#since I reference it so many times

[yours-the-author]

Super Danganronpa: Goodbye Despair Extended Zodiac: My Thoughts

Hey gamers, I'm back on my weird fixation again. Time to buckle up, 'cause we're doing more zodiac shenanigans for the dangan-boys and dangan-girls! I've explained the concept several times now, so you probably don't need me to do it again.

In fact, I think I'll include links to the previous posts I made on this topic, as well as the V3 edition whenever that gets done in the future. I'm going to put it above the Keep Reading line, in case you want to avoid scrolling through spoilers. Here they are:

Trigger Happy Havoc

Masterminds

Goodbye Despair (You are here!)

Killing Harmony (Not done yet)

Enough of that now; let's get started! Danganronpa spoilers inbound!

Hajime Hinata - January 1

Capries - Sign of the Bold (Capricorn, Derse, Time)

Born on the first day of the year, Hajime is a Capricorn! Capricorns do everything they can to achieve their goal, no matter how hard they have to work. They can also be selective about who they share their goals with, especially if, logically, they know it's not the best plan.

This is Hajime to a T, especially in the Despair Arc of the anime. He's worked hard to become a student of Hope's Peak Academy, even if he can only attend as a Reserve Course student, but that's not enough: he wants to be talented, to be a true and accepted Ultimate at the academy, and he's willing to make tough decisions in order to reach that dream... namely, a lot of terrible decisions. He throws away who he is as a person to become a talent lab rat, which in turn leads to the events that causes the Biggest Most Awful Most Tragic Event in Human History. The one person he shared his goals with was Chiaki, and and though he likely knew her advice was sound, he wouldn't give up. Or maybe he couldn't?

Next is Lunar Sway, and I chose Derse for Hajime. Skeptical, introverted, and an inherent need to rebel against the system of Talented vs Untalented by becoming talented through artificial means; Hajime's pretty cut and dry. It can also be hard for him to appreciate the present moment, as seen in the prologue of Goodbye Despair where he refuses to join the others in enjoying the beach. And, of course, by the time he feels ready to participate, the Killing Game begins. His Derse traits fit here quite nicely, too.

Next comes his aspect, which was a bit of a difficult decision, but I eventually ended up with Time (other choices were blood, doom, and heart, surprisingly). Time players feel a constant struggle in their lives, literal or metaphorical, and if that isn't Hajime Hinata's life story right there, I don't know what is. His lack of talent, and the self-esteem issues that stem from that, make life quite difficult for Hajime. Despite working hard and paying a lot of money, he's "only" a Reserve Course student (which has always felt weird to me? Like, there's a huge tuition fee and massive tests and exams in order to get in; they may not be Ultimates, but they're definitely talented). Not only does this wear away at his emotional stability, but there's that one scene in the anime where a teacher beats him up when he tries to enter the main campus! Who knows how many times that happened offscreen! Also like a Time player, Hajime is a relentless problem solver (makes sense, since he's a protagonist) AND impulsive. Seriously, none of the adults in his personal life (parents or guardians) nixed the thought of Hajime doing the Hope Cultivation Project? Not one? He's either a good liar or he has even more struggles than I realized.

Lastly, his word: the Bold. I wasn't sure about this one at first; Hajime can certainly be courageous when he needs to be, but confident? Only if the class trial demands it. The key that made me chose this word, though, was the fact that he's very willing to take risks. I don't know the full extent of how he became a lab rat, but there must have been some discussion of risks, even if they were downplayed considerably. It didn't matter to Hajime, though. No matter what price he'd have to pay, fiscally or physically, he would do anything to become an Ultimate student. And he did.

---

Chiaki Nanami - March 14

Pimino - Sign of the Empathetic (Pisces, Prospit, Doom)

Interesting fact, apparently Chiaki shares the same birthday as Chihiro Fujisaki from THH, which makes them both Pisces! We're only going to talk about Chiaki today, though.

Pisces people often have an enigmatic and otherworldly quality about them, though a lot of that is because they like to daydream and get lost in their own thoughts. Chiaki's quiet but rational nature is often hidden by her tendency to sleep standing up and focus on her videogames, and, as it turns out in Goodbye Despair, there IS something otherworldly about her: she isn't human! Even when she was still alive, her kindness to and friendship with Hajime stuck around even after he became Izuru, and though he didn't remember who she was, she managed to do something quite enigmatic: she made him cry at her death. Alive or not, Chiaki has something special about her that suits a Pisces perfectly.

For Lunar Sway, I gave Chiaki Prospit, which may seem a bit odd, but hear me out. While it's true she's more introverted and less likely to make huge reactions, like a Derse dreamer would be, that's just because that's her honest personality. Prospit dreamers don't always have control over how they present themselves to the world; they exist as they are, even if they're naturally quiet people. Prospit dreamers also have difficulty with deception. Though Chiaki physically couldn't reveal her role as the "traitor" in Goodbye Despair, she didn't do much to keep it a secret, either. She willingly put her student handbook on Nagito's bomb, which he claimed could only be done by the traitor, and once the purpose of Nagito's death was revealed, Chiaki desperately did her best to reveal what she was so that the others could survive. Very Prospit-like, in her own way.

Doom players "are fate's chosen sufferers." Given all the horrible things Chiaki goes through in both the anime and Goodbye Despair, this one's pretty straightforward. And while she might not be able to directly help someone in trouble, she's a very willing sounding board for anyone who needs to vent (namely Hajime). She puts the company in "misery loves company", with the wisdom, kindness, and non-judgmental attitude to go with it.

Finally, Chiaki's word: the Empathetic. This plays off of a lot of what I already said, but it's further proven with her death in the anime: despite actively dying in a super painful way, she cries because she's worried about her classmates and Hajime. She wants nothing more to live so they can all be friends and play videogames together. She knows the impact she has on her classmates and the respect and care they have for her, so she knows her death will leave a terrible impact and she worries what the aftermath will look like for them. Sadly, it was probably worse than she thought it would be.

---

Nagito Komaeda - April 28

Taurius - Sign of the Unmapped (Taurus, Derse, Hope)

Born on either the rainiest day of April or the driest April in years (depending on his luck), Nagito is a Taurus!

This... probably seems like an odd choice for Nagito. It certainly felt that way to me at first, since Taurus' are typically openhearted and withdrawn. Much like Byakuya from THH, though, it all comes down to stubbornness. Nagito is one of the most stubborn characters in the series, tying himself to the powers of Hope and Talent even when no one else sees things his way. Despite how close he acted with Hajime before the fourth class trial, the second he found out Hajime didn't have a talent, Hajime became dirt beneath his shoe. I wonder to myself how much of that was Nagito's honest feelings or just his strict adherence to his code of Hope; especially considering his special episode in the anime, where he wakes up from the NEO World Program with Hajime/Izuru's help. His deepest desire seems to be a world without talent (and by extension, a world without separation of talented and talentless), but he's quick to deny such a concept when he awakens. Is he stubbornly against talentless people for real, or is it simply a way of thinking he can't let go of? Who knows?

Next, the Lunar Sway: Nagito's fairly clearly a Derse dreamer. Nagito is acts very humble- often to an annoying degree- but his statements don't always feel so honest; some false humility, perhaps? He also has an odd sense of humor, and can be incredibly shrewd and calculating. While he claims that his talent "sucks", he still knows how to put it to good use, constructing a convoluted death trap for himself that will identify the traitor. And it works... to a point. Just his luck that Chiaki had faith in her friends and wanted them to survive, huh?

I really, REALLY didn't want to do this; I know he'd be freaking out right now if he were real, but unfortunately it seems to be one of the better fits, especially with his word. Nagito is... a Hope player (collective groan). The Hope bound are driven by their convictions, their idea of what is "right" and "wrong", even if it's not the conventional definitions. As mentioned in the Taurus paragraph, Nagito is tied down to his ideal of Hope and Talent being the ruling forces of the world. He's also not adverse to destruction in order to enforce that ideal; he brings a bomb to school to try and cancel exams because stressing out the other Ultimates will make them feel hopeless, or something along those lines. He very much knows that it's not appropriate to do that, but he's gotta do what he's gotta do to bring forth all of that hope. Though these ideals can make him narrow-minded and selfish, there are instances where he can be positive, warm, and even caring! Misguided and wrong as his methods were, Nagito did really want to help his classmates when they were feeling stressed. Well, at least he can have some hope in the form of being a Hope player in some rando's (me) Extended Zodiac discussion.

Finally, his word, which is what won me over to making him Hope: the Unmapped. While this world usually refers to geographical or even genetic uncertainty, it can be used here to describe Nagito's thought process. During the Funhouse arc in Goodbye Despair, the players gets to control Nagito for a bit, and we get a look at how he thinks vs what he says: a whole lot of thinking, not a whole lot of explaining his reasoning aloud. He's a complete mystery to everyone around him, like an uncharted map.

---

Lastly, I'm going to do my favorite character in Goodbye Despair (and then I'm going to go to BED! I keep forgetting how much work these posts are until after I start them. Anyway, put your hands together for:

Peko Pekoyama - June 30

Canittarius - Sign of the Striking (Cancer, Derse, Void)

A quiet swordswoman with an intense loyalty to her special one? Yeah, sounds like my kind of character. Anyway, Peko Pekoyama is a Cancer!

Resolute but surprisingly emotional, Cancers tend to create a hard outer shell to protect their soft and sweet insides. In Peko's case, she cares highly for Fuyuhiko, but thinks that such feelings are wrong for her to have since she's merely a tool to him (from her perspective). Thus, she creates a solemn and loyal personality befitting a piece of equipment like her, though she likely longs for something more from her young master.

In a similar way, Derse makes a lot of sense for her Lunar Sway. Cerebral and less inclined to vulnerability, a swordswoman like her needs to be able to calculate the best path to victory. Those skills are probably also useful for her social "life" as a pseudo member of a Yakuza family. Careful thinking and choosing your words carefully probably goes a long way.

Then the Aspect, which was rather difficult to decide on, but I finally chose Void. Void players are wise and intuitive people, but can also seem dismissive and apathetic. Peko decides to become Fuyuhiko's "murder weapon" in a clever attempt to help him survive, but in doing so, she's completely dismissive of what he wants until it's too late. And during her execution, she acts on instinct: the second Fuyuhiko is in danger- especially at her own hand- she stops fighting and uses the last of her strength to keep him alive. A very intuitive choice, indeed.

Finally her word: the Striking. Yes, this is a pun on how she strikes people with her bamboo sword, but her attempts to swindle the other characters into voting for the "wrong murderer" involve extreme, attention-grabbing methods: putting on a show as Sparkling Justice, the serial killer, and convincing people to make the "wrong choice". Of course, that's not the way it played out, but her attempts were certainly striking in their own way.

---

...And, those are my opinions! I'd definitely love to hear your thoughts and/or own opinions about which combinations fit better, so feel free to say something if you feel so inclined. I'm going to bed, it's late where I am and I've got a busy morning ahead of me. See you around!

[nattikay]

OC lineup! All the characters that currently exist in this "story"

[killjoy-prince]

House M.D. but it's when a character says the name of the episode

[aroaceleovaldez]

HoO is so funny to me when you actually think about the ages of all the characters. Octavian is 18. Percy and Annabeth are 16, almost 17. Reyna is presumably 16. Frank just turned 16, Jason’s about to turn 16. Leo and Piper are like 15. Hazel’s like 14 and a half, and Nico is 13.

The Death Sibs are both the youngest and oldest on the Argo II. Octavian is a college freshman getting into petty drama with a bunch of high schoolers. He gets told to shut up at one point by a random 8th grader. Everyone is scared of the 8th grader. We Sent A 13 Year Old To Superhell and he came back weirder, Just Like Middle School. TLH was just three high school sophomores being sent to do a task and it going Exactly Like You’d Expect. Percy’s the only demigod on the ship who can legally drive (though Reyna gets her drivers license at some point before TOA). What Is Happening.

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

Mandatory rant about kaveh’s 2023 birthday letter incoming!!

Kaveh and Alhaitham’s birthday message subject lines are seen to mirror the other through their usage of punctuation, as Alhaitham’s subject line reads as: “…” as opposed to Kaveh’s: ‘!!!’.

A sense of familiarity evoked in their current living situation emanates from these mirrorings and within this message. Kaveh writes about him bringing coffee beans “home” in order to try, and then follows this with: “we compared the taste of each, we decided that this was the best”. Through Kaveh’s explicit usage of the word “home”, it is evident that the “we” refers to him and Alhaitham. This description establishes a sense of domesticity, only to be achieved in a mutually agreed ‘home’ as opposed to a ‘house’.

It is relevant to reference Kaveh’s understanding of “home”, as in a place in which words are not necessary and link it to the idea of companionship being more important than understanding. The latter idea consists of supporting a person, regardless of the ability to empathise with and relate to their particular struggles, should be valued over attempting to be understood by people who are not willing to listen in order to understand - established by Kaveh’s mother within his hangout.

In this, Alhaitham is offered as a companion to Kaveh, where he cannot empathise with Kaveh’s artistic and idealistic struggles, but he is willing to listen to him over offering empty words which cannot solve Kaveh’s particular problems.

Kaveh’s understanding of “home” as a place in which people are at ease with each other and support another regardless, can be seen within his relationship with Alhaitham.

Kaveh and Alhaitham split the chores according to Alhaitham’s character stories; they both make attempts to decorate the house; presumably they eat dinner together, according to Alhaitham’s Story Quest where he excuses himself in order to have dinner, only to talk to Kaveh; the two can be seen to share a study; when ordering out, Kaveh orders extra for Alhaitham – a common enough occurrence for Alhaitham to be confident in relying on this; and for Kaveh’s birthday they try coffee beans together to determine the best ones to send onto Kaveh’s friends - Kaveh’s close friends who are also Alhaitham’s.

Rather than the “cold” and “lonely” house which Kaveh was left with after the passing of his father and departure of his mother, this conjures the image of warmth and familiarity. In this, it can be inferred that the two have created a home together.

(Update: For more analyses like this, the essay this is taken from is now uploaded! It can be accessed here and here as as a pdf <3)

[starry-bi-sky]

thomas wayne au excerpts - things that could've been part of a grander fic except there's no grander fic

thomas wayne au - an au i made last year where danny is literally just. thomas wayne. his full name was Daniel Thomas Fenton and he started going by Thomas Nightingale after he was disowned. because of course. here is a link to the first post if anyone wants to see a more in depth view of the au (its also the start of me using the ‘danny fenton is not the ghost king’ au lmao

additional info: bruce is the result of a failed cloning attempt from vlad - vlad used a combination of danny's dna and an unnamed girl (Martha's) to make him to try and balance out the ectoplasm use. this resulted in a slightly liminal but otherwise completely human and stable baby boy. Bruce is, by all accounts, Danny's biological son. Danny named him Bruce

Danny was 24 when he died, he took in Bruce when he was 16. He is, so far, a single father in this au. (But if I WERE to add martha she wouldn't be sam or a DP character but rather a separate character on her own.)

Essentially they would go as:

Martha, 19: water does terrifying things to corpses

Danny, 19, half ghost: *heart eyes* really? tell me more they're morticia and gomez your honor

---- Like starlight -----

Bruce's father could light up a room. He was like a sun, his gravitational field could just pull you in, and before you knew it you'd be orbiting around him like one of his many planets.

He's seen it in action before, in the rare moments Thomas Wayne would allow him to accompany him to the socialite events he went to; the fundraisers; the charities. Bruce, as tall as his father's waist, would cling to his leg and watch as people drifted towards him and his star-blinding smile.

It's fitting that his father's favorite thing in the world were stars, he fit right in with them.

As an adult, Bruce has tried copious amount of times to mimic him. To try and capture a fraction of that light, that charm, in his own act - but here's the thing. Thomas Wayne wasn't made of starlight only in front of the cameras, he was made of starlight outside of it as well.

(So when older socialites laugh and tell him he's so much like his father, Bruce just thinks they are liars. They've only ever seen the Thomas Wayne his father showed them, Bruce is nothing like his father.)

In the manor, whatever room he stepped into seemed to brighten, and maybe it was just Bruce's own child-memory fuzzing it to raise his father onto a pedestal, but he stands by it. His father was a solar system, his very own galaxy. Bruce was just the lucky planet that was close enough to orbit him.

--------- arrival time ------

Ancients, ancients, what the fuck convinced Danny to ever go to Gotham of all places? Crime Capitol of the world? He's not sure, but he's been wandering around the country for the last few months, swapping between flying late at night as Phantom, and taking the busses and trains when he had the money, and was too exhausted to fly.

And of course, what convinced him to come here with his kid no less, who was just at the cusp of turning a year old? Whose curiosity of the world was growing greater by the day? Who wanted to look around and explore, and was growing tired of being held at all hours of the day by his father.

But he was going to be held, at least for as long as they were in Gotham for. He didn't trust the stuff on the sidewalks, and he didn't trust the people walking on it. Bruce was tiny, and Danny would lose his mind if he lost him in a crowd.

In his arms, Bruce whined and wriggled, pushing at his shoulders in the signature way he did when he wanted to be let down. Danny tightened his hold, and adjusted his place on his hip.

"I know, bumblebee." Danny muttered, resting his chin on Bruce's small head. His hair was still thin, but it was dark and soft, and tickled his throat a little. "But not yet, I need to find somewhere for us to stay first."

He needed to find somewhere for them to stay, permanently. He couldn't keep living like this, and he couldn't let Bruce grow up like this either. Constantly moving, homeless, unsure of when he was going to eat next? It wasn't good for him. But he needed to find a city he liked, and after that? He wasn't sure. Where did he start?

But Bruce doesn't like his answer, he whines at him, louder, and his wriggling increases. He wants down, he wants to move. They were in a new place again, he wanted to explore. He's too little to fully understand what his dad's saying. "Dada." He said, his voice thick with the accent of a child first learning to speak.

"I know," Danny repeats, stressing the word as his eyes flitted about. There was a park nearby -- maybe he and Bruce could stop there for a bit. Bruce could move around, and Danny could figure out his next move.

It was getting dark, he didn't want to be out in Gotham when it was dark. Shuffling, he moved the inside of his jacket to wrap around Bruce better. It was getting cold, too. Last winter with Bruce had been hellish - Bruce's liminality meant that Danny's immunity to the cold hadn't been passed down to him. Danny had spent all winter terrified that Bruce was going to get sick and die. He didn't want to go through that stress again, especially now that Bruce would be moving.

He hoped they could find new living arrangements soon.

---- dniwer eht klolc - clockwork's conversation ---

Laughing quietly as Bruce ran out of the room, Danny turned his attention back to the mirror, his fingers curled around the knot of his tie. They'd been planning this outing for weeks since the movie was first announced, and Danny wasn't going to let anything ruin tonight.

Humming under his breath, his hands fell from his tie and he steps back. They were leaving in half an hour, at best, but experience from the last six years has taught Danny that he wants to be ready before then.

In his reflection, the clock behind him stops ticking, and a wave of nothing washes over him, a subtle shift he's gotten used to that was the sensation of time stopping. Ticking, soft and coming from all four sides of the room, filled his ears.

Danny's smile drops. And behind him, Clockwork swirled into existence like a blackhole reversing its pull. "Don't go out tonight, Thomas." He says, his voice stern.

That wasn't happening.

He reaches up to push back a loose strand of hair out of his face. "Does something happen to Bruce, Clockwork?" He asks, his voice deceptively calm. That would be the only reason he would postpone tonight. If it endangered Bruce, then he would just have to break the news to him that they'd have to go tomorrow.

In the reflection, Clockwork's lips thinned, pressing together tersely. He looked tense, the grip on his staff was tight, tighter than Danny's seen it before in recent years. And it worried him a little.

Clockwork is silent for a few seconds, hesitant, before he finally speaks. "No, Bruce will be fine." He says, and uncharacteristic of him, he shuffles, "But--"

Ah, good then. Danny's smile returns briefly across his face. Then it could be something Danny can handle. "But nothing then, Clockwork." He says, interrupting the Ancient firmly. He leans back slightly to look over himself again in the mirror, before going to undo his tie. He's changed his mind about it.

"Boo has been looking forward to our movie all week, I'm not crushing his hopes by changing my mind last minute." In just a few seconds the tie was off his neck and tossed onto bed behind him. And Danny was reaching over the dresser beside him to grab a pearl necklace, he normally didn't wear it, it belonged to Mrs. Wayne and he inherited it after she and Mr. Wayne passed away last year. It wouldn't hurt to wear it for a special occasion like this.

Clockwork's lips tightened, and his shoulders tensed up. "Thomas," He says lowly, "Please."

...Clockwork never said please. Danny's never heard him say please in the last ten years he's known him. This... must have been pretty serious -- but, his core tugged at him. He couldn't cancel without finding the reason why. Bruce was so important to him, Danny couldn't break his heart with this without learning why. He wouldn't allow it, and neither would his core.

He hooks the necklace around his neck and turns to face Clockwork, frowning deeply. "Does something happen tonight?" If he knew the reason -- he just needed to know the reason.

Clockwork stares at him, and something that Danny can't catch appears across his face. "...I cannot tell you." He says after a long moment, his voice quiet.

That... is not the answer Danny wants. He won't cancel.

He frowns. "If something happens tonight..." He says slowly -- Clockwork said that Bruce is unharmed. That must mean Danny was able to handle it. He allows himself to smile reassuringly, and he steps forward to clap a hand on Clockwork's shoulder. "Then I will handle it, alright? I promise."

He gets no response back. Clockwork's expression unreadable as he nods silently - Danny's anxiety curls in his gut. He's being so unlike himself. But he shakes Clockwork's shoulder gently and steps around him, leaving the room.

After a minute, he feels time return to normal.

[spheredotorb]

some marx practice bc i cant seem to get him right

[heavendraven]

two dragons

[front-facing-pokemon]

[ganondoodle]

so with echoes of wisdom .. i havent watched any of the trailers beyond the very first one and the thumbnails/screenshots and what others have said about it-

but with the world inside the rift being called "Welt des Nichts" aka "world of nothing/void" in german ('still' in english, for some reason) and demises title in french being "avatar of nothing" ... yeah my anxiety is shooting through the roof again

(hopefully you can be a little more forgiving for me being anxious/weird about it bc demise is my blorbo)

i had similar worries with totk, that werent proven true thankfully, but the darn book is making it all worse again with all those weird lore things the game doesnt even so much as hint at AND potential retcons- im in for a really rough time huh, not just stress in real life (more in tags.. its alot) but now about my specific hyperfixation from two things even (AND artblock still..)

weird as it may sound, i dont want demise to get more lore, partly bc i dont believe theyd do anything with him that i would like (given their track record) but much more importantly- the fact that he has this little lore about him is precisely one of the reasons why i fell in love with him, i tend to like characters that are neglected by the narrative, and his story being both so flat and already done meant i can be very creative with what i come up with for him without necessarily contradicting anything in canon (which is ... or was a big point of how i wrote destiny's story and lore, working with canon in a way that reframes it all without straight up ignoring it ... but i suppose i urgently need to let go of that and accept i spend alot of time working things that will go to waste :( ) AND not having to worry that there will be more stuff with him that would massively change not only what im writing but also potentially how i feel about him since the game he was briefly in was the oldest chronologically and ended with his death- i didnt expect them to mess with anything that far back and thought theyd just go forward and leave the timeline behind and wouldnt mess with it again, given how botw seemed to be a sort of 'fresh start' that seemingly regarded the past as the past that needs to rest and that the timeline was finally no longer a discussion if everythings unified through botw and one thing going forward

but i suppose i was very wrong with that .__.

right now the only thing that motivates me still is the left over determination and spite to work on my zelda comic, since i have never gotten this far and really want to get something done for once, but i cant lie that im feeling like i should pause all work on it too to wait and see waht the book and the new game will do .. either to determine if i still have the will to keep working on it after those things are out (my love for tloz has been taking alot of hits lately ..) or if i have to change stuff (mostly bc of my lore problem trying to not ignore it ..)

[reblog-house]

hello gemcyt fellas how we doing. just.... slipping my scar design right here......

[esteemed-excellency]

I finally had some time to draw lineart and colour my sketches, so here's Hiram in his dapper outfits for the @neathyfashioncoalition!

Featuring:

the Infernally Well-cut Suit and the Devilish Fedora

the Sumptuous Dandy's Outfit, the Tasselled Sword-Cane, and the Pair of Dancemaster's Dabs

the Dignified Tailcoat and the Sneak-Thief's Mask

[robinmage]

finally done. i tried to make it as accurate as possible, but the sims 4 has quite a few limitations and even the references i had contradicted themselves sometimes so i had to use a bit of artistic liberty.

they dont seem to keep much clutter around the house but i wanted to give it a more home-y feel, so i just imagine that after chise moved in it got a bit more cozy.

[non-un-topo]

My Neekeys over the last two-odd years. I was curious to see the changes 🤔

[chronologically-challenged]

25 year old Bonnie, after trying to get friendships and relationships of their own, now realizing how buck wild their family is: What do you guys mean you guys decided to spend the rest of your lives together only after knowing each other for a few months

[deiaiko]

#20.8 Spar

"Are you up for a spar, Viole?" Novick asked after they finished snacking on the garlic bread. He was always competitive, especially when he was introduced to new people. However, Dan and Gyetang also looked excited to join. From what Agni caught, they were curious as to how talented Viole could be to have  earned his status as a slayer candidate, which was understandable.

Still, Agni huffed in amusement. His team still chose to train even though he had called today off. Though Agni wasn't against it. He felt like it'd be good for both him and Grace, since exercise always took their minds off things. Bam seemed a little reluctant, but he went along with it, especially after Grace said it'd be a good bonding experience.

Everyone moved to the training area and they made a quick bracket match. Grace reminded Agni not to overexert himself in this spar, even though Agni insisted that he was fine. But he understood why Grace was worried, since he would be too if Grace were in his place.

The first round was Dan against Gyetang. Both of them had improved a little bit from the last time Agni watched their spar. Gyetang was able to read Dan's movement the moment the spar began, and act accordingly to counter his attack. Though in the end Dan still gained the upper hand once he was able to render Gyetang's fuuma shuriken useless.

The second round was Grace against Agni, which would have ended fairly quickly if Grace used his reverse flow control. But since he didn't, he and Grace had shinsu enhanced martial art combat instead. Agni could tell that Grace was avoiding hitting his leg. In a real fight, Agni would use that to his advantage, but on this occasion he appreciated Grace's thoughtfulness. However, none of them went easy with the other, so they dragged out the fight until Agni ran out of stamina.

The third round was Bam against Novick. Despite it being the first match, Novick went all out on Bam by using his ultimate moves as a start. Still, Bam kept up with him, though he kept on the defensive. It wasn't until Novick and Grace encouraged Bam to attack that things finally got more interesting. Novick was slowly pushed onto the defensive, though Agni knew that Bam was still holding back. However, all of Novick's attempts at challenging Grace seemed to pay off, and Agni could see that he was still able to keep up. However, Bam's attack pattern was different from Grace, and one of his bangs took Novick off guard, allowing Bam to subdue him. Even though Novick was clearly still okay enough to keep going and break himself free from Bam, he raised his hand in surrender and ended the round.

Since this spar was for the team to get to know Bam, and everyone knew that Grace was the strongest, the fourth round was voted to be Bam against Dan. Having seen the first round, Bam was able to predict Dan's attack. However, that didn't mean that Bam was prepared to go against Dan’s speed. Bam tried to use reverse flow control on him, but Dan was too slippery to get caught in it. He was used to having to deal with Grace's, so he was able to read Bam's aim. Dan didn't waste time and successfully pinned Bam down to the ground the moment Bam let his guard down. However, it seemed to trigger a fight response from Bam, and he summoned a bang behind Dan. Agni intervened by creating a barrier to null the shot which could cause serious injury, but the bang had already been snuffed out before it exploded. Agni looked at Grace who exhaled in relief with his hand half raised, before calling the match over. Everyone else was too stunned by the outcome until Dan offered a hand and pulled Bam up to his feet. Then Gyetang and Novick finally cheered and congratulated them both.

As they waited for Bam to cool down after two matches in a row, Novick challenged Agni to a spar. It was understandable, since Agni usually was too busy to join their afternoon routine. However, Agni was still worn out from his previous match and a little under the weather, so he aimed to end this one as soon as possible, especially because Novick was a tank which would put Agni at a disadvantage if the match was dragged out. As soon as the match began, Agni activated his lighthouse flow control to stop Novick and teleported behind him. He froze Novick's limbs before he was able to reinforce himself with shinsu, and pointed a knife at his neck.

"Not going easy on me, huh?" Novick chuckled as he admitted defeat. 

Agni melted the ice on Novick's limbs and stepped away to the spectator seats. "I would be at a disadvantage, otherwise."

Since it ended too fast, Novick challenged Dan next. Compared to what he had with Bam and Agni, he went relatively easy on Dan. But in the end, Novick still came out as the winner since Dan was built for agility, not power.

As if saving the best for last, Novick finally challenged Grace for a spar. It went as it usually would. Grace was just humoring Novick, but at least he managed to make it believable and kept Novick on his toes. Agni had seen what Grace was actually capable of, after all. Practicing with them like this was actually wasting potential on Grace's part. He would grow stronger quicker if he faced an opponent that was on his level or above. But Grace looked like he was having fun, so who was Agni to ruin it?

The last match was Bam against Grace, which everyone had been looking forward to. Grace assured Bam that he could go all out with him, which prompted Agni to reinforce the barrier that surrounded the training area even more than usual. At first, neither of them made any move to attack, but it was interesting to see the differences in their mirrored stances. 

"You can have the first move," Grace taunted.

Bam summoned two bangs and released them toward Grace. They were easily blocked. 

"Is that all? I know that you can do better."

Agni thought it was harsh of Grace to say that. A regular on this floor that could control two powerful bangs was already considered a prodigy. But Agni understood the frustration. He himself had been far harsher on his younger self. Their teams were far behind, and would not survive had they lived during wartime. It was a scary thought.

Grace decided to step forward, and Bam switched to his reverse flow control stance. However, nothing happened as Grace kept on closing their distance. Bam frowned and ran forward, pressing his palm in front of Grace's chest. Grace didn't move away from the touch, looking at Bam with anticipation.

"Go on," Grace said when Bam hesitated a moment too long.

Bam bit his lip, before releasing his flare wave explosion. Grace's eyebrows twitched in pain. Even though Agni could feel the wave, it was not as destructive as he had predicted, even with his lowered standards.

"One more time, but you have to give it your all." Grace very rarely used his strict voice, but when he did, it was a clear warning that he was displeased. "If you refuse to, then I will start to go on the offensive."

Bam inhaled sharply and forced himself to release another flare wave explosion that was finally close to the level that Agni predicted Bam could do. Grace covered his mouth and coughed, and Agni saw a glimpse of red. However, Agni kept firm on his seat, since Grace was smiling at Bam.

"That's right, don't hold back." Grace jumped back to create some distance and got in his defensive stance again.

Bam got more serious after that, and his bangs were formed with more concentration. Grace carefully landed a few blows and slowly shifted to offense, while still creating some openings for Bam to take advantage of. Their exchanged blows got fiercer, and it was finally clear that they were having fun.

Not too long after, Bam was starting to run low on stamina, but at one point he managed to sneak behind Grace and hit him with another flare wave explosion. However, Grace saw it coming, so he repelled some of the waves to decrease the damage that he took. Unfortunately, it fired back at Bam and injured his arm. They decided to stop the match then, as Bam seemed really close to passing out. Grace held Bam's shoulders to steady him on his wobbly feet, and gently lowered him so they both sat down on the floor. Agni approached them just in case his help was needed.

"Are you okay?" Grace asked, getting more frantic when Bam suddenly looked like he was having a heart attack. Agni froze in his steps when a red exoskeleton grew and enveloped Bam, healing his injured arm. But Grace seemed less surprised and just comforted Bam until the exoskeleton disappeared.

Agni squatted down next to them and whispered to Grace, "What the heck was that?!"

"Blue Thryssa, incomplete form." Grace looked thoughtfully at Bam, who was staring back at Grace with a confused and scared look. "Your wound healed now, see? It's fine."

"Are you sure?" Bam rubbed his healed arm. He winced, "It's, uh…talking to me?"

"Hmm, maybe I can help you understand it." Grace sat down cross-legged and got in his meditative state, placing his palm on Bam's back.

Everyone else had come closer around them as well, curious about what was happening. A moment later, a transparent blue horn started to form on Grace and Bam's left temple. It surprised Agni because he thought Grace had lost the powers that he had absorbed when they traveled back in time.

When Grace opened his eyes, he gave Agni a look that said they would talk about it later. Bam came back to his senses a moment later. Dan and Gyetang could no longer contain their curiosity and began asking Bam and Grace questions, but the topic soon drifted to more general conversation because Bam was just as lost as they were. Agni called the sparring session over and Dan went to prepare dinner. Bam and Gyetang joined him in the kitchen, and the sight of them getting along together was heartwarming. 

Agni took a seat in the cafeteria, and Grace followed to sit next to him. Agni released the fish from his lighthouse bowl to roam around the kitchen, while Grace exhaled and stretched his arms. All the bruises on his skin were almost healed already.

"Well…?" Agni prompted Grace to start talking.

"Hm." Grace leaned back on his chair and rubbed the back of his neck, "After seeing what Bam is capable of, it made me think about how far I've come."

There was sadness in those golden eyes that tugged at Agni's heartstrings. Both of them had been broken so many times that no amount of fixing could bring both of them to what they used to be. Velt came and swam between them, nuzzling onto Grace's arm before settling on Agni's side. Her company was appreciated, and Agni gave her a few pats. Grace smiled as he watched them.

"About the Blue Thryssa though…" Grace stopped himself when Novick approached them and took a seat nearby.

Agni and Grace shared a quick glance. Honestly, Agni would prefer to talk in private with Grace when they brought up their time travel stuff, but it wasn't like they were actively trying to hide it either. Novick also didn't seem to mind, as his attention was more at whatever was happening in the kitchen.

Grace shrugged and continued their conversation, "It was like…I felt my own Thryssa resonate, and it said it doesn't have any recollection since, you know. It felt like I had just woken it up."

Agni hummed thoughtfully, "Could it be that you didn't actually lose them?" 

"Maybe? I couldn't feel any others though." Grace tried to do something with his left hand, then frowned when nothing happened. "I can't transform it either."

"Oh, hm." If Agni recalled, the transformation was when they were with the beastkin. "I guess you have to get yourself or Bam to get it from Doom."

"I thought the same."

"Well then, guess I will have to update our plan soon."

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