#this post amused me so much x'D

[blackstarchanx3new]

FSR Rambles 7 days

Have you considered I've gone mad.

Wacky perhaps?

It's the gay ass forest scene bitches and my long winded thoughts.

WELCOME TO MY GAMER PAD. SORRY FOR THE MESS I JUST GET SO TILTED AT THE TOWERS.

Shadow Link calling VIO weird is so funny to me. Just casual spying. Nothing weird. Noticing every tiny detail about him...Nothing weird.

Shadow related to Vio and that's why he went for him over any of the others. XD

Let's go down the list shall we?~

Red's too much of a crybaby to even consider humoring not suitable for the darkness too much of a wuss. Sorry Red we're thinking with Shadow's logic here, also Red's a big baby.

Blue's too much of an arrogant hot head and I imagine Shadow would assume they'd butt heads too much to work with cleanly. Also, Shadow would be in range to be smacked with a hammer and that sounds unpleasant. Though I do think Blue would be a close second considering he could have his anger pointed at the other 3... Shadow could be like "Oh you know, the other 3 are just too...combative with your greatness"

Green's too much of a goody too shoes. Also I love the vibe we all get that he kinda HATES Green. X'D

(This is like, a prevalent idea in the fandom and I find it hysterical despite me ya know...Shipping Green x Vio x Shadow X'D Shadow tries to get along with everybody more in FSR though)

That leaves the quiet angsty one that already seems to be having doubts going through similar emotional struggles as Shadow Link.

Which one would YOU pick? X'D The choice is obvious.

I brought this up on the actual comic post but I'll bring it up again: I also think the timing for them being split up is very...Sus on Shadow's part. Like, I think Shadow split them up to talk to Vio alone and get the other 3 in parrel imo. And waited till Vio was tired from fighting through the forest to confront him. Everyone else's scenes take place during the day, Vio's is at night. Considering Shadow's the one who presumably used magic to split them up and swiped Red's sword right off his back we know the dude is following em around.

Just a set up page. leads into the next scene. There's not a lot special to say about it. Vio recognizes "Oh shit this isn't right" right away.

I like the last 2 panels of Shadow just waiting for Vio cause he's in control of the situation.

Dark Link finally says something of substance. About himself anyways.

So far he's only been repeating people's insecurities back at them, you'd be forgiven for assuming that he doesn't HAVE a character of his own. Nope he does. XD

He reveals he's sneaking through Shadow's memories which is something he's surprised he can do. Shadow's previous assumption that the curse doesn't affect him at all is wrong considering this information...Or perhaps Dark Link can just comb through anyone's insecurities. We'll see...

We get a panel of what Shadow looks like in the headspace. He has the scar on his chest visible lol. FSR Shadow has a scar from the Four Sword blast he takes in the manga's events. Because angst that's why. Also Vio and Shadow are together, but this was mainly done to show they were together in the real world. Dark Link isn't directly talking to Shadow here like he did with Vio and Green. He's just watching. Menacingly!!!!

Dark Link thinks of Shadow Link as a "Traitor" to his "Master" Vaati.

Conformation he is FOR SURE working for Vaati and not just and extension of Vaati.

He not so slyly mentions he'd rather read with and hug Vio than work...showing a weird urge to be close to the four sword wielders. Which is amusing considering the hug he gave Vio earlier ended in Dark Link strangling him and his hug with Green wasn't very pleasant for Green.

He also whines he doesn't wanna work at all. Realizing he should pay more attention to the flashback lol.

So he's for sure odd.

He really likes hugs and wants to have fun with the Four Swords gang, even though eh doesn't care for how THEY feel during his "Fun".

His body language suggests he's just relaxing and amused.

We don't get a lot to work with for him as of now.

Somebody described him as "pining" in this scene and I find that fucking hilarious so I'd thought I'd mention it. I've drawn him a shit ton with swift violets dude is down bad for Vio. X'D

Back to Vidow- X'D

Shadow further relates to Vio's feelings of being alone and Vio notices his mistake. I've mentioned before but DAMN does he look SAD in the pages where Shadow talks to him: Cause like again. He's not talking bad about Vio at least not directly.

He's insulting the other 3 and gassing Vio up as better but Vio's inability to fit in with HIMSELF really hurts and someone like SHADOW of all people being able to see right through that has to hurt even more.

Anyways I've brought this up again a million times but I find it interesting Shadow doesn't do the typical "Join us" speech of

"You're worthless without the darkness" Rather he says more along the lines of

"You're already great, join the darkness because you're wasting your greatness with those losers"

Like maybe this is normal (The pool of media I engage with is rather small.) but I'm so used to villains telling heroes how shit they are to their face rather than pumping them up. It's a very interesting approach and following Shadow's character later through the manga this is just another reason why I think he was being genuine to some degree when he approached Vio.

I'd go with it was pure manipulation: If Shadow didn't continue to blow smoke up Vio's ass through the rest of their time together. X'D Like if it was "Oh I told you how great you are now I'm gonna shit talk you to show you I'm better" but nah, he like, just keeps being nice lmfao.

We see him snap when Vio lifts the sword up when it shines brightly but I see that as a fear response rather than him like actually mad or trying to put Vio down, he comes off as more anxious than angry to me in that scene? Because he repeats Vio's on their side and when Vio affirms he IS he calms right the fuck back down. Gave him a mini heart attack Vio lol.

Anyways back to what's going on in FSR:

The realization "Oh shit I let my guard down around him" is also a mortifying thought. Like think of how CLOSE Vio LET Shadow get to him. He didn't push him off in the English anyways he just weakly tells Shadow to let go of him. He has a sword, right in his hand lmao. Bro could have like, took an actual swing or smth He points his sword at him but that wasn't a genuine attempt to hit him. but the second Shadow KNEW he wouldn't After he pushed the sword away in the most gay way possible he just kept getting closer and closer and VIO LET HIM.

LIKE.

BRO.

HELLO?

DO SOMETHING?

Nah. Shadow's words make him DROP HIS WEAPON.

The urge to fight Shadow off completely lost. Dude lowkey just gave up.

Benefit of the doubt here for Vio: Fighting Shadow in the woods is a bad idea because Vio is weakened from fighting monsters all day, he's alone They got their asses beat at Hyrule castle with one swing of his sword and there was four of them, but letting him get close is ALSO a bad idea. X'D

Shadow's in a good mood and maybe Vio just didn't wanna piss him off Counter argument, he draws his sword in the first place Shadow could have flew into a rage over just that but this bitch is dangerous Vio, and he STILL drops his guard lol. I just find how Vio handled the woods scene very interesting it really shows the weaknesses he has.

Haha so I've made 2 super gay continuations of this scene but this is a more serious take on it.

Vio's PANICING because the terror is setting in and Shadow keeps pushing.

And then he says it, the thing!

"Wouldn't it just be easier to kill me"

AND YEAH VIO YA GOT A GOOD POINT. WHY DIDN'T HE?

I've already pointed this out: but the very idea Shadow wants to befriend one rather than outright killing all four is very interesting.

He wants a friend so bad it's sad.

None of the Hinoxes or vaati's minions are like, beings he could consider "Friends" Which is sad. Vaati and Ganon aren't his friends. One's his boss and another is a guy who bosses him around lmfao. And in FSR is an abusive dad figure

Rather: Befriending an enemy is an easier option than trusting/befriending his own team. Like ouch. We KNOW from the manga he outright states Vio's the first person he can trust. He doesn't feel he can trust Vaati or Ganon which is just OUCH.

Further: The recruitment plan requires SO MUCH MORE EFFORT than just killing Vio while he's vulnerable which Vio brings up here.

Shadow slyly mocks this notion bringing up just how heartless that'd be. Comparing them all the further.

Interesting thing to note:

Shadow also doesn't outright kill the knights and would rather make them "A big happy family in the dark world" which is interesting. Shadow's avoidance to outright kill people is probs just to keep the rating like, ya know. Not T or M but still interesting from a CHARACTER angle. The only people he outright tries to kill are the four Links. X'D

Another option: Shadow is no stranger to kidnapping. He could have just kidnapped one of them. Would that work as long as befriending one genuinely? No, probably not. Befriending one is a more "Permanent" solution unless you hide the kidnapped one somewhere they can't escape or be found. And then we loop around to "Why not just kill them?"

AU where Shadow Kidnaps Vio and they have a beauty and the beast style romance where-

Here's another stream of thought: Why bother coming to Vio AT ALL if he already has Red's sword? Which we know at this point he does. HE HAS A TRUMP CARD? if they can't get the sword back because their journey IS TIME BASED: They lose.

Why does he go for the risky option of converting one of them to the darkness at all?

And if you STILL aren't convinced this is weird ass hell Okay here's ANOTHER idea I just came up with on the fly while writing this: Steal Vio's sword too. The one Vio points right at his fucking face and he could like...yank away. Shadow doesn't even have to kill him himself if he leaves Vio defenseless in the woods.

Like here's smth as a writer I'm not sure how often regular viewers even consider: Alternate choices.

"Character A COULD have done this...but they CHOSE to do this instead" What they DON'T do says just as much as what they DO, and I'll go further into that with ANOTHER choice that makes no sense to me.

And I'm not complaining about the writing by the way I LOVE how this specifically makes no sense because it leaves the door opening to asking "WHY". And we're ignoring the explanation of "Because x has to happen for plot reasons" because we ask "IN THE BOUNDERIES OF THE STORY WHY!?" because that's more fun than "Well he can't just kill Vio because then Vio would be dead and the story would be over" okay but that's not FUN to ask/fun as a response??? What kind of soulless unfun monster do you have to be to accept that as your reality? X'D

AND WHY ARE YOU READING THE SEVENTH INSTALLMENT OF ME OVER ANALYSING THIS BOOK WHILE RANTING ABOUT MY OWN OVER ANALYZED CHOICES MAKING A FAN SEQUEL IF YOU FEEL THAT WAY LMFAO.

Anyways like have you realized just how ODD Shadow's choice to befriend Vio is yet? Like because the manga plays it off as "Oh well it just happened" We don't get to sink in just how WEIRD it is I feel??? Like ALL the reasons why brain thinks "Holy shit that's fruity" because LIKE- I'VE LAYED EM ALL OUT RIGHT THERE IT MAKES NO SENSE TO DO THIS PLAN UNLESS HE'S JUST LIKE- IN LOVE WITH HIM??? None of Shadow's choices around Vio are rational and it's hysterical.

One of my absolutely favorite lines from this update is "Have you forgotten? I'm the hero! I'm here to save you!"

Because on some level Shadow WOULD think he's saving one of them from a horrible fate being merciful and kind to one of them. If he truly wanted to befriend one. Bro is 100% legit here while being kinda mocking towards Vio's assumptions about him. Emphasizing "he just wants to help".

Vio's utterly flabbergasted/horrified face was fun. There's no thought bubble so it really leaves you to wonder what's going through his head from those words.

The "I GOT HIM! I ACTUALLY GOT HIM!" face is so hilarious to me. Like- He's so fucking giddy here it's hysterical.

Smth to point out particular to FSR Vio: Vio's tugging on Shadow here is a nod to him doing that in the library when he wordlessly wants Shadow to come closer.

I imagine Vio has a hard time talking verbally about what he wants. And he's not even too sure WHAT he wants here. He just wants to feel better.

Smth about FSR Vio specifically is he kinda just wants someone else to do the thinking for once, but feels obligated to think anyway. X'D

He's at the point of "Somebody just help me" but can't put that to words.

His smile tones down into a much more....Pleasant one. He's genuinely happy Vio's coming along lol. Friend acquired.

Shadow awards Vio with the high honor of: Keeping his sword.

Back with my insanity to speak on why as Shadow Link, THIS MAKES NO SENSE TO DO.

I find interesting that Shadow implicitly trusts Vio with smth that he SHOWS himself to be anxious about Vio keeping might I add once again...Like he let Vio keep his sword seemingly despite better judgment. If he took it along with Red's, Vio/the four sword gang would be fucked without it.

Here's my thoughts on why Shadow would let Vio keep his sword: Shadow is TRYING to show Vio he's an equal.

Because let's think of it in story land perspective: Vio only uses his sword in 2 scenes that are like RELIVANT before Shadow tries to burn Vio and takes the sword anyway: *The one where his sword glows (If they're already hanging out with Red's sword in Vaati's pad this could have been kept in imo) *Where he fights Green

It'd be easy to write around Shadow letting him keep his sword.

"Surrender your sword to lord vaati to prove your devotion" or smth.

But nah. he's just allowed to keep it for whatever reason.

Shadow always could have just given him a different sword and confiscated the Four Sword but was like: Nope, you get to keep it.

Like again: This choice is odd no matter how you slice it so it makes me think Shadow wanted to show he sees Vio as an equal by letting him keep the weapon that could be used against them.

Or perhaps: It's short sightedness: "Well we have Red's sword so yours is kinda useless" I'm up for either interpretation really. (If you haven't noticed, I'm open to a LOT of angles from FS because I'm not SUPER narrow in my analysis.

Unlike some people who need to lighten up lmfao. Good god I've seen some people seemingly act defensive about FSR specific ideas...And I can't tell if they're just talking ABOUT me/FSR but like: Bro I'm so open to alt ideas as long as somebody isn't a dick. And you'd know that if you read these, FSR is SPECIFICALLY about the choices and ideas I've decided make the most sense/the most fun route to go down because unlike a lot of people I hold the idea of "If it isn't outright stated it's not cannon" so ANYTHING outside of the author's written page ISN'T CANNON. Literally I never claim any of my rambles are cannon do I think some things are true? Hell yeah, but they aren't conformed at the end of the day lmfao but I'm an artists and I can draw what I want so I got the power to make shit real in it's own way. They're inspections of the cannon and interpretations. I can never be Akira Himikawa and the translators who translated their work to english. I question their choices ALL THE DAMN TIME I can't even get close to fully getting inside their heads. (It's been SO LONG since they made this manga I doubt they remember every single dialogue/expression choice they made and WHY.)

Even the English translation's cannon-ness is up for fucking debate in my eyes, FSR is SO out of the realm of cannon/cannon adjacent it's hysterical. Because my ideas aren't "The one true right and correct ones" they're not even close. Nobody's are. ONLY AKIRA'S ARE BECAUSE THEY MADE IT. Apart of why FSR is so wonky is because it's going off the wonky Viz translation NOT THE OG Japanese! (I'd love to translate FSR into Japanese at some point, but as I've stated in the past it'd be based on the Japanese manga so wording/some things would outright be different lmfao)

Why are some people such freaks about this? X'D I don't engage with FS media that I find butchers the characters but I don't like to rant about it for the most part because getting mad at someone else's interpretation is kinda goofy considering how open the source material IS. Gatekeepy fandom culture is weird. Enough said.

This goes back to my: Link is as fluid as a Vocaloid.

and the "you will never make something as close to the OG as the author would" arguments.

And sometimes even AUTHORS butcher sequels by seemingly forgetting their own characters. (Akira is not an example of this but still)

Anyways back to the page:

Vio's just kinda broken on auto piolet at this point, thoughtlessly thanking Shadow for picking up his sword and walking as Shadow drags him along. Shadow's basically SKIPPING with delight at this revelation.

He "saved "one. And now they can both be true heroes! :D How nice how fun! Vio joined the party!~

I will mention Shadow's so wrapped up in how happy he is he's kinda neglecting how Vio feels about the situation. At least right away.

Shadow's excited to immediately get him into the loop. Shadow's biggest character trait in scenes with Vio imo is his naivety.

Vio's bamboozled at his own actions. Reflecting. It's like he's watching from a 3rd person perspective as he's making shitty choices. X'D

"Crap why AM i going with him????"

Like he realizes in real time he's not doing anything to stop Shadow, he didn't in the moment and now here we are.

And then "This was hopeless from the start huh?" coming to grips with his situation, deciding going with Shadow is for the best for now but not as his ally as nobodies ally. He's alone.

Shadow makes an effort to soothe Vio's anxieties. In his own way of course. He just assumes Vio's got butterflies lmao.

Pushing down Vaati not so casually. XD

Vio starts to pretend outright here. Making his choice that he and Shadow aren't pals.

Vio knows what he's doing right now is cruel but decides it's what he "Needs" to do.

Haha sounds like our Vio.

He realizes he just doesn't go about things the way Link would, or how the rest would.

He also dampens his expectations. He doesn't know the other's situations. So he assumes they're all fucking dead and he can't rely on them lmao. He really feels alone. Cutting himself off when he realizes the very idea they could be alive is an optimistic idea considering he knows ONE of them doesn't have their sword from Shadow's sly remark.

Diving into head cannons again: Feel like he'd be more worried if he knew for sure in this moment it was Red. X'D Cause like: I combed through the manga awhile back, Vio seems to have the best relationship with Red out of all of them? When I was seeking for "moments where Vio was touched by someone else other than Shadow" I noticed he pats Red lovingly on the head and is the one to save Red from getting crushed by the eye monster. We don't get like, VERBAL interactions from them but from the context clues I'd say Vio got along with Red the most.

Vio ended up in the most direct danger in the woods, Link waltzed into the pyramid Shadow didn't put him in there so that doesn't count. X'D I'd say Blue was in the 2nd most dangerous position considering the elements could kill his ass.

Vio's going off his own experience here on if he thinks the others are okay.

"I am surrounded by idiots" taken to the extreme.

"but even if I'm the only one here I'll still do what needs to be done"

Real Mikasa's speech after losing Arin from the Struggle for Trost arc vibes I realize. X'D

False confidence at best and lying.

He dampens his own desires just to do what needs to be done. His devotion to Zelda more important. Saving Zelda all that matters.

I really wanna dive into Vio's relationship with Zelda. (Feel like it'll be more prominent in the stories AFTER FSR's main story if we get that far sadly agh.)

[blackcatruse]

𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔞𝔰𝔥𝔢𝔰

«prev. ❃ next» ❃ first chapter ❃ m.list ❃ ao3 pairing: r. haitani/fem!reader ↳ she/her, fem descriptors, nickname ❃ chapter synopsis: sign on the line, make a deal with the devil for your freedom. will it be worth the price? word count: 2.6k chapter cw(s): swearing, possible ooc, crime discussion a/n: this is about as consistent as you'll get from me for fic posting x'D once i catch up with what's on ao3, it's a waiting game for everyone c:

Forget walking into the lion’s den, you were already deep in the belly of the beast. You parked your bike in the alley behind Violet Delight, a club you found out was owned by the Haitani brothers. It was where Yon had initially wanted to meet you. Ugh, just thinking about the weasel disgusted you.

Hopefully things would go as planned. You had Suzaku send another runner to meet with Yon at a location nearby. After your talk with Kakucho, you’d head towards your colleague and drop every bit of information you’d sniffed out. You would strong-arm Yon into an agreement. You just needed your colleague to stall for time.

You approached the long line waiting for entrance to the club and made eye contact with the bouncer. He squinted at you and you turned your head to show off your lotus tattoo. He nodded and you approached, flagrantly bypassing the people waiting. As you entered, the bouncer muttered to you that Kakucho was waiting at a VIP table in the very back of the club. Of course he’d pick a location that wasn’t easy for you to escape from. You tried scanning the club for fire exits or anything you could make a quick run for, but it was fruitless.

You spotted Kakucho at the booth and nearly turned heel when you saw that he had the Haitani brothers with him. Ugh. No. Why were they there? This deal was supposed to be between you and Kakucho. The brothers could piss off, especially the younger one. You had half a mind to tell them that as you got to the table, but decided against it.

You flopped down onto the vinyl cover of the booth and met eyes with the three men sitting across from you. “So, tell me about this deal you wanted to make?”

Kakucho smiled. “I knew you were a smart one,” he told you before diving into the details. The two big jobs involved the transportation of illicit goods from foreign sources through the Port of Tokyo. The first shipment was fentanyl that would be delivered through the bulk cargo terminal in the guise of something you couldn’t be bothered to remember. Rokuhara Tandai had already coerced a company into smuggling the drugs into the country, but the process would be much smoother if they had an experienced runner. You hadn’t done a job of this scale, but provided you had a good team and enough transportation, you could probably make it work. The port authorities would probably be a hassle, but that’s when you received even worse news.

“You’ll be working with Ran and Rindou,” Kakucho said, leaving no room for argument.

Despite his tone, you and Rindou immediately began to protest. Ran simply hid a smirk behind his gloved hand. His eyes gleamed with amusement as you and Rindou kept clamoring to interrupt each other.

Kakucho held up a hand and both of you quieted. You glared at the younger Haitani who was staring down at you through the lenses of his stupidly round glasses. “You’ll need them on your side,” Kakucho explained. “They’re known in Roppongi for their charisma, and they know which port authorities they can convince. You need their skills.”

Well, it was only two jobs. Two jobs working with these brutes and then you would be free of Wuxing’s claws. You would be able to leave and never look back, all your burdens would be shed like an old molt and left in Tokyo. Still, you were going to bitch about it. The only childish thing you let yourself do was puff out your cheeks in a pout.

“When is this all going down?” you asked. “And what about the second job?”

Kakucho looked off to the side. “We’re not sure. We haven’t heard from our unit on the cargo ship in a week. Originally, it was going to be next month, but with delays and trouble on the seas, we aren’t sure.”

You scoffed. “So what? Am I supposed to just wait for your beck and call? What if I have another job with Wuxing that coincides with the delivery date?”

Kakucho shrugged. “That’s not my problem.”

“But you don’t have anyone like me,” you pointed out. “Would the operation be a success without me? Because if Wuxing found out, I would be crucified. So look me in the eyes and tell me you have someone who could play my role if I were to die.”

You hated it when the people you worked with claimed they needed your specific skill set and then turned around and acted like they didn’t need you in the same breath. Threats didn’t work on you anymore. You’d faced more than your fair share of brutality, and you refused to let your tormentors win with petty fear tactics. They either needed you or they didn’t. You’d rather not have this opportunity slip between your fingers, and you were certain Kakucho was banking on your desperation to escape. But risking getting caught by Wuxing wasn’t worth it. Other gangs could never scare you, but Wuxing was a different breed. They were the reason you would wake up in a cold sweat.

When Kakucho didn’t answer you, you leaned back in your seat with a smug grin. “So tell me again how that’s my problem?”

The older Haitani looked pensive, like he was genuinely considering your point. The younger Haitani looked bored and annoyed that you were still sitting there. If you did go through with this, you would have to get used to them. Ran you could probably stand, but something about Rindou made you bristle. Maybe it was the way his violet eyes disregarded you. Maybe it was the way he mooched off his brother’s reputation. Was he really going to be such a little bitch about your comments?

Kakucho sighed, his frame visually deflating as he looked at you. “No, we don’t have someone as talented as you. I apologize for upsetting you. The profits we turn from these jobs would be more than enough to pay off your debts and get you far away from here—all while pushing Rokuhara Tandai to the top. How can we keep in contact with you?”

This was a risk you had come to terms with yesterday evening. You had two cell phones. One was used specifically for Wuxing business and the other was a burner that Wuxing didn’t know about. It was something they couldn’t bug. You knew you’d have to give up the burner phone’s number to keep any form of secrecy about your deal with an enemy gang. You reminded yourself that you were doing this for your freedom. Getting out from under Wuxing’s thumb was worth any measure you had to take. Unfortunately, it did mean risking your safety and working with the Haitani brothers. You weren’t sure which was worse.

You provided Kakucho with your burner’s number. “When you have a better idea of the timing, let me know. Hopefully none of us get burned.” You made a point to glare at Rindou. “Even you, little Haitani.”

Rindou’s lips tightened as Ran’s turned slightly upwards. He tried to sneer back at you, “How’s your face?”

The bruises on your cheeks were still sore, but the swelling had gone down. The inside of your mouth still tasted like blood, but you weren’t about to tell them that. Instead you rolled your eyes. “It’s fine. Doesn’t even hurt anymore.” You smirked. “You pistol whip like a bitch, by the way.”

Ran wasn’t able to hold back a snort and Kakucho just closed his eyes. It looked like he wanted the vinyl to swallow him whole. Rindou started to sputter something, but you had already swung yourself out of the booth. “Anyway, I’ve got a date on the other side of town and I shouldn’t really keep them waiting,” you said, looking back with a small wave.

You could feel Rindou’s glare boring holes in your back, but you didn’t spare the three men another glance. Sauntering out of the club you looked at the cheap wristwatch you wore whenever you went out. You were definitely running late and your colleague was probably cursing your name. You could shoot him a message, but that would probably cause more problems than it was worth. He’d just have to stall a little longer. If Yon acquiesced to demands Suzaku made on your behalf, it should be a piece of cake to buy time. You weren’t about to test Lady Luck though, she was hardly ever on your side.

Speeding down the highway was the most free you ever felt. Sometimes you thought about packing a bag, taking your bike, and skipping town. Wuxing would still find you though. They had eyes everywhere. But soon you’d be able to escape their clutches. Just two jobs, you reminded yourself, pushing the gas faster. Two jobs and you’re free.

The meeting place was an old diner in a rather derelict part of town. It was perfect because the only people there at this time were the jaded workers who didn’t get paid enough to report shady dealings and alcoholics and tweakers who couldn’t tell reality apart from their hallucinations. Everyone minded their own business, and that’s the way it should always be.

Gravel crunched underneath your bike as you slowed to a stop. Through grimy windows you could see a tired looking Yon and your stiff-shouldered colleague. What was his alias again? Nezumi or something? Eh, whatever. You slipped a stick of chewing gum out of your pocket and popped it into your mouth. You needed to look as flippant and arrogant as possible. You snapped your gum loudly and smirked. Yeah, you were gonna strongarm Yon and his boss into a deal, or at least confessing that they were trying to set you up.

You pushed the door open a little harder than necessary, and the bell jingled wildly. A few tired drunks looked at you with annoyance, but you ignored them and focused your attention on the isolated booth Yon and your colleague were at. Thankfully, Yon was facing away from the door, and you could see murder in your partner’s eyes. You took confident steps forward and flopped down next to Nezumi, who whispered angrily at you, “You’re thirty minutes late.”

“Got held up,” you said, brushing him off.

Yon immediately stood up, but he didn’t wipe the shock off of his stupid face fast enough. “This wasn’t part of the deal. I told Suzaku I wasn’t going to do business with the likes of her,” Yon snarled.

You looked at your nails with indifference. “Yeah, yeah. Listen, you’re not in a position to make demands, Kichiro Yamazaki,” you said, narrowing your eyes at him as you spoke his real name. You could see the anger and fear warring on his face, and you smiled sweetly. “Why don’t you sit back down and we talk this through like adults, yeah?”

Kichiro collapsed back into his chair. He glared at you, but the stiffness of his body tipped you off for just how apprehensive the boy was. With him off-kilter, it would be easy to push your way into a favorable agreement for Wuxing. Actually, given what you know and pieced together, you didn’t really want to strike a deal with him or his boss. You wanted to scare them out of this life entirely. They were stupid high schoolers trying to act tough and about to dive headfirst into something out of their league.

“How the fuck do you know my name?”

“Good question, and I’ll give you the answer here in a moment. Just listen to the little story I have to tell you, ’kay? I asked around for any information about Hifumi, but no gangs had ever heard of you, even the lower ranked ones. It was like you popped up overnight and promised us good fortune with the goods you had. The only source for information of Hifumi I could find was an anonymous forum post, that really wasn’t so anonymous. It could be traced back to one Hifumi Kato, or as he liked to call himself, Ichiro. From there, it wasn’t hard to figure out what high school he attended and determine his connection to you.” You tilted your head with a mocking grin.

Kichiro stayed silent, but you could see the tension winding up in his body.

“Honestly, neither of you took good precautions before trying to deal with a real gang. Ever heard of a VPN? Or what about not naming your fake gang after your real fucking name? You’re both stupid brats, and I’m going to ask you this once.”

You leaned in close on the table and you saw Kichiro swallow tightly. “What were you planning to do when we ran the stolen goods? Would you run to the group you swindled and frame us? Start a conflict that could easily be traced back to you?”

For once, the boy shrank back and looked like a scared teenager. You almost felt pity for him, but you couldn’t go soft now. You needed to make him take a good hard look at where delinquency was headed. “We never stole anything, we just wanted to get rid of it all,” he whispered. “Hifumi got caught up in some bad shit and he needed my help. The gang that blackmailed us wanted us to take down one of the Three Deities, and they pointed us in the direction of Wuxing. They thought that if we could eliminate a powerful subsect of Brahman, the stalemate would be over.”

“Well, the guys who thought that are certainly more idiotic than you two. Wuxing may not have an overwhelming presence, but we’re essentially more of a crime syndicate than a gang. Who’s blackmailing you and what evidence are they holding over your head?”

“Are you seriously going to help them?” Nezumi asked incredulously. “They’re digging their own graves here. Don’t tell me you’re going soft, Lotus”

“You should stay quiet about things you don’t know,” you snapped. “If a lower gang is trying to get to the top by throwing off the balance we have now, it’s better that we take care of it now. You don’t remember the two year civil war between gangs after Toman disbanded, but I was there on the frontlines. I’d rather avoid that type of conflict again.”

“They never told us who they were,” Kichiro admitted, drawing your attention back to him. “They just told us they had an easy job for us, but we didn’t know it was drugs. They took photos of us doing deals and demanded that Hifumi store more at his home, since nobody would look there.”

You nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll see what I can do,” you said. “Don’t get into any more trouble and give me your number. I’ll contact you if I find something. Lay low until then, all right? If you catch any more heat, I can’t help you because I’m gonna be more concerned with saving my own skin.”

Kichiro hesitantly scribbled his number on a napkin and you took it, folding it into your jacket pocket. You barely missed his whispered, “Thank you.”

You didn’t respond. It would be better to act like you heard nothing at all. Could this backfire horribly on you? Entirely possible, but the underbelly of Tokyo was too ruthless for kids like that. Not that you were much older than them and had been dragged in much younger than they were now. They had a choice. They had options. An out. You didn’t. You never did. Until now.

Please do not reupload, translate, or steal my work! If it isn't here or on my ao3, it's not me! Likes & reblogs appreciated! <3 Dividers courtesy of @/cafekitsune

[fizzingwizard]

Well, I bought ad-free Tumblr.

I did it because I realized what I would prefer, if I could have my way (aside from just no one needing to pay for anything at all ever hahahahaha), then we'd all pay to subscribe to tumblr and it just wouldn't be free. It'd be like $1.99 per month and all of us would pay it and have no ads and be happy and whee.

Now that's not my serious opinion. I know, for one, what happens when you stick things behind a paywall. Tumblr might not be a scientific journal or reputable news source (lol) but a paywall still divides, still excludes, and that's antithetical to the entire experience of the Internet. And then, there would still be all the other social media sites that have ads and don't make you pay out of pocket, which would sail on with everyone who can't afford or doesn't want to afford tumblr.

Everyone paying a nice, neat, cheap monthly fee or discount annual fee and getting along together is what would work best for me, but it's not realistic for everyone. But, since I'm willing to do it, I thought, why haven't I? And I'll tell you why: Because idk about the rest of you, but much of tumblr really doesn't work that well for me. I have issues with posting, especially with paragraph breaks and trying to move bits of text around. I don't like that posts I reblogged in the past are hidden forever behind "Flagged for mature content" warnings and it's like. A picture of a cat. Not to mention broken music links and videos (which I guess aren't tumblr's fault, just makes me sad). I don't like how pictures seem to always end up sized differently and you have to open it just the right way to see it how you want. Not to mention a bunch of features tumblr used to have that I loved have gone away or been massively de-emphasized: support for music players on blogs, for example. (Yes I still have one but it's a pain the neck.) Polls are nice but I miss that. I also miss convenient free themes - they're still there of course! But finding one that has everything I want (no endless scrolling, clear navigation, visible icon and description, music player, etc) is also a pain and I just end up reusing the same old one I've been using since I joined and recoloring it lol.

So I'd be happier about paying for tumblr if the experience were just a touch cleaner, faster. Oh, and not forgetting about PC users xP I know lots of people use their phone, I do too, it's convenient - but PC is just easier. Well, maybe for teens who can type on their phones at 50 mph it's no big deal. But I love love love my keyboard.

But anyway I paid it so I get a year without ads. Honestly I thought about it and $40 a year is what, ten cents a day? I really don't mind that. I wasn't really bothered by ads anymore since they've been scaled back, but now I can be bothered by them even less, so yay. OTOH, it looks like the subscription auto-renews, which I HATE. If so, I hope they send a warning email a few days before.

Oh and you know what else helped. I did a few youtube searches recently, and wanted to tear out my own hair over how frustrating it was. I just want a list of videos that relate to the subject of my search, not interspersed between "things I've seen before," "random shorts," "things that are similar," "things totally different that Youtube wants to show me anyway." And same thing on Google, Amazon, anywhere. I'm just so sick of it. So I'll fucking pay for fucking tumblr x'D Just work and not be annoying alright!!

I find it amusing that the moment I paid, I got a pop-up asking me to pay more to give ad-free to someone else. I might be more amenable when my pocketbook isn't smarting anymore 9_9

But this was funniest of all:

OK, I can't imagine ever doing it, but I suppose there's someone out there who thinks highly enough of the stuff that gets blazed to decide they want to continue seeing it even after spending $40 x'D But who is paying the fee and choosing show all ads? Please, is there anyone? I want to see a cryptid for myself.

[fish-and-forbear]

Grounding, calming thoughts.

WICKEDLY AMUSED by the queue throwing that Wayne post inbetween my sad thoughts..... x'D That immediately made me smile a bit and feels VERY accurate to what this godforsaken body does. I just feel things so strongly... my greatest personal joy and self hatred. c':>

All I can hope is that people remember us at our best and most kind and helpful and happy instead of. A spiraling mess.

All that matters is... even though we mess up and things end, it was not a failure. It was not pointless.

Even with my ex of 8 yrs/dear friend, we are much happier and have a better friendship than ever before even though we are not partners anymore.

I hate so many things about my past self and regret so many things and trying too hard for too long.

But she has told me herself that she wouldn't be the person she is today without me and wouldn't have been as happy.

I just hope we leave people better than before they met us. Even just a tiny bit. If the good outweighs the mistakes and we fix the mistakes as best we can then I hope that it is enough.

I think this is a healthier, gentler thought process than just... "oughhh I suck I'm a bad broken person who only BREAKS things and my other selves suck too" which isn't true.

Lots to think about. I want to feel sad but...

But NO. RATIONAL, HEALTHY, COMMUNICATION!!! WE CAN DO THIS!!!! I swear we will keep going.

And leave things better than we find them.

- Fisher

[seyaryminamoto]

Haha, thank you so much for your answers and your kind words too! :D I'm honestly amazed that this fic could have been such a game-changer for someone, never imagined it'd make someone see the potential of fanfiction this way! That's seriously amazing to learn! Thank you for sharing your story! :D

A lot of your answers made me smile too, haha. Many amusing guesses about the future too, I love that you do not underestimate how horny Sokka and Azula are x'D though of course there will be some initial restraint, of course... Also, that was a pretty great title for Part 2! Nice idea there! O.o

Thank you very much for all your work in writing this post! It's really thrilling every time I come across a new reader who is so enthusiastic about jumping into the world of Gladiator! <3

Happy 300th Chapter to Seyary!

Here's my response for @kigozula's celebration of @seyaryminamoto's masterpiece, Gladiator! Thank you both your amazing work!

FAVORITE…:

OC: Rui Shi

2. Guard: Fei Li

3. Gladiator: Not counting the Blue Wolf, The Millennium Dragon

4. Sponsor: Ty Lee

5. Pair/Couple (besides Sokkla): This is hard… Ty Lee and Haru or Song and Rui Shi

6. Friendship: Song and Sokka

7. Villain/Antagonist/Opponent: The dread that exists for Azula and Sokka about being caught… for a more “true” villain/opponent it would be Rhone

8. Suitor for Azula: Huan because this man is worse at giving gifts than I am

9. Place (any houses/island/cities…): Ember Island or Shu Jing or both.

10. Event (weddings/festivals…): Azula’s and Sokka’s wedding with Xin Long as the officiant

FAVORITE TOP THREE…:

Sokkla Kisses in Part 2 when they become finally a couple: Hmmm…. I think the best one for me was the kiss(es) in the Library’s planetarium. There's too many to accurately rank and all are worth remembering now that Arc 3 is in full swing. I miss the Sokkal kisses.

2. Sokkla Love Making: The hot springs date at Shu Jing, the palanquin quicky, and the… every one? There’s too many to list. Like the kisses, I think most readers miss the love between Sokka and Azula.

THIS OR THAT:

Part 2, or Part 3 (so far): Part 2 for the happy feels

2. Zuki Family or Mai Jian Family: Zuki family

3. Festivals Arc or Anniversary Arc: Have I mentioned these are hard? Anniversary is my favorite for the sole fact that Xin Long officiated a wedding

4. Captain Rui Shi or Captain Fei Li: Captain Rui Shi

5. Ozai or Zhao: Ozai

6. Gladiator Brawl, Sponsor Race, Pairs Tournament or Scavenger Hunt: Gladiator Brawl for the awesome final but Sponsor Race for the feels

7. Xin Long or Appa: Close but Xin Long

8. Azula’s Squad or Sokka’s Squad: Choosing sucks but Sokka’s. I think Azula’s Squad is still forming at the moment.

9. Ty Lee or Mai: Ty Lee

10. Shoji or Kino: Shoji

11. Ruon Jian or Haru: Haru because I think Ruon Jian did not have enough “screen time” to really move into my heart

OTHERS:

A Place you would like to visit or live: I want to visit Ember Island or Shu Jing or Sokka’s house, or the dragon cave or the… Throw a dart at the map.

2. If you could give Part 2 a title it would be: “The Bonds that Drive Us” because, yes, the bond between Sokka and Azula are the key driving force of the plot and the story, but other bonds, those of friendship and/or romance between the many characters, give the story more depth and pushes the story forward.

3. Something you look forward to: Ozai’s reaction to Sokka living and fighting against him

4. Best Arc(s) in Part 3 (so far): Story telling

5. Favorite Sokkla Artwork from Part 2: Sokka and Azula in the planetarium

GUESSING TIME:

Future Ships you think will happen: Here me out… Yue and Anorak

2. Azula and Zhao will divorce when/because of …: Zhao dying to Sokka. Or dying to something/someone else. I don’t see him living to see the final chapters of the story.

3. When Hakoda meets Azula and Hotaru for the first time…: Hakoda joins Sokka for the battle where Azula and Sokka meet again but is in a different place when they do battle. Once the battle ends and the dusts settle. Hakoda watches Hotaru because we all know Sokkla is horny.

4. When Ozai and Ursa see each other …: This is hard. I think that Ursa would be one of if not the final nail in the coffin for Ozai to truly realize he’s beyond saving. This would take place closer to the final chapters.

5. I think Ozai's future looks like...: It’s very hard to say. For the short term, I see him beating himself up for the awful choices he made before making even more after Sokka's return.

6. When Azula finally visits the south pole, I hope/wish/think …: The villagers calling her Jing and she being confused.

7. First things Azula and Sokka will do after their reunion: Hug, cry, apologize, visit Hotaru, find a private place…

QUIZ: (The correct answers can be found in my post on June 16th)

Name of the first Gladiator Sokka fought against? Spawn of the Volcano... Chan's gladiator. That's his name now.

2. How many years are Azula and Sokka a couple now? 3 to 4 years now. Maybe even five but that seems wrong. Once the 3rd Part started, for some reason I thought they were together for 5 years.

3. Which character found out about Azula and Sokka’s secret relationship first? Song

4. Which character felt something might be going on/will be going on between Sokka and Azula from the beginning? Ty Lee

5. What’s the name of Ozai’s first love? I sadly don’t remember but I’m willing to bet my left kidney that it was himself. Please don’t take my kidney because I know I’m wrong.

6. What was the first Gladiator event Azula and Sokka took part in? Scavenger Hunt

7. How often did the Blue Wolf fight in the Slate? Twice in six months? Nine months?

8. Who would have almost been the potential future prince? Chan

9. How old was Aang when he was forced to freeze himself and Appa? 18, I think.

SOME NICE WORDS TO OUR DEAR AUTHOR SEYARYMINAMOTO:

I won't lie. I used to think fan fiction was only something bad and cringe inducing (Mine definitely are) but then I was introduced to your work(s) on an Artcraawl post. I thought, "why not? It has three million words, hard work had to be put into it." Six hours later I realized it was past midnight and I had classes the next morning and I had a long ways to go to catch up. For the next few weeks of January/February in 2022, I was addicted. Friends thought I was crazy because every time they looked at me, my face was glued to my phone. The glee I felt when I realized that new chapters were being posted was amazing. And then the impatience of having to wait two weeks for the next update was devastating. But then I saw that you had more works for me to read and read I did. Safe to say that you changed my view of fan fiction, Avatar, Azula and Sokka, and writing. You opened many new doors for me that I refused to even have to key made for. Your dedication, hard work, and awesome writing skills amaze me. I'm happy to be one of many readers you have even though I'm a bit late to the party. If the story continues for another ten years (That number is insane BTW, that's a decade!!), then count me in! I will still wait for every update and my heart will be moved by your beautiful writing. Thank you for all the work you put into this and for how you have influenced me for good. Truly, thank you.

Here's for 300 more!

For the record, @kigozula, why on earth did you make the questions so hard to answer? This was supposed to be fun yet here I am trying to decide which Sokkla smut scene was my favorite. Do you know how hard that is? Shame on you 🤭

[incorrect-saiyuki-quotes]

Houmei: i talk a lot huh

Toudai: yes but it's nice

Toudai: i like hearing your thoughts

[[Later]]

Houmei: Grapes are easy to acquire and easy to eat

Toudai: if you say anything else on this topic im going to murder you

[akane171]

Nooooo😰😰🙈 I didn't and wouldn't 😰🙈 Honestly, kinda thought I might have finally annoyed you enough or you're just busy🤷🏻‍♀️🙈 Sorry🙈 I really didn't think the Tumblr Secretary would start erasing messages to you, too🙈🙈

Haha, yes, very smart of you😊🙈

Only one sushi restaurant?😯 Huh, amazing... Tho admittedly, I haven't eaten it either (yet?)😅😂

😂😂😂 Understandably😂😂

...Possessed? I just wanted to become FRIENDS with demons...😶🙈 But ohh, the more I think about it, the cooler getting possessed and being able to just take a backseat from life is starting to sound 😉😉😂😂

😂😂 "dumb fucks" 😂😂😂

...I doubt it, but okay... Tho I can't shut my cake if I don't have any cake?🤔😉😂😂😂

😂😂 Ohh, this reminds me of a clip from a concert where Brendon Urie "introduced" a song by explaining how his Mom likes it when he curses and proceeds to swear "like fuck and shit and ass and bitch and dick and balls and goddammit" perfectly in rhythm😂😂😂

Awww,  they go to a restaurant?😍😍☺ Okay, Yeah, I'm definitely reading those when I have some real time to read again😍🙈😂

Well, I guess he really WAS A replacement for Winn and Mon... And they did kinda jam Winn's brilliance with Mon's space-puppy alien-ness into one in Brainy's character from the little bit I've seen of Post S3😅🙈 And yup, last scene sucked...🙄

Maybe they really just didn't like Kara as a character...😖😫

Haha, yess, and just imagine all the other lines they could use!😍 Oh, btw, I remembered the original bad chemistry pick-up line I came up with, it went like this: "Are you a catalyst? Cause you certainly always get me started" 😂😂🤣🤣 Oh, or imagine this: "Are you an exothermic reaction? Cause you are hot"🤣🤣🤣 Oh, oh, or back to an English Literature pick-up line: "Are you my zero focalizer? Cause I feel like you know me inside out, more so than even I myself do"😅🤣🤣��🏻‍♀️ And ohhh, their students shipping and trying to set them up would be GOLDEN!😍😍😍😍

yup, they could definitely learn a Lot from each other🤔 And HAHAHAHA, sounds accurate, esp. since Max is probably absolutely doing it on purpose cause he doesn't like Kara and no way in hell does he want his baby brother fraternizing with her😉😉🤣🤣 But hey, Karamel can hope Sam ships them and keeps Max away so they can spend time together🤔🤔 Oh god, Max and Cat? That's quite terrifying and amusing, not sure if that pair would be a good idea tho if they don't want the Multiverse to end😅 Ohhhh, Max and Cat fighting over Mon and Kara would be GOLDEN😂😂😂 Just imagine the arguments about 😂😂😂 Poor Sam&Eve who will have to deal with THAT chaos tho😅🙈

Samesies☺🙈 Sorr, again about the confusion😰🙈🙈🙈

PS: 🤣🤣🤣 Why do I feel like she might murder me for telling you about this?🤣🤣😅🙈🙈

PS2: Oh, you mean the ones from the Musical? If you mean those, then yess, I did😍😍😍😁😁🤗 (Thanks to you actually🤣🤣😉) At first I thought that style looked kinda weird, but the more I see it, the better it looks on him🤔😂 (Tho short haired him with a little bit longer stubble still is his best look IMO🤔🙈🤷🏻‍♀️)

XXX

Oh cool, so we are both in the "I'm afraid I annoyed that person too much and she/he has enough of me" xD

Also, you suck Tumblr Secretary!!!

Girl, I live in a 12k people town, the fact have one good sushi restaurant is like a miracle. No Chinese restaruants, btw.

But I kind of miss my friends, some classes and almost no responsibilities xD

...now you sound like Stephen King and I'm starting to get really worried about your storylines =='

What? Sad facts. And the fact they rule so many societies from the backseat is even sadder

Cake HOLE, HOLE, ok?! I forgot to add it. But you can always BUY some cake and problem solved! Even better, you can shut your mouth on the cake and be forever happy!!!!

lol, I guess his mom was very proud? x'D

DO IT!!!!!

And i guess that annoyed me so much, becasue here we were, once again with the same charatcer just in a different body. The scene when he prepared bed breakfast for Nia and tried to be a perfect boyfriend and i was just rolling my eyes so hard I saw the insides of my skull. And the fact is they totally ignored his comic book canon. I get why they didn't make him LI for Kara and make him and Nia a thing, but the rest? He's an idiot? 12th level genius? Where?

That or they had no idea what to do with her character. Aside of the fact they made her just Kal's clone with longer hair, ignored her whole comic book canon that makes her different and special, they had no plan for her character development. I feel they later just fell in love with their human charatcers they made (aka Alex and Walmart Witch) and deeloped them, while ignoring Kara. The titular hero. UGH

One of the reasons why the humanphilia pissed me soo much in this show :/

I see you liked the idea xD Add Eve as sex ed teacher, Winn as IT, Alex PE and biology?, Nia something with English, Brainiac math, Lobotomizer physics, John history, Lex the principal, Kelly as the school psychologist. Plus, dunno, M'gann, Cat, William, Imra, Sam, Siobbhan, and other bad guys as bad teachers xD Could be a fun fic xD

Or even better, imagine Cat promoting Kara as CatCo's superhero, while Max promotting Mon-El as Valor as his company and both them fighting which is better, while Kara and Mon-Elbeing done with them, and one day just openly, in fromt of cameras making out to make them shut up. LOL

No prob, not your fault!

PS She probably will, sorry! xD

PS2: yes, same. He really digs that look. I think I liked most his Kai-back-from-the-dead look and s3 Mon-El, when he was wearing black Legion uniform. This or that, I'm aroace but I seriously think he is aesthetically very hot and handsome. Lucky Melissa xD

Stay safe!