#Thread Reiko

[tragedicn]

            ❝  don't look at me like that  ,  ❞  she hides the snack in her hand  ,  ❝  i'm not sharing  !!  ❞  she declares  ,  oh . . . but she's so weak to pressure  .  ❝  urgh . . . fine . . . you can have one-third of it  ,  but that's it  !!  ❞  she says  ,  holding out the manjuu in her hands  .

@ofamess / twas a surprise!

[tragedicna]

@prerodinu  /  nimuth & reiko

            ❝  how do i look  ??  ❞  ⸻  a gentle twirl to show off her outfit  ,  eager to show off her dress . . . expectant eyes focusing on nimuth  ,  wanting to be praised for her clothes  .  the skirt ends up mid ―  thigh  ,  showing off a lot of her skin . . . leaving very little to people's imagination  .  ❝  you like it  ??  ❞  she asks  ,  leaning towards nimuth  ,  giving him a rather good look of her cleavage . . . was she trying to seduce him  ??  or perhaps just an innocent act  ??  ❝  i tried to match the color to your eyes  ,  ❞  she beams  .

[babybluemuses]

Hazuki Fujiwara tags

[tragedicna]

            taking his offered hand  ,  reiko moves to get up from her kneeling position  ,  only stumbling a bit as she regains feelings in her semi-numb limbs  .  watching him strip  ,  reiko is quick to mirror his actions . . . first  ,  her shirt  ,  then her pants . . . remaining in just her underwear  ,  she pauses for a second before moving to undo her bra and dropping it to the side  ,  her arm covering her breasts for a moment as her eyes flickers to look at nimuth  .  teasingly shimmying out of her underwear  ,  it falls to the floor before she steps out of them . . . leaving her completely naked before the other  .  a small chill overcoming her figure from the lack of covers  ,  she steps closer to be within his reach  .

Nimuth was often told that he was cold and unfeeling. He wasn't, he just gets distracted sometimes and his facial expressions never actually show what his mind is thinking. He was more versed in sex than some of his cabal but that didn't mean he understood some of what was going on. In all honesty, he only knows the mechanics, not the feeling. "Stand up come on Ees'i." He holds out his hand so that she can stand up, a smile spreading on his features a secret one for her. "Let's get you naked hmm. Then I'll feast on you." He allows his tongue to come out of his mouth, licking along his lips a little as if he can't wait to taste her. He removed his shirt, throwing it off to the side, he had never been more thankful to have the comfortable clothing as he did right now. It was easy to remove and easy to put on.

[o0azalie0o]

My Hero Academia Final War Arc: Character Status (MANGA SPOILER 420)

Disclaimer: These statuses are not 100% accurate since it is sometimes hard to make them out.

List gets updated every chapter.

Class 1-A

Yuuga Aoyama: severely injured, large head injury

Mina Ashido: injured, severely dehydrated,

Tsuyu Asui: injured

Tenya Iida: injured, mufflers destroyed

Ochaco Uraraka (unable to battle; close to death): severely injured, stabbed through the gut, severe blood loss,

Mashirao Ojiro: injured

Denki Kaminari: injured, exhausted from Electrification

Eijiro Kirishima: severely injured

Koji Koda: injured

Rikido Sato: injured

Mezo Shoji: injured

Kyoka Jiro: severely injured, left ear and earphone jack blown off,

Hanta Sero: injured

Fumikage Tokoyami (unable to battle): severely injured

Shoto Todoroki: severely injured, severely burned

Toru Hagakure: seemingly uninjured

Katsuki Bakugo (unable to battle; close to death): severely injured, fractured right arm, large facial injury, heart and lung injury, heart failure, severe blood loss

Izuku Midoriya: severely injured, severe stomach injury, large head injury, large facial injury, loss of both arms (rewinded), severe blood loss, lost One for All, lost all stockpiled Quirks,

Minoru Mineta: severely injured, large head injury

Momo Yaoyorozu: injured

Class 1-B

Yosetsu Awase: missing in action

Sen Kaibara: missing in action

Togaru Kamakiri: uninjured

Shihai Kuroiro: seemingly uninjured

Itsuka Kendo: seemingly uninjured

Yui Kodai (unable to battle): severely injured

Kinoko Komori: severely injured

Ibara Shiozaki: uninjured

Jurota Shishida: uninjured

Nirengeki Shoda: missing in action

Pony Tsunotori: uninjured

Kosei Tsuburaba: uninjured

Tetsutestu Tetsutetsu: seemingly uninjured

Setsuna Tokage: uninjured

Manga Fukadashi: injured, head injury

Juzo Honenuki: seemingly uninjured

Kojiro Bondo: missing in action

Neito Monoma (unable to battle): severely injured

Reiko Yanagi (unable to battle): severely injured

Hiryu Rin: uninjured

UA Big 3:

Mirio Togata: seemingly uninjured

Nejire Hadou (unable to battle): severely injured, stomach sliced

Tamaki Amajiki (unable to battle): severely injured

Other UA-Students

Mei Hatsume: minor injuries

Hitoshi Shinsou (unable to battle): severely injured

YuYu Haya: injured

Business Course Students: uninjured

KetsuButsu Students

Yo Shindo: minors injuries

Tatami Nakagame: uninjured

Shikkui Makabe: uninjured

Itejiro Toteki: missing in action

Shiketsu Students

Inasa Yoarashi (unable to battle): severely injured

Nagamasa Mora: seemingly uninjured

Seiji Shishikura: severely injured

Camie Utsushimi: severely injured

Heroes

All Might (unable to battle; close to death): severely injured, severe blood loss

Endeavor: severely injured, severely burned, lost right arm

Hawks (unable to battle): severely injured, sliced face and chest, lost Fierce Wings

Best Jeanist (unable to battle): severly injured

Edgeshot (unable to battle; close to death): severely injured, reduced to the size of a thread

Mirko (unable to battle): severly injured, lost right arm

Kamui Woods: severely injured

Wash: missing in action

Ryukyu: uninjured

Gang Orca: injured

Shishido: injured

Mt.Lady (unable to battle): severely injured, sliced stomach

Fat Gum (unable to battle): severely injured

Manual: injured

Mandalay: uninjured

Pixie Bob: injured

Tiger: severely injured

Cementoss: uninjured

Ectoplasm: uninjured

Eraser Head: seemingly uninjured

Ms. Joke: minor injuries

Present Mic: last seen uninjured

Rock Lock: uninjured

Power Loader: uninjured

Thirteen: uninjured

Vlad King: missing in action

Snipe: missing in action

Selkie: missing in action

Side Kicks

Burnin: severely burned

Kido (unable to battle): severely burned

Onima (unable to battle): severely burned

Sirius: injured

Former Villains

Gentle Criminal: seemingly uninjured

LaBrava: uninjured

Lady Nagant (unable to battle): Severly injured, severe blood loss

Villains:

All for One: original body died from rewind, vestige resurfaced in Tomuras body

Tomura Shigaraki (unable to battle, exact status unknown): soul disintegrated, lost Decay, body hijacked by All for One vestige

Kurogiri: unstable/glitching

Gigantomachia (unable to battle): severely injured, half of the body destroyed

Dabi (unable to battle; exact status unknown): severely burned, exposed Bones and tendons, lost right arm

Himiko Toga (unable to battle; exact status unknown): severe blood loss

Spinner (unable to battle): severely exhausted

Moonfish: arrested

Skeptic: arrested

Kunieda (unable to battle): severly injured, arrested

[layla99999999]

starting a big thread about natsume reiko

basically just the pages from manga, i wanna collect them in one place

in this post - no action, just the portraits of reiko

always at the beginning of a new volume

[tragedicn]

            ❝  come oooonnnnn  ,  ❞  an urging  (  yet teasing  )  drawl  ,  ❝  dooo itttt . . . you know you wanna  !!  ❞

@tragedicn liked for a one-liner!

her brow furrows, brown eyes pleading. " please don't make me do this. "

[tragedicn]

@sovrumana  /  winbre. sc.

            ❝  wouldn't go past there  ,  ❞  reiko calls  ,  watching the stranger toe the line between territories  ,  ❝  those kiddies don't take well to those of another territory . . .  ❞  she points to the graffiti tag on the distant wall  ,  ❝  ah . . . unless you're not a FURIN kid  ,  then . . .  ❞  she pauses  ,  ❝  ohmigosh  ,  am i in danger  ?!  ❞  she screeches  ,  overly dramatic  .  she knew that no one would be dumb enough to attack someone within the furin territory  ,  not unless they're seeking to start a WAR with the bofurin gang  .

[lustrous-dawn]

Morning has come and upon hearing Caelus’ beckoning request, Zhen trailed after the man, rubbing at his eyes. “It's the crack of dawn,” Zhen groaned. The sun scarcely had risen over the horizon. 

“All the better to explain while the world is in slumber,” Caelus said. “I have a location suitable for this.”

A glisten of ebony scales and the Rayquaza took flight in his true form as he stepped over the threshold. Following suit in a brilliant flame, the Ho-oh joined him in flight, the pair setting forth towards the sun.

It was only as they began to land that he noticed Caelus growing larger and… larger… 

Oh…

"Ahaha... were you always this big?" Zhen croaked out.

"Ah yes," Caelus replied, unbothered. "Adjusting my size is simple for me to accomplish. Imagined if I crashed as this. Nothing would be left standing!" He laughed.

Zhen gave a weak laugh. "Yeah... I'm sure this isn't the only thing you wanted to show me."

"As Ho-oh you were able to retain the previous memories of your former incarnations. Reiko, is your first incarnation. Yet I see none of her, save her flame. This does not bode well for your case. I see a frail body with a wild uncontrolled flame seeking an outlet."

The Ho-oh paled. "What does that mean?"

"Her flames will burn you from the inside out if you do not control it."

... "Is it fixable?"

"You must train yourself both body and mind to be able to truly control it. Reiko's flames are truly powerful. Even to this day, one flame still burns in the heart of Mt. Mortar. But I must show you who Reiko is. Maybe it will waken something in you."

A glow to the Rayquaza's eye as he raised a claw, weaving gestures in the air as a golden thread followed after the movement. Then a bright light, a mirror appearing before the Ho-oh.

"Look into this and you shall see. A time where we three once came together."

Artist -> here

[bozers]

Your Eye's on Me

Here is a little teaser of a Rainko one-off I am working on!

After the disastrously embarrassing scene so generously put on by Shao, the dinner quickly drew to a close. Those that remained had retired to the main ballroom to take coffee or perhaps a few more glasses of wine. 

Rain was indulging in the latter. He had endured much during the day's events, and he wanted to enjoy what remained of the evening before the tournament's conclusion. 

This event wasn’t all that different from the usual celebratory fare, but Rain had been drawn to a few of the new faces that graced the palace's chambers, as well as a few familiar ones.

He was quite glad that Shao had taken his leave, otherwise he would have continued to make a drunken fool out of himself. Although, he had been somewhat disappointed that his subordinate had left with him. Rain was planning on catching up with the second in command, as they had both been under Shao’s tutelage when they were boys. 

Rain had never got the chance to get to know the orphaned Outworlder, as Reiko didn’t speak much back then. His traumatic childhood had left deep scars that made socializing with him…difficult. And so, the years went by, and they both went their separate ways. 

Reiko had all but become inseparable from his duties, serving far away with Shao during his multiple campaigns across the land.

And Rain had thrown himself fully into honing his skills in magic, devoting himself to years of rigorous study to finally achieve the status of Arch Mage of Outworld.

However, he never forgot that quiet boy from his youth.

A flash of red caught his attention, and as he squinted through the crowd, he spotted the object of his thoughts. 

Reiko had returned, seemingly free of his General’s presence for the night.

The man had stationed himself against the wall surrounding the ballroom, silently watching the well dressed denizens of the court. 

Rain noticed his glass was still mostly full. He must be holding it for show. Not wanting to seem out of place, and yet he had sequestered himself to the outskirts.  

Curious. 

Rain made his rounds, catching up on the tepid after dinner small talk and fulfilling his social obligations to the who’s-who of the royal court. 

All the while sparing glances over to the lone soldier against the wall. His silver eyes seemed to glow ever so slightly in the low light as he gazed over the milling crowd, seemingly lost in thought.

After a few more glasses of the house red and exhausting the last shreds of interesting conversation, Rain felt his eyes drawn to check if a certain lieutenant was still there. 

He was.

Approaching, Rain casually threaded his fingers around the stem of his glass, cupping the bowl in his palm. 

As he breached the edge of the crowd into the empty area at the side of the ballroom floor, Reiko’s head snapped up to watch him draw closer. His eyes settled onto him, a curious expression on his face, but it quickly shifted to confusion as Rain seemed to ignore him. Instead of a greeting, the mage was looking above the soldier to squint at the ceiling. 

“What is it?” Reiko asked, slightly annoyed. 

“Oh I was merely observing the structural integrity of this wall.” Rain replied, nonchalant. 

“Why…?” Reiko’s voice was flat as he squinted back in confusion. 

“Well, you have been so dutifully holding it up for the past hour I had assumed it was on the verge of collapse.” Rain gestured toward the opulently carved stone wall, holding his glass aloft.

“Heh, you seem to have a fixation on odd details. I would have thought you were too busy chatting up all these overstuffed hens, given the fact you missed a much more interesting detail than this wall.” Reiko smirked.

“Oh? And what would that be?” 

“You didn't notice that I have been staring at you all night.” Reiko said, voice low.

“Have you?” Rain felt a slight shiver run through his spine the way Reiko’s eyes never left his. “Well, I may have spared you a few glances throughout the evening, but I never caught you so much as look my way.” He crooked up a skeptical eyebrow.

“That's because I didn't want you to know. I wouldn't be worth my salt if I was unable to covertly study a target.” Reiko crossed his arms, his untouched glass of wine still clutched in one hand. 

“Am I just a target to you then?” Rain turned on his heel, halfway threatening to walk away.

“Depends. Does that get your attention?” Reiko asked.

“Why couldn't you have been more obvious to begin with if you were vying for my attention this entire time?” Rain turned his back to him, scoffing over his shoulder. 

“I could be.” He pushed off the wall to step closer. Rain could feel the barest hint of the man’s breath on the back of his neck. He tried not to shiver. “More obvious, I mean.”

“Hm, I am not yet convinced. You may need to demonstrate.” 

“I am better at showing rather than telling anyway.” Reiko trailed his fingers down Rain’s side, the movement hidden by the lustrous velvet half cape, before gripping his hip tightly.

Rain sucked in a surprised breath, but kept his face from reflecting the surge of heat at his core. “Not here, what would the overstuffed hens think?” He purred under his breath, a slight smile pulling at his lips.

“Typical royal. Worried about your image despite your desires.” Reiko all but hissed in his ear, the rough quality of his voice stoking the growing flame within his chest. 

“And how do you know what my desires are?” He pulled away, this time forcing himself to take a step or two, teasing his escape. But what he really wanted was to be chased.

“I already told you: I know my targets. You are a still, clear pool of water and I’ve seen right through you.”

[tragedicn]

            looking up in surprise at the other with wide eyes when the arm suddenly lands upon her shoulders and a cheery voice greets her  ,  ❝  huh  ??  ❞  reiko blurts  ,  did she know this guy  ??  she's worked with so many men  ,  seen so many people . . . maybe she DID know him  .  ❝  uh . . .  ❞  she was about to reject the other's advances when she hears his words  .

            brows furrowing  ,  ❝  wh . . .  ❞  reiko begins but quick slams her mouth shut when she finally processes what he said  .  not a client she wants . . . what does that even mean  ??  sure  ,  if she loses this one  ,  she can just arrange for another to earn that loss  .  normally she'd be polite and ask her friend to arrange for another time to chat . . . but something about the other's demeanor seemed to tell her that he's serious  .  she'll just have to ASK what he means after the client leaves  .

            she can hear her client protest  ,  easily trying to wedge his way between her and the stranger  ,  ❝  ah . . . reiko-chan is soooo sorry  ,  ❞  reiko's painted lips tug into a sheepish smile  ,  trying to soothe the man in front of her  ,  hands reaching out to grab their arm and plastering herself to him  ,  ❝  reiko-chan haaaateesss to break promises . . .  ❞  she pouts  ,  batting her lashes at the other  ,  ❝  and reiko-chan promised her friend she'd hang out with them today  ,  ❞  she says  ,  looking upset  .  ❝  reiko-chan will refund your deposit  ,  okay  ??  and i'll let the agency know to give you a discount next time  ,  okay  ??  ❞  reiko asks  ,  ❝  pleaseeee   ??  ❞  she purses her lips as she looks at the man  .

            when the client finally concedes reluctantly  ,  shooting the stranger a glare before stomping off  ,  reiko sucks in a sharp inhale before she turns to look at the taller with sharp eyes  ,  ❝  define FREAK  ,  a lot of people that use this service are freaks . . .  ❞  reiko huffs  ,  she's met her fair share of weirdos and freaks . . . what's so different about this guy  ??  sure  ,  they give her the CREEPS  ,  but a lot of the people that use hired girlfriends tend to give that vibe  .  ❝  there goes my pay for the day  ,  ❞  reiko lets out a breath  ,  hands crossing over her chest  .

            ❝  so  ??  do i actually know you or  ??  ❞  reiko tilts her head  .

❝ Wow! It's a really been a while, hasn't it? ❞ Hotaru affectionately settled his arm around the woman's shoulder, leaning over her with the familiarity of a longtime friend.

His voice was low, careful in the way that he spoke, hardly above a whisper and purposefully near her ear.

❝ ... play along, alright? This isn't a client you want. ❞

There was only a millisecond of deathly seriousness, Hotaru's face an open heart brimming with counterfeit affability.

It really wasn't his hobby to play hero ( or at least, he would tell himself this much to soothe himself, to retain the carefully constructed distance he carried between himself and the rest of humanity—this, too, could be considered a form of cowardice to obfuscate kindness), but he could not deny to himself that the situation was unpleasant.

More to say, that he recognized the young woman's would-be client as a notorious stalker—the sort an acquaintance of his had fretfully lamented nights before, her perfectly manicured nails clutching his hands while she quietly wept. As if he'd so willingly let someone like that get a second target.

Hotaru did not remove himself until the other man did first. Only then did he lift his arm, sliding his hand back into his pocket.

❝ Sorry, but I've heard of that guy. He's the kind of freak that'll be on the news in a few weeks. ❞

starter call. ; @tragedicn

[lieutenant-reiko]

Mr Reiko you are hjurtijg my feelings

(thank you for your reblog on the thread admin i have not laughed this hard in forever)

Good. Be glad I am only hurting your feelings and nothing else.

//hahah glad I could be of service, even if I did mess up a bit but we ignore that

[forunholy]

"i don't think i'll need any luck," hanbin says, a smirk playing at his features. he has a lifetime's worth of being angry, years of frustrations and hurt that trail behind him like an inescapable shadow. with reiko, he can set that aside, letting it fall back into his deep subconscious to be hyperfixated on at another time. he doesn't even have to feign the coldness so deeply embedded in him, icy shell seemingly cracking with each moment of banter between the two. "good, i don't want anyone else seeing you the way i do. doesn't that make me special?" despite the question, though hanbin is prideful enough to have already decided the answer in his head. "i like your bite better anyway."

the gaze in his eyes grows darker with every word reiko says, the obligation of remaining at an event meant to make subjects out of them hardly on his mind like it had once been. the masks that were meant to conceal identities had lost their appeal too, but hanbin had no problem using the mere concept of anonymity to take certain luxuries with reiko. the hold on her waist, the way his eyes flickered at the close proximity, the immediate response to lean right back in with tempting words of his own. "i think you've been having too much fun," he whispers, lips brushing against the edge of her ear just before he tilts his head down, nothing more than a gentle touch forward to close the distance if wanted. "it's my turn." the quiet, yet direct words were all but spoken moments before he guides them both outside of the main ballroom, hands settled tight on her waist as he presses her body between him and a wall. they're far enough away from the entrance but close enough to still hear the faint music and sound of far too many people, hanbin's body angled just right to block to and from her, at least for the time being.

"you like teasing me far too much." while one hand is frozen against her hips, the other is free and untamed, finger gliding across their jaw and taking his time in appreciating the beauty that was in front of him. there's a rasp to hanbin's voice, slightly deeper and more rugged as gentle as his touch may seem. "is it because you know it'll set me off?" he finds a new feature to focus on, cupping reiko's cheek and returning to a familiar position for the two. dangerously close, only this time, with no wandering faces to interrupt. "you should see yourself from my eyes, i think you'd know why i picked cute," he lets out, eyes flickering once more before breaking the space between them and kissing her.

a sensible person might have remembered how he he had shown up bruised and battered and reconsidered when he had returned for more than just a thank you. but reiko had ignored the warning signs that had probably been there, curiosity and interest lingering until a bit of flirtation led to something more. maybe death had made her a little bolder and a little more fearless than she used to be. but it was funny how such things could put one's life into perspective. besides how could reiko turn down someone whom she had seen covered in blood when reiko had found herself in such a state before quite a few times in the last three years. it would be a bit hypocritical of her to have said no because of such a fact, not that they would have had such intention anyways. reiko tilts her head in amusement, " all night and maybe more if you're lucky. " and she had a distinct feeling it would continue to push towards both their favors.

it's amazing how easy it is to push everything back. the moment between them begins to overshadow her worries and the issues of tonight. reiko can be selfish right now all that she wants and nothing is going to stop her. the scoff that leaves her lips is entirely fake and overdramatic in her playfulness, " i think you're the only person who has ever likened me to a golden retriever. " but she chuckles because she's not truly upset, " i wouldn't let just anyone get away with that you know. you are aware though, my bite is certainly worse than my bark. " an innuendo in more ways than one though he would only understand it in this context.

the button gives away easily allowing her fingers to dip further down his chest. the tugs on her cropped blazer sparking a warmth inside her. hanbin's words pull a pout from her once more, " what a shame. " her words are softer as she leans into him, as if whispering some secret into his ear. " i was so having fun with your shirt buttons. if only there was somewhere we could go away from all this. somewhere... where only you and i would be privy to anything more. " and a place they wished nothing more than to get away from, like the gala they were forced to be a part of tonight.

[treecakes]

so. current major plot threads:

who is grandpa?

who painted that portrait of reiko?

what is up with that mask?

exorcist politics (a la estranged matoba siblings)?

will natsume fully confide in his friends and family?

not even mentioning all of the other questions that haven’t been brought up in ages but i feel like they can be sorted SOMEWHERE under the questions above. like. Hopefully. tanuma’s fish pond dilemma is resolved in conjunction with the last one.

[garden-babe88]

Son of War, Daughter of Death chapter 3

Here is chapter 3, sorry for the delay I am in the middle of training for my new job and also in the middle of writing essays. Please give me feedback, I am trying to flesh this out without getting too bored, so these are kind of short.

Another night, another long parade of work, assignments for classes, and stress dog-piling her into submission. It had been about a few weeks since she had that weird dream, and she had yet to shake it off. Those eyes haunted and excited her in ways she thought she wasn’t going to feel again since her cringey teen and early twenties. She nursed her primal need for sleep with another can of Monster as she typed away at her laptop. Her paper wasn’t going to type itself as she shook off the drowsy feeling that seemed to control her every so often. She already got the beer and her dad’s favorite cigarillos as an offering it to his urn, taking a puff off it to get it started.

Her mother would throttle her if she found out she still did this, being the old crotchety drunk, he was always doing nothing more than yelling at the things he hated from his ugly and unwashed recliner covered with a blanket her mother still can’t seem to dispose of. It still reeked of smoke and had old tar and cannabis resin stains stuck to the fabric. As angry as he was his whole life, her mother still couldn’t part with it. They were married for almost fifty years when he passed in his chair in the cold night waiting for the right time to change out the propane tank for their heater. Despite his constant sour look of displeasure of even being alive and only lighting up seeing farm animals or videos of babies, he loved his family in his own way even if it was full of narcissism.

She was wrapping up when she took a small break to look away into the dark of the room to rest her eyes. She felt light with the caffeine high she was riding on. She moved her laptop to the side to take a break she felt on that bare thread between sleep and awake as she drifted off to the sound of psy-dub mix playing on her laptop’s speakers. She saw an exotic looking room and servants seemed to ignore her presence walking through and around her. That man was being fussed over with an irritated look on his face as if he sort of hated this level of doting and the many ladies who swooned over him he felt bored of. Heather hid behind a pillar when she overheard two gossiping servants staying behind.

“I heard he has lost all desire or need for the royal consorts when he was wounded by that would-be assassin.” The first one gossiped smiling in a way their face looked pinched and rat like.

“I heard that too! I also heard it was an Earthrelmer saved him, but it wasn’t one of the defenders! It was just a normal woman; can you imagine some petty lowborn harlot of a woman catching the eye of a man like him?” Another said, having a disgusted look on her face.

“Part of me can, he was an orphan of lowly villagers after all. He is lucky he was adopted by the general, most likely out of pity.” The first one said grinning at the idea of shocking the other servant.

“And you two know better than to gossip in the royal house about the vary master of these quarters while he is not far from you.” The two turned quickly seeing a beautiful set of women, one clad in a rose-pink color and a scar on her face, the other in blue both seemingly striking fear in them making them apologize and flee from their sight and their view. Heather blushed seeing the two women having one of her girl crushes on the two as they confidently approached the nearly fully healed lieutenant who was just handed a scrolled map.

“Reiko, we are glad you came back to us.” The one in pink said when the man slowly rose and bowed a bit to the best of his ability.

“Empress Melina, Princess Kitana. I am glad to return to the royal palace alive. I am sorry for not returning you would-be killers back personally.” He spoke.

“Please Reiko, sit. You are still recovering a bit from your infection.” She responded as she sat along with her sister in front of him and a servant helped him back down. The servants offered a drink proving it was not altered in any way before they took a tentative drink.

“Are the rumors true an Earthrelm woman saved you?” Kitana spared no moment.

“She cleaned the poison out, but the infection still settled in. She cannot be any average woman if she was in the Living Forest without being harmed.” He said, his ragged voice clearly trying to sort out his memories. He conveniently avoided to mention he was in her room once and stole her book.

“We need to consult with the titans where she came from and how she got there. What if she is one of Shang Tsung’s conspirators?” The Empress said sharply. Since their battle with titian Havik, the sisters became fiercely protective of their inner circle and suspicious of everyone who was seemingly an outsider.

“Apparently, she is not or else our lieutenant would be a corpse sister. But I agree she must be researched carefully, if she is not his pawn already, she may soon be if we do not hold her under our wing and the safety of the palace.” Kitana spoke calming her sister.

Heather hid behind the pillar afraid to move, but it was a dream, she can’t be seen, can she? She walked behind pillars trying to get closer to get a closer look. As she walked around the perimeter of the room, she passed by some plants that started to slowly but noticeably die and decay, replacing them with strange, mutated versions of the plants. She noticed that the sisters noticed the changes like she had and as they stood suddenly to investigate, she ran with a bolt of energy though her now clearly seen by all three, his eyes wide as if he saw a rare and majestic beast before him. Heather was barefoot in her dream, she felt the cold stone floors under her feet, they called for guards to come inside the room, the two women attempted to corner her.

“Who are you?! Are you a spy for the sorcerer?!” The empress got closer to her, mouth started to crack, and her eyes started to slit like a cat and her voice became hoarse.

“Sister, calm yourself you're starting to turn again.” Kitana said sternly.

“Woman don’t run, when the empress is like this she could harm you.” Reiko said trying to back Kitana up preparing for any situation.

“ I need to wake up, damn it wake up…” Heather muttered before she realized if she was dreaming, should try to wake herself up.

“You are infact awake, you’re not dreaming I promise. Kitanta said. The woman in front of her becoming fearful, clearly not a pawn of the sorcerer who maimed her sister.

Heather could only hear words but not understand them she was afraid before swinging her wrist as hard as she could into one of the support pillars, the pain searing through her arm as she woke up at her desk, her laptop in sleep mode and she was apparently asleep for a few hours, but the pain in her arm becoming unbearable. In her haze she remembered her wrist has been hurting a lot lately and any bump was searing to her. It felt clearly broken now and she would have to see a doctor quickly as she tiredly grabbed her keys, trying to control her breathing through the washes of pain.

She drove to the ER and tried her best to write the forms out with her left hand and thankfully it was a slow night, so she was put in a room for a cast. The doctor laid her arm in the right position and took a few x-rays, luckily, she avoided needing surgery but was given a lecture about the beginning signs of carpel tunnel and her thinning bones. He got her a cast put on and set up a follow-up with urgent care to remove it in a few weeks. Heather returned home with the same feeling of her privacy being invaded but this time it wasn’t like wind blowing, it was heavy like a blanket. She turned the living room light on when she saw the three and two tall men, with glowing eyes in her living room.

“Don’t be afraid young one, we have much to discuss.” Said one of the men with glowing eyes and his hair half done, through them he had a look of sadness on his face.

[mtdthoughts]

Migi & Dali Final Episode Reaction Pt. 5 (final)

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As always, spoiler warning.

It was nice to see that Eiji, like Dali, was able to move on from his guilt and despair, and accept a normal, happy life after returning from prison, and I'm sure the twins (particularly Dali) were happy to hear this.

It was sad to see that Eiji still clearly missed Reiko, whom he thought of as his real mother. Even if she was a horrible person, I still feel bad for her, since she could have found happiness too. I wonder what it'd be like if she was able to enjoy cherry pie with everyone.

But what's done is done, and it was good to see that Eiji was willing to find atonement through living. I just want to know what it is that Eiji plans to do in the future. Does he still want to become a doctor? Would he attend the same school as Dali? Who knows...

And now, the final scene, and the twins who were always together now separate as they choose different ways of life. Dali goes to a faraway school while MIgi stays behind to be an artist. As hinted by Maruta's snide remark, I'm wondering if Migi has backup plans, and I suspect that he's staying behind because he doesn't want to leave his family, friends, and home. There's one final instance of bird symbolism, where they fly in different directions as the twins say that their hearts will always be connected no matter how far they are.

This was definitely a callback to the aquarium date in Episode 4, as Dali moved to a faraway town for real, and it's cool that this event was foreshadowed so early in the story. It's also interesting that it was Dali who ended up moving away, leaving behind the first family and friends that he made in Origon Village, considering that he seemed to have abandonment issues and was afraid of being left behind.

But that's the thing. Dali developed these issues because of his mother's death and the revenge quest, and because Dali was the smarter and "stronger" twin, he bore most of the emotional burden alone. As a result, he forced himself to bottle his negative emotions, which resulted in the darkening of his heart and the deterioration of his mental state. But thanks to Migi, Dali was able to overcome himself, accept his own happiness, and wipe away whatever was haunting his heart. The weak Dali burdened by revenge, loneliness, and guilt was now dead, and the strong Dali that Migi looked up to all his life was back, as Dali is now ready to move on and face an unknown world on his own.

Migi knows that he's not like Dali, and was probably not ready to leave the Sonoyamas, his friends, and his home. He probably didn't want Dali to leave, but at the same time he didn't want to interfere with Dali's life, and I'm sure the feeling was mutual. But this was okay, because now they no longer needed to be physically together to remain truly together.

Looking back, I think I wrote a lot more than I expected. I guess it's not surprising since this episode was one of the hardest to unpack. But it was fun for me to explore this episode and write out all my thoughts, and I hope whoever read all this had fun too. I am grateful to Nami Sano for creating such a wonderful work, and I imagine she would be very happy to know that I and many others have enjoyed her work through this anime.