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lostacelonnie · 1 year ago

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Ah hell my bad i did get. Really busy & really tired the end of year holidays are busy & really draining. I am a sea person but im glad that resonates with non sea people too. People try & talk to you often there? I dont know a whole section of verb conjugation so im not sure how id do there. Fried bread & cinnamon sugar what a peak combination thank you churros. Same i need to pick up more spanish food recipes. Oh? Thats a good start actually. Knowing simple stuff like eggs or grilled cheese or uh. Chicken noodle soup are good baselines. I mean. Yeah same to a degree. I turn them on when im reading or walking/going places. Keeps me focused. Mag is good. Same with nightvale & alice isnt dead. Thats some solid luck kudos to everyone for not getting attacked by gulls. Id wonder about that too australia seems. Nice but very weird. Like their one prime minister who walked into the ocean & disappeared. Kudos to her for finding one she likes & gets along with enough to move there. Ah nothin like light hearted roasting among friends love that for you. Oh jeesh thats like my geometry teacher i had once. Dude would get distracted & then skip stuff he was supposed to help us learn. & still test us on it. Had a different math teacher help me sometimes because he was better at teaching. Hell yeah english teacher for the save. She sounds cool. I dont have time for meta so like. Why bother when if something works it works? Oh is honkai meta that hard? Do i need to focus on that on the way through the story? Oh thats way better like star rail having a pick your own on standard after x amount of pulls. What genshin's fate system could be if it was good. Hmm im not sure where even to start. I guess about himeko. Like her place in the story & what her story in hi3 is. Since i doubt its similar to in hsr. Hell she does have that vibe doesnt she? Chill piracy milf in a way. I hope she becomes playable. A thirty minite backstory? Must be a heck of a joke. Or because of all the polish nuance. Thanks! Ill have to see how she plays of course but personality wise she's good. Fontaine has killed it with interesting characters. Oh? Why the screen limit is it a doctors orders thing? & no worries about that life hit me hard so i understand. Ah thanks im getting to where gear matters a bit so ill need that luck. Need to up talents & such more though. Makes sense then but damn 4 pm as the other option? Both of those aren't super great. I live close to my work which is nice but i still have to wake up 2 hours before for early days because otherwise i wont wake i am not a morning person. 4 am? Hell mad respect for that i could never im barely a person some days at that hour i definitely wouldnt be. Oh nice congrats! On the exam & the history memes. At least your friends are becoming nerds with you. Important group activity. Im caught up on show & manga releases but i do need to read the spin off still when i can find it. Claire has protag rights to one name

AH ITS OK i just. Dont trust tumblr to function properly AJSKFJJH. but ah wishing you some time to chill soon. i understand tho since its the end of the first semester in my school so literally every teacher is trying to squeeze in as many tests as possible. yeah sjdkfkkskdf thats one thing everyone can agree on i suppose!! and it really is like that!! the stereotype about spanish people being seemingly All Extroverted is. much more true than i expected it to be. especially when compared to poland where everyone just more or less minds their own business. and not knowing the language that well proved to be less of an issue than i thought actually!! as in. i do Not speak spanish very well but through a series of trial and error combined with a lot of gesticulation i managed to communicate well enough. AND FOR REAL good lird. they were so right for that. and thanks!! i can more or less follow intermediate recipes so i can Survive more or less. and ahh thats fair, i unfortunately cant really listen to stuff outside my house as i only own headphones and not earphones and i dont like being Completely disconnected from the sound around me when im not at home. but very understandable. ANYWAY YEAH AUSTRALIA IS. A PLACE. i heard about that one prime minister yeah..... wild...... and yeah ajdkfjg me and my friends have been dissing each other for a Long time since i did the same thing in my previous school. always fun. AND AOUGH I FEEL YOU i have. a Lot of teachers like that. but eh im pretty decent at studying on my own [if i find the energy.....] so its managable. with math teachers too actually which is very funny bc last year we had this one teacher [we called her The Brick] who just. did not explain Anything just start doing exercises on the board and then be disappointed when we didnt understand anything. so obviously we were very happy to hear that were gonna have a different one EXCEPT??? SHE DOESNT KNOW HOW TO COUNT???? LIKE GENUINELY SHE DOES SOMETHING ON THE BOARD THREE TIMES AND EACH TIME ITS SOLVED INCORRECTLY. IN A DIFFERENT WAY. ah well. but yes my english teacher is very epic. if nobody got me i know she got me can i get an amen. and exactly i agree with you!! as in. i like when theres a Big Number so i try to more or less build my chars but im not gonna wreck my sanity doing the same domain over and over again. the honkai meta however IS pretty hard so i try to keep up with that. but im much less excited for part 2 so when it drops im probs gonna focus on gearing the chars i already have instead of pulling the new ones since you can do anything with a good support and i have. pretty good supports [HERRSCHER OF TRUTH FOR THE WIN]. id generally recommend Not Completely Ignoring it yeah. tho i did and still managed to pull myself out, but it wasnt a pleasant experience [god. superstring dimension with ungeared teams. Augh.] so. yeah. AND RIGHT???? honkais meta may be painful but the gacha sure is not. I WILL GET INTO HIMEKOS STORY BUT ITS GONNA TAKE A SEC SO ILL JUST PUT IT UNDER A READMORE AND ALSO BEWARE OF VERY VERY VERY HEAVY SPOILERS. since im not exactly sure in what point of the story youre in. AND YEAH shes just. chillen. and the joke is [linguistic rant incoming] actually not That long [i just love hyperboles] although there is one joke that is Actually pretty hard to explain. anyway what i wanted to say is that she has ESSA which. first of all this is slang but its slightly outdated slang [which, of course, doesnt stop me from using it] and it just. well when you say someone has essa it means theyre like. chill in a cool way. cool in a chill way. but also essa itself can be used like. hm. for example if you manage to do sth, say, pass an exam, and you wanna say you did it and also it wasnt very hard?? you can just say NO I ESSA. its not quite translatable into english but needless to say i shall now begin using it. AND YEAH FR rare occurence where genshin made me actually care about male characters. as in. i love furina forever but neuvilette has actually proven to be someone i like as well.

[once again. tumblr forcing me to do a paragraph break] his autistic swag has captivated me. and yeah ajdfkgjsj as it turns out im both farsighted and have astigmatism so i should be limiting my computer usage...... its ok tho im trying to get into traditional art more and also studying is easier. so Its Joekay. ahhhhhh talents are such a pain to level up.... i just never have enough stuff for them seemingly. yeah my history classes have godawful times good lird. and we actually do less material bc of that since our teacher just refuses to do anything on the 6pm classes and just does twice the material in the monday block instead. i love my life. fair enough tbh, i picked up an ADDITIONAL 7am class bc its not mandatory and was close to disbanding but my classbestie really likes it so i joined to make it less likely to fall apart but ah. im regretting my decision. but at least the teacher is nice so. AND FOR REAL i do not understand where they get their energy from. or the dedication. ESPECIALLY for this godforsaken school. and ah thankies!!!! and good luck with catching up!!! i LOVE the manga sm omg...... im also very excited for the anime since the love scale arc is starting today and its my favorite........ big hype. and ah i started playing noita recently!!!! very fun i love games that are engineered to hurt me personally

ANYWAY. ONTO THE HIMEKO LORE

i Should mention that im not an expert on himeko lore BUT ill do my best hehehe. however i will reiterate that heavy spoilers ahead, especially for chapter 9.

SO himekos backstory is revealed in the alien space manga [which, admittedly, i read only because i found out shub niggurath appears by the end and i love niggurath] but it goes more or less like this. i wont go into detail about what Exactly happened because truth be told this is a pretty long manga and i simply do not have the motivation to do an Entire Summary but basically. when she was in university, her father, who was working for schicksal and also the host of an Actual Literal Alien kiiiiiind of went berserk [without her knowledge, of course] and welt had to Kill Him. which is pretty bad because they knew each other and were Kinda friends. anyway since her mother was already dead and she was infected with honkai at the time, this caused her to join schicksal! of course, the entire time kept in the dark about what exactly happened to her father. so when she was in schicksal, she was in the squad let by ragna lothbrok, who also ended up dying in action, and himeko ended up in saint freya. she also made bianka join schicksal! so anyway this is where we get to the main story. i wont go into chapter chiyou bc im gonna be honest i remember Nothing from chronicles. but she was kiana and the others from the main squad mentor, guiding them through their journey as valkyries. when kiana awoke as the herrscher of the void during the void arc, she was also Actively Dying from honkai poisoning [since valkyrie gear uses the honkai in it but she had pretty low natural resistance to it]. fu hua gives her an antidote that Could save her life but, during the final lesson, she uses it to temporarily seal the herrscher of the void so that kiana can live on. and dies in the process. i cry watching it to THIS DAY. but himeko remains as somewhat of an Afterlife Guide to the end of the series, appearing as flashbacks and visions in the chapter 11 ex cg, meteoric salvation, like an entire section of set tomorrow ablaze, everlasting flames, and graduation trip. to summarize, I LOVE HER AND WILL CRY ABOUT HER AGAIN. AOUGGGHH. she actually means so much to me you have no idea you have NO idea

#asks #pen pals

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dzpenumbra · 1 year ago

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6/9/23

Weird headspace today. I rested well, yoga was good. But I had therapy today.

It didn't go bad. I'm just... in a weird headspace now, reflecting on it. And I don't even really know why, honestly.

A big portion was talking about the doctor's appointment and my elevated cholesterol. Which is really weird to say out loud. I really don't know where that came from. We talked about that for a while. I used to eat a LOT of fried food and eggs and meat and shit. And I smoked for like... 15 years? And then 2 years after I quit smoking and clean up my diet, now I have elevated blood pressure and cholesterol? That makes sense... Though, I did mention that like... I've been pretty sedentary since I moved. (Which isn't entirely true, honestly, I was skating pretty regularly in winter and I have been going for walks at least once a week since it's been warm...) But what's really indisputable is the extra stress. That could do it. But again, I don't know shit about this, so... I can only really guess.

It frustrates me because I really have been trying to be good with my diet lately, not just economically but nutrition-wise too. It was weird to me that, of all the things that I mentioned from my list of stuff I eat... including pizza and cheese quesadillas... it was yogurt and granola that he focused on as being not that healthy. I couldn't really tell what to make of that, I really thought that was a healthy meal...

So yeah, I kinda need to overhaul my menu. I just... don't know what to get. Because I don't really know what in my diet is unhealthy and, more specifically, how it is. So yeah, that's frustrating.

Meanwhile... yeah, I've gained weight but like... okay. Let me put this into perspective. Okay... I just googled my weight and height and... I guess I am technically overweight. This is hard for me to process, honestly. I have always been shit on for being small, for being skinny, and being accused of being underweight. And I'm really not that visibly overweight at all. At least I don't think I am. I guess yoga just isn't enough. I guess it's more stretching and mind-body connection than exercise. Hmm...

I miss hiking the trails. I miss exploring the woods. I love that form of exercise. It never felt like exercise. I still have skating, I'm just insecure, honestly. When I was at the park last, I was really self-conscious and kinda kept to myself. At the park in my old town, I would usually have the park to myself, and snowskating was always solo. I don't know, I don't like going to the gym when I can actually be doing a practical form of exercise... but I'm getting tempted. But honestly, isn't skating the most reasonable solution here? The park is not that far away, I can ride my electric board there. I just... need to get over my anxiety and just say fuck it and go.

Ugh, I'm just really feeling... like a fuck up, honestly. Like I let my life go. Like... I moved here and lost a ton of things that were keeping me surprisingly stable as far as physical health goes. The trails at the river right around the corner, being the centerpiece. But I really have to remind myself... staying there was not an option... the walls were literally collapsing.

So yeah, I guess I'm kinda hitting a wall of depression there. And I really feel for people who have dealt with similar stuff their whole life. And I honestly wonder how big a role cigarettes played in delaying this.

So far, the forms of exercise I have on my list are skate and go for a walk. And I've been doing the walk at least once a week. Ugh. The more I talk about this, the more I just feel like a fuck-up. It's so frustrating. And I am the only one calling myself that. I need to move on. I have a plan, I just need to bypass this fucking social anxiety. It has such a fucking death-grip on me right now, it's causing so many problems.

Why the fuck do I care what judgmental 20 year olds think? I used to not give a fuck what anyone thought. And then realized that... not caring about others' feelings is... insensitive... Now I care too much about the stupid opinions of assholes. Seriously, why the fuck am I giving weight to the opinion of some college kid on summer break who's judging me for being in my late 30's and not being good at skating. For trying to fucking learn and get comfortable on the damn thing. Why do I fucking care?! Do I judge when I see a young woman trying to learn noseslides on a curb and failing horrendously? No... They're fucking learning.

I wish I could just brush it off and move on. Speaking of, I want to move on past this.

A big part of my session was the thing I went over last night... that I think I finally had a way of putting into words. That the fearful mentality that I had on my walk in the woods the other day? Where I thought I was gonna get jumped? That is something that both of my parents have in spades. And I shared a story, originating from a Wired article I read this morning about the Anthrax letter scare back in 2001, and the FBI investigation into it. And my reflection and connection to my life was... I remember vividly that year was going to be my last Halloween as a young teen. My friend Nick and I were going to dress as members of the band Mudvayne and go trick or treating. And we were definitely a bit old for that, we were both in high school, but we just really wanted an excuse to dress up in costumes and have fun, honestly. He was going to dress as the singer and I was going to dress as the bassist. And my mom flipped shit and insisted that we could not go, because she was afraid that someone was going to put anthrax in our candy. Legit. And I'm gonna level... we didn't live anywhere near any place that got those letters. But yeah, the fear is strong in my family. And that story really started to make things click for him. And I made sure to emphasize that it was worse with my father.

Now, the worst part about this is it is likely both a genetic component... and a trauma component. On both sides of the family. And actually seeking help with that could've helped monumentally for anyone in the chain, at any time. It's why I'm doing it. And I literally devote my entire life to it, and it still doesn't feel like enough sometimes.

So... he's starting to get a bigger picture of what's going on here. That my struggles are not just situational - stage of life, dealing with recent loss and traumas, being in a very difficult career in a society that doesn't treat it like a "real job", being in a city alone for the first time after a long time in rural areas - but it's also the social environment I was raised in, the way I was trained to think, and likely a genetic component to top it off. Given all that, I am shocked with how well I've been doing.

And honestly, I need to be gentler to myself. With everything I've been through, of course I'm going to struggle. I'm just... frustrated with how this big stuff leaks into the little stuff. Like... with how much big stuff I have to stress over and worry about, you'd think that would give me clear perspective that the little stuff isn't even worth sweating over. But for some reason... it's just not like that. And that frustrates me. Because my life would be so much easier if I could just remind myself "hey, remember... you don't give a shit what some judgmental kid at the skatepark thinks. You don't give a shit what some person at the gym thinks, side-eyeing you. You're there to work on you. Let them have their judgment. And focus on you." I can say it over and over and over, but it's really hard to actually act on it. At least lately.

I have exercise equipment in my building. I can go and like... ride a stationary bike or something. I used to do that back in the day. It is an option. I just don't like the idea of it. It feels like work, it feels like a chore. Where the real thing is like an adventure.

So yeah, if it wasn't obvious... inner conflict is really strong right now.

What my therapist recommended was taking like 10-15 minutes before going out wherever I'm planning on going out and just... meditating. Finding stillness. So I can actively try to release that feeling, let it dissipate a bit, which I have clearly identified is a nervous system reaction that is overreacting. Just doing a relaxation exercise thing to just center myself a bit. Then go. And it's a good idea. In order to make it work reliably, I need something I look forward to, and I have to have it readily accessible. ... It might be time to make a new necklace. A mala that I'm actually going to use. My other one, it's cool as shit but... it's too big to be a bracelet and too small to be a necklace. It's a perfectly awkward sized. If I have one that's necklace sized, it'll work, because it'll be around my neck every day.

That sounds like an actionable plan. I will make a mala with what I consider a reasonable amount of beads on it. Enough for me to lose myself in breathing a bit, but not so many that it feels like an overwhelming chore. My last one felt like a few too many for me. And I'll wear it every day, I'll build that ritual, and when it's time to do something? Something I feel anxious about? I'll take a seat, start deep breaths and use the mala to track them. And at the end, I'll be good to go. And we'll see how much that improves my anxiety.

I'm frustrated. At the beginning of the year, I was so excited to have my electric board, I couldn't wait to get outside and ride places. Now? I haven't touched the thing in months. So... how about... I try my best to get to the skatepark within the next few days. My immediate reaction is "ugh but it's the weekend". I have to stop letting that get in the way.

I feel lame right now. The guy who wrote stream of consciousness albums, who made an entire artistic process around writing in pen and never crossing a single word out... is insecure about being bad at skateboarding. I just... am really struggling to let go of caring about that. So... let me ask it... why do I care about those opinions? Because I want to make friends? I guess? I don't expect to impress people with my ability level... I'm actually visibly squinting and trying to figure out why I actually give a shit!

Oh crap, it must be trauma-related. I'm starting to pick up whiffs of that. It feels like... like the root is something close to shame. And if it's one thing I've learned in my many years of studying trauma work, shame is a huge indicator of trauma. This definitely feels like shame is part of it. Maybe I'm just... avoiding the feeling of shame entirely, because shame reminds me of engaging with trauma. Oh... oh that's not good.

No, I really can't have that. I need to be able to fuck up in a video game on a live stream. I need to be able to hit a "wrong note" when improvising in front of a crowd. That's a very important quality that's been slipping away.

So... it's doubly important for me to go to the skatepark, or even to the gym. Not just for the exercise, but to make sure that doesn't take root any more than it has.

Ugh, I don't want to do this anymore. One fucking physical and it feels like my whole life is fucked and out of whack and it's gonna take monumental effort to get it back on track, and now I'm legit having anxiety/heartburn chest pains, trying to talk myself out of thinking it's a heart problem. I need to chill and wind down.

I'm just going to do tarot to get my mind off this. Therapy is great, I have a plan, I've learned a lot, but god fucking damn can it be intense.

Past - III: The Empress (Progression, creation, birth, growth.) Present - Nine of Pentacles, inverted (Self-reliance, goals achieved. Confidence and satisfaction knowing your work is done.) Future - Four of Wands, inverted (Stability, a sense of completion. A major milestone, taking a moment to reflect on accomplishment so far, before moving to a new future.)

Adding in my personal history experience with these symbols was pretty tricky tonight. Especially with Four of Wands.

This thread starts with The Empress - a fertility symbol. Not just literally but intellectually and spiritually. She is mother nature, she is growth and creation incarnate.

The symbol of the Empress is connected to... inverted Nine of Pentacles, which is... a blockage in feeling my work is done. A struggle to reach a sense of satisfaction and completion, and be able to focus on myself a bit.

And this is connected to... inverted Four of Wands - a blockage or delay in reaching landmarks in life, and the sense of accomplishment that comes with that. A new job that you love. A birthday party. A wedding. Shit like that. A major life event that you take a moment to celebrate because life is going to be different now. That's all kinds of clogged up.

So... I get the Nine of Pentacles and Four of Wands connection, that's super apparent to me. Not being able to feel satisfaction or accomplishment, and the confidence and peace that comes with that? That definitely interferes with my ability to reach milestones in life. Because I never stop working. I hit a goal and then I just transition into the next one, it's a never-ending treadmill. What I'm struggling with is seeing how the Empress comes into play. I mean... she's the source of creativity... and these accomplishments... they all feel like they revolve around creativity. So, maybe it's just a guidepost for that. So, my creativity is the source and focus of this. And my inability to really appreciate and process my achievements and really... draw in that sense of accomplishment and confidence... leads to instability and a lack of progression in other aspects of my life. Hmm... Yeah, that does make sense.

Welp, on that note... I noticed that I didn't even mention one fucking time here the massive amount of work I did on my new abstract piece. Let me nerd out on that before bed real quick, get these vibes fixed up for us. I had been stumped for a bit on how to illustrate the "membrane" structures forming in between the bubbles. If you're out of the loop, the piece I'm working on is a fractal piece, so it's like... picture organic circle shapes that I'm calling "bubbles"... then inside each bubble are an array of smaller bubbles... and inside those, the same deal. What is left between the bubbles I call the "membrane". So... I wanted to add a texture for the membrane, but I didn't know what to do. But I had some ideas. So I actually went and got my little cheap-ass portable microscope to go look at my dried orchid flowers I have on my windowsill. But the magnification was too low to see any kind of cells, it was a long shot anyway... I wanted to study plant cells, and make shapes and textures inspired by those patterns. So... Google came to the rescue. And I spent a good chunk of time learning about xylem and phloem and shit like that. Different types of cells. I didn't go too in-depth, though it really is fascinating and I would love to learn more. I was more interested in the shapes and structures of them, which happened to look very similar to the type of designs I've been making. And after studying a few pictures, I was very inspired and started to just start drawing... and I ended up filling in almost 1/3 of the membrane on the zoom layer I'm working on. I say zoom layer because the membrane is also going to be fractal... somewhat... As in, the membrane will be inside the bubbles too, but at a proportionately smaller size. It looks very good so far and I'm excited to see how it turns out when it's done.

See... I went from saying "I don't wanna be the guy who draws one damn thing" and in my defiance... I ended up making 2 necklaces, a painted skull, 10 ink pieces and a gigantic 10,000x10,000 px piece all in the same organic theme. XD

The big takeaway from all of this? I need to chill. XD

#diary #journal #online journal #stream of thoughts #stream of consciousness

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deafeninggardenerpanda · 4 years ago

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This was Diamond Town. It was a small town surrounded by huge diamond mines and filled with diamonds dug out of said mine. It was also divided into two areas. The center was the "Town of Light" where aristocratic mansions were lined up. Surrounding it was the "Town of Wind" where ordinary, but cheerful residents lived. Kirby, Waddle Dee, and President Dedede were residents of the Town of Wind.

Kirby's home was a room in an apartment where no one lived. He was secretly living in a building that would soon be torn down. It was a rundown apartment, but Kirby loved it. The first reason was the the window. The window was partially broken, so it was well ventilated. Second, even if he sang as loud as he could, no one would get angry. The third thing was that a small airplane could be parked on the roof of the building. Kirby was very good at flying airplanes. He enjoyed carrying his luggage, taking an airplane, and going on an adventure to a distant city.

Dedede, the president of a nearby factory, was his airplane racing rival. The maneuvering skill of President Dedede was not bad, but he was not as good as Kirby. In the race yesterday, Kirby brilliantly achieved a hundred consecutive victories against him.

Even though the sun was high in the sky, Kirby was sleeping comfortably. A wooden apple crate placed near the window acted as his bed. In his dream, Kirby was boarding an airplane and flying around the sky.

" ... Let’s ... do it ... Somersault ...! " he said sleepily. The front door opened and Kirby's friend, Waddle Dee, jumped in.

"Good morning, Kirby! Hey, get up. Big news!" Waddle Dee gently woke Kirby. He rubbed his eyes and got up, still half-asleep.

"Hmm ...? Ah, good morning, Waddle Dee. Breakfast, I'll have it ... "

"Yes, yes, finish up," Waddle Dee took a sandwich out of his pouch and handed it to Kirby. He always carried food with him for his gluttonous friend. Kirby's drowsiness immediately disappeared.

"Wow, egg and ham sandwich! I love your sandwiches!" Kirby smiled and bit in.

"Hey, listen. There's big news," Waddle Dee announced in a loud voice. "This is this morning’s newspaper." Waddle Dee spread the newspaper and showed an article with a big photo.

Kirby stared at the newspaper blankly. "’An Ancient Machine Discovered in the Diamond Mine!’ ...? What is this?"

"A mysterious machine was found in the mine. It's so old that it's buried all the way in the back. It seems that it was dug out by chance."

"Hmm ... " Kirby wasn’t interested in diamonds or ancient machines. Waddle Dee grew frustrated.

"It's a nice machine. Look at millionaire Mr. Fugo's photo and comments on it," Waddle Dee said. He showed Kirby a photo in the newspaper.

The one in the picture was a smiling gentleman with a beautiful mustache. He was no stranger to the inhabitants of this town. Mr. Fugo was a rich man and the owner of a diamond mine. Not only that, Waddle Dee explained that most of the city, from railroad companies to bread factories, belonged to Mr. Fugo.

"It seems that this ancient machine has great power, but it doesn’t work now."

"Why not?"

"Because important parts of the machine are gone: the gears. So, Mr. Fugo put a prize on them. A prize of ... one million Point Stars!"

Kirby wasn't interested at all when he heard the amount of money Waddle Dee shouted. He finished eating his sandwich and opened his hands with a bright smile.

"I’d like tuna and cucumber sandwiches tomorrow! Ah, but bacon and tomatoes are also good. It's delicious with fried shrimp and potato salad ... "

"Ah, Kirby," said Waddle Dee. He spoke a bit louder so that Kirby could understand the greatness of the prize. "Listen carefully. Don’t you know how much that is? You can buy thousands of nice clothes!"

"Hmm."

"You can buy thousands of high-end hats!"

"Huh."

"And ... and ...! You could eat a deluxe lunch for 100,000 people at Chef Kawasaki's restaurant!"

" ... Eh!?"

Kirby, who hadn’t been listening until now, squealed with widened eyes. "100,000 servings ...!? Of the most luxurious deluxe lunch!?"

"Y-yes, but that was just an example ... "

"Wowwww!" Kirby grabbed Waddle Dee's hand tightly and started running. "Let's go, Waddle Dee! Fast, fast! If we don’t hurry, lunch time will end~!"

"Oh, calm down, Kirby," Waddle Dee said while being dragged along. "You need the prize to eat the deluxe lunch for 100,000 people, and you have to find the gears to get the prize."

"Uh ... yeah ...? "

Waddle Dee spread the newspaper. "The article. Read what it says."

According to millionaire Fugo, the ancient machine had the power to make everyone happy, however, the gears were stolen by an evil wizard and the machine stopped working. The stolen gears should still be sleeping somewhere in town.

"If the gears are found, the machine will work again. I want to make the citizens of this town happy. For that reason, I’m willing to put my entire fortune into it,” he had said, so he promised a huge prize for the gears of the ancient machine.

"But even if there wasn’t a machine like that, everyone would feel happy if they ate Chef Kawasaki's deluxe lunch," Kirby said curiously. Waddle Dee laughed.

"If it were you, maybe, but everyone's wishes aren't the same as yours."

"Eh?"

"I think ... " Waddle Dee said with shining eyes, "the wonderful ancient machine will surely fulfill each and every one of our wishes. Kirby's wish is to eat a lot. President Dedede's wish is to win an airplane race. I hope it’s a machine that can fulfill each and every one’s wish."

Kirby smiled. "What kind of wish do you have, Waddle Dee?"

"Huh?"

"You must have a wish too, right? What kind of wish do you want to make?"

"I ... I, uh ... " Waddle Dee closed his eyes shyly and spoke. "I want to eat a sweet called ‘chocolate.’ Just a bite."

" ... Chocolate ... "

You couldn’t get sweets in the Town of Wind. Only the aristocrats of the Town of Light could eat such luxury goods. Kirby sometimes flew to distant cities, so he had eaten delicious sweets from all over the world. Waddle Dee, however, had only eaten sweets by listening to Kirby's stories and imagining it. Even if Kirby bought souvenir sweets, they were all picked up by the guards at the entrance of the city. The rules of Diamond Town were strict, and people were not allowed to bring sweets in without permission. Kirby spread his hands wide.

"Don't say just a bite! Let's eat a lot—as much as we can!"

Waddle Dee nodded. "That's right. Let's eat a mountain of chocolate together! I'm looking forward to it."

"Yeah! To do that, We have to find the gears!"

"Let's do our best!" the two cheered.

Around the same time, President Dedede was visiting a café in the neighborhood. The store manager smiled at the president.

"Welcome, President Dedede."

"Give me the lunch special. I’ll have a large serving of bread with it."

"Yes, the lunch special and a large serving of bread."

President Dedede was a regular customer of this shop, "Daroach’s Café." It was a small shop, but it was popular because it served good coffee and lunch. The store manager was a hard-working man named Daroach.

President Dedede sat down by his favorite window, spread out his newspaper, and started reading. He spoke while Daroach brought out the plates.

"Did you hear, manager? The big news in the newspaper?"

"Hm? Oh, do you mean yesterday's airplane race? I heard from a friend—it’s a shame."

Dedede gave Daroach with a sour look. "Hmph! That’s boring, I don’t care about stuff like that. I'm talking about the ancient machine."

"What? Ancient machine?"

"It seems a great machine was found in the diamond mine." President Dedede pointed to the newspaper.

Daroach read the article. He seemed amused. "Heh, I don't know about the truthfulness of it, but it's a fun story. What kind of machine makes everyone happy?" he said.

"Read the rest of the article. It says that someone will pay a prize for those gears."

"Huh, really? Such a large amount of money. Just finding some gears can make you that much ...? "

"They’re not just any old gears. They’re special gears that can make ancient machines move. They’re not easy to find. Hm, I don't know ... "

"Right, but if anyone could find them, I bet it’d be you." President Dedede was quiet as he thought about Daroach’s words.

"Really? You think so?"

"I do. You’re smart and have a lot of courage. I think you could do it."

"Wise words. Well, I think so, too."

"Heh, please find them. And if you get the prize, please order a special lunch every day at our store."

"Hahaha! I'll buy the entire store, more like it."

"I look forward to it."

President Dedede finished his meal in good spirits and began to leave. After he left, however—the aura around the store manager changed. Daroach muttered in a low voice, with a harsh light covering his face and a fearless smile in his mouth.

"An ancient machine. Isn't that an interesting story?" At the same time, the door opened and a new customer came in. As soon as they did, Daroach returned to the face of a working store manager and greeted them with a cheerful voice.

"Welcome! Seat yourself! Today's lunch special is hamburger steak!"

The manager of the popular café was merely a guise. No one knew his true face in the Town of Wind.

The Town of Light, which was lined with aristocratic mansions, was a quiet area that was completely different from the messy streets of the Town of Wind. The road was wide and there was no trash to be seen. The scent of flowers from the gardens here and there was just right, and beautiful music could be heard from somewhere nearby. Every day and every night, a party was held in a mansion somewhere.

Tonight, a certain mansion in particular was crowded with guests who had arrived. Luxury meals were carried out one after another, and conversation was lively. During this, one of the guests stood up. He was a fine gentleman with a masked face and a red rose in his chest pocket.

"Oh? Are you leaving already, Meta Knight? If you’d like, you can take the dessert home with you." The lady of the mansion, unfortunately, stopped the guest.

"It's an exquisite chocolate cake handmade by our chef. By all means, I insist you—"

"No, it's fine. I'm done." When Meta Knight left, the aristocrats whispered.

"Maybe Meta Knight isn't interested in cakes ... "

"He's a cool person. I don't think sweet foods are good for his reputation ... "

"Oh, such a shame. I’ll have to tell the chef not to make such a sweet dessert ... "

After leaving, Meta Knight got in his car and returned to his own mansion.

"Welcome back, my lord," the butler, Vul, greeted respectfully. "How was your party?"

"The same as usual. Nothing but conversations and heavy food. I'm sick of it."

Meta Knight was polite in public, but not so much at home. He continued to speak as he walked down the corridor.

"Has anything changed while I was away?"

"No. There were no phone calls, and as for guests ... " Butler Vul opened the living room door. Just then ...

"Hey, I’m home~!"

A cheerful voice rang out from inside. Vul was so surprised he nearly fell over. Someone was sitting on the sofa, but Vul didn't remember guiding anyone.

"Huaghhhh!? Da- Da- Daroach ...!? Why you ...! From where did you ...!? " Meta Knight stopped him before he burst a blood vessel.

"It doesn't matter. The usual."

"It's because it's the usual that it's troublesome! Time and time again, in this house without my knowledge, sneaking into these halls—! Today, I have to say it's gutsy ...! "

"I said you’re dismissed."

"But ...! "

"Get me two cups of tea."

Butler Vul looked as if he was about to be sick, but when his lord, Meta Knight, commanded, he had to obey. When Vul left, Meta Knight turned to Daroach.

"Good grief. When you come next time, ring the doorbell and come in through the front door. Don't upset the butler."

"Sorry, I’ve never gotten along with that guy." Daroach grinned and held up a paper bag. "For you: an eclair. I used a lot of the chocolate you gave me the other day. I was thinking about what kind of sweets to make since chocolate is a luxury item that I rarely get, but I thought a simple eclair was best."

" ... Thank you."

Meta Knight’s countenance didn’t change, but his voice sounded happy. He didn’t dislike sweets. On the contrary, they were his favorite, however, the sweets that Daroach made were so delicious he couldn’t be satisfied with anything else. Aristocrat Meta Knight and Daroach, the café manager in the Town of Wind. Although they lived in different worlds, for some reason, they became friends after getting to know each other during a certain incident. It was rare, but if there was something wrong Daroach would sneak in from somewhere, like tonight. Butler Vul angrily brought in tea and left again. Daroach started his story.

"Tonight's errand is about gears. Are you listening?"

"Are they from a machine that was found in a diamond mine?"

"Oh. If you already know, I’ll make it quick. If someone finds all of the gears, they will get a great amount of money awarded to them."

"I'm not interested," he simply said.

Daroach looked disappointed. "Hmm. You're a very rich aristocrat, however, even if you’re not interested in gold, what about an ancient machine? Don’t you think it’s fascinating?"

" ... Not particularly."

"It's a machine made by a lost civilization. Its power is probably far greater than anything we can imagine."

" …………… "

Meta Knight was silent. He was not interested in money, but he was strongly attracted to mysteries and adventures. Daroach knew it well.

"To tell the truth, I don't want the prize, either."

" ... What?"

"I want to know what Fugo’s true motive is. Why would he have such a ridiculous prize? I wonder if he's trying to take the gears for himself ... He says, ‘I want to make the citizens happy,’ but that can't be true."

Meta Knight nodded immediately. "I wonder."

Mr. Fugo was known as a kind-hearted millionaire. He was grateful to everyone for holding parties and made donations for the residents of the Town of Wind, but Daroach and Meta Knight both knew it wasn’t how it seemed.

Daroach had excellent subordinates. They dug into newspapers and worked in aristocratic mansions and passed on the information they gathered to the boss, Daroach. Mr. Fugo was anything but a kind-hearted millionaire. He tricked people, made sly deals, and made a lot of money. Daroach wanted to reveal the truth right away, but there was little evidence. He couldn’t stand by, though. If one turned a blind eye to evil, they would inevitably be crushed by its weight. He strengthened his voice.

"I'm sure he’s planning to use that ancient machine to make a lot of money. If we can get proof of that, we can expose him."

"Exposing evil ...? It doesn’t seem like you," Meta Knight laughed. "You're not a hero of justice. You're a thief, right? I thought you were only interested in treasure."

"C’mon, stop it."

Daroach stood up. Out of nowhere, he took out a red top hat and cloak and donned them gracefully. He grinned as he tipped his brim.

"You don't need to worry when you’re with someone like me. I am the great thief Daroach who travels the world!"

Yes, this was his true identity. In the daytime, a cheerful café manager, but at night, in the darkness, a bandit who steals the treasure of bad aristocrats. His technique was splendid and artistic. He didn’t hurt anyone, nor leave any sort of evidence.

"Oh, I know. I'm sorry."

When Meta Knight apologized, Daroach stowed his hat and cloak. He was back to how he was before.

"Please, tell me your reply. Let’s find out what Fugo’s up to, and let’s find out the mystery of the ancient machine, together. You and I."

"Okay." Meta Knight nodded. Daroach smiled.

"If that’s your decision, we’re ready to take action. First, we have to gather information. I'll use my subordinates to search. You investigate around Fugo."

"All right."

"See ya," Daroach said.

He jumped with light footsteps and left through the open window.

In the blink of an eye, the great thief Daroach was gone.

< Previous | Table of Contents | Next >

#kirby #waddle dee #king dedede #meta knight #daroach #captain vul #Kirby: Search for the Dreamy Gears!#kirby light novel #translations

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nalgenewhore · 4 years ago

Text

a simple life

essar x lorcan + kohana, canon divergence/canon era, domestic fluff/general fluff, word count: 2439

Lorcan wakes up in the morning and rolls over without opening his eyes. He searches across the comfortable mattress, mumbling his mate’s name. “Ess,” he rasps, hating the fact that she’s so far away.

She isn’t usually this far when they sleep. Usually, Essar lays nestled in his arms, her curves, lush and heavenly so, fitting perfectly against him. When he still doesn’t find her, Lorcan sighs shortly and pushes himself up, cracking his eyes open. Her side of the bed is cool and the sheets are rumpled.

It’s then that Lorcan realises it’s far brighter than usual. Nearing the midst of winter, most mornings are pitch black. He looks up, to the window, and sees the thick layer of snow that blankets their canvas-covered crops and the forest beyond the field. More flakes fall and Lorcan understands why Essar is not in bed with him.

Ever since they first met, when they were still younglings, Essar has adored the snow. None of the wonder ever fades from the first snowfall of the season.

Slowly, Lorcan gets out of bed. He grabs a heavy wool sweater and holds it in one hand as he pushes their door open. Across from their room, the nursery door is closed. Lorcan knows this means that their youngling hasn’t been woken yet.

He pads quietly into their living room and sees Essar in the kitchen. She sits at the island. They made it by hand, like everything they own, like their cabin, too. A pot of coffee rests on the wooden slab and Essar wraps her fine-boned hand around her favourite enamel mug. Their dishes are a few of the minimal objects they bought in the nearest town, as well as their weapons.

She sips from it, her chin resting against her fist. Lorcan is forced to pause and drink in the sight of her, the way her longs legs are crossed and the way she leans her weight into her elbow, oblivious as she reads something he’s sure she’s read a thousand times over.

He pulls his sweater over his head and leans against the wall, crossing his arms. A soft smile appears on his face.

Once, this was never an option. Lorcan remembers how quickly he came to losing any chance of this, when he answered to Maeve.

The queen’s command was once strong on him, stronger, perhaps, than any other blood oath. He could not deny Maeve a thing, the craving for her approval and validation a never ending ache. When he and Essar matured, and the mating bond connected the pair even more than they always were, Maeve didn’t respect it.

It almost killed him, refusing Essar what she needed, what they both needed.

One night, one night Essar had enough. Enlisting Dresenda, her sister, she broke him out of Maeve’s palace. They kept his head covered until they left the City of Rivers. Lorcan didn’t know where they were. Every step away from the queen pained him more, but he did it willingly, knowing that he would choose Essar over everything and everyone.

It was excruciating to let the blood oath break, let it fester and rot away in his heart. When they knew that the only way Lorcan would survive it would be to make another blood oath, Lorcan swore it to Essar.

“I can tell, you know.”

Lorcan blinks, “Hmm?”

Essar laughs that warm, pealing laugh of hers. “I can tell when you’re staring at me.” In their home, they don’t speak the common tongue, nor the Old Language. They use their own language, a seamless blend of their native tongues.

She slips off of the stool and walks over to meet Lorcan in the middle of the room. He grins sleepily and wraps his arms around her, holding her in a tight hug. Essar sighs gently and melts into him.

“Have you seen the snow yet,” he murmurs. “I thought by now you’d surely be building a snowman or a fort.”

“No, not yet,” Essar says. “Our coconut has never seen snow.”

Lorcan smiles and stands up straight, his hands resting on her hips. “True. How do you think he’ll take to it?”

She tilts her head to the side and covers one of his hands with hers. Essar walks him to the counter and pushes him to the other stool. “Mmm, well, he’s far more adventurous than you grouchy bastard, so like his mother,” she teases, wearing a cocky grin that makes her canines flash.

Lorcan snorts and takes his seat, glancing casually at the open book his mate is reading. His eyes widen for a second when he sees the smutty fiction, clear on the page. He picks it up and reads while Essar takes a mug from the cupboard for him. “He cups her heaving breasts and his throbbing length–”

“Lorcan!” Essar snaps, quickly grabbing the book from him and closing her, her cheeks pinking. “Don’t read my things.”

“Oh, c’mon, I want to see what happens next with his throbbing length,” Lorcan pouts, his wicked smile shining through the feigned disappointment. Essar clicks her tongue and shakes her head, putting the book down on the counter. “Why haven’t you told me that you read that sort of thing? Is my darling mate feeling… otherwise unfulfilled?”

She shoots him a glare as she pours him his coffee. “No and I didn’t tell you because it’s none of your business, mate.” Essar slides onto her chair and faces him, resting her feet against the spindle of his stool. She cups his face and leans forward, kissing him gently. Lorcan rests his hand on her tattooed thigh, his thumb stroking against her skin.

Essar’s sharp teeth scraped against his lip before she swipes her tongue over the small hurt and steps onto the floor. She’s able to press herself tighter against him, hardly forced onto her tiptoes, and winds her arms around his neck, her hands toying absentmindedly in the air behind him. They kiss until she makes a soft noise and pulls back, resting her forehead on his. “Hi.”

Lorcan chuckles and sneaks one last kiss, “Good morning, my love.”

She sits herself back in her seat and Lorcan picks up his coffee. Just before when the sun would normally rise, they woke up to their hungered wails of the babe. Lorcan sat with her as she fed Kohana. He’ll sleep for a little while longer now, as he isn’t normally waking up anymore in the middle of the night.

Lorcan makes them eggs and fries bacon, serving crusty buttered bread on the side. They eat quietly and as Essar gets up to clean the dishes, they hear a familiar curious coo. He stands and kisses her cheek, whispering, “I’ll get him.”

Essar pauses him for a moment. She takes down his low bun and weaves a loose plait, securing the end with a piece of sinew rope. After, Essar returns to the dishes and Lorcan crosses the cabin, slowly opening the door to find their nine-month old standing in his crib, turned towards the window. His hands hold onto the top bar.

The tips of his pointed ears poked through the soft hair on his head, jet black like that of his parents. Lorcan grins and walks to the side of the crib. Kohana turns his head, his eyes wide and confused. “Da-da.”

Lorcan chuckles and his heart clenches as he picks the little Fae up. “Hello, little one.” He pushes Kohana’s hair back and kisses the babe’s forehead. “Shall get dressed, hmm?” Lorcan walks to the dresser. He lays Kohana down and changes him, noting the way the youngling watches the snow, his hands caught in his mouth.

Lorcan’s heart pumps stronger when Essar walks in, like their heartbeats are one. She peers over his shoulder and coos at the child, “Oh, hi, my little one.” Essar slips under Lorcan’s arm, pinching Kohana’s socked foot. Kohana squeals, his big bright eyes landing on his mother’s face. She laughs and picks him up. Essar presses her nose against his soft cheek and inhales, her hand cupping the back of his head. Kohana babbles, glancing out of the window again. “Oh, yes, I know. You’ve never seen snow, have you, coconut?” Essar bounces him and props him on her hip as she walks out of the room.

Lorcan chuckles and shakes his head, tidying the area up. He joins his family and Essar feeds Kohana the mashed yams she made. Like always, Kohana devours it, eating anything his parents present to him.

After, Essar puts Kohana on the soft blanket by the fireplace. She leaves him with a stuffed toy bear that was once hers and he holds onto it fiercely, chewing on one of its stubby legs. Essar goes into their room to change, emerging in rabbit fur-lined leather pants, tall boots, and a thick jacket over her warmer underclothes. Her Lorcan pours her the last cup of coffee and laughs when she pushes him towards the bedroom, “Gods, go change! We’re wasting time outside.”

“He won’t even remember this,” Lorcan says, still dutifully following her commands and walking away.

“I will,” Essar tells him, shooting him a glare. She kneels on the carpet in front of their baby and dresses him in his own fur-lined suit. She coos over him as she covers his head in a woolen hat and ties the strings beneath his round chin. Kohana kicks his feet out and bats the air with his little hands. Essar laughs warmly and lets the small amount of magic she has dance between her fingers.

Kohana gasps, his mouth in a perfect ‘o’. He watches, giggling when the warm flame taps his nose and tickles his chin. Essar gasps softly when her mate’s familiar power wraps around her hips and joins hers. “Ma-ma,” the baby coos and smiles, his canines poking through his pink gums.

Essar picks him up and stands, turning to see Lorcan. He shrugs on his hunting jacket and pulls his braid out. Lorcan wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her into his chest, his eyes on Kohana. “Hi. Oh, hi, mičíŋkši. Look at you, how cute in your wee suit, hmm?” He passes Essar her thick winter mittens and a kiss to the side of her head, “You forgot these.”

“Ah, my saviour,” Essar teases, tucking them in the large front pocket of her jacket. “Whatever would I do without you, hmm?”

He rolls his eyes and says drily, “Don’t patronise me, my darling. We both know how capable you are. Now, the real question is what I would’ve done without you.” They both freeze, images of Lorcan, slave to Maeve, flashing through their minds.

Essar pulls the collars of the shirts he’s layered down and kisses the claiming mark over his pulse, “Well, we don’t have to think about that, so let’s not.” Lorcan’s thumb presses against the corner of her hip, where a matching mark lies. Kohana makes a soft sound and they look at him, grinning happily. He’s not watching them, staring unfalteringly towards the snowy landscape. “Let’s go, yes?”

Lorcan nods and they walk to the front door. He sits to put his own boots on and fixes Ko’s winter moccasins. Kohana frowns and kicks his feet, reaching towards the doors. He whines, looking back at Essar, “Mama.”

“I know, tāku iti kahurangi, we’re going, don’t worry,” she tells him. Lorcan takes Kohana so that his mate can put on her cloak and Essar pushes the door open.

Lorcan stands on the threshold, waiting for a moment. He watches Essar and smiles, loving how happy she is. She crouches, pulling off one of her mittens. Her breath puffs around her face as she touches the fresh, untouched snow. Essar pushes her hood back and looks up, laughing joyfully, “Lorcan! It’s snowing.” She stands up and turns, taking his free hand in both of hers. Essar pulls him out, her eyes on the sky.

“I see that,” Lorcan comments. He passes the babe to Essar so he can close their front door.

When he turns back, Essar is crouching once more, helping Kohana stay upright. He reaches out, carefully, and touches the snow. He gasps, quickly pulling his hand back, “Mama.”

“Yes, it’s cold, isn’t it,” Essar agrees, looking up at Lorcan as he crouches beside her. She points upwards, “Look, do you see?”

Kohana looks up, his round cheeks bright red. His big eyes track a snowflake as it floats down. It lands on the tip of his little nose and he gasps again, trying to walk away from it. He loses his balance and falls, landing on his behind. Lorcan and Essar watch him, waiting for his tears, but they never come.

He laughs, clapping his hands. They smile and sigh in relief. Kohana pats the snow around him and giggles, kicking his legs out. “Dada,” he says. He chatters, trying to gather a handful of snow. He struggles and frowns, fidgeting in irritation.

Lorcan calmly forms a snowball and presents it to the child, letting his power wrap around it. Kohana forgets what he’s trying to do and makes a grabbing motion. Essar leans against Lorcan as he gives the ball to Kohana and he wraps his arm around her shoulders.

Kohana cups the ball and frowns slightly, lifting it to his mouth. He tentatively bites it and purses his lips, frowning harder. Essar chuckles and thumbs the melted snow from his chin, “I know, wee one, it’s cold, yes?”

He eats some more and more, trying to fit the entire thing into his mouth. Lorcan huffs a soft laugh. Essar looks at him as he helps their youngling, who turns away and starts to crawl around, biting into the snow as he goes and eating it. There’s that spark of wonder in his eyes – the one that always makes her heart flutter.

She lifts her hand to his cheek and turns his face to her. Lorcan arches a brow in question. “What is it? Why’re you looking at me like that?”

Essar presses her lips to his and whispers, “I love you, Salvaterre.”

He smiles softly and returns her embrace, “And I you, Tangaroa.”

She turns her head when Kohana shouts and flashes Lorcan a smile before she stands up. Essar makes her way over to the child and Lorcan stands as well, watching for a moment.

This simple life, their simple cabin – his mate and child safe, where he can protect them, it’s all Lorcan’s ever wanted in life. It’s everything he ever needs.

☽ ☼ ☾

an: i hope u guys liked this cause it was so much fun to write !!

in all my fics i write essar as maori (her last 'tangaroa' is the maori god of the sea, lakes, rivers, and creatures that live in them) and lorcan as lakota !

Kohana is a Lakota name meaning 'swift'

translations: Mičíŋkši: my son in Lakota Tāku iti kahurangi: my little treasure in Maori

@mythicaitt @werewolffprince @schmlip-scribble @the-regal-warrior @ladyverena @ttakeitbacknoww @shyvioletcat @alifletcher2012 @tswaney17 @ourbooksuniverse @flora-and-fae @thesirenwashere @queenofxhearts @maastrash @mynewdreamwasyou @cursebreaker29 @empress-ofbloodshed @b00kworm @hizqueen4life @silversprings98 @amren-courtofdreams @minaidss @superspiritfestival @sanakapoor @ireallyshouldsleeprn @spyofthenightcourt @thegoddessofyou @more-espresso-less-depresso-xx @claralady @neonhellas @darlinminds @readingismyonlyhobby @autophobiaxx @silversprings28 @myshadowsingeraz @elriel4life @always-in-a-daydream @jlinez @ladywitchling @mariamuses @darklesmylove @adelzd-bookblr @firestarsandseneschals @missnienna

#i luv them. like. im obsessed.#essar x lorcan #essar #lorcan salvaterre #kohana tangoroa salvaterre #isa writes #nalgenewhore

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commentaryvorg · 3 years ago

Text

Digimon Data Squad Dub Comparison Episode 3 - The Return of Thomas!

This is a companion to my commentary on the original Japanese Digimon Savers! Reading my commentary on the original version of this episode (which you can find here) is recommended before reading this dub comparison.

Original name ~ Dubbed name

Masaru Daimon ~ Marcus Damon

Yoshino Fujieda ~ Yoshino “Yoshi” Fujieda

Tohma H. Norstein ~ Thomas H. Norstein

Sayuri Daimon ~ Sarah Damon

Chika Daimon ~ Kristy Damon

Captain Rentarou Satsuma ~ Commander Richard Sampson

PetitMeramon ~ DemiMeramon

[Since several characters share the same name between the original and the dub, quotes from the dub will always be in italics, while quotes from the original will not, in order to distinguish them.]

In the original, Masaru’s VA is always the one reading out the title card, but the dub mixes it up with different characters depending on the episode. This time, we get Miki and Megumi reading it, complete with fangirl squealing over Thomas. Uh, thanks, dub.

Sarah: “I think Agumon has been a really good influence!”

Marcus & Agumon: “More, please!”

Sarah: “See, he even says ‘please’ now.”

Agumon giving Marcus a reason to wake up early on a non-school day, that makes sense, but Agumon giving him a reason to be more polite? I dunno.

As you can see, there is no dub equivalent of “Agu-chan”. This is understandable and not the dubbers’ fault since English lends itself a lot less to casual terms of endearment like that, but it is a shame.

Marcus: “You served him first?! What did you do, adopt him while I wasn’t looking?”

Marcus says this like it’s not exactly what she’s literally done, and also like it’s not what he’d want. Don’t you want Agumon to be your new little brother, Marcus?

Sarah: “Keep it up, tough guy, and I’ll give your portion to him, too.”

Her affectionate ribbing calling him “tough guy” is cute.

Sarah: “After all, Agumon is a growing boy.”

A neat little nod to the time Agumon said that about himself in episode 1 (even if it didn’t make sense for him to have known that human phrase, but).

Agumon: “I won’t hand over the last of Sayuri’s fried eggs, not even to you!”

~~~~~

Agumon: “Boss, the only way to get this last fried egg is to take it out of my belly.”

Alas, since dub-Agumon is only referring to this particular last fried egg, we lose the future relevance the original line will have. The dub is not watching ahead to be able to pick up on these things.

Chika: “What a child…”

~~~~~

Kristy: “What a doof.”

Similar snark – he definitely is a doof – but there’s something I like about Chika calling her older brother a “child” that isn’t quite there when all she’s calling him is a doof.

Most of Thomas’s shower scene is cut. I will grant the dub that one improvement it consistently makes is doing its best to remove all the unnecessary fanservice bits.

[as Agumon tumbles from the bike basket]

Kristy: “…Doof Two.”

Agumon: [sighing] “I guess…”

What do you mean, Agumon admits and agrees that he is a doof (and implicitly agrees that his boss is one as well). Original-Agumon would not have nearly enough self-awareness to acknowledge that.

Marcus: “Why can’t you travel in the Digivice like all the other Digimon?”

Agumon: “Those other Digimon just show up when they’re called, but you’re lucky. You have me all the time, Boss!”

Unlike in the original, Marcus does actually bring up how Agumon ought to be in the Digivice. But Agumon doesn’t protest with “but I don’t like it in there”, despite him having made even more of a point of not liking cramped spaces in the previous dub episode than he did in the original. If the dub was going to have them discuss this onscreen, it would have been better to take the claustrophobia angle and show Marcus respecting Agumon’s wishes than to make it seem like Agumon’s just being contrary for the heck of it.

Marcus: “This one? No? Oh, just press everything!”

I enjoy the dub being even more obvious about how Marcus figures out which button on his earpiece is the right one to press.

Street punk #2: “Nothing’s going on at all…”

PetitMeramon: “Nothing at all!”

~~~~~

Street punk #2: “Nothing ever goes on around here any more…”

DemiMeramon: “I agree!”

This is significantly different – here, the DemiMeramon isn’t just parroting the dude’s words, it’s definitely expressing its own opinion about things. The implication here is therefore that it starts setting things on fire because of its own boredom, and these dudes here who happen to also be bored have nothing to do with it. That is categorically not how this is supposed to work.

Masaru: “Let’s fight!”

PetitMeramon: “Fight…”

~~~~~

Marcus: “There it is! Fightin’ time again!”

DemiMeramon: “Oh yeah?!”

Again, it’s not parroting his words; it’s responding on its own terms like it’s lucid and thinking for itself. Not how this should work.

Masaru: “You’re not solid enough, damn it! If I could just hit you once, I could get Agumon to evolve!”

~~~~~

Marcus: “It’s not solid enough to land a blow! But I’ve gotta punch it to start the DNA Charge! Otherwise, Agumon can’t Digivolve!”

The original version of this line sounds reasonably naturally like Masaru is just expressing his frustration at the PetitMeramon. But in the dub, it reads a lot more like awkwardly stilted exposition just to make sure the audience understands why this is a problem.

Marcus: “Stop setting things on fire! I just got these shoes!”

This is one of those dub additions for comedy, but I’m not sure I like the resulting impression that Marcus is somebody who cares that much about what he wears, because Masaru definitely never seems to be that kind of person.

Agumon: “Now be a nice fireball and let us punch you!”

Pfft. This episode in a nutshell. More of that dub-Agumon trait of saying things that would be snarky if it didn’t sound like he obliviously means them completely seriously.

Gaomon: “Yes, Master!”

~~~~~

Gaomon: “Sir, yes sir!”

“Yes, Master!” (spoken in English) is Gaomon’s catchphrase in the Japanese, and… I have no idea why the dub couldn’t just keep it exactly as-is. “Master” is a perfectly reasonable thing for him to call Tohma (especially since he’s a dog!), and it even comes already translated.

Instead, he calls Thomas “sir”, which on its own is… fine, I guess. But in particular, the “sir, yes sir!” catchphrase just makes dub-Gaomon come across as some kind of army grunt, rather than as the very good and loyal dog that he is.

Masaru: “Damn it… That thing pissed me off…”

~~~~~

Marcus: “Urghh… I am exhausted. Whew!”

Masaru here is complaining that he didn’t win, but Marcus is basically just neutrally expressing being exhausted without any sense that he’s specifically frustrated at the DemiMeramon for getting away from him. Since the entire ensuing several scenes are supposed to be a lot about Masaru’s frustration that he’s not good enough, the dub is not starting this off on the right note.

Yoshino: “Well, I didn’t think it would go easily for you from the start.”

~~~~~

Yoshi: “Don’t worry, Marcus, you didn’t let us down! No-one here at DATS actually thought you could do it anyway!”

Yikes, that’s some way more backhanded reassurance than she gave originally. And also, why does she even feels she needs to “reassure” him? Marcus was not expressing any sort of notion that he felt like he’d failed in the first place.

Agumon: “Hi there, pal.”

[Gaomon ignores Agumon and walks past him]

Agumon: “Hmph! No birthday present for that guy!”

How does Agumon even know about birthdays, and birthday presents, and the concept of giving birthday presents to people you’re on friendly terms with? These are not things he should reasonably have learned about yet when he’s only been with humans for like a week.

Masaru: “You bastard! You took away my prey!”

~~~~~

Marcus: “Hey, you! When we talk, you listen!”

It makes perfectly reasonable Masaru-ish sense for him to be mad about Tohma winning what was supposed to be his fight. But Marcus? Isn’t even thinking about the fight, apparently, and is instead just being a jerk.

So far, all Thomas and Gaomon have ignored is Agumon’s greeting and a brief “who are you, blondie?” from Marcus (the “blondie” part is dub-only, unsurprisingly), which is a little rude but not really warranting this response already. Heck, “when we talk, you listen” implies Thomas has been ignoring something substantial that Marcus has been trying to say to him, rather than just a question and a greeting.

There’s a record scratch in the BGM as Thomas ignores Marcus’s attempt to challenge him to a fight and just walks past him. I liked the comedic record scratch they had in episode 1, but this one feels a little cheesy and unnecessary.

Megumi: “His stern-looking profile is so wonderful!”

Miki: “It really is!”

~~~~~

Megumi: “He’s so on top of things!”

Miki: “He so is!”

I appreciate the dub changing the topic of Megumi and Miki’s fawning into admiring Thomas’s work ethic, rather than the original admiring of his appearance. (He is fourteen, you are adults, please stop.)

Tohma: “…it seems rather peculiar that there are a large number of Digimon detected in this country lately.”

…

Satsuma: “Is the frequency not as high in EU?”

Tohma: “No. It must be because it has a larger area.”

~~~~~

Thomas: “It seems there have been an unusually large number of Digimon appearances lately.”

…

Sampson: “Hmm. So do you think these numbers could eventually overwhelm the Data Squad?”

Thomas: “No. But of course, that all depends on having the right team in place.”

Seems the dub is ditching the fact that it’s specifically this country that’s been getting so many more Digimon appearances. Instead, Thomas just takes the opportunity to be a passive-aggressive jerk about Marcus sooner than in the original.

Satsuma: “Oh, let me introduce you. This is…”

[Tohma barely even glances at Masaru; Masaru gets angry]

Masaru: “Hey! I don’t care if you’re called Tohma or Tonma… but around here, I’m your senpai! I’ve only been here for three days, but make sure to call me ‘Daimon-san’ or ‘Daimon-senpai’!”

~~~~~

Sampson: “Oh. Go ahead and introduce yourself, Marcus.”

[Thomas barely even glances at Marcus. Marcus gets angry]

Marcus: “Say what?! Why doesn’t *he* introduce himself to *me*?! I’m the one with seniority, even if it’s only three days.”

This reads a lot less like Marcus getting angry has anything to do with the way Thomas just barely even looked at him, and more that he’s mad at Sampson for thinking he ought to introduce himself first. In that vein, it’s somewhat more reasonable for him to go ranting about seniority, I suppose. However, I liked the way that Masaru suddenly ranting about that with no real provocation was unreasonable and was very transparently him trying to assert some kind of superiority, not really about the appropriate-honorific-respect that he tried to insist was the point.

Marcus: “Who does he think he is, anyway? Look, kid! Agumon and I are the top fighters around here, and don’t you forget it!”

Meanwhile in the dub, the lines specifically asking for honorifics have no English equivalent, so we get this to fill the gap. I guess it has a reasonably similar effect and is a similarly uncalled-for assertion of superiority.

(I do like the “kid”, trying to make Thomas seem beneath him despite their equal age.)

Satsuma: “Already blazing down the warpath, eh?”

~~~~~

Sampson: “You are completely out of line.”

Satsuma was being reasonably tolerant of Masaru’s argumentative nature, accepting that this is just how Masaru is and he’ll hopefully be able to rein it in if he just understands the situation better. But Sampson is simply having none of it.

Sampson: “Marcus, Thomas is *your* superior. Deal.”

I guess it’s a lip-flap issue, but Sampson just telling Marcus to “deal” sounds weirdly colloquial for him. Also, “superior” is not quite the same thing as having seniority in terms of just having more experience. This implies that Thomas is going to have the right to give Marcus orders and Marcus will be obligated to follow them, which is not quite it.

Marcus: “You mean I have to take orders from him?”

…Okay, apparently that literally is what the dub wants us to think, even though this is not how things are actually going to work here.

(This is in place of the line establishing that Masaru and Tohma are the same age, but that will be a fact that gets mentioned in a later dub episode.)

Satsuma: “Be sure to get along with each other, as you are colleagues.”

~~~~~

Sampson: “Unlike some teams, *they* have got discipline.”

Satsuma was trying to mediate between the two, but instead Sampson is very clearly taking Thomas’s side, which he really ought to know is only going to rile Marcus up more.

(If Marcus and Agumon’s lack of discipline is really such a big dealbreaker for you, Sampson, why did you even want to recruit him in the first place?)

Tohma: “I think it will be futile to do so, Captain Satsuma. There is not a chance that this person could benefit DATS.”

~~~~~

Thomas: “Commander, please allow me to say a few words about the new recruit. Based on my first impression, I feel he could never benefit DATS in any way.”

Thomas is being a lot less out of line here, asking politely to speak his opinion and qualifying it as being only based on a first impression. This is also not him pointedly refusing to even try and get along like Tohma was, since Sampson didn’t ask him to. The blame in the dub version of this argument is a lot more heaped onto Marcus’s side rather than equally with both of them, and Sampson obviously siding with Thomas doesn’t help matters.

Masaru: “Say that to my face! Look into a person’s eyes when they’re talking!”

~~~~~

Marcus: “Say that to my face! Look me in the eye! If you have the guts!”

There’s slightly less emphasis on Marcus caring about people looking him in the eye when they’re talking to him, since he turns it into a general jab about Thomas not having any guts, but I do appreciate that it’s pretty much still here and unchanged.

Marcus: “What fighting skills does Your Highness possess, you royal jerk?!”

Ehh, I don’t really like Marcus bringing in jabs about the nobility thing at this point. Thomas has just insulted his fighting strength, and in that particular fighting context, Masaru would not care about anything except his opponent’s strength and would not make uncalled-for jabs at something unrelated.

Yoshino: “This is the worst… Go ahead, do whatever you want.”

~~~~~

Yoshi: “Oh well… Good luck. Protect yourself.”

This is after Marcus refuses to put on his headgear in the boxing ring. Yoshino sounds like she’s just exasperatedly washing her hands of his self-destructive recklessness, because hey, at least she tried. But Yoshi still seems to be genuinely trying to help him, even as the “protect yourself” falls kinda flat because he literally just refused to do so. (It doesn’t sound especially sarcastic – the “good luck” at least sounds very genuine.)

Tohma: “Why did you join DATS?”

Masaru: “Huh?! It was so I could win, obviously!”

Tohma: “Against who?”

Masaru: “Against strong guys!”

~~~~~

Thomas: “What made you join DATS in the first place?”

Marcus: “Huh? It was so I could meet guys like *you*!”

Thomas: “Seriously?”

Yoshi: “He means, he wanted to fight. Strong guys, like you.”

Marcus: “Not him…”

I think what the dub is trying to get at with “guys like you” is similar to a change they made last episode, in which Marcus apparently specifically wants to beat up bad guys, and Thomas is totally one of those, right. I guess props to the dub for at least trying to keep that vaguely consistent? Even though it’s a change that I very much do not like.

I presume the “not him” after Yoshi just said “strong guys like [Thomas]” is Marcus wanting to insist that Thomas isn’t strong, because it otherwise wouldn’t make any sense for him to deny the thing that he literally just said himself.

But, hey, notice something else here? Yoshino doesn’t have a line here in the original. They edited the footage to take away Marcus explaining his own goals and put those words into Yoshi’s mouth instead. Why? Why would you do that. I’d say that maybe they only did so to remove some of the punching from the fight because oh no violence (there will be some Issues the dub has with removing punching from this anime which is very heavily about punching), except they still keep the bit where Thomas punches Marcus in the stomach, so that can’t be it. They actually keep all the punches in this fight uncut, which is Rare for the dub.

Tohma: (He’s beyond help.)

~~~~~

Thomas: (I’m getting tired of this.)

Thomas’s thought is a lot less unreasonable than Tohma’s. Thomas is still coming across as significantly more in the right than Marcus in the dub, rather than them being equally as bad as each other.

Masaru: “A fight doesn’t end until one side admits defeat!”

~~~~~

Marcus: “Sorry ‘bout that. Why don’t you run along and catch up with Sampson. Maybe you can read a report together.”

Ughhh, I really, really don’t like this. The dub has apparently decided that, since Marcus is A Jock™, he must be disdainful of Nerds™ like Thomas and make jabs about that. Masaru doesn’t frigging care! He does not give a damn in the slightest how book-smart and workaholic Tohma is; the only thing that would ever matter to Masaru is how he fares in a fight.

And we get this instead of that fun line showing Masaru’s philosophy about street fights, giving more insight into why he insisted on getting up and continuing the fight even after the “match” had ended.

I also don’t like Marcus’s “apology”. He is very obviously not sorry for deliberately punching Thomas, and trying to act like he is when he obviously isn’t is such an insincere dick thing to do that would never even cross Masaru’s mind.

Yoshino: “Tohma’s beaten Olympic champions in the past.”

~~~~~

Yoshi: “I’ve seen Thomas routinely beat Olympic champions in that very ring!”

…What, in that ring in the gym that’s presumably at DATS? Even if this is the dub assuming it’s not at DATS and is just some gym somewhere nearby in town, you’d have thought that if Tohma had fought champions, he’d have gone to them to do so, rather than inviting them to him. To them, he’s just some random rich kid; why would they go that far out of their way for him?

The “routinely” also serves to make Thomas’s talent sound even more ridiculously over-the-top than it already was.

Yoshino: “Really, the only things worthy of a gold medal around here are your pride and your competitive attitude.”

~~~~~

Yoshi: “Marcus, I’m not impressed by your bragging, and Thomas isn’t even in the room!”

I miss the snark. A lot of characters the dub makes snarkier, but Yoshi kinda becomes a bit less so, it seems.

Kudamon: “If even a small flame from PetitMeramon’s body remains, it has the ability to develop and multiply in a short time. It should have been prevented from doing so earlier.”

~~~~~

Kudamon: “A DemiMeramon can regenerate itself over and over again, multiplying a hundred times in as little as half an hour. Apparently, the area wasn’t sealed off earlier.”

The dub manages to completely leave out the part where this is Masaru’s fault because embers from the PetitMeramon were scattered everywhere from his failed attempts to punch it and then he ran off and left things on fire for new PetitMeramon to regenerate themselves from.

Instead, apparently DemiMeramon can just multiply… whenever? It doesn’t do so from the flames it leaves behind, it just copies itself? Except, if Thomas secured the single DemiMeramon that there was to begin with, it literally should not have been able to do so. Sealing off the area would have been irrelevant once it had been safely turned into an egg. The only way it could have multiplied itself like this is if it did so before Thomas neutralised it – but it clearly didn’t do that in front of Marcus, so this is hardly his fault.

Marcus has the same flashback to punching the DemiMeramon and the same thought that this is his fault, but this makes absolutely no sense with the information the dub has given us. Great job there, dubbers.

Sampson: “And now, the DemiMeramon has been left on its own to multiply at will!”

Um, dub? Do you not remember the part where Thomas brought in the DemiMeramon’s egg? It was not left anywhere. That is not how this happened and not why this is (supposed to be) Marcus’s fault.

Masaru: “Wait! Those fireballs are ours to beat!”

~~~~~

Marcus: “Hey! Hold on a second, that’s our case!”

They really are watering down any sense that Marcus sees this as being about finishing his fight. Instead he’s apparently invested because this is a case, like he ever really cared about the official DATS investigation side of things.

Masaru: “Damn right! We’ll pull it off somehow using our spirits!”

~~~~~

Marcus: “You bet! And we’ll do it with style, too!”

I miss the “somehow”, making it clear that Masaru has absolutely no idea how he’s going to do this and is willing to basically admit that, yet still wants to throw himself into it anyway.

Marcus: “You two can’t handle that many alone! We’ll help!”

The “we’ll help” is a dub addition, but I am surprised by the notion that Marcus sounds willing to just help Thomas, essentially working together with him. That definitely shouldn’t be something he’d want to do right now. (Suddenly the dub is making Marcus come across as more reasonable and less of a jerk than it’s been doing the entire time, because what is consistency.)

Megumi: “His lightning-fast techniques look great!”

~~~~~

Megumi: “His reflexes are lightning fast! And he’s cute!”

Okay, never mind what I said earlier, I guess the dub is still keeping the idea that the computer ladies think Thomas is cute, adding in a reference to that where there wasn’t even one originally.

Agumon: “Wow…”

~~~~~

Agumon: “Cute?”

And because of that, we also lose Agumon being in awe of Tohma and Gaomon’s performance and accidentally making Masaru feel worse, in place of him simply irrelevantly questioning Megumi’s comment.

Kudamon: “Aren’t you going to stop him?”

Satsuma: “Leave him alone.”

~~~~~

Kudamon: “You’re not going to say anything?”

Sampson: “Not yet.”

So apparently, Sampson is planning to give Marcus some kind of talking-to about this at some point probably fairly soon. We’re really losing that sense from Satsuma that he understands that Masaru will be Masaru and is being patient and giving him space to sort his issues with Tohma out on his own, which I enjoyed and am sad to lose.

Agumon: “Aniki… Why are you angry?”

~~~~~

Agumon: “Don’t be upset, Boss! Just because Thomas is better than you!”

Originally Agumon didn’t really understand what was going on in Masaru’s head. Meanwhile, dub-Agumon seems to have Marcus figured out perfectly – and yet is also tactless enough to outright say the thing he’s already realised is upsetting him.

Agumon: “Well, I think Tohma and Gaomon are nasty guys too, but…”

~~~~~

Agumon: “Boss, I’m sorry I said that about Thomas. You’re better than him.”

At least dub-Agumon realises this and apologises after Marcus is clearly not thrilled by it, but his “you’re better than him” reads as pretty empty reassurance when he just said the exact opposite.

(Meanwhile, original-Agumon still didn’t realise this had anything to do with who’s better than who and just thought it had to be about Tohma being kind of a dick, while still being confused at how that would make Aniki this upset…?)

Masaru: “No… It’s myself that I’m mad at, not them.”

~~~~~

Marcus: “No, I’m not. I’m just pig-headed and I let my pride get in my way.”

Marcus, like Masaru, is capable of realising that the problem is himself here… but he goes way further than Masaru does as to why that supposedly is.

And the thing is, this isn’t actually supposed to be the problem in the original! Originally, Masaru’s issue was that Tohma is “better” than him simply in the sense that he’s a stronger and more capable fighter, making Masaru face the fact that he might not be as strong a fighter as he thought he was. But here in the dub, apparently the problem is that Thomas is “better” than Marcus because of Marcus’s personality, because Thomas is supposedly just a better person than some pig-headed arrogant jerk like Marcus.

Which is not the point! Masaru can be reckless and prideful sometimes, but it’s never in a way that makes him a bad fighter or a bad person. He’s been a bit of argumentative jerk in this episode in particular with regards to Tohma, but Tohma himself has been equally bad in that regard in his own very different way. The original was great in having both Masaru and Tohma be equally the problem in this clash between them, in very parallel ways.

Yet apparently the dub wants us to think that, no, Thomas is a perfectly reasonable guy and the problem really is that Marcus is such an arrogant jerk compared to him. Which I guess is somewhat consistent with some of the small changes they’ve been making to the rest of the episode to make Marcus slightly more of a jerk and Thomas slightly less of one, and having Sampson clearly come down on Thomas’s side, to make it look like Marcus’s attitude alone is the problem.

But, urgh! I hate that the dub is doing this to Masaru’s character, presenting Marcus as more of a jerk and as if this is his biggest character flaw, when that has nothing to do with what’s going on with Masaru and just makes Marcus significantly less likeable! Why would you ever think this was a good thing to do with the story’s main protagonist, seriously.

Masaru: “Damn it! What am I doing? Really… what the hell am I doing?”

~~~~~

Marcus: “It’s time I realised it. I still have a lot to learn. Face it. I’m not the ultimate fighter.”

And now, while originally Masaru was unable to properly articulate what it actually was that was frustrating him about himself, Marcus has just fully completed this 100% self-aware reflection. From this, what you’d assume it’d lead into would be, presumably, Marcus trying to be less “pig-headed and prideful” and more like Thomas, since apparently Thomas’s way of doing things obviously makes him better than Marcus as both a fighter and a person?

Yeah, raincheck on that supposed character development. I’m sure you can already tell that’s not what’s going to happen here, since it isn’t in the original, because it doesn’t freaking need to be.

Also, remember how I made a point of how the original changed Masaru’s “already the number one street fighter” into Marcus’s “trying to be the ultimate fighter” in episode 1? That’s becoming extremely relevant right here.

This whole episode is a bit of a wake-up call for Masaru in terms of realising for the first time that maybe he’s not actually the greatest fighter like he thought and there’s still more growing he can do. But Marcus? He’s supposed to have already known that. “Face it, I’m not the ultimate fighter”? You literally never said you were in the first place. You were supposed to already know you had a lot to learn, so why is it only just now “time I realised it”?

There wouldn’t necessarily be anything inherently wrong with the dubbers changing Marcus’s ultimate fighter thing into this if they’d made sure to follow through on it and also change every character moment he gets to be consistent with the new version. Buuut they’re not doing that. I don’t think they realised how meaningful of a change it even was to make in the first place.

Old man: “It’s hard lighting up a fire… The sparks go out easily whenever the wind gets a little too strong.”

Masaru: “Well, obviously!”

~~~~~

Old man: “I’m having trouble starting a fire, though. Y’see, the flames keep dying out on me because the wind’s too strong and it keeps blowing it out.”

Marcus: “Yeah, that’s happened to me, too.”

Unlike Masaru, who was just expressing exasperation at this old guy telling him something obvious like he didn’t already know that the wind blows out flames, Marcus appears to be… getting the metaphor? His own experience that he’s referring to could just be his literal problem of not being able to punch fire, but based on what he’s just been reflecting on a moment ago and also judging from his tone of voice, that doesn’t seem to be it.

Which makes me sad! Masaru is a ridiculously straightforward doofus who wouldn’t know a metaphor if it punched him in the face, and I am disappointed to see the dub water down that delightful part of his character and make Marcus into some kind of regular person who can actually recognise that kind of thing.

Old man: “But… once I get a larger flame going, it burns strongly no matter how much the wind blows. Fire is an interesting thing, isn’t it?”

Masaru: “…This is…”

~~~~~

Old man: “Well… If you learn to use the wind instead of fighting it, you can make the fire burn brighter than ever before. Harness power, don’t extinguish it.”

Marcus: “…He’s right!”

But then, the dub’s version of the metaphor becomes something quite different. Instead of saying that Masaru’s “flame” will soon get so strong that no wind can blow it out, he’s saying that Marcus should harness the “wind” to make his “flame” stronger.

Originally, the metaphor was basically meant to be a reassurance to Masaru that he’s already doing fine – that he just needs to keep going as he has been and continue to grow and soon enough nothing will be able to stop him. But here in the dub, the metaphor appears to be prompting him to take new action of some sort, warning him that his flame will keep getting blown out if he doesn’t do whatever “harnessing the wind” is supposed to mean.

It’s ambiguous exactly what the “wind” could represent here. If it’s something that was getting in Marcus’s way until now, is it meant to be his “pig-headed pride” that he was just thinking was his big problem? Is the point of this supposed to be the old man telling Marcus through metaphor that actually he should keep being exactly the way he is and should just do that harder?

On the one hand I’d be okay with that because hey, guess what, newsflash, there is actually nothing wrong with Masaru being the way he is, and the dub is wrong to try and act like his personality is the issue and to distort his personality into being more of a jerk to make it an issue. But then that just serves to completely undermine the supposed realisation that Marcus had back in the tunnel and set him back on the track of not trying to change at all. (Which, yeah, again, spoilers, he’s not going to; of course he’s not going to be actively trying to make himself more like Thomas, because that’s not something that Masaru would ever do. Masaru has very strong convictions in who he is and wouldn’t change that for anyone.)

And somehow, despite this metaphor being a lot more metaphorical and ambiguous than it was in the original, and despite this being Marcus, he appears to completely understand what the old man is trying to say to him and take those words to heart. Whatever those words actually are. Somehow.

…I suppose it’s possible that actually the “wind” in the metaphor is supposed to represent Thomas, and that this metaphor is trying to encourage Marcus and Thomas to work together to make each other stronger. This would sort of make sense, since GeoGreymon uses fire-based attacks while Gaogamon uses wind-based attacks, and we’ll actually be seeing some metaphorical stuff being done with those attacks of theirs in the next couple of episodes. Still, if that’s the case, it’s nonetheless definitely not what Marcus gets from this metaphor right here.

But you know what else this dub version of the metaphor very much isn’t? It is not remotely useful literal advice about how to punch fire. At no point does it explain the part where a stronger flame won’t be blown out by anything (and will therefore be punchable). So whatever Marcus is getting from the old man’s words here, it isn’t that. This is kind of important for what’s about to happen next.

As Marcus hears about the trouble at the gas tanks and rushes off, the old man has an added line that’s just silence in the original:

Old man: “See what good fire does?”

…which makes even more of a point that this is definitely only meant to be some kind of metaphor. Though, wasn’t he trying to say that the wind would do Marcus good? Marcus already is the fire in this metaphor, so stressing that fire is good seems besides the point. I’m getting increasingly convinced that the dubbers just didn’t have an actual meaning in mind for their version of the metaphor at all and were half-assing this entire conversation. (Yet they somehow still felt they knew better than the original writers enough to change it at all.)

Thomas: “There’s no chance he can secure the DemiMeramon. There’s too many!”

[cut to precisely *three* DemiMeramon flying around]

Yep, sure, three of them is totally too many. Originally the “too many” comment wasn’t there, and Tohma thought Masaru couldn’t do this simply because he hadn’t shown he could handle any PetitMeramon at all. Numbers are not supposed to be the issue here, or at least not the primary one like Thomas is making it sound like it is.

Masaru: “Fire sparks easily go out whenever the wind blows on them. But�� Once they burst into flame…!”

[Masaru leaps to punch the Meramon quite solidly in the face and lands with his Digisoul flaring]

Masaru: “They won’t be extinguished so easily!”

~~~~~

Marcus: “Just like the old man said, a fire can be blown out by the wind. Then again… you know what I always say…!”

[Marcus leaps to punch the Meramon quite solidly in the face and lands with his DNA flaring]

Marcus: “You gotta fight fire with fire!”

So… yeah. In the dub, the old man’s words were not actually advice on how to solve this problem, and Marcus’s decision to deliberately make the DemiMeramon stronger had nothing to do with what the old man told him. He had no reason to believe this would work. He really was just being dangerously rash and hot-headed with no sense of actual plan or strategy, and it really did only work out of sheer luck.

(I mean, okay, maybe he could have just figured on his own that making the fire stronger would make it punchable. But Masaru is definitely not supposed to be the kind of person who could figure that out without being nudged in the right direction by someone else. And if Marcus really is perfectly capable of figuring that out on his own, why did he not do so the first time?)

Thomas: “Marcus made Meramon Digivolve on purpose so he could activate his DNA…”

It is very debatable that this was on purpose here, Thomas.

Megumi: “Not bad!”

~~~~~

Megumi: “Marcus proved he could do it!”

Thanks, dub, we needed it made obvious that this fight was about Marcus proving himself, because we couldn’t figure that out on our own.

Thomas: “Don’t get cocky. You just got lucky this time, that’s all.”

This line is basically unchanged, but guess what? Thomas is right to say this, where Tohma wasn’t.

Tohma: “Don’t be absurd. You don’t come up with any strategy or tactics. Do you think using force all the time will let you win at everything?”

Masaru: “Hah, sounds like a sore loser to me.”

~~~~~

Thomas: “Just as I thought, you had no plan and no tactics, just raw power.”

Marcus: “Hah. For a genius, you’re a real sore loser.”

Still basically the same, but again, Thomas is right this time, not being a sore loser. In fact, the added “just as I thought” (and this line comes after the cut back to HQ, so there was conversation prior to it that we didn’t hear) suggests that Thomas has just heard from Marcus himself that, yes, he really did just recklessly charge in with no plan.

I mean, sure, in a sense Thomas is still being a sore loser because Marcus’s raw power still worked. But the point of the sore loser line in the original was that Tohma insisting that Masaru used no tactics in and of itself was him sorely refusing to admit that maybe Masaru actually did have some idea what he was doing after all.

Tohma: “What did you say?”

Masaru: “Wanna make somethin’ of it? I’ll knock you out with one hit to the face this time!”

~~~~~

Thomas: “What did you say?”

Marcus: “Oh, just this: I’ll take my raw power over your tactics any day!”

Granted, outright saying he’d prefer raw power over tactics is definitely something Masaru might also say (of course he would; look at how he never tried to point out that he actually did have a strategy because he doesn’t care about that). But this is a bit of a different way for the dub to show Marcus having his confidence back, since his “conflict” this episode was apparently about “oh no what if raw power is bad and I should be more like Thomas”.

(…Did the dub actually deliberately remove the part where the metaphor was literal advice about punching fire so that Marcus could win through nothing but raw power in order to facilitate this complete backpedal in what briefly appeared to be some ill-advised character development? Ugh, but even if that was on purpose, it’s so much more interesting to show that Masaru actually can do strategy sometimes, and it’s just that his strategies are a lot more risky and head-on than Tohma’s!)

Tohma: “You want me… to act alongside him?”

Masaru: “You’re joking! I’ll never accept him as my partner!”

~~~~~

Thomas: “But sir, he’s completely undisciplined!”

Marcus: “This clown?! I’ll never be his partner – he’s way too annoying!”

Thomas and Marcus get given specific reasons to object to working together in the dub – and while Thomas’s complaint of “undisciplined” is perfectly reasonable, Marcus’s complaint of “annoying” seems rather beside the point. Too pompous, too uptight, (too makes-him-feel-like-maybe-strategy-and-not-just-raw-power-might-be-useful); something like that would be more relevant to Marcus. Is this supposed to be another Marcus Just Hates Nerds™ thing? Because ugh.

Overall differences

Oh boy. There’s a lot going on in terms of changes in this episode, and basically all of it is bad.

Rather than Masaru and Tohma both being presented as equally out-of-line for their own reasons in their initial arguments, the narrative firmly comes down on Thomas’s side by making Thomas less unreasonably harsh in his comments and by having Sampson clearly taking Thomas’s side.

The bit where they explain how DemiMeramon multiplied makes no sense and certainly doesn’t logically leave it as being Marcus’s fault at all, yet he still claims it is for no reason and we’re just expected to believe that.

Then there’s Marcus’s whole, ahem, “character arc” for the episode, if it can even be called that. Rather than some delightful subtle exploration of how Masaru deals with the realisation that he’s not necessarily the strongest fighter out there like he professes to be, it becomes this heavy-handed thing about how Marcus’s whole problem is that he’s Such A Big Arrogant Jerk. Marcus is way more self-aware about his supposed exact problem than someone like him really ought to be (including admitting he’s not the ultimate fighter when he never said he was), and for a moment it seems like his character development is going to be about him learning to be less of a jerk and more like Thomas. Except it won’t, because this won’t happen in the original, because this is not remotely Masaru’s problem in the original.

Then there’s the old man’s metaphor. Originally he was effectively saying that Masaru is doing fine the way he is and just needs to keep growing and getting stronger like this. Here, the metaphor is changed to imply that Marcus needs to take some kind of new action, except what new action is extremely unclear and is not actually going to happen, because, again, not how it went originally. Marcus apparently somehow gets this metaphor, which is ridiculous because I’m not even sure what it was on about, never mind that Marcus should be the last person who’s any good with metaphors, just like Masaru is.

And then there’s the part where the old man’s changed metaphor had nothing to do with teaching Marcus how he could literally punch fire and defeat the DemiMeramon. So his victory in the climactic fight really was complete boneheaded reckless luck without a semblance of strategy, and Thomas was right to call it that.

This entire dub version of the episode firmly wants you to come down on Thomas’s side and agree that Marcus is a huge dumb arrogant jerk whose personality is the entire problem here, and, urgh. I hate it. I hate it so much. I hate that the dub writers consciously chose to do this to Masaru’s character. Masaru does not deserve this.

(You’re probably starting to see why I’m actually quite glad that Masaru has a different name in the dub. Marcus may be a somewhat different character that the dub is insistently making worse, but at least Masaru will always be untainted and separate from the dub’s nonsense.)

#digimon #digimon savers #digimon data squad

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chronicallylatetotheparty · 4 years ago

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Watching (the Adventures of) Merlin season one on Netflix

Episode One: The Dragon's Call

. . . I feel like going to the capital of the kingdom indiscriminately slaughtering magic users wasn't the best idea.

Why? Well, that guy did just get executed.

And now his mom is mad. You tell that sorry excuse for a king, witch lady.

I don't like Uther, in case it was unclear.

Wait... if you could teleport why not just grab your son and ditch before he loses his head? Literally.

Oh, wow. Arthur is a dick.

Morgana. We have no choice but to stan tbh.

Dragon, you're really rubbing me the wrong way.

That's right Merlin! We need more than Because Destiny Says So!

Where did the spiderwebs come from? That sleeping spell gives me Sleeping Beauty vibes.

Ah, yes. The old drop-the- chandelier-on-the-villain trick. :(

If she went after Uther instead of Arthur I would have no complaints.

Manservant? You call that a reward for saving your son?

Episode Two: Valiant

Snake!Shield

Oh, he's gonna- Yup, dead. That's what happens when you deal with knights who cheat.

Where did that guy even get a magic shield in the first place?

Is there a thriving magic black market or something?

I love Guin.

. . . I feel like Sir Valiant didn't think this through. If bite marks are visible.

Ugh, you're the worst Uther.

It's only the second episode! Did you forget who saved your son already?

Stop being a jerk Arthur.

Lol. Merlin bringing a dog statue to life in order to practice for the Snake!Shield.

Bye Valiant!

Episode Three: The Mark of Nimueh

Whatcha up to with that egg, new witch lady?

You gonna poison the water of all of Camelot? Seems like a jerk move.

Dang that's a lot of dead bodies...

No, I like Guin's dad!

Yes! Cure him Merlin!

No! Stop arresting Guin, Uther!

You tell him, Morgana!

That plague monster that hatched from witch lady's egg is creepy.

Dead monster!

Arthur is kinda oblivious to Merlin's magic ngl.

Yay! Guin's free!

What do you know about witch lady Nimueh, Uther? Hmm? Why she want you dead? Besides the obvious reasons.

Episode Four: The Poisoned Chalice

Wow, Nimueh really doesn't like Merlin saving the day.

Wow, Nimueh really orchestrated an entire diplomatic incident in order to kill Merlin while also ensuring Camelot is destroyed by its neighbor. Impressive.

I really like Merlin and Guin's friendship.

Dang. Merlin really drank poison in order to save Arthur.

Merlin saved Arthur's life, Uther! Let him return the favor!

Oh, wow. Arthur really disobeyed his father in order to save Merlin's life.

I didn't know Merlin could cast spells while deathly delirious. And several miles away from him too.

Uther you b****! The antidote is right there! Let Arthur save his friend!

Putting your own son in a cell is such a jerk move.

At least Arthur and Guin manage to sneak the antidote to Merlin.

Quick aside: Internet spoilers say Uther needs to die for Arthur to complete his himbofication- I mean character development. So, if you could get on with that? Thanks!

Episode Five: Lancelot

Wow, that's a very CGI griffin.

Lancelot is so precious- Uh, I mean effective! Saving Merlin and all.

I know, Guin. I know.

Always thought it was a stupid rule to only let nobles be knights.

You're really going to commit magical forgery for someone you just met, Merlin?

I mean, Lancelot is earnest, hardworking, modest, kind despite his tragic backstory and it's his childhood dream to be a knight...

Yeah, I'd commit magical forgery too.

Lol, knocked you on your ass didn't he Arthur? (The second time at least)

I don't remember griffins being man-eaters!

Uther stop arresting people! Ugh, you're such a classist.

Let Lancelot help fight the griffin, Arthur! You need all the help you can get!

Well okay letting him go was nice of you.

Lancelot-Merlin tag team!

Wow. Lancelot really strode in with Camelot's singular braincell by figuring out Merlin has magic.

(The bar is low, okay.)

No, don't take away the braincell! Stay! The griffin was a team effort!

Okay, Lancelot's lawful good tendencies are a little annoying but, hey, nobody's perfect.

Episode Six: A Remedy to Cure All Ills

Edwin, no. Leave Morgana alone.

Oh, beetles! Curse beetles! That's not creepy at all.

Gaius how do you know Edwin?

What diabolical plot are you hatching Edwin? Oh, you're replacing Gaius in the royal court. That's kinda rude.

Merlin's so happy meeting another magic user that isn't trying to kill him (yet).

Le gasp! Uther's purge killed Edwin's parents? WhO cOuLd HaVe fOreSeEn tHis!?

But seriously. No wonder Edwin wants Uther dead.

I know Edwin blackmailed Gaius with exposing Merlin but he also wants to kill Uther!

That gives him a pass in my book.

Gaius no. Let Uther die.

Edwin stop trying to kill Gaius! You're going to-

Yup, here comes Merlin and-

Edwin's dead :(

Well he was trying to overthrow the kingdom. That's... bad... I guess.

Episode Seven: The Gates of Avalon

That title is misleading. It's more of a natural portal/magic lake type thing.

Arthur saves a father and daughter from bandits (Which they hired but shhh)

And they immediately try to put a love spell on Arthur

For human sacrifice purposes of course

Idk why the Sidhe want a human prince's soul -look at him, you don't know where he's been- but that's the price for readmission

I wonder how the dad killed one of his own kind? Was it an accident or...?

Exiling the daughter too makes me suspicious of Avalon's justice system

Evil laugh is a bit out of place for someone who is trying to restore his daughter's immortality

(They are so whiny about being mortal. Hey, we put up with it all the time!)

The fairy-like Sidhe moving in accelerated time so they just look like tiny orbs of light was an interesting touch. The blue faces and razor sharp teeth is not a good look for them, lol

They make Arthur ask to be married ('cause it takes a while for the love spell to go into full blown mind control or something)

Prompting Uther to threaten to kill both of them

(I feel like they didn't think this through)

Morgana admonishes Uther for being the worst

He replies that first love rarely lasts and that Arthur is inexperienced in such things. Plus that Arthur only met the girl yesterday

... I can't believe Uther is the voice of reason this episode

He doesn't get any points though. Due to the whole "threatening to execution his son's 'crush' " thing

The daughter is having second thoughts about using Arthur as a human sacrifice

Dear old dad puts those to rest and they try drowning Arthur in the lake that is/is the portal to, Avalon

Merlin's really leaning into the whole "Cool motive. Still murder.", thing huh?

Like, he did NOT hesitate to blow up both of them

Episode Eight: The Beginning of the End

Why do magic users keep going to Camelot!? The king is trying to KILL YOU!

Wow, this grown ass man is threatened by a literal child... I hate Uther so much

Morgana is the MVP of this episode. I love her

Protect that druid kid!

I feel like you're being paranoid Uther

You tell him Morgana!

Dragon, no. Stop prophesying death and destruction.

Wow, this grown ass dragon is threatened by a literal child...

Aaaand Morgana got caught sneaking the kid out of the city :(

Uther she is your adopted daughter! Stop putting people in cells!

Arthur is gonna sneak him out now?

While Morgana distracts the king?

Yes, excellent. What could possibly-

Merlin stop listening to that destiny dragon! Hearing his voice in your head is no basis for trust!

Cutting it close... Yay! They made it!

Mordred!? MORDRED!?

THAT little boy is Mordred!?

... Okay, I'm more inclined to believe the destiny dragon now

Still think letting him die would be a dick move

Episode Nine: Excalibur

What're you up to with that tomb Nimueh?

Oh! It's some kind of undead knight. Yes.

Throwing down the gauntlet. Pfft! Always thought that was a stupid idea.

Also: that Black Knight literally crashed your party!

Ugh, knights.

Nimueh if you can just teleport into the heart of Camelot while Uther is alone why don't you just stab him? Grab one of those pointy things he likes so much and stab him in the back. Easy peasy!

Stealing this joke but Don't do evil magic kids. It fries your brain cells.

Wait, the Black Knight is Uther's brother-in-law!?

Arthur's mother died in childbirth!?

Uther asked Nimueh to use her magic so he could have Arthur!?

Equivalent Exchange!?

Uther went on a genocidal rampage because he didn't bother with the instruction manual of ancient and powerful magic!?

Actually, that last one is not surprising at all.

I can't believe they're using the Wife in the Fridge trope. That appliance hasn't even been invented yet!

Ooh, Merlin's going to use his magic to destroy the Black Knight so Arthur doesn't have to fight him

As he's killed two knights already

Aaaaand, yup, he's still there. His cloak didn't even catch fire...

Arthur stop being a bastard. It doesn't suit you

Dragon forged sword! DRAGON FORGED SWORD!

Only Arthur can wield it. Yup, got it. How could this possibly go wrong?

Uther drugged Arthur and took his place in the fight... I have mixed feelings about this.

Wait, the dragon was very specific about only Arthur using that super special sword! Oh, snap.

Well at least the Black Knight is dead. Again.

Oh, dragon is not happy.

I know the dragon said "where no mortal soul could find it" but are you sure you wanna throw it into Avalon, Merlin?

Those people were gonna suck Arthur's soul out of his body

Episode Ten: The Moment of Truth

The way this episode title just lies to your face like that...

Oh, you're Merlin's mother! Thought we had an anime protagonists type thing going on

I... would like to say Uther is being unreasonable when he decides not to cross borders to get rid of some bandits. But I can totally see everyone hating him so that's a no go.

Lady, you were in a whole different kingdom. Why for the love of Merlin did you send him to Camelot!?

We're off to save the village! Morgana and Guin are coming too!

A wild Arthur appears!

Morgana better at swordplay than Arthur confirmed!

Merlin! I didn't know you had friends!

Granted he's a bit rough around the edges but

Okay. If it were literally anyone else besides Arthur. I'd say he was right about lords and knights being useless snobs.

Actually. He's right about lords and knights being useless snobs. Ah, that felt great.

Wow, the homosexual subtext is strong with this one.

The girls can tell Arthur came for Merlin.

But get your foot out of his face! I don't care how royal it is!

Look at Guin over here calling out Arthur for being a dick

And talking him into letting the women fight. She's on a roll

Aw, Merlin's friend died. :(

And he took credit for Merlin's tornado (so Arthur wouldn't find out about Merlin's magic)

Episode Eleven: The Labyrinth of Gedref

Lol, that unicorn could use a haircut.

No, Arthur. I said a haircut not an arrow to the chest!

Bad things? What kind of bad things Gaius?

Uther what's the point of having an expert in magical lore if you're not going to listen to him!

And all the crops are dead. Fantastic.

I know it's a magic thing but stating outright that the blight only targets edible plants is still really unsettling.

And the water's turned to sand. Great.

Who're you and how come Merlin is the only magic user that can't teleport?

What kind of tests mister Keeper of the Unicorns, sir?

Arthur I know you don't want to believe it's your fault... But it's totally your fault.

Uther no. People are starving.

You tell him Arthur.

Oh, the "theif" was a test!

Aaaaand he failed the second one. :(

Merlin's got a lot of faith in Arthur.

It's interesting how the Keeper can only direct the curse caused by the unicorn's death. Or rather the trials surrounding the curse, but can't break it himself.

Unicorns have some powerful magic.

The Labyrinth was barely on screen for five minutes! Surely something with Unicorn in the title would be more appropriate?

Arthur drinking a poisoned cup so Merlin could live?

That's some strong parallels right there.

The Keeper of the Unicorns is such a troll! Sleeping potion, hah!

The day is saved, Arthur lies to Uther's face about killing the Keeper and the unicorn resurrects itself.

Still needs a haircut though.

Episode Twelve: To Kill the King

Whatcha up to Guin's dad?

Oh that guy isn't suspicious at all.

You didn't think it was shady when he asked to meet in the middle of the night!?

Philosopher's Stone!?

Wow, the guards found him quickly.

What- No! Don't arrest Guin's dad!

Uther, he's a blacksmith! Stop being paranoid!

Will you stop executing people!? That inn keeper didn't know that guy was a dangerous sorcerer!

No, nononononono! He surrendered! Why did you do that!? Guin's father was important to Morgana!

That's why she gave him the key!

Dragon has his priorities straight.

Shut up, Merlin. You literally blew up a father and daughter for trying to kill one(1) person. (No really, you could see their hands flying off.)

Morgana deserves a little murder. As a treat.

Yes! Get him! Kill the bastard!

No! Why would you make GUIN say that!? Who are you and what have you done with Guin!?🔪🔪

UGH, he literally committed genocide!

The "that would make me as bad as he is" DOES NOT APPLY!

What- Oh, he still has the fairy's staff.

No. Stop it! Let Uther die!

Oh, God, Uther is such an abusive piece of GARBAGE!

Stop! Don't fall for it Morgana!

*sees dagger being pushed closer to Uther's "heart"* Yes! Yes! YES!

*Morgana saves him* NO!

NO!

NOOOOOO!

*inarticulate ranting in the background*

Episode Thirteen:

Okay, the cgi might be getting a little better 'cause the Questing Beast is freaky

Old religion? What is that? And how come it's conveniently absent from the previous episodes?

Dang, they really here just casually gaslighting Morgana like that 😡

Merlin you know Morgana has visions! You couldn't have been a little more careful? She warned you. Now look at Arthur, he's got the heroic death disease

Granted that thing does seem like a handful

Why do you only act like a father when it's a matter of life and death? Why can't you be a father literally any other time!?

"The old religion is the magic of the Earth itself."

Well that sounds fascinating, dragon. Are you going to elaborate? No? Later then?

Soooooo, is the old religion actually a religion or is it a magic? It's really unclear...

"You will be a better king than your father could ever hope to be." Guin, you're back!

I expected a place called the Isle of the Blessed to be less... creepy

Nimueh! Whatcha up to girl? Plotting the demise of a kingdom? Not today it seems

Oh there some Equivalent Exchange type nonsense going on is there?

Arthur you were supposed to be in a coma not listening to Guin!

Oh. Oh, no.

Merlin saying goodbye as he prepares to trade his life for his mother's is 😢😭

Wow, that dragon really knew Nimueh would give Merlin's mother the curse and didn't say anything. The little b*****!

No wonder Merlin's mad at him. Stop breathing fire at him! It's your own fault!

Gaius, no! Not the dead mentor trope!

"You stood by and watched as our friends died." Damn, Nimueh isn't pulling her punches.

Merlin vs Nimueh! Ready? Fight!

Anime protagonist power up! Dang, Nimueh's dead... I feel like that wasn't supposed to happen.

At least no one else is dying. Since Nimueh's death appeased the Equivalent Exchange laws of the old religion.

#bbc merlin #bbc arthur #bbc uther #bbc morgana #bbc's merlin

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petri808 · 4 years ago

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Halloween games prompt chosen by @dragonlovesstars for @thenaluarchive Falling for You event. Focusing on Nalu only in this story. I had an idea going in, sorry but yeah... the characters totally hijacked this story and idk what happened 😅

Most of the Fairytail guild celebrated Halloween like they did most holidays... or really most normal days, by drinking and partying. But that never stopped Mira from setting up games just in case some of the members were willing to play. The boozers got a game of Trick or Treat where they had to pick from shot concoctions that could be a nice treat or a yucky trick. Younger members were off playing spooky themed charades, and surprisingly a few chose trivia.

As for Natsu and gang, they signed up for a special game called Scary Treasure Hunt which Mira promised would garner them the best treasure prize in all of Fiore! She paired them in twos, and sent them off into Magnolia to search for this mysterious treasure with only a clue to the first location. All in all, five teams were playing for the ‘prize,’ and not so surprisingly, they were paired in couples. With any type of challenge, Natsu was pumped up and ready to play! So, as soon as Mira said ‘go,’ he was dragging Lucy out the door because there was no way Gray was winning the prize before him!

“Slow down Natsu!” Lucy jerks her partner to a halt. “We haven’t even read the clue yet!”

“Oh, right!” He laughs. “So what does it say?”

Lucy holds out the card and reads out loud. “Instructions. Follow the clues to each location where you’ll be given a riddle and a clue to the next destination. I glide over water and rock to and fro. The canals I may travel, but the docks are my home.”

“What?” Natsu questions. “A boat? That’s not a destination.”

“The answer is right in the clue Natsu,” Lucy rolls her eyes. “The first location is the docks where they tie up the boats.”

“Ohhhh!” He grabs her hand, “well let’s go! Time’s ticking!”

When they reach the tiny Magnolia harbor, the pair search around at each boat looking for their next clue. There were only a few, and most were the smaller boats used to navigate the water channels. Of course, when they did find it, Lucy had to climb aboard to grab the scroll.

“Read it, read it!” Natsu bounces excitedly.

“First your riddle. Salamander, Salamander! The crowd chants with spellbound delight. You’ve come to a crossroad, do you choose left or right?”

“I— don’t get it,” Natsu scratches his head. “Is it talking about me? What the hell is the crossroads?”

“Huh?” Lucy frowns too. “I don’t get it either.”

“Is that all?”

“No, um,” she reads further. “Over the hill and through the lane, to strawberry street we go. Reach for the stars. Hmm, maybe my apartment is the next step?”

“Or the roof?”

“Could be? I guess it’s worth a shot.”

At Lucy’s apartment building, they took the access stairs to the rooftop, but at first, they don’t see anything at all. It wasn’t exactly a big roof to search, yet they saw no scroll. Frustrated, Lucy walked over to the edge facing the street below and rests her arms. Where else on Strawberry street would Mira have sent them if not her apartment? Though, so far, none of this made much sense to her. She looked down at the ground when something stuck to the wall grabbed her attention. “Found it! But I can’t reach it.”

Natsu looks over the edge and realizes he couldn’t reach the scroll either. So, he hopped off the roof, grabbing it as he falls, and landed on the street below. Lucy raced down to meet him.

“Good catch!” She congratulated him. He handed her the scroll and she reads it. “First your riddle. Through a leap, you know no bounds, nor fright of night, just solid ground. Okay this is seriously confusing,” Lucy grumbled, but continued on. “The dead slumber in their beds. We find solace in their peace.”

“I’m gonna guess the cemetery.” Natsu states.

“I agree.”

This really was turning into a hunt, though Lucy was starting to wonder what it meant. All of these locations and clues seemed tied together somewhat, revolving around their lives. Did Mira make it that way so it would be easier? By the time they reached the cemetery, she was no closer to figuring anything out. Lucy shivered at the idea of walking around a cemetery at night. It was eerie, maneuvering around the grave stones, searching aimlessly through the rows for the next scroll. This graveyard had no ties to either of them personally, but just being here made Lucy think about her parents.

After several minutes of searching, they finally found the scroll that was left on top of a headstone. Lucy wrapped her arms around herself tightly, a bit chilled both physically and emotionally.

Natsu comes up from behind Lucy and reaches around to rub her arms to warm her. “You okay?”

“Yeah, must be the wind,” she blamed, but his added heat helped to send those chills away. Lucy opened the scroll. “First your riddle. In the dark, we seek the light, and when we find it, we hold on tight for it will always guide the way home. That’s it,” Lucy turns it over and back, “there isn’t a clue.”

“Could ‘home’ be the clue?” Natsu asks.

“Yeah, but which home? Mine? Yours? Fairytail?”

“Well, she sent us to yours once already, and she probably wouldn’t have us go back to the guild unless we found the treasure, so I’m gonna guess my house.”

Lucy giggles. “That’s pretty smart thinking.”

“I have my moments.” He shrugs.

As they walk back to Natsu’s cottage, it was becoming clear to both of them that this wasn’t really a scary treasure hunt, unless you count putting a scroll in a boat for a slayer or being sent to a creepy cemetery. No, Mira designed this specifically for them to figure out something, but what that was still eluded them.

Once they arrive at Natsu’s cottage, they go inside and start looking around. Again, just like on Lucy’s rooftop, it wasn’t quickly noticed. They search the place from top to bottom and still nothing. Where was it?! Natsu grabs a blanket off the couch to check under it, but drops it again when nothing is found. “Okay,” he laments, “maybe I was wrong and she meant the guildhall.”

“Maybe not...”

He looked in Lucy’s direction, who was staring at his wall of mementoes. And there, pinned up, is the unrolled scroll. “What does it say?” He questioned.

“Your final riddle. They are the ones we run to. Hold us close when we are afraid, soothe us in our melancholy. Laugh with us, cry with us. Protect, nurture, and push us to be better. They are our greatest treasure yet our most feared acceptance. What am I?”

“That’s not a riddle.”

“Well, not exactly... but it has an answer.” Lucy turned around to face him. “It was all about our journey here,” she smiled with moisture building in her eyes. “The day we met, the choice to go with you. That leap of faith cause I knew you’d catch me. You being there for me over and over again. It’s saying you are my greatest treasure.”

“I can understand that cause I always thought you were a treasure. But I don’t understand m the fear part or the ‘what am I’ question.”

“Oh,” Lucy blushed. “I-It’s describing a soulmate because it could be scary to realize when you’ve found yours.” It sure as hell was for her.

Silence gripped the room as Natsu’s face registered a blank stare. Lucy couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and frankly the longer he stayed that way, the more nervous she became. Was he not understanding her? What if he did understand her?! This is exactly the fear factor she had long tried to avoid! “Are you still confused?” She asked hesitantly.

“So... the answer is you’re my soulmate?”

“I guess, yeah you could say that.” Again he just stares and she could almost see the gears turning in his head as he processed her words. “Natsu?”

“Like Lucy and Natsu in Edolas? Or Nack and Lucia in Giltina?”

“Yeah...”

His brows furrowed, then suddenly a grin bursts free. “I got it! Making an egg is our greatest treasure!”

Lucy slaps her forehead. “Oh my Mavis! For the last time, humans don’t come from eggs, and even if we did, y-you don’t even know what it takes to make one.”

“Macao and Gildarts already told me what to do, but I’m still confused. Maybe you could show me?”

“W-what?!” She crisscrossed her arms over her chest.

“But the treasure?!”

“Natsu I’m not having sex with you to win a challenge!”

He walked over unphased and put his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t care about a challenge. I want our treasure.” He smiled wide. “Wouldn’t that be the best Halloween treat ever? I know you don’t think I understand, and I don’t about some of this, but what I do know, is after seeing Nasha, I just thought it would be great to have one of our own.”

“Natsu,” Lucy sighed, “its not right to have kids unless we both love each other.”

“You don’t love me?”

“I-I didn’t say that...”

“Then we agree!” He grins, “please Lucy, let’s make our own hoard of treasures!”

“Whoa! Whoa! Slow down Natsu! W-we just established how we feel but it’s another thing t-to jump into t-that, and we haven’t even kissed yet!”

“Pfft, well that’s easy enough,” he swooped in and placed a rough, sloppy kiss on her lips. “We’re at the crossroads Lucy. Is it trick or treat?”

Lucy was done, her mind was fried and her heart was beating so hard she felt woozy. None of this was how she’d dreamed it would happen, but then again just like their counterparts, maybe the spur of the moment was more their style anyway.

Lucy takes a deep breath. “Treat.”

#nalu #falling for you #the nalu archive event #Halloween games #prompt #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #nalu ficlet #nalu fan fic #nalu fanfiction

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idolish7rabbitchats · 4 years ago

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Nanase Riku: Birthday 2020 RabbitTV Part 1

Staff: …That’s all for “RabbiTube”s outline.

Staff: We are planning to pick a part of the video and show it in “NEXT Re:vale”!

Staff: I’m thinking they could show their other side that we can’t usually see, on TV. Please take care of us!

Momo: Looking forward to it, huh everyone!

Yuki: You can bare everything and show us this part and that part.

Mitsuki: Ahahah, please don’t be hard on us! I need to research a lot…!

Gaku: Oh right Tenn, you were watching “RabbiTube” videos that time right. Don’t you know something that would become a reference?

Tenn: … I was just watching cat videos that time.

Gaku: What, cats huh. That’s not a reference.

Ryuunosuke: … No, cat videos could become a reference too! Like how they behave to entertain or comfort people…

Gaku: Wait, Ryuu. Only a limited number of people can refer to that…

Yuki: …Gaku-cat, nice.

Tenn: …Pff…

Gaku: Oi, Tenn, why did you laugh?!

Riku: Cats huh…! Like a video of Iori going to a cat cafe?

Iori: Please stop, why is it me?!

Yamato: Hold on, I don’t want to do that kind of video…

Tamaki: I want to do a pudding taste test!

Sogo: …Then I wanna do a taste test of 100 kinds of spices from around the world…

Nagi: I’ll do a Kokona appreciation gathering!

Mitsuki: That’s the usual for you guys isn’t it!

Iori: … No…. Even though it’s basic, a video of us petting animals would attract people…

Riku: Iori, d’you say something?

Iori: No, nothing.

Momo: Ahahah! Nice, a lot of ideas came out huh!

Momo: That kind of feeling is good! I want you guys to show your usual selves for “RabbiTube”!

Yuki: So then, please take care of it for a year.

IDOLiSH7&TRIGGER: Please take care of us!

[Scene Change]

Riku: This year’s birthday project is being a “RabbiTube” creator huh…!

Sogo: It’s fun to chat with everyone in Rabbit Chats so this might feel a little lonely huh.

Mitsuki: ...Yeah. I’m happy that we can reach the fans with videos but I want to celebrate properly together too!

Yamato: Well, we’ve always done it up until now.

Nagi: ...We’ve started to get more individual jobs. I understand that it might be hard to match our times...

Tamaki: We can’t eat Mikki’s cake?

Mitsuki: We’ll definitely make a cake! Right, Iori!

Iori: Right. I’ll help.

Riku: Hmm… Celebrate… Celebrate...

Riku: Ah! Then, how about taking the birthday person somewhere? Everyone decides and we all go out.

Riku: Actually, it might be hard for everyone to go out so… We’ll ask Manager to adjust our schedule and people who are able to go would come with us!

Mitsuki: Going outside huh… We’ve celebrated a lot in Rabbit Chats up until now so it might feel new and good!

Yamato: It’s too bad we can’t go altogether but, deciding where to go might feel like a celebration. ...For my time, I want to go to a beer factory.

Mitsuki: You already decided?!

Tamami: Then, for the people who can’t go, let’s take lots of pictures and videos. I’ll send it in the Rabbit Chat.

Nagi: OH! That’s wonderful. That would make us feel like we went there too.

Iori: Posting them on Rabitter would make people happy too.

Sogo: That sounds fun…! How about we try consulting with Manager tomorrow?

Riku: Yes! ...It seems like they’ll become fun birthdays this year too!

[Scene Change]

Riku: Uwaaah…! Cool, cute! What is this place?!

Iori: It’s a glamping facility.

Tsumugi: Seems like glamping is the trend because we can freely enjoy camping!

Nagi: Riku, did you go glamping when you were a kid?!

Riku: When I was a kid… I don’t really have any memories…

Iori: ...Let’s enjoy today like you would’ve as a kid.

Nagi: There’s a lot of meat and fish prepared! Of course, snacks too..!

Nagi: The night is long, Riku!

Iori: I’ll allow you to enjoy the whole night. Right, Manager.

Tsumugi: Yes! I’ll support you with all my might!

Riku: Thanks, Manager..!

Riku: To be forgiven by grumpy Iori, it seems it’ll be an amazing day!

Iori: Isn’t it fine sometimes. To have a day to enjoy...

Riku: Thank you too, Nagi! Let’s eat a lot of things together!

Nagi: YES! A small party in the woods!

Riku: Right, then it’s glamping now!

Nagi&Iori: Yeah…!

Riku: Hey hey Iori, how do you start a fire using charcoal?

Iori: Aah, I’ll do it so please sit for a bit.

Iori: Since it would be dangerous for you to breathe in the smoke...

Riku: ...Right. I’m sorry, to get in the way.

Riku: Hey, Nagi. Is there something I can help with?

Nagi: OH, right now, I’m fighting against the evil that is onions! My eyes are…! Riku, run…!

Riku: G-Got it…!

Riku: ……..

Tsumugi: Riku-san.

Riku: Ah, Manager.

Riku: Somehow, it seems it might be better if I sat down. Even though I wanted to have fun with them...

Tsumugi: Riku-san, today you have a nice coloring. Your condition has been stable lately too...

Riku: Eheheh, yeah. Right.

Tsumugi: ...Let’s do it, cooking! Something to surprise them!

Riku: ...Is that fine, I...

Tsumugi: Of course. We came glamping to celebrate Riku-san.

Tsumugi: Just don’t overwork yourself please. It’s a promise with everyone!

Riku: ...Yeah. I’ll cook something to make them happy!

Riku: ...I might fail a little though….

Iori: Nanase-san? What are you talking about?

Riku: A secret! Iori, you’ll cook something right?

Iori: That’s right but...

Nagi: WOW, Riku will also make dinner?

Riku: Ahaha, yeah! ...Hey, let’s compete over who can cook the most delicious food!

Iori: Haah? Do you think you’ll win against me?

Nagi: Fufuh…. Don’t underestimate my tongue, which I have developed for a long time.

Riku: Then the time limit is one hour! ...Aaaand start!

Riku: ...Huh… Should I add this in like this...

Iori: Oh come on, at least peel the skin! Don’t put it in directly...!

Nagi: Oyah, Iori. Is it fine to look the other way? I can smell something weird...

Iori: ….Eh? Aaah..!

Riku: ...Hm? I smell something burning… Iori, you’re burning the meat!

Iori: Shit, what I have done…!

Iori: ...I mean, Nanase-san, you poured the sauce in while the meat is uncooked!

Iori: You didn’t even peel the vegetables… I worried so much, I couldn't focus at all!

Riku: Eh?! Iori, are you making it my fault that you burned the meat?! Isn’t that wrong?!

Nagi: OH, I thought today would be a calm glamping trip but actually it’s become lively huh.

Nagi: It’s like a BGM. Please watch me cook elegantly while putting Iori and Riku on in the background.

Tsumugi: A-Ahahah...

Riku: I did it!

Nagi: It smells really nice!

Iori: Somehow I made it something. Everyone, please introduce what you cooked.

Tsumugi: Please look at the camera to say it!

Riku: OKAY! I made stewed hamburg steak!

Nagi: Hamburg steak! That’s wonderful, Riku!

Riku: Eheheh, right? Nagi likes hamburg steak right?

Iori: It’s an elaborate food for Nanase-san.

Riku: I just stewed it, of course I can make that!

Iori: You mean you’re saying that anyone could do it...

Riku: ...Actually, I just stewed frozen hamburg steak and a ready-made sauce.

Nagi: Fufuh. It’s a bold COMING OUT huh.

Nagi: What did Iori make?

Iori: I made beef stroganoff.

Nagi: WOW, this is quality that wouldn’t make me think of glamping.

Riku: Somehow, it’s cooking that’s more like Yaotome-san than Iori!

Iori: What even is that… It doesn’t need too much preparation, I just fried and stewed, so you can make it easily.

Riku: Nagi, what did you do?

Nagi: I made hot sandwiches with ham, cheese, and eggs.

Riku: Uwaah, it’s roasted bread! It looks delicious!

Iori: The color is also pretty huh.

Nagi: YES! I grilled the bread and put ingredients in-between. Even I can do it.

Riku: Maybe glamping makes even simple dishes look super good?!

Nagi: Fufuh. Don’t you think it’ll be the best dinner?

Riku: Yeah, the best...! Let’s eat quickly before it gets cold!

Iori: Right. ...Nanase-san, it's a short amount of time, but the air in here is clean, so please take a rest.

Iori: Let’s call all the members next time.

Riku: ...Yeah! You two, thanks a lot for doing this for me. I can definitely never forget today!

Iori: You exaggerate.

Nagi: Iori, Riku! Please smile your best! I’ll take a picture!

Tsumugi: I’ll do it! Okay, cheese..!

#Idolish7 #idolish seven #tsumugi takanashi #Takanashi Tsumugi #Riku Nanase #Nanase Riku #idol #game #gaming #rabbit tv #rabbittube #translation #japanese #english #game app #idol game #Rhythm game #birthday 2020

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voiceless-terror · 4 years ago

Note

Can you do 11 truth or dare confessions for jonmartin please?

Hey there, anon! Here you go. Another one of my prompts that quickly got away from me. This isn’t so much confessions as it is hijinks, and I saw ‘drunk confessions’ right below it and it turned into this. Hope you enjoy!

Jon chooses truth. Martin chooses dare. The team goes out after work and discoveries are made.

“I love everyone in this bar!” Tim shouted to a loud cheer. It was a Wednesday night.

Wednesday.

Sasha had no idea how Tim had managed to get all of them, including one Jonathan Sims, out on the town. Something about a spider and a book and several cups of tea. Sasha hadn’t been listening.

And here they were, at Tim’s favorite Friday night haunt, downing shots and eating greasy food even though they had to report back to the institute at nine in the morning tomorrow. For Jon it was most likely closer to seven.

Jon, however, seemed completely unaware of this.

They were sitting at the bar for easy drink access. Ergo, Jon had gotten his drink refilled several times without any of them noticing. And this wasn’t including the rounds the rest of them had already bought. He must have some stress to work through, Sasha mused. He was currently hanging half-off the bar stool, staring dreamily at the lights on the dance floor as if entranced. It’d be cute if he wasn’t almost cross-eyed.

Martin definitely found it cute. He wasn’t as drunk as his boss, no, but he was well on his way. He’d done nothing but stare at him all night, nodding eagerly at his many info-dumps and pushing several plates of fried food at him that Jon refused to eat. Sasha and Tim both knew he had it bad, but this was too much to watch.

Sasha would have to intervene and put the plan in motion. It was the perfect time- Martin wasn’t nervous or stuttering, and Jon was mellowed out on liquor, swaying gently to the music pounding through the speakers. It was now or never. She slammed her hand down on the counter, startling her companions.

“I propose a little game of truth or dare!” She gave Tim a sly smirk and his look of surprise soon changed to a mischievous smirk.

“Oh ho ho, Sasha. What a great idea.”

“We’re at a bar,” Martin argued, taking a slurp of his drink. “How is that even going to work?”

“Oh I’ll make it work, Martin,” Tim replied rather threateningly. “We’re doing this to help you. Boss, you in?”

Jon’s gaze slid over to them, clearly disinterested in their current conversation. “Hnn?” he questioned intelligently.

“Shots, boss! You in?” Tim gestured and the shots materialized as if by magic. Jon threw one back without so much as a flinch. It was a wonder to behold. Martin looked as if he were drooling. He probably was.

“Tim!” Sasha shouted, back to the matter at hand. “Truth or dare?”

“Let’s start off easy,” he rubbed his hands together in glee. “Truth.”

“Boo,” she jeered, teasing. “Riddle me this: who is your most shameful lay from our esteemed institute?” Martin began sputtering, and Jon looked to be tuning them out.

Tim tilted his head in consideration, suddenly very serious. “Well, it depends on your criteria. Are we talking in terms of looks? Personality? General grossness?”

“Hm, let me rephrase,” Sasha didn’t want to be too mean, though she was excited to get any gossip she could. “Who is the unlikeliest one? Someone we wouldn’t guess at all.”

“Oh,” Tim leered, clearly ready to divulge something juicy. “You want me to go through the ol’ rolodex, find the needle in the sex stack.”

“Disgusting,” Jon slurred, shoving a fry in his mouth. Martin nodded in agreement, though he was hanging on every word.

“Y’know Hannah?”

Sasha searched her memory. “From Artefact Storage?”

Martin shook his head. “No, from the library.”

“You’re both wrong,” Tim raised his eyebrows suggestively. “From research.”

Martin and Sasha froze. Even Jon joined in, swiveling his head to face Tim with a look of shock. “Egg-salad Hannah?”

“The one and only,” Tim answered as the rest of the table broke out into exaggerated gagging and looks of disgust.

“Seriously, Tim? Did she brush her teeth, at least?” Martin took another swig of his drink, still in disbelief.

“Did she offer you half her sandwich when you were done?” Sasha and Martin broke out into giggles. Tim was silent.

“Oh you didn’t-”

“Fuck you, it was actually good-”

“This is why you shouldn’t have sex,” Jon nodded sagely. “It always ends in egg salad.”

“Precisely!” Martin slammed his hand down on the counter in agreement. “Wait, what?”

“Moving on!” Tim made a sweeping gesture with his hand, ending it with a point at Jon. “Boss-man! Truth or dare?”

Jon squinted his eyes. Sasha did not know if this was in concentration or confusion.

“Boss?”

“I don’t want to participate,” He took a demure sip of his whiskey and coke. “Truth.”

“Alright, alright! What is…” Tim tapped his chin thoughtfully, considering his options. “Hmm. What is something we’d be shocked to know about you? Like proper shocked, mate. What’s your weirdest secret?” He leaned in close, a patented Tim Stoker Seduction Move, complete with half-lidded eyes and a smirk. Martin shoved him off the bar in a surprising move of aggression and Sasha barked out a laugh.

“You don’t have to answer that, Jon-” Martin began to assure him.

“Yes he does!” Tim argued, leaning back in his seat and rubbing at the elbow Martin had shoved. “That’s the point of the game.”

“We shouldn’t force him to answer-”

Sasha tried to interrupt. “No one’s forcing-”

“Not yet-”

“Here,” Jon shoved his phone into Tim’s hands; it was loaded to a YouTube video of a grainy performance of some band.

“What is this?” Sasha leaned in to look along with Martin, squinting at the screen. “Is this some concert you went to?”

“You could say that,” Jon replied, oddly coy.

“Is this like steampunk?” Martin questioned, leaning in even further. “They’re all dressed-”

“Wack as hell,” Tim finished, though he was smiling. “I dunno, I kinda like them. Lead singer’s hot.” Jon let out a drunken giggle, and this is when the video zoomed in, losing focus for just a moment before-

“Jon is that you?”

“Don’t be daft, Martin, that’s- holy fuck that's Jonathan Sims.”

“It’s me!” Jon drunkenly whispered, almost sliding off of his seat. Sasha stared at the figure on the screen. It was Jon. Hair down, younger, and covered in makeup, but she’d recognize that voice anywhere. She looked back to her boss, glasses askew and sweater vest wrinkled. What the fuck happened to you?

He was surely going to regret this night come tomorrow.

Tim couldn’t take his eyes off the screen, currently holding it a few centimeters from his face. Martin had an intense look at odds with his loose inebriation. He turned to her, strangely serious.

“Dare.” he said, no room in his voice for argument.

“It’s- it’s not your turn, Martin,” she stuttered. “It would be Jon’s, technically-”

“I. Pick. Dare.”

Well, alright. Now or never. Jon’s revelation had forced her hand.

“I dare you…” Sasha looked over to find both Martin and Jon staring at each other, their gazes oddly charged. Martin looked like a man on a mission, while Jon seemed to be openly challenging him, eyebrows raised. Am I missing something?

“...to kiss the most attractive person in this bar!” The words had not been spoken for more than two seconds before Martin had taken Jon in his arms in a sweeping kiss, like something out of a fairytale. If fairytales involved Archivists and their assistants and took place in dingy bars on Wednesday nights. Jon’s arms immediately wrapped around Martin’s neck, dragging him deeper into the kiss.

“Finally!” Tim whooped. He’d stopped watching the video in order to document the event, phone set to record. Jon’s leg had somehow wound itself around Martin’s waist and Sasha was beginning to feel like an intruder in this very public bar. She turned to Tim.

“Wait, finally?” Sasha asked, confused. She hadn’t planned for it to go this far, or for Jon to even reciprocate. She thought she’d help Martin get a kiss on the cheek or something equally as innocent, not whatever...this was. “What do you know that I don’t?”

“Wow Sash, I thought you were the observant one,” he stopped recording, slipping his phone back into his pocket. God, when are they going to come up for air? “They’ve been playing footsie all night. It was disgustingly cute.”

“I-Jon likes him back?” she stared at the two, who had stopped kissing but were still entangled, Jon whispering something in Martin’s ear that he giggled at. “When the fuck did this happen?”

“This afternoon, I think,” Tim took a sip of his drink and threw an arm around her shoulders. “Well, I don’t know how long Jon’s had feelings. But God, you should’ve seen them today. Jon screaming about this spider and Martin just fucking smashes it with a book, decimated it-”

“But Martin loves spiders!”

“I know! But not as much as he loves Jon, apparently. Took one look at his scared little face and just destroyed the thing. I thought Jon was going to propose right then and there. Completely love-struck.”

Sasha pouted. “You know how much I hate being left out! You should’ve told me, we could’ve changed up the plan-”

Tim shook his head. “And miss out on Jon’s secret past? Perish the thought!”

“Huh,” Sasha tilted her head. “I almost forgot about that. What with all the kissing and such.” Martin and Jon were still lost in their own little world. Hopefully they’d remember it come morning, but if not-well, there’s always Tim’s video. She leaned into his side, yawning.

Tim gave her a sly smile. “Say, how’s about me and you-”

Sasha laughed, shoving his arm away. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about egg-salad Hannah-”

“That was one fucking time!”

#asks #prompts #tma #my writing #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #tim stoker #sasha james #jonmartin #Anonymous

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currywaifu · 4 years ago

Text

𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: maid outfit 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: tsukioka tsumugi/reader 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: sfw 𝐰𝐜: 1.3k words

𝐚𝐧: as usual, i am very creative with titles haha. @3rdgymbros how... how long did this take? ahahaha but i asked my tsumu friends for advise on certain parts, so thank you bbs~

“We’re hosting a cafe! You’ll come visit me, right?”

From your request alone, it wasn’t difficult for Tsumugi to interpret it as you inviting him to a regular, perhaps aesthetically pleasing, cafe arranged by you and your peers. Nothing about your words nor your expression gave off anything that would convince him otherwise, so he accepted it as face value— you knew he enjoyed the ambience of cafes, after all.

“Of course I’ll go,” at the sight of your expectant gaze he agreed immediately, not putting much thought behind your explanation, or lack thereof. “I remember how competitive every department used to get.”

“Not much has changed in three years,” you shrugged, “a lot of people are doing food stuff too, and all of us want to be the course who earns the most money…”

You trailed off, the sudden upwards quirk of the corner of your lip making you look more devilish devious than the angelic nature he commonly associated with you.

“But I’m confident ours will be the best.”

Tsumugi wasn’t going to lie to himself and say he wasn’t the least bit curious. This wasn’t a new situation, you trying to hide things to surprise or tease him, and like a moth to a flame he couldn’t help himself from trying to figure out more.

Maybe it’s the Psychology degree, or maybe it’s something simpler like him being your boyfriend. Regardless, the procedure was always the same from then on. First, maintain eye contact or at least keep his eyes on your face. Second, slip in a question,

“Mm? Why do you think so?”

“Well,” you tilted your head to the side, pupils trained elsewhere as though you were purposefully keeping him from getting a read on your face. “Everyone has a different concept or theme, and I think ours is easily the best.”

Even with your mostly tight-lipped disposition, he seemed to get a gist of what you could be talking about. Concept cafes were getting more popular lately, all with different gimmicks… maybe you guys were offering a special menu? Like those cafes with the colourful drinks or character meals?

When he asked you to confirm his guess, you only laughed and nodded wordlessly. That wasn't a no but there was clearly something he was missing. However before he could say anything more the two of you were already outside of your dormitory.

“Thank you for walking me back, Tsu-kun,” you lightly grasped his hands with your own, expression back to a pearly white smile and crinkled eyes as though the look previously on your face was nothing but a figment of his imagination.

“I’ll just message you which classroom I’ll be in, so remember to check your phone, okay?” you reminded him, “and if you don’t remember how to send a text back, just ask Tasuku-kun—“

“Haa… come on, I at least know that much,” he defended himself, his utterance drowning in a sea of your giggles.

“I was just teasing!”

You squeezed his hands one last time before slowly letting go of him, taking a step backwards as you began to see him off. “I’ll see you next week?”

“Definitely,” Tsumugi replied, a charming smile rivalling your own greeting you farewell, accompanied by the words of, “I’ll see you soon, my blossom.”

As he left the premises you had to wonder… how would we react when he saw you next time? Somehow… you found yourself excited just thinking about it.

Even from where Tsumugi stood at the end of the hallway, he could tell your group’s makeshift cafe was as popular as you predicted it to be, if the hustle and bustle and the constant stream of people leaving and entering the room were anything to go by.

It was easy to see why.

You texted him a few minutes ago, saying you had to be the one to welcome and assist him.

Then… were you also…?

Even as the distance began to come to a close and the anticipation started to bubble up, nothing could have prepared him for the sight of you.

You stood in front of him, clad in a black, puffy, short-sleeved, Peter Pan collared mini dress with a frilly little skirt, the white trimmings stopping mid-thigh. Wrapped around your waist was a white apron with ruffled edges.

Really, the seed was already planted in his head as soon as figured out what type of cafe you were participating in, but when you brought back his attention with your words he found himself all the more embarrassed. How long had he been…?

“Tsu-kun… ah, no, I mean,” he looked up upon hearing you whisper to yourself momentarily, eyes unfailing to notice the cute little headband that crowned your head as you perked back up and fell back into script.

“Welcome back, master!”

You threw him your usual smile, but paired with how you greeted him he, all of a sudden, became too aware of the scorching heat rising on his face. In a futile attempt to hide it from you he immediately cast his gaze downwards, only to be met with a sliver of your thighs, the rest of your legs covered up by knee socks with a bow accent.

With all things said and done, there wasn’t anything too inappropriate about your outfit, what with this event being set in school, but even so it was that very innocence and charm that seemed to…

“H-huh?” He jolted as you pulled on the sleeve of his sweater, asking if he was okay and if he wasn’t so busy trying to un-fry his brain and look elsewhere he would’ve noticed a different gleam in your eyes, using your free hand to cover up your growing grin with the menu.

“I’m— I’m fine.”

No he wasn’t. If you bothered to move your hand upwards to meet his face, you probably would’ve burned yourself by the sheer warmth he was radiating. Still, you only giggled with a “master, come this way please,” as you turned around and requested he follow you.

He swallowed.

The straps of your apron met to form a cross on your back, the ends tied into a bow.

Aha, cute…

Darting his eyes away from your form momentarily, he was finally able to absorb the venue’s appearance. He’s attended classes in this room before, and while it was still quite obviously a lecture hall, the cutesy decor littered amongst the tables and chairs set a different mood for the scene.

As you led him to Tsumugi seat and handed him his menu, he was able to calm down and have his brain actually function think more rationally. You purposely left out the details to surprise him, that much was clear. As he moved his eyes away from the egg dish choices and to your face, the look of amusement you wore was evident to him, even if you tried to hide it.

If… if you were trying to play a game with him, then… he’ll do his best to compensate.

“Ahh, master, if you’re having trouble choosing then can I suggest the fried rice topped with character fried egg,” you looked at him through your lashes, connecting your index fingers together, “since it’s my master’s favourite~ ah! Or maybe the omurice? I’ll even write a special message for you, master~”

“Hmm… I’m happy with either one, since you’ll be the one serving it.”

Tsumugi watched you blink once, and then twice, watching you react to the sudden change. You probably expected him to not recover so quickly. Sure, he was still affected by how cute you looked, but as your cheeks began to be dusted with pink, he found you even more beautiful.

As you stumbled over your reply, he interrupted you with a question.

“Are you going to keep that outfit after this?”

Looking a little confused, you broke out of character and nodded.

“Then… could I see you wear it again in the future?”

want to order again?

i couldn’t figure out a way to write this in, but wouldn’t it be cute if after tsumugi finishes eating they have that thing where the maid and the customer take a photo or polaroid together?

#a3!#a3! act! addict! actors!#a3 #tsumugi tsukioka #a3! x reader #cafe: dessert menu #a3! tsumugi #tsukioka tsumugi #a3! actor training game

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xvvampire-valentinevx · 4 years ago

Text

Run to the Nanny - A Brahms Heelshire Fanfiction. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This story will contain violence, sexual implications, implications of ab*se, and murder/character death.

Chapter 2

Morning rolled around and I woke up to the sound of crashing, as though a wooden chess board had been knocked over. Mrs. Heelshire then began to yell in distress, and I quickly tossed myself out of bed, quickly walking down to Brahms’ room in concern. I turn, looking past the doorway to see a wooden game board on the ground, Brahms’ room now a slight mess.

“Is everything alright?” I speak up, sounding worried.

Mrs. Heelshire looked up and managed a strained but reassuring smile.

“Brahms is just having a bit of a tantrum this morning…” she said, her voice weak. I give her a kind smile and nod, turning and heading down to the parlor to wait for them to leave.

As Mr. Heelshire and I awaited for Mrs. Heelshire, he gave me a few pages of paper.

“Mrs. Heelshire was kind enough to print these out for you, to help you.” He said. I gently took the papers and looked through them. They seemed to be a set of rules/directions for me to follow.

“I must warn you, Brahms is a very particular boy. You must follow the rules exactly, you know.”

I nod in response, reading through the papers carefully. I looked up just as Mrs. Heelshire approached.

“Do take good care of Brahms while we’re gone…” She said softly, looking more distressed by the second. I figured she just must be nervous about leaving her… son with me. I give her a comforting smile.

“I’ll treat him like he’s my own.” I said.

She seemed satisfied with that, nodding curtly. She stepped over and gave me a hug… and I hugged back, obviously not having expected this from her.

“I’m sorry…”

I blink as she pulls away…

And they leave… they leave me alone with Brahms.

I sigh and walk over to the chair Mrs. Heelshire seemed to leave him in.

I was… Nervous… And I felt guilty…

“Oh boy…”

I step away from the doll for a moment, turning to the nearby telephone and quickly dial my friend’s number.

“Helloo~?”

“Penny?? Hi… I-it’s me.” “Paris!! Hey! I was wondering when you’d call… How’s the nanny business going? Is the UK Nice?” She asked softly.

I smile awkwardly, glancing at Brahms, leaning against the table the phone sat on.

“Honestly? It’s… It wasn’t what I expected.” “What?? What the hell does that mean?”

“I just… Ya know, it’s nothing… I’m just new to this whole.. Nanny thing…”

“Hmm… Alright… Call me if you ever need anything..”

“Oh hey, before you go… How’s Jacksonville?” I asked her, twirling my hair around my finger.

“Oh!! It’s great!! Amazing, even~!”

“I’m glad…” I tap my finger against the table some, sighing. “Well, I should get going, I have to make breakfast and stuff.”

“Alright!! Good luck Paris~”

“See ya, Pens”

I hang up the phone, then walk over to Brahms, gently picking him up and cradling him. I head to the kitchen, smiling. I gently set Brahms on a chair and start grabbing things to cook. I figured that I could, perhaps, pancakes, some eggs, bacon… Yeah, that sounded like a good breakfast. Since the silence in the empty manor would drive me nuts, I chose to sing to myself a bit while I cooked, seeing as no one else was here except for me and Brahms…. And Brahms was a doll… So, No harm no foul.

I fried up some bacon while I mixed up pancake batter. I was a master at making some pretty fluffy pancakes.

I made enough food for both the doll and I. It felt a little ridiculous, making food for a doll, but I was being paid to care for the doll as though it was a real child. I would feel guilty if I didn’t do what I was being paid to do. And I couldn’t forget what Mr. Heelshire told me when he was teaching me how to empty the traps…. It stuck with me, and I couldn’t just ignore something like that.

I had kind of figured what all this was about… the large portrait I’d seen of the family, the doll…

A Mourning Doll.

From what I could gather… The real Brahms had passed away when he was a child and this was his poor parents’ way of coping with the loss. I understood how hard and painful it was to lose a child, so I plated the food for the doll. Pancakes topped with berries and jam on one plate, and another plate holding eggs and bacon.

“I’m not too sure how you like your eggs so I just sort of scrambled ‘em… I hope you don’t mind.” I say, plating my own food. He was sitting at the end of the table, and I sat in the chair to the right of him.

“Oops.” I got up, forgetting one thing. I grabbed a napkin and set it over Brahms’ body like a bib.

“There we gooo.”

I ate, then packed up Brahms’ food before putting it away just as Mrs. Heelshire instructed.

It was a little strange to me, but… whatever, I guess.

The day passed a little slow, having to spend it… Alone. I read to Brahms, I played his music, though it’s high volume gave me quite the headache. Eventually, it was time for me to put Brahms in his room to ‘play.’

I was confused how THAT was going to work but I guess it was just the doll and I… sitting in his room… in silence…

So that’s… Just what I did. The time passed so slowly… and I had gotten so bored, I ended up falling asleep in the chair in his room, the book I was reading slipping out of my hand. When I woke up, it was dark.

“Oh shoot.”

I stood up, walking over to Brahms and gently picking him up. I checked the time on my phone and sighed, relieved that I at least didn’t miss dinner time.

“We have time for dinner. How about some steak? Maybe mashed potatoes and vegetables?” I ask the doll as if he would reply.

“Yeah, okay.”

To the kitchen I went, cooking up the last meal of the day, and after that I put Brahms to bed.

I flopped over on my bed, huffing a little.

This hadn’t been what I expected at all… caring for a doll every day was nothing like caring for an actual child… How was this meant to help me?

I had signed up to care for a kid… not this… The manor was so silent, and now, after having realised that there would be no actual child to fill the silence. I felt my lip quiver, then my eyes began to sting as tears threatened to spill from them. I sniffled weakly, the hiccupped as I just started to cry. I quickly covered my face with my hands, trying to gather my emotions and stress.

What was I supposed to do now?

Eventually I just… outright sobbed, loud enough for my whimpers and cries to echo throughout the manor.

The sound of footsteps roused me from my distress, though, and I quickly looked up at my closed door.

“H...Hello?” I ask, confused and afraid that someone had broken in. I sniffled, getting to my feet and wiping my eyes and cheeks as I walked over to my door. I pressed my ear against it.

“Paris?”

I cried out in panic, stumbling back from the shock that shook my body enough to make my knees tremble…

I had heard the voice of a child, a young boy, call… My name… and he sounded… so worried for me…

I press my ear against the door again and call out softly.

“B..Brahms..?” My voice wasn’t as loud as I hoped it would be, but once again, the boyish voice called out again.

“Don’t cry.”

I blinked… This was no comfort, despite how sweet it seemed, I felt fear… because this could mean a number of things. I wasn’t sure if I preferred a creep had broken in and chose to fuck with me, or the ghost of a dead child trying to(maybe) comfort me. I felt like crying more than I did before, taking hold of the doorknob before gently twisting and peering outside. I muster up the courage to speak.

“Brahms you’re supposed to be in bed-”

Was all I could manage to say before wrenching the door open and looking up and down the hall in front of it.

After I saw nothing, I looked down… and saw a little stuffed elephant sitting in in front of me on the ground. Needless to say, I felt confused, but also touched…. Still afraid. Was someone or something really trying to comfort me right now?

I look around one more time before picking up the stuffed animal. I squeezed it close to my form… I felt quite nice doing so as well. It was soft, the fabric of the toy was cotton, and it was a sweet baby blue color… I loved it. I pressed my nose against the top of it’s head, sighing a bit. It smelt like it’s been well loved, but also well cared for… I instantly felt my eyes droop, and I made my way back to my bed, absentmindedly leaving my door open behind me.

I set the toy down on the bed and changed into what I had worn last night, a light, somewhat see through, white slip dress. It was silky, and it felt comfortable and natural to sleep in. In a manor like this, it made me feel like a princess or something. I climb into bed, wriggling my legs underneath the blanket, grabbing hold of the little toy elephant before curling up and falling asleep.

#brahms heelshire #brahms heelshire imagine #slasher imagines #canon x oc #oc x canon #slasher x oc #brahms the boy

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needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas · 4 years ago

Note

Okay so Sooga can't cook. But can Master Kohga cook? And would he try to teach Sooga, for a bit of domestic fluff goodness??

Imma make this as fluffy as I can for you, anon! I’m gonna be SUPER busy, so some asks will probably be on the back burner. Having said that, Imma dip into these when I can because you guys have SUCH good ideas??

Also It’s not that Sooga can’t cook, he just can’t cook WELL. Stuff is always off with his cooking. Too salty, too sweet, undercooked, SOMETHING. Kohga is picky so he notices. Either way, let’s GO!

“Urbosa! Get over here!”

Kohga (as well as the champions) had been spending all day together in the kitchen (upon prompting from Zelda), and Kohga had more or less commanded the cooking area. When Kohga wasn’t busy killing people or sleeping, he was being a rather pleasant company to have around. He started off by making drinks, and Sooga offered to help. Which was apparently a bit of a mistake. Urbosa sighed as she left the table, and walked behind the counter. Kohga motioned to two cups.

“You try one, and tell me which one has alcohol in it.”

Urbosa tried one, then another, lightly shaking her head.

“One on the left? Right one tastes just like juice.”

Kohga motioned wildly to the cups, as if they made a scientific discovery.

“Ha! See, that’s the thing! BOTH do! Somehow!”

“I...don’t put enough alcohol, that’s the hint I’m getting.”

“No matter how many times I shove MY dick in THAT ass, he makes drinks like a FUCKING virgin! You know what, get a fucking apron on, I’m teaching you how to be competent in the kitchen. You can’t JUST have a top notch cock, you dumbshit.”

Kohga turned around to get them both an apron, and Urbosa chuckled at his puzzled reaction.

“Hey, he does have a point. Everyone should learn how to cook. Besides, him being this upset just means he really loves you.”

“Don’t you DARE make me out to be mushy, Urbosa!”

Kohga walked back up to them, throwing a pink apron at Sooga’s face. Urbosa chuckled as Kohga put his own on. It was clear she was right, but the relationship was still new to him, so he was still in denial of his feelings. Urbosa grabbed one of the drinks (Kohga’s, obviously), and shrugged.

“I’ll just be taking this then, carry on love birds.”

Kohga lifted a finger to retort, before Urbosa turned around and joined Daruk back at the table. Kohga waved her off, muttering something under his breath. Sooga couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re just charming, Master Kohga.”

“Save the sweet for the cooking, tits mcgee.”

Kohga patted his left tit, before going to the sink and washing his hands, Sooga following suit.

“So? What will we be making?”

“Good question. What do you WANT to make?”

“Hmm...what’s something YOU like?”

“Kiss ass.”

Kohga chuckled, drying his hands with a towel. Sooga honestly just lived for Kohga, and it was terribly sweet of him.

“Alright, let’s do crepes with fried bananas.”

Sooga nodded, more than confident enough to prove himself. Kohga dug into the cabinets to grab everything (with help from Sooga. Tall bastard), before Kohga put two bowls in front of them.

“Now, follow me. We’re gonna add a cup of the tabantha flour. Then, a tablespoon of sugar.”

“I always thought it was a cup of both.”

“No wonder you always burn those fuckers- that much sugar burns it, you dumbshit. Now, not everyone does this, but they SHOULD. Add some salt, help balance out. If you think a food doesn’t need SOME salt, you’re wrong.”

Sooga nodded along, carefully listening and following his instructions, as if this was a training session.

“How did you learn all this?”

“Mom taught me. She loved cooking, but she worked hard, so sometimes she was too tired to cook. When I got older, I ended up doing the cooking around the house. You only get better the more you do it. Except YOUR drinks, you’re hopeless.”

“Like my love for you.”

“Iean down, imma smack you upside the head.”

Sooga chuckled, watching his little master grumble to himself. Kohga took out another bowl, and added milk, as well as an egg.

“Now. You mix the wet and the dry together.”

“Why not just do it all together to begin with?”

“Lumps, you get lots of ‘em if you do that.”

Sooga nodded, watching as Kohga mixed the ingredients in their separate bowls. Sooga could watch Kohga cook all day, if he let him. Sooga copied Kohga as they mixed the dry and wet together, whisking it till it was nice and liquidy.

“It’s supposed to be this liquidy?”

“Yeah, any thicker and it’s a pancake. Now, we’re gonna put this in the fridge for as long as we can, get some flavor out of it.”

“What do we do while we wait?”

Sooga took the bowls, and put them in the fridge, just in time to catch Kohga grabbing bananas and putting them on a cutting board.

“We prep everything else. This should be easy for you. I need you to cut all these in little squares. And listen to me while I show you what I’m doing, but be careful.”

“Afraid I’ll cut myself?”

Sooga grinned as he peeled the bananas, starting to cut. One thing Sooga was VERY good at in the kitchen, was cutting. Always clean, always uniform. Kohga dug into the bag of sugar that he had at his side, and tossed a bit towards Sooga’s apron. Wasteful? A bit, but Sooga’s dumb smile was getting on his nerves.

“If you don’t, at this point I will. Now, I’m gonna throw some butter in this pan, and we’re gonna add the bananas here soon as you’re done. This, and some whipped cream, is gonna be our filling.”

“Doesn’t it burn if it’s hot?”

“If you actually know how it works, no.”

Sooga was careful not to cut himself as he watched Kohga throw butter, sugar, and some spices onto the pan. He watched as the sugar browned slightly, and Kohga motioned for Sooga to pour the fruit in. Once it was inside, Kohga handed him the spatula.

“Now, keep mixing it. Don’t change the temp, don’t let it sit.”

Sooga watched as Kohga grabbed a bag of acorns and chickaloo tree nuts. He cracked them surprisingly effortlessly in his hands, quickly and efficiently separating the shells from the insides. Sooga found it hard to pay attention to the pan, and his Master’s hands. How did hands so soft and lovely make such hard work look so easy?

“Is that going in the batter?”

“No, with the bananas. Adds some crunch, and a little bit of sweet.”

Kohga’s arm pushed against him as he added the nuts to the pan, motioning for Sooga to keep going.

“Now, this is just how I like it, but we’re gonna add a swig of apple juice. Adds a BIT of tart, because this is going to be sweet as hell. Especially since we’re gonna add a touch of rum, to taste.”

“...Master Kohga?”

“Don’t tell me I lost you already, big guy.”

“Just in your eyes, Master Kohga.”

Kohga looked up at him, and reached his hand up, pushing him away a bit.

“You are SO mushy. No wonder you can’t cook right, you’re too busy ogling me all damn day.”

“You make it quite hard to focus.”

He chuckled. He kept mixing, as he was instructed. Kohga added butter to the pan, shaking his head at Sooga’s stupidity. He was just, such a lovestruck idiot. Once the butter started to lightly bubble, Kohga dug into the fridge, bringing out the batter.

“Okay, let’s start the important part. You can turn that off, cover it with the pot lid. I’m gonna let you do the first one. Three tablespoons into the pan.”

Kohga gave him the proper pouring tool, and Sooga obeyed. He was about to ask what to do next, when Kohga held onto his hand, helping him turn the pan. Sooga could chuckle like a lovesick fool right now, honestly. He really did have nice, soft hands, and Sooga wanted to hold them forever.

“Tilt to get it everywhere. Nice and slow, get it everywhere. Three minutes, then flip. Anymore and it’s like eating a damn ear. Speaking of ears, are you listening?”

“To every word, Master Kohga. Every single, solitary word.”

Kohga turned to look at him, finally seeing why he sounded more stupid than usual. He was SWOONING. Literally looking at him, and SWOONING like an idiot. Kohga scoffed, flipping the crepe for him.

“Alright, then listen to this. See how it’s got a nice, brown crust? We want it kinda crispy.”

Kohga let Sooga ogle him for three minutes, before finally taking it out of the pan, setting it onto a table.

“Taste it.”

“You?”

“W-no, the crepe you dingbat!”

Even Kohga had to chuckle at that. It’s why Kohga never let his ass watch him cook, it was just. All of this. They split the crepe, and Sooga nodded.

“You’re truly wonderful, Master Kohga. It’s lovely.”

“Good. Now, you’re turn, all by yourself.”

Kohga was going to step back, but Sooga’s puppy dog eyes kept him standing right there. Sooga added the batter to the pan, carefully turning the mixture till it coated the whole pan. He waited the three minutes, before flipping it. Kohga nodded in approval.

“Good crust, good crust. Keep it going.”

And that’s exactly what he did. Kohga sat there, watching his Sooga make crepe after crepe, and Kohga couldn’t help but chuckle. He was constantly asking if it was okay, constantly peering over him for approval. Honestly, if Kohga told this man to get him a piece of the moon, Sooga wouldn’t hesitate to reach for the stars. Soon enough, there wasn’t any mix left, in turn, leaving quite a stack of crepes. Kohga flipped through the stack, nodding.

“Better. Though some are a bit darker than others. We’ll work on that. Now, best part.”

Kohga placed one on the plate, added a hefty dollop of cream and honey, then folded it into a nice triangle like shape. Sooga watched him carefully, clearly wanting it to be perfect. Kohga folded another with cream and honey, then another. His usual was three at a time, but he might just have more (to support Sooga of course). He topped it off with the banana mixture, and dusted it with powdered sugar, just to make it look good. Sooga followed his stead, though he didn’t do it so cleanly. Folding it was hard for him apparently, causing him to get whipped cream all over his fingers, and even on his mask. It was a sloppy plate, but it was Sooga’s plate. Kohga shook his head once he saw the state of Sooga.

“For the love of- get over here, idiot.”

Kohga grabbed a hold of his face, wiping the cream off of his mask. Sooga sat there, letting him do so with such loving eyes. It was totally gross, in a sweet way.

“Master Kohga?”

“If the question is ‘am I an idiot’, then absolutely.”

Sooga chuckled, lightly shaking his head.

“I just...thank you. I enjoy listening to you when you teach. You love what you do, and there’s something so absolutely beautiful about that.”

“Yeah yeah...well. I like teaching you. You’re eager to learn.”

“I’m eager for YOU, Master Kohga.”

“Well geez Sooga, I know I’m pretty sweet, but-”

Before Kohga could finish his retort, Sooga suddenly lifted him off the floor, lifting their masks up a bit, and kissing him, right in his gorgeous lips. Was it a bit much, nearly throwing Kohga onto the counter and leering over him to kiss him? Absolutely, but neither seemed to care in the slightest. Just for a minute, they were there in an embrace, as sweet as sweet could be. Totally ignoring the table of people just a few feet away. Daruk lightly coughed, trying to ignore the fact that Sooga’s tight grip on his Master’s ass was smearing whipped cream everywhere.

“I...don’t think we’re gonna be eatin’ anything any time soon.”

#asks #kohga #sooga #urbosa #listen #Sooga is just #so in love with Kohga #he has in fact #had dreams of Kohga being a lil wife and cooking big meals for his future family #its adorable #he asks for so little

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artycreaty · 4 years ago

Text

And it all started with an injury

Hello, everyone! Wow. It's been a long time since I've written anything. It feels so good to write something since forever!

Anywho! I wrote this one-shot in response to the beautiful art by @sup-poki (the fifth one). I loved it so much I wrote about it, and got their permission! Which, by the way...

Hi, Poki! Hope you’re well! Remember when you replied my comment to your art post back in late July about wanting to write about it and you saying to just go for it? I’m so sorry it’s taken me forever, but here it is! Hope you like it! (Also, I’m so glad that my comment brightened your day! Know that your encouragement also made me want to just scream in joy!)

Also the biggest thank you to the wonderful @blenderfullasarcasm for beta-ing this!

Hope I did these characters their justice!

Summary: Aoko walks in on Kaito tending to his injury in his room, and confronts him. He says it's an accident, but Aoko calls bullshit. And they talk.

Words: 5412

If you’d rather read on AO3, you can just find it on my profile FanaRain, or here!

Kaito is so focused on his first aid treatment that he almost doesn’t notice someone come into his room right behind him. But the movement on the reflection of his side mirror catches his eye, and he immediately whips around, only to see Aoko standing just inside the door, and her expression is one of horror as she focuses on him. Or rather, a scratch on his right cheek that is almost deep and reddish with rashes, and also on the blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.

“Kaito? What…?” Her voice trails off, wanting to know but afraid of the answer. He doesn’t know why she is afraid, but he quickly tries to distract her.

“Ahoko!” he calls out loudly, voice annoyed, “Haven’t you ever heard of a thing called ‘knocking’?!” No reaction. A beat. “Ahoko! Are you listening? I’m not even readily dressed yet, so get out of my room and wait downstairs!”

Almost as if a switch had been flipped, her expression then does a complete 180. Sporting an angry expression that turns her colour to crimson, hands clenched in a fist at her sides, she then stomps over to him － and he could feel the ground beneath him shaking a little in response, like the aftershocks after the first (and the most powerful) earthquake, and in the back of his mind, he briefly wonders how quickly an egg could be fried if he were to (accidentally of course, who on earth wouldn’t appreciate a little bit of magic on a most dazzling morning such as this) dump it onto the top of her head, and he also wonders whether it might be edible (probably not, with the hair and all). Or instead, would it immediately burn to ashes, considering just how crimson her face has turned? A world record, to be sure.

Hmm… is it even possible to have a record like that at all? If not, then he would find a way to create such competition, make Aoko join it (against her will) and win the trophy! It would be soooo interesting! － then, before he could do anything, she grabs him by the front of the black shirt he wears beneath the school uniform, bringing him close to her face.

A bit too close for his liking.

He yelps. “H-hey, Ahoko! What are you doing?!”

But she doesn’t react to his shouts because she is focusing intently on the wound, as if she’s trying to see what caused it and by whom.

“What happened, Bakaito?”

Despite her angry expression, her voice is calm. She does not raise or lower her voice. It’s terrifyingly even, as if she knows that no matter what answer he might give, it will not be the one she wants.

The calm before the storm.

Inwardly, he panics a little. He does not need or want to experience that temper, not after what happened the night before. He only has so much energy left to use to avoid her temper. He is glad that he had a little foresight to dress himself and the wound before letting Aoko into his house this morning. Aoko does not need to know about the other, even deeper, injury on his left arm.

After the heist last night, KID had been surrounded by Snake and his lackeys up on the roof as usual. However, this time had been a little different, as they had brought along a sniper and so, while Snake distracted him by way of threatening his life, the sniper had shot at KID from the top of a building across the street. However, a glint from somewhere below had caught his attention and he had instinctively glanced at that building, spotting the sniper on the roof along the way. He had dodged immediately, darting behind a generator for cover and using his smoke bombs as a distraction before they could do worse, but two bullets had already cut him. Thankfully, the injuries had not been that serious, so nothing had been too damaged. With good first aid and a few days’ rest, the injuries would be healed in no time.

But, in order for that to happen, Kaito has to first appease Aoko so he could prevent her from finding out about it and freaking out.

“Nothing happened, Ahoko. It was just an accident.” He shrugs like it’s an afterthought.

Apparently, that is the wrong answer.

She lowers her head, her hair shadowing her eyes as she grits her teeth a little. A beat. Then two beats. Then three. Only then does her hand on his undervest clench even further, and she steps slightly backwards before swiftly pulling him towards her. Before he can even utter a single syllable, Aoko quickly moves her head towards him, and－

WHACK!

“OUCH!”

Kaito immediately crumples to the floor, hands on his head in pain. “Ow, ow, owwwww!”

A few seconds pass while he rubs his forehead, soothing the pain, before he shoots up to his standing position and whirls on her angrily, his free hand gesturing wildly.

“What the hell was that for, Ahoko?!”

“That,” Aoko, again, grabs his undervest as she moves her head close to his, an angry expression still on her face, “was for being a liar, and an idiot,” she hisses, anger dripping off her words. She doesn’t seem bothered by the pain that is surely present on her forehead, but she seems to have prepared herself for it beforehand, so it doesn’t appear to hurt as much.

Kaito is a little more prepared this time, so her anger and grip on his clothes doesn’t catch him off guard. He replies with just as much annoyance. “Me, a liar?!” he demands.

“Yeah, you!” she shoots back. “Have you forgotten that we’ve known each other for a long time?! Aoko knows things don’t just happen because of a little accident! Not with you!”

That last part catches him off guard. He goes silent.

Taking that chance, she continues, annoyed but with fear laced in her low voice, “Don’t take Aoko for a fool, Bakaito. She knows you, always has. Now tell her, and tell her honestly. What. Happened.”

Kaito hesitates for a long minute. He is surprised at her determination to seek the truth, but he thinks he knows why. Due to the amount of time they’ve been together, she’s gained an uncanny ability to know and understand Kaito just for who he is. Even if they’ve unknowingly distanced themselves a little due to his new job as KID, Aoko still hasn’t lost that ability.

He wants to tell her. By kami, he’s wanted to tell her for a long time. But he can’t. This was his father’s responsibility, and now he’s passed it on his son. It is his responsibility, his mess. Kaito can’t bring Aoko into his mess. No way, no how.

“I can’t－” his voice goes dry. He clears his throat a little and tries again. “It was just an experiment that had gone wrong. Magic experiment. That’s all.”

A moment goes by while Aoko examines his face. Then, she lets go of his undervest and turns to leave the room. Before he can discern what has just happened, he hears something clatter somewhere nearby, and not too long she comes back. She is carrying a box of some kind. Before he can examine it, she points to his bed.

“Sit.”

Kaito just raises his eyebrow at her. She stubbornly keeps holding up her arm in that direction. Then he just sighs and walks to sit on his bed.

Aoko kneels on the bed by his right side, putting the box down. He recognises it as his first aid that had just been under the sink in the bathroom. Aoko really does know her way around his house.

There is a tense silence in the room as she tends to the wound on Kaito’s cheek, and she even wipes away the blood that trailed from the corner of his mouth. She doesn’t ask how the blood came about, and he doesn’t say that it came from having gritted his teeth so much from the agonised pain of tending to the wound on his shoulder that his lips split from being bitten on.

Having finished with her task, she puts aside the first aid kit and then sits on the bed by his left side. She seems to be thinking about something, and he doesn’t dare disrupt her. Then, she looks him in the eyes and asks, “Are you going to keep doing that?”

He is confused. “Doing what?”

“Lying.”

“What do you mean by lying? I just told you what happened!”

“That’s a lie.”

“No, it’s not a lie!”

“It is.”

Kaito then falls silent at her resolution. Why would she refuse to fall for one of his usual lies? Why would she not waver from this? Does that mean that she might know who he is…?

No.

That’s impossible. He mustn't make such absurd assumptions before confirming all facts.

Then, what would make her think that he was lying?

“Why would you think I am lying, Ahoko?” he asks, annoyed.

“Because Aoko knows you,” she replies matter of factly.

No, you don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t be here with me, like this. You would’ve just beat me up and never talk to me again.

I don’t want to lose you. I can’t.

He tries to derail the topic before she could focus on that particular conversation.

“Oh, is that because you’re worrying about me?” he raises his eyebrows suggestively.

Aoko then adopts an unimpressed expression, face twitching a little. She stares impassively at him, saying nothing.

“Thanks for worrying, but I’ll be fine, Ahoko! It’s like I said, it was just a little accident! This little scratch is nothing! See!” Kaito reassures her, even going so far as grinning and prodding the patch on his cheek hard, like the injury was no big deal, while hiding his grimace at the pain. Poker face! Remember the poker face!

Aoko still stares at him firmly, and he just closes his eyes and his grin widens even further, still ignoring the sting, “Really, Ahoko! It’s not a big deal, you don’t need to wor－!”

A soft touch on his healthy cheek stops him in his tracks. He immediately opens his eyes, and upon seeing the expression on the face of his childhood friend, his breath catches in his throat and his eyes widened in shock.

In all the times they have spent time together, from childhood to teenagers, they have seen each other at their best and worst moments. Even if they’d only been expressed once, he could never forget them. He wouldn’t. He hadn’t thought there was anything more he had ever seen from her, but this? This is different.

How come she’s wearing that expression? Why show it to him now?

“Aoko…?”

Her eyebrows curved a little upwards, bringing attention to her blue eyes as they shone brightly. A single, inaudible tear had escaped its cage and went down her cheek, leaving tracks in its wake. When her name, almost a gentle query uttered in a whisper, reaches her ears, her face and body tenses up as she bits her lower lip, seemingly trying to hold back the stream that is threatening to follow.

He can usually read his best friend like an open book most of the time, but this? Kaito doesn’t understand. What has he done to make her cry like this?

After having succeeded in holding most of her tears back so that she can speak a little more clearly, she simply gives him an answer in the form of another question.

“You won’t stop, will you?”

Her soft voice wavers, as if she is afraid that Kaito would disappear if she speaks even an ounce louder.

“Huh?”

“This,” she gestures to the scratch on his cheek, “is not an accident, Aoko knows that. But, not why this happened.”

‘Why’, not ‘how’ or ‘what’, he notes in the back of his mind.

He blinks dumbly. “Aoko, what…? I-I don’t understand… Why are you－?”

“Kaito…” Her tears burst free from their cage and slid down her cheeks again, with more following their trails. She leans forward and puts her head on his right shoulder, wetting the uniform in the process, “Whatever it is you’re doing that got you hurt… You won’t stop, will you?” she repeats softly.

And then, almost as if in confirmation, she leisurely raises her left hand from her side and gently places it onto his right side, hesitates briefly, then slowly and reluctantly curls her fingers inwards, lightly clutching the cloth. Over his scar.

The one that was caused by a broken glass while protecting her. As KID.

Oh…

… oh.

Shit.

He does not show any more shock or expressions than he already does. However, inwardly, he is panicking. His heart beats a little faster as each second ticks forward. All that goes through his head, little screws beating around each other, is one word.

How?

He doesn’t know what to think.

“Aoko, I…” he tries, but bites his lips. What can he say? He can’t tell her anything. He can’t. What should he say?

Kaito doesn’t want her to cry anymore, but how can he stop it?

Subconsciously, he raises his hands to lightly hold onto her; right hand on her head as fingers thread through her hair, and left hand placed on her hip.

“Aoko, please don’t cry…”

She just cries a little harder in response. He murmurs unintelligible but reassuring words to her.

They stay in that position for what feels like a long time.

“Kaito, Aoko is…” He doesn’t stop his murmurs of reassurances. “Don’t go…”

He hums. “I’m not going anywhere. Where would I go, Ahoko?”

“The dark…”

He just closes his eyes. “The dark?”

“Last night. You weren’t there… were you?”

“Where?”

“On the roof.”

He pauses, opening his eyes to look at the mop of brown hair. “The roof?”

“KID.”

His breath hitches in his throat a little. He tries, “What about KID?”

She doesn’t reply, but just lets the hand on his cheek fall lower, onto his shoulder, then a bit lower to the upper arm. It is brushing his wound as she lightly clutches at the flesh; he tries not to flinch.

Then she says, “Aoko is scared,” Kaito just hums in query, “You’re leaving me behind. Aoko is just so scared…”

“Ah…!”

Apparently it is a little too much for his tender arm; he flinches so much that Aoko instinctively jumps off of him in response, her face shocked and confused even as tears keep trickling down her cheeks.

She looks at Kaito, then glances to his left shoulder that he is clutching at, then to Kaito, then back again. He just looks back at her calmly, little sweat dripping down his skin.

“Kaito…? Are you－?”

He just bites his lips in response.

A few moments pass by while they stare at each other. Then, she hesitantly raises her arm towards him. “Kaito, can I…?”

He just closes his eyes in response. There is a lull in the air as she waits. Then Kaito blinks his eyes open and looks back at her, raising his healthy arm away from his shoulder towards her cheek, wiping away her tears. She seems to have stopped crying for the moment. That is good.

Then, he just gives a slight bob of his head.

She tenderly touches his left shoulder, clutching the hem of his school uniform, hesitates briefly, and moves to take it off. Before she could put the edge past his shoulder, Kaito’s hand shoots up to her wrist, stopping its advance.

He seems to have changed his mind for just a second.

Kaito’s heart pounds so frantically and loudly he is sure Aoko can hear or even feel his quickening heartbeats. He tries to keep his breath even, but that is becoming more difficult the longer Aoko’s hand clenched onto his uniform. She does not react to his hand on her wrist, even as he unconsciously tightens his hold.

What if just by seeing that wound, she finds out who I truly am? What if she hates me? What if she never wants to see me again? What if, what if, what ifwhatifwha－

“Kaito.”

As if cutting through the darkness, Aoko’s voice reaches his ears, and his breath hitches in his throat. He blinks open his eyes － he didn’t realise that his eyes had closed on their own account.

“Look at Aoko.”

Blinking once again, he raises his head to face hers. Her expression is mild, sapphire eyes radiating nothing but calmness as they meet Kaito’s own. He does not see any other emotions in her eyes, not even those that he had expected, and that scares him.

“Please, Kaito. Let Aoko do this.”

Why?

He hesitates, then reluctantly lets go of her wrist, letting his hand dangle at his side. He bows his head a little, closing his eyes. He does not want to see this.

In doing so, his other senses become a little sensitive to her every action, every sound and every touch.

Having gotten his permission, she peels the uniform off of him, revealing the bandage underneath. He hears her breath hitch a little, and he knows she can see the blood that is seeping through the bandages, signalling how bad the injury is. She tenderly touches the gauze on top of the injury, seeming to be assessing it. The sound of scissors snipping at the bandages reaches his ears as it is removed from his flesh, only taking in a short breath when the gauze brushes and is peeled off of the injury. A soft gasp (a sob, again?) escapes her lips, and he knows it’s gotten a bit worse than the last time he treated it earlier in the morning. He certainly feels it. The bed dips as she moves to kneel on it, then shifts towards the first aid kit, then he feels her get closer. He detects the scent of some kind of alcohol.

“This is going to hurt.” Aoko warns. Kaito just nods, gritting his teeth a little.

His injury emits a stinging pain, hurt shooting through his veins and up towards his shoulder, and he bits his lips so as not to cry out. He tries his best not to flinch away from her touch so much. Is it hot? Or is it cold? No, it’s both. It’s so burning cold, so agonising. It’s like being stabbed with too many nails all at once. It hurts. Just because he has sustained injuries from being shot at who knows how many times, does not mean that he is immune from all kinds of pain. Even if he has improved pain tolerance, it still hurts. He tries to not let any kind of sound out of his mouth.

He does not know how long it has passed. Has it been a minute? An hour? It feels longer.

Suddenly he feels something cold touch his cheeks, but it’s not freezing. It feels refreshing, like the wind blowing against the skin after a hot summer. He then feels more than hears something whisper near his ear.

“Relax, Kaito. It’s all better now.”

He lets go of the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, panting slightly.

“Are you okay?” Aoko asks. He gives a small nod. “Then, I will bandage it now.”

That refreshing touch leaves his cheeks, and then he feels a long cotton strap wrap his shoulder, going around the wound then around his body towards the other side, under the undervest (she doesn’t ask him to take it off, and so he doesn’t), then to the wounded side again. After a few moments, he feels the bandage tighten a little, then hears the snap of scissors cutting away the remaining strap.

“Aoko’s done.”

Kaito just opens his eyes again, and glances at her handiwork. “Thanks, Aoko.”

“Anytime.”

She gets off the bed to get rid of the stained bandages, into the bin nearby, then goes back to the bed to put away the first aid kit. While she does so, Kaito just stares at her.

Without thinking, he blurts out, “Don’t you hate Kaitou KID?” As soon as the final word slipped his mouth, he immediately regrets having asked this question. He inwardly uses a string of curse words that would have made Nakamori-keibu proud, for having lost control of himself. But Kaito can’t take it back now; it’s too late.

Poker face! Poker face!

He briefly notes the fact that she does not look even a bit surprised at the sudden change of subject, but she still pauses briefly, then looks down in thought. After a moment, she replies, “No. Hate is too strong of a word. Aoko doesn’t hate him at all, but she can’t say that she likes him either.” Blinking as she raises her head as she shifts her body to face him, connecting her eyes with his again, she adds, “Aoko just wants her father back. That’s all.”

A brief pain takes over his soul for a second, and he knows that she sees it, but she says nothing. However, he understands what Aoko means. Oh, he does.

But it doesn’t mean that he hates it less everytime Aoko let off her energy towards KID. He knows what Aoko thinks of KID, but he can’t tell her.

Kaito can’t let it go. He doesn’t want to let Aoko go.

“I see…” he just says. Aoko stares at him. “Tell me, Aoko. What are you scared of? Why did you cry?”

She looks down at her hands fidgeting against each other on her lap for a long moment, then just closes her eyes and leans on his good shoulder.

“Last night,” she begins, “Aoko went to the heist. Only this time, she had a bad feeling, so she went to a different place than usual, just to watch the heist. KID flies, so she went to the building across from that place. She brought binoculars with her. She wanted to see what was happening after KID had stolen the jewel. However, she saw something she’d never seen, nor even thought of before…” she grabs the undervest at his side again, though it was done unconsciously. She shifts to a more comfortable position and continues, a few hitches in her voice here and there, “It was dark, so she couldn’t see well. But, she could see KID, so bright in contrast, the moonlight shining upon him. He was surrounded by some men in black. The moonlight helped, so she could see the light reflecting off of whatever the men were holding in their hand. They were guns. Real guns.”

She pauses for a moment as she takes a few deep breaths. “Then it happened in a split second, so fast Aoko would’ve missed it if she wasn’t paying attention. KID had taken a glance towards the building she was at, and she could have sworn that he had seen her, but he was actually looking at something above her. Then, he moved so fast, like the speed of light, and there was a bright flash. It was so bright, but luckily she had closed her eyes at that second, she was confused, so it hadn’t affected her that much. Then, she saw several sparkles away from KID. He then flew away from that building, but she saw him holding onto his shoulder. She saw blood, so much blood.”

So, that glint Kaito had seen at the building across the street, that was Aoko? Then he owes her his life. If it were not for that glint of light, he wouldn’t have seen the sniper, and he probably wouldn’t have been here right now, beside her, like this. So she had made the connection so quickly. She is a very smart girl, indeed. But still, he won’t tell her, nor confirm anything.

There is a whine in her voice. “This had never happened before. Aoko was so scared that she ran away from there. She had a nightmare last night.”

He just holds her head, caressing it, and hums, “Nightmare?”

Her hands on his clothes tightens. “She dreamed of Kaito. You were…” she trails off. Kaito just hums and waits patiently, gently supporting her. “Aoko saw Kaito surrounded by black figures of some kind. They resembled animals more than humans. And then, Kaito, they shot at you, then flames and playing cards altogether surrounded you. She saw the moonlight breaking into little pieces. Even then, Kaito, you just looked at Aoko and said, ‘Not yet, I won’t stop’. She didn’t understand what you meant by that…” She just breaks into sobs.

So that’s why she’s like this. She’s scared for me, he thinks. He pulls Aoko further into his arms in a hug, shifting so she sits on his lap, while humming a gentle lullaby to calm her down. She cries even harder in response. He feels her tears on his bare shoulder, but he doesn’t mind it.

A few moments pass by while they stay in that position, just holding onto each other like they are a lifeline. Aoko takes the time to calm down, and Kaito doesn’t move even an inch away from her.

Kaito just glances at the clock and grimaces a little. “We’re late…” he murmurs.

Aoko hears it, and also glances at the time. A second goes by while she stares, then she just returns her head onto his shoulder and says tiredly, “Aoko doesn’t care, she’s too tired for that, and you need to heal. Let her just stay like this. Please.”

He just rests his chin on her head. “Okay. We’ll just apologise to Sensei tomorrow. I’ll have Mom call the school about our absence, she won’t mind.” Aoko just burrows further into his shoulder, near his neck.

With a little magic, his mobile phone poofs into appearance in his hand. He turns it on and sends his mother a text about his and Aoko’s absence. She replies immediately with an ‘OK’, but asking what he did with Aoko that they had to be too tired to go to school, adding a wink emoticon at the end. He just rolls his eyes, replies to say that he will explain later, then turns the phone off. He places his pillow between himself and the wall and, with Aoko in his arms, leans backwards and closes his eyes.

~T~

Kaito opens his eyes to the sight of Aoko sleeping close to him, on her left side, with her arms wrapped around him, and his around her. At some point, they must have switched from sitting up to lying down on his bed. He just smiles sadly at her. Even wrapped in his smell, she smells so refreshing, like home. He likes it, though he won’t admit it to her. He raises his left hand and caresses her cheek. She’s so soft…

She twitches a little and opens her eyes, sleepily blinking her eyes and stares at him with narrowed eyes. He just smiles at her.

“Hi, Aoko.” he says softly.

“Hi, Kaito…” she mumbles back, tiredly closing her eyes.

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired… Can’t open my eyes… But it feels like something has been lifted, though I’m not sure what.”

He hums in thought. “I think that would be you finally letting something off your chest. Though from what I can see, it’s already small.” he adds cheekily.

She hums back. A beat, then immediately opens her eyes and glares at him, “Bakaito! Don’t say things like that!” she then hits his side in retaliation.

“Ow, that hurts, Ahoko!”

“It doesn’t hurt, and you know it!”

Kaito fake cries, and Aoko just rolls her eyes.

They then just stay like that for another moment in peace, making tentative eye contact. And then Aoko asks, “What time is it, anyway? How long have we been sleeping?”

Kaito raises himself a little to glance at the clock off her shoulder, “Hmm… I think we’ve been sleeping for a little over two hours. It’s 11:23AM now.”

Aoko just hums, rolling herself onto her back and swings her arm over her face, hiding her eyes.

They do not move off of the bed for another few minutes. Then, “Kaito. Can you please answer a few things for Aoko? Truthfully?”

“... Okay. What is it?”

“Whatever it is you’re doing… Will you stop it, or will you not?”

Kaito doesn’t answer immediately, thinking over his words carefully. “If I tell you, you won’t cry, will you?”

“That would depend on your answer.”

Kaito just groans as he moves to raise himself to sitting on the bed, leaning on the wall. Seconds go by while he just sits there. “No. I will not stop,” he replies softly.

Aoko just bites her lips, a tear already sliding over her cheek into her hair. A deep breath. “Is it dangerous?”

“... Yes.”

“Can Aoko help you in any way?”

Kaito stares at her. She wants to help? Without truly knowing what danger is in store for me, and for her if she gets involved in some way? Is that possible?

He already knows the answer without having to think too much of it. “No, you can’t. If you do, you’ll be－” he bites his lips, not saying anymore.

“... Are you leaving Aoko behind, then?”

“...”

Kaito wants to say ‘no’. He really does. But, with his job being dangerous already, anything could happen. He can’t promise anything. He doesn’t want to break her heart anymore than he already has. He doesn’t care about himself that much, but Aoko? She who is his home, his angel, his magician? She who already holds his heart in her hands but all she does is just hold it gently, shielding it with her wings of beauty and innocence? She who always smiles at him everytime he looks at her? He can’t live without her. It might be stupid, but it is the truth.

A few more tears trickle down her cheeks again at the lack of reply, and she rises herself to sit on the bed, hair shadowing her eyes.

“Are you going to try…?”

“Hm?”

“Here. Will you try to come back?” she clarifies.

“... Yes, but－”

He is cut off by Aoko grabbing at his undervest again, as her eyes hold close contact with him, and she says firmly, “Then do it.”

He is speechless again. He tries to let some kind of sound escape his lips, but in vain. He looks like a fish which, to him, is a horrible thought. He tries to hold back his shivers at the thought. She doesn’t notice.

Her eyes then soften, and her focus on his eyes intensifies. She lets go of the cloth and raises both of her hands to hold his cheeks. “Those eyes.”

He blinks several times in confusion.

“You know the saying, right? ‘The eyes are the window to the soul’?” he just nods dumbly, and she continues, still staring at those tanzanite eyes, “Those eyes that hold your soul. Whether they hide behind some kind of glasses or disguises or anything, they may fool most people. But they can’t fool Aoko. The soul behind the window in those eyes, Aoko knows him. Whether that soul be a student, a magician, or a thief, they are all him.”

Kaito’s eyes widened in realisation. Does she mean…?

“Kaito.” she says again, and stops for a moment as she takes her hand off his cheek to wipe away her tears, then returning to his cheek.

“Aoko…?”

“Those eyes,” she tenderly touches the corners of his eyes, “are hers. Aoko knows those eyes, so they are hers. That’s why,” she adds, gently bumping her forehead to his, eyes still connected, “You must come back to me. Do you understand?”

This is sort of a confession, and yet, it is not quite one. It is merely a fact. Like the colour of the sky is blue and the grass is green, and the air is fresh and the birds fly freely. Just a fact. But, he understands now. With a grateful sigh, he holds his palms over hers and replies by pressing their foreheads together and－

“Always.”

No matter whatever happens, I will always return. To where you are. Through hell fire or freezing storms.

This, he swears.

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