#the atmosphere in the arena was something i've never experienced before but...

[quentinfiletmignon]

I found some more videos from NMNM, so here's part 2.

[obsidiancreates]

Self-Indulgent Thing (HOK meets Dragonborn)

"So you're not Sheogorath."

The being sits back, kicking it's boots up onto the table. The form of the elderly man is faint and transparent now, a reflection in riverwater and nothing more. "Sure I am. Jyggalag hates me too much for me to be anyone else at this point."

The Dragonborn leans forward in her seat, placing one arm on her knee. "But your secretary-"

"Haskill? Ah, he misses former management. I bounce around between planes a bit much for his tastes, but I can't help it! Adventure runs in my blood, if I have that anymore. Care to check? I'll gut you if you do, but then we'll learn if you have blood, so something will be gained either way really."

"Try to gut me, and I shall cut you down."

"Adorable. Adorable! You and I are so alike, dear. Have you felt the taste of death in your throat too? Blood gushing into your mouth after one lucky strike from a go- no, you don't have goblins in Skyrim, do you? No goblins or zombies or even rats, it's all Skeevers- there I go again. Well, to make a long story short, I went through a very long process to get this job and only died a few times along the way, but you and I, we're not beholden to stuff and nonsense like permanent death."

The Dragonborn's eyes go wide. "How do you know about-"

"All the great heroes of the ages do it, apparently, why I met the most delightful spirit from Morrowind during a particularly interesting outing who-"

"Enough!" The Dragonborn slams her fit on the stone stool beside her. "Finish your story and release me from this plane! I have many tasks to complete!"

"Yes, yes, Alduin and all that. I knew a Dragonborn, far far back before I went through the interview process, as I mentioned before. You're nothing like him, and he couldn't do that fancy little shout trick either. I'm tempted to rip out your soul and life essence to see if it looks like a dragon!"

"You aren't capable of such things."

"I might not be! I've never tried. It's only been two hundred years, you see, so much to build on! So much the old bastard figured I'd figure out on my own. There's no handbook for How To Be A Daedra Lord, you know! Or there wasn't. I had Haskill write one, but it was more like a list of complaints about my leadership style, and then another page was added when I let him off with only a warning!"

"Why do you keep me here?"

"I'm lonely. The Dragonborn I knew was my... friend. And he's paling around now with the Divines, bah, and I am rejected by them despite all my work in The Oblivion Crisis just because I got into a spot of trouble in my grief and became a Prince of Madness!"

"... No."

"No?"

"You want to be my companion. My answer is no."

"Companion? Hardly. Mentor, accomplice, Daedra on your shoulder? Absolutely. I miss wandering landscapes, fighting in grand arenas, becoming so weighed down with precious, precious loot that I can't even walk! The Shivering Isles are a madness of logic, a predictable madness, and I'm damn tired of it! Almost makes me wish Jyggalag would come RAZE IT ALL TO THE GROUND like he did before I took over!"

"I need no mentor."

"You'll let the old shut-ins who only fight frostbite and malnourishment mentor you but not me? I'm an experienced adventurer! I traveled all of Cyrodiil, destroyed gates to Oblivion itself across the entire land, worked hand-in-hand with two Emperors of the Septim line! I aided in the defeat of Mehrunes Dagon, which he still gives me flack for at every crossing of our paths, absolutely ruins the atmosphere of the potlucks I try to set up between the Princes. I am Sheogorath, I am the Grand Champion, and I am the gods-damned HERO OF KVATCH!"

The dream-like world trembles at the shout, the garishly bright colors surrounding the picnic area seeming to blur and melt! The amber-coated trees bend and keel like a bandit shot with an arrow straight through the chest, the butterflies drop and begin to dig, the being itself seems to warp and twist and show hundreds and thousands of faces of all races and ages and something deeper stronger more unknowable-

"FUS, RHO DAH!"

The shout does not topple Sheogorath.

But the mere act seems to stun it. The world snaps back into place, colors no longer melting out of the sky and tree no longer reaching for The Dragonborn's throat and creatures of the air no longer seeking shelter in the dirt. Sheogorath blinks at The Dragonborn, mouth agape.

And then it grins.

"Well well well! There's a little spunk! Didn't I tell you, Haskill?"

"Very wise, my lord."

The Dragonborn nearly drives a dagger into Haskill's thigh, but the inhuman man simply ceases existing, and then exists again by Sheogorath's side.

"It's settled then." Sheogorath stands. It's form is no longer shifting, but it's not solid either. A vague shape, no more. "I'll be coming with you whether you want it or not! I know you'll try to use that little shout there to send me off cliffs and such- I knew a fellow, small, terrible hair, who decided to follow me around no matter what back when I became Grand Champion, and oh did I grow weary of him. But he stuck around, and so will I, and I'll grow on you like mold! In the best way, of course."

"I already have a companion."

"You do, you do. I never got any sort of reward like an entire person for saving cities, and I'm not sure how I feel about your attainment of the poor girl really. But now you have two companions!"

"I will not travel with a Daedra."

"You won't be."

Shifting, solidifying- the form of Sheogorath becomes that of a mortal, armor and all. The style of the armor and weapons alike are old, ancient even, and clearly none of it is of Skyrim make. Sheogorath shakes itself, letting out a sigh.

"Been too long since I brought out the old mortal form! Ah, the bones and joints are creaking! How do I fix that, Haskill?"

"Will it to be so, my lord."

"What a boring answer. Mmm, effective though. Right! Let's be off, I'll be back whenever I'm back!"

The Dragonborn scowls. "There's no stopping you."

"Not unless you want to get stuck in a loop forever. My powers may have changed over the years, but I can still reset reality with the best of them! Which is you, and that lovely Morrowind spirit I mentioned before, and-"

"How can I possibly trust you through this?"

"Not very good at flowing conversation, are we? You can trust me because I'm not trustworthy, so it all loops back around!"

"I'm not one of your worshippers. I will not accept madness as reason."

"Fine. You can trust me because I'm here for the same reason as you. Adventure."

"... Keep close to me, and don't speak to others."

"Not a chance! But don't worry about me ruining your little quests, I told you I'm experienced with this. How much could have changed in Mundas in the last two hundred years anyway?"

[withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus]

Dude I can't deal, I will star blocking. This phrase coming from foreigners living in Japan pisses the hell out of me: "It’s ok if you can’t do that (they mention it's ok if you can't come to Japan rn because it is sth hard to do) but don’t try and think you know what’s going on from overseas."

While we can't know everything, claiming we don't know shit as if it's sth completely out of reach unless you are there sounds so fucking entitled to me. Call me bitter, but most of them have that attitude and there's proof they too don't know as much as they think.

I spoke with a girl who shared some live and meet and greet moments of hers with a favorite jrocker of mine with me and it baffled me how much she complained about some parts of his attitude when all she'd been telling me up to that point were normal to me. There was only one thing she told me I didn't expect from him, the others were pretty expected if you read his interviews and pay attention to how he reacts to things. Like honey. Where you are doesn't matter when it comes to basic human reactions. Also I didn't speak about my experience at Kamijo's live here but basically, even though we don't follow Japanese rules at lives here in Europe, even though I didn't have to do choreos or other things "expected from vkei fans", AND it was the 2nd live I've been ever in my 30 years of life cause nb comes where I live and I never have money to go even to the capital to see American artists, AAAALLL of the atmosphere, the live, dealing with other fans etc. felt like sth I do every day. It's a live dammit, it's not rocket science. And Kamijo, a person I'd never once seen in my life up until that point and had only seen live through my screen felt like he was someone doing something I actually have experienced for a long time rather than sth "new" or "unknown" to me. I was at a foreign country I'd never been before. I was scared shitless to go and believed I would fail every single minute as a fan in that arena. Yet I felt this was normal to me. I knew what to sing, what to scream, how to move, and all that? By learning through a screen. Just because you Ms "if you are not here you don't know shit about vkei" never searched beyond what was available to you on vkei while you weren't living in Japan, doesn't mean that everyone stops there. I see many both Japanese and foreign fans being there being just as shitty to jrockers often as some foreign fans living abroad, as if you literally take everything for face value as well, as if you don't know shit, even though you're there. (Not everyone is shitty, what I'm saying is bad apples exist everywhere)

Want me to take it somewhere away from vkei? While studying with 2 Japanese teachers, there were many times I shared stuff with them I enjoy they didn't have a clue Japan has. They'd been locals and yet, there were things they didn't know. Because it wasn't sth they were interested in. Hell, do you know how many times people tell me shit about Greece I don't know? I'm astounded by the knowledge of foreigners, not living in my country, have about my own country's culture in the past. Japan, just like every other country in the world, is no longer a closed off society you can never know shit about. If you look up things, if you ask the right people, locals, and more importantly if you take time to observe and understand them, you will be surprised with how much you learn.

No I don't know everything. And I sure made mistakes while studying, assuming things about a culture different from mine. But I also experienced 2 types of Japanese women who showed me that knowledge lies in the eye of the beholder and how different can people be depending on their maturity and experiences. My first teacher was ambitious, money oriented and didn't know much about subcultures. I found her shallow and selfish, she also looked down on people with mental disorders cause she came from a family heavily affected by it. She didn't value relationships easily and was quick to judge even if she didn't say a word. That person told me about Yoshiki, Gackt and Hyde from a business point of view. I never realized who Yoshiki was in Japan beyond the music industry. Gackt and Hyde too. I was only seeing photos and reading articles so it was refreshing to see them as businessmen from a business standpoint. This woman and I often didn't see eye to eye cause I valued emotions more than ambition and money, yet she was surprised about how much slang I knew for sb who doesn't live there. She was also surprised I knew stuff about mythology, history, Takarazuka Revue, Japanese traditional theater, butoh (which she'd never heard before) etc. Even about the dark parts of Kabukicho's nightlife where she herself had worked. She did add more to my knowledge on that too. My second teacher was much older, much wiser, friendlier and non judgemental. I loved being taught by her cause she was more human and deeper emotionally than the other one. She didn't live much in Japan, she left around her early 20s and kept going back every now and then, but she knew most things a native would and still was so happy when I told her I knew about Takarazuka (she's a fan :P), she wanted to hear about visual kei, she was surprised I knew about Japanese witches, festivals and many more. One of them gave me the nihongo jouzu attitude Japanese people give foreigners, and the other a true appreciation for my love for her country's culture. The latter also told me where to look for more. She encouraged my thirst to learn more instead of disapproving everything she didn't understand about how I approach things. With that old lady we talked shit about Arashi, we talked about SMAP's disband and the industry of idols and talent agencies in Japan. We held a real conversation with plenty of mutual exchange of information xD.

Do tell me or anyone else who doesn't live in ANY country that when you trully love sth you can't know shit about it unless you experience personally. I dare you. And those of you who keep learning things about things you love every day, keep learning, keep asking and let anyone who aquires knowledge ONLY from personal experience doubt you, just cause their learning abilities are limited like that. It shouldn't be a competition, but when you come for my knowledge without even knowing me, I will bite back, cause I can play the "I'm smarter than you" childish attitude too. Help others learn without putting down what they already know dammit, it's not that hard and you are not being "honest" by saying that shit all the time.

[ermwhattehsigma]

Finally, day 5! I've been looking forward to this one. For this day, I went with all three prompts! Debris, Pinned Down, and "It's broken." I worry that I might use Eternatus a lot in these coming prompts, but it's just so easy! After all, it was the big exciting incident of the game.

——————————————————————————————————

The air in Raid Dens has always felt heavier and more charged than a normal cave, Hop thinks. It’s imperceptible to some, but he’s always found it to be as obvious as day and night. Gym Stadiums have a similar effect, though not quite as raw, and he only really feels it when a Pokémon’s been Dynamaxed.

Eternamax Eternatus is a different story, though.

He feels like he can hardly stand upright, let alone breathe with how oppressive the atmosphere is. The energy it emits is so powerful and so concentrated that he can literally see it. Flashes of red bolts of electricity dance amongst the flying rubble, like they’re caught in the eye of a lightning-infused hurricane. It sounds like one, too, although Hop wouldn’t know. He’s never experienced anything like this up until now.

The battle is nearing its end, though. Zacian and Zamazenta have made quick work of the ginormous beast, whittling it down with their attacks while Victor and Hop contribute where they can. Eternatus clearly cannot keep up its assault for much longer. Its claws droop, no longer posed in the menacing, reaching manner they had been earlier, and the energy around them is beginning to fade. One last burst of adrenaline rushes through him at the sight, victory now in sight.

“It’s almost down! One last push should do it!” He calls both his friend and the legendaries to action. Victor nods to him, commanding his Inteleon to use another Snipe Shot if it can.

In front of them, Zamazenta and Zacian ready the final blow. Zacian holds the sword in its mouth up high, the blade glowing and changing in size and shape. It runs forth and slashes, dodging in between the lasers fired at it from the tips of Eternatus’ fingers. Then, just as the dragon is recoiling, Zamazenta’s armor plates shift to form a shield. It leaps into the air, practically shooting itself upwards as it charges into the palm of the hand.

A screech pierces through the chaos all around them, Eternatus shrieking despite a lack of any visible mouth. Then, the hand in front of them slumps over entirely. Hop lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. They did it. They won!

Both him and Victor return their Pokémon, knowing they’ve done enough. Zamazenta and Zacian land with steady paws in front of Eternatus. Now that they’ve beaten it, this is their chance.

“Vic!” Hop turns to the other, “Throw a Pokéball now!”

“What?” His friend responds, wide eyed.

“What do you mean, what? Catch it!”

“But what if it breaks out again and gets angrier?”

He really doesn’t think it can get any angrier at this point, considering it literally Gigantamaxed and went into an unstoppable frenzy. However, before he can voice any of his thoughts, a rumbling noise shakes the arena. He cranes his neck upwards, and to his utter shock, Eternatus is shrinking. It compresses in on itself, one size at a time, like how a Pokémon would do after using all its turn of Dynamax. Once the particles have cleared, they can see that it's gone back to its original form.

Eternatus lets out a high-pitched cry, and Hop has to slap his hands over his ears. He watches as the thing turns over in the air, no longer resisting gravity. Realization hits him like a bucket of cold water. It’s falling.

The impact of it hitting the floor shakes Hammerlocke Castle as a whole. Hop throws his arms out, struggling to stay upright. Victor falls to his knees next to him, and Zacian and Zamazenta duck their heads to try and maintain balance. Then, he hears it. Debris falling all around them. The floor crumbling beneath them. Victor gasping nearby. And just like that, the top of the tower they’re on collapses.

Hop blindly reaches out for something to grab, but there’s nothing to hold onto when everything’s coming down. He feels the drop in his stomach, suddenly falling into whatever space is below them. The sounds of the tower caving in all around them and Victor shouting blend together. It feels too fast and too slow all at once. He can’t see anything, dust and rubble flying everywhere.

He hits the bottom, and one sound rings out clear amongst the rest. Crack.

White hot pain erupts from his leg. He screams, but his voice is drowned out by the pieces of the building hitting the ground. It's hard to see what comes next, his head foggy from the pain– A shadow descends on him, and then something heavy lands above him, pressing down on him without flattening him completely. He tries to push himself up, but whatever is above him barely lets him get an inch off of the ground. What’s more, his legs burns in protest, causing tears to gather in the corners of his eyes.

Finally, it stops. The last of the rubble falls, the dust settles, and it's silent. Hop swallows. He’s not in a good position, he now realizes. He’s lying prone on his stomach, the area around him dark due to the massive slab of concrete above him. It seems to be propped up by some rocks and debris, which he would be thankful for if it weren’t for the fact said materials have pinned his leg.

Arceus, his leg. He grits his teeth, taking in a sharp, trembling breath. It hurts badly, worse than he’s ever felt. Trying to shift it even slightly makes him feel like his nerves have been squeezed and wrung like a rag. A tear slips from his eyes as he curls a hand into a fist, trying to take his mind off the pain.

A familiar click breaks the silence. It’s the sound of a Pokéball successfully capturing something. For a moment, he has no idea what it could be, but then he remembers the fact that Victor had fallen as well. Victor, Zacian, Zamazenta… and Eternatus. He must’ve caught it.

“Hop? Hop, where are you?!”

And there his rival is now, calling his name. He has to take a moment before responding, feeling like he can hardly function after such a fall.

“I’m here!”

He hears armor clanking and paws hitting stone before a set of them appear in Hop’s vision. He can’t see much from underneath the slab, but he’s got just enough room to turn his head towards the gap before him. Freedom is only a few feet away from him, yet a few feet have never felt farther than they do now.

Victor’s feet join the legendary’s, then the boy kneels down and puts the side of the head to the ground. His expression morphs into one of panic when he sees where his friend has ended up.

“Hop! Are you alright? Can you crawl out?”

Hop hangs his head, then shakes it. His leg feels like it's slowly being crushed underneath the weight, all while being stabbed from the inside.

“I’m stuck. M-My leg, it’s–” He has to take a moment to breathe, “I think it’s broken.”

“No… Oh, no, what–”

Victor looks up, his head now disappearing from view. Hop can hear a low yet comforting growl, probably from either Zacian or Zamazenta. He’s glad that the legendary dogs are here, otherwise they’d be completely on their own.

“Can you move it? Or, or cut it, or something?” His friend asks, and it twists something deep inside of him to hear his usually level-headed pal sound so desperate. Judging by the lack of audible response, he assumes it’s a no.

“Vic,” Hop calls for the other, his face lowers into view once more. He looks terrified, and Hop gets it, because he feels the same way right now.

“Listen to me, mate. Y-You’ve gotta get help. There are probably people out there right now, a-ambulances an’ such. You’ve gotta bring ‘em here.”

“But– I can’t just leave you like this! That’s–”

“Please,” Hop cuts him off, practically begging. Victor looks at him with his lips pinched in a frown and his eyebrows tightly furrowed. However, he nods.

“Alright. Try not to move too much, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

If he could laugh, he would. It’s not like he can move much in the first place. He’s far too exhausted to laugh, though, let alone make any other sort of sound, so he just nods. Victor’s face disappears from view now, followed by his legs. He assumes the other has mounted Zacian, judging by the noises he hears, and just like that the two take off.

Hop lays his head on the ground. It must be cool, riding a legendary like that. He isn’t sure how he got Zacian to let him do so in the first place. Did the Pokémon motion for him to get on? He can’t tell from down here. He can’t tell much of anything besides the pain coursing through his leg.

A small whimper nearby catches his attention. He turns his head once more to find Zamazenta laying flat on the ground in front of the gap, eyes set on Hop. Its ears are tilted downwards, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d say it looks pretty sad. Sad for… him? He can hardly believe it, mostly because he would’ve never expected such an old and battle-hardened creature to feel mournful towards him.

They stay like this for an indeterminable amount of time. He isn’t sure how long it’s been, but it’s been long enough his leg is starting to go numb. Is that bad? Is that a sign of it getting worse? He doesn’t know, but at the very least he manages to find some smidgen of relief in the numbness.

There are voices now. They’re far away and difficult to make out, but he hears them. Zamazenta immediately gets to its paws, taking off in the direction of them. Only moments later, the voices have arrived, now close enough for him to parse.

“He’s right here,” Victor says, though he’s not visible from where he’s standing.

“Got it. Leon’s lil bro, you awake? Make any sort of noise if you can.”

It takes an embarrassingly long time for Hop to recognize that voice, but once he does he knows it to be that of Raihan’s. No wonder Victor found him first. He must have been aiding in the evacuation and protection of the city, considering he is the Gym Leader here.

“Yeah,” Hop responds, and he hates how small he sounds. He feels small, too, trapped underneath the debris of the tower and unable to move. He’s awake though, and more importantly– by some miracle– alive.

“Good. I’m going to have Duraludon and Turtinator lift this up, so don’t move when that happens, okay? This is going to take a while, but I promise we’ll get you out.”

This is the most serious he’s ever heard him speak, he realizes. Even during his battle against the other, he had never adopted such a tone, always retaining some of that… Raihan-ness he has. Something between a mix of cocky and playful, or during a heated battle, wild and untamed. There’s none of that here.

So, he remains still as the two dragon types move the slab and the arduous process of freeing him commences.