#one duel i was so scared because i was doing so well and then suddenly this opponent was about to annihilate me and i had like what 200 lp?

[ojamayellow]

why does hundred dragon look like a rantsona

[quill-beetlewing]

I've just re-read the short lived duel that Aeneas and Achilles have in Book 20 of the Iliad and it's actually the most hilarious fucking thing.

So it starts out with Apollo disguising himself as Lycaon, one of Priam's many sons, and telling to have a go at Achilles. Keep in mind that this is post-Patroclus Achilles. Aka: berserk Achilles. Aka: so fucking mad he would fight a literal river Achilles.

Aeneas, who is capable of critical thinking, says he doubts he can actually take him on. He also references a time when he was herding cattle on Mount Ida and Achilles ambushed him, adding that the only reason he survived then was because Zeus gave him enough strength to book it (cracking up the official times that he's been saved by a god from certain death to 3, you go dude!).

However, after a bit of back and forth and a ton of hyping up on Apollo's part, Aeneas decides to try anyway.

Like, what could possibly go wrong?

Achilles notices Aeneas charging at him and he begins to taunt him. It's something among the lines of: "I'm sorry, are you, background trojan character #61, actually gonna try and beat me? And then what? Do you think that Priam will reward you in some way? Maybe making you king after him? Well it's BULLSHIT, because Priam fucked so much that your chances of succeeding him are basically 0. Ahah. Loser."

Now, you'd think that maybe Aeneas got enraged at the comment and attacked him, or maybe he even got scared and backed down, but NOPE. What does Aeneas do?

Well, first of all, he insults Achilles' insults, comparing his bickering to that of a child. Literally, "I heard third graders do better than that." And then he decides to list his and Hector's entire fucking family tree.

You know that part of the Bible that's like "this guy sired this other guy, and this other guy sired yet another guy" and so on? It's basically that.

So after he's done with all that, Aeneas states that while he'd love to have a battle of insults with Achilles, because according to him he's actually very good at insulting people (his words, not mine), they should probably throw hands now. Achilles agrees.

The duel is shortlived and Aeneas gets his ass handed to him. Badly. As expected. And he's about die when ✨️POV shift✨️ we're not on Olympus where Poseidon, Hera and Athena are watching this absolute train wreck go down.

Poseidon, pitying Aeneas, suddenly goes on a rant. It's something among the lines of: "come on guys, look at him, he's just a little guy! He literally has no stakes in this war, he doesn't deserve to die here! He even gives us lots of gifts and sacrifices, he's literally such a nice guy. How can we do this to him!?

...oh and also he's part of some prophecy, Zeus would get mad if he died."

The fact that the way it's worded makes it sound like Aeneas being part of a literal prophecy is an afterthought to him absolutely floors me, Poseidon is literally just attached to a random dude that's fighting on the opposite side to his because he thinks he's nice.

After all that Hera is pretty unimpressed and states that she really doesn't care if our man lives or dies as neither her or Athena have ever saved a Trojan from death, she however adds that Poseidon is free to do whatever he wants.

The literal moment Hera stops talking, Poseidon lunges down from Olympus and onto the battlefield to look for the two combatants. When he does, he saves Aeneas like only he can do.

You know how when Diomedes first tries to kill Aeneas, Aphrodite gently folds her hands around him to shield him? There's none of that here. Poseidon just runs up to him and literally flings the motherfucker.

It literally says that he flies "high in the air". It's like a Looney Toons sketch.

So Aeneas lands and, while he's obviously a bit dazed, Poseidon proceeds to call him a madman and essentially tells him to never do something stupid like that again and just wait until Achilles is dead, then he'll be able to murder Achaeans to his heart's content. Aeneas is fine with that.

Achilles, who just saw his opponent just get yeeted into the fucking sky, just shrugs and goes "welp, guess that guy's off limits, I'm gonna go kill someone else now I guess lol".

This entire scene is pure fucking gold and the fact that I've literally never seen anyone talk about it just breaks my heart.

[oddeyes588]

gOD I'm eating so well today... we're finally getting some good characterization for Ruri and Rin... hell, it's incredible that we're getting some characterization for them AT ALL. I'm gonna ramble about it.

Ruri. Oh Ruri... it's genuinely so funny seeing her complete contrast with Yuto and Shun, who have all the dark and broodiness that comes with being characters who've been sharpened by the harsh edges of war. Yuto is in a bit of a middle-ground compared to Shun, but Ruri sits on the complete opposite end of the spectrum to her brother.

She's very chill and sweet, in stark contrast to Shun's tendency for rage and violence. Hell, she's the only one of the Xyz Trio who ISN'T glaring constant daggers at Dennis. She's sympathetic, and this goes in line with what we already knew about her. Having received the same teachings from Yusho as Yuya, she's pacifistic and hates the violent dueling that destroyed her home, as it's not what dueling is meant to be.

While Yuto and Shun get understandably hardened in order to do what is necessary to survive, Ruri doesn't want to lose what she loved about her home, and as such tries to maintain it. It's not like she let everything that happened slide off her back, she still has fear for Academia, but she's readily sympathetic, and it's honestly very sweet to see. While Yuto and Shun are still trying to adjust into the process of healing, Ruri is ready to dive in headfirst, because that's exactly what she was waiting for the whole time.

Basically, for having seen the Horrors of War, Ruri is handling herself remarkably well.

And at last... Rin. Rin is hilarious in a few ways, but to start with a more serious note...

It truly does speak to how good of a place Heartland was versus how shit of a place the City was from the get-go, because out of the two, Rin is somehow the more traumatized one? Not that anyone can blame her, since she grew up in a Capitalist Dystopia where you can be arrested and sent to a "correctional facility" indefinitely for the crime of, uh, trespassing on the property of the rich. Oh, and at the age of 14, too! Rin is often scared and fully ready to choose violence over it. Honestly, the idea that Rin's automatic reaction to somebody lunging out at her is to drive her knee into their stomach makes way too much sense... and it really speaks as to how little brain cells Yugo has that he doesn't learn his lesson, and keeps trying to hug her out of nowhere.

But with that said... god I love Rin, actually. Despite Yugo's inability to learn why you don't suddenly glomp somebody, she's got exactly the amount of "he's an idiot, but he's MY idiot" energy that we expected... by which I mean she has an ABSURD amount of that energy. She cares about Yugo just as much as he cares about her, though she shows it via the very hilarious method of affectionately dragging him at every opportunity.

And it's actually so great. I love her. Anyways! It's also neat to see how her overall focus is actually on a much smaller scale compared to everyone else. Yuzu has—or rather, had—obviously she asks about her home, asks how the Synchro Dimension is doing... and she's happy to hear that it's finally on the right track. But while the other three girls are somewhat vested in the fate of the universe(s), the state of their home, etc... Rin seems to focus a lot harder on the fact that she missed the Friendship Cup on account of being kidnapped at the time.

And while yes, there's a hint of tragedy to that considering that the losers of that particular tournament are all sent to an underground work facility to be worked until they die...

...her being lowkey SUPER competitive is a delight.

[homoeroticbetrayal]

Iconic Homoerotic Betrayal: Round 2

Round 2 Directory

Context:

Ides of March

Summary by Mean Girls (from an Anonymous Contributor)

Why should Caesar get to stomp around like a giant while the rest of us try not to get smushed under his big feet? What’s so great about Caesar? Hm? Brutus is just as cute as Caesar. Brutus is just as smart as Caesar.

People totally like Brutus just as much as they like Caesar. And when did it become okay for one person to be the boss of everybody, huh? Because that’s not what Rome is about. We should totally just stab Caesar!

Joshua/Neku

Summary by @purplelea

What if I was a jerk who decided to reject everyone because I was scared of getting attached and getting hurt, and what if I ended up in a death game where I had to learn how to put my trust in others in order to survive

What if I started to change, I started to trust others, to value their inner worlds, and then you came along as one of the people I had to learn to trust

What if you understood me better than anyone else, what if I recognised myself in you, and what if I HATED you for that, because you were everything I were, but that weren't not who I wanted to be anymore

What if you made it so hard to trust you because you were so grating and annoying and didn't deny when I accused you of killing me

What if you gave your life for me right after I learned that you weren't my murderer, what if I had spent an entire week blaming you for my death and what if you died for me before I could even apologise for that

What if I grieved you for a week while trying to fight for my life and fighting to keep trusting others despite all the hurt it kept bringing me

What if I fought my way to the end, victory and salvation so close, and what if suddenly I saw you again, giggling and telling me you were the one behind the whole thing since the very beginning

What if you told me that you were the one who killed me. That you were the one who created this death game. That you were the reason all of this ever happened. That I was nothing but a plaything in your grand scheme, that I've been your pawn since the very beginning, and all the fights I fought in order to come back to life were in fact helping you to achieve your goal of destroying my city and everyone I cared about

What if, still smiling, you gave me one last chance to save everything. A duel. A countdown. 10 seconds, one pull of the trigger, and you would be dead, my death would be avenged, my city and my friends saved

What if three weeks before that was exactly what had been asked of me, to kill someone else to save myself, and what if back then someone had to stop me from doing it

What if, pushed by how angry and hurt I was because of your betrayal, of your lies, of how you manipulated me and everyone around you, I found the strength to aim the gun at you, ready to shoot, crying but determined

But what if this time, because of everything I've been through, everything YOU put me through, I couldn't do it. Because you betrayed me, you hurt me, you did everything do I would want to pull that trigger, but everything you did also lead me to change, to start to trust others, and you're included in those others. You made me see that others' lives are worth the fight, are deep and meaningful, are something precious that shouldn't be discarded because I can't understand them

What if as you counted down to zero, I lowered my gun, and when your countdown met its end, you shot me once again, a bullet piercing my heart just like your betrayal did a few moments before.

What if after living all of this, I woke up in the middle of the city where I had been waking up at every start of every week of the death game you put me in, but this time alive and well, and I had to come to terms on how I felt towards you and the whole ordeal

What if I did come to terms, and put words on it. An entire monologue I gave to you, not even knowing if you were listening, but trusting that you would.

What if my name was Neku Sakuraba, and yours was Yoshiya Kiryu, but I could call you Joshua, seeing as I was your dear, dear Partner.

"I can't forgive you, but I trust you."

For other JoshNeku essays, see spreadsheet

[sebasluv]

before too late | sebastian sallow

a/n: hai ya'll...this like my existential crisis while playing the game. cuz i wanted to stick thru with sebastian's dark side so bad, yet i am too afraid he will lose himself in the dark side. so here we are...enjoy guys.

before you realized what mess you've gotten into, it was too late.

starting in a new school in the fifth year might be hard, but adding being attacked by a dragon, traveling through a portkey, and almost getting killed before you arrived at school is a new level of 'hard.' not to mention a new stranger, by the name of sebatian sallow, wandering into your life as if it was meant to be.

"time for a proper hogwart's welcome..."

you can not deny that he is a talented duelist, or was he taking it easy on you? but why did he end up inviting you to the dueling club? anyways. and definitely, you can not miss adding that he is insanely charming. like, merlin's beard, he is super freaking charming. how can you say no to those chocolate puppy eyes? never...and you've got to learn it the hard way.

before you realized it; you were in the catacomb, fighting for your life to get to some 'promised' relic. spiders crawling around your sight, and nerves, making you itch in a way you couldn't explain.

"it is no wonder why spiders give people goosebumps," sebastian mentioned while hurling one away from your head. "could be the hairy legs, the soulless eyes, or the fangs, any endearing number of qualities, really."

"could you please not- confringo!"

"was just trying to lighten up the mood," he chuckled. after clearing out one of the many last spiders, he brushed off something in your hair. "just a spider leg, not to worry," sallow smiled. merlin, you wish you could get out of this trance, and catacomb, as soon as possible.

"where could the relic be?" he threw his hands up frustratingly. combing his fingers through his hair, he sighed.

"hey, seb, don't give up," patted his back, and rubbing it a few times always does the trick. glancing around the room -or should you say, the tomb- you found a stone table, sitting in a convenient spot. scraping and dusting some parchments off the table, you found weird-looking triangle bones. "look! there's the relic!"

"hey! i knew i could always count on you, you are a magic!" without delay, sebastian threw himself towards the relic, and grasped it tightly, yet gently, afraid that he might break it. "i- i can't believe this! the notes- it all lines up, we've really found it," he smiled with a tear fighting to escape his eyes.

"oh, seb," you held his face in your comforting palm. "you do really know how to care for your sister, she must be very glad-" suddenly something feels weird. something suddenly doesn't sit right within your stomach.

"y/n? everything alright?"

"ye- yes, well actually, no."

"ar- are you seeing something? tell me, please..."

"..."

"tell me!" his shouts caught you off-guard. glancing towards the gateway, you saw a blond-headed boy you knew so well...ominis. why- why doesn't sebastian radiate the same warmth as before? why did his touch turn cold?

"'the dark sacrifice required to release the relic's potential?'" you questioned with a quivering voice. afraid that you might lose your voice, you continued, "s- seb, i know that dark magic can be useful, but- but why-"

"because it is the only way to save anne!" sebastian answered hurriedly. "pl...please, y/n, why are you starting to questioning me?"

"the note- the note advised we should leave the relic, i guess that is the best choice for them, wh- then why we should be foolish to not follow the advice?"

"please, y/n, i assure you, we were meant to find this, for anne's sake!"

"...are you giving up on her?"

"no! of course, not. even though, i've only known her for a half-a-school year, i wouldn't trade her for anything else in this world," you brushed his cheeks. "i- i am just afriad, scared, and hopeless, seb..."

"tell me," he placed his free hand on your waist.

"an- anne had already given up on finding a cure for herself, but she hasn't lost the hope of living..." you looked into his eyes. "wh- why don't we just make the best out of the time we have left? looking back, wouldn't you regret it, if you realized that you've wasted all this time looking for a cure, instead of looking in the face of your very own sister?"

"..."

"sebastian...please, don't make me regret this...i'm afraid it will be too late for you," you turned away. hiding the tears in your eyes, yet your trembling shoulders are breaking his walls down.

"i am sorry, y/n"

[sea-of-dust]

Ok so bracelet girls having duels for fun with their s/o but they notice s/o is going easy on them so they ask them to play seriously and maybe even promise them an award for winning. S/o then proceeds to completely destroy them in a single turn.

Bracelet girls x GN!Reader

Imagine telling someone to try and then they wipe the floor with you

N: YUGIOH ARC V ANNON YUGIOH ARC V ANNON YUGIOH ARC V ANNON how do I manifest yugioh annons NO HOW TO MANIFEST ARC V ANNONS FINALLY.

YOU SHOW DEMONSTATION! Yuya would have put you two up to it. "Now that I think about it I wanna see a duel between you and Yuzu" You sigh rubbing your temple "third time you asked" Yuzu pouts beside you "wait how much do I get paid for this?"

Lil bro might have to get an actual job soon, as you two got onto the field, saying the usual heart throbbing duel starting chant. You could already hear them prasing you two for how you got the crowd going.

You already planned on going easy on her, first duel she actually uses fusion, then having gong wake you up from your nap this time (not cool), the only thing keeping you up was definitely the cash Yuya promised and seeing her expression when she beats you

"Y/n seems down" "yea it isn't fun seeing them when they look so scary when tired" you glare at the fruit squad, accidently scaring them. "I summon-" you narrow your eyes trying to see if you even picked the right card. "Oh come in!" You look up at Yuzu "are you even trying?! Give em a show they won't forget!" "A show they won't forget huh?" You wipe your eyes, check you twos life points, and suddenly gain enough energy to power a city

"Everyone! I'll blow your minds right this momment!" You cover one of your eyes with your card before revealing it to be a spell. "Hopefully you don't mind my field spell" you hear everyone gawk as their surroundings change once again. "Cool but not enough to take out bloom diva" "that's where your wrong dear yuzu" you pat one of your monsters "you see besides being a damage stick one of the best things about my partner here" the monster beings to distort swirling with a card from your hand "is that when fused he tends to create an even more powerful monster than bloom diva could dream" an even larger than a monster you had before appears. "Whadya say you spin her around a bit" your smile widens to a menacing smirk, activating your monsters affect to spin the poor bloom diva back to the extra deck. "Still isn't enough I could just wipe you with a sneeze" "Yuzu you should know not to underestimate me" you hop onto your monster "after all this guy dosent just spin, he's offended you'd even suggest that" you pull its face getting a laugh out of the children, you smile at them, most smiling back cheerfully as well as noticing Yuzus face visibly fill with blush "Now, I activate my spell☆" "what does it do?!" The audience and her shout "simple my monster gains double the difference in life points between me and Yuzu" "3600-200!" "I failed math, but I'm pretty sure that might bust a hole into the fence" Sora remarks nearby Yuzu's dad just to get his reaction. you clap your hands "go at it bud!" The monster dives onto Yuzus remaining monster. She covers her face with her arms as her life points hit zero. You run over to her as the field disapaits "you alright?" "I'm fine" you pull her up "really because I swear I saw your life points hit the negitives" "real funny"

You, Sora and her get dragged around by Yuri. Understandable, you don't wanna duel him. "I'm gonna evaporate" "No" "DONT LEAVE US Y/N" Sora cries at your ankle "too late legs given out" You feel as if your fading away while once again being dragged by Yuri "my soul will never escape him!!" "Y/N!!" Sora falls to his knees dramatically. Serena causally pulls out her duel disk and texts you on it "what the heck you can do that?" "Do you know how easy it is to jailbreak them?"

As soon as night fell you two ran outside. "Why do you know his sleeping habits?" "Who do you think he calls when he needs bedtime stories and Dennis isn't around?" "So why is Sora here?" "We need someone to play lookout" "I thought I was here for candy!" You shush him simultaneously "dang my bad" you pull out a bag of spare candy you had. Starting the duel with Serena

"The moon might give me a bonus" "in lighting?" "?" "You look beutiful under the moon I got distracted" "i-" she mutters fumbling with her cards "EW" "can it till ya grow taller" you were so distracted you forgot about the traps you laid looking back to Serena and seeing a giant leo dancer. "WAIT WHEN-" "pay attention to your opponent and maybe that won't happen" you sigh drawing your card. "Ughhhh" "..." "this is why you pay attention" they both sigh. "Tell ya what if you manage to come back from this I'll make sure Yuri gets nowhere near us" Soras duel disk flashes "no I got this" "doubt it" "Stop having low faith in me"

Analyzing your cards, you activate one of your traps, being able to summon out a monster. "Lets try..." You summon another monster "synchro summon.." You bring out a large dragon enough to reach a students window. "I gotta stop the habbit of letting you get me to low life points" you raise your hand signaling to the monster "I act-"

"action duel interruption penality" you didn't even have to look to know who it was "Yuri I swear" "you can't have fun without me like this" "bro.." as soon as Yuri finishes his interruption turn you exchange looks with Serena, she dosnt do anything with her turn. As soon as Yuri uses his monsters effect you perk up "I activate my trap" "I activate a counter!" "Not a chance!" "I ACTIVATE ANOTHER" The longest chain in history ends, allowing you to still be able to activate your original trap. "My monster gets equal attack depending on the attack of total monsters on the field" you hold up your hand once again "sick em" unenthusiasticly you watch your monster deal with both of them at the same time. You run over to Serena making sure she was alright. "You alright?" "I've tumbled worse" the next day you could say it was the best school day in everyone's lives. Yuri nowhere to be seen, ment you guys were free to skip and run around campus. "Wait howed you get rid of him?" "I told him Dennis ate his plants and never supported his plant rights thing whatever it was called"

"AHHHHHHH" "Shay was right this is fun" "INSTALL SEAT BELTS" you hang onto her monster for dear life. Having the wind smack your face is not pleasant!! But atleast she was having fun. "He also mentioned something about it looking cool while dueling someone?" "We could duel and see"

It would have been a pleasant duel if you weren't being smacked by wind that wasn't even from her. When you said an open area, you didn't mean somewhere so high you could see the solar system. "Ruri why up here?" "I wanted to try something"

Without a secound of hesitation, she summons her xyz monster, the smile she had when she did paired with a few other summons. It was charming to watch. "I end my turn!"

You smile to yourself accidently, miss playing a card you were supposed to fuse. Followed by another set of missplays. Enough to make the average meta player shead tears. "Is something on your mind?" "Hm?" You snap out of your Ruri related thoughts seeing the plays you made and panicking inside a bit. She laughs to herself. "Hey if you win after all of that I'll do whatever ya want!" "Whatever I want?"

A wide smirk makes it's way up your face. "Say less!" You activate your monsters effect as well as the one on your field. "I activate my trap!" She shouts "It might seem crazy what I'm about to say" you reveal a counter trap, your attack goes through smoothly. "So about what I want" you smirk to yourself as her monsters disappear and her life points disapate. "I'm gonna need ya to try baking" "No fair! You know I'm bad at that!" "They turn out amazing you just never tried one of your sweets!" You point at her your monster at the ready your monster swoops in and attacks her, rushing to her when the duel ends. "They're gonna be so bad..." "you saying you're bad at baking is like saying Shun's bad at jumpscaring people"

"Duel me!!" "Why?" "Because I need to get better!" "Ask y/n Rin-Rin I'm dreaming" "oh of what pink fluffy unicorns dancing on rainbows?" "..." she got kicked out, but asking you wasn't a bad idea! Atleast you said yes

"So you want me to do what?" "We're gonna duel on the ground." You stare blankly looking around. "I actually have to walk my fish" "COME BACK"

You bricked. Litterally, what is a handful of traps gonna do when you're going secound? Half of them need a monster! You sigh, drawing a monster! It's level 5. "I place 4 cards face down and end my turn" "you looking down on me?" "You wanna see my hand?" "Oh.." understanding you bricked she smirks widely, pulling out nearly a perfect combo, a negate, a counter effect one that can destroy cards

"How did you even get all of those" "I stole your luck beginning of the duel" "not cool" you sigh, watching her fiddle with her cards "if you can come back from this we can go to the ice cream shop that just opened" "how did you even get money for that" she smirks "getting better at dueling" "mkayyy"

Hesitantly drawing your card you pray to yourself unveiling it. Giving her monsters attack points. "Are you giving me a free boost when I kick you to the curb?" "Maybe" you activate the card already on the field "I activate my monsters effect" "go ahead" you shrug your shoulders as her cards get destroyed with her taking half of each of their attack points as damage. Her reaction to her momsters being wiped off the field along with a few muttered "huh?" "Wait that should of..." "Pretty sure your card only worked if it were targeted" last thing she hears before tumbling into the grass, you try to stop her but end up tumbling with her. Atleast the ice cream was worth it totally didn't still have a leaf on your head from the tumble

[gx-gameon]

About Crowler, as much as I would like Jaden to tell him eventually on his own terms (with Chazz and Jesse support) It's funny if he found out Jaden identity as Prince of Duels when he went to get Seto approval for King of Colloseum for Hassleberry and subsequent graduating seniors

I haven’t decided how Crowler is going to find out yet.

I know the kids are going to learn Jaden’s identity as the Prince of Duels during the tournament arc.

While him finding out during Hasselberry’s senior 3rd year could be fun.

I think Crowler will learn during the ‘day of wrecking.’ When the Kaiba bros come to fire people.

The whole staff is freaking out. Thee Seto Kaiba is coming to the school with his husband Yugi Muto, his brother Mokuba Kaiba, his brother-in-law Atem Muto, as well as some high level employees. The staff knows something big is about to happen but they don’t know what.

Crowler is walking towards the meeting wrangling his hands in nervousness. This is so bad. This was a horrible year. They lost the school to a different dimension. Then a group of students ran a rescue mission to another dimension. One that the Kaiba family had been dragged into (he doesn’t know why they went yet) then all the events of season 4. Not to mention the evil cult last year, and the shadow riders the year before.

Crowler has been afraid that they would all be fired for years. And now the time has come he can feel it. He’s walking towards his death.

When suddenly a hand shot out and pulled him into a side room. He shrieked and turned to see one Joey Wheeler. What is he doing here? Well there was a group of master duelists in the island.

“Hey Crowler.” They had met in the dark world. “A buddy of mine is looking for you.” And Crowler swallows hard because Joey Wheeler has a lot of ‘buddies’ buddies who have a lot of power over his job.

Joey leads him to a private meeting room and motions for him to go in and then step in front of the door to make sure no one else went in.

Crowler is expecting Yugi or Atem Muto. Not a nervous looking Jaden Yuki. “Jaden? What are you doing here?” He’s happy to see his student again but also so confused. And then worried because trouble follows Jaden like a moth to a flame. What if something else had happened and Jaden was trying to save the world again? Did he need help?

“Hey Dr. Crowler. I was hoping to talk to you about something.” And Jaden is obviously nervous and he’s motioned for both of them to sit down. Crowler has a very important meeting with Seto Kaiba that he’s going to be late to because of this but one of his favorite students is back and looking more like a scared child than he’s ever seen him. The Kaiba’s can wait. Crowler’s probably getting fired anyways. He can spend his last moments as a teacher helping one of his students.

“Of course Jaden. What is it?”

“Um well…. I kinda lied on my entrance paperwork.” Crowlers confused on why that would matter now. If he had known that before he could have Jaden thrown out of school but Jaden has already graduated. They might that his diploma away but why would it matter when Jaden’s saved the school more times then crowler probably knows of. “See my last name isn’t Yuki anymore. It’s Muto.”

Crowler sits there staring at Jaden for a long moment. “Dr. Crowler?” Jaden asks worriedly. He had expected a bigger reaction. Crowler faints and falls out of his chair. “Yep there it is.” Jaden says as he walks over to make sure his teacher is alright, while texting his Oto-san that he had told Crowler and they would be late to the meeting.

Crowler misses the ‘day of wrecking meeting and wakes up to find the whole Muto family around. Jaden, his dads, and uncles and aunts. There is no denying what Jaden said when he’s literally talking to Yugi and calling him dad. Crowler wants to cry. He’s so fired.

He’s not. He’s got a promotion but also way stricter rules for the academy to follow.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Rereading The Fellowship of the Ring for the First Time in Fifteen Years

Holy Foreshadowing, Batman! Gandalf is SUPER psyched to get his ass under a mountain, but literally Gimli and Aragorn are like, "Nah, bro, we are worried about YOU SPECIFICALLY if we do that." And this is after Mom and Dad fought about going up Caradhras and after literally everyone is like, "We are getting super bad vibes from Moria."

But they can't go over the mountains, they can't go around the mountains, and the Gap of Rohan is too close to Isengard, so fuck it, we ball in Moria, I guess. Let's talk chapter 4, "A Journey in the Dark."

Ok, so this is a relatively long chapter (30-odd pages by my math), but wow is it mostly vibes. We start off very defeated by the anti-wizard-and-elf mountain, which makes sense because if you lose the ring bearer to exposure in the first month of travel, you're going down in history as the dingus who lost the last great conflict with Sauron. Again, Boromir is DEEPLY underappreciated as the reason our hobbits survived Caradhras.

After a few pages of back-and-forthing about where to go next, Gandalf is over here pushing Moria HARD, and literally everyone is like, "This does not pass the vibe check, wizard boy." Although Gimli is like, "I could find out what happened to Balin" and Aragorn literally says THIS:

"You followed my lead almost to disaster in the snow and have said no word of blame. I will follow your lead now..."

Because apparently Fellowship leadership operates on phlebotomist rules. If you miss the vein, you let someone else take a shot.

Ultimately, the decision is made because there are goddamn WARGS after the group, and even Boromir accedes that wolves literally on your tail are worse than hypothetical wolves up the road, so we stop arguing about it and hunker down. This gives us time to have a nice little moment with Sam and Pippin though. Poor Pippin is over here like, "I wish I had taken Elrond's advice [...], I am no good after all. [...] I don't remember ever feeling so wretched, " but Sam is coming in clutch with "Honestly same, but Gandalf isn't going to let us get eaten by wolves." Which like...yeah, I accept that, and it's way more comforting than a generic "there, there." I also appreciate that Sam admits he's scared too. It's like how hearing, "Oh god, I haven't started that either" is so comforting for stressed-out students.

What neither I nor the fellowship love though, is the wolves literally sniffing around their campfire that night. There are literally glowing eyes in the dark, howls on the wind, and a goddamn warg silhouette in the gap between stones. And an arrow through the throat of one warg buys the group some measure of peace until the moon sets. Once the moon sets though, we get a pre-dawn warg attack:

In the leaping light as the fresh wood blazed up, Frodo saw many grey shapes spring over the ring of stones. More and more followed. Through the throat of one huge leader Aragorn passed his sword with a thrust; with a great sweep Boromir hewed the head off another. Gimli stood with his stout legs apart, wielding his dwarf-axe. The bow of Legolas was singing.

The battle scenes in these books read SUPER Beowulf, but are somehow briefer. Tolkien was super not here for contemporary battle scene writing; it's very much painting with watercolors. He gives you the odd detail or two and you pretty much get to fill in the rest yourself. Which is fine, and holy cow can I see where that would inspire Robert Jordan's manner of naming sword forms rather than describing an actual duel (which is not shade, I think Jordan does that really damn well and to excellent effect). But then we get Gandalf doing wizardy things in a really...unusual way?

In the wavering firelight Gandalf seemed suddenly to grow: he rose up, a great menacing shape like the monument of some ancient king of stone set upon a hill. Stooping like a cloud, he lifted a burning branch and strode to meet the wolves. They gave back before him. High in the air he tossed the burning brand, It flared with a sudden white radiance like lightning; and his voice rolled like thunder.

This hearkens back both to "Gandalf the fireworks wizard" who we meet in the Shire, but also to the little moment in Bag End where Gandalf goes wizard on Bilbo to snap him out of his Ring moment. It also is not like...wildly dissimilar to how they teach you to scare bears off in the wild: Get big and loud and look intimidating. We were not supposed to then set a goddamn forest fire--that's a little scorched earth for Alaskan survival techniques--but it was one of those moments where the familiar was made pointedly exotic, and I actually thought it was quiet effective. You take the foundation of something real and then you add a bit of wizard to it. Then things feel sufficiently grounded, but also with just that extra bit of wizard to heighten EVERYTHING. The subtlety (and yeah, I know, forest fire and lightning isn't subtle, but the way this is written is and how it functions is) is really quite impressive. That said...Gandalf, honey. Maybe not with the ecological disasters???

At the very least, the wargs were polite enough to evaporate so they didn't have to deal with any of the bodies when the sun came up.

After that, we haul ass off to the Doors of Durin. It's not a good journey though. Right from the start, the Sirannon wasn't where it was supposed to be, the landscape is lifeless and desolate, and when we do finally find the stream, it's a freaking trickle. If the IDEA of Moria didn't pass the vibe check, then the landscape on the trip in is a parade of red flags. And again, Boromir is SUPER ON POINT with not wanting to get caught between a stone wall and a bunch of wolves. This place is all quiet unease and red flags. Even the freaking WATER is gloomy and unwholesome-looking.

And then we get a WEIRD FLEX moment for Gandalf:

"I am sorry," said Gandalf. "Poor Bill has been a useful companion, and it goes to my heart to turn him adrift now. I would have travelled lighter and brought no animal, least of all this one that Sam is fond of, if I had had my way. I feared all along that we should be obliged to take this road."

Like, I believe he's genuinely sorry to have to hurt Sam and to turn the goodest pony loose. But it's the "if I had had my way" and the last sentence where I'm just like...Gandalf. Sir. Why are you bitching to Frodo that you have to share leadership on this mission? And why are you flexing an "I told you so" on Frodo instead of, IDK, Aragorn??? Is it because Aragorn would kick your wizened wizard ass for it? Because I'd watch that.

Also, again with Gandalf being weirdly open with, aware of, and as solicitous as possible to Sam. He has zero problems kicking Pippin when he's down (as we'll see in a bit in this very goddamn chapter), but he's always been very straight yet compassionate with Sam in a way that doesn't even match how this wizard treats Frodo. Like, we are almost getting to a point where I need to go see what the Tolkien scholars have written about the Sam-Gandalf relationship, because it's getting NOTICEABLY unique and it has gotten a fair number of little moments at this point. Like...what is this relationship and why is this the dynamic? I demand to know.

I also just want to take a second to highlight something DEEPLY inequitable as they round the lake to the door:

When they came to the northernmost corner of the lake they found a narrow creek that barred their way. It was green and stagnant, thrust out like a slimy arm toward the enclosing hills. Gimli strode forward undeterred, and found that the water was shallow, no more than ankle-deep at the edge. Behind him they walked in fie, threading their way with care, for under the weedy pools were sliding and greasy stones, and footing was treacherous. Frodo shuddered with disgust at the touch of the dark unclean water on his feet.

THE HOBBITS DONT WEAR SHOES. Everyone else has boots to act as something of a barrier to this gross-ass water, but the hobbits have to tromp through it BAREFOOT. Did NOBODY think, "oh shit, this will be super unpleasant for the hobbits, maybe we should yeet or carry them?" Apparently not, and honestly now they're just gonna have gross feet as they tromp through Moria and I hate that for their poor hobbit toesies. And as a WWI soldier, TOLKIEN SHOULD KNOW THE DANGERS OF WET, MUCKETY FEET.

But then we actually get to the doors--finally--and Sam has a deeply understandable moment when Gandalf tells him they have to cut Bill loose, and Gimli and Legolas try to start world war 2.5 over Elf-Dwarf relations before Gandalf tells them to knock that shit off.

Everyone is super over everything at this point, and I cannot blame them.

But where Gandalf has zero time for Legolas and Gimli sniping at each other, he takes the time to speak over Bill and give him his best shot at getting home safely. Again, I do not get the relationship between Gandalf and Sam. I appreciate the care for the pony, but whatever the Gandalf-Sam thing is, it's more than just trolling Pippin or ensuring that Frodo makes it to the volcano or ignoring Merry's existence for the most part.

Literally, Pippin gets a "Knock on the door with your head" from Gandalf, and once the damn thing IS open, Merry just gets a casual, "Merry, of all people, was on the right track" before Gandalf pulls ANOTHER weird flex and says "Too simple for a learned lore-master in these suspicious days." Like...ok, sure, Gandalf. You were TOO SMART to get the riddle.

But we get the doors open just in time for Frodo to get nabbed by a metric frick-ton of tentacles. Sam yoinks him back and they haul ass through the door, which get slammed behind them and the tentacle monster bolts it behind them with boulders and trees. After which we get THIS little gem from Gandalf:

"I fear from the sounds that boulders have been piled up and trees uprooted and thrown across the gate. I am sorry; for the trees were beautiful, and had stood so long."

SIR. I was THERE when you burned a flaming doughnut into the land to get rid of the wargs. You are a walking ecological disaster and do not get to high ground the tentacle monster ripping up a few trees by the roots. You probably burned more LAST NIGHT. I know it's unfair to expect characters to know the genre of the book they're in, and by extension its equally unfair to expect them to know the themes of the book they're in. That said though...I WATCHED YOU START A FOREST FIRE, GANDALF. This is not the moment to suddenly discover ecocriticism.

At any rate, we have FINALLY made it inside Moria. Boromir is (rightfully) quite pissed off an apprehensive about this, but Gandalf is like, "Gimli and I will lead the way!" before they manage to get the party fucking lost and Sam is bitching about not having rope. Because oh my god there is SO MUCH atmospheric walking in this book. And most of the time the atmosphere is "vaguely evil with a healthy helping of depression." Which...yeah, that's what we get here.

So it makes sense that Gandalf is SUPER FUCKING OVER IT when Pippin yeets a rock down a well and they hear hammer blows from the deeps. And it makes even more sense when Gandalf realizes he's apparently also experiencing withdrawal symptoms because he hasn't had a smoke since before they started climbing Caradhras. So he non-apologizes to Pippin, lights up, and everything looks better in the morning...sort of. At least the wizard is less grumpy, and he has now firmly established himself as that member of the party who needs to be properly self-cared or he will make it EVERYONE ELSE'S PROBLEM. Seriously, what a goddamn diva.

But getting himself a wee bit of a smoke made it so he could make a decision and they headed up to where the air smelled good. So fair enough.

Then we have EVEN MORE atmospheric walking, and Sam picks up some dwarven lore via Gimli singing a song all about Moria and Khazad-dum, and I swear, the hobbit is going to be a lore-master himself by the end of this journey.

This chapter is also where we get a bit of a mithril infodump, which is pretty cool just in general. We also get Frodo having delayed sticker-shock because he's just casually waltzing around with a whole-ass shirt of mithril on. That's also a nice little reminder to all the readers that hey, remember that Frodo has this thing? I betcha it's going to be important soon.

We end the chapter on the SUPER downer note of finding Balin's tomb, and the dwarves now have their (not unexpected) answer to what happened to the party from thirty-odd years ago. Which is really sad, frankly.

That's also about where we're going to leave this chapter, because I am...exhausted by all the atmospheric walking. We will pick up next time with a relatively short chapter, and hopefully there is more to it than infodumping and atmospheric walking.

[pocket-luv101]

A Loyal Lion // CynoNari

Fandom: Genshin Impact Ship: CynoNari

Summary: Cyno adopts a baby lion, mistaking it for a kitten. When Tighnari learns of this, he decides to help him. (CynoNari, Inspired by Jing Yuan’s lion).

Tighnari heard numerous rumours about General Mahamatra Cyno—from his cold personality to his ruthless methods. He dismissed most of those things as mere gossip. Though, he never met the man to have an opinion on him and he doubted he would meet the man. The Matra didn’t have a reason to investigate him and he was too busy with his studies to socialize. He didn’t expect that Cyno would approach him first.

Tighnari recalled a time when he almost went to the Matra for help. Last month, he noticed someone following him but they would hide each time he tried to confront them. He decided not to report the incidents because the person disappeared as suddenly as they appeared. His senses were sharp and he never felt endangered by the person. He assumed that they were merely a shy classmate who wanted to collaborate on a paper but gave up.

He sat in a quiet corner of the House of Daena and heard familiar footsteps approach him. His initial curiosity to see who they were turned to shock. The General Mahamatra stood in front of him with a lion cub on his shoulder. Cyno held out a book to him and started to speak. Tighnari yelled over him: “Why did you bring a dangerous animal into the Akademiya? It might be a baby but it’s still a dangerous animal. You should know the rules against animals in the Akademiya!”

“Animals are permitted as long as they are registered with the Matra. They deemed that Crocodile King to be well trained and behaved. I also had an unbiased Matra make this assessment. Everyone must be judged fairly, even the General Mahamatra.” Cyno explained but Tighnari’s perplexed expression didn’t change. An awkward silence fell over them and he thought of something he could say. “Why do cats always get their way? They’re very purr-suasive.”

“That’s a lion!”

For the first time, Tighnari saw Cyno’s expression change. His brows furrowed together and his lips tipped into a frown. Cyno took the small animal from his shoulder and placed it on the table between them. The baby lion yawned and pawed at Cyno’s hand to be carried again. “Are you certain that Crocodile King isn’t a cat? He certainly acts like one.”

“Your new pet is a rare breed of lion only found in Gavireh Lajavard. They’re often mistaken for cats in their early years because of their size and white coat. Their lion traits will appear in a few years. You couldn’t have known so it was wrong for me to yell at you. I’m sorry.” Tighnari tended to snap in frustration whenever he thought someone was being reckless or endangering others. “I never expected the General Mahamatra to like cats. Though, the name Crocodile King doesn’t fit a cat or lion.”

“It’s a character from King of Invocation. My favourite light novel. Crocodile King was gravely injured and sealed into a casket. He’s a very strong character who survived countless fights and duels.” Cyno’s eager gaze begged Tighnari to ask him more about the character. Tighnari wondered if he was able to talk about the book for him to jump at this opportunity with him.

The man before him was different from the rumours that he heard. Studying the man now, he couldn’t see the stern Matra who stood in front of him only a few minutes ago. Cyno’s eyes were soft as he sat down and played with the lion. “I found Crocodile King half crushed beneath a dead lion. I assumed the lion ate its mother. Such a small thing can’t survive in the desert alone so I decided to adopt it.”

Cyno didn’t add that he wanted to protect the cat because he saw himself in the small, lonely creature. After his parents died, the Temple of Silence decided to send him to the Akademiya. Both would benefit if he learned how to control the divine spirit within him. He was scared and alone at first but Sage Cyrus took him into his family. He hoped he could be someone like that to others, starting with a small cat.

“Caring for an animal isn’t an easy task, let alone for a lion. You need to consider Crocodile King’s needs and train him. Lions are dangerous animals, even if you raise them from birth, but you can train them.” Hearing Cyno’s reason for adopting the animal, he couldn’t help but feel empathy. “I will lend you a few textbooks and manuals. I’m from the Amurta Darshan.”

“Your offer is a little ironic since I initially approached you to return this. You left it in Pardis Dhyai. Crocodile King was the one to find it.” He said and handed a notebook to Tighnari. “I appreciate any advice that you can give me. I was lost enough when I thought he was just a cat.”

“My first suggestion would be to shorten Crocodile King’s name? It’s a bit of a mouthful. How about just ‘King’?” At his suggestion, the lion purred happily and walked to Tighnari. It rubbed its tiny head against his arm. Cyno pouted and the expression was surprisingly endearing. Tighnari placed his hand over his mouth to hide his smile. He added: “Crocodile King is your pet so it’s your decision.”

“King seems to have decided for me.” Cyno reached across the table to pet the lion. “I’m currently assigned to patrol the House of Daena and I should return to my route. I stopped to give you this book. When are you free to help me train King, Tighnari?”

“Fridays mornings, I have classes in the lab but my schedule is free after that. Meet me at Pardis Dhyai at noon.” Cyno nodded and then stood with King on his shoulder. Tighnari would’ve liked to talk with him a little more but he couldn’t keep him from work. His familiar footsteps as he walked away caught his attention and he jumped to his feet. “Wait, Cyno!”

Cyno didn’t know why he would stop him but the urgency in his voice made him turn around. Tighnari tapped his finger against his notebook and asked, “What were you doing in Pardis Dhyai when you found my book? Someone has been following me all month. Not much can get past my ears. Your footsteps sound the same as that person’s.”

“The Matra opened an investigation on you. Unlike other Valuka Shuna, you are quite sociable. Our suspicions were piqued when you started study groups with students outside of your Darshan. We couldn’t ignore the possibility that you were gathering people with different expertise to form a coup. It’s my duty as General Mahamatra to investigate anyone who would break the cardinal sins or spread Forbidden Knowledge. But, I’m sorry if I frightened you.”

Instead of sounding offended or concerned by the Matra’s investigation, Tighnari’s voice was almost teasing. “Since you stopped following me last month and I haven’t been arrested yet, can I assume that you don’t believe I’m dangerous anymore?”

Cyno’s investigation had concluded that Tighnari was a kind hearted man who joined many study groups to help others. Most scholars pursued knowledge for selfish wants such as pride or greed. Tighnari was different. Though, Cyno discovered one dangerous aspect of Tighnari that he overlooked in his investigation. His smile had a strange effect on him.

“King, no jumping onto the table to steal food. You’re no longer the size of a cat. At this rate, you’ll destroy all the furniture in my home.” Tighnari chastised the lion and it whimpered in reply. He steeled himself against the animal’s large eyes. The lion was now the size of a lamb but it still acted as if it were a cub. “All of my training is pointless when your owner spoils you so much. Cyno should be here to pick you up soon. Actually, he was supposed to be here an hour ago. I hope nothing happened at work.”

Since his job as the General Mahamatra kept Cyno busy, Tighnari would often care for King. He didn’t mind the extra work because they grew close with Cyno. He looked forward to seeing him each day. He glanced through the window where dusk was settling on the sky and bit his lip. It was rare for Cyno to be late without sending a letter to tell him why.

He heard footsteps outside his door and his ears twitched in excitement. The way King bounded towards the foyer confirmed that the person was Cyno and Tighnari rushed to let him in. When he reached his door, he noticed how his heart raced. He ignored the feeling and hid his eager reaction before he opened the door. The moment King saw a small gap in the doorway, he ran through to greet Cyno. Tighnari felt a little jealous that the lion could be more open with his feelings than him.

“Someone’s excited to see me. I didn’t know being a few minutes late was enough to make you miss me.” Cyno knelt down and petted the lion. “How about a joke to make you feel better, King? Then again, Tighnari might yell at me. He says my puns are cat-astrophic. Do you get it?”

“We’re not characters in a fantasy world where humans and animals can understand each other.” Tighnari sighed. He would hear a new joke from Cyno everyday and his dry humour never improved. Yet, he had to admit that he would think about them once they were alone. “You’re late. It’s dangerous to walk back to the Akademiya at this hour so you can sleep here if you want.”

“I went to Lisa to ask her for some advice. You’ve helped me take care of King and trained him. I wanted to thank you and she suggested that I take you out on a picnic.” Cyno held up a basket. Thinking that the basket was a toy, King tried to swipe at it with its claws but Cyno lifted it out of its reach. “You’ve been staying up late studying and you need a break. This picnic can be a change of pace for you.”

“A picnic? Like a date?” He whispered to himself and his voice was too soft for Cyno to hear him. Tighnari hugged King and rested his cheek against its mane to hide his blush. He watched Cyno’s expression for his reaction. They started spending time together to care for King. While they became friends, Tighnari didn’t know if Cyno could feel something more for him.

“If you don’t want to go, I can leave this basket here. You probably ate already and your finals are in a week. I’ll take King home now.” Cyno’s nervousness slowly overtook the small courage he gathered to ask Tighnari on a date. When he held out the basket to him in exchange for King, Tighnari wrapped his hand around Cyno’s wrist.

“Where are we going for our picnic? I know a beautiful place in Avidya Forest and King can join us.”

Cyno’s feet felt heavy from nights without sleep but he dragged his body forward. After his journey through the desert, he wanted nothing more than to rest. Chasing scholars who fled their crimes was one of the more difficult parts of his job. He imagined Tighnari and King waiting for him and how they would greet him with a wide smile. They were enough to push him forward.

As he approached the border of Gandharva Ville, he noticed a large, white and black ball of fur. Warmth and happiness filled his chest when he realized that it was Tighnari sleeping against the lion. He could remember when King was small and slept on Tighnari’s tail. Cyno had sent him a letter that he would return that night and they likely waited next to the road for him.

He knelt in front of them and King opened his eyes. It yipped happily but it couldn’t stand to lick Cyno without waking Tighnari. Cyno read its thoughts and stroked its white mane. When he first came to the rainforest, he thought he lost his home. He found a new one with Tighnari and he hoped their family would only continue to grow.

“I’m home.” Cyno whispered.

[amplexadversary]

More Utena, ep 12 now.

Holy fuck the "I like you better like this" from multiple fronts is uh. Meant to give the audience the creeps I think, and it's certainly working on me.

That sudden outpouring of positive attention the second a GNC girl concedes even a little bit of feminine presentation is real and it is so fucking manipulative; it pairs well with the shtick Touga likes to pull.

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

I know more of the fuckery is hitting the main characters, but Wakaba must be going through it right now as well. Her boyfriend (a girl), has a fight with another girl the two have been hanging out with, there's another guy involved somehow who's a bit of a big deal, and suddenly she's not only presenting "normally" after being hugely resistant to doing so, but she's become almost completely passive?

Like, taking Wakaba as being gay that's probably something of a scare for her, the only woman she knows that's like Utena, the woman she loves changing like that is almost tantamount to saying that kind of woman isn't real.

(Edit: I forgot she had a thing for Saionji. Whoops.)

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

Ooh, credit to Wakaba for catching on pretty quickly after Touga got involved in front of her that he's a factor in the problem. Wakaba doesn't know shit but she has fucking eyes, which you can't always say about characters that aren't privy to the main plot of the work they're in.

Also, a little audience-only evidence as to Anthy's actual feelings after Touga cast doubt onto every aspect of her relationship with Utena. Like, we're not going to prove that Touga's wrong to Utena yet, but we'll confirm for the audience that Anthy does give more of a fuck about her situation than she's allowed to express.

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

With what I've seen of Utena's character, I'd have thought it more likely for her to change back into her other uniform before the duel, but I think I broadly get why the show feels the need to show her fighting in the girls' uniform.

(I'll note that Pearl from SU is doing a LOT of heavy lifting here because of how much her character arc calls back to Utena; I'm finding it kind of cool that Pearl is kind of both Anthy and Utena in a way, which changes a lot of the dynamic; I'm starting to think that with all the things Rose Quartz was set up as having failed to do or be, for all her prestige, "failing to be fully-character-developed Utena" is on that list; Pearl does do the bulk of the major un-fucking of her own head after Rose's death, after all.)

Jury giving Utena the sword she uses in this battle is also very interesting, but I don't think I have enough information to really dig into the significance of that yet (assuming it's not like, text that's spelled out in a later episode). My working theory is that after re-visiting her own heartbreak she's throwing her support behind another lesbian, but there's still the bulk of the show that I haven't watched yet to potentially say otherwise.

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

"ABANDON YOUR BODY AND PROTECT THE SWORD," ??????

Well I sure wonder if that's going to be the beginning of whatever explanation we might get for the ghost prince thing we've been seeing with Utena.

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

Fuck, every time I see an allusion to the Galactic Railroad, I look it up, and by the time I see another one, I've forgotten the significance of it. That's actually kind of frustrating.

Speaking of Anthy being allowed to express things, the difference in her expressiveness between when she's with Utena and when she's with either of the other "suitors" is at least a visible improvement for her situation, even if she's still mired in the bizarre rose bride role.

[jewwyfeesh]

STAR'S WAR - 4

Writer: Mitsuki

Characters: Narukami Arashi, Tsukinaga Leo, Mikejima Madara

Translated by: jewwyfeesh

EN Proof by: royalquintet (twt)

Leo: Since this is the case, let us Knights engage in a lightsaber duel the next time we have a performance!

[ ♪ ]

Season: Winter

Location: Backstage Changing Room

Leo: Sigh~ When Naru said it like that, I’d thought the next segment would be the punishment game… Who knew we’d have to film it separately?

Madara: Haha, seems like they really don’t want to let you off the hook so easily. Who knows what meaningful things might happen ♪

Leo: But if no one’s gonna tell me, it’ll be the only thing I can think about! The spaces in my brain that can be used to store inspiration have all been occupied!

Oh! Anzu, you’re here~ Could’ya tell me what’s my punishment?

You’re saying that the punishment game is to sit on a rollercoaster… and sing Knights’ songs at its highest point?

Madara: Leo-san, are you scared? If you’d like Mama to accompany you, just let me know anytime! There’s nothing to be worried about, because I AM YOUR MAM!

Arashi: My my, Mama’s been wanting to say that to you ever since he saw you holding that lightsaber~

Leo: Riding a rollercoaster is a piece of cake for me! Though next time, I’d really like to go to the amusement park with Mama! What about you, Naru? Do you wanna give it a go too?

Arashi: I’ll pass, thank you. Singing while on the rollercoaster would surely make for some rather unflattering photos. Me praying for you here is more than enough — “may the Inspiration be with you” ♪

Madara: Hahahaha, to be honest, Arashi-san, you’ve been waiting to use this phrase for quite some time too, no?

Leo: Since this is the case, let us Knights engage in a lightsaber duel the next time we have a performance!

But if we're gonna fight with lightsabers, I kinda want a stunning, large-scale stage installation too. Ah, accompanied by a romantic space travel background story…

That’s right! I can call Keito, and he can turn this into Dramatica’s next script—

Erm… Where’s my phone? I remembered I’d definitely brought it to the recording location~

Madara: Could it be that you left it in your other outfit’s pocket when you changed your clothes earlier?

Leo: Ooh! Mama’s so smart, you’re a genius too!

I found it! It was in the pocket here. Now, lemme give Keito a call…

Keito: “Tsukinaga? Aren’t you all filming something today? Why did you suddenly call me? Or are you trying to say you need my cooperation for some segment?”

Leo: None of that’s important in the slightest~ How ‘bout having the next Dramatica play feature us in space?

Keito: “…What actually happened over there?”

“Nevermind. I’ve long given up trying to understand your train of thought. In any case, are you thinking of having the protagonist be an alien again?”

Leo: Nope nope! You’ve gotten it all flipped! It’s a story about idols from Earth using the power of their singing to fight in space ♪

I’ve even cooked up a name too — “STAR’S WxR – Legend of the Galactic Idol”! Super cool, right ☆

Keito: “Although this is a rather classic trope in a sense, what the heck is up with the name?! Truly incorrigible.”

“Do you even pay attention to these sorts of things? Why are you plagiarizing the names of others? If it were up to me, we might as well call it ‘See Y—’[1] cough cough…!!”

Leo: Ooh, Keito’s already thinking of names for this script! So… that’s to say you’re gonna write this, right?

Keito: “Hey! Hold on, I never said that…!”

[ ☆ ]

Translation notes: [1] keito says 不如叫超时空-- before getting cut off by a really unglam coughing fit, and it seems like he's trying to refer to See You Again (超时空罗曼史), a time-travelling romance that aired in 2022

← Chapter 3 | Story Masterlist | Chapter 5 →

[antihibikase2]

The rumor of a ghost duelist persists among the streets of Nimbasa City.

His blue cape turns into an inky black in the field of battle, his sole red eye illuminating his silhouette. With a duel disk shaped like a crescent moon, he whistles a haunting melody as he makes his next move- and strikes his next target.

Rumor has it that he not only steals the coveted Number cards, cards of mysterious origin that bring out the true nature of each duelist,

but also their soul; perhaps as punishment for making a deal with the devil.

This was Piper truly leaving his mark on the Unova region- the shroud of anonymity was a small price to pay in exchange for the sight of the world being brought down to their knees, quivering in fear as the rumor grows.

It was a cause for pride when this leads to a professional duelist seeking him out, instead of the other way around- and one with a Number card, no less.

Number 7: Lucky Straight.

Light attribute, fairy-type.

A strange choice for pro duelist Grimsley, who specialized in monsters that are the opposite- creatures of the darkness, zombies and fiends.

But, he was also a well-known gambler, a risk-taker who left the fate of duels all up to luck; perhaps this mismatched choice was simply proof of that.

"Hey, you," Grimsley calls out to him; the mark of the number forms on the back of his hand, glowing a bright gold. "I'm not necessarily caught up to what the kids are talking about nowadays-"

They find themselves at the rooftop of Nimbasa City's shopping mall, overseeing the hustle and bustle of the night life.

Smiles and laughter, bright lights and sounds.

Piper could only imagine The Diviner's lonely gaze and trembling voice as he watched from the glass tower.

"But you're the rumored ghost, aren't you? The guy who steals souls, and the hunter of numbers."

"And what of it?" His voice is haughty- but he didn't care. "Have you come here to surrender yours before you're targeted? Pro duelist Grimsley is rumored to be a coward, you know."

"That's true," Grimsley bitterly chuckles, taking a coin out of his pocket. "A coward who abandoned his past- and his family, along with it. A guy that leaves it all up to fate, so it's easier to absolve himself of responsibility."

Piper whips out the keychain from his belt, just as Grimsley prepares one of his popular coin tosses- a sight the media never seems to tired of.

"But you know what? This coward's going toe to toe with this strange ghost everyone's scared of."

"For your own safety?"

"Oh no, far from it," Another chuckle, just as forced as the last one. "What this card does is nothing sort of a miracle- its pros outweigh the cons, and I'm willing to gamble everything and and anything to keep it. However,"

He tosses his coin, and it takes shape of his duel disk, attaching into his arm with ease.

"That melody you whistle. I'm going to need to know where you found that."

Oh?

Suddenly, Piper feels the chill of the night breeze brushing on his skin, giving him goosebumps.

"See, that thing you're humming- I know you know it's from nowhere big. Just a simple song,"

He takes out his D Gazer.

"But, you see, that song is my brother's-"

As Grimsley places his D Gazer, Piper realizes his eyes are a familiar shade of indigo. "

-and wherever he is right now, I know you had something to do with his disappearance."

Piper doesn't reply.

His own duel disk takes form as the tattoo of Team Plasma forms around his eye- and he ditches his red glasses, just this once.

Pushing down the growing panic, he focuses solely on the duel with Grimsley's soul at stake- nevermind the image of Slater hating him forever forming in his head.

He was abducted because he was weak. He was weak because he was abandoned.

Grimsley is at fault then, isn't he?

That makes it all the easier to fan the flames.

"Slater," A mad grin forms on Piper's face. "Hey, you're watching, aren't you? Then I'll make sure to teach your good-for-nothing brother a lesson."

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Scenes that should’ve been in Duel Links

Because I’m actually kinda salty about their handling of some of these characters, particularly Revolver. The source for both of these is my own post VRAINS fanfiction The Lost is Found. You can read the whole thing here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41231739/chapters/103369587 

Excerpts below the cut since they’re both a bit long.

(Source: Chapter 13 of The Lost is Found, my post-VRAINS fanfiction on Archive of Our Own)

Ryoken finally turned to Ai, his eyes narrowing. “You tried to kill us.”

The Ignis’s eyes narrowed. “You tried to kill me. Multiple times. Before I did that.”

“And Takeru and Yusaku? What did they do to deserve your wrath?”

Ai stiffened. “N-nothing I just…”

“Why did you do what you did?” Ryoken cut him off. His nails dug into the couch, his body trembling with rage as he growled, “Why did you attack humanity after claiming you were on our side for so long?”

“BECAUSE I WAS SCARED!” Ai snapped, glaring up at Ryoken as his eyes welled with tears.

Ryoken raised an eyebrow. Ai fell to his knees, trembling as the memories of the simulations washed over him. The cries of his partner echoed in his mind along with images of him falling to the ground limp, so vivid it was as if they’d really happened. Happened because of him…

Ai pulled his legs into his chest, shuddering. “I… I was scared I would be like Lightning and Bohman… I hate those humans that erased Earth… and the ones who started the war… I thought that meant I would hate all of humanity eventually. I didn't want that to happen. I wanted to die before it could! Before I could hurt anyone… before Yusaku would end up getting involved and-”

It was at that moment that Ai remembered who he was talking to and shoved himself in the duel disk in a fit of shame. “I’ve said too much!”

Ryoken stared at the duel disk, barely processing the fact that Ai had just poured his heart out to him, let alone what he’d said. He had seen the Ignis’ data and the probability each of them had to have either a positive or negative relationship with humanity. However, he hadn’t considered the cause of the negative outcomes would be… anything like this. Emotional, sure but… wanting to die? Ryoken barely believed it but Ai seemed far too genuine to be lying about this.

“Are you still there?” Ai’s voice was small.

“Yes…?”

Ai peeked out of the duel disk, resting his head on his arms. “I’m sorry… here I am getting angry that you won’t apologise when I have stuff I should be apologising for too.”

Ryoken blinked. “Is that what you wanted? An apology?”

“Only if you mean it. Do you regret any of it?”

“It was… my fault the war started in the first place.”

Ai couldn’t work up the effort to get angry at Ryoken anymore, his voice low as he replied, “So you admit the deaths of my friends are on your hands?”

Ryoken’s eyes narrowed. “My actions are on my hands. And I didn’t make you act out the way you did.”

“That’s… fair. I’m sorry… you won’t believe me… but it really was all for Yusaku… to prevent… those-those simulations I saw… of him getting involved and…”

Ai couldn’t finish his sentence. The memories surged through him again and he found himself shivering and gripping the sides of his head in a vain attempt to block them out.

(Source: Chapter 15 of The Lost is Found)

Aoi sat down at the table, placing the duel disk down in front of her.

“What is it, Ai?” she asked, her gaze intent on the Ignis.

“I um… I don’t really know how to say this, I just…” Ai let out a sigh, his body slumping further into the duel disk. “I’m sorry. About… how I duelled you and your brother. It was… I was horrible to you and… and…” Ai’s voice quivered. “I’m so sorry…”

“I know.” Ai looked up at Aoi in surprise. “I mean… I figured you were. With you being back the way you were. You know… peacefully with Yusaku. Still I…” Aoi suddenly looked away. “I appreciate the apology.”

There was a far off look in Aoi’s eyes

“It doesn’t fix anything… I-I know that. I just… wanted to say it.”

“Well, it doesn’t undo what you did but… it helps me trust you a little again.”

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

Small note about the Ryoken scene:

Yes, I’m aware Playmaker told Revolver about Ai’s true motive in one of the event chapters, it bothers me a little bit that Playmaker said that when Ai was so unwilling to tell anyone but him (even Roboppi) but I can excuse that as difference of interpretation. What I don’t like about Duel Links’s take on that scene is Revolver’s only response to learning that Ai was essentially trying to die, is thanking Yusaku after he stated that he felt responsible that all the Ignis ceased to exist. I don’t think I need to explain why that’s crossing a line.

[borreloadsavagedragon]

Maybe Mizael and/or Takeru for the ask meme?

OH! I'll do both absolutely

MIZAEL

First impression: TERRIFIED!! He was stupidly pretty and had a dragon, I knew he would end up a favorite, but I didn’t know how MUCH of a favorite, I needed to know what his problem was dhdhdhd

Impression now: I can't even put into words how much I love Mizael sometimes omfg, he had such an impact on me and I'm a little saddened at how quickly he was removed from the story in the end I need to rewatch more of his scenes, I'm very insecure about how I write Mizael and I really want to get his voice down One day I’ll finish his cosplay wig too, if I style all of the wigs for my favorite ships, I can convince people to cosplay with me surely (copium)

Favorite moment: His introduction is wild, like both him arriving to Alito and Girag but also him challenging Yuma Miza just shows up, shoots Tori with an energy blast, and then is just like we're dueling But then COMPLETELY forgets about Yuma as soon as Kaito shows up and whips his dragon out Also love when they have their little Barian meetings where they just bicker, they're truly real housewives

Idea for a story: I always have Mizael and Kaito ideas gjdkslajg Whether they're fics or oneshots, time usually tells, but my drafts definitely have quite a few for them saved Usually lots of dragon focused ones, obsessed with the idea of Photon and Tachyon eloping and them having to just deal with it Mizael going over dragons with Haruto...

Unpopular opinion: I don't know if there is anything the small Miza community doesn't agree on honestly jgdsklaj I'll just start drama, Miza's not a natural blonde

Favorite relationship: I feel like I don’t even need to say haha, Kaito and Mizael are incredible and I am cursing Zexal forever for not giving them more time because I feel like I'm blowing out steam looking at all of the loose threads I also love how much Durbe and Mizael respect each other, there's clearly a bond there between them, wish we saw it more I also wish we could have seen more of Mizael and Nasch since you can tell Mizael revered him quite a bit-

Favorite headcanon: Mizael 100% moved in with the Tenjos!!!!!!!

TAKERU

First impression: Oh I KNEW I was gonna love him the second I saw his face omg I did the bad fan thing where I had to pull up the wiki bc the Vrains episode I was watching at the time didn't answer a really niche question I had about something someone said and the "related pages" tab on Yusaku's character page had Takeru's face on it So I had to find him I speedran my Vrains watch to get to him and boy was I rewarded

Impression now If you asked me in 2021 who my favorite yugioh was, I'd tell you Takeru Homura in a heartbeat Literally was only dethroned as my favorite by Kaito recently Takeru would be the next character I deep dive and dissect if given the chance, I just think he's so cool, I love how well done he is, I think he's one of the best done characters in the franchise His deck is fun, his design is fun, I've cosplayed both Takeru AND Soulburner now, working on slick back look one day when I don't have cosplay deadlines I just... love him, he's one of my favorite voices to write through, I always find an excuse to drabble as Takeru, whether it's something I post or not, and I am always at home when it's with him

Favorite moment: ALMOST ALL OF THEM!!! BOTH OF THE DUELS WITH REV! HIS INITIAL ENTRANCE! HIS FLASHBACK SCENES! BEING CRINGEFAIL!!! AAHHHH!!!!

Idea for a story: Oh I've got a REALLY hefty 3+1 fic that's gonna tie in with recoil week that explores all of Takeru's relationships gjdkla Here is a very small bit from the first chapter:

The first time Homura Takeru thought he fell in love, he was a young boy intimidated by a pretty girl. He doesn’t remember many of the details of how he met Kiku. It was a portion of his memories that lived in what feels like a lifetime ago, before everything had suddenly slipped out of his young grip. He just knew that he was a scared boy overwhelmed by her kindness and spirit the moment they met while he was on a trip to visit his grandparents.  It was an instant connection. Kiku had pulled on his hand and pulled him into the light, smiled and laughed with him whereas the other kids at the time hadn’t. He’d almost call it foreshadowing. Having her in his life made the sudden change of up and moving out to the country after his parents’ deaths a little easier. Within a month of moving, they were almost inseparable. And the following years as well, no matter how hard it got.

So stay tuned for that!

Unpopular opinion: I'm so sorry but I'm about to be a hater But the fact that Takeru haters even exist is really fascinating to me since most of his other counterparts are rather beloved Like he's got more fans that haters for sure, but I've seen every single one who has a think piece say "Takeru's only there to show off the card game" as if Salamangreat wasn't released in the OCG until July while Takeru has been showing off the deck since May, but I digress Yusaku's entire arc was finished in season 1, he got all of his answers, protected Ai to the very end, and was ready to move on. Yusaku just being a fix-it man for an entire second season? Would be BORING. So they needed a second voice to duo-lead, a new one with new motivations who hasn't already been shown, but could be tied back in a meaningful way. And what characters were left we knew very little about? The Ignis. What was unveiled in Season 1 about the Ignis? They're tied to six children, and we've now seen 2 of them. Also it's? Yugioh? Do you expect them NOT to show off cards and real strategies so you go spend your real life money on product? Remember Yuri randomly using an Ancient Gear deck in Arc V when the structure was starting to come out? Or most of duelist of the week duelists from GX? The animes are nothing but product placement and rule explanations (nit picking hating, but takeru's also written strangely sometimes, it's rare but some will make him way dumber or submissive than he is)

Favorite relationship: I'm a degenerate and beyond predictable And I've mentioned that I love Firestorm already, but if we're being very honest for a second, I always see it as one-sided with how Yusaku's written with Takeru,,, Like sometimes we overcome that gap and look at the potential because oh my god giving Yusaku someone like Takeru was SUCH a good idea, but I usually see it as a one-sided pining, but a VERY close friendship Yusaku in my head ALWAYS goes to Takeru's village post canon to apologize for leaving BUT I'm a degenerate, as I said about So to say I love Takeru and Ryoken's dynamic, from start to finish, is an understatement I love that they draw out the best of each other and push each other beyond their preexisting limitations as well as the shackles of their pasts I love that Ryoken respected Takeru's feelings so much that he didn't want to insult him by outright refusing the first challenge, but couldn't bring himself to duel knowing it wouldn't resolve anything I love how Soulburner accuses Revolver of not following up on that in Duel Links I fucking love "I'm so glad I met you", above all else I love finally seeing a conclusion to one of the many side rivalries, and I had a renewed appreciation for it after finishing Zexal and realizing what could have been there I also actually like how the dub handled their farewell scene, the promise of future challenges, Revolver promising to be there when they need him, the fond little chuckle

Favorite headcanon (more drug cw on this one!!) It's a weird one and it's kinda personal I guess, but I always write Takeru as sober gkdsa As a punk, I can imagine him dipping into more unsavory behaviors as a way to cope and express when he's struggling to find the next step, so when he decides to start fresh and live a new life, he cuts terrible habits like those cold turkey

[melatonindepicts]

Ivy Gaze (Ulquiorra Fanfiction Chapter One)

                                           Chapter One; The End?

                                                 Ulquiorra P.O.V

Ulquiorra glances away from his slowly dissolving wings, directing his gaze at his defeater, Ichigo Kurosaki. ‘So this is how it really ends.’ Ulquiorra thinks to himself

“Kill me Ichigo, you don’t have much time left, I won’t resist you. I don’t even have the strength to even walk. If you don’t take this opportunity now, our duel will remain unsettled forever.” Much to Ulquiorra’s shock, Ichigo proceeded to yell the following

“This is not the way I want to defeat you!” 

Suddenly, his form begins to fade, returning his eyes back to their original color

“To the very end, you just won’t do what I want” he says quietly, as the base of his wings fade to dust, blowing away in the wind. “And just as I was beginning to begin a become a little intrigued how you people behave”

-Flash back-

Ulquiorra stares down Orihime Inoue, with his empty yet terrifying gaze. “You will die all by yourself, with no one to witness it. So I want to know… How frightened are you?” 

Orihime redirects her glance more towards the floor after meeting his cold gaze, yet she wasn’t frightened “I am not. Now I know that my friends came to rescue me, my heart is with them.” 

“You’re not scared because your friends have come for you? Do you really think that they can save you?...” 

“Absolutely..”

- Skip forward in flashback -

"What is a heart? If I rip open your chest, will I find it there? If I split open your skull, will I find it there?"

- End of flashback -

Slowly, Ulquiorra reaches his hand up towards Orihime Inoue “So let me ask you again girl, Are you afraid of me?”

Slowly, tears welled up in her eyes… “I’m not… really I’m not…”

𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘! 𝙸'𝚖 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗! 𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝙸'𝚖 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚄𝚕𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚊 𝙲𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚖! 𝙸'𝚖 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚙𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢! 𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚔𝚜!

[shadowydreamlandwonderland]

The Rulers who Bargained with Death - chapter 12

Excerpt:

"Where can I find Gellert Grindelwald?", the stranger spoke in a quiet voice, that was quite pleasant despite the menace behind his words. Albus slowly rose from his seat; strong, overwhelming worry spreading through his chest along with adrenalin, as he discreetly took hold of the shaft of his wand in the deep pocket of his jacket.

"Who are you, sir?"

"Amory Richter, his attorney." The man looked intently into his eyes, a slight smile suddenly gracing his thin lips. "And you, I presume, are Albus Dumbledore? Yes, I've read a whole lot about the two of you in various newspapers, you see. I need you to tell me where Gellert is - right away."

Albus clenched his jaws so hard it hurt, felt how each beat of his heart vibrated through his tight chest, through his entire body. The feeling only added to the anxiety growing within him, and he tried to breathe as calmly as he could in an attempt to get his heart to beat slower, his brain to take in more oxygen. The breaths felt insufficient, though, did not seem to reach his lugns as he quietly gasped for air, spoke: "I can't do that, sir. Mr Grindelwald doesn't want to see you, right now."

"That is quite understandable, Mr Dumbledore, but I'm here about an important matter. It's of greatest importance to you as well, so you are free to join us. I can assure you that I don't have any bad intentions whatsoever. I only wish what is best for Gellert, Mr Dumbledore."

"I do apologize, sir, but..."

"Albus", a sharp voice cut him off from the door; a wonderful, familiar voice that instantly made a sense of strong relief spread through Albus, instantly made it easier to breathe. He exhaled shakily as Gellert quickly pushed his way past the man and hurried over to him, placed his strong hand against Albus' shoulder while he pointed the Elder Wand towards Richter; his gaze just as unwavering as his hand. "Stay away from him, Mr Richter. I advice you to leave, now."

A quiet laugh, and Richter slowly raised his hand in a reassuring, calming gesture, speaking quietly through barely-moving lips: "Gellert, please, let's not do this again. I don't wish any harm, for either of you. I was merely asking Mr Dumbledore where you were, but now that you're here the problem is solved. Why don't we just sit down and talk...?"

"No", Gellert interrupted loudly, decidedly, while his one hand still gripped Albus' shoulder hard. Albus could feel a slight tremor in it; despite the anger in his tone and look, the confidence with which he pointed the wand at Richter. He could tell how afraid he really was. "I don't want anything to do with you anymore, Mr Richter. You've betrayed me to my father so many times, and you're running his errands-"

"Gellert, please - I'm here to warn you about your father, not because he has asked me to come here. He would've probably killed me, if he learned that I was here", Richter spoke heavily, with a long, inscrutable look into Gellerts' dark eyes. He tentatively stepped closer to him and slowly lowered Gellerts' wand with his hand. A few seconds passed in silence, after that, during which they all stood completely still in the small compartment, frozen. Vinda had stood up from her seat, by now, and was clearly ready to draw her wand in less than a moment, should it be necessary, and Albus' own hand shook slightly where it hung at his side, tightly gripping his own wand. He quickly assessed Richter's strengths and weaknesses in a possible duel in his mind as the four of them simply stood there, looking at each other, without blinking; scared to miss the slightest hasty movement, the slightest indication of violence. With all factors included they had a clear upper hand, but Richter's greatest strength was that they were all in an environment where they could not use their magic unhindered. They would get into trouble with the French Ministry of Magic if they did anything - and that was undeniably a problem.

At the very last Gellert spoke: "Very well then. I shouldn't trust you, but I'm going to give you one last chance, and I suggest you use it wisely - because you'll never get another. Ms Rosier, could you leave us for a moment?"

●

I really enjoyed writing this chapter! Things are heating up...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46108756/chapters/119211046