#ooc. this is how I used to write Helios

[rosavulpes]

He'd been drifting aimlessly for some time now , body remaining still , offering no resistance to the currents that were carrying him along with them on their journey across the ocean bed .

The desire to let himself close his eyes , and resume his sleep was strong . He'd become so familiarized with sunken lands around him that the fear of awakening in an unknown place ? It was nonexistent to him . Besides , would that be a bad thing for him at this point in his long life ?

The more that time continued to pass him by , the more that he couldn't help but feel that the world above these waves no longer held a place for him .

When he thought of home ? He thought of the earth's vast oceans , the memories of Elysion during it's days of glory beginning to feel more and more like a bygone dream .

Lightly shaking his head , he knew that such thoughts would only cause the Maenads to worry over him . As they'd talked before of the toll that their duties had taken on them , and him . Encouraging him to at least return to his true form on land once every few months as to not lose sight of who he once was .

Accustomed as he'd become to his aquatic form . " The beast of the sea " the name he'd been given in stories by the few that had been able to catch glimpses of him on the surface .

Propelling himself upwards , towards the surface of the water . The darkness around would gradually start to fade . The waters becoming brighter , more active as higher numbers of fish , and other aquatic life became more common place .

It wasn't that he disagreed with them , at times he wondered if he should simply join them in sleep within the holy crystals that still remained around Elysium . But , he knew himself too well . If he were to enter into that long sleep ? he would most certainly lose his desire to awaken from it again .

In his eyes , perhaps not yet theirs , he questioned if the one he was searching for would ever reappear .

The era of the silver millennium had ended . The world had been reborn anew , the old burned away .

The golden crystal that he guarded to this day , remained in dormancy , without it's owner to reawaken it's true power it was nothing more than just a crystal . A relic of a forgotten era , no different than he , and the Maenad .... and perhaps one that should remain buried underneath the blue waves with them .

As his head broke above the surface , he was quick to rise out of the waters , and take to the clouds .

Ascending higher , and higher still until his form was indistinguishable between the clouds , and blue skies .

This wasn't his first time soaring above their cities , the new peoples of Earth . It was different . From the sights , the architecture , the culture , and their speech . All different , but it wasn't a bad thing . It was good to see that progress continued , even if they were no longer a part of it .

They lived in relative peace , their days spent worrying over what he would deem trivial . Attaining wealth , status , love , and happiness . So who where they to intrude upon this new future ? Why not allow the mistakes of the past to remain where they belonged ?

Letting loose a loud , echoing cry . He knew that his voice wouldn't reach those below . It would be another attempt , as always , to attempt to find him .

Flapping his wings once more to remain at his current altitude , he'd continue to soar above the cities as he traversed further inland , waiting to see if maybe this time , just maybe , he'd get a reaction out of the golden crystal . To see if maybe it would be able to sense the presence of Prince Endymion whom he could only pray had been reborn into this new era , if not now ... then perhaps tomorrow , or maybe the day after , month , or another year ... still .

As day turned to night , then night into day , he would come to rest .

Tucking his silvery wings closer to his chest , his stature becoming smaller in size . Wings becoming arms , feathers and scales becoming his clothes .

At first , he'd remained knelt for some time . Even stumbling for a bit , before gaining his footing . Staring down at his hands , and shoes , and the apparel that adorned his human form . Strange to think that this body had now become so foreign to him , whereas his aquatic form had now become what he felt to be natural for him .

Curling his gloved fingers inwards into softly held , balled fists a few times over as if testing their dexterity . He'd soon feel something cold start to wash over him .

Looking upwards , towards the grey skies above . He'd close his eyes , basking in the rain that started to fall . Not caring that his clothes were starting to becoming damp in the downpour .

If memory served , the city called Tokyo was closet to him , and the best place to begin his search again if he wanted to return to the waters of the sea as soon as possible . It was the major hub for these islands , and would offer the highest chance of finding Prince Endymion .

For now however , he didn't intend to to walk the streets during their hours of daylight as it was easier to walk their streets when there were fewer numbers of them .

Seeking shelter underneath the cover of a nearby tree , he'd lean against it as he lowered himself down towards the grass . Materializing an ocarina with the aid of his magic , and beginning to play a song to help the time pass ...

@dreamlune

[cheesy09]

Did I Find You? Kiro x MC Fanfic

This is my own variation on the events that take place in Chapter 19 of Kiro’s route. Or more like... my fantasies T_T.  Although I didn’t intend to, it came out a lot angstier than I expected so be prepared. Also, this is my first time writing fanfiction so I’m sorry if the characters end up being a little OOC. Don’t be shy to send your feedback. It would really help improve my writing.

Spoilers for Chapter 19 of the game and Kiro’s Stardust Date. If you haven’t read these two things yet than you probably won’t understand whats going on here. 

Tagging all my lovely Kiro/Helios lovers out there @kudoriee, @thatfanfictionchick, @truth-be-told-im-lying and @pickle-scribbles whose stories inspired me to start writing fanfiction. Thank you, you guys, for being so amazing! Even if I could never dream about writing smut.  

Anyway, without further ado, Enjoy!

───※ ·❆· ※─── ───※ ·❆· ※───

“Kiro!” I shouted, bursting through the door that opened onto the roof top.

He turned, a trace of shock flashing through his clear, pure eyes, but fading just as fast.

“Miss Chips, what are you doing here--woah!”

I didn’t give him a chance to finish, grabbing his hand and dragging him back inside, my heart racing with urgency. Images from my dream flashed through my mind. The endless white, the mist, and me-- groping around like a blind man seeking desperately for his long-lost light. If I hadn’t had that dream, would I have been able to find him? I shivered involuntarily at the thought. His palm that was usually so warm, was now a stone cold, which only caused my anxiety to rise. I tightened my grip on his long, slender fingers as I continued pulling him along to the elevator.

“O-ouch, Miss Chips! You’re hurting me!” Kiro winced slightly, but that didn’t make me loosen my grip. I was much too afraid to find out what would happen if I did.

Afraid that… if I loosened them, even a bit, he would slip right through my fingers and I’d lose him forever.

“Miss Chips, where are we going?” His irresistible voice sounded in my ear, finally making me turn to look at him. His perfect eyebrows were scrunched together in confusion, forming worried lines on his glistening brow. His gorgeous, deep blue eyes that I’d constantly find myself drowning in, reflected an unusual sense of melancholy for some reason. But I couldn’t bring myself to feel sorry for him this time.

“Home.” My voice sounded a lot harsher than I’d meant it to. In all the time that I had been with him, I’d rarely ever gotten mad at Kiro. He was the warmth and light of my life. The boy whose charming, unreserved laughter could light up a whole room. Whose smile was like a beacon in the dark. Sure, there were times where I’d find myself getting annoyed when he’d take his teasing a little too far, but Kiro never got me riled up enough for me to lash out at him.

Yet this time, the stunt he’d pulled managed to push my buttons to the max. Anger boiled in me like hot magma threatening to burst out. Savin’s anxious tone and the cold, electronic voice that had rung through my ears when I had dialed Kiro’s number this morning had thrown me into a panic like I’d never felt before. It had felt like I was on the verge of losing my mind. “How could you just run off on your own like that? Savin and everyone else have been look for you, you know?!”

The elevator doors opened and I stepped inside, pulling him along, my hand still clutching his own as if my very life depended on it. The elevator doors shut behind us.

I thought I wouldn’t get a reply, but after a few seconds his voice drifted through the air, carrying with it a grim heaviness I’d never heard from him before.

“I’ll explain things to Savin and the others later,” he said. “But before I do… can I ask you something?” Kiro didn’t wait for my answer and instead just tugged on my arm to make me face him. His seraphic face entered my vision, and all of my previous anger was instantly blown out of my system.

“…If I wasn’t Kiro the superstar anymore, would you still like me, Miss Chips? Would you still… think of me?”

My whole body froze as his words sunk in. This had been a question that he’d asked me countless of times… and every time, my answer was the same.

In a burst of annoyance, I brought my middle finger to his forehead and flicked it.

Kiro let out a cry of pain as he took a step back from me and rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. The wide-eyed shock and confusion with which he looked at me actually made me feel a little better about myself. Then, I caught his slightly red cheeks between my palms and brought him down to face me, pressing my forehead against his own like the way he’d do to me, those countless times in the past.

“I told you, it doesn’t matter who you are and what kind of life you have, you will always be ‘Kiro’ to me and I will always think of you,” I said firmly, hoping to brand my words and my feelings into his mind and heart.

“You...” 

I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the way his breath caught in his throat, or the way a spark of doubt flashed through his shimmering, azure eyes, but in a bold moment of impulsiveness, I lifted myself onto my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his own.

Kiro’s entire body went rigid as a tiny gasp escaped his lips, as if his mind couldn’t process what was happening at that very moment. But after a few seconds, I felt his body cave, his hands grabbing my hips and pinning me against the wall, pressing his whole body against me. One of my hands found purchase on the back of his neck while the other held on to the scarf wrapped around his neck, tugging him closer and closer, like I was trying to brand his body with my own.

His lips were as soft as I remembered them, but there was no tenderness or gentleness to this kiss. It was ravenous, desperate and stripped me of my ability to think straight. Our mouths moved against each other with an urgent need, like a dance of our own, in sync and in heat, drinking each other in.

When I felt the familiar warmth of his tongue brush against my own, I was taken back to that night of the concert, when he’d kissed me just like this and asked me to come look for him, if he ever got lost. At that time, I never really understood what he meant when he said ‘come look for me,’ but now I think I do.

Did I find you, Kiro? Was I able to bring you back?

As our lips continued to move against each other, Kiro brought up his right hand to brush against my flushed ears and I let out a soft moan into his mouth.

That seemed to bring him back to reality.

All of sudden, Kiro broke away from the kiss, his harsh, heated breaths mixing with my own. Our foreheads were still pressed together, noses brushing and chests heaving against each other. “Now do you understand?” I whispered, ghosting my lips over his, making him shiver. “No matter who you are, I will always like you.”

Kiro let out a light chuckle as he buried his face in my shoulders, his fluffy blonde hair tickling my neck. He didn’t say anything and neither did I. We were content on just holding each other, and perceiving each other’s existence through our shared body heat. But after a few minutes, Kiro’s soft voice cut through the silence.

“I’m sorry.”  

It was like a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured on me. Images flashed through my mind as I was overcome with a sense of déjà vu. I seemed to remember silver hair, a pair of gold eyes, these same familiar arms, this same broken voice, the same feelings of anguish and despair and the same sensation of tears running down my face.

Before I even had time to react, Kiro grabbed me by shoulders and pushed me back, staring at me with a determined look on his face.

Only this time, his eyes were a blazing gold.

“I command you—”

   When the elevator had finally reached the bottom, there was only one person who stepped out, while the other remained behind, the doors sliding shut on the vision of his bitter smile.

I walked out of the building in a daze, the commotion of the traffic loud in my ears. Static seemed to blanket the other parts of my memory, only one thing coming through clearly.

I hailed a taxi and told the driver the only thing that was on my mind.

“Driver, I want to go home.”

───※ ·❆· ※─── ───※ ·❆· ※───

Thank you so much for reading. If you’re interested in checking out my other works, you’ll find them in my Masterlist

[theholycovenantrpg]

CONGRATULATIONS, HAYLEY! YOU’VE BEEN ACCEPTED FOR THE ROLE OF LUCA RICHE.

Admin Cas: Hayley, Hayley, Hayley. Your application felt, in a word, magical. You drew every one of us in to the romantic, rose-tinted world of Luca Riche, and I’m not sure any of us ever want to leave it. Luca is so good, so pure, so foolish, and evidence of that bled through your every word. And yet, your interpretation made him so much more than his love. He’s a hero, he’s a warrior — and for all his light, there’s darkness in him, too. The way you scattered quotes throughout your application really gave us insight into who Luca is beneath the surface. I’m so excited to leave our lovely, golden himbo in your hands, and I can’t wait to have my heart broken by him. Your faceclaim change to Daniel Sharman has been approved. Please create and send in your account, review the information on our CHECKLIST, and follow everyone on the FOLLOW LIST. Welcome to the Holy Land!

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Hayley

Age | 24 

Personal Pronouns | she/her

Activity Level | Well currently I’m unemployed so I have all the time in the world to just flood the dash with writing! This may change in January/February where I’ll likely be on a few hours per day in the evenings and more active on the weekends (I may also need a hiatus to move/settle in if I have to move to a new state just a heads up!!).

Timezone | EST

Triggers | REMOVED

How did you find the group?  | I would follow Rosey and her brilliant ideas to the ends of this earth

IN CHARACTER

Character | Luca Riche (FC change to Daniel Sharman? I can be flexible with alts depending on Jasper’s faceclaim as well!)

What drew you to this character? | Honestly what DIDN’T drive me to this character. Literally like everyone else I can’t help but love him the second I laid my eyes on him. He’s magnetic and just so, so good. Like pure and good and I’ll be honest I’m not quite used to playing characters who possess the literal light of the sun within them but that’s what drew me to him like he was a beacon asking me to challenge myself in the new year.

There is something just so incessantly good about Luca, which is perhaps rare amongst humans. The world has a way of finding light and corrupting it, and yet Luca remains nearly untouched. I think he’s not entirely blind to the evils of the world, having willingly taken on his role as a knight with the knowledge that he may have to and since has shed blood, but I think he still sees it and its potential as inherently good, which makes it all the more difficult to see the bad in things. That’s not to say he is entirely blind to it, but there are many things he does not see as suspicious or just willfully ignores, especially when it comes to his brother (more on them later). Of course, some things will clearly indicate to him that he should be wary, things in the vein of Samael’s entire presence, but in most cases, he is willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

I also love seeing a character who is so magnetic and who embraces that magnetism, yet hasn’t let it go to his head completely. I can imagine Luca as somewhat caught up in that reputation, as he knows the sacrifices he is encouraged and nearly obligated at this point to make, and yet he still does it willingly, not because it is expected of him, but because he wants to. He does it for love, for the love of humanity and this world and peace. He will set himself on fire to keep others warm, and yet does not boast of his flammability. Perhaps this savior complex has, in some instances, gone to his head, but overall, Luca doesn’t appear cocky or full of too much pride.

He sees himself as a hero, after all, and he knows what ends heroes may meet. Glory is but a small reward to receive while living, but as long as he lives, he will do all that he can, do all that heroes are meant to receive. Luca is well aware peace may only be sustained once he has given all there is to give of himself, his aching muscles and his still-beating heart, and that is why he will give and give, knowing what it does to him, until there is nothing left. He is so selfless in almost all regards, and yet the tinge of selfish desire to uncover the dreams he’s been having linger like a fog at the edges of his vision.

I’ll be honest in saying I haven’t written a character whose heart is full of as much love and light as Luca’s, but I also think it’s impossible for anyone to ever have as much love contained within them as Luca does. It’s as abundant as sunlight within him and he seems to give it out just as freely as the sun spreads her rays about the Earth. He is Helios, pulling the sun through the sky, ignoring any burn that may come to his flesh, for the people he loves receive its light, and for that, he is happy, he is whole.

And don’t even get me STARTED on the Riche brothers. I love their dynamic, the balance they bring, the sun and moon. The sun longs so much to be with his moon, and yet while they are destined to coexist together, the moon is so rarely willing to share his skies with the sun. That doesn’t stop Luca from trying, of course. I was so drawn to Luca in part because of the dynamic he shares with Jasper, because I just love foils and I love how intertwined their stories are, much to Luca’s pleasure and Jasper’s chagrin. A father Luca never knew and Jasper knew all too well being the reason they were brought together, so close yet so distant. Luca doesn’t know when to give up, especially when it comes to his brother, and that might just be the death of him, for, unbeknownst to him, it once was.

What future plots do you have in mind for the character? | 

ONE. A cheering crowd. Sunlight glinting off his armor. Dust settling to reveal a beautifully colored dawn. A smile brighter than all of it. I want to explore the lengths Luca will go to in order to maintain peace across this land and bring some form of salvation to the people within it. They look to him for this, for him to uphold the values of these peaceful times and ensure that this land remains prosperous and happy, and he gladly shoulders the weight of this responsibility. I want to see the things they demand of him, and how increasingly challenging they may be. How much weight can one man withstand? What tasks in the pursuit of peace and salvation and justice may lead him to make tough, impossible, potentially immoral decisions? How much can one man sacrifice before he leaves himself too vulnerable, too spent, too weak to do all that they revere him for?

TWO. A cold sweat upon the back of his neck. Blurry faces. Shadowed intentions. A dagger. Waking up with a start. I’d love to see Luca discover more about his past life and explore how he would react to the truth. He’s already longing for answers after every brief glimpse his post-encounters with Samael bring him, but I want to explore what those answers look like and what he thinks of them, especially when he finally realizes who he is and how his story once ended. I think this will be a long-term plot, with brief glimpses and memories becoming clearer, where he may grapple with immense confusion and some denial before actually accepting the truth of his past. In this, I also want to see how far he may go for the truth, since this is the only thing Luca seems to be doing primarily for himself and his own gain. So used to being selfless, he finally finds one cause he cannot stay away from that is wholly his own — if he’s so used to sacrificing for others, what might he sacrifice to give himself a moment’s satisfaction?

To get there, Luca knows this requires spending more time with Samael, so I’d be really excited to plot that out and see the fallout! Luca does not like what he must do, and yet feels this pull to do it, and I can imagine it will take more of a toll on him than just these visions.

THREE. A hand rejected. Something just out of reach. Brows set in determination. Ignoring the warning signs. I so badly want to explore the dynamic of Luca and Jasper. There’s rich history between these two, not only in this life but the last. The shared loss of a father brought them together when the loss of Abel’s life had torn them from one another in the last life, and I want to see what elements of that life remain now, and what elements might be made clearer from the dreams and memories Luca has been unearthing as of late. He knows his brother opposes him in so many ways, and yet he sees the necessity in the balance they hold together. I want to explore how his view of his brother and love of his brother may change, if at all, once he learns the truth of what his old fate was. I’d love to see how he reacts, if there is any difference in the way he would see or treat Jasper, and what he might do to ensure the course of history does not repeat itself (that is, if he even imagines that as a possible threat now), if anything at all. This is stuff that would be plotted ooc! I know this one is a bit vague and leaves many directions open, but I want to ensure flexibility on my part to allow the story and other characters to also have their effects on Luca!

FOUR. Whispers in the streets. Learning from the past. Nature overtaking ruins. Second chances. I hope to see Luca encounter what is left of the Heretics, be it any hidden surviving members or relics from their rule. I think it could be a great moment of balancing the still-remaining grief from his father with the acknowledgement of the things he’s done — Luca has been able to keep that balance now at the Table, but that’s because he has nothing but the post-Heretic world to reference. I would love to see him challenged and forced to face the things his father has done head-on, and I want to see what lengths he might go to in order to rectify that. Perhaps he will lend so much of himself out of guilt and his naive desire for peace that he accidentally gives the Heretics (or a resurgence/birth or something similar to the Heretics) too much power and legitimacy, or perhaps he will learn that the past must be buried for a reason.

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | Did Cain murder Abel? Yes. The answer to both is yes I love to hurt

IN DEPTH

Driving Character Motivation | 

“The sun never truly sets, Luca. Not when you’re here.” Peace. Love. The bright sun of a new tomorrow. Luca holds so much love in his heart for this world, but even more for the world he knows it can become if peace and prosperity are ushered in. He wants to maintain the peace that others worked so hard to establish in this new world, and he wants to ensure the happiness and prosperity of the people who inhabit it now. It’s almost a quiet expectation that was laid upon him since birth; Luca was swaddled in stories of heroism and hope as much as he was swaddled in cloth blankets when the sun set. That energy has stuck with him all his life, virtue as abundant in his veins as sunlight, and thus he wants to keep this world peaceful, keep it pleasant, and help to usher in justice and prosperity and build a utopia for the people who look to him. After all, he sees humanity as good at its core, and thus wishes to help or save all he can.

“You may share his blood, but you do not share his heart. Yours is ten times bigger and wrapped in gold — yours is a treasure to behold.” There’s also this father-sized weight upon his shoulders that he could not ignore. At first, his knees buckled in grief when he tried to carry it, but now he lifts it upon strong shoulders, years of practice strengthening the muscle. He wants to usher in a different legacy for the Riche name because he knows so well the mixed reactions that had preceded him. He grew up hearing the whispers that followed his surname’s reputation when others thought the child could not hear. While they beamed at Luca, and some uttered words of pride for his legacy, others would whisper curses at his father, despite the adoration they felt for the spawn just within earshot. He wants people to hear his name and smile, to think of the peace he brought and the good he’s done, and hopefully the good his descendants will continue to do.

“What wills you to bear your soul, fleshy and vulnerable, to the hungriest of vultures?” Answers also drive Luca, in a sense, but mostly in the reason he spends time with Samael. He cannot help the curiosity and longing that his vivid dreams inject into his veins, he cannot help the pull of the river of this mysterious blood. He longs to see where it lasts, and if he has spent his life being so selfless, why should he not have one thing of his own? He seeks so little, he thinks, so surely he can justify his actions. He gives so much and yet looks for only one thing for himself, so despite the means in which he achieves it, it cannot be so bad, can it?

Character Traits | OPTIONAL. Please list 3 positive traits and 3 negative traits that you identify in the character you’re applying for. 

+: selfless, brave, charismatic

-: too trustful, ignorant, doesn’t know when to quit

In-Character Para Sample | 

When the sun finally kissed Luca goodnight with magnificent shades of orange and pink in its wake and the moon promised her glow would keep him alight until the sun’s valiant return, he fell asleep readily, trusting the safety she sang of. Once, as a child, he’d been afraid of the dark, begging his mom to keep a candle beside him as if she could will the fire’s intentions or even pull the sun out of hiding for her boy. Back then, it wasn’t until she reminded him that he shone brighter than any star in the night sky, that he was her guiding light when the sun could not be, that he settled, determined to illuminate this home even in his dreams. When he dreamt back then, he dreamt of heroes, of daring rescues and brave knights and the whispers of legends passed down through generations. Shining armor and great adventure and triumphant endings held a young Luca’s mind during the night.

Tonight, there were no heroes behind his eyes.

He awoke in a field unfamiliar. The grasses were tall and beginning to yellow with the dry heat of the summer, which beamed down upon Luca from a sun that seemed much harsher than the one he had loved. Already, sweat began to bead upon his forehead, and as he sat up and wiped the moisture away, he realized his hands were tanner than they typically were. Perhaps the summer sun had been extra brutal this year. Dirt caked under his nails mixed with the sweat from his palm as he wiped them on an unfamiliar tunic. This world he awoke in was not the one he’d fallen asleep in, and for a moment, he wondered if his body was even the one he’d left in slumber, as well.

Standing up, the grass tickled his calves, a greeting from nature he had been familiar with as a child. Luca looked around for some semblance of where he was, but the world offered no kind clues. Even the sun could not help her favorite child here with a helpful, guiding ray. The field was vast, nearly as far as the eye could see, though when turning around, Luca noticed the beginning trees of a forest — no, a garden. The trees looked strangely like those that greeted him whenever he visited the Garden of Eden, and yet he could not fathom that a possibility, for this land looked nothing like the Holy Land he’d called home for some years, now. Perhaps his mind just ached for even a touch of something familiar, he believed. The slightest similarity to soothe a confused ache in his mind.

A shuffle in the grass caused Luca to turn around and face its source, and while he knew he should have been filled with some sort of nervousness, some sort of wariness upon facing the unknown, he could only feel calm, as if he knew what he was about to encounter. Thankfully, he did not need to feel fear as he looked down at his new companion, a round sheep lazily approaching him through the grass, newly sheared for summer. A soft, pleased sigh escaped him, and his hand reached out to pet the dark head of the bleating creature, who leaned in expectedly to Luca’s touch.

When he pulled back from the creature, red stained his hand. Shocked, he sucked in a sharp breath as the world around him began to blur. The field felt an illusion out of focus, even the garden on its outskirts felt too far to have ever been real. The only thing that remained real, the only thing anchoring him to this place was the sheep, who, upon taking a step back from Luca, revealed a slowly growing red stain upon his neck. Blood’s crimson stain grew and grew about the sheep’s neck, and the color of the grass beneath it began to change to follow suit. Beside him grew a feeling Luca could not shake: though he could only see himself and the sheep, they were not alone. And whoever this presence was, He was satisfied.

Luca awoke with a start, his breathing desperate and ragged. His hands, clean and pale with the winter’s early nights, reached to wipe the cold sweat that spotted his forehead. He stayed upright in his bed for what felt like hours, unable to succumb to sleep again, until the sun arose and painted the sky with soft, apologetic clouds for abandoning him for so long. A dream, it had only been, and yet the feelings it brought did not pass, churning in his stomach and sticking to its walls like the sweetest of honeys or the thickest of bloods. Something about it felt much more real than the other fleeting escapes his mind entertained under the moon’s watchful gaze. The dream lingered on the tip of his tongue, evasive and then out of reach, and with it, a single word.

Sacrifice.

It was the first, and it would not be the last.

Extras | Pinterest

Luca said himbo rights (he is emotionally intelligent but not near as intelligent in the classical sense as Jasper!!!) and I support him.

HEADCANONS:

Scars. Being a knight, and seeing and training in combat, Luca has not been able to walk away unscathed. Due to the armor he’s worn in battle, most of his scars come from training, and many are from his early days when he still had much to learn. The most notable one runs along the back of his left arm above his elbow, from when he was shoved into a wall during a sparring match and met a nail that was sticking out of the wood. [Also, this one would depend on Jasper’s mun, but I think it would be interesting for Luca to have a scar that his brother gave to him. It could be they were sparring with swords and Jasper won with the tip of his blade to Luca’s neck. While he would not have killed his brother that day, it could have left a small scar beneath his chin. I just like the idea of it serving as an omen that Luca ignores in favor of noting that his brother was in a position of power over him but chose to do nothing to harm him.]

Religion. Luca believes in the Hundred Eyed God and can often be seen attending ceremonies at the church. He also spends time there volunteering with whatever they may need him to do.

Style. Luca’s style varies from his armor as a knight, which has some gold plating to it to signify his gilded status, to his everyday wear, which often consists of lighter earth tones and whatever cuts of clothing are most stylish. Sometimes, he will wear a vest of chainmail over his tunic, more for style reasons than practical ones. Accessories include a sword (in knightwear it is a longsword with a leather hilt and gold accents, and more casually he carries a shortsword with an intricate golden hilt), a small leather satchel, and a necklace containing a pendant of an eye.

Weapons. Luca has two primary swords (described above) which are his preferred weapons. However, he has also trained and is skilled with a bow and arrow and daggers, though these weapons are not always on his person. CHARACTER:

MBTI. ENFJ, The Protagonist

Enneagram. 2w3

Alignment. Lawful/Neutral Good (he’s on the cusp due to the fact that he does not show unwavering blind loyalty he is loyal instead to causes that are right and just — also literally lawful and neutral differed by one point when I took the test)

Temperament. Sanguine

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

The unfazed. Someone who isn’t charmed by Luca’s reputation. This person could have their reasons for not believing in the same things he does, or they could just be a contrarian who doesn’t see the big deal with him. It’s something that’s rare for Luca to encounter, and sometimes he doesn’t quite know what to do to get certain people on his side, but he will certainly try his hardest.

The grateful. Someone who Luca has helped in the past. This could go in many different directions depending on the character, who may feel indebted, or simply believe in the legend surrounding him even harder. A friendship could have even spawned out of this, and Luca will make it a point to check in on this person if they don’t already see each other often.

The argumentative. Someone who Luca doesn’t quite see eye to eye with. Different from the unfazed in the sense that they may share the same goals with Luca or agree with him on certain things, but the two just can’t seem to agree on how to approach a situation. Maybe one wishes to rush in while the other wants to take their time, or they just completely have opposite plans to solve a certain problem or prioritize involving different risks. There’s much banter that comes from this, and the political bickering may not end when the meeting is over.

The guilt-trip. Someone who Luca feels guilty looking upon. Perhaps this was someone he could not help for whatever reason, or someone (or the family of someone) he came to the aid of when it was too late. Losing anything, even if it’s just a small battle, takes its toll on Luca, who isn’t quite used to failure, and the sight of this person weighs heavy on his heart. Perhaps they resent him for this, or maybe they don’t, but Luca feels an obligation to make it up to them regardless. A fun little exploration in what failure looks like on Luca.

The sparring partner. Someone Luca turns to when Jasper denies his requests to spar (or anything, really). While not someone who turns to violence as a first resort, Luca knows he must keep his performance at a certain level as a knight, and so he practices with this person often. He finds them a pleasant and formidable challenge, regardless of the amount of formal training they have. I think the intricacies and what each person gets out of this really depends on the other character as well!

MORE RAMBLING:

I just wanted to ramble a little about the rest of Luca’s connections!! I already rambled about the Riche brothers who I love so much and I wanted to just go off on how much I love the other dynamics he’s involved in as well. I didn’t wanna make his app all about connections because it’s about him!!! So here’s where the rest of my love for those connections is gonna go:

Romilda. Romilda and Luca just. Ugh they make my heart sing!!! I think there is the potential for someone like Luca, someone so good, to feel lonely at the top when others are just simply not like him or don’t see the world the way he does. But Romilda has always kept him from feeling alone — she is his guiding light and his favorite star in the sky!! I think having someone like them who understands and who just. gets him so intensely is so good for him and helps him feel stronger. Romilda is truly one of the people he cares for the most and I really think he would do just about anything for them and finds himself easily justifying any cause they have. Romilda is truly the person Luca trusts the most and the person he would tell anything to. She would likely be the first person to hear about his dreams (though, I’ll admit he’ll probably try and tell Jasper, but I doubt Jasper will listen, so Romilda is the first person to truly hear about what’s going through his head). I think the age difference between them has also made Luca sometimes see himself as a protector over Romilda. Though he knows she does not need saving now, strong and brilliant in her burning light, he does still look out for her, in spite of any darkness she may not notice encroaching.

Caphriel. This connection just really pulls me in so well! She is his Lorelei, that beautiful mirage upon the rocks. Actually, Lorelei is pretty fitting, though I don’t pretend to control or speak for Caphriel — this beautiful maiden who lost her lover and threw herself to sea, now singing to draw this sailor in — only in this case the sailor is also her lover reincarnated. What they have is nothing short of beautiful. She is, among many things, a selfish desire of a selfless man, and it is in part that reason that Luca finds himself seeking clarity. He cannot know if this love is a blessing or a test from the Hundred Eyed God if he is so completely blinded by it, and as much as it pains him, as impossible as it seems (and it is, for truly Luca cannot resist the cries of anyone who utters his name), he must take that space, he must breathe in air that is not fully saturated with the sweet scent of Caphriel. He also worries he is not the only human she sets her sights upon, because while they both share a love of humanity, he can imagine how deep that love runs within her veins. He wants to know she feels for Luca in every part, not just his mortality. He does not know she has felt for him before.

Jasper. I already talked about the Riche brothers so this is just my little space to say I love Jasper so so much. I want to give him a kiss on the forehead and give him a book. It might be a therapy book but it’s a book and a gift nonetheless.

Samael. I touched on Samael’s role to Luca a little bit but there’s more to it than just the dreams Luca is cursed (or blessed, Luca is definitely not sure which at this time) with. Samael, like Caphriel, is a means to a selfish desire of a selfless man, and I love that there is an angel and a demon Luca has some sort of selfish means towards. Samael is, perhaps, the only one who holds answers, and despite the contempt Luca feels towards him, he doesn’t much desire playing trial and error with the other demons when he knows Samael may be all but dangling the key he seeks in front of his face. I also just love the idea of someone who gets under Luca’s skin when he’s a fairly positive person who values peace over his temper. He tells himself that it is worth it, that he will only receive his answers and then leave the demon alone forever, but even these encounters possibly leave open the tiniest cracks for corruption. After all, his longing for answers suggests a selfish desire, and how can that be ignored in the face of a demon? ANOTHER PARA SAMPLE:

Sun-kissed skin has been drained of its glow. Bright eyes had dimmed in the sadness. The only thing that remained of Luca at this funeral were the rosy shade that blanketed his cheeks, but even they were a false image. The youthful rush of blood to his cheeks was replaced by the heavy pulse of life beneath the skin as the boy cried all the day long. What light the sun could provide behind dark clouds only served to illuminate the tears that ran down his face. He’d long since stopped reaching to wipe them, and the hearts of strangers could not bear to look upon his sadness for too long.

On this day, the day of his father’s funeral, the light had been drained from Luca, a boy born swaddled in the sun, all because of a man he’d barely even known. His father, who had rarely come to visit, had encapsulated the boy’s heart in just those few times that ten-year-old Luca still felt the crushing weight of grief bearing down upon him. Stories of what they would do when he visited next would remain just that, stories. “Your father was a great man,” strangers would say to them as they brushed his limp curls out of his face. Luca nodded, for even if he hadn’t known the man long, he truly believed that. His mother loved him. He loved him. But when Luca felt his mother’s hand squeezing his shoulder, there was something else in her eyes, something else joining the sadness that had plagued her demeanor ever since she hoarsely broke the news to Luca.

“Your father had another son,” she said quietly, bile coating the words she could not even bring herself to sugarcoat, not even for her sweet child. Luca looked up at her quizzically, but she did not meet his gaze for once, her stare looking across the room as her grip tightened upon his shoulder. “He’s going to be living with us.” Luca had never seen his mother not as bright and abundant as the flowers that grew in the garden, and yet, everything in her withered when she spoke of this news. He imagined it was grief, and nothing more, that brought this out as his mother was swallowed up again by the mourning crowd, leaving him alone with just those words for comfort.

Another son. Luca had a brother. It was the type of shocking news that could make any grieving child break on a day like this. To know one’s father was not faithful to their mother. To know there was another receiving the affections meant for them. And yet, this news was what brought the sun out from behind the storm clouds that hid it away. Luca had a brother, another boy just like him, and he could not help but smile softly to himself. He would have someone to walk through this life with, to help him shoulder this grief and tell him stories of their father and be his friend and partner through whatever life decided to throw their way. If Luca was the sun, then his brother must have been a star just as bright. He couldn’t wait to meet him.

Making his way through the crowd, following the direction his mother had once stared so bitterly in, Luca finally believed he spotted him. The boy couldn’t have been much older than he, though the shadows of the tree he stood beneath hid the true answer from Luca. He stood alone, arms over his chest, sniffling as he quietly gazed in the direction of the pyre. Luca wandered over towards him, taking his hand in his own warm grip before the other boy had a chance to react. “It’s okay,” he said, his own voice wavering with the hoarseness that crying brings. “We are brothers in harmony. We’ll do this together.”

______

No brighter could Luca’s smile glow as than it did upon his arrival to the Holy Land. The land was more beautiful than he had ever imagined it would be, lush meadows tickling his grazing fingers in greeting with a river that seemed to babble hello. He could have stayed among this natural beauty for the rest of his days, but then he would have missed the marvels that beckoned to him in the distance. It was practically a utopia, the buildings rising to welcome him as if the city had outstretched arms to embrace him. And if the buildings could not hold him close and whisper welcome home, then the people would, for their heads turned and their eyes sparkled with an eager desire to welcome this man who seemed to bring the sun to their land. 

Luca was not yet the gilded knight of bedtime stories and yearning aspirations, but he certainly held himself like one as he took his time walking through the Holy Land. He wanted to memorize the way each stone felt beneath his feet, the smell of every bakery he passed and the sight of all the different fading colors of brick on each building. He wanted this moment to last. He wanted to know his new home as well as his home already seemed to know him. But he could not stay within its tempting embrace for too long, for training began today, and he would arrive eager and ready and hopefully on time, if he had not spent too long lingering already. 

His steps began to hasten, nearly getting caught up in a loose vine that had lingered in the street, intent on holding him here to enjoy the moment, but he continued on despite it. Luca’s limbs were eager to do what they seemed destined for, running and fighting and pushing himself further than he ever thought his humble life had destined for. But it was more than just what he would get to do when he arrived that drove him forward with a buoyant breeze in his step, it was who he would get to do all of it with.

Jasper stood just as Luca remembers when he first met him. His back rested against a tree though he stood up straight, his stern gaze straight ahead and his arms crossed about his chest. The younger Riche couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his older brother, even if he hadn’t yet noticed his presence in return. There was something about that expression on Jasper’s face that Luca loved about his brother, the constant contemplation so intriguing. Just once, he wished to know what was at work inside that brilliant mind, though he’d long since learned that simply asking would get him nowhere.

“Brother!” Luca called cheerfully, approaching Jasper. The other finally turned to face his brother, and though his expression certainly didn’t look amused (no, it rather resembled a cross between shock and annoyance and fury, in fact), Luca didn’t seem to mind.

“What are you doing here?” Jasper asked, having not been informed of Luca’s decision to come.

“We are brothers in harmony, are we not?” Luca responded, paying no mind to the rolling of Jasper’s eyes in response. It was all the answer he needed to give. He was here to train, just as Jasper was. “Come, let’s do this together.” His hand outstretched towards Jasper, waiting for the other man’s hand to fit into his.

Instead, Jasper simply walked into the crowd of other hopeful fighters. Luca’s hand dropped to his side, and with a shrug, he followed along, as he always would. CHARACTER INSPIRATION

Abel from biblical lore (duh)

Luke Skywalker from Star Wars

Princess Anna from Frozen

Prince Audric from the Empirium trilogy

Captain America from various Marvel iterations

[kaleidodreams]

40 Questions - Meme for Fic Writers

Well, I only got one ask for this game, but I really wanted to answer more questions, so I’ve just decided to answer all of them!

1. Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic. - I don't know if I really have a "comfort zone"... Maybe family drama and dealing with characters' backstories?

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to? - Hmm, fake dating seems like it would be pretty fun to try to write. I just wouldn't know which characters to use.

3. Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole? - The whole A/B/O thing... Yeah, no.

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them? - Maybe five or six? And you can check out the answer to Question 37 if you want to know what most of them are.

5. Share one of your strengths. - People seem to like my original characters.

6. Share one of your weaknesses. - I'm not very good at description.

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it. - This is from Ashes to Ashes:

However, the more time that passed, the more otou-sama lost himself in his work and the more distant we became. Our house, which had always been full of laughter and smiles when okaa-sama was alive and healthy, might as well have been a cemetery itself, the ghost of her memory haunting us who remained. Even as young as I was, I realized that otou-sama would never be able to truly recover from his grief as long as we stayed there, where the scent of okaa-sama's favorite perfume still seemed to linger in the air and every room remained a museum to the woman who once lived there because otou-sama couldn't bear the thought of putting her things away.

I just really like the "house is a cemetery" metaphor. (By the way, that story is written from Rei Hino’s point of view, if that wasn’t clear from the title.)

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it. - This is from To Build a Home:

"Take if off and put it back the way it was," he ordered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But why? You always said my bed looked so cute."

"Yeah, your bed. But this is my bed, and I don't want it to look cute."

"Your bed?" She set down an ugly-cute hippo plush and arched an eyebrow. "Isn't it our bed now?"

He rubbed at his temple. "Yes, of course, but… You know what I mean." Mamoru pointed an accusing finger at a very familiar blanket – one that was too small to properly fit the queen-sized bed. "I am not having sex on a bed covered in bunnies and crescent moons!"

"That's never stopped you before. We did it all the time –"

"You're missing the point, Usako! We're adults now. Isn't it about time you outgrew all this cutesy crap?"

He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Oh, I see. I can move into your oh-so-sophisticated apartment, just not my 'cutesy crap'." She grabbed an empty cardboard box from off the floor and started throwing her plush toys in it with a force that made Mamoru very glad she wasn't pummeling them at him. "If that's how you really feel, then maybe we shouldn't move in together at all!"

I like it because I tend to have trouble writing arguments, but this one turned out exactly how I wanted it to, and I can just picture the scene so vividly.

9. Which fic has been the hardest to write? - Hmm, probably Melting Ice? It took me about eight years -- I started writing it a couple of years before I actually started posting it -- to finally finish the whole thing. Sure, it’s a long fic (over 150,000 words), but in comparison, I managed to write Spirit of Fire, which is almost twice as long, in only two or three years (ignoring the side stories added later).

10. Which fic has been the easiest to write? - Probably my first fics because back then I wasn’t as self-conscious about my writing. But later in my career, I seem to recall Blood On His Hands being really easy and fast to write until I got to the last chapter. Honestly, I think the ending took me longer to figure out than the rest of the story!

11. Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby? - Both!

12. Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more? - This is easiest to choose with Sailor Moon, so can I just say the entire SuperS season/Dream Arc? Obviously because of the Chibiusa/Helios OTP factor, but also because we learn about the Inners’ families and Elysion/the Golden Kingdom, both subjects that I love exploring.

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across? - I learned about this from a post on Tumblr, but it’s REALLY helpful to run your story through a screen reader (I just use Google Translate). I think I’m pretty good at catching spelling and grammar errors, but one thing I have trouble with is missing words. Hearing the story read aloud instead of just reading it to myself and mentally filling in the blanks makes the skips so much easier to find. I also worry a lot about the flow of my writing, so I figure if it doesn’t sound too terrible being read by a computer, it’s probably not as awful as I think it is!

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across? - Probably the "avoid adverbs" rule. Sometimes using an adverb is the best choice!

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose? - Oh, man, this is totally impossible to choose... Um, To Be By Your Side? I really don't know.

16. If you only could write one pairing for the rest of your life, which pairing would it be? - If I had to, I would no doubt pick Chibiusa/Helios, but I’m really glad I don’t! I enjoy being able to write a variety of couples and imagine I would get bored fairly quick if I was limited to just writing one OTP forever, as much as I may love them.

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order? - It depends on the story, but most of the time it’s out of order, which is frankly annoying, but it seems to work for me.

18. Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines? - Not really, unless you count screenwriting and research tools.

19. Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse? - Haha, I remember when I first started writing fanfiction as a teenager, there were four characters I considered my muses: Helios (obs!), Shigure from Fruits Basket (who is a writer himself), Touya from Card Captor Sakura, and Tooya from Ceres: Celestial Legend (not sure why, though, since I never wrote for Ceres). I guess I would still consider Helios my muse?

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions. - At my desk in my bedroom, with the room at a comfortable temperature and absolute quiet.

21. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting? - I tend to edit while I write, which I know isn’t generally considered the best way to do things, but it works for me. So I can’t really answer this question definitively.

22. Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style. (Person sending the ask is free to make suggestions). (Skipping this one unless someone wants to make a suggestion for a passage.)

23. If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why? - Spirit of Fire, because while I love the story and the characters, I think it could be better written, especially the earlier chapters.

24. Have you ever deleted one of your published fics? - I did take down a first chapter of a planned multi-part and reworked it into a one-shot when I decided I didn’t want to write the rest of it, if that counts. (The Legend, if you’re interested.) Otherwise, no.

25. What do you look for in a beta? - Basically someone who wants to beta for me. *laughs* Like I said before, I consider myself pretty good at catching spelling and grammar goofs, so I don't feel like I really need a beta, but if someone offers, it doesn't hurt to have a second pair of eyes!

26. Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you? - I've done so in the past, and if somebody asks me, I would probably be willing to do it again. I would say I focus mainly on spelling/grammar, occasionally making suggestions or asking questions if something seems off (like a character feels OOC or something).

27. How do you feel about collaborations? - I've never really been a part of one, so I don't have much of an opinion. If you're good friends, it seems like it would be a lot of fun, but maybe a bit difficult if you have different styles.

28. Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much. - his lordship Chaos, Allekha, and commas_and_ampersands 

29. If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose? - I honestly can’t think of any. I have enough sequels and prequels of my own stuff to write! *laughs*

30. Do you accept prompts? - Not unless I’m doing a drabble game, which I haven’t done in years, or I’m taking part of some writing challenge. Just random prompts, though? No. I like to write what I want to write.

31. Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant? - I’d say I’m middle-of-the-road between the two, closer to being strict about being canon compliant.

32. How do you feel about smut? - Despite being asexual, I’m a fan!

33. How do you feel about crack? - A lot of it is really stupid, but with the right writer and idea, crack can be brilliantly funny. I usually only read it on recommendation, though.

34. What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con? - It’s not something I go looking for as a reader, but I don’t mind if I come across it and it’s handled well. I’ve written some dub-con myself, mostly in the form of drunk sex, but also some incidents involving magic. Overall, though, I’m really a HUGE fan of consent when it comes to sex scenes. Consent is sexy!

35. Would you ever kill off a canon character? - Yes, of course. Done it before and I’ll probably do it again!

36. Which is your favorite site to post fic? - I like AO3 and FF.net equally well.

37.Talk about your current wips.

Friends With Benefits (Kaleido Star) - This is the only WIP I’m actively posting. It’s a sequel to Blood On His Hands, and it’s about Layla and Yuri engaging in a, well, “friends with benefits” arrangement, leading to complications when they fall in love. 

The Bonds We Choose (Yuri!! On Ice) - A sequel to It’s Complicated, taking place about four years later. Yuri, Otabek, and Mila have settled into their unusual relationship -- Yuri and Otabek are queerplatonic partners while Otabek is also dating/living with Mila -- when a drunken mistake at the Olympics changes their lives forever.

Metamophosis (Sailor Moon) - This is kinda a prequel to To Be By Your Side, telling the story of how Helios became priest of Elysion.

Stolen Dreams (Sailor Moon) - Ha, this is the only non-sequel/prequel story on the list! But it’s about an incubus who plans to get revenge on Helios by seducing a grown-up Chibi-Usa, who’s under a lot of stress due to her upcoming college entrance exams.

38. Talk about a review that made your day. - I was really happy when @floraone favorited and wrote a review for my Sailor Moon Smutember entry, Head of the Class. Knowing that someone like her, who IMO writes the BEST sex scenes I’ve ever read, enjoyed it... Well, like the question said, it really made my day! I also was pleasantly surprised to get any reviews at all for my last two YOI fics, Lonely Hearts and No Risk, No Reward, since Minako/Celestino and Sara/Emil are both extremely rare pairs. I seriously didn’t think anybody would read them, so I was thrilled with the reviews I got.

39. Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them? - Occasionally, and I just ignore them.

40. Write an alternative ending to [insert fic title] (or just the summary of one). (Again, skipping, unless someone wants to suggest a story.)

[aishien-the-aishien]

Just wanted to put in my pennyworth as one of the Gus fans out there:

I agree with a lot of the takes in here, but I suppose I interpret a few things differently. I absolutely agree that Gus must have been incredibly surprised to see Elico and Hexados sacrifice themselves for him, as well as Vulcan.

BUT.

I wouldn't say he considers Bakugan "tools". We've seen him talk to Vulcan in previous episodes, he does view him as a person rather than simply a tool. I dare say he even sounded a bit concerned about Vulcan all the way back in the flashbacks from episode 5, when we saw the two lose against Spectra and Helios? (Though that's more likely than not me overinterpreting lol.)

And then look at his behaviour in episode 39 as well: he does not WANT Elico to sacrifice himself, because that shot was meant for GUS. Him and Vulcan are both surprised and/or angry with Hexados for sacrificing himself (? is Hexados a he? LOL) for Vulcan.

Let's check episode 33 as well: Gus doesn't even initially want to fight Volt, he doesn't feel like he has any business in tormenting him until Spectra tells him to. And even then, Gus's talking to Volt mostly revolves around guilttripping him about leaving Brontes. Gus clearly recognises the Bakugan subjectivity, and even sees himself as better in this aspect than Volt. The only instance we've seen him actively seek Bakugan harm is when he was evolving Brontes, Elico and Vulcan - which was done to aid Spectra. And we know Gus would do anything to Spectra, and if it were him who had to be hurt to do it, he'd agree in the blink of an eye. (The only moment this doesn't work is when Gus asks Volt - "why would you fight for a lowly Bakugan?", or something similar, but he doesn't exhibit this way of thinking at any other point so I'm not sure if it should be taken into account? It felt a little bit OoC to me, but do correct me if I'm wrong. Either way it could still just be a way to make Volt hurt even more, to make him think Brontes was in bad hands despite his efforts? I don't know.)

I would say Gus' view, rather than objectifying the Bakugan, is more so: we are all working for the same goal (helping Spectra), and anything goes in achieving that goal. If any of us have to be hurt - so be it. Gus's approach to Bakugan in general doesn't matter when it's about Spectra's business. However, when the Bakugan start to sacrifice themselves for him - this is something he won't accept. Because he doesn't actually wish them harm on his own, and doesn't see their pain as a means to an end, as long as it isn't about Spectra, which is when any pain is just a means to an end. What changes after episode 39, and what we kind of see in the season's finale, is that he realises that even though he might have this approach, the Bakugan do not. He doesn't learn to treat Bakugan as people because he had treated them that way already, but he does learn - through Elico's and Hexados' unfortunate sacrifice - that not everyone thinks that way, and that when other people care about him, he has to take that into account as well. Who knows, that might get him started on a journey of noticing how dependent he is on Spectra and how that might not be the best thing!

Now, a lot of this might be overinterpreting and/or my being a Gus apologist, for which I sincerely apologise. I do not have time to thoroughly research the season now, though, and I just wanted to get some thoughts in because I've been thinking about OP's post. I might add some things to this/write another post about the topic when I have more time, though!

I did feel it was jarring that with how Gus treated Volt and Brontes, only episodes later in his match with Zenoheld, he seemed suddenly emotionally close to his Bakugan. I felt like a few scenes were missing with Gus's guilt with how he treated Volt and Brontes transferring to him getting to know and becoming closer to his Bakugan.

yeah, it's a real shame. this part of s2 is really aggravating to me because there's little to no setup for that payoff to happen. gus and spectra just suddenly care about the bakugan, even though they did horrible experiments on them. there's no self reflection, no moral dilemma, nothing.

you could argue that episode 33 sets it up, what with volt being confronted with his hypocrisy in carrying out bakugan genocide while also seeing brontes as more than just a tool, as well as gus being baffled by volt's display of loyalty towards his former partner and choosing to set brontes free, but that's also all there is to it. after this episode, volt still helps the vexos eradicate the bakugan and the only reason why spectra and gus help the brawlers prevent it is because doing so is in their best interest (if they don't help, they'll lose drago's perfect core and they might lose helios, too.) nothing else mattered to them.

i think more than anything, gus was surprised to see elico, hexados and vulcan risk their lives for him in episode 39, especially considering how he viewed bakugan as no more than tools. he chastised volt and brontes for caring about each other and called it a weakness, only for him to be saved because multiple bakugan cared about him enough to sacrifice themselves for him.

personally, i don't think gus deserved to have three bakugan lay down their lives for him but if the deaths of elico and hexados had forced him to reevaluate the way he viewed bakugan as lifeforms, i would've been okay with how episode 39 played out (even though the ideal scenario for me is gus dying lol.) after all, gus was imprisoned shortly after, and had all the time in the world to think of what he did to them. but as it stands, we're given no insight into gus' thoughts other than "i must help master spectra" and "if master spectra considers the brawlers his allies, then so do i." and that's pretty disappointing.