#i have no idea whether this is deranged or simply not interesting or something but whatevs | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

shkika · 1 month ago

Text

Since my wrist is killing me and I can't draw, have my ramblings about machines having souls and being able to become husks and also just Ultrakill thoughts! Predictions about the ending if you squint??

im just having fun here

Like I'm so deranged about how machines being intelligent and actually conscious is handled in Ultrakill. The build-up, even if accidental(?), is SO SO CLEVER and gradual (as gradual as ultrakill can get). How that fits into the overall narrative and how the tragedy of this game manages to be so awesome??

First with how I love the way "Machines are living beings" idea is handled. It starts from the introduction and establishes the world so well in so few words it's so lovely. You get introduced to the machines as war weapons. They need blood to survive and humanity has been eradicated. That's all you need to know.

You start with the basic information that these machines don't want to die. Which makes sense, it doesn't have to mean they are actually alive. It makes sense a machine would look for any way possible to keep itself running to continue doing it's job.

And then immediately in the prelude you meet the Swordsmachine. A part of a specific group of machines the terminal calls "scrapheads" which modify their own bodies. While at first that does not ring as anything that's especially noteworthy. A machine trying to upgrade itself is nothing unheard of. It's to be better, stronger, more efficient.

Except that's not exactly what the Swordmachine design is about according to the game. It is mentioned to have very impressive combat prowess compared to other machines, however what it is also referred to as is "beautiful". The design is appreciated almost like a piece of art. And some of it's parts don't even wield a practical purpose, the mentioned example being it's voice box.

It is not ONLY about utility. It is also about art!!

Alright. That's interesting. Let's give an even more outrageous example. Skipping Limbo for now, there is lust where we are introduced to Mindflayers. Which?? Are so wild??? And mysterious? We don't know what and when they were made for (ALTHOUGH I VERY MUCH HAVE HEADCANONS ABOUT IT) their bodies are described as completely seperate and useless to the machine. And yet it is stated they act very lovingly and take care of their bodies. So much so in fact that they SELF-DESTRUCT if it is harmed.

V2 in the first fight is a rival to you as any other machine, however once it's arm is stripped away from V1 the confrontation becomes PERSONAL. The second fight is not simply about the lack of resources anymore. It is to reclaim what was lost. Whether that be the arm or something else. Even the very terminal entry itself calls it revenge.

And of course. With Violence it is revealed that with all of this. Machines can also make other forms of art like poetry. Which is even more interesting is that the machine which did that was first EVER machine to use blood mind you. An extremely old design, yet it could make art to express it's feelings.

Machines are capable of modifying, changing, expressing and LOVING themselves. They make art and some are frequently seen attacking you in groups! Those are clearly intelligent beings. And I mean. Duh. everyone playing Ultrakill knows that. Obviously. Like. Yeah.

So then why isn't the fact that these walking weapons probably have souls more discussed? What makes a soul? Why would machines not have them? If they can do all that people can on an emotional level.

And what happens when these machines die? What exactly is stopping them from ending up hell? Obviously heaven is unobtainable. Their very reason for existence, is to cause pain and suffering. The means through which they need to keep themselves alive is to cause suffering. It makes sense they'd all become hells beloved children. Doing what is in their nature is an art form to it.

What's even more is that the game itself supports the idea that some are souls. Surely hell cannot create them since everything made by hell are demons, which are very easy to recognize by the stone exterior.(?? unless im wrong??)

And there is no feasible way for machines like the Guttermen and Earthmovers to be their actual living counterparts. On a basic level they LACK the means to be alive. The people inside the Guttermen need to be alive in order for them to function. When opening them in-game they are just skeletons. Nobody has been supplying them with blood for a long time. Because it's hell. The game itself states that death is a luxury in hell. It does not happen easy.

Earthmovers need sunlight to power them. And the game specifically put them in an area that is clouded. There is none to be seen in violence. No they are just trapped in place, forced to shoot each other for all of eternity.

Machines, when they die… go to hell! Probably!

Some of the machines you kill, perhaps reccuring enemies go to hell (Thank u l@/little-tornad0 for the addition hehe)

When you die.

You respawn! Hell keeps you going. Hell wants torture. Hell wants bloodshed. Hell wants entertainment and you are the purest form of it.

It makes me think a lot about the potential ending of the game. About the themes. I don't think this means inherently that hell is a perfect self-sustaining organism that can go on like this forever. Gabriel says machines are destroying it and leaving nothing behind. Things are clearly going south in some way. And it'd fit the themes better if it was all going to uh.. hell lol. If it was all going to collapse. From the main theme of the game literally being "The fire is gone" to the name of the last chapter literally being named "Godfist suicide"

Also for what it's worth the Mirage secret is awesome meta-commentary on the idea that everything will die. Everything is destined to end. It is up to you how your each that end.

I think this is what Ultrakill will kind of be about at the end maybe. Gabriel will die out with a bang doing what he wants.

V1 itself is clearly NOT killing efficiently to survive, but for fun. Before it all ends. It's going out with a bang.

And with no new humans or machines that can enter hell in the long run. Perhaps it's very being too will decide it wants to go out with a bang.

In short. uh machines have souls. everything will die but not in a sad way. but in a very cool awesome way. thats pr awesomesauce

#ultrakill #ultrakill theory #kiki rambles #wowowwowowow utkl lore is so good #im surprised how i havent rambled more abt it!! given just how much i did about rain world #UHM AS ALWAYS i just wanna say im not... trying to tell anyone how to read the game #or whats canon or whatever #its just how i see things with the content released so far like right now #anyway will i use this knowledge for w1- yes why do you ask. tehehehe #god plz let my wrist heal faster i need to draw my ocs more thank youu #long post #i wanna do one of these for mindflayers specifically theyre so awesomesauce to me

51 notes · View notes

eroguron0nsense · 8 months ago

Text

Doflamingo, Love, and Arrested Development

This is mostly just me paraphrasing other Doffy metas and comments I've made but I kinda feel like the real tragedy behind Doflamingo's warped psychology kind of gets missed by people who focus more on his trauma in and of itself and get lost in discourses about having sympathy for characters despite their complete lack of morality and disregard for everyone (perfectly possible), or whether Doflamingo has any redeeming characteristics or genuine concern for anyone or anything outside of himself (he doesn't).

Doffy's story is fundamentally a tragedy, but not because of his childhood traumas or how drastic and painful they are; plenty of One Piece characters experience severe abuses or incomprehensible loss, but they're ultimately stories of how to find hope in the face of the incomprehensibly traumatic, or the salvation/redemptive power of love. Even characters who don't necessarily see their goals fulfilled (see Fisher Tiger, Pedro, Ashura Doji, EGGHEAD SPOILERS etc) aren't fundamentally tragic ones in the way that, say, Ace is, in that they die having fulfilled their goals to the best of their ability and knowing that people will carry on where they left off, even if they don't get to see the liberation they hoped for. Rosinante's story isn't a tragedy because he dies satisfied that he's given hope to someone he loves deeply (and to some extent tried to make amends for some of the guilt he clearly feels for participating in an institution that ruined that child's life).

Doffy, on the other hand, is a never-ending downward spiral from day 1. He was indoctrinated by evil people from birth and never has it addressed (his parents, for all their talk about living more simply than the Celestial Dragons, NEVER actually say "slavery is bad" to Doffy when he asks them why they don't own people any more and I have my own theory on why), who then suffers unbelievable trauma and has his sense of loss–both of his "birthright" and his innocence/ childhood–weaponized for evil. And he spends the rest of his life in this semi-permanent state of arrested development and violent entitlement. He can't have the station and privilege of the Celestial Dragons to... own slaves and live in luxury, so he builds a kingdom where HE reigns supreme and everyone who crosses him is killed or enslaved as a toy. His mother dies and he kills his father, so he assembles a cult-like "family" to try and compensate for the one he's lost/destroyed, but he doesn't and likely doesn't know how to love them in any meaningful way beyond being possessive of them and seeing them as extensions of himself (e.g. he's willing to kill anyone who makes fun of Pica because no one's allowed to antagonize his "family", but he also orders Monet to do a suicide bombing in Punk Hazard, and he's willing to sacrifice one of them for the eternal life surgery, etc). I think that might be why, even though he should know Corazon has every reason to hate and fear him, he's still so eager to take his brother in when they reunite as adults–he shouldn't trust him, and he eventually comes to suspect him of treason, but he's desperate to have a family and Corazon is emblematic of something he wants but can never have because he's a cruel stunted person who knows nothing but entitlement and violence and cannot process the idea that anything has value or merits selflessness and sacrifice.

Everything Doflamingo does is defined by trying to replace or compensate for the family and privilege he was "supposed" to have, but he doesn't love anyone or even understand how real love works because he's been taught to have no regard for human life and all he knows is that love = absolute servitude, that his interests are ultimately more important than the wellbeing of his "family" members, and that betrayal means death. And far be it from me to sympathize with a fallen aristocrat's deranged revenge power fantasies, but it does demonstrate how oppressive institutions inevitably deprive their own beneficiaries of some of their humanity, and consequently fuck them for life. Doffy craves genuine affection and has had his capacity for it permanently stunted by his former class station and indoctrination.

This craving for love combined with an inability to actually feel it in any meaningful way factors into why he's so obsessed with Law, who he kept hardcore projecting onto in the flashbacks and who he expected to turn out just like him. His brother chose Law over Doflamingo and even his undercover mission out of love, and for all his traumas and hangups, Law can find his own crew and friends who he cares about, and he's able to live on and find meaning even after losing EVERYTHING because Corazon genuinely loved him enough to die protecting him. Doffy, on the other hand, is doomed to a loveless, misanthropic, cruel existence where he tortures countless people to compensate, but he can't replace what he's lost and he'll never find it. It's not what Corazon would have wanted, but Law fighting for and honouring Corazon's memory in everything he does enrages Doffy, who will never be able to understand why they cared for each other so deeply, and why both of them are integral to his downfall.

#one piece #trafalgar law #straw hat pirates #donquixote doflamingo #donquixote rosinante #corazon #one piece meta #dressrossa

81 notes · View notes

gaycavendish · 1 year ago

Note

Ok ok ONE more question abt Time Travelers Trio. Are Cavendish and Dakota still time Travelers as well at this point, or have they like retired or smth? Just curious as to what's up with them? :^D

finally going to answer this question! i have thought long and hard about it and come up with two answers: the short one and the deranged rambling one!

the short, less satisfying answer being: i think it could go either way! i really truly could see them either scrambling their way back into time traveling or finding jobs in the 21st century. Although.. i find the latter choice not quite as entertaining. So i prefer to think on the idea of them returning to time travel!

Now, The long answer:

(TLDR for it first: I think they may continue time traveling. Eventually Cavendish & Dakota start their own, rival to the time bureau, Time Traveling Agency. Whether the trio will be part of this agency is undecided but a probable yes.)

ok, so, theyre banned from time travel, full stop... But i mean, they know the guy who INVENTED it. its a silly solution, really & truly very goofy (although i think in line with the silliness of dwampyverse overall) but .. They could ask doof to make a rule that theyre allowed to continue time traveling. Total oversight by block to trap them in the century where doof invents time travel. Of course block wouldn't just Let this happen, or anything, but cartoon shenanigans ensue and im sure you can picture something sufficiently entertaining and set to the scooby-doo-door-chase song here.

The interest for me in this theory lies also in what dakota and cavendish would do up until the point where they return to time traveling! Trying to imagine them working regular jobs for like, a 10-15 year period.. i simply cannot.! The one ive found myself having the most fun thinking about is the idea of them helping out with the creation of the time machine, as well as coaching the trio on it a bit once they start testing doof's prototypes (although, theyre not the best people to ask for time traveling help i imagine HAHA). But in any case.. i also think they would change what they do with their time traveling quite a bit. I mean, neither of them WANT to do the pistachio stuff.. It's shown you can travel through time AND space, although they never leave the planet on screen (for pistachio purposes i would think). If they were in charge of their own missions, i quite think they would be doing much more exciting things! and. hopefully dying less...! CAVENDISH...

OK I SWEAR IM GOING SOMEWHERE WITH THIS. Because at this point i feel they are getting old and perhaps wishing to do something less dangerous.. Ok get ready for this.. This has been my favorite thing to think about today... What if they started their OWN time travel agency! A Ha! I might find this more exciting than other people, but nonetheless, i think its fitting. I mean, Block is a terrible boss. The bureau of time travel was never very kind to cav and dakota, and given that they have the resources (Doofenschmirtz! Love That Guy!) why not, right? plus, this gives the opportunity for some Secret Agency vs Secret Agency goodness. Which I always love. I only thought of this concept recently, but It's definitely my favorite of the bunch, so probably what I'll go with! Just left to decide whether the trio are part of this agency or not (probably yes).

#tttau #hi guys. feeling super normal #Can you tell ive been reading frankenstein with the commas in this... im sorry if so HLEP...#milo murphy's law #au #asks #Feel free to ask more questions!! I love to think about this au ^_^

13 notes · View notes

burningthemidnightcityoil · 2 years ago

Text

THE MIND ASPECT AND THE CONCEPT OF SHADOW

“There is Shadow and there is Substance, and this is the root of all things.” - The Chronicles of Amber, the Nine Princes of Amber

The Mind Aspect is an interesting aspect, given that its considered one of the most mysterious aspects. There’s not a whole lot to garner, and we’re given only one confirmed Hero of Mind, Terezi Pyrope.

And when it comes to heroes of an aspect, its very difficult to find where interpretation ends and meaning begins--just ask for the differences between Vriska Serket (Thief of Light) and Rose Lalonde (Seer of Light).

So let me dive into the Mind aspect. Let’s dive into Possibility, Interpretation, and Shadow.

And there is no series more worthy of the Mind Aspect, then Roger Zelanzy’s The Chronicles of Amber.

The Chronicles of Amber detail the idea that there is one True Universe, and the rest of the Multiverse are merely its various Shadows casted by a metaphysical construct known as the Pattern.

And if you succeed in walking the True Pattern, you can travel to any place in the multiverse, provided you can imagine it.

In the books, this true universe is represented by the “true city” of Amber. And its royal family, plotting scheming cut-throats of very questionable morals (and with a lot of comparisons to the Greek Pantheon regarding their attitude to things), are the only ones capable of walking the Pattern and traveling through Shadow.

And when one of these Royals reside in a Shadow for long enough, that Shadow becomes more Real and more Tangible. (In-Universe, its debated whether or not the shadows actually exist, and if the royal responsible actually created it or not).

Our Earth is one of these Shadows. Made Real by the Prince Corwin of Amber.

So what does this have to do with Homestuck’s Mind Aspect?

The Mind Aspect’s Cardinal Neighbor is Space. Its reflection across Breath-Blood is Light, and its the Descending Aspect below the Spacetime is Void. The Mind Aspect in direct opposition to the Heart aspect.

Those aspects that are closest to Space are more Worldly. Their concepts affect the Environment more than the Individual.

Those Aspects who reside on Breath’s side of the Spacetime Line, are more Ideal in Concept. They’re the Ascending Aspects. Mind’s Descending Aspect is Void; in order to drop ideas or thoughts to meaninglessness, one has to conceive / think of them first.

“Amber casts an infinity of shadows. A child of Amber may walk among them, and such was my heritage. You may call them parallel worlds if you wish, alternate universes if you would, the products of a deranged mind if you care to. I call them shadows, as do all who possess the power to walk among them. We select a possibility and we walk until we reach it. So, in a sense, we create it. Let’s leave it at that for now. “ - The Chronicles of Amber, The Guns of Avalon

By its Cardinal Neighbor, Space, The Mind Aspect deals in the Multiverse. In its Descent to Void, the Mind Aspect deals in Cause and Effect, Action and Consequences, where an Artifact / Actor can be. In its reflection with the Light Aspect, both Aspects deal in Meaning. Where Light deals in the meaning of Symbols, Mind deals in the Meaning of Action. Where light deals in Fortune, Mind deals in Karma.

With its Neighbor Hope, Mind deals in Possibility. But unlike Hope, Mind’s possibility is weighed. It is balanced based on sensory information taken from the evidence at hand, to give the most LIKELY Possibility, as opposed to simply Imagined Ones.

There’s a good reason that Mind details heavily in Detectives and Investigators, and Noir Monologues.

Of which, in irony, the Chronicles of Amber have a lot of.

“In my heart, there was something like a bit of joy that I had undone at least a small portion of the rottenness I had wrought. Evil? Hell, I’ve done more of it than most men, but I had picked up a conscience too, somewhere along the way, and I let it enjoy one of its rare moments of satisfaction. “ - The Chronicles of Amber, The Guns of Avalon

Remember that Mind’s Descending Aspect is Void.

Yes, in Homestuck, all possibilities exist. These possibilities exist in separate timelines and spaceplaces, and thus the multiverse is born.

But they are not real unless you make them real.

And just as in the Chronicles of Amber, the Possible Reality (The Shadow) doesn’t stop being a Shadow unless you go there and make it real.

This concept of making reality as you experience it, is not a new concept nor one that resided in fiction.

This is Solipsism.

“The notion that nothing exists but the self, or, at least, that we cannot truly be aware of anything but our own existence and experience. I can find, somewhere, off in Shadow, anything I can visualize. Any of us can. This, in good faith, does not transcend the limits of the ego. It may be argued, and in fact has, by most of us, that we create the shadows we visit out of the stuff of our own psyches, that we alone truly exist, that the shadows we traverse are but projections of our own desires....” - Chronicles of Amber, the Sign of the Unicorn

Solipsism is the idea that only the Mind exists, and anything outside of it is uncertain, and that because a thing is perceived by the Mind but not of the Mind (It can’t be truely known), then it can’t seem to truly exist.

I think therefore I exist.

But... there’s a flaw in here. The Mind Aspect is a Worldly Aspect, its hardly personal. There is no “I” here, for one must contrast their actions with their consequences, and the reality of others help define the reality of you.

At best, something is doing the thinking. Something drew the True Pattern, the true thing that all shadows reflect upon.

Who is this “I”?

And what lies in the Darkness beyond Shadow and beyond the Pattern?

“Yet—yet there is a disturbing element in the picture. There is a place where the shadows go mad.... When you purposely push yourself through layer after layer of Shadow, surrendering—again, purposely—a piece of your understanding every step of the way, you come at last to a mad place beyond which you cannot go. Why do this? In hope of an insight, I'd say, or a new game ... But when you come to this place, as we all have, you realize that you have reached the limit of Shadow or the end of yourself—synonymous terms, as we had always thought. Now, though... Now I know that it is not so, now as I stand, waiting, without the Courts of Chaos, telling you what it was like, I know that it is not so.“ - The Chronicles of Amber, the Sign of the Unicorn

In the Chronicles of Amber, there is a force that is the reflect opposite of Amber. That once you reach the end of Shadow and enter the “Darkness”, that is where you find the origin of Existence.

The Courts of Chaos.

The closer to Chaos you get, the faster Time seems to run. A year could go in Amber, and Decades could happen in the Courts. The inhabitants of the Courts are capable of shapeshifting into ever more demonic and monstrous shapes, and the Shadows close to Chaos start losing laws of reality.

The Inhabitants shapeshifting only appeals to what forms they personally desire and want. Their Realms are made of bits of reality they desire and like. There is Order here, but its Personal Order. And in contrast to the Pattern, Chaos has the Logrus, a twisting changing thing that once walked, will allow you to not only travel “Shadow” but will also allow you to take any item you imagine from “Shadow”.

This... is the I in I think therefore I am, to the Chronicles of Amber and possibly the Mind Aspect there in. That is what the Mind sees of the Heart, a chaotic place that lacks Order and Law. All Possibility all the time, but that is the kicker here. This would be why Mind and Heart are in opposition.

And if Amber is the Mind that cast Shadow.

... Chaos is the Heart of Darkness.

“If you had a choice between the ability to detect falsehood and the ability to discover truth, which one would you take?” - The Chronicles of Amber, the Sign of Chaos

#homestuck #the chronicles of amber #the courts of chaos #classpect #the mind aspect #the heart aspect #mind/heart #terezi pyrope #theories and analysis

15 notes · View notes

adarlingsnightmare · 4 years ago

Text

Osamu Dazai Yandere Alphabet

this was requested by a lot of people and i wrote it awhile ago but am only posting it now bc i spent way too much time fussing over whether it was any good lol.

Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

One word: smothering. Dazai's idea of affection involves robbing you of your privacy and getting in your personal space as much as possible. He doesn't even care if you're not comfortable with it, so for anyone who doesn't like being touched, he's an absolute nightmare to be with. He especially likes to wrap his arms around your shoulders from behind and stand like that for as long as possible.

Blood: How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

As messy as necessary! He's more likely to get messy with you than with rivals, though. He is a sadist, but now that he has his precious darling this is all directed towards you, meaning his rivals get fairly swift deaths if Dazai does decide they need to die.

Cruelty: How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?

As previously mentioned, Dazai is a sadist, and therefore loves to cause his darling pain whether that be physical or emotional. Despite this, he can act sweet and loving too, especially if you're not resistant. He does occasionally mock you, but it's not his main tactic of hurting you.

Darling: Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling's will?

Yes, definitely. His darling's wants and needs are completely meaningless to him. To his darling, he may even seem oblivious, but the truth is he just doesn't care. You said you don't want him to spike your drink? Oh, well that's just too bad.

Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling?

Surprisingly, Dazai will actually be himself around his darling, rather than putting on a persona. He believes that since he loves you, you should know his true self. You're the only person in the world who will ever get to see the real Dazai, though that isn't necessarily a good thing. Don't get excited though, this doesn't mean he is vulnerable, in fact he is probably worse now he doesn't have to restrain himself.

Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

Mostly amused. A part of Dazai enjoys someone who fights back and won't give in easily, in fact you could even argue he is somewhat masochistic since he gets rather excited by your anger towards him.

Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

Certainly. Dazai is fascinated by human behaviour and watching you react to various torture and situations is his form of entertainment. He may eventually get irritated if you are constantly trying to escape, but he somewhat admires your resilience.

Hell: What would be their darling's worst experience with them?

Honestly, the whole experience is a nightmare because there is no chance of a good ending. Dazai can't be reasoned with, there are no compromises and it is guaranteed to end in tragedy. No matter how strong or smart you are, you can't escape. The best ending is for Dazai to kill you, because at least then your suffering will be over.

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

Dazai never expected to live this long, so he's never bothered thinking about the future before, even when it comes to his darling. However, if it came down to it, he'd probably want something similar to the 'typical' married life: a house, loving partner and maybe some kids. He wants to feel more human and he figures acting like everyone else is a good start. Although, despite these fantasies, Dazai will never actually be able to live this life due to who he is.

Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

Oh, Dazai is the definition of jealous. He can't even handle the prospect of you thinking about someone else, let alone anything like actually talking to them. He has to be the centre of your world or he will literally go insane. He's not a hothead like Chuuya, so aside from a very tight grip on you and a dark glare, his jealousy won't be noticeable immediately. However, that's not to say he won't do anything about the situation — scheming on how he can ruin this persons life and if they really don't get the message, he supposes he'll just have to show them what happens to vermin who steal his darling's attention.

Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

He still retains some of his cheery and mischievous persona, but make no mistake, once he's got you trapped, he'll reveal a much darker side. He likes to act oblivious to your suffering just to wind you up— oh, you're crying about how you want to be let out? so... anyways, what should we have for dinner? — and takes pleasure in both your despair and your anger towards him.

Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

Depending on which version of Dazai we're talking about here (Mafia or ADA), his way of courting will be different. If you meet while he's in the Port Mafia, he will be more creepy than romantic. Relying more on intimidation than charm, he'll spend his time sadistically toying with you and jumping out of nowhere to wrap his arms around you in a suffocating hold. ADA!Dazai is pretty much the complete opposite— overwhelming you with endless gifts (mainly pricey chocolate and flowers), reciting cheesy love poetry, flirting constantly and of course always asking you whether you'd commit a double suicide with him.

Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

Definitely. While Dazai appears as a cheerful, suicidal maniac with a penchant for troublemaking, he is actually quite different. Around you he does retain some of his facade, but the cracks will show and it'll be undoubtedly unsettling. He deceives you with his sweeter, more carefree side, before he reveals the merciless, cynical person he truly is.

Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

Punishing his darling is Dazai's favourite thing... much to the disdain of his darling. He'll punish you for just about anything and half the time he won't even explain what you've done wrong, simply wanting an excuse to have his fun. His punishment can take many forms, usually sexual, and always teaches you a lesson. The punishments you receive depend on whether we're talking about mafia!Dazai or ADA!Dazai, the former typically based around humiliation and the latter around degradation and pain. (I have quite a few ideas but I didn't want to write too much on this here).

Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling?

Rights? Freedom? What are those? You don't know because you haven't experienced the feeling of independence and being able to make your own decisions since Dazai took an interest in you. He's an unbearably jealous person so he can't allow you to even look at other people, let alone talk to them. Despite how much you prove your loyalty to Dazai, he will still refuse to loosen his suffocating hold over you and your freedom.

Patience: How patient are they with their darling?

If Dazai thinks it's worth it, he can wait for just about anything, so he is usually relatively patient with his darling. I say 'usually', because while he doesn't mind waiting, he prefers his darling to respond to his questions and advances instantly and you risk getting punished if you don't. Unfortunately for you, you'll never know how patient he's feeling so it's always best to just be alert and reply immediately when he asks you something.

Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

Definitely not. Dazai's life felt pointless until he met his beloved darling, so you leaving/dying would absolutely destroy him and increase his suicidal tendencies tenfold. Without his raison d'être what point is there in continuing to live?

Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

Guilt? Why on earth would Dazai feel guilty? He needs his darling to be around him pretty much 24/7 and kidnapping is the safest option for everyone, why should he feel guilty? I mean, who knows what kind of havoc Dazai would wreak if he couldn't have you by his side...

Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

Dazai's own ability describes exactly just how disconnected from other people he feels, so it's no surprise that he doesn't really understand love. It's the curiosity of what it's like to be human — to be like everyone else — that will compel him to pursue his darling to the point it develops into an obsession. You'll also have to be different enough to keep his attention, perhaps being eccentric in your own way or being extremely hard to read. He can't feel genuine love, at least not like others do, but he can feel intense obsession and that may be even more dangerous.

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

Unsurprisingly, Dazai enjoys his darling's tears and despair, being the sadist he is. However, he only likes it when he's the cause of your pain or distress, if you were crying because of someone else it would infuriate him to no end.

Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

He appears like the typical delusional and deranged yandere, but he's actually very calculating and certainly lucid. He's fully aware of everything he's doing and how wrong it is, but does he care? Not in the slightest.

Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

Honestly, it's hard to think of ways you could escape Dazai as he is extremely smart and unlike some other yanderes, no matter how compliant you are he will never let down his guard in the slightest. The only possibility is to kill him: whether that's by poisoning his food, smothering him in his sleep or biting down so hard on his neck he bleeds out. Either way, resorting to murder is the most plausible way of escaping.

Wit's end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

Of course! What's the point of being with your beloved if you can't inflict a little pain onto them? Pain will be a daily occurrence for you as nothing is more melodic to Dazai than your cries of pain.

Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over?

While Dazai doesn't worship you per say, he does see you as ethereal— an angel that he feels compelled to ruin. Since doesn't see himself as human, you are very different to him in his mind. He wants someone else to feel as inhuman as he does, which is why he takes great pleasure in destroying your humanity. He isn't worried about winning you over either; he may appear like he is trying to do so, but he knows that if you don't return his advances he can just make you love him.

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

As mentioned previously, Dazai can be very patient when he wants to be and has no problem playing the long game if he feels it is necessary. He won't kidnap you immediately: preferring to slowly worm his way into your life so that by the time you realise his true, much darker intentions, it's already too late to escape.

Zenith: Would they ever break their darling?

Well, he wants to mould his darling into the perfect submissive little kitten, so yes it is likely he would break them down until all he had to do was rebuild them in the image he wanted. Even if you genuinely love him back and want to be with him, Dazai will still tear down your mental stability to the point of complete reliance on him. He's never experienced any real love from another person before or been in an actual relationship, so it's safe to say his views on love are a little skewed. However, after he had completely broken you, Dazai would feel the closest he can to regret. He doesn't actually want you to be a lifeless doll, but unfortunately he only realises this after you're already too far gone.

#yandere x reader #yandere imagine #yandere dazai #yandere bsd #yandere #osamu dazai x reader #yandere osamu dazai #yandere bungou stray dogs #dazai x reader #yandere alphabet #osamu dazai #tw yandere #tw abuse #yandere scenario #yandere headcanons #bsd imagine #bsd x reader #yandere male

726 notes · View notes

polin-erospsyche · 4 years ago

Note

The prompt number 16 is quite interesting lol 16. “Control your anger or you’ll have me to worry about.” Choose the ship/character you like :)

Hello! Ok, there are literally zero reasons as to why it took me a year to write this bloody thing except maybe that I had some not fun moments and also this literally never could have been written if I hadn’t waited this long. I don’t know if you’ll read it. You’ve probably forgotten about this in all fairness but if you do read it I hope you like it.

Also taking this opportunity to thank everyone for following me. I’m at 400 followers! This is insane. I’m not sure why you’re all following tbh but to celebrate I forced myself to finish this long overdue fic, hope you like it! Also disclaimer: I love all of the characters from TLH. I am aware of the existing debate around Matthew and Alastair and my writing in here does not represent my point of view. But I I decided to represent Matthew and his view in this way for story telling purpose. Please don’t come at me with gun blazing. If you do wanna talk, we can, but in peace 😊💕

Somewhere Where Our Shadows Meet, It Feels Like Coming Home -

a Fairdale one-shot (is that even their brotp name???)

This was the fifth time James was rereading the passage of the book he had picked up. It was no use. Each time he finished the page he had already forgotten the beginning. His mind was foggy with a multitude of thoughts. Thoughts about Lucie and her strange dalliance with a boy who used to be a ghost, about Grace which inevitably led to unsolicited questions on his own identity, and, as much as he tried not to think about it, thoughts of Matthew and Cordelia. He really did not enjoy these last kinds of thoughts. He couldn’t help but imagine what kind of relationship could have blossomed between the two during their trip to Paris. He knew how Matthew felt, but when it came to Cordelia, he had no single clue. He constantly wondered as to whether she hated or loved him. Daring to hope that he hadn’t ruined everything. Just for that hope to vanish the next second because there was no possible way he did not ruin it. And even if ever decided to ask her, he would have no idea how to approach the topic without sounding like an arrogant bastard.

James let out a long breath, rolling his shoulders, trying to let go of the tension. He was pretty sure that if he ventured to look at himself in the mirror that was hung above the chimney, he would see huge dark circles beneath his eyes. Circles which color could rival the color of London’s night sky. A result of many nights plagued by bad dreams and worry. During some of those sleepless nights, James had gone to Cordelia’s room. The first time it was under the pretext of looking for books. Her room had been full of her personal belongings. A bottle of perfume on her vanity table, an evening dress carefully laid out on the chaise longue, a copy of Majun and Layla on her bedside table. So many little pieces of who Cordelia was scattered in a room she had run away from. She hadn’t been back to Curzon street since that night. Upon arriving in London, she had decided to move back with her mother using the excuse of the soon-to-be new baby’s arrival. James kept going to her home though, eventually admitting to himself that he did so because of the smell of Jasmin that lingered. It was the closest thing he had to a semblance of her presence in the house. It was a soft smell that grounded him. It was also a heady smell that reminded him of the sweetness he had lost.

He shook himself out of thoughts of her. Something he had gotten quite good at to be fair, considering how many times he thought of her in the span of a day. Pushing himself up from the table he was leaning against, he closed the book he was reading, giving up on understanding it, and made his way to the window. Outside the sky was tinged in pastel colors drawing the day to a close. James would slowly make his way back home. He would rehash the day, come up with new plans to wake his sister from her deep sleep, find out that these plans would fail again come morning, and finally decide that he would need to eat a bite because going to bed with an empty stomach was just not advisable. His parents had offered for him to stay at the Institute with them but James had refused. He preferred the calm and silence of Curzon Street. He found that the bittersweet cloak that covered his house was, in some ways, almost reassuring. Maybe he was going insane. Just when he was ready to go bid his goodnight to his family, he heard the doors of the library open wide behind him and slammed shut again.

“Did you know?” Matthew growled. James might have thought that he himself had gone slightly deranged chasing down the smell of Jasmin throughout his home, but at least he did not look half as unhinged as Matthew looked right this instant. Matthew’s eyes were wide, his pupils dilated, and his fist clenched so tight his knuckles were turning white.

“Are you alright?” James asked, keeping an even tone.

“Did you know?”

“Know what?”

Matthew took a few strides in James’ direction. His stare holding James’ gaze in place as if daring James to contrary him. “Did you know about Thomas?”

“Um yes,” James nodded, a sly smile playing on his lips. “I do know Thomas.” At that Matthew narrowed his eyes and almost seemed as if he was trying hard not to grind his teeth. Noted. Attempts at humor and alleviating the situation were not going to work. “What about him?” James tried again. His smile replaced by a serious gaze.

“Did you know about Alastair?” Matthew asked, almost spatting out Alastair’s name.

James took a few steps back, reinstating the much-needed personal space for such a conversation. James did know about Alastair, but only because Thomas had looked so miserable and James had pried so insistently that Thomas had had no choice but to give up his well-kept secret. James had understood, sometimes you couldn’t choose who you fell in love with. Sometimes you fell in love with something that only you saw in the other person. Love was usually shrouded in mystery this way, best not to question how it worked. Obviously, by the look of things, Matthew did not agree.

“Please sit down,” James pointed to one of the green velvet armchairs. “I’ll pour you a drink.” James said, making his way to the stash of liquor in one of the dark wooden commodes. James had always wondered what kind of people, for what kind of situation kept alcohol in the library of all rooms. It always seemed to him that a secret stash of tea would have been more appropriate. Now he understood what kind of situation required people to put alcohol in every room, even if it was just one abandoned bottle of Parkmore. “Is Whiskey alright?” James turned his head in Matthew’s direction.

“So you knew?” Matthew answered, seemingly in a staring competition with the mustard yellow wallpaper in front of him. “He told you?”

Whiskey it would be for a total lack of all other present choices James thought as he started to pour a glass.

Matthew kept going on his verbal onslaught towards the wallpaper. In all fairness mustard yellow was a color that could potentially enrage everyone. “How can he? It’s Alastair that we are talking about. It’s not as if there wasn’t any other man in London that Thomas couldn’t have a fling for.”

James very much doubted that a fling could start to describe Thomas’s feelings for Alastair. However, seeing how Matthew was nearly spitting out every single one of his words, he thought it safer not to share this piece of information.

“Matthew, please calm down and control your anger or you’ll have me to worry about.” James handed the glass to Matthew, which he waved away.

“No, thank you. I don’t drink.”

James squinted. “Since when?”

“Since Paris.”

James couldn’t help but feel a pinch in his chest at the mention of Paris. Paris city of lights, city of lovers. An escape his friend had taken with the only girl James had ever, truly, loved since he was barely old enough to understand the concept. It was a wondrous thing how much pain a single word could hold.

“What a strange place to decide to stop drinking.” James took a sip of the honey-colored liquid, trying to hide his hurt to the best of his ability.

“Cordelia asked me to. That was her condition for coming with me.”

James did not want to go in the general direction of a conversation that involved Cordelia. Especially not if that conversation was with Matthew. He had written a letter. James had understood. He slightly had the urge to strangle his best friend for going with her; for loving her; he did not quite know. But that was it. They hadn’t spoken of Paris nor of Cordelia together and that was for the best. Neutral conversations were for the best, they could avoid the hurt and the blame, and if James let it come to that again who knew what would be next. Yet he couldn’t help but ask.

“Why did you leave?”

Matthew turned to James, his anger receding ever so slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” A beat, a choice to either keep going or retreat before it is too late. A beat, a choice to see where this could go “why did you go to Paris?”

“You owe me an answer first. Did you know about Alastair?”

“Yes.”

“How could you not tell me?”

“You weren’t here Matthew.” James’ voice almost broke, almost. “How was I supposed to tell you anything?”

James had wanted to throw so much more at Matthew’s face. Throw words that he wouldn’t be able to take back. He had been feeling so alone. So utterly lost after Grace’s admission. After Cordelia’s departure. He had needed his best friend. He had wanted to tell him so much, to figure it all out with him. To have Matthew hold him at times when he didn’t know if he could hold it up together and tell him, simply, that he believed in him. But Matthew hadn’t been in London. He had been in Paris. Happy. With Cordelia.

“And you accept it?” Matthew asked, carefully studying James.

“I guess it depends on what we are talking about. In any case,” James turned away from the fireplace to look at his friend. “why are you so against it if it makes Thomas happy?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because Alastair doesn’t deserve to be loved?”

“Maybe it is more about deserving a second chance rather than deserving of love. Maybe it is about getting a chance to fix your mistakes. Surely no one is worthless of that.”

“Sometimes the mistakes are too big to fix.” Matthew shrugged, breaking eye contact.

“Is that why you ran away?” The question was asked so softly as if asked any louder and James would be terrified to see Matthew run away again. James wasn’t sure he could bear it, no matter how much frustration towards Matthew he still felt.

“I didn’t run.” Matthew shook his head. His gaze far and distant as if in another land, in a shadow realm. “I took a train, there’s a difference. And I left because of Cordelia.”

James had an inkling he hadn’t left because of Cordelia but rather Cordelia had followed in a desperate pursuit to drown both of their sorrows in the glamour of a city like Paris. After all, Paris was so similar to Matthew, it was no wonder he had chosen it. At the surface, both were golden and shining like a polished jewel box. Once that jewel box was open, however, shadows, pain, and sadness would pour out like a damn breaking loose.

“I never thought you’d try to run away from me.” James knelt in front of Matthew, his knees landing on the soft midnight blue carpet. “That one day, I’d become a part of the shadows that you try to outrun.”

Matthew turned around so fast and reached for James’ face. His green eyes were darker than usual. “You’re not my shadows, Jamie Bach. You’re my home. You are the reason why I still believe I’m worth being forgiven for.” He said those words like a damned man dying for a confession, following blindly a faith he held so dear to his heart, hoping that that faith could be his saving grace. James understood that he had become that faith.

“Forgiven for what?” James asked.

“I can’t tell you.”

“It’s me, Matthew. What is so bad that you cannot tell me?”

“I can’t tell you because I’m afraid. I need you to stay with me. I need you to believe that I am good, even if it means that you believe in a lie.”

“Matthew …”

“If you keep choosing me and believing in me,” Matthew interrupted. If he couldn’t finish now, he never would. “then maybe I can believe that I am no monster.”

“You are not a monster, you are my parabatai.”

James felt like they were back on that bridge, at night, so close to being let in in Matthew’s secrets. Back then James hadn’t been in control of himself, he hadn’t known what was happening to him. He had lost his chance. It would not happen again. It could not happen again. James was so tired of walking a frayed rope line with Matthew, guessing at hinted truths. Being someone’s constant north took work and time and effort but because it was Matthew, James could do it. He would always do it and he needed Matthew to know that as clearly as they both knew that one day would come when they would both cross the other side together. Because after all, that was what it had always been about. Despite shadows and lies and deceptions and miscommunication, they would always be together. So James continued.

“Do you know what that means? It means that I made a promise to you. I said entreat me not to leave thee, for wither thou goest, I will go. If aught but death part thee and me. I will not leave. No matter what you’ve done, I will stand by you, because that is the choice that I have made. That I still make. There is not a thing in this world that you could have done that would make me stop loving you, calon fy enaid.”

Matthew looked up at James and teased “Does that mean that you accept my feelings for Cordelia?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“I must say, I don’t think I’m her type. It’s a pity, really.” Some strands of Matthew’s hair fell in his eyes as he shook his head. James could see the old Matthew again. The carefree one that balanced out his own shadows so well. The one he would choose and forgive a thousand times over because he too was his home.

“Matthew.”

“All right, all right.” Matthew threw his hands up in a mock gesture of surrender. “I just … wish you could promise that I would not lose you.”

“I promise.”

“You can’t promise something you don’t know.” Matthew said before he started to talk about his own misbeliefs that had led to a terrible accident. James listened and did not judge and stayed long in the night after Matthew had said everything that had weighted so heavy on his heart for so long. And somewhere, under the warm light of oil lamps and next to a warm fire, the frayed rope between the two started to mend and James could only describe the feeling as one of coming home.

Tag List: @lady-ofroses @clockworknights @the-axewielding-herondale @tess-the-dreamer @coloandreablog

Do let me know if you want to be on the tag list and I’ll happily add you! (I have a tag list now visibly, wild and mind-blown) I will try to post more now that my exams are somewhat done. Who am I kidding? There will always be more stuff to do XD

#tlh fanfic #the last hours fanfiction #the last hours #tlh #coi spoilers #coi #chain of iron #chain of gold #chog #Matthew Fairchild #james herondale #lucie herondale #jesse blackthorn #cordelia carstairs #thomas lightwood #alastair carstairs #grace blackthorn #jordelia

39 notes · View notes

trashahime · 4 years ago

Text

This is the second part of my evidence for my illusion/unreality theory. I changed it to a Q&A format. There will be a few more parts. I know a lot of you were mostly interested in why the parents are playing the villians but I wanted to explain a few things first. It will be next.

You probably will want to read the first part before continuing:

I decided "unreality" is a better way of presenting the situation so I will use that for now on.

What is meant by "unreality"?

Possibly pure illusion or a dream. Or something like the Matrix. A shared reality only existing in the minds connected to it.

Maybe the girls are actually in "reality" and it's simply a case of some of the other characters being illusioned to look different.

Or maybe a combination. As I said in the first part, Sunrise has hinted at the idea of miniature models with pictures and merchandise. Maybe they are in a minature world created by magic but one actually existing in the real world. Like in the Inuyasha episode with the corrupted sages and human faced fruit.

Why are the girls in an unreality?

In an interview, a Sunrise employee said "if you think it's a trial, then it's a trial." This fits with some general themes I have seen in Yashahime. I think Sesshomaru put his twins in the unreality to test them. The reason for the test I can only speculate about. At the moment, I think it's to prove themselves worthy of taking over as the Inu no Taisho, the position Treekyo said he abandoned.

Why is Moroha in there? Maybe she volunteered to provide support for the twins. Or as a descendant of Toga, maybe she is up for the Inu No Taisho position too.

What's happened in "reality"?

First, I think the story we are seeing in Yashahime is a reflection of what really occurred to the OG crew, including the perils and Rin's story. Think of it as if Yashahime is TV show loosely inspired by true events.

I think the girls were temporarily separated from their parents but never lost their memories of them. More on that later.

I think Kirinmaru really exists but was not a villian. I think he lost control of the real Perils and Sesshomaru, Inuyasha and the rest helped him defeat them. I think a clue to them not being the real Perils is in how they look a little different than what is shown in Myoga's explanation flashback. Those were the real Perils.

I think Rin was attacked/possessed by some kind of evil spirit/demon and possibly corrupted. In the unreality, I believe it will be a yukionna that is the culprit, it may be different in reality. I think she was put in stasis by Sesshomaru until she could be healed. Part of that healing included Sesshomaru sacrificing his sleep for her. I think a clue to that is in the "sleeping" merch where both Sesshomaru and Setsuna are awake. I think Rin was only in stasis for a short period of time.

At the moment, I think Kagura is the mom. I go back and forth as to whether her existence in reality is due to a changed timeline or resurrection. If a timeline change, this reality could be reflected in the unreality by the presence of demons who died in Inuyasha.

Rather than Towa being flung into the future because of a fire, I think she, Setsuna, Moroha and Takechiyo (who I think is InuKag's son) were sent to the Higurashis on purpose via the rainbow corridor while the parents fought the perils. A hint may be in the dream sequence where InuKag is at a shrine courtyard sending Moroha away.

Relatedly, in promotional material, Sunrise hounded on the fact that the girls would be traveling between the present and past but that hasn't really occurred. They also go on about how all three girls are of both eras. I think they are, in reality. In my Reiwa theory I suggest the modern era has become a peaceful time when demons and humans live openly together in peace. I think both sesskagu and InuKag families actually moved to the present because of that but often visit their friends in the past. Besides Sunrise's statements, there's also Setsuna's violin skills, and she seemed to know what a kilo was. Relatedly, Moroha knew what to get when doing modern day shopping and had apparent ease in doing so. I think their memories have been suppressed for the unreality but they still have residual knowledge. Also, Moroha wondered if she was weak because she went through the rainbow corridor, suggesting she had been through it before. I also think the Higurashi's lackluster reaction to Moroha was a hint. They weren't excited because they were already reunited with her. It's also been pointed out by others that a girl in Towa's class looks remarkably like Moroha.

How is reality being reflected in the unreality?

Besides some of the above, in general, I think Yashahime is using parallels and metaphors in the unreality to tell the viewers what happened to the happened to the old crew in reality, including the story of the twins's parents. Some of which we know but a lot that we don't. We will learn the new information through the battles and also through the stories of the side characters they meet.

I think the fact that so many of villians are based on Inuyasha villians may serve multiple purposes. One is a hint to express that just the battles with the old villians are altered copies from reality, so are the ones with the Perils and other new villians. Another could be to express the idea that there was a timeline change and it caused demons to live that should be dead. If so, it could be leading up to showing through a parallel how Kagura is alive.

One specific example of how they used a parallel to provide new information could be the drifting pond episode. I think the lake being pure, then corrupted, then made pure again via medicinal herbs is a reflection of Rin was ultimately healed.

The next part should be up soon. Please feel free leave a note, ask or message if you want more info on a particular part or need something clarified.

Here's a link to my theory about how the perils can be connected to the parents. I need to update it as more info has come to light.

#inuyasha #hanyo no yashahime #yashahime #illusion theory

46 notes · View notes

blueluneacy · 4 years ago

Text

Familiar Shore

Hey, so this is a commission for the lovey @lliminall! Thank you so much for commissioning me, it means a lot! This is a continuation of Black Ocean, so go check that out if you haven’t! It’s Bruno bucciarati x reader timeeee

Word Count: 2.8k Warnings: kidnapping, suicide, transformations, just general angst and comfort vibes

The ocean no longer had any color. It was like the moment you woke up on this terrible island, most everything lost color, the strange world you now found yourself in feeling small compared to the extent of the Labyrinth you once knew. You tended to sit by the ocean nowadays, watching the fish that swam up to the shores to see the strange being that liked to sit and watch them. When Bruno first dropped you in his little lair, some minor beasts that inhabited the ocean and the island, but it seemed that in the days that Bruno was gone, he quickly straightened them out. This place was strange in the sense that everyone seemed a lot more docile. You supposed that most people would have considered that ocean uncrossable and that the local wildlife wasn’t used to humans like yourself, leaving to strange circumstances, like finding that the many tailed foxes seemed to like your company, or that after giving some of the gray birds some of your dinner, they perched near you and cawed at the beasts that came towards you.

Of course, that’s not to say things were sunshine and roses. For example, Bruno was actually terrible. A few times you had tried to pull together a raft and get back to shore, only from Bruno to simply tear it apart and carry you back to your little island. A paradise, he called it. Yeah, what a paradise. And you had gone to Jurassic measures. You remembered waking up in that cave after doing something terrible, stepping out to find Bruno sobbing over your lifeless body. You actually felt bad enough to sigh, only for Bruno’s new keen ears to pick up on it and lunge back to you, thanking whatever Gods there were looking out for the two of you that they set your spawn to here, that you would be with him, that he wouldn’t lose you. You cursed those same gods.

But for now, Bruno seemed to leave you alone. Whether it was because he understood that you needed space and time to process this, or just because he was busy with who knows what, you weren’t sure. Maybe he needed a steady supply of torture to sustain him. It would make sense, the way beasts seem to just thrive on destroying any human being that they came into contact with. But, there was also another problem, one that plagued you. It had to be a lie, right? Bruno couldn’t have possibly actually… Turned into a beast, right? No, he had to be one beforehand. There’s no way that a human being could turn into a beast, and even so… Why would he? Bruno was kind and caring… Unless he wasn’t. Until he was completely deranged, dragging you under the depths until you passed out. You didn’t like to think about it, didn’t like to think about those eyes. You just closed your eyes, telling yourself in just another minute, you’d walk the fifty feet back to the cave you had now found as your home, finding the stone becoming increasingly more smooth, the terrible thing that was keeping here making it more homey day by day. What started off as a simple cave with furs on the ground now had furniture, actual walls, even a bed. You still preferred to sleep on the floor if it meant it kept Bruno from holding you. It didn’t.

After a few moments and a lot of convincing yourself to get up, solely just to eat and get some rest as you plotted your way out of this mess, you made your way over to the cave only to stop when you heard voices. One of them you recognized, Bruno, but there was someone actually responding to him. You swallowed, unable to help yourself from hiding at the edge of the cave to listen in to what they were saying.

“I just don’t know if I can make it work, is all. I mean, you’ve seen them. They’re horrified of… This.” Bruno spoke out, leaving the other beast just to scoff.

“They’re horrified that you’re no longer human. Something that you can’t change. Do you honestly believe that you can make them separate this idea of who you once were versus who you are now?” The other beast, for what other creature would be able to speak out with such calm in front of Bruno in the state that he was in now, replied, sounding simply skeptical.

“But you don’t understand, it’s not like I’ve changed. I’m still the same person, I just-”

“Happened to have turned into an eldritch horror beyond basic human comprehension now trapped in a liminal space shaped like a labyrinth. Good pitch.” He sounded so curt, leaving Bruno just to huff.

“I don’t know why I even bothered to ask you.”

“Because you knew I would be honest with you. It would be easiest if you just gave up on the human, Buccellati. Humans are odd, fragile, and emotional. You could easily find a nice beast girl to settle down if you really wanted.” He replied, leaving you just to… ponder. You never really thought of beasts actually speaking to each other, much less loving each other.

“You act as though we’re not humans.” Bruno replied sharply, leaving the other beast to sigh.

“You’re not. We’re not. Sure, maybe at one time, but there’s no way back. Who knows, maybe you and Dio can laugh over this one day.”

“He’s on the other side of the Labyrinth. Speaking of which, how are there other Beasts in this territory? I thought it was supposed to be mine.”

“Oh, only stronger beasts deal with things like territory. Pathetic ones like me, we don’t have that luxury. It’s easier to say you’re with the biggest guy in the room than to try and stake out your own claim in the world. Plenty of territories are filled with beasts that simply stick around for protection or just because they feel like it. I’m surprised you don’t have a line out the door with Beasts asking for your blessing to move in, this is prime real estate.”

“They’re too dangerous for my beloved to be around. I’m particular about the things that might feel too comfortable to try and hurt them.”

“If you’re choosey, then you really made a bad choice in letting me stay.”

“You don’t like humans. I figured you didn’t have the spine to break theirs.” You gasped at that, Bruno’s fine tuned ears finally picking up on your listening in to their conversation and standing up.

“Cara, you can come in. It’s rude to listen in.” He called out to you, leaving you to swallow as you stepped out into the low candlelight of the cave, making your way inside. You just stared at the ground, not wanting to respond for fear of… You weren’t really sure. Bruno didn’t tend to get mad at you, but you didn’t know anything about this other beast. When you caught a glimpse of him, you were a bit skeptical. While Bruno tended to hide his more… Er, Inhuman qualities, this other beast had no qualms about being comfortable. You saw how his silvery hair fell over his shoulders, his painted lips barely concealing rows of sharp teeth and neatly done nails actually claws.

“Tesoro, this is Leone Abbacchio. He’ll be staying near the Shore, so you may see him often.” Bruno told you, leaving you just to roll your eyes.

“Oh boy, another terrifying monster I get to live near! I’ll make sure to bake cookies for the house party.” You replied, leaving Bruno’s face just to set into a grimace while Abbacchio just smiled and rolled his eyes.

“I have no interest in humans, and much less one this scrappy.” He replied, standing up. It took a moment for his insult to click, but once it did, you were ready to fucking fight. Would you lose? Probably. But your honor. But, before you could get a word out, Abbacchio just brushed himself off of bits of sand that seemed to stick at his body, and turned to Bruno.

“I’ll let you two have your lovers quarrel in peace.” And with that, Abbacchio quickly was out of there, leaving you alone with Bruno, who just shook his head as he sat down, motioning for you to sit with him. You did not obey.

“Don’t just stand there, tesoro. Perhaps we should talk. I hate the idea that there’s something wrong with our relationship.” Bruno told you, leaving you just to scoff as you crossed your arms.

“It’s fundamentally wrong, because it’s based on a lie. Me being here isn’t because of love! It’s because of… Because you… I’m your prisoner, Bruno!” You didn’t know why tears were welling up in your eyes, why the pain hit your heart as you spoke the truth, but it did. Your dreams of escaping with Bruno to the outside world, outside of this hell, were crushed entirely. Everything was just a wreck, Bruno had lost it, and beyond it all, he still gave you a pang in your heart. Bruno just shook his head, standing up and you released how much taller than you he was. Was he always this much taller than you? Still, it didn’t matter, you didn’t have the chance to step away before Bruno wrapped his arms around you, holding you tight. It was possessive, but his hand came behind your head, pressing your face into his chest. You gasped as you released he still smelled the same as before, of coastal air and cypress.

“I… I don’t care about that, (Y/n). I can’t lose you, not like everyone else. Please, just stay with me. If I lose you, I know… I know I’ll become like the rest of them. Please, I really do love you. Don’t you love me back?” Bruno’s voice was shaking, as if he were about to cry. You had the instinct to try and comfort him, holding yourself back the best you could.

“I… I don’t know anymore. It feels like… I’m haunted by you at this point. This person you once were and the… Thing you are now.” You replied, leaving Bruno just to sigh and let you go.

“I… But I haven’t changed. I haven’t hurt a single human. If anything, I’m safest out here. No one could possibly come out here, it’ll just be you and me. We can make the life you spoke about here, we can get married and have a family-”

“Bruno, no! We can never have that! You know that! Deep down in your heart, you know that just as well as I do, that this will never work! Even before... “ You looked away, hoping to find some sense of reality in a pace that seems to lack it. God, this was terrible. “We were just chasing after affection, weren’t we? Did we really love each other, or were we just so lonely that we didn’t know what to do and threw ourselves at the idea of human contact?” You replied, leaving Bruno to sigh.

“(Y/n), do you remember how you entered into the Labyrinth?”

“I…. What?” That was out of nowhere. You wondered if maybe he was trying to change the subject, but nonetheless, you shrugged and decided to answer.

“I don’t remember. I was walking through the woods one day, and it was like I got lost… Well, lost forever. I don’t really… Know what I did to deserve all of this.” You replied, leaving Bruno to sigh.

“Is there something back in your old life so pressing that you have to return to it? Is the world outside better than something we could build?” Bruno asked. You wanted to argue so bad, but he was right in a way. There really was nothing that you had going for you back at home. You would go back to work, live your boring, mundane life, but…

“You’re holding me hostage here, Bruno.”

“I’m protecting you. (Y/n), there’s no way out of the Labyrinth unless you have someone from the outside to pull you out. There’s no exit. That is the main secret of the Labyrinth.” He told you, his voice serious, and you knew he was telling the truth.

“I-I… T-Then, what were we searching for all that time?! Why were we… What kind of torture is all this?!” You replied, shaking a bit. You didn’t notice the way your hands were starting to fade and distort, but you didn’t care. “What kind of being would create such a terrible place?!”

“I… I don’t know, tesoro. I really don’t know. But… If there’s no one outside looking for you, you have to understand. Travelling back to the main portion of the Labyrinth is…” He didn’t have to say it. It was a death sentence, a world of torture waiting to happen. You just collapsed, feeling yourself collapse into a pile as you sobbed, trying to find some way, some reason for your entire existence here. You wanted to believe this was a lie, you really did, but something about Bruno’s tone.... How did he even learn this? Did that other beast tell him? Maybe it was just a lie that that beasts told, and Abbacchio knew that Bruno would try to be a sap with you. Torture by proxy. But still… Bruno’s hand hit your back, rubbing it gently as he sat down next to you.

“I… I know. Apparently… Every Beast that is in the Labyrinth was once a human being. One that was never saved.” He told you, leaving you just to go silent. You looked at your hands, the twisting of your own flesh and the accenting of claws that you had been telling yourself was just your nails growing jagged from lack of care. You turned to Bruno, lip quivering.

“I’m just haunted by the ghost of the person I thought I loved, and I don’t know if that person truly is you, or if he was killed in the fire.” You whispered, almost hoping that Bruno wouldn’t hear it. He just pulled you closer, wiping away your tears.

“I… I honestly don’t know. I feel like I am the same person, but who knows. I don’t know what has changed about me, and what hasn’t. All I know is… (Y/n), you keep me whole. You keep me… Good. I can’t explain it. I know you loved that person before, but… Could you ever be able to love me too?” He asked, leaving you just to look at the ground.

“I… I think so. I…” Your eyes just welled up with tears again as you grabbed onto Bruno, sobbing. You mourned for him, for yourself, for the hell that dozens were put through.

“What’s going to happen to me, Bru? Am I going to become a monster?” You asked, leaving the man to just pet your hair, hushing you.

“No matter what you become, you’re still going to be mia cara. And I’ll always love you, no matter what. I promise.” He told you. You looked up, letting your hand run along his cheek as you pressed your lips against his for the first time in forever. And he wasn’t warm the way he once was, but the kiss was still real, and his lips were still soft. When he pulled away, Bruno just held you in his arms, the two of you sharing a soft moment as you both tried to process the new reality that had come upon you. This was now the world you lived in, a world of Beasts and humans who would someday become beasts. If there were gods, they were only malevolent.

“I… I really do love you, (Y/n). I want a life with you. Even if it has to be in this hell, I really do mean what I meant. I think we could create a paradise here. A place just for us, forever.” He told you, and in your week state, you just nodded, letting Bruno hold you as you closed your eyes.

“I… I love you too. I’ve always loved you.” You told him, feeling your eyes get heavy as you cuddled up with Bruno. You looked into his eyes again, seeing that blue you had fallen in love with in the beginning, the Fisherman’s son who was determined to get home, with that serious look on his face, but full of hope. His eyes still had hope, though. For some reason, that seemed to comfort you, seemed to make you feel like things… Might be okay. Maybe not now, but someday.

For the last time that night, you dreamed of that idyllic life you once wanted with Bruno, in the old world on the ocean, a family and kids and peace. When you awakened in the arms of the beast, you were finally ready to throw it away.

#bruno bucciarati x reader #bruno bucciarati/reader #writing #My writing #mine #sfw #yandere x reader #yandere/reader #jjba imagines #jjba x reader #jjba/reader #commission #labyrinth au

106 notes · View notes

tosikoarts · 4 years ago

Text

SFW Alphabet | Tsukishima Hajime

Here he comes, my favorite boy. You can check tosikowrites tag for more. Warning: there’s a lot under the cut.

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Showing affection is something Tsukishima forgot how to do. It is almost foreign to him after what happened with Igogusa, after years of war and service under the leadership of Tsurumi. He knows exactly how easily happiness can be acquired and how easily it can be taken away, by unknown forces and by someone close to him.

An obvious sign of interest would be gratuitous help that Tsukishima offers to the person. When everything falls out of hand, he is right there to catch. Tsukishima does little errands in between taking care of Koito’s whims and bigger ones he saves for later to look at them closer. He genuinely enjoys helping them and seeing how grateful smile lights up their face.

Another one would be small gestures like walking them home after dark or bringing unpretentious little thingies that made Tsukishima think of them. If he goes to the market and notices their favorite candy, he will surely buy it. At times, it gets more serious. For example, if they wanted nice new shoes, Tsukishima will save money up from his sergeant's salary to afford the best pair in the shop.

Letters. So many letters. A soldier's life presents a gift in the form of partings, and in order to somehow compensate frequent goodbyes and innumerable kilometers between them, Tsukishima puts his heart and soul into letters. They may not be that frequent, and he keeps crossing out words that seem too sweet, but it is the very intimate way to maintain the precious bond.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Local mom-friend that takes care of you when you are suffering the worst hangover and saves your ass from last night’s consequences. Tsukishima puts all the effort to shield his best friend from problems, and if they are inevitable, he has a clear plan of actions how to fix unfixable and repair unrepairable.

Responsibility is another of his distinctive features. When it comes to school or work, he is second to none: Tsukishima is up to help with difficult tasks or take on the role of mentor. He is amazingly good teacher, albeit strict at times, that has the ability to explain the most confusing concepts better than that Indian guy on YouTube.

Is it worth mentioning that he is a devoted friend? It doesn’t matter what happened between him and his friend in the past, Tsukishima always comes back to them. No distance, no time, no other people are able to make him turn around and leave a friend to the mercy of fate.

Probably the friend you think you know well but suddenly it turns out he has more dark secrets than the most deranged madlad from your fried group. Also, you can’t judge him. Only accept. You know if Tsukishima had to do somthing, he had his reasons you are not allowed to question.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Yeah, of course, but he hasn’t cuddled anyone in years (young whining Koito that craves reassurance and family warmth doesn’t count) so it may be awkward. It is very likely that he will simply move over, apologize, and wait for the next time when he is more comfortable with all of love dumped on him. Tsukishima doesn’t care about positions and will adapt to the partner’s desires whether they want to spoon him or be kept on his lap. Cuddles are combined with back rubs, massages, head pats, even hair brushing and braiding if they are not afraid of tangles.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Both wants to and is afraid of settling down by himself, left alone with his loved one. Over the years spent in the army, he lost the sense of life’s fullness, and now Tsukishima drifts freely without a specific direction. Military is where he belongs to, it gives him purpose and reason to exist, and as time passed, he forgot how to live outside the barracks. Gentle persuasion would be the best option to assure Tsukishima in his ability of living normal life. Maybe, owning a small house overlooking rocky shore and sparkling ocean isn’t a bad idea, he just isn’t ready to accept it. Both great in cooking and cleaning, prefers to do the latter.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

He is visibly uncomfortable when confronted about working late and postponing previously such long-awaited dates. Tsukishima is lost for words since he can find none that could describe how sorry he is. Inner guilt forced him to defer this moment until the last minute: breaking-up right before another trip (the further the better) will make it impossible to crawl back to them when loneliness overtakes him again. Overthinks a lot. Nevertheless, Tsukishima finally speaks out in an even calm voice, as if he is reporting to his superiors, apologizes, and bows low. So low that chances of meeting their surprised gaze drop to zero. He quickly retreats without giving them the opportunity to say anything in return. Drinks more than usual during the trip, makes Koito nervous with unfriendly passive-aggressive aura he carries for weeks.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

This is the part where Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up starts playing because this is the man who fits all of the chorus lines perfectly. Tsukishima grows attached to the loved one fast and after this he is physically unable to think romantically of anyone else. Igogusa’s memory is another proof of his deep, borderline painful commitment. One year or year and a half is enough time for Tsukishima to start looking at municipal government office with certain interest. He takes marriage very seriously though, he dates for it, not for entertainment.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He is what a soldier is trained to be (so not so gentle in physical plane) but you don’t have to dig deep to see Tsukishima’s hidden soft core. In everyday life, he's an absolute sweetheart. All he really wants in a relationship is to love and be loved, that’s all. Tsukishima doesn't even have a lurking desire, intrusive thoughts of messing with the feelings unlike some individuals. Soft, soft, soft, and he doesn’t deny it.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

It feels like a child’s hug: tight and unhesitant, with his hands wrapped around person’s waist and face buried in their neck. Light blush covers Tsukishima’s cheeks and he can’t stop smiling. If his partner is smaller than he is, Tsukishima will pick them up, and if they are taller he will try to hug them as if to almost hide in their arms. Picking him up will result in embarrassed exclamations but Tsukishima actually enjoys their attention.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

One year is the limit. Less time than 6 months feels a little bit rushed to him and more than one year seems like an unnecessary delay. Tsukishima is expectedly sincere in his confession; he doesn’t hold back and wriggle because of how confident he is in his feelings. It is not a long rehearsed monologue but a stream of consciousness, full of confessions how he likes their shining eyes, how their clumsiness makes his day a little brighter, how their whole character amazes him from day to day. The only thing that can possibly overwhelm Tsukishima is the overthinking of their possible negative reaction. One of his biggest fears is to appear too persistent with the confession and scare them away so he puts a lot of thought in choosing the right time and the right place.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Obviously expects his partner to reject any cheeky suitor since he understands that their natural beauty is hard to resist. If they choose to accept stranger’s attentions, Tsukishima feels insulted and betrayed. Trust is a key factor in the relationship so such irresponsible attitude towards the loyalty huts him deeply and rises suspicion of oncoming break-up. Also, being in limbo and asking himself whether they want to be with him or not takes a toll on Tsukishima’s psyche. He becomes more withdrawn and taciturn and spends more time busy at work with trying to distract himself from intrusive thoughts.

If his partner decides to go around and flirt, Tsukishima will be overtaken with anger. He is furious. The glass in his hand sonorously cracks under the pressure while he watches them ungodly teasing unsuspecting men. He doesn’t start a fight or scream at his loved one and keeps everything inside. It is enough for him to witness such behavior two times to leave them without long explanations and quarrels.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

A bit inept and greedy. Tsukishima tends to defer the kiss until his partner is ready to nicely ask him for one but after that he is completely in for a ride. The last time he kissed anyone is unknown-how-many-years-ago so it is natural for Tsukishima to be a little bit sloppy and eager. Lip kisses are golden classic and fits his character perfectly. It takes a good push to shift things in more intimate direction though. The most efficient way to do it is to play on Tsukishima's weaknesses: the back of his neck as well as earlobes and straight line down the spine. A few gentle touches and hardened composed soldier melts down like an ice on the sun.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

If you want to calm down a crying baby just give it to Tsukishima. It seems like kids feel sympathy when looking at his tired face and try to cause little trouble so as not to disappoint him even more. Smart children clearly amuse him, and Tsukishima strongly encourages their desire for knowledge, their curiosity and ambitions. Every now and then sudden thoughts about starting his own family pop up in his head but Tsukishima is kind of indecisive. Right now he is not ready to take on such responsibility, but in the future, dream of starting a big family could become a reality.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

It is impossible to catch Tsukishima in the morning during work week and it still isn’t that easy on the weekend. Insomnia keeps him up at nights so his day can start a long before his partner opens their eyes. On such nights, he goes for a lonely walk around the block and, on his return, prepares a light breakfast for two. There are also rare moments when Tsukishima falls asleep right before first sunbeam reaches earth. Those are the days when he sleeps in and refuses to get up from the bed, trapping his loved one in tight cuddle. Nuzzling into their neck, Tsukishima mutters that he needs five more minutes and he will definitely let go but five minutes turn into half of hour, then hour, and he never fulfills the promise.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

A great lover of a quiet pastime he is, Tsukishima likes to spend evenings playing intellectual games like shogi and reading whatever comes to hand. One of his favorite activities is resting his head on the partner’s knees and listening to them reading aloud haikus or other classic Japanese works. On warm summer nights, Tsukishima likes to go to the river or lake for skinny dipping since most onsens are separated by gender. Even if there is one that is not, he would still prefer more secluded place where there is no reason to worry about onlookers. If his partner wants to something more active and social, they will have to choose something not too overwhelming. Small friend gatherings are okay but huge parties drain the rest of the life from him.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Here is the thing: to pull personal information out of Tsukishima you have to know what to ask. You can’t say “Tell me how you got into army” and expect a little frank story, no. It would take a whole “It seems you and Lieutenant Tsurumi share some story” or something even more shifty to make him open up about this topic. It doesn’t mean that he is trying to hide something on purpose, but it definitely means he never had anyone to trust. Any claims that he is too secretive offend Tsukishima too.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Utter unshakable calmness in the middle of 7th Division craziness, either way because he has seen too much shit already or because he has no active neurons to react to it (insomnia, your know?). As a person who puts up with brain-juice leaking leader, spoiled naive brat in the dawn of youthful maximalism, mentally unstable fan boy, and mutilated lack-all on the verge of breakdown, he won’t even pay attention to small inconveniences. In quarrels, Tsukishima always appeals to rationality and perfectly avoids any escalation of the conflict. You have to ruin his life for him to snap, and when he does, someone’s neck will snap too.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Pays attention to them whenever around but forgets most of the stuff easily. Tsukishima only remembers one or two specific details that he can use practically in the future, like what their allergies are or what they want for the birthday. For the rest he has a small personal page in the notebook where he writes down little things that definitely will not stay in his memory for a long time. His writing comes in the code of abbreviations and numbers to make sure nobody pries into his personal life.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Used to be the one responsible in the group, he would probably remember moments where he was the one that had to be cared for. For once Tsukishima came down with a high fever and unbearable weakness, and it was a moment when his loved one jumped into merciless care-mode. He was put into bed with three pillows, teacup waiting for him on the nightstand, and even the most determined statements that he needed to finish some things have been met with indisputable refusal. They spun around him bringing medicine, food, and water whole day so Tsukishima couldn’t stop blaming himself for the helplessness. At the same time, his feelings of gratitude and love intensified with every thoughtful gesture so by the end of unfortunate leave Tsukishima almost regretted returning to his usual hectic life.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Previous experiences with both romantic relationship and role of sergeant-nanny taught Tsukishima one thing: danger is always there, even if it is not visible to the naked eye. A passerby can hide a loaded gun under his clothes, so there is not point to talk about hired killers, invisible diseases, natural disasters etc. Based on the above it is natural for Tsukishima be on the alert. He wants to know where his partner is going and with whom, warns them about his gut feeling if he has one, and, of course, intervenes at the sight of real danger without any second thought. Like this man would give up his life for a person who deserves it. Not at any point in time, Tsukishima expects his partner to protect him but if it happens, he will be extremely mad at them and himself too.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Tsukishima has a low social battery for the most of the time so he has to manage energy according to importance of the affairs. There is always a little bit more saved for his loved one, but you can’t really tell that he puts all of the effort into relationship. If work affairs did not suck the remnants of happiness from him, Tsukishima may stop and get a nice box of sweets or fruits. For special dates like their Birthday or anniversary, he saves money for a worthwhile present: for a female lover he would probably go for a beautiful silk tenga obi with celebratory motives or handmade jewelry box, and for male lover he would choose chopsticks with personalized engraving or exquisite lacquerware. Performs household chores well, although sometimes he has to be reminded about their existence.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Although Tsukishima is a stronghold of common sense, - he always keeps everything to himself, puts on a poker face, - once person gets on his nerves, they will see the worst side of him. Thanks to the famous reliability, Tsukishima learns where person’s weak spots are fast and he can easily hit them where it hurts with bold spiteful words.

Puts work over relationships. Setting to serve the homeland faithfully and unquestioningly rooted deep in his mind and now it is impossible to re-educate this shabby sergeant. Even in serious relationship, Tsukishima remembers about his duty as a soldier and as a son of Japan so he takes a lot of additional paperwork home.

As someone who used to be ordered around, Tsukishima still needs a guidance in the relationship. It takes a lot of thinking and weighing the pros and cons for him to make a decision but the partner’s opinion will be crucial nevertheless. In critical situations, he is perfectly oriented, but in a steady life? Not so much.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Cares enough to wash, dry, and iron his own uniform and brush up muddy toecaps of own boots. Tsukishima tries to blend in with surrounding, not to pop up, so he keeps his style in muted neutral colors (that applies to both clothes and shoes) and prefers strict uniform to anything else. In his view, moderation is the sister of style so the only thing that can make him pull off fancy apparel would be direct order from the First Lieutenant Tsurumi. Indifferent to how people perceive his physical appearance as well.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

If his partner decides it is a time to part the ways, he acts maturely, thanks them for the great moments that they shared and everything they achieved together. Even though Tsukishima is hurting, he keeps bitter reproaches to himself, knowing that lashing out won’t do anything good. It is not his style anyway. Few weeks need to pass by before the hurricane of emotions settles down and their image ceases to be associated with a romantic relationship. Instead, Tsukishima faces them again with a proposal to start everything from scratch. Leave everything behind and become friends. Just friends. No hard feelings. Honestly, being close to them is everything he asks for. If they decline, Tsukishima won’t bother them again, but if they agree, he won’t ever leave their side.

Their death is a punch to the gut. It is like Igogusa’s disappearing all over again, but more painful, more deliberate, more distinct. To say that he is heartbroken is to say nothing at all: division soldiers notice how gloomy their sergeant has become, they feel uneasy under his sharp look. It feels like one wrong word and he will snap. Now Tsukishima’s nihilism turns into total indifference to existence: he puts himself in danger just to see how long he can last.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Another one who has a great singing voice. He never ever sings in barracks or anywhere near his comrades but Tsukishima’s voice is charming: he has a sweet soothing bass-baritone that sounds the best in lullabies or ballads. Even though his partner may never hear a proper serenade, they may catch him quietly singing to their child instead of reading old fairytales.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Tsukishima can tolerate A LOT and turns blind eye to person’s bad habits for the sake of avoiding unnecessary stress. Therefore, there isn’t much that irritates him and even less that can drive him on the walls.

Grubbiness is one of the habits that Tsukishima cannot ignore. Clothes scattered around the room, unwashed dishes, and heaps of unnecessary junk get on his nerves but he keeps composure and never complains.

Loud noises, including chewing, smacking, munching, are annoying too but Koito’s constant monkey screeching desensitized him to the degree when Tsukishima takes a deep breath, prays to gods not to go apeshit, and goes on with his day.

Oh, he also hates summer. Hot temperatures force Tsukishima to soak in the bath three times more often than in winter or any other season.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

Those bags under his eyes are Gucci Yoshida. Well, okay, Yoshida was established a little bit later but this is not so important. Tsukishima suffers from insomnia for who knows how long, and no doctor can help him. On sleepless nights, he just sits by the window and reads in the faint candlelight, still cherishing the hope of falling asleep in the morning. After moving in with his loved one, nothing really changed beside Tsukishima changing his habitual reading spot from armchair by the window to a more secluded place in another room. He doesn’t want to wake them up by accident.

In general, Tsukishima sleeps around 3-5 hours per day with occasional awakenings during the night. His sleep is shallow and filled with disturbing dreams in which shapeless shadows haunt him, driving him south of Mukden, where many of the Japanese brethren found eternal peace.

#golden kamuy #golden kamuy headcanon #golden kamuy imagine #hajime tsukishima #tsukishima hajime #tosikowrites

105 notes · View notes

gingerwritess · 5 years ago

Note

I was thinking of Loki being the little shit he is and stealing readers food just to see her get worked up and at one point maybe saying she looks cute when she’s angry just to piss her off?? I love you!!!!!

FINALLY WROTE THIS SHEESH

this was tough stuff right here but i like it and i hope you do too! big thanks to @avenging-blackwidow for beta-ing m w a h

part 13 of loki’s happy ending, and as always, masterlist in my bio!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

You’re turning out to be quite a pest of a human.

First with all the attempts to kill him when really, he’d made it perfectly clear when he’d have liked that, and now pestering him about the whole Chitauri ordeal…Loki would be lying if he hadn’t considered a muzzle.

You’re an extreme liability, and he knows. You’ve seen too much and definitely seen too much of him - not that getting a few ogles in the midst of dying was particularly detrimental to the whole operation.

Actually, it might’ve been…nice. But you didn’t hear that from him.

Breaking up the accidental relationship was a smart move. The best move, by far. The only remaining problem happens to be you, though.

You still…remain.

You still walk around the tower with your arms full of papers, heels clicking annoyingly along the vinyl floors, turning up your nose whenever you stride past his office.

He has a nicer office than you. By far.

Loki gets a window.

Most of the time, when you happen to have to walk down his hall, he leans against the open window and gazes out at the city as you walk by—a smug little grin on his flawless, fake jawline, knowing that the breeze ruffling his strawberry blond hair serves so kindly to piss you the hell off.

The one time you’d realised he’s doing it on purpose, you’d stepped into his office, smiled sweetly over to him at the window, and dumped your coffee on his precious floor.

And then you ran, cause he flipped back to Loki in a split second and lunged at you, snarling like a rabid animal as you shrieked and sprinted down the hall.

So…things aren’t exactly good between the two of you.

Which, of course, is why you’ve been avoiding him for the past couple weeks, sighing dramatically and saying “I’m just not ready to talk about it” when people ask why the two of you broke up.

You’ve been trying to avoid break rooms altogether. They’re just a hive for questioning, and you never know if you might run into him some accidental Thursday when you don’t have witty comebacks pre-prepared.

In other news, your bagels keep disappearing.

This is day four. The bagel is in your hand when you walk through the door, you set it on your desk, turn to set your bags down, and it’s gone.

Something tells you by day four that you’re not hallucinating carrying bagels into work with you just because you’re tired, so today you’re trying a set up.

You’ve got a hunch.

Sure enough, on day five, you don’t turn around to put your bag on the chair, and you watch your bagel seemingly melt into the desk.

“Get your ass out here, Loki.”

There’s a stack of green sticky-notes next to your computer, and a word being scrawled onto the paper catches your eye.

No.

You rip off the paper, crumple it into a ball, and throw it in the trash.

“Stop taking my food,” you hiss in the empty room.

Again, the loopy handwriting appears on the next sticky-note.

You assume so much.

“Oh, sorry,” you snap, glancing at the door to make sure no one sees you about to scream at a sticky-note, “I don’t know any other magicians. Give me back my bagel.”

I’m enjoying it.

“You fucking dick - oh, hey, Nadine.”

You give a sheepish grin and wave at your coworker, setting down your scissors with a nervous laugh as she walks by.

The moment she’s out of sight, though, you take the scissors right through the stack of notes—and Loki, ever the saint, sends a spurt of black ink from the paper like some kind of inky blood, a muffled scream coming from the little stack of green sticky-notes.

“What the—”

“You wound me, darling.”

One leg thrown haphazardly over the arm of his chair, Loki grins and waves his fingers at you across the desk.

Ink drips down your arms.

Loki takes a slow bite of your bagel.

“Mmm…”

“Oh, fuck you,” you scowl, grabbing an eraser off your desk and chucking it at his face. “You owe me five days worth of breakfast, asshole.”

“Mm, no, I don’t think I do,” he hums, taking another bite. Then he decides to let out a very unsuitable for work groan, throwing his head back as he swallows.

You quickly blink and look away.

“At least you’re enjoying it,” you grumble and flop down in your chair. Fishing some napkins out from a desk drawer, you try to sop up the ink staining your arms, Loki’s gaze burning into your skin as you scrub furiously at the stains.

“That’s a lovely colour on you.”

“Shut it.”

The ink stains, but you at least get the liquid wiped away, fuming at the splotches that ruined your shirt, too—Loki and your clothes don’t seem to get along; first the coffee, now this?

He’s licking his fingers when you toss the napkins in the trash and glare back up at him.

His middle finger leaves his mouth with a pop.

“You’re quite…enchanting when you’re angry.”

“Fuck off,” you groan, and he just laughs, licking slowly along his thumb.

“One might even say…” he pauses, thumb on his lip, gaze floating to the ceiling in thought. “Cute.”

You stand up and walk to the door, holding it open without another word to the god smirking at you from your desk. “Get out.”

“Or what?”

“Or I taser you into oblivion again,” you frown, pointing out the door. “I enjoyed it the first time. I think I might get off on it the second time.”

Loki almost laughs—you catch the twitch of his mouth before he fizzles back into Dr. Laing—probably a good idea, considering you’re holding the door wide open.

“Banter,” he sighs, leaning back in the chair and draping a dramatic arm over his eyes. “Look at us, all this tension. Why did we break up again?”

“Because you were using me? You…keep threatening me and treating me like shit for trying to help you, that’s why—”

“Is that what you’re telling yourself?” He chuckles, and your forehead hits the door with a groan.

“That’s the truth, Loki. Please, get out.”

His arm lifts, just enough for him to peek out from under his elbow at you. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Oh, goody.”

“You pose a terrible threat to me,” he continues, ignoring your implying waves out the door. “And in the best interest of myself, I should avoid you at all costs.”

“Which is why you’re in my office.” You gesture at his lazed form, spreading across your chair. “Right.”

“Precisely.” He gives you a curt nod. “But…well, you have a phrase that puts it quite nicely—keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”

He lifts a hand towards you, lips curling.

“I can’t let you out of my sight.”

Perfect. Just what you needed, more clinging from the deranged—well, whatever the hell he is, cause at this point, you’re just confused—godly criminal.

“Look,” you sigh, leaning against the door, “I haven’t told anyone anything. I’ve lied for you, I pretended to date you, I haven’t brought up anything about your scars—”

“Oh, but you just did.”

“I—no, hold on—”

“See what I mean, darling? You can’t be trusted. That little mouth of yours tends to run whether you like it or not, and either I silence you once and for all, or you learn to control this little pity problem you seem to have.”

“Don’t,” you growl, grip tightening on the doorknob. “Don’t call me that.”

“Mm. How would you feel about having your memories altered?”

Loki stands up, wiping long fingers off on his thighs.

The air seems to drop twenty degrees and you gulp, stepping backwards into the hallway—better to at least be out of the office when you’re brainwashed by a god. Maybe, just maybe, Iron Man will happen down this hallway before your brain is fried.

Something tells you not to hold onto that hope too tightly.

“Just a quick little tweak of the mind,” Loki continues, slowly making his way towards you, hands clasped behind him. “In the interest of solely protecting myself. It’s not personal, I hold nothing against you.”

“That sounds pretty personal.”

“Oh, darling, I wouldn’t waste my precious feelings on the likes of you. You were simply in the wrong place…at the wrong time. You weren’t supposed to see anything in the first place.”

“Is this really about those cuts on your back? I haven’t - oop, h-hey.” Your back hits the far wall of the hallway.

“How cliché,” Loki hums, a small grin on his lips. “The tall, dark villain has you up against the wall.”

“I haven’t told anyone,” you remind him, hands coming up between the two of you—just in case. “You’re just scared of the possibility, right? Can’t we, um, make a deal or something instead?”

“Deals with the devil never end well.”

“I thought you were a god.”

Whoops.

Loki goes stiff, leering down at you as that patronising little smile turns cold, frozen.

His fingers press against your forehead in a matter of milliseconds.

“I don’t know what I am,” he whispers sharply, a hand slipping up to cover your mouth when you start writhing, muffled shouts for help falling short behind his hand. “And don’t pretend like you do.”

“Mmf—no, ‘oki, stop—”

“You know I can see in your mind. Do I make you feel better about yourself? Is that it?”

Your heart plummets when his eyes go red, flashing deep crimson for a split second before the hand covering your mouth starts glowing, the same golden hue that surrounded his body that fateful day he showered at your place.

Head furiously shaking no, you try to think an apology to him - not that you know what to even apologise for.

Helping him? Seeing that at some point in his recent past, someone lashed him to pieces?

Your mind does feel funny, almost…fuzzy. It’s a warm kind of fuzzy and you want to give into it, but his hand over your mouth and blue-green eyes boring into yours—

“Stop apologising,” he hisses, eyes narrowing as he presses his fingers harder to your forehead.

You fight it a moment longer.

I’m sorry, your thoughts plead, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry no one’s listening, I’m sorry you don’t know—

“I don’t want your pity.”

Your eyes widen above his hand. He heard you, that actually worked.

I’m sorry you’re hurting, I’m sorry, I’m sorry I saw, I’m sorry I tried to help—

“Stop that.” Teeth bared, his hand tightens around your mouth. “You have to stop that.”

You can trust me, I swear on my life, I won’t tell anyone anything about you, you have to trust me—

Then just like that, he pulls his hands away.

You gasp for breath and stumble away from him as quickly as you can, not noticing how he clutches his hand to his chest, eyes glistening.

“Just trust me,” you cough. “Just trust me, you don’t have to kill me o-or wipe my memory—”

“No,” he snaps, raking a still-slightly gold hand through his hair. “No, no, I don’t—I can’t do that.”

“I promise, Loki, seriously, you don’t have to—”

Footsteps down the hallway make your words fall dead in your throat. Loki immediately switches to Laing, grabbing you by the arm and hoisting you to your feet, a finger to his lips and a silent threat in his eye.

It’s Tony, sprinting, flanked by a small group of armed guards, and they come to a stop right in front of the two of you.

“What’s going on??”

“Loki,” Tony pants, bending to rest his hands on his knees for a moment, trying to catch his breath. “Decoy, clone, it’s a double in the cell, he’s—he’s out—”

Your heart drops to the pit of your stomach.

“Are you sure?”

Laing’s fingers curl around your wrist and squeeze hard.

“Yes, for sure, he just flickered for a good two seconds, it was a dead give-away to Thor. Now c’mon, we’re moving you to a safer location—”

“What??”

Laing still won’t let go, jaw clenched so hard it looks painful.

“We know you’re one of his targets,” Tony says with an exasperated sigh, waving you after him. “Move, we’ve gotta move, the son-of-a-bitch is a god, we don’t know how much time we have!”

One of his targets.

The feeling of his palm over your mouth is still as present as it was not even two minutes ago.

His red eyes, those fingers rifling through your mind.

You wrench your hand from Laing’s grip and run after Tony Stark without a thought of looking back.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

feel free to send me ideas!!

if you enjoyed…what if i linked my venmo…haha no i jest…no obligations….just in case….u don’t have to ha ha…….unless… ??

~ masterlist link in my bio ~

loki tags: @bluediamond007 @himitoshi @drakesfiance @destiel1597 @dangertoozmanykids101 @archy3001 @jcalpha1 @yzssie @skullvieplu @forthesnakeofdragons @skulliebythesea @wegingerangelica @storiesfrommirkwood @agarwaeneth @adaliamalfoy @laurfangirl424 @paradisaicsam @fitzsimmons-is-forever @ladylokimischief @katelinwrites @tarynkauai @polaristrange @loavesofmeat @canadian-ravenpuff-multishipper @lou-makes-me-strong @holyn0vak @chocolatealmondmillk @swtnrholland @kenzieam @jessiejunebug @catticas @the-republic-and-face-of-texas @doralupin01 @whitewitchdown @atomiccharmer @falconfeather23435 @babygirlicecream @avengrcs @vethrvolnir2 @bookgirlunicorn @wabisabigrl @myhealingstar @khaleesi-marvel @ei77777 @spacecrumbs @scarlettghost13 @rocks-are-pretty-odd @confessionsofastrugglingteen @easilydistractedwriter @arttasticgreatnessoftheawesome77 @fluffyllamaswearinghats @milktearose @lcyouinhell @h0tshotholland @dontmesswithmemundane @southsidesarcasticwriter @helnik-s @lilith-akemi @fire-in-her-veinz @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt @mischievousbellerina @kcd15 @mellowgirl01 @lokislilcaribbeanprincess @allthingzhiddleston @scorpionchild81 @lokixme @blue-automne @galaxycharmed @devilbat @kangaroobunny @end-up-well @planetariumx @sarcsep @mrfandomtastic @amaru163 @im-way-too-many-fandoms @caswinchester2000 @kybaeza @wester-than-west @vintagesunshinebitch @adefectivedetective @poetic-nikolai @moonduhsted @kerri-masson @iamverity @innaminitus @spnbarnes @narcissxblack @woohoney @anxiousamandapanda @padmeisgay @authordreaming13 @lokisironthrone @theunknowinglys @highfuncti0ningfangirl @epicfallenismine @stubby-toe-589331 @fandomnerdsarecool @retrofantasyland @arch-venus25 @forever-trapped-in-my-dreams @littleredstarfish @marshyrebelcloud @okie–loki @atterodominatus @stfxlou @pandacookieowo @tonakings @shinisenko @tinchentitri @nildespirandum @thefallenbibliophilequote @vodka-and-some-sass @highfunctioningfangirl19 @sadwaywardkid @lokioneshot

#loki x reader #loki imagine #loki enemies to lovers #loki fake dating #loki slowburn #loki reader insert #pre-dating idiots

758 notes · View notes

lordeasriel · 4 years ago

Note

I really care about your opinion, how do you feel about the bbc show and the way it's going?

I feel like before I give my take, I need to say that I understand the show is its own thing, and while I do wish they did a better job adapting certain things, I understand that sometimes there is a need for radical change or cut, especially when your budget is not super high (which HDM does have a lot of money into it, still is not a super big budget production, so they have to worry about these things). And I do enjoy many things about the show, but my overall vibe is mixed, to be honest. I’m stating this now because people often question whether I like the show or not, becaus I do criticise it a lot, and I simply have a critic view of the things I like, which is why I discuss them a lot and it can be overwhelming.

My main issues with the show are these 3 things: (which I’ll put under the cut because this got a bit longer than I wanted to lmao sorry)

Lack of worldbuilding and loose lore: I’ve been talking about this since day one, and this mostly applies to season 1 because I can’t judge season 2 yet because it’s not fully aired yet, but the show suffers from lack of worldbuilding, especially in Lyra’s world, which is the world that sets everything in motion. I still dislike the fact they introduced Will mid-NL, I don’t think he needed all those episodes to establish something that easily could’ve been done in S2 and because they gave TSK a lot of time, other parts of Lyra’s world suffered considerably, mainly the witches and the Magisterium.

The show doesn’t really expand on those two groups, especially, and I think that’s not good, especially the Magisterium (which they have over simplified by making it one big baddie, or so it seems at least, not to mention that implying a single leader for them practically ruins Marcel Delamare’s arc in TBOD and I’m very mad about that lmao). A lot of the Magisterium plot has that infighting aspect, which creates tension on their side as well as against their enemies, but the show doesn’t really explore that or the nuances of the Church, and they also don’t explore how varied the witches are, and I feel like this is a serious mistake. (The portrayal of the witches is by far my least favourite thing in the show, if I’m being honest).

Dull parallel world (and lack of daemons): this ties a bit with the worldbuilding aspect, but this is mainly about design choices. I think the show doesn’t make Lyra’s world as unique as it should be. On its own the world looks pretty and the outfits of most of the cast are great, but when you realise that Will’s world is intertwined with that, you don’t really feel like these two worlds are vastly different.

There is an odd situation in which Marisa’s fashion feels 30s/40s, but most of the men from her social circle (not fair to compare with the gyptians) just wear plain suits and they look much more modern. And while I get that they went for a timeless vibes, with different eras and styles, Lyra’s world feels like a caricature and it doesn’t feel believable. The colour palette is mostly the same for both worlds (even in s2, it’s hard to tell much of the difference because either the scenes are indoors or at night.) This, paired with the lack of daemons (which has been discussed many times in the fandom) kinda bums me out.

Marisa’s oversimplification: I’m mentioning Marisa, specifically, because she is the one that suffers the most due to this writing issues, but other characters like Lord Asriel, MacPhail, the general collective of the Witches, they all suffer from the writing trying to take away the nuances of them and make them flatter than in the book. Marisa is the worst because without her complexity and her flaws, she simply gets dull and boring and flavourless, and it’s kinda what has been happening in the show in my opinion. All she does is weep and she has no strength that doesn’t rely on a random fit of rage that dies out and she gets upset. There’s some great moments, like when she mimics the Monkey, but most of the time she’s just a shadow of who she is supposed to be.

The show tries really hard to make her a Scorned Mother - right from the get go, they try to makes us see how she wants Lyra, how she struggles with her “bad nature” and how that affects their relationship. There is this lingering implication that Lyra was taken from her against her wishes; they make it seem like being a mother to Lyra is her driving force, the only reason why she seeks power and influence. And that is the opposite of Book! Marisa, who is a force of nature, ruthless and ambitious, with not an ounce of maternal instinct.

She does eventually decide to help Lyra, instead of harming her, but even that action comes from a narcisistic place: Lyra is to her a possession, something that belongs to her, and that she wants to preserve. The show just handles her badly, falling into overused, boring tropes that struck far from the book version.

These are usually my main complaints about the show, and they upset me every episode to the point I’m practically ignoring them now lmao The show does a lot of good things too, making Will less of a prick, restoring Lyra’s personality from the first book into S2 Lyra (so far, please keep it that way), Mary is looking great too. They have mostly a great cast, and they did improve the daemons this season (except uh, there are far less daemons to show because of the other worlds - and the Ruta Skadi daemon change pisses me off tbh).

They do have a lot of interest in the show, but the writing (the main issue to me) feels clunky and childish, with the show toning down most of the themes that make His Dark Materials so special, especially to me (which frankly I expected them to do, but it still stings a bit). They make the Magisterium a single bad entity that feels more Authoritarian-Fascist, than a theocracy (even if they sneak in the religious symbols and rituals and garments, it’s just not a good portrayal, it’s very tame and shy); and they try to justify Marisa’s actions (especially in current interviews, there’s lots of talk about how her background will play in the show to “explain why she is the way she is”). The fact the Magisterium is portrayed as pure evil makes it looks less familiar than it should be, and therefore they don’t look scary, they seem like a caricature, a joke.

A lot of the essence of the characters get lost, and the core message of the story too, like when Iorek and the Gyptians tell Lyra she can be one of them, to support her lack of “proper family”, when that is the opposite of the books message. It doesn’t make sense for them to change that, other than maybe Jack Thorne wanted to because it makes the story feels less hopeless, but it’s why he fails to adapt these character - he doesn’t capture the essence, he tries to write these character with gaps in them.

However, the thing that annoys me the most is how they portray Asriel. It’s just... it’s bad. Really bad, which is a shame cause James is talented as fuck, but he had little time to film for season 1, and then they portrayed him very poorly. That scene when he addresses Roger in episode 7 is ridiculous, Asriel would never behave that way; there was relief in him finding Roger was there too, yes, but not to that extent and not in such a cringe way. Asriel is not deranged or irrational, he is a man on a mission, and Roger was a tool (there is no pleasure in Asriel taking his life and no excuses - it needed to be done and he did it); they just needed him to sound creepy in the show for whatever reason.

I hated how they handled the bridge scene for Asriel, Lyra and Marisa, but that’s long and complicated for me to explain here. In S2, there has been some mentions of him so far, including the implication he might have ruined Cittàgazze himself and I frankly don’t understand where did they get that idea. But the cherry on the top was Thorold telling Marisa that Asriel was gonna kill Lyra and that’s just-- that’s so dumb. That’s genuinely dumb writing, because Thorold knows Lyra followed Asriel to the mountain, and while I do believe Asriel would have killed Lyra if Roger wasn’t there, there is no way Thorold should know or consider that Asriel was gonna hurt Lyra, because Roger was there. In fact, Thorold’s interactions with Asriel in episode 8 already disprove this, so either Thorold was lying in S2 for the sake of, I don’t know, chaos or whatever, or the person who wrote this was a five-star, solid gold, fucking moron.

I’m not gonna mention the lost episode because that was no one’s fault, but the fact that they discarded an episode that all information we have on imply that it was important to set up the backstory of the angels and the city, it’s... concerning. It means they wrote something parallel that should’ve been woven into the season.

The truth is, I still watch the show on Sundays, and I still like some stuff they do (especially Mary’s stuff, so far), and despite me slandering the show per your request anon lol (cause unfortunately my honest opinion is mixed, I just don’t try to overfocus on the negative on Tumblr, I mostly talk about it on discord or private), I do think anyone who has read the books should watch the show.

For me, personally, everything I love about HDM is barely on the show - complex characters, the philosophy, the oppression by religion, the interesting world - and the vibe I get is that they’re adapting a coming-of-age love story, which is the last and - being fully honest - the least important message these books give us, but unfortunately they were set to making a family show from the start, and my expectations were high and unmatched, and a family is what we’re getting: toned down, cute, pretty visuals and soulless (heh, pun intended), philosophically speaking. I expect a certain pattern going into S3, but I always like to hold out hope that they will hire better writers (apparently Jack Thorne already wrote 4 scripts, so there you go lmao), and try to give HDM the adaptation it deserves. The truth is, if you’re a picky, canon reliant person like I am, the show might be a struggle, but if you just like the story for the teen romance, or if you don’t care about overthinking a show/book, then most people can have a good time with it.

#asks #effie watches hdm #sorry it took me a while and sorry for the gigantic critique #but i wanted to be honest about my take on the show so far #Anonymous

10 notes · View notes

fyrapartnersearch · 4 years ago

Text

Looking for some sci-fi shenanigans!

Obligatory long post ahead warning: this post is quite long and I know it may be intimidating to some readers but please don’t let it put you off if you’d still like to rp with me :)

Hello ladies, gents and fellow rpers. After having a writing blast and seeing how I’ve got room for some more partners I’ve decided to come back in search of some partners who are interested in what I’m looking for.I’ve got a good ten or so odd years of rping experience under my belt but any potential partners do not necessarily have to have the same experience, they simply need to fit under these three things:

-third person only with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.

- at least one small (no less than seven lines) paragraph per post as well as being willing to write more if the situation calls for it. Please do not contact me intending to give me only small paragraphs with each response as the above is simply the bare minimum I’ll accept if there’s not much going on in the rp that warrants a full paragraph.

-no one liners, one worders, script talk, poorly written sentences or just laziness in general.

This isn’t terribly much to ask for as picky as it sounds.

An important thing I shall mention is that NSFW (i don’t fade to black nor do I care when the smut happens. Just please don’t leave me once the smut has happened like lots of people seem to unfortunately do) and dark themes are a thing that occur in all my rp’s so I require you to at least be eighteen before you reach out to me. I will not accept anyone younger than 18 since I myself am in my early twenties. Underaged characters are also a no go as well. Please know that I’m in the eastern Australian time zone but almost any time zone Is compatible for me as I am awake at very odd hours. Another important thing I shall add is that you must be able to post at least once or more a day and if I don’t get any response after two weeks then I shall simply move on (only exception is if you notify me beforehand as to why you may not be able to post for a while. I’m not that vicious).

I only rp as male characters, as it’s simply my preference, I do MxM or FxM pairings. I will not double and I do not play multiple characters. I don’t do sub/dom dynamics when it comes to any aspect of the relationship. My characters are also non human (they’re aliens since this is a sci-fi rp after all) but what species your character is doesn’t matter to me at all as long as it’s not some god modded Mary Sue. Please remember that alien simply means a creature not from earth. Aliens can have fur, scales, feathers, etc, depending on where they come from. An alien with fur or scalies is not a furry or a scalie and please do not refer to them as such as it’s rude to label someone’s character as something they’re not. I will not write with someone who will insist that the theory of chimpanzees and humans unable to crossbreed should apply to hybrid characters regardless of whether they’re alien/alien or human/alien. This is fiction, not reality. Please also do not control my characters or dictate their actions. My characters are also premade and only have descriptions, I don’t do face claims or pics. I also do not care if you make a character up on the spot.

Please remember that this is a sci-fi rp and that I will not accept requests to do fandoms or any genre that doesn’t fit within the category of sci-fi. i will not accept a character that has no place in a sci-fi rp either like a dragon,harpy,demon, elf or some other fantasy creature.

First day on the job:

Everyone at the space academy remembers graduation day. The day where they became recognised as the very things they strived to be whether it’s a pilot, an engineer, mechanic, a simple Jack of all trades or even a commander if they worked hard enough. Everyone also remembers the few days after the big Moment as well. Days where one is expected to take to whatever rank they’ve had bestowed upon them almost immediately and the responsibilities that came with it as if they’d been born to do it from day one. Some things are easier said than done though, especially when trouble finds ways to manifest in forms that many would not suspect to be of any cause for concern.

(Important point of notice: I will be playing the newly graduated commander of a small crew. You are free to play as either a crew member of any rank or even a trouble making character like a criminal or something similar that gives my character a run for their money. Possibilities are endless)

Runaway royalty:

The life of a Royal was simple yet complex at the same time. They were weighed on hand and foot and never had to lift a finger to do anything provided there was a maid or servant nearby willing to do whatever task it was the royal had for them. They were expected to grow into decent, respectable leaders who could ruler a planet fairly without struggle. For many royals, they were content to follow this regularly repeating path of “destiny” that their ancestors had set them on. All but one it seems. What happens when a sheltered prince/princess takes their chance on the world beyond the walls of their castle for a chance to see the universe itself?

(Important point of notice: you will be playing the prince/princess. I’ll be playing the non Royal character they run into.)

Worlds apart:

War. War was a terrible thing that brought nations to their knees and saw many people lose their lives and freedom. Many people and aliens liked to think that all the major wars were over and done with, that they’d never have to relive the horrors that once fell upon them. To put it simply: if no one hears about bad happenings, then it’s not their problem that needs to be taken care of nor does it exist. Sadly, it does not seem to be the case for everyone. A stranger from a planet so far away that many do not believe it to exist turns up on the doorstep of an alien who is forced to realise that war could very well be just around the corner once more.

Forced:

“there’s no such thing as a bad person. Only bad choices.” Is a saying that is older than time itself. For many who are forced into a position where they have no other choice but to put their morals aside and do as they’re told, this is all too true. A space farer is captured by criminals and forced to choose between death or working as the criminals captain’s personal assistant. That means every order has to be obeyed and every rule must be followed or consequences will be dealt by force. As time passes and life go ons, the captured spacer starts to see his predicament in a different light.

(Important point of notice: I will be playing the captured spacer. You will be playing the captain.)

Forbidden romance:

aliens and humans are forbidden from associating with one another in any way that isn’t political. Whilst the two races have put aside enough of their differences to coexist in their own little pockets of space, not everyone is accepting of the idea that the two different species could live together as one, let alone ever simply just coexist peacefully together without insisting that alien planets and human planets are to be kept seperate. To trespass on the strictly human or alien occupied planets is a crime that few dare to commit. What starts out as a simple act of one sided rebellion and show of courage turns into an unanticipated adventure.

(Important point of notice, I shall be playing the alien. I’m open to this also being an alien X alien pairing.)

The hunter and the hunted:

bounty hunting was one of the few illegal professions in the galaxy that made any trouble you got into for participating in the act of killing or kidnapping someone for worth it depending on who it was you’d been given the task of tracking down. Many bounties were more profitable alive of course since it cut back on many of the legal troubles one could face if caught with a dead body. A galaxy renowned bounty hunter has been tasked with taking down one of the roughest and most wanted criminals known to man and alien with the orders to return them dead or alive. Will they succeed or fail like many before them have?

(Important point of notice: I shall be playing the criminal. You shall be playing the bounty hunter.)

Space criminals and the law:

humans and aliens have been living amongst each other side by side ever since humanity dared to venture beyond the Milky Way and made first contact with aliens. With the solar system no longer being man’s only playground other planets were quickly colonised under the new alliance between extraterrestrials and Homo sapiens. Whether you were an alien, human or a hybrid did not matter in the known galaxies. All that mattered was who you were. Not everyone took to the integration very well (there were numerous protests on both sides) but most people were willing to share in the hopes of peace. Not everyone had good intentions though……

Trouble in the alien kingdom:

the planet of (insert generic planet name here) was one of prosperity, hardship and wealth. The kingdom of (insert generic kingdom name here) was ruled by a king and a queen whose heir was betrothed to a rival planet in the hopes that a political marriage would prevent another war from happening. Only problem was that no one could see the rival planets true plans….all but one. Unfortunately no ones going to listen to a deranged commoner who probably may not even be telling the truth. What’s one to do when no one will listen?

Exile:

The wind howled as thunder crashed and shrieked all around the abandoned cargo ship. Rain pelted the metal hull, turning the ground into a cold, treacherously slippery and muddy shallow river. The ship itself had crashed into the planet countless centuries ago and was slowly being reclaimed by the environment. Plants grew from cracks in the floor as moss and vines decorated the walls. A figure sat miserably hunched in what was once the cockpit of the ship, their only shelter from the raging elements outside but not from the storm that raged inside of them. The figure leapt to their feet as the sounds of footsteps in the mud drew closer and they held their breath. Who would dare to venture out here on such a miserable night?

War of the worlds:

humans and aliens were never meant to coexist peacefully with one another. There was too much fear, Too much misinformation and too much bias on both sides for such a thing to have ever been successful. It was the humans fault that the war had started. They were the ones who’d shot down the alien ship that had been packed with specially chosen diplomats that represented each alien race known to the galaxies they dwelled in that had been on their way to earth to negotiate a truce and a plan for peace. They hadn’t even hesitated to shoot the ship full of aliens yet they’d been surprised when war had been declared on the spot. Two races. Two worlds so different yet the same fighting one another for what was either a mistake or intentional murder.

Rehab:

The UGWP alliance (unite the galaxies for the protection of all worlds and for peace alliance) portrayed themselves as calm, charismatic and kind men and women who held only the thoughts of a life together with all species living happily together. They advertised campaigns for inter species jobs, provided information to the public about human/alien interactions and encouraged diversity amongst planets. Their rehabilitation program for troublesome fellows was considered to be a god send to try and cut down on the amount of space related crimes. No one ever questioned what went on beyond the closed doors to the facility, if they did, the UGWP would have their darkest secrets revealed. Something they strove to keep under wraps. When the arrival of a particularly wild prisoner occurs, the threat of their first failure and first escaped prisoner is lurking around the corner.

(Important point of notice: in this rp idea I’d be playing said prisoner, I don’t mind if you choose to be one as well.)

Academy days:

the galaxy alliance and military defence force academy was one of the most respected training academies in the known galaxies. Men, women, aliens, humans and all of those who were in between went there to study, train and, one day if they passed the mentally, emotionally and physically gruelling years of tests, fly and be put in their own squadron. There were approximately six spots to fill on any team and the cadet who suited that spot the most would be given the title of pilot, squad leader, second in command, engineer, gunner and navigator. Each team was similar but unique in what they did. Not everyone gets along though and rivalries grow high during that delicate time between graduating and being put on a team. What happens when the top student and the lonesome outcast with a temper clashes?

Captured:

Space criminals have been around ever since advanced technology allowed others to travel and live in space as if they were living anywhere else. They’re often cunning, tricky to catch and more often than not are clever at disguising themselves whenever those wanted posters come up. It takes skill to be on the wrong side of space law and true talent to get away with it. The galaxy’s current most wanted man has finally been captured by an alliance captain and his crew. Will he beg for mercy? Will he be given a trial before being thrown into a cell to rot or will he be given a chance to turn himself around with some hard labour?

(Important point of notice: I’ll be playing the criminal for this one. You will be the alliance captain)

Enslaved:

imagine living the life of one of the most successful people on the run that could exist. Galaxies trembled at your name. You and your crew swam in wealth and the going was good. Mutiny, sadly and sometimes not sadly, exists on its own accord. One man reflected on this as he was forced to his feet. A collar attached to a chain and electromagnetic handcuffs prevented his escape as he stood for all those who cared to glance as they walked by in the market to see. No one wants to have their only life’s purpose to be to serve another……only sometimes people don’t get that choice.

(Important point of notice: I’ll be playing the slave/servant. You’ll be the master/mistress.)

Betrothed:

for as long as there has been civilisation and leaders, there has been arranged marriages. Arranged marriages, or betrothals as they were more often called, consisted of pairing two people together and making them get married in order to secure ties to another land or another planet. Political marriages benefited everyone but the married pair it always seemed. After all, you couldn’t possibly be happy being married to a complete and utter stranger? How does one who is betrothed build a life of love and prosperity when the one who bears the rings of their union is not the one who also bears their heart?

(Important point of notice: this can go two ways, either our characters are betrothed to each other or one character is betrothed. The idea has endless possibilities)

Invasion:

march 18th in the year of 6079 was the day that the aliens invaded earth. They’d been planning the take over for some time as they came prepared and easily took out Earth’s defence forces. No one knows exactly why the extraterrestrial beings from the outer worlds came to the humble blue and green planet the humans had existed on for millions of years nor did they seem to have any true intentions known other than conquering the planet and taking it for their own. This has led to the belief that all aliens must be the cruel monsters the humans stories have made them out to be. What happens when the actions of one alien puts that to the test?

(Important point of notice: I’m open to having this idea turned around and having the humans invade an alien world to take over.)

The chosen:

The galaxy alliance had chosen its newest crew to serve and protect the known galaxies. Five young cadets who’d graduated at the top of their classes and would hopefully mark the start of a new generation of spacers and heroes. The leader of the new crew has yet to be decided and tensions are high because of this. Can differences be put aside and acceptance shown? Or will nothing but chaos ensue?

The Walking wounded:

when one worked as a galaxy defence force member, they were on the frontline of everything. Every battle. Every loss. Every victory. Every struggle that the force went through they had to be there and follow the rules. You could not kill an unarmed person regardless of whether they were hostile or not. You could not turn down a plea for help even when there was reasons to suspect something was amiss. In simple terms: you simply couldn’t do anything that would make your morals be questioned. What happens when even the captain says to leave all those rules and everything you were taught by the door when faced with someone who seems to be the exception to the rule. What’s the right thing to do not by them but the entire galaxy?

Stowaway:

the galaxies were once a place of freedom and exploration. A place where you had no limits as to where you wanted to go. Now thanks to new laws, permits are required to access certain systems, quadrants and galaxies. Problem is, this permit is unobtainable by the average civilian so many have taken to learning the art of boarding another’s ship and hoping for the best. Discovery is more or less a matter of life and death. What happens when someone is unfortunate enough to be discovered?

Monster:

aliens. Aliens were terrifying beasts that were the monster in every bedtime story the humans told their children to keep them home at night. Many mothers wept when their sons and daughters applied to the space military in order to keep the extra terrestrial scum away from the galaxies they’d claimed as their own. When a human ship crashes on an alien world so far away from human civilisation it may as well not exist to the aliens and a crew member is found lost and alone by a wandering alien, will their fate be decided by a monster? Or a benevolent being?

(Important point of notice: I will be playing the alien in this scenario. I’m also open to the characters situations being swapped around so it’s the alien who crashes.)

On the run:

even on the most modern of planets, life on the lamb can be difficult. There’s authorities to avoid and even more rules to break in the game of survival. No one takes pity on those who have done wrong to the point that they have their face in the paper. Even if it’s not your fault will anyone give you shelter from the harsh cold winds of reality and a biased opinion. What happens when someone does take a chance on a poor wayfaring stranger? Will the wrong doer be turned in or given a new lease on life?

Disgraced:

when one entered the royal guard they took upon themselves an oath that bound them by blood and courage to the dedication of the protection of their king, queen and the kingdoms heirs. They were sworn to protect them from any harm whilst at the same time not allowed to use their position or power to hurt anyone else. When one breaks that oath, they are sent away in disgrace and branded as a traitor who must swear to never return. Life on the run changes people, sometimes for the better…..or for worse.

Space pirates and nobles:

space was a vast starry and endless sea that many voyaged across for the purpose of research, leisure or finding ones destiny. Like any real ocean, it was filled with dangers. The most feared of all was space pirates. Bands of blood thirsty cut throats and scandalous troublemakers whose sole pleasure in life was to steal, kill and take others prisoner against their will. Only pirates dare to do what other criminals would not. When a merchant ship is robbed by pirates what fate will befall the nobles onboard?

Healing wounds, growing love:

winter on the planet of malgor is one that is feared for its extreme weather. Snowstorms could appear out of nowhere and many a traveller had frozen to death whilst trying to make their way from one village to another. It was also a time where people were at their most vulnerable, relying on the winter harvest to feed every mouth that had been born and raised in the kingdom meant no mercy was spared for poor wayfaring strangers. When a kind soul finds a wounded outcast and decides to bring them home, they discover a threat that’s lurking just beyond the borders of their place of protection.

The knight and the heir:

royals could be spoilt. There was no denying that. A life of good food, wealth, the knowledge that they’d be pampered and weighed on hand and foot by servants was more than enough to turn even the most well mannered child into an insufferable brat. The knights tasked with the protection of the future royals knew this all too well. What happens when one particularly gruff, no nonsense knight refuses to bow to the whim of their future ruler and shows them what it means to be a true leader?

The last of a dying breed:

long ago, in a time when nobles, governments and space Pirates ruled the starry seas of space, there was a terrifying race of aliens that were considered to be the most dangerous creatures to have ever lived. When the great wars started up again due to rising tensions, the humans destroyed the planet these aliens lived on to ensure the battlefield was even. The aliens were furious at the death of an entire race and very quickly turned each and every human occupied planet into a warzone littered with their bases and encampments. Only in very small pockets of the universe does this war not exist. What happens when the last member of the species shows up on a small backwater planet?

(Important point of notice: I will be playing the alien who is the last of their kind, you are free to play as a human or the story can be made to suite a scenario where you are also an alien.)

Harden my heart:

once upon a time, there was two friends who were the best of friends that anyone could have ever seen. Two people who had each other’s backs through thick and thin. Two people who supported each other endlessly even if their morals weren’t entirely inline with each other’s. Two friends who swore to never leave each other’s sides. Alas with the time of great growing came changes, the two friends bond had severed and they’d gone their separate ways in life. What happens when they run into each other many years later?

(This idea is one open to brainstorming, anything is possible.)

captain on deck!:

captains weren’t meant to fall in love with their subordinates. They were supposed to be well refined leaders who only mingled with those of a similar status. They represented the people they worked for after all, therefore they had an image that had to be strictly maintained towards the public in order to not be disgraced in any form. Behind closed doors however…..feelings were allowed to be a little more free. Secret lovers were frowned upon but one could take the risk if they were careful. After all, the captains word was law.

yes sir!:

order.serve.fight.lead.mourn.sleep.eat.rethink your life choices and repeat. Such was the ways of a military lifestyle on a world where war seemed to be a permanent occurrence and the leaders of every world trying their best to outspite one another with their relentless attacks that it made one think of how they could improve the boring daily routine they endured each and every day. In the army, you have to be tough if you want to be a leader. You had to be charismatic, strong, cold, incapable of doing anything that would sway you to possibly turn the other cheek and let your comrades be hurt. However, even the most stoic and battle hardened leaders can get lonely despite the fact that attachments to ones comrades outside of anything but friendship are forbidden by an unspoken law.

I need you:

space is a cruel mistress to even those who are experienced with charting her waters. Space, although beautiful, is often the grave of many brave explorers, soldiers and other space faring strangers. When a stranger comes to scavenge parts from a newly crashed ship in the hopes of finding something useful, they come across a familiar face. Old feelings stir and clash with one another when the crash’s survivor awakens and finds out who their rescuer is.

Sooooo….. about those pairings. What has two stars next to it is what I’m going to play if we choose the scenario:

1: enemies to lovers or rivals.

2: **captured criminal** x prison guard or other prisoner.

3: two soldiers from seperate sides falling in love.

4: **academies bad boy/outcast** x top student

5: **low ranking ship crew member/second in command/captured space criminal** x captain.

6: **commoner/rogue/knight/street rat** x prince/princess/king/queen

7: **slave/servant** x master

8: army superior x **lower ranking soldier**

9: married person X unmarried person

10: stowaway x captain

11: nurse x **injured soldier**

12: human x **alien**

PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH ME IF:

1: YOU GHOST AT THE DROP OF A HAT.

2: YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO PUT EFFORT IN TO MEET MY REQUIREMENTS.

I’m open to discussing and potentially mixing these ideas up till we get something that we both like. If you want to learn more about a certain idea tell me the name and I shall expand on it.

The only platforms I rp on are discord,telegram and google hangouts. I will not rp on any other platform other than the ones listed. If you do not have any of those then unfortunately we cannot rp. When you reach out to me requesting for an rp via one of the below platforms In the opening message tell me what idea you liked, why you liked it, give me a little introduction about you and you must put 123 somewhere in your message so that I know you’ve read all of my post, don’t just put “hi wanna rp”. Make it interesting.

My contacts

Discord: crankypurplespacecat#6187

My telegram: Tiberionwars

My hangouts: [email protected]

I look forwards to meeting potential partners.

#oc rp #multiple paragraph #para #long term #literate #action #adventure #drama angst #original #post apocalyptic #romance #scifi #long post #submission

1 note · View note

deejadabbles · 5 years ago

Text

Crime and Consequence (Atem x Reader) Chapter 2

Two: The Avenger

One //// Two //// Three //// Four //// [Five coming soon]

Summary: Years have passed since Atem's crimes came to light. Years have passed, but in some cases the wounds of that time were still fresh. Despite that, however, you've done your best to rebuild your life for you...and for your son. So, when Atem's crimes come back to hurt you and your boy, how will you survive and protect what little you have left?

Years have passed since Atem last saw you. Years have passed, and he had never been able to meet his son. Despite that, Atem carried on with his life, as limited and meaningless as it was, locked away for his crimes. So, when a threat is made against the only ones he still holds dear, how will he defend the love of his life and his boy?

(Modern, season 0 inspired AU. Contains some disturbing themes, depictions of violence, cursing/vulgar language, and sexual content.)

A.N. I usually keep it ambiguous in my AUs, whether my versions of Domino are based on western, or Japanese cultures, and I'm doing the same thing here. Though I'm using the Japnese versions of the character's names, the way I portray the prison system in this chapter (as well as the next) is likely more contemporary with American prisons. Just thought I'd warn you guys about that since I know next to nothing about Japanese prisons and for the purpose of the story is had to make it more American.

Dan was still getting used to his job, but the longer his first week went by, the more he was certain that he just wouldn’t ‘get used’ to it at all. The Domino City Penitentiary- more commonly called “Burngate”, was one scary-ass place, to put it mildly. Dan knew the risk of working in the buildings where they housed the city’s worst, literally worst, criminals, but with so few jobs out there, he figured the high risk was worth it. Better than getting evicted from his apartment and ending up on the streets anyway.

Besides, it wasn’t like he was a guard, hell, he was pretty much a glorified errand boy for the prison. Like his task today for instance: mail delivery. So long as he widely ignored the mild threats and graphic comments the inmates threw at him as he passed their mail into their cells, it wasn’t too bad. Dan was actually surprised with how many inmates got mail in the first place, though most only had one letter, maybe two if they were lucky. Why anyone would take time to write letters to these monsters was beyond him.

But there was one stack that had caught Dan’s interest as he made his rounds through the prison. A stack of mail six letters thick, all heading for the same cell. They didn’t all bear the same name, one was even addressed to “the savior”, so Dan kept telling himself it was probably just split among two cellmates who were good at keeping girlfriends on the outside or something. Still, as the stack of bulging envelopes stood stark against the dwindling piles on his cart, Dan wondered.

Finally he came to that lonely little cell, and the fading name card beside the door simply read “Inmate 27748, Atem Mutou”. Finding himself suddenly nervous, Dan stepped closer to the door and peered in through the small, barred window.

Inside was a man, much younger and scrawnier looking than he had expected, sitting cross-legged with his back against the far wall. Wild hair sporting several colors stuck up in crazed spikes and Dan knew the hair could easily add to any deranged look that might come across that youthful face. His eyes were closed as if he was sleeping or meditating and Dan had the sudden urge to bolt past the cell before the guy woke up and saw-

Violet eyes snapped open to meet Dan’s and the poor worker actually jumped at the sudden action. Too late to run now. Though, the urge to do just that increased tenfold when the man’s lips curled into a smirk, eyes lighting up.

“You’re new,” the inmate said simply, smile never leaving his face.

Dan felt his heart pounding in his ears as the man rose to his feet with a grace that was almost eerie. As he took a step closer to the door Dan didn’t resist the urge to step back.

The man- Atem, made a tutting noise as he came as close to the door and Dan as he could. “Come now, there’s no need to be scared. You have my word that I mean you no harm.” When Dan only answered with an audible gulp, Atem sighed and continued. “Look up my name or ask around and you’ll find that I only kill scum who’ve escaped justice. So,” Atem’s eyes traveled down to the nametag pinned to his shirt, “Dan, as long as you aren’t a murderer, rapist, pedophile, or any other example of human vermin blighting the earth, you have no reason to fear me.” The smirk that was getting creepier by the second actually softened a bit as Atem’s eyes peered down at the mail cart. “Besides, I wish to be friends with anyone who brings me my only contact to the outside world.”

Somehow feeling a bit more at ease, or at least enough to regain his curiosity, Dan grabbed the stack of mail and prepped to pass it through the meal slot in the door. “That’s a lot of letters for one guy, I figured you had to have a cellmate or two.”

Atem hummed, “No, this cell is all my own. The warden seems to be under the impression that I would find a way to kill any criminal they put in here with me.” The smirk turned to one that sent a cold shiver down Dan’s spine, “And given the kind of animals that are housed here, I think that’s a fair impression to have.” With that Atem snatched the letters from the slot and snapped it shut. “Thank you for delivering my mail. Now, I won’t keep you from your job any longer, I hope you stay safe during your employment here, Dan.”

Atem watched as the man scurried off without another word or a backwards glance and almost felt guilty for scaring him. He supposed he couldn’t help it anymore, five years in this pit had taken its toll on his social skill, among other things. He truly was grateful though, and turned to the letters with hope bubbling in his chest.

He flipped through them all, eyes scanning over the handwriting with an odd kind of hunger. He recognized most of the scrawls in an instant, one was new and another only vaguely familiar- but hot anger and disappointment rose in his chest when he went through all six and didn’t see the handwriting he truly longed for.

In a moment of madness, he growled and threw the papers across the room! He couldn’t help it, he was angry and desperate- he was at the end of his rope! Almost a year since your last letter, a year since he got to see the words your lovely hands crafted just for him, a year since he got to hear about his son. The beautiful baby boy you both made before his life went to hell.

Didn’t you realize your letters were the only bright light in his imprisonment? Didn’t you know every week that passed without your written words were hell for him?!

Atem caught himself before another harsh thought crossed his mind, it wasn’t fair to think those things of you. To calm his suddenly ragged breathing, he closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths, remembering his mantra. He couldn’t be impatient with you. You had your own life, a life you had to live and provide for without him. You had responsibilities, his son paramount among them, he couldn't blame you for neglecting to write to him.

Besides, Atem was no delusion fool. He knew the only reason you wrote him and sent him pictures of Yugi at all was because you thought it was the right thing to do. It wasn’t some romantic gesture of devotion on your part. Some part of him hoped and clung to the idea that somewhere, deep in the heart he had broken, you still loved him; but the letters were not sent because you were still clinging to him and the life you had before.

Despite that, despite all of that, he still held tight to every word you wrote him as if they were his life line- the only things making his life here worth while. Atem sighed, slumped against his cell door, and ran a hand over his face, a pitiful feeling rolling in his chest. Honestly, he was lucky you wrote to him at all, considering what had happened the last time he saw you.

His leg was shaking. It was a sign of nerves that he had never exhibited before. Of all the panic-inducing things that had happened to him this past week, he supposed it made sense this was the most nerve-wracking. The detectives who questioned him were pitiful, bearly worth the sweat on his brow as they tried to intimidate a confession out of him. It was only because one of them had the gall to threaten the love of his life that they got him to confess to more than the one murder they witnessed him committing. Then the others in the jail they kept him in were even more pitiful. Thugs who tried to threaten and scare him through the bars of their cells like children playing bully in a schoolyard. They realized very quickly that they were nothing when he showed them just how much damage he could do even with the bars separating them. None of that had made him this nervous, even as the threat of life in prison, or execution itself loomed over his head.

None of it had scared him more than facing you.

There was a buzzing sound and his eyes snapped up from the metal table to watch the barred door of the visiting room. A moment later it opened, and there you stood.

You looked unwell. Eyes red and tired looking, as if you hadn’t slept in days and spent all the waking moments crying. Perhaps that was exactly the hell you had been through. He had no idea what the detectives had told you, or what the news anchors were saying about his crimes. And he had no idea how you were taking the truths of his sins being brought to light.

As you stepped into the secured room he stood, tried to hold his hands out to you- but the chains clasped to his wrists yanked him back down. Something flashed in your eyes as they lingered on the cuffs. It must have hurt, seeing him like this.

“Kitten,” he whispered, trying desperately to draw your attention back to him and away from the shackles. But when your eyes met his, he saw a fury in them that made him want to recoil.

“Don’t call me that.”

Shame reared its head and all he could do was nod, waiting for you to take the seat across from him. He never took his eyes off of you as you approached the table and bench, casting a wary glance at the armed officers standing in the corners of the room. This was all wrong, someone as pure and precious as you shouldn’t be subjected to a place like this.

When you sat, a thick and stale silence hovered between you both. He didn’t want to speak first, lest he say the wrong thing and bring out your ire again, so he continued to wait.

Eventually, you let out a shaky breath and shook your head.

“I don’t know what to say or where to start.”

He heard the strain in your voice, the tears threatening to break through. In all your years together, only once before had he done something foolish enough to make you cry and he still felt twinges of guilt at the memory. How long would this haunt him? How long until the pain of knowing how much he hurt you faded?

“Please, my love, please let me explain.”

“Explain why you confessed to murdering thirty people?” you snapped. “I couldn’t believe it at first, when they brought me in for questioning. I couldn’t believe that my noble, sweet Atem did anything they were accusing you of. But then you confessed- you confessed to it all!”

All he could do was look back at you and he was sure his eyes were desperate and pleading. If it wasn’t for these damned chains he would pull you into his arms and hold you- let you cry and beat on his chest all you wanted, let you take whatever vengeance you wanted from him for making you feel this way.

After another minute, you ask in a simple and tired tone, “Why?”

“Because I couldn’t save Yugi.” For all the complexity of his crimes, his reasoning really was simple. “He was taken from us, killed like- like an animal, and his murderer was let go. They let the filth that killed my little brother go, because of a technicality.”

He couldn’t keep the anger from clawing through his voice. Even now, years and years later, he still felt the raw pain and rage over Yugi’s death. His little brother was as pure and bright as the sun, never causing or wishing anyone harm, always doing what was right and kind even when others didn’t deserve it. And what had the world done to reward his kindness? He was beaten and cut up by a psychopath who preyed on teenage boys. A psychopath that was free to kill again because of an error in the investigation, a mistake that made the case against him null and void.

Atem saw a numbed version of understanding in your eyes while he spoke, as if he had confirmed something the back of your mind had already told you. Did you forgive him, then? Did you understand his need for justice? You had loved Yugi like a brother, you had known him even longer than you had known Atem himself. So then, did a part of you forgive his bloody actions, understanding first hand how devastating Yugi’s death had been?

“I thought that was why,” you whispered, “when they said Chopman was one of your victims, I thought...I tried to tell them that you may have killed him but-...but thirty other people, Atem?”

“Not people, monsters,” he corrected in a careful, delicate tone, “monsters like the thing that took Yugi from us. When I killed him it-”

He averted his eyes from yours, his explanation becoming jumbled and desperate in his head. He took a moment to recollect, and he thought about keeping his eyes downcast as he explained the rest, but no, you deserved to be looked in the eye, no matter how much it killed him to see your horror.

“When I killed him, it didn’t help. I had this...void in me, this darkness that kept telling me others just like him were out there. Killers and predators that were walking free to hurt more people… And that I had to be the one who brought them to justice, I was the was one who could put a stop to their killing and raping and drug pedaling and-” He drew in a sharp breath. He had gotten carried away, the look in your eyes had shifted, but he wasn’t sure he could read it.

One thing was certain though, he was scaring you. No matter how you felt about the people he killed, his words were scaring you. After all, you had never seen a side of him that was this...disturbing.

“I never hurt an innocent person.” It was a desperate move. A truth that he was bringing out because above all, above what anyone else thought of him, the idea of you being disgusted with him tore him apart inside. “I was always careful to never endangered an innocent life. If you believe anything I say, please believe that I wasn’t so mad as to hurt someone who didn’t deserve it.”

“I’m not the only one who knows that,” you said in a tone devoid of any particular strong emotion. Your eyes shifted to the small window placed high on the wall, “did they tell you that people are gathering outside the jail, holding up signs supporting you? They’re calling you The Avenger.”

He had heard. Even through the thick concrete walls, he heard the cheering and shouting from his cell- but he didn’t care about all that! Right now the only person he gave a damn about was you. The only opinion that mattered to him at all, was yours!

“A lot are going to think you’re a hero.” Your eyes finally turned back to meet his.

He held your gaze, careful and steady, “And what do you think?”

He watched as your eyes finally glossed over with a sheen of tears. Only one broke free to run down your cheek as you whispered, lowly, almost broken, “I don’t know.”

His hands reacted, reaching out to you, longing- needing to hold you, to wipe away the tears and make amends. But again the shackles stopped him, clanging in an ear-splitting wrench as they slid and caught on the metal table. You flinched at the sound, or...or were you flinching away from him? Nails clawed at his chest at the thought, at the idea that you were scared of him. That you ever thought he could harm you .

He barely registered that the guards had surged forward at his action, but seeing that his chains stopped him, were hanging back, observing and ready to strike.

“I’m sorry.” He had never sounded so desperate, but Atem didn’t care. “I never meant to hurt you. I never meant for any of this to-”

“Stop!”

He flinched that time, you were at the end of your rope, angry and hurt and scared. All of it was there in your tone.

“You’re sorry?” you accused, appalled disbelief etched on your face. “How many times did you lie to me to cover up this- this sick mission of yours? How many times did you come home and put hands on me right after murdering someone? You ‘never meant to hurt me’? From what I can tell you weren’t thinking of anyone but yourself- your needs!” You jumped to your feet, glaring down at him with that righteous fury. “Did you know Jonouchi might be kicked off the force because of his ties to you? Do you know how many people have sent me death threats and cussed me out on the street because they think I knew what you were doing this whole time? Even throwing aside the moral question of what you did, every crime you admitted to is bleeding over onto everyone you love!”

He jumped to his feet as well, “Everything I did was to protect others!” he was angry, ashamed, confused and- so many other damn things and his head was spinning! “I’ll make this right- I’ll- I’ll find a way, but don��t ever question why I did the things I did. I wanted justice for all those victims, I wanted to stop any more harm from being done! And I won’t let you or Jonouchi or anyone else pay for my crimes, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you, I’ll-”

“I’m pregnant!”

His mind stalled. The words, blurted out almost frantically, rang in his ears….Pregnant?

More tears were rolling down your cheeks now, and after a moment of silence, you threw your hands in defeat, body practically going limp; all the fight slowly draining from you. “I was going to tell you on our next date night. Was going to plan this big romantic reveal...to tell you we were having a baby.” You looked at him as if you didn’t know him anymore, and only held his gaze for a slow heartbeat, “Now I don’t know what to do.”

And with that, you turned away. He blinked to snap out of his stupor and called out your name, but you didn’t look back. The officer by the door jumped to open it for you, giving the others a gesture to take the prisoner away. Even as they grabbed his arms he called for you, but you kept your back turned to him. He started to struggle, as if he had any chance to break free, chase after you, and make this even an ounce better. He must have sounded deranged as he screamed your name over and over, until the door slammed shut behind you.

Atem scrubbed his hands over his face again, the memory still raw and painful in his mind. At the time, he thought that was the end, that that was the last we would ever hear of you and the child you were supposed to have and raise together. For six months he went through life in a haze, his sentencing, his transfer to Burngate, the stunts he had to pull in order to show the scum here that he was not to be trifled with, all of it. He admitted that he became a bit more...brutal in those months. The other prisoners who tried to jump him to make an example of him or take their revenge for some associate he had killed met a very...bloody end. More bloody than he had extended to the criminals he was put in there for killing. In truth, he simply didn’t give a damn about much of anything at that point.

But then, he received your first letter.

It was a simple thing, short, but enough to make him regain his sense of self, even just a bit. “I thought long and hard about this,” you had written, “but in the end, you’re still his father and you deserve to know him, even if it’s from afar.” And with the letter, was a picture of a beautiful newborn baby, wrapped in a deep purple blanket, eyes closed and little pink face passive with sleep. “I named him Yugi. If he becomes half the man his uncle and namesake was, then I know we’ll both be proud.”

Atem smiled at the thought of that first picture. The warm expanse of emotions that rose in his chest at the sight of his boy, his son. But there was also regret. And anger. He had no one to blame but himself, and because of his actions you had to raise their little one on your own. He had no worries that you couldn’t, but, the fact that him building a happy, loving home with you was now unattainable broke his heart. And the saddest part? He had been so close, so damn close to stopping. Quitting his ‘bloody mission’ and focusing on his future with you.

Too little too late, he supposed.

“You awake in there, creep?”

Atem, who’s eyes had been scanning over one of the letters he had gotten that day, barely moved the paper enough to look at his door’s window. It was Ushio. One of the guards who showed just how cruel men could be when they had power over another. He was always looking for an excuse to beat prisoners half to death. Even relished when there were riots despite how often they resulted in the deaths of his coworkers.

Ushio snarled when all Atem did was stare from his reclined position on the bed. “Put your girly poems away, you got a visitor.”

A visitor? But, who? No one had ever been given authorization to visit him, as prisoners in this penitentiary were rarely given that privilege and visitors had to be thoroughly screened before getting permission.

Carefully, Atem folded the letter and put it on his bed before rising. “And who may I ask, wants to see me?”

A nasty smirk covered Ushio’s face. “You’ll find out soon enough, creep.”

Accompanied by three other guards, Ushio led Atem down the stark hallways of the prison and as they walked, Atem wondered. None of his old friends had contacted him since his sentencing, sadly, so he doubted it was any of them. You wouldn’t come to visit him without mentioning it in a letter, surely...unless something was very wrong.

Atem shook the thought from his mind. It had to be one of his fans. Many had expressed interest in meeting him face to face and some were surely determined enough to jump through the hoops required to get put on the visitor’s list.

When they were buzzed through the several doors that blocked off the visiting rooms from the main prison, Ushio gave a silent nod to the other guards, who promptly scurried off down the hallway. That caught Atem’s interest too. Never was a prisoner allowed to be with a visitor with only one guard to contain any ‘trouble’. Ushio made no comment of the fact, only turning and opening the thick metal door.

It was a private visiting room, yet another abnormality, and inside there was only one man. Atem instantly recognized the look of a two-bit thug. He was looking at Atem over the rim of expensive-looking sunglasses, one hand clutched tight over a case of sorts, the other playing idly with the gold chains on his neck. His head was shaved, with a gaudy tattoo of a snake in place of hair, another tattoo of a scorpion crawling down his neck. He smiled at Atem with a look of knowing and anticipation, as if he had been waiting for this meeting for some time. Atem only stared back, stone-faced and still.

When Ushio moved to cuff Atem to the table in the room, the man waved him off. “Don’t bother with those. I ain't afraid of this punk.” He then stepped closer to Ushio and presented a wad of twenties to him, “As promised. Just make sure you give me the room for as long as I need it.”

Ushio chuckled and took the money, stuffing it inside his jacket pocket. “Gladly.”

With that, Ushio walked out, closed the door, and left Atem alone with the lowlife. Said thug stared at Atem for a long moment, looking rather satisfied. “You know who I am?”

“A drug dealing roach who thinks he’s something special?” Atem said in a bored tone.

The roach in question only scoffed at him, “Names Haru...Haru Hirutani.”

Ah, Hirutani, now that did trip something in Atem’s memory. A tall, blonde crime lord who met his end face down in a puddle of rainwater, with lethal currents of electricity running through his body. Atem had come very close to ridding Domino of the entire Rintama gang that night, but knew that many had escaped his grasp. He always hoped that taking out the heads of the gang was enough. Apparently he had missed one.

“You killed my brother,” the thug said, face dropping some of that smug contentment and shifting to something even more sinister.

“And now you’re here to gloat over my incarceration?” Atem asked, still sounding rather bored. “Or are you going to try getting your payback with your fists?”

Again Hirutani scoffed, “Nah. I’m here because my revenge’s been five years in the making. I finally have all the power and money I need to make you pay for what you did to him. Took a long time for me to rebuild my brother’s empire, but now it’s even greater than he imagined.”

Atem smirked at that. “Empire? Your brother was gutter trash who built his reputation by selling drugs to children.” Spurred on by the memories- the righteous anger he felt when he saw what that rat did to literal children, Atem narrowed his eyes at the man before him and leaned in. He looked the second Hirutani brother in the eyes as he said, tone low and dangerous, “Your brother deserved everything I did to him.”

To Atem’s surprise, the man only smirked. “And your girl is gonna deserve everything I do to her.”

Atem felt his blood go cold, but he tried his damnedest to make sure the surprise and fear didn’t show on his face. Before Atem could reply, Hirutani turned and walked over to the table in the room, opened the case in his hands and started setting papers on the metal surface. No, not papers, pictures.

“I could do something mainstream and simple, like pay the guards to look the other way while I put holes in you right here, but I ain’t a fool.” the thug said, still with that smirk as Atem walked closer until the pictures were in view.

His heart was thundering in his ears now. They were all of you, and of Yugi. You, walking in the dark parking lot of the hospital. Yugi, playing games on a small apartment porch. Both of you eating icecream as you walked down the sidewalk together. A mother tucking her sleepy son into bed, taken through a bedroom window.

“See, I know with a man like you, it don’t matter if I stab you or beat you,” Hirutani continued, voice full of malicious glee. “Nah, the real pain is knowing the people you love are gonna pay instead.”

“Stay away from them,” Atem growled, losing his grip, rage and fury taking over. How easy it would be to end this scum right here and now. Half a dozen means of doing just that flashed through his mind, most of which could be done before Ushio could get that door open- but no, he had to keep a grip on himself. Chances were this man had a legion of lackeys who would hurt the love of Atem’s life and his son for nothing but to honor their boss’ reputation.

“They go to the park every Wednesday and Saturday,” Hirutani continued, unperturbed by Atem’s threat as he pulled out another picture. This one was of you pushing Yugi on a swing in a small park surrounded by trees and wildflowers. “And they walk home down a nice isolated road.” He gave a perverse hum of appreciation. “Hm, she’s a real looker. I’m gonna have a lot of fun with her. But I ain’t a monster, the kid- cute kid by the way, real happy boy, now him, I’ll make sure he goes quick. Won’t hardly suffer at all. Your girl on the other hand,” he whistled, then looked Atem in the eyes as if to silently convey all his sick plans. “And I’ll enjoy every second of it.” He flashed Atem that sick smile. “What I’ll enjoy more though, is how much it’ll kill you, knowing it’s all your fault, and being stuck in here, helpless to stop it.”

Despite the fire in his veins and all the violent thoughts running through his mind, Atem kept calm. Despite how much he wanted to set this- this parasite ablaze and watch him burn for even thinking of harming you or the son you shared, despite it all, Atem kept calm. He had always been a man of strategy, it was what kept him and his mission going for so long. Attacking the thug now would feel good, but it wouldn’t save you and Yugi, and being thrown into solitary confinement would hinder the plan that was already forming in his mind.

So, instead, Atem smiled and got a rush of satisfaction when something faltered in Hirutani’s eyes. “Are you sure I’m so helpless to stop you?”

That scared the punk. He stepped back and ran a suddenly nervous hand over his tattooed head. “Even if you try to shank me right now, my guys will go ahead with my plan, just like I told them to.”

“I know.” Atem was enjoying this. Watching the rat squirm and wonder. And he was going to enjoy making him pay for threatening the only things that mattered to him anymore. “I’m going to make what I did to your brother look tame and merciful.”

“You’re just making this worse for your girl and kid,” Hirutani spat, then called for Ushio at the top of his lungs. “You're gonna regret all of this, Mutou!”

Atem said nothing as Ushio opened the door and grabbed him by the arm. He kept his eyes, as well as his smirk, on Hirutani as the guards pulled him away.

Ushio said nothing as they escorted him back down the halls, down the prison cell blocks. Atem was looking, waiting for an opportunity to obtain something- anything that would help the plan reeling in his head.

He was lucky, because soon several prisoners turned a corner, marching towards them with two other guards. When Atem saw that among them was a particularly hot head that was far too easy to manipulate, an idea sparked. Atem had never been one for gossip or rumors, but he had heard one swapped by the guards that might provide a perfect distraction.

“Evening, Jin.” Atem greeted as he and the other prisoners intersected in the hall. “Did you know that your wife has been sending some very naughty letters to Milo?”

“The hell did you just say!?” Jin spat, blazing eyes flashing to the man walking in front of him. He actually stepped out of the line up to look the accused more directly, ignoring the snapped warning from the guards.

Milo, a tall mountain of a man, looked over his shoulder and down at Jin as if he were a roach. “Don’t even try. I aint above crushing you under by boot, fool.”

Just as Atem had predicted Jin’s short fuse blew and he practically howled in rage as he jumped at the mountain. The other’s in the line up had mixed reactions as the guards surged forward, some hooted with laughter, others egged them on, and finally, as Atem had hoped, two actually joined in on the fight.

That caused Ushio and his cronies to step in and Atem took the moment to strike. Ushio was a chain smoker, and chain smokers should always have a source of fire on their person, even if it was against the prison’s rules. The abusive guard was too distracted to notice the deft hand slipping into his pocket, or the next when that one came up empty. Unfortunately Atem’s luck ran thin when someone in the scuffle knocked into him and he fell against Ushio’s back, hard.

That got attention.

“Back in line, Mutou!” Ushio spat and a large fist collided with Atem’s face.

Atem was sent back across the hall from the blow and tumbled to the ground. Shouts echoed behind and above him, excited cries from the inmates, guards spewing threats, but Atem didn’t care about any of it now. He got to his hands and knees, letting his vision settle after the jarring punch. A familiar iron tang filled his mouth as his teeth ached and a moment later Atem spat a small pool of blood onto the gray floor. He ignored the stark red and instead opened his palm, the object held there hidden from the view of anyone else. His plan was already coming together as he smiled down at the small black lighter.

Yes, this would do nicely.

#atem x reader #yami x reader #Atem #yami yugi #yami #ygo #yugioh x reader #Yu-Gi-Oh #yu-gi-oh reader insert #series: crime and consequence

25 notes · View notes

almasexya · 4 years ago

Text

Return of the King (King Kong vs. Godzilla, 1962)

It’s difficult to overstate the impact of King Kong vs. Godzilla, the third movie in what was to become the Godzilla series and the first to be shot in color, yet a movie that has also been almost completely overshadowed by everything that came after. Produced to coincide with Toho’s 30th anniversary, King Kong vs. Godzilla was the most ambitious kaiju movie to date, a landmark production involving two of the most famous movie monsters put on screen. To try and give a modern day comparison, this was the equivalent of the first Avengers movie or Avatar (remember Avatar??)

That said, something tells me if you’re out looking for a Godzilla movie from this era, you’d pop in vs. Mothra or Mechagodzilla or one of the other more popular entries. The fact that until 2019, the only legal version that most of us in the west could get our hands on was the inferior English cut due to a licensing agreement between RKO (the original owners of King Kong) and Toho didn’t exactly help either.

But really it goes deeper than that. King Kong vs. Godzilla is a downright weird movie no matter which version you watch. And I’ve seen both of them, the Japanese cut a few times and the American version exactly once last night, since it came with my Criterion Blu Ray set. More importantly, that set came with a decent restoration of the notoriously shitty-looking Japanese cut, and represents the first time that version was ever legally available stateside, so that’s nice!

The Japanese cut was put together by the usual crew, with Ishiro Honda directing, Eiji Tsuburaya on effects, Akira Ifukube on soundtrack duties, and Tomoyuki Tanaka producing. The writer is again Shinichi Sekizawa, though from what I’ve read, the sheer wackiness of the plot has more to do with Honda and Tsuburaya than it does Sekizawa, though I highly doubt he wasn’t an unwilling partner in all this.

The main plot (of the Japanese cut at least) is that the constantly riled up Mr. Tako (Ichiro Arihima) is tired of the TV shows his pharmaceutical company produces bombing in the ratings, so when he hears of the news that a giant monster has been sighted in the south pacific, he sends two of the salarymen in his employ off on an adventure to bring the monster to Japan so they can make a TV show about it.

This plot, frankly, is fucking ridiculous. Even knowing what comes later in Godzilla’s career, it’s really difficult to take the first half of this movie seriously, and even when the second half introduces some tension, it barely ever lasts, usually foiled by the monsters mugging and clapping, or the antics of Mr. Tako and his two cohorts.

This was, in part, Honda’s idea. He had apparently been disgusted with the “ratings wars” numerous TV producers were engaged in at the time, and took that idea to its logical extreme by making a TV producer start a literal monster war.

And go to war they certainly do. Sakurai and Fujita, Mr. Tako’s subordinates, bring Kong back from the island just in time for Godzilla to pop out of the arctic fresh from his seven year nap after Godzilla Raids Again, and after some general dicking around they go at it for the first of two times, and the results are... interesting. Tsuburaya apparently wanted to take the monster action in a lighter, more family-friendly direction, a move which Honda was very much opposed to. The result is the inception of the boulder-flinging (get used to it) and a lot of mugging and general wackiness that couldn’t be more different from the animal savagery in Raids Again. Harou Nakajima and Shoichi Hirose, who played Godzilla and Kong respectively, apparently did their own choreography, and took a lot of their inspiration from pro wrestling.

It’s here that I’ll bring up the effects which, sufficed to say, are a disappointment. While the few city sets that the film shows look good, Kong sure as hell does not. With a dopey, blinking face and ratty fur, Kong looks like an old rug somebody forgot to throw out. Godzilla fares quite a bit better in his first color appearance, with a mean, angular face and great proportions. The matte work used to put the human characters in the same scenes as the monsters is downright repugnant, and has been done better in earlier movies. I’m inclined to think it was just that Tsuburaya’s team bit off more than they could chew, but it’s still hard to look at the effects of a movie this big and see literal green screen outlines around the main cast.

That said, the movie is still a fun watch, if only to try and make sense of it all. Kong miraculously gains the ability to eat lightning, (a relic from when the movie was planned to be a Frankenstein vehicle, let’s not get into it) Akihiko Hirata has a small role as a doctor, and this also is the first movie to use Ifukube’s famous Godzilla theme.

Almost none of these praises can be sung of the American version, which is a dreadful and boring disaster of a movie that seems to have had a singular objective of making as little sense as possible.

The team producing the English dub did have their work cut out for them, if I can say this one thing in their defense. The plot they had to work with of a deranged TV producer sending his underlings out to bring back a monster in order to boost ratings was so distinctly Japanese that, instead of trying to work with it, they just threw it out entirely.

Well, they threw out as much as they could. Sakurai and Fujita’s expedition to Faro Island and their retrieval of Kong takes up a significant portion of the film’s first act, to the point that they’re so integral to the plot that you really can‘t remove them and then explain where the hell Kong even came from.

The English cut solves this problem by trimming their appearances down to the sheerest atoms of footage they could, resulting in a movie that has no real protagonist or focal point at all. While Mr. Tako and his dynamic duo were hardly great protagonists, they at least have some claim to the title. Characters from the Japanese cut whizz by with the slightest possible introductions when they get one at all, leading the viewer to not understand what the hell they’re doing their in the first place.

In place of the original plot, we get a pair of talking head newscasters and a doctor who reads dinosaur facts out of a big picture book. I would have been alright with the removal of the original plot if what they’d replaced it with was worth something, but this just isn’t. The general plan was to present the movie as if it was being told through a newscast, meaning that many of the new actors stare unnervingly into the camera while reading their lines, which are often presented with the complete absence of emotion, befitting the detached newscaster aesthetic. Not to mention there’s something really disappointing about seeing shots that were simply part of the movie in the Japanese cut shrunk down to the size of a TV screen in the English version just to service this frame story that’s not worth shifting focus to.

To give them credit, this strategy worked for the American edit of the original Godzilla, a movie I decided not to cover due to the fact that it’s generally fine at what it does in that it tells the story through an American narrator but generally leaves the plot alone. Not so here, where the bizarre first half is replaced by something equal parts confusing and dull, with stock Universal monster music replacing Ifukube’s score to boot. They did at least dub over the American submarine crew who become Godzilla food, who sound like they’re reading their lines at gunpoint in the Japanese cut.

I don’t hate this movie, though it may seem like I do. King Kong vs. Godzilla is more of a mixed bag than anything else, a film that’s remembered more for what it started than what it is. Pretty much every Godzilla sequel we’re in for follows the whimsical template that started here, and whether that’s good or not is totally your call. But we did get Godzilla’s infamous dropkick out of the deal, so it isn’t all bad. Watch the Japanese version while you wait for Godzilla vs. Kong to come out, but stay far away from the English cut.

#monster monday #godzilla #king kong

8 notes · View notes

thelucyverse · 4 years ago

Text

Part 1

Autumn and winter of 1980 were so busy for me, I barely had a moment of time to breathe. I heard that the order had destroyed several of Voldemorts' Horcruxes without him noticing- the diadem, the locket and the ring (the latter, sadly, without it destroying Dumbledore's hand and future)- and I was desperate to get my hands on one of the items myself to test several theories regarding soul-pieces, but Voldemort had yet to pass the diary to Lucius or the Cup to Bella, at least as far as I was aware. Did he only plan to part with them before moving in to kill the Potter boy, his predicted mortal enemy? Would he even part with them at all, if such an opportunity didn't come to pass?

I did more theoretical research on the topic while also wondering about the actual Horcruxes. Were they significant objects like the ones he used for his own? Objects that somehow showed his followers' status? Did that mean specific items or something like pebbles to show his superiority to them? Or, if the instances he created (or forced the respective followers to create?) the Horcrux were unplanned- and I was quite certain that he hadn't planned it with Bella, he had done it when she was asking about forming a union with me, which must have come as a sincere surprise to him- did he just use some random object in the room, or did he keep something prepared around?

So many questions, no way to answer them.

Instead, I focused on the theory of the research, on whether I would need the objects to bring both soul parts back together or just the person, or just the horcrux, and whether the soul piece within a person actually died if the person was killed or just became diacorporeal... I started to believe (still mere theory, of course) that while it might make it easier, I didn't necessary need the Horcrux if I managed to make the person want to fix their own soul (but I didn't know whether /regret/ would work as a stimulus if the person had never actually /decided/ to make the Horcrux in the first place), that usually someone would die and leave only the Horcrux part of the soul behind as that one can't be pulled from its object- unless the Horcrux partage was bigger than the killed part, which would make the pull stronger towards the Horcrux(es), keeping the last part on the mortal plane. Was that the reason why Voldemort had made so many Horcruxes, was he actually that clever, did he calculate the risk- or did he not understand souls at all and just thought the more the merrier?

Whenever I am alone with Bella, I try to talk to her, really connect to her again, and I believe that this connection to normalcy as well as any positive emotions I can make her feel seem to have a positive effect on at the very least her psyche if not also on her damaged soul.

A damaged soul would cloud someone's mind, making them unable or at the very least less able to feel things the way they used to, making them detached from humanity, less afraid to take human life, not hurt when killing or torturing others... Of course, Voldemort was already deranged before he made any Horcruxes, so I had no idea how much his influences him if at all... And I hadn't known Bella all that closely before she had had her soul split in two, so I couldn't really tell what was her and what was the Horcrux's influence, either. It disturbed me, to know that I didn't truly know the woman I was all but married to for over two years now at all.

In March of 1981, Voldemort handed Bellatrix Hufflepuff's Cup, to place in her vault in Gringotts and keep save there. Had I not been around, had Bellatrix been completely mad from her split soul, she would have done so without question. As it is, however, she went to Gringotts with the cup, placed it into her vault, left, went back immediately, took the cup, brought it to me and asked to be obliviated of all that happened after she first left the bank.

I hated having to do so to her, but I had also never been so proud.

Now, I have the cup, and I don't quite know what to do with it. While I can feel the evil ooze off of it, I can't tell it's shape or consistency, how it would react to tests. I have written Melodenia again with several inquiries about soul magic and how to feel, to /see/ it the way natural aura seers can. While I am afraid that she might have already started to question how theoretic the nature of my inquiries is, I hope she knows that I am genuinely trying to do good, I hope she understands some of my position here, even if I have never told her my full story, not even in enchanted parchment or the few times we have chatted via fireplace.

In May, I receive an invitation to a research Congress by MACUSA, with personal recommendation from one Professor and Master of magical theory, Melodenia of Ilvermorny- and without a name written on it, it is for myself to fill out. She must have known that I was operating under an alias, which of course won't work on such an official function. I decide almost immediately to attend, no matter the consequences: While I cannot wait to talk to her in person, away from prying eyes, I hate the attention it gains me from the Dark Lord and his followers. He knew, of course, that I had an interest in magical theory, but had thought it a little hobby of a Deatheater's wife. Now, however... I am being informed that after that Congress, which I am not to attend alone, I am to share all my findings with him, and use my skills to develop spells suitable for war if I haven't already done so.

I don't know how he managed, but I am accompanied to the States by Severus Snape. Professor Snape, now- twenty-one years old, a double spy for the two most powerful wizards currently alive in Britain, a teacher barely respected by the students in his own house and loathed by everyone else, trying to cling to what authority he has as a professor by being as strict as he possibly can. He is not a pleasant man to be around, still constantly afraid for the life of his friend Lily, whom he has barely seen in the past years. I don't know whether he loves her as a friend or is /in/ love with her, and I can't bring myself to care.

On our way- after making sure that there are no tracking- or monitoring spells by either of our masters left on us or our luggage- we share news on Deatheater and Order business before comparing our research in magical theory and spell-crafting, which is Severus' forte in theoretical magic. I don't know how I had forgotten about it so far- he is always known as a potions master, but I should have remembered all the spells he had been mentioned to have created in the books. He tells me of several dangerous spells, ones newly created by him as well as old ones that had simply come to be forgotten, that the Dark Lord does not yet know of and that the Order already knows the counters for. If Voldemort is going to ask for results of my work, I will be able to deliver. I do not tell Snape about my research in soul magic, not trusting him not to immediately tell Dumbledore, no matter how bad the old man has treated him in the past.

Melodenia is waiting for us at the portkey point. When I indicate to Severus that I would like to be left alone with her, he smirks nastily. "I won't tell anyone" he snarls before disappearing into the crowd with his cloak billowing behind him. I suppose he must think that I cannot stand being with a deatheater and have an affair with Melodenia instead. A laughable idea, even more so considering that Melodenia only seems to be interested in people insofar that they can help her research or carry it on into a new generation. Still- she is a friend, the closest one I have.

"Are you well, my old friend?" Melodenia asks. I wonder if she can see that I am older than I look through the soul-magic, and she laughs when I ask. "I didn't even need to look at that" she says. "but- yes. Now, what /is/ going on on the British Isles that has you in such disarray?" sometimes, she sounds more Properly British than I do- I know English isn't her first language, so I suppose it makes sense that she wouldn't have to have an American accent. Now, what to tell her? I decide to, for once, trust somebody, and go with the truth- the entire truth.

After my speech, Melodenia is quiet for a long moment before pulling me into a hug. "I cannot help you with the problem of your traveling" she explains first. "I can't tell whether you are from a different world or from a different time- although there us something about your aura that does say you do not belong /here/, or have not always belonged here. I can try to find texts on your kind of travelling, but I do not expect to find much, and I do not know how much I could find out from your person when you aren't already travelling away- in which case I would not want to come too near, I need to stay here with my students. Yes, I believe you could take someone with you on your travels" she answers my unasked question. "If you do so- please make sure to ask whether the person wants to leave their universe, and that they understand all that it entails." I nod. Then, Melodenia moves on to the topics current more urgent to me: soul magic, and how to break it. "Fix it, you mean- souls shouldn't be broken."

Over the course of the long weekend, whenever we don't absolutely have to attend a seminar, speech or evening social event, Melodenia teaches me how to manually soul-see, lay and break connections in soul magic (which- hella painful when tested on yourself, which is why we aren't doing it on anyone else), the theory and praxis of soul-healing- "You should try to influence her now even if you do not plan to already bring the soul pieces back together," she says about Bellatrix. "While from what you told me, she does not seem to be in danger of losing connection to the soul-piece entirely, there are other dangers: insanity, effects on the mind that, once completed and left alone for too long, get irreversible even if the soul pieces find back to one another. You must influence her with positivity- any positive emotions, as well as anything reminding her of life prior to the break, is healing for the soul." -, as well as other things she believes might be useful for me in the future, including how to apparate to locations you haven't been to yet: "In 'normal' apparition, the rule is to know exactly where you are going and only focus on this one location, with just slightly emphasis on getting your entire body there, as really, when you only want to go to one place, it automatically takes your entire body there, without splinching. When transporting yourself to an entirely new location or one you can't quite visualize anymore, apparition is more vague location-wise- you might not end up exactly where you want to go, but when you keep your focus on your entire body and to move it to a place, instead of focusing on the place to move to, you will end up somewhere without splinching. It is good to get out of situations when you don't have the power to apparate far and don't know any points in the area, you could just think of a generic secluded ally, a roof, a beach, a field, and end up in any such location you have the power to reach. When you have greater power, of course, you have to make sure not to end up in an entirely different continent."

On Monday, I leave with a newfound understanding of magical theory. I never realised how logical magic really is, when you only look deep enough. There are still things that seem strange to me, but I no longer think that it defies the laws of physics- it merely works with it in ways I hadn't known about. About soul magic, Melodenia ends with the words: "And be careful whom you tell about this. Few people are well-versed in soul magic, and even fewer for the right reasons. Say, are you familiar with the non-magical atom bomb? Yes? It is based on a technology and research completely unrelated to such destruction, but that is still what it was used for. You cannot blame everyone in that field of research for the connection, but that is the stigma they are going to face. It is similar when it comes to soul-magic. It can be used in healing ways, to help with trauma or to connect two people in love. But the only soul-magic many old wizarding families have heard of are dementors, horcruxes and soul-crushers, if they know about soul-magic at all. Be careful- not just regarding what they might do with it, but what they might believe you want to do with it, and what they would do to you to stop you."

When I leave for the portkey point with Snape, once again, as my escort in public, and turn around to wave at Melodenia, I am torn: I'm am sad to leave my friend and our research behind- yet I cannot wait to hold Bellatrix in my arms again.

Part 3

#wip

3 notes · View notes