#seeing all those dead crows on the way to fight the dragon really hurt him

[evtoine]

sad looks so good on him...

[arllenn]

Staring down at Ruri- no Chime is his name, before you, you can help but feel tired. None of this is making any sense it’s all too much at once.

Bonderev, one of the dickheads behind what happened at black swan bay, had apparently been alive and living well enough to the point where he could give lessons on morality in his final moments. Imagine that! HIM a man who BLEW UP an ORPHANAGE and who had personally shot you and Renata, what he persumed to be, dead! And he had the nerve to ask you to, no- TELL you to protect his son, to not let his actions get in the way of YOU PROTECTING his SON! You’re so frustrated to the point where you’re not sure if you want to burst out into maniacal laughter, break down and cry or just destroy everything in your sight the same way that dickhead had done to you and your family all those years ago.

He had gotten everything and more. A family, a happy life, power and he was freed from all the consequences of his actions. So what about you what did you get? A permanent fear of trusting anyone because “hey I’ve already been used as a genetic experiment by the man I considered a father who then proceeded to blow me, everyone and everything I’ve ever loved to kingdom come! But sure thing nice stranger who I just met let’s be besties!” Makes so much sense. Oh, oh! What about stealing years away from your life! 20 to be exact, man you could’ve been married, had a family, gone to the capital and achieved everything you had wanted to! But no instead what you’re doing is standing here, the same 18 year old who couldn’t do anything to save your friends, your family, as you watched them die in front of you. You’re the person who even in her last moments Renata had to look after and protect. And wow doesn’t that smart, doesn’t it hurt to look down at Chime to see how weak he is, with a voice that trembles and eyes that seem one glare away from overflowing with tears, doesn’t it hurt to look at him and see the worst parts of yourself reflected back at you? The parts you wanted to bury so deep down inside that they’d be forgotten by even you. But here they are, loud and angry and demanding your attention.

Your throat closes in on itself, the hand on your hip tightens. It’s a painful squeeze that’s only purpose is to remind you that, no you can’t cry here, you can’t let anyone see you like that, you cant let yourself be like that, not here. Not in front of people who you should know, who you should trust but who you don't You've spent more time running around for them then with them. It's mean and the ugly cloying feeling that rises up from your chest makes you look back at your relationship with 'your' uperclassmen. Were you even close enough to be called comrades? friends? Most of the time it felt like you were just there. A living phone running to deliver messages from one of them to another. Running errands, throwing yourself into danger or just escaping death for what? People who, people who you- people who you... what even are they to you? Right now your upperclassmen feel miles away from you, both emotionally and physically.

Your nails were starting to dig into your skin in a way that was more then painful. You could feel the moment the skin on both your hip and the palm of your other hand broke. Pulling your lip in between your teeth you try and tune back into the conversation waiting for the right words, for your upperclassmen to throw another request at you so that you can leave, preferably go outside and beat the shit out of one of the trash cans out back before running off into danger once again to fulfill their orders like you always did. And wow, isn’t that something... even now, even now, you’re still just blindly following people’s orders, never asking questions, never saying no. What... what is wrong with you? Hadn’t you learned your lesson already? Hadn't you learned after Herzog that you don't, you can't, just do that. Last time you did that you grabbed onto a rotten rope, a horribly, disgustingly, rotten rope.

"Promsing to protect somebody so recklessly is a foolish thing... nevertheless... thank you." Chime's retelling of his life comes to an end at a convient time. It's perfect really, and so you take that moment, the lull after his thanks, to leave.

You walk out into the lobby of Takamagahara the slow calming jazz music a horrible contrast to the thoughts and feelings that are swirling inside you right now. You make it two-thirds of the way to the bar when you're met with an extremely unpleasnt sight that has you cringing for more reasons then one.

Crow and Yasha are sitting the bar, resting most of their belegirantlty drunk weight on the actual contertop instead of on their chairs. They're demanding extra achoul, Crow shouting about how he can't take something anymore who knows what. And yikes heres a thought, Chime Gen is in the VIP room right behind them, those two who, even if they are drunk out of their minds, are Chisei's aides. They find Chime or even gain the smallest inkling of an idea that he may be here and you'll have more to worry about then cleaning up the counters from their drunk cry fest. Normally you'd step in here, and take over for Quinton the poor bartender on duty who always seemed to get the worst of the costumers but you really aren't feeling up to it today.

Just as you're about to turn around to give the trashcans outside the beatings of their lives Crow says something that you can't help but stop at. "You know I like Sakura don't you?" It was a question directed at Yasha who was only able to groan out what he thought was a response. You debate staying for a second. This isn't something that you particularly care about, nor is it something that really concerns you. But it just, you just want to know a little bit more about what Sakura was like before she became another one of Herzog's victims. Its with that flimsy excuse and the puppy dog look that Quinton gives you once he notices you're there that has you stepping closer, leaning against one of the pillars that trap the bar in its own seprate space.

As Crow continues to slur his feelings out Yasha seems to sober up a bit, it's not by much but its to the point where you're no longer worried about him getting into a bar fight, more just what taxi service to call for him when he inevetably passes out and where to send him afterwards.

Yasha leans over the bar apparently ready to give Crow some type of advice when the following happens. 1) he trips and stumbles over his words "Don't.. Don't worry. We are brothers. I... will never... mock you." sweet right? It would've been if not for 2) The fact that he lurches over its a face you recgonize all too well.

"Quinton get out of the-" 3) Yasha hurls all over Quinton, your words left to hang just as Yasha's icky face goop is left to hang off of Quinton. And now you're royally pissed. Sure you were pissed before but this is the type of rage that can only be quelled by you being left alone to stew in it. Its not the emotional type of rage that you felt earlier when you wanted to smash every glass surface you came across no this is the cold type of rage that leaves nothing but apathy in its wake. because as much as you've been trying to ignore it theres so much more that you had been trying to ignore, so much more that had been pushed to the wayside that you're angry about. You look up at Quinton whose looking at you like a lost kid in a mall that had mistaken you for their mother. Running a rand through your hair you harshly scratch at your scalp. "Quinton," you let out a frustrated sigh, "Take the rest of the night off, you'll be paid regularly and you can take extra pay if you wake up sick tommorrow." You turn to him and start to walk behind the counter switching places with him.

“Right thanks a bunch, manager." He rushes out. Turing towards the staff area most likely to change into his extra uniform instead of going home covered in puke. Staring down at Yasha's mess which was covering most of his area of the counter as well as the floor under his chair your annoyance hit an all new peak. It's not the chunky kind of throw up that can be easily cleaned up, its a mush that resembles watery baby food. It's obvious that this wont be a quick clean and that both mops and floor wipes are just going to push this stuff around instead of soaking it up.

Today just can't get any worse can it? Pushing your hand back into your head you aggitatedly rubbed at your scalp, pushing and pulling at the skin there. You’re pissed off. To come back after fighting against Herzog, let’s not forget HERZOG WAS THERE TOO! HE WAS THERE, HE WAS THERE LIVING AND BREATHING, AFTER ALL THAT HE HAD DONE, HE HAD THE NERVE TO GET UP ON THE PEDESTAL THAT HE HAD CONSTRUCTED, DESIGNED AND BUILT HIMSELF THROUGH EXPLOITING THE INNOCENT TO TEST HIS FREAKY DRAGON DRUGS ON, HE HAD THE NERVE TO TALK DOWN TO YOU! ACT LIKE YOU WERE STUPID OR SOME KIND OF PREDETERMINED FAILURE! You get back from that battle exhausted , emotionally drained, and wanting to destroy yourself to find Finger leisurly drinking with Humpback! After you thought that he died you thought that you had lost another person, only for him to be there and fine. It was reliving yes, but just fucking horrible at the same time. So when you stare down at that mess and the first thing you see when you look up is the VIP room that the others are in you felt like you were justified in deciding that you would be acting on your tiredness and handing off this task to one of your upperclassmen like they do to you so often.

Actually you retract your earlier statement today can in fact get worst. Crow and Yasha have apparently had enough to drink both uncoordinatedly slamming down the money to pay for their drinks, you really don't care wether or not is correct you just want them gone, they BOTH step into Yasha's puke tracking it out the door with them. Yeah, no- you're not cleaning that up nope, nu uh, never. You blow out a heated breath and start to walk towards the VIP room careful to avoid all of the face mush on the floor. Pulling on the curtains that served as the door to enter you called out to the occupants.

"Right, sorry to ruin the fun but I just had two costumers who puked and tracked the throw-up everywhere so I need one of you to go out and clean it up preferably like," You looked down at your wrist as though you wore a watch. Truthfully it was just to hide the annoyed look on your face, "right now please." You glanced up at them Before clarifying "Chime I'm not asking you to clean it up, just focus on resting." Because as much as you wanted someone to clean that nonsense up right away you were also specially tuned into just how draining it could be to meet Herzog like that. "Cool thanks guys!" You clapped your hands together and prepared to leave the room when Luminous started complaining.

"Aw, come on no way newbie, I don't wanna clean something like that up!" He put his hand to the back of his head, a tick you had noticed he did when he was complaining, nervous or worried, "Come on can't you do it? You were already out there.." And there it was normally you would excuse that tone as just being something that made Luminous, well Luminous but today the whiny tone was grating on your ears and you were two steps away from man handling him like you used to with Anton when he was being uncooperative. The thought of him hurts. Witnessing his final moments, being there when they happened, it was both the same and different then the others. Sure you had watched all the others die but Anton's had always stuck with you in a way that was far too painful for someone who you really didn't like. And now the urge to cry was back, you felt your eyes burn with unshed tears that were a culmination of too many of your emotions to name.

Caesar brought a hand to rest on his chin tapping away at it, before he even got the chance to talk your anger had already started to peak "Luminous is right newbie, theres no reason for us to do it, you were already out there and knew the areas that needed to be cleaned. This just seems like a waste of both yours and our time." Yeah, yeah, you seriously contemplated grabbing Caesar by his ponytail and using him as a mop for a second.

"You just cleaning it up would've been more efficient." Johann unhelpfully chimed in. Yeah, maybe you would use Caesar as the mop and Johann as the counter rag.

"Yeah freshie! Everyone knows that newbies do all the grunt work, you can't expect us to do it can you?" Fingers nasally voice made you want to throttle him the more he continued to talk. Sure he may have meant it as a joke but you really weren't at the point of caring. In fact you couldn't care less about anything right now. The anger that had just been building had condensed into a vengeful apathy that demanded the souls of those around you.

Once again Caesar spoke this time however you decided to cut him off. "That's right newbie, using my authority as team leader I order you to-"

"Damn I kinda don't care," You said scratching at the back of your head in an obviously exaggerated way. "Yeah actually..." you started mimicking Caesar's earlier stance, "If you're invoking your team leader rights then I'm invoking my manager rights."

"Hey wait-" Luminous tried to interject.

"Yeah as your manager I order you all to have that throw-up cleaned within the next half an hour." A bit long of a time slot, sure, but really who cares as long as it gets done.

"No way newbie team leaders out rank managers, which means my order still stands." Caesar's stubbornness in this situation could be something to praise if not for the fact that a) you don't care and b) you're two steps away from bringing your thoughts of using him as a mop to fruition.

"Team leaders outrank managers when we're out on the field sure, but right now we're in Takamagahara not battling death servitors, which means your team leader status is moot." You made a slicing motion over your neck. "You may be the leader appointed by the college but right now that means nothing, were not fighting and this isn't reconnaissance, we're working."

"That doesn't change the fact that Caesar is team leader freshman." You can always count on Johann to speak up for what he believes in. Too bad you're not here to praise your upperclassmen but instead get them to work.

"Cool! And I'm still the manager. Right now you all are technically on the clock at Takamagahara which means what I say goes. Caesar may be the team leader and you may be my upperclassmen but that doesn't change the fact that right here right now what I say takes precedence in all matters that aren't dragon related because I'm the ma.ne.ger. " You smile your best costumer service smile and speak in the same tone that you do with costumers when you say this. Then you turn on your heel and walk out calling out behind you that "I expect to not wake up to puke covered floors in the morning! I'm going to bed good night."

And well if Finger chose not to comment on your behavior because he watched you break down in the elevator through the security cameras then that will remain with him. And if Caesar and Johann chose not to speak on it because they heard you sobbing from outside your room that night then thats something that stays between them. And if Luminous caught a glimpse of the empty look in your eyes that night when you left your room for water then he definitely held that as a close secret to his heart. Choosing not to comment on it. And if you noticed that your seniors were just a bit more gentle with you or asked for your input before sending you off on recon missions when they didn't before then you don't comment on it.

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

i'd rather spoil all my friends with my riches

Fandom: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Characters: Luka Millfy, Ahim de Famille, Don "Doc" Dogoier, Joe Gibken, Ikari Gai, Captain Marvelous

Song: "7 rings," Ariana Grande (playlist here)

Ahim comes to breakfast wearing amber drops dangling from her ears. There’s a pendant, too, glowing against her skin in an exact match to the honey that she’s drizzling onto her waffle. The other four at the table watch it gleam for a moment, mesmerized, before Gai gathers himself enough to say, “That’s a really pretty necklace, Ahim, you don’t normally wear yellow stones. It looks good on you.”

She smiles warmly at him. “Thank you, Gai. Luka gave the set to me as a gift, wasn’t that sweet of her?”

Marvelous blinks. “Luka never gives me jewelry. She hoards the stuff like an Arcturan Mega-Dragon.”

“Well, perhaps she just hasn’t found the right piece for you yet.” Still smiling, she reaches up and carefully adjusts the little hoop in her ear. “Give it time.”

“She gave me earrings.” Gai fidgets with one of his own hoops. “Nothing in her colors, though, that’s interesting.”

Midway through breakfast Luka emerges from Ahim’s cabin, yawning, and piles her plate high with waffles. The others shift a bit to make room, and she sits down next to Ahim and immediately leans over and kisses her behind the ear. “Those look nice on you.”

Ahim blushes and wiggles a bit, looking faintly pleased, which is the closest she generally gets to an open expression of vanity. “Thank you, Luka dear, I like them very much.”

---

One week later, Doc’s folding clothes in the laundry room and looks up in surprise to see Luka leaning in the doorway. “Hi, Luka, did you need something?”

She takes a step forward.

Startled, he takes a step back.

She takes another step forward.

He steps back and runs into the washing machine. It’s not a large room. “Can. Can I help you with something?”

She squints at him for a moment and then says, “Hold still,” and reaches for the collar of his shirt.

He braces himself for something, anything, whatever it is she’s planning to do, and then looks down in confusion as she unclips the chain from the collar of his shirt and tucks it into his breast pocket. Puzzled, he opens his mouth to speak, but she puts a finger on his lips and then reaches into her own jacket, pulling out…another chain, which she attaches to his shirt in the place of the one he usually wears. The pins at the ends are set with cabochons of tiger’s-eye, gleaming golden and brown. They look very nice against the print, actually. “I, uh. This is really nice, thank you. What’s the. Um. Is there an occasion?”

Luka shrugs. “I had it. Thought it’d look good on you.”

“Well, I—I really like it, thank you.”

She nods firmly. “I like it on you too.” Another moment of inspection, and then she leans forward to kiss him on the corner of his mouth before turning and leaving as abruptly as she came.

Blushing, Doc starts raising a hand to the spot she kissed but doesn’t quite get that far, distracted by the desire to rub his thumb over the smooth surface of one of the tiger’s-eyes. “What was that for…?”

---

Three days after that, Joe leans on the crow’s nest railing next to Luka and says, pleasantly, “Counting stars?”

“You know it.” She glances at him. “Here, gimme your hand.”

He blinks and holds out a hand. “Ok?”

“Hm.” She takes his hand in both of his and frowns down at it. “Damn, you’ve got big fingers.”

One eyebrow goes up. “So you’ve said before.”

Luka flushes red. “Shut up.” Another moment of inspection, and then she reaches into her back pocket, pulls out a ring, and slides it onto his pinky, where it fits very nicely.

Joe holds up his hand in the dimming light to inspect it—a wide gold band, with three glittering yellow diamonds set into it. His other eyebrow goes up. “This is beautiful, thank you. So, I saw Doc’s new lapel chain. Are you just feeling generous lately, or is this more of a possessiveness thing?”

She elbows him gently before settling back into her spot on the railing to look at the stars again. “It’s a me thing. Take that however you like.”

---

Four days later, “Hey, Gai, you want another ear piercing?”

Gai says, “Sure, please,” before he’s even looked up from the book he’s reading. “Wait. Why?”

Luka holds up a broad gold hoop with a gleaming topaz embedded in it. “I think this’d look good on you. Up here.” She reaches out and taps the upper edge of his right ear, gently. “Very piratical.”

“Oh, definitely. You don’t usually pick out gold pieces for me, though. Something you wanna talk about?”

She scowls. “Why do people keep asking me that?”

Gai shrugs. “Well, you’ve been…I mean, not touchy-feely or anything, but. You don’t normally do so many presents.”

More scowling. “Shut up, I can be affectionate when I want to be. Now come sit down over here so I can get this on you.”

He puts his book aside and comes over to the table, grinning. “I love you too, Luka.”

She sticks out her tongue at him. “Just sit down.”

---

The next day, after lunch, Marvelous says, “Hey, Luka, come spar with me.”

She blinks. “I was about to say the same thing to you, you better not be getting psychic powers or something.”

He winks, and she makes a face at him, and they head down to the practice room, stopping along the way to grab their swords.

The problem with sparring with Marvelous is, he’s bigger than Luka, and more than that, he’s heavier than she is. She’s quick, though, to make up for being smaller and lighter, and so for a few minutes it’s a decently even match, ranging all over the practice room floor. It’s tempting to transform and throw even more into it, and she can tell that he’s considering it as much as she is, but they both hold off. There’s something special about a real face-to-face fight.

Then, though, she decides to change it up. Marvelous charges her, and she tosses her sword off to the side and dodges, leaping onto his back and sending him crashing to the floor. As he swears and tries to flip them over, she grabs his right arm and twists it around behind his back, firmly but not with such force that she might do damage. Her knees on his back also hold his arm in place, and as his cursing gets even more sulfurous, she reaches into her jacket pocket, pulls out the thing she’s been hiding all day, and claps it around his wrist.

Marvelous goes dead still. “Did you handcuff me?”

“No, dumbass, take a look.” She lets go of him and gets off his back.

Grumbling, he rolls over and sits up, rubbing his shoulder. “That hurt, by the way, who’ve you been practicing wrestling with—ok, wow,did you have this made?”

The bangle is wide and heavy and gleams gold, sitting comfortably above his weighted wrist-band. As she watches, he holds his wrist up to inspect it more closely, running his fingers along the row of sapphires set into it—white with a silver impurity, pink, green, yellow, blue, and at the end a ruby the glowing, rich red of blood. When he looks up at her, shocked, she just shrugged. “I have a lot of loose stones lying around, I have to do something with them.”

He grins, very slowly. “Someday I’m going to get you to admit that you’re a romantic.”

She wrinkles her nose. “You wish.”

[mariaantonnietta]

Okay, the promised is debt.let"s talk about Gintaka moments!!!

I said a long time ago I was gonna do a compilation of Gintaka/Takagin moments. And I will deliver right now! (op skimmed the jp twitter and is excited/can’t wait to see the movie )

Ok, no, this will be mostly my disorganized headcanons, moments where I can see the ship with my shipper googles on, some paralels? Haha, honestly just to show the ship some love!!!

It’s also my perspective on why I love this ship!!

Of course, I'm going to talk about all the series and go back and fort, so there’s going to be spoilers all around, so if you have not seen the manga end, best skip it.

The rest is under the cut, let’s go!!!!!

So, I started shipping  Gintaka/Takagin  after the Shougun Assasination arc, best  strangled friends story I have ever seen.  I like a lot of Gintoki ships, but it became my favourite really fast. Then, looking back, I noticed these haha:

the first meeting in the show (ep 17). I know it was threatening, but watching it again the fireworks exploded over their heads as they met.Isn’t that�� a romantic troupe? (and also in this scene makes Takasugi face scarier, haha). And also how Gintoki stopped Takasugi blade, so obvious for point one that they knew each other.(the interactions here are so painful in retrospective 'When his father saw his son's head, imagine the rage he felt?😭')

(and then there’s also , in the extra episode where the yoroyuza go to China, they help a poor dude with his first date with a girl, and Gintoki comments how the first date  should have fireworks, haha, at the time there were some images on pixiv of child Gintoki and child Takasugi seeing the fireworks together, it was so lovely, good headcanon!)

There's the Senbonsakura arc, and Takasugi appearing at the reunion scene looking at the moon, woah (there's also them crossing paths, but that's more dramatic of the ideologies maybe, still this a shipping post so ' them crossing paths there, the athmosphere of fated (rivals) people!!!')

( ‘They both had sad eyes’)

I like how even as they are different their core is the same, even if not these character are so raw together in their feelings

Let's talk about the movies for a moment: in the movie version of the Benizakura arc, Gintoki dreams with Takasugi, and IDK, but for how haunting it is, it also feels intimate, and that makes it hurt most.

About the second movie when we saw it we didn't know what the hell happened to Takasugi, but looking back he's dead by that time....maybe. (why didn't you give us a clear answer at the end sorachi).Okay but for practical purposes of what the cast knows he's dead (maybe...ahhh let's says it's like that) and well, haha, gintoki of the future dying looking at the sunset haha don't think of him daydreaming things.(When I saw the movie I had the impression that takasugi was dead, for both katsura clothes that are not called as a joke, and future gintoki 'the only one that can kill me is me', if takasugi was alive, he wouldn't let gintoki claim that so hypotrically, that's what I believed.)

There's the mini arc of the underseas dragon palace, (I remembered this one because of takasugi 'monster' form) I'm just gonna said that even if I read too much into ot there are some interesting paralels maaaaaybe, this one is a strech.

Talking about far fetched things, you people remember the Love Chorris arc? The one with the virtual girlfriends game? I think I am not the first person to point this out, but if you analyze Gintoki girl:

Gintoki selects her and (accidentally)kills her son.After that, she is bend of killing him in return in revenge. With his son corpse at her back to haunt him too.

She later confesses to him that she knew he wasn't at fault for her sons death, and that she focused on blaming him to be able to handle the pain, that she's grateful of Gintoki for understanding this.

The spirit of her son aproves their relashionship.

Now tell me this doesn't remain you of someone in particular and his relashionship with gintoki. And this is gintoki mind perspective and hopes, and fears.

(Well it probably isn't that deep, its the chorris arc, but still)

The way you can see Sakamoto’ jokes as a friend teasing because he knows they like each other. The fight when they to a red district gaining another lining.

The rajuko arc, when they exchanged blades to save the other newfound friends/family. The fucking red string of blood that they form together.

In the manga there was the famous saying attributted to takasugi historical counterpart :

'I want to kill all crows in the three thousand world, and sleep in with my heart's master'

This if I remember correctly because crows caw mark the morning, and in a brothel you have to leave.

So the meaning is ' I want to kill all crows in three thousand worlds(so that morning never comes) and sleep/stay in (forever) with my heart' master'

(Of course this could refer to shouyo, but it could be about gintoki, they go directly to meet the other)

It's a famous saying used in songs, I believe.

The part when he doesn’t want to see more rain, its of course because seeing gintoki's crying was imprinted in his mind for so long and influenced how he thinks. He is so important to him!!

And of course the final arc, where they are more open to each other,(the strangled friends are so happy to be together again) both Takasugi who finally let go of that 'burn the world down' and of Gintoki that walks besides him. The way Gintoki looks at Takasugi with a soft expression on his eyes. Matako ' I have never seen before Shinsuke sama with those eyes, I couldn't stop them'

The Glorious Days ending, that's when one (me) realises, 'oh ... this two care about each other and want to save the other' and while it isnt surprising for Gin, it was for Takasugi at the time.Rewatch the openings and endings in general, and see Takasugi place in them. IDK, he is usually the last alone waiting under the moon. And it gets me...cant really explain that.

The radio call, how we couldn’t see gintoki's initial reaction as Takasugi talked to him, gintoki even pretending not knowing (painfully bad) he didn’t know the other voice.

And of course the myriad moments in the final arc, Gintoki promply saying he is the one he wants to protect, the death sequence 'maybe we were just born under that kind of (tragic) star'

Gintoki teading takasugi that his parents would cry if they see the delincuent he is bringing home 🤣🤣.

Fuck, in the spin off Takasugi as a student novel, when he and Gintoki meet they can't keep the skit up, they talk directly to each other.

Also about the special episode, there's another...uh this is more of a paralel, and purely a headcanon, but here it goes: the yorozuya meet with kamui while trying to help a woman about her mother setting her up in blind dates, and in one moment she starts mothering both kamui and kagura and they get, well their eyes are animated different in that moment, and then they start listening to her. They were probably remainded of their own mother. And then I realised that I have seen Kamui make those eyes before (I will look for a pic, it's a very distintive shift), when talking to Takasugi. Is in one op too.

Of course the childhood friends dynamic. Regardless of nature, nobdy can deny the deep connection these two have.

(Here's the image from the op, is less obvios in the ep I think...or I'm overthinking, that's more possible)

Here’s Kamui and Kagura’s eyes when tehy get scold by the mother:

(I’m not crazy, they are similar XD Maybe XD)

I remember thinking to myself at the time 'woah, Kamui shows a admiring expression with takasugi somentimes' and now I fully believe is a childlike more like expression because takasugi reminds him of his mother(subconsiously). I can see the resemblance, especially towards the end of the series. As Gintoki and Umibozuo paralel too(both of them act like Kagura's dads) I just....haha parallel things.

There's a hundred things more, I'm sure I'm forgetting some (may add in a reblog after). All their fucking dialogue with each other is so intense. I I just love this ship sooo much

Totally up to talk about this ship if someone wants to!!

[mrneighbourlove]

Band of Pirates: Ch 1. Next Stop, Hyrule

“Captain. We’re coming up to Hyrule now.”

“Aye. That’s good. Our pursuers? They catching up?”

“We’d have to ten minutes into shore before they’d catch us.”

“Ok. Redd. I’ll watch the little ones. You need to go up to the crows’ nest and fire and S.O.S flair towards the shoreline. Hopefully the rich land of Hyrule can give us assistance. Or Captain Corsaire if we were actually right about his location.”

“As you command Captain.” The Gerudo on the small ship scrambled about. They were not about to go extinct here.

~

On the shoreline of Hyrule, fishermen were working hard to become acquainted with the new Lorliedian refugees. This new union of traditional work and magic for wishing was taking some work. Coming around a corner they saw a ship on fire.

“What the-“

A viewers moment was cut short when he saw an emergency flare go off. Quickly, he rushed to find any sailors that could assist.

Corsaire was rather enjoying his new occupation. King Ganondorf and Queen Zelda had presented him with the task of building Hyrule's first navy. He was now the Admiral of the Hylian Navy. It was rather strange to think this was part of the condition of him marrying Orana. First, he had to give up piracy, second, he had to command their navy, and third, he has to present himself as an honorable man to their daughter. Supposedly, he passed the test with flying colors... or either the elder blonde prince was pulling his leg. The man liked to have a bit of faith in Orana's intimidating family. Of course, he was able to barter for his crew as well. Rat worked in the smithy with Asakonigei and helped teach the rookies how to wrestle. Acrobat was tasked with making rope for the new ships being built. Pockets aided Orana in running her animal sanctuary. Mojo and Juju both decided to run the trade routes, that way, the brothers could stop at the Firdosa Islands and see their family more often than not. Bomba oversaw the production of gunpowder for the canons. Everything was running smoothly...

Until someone started screaming fire.

The newly promoted Admiral hurried down the docks, seeing the ship on fire. Ordering the sailors left and right, he managed to take out one of the recently constructed ships, the Siren's Allure, to the one calling for help.

When the Allure came close, a bell was furiously run by a young Gerudo woman with gold trimmed hat and long flowing red hair. “Everyone jump aboard! Everyone jump aboard! Scarlet! Get your ass out of the nest!” Smoke was everywhere and fire was starting to take apart the integrity of the ship.

Corsaire maneuvered the ship close enough for the women to come aboard. He had his sailors lay down thick boards to where some could walk over to the deck. A few swung from ropes and others had the agility to jump from ledge to ledge. "Those of you who need a medic head below deck! Those of you who are fine and dandy, do a head count! Make sure everyone is safe!"

Scarlet jumped aboard first. Finally, Adda joined them. With three Gerudo babies attached under her arms in slings. “Make way!”

Once everyone was on board, and he had confirmation, Corsaire led his ship back to the bay and docked it. "... now you're a face that I didn't expect to see around these parts." He addressed Adda. "I have to admit, it's pretty ballsy of you to come into port after what you did to the Danjuran Prince."

“Prick had it coming. I really mean it when I say it’s good to see you Captain Corsaire.” Looking around, the man could see she had a significantly smaller crew this time around; 11 woman in total.

"I hate to sound all doom and gloom, but what happened?" Corsaire asked Adda point blank. "Your ship is now at the bottom of the sea, your crew is severely diminished, and---" A wail from one of the babies interrupted him. "... you're a mom?"

Adda smirked, hiding something deep down. “Where’s Rat? Need to ask him something.”

Corsaire sensed trouble. "He's not here. At least, not at the moment." Corsaire motioned for the ladies to follow him. "As Admiral of the Hylian Navy, it is my duty to ensure you are cared for, as far as injuries and a place to stay for this night. Then, you will be on your own. I don't know what you are going to do since your ship went down in flames, but I'd advise against you stealing one of these unless you want a bullet."

“Admiral of a navy? Who’d ya fuck to get that position?”Adda teasingly tapped his crotch before looking back with a glance at her crew to see how they were holding up. “Perhaps you can send the reptilian marauders chasing us to hell for an old friend, eh?”

"I married Princess Orana Dragmire." Corsaire swatted her hands away from being too touchy. "And unfortunately, I am not to engage any other ships in port unless said ship fires upon us first."

On que, the monsters did just that. “Corsaire. There are some people that’d commit genocide to have me dead.”

Outside, a pirate ship of Dinolfos and Aerolfos screeched with bloodshed as they were motivated on by their leader, Captain Eltontor. “Leave no ship unsunk! I’ll see that redheaded Siren singing her last swan song on this day!”

Grumbling under his breath, the Admiral started barking orders left and right. While the Hylian navy was just getting started, the defenses in the port were top notch since that incident with the kraken. It was not long before a barrage of cannons was firing upon the ship.

Adda directed her ladies to help dismantle the lizards in any way they could. Joining Corsaire up on the bridge, she handed her babies off to him. “Excuse me. I need to do something personal.”

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Corsarie rushed after Adda, stopping the woman in her tracks. "There's no way in hell I'm watching these brats." He handed the kids back to the pirate. "And you can't step foot out of the port without risking being arrested."

“Mother fucker, yes you will!” She shoved the babies back, and this time, one of the Gerudo pirates held Corsaire firmly to hold him in place. Grabbing a rifle from one of her crew, Adda looked down the scope, scanning the chaos on the monsters ship. Aerolfos were being shot down or snatched up by one particular and hungry dragon in the sky. The rest of the lizards were running about to exchange cannon fire. When she saw Eltontor a deep wrath boiled in her soul, icing her concentration.

“The fleshies are no match for us! Concentrate fire on—— ZIIIP!!!”

A single bullet from Adda traveled across the sea between them and went in and out the crocodile’s right eye and brain. With a wet slump the monster went down, bringing more chaos to his crew. Snarling, Adda thrust the gun to one of Corsaire’s men. It was a start, but not the source of her anger. “Die yee bastards.”

As soon as the pirate had Corsaire in her hold, guns were drawn. Every single one of Corsaire's men had pistols lined up to fire, pointing at the heads of the Gerudo women and Adda. No one would touch the Admiral. Most of the men were convicts given a second chance thanks to the Admiral. A few he had rescued from a bad situation. Others, he gave them a job when no one else would. He had built his navy on loyalty. "... Adda. I'm going to very politely ask you to cease this nonsense and let my men and women handle this." Corsaire stated calmly, trying to avoid a shootout. "I don't want anyone else hurt."

Adda didn’t budge at the guns in her face as she lined up her shot and fired for the kill. Once she had her carnage satisfied, she relaxed. “Sorry. Girls. Stand down.” Adda gently took the three babies back, closing her eyes to rest for a moment. “That was something personal I had to do.”

"Personal or not, you need to think rationally in these parts. You're not on your ship, in charge of things, anymore." Corsaire gave her a fair warning. "And you need to think of the safety of your kids first."

“Well, that’s why I sought you out actually.” When someone shot to close to her girls, causing one to cry, Adda put all herself control into not kicking the man in the ass. “Can- can we go somewhere safe? Inland preferably?”

"Unless you want to get arrested, I'd advise you staying at the Rickety Inn in port." Corsaire told Adda, but looked at her crew. "All of you. And you," He pointed to Scarlet once more. "If you punch Seer like you did last time, I'll kick your ass."

“Arrested?! I don’t have any bounties in Hyrule!”

Scarlet flinched, not wanting to give rise to any more problems. With the fighting settling down, she took hold of one of the babies. “No sir Admiral sir.”

"Bounties or not, Danjur has close ties with Hyrule and if someone recognizes you, it will cause trouble. Don't make me regret being nice to you." Corsaire handed Adda a small pouch full of rupees. "This should be enough for you and your girls. I'd advise you be looking to move at first light."

“You owe use more than that.” Adda frowned as she glanced at the amount of rupees she got.

"The Rickety Inn knows me; they'll give you decent boarding for all of you in double beds for 50 rupees. Give them my name and that's money for food. Cheap grub there, I can feed my whole crew for 30 rupees." Corsaire scoffed, opening the bag, showing her. "It's three gold rupees, you ingrate. There's enough left over for the little ones to get diapers and such, and a few of you need new clothes." He gestured to a few of the women who were wearing rags. "I'm missing an arm, Adda, not blind."

“It’s not money you owe me. It’s a better place to go.” She had to play this card now or she might lose the opportunity. “Our first mates made a baby together.”

"...!" Corsaire was surprised by this news, but he took it with a grain of salt. "Listen, I'm not trying to insinuate names here, but you told me yourself that your girls have slept with multiple Voes." He was not going to be part of this argument. "I can put a bug in Rat's ear, but that's all. I don't want any trouble near the castle. The Rickety Inn is as good as it is going to get for now, until I can find out that all of you won't be arrested, shot at, or just thrown to the dungeons."

“And Scarlets the biggest maiden on ship. Trust me, it’s theirs. Maybe you can throw a good word for me towards the Queen and King. Probably got information they can use.”

"I will see what I can do, but I have very little power in the courts of royals, even though I married their daughter." Corsaire looked at the tiny girl that Scarlet was holding, yawning widely with those adorable eyes fluttering shut. "For now, for the love of the sea, please lay low."

~ At the Rickety Inn, Adda and her crew finally had a moment to catch their breath after a few weeks of chaos, hell, and death. An hour of reflection, tears, a few screams, and silence. For Adda, in private, she hurt the most. She lost her treasure, her power, but most importantly, her family. 80% of her crew, gone in a flash.

After breast feeding her babies, she found the woman gathered in the mess hall. Although they had the whole port to explore, they didn’t want to leave one another. Hinkel, Robertta, Freddy, Jasmine, Claire, Zaranna, Sabrina, Foster, Miranda, and Scarlet. They were all that was left.

A somber mood filled the air. Adda adjusted her hat, and gritted her teeth. She was their leader. It was her duty to uplift them. “Ladies... stand up.” All the Gerudo did so, their attention on her now.

“I’m sorry. I failed you. I was supposed to lead us to promise and glory. And I failed you.” Grabbing a pint of beer, she started to chug it down. “We lost our family in the power struggle. Lost it to some fucken nightmare beasts of hell.” Slamming the glass down, she looked them all deep in the eye. “But they made one mistake. They didn’t kill us all.”

The women glanced around each other, nodding.

“We Gerudo know death. We embrace it. Because we’re warriors. And better, use pirates know glory.” Her tone rose, and she pointed around the room. “As your Captain, your Chieftan, and your friend, I promise you this. Those bastards might have won today, and they might sneer at us and enjoy the spoils tomorrow, but there will come a day where we shall have our revenge! We will tear fiends apart, and carve our own empire to glorious salvation! So, I say this, a toast! A toast to our fallen sisters! And promise that in this lifetime, we will see them avenged!!!”

The stupor the Gerudo were in was replaced by adrenaline. With a mighty cheer, they raised their fists to the sky. As drinks were ordered around, they began to have a celebration the port would never regret of drinking, songs, and hope.

It was not long after news ran wild in the ports, that a few crew members of the Sea Witch decided to see some familiar faces. "LADIES!!!" Bomba kicked opened the door to the inn, slicking back his hair. "Who missed me?!"

"Bomba, shuddup." Rat bonked the young man on the head with his knuckles. "Be a-nice, these ladies have just gone through a-hard time."

"I think they might be looking for something hard."

"BOMBA."

"Let him have his fun, it's been ages since he probably got laid anyway." Seer remarked dryly as Corsaire led him into the Rickety Inn. "And pray tell, why did you bring me here?"

"I told you, because Adda's brood is here." Corsaire told his brother-in-arms. "I thought you might like to see her---damn it, I thought you might like her company again."

"Nice, Cap'n."

"It's Admiral now."

"I doubt Adda even remembers me." Seer was not too full of confidence. "Well, we'll find out, won't we?"

"And you thought I'd miss this shit-show?" Orana hung on the back of her husband's shoulders. "Friends of yours from back in the day?"

"Friends with bene-HMPH!!!" Bomba was silenced by Rat's hand over his mouth. "Just acquaintances."

Some the Gerudo actually smiled seeing the runt again. “Bomba!!!”

Scarlet paused her dinner seeing Rat, quick to set her food down and walk up to him. Seemed she had some more confidence now. “Mousa!”

"See? Dey remember the hot stuff." Bomba remarked with a smug smirk. "Couldn't get enough of me."

"They remember the short stuff." Seer snorted. "Short and to the point."

"Hey! I'mma fun-sized all over!" Bomba huffed indignantly. "You's just jealous."

"Sure, jealous of a pint-size."

"Get ya head outta the flour clouds, you's know I'mma good at what I do; making a bang in two different ways." Bomba chuckled with a grin. "In the canons and in the bed."

"... remind me how you put up with him all these years, Cap'n?" Rat asked Corsaire with a roll of his eyes.

"I contemplate homicide everyday, but remind myself of the benefits of having him around." Corsaire mused as Orana stood at his side. "These were the Gerudo pirates I told you about."

"It's odd seeing more Gerudo women... well, so many in one place." Orana admitted. "We honestly thought Cass might be one of the last."

As soon as Scarlet obtained Rat's attention, the ex-gladiator smiled. "Aye, there's me pretty lassie."

“Pretty?” Scarlet blushed, trying to not to become timid. “I missed you a ton you know.”

Adda smiled ear to ear and gave a hardy laugh when she saw Orana. “Rrrr! So, you’re the fine lass that broke through this fool’s heart ey? Pleasure to meet you. I’m Captain Adda. But if you don’t like titles, we can go by first names.”

"Course you's pretty." Rat assured her. "Buffest, prettiest, strongest lady on the ship." "The crew calls me Missy Orana, my subjects call me Princess Orana, and my husband calls me Spitfire."

Orana shrugged her shoulders with a laugh. "You can just call me Orana. I have too many titles."

“Well you really are a spitfire. Join us. Was about to have my first drink of the night.” Scarlet, grabbed Rat by the hands and pulled him in for a kiss. “Can you follow me Mousa? I got something important to show you.”

"Oh, no, no, no, I can't drink, not tonight." Orana declined. "I have to check on my newest addition; a female Molagani tiger. She got caught in a poacher's trap and lost her back hind leg. Got to make sure she gets acclimated to the sanctuary."

"NRRRROOOOORRRRWWW!!!"

Mahaan was never too far behind his mistress. The huge Molagani tiger chuffed as he walked into the inn, earning a few startled looks before Orana scratched his head, earning a purr from the creature. He flicked his tail, watching the people around him closely.

"And, of course, take this big baby home. He's been mooching off the fish vendors all day."

"Nyaaaah."

"Yes, you have."

"Mrrrow!"

"No, you've had enough."

"Mew!"

"No, be good."

"Nnnnrrrnnn."

"Don't worry, he's a softie. Most of the time." Seer patted Mahaan's head.

"To show me?" Rat repeated. "What to show me?"

Adda sulked throwing a friendly arm around Orana. “Listen, to put a long story short I lost all my drinking buddies. Heard rumours of a Gerudo legend that out drank Corsaire muttered amongst many a sailors in just the last year! I don’t suppose that would be you?”

"Indeed, that was the grand 'Missy Orana', my crew deemed her, and she had her head stuck in a bucket for the whole next day." Corsaire snickered, earning a scowl from his wife.

"It was the only way I could get him to take me to the kraken's nest and he procrastinated that task too." Orana pouted.

“Have just one drink with me? Chicken if you don’t.”

"Classic guilt trip and reverse psychology move, but I'm passing." Orana kissed Corsaire on the cheek. "Don't be too long. You have a meeting with Ralnor and Covarog tomorrow to discuss the expansion on the north side of the port."

"Urgh, don't remind me." Corsaire groaned. "Your brothers don't like me."

"My brothers are just overprotective."

“Booooo.” Adda tossed Orana a rupee with a wink. “I’ll save my drinking till you’re ready then.”

"You really shouldn't drink anyhow, Adda," Orana reminded the woman. "Alcohol can go into breastmilk." She tipped the pirate's hat down as she waved goodbye to her husband. "See you later for dinner."

Finally taking Rat to a private room, Scarlet fumbled with the hotel keys. “Think it was this one.”

Rat, on the other hand, was wondering if Scarlet had something romantic planned.

Opening the door to the room, Scarlet completely blindsided him. Picking up a sleeping baby, she held her close as she approached Rat. “Mousa. I’d like you to meet your daughter. Revy.”

Rat was expecting any bedroom activity, and a baby was the last thing on his mind. Jaw slightly agape, he tried to think of what to say. He was speechless. Logic told him that the Gerudo ladies liked to sleep around and he should be skeptical. Though, he did not think Scarlet was the type to lie. That was more of Adda's game.

"You... you's serious? Not pulling me fish hook?"

“I am. I really, really am.” Scarlet lightly shook with excitement. “Would like to hold her?”

"... she's... she's so tiny." Rat looked unsure of himself. "Me hands awful large. I don't want to hurt her."

“And mine aren’t?” Very, very carefully, Scarlet placed Revy into Rat’s arms to be cradled. She slept like a pearl.

"Scarlet, me's going to be honest with you. Me's never had a... childhood. A good one." Rat carefully used a single finger to brush some of the little one's hair from her face. "Not sure if I's going to be proper father material."

“Hey. Half my life I’ve been a pirate. Not the safest life, but I had a family with my crew. I grew up around mothers of all kinds. I can pick up the slack.” Scarlet paused for a moment. “Do you want to be a parent with me?”

"If... if we's going to be parents, then we's need to do this right, Scarlet." Rat told the Gerudo woman. "A mama has to be there for her child. She can't go off galivanting on the high seas. You understand what it means if you want to be a-parent with me?"

“I do.” Scarlet looked down at Revy, a sad look on her face. “I don’t have anything to gallivant to Mousa. Even if I wanted too...”

"I suppose, what me's saying is you are gonna have to a-put this wee one first," Rat stated, trying not to sound too harsh. "Not Adda."

“Well, Adda’s got her twins to look after now.” Scarlet snickered at the thought. Was still surprising to her that Adda wanted to keep them.

"Twins?" Rat repeated. "I's... assuming Seer is not the father?"

“No. He’s not. They ain’t blue.” Carefully, Revy was placed back in her cradle with her blinds closed. “You didn’t answer my question. You want to help me raise our daughter?”

"Course I do. Yet, like me said, I's wanting to do it proper." Rat then asked her suddenly. "Marry me."

Scarlet had her arms around his waist, but her face was blushing with surprise. “Just like that?”

"Sorry." Rat was flustered himself. "Tis not the most appealing way to propose to a lady."

“I do. But ask me again when you can make it so.” Scarlet pulled Rat down for a deep kiss, pushing him onto the bed room. “Girls made fun of me for waiting for you. I think it was worth the wait.”

"Psh, dey's just jealous cause you's got a man that can lift you and dey don't." Rat boasted. "And taller too."

“I could lift you too you know.” Pulling her top off, Scarlet pressed closer. “You gonna rock the inn with me?”

"We won't wake Reveka?" Rat asked, glancing at the snoozing baby in the basinet.

“She’ll sleep like a rock. Now...” she kissed him slowly, taking off his shirt. “Indulge me.”

~

Down at the bar, Adda trimmed the rim of her rum, thinking about what Orana said. Damn it all, she was right. Talk about a great mental space to have kids. Noticing Corsaire and Seer sitting down at a table, she sat down with them. “Hey Seer. Long time no see.”

"Like I haven't heard that one before---oh, look! Free beer!" Seer quickly pointed in the opposite direction of Adda's voice to make her look. Then, he grinned like an idiot. "Got ya."

‘You are an idiot’, an inner voice in her head told her. Shrugging it off, she smiled at him. “Not fair. I can’t drink. And I really, really, really want to.”

"You have to make sacrifices for your children." Corsaire was surprisingly mature about the whole idea of kids, but he did not want to take care of someone else's brats. He did want children with Orana one day, but right now, she was barely into her twenties. It was difficult enough trying to get Bomba to behave, and he always had to watch after his younger sisters and brother when he was a teenager. "Get a virgin strawberry daiquiri and be happy."

"Who's the father, Adda? Did you meet someone?" Seer asked. "I overheard the girls whispering that you found a hunk."

“A perfect man and a demon he couldn’t control.” Adda smirked, playing it cool. “Couldn’t let someone who couldn’t keep a lid on himself around my babies, now could I. Bartender! I’ll take the virgins!”

“Damn right you will~” One of her crew replied, getting a hooray from them.

Seer was not the biggest fan of drinking. He absolutely refused to do drugs. He was hoping his captain would take him away from this... triggering area. Luckily, Corsaire was able to sense Seer's discomfort. After bidding the women farewell, he locked arms with Seer and escorted him out of the bar. Rat could find his own way home.

“Wait, hold up!” Adda ran out after them, with her non alcoholic beverage in hand. “Don’t you want to actually catch up?” Adda actually sounded desperate. Just for a slight moment in her voice, despite what her body language showed.

"Are you speaking to me or the captain? I mean, admiral?" Seer asked Adda, turning around at the sound of her voice.

“Both?... You Seer? I mean, lot has clearly changed for all of us since we last saw one another.”

"As much as I love to catch up, I need to get home to my wife." Corsaire told Adda honestly. "I work enough as it is and I don't want Orana to feel like I'm ignoring her." "That's fine, go see Missy Orana, I know she misses you." Seer assured his friend.

“And you Seer? You got some amazing knock out with all her shit in a box waiting for you too?”

"Heh, I wish, but I've been working in the castle's kitchen to save up money to buy my own place." Seer admitted to Adda. "So, if I stay, I'll have to leave in a little while. I prepare breakfast for everyone, so I can't be late."

“Ok....” Adda smiled with sadness in her eyes, then a deep burden hit her and she crashed. “I... oh fuck this. I can’t drag you both into my fucking mistakes. I’m sorry. No. Forget you heard that. I- .... Maybe tomorrow then. Get me that all clear to come inland Corsaire. It was good seeing you too Seer. Got some babies to look after.” Turning heel, she stomped away back to her room not too far away.

"You know if you want someone to talk to, I'll listen." Seer called after Adda.

"Seer, you shouldn't get involved." Corsaire murmured to him. "It's old news, you shouldn't concern yourself."

"She just wants someone to talk to."

"I'd like that." Adda took his hand, quickening her pace to lead him to her room.

"Whoa!" Seer was surprised by her sudden tug, but allowed himself to be led to her room. The people here knew him and there would be someone to help him find his way to the castle later. "I just have to be back in the morning, so I'm not goign to drink or such."

Closing the door, she turned around and kissed him on the lips. She wasn't touchy with her hands on his body, and it came across as rather sweet. "That's my way of saying hello again."

"...?!" Seer was definitely surprised by the kiss. He was not expecting that, or any affections. It had been a long while. "I... honestly thought you probably forgot about me."

"Hey. It's only been shy of a year. No one's been really as sweet as you. And you were the last sweet thing to ever happen to me."

"Now I think you're just flattering me." Seer chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed. "That was a nice night."

"It was. With all that's happened, it'd been easier if I had your babies instead, I think."

Now that comment really made Seer blush heavily. "I... um... that... uh... thanks?"

Heading to the twins’ crib, Adda rocked them gently. "Seer. Do you have any history with kids?"

"I... sometimes helped the ladies who had children at the brothel." Seer admitted, not liking the fact that the ladies were usually referred to as whores. Most of them were slaves, and could not control their occupation. He heard one of the babies coo. "I was good at feeding them or rocking them to sleep. Most of them were hesitant to let me care for them since I could not see."

"I wish I had a good mother. Good sister figures in the crew, but never good parents." Adda kept the slow rocking up. "Seer. How much knowledge did Corsaire share with you about different pirate clans? I know this is a very big world, so I wouldn't be surprised if you don't know."

"I don't know much. I just know there's a few different ones that have their own area they lurk in." Seer thought about some of Corsaire's stories. "That reptile boss from that set of gambling joints, the Gerudo ladies, the Firdosan Islanders that like to raid other pirates and cruise ships..."

"... I lost the Wind Waker Seer."

"... you lost it?" Seer repeated. "... I have a feeling I shouldn't ask how, but I'm going to."

"Same way I lost my spot in the war. To that demon on leather wings. Terror of the Sky and Sea: Onslaught." Adda stopped rocking the crib, her body going stone still. "I was still learning how to use the Wind Waker. I heard word of an ancient stone tablet that could give me the right song to tear ships from the water. I would have one the war for the seas in with just a stroke of my wrist. But I had a fucking turncoat that betrayed me and gave my location away to him."

"Onslaught..." Seer had heard rumors of that horrid dragon around port. "I'm... sorry that happened, Adda. Though, I hate to sound like the voice of reason, but... should you really be fighting now that you're a mother?"

"I thought I could quell the fighting to give my babies a bright future. Instead, I had nearly all my people killed or enslaved."

"We all make mistakes, Adda, but the bright side of all this is you're alive, your babies are all right, and you brought the rest of your crew to safety." Seer tried to help her see the positive outlook. "I know you're feeling down right now, but the only way you have to go from here is up. Try to build a good life for yourself and your babies. Forget about being a pirate, and focus on being a mom."

"My whole life is being a pirate. I have crew to look after. You think Corsaire would abandon you at your lowest point?"

"I didn't say abandon anyone, Adda." Seer told her with a firm voice. "I'm saying, you have other priorities now. Take your sisters, find somewhere to settle down, and make a good living without being on the high seas in danger all the time. Corsaire would never abandon us, no, but he'd never willingly put us in danger either. Sometimes, it was unavoidable, but Corsaire looked out for us. Found us all jobs once he married Orana. We're all brothers to him. So do the same for your sisters. Let them be happy and you be happy."

"They'll be the most happy if I give them Onslaught's head."

"You sure about that? I'd ask them first." Seer sniffed the air a couple of times and then scrunched his nose. "Scarlet, for example. The one who broke my nose."

"You still on about that?" Adda looked at him, a wrath in her eyes he couldn't see, but could feel in her voice. "All of us agreed. We will do our part in killing the bastard and avenging our people. And I have a hunch that your Captain and the King of this land will want to help my quest."

"I'm blind, not deaf, and I rarely forget something that hurts. Had enough broken bones and bruises to recall." Seer heard the bitterness in her voice. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but for the sake of these little ones," The Direnor gently felt inside of the crib, brushing his fingers across the twins' foreheads. "I'd suggest you let it go. If this Onslaught is as nasty as they come, he'll use them against you. It's your job as a mom to keep your kids safe---hey now, I need that back." Seer told the twin known as Liz when she grabbed his finger. "Strong one, aren't you?"

"Even in her sleep, she likes you." Adda shook her head with a light sigh. "This Onslaught will come after me regardless. It's my duty to destroy him. As for my girls... I have to provide for them somehow."

"You could just ask the Lorleidian Queen for reinforcements instead of putting yourself at risk. Ask nicely. Humbly. Make your case." Seer stated, emphasizing the word nice. He knew how Adda could come across. "She has dragons, you know. And as far as providing for your girls, there's always help needed in restaurants. The Farmer's Daughter is the most popular joint on this side and needs good waitresses. The old matron watches the little ones in exchange for a few rupees while you work. It's not the best job, but it's good, honest work. She even has a boarding area for the girls that work for her."

"A waitress? So someone can grope my ass? I know how Hryule treats Gerudo. I won't take any less than a position under a royal umbrella."

"You honestly think they'll just let anyone into the castle?" Seer asked her dryly. "Let me guess, you want to guard the queen with that creepy Commander Klinge? Cater to Missy Orana? Play dress up with Princess Kanisa?"

"I don't know! All I know is I'm not some peasant. I deserve better! My girls deserved better! My crew deserved better!!!" Adda nearly roared, shaking her head with discomfort at the situation. "I don't have a lover, I don't have anyone from the outside who seems to want to help me!"

"Hey, hey, hey, shh, shh, you're upsetting the kids!" Seer heard the twins whine in their crib and gently shook the sides so it would rock. Once the whining ceased, Seer released a breath of relief. He could not stand crying, it always tugged at his heart strings. "I'm trying to help you if you'd just let me! Good gracious, woman, not everyone gets finery handed to them on a silver platter. You should know as well as I do that you have to work for it. I suggested what work I knew of, if working in a restaurant isn't good enough, then you can look for yourself." Fixing the blanket on the twins, the blind man then carefully started to walk in the direction of the door. "You're not queen here anymore, Adda. If you want my help, then give them my name at Farmer's Daughter. It's owned by Lon Lon Milk, a local farming ranch. It's a good place. After all, I should know," Seer said before he stepped out of the room. "I cooked there before I went to the castle." Then shut the door.

Adda sat fell back onto the bed. There were no stars in the night sky. Just a cage. Once again, the voice in her head fed her doubts. ‘No one will come to truly care for you’.

________________________________________________________________

It’s a brand new AU! Hope that you will enjoy it! @ridersoftheapocalypse and I made it in mind for our friend @s-kinnaly. That Adda-Seer ship you for you buddy. Will also be other retellings sprinkled in, so stayed tuned! 

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/633413002943758336/band-of-pirates-ch-2-game-plan

[coryfirelion]

Asked by @lauraemoriarty​, @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold​ and @blarfkey​ (yes, i’m a cheater >:v fight me :P) from the Caretaker Prompts, featuring a very very hurt Mara Adaar/The Iron Bull.

Everything had happened very quickly and yet time seemed to go slower than ever. It was one thing to lose a soldier during a fight against numerous enemies, and another thing to lose a seven and a half foot qunari in a fight against fewer enemies, and oh! not just any qunari, if not nothing less than the Inquisitor and, what weighed most heavily on Bull, his Kadan. The Iron Bull really needed to hit something. They attacked in the dead of night, a particularly dark one in the Hissing Wastes. The party had camped near the dragon's nest after the battle against the beast. They were exhausted, but extremely content. With a few blows and cuts, and Mara, their only mage, having exhausted her mana against the beast, they decided to call it a day and try to sleep.

What they didn’t expect of course, was that Venatoris would be ready to assault them, practically thanking them for having eradicated the giant beast. Tents flared above them, leading them disoriented from these, where the enemies waited to crowd the second blow. With no armor on, energy depleted, and injured, there was little they could do against the mages. But just as quickly as the attack had started, it stopped. The enemies disappeared into thin air. Bull looked around, seeing the camp in ash and rubble, Cassandra and Varric approached him, wounded, but not as close as might have been expected from such a well-coordinated attack. Reality slammed into the Iron Bull, eye widening.

"Where is Mara?"

Disappeared. Like their attackers. The attack had been precise, coordinated, and successful. Mara Adaar was in the hands of the Venatori. Bull's roar of fury broke the dreadful silence of the revelation of the Venatori's attack target. Taking the few things that could be salvaged from the fire, Bull began walking towards the nearest Inquisition camp with the Seeker and Varric following closely behind. They will need eyes all over the place, and the crows moved faster than horses in that devilish sand. Reflectively, his hand went to his chest, where it met the dragon's tooth dangling from his neck, one half his, and the other half… Bull quickened his pace. They would find Mara and bring her back. The Venatori would regret having provoked their wrath. He will make them pay for this.

________________________________________________________________

The world was pain and darkness. Even in a desert, Mara's skin twisted with cold. One moment she was sleeping in her tent with The Iron Bull, and the next she came out of it while it was on fire, separating to fight the enemy and then, feeling twin daggers digging into her back. The effect of the poison hit her immediately, immobilizing her body, preventing her from crying out for the hell that had been unleashed within her. It didn't cost her enemies much to get hold of her, blindfolding her and tying her up to take her wherever she was now.

She had heard them speak. While the anchor was of no use to Corypheus, that didn't mean it was useless, and they were going to fiddle with it as much as they wanted. Mara did not think to make it easy for them, her magic would return and sooner or later she could move again. But all her hopes of running away on her own were dashed when she felt a bitter taste in her mouth. She tried to spit out whatever they had just given her to drink, but there was no use, it was too late. The poison spread rapidly, and the effect was immediate. Without magic, immobilized, Mara placed all her hopes on the Inquisition. In Bull. Kadan, please don't take long.

________________________________________________________________

Seven days. It had taken seven damn days to locate the hiding place where Mara had been taken. Bull, the others and a group of soldiers of the Inquisition razed the place, until finally the Qunari found the only cell in the place. His sensitive nose made out the scents scattered in the room. Poison, and not just any. Magebane. The intensity of the stench indicated something that made his blood boil even more with anger. Those damn cowards had kept Mara under continuous poisoning to keep her magic under control. Bull pushed open the cell door. This one opened easily. Isn't it closed? A thought invaded his mind. Could she not be here? But a growl from a corner of the dark room told him otherwise.

"Kadan?"

Silence. Cassandra came up behind him with a torch, and then they saw what was hidden in the shadows. The Seeker gasped. Bull's eye widened.

"Oh for- what did they do to you?"

Mara was lying on the ground, her clothes had been reduced to rags that barely covered enough, multiple cuts and bruises made their way all over her body, to the point that certain areas were disfigured, the position of her left shoulder was wrong, her left hand was “bandaged” by a cloth so bloody that the anchor light could not be seen. Her breathing was rapid and ragged, her ribs were undoubtedly broken. Her face was obscured by bruises and blood on it, which also stained the fabric that covered her eyes.

"We need a Healer!" Cassandra yelled at the soldiers. Bull approached the figure lying on the ground. Hearing someone approach, Mara's body tensed, trying to move in the opposite direction of the sound. Bull reached her and took her in his arms.

"Hey, it's just me. It’s just me."

The tension in Mara's body didn’t give way, she began to hyperventilate, desperation was denoting her features. What kind of torture had she been subjected to that she couldn't believe the one who was touching her was The Iron Bull? Bull removed the cloth from Mara's sight, but her eyes remained closed. Placing his hand on her face, Bull talked in the softest way he could.

"Look at me. Kadan look at me. It's me."

Slowly, Mara's eyes opened. These were bloodshot, and one of them was so beaten that she could barely open it. But as soon as Bull's eyes met hers, the change in her expression was immediate and her eyes filled with tears. Her voice cracked and raspy from disuse, she said.

"Bull… I knew you would come."

“I have you Kadan. Everything will be fine."

Sighing, her body finally relaxed. Her eyes closed again, her body yielding to exhaustion in the arms of her Kadan, her heart. The tooth in her necklace touched Bull’s. The two halves of the same dragon tooth came together. No matter how much we part, we will always be together, Kadan.

[theyearoftheking]

Book Sixty-Nine: Doctor Sleep

“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream...” Edgar Allan Poe 

Y’all...if I’m currently cruising through The Golden Years of Steve, than Doctor Sleep is the crown jewel. It doesn’t get any better than this book. It’s one of the few sequels that far surpasses the original. It’s just that damn good. 

In the Author’s Note, Steve writes about being on tour for Bag of Bones, and having a Constant Reader ask him whatever happened to the kid from The Shining. Steve admits Danny Torrance never left his mind, along with the concept of sobriety, and what that could have done for Jack. The story he managed to create is terrifying, compelling, and one of the greatest horror stories ever. Period. Come at me bro! It’s my blog and I can make all the grand proclamations that I want. Although, fair warning, if you hate that statement, you’re really going to hate my next post all about The Shining and Doctor Sleep movies. 

Doctor Sleep starts with little Danny Torrance, still haunted with images of The Overlook. Desperate for help, Wendy calls Dick Hallorann, asking for help. Dick gifts Danny with a shiny treasure box, which he instructs him to use to capture all the evil spirits, and store them in the corners of his mind. Once the spirits are trapped in the box, they can’t hurt him. 

Little Danny turns into black-out drinker and casual drug user, Dan Torrance. Dan wakes up after an epic black-out, and finds himself in bed with a woman, Deenie, who he barely remembers meeting the night before. He stumbles out of bed, finds his wallet empty, and cocaine residue all over the living room table. He grabs money out of Deenie’s wallet just in time to see her toddler stumble out of his bedroom. Dan feels slightly ashamed of taking the money, but not too ashamed to leave it behind. Dan spends the night sleeping under a bridge, and his shine later rewards him with images of Dennie and her child’s dead corpses. They were beaten to death by Deenie’s abusive brother, and Dan feels guilt. Maybe he could have stopped it from happening. He ends up taking a Greyhound bus to Frazier, New Hampshire where he meets Billy Freeman. Billy helps him to get a job, and more importantly, get sober. Dan starts living a life he’s proud of. Well, except for the guilt he still feels about stealing from Deenie, and her eventual death.

And then, there’s the True Knot. The True Knot is a group of vampire-like people who live on the “steam” of children with the shine. The Knot is headed up by Rose the Hat, and they travel around the country in RVs, looking for their next meal. While the Knot is taking steam from Bradley Trevor, a little boy they snatched on his way home from baseball practice, Rose senses the presence of someone watching them. Rose can tell it’s a little girl with the strongest steam she’s ever felt. They need this little girl to grow up, and her steam to get even stronger. 

On the other side of the country, Abra Stone wakes up screaming about “the baseball boy” and how they’re killing him. Her parents comfort her, but feel helpless. They are used to Abra’s strange dreams and unusual occurrences (spoons stuck to the ceiling after a magic trick gone wrong). Abra has also been leaving notes on Dan’s chalkboard in his room; they share a connection with “Tony”, Dan’s imaginary friend from childhood. You later find out their connection goes even deeper than that: Dan is actually Abra’s uncle. His dad had an affair at Stovington Prep with Abra’s grandmother, and Abra’s mom and Dan are siblings. Got all that? Dan has been working at a hospice, where he has a reputation for helping patients cross over, with the assistance of Azrael the cat, who seems to have a knack for knowing every time a patient is going to die. Dan is known as Doctor Sleep. 

Side note about Azrael. Little did I know, Azrael is the Angel of Death. I just thought it was a hipster nod to Gargamel’s cat from The Smurfs.  

Dan and Abra end up connecting because she can’t forget about “the baseball boy”. Dan and Billy drive to Iowa to dig up Bradley’s corpse and retrieve his baseball glove, which Abra thinks will help her track down The Knot.

Oh the Knot... they’re not doing so well. Come to find out, Bradley’s parents never had him vaccinated (a rare time I actually support anti-vaxing parents); and older members of the Knot are catching smallpox and dying. Abra gets inside Rose’s head, and Rose sends the Knot across the country to get her. Abra senses them coming, and Dan shoots them all dead. Except Crow Daddy (Rose’s sometime lover), who kidnaps Abra to bring her back to Rose. Abra uses her powers to get Crow to drive his truck into a tree, killing him. Rose is PISSED. 

Good and evil meet at the scenic overlook where (ha!) The Overlook used to be. Dan and Rose fight it out, while Abra astral-projects herself there. It’s a psychological battle of unleashing beasts on one another, but at the end of the day, Rose the Hat is mortal, and falls off the overlook and dies. It’s one of the rare Steve books where the good guys come out with a victory, and come away unscathed. It’s satisfying, and kind of a relief when the other shoe doesn’t drop. 

One of my favorite Easter eggs takes place early on when both “Christmasland” and “Charlie Manx” are mentioned. For those that are not familiar, these are NOS4A2 (by Joe Hill) references. When it comes to Easter eggs, you’ve also got:

Castle Rock

Jerusalem’s Lot

“other worlds than these” 

“Life was a wheel, its only job was to turn, and it always came back to where it started.” 

This post didn’t do this gorgeous book justice. There was so much about sobriety and recovery, which is not only important to Danny and Jack Torrance, but important to Steve also. I just... I can’t recommend this book enough. Quick read The Shining, and then pick this up and fly through it, enjoying every beautiful word. 

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 42

Total Dark Tower References: 64

Book Grade: A+

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

Doctor Sleep: A+

The Talisman: A+

Wizard and Glass: A+

11/22/63: A+

Under the Dome: A+

Needful Things: A+

On Writing: A+

The Green Mile: A+

Hearts in Atlantis: A+

Full Dark, No Stars: A+

Just After Sunset: A+

Rose Madder: A+

Misery: A+

Different Seasons: A+

It: A+

Four Past Midnight: A+

Stephen King Goes to the Movies: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

Bag of Bones: A-

Duma Key: A-

Black House: A-

The Wastelands: A-

The Drawing of the Three: A-

The Dark Tower: A-

Dolores Claiborne: A-

Blaze: B+

Hard Listening: B+

Nightmares in the Sky: B+

The Dark Half: B+

Joyland: B+

Skeleton Crew: B+

The Dead Zone: B+

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: B+

Wolves of the Calla: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Song of Susannah: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

From a Buick 8: B

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: B

The Colorado Kid: B-

Storm of the Century: B-

Everything’s Eventual: B-

Cycle of the Werewolf: B-

The Wind Through the Keyhole: B-

Danse Macabre: B-

The Running Man: C+

Cell: C+

Thinner: C+

Dark Visions: C+

The Eyes of the Dragon: C+

The Long Walk: C+

The Gunslinger: C+

Pet Sematary: C+

Firestarter: C+

Rage: C

Desperation: C-

Insomnia: C-

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Faithful: D

Gerald’s Game: D

Roadwork: D

Lisey’s Story: D

Christine: D

Dreamcatcher: D

The Regulators: D

The Tommyknockers: D

Next up is Revival; which reads more like a Ray Bradbury book, with some Steve-like elements thrown in for good measure. Stay tuned for a Shining/Doctor Sleep movie post soon. Happy New Year to all my constant readers, and thanks to everyone who continues to follow this blog, it’s been a fun ride. 

Until next time, Long Days & Pleasant Nights,

Rebecca

[likemymask]

One Piece Daemon AU

Presented with only slight spelling corrections and some elaborations, the mess of a One Piece Daemon/His Dark Materials AU that would not leave me alone and would only let me work on it at 1-3AM.

Also now I’m writing snippets for it just like my Gundam Wing and Star Trek daemon AU. Because.

Luffy: sea king with Conqueror Haki so they can’t be controlled. Separated but not because that’s as free as you can get. Fuck yea, she’s in north blue chilling the fuck out (heh) half the time and being absolutely chaotic as shit the other half. Her attitude is diametrically opposed to what Luffy is doing at the time. LOL she runs/swims into Shanks when Luffy’s still barely a pirate so he has no idea (not that the marines do either) one time. This 2000ft tall monster is squinting at him, and he thinks he’s about to get ate and then she goes “oh you’re so much smaller now!” Cause of course she spent her formative years as a baby version of his daemon. The entire crew is goddamn losing it, cause what kind of monster is this that even Red Hair’s Haki can’t control it, until Shanks yells out her name and then everyone loses it further still. I have decided Eastern dragon aesthetic but water/earth theme as opposed to Kaido’s air/fire theme. Still blue, but blue-green, tiger stripes cause camoflage and also badass and maybe she settles after Luffy meets Zoro’s daemon *whistles*

Zoro: tiger obviously normal colors or green and black cause why the fuck not, Zoro is not into stealth really. ”The only one who can call me stupid is me. “ “.....stupid” Cat vs sword fight ensues. Can be found cuddling Chopper when Zoro’s tired, super sloshed, both.

Nami: monkey? Lemur: small, fast, quick hands, caring but only when you prove you deserve it. Absolutely torments Zoro’s when she’s pissed because tigers can’t normally climb fucking main masts but a) she parkours and b) when has that ever stopped Zoro/her? Likes to hang out in the tree grove, absolutely pick pockets people while Nami plays distraction.

Robin: cat some kind of cat not big CARACAL. Looks aloof but absolutely ready to be ridiculous at any opportunity.

Franky: dog or dolphin. Something excitable loyal ready to throw down Newfoundland? Big, friendly, over-excitable, likes water and sailing...yes.

Usopp: Corvid or monkey; curious, intelligent, stubborn, inventive, tool solving/using. Lives in groups/troops and cares for others. Probably corvid, too similar to Nami otherwise. Crow most likely.

Sanji: swan. Black, and absolutely a viper and very sorry about Sanji’s attitude towards woman cause she’s more refined about it. Same intensity though. Will bite the shit out of you. Tiger vs swan fight, GO. Do also groom each other though cause human affectionate displays are stupid sometimes.

Fishmen don’t have daemons its another conflict and excuse for racism.

Law: wolf but like starved and Eurasian crazy with it. LONG leggos. Spiky black fur around the head, grey black white speckled cause T R A U M A

Ace: was a fire hawk, no actual fire but red as hell and BIG tail and wings. Her species not liked on most islands cause they don’t leave once they’re settled. They stand their ground. More angst ha ha. Never met settled Luffys daemon because I’M A MONSTER.

Sabo: never settled until he learned Ace was dead and then she settled as fire hawk because trauma and angst and also he knows who he is now. Not being settled was useful for a while when he did infiltration etc but now they’re both happy/sad about it.

Garp. Big dog. Bull mastiff dog. Not good with kids only with attacking things and defending but very loyal. Also big. “ Bullmastiffs are also difficult even for adults to control, so they aren’t a good choice if your child wants to help walk the dog. They like to please and crave attention, but they’re so big that even a well-intentioned nudge can end up hurting small children. ” HMMMMM RINGS A BELL, THIS DOES

Chopper: also no daemon or if so then monkey because HANDS. OH BOI THAT MUST HAVE BEEN A FUN THING. EAT SOME FRUIT, WAKE UP WITH A SOUL. Wait no people think he’s a pet. No daemon then.

Mihawk: literally whatever Shank’s daemon is he insists this is why they’re friends while Mihawk wine aunts in the background. He’s more refined though than Shanks and his soul (this is not a challenge). Like absolutely cold as ice until he cracks a pun, but no one believes the victim cause no way Mihawk would do that. Soooo proud, regal, loyal but willing to have a good time. Some kind of dog or cat. Big and fast and POWER. Could do big cat to be more like Zoro or a dog/canid to foil it. Maned wolf?

Vivi: it’s lazy to say her bird Caracue I can’t spell it’s one am but imma do it. KAROO HOW THE FUCK DID I MISSPELL THAT.

Crocodile: big fuck off alligator cause fuck you that’s why. HOLY FUCK I FORGOT HE HAD THE BANANA ONES IN HIS CASINO THAT’S GREAT

Logias turn to same element so Ace’s daemon is now a literal actual fire hawk, fuck the history books I’m writing this shit.

Don fuck face Flamingo: is what it is but like Kipo And the Age of Wonderbeasts it got TEETH, cause anything that survived acid water and shit is not cool. In fact, you know what, she’s albino and thinks that makes her special, honey you just don’t got shrimp vitamins, you buffoon of a bird.

All the dino Zoans are modern descendant of those animals so chickens. Or birds. Chickens would be so goddamn funny especially the 3 foot tall fluffy ones...fuck what’re they called(Brahmas). Oh wait. Emus. Ohhhhhhh fuck emus as an option.

Mammoth Zoan can have a Mammoth daemon because I want to see that on a ship.

(Makino) Bartender lady I can’t remember her name starts with m capybara cause she’s chill as shit and friend shaped. 

Dadan: is not friend shaped but is friend. Big fuck off bear or buffalo or wildebeest

Brooke: Laboon, Lampoon whatever Moby Dick. There’s some trauma, they had to leave him, but they didn’t want to and Brooke offered to stay but Laboon thought he’d be fine. Spoiler alert He Is Not. No one is fine.

Ohhhhhhh fuck bad good idea: Rogers daemon also a Sea King but the marines never goddamn figured it out, hoooooo my gods Shanks is having goddamn flashbacks. 

Momo and Kaido both have Eastern dragon daemons cause fake fruit.mythical zoan fruit but Momos is the size of a gecko and black so she’s hide-able. Kaido’s isn’t as big but is still Fuck Off huge. Red because I said so. 

Beastmen also do not have daemons because fuck the amount of significant characters in One Piece

Cora(zon): also had a wolf, because yay trauma and repeats and trauma bonding!But she was like, pretty yellow white and dog-ish up until the moment she ripped your throat out for offending her/harming her pack. Law learned much from her about appearances, being underestimated, and then for the most part did the exact opposite.

Slime man: *Aka Trebol* has a hagfish cause fuck him and Doflamingo

Boa: her snake weapon thing. Big noodley boy. The skull is for A E S T H E T I C

   Ace's daemon named Picaro: Spanish for naughty/badly behaved and that is a synonym for rogue cause MOMMA'S BOI and I keep misreading Rouge as rogue cause PIRATES, and this way it's a little better than naming the fire hawk Red though Ace does call her that sometimes .          You know what, he has the same daemon as Rouge/mom actually cause stubborn enough to not go into labor for 20 months is bonkers and that shit deserves recognition. Also because FUCK the number of characters in One Piece.              Celestial Dragons don't have special daemons but they do splice/separate cause they're fuckers that's why              AU of AU        Luffy's daemon close enough to WRECK MARINEFORD'S SHIT THAT'S RIGHT BABEY ACE LIVES, ASL REUNION AND SUCH          Sabo's daemon settles as a dog but one of the CRAZY breeds, like poodle or husky.

AU OF AU PART TWO: originally when thinking about a One Piece daemon AU Luffy was gonna have a cheetah; long, fast, use recoil to increase speed and change directions, males live in groups with their brothers and are highly affectionate. Tendency to run into walls. Has a fur pattern presentation named King Cheetah, looks like a more Armament Haki version.

[pigeontheoneandonly]

Serendipity

I saw a reply to a post over @ao3commentoftheday suggesting it’s impossible to write a slow burn in less than 10k words.  My dumbass brain took this as “challenge accepted”. Who knows if I hit the mark, but I’m pretty happy with the result!  This baby clocks in at 2487 words.  Tucked under a read more, because that’s still a lot for tumblr.

Fandom: Dragon Age

When we met, I couldn’t see any part of you beneath the mud you’d earned trying to kill me. I don’t know why I took you with us, except that you were an elf without anywhere to go, and in Ferelden an elf with no home was good as dead, and we just don’t do that to each other. Naturally none of the shems understood. I bound up your wounds alone, thinking it would’ve been easier if you’d just fucking died.

The first prick of sympathy came when we arrived at the Dalish camp.  You called me my dear warden, mocking the double-meaning of my title and your technical captivity.  You flirted shamelessly with me the whole way, undeterred by my gender or my cold silence, and put me in a bad mood because I couldn’t tell if it was genuine interest, or something you felt you had to do, offer yourself to me, to stay in my good graces.  With a man for sale it could go either way.  But I saw how your ears went red and your tongue fell silent, when our wilder cousins sniggered at your tattoos, your so-called “city vallaslin”.  It’s horrible to be an in-between, unwanted alike by the society that spawned you and the one you live with, to be lumped in with those who keep you in squalor and kill you at will.  Watching their whispers subdue you angered me more than all the flirting put together. And fuck, wasn’t that annoying.

I bought you a pair of gloves.  I don’t know why.  They didn’t deserve my money, you didn’t deserve my kindness, but you looked at their tooled leather like you were reading a secret map, and I had to know what you saw written there.  You didn’t say thank you.  But you told me your mother was Dalish.  I told you mine had died.  I told you how she died, even though that’s a thing I don’t tell anyone, because my mouth moved before my mind could scream stop.  

You made a joke.  I shoved you hard into the underbrush and stalked away before I killed you.  We never talked about it again.

In fact, we barely spoke at all, the whole long, rainy road to Orzammar.  We didn’t speak through the political battle, we didn’t speak cooped up for days in a king’s mansion, and we didn’t speak as the heavy stone gates of the deep roads clanged shut behind us.  

I had been a Warden for all of eight weeks.  Alistair warned me that Wardens Joined in a Blight always were more sensitive, and all my newfound awareness remained raw as a fresh-hewn board.  In the deep, I could hear them everywhere. Feel them, crawling through my skin like worms; smell them in the still and sour air.  I could fucking taste them when we stopped to rest and I had no distraction.  

The dwarves told me this was where Wardens went to die.  I hugged my knees in the weak torchlight of our camp, feeling myself lost in the dark with them pressing in all around me, until they tore me apart, and for the first time, I hoped the Blight would kill me.  Sleep was a fantasy.  It showed, more and more, the deeper we went.

I didn’t notice the first time you offered to carry my knapsack, so tired I gave it over without question, numb to anything but the need to keep walking.  The occasional darkspawn nest was a respite. Better to fight them than sense them waiting, a constant pressure of millions of eyes on the back of my neck.

I didn’t notice when you started staying up with me.  I figured you weren’t tired, either.  I still wasn’t speaking.  But you rambled, about your childhood, about your exploits with the Crows, reciting snippets of awful Antivan poetry and singing bawdy songs you couldn’t quite remember.  But it came as a shock when I woke up, the first I’d slept since we entered the roads, curled up against the cave wall, beside you.  You smiled, still awake.  Wished me good morning.

We fucked for the first time the first night we camped above ground again, drunk on dwarven ale and being out of that thrice-damned hole, that endless crushing darkness.  In the morning we agreed it didn’t mean anything. Just the mindless choice of two bodies almost sick with relief.

You flirted less, after that.  I talked more.  I told you about coming up to the sealed gates of the Denerim alienage, hearing the word purge from the indifferent shem guard, and how I still didn’t know if my father or Shianni or any one of  these people who’d been my entire world were alive.  The ridiculous story I made up for those two kids, because elves survive on hope.  My absolute disaster of a wedding, doomed long before the kidnapping; I was all my father had left, and the truth, that my  inclinations were not reproductively compatible, would have crushed him.  That if I closed my eyes, I could still feel a ghost of euphoria remembering my sword plunging into Vaughan’s gut, that I was only sorry I only got to do it once.

I don’t know why you listened.  Put together, the whole thing rang absurd, not very sane and certainly not much like a Warden.

I do know that when the sloth demon snared us in nightmares, and I saw you stretched on that rack, my vision went red.  When I came back to myself, your brother Crows were in pieces and you were gone. A little of whatever-the-fuck that was lingered when we woke; I took two running steps toward you, so damn happy to see you without joints popped and bruised.  You stumbled one step back, on instinct, a portrait of humiliation.  I faltered and the moment died.

You moved back to your own tent.  We’d taken to sleeping side-by-side.  The nights grew colder as the season waned, and the Blight spread, and the presence of another body in the night was an affordable comfort.  I stared at the large space you left behind, startled to miss you this much.

Things stayed like that as we marched back to Denerim for the Landsmeet.  Cordial, but distant.  Hurt without reason and annoyed over it, to the point that Leliana warned me that compelling a Landsmeet as an elf would be hard enough without a pissy attitude.  Maybe that was why it was so easy for Anora to betray us, because irritation makes me impatient and rude.  But you snuck and charmed your way through the most heavily fortified prison in Ferelden to get us out— to get me out.  And somehow I was still annoyed.  

I said you must be really hard up for protection.  You crowded me into the wall.  For a wild moment I thought you’d shank me, and then for an even more terrifying one, that you’d kiss me.  Instead, you told me to consider your blood debt paid, and shoved off down the street. Angry as I’d ever seen you.

And what was worse, you stayed angry, and I stayed on edge, and maybe that’s how we got jumped by a dozen Crows in a dead-end alley, one of your bad decisions come home to roost in earnest.  Their leader offered to wipe your slate, to take you back to Antiva, make up a story and let you go home.  Not like an order, but like a friend, offering you a way out.

You looked at me.  Months on the road, and I couldn’t read your face.  And what I remember isn’t thinking I was about to die, but that I was about to lose you to this smug shem jackass, of all people.  

Then you said no.  And the shit hit the wall.  

We lived, somehow.  Your old friend went down last, and hard, your Crow-hilted dagger quivering between his ribs as his heart pumped itself out.  You fell down beside him.  Uninjured beyond a few nasty scratches, curled into a ball on the cobbles like you were dying, too.  

I asked something that amounted to what the fuck.  And it all came pouring out.  You grew up together, you and him and some girl named Rinna, a little family inside the unending terror of Crow education.  If you couldn’t love the Crows, you could love them, and for a time the comfortable rewards of your harsh training were made sweeter by their sharing.  Until Rinna betrayed you to a mark.

He killed her while you watched, you told me, your head in my lap.  While she begged your help, you taunted her.  She died with her love for you on her lips.  You both went forward with the job, a loose end to clean up, and discovered there proof of Rinna’s honesty, her fidelity. You killed her together and now you’d killed him, too.

The silence stretched as the torrent of words finally stopped.  Feeling your face damp on my leg.  There was nothing to say, but that silence was a wounding kind, so I told you the stupid story about the bluebird in the vhenadahl. Recited rhymes we used to sing as kids, playing hopscotch and tag in the dirt.    On and on, until the sun slipped below the buildings, and you were able to sit up, and we left.

It never came up between us again.  In fact, very little had changed.  A mild thaw in an undercurrent neither of us wanted to address.  It seemed impossible we’d be able to swim it; diving in could only lead to drowning.

Returning to the alienage put it out of my mind.  My family spared by the purge, but still not safe.  Murder and disease and hints of darker things make good distractions. When we discovered elves were disappearing, you volunteered to scout, as you had so many times before.  I thought nothing of it.  Until I was sitting up alone at my childhood dinner table, more than a day past when you should have returned, too paralyzed to do more than stare at the door and plead with the Maker or the gods or whoever might be listening for you to walk through it.

Sometime after midnight, you finally did.  You caught sight of me, and tendered a look of exasperation.  My dear warden, you said again, chiding this time, and before you could continue I flung my arms around your neck, too tight for you to get anything else out.  And we stood still there, like that, because if I let go I’d slap you. I hated you.  You were the most important person in my world, and if you died it would change me, and I hated you for it.

We went into that warehouse together, and pulled people— my people— out of cages together.  We read the manifest of those already sold away.  You put your arms around me, when I stepped into an alley after it was done and screamed and screamed and screamed into my own hands, because even if we somehow got justice this time, there was no undoing it, and no way to stop it happening again.  Because this was the Black City we all had to live in.  You told me then that you’d been sold, too, into a different fate but one ugly in its own way.  And my hand slipped into yours where it wrapped around my chest, just for a moment, until someone called us back to the mess we’d made.

You watched as I took the bastard Loghain’s head, and if it didn’t feel like justice for my kin, it did feel good.  You stood beside me as I promised a collection of the most powerful people in Ferelden, shems all, that I could save their country, and hours later, when I was sick back at the manor where we stayed.

You weren’t there when Riordan told me I was going to die.  It’s hard to remember now how out-of-our-minds, slap-happy with relief Alistair and I were when he showed up, fucking finally a senior warden who knew what he was doing.  That went up like a matchstick when he explained a grey warden giving their life to contain the archdemon was the only way to end the Blight.  He said some other things after that, but I didn’t hear them over the sound of one solitary thought:  I cannot put Zev through that again.  I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…

And you weren’t there when Morrigan caught me as I shambled from that room, weak with shock and grief.  You weren’t there when she told me there was a way out.  You weren’t there to see my revulsion— not at what she suggested, but at myself, because I knew my answer immediately.  I could not do that to you, not even with the entire world in the balance. That whatever the consequences, whatever pain this brought on me or on the child to come, if it spared you another heartbreak, the price felt fair.

I stumbled to your room no more than half-dressed.  You smelled the sex on me immediately.  Your face twisting with hurt and rage, until I fell down at your feet, my head on your knees, and told you everything.  What waited for us in the heart of the Blight.  The blood magic Morrigan wrought.  That I’d done it for you, that I begged your forgiveness, that if you left now I’d never be the same and please, please, Maker, please stay.

Your hand lifted my chin.  Your expression like I’d never seen before, tender and fond and something else. Something electric.  Your voice a whisper.  “My dear warden…”

“I love you,” I said.  It was what I’d been trying to say through all the incoherent babble.  Maybe for a lot longer than just this night.

You bent and kissed me.  And in the softness of your mouth, every worry and doubt melted away.

We’d seen each other many times before.  But you never trailed your thumb slowly across my every scar, from the faded wounds of Ostagar to the scrape from just this morning.  I never traced over the swirls of your tattoos with my tongue. We never drifted back to each other every other moment for a lingering wet kiss, never burrowed a face into a neck or tangled our legs or clung so close together that we seemed more one person than two.  It never felt right, not like this.  

And as I looked into your face in the dying firelight, brushing my fingers over your cheek, I thought about you covered in mud and pain and waiting to die.  Maybe the world didn’t care about us, but in its making, if there was just enough serendipity to let me find you, maybe that was all the care I needed.

[electronicdelusionstarlight]

The Story of Galateotta the Dragonborn: Issue 1

NEW FRIENDS ACQUIRED!

Finally escaped that blasted Helgen keep with the help of the charming Hadvar, our heroine has to decide her next moves.

It’s night by now, the sky darkening as the black wings of the massive dragon can be seen on the horizon, going divines know where. She’s virtually alone, in a foreign land, wielding only a rusted old sword, a robe stolen from the body of a dead wizard, and some measly sparks she has finally managed learned how to cast, something snapping inside her as a bear and a pack of wolves rushed at her and her new friend and attempted to devour them.

Hadvar, on his part, has been the perfect gentleman, offering her a place to stay for the time being, and even suggesting her to join the legion, help her all the steps of the way, and she's... kinda spooked by that.

Is that what friends do? Are they friends? They just met after all, and he was about to have her killed, even if he was so sheepish about it, is he going to betray her? Maybe this is some sick joke on her, maybe he's just using her, her walls and guard still high, but she doesn't know anyone else there, aside maybe those Nords from the cart, nords who wouldn't exactly take kindly all their pals she butchered with Hadvar while trying to escape the keep...

So, she follows Hadvar, disarmingly nice as always, as the moons raise above in the sky and they head for his village. They pass through the Guardian Stones, that's what he calls them, each for every constellation in the firmament, and despite being born in the month of the Lady, she still easily commute with the Wizard Stone... maybe this will be the start of a real path toward becoming a mage, one worthy of her quest of achieving immortality and stopping death...

They meet with his uncle as he gets back from his forge. He wakes his wife and accidentally their daughter, and Hadvar tells them the terrible things that happened in Helgen. They offer her a place to stay, and tell her they might need her help the following day, in these dark times.

She doesn't have the time to discover what they wanted for her, for she doesn't stay there till morning. During the night, in a spare guest bed so agonizingly close to Hadvar's cot, one of her nightmares surface, more vivid than usual, as if their source is closer than ever.

It shows her the Guardian Stones, shining bright as their light streams up to the stars, but she goes down instead, down down the hill following the river, at the foot of the Guardian Stones, where a door lies, hidden in the mountain by shrubbery and stones, beckoning her in.

She opens the doors, only for dark tendrils to erupt from the dark void behind the door, viscuous and deep, pulling her inside.

She wakes with a start, barelly screaming. Hadvar is a heavy sleeper fortunately, and is still the dead of the night. She sneaks out, by now incapable of going back to sleep, her red warpaint and dye smudged by now, muted, revealing her grey roots and deep bags beneath her eyes, and she goes out the house for a breath of fresh hair.

She attempt to care for her old sword with some of the steel lying around in the forge, promising herseldmf to buy it back lather in the day, but she knows little of smything and barelly manages to get her to a smudge of sharpness more. Still, she has plenty of time to waste still, and needs something to do, not wanting to leave behind her new friends yet...

The standing stones lay ominously where she last found them, waiting in her dream, and whatever secret lays beneath them is waiting for her too. She has to go check on it, she simply must check on it, so she leaves Riverwood, for a short hike, the moons' light enough for her to see, to reach the stones, the mage still gleaming...

And falls down the slope as he feet stumbles upon the rocks.

She's not so hurt, but is also forced to pop one of her scarce health potions to heal from her wounds to her fragile phisique, lacking the spells to heal herself. She has found the base of the Stones niw tho, from her dream, and is far more crowded she remembered, a lone ferryman with his boat offering a moonlit ride on the stream, and a couple of huntsmen, as well as a not so well hidden black door, embed in the stone.

The ferryman is sheepish about it, aknoweledging the door, but seemingly not wanting to reveal much, or not being able too, but she's curious, far too curious, and opens the door, expecting the tendrils of her nightmares...

She does not get snatched by evil tentacles. The door leads to a small descent, down to a second door, cared for by a torch that has been lit fairly recently.

Opening this second set of doors, she find a wide room with several altars, cloaks draped on them, some offerings, pelts, coins, books, even a few spellboks she eagerly learn from, on a armor against spell, one that syphoned her life to strenghten her restoration, her first summon, a black hound with a jaw of ice... A nearby placard presenting the room as a church of some sort, for the most various of faiths, and she's amazed by this notion, of a Molag Bal altar standing shoulder to shoulder with a Mara and a Meridia ones, almost blasphemous in its notion, as they each wait for her to pledge her alligiance to them... but she's not much for Blasphemy nor Faith, for she believes onky in the strenght of her own mind.

Anyway, long story short: In the secluded hall beneath the guardian stones, between the altars of the gods and the divine princes, she finds a lone crow with blue, shining eyes, perched atop the cold stone. It lands on her shoulder, freaking her out instantly, only for it to caw straight in her large ear, muffled by her hood, the sound so familiar yet so alien, before pecking it, drawimg blood.

She swats him away, scared of whatever disease it might carry, unsheating her cutlass and trying ti strike it down in a panick, but the crow only caws at her, flapping its wings midair, almost as if its laughing, as when the cutlass seemingly makes contact with him... it passes through, like it was cutting through smoke.

She looks, dazed, stunned, at the spectral raven, and it simplt gets back on her shoulder, gripping tightly, paimfuly, almost drawing blood, and caws at her ear again.

The caw is translated into words this time, images shot right to her brain.

She sees a Inn in a deep forest near a cemetery, an imperial wearing plain clothes on the porch, looking at the stars.

She sees a city surrounded by crumbling walls, a statue of Talos in the main square with a man rambling on and on about nonsense. A stray, sad dog is standing there, keeping company to some little girl dressed in rags, begging for money. She sees a man being escorted by the city guard away, hiding a shiny ring in his inner pockets.

She sees another inn, this one in a swamp, surrounded by death. A mountain of a man wearing a skull for a helmet sits inside, drinking a heavy tankard of mead alongside the prettiest woman she had ever seen, dancing small, magical flames with her fingers.

She sees a city, perched atop the seas, a long buulding filled with people playing instruments, a guard seemingly giving sone devastating news to a Altmer, as a old, grumpy man sits in a nearby chair, blatantly ignoring it all.

She sees a statue to Azura, massive against the night sky, a lone woman offering her prayers to her. At the foot of it, gaining wary glances by the few pilgrims who decided to get there, stands a massive mechanical constructs, weathering the elements with soft hisses, seemingly waiting for something.

And to end it all, was the vision of a jail cell, right in the keep a city build on wood on top of a lake, where a blue khajiit sits, talking to a bottled insect, naked as the day he was born.

Then, a city, deep beneath the ground, lost to time, below it further, among the radiation and the soul gems, a man clad in shining armor she had never seen, fear striking her as he turns toward her, as if he could see her too,

The last vision is the strongest one, details fading like leaves in winter, and the Crow looks pointedly at her, waiting her decision.

She looks at him, her life work, her freedom of choice, seemingly taken over by the blasted bird, and asks him if it really just wants him to go to all those places by herself.

The Crow caws, loudly, gripping her shoulder harder, and she winces.

She can't fight smoke, not without more power, so she's forced to follow the crow comands now, whatever might it be, as the crow position himself on her shoulder and rests. The Khajiit in the cell is the vision she remembers better, more vividly than the others, so she might as well start there.

With the cover of night, she reaches a nearby city, a cart in it. Asks for a ride toward the city whose banner she had seen, hanging in the cells, and goes to Riften without even saying Goodbye to her new friend, least the crow, what she now assumes was the source of her nightmares, grew impatient.

She reaches the jail cell, finds the naked khajiit, and he's convinced to know her. That's impossible of course, even if he does seem famiar, but he keeps insisting on it, and declares he'll protect her with his life... and what's a girl to do when a knight in naked armor proposes just that to her.

He's the only one who has commented on the raven. The only one outside her who could see it apparently, and she doesn't know how to take that.

Now, with a new "friend," the crow seemingly content with her for now, as they lazily eat at the local inn together, the crow stealing from her plate, as she tries to learn a bit more about the man she's been forced to befriend, charming as he might seem...

She ponders what to do next.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball 113

Now that Emperor Pilaf’s crew is out of the way, King Piccolo can finally get down to business, which is conquering the world.  

Piano tries to brief Piccolo on the current geopolitical situation, but Piccolo just zaps his whole Powerpoint presentation.     I really like Piano as a character, and I’m not entirely sure why, other than that he sort of reminds me of some of Jabba the Hutt’s entourage in Return of the Jedi.    Functionally, he’s probably like Bib Fortuna, but he talks like C-3PO, and he sort of feels like a team mascot, like Salacious Crumb. 

Also, the dynamic between Piano and Piccolo is kind of interesting.    Piano speaks much more candidly to Piccolo than anyone else, indicating that he’s a close and trusted advisor.   Presumably, Piccolo created him just like Tambourine and Cymbal, which means that Piano is exactly what Piccolo wanted him to be.    And yet Piano doesn’t seem to quite fit Piccolo’s plans.   He tries to act like he’s counseling a real king, but Piccolo’s military and domestic policies essentially boil down to “Break Stuff”.   

I think this points to King Piccolo’s defining character trait.  He’s a horrible, merciless villain, sure, but I think what sets him apart from the others is that he’s a bitter outsider who wants to punish everyone on the inside.   That’s why he wants to topple the legitimate king and usurp his throne.   The Red Ribbon Army was content to establish their own power base someplace else, but Piccolo wants the recognition.   He wants people to know that he’s part of their society--the top part-- whether they like it or not.   

So with that ambition comes this attitude that he has to make himself look and feel like a real king.    That’s why he surrounds himself with advisors like Piano, that’s why he sits on a throne, and that’s why he wants to move into King Castle.   I don’t think any of these things actually helps him accomplish his goals, but when your goal is basically “Break Stuff”, I guess it doesn’t matter.   King Piccolo doesn’t isn’t really interested in the final outcome of his reign, just so long as he gets to have authority that he can abuse.

As the pair cruise into the city surrounding King Castle.... You know, I’m just gonna go back to calling it “King’s Castle”.   Funimation added the possessive, and I’m starting to see why.   It just sounds better that way.

Anyway, it’s the 20th anniversary of King Furry’s reign, so there’s a big celebration with fireworks and a parade and so on. 

A lot of this episode is designed to set up King Furry as a counterpoint to Piccolo.    He’s everything Piccolo isn’t: modest, peace-loving, a dedicated public servant.

The catch is that King Furry’s record sort of contradicts a lot of the lawlessness we’ve seen in Dragon Ball leading up to his introduction.   Characters like the Ox King, the Red Ribbon Army, and Mercenary Tao seem to be able to do whatever they please.  I’ve always interpreted this to man that KIng Furry may officially rule the entire world, but he has a hard time enforcing his policies in the periphery of his kingdom.  

To be sure, I don’t expect King Furry to be perfect.   It’s likely that the world was a lot worse off before he assumed power, and the peace and prosperity his subjects are celebrating is a relative thing.    I just find it odd that the Red Ribbon Army was a Big Problem just three years ago, and everyone in this episode is acting like that never happened.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Korin, Goku’s planning to seek help from Korin at the top of Korin Tower.   But he’s all beat up, so Bora suggests that he rest for a few days before making the climb.  But Goku can’t wait, so he says Yajirobe will take him up.    Yajirobe refuses, until Goku tells him that there’s Senzu at the top of the tower, and it’s “Wizard Food”.

This leads Yajirobe to imagine a cereal mascot making giant food items appear out of thin air.   See, this right here is what all those Harry Potter movies should have looked like.   How hot would that be?   Dumbledore fights Voldemort, and they just keep trying to crush each other under giant pizzas and hot dogs.

Bora offers to help the boys out by doing a Fastball Special.   Only it’s even cooler than a Fastball Special because he’s gonna throw two people straight up.

I can’t believe Dragon Ball topped Harry Potter AND the X-Men in this one episode.   Well, actually, I can totally believe it.   This show rules.   Yajirobe grabs Goku’s butt, and Bora grabs Yajirobe’s butt, and we’re off to the races.

Of course, the animators sneak in plenty of upskirt shots of Yajirobe.   Wotta buncha perverts.

Once they’re as high as they can get, Yajirobe starts climbin’, crying out ORAORAORA as he goes.   Wow, a JoJo reference too.   This episode has everything.

Back at King’s Castle... uh... City?   Kingscastletown?  Castle City?   I think I’m gonna start calling it that.

Why are all these soldiers wearing pink?   I mean, they look all right, but they have a real ice cream truck vibe to them.     This makes me wonder if ice cream trucks in this town are Hum-vees driven by army guys in pixelated cookie-dough camo.    That’d be pretty badass.

So Piccolo’s ready to start invadin’.   First thing he does is T-Pose for dominance, and then he drops right on down on King’s Castle.

This guy at the gate tells him he can’t go in, and he has a gun, so Piccolo gives up and leaves.   And that’s the end of the story!   Kind of anticlimactic, but it’s a pretty daring way to wrap up a saga like this.   I think the moral here is--

Just kidding, Piccolo stone cold murders all the guards and just wanders through the castle at will.   Also, Piano finds a bag of chips next to some guy’s corpse and just picks it up like a crow.   This show is amazing.

Meanwhile, Master Roshi and Chiaotzu are still dead.

I feel like Tien’s sort of wasting time here.  I guess the last couple of episodes have taken place in roughly real-time, so it’s been maybe about twenty minutes since Piccolo made his wish?   That’s kind of nuts when you think about it.   But it feels like TIen’s been standing around all week.

The rest of Dragon Team finally arrives, and thank goodness Yamcha’s changed out of his blue tank top and short-shorts.   That outfit looked terrible on him.   Launch, of course, is still wearing her cool outfit from the Tien Saga, because you don’t want to mess with perfection.

So, just to be clear, Master Roshi is dead....

And Chiatozu is dead. 

Yamcha tells Tien that they need to team up to beat Piccolo.  Okay, time out, fantasy booking time.   What if they really did team up, and somehow they found out about the fusion dance, and King Piccolo met his match in... Tiencha!?

Like, TIencha would just instantly master the Mafuba, because he has Tien’s firsthand knowledge of the technique, combined with Yamcha’s ability to improvise moves like the Kamehameha and Spirit Ball.    But he’d be like, no.   No, this King Piccolo dude needs to pay.    So he’d wear him down with some Dodohamehas, and then polish him off with the Wolf Fang Volleyball Fist.    Then he’d cross his arms and shout “The Power of Tiencha!”

Then Tiencha would be made the new king.   Yamcha and Tien would rule jointly, but they’d use the fusion dance before making any important decisions. 

But no, we can’t do anything super mega awesome like that.  Instead, Tien wants to go off by himself and master the Mafuba on his own.   Yamcha offers to learn it with him...

But Tien tells him it would be impossible for Yamcha, since he’s never seen the move performed.  Well neither did Mutaito when he invented it, and so far he’s the only one who ever executed it successfully.

So Tien flies off on his own, leaving Launch to get all a-flutter over his stoic heroism.  Look, I get what they’re going for here.   This is Tien’s redemption arc, and Yamcha would just be in the way.   But this is a really dumb play.   Basically, Tien’s setting himself up to make the same mistake Master Roshi made.   Even if Yamcha doesn’t stand a chance of learning the Mafuba, he could still help in other ways, and if nothing else, he could be there when Tien tries it, and then if things don’t work out, he’ll finally have firsthand knowledge of the technique, so he can learn it himself.

Back at the parade, King Furry receives flowers from little girls from different parts of the world.   One of them is Suno from the Red Ribbon Army Saga.   I think this is the first time her hometown is called “Jingle Village”, and I really wish they had used that name back when I needed it.

Unfortunately, Piccolo blows up a bunch of heavy artillery at the castle, and the explosions finally disrupt the celebration, spoiling Suno’s big moment.

In hindsight, it probably would have been better to call off the rest of the celebration, but this guy in white only got word that a lone intruder was a the castle, and he thought tanks would be enough to stop him, so he decided not to interrupt the ceremony.   It was the wrong call, but I can’t blame the guy, since none of them had any idea what they were dealing with.   Now that he does know, he suggests King Furry leave the area immediately.

Furry really doesn’t want to do that, although he’s wise enough to know that his security chief is right.   Piccolo came her to get Furry, so if he can escape the city, there’s at least a chance Piccolo will follow him instead of hurting anyone else.

Meanwhile this huge dude tries to buy them some time.   From the dialogue, I get the impression that he’s the guy on the security detail they call when conventional weapons don’t work.    So at least King Furry’s staff recognizes that there are fighters in the world strong enough to resist tanks and guns.    It sort of makes me wonder why anyone still bothers with tanks and guns, though.   

Piccolo offers the guy a job, but he’s not interested.   It says a lot about King Furry that these guys are willing to lay down their lives for him, even against a foe this powerful.   This whole part of the saga feels like an inversion of Goku’s assault on Red Ribbon Headquarters, only now it’s a villain no-selling a bunch of good guys with guns.   But unlike the Red Ribbon soldiers, these guys are motivated by honor and loyalty, rather than denial and fear.  

To be sure, a couple of other guards see Piccolo kill this dude and they run away, but at this point, I’d say it’s the smart call.   There’s nothing left to defend here but an empty castle, and they’re way out of their league.    All they’d accomplish by staying is to die.

Unfortunately, Piano spots King Furry making his escape.

And it doesn’t take long for Piccolo to catch him.

Elsewhere, a kid asks his mom if there’s anyone who can stop Piccolo.

Suno knows someone.   

Yeah, Goku’s gonna come back and tear Piccolo apart.   You just wait and see.  

He just needs a little time to get his shit together.   Hang in there, world.

[willofhounds]

Chasing a Scammander ch6

Newt's POV

The first thing he noticed about his client was that his magic was warm. It was the sheer freezing cold he was used to. His own magic reached out in kind. There had never been a time where his magic reached out to another's like this.

A flash of yellow above their heads drew his attention. Rocks rained down upon them and he shouted bringing up his arm forcing his magic outwards as a shield, "Amourbrand!"

A golden shield formed around them protecting the two wizards from the rocks. Men and women in suits closed off their exit. A tall blond haired man came forward. He had hazel eyes that bore into Newt's own green ones.

The man inquired with a roll of his hazel eyes, "Lambert again? What is with you and destroying my bases, hmmm? Care to leave me my prisoner, Lambert? Do that and you can walk out of here scot free. Your center was destroyed so you can't fight us all and survive."

If this had been just a month ago Grier would have been right. With Murasame at his side however he could do anything.

Pulling Lindorm from his pocket he grinned, "I think not, Grier," to G he said, "Stay behind me. When I say run. Run."

He didn't wait for a reply instead he dropped the shield. He called out before they could reach, "With me, Lindorm!"

Newt made a mental note to thank the American wizard. It was that chase that gave his center time to rebuild in preparation for battle. The stretching his powers had done were perfect.

The half wolf half dragon came out of an amber seal. It looked back at him with a grin. They were both ready for a fight.

Seekere were a rare breed when it came to wizards. Whether they liked to fight or not they all felt the need to. As a wizard, Newt Scammander was a pacifist. He hated fighting.

As a seeker, Lukas Lambert could not ignore the call in his blood. There was nothing like the thrill of battle. Unlike many in his world he would not abuse his titans. Much like the creatures in his case he took care of them. He was a certified rehabilitation specialist for the Huntik Foundation.

After having his center destroyed he actively avoided battles. If he overdid it, it would have killed him. Now he was paying for that for he could not avoid the need to fight any longer.

Grier sighed before placing his hand on the amulet on top of his uniform, "Very well then. Subdue them, Breaker!"

A giant bear like titan came out. It had gold and leather armor protecting its body. Redcaps and Mindrones were summoned next. Newt knew he would have to be careful here. A cut would cause Murasame to come out. No one, not even the the Organization wanted that.

His charge did exactly as he said and stayed behind him. With the use of Overslam and Nimblefire they were able to break the line. Newt covered the man as they made a run for the outside.

Organization suits as a whole were undertrained lackies. Unless they were Grier's then it was a toss up. Unfortunately for them they had Grier to contend with as well.

Grier who once again blocked their path. Newt sighed it seemed they really wanted to keep this man. So be it. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

His green eyes glowed blue as his power activated. Newt called out, "Bladecall!"

A quicksilver blade landed in his hands. His bond with Pendragon sung with contentment.

Grier's eyes widened with surprise. He knew what the blade was and who it held. Would he take his chances with a Legendary Titan? They all knew that without the professor, the Organziation didn't stand a chance against Pendragon.

Grier held out his arm to stop the others. He growled, "We have lost here. Should he be able to summon the titan within that sword we would be unable to stop it. Let them through."

"But sir!"

Grier barked, "That's an order."

The suits made a path for them. Their eyes dark with suspicion. Newt kept a tight hold on the Willblade. It was a Castorwill artificat that the Organization had been after for centuries.

G asked his mismatched eyes watching as they carefully made their way outside, "Are you sure we can trust them?"

He answered as they hit fresh air, "They are a bunch of bastards but its Grier leading them. He's an honorable man despite who he is affiliated with."

Still he could feel the wards preventing both seeker and wizard travel out. It seemed he would have to break those first if he wanted to leave.

He held out his right arm as he shifted the Willblade to his left and shouted, "Murasame, come forth!"

A purple seal formed on his arm. Red membranes in the shapes of wings came from the seal. They were followed quickly by a head. As if the membranes were punctured they exploded causing G to jump back. Instead of blood and tissue blacker than midnight feathers littered the ground. A crow perched itself on his arm.

G inquired peering at it curiously, "What is that?"

Ignoring the question he said, "Murasame see if you can break through the barrier."

"Roger," came its reply.

Unlike most titans Murasame was capable of human speech. Of course he knew the real reason behind that. One that he had not told anyone including Dante.

Murasame was not in fact a titan at all. Instead he was a demon confined to the form of a sword. At least until an unfortunate soul unsealed it taking the demon into their own body. Most did not survive the process but Newt's determination to live saw him through it.

Flashback

Newt lay bleeding out on the ground. His entire right side was torn to shreds from an attack he didn't even see. Around him the bodies of the men from the Organization. It saddened him to see them like that. Harrison didn't like them but he didn't want to see them dead.

A shadow came over him making the man look up. A blond man stood over him. It was a color of blond that he almost mistook the man for a Malfoy. Then again what would a Malfoy be doing there? They didn't exactly like him when he was in school.

The man inquired sounding genuinely curious in his hands was a sword, "Do you wish to live?"

He tried to sit up only to collapse back down. The red bead he always carried with him fell from his pocket. The blond's eyes watched it roll with a look of surprise and intrigue.

Newt coughed painfully as the world turned fuzzy, "I think that's a given. This wound is fatal however. If it doesn't kill me then my center will soon enough."

His last hope was on a titan that it turned out wasn't even there. So many lives lost for nothing.

The blond replied holding out the sword he held, "Would you be willing to take a demon into your body? To throw away all possibilities of a normal life?"

Newt's didn't reply with words. Instead he used the last of his waning strength to grasp the hilt and pull. It came free immediately and at first nothing happened. Then a dark shadow came from the hilt and began to encircle him.

A pain like he had not felt before ecompossed him. It took all of his willpower not to cry out.

A voice growled, "Who dares try to awaken me?! I'm waiting for Shino to return. He promised that when he came back we would go for barbeque. He will come back. He promised!"

The last two parts were near hysterical as if the titan had a hard time believing it. Newt's heart went out to the lonely titan. He knew what it was like to be lonely. To long for a promise that was most likely long forgotten.

He rasped, "I might not be this Shino person but if you can help me I swear we will go have some barbeque. I don't want to die but you are my final hope. My name is Newt Scammander. What's yours?"

The dark shadow began to twist and turn. He could feel it testing the truthfulness of his promise. Testing his very soul.

It then began to form into a true shape and body. To Newt's immense surprise it became a bird. More specifically it became a crow. Black eyes met his green and a flare of hope entered the black eyes.

It said, "Shino... it's you. You finally kept your promise," it nuzzled where his neck and shoulder met. The loneliness fading from its voice as it said, "I missed you, Shino. You were gone for so long. You dont even remember me and you hurt again. I'll make you better then we can go eat."

End of flashback

Being the creature that he was Murasame flew head first into the barrier. When he hit it, it shattered and gave Newt the moment he needed. Grabbing the man's arm he apparated them away.

[aithne]

(Illume) Tomika's Letters 7/20 - 7/27: Skyhome

7/20/1583 at sea, leaving Miyazaki

Dear Lady Yukiko,

I know you've just left, but events today were so extraordinary that I felt as if I had to write you right away. It's not the same without you here; Panda appears to be doing the samurai equivalent of moping, the kitsune's been quite touchy (though whether that has anything to do with your departure is anyone's guess, really), and even my husband is not quite his usual charming self.

I have thought about your advice, by the way. I am trying to put it into action, but I fear the bold move may be beyond me for the moment. We will see, though.

Before he left, Akechi transferred five parts of the spirit he carries into Funitsu's orb. I feel a little left out, honestly, being one of the few among our company without a piece of the spirit. The transfer of the spirits, however, has caused the orb to gain strange new powers, which he has not quite puzzled out entirely yet. Or if he has, he has not yet told me.

I was also present, after Akechi and you left through the mirror for Kyoto, for the discussion of who was going to take what place in the Scorpions and, especially, the Black Hand. The librarian, as you have warned me to call him, has been declared the head, the person who provided Funitsu with his list of our enemies is the Second, and Funitsu offered the position of Third to Winter.

Winter accepted, and then turned right around and handed the position to Tadaki! At the same time, he handed his staff to the Sparrow. An extraordinary look crossed Tadaki's face, and he said, "That's....interesting..."

And Winter laughed, a little. He said, "My time here is done; I just needed to hand the staff off to a successor before I faded away. Hiroshi, I wish I could have stayed with you longer, but you'll do fine on your own. Tell Panda that I will miss her. And now, goodbye."

With that, his form faded until he was transparent and, then, gone. We all looked at each other, confused and silent, and then we all started speaking at once, trying to figure out what had just happened. Reiko went and fetched Panda, since she been out of the room during the discussion of the Black Hand. She was holding her orb with one hand and frowning. "That's...odd."

I happened to be standing next to her, and asked, "What is?"

"Tadaki's not there. He's just in that staff. Just like Winter was. How interesting."

Tadaki, for his part, was grumping and saying that the hengenyokai could have asked before he gave him the staff. Funitsu asked, "Would you have said yes?"

"Of course not!"

"Well, then, that's why he didn't ask. Welcome to the Hand, Tadaki."

I am pretty sure those were hengenyokai curses the Sparrow spat before changing into his bird form and flying off, presumably to have a good sulk.

Panda was still looking around, orb in hand. She pointed at the librarian's leg. "That, too, is odd."

The librarian looked alarmed, and asked, "What's wrong with my leg?"

"You have the tattoo wakizashi on that leg, do you not? Something appears to be spreading from it."

Both Funitsu and Reiko were looking curiously at the librarian's leg now. He took the tattoo off, pulling the sword away from his leg, but it failed to stop or even slow down the spread of the magic. Oddly enough, that leg seemed to be thicker and better muscled than the other.

After some examination, it was determined that each of the wakizashis that we carry that turn into tattoos has the crest of a clan on it--Funitsu had the Scorpion sword by sheer happenstance, Tadaki had the Dragon (which he gave to Haku, since the staff Winter gave him was by far a superior weapon), and the librarian had the Unicorn one.

The sword was changing him to suit itself, it seemed. It was changing him into one of the barbarian Unicorns. The change is happening swiftly, and within the next day or so it should be complete. A strange upset for our clever archivist.

We sail north, along the western coast, tonight. We'll be searching for Skyhome, since we have the entire key now, and perhaps try to contact the ship Shadow of the Scorpion.

One more note that I found interesting, if not useful--I happened to be standing by Reiko when Panda came to her with a message. She said, "I did as you asked. There is something very strange going on with Ito, as you suspected. It seems as if his kitsune spirit is actually female, but he's been bound permanently in male form. The kitsune in him fights, trying to become what it is meant to be, but the spell on him seems to bind him well."

Reiko nodded and thanked Panda, her eyes distant. She grows strange, Yukiko. She grows very strange indeed. Though I have not known her nearly as long as you, I think that the periods of lucidity between bouts of madness are growing; but at the same time sanity seems a relative term. This evening, she even told my husband that he should keep the fact that Hirohito, your brother-in-law, is unmarried in mind; if we needed to make another marriage alliance, he would be a good candidate.

Funitsu raised his eyebrows. "And who do you propose marrying him off to, Reiko?"

She shrugged. "I was thinking the Unicorn, myself. A closer alliance with Storming Bear wouldn't be a bad thing."

"You want to marry Hirohito off to a barbarian?"

"It's just a possibility. I mentioned it because I simply wanted to pass the thought along. I am a politican, Funitsu. You never overlook the opportunity to strengthen a shaky alliance. As it is, the Unicorns may not go to war for us. With a marriage alliance in place...they very well might."

She then walked off, silently, leaving my husband looking a bit stunned. He seems to have a lot on his mind, these days; and I fear I am but the least of his thoughts.

Let Akechi know that his many-great grandmother seems to be intent on marrying his brother off. Hirohito is a bit old to still be unmarried, I seem to recall.

We've a strong wind sailing us along. And away we go, north.

Warmest regards, Soshi Tomika

P.S. My new family name still fits strangely. I believe that is the first time I have ever written it.

How far fate takes us, indeed.

7/23/1583 at sea

Dear Lady Yukiko,

Such an exciting day! I tell you, a rousing battle always does wonderful things for my spirits. My father used to say that it was too bad that I took so after my mother in body, for I have a samurai's soul and love of action. He said I would have made a wonderful samurai-ko, like Panda. Unfortunately, being slight of build and not particularly strong, I was destined for the wu jen school instead.

All things considered, I think it's worked out so far. But I do love the opportunity to fight.

About noon, the crow's nest called down that there were three ships on the horizon--two before us, merchant vessels, and one behind us, a strange flesh-colored ship. We tacked hard to port, but the ship followed us rather than the merchant vessels, which disappeared quickly in the distance.

We put up full sail and commenced running while we tried to asses the situation. Panda was scrutinizing the ship with her orb, and said, "That ship...is alive."

Gryphon went to go look. When he came back, he said, "I sang! I sang to it. And it sang back! It says it's hurt or it needs help. We need to help it! Let's go help it!"

Panda asked, patiently, "What's hurt, Gryphon?"

"The ship! The ship is hurt. And it has one of the people who wear things like he does on it." He was indicating Funitsu with one clawed forefoot.

We cross-referenced some notes that my husband had, and figured out that the ship was called the Shrike, which meant that the person on the ship was called General Hikaru. The notes said he was a "problem specialist"; we appear to be the sort of problem men like him are sent to solve.

After some time running from the ship, a clever plan was hatched. We would use the three wakizashi that cut holes in reality to quietly gain entrance to the ship. We would then kill the general, the wu jen, and the ninja who we saw in Funitsu's orb, the far-seeing one. The ship would be ours, then.

On occasion, our plans work out. This was one of those occasions. We gated into the living ship, which was an odd ship indeed--the walls were warm and almost pulsed with life.

We reached the control room, where we knew our targets were, and took out the two guards on the door with a minimum of fuss. It was the first time we'd seen the librarian in action in his new form, and he was indeed most effective as a fighter. Somewhat more so than he used to be, as a matter of fact.

Reiko opened the door, unleashing what I recognized as a Shatter spell, and most of us charged into the room. The ninja was nowhere to be seen until he dropped down on Gryphon's back, but Haku took care of him quite handily, his head going flying and nearly knocking Reiko into the control webbing. The wu jen, nearly dead, dropped a frostball at his own feet. Funitsu took quite a blow from that and went down, but Reiko kneeled and kissed his cheek, waking him. (I had an irrational bout of jealousy, though I quickly quelled it. The fact that the kitsune kisses people to heal them is still a trifle disturbing.) Finally, the general went down, and the day--and the boat--was ours.

Gryphon spent some time communing with the ship, and said that it rather liked people, but it disliked being forced to harm others when it wasn't defending itself. We asked it to follow us for a while, and it assented.

Reiko tried climbing into the control chair, which she'd been utterly dying to do during the battle but in a rare show of wisdom had waited until after the fighting was over. She cast a healing spell from the chair--and the ship healed! The others tried the chair, and for them the ship changed. For Tadaki, the ship became narrower, sparrowlike. For Haku, the hull became thicker and the defenses grew stronger, and so on. It is a marvelous thing, this ship, called Shrike.

The key to Skyhome is still leading us north. I am sure I'll write when we get there.

Subtlety seems to not be working on Funitsu. I will persist in this course of action for a few weeks and see if he notices, however. The samurai-ko's temper is shorter than I'm used to; is it possible that she caught a child in the pair of times she has been with her husband? She seems somewhat anxious about his safety, even going so far as to mention aloud that she would find it pleasant if we stopped by Akita, if our travels take us so far north.

Warmest regards, Soshi Tomika

7/27/1583 Skyhome

Dear Lady Yukiko,

We are here, at last! Though I know you already know this (and, hopefully, Akechi has told you the most surprising thing I will reveal herein), I thought I would write you with the story of how we found it.

The key began pulling Reiko to the east as we reached the town of M--. (The town, like the name of the librarian, is of course not to be committed to paper.) We disembarked and started out on foot into the hills surrounding the town. Reiko left Ito behind after much argument from him; he stays close by her whenever he can, for what may be obvious reasons. A pretty boy, but so very dangerous.

Into the foothills we went, until we came to a box canyon with a shimmering shield over it. those of us with better eyes than I could just make out two people moving around. Funitsu pulled out the odd gaijin spyglass that he picked up before I joined the group (well, was ambushed, kidnapped, and forced to marry Funitsu more or less at swordpoint, but let's let bygones by bygones) and said that there was a samurai and a wu jen at the shield, and the samurai was trying to hit the shield and having no luck.

Gryphon yodeled, "Home! Home! Almost home!"

With the distance cut to nothing by those wakizashis, we attacked the pair at the shield. we were doing brilliantly, if I do say so myself, until Tadaki shouted, "Hey, Reiko, behind you!"

Funitsu's Faery Fire outlined the shape of a large oni about four meters away from Reiko and closing. Reiko tried to run but the oni was faster and caught her. The first blow from its claws tore the shoulder of her kimono away, leaving deep furrows of bleeding flesh behind. The second blow sent her sailing through the shield.

And on the other side, she landed, eyes closed, bleeding into the dust.

Damn kitsune. Never any use during a battle. And she had the key--and was bleeding to death where none of us could reach her. The oni, running after her, smacked into the shield.

We all looked at each other, and then Gryphon charged into the shield. I expected him to bounce off, but he sailed right through, grabbing Reiko, disappearing through a shimmering portal on the other side of the shield.

The oni screamed, seemingly baffled. Panda stepped carefully around it, trying to circle it, evidently wanting to get the shield to her back.

Then the oddest thing happened. Panda got too close--and accidentally stepped through the shield.

Dodging the oni, we very quickly determined that Panda could get through the shield and the rest of us could not, unless we were holding on to Panda. In short order, we passed through the shield and through the door. We were met on the other side by Gryphon, who was very agitated, and asking to see the mirror.

Haku held out the mirror and he ran into it. Confused, we looked up to see Reiko lying beneath the paw of a very large, evidently older gryphon, asking her, "Are you all right?"

She opened her eyes and squinted upwards. "Eh. Everything seems to be in working order. I suppose I shouldn't call you Kittycat, eh?"

The gryphon was saved from having to respond by our Gryphon's arrival back through the mirror. "Panda! Panda! You're the chosen one! Akechi said! You're the chosen one!"

Panda, I am afraid, gaped a bit. Gryphon has that effect on everyone, sooner or later. "I'm a chosen...what?"

"And none too soon, either." The older gryphon's voice sounded, and he got up from where he stood. "There's not much time, the last air spirit is dying. Let's go."

We could feel the ground beneath our feet shuddering, and I recalled the tale that Gryphon told me once, that Skyhome was a city in the sky, held up by air spirits...the last of which was, evidently, almost dead. And when the last died, the city would fall from the sky...

We hurried.

We came to a grove, and Panda was brought before an old, old woman, looking like nothing more than a husk of a being. But she smiled brightly when she saw Panda. "You're here! Praise be. Quickly, child, come forward."

Panda did so, kneeling by the old woman. She said, "I'm sorry. I don't understand. I'm not an air spirit, I'm a spirit of the bamboo. How am I the chosen one?"

The old woman laughed. "Ah, child. You're more than you think. You see, Akechi, when he came here as a very young man, was changed into a spirit of the air. We sent him back to earth, there to find a Bamboo woman to mate and have a child with. That child is you; you have both, but the air is stronger, and it called you here."

She blinked, raising one hand to her mouth. I have never seen her betray surprise before, and I doubt I ever will again, but in that moment she was deeply startled. "Akechi is my father?"

"The one and the same. But the change left him unable to have children with human women, much, I believe, to his sorrow. We all liked Akechi so much. It grieved us that he would not be able to have his own human children. Though I have to say, you seem to have turned out all right."

Funitsu muttered in my ear, "Then Yukiko--"

"Akechi has to know, and more than that, he has to approve. Sssh."

The old woman was still speaking. "And so I will transfer my power to you, and you will be the new anchor for Skyhome. And your children, and their children, will be linked to this place. I hope you like it, dear. It's yours."

And with those word, she laid her hand on Panda's hand, muttered a word, and faded away. Her robes fell to the floor, empty.

We sleep tonight in Skyhome, and I am sure that Panda will have questions for Akechi, when next she sees him.

I heard Reiko mutter, "Are all of these my grandchildren? Ah, kami."

I certainly hope that Akechi let you know before you get this letter. I am sure you have a few questions of your own. As do we all, but none deserve the answers more than you.

Warmest regards (and best of luck beating Akechi about the head and shoulders if this news comes as a surprise, because he will very well deserve it!), Soshi Tomika

(play date 8/8/2004)

Quotes:

"He has a fine sense of tumor." --Laura

"Wait a second. Barbarian Librarian?" --Derek

"I rolled a 4. I go on an 18." --Bryan, showing off his shiny new Init bonus

(Laura puts dice down the back of Kris' pants) "I'm still missing a D20..." --Ray 

"We're playing musical chair." --Laura

"So the first in the Black Hand is...a barbarian." --Derek

"Hiroshi SMASH!" --various people

"The dandelions are taunting me." --Derek

"Mmmm mm mmm mph mm mm mm!" "How many times do I have to tell you not to play with your food?" (dropping Reiko) "It's not food, it's friend! It's broken, fix it?" "Are you sure?" --Gryphon and his Grandfather

[dykedteach]

okay here we go, episode 2 second watch

(I think this is my longest liveblog I’ve done, but then again I feel like this is the most emotional a tv episode has made me since I finished Black Sails so like?)

so uhhh they’re really gonna hide all the valuable people in the crypts huh, they’re really following through on that

“women and children first” to DIE??? I M EAN

i’ve been thinking about this non stop since i first watched the ep and my growing dread is nigh unstoppable, if i had any doubts that the winterfell dead might rise, their whole repeated thing of “everyone will be safe down there” shot them straight down

i’m lowkey annoyed we missed out on what would have been an incredibly awkward introduction scene between jaime and literally everyone, but i’m glad his “trial” didn’t drag out

i want sam’s opinion on dany’s bloodthirst vis a vis avenging her father BC LIKE????

“i’d do it all again” honey be QUIET 

L O Y A L T  Y 

loyalty

l      o   yal     t e  a

lmao daenerys’ look of anger and disgust at brienne hopping to jaime’s defense alone makes me want her dead tbh

sansa being a better strategist, ruler, negotiator, and peacekeeper than both of her parents combined, is my weakness tbh

also He R  aRmOuR drESs !!!!! what a LOOK! 

d: “what does the warden of the north say about it?” j: [has dissociated solidly through the past six hours, is only now just realising it’s daylight and he’s in the great hall] uhhhhhhhhhhhh cool i guess?

tyrion finally breathing after daenerys lets jaime live is ridiculously endearing, i love the brothers’ relationship so much

baeworm death-glaring jaime is also ridiculously endearing tbh

i dig the gendarya love theme, i do i do i do

everyone keeps saying that the fact they had sex means one of them will die next ep but honestly? out of all the non jonerys pairings (missandei/greyworm, sam/gilly, jaime/brienne) i think they’re most likely to live through the battle, and the fact they have their own theme makes me doubt as well that they’ll end next episode

that poor guy who got in the way of arya and gendry’s dragonglass throwing foreplay, so close yikes

i can’t believe that out of everyone who bran has been weird to, jaime was the one to take his weird shit best

“how do you know there is an afterwards?”           sd;kjlas

djkasljdak;lsd

                        asjd;lsakdla;sd

        bran

                               bran stop

   please be fuckin w us bran

this brotherly love scene is great and it hurts me to think it might be their last solo scene

although the way they keep talking about how sure they are they’ll die....idk? and with bronn on the way with his crossbow? to have both, or either, die at winterfell with the battle seems a waste. plus, one of them needs to be the valonqar so?

i’d be satisfied seeing a dead tyrion rip cersei apart though, i’ll admit that

JAIME GAZING AT BRIENNE INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO HIS BROTHER

pod has come so far in his fighting i love him so much i love brienne’s proud mama expression hes. he’s 100% going to die. for sure. 

“we have never had a conversation that’s lasted this long without you insulting me, not once” KJASDKLASJDKALSJDALKSD 

“i came to winterfell because...” Y OU LOVE HER DUMBASS

i still ship jorah with dany more than jon, fight me

i love the confirmation that all the bad blood between them is under the bridge, i love that he convinced her to make peace with tyrion and sansa, i love that he’s made peace with tyrion taking up his position, made peace with his house, with his relationship with his father...........

he’s absolutely toast and i hate it.

he’s going to die for dany with one last “khaleesi” and it’s going to break my heart

“we have other things in common” yeah you both have jon in your immediate family trees lmao

i’m confused by the “someone taller” comment, who’s she talking about? everyone else hurt her or betrayed her at some point. is it barristan? is it baeworm? it should be baeworm

ok so. i don’t need or want sansa to end up with anyone. 

that said

if it had to be a man

my heart almost jumped out of my chest when she and theon hugged, i didn’t expect her to get this emotional at all, shit i didn’t expect MYSELF to get this emotional

HER TEARS

THEY BOTH NEED HUGS IM GLAD THEY GET HUGS

soup dad can’t die i forbid it

let’s talk about gilly for a second, how far she’s come, from a scared abused girl to a strong, caring, confident woman and mother, i’m so emotional please protect her

DAVOS ADOPTING CHILDREN LEFT RIGHT AND CENTRE

THE SHIREEN THEME PLAYING OVER THAT BIT IM ASJDKASDJ

i’m super surprised edd and beric survived the hearth, i thought there would be more of a fight there

LITTLE CROW

i know people crack ship them, but like, they’d almost be better suited than jon and daenerys

while i adore the idea of theon making amends for taking winterfell from bran by defending winterfell and protecting bran from the night king, i know in my heart that all it’s going to result in is a very dead theon (and probably a dead bran)

why do i feel like while well intentioned, having dragons near the godswood is.....a mistake

i’d love for bran and tyrion to both survive, i’d love to see them talk more as equals because they’re so similar intellectually (i know they had scenes when bran was a kid, but that doesn’t count)

missandei and greyworm are too good and pure for this earth, i want them to leave, i want them to go to naath and never come back, i want them to find a little house by the water and eat fruits and find missandei’s family and take in some stray children, some street cats to lay lazily on the stones of their porch, maybe missandei teaches the children of their village every morning under the rising sun, maybe greyworm becomes a tradesman, makes shoes or ale or binds books for the locals, they grow old and content together and the children they took into their home, now grown adults with their own children, bury them side by side underneath carved stones, i want them more than almost anyone to have a happy ever after because if anyone deserves it it’s those two

but there are dreams that cannot be

and greyworm is almost certain to die next episode

maybe missandei too, but i’m not sure

until then, i will live in my fantasy.

i love my nights watch boys, i love that they talk about grenn and pyp, i miss those lads

sam being the playful, banter-full, confident guy he is, i love him so much i’m so happy for him he better fucking survive (and maybe become lord of horn hill who knows? he has a wife and a son so ? 

honestly the idea of tywin knowing jaime and tyrion are defending winterfell is so wonderful

ha ha h ah ah  ah h a i love tyrion and jaime so much that i. i forget. temporarily. about tyrion’s first wife

brienne stopping pod from drinking and then tyrion just.......fuckin pouring a large one out for the lad

please, let him drink, it’ll be his last

davos is such an old man i love him

jaime looking between brienne and tormund with amusement is the best thing ever

davos’ concern over ten year old tormund hopping into bed with a giant is incredible. dad mode. always on dad mode.

hound’s not gonna die yet, not until cleganebowl, he’s safe next ep for sure. so he’s allowed to be a grumpy old git for a bit

beric is straight up gonna die tho

“might as well be at a bloody wedding” g o d i dont like that foreshadowing

beric is so cheery and amicable im gonna miss him

i’m so glad that they gave arya agency, and a sweet, un-sexploited, in-character sex scene, there’s so few really good sex scenes in this show and i’m glad she got one of them

(no matter how long i spent the first time around watching through my fingers and cringing, i KNOW she’s an adult and maisie is an adult but god she’s still such a kid in my eyes)

as soon as the gloves started coming off i screamed

he is a sweet sweet boy and i wouldn’t want my murdering badass fave to be with anyone else

i appreciate them showing her scars as part of it, i can’t quite put my finger on why but it was nice to see that

i feel like once i get over the weirdness of like, “hey that’s arya”, it’s probably one of the hotter sex scenes in the series? just for passion and use of consent and stuff

i can’t even begin to elaborate on how perfect brienne’s scene is

it’s immediately one of my favourite scenes in the whole show, i honestly don’t have the words

it’s better than any marriage vows that have been taken in the whole series, and to see brienne proud and happy is just...incredible.

the mormont scene i wanted!!!

this is such a touching scene between two of my faves, i want jorah and sam to be pals forever but i know its just....not happening

the fact that sam starts in the crypt but i know he ends up on the battlefield is....concerning to say the least

god. that song. that song is everything

im too in my feelings to care about jonerys, sorry

i can genuinely believe that jon loves her, and doesn’t care about the iron throne or any titles really for that matter. but the other way around? i’m not so sure.

ok so my survival list: dany, jon, sansa, tyrion

everyone else is at risk please pray for me

oh also i bought the download of Jenny and already cried to it three times this evening, so the credits are making it a round four

[thtrelady]

You Can Talk to Me

Stomping down the forest path, Lucy fumed as she muttered under her breath. She couldn’t believe the nerve of the mayor withholding most of their pay because the town hall had been damaged. It wasn’t even Natsu’s fault this time! It wasn’t their fault that the monster had come into town and they’d had to fight it in the middle of the square!

--------

“LUCY! Watch out!!” Natsu shouted as the monster swung its tail towards the Celestial mage. Natsu’s eyes widened in horror as he watched from across the square. Loke dashed through, catching Lucy around her waist and tossing her towards the Fire Dragon Slayer just as the monster’s tail swept through the spot Lucy had just been standing. Loke went flying into the building destroying the roof and Lucy screamed his name as Natsu caught her just before she hit the ground. “NOOOOO” Lucy cried out, struggling to get out of Natsu’s tight grip. She pushed him away and ran towards the collapsing building looking for Loke. Natsu fell to one knee, shaking at her close call, before his eyes darkened and he sprang towards the monster that had dared to attack his Lucy.

--------

Trailing behind her, Natsu walked slower than normal. His head was down and he kicked the occasional pebble with his sandal. Every once in awhile he’d look up at the back of Lucy’s head, wince and look down again. Natsu was used to Lucy’s quick temper, but this had lasted hours now and he was at a loss on what to say or do that wouldn’t get him in more trouble with her. His chest tightened and he caught his breath, what if this time she can’t forgive me, shot through his head.

Happy was riding on Natsu’s backpack, clutching the pink strands of the Fire Dragon Slayer’s hair to keep his balance. His eyes flicked back and forth between Natsu and Lucy. “Natsu, do you think she wants one of my fish?” the little Exceed murmured to his friend.

“I don’t think that’s going to help this time Happy.” Natsu replied in a soft voice. They both watched the Celestial mage for a moment longer before glancing at each other again and sighing.

“Happy, what if she leaves us…”

“Lucy would never do that, she’s our family”

“But, she hasn’t said anything to us in hours now.”

Just ahead of the the Slayer and Exceed, Lucy was caught deep inside her own panicked mind. That job had been her last hope to pay her rent this month and she didn’t have enough now. Her landlady had been clear, if rent was late one more time she would be evicted.

Tears sprang to her eyes. She’d failed. She’d tried to live free from her father and his money and she’d failed. Loke had been hurt saving her and she’d failed. Lucy clutched the keys at her side and let the tears run down her face, too tired to let her pride stop them from falling.

Natsu stopped dead in the path as the scent of her tears reached him. Oh no.. no..

“Luce?” Heart pounding in his chest, Natsu spoke louder, hoping she would turn around and acknowledge him.

Lucy stumbled and Natsu leapt forward to prevent her fall, grabbing her by the shoulders and keeping her from hitting the path. Once he had her back on her feet, he couldn’t let go. Fear of what he would see on her face kept the Fire Dragon Slayer frozen in place.

Lucy rotated inside Natsu’s arms, burying her face in the warmth radiating from his chest. Natsu’s breath hitched as he felt her arms wrap around him, dragging him closer to her as her shoulders shook and she cried. He felt his fears ease a little as he held Lucy in his arms.

“Luce?” he repeated, hoping this time she would answer him.

“What am I going to do?” Lucy hiccupped against him, her voice muffled.

“What’s wrong Lucy?” Natsu rubbed his hands up and down her back slowly letting the heat from them seep into her, trying to comfort his best friend. He wanted so badly to tip her face up and kiss away the tears. Mavis, he hoped she’d return his love someday.

Lucy relaxed a little as Natsu’s heat soaked through her skin. Whether quick hugs, being caught in mid-air, or those butterfly inducing mornings when she was surprised to wake up with him tucked in bed next to her, being wrapped in Natsu’s warmth was the safest place she knew.

“I.. I’m going to lose my apartment…” Lucy managed to say in between small sobs. Natsu’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.

“Why would that happen?” he asked.

Lucy tilted her head back to look up at Natsu and replied “I don’t have enough to pay the rent and Mrs. Galley is out of patience with me. I’ve been late too many times and with all the damage we’ve done she isn’t willing to let me stay anymore. This job was my last chance and they didn’t pay us the full amount.”

Natsu’s stomach plummeted. They’d cost Lucy her home? “Oh Lucy, I’m so sorry!” he said as he tightened his arms around her. Natsu peeked over his shoulder at the blue Exceed on his back. Happy’s eyes were huge as he returned the look, this was worse than they’d thought.

Happy rose into the air. “I’ll find us a spot to set camp,” he said, flying off ahead of them. Natsu picked Lucy up in his arms and set off down the path behind Happy.

“Natsu?” Lucy questioned. It wasn’t that unusual for Natsu to carry her after a mission, but usually she rode on his back. The way he was holding her now was more intimate and she felt her face flush a little.

Natsu tried to answer her, but his throat was too closed up to do more than mutter a soft “I’ve got you,” as he pulled her close.

It took Happy no more than three minutes to find a clearing large enough for them just off the side of the path. Natsu followed him over to the site and set Lucy down carefully. Lucy turned away to wipe her eyes and compose herself while Natsu rested one hand on her shoulder. Both felt uneasy and weren't quite sure what to say.

Natsu stepped away knowing they needed a moment to collect themselves. “I'll get firewood if you have Virgo bring the tents.”

Lucy nodded and pulled out the golden key, summoning her trusted spirit. Together Lucy and Virgo swiftly put up the two tents while Virgo filled Lucy in on Loke’s condition. While Loke had been badly injured, he was healing well back in the Celestial Realm. “He’ll be fine with some punishment,” Virgo stated before patting Lucy on the shoulder and disappearing in a golden mist. Lucy shook her head, reasonably certain that punishment was not what Loke needed.

Happy and Natsu worked together quickly gathering enough wood for the night. They talked to each other about the bomb Lucy had just dropped on them. While they didn’t have a plan, they agreed that no matter what, they had to make sure Lucy stayed. In the past, Happy may have teased Natsu about it, but he understood that Natsu truly did LIIIIIIIIIIKE her and that if Lucy left it would devastate his Slayer. Happy had spent a lot of time talking to Gajeel and Pantherlily about Dragon Slayers and one of the many topics had been mates.Given his reaction to the very idea of Lucy leaving, Happy felt pretty confident that Lucy really was his mate. Natsu was a mess.

By the time Natsu and Happy got back, Lucy had cleared a spot for the fire. Natsu quickly created a bonfire and for the first time in hours Lucy smiled. She settled down across the fire from Natsu and watched the flames dance.

Natsu watched Lucy closely, seeing his flames reflected in her eyes. When he saw her shiver, he stood and moved in back of her. Settling down behind her, he tugged a little until she rested her back on him. Lucy curled her body up a little, soaking in the warmth radiating from both the fire and the Fire Slayer.

“We’ll figure out something Lucy. You know that right? You know that we’ll find a way to keep you with us. Fairy Tail wouldn’t be the same without you,” he stated.

“Aye!” added Happy as he settled into Lucy’s arms.

Lucy dipped her head in a slight nod. Now that Natsu had snapped her out of her spiraling thoughts, she knew that the guild would have her back. Natsu rested his chin on the top of her head, letting her scent surround and relax him. He could feel the tension leaving her body as she warmed up and calmed down.

Natsu felt a sense of peace drift over him holding the Celestial mage in his arms. It just felt so right having her tucked into him. “You could sleep with... “ he started and then paused, suddenly realizing what he was saying. Nerves froze his voice for a second before he shook his head a little to clear it. “You could stay with me,” he finally finished.

His arms gripped her as he fumbled out, “I mean.. You can have the room and I’ll sleep on the couch!” He closed his eyes, half expecting to be slapped.

“Really Natsu? You’d let me live with you?” Lucy was surprised.

“Yeah, of course! You mean every...” Natsu caught himself again. “I mean, the house isn’t big and it’s a mess, but I’ll clean it up for you. Just, don’t leave us... me.” His voice died off a little at the end.

Lucy stilled, having caught his quiet correction, was she really hearing what she thought she was hearing? She turned her head so that she could see his face and gasped at his expression. Lucy caught her lower lip between her teeth and his eyes snapped to it. Natsu’s eyes were wide open as he looked down at her and there was something behind them that she’d only ever dreamed of seeing. The partners stared at each other in silence, both barely breathing.

Happy wriggled in Lucy’s lap, mischief gleaming in his eyes, before he sprang up, shoving the back of Lucy’s head towards Natsu. The two were so close that the sudden motion caused their lips to brush against each other. Happy shot up into the air on his wings, knowing he needed to get out of Lucy’s reach after pulling that trick.

Quickly, he turning in mid-air to see what direction the attack was going to come from and nearly tumbled back to the ground in shock. Natsu had wrapped his arm around Lucy, angling his head and kissing her like he’d never let go while Lucy clung to him.

“Yes! Finally!” the little Exceed crowed before flying off into the trees to give them privacy. Not too far though, he needed to be able to share details with Gramps in the morning.

[youremyonlyhope]

C******s, Bastards, and Broken Things

Aren’t slurs in titles fun? I’d rather just censor it rather than possibly upset a follower. Finally I have free time and can watch Game of Thrones without giving up sleep or feeling guilty for not focusing on something more important. Yay!

The curvature of the map during the opening... hmm... So there’s a theory out there, kind of similar to the flat world theory and the upside down world theory, that yes the world is a sphere. But we are actually on the inside of the sphere, and the sun is at the center, and all the stars and stuff are also at the center and are super duper small or something. Obviously it’s a theory that is wrong, but... the way the map curves in the opening... curving upward instead of downward... almost makes me want to say that the world of Game of Thrones is like this. On the inside of a sphere. I don’t know, it just kind of came to me as I was watching the opening just now.

Little Bran can walk... so is this a dream? THE CROW HAS 3 EYES. Ok it’s a dream. Hodor!!! Greyjoy looks SO familiar, but I don’t wanna check his IMDB in case I’m spoiled so... I just gotta keep wondering why I know him... until I catch up or he dies, whichever comes first. Ok so what is Sam’s story? Why is he there? Someone tell me. Stop with all this mystery. Can we just tape Viserys’ mouth shut already please. I’m glad Daenarys was like “Dude. He drove you from your land because you deserved it.” Ok... but they’re getting turned on by dragons... “And everyone would hate me.” Oh. If only they knew that the sperm decides the sex of baby, not the egg. It’s just men trying to find more reason to belittle and hate women even if it’s their own fault they don’t have sons. Ok, well it’s still out of their control which sperm fertilizes an egg so I guess it’s not completely their fault, but the mother has no hand in that whatsoever so yeah she has no fault at all. So they shouldn’t hate Sansa. OK I would like to read this book of lineages too. Did Jon Arryn suspect that Joffrey is the son of Jaime too? “With all the weight they’re given, last words are usually as significant as first words.” Ooooh. I like that quote. I like that. “And your sons will be knights, and princes, and lords.” “...No.” I love her. WELL. I DON’T EVEN KNOW SAM THAT WELL AT THIS POINT. BUT AFTER HEARING ABOUT HIS FATHER AND WHAT HE SAID I JUST WANT TO HOLD HIM AND NEVER LET ANYTHING HURT HIM AGAIN. THIS POOR BABY. Jon’s like “That’s it... I’m adopting him... he is mine now.” No... I totally did not go “*GASP* Is that Gendry my bae?!” out loud. I didn’t do that. Totally didn’t. He’s not my bae already. (Nah but seriously for some reason I thought he wouldn’t show up until like season 2 so I was shocked and may have overreacted oops. Also even I don’t understand why I’m so obsessed with Gendry without even watching the show. His actor was in 1 episode of Doctor Who and maybe 2 of Merlin and he made an impact.) Oh cool. He should be a prince. Nice. Jory trying to get on Jaime’s good side... smart. I like him so far. Please don’t betray Ned.

Ok wait. We’re halfway through the episode, and besides Gendry being King Robert’s bastard and Sam’s story making me want to adopt him, we haven’t really done much...

Awww he’s literally adopting and protecting Sam! Yes! Oh look it’s Jon’s direwolf! We haven’t seen him since he was a puppy. His name is Ghost right? Wait. It’s a he right? I don’t even know the dog’s gender... Ok so protecting him is one thing, but babying him so he doesn’t get any better at fighting won’t help anyone. Why in the world is Viserys pulling this girl by her hair. Why has no one killed him yet? Khal Drogo, get on that. I know it happens in like episode 6 or 7 but like, let it happen now. “You’ve no right to a braid, you’ve won no victories yet.” YES GIRL. PUT HIM IN HIS PLACE WHILE EDUCATING HIM ON THEIR CULTURE. YES. “The next time you raise a hand to me will be the last time you have hands.” GIRL. YES. Who is this Ros? Everyone’s been with her. I’m sure she has some stories to tell, when can we meet her finally? Oh this poor baby Jon Snow. I must protect him too. See, now I understand why when (Spoilers if for some reason you’re reading this and don’t watch Game of Thrones but like even I know this spoiler) he eventually dies there was a gigantic uproar, and why everyone was so happy to have him back. Torchwood-cannibal-Thorne-guy gives me all the creeps.

OH MY GOD. HE’S A CANNIBAL IN THIS TOO. I WAS ABOUT TO WRITE “Oh my god this is basically what happened to the Essex ship except in the wilderness” SINCE THEY RESORTED TO CANNIBALISM BUT IT DIDN’T REALLY HIT ME THAT HE’S A CANNIBAL AGAIN UNTIL HE STARTED CREEPING ON SAM LIKE “Soft, fat boys like you.” IT WAS THE SWITCH FROM RESORTING TO CANNIBALISM TO HIM SAYING HE WOULD HAVE GLADLY EATEN SAM THAT GAVE ME THE FLASHBACKS TO COUNTRYCIDE THAT I DID NOT WANT. I DID NOT WANT THESE FLASHBACKS. I GET ENOUGH WHEN HE’S ON SCREEN. I DON’T NEED HIM TO LITERALLY BE DOING THE SAME THING HIS COUNTRYCIDE CHARACTER DID TOO.

Ok wait. I was thinking “Oh Sir Hugh must be helping organize the joust or something and that’s why he’s counting footsteps” but he’s actually participating in it? So... is he gonna cheat or something? He has an advantage, he knows exactly how long the field is. That can’t be fair. Ooooh... kay. He’s legit dead. So much for an advantage. And we’ll never know what he had to say. Fun. Convenient. Why are we letting Sansa and Arya watch this again? OH GOD AND HE FELL RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM TOO!??!!? I had been wondering why the Hound was burned, but didn’t ask, and didn’t really want to know why. And now that I know why, I wish I didn’t. WHY WOULD YOU TELL HER THOUGH? SHE DIDN’T SAY “TELL ME” OR “I WANT TO KNOW” ALL SHE SAID WAS “NO I DON’T KNOW THE STORY.” The way Catelyn closed her eyes in annoyance when Tyrion practically announces to the whole tavern that she’s there was so perfect. Distracting from the fact she’s there when she really should be by complimenting and talking to all the people who’s families she knows. Smart. “...on his 90th name day. He plans to take another wife.” Oh I just scoffed along with Tyrion. Wait... wait... I vaguely remember in one of those “Top 10″ videos, one about “Top 10 Creepy Age Differences” or something, that David Bradley plays a character who’s super old and has had like a billion young wives... Is this his son? OOoh girl so we’re just gonna do this whole accusation thing right here right now. Cool. But now I get why you wanted them on your side. *Everyone pulls their swords on Tyrion.” OOh. Yeah. I mean. Yeah. Hmm. Yep. He deserves this at this point so far. And he did this to himself, she probably would have just let him go since she probably would have rather confronted him at a later point than bring attention to herself by doing it now.

Well. We finally got Gendry! Yay! And I have a new son named Sam!

Also I never realized that HBO stands for Home Box Office.