#someone save hepta

[26790048]

The Boboiboy x Dead Or Alive Challenge (A. K. A Elemental Hero In a fighting tournament)

This mindset came to me as I was reading the Azur Lane x Boboiboy Wattpad fanfic by Jikdot and MHA x Boboiboy Galaxy by StarTwinkle (both I recommend a read), and since I’m recently into the Dead Or Alive series and quite disappointed by a lake of fics in Wattpad and FanFiction.Net. So I wanted to see if something like this could work with some future fanfic authors.

Okay for the DOA fans, Boboiboy is a popular Malaysian CGI animated show about the titular character getting 7 (started with 3) Elemental powers (along with their Second Tier forms, Third Tier forms,although he has two and one of them is uncontrollable,and Elemental Fusion) from a Power Sphere named Ochobot and along with his friends (Ying, Yaya, Gopal and Fang) they go out and save the world and the Galaxy. There has been two series (the original and Galaxy), two movies (a third one being released in 2025) and comics (I think the rest like the Elemental splits, TAPOPS etc can be explained by looking at the Boboiboy Wiki or some other sources).

For the Boboiboy fans, Dead or Alive is a fighting game series from the 90s that mostly centre around the Mugen Tenshin Clan and DOATECC (a company that host DOA tournaments but hides their schemes behind the publics eye) and that’s all I could say about the story of the franchise (like I said, I just got into the series so I’m not as knowledgeable about it as other fans of the franchise, so if you want to learn more about Doa, either just watch a YouTube video or look up some of the lore).

But what I do know is that DOA is a fighting game with Breast Physics and a lot of Fanservice (which I’m not complaining about) that has Ninjas, Clones, a Wrestler that turned into a model but turned into a singer then went back into the wrestling world and also it’s connected to Ninja Gaiden and has an Ecchi spinoff called the Xtreme series in which most of the girls are just chilling in Zack’s island (the most recent one Venus Vacation has 19 new Girls, so if you want to, you could include them in this crossover).

WAYS IN WHICH BOBOIBOY COULD FIT INTO DOA

Boboiboy teleports into the Dead or Alive universe due to either a new Power Sphere or a Dimensional Teleportar (You could place him at any DOA game but I recommend starting from DOA 1) and stays in that dimension until his friends find a way to get him back.

They take place in the same Universe. With that you could start this crossover from any series but I recommend using the First Three Seasons and the Movie (you can Age up Boboiboy if you want to) taking place during Doa 1 to 4 (yes the first four games take place in a year and I know it’s bullshit but I do recommend the Movie taking place after DOA 4 or Xtreme 2) and the Galaxy series taking place in DOA 5 to….uh Venus Vacation? Either way you can start the crossover from any entry of these two series.

3. (Even though I don’t count this but I don’t want to be the only one who feels this way so I’ll include it here) Reactions, you could make the cast of Dead or Alive react to some clips of Boboiboy like his first uses of the Penta and Hepta split against Bora ‘ra, the Elemental Fusions against Retak’ka or some of your favourite clips from the series, you could also use plain shenanigans like the Boboiboy Instagram posts which are about what Boboiboy and the others just do in life other than fighting.

How Boboiboy could influence some events in DOA (or you, the author could change some weird decisions by the development teams.

(This is something I thought off when writing this challenge) Boboiboy saving False Kasumi (from Doa 5) from getting killed by Hayate and Ayane, since False Kasumi isn’t someone with evil intentions and really thinks she’s the actual Kasumi I think that Boboiboy might try to stop Hayate and Ayane from killing her (fighting them if need be) and try to get her as far away from Kasumi Alpha.

Might try to get Ayane to open up as to why she hates Kasumi and at least try to be friends with her as that is something I could see Boboiboy doing as he’s dealt with sibling relationships before (Fang and Kaizo) but not to this extreme so it might be a challenge for him.

Boboiboy could also participate in the Ninja Gaiden series like with Razors Edge where Boboiboy could help Ryu with dealing with the Goddess and finding a cure for that disease that was killing him. You could also have Ryu try to train Boboiboy on mastering and obtaining his Third Tier powers.

(Now this is for the future authors) Try to make Boboiboy interact with the other characters in the series as he could build new friendships, rivalries and relationships and try to make some characters arcs not be redundant (Cough Leifang Cough) but also let them interact with Boboiboy’s Elements like how would Jann Lee interact with Fire/Blaze, how Hitomi would interact with Leaf/Thorn/Jungle, Kokoro with Water/Ice etc. The possibilities are endless.

You could put in some villains from Boboiboy into DOA like Ejo Jo, Adu Du (although he is less of a villain), Kapten Vargoba etc. You could also put in Reverse Boboiboy (which is a fan made version of Boboiboy but evil and bloody) alongside his holy handsomeness that make some of the toughest Guys and Girls of the series blush (okay that last part was a joke….probably).

This is specifically for Genra. Make him a Mugen Tenshin Clan member that was captured and controlled by DOATECC out of his free will which was probably intended in DOA 3 and not another villain that was hungry for power (don’t know why Dimensions did that) as that makes Ayanes story more interesting and heart wrenching.

You could also add New Elements and Fusions if you want to.

(Okay that’s all I could write about this crossover and man was it stressful to make but anyways I hope some future fanfic authors will enjoy the idea).

[chibi-pix]

Another traditional doodle. There's just something about drawing the gremlin with Galra and showing how small she is. Though she be small, though, those with robotic prosthetics best be wary of her. And since it looked like Hepta has such arms, well... Have fun, Pidge.

[axther]

hepta

iida tenya x reader 

The lord is good when the road is long. 

aka. Iida tenya’s baby is locked in another world, and he has no idea how badly she’s fighting the good fight. 

dedicated to @starlightedidiot​

beta’d by @sugacookiies and @samanthaa-leanne

length: 8k

warnings: kidnapping, violence, war, swearing

prompt: saving the world (@bnhabookclub’s bingo challenge) 

Iida Tenya was having a great day. 

It was August 15th, seven days before his nineteenth birthday. He and his elder brother Tensei were walking across the stores of Mustafu, waving to civilians and keeping appearances while in public. But they weren’t there to be heroes. 

Tenya stood in front of a massive jewellery container, eyeballing the various rings inside. Tensei rolled up next to him, tilting his head. 

“YN probably wouldn’t like a gaudy one,” He said, noting one with a diamond that was too big for the band. “She’d probably be fine with just a band.” 

Tenya’s eyes flickered from ring to ring, and the saleswoman in front of him fidgeted a bit. 

“S-sir, if what you’re looking for is a wedding ring, then we have more selections over here…” She gestured to another case, but Tenya waved a hand. 

“Sorry, but no. We’re just looking for a promise ring.” 

“Still can’t believe that you’re gonna give it to her on your birthday.” Tensei mused, wheeling over to the wedding rings none the less. “Guess I can’t blame you, though.” 

“Of course not!” Tenya walked over without thinking. “But I fully intend to marry her when I become a full-fledged hero!” 

Tensei did little more than shrug. “She’s gonna feel bad.” 

“Nonsense!” 

Tensei wheeled away. YN was a stubborn girl, especially so for a quirkless one, and she could stand her ground until the earth gave way. “What’re the chances that-” 

“Excuse me. Do you sell promise rings?” 

Both Tenya and Tensei jumped when they heard a voice from the front of the store. Both whipped around to see three people-one with bright green hair, another in white-red two-tone, and the last in h/c. Tenya paled. 

“Oh my god,” Tensei whispered with his jaw slack. “I called it.” 

“Quick!” Tenya grabbed the handles of his brother’s wheelchair and turned to a counter, hiding behind it. The woman next to them stifled her laughter but winked in secrecy. 

“Iida’s gonna be so excited!” Midoriya’s voice lifted over the counter, and Teyna peeked over. YN stood between the two of them at the counter he and Tensei were first at. 

“I hope so.” She mused. “I don’t wanna scare him away, yanno?” 

“You won’t.” Todoroki looked over at a black-banded and a white banded ring. “This one is matching.”

“Oh?” She walked over, and Tenya mentally took notes. “I only brought money for one, so could I please see the black one?” She went from talking to Todoroki to talking to the salesman, who gladly brought it out. 

“We can get it, YN!” Midoriya scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “We kinda got you here in the first place…” 

YN gave them a mix of a confused and disgusted look. “Bullshit. He’s my boyfriend. You got Sho. Take care of your own man,” She stuck out her tongue. Todoroki laced his hand with Midoriya’s and Midoriya blushed. 

“Okay, okay.” He put away his wallet. “You win.” 

“I’ll take it.” YN pulled out her wallet and pulled out entirely cash. The salesman baulked for a moment before nodding. 

“What size, ma’am?” 

“Eleven.” 

“Of course. Men’s?” 

“You got it.” 

As the man walked away, YN stood with her back to the counter and her arms crossed. 

“So, you guys got everything?” 

“Yeah!” Midoirya chirped. “The venue is all set up, and all we have to do at this point is confirm with the caterers and get all of the fan‘s presents set up.” 

YN frowned. “It kinda bothers me he still has to put on a show on his own birthday. For Christ’s sake, he can do it the day after.” 

“Fans want involvement,” Todoroki murmured. 

“Sucks.” 

The man came back and their attentions were taken again. Tenya looked around, crouching and towing Tensei to the exit. “Please save the white one, in size nine womens.” He whispered to the woman before making tracks for the door. All three of them didn’t even notice someone had left when he exited into the street. 

“I knew she was gonna try something!” Tensei laughed. “You two are peas in a pod.” 

Tenya had a smile on his face as he walked from the store. “I love her.” 

“I know, Tenya.” 

“Tenya?” 

Both Iida’s turned to see the trio leave the store, and YN hastily clapped a hand over her mouth. She pulled the ring out of the bag (she thought she was being slick), tucked it into her pocket, and shoved the bag into Midoriya’s hands. Midoriya took it with grace and waved and YN looked over at Tenya, letting her hand fall and giving an ear to ear grin. Tenya’s heart fluttered. There was a moment, just barely, where it felt like he wasn’t really there. It was just the three of them, like they were on paper, smiling and waving. It was beautiful. 

And then, the world fell out from under Tenya’s feet. 

He was falling, and he didn’t know how or where or why, but that he was facing the sky and plummeting. There was a sound like laminated paper wobbling while viscously on fire and the view changed as he smashed face-first into the pavement. He didn’t even take a second to register the pain and the blood from his nose, getting up and looking around wildly. Civilians scattered and Midoriya was with Todoroki, halfway down the street. YN had taken Tensei and wheeled him into a nearby alleyway before seeing Tenya. She had a look of determination on her and eyed the sky like it had decided to drop her boyfriend. There was another noise, and Midoriya was swallowed whole by a shining circle. It looked like what the soap from car washes did-lit up with colourful specks that melded into each other-and fizzled at the sides. It zipped shut before Todoroki could even reach for his lover before reopening up further down the street. 

We’re being separated.

“YN! Don’t leave Tensei!” Tenya shouted as desperately as he could, feeling fear cool his blood. YN was several yards from his brother when she stopped, confused, before beginning to turn to head back. Tenya was sure that someone was targeting the heroes, and he got ready to shoot off the pavement. In the distance, Midoriya glowed with red and pink veins. Todoroki grew so cold, there was a chill in the air. Then, there was a voice right next to Tenya’s ear. 

“Got you.” 

Tenya whipped around and saw a figure in the shadows of an alley. They were wearing all black, standing as though they were confident. 

“Who are you? You must stop this at once before we take matters into our hands! Why are you targeting us?” 

“You?” The voice whispered. It was rough and curiously titled. “Oh, no. Not you.” 

“Wha-!” Tenya’s confusing turned back into fear when he heard a scream from YN. She jumped out of the way of a portal, rolling her back and covering her face. Tensei began rolling forward as fast as he could, and Tenya went running, but even with the boosters, he was too far. YN got on her hands and knees and Tenya could see the thinly veiled horror on her face. 

“YN!” He yelled, still running. “Baby! Move!” 

YN looked up, but before she could even begin to run, another portal opened up directly underneath her. It was like it was all in slow-motion; Tenya jumping forward, hoping, praying to get her before she fell. Her hands and knees falling through the light. Midoriya jumping at the figure with a fist. 

And like that, she was gone. 

Tenya crashed again with a yell, scrambling over to where YN was and looking around helplessly. He heard nothing but yelling and a ringing in his ears. His sight blurred, and tears pittered against his glasses. He didn’t move until there was a wall of ice before him. Todoroki and Midoriya kneeled next to him. 

“Iida!” Midoriya put a hand on Tenya’s shoulder, and Tenya heard the wheels of Tensei’s wheelchair. “Are you okay?” 

“YN, she, she’s...what...how?” Tenya gripped at the concrete, feeling numb confusion. 

“The villain’s unconscious. It looks like YN was their only target.” Todoroki mumbled, looking behind him at what Tenya could only assume to be the villain. 

“But why? YN did nothing…” 

“Association.” 

“Sho!” Midoriya smacked Todoroki’s leg. “Stop it.” 

“Sorry.” 

“Tenya…” Midoriya took a deep breath. “I think they might’ve been part of an occult.” 

“Why?” Tenya managed to rasp out before clearing his throat. “Why?” 

“Their last words, before they went down.” 

“And they were?” 

“Hail Iilen.” 

YN was confused. 

She fell from a portal into somewhere that was filled with trees and green pastures, and before she hit the ground, something beneath her swelled up and acted like a pillow. She landed softly and without so much as a scratch. Then, the catgirl came, and it was an honest to god catgirl and her catboy brother (they were clearly twins). Once the boy helped YN up, the girl held her hand to her mouth in shock. Her eyes were wide and her tail flicked back and forth, and she seemed to shake a little bit. 

“Your Imperial Majesty…” The girl kneeled, and the boy followed suit. YN wobbled a bit, still not having quite landed. 

“I’m sorry, but who are you two?” YN looked around. She landed in a clearing of a forest, and the birds stopped in their trees and stared at her. “Where am I?” 

“Y-Your Imperial Majesty, I...I am X’eches. And this is my brother, Fy’ziche.” The boy nodded, bowing his head lower. YN felt embarrassment creeping up her back. 

“I-It’s fine. You don’t have to...bow. Why would you even bow?” YN tilted her head as the X’eches and Fy’ziche both hastily stood up, though Fy’ziche did it with more grace. 

“Your Imperial Majesty, you...you’re in Illenya. Do...do you remember Illenya?” She twisted her hands. “Your father was the emperor.” 

YN choked on her own spit and took a deep breath. Fy’ziche reached a hand out but X’eche was faster and patted YN’s back. 

“I’m so sorry, your imperial majesty, I should’ve-” 

“Call me YN.” YN waved a hand as X’eche baulked. Fy’ziche’s face contorted into confusion. 

“Wait. Your…” X’eche paused. “But you...are you sure?” 

“Yeah.” YN stood. “It...doesn’t seem like you guys have it out for me.” 

“Absolutely not!” Both of them began shaking their heads fast enough their ears flopped while X’eche chirped. “We need you to stay alive!” 

“What…? Why?” YN raised her eyebrow. “I mean, I wanna be alive, but…” 

X’eche took a deep breath in, sharing a look with Fy’ziche. “That’s...we should get back to camp.” 

“Camp?” YN took a step forward. “What camp?” 

“It’s...there’s a…” X’eche hesitated until YN put a hand on her shoulder. 

“Tell it all to me straight.” 

X’eche took a deep breath in. 

“Your father was the emperor but because of a prophecy he hid you away in another world and only a certain faction could get you and there are factions and after your father died Dragonkin Trekez took over and that was seven months ago but he’s become a dictator and he only helps the dragonkin and at first we didn’t really worry but then the Dark God Bodite possessed Trekez and now he’s trying to conquer the world but we can’t kill him and it was kinda hopeless but your family had magic powers from the great gods so you’re the only one that can kill him and so we sent my girlfriend to get you since she knows how to get to your world and-!” X’eche wheezed from the rant and YN ogled at her. 

“How did you do that in one breath?” 

“That’s your question?” X’eche stopped panting and looked up at YN, wide-eyed. Fy’ziche followed suit. 

“Well…” YN pulled away, rubbing her arm. “I’ve been seen as useless my entire life. This is my chance to do something. I want respect.” She looked up with determination. “And goddammit, I’m gonna get it.” 

X’eche and Fy’ziche’s faces lit up in sync, and she began to bounce with joy. 

“Thank Iilen! Thank youuuuu, Iilen! We stand a chance!” 

YN smiled at their joy and pointed into the thicket of the woods. “Which way to the camp?” 

“This way!” 

And as YN was dragged into the trees, something in her lit up. It was something that laid dormant for so long that it might as well have not existed, but surely, it became a flame, then a fire, then a furnace. 

The Empress has returned. 

It had been four days. 

Iida sat in Midoriya and Todoroki’s apartment, staring at the bowl of katsudon in front of him. It might’ve been steaming at one point, but it had long cooled off, and there was just the two before him, staring with worried looks. 

“Iida, we’re worried too. But you need to eat.” Midoriya frowned. “They’re doing everything they can to interrogate the villain.” 

“And she can’t go anywhere.” Todoroki nodded, rubbing Midoriya’s shoulder. 

“It’s been four days,” Iida whispered. “She’s quirkless, somewhere she doesn’t know, alone. She could be…” Iida’s throat choked up. “Don’t think like that!” Midoriya barked, rising abruptly with a growl. “She’s not as weak as you think she is!” “She’s quirkless! She can’t protect herself from villains! She couldn’t protect herself then!” Iida felt a new wave of tears. It was killing him, and he knew he couldn’t blame her, but he was so angry, so confused. 

“She’s my best friend, goddammit!” Midoriya cut himself off at the end, but the damage had been done. Iida stopped and Midoriya took the opportunity to finish. “She’s my best friend and the toughest person I know. Even Kaachan doesn’t mess with her. No one would’ve been able to dodge that portal.” 

There was a tense silence before Iida sat back down with a slump. Midoriya sat, too, and Todoroki stared with wide eyes before sighing. 

“We’re all worried.” He murmured, running a hand through Midoriya’s hair. “She’ll be fine. All we can do is make sure she comes back to people that are ready to help her with anything she needs, be it support or to ignore it completely.” 

Iida and Midoriya nodded. 

“Sorry,” Iida whispered. 

“Yeah.” Midoriya nodded. Silence overtook the room until a blaring and frankly obnoxious ‘I Am Here!’ ringtone sounded. All three of them jumped before Midoriya ran to his phone. 

“H-Hello, this is Midoriya Izu-” He froze, eyes wide. “Yes. Yes. Yes, he’s with Shoto and I. Yes. I understand. Yes.” He hung up and turned to Todoroki and Iida. There was fear and concern laced over his face. 

“W-What is it?” Iida rose, his heart racing. “Is YN back? Is she safe?” 

“No…” Todoroki’s eyes narrowed. Iida looked at him. “It’s something bad, isn’t it?” 

“It’s…” Midoriya gulped. “The villain’s gone.” “What?” Iida just about howled, moving from the table to Midoriya. “What? How? When?” 

“Just now.” Midoriya’s voice shook a bit, but he stood steady. “They said that the villain confessed one thing more before disappearing in a portal.” “It’s not a quirk, then.” Todoroki’s eyes widened. “No. The villain made a remark, last minute, that YN was our only hope.” 

“Hope?” Iida swallowed. “Hope for what?” 

“She didn’t say. But the guards at Tartarus think that she might be going to YN.” 

“If we can track the villain, we can track YN.” Todoroki hummed. 

“Yeah.” Midoriya nodded. “We just have to get to YN before she does.” 

“God…” Iida pulled away from Midoriya with a sigh. “YN…” 

All Iida could think about was YN. She must’ve been hiding somewhere, waiting for someone to help her, or else she might get hurt. 

“YN…” Iida looked at the ceiling. “She must be terrified.” 

YN was thrilled. 

When she and the cat siblings got to the camp, she was briefed a little more on the situation. Apparently, her family had been blessed by a god, and the god’s enemy decided to try and take over. The world had been segregated into seven regions, and everyone had a last name in accordance to their region. 

X’eche and Fy’ziche (who YN came to find out was mute) helped by explaining that they were from the second region, Di, so they were Dia’s. The leader of the resistance against the Dark God (a grumpy man who carried healing potions like weapons) was Darq Tetra, which clearly wasn’t emo enough. 

Thankfully, the camp didn’t try to coddle her for being an empress or proverbial fledgeling, but tossed her a sword and told her to kick ass or die. And so, four days after landing, she was fighting a dragon with red scales and fangs the size of her forearm. 

“Glacies ventus!” 

There was a bone-chilling woosh behind YN and she felt something rocket past her ear. She glanced behind to see Yennen Hexa wave an apology for almost hitting her before going back to his spellbook and flicking his star-studded cloak. 

A huge ball of ice landed itself in the dragon’s eye and it roared, letting spit coat Gyrglya Penta, the dwarf next to YN. She rubbed it off with a huff and wiped it on YN’s arm. 

“Ay, this overgrown fuckin’ lizard goina’ git a taste’a hûthvír, barzûln ei sol knurlaf jurgen-!” Gyrglya hoisted her axe up, spilling into dwarvish curses that YN wasn’t sure she wanted to know. It was like watching a toddler throw a fit until Gyrglya leapt onto the dragon’s snout and began hacking viscously at its eyes. Some blood scattered over YN, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. Both X’eche and Fy’ziche hung back, flinging arrows and knives into its side. She instead took it upon herself to prop open its jaw and spear her sword through its skull, making Gyrglya slide off with a yelp. The dragon thrashed and roared, but YN used its teeth to prop her feet and dig the sword ever deeper. There was a moment where it tried to take off flying, but a heat swelled in YN’s hands. White light crawled along her forearms like veins before funnelling into the sword. There was a bright flash and she felt a shift in gravity. Her entire body began to rise in the wet mouth as the dragon plummeted, and YN braced the sword with her body. 

When the dragon hit the ground, the sword dug into YN’s shoulder but kept the dragon’s mouth held open. YN licked her lips, curiously relishing the taste of blood as she stepped out. Gyrglya, X’eche, Fy’ziche, and Darq stood before the corpse, alongside two others. 

“That was amazing, YN!” X’eche cheered and Fy’ziche clapped politely. Gyrglya nodded. 

“Cold’a’dun witout knickin’ me over, but das’ a mattar’ of sit’u’a’in.” She nodded, and a young man with goat horns, Caspian Tria, stepped forward. 

“That was the fourth general. We just have two more to go, and then we can hit Trekez and Bodite.” He poked at the dragon as though expecting it to come alive. It shrunk into itself, slowly, and he sneered. “Selling out their own region...cowards.” 

“Well,” YN grinned, hefting her sword up cockily. “He won’t have to worry about your opinion anymore.” 

“Only Ilien’s.” A priest, San Septum, stepped forward. They kneeled before the dragon and began praying, and YN turned to Darq. He looked furious and smug at the same time, like an asshole father. 

“What?” YN raised an eyebrow and cocked her hip. “You wanna say something?” 

Darq scowled. “Stop pulling stupid fucking stunts. Look at your fucking hands.” 

YN looked down with surprise and saw raised burns tipped with white. They were slowly healing, but Darq ripped the sword out of her hands and began applying a thick, vomit-yellow paste. 

“I can’t fucking stand how you don’t even think. We need you fucking alive to beat Bodite’s fucking ass. And you fucking jump into Seler’s fucking mouth. Fucking idiot.” Darq shook his head and wiped away the excess paste, revealing new, flush skin. 

“What’s the count here?” YN mused. X’eche smiled. 

“Six!” She cheered. Darq gave a look. 

“Fuck you.” 

Fy’zeche held up seven fingers. 

“Ugh!” Darq rolled his eyes and began stomping away. YN snorted. 

“Stay mad, old man!” She called before beginning to follow. X’eche, Fy’zeche, and Gyrglya were at her side in an instant, chattering about anything and everything. Caspian and Yennen went to San and spoke in soft tones. There were several minutes of silence until they came to a cliff’s edge, and YN swung her legs over it and sat. The three sat next to her. It was peaceful, and YN closed her eyes to let the breeze overtake her face. She fiddled with Iida’s ring on her thumb. 

“Ay, YN,” Gyrglya said YN’s name in a broken accent. “What’r’y doin’ wit that ring?” 

“Yeah!” X’eche nodded. Fy’zeche looked over her shoulder, his tail flicking back and forth. “It could sell for a lot.” 

“It’s…” YN hesitated, but only for a moment. “I have a boyfriend. Back at home.” 

X’eche recoiled. “Wait. You have a lover?” “Yeah.” YN opened her eyes with a sigh and looked out at the view. “His birthday would be in...fuck? Three days?” 

“Oh.” X’eche looked down. “But...but we need you. You can’t go.” 

“Aye, YN.” Gyrlgya nodded. “Ye can’j’s’ leave a’ain.” 

“What?” “You can’t just leave again,” X’eche whispered, though it seemed more for herself. “We’ve been waiting so long for you to come home.” 

“But this isn’t my home,” YN said. It wasn’t soft or kind. It was stern and bold. A declaration. 

“What?” Gyrlgya and X’eche said at the same time. YN heard someone walk up behind her. 

“You don’t have a fucking choice.” 

YN turned with a glare. “Fuck off, Darq.” 

“We are fucking busting our asses for this.” He looked furious, fists clenched with a fire in his eyes. “People have died for this, and you want to leave?” 

“I had a life.” YN stood straighter than before, almost regally. “You took me away from it.” 

“No. Your father took it from you. And we brought you back.” 

“Not my problem.” YN frowned. “I’ll stop Bodite, and then I’ll go back home.” 

“YN, ti’i’yer home.” Gyrglya seemed uncharacteristically worried. “W’n’ee ya.” 

“I know.” YN’s tone softened and her glare eased at the sight of Gyrglya’s furrowed brow. “But I’m not made to...be an empress. I’d rather leave it to someone who knows what they’re doing.” 

“I think you know what you’re doing.” Caspian piped in but went silent when Darq glared at him. 

“This is your job. Quit being a child and do it.” 

YN clenched her fists and rose. “You do it yourself. I didn’t have to agree.” 

There was an acid wash of gasps. 

“You don’t mean that…” Yenne held his book close to his chest. 

“I do.” YN held her head high before looking Darq in the eye, e/c meeting yellow. “And the only reason I said yes was that everyone here had a better attitude than you!” 

Darq hesitated, instead letting his chest swell with an angry inhale. His cheeks flushed an unnatural red, but before he could say anything, something white and colourful swirled into existence next to the entire party. X’eche leapt up with a distracted gasp. “Right!” 

“Right?” YN whispered. Darq looked away. 

“Right!” X’eche went running to the portal, tail flicking back and forth, and Fy’ziche was close behind. YN blinked, shooting one last glare at Darq before walking over. The portal hissed and fizzed like soda pop before someone clad entirely in black stepped out. They fumbled a bit until righting themselves and throwing off their hood.

“Right!” X’eche leapt forward, right into Right’s arms. “Sweetie! Darling!” 

“Hey, kitty.” Right hugged X’eche just as tight before noticing YN standing stock still. She let go of X’eche a bit and bowed with her head. “Your Imperial Majesty.” 

“You’re the one that…” YN chose her words. “Brought me here.” 

“Yes. I am-”

“Right. X’eche’s girlfriend.” 

“Yes.” 

There was a tense silence, one that X’eche seemed immune to as she purred against Right’s chest. 

“How did it go?” Darq murmured. His voice seemed choked, just barely, and YN caught it. 

“I tried explaining the situation, but they didn’t believe me.” Right frowned with a sigh. “Her Imperial Majesty’s lover is spearheading a search for her.” 

“Is Tenya alright?” YN stepped forward, biting her lip. “I...I just want to make sure.” 

“Yeah.” Right nodded. “He seemed kinda like he didn’t know what to do with you gone, but he’s starting to pick up the pieces.” 

“Ah.” YN gave a shaky smile. “I’m glad.” 

“Since we won’t have backup, we’ll need to make tracks for the old stronghold.” Darq was unusually calm. 

“But the rest of the generals…!” Caspian gasped. 

“We don’t have time. Killing them would take another week, without help from Earth. We don’t have a week.” Darq glanced at YN. “It’s going to be your turn.” 

YN nodded soundlessly. Fy’ziche clapped a hand to her shoulder with a reassuring nod. 

“Have you made the pact with Iilen yet?” Darq sounded as though he was mentally ticking off a list. “If you don’t, killing Bodite will be near impossible.” 

“I won’t.” YN’s brow was furrowed and a look of determination crossed her face. “I don’t trust Iilen.” 

“What?” Darq spun around, as well as San, who looked scandalised. “Why the hell not?!” 

“Gods are not here to help humans.” YN glanced at Darq. “I need to be able to do it on my own.” 

“That’s suicide.” San whispered. 

“That’s war,” YN replied. “And that’s how we’re gonna win it.”  

“We won’t even have a backup!” Darq spun and grabbed YN’s shoulders, shaking her back and forth, almost foaming at the mouth. “Are you fucking crazy?” 

“Ah. I was going to get to that.” YN let him shake her, letting her head roll around until Darq stopped. 

“What?” Right tilted her head. “What do you mean?” 

YN looked at her with a glint in her eye. It was neither good nor bad, but mischievous, as though she had one last ace up her sleeve. 

“I’ve got a plan.” 

The night before Iida’s birthday was like a fever dream. 

He had been dragging himself all week long, thinking of nothing but YN. His hair was mussed and his body ached, but all he could do was lead a search for her. 

“You need to relax,” Midoriya had said. But Iida felt like he was choking the entire time, hands holding up his head. 

It was eleven at night and he was at the police station that the villain had originally been held at. He looked over at the records again and again, at the confessions, but none of it made sense. Alternate worlds didn’t exist. YN didn’t seem like anyone’s last hope, except for maybe Iida’s. 

“It doesn’t make sense…” He murmured. He moved his glasses to the side and rubbed at his eyes, letting the blur overtake his vision. Frustration seemed so present, always hanging over him whenever he thought about YN. 

Then, there was a noise, just outside the station. 

Iida’s head popped up, staring past the sparse lights of cubicles and seeing a flash of white light. His heart raced and he scrambled to put his glasses back on and run out the door. As soon as the cool night breeze hit his face, he opened his eyes and saw the dark figure. They were standing perfectly still, as though they weren’t a wanted criminal, right in the parking lot. 

“You-!” Iida didn’t know what to say, but words still oozed out. “Where did you take YN?!” 

The figure reached ever so slowly into their jacket pocket, holding one hand up. Iida was about to rush them when they handed out a letter. Iida froze. 

“What’s this?” 

“A letter. From her. She said you’d be the hardest to convince, so she decided to write this so she could do it herself.” The figure waved a letter a bit and their other hand tucked in a pocket. “Read it.” 

Iida took it cautiously and turned it around, checking for anything out of the usual. It was in a yellow envelope with a silver wax seal, and there was a blotch of black ink on the front. He looked at the figure and they shrugged. 

“I dunno what she wrote. Just read it.” 

Iida opened it, taking care to not break the seal, and out fell out not one, not two, but three leaves of paper. He near jumped and picked them up, still standing as he read. 

He couldn’t believe most of what he saw. It verified that there was an alternate world and that YN was somehow an empress (she did write about revoking her title and returning home, something that warmed Iida’s heart), and that she was part of a revolution to free her own empire. There so many little details thrown in there that it seemed nearly unbelievable until she began writing about little things that he and YN had done. They were personal and secret, down to Iida’s fears. He felt tears welling up in his eyes, and he reached up to messily wipe them off. 

“Do you believe us now?” The figure (who YN had referred to as Right in the letter) sighed and placed a hand on Iida’s shoulder. “We brought her back because we had to.” 

Iida nodded. “Wh-when will she come back?” 

“At best, in about four hours. At worst, she’ll die.” 

Iida’s blood chilled. “Because of…” 

“Yeah. We need help. If Bodite succeeds, he’ll come for your world next. YN said that so long as you were convinced, we had backup.” Right paused, and Iida realised that she was shaking a bit. “Please tell me she’s right.” 

“Mhm.” Iida nodded, feeling a fire in his heart. “I’ll call every hero I can.” 

“Do what you need. I’ll be here.” 

Iida nodded. He began dialling the first person in his contact list (namely, Aoyama), and deep down, he felt sure.

He was going to get YN back. 

YN stared out of Dystert Dymestra, watching the clouds swell overhead. 

She was in the armoury, specifically, staring out an arched window with moss growing on the stone. Dystert Dymestra was a sad sight when they entered, but it was enough to hold every soldier that was part of the revolution, and so it was enough for YN. Darq was behind her, sorting out weapons that had long been discarded with small mutterings. 

“Do you think Bodite knows?” She whispered, feeling uneasy. 

“Undoubtedly.” Darq walked next to her, holding a shield. It was rusty, but even then, the moon crest of the Mono family peered through. 

“It feels weird.” 

“What does?” He looked at her, and she looked at him, and for a moment, it felt as though YN was looking at a brother. 

“Being here. I was born here, right?” 

“Yes. Castilliya Mono, crown princess.” He looked down onto the courtyard. “When you were born everyone was so damn happy.  And when you were gone, Emperor Kiltus and Empress Genovia were…they were depressed.” 

YN looked at him. “Why?” 

“They’d been trying for years.” “Oh.” YN frowned. 

Darq hesitated, almost gasping, before letting out an uneasy breath. “I was the head of the guard.” 

“What?” YN’s voice was soft but confused. 

“I-I was supposed to protect your parents. I’m sorry. I…” He bit his lip and YN’s shoulders slumped. 

“Even you can’t kill gods, Darq.” She said softly. “You did what you could.” 

“I carried you.” He gulped. “To the portal. You were so small, so fragile. Like a little star. And now…” His entire postured seemed to fall over in defeat. “You’re all grown up. You have friends, a family, a lover. A life.” 

YN felt her heart stop. 

‘I...I don’t blame you for wanting to go back. We’ll figure something out while you’re gone. Just...promise to visit.” Darq pulled away from the window with a sad smile. “Please.” 

Before YN could say anything more, Darq walked away. YN felt her jaw drop a little and regret pool in her stomach, but when she took a step forward, someone bright glinted against what little sunlight managed to ooze into the room and hit her eye. 

“Huh?” 

“So she’s in a parallel universe with dragons and a god she has to kill.” 

Iida stood in front of his old classmates, several old teachers, and a variety of other heroes. All seemed sceptical and tired (it was almost midnight, after all) and even the good-hearted Kirishima seemed miffed.

“Yes.” Iida stood stiff at Asui’s droll phrasing of it. “And she needs help.” 

There was a shuffle amongst the crowd and unnerving whispers. 

“Why the fuck would her kidnapper tell you where she is?!” Bakugou barked, despite having brought his full hero gear. “That doesn’t make any fucking sense!” 

“Not only that but a different world…?” Ochako pursed her lips.  

Iida frowned but knew that if they weren’t convinced, he couldn’t force them to come. “It’s enough for me.” 

“Huh!?” Most of the crowd gasped when Todoroki stepped forward, dragging a yawning Midoriya behind him. 

“We’ll go.” Todoroki ignored the shock and stared Iida dead in the eye. 

“Y-Yeah!” Midoriya was chipper, despite the odds and time of night. “YN’s our best friend!” “What the fuck?!” Bakugou fumed. “You don’t even know if she’s there!” 

“Does it matter?” Todoroki turned with a cool indifference. “Any lead is one step closer to getting her back.” 

The shocked silence was back when Midoriya piped in. 

“Besides, if she does need our help,  how can we refuse?” 

“Well, if that’s how it goes…” Kirishima stepped forward. “C’mon, bro! We can’t leave them in the dust!” 

“That’s not what it means!” Bakugou yelled. “And I wasn’t fuckin’ gonna!” 

“Then we should go too, ladies!” Ochako cheered, and Tooru, Asui, Mina, Jirou, and Momo all gave shouts of approval. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Kaminari slung an arm over Sero’s shoulder. “Guess we gotta go too, huh?” 

Sero shrugged, and one by one (or two by two), everyone stepped forward. Iida felt a happy grin overtake his face. 

“Are you guys ready?” 

“Wha!” Kaminari jumped when Right appeared next to him, neither by portal or walking. 

“When did she get here?!” 

“Are you ready? We’re running out of time.” 

“Are we?” Iida looked over at everyone, and Present Mic gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. 

“Alright.” Right turned and without so much as flinching, a portal opened. “Ladies first.” 

“That means you, Kaminari.” 

“Haha, Jirou. Very funny.” 

“It’s a very ancient, very holy blade.” 

YN was in the main hall with San, X’eche, and a centaur who apparently had a degree in history. 

“Will it do Bodite any damage?” YN touched the tip of it. It was literally silver, heavy and shiny. There were moon emblems all over it, and the pommel was even moon-shaped. 

“Almost definitely.” The centaur held it with grace. “This was forged amongst the high gods. This is, in fact, the best bet you have against Bodite.” 

“Nice.” YN nodded and took it back. “I’ll use it when we fight him.” 

“Be careful, Your Imperial Highness.” San stared at it reverently. “It could also do you harm.”    

Before YN could say anything, Darq burst through the main hall door. He was panting and soaked from the rain outside. The shield on his back was dripping water, and the little moon held some like a cup. 

“They’re here.” 

“What?” X’eche cried. “But Right isn’t back yet!” 

“There’s no time! Everyone needs to get outside, now! Banners up!” He yelled out as loud as he could, and there was a cacophony of noise. Some people began crying, while others took up weapons. One man even screamed as loud as he could before calmly reaching for his sword. YN sighed. 

“Guess we’ll find out, San.” 

“YN, wait!” 

Despite Right saying ‘ladies first’, Iida was the one who headed the transition. 

The portal was like stepping into a mixed temperature bath. Some parts were cool, and others were gently warm, and all the little lights breezed past Iida’s face. 

“Keep moving.” 

Right’s voice leaked through, and Iida made his way towards a little black speck. A cool, wet rush fanned him, and he stepped into the darkness.

He walked out and was instantly covered in rainwater, and he sputtered a bit trying to grasp himself. The ground under his feet was soggy, When he opened his eyes and put his glasses back on, however, he stood stock-still.

The entire view was something out of a fantasy movie. It was an army of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands, all neatly segregated into seven flags. In the absolute distance, there was a mighty castle, tall and proud, and yet deteriorating at the same time. Tenya gasped. 

“What…” 

“Illenya.” Right whispered. “The last great wall between your world and complete destruction.” 

“When did you-?!” “My own portal. The castle is Dysert Dymestra, and that’s where…” Right trailed off. “What the hell?” 

“What?” Iida spoke over the others filing in, gasping in awe. 

“The battle’s already starting.” Right looked pale and began searching over the army. “There, you see? On the horse?” 

Iida looked to where she was pointed and saw, at the head of what seemed to be an entire nation, YN herself. Iida let out a cheer. “T-There she is!” He pointed, and his classmates were at his side in a second. “She’s alive!” 

“Ah! Yes!” Midoriya cheered. 

“She might not be for long,” Right hissed. “She’s not made the pact.” “Pact?” 

“With our guardian god, with Ilien.” 

“What does that mean for her?” Iida said nervously. Right looked him in the eye. 

“She’s going against a god alone.” 

YN wasn’t ready to go against a god alone. 

The sword (Clymestra, she named it) was at her side and seemed to glow in all the rain. She was on top of a huge black horse with a fiery orange mane, but even then, she still felt fear creep into her throat. 

“Just focus on Bodite and Trekez.” Darq, on a white mare next to her, said. “We’ll cover you.” 

“Right still isn’t back?” She whispered, watching the army before her stand still. They all looked like lizardmen, but it made sense. 

“No. We can only hope at this point.” 

“Fine.” YN swallowed. “When...when do we start?” 

“When we make the first move.” Darq stared them down. There was a tiny, minuscule hope that they would turn and never come back, but YN knew that it was never that easy. The entire field, just outside the stronghold, was so tense and quiet that YN was sure they were all already dead. Her mouth felt dry. 

“Don’t think about it. Just do it.”

YN bit her lip, one last time, before drawing her sword. It cut through the air, and the men before her all rippled. She licked her lips. 

“Charge!” 

Right slid down the cliff, running on the mud and dirt and dragging Iida along with her. The twin armies surged forward at each other like tsunamis, and Iida felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw YN hack and slash at lizard people. There was yelling and screaming and blood and this was an actual battle, true war, nothing that Iida had actually seen. 

And in the middle of it was his baby, the love of his life. 

She was regal in a way that she never had been before, like she chose to bear the burden. There was blood and grime on her, but she was above all of them, and she was beautiful.

“Quit ogling and fight!” Right yelled, and their feet hit the ground, and Iida was launched face-first into a war. There were people dying left and right, and someone got beheaded, right in front of him. 

“Fuck you!” He heard Bakugou yell, and there was a massive explosion behind him. Ice and fire and acid was everywhere, and he was sure that Momo had made several machine guns. Iida kicked someone off of him and looked around frantically, trying to find YN again. 

“The caaalllvarry is heerreee!” Kaminari yelled, and there was a massive strike of lightning. A solid five hundred soldiers were hit, and Iida heard a cry of joy. 

“Denki! Holy shit!” 

“YN!!” Iida cried, seeing her race towards Kaminari. She changed her track almost immediately when she heard him, a huge grin on her face. 

“Ten-!” 

There was a deafening boom, a scream of ‘noooo!’, and a huge pillar of black smoke rose from behind YN. She spun around, the rain creating a halo around her. The entire battle seemed to stop when a lizard man rose up, wreathed in black smoke and screaming in agony. All the soldiers backed away, and some even ran past Iida while looking back in fear. 

“Y-You p-p-p-promised-” 

“I promised you nothing.” A thunderous voice came from the smoke, and Iida watched as the man inside was ripped apart. “Gods betray, little fool.” 

When Iida looked at YN, she seemed to give a pointed look to someone, before promptly wiping her sword on a cloth, hanging off her saddle, and riding full force towards the dark tornado. 

“YN, no!” He began trying to run to her, but a man with salt and pepper hair glared at him with intense yellow eyes. 

“Don’t! She’s the only one that can fight him now!” 

“Darq!” Someone called from behind the man, and he turned. Iida tried struggling some more. “She’s going in without the pact!” “I fucking know that!” He barked, and Iida heard desperation in his voice. He saw a young man decked in white on his knees, praying.

“All we can do now is wait and hope.” Darq whispered into Iida’s ear. “We’re all scared, but if she dies, we won’t be alive long enough to mourn.” 

Iida stopped struggling but watched YN ride forward into the cloud like a bead of light, or dew on a spiderweb. It was glorious and painful. 

She worked methodically, and as Iida watched her throw the blade and reappear where it landed, he felt his fear slowly begin to seep away. She knew what she was doing, and it made him stop and stare. 

She was ethereal. 

At once, Iida realised she wasn’t anything delicate to be protected. She was her own person, her own fighter, and her own defender. He had tried smothering her in safety blankets, when all she needed was to be released.  

“She’s incredible…” He whispered. A young man with horns nodded next to him. 

“All hail the high empress.” 

YN spun and twisted, until she reached the top of the cloud. She stood on something solid before reaching down and pulling at something. It tried throwing her off, and her sword flung from her hands and became embedded into the dirt below. YN paid no mind and kept on pulling with both hands, and Iida swore that he could see the blood flushing to her cheeks in the strain of pulling. The voice came out in toxic little whispers, hissing nothings to her until she stopped pulling. She let out a loud scream of frustration before holding her hand out. The sword returned to her grip and the voice began screaming at the top of it’s lungs, begging for it’s life. It cried out, calling her everything from an insufferable speck to queen amongst men, but YN seemed to be deaf to it all. 

“Fuck-!” She howled, holding her sword high above her head. “You!” 

Then, she brought the sword down, and there was the sound of a bell, and darkness. 

When Iida woke up, he was in bed, in his apartment. 

He sat up abruptly, panting and sweating like a dog. His hands gripped the sheets and he looked around frantically. He felt something tug at the sheets around his thighs, and he looked down. 

YN slept next to him, peaceful in every meaning of the word. Her lips were slightly opened, and small snores flowed out, and the sunlight from cracked curtains lit her up in a heavenly halo. It all felt like a bad dream, had she not tightened her grip on the sheets. 

Iida looked down, and saw her hand was made of metal. 

His froze and his smile abruptly fell. He reached for his glasses in case he was simply still tired, but he put them on, and sure enough, her arm was metal, with a little moon emblem by the knuckle of her wrist. He paled. 

“Baby, YN, baby, wake up, please wake up…!” He gently shook her, and the sheets fell off her shoulders to reveal cuts and bruises. His shaking worsened until she groaned quietly. 

“Can’t I just nap for...ten minutes?” She held up five metallic fingers and Iida gripped them. 

“YN, baby...what happened? To...to everything?” 

YN cracked open one bleary e/c eye and smiled. “Well, honey, I killed a god and paid the price.” 

“Y-you-!” Iida’s thoughts ran at a million miles per hour. “Wait. What?” 

“When I killed Bodite, there was this thing, ‘n’ it cut off my arms…” She murmured into the pillow. “They got me fixed up before I came back.” 

“So you’re staying?”

“Yeah. I’m basically ruling remotely, which is nice. X’eche ‘n’ Darq ‘n’ all the others’ll take care of the place while I’m away.” 

“But your letter said…?” “Eh.” YN laughed a bit. “I figured I might as well try.” 

She sat up a bit and wrapped Iida in her arms, bringing him back down into the mattress and nuzzling into his neck. 

“I missed you, Tenya.” She whispered, placing small kisses up his neck and along his jaw. “Every day.” 

“I…” Iida trailed off, feeling himself choke up. He rolled onto his side to look YN in the eye. “You were so beautiful.” 

“Hm?” She raised an amused eyebrow. “That’s what you got out of this entire thing?” 

“N-No!” Iida felt his heart leap into his throat. “Just that...you were so capable. And you looked so beautiful while you did it…” 

“Mhm. Fair. I thought you looked very handsome on all the rain.” 

“Thank you…” 

There was a silence, a comfortable one that made Iida hold YN a bit tighter. He nuzzled into her hair and she smelled like green things and a place with moss on the stones. He felt her smile into his chest. 

“Happy birthday, Tenya.” 

[violethowler]

In Control at All Times: A Meta on Black Paladin Figures

Voltron does something interesting. In the first episode, we are told that the attributes of a Black Paladin are “a born leader; in control at all times; someone whose men will follow without hesitation.” And in every batch of 26 episodes there is always at least one character who embodies the darker side of those attributes.

For Seasons 1 – 2, it was Zarkon. He was the original Black Paladin who went to the dark side. We saw hints of it prior to his death and resurrection, but afterwards the qualities that made him a good Black Paladin were twisted into the qualities that allowed him to rally his subjects to war and spend the next ten thousand years conquering the universe. In the present day, he shows little tolerance for things and people he cannot control and demands unquestioning obedience from his people.

For Seasons 3 – 6, it was Lotor. Like Keith, he was stepping into the hole left by the absence of their respective faction’s previous Black Paladin. Keith outwardly lacked the stated qualities the Black Lion looked for, while Lotor was the same kind of charismatic figure that Shiro was. At the start Seasons 3 – 4, they both rely on a “shut up and trust me” style of leadership, as seen in S3E3 with Keith and in S4E3 with Lotor. But where Keith quickly learns that leading that way does not work, Lotor doubles down on this style of leadership, and drives his generals away twice as a result.

So who is the Black Paladin Gone Wrong in Seasons 7-8? It can’t be Honerva, because the focus is on contrasting her with Allura as Altean Alchemists. It can’t be Sendak, because despite his screen time in Seasons 1, 5, 6, and 7, we don’t really know enough about him as a character to really say he’d represent a Black Paladin gone wrong. Season 7 tends to emphasize that he is more of a representation of the Galra Empire and the last remnants of Zarkon’s regime. So if it’s not Sendak, and it’s not Honerva, who is it?

Remember how Black Paladins are said to be “in control at all times”?

And remember how Sam Holt accused Admiral Sanda of “trying to control every situation”?

I think that in Season 7, the dark Black Paladin figure was none other than Admiral Ellen Sanda of Earth. And her characterization fits this perfectly: Throughout both parts of The Last Stand, Admiral Sanda is constantly trying to stay in control. She refuses to share information or the new technologies they’re developing with the public and keeps Sam Holt under de facto house arrest at the Garrison. She insists on following standard military protocols despite Sam’s testimony about Galra technology and battle tactics and threatens to court martial Commander Iversen when he hesitates to carry out her orders.

In contrast to Keith’s reluctance to take up a leadership role, Admiral Sanda clearly sees herself as that Black Paladin-type figure of authority. But she doesn’t have that kind of charisma or magnetic personality like Zarkon, Shiro, or Lotor. Like Keith, she’s someone who outwardly doesn’t fit the temperament the audience expects from a Black Paladin. But where Keith learned to temper his impulsiveness and rely on his teammates to keep him in check, Sanda shows herself to be too stubborn and prideful to listen the advice of others even when her own mistakes blow up in her face – like when she sends Adam’s flight squadrons out over Sam’s objections, then after the MFEs prove successful, tells Iverson and Sam that she will have them both court martialed and jailed once Sendak is defeated because they went against her orders.

And even once the Paladins return to Earth, she is constantly attempting to assert control over the situation – first by suggesting handing the lions over to Sendak, and then going to Sendak herself to leak the plans for the Lions to attack the Zaiforge launch bases. And it’s only when her stubbornness and pride land her in the brig of Sendak’s warship that she finally admits how badly she screwed up. It’s only when her own actions to save her planet doom it instead that she breaks down and admits that she was wrong. Sanda’s time in the cells of Sendak’s warship were her equivalent to Keith admitting to Lance in S3E3 The Hunted that he messed up and wasn’t doing a good job of leading the team. And just like Lance told Keith in The Hunted that they had to make it right, Sanda makes her mistakes right the only way she can – by distracting hepta to buy the Paladins time, even when it costs the Admiral her life.  

TL;DR: Every “act” of VLD has had a Dark Black Paladin figure. Zarkon represents the way that the virtues of a Black Paladin can be twisted into something horrific. Lotor represents Keith’s early “shut up and trust me” style of leadership taken to its logical extreme. And Sanda represents ignoring the judgement of your team even when you’re leading from a position that demands such trust. 

[writeanapocalae]

The Child in the Circle

Warning for burning themes, occult magics, and body horror involving a dead child

Waking Up in a New Place | Frozen Bearings | Strands | A Dream Within | A First Meeting | The Hall | White Rose | Warmer Hands | Companionship | Sputtering

“A lot of my old students would say this was what classes were like,” Jackson joked. It wasn’t funny.

He led the way through the space between the flames, stepping over the bent bars. He held out his hand, he didn’t know why, but he was glad that Joseph took it, allowed him to help him over the damaged doorway. His hand felt cool, though there was the thrum of his pulse in his palm.

The cell was like a broiler, cooking them through. There was a cot on one side, a toilet that had been smashed, and a mirror right above it. It was in pieces, looking as if it too was burning with how sharply it reflected, a million smaller fires in its shards. Coming from it was a fluid, dribbling down, making some sort of symbol. It was lines, etched into the wall, the fluid bright gold, doubling over itself, spilling, making the shape in such a messy way. It was a message, of some sort.

It looked like a flower, in full bloom, with many petals.

“Is that a rose?” Joseph asked, peering at it, drawing closer.

Jackson put his hand out, between Joseph and the wall. It felt like the symbol shouldn’t be touched. It made him uneasy. A rose though, that reminded him of Iman, of what he’d found in that gnarled hand. There was a reason for it. It was some sort of motif. He needed to know what it symbolized.

“The dreamer, whoever created this dream, they’re trying to tell us something,” he said allowed.

Joseph thought on that, taking a step back and turning on his heel. He was chewing on his knuckle, looking at the floor. Jackson looked at him, watched as his mind moved to connect the dots. His dark eyes flicked up, catching the outside of the cell, and he released his knuckle. He was staring, mouth slightly open.

“It changed.”

It wasn’t the right thing, it wasn’t a good time for Jackson to turn his head, because the liquid wasn’t just spilling. There was something coming through it, strands of hair coming forward, pushing the liquid out in large globs.

“We need to go,” Jackson instructed, backing away, watching as the hairs extended, brightly glowing from the fluid encasing each of them, reaching out into the cell, searching for something.

“The prison’s gone,” Joseph mouthed, as if not hearing Jackson. “How did that happen? It’s all changed.”

“It’s a dream, they do that,” Jackson explained, this time grabbing Joseph by the arm and pulling him towards the doorway.

He didn’t care what the courtyard had changed to, that hair was coming and it would do something terrible to them if it could. Joseph was moving like he was underwater though, too confused to listen to what Jackson had said. He didn’t blame him. It was bad timing, but the fact that the world didn’t work the way that it was meant to was just another thing that Jackson had learned to accept without question.

It had changed though. It was now a house, still burning, though the flames were eating away at the old wallpaper and the hardwood floors, devouring a rug in a manner of seconds. The doorway wasn’t to a cell, not really, even though the interior was still the same, still hair, still glowing fluid, still that rose. There was a door though and Jackson closed it, keeping the hair in there, so it couldn’t follow them out. It was indiscernible from a closet.

The flames here were slow, moving as if they were ribbons in a breeze and they did not move from their designated locations. They could take their time, if they had a need to, to move through the house.

“This isn’t a dream,” Joseph sighed, his voice shaky. Jackson glanced at him, finding that he was sweating, even though it was cooler in here than it had been in the prison, and there was a slight tremor to his lips. He was looking at everything.

“It is. None of this is real,” Jackson reminded, putting a hand on the small of Joseph’s back. “It’s just someone else’s dream.”

Joseph was shaking his head though, his skin ashen. “No. No, you don’t understand. This isn’t a dream. It’s a memory.”

Joseph kicked at the remnants of the carpet, revealing a large symbol, golden light like before. This wasn’t a rose though, it was some other symbol, stars and lettering in an old pagan tongue. It looked like one of the patches on some punk kids bag or the symbol off of a metal album. Joseph’s scowl just grew stronger.

“Something terrible happened here.”

He walked further, into the house, seeing more of the symbols on the walls and floor. The fire was staying away from them. They were all different, all intricate, and all bleeding that bright puss.

“What are they?”

“Holy symbols, of a sort,” Joseph explained. “Witches, occult, demonology. I don’t believe in it but I’ve seen enough of it on cases for a lifetime. Some people really put their all into this stuff and some put other people’s alls into it. Don’t you smell that?”

All Jackson could smell was charcoal. Whatever Joseph was talking about it was chilling him to the core. Jackson felt much the same. Jackson was going for the stairs though, going upwards, away from the fire but closer to the smoke.

“If it’s a memory there’s nothing you can do to change it. If it’s a dream than we should be going. We have to find the center or whatever it is.”

Joseph wasn’t listening though, he was still moving upward. He was picking up the pace, going faster, taking the stairs two at a time, then three. Jackson didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t know what he was doing. He had to run to keep up.

Joseph was moving through the building as if he knew where he was going, his jacket billowing around him. The floor was black hardwood aside from where it was covered in a thick film of dried wax, blood red. It wasn’t wax though, not as they drew closer to the source. There was a pentagram, that was the only name that Jackson had for it, carved into the floor, larger and more intricate than the rest. There were candles surrounding it but it was the corpse in the center that the red was coming from in thick globs. It was blood, but it moved like wax, and it was as still as she was.

The girl was wearing a loose white linen dress, though it wasn’t white anymore, and there were more symbols carved into her flesh, through the blackened flesh, where her skin had burned and turned to charcoal from the flames. There was no fire here though. The symbols were still glowing, though they weren’t as bright as the ones downstairs.

There was a noise from downstairs, something heavy being dragged.

Joseph was entering the pentagram, falling to his knees. Jackson knew that there was nothing that they could do, that this child probably had never existed, that she was just a conjuration of a dream, but he had been inside of Joseph’s dream. He was taking the girl in his arms, holding her to his chest, as if she was a girl that he had known. And she was, in a way, every little girl that Joseph had failed to save. Joseph recognized that, knew how terrible it was for him to have a case that he couldn’t solve.

There was some chanting coming from downstairs. It was getting closer.

The gold was spreading from the wounds, spreading over the girl’s body as if it was delicate silk, wrapping around her until only her face, feet, and hands were visible. A pattern of white flowers spread over them, intricate and soft as lace. And when her eyes opened they were a honey brown and when she spoke there was a cracked and broken voice, destroyed by screams and heat, and also a deeper more lively voice, still that of a child, but of a strong and resilient one.

“He loved me, my father, he would do anything to protect me. He would do anything to protect any little girl out there from the evils of the world.” came the broken one.

“He thought he could hide me away from them, from them all.” The stronger one spoke over the first.

“He thought he could bring me back to life. He thought there was magic in the world.”

“He knew that the others wanted me, wanted out, and that I was the key. He wanted them to stay away. He wanted me safe.”

They spoke in unison, “He failed. That other man found him first.” Her eyes fell closed and nothing more came from her.

There was a thumping on the stairs, whatever that heavy thing was bumping on each of the steps. The chanting was growing louder.

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