#Very dangerous fight between two python snakes

[ariana-winchester95]

Welcome to the Jungle

Pairing: Carpet Python Shifter Min Yoongi x Reader

Warnings: 18+, oral (m receiving), fingering, unprotected sex (stay safe out there), snake tail sex, biting, sub!yoongi, aftercare, soft boyfriend Yoongi, Yoongi has a split tongue and two cocks.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this, I wrote this because my best friend was complaining about the lack of Snake Hybrids AUs for Yoongi, so I took one for the team. Feedback is very welcome.

It had been a few weeks since I received a call to retrieve a Carpet Python from a backyard across town. Usually, I take reptiles back to the enclosures at the local zoo, but there was something different about this one. He was smaller than a regular-sized adult python. I expected a fight getting near the snake, but it never came, almost like he was too scared to fight. I have observed him over the past few weeks, doing nothing else but eating and sleeping.

One morning, I checked on the snake, but the tank was empty, the lid a-jar. I searched the room but found no trace of the snake. Huffing, I went off looking for the snake; I stopped dead in my tracks once I reached the lounge room, my eyes catching a glimpse of a figure moving in the kitchen.

"Looking for me?" The figure said, back still turned towards me.

Stepping in the kitchen, I let out a small gasp at the sight of him. He wore black sweatpants paired with an oversized t-shirt, but that is not what caught my attention. The visible tail, the same patterning of the snake from the backyard. The intricately patterned scales on the back of his and flowing down his arms.

"Who are you?" I asked, coming to a stop as I heard the man sigh heavily before speaking.

"I guess I have some explaining to do." He spoke, his hands sliding along the sink's edge before taking a deep breath and turning around, facing me, squinting slightly. I raised an eyebrow once I caught his gaze, "My name is Yoongi, and I'm the snake you saved from that backyard."

"How?" I questioned, stepping closer, and as I did, the sunlight hit his eyes, making them appear yellowish-green.

"I was an experiment, deemed a failure. I was created in a facility experimenting on humans to develop mixed DNA species, but something went wrong during their experimentation on me." He explained, his voice sounding distant as he reflected on the memory.

"What happened?" I asked softly.

"The DNA mixed perfectly with mine, but they discovered that I could shift into a snake. They told me that they didn't want a venomous snake in their facility in fear that I would kill anyone that got near me. They said I was too dangerous." Yoongi turned his head, eyes trained on the backyard through the window as he explained further.

"I'm sorry, but they got it wrong. You're a carpet python, correct?" I asked, pausing a moment to let Yoongi nod. "They're non-venomous to humans. So you're not dangerous at all." I continued, leaning against the counter.

"What?" He gasped, his narrow eyes widening, "So if I were to touch you, you would be okay?" Yoongi question softly, stepping closer, so close that I can easily see the colours in his eyes.

"They truly do not know anything of your species," I said, more to myself. "Snakes are only venomous by biting, not touching. So considering you are non-venomous, you'd only have to be careful of your bite. You are harmless to humans."

"How do you know all of this?" Yoongi asked, his lisp showing even more now that he's starting to comfortable.

"I am a herpetologist, an expert in reptiles. That is the reason why I came to retrieve you in the backyard, in your snake form."

"So, if what you are saying is true," Yoongi spoke to himself rather than me. "I can do this."

Before I could ask what he meant, his fingers were lightly touching the top of my hand. Shivers ran through my body, the nerves in my body igniting. My eyes travelled up his arm to his face, watching the expressions cross his features as he applies more pressure to my hand. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion before raising in wonder as he realised that I was telling the truth.

"You were right; I believe you now." He spoke softly, still looking at the spot where his fingers trace across my skin, then he looked up, catching my gaze. "I trust you."

The longer his gaze bore into mine, the more body seemed to tingle, and I can tell he feels it as well. His hand then moved to grasp mine, my hand fitting perfectly in his as if it were his to hold. He uttered a word under his breath; before I had the chance to clarify what he said, he pulled me to him. A breath left my mouth as I collided with his broad chest; I stood frozen, his hand the only thing keeping me upright. I held my breath as I felt his fingers now tracing my cheek lightly, his eyes following their movements in amazement.

"How I've craved to touch someone without fear of killing of them, and here I am, touching you, and you're still standing. I realise now how deprived I've been." He monologued, his thumb tracing over my bottom lip. His body vibrated against mine, something that male snakes do before mating a female to excite her, and it's working. The notion sent a spark flowing through my body, heading south to my core.

Yoongi stared at me a moment longer before he leaned down and captured my lips with his. I closed my eyes after a few seconds of shock, and then, his lips disappeared. He placed his forehead against mine, his hands on my waist, holding me close. Looking up, I found his snake eyes staring at me as I smiled softly.

Yoongi breathed in deeply as his nose reached my hair, nuzzling right in. His nose traced over the skin of my cheek, his breath fanning over my jaw. Then, he lightly moved a hand up from my waist to bury it within my hair.

"You smell of vanilla and citrus—my favourites." He murmured, closing his eyes and breathing in my scent. "No wonder I feel safe here. It all smells like you. My mate."

I barely had any time to process his words before his lips were on mine again, my heart pounding against my rib cage. This kiss was firmer than before, more heated like something snapped in him as he moaned into my mouth. My hands moved on their own accord, trailing up his broad chest to the back of his neck, feeling when I felt scales gracing his skin. Yoongi let out a little moan as I tugged on his hair, causing his hips to roll into mine.

"I need you," Yoongi whispered against my lips. "I can smell you." The hand on my waist tightened upon smelling my arousal.

I pulled away from him with a smirk on my face, contrasting his confusion. I trailed my hand down the length of his arm to grasp his hand. Then, walking backwards, I tugged him to follow me as I lead him to the bedroom.

Entering the bedroom, I took the opportunity to shove the curious snake against the wall. He let out a breath as his back hit the wall, his eyes moving to look directly at me. I rolled my hips into his, just like he did before, and he let out the prettiest of moans.

"You sound so pretty for species so feared." I purred, running my hands up and down his chest as he breathed deeply. "I wonder, what other sounds you can make from the pretty mouth of yours." Yoongi visibly swallowed hard before running his split tongue over his bottom lip as he let his mind wander.

I leaned back and trailed my hands downwards, pushing my hands underneath his t-shirt, his body shuddering when my fingertips came into contact with his skin. I moved fingers ever so lightly over his stomach up to his firm chest and over his nipples. Yoongi hissed when my fingers brushed over the tiny buds; I smirked in satisfaction.

"So sensitive and responsive," I noted as I continued flicking the sensitive buds. Yoongi's head thudded against the wall, his body squirming and little whimpers gracing my ears.

"It hurts." Yoongi hissed out, rolling his hips into mine. I looked down as I felt his big problem press into my thigh.

"Do you need some help, baby?" I teased, running my hands down to the waistband of his sweats, watching as he nodded and squeezing his eyes shut.

I pulled the elastic band slightly and let it snap back against his skin, giggling as his body jumped at the motion, his hands clenching at his sides. Then, slowly, I let my hand slide past the waistband and into his boxers. Yoongi hissed harshly as I lightly touched his cock, rolling his hips into my fingers, chasing the friction he desperately needed.

"Please," Yoongi begged, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth as my hand wrapped around him. I gasped when my fingertips touched something underneath his cock.

"I should have known," I started, reaching my hand further before coming into contact with a second cock, "snakes have two cocks. So here you are with two." I smirked.

Yoongi let out a groan of frustration as I pulled my hand out of his sweatpants. Hooking my fingers in the waistband, I pulled down his sweatpants to his ankles as I kneeled before him. Scales lined the pale skin of his thighs and calves. He let out a moan as his cocks were released into the warm air. I couldn't take my eyes away from the two angry, red cocks in front of me.

I threw Yoongi's sweatpants to the side once he stepped out of them and ran my hands up the length of his legs, brushing over his scales before bracing myself on his thighs, feeling the muscles flex under my touch as I looked up at Yoongi through my lashes. His snake-like eyes looked back at me, running his split tongue over his lips again as I moved my hands closer towards his cocks. Yoongi hissed once I wrapped both hands around a cock each, his tailing winding around one of my wrists as I slowly pumped both at the same pace.

"So pretty," I admired, rubbing my thumbs over the tips, spreading the pre-cum around the heads of his cocks. "I wonder what you taste like."

I barely gave Yoongi time to comprehend my words before leaning forward and pressing my lips to one of his cocks while stroking the other. Relishing in the way that Yoongi groaned and threw his head back with a thud against the wall. Next, I ran my tongue over the underside of his cock, spurred on by hearing Yoongi moan and gasp at the stimulation on both cocks.

"You taste delicious." I praised, realising his cock with a pop and licking my lips.

"God," Yoongi breathed as I drew his cock back into my mouth, lightly sucking. His hands moved to grasp my hair, keeping me in place as he thrusted his hips into my mouth and hand.

I took as much of him as I could before I started to gag. Then, drawing back, I swirled my tongue around the head before repeating the same action and taking him deep into my throat as I moved my hand to massage his balls. Yoongi's legs nearly gave out from the amount of stimulation he was receiving; my hand and mouth still working his cocks, and now my other hand caressing his balls.

"Stop, baby," Yoongi strained, pulling me off of him and uncoiling his tail from my wrist. Finally, I released him with a pop. I then looked up at him with a slight tilt to my head. "I'm going to cum if you keep that up, but I wanna cum in you."

Yoongi moved his hands moved from my hair to my hands. Grasping them, he gently pulled me up to a stood position. He then raised a hand to my face, cupping it as he used his thumb to wipe a bit of drool away, smiling softly.

"Will you let me cum inside you, jagi?" Yoongi asked softly, caressing my cheek with his thumb, smearing my drool over the skin, as I looked up at him in a love-drunk state, nodding slowly.

I let Yoongi lead me over to my bed, stopping to stand next to it. His hands travelled to the hem of my shirt, silently asking to take it off. I placed my hands next to his, grasping the hem before taking it off and flicking it somewhere on the floor. Yoongi seemed to freeze for a moment, his eyes taking in my almost naked appearance. Then, he gently placed his hands on my waist, his barely-there touch causing goosebumps to apparently.

Yoongi slowly traced his fingers over the soft skin of my stomach before lightly running over my lace bra. I shivered as his fingers made contact with the skin of my breasts, as he cupped them over the bra. I made a move to undo my pants, bending down slightly to push down over the curve of my ass and letting them pool at my feet vectored they come to the same fate as my shirt.

"Wow," Yoongi whispered, taking me all in as I stood there in front of him in nothing but my lingerie. "You're more beautiful than I imagined."

A shy smile made its way onto my lips as I looked down in embarrassment, softly chuckling, a soft blush creeping its way onto my cheeks. Then, I felt Yoongi place a finger under my chin, coaxing me to look back up at him. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes caught his gaze, the look of pure love evident within the chocolate orbs.

"You needn't hide from me," he spoke with such sincerity, his thumb running over my bottom lip, "you're stunning."

Yoongi swiftly took off his shirt, discarding it somewhere in the room before settling himself on top of my bed, patting the space next to him. Crawling my way to join him, he pulled me onto his lap once I was within reach. I let out a gasp as his cock pressed into my clothed core, his tail coiling around my thigh. His hands settled on my ass, his fingers squeezing the flesh as he moved my hips forward, making me grind against him. My head fell into his shoulder as I let out an involuntary moan, my hands holding onto his biceps.

"Please," I didn't know what I was asking for, but I knew I need more.

My hips moved on their own accord, chasing the friction I desperately craved. Yoongi's hands travelled up along my spine, stopping at the clasp of my bra. He lightly ran his fingers along the bottom of it before coming back to the middle and undoing the clasp. Then, bringing his hands to my shoulders, he gently pushed me off his shoulders so he could witness my breasts become bare before his eyes.

Yoongi took his time taking the bra off, lightly pulling the straps down my shoulders and then dropping it on the floor next to the bed, his eyes never leaving my breasts as he did so. Cupping his large hands around my breasts, he pushed them together and then let them fall back into place. The motion caused my mouth to fall open, closing my eyes. Yoongi lightly moved his fingers over the mounds, but never touching my nipples, already erect and hard for him.

"Yoongi," I moaned, rolling my hips against his cocks, burying my hands in his hair.

Yoongi leaned forward, connecting our lips in a soft kiss, and at the same time, kneading my breasts, causing me to moan into his mouth. Yoongi trailed his kisses over my cheek and down along my neck, sucking purple blemishes in his wake. I leaned back slightly once Yoongi reached the tops of my breasts, his snake eyes flicking up to mine. My breath caught in my throat, his split tongue moved out past his lips, reaching out and flicking my nipple, his tongue on either side of the erect bud.

"Oh god," I moaned out at the unusual sensation, throwing my head back and pulling his face closer to my breast.

Yoongi took the hint, wrapping his around my nipple, gently sucking as he kneaded the other. His free hand roaming my curves, his hand danced over my stomach on thighs before settling on my ass. My back arched into him as Yoongi flicked his snake tongue against my nipple rapidly, breathy moans left my mouth and filled the air. His hand moved from my ass to lightly trace over my clothed centre.

"I can feel how wet you are, jagi?" Yoongi spoke into the room, moving my panties to the side.

Yoongi ran a finger through my wet folds, collecting my arousal on his fingertip. My eyes followed as he bought his finger to his mouth, openly using his tongue to taste it. The sight sent a shiver down my spine, adding the fire already burning in the pit of my stomach.

"You taste sweet, my dear," he praised, his eyes glinting as he smiled softly.

Yoongi's finger returned to my core, this time running two fingers through my folds. I squeaked when his fingers flicked over my clit, my hands grabbing onto his shoulders as my head fell forward. He rubbed firm circles over my clit and pinched my nipple between his fingers simultaneously, drawing little moans from me, rutting my hips into his hand. His fingers moved towards my entrance, pushing the tip of his in and then bringing it back out. I groaned in frustration as he repeated the action a few more times before finally sinking his index finger inside me.

"You're so tight," Yoongi mused as I became a blubbering mess on top of him, "I'm going to have you stretch you out real good if you're going to take me."

"Yoongi, please," I breathed desperately, looking into his eyes.

Yoongi's hand rose from my breast to my neck as the other kept pumping in and out. He wrapped his hand around my throat, gently squeezing as he added another finger inside me. Curling them towards him, quickly finding my g-spot, he continued to hit it with every thrust of his fingers.

"Yoongi," I whispered, feeling my high about to hit. Instead, Yoongi pulled his fingers out of me, halting my orgasm. I groaned in response.

"Not just yet," Yoongi stated, bring his hand up to my cheek, gently brushing his thumb over my skin. "I have something in mind. Do you trust me?"

Wordlessly, I nodded my head with a small, blissed-out smile. Yoongi, then, shuffled us down further so that he could lay his head against the pillows. He wrapped his arms around my waist, cuddling me to him. His cocks now rubbing between our stomachs.

Yoongi uncoiled his tail from my thigh, his hands holding onto my hips. He softly ran the tip over my skin, causing me to shiver against him, my own hands finding their place on his shoulders. His breath hitched as my movement gave gentle friction against his cocks. Yoongi moved his tail over the curve of my ass. I gasped as I felt the appendage brush against my entrance.

"Easy," he reassured, moving the tip of his tail through my folds, coating the appendage in my wetness.

The tip of his tail returned to my entrance, circling before gently pushing inside as his hands ran up and down my spine. I gasped at the strange feeling, but it felt so good at the same time. He pulled his tail out before pushing it back in, a little deeper this time, causing me to squirm. He whispered sweet nothings as his tail was pushed in deeper, stretching me out, his hand moving up my spine to hold onto the back of my neck.

Yoongi curled the tip, making it hit my g-spot, causing me to let out a moan as my hips started to grind against him. He kept thrusting his extra appendage against that spot, my juices flowing out and onto him. His tail was now stretching me further, my slick aiding to the penetration. He trailed his hand to my chin, pulling my face in front of him and drawing me closer to connect our lips in a feverish kiss.

"I need your cock in me," I whispered against his lips, thrusting my hips to meet the thrusts of his tail.

"Is my tail not enough for you, jagi?" Yoongi teased, holding the side of my face in his large hand and pushing his tail deeper inside me, drawing a strangled moan from the back of my throat. "or are you just that much of a cockslut?"

"Yes," I let out a pathetic moan at the degradation, burying my face in his neck, clenching around his tail.

Yoongi moaned at the sensation, pressing his head further into the pillow, his grip tightening on my hip. He halted my movements, removing his tail from me. I whined at the loss of having him inside me. His hands moved to my shoulders, pushing me up, so I was straddling his hips.

"I want you to ride me," he expressed, running his hands over my thighs.

Showing Yoogni a smirk, I wrapped my hands around his cocks, pumping them slowly. Running both thumbs over the tip of his cocks, smearing the pre-cum leaking from them. I let go of one and brought my hand to his heavy balls, massaging them as Yoongi's hips rose and his body writhed beneath me.

"Please," Yoongi's voice came, his head tossed to the side, hair spread out across the pillow, hands now gripping at the sheets.

I tightened my hold at the base of his cock, causing Yoongi to let out a choked sob. In a matter of minutes, his aura changed. Gone was the confident man speaking what he wanted, now replaced with a needy and desperate sub. I smiled to myself at the realisation.

Rising to my knees, I positioned myself over his cock, teasing myself a little, rubbing the head of his cock through my wet folds, spreading our slick around my entrance. Yoongi opened his mouth to speak but let out a groan instead as I started to sink on his length. My walls clenching around him, drawing him in even more until he was completely buried inside me.

I let myself adjust to his size, and Yoongi tries to catch his breath, his chest dramatically rising and falling with his every breath. We both let out moans of relief as I started to roll my hips against his, bracing my hands on his chest.

"Amazing," Yoongi strained, holding my hips in his big hands, " you are still so tight."

Yoongi's hands guided my hips to rise, his cock barely inside my pussy before I took the liberty to slammed myself back down. The movement caused Yoongi to shout, his fingers digging into my flesh, most likely to cause bruising, but I didn't care.

I lightly ran my hands over his stomach as I returned to a grinding movement, watching the goosebumps rise in my wake. Yoongi's body writhed, letting out whines as I lightly traced a finger over the patterns and ridges of his neglected cock. He hissed as I wrapped my hand around him, pumping him in the rhythm as I bounced on his other cock.

"I'm gonna-" he started, the stimulation now becoming too much for him.

"No, you're not," I spoke sternly, relishing as he cried in frustration as I came to a halt, only clenching my walls around him. "Not yet anyway."

I resumed pumping his cock, this time with both hands, massaging him. His hands gripping the sheets, his back arching off the mattress. I raised my hips, clenching as I did so, before slowly lowering myself back down, repeating a few more times as Yoogni started to let out high pitched mewls.

"You sound so pretty, baby," I praised, pumping his cock with one hand and circling a finger around the tip of his cock with the other, "are you going to cum?"

"Yes," Yoongi vigorously nodded. Pained groans filled the room with each breath he let out. He pushed his feet into the mattress, thrusting up to meet me halfway.

I could feel my high approaching quickly. I braced a hand on Yoongi's chest, keeping a steady pace on his cock with my other hand. The top half of my body started to slump forward, my energy beginning to wear out. Yoongi noticed, moving his hands to my back. He let me fall against him before his hands travelled to my hips, halting my movements. He then used what was left of his energy to pound into me rapidly.

"Yoongi," I moaned, my breath fanning over his ear.

Our moans mingled together, our skin slapping filling the room as our high's quickly came. I moaned Yoongi's name as I clenched and released around him. Feeling me come around him, Yoongi thrusted faster like a mad man. His cocks twitched before he stilled and came with a groan, my name the only word he said before sinking his fangs into the soft skin of my neck. He came inside me, painting my walls white, filling me to the brim. We became still, his cock softening buried in my pussy.

"Are you okay?" Yoongi whispered in my ear, softly stroking my hair as I still tried to slow my breathing. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"I'm fine," I breathed, burying my face in his neck, "I'm perfect."

I pressed a soft kiss to his neck, weakly chuckling as I felt his cocks twitch. Yoongi swatted my ass in a warning.

"Don't," he spoke, using his hands to lift me off him gently, "let me calm down first."

I trembled with the promise of him taking me for a second time today. I rolled to the side, too exhausted to move. I heard Yoongi rise from the bed, walking off somewhere. He returned with a wet cloth in hand, using it to clean me up, stopping when he reached my pussy. I gasped as I felt him press two fingers to me, collecting our mixed juices spilling out of me and pushing the liquid back inside me before wiping over my pussy.

Yoongi discarded the cloth in the bin, then maneuvering me under the sheets before getting under himself. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me entirely against his body.

"Rest up, jagi," he whispered against my hair as I snuggled against his side, "we have a few more days of this, my mate."

Taglist: @alternateafterthought | @haven-raven012591 | @mitzwinchester

[chalabrun]

tsunade's feats (and why she's equal to her fellow sannin)

(For @sannin-central​‘s Sannin Week Day 7 prompt: Free Day)

One of the most tired arguments you’ll ever hear about Tsunade is that she isn’t as strong as her fellow Sannin, or their equal; that all she does is heal and punch and have a bad temper. As if that’s the only thing that makes her special, right? Nah, wrong!

In this meta, what I want to expand on is a full, manga-canon (with some anime and extraneous material inclusion) litany of feats that Tsunade has accomplished. And what makes her such an integral part of the Sannin, and background surrounding it. Hopefully, this will be a meta that can end the doubt of the equality between the Sannin and the feats that make Tsunade such a force to be reckoned with.

The Sannin: Why there was a 3-way Deadlock

(Below scan originally from Narutoversity.)

As stated in the Second Databook, to be a Sannin means that each individual Sannin are of equal ability and might to each other.

The Legend of the Sannin

What is the truth behind the Sannin? With three key words, we will discover how the three became legends.

Even ghosts would cower before Konoha’s Sannin!

Past

Under the professor, their talents were nutured!

The three who spent their childhood with the one who would become the Third Hokage. With the benefit of great leadership, each was able to set flame to their great talents. Perfecting their strength and jutsus, and at times clashing with each other, the three find the source of their power from these days of childhood.

[Bell Test] At that place, the usual presence of the teacher and student relationship…

Strength

Explosive spirit and unique power!

Jiraya’s manly fighting valor, Orochimaru’s individual talents, Tsunade’s monster power and supreme knowledge of medical jutsu. During fights, their skills would increase thrice fold and create stories of great battlefield deeds. Especially, places of battle where the three fought together were their own stage. Stories of their battlefield deeds have evolved into legends. As there will no longer be days when the three will fight alongside each other, the flower of their legend is the more dazzling.

[Jiraiya] Serious but deadly eyes! Are the only ones who can fight against the Sannin the Sannin themselves?

[Tsunade] Her power is like that of a god of war.

[Orochimaru] Like a reflection of his way of life, his fighting skills are cruel to the extreme.

Weakness

The weakness of the Sannin?

The Sannin are also human. If they do have weaknesses, is it not because of their human attributes and personalities? In it, there is a certain lure of humanistic charm.

Jiraya – Women and sexiness

If someone uses the one that he loves as a shield, even the most strongest of ninjas will become defenseless. And there are many women that Jiraya loves.

Tsunade – Gambling

In the world of gambling she is known as Legendary Sucker. When she uses her luck, which is rather low, is she then at her most vulnerable?

Orochimaru – ???

In completely encompassed mind of ice, there is no possibility of it becoming marred by another human. Only, his own endless ambitions keeps him anxious.

- Second Databook, translation from Narutoversity.

As stated here, to be a Sannin means to be equal in power, that no individual Sannin is more powerful than each other. More than that, only a Sannin can hope to take down a Sannin.

As stated by Ebisu shortly after Jiraiya’s return in the aftermath of the Konoha Crush.

As said by Jiraiya during the Three-Way Deadlock in part 1.

First Fanbook, Sannin entry (Source)

Ch. 170, highlighting the Sansukumi motif behind the Sannin.

Ch. 154, where Orochimaru muses about Tsunade's calling in life.

During this arc, Orochimaru themself states that facing two of their fellow Sannin wouldn’t be easy, even if they are one.

Ch. 369, where Hanzo himself gives the Sannin their name--objectively acknowledging their prowess instead of favoring one over the other.

Ch. 380, where Pein himself admits to the Sannin’s equal and devastating ability.

Even their stats as listed in the databooks see them as near-equal to one another statistically.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru's statboxes (Source)

Sannin & their Summons

Second Databook, Leaf #18: The Sannin & their summons (Source)

Another important factor of the 3-way Deadlock is the deadly summons that each Sannin possessed. What made them so special?

Manda

Village: Otogakure

Rank: —

“You bastard…I’ll eat you up!”

A python that lives with an aggressive nature and evil wildness

A summon that is hard to control because of its aggressive nature. With its hideous eyes and great power of destruction, there is no emotion of ‘terror’ for this violent entity that wants to take over everything. It is an evil that is partners with Orochimaru who also symbolizes evil.

There is no such thing as trust between the summoned and the summoner.

The jutsus that utilize 100% of all the characteristics of a snake are also formidable!!

- Second Databook, Manda's entry (Scan & Translation)

Gamabunta

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: —

“I’ll make sure you pay me back for this…”

Majestic and magnificent!! An honorable toad, defender of justice, protector of the weak!!

The big toad summoned by Jiraiya and Naruto. The sight of him wielding his giant knife is the very picture of the boss of chivalry. His violent fights against Shukaku and Manda show why he is known as the strongest toad.

His life is also that of a boss. Having yet to pledge his loyalty to Naruto, Gamabunta had no obligation to help him. However, upon learning that Naruto had saved Gamakichi, he joined Naruto in the fight against Shukaku. He is a true warrior among warriors who understands the lifelong shame of an unchivalrous action!

Unable to ignore the desperation of the one who saved his son. A true champion.

His voice rings like a knife no matter who his opponent his. His power is no bluff.

- Second Databook, Gamabunta's entry (Scan & Translation)

Katsuyu

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: —

“Tsunade-sama so desires.”

Risking her life for Tsunade! A wise and docile giant slug!!

The massive slug summoned by Tsunade. Her polite speech and obedient attitude give a strong impression of maturity. However, her true strength is anticipated to be considerable. Katsuyu’s true strength… It can be guessed her fighting on an equal footing with Gamabunta and Manda, the summoned creatures of the other “Sannin”.

She executes Tsunade’s orders swiftly and efficiently, sending the injured Naruto away from the battlefront on a Bunshin and saving him from a dangerous situation.

Katsuyu’s kind and compassionate heart can be sense in her worry for Naruto’s safety. Seems like a rather different personality to that of the dynamic and fearless Tsunade…

- Second Databook, Katsuyu's entry (Scan & Translation)

Something definitively established is that each Sannin’s boss summon was as strong as the others, especially when one considers that they’re the only ones summoned from sage regions, the only three known in the world.

Ch. 579

Ch. 634, where Minato notes the exceptionalism of the Sannin’s summons.

The Sannin: A historical & folkloric influence

Something that might not be commonly known is the fact that the Sannin take their inspiration from two primary sources: the rock-paper-scissors hand game precursor, Mushi-ken, and the Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya.

Woodblock prints depicting scenes from the Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya, featuring Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru that inspired the Sannin.

"In the legend, Jiraiya is a ninja who uses shapeshifting magic to morph into a gigantic toad. As the heir of the mighty Ogata clan in Kyūshū, Jiraiya fell in love with Tsunade (綱手), a beautiful young maiden who has mastered slug magic. His arch-enemy was his one-time follower Yashagorō (夜叉五郎), later known as Orochimaru (大蛇丸), a master of serpent magic (the kanji 大蛇 literally means "giant snake" or "serpent"). It was first recorded in 1806."

The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya. (Source)

Now, while articles such as these better establish the Sannin’s folkloric influence, what is undeniable is that the Sannin come from very historical beginnings.

But, what about the game of Mushi-ken that further describe the 3-Way Deadlock?

Mushi-ken, the earliest Japanese sansukumi-ken game (1809). From left to right: slug (Namekuji), frog (Kawazu), and snake (Hebi). (Source)

In mushi-ken, the "frog" represented by the thumb wins against the "slug" represented by the pinkie finger, which, in turn defeats the "snake" (蛇) represented by the index finger, which wins against the "frog" (蛙). (Source)

As we see with this explanation, the Sannin are further meant to be equal from the game that would come to define their dynamic, as illustrated with the above points. 

Tsunade: What the databooks say

Tsunade

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: Hokage

Ninja Registration Number: 002302

Birthday: August 2 (51 years old, Leo)

Height: 163.1 cm Weight: 48.9 kg Blood Type: B

Personality: Brash, gambling addict

Favourite food: Chicken breast, alcohol

Least favourite food: Raw liver

Would like to fight: Uzumaki Naruto

Favourite word: Get rich quick!

Interests: Gambling

Graduated from the Ninja Academy at age 6

Promoted to chuunin at age ?

Mission Experience

D-rank: 40

C-rank: 236

B-rank: 467

A-rank: 418

S-rank: 95

Statistics

Ninjutsu: 5

Taijutsu: 5

Genjutsu: 3.5

Intelligence: 5

Strength: 5

Speed: 3.5

Stamina: 4

Hand Seals: 4

“This can’t be happening…”

Brash, free spirited, monstrous strength, no one can stop Princess Tsunade. She is the legendary ninja who has touched upon the very limits of medicine.

As one of the Legendary Sannin, tales of her heroism echo on the battlefield and her efforts in expanding the medical field have made numerous accomplishments. The name Tsunade that is imbued with legendary magnificence is a ninja of Konoha. She is the idol of many kunoichis. But she, the object of this admiration, is one of those rare individuals who is not limited by being a woman ninja nor by any other constraints of a ninja. Her personality is precipitous and free, more stubborn than a man’s as well as showy, not to mention a gambling addict. If her admirers should hear about her life as a gambler, perhaps their idolatry will fade away in an instant.

But behind that flashy personality, an almost diffident friendliness is hidden. There is none who can match her love for her village and for those who are special to her. This gap between her outer and inner self is the secret to her charm that can never wilt!

Even though she is always impetuous, her truly terrifying moment is when she has anger deep inside her. Her expression and glow of her eyes right before her eruption have the intensity to make anyone afraid.

As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, her name is the frequent subject of news.

Her exceptional bad luck! But her once in awhile winnings, could they be indicators of an ominous future?

[Servant]

For the naturally brash and free style Tsunade, she cannot do without the rational and organized Shizune. On days Tsunade is drowning in gambling, wine and sadness, [Shizune’s] understanding and devotion have supported her throughout.

[Shizune’s] special existence to Tsunade is beyond that of a servant.

[Orochimaru]

She never thought of him as a companion even during the period of the Sannin. His evil eyes which never change through time are not what Tsunade likes. But the offer that he proffers weakens her. Without putting down a decision she is lead into an evil plan.

He lures her with the mentioning of ‘her most precious ones.” Towards the raging Tsunade, he continues to talk. “I can bring back your beloved brother and love.”

[Jiraiya]

Unlike Orochimaru, she knows Jiraiya well. So when he requests with sincerity in his eyes her acceptance to be inaugurated as the Fifth Hokage, she recognizes the danger her village is in but….

[Uzumaki Naruto]

Rudeness, simplicity, ‘dreams’ – all that Naruto has used to be by Tsunade’s side. And everything she lost in the war. And once again, she sees them. The image of her loved ones show up clearly in her mind.

[The past hidden within]

In the violence of the war, many ninjas lost their lives and many sorrows mounted in this world of fighting.

Passing on the Hokage’s necklace is an act of her strong love.

[The scars from the war]

The one she loved the most in this period of war…. Her brother Nawaki and Dan were both lost to her. A pain that seems to crush her half of her body, a phobia of warm blood and an emptiness that cannot be filled take root in her mind.

It was because she loved them more than anyone else that the pain of loss is so great. And the will that is left behind….

The soft kiss on the forehead, as if she were blessing the future

[The heart that does not weaken]

What Tsunade wanted back in her heart… the dreams of the ones she loved most. These do not fade in her heart but continue to shine. Always she looked upon these dreams in her heart hoping they would come true as well as her love that never grows less.

[The final bet]

A will lives on through the one who inherits it. Nawaki’s and Dan’s dreams are alive burns brightly in the dreams of one boy whose eyes resembles theirs . Tsunade leaves her necklace to Naruto believing one day, he will make those dreams come true.

[The Fifth Hokage]

Her fate (mission) burns more brightly in her chest after the fight. Her role is to protect Naruto who has inherited the dreams of her loved ones. That is why she must protect the largest tree known as Konoha. That is why the new ninja path as the 5th Hokage is engraved in her heart.

The will that was glowing in the darkness of her sorrow is given fuel by one Naruto Uzumaki and inflamed once more her life’s purpose. Her life’s mission is to protect Naruto and Konohagakure as long as she is titled, Hokage. Tsunade’s vows to devote all of herself including her own life in order to fulfill her mission, are channeled into strength which uphold her. She who was adulated as the Sannin, the strongest ninja who put fear into the hearts of enemies far away, is once more revived!

Second Databook, Tsunade’s entry (Translation) & (Scans)

Third Databook, Tsunade’s entry (Source)

Tsunade (Fifth Hokage)

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: Hokage

Ninja Registration Number: 002302

Birthday: August 2 (55 years old, Leo)

Height: 163.1 cm Weight: 48.9 kg Blood Type: B

Personality: Quick-tempered, enjoys gambling

Favourite: She was treasured as a favourite by Hashirama, and learned to gamble during her childhood days. Her rarely-scored jackpots are ill omens.

Chakra Nature(s): Fire, Water, Lightning, Earth, Yang

Special Characteristics: Summoning

About 31 years ago: Tsunade’s will contains the dream of her loved ones. She took as her ambition the wish of Dan, who lost his life.

“I’ll protect this village no matter what… I swear on the name of Hokage!”

The blooming will of fire — long era eternity Konoha managing largehearted orchid tree!!

Born as a grandchild to the First Hokage Senju Hashirama called the God of Shinobi, before long she came to display unparalleled medical ninjutsu skills. Formerly she amassed a great deal of legendary valour together with Jiraiya and Orochimaru (referred to as Sannin), and eventually Tsunade rose to take the seat of Hokage of Konohagakure. She, having inherited Grandfather Hashirama’s Will of Fire along with his lineage, is now in the role of Chief of Staff in the Allied Shinobi Forces, and crosses the borders of the land to bear the responsibility of commanding ninjas. It can certainly be said that she has brought Hashirama’s longstanding desire into fruition.

Although she has zero gambling skill, she never loses when she bets it all.

Never losing her trusting heart, Tsunade juices up her advisors.

You won’t have to settle for your rank. Let us rejoice upon your development and stand on the front lines side by side…!!

4th Databook, Tsunade’s entry (Translation) & (Scans)

Tsunade: An extraordinary inheritance 

As the granddaughter of Mito Uzumaki and Hashirama Senju, both considered extraordinary for their extraordinarily powerful clans, Tsunade inherited natural gifts that few people can equal.

4th Databook, Mito’s entry (Source)

3rd Databook, Hashirama’s entry (Source)

As evident by these, not only is Tsunade the granddaughter of an Uzumaki and a Senju, but of two members considered extraordinarily powerful by their own standards that passed down to Tsunade herself. While it might not seem obvious beyond some jutsu and the name itself, there is an instance where her heritage truly shines.

Ch. 601, after the 5 Kage lose against an immensely powerful, freed Edo Tensei Madara. Tsunade was bisected in two, but remained completely conscious.

Ch. 635, where Orochimaru discovers a still-conscious and bisected Tsunade capable of healing the other Kage despite being incapacitated herself.

Tsunade: Feats of healing

Currently, medical ninjutsu is widely used as a shield to protect ninja. The history of its development and various characteristics are unraveled here!

The medical way that needs a talent different from Ninjutsu. It’s a different type of skill from combat. The greatest control of the smallest amount of chakra, great professional knowledge, and the brains and dedication to use them. The biggest problem with medical jutsu are their particularities. Meticulous chakra control is needed and thus a natural aptitude is needed for users. These are why it takes a long time to develop and there aren’t many medical ninjas.

The greater the wound, the greater the ability needed. Also, its effects are not unlimited and reviving the dead is impossible.

Scratches and stab wounds: Difficulty 1

Broken bones, muscle and severed tendons: Difficulty 2

Great damage to the body: Difficulty 3

Regrowing damaged organ and death: impossibility

Even if Tsunade uses medical jutsu it is impossible to grow a whole organ (e.g. Dan’s destroyed kidneys). Incision healing using chakra scalpel can also be used for attacks!

Healing of external wounds using chakra: Procedure of putting chakra on the body and healing wounds.

Healing using cursed seals: Using cursed seals to control chakra levels and flow.

Tsunade’s Creation Rebirth: An ability that is not about healing but about regeneration. It can remake all organs and parts.

- Second Databook, Medical ninjutsu entry (Scan & Translation) 

Ch. 155, where Kabuto expresses that only Tsunade is capable of healing the necrosis-like effects of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal that robbed Orochimaru of use of their arms.

Ch. 172, when Tsunade easily heals the effects of Itachi's Tsukiyomi on Sasuke that made him fall into a coma.

Ch. 235, where the Nara Clan Medical Encyclopedia is being consulted by Tsunade to help her heal Chouji after the debilitating effects of the Three-Color Pills.

Ch. 173, when Tsunade explains how she would perform surgery on Rock Lee (spoiler: it's a resounding success).

Ch. 253, wherein Tsunade’s rival, Chiyo, recalls how Tsunade was the only person capable of foiling her poisons.

As we know, one of the greatest threats to shinobi is that of poisons. And, there is the fact that Tsunade established ways of producing and foiling them.

Ch. 562, where Tsunade and Ai are among two of the only individuals capable of surviving the Heavenly Transfer Technique. Tsunade does so by invoking her Creation Rebirth technique.

Her ability as a med-nin were so extraordinary that she had a palpable mark on medical ninjutsu in the shinobi world.

Ch. 154, where Kabuto muses about Tsunade being the originator of the idea to have a med-nin on every 4-man cell.

Ch. 160 where the standard to place a medical ninja in every unit of ninja is first introduced by her.

Ch. 577, where Tsunade lists the 4 rules governing medical ninja that she likely conceived.

"Tsunade’s grief over losing her lover gave birth to the development of present-day medical ninjutsu."

- Second Fanbook (Scan & Translation)

Ch. 424, when Tsunade uses Katsuyu: Immense Network Healing to heal the entire village during Pein's assault.

While healing an entire village during an invasion by the second coming of the Sage of Six Paths is impressive itself, something I often see overlooked is why Tsunade fell into such a deep coma in the first place.

Ch. 430, we learn that Tsunade’s Byakugou disappeared because she rerouted her Creation Rebirth--which demands the Byakugou’s stores--into healing the villagers during Pein’s Assault.

It's because she used Creation Rebirth not on herself, but the entire village. 

Tsunade: A Goddess of war

#24: Taken to the bitter extreme! Princess Tsunade’s “legendary” absurd strength!!

It would seem Tsunade’s “outrageous strength” completely ignores the laws of nature!! The challenge to common sense that is her power is due in no small part to her artful chakra control and fine-tuning. To give things a name, by instantly collecting chakra into her fist and fingers, she obtains a power of destruction bodily strength alone cannot achieve.

- Databook 2: Konoha 100 Leaves Collection (Scan & Translation)

Ch. 163, Tsunade unleashing the Heavenly Foot of Pain, one of her most iconic applications of her deadly Chakra-Enhanced Strength she created from the principles of medical ninjutsu.

Ch. 169, Tsunade properly explaining the mechanics of Creation Rebirth and how it makes her practically immortal and deadlier than she already is.

Ch. 170, with Tsunade's single-handedly wielding Gamabunta's tantou to sunder Manda. Whether CES or her own natural raw strength, it's an incredibly fearsome sight to behold.

While the Deadlock between the Sannin demonstrates some of her earliest feats of strength, and solidifies her position as Konoha's Fifth Hokage by it alone, it's still not her most impressive battle to date.

Ch. 577, where the first thing Tsunade does when she arrives on the 4th War's battlefield is confront Madara, and dent his Susano'o, the Mangekyou Sharingan's perfect defense ninjutsu.

Ch. 577, working together with Ai & Oonoki to completely pulverize his Susano'o.

Ch. 578, where Tsunade survives not only impalement by Madara's Susano'o, but a direct blast from its Yasaka Magatama as well, both deadly offenses Madara's Susano'o possesses.

Ch. 588, where Tsunade is pitted against five of Madara's wood clones and not only fights them, but does it while impaled with two of the Susano'o's blades.

Regardless, it would seem the second databook's comparison of Tsunade's fighting style to that of a god of war truly is fitting.

Tsunade: Jutsu she created (or perfected)

Heavenly Foot of Pain (Tsuuten Kyaku)

Taijutsu, C-rank, Offensive, Close range

User(s): Tsunade

The heel swung down in anger makes the ground rumble in kind with an ultra-hard smackdown!!

All of her body’s outrageous strength is concentrated into her heel. Her stance crystallizes the body’s dynamics in a magnificent demonstration of the art of hand to hand combat. And when her heel swings downward, it’s as if a comet had fallen!! Nothing and no one could receive a direct hit and avoid pulverization.

The remainder of the impact smashed not only the ground, but the nearby rampart into tiny bits…!!

- Second Databook, Heavenly Foot of Pain entry (Scan & Translation)

Body Pathway Derangement

(Ranshinshou)

Ninjutsu, A-rank, Supplementary, Close range

User(s): Tsunade

Disturbing body control by severing the pathways of [brain←→body] information flow!!

By transforming the chakra within one’s body and giving it the properties of electricity, one creates an electric field. By pouring this into the nervous system of one’s opponent, one deranges their body control! An extremely high-level technique, used as a Medical Ninjutsu. The human body is controlled with electrical signals from the brain, but a person who had those electrical signals cut off with this technique will become unable to make their body move as they want. Because she’s an expert in medical treatments, Tsunade was able to master this technique.

An attack that severs the control threads with a flash of lightning!

One’s own body moves in any way, except how one wants it to move…!? For the common shinobi, battle, not to mention even just walking, will become impossible.

As soon as strike of the hand lands, electricity is poured into the enemy’s nervous system, severing the signals!!

- Second Databook, Body Pathway Derangement entry. (Scan) & (Translation)

Creation Rebirth (Souzou Saisei)

Ninjutsu, S-rank, Supplementary

User(s): Tsunade

The absolute pinnacle of Medical Ninjutsu~~ a forbidden regeneration technique!

Created by the greatest of medical ninja, Tsunade, this is the ultimate regeneration technique!! By releasing a large amount of chakra at once, the body’s cell division is forcibly stimulated, reconstruction all organs and all tissues making up the human body!

If this technique is used, a body whose vital organs are so gravely injured that it cannot bear it any longer will be instantly restored to its uninjured state. It’s impossible to die by any means… for the sake of continuing to protect the lives of one’s comrades. That’s the resolution hidden in this technique.

By releasing the great volume of chakra stored in her forehead, Tsunade can make her body do the work of an untold number of years in an instant.

This wound may have brought her on the verge of death, but she won’t die~~

The acceleration of cell division that allows for the complete recovery from wounds is paid for with the shortening of one’s life span.

- Second Databook, Creation Rebirth entry. (Scan) & (Translation)

Yin Seal: Release

(Infuuin: Kai)

Fuuinjutsu, S-rank, Supplementary

User: Tsunade

Unravelling the key to using the Creation Rebirth!!

Creation Rebirth, the ultimate medical technique. However, using this technique requires such an enormous amount of chakra, that it is beyond any shinobi to mould it in an instant. Tsunade, using the chakra stock kept in the seal on her forehead, has cleared this prerequisite. With Yin Seal: Release, the seal is released, becoming the source for the body regeneration technique.

The moment it is unsealed, a pattern appears on the forehead.

Releasing the seal is the greatest danger signal.

- Second Databook, Yin Seal:Release entry (Source).

Now, while Tsunade didn't invent the Byakugou Seal, she certainly perfected it enough to eventually be passed on to one of her disciples, Sakura Haruno.

  Ch. 36, Boruto, that explains the Byakugou's origins.

However, what she absolutely did create was Creation Rebirth and Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth - Strength of a Hundred Technique.

Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth--Strength of a Hundred Technique entry, 4th Databook (Source)

Ch. 578, where Madara himself likens Creation Rebirth to Hashirama's mass-coveted Regeneration Ability.

Fourth Databook, Katsuyu: Immense Network Healing entry (Source)

Closing thoughts

For as celebrated as the Sannin are in canon, sometimes, it takes more convincing than others that they are, in fact, of near equal ability with their unique specialties being what sets them apart. 

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Genji Heavy Industries (Part 8) Laser Pointer

Hahahahahahhaahahahhaha....

*deep inhale*

Hahahahahahahahahaha

The three men leaned against the shrine panting heavily. You helped Caesar and Chu Zihang load bullets as fast as you could. While Chisei looked out at the flames in the hall. The corpse guard specimen at the end of the hall had burned down like a wax candle to reveal a dark golden skeleton.

“What happened to you?” Caesar asked.

“I was called to another elevator. When I got in, it lost power and took me down to the lowest floor basement.” You were so tired that your hands moved automatically while your eyes unfocused. You shake your head to clear your vision and that sends pain shooting through the middle of your skull. You squeeze one eye shut against the pain and keep going.

“You’re hurt?”

“No… it’s just sequelae. From using my Soul Skill earlier.” You wave him away.

“Where’s Lu Mingfei?” Caesar asks.

“I don’t know. I thought he would have made it through the elevator with you.”

“The earthquake stopped the elevator.” Chu Zihang stood up, holding his Uzi, and looking down at you with his golden gaze. “Was that you?”

“Yeah.” You brace yourself on Caesar’s shoulder and stand too. 

Caesar whistles long and low through his teeth.

“Reports are coming in saying it was 6.5 magnitude.”

“Oh… I was going for 7.0.” You smirk. “Pretty close.”

"How many C4 explosives do you have?" Chisei suddenly asked. 

"Fifteen pounds, but the explosion doesn't seem to seriously injure them. If C4 explosives can't hurt them, then 'Royal Flame' can't do it either." Chu Zihang said. 

"The shockwave of the explosion can't hurt them, but the flames could be fatal to them. Look at that corpse guard. Mermaid oil is very flammable. They can be their own best fuel." 

Chu Zihang was stunned: "But they didn't burn immediately in the explosion just now." 

"That's because they're alive and the corpse guards are dead. The corpse guards are dehydrated. The sphinxes still have a lot of water in their bodies. They have to be in the fire for a long time before they burn up! The Mural Hall is a completely enclosed space, and this is the best place for a fire!" Chisei exclaimed.

"Smothering the sphinxes? Not a bad idea. But they could escape. If they can get in through the elevator doors, they can get out through them." Caesar said. 

Chisei pointed above the elevator door: "Above this kind of door must be a steel bar supporting it, we put a piece of C4 explosive there, powerful enough to blow that steel bar, the wall will collapse down, they have no way to escape." 

Chu Zihang calculated: "We can use a delayed fuse. One that can explode in twenty seconds. That would be enough time for us to enter the elevator shaft and hide outside the explosion range." 

Caesar thought about it: "Then we have to lure the group of them deep into the hall. The more concentrated they are, the better the burning effect." 

"No problem, I'll act as bait." Chisei said. 

“Bait?” You looked to Caesar for answers.

“The blood of Chisei is extremely attractive to them. When he dripped it down the elevator shaft, that’s what brought them down here.”

You nod, understanding.

“What brought you here by the way?” Caesar was leading you away to the armory room. 

“Someone threw a flare. All the other elevator doors were closed. I figured this had to be the only one that was open.”

“Ah.”

Caesar shut the door of the armory. “Alright, suit up. This will be the big push.”

Chu Zihang and Caesar moved between the rows of shelves. You stay behind to lean against the wall. “Give me a minute.”

It occurred to you that this might be the point where you died and whenever your life was in danger, you felt a deep appreciation of your own body. You remembered this feeling of fatigue when you pulled a sledge full of wood through feet of snow. You walked until your thoughts faded away, ignoring the pain and hunger and thirst, one foot after the other. Your body carried you. And thanks to your dragon blood, you recovered quickly to get up the next day.  So you knew this body was tired. But as soon as it ate and drank and got a nice rest it would perk up again.

But the one thing you could give it now was oxygen. You take slow deep breaths, filling your lungs completely, holding it a bit, and then emptying them completely. Your lungs would take that oxygen and revive your muscles for the fight.

Already, you could feel yourself reviving and stretched your arms over your head, feeling the rush of blood to your tissues. You rolled your shoulder and remembered lying on the floor looking up into the eyes of Z.

Z made you break that tank for a reason. You doubted it was to kill you and that gave you hope.

Caesar moved to the door and leaned against it to rest, running his hand over two rifles. 

 The bone-chilling, eerie sound of a giant python sliding against the ground came from behind the door. The group of sphinxes has invaded the mural hall. The only thing separating you from them is a layer of carved wooden doors. With strength like theirs, breaking such a door was no  effort, but this group of low IQ beasts has not yet noticed this room. After mutating, some Death Servitors will gain superb vision, hearing or smell, but the snake versions don’t get significant enhancements to their senses. Their golden pupils look hideous but they actually have weak vision. They have a sharp sense of smell but they’re intoxicated by the smell of blood in the hot air of the mural hall. As for hearing, these have basically zero. They’re more attuned to ground vibrations. As long as you stay still, they will have a hard time finding your hiding place. 

"What's their approximate number?" Chu Zihang asked in a low voice. 

Caesar’s eyes flared golden and the Scythe Itachi went out.

"More than a hundred. All of them have entered the mural hall and the elevator shaft has been cleared. They're eating the dead. I can hear them chewing away at the muscles, disgusting." Caesar said softly, "What's your assessment of the combat power of these snake-like dead men?" 

Chu Zihang thought for a moment. "A grade. Speed exceeds that of a zebra, tearing power is close to that of a lion. Strong cellular activity, so wounds heal quickly. The most vulnerable parts are the heart, head and nervous system. Severed limbs are nothing to them.” 

Caesar nodded: "I also think it is A-class. One on one with them, we’d have a disadvantage.”

You finally move to go arm yourself. “They’re dumb as hell, though. So there’s that.” You say.

The two men fall silent. “Did you fight them?” Caesar asked.

“Yeah.” You wrap a new belt that will fit multiple weapons onto your waist and cinch it up. These belts were made for men, so you have to use a knife to make a hole for the buckle. “Well… technically no. I made them fight each other.”

“How is that possible? You’re not even hurt!” Caesar looked you up and down. “And you still had plenty of rounds.”

“Well… I used my C4 detonator.” You tilt your head, unsure of what he wanted you to say. “I mean if they want to eat each other, I’m not going to get in the way of that.”

“Perhaps an S-ranked hybrid could take them on.” Chu Zihang said, thoughtfully.

It wasn’t like you were unprepared to fight those beasts. But how could you tell them that the ghost of your dead boyfriend appeared in an elevator to Hell and you went on a date with them in front of the big holding tank? The whole thing sounded silly. You knew how to fight them because Z had shown you how. But there was no way to communicate that.

"Do you trust that Japanese guy? He wouldn't have run away by now, would he?" Caesar asked in a low voice. 

"Since I chose to cooperate, I can only trust him, right?" Chu Zihang shrugged.

"It's rare for such a gullible character to have survived to this day." Caesar shrugged back, "He is something that bleeds dragon blood. Dragons are creatures without feelings. If their strength overwhelms you, they will definitely devour you." 

Chu Zihang did not speak again. 

"Okay, okay, I have no intention of figuring that girl out. To say the least, I quite liked her. She was so pretty ...... But it's best not to trust something that bleeds dragon blood." Caesar took a deep breath. 

You let out a breath. In a way, you agreed with Caesar. Z’s yellow eyes gave you a mix of fear and fascination. His kiss made your heart race. You always knew he was scheming something, but you never knew if it was good or bad or had nothing to do with you. And yet you couldn’t help but love it when he laughed. Was what you felt love? Whatever it was, it sure felt good. HIs hands in your hair in front of the holding tank. It felt good.

Your eyes suddenly went wide. “Bait.”

The memory of Z playing with the beasts using a laser pointer flashes through your mind and your face breaks out into a smile. You start pacing the shelves, looking up and down. “Did you guys see a laser sight anywhere in here?”

“What do you need that for? You’re a good shot.” Caesar asked.

“Yes, I need it for something else.”

“There should be one on an AK-47…” Chu Zihang said.

“I found it.” The name AK-47 stood for Avtomat Kalashnikova. It was a Soviet rifle and one you were familiar with, but this specimen looked like it was taken right from your childhood. It was aged, worn and a little rusted. Just like the one you used to use. You picked it up reverently, staring at it in silence while your heart filled with a strange warmth, like the sun coming up for the first time after a long winter night. Your hands caress the laser sight tenderly.

While many women were moved by cards, roses, jewelry and sweets, what moved your heart was the sight of this laser on a Kalashnikov. With this laser, you could live. You unscrew it and hold it to your heart with a smile coming over your face.

You turn to Caesar and Zihang who are eyeing you warily. But you can’t stop smiling. “Okay, I’m going to mark one of them with the Anesthesia bullet dye okay? Don’t kill that one.”

Z. He was a genius… You chuckle and join the boys at the door.

"Are you ready?" Caesar sighs softly.

You nod. You’re smiling as you load a single Frigga bullet into your empty pistol.  “Remember, don’t kill the one I mark!”

"Then let’s start!" Caesar slapped the button to open the door and stepped out in a big way. 

A Deadpool was lying on the overhang in front of the weapons hall door. Reflex speed multiplied after the snake mutation, so it immediately struck at the back of Caesar's neck. But Caesar had already determined its position through the use of Scythe Itachi and fired upward with his shotgun. The Deadpool Sphinx fell to its back.

The shotgun was extremely powerful but not penetrating enough. After the wounded creature landed, it rolled to get up and recoiled to strike again. Chu Zihang's crossbow penetrates its abdomen to pin it to the ground, and the two Sten submachine guns fired into its forehead until the two cartridges were empty. 

"No wonder everyone in the academy says you're a killer. I really like your kind of execution style." Caesar dropped the shotgun and pulled out two Sten submachine guns from the carry pouch behind Chu Zihang. 

"I'm not interested in bloodshed, but I know that showing mercy to something like this will only get us killed." Chu Zihang's right hand drew up another gun from the backpack Caesar carried. Chu Zihang carried Caesar’s guns and vice versa. It was a nice way to keep efficiently armed.  Chu Zihang looked at you in curiosity.

You weren’t using the laser sight to aim, but wiggled it against the ground as though fishing, whispering to yourself. “Heeere, Kitty, Kitty. Come here… I know you’re here…”

One of the deadpool that looked female with an ample golden chest and pretty eyes saw the red dot and opened her jaw ninety degrees to scream bloody-murder. Her eyes were as big as dinner plates. She slid her snake tail vigorously, physically pushing other beasts out of the way and leaving long gashes on them.

“There you are! Gotcha!” You fire a single anesthesia bullet. The red dye smashes between her eyes and paints her face crimson, clearly marking her. She covers her face with her claws in annoyance and wails in fury, associating the red dot with getting hit with a paintball.

You wiggle the dot in a zigzag pattern and she pounces on it with the anger of seven devils. Once you were sure you had her hooked, you scroll the red dot on the face of one of the deadpools who blinks once against the blinding laser light before its head is bitten clean in half by the female.

The spectacular result sends a burst of laughter from you. You loved him. You didn’t care if it wasn’t really love as others defined it. You loved Z. This was fun. This was fantastic!

You wiggled the point of light until she saw it again. She paused in confusion for a moment, her eyes burning brighter and brighter, then she was off again, galloping after the red dot and smashing into another of her own kind. The red dot danced on the back of her poor victim who had no idea that the attack was coming. The female deadpool with the red-dyed face tore through scales, muscle tissue and bone like a woodchipper.

Your laughter filled the whole burning temple. They were stupid! They were so stupid!

You had turned the female deadpool into a terror of her own kind. As she mowed through the crowded mural hall like a living blender, she left a trail of wounded behind her. The Deadpool, who were too cannibalistic and mindless to remember why they were there, immediately started to tear each other apart as soon as one smelled the blood of the other. 

It was an absolute bloodbath and you had only fired one non-lethal shot.

Caesar and Chu Zihang looked at you in stunned amazement. You looked back at them, crying with laughter. You didn’t have a birthday, but this was like a present, the best present you’d ever received. Z had buried this little Easter egg in the ground, hoping you’d find it. It was for you. No one else would get the joke!

[phis-corner]

wild

Another prompt for @jasonette-july-2k20​, also cross-posted on Ao3 under the name m3owww. The other prompt fills are also on there.

“We’re going to the zoo!” Dick announces. “Everybody is mandated to come. Otherwise, Oracle’s locking you out of all your devices for a month. And by everybody, I mean everyone who dons a costume at night to beat people up.”

Marinette groans. This is not going to go well.

Scene I: The Giraffes

“Hey, it’s the giraffes!” Steph exclaims. “Woah, those are really tall.”

“We would have to stack three Damians to reach the height of one female giraffe.” Tim remarks, clutching a large thermos of coffee.

Damian snarls. “Do you wish to die, Drake?” Bruce snatches Damian’s backpack from him before he can pull out his knives.

Jason pokes Marinette in the side. “Male giraffes are eleven feet. If you stood on my shoulders, we’d be around that height.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Call me short, Jay. But I could easily punch you in the groin if I wanted.” Marinette grumbles. She pointedly ignores the commotion next to her. 

Damian has tackled Tim, Dick is trying to pull him off, Steph is cheering him on, and Cass is happily watching the giraffes. Bruce is rummaging through Damian’s backpack and grimacing at the amount of weapons the child packed.

Go figure.

Scene II: Elephants

“Well, this kind of stinks.” Jason remarks, as the baby elephant in front of them decides to take a poo. They all collectively gag as the smell wafts their way.

“Let’s just move on.” Bruce decides, and the group starts walking, except for Damian.

“Five more minutes, Father.” The boy commands. “It is too adorable to leave.”

Marinette has never been more glad that she always brings face masks around. She hands one to Jason and puts the other on. At least this muffles most of the scent.

Bruce sighs. “Damian-”

“Five minutes, Father.” He hisses dangerously.

“Guess we’re stuck here.” Tim says sadly. “It’s going to be a long five minutes.”

Scene III: Reptile House

“Mari! Look here! It’s a Burmese Python!” Jason calls, pointing to a massive snake coiled in one of the terrariums.

Marinette shudders. “Eugh, these creep me out. Guess I use the mouse miraculous too much. I just hope we can move on soon.”

“This snake is beautiful.” Damian declares, gesturing at a King Cobra. “I wish to keep it as a pet.”

“Little D, this is a zoo!” Dick chastises. “Not an animal shelter with pets up for adoption!”

“Are you crazy? That’s the longest venomous snake in the world!” Tim shrieks.

Damian sniffs. “Precisely, Drake. I wish to train it to attack you, just as I have with all my other pets.”

“You- what?” Tim splutters. “That’s why none of the animals like me? I’m changing your Wifi password.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

Steph walks up to Marinette and Jason, holding out a tub of popcorn. “Want some?”

“Thanks.” Marinette reaches for the popcorn, then freezes. “Wait. Where’d you get this?”

The blonde grins. “I have Cass on my side. Anything is possible.”

“Speaking of which,” Jason frowns. “Where is she?”

Scene IV: Butterfly House

Dick shrieks as another butterfly flaps past his head. “I swear, these things are trying to kill me!”

“Tt, don’t be stupid, Grayson. They are harmless creatures.” Damian scoffs.

Marinette hums thoughtfully. “I mean, most butterflies are, but if they’re actually the demonic purple butterflies sent by a crazy fashion designer with a magical brooch to prey on negative emotions and turn people into colorful monsters with ridiculous powers that I spent three years fighting, then we’re in trouble.”

Jason blinks. “Sometimes, I forget how crazy your life was.”

“Yeah, I wish I could do that.” Marinette sighs. “Gabriel was a dick.”

Tim raises his camera and snaps a picture of Steph giggling as a butterfly makes itself at home in her hair.

Bruce almost-smiles. “At least no one’s trying to kill each other here. Everyone is- wait.” He scans the house, frowning.

“Guys, have any of you seen Cass?”

Scene V: Penguins

As it turns out, Cass went off to buy a slushy. She joins them at the penguin exhibit and watches gleefully as Bruce tries to interrogate the poor birds. Tim is filming the entire thing on his camera.

“Have you ever had any association with the Gotham villain known as Penguin in the past?”

“Squawk.”

“What, exactly, is your connection to the criminal otherwise known as Oswald Cobblepot?”

“Squawk?”

“Answer my question!” Bruce growls at the birds.

Jason’s shoulders are shaking with silent laughter, and Marinette stifles a giggle.

“Father, these are-”

“Silence, Damian! I am interrogating the moles that Penguin planted at the zoo.”

One especially brave penguin waddles right up to Bruce, leaving only a few inches of space in between their faces.

They engage in a silent staring contest.

Then…

“SQUAWK!” The penguin screeches in Bruce’s face. Being the Batman, he doesn’t startle (very much) and simply growls as the penguin dives into the water, chirping happily.

“Get back here! I wasn’t done yet!”

Scene VI: Tigers

The orange and black-striped feline elegantly prowls towards the group, heading straight for Cass, who beams and reaches her hand out to press up against the glass. The tiger nuzzles into the wall between them, and Cass frowns.

Captive. She signs. Free?

“This tiger was born in captivity.” Bruce says. “She wouldn’t survive in the wild. And for future reference, none of you are allowed to free the zoo animals.”

Dick sighs. “Aw, come on B, Dami and I had our heist already halfway planned!”

“This tiger is beautiful.” Damian states. “She is graceful in a way that humans cannot master.”

“What about Cass?” Jason points out. “She’s just as graceful as the tiger.”

Cass smiles, pleased. Thank you, little brother.

“Marinette and Dick are really graceful when they’re in the air too!” Steph adds.

Marinette winces. “Key word being air. I’ve already tripped over my own feet six times, and another three times on Jason.”

Right on cue, as she moves to read another plaque, she trips over Jason’s foot and flails. He catches her in a dip like the good boyfriend he is and promptly kisses her- passionately.

Damian makes a disgusted noise, Dick sighs, Tim snaps a picture, and Cass smacks them both on the backs of their heads.

Children. She signs, and they both smile sheepishly. Two toddlers are staring, openmouthed, and Marinette counts five parents covering their children’s eyes.

“Oops.”

Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose. “You two can contribute to Alfred’s PDA jar when we get back.” 

“Aww, Bruce!” Jason complains.

“He has strict rules and you didn’t follow them.” Steph chirps. “You brought this on yourself.”

“Timbo, help me out here?”

Tim looks up from where he’s fiddling with his camera. “Uh, no thank you? You two have scarred multiple children for life. It’s only five dollars. You’ll survive.”

“No! Betrayed! By my own family!” Jason wails, and Marinette huffs.

“Mon oiseau, you are the son of a billionaire. Not to mention, all the money you make from your… extracurriculars. You can pay the five dollar fine.”

“It’s the principle of the thing!”

At the end of the day, all of them are tired and sweaty. They agree that maybe the zoo isn’t the greatest place for a family outing, except for Damian, who wants to return to kidnap (Animalnap? Zoonap?) the animals and set them free.

As they get out of the minivan one by one, Marinette, who is right behind Damian, spots something in his shirt move.

“Damian, what’s in your shirt?”

The boy snarls. “Nothing!”

“Damian…” Bruce sighs, and Damian reluctantly pulls out a green grass snake.

“It is non-venomous. Nobody will miss it.” He says defensively, and there is a chorus of groans.

“It’s a snake.” Tim points out. “That you stole. From the zoo.”

Damian sniffs. “I prefer the term liberated.”

Jason groans, and rests his chin on the top of Marinette’s head. She staggers underneath the extra weight. “I hate this fucking family.”

Marinette reaches up to poke him in the chest. “You know you love us. Why else would you wear a bat on your chest?”

“To piss Bruce off.”

“Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

[toasty-coconut]

CHARACTER PROFILE: EMI CAVENDISH

I’ve decided to share the profiles for my two Diakko kiddos that I made a while back. Below is the profile for the younger of the two, Emi! The full profile can be read beneath the cut.

Basic Information

Full Name: Emily Hoshiko Cavendish

Nicknames: Emi, Em

Gender: Female

Date of Birth: March 2nd, 2031

Age: 13

School Team Color: Orange

Aspiration: Become a great broom racer

Horoscope: Pisces

MBTI: ISTP

Loving the rush of adventure, Emi is a natural-born risk-taker and thrill-seeker. She loves the outdoors and will do just about anything for a surge of adrenaline. Being rather reckless, Emi often gets injured during these escapades, but is always quick to shake it off and move onto her next adventure. She is particularly fond of athletics and flying on her broom. She can often be found riding it in places (and at speeds) that she shouldn’t be. 

Feeling as though her family’s expectations for her are much lower than the ones they have for her sister, Emi is more of a free spirit. She is very much the type of person to act first and ask questions later—the type of behavior that can often get her caught in sticky situations. However, she’s incredibly bullheaded and hates asking for help or showing any sort of weakness. So whenever she gets herself into problems, she tries to get herself out of them, too.

Emi tends to be a bit of a troublemaker both at home and in school. She loves to pull pranks and jokes on her teachers, peers, and family for her own amusement. Emi hates socializing and has a rather small group of friends. She would rather be out on her own than surrounded by people she doesn’t care about at some party. She has a tendency to be rather loudmouthed, brash, and blunt, which can occasionally come off as her being rude. 

Emi often feels as though she’s living in the shadow of giants between Diana being head of the Cavendish family, Akko being a famous performer, and Aya being the incredibly intelligent Cavendish heir apparent. She feels unnoticed or forgotten, and occasionally uses her rebellious behavior to gain attention. She’s more insecure than she wants people to realize, and frequently wonders if she’ll ever be as great as the rest of her family.

Despite her flaws, Emi is actually more kind hearted than she lets on. She keeps the few friends that she has very close, and is loyal to them to a fault. She is very naturally gifted at magic and is actually highly intelligent, but lacks the motivation to do anything with it. She would rather focus on the things that she has fun doing than have her nose stuck in a book.

Appearance

Hair Color: Platinum blonde with tea green highlights.

Hair Texture and Style: Thick waves, on the shorter side. Usually pulled back in a low ponytail. 

Eye Color: Periwinkle

Eye Shape: Round

Height: 5’2” (157 cm)

Build: Short and athletic. Well-toned, but with rounder facial features.

Interests and Hobbies

Likes:

Broom flying

Athletics/sports

Exploring/adventure

Pranks/jokes

Risks/thrills

Sour foods

Comedy and action movies

Music (especially rock)

Guitar

Dislikes:

School/books

Sitting around/being bored

Socializing/parties

Romance

Dressing up

Rules

Showing more sensitive emotions

Being called “Emily”

Fears:

Forever living in her family’s shadow

Being seen as a disappointment

Snakes

Relationships

Diana Cavendish: Mother. Although Emi was basically attached to Diana at the hip when she was younger, their relationship has grown more tense as she’s gotten older. Emi has a hard time relating to Diana, and the two often have trouble seeing eye to eye. Diana will be the first person to scold Emi for her reckless behavior out of worry, which only results in Emi biting back and an argument breaking out. Emi worries that Diana views her as a disappointment and a problem child. However, Diana loves Emi far more than she realizes and deep down Emi feels the same.

Atsuko Kagari: Mother. Emi has always had a very close relationship with Akko. Akko is typically the one to defuse fights that Emi gets into with Diana or Aya. Although Emi hates talking about her feelings, she finds it much easier to confide in Akko than she does anyone else. Akko is usually the one to reassure her that she has nothing to worry about and that she and Diana love her and are immensely proud of her. Akko tends to approve of and encourage Emi’s more reckless or dangerous behavior (against Diana’s will), claiming it’s important for her to have fun and try to use it as a learning experience. 

Aya Cavendish: Older sister. When they were little, Emi admired and spent a lot of time with her sister. However, as Emi began to realize the expectations that people had of Aya, they began to grow apart. Emi often views Aya as being the “perfect child” or the “favorite child”, even though both facts are entirely untrue. When people aren’t comparing her to her sister, they seem to forget about her existence. As a result, Emi has grown to resent Aya and looks for reasons to pick fights. However, even though she might not show it, there is a part of Emi that still admires how hard Aya works and wishes things could go back to the way they were.

Trivia

- Music is Emi’s guilty pleasure. She loves to blast loud rock music from her bedroom (much to the dismay of most people living in the Cavendish Manor). She is even teaching herself how to play the guitar.

- While Emi has been able to understand Japanese fluently since a young age, she rarely speaks it and can hardly read more than basic hiragana. The only person she’ll occasionally speak Japanese to is Akko. If Aya tries to speak to her in Japanese, she’ll respond in English and call her pretentious. 

- Emi is incredibly afraid of snakes—a fear that was brought on by Daryl’s pythons roaming around the manor. She claims that they look at her as though they want her to be their dinner.

- Although Diana was the one to give Emi the name “Emily”, Akko was the one who started calling her “Emi” as a nickname. It eventually stuck. When writing Emi’s nickname in Japanese, Akko uses the kanji “恵美”.

- Emi deeply admires Amanda O’Neil, looking up to her as a role model. This stresses Diana out beyond belief.

- Flying is Emi’s absolute favorite activity and she hopes to one day make a name for herself by becoming a great broom racer.

[alecthedevil]

Handcuffs (Bat family x reader)

Pairing: Bat family x reader (Platonic obviously)

Word Count:1688

No specific pronouns used. All inclusive reader!

Warnings: Like one swear word.

...

99% of the time, at least one resident of Wayne Manor was causing trouble. Even Dick and Jason, who hadn’t lived with Bruce for a long while, were known to be problematic in their visits to the Manor.

Last month, Tim not only managed to trip down the stairs, he did so whilst sleepwalking with a plate of pancakes in his hand. The incident arose many questions. How did he fall down the stairs? Why isn’t his neck broken? Tim sleepwalks? Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on him? Where did he get the pancakes from? Wait did Alfred make Pancakes?

Two weeks ago, Jason and Dick put aside their differences decided to hum the mission impossible theme on their top-secret mission to infiltrate the villains lair and save the damsel in distress. The villain being Bruce, the lair aka the Batcave, and the damsel being their confiscated phones due to their previous night’s hijacking of the bat mobile. Jason tripped Dick, Dick fell down and bumped into the table, the coffee was spilt onto the floor, Bruce, otherwise unaware of their antics rushed in at the sound and slipped on the coffee, Jason laughed so hard he backed into one of the display cabinets, knocking it over, it fell down and narrowly missed Titus, Titus sprang up and barked so much that Tim wandered down stairs to find his brother’s and father in a heap on the floor, their mission thoroughly failed.

On Monday Damian thought not to tell the household that his latest pet was a python certainly not native to Gotham, let alone America, and did not think he should perhaps tell anyone that it was not in the glass tank he’d acquired to care for it. Alfred received a shock when he opened a cabinet in the kitchen to retrieve a dish, only to find a sleeping snake curled up.

Yes, it was safe to say that the Wayne residence was full of drama and mischief.

Today, the problem was you.

It wasn’t your fault. Not really. I mean, it’s not like anyone told you not to touch the stuff on the table in the cave. Nobody warned you that it wasn’t a good idea to mess around with some of the new gadgets Bruce was working on.

Ok so maybe Bruce had said something along the lines of;

“blah blah blah, don’t go into the bat cave without permission, more words, more talking, don’t touch anything, he’s still talking, the things down there are NOT for fun, they’re for work, something something, do you understand me?”

And yeah, you understood him. But like, he said not to go down there and touch stuff. So that’s why you did the opposite and did everything he said not to do. But c’mon. Isn’t it really obvious that you were going to do It anyway? It’s not like it resulted in too big of a problem.

“Uh, Bruce?” “No.” “But I-” “No.” “I really think you should-” “I’m working.” “Okay… but it’s just that,” “Y/n, I’m busy.” “... Bruceeeeeeeeeeeeee” “You can see I’m working.” “I know, but…” “… but what.” “No, it’s fine. You’re working, I don’t want to bother you.” “What did you want?” “Tell me that you’ll always love me no matter what.” “What did you do?” “Tell me.”

“I’ll always love you no matter what. Now what did you do?”

“I can’t get them off...”

You messed around with the prototype batcuffs Alfred and Bruce had been experimenting with. Bruce wanted to make them unescapable after the last time the Riddler managed to unlock them. The idea was for them to be Unescapable for the wearer, but not for the captor. Unfortunately they were in fact, unescapable for even Gotham’s Dark Knight.

Luckily for you, you had the smartest people in Gotham at your side, ready to tackle the issue.

Alfred and Bruce poured over the plans for the cuffs, certain that they could kill two birds with one stone by simply fixing the cuffs so that they were the real thing instead of broken prototypes, and therefore it could really be a valuable use of time.

Dick tried dish soap. It worked, he proclaimed, for rings stuck on peoples fingers, and it’s kind of the same thing really, when you think about it.

Tim pulled together an elaborate plan composed of several complex elements including but not limited to; the batmobile, rope and chain, an antique radio, several straws, the dish soap from earlier, a turkey sandwich, parts he’d need to unscrew from the garage door, a thorn from a rose between the colours of bashful blush and Scarlett Dream, two spoons, a canary and most importantly; something to burn metal with. He wanted a flame thrower, but on such short notice, promised that he could work with a blow torch if need be.

Safe to say Tim was put on bed rest until further notice.

Damian, grandson of the demon, son of Batman and Tahlia Al Ghul, Robin and well-trained fighter and weapons expert all round proposed an idea so practical, it was unclear why no one had thought of it before.

“Tch. I Don’t see why we don’t leave them to rot in them. It would serve them right. I wouldn’t be as stupid to lock myself in handcuffs.”

You’d responded with a glare and a “I won’t hesitate Bitch”, much to Dick’s delight.

Sometime later it became apparent that nobody had an idea and it was basically a good opportunity for an argument to occur between the members of your family, bar Alfred of course. (Alfred would never partake in such an opportunity.)

Bruce was hunched over his work bench, looking tired and frustrated. Alfred had prepared several cups of tea and strong coffee, most of which had remained untouched as Bruce tried to understand where the hand cuffs had gone wrong.

Dick had become very flustered, flitting around nervously, and wringing his hands like a worried mother. “Oh, my poor baby!” he cried, when you complained that your wrists were sore, throwing his arms around you. The hug was suffocating, but you were pretty sure he needed the comfort more than you did.

Tim escaped his bedroom and was sitting on the floor with one of the cups of coffee not meant for him, looking at the wall blankly. There was no further update for him, as he had not made any movement since sitting down.

Damian had left some time ago with Titus. As he was not allowed to pester Tim or you anymore, he’d declared that he was not going to waste his time on such a silly issue anymore and disappeared into the training room for practice.

And as for you. Well, you’re wrists were aching, your head hurt, and you were beginning to worry about how you were ever going to eat dinner if you couldn’t separate your hands enough to grab utensils. It was a very distressing thought, so you escaped upstairs just as Bruce yelled at Dick to sit down and for Tim to go to bed.

It was only when you went upstairs that you heard the loud music blasting from somewhere in the house. And judging by the fact that your brothers, Bruce and Alfred were downstairs, it could only mean one thing;

Jason was home.

You wandered into the workshop, an attachment for the garage that nobody seemed to ever go into except Jason. It housed all the power tools and handy man equipment that anyone could ever desire, despite the fact no one in the house ever used it. You weren’t allowed in there, usually due to your habit of touching things that were potentially dangerous. But Jason was a rebel, and he liked woodwork, and fixing things, so it became his designated zone in the house.

The music was louder in here, and Jason was banging his head along to a rock song currently playing.

“Hey Kid!” he called over the music when he saw you, adding a drum roll on the table for good measure.

“Why’s the music so loud?” You ask.

He walked to the stereo and turned it down slightly. “You losers were shouting in the cave when I got here and it was doing my head in. Anyway, what’s up?”

You hold your hands up so he can see the problem, and he observes with a frown.

“Didn’t know you were into that.” He comments casually, dodging a kick from you. “How’d you do that anyway?”

“I went and messed around with the stuff in the cave after I was told not to. Bruce can’t get them off.” You supply, and he scoffs

“Of course, B can’t.” He mutters. With a single movement; he grabs you by the waist and lifts you onto his work bench. He picks up your hands and examines the cuffs closely, turning them this way and that to get a good look. Humming along to the song, he searches through a few drill bits in the draw and finds one that looks like it’d fit into the lock on the cuffs. Without a word he sets to work, occasionally moving, or covering your hand his own as to not hurt them whilst he drills. Five minutes and one set of unescapable cuffs later, you’re free, and Jason’s packing away his drill and tools.

You’re rubbing your wrists gratefully when a thought occurs to you. “How’d you know it’d work?”

Jason grins. “He locked one of my hands to a radiator with the old ones a little while back. I drilled into that one and it worked, figured it’d work for this one since he still doesn’t know how I did it.”

You both wander down the hall, and your family is still fighting by the sounds coming from downstairs.

You both pause at the exposed stairwell that usually is hidden from sight.

“What do you say that we leave them there to fight for a bit and go get ice-cream?” Jason proposes quietly from behind you.

“I’d say that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

[nagisasstunningpersonality]

Day five - snake/demon

All things considered, it was a nice evening in Kunugigaoka. He stood on his balcony, the warm breeze rushing through his hair. Karma would have liked to have said that everything was back to normal, but that was far from the case. He pretty much had exclusive interview rights with one of the most interesting and in demand figures in the city, and that meant… a lot of writing. A lot of sneaking into places he wasn’t supposed to, and definitely a lot of ignoring Python’s soft warnings.

The only downside was his Nagisa problem. Or, more like, Nagisa had pretty much avoided him since the whole date thing. It wasn’t like Karma was the happiest with him, either. He hadn’t even just been stood up, rather ditched in the middle of it. The last straw had been Nagisa telling Asano, their boss of all people, that he wanted no involvement with working with Karma on his Python stories, without even mentioning it to him first.

Fine, he didn’t want to share anyway.

“Hey, Python~” Karma called out lightly into the sky, though nobody was there.

Karma wasn’t sure exactly how to describe what was going on with Python recently. He couldn’t really consider it hanging out, more that Karma was just doing his job, and of course Python was there. He asked the questions he had to for the interviews, but he found himself talking to the hero about some other things too, though never for long, considering tight schedules.

It meant he understood his powers, though.

“Come help me~” He called again, before turning around to begin leaning off his balcony all together.

“Stop doing that!” A pair of hands were on his back before he could even begin to fall. “One of these days I really won’t be here to catch you.”

Karma turned, grinning at Python’s floating figure. “But you’re here right now.”

He gave up, landing with a thud on the actual balcony. “What do you need to talk about, anyway?”

“I’m writing a different kind of article,” he said, “I wanted your opinion… Do you want to come in?”

Python didn’t seem so sure, but he nodded, graciously following Karma into his apartment. “Alright.”

“It’s about how heroes and villains can be mixed with our society,” he said, “and I figured… You can’t be a hero all the time, right? Like you must have somewhere you live, something outside of this… So that’s the angle I want to go with, that anybody could be a hero.”

Having listened for a moment, Python shifted. “I-“

“What is it?” Did he absolutely hate it?

“I think some of the villains I’ve been following might be...” A grimace came across his face. “Definitely doing something bad. I’m sorry, but I need to go.”

“Wait!” Karma got a crazy idea. “Wouldn’t that be perfect?”

Python’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

“I’m just a normal civilian,” he said. “What better way to understand, than to experience something like this as a hero.”

“You’re… being serious?”

It only took a moment of searching, before he pulled out the cape he’d worn as his fake costume. “I’ll be your side kick for the day!”

Python didn’t seem so impressed. “You can’t defend yourself-“

“Sure I can,” he said, “c’mon, I promise I’ll stay out of the way.”

Python swallowed. “But-“

Karma considered his options quickly, before realising he might have to force his hand. So, he leapt up, jumping onto Python’s back like a man possessed. It wasn’t so hard, despite everything that made him a hero, Python was kind of short. Karma was not short, but he did know Python’s strength super power allowed him to carry him with ease.

“I’m not letting go~”

It seemed Python was easy to wear down, because he didn’t further the argument, instead giving Karma a piggyback out to the balcony again, before leaping up in flight. Karma wasn’t exactly used to that sensation, but it felt better now he was more aware of his surroundings. A part of him wished he could do this himself, soaring over his home city, but it was just as nice to cling to Python.

They landed in what seemed to be some power station, a mess of tall structures and high voltage signs around them. There was also an actual building, though, which Karma supposed was the logical place to head to. He wasn’t exactly sure what this villain’s plan was. Kill the city’s electricity supply? He supposed that would have made him miss the daily One Piece rerun… pure evil.

“Keep your distance,” Python said, letting Karma off his back.

His inner child was screaming at how cool this entire situation was, but he managed to keep a straight face. This was serious! So he did what he was told, keeping behind Python until the coast was declared clear. When they entered the building, at least, there didn’t seem to be anybody there, so he told Karma to stay on the bottom floors whilst Python searched the top.

The hairs on the back of Karma’s neck stood up, once he was gone. Whilst he might not have super powers, it wasn’t like he was inexperienced in dangerous situations. So he knew that something was off, right down to his instincts. Karma found himself clenching his fists, watching his stance in preparation for whatever might be coming.

“What are you doing in my base, hm?” The villain finally showed himself, pretty regular looking but there was a weird air about him.

“Your base?” Karma looked around. “I’d say I like what you’ve done with the place, but it’s kind of drab, don’t you think?”

He didn’t seem to find that funny, though. “I am the villain Grip,” he picked up a pipe, bending it in two like it was nothing.

Karma decided right then it was probably in his best interests to not to let the guy touch him. In the back of his head, he thought about calling out, but Python might be in the middle of something important. Besides… he could handle this. He wasn’t going to just stand there and be a liability, not after he’d been brought all the way there.

So, when Grip attacked, he made sure he was ready for it. Karma wasn’t sure what the exact extent of his power was, but he could work with the information he did have. That being, don’t get gripped. He made sure, then, to do his best to dodge and block. He had a slightly unruly youth to thank for his quick reaction speeds, and knowledge of fight techniques. It wasn’t like he had to win, either, just hold off long enough until his superhero friend returned.

He could feel the insane amount of strength in Grip’s blows, enough to probably leave him with a few deep bruises on his forearms. Karma was a tall man, but he was just a little bit more slight than his opponent, giving him a minor mobility advantage. Just hold out, he told himself. Unfortunately for Karma, it had been a long time since he’d been in a fight like this, and he was a little out of practise. Against someone with such a physical advantage, it was all he could do to dodge.

Honestly, Karma wasn’t sure how he knew Python was there. Maybe it was tuned into him or something, but he definitely felt his presence. He decided then he had to make his move, dodging under the villain’s arm to get himself as far away as possible. As Grip turned, Python sped in, merely a blur to Karma’s eyes, and restrained him.

Karma didn’t hesitate, then, eyes falling onto a long line of cable. He handed it over to Python quickly, allowing him to wrap it around the villain’s body entirely, doubling as a gag. They worked without actually speaking to each other, like both of them just knew how to work together, like it was just natural, until their work was done.

“The police should be here in minutes,” Python said, “they’ll take care of him.”

“Good,” Karma finally started to catch his breath. “That’s… good.”

“He’s not going anywhere,” Python looked over at Grip. “Let’s get out of here.”

Something shifted between them then, no matter how that had just felt, like Python was constructing a wall between them. Karma wasn’t sure he was okay with that. He was pretty sure Python could have handled that by himself anyway, but a thank you would be nice, at the very least. He helped… with the restraints…

Once they were outside, Python stopped in his tracks, breath coming out strained. “You could have been hurt.”

Karma turned to face him. “I can take care of myself-“

“What if-“ Python’s eyes almost seemed to vibrate. “Karma…”

So maybe there was a bit of a natural disadvantage when the other person had super speed and strength, and was more than capable of being right against him in under a second, strong grip practically yanking him down by the neck. Karma couldn’t put up much of a defence. But once he felt Python’s lips on his, he wouldn’t have been able to dream of stopping anyway.

Maybe because it took him by such surprise, but he found himself pliant, completely at the mercy of the hero. And, well, as kisses went, it was pretty damn good. Their lips moved against each other easily, like they were built to slot together, and Karma’s head was spinning. It was a little confusing, though. Python was shorter than him, yet he gradually felt his jaw tilt up-

He broke the kiss, opening his eyes, and Python was at exact eye level with him. Karma realised, then, that his feet weren’t actually touching the ground. Python was floating just a little bit above him, supporting him with an easy grip to his shoulders. He flushed, then, like he hadn’t meant to do that at all.

“I’m sorry,” Python said then. “I shouldn’t have-“

Karma couldn’t help himself, leaning in to steal his lips again. Apparently kisses were better a few feet off the ground, and he was going to take advantage of that fact whilst he had the chance.

[animxlity]

some verses notes:

Horace

v:Knight of England: Disney’s Robin Hood verse. Horace was one of the most trusted knights of King Richard of England, and he was asked to stay behind while Richard crusaded to keep his brother John in line. Almost immediately after the true King left, John demanded that Horace be executed for treason, and the badger was forced to flee into Sherwood forest where he lives as an outlaw.

Kaa

v:Africa: Kaa is an African rock python living in the jungle. Primarily for interactions with Lion King/Tarzan muses

v:The Zoo: Kaa is a huge old rock python who is the star attraction of the zoo’s reptile house. He holds the current record but the longest and heaviest snake in captivity. His exhibit is an enormous tank fitted with climbing branches and a pool with underwater viewing.

Tarzan

v:Modern: Tarzan is a young boy raised all his life in an adopted family. He loves them very much, although he sometimes wishes he knew the identity of his birth parents, and his relationship with his adoptive father is somewhat strained. His mother works at the local zoo as a keeper of the gorillas, and Tarzan spends a lot of time there observing them and getting to know the individuals.

As a somewhat strange kid, with long hair, gangly arms, and “funny” ways of speaking or acting, Tarzan was often picked on as a child. To escape his larger bullies, he learned and practiced parkour: a sport involving running and climbing across rooftops and buildings, which has gotten him into trouble with the law a few times, and disappointed his father even further. Around the age of 15, Tarzan was too strong to be picked on anymore, and his former tormentors were afraid of him, but he kept up the sport out of habit anyways: becoming locally famous for his daring gap-jumps and wall-scaling. He has a small fanclub, though he only ever really spends time with his friend Tantor and cousin Terk.

v:Son of the Lions: Set in a slightly more modern era. Tarzan’s parents were on safari in Kenya when their vehicle broke down in the middle of the bush. As night fell, they were attacked and killed by a pride of lions. But before Tarzan could be eaten as well, he was found by a young lioness. His lack of fear and curious disposition moved her, and she lifted him by his shawl and carried him out of the truck.

The other lioness moved aggressively towards her, but they were broken up by the dominant male. He sniffed the baby curiously, then dismissvely snorted and moved back to the feed: effectively granting the lioness and her new charge his protection.

Tarzan grew up among the pride, learning how to become like them. He was suckled alongside a litter of cubs, but they quickly outgrew him and were adults before he could walk. He grew up alongside a few separate generations of cubs, and by that point he had learned all the lessons he needed to survive twice over. There were those in the pride still hostile to him, but he had the protection of his mother and the pride male.

As he grew up, Tarzan was constantly shocking and surprising the pride, either for better or worse. He could pull thorns from their paws, and proved surprisingly effective in driving game towards them. He was a good guardian and playmate for the cubs, so they would not be left alone while the lionesses went to hunt. Yet he also made allies of the elephants: age-old enemies of the lions. He saw one particular calf return to their territory every year, and noticed he was growing at the same rate as her. They became friends despite the misgivings of both their parents.

When the largest crocodile on the river tried to pull a zebra carcass away from the pride, Tarzan swam underwater and jammed a rock into his underbelly, causing him to let go and relenquish it to the lions: yet a week later when Tarzan found him dying on the riverbank, he removed the rock and saved his life.

From the baboons he learned to use his hands to look for food and make tools and from the ostriches he learned the effectiveness of running and two legs. The lions taught him to fight and be proud, the elephants taught him to be patient and wise, the crocodile taught him to be cunning and resilient: Tarzan was quickly cementing his place among the wild animals. But not all were so happy for a human to be living among them, and such a strange creature could not stay hidden from the rest of the world forever.

Hiccup

v:Modern: Hiccup is a young boy living in a small town somewhere in the US (Pacific Northwest or forested New Hampshire). His family is of Scottish descent and his father works as an animal trainer/animal control for the small local zoo (notable residents include: a grizzly bear, a hippopotamus, an alligator, and a pair of wolves). His methods of “training” mainly involve negative reinforcement encouraging the animals to fear him.

Hiccup feels out of touch with his peer group and his father. His father is known in the town for being a legendary high-school football player, and everyone seems disappointed that Hiccup doesn’t seem to be following in his footsteps. The kids at school largely ignore him, but a girl called Astrid seems to actively resent the fact that he receives special treatment because of who his father is. He seems to be able to confide in his teacher and close family-friend Gobber more than anyone, but even still he never quite feels understood. He spends a lot of time alone in the forest.

One day it is announced that the zoo will be receiving a new attraction: a black jaguar that was found too close to human settlements in Brazil, and is allegedly a man-eater. Hiccup goes to see the panther arriving, and notices the crate shaking violently, accompanied by loud screeches and roars. Just as the crate door slides open to let the cat into its exhibit, the crate bucks violently and the jaguar runs into the crowd, escaping into the woods and wounding Stoic in the process.

A county-wide search for the animal begins, with fears that it could potentially propose a danger to humans. Stoic gets very involved, seemingly with a personal grudge against it. He forbids Hiccup to go outside after dark, but he is rarely home between the search and his job that this rule goes unforced. Discreetly, he shows Hiccup where the firearms are and how to use one if he needs to defend himself.

One night when he is home alone, Hiccup hears a noise in the garden outside: he looks out his window and just at the bottom where the forest begins; he sees the jaguar. Desperate to prove himself, he shoots it, but only succeeds in scaring the jaguar off. When his neighbors come to investigate and when his father and friends ask him what happened, no one believes him.

The following day while venturing into the woods, Hiccup happens upon the great cat lying on the ground, its back leg caught in a snare. Though it hisses at him when he approaches, it appears too weak to move. Hiccup comes to the conclusion that the jaguar only got caught in the snare because Hiccup had frightened it, and it would have been less careful where it stood in its panic. Feeling guilty, he removes the snare, fully expecting the cat to turn and maul him. The jaguar stands and prowls towards him, growling lowly, but once it pushes him to the ground and roars in his face, it leaps off of him and runs off into the forest.

Hiccup doesn’t tell anyone what he has known, knowing that the orders given were to shoot the jaguar dead on sight. The following day he goes into the woods again, with a slab of meat and a few slices of ham in his pocket. He manages to find the jaguar, who has been unable to hunt, and it seems to respond to being fed very well: at least it doesn’t attack him. Hiccup becomes the jaguar’s trainer of sorts, and slowly the two form a real bond. Hiccup names him Toothless when he notices that one of the jaguar’s canine teeth is missing.

A few weeks later, Stoic, exhausted from the weeks of searching, is called to deal with the zoo’s grizzly bear that is behaving aggressively. He goes to the exhibit armed with a long pole with a taser. When he tries to prod the bear it becomes even more aggressive and anxious, it rears up and grabs the pole, dragging Stoic down into its enclosure. He tries to defend himself, but the bear slashes him badly down the middle.

Hiccup is present to see this, and without thinking, jumps down into the pen and places himself between the bear and his father. Just as the grizzly charges, a loud screech is heard, and Toothless comes soaring over the gathered crowd and down into the bear pit. The grizzly and the jaguar have a fierce fight, and in the crossfire Hiccup’s leg is badly injured and later is amputated, but eventually, reinforcements arrive and both animals are tranquilized.

Toothless is put back into the zoo, but the keepers notice that he is much more docile and compliant than he ever was before. Hiccup admits to being the one to train him, and although he is chastised, he is offered a part-time job there as a keeper/trainer. Every day after school he heads straight to the zoo, and the huge black panther runs up to the wire fence to meet him.

[imagine-lcorp]

Mustang Ride (Part III)

A/N: Hello beautiful people, here’s an update on this series. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think! Now, there’s not much to say but i wanna wish you all HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! Kudos to you all and I hope life is treating you well :) love u <3

Lena Luthor x Shapeshifter Reader//Word Count: 1,883

Series: Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV - Part V

"You roar in your sleep." Lena said teasingly and with a kiss on your cheek that morning.

"No." You looked up from the paper you had been reading, startled by her comment. "I don't." You were sitting in the kitchen counter, sipping coffee and reading reports from the DEO.

"Yes, you do." She chuckled.

You grunted and placed a hand on your face, trying to cover your embarrassment. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry." You mumbled and Lena just laughed.

"No, it's fine. I just never heard you do that before." She took a seat near of you and smirked. "You must have been really tired after last night."

"Yeah, must be so." You said with a smile and returned to your papers in an attempt to hide the faint redness in your cheeks.

"Do you really need to get back to the DEO today? Eliza said seven weeks." She said pleading.

Since the incident with Henshaw on Alex's birthday, you had been absent from the DEO. Eliza had recommended seven weeks of rest without knowing your ribs could heal in two. It was one of the perks of having your powers. You even thought of taking those seven weeks but, after seeing the paperwork J'onn had sent you home, you decided you preferred going back as soon as you could. He, however, gave you another three days to be sure you were completely recovered.

Lena had convinced you of spending those days with her at her penthouse. She wanted to keep an eye on you and make sure you were following the doctor's recommendations. Needless to say, you did more than what the doctor had said. The days with her flew by, between her and your own work, movie nights and quiet mornings. With enough luck, you thought, this could be a glimpse of your future together.

"Yeah, I do." You raised your head at her with an apologetic look. "But I can go with you to CatCo before leaving to the DEO, if you want."

"Mmm, a ride to work? I'd better finish getting ready then." She rose from the chair and gave you a kiss before going back to her room. You shook your head and smiled, returning to your papers.

An hour later, you were at Noonan's ordering your coffee and heading to CatCo. She was excited for the next printed issue of the magazine, it was her first one after all, and she wanted to make sure everything was ready. You took the elevator to the top floor and let Lena ramble about it a bit more. It made you happy to see her like this.

The elevator doors opened a few minutes later to show you the whole floor in movement. People were here and there, talking and typing furiously on their computers, checking and revising papers, phones ringing nonstop. You found James, in the middle of it all, talking with Eve and checking some layouts. You both walked towards him once he finished his conversation with Eve.

"Hi, nice to see you two." He greeted you with a big smile. "How are you feeling, (Y/N)?"

"As good as new." You returned the smile.

"Better than that, I would say." Lena said with a smirk, making you blush a little. James was surprised for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Well, I'm happy you're ready to go back, Winn has been missing you out there." He patted you on the shoulder with a smile. "Also, good thing you're here. I have some layouts you may want to see, Lena."

"Of course." She said and turned to you. "Can you stay a few minutes more?"

"Sure, boss." You nodded once and followed them.

You heard them chat on the short way to James’s office, realizing it was the first time you had ever entered that room. The office was very James, with framed photographs on his desk, a set of weights near the couches, and the smell of his cologne. However, you were impressed by the set of televisions behind the desk, flashing with all the news. You imagined Kara and James found them useful when it came to spotting criminal activity, like the one appearing in each screen at that moment.

"Hey, what's going on?" You frowned and pointed a finger at the screens.

Lena and James where near the desk looking the layouts he had brought but they raised their heads to them. The cameras showed the front doors of the West National City Bank, police officers were outside and waiting for instructions. James took the control from his desk and turner the volume up.

"...what we know so far. Three men entered the bank, screaming and demanding money. Witnesses say the men were unarmed but were able to take control..." The reporter informed with serious voice. "...one witness also reports seeing wild animals inside the..."

"Wild animals? That's new." James crossed her arms as he kept watching the report.

The cameras shook suddenly as the bank doors went flying into the street. Reporters were moving towards the entrance to get a better take in the action.  Police officers were drawing their guns and advancing towards the cloud of dust coming from the bank.

"What the..." You trailed off in shock as a rhino came storming through the dust and growled at the officers.

The cameras kept focusing on the great animal until two men stepped out, carrying big bags. There wasn't much the police could do to stop their advance as the rhino seemed to be protecting them. A young officer tried to approach the men from the side but one of them noticed and, before he could take a step further, the man turned into a big polar bear. Everything after that was chaos.

"I need to get there." You said resolute. If this was a case of shapeshifters, your own abilities could come in handy.

"(Y/N)." Lena took you by the wrist before you left and placed a quick kiss on your cheek. "Be careful."

"Will be." You assured her and then nodded to James before running to the balcony. You jumped off, turning into a falcon, and headed to the bank.

It took you less than two minutes to arrive and you were relieved to find Kara, in full supersuit, already at the scene. You flew over the street, to see cars and police officers surrounding the suspects at a safe distance. They were ordered to hold their fire and let Supergirl handle the situation. The rhino and the polar bear guys were pacing back and forth, protecting the other one, who was holding the bags.

"Let us go and no one has to get hurt!" The man shouted.

"You're right." Responded Supergirl in her power pose. "Surrender and I won't have to hurt you."

"I guess we will take our chances." The other replied with a cheeky grin appearing on his face. "Boys, go wild!" Then, like a mini stampede, between roars and growls the animals charged against Supergirl.

With a rush of wind you dived directly against the rhino's side. Kara looked at you for a second before fighting the polar bear, she was happy to see you recovered and just in time for some action. She was trying to subdue the bear without harming him, finding herself in a little predicament as she dodged and blocked his claws. He may have been a dangerous criminal but Kara was against any type of animal cruelty.

You, on the contrary, didn't have a problem with transforming yourself, after landing, into a tiger to dig your claws into the rhino's thick skin. He groaned and tripped when he felt your claws grabbing one of his legs, allowing you to stop his race. When he ended on the floor, struggling to get back on his feet, you transformed into a gorilla and put him on a headlock. You were sure that would make him become human again until a deadly grip on your arms forced you to free him.

There was big snake wrapped around your arms and shoulders, its head getting awfully close to your face. It was a python and it was opening its jaw, showing you the fangs. You couldn't but transform again to escape its bite. You jumped out of the python's hold and hopped around like crazy to distract the python, and the rhino that was now on his feet and growling at you. Being a hare turned useful when they tried to attack you, they couldn't keep up with your quick reflexes.

They were getting tired and desperate with this chase. The snake almost tangled up itself and the rhino was becoming slow and sloppy. This would open a chance to take them down easily with Supergirl's help. When making a sharp turn, you saw her finally hit the polar bear, sending him back towards the bank doors. She must have knocked him out because he felt with a loud thud and stayed on the floor, where he turned human. The face Supergirl made after that was all Kara, raised eyebrows, mouth open, horrified and apologetic.

She recovered in a flash, the expression gone to be replaced with crinkled eyes and a small chuckle when she saw you bouncing all over the place. You would have enjoyed it yourself too were it not for the snake about to throw its fangs at you. You jumped, as high as possible to avoid the attack, and turned into a gorilla again to catch the snake once and for all. You grabbed the python from the middle of its body with one hand and trapped the python's head with the other. You didn't let go until it transformed back to the man who was shouting at the police.

In the meantime, Supergirl moved using her super speed and took the rhino by the horn. There was a moment of struggle for both of them. The rhino tried to push her and Supergirl tried to hold her stance but, at the end, she drove him the ground and another man appeared instead of the rhino, too exhausted to keep fighting.

"I told them to surround." Kara shrugged and you growled softly in approval.

A moment later, DEO vehicles were surrounding the area and several agents jumped out of the cars to take the men into custody. Supergirl and you took flight, following the vans and monitoring the route in case anything else happened. But now, after the fight, you couldn't help the feeling that something was off with this whole situation. For three shapeshifters, they didn't shift into much.

Come to think of it, you had never found another person with similar powers who wasn't an alien. Maybe they were aliens but then, why didn't they morph into something scarier than just earth animals? You were thinking so hard about it, you almost didn't notice when one of the vans stopped abruptly mid-way and started moving on the spot.

From inside the car you could hear something between a roar and a scream and Kara flew down immediately to see what was happening. You followed and landed in front of the car's doors ready for another fight but, when Kara opened the doors, your whole body froze at the sight.

[kashmiresims]

Fighting for a Cause

First Post | Previous Post | Next Post

This isn’t shady at all Franz thought with sarcasm as he stood in front of a warehouse. He was at the address that was returned to him from when he texted that number on the fight night poster. The address had led him to a location in Scandalica City that consisted of a few dilapidated warehouses that obviously hadn’t been maintained in a number of years as evident by the vines and weeds trying their best to reclaim the three-story brick building. What was he getting himself into? He would have cared more if not for the promise of one thousand simoleons if he happened to win this fight. He knew he was a good fighter, the question was—how good would his opponents be? Would he have any opponents? Considering the very abandoned nature of the lot, he wondered if he was the only person there. He spied light from the second story and some movement—so there were people in there after all. Franz crossed the street and walked the perimeter of the warehouse looking for a valid entrance that wasn’t chained or boarded up. “Hey, you looking for the fight?” He heard someone ask from the shadows. Franz curled his fists on instinct. Wandering around in the shadows was not a good life choice for anyone sneaking up on him. “Oh hey buddy, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” the owner of the voice—a guy—held up his hands to show he wasn’t dangerous “Looks like you are looking to fight—you wanna be a fighter?” Franz nodded wordlessly. The guy stepped out from near the wall of the warehouse and Franz got a better look at him. He wore a vest and tie, had scraggly brown hair that grew into his eyes which were underneath a very prominent set of eyebrows. “Follow me,” the guy indicated and moved forward. Franz didn’t inherently trust this guy, just hanging around an abandoned warehouse in the shadows but he hadn’t seen how to get in yet and figured it’d be okay to follow him. They stopped in front of a door that had a lock broken off. The guy pulled the chain away that was wrapped around the door handles and entered. Once inside, there was little light to see anything by. The guy reached out, picked something up and handed it to Franz; it was half a mask, shaped like something a surgeon would wear but made of heavier, flexible material and almost looked metallic. Franz could barely make out an intricate design on the front but he didn’t know if it meant anything. “Put that on. It protects your face and identity.” “Why am I protecting my identity?” Franz frowned. “This fight isn’t exactly above water if you know what I mean. Let’s just say if the cops bust us up, you probably won’t get identified on your way out.” Franz nodded with understanding and slipped the mask on over the bottom half of his face, securing the loops behind his ears to hold it in place. He followed the guy further into the warehouse and there was more light down the way. It led to an opening with a sink and old sets of lockers, probably for the workers that used to be employed here. He saw there was a gathering of other potential fighters with the same type of mask obscuring their mouths.

“Are we done waiting? When do we get to fight?” A buff man asked with impatience; his voice muffled and his brow was notched into a frown. The same guy who had greeted Franz nonchalantly walked around them all so he was standing in front like a host of sorts, “Hold your horses. Before you go up to fight I need you to pick out a name—it’ll be your alias when you come around to fight." "I call dibs on King Cobra!” The same buff guy shouted. “Boomslang !” The shorter of the fighters determined with enthusiasm right after. “Are we going with a snake theme? I like it,” the host nodded in approval and looked toward Franz and the man sitting on the bench. “Sure, I’ll be The Anaconda ,” the guy in the beanie shrugged and picked a snake. Franz didn’t really like snakes but there was one kind he didn’t mind petting when their class went on a field trip to the zoo. It was so big and long, but it wasn’t the type known to bite and poison its prey. Strength is what made it feared in the wild. “Python,” Franz said, though his answer was made even more muffled by his mask. “Well that settles that. Since Boomslang and Python were here last, they’ll go first. Then King Cobra and The Anaconda will fight. The winners of those two matches will go head to head for the finale and whoever wins will get the cash. Any questions?” King Cobra rose his hand and said “Yeah, are there any illegal moves?” “Can’t use items, it has to be a fight using body strength only. The masks protect your identity and your face so try not to knock each other’s teeth out despite that. Also, this goes without saying but no groin hits—I think we’re all in agreement that sucks.” They all nodded with affirmation. “When is a match done?” Boomslang asked. “When a guy goes down and can’t get up for five counts the match is over. Anything else?” “Does insurance cover this?” The Anaconda wondered. “No.” The host looked to Franz to see if he had any questions but Franz didn’t voice any. He was just ready to fight. He had been sizing up his opponents in the short time they had been gathered. Boomslang was small, which meant he could be quicker and most likely depended on evasive moves. The Anaconda was of average build and Franz had a hard time picturing him taking anyone out, especially if he was wearing a hat to a fight. The real contender here was King Cobra—the dude was ripped, and a lot bulkier than Franz who in contrast, was pretty lean in his midsection. Franz’s stomach was his weak point in a fight so he’d have to watch for any punches thrown that direction. “Okay, so the first two fighters can follow me up to the warehouse floor. Wait until you hear me whistle and then you can begin,” the host motioned them forward. There was an old lift that surprisingly still worked that they stepped onto and rode up. The doors opened and the host told Franz and Boomslang to get out while he stayed on. A moment later they saw why as there was a third floor that looked down onto the second from above. There were people, which unnerved Franz upon initially seeing them gathered on the same floor. So, this was a fight for spectators? Of course, why had he thought any different? The room was occupied by a decent number of college-aged students who had no doubt seen the same posters plastered throughout the campuses of the region and had their interest piqued. Franz and Boomslang walked to the middle of the room, the floorboards creaking every step. It briefly made Franz wonder if the floor could hold everyone after years of disuse and gradual decay. The fighters faced each other and silence fell over the room. Boomslang must have been hyped up to fight, his brows were slanted inward in a glare—already considering Franz the enemy. Franz had no ill will toward this guy, but he needed that money and he’d gladly put a beat-down on him to obtain it. The host shouted out an introduction of the fighters by their snake aliases and then a sharp whistle pierced the silence. Boomslang charged toward Franz.

Franz immediately brought his leg up and halted the charge by connecting the force of his knee into Boomslang’s stomach. A few of the spectators cheered and some winced as Boomslang stumbled backward with the breath knocked out of him. It was Franz’s turn to make an attempt to attack, and in a few long strides he was toe-to-toe with Boomslang and threw a punch. Like he suspected downstairs, the guy evaded it with a quick dodge and scrambled around back of Franz. Boomslang threw his weight into Franz’s side and pushed him off balance. Franz pivoted and made another attempt to throw a punch. Boomslang dodged that too. Franz cursed in his mind, he needed to be faster to land a hit on this opponent. Boomslang darted to the left as Franz went right, and then the opposite direction. Suddenly Franz saw stars as something hard came up from below and caught him in the jaw. An uppercut.

Franz staggered backward and received a second blow to the right of his face between his eye and cheekbone. It was painful. A surge of adrenaline washed through him and he stormed forward, nearly knocking Boomslang wholly to the ground. Franz kicked the guy’s feet out from under him as he tried to regain balance and that time, the action did put Boomslang to the floor where Franz decked him in the face with a series of hits, until Boomslang’s nose started bleeding. The people watching were cheering. Boomslang held his hands up to defend himself and Franz halted his assault. “Stay down or I’ll knock you out,” Franz warned as he stood straight, towering above the smaller man; he didn’t want to have to repeat the act of rendering someone unconscious in a fight like he did all those years ago. He was just a kid then, there no telling how much more damage he could inflict now that he was a man. Boomslang peered out from behind his hands with blood gushing from his nose, running into his lips. He looked afraid and apprehensively nodded. They heard the whistle again and another shout that proclaimed that Python was the victor. Franz held out his hand for Boomslang to take to stand again but the man refused. Franz retracted his hand and walked back to the lift. He ignored the cheers and congratulations from the spectators as he boarded. The other two fighters were waiting to enter the lift when the doors opened on the lower floor. No one said a word as they walked past each other but considering the aggression he sensed radiating off of King Cobra, Franz didn’t believe The Anaconda had a fighting chance of beating the guy.

Since he was alone, Franz unfastened the mask from his face and looked at his reflection in the mirror above the sink. He winced as he brushed his fingers against the reddening skin of his cheek and saw bruising was starting to set in around his eye. He had dinner with his family tomorrow and they’d surely ask him about where he got such a wound. Fauna would be especially nosy and annoying about it. Franz wasn’t one to lie about thing either, so he could already taste that annoying dilemma on his tongue. A wave of cheering could suddenly be heard through the thick ceiling. What was everyone so happy about? Franz wondered on that as he looked above him. 

On the fighting floor, King Cobra has just knocked The Anaconda out cold. The poor guy was flat on his back, unmoving. After a few moments the shout went out, proclaiming King Cobra as the winner. King Cobra was drinking in the positive energy from the crowd as they applauded and shouted for him. He held up his hand to his ear to milk more of that intoxicating sound. From the lofted area above, two men observed the action. Between the two of them, they had orchestrated the event.   

“Do you really think this going to work?” Nick asked, rubbing his chin with consideration. He was a bit apprehensive—seeing how King Cobra had taken less than five minutes to render his opponent unconscious. It was unsettling, especially if he won and then found out that the prize money was all counterfeit. Nick had no desire to share The Anaconda’s fate. “It’ll be fine,” Cain assured and crossed his arms with a smile. After Nick had found out that his tuition had been revoked, he had gotten ahold of Cain since Mr. Eyebrows was the only other person who knew about the counterfeiting machine on the Armscor property. Cain had listened to Nick’s issue and the idea he had to use the counterfeiting machine to supplement the amount of tuition he owed. Cain said that wouldn’t work; if Nick paid in counterfeit money, it would be clear that the source of the counterfeiting came from Nick. The solution was to cut the counterfeit money with the real deal. They had an entire warehouse that wasn’t being used—basically a shitty venue just stable enough to hold some kind of clandestine gathering—and that’s when the idea to have an underground fighting ring came into existence. Phase 1 of the plan was to advertise a fight night with little detail, have Cain set up an untraceable automatic number that would text any number that texted for info the address of the fight, then charge a 10 simoleon cover for people to watch the fights. To tempt people into fighting, they would offer 1,000 simoleons in counterfeit money since neither of them obviously had a legit grand to throw around. Cain and Nick both knew from experience that once a fight broke out, it was hard to look away so the activity was sure to generate interest. Phase 2 had still yet to take action but Cain predicted that those who had come tonight would surely talk about it to their friends. To remove all paper trails of the illicit activity going forward, he would give everyone the date and time of the next fight for them to know and to spread word about. The draw and catch was exclusivity—if anyone missed a night, they’d be out knowing when the next one was. Phase 3 was the natural addition of betting on fights, but they didn’t want to count their chickens before they hatched. This enterprise, in addition to solving Nick’s problem, had the potential to rake in a lot of money for them. That was, if they didn’t get caught first. Nick thought it was too risky at first but Cain had faith it would be successful and had fought to convince him it would work and Nick didn’t really have any other options for quick cash besides taking out a loan but he had no credit to his name to even accomplish that. The Anaconda jolted up suddenly, coming out of his stupor and winced. He pulled himself upward and limped back to the lift to go back downstairs and tend to his face which was turning into one big bruise overall. The doors opened and Franz stepped off, passing the unfortunate Anaconda and noting how badly beaten he was from King Cobra’s assault. Franz would have to certainly put up a lot of defense on King Cobra if he had any chance to win. His mask was back in place and he frowned as he walked toward the middle of the floor where King Cobra waited. “If you quit now, I’ll spare you the extra bruising,” King Cobra taunted him. Franz had given an ultimatum to his first opponent in the same manner but that was because he didn’t want to hurt the guy more than he had to. He could tell King Cobra didn’t care if he hurt him; he just wanted an easier way to win the money. Franz wasn’t backing down now. He didn’t say a word in response which caused King Cobra to match the frown and ready his fists. Franz did as well. The host above re-introduced them to a round of cheers from the crowd and then whistled as a signal to start.

As Franz observed earlier, King Cobra was aggressive, so he immediately struck outward with one of his fists. Franz was prepared for that. He caught his opponent’s fist between his elbows and clamped them together, using the sheer power of his shoulders to take the upper hand. Franz twisted King Cobra’s arm the opposite direction which bought him a few seconds to wind up and sock King Cobra in the chest. He stumbled backward and let out a shout followed by a few coughs and seemed to stretch his arm muscle that had been affected by Franz’s move. “So you want to play rough, do you?” He asked though Franz knew it was rhetorical. King Cobra lashed out once more and Franz side-stepped the incoming blow, returning a counter-punch into the side of his torso. Talking was useless in a fight. It was distracting and Franz always found that to be the downfall for those he had fought over the years. They all were more concerned with their ego and hurling insults than concentrating on beating him. This is why Franz considered himself a good fighter. “I’m going to send you to your mommy in a bodybag,” King Cobra snarled and made another forward attack but Franz wasn’t like The Anaconda that could just be barreled over by sheer physical prowess. King Cobra made contact but Franz didn’t go to the floor, he offset the weight by rolling and ended up being the one to pin his opponent down instead. The fight which had loosely been akin to boxing was now outright wrestling. It was difficult keeping him down, because he was stronger but all the tussling was not something Franz was used to in a fight and that left him with a lot of open points. A sharp jab to his midsection rendered him breathless and he fell forward, momentarily immobile with pain searing through his ribs. He felt like he was going to vomit and rolled onto his back. King Cobra scrambled to stand again and loomed over him. If his mask hadn’t concealed the lower-half of his face, Franz was sure he would have seen an evil-ass smirk spread across his opponent’s mouth at this reversal of power. He had drowned out the crowd’s noises until now, and upon hearing the cheering and clapping he knew that they favored King Cobra. Why? People always seemed to do that—cheer on those least deserving to come out on top, who already were on top and it was Franz who was always clamoring to get there and getting knocked down every step of the way. Franz had to get up if he didn’t want to be counted as down. King Cobra raised his fist and it was coming down with a promise of pain, fast, right in between Franz’s eyes if he didn’t do something to stop it. Reflexes kicked in, and though it was painful for him to move—he grabbed King Cobra’s arm, effectively stopping the blow and pulled him forward while simultaneously bending his leg like a spring to catch King Cobra’s stomach on the underside of his sneaker—and flipped the buff body wholly over his shoulder. King Cobra landed into the floorboards with a crack, and no one was sure if it was the wood giving way or a bone that had broken.

Franz stood and turned just as King Cobra pulled himself up, holding his arm with the other and glaring daggers. He stumbled forward in an angry desperation, winding another punch up with his good arm. Franz grabbed his fist, parrying the sloppy attempt and then popped King Cobra hard, square in the face with his knuckles which he had been sharpening on a punching bag for the past few weeks. The heavyweight fell backward and revisited the floorboards, blood starting to trickle out of his nose. Franz watched carefully to make sure the guy was down for good and he slowly counted in his head, seeming to hold his breath as the seconds ticked by. After the final count, it was announced that Python was the night’s best fighter. Franz let out a breath of relief. The crowd erupted into a ruckus for him, now that he had proven himself to be an underdog. He still felt sick from the blow to his midsection. He ignored them once more as he passed to go back downstairs. He didn’t know where else to go but knew he needed to get his reward and get the hell out of there. He was in pain and he was tired. Once back in the room he had first entered, he found Boomslang and The Anaconda were cleaning up their blood. Yet, both still had the masks on. It was probably in everyone’s best interest they didn’t know each other’s true faces. “Are you okay?” Franz asked Boomslang. “M'fine,” Boomslang mumbled and didn’t make eye contact, apparently still sore that he had lost. “You bested King Cobra?” The Anaconda said in muffled wonder. Franz nodded and sat on the bench, tenderly feeling the side where he’d been jabbed. A few minutes later the host returned to the room alone and thanked them all for participating. “Next fight is tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. If you don’t come, this may have been your last chance.” “What do you mean?” Boomslang asked. “Well, the only way to find out when the next fight is, is to show up. So, if you don’t come tomorrow—you won’t get the information you need for the following fight.” Not shady at all, Franz frowned to himself with the same sarcasm as earlier . To be fair, the host had all but admitted this entire event was not strictly legal. But Franz had dinner with his family tomorrow night, would he have to skip it just to be in the loop? “Where’s King Cobra,” The Anaconda wondered. “He’s going to go find some medical attention for his arm. But I told him the deal and when the fight is tomorrow and he’s rearing for a re-match,” the host turned an eye on Franz, nearly taunting him to return and fight again. Franz stared hard and didn’t shy away, “Where’s my winnings?” The host laughed and dug through his pockets until he found a wallet, “You didn’t think I’d forget that did you?” He handed over a wad of bills, crisp and rolled. Franz separated them out and found 10 bills worth 100 Simoleons each. This was what he needed and more of it too. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” he mumbled. There was no way of getting money faster to pay for his mother’s treatment, that is unless they took the bakery—and he was literally fighting to save both. “Me too,” Boomslang promised. Franz’s pocket started buzzing which startled him. He rolled the money back up and stuffed it in his pocket while removing his cell phone to check who was calling. It wasn’t a number he recognized. “Hello?” He answered, though his voice was muffled through his mask. “Is this Franz Schoulsburg?” “Yes…” “Hello this is Doctor Wellington from the Regional Mercy ER; I’m calling you to let you know that your mother, Yvette, was admitted about a half hour ago after she was found collapsed and unresponsive. Please come to the hospital as soon as possible–” “Is she okay?” “She’s stable but we found something concerning—please we need you down here now.” Franz was already moving toward the exit, despite calls from the other guys in the room asking what his problem was. His heart had picked up pace, stung with a deep worry for his mother’s health. He emerged into the night and found it hard to breath. His thoughts were clouded with dread and he ripped off his mask, while stuffing it in his other pocket—letting the night air fill his lungs. He broke into a jog even though his body was still in pain from the abuse it had taken during the fight. Luckily the Regional Mercy Hospital was in Scandalica City and Franz could get there faster than the bus if he just ran the eight or so blocks downtown instead of riding and having to stop every five minutes. With his adrenaline rushing far faster than it had when he was fighting, he started sprinting and disappeared into the darkness. He had been too preoccupied to even notice that someone had witnessed him fleeing, had seen his whole face, and they were not the sort of person to keep that information to themselves.

[lizaharridge-mga2019mi4015]

draft essay 3

The jungle book, an animation movie inspired by the Rudyard Kipling “Mowgli” stories has had a series of movies filmed for children starting from the 1967 animation cartoon to the high-quality motion graphical live-action movie in 2016. Both movies are about a little boy who was brought up in the jungle by a pack of wolves, but the two movies depict the storyline in a vastly different way to each other, where it can be compared to the graphical structure, they both were made on.

The story narrates about a jungle in India and about a little boy who has been abandoned in the forest and then brought by the animals itself. The storyline can be the exact same as per the 1967 cartoon animation to the 2016 live-action sequel, but with more developed characters and the scenery.

Story shows a little boy (Mowgli) in small red cloth covering the privates, and a bear(Baloo), a panther(Bagheera), a snake (kaa), a tiger (Shere khan), the wolves (Akheela and Raksha) as the main characters of the two movies and they play major roles for the success of the movies in their own specific way.

In comparison, Baloo’s character is more specific in the 2016 sequel and it depicts a gigantic grizzly bear that plays a more serious character rather than the blue bear which plays in the 1967 cartoon animation. And the 2016 movie depicts the bond between the two in a far wider range in the sequel rather than the cartoon as well. The action scene of Baloo depicts the strength of the bear to a greater extent as well, especially, in the monkey temple where Baloo protects Mowgli and fights to save him, again showing the bond between the two. Thus we can see the relationship is like a teacher and also a friend between the two, through the scenes where the two go to bathe in the river while singing and caring for each other.

Bagheera's character is of a great black panther whose character has been given more prominence in the sequel yet again than of the cartoon, showing the greatness of the panther and also showing that the character is mostly feared based on the image, which shows at the beginning of the movie sequel where the panther jumps on Mowgli through the trees. And this scene was depicted with the action-based music giving a scary tensed situation to it, where the movie clearly depicts the character as one of the most respectable and also feared personality, but also the good in the character as well when the panther starts speaking out quite friendly towards the human cub. The 1967 cartoon animation, however, does not give the character much depth as the introduction of the character even starts with gloomy music and also involving humor to the character. Bagheera plays the role of the care-taker of the human cub Mowgli in the movies. The scariness of the character is also shown in the action scene in the monkey temple and also in the fight scene of Shere Khan the tiger as well, being the only character to challenge the tiger. 

The Snake Kaa gives yet again more prominence to the movie live-action sequel of 2016 as it depicts the reality of life through it. Right at the introduction through music which gives out danger, shows a large snake on many branches. Kaa is enormous in size and is also very scary, and through its eyes shows the truth about the man-cub, where and how he came to be in the jungle, the music changes and the man-cub was about to get eaten, which can actually relate to the truth of life, which can depict danger on its truthfulness and then it can also put you in danger as well. The cartoon animation of 1967, however, mocks the character giving a humorous personality to the snake and not giving the character the prominence, it needs. Kaa’s ability to turn the prey mentally unstable depicts that truth can also take make you unstable in different parts of life. But the fact remains as to how Baloo the great grizzly bear be able to fight off the enormous python, where the directors tend to hide the action sequence from the audience and at the end of it, Mowgli turns out alive and Baloo turns out more alive than ever without any injuries as to forget the fact that he actually did fight off an enormous python. Which actually gives Baloo a heroic tendency to its character, but still appears to be humorous.

Speaking of the action scene of the fight between the great Grizzly bear and the enormous snake, is one of the main battles of the movie live-action sequel of 2016 where the video is hidden from the audience, but embraces a huge fight between the two through the sound effects and also through the extremely fast-moving snake body. If it actually showed, it would’ve been very dangerous yet heavenly to watch as well.

The tiger Shere Khan portrays the villain of the movie, but the character does not give out its scariness in the 1967 cartoon animation where the personality gives out a more fairytale villain characteristic rather than of it is actually scary. The 2016 live-action sequel, however, has given much prominence to the character having the face burnt from fire as well, which clearly gives out the message as to why the tiger actually hates humans. The villainy character plays a major role in the movie where its jealousy is feared by the whole jungle and its revenge has given the movie a great advantage. The revenge is clearly shown when the tiger enters the gathering and it is shown that the great character is feared by all through the slow but fearsome music and also it's slow but steady walk which gives the character a very dangerous accord to it. Also, the scene where the tiger actually attacks the man holding the fire shows the braveness of the character yet being it evil as well.

Mowgli however shows as a mere human cub who is timid and weak and is introduced to us in a way where it's running away from something dangerous (panther) which depicts the characters survival abilities through the music and also the voice of the character giving the character the advantage of being brave as the main character an ability it must  have. The only real character in this live-action sequel gives a vast message to the audience through its brave personality and the will to stand facing any danger he meets up with, where it's clearly shown in the scene where he meets Kaa the python and he did not tremble but spoke freely towards the great beast. The abilities of Mowgli is great as he even faced Shere Khan without fear, but the wolf cubs even actually eared the tiger, depicting the braveness of the character in a vast way but create a pun as in the beginning he was on an exam quest to qualify to be an actual wolf cub.

The two movies have vast differences among the two where the 2016 live-action sequel has made every scene in a better to a major extent while also giving depth to each moment. The start of the movie also starts with action-packed music where the entertainment is widely discussed. Clearly, the whole movie is very advanced in the 2016 live-action sequel where it has given attention to the tiniest detail as well, to the background music of the forest along with its bird sounds as well giving the audience an experience of a real forest. The growl of the panther is also very realistic where it shows at the beginning of the movie where the panther jumps on the man-cub with a fearsome growl. The voices of the characters have been given accordingly and is also very suitable to each and every character where the voices gives out a clear understanding of the character as well, for example, Raksha’s voice, the motherly voice which gives out the truth and understanding from every word spoken, and gives out the personality of a mother, loving and caring to its children yet very brave and fearsome in the face of danger to its children as well. Also, Kaa’s voice mesmerizing sweet voice which is very scary but yet godly to the ears of the listener, and the voice is also given more prominence with the scary yet truthful music in the background, in the scene where Kaa approaches Mowgli and shows the truth of his life, through its eyes.

The battles of the movie sequel are very entertaining, and yet so fearsome as well and is clearly and well given prominence as well, as for an example the battle between Bagheera and Shere Khan where her brave character actually challenges the mighty tiger and the music also depicts the great fight scene even though she was beaten through it. The importance of the fight and also the fearsome of it is clearly depicted through the background music as well as the action the scene shows. This can also be seen in the final battle between Shere Khan and Mowgli with Baloo giving out motivating music in the background, hence giving out the message to the audience that it’s the final battle and also of the great challenge where a timid young boy challenges a great and a mighty creature like a tiger.

2016 live-action sequel has given depth to the movie, along with the right message towards the characters as well as the storyline. 

[apelafas-blog]

Coolest Place on Earth? 🌏 Day 7 & 8

Today we journeyed through the gorges of Karijini National Park. With in these gorges you can find water holes and waterfalls with the clearest freshwater you could think of. The first place we went to was an easy hike and very accessible to most people. It was fairly busy but we still enjoyed the moment. We went to dales gorge and circular pool, also making a trip to the fern pool which was right next to it. I decided to head to the fern the pool first because it was further into the gorge and then I would make my way back to the waterhole at dales gorge because we were given time on our own this day to choose where we wanted to go. When I arrived to the fern pool everyone kept pointing up into a tree that was hanging over the spot everyone was getting in the water. Hanging out in the tree was a python trying to catch some food. I was more amused with the food the python was trying to catch. In the tree were hundreds of bats, but I'm not talking about the tiny little bats we have back in central Illinois, I'm talking about a very large bag with a bout a 2 foot wingspan. 🦇 <-- (looked like that)This is like something you would see on TV or National Geographic. When they were jumped out of the tree and fly around my eyes grew large because I did not believe the size of the bat I was looking at. It looked to me like a teacup pig with wings ha ha. Even though a snake and bats were hanging around the water, the water was crystal clear and if you swim about 30 m you could sit under a waterfall, so I hopped right in. Underneath the waterfall was beautiful green moss and plants growing everywhere and it was awesome because everything was natural. I hung out under the waterfall with some random people and then took a dive off the cliff into the water and swim back to shore to check out the next water hole. On my way to the next waterhole I had a great conversation with a random guy about fitness and bodybuilding and the beautiful gorges of Australia. We then split when I made it to the next waterhole as I went straight for the water because I also saw my friends and tour guide in the clear water near the waterfall. We went for a swim and then laid out on the rocks around the water and basked in the sun like we were cold blooded reptiles. Nothing like soaking in those Australian rays. ☀️ After hanging out for a while we made our way to the next water hole which included hiking on a class four trail through the gorge. This consisted of climbing up the big rocks, climbing down ladders, down a very steep gorge, and crossing rivers. We had an elder Guy in the group who I was very happy to help get up a couple rocks because I did not want to see him miss out on what we were about to see next. Finally when we got to the bottom of the gorge there was another large beautiful water hole with rock surrounding it. I had been really craving doing a cliff dive from a high cliff into water. This had a jump that was about 7 to 10 feet into the water and that would have to do. Before I made that jump I just sat on the rock while water landed on my back and I looked up around me at all the beautiful red rock surrounding the waterhole. Yet another moment where I couldn't believe I was actually in the depths of Australia. After a good night of rest it was time to take on some serious gorges the next day. When we got on the bus in the morning we saw some clouds, which is not a good thing because rain means you have to evacuate the gorge immediately because of flash flood's. Instead of rain we just had overcast the entire day which was great because it kept the very hot sun away from us. I will go in depth about each gorge, but we were the first group in over a year who experienced three gorges in one day, our tour guide told us. Couple people in the group stayed back because they didn't think they would be able to make it down some of the rocks or through some of the gorges, I think that was a good idea because these were very difficult and very dangerous, but so worth it in the end. The first gorge we went to on this day we walked down to the very bottom and our tour guide told us it's time to get wet. People didn't understand that we would be walking through waist deep water on this first gorge. When he entered the water and no one followed I decided to be the first to go in. Being the curious and courageous individual I sometimes am, I walked straight into the water until it was waist deep while I still had my backpack on because I had my go Pro camera in it to take videos. After walking about 30 yards and waist deep water and shimmying on the side of the gorge through water that would have been chest deep if I kept walking in it, we made it to the other side to some flat land so we could keep going on our adventure to the waterhole. When I got to the other side I checked my backpack to make sure my go Pro camera waterproof case was on. What I forgot about was my wallet, my phone, my passport, and my canon expensive camera were in my bag as well. Luckily, they were barely wet at all and I had a garbage bag in my back pack. I immediately felt like an idiot for forgetting I had that stuff in my bag, but I wrapped it up in the garbage bag in was good to go the rest of the way. On our way to the waterhole we had to walk through more deep water and there was one tiny water hole where our tour guide had to fight off a very poisonous snake in the corner while the rest of us got through to the other side. When this was happening we were in a canyon like rock formation where rock was on both sides of us and we only had about 4 feet between each Rockwall, so it was like walking down a hallway of rock. After the water with the snake we arrive to the big water hole and our final destination, but to get to the waterhole you had to hold onto a railing and walk backwards through a waterfall to get down to dryland. This was so dangerous walking on wet slick rocks while only being able to hold onto a metal pole to get down to more slick rocks and slide over to the nearest dry rock so you have traction and can walk. Once we got there it was great we are at the bottom of the gorge with large rocks surrounding us a small little waterfall falling down into the water hole with beautiful clear water. While we were down in the hole a lady by herself was trying to calm down the rocks and slipped, but last-second got a hold of the metal pole. She decided to go back up and not come down and that was the last I saw of her. It was probably a good idea for her to not come down. After we spent our time in the waterhole it was time to go back up the wet rocks and head to our next gorge. Just after we made it back up the slick waterfall we saw three guys passing us who didn't really look like they were taking the gorge seriously. I was at the back of the group and everyone was heading back through the water where the snake was while I was at the back near the slick waterfall. One of the guys overestimated his ability to walk on what rocks and all I heard was "Thud thud" splash ... and a scream. The guy fell all the way down onto hard rocks and into the water, which was probably a 12 foot drop. Luckily he was just scraped up, he was so lucky he did not die right on the spot. Our next gorge was even cooler because we had to walk through more shoulder deep water, swim through the bottom of gorges where you had more hallways of rock on both side of you, and find your way through small tunnels of slick rocks to get to a beautiful water hole. Once we finally got there we hung out at the waterhole for about an hour. We were lucky that it was just us there and maybe two other people so we had time to relax because it is normally a busy spot. I just felt this was the coolest thing ever because you had to hold onto the side of the gorge while walking on tiny rocks fairly wide enough to fit your feet on them where if you slip, you can fall 5 to 10 feet into water or hard rocks. Also swimming through those gorges where the rock was on both sides of me was just amazing. It's so beautiful it's hard to explain or capture. After a quick lunch it was time to check out our third and final gorge of the day. This gorge was pretty easy to get down, and it had a very large watering hole with a very large waterfall down into it. It was a very relaxing spot in the water was pretty cool unlike the other places we had been. I really wish I could think of words to explain how beautiful this place was but it is hard. Imagine sitting at the bottom of a toilet bowl, but the toilet water is fresh water and the entire toilet bowl is the red rock as high as you can see, and then straight above you is blue sky with white clouds that look like cotton candy... simply amazing

[kaijutegu]

I think there’s some points in here worth talking about, because the situations you pose aren’t the same as the one that happened for quite a few reasons. Sorry in advance for the text wall!

One: snakes and dogs don’t speak the same language. Dogs and other domesticated mammals were selected for pliable natures and social ability. You take two domesticated mammals and put them together, and odds are good they’ll at least be able to understand each other’s body language to some extent. Dogs usually don’t just attack out of nowhere- there’s behavioural cues that typically preclude a bite or a fight, and these cues let the animals that understand de-escalate the situation, if that’s what they want. Some dogs, of course, are going to be more aggressive than others, but thousands of years of selective breeding have produced a species of animal that, overall, wants to be around other animals.

Ball pythons are exactly not that. They’re a shy, solitary species. This sets up a very different situation than a big dog and a small dog, or a dog and a cat, or a farm dog and another mammal. Dogs understand each other- it’s why you can do safe introductions between dogs and with other animals- provided that animal has a context for healthy social interaction with dogs (or at least, friendly mammals)... which ball pythons do not.

Two: snakes and dogs have no temperamental reason to like each other.

You mention dogs and horses, and that’s a great example. When our ancestors bred dogs, they picked the most docile ones compared to their lupine ancestors. As breeds became specialised, other personality traits were selected for- you don’t get a perfect copy every time, but over generations you get certain temperament traits that show up. Like affinity for horses (think dalmatians), sheep (livestock guarding breeds), etc. Certain breeds are bred for certain things, and getting a well-bred animal to go against its natural drive is hard. Try getting a well-bred border collie not to herd!

But “fond of snakes” is not a trait that’s been bred into anything. In most cases “tolerates snakes” isn’t even the default- most dogs, being that they are canines- will go for snakes.

However, dogs are extremely pliable, mentally! With time, I imagine you could get a dog to tolerate snakes. But you are never, ever going to be able to train a snake to tolerate a dog. That’s not how snakes work, especially ball pythons which are eaten by... pretty much every predator in their home range, including various canids. Snakes aren’t domesticated, and in many cases, docility is easily confused for the third option- if a snake can’t flee or can’t fight, it’ll freeze.

Three: yes, there would be outcry if people posted about having a couple of incompatible animals without proper precautions. If you have a small dog and a large dog and the large dog is dog aggressive and you don’t practice good management, then you are actually putting your animal’s life in danger. That would absolutely be a situation people would be upset about, and rightfully so!

But does that mean that you can’t have a happy dog aggressive pit bull and a happy chihuahua in the same house safely? Not at all, provided you practice good animal management, like crating and rotating. People very much would call out any of those situations you listed if they were comparable, but there’s a huge difference between managing domesticated animals and putting an exotic prey species in a situation like this.

Also, I read your other post, and I think you might have missed something. Your other post kind of focuses a lot more on your boy and his behaviour- and he really does seem like a well-trained dog! But reptiles stress easily, especially young ones. There are other health risks, such as from a bite or scratch (certain bacteria that thrive in mammal saliva and under mammal claws are almost always fatal to reptiles), but there’s the stress and psychological well-being of two animals to consider. In the long run, will this incident be deeply traumatic to either of them? My guess is no. But why expose either of them to unnecessary stress with little to no foreseeable benefit?

One of those days that Human has a brilliant idea. Me and Lily, one of my many housemates.

[spooky-ghostwriter]

Dressed to Kill - Chapter Nine

<– Previous Chapter

Next Chapter –>

Tsukiko parted the curtains of her trailer window. It had been a full day's drive around Lake Erie. All of the driving had been done by non-performer employees – particularly those with the drivers' licenses that Tsukiko herself lacked – so from her perspective, it had been a fairly uneventful period. Still, despite not having any of the stress that she imagined came with driving around trailers full of ghost lions and elephants, she was happy to see that they'd arrived at their destination.

Tsukiko hadn't considered it at first, but in retrospect, it had been incredibly obvious – circus performers' trailers were not large. Her new bed was smaller than she was used to and even it took up a good third of her available space.

Still, her trailer had felt empty. Her bedroom at her parents' house had had Gary's enclosure as a centerpiece, but now Tsukiko's snake was in the care of Pierre and his crew. The props and costumes that had once littered her room's floor were now in storage somewhere. Tsukiko had to admit, they were likely more organized than she'd ever kept them.

And so, Tsukiko's trailer contained only a bed and a mini-fridge; both of which were already in the trailer when she'd walked in. She made a mental note to see how Galen was using his trailer's space and copy it.

As she sat on her bed, imagining the walls covered in posters, there was a knock at the door.

Oh, speak of the devil, Tsukiko thought.

She pushed open the door. As the thought was still on her mind, she greeted her visitor with a question. “Hey Galen, would it be weird to put a picture of Gary on my wall?”

Vercingetorix blinked.

“Oh, you're not Galen,” Tsukiko realized.

“Indeed I am not,” Vercingetorix confirmed. “Gary is your snake, right?”

“...Yes,” Tsukiko admitted.

“You're free to do whatever you want with your trailer, as long as we can still move it from city to city,” Vercingetorix explained. “Most performers here decorate their trailers with mementos from their favourite or most important shows.”

Suddenly remembering the reason he was there, Vercingetorix opened the briefcase he was holding. It was the very same metal briefcase that Vercingetorix had held the Tank Top in. For a moment, Tsukiko was breathless – she imagined the wonders of a second Religalia that Vercingetorix might give to her.

“I have the schedule for this week's shows.” Vercingetorix passed a stapled set of papers to Tsukiko. “You'll be performing one show a day.”

“O-okay...”

“Is something the matter?” Vercingetorix asked. “If you're worried about having fewer shows than the other performers, that's just because you're new. Once you're used to the routine, we'll bring you up to an alternating schedule of two shows one day, one show the next.”

“No, it's not that,” Tsukiko tossed the schedule onto her bed. “It's just that...” She scratched the back of her head, trying to word her question appropriately. “Is the schedule really the most important thing right now?”

“Of course!” Vercingetorix said, sounding affronted. “One cannot have a circus without some semblance of order.”

“What about the plant monsters?”

“Dryads.”

“Whatever. What are we doing about them?”

“It's a little cool for dryads this morning,” Vercingetorix said, looking up to the overcast. “I don't think they'll be a problem.”

“You don't think – ” Tsukiko stammered. She sighed. “Okay. Fine. I don't want to fight any plant monsters anyway. But can you at least show me the other Religalia?”

Vercingetorix nodded to himself. “I suppose. Meet me at Stage 1 during Pierre's show. I'll make some time.”

Stage 1 was the largest of the four. The tent around it stood almost 40 feet in the air; it was the beacon that attracted people to the circus as a whole. Two towers of scaffolding held the tent in place, with a large 'Alesia Circus' logo between them. The stage covered most of the available space, with seating for over 700. Tsukiko would have loved to watch Pierre lead his ghost lions around – or, for that matter, to perform on the stage herself. Instead, she stood backstage, awaiting Vercingetorix.

Still, even if the sights and sounds eluded her, the smells and tastes were up for grabs. Tsukiko passed the time by shoveling caramel corn into her mouth as fast as her unfortunate need to chew and swallow would allow.

Finally, a few handfuls into her third bag, Vercingetorix stepped out of the Stage 1 tent.

“Ah, there you are,” Vercingetorix said, noticing her.

Tsukiko swallowed two cheeks' worth of caramel corn.

“Free circus food is one of the greatest perks of working here, wouldn't you say?” Vercingetorix asked.

“This is the best caramel corn I've ever eaten!” Tsukiko said, pointing ecstatically at the few kernels remaining. “What's your secret?”

“It's not something that should be disclosed to the public,” Vercingetorix said, his voice suddenly low and ominous. “But, sufficed to say, dryads come in many shapes and sizes.”

Tsukiko pictured five ears of corn stacking together to create a behemoth, just as the pumpkins had. With no emotion on her face, she dropped her current handful of kernels back into the bag.

“I'm joking,” Vercingetorix said with a smirk. “I don't know what the secret is. And, just like I won't ask how you perform any of your magic tricks, I won't ask our chef how he makes his caramel corn.”

Tsukiko tentatively ate another kernel, but her eyes narrowed in a suspicious glare.

“Now, onto the Religalia,” Vercingetorix said, unlocking his briefcase.

A shiver of eagerness crept up Tsukiko's entire body. The Tank Top had caught her attention even before it transformed into a mobile cannon. She remembered the strange allure it had; some glimmer of specialness emanating from every stitch.

As Vercingetorix reached into the briefcase, she stared at it in anticipation. Finally, he pulled out his hand.

Tsukiko felt her eyes widen.

Vercingetorix held a woolen sweater. It was a garish pink, with a needlessly bright yellow 'J' knitted on the chest. On its sleeves were flame designs that graduated from the same yellow of the 'J' to a bloody crimson.

It was hideous.

“This is the Jumper,” Vercingetorix introduced. “The second Religalia I'd like you to try.”

Tsukiko said nothing, and decided it best to hide her expressions behind a final handful of caramel corn.

“Now,” Vercingetorix continued, oblivious to Tsukiko's pained reaction. “To truly master a Religalia, you must be able to believe in it, no matter how impossible its abilities seem. Think of it like an actor being fully immersed in their role. To get the greatest performance, the actor must believe that they are the character they are trying to represent.”

“Are you sure? I had no idea what the Tank Top would do.”

“Precisely,” said Vercingetorix. “At the moment you activated the Tank Top, your mind was full of desperation, not doubt. You didn't know what the Tank Top would do, but you believed it would do something to save yourself, Galen, and your audience. And no matter how impossible that sounds, you believed it.”

Once again, Tsukiko didn't know how to respond to this. What he said was true, but she couldn't help but feel that he was calling her naive.

“I truly respect that conviction in the impossible,” said Vercingetorix. “The Tank Top is, in fact, one of the hardest Religalia to master. Most people don't believe it can transform into a tank.”

“Even after they see it happen?” Tsukiko asked.

“One's eyes can be deceived. You, of all people, should know that.”

“Well sure, but after fighting living pumpkins, what else is there for people to think is impossible?” Tsukiko asked.

“That is exactly the attitude I was hoping for from you,” said Vercingetorix. He passed Tsukiko the ugly sweater. “That's why I'm not going to try to trick you with this Religalia. I will tell you exactly what the Jumper does, and hopefully, you won't doubt it for an instant.”

Tsukiko turned the garment over in her hands. The back side had another knitted fireball and was no less ugly than the front.

“Try me.”

Galen made his way through the field reserved for Pierre's animals. An L-shaped tent lined one corner, housing the enclosures of a few small animals. As he passed through it, he stopped at the tank that now housed Gary. The snake was coiled under a hollowed rock, but he poked his head out as Galen approached. Gary flicked his tongue up in greeting.

“Hey, buddy,” Galen said softly. “Sorry, I don't have time to play right now. I have to help wash the elephant.”

He was relatively sure that Gary didn't understand what he said, but the python seemed to relax and stretched itself out under its heat lamp.

Along the way, Galen rested his arms on the railing surrounding Pierre's alligator pit. Some shows involved Pierre or an assistant sticking their head in the largest alligator's open jaws. Now, the three of them looked no more dangerous than Gary. In fact, they were stretched out under a bright heat lamp just as Gary was.

Before he could enjoy the view too much, a monkey jumped onto him and grabbed the back of his head. Galen recoiled as the monkey began to howl; he wondered just how much force he could use to remove it without causing it any harm.

While flailing, Galen turned; Pierre was standing a few feet behind him.

Pierre snapped his fingers; the monkey bounced off Galen's head and ran up to sit on Pierre's shoulders.

“Th-thanks,” Galen said, breathlessly. “I don't know what got into that monkey.”

“I told him to do zat,” Pierre said. “You are supposed to be washing ze elephant. Now move!”

Galen muttered some vague apology and ran off.

Betsy the elephant didn't appear to have noticed Galen's lateness. She had a large, fenced-off field to herself, and was frolicking around enjoying the free space while she could. She toyed with a tree branch, swinging it across the autumn leaves on the ground as if raking.

A senior stagehand, by the name of Jeffery, waved both the elephant and Galen onto a raised platform. It was a simple basin that had nothing more than a drain in it, but it was large enough for Betsy to lie down and stretch. Galen and his elder took turns spraying the beast with hoses connected to some water system Galen didn't yet understand.

“You're late, Mark,” said Jeffery, watching Betsy play in what was rapidly becoming mud.

“Sorry about that – ”

“Ah, don't worry about it,” The large, bearded man said cheerfully. Galen mused that, if it weren't for Jeffery's harsh Boston accent, he would have made a perfect Santa Claus. “Did Pierre hit you with the monkey?”

Galen nodded. His boss laughed.

“It's fine. Just don't mistreat any of the animals and he'll warm up to you eventually.”

Galen looked past Betsy to the pen that housed the ghost lions and beyond even that back to the alligator. “I was sort of worried when I heard how many animals were kept here. But it looks like they're all taken care of properly.”

“Of course. Y'know, Pierre is the only reason we're allowed to have an elephant in the first place.”

“Oh?” Galen asked, deciding that continuing the small talk would improve what seemed to be a good first impression.

“Yeah. Pierre started as an exotic vet, then a zookeeper,” said Jeffery. “By the time he joined the circus, he had so many licenses that he can keep any animal he wants. Including some that aren't even supposed to exist.”

“Like ghost lions?”

“Like ghost lions.”

The two of them continued to wash and admire the elephant for a few minutes. Then, Galen saw something out of the corner of his eye.

“Jeff...” Galen said. “How many monkeys does the circus have?”

“Just one. Why?”

Galen now looked in the direction of Stage 1. It was hard to tell from a distance, but it looked like a humanoid figure standing on the 'Alesia Circus' sign.

“Well I'll be,” Jeff said, shading his eyes with his hand. “That's no monkey! That's a person.”

“One of our guys?”

“Must be! But they're supposed to use the crane to take that thing down.” He took the hose from Galen. “I'll finish up here. Go check out what's happening and radio Vercingetorix if there's an issue.”

Galen tapped the walkie-talkie on his belt.

“Got it.”

It was a jog of annoyance that drove Galen across the field to Stage 1. He wondered how someone had even managed to climb the tent, let alone why. It should have taken the crew's cherry-picker to even reach the scaffolding.

Whoever it was, Galen was sure it must have been some determined idiot.

He approached the base of the tent. Galen and the climber were still separated by the entire height of the tent, but they were close enough for him to recognize the climber's long, black hair flowing in the breeze.

“Oh goddammit it's Tsuki,” Galen muttered.

“Hey Galen!” Tsukiko cried from above.

“What are you doing up there?!” Galen demanded. “And how – ”

“Check it out!” Tsukiko said gleefully. She let go of the scaffolding tower and bent her legs.

“No, don't – ”

It was too late. Tsukiko leapt off of the sign. She flew a surprising height before clearing the ten. Then, gravity remembered its place and she began to fall.

Galen's instincts took hold. It was clear where Tsukiko would impact the ground. He sprinted to that spot as fast as he could manage.

As he and Tsukiko both sped towards the point of impact, he heard Tsukiko scream something.

Galen stretched out his arms. He hadn't had time to think about whether or not this would help and, in hindsight, he would realize that it wouldn't.

One loud, painful crash later, Tsukiko and Galen were a collapsed heap.

For a moment, both were silent.

“Why did you catch me?” Tsukiko asked.

“What kind of question is that?”

“No, seriously. Why did you catch me?!” Tsukiko demanded, managing to get herself onto all fours. “You're no softer than the ground!”

“I had to do something,” Galen said, struggling to his feet. “Why did you jump?!”

“Because of this!” Tsukiko stood up fully, then tugged the bottom edge of her fiery pink sweater. “It's the Jumper!”

“It's ugly!”

“I know. But it lets me jump super high. And then not die when I hit the ground.”

“You could've told me that.”

“Believe me, if I knew you were going to try to Superman me, I would've!” Tsukiko rubbed her neck. “I think it only works properly if I land on my feet. And it doesn't protect you at all!”

“You don't say.” Galen muttered, rotating his wrists to ensure they still worked. While doing so, he took a long look at his left hand.

“Hey, Tsuki?” He asked.

“Yeah?”

“Does my pinkie look all right to you?”

Tsukiko looked at Galen's left pinkie. The finger itself looked fine. The angle it was sticking out of his hand did not.

Tsukiko let out a short terrified scream.

“Yeah that's what I thought,” Galen said. “It's just that it doesn't hurt, so I was – ”

Tsukiko released a second, completely identical, scream.

One of the two screams managed to attract Vercingetorix, who sauntered over from the far side of the tent. He looked at Tsukiko's pained expression, then to Galen's more stoic, confused expression. Finally, he noticed Galen's sideways finger.

“Well,” said the manager. “I think it's time to introduce you to the next Religalia. It heals injuries.”

Vercingetorix led Tsukiko, Galen and Galen's dislocated finger to a trailer, very similar to the one Tsukiko had began her day in.

It even had an identical insignia on the front – a stylized top hat and magic wand.

“This where you keep the Religalia?” Tsukiko asked.

“It is.”

“I was expecting something more... I dunno, magical,” Tsukiko said. “Like a wormhole to an alternate dimension where tanks and clothing are one and the same.”

“That is a very healthy imagination you have,” said Vercingetorix. “One moment.”

He stepped into the trailer, closing the door behind him.

“How's the finger?” Tsukiko asked Galen.

“Still sideways. And it still doesn't hurt.” Galen said. In curiosity, he poked it with the index finger of his other hand. In an instant, his face contorted in pain.

“That looked like a bad idea,” Tsukiko said, wincing.

“It was,” Galen said quietly. “It really was.”

In the moment Vercingetorix promised, he emerged from the trailer. He held a pair of red, sparkling shoes. Their hue and sheer size of the heel made Tsukiko think of something Stiletto the knife thrower would wear.

“These,” said Vercingetorix. “Are the High Heals.”

“Of course it's a pun. Sure. How do they work?” Tsukiko asked, taking the shoes. “Do I wear them, or does Galen?”

“You do.”

“Darn,” Tsukiko said, kicking off her current footwear. “The other way would have been way funnier.”

Galen gave her an annoyed look, no doubt exacerbated by the pain in his hand.

“Now, place your hands around Galen's injury like so.” Vercingetorix extended his index fingers and thumbs, tracing a diamond. “You can heal as big of a wound as you need to by spreading your hands further.”

“You should have shown me this one first!” Tsukiko said. She placed her hands as Vercingetorix showed her, ensuring that Galen's distorted pinkie was in the middle of her hand formation. “Now, I just need to believe that it will heal Galen, despite how impossible it seems?”

“You have to click the back of your heels together to activate it, but yes, that is what you must believe.”

Tsukiko closed her eyes and cleared her mind. She concentrated on her breathing, and nothing but the idea that Galen's finger would be repaired. Then, she clicked her heels.

She felt a slight shifting in her footwear, as she had with the Tank Top. She opened her eyes slightly to allow herself a brief glance at her feet. Wires emerged from the High Heals' lining. They slithered down around her ankle and conglomerated on the shoes' toe box. In seconds, each shoe had a shining silver cross on Tsukiko's toes.

“This is incredible,” Galen said. He watched in awe as his finger twisted back into place. In an instant, his finger was back to normal. He curled and extended it a few times, without any pain. “You need to tell hospitals about this!”

“We can't do that,” Vercingetorix said solemnly.

“Why not?” Tsukiko asked. “You can't just keep something like this locked up in a trailer!”

“No one knows how to make another set of High Heals,” Vercingetorix explained. “I'm sure you understand that dissecting a pair of shoes looking for some miracle cure would only risk damaging the Religalia.”

“Have you studied them at all?” Galen asked.

“Of course, but all we have learned are that they have some limitations.” Vercingetorix held up fingers as he listed, “Number one – they cannot cure diseases, even the mildest stomachache. Number two – they cannot heal injuries that are too old. We're not sure what the cutoff is, but it seems that injuries that the body has already begun to heal of its own accord are unaffected by the High Heals' power. Number three – they cannot replenish blood. They will fix the damaged tissue and prevent further blood loss, but someone who has lost too much blood already will still die. And, of course, number four – they cannot bring someone back from death.”

“The shoes are still pretty far above modern medicine,” Galen said, still enchanted by his working finger. “I still think you need to take them to a hospital.”

“And tell them what? That a circus has magic footwear that can mend broken bones?” Vercingetorix asked. “In the past, we did take the shoes around hospitals. Unfortunately, the surgeons thought we had planted fake injured victims as a publicity stunt. Quite a frustrating affair.”

Vercingetorix shook his head.

“You're welcome to try, whenever we're set up close enough to a hospital,” He said. “Just don't be late for your shows. Hospitals have doctors that can help patients without you, but we need you here for your magic shows.”

“Believe me, I won't be late,” Tsukiko promised. “In fact... I think I'm going to go get ready for the next show.”

She looked back at Galen.

“Come find me when you're done washing elephants or whatever!” She said cheerfully. Then she departed, bouncing dozens of feet into the air. After a few leaps across the field, she vanished completely out of sight.

Galen watched her depart, then sighed, staring at his finger.

“Is something troubling you, Galen?” Vercingetorix asked. “Your finger is back to normal, isn't it?”

“It's completely fine,” said Galen, wiggling it to make sure.

“Then what's the matter?”

Galen leaned against the banister of the trailer's stairs. He looked across the field, and in the distance, he saw a shape that looked distinctly like Tsukiko leaping a few dozen feet into the air.

“Tsukiko and I are partners,” Galen said. “She's said it before – that her magic shows wouldn't be as good without me. It really meant a lot to me to hear that.”

“Oh?”

“Do you ever feel jealous of the circus performers?” Galen asked. “Well, maybe jealous isn't the right word, but – ”

Vercingetorix nodded before Galen could even think of a way to reword his question.

“The performers are truly something special,” said Vercingetorix. “They do things that no one else can possibly comprehend. Myself and the crewmembers, we tend to sit on the sidelines and watch the magic. We are, to be blunt, ordinary people. However close we are to them, it can feel like we're worlds apart.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean,” Galen said. “But I wasn't always so far away, you know? Tsukiko and I were... eight, I think, when we met. Even then, she could do card tricks and sleight of hand. But I understood all of that. I only learned the tricks I needed to do, and even then I was never as good at them as she was, but it was always possible.”

Vercingetorix continued to nod.

“Now there are all these Religalia in the mix,” Galen continued. “And now she's jumping fifty feet in the air and healing my broken finger and...”

“And turning into a tank.”

“Especially turning into a tank! How's an ordinary person like me supposed to keep up?”

“Tell me, Galen,” said Vercingetorix. “Why did you decide to be Tsukiko's partner in magic? And why did she decide she wanted you over anyone else?”

Galen shook his head.

“I can't answer the second one. I mean, I don't get stage fright and we can bounce jokes off each other. Maybe that's all it is.”

“Well then, what about the first question? Why did you get into stage magic with Tsukiko?”

Galen paused. He had thought this would be the simpler question to answer, but he had to think back to each and every magic show he'd been a part of to find his answer.

“It's fun,” Galen said simply, a faint smile on his face. “I wouldn't have thought of doing it if it weren't for Tsukiko, but it really is fun. Tsukiko once tried to describe it as showing people impossible, amazing things, and letting them forget how boring reality is. I thought it was silly at the time she said that, but I guess that's really what we do.”

“And now she's doing what even you think is impossible.”

“Yeah. It's like I'm just an audience member now.”

“The thing is, Galen, the things Tsukiko does now are feel as impossible to her as they look to you. It's her conviction that makes it possible.”

“And the Religalia.”

“Well, here's a much simpler question,” said Vercingetorix. “Do you have the same conviction as Tsukiko? If you were to wear a Religalia, do you think you could make it respond to you?”

Galen turned to look at Vercingetorix, eyes wide.

“Are you asking what I think you're asking?”

Vercingetorix smiled.

“There are a couple Religalia left,” Vercingetorix said. “Two of them even have the dubious tradition of being worn by the magician's assistant as opposed to the magician herself.”

Galen paused.

“Why didn't you start off by telling me that?”

“I was curious,” Vercingetorix said with a shrug. “I wondered if your thoughts were the same as those of their previous owner.”

“Oh? Who was their previous owner?”

Vercingetorix scratched his chin. It was a contemplative reply when he said, “The man gave up his magician's assistant ways many years ago. And considering how he, like you, tended to give the fame to the magician herself, I think he may prefer to remain anonymous for the time being.”

“Doesn't sound exactly like me, then,” Galen said. With a grin, he added, “I told Tsuki I'd steal her show at some point.”

Vercingetorix laughed. “Let's see how well that translates into a conviction in the impossible, shall we?”

[lizaharridge-mga2019mi4015]

Original vs Remake of The Jungle Book

The jungle book, an animation movie inspired by the Rudyard Kipling “Mowgli” stories has had a series of movies filmed for children starting from the 1967 animation cartoon to the high-quality motion graphical live-action movie in 2016. Both movies are about a little boy who was brought up in the jungle by a pack of wolves, but the two movies depict the storyline in a vastly different way to each other, where it can be compared to the graphical structure, they both were made on.

The story narrates about a jungle in India and about a little boy who has been abandoned in the forest and then brought by the animals itself. The storyline can be the exact same as per the 1967 cartoon animation to the 2016 live-action sequel, but with more developed characters and the scenery.

Story shows a little boy (Mowgli) in small red cloth covering the privates, and a bear(Baloo), a panther(Bagheera), a snake (Kaa), a tiger (Shere khan), the wolves (Akheela and Raksha) as the main characters of the two movies and they play major roles for the success of the movies in their own specific way.

In comparison, Baloo’s character is more specific in the 2016 sequel and it depicts a gigantic grizzly bear that plays a more serious character rather than the blue bear which plays in the 1967 cartoon animation. And the 2016 movie depicts the bond between the two in a far wider range in the sequel rather than the cartoon as well. The action scene of Baloo depicts the strength of the bear to a greater extent as well, especially, in the monkey temple where Baloo protects Mowgli and fights to save him, again showing the bond between the two. Thus we can see the relationship is like a teacher and also a friend between the two, through the scenes where the two go to bathe in the river while singing and caring for each other.

Bagheera’s character is of a great black panther whose character has been given more prominence in the sequel yet again than of the cartoon, showing the greatness of the panther and also showing that the character is mostly feared based on the image, which shows at the beginning of the movie sequel where the panther jumps on Mowgli through the trees. And this scene was depicted with the action-based music giving a scary tensed situation to it, where the movie clearly depicts the character as one of the most respectable and also feared personality, but also the good in the character as well when the panther starts speaking out quite friendly towards the human cub. The 1967 cartoon animation, however, does not give the character much depth as the introduction of the character even starts with gloomy music and also involving humor to the character. Bagheera plays the role of the care-taker of the human cub Mowgli in the movies. The scariness of the character is also shown in the action scene in the monkey temple and also in the fight scene of Shere Khan the tiger as well, being the only character to challenge the tiger. 

The Snake Kaa gives yet again more prominence to the movie live-action sequel of 2016 as it depicts the reality of life through it. Right at the introduction through a piece of music which gives out danger, shows a large snake on many branches. Kaa is enormous in size and is also very scary, and through its eyes shows the truth about the man-cub, where and how he came to be in the jungle, the music changes and the man-cub was about to get eaten, which can actually relate to the truth of life, which can depict danger on its truthfulness and then it can also put you in danger as well. The cartoon animation of 1967, however, mocks the character giving a humorous personality to the snake and not giving the character the prominence, it needs. Kaa’s ability to turn the prey mentally unstable depicts that truth can also take make you unstable in different parts of life. But the fact remains as to how Baloo the great grizzly bear be able to fight off the enormous python, where the directors tend to hide the action sequence from the audience and at the end of it, Mowgli turns out alive and Baloo turns out more alive than ever without any injuries as to forget the fact that he actually did fight off an enormous python. Which actually gives Baloo a heroic tendency to its character, but still appears to be humorous.

Speaking of the action scene of the fight between the excellent Grizzly bear and the enormous snake, is one of the main battles of the movie live-action sequel of 2016 where the video is hidden from the audience, but embraces a huge fight between the two through the sound effects and also through the extremely fast-moving snake body. If it actually showed, it would’ve been very dangerous yet heavenly to watch as well.

The tiger Shere Khan portrays the villain of the movie, but the character does not give out its scariness in the 1967 cartoon animation where the personality gives out more fairytale villain characteristics rather than of it is actually scary. The 2016 live-action sequel, however, has given much prominence to the character having the face burnt from fire as well, which clearly gives out the message as to why the tiger actually hates humans. The villainy character plays a major role in the movie where its jealousy is feared by the whole jungle and its revenge has given the movie a great advantage. The revenge is clearly shown when the tiger enters the gathering and it is shown that the great character is feared by all through the slow but fearsome music and also it’s slow but steady walk which gives the character a very dangerous accord to it. Also, the scene where the tiger actually attacks the man holding the fire shows the braveness of the character yet being it evil as well.

Mowgli however shows as a mere human cub who is timid and weak and is introduced to us in a way where it’s running away from something dangerous (panther) which depicts the characters survival abilities through the music and also the voice of the character giving the character the advantage of being brave as the main character an ability it must  have. The only real character in this live-action sequel gives a vast message to the audience through its brave personality and the will to stand facing any danger he meets up with, where it’s clearly shown in the scene where he meets Kaa the python and he did not tremble but spoke freely towards the great beast. The abilities of Mowgli is great as he even faced Shere Khan without fear, but the wolf cubs even actually eared the tiger, depicting the braveness of the character in a vast way but create a pun as in the beginning he was on an exam quest to qualify to be an actual wolf cub.

The two movies have vast differences among the two where the 2016 live-action sequel has made every scene in a better to a major extent while also giving depth to each moment. The start of the movie also starts with action-packed music where the entertainment is widely discussed. Clearly, the whole movie is very advanced in the 2016 live-action sequel where it has given attention to the tiniest detail as well, to the background music of the forest along with its bird sounds as well giving the audience an experience of a real forest. The growl of the panther is also very realistic where it shows at the beginning of the movie where the panther jumps on the man-cub with a fearsome growl. The voices of the characters have been given accordingly and is also very suitable to each and every character where the voices gives out a clear understanding of the character as well, for example, Raksha’s voice, the motherly voice which gives out the truth and understanding from every word spoken, and gives out the personality of a mother, loving and caring to its children yet very brave and fearsome in the face of danger to its children as well. Also, Kaa’s voice mesmerizing sweet voice which is very scary but yet godly to the ears of the listener, and the voice is also given more prominence with the scary yet truthful music in the background, in the scene where Kaa approaches Mowgli and shows the truth of his life, through its eyes.

The battles of the movie sequel are very entertaining, and yet so fearsome as well and is clearly and well given prominence as well, as for an example the battle between Bagheera and Shere Khan where her brave character actually challenges the mighty tiger and the music also depicts the great fight scene even though she was beaten through it. The importance of the fight and also the fearsome of it is clearly depicted through the background music as well as the action the scene shows. This can also be seen in the final battle between Shere Khan and Mowgli with Baloo giving out motivating music in the background, hence giving out the message to the audience that it’s the final battle and also of the great challenge where a timid young boy challenges a great and a mighty creature like a tiger.

2016 live-action sequel has given depth to the movie, along with the right message towards the characters as well as the storyline. 

Works Cited

original movie 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3040964/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-jungle-book-2016

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-jungle-book-animated

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1031385_jungle_book

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/jungle-book-review/

https://www.timeout.com/us/film/the-jungle-book-1

The remake movie 

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_jungle_book_2016

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3040964/reviews

https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/the-jungle-book-2016/

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-jungle-book-2016