#one that defeats his enemy? oh that would be awesome. one that eats away at his enemy and tears them apart emotionally? shit dude that’s

[carpetbug]

guys. I kinda wish adrien had been akumatized in season 5 in the short periods he wore an alliance (or ephemeral type shit where Gabriel fuckin breaks him solely to akumatize him) and had been given the essence of the miraculous of the dragon. THE MIRACULOUS OF THE DRAGON. THE MIRACULOUS OF PERFECTION. AKUMATIZED ADRIEN WITH THE MIRACULOUS OF PERFECTION. and it’s not from Maribug! if it had been the ACTUAL miraculous from the actual guardian, it ties back to her, it almost functions as a connection between them two. but when it’s only the essence it leads back to Gabriel! It’s another way his father is holding him under his thumb, pulling all the strings of his life and just having complete control over Adrien. so yeah i need dragon!akumadrien content and i need it now

[duhragonball]

Battle Tendency Liveblog: JJBA Ch.109-113

Hard to believe we’re at the end of this crazy ride.  

Last time, Joseph had defeated Kars, only for Stroheim to order his men to finish Kars off with UV rays.  Stroheim just wanted Kars to hurry up and die faster, and maybe he also wanted credit for the kill, but instead he played right into Kars hands.    After Joseph kicked his ass, Kars put on a Stone Mask he had stowed away somewhere, and he installed the Red Stone of Aja into the Mask.  

I should probably go over that a bit, since it hasn’t been mentioned for a while.   Kars has been perfecting the Stone Mask technology for thousands of years.   It turns humans into vampires, but for his species it unlocks even greater powers.   But Kars hit a wall in his research.   He wanted to design a mask that would make him the ultimate life form, but he lacked the means to power such a mask.   He discovered an answer in the Aja Stone, a mineral that focuses light, but he needed a bigger, more flawless sample of it, and that’s the Stone he’s using right now, the one he captured from Lisa Lisa.  

So instead of killing Kars, Stroheim accidentally made his lifelong ambition come true.   One nice touch I just noticed is that the Mask itself falls apart as soon as it’s finished its task.    I suppose, in theory, someone else could have tried it on and get the same power boost as Kars?  Would it even work on a normal human?  Well, we’ll never find out.   

There’s a couple of ways to interpret this.   One is that Kars’ “Super” Mask was highly experimental, and it must have been untested, since he’d never had Lisa’s stone until now.   So it’s possible that the thing burned itself out after a single use.   The other interpretation is that Kars designed this Mask to self-destruct after the first use, because it was never intended for anyone else but himself.    The whole point of this was to become the Ultimate Life Form, the very pinnacle of all living creatures on Earth.   I think it was implied that Wammu and Esidisi were expecting to share in this power when the time came, but why would Kars have ever allowed for this?   What’s the point of being the greatest and best in the world if you have to share that top spot with two other guys? 

Stroheim realllly wants to believe this is all a big fluke, and that he didn’t just make the bad guy stronger.   The Ripple wound on Kars’ arm is still there, so Stroheim figures he’ll die anyway.    Except Kars doesn’t seem too bothered by his injury.   And then...

Yeah, so Kars not only repairs his injured arm, he reshapes his hand into a squirrel.   Joseph speaks for us all: What the fuck?

For a hot minute, everyone thinks the squirrel he made is kind of cute, until Kars sends it to find another squirrel and kill it.  Then the Kars-squirrel tears a hole through Stroheim and carves a trench in a Nazi soldier from chest to eyeball.   Then it rejoins Kars’ wrist, and turns into a flower, and then a butterfly.   Some Part 5 and 6 pre-references for ya.  

Then the sun comes up.    Wait, the Joseph/Wammu fight happened around midnight, right?    How many hours have these folks been out here?    And it’s February, too, so this had to have been a long night.  Anyway, the sun comes up, so we’re saved, right?   Wrong.  Sunlight doesn’t hurt Kars anymore, thanks to the power he got from his special mask.   So now what are they supposed to do? 

Well, Joseph’s going to use his last resort: running away.    Also, he grabs the Aja Stone, for no apparent reason.    Kars grows a pair of wings to chase him.    He no longer cares about the Hamon users, because they’re no longer a threat to him.   But he wants to kill Joseph personally, both to celebrate his new powers and to avenge the deaths of Wammu and Kars.  

Smokey joins Joseph, which doesn’t make much sense to Joseph, but Smokey wants to tell Joseph about Lisa Lisa being his mother.   Except Joseph’s a little too distracted by the eldritch horror that’s trying to murder him. Read the room, Smokey.

Here’s a helpful diagram of Kars to explain what his deal is now.   Basically, he’s immortal and can regenerate and reshape his whole body, but he had that before, just by being a Pillar Man.   The big upgrade is that he’s no longer weak to sunlight (and by extension, the Ripple), and he can now replicate the traits of any life form on Earth.    He’s faster than cheetahs and has better hearing than bats and so on.   He can go for a full year without eating, and he no longer needs to sleep.    Sex is meaningless to him, because procreation is only important for lower life forms to maintain their species.   Kars has no need for children or bretheren.    “There is but only one summit.”  

Maybe Wammu and Esidisi had understood that truth all along, and they never seriously expected Kars to share this power with them.   They practically worshipped Kars as it was, so maybe they were only doing this for the greater glory of their leader.   

So what does Kars plan to do with all of this power he now has?   The Aja Stone was his only goal before, and that’s done.    He has no enemies to fear, and as Speedwagon observes, there’s no way left to kill him.    This page states that his only purpose now is to create a world to match his own desire, but what is that?   What’s Kars’ vision for the Earth now that he’s reached this point?   

We never really find out, and I suppose that’s why it’s convenient that he decided to start out by killing Joseph.    For all we know, he would have just chilled out and left humanity alone after that, but this way there’s still an immediate threat to deal with.  

Miraculously, Joseph manages to stay ahead of Kars long enough to find the airplane that brought Stroheim here.   You’d think Kars could have caught up to him with all these fancy new powers, but Kars was never in much of a hurry.    He took his time to search for the Aja Stone, and he made it a point to trap Jojo and Lisa rather than risk fighting them fairly.  So even now, when he has such an overwhelming advantage, he seems to be playing things the same way.   He has no weaknesses, so he may as well take his time and stalk Joseph, if only to watch him squirm.

Joseph tries using the plane’s weapons to even the odds, but Kars grows armadillo hide on his wings to protect himself, and he fires the armor at Joseph like shrapnel.   So machinery doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.   

So Joseph just flies south, using the plane’s engines to give himself a comfortable lead.   He’ll run out of fuel in a couple of hours, but Speedwagon calls him on the radio and tells him that they’ll figure out a plan.   Except that Joseph already has his own plan.  There’s a volcanic island off the coast of Italy.  I assume this is Stromboli Island, since Italy has only three active volcanoes, and Mt. Stromboli is the only one on an island.   Anyway, Joseph plans to lure Kars into the volcano, and destroy him with molten lava.    I mean, Kars is still flammable, right?

Speedwagon hates this idea, because he doesn’t see any way for Joseph to pull this off without getting killed in the process, and that sounds way too much like what happened to Joseph’s father and grandfather.  Oh, and his great-grandfather.   I didn’t notice George I up there until just now.   Speedwagon tries to tell Joseph about Lisa being his mom, but Joseph can’t hear him because of all the piranha noises in the plane.    Wait... what?

Yeah, all the feathers that Kars turned into armor and launched into the fuselage?   Well, he’s still controlling those things, and now Kars has turned them into piranhas.   Well, I guess not literal fish, since they’d never survive up here.  The point is that Kars can control every cell in his body and mimic any animal traits he wants, so if he wants to make small bitey creatures to wreck Joseph’s plane, he might as well make them look like piranhas.    ALso he makes an octopus that tears up one of the engines.  

So Joseph bails out, but he’s a sitting duck in that parachute.    Kars calls him a butterfly caught in a web, which is the second time we’ve seen that analogy in Part 2.   Araki just out here telling everyone what Jolyne would be wearing in twelve years. 

But the parachute contains a dummy.    Why did Joseph waste time drawing a face on it?   Because he knew he had to fool Kars’ razor-sharp senses, of course.    Kars probably saw the dummy, and got suspicious, but then he noticed the eyes and mouth, and though “Oh, okay, I guess that’s a real person then.”  

Anyway, this suckers Kars in so that Joseph can crash into him with his plane and they can both go into the volcano together.

But Kars thinks he can tear up the plane before it lands.   Except a robot hand grabs him from behind, and he finds Stroheim stowed away.   Wait, so Stroheim outran Joseph AND Kars and hid in this plane before Joseph took off?   

Anyway, Stroheim manages to get Joseph out of the plane to relative safety, but he crushes his whole lower body in the process.  But it seems to be worth it, because Kars landed smack-dab in the volcano!  Awesome!   Fuck you, Kars, you screwed over Lisa Lisa, and that’s what you get!   He tries to protect himself, but he can’t grow a defense against 1000 degree heat...

... is what I would say, except no, Kars totally does that.   Just when Joseph thinks Kars has succumed to the lava, Kars pops out and slices off Joseph’s left arm with his goofy blade.  

How the fuck did Kars survive?   Well, he couldn’t grow a lava-proof shell, but he could create a porous layer beneath the shell, and use the air inside to insulate the rest of his body from the heat.   That wouldn’t protect him indefinitely, but it was enough to get the drop on Joseph.  

So that’s it then, right?  Not even molten lava can kill Kars, unless you could shove him down in there and keep him still for like ten minutes, and who’s going to pull that off?    Stroheim begins to lose all hope...

Then we get a flashback to Kars’ origin.   Long, long ago, there was a race of subterranean humanoid with long lifespans and an aversion to sunlight.   Prehistoric humans thought of them as gods or demons because of their reclusiveness and power.   Also, they would eat humans and animals, so that probably made them dangerous, too.   

But I don’t think they were nearly as powerful as the Pillar Men we’ve seen in this story.   I say this because the flashback establishes that Kars was the one who discovered the latent power in their brains, and he was the one who invented the Stone Mask technology to harness that latent power.   So it stands to reason that much of what he and the others could do was the result of Stone Mask enhancements.   The problem is that those enhancements increased the amount of blood they needed to consume, and the others in the Clan feared that Kars’ experiments would destroy their whole ecosystem.   So when they tried to stop Kars, he killed them all.   The only survivors were himself, Esidisi, and two young children who grew up to become Wammu and Santana.  

So that story tells you something about what Kars might do with this newfound “ultimate” power.   He didn’t achieve this for the good of his own people, because they’re all dead now, and he wiped most of them out personally.   If he would do that to his own kind, the rest of the Earth would be expendable to him.

Back to the present, Joseph’s not giving up yet.   He tries to use the Ripple one more time, but it doesn’t work.   Worse, Kars counters with his own Ripple.    Because Kars can do that now, you see.    He’s got the powers of all life on Earth, and that includes Ripple users, I suppose.   Worse, Kars’ Hamon power is hundreds of times greater, so he ends up getting badly burned on his right knee.  

So now Joseph’s completely out of tricks, and he starts to accept the inevitable.   Kars decides that the best way to kill Joseph would be to destroy him with his own finisher, Ripple Overdrive.  So he charges up the most powerful Hamon attack he can muster, and just as he’s about to strike...

Joseph impulsively grabs the Red Stone of Aja and uses it to block, kind of like how he stymied Kars back on that cliff in Switerland.   Only this time, Kars doesn’t hold back, and the Hamon attack is amplified.    It bursts through Joseph’s right hand and into the volcano below. 

The narration says that not even Joseph really understood any of this.   He just sort of acted on instinct.   That bothered me once, but now I see that it wasn’t entirely unconscious impulse.   Back in Venice, when Lisa first told Joseph about the Aja Stone, Joseph suggested destroying it to deny Kars his prize. But Lisa said there was a legend that foretold that Kars could never be defeated without the Aja Stone.   And that would at least explain why Joseph picked the thing up back in Switzerland before he fled to Mt. Stromboli.    Maybe it was unconscious action that made him pick up the stone in this fateful moment, but I think it was a more conscious thought that made him take the stone with him in the first place.   On some level, he remembered that legend.  

Okay, so there’s a mega-ultra-Super-Saiyan-5-Ripple that just went into a live volcano.    What good does that do?   Well, it makes the volcano erupt, and it launches Joseph and Kars into the air.    So what?   Kars can fly.    Yeah, he could, but...

You know, Joseph’s lost hand really left an impression on me when I first watched the anime of Part 2, but now that I’ve read the manga, I’ve noticed tons of severed and wounded forearms all through this story, almost as if Araki had been building up to this moment.    I’d make a Part 4 joke, but nah, that’s too easy.   But it wasn’t even that long ago that Wammu lost both of his hands, and then he launched them as Joseph to distract him.    Kars lost his hand before he grew it back and turned it into a squirrel.    Hell, Stroheim launched his robot hand at Kars to distract him for the volcano crash.   And now Joseph’s hand has somehow launched itself into Kars’ throat to distract him again!

I’m assuming that Hamon energy has a lot to do with this.   You’d think Joseph’s hand wouldn’t have survived getting fired up this high, and it shouldn’t be powerful enough or alive enough to bother Kars this much, but it does.   So I’m chalking it up to all that Ripple energy.  It briefly reanimated Joseph’s hand and made it follow Kars up to this altitude, kind of like how Jonathan controlled Wang Chung’s decapitated body at the end of Part 1.

So Joseph taunts Kars about this, and implies that he planned this somehow.    And when Kars pauses to ask if he did plan this, more rocks and stuff from the volcano hit him and send him even higher up into the air.

And Joseph claims that he did plan this entire thing!  That’s bullshit, but he hopes Kars will believe it, if only to make him more frustrated.    Maybe Joseph didn’t plan all this out, but he seems to have deduced what’s happening here.  

Kars has been launched so high into the air, and at such an incredible speed, that he’s achieved escape velocity.    Does Kars even realize what that means?   I mean, he’s super-intelligent, especially now, and he’s been alive for thousands of years, but what could he really know about outer space?    Has he ever even considered it before?  It seems like all of his ambitions involve the Earth, and only the Earth, and everything living upon it.  

As for Joseph, the chunk of rock he’s on does not fly into space.   Instead, it starts to fall back down, and Joseph assumes that he’s probably not going to survive the impact.    Eight hours later, Stroheim makes it back and informs Speedwagon that Joseph must have died in the eruption.   

But Kars isn’t worried at first, because he thinks he has this whole “vacuum of space” thing figured out.  He just takes a page from Wammu’s playbook and makes air jets on his back to expel compressed gas from his body, like the maneuvering thrusts on a spacecraft.  Except that’s not nearly enough to counteract the force of the volcano that sent him up here.  

Yeah, Kars has no idea how space works.  Instinctively, he probably counted on friction to slow him down, except there is no friction in space.   He probably also expected his air jets to push him a little bit at a time, and maybe he could pull in more air as needed, except there is no more air.   Even the air from his body is denied to him, because it just dissipates into the vacuum of space.    Kars talks about the air freezing as it comes out, but I don’t think that’s right.   What’s happening to him is like when you use one of those compressed gas canisters to clean your keyboard.    Release a lot of the gas at once, and the can starts to get cold.   That’s because the liquefied gas left inside the can now has more room, and it begins to boil as it expands.    This draws in heat from the surroundings, which makes the can feel cold to the touch.    That’s what’s happening to Kars here.   All he’s doing it losing all his body heat.   Maybe some of the air really is freezing around him, but I don’t know.   It depends on whether the sunlight is hitting him, I think.

Anyway, the last thing Kars says is “I can’t go back!!!” And that’s what makes this so perfect.   In the anime, we see the Earth recede into the distance as he continues to tumble further and further away. By surviving the lava, Kars had “mastered” the Earth, but now he’s been separated from the Earth.   He’s got all this incredible power, but without the Earth, he’s got no one to use it on.

And then we come to the pièce de résistance of Battle Tendency: The epilogue page that establishes, in no uncertain terms, that Kars never returned to the Earth.   There’s no miracle escape this time, no clever trick or loophole.   He simply doesn’t have the necessary acceleration to push himself back the way he came. 

Did he die?   Nope, because he made himself immortal, remember?   Not even sunlight or starvation can destroy him now.   But now death is the only thing he craves, because he’s completely alone and has nothing to do.   I can’t imagine he’s very comfortable like this either, because it’s incredibly cold in outer space, and Kars must be able to sense that cold, even if it doesn’t actually hurt him.  

And this is such a fitting punishment for a villain like Kars.  Just as Stroheim wanted to become superior and lost his humanity in the process, Kars ruthlessly sacrificed friend and foe alike to achieve this Ultimate form, and what good does it do him?    It’s become his prison, his hell.    At long last, he’s become the supreme being, a world unto himself, but with no one around to lord it over, there’s really no point to any of it.  

I just really love this ending.   I’m not sure how else I can express it.    This is what should have happened to Akio Othori in Revolutionary Girl Utena.    But Araki was brace enough to do it to Kars.  

I suppose I could attempt some exercise in JoJo Part Comparison and connect Kars’ final fate to all the other JoJo villains.    But I dunno, this is getting pretty long in the tooth as it is.   I’ll just say that I’m suddenly reminded of Reimi’s final words to Kira in Part 4, when Kira asks where he’s being taken.   “Who knows?   But I’m sure it’s somewhere you won’t be able to rest in peace.”

So all that’s left is the matter of Joseph’s funeral-- Nah, just kidding, he’s not even dead.   What’s weird is that Smokey says he met Joseph “six months ago”, which seems a lot longer than the events of this story.    Anyway, Joseph returned to New York, only to find everyone at the cemetary.   He wonders who they’re mourning, and he’s shocked to discover it’s him.

So yeah, the rock Joseph was on acted as a “shield”, and he managed to survive the fall, and even ended up near Venice, where Suzie Q found him and tended to his injuries.  Stroheim even set him up with a robotic hand to replace the one Kars lopped off.   I guess Stroheim never sent word of any of this to the U.S., probably because of Nazi Germany gearing up for World War II.  

Anyway, Suzie took care of him for like two weeks, and they got married.   So in a way, Joseph did follow in the legacy of Jonathan.   Not in the “dying young” way, but the “Beat the bad guy and wake up in the care of a gorgeous blonde lady who eventually marries you” kind of way.   You love to see it.   But Suzie forgot to send a telegram to New York to let everyone know Joseph was okay, which is why everyone is so shocked and why Joseph is so shocked about them being shocked.

Then we get the epilogues for all the surviving characters.   I mentioned this when I liveblogged the Part 5 manga a few years ago, but the stark contrast between Battle Tendency and Vento Aureo is that Part 5 is very ambiguous about its ending.   We know who wins and who loses and who survives, but that isn’t really enough.   We don’t know what will happen to Giorno Giovanna after Part 5.   Does he live up to his lofty dream, or does he succumb to corruption like his wicked father?  I think that’s intentional, because Giorno is the “golden wind” in the story.    He’s an agent of change, but we don’t get to see the effects of his efforts, only the cause that he fights for.    But Part 2 operates in the exact opposite way.   We know exactly how and when Speedwagon dies.   I’m a little confused how Stroheim could have died at Stalingrad when Kars and a volcano couldn’t kill him, but maybe the Russians had Stand powers.    I think the only minor mystery is that we don’t know what happened to Lisa Lisa after 1948.    It’s likely that she survived into Part 3, and maybe beyond, but we never see her again.

It’s also kind of weird how upbeat this epilogue is about reporting on the deaths of so many characters.   Like, Stroheim died in one of the worst battles in human history, but he went out on his own terms, so it’s cool?  I guess?   Even the characters without deaths, like Smokey, it’s sort of implicit that he’ll die sooner or later.   But it’s a good thing because it’s final and proper.    It’s something Kars craves now, but can never experience.  A life worth living, made more precious by its limitations.  Kars tried to use cheat codes in nature, and he ended up clipping through the map and making the game unplayable.   But Smokey, he‘ll be mayor someday.

As for Joseph, we see him in an airport in 1987, bullying Japanese people because his daughter married a Japanese guy and moved there.    He’s headed to Japan right now to see her and his grandson, who probably doesn’t even recognize him, it’s been so long.   

On the other hand, he appreciates his Walkman, which is either Joseph giving the Japanese some credit, or maybe he’s just too dense to notice the irony.   

I hate that he’s listening to the Beatles, because the Beatles are overrated trash.  My favorite thing about the Part 2 anime is how they changed his music to “Bloody Stream” by Coda, which a) kicks ass and b) wasn’t a song by the shitty Beatles.  

And that’s Battle Tendency.   Kind of neat how it closes on Joseph’s flight departing to visit his daughter and grandson, in contrast to the final panel of Part 1, which showed Erina floating in a coffin alone in the ocean.   Joseph has bucked the curse and he’s graduated to Part 3, for better or worse.   

But I feel kind of weird leaving it here, because I do love the way the anime wrapped up, so I’ll close out with this:

Tsugi ni omae wa “Grazie!” to iu!

[cherripeach]

Chapter 9

Little Match Maker

Summary: Your life motto is “I have the power of god and anime on my side, don’t mess with me,” and you stand by that with your life. No human, magician, or random creature could ever stop your firm belief in it.

However, getting transported to this world that seemed to turn your already bad luck worse was not what you wanted to be in your life story, but you made the most of it. Making friends, enemies, and disasters, you were in your prime in this world, and so you decided to help as many people as you could flourish, at least what you believed to be.

Chapter 1:1-4: Road work ahead? Uh yeah I sure hope it does. 

Warnings: Curse words, jokes about committing crimes

Words: 4.3k

Relationships: developing but future twstxreader

Waking up to a banging at your door only encouraged you to commit a crime. You had finally gotten an hour of sleep once someone began to bang at your door, and you had to go check it or else you would never be able to know who to put blame onto. Grim was also kicking you once you woke up, taking up the middle of the bed, mumbling something about the ghosts. You left the cat to nap upstairs if it meant he wouldn’t have to annoy you.

And going downstairs and walking to the door to hear the oh-so-arrogant Ace pleading to let him in made your day,  “ It’s me, Ace… Can you let me in for a bit?”

You opened the door to find Ace standing there with a large collar around his neck which was something you’d never thought you would see, but here you are. And you can’t thank all of the fanfiction that led you to this moment because it did not prepare you for this.

“Ace,” You yawned at him, “It’s like three in the morning. What the fuck are you doing here?”

The male had more spunk than you and declared, “I’m never returning to Heartslabyul. I’m gonna be a member of this dorm from here on!”

You sighed and pointed to the couch, “Okay, the couch is yours.”

Ace paused for a second, “You're not gonna ask why. Aren’t you concerned?”

“As I have said before, it is three in the morning, and you just interrupted the only hour of sleep I have gotten in the last 36 hours about. Either you shut up and sleep on the couch, and I’ll deal with it in the morning or you leave and sleep outside.” All of this drama was giving you a headache so you rubbed your head to get it to go away while motioning to Ace to sleep on the sofa.

Ace got situated on the sofa and thanked you, “I owe you one, supervisor.”  Within the minute he passed out.

You headed back upstairs to see Grim still in the middle of the bed, and you just fell into the chair trying to go back to sleep.

You never did.

Once the sun came up at maybe seven o’clock, you got out of the chair to go downstairs. Grim woke up once he saw you move and made grabby hands for you to pick him up while he yawned. You ran to the bathroom once you had Grim in your arms and placed Grim down on the countertop of the bathroom so that you could put back on your cloak and brush your teeth (there was a toothbrush in the bag of food that the Headmaster gave you). You spit out the toothpaste and gazed in the mirror to find your hair a little less of a mess than before but your face worse; the dark circles and maybe even acne could maybe be considered trendy and so you just went with it.

You grabbed Grim and trudged downstairs to find Ace still asleep on the sofa with a towel thrown over him.

You turned on all the lights and sweetly ripped the towel off him to persuade him to wake up which did not work, so you pulled his hair. That did the trick in five seconds with him moaning and groaning about how you should be kind to your oh-so fragile friend.

You slumped into the chair with Grim laying on your legs across from Ace staring at him as Ace rubbed his eyes and yawned while sitting up.

“So why did you get kicked out?” You asked.

Ace pulled on the collar, “I ate a tart.”

“Okay… what kind?” You probed.

“Strawberry.” His gaze shifted down before it flew back up, “Wait, why is that important?”

“I don’t know. Was just curious.” You shrugged your shoulders.

“Whatever,“ Ace shook his head, “But that’s all that I did!  Only that! I got hungry, so I went to the dorm’s kitchen. The tart was just sittin’ right there inside the fridge. And like, three whole ones! That’s why…”

~~~~ A good old flashback montage was set up with Ace in a kitchen with no lights on:

Ace was mumbling to himself, “ It’s only the first day and I’m so tired~ I missed dinner, so I’m very hungry. Wonder if there’s anythin’ in the fridge... Oh, found a tart! Looks delish~!There’s a lot, so I’m not sure if I can finish it all Thanks for the food~ Whoa, what the heck?! It’s so good!”

He ended up eating the entire thing.

“Of course, it would be delicious. After all, anything that Trey makes is bound to be exquisite.” A new voice emerged belonging to a short, young man.

“Nah, man, this is something else! It’s better than the ones at the shops…” Ace nodded his head before his eyes widened while he spun around, “Wha– Prefect?!”

The short male pulled out a pen from his pocket, “Quite the boldness you have there for touching something that belongs to me. Queen of Hearts Rule #89: ‘You shall not eat tarts prepared for the Queen ahead of her.’ Larceny of the Queen’s tarts is a capital crime!” He pointed it at Ace and yelled, “OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!”

“AHHHHHHHH!” Ace now had a collar around his neck making his head weigh more than it normally would which is still too much for a normal head. ~~~

“And that’s what happened…” Ace turns to you with a look of defeat.

You pause thinking of the correct words to say when Grim jumps on the table.

“You’ve only got yourself to blame,” He wagged his finger at Ace.

You rolled your eyes, “Honestly-”

“But ain’t it overreacting to seal my magic just ’cause I ate his tart?!” Ace interrupted you, “It’s practically the same as tying my hands and my feet! Plus, there were three whole ones! He can’t possibly finish all of those! There’s a limit to how heartless he can be!”

You put your hand up flat in Ace’s view, “Dude, for one thing, rude. Don’t interrupt me. Next, both of you are at fault. He can’t be an asshole and take away your magic for this, but you also shouldn’t have taken his food. I would have smacked ya if you had taken mine.”

“But..” Ace turned to Grim.

Grim placed his hand on his chin if that’s what you would call it, “Ah! Wait a second... If there were three whole tarts, they might’ve been prepared for the party, yanno? Like for someone’s birthday? Man, I’m such a great detective, huh!“

“Birthday?” Ace tilted his head.

You responded, “Maybe not even a birthday, but a welcome party. Something that would open up the school year. Eating an entire cake for that is kinda bad, dude.”

Ace pouted, “uh... I came here thinking that you’d agree with me about the Prefect being a little tyrant…”

“I mean, he is. But you aren’t exactly a rule follower either. Neither of you are fully at fault and neither of you are out of blame.” You motioned to him.

Grim agreed, “You are at fault for eatin’ his food.”

You shrugged, “We can try and apologize, but the best action would be to get him another tart. He is the dorm leader, so you should probably try and suck up to him.”

“Grudges over food are scary. Ah! Speaking of which, I still haven’t received my canned tuna from the Headmaster!” Grim turned to you and began tugging on your cloak repeatedly.

Ace scowled at Grim and you, “I get it. I just have to apologize, right? You suggested it, so you better come with me, Prefect…”

You rolled your eyes and nodded at him.

Grim started another opinion, “Were you here-”

Until a knock on the door interrupted him.

Ace jumped up and ran to the door while dodging dust that was falling from the ceiling shaking, “What the, who the hell’s pounding on the door so early in the morning? Ugh...! This dorm’s seriously raining dust! Got it, got it! I’ll open the door, so don’t break it!”  

A laugh burst from your lips, “Imagine having to live in it.”

Ace made it to the door right before another knock caused the house to shake and more dust to fall.

“Shut up!” Ace yanked the door open, “Deuce! What are you doing here?!”

Hearing Ace’s reaction to who was at the door you stood up and dragged yourself over to him, “Deuce can’t possibly be here at this hour-” And standing right in front of Ace was a perfect uniform Deuce with no problems besides slightly red cheeks and heavy breathing.

Deuce straightened himself up when he met your eyes but then, turned to look at the kid next to you, “I knew I would find you here.”

“Deuce??” Both you and Ace were clearly lost.

“I heard about the situation from our roommates. You ate the Prefect’s tart, so now you’ve got that collar on, haven’t you? You’re an outright idiot.” Deuce’s lecture was not helping at all by the looks of Ace curling both his hands into fists trying not to punch him.

Ace snapped, "Shut it! I don’t wanna hear that from you!” He shrunk back soon enough, “ So... Is the Prefect still mad at me..?”

Deuce shook his head, “Not completely. He’s in an irritated mood and about three people who didn’t follow the waking up routine suffered the same fate as you.”

“‘Not completely,’ my ass! He’s totally mad!” Ace whirled to you, “Prefect, can’t you please come and help me. He can’t get mad at you.” He stuck his bottom lip out and fluttered his eyelashes.

You grinned at him, “You aren’t getting out of this you big baby I won’t help you at all, but I’ll be there for moral support.”

Ace sighed, and that began the journey for you three to go to the dorm with Hearts in its name because you really don’t know the name.

You three were on the same street where Grim almost blew up a statue by the time a new conversation started.

Grim had decided to not latch onto you like a leech and instead walk by himself in front of you announcing that, “Hey! Make way, make way! I, a full-fledged Night Raven College student, is passing through!” and pulling at his collar, “Look at my collar! My collar is totally awesome compared to yours!” and then, turning to Ace to boast, “And you can’t use your magic now, can you? Guess I can have you cleaning the schools as part of your chores or something? Nyaha, this feels so good.”

“I love being surrounded by assholes.” Your eyes did not reflect the smile on your face instead they seemed to be empty and hollow.

Ace puffed out his chest, “You better remember this when I get my magic back.”

Deuce shook his head, “The Headmaster just scolded you for a ruckus you caused yesterday, remember? In any case, you won’t be able to attend classes since your magic has been sealed. How about you go and apologize to Prefect Roseheart so he can take that off?”

You nodded, grabbing Ace’s collar, “That's exactly what we were doing. Isn’t that right, dumbass number two?”

“You have me numbered?!” Ace shook to get out of your grip but you just smiled and tightened it while many other students who were passing by observed your group.

Grim voiced his thoughts, “I mean. We still have time before the next class. Plus, I’m interested in the other dorms. Let’s go observe while we watch Ace apologize.”

Ace pulled on your hands while using his legs to try and kick Grim who just chuckled and backed away, “I’m not some kinda exhibit, damn it!”

The three of you continued with Ace being dragged behind you to the ‘Mirror Chamber’ or something as Deuce said.

It was the wack place with seven large mirror gateways or something. Deuce headed to one that was slightly in the middle with a plaque shaped like a heart with a crown on top. Deuce motioned to that gate with his eyes on you as if he wanted some praise. You used your hand to ruffle his hair and then pat his head while he tilted his head further down and fidgeted with his hands.

He faced the gate and began to walk through. You followed him with Grim and Ace behind you.

Grim leaped in front of you to gape in awe of the dorm, “Whoa~! This is super fancy! It’s completely different from our dorm!”

You nodded, “It looks like it does not violate any health codes.”

A voice gulped from the maze of roses, “Oh, no. I gotta hurry and paint these roses red.”

“Oh, someone’s over there.” Grim pointed to the exact place you heard the voice.

The three of you walked until you found a male with a bucket of paint at his feet and a ladder to the left of him….. or right- directions were never your forte. The male was around average build and height with neck-length light orange hair, some pulled back. He also had earrings on, giving you somewhat e-boy vibes but not all the way. There was also a little diamond on his left cheek. There is definitely a word to describe his aesthetic, but you cannot put your tongue on it. (He gives you the vibe that he would get a tongue piercing for fun (or that he already has one))

He didn’t notice you until Grim tripped over a bucket of paint, causing you three to scramble to clean up his mess.

The male spun around to stare at the four of you trying to clean up the paint off the grass, “Hm? Did you guys need something?” Certainly seeing two teenagers one with a cloak and a rat’s nest and another who looked very similar to a mix of a delinquent and a perfect student scooping up paint would put anyone through a state of shock.

You had let go of Ace when you fell to the ground to clean up the paint, letting him sit criss cross style right behind you and Deuce so that he could be the calm one to ask, “What’re you doin’?”

The male motions at the bush, “This?” He then places one hand on his hip and the other grabs the magic pen from his blazer pocket, “As you can see, I’m painting the roses red.” He winked in the direction of your group.

You paused picking up the goopy paint to gaze incredulously at the male, “wHO the fuck paints roses? Isn’t that like not good for plants?” However, a memory was pulled from your mind from the movie Alice in Wonderland where the cards were singing a song about painting the roses red, and you could only compare the movie to this and find that there is a connection between both. You even thought back to the moments when Ace was describing the ‘Great Seven’ or whatever and mentioned the Queen of Hearts.

Deuce knocked you out of your gorgeous analytical skills, “Yeah! Why do such a thing?”

“Hm~ Your reactions are so fresh it’s kinda cute~!” The male observed all four of you and continued, “Now that I look at you closely, you guys are the freshies who totally wrecked the 10mil chandelier and caused a ruckus yesterday.”

Ace pouted behind you, “I feel like they won’t let the chandelier thing go until we graduate.”

You nodded at him, “Def.”

The male snapped his finger then pointed at Ace, “Ah, and you’re the super sinful kid who stole the Prefect’s tart! I’m so lucky to meet the rumored freshies so early in the morning~♪”

You chuckled at Ace, “It seems that what you did might be more of a concern.”

The male pulled the three of you up and fished a phone out from somewhere in his blazer, “Hey, hey~! Let’s take a pic together!” He situated the three of you in a line where he then grabbed Grim and placed him in your arms. He put the phone on camera and flipped it so it was aiming toward you five. Even though nobody was ready besides him he still snapped several pictures before letting you four go, “Yay~! Hey, can I upload this? I wanna put hashtags so tell me your names.” The male did not even give you time to consent to this picture, but he also did not seem like the type to take ‘no’.

Deuce spoke out first, “I’m Deuce Spade.”

Ace went next, “Ace.”

Grim who was still in your arms because of the male announced his name, “I’m Grim and that’s my follower,” He didn’t even state your name.

You just sighed and told the orange haired male your name, and then apologized for all of the problems your little group has caused.

The male was just fidgeting with his phone not even paying any attention to you, but once a noise came from his phone he looked up at all of you, “Alright, upload done~♪ Oh, I’m Cater Diamond, a 3rd year. That makes me your senior~ Call me Cater-kun, okay? Cate’s fine, too~♡ Heya, heya”

You just wanted to get this whole experience over with, “Sure, senior-dude.”  

Cat turned to you and tried to start a decent conversation, “Oh, you’re the new prefect for Ramshackle Dorm! I’m surprised you can live in a place like that~! It’s so dark, and I feel like something’s gonna pop out~ I feel for ya”

“I don’t need your pity but thanks.” You smiled at the male holding back your urge to leave the conversation.

Grim crossed his arms, “This guy’s being pretty rude.”

“Oh, I shouldn’t be standing here and talking! The party’s the day after tomorrow. It’s off with my head if I’m late.” Cat walked in the direction of the flowers he was working on before everyone entered, “Hey, hey, freshies~ Can you help me with painting the flowers?”

Ace shook his head, “Why’re you doing somethin’ so strange?”

“And why do we have to help anyway.”  You were getting a headache from this conversation alone.

“I mean, won’t it be more photogenic if the roses were red for the party~?” The orange head leaned back with his hands behind his neck while whistling, “I’m really busy because I’m also in charge of coloring the flamingos for the croquet match~”

Grim barked, “Dying the flamingos?! That’s a pretty weird job.”

“So, the tarts that Ace ate were to be used for the Prefect’s birthday party? I see now.” Deuced muttered out to himself in realization, “So that’s why he was so mad…”

“What?” Cat made an ‘X’ sign with his two arms, “That’s not it.”

Ace interrogated the senior, “It ain’t?! Then whose birthday is it?”

Cat shook his head, “It’s no one’s birthday. The day after tomorrow is our Dorm’s legendary Unbirthday Party. It’s a tea party that the Prefect felt like doing, so he chose a day that doesn’t fall on anyone’s birthday.” The male grabbed his pen and began to mumble something before a light came out of the pen which he then flicked onto the roses.

Ace did not want to finish the conversation, “The hell’s that?”

“In any case the reason can wait.” He waved his hand back and forth motioning to your group to join him, “You just have to help me paint the roses!” He turned his vision away from what he was doing to look at your group, “Deuce-chan and Grim-chan can use magic, right? Ace-chan and Prefect can’t use magic, so here’s a paintbrush~” He pulled two paintbrushes out of nowhere and gave them to you and Ace

Deuce and Grim started panicking and asking Cat all sorts of questions about magic and changing the color of a rose, but you just gazed at the paintbrush in absolute confusion.

“Wait, where is my consent in this?” It seemed no one would ever listen to you.

A song filled the air once the three with magic got to work, causing you to twist your head in every direction to find where it was coming from. It did not affect any of the others as they were still working on painting the roses. The four even had at least two different conversations about the roses to the beat of the music where the music would quiet and slow down for them. This further confused you until Cat yelled at you to “Get to work because I am not getting younger here.” So you lept to work and ended up only painting one still in pure shock from the fact that only you can hear the music.

Once the music stopped and Grim tugged your arm to get you to move to a certain section of the mush where he announced his accomplishments, “Behold! I made them all red this time!”

You clapped and snorted out, “Congrats, oh, Great Grim.” However, it didn’t really seem to offend him even with your blandness as he just skipped over to join Ace and Deuce to get back to work.

The music returned after that.

The three troublemakers of your group were in a conversation with the senior talking about “tradition” or something like that. You just tried to get another rose painted before school started.

You finished the rose and joined the part of the conversation when Ace asked Cat, “Oh, that’s right. I don’t have the time to be standing here. I got something to discuss with the Dorm Head. Is he still inside?”

You slapped your forehead and muttered, “Of course, we forgot that.”

“Hm? I think he should still be there…” Cat put his chin in the middle of his thumb and pointer finger, and then he made a finger gun motion to Ace, “By the way, Acey who stole the Prefect’s tart~ Have you brought some tarts to make up for what you took~?”

“Eh? I came straight here, so I got nothing…” Ace even pulled his pockets inside out to emphasize that he has nothing.

“Oh, man~ Izzat so? Then, since Rule #53 of the Queen of Hearts states that “You have to replace things that you stole.” I can’t let you back in the dorm.” Suddenly, a glare was on Cat’s face as he grabbed his magic pen.

A bolt of lightning struck the ground next to Ace’s feet. “Huh?! What the heck?!” Ace jumped back to join your group who were all slowly walking away from this situation.

Cater twirled his pen in his hand, “You have to follow the rules if you’re staying in this dorm. If I let it slide, then it’s off with my head, too. Sorry, but I’ll have you leave before Riddle-kun notices.” The pen was now pointing at your group.

Ace stepped behind you, “Wha—He looks totally serious…! You guys, do something!”

“Why me?” Deuce looked flabbergasted at the male.

Ace connected his hands and fluttered his eyelashes in Deuce’s direction, “I’m begging you! I can’t use magic right now–!”

“Fine, fine, fine. You just owe me one.” You threw your hands up in the air in defeat just wanting to get this over with.

“Ah, here he comes!” Ace bellowed out.

The battle commenced between Deuce, Cater, and Grim, but your idiots seemed to be losing. While their attacks were hitting Cater, he popped back up almost as quickly as he fell. The three were slowly pushed back and back into the hedge behind all of you, shoving you up against it while Ace was right in front of you.

You solved him off, “Get off! We aren’t gonna win, so let’s get out!”

The three heard you, nodded, and followed swiftly behind you.

Ace grumbled, “What’s with that guy?” He shook his head while all three of you walked out of the rose maze.

Deuce tilted his head, “He came standing back up no matter how much we hit him. Is it illusory magic, I wonder…?” He raised one of his eyebrows because shaking his head.

“Maybe he’s just trying to be an ass,” You just giggled from where you were walking behind the two idiots while Grim was on your shoulder. Both of them were lowkey panicking from what you could tell.

Ace stomped his feet and threw his hands up in exasperation, “I can’t get back in without a tart, right? I’ve been empty-handed since forever, man. He kicked us out after he made us help with the flowers, too!”

“I’m disappointed.” Grim crossed his arms while he was on your shoulder.

You narrowed your eyes, “In who, Grim?”

“Then, we’ll have to prepare some tarts to make up for it. After school would be” Deuce clenched his fist, but then looked at his watch and screamed, “—Ah!!!! This is bad!!!!”

“Huh?” You and Grim were puzzled by the boy’s sharp and erratic movements.

He grabbed your hand and started to jog while staring at his watch, “This is bad, it’s way past call time! We’re going to be late!”

“It's not the end of the world” You brushed your hand through your hair.

Grim jumped off your shoulder and started to run in front of you, “Uwah! The first day of my shining school life will be tarnished! Let’s hurry to the classroom! Come on!” He pulled on your cloak to get you moving.

“Oh, no late on the first day.” You placed both of your hands around your mouth as if you were making a surprised or scared face, “At least I showed up to class.” You rolled your eyes.

“Speaking of, what’s your class?” Ace faced you questioning, “You’re a 1st year, right?”

Grim nodded his head, “The Headmaster said we’re in Class 1-A!” He smirked at you.

“Wait, when did he say that?” Your eyes widened and you halted your step. “Did he ever say that?”

“Right after he gave you the ghost camera thing,” Grim shook his head.

Deuce hit his open palm with his fist, “Oh, then we’re in the same class.” He took out his schedule, “First period is all about Magical Alchemy.”

Grim pumped up his fists, “Yahoo! That sounds fun!”

“I can't use magic, remember? Am I gonna be okay…?” Ace whined while biting his thumb’s nail.

“Definitely. It’s probably just syllabus week anyway.” You shrugged your shoulders, “Also what’s magical alchemy?” You hope it's something that makes explosions.

And the three of you were off to your homeroom of the day, starting your high school career at Twisted Wonderland with these idiots.

[shrinkthisviolet]

The Problem with KATAOW S3

(Yep, I’m finally doing it)

Okay so, let me just say that the season overall? Phenomenal. Clearly planned out, not one of those “oh no we need to make another season” seasons, the enemy is defeated in a satisfying way, the characters’ arcs are concluded–

Wait. Hold that thought. Because my problem with this season concerns one person. Or, I guess, one mandrill, since he isn’t a person at all.

That’s right, I’m talking about Hugo/Scarlemagne.

So I didn’t even realize something was off when I first started the season, until I read this fic (it’s an alternate S3, and I absolutely recommend it). The comments gave me pause, because they said that they felt Scarlemagne was acting too passive in S3. I’d just gotten done seeing him and Kipo talking with his “brotherly advice,” so I didn’t understand that.

However, the more I watched, the more I realize that the comments were right. Scarlemagne was a background character, and normally, this wouldn’t be a problem (it’s Kipo’s show, not his), except...this is his redemption season. And they kinda try to one-and-done it in one episode, which I feel does a great disservice to him and the show overall.

His relationship with Kipo is also...gone for some reason?? They bring it up in the 9th and last episodes, but other than telling us “oh hey remember that they’re siblings?” it’s nowhere. As if it doesn’t exist. Which is sad because that could’ve been the key to his redemption.

Kipo only redeems him to form HMUFA (she also wants to do it for their relationship, but that’s not really made clear), but what if she just wanted her brother back? What if HMUFA was important, but not as much as having a family again? Remember, this is the girl who went toe-to-toe with him in last season’s finale and called him out and pushed him until she threatened the safety of her loved ones.

She doesn’t back down, and she initiates change. In a way, regarding her brother, Kipo herself was also made passive, which is a shame–that’s a fundamental misunderstanding of her character.

Scarlemagne’s moral ambiguity is also pretty much gone. Now, in regard to the pheromone thing, that could just be him being tired of arguing about it, which tracks. But the fact that he gives in to Wolf’s reasoning instead of KILLING THE PERSON WHO TORE HIS FAMILY APART AND TORTURED HIM AND IS TRYING TO KILL HIS SISTER? Yeah, no. I don’t care how redeemed Scarlemagne is, he would never give in to an argument like that.

Also Wolf would never make that argument in a situation like this. I get that she’s less hardened and more like Kipo now, but...she calls Kipo her sister. Her pack. Wolf was raised a wolf, at the core of it, and even I, as an older sister, would throw moral compasses out the window to protect my siblings. THAT’S JUST HOW FAMILY IS (in my experience)!

He and Kipo don’t really have any arguments. He doesn’t try to get her to see his perspective, his advice (“make them fear you”) doesn’t come back to haunt her later (especially when she...basically does that twice? Anyone remember that? The writers don’t)...what’s the point of a morally gray villain if they’re not clinging to their reasoning?? Sure, maybe Scarlemagne realizes his dictator impulse was wrong, but he could’ve said something like, “I made a place for myself in a world that was trying to hurt me. All I wanted was to unite the mutes and guide them. I wanted a family again.”

And Kipo could say something like, “That’s not a family. Families don’t mind control each other to keep them in line.”

Scarlemagne: “Ah right, I forgot. They just leave their created children for dead and shame them for ever wanting to use their powers against corrupt people. My mistake.”

Like?? Obviously he went about it the wrong way, but...he thinks his intentions were good (as morally gray villains do), and he was hurt, and let’s face it, Lio’s moral absolutism (critiqued very well in this post) pretty much ruined everything (also that dumb decision to wait around?? Tf??). Scarlemagne doesn’t have to change Kipo’s mind, but...maybe some indication that he’s still in that cage for a reason? That maybe Kipo’s tried to help him before, but he won’t renounce his intentions (only the dictator part)?

Like...COME ON, writers! You can’t even say that moral ambiguity was too much for a kids’ show, because this show has it in SPADES (Lio is forced to reckon with and apologize for his mistakes, as he should, and ATLA/LOK was practically the blueprint for moral ambiguity in kids’ shows).

So I think I’ve covered everything? But I have one last complaint: Hugo’s death.

IT MAKES NO SENSE

I kinda knew it was coming because I spoiled myself 😂 (that’s all I knew though, the rest was a surprise), so I was expecting Mute Emilia to eat him or something as he was flying. That wouldn’t have been great, but it would’ve been better than CRASHING INTO THE SIDE OF A WALL OR SOMETHING

Like...are you KIDDING me?? I know mandrills aren’t super strong, but this is BOGUS in a show where falls like that never hurt anyone (yes, I’m aware that everyone who falls like that is a Mute, but they’ve fallen like that as humans, too. Idk. Plenty of other media has their heroes get up and be fine after falls like that).

Also...he was just starting his redemption!! It could’ve been something awesome!! But they threw it away, and for what?? A moment for Hugo to forgive Lio (Song didn’t really do anything imo, but she was kinda complicit, and I find it weird that she didn’t even apologize?), sacrifice himself in a stupid way, and then just...die??

Nope. I don’t accept it. I refuse. We weren’t shown a gravesite, so I choose to believe Hugo appeared right behind Kipo at the end, all “quit telling people I’m dead!” “Sometimes, I can still hear his voice!” (Screw canon, this is canon now. KATAOW screwed itself over when it didn’t even have the decency to give Hugo a proper death).

Oh also, Scarlemagne passively accepting Wolf as Kipo’s sister is soooo unrealistic I can’t overstate it! I’m just gonna refer you back to the fic series linked above, which handles this so much better. There’s no way Scarlemagne would take a surrogate sister label lying down, that he wouldn’t have an identity crisis (if Kipo can adopt siblings at random, can she disown siblings too?), that he wouldn’t shame Wolf for it, that she wouldn’t have an identity crisis...

Oh also, Kipo herself has problems, as outlined in this post (which includes my reblog of it where I also state my problems with her). I love Kipo as a hero, but...S3 could’ve done more for her.

Maybe I’ll write a fix-it for this season one day. Who knows. But I wanted to get all this off my chest 😂 feel free to debate in the notes and reblogs!

[fizzingwizard]

Episode 41 was another fun one! It doesn’t seem related to the main plot, but that’s ok because we needed more world-building. And it does give us a bit of character development. Most importantly of all, it’s the DESPERATELY needed Sora-focused episode. And it’s all hers. We really needed this for Sora and I’m really happy with how it went down. It’s a simple, easy to follow story, and yet it was still cute and funny and good for Sora.

My one complaint would be that, though it’s great to see Sora be awesome and see her friends appreciate her, she didn’t seem to have something she needed to “overcome” like Jou and Koushirou, or something she had to prove like Yamato and Mimi. There’s definitely an important theme for Sora which, like the others, is related to her Crest. It just didn’t have the gravitas I felt it needed. It was a much sillier episode than Yamato’s, for instance. (But nowhere near as silly as Jou’s.) Still, overall very good.

Pic of the day:

A vision of perfection.

More below!

First off, the animation in this episode is really nice. Almost uniform througohut, and some seriously great expressions. CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

The kids are taking a break (yay!!!! again!! I sweat the producers are reading my blog, HELLO PRODUCERS, THANKS FOR GIVING ME EVERYTHING I ASKED FOR, lol). Taichi and Sora spend it teaching the Digimon to play soccer. Interestingly, some of the Digimon evolve in order to play x’D I guess I can see why Gomamon can’t really play unless he’s Ikkakumon. Plus Tailmon is already Adult level anyway.

It’s really fun to see how much Sora and Taichi both love soccer and love playing it together. Koushirou has a cute moment explaining to the others how awesome Taichi and Sora’s teamwork is.

Sora blows the whistle on Tentomon for grabbing her because you don’t do that in soccer. I think this is a little unfair given that Tentomon can’t really kick the ball that well since he’s got bug feet xD

The whistle Sora has, for some reason, is Jou’s, given to him by his brother so that if he runs into a bear in the woods, he can whistle for help. Lol. That is adorable and hilarious. Still wish it was Hikari’s whistle though

Speaking of Hikari, she and Takeru are happily engaged in making flower crowns together while Patamon smushes the grass.

All of a sudden, these weird, veiny meteors come crashing from a huge island floating in the sky, leaving a crater in the field. Could be dangerous!

Taichi: I’m not afraid. Besides, I’m curious.

Yamato: Be careful, Takeru.

Takeru: Yeah, be careful, Hikari.

omg too cute

I mean look at these expressions and body language. It’s fantastic. I love how Taichi looks like he’s trying not to get too close as he pokes the object with a stick and how Koushirou is like hiding behind his computer lol.

They discover it’s not a meteor, but a fruit. (And look another adorable Taichi face!) Question is, is it edible?

Agumon: Sure is!

Taichi: D:

no seriously I love Taichi being freaked out by his own partner. Lol. It’s one of the best things about Taichi & Agumon. I ate it up in Tri lol

So, I expected Yamato to be the downer of the group here along with Jou, but he’s just concerned that the fruit is too small for everyone to share. Aw what a mom.

It’s also pretty funny that, when a floating island appears and a mysterious fruit falls down with enough strength to leave a crater in the ground, the kids’ reaction isn’t to wonder about what’s going on, but to try to figure out how to eat it lol.

At this point they’re just so used to floating islands that it’s lost all novelty. They’re like, “oh, floating island, been there done that”

Agumon comes up with the obvious solution and Taichi and Sora fly up to the island together to get more fruit. Why only two of them go... is convenience for the episode xD

But it does lead to some good Sora moments and Taichi/Sora friendship. First, Sora is absolutely adorable. Even Agumon comments that she seems in a really good mood and Taichi can tell it’s because of how much she loves playing soccer. The way Sora talks to him, all fast and excited, is just so cute. You can tell she really loves soccer, especially with Taichi.

This episode kinda made me ship Taiora ;_; it was honestly more Taiora than any one episode in the 99 show...

Meanwhile, another giant object starts falling off the island towards the rest of the kids, and Palmon makes THE WEIRDEST SOUND. Like SO WEIRD. I think Yamada Kinoko passed out and made this noise while recording or something bahahahaha

Anyway it’s a refrigerator. Now appliances are falling out of the sky. I don’t understand why it makes the same size crater as the fruit despite being way heavier.

OMG baby Taichi’s hairrrrrrr I cannot

Soon they come across Flymon (why do Sora episodes always involved bugs...? This is the third time lol) who’s abducted a very helpless looking Digimon. They decide to help. Agumon gears up his Baby Flame but is stopped by Sora, who realizes that if they attack they might hurt the victim as well. I assume this is meant to tell us that, while Taichi’s brave and a strategist, another pair of eyes from someone like Sora whose first priority is others’ welfare is a big help.

... except that Sora’s plan for “tackle them” doesn’t seem to me that much better xD It still results in the poor abducted Digimon falling through the sky to her doom... I guess it’s better than falling out of the sky and alsobeing on fire tho

They catch the Digimon, who is Pomumon and just as pathetic as he looks. Meanwhile they’re being attacked by... Tropaliamon? Tropicanamon? lol I already forgot, a big bird with the ability to MELT ENTIRE FORESTS.

Pomumon explains that Evil Tropical Bird-mon and his Flymon invaded the island and started turning all the Pomumon into fruit. When the fruit ripen, they eat them. Pomumon is now the only Pomumon who hasn’t been fruit-ified.

Agumon: ... so... does this make me a cannibal?

Taichi: Maybe now you’ll be mindful of what you eat!

Okay and now the most AMAZING interaction ever, between Yamato and Mimi, and seriously it is a TRAVESTY that they don’t interact directly in the 99 series, I mean LOOK AT THE GOLD WE GET HERE,

Mimi says she hopes there’s fruit or juice in the fridge. Yamato makes an expression like someone just insulted his mother.

They then proceed to argue over what constitutes “juice” and Yamato’s all fired up about it and Mimi’s just like “lol not listening”

IT IS HILARIOUS. Quality content. Mimato shippers eat your heart out

And... this is all they do for the rest of the episode. bahaha. I DON’T EVEN CARE. I love the idea that they fought over this the WHOLE time and never even opened the fridge. The others just had to listen in baffled astonishment xD

Taichi and Sora fight Evil Tropical Bird-mon to save the Pomumon, but Taichi and MetalGreymon get knocked into the pitcher plant that turns Digimon into fruit.

Metla Greymon doesn’t quite fit into the fruit, his horns are really stretching it out lol.

and asdfghjkkl;’‘ TAICHI GETS TURNED INTO A FRUIT TOO, HE’S A DEFORMED BLUEBERRY, HIS GOGGLES THO, LMFAO

i really shouldn’t be as amused as I am

now... I have to say it - the one thing here is, the show has already played its trump cards like Omegamon and WarGreymon. I am sure they have more in store before the end, but the point is, it’s hard to believe Taichi is struggling against Digimon who seem like they shouldn’t have a chance against him. It’s like, you can defeat DoneDevimon, but not Evil-Tropical-Birdmon? You can escape the influence of Millenniumon’s miasma, but not a pitcher plant?? lol

Sora gets ANGRY when Taichi becomes Taichi-fruit. Her Crest of Love glows and brings out Garudamon. Taiora fans around the world screamed.

One way or another, this leaves Sora on her own (yay). And she is a busy girl. She wants to save Taichi first, but Pomumon also needs her help, and Garudamon needs her support while fighting the enemy.

Pomumon: don’t worry about me! I can fly on my own! *fails miserably*

Sora’s face says “I just don’t understand this world,” lol

They are then attacked by Flymon, and Pomumon still pretty much expects Sora to protect him. Sora’s like, “Fine, I’ll deal with Flymon, but you have to go save your friends,” and when Pomumon asks how, she just says “GOOD LUCK” and tosses him away, which honestly made me laugh out loud, you go girl

she’s like QUIT BEING SO USELESS DO SOMETHING ON YOUR OWN and just chucks him

buhahahaha

Pomumon, despite being useless, is able to free one of his comrades. After a brief discussion about how useless they are, they go to save the others.

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

think about it every night and day

spread my wings and fly away

Sora thinks back to yet another soccer game where another student did a foul, I guess, on Taichi, and knocks him to the ground. Seeing Sora get so angry and protective of Taichi - omg, it totally squeezes my heat, gah. And it also makes her look so cool. Not just the girl in the back who comforts you when you fall down - also the one who runs up and tells the bully to back off!

that hair tho

Even though he’d been hurt, Taichi encouraged Sora not to quit playing and to win the game. In present time, Sora recalls that instance and uses it to push herself onward:

At this point, I could’ve gotten annoyed: as much as I loved the Taiora friendship and seeing their teamwork, it’s Sora’s episode, and I didn’t want her to succeed because of “what I learned from Taichi.” However, it’s very similar to Koushirou’s episode, where it was the faith Taichi had in him that gave Koushirou the confidence to find the courage he already had. It’s similar for Sora. Plus, since she’s got the Crest of Love, it makes perfect sense that love for her friend would be a motivating factor here.

On top of that - the things Sora thinks about Taichi are then echoed by Garudamon, only about Sora. Sora won’t give up because Taichi never does - and Garudamon won’t give up because Sora never does. You can see the chain reaction: friends building each other up through their support and faith in each other. Very sweet.

buhahahahahaha the freaking taichi blueberry

I really expected Taichi would be a little more wigged out about having been TURNED INTO A FRUIT,  but once he’s free he’s like “Thanks, now let’s get back to the fight!” lol

to be fair there were only a couple minutes left in the episode, no time for freak outs i suppose

They save MetalGreymon who goes to back up Garudamon, but then Sora comes up with a plan.

Of course, it’s related to soccer.

Obligatory Cool Girl Soccer Star Sora shot

They kick the ball to lead the Pomumon’s seed? attack directly into Evil Tropical Bird-mon’s mouth. This... seems to be our kids’ favorite play this season, lmao

While choking on seeds, Garudamon and MetalGreymon launch their attacks and finally defeat him. Yaaaay goodbye weirdass fruit transmogrifying cannibal Digimon bird thing

Taichi tells Sora she’s awesome T______T It’s soooooooo sweet. My Taiora heart leapt

and my Taishiro heart whispered “he said カッコよかった to her but saves すごい for Koushirou <3 “ lol

Soooooo cute. MVP

Garudamon agrees that Sora is awesome

Ending card

So... the honest truth is yeah, this episode wasn’t necessary for the plot at all, and it would have been nice if it had been. But not all of the others’ center episodes were plot-related either. The important thing was for it to be wholly Sora’s episode and give her some Crest-related development. It did both those things.

I really would have liked a conundrum for Sora to fix, but I think the problem there is, since before now she wasn’t getting attention at all, they hadn’t set much of a foundation for that conundrum. The first time around, it was “oh, Sora is kind, so she wants to help anyone she sees” and there was a bit of personality clash with Yamato. Though it was small, it was a good bit of development and useful for two characters. It also led to Yamato and Sora’s friendship strengthening. With Taichi and Sora, we’ve been told they’re friends and teammates, but have not seen many strong examples of that. And, if there’s a fight between them, it could easily turn into a Taichi episode... that’s what I think anyway. So I guess the focus point for this episode was showing how Sora’s deep love for her friends strengthens her already, and maybe there’ll be more complex problems in the future, perhaps when she gets her next evolution... We’ll see.

Anyway. Good episode. So glad to see this show seems to be pretty solidly back on the rails. We only have like 20 episodes left though, seems like a lot but it’ll go fast.

That’s why I’m a bit surprised to see that next week looks like another not really plot-related episode:

Takeru and Yamato are going to a theme park. There’s no context for why they’re not with the others, but my guess is Takeru wanted to go and Yamato took him... easy as that xD I guess we’ll see, but I really hope this doesn’t mean the team is splitting up again.

However, we really do need quality time with Yamato and Takeru as well, so I’m all for this. It’s like the show really has got some self-awareness about how lax it’s been developing characters and relationships thus far and is now cranking it HARD to fit everything in we’ve been missing. Good.

[outshinethestars]

Germany gets to have a Nice, Relaxing Day for Once (Hetalia, Immortal Prussia au)

Germany woke the next morning to find Prussia sitting on the kitchen counter.  

“You’re up early,” Germany said in sleep-fuzzy surprise.

“It’s six-thirty already,” Prussia said, “You slept in.”

“Mmm,”  Germany said.  Even so, Prussia usually slept until eight at least.  Just another reminder that until last night his brother had been literally on the brink of death.

“Coffee?”

“Please!”  Germany said.  Prussia handed him a mug.

“You really should do something about that caffeine addiction of yours,” Prussia said.

“I’ll make a note in my schedule,” Germany said, then, “You made breakfast,” the coffee having restored in him the ability to notice things.

“That I did,”  Prussia said proudly, “Who’s the awesomest big brother in the world?”

Prussia with breakfast ready for him when he got up, it was like being a kid again.  Germany smiled.

“Switzerland, probably,” he said.

Prussia pouted.  “I can’t believe I raised such a brat,” he said.

They took their time with breakfast, talking and relaxing.  It was nice.  

“So,” Prussia said as they finished, “What’s on the agenda today?” “Nothing,” Germany said, “I’m supposed to still be in the US. I suppose I should--”

“Awesome,” Prussia cut him off,  “You get a day off!  Go read a book or something.  After you reschedule with America, I guess.” “I’ll email him this afternoon,” Germany said, “It’s one am his time.”

“Oh, he’s definitely still awake,” Prussia said, “He has the worst sleep schedule of anyone I know.  You don’t have a sleep schedule so don’t look smug.”

Germany rolled his eyes, and made to start cleaning up the dishes.

“Don’t worry about that,” Prussia said, shooing him away, “I’ll clean up.  You go enjoy your luxurious one-day vacation.”

“You’re sure?” Germany asked.  Prussia had drilled into him quite firmly the idea that you did not leave the cleaning up for other people.

“Of course I’m sure.  Go!  Shoo!”

Germany shooed.  

Apart from the digs at Germany’s life choices, Prussia was being almost disturbingly nice.  Germany chose to enjoy it while it lasted.

Prussia was right about America still being awake.  He answered Germany’s email in under a minute, and they were in the middle of the deeply annoying and complicated process of rescheduling when he heard Prussia yell, “I’m going out!”

“Remember to wear sunscreen,” Germany yelled back.

“Yeah, yeah,” Prussia replied, and the door slammed.

Prussia hated sunscreen.  He loathed it with every fiber of his being.  He hated the way it smelled and he hated the way it felt even more.  It was just so incredibly gross .  He’d survived for centuries without it, and he saw no reason why he should have to start wearing it now.  Sunburn was annoying, sure, but he was used to it, and if he preferred his skin to be on fire than to cover it in slimy-sticky-ickiness, that was really none of Germany’s business.

However, at this point Prussia had no idea how he was still alive.  And, jokes aside, he had no idea in what sense he was alive either.  Was he human now?  Did God just… forget about him? He knew that last idea wasn’t how it worked, but he couldn’t think of any other explanations that made sense either.  Could he get cancer now?  Who knows!

So Prussia was wearing the damn sunscreen.  And a hat for good measure.

Prussia was going out.  He had vague ideas of buying groceries at some point, but mostly he just wanted to walk out his front door and continue to walk, and enjoy the fact that he could keep walking and look at his city without collapsing immediately from pain and exhaustion.

Gilbird flitted from Prussia’s shoulder to a tree and fluttered round his head, delighted at being out and about again.

“You’d better not die,” Prussia threatened him.  Theoretically he wouldn’t, he was still in close proximity to Germany.  Gilbird was an unusual case anyway, being around Nations tended to make animals age more slowly, but it didn’t usually make them stop aging entirely. In any case, Prussia suspected Gilbird was some sort of immortal cryptid creature in his own right, because he had no idea what sort of avian a Gilbird was supposed to be.  He mostly looked like a baby chicken, but obviously wasn’t.

Gilbird twittered at him cheerfully, as if he found the idea of dying funny.

They’d been enjoying themselves for about an hour when Prussia felt an odd buzzing sensation in his skull.

And then long-honed instinct had him ducking out of the way as a stranger, quick as lightning, pulled a sword from under his coat and tried to remove Prussia’s head from his body.

“What the fuck!” Prussia said, but he was already running.

Prussia was just minding his own business in a perfectly peaceful park when a stranger tried to decapitate him with a sword out of nowhere.  That didn’t happen!  Was this some sort of cosmic glitch?  Did some kind of heavenly bureaucratic error cause him to not die so now the universe was going to have to try to kill him off in increasingly unlikely ways?  What the fuck!

Prussia ran full tilt, with Gilbird twittering frantically above his head, in the direction of streets and people, with the hope that the murderous madman wouldn’t want to kill him in front of witnesses.  Prussia’s legs were shorter than the stranger’s but Prussia was good at running, and also, he was running for his life, which always gives you an edge.

Damn he’d missed this.

He slowed down when he reached a busy street with plenty of pedestrians, and fortunately the crazy guy hung back and didn’t attack him.  He did keep following him, though, despite all of Prussia’s efforts to lose him.

The smart thing at this point, Prussia knew, would be to go home, where he had a door that locked, and also weapons.  However, it was Germany’s day off.  Germany deserved a nice, relaxing, totally murderer free day off!

So, Prussia was not going to lead this guy back home.  He continued wandering around in an effort to get away, or at least make him lose interest.  Unfortunately the guy turned out to be both incredibly good at following a target (seriously, what was he, some kind of super spy?) and absolutely fixated on murdering Prussia specifically.

By noon, Prussia was eating lunch at a cafe, and the crazy sword murderer was glaring at him from across the street.  Prussia was resigning himself to the fact that he had no way to get the creep to stop following him.  He knew he really should just admit defeat and take a taxi home at this point.  But.  Germany’s Nice, Stress-Free Day!  Bringing home crazy sword murderers just wasn’t polite .

What Prussia did next was, in retrospect, quite possibly the stupidest choice he’d ever made, which is really, really saying something.  In his defense, he hadn’t known his stalker was potentially a trained killer with millennia of experience.  In his not-defence, he probably should have thought of the possibility.

Prussia pretended to get lost and ended up in an abandoned back alley on purpose.

As far as he knew, his attacker was just some guy with a sword.  He was the Awesome Prussia.  He could totally take some guy with a sword empty handed.

Unfortunately, it was immediately apparent that this man knew what he was doing.  It was all he could do for Prussia to dodge.  The alley was a dead end, so there was no escaping, and Prussia tried desperately to get inside his attacker’s guard with no luck.

The sword grazed him on the arm, and the cut healed with lightning sparking over his skin.

Fuck, Prussia finally realized he’s an Immortal, we’re Immortals , followed almost immediately by, Oh, shit, I’m gonna die. ( Almost immediately because his first thought was, Yay! I don’t have to wear sunscreen!)

Luckily for Prussia, this particular Immortal was somewhere in between Some Guy With a Sword and Millenia of experience, honed to a razor’s edge.  He was competent, but nothing special, and he was becoming increasingly frustrated that Prussia was not dead yet.  (What kind of Immortal didn’t carry a sword?  What kind of Immortal didn’t carry a sword and walked straight into a dead-end alley knowing he was being followed?  What kind of Immortal was that clueless and still this hard to kill? )

With his new perspective, Prussia was better able to assess his assailant’s weaknesses.  He was very experienced, but his experience was very narrow.  He was used to one-on-one sword fights, specifically one-on-one sword fights where both opponents were aiming for the head.  This left him with a few blind-spots.

Eventually, Prussia found his opening and charged, low to the ground with his head and neck forward and inside his opponent’s guard, ignoring the sword coming down to stab him in the back and bowling the enemy over onto the ground.  They grappled, Prussia using his bony elbows with great efficiency, until he had his opponent’s sword arm pinned down and pried the sword from his hand.

Prussia rolled to his feet and cut off his attacker’s head as he tried to stand.

Lightning flashed.

It was a feeling like taking new territory, that feeling of Who I Am being altered, added to with the lives of others, but somehow more .  More, intense, more personal, altering something on a deeper, wrong level.  There was a feeling of euphoric power, like winning a victory that history books would one day call a “Turning Point”, it was nothing like what being shot through with high voltages of electricity actually feels like, but a lot like how you would always half imagine it would feel like.

Prussia collapsed to the ground, panting.

“I am never doing that again,” he said.

Gilbird swooped down from where he had been hiding and swooped down to nestle in the hollow of Prussia’s neck comfortingly.

Immortals.  He was an Immortal.  It made sense, in its way.  Prussia had never heard of a Nation becoming an Immortal, but then nobody knew how Immortals worked in any case.   Many Nations didn’t even know that Immortals existed, and Prussia didn’t know if any Immortals knew of the existence of Nations.  

Prussia looked down at himself. “Shit,” he said.

His clothes were ripped and covered in blood, both his own and the other Immortal’s.  What was he going to tell Germany?

Nothing, he decided.  Germany didn’t need to know that anything had happened.

By some miracle, Prussia managed to buy a new shirt and pair of pants and change in a public restroom without anyone calling the cops on him.  It helped to act very calm and confident and polite, and not at all like someone who had just killed a dude in a back alley.  Most people probably thought he was wearing a very convincing costume of some sort.

Looking, once again, like a sane and law-abiding member of society, Prussia considered how he was going to explain his change of clothes.  An idea struck and he called North Italy.

“Hello, Prussia!  How are you today?”  Prussia briefly examined the “how are you today”, wondering how pointed it was, before discarding that train of thought.

“Hey, Veneziano,” he said, “If I were to tell Germany that I lost to you in a game of strip poker today, would you back me up?”

“... Why do you want Germany to think you lost a game of strip poker?”

“I might have had to change clothes because I got in a fight.  Just a little one.  But I don’t want Germany to worry.”

Italy sighed.  “Prussia,” he said, his voice concerned, “You know you shouldn’t do these things.  It’s not sensible, and it’s not responsible.  Please take better care of yourself.”

It was always a little shocking when Italy acted like some sort of older, wiser friend towards Prussia.  Like, “Yes, I knew you when you were a baby, and I was a baby too but also hundreds of years old, and even though you look older than me now, I know and you know that you aren’t actually.”

“I know, I know,” Prussia said, “If you’ll believe me, it wasn’t my fault. You won’t tell Germany, though, right?”

“What do you think I am, an idiot?”  Veneziano said, “Of course I won’t tell Germany.  And I’ll help you with your little lie.”

“Thank you,” Prussia said, “How much do I owe you?” “Owe you?”  Veneziano said, “Can’t you believe I’d do a favor for a friend just to be nice?”

“No, I can’t” Prussia said, “I’m not my brother, I know you.”

“That’s mean,”  Italy said, “Germany knows me very well.  Parts of me, anyway.  And,” he added, his voice tinged a little with sadness, “You really don’t need to owe me anything for this, Prussia.”

Prussia knew that Italy only said that because he felt sorry for him.  He thought that Prussia was dying and going down a self-destructive spiral so he wanted to be supportive.  Prussia’s enormous desire to not be in Italy’s debt warred with his desire not to take advantage of his misplaced pity.  The latter won.

“I’m not dying, Veneziano,” he said, “I was dying, but I got better.  I’m better now.”

“And because you suddenly didn’t feel awful, you went out and picked a fight with someone. Which is a really silly thing to do, and you don’t want Germany to know.  That is like you.  Okay, then, you’ll owe me a favor.”

“What sort of favor?”

“I’ll tell you when I think of one!”

“ What ?”

“Just a little one, promise.  You should learn to take advantage of people’s assumptions, Prussia.  Deal or no deal?”

“Fine, deal.”

“Excellent!” Italy said, then added thoughtfully, “There is one problem with this plan of yours, though.”

“What’s that?”

Italy giggled, “Germany won’t believe I beat you at poker. He thinks I’m an innocent.”

“Oh, come on, he isn’t that blind.  I did teach him history.”

“Yes, you taught him history.  I can imagine it right now,”  he pitched his voice high (higher) “‘Big brother Prussia?  How did Venice support itself after the trade routes changed and he lost all his terra firma land?”  And then you blush very red and you say, “Well, Little Germany, they… well, lots of people came to Venice for the uh… History!  Yes, the History, because Venice used to be so very important, you see, and they… they sold glass!  Venician glass is very famous!”  And then Germany frowns, because he is very clever, even as a baby, and says “Was that really enough to support the State?”  And you say,  “Yes, it is very expensive glass.”  No mention of gambling houses, and certainly nothing to do with prostitutes .  I bet you’re blushing right now just hearing the word!”

“Yes, well,”  Prussia said, “I guess I’ll have to besmirch your completely undeserved good name a little.”

“Oh, well!” Italy said, “I’m sure it will all work out somehow.”

Prussia was delighted to find Germany messing around with the engine of his car, which was the peak of leisure by Germany’s standards.

“What happened to your clothes?” Germany said when he saw him.

Prussia tried to look appropriately embarrassed.

“I ran into Italy,” he said, “And then I might, possibly, have lost terribly to him in a game of strip poker.”

Germany frowned, “If you ran into Italy, why didn’t you call me so I could join you?”

“Did you want to play strip poker?”

“No, you’re right, I would have stopped you from teaching Italy to play strip poker.  You really shouldn’t have done that.” “I didn’t teach him!  He suggested it, he wasn’t born yesterday, you know.”

Germany shook his head.  “I can’t believe you let him win,” he said fondly, “And you say I let him get away with too much.”

Prussia opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again, rather like a dying fish.  When Gilbert was just a little baby Holy Order, pure and innocent as the driven snow, it had been Venice who taught him how to gamble, and then how to gamble all his clothes away and come home naked and ashamed, swearing never to do anything so sinful and foolish again.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!?” he texted Italy later.

“he's adorable isn't he?” Italy texted back, and then, “you both are”

[jonathanvik]

Starlight Dream - Chapter 6

“Are you okay?” Aiko asked, concerned as Seina approached her from across the street. Her friend was moving sluggishly and had deep bags under her eyes.

“Fine, I suppose.” Mr. Kiyojiro hadn’t been lying about pushing her until she dropped. Her entire body hurt from the countless katas he’d forced her to carry out. Worse, even in her dreams, she couldn’t escape from them, forced to continue her training even there.

Colten zipped around her head. “I’m surprised he’s even allowed you a day off considering how serious he’s taking your training.”

Seina’s fairy friend paused for a moment before brightening. “I just thought of a cool name for your magical girl form!” Seina groaned. Not this again. She was fine with just being called Seina!

After doing an elaborate circle in the air, Colten spread his legs wide. “Lotus Karate!”

“No Colten. Just no.” Seina replied without hesitation.

“Okay. That was kinda bad.” Colten replied, dejected.

Mr. Kiyojiro coughed in his fist, reminding them they were talking about someone right behind them. “You need time to rest your body, too. Besides, your training is going better than expected. You’re a real natural.”

“Sure,” Seina replied, unconvinced. Her body didn’t agree with that statement.

“So, uh.” Aiko paused, reluctant to speak her next words.

“Yes, Aiko, we will learn cool moves soon.” Mr. Kiyojiro said, reading the girl’s thoughts. “In fact, I plan to have her start sparing soon. She just needs a good training partner. I’d do it myself, but I’d rather have someone around Seina’s age. I think she’d learn more effectively with a rival of sorts.”

“You might have someone who’d be a perfect fit,” Colten said, giving Aiko a meaningful glance.

“Don’t look at me!” Aiko replied. “I’m fine sitting on the sidelines. It’s safer.”

“Well, well. You need a sparring partner? I can think of someone who’d be the perfect match.” A figure said, appearing from an alleyway for a second before screaming in pain as Mr. Kiyojiro jabbed him in the stomach and flipped him onto the ground. His victim gave a strangled cry from having the breath knocked from his lungs.

“Oh, it’s you.” Mr. Kiyojiro said, finally getting a good look at the intruder. It was the former Lotus Butcher thug Masato.

“Are you okay?” Seina asked, concerned.

Masato wheezed some more, fighting back tears of pain. “Nah, I’m fine.” He stood straight, pretending he hadn’t gotten thrown onto his butt.

Colten groaned. “What are you doing here?”

“Me?” Masato crossed his arms, giving a confident smile. “Helping you defend the world, sister.”

Seina blinked. “Sister?”

Colten snorted with disbelief. “Really?”

“That’s right, brother. I figure you need all the help you can get. I heard about your training.”

“Why would you help us?” Siena asked, giving the former thug a suspicious glare.

“Because, we are siblings, you and I,” Masato replied. “You, Colten, and I share a special bond. We’re freaks, outcasts, someone no one wants. While we don’t share blood, the bonds we’ve formed run much deeper than that.”

“What’s this, we business!? What bonds?! Don’t lump me in with you!” Seina replied, agasted.

“As your big brother, I thought it would be only proper if I assisted your training.” Masato continued.

Seina gave her bodyguard a questioning glance. “Is there anything he could teach me?”

“No.” Mr. Kiyojiro replied automatically.

Seina nodded her agreement. She’d arrived at the same conclusion. “Thought as much. I appreciate the offer, but no thanks.”

“Yeah, this guy is kind of weak,” Aiko said.

“Oh come on!” Masato said in protest. “I have years of experience!”

“How many? How old are you anyway?” Seina asked, curious.

“14.”

“Eh? 14?!” Siena gapped at the massive muscle bound man in total shock. Colten made a croaking gurgling sound and Mr. Kiyojiro’s jaw dropped.

That’s only four older than me! “You look like you’re in your thirties!”

“I’ve lived a hard life,” Masato replied.

Mr. Kiyojiro rubbed his face. “Those must have been a hard five years.”

“You’ve probably already done the math and are a little confused. As I previously said, my family kicked me out. I bet you’re asking how that adds up with the vampire’s arrival? Doesn’t this mean I was kicked out about around nine? Yes, it’s a sad tale.”

Masato blinked. “Hey! Where are you going?!” Seina and her entourage were already walking away, losing interest in whatever the former thug had to say about his past. Just because he’d stop being a bad guy didn’t mean that she wanted to be his friend.

“Hey, I know! Instead of that guy, I’ll ask around.” Aiko said. “I might find someone local who’s interested.”

“Damn vampires. If only dojos still existed, it’d make this much simpler. There’s no guarantee we’ll find anyone with talent.” Mr. Kiyojiro grumbled to himself. “Nevermind. While not a perfect solution, it should suffice.”

“Perfect!” Aiko snapped her fingers. “I’ll ask around right away!”

Hey, I might make a new friend! Seina was looking forward to seeing what training partner Aiko might find for her. During her childhood, it was difficult to make friends with children her age. Many didn’t survive, or the vampire overlords moved them somewhere else. It forced her to have mostly adult friends. If it meant making a new friend, she’d endure the repetitive exercises and sore muscles.

“You could always ask me, little sister,” Masato said behind them. “I happen to know an ancient martial art that goes back centuries! No? Fine… I’m here if you need me!”

---

“Are you serious, that’s wonderful news!” Lilha almost bounced on her feet, giddy with excitement. Luck was finally on her side.

“Make sure no one else applies. Keep a watch on this, Aiko.” Lilha told her minion. Despite being a deposed vampire queen, she still wasn’t without influence. The servant nodded, disappearing through a window.

“What is it?” Shinobu said, approaching with interest. “Have you found something that will help us kill the magical girl?”

Since joining their side, the clerk had shown a vested interest in killing their target. Lilha had worried that he’d have some compunction about killing a ten-year-old girl. But the prospect of restoring his son to life blinded him to such petty moral scruples. He’d spent many long hours in Lilha’s crummy apartment, helping her hash out their assassination strategy. They’d been rooming together as they devised their plans. He’d proven a reliable roommate.

“Yeah, that fool girl has created the perfect opportunity for us,” Lilha replied.

“Oh, really?” Takako said from Lilha’s battered old couch, looking up from her manga magazine. Her voice showed mild interest. Unlike Shinobu, however, their magical girl ally hadn’t assisted with their plans at all. She cared more about slacking off, eating junk food, and reading manga. Lilha’s loathing for the girl grew by the day.

“Yes,” Lilha replied, fighting back venom. “Seina has created an opening we can exploit. She’s looking for a sparring partner. Apparently, her bodyguard is teaching her martial arts.”

This news made Lilha curse inwardly. The last thing they needed was for their enemy to become more capable. She’d been counting on the foolish girl to bask in her power, assuming herself unbeatable. Reality, however, told a different tale, meaning they needed to plan their surgical strike even more carefully.

Takako made a face. “And you’re expecting me to join her and get all sweaty, no thanks.”

“It’s a perfect opportunity to learn more about our enemy and her weak points. If you pretend to become her friend, it will create a weakness we can exploit.” Despite her great power, Seina was an ordinary girl. The fool girl would never suspect a friend of betraying her.

“Yeah, right.” Takako rolled her eyes. “Besides, won’t she recognize me? I doubt a wig and glasses will fool anyone.”

Shinobu stroked his chin. “Actually, disguising you with my powers shouldn’t be difficult. As long as you don’t venture ten miles away or purposely ruin the illusion, it should fool her without issue.”

“No! I’m not learning martial arts! That’s so lame.” Takako summoned her twin pistols, spinning them around in her hands. “I have these. It’s more than enough.”

Lilha seethed with frustration. Why couldn’t this lazy girl understand what an opportunity this provided? She opened her mouth for a nasty rebuke, but Nier surprised her by flying forward.

“Takako.” The fairy’s tone was stern. “You saw Seina’s power for yourself. Even with the vampires’ help, defeating her won’t be easy. You can’t fight her with half-measures. You heard the vampire, she’s learning martial arts and honing her abilities. What do you think will happen once Seina completes her training? If an opportunity to increase your own power presents itself, take it. Unless you’re comfortable being second fiddle to Seina for the rest of your life.”

The magical girl’s face scrunched up in irritation. Much to Lilha’s astonishment, Takako absorbed Neir’s words. The girl had never listened to her.

“Fine!” Takako threw up her hands. “If it means beating Seina, I’ll get a little sweaty. But only a little!” After a moment her grimace turned into a smirk, returning to her usual cocky self. “Besides, a little more awesomeness couldn’t hurt. I’ll enjoy making Seina look like a fool once I beat her with her own martial arts.”

“How did you do that?” Lilha whispered to the fairy, while Takako continued to brag about herself.

“You just need to know to talk to her,” Nier replied. “We’ve known each other for years.”

That’s a relief. Children were such an annoying pain. Why anyone purposely endured the grueling insanity of parenthood, Lilha never knew.

“Perfect, we can spend the next hour working on your disguise.” Shinobu rubbed his hands together in eager anticipation.

“Won’t she detect your true nature?” Shinobu asked.

Takako waved a dismissive hand. “I can hide my magic. No big deal.”

“Just remember this, Takako,” Lilha said. “Act normally. We don’t want Seina or her bodyguard to get suspicious. It would ruin everything.”

“Act normal?” The magical girl replied, insulted. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything that will draw attention to myself.”

Good. The first step of her master plan was falling into place. The rest would soon follow, and the hateful, magical girl would soon be dead.

---

“Again!”

Seina grunted and performed the same sequence of katas she’d been performing for the last hour. She winced as Mr. Kiyojiro cracked a wooden sword he’d been holding against the ground and walked up to her.

“No, like this.” Her bodyguard adjusted her posture by a minute detail. “Again.”

Seina performed the sequence again, trying to perform the movements just as Mr. Kiyojiro instructed. Her heart bloomed with pleasure as he nodded, indicating she’d performed it successfully. Inwardly, she sighed. If only it didn’t mean that she’d need to perform this same move another hundred times.

Here we go. Seina thought with little enthusiasm.

“Seina!” Colten said, flying down towards Seina from an upper window.

Thank you, timely interruption!

“What is it? Are vampires attacking the city?!” Seina said, her voice hopeful.

“Nope, everything’s calm,” Colten replied with a shake of his head, much to his magical girl’s disappointment. “But I have good news. Aiko has found someone interested in joining our training sessions!”

“Oh, is that right?” Mr. Kiyojiro said with interest.

“She basically jumped at the chance to receive some martial training. I think she has some real promise. There’s something about her.” Colten replied.

“Who is it?” Seina said, her interest peaked. Perhaps training wouldn’t be as miserable if she had another girl training with her.

“Come in!” Colten yelled.

The door opened and in walked Aiko along with another girl their age. The girl’s face extended into a cocky smile, and she vanished in a blur. She leaped high into the air, flattering her body and letting out a loud cry “Hi-ya!”. While in mid-air, she performed a triple spinning corkscrew and landed with grace on her feet, only a meter away from where Seina stood, arms extended.

“My name is Maeko Kodama.” The strange girl said. “And I’m interested in being your training partner.” Up close, the girl stood a few centimeters taller than Seina. She wore her hair short too, but a longer single braid fell over her right cheek. She had strong features and her green eyes spoke of mischief and confidence.

“Right. Um, Seina, Seina Kamiyama.” Seina nodded dumbly, taken aback by the girl’s dazzling display of athleticism.

Meako smirked, raising her head high proudly. “Could you have a better training partner?”

“Wow, that was amazing,” Aiko said from the doorway. “I hadn’t expected she’d do that.”

“Yeah, she’s, uh, interesting,” Colten said.

Mr. Kiyojiro crossed his arms, not as impressed as the others. “And you wish to learn martial arts? May I ask why?”

Maeko only shrugged her shoulders. “It’s a dangerous world out there. So, why not?”

Seina’s bodyguard studied the newcomer for several long moments. For reasons Seina didn’t understand, his expression turned hard, considering the matter with the utmost seriousness. After several more moments, he nodded. “I’m not opposed to it. As long as your parents don’t oppose it.”

“They don’t,” Maeko replied.

“This is perfect!” Seina surprised Maeko by grabbing her hands, gripping the girl’s with hers. “I can’t tell you how lonely it is to train alone. I can tell we’ll become the best of friends!”

“Yeah, it’s nice we’ll be outnumbering the boys,” Aiko added, giving the newcomer a big hug.

“Right,” Maeko replied, shifting awkwardly, disliking all the sudden familiar attention.

“We should have a sleepover tonight!” Aiko said. “I found some more old movies we can watch. They’re not in the best condition however. They might not play right.”

“Movies?” Maeko asked, surprised.

“That’s fine. I’m sure we’ll find one that works” Seina waved a dismissive hand. “What are they about?”

“They’re a little random, but many of them are kid’s movies,” Aiko replied. “I found an animated one about Momotaro!”

“Even I know about that one! That sounds so cute!”

From Maeko’s expression, she didn’t know what they were talking about. Good, Seina always loved the tales of Momotaro’s adventures with his animal friends and would love to explain them to her new friend. She could build puppets.

Mr. Kiyojiro coughed, pointing to the training mat. Seina still hadn’t finished training for the day.

“Okay,” Seina replied, her mood deflating.

“It won’t be for too long.” Her bodyguard gave her a rare smile. “Just for another half-an-hour, then you can play with your new friend.”

“Nice!” Seina beamed. The day had finally improved.

“Uh, what about me?” Maeko asked.

“Just watch and observe.” Mr. Kiyojiro replied. “We can begin the basics tomorrow. There’s no rush.”

Colten snorted. “I hope so. If Lily Annihilator has run back to Starlight Dream with her tail in between her legs, we’ll be in trouble.”

“She would never do that!” Maeko replied, indignant.

Seina blinked. “Sorry?”

“I mean. I heard about this evil magical girl.” Maeko coughed in her fist. “She’s the talk of the town! Pretty scary from all accounts! Proud too! I bet she’s lying in wait, eager to strike when you're least expecting it!”

“Please.” Colten rolled his eyes. “She’ll just fail all over again. I’m worried about her bosses. They’re the real threat!”

“Shows how much you know!” Takako snapped, crossing her arms, a smug expression on her face. “I heard how she killed that Lotus Butcher guy in one hit. She’s far more dangerous than you give her credit for!”

“Like killing a vampire is anything worth noting,” Colten rolled his eyes.

“Now guys, let’s not fight,” Seina said before the argument got worse. “Maeko, I haven’t forgotten about Lily Annihilator. She just isn’t my primary concern right now. I’ve been thinking I’ll need some new tricks if I need to fight her again.”

Maeko perked up. “Really? I’d love to hear about them. That’s so cool!”

“Sure, we can talk about them at supper,” Seina replied. “Mr. Kiyojiro is making curry!” Curry was her favorite dish ever. She liked the spiciness. Colten wasn’t a fan, but that was alright. Her new friend might like it too. She enjoyed sharing a good meal with friends.

“Which you’ll have once you finish your training for today.” Mr. Kiyojiro said, his voice firm. Training always ended when he said so, no compromises.

“Okay,” Seina replied, not wanting to argue.

She began the sequence again, performing it without error, determined to make a show of it. Mr. Kiyojiro nodded his approval, smiling again. Although somewhat impatient, Maeko absorbed the lessons he was teaching her. Good. Seina had a good feeling about her. They’d be fantastic friends and training partners!

---

“Come,” Emiyo said, crossing her legs. Her fairy partner, Nyx, was sleeping in her usual bed on the floor of her office. Despite being built for dogs, Nyx found it quite comfortable.

“I have the latest reports here.” Miko, her personal assistant, entered Emiyo’s office and passed her the note. Her fairy partner, Jin, sat on her head. The girl wasn’t much to look at, very small and mouse-like, but she was efficient and good at getting the job done. The efficiency rating of her office increased by 44.9 percent since Miko became a magical girl.

“Good, misery is spreading nicely.” The sixth sector of the multiverse was especially suffering, increasing by forty-two percent. It constituted several hundred billion universes.

“That isn’t all,” Miko said, her voice tense. “Look at the next page.”

“I see.” Emiyo’s voice was tight. The suffering overall in the eighth sector had decreased by a significant amount, almost 70.12 percent! It made her head spin. “Reasons?”

“We aren’t sure yet,” Miko replied. “It might be the rebel. She’s a tricky one to track. It’s impossible to predict where she’ll appear next.”

Emiyo rubbed the bridge of her nose. “What’s being done about this?”

“Well, Takako went to investigate the strange drop in one particular universe, but she hasn’t reported back. She’s days overdue.”

“Typical. She’s probably slacking off somewhere reading local manga.”

“The other girls aren’t so confident.” Miko’s tension increased. “Some are saying the rebel has gotten her.”

“I’m surprised you care.”

Miko snorted. “Hardly, but it’s more about what it represents. Takako isn’t the only one to not report back. Five other girls have gone missing, each in the eighth sector.”

“So, the rebel is making her move again.” Emiyo ground her teeth. “After her last beating, it’s a wonder she’s even alive.”

After several hundred years, everyone had assumed she’d died. Her bid to create a rebellion in Starlight Dream had ended in failure, almost resulting in her death. Was she picking off weaker girls to hurt their efforts instead? While numerous, the magical girls of Starlight Dream weren’t infinite.

“Whatever she’s doing, it’s undermining our operations.” Emiyo stood from her desk and paced.

Nyx yawned, raising her head from her bed. “What’s the matter?”

“Trouble,” Emiyo replied.

“If girls are going missing, someone needs to investigate. Not me, of course!” Miko said quickly. “If it is the rebel, then someone powerful needs to go. Should I inform the Devil Princesses?”

“No.” Emiyo considered this a private matter. Contacting the Four wasn’t necessary or wanted. “I’ll go.”

Nyx beamed, flipping in the air. “Great! We’ve been cooped up in this office for too many centuries.”

Emiyo nodded her agreement. “Watch things here. I’ll find out what happened to Takako. Pretend she’s just being lazy as usual. I don’t want more doom and gloom rumors spreading around.”

Miko saluted. “Got it.”

Nyx flew over to her shoulder and landed on it. “Road trip! Yes!”

“Watch the suffering quote in the eighth sector,” Emiyo said, her voice nasty. “It’s about to increase by at least 200 percent.”

[snappedsky]

Fanatics 74

Squee, Johnny, Devi, Tenna, and Colton are forced to embark on a fantastic quest.

*Links to previous and next chapters in reblog*

--

The Imaginary Quest

           Colton grumbles grumpily to himself as he descends into his basement. “‘Clean the basement, Colton’,” he says in a mocking tone. “‘You can play your guitar later, Colton.’ Dad just doesn’t get it.”

           He sighs bitterly as he reaches the basement floor and looks out at the stacks of boxes, left abandoned since they moved in.

           “What the hell am I even supposed to do with all this crap?” he groans as he starts unstacking. He opens random boxes, looking through them for anything interesting, before pushing them to the side again. Most of them are filled with old toys and other things they don’t use anymore. It can all go to the dump for all he cares.

           But after a few minutes, he spots something interesting in a seemingly random box and his face lights up.

           “Ooooh, I gotta show this to Squee!” he exclaims as he grabs the item and races upstairs. He dashes out of the house, through the yard, and knocks rapidly on his neighbor’s door.

           “Eh?” Johnny grunts as he cracks open the door.

           “Hey, Johnny,” Colton smiles, bouncing up and down on his feet. “Squee around?”

           “Hey, Colton,” Squee calls out from somewhere in the house. “Come on in.”

           Nny sighs with annoyance but holds open the door for Colton, who bounds in. Granny Cammie is sitting in her wheelchair next to the couch, where Devi, Tenna, and Squee are resting while they all watch TV. Colton steps in front of them and presents his prize. “Look what I found in my basement!”

           Squee leans forward as he reads the name on the old board game box. “Caves and Creatures?”

         “Yeah!” Colton chimes, “it’s an old roleplay game. It takes place entirely in your imagination.”            “Sounds lame,” Tenna snorts.

           “Sounds cool,” Squee grins.

           “It is!” Colton agrees, “I completely forgot I even had this. Wanna play?”

           “Yeah,” Squee nods and stands up. “But let’s do it outside. It’ll be quieter.”

           “Are you saying we’re loud?” Devi scoffs.

           “A little,” he admits as he and Colton head out the door.

           “I mean, he’s not wrong,” Cammie shrugs.

           “How long are you staying here,” Johnny grunts at her.

           Outside, Squee and Colton sit at their usual spot on the curb and Colton opens box. Inside is a bunch of papers and pencils and a rather thick guidebook.

           “Not much of a board game,” Squee comments.

           “Like I said, this takes place entirely in your imagination,” Colton explains, “the guidebook is full of different stories we can follow- or we can create our own. And we use the papers to detail our characters and their adventures, keeping track of their progress, treasures we find, and enemies we kill and whatnot. Oh, check it. My old character sheet!”

           He hands Squee a sheet of paper. On it is a rather crude drawing of some kind of buff, humanoid creature and next it in barely legible scribblings is the characters information.

           “Name: Fartbutt the Smelly?” Squee questions.

           “Hey, man, I was like seven,” Colton shrugs.

           “Level 2 orc warrior,” he continues, “special power: knocking enemies out with his farts. Wow, brilliant. So you sticking with this one or…?”

           “Nah,” he laughs as he flips open the guidebook. “I’m gonna start a new character. Here, this is the character guide.”

           They spend the next hour or so creating their characters, taking turns flipping through the guidebook for all the proper information. When they’ve finished, they’re both beaming with excitement.

           “Alright, okay,” Colton says as they look over the story index. “We’ll introduce our characters in the story. So, which story should we do?”

           “Oh, this one,” Squee replies, pointing at a story titled ‘King of the Cursed Forest’. “Love a good forest setting.”

           “Okay,” Colton smiles and flips to the beginning of the story. He gets ready to read but stops and hands the book to Squee. “Here, maybe you should read instead. You are a story teller.”

           “I mean, I’m actually just a writer but,” he shrugs as he takes the book. He quickly skims the first couple paragraphs before clearing his throat.

           “Two adventurers arrive at a tavern in a small town called Darkside, on the edge of a twisting forest cloaked in shadows,” he begins, “since the small establishment is mostly empty, the adventurers acknowledge each other as they approach the bar and introduce themselves.”

           He nods at Colton. “After you.”            “I am Fariti,” Colton says in a ridiculous, fake-girl voice. “An elven archer. My hobbies include archery- at which I am quite skilled- and hair styling, as you can tell by my glorious, purple locks.”            Squee snickers as Colton mimes tossing back long hair over his shoulder.

           “I am Neetch,” Squee says in a slightly regal voice. “A half-elf rogue. So we have something in common.”

           “Ha!” Colton scoffs. “You are merely a half-elf. You are not even good enough to lick my shoes.”

           “Too bad. They are nice shoes.”

           The two break character as they start giggling. Then Squee clears his throat and continues to read.

           “The tavern keeper approaches the adventurers.” He puts on his best gruff voice. “What can I do for ya?”

           “Have you any elven wine?” Fariti asks.

           “‘We may have some in the back’ the tavern keeper replies wearily before turning away,” Squee says.

           “Never mind,” Fariti sighs. “I would prefer information.”

           “On what?” the tavern keeper questions.

           “The treasure of the Cursed Forest.”

           “Oh,” Neetch says with interest. “Seems we have more in common as I am interested in the Cursed Forest as well.”

           “You aren’t the only ones,” the tavern keeper says, “many adventurers go after the legends of the Cursed Forest and never return.”

           “Then you must know a lot about it,” Fariti muses.

           “I may know something…for a pri-.” Squee breaks character as he starts coughing. “Oh, man,” he says in his normal voice. “Doing that voice hurts my throat.”

           Colton laughs and after a short break for Squee to clear his throat, they continue.

           After bribing the tavern keeper with some coin, the two adventurers learn many legends of the Cursed Forest, one of which being the treasure is guarded by a horrible king. The two agree to work together to find this treasure and enter the forest.

           Squee and Colton spend hours playing their game. Their characters make steady progress through the Cursed Forest, fighting their way through dangerous foes, gather amazing items, and meet interesting individuals.

           Squee enjoys it the entire time. It’s seems so simple, but it’s the most fun he’s had in a long time. And they both get so lost in the story, they don’t notice anything going on around them.

           Inside the house, Nny, Devi, Tenna, and Cammie don’t notice anything going on outside either. And neither does anyone else on the street. Nothing much happens on Grave Road.

           But Shmee, who was left resting on the coffee table, senses what’s happening. Without Squee, he is not able to move to look out the window. But he can feel it. A great change is taking over. And it worries him deeply.

           Finally, Fariti and Neetch defeat the King of the Cursed Forest and claim the treasure. Squee and Colton both cheer and pound the air.

           “Woo, that was awesome,” Colton grins as he leans back and looks at the sky. What he sees causes him to freeze up.

           “Yeah,” Squee sighs and leans forward. He suddenly feels exhausted. “I didn’t expect it to be so…immersive. We should definitely play it again.”

           “Colton?” he questions when his friend doesn’t respond. He’s looking around with a mixture of shock, fear, and awe. When Squee looks up, he quickly realizes why.

           They are surrounded by giant, dark trees with twisting branches and trunks. The thick canopy of leaves overhead is completely blocking the sky, the sun just barely leaking in through the cracks. The thin trunks are bending around the surrounding houses. Odd creature noises can be heard somewhere in the shadows.

           “Uh-um….” Squee croaks.          

           “How long have we been playing?” Colton asks, “do I have an ancient beard?”

           “Did…did I do this?” Squee questions as he stands up. His knees just about give out underneath him and he crouches down to steady himself.

           “Are you okay?” Colton asks worriedly.

           “I-I don’t know,” he replies, “I suddenly feel really…weak.” He looks up at the surrounding trees that looks just like how he imagined the Cursed Forest. “Aw, man. I did do this.”

           “What? How?”

           “With my…imagination powers,” Squee replies, “I got so engrossed in the game I accidently created…the Cursed Forest.”

           A guttural growl is heard from the shadows nearby.

           “Aw, jeez,” Colton squeaks.

           “Help me up,” Squee orders, sticking out his hand. “We have to get inside.”

           Colton helps him to his feet and they hurry into the house.

           “Nny!” Squee exclaims, startling everyone. “I-I really screwed up!”

           “What’d you do?” Johnny questions. “Did you blow up another convenience store? I keep telling you to keep your bombs and your wallet separate.”

           “No, Nny, I…just, go look outside,” Squee demands as he hobbles to the kitchen. “I need to get something to eat.”

           The adults all get up and walk to the door- except for Cammie, who rolls. They are immediately flabbergasted as they look outside.

           “I’m staying inside,” Cammie grunts and rolls away.

           “What…” Johnny breathes, stunned.

           “Wow,” Tenna comments, “I know Nny hates to mow his lawn, but I didn’t think it would get this bad.”

           Devi glares at her incredulously.

           “I’m just trying to lighten the mood, man, this is fucking weird.”

           “What happened?” Nny asks as they hurry back to Squee, who’s busy scarfing down a sandwich while Colton stands nearby.

           “We were playing that game and I got super into it,” Squee explains between mouthfuls, “and I think I accidently manifested all of that with my imagination.”

           “You created an entire world by accident?” Devi questions.

           He shrugs. “Sure looks that way.”

           “It’s pretty awesome when you think about it,” Colton smiles.

           “Not when you consider we’re living in the Cursed Forest with all its dangerous creatures,” Squee points out.

           “Ah. Right.”

           “Can you change it back?” Tenna asks.

           “I don’t know,” Squee replies, “if I knew how, I would’ve done it already. But I’ve never…destroyed something I’ve created before.”

           “What if you just…will it to disappear, like how you will it to appear?” Nny suggests.

           “I’ll try,” he shrugs. He closes his eyes and thinks super hard about the forest disappearing. “Is it gone?”

           They peek through the window and still see the overhanging branches and leaves. “Nope,” Nny replies.

           “Okay…” Squee sighs.

           “What if we just completed the quest?” Colton suggests.

           “But we already did that,” he points out.

           “Our characters did, but we didn’t. Maybe if we defeat the King, it’ll give you, like, closure or something.”

           Squee shrugs. “It’s worth a shot. I’ll call the guys.”

           He grabs his phone and sighs with disappointment. “I have no reception.”

           “I guess the Cursed Forest doesn’t have good cell service,” Colton remarks.

           “Looks like we’re on our own this time,” Squee grunts as he pockets his phone and faces everyone. “You guys up for a quest?”

           “I guess,” Nny shrugs.

           “Yeah, I wasn’t doing anything today,” Devi adds.

           “Sure, sounds fun,” Tenna nods.

           “Count me out,” Cammie replies, “forests aren’t usually wheelchair friendly. I’ll just stay here with the cat.”

           Nugget meows in agreement as she hops onto Cammie’s lap.

           “That’s probably for the best,” Squee agrees, “okay, let’s gear up.”

           Squee slings his bag over his shoulder and rests Shmee on his head. Johnny throws on his coat. Devi and Tenna dig around in his closet before grabbing a bat and brace knuckles, respectively. And Colton grabs the Cave and Creatures guidebook.

           “It’ll help us find our way through the forest,” he clarifies.

           “Then let’s go,” Squee demands.

           They exit the house and head down the street where the woods get thicker. The trees seem to have just appeared out of nowhere- which they essentially did. They aren’t bursting out of the asphalt; more like they were gently placed on the roads and sidewalk. The trunks have grown around houses and vehicles, causing almost no damage.

           Civilians have noticed the sudden change as they step out of their houses in bewilderment. They don’t pay Squee and the others any mind as they pass by.

           “You really do have an active imagination, Squee,” Devi comments.

           “Too active apparently,” he remarks.

           They’re suddenly stopped by shouts of terror and a group of people race by frantically.

           “Uh oh,” Squee grunts as they turn to whatever it was they were running from.

           Three creatures fly into view. They’re like large snakes with feathered wings and fangs protruding from their top lip. They hiss angrily at the group, their forked tongue flicking about.

           “Winged serpents!” Colton exclaims, “cool!”

           “Less cool when they’re attacking us,” Squee argues. “Duck!”

           He shoves Colton to the ground as the serpents swoop at them. Then he draws his knife and slices through the wing of one. It immediately crashes and Squee quickly steps on its trashing tail and slices its throat.

           The other two split apart, one going after Johnny, the other going for Devi and Tenna. The girls duck and Devi swings her bat, smashing the serpent’s snout in and knocking it to the ground. One final swing crushes its head.

           Simultaneously, Nny makes quick work of the final serpent with one quick swing and slices its head off.

           “That was easy,” Tenna comments.

           “They are the lowest level creatures in the forest,” Colton points out, “but we should keep moving. Their blood is gonna attract predators.”

           After quickly cleaning off their weapons, the group continues their progress through the forest. They don’t get very far though, before they hear movement in the surrounding shadows.

           “Who’s there?” Devi snaps, raising her bat.

           “When has asking ‘who’s there’ ever produced an actual answer?” Nny chides.

           Whatever it is, it’s crunching the dirt just out of sight. Everyone strains their eyes as they struggle to see into the darkness.

         A shiver shoots up Squee’s spine and he tackles Devi and Tenna out of the way. “Watch out!” he cries just as something comes charging out of the shadows. Johnny and Colton shout with surprise as it brushes by and skids to a stop before facing them again.

           “A monster boar!” Colton exclaims.

           It is indeed a giant boar with large, stained tusks and fangs and beady red eyes. It scrapes its hoof along the ground before charging again towards Squee and girls. They scream as they barely dive out of the way.

           “What do we do?” Devi yells.

           “Uh-uh-ge-get into the trees!” Squee orders.

           The three quickly scramble up the nearest trees as the boar charges them again. They manage to get just high enough to be out of reach of its tusks. But it slams into the trunks and nearly knocks Tenna loose.

           Before it can try again, a rock hits the back of its head.

           “Over here, you big pig!” Johnny barks.

           The boar turns to face him, snorting angrily. It scrapes its hoof against the ground, preparing to charge. Nny faces it head-on.

           The boar takes off. Nny doesn’t flinch and raises his knives, ready to attack. But before he can get the chance, an arrow flies out of the shadows and connects with the boar’s right, front tendon. It squeals in pain as it collapses, skidding across the pavement.

           Before it can try to recover, a figure flips out of the shadows, lands on the boar’s body, and slices open its throat with two daggers.

          Johnny stares at the figure with surprise but keeps his knives ready as they step off the boar. They’re quite tall and slender, but lean, with short black hair and pointed ears. They’re dressed in leather clothing with many knives hanging from their waist and slung across their chest.

           “Is that-?” Squee questions but before he can finish, an arrow hits the trunk just inches from his face, making him squeal.

           Another person exits the shadows, brandishing a bow. They have very long, thick purple hair that spills down their shoulders and back. Poking through it are two very long, pointed ears. They’re also dressed in leathers with a quiver of arrows slung across their back.

           “Fariti!” Colton exclaims.

           “And Neetch,” Squee breathes.

           “State your purpose,” Fariti orders, in an absolutely ridiculous, high-pitched voice.

           Devi and Tenna immediately burst into laughter while Colton buries his face into his hands. “Why does she sound like that?”

          “That’s the voice you gave her,” Squee points out as he drops out of the tree and faces Fariti. “Uh, we mean you no harm. We are adventurers.”

           “Really?” Neetch asks with a voice that sounds a lot like Squee trying to sound older. “You seek the treasure of the forest?”

           “Mostly the king,” he replies.

           “Then we shall travel together,” Neetch declares, “the more, the merrier. Right, Fariti?”

           “Very well,” she sighs, lowering her bow. “As long as they do not slow us down. And cease their guffaw.”

           “S-sorry,” Tenna snickers behind her palm while Devi takes a few deep breaths.

           “Then let us continue,” Neetch says as he starts marching. Fariti follows in-step while Squee and the others stay a little behind.

           “Do they know they’re, you know, make-believe?” Colton asks quietly.

           “I don’t think we need to tell them,” Squee replies.

           As they walk through the forest, Neetch looks over his shoulder at them. “So, why is it you seek the King of the Cursed Forest?”

           “Um,” Squee hums with uncertainty as he and Colton glance at each other before responding, “glory?”

           “Ah! Me as well,” Neetch replies, “I wish to bring my half of the treasure to my village, where I will celebrate richly with my friends.”

           “He’s pretty campy,” Nny comments quietly.

           “That’s kind of what I was going for,” Squee shrugs.

           “I, on the other hand, require the treasure to free my family from poverty, and attain the life of luxury I so deserve,” Fariti adds.

           “Sounds like a classic backstory,” Devi comments.

           “Hey, the classics are great,” Colton argues.

           “Halt!” Fariti orders as she and Neetch come to a sudden stop.

           “Wh-what is it?” Squee asks nervously.

           “We are being watched,” she replies, “prepare yourselves.”

           Everyone readies their weapons, their eyes carefully scanning the surrounding shadows.

           “I don’t hear anything,” Tenna points out.

           “Yeah, it’s quiet,” Nny agrees, “for the first time since we’ve been here.”

           “An eerie silence,” Colton muses and flips through the guidebook. “That’s the first sign that we’re nearing the King’s domain.”

           “Excellent,” Neetch comments, “let us proceed with caution.”

           They start moving again, carefully, constantly checking over their shoulders. And then, just as suddenly as the silence began, it ends with sinister giggling.

           “What’s that?” Devi asks, raising her bat.

           “G-goblins!” Colton exclaims, “the King’s minions!”

           “Watch your backs!” Squee orders, “they’ll surround us.”

           They stand back to back, weapons raised just as a large group of creatures leap out of the trees around them. They’re short- barely four feet- and green with large ears, little fangs, and claws instead of fingers. They land on the adventurers, grabbing their heads and shoulders as they spit and snicker.

           “Ah! Fuck off!” Devi barks.

           “Release me, foul creatures!” Neetch shouts.

           “Not the face!” Colton cries.

           “Watch the hair!” Fariti snaps.

           Johnny grabs the one clambering on his face and throws it at a tree with enough force to snap the creature’s spine. Then he grabs one nibbling at his shoulder and uses it like a club to smack off another clawing at Squee’s face. With that distraction gone, Squee grabs one of his knives and stabs the other one clawing at his back.

           Meanwhile, Fariti managed to block most of the goblins with her bow. She quickly throws them off and loads a couple arrows before shooting the ones attacking Neetch. Then, he grabs some throwing knives and turns to Devi and Tenna. He whips the blades and they all strike the goblins in their backs. They jerk a second before falling dead.

           Finally, the only goblins left are the two on Colton, who’s blocked most of their attacks with the book. Devi quickly smacks them away with her bat.

           “Is that all of them?” Neetch asks.

           A still-living goblin suddenly leaps at him from behind. Before it can connect however, Tenna punches it out with her brass knuckles.

           “Boosh!” she cheers and grins. “Now it is.”

           “Let’s keep moving,” Fariti orders, “before more show up.”

           They step around the bodies and continue on their path while Colton flips through the guidebook.

           “Okay, let’s see,” he muses, “first the eerie silence, then the goblins. That only leaves one more barrier.”

           “Which is?” Devi asks.

           Both Colton and Squee gulp fearfully as the ground starts shaking beneath their feet. “The forest troll.”

           The trees are knocked over like tooth picks as a large creature approaches, quaking the ground with its footsteps. It’s over eight feet of rippling muscle in nothing but a loin cloth. It carries a large club on its shoulder and glares at the adventurers with the beady eyes on its disproportionately tiny head.

           “Watch out!” Squee cries as it lifts its club. “It’s a one-hit killer!”

           Everyone dives out of the way as the troll swings its club down, leaving a small crater in the asphalt where they were standing. Before it can decide who to attack next, a couple arrows pierce its left shoulder. It snorts as it turns to face Fariti. She looses two more arrows into its chest, but it barely seems to notice as it charges.  She quickly rolls out of the way of its club.

           “This thing just ate our attacks when we fought it,” Colton points out.

           “Yeah,” Squee agrees, “but remember how we beat it?”

           He smiles shakenly and nods. “Yeah.”

           “Neetch!” Squee calls out, catching the half-elf’s attention. “You and Fariti keep it distracted!”

           “Understood!” he nods before throwing a knife at the troll. It pierces its right shoulder, but again the troll doesn’t seem to care.

           “Nny,” Squee says as he draws his knives. “Go for the joints.”

           “Got it,” he smirks.

           With the troll’s back turned to them, its focus on Fariti and Neetch, Squee and Nny charge its back. Squee slices its ankle tendons while Nny does the back of its knees. It immediately cries out in pain as it falls to the ground, its legs now unable to support its tremendous weight.

           “Now finish it!” Squee orders.

           Johnny starts to swing for its neck but stops when he notices the dropped club. He grins and he pockets his knives.

           “What are you doing?” Devi asks.

           “Just a sec,” he replies and grabs the club’s handle. Exclaiming with exertion, he manages to lift it over his head and, smirking, brings it down on the troll’s head, smashing it like an egg.

           “That works,” Squee shrugs.

           “Well done!” Neetch cheers, “you are much more capable adventurers than I originally thought.”            “Uh, thanks,” Squee replies awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

           “I admit, your skills and knowledge surprise me,” Fariti adds.

           “We are very knowledgeable,” Colton smiles.

           “Now, let us continue,” she orders, “the King’s dark palace awaits.”

           With the trees knocked out of the way, they can see their destination in the distance. It’s gotten a bit of a makeover- darks vines now cover most of the exterior- but it’s still recognizable.

           “The mall,” Squee declares.

           “Where evil lives,” Nny snarls.

           They approach the building quickly. Anyone who was outside when the forest emerged is now cowering inside their vehicles. Anyone who was inside is banging on the windows, begging to be freed. The automatic double doors are sealed shut by the thick dark vines crisscrossing the walls but they are easily chopped away by Johnny’s knives. As soon as the doors are open, a mob races out, crying with relief.

           The adventurers peek inside. The power must be out because it’s completely dark; not even the emergency lights are on. There doesn’t appear to be any life with the civilians gone.

           “The King awaits,” Fariti says darkly before they step inside.

           “Where do you think he is?” Tenna asks.

           “Most likely on the second floor,” Squee replies, “somewhere he can have a throne.”

           “The furniture store?” Devi suggests.

           They climb the stairs to the second floor and approach the furniture store, and sure enough, right in the doorway is a large easy chair. Lounging in it is a tall, well-built elven man in robes made of plants and flowers. Flowers also stick out of his long black hair and he is holding a scepter that looks like a thin tree trunk with a green orb at the top.

           “Who dares approach my sanctum?” he demands, his voice echoing off the walls.

           “King of the Cursed Forest,” Neetch booms, “we have come to defeat you and take your treasure.”

           “To have traversed my forest and defeat my minions is quite a feat,” the King says as he stands up. “But your adventure ends here.”

           “Let’s hope so,” Squee remarks.

           The King lifts his scepter and vines smash through the nearby walls and ceiling, charging the adventurers like giant snakes. Everyone immediately dives out of the way.

           Squee quickly reaches into his bag and slaps on his goggles before activating his rocket wheelies. He nimbly zips around the vines and rushes to the King, knives raised. He doesn’t even see Squee coming until they’re face to face. Squee swings his blades but instead of hitting the King, he hits an invisible barrier. His attack backfires and he flies backwards, slamming into the wall.

           “Ugh, dammit, I forgot,” he groans as he gets up on his elbows. “We have to destroy that orb on his scepter. It’s the source of his power.”

           “Yeah, sorry,” Colton says as he cowers behind a couch. “I should’ve mentioned that.”

           “Then we shall aim for the scepter!” Fariti declares as she looses an arrow. It flies straight for the orb but a vine comes up and blocks it.

           “He won’t make that easy,” Neetch points out.

           Snarling, Squee gets up on his feet and zooms to the King again. But before he can get close, giant vines burst out of the ground and wrap around the King like a protective cocoon.

           “Did you think you could use the same trick on me twice?” the King jeers, his voice echoing out of the planet barrier.

           Another grouping of vines swing at Squee and he zips backwards, dodging them, and ducks behind the couch next to Colton. Meanwhile, Johnny, Devi, and Tenna keep their distance and dodge the swinging vines.

           “What now?” Devi asks.

           “I mean,” Nny shrugs, “maybe we can’t because of like magic of whatever, but what if we just…burned them?”

           The girls look at each other with realization while he reaches into his coat and pulls out of a lighter.

           “Fuck it up,” Devi nods approvingly.

           Nny lights the lighter and tosses it into the onslaught of vines. As soon as the flame makes contact, the vine lights up like dried grass. Everyone watches with surprise as the fire quickly spreads around the plants and the King cries out in pain.

           The barrier around him spreads apart as he swings his scepter and he glares through the burning vines. Squee glares back over the couch.

           “Shmee, get the scepter,” he orders.

           The bear dives over the couch and deftly slips around the flames. The King spots him coming and raises his free hand. Small, thin vines extend from his robes and catch Shmee. He thrashes about, snapping most of them but more keep coming. When he manages to free a leg for a second, he kicks the scepter.

           “No!” the King exclaims as it’s knocked from his hand to the floor. Immediately, Fariti shoots an arrow at it and Neetch throws a knife. But before they can hit it, more vines bust through the floor and knock the scepter out of the way.

           “I will not be defeated!” the King exclaims. The vines lunge towards them but they easily jump out of the way.

           Squee leaps over the couch and charges for the scepter. The King spots him and summons more vines beneath his feet, shooting him into the air and over the second floor balcony.

           “Squee!” Shmee exclaims. He rips off the rest of the vines holding him and dives after him.

           Johnny, Devi, and Tenna briefly glance after them before Johnny glares at the King. “I’m going for the scepter.” The girls stare after him as he rushes towards the still-burning vines.

           Nny easily weaves around the plants and makes his way to the scepter. The King sees him coming but before he can attack, an arrow and a knife pierce his side. He cries out in pain and turns to face Neetch and Fariti.

           “Impudent wretches!” the King barks and lifts both his hands, pointing one at Nny and the other at Neetch and Fariti. More vines burst from the ground, lifting them off their feet and wrapping around each of them.

           “Dammit!” Johnny snarls as he struggles in the plant’s grasp.

           “Nny!” Devi exclaims as he’s lifted higher and higher.

           “This may be it, partner,” Neetch says.

           “Then it has been an honor to adventure by your side,” Fariti replies.

           The King laughs triumphantly as the vines begin to squeeze. “Did you really think you could defeat me? My power is unfathomable! I will never be defeate-!”

           He stops suddenly as the sound of smashing glass seems to resonate around them. Everything freezes and he turns around to see Colton kneeling beside his scepter, the orb crushed to pieces beneath his guidebook.

           “N-no,” the King stammers, trembling. “I-it’s not…possible.”

           “I need to say a really cool one-liner here,” Colton whispers as he stands up and faces the King. “You know what they say. The pen is mightier than the swor-.”

           Before he can finish, the entire building starts shaking. The vines are sucked back into the ground and Johnny, Neetch, and Fariti hit the floor hard.

           “We are victorious!” Neetch cheers.

           “What about the treasure?” Fariti asks.

           A large chunk of the ceiling crashes to the floor beside them.

           “We will worry about that later,” Neetch replies, “for now we must retreat!”

           “The building is coming down!” Tenna exclaims.

           “No shit!” Johnny snaps as he scrambles to his feet.

           “Let’s get the fuck out of here!” Devi orders.

           “Wait for me!” Colton cries.

           Everyone races away, leaving the King in shock as the mall collapses around him.

           The adventurers escape safely and turn to see the vines that were wrapped around the walls are also being pulled back into the ground. They watch for a second as the building crumbles from the force before Johnny looks around worriedly. “Where’s Squee?”

           “Hey, look!” Tenna exclaims, pointing at the surrounding the forest. All of the trees are beginning to fade away into sparkles that disappear in the wind.

           “Neetch! Fariti!” Colton gasps. The two adventurers are meeting the same fate, but seem completely oblivious to it.

           “Looks like we’ll have to do some digging for our treasure,” Neetch comments.

           “We’ve worked this hard for it,” Fariti shrugs, “what’s some more hard work?”

           They both smile as they fade away.

           “Adventure on, you two,” Colton says with a salute.

           “The forest is gone and everything’s back to normal,” Devi observes and looks at the collapsed mall. “Well…almost.”

           “But where is Squee?” Johnny asks impatiently.

           “Hang on,” Colton says as he takes out his phone. “I have service again.”

           He sends Squee a text and receives a quick response. “He says he’s outside and okay. He’ll meet us at home. He just needs a break.”

           Johnny sighs with relief. “Alright. Let’s get out of here then.”

           They all turn and begin the quest back home. Meanwhile, on the other side of the mall, Squee is sitting on the ground against a building, Shmee in his lap. He sighs heavily as he looks up at the unobscured sky.

           “That was kind of fun actually,” he comments, “still, I can’t believe I created like a whole world. That’s…wild.”

           “Indeed,” Shmee agrees.

           “Well, I guess I’d better head home,” Squee says and starts to stand up.

           “Squee, wait,” Shmee orders and he stops.

           “What?” he questions.

           “Let’s just…stay here a little longer. It’s not often it’s just the two of us anymore.”

           “What do you mean?” Squee asks with mild amusement. “It’s like that every night.”

           “Yeah, but even then we have the cat with us and you need to sleep,” Shmee points out.

           “Alright,” he shrugs and settles back down. “I don’t mind.”

           Squee rests his hand on Shmee’s body and Shmee holds him back with his stubby arms.

           “Squee, tell me a story,” Shmee says.

           “Okay,” Squee replies, somewhat uncertain. “What story?”      

           “Tell me about when we first met.”

           Squee smiles. “That feels so long ago now. Well, it was another normal, crappy day. The kids made fun of me at school. Mom forgot I existed and didn’t make me dinner and Dad yelled at me to get a job so I could buy my own food. So I was feeling pretty lousy when I went into my bedroom.”

           “And then I saw a brown teddy bear on my bed. I was so happy. I ran back out to thank Dad but he said he had no idea what I was talking about. When I went back into my room, the bear was sitting up on my bed and its smile seemed to widen. Then it said, “hello. I’m your new friend.”

           “I was even more happy. I didn’t care where you came from. You were my first friend.”

           “And now you have lots of other friends,” Shmee says, “you’ve really grown and changed a lot since then. You’re so strong, so brave. Even more so than you think. You don’t even need me anymore.”

           “Don’t be silly, Shmee,” Squee scoffs, “of course I need you.”

           He doesn’t reply and Squee glances at him. “Shmee? Are you okay?”

           “Squee, listen to me very carefully,” he orders, “I don’t have a lot of time.”

           “What? What are you-?”

           “Just listen. You are extraordinary. You possess unique and special powers. And the Daydream doesn’t believe you need protection anymore. In fact, they view you as a lost cause and would prefer to separate from you entirely.”

           “Wait, what-what do you-?”      

           “This forest was the final straw. You are growing more and more powerful. They’re gonna take me away. I have no say in the matter.”

           “What?” Squee exclaims, “no, Shmee, you can’t-!”            “I don’t agree with them,” Shmee continues. “You are not a threat nor a lost cause and I would much rather stay with you. But…I can’t.”

           “Shmee!” he cries and lifts him up in front of his face. “You can’t leave!”

           Shmee smiles sadly at him. “You don’t need me anymore. You have lots of friends now. And you’re braver and stronger than you think.”

           “B-but, Shmee, you’re my friend too!”

           “I know. And you’re mine.”

           Shmee squeezes Squee’s hands with his own. “I’m so proud of you, Squee.”            It feels like a breeze blows by and Shmee falls limp. Squee stares at him in shock, at the light, lifeless body with its soulless, white eyes and empty smile. Just an old, ratty teddy bear.

           Squee flings his hands away and screams.

[sorceress-coffee]

Gnome your Enemy, Courting Hazards

AO3 Link (available on 7/31/2020) This is pretty much Ep 4 pt 1& 2 with revisions.

River’s P.O.V.

I watched as Draal stood, growling lowly at Jim. “5 days,” he snarled, “we will fight in the forge.” He turned, huffing through his nose blowing out a cloud of steam. He walked out, head held high, nodding to me as he passed. I tilt my head in recognition, debating on following Draal to ask what had happened. As I stepped to follow after him, I was suddenly lifted from the ground and into a group hug with Toby and Jim, Arrrgh had already caught them.

Blinky clapped two of his four hands, grinning up at us, “Excellent, Master Jim! We should start your trying right away if you are to defeat Draal!”

Arrrgh laughed deeply as he walked out of the bar before setting Jim, Toby, and I down again.

Toby punched Jim’s arm, grinning “This is gonna be awesome! Right River? Oh! Hey River, when did you get here?” he asked.

“I walked in during your confrontation. What made you snap?” I asked Jim, frowning.

Jim was scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, “Well, I got in a fight with Steve, and-”

I raised my hand to cut him off, “No, why did you challenge Draal?”

“He was talking shit about his and Jim’s sparring yesterday!” Toby almost yelled, glaring at the memory.

Blinky clasped my shoulder as he guided us to the forge, “Come now masters, we have much training to do!” He took notice of the metal rod in my hand. “River? What do you have there?”

I lift the rod, looking over it confused for a moment, “Oh,” I held it out and tightened my grip slightly, as I did the rod began to glow blue and the lance I had forged with Vendel sprung to life, the veining in the staff giving off a faint sapphire glow. “Vendel and I found a way to channel my magic, he told me to find Jim to practice, but I think I’ll pass for today, he needs to learn troll fighting, not how hard I can bash his skull in.” I teased, lightly whacking Jim on the top of his head with the non-bladed end of the lance.

Jim laughs, smacking the lance away from him. “Those were the drawings you were working on Friday night, right? It looks amazing River!

“No way! I thought your magic was gonna be your cool superhero thing, now you have a weapon too?” Toby asked, pouting slightly.

I shrugged, “Think of it more as a sharp wand.”

Blinky held his hands out, “May I?” He asks. I smile and place the lance in his hands. He tested the weight, swinging it slightly before looking over the sapphire veining closely. “Incredible Lady River! You made the gems for this?”

I nod, reaching into my black satchel and grabbing the extra gem I took, not the one that looks like Draal’s crystalline back. I handed it to Blinky, taking my lance back. “You should see the one in the center of the Heartstone. I went a little overboard.”

Blinky inspects the gem closely before handing it back. “I will once Jim’s training is finished for the day, thank you Lady River.”

I nod noticing Toby’s eyes are locked on the crystal now in my hand, I chuckle before handing it to him. “I thought you could add this to your collection.”

Toby grins taking the crystal, he starts jumping, listing off various gems, trying to place what it could be. Arrrgh taps the stone, smiling “Not normal gem. Magic.” He explains, letting Toby know he won’t be to categorize it.

Jim shakes his head at his best friend’s excitement, “He’s not going to stop talking about this for a while,” he smiles to me before patting my shoulder. “Why don’t you head home River, you’ve been here for two days straight.”

Smiling, I nod, letting the lance collapse again. “I’ll be heading out soon. Is it daylight?”

Blinky shakes his head, “Sunset, actually. You’ll want to hurry home before Bular is out running around.”

Nodding, I hug Jim and ruffle Toby’s hair. “I’ll see you later tonight! Bye Blinky! Bye Arrrgh!” I took off running towards the exit for Trollmarket, keeping my eye out for a certain blue Troll. I frown slightly when I don’t see him, shrugging it off. Draal had a fight he probably wasn’t too worried about preparing for, but still, he was probably getting ready.

I climbed up the crystal steps to the canal exit of Trollmarket, playing with the lance as I walked, twisting it around my hand and back, slowly at first, trying to get the motions down. As I went to flip the lance over my hand it hit part of the stone wall and bounced back, hitting me in the head. “Ow…” I quickly grab the side of my head, trying to dull the throbbing. A sudden burst of laughter caught my attention. I looked up to see Draal, bent over laughing, at the canal exit.

I huffed at him, giving him a mock glare, “Oh, come on! I’ve barely had it an hour! Did you think I’d be doing backflips by now?” I asked, pouting a bit, still rubbing my head.

He straightens up, slowly getting control of his laughter, “You were just doing well, and then you were bested by a wall.” Snickering, “That’s two walls that have it out for you.” He remarked, referring to my destroying a wall in the forge during his and Jim’s spar.

“And here I thought you were supposed to save me when the walls decided to attack.” I snarked back.

He smirked before opening the exit, walking through. “I remember saying not to launch yourself off of walls when I can’t be there to help you, not that I’d protect you if they attacked.”

I followed him through the exit, walking beside him as we head in the direction of my house, laughing. “Well, I kept up part of my deal!”

“Still bested by the wall.” He smirked down at me.

Rolling my eyes, I collapse the lance, slowing my pace. “Well, I don’t have any training yet, of course, the wall is going to win! That’s like me trying to pick a fight with you!”

Draal slows to match my pace, snorting at the thought. “You’re too smart to try that. Even for a fleshbag.” He tilts his head in thought. “You will be training with the troll hunter?”

I shook my head, “Nah, Blinky’s gonna have all four hands full trying to keep Jim in line, I doubt he’d be able to handle us both. Besides, he has to train for whatever fight you agreed to earlier. Fighting me won’t help with that.”

At the mention of the fight, Draal stops short, watching me. “You don’t seem worried.”

“You’re sparring with Jim again, I’m more worried about falling off another wall.” I joke, frowning when I look back to Draal, a serious expression etched on his face.

“This isn’t just a spar River.” He began slowly, “Honor was questioned. I will answer the call.” He began, “This is a fight to the death.”

I could feel the color drain from my face, going cold at Draal’s words. “Death…” He nods, watching my reaction closely. “He doesn’t know that!” I yelled, throwing my hand in the direction of the canal. “He probably thinks this is just another sparring session!”

Draal huffed, “If his teacher has any sense, he will explain the mistake he made.”

“Mistake?! Draal, one of you could die!” I started to panic, scared for both of them. “Please Draal, I understand there are things Jim and I both don’t know yet of your culture, but please reconsider this fight. If either of you…” I trailed off, hands shaking. I did the only thing I could think of to calm down, I rushed forward, hugging Draal tight, hiding my face. “Please, just… consider it. I don’t know if asking this is acceptable for Trolls, but losing my family or my friend…”

Draal had gone stiff when I rushed him, moving into a defensive stance. When he realized I was hugging him, he didn’t know what to do. After a moment of silence, he finally reached up to pat my head, “If asked by anyone else, I would take insult, however, I will consider it. Though if he continues to insult, I will not hold back.” He stated.

I nod my head, still hiding against his chest. “Thank you Draal,” I slowly pull back when the shaking in my arms subsides. “Sorry for rushing you…”

He merely pats my head again, continuing our way to my house. “You need a trainer for that weapon, and I need to train, though I doubt it will be much of a fight to train for. I will train you how to wield your weapon properly, starting tomorrow. You’ve been locked in a forge with the old goat for two days straight. Get some rest.” He paused at the back door of the house, nodding to himself.

I yawned, nodding to him. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Good night Draal.” I smile and pat his forearm before heading in.

“Goodnight River,” He called, leaving for Trollmarket.

I quickly grab a granola bar, eating as I head up to my room. Kicking my shoes off before crawling under the covers, sitting up long enough to grab the gem I made that resembled Draal’s back and setting it on my nightstand then passing out for the night.

The next morning, I woke up early to do my chores, sweeping downstairs and dusting before Jim wakes up. Once I was done, I rushed upstairs to get ready for the day, changing into black baggy cargo pants, combat boots, and a dark purple long sleeve. Grabbing my backpack and satchel, I filtered through everything I needed for school and training. Grabbing my collapsed lance, I walked out of my room as Jim’s alarm went off.

Jim was dragging his feet as he was walked out, mumbling in Spanish. Grabbing his book bag off the banister he headed straight into the garage. It looks like we were leaving right away. I quickly stuffed the lance in my backpack and took off after Jim.

Toby was already out front with taco truck bags. “I grabbed breakfast and lunch!” He grinned, handing me a breakfast burrito and diablo maximus for later.

Jim yawned, taking his bag, “Thanks Tobes, next time they’re on me.” We ate as we walked to school, having decided to nix the bikes since Toby’s was crushed by Bular, and he was too nervous to ride with Jim or me.

“Thank you, Toby!” I grin taking a bite. “Ironic choice since Jim woke up speaking Spanish.”

Toby laughed, “Yeah, we have that comprehension test this week. Speaking of, any tips, teacher’s aide?” he looked up to me hopefully.

I shook my head, “Sorry Toby it’s a comprehension test, you’re speaking the entire time, no scantrons.”

Jim groaned, rubbing his eyes, “Besides, the last time we asked River for help, she would only communicate with us in Spanish for a week Tobes.”

Toby shuddered, “Remind me never to ask for language help again, I had a killer migraine trying to figure out how to ask for toast!”

I laughed as we walked into the school, “I’ll see you two later, try not to cause trouble.” I headed off to my art class.

During Senor Uhl’s class, I had to listen as Mary stumbled over both her Spanish and English. I cringed, between Senor Uhl’s chalk screeching on the blackboard, and Mary’s terrible story about playing two guys.

“Little did anyone know; Maria was juggling two hombres. Manolo was muy guapo, but Joaquin had muchos musculos.” As Mary spoke, I glanced around the room, glaring as I saw Steve harassing Jim. “And poor Maria had a pedoso heart.” I flinched hearing Mary, Senor Uhl’s chalk snapped once she said ‘pedoso.’

He quickly turned around, arms held behind his back, “What kind of heart did Maria have, Miss Wang?” He questioned Mary, walking around his desk.

“Um, a heavy heart. ‘Pe-Do-So.’ Or is it-” Mary was beginning to panic.

“I would hope Maria wouldn’t have a pedoso heart, because that would mean ‘gassy’” He interrupted Mary, lecturing her. “Did Maria have a gassy heart, Miss Wang?”

Mary was embarrassed and almost on the verge of tears, “Of course not Senor Uhl!”

“You were trying to say ‘pesado.’ ‘A heavy heart.’” He stated, “And it is with a heavy heart, Miss Wang, to tell you, that you have not shown the slightest comprehension of basic Spanish.” He grabbed the tissue box, holding it out towards her. “If you can’t even finish the exam, I have no choice but to fail you.”

Mary’s face fell, she grabbed a tissue quickly as she began to cry over her failing grade. I sighed, writing down the grade next to her name on a spreadsheet Senor Uhl gave me to keep a record as he focused on listening to them.

As the bell rung everyone got up to leave, I waited for all the students to exit.

“Mr. Lake, I look forward to your presentation tomorrow.” Senor Uhl commented to Jim as he passed by to leave, stretching.

“Yeah,” Jim chuckled nervously, quickly moving to the door, “I’m ready…”

I shook my head, handing the sheet to Senor Uhl before heading out. I found Jim and Toby by the lockers, Jim looking upset. “What happened? You look like you just failed instead of Mary.”

Toby shook his head, “He just got guilt-tripped by Claire for missing rehearsal yesterday.”

“She thinks I’m a jerk!” Jim threw his hands up as we started the walk to the canal.

“Two days in and you’re already skipping.” I shook my head. “How was training last night?”

Toby sighed, “Before or after the gnome stole the amulet?”

“I’m sorry, what stole the amulet?” I asked Toby, not sure if I had heard correctly.

Jim groaned, “That’s right, we need one of the gems you made, Blinky said it would help with getting the gnome.”

I nodded, “There’s a few stored in the Heartstone chambers by Vendel’s study, Blinky can grab whichever one he needs.” I pulled out a horngazel that Vendel had given me. Opening the entrance and walking through.

Jim frowned slightly, “You’re not going to hang out with us? I thought Vendel was giving you a break to train with the lance?” he asked, following me in with Toby.

I smile and nodded, heading down the stone steps, “He is, but you need to train for your fight with Draal, someone offered to teach me how to properly wield the lance.” I state, leaving out the part that I was training with Draal, not sure how happy Jim would be about it.

Toby looked at me confused, “Can’t be Vendel, I don’t think he’s that spry.”

I snickered shaking my head, waving them off as the met with Blinky and Arrrgh, “I’ll see you later, good luck with the gnome!” I called, running off to find Draal.

I scoured Trollmarket for almost an hour, asking other Trolls if they had seen Draal, most of which just snorted at me and kept on with whatever they were doing before. I sighed, walking through a part of the market dedicated to different types of Troll cuisine, wondering if Draal had to leave for something important.

As I made my way through the stalls, I was suddenly hit by something large and wall-like from behind. My feet were swept off the floor as whatever ran into me decided to lift me. I quickly grabbed my lance, angling it so the staff would ram into whatever had grabbed me as I activated it. As calculated, once I activated the lance, the staff quickly shot back and I was launched out of the grip, landing on my feet about 8 feet forward. Swinging the lance into a defensive position as I turned, ready to face whatever attacked me, I was met with laughter.

Draal had been my surprise attacker. Though he was laughing, I didn’t sense that he was mocking me. “What the hell Draal? What if I had stabbed you instead?” I asked, pissed at being caught off guard.

Draal clasped his hands, his laughter had died out, but he was grinning. “You weren’t aiming for anything vital, so it wouldn’t have done much harm. I’m impressed at your quick reflexes though. Good to know you’ve got some fight in you too.”

I groaned, realizing why I wasn’t able to find him. Why the other Trolls were looking at me like I was crazy when I had asked for Draal. “You were following me the entire time.”

Draal nods, placing a hand on my back to guide me as we walked. “Since you entered Trollmarket with the Trollhunter and the other fleshbag.”

“Toby,” I remarked, noticing how depending on who Draal was referring to, ‘fleshbag’ either sounded endearing, usually towards me or annoyed, Toby and Jim.

Draal snorted, “Right, To-bee.” He drawled out on purpose, smirking down at me. “We’ll be training in the caverns since you haven’t told the Trollhunter I was training you; I figured the forge wouldn’t be available.” He stated a slight irritation in his tone.

I sighed, “Sorry, he knows we get along, but with the outburst in the bar, and your fight coming up, I don’t know how he’d react.”

Draal hummed, leading me into the caverns, large dark caves illuminated by the glowing gems embedded in the walls. “You are worried he will disapprove.”

I snort a laugh, “Hell no, I just don’t want to psych him out before the fight.”

Draal smirked at my answer, seeming to be in a better mood. We stopped in a large cave, a little smaller than the forge. It was well lit compared to some of the other caves we had traversed through. Draal motioned for me to face him, pulling out a training staff. “Mimic my movements.” He started by holding the staff in both hands parallel to the ground at arm’s length. As I took the position and copied his stance, he swung the staff down to the side, then pulled it up over his head, standing on one foot.

I mimicked Draal for a few hours, the movements became fluid, more stances were varied. Soon he was instructing me on lunging techniques and blocking. Around midnight we were sparring fluidly. As Draal curled into his ‘boulder stance’ as I began to call it, he set off to ram into me. I quickly dug the end of the lance into the ground as Draal was a few feet away, closing in fast, and I vaulted myself over him, swinging the lance around to whack his side with the blunt end, landing behind him.

Draal landed on his feet and grabbed his side where I had hit, he cheered turning to me, “Well done River! Similar to your evasion of my surprise attack earlier.” He nodded to himself, going over the maneuver again.

I dropped to sit on the floor, chest heaving, covered in sweat. “Thanks, Draal. You’re a good trainer, I’m surprised how far I’ve gotten.”

Draal smirked sitting next to me, “You need a break. We’ve been training since the sun was up.” I grin, flopping back on the ground, looking up at him. “Thank Daya! I’m exhausted!” My stomach growled and I groaned.

Draal barked a laugh, “Looks like you’ll need to move or your stomach will keep screaming.” He poked my stomach as it growled again. I yelped whacking his hand away quickly causing Draal to frown, “You can’t be injured, you never sustained a blow to that side of your torso.” I huffed, hugging over my stomach before he could decide to prod and look for injuries, “I’m not hurt, that just tickled.” “Tickled? What is tickled?” Draal asked a look of utter confusion etched over his face. I tilt my head to face him, trying to explain what tickling is, “Well, being ticklish means that when you’re touched certain ways, it sets off nerves and you get this feeling under your skin, your skin jumps, but in a really weird way it's not a bad feeling. People’s reactions vary though. Some people laugh uncontrollably, others kick and punch, trying to get away from the tickling.”

Draal’s face was etched in morbid curiosity as he looked from his fingers to my stomach again. “Why do fleshbags have such weaknesses?” He begins to poke at my leg when he doesn’t get a reaction, he poked my arm. When I fail to react again, he starts poking at my sides that weren’t covered by my arms.

I screech, laughing. Quickly trying to wiggle away from Draal as he continued to poke my sides. Squirming, tears flowing down my cheeks, and gasping for air, I grapple his arm with my arms and legs, hanging off of it like a sloth. “STOP!”

Draal laughs at my tactic, lifting his arm so I’m dangling in the air. “How is this helping you?” He asked.

“Well you stopped, didn’t you?” I stuck my tongue out at him indignantly.

“Careful, you don’t want to lose that.” He smirked as I squeaked, quickly pulling my tongue back.

“Are you threatening to rip or cut my tongue out?” I asked in mock disdain.

He hums in thought, tilting his head slightly, “Possibly…” He suddenly shakes the arm I’m hanging from with a smirk.

I yelp at the sudden movement and let go, landing on his lap, glaring up at him. “How dare you, sir! I was hanging on that!” I gesture to his arm dramatically.

Draal shook his head and stood as my stomach growled again, picking me up off his lap so I was sitting in the crook of his arm. “Let’s get you some food.” He began to head out of the caverns.

Holding my collapsed lance close, I squirm in his hold, not used to being carried. “Um, Draal, I can walk.”

He glanced down but made no move to set me down. “You trained well past your limit today. I doubt you’d be able to walk far,” he reasoned. We quickly made it back into Trollmarket, stopping at a stall with food that was safe for humans to eat. Draal handed the food to me, walking through the market. “Eat this, it might taste like rocks.”

I took the food and began eating quickly, tilting my head at the taste, “not rocks, but nothing I’ve tasted before.” I spoke up. I pulled my phone out to check the time, groaning. “I have to get home, it’s 3 am, and I have school tomorrow… well, today.”

Draal nods and heads out of Trollmarket to the canal. “Why do you attend this school, surely you are learning well under Vendel.”

I laughed shaking my head, knowing human school was a weird concept for trolls in general. “If I had a choice in the matter, I would love to run off to Trollmarket and focus on magic studies, but as I grew up human, well, we are forced to attend learning institutions until we graduate high school, and if we don’t, we can get into trouble.”

“Bushigal!” He sneered, “Fleshbags and their idiotic rules.”

I shrugged, “Yup, and with mom being a doctor, well, she’s all about getting an education. I don’t think she’d be okay with me dropping to study magic any time soon.”

Draal hummed, “It is best she remains unaware, the fewer humans know, the better.” Climbing over the fence and into the backyard, Draal finally sets me down. “You said you could leave after high school, what are you in now?”

“I’m in my senior, or last, year of high school, I’ll graduate in June.” I paused, thinking about what Vendel has explained to me so far. “I’ve been thinking, Vendel said I would begin to age like a troll, does that mean I wouldn’t be able to stay around humans for long?” I asked Draal.

He hummed, thinking for a moment, “It depends on how long it takes for the fleshbags to notice you aren’t changing as fast. Worried? It's not like you won’t have anywhere to go.” He stated as if it were obvious to me.

I looked up at him confused, “Where am I supposed to go? I can’t exactly afford to move around to different cities or states.”

Draal rolled his eyes at my question, “Trollmarket. You’re a sorceress, not a human, you’d be welcomed and respected in Trollmarket. Why do you think the Trolls leave you alone yet go out of their way to mess with the other fleshbags?”

“Because Toby can be loud and invasive and Jim is the first human Trollhunter,” I state with a blank look.

Draal shook his head, “You are more Troll-like than you are human. You were recognized and taken in by the leader of Trollmarket, you study the arcane under him. The most fearsome warrior in Trollmarket took you under his wing to train you in weaponry,” he smirked, boasting, “and you’ve forged your weapon in the short amount of time you have been coming to Trollmarket. I’m surprised you haven’t moved in yet.”

I laughed at his boasting, grinning up at him, “Thanks Draal, maybe once I finish school, I’ll take you up on that.” I paused, yawning. “I’ll see you tomorrow for training my most fearsome warrior.” I tease hugging him, lifting my head slightly under his chin before heading inside, “Goodnight, Draal.”

If I had stayed a moment longer, I would have noticed that Draal had gone stone still at the gesture, once I had shut the door behind me, his jaw dropped, staring at the door, a hand rose under his chin where my head had been. Draal had to remind himself that I still didn’t know much about Troll culture and that I most likely had no idea what I had just done.

I was happily dreaming of moving to Trollmarket when loud banging on my bedroom door woke me up. “It’s too early!” I yelled, throwing my pillow at the door.

Toby burst in, seeing me in bed his jaw dropped. “River! It’s time to leave! Also, Jim has a problem! Pack your laptop,” he yelled quickly, slamming my door shut.

I glared at the door before checking my phone for the time. “Shit, it is late!” I jump out of bed getting dressed as fast as I can, grabbing my laptop before running out after Toby. “What’s the problem? Where is Jim?”

Toby and I were running to school. “He’s at my house, Blinky shrunk him so he could catch a gnome and he hasn’t gotten bigger!”

I groaned, “I’m guessing the laptop is so he doesn’t fail his Spanish presentation?” I asked as we barely made it onto the campus as the final bell rang.

“Yup! See you in Senor Uhl’s class!” Toby yelled, rushing off to his first period. This was going to be weird.

Once we finally got to Senor Uhl’s class, I spoke to him before the bell. “Senor Uhl, I’m sorry this is a bit different, but Jim’s home sick. Is it alright if he gives his comprehension exam by video chat?” I asked, hoping Toby’s plan would work out.

Senor Uhl tapped his desk thinking. “I don’t see why not. At least he’s responsible enough to keep up with schoolwork while ill.” He nodded, allowing me to set up the laptop.

I logged in and waved to Jim, snickering as I recognized the background as the dollhouse in Toby’s room. “Ready Jim?” I asked.

Jim gave me a thumbs up. “Ready to go! Hola! Sorry, I couldn’t be en escuela, Senor Uhl, but I’m sick en casa. Which is fitting, since I’m doing mi comprehension presentacion on Ponce de Leon, who muerto-ed from a great illness.”

“Hey!” Steve yelled glaring at Jim on the screen. “’Muerto-ed’ is not a word!”

I rolled my eyes at Steve, sitting at my desk in the back with the grading sheet.

“Nope.” Senor Uhl began, “I’m curious to see where this is going. Continue Mr. Lake.” He waved Steve’s objection off.

Jim grinned when he was given the go-ahead, and I smirked at Steve, Jim continued his presentation until a vacuum cut him off, I dropped my head to my desk. Why was Nana cleaning now? “the feunte de la juventud, the Fountain of Youth.” Jim continued, scrambling closer to the screen.

“What is that horrible noise?” Senor Uhl asked.

“Uh, constuccion.” Jim quickly explained. “Uh, remodeling. A minor intrusion. Un minute, Senor Uhl.” Jim's face planted against the screen.

“Mr. Lake?” Senor Uhl was confused, “Mr. Lake are you still there? We don’t have all day.”

“No, no… No need to fight at home.” Jim spoke up, turning back to the screen. “Ponce de Leon joined Columbus in the New… New- What in the world?!” Jim yelled, looking past the screen again.

The next thing I know, Jim is fighting with a gnome, running on and off-screen as he continues his presentation. After a few minutes, he sat on the toy couch, out of breath. “But in the end, they were taken care of. And that is it for my presentacion. I hope this wasn’t too much trouble, Senor Uhl. Hasta luego.”

Eli jumped up from his seat, applauding “Spectacular!”

Senor Uhl shook his head at Eli’s outburst, turning back to the laptop. “Very, very informative, Mr. Lake. C-plus.” He said. Jim groaned as his body began to misshapen. “Fine. B-minus.” Senor Uhl stated quickly, looking worriedly at the screen and Jim seized up.

“Jim! Jim, what’s wrong?” Eli asked, taking his seat again.

I rushed out of my seat, closing the laptop quickly. “Sorry about that construction must have messed with the wifi!” The bell rang and I ran out to find Toby, grabbing him as soon as I pass by and dragging him off campus, all the way home. “Jim’s freaking out! He started changing shape after his presentation!” I yelled as we ran into Toby’s house and up the stairs.

Toby slammed his bedroom door open revealing a full-size Jim sitting in front of the dollhouse. “Jim!” Toby yelled, “You’re big again!”

Jim chuckled patting over his ribs, “I think my spleen switched sides, but everything’s better now.” He joked.

Toby hugged him, “I’m sorry I failed you, Jim. I should have done it when I had the chance.”

I looked between the two confused. “What are you talking about?”

Jim pulled back and moved away from the dollhouse, introducing us to the gnome that was attacking him on screen. Toby quickly dubbing him Gnome Chompsky when Jim says we can keep him.

“Chompsky. I like it.” Jim grinned. I nodded in agreement, snickering when Chompsky tried the movie theater, yawning arm move on the doll.

Jim laughed closing the dollhouse. “Pretty good for a first mission. Two crises averted. It’s not like you get to rehearse these things.” Jim’s face fell as he took a sharp breath. “Oh, no! Rehearsal! I gotta go!” Jim took off running out of Toby’s house.

I sighed before getting up, “I have to go too, I’ve got training in Trollmarket. See you late Tobes!” I wave heading out, running to the canal. Excited to continue training with Draal. As I walk into the canal entrance I run straight into a blue troll, though he wasn’t the blue troll I was expecting. “Blinky? Are you leaving? The sun is still up.” I asked confused.

“Ah, Lady River! Good to see you, I’m waiting on Master Jim, he should be arriving soon, your school let out a while ago.” Blinky explained, frowning as the portal closed behind me with no Jim in sight.

“Sorry Blinky, he ran off to rehearsal, school activities sometimes last longer than a normal day,” I said, making my way to the steps.

Blinky sighed, disappointed that Jim wouldn’t be coming anytime soon. “That’s a shame, he has so much training, especially considering his match with Draal.” Blinky shuddered. “Maybe it’s for the best, that Troll has been in a strange mood since last night,” Blinky noted, walking down with me to Trollmarket.

I frowned, worried for Draal, “Strange mood? Is he sick? Can trolls get sick?” I asked, going over our training to see if Draal could’ve gotten hurt. “Did Bular attack?”

Blinky shook his head quickly, waving his hands, “No, nothing like that. Yes, trolls can get sick. I don’t think he ran into Bular after his night out, but he seems to be distracted, and Draal is never distracted.”

I snort a laugh, “Oh yes, the ‘most fearsome warrior in Trollmarket,’ couldn’t possibly be distracted.”

Blinky pauses, tilting his head at my choice of words, “Have you been spending time with Draal?”

I stiffen at the question, unsure of Blinky’s tone, “Well yeah, I mean, we’ve been hanging out since… wow, the first night we came to Trollmarket. Vendel had him take me home since Bular was still running around and it kind of became routine if I don’t leave with Jim and Toby. He offered to train me with the lance so there’s that too…” I trail off watching Blinky’s face.

His jaw drops when I mention training. “DRAAL offered to TRAIN YOU?” Blinky asked in disbelief, an annoyed growl from behind catching our attention.

“I did.” Draal was standing behind us, glaring at Blinky as if he was challenging him.

I grinned walking up to him, “Ready to go?”

Blinky’s mouth was still open, looking between Draal and me, trying to get more than ‘you’ and ‘him’ out in a sentence. Draal nods as his glare morphed into a smirk, “Maybe we should train in the forge since the Trollhunter is busy, that way his teacher can get a sense of what he’s up against in his next fight.”

I look up at Draal confused, then I turn to Blinky and shrug. “That’s fine with me, uh…” I waved my hand in front of Blinky’s face.

Blinky snapped his mouth close glaring up at Draal. “Let’s go then, I’m sure we will all learn a lot.” He huffed, turning to get Arrrgh, heading to the forge.

I kept my pace slow, Draal matching my step. I was still worried about what Blinky had said. “Hey, Draal? Are you doing okay?” I asked, looking up to him as we walked.

Draal tilted his head towards me, confused, “Of course, why do you ask?”

I shrug a bit, glancing to Blinky and Arrrgh ahead of us, “Blinky said you’ve been distracting since you came back from taking me home, I was wondering if something happened?”

Draal stiffened, “On my way back? No, I… didn’t think I was distracted.”

I nod, watching his reaction, “Did,” I paused, selecting my words carefully, “Did I do something?” Draal winced at my question. Frowning I turned to face him, “I did.”

Draal sighed, waiting for Blinky and Arrrgh to walk through the forge entrance before explaining, “Culturally it isn’t… bad.” He began, tilting his head in thought, “You wouldn’t have known about it either. Do not worry about it.”

“What did I do? I doubt you’d be distracted if I had accidentally done something small like insulting your cooking.” I said, trying to go over everything I did or said last night. “Was it the hug? No, you’ve let me hug you before… was it the teasing? Calling you ‘my most fearsome warrior?’”

Draal shook his head, sighing “It was the gesture during your hug,” He pats my head, “a troll nuzzles their head under another’s chin when courting.”

I froze under his hand, face turning dark red, “Courting… that’s more serious than dating.” I groaned hiding my face in my hands, “No wonder you were upset! I’m so sorry Draal, that was probably insulting.”

Draal was confused by my reaction, “You believe I would take insult to court you?” He frowns pulling his hand from my head.

I look up at him, face still red, “well, no but… I’m not exactly a Troll.” I tried to explain.

“Then you take insult to a Troll courting you?” He asked, brow knit as his confusion deepened.

“Not at all! Well, depending on the troll.” I muttered, tilting my head in thought. “Though I don’t personally know a lot of Trolls. I’m closest to you and Vendel, so I don’t see a Troll trying to court me anytime soon.”

Draal nodded, continuing into the forge, contemplating my answer.

“There you two are! I thought you were supposed to be training?” Blinky huffed, all four arms crossed over his chest, still irritated by Draal’s quip about teaching Jim. Arrrgh just pats his head, trying to calm him down.

Dropping my bag, I grabbed my lance. “Seriously Blinky?” I shook my head before taking my stance, ready for any surprise Draal might have up his sleeves if he had sleeves.

Draal smirked, taking his stance. We slowly circled the perimeter of the forge, watching each other for the slightest move to attack. Draal lost his patience first, roaring and taking his boulder stance he took off after me, quicker than when we were training last night. I stayed planted until the last second before springing out of the way just enough not to get hit. Swinging the lance around, I dug my foot into the ground as it made contact with Draal. Growling, my hands began to glow as I channeled magic through the staff, forcing the swing to continue and I was able to knock Draal back, causing him to uncurl and land on his back.

He sat up, looking at me bewildered for a moment before smirking and jumping to his feet. I took a defensive stance as he held his hands up, walking up to me calmly, “Hands,” he stated, holding one of his out, palm up.

I was confused until I realized that this was the first time I channeled magic into my hands without blasting something to pieces. I looked at my still wrapped hands, the magic hadn’t burned the bandages this time. I place one of my hands in Draal’s palm. He unwrapped it, looking over it for injury before nodding and unwrapping my other hand. “If you use your magic properly, you won’t injure yourself. Keep practicing channeling into the lance as we spar. Don’t overdo it though. Vendel will have my head if you get injured.”

I laughed and nodded, stretching my palms. I smirked, hooking his horn with the blade, and surging magic through it, enough to enable me to flip Draal over onto his back again. I grinned leaning over his shocked face. “That’s for your surprise attack yesterday.”

He barked a laugh before raising a hand quickly and jabbing my side with his finger, “Careful River, I still know your weakness.” He grinned up at me as I yelped before glaring at him.

“That’s just rude!” I growled out hugging my sides and quickly stepping out of reach.

Draal and I continued to taunt and tease each other as our sparring continued. Movements quickened and each blow increased in strength as we were both tossed around the forge, not hard enough to do anything more than bruising.

Blinky and Arrrgh watched on in shock. “Draal strange,” Arrrgh noted to Blinky, cheering whenever I was able to successfully channel my magic into an attack.

“Indeed, it almost seems as if… no, that can’t be right. Draal can’t stand ‘fleshbags’ he’d never…” Blinky remarked, his thought trailing off.

“Not human,” Arrrgh replied. “River more like us.”

“I know, it’s just hard to keep in mind considering she’s related by blood to Master Jim and he doesn’t have an ounce of magic without the Amulet of Daylight.” Blinky shakes his head, laughing when I launch Draal into a wall. “Well, if this how females are taught to ‘flirt’ in the human world, I pray for Master Jim’s life when a human female tries to court him.” He states, wincing as Draal catches the blade of my lance and throws me.

Landing next to Blinky, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I groaned closing my eyes trying to catch my breath. I could hear running when I didn’t make a move to get up right away.

“River!” Draal was next to me when I opened my eyes again, seeing his worried expression I give him a tired thumbs up. Draal let out a sigh of relief, letting me take my time.

Blinky and Arrrgh glanced at each other with knowing faces before huddling with Draal over me. “River tired.” Arrrgh smiled, seeing that I was fine.

“Perhaps it is time for a break?” Blinky suggested.

I began to wave him off then paused, “Jim will be here soon,” I groaned, slowly sitting up with Draal’s help.

Draal huffed seeing the bruises forming over my arms, blisters covering my palms. “And it looks like I’ll be taking you to Vendel after all.”

I smiled up at him and pat his cheek. “I’m sure you’ll keep your head. These are standard fleshy training injuries.” I said, shaking my bruised arms out, wincing at the movement. “Maybe a little more than standard.” I sighed.

Blinky cleared his throat, nodding to Draal and I. “Yes well, you go get healed up, Lady River. Arrrgh and I will be setting up for Master Jim’s training now. I’ve learned quite a lot from your performance and it will do good being incorporated in the Trollhunter’s training.”

Draal slid an arm around me so I was sitting on his forearm, similar to how he carried me last night. I smiled and waved to Blinky and Arrrgh as he walked out of the forge and straight to Vendel’s study. “Vendel.” He greets when we see the old goat.

Vendel looked up from his scroll, dropping it when he sees us. “What in Merlin’s name happened?” He rushed over to me, seeing my arms were almost completely bruised over.

“Training, I can keep up just fine in strength, but I still get injured pretty easily,” I told him, surprised that his worry was showing.

“Set her on the table and step out Draal, I need to examine the extent of the injuries.” Vendel directed, turning to file through different scrolls he had stored.

Draal sat me on the table, nudging my shoulder, he frowned at how beat up I had gotten. “I got carried away with your training, I forget you're not made of stone.” He apologized.

Smiling up at him I shook my head. “So, the training got intense, at least we know I can keep up with a troll during a fight!”

He smiled at my logic and nodded, “Try to behave,” he remarked before stepping out.

Vendel unfurled a scroll next to me, he quickly checked for more injuries before nodding to the scroll, “Alright, I want you to read this out loud and focus on the bruising of your arms.” He explained.

I looked over the parchment carefully, reciting the Trollish words slowly, repeating them as I looked at my arms, trying to focus. I felt a strange warmth extend from my chest down along my arms, then it spread through my torso and legs. I continued to repeat the incantation, realizing this was a spell, my eyes glazed over, glowing a faint blue as my palms did the same, the bruises began to shrink until they had faded completely.

Vendel watched, smiling as the glow faded from my eyes. “Hm, looks like the healing incantation worked.” He examined my arms again, nodding to himself. “Though, maybe we should work on some armor that will allow you to train to your limits without having to heal yourself after every session.”

I grinned up at him asking “I’m getting an upgrade?”

He chuckled, “You’ll be forging an ‘upgrade,’ take your time thinking it over though, it needs to be functional. Now, why don’t you go see Draal, I can hear him pacing.” Vendel shooed me out of his study with a small smile.

I smiled seeing that Draal was in fact, pacing outside of Vendel’s study. Leaning against the wall, I watched him for a minute before snickering. “Worried?” I asked him.

Draal stumbled at my question, head snapping towards the sound of my voice. Letting out a snort he looked over my arms, tilting his head noticing the bruises were gone. “Vendel healed you?” He asked, prodding at my arms.

“Nope!” I stated, letting him continue, “He taught me a healing incantation.” I explained at his confused glance.

Smirking, he ruffled the top of my head. “Something tells me at this rate, you’ll be using that spell often.”

I whacked his hand from my head, returning his smirk, “Careful Draal, or I might have to use it on you.” I teased, walking past him. He laughed falling in step with me, heading out of Trollmarket and into the canal. “How about we get something to eat, my treat?” I asked him.

He glanced at me as we walked further into town, staying hidden. “Where could we get food?”

I grinned up at him, heading to the park, “The taco truck of course!” I replied, happy that he wasn’t rejecting the offer. I paused in an alley, spotting the truck. “I’ll be right back.” I quickly ran to the truck, ordering a box of tacos. I could feel Draal’s stare on my back during the exchange. Once I had the box in hand, I took off back to the alley, grinning. “Let’s find somewhere to eat.”

Draal smirked picking me up. “I know somewhere fleshbags typically ignore.” He stated, climbing to the roof and heading over several buildings until we reached a warehouse with a large billboard on the roof. Draal settled us behind the billboard, facing the woods. “How’s this?” He asked, surveying the area for a moment, relaxing slightly when there was no sign of Bular.

I smiled jumping out of his hold and sitting on the ledge, patting next to me for him to sit. Once Draal was settled I took two tacos from the box then handed the box with six remaining tacos over to him. “Ever tried tacos?” I asked, taking a bite of one.

Draal sniffed the box, observing how I ate one before picking a taco from the box and tossing it in his mouth. “No,” he answered, humming in approval, “these are good!”

I smiled, glad he liked them. “That’s good if you ever want them, let me know and I can bring them, or we can eat out!” I grin finishing off my first taco.

Draal nods, happily eating the rest of the tacos along with the box.

Finishing off my food, I leaned back against the billboard, looking over the woods. “Today was a lot of fun, bruises and all.”

Draal let out a deep chuckle, “You fight like a Troll, Blinkous and Arrrgh looked terrified when you were able to throw me.”

I laughed at the memory, “You were shocked too!” I defended, “Aren’t you supposed to know what I’m capable of as my trainer?” I teased.

Draal snorted, “I haven’t trained a sorceress for combat before, so it seems we’ll continue running into surprises.” He tilted his head, thinking.

I smile content with the quiet, enjoying Draal’s company.

“River?” He spoke up after a few minutes. I hummed in acknowledgment for him to continue. “Why do you think a troll wouldn’t try courting you ‘anytime soon?’” He asked, referring to our earlier conversation.

“Well,” I began, sitting up a bit, “I feel if one tried, they’d be very intimidated by you and Vendel. After all, I’m training under both of you, and after today I can tell you’re both pretty protective.” I smiled up at him.

He hummed at my answer, thinking for a moment. “It sounds as if you don’t think my asking you is an option then.”

My smile turned to confusion, thinking he was teasing me. I held my breath slightly, waiting for a smirk or chuckle, but neither came. “Well, you’re not ‘not’ an option.” I tried to explain, realizing he was being serious.

“That doesn’t make sense.” He frowned, confused by my wording.

I shook my head, trying to collect my thoughts. “It’s just, I assumed your reaction to my ‘mistake’ last night was negative, and the way you explained it felt like it was unwelcomed.” I shrugged slightly.

Draal arched a brow at my response, “I knew you didn’t know what you were doing. You didn’t know the significance… but it was not unwelcome.”

My face began to overheat, and I knew I was turning red. “Then you’re open to courting me?” I asked, trying to calm the redness in my face.

Draal leaned down to be level with my face, studying the color change before leaning forward and nuzzling his nose under my jaw, pulling back, smirking slightly as my face turned a deep scarlet. “Does that answer your question?” He asked, and I could only nod, eyes wide. “I will wait for an answer, after all, the fight may change things.” He stated, frowning when mentioning the fight and the tension that may arise due to it.

“Okay… um, could you explain why you court that way?” I asked, trying to distract him.

“It’s how we scent. Your scent will mix with mine and it will let other trolls know you’re being courted, the same would happen to my scent. That’s why I was distracted today; your scent wouldn’t leave.” He explained.

“So, if I walked into Trollmarket now I might be met with Trolls flinging themselves out of my path in fear of enraging you?” I asked teasing.

Draal growled, all teasing gone from his voice, “If you accept, they had better. Though exceptions are made for family and family-like relations.”

I blink, stunned at the tone. “So scenting is marking, and you don’t like sharing.”

“Culturally, if a troll is trying to get close to you while you’re courting another, they are competing to court you.” He explained, irritated at the thought.

I laughed patting his forearm, “Trust me Draal, you would have nothing to worry about.”

Draal smirked down at my response, “Let’s get you home, you have to attend the fleshbag study dungeon tomorrow.” He stood, lifting me to sit on his forearm as he climbed down from the billboard.

Leaning back against his chest, I kept asking questions about courting as he headed to my house. “So, if my answer is yes, do I have to do something specific?”

“Usually the courting gesture is returned.” He explained, nuzzling his nose under my jaw again. “Just like that.”

“Okay, and just so I don’t do something stupid or insulting, is there a way to deny the courting?” I asked worriedly. If I found a way to court Draal on accident, I could very well find a way to tell him to fuck off on accident too.

He winced slightly, “You can say it outright, or deny the gesture by pushing me away.”

I nod, then frown, “What if it tickles and I whack you as a reaction?” I asked, knowing it was a real possibility.

He laughed poking my side for good measure as he responded. “I will keep that in mind if you do hit me. If it happens though, I assume you’ll be screeching too much to let me know right away.”

I puffed my cheeks out, crossing my arms over my chest, “says the one who kept tickling me till I couldn’t breathe!”

He grinned, setting me down as we reached the back door of my house, “You can’t blame me, I didn’t know it could get that severe,” he teased, glancing over the house before scenting me again. “Goodnight River.”

I smiled up at him, face becoming less red the more he scents. “Good night Draal.” I lay my hand over his cheek, wanting to return the gesture, but waiting as he had asked. “Get home safe!” I called after him as he left.

Running inside, I covered my face, trying to calm the raging blush. I took a deep breath before heading up to bed, smiling like an idiot as I fell asleep.

[roombachicken]

Why Renly wasn't "playing at war"

I've seen many people describe Renly as essentially a male version of Sansa, i.e an entitled and sheltered airhead who held romantic ideals about the world, and didn't understand the horrors that exist in it.

This post is about how that isn't neccesarily true, but is just the surface appearance of Renly.

First of all, the two sources that show Renly in this light are Catelyn, who has the wrong ideas about Renly, and Cressen, who probably sees Renly as a young boy still because he raised him and last saw him when he was 8.

This is madness, Catelyn thought. Real enemies on every side and half the realm in flames, and Renly sits here playing at war like a boy with his first wooden sword.

They are still unblooded, Catelyn thought as she watched Lord Bryce goad Ser Robar into juggling a brace of daggers. It is all a game to them still, a tourney writ large, and all they see is the chance for glory and honor and spoils. They are boys drunk on song and story, and like all boys, they think themselves immortal. (ACOK, Catelyn II)

Catelyn thinks Renly's knights are "knights of summer". She is frustrated by Renly's slow progress, thinking he's playing at war. She's right about Renly's followers, but as for Renly himself....

He feasts every night in a different castle, and hold court at every crossroads he passes …were I he, I would do much as he is doing. Make my progress, flaunt my power for the realm to see, watch, wait. Let my rivals contend while I bide my own sweet time. If Stark defeats us, the south will fall into Renly’s hands like a windfall from the gods and he’ll not have lost a man. And if it goes the other way, he can descend on us while we are weakened. (Tyrion IV, ACOK)

Renly's slow march was in fact an effective twofold strategy, as Tyrion mentions he was letting the Lannisters and Starks fight each other, and at the same time had blocked the supply of food to King's Landing and was embargoing it from a distance. This would ensure that the city folk would riot against the Lannisters and when Renly arrived with all the food from the Reach, he would be welcomed as a hero (even though he was the one who starved them in the first place!) His tourneys and feasts also held a higher purpose than mere entertainment, they kept his troops occupied and in high morale, and sharpened their fighting skills.

Looking at Renly's behaviour, it's clear that he's actually a shrewd politician who knew the world he was living in.

"Strike! Now, while the castle sleeps." Renly looked back at Ser Boros again and dropped his voice to an urgent whisper. "We must get Joffrey away from his mother and take him in hand. Protector or no, the man who holds the king holds the kingdom. We should seize Myrcella and Tommen as well. Once we have her children, Cersei will not dare oppose us. The council will confirm you as Lord Protector and make Joffrey your ward." (ACOK, Eddard XIII)

If he was truly naive, he wouldn't see the danger the Lannisters posed to him and cut his losses and flee the capital, instead he would assume he could go on living safely in KL.

"I have twice that number here," Renly said, "and this is only part of my strength. Mace Tyrell remains at Highgarden with another ten thousand, I have a strong garrison holding Storm's End, and soon enough the Dornishmen will join me with all their power. And never forget my brother Stannis, who holds Dragonstone and commands the lords of the narrow sea." (ACOK, Catelyn II)

It could be said he shows naivety here, by assuming Dorne and Stannis would join him, but I'd argue that it's just him deliberately overselling his own strength to Catelyn in order to intimidate her, as he goes on to subtly threaten her:

Wherever she looked, she saw fires. They covered the earth like fallen stars, and like the stars there was no end to them. "Count them if you like, my lady," Renly said quietly. "You will still be counting when dawn breaks in the east. How many fires burn around Riverrun tonight, I wonder?" (ACOK, Catelyn II)

And later makes her stay behind and watch the battle as a message to her son about what happens to those who oppose him:

"My lord," she announced. "If you are set on battle, my purpose here is done. I ask your leave to return to Riverrun."

"You do not have it." Renly seated himself on a camp chair.

She stiffened. "I had hoped to help you make a peace, my lord. I will not help you make a war."

Renly gave a shrug. "I daresay we'll prevail without your five-and-twenty, my lady. I do not mean for you to take part in the battle, only to watch it."

"I was at the Whispering Wood, my lord. I have seen enough butchery. I came here an envoy—"

"And an envoy you shall leave," Renly said, "but wiser than you came. You shall see what befalls rebels with your own eyes, so your son can hear it from your own lips. We'll keep you safe, never fear."

(ACOK, Catelyn III)

There's also this from Loras:

He said that all his other knights wanted things of him, castles or honors or riches, but all that Brienne wanted was to die for him. (ASOS, Jaime VIII)

So Renly knows people aren't following him because he would make such a cool and awesome king, but because they want favours from him.

He also wants renowned knight Barristan Selmy on his side as he is a valuable political symbol, something Cersei failed to understand when she let him leave King's Landing.

Renly nodded. "See to your battles, my lords . . . oh, and if Barristan Selmy is at my brother's side, I want him spared. (ACOK, Catelyn IV)

But at the same time, he understands the danger of keeping Stannis, a rival claimant to the throne, alive.

"When my brother falls, see that no insult is done to his corpse. He is my own blood, I will not have his head paraded about on a spear." (ACOK, Catelyn IV)

His Rainbow Guard's bright colours, although ostentatious, is a homage to the Faith of the Seven, which would help in Renly's image politics.

Lastly, "Renly knows nothing of war or hardship" simply cannot be argued, because of this passage:

"Well I remember." Renly lifted his chin to allow Brienne to fasten his gorget in place. "Near the end, Ser Gawen Wylde and three of his knights tried to steal out a postern gate to surrender. Stannis caught them and ordered them flung from the walls with catapults. I can still see Gawen's face as they strapped him down. He had been our master-at-arms."

Lord Rowan appeared puzzled. "No men were hurled from the walls. I would surely remember that."

Maester Cressen told Stannis that we might be forced to eat our dead, and there was no gain in flinging away good meat." Renly pushed back his hair. Brienne bound it with a velvet tie and pulled a padded cap down over his ears, to cushion the weight of his helm. "Thanks to the Onion Knight we were never reduced to dining on corpses, but it was a close thing. Too close for Ser Gawen, who died in his cell." (ACOK, Catelyn IV)

By Renly's own admission, as a child he witnessed his Master-of-Arms being strapped down to a catapult to be thrown over the walls, overheard a conversation about cannibalism, and likely had to eat rats or his own pets along with the starving garrison while the Tyrell forces feasted outside in hopes that the men around him would betray him and kill him. That sounds a lot worse than Bran watching a guy get his head chopped off.

TLDR; while being a "knight of summer" can be argued for Loras and Brienne or Renly's supporters such as Robar Royce, it doesn't hold true for Renly, who was actually quite self aware, ruthless and politically minded.

[voidgremlin]

The promise (Chapter 2)

At some point, after many adventures, a prison break and many near deaths scenario. The Doctor though of stopping, for one moment, to rest. Maybe gather herself, maybe seek calm from everything.

@isuthetimelady

The room was quiet for a few hours, in low dim light of the library. They were no page being turned, no shuffling of the clothes, no movement, no voice. Just the hum of the TARDIS that carried the doctor through dreams with a lullaby.

The Doctor was dreaming of the winds in her ears, the quietness and the cliff ahead. She could see the purple sky extending ahead shining a billions stars, a billions place to be. But none of it were home. The light from where she came from was too far away to be even seen, if it is still exist somewhere in the world. The light from where she was raised was dimmed, no viable structure was living on its soil. Not that she wanted to go back to it, but this planet held her house at some point, her home, her family. Would she really hate this place that tore so many things she held dear apart ? Won’t it be a disgrace to the work she and the people she loved put to make it happen ? Even for a few seconds of happiness ? She should love this place, she should protect it. But there’s no one left to protect from. There’s no one love anymore, there’s no one to share memory, joy and laughter with … Not anymore.

It is gone and she looks at the stars with nostalgy.  How can someone with so many lives can make something new with someone new or even… Someone old ? How could she ? She listened to the hum hoping for someone to give her an answer but the hum make itself louder, pressing, howling, she looked around in horror looking for who was screaming, she ran toward the sound, reaching the edge of the cliff. Before weirdly she remembered that she was dreaming. None of it was real and she suddenly woke up.

She shot her head straight gasping silently for air, feeling the pressure on her shoulder quickly relieved itself. The Master got up quickly, fighting to get his hand free, she let him go and he started pacing in the room with labored breathing. She blinked slowly gathering thoughts, being awake was one thing, knowing what to do was another. She was still on unknown territory with a well-known enemy. The well-known part was the only reassuring part of the whole situation. Founders help her… Hold on was she a founder now ? She frown but shot a glance to the Master who at some point sat his body in a corner of the room next to a shelf. Holding his head in his hands, taking deep breathes through the nose. She wants to ask, why was he still shaking ? Why did he woke up again in a sharp inhale when obviously he needed more rest. Why is he panicking and the whole room seemed to swell. Furthering the distance between them. It won’t be long before the Master would be standing meters away instead of the closeness they shared few seconds ago.

He looks up to her, realizing she is still present in the space. In between two breaths it looked like he tried to pronounce a few words, explanation, but only she heard a sob in his throat. Heartbreaking really. He looked away, standing up with a sort of recklessness to it, as if he was throwing his body up, hoping it would still stand. He didn’t cared today, he didn’t cared of much things. He didn’t even cared of the hate and distraught he felt toward her, allowing her inside. He didn’t cared of his inadequacy in the grand schemes of things. Today he didn’t wanted to think about it. To care about it. Because caring would mean thinking about consequences, thinking about the crushing universe with no solace. To think that no matter how much illusion he would deal himself with there is still a truth that he knows and that no one, not even himself would let it go.

He left in throwing himself bodily against the door. Walking down the corridor and the Doctor waited a few seconds, biting her cheeks wondering if she should gather herself and just leave him to be. Alone, in this infinite castle. Never ending and intricate. Leaving to her own TARDIS, where she could put the whole pondering for later, maybe she will find a place in the universe that doesn’t require any responsibility from her, any fighting. But of course, she only stand up to follow him. She is still sleepy and watching only his back stumbling to the kitchen that hidden itself behind a weirdly terrifying stone statue, that looked way too much of a weeping angel. Upon closer inspection she felt the warm below the stone, it was alive and humming. She noted this observation to the slightly worrying list of things that is happening to her and that she needed to do something about it at some point. But not now, now the Master was angrily drinking water, if anyone was able to angrily drink it would be him. He hold himself to counter next to him, a dark glance to her.

“The fuck are you doing here ?”

She is taken aback, she didn’t expected so much aggressivity after the hours spent together in quiet and peace. Guess he just held bad ? Not being apathic as she was drowned in all her sorrow. He was none of those things, feeling way too much and he only honed back those things for her sake. As much as he loved confrontation, he let her have a few hours of quiet. She should be a little thankful.

If she ever gave a shit about his peculiar predicament.

She stayed silent, dragging a chair to sit on it, playing with the mug on the coffee table. She didn’t had any answer for that question, after all she is still considering leaving. But the steady hum of the TARDIS made her consider another option. To listen ? Maybe.

He looks at her like she betrayed the sanctimony of the space, his breathing is even now, the panic from earlier faded somewhat. He look away toward the fridge defeated by the lack of answer.

“Want something to eat ?” He asks his voice hoarse.

She say no with her head, still staring at him. She shouldn’t it will make him angry, but she cared very little about his anger, she cared about his sanity more.

“What !?” he snapped “What are you looking at ?” The rest was indeed nonexistent, dark bags under his eyes were darker than when she saw him earlier. He couldn’t look still, his hands were moving and not stopping. The Doctor motioned to the chair before her. He threw himself into it, upset and crossing his arms. Taunting her to talk first.

She bids her time helped by the humming which filled the silence. She decided to be little shit to break the nervous energy that filled the room.

“What the fuck are you doing here ? You look like a mess !” She said with a smirk.

He look aback, arching an eyebrow. “I do not look like a mess ! I look awesome thank you very much !”

“Oh really have you seen yourself ? What did you do the last time I saw you ?”

He looked like he was about to retort to the first part but only put a hand in his hard, to fix it. As if it would help at this point she thought. He laid back looking to the ceiling.

“I ran away, got caught on a nasty planet, had to buy my way out with the cyberium and some of my memories. Fought to get the memories back. Succeeded. Now I’m trying to get some rest.”

“Sounds like you had a busy day.”

“Busy month.”

“Oh.” She frowned, she did lived much more things than him but a month ? At first she wasn’t sure what made her stop about it, after all he was able to survive stranded more than one time for far longer than the Doctor could. She guessed it was the memory part that disturbed her. Fighting to get memory back… She doesn’t know if she would have ?

Maybe ? Is the repeated abuse of having her memory ripped away that made her gave up the mere idea of the memories being hers, that she shouldn’t fight for them because it is a defeat waiting to happen ? Who knows.

Terrible thoughts for later, filed under: the irreparable damage of the past.

“Looks like you are not succeeding on the rest part ?” She instead argued.

He still stubbornly looked to the ceiling. “No. But I will. It just takes time.”

“That’s why you chose the outback ?”

“No one was bothering me there, which makes me ask the question.” He leans toward her, elbows on the coffee table. “What the fuck are you doing here ?”

She stayed silent, she didn’t wanted to talk about the foolish hope that brought her here. So hung up on the past and her disillusion. She tapped the table four times.

“TARDIS brought me there ?”

“Was it a question ?” He asks with a smile.

“Nooooo” She dragged the sounds. It was obvious she was lying and he knew. But it was fun. It was for laughs. It really didn’t mattered why she was here according to his smile, what was important was she was here.

“Good because your shoulder is a really good pillow, I will recommend it on Yelp.” He says pulling out a phone from his pants, searching the apps.

“On what ? Wh-What’s Yelp ?” She asks reaching to snatch his phone away, he didn’t even bothered to looking up to her and just pushed his chair out of the way.

“Damn Doctor, I do hate the fact I know more about 21st century earth than you.” He sighs typing down furiously. The Doctor stand up quickly grabbing the phone from his hands despite his weak shout of protest.

“Let me read that. ‘The doctor’ shoulder despite being bony and most of the time uncovered, is still a good place to rest when you have exhausted all possibilities. 6/10 would recommend but only if you have no other solutions.’” She pauses before turning her head to him. “Only 6 ?! How DARE !”

“I have to take into account the reality that I really am tired and that if I could I would have slept on a rock. I find myself very kind with this notation. They should call me the mercyter, merster ? Merciful Master ?” He started to sounds confused to his own sentence.

“Or they should call you your Yelp handle, O. Lee Karl… I’m not sure I get the joke ?”

“Of course you don’t.” He says standing up as well taking the phone away from her hands gently. “But I will be honest I was very proud at the time of the joke but I am not sure I get it either.”

She hummed in response. Standing next to him, shoulder to shoulder.

“Your brains are definitely fried.”

He leans a little on her. “Yes they are. Can’t help getting nightmares since I got my full mind back.”

She listens but she isn’t sure, she isn’t sure if she would have took those memories back. So she asks

“Was it worth it ? Getting back your memories ?”

“Uh… Well I wouldn’t be me if I don’t have them. So yes, as terrible and awful me is. It is worth having my memories.”

“Aren’t they painful ?” She asks stubbornly watching the wall ahead.

“Yes.”

“What do you mean then ? Was it really worth it ?”

“It is still mine. I am owed.” He sighs, head looking down. “If anything else is not. I still I got that.” He chuckles, an empty one, before whispering “I got this one, it’s mine.”

The Doctor waited before putting a hand on his shoulder. “Yes it’s yours.”

They stayed here a little while, leaning on each other. She didn’t understood most of his feeling on the matter, it was like looking in the mirror and not quite understanding the figure it reflected.

The Master would say it was his, The Doctor would answer it never was hers.

The Master would burn all the bridges, The Doctor would try to mend them with time.

They would never be in sync, never agreeing to anything because ultimately and weirdly despite all the shared history, they had a wildly different past.

Endless roaming for one, Broken promises for the other.

It made her laugh which made the Master look at her with worry. They were determined by their past way before they could make their own decisions. Before they could be themselves they were already condemned to this unstable life and endless heartbreak.

“I think I need to sleep Doctor. So…” He slowly let himself lie down on the kitchen floor. “I got to try again.” He smiles looking at her from below, finding it fitting from their newfound status. She sees that in his eyes and is having none of it. She drop down on her knees next to his head, her hands on her laps, looking at him with, she find out later, a hint of tenderness.

“Want me to guard your sleep ?”

His eyes squint, “I doubt you want to guard me, it is a pain in the ass, so I heard.”

“From me. Yet here I am proposing.”

He keeps squinting wondering if it was a joke.

“So you chill with me guarding you or not ?” The Doctor asks.

He grunts. “Yeah. Do your magic.”

She took his head, putting it on her now crossed legs. Fingers resting on his temple. Channeling a link. His face relaxed.

Contact.

Contact.

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (155/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: This story takes place about 1000 years before 66 years after the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Hey, it’s the Hero Lab!

[1 July, Age 726.    Planet Plant.]

The latest reports from the frontlines were very encouraging.    The Tuffles were a stubborn enemy, but the Saiyans had managed to drive them out of the north quarter of Orange City, while the Truffle pushback in Cidertown had slowed to a virtual standstill.   Nappa smiled as he laid the report down and enjoyed the view from his new penthouse.    The blood of the previous owner still stained the walls and floors, but he rather enjoyed the scent of dead Tuffles.   It gave the place some much-needed personality.    

"You seem to be in a good mood today."  

Nappa looked up from the balcony and spotted a young Saiyan floating overhead.    He didn't recognize the man, but judged him to be part-alien from the color of his hair and the strange clothes that he wore.    He looked more like a Tuffle than a Saiyan, but the scent was proof enough that he wasn't Nappa's enemy.    Whatever the young man's parentage, his blood was nothing like the kind that decorated his new home.    

"Why wouldn't I be happy?" Nappa asked.   His thin mustache framed his smile as he crossed his arms over his massive chest.    "The Tuffles have been lording over us for years, and now we're finally taking over this planet, just as easily as I took over this apartment.    Before long, the Tuffles will be the ones begging us to let them stay on Planet Plant."

"I guess you're right," the man said.   "At least until someone stronger comes along and takes it all away from you."

"I like you, kid," Nappa said with a gravely laugh.    "You sure do know how to tell a joke.   What brings you here?"

"I had some questions," he said as he alighted on the balcony.  "I need information, and I heard you knew my father, so I thought I'd start with you."

Nappa eyed the man suspiciously.    "I know a lot of fathers," he said.   "None of them wore long black coats, or carried a sword, though.    What's your dad's name, kid?"  

"Vegeta," he said.  

Nappa laughed.    Then he looked at the young man more carefully, doing his best to ignore the blue eyes and the lavender hair that hung around his face.   Then he laughed harder.  

"Something funny about that?" the man asked.    

"I do see a bit of a resemblance," Nappa said.   "Guess King Vegeta II had a few 'unofficial' heirs over the years, huh?   Who knew he had it in him?   So which is it?   You want to blackmail the royal family?    Or were you hoping they'd give you a cushy civil service job?"

"Nothing like that," the man said.   "I just wanted to ask you some questions.    Nothing personal, just general background stuff."

"Yeah?  Well why should I help you?" Nappa asked.    "For that matter, killing you would probably be a smarter play.    One less would-be usurper for the king to worry about, right?  I’m sure your old man would make it worth my while."

"Oh, I probably should have been more specific," the young man said.    "My father isn't Vegeta the Second.    It's Vegeta the Fourth."    

Nappa gave him a sidelong glance.    "There is no Vegeta IV," he said warily.  

"Not yet, anyway," the man said with a knowing smile.  

"That's it, I don't know what your game is, punk, but I'm through playing!" Nappa said.    "You can tell your lies in hell!"  

He drew back his arm and threw a punch that would have killed most Saiyans on contact.    Nappa had made a name for himself on the battlefield for defeating entire companies of Tuffle mechatroops all by himself.    He fully expected to turn the young man's head into a cloud of red mist.    

Instead, the man blocked his strike with such incredible speed that Nappa couldn't even tell that he had moved.   In one instant, the man had been standing with his hands in his pockets.    And then in the next, the man was now gripping Nappa's palm with his thumb and index finger.    He squeezed slightly, and Nappa nearly dropped to his knees from the pain.    

"Nnnghhh!" was the noise he made as he struggled not to show how much it hurt.   His free hand reached up for his scalp, where he tugged at the tuft of thick black hair on his head.

"Look, let's cut to the chase, all right?   For you, this'll only take a few minutes, but I might be doing these interviews all night, so don't waste my time, okay?   Those Tuffles you're fighting might be pushovers, but I'm not.    So now that you know that you can't brute force your way out of this, what'll it be?"

He released Nappa's hand, and Nappa gasped with relief as he cradled it in his other palm.   He stared at his hands for a moment, then at the man.   Then he paused to consider the sword, and how much worse it would get if the young man decided to make use of it.    

"Heh.   Uh, yeah, sorry, Your Majesty.   I-I should have recognized you sooner.    Anything you want, just let me know, Prince... uh... Prince... What'd you say your name was?"

"I didn't," he replied.  "So, let's start with a simple one.    Have you ever heard of a Saiyan named Luffa?"

*******

[1 December Age 893, Earth.]

"Honestly, I didn't expect him to know Luffa.    Nappa didn't recognize her when she faced him on a Time Patrol mission, but he did fill me in on a few things."

By Age 889, the arcade game Super Dragon Ball Heroes had become a popular pastime, and the city of Hero Town became the global headquarters for the craze.    Gaming enthusiasts from around the world traveled to Hero Town to partake in the game, which was based upon actual events from the previous century.   Trunks had logged many hours in front of an SDBH cabinet, though his reasons had nothing to do with recreation.   For all its popularity, the game had a very strange secret.    It was the Capsule Corporation who developed the software, but the world within the game was actually made possible by the Time Patrol.   Deep beneath Hero Tower was the Hero Lab, where the Time Patrol occasionally conducted secret research and reconnaissance.  

"I don't get it, Master," said a teenage girl standing near one of the main computer terminals that surrounded nearly every surface of the Hero Lab.    "You formed the Dragon Ball Heroes Team to help you defeat Sealas, right?   So why didn't you come to us on this Towa situation?"

"Note's right, Trunks!" said a teenage boy eating mochi from a bag.  "I'm Goku's descendant, after all!   It's not fair to leave me out of a case like this."

Trunks deactivated the Hero Switch device and handed it to Anne, one of the scientists who maintained the lab.    His black trenchcoat and sword hung next to several labcoats on a metal rack in the corner, revealing the olive-green sweater he wore underneath.   He smiled at Note and Beat, and then Dr. Leggings, the project director of the Hero Lab, who was programming the next simulation.

"I understand where you're coming from, kids," Trunks said, "and I appreciate the offer, but it's not that simple."  

"Why not?" Beat asked.   "From what you've told us, Luffa's a Saiyan, right?   If that's all you needed, then I could have tackled these missions for you.  I'm a Saiyan, too."

"Oh, here we go..." Note grumbled.  She made sure to roll her eyes dramatically enough for everyone in the room to see.

"What?" Beat asked.    "It's true, isn't it?"

"Beat, even I have Saiyan ancestry," Dr. Leggings said without looking up from her computer terminal.   "After a hundred and thirty years of Saiyans living on Earth, it's not as uncommon as you might think."

"She's right," Trunks said.   "We have a lot of Saiyan-Earthling Time Patrollers back in Toki Toki City from the next century.   A few of the stranger ones call me 'Your Highness', but I try not to hold it against them.      Besides, if all I cared about was Saiyan blood, I'd go to my father for help.   So that's not why I recruited you, or Luffa, for that matter."

"Then why did you recruit Luffa instead of coming to us?" Beat asked.  

"Listen,” Trunks said.   “In my timeline, No. 17 and 18 had destroyed much of the world.   Son Gohan was the only Z-fighter left, and he was reluctant to train me.    He needed the help, but he was worried about me getting hurt.    I think eventually he decided he didn't have a choice.    He knew that if anything happened to him, there would have been no one else to defeat the Cyborgs.   But now I understand how his reluctance.    After he... well.... Later on, when I was on my own, I was determined to defeat them alone.   I wanted no part of my mother's plan to use her Time Machine to get help from Goku."

"But, Master, if you hadn't gone back in time," Note said, then you never would have joined the Time Patrol, or formed the Dragon Ball Heroes Team!"

"Exactly," Trunks said.    "Working with Goku and his friends in the past, I learned how valuable it can be to have allies.   It's not just about having extra hands to help with the hard work.   You can learn from each new friend you make.    And they can learn from you, as well.    I think that's why the Supreme Kai of Time created the Time Patrol in the first place.  So it wouldn't be right to keep turning to the same handful of allies every time.  Besides, I need you guys here, keeping an eye on things in Hero Town."

"Well, yeah," Beat said.   "I guess that makes sense.   But it's been so dull around here lately."

"Tell you what," Trunks offered.   "Once things settle down in Toki Toki City, I'll pull a few strings, maybe bring you guys in on a Time Patrol mission.   How's that sound?"

"Really?!" Note cheered.   She jumped into the air and kicked her heels behind her with excitement.    

"Awesome!" Beat said.  

"Don't get too carried away," Trunks said.    "I can't make any promises.   Ultimately, it's up to the Supreme Kai of Time.    But I think we can manage something."    

"I think we're ready for the next session, sir," Leggings said.   "Assuming these coordinates you gave us are valid.   Are you sure we can trust Nappa?"

"She's right, Master," Note added.    "He's bad news.   Just because you're stronger than he is doesn't mean he would have had any reason to tell you the truth."

"Which is exactly why I'm using Hero Lab to access the game world instead of traveling back in time," Trunks explained.   "Our research teams back in Toki Toki City are constantly using time machines to observe historical events, but they can't interact with anything or ask questions, because it might alter history."

"But the SDBH game is a simulation based upon the Scroll of Eternity itself," Dr. Leggings said.    "Meaning it's a nearly perfect copy of the real world, one that you can tamper with and not have to worry about permanently changing anything."

"Of course!" Note said.   "It's like how Sealas used the game to learn what changes he could make to alter history.   He used the game like a practice run for the real thing."

"Only, instead of changing the way things happened in the past," Beat said, "you're using the game to find out how things are supposed to have turned out.   But how does that help you learn anything about Luffa?"

"I asked Shenron to bring me a powerful ally," Trunks said.    "I should have been more specific about the wish, but I was kind of desperate for the help.   Shenron sent me Luffa, but she had no idea what was going on, and neither of us knows how to get her back where she came from.   She talked to one of our historians, and it's starting to sound like she's from some other part of the universe, or maybe from another timeline.   But wherever she's from, she's still a Saiyan, and not a descendant of Goku or Vegeta, like we are.    So I think if I go far enough into the past, I'll find some historical information we have in common, and maybe I can follow that thread back to her home."

"Phew!" Beat said.   "That sounds like a lot of work!  I'm worn out just thinking about it."

"You're not even doing anything," Note muttered.  

"There's no telling what kind of trouble I might run into in the simulated history," Trunks said.   Dr. Leggings has only ever run the simulation in a very narrow time range.   A few centuries at most.   I may end up taking the simulation into uncharted territory, and everything I know about Saiyans tells me that they had plenty of enemies to fight.    If things get hairy, I'll need some backup, and that's where you two come in.   I can't think of anyone better qualified than my two top students."

"Gosh...!" Note said.

"Yeah!  Now you're talking!" Beat cheered.    

Anne handed the Hero Switch back to Trunks.   The device was a powerful computer, but it looked like a black bracelet covered in glowing blue lights and a Capsule Corp. logo.   Trunks placed it onto his right wrist and prepared to activate it.  

"In the game world," he said, "Nappa told me that "Saiya" was a name for several planets colonized by Saiyans throughout history.   The most recent one was destroyed around four hundred years ago.    Hopefully, someone there will know more about King Rehval, or the Camelian Empire, or this Planet Nagaoka that Luffa once mentioned."

"What if they don't know, sir?" Anne asked.  

"Then I'll have to keep traveling backward until I find someone who does," Trunks said.   "Wish me luck."

"Wait, Trunks, one more thing before you go!" Dr. Leggings said urgently.

"Huh?   What's wrong?" Trunks asked.    He held up the Hero Switch on his wrist and pointed at it.   "Everything looks good on this end."

"It's just... are you sure you don't want to wear the Great Saiyaman 3 outfit for this mission?" she asked.  

"I'm positive," Trunks said.   Before anyone could object, he activated the bracelet, and vanished into the game world.    

*******

[12 May, Age 513.    Planet Saiya.]

"You picked a fine time to ask about the weather, stranger."

The Saiyan’s name was Reeque, and Trunks had no idea how old she was.   The small settlement he found on Saiya was it's largest population center, and they directed him to an old hag who lived in the wastelands.   Trunks found her easily enough, but then the blood-wraiths attacked, and they had to take their conversation on the run.   Powerful as Trunks was, his technology and ki were useless against the intangible creatures, and Reeque's warnings were enough to convince him that he should keep his distance.    

"They become solid every seven months," Reeque told him.   "Then we pay them back a thousandfold, but in the meantime, we run and hide until dawn.    They say the storms left them behind, but I doubt that.   Not even Luffa would be so cruel."

She carried a walking stick carved from some gnarled length of driftwood, but Trunks was impressed with how swiftly she crossed the rough terrain.    Her dark red robes flapped behind her back like the wings of some great ugly hawk.    

"I apologize for not making myself clear, ma'am," Trunks said as he hopped over a rock.    "The Luffa I asked about is a Saiyan, not a storm system."

"Well that's perfectly clear to me, boy," Reeque said, "but it doesn't change the fact that you're mistaken.   Only Luffa I've ever heard of is the one my great grandmother told me about.     Wiped out the entire Kingdom of Saiya in a single day.   The smart ones fled while they could.   The rest stayed, but only the hardiest few survived.   The environment here was harsh before Luffa, and it only got worse from there.    Without the supplies from allied worlds... well, you learn to savor the taste of roast blood-wraith."

"Then where did the Saiyans go when they abandoned this planet?" Trunks asked.

"Hell," Reeque said.   "If there's any justice, they went to hell.  Otherwise they scattered across the galaxy.     There was a kingdom on Sadala, but my life wouldn't be worth a zinc coin on that forsaken place.   My parents were banished, and they joined the usurper kings during the civil wars.    Fifty years ago, they tried to rebuild Saiya, like the name alone would restore their fortunes.   But there's nothing left here.  Nothing but blood-wraiths and ruin."

None of this was surprising to Trunks, since Nappa had told him this planet would eventually be destroyed altogether.   He had tried to arrive on Saiya well before that day, but it seemed like the destruction of Saiya had been set into motion long before whatever warrior finally put it out of its misery.

"And King Rehval?" Trunks asked.    "What became of him?"

"Why should you care, boy?" Reeque asked.    "You've come a long way in search of the dead."

"I think he's my ancestor," Trunks said.    "I, uh, I'm trying to settle a dowry on another planet, and they're very interested in genealogies."

"Social climber, huh?" Reeque said.   "Well, I can't help you with that.   Anything else you wanted to know?"

"The Camelian Empire," Trunks said.   "Do you know where I can find it?   I don't need exact coordinates, just a general idea will do.  Er, is something wrong, ma'am?"

She began to make a sort of rhythmic coughing sound from her throat, and Trunks eventually figured out that it was laughter.    "You're an amusing fellow," Reeque finally said.   "When I saw that purple hair of yours, I thought I might be seeing things, but my imagination isn't wild enough to dream up such silly questions.   Oh, I've spent countless nights like this one, running from bloodwraiths, but I think I'll remember tonight for a long time to come."  

"Then you can't tell me about Camelia either," Trunks said.    

"There's nothing to tell, boy," Reeque said with a rasping chuckle.    "The Camelian Empire fell more than three hundred years ago!"

*******

[23 February, 238 Before Age.    Chai I.]

"The ‘Super Saiyan’?   Now what in the world is that, Trunks?"

"It's a legend I heard when I was a boy," Trunks said.   "According to my father, once every thousand years, there's a Saiyan who surpasses the limits of what Saiyans can do.   They're considered the ultimate warriors.   Powerful, invincible, and with an insatiable craving for battle."

Rehval III considered this tale for a moment while admiring the bouquet of his wine.   At last, he took a sip from his glass, and sampled a bite of his fish entree.  Trunks waited patiently at the other side of the table.   The restaurant looked fancier than any Trunks had ever seen on Earth, in any century.   And this was merely a section of a minor administrative building in the Camelian capitol.      

"I'll be blunt, Trunks,” Rehval finally said.    “You seem like the kind of man who likes to get to the point, so I won’t keep you in suspense.   I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I see," Trunks said.    

"Do you believe in this legend yourself?" Rehval asked.  

"No," Trunks said after a pause.  "In my experience there's no such thing as an invincible warrior.  There are extraordinary Saiyans, but not necessarily one every thousand years.    There could be two or three, or a hundred, or none at all."

"I'll tell you what I think," Rehval said.   "I have heard tall tales of ancient Saiyan heroes.   Chanisp was said to have lived about a thousand years ago.    For all I know, they've been saying "a thousand years ago" for centuries.   I mean, a year ago, was anyone saying Chanisp lived 'nine-hundred and ninety-nine years ago'?   Of course not.   The round numbers make for better storytelling, but I deal in precision."  

Rehval paused his meal to point at a gold watch on his left wrist.    "My summit with the Camelian Imperial College begins in three hours and twenty-two minutes, Trunks.   I can't afford to offend the Camelians by rounding up.    Time can be a strict mistress."

"I take your point," Trunks said.    "And I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me."  

"Not at all," Rehval said.   "There aren't many Saiyans in this part of the galaxy, besides common raiders, I mean.   And you're a man of unusual manners and poise, Trunks.   You're exactly the sort of citizen I want in the Kingdom of Saiya.    I think you'd find life very prosperous under my rule."

"I am... interested in hearing more," Trunks said.    "Let's put it that way."

"Well, then, it's a good thing you found me during this gap in my schedule," Rehval said.    "I have all afternoon to convince you to come home with me."

Trunks smiled as though amused by his remark.    In fact, this had been his third attempt to speak with King Rehval III.   An earlier visit to the Camelian capital world gave him access to important diplomatic records, which showed him the exact date and time of an official visit by the Saiyan King.    Trunks found him on the first try, but he was too busy to talk.    Trunks reset the game world simulation and tried again, approaching Rehval three hours earlier, but wasn't able to catch the man's interest.    This time, he figured out that the key to Rehval's attention was to show interest in joining his cause.   Rehval’s Kingdom was the most powerful Saiyan faction in this era, but his subjects made up less than half of the Saiyan population, and Rehval was very keen on getting more Saiyans to rally to his flag.     Even half-aliens like Trunks were welcome, apparently.    

"Where did you say your mother was from?" Rehval asked.    Trunks was pretty sure Rehval had aims for establishing diplomatic ties with Earth, even if he had no idea where it was or if it was worth his time.

"The Yajirobe System," Trunks lied.  "It's pretty far off the beaten path.     But what were you saying about Chanisp?"

"Well, there are lower classes in every society, Trunks," Rehval explained.   "It's not something Saiyans think about much, but other civilizations have demonstrated it time and time again.    The problem is that, in disorganized societies, these lesser citizens don't understand that they have a duty to follow their betters.    And so, in their confusion, they turn to superstitions."

"Go on..." Trunks said.    He took a bite of his salad and chewed thoroughly.  

"They say Chanisp defeated a mighty demon and liberated the entire Saiyan race from slavery.    Did it actually happen?    Maybe.   Was he one of your father's 'Super Saiyans'?    He might have been.   How does any of that prove that there should be another one like him ten centuries later?   Oh, and the cycle just happens to reset in the present day.   So the tale expects us to believe that, at any moment, any one of us might miraculously transform into an invincible, demon-slaying superhero.   How convenient."  

"Well, when you put it that way..." Trunks said.    

"I'm not one to brag, Trunks, but as far as I know, the strongest Saiyan alive is sitting across the table from you.   That's not a challenge, or a demand for respect, just a statement of fact.   I'd have to be stronger to be the king, or I wouldn't be the king for very long, now would I?"

"Makes sense to me," Trunks lied again.   

He only brought up the legend to gain historical context.   Rehval seemed to enjoy discussing it, so that worked to Trunks’ favor, but what he had truly wanted to know was whether Rehval had heard of a golden-haired cryptid running amok in the galaxy.   He had not, which meant that there had been no Super Saiyan in this era, or that the Super Saiyan hadn’t appeared yet. 

"These legends are just stories people invent to convince themselves that there's a way out of their reality.     When the thousandth year passes, they move the goalpost, or invent a new story to replace the old.   'Oh, the Super Saiyan is real, he's just invisible and working in secret, but he really is here to help us all.'   That sort of thing."

"And that's why you're pursuing diplomatic ties with Camelia," Trunks concluded.  "You can't afford to wait for a messiah."

"The Saiyans are at a crossroads, Trunks," Rehval said.    "If our race is going to survive, we need to follow the same well-tread path as the Camelian Empire.    Statecraft.   National unity.   It's not as romantic as your father's legend, but it works.    It's a path that leads to prosperity.    If we all unite as one kingdom, under one law, then we grow stronger as a people.   That means forming alliances, brokering treaties, and all the other minutiae that goes with it."

"Well, this has been a very interesting discussion, but I'm afraid I need to get going," Trunks said.   He stood up from his chair and gestured to the waiter to bring his coat and sword.    "It's been a pleasure, Your Majesty."

"Wait," Rehval said.   "I thought you wanted to hear more about Planet Saiya.   The great society that I'm building there.   I'd like you to be a part of that society, Trunks."

"I'm sure you would," Trunks said as he put his arms through the sleeves of his coat.    "But I've already seen how Saiya turns out, and I'm already a part of the society you envisioned.   What's left of it, anyway."

"I don't understand."

"It's simple.   Your vision isn't all that visionary, Rehval.   No matter how strong you think you are, there's always someone stronger who'll come along to challenge you.   That's not a leader, that's a gunfighter daring someone to come along and defeat him.   I've grew up in a world ruled by strength alone, and you're half-right.   It is a well-worn path, but it doesn't lead to prosperity."

"What do mean you've already seen Saiya?" Rehval asked.   "Who are you?"

Trunks activated the bracelet on his arm, and vanished from the game world.    The simulated Rehval who existed within it was left with more questions than answers, though he would not ponder them for long.    Soon enough, the simulation would be refreshed, and he would have no memory of this encounter.

NEXT: Burning Questions

[holylulusworld]

Chained Hearts - Part 5 - FIN

Summary: The world ended and only two camps with people survived in this desolated world. Kidnapping the leader’s daughter of the other camp believes he can make a good deal. But deals aren’t always that easy.

Pairing: Dean x Reader, Sam, Castiel, Chuck, Crowley, three well-known guys

Warnings: angst, characters death, blood, soul consumption, fighting, violence, language, witch!reader, possible S15 spoilers???

Chained Hearts Masterlist

 “Come and get me!” You yell as the Winchesters and Castiel follow you into the battle…

It doesn’t take the enemies long to surround you once again. There are too many and you slowly but steadily get angry.

“Fuck off! I got better things to do. I’m back in town and want to nail my boyfriend!” You curse.

“Can you concentrate on fighting?” Sam mutters wielding a branch in front of him. It’s a pitiful weapon but so far you didn’t make it to the Impala.

“Shut your cakehole, Sammy. Now I’m going to toast these assholes and later I’ll ride Dean till he can’t take it any longer.” You squeal concentrating on combining Amara’s powers with a fire spell. “Ready if you are zombie assholes.”

Darkness bursts out of your body to meet a powerful cloud of fire. Using all your strength to control the cloud you throw it at the undead enemies. Burning their bodies.

“Nice trick.” Dean pants glancing at more enemies farther away. “We should get the fuck out of here. We need to reach the bunker.”

“Great. We need to find Chuck and kill this asshole…”

“I never thought I would say this but let’s find a way to kill god…” Castiel sighs running toward the Impala.

“I hope Jack is still alive. We spend quite some time in Pleasantville.” Dean curses entering the Impala.

----

Driving along the streets you can see burning houses, abandoned cars and blood splattered all over the cars…houses…everywhere. “He did a great job in such a short amount of time.” Your eyes search for any sign of enemies as you feel a strange sensation.

“Y/N? Is something wrong?” Castiel asks getting the same feeling. “He’s close…”

“He?” Sam’s eyes meet yours as he let your words sink in. “Chuck…god…or however you want to call this asshole, Sammy. He’s calling for me, or rather he’s sensing his sister's powers. God is drawn to me.”

“Great. How can a man compare with god?” Dean snickers as you toss your shoe at Dean who loses control over his car for a moment. “Damnit, Y/N.”

“Park over there. I’ll talk to him. Maybe he will stop this insanity.”

“No way. What if he kills you, Y/N?”

“Dean, I don’t think he can kill Y/N. Why keeping her hostage in this fantasy instead of killing her?” Sam hopes he is right, if Chuck kills you, all hope is lost.

“He’s scared, Sammy. Zachariah was right. This was the only way to stop me to gather enough power to kill him.”

Dean’s eyes meet yours in the rear-view mirror. His forehead crinkles, not liking what you tried to tell him.

“The darkness, she’s consuming the rotten souls. The more I kill, the stronger I’ll become. Amara almost killed Chuck back then, I think her powers are the only weapon against him. We need to end this fast. If every enemy you, Sammy and I along with Castiel ever killed is back, we are in trouble…”

----

You find your way toward Chuck. He’s sitting onto a bench, watching some birds fighting over a bloody piece of bread.

“Evolution…” God chuckles. “They are more into the blood than the bread by now.”

“Nice. You created a killer Tweety Bird. What do you want?” Your eyes narrow as he gets up, holding out his hand.

“Come with me. I’ll create a new world. I could need your help. Light and Darkness, together as it should’ve been…” Chuck is giving you are a charming smile, waiting for you to cave in.

“Light?” Huffing you look around. “The world you created looks like we are in a bad horror movie, there is no light in you. Amara carried more light than you ever could. We know by now; you are the villain in this story.” Turning to leave you feel a hand touching your shoulder.

Your eyes darken, power radiates through your body as you use Amara’s powers to slam Chuck into a tree. He needs a moment to get up, his forehead is bleeding. Stunned Chuck touches the wound, surprised to see his fingers covered in blood. He’s clapping his hands, smirking. “A worthy enemy, I guess. My sister made you a wonderful gift, but it won’t save this world. They are back, all of them.” Now Chuck's features darken. “All of them…” He repeats and a cold shiver runs down your spine.

“Well…this means our allies too?” You ask nonchalantly as Chuck’s features go slack. “Awe…did you forget we had friends, powerful friends? Hmm…let’s see. If Crowley is back, Jack and all others, we are going to roast your ass, Chuckie boy. See ya later. I need to rail my boyfriend first.”

----

“Shit, you are exhausted,” Dean mutters carrying you toward the bunker. “I fought with God himself, stop nagging. At least we know I can hurt him. God was bleeding after my attack.”

“I’m not amused at all…” Crowley mutters standing outside of the bunker, soaked from head to toe. “I was killing some monsters in purgatory, ended up in a lake but here I am - waiting for Moose and Squirrel once again. Uh…little Witchy is back too.” The demon snickers giving you a wink.

“You’re back, Crowley?” Castiel eyes the demon suspiciously, poking his arm with a finger.

“As good as new. Well, I’m not the only one. Shall we go in and meet up with the others? Don’t be afraid. We are all pissed and ready to rip Chuck apart. Alone we have no chance, united we need to stand.” Crowley snickers walking toward the bunker.

“I hate him…” Dean groans.

“Dean, he’s right. I was able to hurt Chuck, but I need more souls.”

----

“Holy fuck!” Dean curses looking into a familiar face. There’s a doubleganger or rather two of him standing in the room. The demon he once turned into and the archangel using him as a suit.

“How?” Gasping you move around the duplicates of your boyfriend. “Why are you in this form?”

“May I answer this question?” Another familiar face enters the room. White suit fitting him perfectly Sam smirks at you. “He brought us back in this from to confuse you.”

“Awesome.” Dean deadpans glancing at the demon watching you with darkened eyes. “I loved the way you screamed my name…”

“Dude, focus.” You clap your hands, glaring at the familiar faces. “I can defeat Chuck, but this victory will come with a price.”

“Name your price.” Michael rumbles. “I need your souls. I need to consume them to strength Amara’s powers. Two archangels, a knight of hell and Crowley should be enough.”

“Oh-come on! I just came back from the dead. Not fair.” Crowley curses. “Fine, I’ll volunteer. Eat me, little Witchy.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to outnumber father instead of consuming our souls?” Michael asks glancing at his brother. “To let you take over the world?” Lucifer snickers.

“Guys make your decision. Yes or no. If you are not here to help, get the fuck out!” You warn ready to attack the archangels.

“Fine. I’ll do it.” Lucifer’s answer surprises you but Sam is not sure this is a selfless decision. “What if he takes over control, Y/N? I don’t like the idea at all.”

“Sam, relax. He can’t take over control, I made sure of it by sealing my soul. None of the consumed souls can get close…”

“Let’s begin then…” Michael’s eyes flash blue, giving you a dark grin. “I’d like to rip daddy apart using this nice body. What a pity you were dead while I was inside of my favorite suit…”

----

Michael’s lips press against yours as you open your mouth starting to consume his soul like Amara would've done. His whole being starts floating your body and for a moment you fear he could be too strong but then his powers radiate through your body and your eyes flash blue before Michael’s body turns into dust.

“That was creepy watching you kissing the enemy.” Dean shudders as Lucifer strides toward you. He’s more demanding as his lips claim yours, snaking his or rather Sam’s tongue into your mouth.

“You know…Sammy always had a thing for you. I can see why.” Lucifer’s is harder to consume. His soul is dark, sinister but deep-down hidden underneath distress and darkness there is a tiny piece of light.

Power is radiating through your body as Lucifer’s body turns into dust like Michael’s before. “My turn I guess…” Crowley chuckles licking his lips.

“Wait!” You hold out your hand, shaking your head. “The demon over there first, Crowley…”

“Bloody hell! First two archangels and now this knight of hell guy?”

“She likes real men, little boy…” Demon!Dean snickers walking toward you. His hands pick you up, slamming your body into the wall as he devours your mouth. You enjoy the feeling a bit longer before you grab his hair to consume his dark soul.

“That’s even more disturbing…” Dean shudders as his demonic self disappears.

“Finally, my turn,” Crowley states.

“Nope, Crowley. We need you here, alive and nagging.” You chuckle as his jaw drops.

“You changed your mind?”

“No. I just needed to make sure they believe I need them all. I never planned on consuming Crowley. Sorry, pal. You’ll stay alive a bit longer…”

----

“It took you a while to come here, Y/N…” Chuck is standing on the same field you remember from the day Sam jumped into the pit. A self-satisfied grin plastered all over his face he looks at you.

“Needed to fuck the life out of Dean first.” You retort. “Now…shall we end this?”

“I’ll end it now. One snap and you are gone.”

His index and middle finger meet his thumb before he snaps them but nothing happens. Only a high-pitched giggle leaves your lips.

You walk toward Chuck, circling the man like your prey, scenting his fear. He can sense all the souls inside of you, even Michael and Lucifer.

“Bringing them all back was a mistake.” You mock. “You never imagined we could collaborate to kill you?”

“What will you do without me?” He gasps as you poke a finger into his arm. “The same things we did before you came back from your ‘vacation’ to ruin our day. Now turn everything back to normal, undo all of this or…” Your eyes meet Chucks as you lick your lips. “I’ll rip you apart with pleasure.”

“I can’t undo it. I don’t have the powers…” Chuck smirks, lying straight to your face. “…or rather I don’t want to do it…”

“What a pity…” You mirror his action. Pressing your fingers to your thumb, smiling. “...I liked this shirt, shame to ruin it with your blood.” You chuckle before you snap your fingers…

THE END...

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Chained Hearts Tags

@parinarain

[madlymiho]

Hello there ~ Interesting topic! Hope it will suit you, it's not always easy to deal with just personnalities such as dandere stuff :)

Thanks for the ask, anon!

Marco :

• Marco knows your personnality and he has never wanted to push you too much, because he's sure that you have boundaries

• He respects your shy nature, and does his best not to put you in embarassing situations, such as fights

• He never asks you to back up, though, but he always step forwards when you're around so you don't have to put yourself in danger ; he's there to protect you and it's his role

• So Marco is really surprised when you offer some martial art lessons on the deck of Moby Dick, knowing how much you already struggle to speak with his crew members

• Plus, at first, with your shy attitudes, he's certain that you will run away in your room any time soon, too afraid to get kicked by Thatch or Ace

• But as soon as your start to show your skills, and literally kick their asses, Marco raises a surprise but amused eyebrow, arms crossed around his chest, a floating smile on his lips

• He can't help but laugh softly when he notices your burning cheek while the rest of the crew cheer you for your awesome demonstration, but he's proud of you, and encourage you by his presence

• After you're done, Marco immediately jumps to join you, his hands cupping your jaw to steal a soft kiss in front of the men, and moreover, in front the pouting face of your defeated opponent

• He smiles softly when he understands that your deep nature is still there since your cheeks are as red as a tomato and you can't even look at him in the eyes

Zoro :

• When it comes to fight, Zoro is a natural beast, full of stamina, passion, violence... in short ; he handles the situation

• He might get irritated by your shy nature, is profound instincts telling him to destroy everything when it comes to fight, so he simply don't get it why you try so much to step in when you can barely look at people in the eyes

• Zoro wants to protect you, of course, but sometimes he's a bit harsh in the way he asks you to stay away from the battlefield, and it hurts you a little since... well, you have your secret after all

• One day though, as you at Chopper who's training on the deck under his Kung-Fu form, you can't help but rectify his movements and teach him more attacks, punchs and kicks

• You get easily driven by your natural skills, showing your best movements, to the point that everyone on the Sunny is there to look at you, especially a green head man with a bestial smile

• Oh Zoro loves this too much ; he has always respected a worthy opponent, and good fighters, so this show right now pleases him deeply

• After a moment, he can't help but step in, his swords against your punchs, careful not to use the cutting edge of his nakata, his valid eye nothing but a ravenous fire

• Yet, Zoro remains slightly stronger, and after a moment, he simply catches you by your waist and drags you into a hungry kiss, full of passion, despite the fact that everyone is looking at you right now

• "Next time we fight with someone, you fight with me." He growls against your lips, causing another powerful fire on your cheeks

Sanji :

• For Sanji, you're nothing but a sweet and lovable cupcake, and he clearly wants to protect you

• He doesn't mind if you have a reserved nature ; he just loves it too much and finds you truly adorable, watching you with heart eyes anytime you do something

• So there's nooo way that Sanji would let you step in a fight, it's not a lady job, and you seem as fragile as porcelain

• It pleases his ego more than anything ; being able to become your humble servant, taking down every of your enemy on his way while he can steal a kiss from your lips in the aftermath

• So when you offer some martial art lessons to Luffy and the others when you're all eating diner, Sanji sees red and immediately asks his captain to stop his bullshit and leaves you alone

• Yet, since you mumble that it was your idea, Sanji is shocked, and can't truly say no to you, but he promises that he'll be there to keep an eye on Luffy and that stupid marimo

• Sanji is your most fervent admirer when you start to fight flawlessly, showing your best skills to teach some basic and then more complicated movements to the others

• He can't contain his excitement, fervently cheering you on the deck, his nose nothing but a blood river, and his eyes at the edge of exploding when you jump, or throw a few powerful kicks

• When the session is done, Sanji runs to you and cover your with thousand little kisses, telling you how incredible, fantastic, impressive, perfect you are!

• In fact, he'll probably talk about it for months now that he knows your awesome secret

[troofless]

Just finished watching a walkthrough of Tales of Zestiria, and I must say it is as HYPE as its opening.

My favourite parts:

Sorey and Mikleo bickering — actually, every sormik scene

I swear 99.9% of Mikleo revolves around Sorey, the other 0.1% is him getting teased by everyone (this could be his biggest writing strength and flaw depending on who you ask)

The opening song. A BANGERRRRRR

The different branching routes you can take in Ladylake. Sell the knife? The pipe? Don’t sell both? Sell the pipe later on to get a cool hat as well? How do you enter the Sacred Blade ceremony? YOU CAN CHOOSE

Mikleo leaving Sorey, in the game: Oh don’t worry, Mikleo will be fine, I trust Mikleo to take care of himself :) :)

In the anime: dkjasfnlD MIKLEO DID WHAT??! LAILAH WE MUST GO AFTER MIKLEO RIGHT AWAY

Tbh the argument ‘arc’ he has with Sorey? One of the best parts of the game.

'Does a frog think of getting rid of snakes?’ ‘OH SO AM I A FROG NOW?’ ‘Your LIABILITY will be waiting in the inn’

When in the manga this slow burn (JUST GET CONTRACTED WITH MIKLEO ALREADY) gets extended to after Sorey contracts with Edna

When Mikleo calls Sorey out on his blindness in a skit THEY NOTICE EVERYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER OKAY

Yeah also, just thinking about how Sorey’s known Mikleo’s true name for a long time now HNNNRNNHSDGGGGGHHHH

Mikleo using his rod not as a conduit for magic but as a whacking tool. He has a mystic arte Crystal Rod where he throws his rod at the enemy saying NOPE (best...) and a mystic arte Final Player where he uses it like a hammer saying “I’ll crush you! Again! Again and again!!” smacking the enemy into the ground LOLLLL

That One Mystic Arte where Edna rides on her umbrella like it’s a flying broomstick and shoots out earth rocks with a finger gun

Zaveid coming out of nowhere at random times, busting out his persona shooting himself in the head and demanding that they fight him

Rose shaking her hands with Sorey at supersonic speed when Sorey gets her to hear the seraphim and she thinks she’s hearing ghosts

The whole ‘we’re married’ scene when they get to Rolance, and the whole joke of Sergei continuing to think Rose and Sorey are married

Dezel laughing at Lailah’s lame animal jokes in the background

Dezel not being able to see, but that’s okay… because he can read the wind!

Dezel being the walking encyclopaedia for all animals and plants bc he’s been everywhere

Rose wants to catch a butterfly and sell it for money, but Dezel interjects and tells her it’s a ‘shae monyurose’ moth, so Rose gives up on catching it, saying people don’t pay a lot for moths

Another skit where Sorey and Rose want to catch these rabbits to eat, (they’re cute... AND delicious.) Dezel is horrified and chases them away by shouting really loudly (HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT??!!)

Everyone who plays Zestiria complaining about how Alisha isn’t a permanent team member, then having mixed debates about whether the anime saved or broke the story with Alisha-Armatization

ZAVEID RUNNING DOWN A WALL

“My way is to put the hellions back in hell” Zaveid says while doing the Dio pose

WRYYYYYYY

I love how he just appears out of nowhere and gets him to fight you, multiple times, in both Zestiria AND Berseria

Dezel suggesting they could just fly all the way to the top but Sorey and Mikleo go “But we WANT to see the ruins...!”

In the bad ending Heldalf is just like ‘nothin doing… just standing here…’ when the team goes in and slays him

Heldalf: You want to defeat me, right? But if you do, you can’t get the TRUE ending… bitch

Sorey:

I love how Rose and Alisha are uncommon heroines, using lances and twin blades instead of magic (Mikleo takes that one, hah). 

It’s like the writers of Zestiria were like Hmm. How do we explore the dark elements in this game by showing how people in Age of Chaos possess immense malevolence in their hearts and align it to the main story, and then went, Got it. Assassins. (Story of how Shepherd Sorey went gallivanting around with a princess *cough cough redactedbecauseshedoesn’texistinthegame* and an assassin~~)

Mikleo: Zaveid, there is literally NO REASON for us to fight. At all.

Zaveid: You gotta beat this ass first

And I think that is very sexy of him

Apparently if you take Dezel out of your team during the third fight with Zaveid, he will yell at you

Zaveid, T-posing on the ground: oh don’t mind me, just setting death flags for the only other wind seraph in this game so I can fill the XXX-shaped hole in your team later on in the game. Also here, take my glock

Dezel 🤝Eizen

    being the same person

GIVE ME THE HIDDEN DEZEL AND ZAVEID LORE (but Dezel doesn’t appear in Berseria…)

Rose “I just noticed, whenever Mikleo gets angry, it always has something to do with Sorey” after merchants look at Sorey and think he’s a con artist Shepherd, then in a later skit comments that No, that’s not true Mikleo does get angry even when it doesn’t involve Sorey, then Sorey says, Nah, he’s not angry, just overreacting.

When the plot says Sorey and Mikleo were destined to be the Shepherd and Sub Lord all along :o :v :O

THEY ARE FRIGGIN MARRIED OKAY

BOTH OF THEM. FROM THE SAME VILLAGE. BABIES. RED STRING OF FATE AAAAAA

Sorey and Mikleo in a skit talking about how they’re not really affected by their past bc their real family now is Elysia. It’s a really quiet and sweet moment.

Zaveid in a skit doing flower fortune readings bc he’s worried that the group hates him bc he was all FIGHT ME! before, but Lailah cheers him up with her own flower fortune telling (‘Uh, your origami flower only has... one petal Lailah’) saying Zaveid is their friend AWWWW

GIVE ME THE HIDDEN LAILAH AND ZAVEID LOREEEEEE

gdi I know we see more Pacifist!Zaveid in Berseria but I want a sequel nowwwwww

Sorey and Mikleo having a final conversation under the stars

SOREY FILLS IN MIKLEO ON HIS PLAN breaking the trope of not telling his team that he’s going to save the world by disappearing

One of the main messages Zestiria delivers is how one person shouldn’t take all the burden on themselves and how Sorey learns to rely on other people

Like Lailah staying silent bc of her oath and how that pains her

Like Mikleo... forming a pact with Sorey.....

God I love Zestiria for breaking tropes everywhere

Did I mention how Alisha and Rose have such good platonic relationships with Sorey? Yeah and you can take out the romantic hinting and it is still a good relationship? Without any shoehorning of ‘forced het couple’?

Sorey calling back to the time he had to close his senses to get Alisha to hear Lailah, tying it back into the main plot!!!! :o GALAXY BRAIN

SOREY PUTTING DEZEL’S HAT ON IN THE STARRY SKY CUTSCENE AND ROSE AND ZAVEID TRYING TO TAKE IT BACK

How the hell is Muse alive and not, like, a hag

Love how the final part is Sorey going “I’ll defeat you with the power of friendship!! And this gun I found”

*flashback to AFOvsAll Might* Sorey: You thought it was over with that punch? I have TWO HANDS!!!!

Ok no lie the final fight was epic

THIS... IS MY EVERYTHING!!!!!!

fsdljfnsdkflsfs;fsf look all the seraphim went into the battle not expecting to live and Sorey went in fully expecting to kill his seraphim friends and prepared to KILL

Compared to the start when Sorey was full-out 'don’t kill hellions Zaveid how could you!!!!’, you can see how the darker themes shine here

What I wouldn’t give for a corrupted!Sorey though, I was expecting it bc of clips I saw on Youtube BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED!!! Lowkey sad tho. Would love an arc where Sorey gets overcome by malevolence and becomes, like a jerk, but as like a morally grey character not fully blown evil (like Jerk Rose ig)

The epilogue with everyone!!! The Lord of the Lands (yeah Uno is very pretty)!!! Lucas!!!! Sergei and Alisha!!! The little drawings in the credits detailing Sorey’s journey!!!! Awwww

Overall a happy ending for Sorey and friends which is GREAT

SMOL SOREY AND MIKLEO EXPLORING RUIN TRAPS AT THE END

oh god I swear they are lowkey married they just don’t mention it to anyone look if you go back and play the whole thing with that in mind NOTHING ABOUT THE PLOT CHANGES

Mikleo my friend you have too many cape thingys on your back PLEASE

The callback to Sorey catching Mikleo though is so cute. In the anime we get the callback to “So this is the world!” htgdgmfgmmmmgfg idk the anime is one hole I don’t want to explore rn

sfaljdfsdlf but yeah though the epilogue was nice and clean and up to reader’s imagination, I wished they expanded more on the epilogue (LET US SEE SOREY..... *fighting back tears*), at least THANKS TO THE ANIME we get to see post-Heldalf Alisha and Rose tho hnggggrrgh

*chanting* D-L-C, didn’t know they had a D-L-C

DLC

ROSALI VIBES jkahdfjksdfs give it all to meeeee

Rose and Alisha catfighting sjdnflsjdfadfhgnfghth THIS IS THE ICONIC ROSALI VIBE I SWEAR

Because of this, this DLC is now elevated to god standards

Edna and Lailah casually talking while Rose and Alisha roll in the background LMAOOOO

Rose must be the most unconventional Shepherd ever and that is GREAT

Bruh is Alisha wearing an abbreviated costume of Mikleo’s

Anyway she’s so cute in her DLC outfit!!!

Alisha ditching keigo is so. Very. Cute.

Alisha and Sorey: :) :D :)))

Alisha and Rose: Bitch. }:(  >:V

Love the girl’s party vibe, and how we get cameos of Zaveid and Mikleo (LET US SEE MORE DEVASTATED MIKLEO PLEASE....) along the way

Sadly no more DLC episodes :( wonder why that got axed, bc fans didn’t like it?

Overall I must say the Zestiria cast is awesome, I really like all the characters and how they are fleshed out very neatly with their own quirks and goals. Edna being god tier with her monotone sarcasm (she is QUEEN....), Zaveid being that dumbass that looks like a stripper (HIM.... baby...), Mikleo being ultimate waifu and how his comedic moments shine with Edna and everyone else when he’s being teased, Sorey being so pure and cute when he geeks out with Mikleo and how his character arc is just such a refreshing take on the hero archetype, Dezel with his stoicness Imma Get Revenge but also his cast knowledge and love for animals, Rose for exploring the side of reality in the malevolence in people’s hearts and her :3 smile and her determination to get things done and how she’s so different from Sorey which only brings out her charm, Lailah with her awful puns and eccentricity and quiet compassion. And uh, Alisha for being the bait-and-switch heroine but a decent character with her own personal goals that are separate from the main character. Sergei and Lucas are also very lovable.

As for the setting, Rolance and Hyland as two kingdoms seem a little small scale compared to lets say if they added one more kingdom, but seeing as this is a 2015 game I think the exploration map is pretty good (then I compare to Xenoblade Chronicles which came out in 2010 and just change the subject). Love the outside game mechanics Giant’s Fist, Wind Stepping and Water Shield (when Mikleo protects Sorey with that!!! And Sorey calls him out by saying he’s been practicing it for a long time... And you recall every time Mikleo asks Dezel and the other older seraphim to teach him stuff so he can get stronger to help Sorey and how 99.9% of his character revolves around Sorey). ‘That spinny mist thing sure gets the job done’ haha. 

Anyway, great game and plot, please go check out if you have time, esp rn since animes and other games coming out will be stalled it is a great time to check out older games aaaaaaa

[gotmeringinghellsbells]

Your Going

Fandom: My Hero Academia 

Characters: Eijiro Kirishima, Katsuki Bakugou

A/N: I love the two heroes movie and have been getting various ideas form it. This was one of them but was more or less a writing warm up. 

Description: Kirishima wants to go to the small lecture being held with in the I-Island convention. Free food, a lot of friends and same cool inventions! It sounded nice, especially after the long day he’d had with his best friend. The best friend who would rather not go at all. Well, the red head wasn’t going to have that.

__

“Aw come on man!” Red eyes rolled before closing. “Why the hell would I want to go to that boring ass event? It���s just a bunch of old geezers talking.” A pout was presented on the rock puppy’s face. “Yeah but we get free food out of it man. Free, gourmet food!”  

Bakugou wasn’t budging. Of course not. “I don’t have any formal wear dumb ass.” That should end the conversation. “I figured.” Wait. “That’s why I brought you stuff!” Damn it. Red eyes snapped open as the blonde sat up with a huff. “Are you shitting me shitty hair?!” The other smiled proudly as he held up the two suits. 

“Come on man, I’m hungry! We’ve hardly eaten all day!” Mainly because Bakugou got one glimpse of that purple bastard and took off in the other direction. One distraction lead to another and they only had breakfast today. They’d also been running around and enjoying various events together that required a lot of movement. 

“Then I’ll take you out for ramen or some shit. I’m not going.” He turned his head with a scowl, arms crossing. “Yes, we are.” The red head hooked the two suits on the shared dresser before turning to his friend. “Says who?” 

There was extra weight on the bed. “Says me.” Bakugou hadn’t bothered to move his legs when the rest of his body had resituated, which Kirishima made a note of. “I’m really hungry and this is my first formal event. Come on man, please?” His best friend looked cute with a small, soft smile and pleading eyes, but Bakugou was a strong man…. teen. 

“Then go by yourself. I’m sure the extras will be there.” The smile turned into a pout before Kirishima sat down beside the other. “So now our classmates are extras?” He just didn’t want to talk about this! He just wanted to stay in their room, maybe go into town and get something to eat, and come back and go to bed. A new day meant more villain things to destroy !

“Eijiro, it’s getting close to eight. Either go alone, or come get dinner with me at some diner.” The other pouted. “But…. your my best friend!” It was a sad attempt of persuasion but one nonetheless. “Do I look stupid and made of metal?” The boy narrowed his eyes. “He’s a great guy, alright?! He didn’t get invited, and you did.” He leaned in closer, thumb point towards himself. “And you chose me to be your plus one. So why would you not only invite someone who isn’t your best friend, share a bed and room with them, hang out with them all day, and oh yeah offer to buy them dinner if they weren;t your best friend.” The other smirked as the blonde looked away in defeat. 

“Whatever dumb ass, I’m still not going.” The smirk fell as the redhead pouted again. “Katsuki, come on. Don’t make me use force.” The other actually snorted with a large smirk on his face. “Are you threatening me? I’d like to see you try shitty hair. Besides, didn’t I beat your ass in the sports fest?” 

There was a crack of the knuckles before the other sat up more. “Maybe you need another ass whopping?” Kirishima smiled a bit. “Oh, I don’t think so. This time I’m taking you down.” His hands weren’t fists, they were clawed. Bakugou hesitated, shit. He wasn’t!

“Because I know your weakness Katsuki Bakugou.” Shit, shit, shit! The blonde grabbed the other’s hands, interlocking fingers as he pushed against him. “Weakness? I’m not the one that’s quirk cuts out because of even the slightest threat of being tickled. Not to menttion I don’t ask my superior friend for more and make him stop what he’s fucking doing,” he pulled the other up and onto the bed, back down first as he threw a leg over the red head. “No matter if it’s studying ot trying to train. Make me stop what I’m doing to cheer you up because your anxious, because you had a bad day, because you need the attention.” Kirishima’s face heated up before he used all his might to flip the tables. Strong hips. “How about less insulting and more laughing, huh jerk face?” Eijiro was getting hangry. 

He freed his hands, dodging attacking ones before digging into his best friend’s ribs. Bakugou’s hands pulled back to cover his mouth, eyes squeezed shut. Legs pushed the blankets around as heels dug into them. Damn this bastard! Bakugou had let him get too close, to friendly. He knew all his spots and how each would react. With that said, the blonde knew the same about Red Riot. 

But like hell was Ground Zero about to uncover his mouth to fight back. Why the hell would he give this little shit the satisfaction of hearing him laugh, huh? “Something the matter Kats-ski, I know you wanna let it all out. All you have to do is move your hand away.” That tease! That’s it! “Huh? Pff-! Whahahait! Ahahaha, S-Suki!”

The red head fell back onto his butt on top of the other’s thighs, arms crossing to try and protect himself. “Come on man, I wanna eat!” He let out another soft giggle as a hand found his tummy. “You need to get a damn shirt for your costume dumb ass. And my name is Katsuki.” The redhead’s eyes widened as he felt the mattress come up beneath him again. 

Oh no. He looked up with fear to see the evilest smirk ever just peering into him. His hands were above his head as fingers moved dangerously close to his quiet zone. “Huh? Wait a second! I-I didn’t even touch your worst spot!” Of course the blonde would fight dirty, but this wasn't going to be a fin dirty. 

He was trying to hide in himself, whimpering and giggling with slight anticipation. “This is mean Katsuki!” Was it? Probably. “Then let’s forget this childish crap and get some food!” The other wasn’t going to give up like that. “There’s food here! Just put the freaking tux on and let’s go!” Such nerve for someone who was still exposed to the enemy. 

“It’s going to be fucking boring and past my,” ah shit. He paused. “Your bedtime, I know, I know! But you can sleep in! Please? I’ve really never been to anything like this and I was really excited. It’s not the same to go alone or with the others. I want to go with you, man. Your the one who brought me here.” 

Operation puppy dog eyes were a go! But ineffective. “Seriously Ei? It’s a dumb gathering of people who talk about things neither of us will understand. I’ll make you gourmet crap when we get home if you want. My grandmother has a few recipes.” Nope, the other wasn’t giving up. Bakugou could see this himself. 

“I don’t want to go.” 

“How often are we going to get to do this?

“When we’re famous, whenever.” 

They were like a married couple. Kirishima went to shift weight again but was held down firmer. “I will use force. I’m not going Kirishima.” Soft giggles escaped as mouth that attempted to hide itself as the hardener started to react to soft scratching under his arm. “Nhahahao!” The blonde thought it over. 

This meant a lot to the other and he really didn’t want to see his friend disappointed. It wasn’t like Kirishima bent over backwards for him, but he was…. Caring and considerate. He normally respected Bakugou’s wishes or gave up fighting them after a while. But not this. He really wanted to go to this and the blonde could see it. 

Frankly, Ground Zero didn’t have an excuse for not wanting to go. Not a good one anyway. “I don’t want to be bored,” he stated as he slowly stopped. The red head was panting softly before he looked up to his best friend “Huh?” 

The blonde wore a soft blush as he climbed off his friend. “I just don’t want to be bored. I don’t care baout this stupid place, you just seemed like you wanted to go. The only thing here I actually have liked are the training games. I didn’t come here to hear a bunch of nerds and geeks talk tech and future, I don’t care about what they have to say. “The food I could care less about. I’d rather have my evening free and pay for food then sit through a lecture until who knows when, eat, and wake up late for what could be training.” Oh. Red Riot hadn’t thought of it that way before. He frowned. Was he a bad friend?

“Those nerds and geeks are talking about stuff that even Hatsume would find amazing. Improve our quirks, improves society, new inventions, all these amazing things and you don’t want to hear about them? Midoriya was telling me about a helmet that let you see all around your body when you put it on. A deep sea diving suit that makes you look like something from another planet.

“All Might is here too, so he’ll probably be there too. Maybe they’ll get him to say a few things.” Pulling out the All Might card, was he? So be it. “I’m not stopping you from going.” Come on man! That was it. Before the blonde could process he was on his back, an insane ticklish sensation shooting up his leg. “PFFFF! HAHAHA!” He covered his mouth quickly as he tried to fight back with his free foot. 

That bastard! “Come on dude, just come with me!” Too ticklish, too ticklish! The other kicked harder, especially when his best friend went for the toes. Okay, too much! “FINE ALREADY YOU LOSER!” Finally! Kirishima stopped quickly before just dropping the foot and walking back to the dresser. 

The smile on his face irked the blonde. Both knew the younger would be getting it later. “Awesome! So… roses or bland?” This was going to be a long night.