#one that's going to land you at the side this new world's greatest monster

[transingthoseformers]

Ohhhoh Tarn this is fucking fun

Oh you're absolutely going through it

Shockwave time?? ?? ??

[heartfullofleeches]

Clown Reader and the monster yan scientist introduced to their show to teach it about the world -

You enter the dimly lit patted cell with your hands against the wall as the metal door slams shut behind you. The stale air is pungent - acidic. Your nails chip at wearing paint as they scrape along the crevices in the walls as you stumble through the dark, tripping over your own signed merch and what you will yourself to believe are plastic dolls. The sole source of light in the room emits from a television in its far right corner. Matted hair and skeletal fingers obscure the familiar vibrant set on display - your own, chipper voice reverberating throughout the hollow prison.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes, wrap your arms around your chest, and give a biiiig squeeze. That's me, hugging you! - until next time. See you soon!"

The hands peel away from the tv with a wet sliick! as the arms attached fall around its shadowed frame. A tiny doll rests nestled in the crook of its elbow as the shadow rasps and coos in delight - lengthy, slime drenched ashen tongue patting the toy's rosy cheek. The teeth embedded into the muscle flattened againat the doll's face as it drags across - retracting into the grey flesh and leaving the plush exterior unscathed. You step back; beady, sunken eyes darting in your direction as your foot lands on the voicebox stitched into the stomach of one of your dolls.

"Cuddle me!"

The shadow drops to all four, cradling the arm with your doll to its chest. You soon realize it's number of limbs was double by three as five hands find perch on parts of your body. A growl rumbles in its throat and through your teeth, but as its jaws draw towards your neck it stops to sniff your skin. The creature looks between you and the doll in its hand, chittering softly as its eyes switch between the mini you and the real thing. You crack a smile, blinking tears from your eyes.

"H-hey, big guy! My friends out there tell me you're a fan, and from the looks of you, you might be the biggest! What's your name?"

The creatures hisses return with vengeance at the mention of others, but break into gentle purrs at the acknowledgment of being your greatest fan. It lets you go, searching around and plucking something off the breast pocket of one of those dolls you saw earlier. It licks the rectangle clean of the viscous fluid staining its frontside. It shoves the nametag in your face, tapping its claws against the plastic.

"Kevin? Your name is Kevin?"

The creature coos again, nodding its head before dipping in to sweep its tongue cross your cheek. Your smile becomes a little more genuine as you wipe your face on your sleeve. You extend your arms as it drops the doll and holds out theirs. "It's nice to meet you, Kevin."

Crackposts because yes:

Clown Reader, pointing at the scientists hiding behind thick glass: Kevin, can you tell me who this is?

Kevin, growling: Sinclair....

Clown Reader: Right! [Points at themselves] Who am I?

Kevin: Spouse.

Clown Reader: It's Y/n, actually

Kevin: Mine.

Clown Reader: Y/n

Kevin: Love.

-

Clown Reader: Ok, gang! Hope you're all ready to meet the new member to our crew.

Clown Reader, walks back stage and pulls a paper mask over Kevin's head: Alright, Kev! This is your first show. If you be good, we can do all tons of stuff together. Remember our number one rule?

Kevin: No biting. No scratching. No eating. Smile and wave

Clown Reader: Wonderful! Well, we can't keep them waiting any longer

[Clown Reader leads Kevin outside who immediately side eyes a literal puppet, pointing at its sockets before pointing down at it. The puppet silently sinks below the table.]

[beatthegame]

I just beat the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. It's a direct sequel to it's predecessor, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is a first for the franchise? Perhaps Hyrule Warriors? Or Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link could be an exception but even that was a huge pivot from the original Zelda. But I digress...Storywise, Zelda games typically occur generations apart from each other. But this game is unique in bridging two games together within a couple of years. Nowadays, good sequels are rare. We usually go backwards through the prequel route but this game takes place just a few years after the events of BOTW. Not many sequels live up to outshine their originals. Often falling short in certain aspects. And Breath of the Wild, as a stand alone game, is an absolute masterpiece. One of the greatest adventure games I personally experienced. So when the developers announced that there would be a direct sequel to one of the greatest adventures ever made? It left a LOT to be desired. But does TOTK truly live up to the hype? Let's try to fuse all these elements together and try to make sense of it...

In a nutshell: It's like Minecraft in Hyrule! You take the same open world template from Breath of the Wild. Triple down on the map & add heavy emphasis on crafting abilities. Combined with hundreds of side quests, treasures, characters and challenges sprinkled across the largest open world in gaming history. (If you can find a larger open world in a game, please let me know.) When you boil it down, Tears of the Kingdom should be considered tears of joy!

The Good: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a BEAST of an adventure game! The cel shaded anime inspired graphics are simply gorgeous. These screenshots would be good enough for the artwork inside the 8-bit game manuals of years past. Trying to imagine those details on a 8-bit platform was great for the time. But being able to control those stillframes now like a beautiful moving painting is like a dream come true. Most open world games are pretty rich in terms of a playable area with missions sprawled across the land. But I don't think I've played a game world this deep? And I mean that literally. You have the vast continent of Hyrule to explore. Same map from BOTW. All of it's valleys, lakes, mountains, islands and more. And when I say more, I MEAN MORE. Because now you have islands hundreds of feet in the sky to explore. In addition to the underworld depths hundreds of feet below the surface. The deepest bowels of a planet you can think of? And it goes DEEPER than that! I find it difficult to express myself through words, how packed this game map is. But you have the freedom to explore it all, however you like! And boy, does this game offer a rich variety of CHOICE. Something I feel is an gift AND a curse in this game? For now, let's talk about how AMAZING it is to create almost ANYTHING your imagination can handle...based on the items scattered throughout the land.

Your Sheika technology from the previous game has been replaced with new Zonai fusion technology that will allow you to combine all sorts of objects, monster parts and broken vehicle pieces to construct all sorts of cool contraptions. From simple suspension bridges to complex flying automatons with rocket launchers! There's a bit of a learning curve to manipulate pieces and placing them in functional spots. But once you get the hang of it, it becomes 2nd nature. You can even save your creations to quickly assemble duplicate machines, which is convenient at times. But that is only ONE fraction of your creative capabilities. You are also able to create custom weapons, armor and arrows to expand your arsenal. You will need these abilities to explore the land, skies and depths of Hyrule. It's an experience that can grow beyond your imagination. Which sounds amazing. And it is, in so many ways. However, it also one if this game's many problems...

The Bad: I hate to say it, but this game is the very definition of "trying too hard". Breath of the Wild is off the charts fantastic! Almost a perfect game. So when you're tasked to make something great even better? Sometimes adding more ingredients to a stellar dish ruins the meal. Like, imagine the best 5 layer cake in the world...perfectly frosted, with sprinkles and a cherry on top...and now add a tomahawk steak, and a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, and nacho cheese fries with frosted flakes sprinkled on top of that? A bit much, right? That's how this game is... You have an entire world of objects and machine pieces and monster parts. But there's only so much you can do to actually function well in the game. What's the point of building an elaborate hovercraft when a crude assembly of logs & rocks can get the same job done? Which leads to the weapons. One of the main things I hated about BOTW are the fragile weapons that break after a few swings. This game not only brings back the shitty fragile weapon system, but now you have the burden of crafting your own weapons. Which is FUN... for about 5 minutes. But when you are in the heat of battle? Quickly assembling weapons or sifting through my entire inventory under durress was more annoying than it was fun. And don't get me started on the Blood Moon. A couple of times would have been ok but like every 10 minutes?! Give me a fucking break! Let me build this wooden helecopter in peace LOL!

But refocusing on the positive, overall, this was a fantastic gaming experience! But even though this play-thru was satisfying. There were too many flaws that effect the final score. Tears of the Kingdom would have been a decent spin-off game. Like, focus on the Sheika Lab team and have them rebuild Hyrule and deal with the Ganon threat with building gadgets. Harvesting minerals underground. Rebuilding towns devastated by the Calamity. That would've been cool. But as a Zelda adventure? It falls short when you compare it to the other masterpieces throughout the years. But when you put aside the competition? Tears of the Kingdom is a stellar game experience!

A-Class

[tar-maitime]

if you stay by my side

Rating: T Characters: Maedhros | Maitimo, Fingon | Findekano Relationships: Maedhros/Fingon, fem!Maedhros/Fingon Additional: War of Wrath, reunions, major character injury, angst, indefinite but hopeful ending WC: 1k

Direct follow up to the last part of "talking to the air"

Fingon has been fighting to get back to Russandol for years, decades now - in some ways since the moment he died, and actively since word came through the tapestries that a fresh army was being sent to Beleriand. The news of two new kinslayings, though they horrified him, did not stop him. The incredulity of his family, dead and living, once he made his course known to them, did not stop him. Nor did Námo’s remonstrations, nor his uncle Arafinwë’s attempts to keep him from the host, nor the slews of orcs and worse monsters that he’s been battling his way through since he landed.

None of it will stop him getting back to her.

And now - now - he happens to glance over at the second force that’s pinned the current batch of orcs in place for his people to finish off, and he sees crimson banners and cloaks and hair like flame, and he nearly freezes. Gray eyes lock with his across the battlefield in disbelieving recognition. He can almost feel the embers of a familiar fire in the back of his mind where the remains of their bond lie, shattered upon his death.

Then an orc chieftain comes up behind Russandol while she’s distracted by him, and plunges a black spear into a gap at the side of her armor.

(It’s at a place that is difficult to manage with one hand, an obvious weakness. She used to have him or Maglor or a trusted aide help her with it. How long has she been letting this slide, why has she been letting this slide...)

(He doesn’t have time to think about any of this in the moment, but later - later, he will.)

He doesn’t even think before cutting his way to her, fighting so fiercely that he’s there before her knees even start to buckle. His sword rams through the throat of the orc who dared touch her, and then Fingon isn’t paying attention to the battle anymore, because Russandol is staggering and falling and he moves to catch her and follows her to the ground, cradling her in his arms.

(Their respective troops have little to no idea what is going on, but they do their work well anyway, fighting past them and driving the orcs back, leaving the two of them relatively safe.)

Russandol’s breathing is shallow and shaky, but she still gazes up at him like he’s the greatest wonder of the world. “Finno,” she murmurs. “It’s you. You’re really here.”

“It’s me,” Fingon chokes out, his hands shaking as he fumbles with his free hand at his cloak. It’s filthy, and the spear probably did damage that staunching the blood flow won’t help, but he presses the fabric against Russandol’s side anyway. “I’m here, Russë, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay. You’ll be all right.”

“How...”

“Ssh, save your strength, all right? I’ll tell you all about it once the healers have fixed you up. We’ll have time.” He can’t lose her. Not now. Not when he’s just found her again.

Russandol laughs weakly. “Again with the...trying to bribe me to...see a healer.”

“Well, this time you will,” Fingon says firmly, then twists to look back towards the support lines and yell, “Medic! We need a medic!” Someone will hear. Someone has to. “The healers will get you taken care of and you’ll be fine. And we’ll be together again.”

“Now I know...you’re making things up,” Russandol says softly. “You wouldn’t want me. Not anymore. Not after...”

“I do,” Fingon says, absolute as granite. “Always. There is nothing you could do that would make me stop loving you.” That had taken some working through in the Halls, but all of his agonizing seems very far away now. “I love you and I want you and I will get you help - medic! - and when you’re better and this is over we’ll--” He searches frantically for something to keep her eyes open and on him. “We’ll finally have a home together. Like we used to talk about. Just stay with me, Russë.”

Her eyes flutter. She reaches her hand up shakily to cup his face. “Tell me more, Finno,” she whispers. “Can we have Gil visit us there? He’s king now...wouldn’ be able to stay all the time.”

“Of course he’ll visit,” Fingon promises. He’s seen their son since arriving on these shores, gotten to talk with him some. Gil-galad is deeply conflicted about his mother’s kinslayings, but they can reconcile. It just needs time. “He’ll visit all the time. And so will Maglor, he’ll drive us mad...”

“And the twins,” Russandol says, and for a moment Fingon thinks she means Ambarussa, now dead, but no - “Elrond. Elros. Adopted them without you - ‘m sorry.”

“They’ll be there, too. I already know I’ll love them, Russë. You’ll have to introduce us - they’re my niece’s grandsons, too, aren’t they?”

Russandol nods weakly. “You’ll take good care of them.”

“We both will,” Fingon says desperately, holding her just a bit tighter. “Russë, please, stay with me, hang on--” He thinks he can hear running footsteps in the distance, prays to anyone listening that they’re healers. “Please, I came for you, I was looking for you for so long, through this whole stinking war; you can’t go now when I’ve just found you.”

“Finno.” There are tears spilling out of the corners of Russandol’s eyes, but she tries to smile. “Finnonya. It’s okay. You’re here with me. I got to see you one more time. It’s enough.”

“It is not,” Fingon says, forcing back a sob and turning it into stubborn fury instead. “You don’t get to leave me alone, Russë, it’s not fair, I don’t care if you want to get me back for the Nirnaeth or whatever this is, pick something else.”

It’s telling, he thinks with a sinking feeling, that she doesn’t argue about the Nirnaeth. She just settles herself in his arms like she would settle into a bed at the end of a long day. “Love you,” she murmurs. “You don’t have to wait for me. If you don’t want. Or if I go to the Void. Can find an Indis. You should be happy.”

“I should,” Fingon agrees sharply, “and I need you, so stay with me, Russë, so help me, if you die I will come and drag you back from Mandos or wherever else they throw you. Don’t make me do it, Russë, meldanya, please, just hang on.”

Her hand against his cheek goes limp, and Fingon has time for a single second of bright, pure panic before a trio of healers with Fëanorian red armbands descends on them and pulls Russandol out of his arms, working over her and bundling her onto a stretcher to carry away. It all happens so fast that for long moments he simply kneels there, staring after them as they run with the stretcher. He doesn’t know what happens now. He doesn’t know what to do.

They didn’t cover her face. They were still trying to help her; when they took her away, they were hurrying. There’s still hope.

Fingon picks himself up and takes off running after them. Whatever comes next, he needs to be there for her.

[indigosabyss]

Writeathon Week 1: Roundup

Since I didn't want to clog up the feed too much, I'll be keeping talk of the streams to these weekly roundups. But follow my Twitch if you're interested!!

This week's target: 21,000 words Actual wordcount: 37,360 words Amount Left 'til One Million: 139,151 words

I have written. So many commissions. Updated so many WIPs. It's going great!! The full list of fics I worked on in these seven days is under the cut, but you can just read through my ao3 if you want an idea.

Start time for next week (17-23 Jun) will be 6 PM GMT+5

comm info | patreon | ko-fi

COMMISSIONS

(Patrons get monthly custom fics and are included in the comms. Total word count is included in the brackets here, but I've written the most recent chapters this week only.)

Where Do We Stand, On The Matter of Us? [N/A, 10k]

(DCST TsukaGen + QPR!SenGen)

At first, Tsukasa had thought that reviving Gen was a good idea. Then, he realized it was a fatal mistake. Even later, he realized that it was the greatest thing he could have done for the softly budding civilization that had sprung up in Japan. It was strange, having to stand by and know that all this was possible, simply because Gen hadn't stood by Tsukasa, all those months ago. To know that when he had been overlooked in favor of Senku, that choice had been right. Gen had already made his choice. So why did it feel like his hidden affections were being returned, as they crossed the ocean to America, and the enemies that lay there?

Me And My Friends Going to Pride As Allies [G, 2.6k]

(Ms. Marvel taken from my Pride Sponsorship List)

…They're all queer and think each of them is the only one.

It's Not An Odyssey If You Don't Know Where You're Going [T, 4k+]

(OMFD PJO!AU)

From a very young age, Stede Bonnet had displayed rather uncanny abilities. It started with the relentless harassment he had faced from his peers, whose rough shoves resulted in many skinned knees and purpling bruises. All of which disappeared in less than minutes. Of course, as a child, it never occurred to him that this was unusual. The glowing was more of a concern. On the oceans, he was free of judgement for his proclivities. But there was still plenty to be feared about the ichor that ran through his veins. So he kept quiet. Until he met another like him. Blackbeard, Edward Teach, and - few people knew this - son of Charybdis. Yes, like the sea monster.

Funny I Should Meet You Here [N/A, 5k]

(RyuuSen Childhood Friends to Strangers to Lovers)

Ryuusui met Senku when they were kids in elementary school. But after Ryuusui changed schools, they grew apart, their paths never to cross again. Until the Petrification Wave came, and thirty seven hundred years passed. Leading to Senku arriving at the land where the Nanami Academy used to stand. Two friends reunite. And buried feelings bloom into something new.

Playing A Mean Game [T, 8.5k]

(Post-The Marvels Kamala Khan transported to X-Men First Class) This one's on shaky ground bc a patron asked for this, but it was one of my own ideas. That's why I put it last.

Three months ago, Monica Rambeau sealed up the Incursion, with her on the other side. Tired of waiting, Kamala gathered up the Quantum Bands and brute forced her way through the Noor to get to her side. Except she gets deposited in a world that's almost exactly like the sixties of her own world. With the addition of a group of people she definitely would have remembered. Erik was just trying to stop Schmidt from getting his hands on another kid like him. He didn't take into account that he would have to keep an eye on her after that.

Personal Projects

(Recent Chapters restricted to One-Week Early Access)

You're Ten Billion Percent Not Alone [G, 7.5k]

(QPR!SenGen in High School AU based off Bloom Into You)

In a bid to secure the firstyear vote, student body president candidate Gen asks for Senku's help in the campaign, in exchange for a space to do experiments. What started as a flimsy alliance turned into a tangled mess, as Senku realized one very important similarity they both shared. ... They were same, until Gen ruined it.

An Overlord of Earth [N/A, 5k]

(Gwenpool x Hazbin Hotel Crossover)

When you die, the afterlife grants you unlimited power, as long as you have the ambition and the bloodthirst. Just stick it out in the boring, bland real world for your entire life, until you get to go wild in your second. Gwen had the power to manipulate reality to her whims, and she wasn't even dead yet! But her brother was. And she wasn't going to rest until she brought him back to life. So she was going to look through Hell, find Teddy, and everything would be great! Sure, the second she got there, she did a little murder. And then continued doing more murder. But she was allowed to have a little fun while looking for her brother. But why was this deer demon so interested in having her soul?

"I Will Always..." [G, 4.5k]

(dr stone canon compliant Byakuya fic)

Byakuya hadn't exactly planned on becoming a father. He felt more like he owed it to the memory of his friend to take Senku in. But Senku was an incredible kid. Clever and enthusiastic and resourceful and yet still needing a guiding hand to stop him from doing things that would probably end with him getting killed. And between stargazing and bleach, microscopes and marker ink, model rocket launches and actual astronaut training, Byakuya really started to believe that he could do this. Then the green light. Of course he was out of harm's way, safe in the ISS. But Senku- Well, there was always hope. He would always hope.

Starting With Saplings [N/A, 5k]

(Naruto 'Team Ro in Warring States Era' time travel au)

If you must fix something, you must start at the root of the problem. Except they already tried that and the Root was not very receptive to the idea. So... start before the problem even existed?? Except Team Ro didn't plan to come back to the past. They didn't have any concrete idea of what to fix. Most of them don't even think they have the jurisdiction to make such changes. But now, in the Warring States Period, they must do something. Because if everything they do has an effect anyway, might as well go down swinging.

The Last Surviving Member of the Archives (All Four of Them) [N/A, 29k]

(Magnus Archives; S5-spoilers)

Four separate timelines. In each one, only one person from the Archives team walks out alive. Scarred, changed, traumatized, but alive. Jon's alone in the Eyepocalypse. Martin lost his Jon into the Lonely. Tim has made it his mission to destroy any devotees of the Fears. And Sasha... Sasha has completed the Corruption portal started by Jane Prentiss. When she steps through it, she finds herself in a world where the Fears have won. And her three, long-dead coworkers are there too. Each without any explanation as to how this happened.

Vengeance and Sunshine [G, 71k]

(PJO x DCST crossover)

Ethan Nakamura survived everything the Greek pantheon had thrown at him, and now he could finally leave. Just him, now-mortal Apollo, the sun chariot, and the open skies. And then that day came. That day, when green light covered the world and turned the entire human population into stone. The gods were left abandoned, and thus faded. But the demigods remained. And they rose again. Against all the odds, Ethan Nakamura broke out of the stone by himself, and finds himself 3,700 years later in the Stone World, suffering from a re-opened stab wound and no idea what was happening. A lot had changed over the millennia. There were new (yet familiar?) gods, a continuous race of progress, and a leek-haired cannonball that broke every obstacle down with sheer determination. This was fine. He could work with this. The modern world will rise again. And so will the pantheons. ...Right?

[thek0ifish]

In the far future the earth will changed by the T-erebus virus no longer being a lethal virus but the primordial soup into the next chapter of evolution. Half of Humanity will evolve to adapt or simply adapt into the new red earth. Humans will not only suffer from the hostility of the red earth but also from overpopulation and the war against all the darkstalkers as technology advances so will magic. In the less technologically advanced parts of the world there will be villages and kingdoms as the war against humanity has become fierce. New and powerful enemies that will tear the world and balance apart as well as technology and magic, technology, sticks and stone go against one another in the red earth.

Not only that both sides have to survive and thrive in the ravenous land against monsters of the future that had evolved and adapted into the new age. Monsters resembling the beasts from mythology dragons and wyvern of all shapes and sizes. The monsters have evolved from each specific animal while a few who refuse to adapt had gone extinct while nature has plans.

However the greatest threat but also their greatest ally of all time. Hsien-Ko the one responsible of changing the planet that of today. The perfect organism now an urban legend amongst the innocent who cannot help themselves. In the far future she is the king of wolves who ruled over china but also the only being that can set things right and bring balance in order protecting humanity and darkstalker alike from the evil within our hearts. Hsien-Ko / Garo is earth corp's only enemy they have try to destroyed countless times.

In the far future Hsien-Ko / garo is what you get when you combined shatter glass megs, bayverse optimus prime, arkham batman and shin godzilla mix with ALL incarnations of garo shoved into a fucking blender and you get Hsien-Ko-Fanged wolf. She's the urban legend amongst the weak no matter where evil goes, she will strike all who seek to harm the innocent. Long live the king.

[randomnarutoausideas]

ObiRin Pirate AU

Based on One Piece and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Background:

In a world of near endless seas, with thousands of islands and a few continents strewn across the world.

Filled with mystery and danger, monsters and gods wander the world.

And in this world are those who live by their own code, pirates.

In the beginning there were 9 pirate lords: Gol D. Roger, James D. Flint, Jack D. Rackham, Anne D. Bonny, Mary D. Read, Edward D. Teague, Madara D. Uchiha, Hashirama D. Senju, Ashina D. Uzumaki, each ruling over a different area of the seas. Until Madara betrayed Hashirama and the two were said to have gone down with their ships in their final battle. Gol D. Roger was captured after having found the world’s greatest treasure and Jack Rackham was executed along with him. Only Edward Teague, James Flint, Anne Bonny, Mary Read and Ashina Uzumaki avoid grim fates.

The Uchiha and Uzumaki clans became two of the most powerful and influential families in history, both were rivals but still on rather good terms.

Listen to this as you read.

Story:

Once there was a young sailor named Obito who braved the fierce and endless seas of the world. His exploits became the stuff of legend, finding treasures, artefacts, knowledge, new lands and new civilizations.

Being a member of the infamous Uchiha family and a direct descendent of Madara D. Uchiha himself.

Obito dabbled in the supernatural and became known for using various powers on the sea, but he also proved to be a kind and benevolent man, protecting the sea and the innocent from those who would do harm.

This devotion to the sea and to adventure earned him the attention of sea goddess Rin, who had been lonely for many years, aside from the company of her avatar, the mighty three tailed turtle Isobu.

Obito saved Rin’s home from destruction and the two fell deeply in love.

For many years Obito and Rin were happy together. Until Rin decided to reward Obito’s love and devotion to both her and the sea with a sacred task, to ferry the dead of the sea to the afterlife. Obito agreed, and he would not step on land for ten whole years whilst performing this duty, and after those ten years, he would be allowed to return to land to be with Rin and a new ferryman would be found.

Obito devoted 10 years to the duty charged to him, carrying the souls of the dead to the other side.

And then when the 10 years were over, he returned to the spot where Rin had promised to meet him again after his task. However when he came ashore Rin was nowhere to be found, but Obito waited, and waited and waited.

Until on the dawn of the next day, Obito felt ill and an all encompassing pain engulfed him as if he were being crushed. He felt something pulling him away from land and back to the sea and before he knew it he was back on his ship, and every time he tried to go ashore he would be pushed back.

Obito was filled with rage, he felt betrayed by the Goddess Rin, whom he had given his heart, his freedom, his soul and his life to. He realised he was now cursed to be the ferryman of the dead for all eternity, and Rin was never coming, she had deceived and tricked him into giving up his freedom and his life and was now doomed to this fate.

Obito in a hate-filled rage summoned a great gathering of pirates from across the world and told them of how to imprison Rin, thus removing her power over the seas. They agreed and the nine most powerful pirates of all became the great pirate warlords of the seas. Using Obito’s vast knowledge of the supernatural they captured Rin and turned her into an ordinary human woman, severing her connection to the ocean and sealing Isobu deep inside her where he would not be able to break free without killing both himself and Rin.

After the deed was done Obito was overcome with grief and anguish at what he had done and what Rin had done. He was drowning in pain wishing, praying, begging it to stop, until finally he realised what he had to do. He took a knife and cut out his own heart, a heart which in his eyes had betrayed him, to stop himself from being heart broken.

Rin was languishing in agony and torment at being turned into a human, and Isobu imprisoned inside her. She cried for months, praying, hoping, wishing that Obito would come and rescue her and so they could be together again, for Rin did not know that it was Obito who had betrayed her.

For Rin had never betrayed Obito. For you see the seas are fickle and unpredictable just like the goddess who rules them. Rin truly loved Obito, she wanted to be with him forever and had even intended for him to become a god to be by her side. But now those dreams were gone, turned to nothing but ash.

After Obito returned to the sea, he became cruel and vicious, for now he was literally heartless. He became a nihilist and a sadist, ruthless and brutal in all ways, just as life had been to him. Now everyone feared him and avoided him at all costs.

Obito abandoned his duties as ferryman and instead became the dark and supernatural ruler of the seas, he created a loyal crew of artificial zombies called Zetsu, with a unique black one serving as his first mate. Over time Obito began to lose himself to his new curse, parts of his body began to fade from crossing back and forth from the land of the dead, until finally he became a ghostly spectre of a man, with his right arm and left leg turning ethereal and transparent. Using his vast knowledge of the supernatural he increased his powers tenfold so that no one would ever challenge him, ruling the dead and terrifying the living.

Yet the love he felt for Rin never turley went away, even with his heart cut out. He still loved her, no matter how hard he tried to stop.

Rin went into hiding becoming a powerful sorceress and pirate herself, but the pain at being trapped as a human still hurt her. Rin spent nearly every night praying and wishing for Obito to come for her and to save her from her torment. But he never did. Eventually she heard the stories of Obito and what he had become and it broke Rin’s heart even further to see the man she loved become a monster.

Cruel and cold like winds on the sea. Will you ever return to me?

Hear my voice, sing with the tide.

My Love will never die.

[llamagoddessofficial]

Thank you to @lost-immortality​ for commissioning this Death God Sans x Reader (plus a special guest~) piece! This was a joy to write!

The Mouth of the Underworld was legendary, to say the least.

It made sense that you’d want to see it, even just one time. When you entered and left the Underworld, it was through Sans’ ability to instantly bring himself anywhere he wanted, not via the Gates that separated the mortal world from that of the dead. Sans had been somewhat confused as to why you wanted to visit it (“not much to see, my love, it’s just a cave.”) but he’d been willing to take you. 

He was... concerned, however. If that was the right word for it. Because of what was guarding the Gates.

Cerberus.

Sans had raised the issue that it may not be a good idea to come to the Gates while the legendarily foul-tempered hellhound was present. He mentioned that Cerberus, while at the place he had unfailingly guarded for thousands of years, tended to become aggressive and overzealous; dangerous to be around, even for deities who normally had nothing to fear. Cerberus didn’t quite strike as much fear into the hearts of Gods and mortals as Sans... but that wasn’t a particularly high bar to cross- and it didn’t mean the creature was exactly beloved either. 

He was the reason Souls without Sans’ permission never made it out of the depths.

“Come on, it’ll be fine. I know you’re nervous but there’s no danger. I’m certain I’ll be safe if you’re with me, Sans...”

“you aren’t subtle. i know you’re trying to manipulate me.”

“It’s working.”

“yes, it is.” He stood from his desk, cloak manifesting from the silver brooches at his shoulders and flowing down his back like wine from a goblet. “we should go now, if we want to arrive before mortal sunset.”

...

It was an absolutely beautiful cavern. A cathedral-like white cave, pillars and signs of worship carved into the stone, sun beaming in from the cavern mouth... great ancient boughs of wisteria wound up the walls and ceiling, hanging thick grapelike bunches of violet and lilac flowers that filled the air with a sweet floral scent and carpeted the ground in soft purplish petals.

... And there he was. Cerberus... asleep as far as you could tell (thank the stars). Far, FAR larger than you’d expected- big enough to be mistaken for some kind of titan or hydra, enough to easily swallow unfortunate men whole. A looming skeletal dog; three great crowned heads, skulls bearing terrifying sword-teeth, the length of his body decorated with scars from years of defending the mouth to freedom. He was laying with his body blocking the mouth of the cave... you briefly wondered how many people had this silhouetted image as the last thing they saw before being violently sent back to the depths of the Underworld.

...

One of his heads, the middle one, opened a socket. Not asleep anymore. You flinched back- Sans placed a steadying touch on your shoulder, no doubt used to people fearing the Guardian. Cerberus had lights in his deep void eyesockets, like his master; observant and sharp as they rolled to land on you. How many Souls had he seen come and go? A single breath from one head sent up a cloud of petals.

Something new... 

... As if the central head had whispered to the others, the other two lifted and glared across the cave at you... you were safe with Sans, right? Right. You backed into him even more and he moved his hand to your forearm. Part of you wanted to ask a thousand questions, is this normal, are we fine? but the other parts of you didn’t dare speak in case it agitated the monster.

... Cerberus fully raised all three heads, dragged his clawed feet underneath him, he’s standing? The sound of bone scraping against rock filled the seemingly endless chamber, petals tumbled down from his shoulders and off his back, he must’ve been there for years... he turned...

...

... And leapt toward you. 

You were certain for a moment that he intended to crush you under one humongous paw but, to your shock, as he moved through the air he shrank. When he jumped he was a beast with teeth as big as your head...

... And when he landed in a light shower of petals, just before you, he was merely the height of a lion, his shoulder perhaps at your waist height. The guardian of the gates stood before you...

... Then barked, play bowed, and rolled onto his back.

...

You immediately gasped, dropping onto your knees out of Sans’ hold, rubbing the exposed ribcage like you were ruffling fur. Cerberus’ first head stuck out a glowing blue tongue, and the middle one barked again, skeletal tail thudding against the ground fast enough to resemble a heartbeat.

“Oh my goodness, you’re just... so fearsome, aren’t you?” You cooed, scratching his ribs. “The stories were right, I’m terrified! Are you the scariest beast in all three realms? Yes you are, yes you are...”

Cerberus eventually rolled back over again, jumping up, pushing his middle head against your face- you couldn’t help but laugh, enthusiastically petting him, and the first head insistently pressed against you too to the point where you would’ve gotten bowled over if you hadn���t quickly readjusted your footing to dole out attention to both.

... Sans chuckled. You were hardly paying attention to him. The third head, apparently a little calmer than the other two fussing you, lifted to greet Sans at your side.

“first you steal my heart,” Sans said, giving Cerberus’ greeting head a small, affectionate scratch on the jaw. “then a place in my bed. and now you steal my hellhound... honestly, when are you going to let me rest?”

“Never.” You wrapped your arms around the two close heads. “This is my puppy now, I’ll fight for him.”

“no need. you seem to be his favourite.”

As if to confirm Sans’ observation, you were gifted the blessing of a very gross lick on the side of your face by the head that’d just returned from greeting his master. 

... You soon realised a predicament- something that was, perhaps, the greatest tragedy that could befall you. It made your heart drop. You turned, looking up at your betrothed, rubbing one of the insistent noses that pressed against your cheek. 

“Sans. You can curse people, right?”

... He raised a curious brow. “... yes.”

“Find whichever horrible monster decided I could only have two arms, and give them the worst curse you have.” Two arms, three heads... injustice. “They need to suffer unendingly for their cruelty.”

“i’ll see to getting that done for you, love.” He teased. “until then... cerberus is one being, so i’m sure he won’t mind your predicament. he seems happy to receive the attention, regardless of the head.”

“You’re really going to look at this adorable creature and tell me you don’t want to pet every head at once?”

Sans laughed, seemingly unable to help himself, a beautiful dark sound. You weren’t sure if it was your adamancy to bestow love on Cerberus, or your declaration that he was ‘adorable’ that apparently entertained him so much... but it always felt nice to make Sans laugh.

“... Hey. Now that I think about it... looks big and scary, is feared through both heaven and earth, but is secretly adorable and gentle... you two are more alike than I thought you’d be!”

“come now. you can’t be saying things like that.” He smirked. “i have a reputation to uphold.”

You held Cerberus’ most affectionate head, the first, and pressed a kiss to his skeletal muzzle as revenge for his gross lick.

“... I know you said he comes and goes from the palace as he pleases... but I really hope he follows us. Otherwise I’m going to have to come here every single day.”

... You were half joking, in your dedication to return to see your new dog. But luckily for you, you didn’t need to make the journey- Cerberus, the ‘untamable’ monstrous hound, wouldn’t leave your side for a moment and loyally followed you and Sans all the way back to the palace, barking and wagging his tail the whole time.

...

Well. Now that made two ancient underworld-dwelling skeletal godmonsters that developed an instantaneous affection for you. Maybe you had a knack?

[dreamkidddream]

Drop Dead || Witch!Yosano

So this was both suggested and something that I already planned, cause she doesn’t get enough love imo 😞 but this is my first time writing for her too so yayyyy 🥳 Also thought it would be cool if she practiced necromancy. we stan ✨ Doctor ✨ Yosano in this house 😌 Reader is gender neutral!

CW: blood

Dream’s Spooktober 2021

You see, in the village, there was a rumor spreading like the plague itself.

An evil witch, worse than the Devil himself, having the forbidden power of raising the dead with just a single touch. But just as she can raise the dead with just a touch, she can also make people take their last breath with that same touch. The other villagers warned of her dark magic roaming through the forest, and Saki swore he saw the monster with his own two eyes. He recounts the monster doing the ritual, the malicious smile spread across her face as she hacked away at the poor soul piece by piece, only then to resurrect them as another one of her mindless servants-

(But Saki is also the village drunk, so who knows how much truth his words hold). You just chalked it up as another story to keep children from wandering and misbehaving.

That was until you came face to face with the witch herself.

You would have been in complete awe at how much grace and power she displayed in her stance alone (hell you still were), if you weren’t currently dying and trying to stop the blood from gushing out of your stomach.

“My my, what do we have here?”

When she kneeled down and placed her hand so delicately on your cheek, you couldn’t help but melt into it. It was so warm, she was so warm. You didn’t realize how cold you are, and her eyes narrowed in concern when she felt it too. “Tell me, how did this happen?”

“It was-“, you coughed, wincing from both the pain and the small specs of blood that clung onto her cloak. “The villagers. They-they casted out. Deemed me as an outcast! Kajii ac-accused me of- practicing the dark arts and convinced Father Mori that I- I should be burned at the stake! I ran away before they could chain me up, but the other villagers- they started to chase after me…and-and-”

“So he still hasn’t learned from his mistakes huh? Still deciding to play judge, jury, and executioner.”

She had heard enough.

“I guess I have to go and teach them myself.”

The sadistic gleam that came across her face sent shivers down your spine (or maybe it was from the blood loss?), but the look soon vanished as she started to lift your ripped tunic. “But, I’ll have to wait for now. I have to treat you after all, and I would hate if you just perished from a small wound like this.”

“Small?! You call this small?!”

“Well of course. I’ve seen and handled much worse than this. It would be a shame to let you die, especially at the hands of those so undeserving.”

“Please, I don’t- I don’t want to die!”

“And I will make sure that you don’t.”

With conviction in her voice, she started to wipe away your tears. “But first, I should introduce myself properly.”

Holding out her hand, you watched as a flurry of glowing butterflies flew from it and began to take shape, of what you couldn’t tell yet, but you were in complete awe at the sight. 

“I am Akiko Yosano, a healer. I’m not sure what those idiots at the village told you, but I don’t practice necromancy, because I don’t give people the chance to die in my hands.”

She’s the witch?!

The shape finally manifested, and you felt your heart stop.

“But while my methods can be seen as cruel, I see it as a true blessing. Being able to bring them back after seeing the light flee from their eyes just to be full of life mere moments later no matter the injury…a true blessing indeed.”

A cleaver, as long as her legs, was held in her hands.

“I’m known as one of the greatest healers to ever grace this land, but I don’t get to show off as much I want to. You see, in order for my healing to work, they need to be on the brink of death.”

Oh no-

“Now, don’t look so scared. You won’t be killed- in a lot of pain, yes- but you won’t die. You’ll be healed before you know it, which is a pity for me-”

You tried to crawl away, but seeing that she whipped the tip of the blade centimeters away from your nose, you took that as your one and only warning.

“I would prefer to do this back at my home, I have much more toys to play with than this, but it’ll do. Now then-”

She lifted the blade high above her head-

“No- nononononono! Please don’t!”

“Now, I swear by my hand, thou shall not die!”

Your shrill screams echoed through the forest as she brought the blade down.

—-

“And you got this information…from the town drunk?”

Okay, now that she’s saying it out loud, it doesn’t sound very credible-

“Ow!”

“That’s what you get for listening to that man,” she just shook her head as you rubbed the growing sore spot on your forehead. After being “treated” by the wit- Yosano, she’s been gracious enough to let you stay at her small home. Here you are, drinking tea and going through all your troubles and what lead up to this point. It was odd, you two were talking like everything was normal. HA! Like your life will ever have some sense of normal again after this.

While you don’t remember much of her “treatment”, you do remember the feeling afterwards and the wave of butterflies that followed after. You felt so light, so airy, as if you were living among the clouds not a single care in the world. You accepted that wow, she was telling the truth- but you’re very careful to not let yourself get injured again.

“Well I guess it doesn’t matter now, not like you can go back anyway.”

Her words brought a sting of pain to your chest. It wasn’t like she was wrong, you couldn’t go back even if you wanted to. The very people who you come to look at as family were the same ones ready to watch the flames consume your body alive. Even if you explained how you weren’t practicing dark magic, how could you explain your wounds healing and walking around basically brand new? They would just make sure that you wouldn’t get away this time-

“But, I have an offer to make to help with your…situation.”

That snapped you out of your thoughts.

“I’ll let you stay here, if you become my assistant.”

“Your assistant? How could I exactly help you? I can’t do any magic, I’m pretty much useless-”

Her cup clattered against the table. “Not true. You think just because you don’t have the power to do magic that your life loses meaning? Goodness, it’s a good thing you did get out of that village when you did.” She stood up and brushed the imaginary dirt off, and then made her way towards you.

“Listen (Y/N), all life has meaning, and no one else has the ability to change that. The fact that they tried to take that from you, that they tried to kill you- it’s a disgrace and a slap to the face to what life truly is. I vow to crush anyone who holds life with so little regard with my bare hands!” She balled her fists up, then extended her arm to you. You couldn’t stop yourself from flinching, thinking that she was going to strike you for saying something so foolish-

But instead, she held her hand out.

“Stay by my side, and let me show you how valuable your life truly is (Y/N).”

Your life…being valuable? Even after how pathetic you looked to her? Can you really trust her words? Did she really your life as valuable? An outcast with no power, no status, seen as valuable?

But, would she have saved you if she didn’t think it was?

It’s not like you have anything else to lose, and you know that you just met her but…it was obvious that she saw something in you that you didn’t see.

And you wanted to see what convinced her that your life is valuable.

You gripped her hand, a tearful but appreciative smile on your face.

[doodle-pops]

Once again, you returned to healing waters of Ivrin. You always found comfort there, when you floated on water surface and listened to the music of wind, water and life. You needed this, after the loss of your dear friend Denethor, leader of the Green elves - Nandor or Laiquendi as they used to call themselves.

You wept and wailed and howled your grief up to the stars, the only lights that the Darkness could never reach and drown in its depths. The memories of hunting along his side - not as tamed beast, but as a friend were still all bright and clear. You guarded his lifeless body, pierced with orcish steel and arrows, until his people found it and you were there to bid farewell to his fëa.

* * * * * *

Unlike many of your kin, servants of the Great Hunter Oromë, you remained in Middle-Earth, when Melkor had been defeated ages ago. You helped to guide the Children of Eru on their way to Blessed realm, bathing in the treelight, even if you refused to leave the eastern shores of Belegëar. Elves have met you both in a form of great pristine white wolf with golden eyes and in a form of one them - an elleth with snowy hair and eyes of sunlit amber.

You couldn't bear the thought of leaving the rest of the world without seeing its wounds healed. It was still your home, even if there was nearly nothing left from the the realm of Almaren, lit with Aulë's lamps. Or even its ruins. Still, there were places still carrying the ancient bliss of Spring of Arda, Pools of Ivrin being among them.

* * * * * *

You watched the first moonrise all astonished with the brightness, that seemed to calm the soul and yet fill it with longing for something you couldn't pinpoint. As you scrutinized the Moon, you finally recognized, what it actually was. You cheered and waved at Tilion, one of your brethren.

Still it could not prepare you for the glory and beauty of the first sunrise. At first you nearly panicked, thinking that great wildfire was about to burn down Middle-Earth to a crisp. Instead, this much brighter light chased away creatures and monsters of shadows and evil. It lifted up your spirit, burdened with losses. And it brought new life into the land. You could sense trees, flowers and bushes rejoicing in it, along with animals from tiniest insect to greatest of eagles of Manwë.

It soothed your soul and you remained here, welcoming the healing. These days, you walked around these healing waters, you hunted in the woods surrounding it, and whenever you felt need for companionship, it was easy to find some of the Sindar in nearby settlements.

* * * * * *

It didn't take long before the news of hosts of Noldor reached you. Some of the locals were afraid, they would take their lands as their own and chase them away from their homes into the wild. Others wondered why these elves returned from land that should be a paradise and some even believed, they came to aid all in the fight with the Enemy.

You wanted to know the truth, and so you decided to go and watch them from afar at first. You didn't need to look for them actually. As you were getting ready and allowed yourself one last bath in the healing waters, you suddenly sensed someone's stare upon you.

You didn't show any sign of noticing that one's presence, still seeming to be bathing and daydreaming in all your naked glory of your elven form. At the same time, your advanced senses soon found the intruder and you could sense their fëa. It reminded you of an eager child, ever-curious, but there was also wisdom and cautiousness. This one seemed to have already countered danger or even something foul, wearing the mask of beauty. There was also shadow of grief, sorrow and pain of loss. You braced yourself for possible attack and decided to confront the one watching you.

Your eyes quickly found that one, a golden-haired ellon with sea-blue-grey eyes.

"Show yourself! Come out of your hiding and make yourself known instead of spying on bathing maiden!"

Your keen eyes easily noticed bright blush of his cheeks as he found himself cought peeping. He backed from his hiding with startle and fell on his butt. Once he recovered from his startle, the ellon apologized and introduced himself with no small amount of familiar dignity.

His name was Findaráto, firstborn son of Arafinwë, the youngest son of Finwë.

* * * * * *

Since the day of your meeting, you befriended Finrod and his siblings, and after some prying you learnt of the reason, that had Noldor leave Valinor. News of destruction of both trees saddened you, but not as much as the news of division between the Valar and elves and the bloodshed in Swan Havens.

You loved the Firstborn dearly. They were like younger siblings to you. You always felt drawn to them, as well as you felt a need to protect them from danger and to share the beauty of the world around that was home to both of you.

You helped them to settle in free lands and saw to that those from Valinor would treat locals well. You also helped Noldor to adjust to living in lands beyond the protection of Valar and made sure, that at least some of them will learn the full extent of danger that they could come across sooner or later.

Finrod became your closest friend and the forming bond between you helped you to recover from loss of Denethor. You still missed him, but it troubled you no longer. Perhaps because Finrod never seemed to be bothered by your stories of him.

The golden-haired prince admired both your elven and wolf form. Once again you could enjoy hunts together with your elven friend or simple exploring hikes, when you showed him all the beautiful places and spots.

You often visited him in Nargothrond when it was built and more than once you accompanied him on his journeys during the Long Peace. Together you found the Secondborn Children of Eru. You comforted him, when his first friend among the Secondborn, Beor died of old age.

Despite the days of Long Peace, you were sure the Enemy would strike again and there were days, when you couldn't help, but wonder, why it was so calm, without even smallest of orc skirmishes. It was calm before the storm for sure.

* * * * * *

When the dreaded war came, it still was unexpected even by you. You helped Finrod as much as you could getting out of Serech and retreating to Nargothrond. You had to part, in order to lure the forces of Enemy away from him. You succeeded in that, but there was nothing to celebrate.

Worse, this time, you couldn't easily return to Nargothrond woith enemy on your heels and so, this time Finrod had to deal with loss of two of his brothers on his own.

You had to watch Minas Tirith upon Tol-Sirion burn and turn into Sauron's foul fortress, where he bred werewolves. You took it upon yourself to hinder him to increase their numbers, but it was hard, close to impossible even.

It was a neverending game of hide-and-seek-and-destroy. Were you not a Maia of Oromë, you would have collapsed more than once already through sheer exhaustion.

One night, your already nightmare-plagued sleep was chased away by voices. You were startled; you recognized both of them. What madness drove Finrod into battle of songs of power with one of the mosto poverful Maiar?!

Nonononononono. NO!

It was unbearable to hear Finrod's voice and song fail. You couldn't afford to loose such dear friend again! For weeks you scouted around Sauron's fortress, always hiding from tiniest of eveil shadows, to find a way to get Finrod out of there. You managed finally. You slowly neared to his cell, when you noticed that an alarm went off deeper in the fortress. It confused you, you made sure, noone would find out about you too soon!

As you listened, you heard distant and a bit muffled growls and barks and pained yelps of werewolwes and others of some powerful canine. You couldn't let this oportunity pass. You rushed through the dungeons, only to find Finrod tearing his chains and getting ready for his final stand in order to protect his human friend. You were shocked when you saw how thin he got, with dark circles around his bright eyes. You wasted no time, you barged in, taking on your wolf form and attacked the werewolf.

The monster stood no chance against you and when you finally managed to kill it, all three of you heard another voice, pure as starlight and powerful too.

You turned back into an elleth and suddenly collapsed - the monster sure had a nasty bite and a poisonous one. You started feeling dizzy and collapsed after a while.

When you woke up again, You found yourself on soft, gently cooling grass, Finrod sitting nearby, looking much better now. there was his human friend as well nearby, with young lady you knew from tales, daughter of Maia Melian.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, friend," you smiled tiredly. Before you knew, Finrod cradled you in his arms.

"Please, have rest, my saving grace," Finrod kissed the top of your head. You wanted to say something about how hard you are to kill. but it felt too nice.

The Beauty and The Beast, Arafinwëan edition

by looooooong scroll anon. Upsies. I got carried away. <(*///*)>

Don't worry, my hands always slip when the idea is good.

This is sweet, saving Finrod from death and falling in love with this little cute bean. Truly a beauty and the beast moment. ☺️

[dogbearinggifts]

What are your thoughts on tua S2? Did you feel like the characters grew? What did you like? What did you not? I’m interested in your perspective. Your analysis are super thoughtful and interesting!

Aw, thanks, Anon!

Overall, I really enjoyed S2 and thought it was a solid follow-up to S1. I do have my quibbles about it, so I think (for ease of reference and because my thoughts are a little scattered today) I’ll list some of my personal highlights (in no particular order) before getting into what I didn’t like as much.

Big spoilers ahead.

Allison. I thought they handled her storyline especially well. Of all the siblings, I think she had the most difficult obstacles placed in her way (not only is she a Black woman landing in 1961 Dallas, but she’s a Black woman landing in 1961 Dallas who can’t even speak in her own defense for a year) and they sugarcoated exactly none of it. The writers pulled no punches when showing what civil rights protesters went through, which just made their nonviolent response all the more breathtaking. Allison’s fear and anger during those scenes were palpable even as she kept them hidden. But along with that horror, we see the kindness and warmth of the Dallas Black community, the women who take her in simply because she needs their help, and her love for Ray, perhaps heretofore THE most thoughtful husband ever portrayed on screen. I loved him, and I loved him and Allison together. While I understand and respect his choice to stay in 1963, I wish they’d gotten more time together. They both deserved it.

Vanya. We got to see how much the baggage from her past affected her by glimpsing what she might be like if it were taken away. It’s an interesting philosophical question, and it was explored well, in my opinion. She finds it easier to love and be loved, and she stands up for herself more readily—but she also doesn’t hesitate to use powers she can’t quite control and threatens Five without fully realizing how dire her threat is (or how it might dredge up traumatic memories she doesn’t know exist). The moment where Ben finds her curled up, fully convinced she’s a monster, was heartbreaking. I loved watching her find happiness with Sissy, even if that was fleeting (and dear god, Sissy deserved her happy ending with Vanya, dammit, I don’t care if it would fuck up the timeline). Her patience and sweetness with Harlan were just beautiful. And the way she used the confidence she gained during her amnesia to fully come into her own not to exact revenge on her siblings, but to save them, was fucking phenomenal.

The humor. There was a lot more humor this season, and it was awesome. So many iconic scenes—Olga Foroga, Luther babysitting two homicidal Fives, Elliot awkwardly lecturing his guests on the history of Jello, “NEW TIMELINE NEW ME,” “Your vagina needs glasses,” AJ the fish gobbling up the cigarette bubbles, Five getting to say “fuck”….this season was a lot funnier than the previous one, and I think that was one of its strengths.

Klaus’ cult. It was played for laughs, which I both expected and thought was the best way to handle it. He didn’t want to start a new religion with himself at the center; he just wanted to not get thrown out of any more diners, but Destiny’s Children had other ideas. The “I too am a fraud!” scene was hilarious and tickled the question of whether or not a religion founded on false pretenses can still help those within it find meaning.

Luther. Getting him away from his dad, his siblings, and the Academy was exactly what he needed to become the pure of heart and dumb of ass genius we always knew he was, but his first major step in that direction was heartbreaking. We all knew he’d be rejected once he got to the Academy. We all knew Reginald would rip his heart out and stomp on it in his admittedly fashionable shoes. It gets Luther out on his own and forces him to become his own person apart from his dad, but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch. He got the positive character development he needed, but the catalyst was tragic.

Diego. We see, for the first time, exactly how Reginald kept him in line—not with meds or with PTSD-inducing torture, but with words. Even when he knows Diego as little more than a stranger, Reginald is able to rip off his skin and fling it in his face with a single diatribe; and even at 30, with years away from his dad, Diego is left unable to speak, feeling as if all of his accomplishments up to that point were the work of a dumb kid who thought he was smarter and more capable than he actually was.

Luther and Diego sharing a braincell. Luther has bad ideas. Diego has bad ideas. When they put their bad ideas together, they get terrible ideas. I loved watching them work together as a team, rather than being at each others’ throats for most of the season, even if I’m left hoping Olga Foroga had a pleasant and quiet day after that phone call.

Reginald. At first glance, it may look like the writers were trying to make him likable so they could parade him around as your average abusive-parent-with-a-soft-side. But it’s more nuanced than that. Abusive parents (and abusers in general) often fly under the radar because they fool outsiders into thinking they’re good people. They’re active in their communities. They give to charity. They have friends who attest to their virtue, significant others who think they’re the greatest. And that’s what we see with Reginald. We see him as the rest of the world did: an intelligent, eccentric man with a sharp sense of humor who cared deeply about scientific advancement. That’s how he evaded suspicion—because there were stories from years past of lively parties at his mansion, of what a gentleman he was to Grace and of how he did everything he could to save little Pogo. But those stories would all have come from people he considered his equals. When he’s with people he considers his inferiors—aka, the Umbrella kids—he’s openly condescending and demeaning. We get to see how he fooled the world, and it is chilling.

Elliot. He deserved better, and you can ship him with any one of the Hargreeves kids and get the cutest thing ever. 

The Swedes. They said so much while speaking very little.

Ben. He got more personality and screen time, and it was glorious. His love of his family and resentment toward Klaus practically leapt off the screen. The way he says “I’ve missed you all…so much” once they’ve all left was one of those right-in-the-feels moments; and watching him get so much of what he’s wanted for years when he possesses Klaus was beautiful.

Now, as for things I took issue with….

Ben. I understand why they ended his arc the way they did. I get that they were probably afraid the Klaus/Ben dynamic would grow stale if they didn’t change it somehow and wanted to give him a larger role in S3. His death(???) was heartbreaking and extremely well-done. But it also wasn’t foreshadowed. We never got any sense of what ghosts in the TUA ‘verse are, so the fact they can be destroyed by a ton of sound-turned-energy or by going too far into someone’s psyche or whatever happened….it’s not that it doesn’t make sense so much as there’s not enough evidence to determine whether or not it makes sense. It feels like the writers just kinda made that up so they’d have a reason to change Ben’s relationship dynamics, but if that’s the case, couldn’t they have done it another way? Couldn’t they have made it so the immense energy or psychic woo-woo or whatever gave him a power-up instead of destroying him? Vanya transferred some of her energy into Harlan and brought him back to life. Couldn’t something similar have happened with Ben? And if it tied him to Vanya as well as to Klaus, great! More fodder for angst and humor! (”Vannyyyyyyyy, stop hogging Ben!” “You got him for 17 years, Klaus, you can part with him for 20 minutes.” “Guys, don’t I get a say in this?”) I’m glad they didn’t write him out of the series entirely, but I still wish they’d kept him and all the character development he’d gotten throughout S2.

Episode 10. It looks like they tried to cram half a season’s worth of developments into 45 minutes. Twenty minutes in, I’d already said “Wait what the fuck” half a dozen times. A lot of those moments were explained later on, and I was able to make enough inferences to fill in any lingering plot holes, but…still. Too much stuff, too little time. E9 was a perfectly satisfying ending to the season. Yes, it leaves the siblings stranded in 1963, but they could’ve tied up those loose ends in the S3 premiere.

Lila. She’s an incredibly fun character, but her arc is kind of a mess. Most of that is due to E10, and I do feel that more time to let her arc breathe would’ve worked wonders, but I’m left feeling like her turn from “Handler is the best mom ever and I lurve Diego too” to “KILL DIEGO AND HIS EVIL FAMILY” to “Handler is a bad mom and Diego is right” happened too quickly.

The Commission. Okay, so, the Handler announces the entire Board has been killed, and she’s stepping in as director even though everyone appears to know she’s been demoted (and demoted pretty severely—she went from having an office bigger than some apartments to being a case management drone). There’s suspicion and lots of it. But then, La Resistance is….ten or so people in a single room? And when she calls the temps agents to her side, thousands of them show up ready and willing to fight and die? I dunno. Just seems like there should’ve been more splintering going on there. Again, I think they needed more time to tie everything up.

Aside from those complaints, I loved the season. I set aside most of a day to binge it, and I do not regret that decision at all.

[aquilaofarkham]

title: mishpachah rating: T+ word count: 3,085 summary: Five years after rebuilding the manor—and the birth of a new Belmont into the world—Trevor decides to share an old recipe with his newfound family.

For @fibulaa 💛  Thanks so much for commissioning me!

READ HERE

The first bread Trevor Belmont ate while living his newly orphaned vagabond life was so dry it cut at the inner walls of his throat. He swallowed each bite with grimace after grimace, knowing that despite the pain, the already hardened child of thirteen could stave off starvation for a little while longer. Until he tasted the faintest tinge of copper on his ruined tongue.

Putting those years far behind, he now stands in front of a wooden counter, blurry eyed and with a yawn reminiscent of a sun drunk cat. It seems clean at first glance but in every corner Trevor notices fragments of past meals which he tried wiping away once they were finished and placed on a more pristine table meant for family. Bits of salt, half minced vegetables, and crumbs of bread much softer than the ones belonging to a later childhood he would rather forget. This kitchen, warm in its early morning sunlight, was the final instalment of the manor, newly risen from the ashes. Or rather, simply rebuilt thanks to the calloused, blistered, and splintered hands. No more ruined stone, no more fire blackened beams holding together little less than an architectural skeleton. The somewhat mirror image of Trevor’s lost home has been faring better than the castle. Too many memories, fresh, ranging from bitter to incomprehensible.

Slowly, he grows conscious of his surroundings and his own self. A continuing habit of being the first to wake not just in this manor hold but in life. Reluctantly opening his eyes prior to dawn covering the landscape while still traveling alone only to drag a pair of worn boots back along a similar muddy road. Trevor never wanted to wake up before the sun. He just couldn’t bear to stay in the same place for much longer whether due to the laundry list of dangers or more often than not, his newfound hatred of whichever backwater hamlet he unfortunately found himself in.

He’s happy to wake up early. Happy to never feel a need to leave or escape, happy to know that lack of food replaced with pints of liquid pleasure mixed with death will never plague him again. Happy to prepare breakfast in a hot iron pot over a well stoked fire. What he thought he lost forever has come back, along with new additions to the family he’s carved out.

Another presence bounds her way into the kitchen and ambushes Trevor from behind. He’s not old—not yet, he’ll give it time—but years of drinking have made their permanent stay, dulling the more acute senses. Makes it easier for a five-year-old to catch him off guard. Trevor’s eyes bolt open as tiny arms hold him in a tight cage.

“Good morning, papa!”

His ears ring at the sound of Mirele’s loud voice, but at least he won’t have to worry about nodding off. He stares down at the youngest Belmont who looks as though someone had split Trevor and Sypha straight down their centres into four pieces and sewed each differing half onto the other in order to create a new person. A homunculi of messy dark chocolate hair, bright eyes shining with blue ice, full rosy cheeks somehow conspicuously smeared with some sort of dirt or jam, and enough energy to wear out an electric powered jackrabbit. 

“How’s my little monster doing this morning?” Everything Trevor says is laced with his own personal touch of affection and Mirele loves it.

“Mama and papa are still asleep. Help me wake them up! Pleaseeee?”

This doesn’t surprise him; Sypha has always preferred to savour her last moments of sleep longer than normal and Alucard is… well, Alucard.

“Tell you what.” Trevor places a lid onto the simmering pot with a heavy clank. “While this heats up for our breakfast, we’ll go wake up those lazy bones.”

“Right!” Hand in smaller hand, the two make their way upstairs into the shadowy master bedchamber. Curtains drawn with only a sliver of light cutting its singular path across the floor and over two distinct lumps covered by blankets and furs. They seem conjoined, linked in each other’s arms, unaware that a third party has been missing for long enough. Mirele plunges into the room first, jumping onto the bed as all children do when parents refuse to join the land of the conscious. She playfully shoves and cuddles her way between the two bodies who sink deeper beneath the covers, lazily moaning like ghosts.

“Mama! Papa! Wake up! It’s time to get up!”

Trevor hopes that his tactic of throwing open the weighted curtains works in a more effective manner. Listening to the rising chorus of wordless protests coming from behind, he’s pleased with the results. “Never thought I would be the one setting a good example for our daughter.”

“Do not get cheeky, especially this early.” Sypha’s response spills out like running water. It’s clear her mind isn’t quite all there yet. But she can scoop Mirele into her arms, find every ticklish spot, and illicit giggles that only canines might hear. “At least we both know how to have fun, right my sweet?”

“Vampires… nocturnal…” A deeper, muffled voice emerges from under one of the pillows.

“Something you’d like to share with us, Alucard?” Trevor quips, amused at how the other father of the household can never seem to shake off his morning dishevelment. Perhaps sleeping in a coffin would help—a very large one so he doesn’t have to be alone. Alucard reluctantly removes the pillow as tangled heaps of gold fall over his face.

“Vampires are supposed to be nocturnal. Would you rather I burst into ashes upon contact with the sun? Think of our girls, Trevor.”

“We’ve all seen you in the sun before, it’s about as dangerous as a clove of garlic.”

“I have my own means of physical protection. Far beyond your measly human comprehension, love.”

“Personally, I’ve been able to comprehend you plenty.”

Mirele stares up at Sypha, her bushy brows furrowed. “What does… comp… sshhheshion mean?”

“It’s just another word your fathers use whenever either of them want to feel smart.” 

Alucard gives Sypha a gentle pinch on either side of her abdomen. “I thought you were on my side.”

“What about my side?” Trevor asks, excelling at the greatest strength he possesses—the ability to never take anything seriously, only when he must.

“I’m hungry,” Mirele speaks up. “Hungry and bored. Can we eat now?”

--

This life is not normal, but then again it is. It always has been for them. Normal once meant coming together because of violence, encroaching darkness, and some flimsy prophecy stringing them along one dead body at a time. A prophecy which never said what had to be done after they followed it to the hard earned letter. Perhaps that’s why Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard floundered afterwards. No instruction on how to live their upturned lives.

Fuck prophecy.

They made this life by their own standards and in accordance with their own desires. They loved how they wanted to love and no prophecy could have foreseen Mirele. How she calls for her father while both Trevor and Alucard turn their heads at the same exact second. How she quickly calms herself when presented with a bowl of warm oatmeal drowning in honey and wild fruits hand plucked from the surrounding forest. But it’s not enough. Nothing ever is for someone always growing, always wanting more from life at such a young age.

“Can I have bread?”

Trevor, half way through his bitter coffee, turns to Sypha then Alucard as all three parental figures exchange glances. They haven’t the heart to tell Mirele. No bread at the ready, only the necessary ingredients and a considerable amount of flour bags to blanket Enisala. There’s the option of making it themselves, yet it depends on a certain someone’s capacity for patience.

“How do you feel about baking our own?” Trevor’s voice wavers, which he tries to mask with his characteristic dry tone. It’s been a long time since he’s made bread. Then again, helping the manor cooks was a somewhat selfish endeavour as it meant extra servings for the baby of the Belmonts. Yet his proposal goes over well with Mirele, whose inherited eyes light up at the prospect of trying something new.

“I wanna make bread! Can we? Can we please?”

“When was the last time you baked anything, Trevor?” Alucard asks, genuinely curious and with a healthy dose of skepticism. “You still won’t tell us much about anything concerning your former life, let alone the sort of foods your family ate.”

Trevor feels a twinge in his gut—still better than a punch. His two lovers, even his daughter, they only know of his mother; a matriarch in her own right. They know her name, the monsters she killed, and not much else. Trevor’s excuses: he doesn’t remember anything about her, despite the fact that he does. He didn’t know her for very long or very well, so there’s no point in missing her. Trevor did know Sonia and he does miss her, sometimes more than he can handle. Then the easiest excuse: it’s just another self-preservation tactic.

Out of this inner reflection comes an idea. It breaks tradition in a way. For the Belmonts and other Jewish families, everything is passed down through the mother—recipes, forms of worship, blood memories, centuries old tactics of bruising one’s knuckles and temples. Trevor doesn’t think this slight deviation from his culture’s norm will make him any less of what he’s always been. Mirele will simply have to pick up where he left off when she’s grown.

He doesn’t want to think about that now. She’s only five after all. One lesson at a time. 

“Alright. Gather round, pupils. The bread we’re making isn’t just any bread. Forget everything you know and everything you’ve been taught because this will be the closest thing to heaven you’ll ever taste.”

“How dramatic…” Sypha mutters under her breath. Alucard joins her amusement with a subdued chuckle. 

“I believe you were partially his influence.”

Trevor knows how much trouble he’ll be in if he puts Mirele through the most agonizing cruelty of waiting a second longer than necessary. Fearful of her pint-sized wrath, he gives everyone the order to start gathering ingredients: flour, eggs, honey, and some indulgent herbs to make this particular bread something special. As much of a strategic leader in the kitchen as he is when the world is coming to an end. With everything spread out on the countertops, Trevor guides his family step by step through the only recipe he remembers. He calls this bread “challah”, which Mirele immediately strains her freshly green vocal chords, trying to pronounce the word exactly as her father does. She quickly gives up and focuses on mixing the ingredients with an intense look—almost to a fault as bits of sloppy dough fly out of the bowl. Good. This enthusiasm is what Trevor wants to see.

Kneaded and allowed time to rise, the next step is the most important. Trevor divides the dough into four halves, then again, and again until each participant has their own handful of raw unbaked strips. 

“We have to braid them?” Mirele asks following his explanation. 

“That’s right. It’s what makes this bread different from all the rest.”

“Just like when papa let’s me braid his pretty hair!”

Every pair of eyes turns to Alucard, whose smile widens in that way which causes his eyes to shut tightly. Fangs happily bared as he pulls Mirele into his flour and dough covered arms while she giggles in delight. After they all return to work, her loaf turns out the same way as the braids she gives to him—lopsided, uneven, lacking a few outsticking stray hairs, but filled with affection and genuine resolve.

Three loaves are placed into the oven, including a fourth crudely constructed but still adequately done piece. Mirele is now more willing to play the waiting game—so she claims. Sitting in front of the oven while staring directly into its insides, utterly fascinated, oblivious to her surroundings. Unaware that her three parents are whispering behind her back. Eventually, Sypha has to gently pull her away with her bottom dragging along the kitchen floor.

“How about you and I do something a little more interesting while your fathers keep watch over things.”

“But what about the c… the calla!”

“Don’t worry, they will look after it. And we are not going far, my sweet.”

“We’ll make sure nothing burns down.” Trevor assures, despite it being Sypha who usually revels in cinders and ashes, intentionally or not.

The two retreat down the corridor past diamond shaped stained windows and into one of the manor’s smaller libraries where the cabinets reach the high ceiling painted in deep blue hues. Scattered from corner to corner are constellations of stars and midnight clouds obscuring each phase of the moon. Once when Alucard found Mirele curiously asleep atop a number of pillows when she should have been in her own bed, it was his decision to paint the library in new colours. Sypha moves aside an entire shelf of thick volumes as though trying to find a carefully hidden switch that will lead them into a secret chamber. It’s what Mirele hopes but turns mildly disappointed when the books do not in fact magically shift to reveal a stone passageway. Her soured anticipation is only countered when Sypha places a box on the desk.

“Can you guess what’s inside?”

“Is it treasure?”

“Close! You are almost right.” Sypha opens the lid just as Pandora did except there are no horrors, no evils to be wrought upon humanity. Mirele peeks inside and her eyes shine with the glistening silver of trinkets, pendants, and talismans. She resists the innate urge to reach her hands, still white with flour, into the box only to briefly experience the sensation of holding one between her fingers. Even children know when something is sacred.

“These belonged to your grandparents. They used them for protection and strength. A long time ago, before you were born, their home burned down and everything was destroyed.”

“Papa’s home?”

Sypha nods, grateful that this story now has its happy ending, slight as it may be. “However, when your other father started building the manor we live in, he found this box trapped amongst all the rubble. It managed to survive.”

“What do they say?”

Mirele points to one pendant molded in the shape of a sword. Inscribed along the curve of its ash-riddled blade are the Hebrew names of angels which must have been muttered by Sonia or Gabriel. The longer Mirele stares, attempting to decipher yet another new language, the brighter her cheeks grow red with frustration. Her mother acts quick just as her eyes begin to water. 

“It’s alright if you don’t understand what any of them say.”

“I can learn! Please, mama? I promise I’ll study really hard!”

Sypha’s lips curl as Mirele continues her begging. Oh the mind of a child. How quickly it changes.

--

The kitchen feels hotter, wafting through the air. Enveloping the room and everything caught between its walls. Trevor stands by the oven, a thick cloth ready in his hand. It shouldn’t take much longer. At least there’s no stench of something burning. Almost makes him pine for the days of his family’s massive stone oven and how he would sneak around at night and pick out leftover morsels from inside like an insatiable mouse. Not unlike the actual beasts which he hunted throughout the hallways before moving onto larger prey typical of a Belmonts’ work—or as large as his own runtish body mass could handle.

Minutes of quiet pass, still eyeing the loaves with a keen gaze. Trevor’s concentration soon broken by the feeling of two arms wrapping around his softening yet still robust midsection. Slow and careful, until his back is pressed against an equally broad chest.

“Can I help you?” He asks as Alucard buries his face into the curvature of his shoulder blades.

“You’re already helping.” The dhampir, unchanging in his physical appearance (a revelation both Trevor and Sypha refuse to acknowledge for the time being), tightens his embrace.

“Something wrong?”

“No… I just enjoy feeling how much softer and warmer you’ve become.”

Trevor’s cheeks blush ever so pinker and not because of the oven’s heat. By now he should be used to Alucard’s sudden bouts of outward affection.

“You even smell better.”

There it is. Trevor thought he would be waiting forever to hear that little jab, though said with nothing but a good heart.

“That might be the herbs you’re smelling.”

Alucard shifts around so that the two of them are side by side, cheek to cheek, as he chuckles in Trevor’s ear. “Come here.”

He doesn’t offer a kiss, not where Trevor was expecting. Instead of his lips, Alucard singles out every patch of stray flour on his face, kissing, wiping, even licking them clean. Cheek, jawline, and nose. Trevor’s expression twists into a ticklish, surprisingly delighted facade. 

“You’re a half vampire, not a cat.”

“Better to clean you now than later.”

“Always so fucking odd…”

“You love it.”

Much to his lucky stars, Trevor manages one curse mere seconds before Sypha and Mirele return. They let their daughter speak at a breakneck speed neither one can fully comprehend—something about silver pieces and whether they can teach her a new language—until one series of questions finally sticks.

“Is the bread ready yet? Can we eat it now? Can we please?”

Trevor placates Mirele by revealing the fruits of their joint hard earned labour: four freshly baked and perfectly shined challah loaves each representative of whoever did the braiding. She bounces in her chair before simmering down to an excited tremble once Trevor warns her of how they need to cool. In order to make this more of a meal, he rummages about in search of two other beacons from his childhood. He’s rewarded with one of the few fresh apples they have left while Sypha, ever in tune with his inner thoughts, grabs another small pot of honey for him.

Trevor thanks her by gently running his palm across her lower abdomen, over the growing bump. He keeps it there for just a second longer, a subtle gesture of love noticed by Sypha. Fingertips intertwined with each other, they join Alucard and Mirele at the table as the midday sun shines golden through the windows.

[thekingofwinterblog]

Getter Robo Retospective - Getter Robo Part 1 -Ryoma Nagare

So, Iv’e been wanting to do an overall retrospective of the Getter Robo manga franchise for a while now, and since the Getter Robo Arc is nearing it’s finale as of the time of this writing, and will either give it a definite ending, or be the final nail in the coffin that the series will never be finished before Getter Robo falls into public domain, I thought now might as well be the time to do it.

As such, I’ll be doing an overall analysis over the entire collection of Ken Ishikawa’s Getter Robo manga series, it’s plots, themes, characters, and covers the various ideas this crazy and amazing sci-fi series covers.

Also, this retrospective will NOT cover the various anime adaptations, or the behind the scenes stuff that has gone on with Getter Robo over the years, such as Go Nagai being credited as the writer of the original manga despite only having come up with the overall concept and designs for it(the rest was by Ken Ishikawa), or the way that Ken went back and added in some extra chapters in the original two manga to explain some things and to tie the early manga more closely into what came after.

For the purposes of this retorspective, I will be focusing exclusively on the manga itself, and what it has to offer, without going into anything else.

And of course there is no place better to start, than the beginning.

So, what is the story of the original Getter Robo Manga?

Well, the overall plot of the original manga is about the conflict between two sides of a conflict, as laid out rather well in it’s prologue chapter.

The first is our protagonists, the Saotome Institute of Japan, who’s leader and namesake has invented the titular giant mecha, the Getter Robo.

Powered by a revolutionary newly discovered form of energy called “Getter Energy”, this enormous metal behemoth is a fighting machine unlike any other.

This war machine was originally supposed to be used for space exploration, but due to necessity, it has instead been reworked into a fighting machine.

It’s only weakness is that it requires 3 different living pilots to operate it to draw upon its full strength.

Opposing the Saotome Institute, is the forces of the Dinosaur Empire

An empire of humanoid Sentient Dinosaurs that long ago was forced to flee the Earth’s surface after it was bombarded with a strange kind of energy from space that was deadly to their kind, their only way to survive being to use their incredible technology to hide on the only place on Earth where the rays couldn’t reach them. The Earth’s very core.

Now, after millions of years underground, and the rays that forced them beneath the earth to begin with having seemingly ceased, they have finally returned to reclaim the earth’s surface for their own. At it’s disposal, it has incredible technology, and giant cyborg dinosaur monster in it’s quest to wipe out the newcomers, the human race, to achieve total dominance over the Earth.

If you think this premise sounds very generic, and you’ve seen it in some form or another in countless other Mecha series, you are not wrong. Ancient evil group attacking the protagonists, and only the new giant robot can stop it, probably the biggest stock plot in mecha overall, having been done in everything from Neon Genesis Evangelion to Megas XLR in some form or another. The set pieces and details are different, but the overall plot is the same.

However, where Getter Robo fits into this, is that it was one of the first giant robot manga there was, and many, many of the tropes and ideas it pioneered would be used and imitated by its successors.

In fact, I would argue that Getter is the second most influential mecha series in history, only second after it’s big cousin, Mazinger Z.

However, we are not here to detail how it influenced the manga industry, but how Getter holds up on it’s own, and in this regard, despite having a plot that has been overused time, and time again by it’s successors, this isn’t really that much of a problem for Getter Robo. Because like any good Mecha series, Getter’s biggest strength is it’s cast of characters.

Starting off in chapter 1, we are introduced to the first of the Robot’s giant pilots.

Ryoma Nagare.

Each of the pilots of Getter Robo is given an introductory mini-arc to set them up, and Ryoma’s is easily the best of the 3.

We are introduced to the main character of most of the franchise at a very unusual spot to open a main character, especially for a Shonen protagonist.

At the end of a revenge story.

To put it bluntly, Ryoma does not start off this series as a particularly likeable, nor good person, as his introductory scene is him crashing a perfectly legal martial arts tournament and beating the everloving shit out of it’s referee, it’s participants, and the judges who arranged it.

His reasons for doing all of this?

Revenge for his old man.

As it turns out, Ryoma had a massive beef with the arrangers for this contest, as his father, Ichigan Nagare was a pro karate champion back in the day, whose reputation was purposely destroyed by those arrangers.

Now he’s come to take revenge by utterly crushing their disciples on national television, to hammer in the point that his father’s martial arts was superior to theirs for all the world to see.

During this whole thing, we also get a very good look into how Ryoma thinks at this point in time.

When the arranger tries to appeal to the “Sacredness” of the Sport to get him to stand down, Ryoma laughs in his face, proclaiming that there is nothing sacred about combat at all. The only thing that matters is who emerges as the victor.

This is backed up by how he doesn’t show the least bit of compassion or honor to the first of the contestants he defeats, easily smashing him to the ground then gloating over him after having demonstrated the sheer difference in the combat prowess between the two of them.

He is very blunt about the fact that he believes that one should pursue strength for strenght’s sake alone, and never stop until you have crushed anyone who stands before you. Always train to get stronger, and always seek out those who can challenge you and beat them too.

Might makes right.

This is a REALLY good introduction for showcasing Ryoma as a character. How he thinks, his immense near superhuman strength, his ruthlessness, his pride in his own strength.

It also ties in directly into the themes of this series, as this kind of thinking is essentially Evolution itself boiled down to it’s bare core. The survival of the strongest. What is the point of Evolution after all, if not this? Those with the traits to survive and thrive will do so, while those who cannot, will be crushed by those who can, who in turn will pass down what made them successful to begin with.

Of course that is not what the actual message of this series is, but it is a concept that this series is rather blunt about, and it’s not a coincidence that the most prominent of all the main characters of this series began his journey while believing wholeheartedly into that ideal.

All in all this scene is just great, and it sets up Ryoma really well, as well as making it clear that this is a boy who has a lot of growing to do as a person.

And so, having achieved his life’s work that he’s trained for for years and years, Ryoma nagare quietly leaves the arena, leaving behind a dozen bruised, battered and broken men on the ground.

Of course this display of power has not gone unnoticed, as in the audience were two men from the Saotome Institute who came here hoping to find someone strong enough to pilot their giant robot.

As it happened, they just found one that fit the bill rather spectacularly.

Then in the next scene we are showcased Ryoma’s home.

Ryoma Nagare, a fighting genius that at the tender age of 16-17 smashed the greatest karate practitioners in Japan with ease while being outnumbered a dozen to one, lives in a ramshackle part of town, in a rundown old building that has broken windows, a leaking roof, and can at best be called a ramshackle cottage.

It’s a rather brutal contrast to the sight of the prestigious, well made and maintained karate tournament building we were just in.

Inside we find the sight of something else rather unusual for a Shonen protagonist. Having now achieved his goals, and avenged his father’s memory, Ryoma is slowly starting to come to the realization that this has all been one giant waste of time. He hasn’t actually earned anything on this journey. His father is dead, he’s still poor, and his only belongings is this shitty building and the clothes on his back.

As we learn here, Ryoma has spent his entire life being trained in martial arts, to insane degrees even for an adult man, much less for a child. All for the purpose of one day doing what he did today, and avenging his father’s memory.

This scene really hammers in the fact that for all his ridiculous strength, Ryoma is a child, and he has a child’s way of looking at things.

He thinks back fondly on being pitted against stray dogs in death matches, and he reveals here that in his mind, this was all about “Redeeming” martial arts somehow, as if this display would really change anything in the grand scheme of things within the sport.

It wasn’t of course. This was all about revenge. Everything Ryoma ever trained for was for this moment, this moment of what should have been absolute and total triumph as he achieved a truly spectacular victory and proved his father’s fighting style the best in all the land and he has proven that he himself is the strongest fighter in all Japan.

Instead he is coming to the realization that so many people that wasted their lives on vengeance have come to over the years. That it was all a giant waste of time.

Revenge is a suckers game.

Having achieved his goals, Ryoma has found them to be completely empty, and has nowhere to go. This is a really fascinating way to open up a character arc, as usually a character that learns the lesson that David Xanatos knew so well, happens either at the end, or somewhere later down their line. Ryoma however, learns it in the very first chapter, and now has to find something else to live for.

However, his soul searching is then interrupted by a few gentlemen from the Saotome institute.

Who immediately tries to kill him.

Now before I discuss the next part, I wanna praise this overall scene, because it really works great within the context of this chapter.

Ryoma has been introduced as a massive asshole, who firmly believes in the mantra of Might makes right, and he doesn’t feel any regret at having brutalized a dozen of innocent people, just the fact that he realizes that there was no real satisfaction to be had from it. Now the other shoe drops, and HE is attacked in his own home, completely unprovoked for reasons that frankly he has no personal involvement in on his own side. While this attack does have an in universe reason behind it, it main purpose is that it serves as a nice cathartic moment for the reader, as while he’s never going to legally punished for what just happened at the tournament, he is punished by the narrative for his actions, which is something i’ve seen far, far too many stories do over the years fail to do with asshole protagonists.

It also serves to put Ryoma’s current belief in Might Makes Right to the test. After all, aren’t these men doing exactly what he said that those who practice martial arts should do? Seek out those stronger than them, then crush them.

All of this makes it a shame that it is horribly undercut by the one, genuine stain on the original manga. Namely that one of the attackers is this guy.

And it’s at this moment you realise, oh yeah, this was made in 1970’s Japan. The unfortunate fact is that Mangaka of this period generally based their depiction of black people on early American comics(Which had plenty of this kind of artwork), and Ken Ishikawa was unfortunately not an exception to this rule.

He would THANKFULLY not repeat anything like this later down the line(his depiction of black people is far more natural and realistic in later manga), but hot damn is it both uncomfortable and distracting to read the pages with this guy. And it’s a real shame too, because frankly, not only is the following fight scene very good as a narrative punishment for Ryoma, but it’s just a good fight scene in general.

Unlike the Tournament fight, which was mainly a beatdown to establish Ryoma’s ridiculous strength, this is an actual fight, which showcases Ishikawa’s ability to draw energetic, exciting fight scenes where action flows very naturally.

It also shows that for the kind of ridiculous strength Ryoma possess, he isn’t some superhuman, as early in the brawls he’s heavily wounded by the rather mundanity of taking a throwing knife to the shoulder. This is in general something that makes action if Getter Robo stand out from other shonen series too. When characters, or Robots for that matter, takes hits, they rarely shrug them off with no problem, instead taking real, genuine damage that doesn't just instantly go away. They might power through them, but that isn’t the same as them disappearing into the ether.

In any case, the battle ends up outside the house when Ryoma is thrown through the wall.

He’s then forced to do the classic, catch the blade between the palms of his hands trope, which is depicted much more believable than most cases I’ve seen, as despite succeeding, it still left him bleeding from those palms.

Ryoma then redirects the blade into the big guy who is attacking him from behind, killing him. I really love how the artwork sells that this is a desperate move on Ryoma’s part. He is genuinely fighting for his life here, and he’s pulling out every trick he has to to win despite his wounds.

He then follows that up by ripping the blade out, and throwing it at the knife thrower guy. I also like that after doing so, he immediately falls flat on his ass, in a rather realistic manner(he is fighting in the rain after all, so the ground is undoubtedly pretty slippery.), while also showcasing the force of the throw. My only main complaint is that for this one panel Ken forgot to include the wound and the knife on his shoulder, as I think it would really sell just how desperate Ryoma is here if we’re visually reminded in the moment that, oh yeah, he’s powering through and using the arm whose shoulder has a knife in it to to throw this thing.

Thankfully, that missed opportunity for visual grittiness is more than made up for by the next part.

Having now effectively won the battle(I think the swordsman broke his foot in the fall, at least that’s how it looks), Ryoma suddenly realises that, holy shit, he just killed someone. The contrast between here and how he looked as he challenged the tournament fighters couldn’t be more different. The cooky, arrogant youth is completely gone, and you're reminded that Ryoma is just a kid. A kid who just had to kill someone. The bravado is completely gone, leaving only a kid who is tired, confused, in pain, and probably pretty scared.

He is then approached by the man who just had 3 grown ass men jump and attack him, Dr. Saotome.

Wounded, and mentally exchausted as he is, he is in no position to argue as Saotome declares that Ryoma is what he’s been looking for, and as one of his men rips the knife out of his shoulder, Ryoma screams before losing consciousness from the pain. Afterwards he is dragged into a car, and bandaged up.

Then as they're driving, the’re attacked by a giant flying dinosaur that grabs unto the car and flies away with it, Ryoma and Saotome barely managing to get out in time, alongside one of Saotome’s unlucky goons who breaks his neck in the fall.

And so ends Chapter one of Getter Robo.

All in all, other than the horribly racist black guy, this is a really good first chapter, that sets up Ryoma Nagare really, really well, showcasing his way of thinking, his origin, and where he needs to grow, while also showcasing his ludicrous strength, and that he is fully capable of going balls to the wall to win a fight, which will be showcased many, many times in this series. It also ends on a reminder of the fact that oh yeah, this is a series about one side vs dinosaurs, as Ryoma gets his first introduction into the enemy he will be fighting time, and again in this manga. It also gives a distinct first impression of just how ruthless Saotome is, as he is perfectly willing to send 3 dangerous goons on a teenager just to test his prowess in battle, which is absolutely going to come into play in future chapters.

All in all, it’s a good start. Not an amazing beginning, but certainly a good introduction to our first main character.

[thefairyletters]

✨ Spooky Recs✨

I read a lot of fanfictions... More than I am proud of. I thought I should recommend as I go before I lose sight of their existence among the sea of my favorites.

Since past few days I have been craving for some creepy, unnerving fanfics that will keep me restless and awake at night. I remembered my favorites and wanted to read more of the kind so I looked up, patiently going through each story that sounded compelling. I also revisited old stories for nostalgia's sake.

Of course, rare as they are, in Naruto fandom no less, it's even harder to find a horror and mystery fic that is well written, not dropped under 2 chapters, and really keeps your attention.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Comedy

I've rated 4 aspects of the work -

Writing – I don't judge writing based solely on the grammar and vocabulary. I also consider how the author expands upon a subject, if they are consistent with the facts, if they are able to keep the attention of the readers regardless of their creative writing skills.

Characters – If the characters are well-developed, in their given character, if OCs have any real significance to the story.

Plot – How gripping is the storyline, if the story sticks to its original plot, the structure of the story, plot holes.

Flow – Mother-of-slow-burn, slow-but-steady, steady, fast, I-am-speed

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When the flowers cry : TCOOKIES777 || M || AO3/FFN || SasuSaku || Goth Horror || Post-Canon, set during Blank Period || Ongoing

When one of the greatest medical-nin in the world goes missing in what should have been a simple delivery to the Land of Spring’s Hidden Snow Village, the rest of Team 7 must reunite to find her. But even the most powerful team of shinobi will find themselves challenged in a battle against the supernatural. With Sasuke's return, vengeful ghosts of the past will test him and his love.

My thoughts : One of the best stories I've read in a while, and top tier SS stories. I read this in one sitting. I never listen to music while reading, preferring silence, but for this one, I suggest you do as the author says. Also, keep some tissues and food with you. This story is major in mystery and minor in horror but otherwise full of SS fluff.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 9/10

Flow: Steady, if a bit confusing (but that's why it's mystery)

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Kyuro : silver_shot || T || AO3 || SasuSaku || Mystery || Post-Canon || Complete

“Oh,” says Naruto, “well, its sort of like that. Except in this village, the story has a way more darker ending – it basically goes like this: the girl and the guy plan to run away together. The guy steals a bunch of treasure, and stashes it away. But then, when he goes to get the girl at her village, he kills her and decides to run away with all that money. But then he is killed by the guards of the girls village and now they're both dead and the treasure is hidden away somewhere”. Sasuke stares blankly at the blond, “that story makes no sense”.

My thoughts : I know you must be thinking the same thing as Sasuke – "makes no sense". I did too, but it's a pretty cool short story. It lies on the funny, creepy side that slowly starts to lose its funny touch. SS makes stupid mistakes later on but it could be because they are MCs. The ending is very ambiguous. It's not my favorite mystery but it is something. Enjoyable read but not something I will pick again.

Writing: 8/10

Characters: 8/10

Plot: 8/10

Flow: Fast

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Moon stuttering in the sky : xfrinz || T || AO3 || Gen || Mystery || Pre-Shippuden || One-shot

Kakashi is suspicious of many things about Haruno Sakura. Too many things about her don't make sense, with too many incongruous explanations.

My thoughts : Author of this story just summarised Pre-Shippuden in less than 4k words and made some tiny changes to it. Not much though. One of my favorite gen fics yet. Read it if you haven't yet. You'll feel more sad than thrilled tbh. But worth it.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: I-am-Speed

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Breath mints : silver_shot || T || AO3 || SasuSaku || Comedy-Mystery || Post-Canon || Ongoing (maybe)

Their home no longer exists with the life it once had – in fact no settlement thrives anymore; they exist only in a snapshot that contradicts time itself. Families within their own homes sleep in a slumber that they cannot wake from. Those that were chatting on the street prior to the event simply drop their heads and remain unresponsive.

My thoughts : I picked it up for Mystery but I stayed for Comedy. But of course that's not to say supernatural elements in this story is not it, but it sure pales in comparison to effortless humor in this story. Lee and Kiba pair is something you don't see often but they get along too well here. Charactisation is on point as well. SS angst! + NS angst (but it's downplayed)

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 9/10

Flow: Steady

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The Curse : sincerelyLen || T || FFN || SasuSaku || Horror || Post-Canon || Ongoing

Team 7 is unexpectedly assigned an S-Ranked Mission involving an unsolved mystery of 10 years. An eerie adventure that will test their teamwork, strengths, and greatest fears. Do you believe in Curses?

My thoughts : My all-time favourite horror Naruto fanfiction. To me, this sets the standard of how mystery and horror elements should be handled. I have never been able to get this story out of my mind even it's been years. Perfect charactisation of Team 7 with Smart-yet-Stupid!Sakura, I-can-fight-aliens-and-reanimated-corpses-but-keep-ghosts-away-from-me!Naruto and I-dont-get-paid-enough-for-this!Sasuke. I especially love OCs here. They kinda reminds me of Pillars from KnY. You must read this story, loosely based on Zombie apocalypse + curse concept.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: Slow-but-Steady

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Silent High : Istoria || T || FFN || Gen || Mystery || Post-Canon || Complete

A bit of the Silent Hill series mixed in with Naruto. Trapped in an illusion whose rules are unknown, they struggle to find answers before darkness consumes them.

My thoughts : One of the best mystery fanfictions I've read. I especially loved how this story handled Genjutsu in the best possible way it could without it turning into some cliche, ghost story. Though really, this story has shown what my greatest fear actually is. I will never be able to leave my back open to a wheelchair. This story has simple writing yet it gives you creeps with the twists and turns. A must read one because it is unlike any other in this list.

Writing: 9/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: Steady

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Silence of the Damned : Daystar Clarion || T || FFN || Gen || Psychological Horror, Mystery(?) || Pre-Shippuden || One-Shot

When Naruto wakes up to a dead body in his bathroom, he begins a quick spiral into madness.

My thoughts : Listen to Halsey's Control while reading this. Quite chilling, deals with mental issues and morbid but in a fascinating way. It gives a new meaning to Dark!Naruto, but one that actually makes sense. I never saw the ending coming... I had something else in mind and I was convinced it would be, but nope. Here's a sequel to this One-Shot (Uzumaki's War) which I never picked up.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 9/10

Plot: 9/10

Flow: Slow-but-steady

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To the Victor : Letta || T || FFN || NaruSaku || Psychological Horror || Shippuden || One-Shot

Naruto loses the fight and Sakura is a trophy of war.

My thoughts : A very twisted NS, if you squint. It's not horror but it might as well be... it is still a disturbing story to see from the eyes of Sakura. Quite chilling to be in Sakura's shoes. But I love this because it is one shot and I loved the ending.

Writing: 9/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 8/10

Flow: Steady

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Under the Skin : BukkakeNoJutsu || T || FFN || Team 8 || Body Horror || Pre-Shippuden || One-Shot

Your actions don't make you a monster. Your reasons do.

My thoughts : There's a reason why Shino is my favourite team 8 member. In my opinion, Shino is also one of the strongest Shinobi of his generation. His clan techniques are just that horrifying. This story is testament to that. He is so terrible.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: Slow-but-steady

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Instant Message : Keelah || T || FFN || SasuSaku || Murder mystery || Modern AU || Incomplete

She gave him names to kill, in order not to be killed herself. But having blood on her hands was turning out to be much worse than dying. "…There's still round 2…3…4…" When does this game end? She asked. "Don't you see, Sakura?" He said, "It never does."

My thoughts : I read this story a long time ago and have read this twice. Personally, it has the most interesting concept of all stories in the list. It reminds me of Vocaloid series, "Bookmark of the end". Kind of. To those who are thinking of picking this up, go ahead! It's a great book and has one of the best suspense I've read in Fandom. BUT, it has been stopped in mother-of-all-cliffhangers and Author is MIA for 4 years now. But, all things considered, it remains to be one of the best stories I've read.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 9/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: Steady

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Monomoth : Ohtze || M || FFN/AO3 || SasuSaku || Horror || AU || Incomplete

Everything ends, eventually. Eight years after the war, Sakura's unhinged and Sasuke's obsessed. The fields are filled with corpses.

My thoughts : I read this story right after "The Curse", my favourite. From what I remember, Sakura and Sasuke are both mentally deranged, in different ways. Lots of death and gore to stomach, so not for weak readers. There's no speak of fluff in this one. Zero, Zilch, Nada. I wouldn't call it your classic 'Horror', but it is very disturbing, so psychological horror is more like it. Don't eat food while reading this one. Did I mention how Sakura is mentally disturbed beyond help in this one? And Sasuke is obsessed. If these suit your tastes, go ahead.

Writing: 10/10

Characters: 9/10

Plot: 10/10

Flow: Slow

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I hope you enjoy this list. Let me know your opinion in comments.

[some-dr-writings]

Gundham x shy reader who asks for kisses

·       Gundham always found himself enjoying his time with you, you were by far one of his greatest companions in this life. With how shy and meek you seemed to be when you first met, he never thought someone like you would become his partner, he always imagined that if he were to find one they’d be more outwardly bold, yet he fell for you.

·       Time and time again he had seen you try to approach others only to back out, running away in the end. It seemed you might have had a social anxiety of sorts, there had been several times where he had happened upon you after running, leaning against a wall breathing heavily, telling yourself that everything was alright. It was a rather pitiful state to find a person in, Mikan for as… flighty as she was could at least stammer out a few words to people if they talked to her, you on the other hand ended up just blabbering nonsense.

·       Well he thought what you spoke was gibberish till one day he found a little tablet on his desk. Curiously he turned on the device and was met with a box of text. “In a fairy tale kingdom far, far away peoples anxieties exist as monsters who follow them around. Tired of their monsters getting in the way of making friendships a shepherd and riddle solver devise a plan to meet without their anxieties. A river divides their lands and in that great river, a single, small island. There they would meet. First they would capture their anxieties and meet on the island in case they escaped to still be away from them. The shepherd successfully captured his monsters but the riddle solver failed, and more monsters were born of the failure, the riddle solver now having “hopelessness”. Can you get the shepherd and the riddle solver to the island? There are several conditions to this however. 1, no monsters can be with the shepherd and the riddle solver on the island, 2, with every trip the boat makes across the river another monster will find the riddle solver, the shepherd’s monsters will find him every other turn, 3, if the shepherd or the riddle solver are with 5 of their monsters they will be consumed and it’s game over, 4, if the shepherd or riddle solver are left with their monsters for three turns they will be consumed by anxiety and it’s game over, 5, the boat needs two people to row it they can be human, monster or both, but the river is too powerful for only one to move the boat”

·       Tapping the screen he was greeted to a picture on a person on each side of a river, one of them with a black creatures beside them as well as a boat, and island in the middle of the river. There were also buttons at the top labeled “rules and “hints” and such. The style seemed to be like a picture book. After some tapping around he learned the controls and intrigued by whatever this exactly was he played along. Eventually he found a way for them to meet, but it took much trial and error, and was certainly not helped by the fact he refused to check the hints. In the end when he did beat it he was instructed to leave the tablet in between specific books in the library.

·       The next day on his desk he found that tablet again, this time with a new game in it and once beaten, instructed him to hide it in the library once more. Over and over this went on.

·       Once more he had solved the mystery of the new game, however he found the library was about to close. Not wanting to have to wait another day for another fun game he and his devas raced for the library. Though everyone was being ushered out Gundham charged through, bolting straight for the appointed section, the crossroads between mathematics and history. There he spotted you, pulling out a book then looking in between books, sliding them over, a tablet exactly like the one Gundham held in hand tucked under your arm. “… Excuse me-” A high pitched squeak sound escaped you as you flipped around, looking to the Dark Overlord, dropping your tablet in the process. “A-ah, oh, uh, h-hi- uh ummm, hamster squeaking, lost, find the-” Then you ran, leaving behind your tablet. Turning it on Gundham found the new mystery had to do with a woman dying and her sister getting her pet hamsters but the person who was to deliver the hamsters to her lost them in a pet store, and though the sister never saw the hamsters before, she could recognize them by their squeaks always hearing them in the background of her video calls with her sister, and the mystery was to figure out which hamsters made which squeaks in the giant group of them.

·       “Hmm, so the hiding soul speaks riddles…”

·       After the encounter Gundham did research on you, he didn’t know your name or talent, but since Hope’s Peak attendees were always a hot topic on the internet he was sure he could find something on you and that he did, Y/N the Super High School Level Enigmatologist.

·       “Hint.” “AH! Oh, uh, huh?” Before you could panic you were consumed in confusion seeing the dark brooding man before you, holding your latest puzzle before you. It was on the hint page, strange since he had never used the hints before. “Your words fall on deaf ears. Extract the meaning of this!” “… uh… n-new hint? Okay.” And so you began mumbling to yourself about the puzzle, while trying to not give away the answer till you came up with a new hint. Then after Gundham had solve it and was given a new puzzle to solve, he insisted that you give him a new hint again, then again with the next puzzle. Every time there after he came to you, asking for a new hint.

·       Gundham was rather intrigued by you, who found comfort in puzzle solving, getting lost in finding solutions to strange problems. He was willing to help meet you half way across the river, secluded on an island with you, away from the monsters that consumed you anywhere else, he wanted to get to know you without them in the way.

·       He rather liked so much about you, how passionate you were about your craft, going on rants about it for hours, your willingness and even enthusiasm to learn about his passions, how despite your anxieties you always tried your damnest to become a better person and push through them, how you never were confused by his words, always understanding him, how that even extended to his body language and understanding his boundaries on touch.

·       You were a rather logical sort even if your emotions of fears tended to get the best of you. It was only natural since you always were working on puzzles. Even emotions to an extent were logical to you. You saw everything, even yourself as a puzzle to be solved, and so often times the solution to aches and pains was affection. Usually you’d ask Gundham what he thought of you, knowing you’d only receive honesty which was mostly praise. Eventually after a long time you would get to hold hands or hug.

·       It was a rather lazy, sleepy day, it was just so peaceful, before Gundham knew it the day had already passed and it was past dinner time. “Hmm? Y/N?” Usually you’d have come to see him by dinner, but it seemed you never showed up. Did something happen? Sitting up from his desk he found his devas before him. “Ah, so you know where my mate hides?” He slowly got up following him companions.

·       “… the closet?” They simply sniffed at the door, and cautiously he opened it. “Ah!” You sat on the floor, curled up in a ball, cowering in the corner silently. It… had been a very long time since Gundham had last seen you in such a state, it had taken him aback for a moment and there he stood, his mind blank. “G-gundham… affection ple-please.” Your voice cracked and wavered, your breathing ragged. And hearing it almost brought tears to the Ice Lord’s eyes. Did… did you have a panic attack, and he never noticed? Why else would you sound so wreaked?

·       He slinked into the closet, closing the door behind himself before sitting beside you. Taking a deep breath, he took one of your hands into both of his own, squeezing it tightly. “Of course my Emperor, one who unravels the world, who reveals the truth behind veils of deceit. How could I not? You who takes my heart each and every moment, you who I cherish so dearly, you who is so cunning, what possible words could I have other than praise and love?” He felt how tight you squeezed his hand, how you trembled. He was not sure this would be enough this time, he had failed to be by our side when you needed it most.

·       “… My Emperor. Would you be so kind as to unravel my next words?” “… a riddle?” “Yes. Would you solve my riddle?” “o-okay.” “I… I, uh…” Preferably Gundham wanted to come up with a good riddle, one that you would have to think on for a long time, but he doubted he could come up with one. You had asked for affection so maybe… “I am… I am one action that can only ever be shared by two at a time. I am a way to show love. I am… uh… I am-” “A hug?” “…” Slowly Gundham wrapped his arms around you. “I am… something Gundham has never shared with you before.” “Huh? Something……… a kiss?”

·       Damn it. Gundham thought the darkness would make this easier but it only made him more anxious. Placing his hands on your shoulders, he clutched them in a tight grip. Okay! He could do this! He could hug you, and this was less contact than a hug, so he could do this!

·       “of course… someone as brilliant as you could solve my twisted words.” Leaning into you, he felt as if his heart were trembling. Even in darkness he closed his eyes. He tenderly pressed his lips to your forehead for a few moments before somehow managing to loosen the grip on our shoulders, though his fingers were still tense. Slowly he traced them up your neck as he pressed his lips on the bridge of your nose. Finally his hands stopped, cradling your head in them, allowing him to easily kiss your cheeks.

·       “P-perhaps… we can… prepare a meal for ourselves and by the time we’re finished I’ll have come up with an even more confounding riddle for you.”

[sonicasura]

Top 5 Game Series That Need The N.Sane Treatment

Crash Bandicoot was a series that hadn't been seen for years until the Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy was revealed to the world. Thanks to this trilogy, not only was the franchise revitalized but we also got a sequel for Crash Warped in the form of Crash 4: It's About Time.

This is a recipe that could potentially bring games lost in obscurity back into the limelight but even a chance for new games to come. Here are some of my picks!

1. Jak and Daxter

One of the games that seriously needs the N.Sane Trilogy treatment. Jak and Daxter was a game series made by Naughty Dog that would inspire many platforms after. It stars the Demolition Duo, Jak and his partner ottsel, Daxter, on incredible adventures that change in tone over each game. You begin with a goofy island adventure to a dark futuristic playground as new mechanics get introduced.

Out of the main trio which consists of Jak, Sly, and Ratchet, Jak was actually the first game I played amongst them. A series that needs a comeback especially with the Easter Eggs often seen in Ratchet and Clank games throughout the years.

Touch up the graphics into a different style depending on the game, the Precursor Legacy be a bit more cartoony in appearance like Crash 4, and then switch to a style similar to the N.Sane Trilogy for the darker games like Jak 2 and 3.

Adjust the controls to run smoother, change difficulty of certain games like lower the difficulty of Jak 2 a smidge and place an optional mode to play with the original difficulty.

This would lay down the groundwork for an actual proper sequel, Jak X feels more like a side game while Lost Frontier is a snore fest.

If Naughty Dog doesn't take this route and continues pushing out flavorless games, I suggest any decent company that can do should buy the rights to Jak and Daxter. This is a gold mine covered in dust that needs to come back!

2. Sly Cooper

Yep! We're going to the other member of this once legendary trio, Sly Cooper. Sly Cooper was the second game series from Sucker Punch that I played, the first being Infamous series.

This game revolves around a group of thieves who steal from criminals and tend to get wrapped up in saving the world a few times or battling enemies out to end the bloodline of the main character, Sly Cooper, who comes from a legendary family of thieves.

Before the series disappeared into discontinuity, we had a total of 3 main games alongside one made by Sanzaru. Sanzaru's Thieves of Time was decent but midway World 3, the quality seriously declined and left fans with a very unsatisfied ending. Perfect for crossovers but terrible for the franchise.

Giving this game the N.Sane Trilogy treatment would not only give a more successful chance than attempts to make a movie, but it could to more proper sequel than Sanzaru's version. Use a design similar to Sanzaru's or go for a more rounded one like N.Sane Trilogy.

Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart even had an Easter Egg with Sly in it too! Insomniac acknowledges that these game series still exist by dropping these little nuggets of nostalgia, take the hint and bring back the Legendary Playstation Trio!

3. Spectrobes

Nintendo's alternate version of Pokemon. Spectrobes is a trilogy game series that debuted on the DS and last game was made for the Wii.

This series revolves around Rallen and Jeena, two members of the Nanairo Patrol, as they search for the fossils of creatures of light known as Spectrobes to find the planet devouring darkness known as Krawl.

You travel through various planets to uncover different kinds of fossils and some very interesting or whacky but loveable characters. It has elements similar to Fossil Fighters where you have to dig up fossils before awakening them. Care for your Spectrobes to battle the Krawl.

The evolving battle system, new mechanics, various locales and the unique design of each Spectrobe were something I loved but pretty sure many would like too. It even had a book and a mini series on YouTube! The game's graphics could take a route similar to Rayman Legends or Dragonball FighterZ.

Don't go for Jump Force please. We need actual expression than stiff faces and aggravating screams.

This is game series worth bringing back even if it just gets a remake.

4. Golden Sun

Another Nintendo franchise that needs return from obscurity. Golden Sun was a JRPG that came along systems like the Gameboy Advance during a severe lack of games for it. It revolves around different groups of people who use Psynergy, their version of alchemy, to battle evil as they travel the realm of Weyward.

A great game series enriched by its many characters, lore, growing battle system such as Djnn and Summons to turn the tide in battles, unique story and all sorts of areas to explore.

The biggest dent to the franchise was Dark Dawn because of its questionable ending that left many players confused or dissatisfied despite the incredible graphics, plot and character interactions. After that no one has heard a single word about any sequel.

The N.Sane Treatment would not only bring the franchise back for fans both new and old but can actually fix the questionable ending for Dark Dawn. Graphic style, um, I guess something similar to Dragon Quest or maybe Persona. Persona would be the better option considering how you choose how the main character responds to certain situations.

This series has been done dirty and deserves a second chance like this.

5. Kid Icarus

A Nintendo franchise that shows bringing back old games can revitalize a lost series.

This game series is at the bottom for a decent reason actually. Masahiro Sakurai has been hearing requests about porting one of the games, Uprising, to the Switch. Something that he sounds like he wants to do but there is a problem as he admits it would be difficult.

How Uprising is made for the 3DS such as the dual screens, and specific use of the touch screen for combat. Something that can't easily be translated to something like the Switch without decent changes.

The game revolves around the angel Pit, who fights the evil forces of the Underworld with assistance from his Goddess Palutena. Each game changes the rules of battle with the greatest being Uprising as you combat various creatures and even bosses revolve mostly around Greek mythology.

I think the N. Sane Trilogy can work with this. The first Kid Icarus and the second Of Myth and Monsters might be what could provide the missing pieces for the Uprising Switch Port Situation.

Both games could be completely restyled in a format that could be similar to Zelda since in these games, your options of weapons are limited and you have to think smart for particular puzzles.

They can be used to lay down a format that can built on for an Uprising Remake since Land Battles are one half of the essential gameplay. The graphics can be Uprising since it's already a perfect that just needs to be brushed up a bit.

When it comes to Super Smash Brothers, Sakurai worked hard to make characters like Minecraft Steve or Fighting Game fighters such as Ryu and Kazuya fit into the gameplay even if it meant changing about every hitbox and aspect of the stages. A little help can go a long way.

That's what I've got for now. If I find anymore games that need the N. Sane Trilogy then I'll put em in a new list. Until next time folks!