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duhragonball · 4 years

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[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (141/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

[3 December, 233 Before Age. Nagaoka.]

Less than an hour ago, King Rehval III Trismegistus stood on the verge of total victory. The almighty King of the Saiyans had become invincible, immortal, and the rest of the galaxy had been forced to submit to his irresistible power.

And none of that mattered at all!

The secret to Rehval's power lay in his alchemical bond with the planet Nagaoka. His energy was merged with the vast geological power of the planet. Normally a fleet of warships or a single angry Saiyan could make short work of a planetary body, but only because it lacked the conscious will to defend itself. Thanks to Rehval, Nagaoka could protect itself, and Rehval himself was more powerful than any Saiyan who ever lived... or so he had thought.

Luffa was the only being in the universe who had dared to challenge his new power. He had expected her to try something. She was the Legendary Super Saiyan, after all. Rehval had heard the tall tales of the old heroes. He never dreamed that one of them might be a woman, or that such a woman would defy him so completely. But he quickly learned that Luffa was destined to be his enemy, and that she would rather die than accept his rule.

And so his goal became to surpass and defeat Luffa. Once, he had been content to play the elegant statesman, using political wiles to unite his people and realize his will for the Saiyan people. But Luffa insisted on dragging their species backward. She spoke of honor and compassion like they meant anything in a cynical universe that only respected results. The only way to truly defeat her was by force, and so he had merged himself with Nagaoka, and demonstrated his absolute superiority. Proud and stubborn, Luffa chose to invade Nagaoka anyway. When her allies abandoned her, she came alone. None of this was much of a surprise to Rehval. He expected some final, desperate last stand from her. But instead, she used his own power against him. She parted the clouds over Nagaoka, and used the light of its moon to transform herself into a giant ape.

With that single stroke, Rehval found himself on the defensive once again. Luffa's power had already been extraordinary, but now, in her Golden Oozaru form, it was unthinkable. The snarling beast cut down his followers like they were a swarm of insects in a firestorm. Even Nagaoka's crust had taken heavy damage, despite Rehval's efforts to protect it.

As for Rehval himself... his exact nature was somewhat difficult for a layman to interpret. His followers recognized him by his power, though they had no idea what to make of him. His Jindan elixir increased their power, but it did so by mingling their ki with his own, just as he mingled his power with that of the planet. There was a Saiyan man named Rehval, but he had evolved into something more, and his Saiyan body had begun to feel like more of a part of his greater self. His abilities allowed him to control not only the mass of Nagaoka, but the earth on numerous other planets as well. He had become a celestial being, whose intellect happened to be centralized around a Saiyan body.

But Luffa's transformation into the golden ape had exposed the flaw in his evolution. Normally, a Saiyan Ape could be neutralized by destroying the full moon that sustained the transformation. In an extreme situation, one could destroy the plant the Ape was standing upon, and they would suffocate in airless space. Or if all else failed, one could withdraw to another planet and begin anew. Only this time, Rehval could do none of these things. He was Nagaoka and its moon, as well as the Saiyan body that controlled them both. He could no sooner run from this place than an ordinary man could run from his own heart. Luffa was using his own power against him, and she didn't seem to care what happened to her in the process.

It was all collapsing. Rehval's cult had fallen. If any of his followers still lived, they had fled in terror to other parts of the planet. Luffa didn't bother to chase them, since there was really nowhere for them to hide. She had destroyed all of the spaceships days ago. Rehval's faithful might have looked to him for guidance, but the man they had sworn to obey was now a corpse in their empty fortress on the opposite side of the planet. Before, Rehval had been coordinating the battle from the safety of his chambers, but when he found himself overwhelmed by Luffa's power, he grew desperate, and used an overdose of his elixirs to complete his unification with the planet. This killed his Saiyan body, but it enabled him to wield Nagaoka's energy more completely. He now was Nagaoka, for all intents and purposes. With this drastic step, he was able to forge a new body for himself, one made of solid gold taken from the planet's interior.

The gold-Rehval was much more powerful than a walking, talking gold statue would actually be. Earlier, he had made a grand speech about how he was empowered by the nobility and purity of gold's essence, rather than the metal itself. But Luffa had still been able to beat his new body like it was made out of a soft and ductile material. He struggled in vain to restrain her while his remaining followers died in a feeble attempt to cut off her tail. She simply shrugged them all off like they were nothing!

Lying on the ruined surface of what had been their battlefield, Rehval could only watch as Luffa mowed down his cultists with a blast of ki from her enormous mouth. She scooped a pair of warriors into her paw, and crushed them without a second thought. With each Saiyan she killed, their Jindan power was dispersed and reabsorbed into the planet. This was by design, as Rehval wanted a way to recover the power of his followers when they failed him in battle. Part of his strategy in the war against the Federation was to send his warriors to die, thereby increasing his own personal strength while eliminating unworthy followers from his flock.

But he had never imagined losing so many of them all at once, and on his home territory. The planet was assimilating their energy more rapidly than he could cope with, and the experience was painful to him.

Then, Luffa pointed her brutish fingers and fired a ki blast at the ground. She had been attacking the planet's surface all night, but this time it had a much more dramatic effect, and Rehval suddenly experienced a far more terrible agony. If he had still been a Saiyan, it might have like losing an arm or a leg in an explosion. But instead of a limb, he estimated that she had destroyed a huge section of the continent they had been standing on. Where it had once been, there was now only magma and ash. And among the chaos, a giant golden ape hung in the sky, beating her chest and howling with gruesome satisfaction.

The destructive energy she was unleashing was beyond anything he could have anticipated. Her last attack had been enough to destroy ten planets. His Jindan power had enabled him to blunt the effect and keep most of Nagaoka in tact, but this only delayed the inevitable.

Laying upon a floe of half-molten rock, Rehval's golden body was twisted and dented beyond recognition. He had the power to reshape himself, but he was having trouble using it. Above him, lightning flashed angrily in the cloudless sky. Above that was Nagaoka's moon. Its soft glow seemed to mock him for his hubris. He had thought himself so clever for mastering its power, and now it had been turned against him.

Slowly, painfully, the gold-Rehval rose to its full height, and drew more metal from the planet's mantle to increase its size. Without taking the time to repair its appearance, Rehval turned its misshapen head toward Luffa.

"You've lost, Rehval!" Luffa bellowed. "The only way you can fight me is to pool all your power into that tacky body of yours, but you can't protect the planet and attack me at the same time! I don't even have to hit you, not when I can just blow away some more real estate!"

"No!" Rehval cried. "It's not too late! I can still stop you before you can destroy it all!"

"Ooh, so it's a race, is it?" Luffa laughed. "Fine! Then let's end it here and now!" And with that, she alighted on a section of rock that had cooled enough for her to stand upon. Rehval's golden avatar followed her. This time, he began to wonder if his bold words had any truth to them. Luffa had hurt him so badly already, and she showed no signs of slowing down. He was determined to keep fighting, but he couldn't deny the despair that had crept into his thoughts.

He shifted his tactics this time. Knowing that he couldn't match Luffa in a direct confrontation, Rehval used the nature of his new body to contort himself into positions and stances that would be impossible for a humanoid to match. As he did this, he tried to exploit Luffa's weaknesses. She was favoring her left shoulder, after he had stabbed it earlier, but the real target had to be her tail. If he could only cut it off, she would revert to her normal form, and he could destroy her with ease.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep up. Luffa had wounded the planet more seriously than he had realized, and his power was dropping rapidly. Worse, her combat senses were as sharp as ever. It was easy to see the ape form and assume she had become a mindless brute, but she saw through his attacks almost before he could execute them. There seemed to be no answer to her power.

And then, suddenly, she faltered. There was a brief lull in their battle, as Rehval was so astonished that he almost failed to take advantage of the opening.

"Of course. Of course!" he shouted as he fired a ki blast at her chest. Suprise gave way to comprehension, and then joy.

"You can't maintain it!" Rehval cried. "All that power, but you can't maintain the form! I should have known!"

He tried to stomp on Luffa as she dropped to one knee, but she had the wherewithal to roll away from him. The pain in her simian expression told the entire story. In spite of his own pain, he couldn't help but enjoy this moment of triumph.

"But then," he said, "I did know. I never expected you to use my own moon against me, because I couldn't believe that you would ever become this powerful. And I was right! The toll it's taking on your body... your fragile, mortal body!"

"You... you haven't won yet, Rehval," Luffa said after a groan. She fired a defiant ki blast from her mouth, which vaporized a third of his golden body, but this wasn't enough to stop him. Rehval smelled blood, and he was determined to go in for the kill.

"So that was what this was," Rehval gloated. He needed time to rebuild his avatar before he could press his advantage, and taunting Luffa would keep her distracted. "Your heroic last stand? You gambled everything on a power-up that would tip the scales in your favor, but you miscalculated. Once again, time is on my side, Luffa! I don't have to overpower you, not when I can just wait for you to fall on your own!"

He shaped his body into a long, spindly parody of a Saiyan, and formed his hands into thin, golden blades, which he charged with geomantic power. Luffa was still able to dodge his wild swipes, but she was finally giving ground, and Rehval was enjoying every moment of it. And yet, in spite of the situation, Luffa still had a smile on her bestial face.

"You put up a good fight for a woman," Rehval chuckled, "but you'll never be more than meat and bone, trapped within the limitations of the flesh you were born with. I've prevailed because I transcended my limitations! My brother's name, my father's throne, my master's alchemy, Nagaoka's power! What do you have, Luffa? What do you have, besides a bunch of old stories, and a power too primitive for you to control?"

As he asked this question, he looped his wiry frame around one of Luffa's punches, and wrapped himself around her like a tangle of barbed wire. Luffa struggled mightily, but this time she couldn't shake him off. Luffa howled with rage as she rolled around on the ground. She even began to rip at her own fur as she struggled to pull Rehval's golden form away from herself. In response, he stretched his mass even thinner, and clung even tighter to every purchase he could find on the ape's body. In this shape, he lacked the strength to restrain her movements, but he no longer needed to.

"I see the advantage of this now," he cried. "Get so close to your enemy that their defenses become your own! The shoe's on the other foot now, Luffa! And now that you can't dodge, I'm free to do this!"

He concentrated, and with a tremendous effort, Rehval blocked out the pain and forced the planet around him to give him the power he needed. It came in the form of lightning, electric bolts mixed with raw ki energy from the planet. Rehval's golden body acted like a conductor and the bolts lanced from the ground, across the skies, and into him... and then into Luffa.

Her gutteral shrieks were like the sweetest music to him now. His only regret was that he couldn't make the attack continuous. It took time to charge another strike. During these short pauses, Luffa's massive fingers ripped even more desperately at his golden strands, and he knew she was nearly defeated.

"I can sense it, woman!" Rehval jeered. "You're losing control! Your poor little body can't handle it anymore, can you? You should have stayed home all these years! Kept your nose out of my business! The future of the Saiyan race was mine to decide! You! Never! Should! Have! Gotten! Involved!"

As he raved, Luffa charged her own ki to fight back against his offensive, but he was too thrilled with his success to let that stop him. Let her power up, he thought to himself. It would only hasten her own demise.

"You thought you would get something out of this?" he shouted between her screams. "A measure of revenge before you died! You petty little idiot! There are other Saiyans out there! The ones you killed today can be replaced! Even the damage you've done to this planet can be repaired! It might take me a century to fix it all, but when I'm finished, it'll be as if it never happened! I'll rule the universe a little later than I planned, but I'll still prevail! And you'll still be just as dead!"

He suddenly realized that this was how it was supposed to be from the beginning. He had taught his followers that their suffering was a crucible designed to purge impurities and eliminate weaknesses. Nagaoka... his very self, was just another crucible. He had to suffer, to face Luffa in this way, for how else could he overcome his nemesis and rise above the final obstacles? It would be here, on this day, that the universe would be purified for all time. And in that epiphany, the pain he felt, the raucous screaming of his enemy, the rush of destructive power through his golden coils, it all seemed so sublime to him.

And then, finally, Luffa collapsed. Her breathing was rough and unsteady. Her Golden Oozaru energy was building out of control. Rehval could feel her pulse racing, and he knew that her savage heart would fail at any moment. This had to be the end. There were no more moves for her to make.

"It's over, Luffa! I've won," he said. "All I have to do now is wait for your body to give out from the strain. Until then, you can't hurt me at this range, not unless you want to hurt yourself in the process!"

Luffa gasped a few times before responding. When she finally spoke, he expected to hear some admission of defeat, or perhaps even a begrudging apology. He got neither.

"That was my plan all along, you jackass," she said.

And then she began to laugh again. Rehval was about to demand to know what she found so funny, and then he suddenly sensed a huge power welling up inside Luffa. He tried to pull away from her, only to discover that she had created an energy field around her body that kept him trapped against her fur.

"Did you really think I came to this mudball all alone without a plan?" she shouted. "You think I didn't expect my body to give out under the full moon? You fool! I was counting on it! Honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner!"

It finally dawned on Rehval what she meant by this. When she first arrived on Nagaoka, he had blithely assumed that she had come to die in battle. Now he realized just how right he had been.

Except she never had any intention of dying alone.

She was going to take him with her. The planet, the moon, his golden avatar... all of it.

"There's no way out, Rehval!" she screamed, her power intensifying until he could no longer sense it properly. "No ships to fly you to safety this time! No magic portals to whisk you away to a safe haven! You're trapped here, with me, on this worthless planet, and when I go, you'll die with it!"

Suddenly she was standing upright once again. Rehval wondered if he had ever managed to hurt her before, or if she had simply been luring him in this entire time.

"Luffa, no!" Rehval pleaded. "You can't! The Saiyans! Your son!"

"They were dead the moment they joined you," she said with a roar. "You thought this stupid planet would make you a god, but it's nothing more than a millstone around your neck!"

She was right, and now it suddenly occurred to Rehval that he was entirely at her mercy.

"But the Saiyan race!" Rehval wailed. "Luffa, you have to spare me! If we all die here, then the future of the Saiyan species is doomed! I'm the only one who can ensure our prosperity! You have to let me live! I beg you!"

"You beg me?" Luffa asked. "You really do have no pride at all. If you're the only hope for the Saiyan race, then we're better off extinct!"

And in those last moments, Rehval realized there was nothing more he could say, nothing more he could do. His golden body was helpless. The source of his power was fractured and doomed, and he was at the mercy of a monster who wanted nothing more than to end his life. All his knowledge, his power, his rhetoric, would avail him nothing. It was this realization, more than the prospect of death itself, that horrified him.

Then, he heard a terrible, ear-splitting roar, as Luffa released the power within her in a tremendous explosion. Through his connection with the planet, he could feel Nagaoka being ripped apart, and the pain it caused him was greater than anything he could have possibly experienced in a mortal body. He expected everything to go black, but instead, it went white. A brilliant, agonizing white.

*******

And then, strangely enough, Rehval found himself lying on the floor of his fortress. The planet--or what was left of it, was directly beneath him. He could still feel the pain of its death throes. He was still linked to Nagaoka. It hurt so much that he could barely bring himself to move.

Somehow, he found the will to crawl. The last thing he expected was to be shunted back into his original Saiyan body. He had assumed that his abandonment of it was permanent, but it was an experimental treatment, and he never imagined that Nagaoka would be so badly damaged, or what the effects of this might be. This was all uncharted territory now. As he struggled to crawl out of his chamber, he paused to put a finger to his throat, and found no pulse. A stench in his nostrils and an unsettling moisture in his pants suggested that his bowels had evacuated. The discomfort of these revelations paled in comparison to the torture that assailed his senses. He was still one with the planet, and he would experience its destruction firsthand.

But there was still a chance. Apparently Luffa's final attack wasn't as quick and decisive as he had assumed it would be. She had exploded on the nightside of Nagaoka, and he could feel that half of the planet now lay in utter ruins. The dayside would soon follow, but not right away. Nagaoka would linger a bit longer before oblivion, which bought him a little time before the end. Luffa had destroyed his shipyard on the day she arrived here. But there was still one last means of escape. He had never intended to use it, but he had kept it safe throughout Luffa's invasion. He had planned to use it to send for assistance, so that his followers could come and go as they had done before. Now, he dragged himself through the empty corridors, seeking to use it to carry him to safety. He wasn't sure what would happen to his corpse once Nagaoka finally disintegrated, but he knew enough alchemical recipes to find a way to recover, even from this.

He wished that he could summon one of his followers to help him, but that was surely impossible. They were all dead on the other side of the planet. Luffa's explosion would have killed them all instantly.

At last, he reached the section of the wall that housed a secret launch bay. He touched a stone that contained a device that would react to his fingerprint. When nothing happened, he tried it again. And again. It was getting harder to think. He had to figure out how to get the wall to open up before it was too late. As he considered the problem, he finally looked over to the section of the wall that was supposed to have moved, and noticed that it was simply no longer there. It looked like someone had smashed their way through it.

And that someone had taken his secret escape craft. All that remained was an empty bay. Above, the canopy was still open from when the ship had launched. The sky had turned blood red. This was probably a side effect of the planet-wide cataclysm, though Rehval had no idea what the specific cause of it could be. He found it curious that his dead body could still see anything at all.

He struggled to think of who could have taken his escape craft. None of the cultists knew about it. The ones who had installed it for him had all been killed months ago to protect his secret. Treekul might have discovered it somehow, except she never could have smashed through the wall that way.

He thought... he thought that maybe.... he could smell the scent of his daughter. Whether this was his keen Saiyan nose or wishful thinking was impossible to tell. He liked to think that it had been Seltiss who managed to escape. But there was no way to be certain. The future was utterly beyond his control now. The Saiyans were doomed. Theirs was a ship without a rudder.

Then he smelled the aroma of burning flesh, and he realized that it was his own. It smelled so familiar, like when he had murdered his own brother and burned the body to cover up the crime. He had taken his brother's name and identity on that day. It had seemed so clever of him at the time. Now, with death nipping at his heels, he began to regret it. He had never worried much about legacy, because he assumed that his plans would all come to fruition, and the universe would remember him for his achievements and his unforgettable impact on history.

But if this was to be his end, then he would likely be forgotten. And even if he was to be remembered, it would be by his brother's name. It stung his ego, and he was surprised by how much it hurt. He suddenly found himself wishing that someone--anyone-- could know his true name, the one his mother had chosen for him... the name of... of...

What had she called him? It was so long ago, and he hadn't used the name in so long. He was having trouble remembering...

And as his reanimated body burned, and his fortress collapsed around him, the corpse that once called himself King Rehval III Trismegistus finally succumbed to true death. His last thought was the realization that Luffa had been mistaken about him in one regard.

In the end, it seemed that he did have a small amount of Saiyan pride, after all.

*******

[4 December, 233 Before Age. Nagaoka.]

Nagaoka was not destroyed all at once. Luffa's explosion atomized a huge chunk of one hemisphere, and blasted apart the surrounding mass. The rest of the planet was destabilized, and smaller, secondary explosions erupted throughout. Within hours, the entire planet had broken up into something resembling asteroids.

On one of these chunks of rock, Luffa could sense that her attack had succeeded. There were no Saiyan ki signatures. Rehval's power was completely gone. His followers were all dead. It was important for her to be sure, since she had somehow survived, and she had no idea how.

Once she was certain that she was the only one left, Luffa considered what had happened. Her intention had been to summon up all of her power and release it all at once in a giant explosion. She had fully intended to die along with everything else. Her Golden Ape form had been unstable, after all. It seemed like blowing herself up was the only part of her plan that was guaranteed.

Instead, she found herself alive, surrounded by a force field of her own ki energy. Somehow, she had survived the explosion, and made this little bubble for herself. There was a chunk of earth for her to lie upon, and enough air trapped inside for her to breathe. It was like a terrarium floating in space. She couldn't remember doing this. Had she blacked out and done this while unconscious? Was this some sort of survival instinct at work? All she knew was that she tried to blow herself up, and then woke up to find the planet destroyed.

She had no idea what had happened to the Nagaoka's moon, except that it was no longer visible. Perhaps it had been destroyed as well, or it was obscured behind a cloud of debris, or Luffa had simply tumbled through space to a position where she was pointed away from it. All she knew was that she was no longer a giant ape.

She was no longer in her Super Saiyan form either. This was no great mystery, as she was too exhausted to move, let alone maintain any transformations. Wearily, she took stock of her situation, and concluded that she was about to die the same way she was born: Alone, in outer space, and completely naked. Luffa had heard of Saiyans using elastic clothes that could survive the size changes of the Oozaru transformation, but she hadn't been wearing anything like that when she came to Nagaoka. She didn't expect it to matter much in the end.

"Well... that's it, then," she murmured to herself as she looked out at the stars. There was very little air inside her force bubble, and the stale odor suggested that she had used up much of it already. The temperature was beginning to drop sharply as well. She had planned to destroy herself, the planet, and her enemies instantaneously, but somehow fate always seemed to drag these things out. It was never like the stories about the old heroes. They always did such drastic and amazing things and it always went so quickly. She supposed the storytellers edited out some of the slower details to make the story go faster.

She hoped that the story of Luffa would gloss over this part, the part where she froze to death on an asteroid without any clothes on. But the more she thought about it, hers wasn't a story that deserved to be told. Hers was a legend of successive failures. A failure as a mother, as a wife, as a leader, and as a warrior. She would shed no tears for the Saiyan race, but it still pained her to think that things had gotten bad enough for her to decide that the best answer was to destroy her own people. The last Super Saiyan, Chanisp, had saved his fellow Saiyans. Luffa had always admired him for that. Now, she wondered why the bastard had even bothered.

It wasn't all bad, she supposed. She had fought plenty of battles, though none ever seemed to be quite the challenge she craved. She had made friends and she had left an impression on countless aliens, though she wasn't sure how much that was really worth in the end. She had found love... but that was over now, and it seemed wrong somehow to take any solace in the memory of it. Instead, she prayed that Zatte would understand all of this some day.

The air in the bubble became stuffier and colder, and Luffa was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She didn't particularly want to die, but she also felt that it was long overdue. There didn't seem to be anything left to live for, after all. No more battles to fight, no more thoughts to think. No more power in her body. She just wanted to lie back and sleep. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep the air inside her bubble, but she supposed it wouldn't make much difference if she suffocated or froze to death.

And then, just as she closed her eyes and surrendered to her fate, she felt something strange. Her eyes fluttered open, and there was a bright light flickering all around her.

*******

[Date and Location Unknown.]

In the next instant, she was warm, and the air was fresh. She was still hurt, but not so weak that she couldn't look down and see that she was clothed again, even if it was only a tube top and a pair of simple breeches. She was somewhere else. In the next few breaths, she found the strength to rise to her feet, and that was when she noticed it.

It was a giant animal, even bigger than her own Oozaru form. The creature was shaped like a great serpent, but with four legs, and antlers sticking out of its head. It floated above her, glowing in the night sky like an obnoxious sign at a casino she had visited once. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but found that her throat was too dry to speak, and in the few seconds it took for her to swallow and clear her throat, the creature spoke aloud instead.

"Your wish has been granted," it proclaimed with a voice like rolling thunder.

Luffa was about to ask what wish, when the creature spoke again.

"Farewell..." it said, and before Luffa could demand an explanation, it glowed even more intensely, becoming a hot filament of light. A group of crystal balls rose up into the air to meet the creature as it vanished, and then these orbs shot off in different directions like shooting stars. Once the strange animal was gone, the dark sky suddenly gave way to daylight, and Luffa finally took note of her surroundings. She was standing in some kind of city. Before her was a structure that looked like some sort of elaborate mobile art display, featuring large gears of bronze that rotated as though suspended in midair.

Was this the afterlife?

Then she heard footsteps. Someone was approaching her from behind. Luffa turned, and found a man in a long black coat. There was something familiar about his face, but his lavender hair and intense expression kept her too distracted to think about it.

"You're surprised, I'm sure," he said.

Normally, the man might have been right. Luffa would have been surprised, but she was too exhausted and confused for the shock to register. She was still trying to understand how she hadn't died in the explosion.

"I'll have to explain it all to you later," the man said. "But first, let's see how much power you have."

He then reached over his shoulder, and drew a sword that he wore on his back. The sound of the metal scraping against the scabbard rang in Luffa's ears. She tried to clear her throat, to ask him who he was and how she had gotten here.

Without another word, the man charged toward Luffa, his sword raised to strike.

NEXT: Xenoversal.

#dragon ball #fanfiction #super saiyan #luffa #lssjluffafic #trismegistus #nagaoka #last known photo

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nessierei · 4 years

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🔥 SET YOUR HEART ABLAZE! 🔥 A fanart of Rengoku Kyōjurō ❤️💛 he was so lovely !! Ahh 🤧 I recently re-read the Rengoku Gaiden and I just loved Kyōjurō in the training kimono, just so beautiful ❤️💛 El hermoso pilar de la llama 🔥 Pre🍩 !! 🙈😭🤧 🔥 "Stand tall and be proud. No matter how weak or unworthy you feel keep your heart burning, grit your teeth and move forward. If you just curl up in a ball and hide, time will pass you by. It won't stop for you while you wallow in your grief." 😭🤧 🔥❤️💛 ☆ Tags #kimetsunoyaiba #knyfanart #rengokukyoujorou #flamepillar #fanartanime #fanart #animekny #knymanga #animeart #demonslayer #demonslayerkimetsunoyaiba #demonslayerfanart #guardianesdelanoche #rengoku #prismacolor #prismacolorpencils https://www.instagram.com/p/CHjyM7bJ4Ij/?igshid=1dk9in9rb4r8g

#kimetsunoyaiba #knyfanart #rengokukyoujorou #flamepillar #fanartanime #fanart #animekny #knymanga #animeart #demonslayer #demonslayerkimetsunoyaiba #demonslayerfanart #guardianesdelanoche #rengoku #prismacolor #prismacolorpencils

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iama-tree00 · 4 years

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My Tribute for rengoku kyoujurou from kimetsunoyaiba for the Japan Premiere of Mugen Train Arc movie

"I will fulfill my duty. I won't let anybody die here"

"Stand tall and be proud. No matter how weak or unworthy you feel keep your heart burning, grit your teeth and move forward. If you just curl up in a ball and hide, time will pass you by. It won't stop for you while you wallow in your grief."

#demon slayer #mugen train #rengoku kyōjurō #penandink #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu rengoku #fanart #anime #anime art #samurai

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incorrectsmashbrosquotes · 5 years

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Reflections of the Demon King

*A bit of a character study of our favorite Demon King. Please enjoy!

This was submitted by @ganondorfthedarklord and we worked together on it. Thanks bro!

Within his personal quarters did the infamous demon king spare glance at tapestry and relic, art and artifact. The Gerudo who stood an immortal king had lived millennia, his memory stretched far and vast, and pieces of himself could be drawn to a time before time itself existed. He was draped in soft scholarly robes over metal boots, black etched over with gold as he allowed himself a moment outside his conflict. As fingers slid across the stitching of textiles from his own time, preserved through extensive magics of his own making, he began to settle into contemplating that long past, back to his youth, considering how he came to be as he was now.

Fingers drifted from art that depicted his home to things far more personal, a wooden mug, roughly carved from a solid chunk. It was not something fit for a king, it was rugged, uneven, but fit for his enormous fingers and shaped comfortably. Even now he recalled the day he received it…

One year. Only one year had passed since he had been crowned King of the Gerudo, and already dozens of the desert tribes had fallen to his might. Some called him the Witch King, others the Dark Master. In the end it didn’t matter to Ganondorf what he was called, so long as they fools knelt before him.

On this day, the one year anniversary of his kingship, the leaders of the tribes he conquered presented him with gifts. Some were extravagant works of gold and silver, others were wickedly sharp weapons. He had received little else, save for a few scrolls containing spells of which he already had mastered. He was mentally dividing up the gifts, intending to use them for more useful pursuits than gathering dust on his shelves, when he was interrupted from his thoughts.

“Your Majesty?” came a shy voice. Ganondorf turned to see a little girl, no older than eleven summers, standing near him, nervously shifting about. She was of the Jabari Tribe, one of his conquests, but there was clearly Gerudo ancestry in her features.

“What?” he questioned, dutifully keeping his voice neutral.

“I… I know that… that I have nothing worthy of you… but I wished to give you a gift anyway.” she said. Without another word she presented a simple wooden cup to him. The Dark King took up the offering, examining it critically. The rough hewn wood was nothing to show off about, but it had obviously been carved with care.

Ganondorf turned to the nervous girl and spoke with clarity something he had never said before.

“Thank you.”

As Ganondorf drank from the cup he inwardly chuckled at the memories of the odd looks he’d received from nobles due to his use of this cup. He never bothered to share the story of it, they had been unworthy to hear it anyway. Simple yes, but it was his. He shook himself from such thoughts and returned his attention to the tapestry before him.

His time before his ascension was a mystery to many, but he remembered it well. He had been born to a young she-warrior whose name he had never learned. It had never truly seemed important really, she had died birthing him after all. Nor did he know his father, save that he was a wandering Hylian Knight who had been taken by the Gerudo for a short time. In truth he had been a child of the Gerudo Tribe, rather than any individual. They had forged him into what he was. They had taught him to stand, to strive, to slay. What need of traditional parents had he then?

Upon his thirteenth summer the wisest and strongest of the Tribal Elders, Koume and Kotake, had taken him into their hands. He knew that they had loved him, but it was not a gentle love. It was a cruel love, hard and sharp like a sword. They had turned him into a weapon of magic and steel. No mistakes had been tolerated, and any he made were punished harshly…

“Fool of pup!” screamed Koume at the prostate child before her. “You are to be King of our people! A savior! And yet you continue to make mistakes that a brain-envenomed Goron wouldn’t make!” she shrieked in Gerudo tongue.

“I… I am sorry, Elder Koume.” he ground out.

For that she blasted him with dark fire that etched into his skin. He took it silently, malice building in his gut. “Never apologize you weak pup! Kings do not apologize! They simply are!” Ganondorf stood, feeling the aches in his muscles. Something was building inside him. Something ancient. Something terrible.

Something very, very, angry.

“Perhaps then, it is your fault.” he said, not fully conscious of his actions. He only knew that what was inside him NEEDED to be free. “Perhaps I make mistakes because my teacher is a wretched, ugly, weak, PATHETIC BAG OF DUST!” he thundered. The world seemed to fade around him, his nose picked up the faint burn of ozone in the air.

“You- you wretched-” Koume never got the chance to finish her sentence as Ganondorf loosed a beast’s roar, and with it a bolt of solid black energy from his mouth. It smashed Koume through solid stone.

With that he fell to the ground. The last thing his senses could grasp before losing consciousness was Kotake walking up and standing over him, a broad smile on her wizened face.

“Finally.” she said.

After that his strength grew in leaps and bounds. He learned every spell his teachers knew, practiced every martial skill his tribe could offer. His nights were consumed by scrolls and books, filled with the sciences and philosophies of the wise and powerful alike. He became voracious, seeking every scrap of knowledge and power he could find. Soon he towered tall above all his peers in both body and mind. The many scars of his pursuits were left untouched, he took pride in the growth drawn from each cut.

The path forward had become clear to him. To be free one must have power, to have power one must be intelligent, one must be strong, one must be cunning, one must be willing to utilize that which was necessary. To be a true sovereign one must be able to overcome all that could question him, and in later ages which he had not yet reached he would come to include the gods among those who must be overtaken. He would learn self-reliance as the only reliance. For then he still prayed to the gods to better his lands and strengthen his might.

Perhaps the only person who ever truly knew him beside himself was his second, a young Gerudo girl who had managed to sneak into his training sessions during that age. For a time, she had been a trusted and wonderful companion a few years younger than himself, sharp of tongue and mind with strength that could hold longer than any other of his kin against him. Such trust was misplaced, he would later learn, as she was not as loyal to him as her own ideas of the Gerudo, and over time their visions of the future would irreconcilably divide. She hid her betrayal well, and it had been wrenching to learn of this treachery.

It was first with hope that he approached Hyrule, while he had long studied the history he was yet young and naive in all practical sense. War had long existed, but there was perhaps some potential for a more peaceful progress. He soon learned the truth of the Hylians.

They were a soft people. A people made weak by wealth and plenty. Their King was nothing like what a king should be. He was like his people, soft and weak. A sorry excuse for a monarch. And slowly,steadily, Ganondorf became angry. These weak creatures hoarded and hoarded all they could, unwilling to share with his own. The so-called blessed races which infested the mountains, fields, forests and hills shared in the plenty, but his own were outcasts in the desert wastes.

His fury could not truly be described. Soon he realized that the only way forward was domination. Control. Conquest.

Ganondorf began with his native home. He turned the Gerudo people from warriors to soldiers. He forged them as they had forged him. An army was born. And one by one, the tribes of the great Southern Desert fell to his rule.

His rule was not as stable as he had anticipated. He was far more young and ignorant than he had believed of himself, his older self understood. That passion, that fury, had not yet been as under control as he had believed and in frustration he made many mistakes which further destabilized his rule. He may be proud and unrelenting, lacking in regret, but one did not grow so powerful without correcting where one faulted or erred.

He had tried a measured hand, but the pride of the tribes he conquered refused to be denied. He was plagued by little rebellions, internal conflicts, and assassination attempts. Slowly he applied more and more pressure upon his conquered peoples. Blood and steel became the law of his rule, but he never went further than what he deemed necessary. For every ten rebels he executed with a swift and brutal hand, another thirty were cowed into submission. He came to realize an important truth: Men do not fear swords. They fear Monsters. And so a monster he became.

It was that philosophy that finally led him to the Triforce, and to Hyrule’s conquest.

But it was in his seventh year of rule and conquest that his greatest failure came. His confidant and friend had betrayed him. Only through his mothers did he even allow suspicion of her, allow himself to question her. It should have been obvious, but he had been blinded by the trust he had placed. Such a mistake he would not make again, and he swiftly discovered another most trusted servant had never been on his side at all. It was rare any saw what he did not, such mistakes boiled in his veins and he cursed and spat. Steadily, rather than the support he had intended, he had lost ground.

Defeat was long and it was attrition combat which finally wore his powers from him. He had total confidence in himself all throughout that fight, he needed to, for he was to conquer the heavens themselves, he had brought Hyrule to heel, he had taken their most sacred relics and children were all that faced him. He did not see the gods behind them, and he fell into his hatred, let it control him in ways he would not allow again so easily.

Many foes had claimed he did not feel as man did, could not see as a person, but something almost all failed to realize is he empathized greatly with those he slew. To manipulate as he has one must truly understand those they are using, and he did not ever act without reason when he had sound mind, but he was ruthless and ceaseless, endless, eternal in his conquest. It was not without consideration that he would end a life, rather he considered each greatly, but of comparison to his goals there was little to decide. Zelda herself had done similar such things in her battles to bring down his reign.

Ganondorf set his sentiments from the ancient past aside and beheld the present as he rose, though the mug never left his hand, to the bright stained windows which peered into the realm beyond. He saw out into the era as it was. Here he stood outside of his time and realm among countless beings of differing origins beyond his own. Such ripe pickings, such choice pawns and pieces, and the most loyal of servants of all time did follow him again. There was much that had happened here. He deliberated on it as he drank deep of his liquid caffeine.

Ironic, that one of the beings who most spent her attention upon him was a goddess of light in her world while the other a powerful witch, one of not insignificant strength and deeply wrapped in darkness herself. He had hesitated to call the bonds shared with them love at first, despite the deliciously debauched acts they participated in, but competition as the two challenged him deeper into the embrace was ever driving, as was his passion. As tightly controlled as it may be, upon release his passion was consuming and he was one to fight in every battle before him, even ones of affection. Those bonds developed much further than he had ever anticipated.

This established, none of the trio possessed the same beliefs, the same ideals, and he well knew they would often come against him no matter how pleasing their time together. It was refreshingly pleasant, though, to take this occasional escape from his constant war. In a way it reminded him of his youth, rejuvenated him. Such bright passion was not as common in him these days, the flare of heat was appreciated. The joining of flesh also produced something he had wanted but not anticipated finding before his final victory — children.

An heir was something Ganondorf long sought despite his immortality. While there had always been many who sought him it was difficult to find one capable enough, enticing enough, powerful enough for him to even lightly consider the idea of truly bedding. He had first come to have a biological one, and he managed two such children with the first of his mates, the witch, but they had not joined him in his cause. The first had become a beacon of justice in his own world, making himself a symbol not unlike Ganondorf himself. The second had trodden a path similar to his own, rebellion against authority and the divine. Although his actions were far more… altruistic in their motivations.

But despite their difference in goals he was still proud of both of them. However, no matter his pride, neither could be his heir.

Then whispers had reached his ears of another child. One so like him yet so very different. A child filled with rage and darkness. A devil in the making, soaked in the blood of genocide and betrayal. He had sought out this child, and the little demon had been everything he had hoped. And so he had his heir. From this child he would forge a scourge upon the Sacred Realm itself. All of creation would one day tremble before this creature… this Angel Fallen Underground.

Ganondorf once more returned attention to the ancient mug as he considered his relations and reflected upon the state of his kin. He would never admit it, but it had been gutting to see what had become of them.

The last and yet living king of the Gerudo was a man well out of time, he had long recognized. Life changed around him, the Gerudo were long dead; while others might question him of the statement they had died millennia ago. What remained of them was a corpse mutilated into something he cared nothing for. Gone was their savage strength, their terrible will. They had been… domesticated by that wretched scourge that was Hyrule.

Independence had died, rebellion gone, their leadership had been gorged out and replaced with one far too similar to that of the Hylians. Worse still they now served under the family of Hyrule. It disgusted him to see such proud resistance fall into line beneath the kingdom he fought. The only value of it was the idea of resurrection, he had forged it once, he could forge it again in the crucible of blood and steel. The world had indeed changed, but never was it to benefit him lest he force it.

Ganondorf contemplated the future, turning from the window toward his maps and plots where much was yet to be subjected and subjugated to his influence.

What still stood before him was Hyrule, and with it the Triforce. It remained difficult, but to him there had never been such a thing as the impossible, merely heightened and difficult obstacles to overcome. Even fate was one to be taken and conquered. Once he finally wretched these things from the gods and their champions he would have all in hand. From there he could forge all existence as he desired. From there he could remove the thrice damned gods from their thrones. They were his truest of enemies, and such cowards they were to hide from him in the heavens behind their champions.

Though he rarely spoke such words he truly respected those two ceaseless opponents, both nearly as stubborn as himself. The princess could meet him in wits, the boy in swords, and though separate they could never defeat him they could gather quite the remarkable forces to lead against him together. Each piece of the pair impressed him. He would have to overcome them alone one day, and he would not have it otherwise. For him his victory must be complete and then he shall be able to end all who would stop him. It must be total, eclipsing, and it shall be, no matter how long it takes. He has lived countless centuries, he can take countless more. Existence will cease before he would do so.

The mug disappeared from his fingers in a mix of black and purple flames, off to a safe location, as did the soft cloth which had cloaked him during this time alone. Donning armor of war made of dark metal detailed in gold and cloaked with crimson beneath fiery hair, the time for contemplation had ended. The time to act neared, he was to convene his forces and prepare for it. Nothing would ever stop his march, only delay, only slow. Fierce fangs glinted in a smirk formed from devious designs taking shape. The giant pair of metal boots moved ever onward to a faint, almost silent, rhythmic click. Always forward.

Because for Ganondorf, forward was the only possibility.

#incorrect super smash bros #super smash bros #incorrect quotes #submission #Smash Bros #Ganondorf #Nabooru #Bayonetta #Palutena #Joker #Captain Falcon #Chara #Legend of Zelda #Kid Icarus #Persona #F-Zero #Undertale

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lovingumi · 4 years

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who are your top 5 faves and why hehe

oooo i’ve been waiting for this one! i’m just gonna do two top fives, one for haikyuu and one just overall! i feel like you’ll definitely see what kind of person i am because of these, so that’s pretty fun! it became pretty damn long and it’s a lot, to be honest. so i get it if you just skip this entire thing! and thank you for asking this!! when i say i love interacting with you guys </4

haikyuu

1. my lil baby bokuto kōtarō!!

i didn’t necessarily have a favourite in haikyuu until he showed up and i was like ‘yeah, he definitely has my heart’ i just kinda aspire to be like him? he has this endless positivity and works so hard to keep up with everyone and just go against the strongest! he enjoys what he does so much, and i hope i’ll be just as happy as him. his lil emotional outbursts always have me laughing and just 🥺 evertime and i just wanna tell him that he did amazing and i’m so proud of him!!! i could literally write an entire book about him right now and i’m really holding back, because there’s so much more to him than his lil mood swings!! but let’s just keep it at this, hm!

2. miya atsumu

my lil misunderstood baby!! the second i saw him in the anime, before i had even read the manga, i was dead ass already head over heels with him. people dislike him and discard him being the best setter canon, just because he’s a lil threat? i don’t even know why people dislike him. this guy is a whole five year old with just lots of confidence. he genuinely does not care that people dislike him, because he knows his worth. another thing i hope to have. this lil baby starts making mistakes just because he started getting excited!!!! ain’t that just the cutest lil thing ever 🥺 i just find him so funny and amazing!! the sangwoo jokes are also kinda getting old guys, please

3. hinata shōyō

now this one right here- he’s overlooked even when he’s loved so much. he’s insanely versatile and just so much fun to watch. he’s the real definition of starting nowhere to ending up everywhere. i can only wish to have even a sliver of his determination and motivation, because i have none of that haha </3 but no, he’s pretty interesting! people kinda overlook the fact that he’s selfish, but selfish in a good way. d’you really think he helps all these other guys because he wants to be a lil nice? i mean yeah, that plays part in it, but he’s helping them so they can get better and he’s going against stronger people. he wants them to get better for his own reasons, and i think that that isn’t wrong at all. being selfish isn’t always bad, it can benefit you without hurting anyone y’know. and he’s just my lil baby sunshine who i can always come back to.

4. kita shinsuke

i genuinely don’t know how and why he’s in my top five- i’m just gonna improvise this one and just talk some bullshit. kita is someone who does what needs to be done and cares about the people around him. he shows respect and basically has no regrets. he’s a gentle soul and like i said before, he’s basically the word ‘serenity’ in my eyes. if you’re with him, then you’ll probably just feel at easy and so comfortable. being around kita shinsuke means feeling like you’re on a cloud with a gentle smile on your face. and that’s probably the reason why he’s one of my comfort characters.

cant choose, so- honourable mentions!

i know, i know this isn’t right. but i genuinely can’t choose another favourite, so for this one i’m just gonna do a few honourable mentions sjdndn. i think kageyama tobio is among my favourites. he’s just this little dork who only knows volleyball and believe it or not, he’s the one with the most back handed compliments and maybe even hate. my lil baby deserves none of that and i just wanna hug him all the time while he tells me about how important a first step is while setting <33333 udai tenma for no reason. kozume kenma has all the vibes i love. which is weird because he’s basically the opposite of bokuto in some way- he just seems like someone who would accept you, no matter how you look or act like sometimes, you know? if you pique this guys interest, then you know you’re in it for the long haul. goshiki tsutomu, semi eita, tendō satori, sakusa kiyoomi, komori motoya and iwaizumi hajime also join the list of ‘we don’t need a reason, we just make her feel 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋’

overall

1. bokuto kōtarō haikyuu

he’s just- i already explained why partially but i’ll just add a lil more here! bokuto kōtarō is very much aware of himself. he knows that if something on the court happened to him, he’d just start hitting out of bounds or against the net, he knows his being coddled by his team, he knows he can be a bit oblivious and you know what! he doesn’t care!! he isn’t insecure about it and doesn’t feel bad, because there’s no reason to be! kudos to fukurōdani for that too, i love them for not trying to change bokuto <3 but i’m a very, very emotional girl, it’s kinda sad how easily i cry so i just bond to the characters who are emotional too. they make me feel like i can cry as much as i want, and they’d either cry with me, or hug me warmly and that just makes me so happy!

2. nakajima atsushi bungou stray dogs

god, the amount of love i have for this one- he’s one of protagonists that people love to call whiny, a cry baby, boring or useless. atsushi’s trauma might not seem big for you, but it is for him. he has been called these things for his entire life and has been used as an experiment, of course it’s going to haunt him for an insane long part. he’s just a realistic representation of how some people with trauma can be. but he’s trying to move on and trying to save people just like he was saved. he’s constantly trying to prove that he deserves to live, when there’s no reason for him to do that. and i kinda relate to that? i just want to give him all the love i have.

3. rengoku kyōjurō kimetsu no yaiba

this one- just twenty and i know that he would be the older brother to everyone in the anime universe, even if they’re older than him. he also gives me insane bokuto vibes he has such strong beliefs and always tries to protect the weak, no matter what. his father abandoned him, but that didn’t stop him from following his dream of becoming a demon slayer. he trained and taught himself into becoming the level of a hashira which is basically like the top 3 aces in haikyuu, simply said. he took care of his little brother when his father didn’t and told him things like when no one would support or believe in him, that he would be there and support whatever path he decides to walk. “stand tall and be proud. no matter how weak or unworthy you feel, keep your heart burning, grit your teeth and move forward. if you just curl up in a ball and hide, time will pass you by. it won't stop for you while you wallow in your grief.” the way he called me out with this one- no but i just admire him.

4. levi ackerman shingeki no kyojin

so basic, i know i know.. i don’t really feel the need to explain this one, it’s just pretty self explanatory. he’s seen everyone go and always survives alone. he’s called humanity’s strongest and last hope. do you know how much of a bagage that is to carry in such world? he had to make decisions, knowing that it would cost so much lives. he just deserves to go home, drink a cup of tea and close his eyes without feeling the need to always look around himself.

5. midoriya izuku boku no hero academia (contains spoilers)

now imagine seeing your role model in their real form, telling you, a quirk less kid who has been bullied to almost death, that you can be a hero. i would cry for days, honestly. let’s also not forget training for an entire year, moulding your body beyond its limits and getting a quirk that’s much bigger than you originally thought. and it’s not even one quirk, but around seven or eight you’re getting!!! you’re carrying so much responsibility along with all these things and people expect you to be this badass guy who carries no emotion. please- i fucking love my baby izuku and all his emotions included. i do not accept any slander for any emotional character on this blog <3

honourable mentions!

after reading the manga, i can say with confidence that bakugou katsuki is one of my favourites. i relate on another level to tamaki amajiki, my shy lil baby. khun aguero agnes, ah yeah, i love him. i finished the anime, but i have yet to finish the webtoon. kamado tanjiro is my favourite protagonist and no one can change that <3 hange zoë hange zoë hange zoë the love of my life!!!

#i won’t blame it if you skipped this-#nevas.✉️#anons.🦋

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vernalephemeral · 2 years

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#anime qotd

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anonymouslifeat · 3 years

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Stand tall and be proud. No matter how weak or unworthy you feel, keep your heart burning, grit your teeth and move forward. If you just curl up in a ball and hide, time will pass you by. It won't stop for you while you wallow in your grief.

#quote #life #mylife #quotes #mydemons #motivational #motivation #keep moving forward #move forward

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suburbanwrites · 3 years

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2021 Reading Challenge July Week 1

Is there an author that you absolutely hate?

I generally don’t try to devote the sort of energy hate requires to stuff, but that being said I REALLY don’t like Thomas Hardy. This is based exclusively on Tess of the D’ubervilles, which I haven’t read since grade 12 but I still have vague feelings of loathing for it.

There are a handful of authors on my dislike list but what that means is that I just kind of live my life without having to acknowledge their books existences, so it’s hard to muster up hate (especially since in some cases it’s just a matter of those books being Not For Me). With some authors who have revealed themselves to be terrible human beings, they go onto my Piece of Shit list and Do Not Buy list, and then, again, I try not to pour energy into hating.

What’s your favourite quote from a book you’ve read lately?

I haven’t read it recently (other than occasionally skimming it), but now that the Infinity Train movie is on Funimation, Demon Slayer has been on my brain a lot. There are a few moments and quotes that really stand out to me, but these are the ones that I occasionally keep thinking about.

“When happiness ends there’s always the smell of the blood in the air.”

(Chapter 1)

Cut for spoilers and length...

This line is so evocative and says so much about what sort of story this will be and where it’s going. And the fact that we get it framed around all of the lovely family stuff we see at the beginning makes it all the sadder. The return to that line emphasizes that the life Tanjiro has known is truly going to be over. And foreshadows the way that so many of the happy points and friendships will end throughout the series.

“Stand tall and be proud. No matter how weak or unworthy you feel keep your heart burning, grit your teeth and move forward. If you just curl up in a ball and hide, time will pass you by. It won’t stop for you while you wallow in grief.”

(Chapter 66)

God, this whole section of the train arc just really hits me hard. There’s something about Rengoku having this final moment with Tanjiro/Inousuke/Zenitsu that...like he’s literally about to die and he takes this moment to comfort them and make sure they can keep going. And then the bit that follows where he sees him mom...I can’t read this section without crying.

And, I guess bonus quote that has stuck with me from Bungou Stray Dogs.

“I want no regrets. Not once have I regretted the things I did. I only ever regret the thing that I did not do.”

I can’t remember the exact chapter from the manga, but I loved this moment. Partly because of what it expresses, also because of the development it shows in the character at the moment (Atsushi coming into his own), and also the meta level stuff where that’s a quote from the novel written by the actual Nakajima Atsushi (or so I’ve been led to believe).

And, bonus bonus quote from Brideshead Revisited (if only to show that there are quotes that stick with me from things other than manga).

“I could tell him, too, that to know and love one other human being is the root of all wisdom.”

#2021readingchallenge #2021bookclub #book quotes #manga quotes

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tomoyanosekai · 3 years

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復活~Moldbreaker~ (Fukkatsu: Revival)

“Everything happens for a reason.”

As I look back through my bookshelf, there’s a lot of souvenirs that I’ve collected throughout my life. However, the one thing that I’ve been overlooking until it recently caught my eye was a small, stuffed animal octopus that I bought when I was in Japan. “Japan.” Two years ago on this exact day of this writing, I made the official announcement that I would be going to Aomori, Japan for two months. The more I think about it, It’s hard to believe that Japan happened two years ago. A lot of things happened in between then and now. Instead of looking back at two years ago, I would like to focus on the last two months. To give a quick summary: February was when nothing happened, and March was a month dedicated to learning more about myself through what I unabashedly enjoy despite feeling lonely. In short: the last two months were especially hard. However, if February and March were months where I felt defeated, I can say that April was a reminder of why I keep reaching out and how strong I really am, even if life gets filled with setbacks and becomes harder to live through day by day.

To start at the beginning of April and also pick up from the end of last month’s post, I wrote that I had entered a photography contest dedicated to Kamen Rider figure photography. Although last month was mostly spent alone, I spent a lot of my time everyday by taking pictures of every main character from the past 50 years of Kamen Rider to celebrate the franchise’s 50th anniversary. Coincidentally, there was also a photography contest being announced as part of the festivities. Even though I entered and put in my best and most ambitious shots, I didn’t win or even place within the contest. But despite that, it didn’t bother me that I didn’t win, and if anything, I was proud to show my talent and creativity to the world. Among the three days of coverage, my work was shown off two out of the three days and got very good remarks from the judges along with the larger figure photography community. Nonetheless, even though I was busy learning more about myself, there’s something that can’t be ignored despite that: I felt lonely and burnt out.

“Trying to reach out to friends has already been difficult since many of them haven’t been available for a multitude of reasons. At some point, I stopped reaching out to friends, and friends mostly stopped communicating with me or never really reached out at all to begin with.”

- “Where do I even begin here?” (February 28, 2021)

Simply put: I felt alone. Although I initially wrote this back in February, this was ultimately how I felt throughout all of February, most of March, and even now. There was no life for me to live outside of going to work or being at home; I had no choice but to stay where I was and live in monotony. When I did try to reach out to friends at times, everyone I tried to reach out to was usually busy and I had to figure out how to deal with these feelings that yearned for a community. On top of that, the thing I eventually began to notice was that no one was really reaching out since I figured they either forgot about me or they were expecting me to reach out to them; two horrible mindsets that didn’t help at all and only contributed to me feeling even more burnt out and pessimistic. However, even as I felt defeated and pessimistic, something deep inside kept pushing me to constantly reach out again and again despite feeling burnt out.

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

- Tim Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God

As I look at this stuffed animal octopus on my table as I write this post, it reminds me of why I chose to buy myself this octopus as a souvenir two years ago. This stuffed octopus came from a set of souvenirs that I bought for a group of my close friends coming off the aftermath of some hard times. As I returned from my trip overseas two months later, I had to return and see a very close knit friend group split before my eyes and had to figure out what it meant for me going forward after coming back from Japan and thinking that things would be restored by the time I returned. I bought a stuffed animal for each one of my friends in that group since each stuffed animal reminded me of them in some capacity while I was gone. Although I can’t remember the animals or the reasons why I bought the stuffed animals, I can still clearly remember why I chose to give myself the octopus. For me, the octopus with its many tentacles represented the many hands I would use to reach out to everyone and stay connected despite everyone being so scattered. Even now, I’m still using these hands of mine to reach out to other people despite feeling defeated and tired.

"Stand tall and be proud. No matter how weak or unworthy you feel, set your heart ablaze, grit your teeth and move forward. If you just curl up in a ball and hide, time will pass you by. It won't stop for you while you wallow in your grief."

- Kyojuro Rengoku, Kimetsu no Yaiba -Demon Slayer- The Movie: Mugen Train

Despite feeling so defeated and alone, I continued to reach out, and I think God allows everything to happen for a reason at the right time. As I reunited with many friends in person and through video chat this past month, the one thing they all said was that they were grateful that I was so persistent in reaching out and wanting to meet up. The most encouraging thing for me this past month was when a group of friends that I hadn’t seen in two years was finally reunited, and that was all thanks to God for giving me the persistence and patience to plan something so that we could all meet up again. Likewise, even though I was reunited with my close friends, God still found a way for me to use these connections from two years ago. Very recently, one of my friends from my home church connected me with their friend who is also be going out to Japan to do missions in June; specifically at Hirosaki Nozomi Christ Church in Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan just as I went two years ago. Unlike me who had no idea what I would be getting myself into, I was able to share about my experiences in Japan and help better prepare them for what they were heading into. As I reflect on these connections with people in my life, I see and realize even more now that God has given me a heart that continually loves other people.

Much in that same aspect or continually reaching out to my friends, I finally took the chance to do something that I had always wanted to do for a while: reach out to my extended family; specifically one of my younger cousins. Something I noticed within my family is that although we don’t really have problems or personal squabbles in my family, but in that same regard, we aren’t really “close” where we try to get to know each other on a deeper level. I think within my whole family, I believe there is more of an emphasis on accomplishments since we’re all known by our accomplishments, and not for “who we are.” To give a rundown, this list is obviously NOT how I define myself or define my cousins at all in any general setting, but I believe this is about a 90% accurate reading of how each of my cousins see each other in regards to a family gathering setting (and conveniently grouped by family.)

Cousin 1 : The smartest cousin who majored in Engineering and is continually aiming for the stars (and can almost literally do anything); the family genius.

Cousin 2: The sassy, sarcastic and super athletic cousin with a dry sense of humor who works for Google

Cousin 3 (My brother): The cousin who’s the butt of all jokes at family gatherings and is deeply involved in the Japanese American Community

Cousin 4 (Me): The geeky cousin who went to Bible College but worked part time at a Ramen restaurant and now works customer service (the one who’s always asked to pray during family gatherings.)

Cousin 5: The gifted cousin who’s attractive and athletic and went to college on a full ride academic scholarship

Cousin 6: The cousin who’s about to head to college but is still trying to find his place

Cousin 10: The youngest cousin/baby of the family with so much untapped potential

Cousin 7: The super smart/literary and quiet cousin who’s aiming to be a doctor

Cousins 8 and 9: The hilarious twins; one athletic and extroverted twin and the other twin who’s introverted and very book smart

Although I’m not super close to most of my cousins, the only ones I can feel closer with are cousins 7-9, especially since we attended the same church, I had the chance to share a bit about my life beyond my accomplishments, and also had the chance to cook with them in the past. For those reasons alone, I feel like that of an older brother to them. This time however, the cousin I wanted to reach out to and eventually hung out with was my sixth cousin; the cousin who’s still trying to find his place and also doesn’t get along well with his father. As I met up with him, I shared a bit about my life and showed him how I live it. Through this meeting alone, I think I was able to give him some sense of relief and I really enjoyed getting to know him on a deeper level. Taking a step back: I’m extremely normal and average in comparison to all of them. But despite being normal, I think I put more of an emphasis on love and relationships rather than pure ambition, drive and accomplishments. Even though I seem more normal than all of my cousins, I want my normal-ness to break the mold and become someone who can bring my whole family closer than something more surface level.

Just as I am reminded that this octopus on my desk has many arms and can reach out in six different ways, I still continue to reach out to anyone and everyone because God has given me this heart that loves other people. One of the strongest qualities that God has blessed me with is a heart of kindness. As I go forward into another month, I want to do as Jesus did where John writes about Jesus in John 15:12,

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

- John 15:12

I want to continue reaching out as far as I can and continually find new ways to break the mold.

“From here on out, it’s my stage!”

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lessonsformydaughters · 8 years

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11 Lessons I Learned in 2016

Lesson 1 of 2016: Prayer Works 💯 I began 2016 with a personal prayer: “I will focus on God, not my problems. I will listen to God, not my insecurities and I will rely on God, not my own understanding.”

I’ve failed many times in my efforts to work in harmony with this prayer, however, time spent in prayer is never wasted. Along with prayer, God’s word offers encouragement, hope and comfort to anyone open to receiving it. God’s word encourages me (especially in difficult times) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6, with that, I feel strongly that fervent prayers produce phenomenal results. I’ve seen many of my prayers answered and I’ve been extremely blessed this year, I’m thankful. Who knew this black girl from Ocala, Florida (by way of Miami) would have an amazing husband, 5 beautiful children, a career and a home to create memories as part of our journey. I’ve suffered great heartache, disappointments and tribulations but it NEVER allowed me to stop dreaming. Don’t ever let your past circumstances block your future blessings.

“My soul magnifies Jehovah . . . because the powerful One has done great deeds for me.”—Luke 1:46-49.

Lesson 2 of 2016: Black Lives Matter ✊ “Black Lives Matter” became more than a slogan for my family and I. Police have killed at least 263 black people in the U.S. in 2016. ... Police killed 346 black people in 2015. This year, my family was extremely affected by videos and news reports of violence by police and for the first time in my role as a parent, I felt extremely obligated to teach my children the truth about their history in this country. I’m proud to display Harriet Tubman in our home. Our bookshelf is lined with books on Black history and African American culture. They (our children) see this too. Black pride, self -love, equality and humility is frequently discussed in our home and we plan to keep encouraging our children to stand proud and tall in their heritage and truth. This was (is) not an easy task due to the fact my husband and I struggle with our own feelings regarding police brutality and frequent social injustices towards Black Americans. We’re southern, we have personal accounts of racism towards ourselves or family members and conveying non-bias information to children is challenging. It’s not easy explaining racism and bigotry to children. I know these conversations are necessary, and they will continue into 2017 and beyond.

Lesson 3 of 2016: Motherhood is Magic 👑 “Look! Sons (and daughters) are an inheritance from Jehovah; the fruitage of the belly is a reward.” - Psalm 127:3

This year motherhood took on a whole new meaning with the arrival of a teenager. India is beautiful, social and difficult. Much like I was from 15-21 years old! She's a fearless young lady and her spirit is free. She’s a great big sister and she has my love for organization and cleanliness. However, she is strong-minded and strong willed, almost rebellious. She's at the age where she questions authority and wants to make her own decisions. It's rough some days with her smart mouth and attitude but most days, she's laughing, dancing and happy, and I remember she is still, my sweet little Indy baby.

My girls challenge me in ways that make me feel uncomfortable. India, my firstborn, introduced me to me. It's crazy because I have never felt like I knew myself more than I know who I am today. My daughters are the part of me that was left undiscovered. They’ve made me realize my strength, my fears, all while feeling a sense of accomplishment. There are times I feel inadequate or unworthy of my role. There are times when I am too tired to give them all that they need… But I remind myself that this is my blessing, this is motherhood. We get through each day, each moment as it comes. This (school) year has been the busiest we've ever had. My girls are all enrolled in different schools, with different schedules and different activities. I'm always on the go and to be honest I really enjoy it. Yes, I'm usually ran ragged. Our hobby this year has been cooking and we've shared many cherished moments in the kitchen. These little ladies will be excellent cooks, among other things.

India, Laila & Alana, you are my wisdom, you are my guide. I can never promise you the unforeseen, but I promise that we will find the answers together, like we always do. And for that you will never have to walk alone....

Lesson 4 of 2016: Water is Life 🙏

For months, North Dakota's Standing Rock Sioux tribe has been protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline's planned crossing under the Missouri River, adjacent to their lands, in part due to worries about contamination of their primary water source. Though the government is using every psychological (and many physical) attacks on them, they are standing firm in their resolve to not give up the rights to their land for the purpose of transporting gas/oil. The courage displayed by our Native Americans is something to be admired and appreciated.

Lesson 5 of 2016: Self Love/Care is the Best Love/Care ❤

Mental Health & The Black Community

Most people know that things like stress and anxiety will manifest physically if you don’t take care of yourself. Exercise and eating well are important, of course, but without mental health we cannot be healthy. Any part of the body—including the brain—can get sick. We all experience emotional ups and downs from time to time caused by events in our lives. Mental health conditions go beyond these emotional reactions to specific situations. They are medical conditions that cause changes in how we think and feel and in our mood.

In the African American community, many people misunderstand what a mental health condition is and don’t talk about this topic. This lack of knowledge leads many to believe that a mental health condition is a personal weakness or some sort of punishment from God. African Americans may be reluctant to discuss mental health issues and seek treatment because of the shame and stigma associated with such conditions.

Mental illness is prevalent within my family; I want to not only understand and recognize the signs but not overlook mental health issues. In the Black community, there is a trend of overlooking, minimizing and ignoring mental health and the importance of addressing it.

According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population. Common mental health disorders among African Americans include:

Major depression

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Suicide, among young African American men

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), because African Americans are more likely to be victims of violent crime

In conclusion:

Here are 3 self-care practices that have helped me to maintain my mental health:

- Prayer & Meditation- “Always be rejoicing. Pray constantly. Give thanks for everything. This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” - 1 Thess 5: 16-18

- Hiking- I love to hike (Cali Life) as much as I love the beach (Florida Girl). Spending time in nature is very therapeutic! - The heavens are declaring the glory of God; the skies above proclaim the work of his hands. -Psalms 19:1

- Eat Green - Greens, greens and more greens. Fruit too. The more you eat them, the more your taste buds change and you realize just how delicious food from the earth truly is. The lighter you feel, the better your skin looks, the more energy you have.

Lesson 6 of 2016: Black Women (Girls) Are Magic 👑

Black Girl Magic is a term used to illustrate the universal awesomeness of black women. It's about celebrating anything we deem particularly dope, inspiring, or mind-blowing about ourselves. Black women in general, our essence, style and spirit are hard to define. It’s not about black women being superhuman; it’s about black women recognizing the humanity in one another that so many others often fail to see.

2016, I fell in love with myself, again. I stumbled upon a quote by Maya Angelou (one of my favorite writers, respectively). She wrote, “ “You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.” ❤️

I discovered, everything I need is inside of me. Like Beyonce says in Lemonade’s Formation, “I dream it, I work hard, I grind 'til I own it.”

I’ve learned to embrace my “blackness” and not just my skin color but my culture and history, as well as that of my daughters.

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Lesson 7 of 2016: Its OK to outgrow people, places and things (family included)💯

If you’ve been working hard on your personal development for years while your friends and family have only dabbled, then it’s likely you may have surpassed them. And today you may be living a lifestyle that is much different from the one they became familiar with in the past.

It's often very hard to acknowledge that you may have outgrown your family or a friendship. A fair share of your growing up probably happened right alongside your family/friend — you have years of fun memories, inside jokes, and an enormous appreciation for the times they offered a shoulder to cry on when you were struggling. All of this can make the knowledge that a relationship is no longer working for us extremely painful.

If you’ve grown beyond a person or several people in your life, here are some suggestions for dealing with it.

Do not preach, promote, or sell your new lifestyle to others. Just be an example to them. Don’t talk about it unless they ask. If they do ask, be sure to find out “what” and “how much” they want to know e.g. summary versus details. If you don’t ask these questions your enthusiasm may get the best of you and you’ll end up sharing 10 times more than they wanted.

Establish new boundaries. Let them know who you are now e.g. an optimistic, non-drinking, vegetarian. Let them know at the first occurrence what type of conversations and activities you will not participate in e.g. hate talk and drink games. In other words, renegotiate your relationship.

Limit or end contact with anyone who doesn’t support your growth or ambitions, makes you feel bad about yourself, or brings you down when you communicate with them. Sometimes the toxicity of a relationship is so subtle that you don’t see the damaging impact until years later or after you’ve been away from them for a while. So be vigilant for this as well.

Don’t compromise your personal growth or state of mind for anyone! I should say especially family since they often feel they have the right to do and say anything they want because you’re “family.” Not so. The only relationships that is unbreakable and sacred is the one you have with God, yourself and your spouse.

Lesson 8 of 2016: Don't give so much of yourself to people who do not do the same for you 😌

“Give and you will receive.” My whole life I've been an over-giver. When you give too much, you give away your time, your energy, your body and your heart. You give and give and give. And in the end of it, you don’t quite get what you were hoping for in return. Now, over-giving is not the same thing as generosity. Generosity is neither entangling nor aggressive, because the generous person doesn't expect anything in return. The over-giver doesn't expect anything in return either except to be petted and praised and loved unconditionally for the rest of time. The hardest part is realizing that you can’t always expect others to be looking out for your happiness. If you’re wondering where to start with reducing, it’s very simple: Never give anyone more than they are emotionally capable of receiving.

Lesson 9 of 2016: Don’t impose your expectations on others.

We’re human; sometimes we let each other down and hurt each other. I've come to realize that while I am highly perceptive and considerate, I can’t expect everyone to be that way. And that’s OK.

Learn to enjoy your own journey and don’t expect others to understand or even able to share in the way you experience life or the world.

Lesson 10 of 2016: My husband is a better spouse than I am.

This has been on my wifely conscience for the past 3 months. It’s one of those deep, dark, nagging convictions that you know is true because you feel it in your gut. The kind you mostly try to ignore, but every now and then rears its head…. He’s better at marriage than me.

My husband and I will celebrate our anniversary in a less than 2 weeks! It’s so exciting, this has been a great year for us. I cannot wait to celebrate our love and commitment to one another!! This has also been a hard year as well, adjusting to our role as husband and wife. I must admit I think my husband is far more loving, attentive, patient, kind and more understanding than I. I should admit also, I’ve felt ashamed.

He never feeds into my “prompt too” attitude when something doesn’t go my way, he’s always kind towards me and consistently treats me respectfully.

However, since this revelation and acknowledgement I’m determined to be more patient, more loving, more kind and understanding towards my husband. I shared my thoughts and he told me, “You think this year was good?!, well wait until our next year!” He’s the best. I love him so much! I’m blessed to have him.

Here’s a few tips on How to Be a Better Spouse:

Be nice as often as you can

Think about what your partner needs, even when fighting.

Listen More - Talk Less.

Take care of your spouse's desires and fantasies.

Lesson 11: I’m HSP or a highly sensitive person.

Highly sensitive person (HSP or SPS) has been described as having hypersensitivity to external stimuli, a greater depth of cognitive processing, and high emotional reactivity. HSP is a personality trait and not a disorder and other researchers have associated it with increased responsiveness to both positive and negative influences. After 30 years of being told, “I’m too sensitive,” “I’m too emotional,” or “I’m moody” I finally have an explanation as to why I feel things (especially emotions) profoundly.

How has the knowledge I’m a Highly Sensitive Person changed me?

Realization: My intuition is valuable. I should trust myself more. Nowadays, when I feel my intuition telling me something, I listen, and I’m not ashamed of it anymore. I can’t always explain WHY I feel the way I do, but I trust that there might be something valuable in those feelings.

Realization: I’m gentler to myself. Deep down all those years–I knew I was emotional and everyone doesn’t understand, but I felt like I should punish myself when I screwed up or failed, because I have such high standards for myself. But now I know I can still have high standards and realize that tearing myself down doesn’t accomplish anything.

Realization: I don’t have to apologize for being highly sensitive. High sensitivity is not nearly as known as introversion, but along the same lines, instead of apologizing for how I am, I just am. I don’t always need to explain myself and instead of pushing people away who don’t understand. I want and need to be able to say, “hey, I’m just really sensitive.”

Signs Associated with HSP/SPS

Are you easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens nearby?

Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time?

Do you make a point of avoiding violent movies and TV shows?

Do you need to withdraw during busy days, into bed or a darkened room or some other place where you can have privacy and relief from the situation?

Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations?

Do you notice or enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, or works of art?

When you were a child, did your parents or teachers see you as sensitive or shy?

Do you have a rich and complex inner life? What a "rich inner life" means to me is a person who thinks about things deeply, analyzes thoughts, feelings and actions, uses empathy to understand others positions and feelings. People with a rich inner life are complex people with many interests and can often converse on many topics. They are people who think more than they talk. I also think that people with rich inner lives have fantastic imaginations and are very creative. Often their minds are always working, sometimes thoughts just go around in circles, sometimes it can be very frustrating, but mostly I think it's a wonderful attribute.

I’m looking forward to a happy and successful 2017. My heart and mind are open to knowledge, understanding and change. Happy 2017!

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