#pretty pathetic and cowardly

[cielcreations]

🦐

I'm not a fan of seafood, sorry.

[daenysx]

tangerine x fem!reader, fluff/comfort ♡

-tangerine has this habit of crawling back to you.

cw; soft!tangerine, this man yearns and he's not ashamed of that, tangerine being a bit dramatic, exes to lovers (?), title is from do i wanna know by arctic monkeys, kissing many many times, my first time writing for him- please let me know what you think

wc; 1.5k

CRAWLIN' BACK TO YOU

It's not healthy to do this every night, is it?

No, because Tangerine doesn't know how to stop and it bothers him. It bothers him more than Lemon's insistent talks about Thomas the Tank Engine, so this is serious. He's a strong man, but- you sigh in content and he's glad to be witnessing this.

He really should stop watching you sleep.

You look peaceful like this. Happy, blissfully unconscious. Your pretty lips let out tiny breaths and he swears he will collapse. Something squeezes his poor heart. He wants to be closer, you look warm but are you really warm? He wants to drag his fingers on your skin, to touch you like he used to. Stained fingers, red with blood. He washed them before coming here, but it doesn't matter. He'll never be pure enough to touch you.

"Pretty girl," he whispers in the dark. You don't hear him. He gets encouraged by that.

He takes a hesitant step towards your bed.

"Look at you, sleeping so deep," Tangerine whispers again. "Always in peace when I'm not here, aren't you?"

Technically he is here, but you don't know that, and that's all he cares. He doesn't try to be a creep, he's just in love. He swears this is the only reason why he keeps coming back to his ex's apartment. He promises this is the only reason why he lies to his brother as he crawls back to you.

His fingers ache to reach out and touch you.

If he could be a better man, he'd be in your arms right now. He'd be kissing your collarbones and his rings would collide nicely with the soft fabric of your tank top. He's a coward, really. He's glad you're the only one who knows this side of him. It would be terrible for his job options otherwise.

You take another breath. Tangerine watches the softness of your cheeks move when you curl your lips in your sleep. You must be dreaming. He hopes you see him being good for you in your dream. Being the man he never could be in reality.

He really should stop using the keys you gave him months ago.

"I wish I could be-" he starts saying some stupid shit again. Oh, come on. He rolls his eyes at himself. "Pathetic. I'm being pathetic."

"You really are," you turn to your side. Fuck. Tangerine flinches.

"Wha- Fuck me-" he takes a step back. You were sleeping two seconds ago. He's shy all of a sudden as if he's not the man who keeps coming back to his ex after breaking up with her by saying 'you deserve better, love'.

You blink, looking so exhausted as you do that. Leaning on your elbows, you look up to him. His hair is messed up, his blue eyes are wide open. It's a good look on him. Objectively.

"You really did think I wasn't aware of you coming back here every night, didn't you?"

"Um- then why did you-"

"You really are being pathetic, Tangerine," you say. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"No, of course not-"

"I know you still have the keys," you say. "I knew you'd use them at some point, you never offered to give them back."

Tangerine finally manages to close his mouth. Clever girl, aren't you? He feels poorly, now that he can't call you his.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asks.

You blink a few times. "I waited for you to say something first."

"Sorry to disappoint, love," he says, genuine this time. "I've been acting too cowardly around you."

You sigh, you really want to sleep. You wish he could just stop with this pity party and come to bed. Silent promises ring in your head, you want him back. He kept saying he's doing it for you, breaking up because he doesn't want you to get hurt. He swears even telling you what he does for living was the toughest shit he'd ever gone through. Who wants a guy like him anyway?

"Will you please- come here? Let's just talk about this in the morning, I'm so tired."

He blinks a few times. You have a death wish, don't you? Why the hell would you want him to get close if you don't?

"It's 'cause I know you still love me," you answer. Shit, he asked it out loud. "I know you're trying to make a stupid decision for both of us, still, but tonight I want none of that. Come here."

You pat the empty spot next to you and Tangerine obeys. He has no choice, his entire body feels like it's on fire with the distance between you. He takes off his suit jacket, lets himself be bare in front of you just like how you always want him. No unnecessary clothes in bed, you once said. I want to know you're here.

He lies next to you hesitantly. For a brave man, he's acting pretty fearful tonight. You wrap your arm around his chest, your fingers touch his skin as you draw a small circle right there.

Tangerine takes a breath. It's good, being here. He finally feels like he's where he belongs. You snuggle closer to him, always the bold one in the relationship. Many would expect it to be different, he knows, but he feels entirely yours and this is something he can't explain. He'd let you do anything you want, if you want to cuddle him, kiss him in public, or snuggle to his chest like a cat, so be it. He wraps an arm around you.

"Oh," he breathes. You smell wonderful. "My girl."

Fuck, he missed this. He melts right there, how can he be stupid enough to let you go? He turns to his side to hold you better, you put your head to the curve of his neck. His cologne hits you like an old memory, but that's nonsense. You never let him go.

"Missed this," he says. "Missed you."

"You're an idiot."

"That's what I am."

You tangle your legs with his, he kisses his way on your neck all the way to your shoulder. You close your eyes, let yourself be okay now that he's here. He can finally admit that he never left, he couldn't do that if he tried. He yearns for this, for every bit of affection he can have.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. He doesn't think he can wait until the morning to tell you this. You must know how sorry he is for even trying to go out of your life, how desperate he's been since the day he told you he wants to break up. How angry he made Lemon (even Lemon) because he's been a restless bastard and he doesn't even know what he's doing. "I'm so sorry."

You lift your head to see his eyes. Under the soft moonlight in your room, they sparkle. Just a deep blue, you've always loved his eyes. He's genuine and he's only a man. He looks like he can beg for forgiveness on his knees.

"It's okay," you say gently. No need for arguments, the bed is warm and he's here. You'll find the right time to talk about this. For now, though, you choose to put your head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat.

Tangerine kisses your head. You like having shower before bed and he can smell your shampoo. He holds your hand under the covers and slides his hips to get closer to you. The pillows are soft and inviting beneath his head, he closes his eyes.

"Will you stay for breakfast?" you ask. He can stay forever if you want. Fuck, yearning turned him into a fucking romantic.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asks instead.

"Yes," you reply, getting closer to his pulse point. You put a small kiss on the tiny spot under his ear. He lets out a quiet hiss when you bite there playfully.

"Or maybe I should crawl back here with flowers in my hand," he says, adjusting his neck to give you more space to kiss. He can feel you smile against him.

"You really should," you tell him. "Later. Not tomorrow."

Your sound unsure. Hesitant with your loving as if he scared you. He did, though, didn't he? Tangerine is a man of sin and he really needs to atone for some of them.

"I'm not gonna leave," he promises. "Not again."

You nod, his loving girl. You could give him hell, but you're exhausted. He tightens his arm around you and lets you settle down on him.

Your breath is nice to feel against his neck. Tangerine relaxes. You fall asleep in the next minute or so, he isn't sure when. He just knows that this feels like home, and he'd been the biggest fool in the history for trying to leave it as if he actually could. He has to get you those flowers just as soon as he can.

[candiiee]

jealousy || valentines special

Izuku knew he didn’t have a right to be jealous. It’s not your fault you’re so perfect and pretty, always receiving valentines on this cursed day.

He wasn’t even dating you! he was a friend, and that was all he would be. he’d known you since you were five for god’s sake.

Maybe if he had the balls to confess during middle school, you two would be a thing. But he didn’t. He was too shy and cowardly, and still is. And he didn’t wanna drag you down back then. Maybe things were different now, that he had a quirk, he even had muscle.

Way different than the nerdy cry baby from middle school. Well..mostly. He was still a nerdy cry baby, but he was tuning it down! Improvement people, improvement.

He waited outside your dorm room, so you could head to class together. Some might call him a simp for waiting on your every heed and beck, but so what? If he enjoyed doing what you asked of him, that surely meant he was dependable. Perfect marriage material.

And maybe he was a little obsessive, already thinking of marriage when you weren’t even dating. But one could dream. So when you flashed him a winning smile as you opened the door to him, he found himself falling deeper into his fantasies, that he’d work the nerve to confess, that you’d return his feelings, that you’d share a sweet kiss..the mere thought of even touching your hand made him feel giddy.

Now in class, Izuku hardly paid any attention to Mr. Aizawa’s lesson, he’d already learned this a while ago. He had to be smart for you. How else could he become the top hero if he didn’t receive top marks? Of course, making copies of the lesson plans and learning subjects beforehand helped.

It was worth it, to hear your sweet voice compliment how smart he was. He would move mountains just to hear you praise him.

Lunch came, and Izuku dreaded it. All the valentines you ever got usually came from some idiots giving it to you during lunch.

He planted a fake smile, when the first imbecile came up. Some rando from the year below. Blushing and sputtering, as he gave you some chocolate. It made his stomach churn, ugly jealousy bubbling, making him want to vomit at the pure audacity of this miscreant.

You beamed, sharing your smile that was for him, and him alone. It was sickening. You thanked the second year, giving him a chocolate, making the poor boy flush even more. Pathetic. Izuku knew some people pulled off blushing. Like him, for example. You had even pointed it out, making him blush even more. Meanwhile this yahoo didn’t even pull it off. Disgusting.

And he was just the first.

Guy after guy came over, making him actually snap his chopsticks in half. It was only bearable because you gave izuku attention when he did that, looking so concerned. Maybe he should hurt himself some more. Though you’d kill him if he did that. When he got OFA , Izuku broke his bones left and right, making you worry.

Which he didn’t mean to, of course. He just wanted to hurry up and prove his worth! But when the doctors said if he continued to do so, he might lose the ability to use his arms. Which sounded awful to him. How could he even hug you? Caress you? Make love to you? Give you a ring?

He couldn’t do that if his arms were useless. so he made sure to figure out OFA quickly. Having a crush on someone and yearning to impress them is a very good motivator.

Finally lunch ended, and Izuku found himself breathing a huge sigh of relief. Finally.

Maybe he didn’t have a right to be jealous, if he didn’t even plan to confess today. Maybe he was a hypocrite. But he didn’t care. As long as you continued to stay single he was happy. Izuku was selfish when it came to you.

Izuku found himself dragging you to his room, to make sure that for the rest of the day you stayed in his sights and away from everyone else. Out of sight meant no one knew where you were, and if they didn’t know where you were, then that meant you wouldn’t receive any more valentines.

perfect.

you giggled as he pulled you into his room, making him flush. “What’s the hurry?” You asked, smiling in a way that made his knees go weak.

“W-well..I wanted to show you my new all might figure!” Izuku made up on the spot. It was technically true, he had recently purchased a new figure, and he didn’t wanna seem like a weirdo, taking you to his room for no reason.

”oh, nice!” You chirped, leaning forward to see it. “The details are very..detaily.”

Izuku smiled, pleased with the fact that despite the fact that you weren’t into All might as much as he was, you still bothered to make an effort to pay attention, which he loved about you.

you were perfect. And if anyone disagreed, well..then they were just not worthy of living! izuku frowned at the sudden dark thought that popped into his head. That was so unlike him. He shook his head, probably just a fluke.

You probably had dark thoughts every now and then as well. Though he was pretty sure that was impossible, you were absolutely perfect after all.

suddenly, you turned to look at him, smiling. “Oh yeah! I can’t believe I forgot to give you my chocolate! It’s back in my room, I’ll go get it.”

chocolate? For him? Really? He flushed, “I-I can go get it for you!” He volunteered, making you smile.

“well, if you insist,” you said, and Izuku left, making his way to your room. Maybe he could steal, no, borrow a pencil or something from your room. The thought excited him.

he popped his head into your room, the unlocked door opening. There in your bed were the chocolates. He grabbed them, taking delicate care to make sure they didn’t squish. Maybe you two could even share!

he made sure to steal one of your pens, then returned, to find you sitting on his bed, his bed.

izuku flushed once again, thinking that you looked very nice sitting on his bed, almost as if you belonged there, the thought made him giddy.

You stood up, walking over. “I got you these chocolates cause I figured..someone as sweet as you needed something sweet too on Valentine’s Day!”

izuku grinned, “w-well, thank you! I appreciate it!”

you smiled, and before Izuku knew what was happening, he felt the soft brush of your lips against his cheek, his eyes widening-

izuku.exe has crashed.

when he came to, Izuku found his head resting on your lap, both of you on the floor. He turned beet red, immediately getting up, almost bashing you on the nose.

“Sorry for that,” you started to say, “I should have asked.”

Izuku shook his head, “n-no! It’s fine, I..I liked it.” he whispered softly. The atmosphere was perfect, he could practically see cherry blossoms behind you, he could confess to you.

you smiled, “I’m glad. You’re too sweet sometimes, Izuku.”

“I like you!” He blurted out suddenly, averting his eyes, his entire being turning red. You flushed in response, “wha-“ and before he lost his nerve, he leaned forward, and kissed you.

it felt soft. Your lips were soft. A tingly feeling spread across his whole body, and despite already his face being red, he somehow turned even redder. Izuku felt he was on cloud nine. He pulled away, praying that he didn’t end up getting slapped.

instead, he found himself getting pulled in for another. you kissed him!

you kissed him you kissed him you kissed him!!

Izuku could die happy now. What was that saying Denki always said? Ascending? Yeah, he was ascending. And if you kissed him again, that definitely means you’re now dating.

He practically had hearts in his eyes.

[justsalpals]

in a way, this is the funniest outcome for me

was he arrested? thrown into the lava? resurrected with the rat grinders?

fuck if I know, he's not important enough to get that closure

but he DID have an ego big enough to have as many identities as he needed. and anyone who knows me can tell ya that I love that in a man.

Happy "Jace's imminent death" day to all who celebrate

[meo-eiru]

*cracks knuckles* here I am again. this time with Micah as my victim

so at first,

you definitely should add some more story to him. so far, if I'm being honest, he feels a bit too plain to me. but oh boy, what a potential I see here!

alright lets begin

omg look at him! such a hypocrite! how smart it is, to put all blame on MC while being just as (actually even more) sinful. and he sure hides well; it's your fault, isn't it? oh you and your sinful mind.

buut despite him not really being my cup of tea, I still do like a good old concept of ugly insides, hidden behind a beautiful shell (if that's the vibe you were going for).

Micah seems so pure, so holy, almost like an angel (you played smart by adding a lot of white in his design) – but behind that pristine facade? he's ugly. and that shell eventually starts to crack, because no matter how pure he may seem, Micah is just as human as we are, and definitely not a good one. and what are we, if not a bunch of cruel, egotistical animals? and deep inside he's exactly that, sickeningly human. with that in mind the very first comic you did abt him is actually pretty hilarious to me. your desires? what about his desires, which are strong enough to ruin your whole life?

I kinda feel like he's also a little pathetic in his own way; if he can't make you fall for him, he will break you. isn't it like a very cowardly move? he wants you badly enough to use whatever method it may require to have you, but will never admit it.

but let's talk about that strange desire to destroy MC's purity. why? to make you just as dirty as he is? cute, but doesn't seem like a full explanation to me. he's a priest, right? and even despite those dark insides of his, I feel like Micah still kept at least some of the priest mindset. I mean, they're raised and taught with a very strict discipline. so I feel like deep down, he feels bad (not ashamed, but in a "how dare they" way) for his attraction to you, and punishes you for that attraction. it's not your fault, of course, but who cares? you managed to destroy his perfect, clean facade, which he was methodically building for his whole life with simply your existence. isn't that unfair? so now you must fall into the depths of hell with him.

I like how we can't justify him. Micah is perfectly aware of what he is doing. and of twisted nature of his feelings too, I think, yet still chooses to indulge in his desires, even if it hurts you, the person he was supposed to love and cherish. he makes me feel an absolute, poetic rage, and I love a character I can hate. (don't get me wrong, it meant to be a praise)

and I absolutely adore his design. also if I was on point with the idea you meant for him, that is wonderful too. if a character makes me feel something, I like that character. but girl, you really should add more details about him. because everything I've written here is, basically, just my own brainstorming and bare theories. Micah needs to have more meat on him for a full character analysis >_>

but anyway, I actually have a question.

what if MC wasn't in any way pure? what if they're a complete opposite of that word? count it on my love for hunchback of notre dame

unlike the nun MC, I suggest a MC who fully embraces their sins. like an evil succubus, they enjoy the joys of being tainted. they know what influence they have on their dear Father Micah, and isn't ashamed of that. I feel like that would make a pretty interesting story

(cough cough draw him blushing and moaning and my life is yours darling)

Another absolutely incredible ask I'll have a field day answering.

I do agree with him being a bit under developed at the moment. Micah was a bit unfortunate as in he was never meant to be an actual character. He was just a momentary creation who existed for me to study color theory. A beautiful man of flowers who didn't have an identity.

Then he joined the cast when I was busy with working on commissions and the 5k celebration comic so I didn't have the time to draw his introduction comic with the things I had planned for him, though I've been trying my best to explore him a bit more thru asks like this one. The fact that I don't want to spoil the stuff I'll draw in his comic is also holding me back a little.

I think Micah is evil, but not completely bad. A man who was born twisted, who was raised into goodness, and even with all the love he received never truly got rid of his inner darkness, but just once, just for one moment, I think he had good in his heart. And that is when he first saw you.

With all his twistedness, all his evilness, all his darkness, I think that love he felt for you was truly pure. Because in his eyes you appeared truly beautiful, like a pure lily.

But Micah isn't a pure man, neither does he want to be. So he prefers to pull you down to his level, so that you two can be sinful together. A truly impure way of feeling that pure and innocent love.

I have gotten asks about him with a more rowdy darling, one who isn't a nun or one who is more sinful. I've been really brainstorming about it but I don't think it would work. Not because I personally can't force the story into being like that but because I think it was just not meant to be like that.

You see I do come up with the characters, but I don't control their actions. If the character is unwilling I can't shape the story to my will. Because that story is their life and they control it. The best I can do is to try to fill the gaps I can.

I might prefer submissive yanderes, I might want Micah to have a more sinful darling instead but it wouldn't be Micah's story anymore. That's one of the reasons why he's so different from the rest of the boys. I'm not super into very dominant guys, I could probably count the ones I have with one hand, it wasn't my intention for Micah to be the way he is, but I don't think he could've been any other way.

Micah was just meant to be manipulative, a gaslighter, a dirty man who'll pull anything to push you below him.

I guess me looking at my stories from an actual novel or manga perspective also contributes to this. Father Micah exists to shine with a darling who he can soil.

Now the darling can maybe go against him in the future, she might rebel or give in to his sinful ways, but that's a different story.

[factual-fantasy]

26 asks! Thank you!🐕‍🦺

I believe that AI generated """art"""/images are extremely harmful to real artists. Its just a weapon that steals mountains of peoples hard work and is causing real people to lose their jobs.

Its a rotten thing that should be obliterated from the internet. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting expectantly for its downfall.👎👎👎

@axolotlcookie0

If you're talking about making fanart of my designs/character/AUs, please do not. I'm really not comfortable with it :( If you're just trying to show your support then just leave a comment on my artwork or stop by my ko-fi. Those will go a long way for me <:))

I had no idea there was one! <:0 I haven't been keeping up with Welcome Home since Matpat took a step back...

References. Just drown yourself in references. I'm in a discord server that has a bunch of refs for the bots and also am taking dozens of screenshots as I rewatch the show. Just gathering reference after reference and using them religiously as I draw. :00

You mean the factual fam? :0 I thought about adding another character once I hit 30k followers. But when the time came I didn't really have any ideas that I liked.. So for now it'll just be the 5 of us :)

Also thank you so much! :)))

(Referencing this post)

XDDD Average day in the Autobot base!

(Link in ask)

I have not, but they have a neat artstyle! :000

@cherrycreamfairy

Nothing in particular, it been same old same old. 😔

Don't worry! I don't think you're asking to many questions! <:00

Also, I love LOVE LOVE!! The bond between Ratchet and Raf 😭😭💞💞💞

Lastly, I love that character! :DD It looks really neat :)))

(Link in ask)

Man, that's just disgusting. I'll do whatever I can to get it taken down. Thanks for letting me know 👍

I've never heard of it <:00

XDD You're welcome! Use that power wisely now, don't do anything Optimus wouldn't do!☝️

@misscherrypie (Referencing this post)

JHABDJHEHF XDD

(Link in ask)

Thank you so much! :DD I have a fanfic side blog but have since privated all the posts out of embarrassment- so currently I don't write/have any fanfics to share 😅😅--And other than sounding like a hyper five year old when I made that post😅 my opinions remain somewhat unchanged.

Soundwave is still my favorite Decepticon for the same reasons. The silent type that is a beast in combat, and is fiercely loyal to Megatron will always be cool to me. As for the other Decepticons, the way I would describe them has changed just a bit.

Megatron: I hate him in the way you are supposed to hate a villain. I think he's a really cool character and I enjoy seeing him on screen and seeing what evil deed he'll craft next.👀

Starscream: I used to really hate Starscream. But now his pathetic, sniveling, and cowardly behavior is more funny to me than anything. And its always funny/satisfying to watch him backstab Megatron and throw a wrench in his plans over and over XDD

Knock out: Knockouts incredibly vain and Egocentric personality is really getting on my nerves this second time around. He annoys me whenever he's on screen and keeps making me think that Breakdown was more deserving of life and a redemption arc than K.O. As I close in on the episode where he becomes an Autobot, I highly doubt there will be any satisfying character development that makes his switch from Con to Bot believable. I will surly post a rant about him sometime soon and maybe completely overhaul his character for my AU. 🙄

Shockwave: I've only seen a few episodes with him so far. But I really like him. A hulking scientist that can absolutely flatten you on the battle field. Cold, alien, calculated, unfeeling, shows no mercy or fear.. he's pretty cool to me XDD

Airachnid: I hate her but not in a fun way like Megatron. She's just an annoying villain with an annoying personality that keeps getting away when she really shouldn't have. 🙄

Predaking: Only seen this guy for a few episodes too. And I haven't gotten to the ones where he talks yet. But I don't like him much already. The stakes already felt high and realistic enough. But then you add a reincarnated overpowered cybertronian dragon thing into the mix? Just made it feel more fantastical and like there's too much going on at once. Not really a fan of him so far. <:/

Dreadwing and Skyquake: The ending these two had made me very sad. Skyquake dying in his debut episode and then having his death/body striped of all its honor by being resurrected and used as a weapon.. Only for him to mindlessly wander the shadow realm for eternity.. I can only hope he became one with the allspark and has no connection to his body..

Then Dreadwing.. The pain he must have felt when he learned of what Starscream did to Skyquake.. and he didn't even get the chance to avenge his brother.. I really hope they're both at peace together with the allspark.

I really liked the two of them, and think they were very well written and interesting characters. I will definitely be writing them into my AU and give them a happy ending where they can be reunited.💚💙

Breakdown: I really, really liked him and think it was horrible writing to kill him off after his encounter with Silas and Bulkhead. Like seriously, what happened in the writing room for this character? They couldn't have hammered it into our heads any harder that Breakdown was setting up to switch to Autobot. I went back through that episode (Season 1, Episode 16) and took some dialogue just to showcase what I mean.

First of all, we have what Megatron said after he is notified that Breakdown was captured by Silas. "If Breakdown allowed himself to be captured by those smaller than him, weaker than him. He deserves whatever fate awaits him."

This shows the viewer that Megatron sees Breakdown as weak for being captured by humans, and thus deems him useless.

Then we hear what Breakdown says when Silas comments about Breakdown being too valuable to let go. "Haha! Megatron will never pay a ransom!" His laughter and this comment shows the viewer that Breakdown believes Megatron will not negotiate with the humans and will simply eradicate the humans in order to rescue him.

These two things showed the viewer that Breakdown thinks Megatron values him and will rescue him, when in reality Megatron absolutely does not value him and has no intentions to rescue him.

Then later on with the bots we get these lines:

Bulkhead: "Mech can melt him down for all I care, let the cons rescue their own!"

Optimus: "It is unlikely that Megatron would bother with an arrand of mercy."

Arcee: "Okay, but this is breakdown we're talking about"

Optimus: "Sometimes we must rise above ourselves for the greater good."

Bulkhead: "Oh what's that supposed to mean!? Breakdowns gonna go all soft and join the cause??"

Optimus: "While it is unlikely any Decepticon will choose the path of good, even they posses the potential for change."

THIS, implies/hammers it SO HARD into the viewers brain that not only is it likely that a Decepticon WILL change, because Optimus believes they all have the ability to do so. But that BREAKDOWN SPECIFICALLY might change after they save him.

After this, we have this interaction between Silas and Breakdown after the Autobots were supposedly blown up.

Silas: "Enjoying the view? Ironically your would be rescuers may be in more pieces than you right now."

Breakdown: "Decepticons don't break that easy!!"

Silas: "Who said they were decepticons?"

Breakdown: "That doesn't make sense. Autobots wouldn't come to rescue me."

This shows the viewer two things. That Breakdown really believes the cons will rescue him, and he doesn't believe the bots would save him for any reason.. But then Bulkhead shows up.

Bulkhead: "It must be your lucky day"

Breakdown: "w...what are you doing..?"

Bulkhead: "Getting you outa here. Yeah, I don't believe it either."

Bulkhead: "Can you walk."

Breakdown: "I.. I think so"

(Alarm starts blaring)

Bulkhead: "Can you run?"

Breakdown transforms his hand into a hammer: "Never run when you can fight"

Bulkhead: "Just keep that thing pointed away from me, alright?"

Breakdown then pauses and kind'a looks at his hammer as Bulkhead moves forward. Eventually following after him.

Later in the fight against Silas, Bulkhead was weakened and fell. Breakdown rushed in to push him out of the way of the helicopter firing the laser. They look at each other, both kind'a surprised by what Breakdown just did.

Later, we then we get this interaction with Starscream.

Starscream: "Consulting with the enemy, Breakdown?"

Breakdown: "Bulkhead got me out of there!"

Starscream: "Many sparkfelt thanks, Autobot. Now destroy him."

Breakdown and Bulkhead look at each other. Both look shocked and hesitate to do anything.

Breakdown: "But y-"

Starscream: "Do you plan on joining their ranks anytime soon? No?? Then be done with it already!"

Breakdown hesitates for several more seconds. "Tough break Bulkhead, maybe in the next life." And then attacks him.

This, once again, was hammering home that Breakdown very likely was going to become an Autobot. He fought alongside Bulkhead and protected him when he didn't have to. And when he was told to destroy Bulkhead, he seriously hesitated and tried to argue with Starscream about it. Before giving in..

Then finally, he have the most damning evidence of all. After Breakdown and Sarscream escape the scene and meet up later on down the road. They have this interaction.

Starscream: "One day you will repay your debt to me Breakdown, the day it comes time to choose sides."

Breakdown: "Uh.. between bots and cons?"

Starscream: "Between myself, and Megatron!"

Breakdown: "...."

Starscream: "Incidentally I suggest that Megatron never know of this rescue. You do want him to think you overcame the puny humans on your own.. don't you."

THIS, interaction is the cherry on top. Starscream implied that if Breakdown wants to go back to the cons, he better make himself look useful and say he got free of the humans himself. This shows Breakdown that Megatron didn't actually send anyone to rescue him. Megatron does not care. So his view of Megatron and the deceptions as a whole was changed with this interaction.

THEN you have the fact that Bulkhead saved him. He doesn't understand why, but no doubt this changed his view of the Autobots and Bulkhead entirely. With their limited resources, they still went out of their way to try and rescue a Decepticon. No doubt the Bots are looking much more merciful and kind than he may have originally thought..

And lastly, us as the viewer get what Breakdown said. "Uh.. between bots and cons?" LITERALLY. This question makes the VIEWER AND BREAKDOWN consider that choice! Why else would they have Breakdown AUDIBLY QUESTION which side he should be on if it wasn't implying that he would later change???

I think it was just garbage writing to kill off Breakdown the way they did. They made an entire episode that basically spelt in big bold letters "Decepticons have the ability to change, and Breakdown is going to choose to become and Autobot." They could not have made that message to the viewers and to BREAKDOWN any more clear if they TRIED.

So basically. I really liked Breakdown and the direction his character was going. And I absolutely hate what the show did to him.

@narrator-girlart (Referencing this post)

Ah sorry, that was just a paid drawing request. I'm not actually apart of the fandom <:/

But I mean hey, I plan to reopen requests soon, maybe you could place an order for me to draw more XDD

@fancymussmuss

Aww that sounds really sweet! :) Any opportunity for Ratchet to bond with the kids and learn more about human culture is a win for me! :DD

@ilobewallmark

Thank you! :DD And I plan to! :))) And after I finish watching the show and make simpler redesigns for the bots, I imagine I'll draw them even more! :))))

@sussyhahag

(I wont show the artwork because it is not mine to share, but the text next to Miku said: "I KNOW THINGS ARE HARD RIGHT NOW, BUT IM SO PROUD OF YOU FOR MAKING IT THIS FAR! LETS KEEP DOING OUR BEST, OK?💙")

Aw <:))) Thank you! Does this mean Miku will bring me ibuprofen and cold water? 🥺

@beryl-shade

From the picture, it looks to be a beautiful lake! :00 I'm sure my OCs would think its beautiful too! :))

@knifecatss

SCREAMSSS THANLYUUU!!! :DDDD 💞💞💞💞

Oooo I might have to look into that :00 tho I don't think I'll make my holoforms bleed <XD I cant find a way to make that make sense..

..Well, maybe if the bots main body is injured, that injury will be shown on their holoform as a glitch or tear in their bodies. But idk if you can injure the holoform itself 😅

Woof. Thank you so much for the information! This really helped me make up my mind.

Its sounds like Rescue bots is a show I'd be willing to give a shot someday. Just for its lightheartedness alone tbh. At first I thought I wouldn't like a kiddie transformers show, but as I transition into season 3 of TFP I find myself missing season 1 and the lower stakes/day-in-the-life-of vibe it used to have. But I would be sure to just 100% disconnect it from TFP.

As for Robots in disguise, I think I'm bagging that show entirely. Bumblebee and the others acting way out of character, stupid/non threatening Decepticons, the main cast never learning or developing their character, it just sounds like it would be SO frustrating for me to watch. I can imagine I'd be ranting the whole time and rolling my eyes at Bee. So I won't be trying that show anytime soon.😔

@beryl-shade

I can imagine they'd be be in awe of the car factory. Maybe slightly disturbed..? Maybe it'd feel uncanny to see cars be assembled like that..

As for the DMV, half of the cars wouldn't pass inspection XDDD

@littlelightfish

He's probably chowing down on some good food and listening to the bigger cookies tell stories! :)))

@heaventhehedgi3

I actually don't remember him <:(( I don't think I've ever seen that movie before.. 😔

I've actually drawn Sherlock Gnomes and Watson before! :0 It was a long time ago tho 😅

[yanyandam]

Hellooo i saw ur post and I neeeed some kakucho fluff😫 could pretty pleaseee write about him? Friends to lovers with maybe something spicy;)

((HII thank you for requesting!!?.?. Omg this request reminded me of a never finished one-shot I tried writing about Kakucho 2 months ago. Idk if it fits what you asked but at least it gave me an excuse to write and finish whatever this is))

Sweet Letter, Kakucho x fem!Reader

>> Fluff, Good timeskip at the end, Childhood friends to lovers, pretty rushed tbh, Reader likes baking, Reader is referred as 'she', Domestic fluff at the end, barely any plot, english isn't my first language, I'm not very proud of this

Kakucho first saw her when he was around ten years old. The orphanage was a dull place, a cluster of tired walls and hallways where children’s voices echoed until they became background noise. It rained often, and even when the sun shone, the cold made a home in the stone. There was that little girl his age, always kneeling in the courtyard, her hands busy sculpting something: mud in the summer, snow in the winter. Like a tiny architect of the ephemeral. Kakucho watched her from a distance, intrigued despite himself.

One December day, his curiosity got the better of him. Hands shoved into his pockets, he walked over, his breath fogging in the cold air. “What are you even doing?” he asked, unimpressed.

She looked up at him, her lips red from the cold, but her smile unwavering, full of pride.

“It’s my restaurant! I’m making cakes”  she said, pointing at her “plates” sculpted from snow. Kakucho raised an eyebrow. That was stupid. Dumb. Completely ridiculous. And he didn’t hold back from telling her.

 “That’s useless. You’re an idiot.”

Her smile disappeared instantly. Her small fists clenched, and her eyes welled up with tears. A second later, she was crying, sniffling loudly, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and sadness.

Kakucho felt something twist in his stomach. He hated this. Making girls cry was cowardly. And he wasn’t a coward. Panicking, he scrambled for a way to make things right. “No, no, that’s not what I meant!” he blurted. “Your restaurant… it’s worth five stars!”

She sniffed, eyeing him suspiciously, tears still rolling down her face. “Liar.”

To prove her wrong, he did the first thing that came to mind. Without thinking, he grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it into his mouth, swallowing the icy bitterness like a complete fool. He grimaced, but forced himself to pat his stomach with exaggerated satisfaction. “It’s delicious! Now stop crying!”

But she didn’t stop.

It wasn’t until Izana returned from one of his outings with Shinichiro that the madness ended. The older boy stopped in his tracks at the sight of Kakucho, his cheeks stuffed with melting snow, looking utterly pathetic. “Are you actually brain-dead?” Izana asked before smacking him upside the head.

Kakucho got his ass thoroughly kicked, and he felt it for a while. But when he glanced behind him, he saw the girl laughing. A real laugh. Just a burst of pure joy in the middle of winter.

And strangely enough, it was worth it.

—

He hadn’t seen the girl since that day. He didn’t know why. Maybe a foster family had taken her in? Maybe she had simply vanished into the currents of time, the way people sometimes do. He could barely remember her face now, just a blur of winter light and teary eyes.

It was a December day like any other in his cramped apartment. The heater rattled, struggling against the cold, but he was already used to it. As always, he planned to "train" before ending his day: which, in his case, meant hunting for punks stupid enough to throw dirty looks his way.

As he made his way downstairs, he noticed something sticking out of his mailbox, buried among the usual stack of useless advertisements. A letter. It wasn’t his. The recipient’s address was nearly identical to his own; just a mistake, a careless slip from an overworked postman. He had no reason to care, but something about it caught his attention. Without thinking, he pulled it out and unfolded it. The words were scrawled in neat, careful handwriting, the loops and curves suggesting it belonged to a girl. The letter read something like this:

"They rejected my application for the pastry competition! If this keeps up, I can kiss my dream of opening my own restaurant goodbye."

Kakucho exhaled through his nose. Poor girl.

And more importantly, what a useless postman.

He was heading out anyway, and the address wasn’t far. It wouldn’t take much effort to drop it off. Not that he actually cared about the letter or the girl’s dreams, he just figured, if it were him waiting on something important, he’d want it to end up in the right hands. Besides, he’d already read it. Might as well finish the job.

8:43 PM.

The city was drowning in winter. The air was sharp, biting, filled with the distant hum of cars and flickering neon signs that painted the cracked pavement in shades of red and blue. The streets weren’t empty, but the kind of people still wandering at this hour weren’t the type you’d want to bump into. Kakucho walked with steady purpose, hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the street ahead. He knew the address was close. Maybe just a few more blocks. But then, something made him stop.

 A girl's voice.

His gaze snapped to the alley on his left.

A group of delinquents, four, maybe five, had cornered someone against a graffitied wall. A girl, small, tense, her back pressed hard against the bricks. One of the guys, the tallest, had a hand braced against the wall near her head, leaning in too close, grinning like he’d already won whatever sick little game they were playing. "C’mon, don’t be like that. We just wanna talk." His voice was all mock sweetness, dripping with sleaze."Yeah, bet you’re lonely, huh?" another one chimed in, laughing.

The girl didn’t answer. Her fingers were curled into fists, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew she was outnumbered.

Kakucho exhaled slowly, tilting his head. Wrong place. Wrong time for them. He stepped forward. His shoes crunched against the frost-covered pavement. The sound was quiet, but the effect was instant. The tallest guy turned his head, expression twisting in irritation, then in something else when he got a good look at who had just arrived. Kakucho didn’t say anything. He just stared. One of the guys shifted uneasily.

"Tch. The fuck do you want?" the leader snapped. Kakucho took another step. Then another. His shoulders relaxed, but his eyes remained cold, calculating. "You got three seconds." His voice was quiet. Deadly.

The group exchanged glances before the tall one scoffed, clicking his tongue. "Oh yeah? And what happens after three, tough guy?" Kakucho didn’t answer. He just moved.

Fast.

His fist connected with the guy’s jaw before he even had time to blink. A sickening crunch split the air as bone shattered, followed by a choked gasp as the punk crumpled to the ground, clutching his face. The others barely had time to react before Kakucho was already on the next one. God, he hated cowards. The second guy swung, a sloppy, panicked punch. Kakucho ducked under it with ease, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him face-first into the alley wall. A sharp cry, then a dull thud as the body slumped to the ground. Two left.

The third one was already backing away, shaking his head. "H-Hey man, we were just—" Kakucho didn’t care. He grabbed him by the hair and drove his knee into his stomach. Hard.

Then, silence. It all occurred so quickly.

The only sound left was the girl’s uneven breathing and the quiet dripping of blood onto the pavement. Kakucho rolled his shoulders, exhaling through his nose. He barely even felt winded. He turned to the girl, who was staring at him with wide eyes, frozen in place. "You okay?" he asked flatly, as if he hadn’t just dismantled five guys in less than a minute. She nodded quickly. Too quickly.

Kakucho was still a little pissed off. His knuckles ached from the force he had used, but it wasn’t the fight that had him irritated, it was her. Or rather, the fact that she was even out here in the first place. “Who the hell are you, anyway? Never seen you around here. What the fuck are you doing out this late?”

The girl flinched slightly at his tone but kept her pace steady beside him. “I-I’m sorry, sir…” she said softly.

Kakucho stopped walking.

Then, he laughed. Caught between amusement and disbelief. “Sir? The hell’s that about? We’re probably the same damn age.” She blinked at him, clearly caught off guard. “Oh… uh, sorry.”

Kakucho shrugged, rolling his shoulders as he started walking again. “So? What were you really doing here?”

“I was visiting a friend,” she answered.

Kakucho glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She didn’t look like she belonged in a place like this. “Your friend lives around here? You need me to take you there?” Before she could even answer, he jerked his chin forward, motioning for her to lead the way. “C’mon, let’s go.”

She hesitated but eventually sighed, mumbling an address. Kakucho stopped in his tracks. His brows lifted slightly.

“Huh? That address?”

He pulled the letter from his pocket, flipping it around so she could see. Her reaction was immediate. She stiffened, eyes darting between the paper and him. “Wait- where the hell did you get that?!” Her voice rose, a mixture of surprise and irritation. Kakucho smirked slightly, tilting the letter lazily between his fingers. “Relax. It was in my mailbox. Some dumbass mailman must’ve screwed up.”

Her expression darkened, clearly unimpressed. “And you just decided to read it?”

Kakucho shrugged, unbothered. “What, like you wouldn’t have?” She opened her mouth to argue, but then shut it. Yeah. She probably would have. The streetlight above them flickered again, buzzing faintly before stabilizing. A cold wind howled through the alleyway, and for a moment, neither of them said anything. Kakucho tucked the letter back into his pocket. “Come on. Let’s get moving.” She exhaled sharply, shaking her head before finally stepping forward, leading the way. Kakucho followed, stuffing his hands into his jacket, the ghost of a smirk still lingering on his lips.

The walk to her friend’s place was mostly quiet. Not the uncomfortable kind, but the kind where neither of them really knew what to say. The streets were emptier now, the occasional passing car throwing brief flashes of light across the cracked pavement. Kakucho’s hands stayed deep in his pockets, his breath misting in the cold air. She walked beside him, still casting occasional glances his way, as if trying to figure something out. They finally stopped in front of a small, rundown apartment building. The dull glow of a streetlamp buzzed overhead, washing the concrete in pale orange light. Kakucho pulled the letter from his pocket and held it out. “Here. Your mail.”

She hesitated before taking it, her fingers brushing against the rough edges of the envelope. She looked down at it, then back up at him. “You didn’t have to bring it all the way here.”

Kakucho gave a lazy shrug. “Yeah, well. It was on the way.”

She sighed but smiled a little, shaking her head. “Guess I should at least know your name, then. I’m—” she started, but then stopped. Her eyes flickered over his face, locking onto something.

The scar. She finally saw it clearly with the street lights. Kakucho raised an eyebrow as her expression shifted. She took a step closer, squinting slightly under the streetlight, as if making sure she wasn’t imagining things. Then, suddenly…

“No way.” Her voice was almost a whisper. “You’re the snow eater.”

Kakucho blinked.

“The what?”

She laughed, short and disbelieving, before covering her mouth with her hand.

“Holy shit. You’re that dumbass kid from the orphanage. The one who ate snow to prove my cooking was good.”

"It's you who..." Kakucho stiffened slightly, caught between amusement, realization and mild embarrassment. He hadn’t thought about that in years. “That was a long time ago.” He exhaled. “Didn’t think you’d remember.”

“Are you kidding?” She grinned. “That was the funniest thing I’d ever seen. You looked so serious about it, too.”

Kakucho huffed, looking away. “Yeah, well. You wouldn’t stop crying. Someone had to do something.”

She laughed again, softer this time. She looked down at the letter in her hands, running her thumb over the paper. Then, after a pause, she looked up at him. “Thanks. For this. And for earlier.”

Kakucho just nodded, as if it was no big deal. Then, after a moment,

“Good luck with the whole… cooking thing.”

She tilted her head. “Cooking thing?”

“Your dream. The restaurant.” He nodded toward the letter. “Don’t let some shitty competition stop you.”

She stared at him for a second, then smiled. “You really haven’t changed, have you?”

Kakucho smirked slightly, the corner of his lips twitching upward. “Maybe.” The streetlight flickered again, and the wind picked up, carrying the distant sounds of the city. She gave him one last look before turning toward the apartment. Kakucho waited until she disappeared inside before exhaling, rolling his shoulders, and stepping back into the cold night.

–

Since that night, they started seeing each other more often. At first, it was coincidental: running into each other in the same streets, exchanging nods, the occasional sarcastic remark. But soon, it became intentional. A shared meal here, a conversation there. Somehow, Kakucho found himself listening when she talked about her cooking, about her dreams. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t mind. And then, one day, in a rare moment of honesty, he admitted something he had never really told anyone, he actually liked cooking too.

More than that, he was surprisingly good at it.

At first, she laughed, thinking he was joking. But when she challenged him to prove it, she wasn’t prepared for just how skilled he actually was. And so, in her small kitchen, under the soft hum of a radio and the scent of fresh ingredients, they cooked together for the first time.

Her apartment was small, but cozy, with warm yellow lighting that softened the edges of the old furniture. The kitchen was barely big enough for two people, yet here they were, standing shoulder to shoulder. Kakucho had his sleeves rolled up, a black apron lazily tied around his waist. She still couldn’t believe he actually agreed to this.

“Alright, ‘chef,’” she teased, leaning against the counter. “What’s on the menu?”

Kakucho smirked, cracking his knuckles. “Something simple. We’ll start with a cake.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? That’s pretty vague.”

“Tch. You’re the one who doubted me. You don’t get to complain now.” She held up her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. Show me what you got.”

Kakucho wasted no time. He immediately started to bake everything together, violating the harmony of the place.

“You’ve done this before.”

He glanced at her, unimpressed. “No shit. What, did you think I was lying?”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “No, but… I don’t know. I didn’t picture you being the type to spend time in a kitchen.”

“Cooking’s not that different from fighting.” He tossed the cacao into the mixture. “It’s all about timing, control, and knowing how to handle the heat.”

She blinked.

“Did you just compare baking to street fighting?”

Kakucho shrugged. “It works.”

It didn’t.

Her kitchen was way too small for this. Between the bags of flour, scattered measuring spoons, and the egg that had somehow ended up on the floor (neither of them wanted to admit who dropped it), the whole place looked less like a workspace and more like the aftermath of a food fight. “This is a disaster,” she muttered, staring at the mess. Kakucho, on the other hand, looked way too excited. He had his sleeves rolled up again, but this time, there was flour smeared on his forearm, and his black apron was already stained with cocoa powder. He was gripping a metal whisk with the same intensity he usually reserved for street fights.

“Relax,” he said, cracking his neck like he was about to beat someone to death instead of… whisking eggs. “I got this.” She raised an eyebrow, immediately skeptical.

“You got this? Kakucho, you’re gripping that whisk like you’re about to stab someone with it.”

“It’s about control,” he shot back. “Baking is all about control.”

And then, before she could even react, he plunged the whisk into the bowl of eggs and sugar and started beating the absolute shit out of it. The metal bowl rattled violently against the countertop, nearly toppling over from the sheer force of his mixing.

“Kaku-chan—KAKUCHO, CALM DOWN—”

“IT NEEDS TO BE SMOOTH,” he growled, whipping the batter like it had personally offended him. Flour puffed up into the air like smoke from an explosion. She coughed, waving a hand in front of her face.

“YOU’RE GOING TO BREAK THE BOWL.”

Kakucho finally slowed down, staring at the batter like he had just won a fight against it. He huffed, satisfied. “See? Perfect.” She looked at the batter. It was smooth. Like he had bullied it into submission.

“…Okay, but did you have to beat it like it owed you money?”

Kakucho just smirked, wiping his wrist across his forehead, leaving a streak of flour there. She sighed, and grabbed the vanilla extract.

“Alright, we still need to add this. Here—” she started, but as soon as she opened the cap, Kakucho snatched the bottle out of her hands. “I got it.”

“Kaku, be careful with that, it’s—”

Before she could finish, he tipped the bottle way too fast. Half the vanilla extract dumped into the batter. A long silence stretched between them. Kakucho slowly turned his head toward her.

“That was on purpose!” He seemed proud.

“NO, IT WASN’T, YOU ABSOLUTE PSYCHOPATH.” She smacked his arm, but he just grinned. “Well, too late now.” He grabbed a spoon and tasted a bit of the batter. His expression shifted slightly, but then he nodded. “Tastes fine to me.” She sighed dramatically, pressing her fingers against her temple. “You are so lucky you’re cute.” She hadn’t even realized she said it out loud. Kakucho, who had been about to start pouring the batter into the cake pan, froze. His grip on the bowl tightened just slightly, and for once, he was the one caught off guard. She also froze.

Their eyes met over the mess of flour and eggshells, the chaos suddenly way too quiet. Then, she cleared her throat, quickly turning away to adjust the oven temperature, pretending nothing happened. “Anyway. Let’s just bake this thing and see if it’s actually edible.”

Kakucho didn’t say anything for a second. “…Yeah. Let’s do that.”

He set the bowl down and stepped a little closer, just barely brushing against her side as he reached for the pan. His hands, usually rough and calloused from fighting, moved carefully now as he smoothed the batter into the dish.

–

At first, Kakucho didn’t think much of it. She was just someone from the past, one of the few remnants of his childhood that had somehow stumbled back into his life. It was strange at first, seeing her so often, talking to her about things that had nothing to do with fights or gangs. She had this way of making normal things, things he never thought about before, seem important.

It took him longer than he wanted to admit to realize he had caught feelings. At first, it was just irritation: that she was always on his mind, irritation that he started looking forward to their meetings, irritation that he actually cared whether or not she got home safe. He found himself lingering near her apartment some nights, just to make sure nothing happened. He found himself remembering her favorite foods, stopping by random bakeries just to compare them to hers.

One night, when they were sitting on the floor of her apartment, eating a cake they had completely messed up, she laughed at something he said. Not just a small chuckle, but a full-on laugh, one that made her shoulders shake, one that made her eyes crinkle in that way he was starting to find annoyingly cute. And that’s when it hit him. He wanted to keep making her laugh. He wanted her to look at him the way she looked at a perfectly risen soufflé. He wanted her to stay.

—

Kakucho wasn’t good with words. He knew that. He wasn’t like those guys in romance movies who could smooth-talk their way into someone’s heart. But keeping it to himself? That felt worse. One evening, after another chaotic baking session that left her kitchen looking like a flour bomb had gone off, they sat on her couch, exhausted. She was flipping through a cookbook, muttering to herself about how they’d “do better next time.” Kakucho didn’t even realize he was staring until she glanced up, raising an eyebrow. “What? You got something to say?”

He exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. His heart was beating too fast, and he hated it.“Yeah.” He looked away for a second before forcing himself to meet her eyes again. “I like you.”

Her fingers stilled against the pages. “…What?”

 “I like you,” he repeated, more firmly this time. “A lot.” For a second, she just stared. “Are you serious?” Kakucho’s expression darkened. “Do I look like I joke around?” She blinked before a slow, knowing smile spread across her lips. “No. But you do look like you wanna die from embarrassment right now.”

He scowled. “I’m leaving.”

“No, no! Wait! I was kidding—” she reached for his arm before he could get up, laughing. “I just—Wow. You’re really full of surprises, huh?”

Kakucho huffed but didn’t pull away. “So? What’s your answer?” She tilted her head, as if considering it. Then, instead of answering, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against his scarred side. Kakucho went completely still. “That answer your question?” she murmured. He swallowed hard before nodding. “…Yeah.”

–

Being Kakucho’s girlfriend was an experience. For someone who had spent most of his life fighting and surviving, relationships weren’t exactly something he had prior experience with. But once he decided he was all in, he was all in.

Kakucho didn’t play around when it came to her safety. If he even suspected someone was bothering her, they were lucky to walk away in one piece. He memorized her schedule, walked her home at night, and if she ever mentioned some guy making her uncomfortable? Let’s just say that guy wouldn’t be a problem anymore.

Kakucho wasn’t the type to be openly affectionate in public, but behind closed doors? He was soft. He’d pull her into his lap without a second thought, rest his chin on her shoulder, and let her trace her fingers over the scar on his face. He never talked about it, but he didn’t mind when she touched it.

>>>BONUS: timeskip

Years had passed since those chaotic, sugar-dusted days of learning how to bake together. Kakucho had never imagined his life would take this turn, that he would find purpose beyond fighting, beyond surviving. But here he was, standing in front of a building that represented everything he and Izana had worked for, an association dedicated to giving orphans around the world the chances they never had. TENJIKU.

Kakucho had never been sentimental about things like that. But now, as he watched children running through the halls of the shelter they had built, as he saw the warmth in their eyes when they were given homes, opportunities, and love, he understood. And through it all, she had been by his side.

The woman who once molded cakes out of snow now ran one of the most successful bakeries in the city. Kakucho had watched her fight for her dream with the same stubbornness she used to scold him in the kitchen. He had watched her fail, rise, and build something beautiful. And somewhere along the way, he had realized he wanted to spend forever watching her do just that. Now, she was his wife. His wife. It still sounded unreal, even after years of waking up next to her.

–

The scent of vanilla and caramel lingered in the air when he stepped into their home that evening. The bakery had closed hours ago, but she was still at it, testing new recipes in their personal kitchen. Kakucho leaned against the doorway, arms crossed as he watched her, his ever-present scar catching the warm glow of the kitchen lights. She was focused, biting her lip as she scribbled notes into her worn-out recipe book. He smirked. “Planning to conquer the dessert world again?” What a cringe line but it was okay, it was Kaku. His voice was rough from the cold outside, but the amusement in it was unmistakable.

She jumped slightly, turning to him with an exaggerated pout. “You’re home late.” He shrugged off his jacket, stepping closer. “Had a meeting with Izana. You know how he gets when he starts talking about expansion.”

She rolled her eyes, but the fondness in them was obvious. Izana had become a permanent fixture in their lives, and despite his usual dramatics, she adored him in her own way. “Well, you should at least eat something. I made- ” Before she could finish, Kakucho reached over, dipping his finger into the bowl of cream she had been whipping. He licked it off with an unimpressed hum. “Too sweet.”

She gasped, scandalized. “Excuse me?”

He smirked, dodging the playful slap she aimed at his arm. “What? You’re always saying you want honest feedback.”

“I meant constructive feedback, not blasphemy.” He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. “I’ll make it up to you.”

She raised an eyebrow, but he could see the way her eyes darkened slightly at his tone. “Oh? And how do you plan to do that?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned in, pressing a slow, deliberate kiss to her jaw, then lower, tracing a path toward her neck. She shivered, her fingers tightening around the front of his shirt. “You taste sweeter than your cream,” he murmured against her skin, lips curling when he felt her breath hitch.

“Kaku-”

He grinned, enjoying the way she was already melting against him. “What?” She huffed, clearly trying to regain composure. “You’re supposed to be eating dinner-”

“Who said I’m not eating?” His voice was smug, hands sliding down to grip her hips.

She swatted at his chest, laughing. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re mine.”

[floweycidal]

hey op i know youre insane over flowey so i thought id share my brain with you

have we considered the chara parallels in undertale yellows neutral run? as in. how flowey is pissed that midway through the plan clover went back on it? how flowey probably said something that chara said in the moment frustrated? im ill.

HEY OP I KNOW YOU’RE INSANE OVER FLOWEY HAHAHA INSANE START /SILLY

ah, yes, yes! you've come to the right place. please, make yourself at home. i’ll handle your brain with the utmost care.

OUDHUHGH YUUUP, we've (me, myself, and i) absolutely considered all that. and more!

but see, i personally never thought that was all there is to it. it would’ve been far too facile, much too pat, to assume chara had just... snapped at him in their final moments. that they’d cursed his name, branded him a traitor, made their hatred crystal clear.

oh, how delightfully clean that would’ve been for him. because then he’d get his closure, wouldn’t he? an answer, wrapped up all pretty just for him.

"i betrayed them. they loathed me for it. the end."

HA! too polished for my liking. no thanks. closure is reserved for those who can find resolution. and flowey, my son who's got everything wrong with him, has never been one to receive that kind of accord. he doesn't get straightforward, not then, not now, not ever.

in my head, flowey woke up in that garden with gaping holes in his memory of the incident. not total oblivion—never that generous. instead, it was bits and pieces. just enough to know. enough to understand that it was his fault. his frailty. his failure that brought him to this point.

but chara's last moments? their final utterance? those are lost to him. gone. TORN.

he never gets that confirmation. or, more precisely… he doesn’t remember. can’t remember. mwhahaha…

what does spring to mind, however, is the terror. the detestation that wracked their shared body. the oppressive shame that pervaded every step he didn't take. 

but then... at the time... who was feeling what exactly? who blazed with fury, and who broke beneath it? did someone beg? did someone weep? was it him? was it chara? who was hating whom in those parting moments? the harder he tries to remember, the further it slips away.

and because flowey's never met a void he didn’t try to fill, he does what he’s always excelled at. he patches the blanks. projects, narrates. 

his guilt demands a story, and so he obliges. in his version, every foul emotion, every drop of vitriol, was aimed squarely at him. how could it not have been?

chara MUST have surely thought he was an idiot. a weak, cowardly, sniveling idiot. a pathetic creature who couldn’t even get one plan right. couldn’t even die properly!

the self-blame constricts him like a vice, and with every reset, the narrative grows more discordant. he doesn’t just wonder if chara felt let down, he KNOWS they did. feels "their" revulsion rooted in his stem, their disappointment rotting his petals from the inside out with every cycle.

when clover comes along, he's elated. this is his shot at a fresh start. a second chance. the perfect subject for redemption, for forgiveness by proxy. his very own moment to fix everything, to prove that he’s changed. gone were the days when any plan was doomed with him around. this time, he was going to make it work. are you looking, chara?

but when clover hesitates... wavers the way he once did... flowey FREAKS.

he doesn’t see clover anymore. he sees HIM. he doesn’t hear his own voice, either. he hears the chara he’s created. the version that exists only in the cruel theater of his own mind. the variation that would never absolve him. that would never understand. that would only revile him.

the words he chucks at clover are the same accusations he believes chara would have spat at him, the same venom he’s already used to poison himself.

the words fall into insignificance, though, because much like the first time, the plan fell apart regardless of whether he condemned asriel clover or not.

all he was left with now was his certainty. chara HATED him.

and they were right to.

[trendywaifus]

Heeyyy, could you perhaps do some late night headcanons with the fontaine girls (particularly with chloride) where the character cant sleep? Doesn’t necessarily have to be nsfw

ofc, sweets. also, don’t mind me, i’m experimenting with the formatting here. just trying sum. ( omg i realized half way you said hcs, awwww fawkkk, i’m so sorry, my brain is not braining today)

↳ it’s hard to do these things alone

gn! reader | sfw | angsty/fluff

↳ featuring — furina, navia, clorinde, mona

mona’s part pretty short and sweet. i decided against more angst! clorinde’s midly nsfw. not proofread.

furina bites down on her bottom lip in agony, she turns her back towards your sleeping form, hoping you don’t wake up to her pathetic breakdown. she curls herself into a ball, hot tears fills her vision. the dreadful feeling of her heart gradually breaking into two because of the wretched prophecy haunting the corners of her mind deprives her of the desire to rest peacefully with you tonight.

is there anything she could possibly do to stop such an inevitable phenomenon? is she fit to save her people’s fate, your fate? she’s the hydro archon for goodness sake! of course not superior than her previous ancestor but she’s trying her best! but, is trying all she could do because it’s inevitable or she’s merely a cowardly god hidden in plain sight amongst her people? whichever it is, the responsibility and risk of maintaining a doomed nation is far too great to begin with—it was as though the weight of the ocean is on her shoulders. furina wants out but she doesn’t want to abandon her people and break their trust.

confused and frustrated, a broken sob left her lips; her body trembles. “ why me? “ furina forces out and repeats it over and over again like a broken record, desperately hoping celestia answers her.

but they never did. instead, arms wraps themselves around her shaking frame and pulled her closer to their front. it was you who silently answered. you grasp her bawled fist and gently pried it open with your fingers. you intertwine your hand with hers and squeezed it. furina sobs harder at the fact that you’ve heard her cries of despair and came to her aid. “ i-i did n-not mean to w-wake you, — i-i was— “

you hushed her and nuzzled your face into her unruly pale blue curls. touched by your warmth, her sobs eventually died down into soft snivels. furina tightly grips your hand, afraid that you’ll disappear.

some of the cracks etched in furina’s heart healed and the shattered shards of her bruised self-esteem are carefully pieced back together by you for another day.

with a frustrated sigh, navia peels herself from your arms and sits upright against the headboard. she couldn’t sleep and how could she? tonight is the anniversary night of her father’s death. her mind was plagued with negative thoughts and unwanted memories from the past she desperately wished she could change. “ all i want is rest, i don’t want to go through this right now. not tonight. “ navia mutters bitterly, pushing back blond strands of hair that hung over her eyes.

navia sighs once more, this time shaky as she hunches over and places her palms over her tired eyes. it was way too late to visit her father’s grave and it’s not like she wants to wake you up to comfort her like a distressed damsel—that wouldn’t feel right to her. she shouldn’t trouble you, she already did enough of that today. tears of frustration wells up in her eyes, she sniffs. maybe a nice walk will help while she sorts out her mind.

she gently takes the covers off of her body and slides her legs off the mattress. before she can get up, her wrist was caught in a gentle yet firm grip. “ mon coeur, where are you going? “ you sleepily asked. navia straightens her back, having no intention of turning around to meet your eyes as there’s a chance that you’ll see the fresh tears on her face. she clears her throat, “ i am. .going to go on a walk. th-that is all, mon amour. “

navia hoped that you didn’t catch her slip up and if you did, she wishes you don’t address it. she bit the inside of her cheek as she felt your gaze on her back. after a moment, the sheets rustled and she feels your arm around her waist. you use your other hand to brush her beautiful long blond hair to the side to kiss at her nape tenderly. each kiss you pressed against her skin made her chest tighten with a indescribable feeling that made her want to bawl her eyes out.

please let me go. i don’t want to unravel in front of you.

she thought, lips pursed in a tight line. “ come back to me when you’re ready, navia. i’ll be here waiting for you. “ you finally said, pressing one final kiss against her nape and let her go.

tears silently flowing down her cheeks, she nods. navia gets up, walks to the door and pauses.

she inhales and exhales to gather herself before saying, “ thank y-you for understanding, (name). “

the door opens and closes behind her.

the duelist stares blankly at the beige ceiling, mind heavy with unspoken woes she tucked away behind locked lips. “ you’ve been staring at that ceiling for a minute. can’t sleep, clorinde? “ you asked worriedly, touching her cheek with the back of your hand. she turns her head, her lilac eyes meets yours. “ i. .am afraid i can’t, mon/ma chéri/e. “ she whispers.

“ why? “

clorinde pauses.

“ i do not know. “ she lies(?), the melancholic dip in her voice causes you to frown. clorinde believes that her personal matters should not interfere with her relationship with you. however, she also knows that not being honest with you about how she feels could cause a rift between you two.

“ but, “ she faces her body towards yours and cups your cheek. her eyes softens, devotion evident in them. “even if i cannot sleep, being by your side is enough. i am grateful to spend my night with you.” with that, clorinde locks her lips with yours passionately. she tasted like expensive wine you could only get on a special occasion; addictive and rare. “ me too. “ you breathed, ghosting your hand over her bare hip.

your tongue swipes over her peach lips, asking for entrance. she gladly opens up and her tongue brushes past yours as it enters your warm cavern. heated touches and kisses quickly ignites the desire bubbling in your belly. “ j’ai envie de toi. . “ she mutters against your lips, before gracefully rolling herself on top of you. you chuckled, resting your hands on her stomach,

“ then what are you waiting for ma chérie? “

“ mona, stay in bed! your astrology stuff can wait! “

you whine, tightening your arms around her waist as she tries to squirm her way out of your hold. “ unhand me! i simply want to check to see if everything’s in place before i lay my head—“

“ we both know if you get up out of this bed, you won’t come back in! “

knowing that you’re right, she huffs, her body relaxing in your arms. if mona’s restless, she would literally run around the home to make sure everything is in the right spot and untouched then proceed to sit at her desk to “ study “.

a moment of silence fills the room.

.

.

“ mona? “

“ what is it? “

“ i never heard you speak french before. since you’re basically from fontaine, are you naturally fluent in french? you have quite the sexy accent. ”

“ ugh, obviously. i see no need to use it since i am not in— wait right this second, sexy?! must you really use that crude word to describe my manner of speech?!”she squeaks, her cheeks and ears bright red.

“ um. .yes? i’m being honest, mona. i heard that french is one of the most romantic languages in teyvat. perhaps you can try and speak some french to me while you— “

“ e-enough of your blabbering, i’m going to bed! “

j’ai envie de toi = i want you ( intimately )

mon coeur = my heart

[sicklyworm]

Hi yes I would like to hear your thoughts on Shang Qinghua and his characterization (both in canon and in fanfic). I've always really enjoyed the fics with the like,, BAMF!Shang Qinghua tag, but i also can't decide if his cowardice is an act or not, if that makes sense? Or if it's a bit of both.

Oh my gosh thank you for this ask. Please forgive me anon for the absolute rant that's about to happen because of it!!!

I'm going to break down this ask into chunks so properly and thoroughly answer every part of it!

Starting with,

SQH's cannon characterization:

I spent several hours trying to type out a good yet manageable description of his characterization but I found that no matter how hard I try it's a bit too long for a reasonable Tumblr post.

So instead of just ditching this like a normal person I instead started on a essay going over Shang Qinghua's characterization with quotes and analysis!

At the moment of posting it is not currently completed but I'll make sure to reblog this post with the link to the document once it's done!

Now moving on to,

SQH's characterization in fanfiction:

I'm an avid fanfiction reader myself so I see a plethora of different authors writing different arcs for SQH so obviously he's going to act differently in each one.

The thing I think makes or breaks alot of fanfiction with him is whether the author can properly distinguish between their voice and his. As a highly relatable character a lot of us writers can have a pretty hard time distinguishing him as a character from ourselves! When this happens writers can accidentally take bits and pieces of themselves that don't quite match up with him and kind of force them into the characterization of him!

There's also like the cases of hyperfeminization or character bashing but I feel like those are more of a generalized problem then something SQH specific.

Next is,

Is SQH actually a coward or was it just an act?

This question was one I wrestled with quite a bit when I was first starting to dissect his character.

He plays dead and grovels easily when he feels threatened yet displays tremendous courage when it has to do with MBJ. Whether it be saving MBJ from falling to his death or from MBJ'S own uncle, he is necessarily putting himself in danger just for the safety of someone else.

These behaviors by definition conflict with SQH being a coward but It still feels incomplete to just say "he's not a coward case closed." Because he does act incredibly pathetically at times and has betrayed quite a few people!

So after a bit more deliberation I came to the conclusion that "his coward status is determined by his personal connection towards the subject"

If the subject is not close to him or his heart then it is completely subjected to all of SQHs shady and cowardly tendencies. Even if the subject is kinda close to him I believe these cowardly behaviors will definitely cut back some but under enough threat he will ultimately choose his own personal safety.

But in the case he has a deep emotional connection to the subject he seems willing to show tremendous courage and bravery in order to protect said subject.

Example of this playing out in cannon is:

The Sect - low emotional attachment = full rat bastard mode.

Shen Yuan - mid emotional attachment = normal level of courage but will cave under pressure.

Mobei-jun - high motional attachment = huge levels of courage that won't cave under pressure.

✧✧✧

Extra:

My ADHD was going off the rails with this post so I have no idea how coherent it is.

Anyways i am also a big fan of the BAMF!SQH tag and would love if you dropped off some recommendations in my ask box!

[eugenedebs1920]

It doesn’t take a world class detective to figure out why Trump’s DOJ would denote the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or why Trump would remove 17 Inspectors General, who saved Americans $91 billion last year, why they would dismantle the Kleptocracy Unit at the DOJ, why they would kneecap the Public Integrity Unit, or why they would end programs looking to stop foreign interference into American politics.

There’s a simple reason for this. Trump has, and will continue to use foreign interference and corruption to manipulate our elections, to deceive and misinform people, to politicize and divide Americans, to wear down those who care about honesty and integrity.

He has done this for the better part of a decade. Using this bully pulpit as a megaphone, projecting lies, disinformation and misinformation, while the mainstream media is too feckless and weak to point out the blatant falsities, their corporate overlords not understanding the vital role a free press plays in a free country, only focused on profit.

This plays directly into the hands of our adversaries. With a nation divided, with the inability to decipher what’s true and what isn’t, with the constant burden of fact checking and debating objective reality with those who refuse to see it, our society, our country is vulnerable. Weakened by the onslaught of corrupt practices, further straining the capacity for concern on those who would.

This is what keeps me up at night. Trump has also removed high ranking military officers. He removed the heads of the intelligence agencies, purged and stacked the DOJ, removed top law enforcement officials. Pretty much anyone who would or could hold him accountable, gone.

There are two exceptions, one being this pathetic, shameless, spineless Republican majority in the house and senate, the smallest majority since the Great Depression, all too cowardly to uphold the Constitution and adhere to their oath in fear of being primaried by the capitol of the worlds richest man, Elon Musk.

The other being that which has emboldened him to, ever so brazenly, engage in a crime spree starting 3 days before his inauguration and progressing exponentially since. The United States Supreme Court. Although my Conlaw has improved over the last few years, I am no constitutional scholar, but I do possess reading comprehension skills and the ability to think critically.

When I read: No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

This clearly states that no one who has engaged in INSURRECTION or REBELLION and taken the an oath to uphold the Constitution can hold office, and is disqualified thereafter in doing so.

The slate of fake electors is an affront on the Constitution. Riling up his supporters with knowingly false claims of a rigged election is a slide against the Constitution and engaging in rebellion. Then telling his base to “fight like hell or you won’t have a country anymore” and sending them off to storm the capital, beat cops, and desecrate our nations most sacred place. Thats an insurrection, at minimum it’s rebellion.

Then to CONTINUOUSLY lie and whine about the 2020 election for 5 years now… It’s f*ckin exhausting…. 😑

Not only did the Supreme Court allow an insurrectionist to run and hold office in direct contrast to what the 14th amendment section 3 says, they topped it off by granting absolute immunity for actions taken in office.

This country was founded on the premise that no one is a king, no one has the power to dictate policy themselves, and that no one is above the law. It doesn’t take a constitutional scholar to understand that!

Now, just over 100 days in, we have, by insurmountable numbers, the most corrupt, criminal, lawless and unconstitutional administration to EVER occupy the executive branch.

Never. And I mean NEVER!!! Do I want to hear about Hunter Biden and his laptop, or Joe Biden and his pardons, or Obama and his tan suit, or Clinton and blowjobs, ever, EVER AGAIN from any maga or Republican for as long as this country is still a free nation or I still take breath.

At 100 days the criminality is so rampant it makes organized crime look legitimate! It’s staggering!…

The thing is. This is just setting up for what’s to come. The preparation for the real criminal acts. Just getting warmed up, testing the waters of Congress and SCOTUS, seeing exactly how for they can go before someone of consequence checks them.

There is one last line of defense. The final guardrail of our democracy still secured and bolted down.

Us

It’s not to say that it isn’t out of control already, but when it does TRULY cross that rubicon, endangering the very foundation of our country, it’s up to us to defend that which has so graciously given us the freedom and privileges we’ve enjoyed our entire existence here, and gather en mass, standing up for our nation and the Constitution. So many have given so much for us, it would be blasphemy to relinquish our rights to a second rate reality tv personality.

I believe in us. I believe in the American people. I believe in you.

🎶This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York Islands, from the redwood forests, to the Gulf Stream waters, this land was made for you and me 🎶

[sunshine-in-a-bottle]

How To Be Normal About Winx Club, Bloom's Design And Also Turn The Diaspro/Sky/Bloom Love Triangle Into A Poly Relationship

ok so listen. I did not actually watch the Winx Club in full, my sister watched the series when she was little and I absorbed it through osmosis and sitting with her while she watched it. I could not personally watch it myself as a child because my brain said "its too sharp and pointy and the bodies scare me" so please know that while I know quite a bit, it will not be 100 percent accurate. I just got really insane about the idea of it all of a sudden when I saw an old clip on Youtube and went down the rabbit hole.

I'm normal you can trust me.

ok first of all. Let me explain. The Show is about Bloom. she's sixteen and she hates her parents because theyre her adopted parents and she wants to know her "real" parents. So she's a bitch to them when they get her a bicycle instead of a scooter, because the mean girl at school has a scooter. Truly The Most Selfish Of Middle Class Parents. Her bedroom is also super pretty and she's an artist but also gives highkey athletic vibes, and her parents later just Let Her go to magic school despite knowing nothing about it, like girl you have it good, stop complaining about how poor sad and pathetic you are.

So she meets a fairy in the woods fighting, and then helps defeat them through Sudden Magical Powers, and then Stella convinces Blooms parents that shes a fairy, then more monsters show up, but Stella calls some guys called Specialists, who are Men who Save Them Once And For, proving immediately from the very first episode that this show is not about girl power as much as it thinks it is. Then Bloom gets to go to fairy school. Every fairy is from a planet that specializes in One Thing, a very ridiculous concept but for children's worldbuilding Its Fine I Guess.

Also Bloom, unbeknownst to her was from The Most Powerful Planet Of All, Guardian Of The Most Powerful Thing In The Universe: Dragon Fire, and shes secretly a princess and also apparently fuck her adopted parents, theyre just silly guys who don't know anything

Also like, this is very much a show that does not understand poverty or relate to people who experience poverty, and that makes it very hard not to want to murder it sometimes

Also. this fucking baffled me the first time I read it. like, I sortve get it, Fire can also be representative of Life and forest fires to make way for new growth and all that. BUT STILL

Are you understanding how insane this is. It 100 percent feels like they just wanted to give Bloom the power to heal people. Ah yes, this fire based magic fairy can also revive the dead. She's got the power of Fire and Healing and Sensing Other Peoples Natures And Intentions And Be A Super Empath And Also Share Her Powers With Other People.

I get it, OP protagonist power fantasy. But also none of this relates to the dragon in dragon fire and I'm high key miffed about the whole thing.

The Great Dragon is the creator of the magic dimension and created all magic and then got tired and took a nap on a planet which then became Blooms planet and somehow this gave them a spark of the Dragons Flame.

what the fuck do you mean it has the power to rewrite reality. Why does Bloom need this as a power

the point is, the show both make Bloom ridiculously op, unbalanced, and did so without actually involving the concept of a dragon into her outfits, wings, or identity, even it would have been relatively simple to??? Like Bloom starts out at the very beginning of the show reading books about fairies. Why not also incorporate books about dragons, fantasy in general???

It feels like they didn't consider dragons "feminine enough" to be a part of her designs, which is cowardly. you said dragon flame, give me the fucking dragon.

So to sort of rewrite Bloom a bit, shes got more stereotypically dragon traits??? Like shes Possessive, the fact that her powers are fueled by her emotions is shown a lot more often with having a bit of a temper, she hoards a bit, has a messy sleepy area to show for it, she exhales in a fury and smoke comes out of her nostrils

(ignore the lack of wings and long hair. I got tired. Being normal is exhausting. I also wanted to give her a pretty tulle skirt over the shorts but. exhaustion. normal.)

I was incorporating scales into her outfit, but also I think there should be points where if she reaches a certain breaking point or power level, she can turn into a dragon. like, avatar state level, where she's out of control and relying on instinct and feeling and needs someone to help her Pause. until she gets a better handle on it.

Also I think its really important that Bloom be more in the shape of a Chinese Dragon and not the western one

this is very clearly not western dragon.... Chinese Dragons don't spit fire, they spit water, but considering all the stuff they're doing here already its Fine

also if/when there becomes a case of Dark Bloom (where she's corrupted and evil) we're going to Also make her in her dragon form there, because it feels really fitting

Like, I get it, girls wanted to feel hot and evil. But also DRAGON. HAVE THEY CONSIDERED DRAGON.

ok but let me get into the real meat of why I needed to be insane about this show

so there's this guy called Prince Sky, and his cool team of Hot Men who Save The Main Female Girls.

Except he doesn't want to be Prince Sky while on the team he wants to ignore his responsibilities and just zoom around doing his own thing and also some guy wants to assassinate him??? So he switches identities/names with his retainer, Brandon, and they don't tell anyone.

And of course Bloom falls for the Super Special Prince without realizing, while her Actual Princess Friend dates the fake prince without realizing. Because Bloom needs the Best of the Best and her friends can't have anything better than her according to the narrative

and then theres the reveal and while Stella's pissy with the retainer for lying, Bloom of course is Gasp Shock Blush Oh My A Prince?!

and its so fucking annoying to me personally but like, whatever, its fine. thats not the issue and it makes sense with the Trying To Murder A Prince So He Has To Go Out In Disguise thing

the real issue is that actually, Prince Sky had a fiancee the whole time while dating Bloom, and we're supposed to not be mad at for him for this. Its The Fiancees Fault Actually For Being Spoiled And Demanding And High Class.

and it doesn't even start out that way necessarily!!!! Like, due to Bloom being a little paranoid and fucked up from the previous episode, when she goes to a party and sees the fiancee attending, identifying herself as Prince Sky's Fiancee

Bloom assumes its actually an Evil Trick Thats Evil and gets her alone to attack her. Like this is the first episode you see her, and she's immeadietly given the "bitchy third girl who we hate" treatment. Oh The Lower Class Are SO beneath her and she's SO mean to people.

like yeah, Bloom could have killed an innocent civilian and caused a huge political scandal and upheaval, but shes a bitch so its fine

even when you see the full scene play out, Diaspro is fighting to subdue and defend and not actually cause long term harm!

this is not an offensive spell!!! this is a "stop fucking attacking what the fuck is wrong with you" spell. she uses shields, she goes to Sky for protection.

so like, this shit is getting rewritten. I immediately became obsessed with the concept of this character and this stupid love triangle being poly actually.

THEYRE ALSO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS IN THE ORIGINAL SHOW LIKE WHAT THE HELL??? and all of her appearances up until Sky publicly breaks up with her for Bloom are of her genuinely caring for Sky and trying to be a good girlfriend. she gets a ship to try to get him off the battlefield when shit gets real at some point because dude you are the literal heir to the throne your people need you to not be dead and we're supposed to think he's making a better decision by waving her off and insisting he's fine being in the thick of it. SHES WORRIED ABOUT YOU DUDE.

"your people need you" when shes really saying i need you, like under normal circumstances that shit would be so romantic

but also they try to make his decision look better by her going "let these peasants fight for you, your duty is to rule" Like Oh No Shes Being Rude And Mean Therefore She Can't Possibly Be Right

I hate that trope in kids shows so much

SHE IS WORRIED ABOUT YOUUU

Also there's this weird fucking thing where the show kind of employs all these sexism classism tropes and criticizes them but like, selectively????

arranged marriages are apparently A Big Thing in this show. And Diaspro is someone who was trained from birth to get married. Like imagine how fucked up it must be for this character to have limited agency and no actual choice in who she's marrying, but she's still his friend and she still genuinely loves him and wants him to be safe.

she's already a princess even

like if the marriage to Sky falls through shes still the princess of her own kingdom, she doesn't need Sky to rise in status. He might be the Biggest Royalty, but she's still pretty high on the food chain. Which also bugs me because there's so little depth on the "planet" that both Diaspro and Sky are from, so we have very limited info on how the politics works or how they benefit from getting married.

Also despite the fact that supposedly Sky couldn't stop his arranged marriage to Diaspro and therefore was dating Bloom while being angsty about how he was engaged to someone else

It turns out No! Actually He Could Call It Off The Whole Time! He calls it off publicly in front of his parents and Diaspro and her parents. so he was just. technically cheating on Diaspro the whole time for no reason. and simultaneously making Bloom feel like shit and be very antagonistic to this one woman who was just trying to be normal.

So! Listen! I think they should really lean into her Gemstone Fairy stuff and make her like, a very cold, closed-off goldsmith who's first appearance is her insetting a gem into a ring. She isn't good with people even if she likes creating things for them, she likes Prince Man because, as someone who already knows what she means and what shes like, she doesn't have to go through all the effort of trying to explain herself with him, and its a very comfortable relationship.

When Bloom enters the picture its basically upheaving a very comfortable calm for her and in her mind he'll stop talking to her in favor of his romantic relationship

You could even have the episodes before the lead up have him ignoring calls from her or forgetting to write letters or not answering back

because he's Really Into His Relationship and the current going-ons

And of course when Bloom meets her, Diaspro is not socially savvy enough to even begin to explain this to someone who doesn't already know her

Consider, Diaspro is Autism-coded, who grew up being really bad at social stuff when it wasn't courtly politics. She's blunt and can be seen as rude for being blunt, and cold, closed off because the people around her aren't real theyre just Masks playing the social game, and she is rarely able to experience genuine friendship and love with people who aren't Sky.

especially because like, canonically her parents are really shitting who were really pushing the arranged marriage for Money and Power

and like, she's the fairy of gemstones but thats never actually explored in canon because nothing about this character ever gets to be anything but Jealous Bitch archetype. So instead her family specializes in goldsmithing, and while there was some debate about whether she should learn the family craft because "its not really wifely", they still ended up going for it because Important To Inheirit The Business.

And she loves goldsmithing. She loves being able to work with metals, shaping them, this work that is both delicate and precise but also requires a firm steady hand with force. She gets to be creative and feel proud and accomplished when she finishes a piece, in a way she doesn't when doing embroidery or working a room of people.

And Sky has known her since they were like ten, running the same noble circles with busy parents trying to set up their futures. But theyre still young, and Sky has ADHD and wants to Zoom and Run and Climb, and Dia scolds him and follows him around and demands they play games, and theyre comfortable. This relationship is the one thing Dia has been promised, and to her its a happy, soft dream where she finally doesn't have to be near her parents anymore. She can set up her own little personal workshop in the castle, help Sky with paperwork, do some interior decorating, and will finally not have to be masking almost every hour of every day, because Sky likes her the way she is.

And then Sky goes to Cool Specialist School to Be A Warrior and also theres a crime lord who wants him dead and keeps trying to murder him

And thats!!! Mildly concerning to Diaspro. Just A Bit. But she can't really do much as a civilian and he's insisting he'll be fine, so she just writes to him a lot and calls him frequently to make sure He Hasn't Suddenly Gotten Kidnapped And Murdered.

And Sky keeps up with it and answers her calls and its all good! And then the actual show starts ramping up and he gets distracted with all the murder and evil happening, and then oh he gets a little crush on Bloom, and his ADHD himbo ass starts going "ill answer that later tonight" and then Later Tonight turns into a month

the wiki points out that Prince Man already struggles with attending and absorbing his royal lessons so I felt like this was pretty reasonable and in character and a lot more sympathetic than "oh I just didn't tell you for Reasons and now I'm going to be a cheating bastard for no reason and make you complicit in this for like a whole ass season or two"

while also pretending he was still a good guy for it???

So Diaspro gets fucking Stressed and shows up to the school, full regal attire, after like a month or two of radio silence, going "thank god you're alive, now why the fuck haven't you been responding"

Which I think is very fair and reasonable when you're dating

And Bloom is immediately Fire And Brimstone Dragon Possessive Don't Talk To Him Like That, and getting pissy about how "clingy" Diaspro is, very not chill about her situationship apparently having been engaged since he was 12.

Diaspro meanwhile is Mildly Stressed about her Safe Person having been MIA for a hot minute, and expressing all of her worry through a persnickety attitude that Sky is incredibly fond of. When Bloom meets her, Diaspro is not socially savvy enough to even begin to explain her behavior to someone who doesn't already know her.

And Sky is Very Oblivious to the weird vibes between Bloom and and Dia. He's happy to see her QPR and is very apologetic about forgetting to make sure to tell her he did not die in a fire and end up in a coffin

And Dia is Bitchy and Blunt, and Bloom is Being A Dragon, and Bloom ends up attacking her because Bloom Has No Chill At Fucking All (its great)

Until Sky breaks it up and apologizes for keeping his identity a secret to Bloom and also making her feel led on when he's freaking halfway married. The entire episode is Sky assuming that everythings fine until at the very end he realizes that actually he needs to focus on things besides whats right in front of his nose

Because if we're really going to make "man who ignores his duties all the time" actually end up king in the end, I want there to be some actual character development where he learns how to be responsible and not 16 years old until he's in his 60s

But also! Very Important

(I drew this. In a fit of normalness. Don't look at me. instead look at the ring she's got. )

Consider, in the opening scene of this episode, before she goes out into her little ship to go visit Sky, she's setting a jewel and finishing fully enchanting it. in her family workshop, likely in the dead of night.

(because she's supposed to be a perfect demure lady and this is very much not what ladies do. running off after their future husbands and making a scene like this)

and at the end of this episode she gives the ring to Sky. its a Mega Powerful protection ring thats supposed to keep him from getting oneshot and murdered. She made it herself. The jewel has her family crest

She really does want to marry him. Not because of money or power, but because she likes him for who he is. and she was hoping that maybe she could have used the ring as her own little proposal that wasn't so… public fanfare arranged and impersonal

This Is How She Can Protect Him, even if she's not a fighter herself

The ring ends up saving Sky's life- a blow in a Final Boss Battle should have killed him, but the ring simply put all its strength into protecting him, breaking in the process. He feels really terrible about it, especially when Diaspro could Sense it breaking and she was Panicking because what the fuck was he out doing.

Also there's a lot of jealousy issues with Bloom about the ring. I think, when Diaspro originally finds out Sky wants to date Bloom, she waves her hand and goes "sure, you have can another partner" because like, they were childhood friends who are Engaged For Legal Reasons, and even if sometimes Dia does have a small fear in her heart that Sky will get bored with her someday and also maybe fuck off from the Kingdom to go be a mercenary on the other side of the galaxy somewhere- him dating someone isn't going to mean him leaving her. It was his own silly dumb adhd fault for forgetting to answer her letters, not another girls attention.

But also Bloom is somewhat uncomfortable with the arrangement but Doesn't Want To Let Go Of Sky Because She Cares About Him. So when Sky is given the ring, with obvious care and dedication and intimacy, Bloom feels Every Emotion Ever About It.

Thats genuine, thats sweet and romantic and loving and its the kind of thing Bloom always kind of wanted. Its both jealousy that someone has Sky but also the insecurity of Is That Devotion Something That She Can Live Up To, Can She Be That Loving Of A Partner, but also the Yearning for something like that. To have that kind of intimacy

And it gets even worse when the rest of the visit is Bloom and Dia bonding. She gets to see where Dia works, the things she does, learns about her relationship with her parents, and the genuine care Dia puts into her craft, and how much Sky means to her.

So Bloom, who had been, at the start of this, kind of hoping that Dia and Sky's engagement would fall through, is now warm to this flawed but good individual. And it's Conflicting. She doesn't want Dia to get hurt or lose Sky. But. But. Bloom wants Sky to be Hers. But. Dia is her friend now, so already somewhat Hers, too.

And then the jealousy of Sky having a ring from a Not Bloom Person shifts a little into wishing Dia could have given her such a precious meaningful gift like that. Because Sky always has Diaspros attention, and now that Bloom has had a taste of Dias focus, it's hard not to want to keep it. And I think Bloom becomes really abnormal about Sky and Diaspro both. And everyone thinks it's just jealousy love triangle bullshit. But Its The Bloomisms, The Dragonisms

Just. Please imagine Bloom starting out a little glaring and unsure as she's left alone with Diaspro for the first time since they first met. And Diaspro introduces her to the family business, walks her through this bridge where magical machines are messing with the lava-like substance below. And Bloom being so amazed and wowed and Diaspro going from hiding her own unsureness behind an uncaring facade to having a lot of Pride in her work and being eager to show Bloom her work and to earn Praise.

Also I just like the imagery of Diaspro asking Bloom to help undo her corset, because they're friends now and Dia has no shame about her body and since she's supposed to be taking a break from her work, she can allow herself to put on something loose and flowy

And Bloom gets red cheeks and feels a little insane about seeing Diaspros bare back muscles flexing.

(also also Metal Is Forged In Fire, and Dia is a goldsmith and and-)

I think when Bloom goes insane with Magical Dragon Power (because supposedly its the most powerful force in the universe why isn't she going mad) that Diaspro is one of the only people who isn't afraid, who can walk through the flames and cup Blooms cheeks and tell her to Come Back Now

she's the only one who's been able to successfully do it

and I think this specific incident happens when Sky is like, almost fatally injured and really fucked up and Bloom snaps about it and goes Full On Dragon Murder Anyone Who Looks At Her Wrong Don't Touch Him Don't Touch My Treasures

but Dia, her pretty jewel, tells her she needs to come back, and Dragon Bloom is a Very Good Dragon and will listen to her.

also Bloom should purr, whether shes a dragon or not.

[strawberrysundi]

WELL I WAS PLANNING ON PLAYING CELESTE THIS EVENING BUT INSTEAD I WILL NOW DEVOTE IT ENTIRELY TO INDULGING MY HYPERFIXATION

IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR A PORKY POST

Are Ness and Porky Friends...?

Let's talk about that 😏

First things first, I think this single moment from the beginning of the game is by FAR the most important thing to consider when thinking about how Ness and Porky's relationship is presented to us

Right at the start, when you make your way up to the meteorite, you will encounter the cops and their blockade This also serves as our first introduction to our wonderful neighbor, Porky Minch, who is currently making a nuisance of himself trying to get up to the meteorite, much to the cops' chagrin

One of the cops asks if we could help deal with Porky, and asks this vital question:

What's Ness's answer? Yes!

...or no.

I cannot understate how obsessed with this I am. Ness can't say whether or not Porky is really his friend. This is something he's unable to answer on his own. I really think this is a fantastic way to introduce Porky to the player. If he is Ness's friend... it doesn't seem like he's a very good one.

Now shortly after this, Porky begs for Ness's help in finding Picky. We get a pretty good look at Porky's character here. He's obnoxious, rude, doesn't take responsibility for his actions, and above all is pretty meek and cowardly. Now, I think some people go a little far in interpreting him as "bad" here. Porky's undeniably a jerk even now, but he's still just a kid, and a pretty pathetic one at that. If you look on the Earthbound wiki, you'll see that his age is listed as 14. As far as I'm aware, this only has one source, being Saori Kumi's Earthbound novelization. If you know even the slightest thing about this book, you will understand how ludicrous it is to use this as a source. Porky's age is never specified ingame, but I think his overall presentation implies that he should be the same age as Ness. It's fairly well-known that Ness's age is given as 13 in the American guide, but 12 in Japanese. 12 is also the age given in, again, Saori Kumi's novelization, unfortunately I don't know if this is stated elsewhere. It can also be noted that Shigesato Itoi has actually said he never thought of a specific age for Ness, just that he had his daughter in mind who at this time was in grade 4 or 5. So this gives us a range that could be as old as 13 or as young as 9. Personally, I skew toward 11-12 for how I envision the characters. In any case, Porky's clearly very young, so you really have to keep that in mind when considering... kinda everything about him, actually. But in this instance, it really contextualizes the stuff he says. For example, if you say no to him when he asks for your help, he threatens to "say something that'll cut you like a knife." I think it's silly to take this seriously (i've even heard someone describe it as Porky blackmailing Ness). He's clearly just gonna call Ness some mean name or something. ...Except he doesn't. Say no to him again, and he'll immediately deflate.

Porky is in no way a bully. He's annoying, but he's pretty lousy at being intimidating. Instead, his favorite way of getting what he wants is to appeal to others' sympathy. He's relying on Ness to help him by virtue of being "his bestest friend." Or think of his actions in battle: smiling insincerely, apologizing profusely, pretending to cry. He plays up being a sweet innocent kid whenever he's in trouble.

So, I think the picture we've painted is of a kid who's sort of a jerk, and tricks others to get what he wants. It becomes pretty clear why Ness isn't sure if he can really call Porky his friend.

...But what about Porky's side? Is he really only pretending to like Ness for his own gain, or are his own feelings much more complicated?

First off, just some minor things. While Porky leaves a pretty bad, if not altogether inaccurate first impression, there's a few things in his dialogue that speak to him thinking of Ness as more than just 'that loser who thinks we're friends.'

He promises that he'll tell Ness all about the meteorite in the morning. Probably this'd be in his typically boastful Porky-fashion, but even so, this shows that he wants to share things with Ness.

It's easy to miss because most people playing Earthbound have played A Video Game's before, and also tend not to ignore directions the game is clearly telegraphing, but Porky will actually give you advice if you're not properly prepared.

If you don't grab the Cracked Bat:

You're not taking anything on our big adventure? Why don't you look around for your Cracked bat or something?

Taking the bat but not equipping it:

Sorry about giving you this game-type advice, but you should equip your weapon! Do you know what "equip" means?

Yes:

Okay, that's good. Be sure to pay attention to details like that.

No:

It means "use" or "wear." You must equip items in order to use or wear them. "Equip" is used a lot in games like this, but you already knew that...

Finally, not answering your dad:

The phone is ringing! Answer it! At my house, my dad gets bent if I don't get the phone... within the first three rings!

These aren't anything groundbreaking, but they do show how Porky acts with Ness in casual contexts, plus how the game presents Porky surprisingly neutrally in the beginning, rather than just immediately telegraphing him as the villain. Also, nobody's seen these so hey, some obscure trivia for you.

Finally, Porky's reaction to hearing the prophecy is pretty telling of the kind of character Porky is pre-Giygas. He just talks about how much trouble Ness is in now, how he hopes he doesn't have to come, and how freaked out he is. I think this sums him up pretty well. He's the meek comic-relief friend character. Sniff from Moomin, for example. Or go watch Monster House, because Chowder is literally exactly Porky.

But none of that is super juicy. Let's dive into something juicy. This little bit murdered my brother when we got to it in our playthrough.

A quick detour to Magicant...

Ness... I envy you. You have all the luck. I have no luck. Ness... well, okay... Let's be friends forever, alright?

still hurts

Yeah so first off, I think this totally clears up Ness's feelings towards Porky. He can't say if they're really friends... But he WANTS them to be.

This is Ness's vision of Porky, the Porky he used to know before Giygas corrupted him, and the one he wishes was still around.

But even if this is just a manifestation of Ness's consciousness, I think it also gives us a look into Porky's inner self. This is what Ness sees in Porky, the confession that Porky is too insecure to say out loud. He hides it behind all his boasting and rudeness, but he really, really wants to keep his friendship with Ness.

Well.

If only.

Let's get to MOTHER 3.

This game gives us SO much more of Porky's character, and it's all sooooo deep. I cannot understate how much I hate seeing Porky reduced to 'that Eric Cartman kid who is an absolutely irredeemable suchnsuch.' King P is the culmination of a lot of aspects of Porky's character arc (you think this post is long, it's only the first of many more...), but one of the most prominent aspects is his unbelievably, painful, PATHETIC loneliness. This kid... man... is so desperate for a friend after he left the only person who ever wanted to connect with him that he literally brainwashes a whole city's worth of people into loving him.

And of course that's not enough, because all he wants is his next-door neighbor, his good buddy, his bestest friend Ness.

In closing, are Ness and Porky friends? It's complicated. Both clearly, desperately want to be. They have a history, they know each other intimately, by Itoi's own words they literally grew up playing together. But, for a number of reasons (that I've thought all too much about...), Porky just can't help but make it difficult. I'd sum it up by listening to the song that plays during Earthbound's cast credits. In the end, there are good friends, and...

[bundoesnotcompete]

Jiaoqiu bargains with a powerful borisin. A friendship blooms.

See end for author notes. Beware OOC i tried my best. Not canon accurate. Like at all

"Warhead Chiyou was said to have been one of the strongest borisin leaders ever recoded. It is unknown what their true name originally was since any information regarding their birth name was lost. The only names we know that they are called are Warhead Chiyou and Duran's chosen.

These days, Chiyou is kept in the Shackling Prison aboard the Xianzhou Luofu…."

- History of the Xianzhou Alliance

You were unsure of how long you have been kept in this cramped cage. You large form was not meant for this small room. You could hear but not see outside.

You could not be angry though, the game your head slave had played was a good one. It was a shame he allied with another warhead, he truly did not know of the deal he had. Caught in a trap of his making and caught by the Xianzhou Alliance. You were angry and impressed at his plan. Angry that you grew overconfident and fell for it, impressed that the little thing actually pulled it off.

If only you get a small piece of your power out off this prison, then you could be free. But as it stood, unless that door cracked open you were a sitting duck.

There was commotion outside of your door.

Prehaps your neighbor decided an escape. The snake like creature was slippery. You approached the door and listened.

Alarms. Not just any alarms, but the emergency alarms. Someone had made a very big escape and caused the facility to go on lockdown. Interesting. It had been so long since something like this had happened.

You took a step back from the door, intending to go into a corner and sleep. Your ears shot up at the sound of voices.

"This is the door, Master Hoolay." A male's voice sounded from the other side. "According to the records, your commander is still alive on the other side."

Hoolay? That brat had escaped? Oh he would regret opening your door if he did so. You may have been imprisoned for far longer then he, but you had strength he could only dream of. What he did to your pack still angered you. Weak as your pack may have been, they had been yours alone. Yours to kill and touch if you felt like it.

The doors to your cell began to open. You rushed the door and put your paw into it. As long as you could get one hand in, you could pry open this door. Soon, you had both hands opening the doors.

"This is the wrong chamber! Close the doors!" The same voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"Hoolay." You growled out, forcing your way out of the doors. You could hear him snarl at you, but not approach.

What awaited on the other side was a pathetic sight. A few borisins and a slave. Was this really all he could scrap together?

You took a step out of you cage, you were easily twice Hoolay's size. Hoolay stepped in front of his people as they retreated out of the main chamber. It appears your reputation was infamous, even now.

The only one who remained was the little pink slave.

"What? Not going to run like you did last time Hoolay." You growled, standing to full height. He would pay. He lowered himself into a fighting stance. Good, you could kill him here and now.

"Fine then mutt. Come, let me kill you." You spat ignoring the panicking slave.

The fight was quick. Each of you landing quick and brutal strikes. Though yours was doing more damage to him. Though when he retreated out the main chambers doors, you were furious. He merely fought so his little pack could lock you in here with the slave.

Clever but cowardly. It appears some things never changed. Desperation to escape a cage pushed even strong ones to cowardly retreat you supposed.

You turned to the pink foxian who was pushed up against the wall.

"You, slave." You spoke as you approached him. "What is your name?" You could smell the fear leaking off of him. Was that determination mixed in there?

"Jiaoqiu." He gritted out. He was taking heavy breaths.

"Jiaoqiu. A pretty name for a pretty slave. Your master has," you took a rattling breath as you laid down in front of him, "abandoned you. You now serve under me, Duran's Chosen. You may call me Chiyou." He remained pinned to the wall even as you have him space to move.

"I am going to strike you a bargain, little thing, one you can't refuse. You are going to help me escape so i can kill Hoolay. In turn, i will take you into my pack as first of my new pack. You will get all the benefits of a pack-born, even if you are a slave."

His ear flicked. His face remained nervous. He wasn't buying anything you were saying. You had to sell this better.

"Do not worry, Jiaoqiu. I am not that coward out there. I protect what's mine. As long as you do not leave my sight, you can be protected. You are not stupid, and i can see that you do know some fighting skills." He tensed. Taking an even more defensive posture.

"What do you say? Help me kill Hoolay, and you will have my protection. It's that an acceptable agreement? Even if it merely temporary?"

You could see the gears turning in his mind. You could hear him gritting his teeth. He nodded.

"Speak. I need verbal understanding." You huffed.

"I agree to your deal." He shakily spoke. You laughed at his hesitation.

"Come then, we have work to do tiny one. I have escaped before so i know a way out this chamber. Get on my back." You commanded to him. You watched him nervously approach and get on you. His hands held onto your fur tightly as you stood back onto your hind legs.

You felt the acid in your throat bubble up as you approached the sealed doors. You spit the corrosive acid at the crack between the doors and waited for them to melt as much as possible before spitting more on there.

"They will be gunning for the entrance now that i am out. Lead me to it lest I rip you to shreds." You got onto all fours and ran out of the main chamber where you cell was kept. You ran towards where you knew the old entrance to be.

Turns out, before your little passanger could utter a word, you would have your answer. Hoolay and his pack did not get far from where you were kept.

The chase was on after that. You tore through any that got in your way. Ripping and eating chunks of your brethen that got in your way.

You chased him and his pack out of the prison. Only losing track when you were ambushed by more borisins looking to protect Hoolay.

You stood back up, glaring at the thirty or so borisins in your way. Ripping and eating through thirty some borisins never got old. Even as you gained injuries, you enjoyed the battle. They were putting up a good fight, but were still unable to win in the end.

You panted as the last borisin fell from your grip, limply hitting the floor. You got back onto all fours.

"Get off we need to speak." You ordered and your passanger obeyed. You stood back up and turned to where he was standing. He looked rather ill but still stood politely in front of you.

"I know I stand no chance against the alliance. I am not a fool. So you will lead me to where i can find your," you waved a clawed paw, "oh what is the word?"

"Leader?" He asked.

"Yes, leader. Lead me to them so that I might strike a bargain. I don't care about leaving so much as i do killing Hoolay. He is too pay for what he has done." The foxian in front of you was conflicted.

Should he lead you, a highly dangerous and unkillable borisin, back to Moze and the others? He could hear the sincerity in your voice, but that meant little.

"What would i need do to earn your trust?" Your voice broke his concentration. "Need I wait here while you go back? We both know you cannot stop me from doing anything. So what is it that i need do?"

"It's a gamble, but it could pay off high rewards." Jiaoqiu thought. "Do something you idiot. You need to do something about both of them quickly."

You were on all fours in front of him.

"Let me blindfold you." His voice was shaky as he spoke but cleared in the next sentence, "I will guide you. If you are blind then you cannot see where your going or attacking."

You hummed in response, thinking on it.

"Deal."

With that, he ripped a strip is his clothing and blindfolded you. Sitting atop your back, he guided you to a nearby camp.

The prison was away from most of the life on the ship, so the camp that was nearby was as close as they were going to get without going into the city. Jiaoqiu wanted to avoid that at all cost.

"Tell me, how long has it been since i was captured. Do you know, Tiny One?" You asked while he guided you. The foxian on your back hummed, thinking. You were captured before his time and he has never truly looked into it.

"I do not know, but it was before my time."

"I see. Tell me, you smell of spices and herbs, do you cook? It has been a long time since i have had any sort of cooked meal."

You continued to talk back and forth for awhile in order to fill in the silence. He seemed relunctant to talk at first but seemed to open up slightly as you two continued to talk.

You learned that he was a cook and healer. It was respectable position, and you told him that. For as much as your kind prided strength and power, you knew that those who healed and cooked were valuable. They may never be in positions of power, but they were still needed. Many in your society seemed to forget that, and it was disappointing to see.

He seemed to perk up at that comment, but did not comment on it.

You could smell the uneasiness in the air as you approached the area the man was leading you to. It grew into fear when you assume they saw you approach. Your hulking form was unmissable and intimadating. The stories about you only increased your infamous reputation.

"Stop here." Jiaoqiu ordered as you approached the outside of the camp. You did as he told.

"Jiaoqiu!" You heard a voice call as the small foxian slid off your back. You growled at forced him close to you when he attempted to walk off, or you assumed that is what he was doing. You were barely able to see through the makeshift blindfold.

"Do not wander off." You huffed.

You ducked instinctively as a spear flew by you, your enchanced senses warning you of danger. You grabbed your foxian friend and held him close as you grew defensive. Ripping off the blindfold, you growled at the white haired foxian who was approaching you.

"Wait!" Jiaoqiu cried. "We have come in peace!" He was squirming in your grip. "Please put me down." He said, giving up on struggling in your grip.

"Stay close." You grumbled as you gently set him down.

"Jiaoqiu, get away from them!" Another man came into view as the camp went on high alert.

You gave the foxian a look as he seemed to think about it.

"The borisin and I have come into an agreement. Please, just listen!"

"You ought to listen to the man. He and I have come into an agreement of sorts." You spoke.

"What is this agreement?" The white foxian was still on guard and the camp seemed to be sorrounding you with their weapons drawn.

"Hoolay. I want him dead after what he did to my pack. In turn, Jiaoqiu gets his life and pack protection until the agreement is up. I am willing to negotiate."

"Is this true?"

"Yes, Feixiao. That was the terms of our agreement. They have not been broken in any way since they were made." Jiaoqiu stated. "In fact, i would say they have been upheld far beyond what is neccesary."

The white foxian's ear twitched and her guard did not go down. She looked to you.

"If we were to come into an agreement about Hoolay, would you help us, Warhead?"

"As long as it does not violate my first agreement then yes."

"Fine. This is what i propose."

In a few short hours, you and Jiaoqiu were heading towards Hoolay. Feixiao and the others would meet you there to battle him.

You could not leave Jiaoqiu's side, his protection your utmost priority.

The agreement was simple. You killed Hoolay and gave him permenant death and the soldiers would help you. You also needed to protect Jiaoqiu as agreed.

In turn, you would willingly release Jiaoqiu back to the Alliance and return to prison.

You would be lying though if you said you hadn't grown attached to the little foxian. You did not know much about him, but what little of his true personality you have seen and what little you learned had you wanting more. He was a curious thing. That and from what you managed to learn about his cooking had you wanting to try some.

You could hear the sounds of battle ahead of you. Rushing abead you could see the white haired foxian struggling.

You pulled Jiaoqiu off you back as you ran towards Hoolay. As you set him on the ground he slid to Feixiao's aid. You slammed yourself into Hoolay and flung him away from Feixiao. Jiaoqiu nodded to you and helped his injured friend.

The resulting battle had been swift. Hoolay was weakened by his imprisonment and from the battle. Now that he was unable to run, you gave him a swift death. Thats not to say you werent injured in the battle, but those wounds were nothing compared to the satisfaction of killing your pack's killer.

With their leader dead, the remaining borisin's fled. Eating Hoolay's corpse insured his permanant death.

A few days after the battle, you were being led back to prison. Feixiao and Jiaoqiu were with you. You approached the cell you had escaped from a few days ago.

"Tell me Jiaoqiu, will you come see me once so that i may try that spicy soup you spoke about one time. You have no reason too, but i think ive come to miss having someone to talk to." You turned to him and spoke.

"My, we barely know eachother." Jiaoqiu looked to you. "I cannot gurantee anything, but i do owe you for helping me."

You leaned down.

"Take some of my fur and make it into a charm. Any sort of thing like that. All you will need do is call for me and I will come to your aid." You watched as the crowd around you grew shocked. "You are still pack and i must insure your protection, as is our agreement."

He hesitated and sighed. He took some of your fur and pulled out some of it.

"Good." You stood up and entered the cell.

"I will be waiting Jiaoqiu. You are just too interesting and fun." The doors to you cell began to close.

"Good luck, friend."

------

End notes:

I am not Impressed with this. I actually kinda don't like it. But, the concept was interesting so i did my best. I wanted this out since its been rotting in my wip so its a bit rushed. Enjoy! Also, sorry for oocness and all that jazz.

[electronickingdomfox]

"The Lost Years" review

Novel from 1989, by J. M. Dillard. It was supposed to be the first in a trilogy of novels, filling the story gap between the end of the series and TMP. The trilogy as such never materialized, though technically there are other three books that belong to the "Lost Years" series. If I'm not mistaken, however, those have little in common with this one, and don't really pick up the story where Dillard left it (I'd need to read them to be certain, though). In any case, it doesn't matter much, as the story here is pretty self-contained and doesn't ask for any sequel.

As a book to "fill the gap" between series and movies, it doesn't really offer all that much. We end up knowing what we already did (that Spock enters Kolinahr, that Kirk becomes an Admiral, etc.), while most of the events before TMP still remain a mystery. The stuff about Vulcans' abilities is a bit of a stretch too, as they're given outright magical powers. And towards the end this seems rather a Star Wars story, with Jedi vs. Sith battles, rather than anything Star Trek. It is, nonetheless, an exciting adventure with some reflective and poignant moments. I also enjoyed the over-the-top villain, and his absolutely terrifying powers.

Kirk's backstory with Admiral Lori Ciana (from the TMP novelization) is fleshed out. And Ciana is given a more complex personality, beyond being a mere one-note lover in Kirk's past. Spock, though still not a Kolinahr student, is already in the path of detachment from everyone and everything. And the tragic events at the end will push him finally into that direction. He gets betrothed and almost married to a Vulcan woman, though. McCoy, for his part, partakes in his favorite pastime: being a damsel in distress and suffering all kinds of indignities. From being kidnapped by a madman, to being molested by a monstrous alien female, losing two thousand credits in a brief phone call, or being locked in a Romulan brig. As is the staple with Dillard's novels, he's a bit more pathetic and cowardly than his usual self. The major guest character, Dr. Keridwen Llewellyn, is an anthropologist interested in religious studies, and thanks to her inquiries we learn some interesting bits about Vulcan katras (which seem to borrow from Duane's "Spock's World"). Not exactly a Mary Sue, she has nonetheless unusual powers, like predicting the future or being unreadable by Vulcan telepaths. She gets even more powers by the end, and of course saves the day and the galaxy's future. Dillard's tendency of "Mary Sueing", however, is a bit more toned down here. There are also cameos for the original characters of her previous novels (most notably "Bloodthirst"), which will be confusing for anyone who didn't read those. Fortunately, they just appear in a brief section, and just to tie things up. Kevin Riley and Uhura also make appearances, which feel rather shoehorned in this context. Doesn't Starfleet have more personnel than the dozen or so seen in the series?

Some spoilers under the cut:

The first chapters are more slow paced, as they deal with the consequences of the five-year-mission’s end, and the crew drifting away. Kirk’s motivations and state of mind at this point get the more realistic, mature treatment, in my opinion. Admiral Nogura puts him in a really difficult situation: accept a desk job as an Admiral, or resign from Starfleet, with no in-between. So Kirk ends up accepting, with the condition, however, that he’ll be working for Admiral Ciana and maybe, maaaybe he’ll get the Enterprise back in the end. Ciana is an ambitious, brilliant woman, who wants to make a career as mediator for difficult conflicts in the Federation. Thus Kirk is promised some action along her, as they travel to distant planets and get entangled with problematic cultures. Ciana lacks Kirk’s field expertise and his flair for “creative diplomacy”, and Nogura wants her to learn from Kirk. Something that she resents at first, though they soon warm up to each other, while we witness the first sparkles of romance between them. The romance angle doesn’t add a lot to their relationship, but in this case the story is just following what Roddenberry established in his TMP novelization.

Spock’s motivations for resigning are less clear-cut. Apparently he’s so hurt by Kirk accepting the Admiral job, that he throws a massive temper tantrum and says “to hell with everything, I’m going back to Ma and Pa’s home!”. But really, what did he expect Kirk to do? It’s not like he was given a lot of choices… So well, Spock goes back to Vulcan, with the intention of teaching at the Vulcan Academy of Sciences, and takes a wife (or at least gets betrothed to her). His wife, T’Sura, seems like a cool person, though we don’t get much insight about her.

For his part, McCoy has been studying medicine among the Fabrini. But after discovering that Natira has (obviously) moved on with her life since they met, and married a different man, he sinks into a major depression and starts drinking way too much. I mean, if marrying Natira was so important for him, why on earth didn’t he stay in Yonada when given the opportunity!? (specially since he just had a single year of life at the moment…). Whatever. The thing is, McCoy is giving lectures these days, along his colleague Dr. Keridwen Llewellyn. And this brings them both to Vulcan, where they meet Spock. Keridwen has always had the ability to perceive someone’s impending death, as well as being “esper-blind” (that is, a complete lack of telepathic ability, which means that Vulcans are unable to read her mind). She makes a tarot reading for Spock at a bar, to show her divination skills. But the cards show death for Spock, or McCoy, or both, which upsets her greatly.

Meanwhile, Kirk and Ciana meet with several ambassadors at Starfleet HQ. In particular, with the Inari ambassador, who requires Starfleet’s assistance to contain the terrorist attacks of their neighbours, the Djanai. Both cultures belong to the same alien species, but while the Inari are technologically advanced, the Djanai are traditional and religious, and resent the Inari for taking up their sacred lands. Sabotage occurs during the meeting, the Inari ambassador is seriously injured, and the Djanai terrorists kidnap Sarek and Uhura (the latter rather by mistake) and escape with them. Ciana and Kirk’s mission will be now to rescue the hostages, as well as ensure peace talks between the two warring cultures. A difficult task, since both parties absolutely refuse to talk with each other.

Back in Vulcan, McCoy, Spock and Keridwen are staying at Gol among the Kolinahr disciples, because Keridwen is interested in their mysticism and McCoy just wants to be alone. However, the doctor finds the Vulcan night way too warm to sleep, so he chooses to stay at their scout vessel, enjoying the air conditioning and drinking gin tonics. Unfortunately for him, this is also the night where Sekar, a Kolinahru, decides to steal the katra of an ancient and evil Vulcan sorcerer from pre-Reformation times, Zakal. This old High Master was the sworn enemy of Surak and his pacifism, and among his many charming abilities was melting his enemies’ skins from their faces. Sekar wants to resurrect the old ways and free Vulcan from Surak’s teachings, and to accomplish this he needs to bring Zakal’s powers to the Romulans. Sekar merges with Zakal and steals the scout, with McCoy still sleeping inside. Then begins a horrifying journey for the doctor, as the evil Zakal and the well-intentioned (yet misguided) Sekar switch personalities from time to time. However, McCoy is kept alive, mostly because Zakal finds him amusing… for the moment. The current High Master of the Kolinahr is alerted about the katra’s theft, and accompanies Spock and Keridwen in a second scout to rescue McCoy and defeat Zakal.

From this point on, the narrative alternates between Kirk’s dealings among the Djanai in their native planet, and McCoy’s painful experiences as hostage of Zakal. Though eventually, both threads merge when Sekar arrives at Djanai, expecting to meet his Romulan contact, and instead finds Kirk, having just rescued Sarek and Uhura. In the last part, all parties involved chase Sekar/Zakal to the Neutral Zone and aboard a Romulan ship. Keridwen’s esper-blindness makes her the choice to confront Zakal, since the sorcerer can’t read her thoughts or control her. But their final battle will also mean for her the ultimate sacrifice. Will she turn around the cards and prevent Spock and McCoy’s prophesied deaths? (well, we already know she will, but just pretend you don’t!).

Spirk Meter: 3/10*. There’s the fact that Spock resigns from Starfleet just because he can’t keep serving with Kirk as Captain. But they interact little in the novel, and those interactions are full of resentment. Though at one point Kirk imagines Spock talking in his head, as a way to help him make a decision.

More significant are the scenes between McCoy and Kirk, or McCoy and Spock. In the case of Kirk, he first comments appreciatively on the doctor’s civilian clothes, and how they bring out the color of his eyes, and the silver in his hair. And later Kirk ensures McCoy that there are many good reasons why Natira should have waited for him; among them, that she’d be waiting for Leonard McCoy… For his part, the doctor has no qualms about shouting at Nogura’s face, enraged by the pain he’s causing Kirk. Once McCoy is kidnapped, there are two things that are distracting Kirk from his duties at Djanai: his recent kiss with Ciana… and McCoy’s situation. And despite Spock’s warning that the Admiral shouldn’t get involved with Zakal, Kirk nonetheless follows to rescue the doctor as a dashing hero. After bringing him out of the Romulan brig, there’s a lot of arm grabbing and supporting the weakened McCoy.

As for Spock, there are several tender moments. When Spock comes to the doctor’s cabin to say goodbye before leaving the Enterprise (and McCoy welcomes him half dressed and just out of bed), McCoy is in the brink of tears and confesses that he’s gonna miss Spock the most. He also shakes his hand, despite Vulcan reservations, noticing how strong and warm is… yeah. When they reunite again during McCoy’s lecture in Vulcan, the doctor runs to Spock shouting his name, and almost grabs his hand again. Spock admits that he missed McCoy too, and this makes the latter beam with joy. Then there’s their sad farewell at the very end, where McCoy refuses to believe that he’ll never see Spock again, and is choking on tears once more. Apart from this, it’s noteworthy that Spock’s tarot reading (his fate, so to speak) would also involve McCoy in it. And Spock’s worry about McCoy makes him lose concentration, so Zakal manages to detect them.

However, despite all this, most of the main characters’ angst is diverted to Keridwen during the course of the story. And she seems to be as important to them as the others, or even more! To the point that Spock’s decision to pursue Kolinahr at the end has nothing to do with Kirk or McCoy, but is prompted by Keridwen’s fate. So there’s a certain “no homo” feel about the whole deal.

*A 10 in this scale is the most obvious spirk moments in TOS. Think of the back massage, "You make me believe in miracles", or "Amok Time" for example.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

My Reason For Smiling ~ Sasaki Kojiro x Reader

Such a pathetic end to life... Kojiro thought to himself, staring up at the cloudless sky. Surely, this can't be the end... Can it?

He still has so much to learn, so many matches to fight... He can't be killed by a nasty thief who slashed him in his sleep... Right?

Ah, but he's bleeding so badly, in the middle of nowhere, with no village anywhere in sight. Was he truly so luckless that he will be succumbing to a wound like this, not from an honorable fight, but from the cowardly blade of a damned criminal who stole all of his supplies and ran away, leaving him for death - Or to become food for the wilderness?

"Oh? Shika-chi, why are you tugging on my sleeve?" could it be...? The honeyed voice of a maiden, approaching him? Sasaki wanted to call out for help, but his body was working against him, how pathetic. He felt like a man no more, powerless, useless. "Is he alive?" Sasaki internally sighed in relief, hearing the rustling of the leaves and the woman kneeling by his side, checking his pulse. "That's one nasty cut. Are you awake?" he grumbled weakly, but it was enough of a statement of his livelihood. "Hang in there, will you? My cottage is nearby."

All of a sudden, Sasaki found himself being held up like a samurai would hold a pretty little lady who broke her sandal strap. He wanted desperately for his vision to unblur and get a look at the woman struggling to bring him to safety - He could feel her arms were much thinner than his, and she was barely walking with him in her arms - But she couldn't keep him on her back, or the wound might get worse - Smart cookie, Kojiro would have laughed in delight, was he not so drained. "Goodness, you're so heavy..." what an adorable lady, the man thought as he was clumsily placed on a comfortable bed. The tremble of her whole body shook him as he was being carried - At least the bed was static.

Ah, how good it feels - He hadn't slept on a bed in ages! Always sleeping outside, in the wilderness, with a log or a rock in place of a pillow and his haori alone for a blanket. He hadn't felt the comfort of a peaceful sleep since he left his home; Perhaps he will be able to rest properly now, in the care of such a lovely woman.

For a few good days, even though he felt better, Kojiro felt like lazing a bit, enjoying the nurturing way this missy spoiled him so carefully, her delicate hands working on his skin day in and day out. She would help him stand up and even helped him eat! Ahh, even his own mother hadn't spoiled him this way - How was he supposed to let go of all this pampering?

"Are you feeling any better?" the lady would ask in a gentle voice - No, it wasn't just gentle, it was rather tired also. Kojiro was beginning to feel a little guilty for abusing her kindness, in detriment of her exhausting herself. He hogged her bed, while she was just sitting in a corner of the mattress, leaning on the wall as she held one hand gently cupping his cheek, to feel his body temperature, while the other was holding his wrist to her neck, her thumb over his artery to feel his pulse. When sleep would take over her, he wasn't sure, but he was a man, and no matter how much he loved a woman's care, he couldn't let her ruin her health for him.

"Yep, all good! I'm fit as a fiddle! I have been reborn!" Sasaki jumped out of the bed all of a sudden, surprising the lady. "Ah, you little troublemaker, you're pretty bad at faking your health status, you know? You have been good for a few days now." she scoffed at the flabbergast man as she pushed him back down to sit on the bed while she finished cooking the porridge. "Sit down, lunch is ready. It's not good to eat while standing." Sasaki grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, thanking her for the delicious hot meal. "If you knew I was fine, why didn't you call me out sooner?" The lady shrugged carelessly, not bothering to look up at him. "I've been a bit lonely the past years. Nobody really comes around these places - Not with good intentions, at least. Figured a little human interaction wouldn't hurt." Kojiro's smile fell, and his eyes scanned the woman before him, apparently careless about anything surrounding her. "I can stay a while, if you want!" Once again, she shrugged. "Whatever you want. I'm not forcing anyone to stay here. It's not exactly the life anyone would want, anyway. You're a wanderer - I doubt you'd want to be tied to a spot for more than a week or so." that cunning smirk of her amused the man, though he knew she was right. "Well, why do you stay around, if you say you get lonely often?" Y/N hadn't replied, up until the point they both finished eating. With the plates discarded, she guided the man outside, so she could show the vast vegetable garden, the orchard, the berries - And a little farther away, to the other side, some sheep, even cows. A prosperous and abundant livelihood she had, but also, a very lonesome one.

"This place has been our home for generations - Or so my parents told me. I don't know, I can't prove anything. Well - My parents died when I was 10 years old, and with no other relatives anywhere, I learnt to take care of myself here. It wasn't easy, learning how to survive, a lone little girl in a place like this. Bunch of hermits, my family." she chuckled, strolling leisurely around the place. "I just about became a forest witch or something. Wild animals of all kinds appear out of nowhere. I had a deer when I found you. And just two days ago, a wolf stumbled around. At least with them, I feel safe. Humans usually are pretty nasty." "Gah, yeah, I get you. A thief struck me down while I was sleeping and stole everything I had. Bunch of honourless cowards." Sasaki sighed, shaking his head. "Wait, hold up - But if you're so scared of thieves, how come you trusted with me being in your home?" "Ah, well- About that..." Y/N coughed lightly, looking away. "You looked like a dumbass who really needed help."

Sasaki's eyes widened in shock at such a blunt confession, only to let out a loud guffaw which resounded through the forest. "Well, lucky me, then! I got pampered by a beautiful woman - I sure am the luckiest man alive!" "You're just exaggerating. Silly man." despite saying that, Y/N had a small smile gracing her beautiful features. "And you're being modest!" he shamelessly stepped in front of her, pinching her cheeks to force a smile on her face. "You look gorgeous when you smile - You should smile more! Happiness looks beautiful on you!" his own grin was so wide that it threatened splitting his face in two.

"Dumbass." Y/N groaned, slapping his hands away from torturing her soft, mochi-like cheeks which turned red from the abuse. "Anyway! So, what do you do for fun? Don't you get bored everyday?" the two went to sit down at the edge of a lake. "Nothing." she bluntly answered. "I have so much work to do around the house and the gardens that whenever I'm close to finishing, it's already dark outside and I'm too tired to do anything else." she shrugged simply. "At most, I find some time to seam some clothes, but even that isn't easy. The traveling merchants hardly come by anymore, and they don't really accept trading... They all just want money, and I have none of that." "Don't you get bored at all? Working all day can't be making you happy, can it?" Sasaki's voice turned a little lower, with a tinge of sadness. "I am not happy. Happy would be a person living. When you're just struggling to survive, you are not happy, nor sad - You are neutral. Simply put, you are content." she explained, watching the Sun slowly go down, and the ethereal painting of the sky twinned its image into the water sheen. "So, you're bored. Did I get that right?" Kojiro asked, turning his gaze at her. "You don't smile often, do you?" "Hella bored." she scoffed, resting her jaw on her palm. "I've lost precious time taking care of you. A tremendous amount of work is going to pile up on me once you leave. It's gonna take a while to get it done." she sighed theatrically. "What a drag."

The lone wanderer remained silent for a little while, a pang of sadness hitting his own heart, seeing the lady depicting the very same loneliness and exhaustion as so many other people he knew before, though at least they lived in a village, and could converse with each other. She was all alone, with just a bunch of animals to keep her company.

"Do you want to come with me?" the man found himself asking, all of a sudden. "I have no destination. My only goal is to get stronger. I want to battle all the master swordsmen and get stronger and stronger with each fight." "Admirable wish, Sasaki. I will be cheering on you from here." his smile fell. "I am a woman, you know. Women don't like traveling around the world with no aim and no stability. That's a man-thing. You don't care if you don't bathe for years, or if you don't change clothes, or care for your looks. Women like comfort and cleanliness." Kojiro found himself smiling tenderly at her. He knew she was right, but a little part of him didn't want to ever part with her. "I'm sorry, Y/N." the woman looked at him with a questioning eyebrow risen. "I wish I was a rich man, so I could provide for you - Or, at least compensate you for all the kindness you've shown me. You're a lovely person, and... Well..." his tanned cheeks flushed a little, a boyish smile, innocent and crushing on the lady. "Men like making pretty girls smile. We like to provide for them... But often, we don't really have any money, and clothes and accessories are so expensive." Y/N's piercing eyes bore into him with such blunt intensity that Sasaki almost felt embarrassed for saying something like that. "Jiro." she called out his nickname. "You don't need to buy me anything to make me happy. Your smile is enough of a reason to feel happy."

Far more amplified than before, Kojiro's cheeks were deeply red, and he felt a rush of love forcing his heart to pound swiftly against his chest. "Oh man... Men are supposed to seduce and compliment girls... But you were so cool... For a lone woman, you having fantastic charm-skills! You have to teach me!"

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully as she stood up, offering her hand to help him. Sasaki wondered at the feeling of a woman's hand holding his own - It wasn't soft and delicate like a flower's petal, but he expected nothing different from a work-ridden person like herself. He cursed himself with his inability of providing for her, or at least lessen her harder chores. Yet, despite her calloused and rough hands, they were so small, and her fingers were so slender; Her hand felt so good in his own, he didn't want to let go of her.

Much to his surprise, however, Y/N kissed his cheek, blanking his mind - Only to push him into the lake and leave back home. What a kitsune! He didn't even realise he was so tightly wrapped around her finger - When did this happen? No use denying though. He is very much smitten.

Without even realising when days passed, Kojiro found himself in perfect health, helping Y/N with work around the house - He'd cut wood and carry it for her, and he'd help with the vegetables and the trees. He had to be careful though, as very often, his eyes would linger to the woman sitting at the base of a tree, patching his clothes up.

How was she able to act so naturally with him, when he'd get all blushy around her and act like an idiot? He was even showing off his toned physique, and not even a compliment on his looks! She was so cool and composed that Sasaki felt envious at how level-headed she was.

Still! He was so happy that he could lay off some of her work, offering her some time to relax every once in a while. They would go strolling through the forest and watch the sunset, or climb on some trees to get the ripest fruit. On few occasions, they would go swimming in the lake - Though Kojiro was used to bathing all naked, he couldn't do that in front of a lady, obviously! Not that she gave him any choice to begin with, for their swims usually started with her pushing him in the water. Playful little minx.

On even fewer occasions, she would join in the swim also, instead of just making fun of him from the shore. But there came that one single time when Sasaki braved his awkwardness and pushed Y/N in the lake - Oh, the audacity! To pay back, she pretended to drown, only to pull at his leg to scare him off. As soon as his head reached the surface, she bopped his head back in the water before sitting on his shoulders. "Oh, what a lovely sight - Is this what it's like being tall? What a fortunate gift, being born so tall!" "You are one ruthless lady."

Every day spent with Y/N was a bliss for Sasaki, and he thought there would be many, many more days like that in the future - Alas, one evening when they came down from the mountains, they returned to a pillaged cottage, with all the vegetables either picked or ruined and all the animals slaughtered and stolen. Lifetimes of diligent work put into that home were completely obliterated by a bunch of ravagers.

Nothing Kojiro said was able to simmer down Y/N's rage, and for the first time since they met, he witnessed her being fully manipulated by the burning rage bubbling through her veins. With long strides, Y/N went in the hut and retrieved a samurai sword, so beautiful and evidently untouched in a long while - She rushed, following the traces of blood left behind by the evil-doers, and soon enough, they found their temporary camp - They were munching on her animals' meat and her well-tended vegetables, drinking her mead and wine. Y/N was pissed.

"My blade shall deliver divine punishment on the sinners who destroyed my family legacy." Sasaki could only watch in awe and wonder, stunned at the beauty of her swordsmanship, elegant and swift, agile and graceful; Ribbons of blood were spilling everywhere, and the many criminals were being cleanly cut to pieces before his very eyes.

All his life, Sasaki Kojiro only dreamt of meeting strong Sword Masters to fight and learn from them - Yet he had been living with one for over a month, and he had no idea! He should have known, but he didn't - Such discipline over her diligent work, such a perfect grasp of her emotions, keeping herself balanced and level-headed at all times; And now even, turning wrath into focused strength...

Ahh, he was so in love and so pumped up that he wanted to fight her himself! Alas, with the sad situation of her home being destroyed, it clearly wasn't the time and place to bring that up.

Instead, he brought Y/N into a strong embrace once she was done with her revenge, letting her vent out her anger and sorrow through her tears.

"It's alright, Y/N, it's alright. I'll take care of you, I promise. I won't ever leave you. We can build a new life - The two of us. And it won't be boring; I want to see you smile and be happy, okay, Y/N? So don't be too upset - There's so many fun things to do out there - And I'll help you experience all of them."

At first, Y/N hardly had the strength to smile - But as soon as she looked up and saw that goofy and bright grin of his, somehow, her heart felt lighter, and the burden on her shoulders seemed to reduce. Though it was faint, her lips turned into a small smile, and she embraced the man. "Fine, you win. Let's go see the world and walk an aimless road."

They walked together, a lonely road, one man and one woman holding hands through any hardship that they faced. As promised, Sasaki protected Y/N, though she needn't it, but she felt good, finally being pampered for once. Be it wind or blizzard, heat or rain, they found shelter within each other's arms.

He told her stories of his childhood and the people who trained him at the dojo; A lazy bastard, always late and never diligent in his work - Or so everyone thought. Sasaki's greatest strength was in over-analysing every move of his opponent and shadow-fighting that person, all by himself, until he manages to dominate in a win.

And so he did, with every master swordsman he encountered, from the very first, to the last one, and every single one which he will continue to meet in the future, with Y/N by his side... To witness his glorious defeats.

"You truly are Japan's greatest loser." Y/N scoffed in amusement as Sasaki, once again defeated, let his head fall in her lap to be pet and comforted for his wonderous loss. "But you did far better than last time, at least. It's an evident improvement." "I love it when you praise me!" he declared, as easy going as always. "Maybe if you'd win for once, I'd have a reason to praise you." she teased him, though she continued to spoil him. "If I want to win, I have to fight you too!" Y/N looked down at him with an amused. "Me? Fight? Ha! Don't kid. That's silly." she mocked him. "Don't say that! You were so cool back then!" he praised her, getting up on his knees, his face dangerously close to her own. "Come on, please~? I've been asking you that every day!" "You're such a menace, Jiro. You're acting like a petulant child." she rolled her eyes, pushing him away, only for him to keep persisting over and over again. "FINE!" she yelled at him. "Goodness gracious, you are more of a child than you are a man." "HELL YEAH!" like a hyperactive child, Sasaki ran around in circles before getting his and her swords, ready for a spar. "What if we get hurt though? I don't exactly have the medical resources to treat you like I did a while ago." was her last attempt at avoiding the sparring session. It failed.

Once again, Sasaki Kojiro lost miserably. Day in and day out, Y/N would watch her lover lament over their fight together, yet not even once did he continue pestering her with a fight. It was a lovely peace that Y/N never thought could appear - But it was so good watching him do his best; Not only that, but she felt rather flattered that it took him so many days to defeat her - In his mind, at least.

Though the day did come that Kojiro defeated her, and Y/N got once again pestered with finding a new challenge. In spite of this, he knew just how to alleviate her annoyance with him - It was something only he was capable of doing - Only he could make her smile.

"Y/N." Kojiro ran up to her one day, as she was perched up on a branch and collecting fruit. "Can you come down, please?" "Yeah, sure, one sec. Catch the basket, will you? It's full of sweet pears. You can thank me later." she gave him no second of reaction, for she let the basket fall. On his head. The young man groaned, rubbing his head in pain as he stumbled about to collect the fallen pears and put them back on the basket. "Can you come down now?" he asked - Though he would regret that question, as Y/N let herself fall down the branch with perfect aim. "Trust fall." thankfully, his reflexes were so great that his whole body moved on its own to catch her in his strong arms. "Let's not do that again, please. That was stressful." he let out a breath of relief, gently placing her on her feet. "Maybe for you. I had fun watching you panic." she chuckled leisurely at him. "That's a beautiful smile you have." Kojiro's panic-stricken face turned tender. "I hope to see your smile every day when I wake up, and as the last thing, before I fall asleep, with you in my arms." he held her hand gently, kissing her fingers. "I know I can be a menace of a man, and you always have to take care of me - But... Will you be my wife?"

Sasaki has never seen such a love painted expression on anyone before, not like the way Y/N smiled, breathless, her eyes gleaming with tears of pure glee. "Nothing in this world would make me happier." He grinned so widely, even giggling a little from excitement, as he took out a ring he made from a pretty flower, and he put it on her finger. "I don't have much money, nor can I afford to gift you any pretty kimono or hair accessories as I'd like to pamper you with. You are the most beautiful woman in the world, and I wish I could pick the stars from the sky and put them in your hair. I wish I could give you the things that a rich man could. In spite of all this... I swear... I love you more than life itself."

Y/N must have felt so overwhelmed by such a heart felt and truthful confession, that she threw her arms around his body, holding him tightly and not letting go. They truly were happy together, with fate guiding them forwards.

At only 37 years old, however, Sasaki Kojiro would meet his end during his most exciting duel against Master Miyamoto Musashi; A fight to which he wanted no end, a fight so fun that he forgot everything in this life, except for the love he had for his opponent.

Y/N could only stand and watch with dread and misery in her heart, knowing that she had to accept the ultimate death before her very eyes. As Musashi delivered the killing blow, praising Sasaki for his skills, Y/N caught him in her arms, holding him dearly. "Not only are you the greatest loser in history, you are also the biggest idiot in the world." one by one, her tears would slide down her cheeks, and onto his face - He was smiling. "Are you happy?" "Yes. I am the happiest I've ever been." hearing his words, Y/N let out a broken sob, hanging her head in disdain. "I promised to protect you - Can you forgive me for breaking that promise?" he asked. "I promised to make you smile every day and protect your happiness and heart. I am really... A terrible man, aren't I?" "Shut up, will you?" Y/N whispered in a shaking voice. "The only thing I ever wanted from you was to see you happy. I only ever wanted to see that beautiful smile of yours. How am I supposed to smile again, without you next to me?" "Ahhh, Y/N, I feel so happy knowing that you love me so much." Sasaki's grin, although wide, was also bittersweet, watching the deep sorrow plaguing his most beloved darling. "The only regret I have is never being able to hold your hand again, or see you smile." "I won't ever smile again, Jiro." Y/N held him tightly in her arms. "You were my only reason for smiling." "Y/N..." Kojiro sighed softly. "I hope you will find your happiness without me." she hadn't replied, between her tears. "Will you sing for me, Y/N?" "You, idiot - How can I sing when I'm crying?" she scolded him. "Doesn't matter. I just want your smile to be the last thing I see in this world, and your voice to be the last thing I hear. I know it's too much to ask - But can you please do it? For me?" "I swear... You really are more a child than a man." she shook her head, and with her last bit of strength, she forced a smile on her face. "I truly... truly love you, Sasaki Kojiro. Rest well, my darling."

Just sleep in my tender arms, Don't worry about any harms, All because I'm right here, with you.

One day, you'll become so strong, And someday, I might not see you, Will you come by and say hello?

"I will go." a mystical and wise voice spoke all of a sudden, appearing out of nowhere in the human selection room, ready to battle the Gods.

Sasaki Kojiro/Japan

The image displayed on the holographic screen depicted a young man, not even in his 40s; A strong and fearsome warrior, brave like no other, and just as solemn.

The three Valkyries watched the old man presented before them with confusion - They could see the similarities between this elderly one and the young lad from the screen, but it hardly made any sense. The soul was supposed to appear as he was at his strongest, in his Golden Age - So why was this supposed Sasaki Kojiro so damn old?

"You look so different - You look kinda old! In fact, you're a total geezer!" the youngest of them, Goll, gasped loudly, making him frown a little. "What's going on? I thought that the souls summoned to Ragnarok take their strongest form; their form during their peak, regardless of their age at death." "That's exactly right. So how come you're..." as the young woman with long purple hair rose up to her feet, she knocked over the carafe of milk.

With a simplistic move of his warm and the undeniable grace of a maple leaf swayed by the Autumn breeze, the old man used the tip of his sheathed sword to catch the handle of the carafe, not spilling a single milk drop, before taking a drink. "I got you." he drank it whole, before placing the recipient back on the table. "Is this cow milk? That was good." the Valkyries all had wide eyes filled with shock, their bodies rooted to the spot.

Funny enough, he also crouched to the ground, eating a bunch of pie pieces from a shattered dish. "No doubt about it. He's the real thing." Sasaki grinned like a sly fox. "It has been over 400 years since I passed on. During that time, I have never ceased honing my swordsmanship. My Ganryu's evolution has not yet ended." Brunhilde's eyes sparkled with joy at the man's determination and evident confidence in his skills. "In other words, this is the golden age of Sasaki Kojiro!" "Hrist - You'll go, won't you?" the woman in front of him looked gentle enough, though she hid a great wrath inside of her - The Valkyrie hiding a double personality, the One who trembles with Fear and Anger.

As Sasaki was guided towards the entrance to the arena, he noticed a silhouette in the middle of the corridor. It looked feminine and small; Whoever it was, she was wearing a gorgeous and rich kimono, and her hair was let loose, though it was graced with a lovely golden accessory embedded with gems.

The more steps he took towards the woman, the more excited the warrior became - Somehow, he needn't see her face, for his heart knew who it was. He could tell her apart from a million women. On her finger, a pretty flower ring stood out, the only modest bit from her otherwise glamorous outfit.

"All my life, I wished to see you shining like a princess. All this must have cost a fortune. I am glad that, at least now, I can see you radiating. Y/N." he picked her hand like a gentleman, kissing her fingers. "To think that, through all of these richness, this little thing would carry on with your soul. I feel flattered, truly." his thumb traced gently over the finger with the ring. "And yours hands feel so soft now. I don't know what happened, but... You seem well taken care of. That makes me happy." "I don't understand." Y/N spoke softly, her hands reaching up to cup his face. "You have never reached to see your old age, yet your soul is grey and wrinkled, whereas I died old and ugly, and I look the same I did when we first met." "How about I tell you this little secret after I win my fight?" Y/N's smile suddenly vanished, and she looked down. "Must you truly go and fight? Have I not lost you once? Must I see you die again?" Sasaki's smile only grew. "There is no more room for growth anymore. You canno lose and beat your opponent again later, as a shadow. You'll die, for good. Your soul also. There is no trying again or getting better. It's the end." "Do you have that little faith in me, darling?" he hummed in amusement, watching her worried look. "Yes." her blunt statement made him laugh. "I watched two other incredible fighters, and they lost. I just..." she sighed. "I just don't want to see you die again. It was painful enough the first time, I... Don't think I can take it, a second time." "Y/N. Look at me." she did as such. "For you, I am going to win. This promise, I vow I won't break." "... Fine." she shook her head. "Wipe the floor with those arrogant jerks. Show them that even the greatest loser in history can win, when it matters most." Humming, Sasaki smiled, turning to step away from her. "Then, I will go win and we can catch up later." "Are you going to run away without as much as kissing your wife?" he turned abruptly, watching the small smile on her face. "I don't dare kiss you, when you're so young and beautiful, while I'm just an old and wrinkly geezer."

But Y/N's zori sandals clinked softly against the pavement as she rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a sweet kiss. "In life and in death, old or young - You are still the same Sasaki Kojiro that I love and cherish more than life itself. My husband, who's going to win his very first match." He grinned widely, letting out a loud guffaw. "Wait for me, wifey! I'll make you proud!"

Y/N watched the admirable samurai step towards the arena, and she could only smile. "I've always been proud of you. Silly man." she hummed, walking back towards the stands. There, she found the gallery of Swords Masters, all of them cheering for Sasaki. She easily found her way in front of Musashi, who grunted at her in acknowledgement. Though he had a face of icy stoicism, not even Master Miyamoto was safe from the shattered heart of a woman in love. Thus was the fate of men who strive to become stronger - You either live to reach the peak of strength, or die trying.

The arena was flooded with water now, no doubt, as an homage to the God of the Seas, Poseidon himself. She couldn't care less for their arrogance; Her heart leapt in emotion as she saw the small boat, and her loved standing on it. The presenter announced him in the oddest way -

"Who is the greatest swordsman of all time? Is it the demon of Mt. Kurama, who sliced up the Taira clan - Minamoto no Yoshitsune? Nay!" he began. "Is it the founder of the Shinkage School who struck fear into Takeda Shingen - Nobutsuna Kamiizumi Ise-no-kami? Nay!" how dramatic. "Is it the master of the silent sword, who the great Shusaku Chiba said he was no match for - Matashiro Takayanagi? NAY!" Y/N couldn't help but sigh dramatically, pinching the bridge of her nose. No doubt, Kojiro was enjoying the attention. "I would venture that it is THIS man who is the greatest! How can it be that this loser is the greatest in history? Is it due to his ultimate move, the Tsubame Gaeshi? Or is it due to his desire to get vengeance on Musashi? Nay! Nay! NAY! No! That's not why at all!" "Get it over with already!" Y/N let her head back, groaning a little in disdain - This Heimdall guy sure was pretty annoying. "Even in defeat, he evolves! Even in death, he evolves, step by step to become the greatest! Even now, he continues on his road to become the greatest! The greatest Loser in history!"

SASAKI KOJIRO!

Of course, nobody could understand why an old man like Sasaki would be chosen as Humanity's representative, especially considering he'd be fighting Zeus' own brother, Poseidon. Even Musashi's own child, whose soul transformed into his child's form, was throwing a tantrum, so bitter and salty that his own father wasn't chosen as the fighter, that Y/N took one of the Scrolls with the Book of Five Rings written by Miyamoto and bonked him in the head. "Forgive me for hitting your child, Musashi-dono. I don't take kindly to people looking down on my husband." she huffed, watching the man nod in agreement with her. The child looked up at all the other masters around, asking for their opinion - They agreed that Musashi was the overall master who defeated even them, and it was weird that it wasn't him chosen for this fight. Miyamoto, however, remained silent.

In a beautiful, fluid move, Kojiro took out his trusted sword, merged with the soul of the Valkyrie Hrist, and eyes the God in front of him carefully, yet with a confident smile. The waves have calmed, and Musashi snapped alert. "There he goes again, showing off." Y/N giggles softly. "Hey, stop being so surprised! That's just some dumb deception by that Sasaki!" the child scolded her, and the other masters around. "Do you want me to hit you again?" Y/N's smile sent a shiver down his spine. Instead, his own father flicked his sword out, ripping apart all of the scrolls along with the boy's blouse. "Father, why did you slice up The Book of Five Rings?" the boy asked, surprised at what just happened. His father's greatest legacy, his life's work - All sliced to shreds. "They are no longer needed!" Musashi was crying rivers, along with all the other master swordsmen around. "He has achieved the state that all sword practitioners strive for. The Number One Under the Sun! Sasaki Kojiro truly has become The Number One Under the Sun!" "That's right! Have some trust in my husband!" Y/N's grin mimicked his own shrewdness.

The tension in the ring was through the roof, yet none understood why none was stepping forward, or even why the human was sweating. They didn't understand how Sasaki worked, how he fought; His greatest strength was that shadow fighting of his which never failed. "Heh! He's exhausted just keeping his distance! That Sasaki Kojiro is as much a loser as he ever was!" "No wonder you're still a child, even though you died old. You cannot comprehend the genius of a Master Swordsman." Y/N shook her head in annoyance. "Kojiro is fighting millions of battles - All in his head. He's devising the perfect strategy against that foe." "That Poseidon truly is powerful. I wonder if there even is a way to defeat him." one of the masters sighed in fear. "If there is one, Kojiro will find it." Y/N huffed at them. "Why do you keep taking his side, anyway?! What do you even know of him?" the child shouted up at her like a brat. "Do not speak with such disrespect to Sasaki Kojiro's wife." Musashi grunted at his son. "Wh-What?! Wife?! But -- But that guy's so old, and you're -- You're...!" Y/N simply smirked, shrugging at the boy. "That man may look old, but he's as much a child as you are." Y/N giggled, watching Sasaki let out a sigh and sit on the ground leisurely. What a brat.

"Ahh, I sure don't want to die, but I doubt I can get away with surrendering this time." his eyes never once left the God. "I can't afford to look uncool when Y/N is watching and praying for me to live. What to do, what to do. I am a man, I want my wife to be proud with me. I gotta show off for her." he bowed to the God. "Please allow me to fight you." Sasaki looked at his opponent who completely disregarded him. "I guess I've got no choice but to go after him."

He lifted his sword up above his head, thinking of all the people who have supported him throughout his life, the people whose skills he assimilated whole-heartedly, those who believed in him and who dedicated their whole lives to getting stronger and teaching others. He couldn't afford to dishonour them. A strong gust of wind surrounded him, and the whole arena, symbolising his imminent strength - He was ready for his first move.

For Sasaki's first strike, he swung his nearly meter-long blade, the drying pole, made by Nagamitsu Bizen, downward from over his head, with all his force behind it - However! At 1,5 times the weight of a normal blade, the drying pole sped downward. The laws of physics would dictate it impossible to stop the move instantaneously; Since it resembles a swallow reversing at 200 kph, the swift strike is known as the famous Tsubame Gaeshi! Though he didn't manage to draw blood, Sasaki cut away at Poseidon's golden locks - The God finally looked his opponent in the eyes.

"Sasaki!"

Musashi remembered that faithful day, April 13th 1612 in Funashima, where he encountered this man and they fought to the death - That time when he used the very move on him, slicing at his face at lightning speed, from his opponent's blind spot - A slashing swing impossible to defend against or dodge! "That really takes me back, Sasaki." the Master grinned, proud at the man. "Listen, God of the Seas - I don't care if you're a God, but if you think you can face the man who achieved the level of Number One Under the Sun without defending yourself - You are mistaken!" not only Musashi and Y/N, but all the sword masters around them chanted together in pure support and confidence in the man known as Sasaki Kojiro.

Without as much as breaking a sweat, Poseidon stepped forward, unleashing his trident thrust barrage move, named after his wife, Amphitrite - One thing he and his elder brother, Hades, shared was their love for their wives and the way of honouring them through that which they did best - Fight. Hades was the only God Poseidon could stand; Or, rather said, like.

In the face of Poseidon's raging assault of strikes, Kojiro weaves and dodges, avoiding every one of them. He had already experienced each and every one of these hits - How many times has he already fought Poseidon before even stepping forward to attack his physically? Not even he knew. Countless times.

Finally, mankind was cheering for him.

A whistling tune came from Poseidon, surprising the whole arena into remaining quiet as he took a stance, lunging forwards, faster than Sasaki predicted - Much, much faster. So fast that he got sliched in the side with that damn trident.

"JIRO!" Y/N found herself shouting, her body pushing forward into the stands. "Damn that stupid God." she sneered, hearing Musashi's incredulous gasp behind her. "GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!" she continued to yell, watching her husband fall to his knees, spitting quite the amount of blood. Was that injury more than a nick of his flesh, then? Damn, that's not good at all. "What's wrong?" it was the first time this God had spoken to a human. "I thought you were able to read your opponent's moves. You loser!" Poseidon's wicked grin, full of disgust, was addressed to the warrior. "I'LL RIP HIM TO SHREDS!" it took Musashi, his child, and a few other men to hold the angry woman from running into the arena to defend her husband. Though none of the others knew of them during their time together, Musashi was there, and Musashi killed Sasaki. It was only him who saw her desperation and heart break, all caused by the deep love they had for one another. That woman's rage could drive her to fighting a God for Kojiro, even without a Divine Treasure weapon.

Sasaki grinned, in spite of his pained body, yet he bore through all it, and he stood up, gripping tightly onto his sword. All the Gods were cheering for him - Only for Poseidon to glare at them with such intensity and darkness, that they were all reduced to a deep silent. "Lowlifes."

Sasaki was deeply surprised when he heard the God's radical stance of the others of his kin and the idea of friends - What a pathetic existence, he declared, angering Poseidon so much that he sprung up with a rain of trident strikes from above - Chione Tyro Demeter was a force to be reckoned with, but Sasaki's Senju Musou was far too advanced to fall for this - His sword has surpassed the limits of humanity and approached the level of godhood.

However, his opponent was as much of a beast as he was, reading him and dodging his attack, striking from his blind spot, continuing yet again with a rain of strikes. No matter how close Sasaki gets, Poseidon feels one step ahead.

No. Sasaki will persevere. He can do it. Ganryu Hiyo Torakiri - And his blade was shattered. "Don't push your luck. Maggot."

"Th-That can happen even with divine weapons?!" Y/n gulped, seeing the petrified expression on her husband's face. "How can he win without his Divine Treasure? Man-made weapons can't harm Gods!" Y/N was outright freaking out.

"I... Surrender." came Sasaki's soft voice. "Or so I wish I could say that now." he rose the broken sword to his eye level, smiling. "But this time, that won't do. Not like back then." in the reflection of his blade, he could see his beautiful wife whom he worried to hell and back, and the powerful Musashi right behind her. "My wife is watching me - I cannot disappoint her a second time."

It was the same back then also - He had every right to surrender, being at an evident disadvantage and needing so much more to learn to defeat Master Miyamoto - But he couldn't find it in himself to surrender - If he did, he'd never forgive himself. He was having so much fun fighting this man, as he's never felt before with any other Sword Master! Ahh, but he made his poor Y/N cry - He makes his wife cry, yet he calls himself a man. Just a bit of a jerk. Surely, she will forgive him though - This fight made him the happiest man in the world. If he quit now, he would regret it for the rest of his life - And he said it with such a bright smile on his face! Wasn't he ashamed of himself at all? What a child.

Still, Musashi gladly took him head on for the few minutes that it lasted, a time of true contentment for the both of them - One man loved the sword and was taught by all of creation, whilst the other lived a proudly independent life in pursuit of becoming the Number One Under the Sun.

Sasaki carried himself to pick up the discarded piece of the sword. "Hey, Mr. God of the Seas - Have you ever practiced your swing all night long, until the break of dawn? Have you ever wept tears of gratitude to a foe who made you stronger? Have you ever felt a fervent love for a foe you dueled to the death? Ahh, nevermind, sorry I asked." his bloodied hand held tightly on the blade. "I know there's no way you ever have!" he grinned widely, mocking the God for his ignorance. He continued explaining that him, and the sword, all of his fighting prowess are the combined passion of all the fools against whom he dueled - An emotionless man like Poseidon who didn't understand the excitement of fighting could never defeat him.

Through his passion and love, combined with the trembling soul of the Valkyrie Hrist, Sasaki's two broken sword pieces transformed into the different swords, adopting the duel-wielding style of the great Msuashi-dono; Niten-Ganryu, Sasaki Kojiro. Whether it was through his deep love for his wife, or the way he valued everything that she taught him, the smaller sword forged from the broken piece became an exact replica of her own - No, it wasn't a replica. It was Y/N's heirloom katana. She was fighting with him. Her soul was there to guide and empower him. He truly was the luckiest fool.

"Loser" Poseidon insulted him once again, before the two went on to battle again; This time, none of the Amphitrite strikes landed. For a second there, Musashi's child saw not Sasaki, but his own father - Kojiro not only managed to mimic and learn all of Musashi's school, but even surpassed him. He gained the small sword technique of Toda-ryu, and the flowing footwork of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, the destructive power of Itto-ryu, the infinite variety of strokes of master swordsman Nobutsuna Ise-no-kami Kamiizumi, Musashi's Niten Ichi-ryu and he even acquired Y/N's harmony with nature and foresight. Sasaki managed to slice the God's face with the aid of all the people that supported him for the past four centuries.

Sasaki Kojiro isn't mimicking or imitating any of them. They all dwell within his soul. He is the compilation of all the swordsmen; After the ultimate in training, he has reached the pinnacle at last!

All of humanity was cheering and chanting Sasaki's name, calling him the God Slayer. Poseidon, once again, began whistling his tune, watching the blood he shed, painting his palm. He smirked impishly, slicking his gold hair back with his own blood. "You claim to be able to read my every move? Such arrogance." the God's muscles bulged and he sprung forward with such speed that it was barely visible, managing not only to strike Kojiro's shoulder, but graze his temple also. With his speed, the Senju Musou wasn't as effective anymore - Though he can see his attacks, they are so fast he can't avoid them.

More and more strikes, at such an abnormal speed, kept rushing him down - He felt as though he was drowning in bottomless ocean of despair and hopelessness - How can he defeat such a monster? It went beyond humane capabilities... Yet, as he was succumbing farther down into the sea, his eyes snapped open, feeling the gentle caress of his face. He saw Y/N, smiling at him. All around him, the people whom he battled grasped at his body, stopping him from succumbing any further, like a heavy rock.

"KOJIRO!"

Sasaki looked back, seeing all the swordsmen there, chanting his name, repeating the basic sword move as an homage to him, encouraging him to continue with his duel. He can't sink now, people depended on him. His wife depended on him. He can't look like a fool no more, he can't worry Y/N any further than he already did. He died once, from his own whims and wish to have fun - He was a man and a child at the same time - But not now. Not anymore.

"I WANT TO WIN TOO!" he yelled at his opponent, parrying his strike. That was the moment that the tip of mankind's sword reached the very bottom of the depths of the deep, dark ocean. He reads all of creation, not just the moves of his foe, but also the flutters of the air and the vibrations in the earth. Every element of the cosmos told Kojiro what the God would do. Manju Musou! Not even the lightning-fast strikes of Poseidon could graze him anymore. How many millions of moves ahead can he predict?

At last - He made it this far, standing right in front of the God of the Seas. "SASAKI!" Musashi and Y/N yelled at him from the stands. Swordsmen have always staked their lives on their forged hunks of durable steel; All these men have shaped the history of the sword - Niten Ganryu Ougi - Soen Zanko Banjin Ryoban.

Poseidon's trident arm was slashed right off, flying away. Though the God didn't seem to flinch, and easily grabbed the trident with his other hand, that, too, was cut clean off. With no more arms to fight and the weapon flying away, the God held the trident in his mouth - Sasaki double slashed his torso in a wide X. "You... You loser..." were Poseidon's last words, as his whole body crumbled in bits of flesh and viscera, on the bloody arena.

All of humanity was screeching in glee that they won, whilst the Gods remained deeply silent, flabbergast that a human actually managed to kill not just a God, but the Zeus of the Seas, King Poseidon himself. "Pfew, I actually won. This feels pretty darn nice." Y/N was squealing in joy, tears of happiness overwhelming her as she pushed everyone out of her way so that she can find a way towards the arena. That fool was injured enough, he needed medical treatment - And a lot of pampering. Lord knows, that idiot missed her pampering him. The winner of the third round is - SASAKI KOJIRO OF MANKIND!

Poseidon's body shattered into small shards of glowing green, scattering into the air, whilst Sasaki looked up at the beautiful clouds embellishing the azure heavens, feeling fulfilled with the greatest win he could ever dream of achieving. Even he was shocked he managed to win, against a God, of all things. He turned around, bowing in appreciation and gratefulness at the humanity that helped him. "Whoa, what a racket. Well, this was my first victory - I guess I'll bask in the glory a little while longer." he grinned widely, hearing his name being sung like that with laurels and praises.

A bridge formed from the ring to the corridor leading inside the arena - He was certainly glad he needn't row a boat again. This surely tired him to hell. Sasaki could only see the faint silhouette of a running woman - Ah, that must be Y/N, he made her worry again even though he won. What an unreliable man he is. In spite of all that, he still smiled happily. "Jiro!" his body failed him, strength depleting as he collapsed. Before he could hit the ground, Y/N slid swiftly, catching him; Hrist also, transformed back into her humanoid self, worrying over him. "You are always going to make me worry, aren't you, you big baby?" Y/N chuckled softly, holding him in her arms. "Last time I held you like this, you died. Let's not have a repeat of that. We're going to the medical wing." "Awww, that brings back memories of our first meeting. Isn't that nostalgic?" he giggled weakly. "Won't you tend to me again?" "Silly man." perhaps it was the strength of the soul, or some godly power she possessed in the after life, but Y/N picked her husband up once again, as though he was the bride, and followed Hrist to the medical wing. "I'm blushing." he grinned shamelessly. "I can see that."

The fantastic medics were able to heal him for the most part, and even sewed the hole in his gut, though he insisted that Y/N takes care of him. Jerk. He always liked giving her so much trouble. Just as when they first met, she had her hand delicately over his cheek, feeling his temperature, whilst the other hand held his wrist, her thumb feeling for his pulse. How reminiscing of the past.

"I'm glad that you were happy. Silly man." as soon as everyone else left the room, she spoke to him. "Happy, and selfish also." he chuckled weakly. "You weren't happy, were you?" "Nope." she smirked lightly. "My reason for smiling died in my arms, in case you've forgotten. You do tend to be rather forgetful." "Aw, man, don't call me out like that." he whined playfully, relishing in her gorgeous smile. "What have you been up to?" "After you oh so selfishly left me all alone in the world..." she purposely teased him. "I wandered around aimlessly, until I found a pretty fine village. Took on some jobs here and there, and this dumb guy took a liking to me, for whatever reason. Maybe because I threatened to kill him every time he crossed my path." she hummed in amusement. "Funny enough, his mother was desperate to marry his good for nothing son to someone who won't throw the whole legacy down the drain, so she begged me to marry him. I shamelessly married rich without as much as bothering to even stay around that poor bastard." she laughed, leaning into his touch. "He died young from a disease anyway, and I and his mother remained the women of the house until our death. It was kinda fun actually. Had a bunch of girls around and we taught each other random things, gossiped a lot also. I died sooooo old and wrinkly - I was even uglier than you are now!" she continued making fun of him. "I bought myself all the prettiest things you said you wanted to gift me, and I just pretended they were from you." "You haven't smiled since that day, did you?" she shook her head. "No. But I am smiling now, aren't I? I lived a comfortable life until my death, and now, in the after life, I am reunited with the love of my life and I can smile again. Not only that, but I got to watch the greatest loser humanity ever had actually win so gloriously against a God. Now that - That was fucking awesome." Sasaki's beautiful dark eyes widened in shock, and his cheeks flushed as innocently as when he was a young lad. "You cursed! You never curse!" "Oh, shut up, you big baby." in a single mischievous move, Y/N pulled him into a deep kiss. "Ohh, so bold! My beautiful wifey became so bold!" he giggled like a child getting a new toy. Without the least bit of care for his well-being, Kojiro pulled Y/N on the bed next to him, his arms wrapped tightly around her, playfully peppering her face with tons and tons of kisses. "You have no idea how much I missed you." "Likewise." she stopped his kisses by cupping his face dearly. In front of him, Kojiro saw the most beautiful woman in the world, wearing the most loving and tender smile that he's ever witnessed before. "I can't stop looking at you. You're just so beautiful and I love you so much." her voice vibrated softly, tears prickling at her eyes, escaping down her face. "I wish I could have seen you like this when we were still alive. I wish we had more time together. Life was so bleak and lonely without you. I just hoped I'd die faster in hopes that I'd be seeing you again somehow." the beautiful blush on his tanned, scarred face, and all those gentle features of his, roughened up by the battles he fought in; His long hair, such a beautiful shade of silver, and all those wrinkles everywhere on his body - Everything about him was old - Everything, but his eyes. His eyes, such a beautiful brown, so warm, so welcoming, so happy... Those eyes of his were sparkling with love and vitality the same as when he was alive and young. "I just love you so much, Jiro."

His heart was throbbing with overwhelming emotions, all of them powerful and positive. He couldn't take his eyes away from his soulmate, the only person who could ever stir such a strong reaction out of him. His lips trembled into a smile, and he embraced his darling in his arms; Gently, with one arm keeping her body flushed against his own, and the other hand stroking her hair. In life and in death, they were connected. "Just seeing my sweet wifey is the only reason an old geezer like me needs to keep smiling." and for the first time, Y/N heard her husband singing; the very same song which she sung to him upon his dying breath, as he lay resting in her arms. This time, the bittersweet song would serve as a clear bond between them, instead of a farewell into the afterlife. This time, Y/N was comfortably laying on his chest, cuddled into his arms, allowing her whole being to rest and achieved the much needed peace of mind, in the presence of her most beloved person, his old voice humming the tune which had rung into his head every night, in the after life, as she watched the Sun go down, and began counting the stars, wondering whether they were looking at the same thing, from the other side of the life barrier.

Just sleep in my tender arms, Don't worry about any harms, All because I'm right here, with you.

One day, you'll become so strong, And someday, I might not see you, Will you come by and say hello?