between them. “Yeah, well…Mebbe one day I’ll have me own line of soft drinks, ya know? Something what’ll even outdo the Bundabergs and Bickfords! Represent! Something like… Junkrat’s Junk Root Beer, or Roadhog’s Pink Lemonade. That bloke loves pink lemonade like nothing else. Think junker merchandise could really rake in some coin…” His eyes drifted in two different directions, the way they sometimes did when he was in very deep thought, only to come snapping together at something he saw on the screen. “Oi! Is that us!”

It was more than just them, he saw. Almost the whole organization had been modeled into cartoon people form, or at least what Hana had been able to mimic of them. Soldier 76’s combat visor had been replaced with sunglasses, Torbjorn was nowhere near as tiny or bearded as he was supposed to be, Reinhardt looked more old and fat and gray than the muscular juggernaut that he was, and several of them he didn’t recognize at all. But they didn’t interest him.

Hana and Lucio’s Sims were standing next to each other, with Hana dressed in her favorite pinks and blues, and Lucio wearing a green t-shirt, his dreads nowhere near the magnificence that they were in real life. Frankly, they didn’t interest Junkrat either.

There was a very tall and very skinny one, with spiked blond hair, all four limbs intact, wearing one orange glove and a black backpack instead of a tire, and instead of his skull and fire tattoo it was just a swirl of tribal black. Junkrat gaped, jaw falling open.

Hana coughed. “Uh…Sorry? It turns out Jamie is not really not the easiest guy to make into a Sim? I mean, I didn’t want to get into all the cash shop stuff so I did what I could. And your hair kind of just makes you look like a blond Goku, but y—”

Junkrat leaned forward so abruptly that his face nearly smashed into the screen. “I look bloody amazing, mate! Look at that! Really captures my likeness, that does. S’got my good side n’ everything! And…” His wide eyes got even wider, pupils practically becoming slitted. “Look who’s next to me! Does that mean we’re a couple in the game?!”

Hana pinched her lips together and looked skyward, trying very hard not to laugh for a moment before she smothered her snickering into her beer. Lucio elbowed her and merely grinned, gesturing to where Junkrat was still trying to enter the computer screen like it was a portal to a better world. Perhaps in his mind it was, as he was standing next to a much smaller and chubbier little figure, with dark hair twisted into a bun, glasses, and a familiar blue outfit.

Finally, Hana emerged from her beer can. “Uh, I don’t think so. It’s randomly generated. Mei’s just standing next to you is all, I think. I mean, Genji’s also standing next to her, and I don’t think they--”

“The cyborg? With Mei? Yeah, nah. Delete him from the game so it’s just me! Can I fight him?”

“Okay you know what, this might actually turn out to be interesting after all. Let’s load up the house…” Hana clicked the button and the loading screen scrolled past. “Okay, this is the game itself. I made us a nice mansion, so we can go see who’s doing what. Hey, there’s Lucio already! See him eating at the dining table there?”

Lucio leaned forward on Hana’s other side. “Aw, yeah! Looks like I have some waffles. Woah, I look good! …Did you give me extra muscles?”

Her cheeks went very slightly pink beneath her whisker marks. “Uh…I may have put you in the gym a few times. Actually, you and Zarya are best friends because of it, so that’s a plus! Soooo! Let’s find Sim D.Va!” She clicked on her portrait, and it zoomed to where her namesake Sim was playing on the computer in a room decorated pink and blue, with multiple game consoles and toys. “Oh hey, meta.”

“Wow, that’s pretty true to life, I guess. You think she’s playing The Sims in her world?” Lucio said, tilting his head. “Or is she…playing our world?” He wiggled his fingers and made a spooky noise “OoooOOoooo?” that soon tickled the back of Hana’s neck and sent her into shrieking laughter as she batted his hands away.

“Yeah whatever!” Junkrat pointed to his spiky-haired portrait. “Me! Me next!”

They clicked the portrait for Housemate Jamie, and the screen centered in on where the lanky Junkrat-esque figure was screaming and waving his arms for no apparent reason, down in the house’s basement. As they watched, he whimpered and hugged himself, and then promptly urinated a blue puddle all over the floor before he straightened and wandered off.

“The fuck’s this!” his real life counterpart demanded. “Did you make me piss meself?!”

“Ooooh,” Hana said. “Sorry, I think I forgot to make you use the bathroom before.”

“Did Mei see?!”

“I don’t think so. Hold on, let’s find her.” She clicked on Mei, who was placidly sitting and reading on a couch, next to where Angela was watching television.

Sim Angela turned to her and commented a cheerful “Yargle boorgle doo!” to which Mei replied a soft “Aaah, ya feeb.”

Junkrat looked aghast. “What’s all that? Are they talking about me? Did she call me a feeb?”

“They don’t speak a real language, it doesn’t mean anything.”

He pushed into Hana’s side abruptly, long arm reaching to the screen and clicking on his portrait again. “Back to me!”

She pushed him right back, elbowing him back into his chair. “Hey! What did I say about trying to steal my screen control! You know the rules!”

Lucio sighed, lifting both hands. “J-Man, she did lay down the rules a while back. You gotta chill, man. Let her do her thing unless it’s your turn, right?”

Junkrat scowled, looking chastised as he slumped back into his ruined chair once more. Though he couldn’t remain sullen for long, watching his little virtual self wander through the dark basement and speaking gibberish to himself. Hana had left the camera on him, at least, despite her protests. And both she and Lucio watched with curiosity as the Sim Jamie spun in a circle and yelled ‘Nipsy vorg!” before ascending the stairs to join the others.

“That there is a man on a mission,” he said, nodding with approval. “Look, I’m thinkin’ of drumsticks, I’m gonna nipsy vorg some chicken.”

Hana hovered over a smaller window with his stats. “I think you’re going to cook something. This’ll be funny. I gave you the pyromaniac trait, so…Let’s watch.”

Sim Jamie passed by Sim Lucio, who was cleaning up the last of his waffles. Following the other Sim into the kitchen, he began dutifully washing his plate in the sink while his pyromaniac housemate pulled a package out of fridge and began chopping it up. A few moments of that, and he shoved the platter into the oven…which promptly caught on fire and began smoking wildly as Sim Jamie laughed and clapped in front of it.

Real life Jamie seemed just as thrilled. “Yeah! Attaboy! Fight the system!”

“Every time.” Hana nodded.

Sim Lucio started shrieking and clutching his hair in alarm, dancing frantically in place for several moments before pulling an extinguisher from nowhere to begin battling the flames. He was soon joined by the sunglasses-wearing Soldier 76, who started screaming helplessly on the sidelines but strangely made no move to help. Sim Jamie just laughed wildly before turning and pulling a whole bowl of cereal out of the fridge, eating and enjoying the show.

“Why am I the only one trying to save the house!” Lucio protested, pointing in a very accusatory way at the virtual Soldier.

“The hell were you complainin’ about before, Hana?” Junkrat said. “This game’s amazin’. Oi, make me go say hi to Mei.”

“Wow, even a kitchen fire can’t distract you? This sounds serious. All right, let’s see where Mei is now.” She scrolled to find the little blue-dressed Sim, who was… blurred out on the toilet. “Oh, um.”

“She can’t stay in there forever! Put me outside the door there.”

“Yeah, Jamie. Totally not being creepy on her Sim or anything, here.”

They abandoned the still-screaming Sim Lucio as he battled the oven blaze, as Sim Jamie took up his post admiring a painting of a sad clown that had been hung near the bathroom. Soon the door clicked open, and Mei exited. Hana took the opportunity to make her charge approach her, selecting ‘Chat’.

“Ah dag voorlog, mis frontoy?” Sim Jamie asked.

“Oh! Blanana! Dipso varootni,” Mei answered, and then laughed. It sounded nothing like her real laugh.

That didn’t stop Junkrat from lighting up, bushy brows lifting hopefully. “She likes me! Make me say that stuff again, she likes it!”

Hana brought up the enactment wheel. “Hey, why I don’t show you how to actually play this? See, these are all your options. What do you want to make your little Sim guy do next?”

“Kiss her!”

Lucio sighed. “J-Man, even the Sims versions of the ladies don’t appreciate it when you just try to kiss them out of nowhere. Why not give her a compliment or something?”

“Uh, okay. Well it says hug, there. Let’s give Mei a hug. Nice friendly hug, right?”

Hana clicked on the hug, and they watched as their Jamie opened up both arms and went in for the embrace, only for Mei to shrink back and rebuff him with a curt, “Eeenh! Va nitso!” that left the spurned Jamie with two disappointed minus bars over his head.

“What the fuck is wrong with her!”  Junkrat demanded. “I’m doing all the right stuff! This game’s shite!”

“Dude, try something more lowkey. Hana, make our boy actually compliment her,” Lucio said, downing the last of his soda. “I can’t believe we’re even focusing on this while the house is burning down, by the way. I’m probably dead in the kitchen.”

“Nah,” Hana assured him. “We’d hear the Grim Reaper music if you were dead. It’s fine. We’re going to focus on the more important things, like romance. Let’s try Lucio’s suggestion.”

Junkrat still looked peevish, but accepted the suggestion as she selected ‘Compliment’. His Sim approached Mei once more, clearing his throat and smoothing back his hair (He really did have a nice head of hair, didn’t he?) before giving her the wink and the gun, saying “Aaay! Wo ta tupsi blorno, dayg.” The Sim Mei seemed a little taken aback, but giggled and swayed a little as she shyly answered gibberish back to him. Plus signs popped over both their heads as they continued.

Hana leaned back and smirked. “So! What did we learn!”

Heartened once more, Rat finally conceded. “Arright arright, maybe the kisses were coming on just a bit strong. Let’s chat her up some more. Oh! Share secrets! Let’s learn her secrets? Oh oh, no, do that one. Talk about fire.”

“Actually, Romeo, why don’t you play for a little bit? I don’t really care what happens to the save anyway— NO, no getting on MY chair. Just move yours in the middle.” Hana rolled her chair to the side, grabbing the back of Junkrat’s chair to push it into her spot. “I’m gonna go make some popcorn. Lucio, come with?”

“Yeah, hold on.” He picked up both their empty cans, moving to follow her out. “Gotta recycle these. Yo J, you want anything from the kitchen?”

Junkrat was already involved in a very deep and completely nonsensical conversation between Sim Jamie and Sim Mei, the task bar already filled as he clicked to compliment her again. “Huh?”

“That’s a no. Come on,” Hana urged, grabbing Lucio’s hand to guide him out of her room as the door whooshed shut behind them. Once she was sure they were out of earshot and a fair distance down the hall, she glanced to him with a more genuine little grin. “You know, this is one of the few times I’m not scared to leave him in there by himself.”

Lucio paused to basketball-toss one of the cans into the recycling bin by the kitchen door, clattering into the goal. “I think he’s doing better with the whole ‘boundaries’ thing, on not blowing things up that don’t belong to him.”

She nodded, ripping open a packet of popcorn and tossing it into the machine. “Not perfect, though. And he still thinks I didn’t notice him stealing my Retro Zeldamari keychain. Uh…I was going to demand it back from him, but then I saw Roadhog wearing it and…yeah, not worth it.”

“Not perfect,” Lucio agreed, smiling a little sheepishly. “Sorry about your keychain, I’ll get you a new one.”

She rolled her eyes, plugging in the cooking time before leaning back against the counter, opening both arms. “It’s fine. I mean, you can still buy me a new one,” she grinned. “But it’s fine. Jamie’s funny. Sometimes I still wanna strangle him, but he’s a fun guy. Don’t worry so much about him, Lu.”

“Can’t help it, I guess.” He meandered forward, wrapping her up in a tight hug and speaking into her shoulder. “Just trying to make sure everyone gets along.”

“That’s because…” Hana drew his chin up with one finger where he had been slumped against her chest, meeting his concerned gaze. Nodding solemnly, she dropped her voice to a furtive whisper. “…because you are the lamest lamer to ever lame…lame-oid.”

The DJ’s face split into a grin, shoulders shaking as he started laughing into her collarbone. “Aaah, ya got me.”

“C’mere,” she said, grinning back at him. “We have like two minutes for the corn to pop. That’s like, two straight minutes of making out. Timer and everything. Ready?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer, pressing her lips to his before he could even react.

His grip tightened around her, one hand sliding down to her slender waist, resting atop one hip as he tilted his head. Their kiss deepened, her tongue soon boldly prodding into his mouth as he started to press her against the countertop. Nearly bent backward, her fingers clawed into the fabric of his shirt to hold on, looping one ankle around his leg. Lucio growled a low hum into her lips, the soft wet sounds of their mouths drowned out by the humming and rapid popping of the microwave next to them.

There was soon a very cheerful ding, and she grumbled as he released her to grip onto the counter, lifting himself off her. Smoothing back her hair, she stood and adjusted her mussed and crooked top. “Two minutes are up already?”

“Time’s up, corn’s done,” he said, shrugging helplessly. “And you prrrrrobably don’t want to leave Jamie in there alone for too long, Sims or not.”

“Yeah, you’re right, but… You want to stay over after he leaves? Like, longer than two minutes?”

“Don’t think I don’t notice you trying to set me up for a stamina joke, girl. And I’ll check my schedule, but I think I might be able to make some time tonight. After game night.” He reached into the microwave and grabbed the popcorn bag, jostling it about before upending it into the D.Va Bunny Bowl she held out for him. “Let’s go see the damage.”

She snorted, taking her corn and leading him out of the kitchen and back down the hall. “It had better be virtual damage only.”

***

Hana’s door beeped and whooshed open, and they found Junkrat still curled in his chair, facing the holoscreen with his cheeks flushed pink and a stranger grin than usual. He didn’t even glance their way, trying to stifle his giggling as he rocked back and forth and remained fixated on the game.

Lucio lifted a brow at him, stealing a handful of popcorn before meandering over back to his own chair. “What did we miss?”

Hana followed shortly after. “Yeah, how are things going with- OH!”

There was the sound of soft moaning from the Sims game, and both of them watched aghast as the bed on the screen bumped and writhed and giggled. Little hearts popped blipped up from the covers, and the blankets were soon pulled down to reveal Sim Jamie and Sim Mei looking adoringly at one another after a round of carnal bliss. Mei even sighed happily and reached out to stroke his jaw, muttering a satisfied little, “Mmm, na darnu pas noorny…” as Jamie uttered a very sexual growl.

Pausing with popcorn halfway to her mouth, Hana merely looked vaguely impressed. “Huh. That was actually pretty fast. I had to give Lucio like ten straight minutes of hugs and massages before he’d bang my Sim.”

“Hey, Sim-Me has standards,” Lucio said. “Gotta get those hugs.”

Junkrat looked up at them, biting one sharp fang into his lip and muffling a shriek of happy laughter. “Ya didn’t tell me there was rootin’ in this game! I was gettin’ all nice and spicy with Mei, even got to give her a kiss on the cheek. So I kissed her cheek a bunch of times, then I kissed her on the lips some. And then I saw Mei had this ‘woohoo’ thing, so I thought she wanted to party, you know? Like, celebrate, woohoo!”

Hana smirked. “…That’s actually super adorable, you thought she wanted a party?”

“Well…turns out she wanted to party all right! So uh…I’ve been making us woohoo since you been gone. Also some weird music started playing and this guy in a cloak showed up, but who gives a shit? So I went back to woohooing Mei—”

“Wait, guy in a cloak? Oh, damnit! Hold on, let me see—” She batted Junkrat’s hands away from her screen as he went to make woohoo yet again, and scrolled over towards the kitchen.

The kitchen was obliterated, little more than a fire-charred husk. Hanzo and the Grim Reaper was dancing to a stereo that had survived the blaze, completely ignoring the scene nearby where Angela, Torbjorn, and Hana were weeping pitifully over the scorched gravestones and piles of ash that had once been Lucio, Soldier, and Zarya. Genji, also scorched and black from battling the fire, lay passed out in exhaustion, snoring amongst the debris.

Lucio’s jaw dropped open. “I’m dead! I told you I was gonna die! Jamie, man, you killed me! You killed like four people while we were making popcorn!”

“Bad luck there, mate. Just had more important things to do. Oi, Hana, put it back on me and Mei. Where’s Mei’s bed, can we woohoo on there next?”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Uh, why don’t I just let you borrow the game and then you can woohoo with virtual Mei and murder all your friends as much as you want?”

“Yeh! Sounds ace, thanks darl!”

“Hold on, this is for the game night records.” Pausing the game on the scene of utter house distraction and death, she spun Junkrat’s chair around and pulled Lucio in against her as she grabbed her phone. Snuggling the boys in on either side, she angled the picture so it was the three of them grinning in front of the Sim carnage, with her flashing the peace sign. “For all our dead Sim pals and Jamie’s woohoos. One, two, three, kimchiiii!”

“Kimchiii!”

She snapped the photo, looking down to the newest picture of game night, to add in to all the ones before…the ones with them laughing, eating, arguing, making faces, and the blurry one that Lucio had taken of Hana pinning a flailing Junkrat by the chest while he held the game control out of her reach.

Smiling, she scrolled through them. “That was a good one. I can’t believe the most successful game for you was The Sims. I never would have guessed it.”

“Nah, yeah. Educational game, this is. Lu was right about all the complimentin’ and chats and whatnot, before we get to the kissing and the woohooing. Got to approach the ladies slow-like, not spook them.”

“Uh huh,” Hana said. “Life lessons from The Sims. We’re all learning something tonight. I learned that the Grim Reaper and Hanzo have a lot in common, that Jamie isn’t housebroken, and that Lucio is super flammable.”

Lucio chuckled, wrapping both arms around her shoulders and kissing her neck, leaning to look through the pictures as well. “I died for a noble cause.”

Junkrat sighed dreamily. “I learned how many times I gotta compliment Mei for woohoo. Gotta try to remember that for later…”

“You know,” she suggested. “There’s more stuff you can do in this game besides death and woohoo? I mean you can have babies and get jobs and raise pets and all kinds of stuff. You can also dress everyone in hot dog outfits and make a prison compound where they are forced to make paintings and write erotic novels to fund your efforts to make one hundred babies with everyone in town.”

The two boys stared at her.

“But uh…How about we make a new household instead and I’ll show you the rest of the game, Jamie?”

“Can’t believe you were holdin’ out on me. This is the best game I ever heard of. Yeah, show me more Sims! Woohoo!”

[minoraugmentation]

Acceptance (Route 17 Fest Day 4: The Zoologist)

“Boss, Kazuki. I’ll give him a quick tour of the island before we finish up, if that’s okay?

The old man nodded in agreement. “Then we’ll be on our way. Both of you be careful.”

“Won’t take any chances, and even so, seems like our mystery recruit is more than capable of handling himself.”

Kazuki boarded his boat, while the boss entered his copter. Once both left, Aki turned to Seventeen.

“Let’s get started, shall we? Promise I won’t keep you too long, but I sometimes have a tendency to ramble about the life here, so if you’re bored, let me know.”

“Lead the way, ma’am.”

Aki chuckled. “Either you’re overly respectful, or you’re trying to make me feel old. Don’t be such a stiff! We’re about the same age. First-name basis is fine.”

“Yes, missus Aki.”

“You, sir, are an ass.”

Someone willing to inject a little personality into things? Definitely might be interesting. For the first time since his resurrection, Seventeen found himself truly smiling, even just a little.

“We might as well start with the namesake of this island. But be careful. A wrong step could be disastrous.”

The two entered a cave, coming upon a magnificent purple beast with large horns.

Seventeen flipped open his Red Data Book, trying to find information on this particular creature.

“Oh, you have the Red Data Book?”

He looked up, addressing Aki. “Yeah. Bought it about ten months ago. Been thumbing through it in my spare time.”

A smile. “I’m glad you’re trying to take all this in. You really do care about protecting life, don’t you?”

Seventeen looked down again. Sixteen did, but he didn’t. She didn’t need to know that. “I guess so.”

“You do. Not everyone shows a genuine interest and concern about life, but you do. Even if you don’t fully believe that you care, I do.”

His eyes widened. It wasn’t often he had positive interactions with others, and it was even more uncommon to have someone believe in him.

“The Minotaurus won’t be in the Red Data Book, unfortunately. The Red Data Book covers endangered species of animals, but that doesn’t include what people deem as “monsters”.”

Just like himself, Seventeen thought. His existence was acknowledged by those who could see him, but no records would exist.

“That said, I want to change that.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Aki sighed. “Well, the Minotaurus used to be teeming on this island. They were calm and gentle. But their horns are immensely valuable: people use them to make jewelry or just display them as hunting trophies. The horns can easily go for 20 million zeni on the black market apiece. Poachers ravaged their population numbers, and in turn, the Minotaurus became hostile and aggravated.”

Someone who did nothing to the world got abused by the people in it and became angry and bitter as a result. Seventeen definitely related to the beast more than he expected.

“We’re awful, aren’t we?”

He turned towards his...guide? Mentor? Seventeen wasn’t sure what to call their relationship, but he was confused by her statement.

“We?”

She smiled, but it had a tint of sadness behind it. “Humans. We mess with life to fulfill our ambitions, no matter how twisted they can be. And we decide what is or isn’t good or bad. What is or isn’t right or wrong.”

Aki took a couple of steps forward, seemingly talking away from him, but her words hit Seventeen like a series of blows.

“Because we’re consumed by our own selfishness and greed, the Minotaurus have grown to hate humanity. And the Red Data Book refuses to catalog them, even though their numbers have declined drastically. All because they’re ‘monsters’, as if that disqualified them from having a chance at living.”

She turned, facing a stunned and speechless Seventeen.

“That Minotaurus is one of the last of its kind on the planet, maybe even the last. It has every right to hate us and to attack us. But I want to show that even one person can choose to protect it and accept it. That here, it isn’t a monster, but another living being that we swear to protect.”

‘That’s exactly how he would have viewed it.’ It was as if in that moment, he saw a vision of Sixteen next to her. Seventeen didn’t even realize he was nodding along in agreement until Aki spoke again.

“Seventeen, you strike me as the type of guy who gets that. That’s why I said I believe you care about protecting life. It’s not just about the animals. You love life, and you’re willing to protect it in all forms, no matter what humans decide is or isn’t worthy of it.”

He knew something was different about this woman, but Seventeen knew he could trust her. Without knowing a thing about him or his past, Aki had let Seventeen know that she trusted and accepted him, regardless of his mystery or lack of identity.

“What would it take to get the Minotaurus into the Red Data Book?”

Aki gasped in surprise. “You...you really think it’s possible?”

He shrugged. “Maybe people are capable of changing. It’s obviously important to you, and it’s not impossible, is it?”

After all, he was trying to change.

“It’s one of my dreams to get the Minotaurus entry published in the Red Data Book. Of all the entries I’ve submitted so far, that one would mean the most. Because it’d mean that we could potentially change the public’s view on protecting other creatures.”

“Then I’ll help you.”

Now she was the one who was stunned. “Would you?”

“Nothing you said was incorrect. If that’s your dream, then go and actualize it into a reality.”

Aki was beaming. “Everyone’s told me that it’s an impossibility. That people aren’t capable of change in that way. You’re the first person to believe in that. To say that my dream could be possible.”

She then began walking towards the entrance of the cave, beckoning for Seventeen to follow. “Come on. We have the rest of the island to run down.”

The two finished their tour of the island. Seventeen learned it was called the Minotaurus Island Reserve (called MIR for short), and the rangers wore uniforms with the acronym on it.

Aki boarded her boat. “Aren’t you getting ready to leave?”

Seventeen looked away sheepishly. “I kinda swam here.” He couldn’t casually drop that he flew here from Central City faster than she probably rode her boat.

“Swam? Kazuki did say you were sleeping out here when he found you. Do you live around here?”

“I don’t have a place. I just sleep wherever I can when I need to.”

She stepped off the boat back onto the island. “You’re telling me that you have nowhere to stay?”

“The outdoors are my home.”

Aki seemed deep in thought. The redhead eventually nodded and turned, getting on her boat.

Seventeen waved her goodbye, yet she wasn’t leaving.

“What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it customary to say good-bye when you leave?”

“Seventeen, are you dense? Get on the boat.”

He must have misheard. Maybe his auditory systems were malfunctioning.

“Come again?”

She sighed, almost in annoyance. “I’m not leaving you out here to sleep on the island. I couldn’t have that on my conscience. Not to mention Kazuki would kill me for it. Now come on.”

He’d dealt with Eighteen enough times to know that a woman was at her scariest when she was angry. Today wasn’t the day he wanted to test that line with Aki, so he obliged.

The two took off into the ocean. They rode in silence for a few minutes before Seventeen broke the ice.

“Why a boat?”

Aki laughed heartily. “Why not a boat?”

“I mean, a copter or something would get you places faster, no?”

“Seventeen, you apparently live outdoors, so you get more than your fair share of fresh air. But there is nothing like feeling the wind and experiencing nature on the boat ride here and back. No copter could ever emulate that feeling.”

The redhead looked at the ocean before continuing. “The only thing that could ever top the experience of the boat ride is flying.”

“Flying?”

“Yeah. Just like the birds do: freely. Able to just go against the forces of gravity and into the wind. The purest way to embrace nature. Every time I fly a copter, it’s flight with the most important element missing. Life isn’t about the time we spend on this wonderful planet, but how we make the most of those seconds we’re living.”

“So it is.”

Seventeen found her belief of flight to be vastly different from his own. He was given the ability to fly as a mechanism to fight Son Goku. It served as a constant reminder that he wasn’t normal, that it had come with the rest of the cybernetics that he hadn’t asked for. He’d only use it when there was no other way to travel, or when he was in true danger, but he just wanted the normality of any other mode of travel.

“I’d like to fly like that just once. It’d be a dream come true.”

He turned to face Aki. “You seem to have a lot of dreams.”

“Not many. Getting the Minotaurus accepted into the Red Data Book. Flying freely. A couple of others. Some seem possible, but are difficult. Others are probably impossible. But it’s nice to believe that maybe someday, they could come true. Even if only one does, I’d be incredibly happy.”

She turned to face Seventeen now. “And you? What about you and your dreams?”

His dreams? Seventeen hadn’t ever really considered the future much at all. Every day was living out the present, achieving the objective in front of him. The only thing he could ever remember was being driven to kill Son Goku, and with him gone, there wasn’t anything.

“I’ve been searching for someone. He and I were separated, so I’ve been trying to find him.” Even if he knew it was unlikely, Seventeen supposed it counted as a dream.

“You’ll see him again. I believe it.”

“I’m not sure.”

“I am. You’ve given me belief that even one of my dreams is possible to achieve, even if it doesn’t seem like it could ever happen. And I feel that way about you as well. No matter how unlikely it may seem that you’ll meet your friend again, I know you will.”

Seventeen smiled, letting the wind pick up his hair. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Eventually, the boat pulled into a neighboring island city. Stepping off, Aki de-capsulized the boat before motioning for Seventeen to follow. “My place is only a few minutes from here.”

“Your place?”

“You have to sleep somewhere, don’t you?”

“I was under the impression that I could just find a hotel or something around.”

She huffed. “Knowing you, you’d tell me that and then go and just sleep by the harbor or something.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

“Now come on: let’s get going!”

“Yes ma’am.”

Aki let that remark slide.

The two eventually reached an apartment building. Taking her keys, she unlocked the door. “Welcome to my place. It’s not super spacious, but it’s homely enough!”

Entering, Seventeen noted how small the space was. In front of him was the living area, and to the side of the front door was the kitchen. Two rooms extended out, leading to presumably a bedroom and bathroom.

“Make yourself at home. I’ll order something to eat: anything in particular?”

Seventeen shook his head. “I’m not particularly picky. Anything works. Just get something you like, and pick something you’d think I’d like.”

“Is fish okay?”

“Sure.”

Aki smiled at the door. “I hope you’ll be more enthusiastic when we eat. Living on the island, there’s some great local sushi around. I’ll be back in about 45 minutes or so, then.”

Once the door closed, Seventeen looked around the apartment again. A place like this seemed nice. Maybe it wasn’t luxurious, but it had a roof, a place to sleep, and the bare essentials. The place seemed to fit Aki’s personality, he thought.

He ultimately found the zoologist to be fascinating. She clearly had a passion for life itself. She was friendly, welcoming. It wasn’t anything that Seventeen was used to, being treated this way.

He knew he could slip away. She’d given him an opportunity to disappear until they saw each other again tomorrow.

Ultimately, Seventeen decided against it. She’d gone out of her way to offer him a place to stay for the night, and he’d have to work with her for the next three months. Rejecting that kindness wouldn’t be the rational thing to do, and he was honestly appreciative of it.

Taking a water bottle from the fridge, Seventeen opened it and took out the Red Data Book again, going over the various entries of animals on the island. He’d have to ask which entries she’d submitted, since she’d never mentioned them. Or maybe he’d just assume she wrote all of them.

True to her word, Aki returned 45 minutes later with a couple bags of food. “Oh, you’re still here!”

“Was I supposed to not be?”

“Truth be told, part of me thought you might take the opportunity to leave. There’s a trend in my life where all the men seem to end up leaving. So it wouldn’t have surprised me. I’m glad you didn’t, though.”

“It’d be impolite to reject your hospitality, especially since we’ll be working together often.”

She smiled. “Then let’s eat. I got a bit of everything, so help yourself!”

Seventeen was pleasantly surprised with the meal. Aki was right: the food was certainly quite good. During dinner, and even after, the two spoke about their lives. The cyborg learned that she had graduated with a zoology degree and had studied endangered species of animals during her time in college. She had always wanted to work with animals and life in some capacity, and after learning about MIR, she applied to become the chief expert on the life in the area.

“What about you, Seventeen?”

“What about me?”

“Well, I’d like to know some things about you. Anything?”

He pondered how best to approach this. He would rather not disclose him being a cyborg, but he could partially tell the truth.

“Honestly, there isn’t much. I actually don’t really know much about myself. I woke up this past May without any memory or knowledge of who I was. All I had was the name ‘Seventeen’, so that’s what I went by.”

She nodded, silently telling him to continue.

“I know I have a twin sister. We had a friend with us at the time as well, but ultimately, we got attacked a few days later, and I was unconscious. When I came to, my friend wasn’t there. My sister told me what had happened, but she hadn’t been able to find him either. So I’ve been looking for him since then.”

“I see. Kazuki had mentioned that you didn’t turn up in any databases.”

She shrugged. “Oh well. Just because you don’t have a government profile doesn’t mean you aren’t real. You’re here, and that’s all that ultimately matters, isn’t it?”

Was he real?

“I suppose so.”

“You are real. The Minotaurus is real, even if people won’t acknowledge it. You are too. All it takes is one person. I acknowledge that you’re real, so you’re real. All there is to it.”

She made it sound so simple.

“What’s your sister like, Seventeen?”

“Me, but blonde and less fun. Hates adventure. Can be bitchy. But she’s my sister.”

“I’m guessing she doesn’t share your sense of adventure?”

He chuckled. “Hardly. If she could, she’d probably destroy a forest.” Which wasn’t entirely inaccurate, considering she could and did.

“Does she also not remember anything?”

Seventeen nodded. “It’s whatever though. We are what we are now. If we remembered what happened before that time, it wouldn’t make us what we are today. At least, that’s how I see it. Maybe it’d give me peace of mind if I knew that I was real before all this, that I had a name or something, but I don’t need it to define me.”

“Who you are, Seventeen. You’re real, so you don’t need to dehumanize yourself or anything.”

If only it were that simple. He couldn’t truly be considered a human being anymore.

“Do you have any other dreams besides finding your friend?”

“Not really. I’ve always lived objective to objective. What about you? Besides the Minotaurus and flying, any others?”

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

“I’m not easily humored, so that’s very likely.”

Aki squirmed. “It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“I won’t. Promise.”

“One of them is to get a boat.”

Seventeen was confused. “What about the one you own?”

Aki shook her head. “I guess it’s more on the lines of a cruiser. I want to travel the world, to see all the various life on the planet. Taking a trip on a cruiser to do that is a dream. But it’s impossible, since those ships cost around 5 billion zeni.”

That did sound nice. The ride back from the island was incredibly relaxing, and just being able to do that and explore the world sounded calm. Normal, despite how abnormal the dream itself was.

“And the others?”

“My other dream, besides those three, is to raise a family.”

“That doesn’t seem unreasonable, does it?”

The redhead sighed. “You might have thought I was joking earlier when I said all the men in my life seem to leave, but it’s true. My dad left when I was young, so I just grew up with my mom mostly. My past boyfriend left without warning too. This was actually our apartment that we signed a lease on, but I guess he got tired of me and left.”

She set her arms on the table before continuing. “I get it, though, and I guess I don’t really blame him. This job is demanding, and he didn’t want to really be a part of this. We fought about the future a lot, and he kept telling me to quit this job. We eventually did this to try and make it work, but I guess at some point, it wasn’t going to work.”

“Besides, with me being this dedicated to the job, and my horrendous luck with men, I don’t think I could ever be a good wife or mother to anyone. The man would leave, and I’d have trouble giving the proper attention to children. They’d probably resent me.”

“I don’t believe that.”

She turned to him, bearing a sad smile. “You really believe so?”

“If he cared, he would have tried to make it work. It seems like your boyfriend gave up. That’s not a curse or anything, just the wrong person. You just have to find someone willing to support you. And kids wouldn’t hate you. Your dedication to life is evidence enough that you’d be able to raise a family well.”

Aki was speechless. She could feel a slight blush in her cheeks. “Wow.”

“That’s a dream that will come true for you. You just have to have faith that it will.”

“You know, that’s not something I’ve ever disclosed. But you’re different. You make me believe in you, that maybe those dreams can come true after all.”

The redhead smiled at him, seemingly lighting up the apartment with her happiness. “You’re a special person, Seventeen. I’m really looking forward to working with you.”

“Likewise, Aki.”

“I’ll be in my room if you need me. You can take the couch, or there’s an air mattress in the closet.”

He nodded. “Good night. Thank you for letting me stay here.”

“No worries. Get some rest.”

As Aki retired to her room, both she and Seventeen had one passing thought in their minds.

‘What an interesting person.’

A/N: This came out a bit later than I hoped, but that’s what I get for falling asleep while studying last night before I could get this finished. Hope y’all enjoy. This was actually only a few snippets of a larger set of interactions I was going to post, but I realized there’d be so much to throw in that I decided to leave those out. Please give feedback!

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE SERIES: My Favorite One Piece Arc with RogersBase

  I love One Piece and I love talking to people who love One Piece. And with the series going on 23 years now, there is a whole lot to talk about. As the series is about to publish its 1000th chapter, a true feat in and of itself, we thought we should reflect upon the high-seas adventure and sit down with some notable names in the One Piece fan community and chat about the arcs they found to be especially important, or just ones they really, really liked.

  Welcome to the inaugural article in the series "My Favorite One Piece Arc!"

  My first guest in this series is RogersBase, a Nintendo Brand Ambassador. For my chat with him, he chose the Zou arc, in which Luffy and his crew head to an ancient civilization that sits upon the back of a giant elephant.

  A note on spoilers: If you haven't seen the Zou arc yet, this interview does contain major plot points. Watch the Zou arc starting RIGHT HERE if you'd like to catch up or rewatch!

    Dan Dockery: In one sentence, could you sell me on Zou?

  RogersBase: Okay, here we go — Mystery, romance, and a little bit of the Mammoth Boyz. I think that’s the perfect way to describe the best story arc in the post time skip era of One Piece.

  The best? Really?

  Yeah, by far. For me, at least. 

  Yeah, I feel like post time skip has been a certainly interesting array of storylines. I think my personal favorite is Whole Cake. So much of the back half of it as soon as the wedding goes awry is great, and the entire Katakuri fight is a masterpiece. 

  I think Whole Cake is a totally reasonable answer, and I think you probably like it for the same reasons that I like Zou: the characterization and the drama that isn’t centered around the characters saving a kingdom. The kingdom of Zou has already been destroyed. There’s no saving it at this point. The only thing they want to save is Raizo. So you don’t have to deal with the villain hierarchies and families of say Dressrosa or Wano. And the nice thing about it is that since it’s a shorter, condensed story arc, it really hammers home the motivations of the characters and gives us this terrifying villain that’s not even present for most of the arc.

    I really like Jack. He only appears in a flashback for the most part and he’s a scourge of the kingdom. And then he comes back, only to be hit by that elephant. And that’s one of those things at the beginning of the arc, when I saw this massive thing, I thought “Aw, man. I wanna see what that elephant can do. I hope it hits something” and then IT DOES. I flipped out. It was so satisfying. Did you know that Zou would be your favorite when you finished it?

  Yeah, I think I did. All the arcs up to that point had really high highs, but some of it just didn’t land with me. So to have Oda move away from these long story arcs that end in big one on one fights and go to this shorter, mystery-focused arc: What’s going on with these minks? What’s atop this elephant? Is Raizo still alive? What is The Voice of All Things? What connection does Luffy have to these giant creatures? And with so many great designs and characters, too, with the Minks. It’s really fascinating, and you have bits and pieces that lead up to it, but there’s so much here. 

  I feel like the Minks might be Oda’s purest expression of side characters because he’s playing with all of these animal figures that are both interesting to look at and emotionally evocative. It’s him flexing his muscles as a character artist. And the landscape of Zou as well - It’s beautiful to behold. 

    Especially when you think about the amount of content that’s there in a short amount of chapters or episodes. There’s so much that’s told about the overall world, the Road Poneglyphs, the relationship between the Minks and the Kozuki Family, the Beast Pirates, so much gets touched upon that will expand in later story arcs. There’s beautiful, immediate payoff there and later. 

  It has such a comparatively goofy start, too. They’re climbing this giant elephant on the back of a cartoon dragon that Robin thinks is adorable. And I’m glad she gets a little bit of focus here because, with the Poneglyphs, Zou is a really big set-up arc for Robin. So her role in One Piece’s endgame has exponentially increased. 

  Also, the focus on characterization. In earlier, post timeskip arcs, you have these epic clashes that take down kingdoms, but here you get a cute moment with Robin. It’s so refreshing to see her in a natural element where she’s comfortable.

    What did you think of the Mink tribe’s living situation? The giant white whale tree and the treehouses and all. Do you have any favorite parts of Oda’s worldbuilding here? Not just as a story designer, but as someone who crafts actual places where races and species can live.

  It’s cool to see the animals he chooses for the Minks, and how he constructs the power structure and who controls the land at what time, with the dog during the day and the cat at night. The big pineapple trees and the ruins that you see in the Jack flashback, he created a full-blown, believable civilization. It’s always a pleasure to see Oda working in jungle vegetation-type areas. He really excels in this in Skypiea and in his color spreads. So it seems like Zou is something that he’s wanted to do for a while. And how much effort he puts into it is why you feel so attached to the Minks at the end.

  That’s really cool. There are a ton of anime side character animals, like Kakashi’s pet dogs and the little animals that hang out with Goku and pals, but Oda really lets loose here with a whole species. And as you said, we should’ve kinda seen it coming with all the work he’s done with anthropomorphic animals. But then, you have the big Jack flashback. And the stereotype of the One Piece flashback is “Oh boy, it’s ‘bout to get sad.” But Zou’s feels like an epic piece of mythology, and Jack is just this being of pure cruelty without any kind of sad backstory. How did you feel about it? Did it surpass your expectations?

    Oh, absolutely! To see a character as violent and ruthless as Jack was something needed, I think. He’s an overall threat, not goofy. And his Devil Fruit is fascinating, as you finally see the return of the Prehistoric Zoan type fruit after you last saw it with Drake turning into an Allosaurus. So it’s cool to not only see that Jack can turn into a Woolly Mammoth, but it’s a Woolly Mammoth fighting on top of a giant elephant. And with the way he gets teased leading up to his appearance in the flashback, I remember thinking “How cool would it be if there was a Woolly Mammoth fruit!” and sure enough, there it is! Jack feels like a fulfillment of the promise of the New World — It’s not going to be a cakewalk. Your opponents will be devastating and Jack is so determined, coming because he knows Raizo’s there and then coming back because he STILL KNOWS Raizo is there. He’s like “You can tell me all you want that he’s not here, but I know, and I will crucify you and cut off your limbs. I don’t know why you’re trying to defend this one ninja, but I know he’s here.”

  Zou is kind of a double feature. We have Raizo and the Minks and the lore, but we also have the stuff that leads to Whole Cake with Sanj and Capone. Now, I see Sanji’s whole arc here sometimes referred to as Robin 2.0, because it’s a lot like Enies Lobby on the surface. Guy gets taken by the bad guys and is like “Don’t follow me because they’ll kill you, etc.” That’s always felt a little hollow to me because Sanji is not Robin and they don’t have the same motivation.

  No, absolutely. And I’m glad you mentioned it because it’s phenomenal how well Zou has aged. They manage to give these characterization moments to Robin and Sanji and the crew while introducing all this stuff and managing to make us care about all of it. There are people that are like “I can’t wait for Carrot to officially join the crew,” and it all stems from this story arc. 

    In terms of characters that get done so well that even though their time with you is brief, they still stick with you for a long time, I think a good example is Pedro. He joins everyone and he’s this stoic, mentor figure, a character type that usually doesn't fare so well when it comes to surviving anime series intact. And obviously, RIP Pedro. But it’s a testament to what you’re talking about because he just joins the crew and you’re like “Yeah, sure. Gimme fifty more chapters of him.”

  He’s got this cool eye patch, he has a beef with Big Mom, he knows about the world. And he’s the one who’s sort of the most hesitant to trust the Straw Hats at first after the disaster with Jack and all. But by the ending, he knows that the Straw Hats are the guys that he’s been waiting for. This is the crew that will bring upon that new dawn. And we haven’t even talked about Pekoms yet! He has those ties to Big Mom and to Bepo and to Zou and to Pedro and to Capone, who shoots him. 

  What do you think of the Poneglyph system? It’s both indicative of the Straw Hat endgame, but it isn’t like this magic map. What do you think of it as kind of a quest marker?

  It’s great because you learn that there are a definite few that mean something and that they’re all being held at various places that are run by Emperors. So trying to find them gives you an actual reason to fight these Emperors of the Sea and heading into their territories. They don’t really need to be fighting Kaido in the grand scheme of things, but the Poneglyphs add to the direction of the series. 

  ONE PIECE LIGHTNING ROUND!

  Favorite character?

  Trafalgar D. Water Law.

  Favorite Straw Hat?

  I go back and forth between three, but Sanji.

  Favorite villain?

  Doflamingo.

  If you could live on any One Piece island, where would you call home?

  Dressrosa without Doflamingo would actually be pretty nice.

  Favorite One Piece fight?

  Luffy vs Lucci.

  One Piece moment that made you sob the most?

  “Raizo is safe!” I was so overwhelmed with emotion, seeing the resolve of the Minks.

  One Piece moment that made you cheer the loudest?

  Sabo getting the Flare-Flare Fruit in Dressrosa.

      Stay tuned for the next installment of "My Favorite One Piece Arc" as we speak with Official One Piece Columnist for Shueisha and Toei Greg Warner about his favorite One Piece arc: Arlong Park!!

      Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features.

By: Daniel Dockery