#oh and the duel screens for their final bosses
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errorwarblesrr · 1 year ago
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Oh, how I want a Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks remake in the Wind Waker style so bad, but I know it's never going to happen
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blackjackkent · 10 months ago
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OK time for yet another boss battle combat report!
(Everyone seemed to like the Iron Throne play-by-play so I guess I'm getting more thorough with these. XD )
We get to fight big boy, who i'm not referencing by name till under the cut, and his three lady friends from the other thrones, plus the three guards from the front door.
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Sarevok is quite beefy - 206HP. Surprisingly, the guards from the front door are the other scary ones; That Which Guards has 236HP and the other two are 162. Amelyssan and her cronies are a much more reasonable 72, which means that they're our first targets to get off the field as quickly as possible.
springagainafter: hee hee I've been waiting for you to get to the bit where Sarevok shows up springagainafter: ghost Melissan too UGH springagainafter: PUNCH SAREVOK, HECTOR springagainafter: do it for Rasaad, it's what he would want XD blackjackkent: heeeeee blackjackkent: hell yeah
Let's see how well Team Juggernaut holds up to this challenge.
Minsc was able to open the fight by taking out Amelyssan at once. (He gets five attacks with Nyrulna on the first turn of the fight due to Dread Ambusher and Enraged Throw and he used them all on her.) I like to think that this was not actually strategy but just him zeroing in on her immediately as the person he hates second most on the field (but was most likely to kill quickly) and wanting her GONE.
I backed up out of combat for a bit so I could look at Sarevok's inspect screen and he's a spooky boy. Among his Exciting Features are: Legendary Resistance (unsurprising), Exceptional Plate (decreased physical damage), multiattack, bleed infliction on enemies with full health, and 20AC. Fundamentally, though, the scariest thing about him is that he has a number of equally scary friends and a lot of health, so we'll be better off taking the friends out of the equation fast. We've dealt with Steel Watchers, so as long as Sarevok doesn't start exploding, I'm not as worried as I was with them. XD
The three echoes also turn out to be primary targets because they cast Haste on Sarevok and Slow on our party, both of which are TERRIFYING in this context, so good to get them off the field as quickly as possible.
As the fight goes on, though, things get... interesting. Every time our boy Sarevok hits something he gets a stack of "Murderous Strikes", and when it hits 4 he can cast "Deathbringer's Legacy" which basically allows him to do a four-strike multihit. And when hastened he can get that VERY often.
On her second turn, Jaheira DISCONNECTS HERSELF FROM THE PARTY because she doesn't have time for my mediocre combat skills, casts Confusion on all three of the weird scary guards, and beelines straight for Sarevok like a house on fire entirely without my input.
CORRECTION: The above point seriously confused me through quite a few reloads and I couldn't figure out what was causing it bc it only seemed to happen sometimes. Turns out that one of the Big Scary Guards cast "Compelled Duel" on her, which I think broke her out of my control briefly even though it's supposed to just prevent her from attacking anyone other than the caster. And then I think her casting Confusion caused the control to drop (when the BSG failed its save) but didn't put her back in the party.
I like my interpretation better, though, that she's so pissed off with Sarevok that she doesn't have time for my bullshit.
Honestly Hector's brute force punching is carrying the day. (The spirit of Rasaad moves within him indeed.) His second turn he got a starting topple on Sarevok and melted him for a total of [does hasty math] A HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE DAMAGE. My boy is a guided missile and we love that for him! This build is so broken oh my god, Zen. XD
Looking more closely at the Big Scary Guards, I noticed this:
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This is good news actually and means we probably don't have to kill them, just keep them from killing US long enough to deal with Sarevok.
Having finally, after a number of confused reloads, figured out what was going on with Jaheira, it was time to bring out the owlbear to smack Sarevok around, and leave Karlach in the back to deal with the BSGs. Four owlbear claw hits in a row for ~22 damage each is spicy, plus each of them does knockback, which gives us the incredibly satisfying image of Sarevok Anchev bouncing across the floor like an errant ping-pong ball.
Eventually we whittled him down! The BSGs, as expected, despawned when Sarevok died, and we just had to clear out the remainder of the echoes in order to finish the fight.
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Yasssss. SAREVOK ANCHEV IS NO MORE!
*loud cheering from Faenya-Dail*
I would damn well hope the Murder Tribunal are impressed after that display. XD
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I didn't even know that was an option but I think I'm glad we didn't become whatever that is. XD
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Excellent. That will be Thursday's project since I have raids tomorrow. XD
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ohnoitstbskyen · 2 years ago
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Ornstein and Smough tell the story of Anor Londo
Oh lord these bastards. We've talked about how bosses like the Bell Gargoyles and Capra Demon have tried to teach you to deal with multiple opponents in boss fights, well welcome to the exam with professors Ornstein and Smough, hope you like dying. They are brilliantly designed to cover each other's weaknesses, because while you can duel Ornstein 1 on 1, and Smough is actually pretty slow and easy to simply dance around, trying to do either while the other is bearing down on you is an instant ticket to the You Died screen.
Thematically, these two are the final test before you're allowed audience with Gwynevere, they are royal guardians and representatives of Anor Londo and the Gods' overwhelming power. They're also a classic double act: sleek and agile paired with huge and powerful, with Ornstein the upstanding and honourable knight counterposed by Smough the brutal and merciless executioner. Again, there's storytelling there - the golden ideals of the gods vs the brutality they use to enforce them.
Oh and hey there's these three plints in the room with statues of Gwyn, Gwynevere and then one of them is empty like there's a third god you haven't been told about. Huh. I wonder if that means anything.
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mirror-to-the-past · 3 years ago
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Okay, but what if we expanded upon the already awesome level 83 duty? I was thinking about a way it could've been executed in retrospect, and I'm just wondering if we could've let the possession thing simmer a little longer.
That duty was *this* close to being the Scions v. WOL scenario I've wanted since the WOL was almost overcome with light in SHB, except it could've worked! So what if it was tweaked a bit?
The WOL finishes their part of the duty, and the screen fades to black as the point of focus shifts. Same scene with the Scions noticing "your" arrival, and they approach Zenos disguised as the WOL with excitement, only to find that the person who appears as their companion is anything but. However, instead of the WOL jumping in at that moment, I say G'raha and Alisaie are joined by the other Scions, and react quickly, defending themselves from Zenos' initial attack in your form.
Thus begins the duty continued from the Scions' perspective of fighting against Zenos while habiting the WOL's body, obviously while controlling a specific Scion. I'd pick between Alphinaud or G'raha (Alisaie already gets a duty during END, and I know Alphinaud does as well, but this is a pivotal moment, and I'd love to hear Alphinaud's thoughts of fighting the WOL, their longtime companion, while I'm sure Alisaie would be yelling her thoughts out anyway), but it really doesn't matter for me.
I was thinking that this idea might be difficult to implement, because "oh, but everyone has a different job, so I don't know, the custom actions from a WOL boss fight might be too difficult," but the fact that in the cutscene where Zenos-WOL ambushes G'raha and Alisaie while using a Reaper skill removes that fear. They could use actions similar to the Zenos duel in the finale, which would already be existing. The only potentially difficult factor would be assigning your character model to doing said actions, which I admittedly, from a game designer's perspective, don't know how that would work. (But to be honest, this whole fantasy is purely spurned from 'wouldn't that be badass?' so I'm not being entirely practical.)
This whole premise of the Scions having to fight against the face of their friend, while also getting slowly pushed back/exhausted is not only tragic, but raises the stakes even more. You are here, as the player, worried for your WOL's body, and the well-being of the Scions, and are wondering how long they'd last without you.
As a potential additional factor...
Remember that timer from the duty with Hien, where it said "Time until WOL arrives?" This would've a great time to do a similar callback, as that was in a fight against Zenos possessed by Elidibus, simultaneously creating a fun parallel. However, having a timer for the WOL's arrival would take away the surprise from the WOL's rescue of the Scions in the actual cutscenes' climax. Thus, I propose a simple, and chilling alternative:
"Time until Zenos tires of this."
A ticking clock that, from the player's perspective, establishes the fact that, while the Scions are making a noble, collective stand, Zenos is choosing to hold back throughout all of this, and could wipe them out with your form if he so chose. This leads to the assumption that, once the clock strikes zero, Zenos would trigger an insta kill.
So, we're sweating, watching the clock tick down, and the Scions getting weaker. Perhaps Lucia runs in at one point, only to be quickly driven back, and the Scions tell her to "get everyone ready to flee the camp if need be! Something is terribly wrong!"
The clock runs down, and you're probably there sweating bullets, fearing the worst, and then a cutscene hits that's similar to the one we see in canon. Zenos is about to land a killing blow on two nearest Scions, which could still be Alisaie and G'raha from the original cutscene, only to be foiled by the true WOL throwing their sword (god, I loved that part), and crashing into him while he's off guard, before reclaiming their body.
I think the whole encounter, played out that way, would've been even more intense than before, and have wracked the Scions, and Camp Broken Glass, much, much more than it did in the story, as a result of things being drawn out.
What are your thoughts?
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ichika27 · 3 years ago
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TWEWY 12
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Grande Finale already!
I felt the same nervousness and excitement I felt when I watched the first episode while watching the last one. I’m excited, half knowing what I’d see but not knowing what else to expect.
Can’t believe we finally got to this point. I took so many screenshots... I had to limit myself cause they’re not all gonna fit in one tumblr post.
Also I don’t have to give a spoiler warning anymore. Length warning though cause this is super long!(longer than the usual posts I made for this series at least).
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Kitaniji transforms into a three-headed monster and unlike in the game, he doesn’t capture any of Neku’s partners nor use Josh’s power to do so. I’m not sure what explanation there is as to how he got more than one noise form but I guess he’s the Conductor so maybe it’s part of his powers here.
Shiki and Beat awaken in the middle of Neku’s fight and help out. The trio then forms some kind of three-way pact (four if Rhyme actually counted although now completely sure?) and continue battling Kitaniji. The fight scene was pretty cool especially Beat’s attack with the chains. It just sucks the fight ended too fast. I guess all of TWEWY anime’s boss fights end kinda fast even though they’re uh, boss fights.
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Final attack beam like in the game! It was too fast and I couldn’t get a good shot of the white version this transforms into (which looks like the one in the game). They have an explanation later as to why it looks different at first but they’ll talk about it later.
It’s sad Joshua isn’t part of this. This is supposed to be the four-way fusion attack. (;-;)
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They defeat Kitaniji who disappears, sad that he was unable to protect Shibuya. Joshua never showed up in this boss battle so Kitaniji never got to talk to Joshua for the last time. In the game he at least dies happy in a way - he lost but he gave it his all and his Composer praised his efforts. He was also able to tell Neku that the rest is up to him now. Here in the anime, he just... he lost and felt bad. I wish they had Josh show up here but they had other ideas.
A new door opens and Neku braced himself as he knows the fight isn’t over cause there’s still one last guy on top.
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They find themselves in this room/hallway (is this supposed to be the Trail of the Judged?) filled with CAT murals. This somewhat confirms the “CAT = Composer” theory and Neku has now accepted it, calling out Mr. Hanekoma to show himself.
And yeah, the last episode’s title is the show’s title as well “It’s a Wonderful World”.
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Someone else showed up instead. Joshua finally makes his reappearance!
Boy, have I been waiting for you! I wish you were with them in the final battle earlier so you guys could be a team (and you could be one of Neku’s partners) one last time.
Neku is surprised but happy to see Joshua again. He thanks Joshua for saving him before and is glad that he’s okay.
In the game, this never happened cause Josh appears in the middle of a fight. Things were too hectic and when the battle with Kitaniji finally ended, he and Josh talked about their own game and so after Kitaniji disappears, what’s left is questioning what was happening. Since Josh didn’t show up earlier, they were able to reunite in a more peaceful way and Neku had no suspicion until Joshua himself brought it up.
And I guess that’s why I was so nervous when I watched this. It’s a bit too peaceful. I know what’s gonna happen next but not exactly how they’d adapt it.
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Joshua finally explains the truth to Neku and his friends.
This felt more... awful to watch. Like we had both Joshua and Kitaniji giving bits and pieces of the truth in the game via their conversation so there’s two people to focus on. Here it’s just Joshua. But in a way, I guess this works cause there’s no one else there to soften the blow and Joshua could make the revelation hurt more if he wishes so. It also kinda feels worse cause you see Neku happy to see Joshua earlier before the reveal happens. Kinda heartbreaking.
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“I’m the Composer of Shibuya.”
He finally says it clearly to a confused and surprised Neku.
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We get a flashback of Joshua and Kitaniji talking about Shibuya’s impending destruction, why it must happen, and Kitaniji making a deal to try and save it. He has a month to change things for the better and if it works out, he wins. If not, Joshua continues the destruction plan.
Joshua’s Composer form is more vague here. It’s human shaped but you don’t see his face and the outline glows like this so you don’t properly see the shape. I think this is better cause there’s no way you can tell who the Composer is like this and he looks less human.
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Beat gets angry at the revelation and tries to attack Joshua which he couldn’t do because of Joshua’s powers. I wasn’t able to get a screenshot of this but Josh is twirling his hair after this while Beat struggles to try and punch him. He’s cute and I know this is kind of inappropriate to say in this situation given he legitimately made someone mad and he deserves that punch to his pretty face.
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Joshua uses his powers to freeze the others (and later renders them unconscious to keep them quiet). Neku is worried about his friends and is mad.
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Joshua tells him he won’t hurt Neku’s friends. He then explains about how he found his proxy. Which is Neku much to his horror at what this meant.
I just had to get this with the subtitles on. I replayed the scene several times to hear if there was no error. Joshua says “Daiji na Neku-kun no tomodachi...” and I google translated it. It says “daiji” means “important”. So yeah, he definitely called Neku “important” to him. It’s surprising although this wouldn’t be out of place in the original game since they had more moments to just talk on there.
Yeah, I know I focused on this a little but I’m a nekujosh/joshneku shipper so forgive me for latching onto this.
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Neku slowly sees the bigger picture as Joshua continues to explain himself. As a reward for getting this far, Joshua returns Neku’s memories.
He really had to get that close while saying Neku’s name, didn’t he?
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Neku’s death flashback. The scene plays almost similar to the game right down to the censored guns (is this a creative decision to make it faithful to the game or are they really just not allowed to draw actual guns?). I was gonna make a joke about how Joshua stopped Minamimoto’s bullets using an AT field but the shot was different and the bullets just looked like they froze midair and not stopped by some kinda force field like in the game.
Neku ends up getting shot by Joshua complete with bleeding unlike in the game. I just have to wonder if I was the one who got it wrong cause in the game, Joshua looks like he’s aiming for Neku’s head and here, Neku gets shot on the chest. Did they change it cause a headshot would be too much or has it always been a shot to the chest?
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Neku angrily walks over to Josh and grabs him by the collar. Joshua stops Neku with his powers as he continues to explain about what happened regarding the death scene and Minamimoto. Joshua then materializes two guns out of thin air and places one on Neku’s hand as he tells him the rules of their final duel: just shoot and if Neku wins, he could save his friends and he becomes Composer and do what he wants. What stood out with how he said it is that he didn’t exactly go “If you don’t beat me, Shibuya is destroyed.” and instead went “If you win, these are what you get to be Composer and whatever else you’d like! Sounds good, right?”. As if saying killing him has a lot of perks.
It feels weird seeing Josh physically placing the gun on Neku’s hand cause in the game, the gun was by Neku’s feet and Neku had to pick it up on his own accord. Anyways, I like the effect they used to materialize the gun cause it’s the same effect for the names of the routes when they show them on screen. Like graffiti or something.
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At this point Neku’s crying. The shot didn’t feel as dramatic as in the game in my personal opinion. Neku is tearing up here but he looks tired and was about to sob in the game. Joshua meanwhile, counts down from ten.
Before Joshua’s count hits three, Neku hears a somewhat distorted voice (which we know is just Mr. H) saying “Trust your Partner”. This reminded Neku how he got to where he is: by trusting his partners. (I have something to say about this later)
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In a very shocking turn of events, instead of just lowering the gun and letting himself be shot like in the game, Neku drops his gun and with a hand outstretched tells Joshua “I’ll trust you”. Oh my god... they really did it. I love this change not gonna lie. I think they might have added this cause they didn’t adapt Neku’s ending monologue where he does say he trusts Joshua. It’s less dramatic than the game though since Neku doesn’t say anything while Joshua is counting down. In the game, he was crying and saying how he thought Joshua was his friend and how all of this really hurt him. Guess we take what we can get and they gave us this.
Joshua smiles as he shoots but as Neku falls, the smile on Joshua’s face disappears.
Mr. H didn’t show up at the end here either so Neku didn’t get to see him.
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Neku wakes up in the middle of Scramble Crossing like usual but he bumps into people and so he realizes that he’s alive now. He doesn’t scream after the very stressful crap he went to like in the game. Might not be entirely the same but Joshua still left him lying down in the middle of the street. Nice.
We then see a short timelapse from above Shibuya which is probably supposed to show a week has passed. Neku’s monologue wasn’t added in and no ending music as well. I’m disappointed “A Lullaby for You” wasn’t used. Here I was hoping for a miracle.
By the way, Shooter, Yammer, and I think Makoto all passed him by the scramble. They really didn’t get much screentime but at least they made cameos.
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Neku finally meets up with the Bito siblings like at the game’s epilogue! The shot they did was almost the same as with the game, too. They have dialogue here instead of just stills with Neku showing how happy he was to see his friends alive again, too. I’m happy the anime version showed him smiling more at the end cause he needed that after everything. It’s nice to see him smile.
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RG! Shiki is here! With the same shot as in the game! They really aren’t gonna show us her face, huh? Also, all of the shots with Shiki on them has her back towards us. Like there are scenes where Neku and the rest are looking forward and she’s in front of them with her back turned on us. Why? They could’ve used the lighting on her glasses to obscure her eyes, too. So her bangs are a secret as well then?
They show Eri later, too enjoying a concert, by the way. I was hoping to see a reunion between her and Shiki as well and them finally talking after the stuff from before. Oh well.
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Neku takes off his headphones and he and Shiki do a proper introduction with each other with Shiki being herself this time. (Is Shiki the same height as Neku? It looks like that from this angle.)
Anyways, this was a nice way to adapt Neku taking off his headphones since they can’t do it like in the game.
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They adapted the secret ending but expanded it to add stuff from the secret reports to explain other lore stuff which would’ve been missed by the anime-only watchers since those are part of bonus game contents. Mr. Hanekoma and Joshua talk about the events of the long game and Joshua says he knew it was Mr. H whose responsible for Minamimoto.
They also talk about the Red Skull Pins and how Mr. H made it for Kitaniji. Mr. H says the pins imprints Kitaniji’s will on people and that he himself (Mr. H) doesn’t need that cause he could do so with all the graffiti he left all over town.
Which brings me to earlier in the duel: Neku hears a voice, clearly (to us) is Mr. Hanekoma’s and it’s in a place filled to the brim with CAT graffiti. Did he imprint the words “Trust your partner” to Neku?
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Meanwhile, Beat wonders how they were able to pull off the final attack. Neku says it was probably the pin Hanekoma gave them (the keypin looking thing). I guess they needed an explanation for the last attack but they didn’t have the fusion pin so they used this keypin instead. It’s why the attack looked different in the beginning when the attack was powering up.
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There’s apparently a new CAT graffiti at Udagawa and of course, CAT-fanboy Neku has to see it. On the way, they meet Sota and Nao who are now alive! I’m so happy!! Joshua brought them back, too! I always felt bad about what happened to them in the game. I’m glad they got a happy ending in the anime.
Def March, 777′s band, are back as well and look... they got their winged mic back! It makes me wonder if they found it later on or if Joshua gave that to them back the same time when he brought them back lol. I’m just really happy for all of them.
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Joshua’s wings!! This is, unfortunately, the best shot I could get since they never really zoom in on this. In the game he is in his Composer form in the secret ending and turns into a ball of light when he leaves. Here, we see his wings. It’s smaller than the one he has in KH:DDD. At least we canonically see it here.
I can now use the term “Joshua Maji Tenshi” and be accurate!
Mr. H points out that Joshua looks lonely and is in denial and Josh just leaves. Mr. H also shows his wings and leaves afterwards, too. I didn’t take a pic of it since we see it in the game’s secret ending anyways. His wings also seem smaller than in the game.
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Final shot of the new CAT graffiti. I was so close to crying the entire ending and this nearly tipped me over but it didn’t. If “A Lullaby for You” was playing, I’d have probably bawled my eyes out. This graffiti is beautiful. I want a sticker of it.
Also, I just noticed but CAT’s old graffiti at Udagawa had mostly darker colors. This new one is brighter and is more colorful.
--
First of all, I wanted to thank tumblr for not giving me an error for posting more than 15 images like I usually did. I was bracing myself for the error pop up and was gonna make a part 2 instead but there was some kind of miracle and I got more than 20 pictures on here.
I have a lot of melodramatic things to say about the anime but I’ll save it all for later. For now, I’ll say something else. I’m sad they didn’t adapt Neku’s monologue. Those words from Neku still hits me in the feels to this day. Him saying that the entire ordeal really affected him in more ways than one and it wasn’t all good even though he’s happy about changing and what he learned from the experience. His line about how he can’t forgive Joshua but trusts him was cut along with it and it would’ve been nice to have to know what he thought of Joshua.
The thing I missed the most was the “I have friends now. We’re meeting each other for the first time in a week. See you there?” lines. It shows how happy Neku is that he now has people to call his friends which is super heartwarming and the line implies that he counts Joshua as one of those friends, too (which is properly confirmed in KH: DDD which I’d probably make a post about later if I get the motivation to do so). That would’ve also made the last scene with Josh hit harder. In the game, knowing Josh wanted to be with them and is sad he couldn’t already makes me sad but also knowing Neku is waiting for him makes it much worse (and I still feel pain thinking about it even after all these years).
Maybe we’d see them get reunited in NTWEWY. Hopefully. I really do hope so.
The anime isn’t perfect but it did what it could with the limited amount of time it had. The show would’ve been better if they had more episodes but we don’t know why it ended up with just 12 so we can’t really say anything else. They did it and it wasn’t as bad as I was fearing in a way. Would I recommend it? I’d probably rec the game first, to be honest. I was only okay with watching cause I have played the game and could fill in the missing stuff but the anime-only fans couldn’t and the thought that they won’t be able to fully appreciate the entire story of twewy is kinda sad. It was a nice watch though and I’d miss waiting for it every week.
I wonder if they’d make “A New Day” OVA since the anime is supposed to help the ones who haven’t/couldn’t play the first game but would go play NTWEWY and that scenario has story stuff that’s connected to the sequel.
Anyways, thanks for reading this far if you did! I’ll be watching gameplays of NTWEWY when it comes out in full (since I don’t have the money nor the console for it). 
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tvdstelenaforever · 4 years ago
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Law & Lust
TVD Imagine: Enzo St. John
Premise: Y/N is new to town and finds out her new employer is a vampire, not long later things take a surprising turn.
Theme: Mature / Smut (18+)
Other: Y/N goes by she/her and is human
Word Count: 4.5k
Author’s Note: I hope you enjoy this smutty imagine, the idea randomly came to me so here goes nothing :-)
—————
It was a dark night as Y/N stood in the poorly lit alleyway, trying to find her way back home. She was new to the area and wasn’t fully acquainted with her neighbourhood. It wasn’t just a run of the mill move but an overseas one. Y/N flew from the south of England to move to the southern United States. A golden job opportunity arose that she couldn’t decline, plus she had dreamed of visiting since childhood.
Mystic Falls seemed like a dainty cute town and Y/N hoped to meet some like minded people that also liked hiking, going on spontaneous trips and eating out. Y/N wouldn’t consider herself an extrovert but she certainly enjoyed socializing in the right doses. The people here seemed friendly enough so it encouraged Y/N to mingle a little.
She was just walking back from a coffee date, well not exactly a date as such, with a sweet guy called Matt. She didn’t get his last name but didn’t care enough as she doubted she would see him again. As Y/N continued on she could hear some shuffling noises from behind. Ignoring it, believing it was some sort of animal, Y/N hurried along.
After a couple of minutes the sound renewed. Paranoid now, Y/N turned to face the source of the noise. Before she could process what was going on, she felt herself being pushed against a fence. A scream escaped her mouth as the culprit tried diving in for her exposed neck. Y/N could feel her heart beating erratically as she tried to fend for herself, to no avail. This stranger was strong.
All of a sudden Y/N could feel her aggressors grip lighten and eventually leave and came face to face with a young man instead, who had dark hair and light eyes. “Are you okay, miss?” The handsome stranger smiled. Slightly disoriented, Y/N nodded. “I can walk you to your intended destination” he offered. Usually Y/N would be wary of any stranger and decline, but this man seemed different. Honest and safe. “Okay, sure” With that the pair headed off to Y/N’s new home.
As they approached the front door the young man hesitated. Y/N noticed and smiled softly. “Thank you for walking me back home” He returned the gesture and continued with her to the door. “Goodnight darlin’, stay safe” Before letting him go, Y/N wanted to know his name. “I’m Y/N, what’s your name?” With a grin, he said “Enzo, Enzo St John”. As he said his last name he emphasized it with a British twang.
“Oh, you’re from England too?” Y/N asked as her face lit up. He stayed quiet for a moment but shook his head, smiling sadly. Well, that was odd Y/N thought but discarded that weird feeling she felt. “Well thanks again Enzo”. Taking a step indoors and closing the door, Y/N took a peek through the side window and there was no sight of the handsome stranger who walked her home.
Sighing, she got ready for bed and tucked herself in snugly. Eventually after pondering the earlier incident, she fell asleep.
***
The following morning Y/N went to work at her new law firm. She was excited to start this new venture. Her boss had informed her that she had a meeting first thing that a.m. With a latte in hand, she walked through the shiny doors and found her way to her boss’s door. Upon entering, she nearly dropped the cup on the floor. Y/N’s eyes widened at her new employer. The one and only Enzo. Enzo St John. Wow, she thought, perplexed.
His eyebrows raised quickly at his new employee, surprised to see it was the damsel in distress from the night before. “Y/N, uh, welcome” The sudden pause indicated his surprise and Y/N blushed involuntarily. Enzo noticed but didn’t react. He suddenly felt awkward and looked away, motioning for her to sit down. “Emily will show you around and get you acquainted with the office. If you have any questions just ask her. She’s been my assistant for over 5 years now and is incredibly efficient and sweet, so you’ll have no trouble settling in comfortably” he started. “I was very impressed by your interview notes that my colleague sent me whilst I was away on a business trip, and I look forward to working with you”. Y/N smiled and thanked Enzo for his warm welcome. As the meeting ended and Y/N got up to grab the door handle, Enzo touched her hand to stop her from leaving.
Y/N blushed again, feeling flushed. What was he doing? She thought. She bit her lip as he kept still, awaiting his next move. Instead of perusing her, he pulled away. Y/N took an intake of breath before pulling the handle, finally closing the door behind her.
Y/N was still thinking about Enzo whilst Emily gave her a tour of the office. Emily seemed nice and as if she loved her job. I guess it didn’t hurt having Enzo as her boss though. He was eye candy as well as seemingly being a gentleman. Y/N would be surprised if she found out he was single.
Once Emily’s tour was over, Y/N sat at her desk reorganizing the layout and filling the desk drawers with all her essential items. The day flew by as Y/N sifted through all the paperwork and made all the appropriate phone calls. As it was time to clock out, Y/N arrived at the elevator doors. When they opened, Enzo was face to face with her. They caught eyes and he immediately looked away. He was nervous much to Y/N’s obliviousness. All she saw was disinterest and professionalism as her eyes followed him walking away.
Y/N was lost in her thoughts as she walked home that night. It felt colder than it was so she hurried along. Y/N wanted nothing more right now than to drink a warm cup of cocoa and watch some Law and Order. Law enforcement shows were her favourite. That was the main reason for her going down the law career route. She was a while away from working with law enforcement though but this was a great step towards that. Luckily Y/N also had duel nationality with the US so she could work with the government if she ever wanted to.
Y/N was slowly starting to drift asleep as the TV hummed in the background. She finally fell unconscious as her dreams filled her mind.
***
The weekend rolled over fairly quickly and Y/N decided to go for a walk around town to get familiar with the place. Loads of people were gathered in the parks and coffee shops, the weather permitting such occasions. Y/N smiled as she breathed in the fresh morning air.
Y/N laid eyes upon the Mystic Grill and ogled at it. Boy was she hungry right now. She decided to have some brunch and relax. Pushing the doors open, Y/N accidentally bumped into Matt. “Oh, hi Y/N!” He grinned. “Hi Matt” she replied casually. “It was nice hanging out the other day. I have some friends that you may like to meet since you’re new here. I’m sure you’ll love them” Y/N smiled, he was such a kind person. It looked like he was just being friendly which was good. Enzo was constantly in her thoughts that Matt was invisible to her in that way.
Effectively Enzo was just a stranger. Now her new boss. No way were they ever going to be an item. He was classy, highly educated, owned his own law firm, and extremely attractive. Y/N felt like she was totally out of his league. Not that she was below par but nothing special.
As Y/N was assigned a table, she looked over the menu, eyes glossing over the irrelevant details. Eventually she found the perfect dish, a mushroom risotto and white wine. Once her order was placed, Y/N twiddled her thumbs.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Emily’s number popped up on the screen as the phone kept vibrating in her hand. Oh, a weekend emergency at the office? Y/N wondered. “Hi Emily!” Y/N greeted happily. “Hello Y/N, how are you? There are just a couple of things Enzo needs to go over with you quickly. Do you mind coming in as soon as possible?” Ah, Enzo needed her to come help him with something? How peculiar, especially for a weekend. “Sure, I’ll be there as soon as I’ve finished my food at the Mystic Grill. I’m literally nearby, I can be there for half an hours time”. Emily thanked her before hanging up.
The food made it’s way to Y/N quickly and she ate it promptly. She paid the bill when she was finished with her meal and headed to the office. The place was deadly silent which felt odd, Y/N was used to a busy office. Once the elevator arrived at the 3rd floor, Y/N found Enzo’s office and knocked.
He opened the door and pulled her inside. Y/N was taken by surprise at the sudden movement. As he closed the door he eyed Y/N, feeling anxious. “What did you need help for?” Y/N asked, confused. “I can’t keep this a secret anymore” Y/N shifted uncomfortably on the spot. He waltzed over to her and stared deeply into her eyes. Her eyes bore into his, completely mesmerized. It was as if she couldn’t look away.
“Y/N, don’t freak out. You’re safe and I wouldn’t ever hurt you. I promise you. I have to tell you what I am. I can’t keep this a secret from you, especially since I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you ever since that first night we met” Enzo declared. “I, I’m a vampire” He said after a short pause. He pulled away whilst still keeping his eyes locked on hers as he suddenly bared his fangs. Y/N’s eyes widened but couldn’t move from her spot.
“When I stop compelling you, don’t run away” he said as he took her hand and squeezed lightly. Enzo finished compelling Y/N and awaited her move.
“But, how? What? I must be hallucinating!” Y/N exclaimed, heart racing at the speed of light. She did as he commanded and stayed put but wanted nothing more than to flee. She had never expected even in her wildest dreams to come into contact with a member of the supernatural. Something completely fictional. Yet not fictional at all.
“Why can’t I leave? Please, let me go” Y/N said quietly, eyes watering. Enzo could feel the fear radiating from her and wanted nothing more than to bring her in for a warm embrace. He was aching for her. “Like I said, I would never hurt you. I really like you Y/N. You’re smart, kind, intelligent, interesting, and beautiful” He said beautiful slowly, taking a deep breath.
This was everything Y/N wanted to hear before, but now that he revealed himself to be a vampire, Y/N felt scared. She wanted to believe him, but she needed space. “Please, just give me some space and time to process this”. Enzo sighed in defeat and nodded. “Okay, but please come back to me when you’re ready” He pleaded, placing a soft kiss on Y/N’s forehead.
As soon as she could move, Y/N bolted for the door. She ran outside, ran as far as her legs could carry her and cried herself to sleep once she arrived home, curling up on the sofa.
***
Work was filled with awkward silences between Enzo and Y/N, Y/N avoiding his gaze every time she came into contact with him. One night after work, Y/N went to the Mystic Grill for a drink. Once she got to the bar she ordered a bourbon whiskey neat. After 5 minutes a friendly face appeared. Matt smiled at Y/N and took the free seat next to her.
“Hey, are you okay? You seem a little off” Matt asked worriedly. “It’s that obvious?” She laughed sadly. He squeezed her forearm and offered her a sympathetic smile. “What’s troubling you?” He asked. “You wouldn’t believe me even if I tried”. Matt felt like he understood what she was insinuating but let her continue. “Try me”. Y/N took an inhale of breath, afraid of sounding crazy.
“I found out my boss is... a vampire” Y/N cringed at how insane that sounded. “Ugh I know, you don’t believe me do you. I understand. I wouldn’t have if you told me the same thing. I feel like I’m either going crazy or I’m living in a much scarier world than I ever imagined”. Matt kept silent for a moment, and Y/N bit her lip in anticipation.
“Let’s talk somewhere a little more private” and with that he took her hand and they walked to a nearby park and sat at a lone bench. “The supernatural are real. I’ve lived among them for years, and at first I had no idea. I actually, um, really dislike them. Sadly some of my friends are supernatural but that’s just the reality of life here in Mystic Falls. People you care about most are undead or some sort of creature. Take werewolves for example”. Y/N’s ears pricked up at werewolves and gulped.
“I know this is overwhelming but you’ll get used to it. Anyway, so who’s your boss?” He asked curiously. “His name is Enzo St John”. Matt raised his eyebrows, stunned. “I know him. He used to date my friend Bonnie. He’s good friends with Damon Salvatore. He’s one person that gets on my last nerve, he knows it and uses it to his advantage. Enzo is alright, but I haven’t had much contact with the guy. If he was good enough for Bonnie then he must be okay”. Y/N took all this information in surprisingly well, Matt thought.
“I just can’t believe it, it’s just so surreal! I don’t know what to think. Also what do you mean by Enzo being okay if Bonnie dated him?” She asked curiously. “Bonnie had an aversion to vampires like me but since she’s a witch, she eventually fell for another supernatural”. Wow, Y/N thought. “There are witches too?” She said in awe.
Matt laughed, she was definitely taking this way better than he did. “Yeah... and hybrids, sirens, doppelgängers, heretics among others”. “Oh my, this is overwhelming. I think I just want to watch some TV and fall asleep” Y/N confessed. Matt nodded in agreement. “If you need anything, just call me. Take care” he said as they parted ways.
It was a few days later and Y/N was in her kitchen preparing some leftovers for dinner. There was an unexpected knock at the door. Y/N wasn’t waiting for anybody but as she opened the door she froze. It was Enzo. Y/N was starting to accept that she was walking among the undead and beyond. It was still a shock but the initial feeling wore off. She finally felt okay to be in his presence.
Y/N held open the door for Enzo to walk in but he quickly hesitated. “You can come in Enzo, I won’t bite” She said, unaware of the pun. Enzo was surprised at her casualness. He raised his eyebrows at her and she realised what she said. She laughed, for the first time in weeks.
She went back to her food whilst Enzo sat at the island. Y/N had a nice house for someone who just moved to the area. The place was already decorated and felt cozy. She definitely tried to bring her culture with her and it showed in the decor.
“Why’re you here Enzo?” Y/N wondered. “I wanted to check on you to see if you were okay”. Y/N could tell that he felt on edge. “I had a chat with Matt Donovan a few days ago and he told me everything about the supernatural, and about you and Bonnie”, Y/N said the last part a bit quieter.
Enzo’s head snapped up to look at Y/N. He wondered what Matt had told her about him and Bonnie. They were a thing of the past, a flame blown out. “We used to date, yes. But we’ve moved on. It was years ago. I don’t want to talk about it” Y/N smiled knowingly, she could relate about not wanting to talk about an ex.
“Of course, I understand” Y/N offered, feeling sympathy for the vampire. Enzo used his vampire speed to come up behind Y/N and slid his arm around her waist. He nuzzled into her neck and kissed her ever so softly. “I want you” Enzo closed his eyes as he moaned into her neck. His body was pressed closely to hers, the warmth radiating from her back.
Y/N pushed her plate to the side and gripped the counter for balance. Enzo was satisfied that she was submitting to him. He slowly shoved his right hand under her skirt and rubbed circles on her clit. She moaned out, eyes closed tightly shut. “I’ve dreamed about doing this to you since we met the second time at my office” he whispered seductively. Y/N quivered under his touch and her legs felt wobbly. Enzo held on tighter and squeezed her hips.
He wanted to take her right then and there but wanted to prolong the sexual tensions. He wanted to hear Y/N moan out his name so he pushed the fabric of her panties aside and inserted a couple of fingers inside her. Y/N licked her lips as Enzo kept sliding his fingers in and out. Eventually his name escaped her lips and he smiled satisfyingly. “Does that feel good baby?” He cooed. Y/N nodded, unable to use her words. The intensity increased and Y/N gripped the counter tighter, knuckles turning white. Enzo let go and gripped her hands as he pushed his body into hers again. This time both of them let out a moan, Enzo close to Y/N’s ear. She shivered from the almost touch of his mouth to her face.
Immediately, Enzo carried Y/N bridal style upstairs to the bathroom. Y/N raised her eyebrows in question. Instead of answering her he smirked and kicked the door shut as he sat her down at the edge of the bath.
“Ever had sex in the bath?” He winked. Y/N hadn’t, and the idea turned her on. They undressed each other and Enzo caressed her cheek softly, in adoration. He gazed into her eyes for a second, looking for any hesitation. Luckily Y/N stared at his lips, biting her own seductively.
“Has anyone ever told you how incredibly sexy you are?” Enzo said with his voice hoarse. Y/N could see his erection emerging so she grabbed hold of his waist and shoved herself against his body so that their naked bodies were molded together. The unexpected motion made Enzo groan deeply. His sound made Y/N feel wet down below. She wanted him inside her asap.
Y/N climbed into the bath and laid down, arching her back and touching herself, hoping for Enzo to ravishingly devour her. He went in after her and gripped her hips to lift her onto him. As she sunk down her weight they both exhaled deeply, a soft moan escaping Y/N’s lips and a deep groan escaping Enzo’s.
Enzo moved very slowly at first, then quickened his pace. He wasn’t going quick enough for Y/N’s liking and she sighed. “I need you so bad, please go faster” Y/N moaned, eagerly awaiting more friction. “I’m the one who’s in charge here, darlin’” Enzo used that term again for the second time, but on this occasion it oozed sexiness. He kept his movement slow just to punish Y/N. She jerked her hips up, grinding hard. “Please baby...” Y/N stuttered, who was beyond desperate.
Since she was so needy, Enzo pushed into her roughly and she screamed out. She gripped his arms as he kept his rhythm fast. Y/N then wrapped her legs around his hips to get him to go deeper. Enzo wrapped his hand around Y/N’s neck with light pressure as he pounded into her. “Does that feel okay?” Enzo asked breathlessly. “Uh huh” Y/N whispered. Y/N could feel herself nearing her climax. “Babe, I’m so close” Y/N whined. “Hold it for me” Enzo demanded, he wanted to cum with her.
“Can I cum yet?” Y/N pleaded, she was ready to burst. Enzo’s lips found hers to drown out her moans as he quickened his pace. He was nearing his climax and was about to come undone. He grunted as they were both ready to release. “Oh, fuck...” They moaned together.
Once they were finished, they ran the shower. Enzo lathered soap in his hands and rubbed it on Y/N’s back from behind her and moved his hands over her stomach and inner thighs. She rested her head against his collarbone as he massaged her body. Once she was all rinsed off she returned the favor. After the water washed over him, Enzo placed both hands against the wall while trapping Y/N between his arms. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “How do you feel?” He asked genuinely, hoping she felt finally safe with him. “Like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be” She smiled.
Enzo felt reassured and walked Y/N to her bed where they laid together in a warm embrace. Y/N fell asleep quickly while Enzo just kept her close.
The following morning Enzo was still by her side and she looked up at him with a sweet smile. “Morning my love” He beamed. It was the first time he used the word love and Y/N’s heart fluttered. “Morning handsome” Y/N said into his chest.
Going to work after they became intimate went surprisingly well and with no hiccups. Nobody knew of their affair and even if they had been obvious around each other, Enzo would compel suspecting individuals to become oblivious.
***
Weeks had passed whilst Enzo and Y/N got to know each other more in their spare time. One night they sat on Y/N’s couch and drank some wine. “Damn, you’re so beautiful” Enzo said out of the blue. Y/N smiled, her eyes lighting up. “You’re quite dashing yourself” Y/N laughed. Enzo bit his lip as he stared at Y/N’s.
Instead of replying, he grabbed her face and kissed her aggressively. Taken aback, Y/N pulled away to catch her breath. Their faces found each other’s again and Y/N sat on Enzo’s lap. A low growl escaped his lips as Y/N slid up his crotch, the friction of their clothes rubbing against their privates making them both aroused.
“I’m desperate, please fuck me” Y/N moaned. This surprised Enzo but excited him at the same time. They both undressed and stared at each other whilst doing so, eager to feel the burning desire building deep inside them to become ignited. “Are you going to be good for me?” Enzo asked dominantly. “What if I want to be bad?” Y/N cooed seductively. Enzo laughed, not expecting that response. “I’ll only fuck you if you’re a good girl” He replied more confidently. “I want it to hurt” Y/N blurted out, surprised at her eagerness. It wasn’t like her to be so adventurous in bed but Enzo ignited a deep desire to be wild. Enzo was equally stunned at her sudden request. He was going to start softly and work his way to being rougher. He just didn’t want to literally hurt her.
First Enzo shoved his fingers inside her and moved around, starting his handiwork. Y/N started moaning loudly. “You’re gonna have to stay quiet if you want me to let you cum sweetheart” Y/N bit her lip instead of answering. He really wanted to shove her against the wall and fuck her senseless.
He couldn’t wait any longer so he took her in for a kiss as he guided her to the nearest wall. He pinned her arms above her head and pressed his body to hers. She could feel his dick pressing against her inner thigh and leaned forwards so she could rub against it. “I told you I was in charge babe” Enzo said as he pushed her off him an inch. Y/N groaned in response, all she wanted was for him to be inside her. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on every sensation he was giving her. He touched her core and hummed. “Gosh you’re so wet right now”
Enzo demanded that she turn around. She did as he asked and he parted her cheeks as he slid his cock inside her. She yelped out from the force of it but relaxed into him as he slid in and out or her wet center steadily. He pulled out so he could bring her to the kitchen counter. The cold marble sent shivers down Y/N’s spine as her back touched it. He resumed his previous position and continued pounding himself into Y/N’s core. He whispered in her ear “You’re all mine, moan for me baby”. Y/N happily let out her pent up frustrations, crying out in ecstasy.
“I’m about to cum baby, please let me” Y/N was in total euphoria. Enzo wanted to keep up his dominant persona but was just really into letting Y/N get what she wanted because he was so in love with her. “Let go for me” Y/N moaned several times as she came around him and clenched. Enzo groaned as he was reaching his own orgasm, the squeezing of her muscles sending him over the edge. They both panted from the intense fucking and fell limp in each other’s arms. Y/N started standing up but Enzo wasn’t having it.
“I’m not done with you yet” He said as he brought her close to him again. She didn’t know what he had in mind but awaited his next move. “Get down, now” Enzo ordered. Y/N’s doe eyes widened for a spit second as she obeyed. He used both hands to force her head to his member. “That feels so damn good Y/N” Enzo grunted as she took his whole length in her mouth. She gagged so he pulled out slightly. She then used her hands to pump him as he fucked her mouth. His own mouth hung open as he tilted his head back against the wall. He shook under her touch as she increased the speed. “I’m about to cum Y/N” Enzo gasped. Y/N edged him further as she wanted to hear his raspy voice curse out in pleasure. He grunted out repeatedly as he came in her mouth. His hot seed was falling down her throat as she swallowed. “You were so good babe, I’m still buzzing from that whole experience” He grinned.
Y/N took Enzo in for a passionate kiss and her tongue found his hungrily. When she pulled away, he grabbed her hand and placed his soft lips to them. “I love you”
She looked away for a moment which panicked Enzo. However when she turned back her eyes were watering. “Babe, are you okay?” Enzo asked worriedly. “Yes, it’s just that I love you too” She sniffed. Enzo’s heart felt full and he gave her an affectionate hug.
Y/N finally felt at home in Mystic Falls, but most importantly she found home with Enzo, her one true love. She smiled to herself as they fell asleep together, her dreams finally peaceful.
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kaiowut99 · 4 years ago
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Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episode 64 Subbed (Finalized)
Shou VS Kenzan! A Passionate Duel for Big Bro
(Check out my Subbed!GX Stream Masterpost!)
While Judai is away from home, Shou and Tyranno Kenzan argue about which of them is Judai’s “little bro,” prompting a duel between the two in which their passion towards their Big Bro is at stake.  First, Dark Tyranno--Kenzan’s boss Monster--lands a direct attack on Shou.  Then, Shou uses his Cyber Summon Blaster Permanent Trap to chip away at Kenzan’s Life in 300-point chunks.  He also completes a defensive combo with Ambulance Rescueroid and Decoyroid...
Here’s a newly-finalized episode 64! This episode’s interesting because of the whole Shou/Kenzan dynamic getting fleshed out a bit, with the two coming to some level of understanding with each other as Kenzan maturely opts to throw the duel after realizing how dedicated and close Shou is to Judai.  We’ll get a bit more from them later, but it is nice that we close that out here.  Also, Fubuki’s being Fubuki much to Asuka’s chagrin, making us wonder how this season would pan out if he was still possessed, and we see a shirtless Judai in... Pharaoh-branded boxers that I’m surprised aren’t a real thing yet.
Now, in terms of footage fixes... I guess after two episodes of not having much to fix, 64 had quite a few to work with; I worked on 10 edits altogether, all card-related, and I’d originally picked out five I thought would be it before I backtracked for the others I’d noticed.  The animators didn’t play all their cards right here, lol.  List below the cut, as usual.  (For the ending Today’s Best Card segment, I also added a line in the card details for Ambulance Rescueroid’s Fusion Materials that the original didn’t include just to keep consistency; this line is used for future Fusion Monster showcases, so it looks like they might’ve just forgotten it in this one.)
Enjoy, folks! With this done, next time we’re revisiting a classic: Hell Kaiser Ryou’s debut episode~ I’ve been looking forward to this, and it should be fun to revisit.  Should have episode 65 done in 2-3 weeks, maybe sooner if ‘rona jab #2 doesn’t hit me too rough this Friday 4/30--fingers crossed!
Fixes!
As Shou tells Kenzan about his Tag Duel with Judai, Kenzan yells out of jealousy, and as he does so, we see the bottom of his deck on his Disk; in the first three frames it appears it’s a yellow rectangle, while it becomes a Fusion card after that.  So, I just applied my Fusion card proxy over the yellow rectangle, then masked the bottom of the Deck Holder and Kenzan’s hand over it, all in AfterEffects.
As Shou’s Submarineroid lands a direct attack on Kenzan, during the zoom-out of the impact, we see Shou’s Disk, which only has Submarineroid on it in his Disk’s second Monster Zone--problem is, he’s had Ambulanceroid in Defense Mode on Monster Zone #4 for a while.  So, I made an Ambulanceroid proxy in Photoshop to slap onto his Disk, then resized/moved it accordingly as the screen shook from the attack’s impact in AfterEffects.
After Kenzan takes damage from Submarineroid’s attack, Shou tells him that it switches to Defense Mode after--but while Ambulanceroid is now back on his Disk, it’s in Attack Mode.  To fix this, I just had to place my Ambulanceroid proxy in Defense Mode over the original card in AfterEffects for the four frames it’s visible in.
Immediately after #3, Shou sets three cards face-down to end his turn, but Ambulanceroid’s missing from his Disk again! I first placed my proxy in his fourth Monster Zone again in AfterEffects for one frame, then went into Sony Vegas, where I keyframed that one frame across 33 total frames to redo the slow zoom-out that happens, making sure the card and zone were properly placed.
Later, Kenzan uses Dyna Stamp to stamp out Shou’s Wonder Garage Trap, but he uses it to summon Drillroid; as he activates Cyber Summon Blaster’s effect accordingly, Drillroid’s missing on his Disk! Maybe they didn’t put it on because Drillroid’s about to get destroyed by Dark Tyranno anyway, but I figured it actually should be there--so I made a Drillroid proxy and then put it in his second Monster Zone in AfterEffects, moving it along as Shou moves his Disk.  Then, since I was there anyway, I did the same with Ambulanceroid, which was on Shou’s Disk as an orange rectangle, and placed the proxy above it. (The dub opted not to do this, but points to them for having Syrus use “Special Summon” explaining Wonder Garage--shame I have to take one for having him say “Special-Summon it to my hand” 🤦🏽‍♂️)
As Kenzan sacrifices Dark Tyranno to activate Revised Ultra Evolution Pill, Dark Tyranno is still on his Disk despite being taken off the field.  So, I opened Photoshop and blanked that Monster Zone.
As Kenzan thinks about using his last face-down card before Asuka calls out to a weakened sleep-deprived Shou to interrupt his thoughts, we see Shou stumbling a bit.  But on his Disk there, Decoyroid and Ambulanceroid have switched places; while Rescueroid’s correctly in Zone 3, Decoyroid’s in Monster Zone #4 when it should be in #2, and Ambulanceroid should be back in Zone #4 but it’s in Zone #2.  I made a Decoyroid proxy in Photoshop, then applied it and my Ambulanceroid proxy in AfterEffects to put them in their right spots, then moved/resized the cards accordingly as they moved with Shou and his Disk.  71 total frames here, and actually the first time I fully did one of these edits with AfterEffects, iirc; usually for a moving shot, I’d do a couple frames that I’d then keyframe/manipulate in Sony Vegas, lol--think it came out well!
A repeat of #7 happens as Ultimate Tyranno charges at Shou, Kenzan asking Shou if he’s mocking Judai by saying that dueling and being healthy are all he has going for him (which, where’s the lie)--luckily the simplest to fix, since Shou doesn’t move, so I just needed to slap the proxies on in the right spots.
As Shou talks about how Judai, despite being helpless at anything not dueling or being healthy, is working hard to get back to them, Decoyroid and Ambulanceroid are back in their spots--but they’re now reversed on his Disk, as their Defense-Mode cards should be turned such that the name and Attribute boxes point downward.  I had to first make a Rescueroid proxy to join the other two here, then I placed them properly one by one on his Disk in AfterEffects for the 40 frames they’re visible in.
As Kenzan decides to throw the duel and Shou realizes he won, he has Ambulance Rescueroid on his Disk where Ambulanceroid should be--it’s been a while since he de-fused it, after all.  I placed the Ambulanceroid proxy on for a few frames in AfterEffects, then keyframed/zoomed the frame after Shou stopped moving in Sony Vegas to redo the zoom for the last 15 frames it’s visible in.
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whirlybirbs · 5 years ago
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;   ---   SHATTERED HILT   /   01
summary: ru’kali survives order 66. cal kestis does, too. while cal spends his days on bracca, stripping starships for parts, ru spends her days earning her protection from the empire in the fighting pits on ordo eris; both do what it takes to survive. but, when a wayward quest and a plethora of owed debts lead cal kestis straight back to his fellow padawan -- a once shy girl turned raging fire -- the pit fighter is left with a choice: leave, or spend the rest of her life a pawn in a game much bigger than her. pairing: cal kestis / original female character, ru’kali lof word count: 2k a/n: i cannot remember the last time i wrote something that wasn’t a reader-insert, and i’m not sure how this will do -- feedback is genuinely appreciated on this, since i know i’m mostly a reader writer! everyone loved ru from her intro to my clone trooper squad, which you can read here! 
Ru’kali Lof startles awake to the sound of three loud, rough bangs on the door to her quarters. 
She wonders bitterly, as she blinks up at the ceiling, if she can just ignore the sound. With any luck, they’ll leave her alone and Ru can go back to bed --
Then, the knocks come again. Louder and faster. 
“Rise ‘n’ shine, sweetheart!”
Ru snarls.
Beneath the durasteel door, she can see the long shadow of someone shifting back and forth in their boots -- immediately, the Mirialan, as she stands and throws herself to the door, knows it’s Atticus. The sheer bombastic chaos that follows the bounty hunter swims through the force to greet her before she even opens the door.
When she does, he’s got an arm on the doorframe and he’s leering. 
Atticus Rex isn’t much to look at, nor is he kind nor smart, but he’s muscle -- his head is shaved in a tight buzz, littered with scars, and his muzzled grin is picked clean with a toothpick that hangs from his lips. 
He smells like day-old ale and sweat.
“Where y’ been, Ru?”
It leaks out of him like a jab. She has to restrain the snarl that threatens to leap across her face. Her attitude is sharp and wants to go straight for the Haxion Brood Lieutenant’s throat. 
“Asleep,” she bites, crossing her arms and cocking a hip as she goes to hit the switch and shut the door, “Do you mind?”
Atticus snorts, hand planted on the frame and forcing the door to stay open. 
Ru leans back, peering into her room, to eye the chronometer hanging on the wall. The digits read 1038 -- it’s late, and she’d finally fallen asleep after she’d managed to quiet down the usual roaring river in her mind. Not an easy task. 
"Get dressed,” the Bounty Hunter chirps, “S’ fight night, sunshine.”
--
Fight nights were common.
But, fight nights were Ru fought? Those were rare -- and though she’s sure Sorc Tormo would put her in the ring every night if he could, she’s also aware that to the Umbaran crime-lord she’s an asset. A big asset. A big, money-making asset that draws a big crowd and big bets.
Huge bets.
(The exact kind of bets that got Greez Dritus into this mess in the first place, and by proxy his new-found friend.)
Ordo Eris, on fight nights, becomes more like a city than the cold, lonely, terrible astroid colony it really is. The space station fills with scoundrels and thugs from all across the galaxy who traverse the rocky space around the arena’s hub to get a spot around the ring -- Ru eyes the growing crowd, nearly every attendee with credits in hand, as the lift carries her upwards to the top level of the arena’s loge.
Beside her Atticus flicks the smoldering bud of his deathstick down the shaft.
Speaking of Sorc Tormo, the sleaze ball greets Ru’kali with wide open arms and a devious grin. 
“Ah! My prized warrior princess!”
Ru cross her arms and swaggers forward -- the small rope of lucky beads tied to her sash tinkers as she does, knocking against the chromium smelted hilt of one of her two sabers. One is hers from when she was a Padawan. The other is a recent build and it’s temperamental. Using a stolen, mined kyber crystal is to blame, no doubt.
Master Yoda was right -- the crystals are supposed to pick the Jedi. 
Atticus meanders along behind you. Skulking as per usual.
Ru looks out past the arena to the screens bolted up along the pit. Pale blue eyes narrow tightly, the deep scar over her right eye warping slightly as she does. The broadcast is in the lower levels. Some idiot running around on the walls. Plugging wires in. 
A show, for sure.
Ru raise a brow.
“What’s all this about?” she asks, turning to eye Sorc Tormo.
The Umbaran man is eccentric, to say the least. His facial hair runs right down his chin in one fine line, green in color. That same green, punchy and vomit-reminiscent, echoes in his Canto Bight-esque outfit. Large, pompous sleeves and pants that are three sizes too tight. All green. 
He looks like seventy kliks of bad road, honestly. 
Hell, everyone on Ordo Eris does. 
Ru’kali is no exception -- she’s rougher than she was when she first arrived here. Littered in scars and bitter. The years of pit fighting have settled in her stance and though she’s athletic, she’s a rogue brawler with enough crackling, dangerous rage to power an entire Star Destroyer.
Fighting takes the edge off. Makes her feel less afraid. 
“Well,” the lone, pale fingers of the Umbaran curl around Ru’kali’s pale pink shoulders, nails drumming against the diamond shaped markings there, “I am glad you asked, my dear. We have a special contender for you --”
“Cut to the chase, Tormo.”
The egg shaped head of the Umbaran rolls as he steps away, waving off Ru’s evident irritation; the crime-lord gestures to the screen. “He’s friends with someone who owes me a lotta money. He was carrying this around --”
His fingers snap twice.
“Atticus --”
Ru’kali was not expecting Atticus Rex to procure, from the back of his belt, a lightsaber.
And she certainly wasn’t expecting him to hand it to Tormo and for the Umbaran to ignite it, presenting a glimmering yellow blade. 
The Mirialan’s face falls -- anger bubbles up there, warping the navy tattooed features of her face as she steps forward and yanks the hilt from the hands of the crime-lord.
Her lips twitches.
“What?” she sneers vengefully, “Did he pull this from a corpse, then?”
She has seen another Jedi’s saber three times now in this station. Once on the belt of a traveler who’d laughed in her face and waved the blue thing around, proudly proclaiming they’d bought it off clone trooper for drinking money. The second time, on a bounty hunter -- he’d murdered a Jedi Knight for Imperial credits, kept the blade though. The third, was now. 
Ru could only assume the weapon to be another stolen relic, a ground-in-the-dirt memory of her life before Ordo Eris. This contender probably had no idea how to use it, let alone the life this saber had before now.
A laxidasical wave. “Maybe. Don’t care. But! My sweet, sweet, Jedi -- I want you to kill him. Seeing two saber swordsmen dueling... Goodness, me oh my, that will certainly bring in the money, won’t it, Atticus?”
“Sure will.”
And it does.
--
Cal Kestis is having a pretty shit day.
Not that he’d ever say so -- no, because, sure, it might be terrible and he might be navigating some wild underground dungeon maze, but Cal has BD-1 back on his shoulder and that’s all that matters. 
He’s got a mission, he’s got BD-1, and despite being a little sore, he’s good. All good. Everything’s good. Totally good. 
As he rides the lift to the upper levels of this... place... Cal wonders if he’s gonna eat that sentiment.
The first thing he hears is the chants -- raucous roars of a large crowd. Before him lays a large square space, illuminated by stark spotlights and swarmed with drone droids, each with blinking red lights on their helms to show their recording status. 
It becomes abundantly clear to Cal that he’s suddenly in the spotlight. And, that the itching feeling that he was being watched was correct. 
The redheaded Jedi steps out from under the bay, suddenly exposed to the bright light of the arena. 
Around him on the upper decks are hundreds of people, all clamoring to get a view of him -- the large screens on the sides of the loge show him squinting, raising a hand and grimacing into the light. 
BD-1 gives a worried boowoop. 
“I got a bad feeling about this too, lil’ buddy.”
Suddenly, a holo-projection fizzles in before Cal -- large and tall and to the excitement of the crowd. The man’s appearance is met with a rise in cheers, rolling off the voices of the spectators with thirst for action. 
Sorc Tormo laughs.
“Ah, finally he arrives!” 
The projection waves wildly, spinning about, and Cal watches carefully as this eccentric ego-maniac waves his hand with a grandiose flourishes as he speaks. 
“We had action on how long it would take for you to get here!”
Yeah, well, BD-1 was kinda his priority.
Irritation bites at Cal’s features. The Jedi scowls. His stance is tense.
“And who are you?” Cal calls out, voice rising over the roar of the crowd.
“Ha ha ha! Who am I? I’m Sorc Tormo, baby! I’m the boss of this operation!”
The crowd goes wild at that, whoops and hollers serenading the arena to the tune of the crimelord’s name. A television drone swoops close to Cal’s head and the Jedi side-steps it with a disgusted look on his face. 
“Right,” Cal snarks, “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“Maybe not you, but to your friend Greezy Four-arms it does! You’ve got him to thank for gettin’ you into this pickle!”
Of course. 
Cere had made a comment off-hand about the pilot’s penchant for gambling -- not that Cal was any stranger to the concept. Back on Bracca, Prauf had muscled Cal into tagging along to a few card games here and there. And though the redhead never partook in wagering his entire week’s pay on precious metals, Prauf had once or twice. On those nights that Prauf lost -- because he always lost -- there was nothing that could lift the Abednedo’s mood. 
Not even a signature Cal Kestis smile 'n’ pat on the back. 
Cal could use one of those right about now. 
“Yeah, well, once I’m finished with you, I will thank Greez,” it comes out just as cocky as it feels -- and maybe Cal shouldn’t had tried the attitude. 
Either way, when this Sorc Tormo guy laughs and waves his hand, proclaiming, “No, no, my friend, you won’t be fighting me...”
Suddenly, the air becomes electric.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the crime-lord turns on a heel, gesturing to the crowd with the all the practiced cool of an entertainer, “Our lovely little guest will be going head to head with our favorite...”
There’s a crescendo of excitement. Cal notices an uptick on the counter on the broadcast screens -- he realize, quickly, that they’re bets and currently, someone named Fropolo’f is betting the most money against him. Real confidence booster that is. 
“Someone get baby his toy! He’s gonna need it!”
His lightsaber is launched from the loge, and the Jedi catches it quickly, igniting it on instinct as his skin crawls in anticipation. The redhead looks around, eyes cast on the crowds of smugglers and thugs lining the balcony.
The wide angle shot of fear on his face is painted across the rumbling arena’s screens.
Before Cal can bite in a retort, the echo of boots on durasteel begins -- coordinated and rhythmic. Boom... boom... boom... boom, boom, boom.
“You know her well -- a pure whirlwind of rage! She’s pink, she’s tatted, she’s daaaaaaaangerous!” 
Boom-boom-boom. Boom-boom-boom.
BD makes a nervous boo-weeeeeeeep as the pace picks up. Cal swallows, gloved fist tightening nervously around the hilt of his glowing, golden blade. Green eyes dart around the square expanse of the arena, trying to get a gauge on where this opponent might appear from --
“Give it up for our girl...”
Boomboomboom, boomboomboom. 
“RUUUUUUUU’KALLLLI!”
The roar is deafening. 
Suddenly, the paneling in the floor separates, and from it emerges --
“...Ru?”
Ru’kali Lof is suddenly staring face-to-face with a ghost.
Her stance, wide-set with double blades humming in a hot white, seems to crack when she finally sees the face of her opponent.
She’s a handful of meters away but she’d know that flash of red hair anywhere.
Cal Kestis.
Cal fucking Kestis.
Oh, this is bad. 
This is really bad. 
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maswartz · 4 years ago
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In honor of MAR10 my idea for a Mario fan game
Trust me, I would make this myself if I could but I have no skills so could someone please make this real. Super Mario World Elemental Quest If you want to make this all I ask for is credit for the ideas Play as either Mario or Luigi NO KAIZO TRICKS NO INVISIBLE BLOCKS Air, Earth, Fire, Metal, Water, Wood 6 paths 1 per element Map is giant snowflake like shape Each path has unique enemies, Yoshi, Power Ups, music, etc 2 bonuses Both unlocked after first path is finished Power Up Bank Air • Flying Yoshi • Cape or Wing Cap (if possible) • Flying Enemies LEVELS A-1 Nimbus Valley A-2 Tornado Canyon A-3 Whirlwind Wayside A-4 Flying Foes A-5 Boss BOSS Terror Tornado Tornado with two smaller twisters for arms. Has eyes and mouth Mouth will periodically suck player in and launch them far Battle takes place in large field Player must throw blocks knocked loose by the winds into the mouth 5 times to win Earth • Ground Pound Yoshi • Stone ball suit (if possible) • Thomps, etc LEVELS E-1 Quaking Caves E-2 Geo Gauntlet E-3 Terra Tunnel E-4 Mountain Mayhem E-5 Boss BOSS Thompus Made up of tons of thomps and thomp like things Small thomps for limbs Bigger thomps for body Giant Thomp for head Stomp head 3 times Fire • Fire Spitting Yoshi • Fire Flowers • Piranha Plants, Lava, etc LEVELS F-1 Vile Volcano F-2 Flame Field F-3 Eternal Inferno F-4 Hot Foot F-5 Boss BOSS Giant Piranha Plant Battle takes place in Pipe room Shoots fireballs at Player Player must dodge fireballs and lead them into a pipe to shoot them back at boss few time Metal • Bullet Bill shooting Yoshi (if possible) • Hammer Bro suit/ Metal Cap (if possible) • Bullet Bills, Hammer Bros, etc LEVELS M-1 Forging Foundry M-2 Steel System (factory) M-3 Storm the Fort M-4 Heavy Metal M-5 Boss BOSS Weapon William Metal humanoid with bullet Bill and bazooka launchers Player must throw bullet bills back into his main gun to win Water • Water spitting Yoshi • Frog Suit with Yoshi tongue as weapon (if possible) • Fish, sharks, etc Wa-1 Wart’s Waterfall (Wart Cameo) Wa-2 Aqua Adventure Wa-3 Shark Tooth Pass Wa-4 H2 Oh No (or) Rampaging Riptide Wa-5 Boss BOSS Giant Bloop (ala Super Paper Mario) Attacks with tentacles and ink Attack eye 3 times to win Wood • Seed Spitting Yoshi (SMW 2) (if possible) • Super Leaf • Woodland creatures Wo-1 Fiendish Forrest Wo-2 Under the Trees Wo-3 Nature’s Might Wo-4 Cute, Fluffy, Deadly Wo-5 Boss BOSS Giant Wiggler Beat in the normal way BONUSES Lightning Tower Lightning themed Tower Player must climb to the top Lightning themed enemies BOSS Angry Cloud Shoots lightning When the lightning knocks blocks loose throw them back Spirit Grave Spiritual tomb Player must descend to the bottom Undead themed enemies BOSS Undead Nightmare Beast made up of bones of fallen foes from the past Throw bones back at heart BOSS part 2 Restless Spirit Spirit rises from the bones to get final revenge Cannot attack Only way to beat is to trick into the light by breaking blocks covering holes Every time the light hits the spirit it burns more and more away When both bonus stages are complete player unlocks Power Up Bank Power Up Bank- When a player gets a item they already have in the storage at the top of the screen or in use it gets sent here for them to “withdraw” whenever they want. FINAL STAGE Bowsers Castle Castle is split into 4 levels First 3 are duel element themed CASTLE STAGE 1 Fire and Water Lava and waves flow Fire and water themed enemies BOSS Duel Dragon Two headed dragon One head shoots fire Other shoots Ice breath Each head is weak to the other Turn heads against each other and strike CASTLE STAGE 2 Air and Earth Twisters and rocks attack Air and earth themed enemies BOSS Boulder Lakitu Battle takes place on an incline (skate ramp like) Boss throws boulders at Player Player must dodge and let them hit the boss to be victorious CASTLE STAGE 3 Metal and Wood Technology and nature strike Metal and wood themed enemies BOSS Steampunk wooden robot Attacks with wooden mallet Stomp on head to beat BOWSER 1 Regular Bowser battle Try not to die BOWSER 2 Bowser calls upon the power of the elements and grows to huge size Player must avoid some attacks until… BOWSER 3 Player with their unending courage, mighty strength and pure heart unlocks a hidden Mega Mushroom Battle Bowser at his size! TAKE HIM DOWN! Please do not steal this
Someone with skills PLEASE make this real somehow.
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zwiezraczek · 5 years ago
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Criminal - Chapter 8
Billy (viliain) x Female reader (cop)
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Prologue/Chapter 1 - CHAPTER 2 - CHAPTER 3 - CHAPTER 4 - CHAPTER 5 - CHAPTER 6 -  CHAPTER 7 - CHAPTER 8:  And even I know this ain't smart - CHAPTER 9
SUMMARY: You always wanted to become a police officer. And you became one of them, brilliantly and they offered you your first case. “The Ghosts” case. The case of fleeting people and one sneaky bastard parkouring around the town to annoy you. You swore to yourself to catch him them. 
WORDS: 1.9k
NOTE: An we’re back on a Friday schedule, yay! A strange week, abut here we are with a week-end and another week which will hopefully be a good one! I hope you’ll like this update!!! 💕
TAGLIST: @onceuponadetectivedemigod​ @natsficrecs​ @suckerfor-fanfics​(leave a comment to be a part of it!) PERMANENT TAGLIST @suckerfor-fanfics​ (leave a comment to be a part of it!)
“Y/n? Y/n, you're here with us?” Jake's voice asked you as you snapped in again
It was the third time today. The third time that somebody had caught you thinking about something, something you couldn't share, so you told them it was about the case, your Ghosts case. And in a way, you weren't lying. You were thinking about Billy and his letters, Billy and his humor, Bill and the memory of his blue eyes, Billy and his blonde locks, Billy. At this point, you knew it had become an obsession to wait impatiently for your mail a week after you left the letter in the dumpster he indicated you – he hated when you called it the dumpster, he crossed the word a few times while replying to you and telling you that it wasn't a dumpster. But, it was a professional obsession, right?
It had totally helped you to sort things out, it had cleared your mind and your view on all the had done since you followed them. They had done many good, via very strange ways and methods but in the end their purposes seemed to be worthy. Not worthy killing so many, acting as outlaws and being hidden forever. You told Billy that you thought that their means were a bit harsh, but he told you that he wasn't the brain of these operations, only a pawn, a useful one but still a pawn. And he was certain that there was no other way of action, only being illegal allowed them to quickly dismantle all these dangerous groups. It was a risk that they had to take, as criminals.
A risk you surely wanted to avoid, by working with them.
“She's not here apparently,” said Gina as she put a hand on your shoulder. You absolutely zoned out again. Thinking about the case, and him.
“I'm here, I'm here,” you finally said with a smile on your face, “still working on my case but still here with you.”
“Apparently not with us, because you're not saying a word about your case lately,” Jake remarked and you bit your thumb. Damnit.
“I'm digging deeper into some things, with a new perspective, you know...”
“New perspective? Tell me more,” Gina said as she put her elbows on your desk.
“Well. The Ghosts are always striking at strategic points, their actions are always linked to a bigger picture it seems. All that we see are disconnected events, shootings, kidnappings, gang wars, but at the end there is always something big falling. Always, systematically. Just like in Russia the last time. We're not seeing the things as big as we should. We're always missing the final piece.”
“What do you mean,” you looked up at Jake who seemed a bit lost.
“They're doing basically our job, but without any morals and without any political limitation.”
“No shit way,” Gina whispered.
“You're joking y/n.”
“Not at all,” you said showing them a file in your computer filled with missions they had done in the past, “ look here. If we align their actions from the last few years, we have corresponding dismantling of some mafias in the country and even abroad. Their actions are linked in that way, they're not striking just to strike in a place, but it's all planned even more than we thought it was.”
“Damnit, y/n,” Gina whispered with her eyes still looking at the screen, “you're having something here. It's huge, the boss should know about it! You should tell him in order to make all the things work out again!”
“He's still pissed about the last mission I organized, you know,” you sighed. It wasn't your proudest moment, you had to admit. But, thanks to that moment you met Billy again... Focus, focus y/n. “And besides, he won't believe me. He'll tell me it's a happy coincidence, as everything I found on them so well... I'll keep working on that alone.”
“You can count on us, right Jake,” Gina asked as she looked up at Jake who nodded. “We're working together for years, I mean, at least in the same department, so if you need a hand just hit us up y/n!”
“That's lovely, thank you Gina,” you replied with a smile.
If they were about to work with you, you were screwed. Absolutely screwed. And knowing Gina, she would be there for you, obviously.
~~~~
The day you knew you screwed things up was when you had a day off and your mail came to the station.
But the worst part of your day off was that you spent it with Billy. Discussing. In a coffee shop. About things and others. You told him about your day off in the previous letters, and he decided that it would be a great opportunity to catch up together, as two normal individuals. And you didn't refuse trying to convince yourself that it was all because of the case, not because you found his jokes funny when he wrote them or when you slowly understood what they were doing, and mostly what he was doing to you and your poor heart. Your cat noticed it too.
When you saw him sitting with a cup of coffee in front of him your heart almost missed a beat. He wasn't wearing his signature hoodie, but a bomber golden jacket as he listened to some music and drummed with his fingers on the table, with his eyes closed. You truly thought about going back home, but he opened his eyes and waved at you. Shit. Breathe in, breathe out and smile.
You sat on the opposite side, looking at him as you took off your jacket. He was strangely silent. You were too. For a split second, you thought it was a trap and looked all around you, a bit nervously. You had your gun with you.
“I'm not trying to kidnap you, relax,” he said with a smirk, “keep that gun in your bag and I'm keeping mine in my pocket.”
“We said no guns today, what about our sight-duel,” you playfully asked.
“We both cheated because we don't trust each other enough, nemesises,” he concluded before sipping some coffee from his cup.
“Yeah, nemesises,” you repeated looking at him for a longer moment than intended before a man came to take your order.
“So, what's up? How's the whole investigation and the case?”
“Yes, I feel good too, nice of you to ask,” you replied as you rolled your eyes and smirked.
“How are you? Have you eaten today? Drank? Took care of yourself?” He asked you as he fluttered his eyelashes. You looked right into his green pearly eyes. Oh shit.
“I'm good, I haven't eaten yet, but I'll be drinking coffee right now, with the guy I should jail, so it's like fine I guess. And you? A casual day off, Billy?”
“I'm enjoying my time with the woman who wasn't first keen on bondage but now,” he started and you sighed knowingly.
“This joke has to stop, I can't do this anymore,” you complained as the waiter put the coffee right in front of you.
“You never tried,” he insisted and you gave him almost a death glare and he began to laugh, “fine, I'll try to stop with the whole bondage thing, but that's one of my best jokes so for so I was sticking to it!”
“I'm sure you can do way better, cocky Four,” you said before sipping some coffee from your cup.
“Yeah, always for such an ungrateful cop as you are. Sure.”
You chuckled, and then you talked. Probably more than intended. He was a funny guy, with beautiful hair and mesmerizing eyes. He was probably too nice to be true, and too nice to be genuine. However, you could tell he was.
But the real problem began when Gina found your mail and couldn't keep her hands to herself when she saw that the letter was from an unknown somebody from the city. And when she opened it, she knew she had to talk to you about it, immediately. So when you came to the station, all happy and sunny she was waiting for you, sitting at your desk with the letter open. And you smelt the rat. A big rat.
“How was your day off,” she asked you with a too wide smile.
“Nice... I guess... Why...?”
“Because you have some mail from Billy, he says that you're a funny cute cop, and that the Ghosts are planning new things. And oh, what the fuck with bondage?” For God's sake, not the bondage.
“Gina, follow me please, I can explain everything...”
“You sure have to, or I'm taking all of this to the boss,” she whispered as she got up.
You had to convince her that all of this, including the personal letter, was a trap set to catch them. That Billy never meant anything to you, that he wasn't even your friend. And these words hurt, especially after the afternoon you shared the previous day, talking about everything and anything and mostly not about the case.
He was just a lost guy who had it rough and who found his way now, by doing what he believed was right. You had it rough too, and wanted to make this world a better place. You were too similar to not get along well. And this was because of that that it did hurt so much to tell that to Gina. That he was only a pawn, you told him so many times that he shouldn't see himself like this yesterday and that he should believe in himself because he would rock this world. And somehow, you had appeased Gina, who had already told Jake about it. And you just hoped that this would end right there.
~~~~
“Our traitor's back online,” One greeted Four as he connected himself to their chatroom.
“Traitor,” Four repeated as he adjusted his headphones.
“Man, you're really trying to fuck our cover up,” Seven asked and Four began to sweat in his little crappy room.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The 'cute cop' date thing,” Two quoted and Four closed his eyes. He was probably screwed.
He knew that doing this for months wasn't the best idea, and he probably should have told the squad that you were there, in his house, and that he met you yesterday but no, it was his little secret mission. And even more.
“Oh, you mean my solo mission,” he asked carelessly. “I'm trying to save our asses here, no biggie...”
“No biggie,” One repeated sarcastically. “No biggie? Somebody heard your conversation in the coffee shop Four, you're trying to give us away? What's your fucking plan? You want us to kill you? Tell us!”
“Jesus, I'm fucking having it under control,” Four exclaimed. ��She's wrapped around my finger, I'm basically trying to have a cop on our side so we won't be bothered!”
“And yeah, no other than the fucking girl, the cute cop leading our fucking case! Genius!”
“One, stay calm,” Two said in a plain tone. “We have to do something before they do.”
“They won't do anything,” Four interrupted her.
“Because of what? You being her boyfriend? Grow up Four, we're not in a fairytale.”
For a moment, he wished he was.
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lils420 · 5 years ago
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A lil something for the kids - Part 7
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader
Summary: Y/n settles in in Wakanda. A few weeks have passed since Part 6
https://lils420.tumblr.com/post/617217077016756224/a-lil-something-for-the-kids-part-6-pairing
Warnings: Swearing, mention of Torture, a lot of hospital stuff.
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The next few weeks, y/n followed a strict routine. It ranged from combat training to doctor’s examinations to hours and hours of what Shuri called ‘Fire Feast’; those sessions where y/n was using her power, again and again, until she would final control it. Sometimes, T’Challa came to these sessions, not to talk, but to observe. But apart from him and Shuri, y/n lived secluded. She didn’t mind that much, after all she had been alone for far longer than that before, but she did mind not being able to leave the tower. Every morning, y/n would wake up just before sunrise to watch it. It was by far one of the prettiest sights in Wakanda, and she regretted not being able to breathe it in. At night time, similarly, y/n watched the sunsets, whenever she could from there training room, as it had the biggest windows. It was spacey in general and y/n liked being in there. Apart from a range of weapons which were hung up on the wall, it also housed the other foreigner, the popsicle. Although he was put into something that looked like a fridge, and had multiple medical cords attached to his head and breast, he looked peaceful, sleeping the days away. Once or twice a day, a medic would come to refill some of the tubes, check his vitals and attend whatever needed attending to. The visits had increased the past few days and y/n wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad sign. Apart from that, she knew little about the man. His name was James Buchanan Barnes, or so it said on the fridge, and he looked about thirty, maybe thirty five. Sometimes, when y/n felt particularly lonely or sad, she would sit next to his fridge and tell him about her worries. Of course she knew he couldn’t hear her, but afterwards she always felt better. But usually, she went about her day ignoring him, and sometimes, she forgot he was there, until one of the medics would kick her out of the room to attend to him.
It was the beginning of July when things started to change. As y/n wasn’t allowed upstairs, she gathered little of what was going on, but one day, when Shuri came down to examine her and she looked particularly stressed, y/n decided to ask.
“Shuri? What is going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“Up there. With you and king T’Challa and... I don’t know. But your vibe is off.”
Shuri playfully hit her with a few sheets of paper. “At least I have a vibe.”
“I’d have one too if I was a princess.”
“I’d hAvE oNE tOo iF i waS a pRinCeSs”, Shuri sticked a few more white stickers on y/n hand, “No you wouldn’t. But regarding your question, T’Challa was crowned king a few days back.”
“I thought he was already king.”
“He needed to go through a ritual first. And everything was fine, until we heard of this one guy we’ve been trying to catch for a while, but after we caught him, he escaped and this morning a dude shows up, says his name is Killmonger and claims his Wakandan. Anyway, he brought with him the dude that escaped us and claimed he was rightful air to the throne.”
“That’s fucked up.”
Shuri pulled down her screen to read y/n’s vitals. “That’s not even the fucked up bit. He challenged my brother for the throne and this stupid ass accepted.”
Although Shuri said it lightly, y/n could hear her concern. Unable to think of something reassuring to say, y/n said the first thing she could think of. “Killmonger is a stupid ass name. At least T’Challa sounds normal.”
Shuri chuckled softly. “Yeah, fuck this dude. Also, you’re fine, everything is normal, no abnormalities.” She sighed. “Seriously, if you don’t give me something to work with soon, I might stop visiting you.”
Y/n frowned. “But, but I’d miss you”, she complained jokingly, elongating the u until Shuri smacked her with the papers again. “Yeah, well I wouldn’t miss you.” Now it was y/n’s turn to hit her friend, multiple times. Both were laughing until Shuri gasped for air. “Fine, maybe I can find a few minutes in my busy busy schedule for you tomorrow.” In that moment, a medic came in. Y/n was going to get up and leave, as usual, but she too was stringed up. Luckily, Shuri was with her. Apparently, the medic didn't feel half as comfortable bossing her around, as she did with y/n. Her work was barely noticeable, so Shuri and y/n continued with the check up. “Small flame”, Shuri commanded and y/n produced a small flame in her hand. “Blue flame”, once more y/n delivered. It went like that for a few minutes until the medic approached Shuri. “My princess”, she said in a deep voice, “Could you please look at this.” She held out her paper, but it was turned away, so y/n couldn’t see what was on it. Shuri studied it with a grim look on her face. “Oh, this had just been missing”, she sighed, “How long do we have?”
“We are not sure. Probably a few more months, maybe two. If we’re lucky, half a year.”
“Can we not refreeze him?”
“Not until he has woken up completely.”
Shuri sighed once more. “Fine. We will wait.” After the medic had left the room, y/n looked at the princess in confusion. “What happened?”
“The Winter Soldier. He is waking up.”
Y/n gathered that the Winter Soldier referred to James Buchanan Barnes, the frozen man. “And why is that such a problem?”
“It’s not under normal circumstances. But when he wakes up he will be delusional. He might have a short episode, an incident like the one you had, before remembering who he is. Nothing we’re not prepared for, but it takes time, and, at the moment, I wanted to concentrate on T’Challa.”
“What do you mean ‘an episode’?”
“You see, before he came here, he had been tortured for years to become this super soldier. In that state, he has killed many people, hurt even more. Stark’s parents were under his victims. We put him on ice to help him, to fix his mind, but we aren’t ready yet, so if he wakes up in the next few weeks, he’ll need time to readjust.”
Y/n felt her jaw drop. “What the fuck?”, she whispered, “This is a plot twist I was not expecting.”
Shuri laughed. “Oh Fire girl. You are so incredibly dumb. And I am so incredibly smart, which is why I must go now. My brother’s duel is about to start and he needs my brilliance.”
“Hope he doesn’t need to be humble to win. Because that you couldn’t offer”, y/n snickered, “But good luck! I am sure he’ll smash it!”
Shuri’s face turned serious. “God, I hope so too”, she mumbled, before leaving the room.
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Speaking of Cards, Hamefura Yu-Gi-Oh AU
So, here's the deal: Back in the Days, Konami (Cursed be their name), actually DID, for real, make a Harem/Otome based Yu-Gi-Oh game, in the Form of the Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force series, each set in a different Yu-Gi-Oh series.
So, all we need to do, is adapt that into thr context of Hamefura.
So, we have 3 strata of AU here:
1) First Strata, Yu-Gi-Oh: Fortune Lover, the Anime Series. Geordo is the Main Character (Warrior based Deck), Alan the Main Rival (Sea Serpent based Deck), Mary the Female Character treated awfuly by the Plot (Plant based Deck), Sophia doesn't duel, Nicol is the Best Friend (Winged Beasts based deck), Keith is the Rival Turned Friend (Rock Based deck). Sirius Dieke (Demon Based Deck, specifically Archfiends) is the main villain of the series but is actually being, like, controlled from the shadows by a bigger villain from next season, and gets redeemed by the power of friendship in the end.
(This is using a Duel Academy setting ALA GX, we could almost pinpoint it as a future sequel to that too).
In the Anime, Katarina isn't even a rival or a villain, she's the joke villain, the clingy female character with a subpar deck that shows up to annoy watchers and the main characters with her antics. She is ridiculed, disgraced, traumatized and mocked by the narrative and the plot, with a awful personality to boot.
2) Second Strata, Yu-Gi-Oh: Tag Force 7: Fortune Lover. For the first time in any Tag Force Game, you can FINALLY make a female character. Your OC, whose default female name is Maria Campbell, is like in any other Tag Force Game introduced in the middle of the series, there to choose a tag team partner, raise hearts with them as you follow their route and then finish said route after it reaches 8 hearts, fighting against other tag team enemies, either other OCs created specifically for the game or recurring characters from the anime.
You can Tag Team with everyone from the anime but Katarina. Sophia gained a in-game only fairy deck (Like Thea did in most other Yu-Gi-Oh games) just for that, and their routes have been greatly more romanticized (but only if your OC is the opposite sex, because Konami is a heteronormative prick), even compared to the already pretty romantic routes the other tag forge games had (Like, those games were really trying to sell your "bond" with the characters). Katarina is the first boss of most routes and is then promptly forgotten by the route, to die, off screen, during each Heart 6 Event, as a Victim of Sirius' Evil Plan alongside most other in game OCs.
Katarina's deck in Anime is BAD. She uses scummy tactics and lacks any real consistency or theme, and uses typical noob trap cards. Her tag team partners in most other routes are random OCs, where she always blames them for losing the game after their loss to the MC on the first heart event, with your tag team partner commenting on how weak their "bond" are compared to yours. They then "break up" and she remains partnerless till, again, her "death."
3) Third Strata, the one we see in the AU proper, is the one where Katarina grts reincarnated as Katarina. She ends up becoming Maria's tag partner, and she doesn't understand how or why since she shouldn't be possible to be tag teamed, and together they finish the game, deepening their "bond," as all the other tag team partners look at them in awe and some mild jealousy.
Maria's deck is based on the first deck you get in the game, and that deck is a Lightsworn deck.
Katarina, since she's filthy rich now so she can get all the cards she wants for once, now has a wild variety of decks for each heart event/fight. All her decks, however, contain Divine Serpent Geh as a signature card after she saw Geord disconfort over Venom cards, but not wanting to overcommit to the archetype. The fact she's using the signature monster of the villain of the original Orichalcos ark is missed by her by a long margin.
At 4 hearts bond (which she can't see since this is not a gane, but if the events and duels are summing up right she's getting close to it), Maria's partner will usually offer her the ability to fix up their deck (aside from chosen signature cards), to symbolize how much they trust them now, so she's wondering who will give Maria their decks now that she's stubbornly teaming up with her (Mary seemed present in most of the events till now fighting against them to "break" their bond, maybe she's the one who wants to team up with Maria, Katarina wonders, as dense as a brick wall)... except then Maria offers her to be able to fix HER deck instead, as do all other characters as soon as they hear this, and she's amazed and stunned by this because, the dense brick wall she is wonders: WHY ARE THEY ASKING HER THIS AND NOT MARIA?
As a side note, Sophia, for some reason, is also using a hyper competitive tournament deck rather than the bog standard Fairy one she had in the game. Maria doesn't understand why the sudden change.
Will Katarina survive her 6 heart event now that she's teaming up with Maria?
And will she survive the Yu Gi Oh curse on its female characters alongside Maria and the newly revalued Mary and Sophia, finally important to the plot? Or will Konami be sexist dicks once again?
And will their new hairs be as crazy as a standard Yu-Gi-Oh protagonist's?
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classlesstulip · 5 years ago
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So, You Called for a Handyman?
(A little medly of a day in the life of a ‘handyman’ in the mob. One who doesn’t really take his job too seriously.)
     “*che,* a tall and shadowed figure snorted as he flicked the long blade he held. The wet, viscous sound of blood flying through the air and splattering onto concrete was heard, the whistle of metal short but sharp.  
     Tiberius looked around the room he was in, sharp ears pricked, listening for any of the tell-tale sounds of life: breathing, twitches, the shuddering gasps one gives when in great pain. He was only satisfied when he heard nothing from the collection of bodies spilled around him.
     'There’s a group of Mick’s boys over on 8th and North. Go and fix them.’
Heh, they’re fixed now, alright, Ty thought. Now he just needs to call in Lenore for disposal; he needs to pass over that new fertilizer recipe he’s got, using these mooks may be just what her flowers need.
*****
     Storing his machete in one of the many caches secreted in Sepulveda territory, Ty swapped out his fingerless leather gloves for a new set. A quick check showed that even after all these years he’s still got it; not even one drop of blood on his 3-piece.
     If even ONE of those mooks had spilled on his Armani, he would have rioted. This suite was a gift!
     His internal rant was cut off when his phone chirped. Pulling it out of an inner pocket, he saw a new text from Little Cruzi: seem’s their Apa is done putting up with Jericho. Needs to have the jackass fixed. And-, oh!
     'Apa says make it messy. The wetter the better.’
     Ty can do that. He’s pretty good at getting things wet.
     Oh, that was a good one! He’ll have to try that one on Val; the poor dear’s been wound up tighter than a spring the last few weeks. A good laugh followed by a good fuck should fix that.
*****
     "Hey, Ty? Boss has a new stop for ya!”
     What the fuck? Seriously!? "Uh, Amber? Ya can see I’m currently up to my elbows right now, yeah!?“ The wet squelch and Ty’s grunt as he pulled on Jericho’s lungs rung through the warehouse. It was dark and dusty; the perfect backdrop for a Splash-n-Dash.
     Currently, Ty was bent over a stack of pallets, the beaten corpse of Jericho splayed across them. Scattered on the walls and floors around them were gouges and bullet marks, with streaks of blood interspersed, belying that a scuffle had taken place, the loser of which had his chest cracked open and Ty cleaning the innards like he was preparing a chicken to get roasted over open coals.
     The driver held up their arms, shrugging. "Hey man, I’m just the messenger. Turns out, Jericho was fucking with not just the Sepulveda��s, but the Alnazar’s AND Satrinava’s.” Amber looked a little green at the sound of flesh and ligaments ripping as Ty finished his impromptu vivisection. He went even more green when Ty overhand-hurled his double-handful of offal at one of the far walls with a loud 'YEET!’, the wet splat and fanning of blood from the impact causing Amber to jump back with a heave. “Dude, what the fuck!?” The thick gurgle he swallowed back after his outburst showed just how DONE he was with Ty’s nastiness.
     “Hey, Val says wet and messy, I deliver wet an’ messy! Now keep your pants on and drag over my duffle. My shirt is ruined.”
     Keeping an eye on a blood-soaked Tiberius, Amber did as bid. It took him a few minutes to locate said bag, during which Ty lit-up a cig.
     “Move it, cupcake.”
     “Alright, alright, jeez. Go fuck yourself, asshole.”
     “I HEARD THAT!”
*****
     “Alrighty then,” Ty propped his feet up on the desk in front of him, ignoring the glare Asra shot him. “So, we gots a case of ol’ Jerry boy putting his fingers into too many pies, both literal, figurative, and colloquially. Drugs, rent girls, and laundering, right?” He pulled in a big drag from his cigar, having lighted up the moment he entered Fluff'n'Stuff’s digs.
     With a grunt, Asra pushed the big booted feet off of his NICE mahogany desk. Getting a few smoke-rings blown at him in retribution, he glared at the 'handyman’ sitting across from him, but knew any more fussing on his end would be futile; the only reason Asra isn’t currently a smear on the wall is that Ty thinks he’s adorable AND they go way back.
     That and Val and Asra once had a Thing, but that’s none of his business.
     “Yes,” leaning back, Asra pulled out a thick manila file folder and dropped it onto his desk. The poor thing was only kept together by a single rubber band, and Ty’s surprised it hasn’t snapped already. “These are the places that Jericho’s Number Two and Three have holed up. Taking these two out will cause the whole operation to fall apart.”
     As Asra was speaking, Ty secured his cigar between his molars, propping his jaw open as his fingers started pulling apart the file. Flipping through the first few cover papers, he soon got to the meat and potatoes of the lot. “As you can see, Vinny is in the heart of the Garment District…” Ty stopped paying attention as he looked through everything, Asra’s voice becoming a low, soothing drone. He leaned back in his chair, holding up a few A4-sized photos.
     “Now, Illian was able to-” Asra was cut off at a loud, 'interested’ hum from Tiberius. Seconds later, the handyman turned the papers in his hand’s landscape, and a few sheets accordioned down. A slightly lewd chuckle floated up from behind the papers before Asra snatched at them, Ty letting out a disappointed 'awww’ at the loss of his smut.
     “A-HEM!” Crinkling the purloined pornography in his fist, Asra pinned Ty with A Look. “This is no time to be looking at, at, uh,” he peeped at the rag, “PLAYBOY!”
     “Azzy? That was IN the file. I had nothing to do wi-”
     “REGARDLESS,” tossing the magazine at his wastebin (and making a mental note to speak to his son about leaving his 'reading material’ out and about), Asra huffed. “Just, get out of here and fix 'em. Oh, and…”, rifling through his desk, he pulled out a box. He pushed it across his table, a curious Ty picking it up gingerly, “wear this. We need proof of the job, to be a warning.”
     “A body cam? Shit son, y'all mean business.” Snorting, Ty threw himself out of his chair, tossing the little box in the air before catching it and slipping it into his suitcoat pocket. “Got it. The usual fee to the usual account. Give hugs and kisses to yer fam for me, yeah?”
*****
     Walking down a softly carpeted hall, a slight shadow was seen. Soft curls were piled atop their head, and one hand held a glass of wine while the other pulled their robe tighter. Light filtered through shuttered blinds, car head beams and static lamps fighting the darkness of night. Occasionally, the honk of a horn or the revving of an engine sounded out, despite being muffled by layers of brick and insulation.
     Sipping their wine, they stopped just outside a cracked door. Peeping in, a soft smile curled their lips as they spied one of their little ones (though, being nearly twenty, they are fairly certain that Sol would object to such an endearment). Seeing them softly snoring away, the door was pulled shut. Checking on their other child, Cruz, showed the same result.
     Once satisfied that their children (grown though they may be) were tucked away safely snoozing, Val continued down the hall. A few twists and turns later and they were in their office. Opulently decorated with heavy dark wood pieces and bold colors, it was quite a large and stately room. Near the far wall was their desk, and on the blotter was a thumb drive.
     Knowing that it must have been left by Tiberius, Val plucked it up. Wandering towards the entertainment center, they plugged in the drive, turned on the screen, and got comfortable on the couch, sipping more wine as they navigated menus with the remote.
     “Hey, is this thing on?” The sound of someone tapping a mic was heard before the picture abruptly turned on. A large brown eye was center stage, the corners crinkling briefly before the cam was pulled back, revealing the familiar face of Tiberius. “Alrighty, then! So, the usual drivel: Tiberius working on behalf of Don Valentino of the Sepulveda Family, yadda yadda yadda,” Ty’s eyes rolled, and his body moved like he was waving his hand. “Here to fuck some shit up and make a statement. So here’s,” he tapped the screen, “the mutherfuckin’,” more taps, “TEA,” a final tap. “Vinny’s been baaaaaaaad. Not only,” Ty brandished a finger, waving it around his head like a conductor, “has this bonafide dickfuck fuckface been doin’ Jerry’s dirty work, but this FUCKER has also been bringing in kids. KIDS I TELL YA! Now c'mon, Vinny, baby, ya don’t bring kids into your prostitution ring! Fucker! So, time to clean house! And Val?” Ty winked at the camera, “I’ll have a nice little pressie for ya when you finish this!”
     Some fumbling and cursing later, and Val had a chest-high view of whatever was in front of Ty. Currently, it was the door to what may be a warehouse. The video jumped up and down a few times, and the cocking of a gun was heard. Something very familiar was playing in the background, and it came to a hard beat as Ty kicked in the door-
     “Some-BODY ONCE TOLD ME,” duel-wielding, Ty buried a bullet into the head and gut of the bouncer standing guard as the kicked-in door bounced off of the wall. “THE WORLD WAS GONNA ROLL ME,” two steps down the hallway. “I AIN’T THE SMARTEST TOOL IN THE SHED,” one guy burst out of a room and got pistol-whipped for his stupidity, getting a few slugs to the back as he fell.
Hopping over the new body, Ty continued his song. “SHE WAS LOOKIN’ KINDA DUMB WITH HER FINGER AND HER THUMB,” this time, he peeped around a doorway into a room, squeaking out a startled 'Errol!?’ as a knife buried itself into the wall behind him. A feminine voice started spewing curses as he backpedaled, hands still clutching Glocks up in the air. “Aight, aight, I got it! Sheesh!” Huffing, he continued his journey down the hall, bellowing an 'IN THE SHAPE OF AN L ON 'ER FOREHEAD!’ behind him as he went.
Now Val wants to know what she was doing there. Did Jericho piss off Lucio, as well? They jumped as Ty continued his bit of Musical Mayhem.
     “WELLLLLLLLL THE YEARS START COMIN’ AND THEY DON’T STOP COMING!” At some point, the handyman had swapped out his handguns for a combat shotgun, opening up rounds into the chests of three forgettable thugs in beat to the last three words of his stanza. “FED TO THE RULES AND I HIT THE GROUND RUNNIN’!” Coming to the end of the hall, Ty blasted through the door, revealing the large, empty space typical to warehouses was replaced with a sort of hotel-like setup. An open-air lobby, with staircases spiraling up, leading to floors with open walkways. It looked like someone tried to recreate the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria, but it just went up and up, with each floor being closer to a balcony than a full floor. All of the open space allowed for the panicked cries and screams of the brothel inhabitants to echo in upon themselves.
     There were also a LOT of fine rugs, marble, and gilt furniture. How long has this operation been going on, and how did fucking JERICHO of all people get this set-up on the DL?
     “DIDN’T MAKE SENSE NOT TO LIVE FOR FUN,” *boom!**boom!**boom!*; a rapid release of shots into a group of mobsters as they tried to rush Tiberius, giving Val a front-row seat to the amount of kick a combat-class shotgun has as one man went flying, streamers of blood shooting from the stump that used to hold his head. “YOUR BRAIN GETS SMART BUT YER HEAD GETS DUMB! HAHA, FUCKER!” Ty’s voice was starting to get difficult to hear over the amount of sheer NOISE in the background.
     “SO MUCH TO DO!” *blam!* “SO MUCH TO SEE!” *blamblam!* “SO WHAT’S WRONG WITH TAKIN’ THE BACKSTREETS!?” The bodycam started shaking at Ty charged over to a staircase, plowing shoulder-first into a group of people storming down it while waving their guns. The picture blacked out and the muffled scratch of fabric rubbing over the built-in mic took up a few seconds of footage before a bright light cut through. Val had to squint their own eyes, and everything came back into focus just in time to see Ty hurl a middle-aged, half-dressed wanna-be mafioso over one of the balcony floors, singing out 'YOU’LL NEVER KNOW! IF YOU DON’T GO!’ as the man plummeted. He landed with a rubbery thump.
     “YOU’LL NEVER SHINE IF YOU DON’T GLOW,” more singing/screeching from Ty as he tossed a grenade down another balcony/hall. As it erupted, it covered the huddled gangsters in liquid fire. “HEY NOW! YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR! GET YOUR GAME ON! GO PLAYEEEEE! C'MON ASSHOLES! YOU WANTED TO BE A ROCKSTAR! HOW NOW! YOU’RE A ROCK STAR! GET THE SHOW ON! GET PAIIIIIIIIIIID! HA HAHAHAAA!”
     Val made a quiet note to themselves that Ty, while very funny, can also be downright sinister.
     “AND ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GO~OOOLLLLLLD!” And that Ty should also never attempt a falsetto that high ever. AGAIN.
     “ONLY SHOOTING STAAAAAAAAAARS BREAK THE MO-OLLLLLLD!” Another flame-spewing grenade was thrown, this time hitting what looked to be a fire extinguisher. Seconds later, foam started jetting out of the damaged, high-pressure steel canister, turning what was once a life-saving device into a literal missile, which shot off and plowed into the chest of a woman in Jericho’s colors, launching her airborne before the canister exploded, spreading shrapnel and viscera into a mist.
     Smothering their face with their hand, Val let out a disbelieving laugh as Ty continued to wreak unholy havoc on the hideout to the tune of an upbeat, mid-aughties pop-rock song. Knives were thrown, bullets buried in brains, and it all came to a crescendo as Ty unloaded a stereotypical tommy-gun down into a group of wannabe gangsters that had jimmied themselves into the lobby. The last note to the song was capped off with a tossed Molotov, the ring of shattering glass pairing well to the last guitar chord.
     Chuckling in satisfaction, Val finished their wine before shutting off the television. Wandering out of their office, they refilled their wineglass before heading toward their bedroom. Humming in pleasure after taking a fresh sip of chilled wine, they gently opened their door, stopping in the doorway before raising a sculpted brow. “So,” they queried. “Is this my 'pressie’?”
     It’s quite a nice present, Val thought. Tiberius was lounging on Val’s obscenely large bed, on his side and completely nude. If not for a strategically-placed pile of rose petals, the fit man would be putting on quite the show. As it was, Tiberius decided to take a page out of every cheesy romance novel/movie and had bedecked the bedroom in dozens of low-burning candles and scattered roses, capping-off the trope with a single rose clenched between pearly whites. It’s something the Valentino of twenty-some years ago would have swooned over.
     Although, the Valentino of now is feeling quite swoon-y, now. "Heh,“ they chuckled as Ty wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I’ve got to say, this is a nice surprise, viejo amigo.” Quietly shutting the door behind them, they leaned against the slab of wood-encased steel and gave their 'present’ a heated stare. “What gives?”
     “Eh, nothing much.” Pulling the rose out of his mouth, Ty tossed it aside with a flick of the wrist. “Just, ah, you wanted a job wet and messy, and I decided that you could use a little 'wet 'n messy’ yourself.”
     Val barked out a laugh. “Oh, but that was horrible!” Wandering closer to the bed, they held out a hand, gently cupping a warm cheek. “What am I going to do with you- MERDA!”
     Yanking Val towards him, Ty rolled them, stopping on his back with Val perched on top. “Well, first things first! Let’s fuck!”
*****
     The room stunk of sex, and all of the candles had burned themselves out. Entwined under a thin sheet, a sticky but satiated couple cuddled. Bite marks and hickeys decorated soft skin, and Val laid with their head tucked under Ty’s chin, one set of fingers lazily tracing circles over the larger man’s lower back.
“So,” Val lazily purred. “Aside from the cam footage, did you learn anything else?”
Ty hummed. “You may want to speak to Head in the Clouds.”
“…about?”
     A hoarse chuckle. “Seem’s someone’s son has a little crush on our Cruzi. A Playboy got mixed into my briefing file, and a VERY well-worn page had a model that looked startlingly like our bambino was on it.”
     “…really?” Ty hissed as sharp nails dug into his back, relaxing when Val apologetically rubbed them. “I’ll need to set-up a meeting. But, that can wait until tomorrow.”
     The last thing Ty thought as they both dropped off to sleep was that he was glad he didn’t let on that he’s pretty sure Lucky and Cruz have a thing.
     But he’s not sorry for telling Cruz’s Apa. Serves the little brat right for shitting all over him as a baby and giving him heart attacks every week since they learned how to walk.
     HA!
@agent-darkbootie @thraxbaby @lazyvoyager @magicianapprenticelyra @plaguedcount
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alectoperdita · 5 years ago
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Fictober Day 25 x KaijouWeek Day 6
prompt: 25. “I could really eat something.” x “birthday” fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters pairing: Jounouchi Katsuya/Kaiba Seto rating: PG warnings: none a/n: happy birthday, you fuckin’ dragon nerd. enjoy one of the rare times i will write boss/employee relationship.
“I could really eat something,” Jounouchi declared as he flopped onto the office couch. 
Kaiba spared a glance at the time in the corner of his screen. It was nearly midnight. He’d stayed far later than even he meant to on a Friday night. His attention wandered back to Jounouchi, draped across the leather sofa like a fainting Victorian damsel. Jounouchi tossed his head back and dangled over the edge of the armrest so he could watch Kaiba without shifting positions. 
From under his bangs, Kaiba’s gaze traced Jounouchi’s feather bangs hanging loose up his nose, lingering his lips and finally settling on the tantalizing stretch of neck bared to him. The inherent vulnerability of Jounouchi’s posture made Kaiba’s stomach twist uncomfortably.
Kaiba tore his eyes away and fixed them determinedly on the half-finished email on his monitor. “I’ll alert HR that you need another tour of the facilities. You’ve mistaken my office for the cafeteria.”
Ever since Mokuba contracted Jounouchi to beta-test and QA the next Duel Disk model, Jounouchi made it his life’s mission to pester Kaiba. If only Jounouchi slacked off on his job responsibilities, Kaiba could at least fire him. But Jounouchi was infuriatingly conscientious about his job and wouldn’t give Kaiba the satisfaction of dismissing him. He wisely made his impromptu visits outside of regular business hours, long after Kaiba’s secretary left for the day. He was rarely hostile, but his familiarity and friendliness made Kaiba suspicious.
Mokuba called it paranoia. Kaiba wondered if this was payback for all the times he antagonized Jounouchi in high school.
“Nah, cafeteria’s closed at this hour. We are literally the last two people in the building,” drawled Jounouchi. “C’mon, let’s go grab a bite, Kaiba. My treat.”
He glared at the blinking cursor instead of the man. Thanks to Jounouchi’s interference, he was blanking on the English words for eigenvectors and eigenvalues. Inhere—he deleted the characters. No, that wasn’t it.
Jounouchi, not content to be ignored and determined to annoy Kaiba to an early grave, yammered on, “Did you even eat dinner? I bet you didn’t. You’re gonna waste away at this rate, Kaiba. What will I tell poor Mokuba?”
“Tell him to have me dressed in the navy pinstripe for the funeral,” he snapped while painstakingly jabbing the letters, e-i-g-e-n-v-e, on his keyboard.
“Hah, why wait? Wear it on Monday. I bet you look good in pinstripes.”
Kaiba fumbled the remaining keystrokes, typing the word “eigenvextie” instead. He deleted the mistake and saved his email draft before closing the window. After staring at his desktop and collecting his whirlwind thoughts, he stood and crossed the room to loom over Jounouchi, who continued to lounge with a coy smile and mischievous eyes. Although the workday ended hours ago, Jounouchi had yet to change out of the corporate uniform. Kaiba both liked and hated seeing his company’s logo emblazoned across Jounouchi’s heart.
Jounouchi shouldn’t look so good wearing the KC corporate uniform…
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, Jounouchi, but stop now,” Kaiba warned. “Unless you want me to fire you.”
Jounouchi swung his feet off the sofa and sat up properly to look up at him. He planted his hands on his knees and squared his shoulders. “You can if you want. My contract’s up next Friday anyway. I won’t be your employee for much longer.”
Jounouchi’s declaration startled Kaiba. Right, it would be November soon. Mokuba had hired Jounouchi in late April for a six-month contract in the run-up to the Duel Disk’s holiday release. How time flew. In the blink of an eye, six months had come and gone. Soon, Jounouchi would also be gone. 
Something inside Kaiba plummeted into the sole of his feet.
With a heavy sigh, Jounouchi climbed to his feet. Kaiba took two steps back to insert some much-needed space between them. Their eyes met for a heartbeat before Jounouchi dropped his gaze to his worn sneakers while rubbing the back of his neck. “So don’t worry. After next Friday, I won’t be bothering you anymore. I just thought we could have a nice meal together before then…”  Once again, Jounouchi flicked his gaze to Kaiba’s face before darting to the view outside the office windows. “I dunno why I thought asking today would make any difference. God, I’m so fucking dumb.”
It slowly dawned on Kaiba. A wave of heat crept up his spine and past his shirt collar. “Were you asking me out?”
To his even greater horror, Kaiba didn’t object to the idea. He should. He really, really should though. The last six months flashed before his mind’s eyes. He reconsidered all the times Jounouchi dropped by to annoy him after normal work hours. When had Jounouchi started to flirt with him? Why didn’t Kaiba pick up on the flirtations sooner? 
“Yeah, I figured since you won’t be my boss next week and today being, well, you know, I thought I’d just take that leap of faith.” Jounouchi shrugged. 
His nonchalant act didn’t fool Kaiba though. He caught the inward curve of Jounouchi’s shoulders. It reminded him of a wounded animal drawing into itself. His head still spun, unable to process the idea that Jounouchi could like him as anything more than a longtime acquaintance. They were less combative than they used to be, but what could Jounouchi find attractive about him?
Instead, he asked, “Today?”
Jounouchi shook his head. “Wow, I knew you were a workaholic, but you seriously forgot?”
When Kaiba didn’t respond, Jounouchi pulled out his cellphone and powered on the screen. The time and date, 00:03 on October 25th, shone against the dark wallpaper on his lock-screen. 
“Happy birthday, Kaiba,” Jounouchi said with a wry grin. “I thought maybe I could treat you, but I guess me getting out of your hair soon is probably enough of a gift. But if you really want, you could fire me now as a present to yourself.”
Kaiba hadn’t celebrated his birthday in a very long time. Even Mokuba gave up on convincing him otherwise years ago. As for the last birthday present he received… A 2% share of the company, a billion yen loan, and a final aptitude test for his fourteenth birthday. KaibaCorp itself may have counted as one too given how he overthrew Gozaburo’s position the following year. 
The truth was Kaiba hadn’t associated his birthday with anything truly good ever since. Maybe it was time to change that… 
“There may be a present I would accept from you,” Kaiba said as he straightened and batted away his nagging doubts. 
Jounouchi lifted his head. A cautious optimism lit his brown eyes. “What’s that?” 
Kaiba stepped forward until the toes of his loafers brushed Jounouchi’s sneakers. He bent forward as Jounouchi tilted his head back in a mindless but coordinated dance. He traced the interlocked KC he’d admired earlier. Under Kaiba’s hand, Jounouchi’s chest rose and fell rapidly while his breathing hitched. Flicking his gaze from the uniform to Jounouchi’s lips then to his eyes, he held Jounouchi’s eyes. Jounouchi swallowed thickly. His Adam’s apple bounced. 
“Well? Come on, Jounouchi, you need to give it before I can receive it,” Kaiba laughed. It was a quiet and strangely affectionate sound that bubbled from his gut. 
Jounouchi complied with a chaste, close-mouthed kiss to his lips. His eyes remained open, studying Kaiba’s reaction. The unexpected yet undeniable tenderness caused Kaiba’s heart to flutter and butterflies to stir in his stomach.
Jounouchi drew back only far enough to ask, “How’s that?” 
Kaiba’s lips tingled. He wet them and enjoyed Jounouchi’s stare that followed. “It’s hard to say. One is hardly generous given the occasion.”
When Jounouchi laughed, a puff of hot air fanned across Kaiba’s cheek and warmed him to his core. 
Jounouchi broke into a grin bright enough to light the night sky. “You know what? You’re totally right, Kaiba. Since it’s your special day, you get to call the shots. I’m not stopping until you tell me to.”
“Good,” Kaiba purred and crushed their mouths together again. Neither of them said much afterward.
Check out other puppy/violetshipping ficlets I’m writing all #fictober19 long
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3w-writer-with-wings · 6 years ago
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Character post: Aoi Zaizen
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Why I like them/why I don’t:
Out of all Yu-Gi-Oh girls so far, Aoi feels the most relatable of them all. She is a lot like a grown-up version of Luna/Ruka from 5Ds with a similar mannerism and personality. Aoi has a really timid nature and the fact that she is so sheltered by Akira that she feels he doesn’t even trust her hits home hard. But what I really love about her is her development. She learns from her mistakes and tries to become the best version of herself. The actions she takes in order to change herself don’t always play in her favour and even then she keeps on trying. Aoi represents exactly what you should do if you face failure in life – make changes and learn from your mistakes. Unlike Go, she never succumbed to her own insecurities and rather used them in order to change for the better. While she may appear pretty naïve and stubborn at first, you can really see how she slowly transforms into a person she always wished to be.
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She is also a good representation of a celebrity with depression. The episode that showed her life outside VRAINS nearly broke my heart. From the way she talked with Yusaku and members of duel club, to how she just ran away after Yusaku asked her about Akira and how she was lying on bed looking like she was about to cry… it was just hard to watch considering there are people who are actually suffering the same way. But then she logged in VRAINS and instantly became a bubbly Charisma Duelist to entertain people. While a lot of people compare Go to Yuya, I actually see Aoi to be more like Yuya. Her Blue Angel persona is just like Yuya’s goggles, a mask she hides behind to cover up her tears and she presents herself as someone who is always smiling.
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When her wings broke after her loss to Yusaku… it just perfectly represented how she finally broke down a lot like how Yuya lost to Reiji and Jack. At that point, I was really afraid she would follow the same road that Go did in season 2 – her insecurities and depression getting the best of her, but she didn’t. No, instead she put some thought about it before she did anything. When her fans were bashing her name, it seemed like she was going to break again. Thank God Emma came to her rescue! What I love about her relationship with Emma the most is the fact that she is the kind of a person that Aoi always needed. Once Miyu was revealed it also made me realize why Aoi had a hard time finding friends – she was afraid of being separated from a friend and didn’t want to be hurt by it again. Emma let her know that she’ll be always on her side and this was the encouragement that she needed to make a step further.
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Her style of duelling is also one of my favourites – the burndown strategy. When she was duelling that AI who had the same technique and they were burning each other’s LP down like crazy was really entertaining to watch. I was a bit disappointed once she no longer used that technique, though I liked that she acknowledged it as something that needs to be improved. In overall her character is just as complex as Yusaku’s and I’m glad that it was explored a lot.
The only downside to her character is how her character is treated. Unfortunately, female characters are something that Shin Yoshida doesn’t know how to handle and this plays a big part in her representation. She had many losses that downgraded her lot. While she made a very big comeback in season 2 as Blue Maiden she also had a big downfall as well. In other words, Aoi’s character deserved so much more but was unfortunately pushed aside many times.
What I like about their appearance
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The fact that she has so many avatars! I actually cosplayed Blue Angel and this was one of the most difficult cosplays I’ve ever made, but I in no way regret it since it is a very cute outfit and I’ve learned so many cosplay-making techniques while making it. I also really like how each avatar in a way presents one part of her. Blue Angel is her childhood dream, a hero she wanted to become. Blue Girl represents her desire to be like Ghost Girl and make a change. And Blue Maiden is her embracing all of herself and honourably joining Team Playmaker. Her avatars give this Magical Girl feel that combine her kind nature with power in order to save the world. While magical girl anime portrays that more ribbons, sparkle and skirts equals more power, Aoi’s avatar changes are the exact opposite, showing that sometimes less can be more.
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And the part I love the most and was the most difficult to make? Her wings! I think I spent nearly three whole days just figuring out how to make those wings stand! In the end, I used some very thick wires, extra strong duct tape and a handmade posture supporter to keep it still. And it was so worth it! I was a bit sad that Blue Girl didn’t have wings, so when Blue Maiden’s wings were shown I was excited as hell! I also really like her twintail hairstyle since I tend to wear my hair in this style too. When I cosplayed Blue Angel not that many people recognized the character, but those few who did really liked it and one of them even showed me all of the Trickstars he had in his deck! I had a really wonderful experience as Blue Angel and I even won the third place in cosplay contest! To conclude – I love absolutely everything about her appearance and I wouldn’t mind cosplaying her or her other avatars again!
Do I prefer their dub names or original names?
While I really like the name Skye, it kinda sounds off for Aoi. I’ve grown really used to her original name so when her dub name was revealed… it just didn’t sound like her. I guess it could work as her user name since Skye goes well with her avatar’s wings, puffy skirt and blue colours like a short nickname for Blue Angel. Aoi is also the name of a hollyhock flower that represents the cycle of life which nicely symbolizes the changes that Aoi went through when changing her avatars and overall personality.
OTP
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Definitely Miyu or Takeru, hard to decide. Miyu was introduced really late in the series and didn’t get that much screen time or backstory and yet it was enough to give away all necessary information about her. I made many theories why I thought Aoi was Aqua’s origin and in a way, she is - all because of Miyu. While all cheerful and caring, Miyu could’ve been lonely and even if she wasn’t, she choose to befriend someone who was. It is not clear how long the two of them were friends, though it most likely not long and yet out of all people, Miyu choose Aoi to be her anchor. Aqua basically represents Miyu’s love for Aoi and I’m sure that once Aoi gets to meet Miyu it will be a very emotional reunion. 
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Then there’s Takeru and let’s face it, he is the kind of a character that can be shipped with anyone and it would still work. Still, I genuinely believe he has a secret crush on Aoi. When he passed Aoi in school, he didn’t appear to have much interest towards her though that could be because that was the first time he saw her as Aoi and not as Blue Angel. The duel they had as Soulburner and Blue Girl was pretty entertaining to watch and the encouragement he gives her in the end was very well-meaning and kind. The second time he meets her in real life is completely different as he approaches her right away and introduces himself. Considering how shy Takeru can be it is very unlikely he would do that with just anyone, so the fact that he did that with Aoi shows that he is interested in becoming her friend. Kiku said that he is not much of a friendly person, so the fact that he approached someone else besides Yusaku really says a lot. Their relationship would really work as they both love duelling and testing themselves. I hope that they get to have a tag duel one time together as they could really fit each other well despite representing opposite elements (water and fire) since this could be the first time for such combination in a tag duel. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a tag duel in the third season since I really enjoyed Aki and Crow tag duel in 5Ds and this could give some nostalgia.
NOTP
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At first I didn’t know this even existed, but Aoi and Akira ship just feels wrong on so many levels. I know they aren’t blood-related but they are still siblings. While I really like their sibling relationship, romantic one would completely ruin it, especially how canon it actually felt during the first season. Like Aoi would use –sama for her brother which is reserved for masters and bosses, like she is super inferior to him and the whole reason why she went to duel Yusaku was so she could impress him, which resulted in her falling in coma. Even if they weren’t siblings, Aoi is still a minor and Akira is ten years older than her. At times Akira also acts a lot like her father which would make their romantic relationship that much worse.
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I dislike romantic Aoi and Emma ship for the same reason. While I absolutely love their sisterly bond, the thought of them having something more just doesn’t feel okay. Maybe if Aoi was older like over 18 or in early 20s then it could work better. Even if Aoi would have feelings for Emma and she would want to start a relationship with her, I imagine Emma would tell her to wait. Emma is the kind of a person, who has no problem breaking a law, but getting in a relationship with a minor is something she wouldn’t do. I have no doubt that she loves Aoi like her little sister or a young partner in crime so a romantic relationship would pretty much ruin this nicely developed relationship.
OT3
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Aoi, Miyu and Aqua! I don’t know why, but this trio just warms my heart. There’s no doubt that all three of them care about each other a lot and would form a really nice relationship with each other. In my perfect reality, both Aqua and Aoi come visit Miyu after everything is over, and together they create new VRAINS avatars in order to spend time with Aqua who is pretty much their lovechild. I see this trio to work in both platonic and romantic way since the three of them show nothing but kindness and care towards each other.
Favourite card they use
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Marincess Crystal Heart. I already liked the concept of Crystal Heart, the fact that it symbolized Aqua’s and Earth’s love and that they did everything to keep it from being destroyed in the field. What truly made me love it even more was when Aoi used it in a duel against Bowman and empowered it. I believe that the heart still represents Aqua’s and Earth’s love and the water spirit protecting it is Aoi, protecting them both. From the start of their meeting, Aoi has been keeping Aqua safe and Marincess Crystal Heart perfectly represents that.
Favourite moment they were in
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Her duel with Haru. After so many losses, the duel with Haru was the best comeback for Aoi. The character she has been building finally came into action and I absolutely enjoyed watching that duel. From the new archetype Marincess to how she stood her ground against Haru’s hurtful words - Aoi made it clear: she is back and ready to kick some ass! The new strategy, her partnership with Aqua and that badass skill when her wings showed up! And how she outright obliterated Haru’s LP! It was just amazing and it showed how far she has come. At that point, it really seemed like Aoi was set to win more duels...
Least favourite moment
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... which is why her loss to Bowman was so sad. While it was no way as humiliating as her loss to Playmaker, Specter and Soulburner, it was still terrible. Bowman is disgustingly overpowered character and the fact that he used so many moves that were outright cheating really downgraded Aoi’s and Aqua’s character. I would be fine if Bowman defeated her with a good strategy, but no he used a literal asspull effect like he did the whole duel. He even tried to scare her and for a moment I thought Aoi would give in. Luckily she didn’t and I was so proud of her. Even the act of “mercy” was a very cheap move since Bowman is a freaking hypocrite and he probably used it just so he could feel better about losing Haru. 
Back then when I was still hopeful about Aoi’s further character development I wrote a theory why she was capable of defeating Bowman with very good arguments and how it could play out well in the final conclusion of season 2. (it is here if you wish to check it out  https://3w-writer-with-wings.tumblr.com/post/182925730720/lightnings-plans-and-why-i-believe-aoi-will  ). I was really disappointed when Bowman won using the cheap moves since it looked like writing staff pushed away Aoi’s promising future for the sake of having Bowman win at all cost.  
Would I fuck, marry or kill them
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Can I just be her friend? Cuz really if I were to meet Aoi in real life, I would just hug her and take her out for ice cream or coffee and talk with her, letting her know that she is an amazing person and that she should never doubt herself cuz she is doing a great job at improving herself. I would likely be one of those Blue Angel fans in the crowd during her duels, holding banners with encouraging words or I would be writing a blog dedicated to her in order to support her, pretty much the same thing that I’m doing now. ;) If someone would bash her name and accuse her of things she didn’t do or weren’t her fault, you bet I would write a freaking essay similar to the one I made in order to defend Yusaku when someone made a youtube video ranting how boring he is. 
Aoi Zaizen deserves more recognition and hopefully, she gets to shine more in the third season. 
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dietaku · 5 years ago
Text
Amazing Quest 1: Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Heart of a Pudding
(You find yourself exactly where Chapter 6 left off, with Kord mumbling to himself about his incompetent peers)
Hiro: So, are we cool, or....
Kord: Oh, yeah, man, we're the best of buds!
(Kord gives him a slap on the back that sends him flying)
Kord: Oh, uh....HAHA! TAKE THAT!
(He does the same to the rest of the party)
Kord: Ha! No one's the wiser! Kord, my man, you are one smooth operator!
You land nearby a gigantic looming tower with a unique sprite and a large city. Welcome to Gemadne, and ironically, this is only about 2 screens northeast of where you were! Yeah, you could've walked here in five minutes, even if you factored in the random encounters.
--Gemadne, the City of the Dark Puddings--
This place is gloomy and not at all enheartening. The locals mention how the winters are cold, and that food is stale and tasteless, being grown on the irradiated plains nearby. If you talk to an elderly man in the pub, he mentions how in ancient times, a battle between two goddesses warped the land and caused their current misfortune, but considering this is next to a clown doing a juggling act who yells “KATZU BICYCLE SOUP!”, you can take that for what it's worth. However, you need to go to the large dome on the northeast side.
(Man in a robe): Hey, you guys are new....and that scar! You must be the ones.
Hiro: Are you going to fight us?
Man: Naw. I'm on your side. Kind of. You can call me House Man (No, seriously. This is his name in Japanese as well. His name was translated into German as Hausen Mensch, and, the series director liked it so much, she kept that as his name. And now that I've sufficiently raised the blood pressure of veteran AQ players...) So, you want to challenge Zoddon? He's tough and wise, but you can do it. However, I'd recommend going in here first. You'll need this, though (He hands Hiro the PAPER)
Hiro: Is this just a piece of paper?
House Man: NO! It's PAPER
Hiro: Ooooooh.
In any case, head over to the door, where a guard awaits us. With the PAPER, we can now pass, lest the guard turn us away for being unqualified.
Guard: Papers, please.
Hiro: (Presents PAPER)
Guard: Ooh, nice!
Hiro: Eh?
(Hiro looks at the PAPER, and realized there's a picture of a woman's butt on the other side)
Moore: Nice!
Loyroll: Eeeeeh.
Hiro: I...I'll be going now.
Welcome to the Pudding Shrine
--Pudding Shrine--
This area is a stark marble building, with robed monks and nuns slowly processing through. Don't attack them (You get the option if you talk to them), as they do nothing but pray as you hack them down, and really, it's not worth it, as they give pittances of gold and exp. Continue on, and you'll see various portraits of apparently famous people, and on the west side, you can see a trio of large statues, one of Zoddon, one of Jaydea, and the third being a woman whose face is cracked and marred, making it unrecognizable. On the east side, you find a giant slab titled the “Wall of Memory, and all the Dark Puddings you killed are marked here. However, as soon as you stop reading it...
Armored man with flared eyebrows: Impressive, is it not?
Armored woman with a flash of white in her green hair: The Light Pudding, so weak with his P-Centage, and yet he has bested five of our siblings.
Man: PRAETORIAN LAA
Woman: PRAETORIAN TII
Laa: These halls, where the ghosts of our comrades cry out, is a fitting locale for our duel. Now, draw your weapon. You must answer to your ancestors!
Tii: Say your prayers to the finest of Zoddon's Praetorians, Light Pudding!
Hiro: Who are you guys again?
Laa: LET US DO RIGHTEOUS BATTLE!
Hiro: Seriously! Did you listen?
Kimyawa: Hiro-nii-chan, they just introduced themse--
Tii: AAAAARGH!
Loyroll: Let it go, sis
Hiro: HIYAAAAAAAAH!
Kimyawa: S-sumimasen...
--Boss Fight!--
Praetorian Laa x1
Praetorian Tii x1
Laa
LP: 36000
MP: 3500
Tii
LP: 36000
MP: 3500
You're probably thinking, “Oh, these two won't be so hard. None of the other Praetorians were that hard. HAHAHAHAHA....HA.  No. These guys don't let up. Laa begins the fight by “Flaring up a Storm,” and then casting 'Storm Shield, that cuts all physical damage by half. This includes Pudding Forms. Tii, on the other hand, will begin by engaging her Pudding Form, and attacking with “Frozen Custard Tart” which inflicts water damage and also has a good chance of Depression. As if this weren't bad enough, when you defeat one, the other will “Steel their brow” and then being to use “Pudding Braver,” a move that hits all party members for large water and air damage. Press on, and you can do it!
--Boss Fight!--
Laa: Urgh, e-even with our combined power....
Tii: I'm s-sorry, my siblings....
Laa and Tii: (Explodes)
Hiro: Just like the others, they all are willing to sacrifice themselves for Zoddon's ambition. C'mon! We need to stop him.
Ozma: YEAH!
Kimyawa: HAI!
Loyroll: Hear, hear!
Mancala: Yeah, whatever!
Deima: C'mon, then!
Hiro: YEAH, I...
(Hiro hears a squeaky noise he hasn't heard since--)
Hiro: WAIT!
You then have to search around for the noise, and cannot leave as Hiro cites “This is super important,” the source of the noise is the upper right corner of the room. Inspecting it now will open a hidden door. Go down the stairs to enter a caged room where someone we haven't seen in over thirty hours now is sitting.
Hiro: EMILIA! YOU'RE ALIVE?!
Emilia: Oh, hey, I thought you were the guard. They gave me tacos last night, and YECH, my bucket needs to be changed.
Hiro: I WAS SO WORRIED, AND—Oooh, urgh, yeah, you're right.
Emilia: Sorry. Who are all these people?
Hiro: These are my friends! We're here to save you and stop the Dark Puddings!
Emilia: Stop them? You?
(A clanking noise begins as a feminine robot appears)
Robot: YES, HOW AMUSING, STOPPING THE DARK PUDDINGS. TIME FOR YOUR DAILY MEAL AND BATH, EMILIA, AND FOR ME TO TAKE OUT THE RUBBISH!
--Boss Fight!--
Nannydroid x1
LP: 43000
MP: 4500
After the Praetorians, this is nothing, She's fond of “Hell Duster” a hit-all earth based move, and “Take out the Trash,” a move which can instantly kill one party member while inflicting Drunk on another, both of which are randomly selected, but she isn't too tough.
--Boss Fight!--
Emilia: Anyways, You...You came for me. I thought you were going to curl up into a ball and Ladd or Lady would come, but you...I'm proud of you, bro! And, you also got yourself some nice friends.
(Turns to the party) Look, I see where you all are coming from, but he's emotional and  naive. If ANY of you break his heart...No monster, devil or sealed ancient death goddess will stop me from tracking you down. GOT IT?
Party: ….
Nannydroid: M-must take out trash. Executing final cleansing routine
(She explodes, vaporizing the entire building, leaving the party in the rubble of Emilia's cell, with Emilia huddled behind a wall.)
You then can talk to her, where in Japanese, she'll complain of a draft. In the Localized version, she yells at you for not having stopped the Nannydroid from self-destructing. You see, the blast very clearly blew Emilia's pants off, even in the Localized version.
Emilia: Goddammit! Hiro! You can't leave me like this!
Hiro: I'M SORRY!
Emilia: I'm staying RIGHT HERE until you fix this!
Now, the trick to rescuing her, and making her playable is not what you'd imagine. The canny among you would scour the globe for “Pants” armors or items. The amusing thing is, the solution is right in front of you. You know, how you pay Loyroll to use better swords? Well, if you get to his tenth sword, the Plasmium Blade, you get the option of upgrading again. If you do so, he'll upgrade to Emilia's Saber, that energy saber Emilia used in the opening fight. How Loyroll came across this, we'll never know. However, if Loyroll has it, and you talk to Emilia...
Emilia: Oh, hey, one of your girlfriends has my sword, give it here!
Loyroll: My dear lady, I'm a ma--
Emilia: Yeah, sure, whatever, toots (Steals the sword out of Loyroll's hands) I'm pretty sure I've kissed girls more manly than you.
Hiro: Wait, WHAT?
Emilia: What happens in Girl Pudding Summer camp STAYS in Girl Pudding Summer Camp!
And with that, Emilia leaves her wall, and joins the party! Yes, she wasn't complaining about her lack of pants, but her lack of a weapon. Go fig. Anyways, you now can explore the ruins of the Pudding Shrine, where if you go near where the three statues were, the one with the broken face is still mysteriously intact. Go behind it, to go down a hidden flight of stairs, where you'll find a blue-haired woman in a robe.
Woman: Halt? Who dares challenge the wielder of the power of....Emilia? Hiro?
Emilia: Wait, MOM?
Hiro: I...I thought you died?
Mom: No, I was taken here by those damnable brats years ago. However, they couldn't kill me. So, they locked me up here! However, I can see it in your eyes. Your quest of vengeance! Very well, if you wish to wield my power, you must battle me!
Emilia: Hiro! This is it! We must fight as one!
Hiro: R-right?
--Boss Fight!--
Saint Cocoa x1
LP: 50000
MP: 6000
You only get Emilia and Hiro for this fight, but that's all you need, if you're smart. If you proceed with brute force, you'll get destroyed, as Cocoa will engage her Pudding Form, and more or less go Super Saiyan. She'll blast you with “Pudding Stream” a powerful magic attack that ignores magic defense, and “Rich Flavor” which will raise all her stats based on the last digit of your gold. Yes, YOUR amount of money powers up Cocoa. When she gets down to half health, she'll begin abusing “Cut your teeth,” a move where she randomly punches the party ten times for physical damage. This can be dangerous, especially if she focuses on Hiro. However, if you are strategic, and abuse Emilia's Steam Breath in her Pease Pudding form, you can win!
--Boss Fight!--
Mom: Emilia, Hiro. I-I'm so glad I could see you before I pass on...You are both members of the Royal Pudding Line, and within you is the power of [Golden Choco Majesty]. Realize it within yourselves, and it will be you's! Now, with that, farewell...
(Mom collapses, dead)
House Man: (Claps) Excellent! I knew you could do it! Now, you can fight Zoddon on even terms!
Hiro: Uh, thanks?
You can now proceed to Gemadne Keep. Well, you could do so before, perhaps advisable, to acquaint yourself with Emilia's skill set, but you would be hard pressed to be able to beat Zoddon as you were.
--Gemadne Keep--
This gigantic fortress is just as gloomy as the town it stands before, with “Dark Pudding Veterans, Dark Pudding Survivors, and Dark Pudding Centurions,” all as common enemies. Funnily enough, the GBA version retains an amusing programming error, where a certain corner of the third floor has a tile which always queues up a battle with three Veterans and a single Dark Pudding Rookie, the kind that you'd fight in Ddimopint, way back in the first section of the game. The fans loved him so much, he shows up as an Easter egg in various places in later AQ remakes,  known as Dark Survivor Zechs.
Returning to important matters, the trick of Gemadne Keep is the elevators, as each goes to only certain floors and you need to find the right ones to proceed. Basically, my best advice is to go left to right as far as you can, and those elevators will be the ones you need to use to proceed.  When you get to a single large room, you're where you need to be.
Zoddon: (Sitting in a large throne) Light Pudding. You arrived. I am genuinely impressed. You have a cut a path through my subordinates for your own ambition. However! Your burning passion and my own can not coexist in this world! Whose will be doused?
Emilia: OH MY LULZ! SHUT UP, ZODDON!
Zoddon: Hm? And the Sword God has been freed? You are a truly implacable man. Very Well! Steel Yourself, Light Pudding!
--Boss Fight!--
Dark Pudding Lord Zoddon x1
LP: 75000
MP: 5500
Zoddon, is, understandably, the hardest boss up to this point, as his LP count might indicate here. He will engage his “Noble Pistachio Pudding Form,”  and then begin his assault. He is fond of using 'Burning Ambition,” a move which inflicts heavy fire damage on one target, and “Towering Presence,” an earth move which deals heavy damage to one target and deals splash damage to adjacent party members. He also rarely will raise his sword. Be wary, as his next action will be the devastating “Pudding Grande Destroy” or in Japanese “Boddhisattva Pudding Ignorance Cleaver,” which deals a huge amount of Light-based damage. My best advice is to use Emilia's “GET BACK” action, which causes all non-Puddings to flee, which might seem bizarre until you see what the Golden Choco Swirl does. It is an androgynous, golden figure with glowing aura and flashing eyes. It screams in an auto-tuned voice with each attack, and has a chance of doing either “Pudding Slice,” a single physical move, “Golden Slam,” a powerful light elemented magic attack, or “Golden Aura Slice,” a physical move which hits all enemies and induces Depression. If you can land one of thees, then you'll most likely be pleasantly surprised to see it shave off 9999 damage off of Zoddon.
“Great,” I hear you say,” Why don't I use this swirl all the time?” because this form is berserk. You can't chose who you hit, and many times, Hiro will take his time blowing away his own friends, drunk on the massive influx of power the fusion with his sister provides.
So, yeah, now you see why I don't recommend doing this fight with everyone around.
--Boss Fight!--
Zoddon: (Clutches his bleeding chest) I...I see. Your will is stronger. Listen to this man's final words, Light Pudding. Light, Dark. These aren't Good or Evil. Nor are they families. They are your Will. Go now, Go with my sister, and forge a world where Puddings rule. We have been trampled countless times in the past, and yet we are the strongest clan on the planet. Your mother aided us, once. We worked together to build this place and free others from the Golden Tribe. With you and Emilia, now, we could wipe away all the chaos and produce a world free of strife. Be that man....
(Zoddon collapses)
Emilia: Goodbye, Zoddon.
Ozma: Is this it? Did we win?
(Jaydea runs in, a look of pure shock on her face)
Jaydea: ZODDON! ZODDON! ANSWER ME! THEY....They killed you!
Hiro: Give it up, Jaydea! Your brother wanted us to work together! Listen to his request! You can't win!
Jaydea: Oh? Do you know what I need to unlock the Goddess?
Emilia: The blood of a Royal Pudding and the Five Talismans, right?
Hiro: And we have three of them!
Jaydea: Hehehehe, correct. And, well, you're wrong, too. Y'see...Do you remember when I let you borrow my razor?
Emilia: Yeah, I cut my le—Oooooh, you bitch....
Jaydea: Yup! And on top of that? Remember that one weekend at Girl Pudding Summer Camp?
Emilia: You bitch, you promised we'd never speak about tha--
Jaydea: (Produces a walkman with a microphone) “I'm lonely. I miss my little brother, and I'm cold, could I sleep with YOU?” Do you want me to continue? If so, I can. If not, give me the Talismans.
(Emilia, face beet red, rummages in her backpack, producing the Talismans as the Party can only look on in shock)
Jaydea: Thank you! (Warps away)
Hiro: (In a squeaky voice) Sister....WHY???
Kimyawa: BAKA BAKA BAKA! WE'RE ALL DEAD NOW!
Mancala: I wonder if I can get a coffin sale going?
Deima: Relax, we can still win! It takes a while to unlock Halst, and she needs to GET to the seal first!
Hiro: Where IS that?
Deima: The Tower of Zyrtroph, the Flying Dragonfish.
(You might have seen a giant floating...thing out in the middle of the ocean. THAT is where the seal is. However, we're going to ignore that in Chapter 8 as we do a roundup of ALL the remaining side missions and fetch quests available.! See you then!)
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