#this is a little unorganized wah

[uc1wa]

18+ minors dni

tags: fem reader, mentions of using a strap, tiny bit of mommy kink

the hard exterior never went anywhere, brain and brawn evident in the way maki zenin held herself. the way she talked and the way her biceps flexed every time she’d do so much as lift her arm to loop around you.

the soft touches she’d leave on your skin, her hand sitting on your lower back the second you’d walk out of your door. it wasn’t with possession, no, she wasn’t worried about somebody snatching your eye.

because just as you were her girl, she was your everything. there wasn’t a single bone without confidence in her body that could tell her otherwise.

you were the one leaning against her when you’d feel her warm palm. your cheek resting against her shoulder as the two of you would walk. your touches that would linger on her scarred skin for longer than they should. your eyes holding onto hers even when she’d look away.

"yes?" she’d ask as the two of you had decided on grabbing a warm drink in the cool autumn morning you’d both stepped into. your eyes tracing every curve of her face as if you’d never seen her before. her eyes refocusing their attention on yours with a quirked eyebrow at the question.

"nothin’," you’d laugh lightly, "not allowed to look at miss. pretty?" you questioned right back, tilting your head in a way that maki thought was cute. her eyebrows scrunching as a smile creeped its way to her lips.

she shakes her head in amusement, her attention now on you. she thanks the heavens that you preferred cold drinks as she sipped on her hot green tea. her black eyes watching the way your tongue darted between your lips to find your straw. the saliva that you glossed your lips with when you licked them before you decided to take another sip. the way your lips parted around the plastic.

though as the thoughts in her head ran wild, her lips stayed in a low smile, eyes neutral while her hand reached across the table to rest atop yours. the hand that she held on the walk home back to your shared place. the hand was was wrapped around your hip as you stood between her legs while she sat in front of you.

"put this on," she said, other hand holding a new tube of the lipgloss you liked. one that she’d bought the day prior, noticing that yours was running low, and that just wouldn’t do.

taking a step closer so that her legs were on either side of your hips, you took it with a smile and a nod. "anything for you, mama," the name of authority made maki’s hand squeeze your hip teasingly. eyes watching the same lips she was earlier. the way the end of the brush would smear shiny gloss over your puffy lips.

"what do ya say?" she asks while you set the gloss beside you, one knee maneuvering its way around her waist while the other does the same. adjusting and moving teasingly to get comfortable, and to put pressure where both of you want it.

"thanks, mommy," when your top row of teeth bite down on your plush lower lip, maki smirks while licking her own. the name egging her to keep a hand holding your waist as the other finds your throat, pulling you to her lips harsh enough to bruise.

her teeth are biting your bottom lip the same way you just were, tasting the gloss that has hints of sugary vanilla. who knew you could taste better?

while her tongue danced with yours, her hand stayed complacent around your throat. guiding you into every movement she wanted you to be in. her hand that was on your waist snaking until it’s holding your hip and pushing you down into her.

maki could eat the soft whimper you gave her as your heat was getting the friction it was begging for. the woman could nearly feel the way you were pulsating on top of her.

the domesticity of your morning made her touches soft and sensual. lingering and meaningful. she wanted to take her time with you and listen to every last whine she could pull out of you. and while she could grab her strap that stuffed you and made you scream, she opted for her fingers, wanting to feel your warmth and the way you clenched around her.

experimenting w my pretty mommy

[moonsidesong]

finished UT Yellow pacifist ! i really really enjoyed it! i will definitely be going back for the other runs but i'd like to let this sit for at least a few days before i go back in.

extended thoughts below!! yaayay!!!!

ok im sorry to open with a negative thought but if i can be a little mean. ceroba's fight suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. visually its insanely cool, musically its insanely cool, the presentation overall rocks, but gameplay wise its the worst ive played so far bar none.

i think this game for the most part had pretty fun and interesting bullet patterns for the bosses and, especially in the case of Axis, El Bailador, and Guardener's fights, i really got the sense i was getting a little better each time as i memorized the attacks, which is exactly what i want from a UTDR boss fight! i heart memorization.

... but Ceroba's fight was the only one where i felt like the bullet patterns just had no rhyme or reason to them. i think using several simple attacks to make a layered complicated one is a good idea in theory but in the way they did it i kinda just felt like she was throwing random crap at me and when I did beat it (which took i think around an hour) i sorta just got the impression that i was lucky enough her RNG picked the easier ones a few extra turns in a row rather than feeling like i actually accomplished anything (anything with the gravity black hole added was just kind of a death sentence for me, maybe its a skill issue but i feel like yknow. im okaaayyy at bullet hell... wah...)

also, i dont know much about game design, but the overall momentum of the fight is set up to really only be good if you beat it the first time. which is not great. they make you watch a cutscene every time you die and although it is brief, it breaks things up just a little too long! you get really sick of hearing the first few notes of what are otherwise great songs in her fight, and it makes it harder to feel for her when watching her scream starts to become annoying. i think if it were up to me, it'd be best if when you died, there was no cutscene, and the game over screen didnt have music or text and was JUST the Retry/Continue prompts so you can jump back into the action quickly. if we wanna take it a step further, because the music opens with such intense notes, stop making it start over!!!! pick it up where it left off!!!! maybe even have the game over menu not even stop the music, just muffle it temporarily or something. i dont know. thats what id do if it were up to me but i did not make anything im just a guy writing a tumblr post

anyway hater hour over. i mentioned those three boss fights earlier because they were my favorites. i thought they were really fun. i can see how some people might think the shield mechanic during Axis's fight might suck but it was like easily my favorite actually HAHAHA idk i thought it was fuuuuun heehehe yaay i block the bullets and it makes a good sound sound makea me happy <- this is the hightest compliment you can get from a misophonic player

also the ending made me cry. this isnt saying much because literally everything makes me cry but it did in fact make me cry. u show me characters showing a moment of genuine vulnerability in a bittersweet atmosphere and uh oh

anyway.

i mentioned in my previous thought post that i was interested in seeing where the running theme of "jobs/employment" was going, and seeing it play out into meaning "forever unfinished business" was really good. Martlet quits the Royal Guard having felt like she never really did anything there, neither Chujin nor Ceroba could finish what they set out to do, and Clover never even saw the other human souls. theres probably more than that too thats just what i remeber my memorys actually kinda bad i never remember anything until i play it like three times oops. maybe i should start writing my thoughts as i go instead of making big unorganized writeups on tumblr after the fact.

also this is a really small personal nitpick that doesnt matter but i dont like ceroba's skirt. i think having such a regal traditional outfit otherwise and then just wearing a short skirt that goes above her knees makes her look more like a schoolgirl than it does someone who is like At The Minimum in her thirties. i get not wanting a long skirt to get in the way of her silhouette for her boss fight since shes all like stanced up but at that point just give her pants LOL

i don't care to comment much on the writing, on the whole i really liked it so i dont have as much to say, but i dont think martlet shouldve been there in the room with you for Chujin's tapes. i think that shouldve been a quiet moment with just Clover so it could Sit with you for a second. thats my only writing gripe in this very moment.

anyway GRAHHHH I ENDED UP WRITING A LOT OF THINGS I DIDNT LIKE AND I DONT WANT TO LEAVE WITH THE IMPRESSION I HAD A NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE SO:

MUSIC WAS REALLY GOOD!!! I LIKED ALL THE CHARACTERS!!!! I LIKED MAKING AXIS'S FUNNY ROBOT PARTNER I THOUGHT THAT WAS FUNNY!!!!!!!! ASIDE FROM THE FINAL BOSS I THOUGHT THE GAMEPLAY WAS FUN!!!!! THE MAIL MECHANIC WAS REALLY SILLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I PLAYED WITH MY FRIEND AND I HAD A VERY GOOD TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAY!!! I VIDEO LOVE GAMES!!!!!!!!!!

thanks for reading! im sure ill have more thoughts to share by the time i do the other routes, but like i said at the start, id like to just sit on my thoughts and let the game simmer for now. my overall opinion is that i thought it was good! not perfect by any means, but very very good. i'm sure i will revisit it someday. and by that i mean right now im gonna draw and watch a bit of saltydkdan's video of it before bed.

if you read this far tell me your favorite hot drink :) lately ive been really obsessed with like, this basic ass cinnamon/nutmeg/coriander chai from target. i put a little honey and cream in it and its like my favorite thing ever i have some every morning. i used to think i only liked fruity teas but my eyes have been truly opened.

[ego-osbourne]

This was one that @mellowscrolls suggested I do a while ago. Never got around to finishing it, and I’m not sure how canon all of this will be to the fic, but have this WIP anyway :) It’s a bit long

Dragon Fight

Status: Unfinished Oneshot

TW: Violence and Battle

Summary: The Masquerade battles a dragon in an unorganized manner.

———

The main our of the Masquerade trekked alongside a river in the Rift, heading east to the city. It was midday with a clear sky and the sun casted down heat, but the wind pushed the coolness of the water’s surface toward the party, keeping everyone relatively temperate. To their left was the river, and to their right was woodlands. They traveled between the two, just far enough from the riverbank so as not to collect mud on their footwear. It was a peaceful journey, all things considered, if a little boring.

In the break of one of the party’s conversations, a massive shadow was suddenly cast over them, moving quickly. Looking up, the party found the familiar silhouette of a dragon, soaring so high into the air that it was difficult to make out any semblance of details. “Dammit,” Erandur cursed, “Let’s hope it’s just a scout.”

“Let’s hope it lands,” Miraak countered, drawing his sword, “I don’t like the thought of dragons communicating with Alduin over our whereabouts.”

The dunmer sighed as Serana readied her own sword. “Okay,” he said, “Just don’t—”

“Mey dovah!” Miraak shouted into the air, sending no physical force with his Voice but sounding just as loud as a Shout.

“—provoke it…” Erandur grumbled.

The dragon above roared, its words hard to discern through its deep and angry tone. It began to swoop down.

Ego sort of chuckled, “I heard ‘dovah.’ What’d you say?”

“Called him a stupid dragon,” Miraak answered.

“Nice,” Ego responded, drawing their waraxe as they kept an eye on the dragon. “Let’s take cover by the woods before he gets any closer.”

The party made their way over as the dragon swooped over the river, making the water’s surface tremble with an ear-splitting roar. Clearly not happy about the situation, Erandur commented, “Ego, I thought you hated fighting dragons.”

“I do! But, now we’ve got Miraak. Things are a bit less dangerous with two dragon-hunters, aye?”

Just as the party went to turn, the dragon threw itself onto the riverbank, and the group was appalled by just how massive this beast was. For Miraak, the size was familiar but still extremely foreboding, while the other three had never seen a traditional dragon of this size—not as big as Paarthurnax or Alduin, but more massive than any of the others they’d seen previously. “Holy shit!” Ego cursed.

The dragon, with a voice as deep as a well, spouted, “Hin togaat wah paak zu’u los kod!” Its scales were a glistering blue and white with thin spikes jutting all over its back resembling ice crystals. It stood with four feet instead of the traditional two and was battle-scarred.

Miraak fired back, “Nu hi mulhaan bo wah mu, mey?” None of the party caught a lot of it, but that last word, “mey.” That meant stupid, or something similar, they knew. That, plus whatever else Miraak had said, seemed to anger the dragon enough to begin its attack. “Fo…”

“Get cover!” Erandur called, throwing up a ward.

“…Krah Diin!” the dragon finished, hurling a storm of ice and blistering cold at the party. Miraak threw up a ward with him while Serana and Ego ducked behind nearby trees. Everyone avoided most of the impact, and as soon as the stream of Frost Breath ceased, the party jumped out to take action. In near-unison, both Dragonborn Shouted, “Mul… Qah Diiv!” and were wrapped in ethereal armor in the shapes of scales and horns. The dragon roared something in dovahzul to them before taking to the sky, missing any melee attacks that the party could have dealt. As it lifted, Erandur shot firebolts at it, Serana fired ice spikes, and both Dragonborn casted bolts of lightning toward the beast. When the dragon flew far enough that the group couldn’t accurately aim, Ego called to Miraak, “My soul, by the way!”

“Ha! You wish,” Miraak retorted.

“It’s mine, Miraak!”

“You got the last one!”

“I’m still making up for all the ones you stole!”

Erandur piped up, “You two! Quit fighting and focus on the dragon!”

Ego huffed, jogging over closer to the group and next to Miraak. The eldest gave them a punch to the arm, which Ego retorted with a harder punch to his. “Bastard,” Miraak said under his breath. “Asshat,” Ego returned.

The dragon circled the area again before swooping down to them, spraying deadly frost onto the party. Erandur and Miraak cased ward, each pulling Serana and Ego under with them to block the frost. When the dragon passed, Miraak summoned a seeker to aid the group. It reminded Ego to summon their own atronach, producing a lady of fire at their side. Doing so gave them a sudden idea.

“Oh, hold on,” they murmured to themself, reaching for their bag. They recalled a particular staff attached to their bag and pawed at it for a moment before being able to unclasp it and wield it in their casting hand. The Sanguine Rose. Ego smirked at the possibilities. “Alright, Sammy, let’s see what you can do.” The Dragonborn knew fully-well that the Rose could summon a dremora warrior to help, but they also knew a special way to summon the Principality himself. They backpedaled away from the group a short distance, tucked their axe under their arm, and plucked one of the petals from the rose of the staff. Ego dropped it to the ground while Erandur side-eyed them. Within a moment, red smoke billowed up and spun with the air, growing to a height well above Ego’s head. As quick as it had come, the smoke dissipated and in the petal’s place stood the Daedric Prince of Debauchery: Sanguine. He was dressed in the usual red and gold draperies, robes covering his legs and falling over his shoulders. He squinted in the sunlight but spotted the Dragonborn near-instantly and smiled with his fangs. “Oh, you look colorful,” he referenced their Dragon Aspect.

“Yeah!” The Dragonborn cut him off before he could say anything more, then gestured to the dragon—the dragon that was coming down to land. “Wanna help?” They asked in a rather panicked tone, readying their axe.

The ground shook with the force of the landing, making everyone stumble for a moment, and Sanguine looked over at the dragon and froze, eyes going wide. The beast shallowly laughed before drawing in a breath, and in that instant Sanguine scooped up the Last Dragonborn and scrambled to get away, fleeing into the trees. The other three shouted at the Prince for stealing away one of the party members and Ego yelped for Sam to put them down. Sanguine listened to nobody, however, and continued to race into the woods with Ego in-tow while the dragon refocused its Frost Breath on the grander party.

Miraak could be heard Shouting while the others skirmished with the beast. Sanguine ducked behind some trees and brush, peering over to watch the fight in fear while keeping Ego in a tight grip. The Dragonborn squirmed and scolded, “Sam! Let go!”

“This is what you fucking do all day?” he gaped.

“Sanguine!” Ego punched his arm.

“Ah! Sorry!” He let them go. Ego rose to their feet while the Prince stayed kneeling, his ears pointed downward and his tail curled around him. “What did you summon me for?”

“To help!”

“Wh—How am I gonna help? Why didn’t you summon a dremora or something, that’s what the staff usually does!”

“I don’t know! You’ve got Prince powers or something don’t you?”

“You are assuming a lot about what all my ‘Prince powers’ do!” Sam gave an undertone of sass.

“Ego!” They heard Erandur call. “We need your help!” The remaining group was managing but obviously not winning. The flame atronach was long gone, probably due to a frost attack, and Ego saw the seeker that Miraak had summoned get squished beneath one of its feet, fizzling out and returning to Apocrypha. Ego huffed, “Look, sorry! Just,” they shoved the Rose into his hands, “Hold onto this for a second. Sorry again!” With that, Ego ran off towards the fight. Sanguine looked on in astonishment.

Ego guesstimated the distance between them and the dragon, drawing their axe over their shoulder and Shouting “Wuld!” As they traveled they swung the weapon and planted it right into the dragon’s leg. They pulled it away just as the beast turned to swat at them, clipping Ego’s back with a claw as they attempted to dodge.

Serana stepped back from the group and concentrated, summoning a gargoyle to assist the party. It immediately sprung into action, leaping up to the dragon’s head and carving into it with red claws. The dragon backpedaled, attempting to shake off the gargoyle while the party pursued it. In an act of luck on the dragon’s part, the gargoyle slipped and was caught between the beast’s jaws, being bitten through and destroyed in an instant.

Miraak gave the dragon no time to reassess the field, sending a storm of Fire Breath into its face. The dragon roared and lifted into the air again, spraying Frost Breath at the party. Ego was left in its wake without cover, this time, getting pelted with small shards of ice. As the dragon left them for a moment, Erandur hurried over and casted a restoration spell on Ego, healing their external wounds. “What happened to Sanguine?” Erandur asked.

“He’s over there,” Ego gestured, glancing over to spot— “Oh!” They were surprised by the sight of two dremora warriors, fully clad with terrifying armor, one wielding a giant greatsword, the other a giant bow. The dremora were running to the group with eyes on the dragon, the bowman taking aim and firing upon the beast. Back in the brush, still, was Sanguine, hiding behind a tree and nervously waving to the group. The dremora were surely summoned by him.

“What’d you summon him for?” Erandur asked.

“To help,” Ego echoed the same sentiment from earlier.

“He’s not exactly Dagon,” Erandur snarked.

“He’s still a Prince!”

“He’s a drunkard.”

“Erandur,” Ego scolded. “He’s helping, look!” They gestured to the dremora before addressing them both, “Thank you, by the way.”

Neither of them responded.

Erandur sighed, jogging back to the focus of the group, “Just don’t let him pull you away, again.” Ego tailed him, glancing back at the Prince and giving him a thumbs up. Sanguine didn’t look so confident but smiled with his teeth all the same.

The dragon swooped down, diving as if to land but maintaining a frightening speed. The bowman dremora managed to get a shot in before the party realized that the dragon’s claws were out, and it intended to snatch up the party members. The majority of them hopped out of the way, but the bowman and Miraak were too slow to move. Miraak Shouted “Feim!”—Become Ethereal—just as the dragon’s feet hit him, moments away from getting smashed into the dirt and picked up into the air. The bowman wasn’t so lucky, dropping his weapon after the blow before his form fizzled and he returned to Oblivion.

Panic set into the party, now, watching as Miraak was lifted higher and higher into the air. He writhed in the claws that squeezed him through his ethereal form, trying to push his way out before ultimately using a Shout to do so. He used Cyclone, crying, “Ven… Gaar Nos!” and aimed it right at the beast’s ankle. It dispelled his ethereal nature but also twisted the dragon’s leg, forcing it to free Miraak. The Dragonborn began to fall, the river quick to catch him but not without pain, Miraak knew. He sharply inhaled and Shouted, “Feim!” once more, regaining his ghostly form. It taxed his lungs and energy to Shout so many times in a row, but at least the fall was painless as he crashed into the river.

Ego knew Miraak would be struggling to regain his energy after Shouting like that, and so ran with the current. Using all three words of Whirlwind Sprint, they managed to catch up to their older brother and wade into the water, taking his arm and pulling him up to the shoreline. By then, Miraak’s ethereal form had dissipated. He had a small coughing fit as he spit up water, and Ego casted a meager healing spell on him. “You alright?” they asked quickly.

“Yeah,” he huffed, still grasping onto Ego’s shoulder for support. The dragon roared overhead and both Dragonborn turned their gaze up to it. “Dammit, the thing needs to stay down,” Miraak cursed.

“Well, not a whole lot we can do about that.” They hit Miraak on the back, adding, “We’re in for the long fight.”

Miraak grumbled and began to move back towards the rest of the party. The Masquerade watched the dragon detour into the woods, and for a brief moment they thought it had left for good. “Coward!” Miraak called, personally angry, now.

And then, as if he’d tempted karma, the dragon reappeared with a whole tree in its grasp, laughing as it threw it down onto the party. The majority of the Masquerade swore as they lunged out of the way, all thankfully missing the bulk of the tree but managing to get whacked by branches as it crashed. Ego and Miraak were on the ground next to each other, scrambling to their feet. Ego punched their brother in the arm quite hard, telling him, “Would you keep your mouth shut?”

Miraak punched them back, “Would you?”

Everyone got out of the way of the thrown tree, eyes on the airborn dragon once again. The remaining dremora warrior was muttering something under his breath in a language none of them knew, seemingly cursing his situation. Unable to do much else, the group threw magic at the dragon once it got close enough.

After a few swoops and Frost Breath attacks, the beast landed once again. The group ran to it, finally able to land some worthwhile blows as it fought back against them. Erandur did a good number on the ice beast with his fire attacks, keeping his distance and aiming toward the dragon’s back as he shot fireballs at it. The dragon lost its balance due to the impacts, and responded with a mighty swip of the tail that caught Ego and Serana in its wake. They were thrown into the earth and tumbled over themselves, the Dragonborn quick to their feet while the vampire laid on her back for a moment and cursed in annoyance. While on the ground, she summoned another gargoyle and sent it towards the dragon.

The gargoyle was quick, running on all fours and lunging at the beast’s head, but the dragon knew this trick and pelted it with powerful frost. The gargoyle fizzled out in the blizzard before managing to land a hit. The dragon’s head was low as it tasted the last bits of frost on its tongue, and with its position came an opportunity for the dremora warrior. With a hefty overhead swing, he brought his giant blade down through the beast’s snout. The dragon was surprised by the strength harbored by the dremora and had to recover for a moment with a new gash across its nose. The warrior gave it no time, though, and followed his swing with an upward jab to the underside of the beast’s jaw. Clearly tired with its predicament, the beast raised its wings to take off.

Just before it could get its first flap in, though, the ground beneath it broke in multiple places, and from the earthly wounds rose giant trunks of wood, crimson in hue and sprouting with pink leaves and blossoms. They wrapped around the dragon’s neck, grabbing on and not letting go. Ego accidentally struck one of the branches as it appeared, blocking their hit. The dragon pushed its wings against the air and attempted to lift off, but the massive branches around its neck kept it in place. More of these rapidly-growing trees caught the beast’s body, pulling it to the earth.

As the dragon cried out, the group briefly looked around to find the cause of the strange happenings. Ego was the first to see Sanguine by the treeline, pulling at the air with his hands in-time with the way the branches moved. He had brought up the trees, Ego realized, not knowing he was capable of a feat like that. They cheered him on, “Woo, Sam!”

He flickered his gaze to the Dragonborn, giving a hearty smile before refocusing his attention on keeping the beast down.

Ego heard Erandur laugh with pride—probably the first time he’d done so in relevance to Sanguine. He then launched another fireball at the dragon’s back just as Miraak Shouted a storm of fire at the beast’s front. Both caused the branches to catch fire, adding extra damage to the beating that the dragon was already taking elsewhere. The dremora warrior hopped out of the way of a Frost Breath attack and struck the dragon’s eye with his blade, making the beast roar in pain and defiance. Ego managed to sprint over to the other side of the dragon’s head, striking its face with their axe. Eventually, the dragon let out one last cry before all movement ceased, and the fire blazed around it. The downed beast then began its signature process of burning up from the inside, matching the outside inferno.

Those who were close to the dragon stepped back, sighing a breath of relief as the battle drew to a close. Ego and Miraak quickly locked eyes on each other, and after a moment of glaring, both began to push at one another. They were fighting to see who could get closer to the dragon’s body without stepping foot in the flames; whoever was closest would snag the soul, after all. Miraak, being bigger and stronger than their sibling, grabbed Ego by the shoulders and tossed them back. Just as all the flesh of the dragon flaked away, the Last Dragonborn met the First with a hefty, “Fus… Ro!” It made Miraak stumble away but not far enough, and Ego groaned as they watched the soul fly to Miraak. “Ha!” the older of the two laughed.

“Asshat!” Ego got to their feet.

“You were too slow this time, Dragonborn,” Miraak pressed on with immense pride in his voice.

Ego didn’t bother to bite their tongue. Instead, they aimed their Voice at Miraak, and sent him into the river with Unrelenting Force. The thunderous clap was nicely matched with the sound of the First splashing into the water.

“Ego!” Erandur scolded, jogging over.

“He stole the soul!” The Dragonborn couldn’t help but laugh as they battled with the priest. “He’s fine.” They glanced back to the river, seeing Miraak’s head poking out of the water’s surface as he begrudgingly made his way back to land. Ego tauntingly called, “You alright?”

Miraak’s golden mask faced them just as he reached the bank, and from the water’s surface jutted a middle finger. Ego mischievously snickered while Erandur rolled his eyes. “Alright,” the priest began, changing the subject, “Who’s hurt?”

“Aye,” Serana called, trudging over with a half-relaxed expression. Erandur met with her and found her wounds, healing them over the best he could.

Ego took another breath as they looked at the dragon, sighing with relief to see the flames of the charred branches dying down. They caught the dremora in their sight; he was poking at one of the wing bones with his foot, examining the dead beast. Ego was about to call over to him before hearing footsteps running up behind them. Before they could even turn, they were snatched up and lifted from the ground into a tight hug. A breath and noise was forced out of them as they were squeezed, Sanguine chattering, “Holy shit! Ego, why in Oblivion would you do that?”

“Ugh—Sam!” they lightly punched his arms, signaling him to let up. Sanguine did so but still held onto them, not letting their feet touch the ground. “I mean, really? Why? Are you alright?” he queried.

“That’s sort of our job,” Ego chuckled, getting their breath back, “Dragonborn, and all.”

���That job fucking sucks,” he responded.

“Hey, but you’re pretty damned good at it!” the breton exclaimed. “I didn’t know you could bring trees up like that!”

“Trust me when I say that they’re usually only for scenery. That took a lot of concentration,” the Prince looked over at the dragon. “Woof… I haven’t seen that for a while.”

“Ego!” Erandur called from a short distance, “Tell him to put you down so I can heal you!”

“Oh, I can heal you,” Sanguine said to Ego, but with a bit of snark directed at Erandur. He asked, “Where are you hurt?

[techouspeaks]

Healin Good Precure Final Verdict and thoughts on Tropical Rouge Precure!

First off, sorry I haven’t been around that much to even talk about Healin Good. First, I just kinda lost interest in doing reviews for a while and then some personal snit just had to be thrown in when I really wanted to discuss somethings. So this review is kinda gonna be slightly unorganized but I’ll do my best and I’m really sorry about Precuruary again not being this year. This past year has been whoo! Just yeah...Anyway! I will try to be more active when I can be but I can’t make any promises right now. So onto the review! 

I know every year I’ve said that each precure seems a little better than the previous ones in some aspects. Like for example, Star Twinkle I felt was a little better than Hugtto in terms of overall enjoyment and characters, but it lacked developing the plot and the lackluster in the personality of the princesses. They could have had each princess have the certain traits expected from their signs such as Virgo being a perfectionist and Aries being hot tempered. 

Than again, maybe it’s cause I just think anything is better than Kira Kira! lol! I know I get a little harsh with that series. Given the other series that came before and after, can you blame me? There are better series than that. (In my opinion, anyway.)

Healin Good, I can definitely say this was a good ride for both plot, character, music and animation! Yes, the designs for the cures were a little lack luster and I still can’t help but get Cure Flora vibes from Grace, but eventually, I got used to it. In fact, while I know it was the anniversary of Yes Precure 5 Go Go!, I almost felt like they should have just made that into a separate movie and have Healin Good meet Go Princess since the cures there have a lot in common!

But of course being their own thing. They’re not copies of the GoPre girls, but they share definitely some things in common such as Cure Grace and Cure Flora’s flower theme, Cure Sparkle and Cure Twinkles love for fashion and star themes and Cure Fountain and Cure Mermaid for the water themes.

In terms of plot, it wasn’t like the most amazing plot ever, but it was decent and coherent. It was a serviceable plot that did the bare minimum and not be too crazy and outlandish and the morals at least made more sense unlike Twinkle. There was no getting grumpy dog people to learn to smile and be happy. 

Yes, the one thing that doesn’t make sense is how Cure Earth came to be and I will admit she as well as Fountain are the least interesting girls. I know people love Fountain/Chiyu! For me, blue cures have interesting stories but a personality that doesn’t fit it. They’re okay but I always feel like they’re just the cool kid that’s typically the responsible role model and nothing more, with the exception of Cure Marine and Cure Beauty, the later fits that role but she also has a bit more to her in terms of personality. The backstory for Fountain/Chiyu doesn’t make sense either. She sees the horizon line between the ocean and the sky and wants to jump that high. Then at first she’s just sees high jump as fun, which annoys a rival of hers and thus she’s pressured to like it more than just a school thing. It’s weird and almost complicated...

Cure Earth/Asumi is sorta a motherly kind of character since she’s in her 20s in appearance, but still a fish out of water. I’m glad they didn’t make her a teen so she had to go to school with the girls and she’s like the first adult main cure (Like I get Cure Flower, ancient cures and the Hugtto Cures, but I’m talking as in the main team member and not a side character type thing.) Which is nice, it shows that yes adults can be heroes. I mean we had adult superheroes all the time and the teen was just the less experienced side kick. 

As for personality, she’s a bit of a blank slate but I love her design! I know Green Cure and all wah, but hate to say it, the more people complain that there isn’t a green cure in every season, the more I’m kinda glad cause people get sooo uptight like they’re whitewashing a character or something. Like stop! It’s just a team color for Pete’s sake! Like even if they did her as a green cure, she’s kind of bland in personality so would you be happy with a green cure that’s sorta the blank slate?

I’m not saying she’s bad. She can be funny and it can be enjoying to watch her understand feelings and things since while an adult physically, she was basically born out of a whim and only knows how to talk and understand the basis of the Healing Garden as well as Princess Latte and Queen Teatinu. Shoot, she couldn’t even eat on her own.

My two favorite characters by far have to be Nodoka aka Cure Grace and Hinata aka Cure Sparkle. Hinata is just a fun character. She’s emotional, got a go getter attitude and I like the fact she’s into fashion but isn’t over the top annoying or particularly snobby, kinda like Cure Twinkle but different that Cure Twinkle has more of a professional attitude and higher skills, while Cure Sparkle is a bit clumsy and overly excited about everything. She has insecurities and flaws but thanks to Nodoka and Nyantoran, she gets over these rather quickly.

As for Nodoka, I know people are disappointed that her illness turned out nothing more than Daruzen, I don’t blame them for going this route. Yes, it kinda gives an unrealistic impression that the disease just simply needs to jump out of someone and they’ll be okay. I can’t help but think it might have backfired especially given the time since we had the you know what virus. So many kids were watching their families get destroyed and while, yes, it would be good to teach kids to stay strong and fight through it and that it takes time for people to recover fully, it could also be too overbearing for them as well if they happen to have a loved one who is sick or they themselves and are just constantly reminded of the suffering.

Put it short, there’s kind of no best way around it. You can either do it this way and there might be some kids that think well the virus can just jump out or do it the other way and risk kids getting depressed and anxious, which would be bad as depression and anxiety in kids has risen a lot since 2020. For me, I think kids are smarter than we give them credit. They are gonna be aware that stuff in cartoons/anime works differently than in the real world, so I feel like the route they took was better. It was already risky having the main character be sick and being put in the hospital to begin with.

With that being said, Nodoka is a good character for more reasons than her being sick and fighting an illness. She wants to be supportive because she needed support. Just because her illness turned out to be some alien germ from another dimension, doesn’t make her desire to help any less meaningful. She did suffer a lot, fought through pain and suffering through an unknown amount of time. Just cause she healed miraculously doesn’t make her suffering not real and her inspiration and influence on others less so.

Bottom line, it doesn’t matter how she healed, she still suffered, got inspire by those who helped her and thus inspired those to work hard on getting better. The message is still there.

But there is another thing that makes her special and that is when Nodoka told Daruzen off! That alone was the most inspiring thing ever done in a Precure series in a LONG time! It’s not just her standing up to a bully. She stood up to her abuser! And yes, I do like Daruzen and at first I thought they would be a cute couple, but I will admit when Daruzen took things too far and as someone that’s been sexually harassed and known people who were forced on, I can’t push forward with the ship or Daruzen for that matter. 

When Daruzen needed help, Nodoka pushed him away and then he outright made her feel bad about it. “I thought you were about helping others.” This is a tactic used by abusers, taking advantage of the kindness their victim usually has and congrats to Rabirin for being the best partner to a Precure. 

Nodoka holds no responsibility for Daruzen. He used her thus abused her, he caused so much pain not only onto her but to those around her. Put it short, Nodoka doesn’t owe Daruzen anything! That to me is one of the most important lessons to teach anyone especially young kids. It’s good to teach others to be kind and forgive folks, but if you don’t want to than don’t especially if they have done nothing but hurt you. Your health including mental health comes first above all else. It’s not selfish especially if the one needing help was selfish first and didn’t think about you in the long run.

So as much as I think that Daruzen X Nodoka could have been cute, I can’t help but applaud Toei for going this route instead. Especially these days, I feel it’s really important teach kids that it’s okay to think of what’s best for you, including putting a limit on helping people and setting boundaries. I’ve known even family members and friends that were in this situation where they had to stop helping someone, because that person took advantage of them and they had to put their foot down, cause they had to finally think of their own health and well being. It’s not selfish. It’s important to take care of yourself first!

Speaking of mascots, all the mascots are useful including Latte, which is the main mascot that is in peril the most since the villains make her sick. However, she is far from a passive pup as some people pass her off as. She does know when to put her paw down and even in the midst of her suffering, she does try when she can to help. Even go as far as refusing Nodoka’s care until she and Rabirin settle their differences to work together. She also has the ability to sense when the earth needs help and is the only animal that can do this. She also refuses Cure Earth’s/Asumi’s overly servitude towards her, showing she knows when to speak out about her own well being. True Latte doesn’t get too much to shine but when she does it’s rather welcomed.

Normally with mascots, I don’t care for them since they tend to be typically one note. The mascots for Healin Good are all memorable with their own personality  and they grow along side their respected cures. The only mascots I know that grew a lot was Yes! Precure 5/Go! Go’s Coco, Nuts and Milky, Go Princess Precure’s Aroma and Puffu. Mofurun only showed much growth in the movie where they became a cure. Though Mofurun is still more useful than the mascots in Kira Kira. (Yes, I will always take the opportunity to slam on that series!)

Speaking of Kira Kira...Oh boy. Well I was a little excited to finally have an ocean themed precure series with a mermaid, my excitement kinda dropped when I noticed the transformation compact and transformation. I’m gonna go a head and review the first episode since I watched it. 

I’ll first start off the with positives and move on to what I wouldn’t say are horrible things, but more so my overall concerns with it.

First, like others, I’m glad we got a lead cure that isn’t pink for once. This is a first since Splash Star Precure, whom I don’t think Cure Bloom counts. I mean in the first season, she kinda is pink, but then when she becomes Cure Bright her colors change so I kinda count her as being mix color, while Cure Dream was the first official Pink Cure.

I also like that while Manatsu/Cure Summmer is another happy go lucky type, she does have a bit more zest and isn’t the overall cutesy happy go lucky cures we’ve come to know. She’s different from Cure Star and Cure Yell, in which she’s happy go lucky in a more of a hot headed sense, than the cute, been bullied but still brave kid which was Cure Star and Yell.

Manatsu/Summer reminds me of Lina Inverse from Slayers and other similar red head characters from that era, which makes sense she is a red head. (Least Manatsu is).

The transformation and battle scenes are better too. I was worried that because the pact and start of the transformation looked so similar to Kira Kira, I was worried it would be exactly the same but it’s different enough it seems. My only gripe is that maybe Cure Summer’s final pose at the end for her transformation sequence could have been a bit more dramatic. Her pose look lack luster compared to the rest of her transformation.

The animation in Cure Summer’s attack is amazing but the 3D part of is a little distracting somewhat. I feel like the sun could have been done in 2D. Other than that, animation is gorgeous! Bright and colorful with nice detailing within the characters and background.

I also can’t help adore Cure Coral/Sango’s design and character. She hasn’t appeared that much, but already I kinda already adore her! She’s so precious and I can tell she’s already gonna be a fan favorite among many! I also like how she seems sweet and quiet but isn’t shy either. She’s rather just down to earth, just doing her own thing but still being polite. Refreshing take especially on a purple cure!

Now onto my issues with it. Starting with a bit too many similarities to Kira Kira such as the transformation pact and the overly energetic, silly theme. I don’t mind silly when it’s balanced out right. For me, it’s a bit too crazy and kinda the issue I had with Cure Princess and sometimes Cure Marine. I get that it’s about motivation VS procrastination. I hope they work it out to teach kids there’s an importance of both. Just teach that you need a bit of balance. Right now, it’s just not. Manatsu kinda gets on my nerves a little bit and then you have Laura...

I kinda have mix feelings about Laura. On one hand, I do relate to her. She’s a little vain and I like the fact that despite being a main character, she’s actually quite selfish! Her whole desire to do this mission is out of hope that she’ll be the next Queen, which apparently, the current Queen isn’t her mom I guess, but she’s chosen to be in line and she seems to want to be Queen simply for the selfish reason to be praised and adored, not cause she wants to help her people. I like this for the fact that it makes her far different from Cure Milky/Lala, whom many have said she was probably a little too responsible for her age, but I digress, Lala/Cure Milky is one of my favorite cures. 

What I’m concern is the fact that Laura will outshine the cures and take over the spotlight especially when she becomes a Cure. There’s no denying this will happen especially since it’s been confirmed the Midseason Cure is called Cure Le Mer, which is her last name. She seems to already outshine the mascot for the series Kururun, who is the first mascot to not meet the lead cure in the first episode because the poor thing barely gets any screen time!

I noticed this especially when the products for the series came out that Kururun is barely in any of the merchandise. I guess after focusing so much on the mascots for three seasons, having at least one be the token mascot to save all humanity, they decided “Eh, lets just make a mermaid the star seller and just have the mascot be squeezed in for those who want a stuffed animal.”

I get that the Midseason cures tend to take over the spotlight anyway, but I don’t always agree. Cure Scarlet and Cure Earth kinda grew along side the other cures. Taking time for both them and another Cure or character to shine as well. With Laura, because she’s already part of the group, hopefully won’t  outshine  the cures, but being how much they merchandise and show her off, it’s looking a bit bleak for anyone who isn’t Manatsu/Cure Summer when Cure Le Mer takes the stage.

I also fear since the series was announce that Asuka/Cure Flamingo maybe too much like Cure Chocolate given how her design is similar. I love her design, her’s is my favorite design of the bunch, but you can’t deny she looks like Cure Chocolate with longer hair. I hope they give her and the other cures more personality and growth especially before Laura becomes a cure.

Other than those gripes, I don’t hate it and do like some things about it. Maybe I’m just used Healin Good’s more relaxed theme that I’m kinda skeptical for this more wild, eccentric series. Maybe it will grow on me in time. Hoping it does since as said, been wanting an ocean themed Precure series with mermaids in it for a looong time!

Without further a due, I give Healin Good Precure 8 out of 10 stars. Won’t rate Tropical Rouge Precure until the end of the season. Seeya in the next review!

8 Stars Level: “Great!”