#i live under a rock for all the terrible mistakes ive made in the past when i was young and didnt have good thinking skills

[constablegoo]

@astralglam​​​​ filed a report .

mint: does your muse view themself as virtuous & moral? what do these words mean to them?

OHOHO. hey hi ily. this is, of course, one of odo’s deepest ongoing battles, and the moment he stops questioning it is the moment he becomes a founder.

the founders grant themselves god status.  GOD!  status. they just reach out and pluck it. Within their range of power, the founders become unquestionably Just and Virtuous and Moral, their Word becomes Law, it becomes “the way things are” and “fact” and they create their own reality stemming from thousands of years of intense xenophobia. they’re above it all. gods don’t make mistakes, right? sure, maybe changelings were hunted and feared ages ago but they still fear it, and that drive for Order and Control over the galaxy is now encoded into their genes and they place a companion structure into the genes of every other species they control, subjugating them to the founders’ own cozy position as Gods, or-- ‘gods’. the founder (i rly don’t like saying “female” founder so she’s THE Founder. she speaks for the link.) makes it quite clear on many occasions that the founders are not here to negotiate. they fully intend to control EVERYTHING at any cost. it is absolutely  chilling  when she cuts garak down with: “they’re dead. you’re dead. cardassia is dead.” and draws the line between the dominion and everyone else miles deep into the sand.

that same genetic coding is one of the first semi-concrete things odo comes to understand about himself and, horribly, he’s landed into conditions under the occupation that very easily could have taken advantage of a less meticulous or stubborn changeling. no, odo says initially (and incorrectly), i am not bajoran** and i am not cardassian and i stand apart from either side of this conflict and so i am bound to PURE Virtue and Morality because of it. he can’t be bribed or bought or won over, and he won’t allow for anything less than a kind of incorruptibility. this effectively wins him allies (and enemies) on both sides, however -- that’s just not how the universe works. the truth of it is that no matter how much he tells himself he is not a part of their regime, his working with the cardassians makes him a collaborator in that he has then recognized their authority and ultimately upheld their legitimacy, even if he never agreed with the cause, even if he was also on some level a casualty of it. at some point when he moves past ‘contract’ investigation and begins to work permanently, he falls into the trap of thinking Order is the same thing as Justice... huge yikes. in that moment he becomes a true and apathetic villain, but he’s subsequently haunted by the resulting execution of innocents. it shakes something up in him. years pass and he still wonders, what other mistakes has he made? what other less direct consequences of his ‘neutral’ arbitration exist? he (and everyone around him) has to live without really knowing, and it’s a constant reminder to him of the power he holds and it informs his understanding of what Real (and imperfect) Justice Means.

**sidenote but later in s7 he introduces himself as ‘from bajor’ and AAAAAA. its good. very good. yeah, you’re bajoran, odo. he gets it now.

Mirror odo is really the ultimate example of an odo having taken those instincts to extremes in an environment that rewarded him for them -- there is no guilt there, and even a sadistic kind of pleasure in it. i’d argue that gaia!odo is another, less extreme example of an odo who’s been alone too long and lost sight of things when he single-mindedly (and against kira’s wishes) chooses her (one person) over 8000. like holy shit? NOT ok? uhhuhhhhfff. anyway. very fortunately, neither of these are OUR odo, but act as great foils to reflect on the worst (bastard cop) qualities or potential qualities of our goo pushed to highly visible extremes, which star trek just loves to do all the time.

but regular/prime odo isnt exactly a rule-follower, either. throughout his life, he frequently takes things into his own hands, uses his abilities to his advantage, spies, wiretaps, eavesdrops, and yes, harasses [quark] sometimes -- he develops his own set of values and personal rules and follows them; even starfleet comes in wary of him and how he operates and hes on thin ice. but because of possibly his most redeeming quality, odo is able to adapt those self-ordained values toward something increasingly honest: for how rigid he can be in personality, he is HIGHLY influenced by the world around him,  listens hard  to what his friends and allies have to say and adapts that feedback; this allows him to evolve and grow and take important matters to heart. he becomes more flexible and better able to hold onto what’s really most important after locking into a decision, because above all else, he is passionately committed to doing the Right Thing. he PLEADS with himself in things past, “your job is to find the truth, not obtain convictions.” by his tendency to push back against what is laid down as ‘law’ (something he becomes more and more aware of and effective at doing) as not always being good or right, or necessarily even creating Order (the thing he’s driven genetically to want), he prepares himself to challenge the most deadly voice of authority -- that of his own people.

so... yes and no. odo’s role and persona as ‘your average security chief’ might dictate that he be virtuous and moral, but he so obviously can’t fit the same exact mold as others in his position -- he has these insane abilities and this mind-consuming nature and it requires he tread with extra care, but he also has a potential for more adaptive, more nuanced morality. he has to build up his own definitions to the words, constantly examine and tease and test them, or else he risks straying too far from what he really wants to achieve -- harmony, honest justice. he has to accept that he’s a part of the system he operates in (not, in fact, alone or isolated! something he actually wants), and know that he is not exempt from making the wrong choice, just like anybody else.

carnation: what is your muse’s relationship with their gender? how do they express or not express this relationship?

ODO AND GENDER!!! i love odo and gender. let’s take this one step at a time. he starts out as an amorphous glob -- he has no gender. there’s no basis for assignment, no culture of difference, and all the goos are goo. odo takes on the shape of the first living thing he sees / the thing he sees most frequently: dr mora. he adopts an image of masculinity from mora and he adopts the hair. that’s about it, and it’s pretty much arbitrary. (maybe the hair is simple enough for his skills, too?) the next people odo meets are also these very masculine, military, cardassian leaders, so again -- this is all he knows! this is neutrality. i imagine it takes him some time to work out what the differences in gender are, and sex, and orientation, romantic vs sexual stuff, all of that. it’s all got cultural baggage he knows nothing about and does not experience, and he’s also dealing with multiple, clashing cultures to boot. since he doesnt have any strong inherent leaning, he simply opts out. he/him becomes his default because thats where he started, thats what he’s been able to successfully present and how people know him, and, terrifyingly, under cardassian rule, it probably offered a bit of safety, too, which was obviously something he needed at the time.

way way way way way down the line in season seven, odo asks kira to (paraphrasing) look at me. what do you see? [i see you.] but this is NOT me, this is only a shape ive assumed in order to fit in. she says, yes, i know that. but this is who you have chosen to be. “a man. a good and honest man.” (i knowww shes not really talking abt gender here BUT) its hard as a trans person not to read the metaphor. he’s chosen to express SOMETHING. he’s chosen something other than what he was given (neutrality) and although he doesnt personally buy into what ‘masculinity’ “should be” (ie the ferengi, smh) / would certainly not argue he doesnt feel non-binary, this is how he has presented all his life, its how hes been treated, and it is what he has chosen to adhere to. there’s a choice in that, kira’s right, and now it reflects something about him.

parallel this, i’ll mention the “female” founder again bc of course there is no discernable reason for her to have a gender -- other than to appeal (im not talking sexually here although there’s,, obviously weird shit happening with the link... yike) to odo in the sense that until that point odo has lived with “gendered” individuals and, i think importantly, kira is with them when they first meet. i think its safe to say the founder saw her, figured she was a friend/ally to odo or at least familiar to him, and took her general representation to appeal as a friend/ally.

otherwise... why, honestly? the founder’s got NO love of humanoids lmao why would she bother.

anyway i’d like to see odo experiment a bit. because when hes safe, he can!! aside from his own doubts and insecurities about shapeshifting, at some point he really has no reason not to, at least a little bit. really, it should just be another thing to practice, much like becoming a convincing rock or a leaf, its just that there are other significances in the cultures around him. i’d just like to see him loosen up a little. have fun. grow ur hair out a bit, odo, why are u still looking like ur terrible dad.

[maaruin]

The Droid’s Song

AN: This is the first of eight chapters of my long-promised epic Star Wars poem. Enjoy.

This is a tale of times long past, In a galaxy - far away and vast, Of tearful sorrow and joyous thrills, As written in the journal of the Whills. When sky-walking Luke to freeborn son, Back when his learning had just begun, Destroyed deadly construct of imperial science And brought hope to a desperate rebel alliance.

Those were the times of civil war, When against the empire good men abhor Starships striking from well hidden base Won a great battle in Scarif's space. For freedom they battled and for justice they fought And on Scarif well secured plans they sought Of the Empire's weapon so terrible, In firepower incomparable.

An entire planet it could destroy, Which Tarkin the Grandmoff sought to employ As a threat to cow rebels into final submission. This Death Star would end even brave opposition. These Death Star's plans rebel spies now stole And with their lives they secured control Of a sending dish large enough to transmit For the ship far away receiving it.

This ship was the valiant Tantive IV Which was on it's journey from the worlds of the core To Tatooine, planet of binary stars, Where the Empire's troops and machines were sparse. In this traveled Leia Organa, Alderaanian Senator, Who had long stood up against imperial terror. Pursued was this ship by the Empire's dreaded Battleship Devastator, for battle headed.

----

In the skies of three-mooned Tatooine Those unequal ships would face in battle. Where the valiant Tantive would find its ruin And its crew was then slaughtered like farmer's cattle. The Devestator, a mile long, Surpassed valient Tantive ten times in size, A star destroyer with well-armored prong, It pursued valiant Tantive like a frog pursues flies.

And as flies surpass frogs in maneuver and speed, The Tantive had engines that made it quicker. But a hunting Frog has for running no need, And Leia's ship was engulfed in the bright green flicker Of Devestating fire of turbo-lasers That shredded well-crafted Corellian shields: Like skin is shredded by careless razors Would fail the Tantive's energy fields.

The Tantive fought back, don't mistake me here, For it was armed better than one would expect An ambassadors traveling cruiser to be, But on a warships defense it had little effect. For the Star Destroyers of Kuati production Were surpassed at this time by no ship but one And had brought many vessels quick destruction, Often faster than the rebels could try to outrun.

And this was the fate of the doomed Alderaanian ship, For it's reactor was hit by turbo-laser's fire, And the crew would find it now in the grip Of a tractor-beam drawing it to the Empire's ire. Into Devestator's hangar it would now pull This doomed but valient Tantive IV, Where was waiting a battalion in full Of the Empire's white-armored stormtrooper corps.

On the Tantive valiant crew prepared for a fight, In the turnings of white-walled corridors, Those prepared to resist the Empire's might, Alderaanian guards, trained warriors. Trained in protecting the noble senator And volunteers on this daring mission, Who would loose their life to forces sinister, For they too believed in the Rebellion's vision.

As the Tantive docked in the enemy hangar, They prepared their weapons for vicious assault. Prepared themselves for Imperial anger, Which as best as they could they would try to halt. Sweat dripped from some brow and some hands were shaking, For imperial troops were widely feared. Every heart on the Tantive was quietly quaking, But no matter, for battle all of them geared.

At the door there was heard a terrible sound, At the door the soldiers saw a bright light, As a flame of plasma moved all around The door, top and bottom, left and right. With a deafening crack it was sprung out the way And white smoke blocked the soldiers unaided sight, But their fire at they time they would not need to belay And their blasters they shot into the smoke, red and bright.

And their fire was returned from behind the smoke And with it the first of soldiers many died, As the widely feared white-clad stormtroopers broke Into valiant Tantive's well guarded inside. The stromtroopers skills were well on display, For despite their position they only lost two, While in an assault, as they normally say, They would loose twice the defenders numbers in lieu.

But here this relation was well reversed And the Tantive's guardians soon retreated. The defenders throughout the ship dispersed And in many places the battle was heated. With the entrance secured the ship would board The insidious presence most loyal servant, The fallen Jedi and now a Sith Lord, Who had pursued them from Scarif, relentless and fervent.

Far-dreaded Darth Vader lead this well planned attack, And where he tread rebellious hope ever faded. The knight whose heart they said was all black The valiant Tantive IV now invaded. As black as his heart was his armor and cloak, With an unknown face hidden behind skull-like mask, With mechanical breath, metallic voice when he spoke, Was he man or machine no one dared to ask.

On fallen bodies he looked down And to living saluting troopers as well, For his stature was as large as his galactic renown And fear all around him he would compel. Wordlessly he stepped over bodies that lay On the ground around him, friend and foe alike. Enemies today he planned not to slay, But interrogate them unto shiver and shrike. ----

In the bowels of said valiant rebel ship A droid received a data chip From the princess Leia Organa's hand To take with it through space and desert sand. A message she spoke that the droid recorded Of her desperation on the ship now boarded, A call for help he would need to deliver To a man who would make their hope more than a sliver.

This droid was an astromech of the series R2, Of cylindric shape painted white and blue, With three wheels, two on legs and one under the chassis, Small wheels of limited efficacy. From the body many arms and tools could extend, With which damaged machines of all kinds he could mend. The cylinder was closed with hemispherical lid With a rader eye, projectors and a sensor grid.

This droid was found in the Tantive's bowls By another droid of a different role. A gold-plated one of human-like guise With immovable mouth and white-shining eyes, Who was build for a much more esteemed function: To facilitate a range of diplomatic conjunction By translating a million forms of communications And also aid in human-droid relations.

“Artoo-Deetoo, where are you, where have you been?” Said this one, C-3PO, as soon as he had seen The smaller and braver astromech droid In a voice at the same time fearful and annoyed. “They are heading towards this section of our ship, And if they find us they might very well strip Us for parts or send us to slave away In the spice mines of Kessel, forever to stay.”

But Artoo simply passed by the golden translator Towards the ships starboard elevator, For he clearly had a place he would try to reach While listening to the golden one’s worried speech. “Wait Artoo-Deetoo, where are you going? The upper deck must now be overflowing With imperial troops armed to the teeth, Who will shoot us apart, piece by piece.”

But clever Artoo wasn't using the lift, To present themselves to the Empire as an unforeseen gift. Instead he went down to the lowest deck And from here he planned to escape this wreck. There had been twelve escape pods when the Tantive had left Alderaan for the journey to assist the theft Of the plans of the Empire's dreaded death star. Around five of them had been started so far.

So Artoo entered one of the remaining pods And C-3PO calculated the odds Of survival while complaining about the lack of permission That was given the droid for pod acquisition. But a blaster bolt of advancing Imperial troops Brought an end to the droid’s indecision loops. And above Artoo into the pod he crawled, And Artoo pressed the button, now no longer stalled.

The escape pod's engines launched it out Of valiant Tantive's hull on the fastest route, Away from the Devestator and it's captured prey, Right out the star destroyer's hangar bay. And C-3PO took a look at his ship's underside And said “the damage doesn't look to bad from outside”. So for now at Artoo he did not chafe, But he still asked: “Are you certain this thing is safe?” ---- The desert-world Tatooine has three moons And on it the many rocks and dunes Are divided commonly into three zones: The first of which is the Dune Sea, where long-bleached bones Lay in the sand for ages and ages. A deadly place, as know fools and sages, Where the suns shine hot and the krayt dragon flies, Where its wings cause sandstorms that darken the skies.

The second are dry mountains commonly called Wastes. There you find water in the air and which life can taste, Not much, mind you, but enough to sustain A number of farmers who in the Wastes maintain Moisture farms fed by vaporators, Which draw water from the air and safe it to later, To water the hardy species of crops, Which the farmers sell in the settlements' shops.

The Settlements are the third area of three, Where humans and aliens live, slaves or free, In white houses one or two stories tall, With the desert's song still in floor, roof and wall. It is there where a spaceship would normally land, Not in the Dune Sea's desert sand. But the droid's escape pod was no guided machine, And so in the dunes of the Dune Sea it's wreckage was seen.

From this wreck left the droids as fast as they could, For they knew to suspect that the Empire would, Send men to recover whatever had been placed In the pod that the Devestator had no doubt traced. Luckily for the droids their vessel had landed At the edge of the Dune Sea, so they weren't stranded At a place where they would need to fly like a hawk. Instead to the Jundland Wastes they could walk.

“How did I get into this disastrous mess,” Asked Threepio more to himself then Artoo, “If only an answer to this I knew, But I always end up in trouble and distress. We droids, it seems, were made to suffer, My joints freeze and circuits fill With desert sand mixed with oil spill. Oh were I a human I would be much tougher.

“What kind of desolate place this is, Dunes of sand to the left as far as I see, And to the right mountain ridges without a single tree, Even I the nature of Alderaan now miss. But why, dear Artoo, are you turning right, To the wastes were countless rocks lie in the way, Difficult to walk for us even by day. I will certainly trip and break me at night.

“What do you beep about settlers who up there live? And don't come me with technical nonsense, I am tired of your talk of secret missions and, The benefit of the doubt I will not give. Go there to the mountains and stumble on rock And then lay there calling futile beeps for help! I will not help you, pathetic astromech whelp! Instead I walk where nothing my way will block.”

And Artwoo went right and Threepio left, For Threepio was of ideas bereft, But in anger refused to follow the guidance And instead went the other way in unthinking defiance. Through the wind-wand'ring dunes of the desert he walked And while he was walking he talked and talked Of a protocol droids unenviable fate As the days hour was getting later and late.

And when he saw a great krayt's sand-covered bones, His speech changed into blaming tones. And according to what he said in this hour His thoughts on Artoo in his mind turned sour. “He tricked me,” he said in accusing voice, “He tricked me, going here wasn't my choice.” But in desp'rate hour on the horizon blue A large metal-clad transport came into view. ----

Meanwhile Artoo had taken the rocky path And his mind did not mirror Threepio's wrath. While he had been annoyed at this errancy, His mission now took priority. For the data that Princess Leia had given Now on three small wheels needed to be driven To a person the Alderaanian Princess had told About, a friend of her father's of old.

Night fell over the Jundland Wastes And Artoo did not realize that he was chased By creatures of human shape but small, Who hid behind rocks at the canyon's wall. Brown cloaks they wore with large hoods atop, A shadow above their face they did drop. Only large eyes, bright and yellow, Shone out of the hood of a Jawa-fellow.

When Artoo drove down a downwards slope, This droid who carried the rebellions hope Was hit by Jawa-blaster's lightning-blue cast And his body engulfed in an ion blast. His circuits overloaded as his body stiffened And uncontrollably toolarms he did extend. His awareness shut down as in ions he drowned Clever Artoo-Deetoo fell flat on the ground.

And as he lay on the stony ground eight Jawas in total gathered around. And since Artoo was equal in height To the height of a Jawa but by far not as light, They needed to carry him with five or six To the place where the droid they intended to fix. To prepare him to then sell for acceptable prize They brought him to a transport of impressive size.

This was was sandcrawler centuries old, Intended to carry valued ore in its hold, When on three-mooned Tatooine to mine Core World companies would workers assign. But the planet was hostile and the sands not forgiving, And the ore was not worth the cost of living For the miners so they left the hostile sand And left their sandcrawlers where they did stand.

The nomadic Jawas then took possession And maintained the sandcrawlers after a fashion. Those giant machines became their home And with them the deserts and wastes they could roam. Like a block were they shaped, 20 Jawas in height And twice as long, with machines of impressive might, Which on four huge tracks carried the Jawa-house To places where it served as a droid warehouse.

The Jawas placed Artoo at the crawler's foot, Where one of them for security put A restraining bolt on the clever droid's side, So he would obey orders and neither run nor hide. A vacuum pipe was lowered down from above And one of the Jawas took in his glove A remote that woke Artoo from involunt’ry sleep, Just awoken he was sucked into the sandcrawler deep. ----

In the sandcrawler’s gigantic hold The Jawas kept what they had not yet sold. And as R2-D2 looked around, He saw many spare parts on the ground Of machines one would find at the galaxy’s edge: Power couplings, energy cells, and a holographic wedge, Converters, and casings, and thermal sensors, Hyper-spanners, light-hammers and coffee-dispensers.

Many a droid was stored there as well, Droids the Jawas intended to sell To moisture farmers and on Mos Eisley’s streets, To buy crawler-fuels, fresh water, and meats. Those droids were of various forms, Almost none of them stored according to norms, Some came from trash heaps or accident sites, others old units bought or stolen outright.

A 3B6-RA-7 unit Looked on the astromech unfortunate With larges eye-spheres atop elongated face. It’s limbs damaged it could only trace The movements of this nights second newcomer And other droids waiting for a customer Like the WED Treadwell who moved on eight wheels, With seven arms like a spider, the eighth lost to ordeal.

There was a Gonk-droid, a man-high box, Its content secured with two energy locks. A box that moved on it’s two flat feet, Which had carried munitions in the Republic fleet. Another astromech was in the Jawa’s store, Red and white, with designation R2-D4. Higher than Artoo with a head half a cone, Silently it stood in the corner alone.

Those and many more droids Artoo saw, But only one of them could his attention draw: A gold-plated, well-learned protocol droid, That just hours ago had tried to avoid The clever astromech on his secret mission. Now raised his eyes in recognition. With a voice that carried hope anew Threepio called “Artoo, it’s you!”

So were reunited these unequal fellows Just as the sandcrawler’s main engine bellows To carry the mechanical beast through the night, To bring to someone their acquired freight. To the regions settled by human farmers, Where the Jawas would try their luck as charmers And see if a bargain worthwhile could be won On the farm of Own Lars and Beru Whitesun.

[bi-outta-cordonia]

Takeshi and the Five

I got my tin foil hat on backwards and I’m ready to fucking party. This is gonna be a long one so most of it is gonna be stuck under a read more. So let’s begin:

BB today, amirite?? Shit got fucked and got fucked fast but the only person I’m really worried about is Jax and everyone closest to him. And by everyone, I mean there might be some really interesting things that could potentially explain his mentor, Takeshi Watanabe’s backstory. In today’s chapter, Jax reveals a piece of information that Takeshi told him long ago and made him swear not to say anything about: Kano, a 500 year old psychic vampire was in Japan and, despite his efforts to respect his mentor’s wishes, Jax tells the group about Kano hoping he might be able to help unlock MC’s powers to help them stop Rheya. 

What we know about Takeshi is that 700 years ago, he served a powerful woman in the middle of feudal Japan. This woman was Aiko Nakamura:

She was a powerful clan head that somehow came into contact with Gauis and Kamilah during this era. They seemed to provide services to her clan, slaughtering her enemies and helping her clan gain control of various territories. In the midst of this, her father wound up passing away, passing on the title to her and leaving her in control of her clan. She developed a relationship with Kamilah but was able to determine that Gauis and Kamilah were not exactly who they said they were, that they weren't human. 

After a particularly hard fought battle, Aiko summoned her soldiers and had Gaius and Kamilah divulge the truth under threat of death. They revealed to her that they were immortal and only sought to build a home for creatures like them. Sensing an opportunity, the two of them promised Aiko power beyond imagining. She could become immortal, unkillable to her enemies and conquer those that would stand against her. She took that deal. 

And it seems that Takeshi did as well. 

The one thing that seems to be evading us at this moment is how Takeshi went from this:

To this:

He was a samurai that served a distinguished lady and powerful family. More importantly, he was a vampire that was originally from Japan who somehow wound up in America and started a revolution of sorts with the hopes of killing the New York Council. So how did this happen? What led from point A to point B?

My theory is this: Takeshi may have served Aiko for some time but when he accepted the gift of vampirism, later down the road things changed as society changed and he was given power he had not possessed while living in service of Clan Nakamura as a human. He was given power and prestige, control that his mortal self had not known. He was given a spot on that led to him becoming one of the Five of Japan.

What we know of the Big Five comes from Jameson’s notes on them and, what Jameson did know was not a whole lot. The Big Five were secretive and did not find themselves getting involved in global affairs all that much:

They built a vampire kingdom that predates the American kingdom’s level of freedom. They also seem to have relatively powerful vampires within their midst: 

I think Takeshi was given a place amongst these vampires, possessing power as an elder and holding reign over vampires that flocked to the Five and adhered to their demands. Aiko seems a woman who is ambitious and desires power for herself and the Five seemed content with having their kingdom without outside interference messing with their kingdom. I think a big part of how they were able to set up their kingdom came with Kamilah and Gaius’s help. The two of them sought to build homes in places outside of Europe, where vampires were subjected to attacks from the Order of the Dawn on a constant basis. The Five were likely among one of the first shadow kingdoms that were able to establish themselves having power in the same sectors that the Order held power in Europe--politics, infrastructure, and the like. 

I think Takeshi was a part of this. I think he may have been immersed in it for some time. He could partake in the same pleasures that many of the wealthy vampires we’ve come across can. As much blood as he wants, all the flesh he could indulge in but a mere snap of a finger away--I think he may have enjoyed the power he had for some time or at least reveled in it.

But given his personality? The kind of person we come to know him as? I don’t think he’s always seen it as something that should be so easily given. 

I think the Five of Japan could be as terrible as the New York Council. I think that they held power over life and death itself. I think that vampires within their shadow kingdom had to essentially grovel for mercy and prostrate on hands and knees for the right to keep their lives to some of the most powerful creatures in all of Japan. I think it may have disgusted him after a time. I think Takeshi has always been a man that was not afraid of shedding blood and fighting, but the obsession with power? The need for it? It was never in his heart the way it was for the others. 

I think he may have had a falling out with the Five, but most especially Aiko. He likely served her clan out of honor. He likely joined her amongst the Five to honor his bond with her. But I don’t think he was built to be as ruthless as she was. As willing to do what it takes to obtain power of all things. 

He was a man that focused on justice above all. Doing the right thing may not have come easy but he endeavored to do it when he could. 

I think this falling out led to him leaving Japan and leaving the Five. I think he crossed the seas and found himself in New York City. He likely knew of Gaius setting up a shadow kingdom in America. He likely knew of Gaius’s temperament and the kind of person that he was. He would’ve heard about Gaius being killed by his progeny and a council sitting place rather than a king as Gaius intended. 

I think when he arrived, he heard of the New York Council and had hope that things would be better. 

When he arrived he found out that things were not. 

The six clans of New York were divvied up between all of Gaius’s progeny, people who found themselves drowning in wealth beyond imagining and who held control in various sectors of power within America. Priya LaCroix, entertainment head and mistress of the night; Adam Vega, political prodigy; Lester Castellanos, head of industry; Cecil Romano IV, the “Baron,” and king of the criminal element; Adrian Raines, former soldier and technological lifeline of the New York Council; and Kamilah Sayeed, Gaius’s former queen and butcher--

Their rule was tight and their decisions were final. Only a handful of vampires were given the honor of making up their clans, around 30 between each of them. But Takeshi would’ve seen the masses that made up the unaccounted for. The ignored. 

While the Council held reign, their vampires held everything but self-control. Members of their clans would feed on unwilling humans, often times draining them of all their blood and murdering them outright. In the streets, those that survive may find themselves returning to life as Clanless. Vampires with no brand and no one to support them during such a trying time. Worse yet, while these Clanless vampires walked about, their very existence is deemed a threat to the greater community. Takeshi would’ve known about the ferals. He would’ve seen firsthand what happens to vampires who exist without a proper brand and what must be done with them. 

He would’ve come to America and seen the way the New York Council turns a blind eye to the atrocities their branded vampires commit and how they would condemn those that were unfortunate enough to become their victims to brutal deaths. He would’ve been in America during the last clan war that rocked the city. He would’ve seen all the helpless Clanless victims that the Council’s vampires left behind. He would’ve Turned many of them in the hopes of saving their lives. And in the hopes of forcing violent change. 

It was just like with the Five. Power remained everything and those that held it abused it gleefully. Takeshi was a man of honor, a man who valued justice and had seen enough bloodshed in his life that it would’ve boiled his blood to see these things happening and know that the New York Council was fine with doing absolutely nothing. 

He would’ve formulated a plan. He would’ve sought to undo the damage that the pursuit of power had done to those living back home in Japan. 

Along the way, he saved a young man’s life, another victim of the Council’s indifference:

And he finds himself mentoring this young man. He teaches him how to defend himself. He nurtures the man’s background of justice and freedom at any cost. He guides him when he has nothing left. He essentially takes the young man on as a student, as a son. 

Takeshi tells the young man about his past, though not all of it. He talks about a powerful woman he once knew:

And the gift he received for his loyalty. He speaks about the influence of the group that eventually came to be in Japan:

And a psychic with power beyond anything he had ever come to know:

But most importantly, Takeshi tells him that no matter what happens, the young man needs to remember the reason for why they are fighting. For why they are doing this. He tells him it’s because no one deserves to live a life under the boot heel of those that ascribe themselves superficial power. He tells him it’s because everyone deserves the chance to live a life of their own choosing. 

But what he doesn’t say? Is that they do this because he refuses to let his past mistakes reflect in a blossoming kingdom that could truly be a place of complete freedom for vampires.

I think Takeshi was a part of the Five of Japan and I so look forward to seeing his history laid before us. I look forward to seeing Jax tell us about Takeshi and for us to learn the truths that Takeshi could not reveal to Jax. I look forward to seeing the conclusion of Jax’s story and hope that it will be delivered in a manner deserving of him. 

Takeshi Watanabe and the Five of Japan. Jax Matsuo and perhaps the end of his story. I’m terribly excited.

[realfuurikuuri]

Chapters: 12/? Fandom: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Mao Mao/Tanya Keys, Mao mao/badgerclops AN:  We are here again my undoubted friends. You know how these things go, the personal updates are that I finished SMT IV and started SMT IV: Apocalypse which is good 'cause Atlas RPGs are always fun. I've noticed we've gone a bit of time without an action set piece, so I threw one in here for good measure. Also for those that left comments on my NSFW fanfic, it turns out I turned on manually approve comments, so... whoops. As always follow @spookylovesboba on Tumblr and enjoy the chapter.

Direct Link: XXXX

Chapter Below the cut

Mao Mao dug through the closet, looking for the white suit that he was certain he put somewhere. It shouldn’t have been that hard to find. It was pure white, dammit! He tossed capes and sashes to the ground, digging through the endless pile of junk. He tossed Badgerclops’ tools out the way, pushed aside some of Adorabat’s toys, and wondered where the bathrobe that belonged to none of them even came from.

“Badgerclops! Are you sure my suit was in here,” he yelled to the other room.

“Yeah, I’m sure I saw it in there.”

“Well, it's not here.”

“I don’t know why you’re stressin’ about it. The plays’ not ‘till tonight I’m sure you’ll find it.”

“I’m not stressing about it. I want to iron it first.”

“I don’t know how long you think it takes to iron things, but it definitely doesn’t take 7 hours.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I’m pretty sure I do.”

Ding-Dong!

“Mao Mao, someone's at the door.”

“And you’re in the living room. Answer it.”

Mao screamed his frustrations into the bathrobe before throwing it aside. He didn’t understand how Badgerclops could be so lax about this. She’d already been dropped off, and the silence her absence left made Mao Mao feel anxious. Adorabat’s play was in seven hours, and a lot could go wrong in seven hours. The house could burn down, the Sky Pirates could attack or-

“Hey, Mao Mao you’re gonna wanna come here.”

“I’m busy. Who is it?”

“I don’t know. He’s pretty tall, wearing gold… says he’s your dad.”

-his dad could make a surprise visit again. What could he want? He wanted the finger back, obviously, but what else? His next thought was that he wanted to apologize. Mao Mao quickly dismissed that thought, but he slowly brought it back around. Everything he thought he knew about his father had been turned around. Maybe he actually did want to apologize. Mao Mao rose to his feet, huffed, and slammed the closet shut. If papa wanted to apologize then the only question to ask was how would he fuck it up this time?

It was then that a thought struck Mao Mao like a bolt from the blue. Why should I forgive him even if he doesn’t fuck it up? His first instinct was to come up with an argument against it but found nothing of any worth, yet he still pushed the idea aside.

He stepped in the living room, finding his papa standing just outside the door frame, lest he breaks it again. The first thing Mao Mao noticed was his armor. Normally kept pristine and shining had scratches and dents marring its facade. It wasn’t even waxed. Had hadn’t returned home, had he?

Mao Mao fought back the urge to ask what he was doing here. Mao Mao pushed past Badgerclops, stepping onto his porch, and closing the door behind him.

“Son,” Shin Mao said.

Mao Mao ignored the question. He reached into his sash flicking the broken finger towards his father. “This is what you came for, right?”

“Part of it, yes.”

“Of course it was,” Mao Mao spat.

“That’s not-,” papa took a deep breath to get control of his voice,” that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean? ‘Cause everything you say and does tell me that you don’t!”

“I came here to apologize!”

“Oh my god! We literally had this exact conversation a week ago. I bring up all your problems and you deny and deny and deny!”

“Well, I’m trying to own up to it now!”

“And it still doesn’t mean shit!”

The door was thrown open. “And that is enough of you two,” Badgerclops yelled.

Neither of them heard Badgerclops. They kept arguing.

“I get it,” papa screamed,” I get that I’ve made mistakes! What do you want me to do to make it up to you.”

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” he yelled back.

Their voices rising higher and higher, so high that it wasn’t even words anymore. Just pointless screaming. Again, a thought wiggled its way into his head. Why should I forgive him? It stood above papa’s voice and even his own. It was just an infuriating mess of noise inside and out. At first, he gave in to his rage and grasped for the hilt of Geraldine before thinking better of it. He ignored the shouting, got onto the aerocycle, and left.

* * *

Despite taking his leave Mao Mao felt no calmer. His knuckles ached,

He could hardly drive straight, so he landed at a small clearing in the forest. Everything irritated him. The bird’s singing, the cool breeze, the fragrance of the pine forest. He sat on a large boulder to gather himself. His father would leave sooner or later. Then he would go back home and- Dammit! Adorabat still had her play and he still hadn’t ironed his clothes or even find them. Mao Mao sighed. Whatever. Badgerclops was right, there was still time to waste.

The maddening chain of thoughts kept going. His mind turned from one problem to another, from one mistake to another. The terrible thoughts shared no connecting theme. Sometimes it was how he embarrassed himself as an adult, other times it was the mistakes he made as a child. It made his throat feel rather dry rather quickly. Maybe it was the devil’s luck that he had nothing to drink. However, he did have Geraldine.

Mao Mao took his sword and swung at the nearest tree. The tree crashed down to the floor with a single slice. Mao Mao examined the stump with displeasure. Despite only taking one slash the cut wasn’t very clean. The wood was jagged and frayed at the edges. Not sure what he expected considering he let proper maintenance fall to the wayside.  When was the last time he took his care of his sword? It was nearly two months; around the time Jǐngtì first showed up if he remembered right. That was when his life really turned into an entire pile of shit, wasn’t it?

Mao Mao took to running his sword along the edge of the boulder he once sat on. To his surprise, the rock worked rather well as a sharpening stone. It had a nice grain that matched his sword well. Maybe he should remember this spot, or better yet take a piece of the rock for himself.

Mao Mao held his sword backhanded and swung it through the tip of the boulder, taking a nice chunk of it. That was when the ground began to shake. Mao Mao struggled to gain footing as the dirt cracked and exploded out as the boulder grew larger and larger and larger, towering over him in a wispy mass of shadow.

That was no boulder! It was a monster.

The monster was utterly massive, even by monster standards. Its loose shape only contained in the bony protrusions that he thought were rocks. Mao Mao barely shook off his shock in time to dodge a swipe from its wings. He stared at the terrible gash in the ground where he once stood. How many hits could he take before dying? If he hadn’t just gotten out of the hospital he might actually be able to tank a hit. Like this, a glancing hit might kill him.

A beast with strength like that could only be dodged. And dodge he did. He ducked under swipes and leaped over attacks, holding a half-sharp Geraldine in his only hand. He stepped out the way of another attack and retaliated with a quick slash. It chipped the stone-like edges of its wings.

There was no point in striking its exterior. He’d have to go for the shadowy flesh.  He rolled over one of the slashes, using the momentum to toss himself towards the monster. He left a nasty gash across the beast, but something was wrong. It felt like he was cutting through a thick cloud of smoke. He landed and immediately jumped away from another attack. He clung to a tree watching the gash get filled in by more shadowy mass. Did he do any real damage? How many more hits would it take?

Mao Mao leaped back into action. He slashed and slashed, taking entire chunks of the monster, but it was always right as rain in seconds. He, on the other hand, couldn’t keep this up forever. He was a cat, not a monkey, and he couldn’t keep running around like one forever. His entire body felt weak and it was hard to find balance. The sheer pressure of knowing that a single hit would bring him just shy of death was taxing.

Mao Mao remembered a piece of advice he hated. He who runs away lives to run another day. He was ready to leave when he heard a thunderous crash that seemed to shake the world. He hesitated to look over his shoulder, regretting that hesitation immediately. He should’ve just said fuck it and run away.

Amongst the kicked up dirt and dust, amongst the black shadows fading in the wind, was the glorious glint of gold. Papa had found him. Badgerclops was there, too. He watched them argue from the trees. He considered still listening to the hated advice but ignored better judgment, like always.

He sprang from the tree with a stumbling stop, falling to his knees to catch his breath.

Papa, to his credit, rushed to help him to his feet, but Mao Mao forcefully pushed him off. “I don’t need your help,” he spat at his father.

“What were you doing,” Papa asked. “You’re in no shape to be fighting monsters.”

“And you’re in no shape to be acting like a parent.”

“I think we should get him to a hospital,” Papa Badgerclops.

“Hey, fuck you. Don’t talk like I’m not here.”

“Calm down, son.”

“No. I won’t calm down! Every time you’re around you always make me feel… small . You ignored my existence and when you don’t you ignore my feelings and blow them off like they don’t matter. I don’t love you. I don’t care what happens to you, and I don’t want to see you, Shin , ever again.”

“You need to take a minute. You’re obviously delirious. You probably have a concussion.”

“Who cares! Who cares what you think! I’m done caring about what you think,” Mao Mao poured his entire heart into those words, screaming his throat hoarse and raw. “I think you’re a self-serving asshole too obsessed with your ego to realize your mistakes! I think you're so selfish that you honestly think you can suddenly realize your mistake and suddenly expect forgiveness!”

“I think-,” Mao Mao licked his numb lips, stumbling forward as his vision grew blurry, “ -I’m having a stroke.”

Everything went dark as the ground came rushing towards him.

* * *

Mao Mao woke up in a regrettably familiar setting. It was cold, reeked of sterile antiseptic, and home to the closest thing the valley had to a doctor.

“Hey, why am I at Camille’s Tower this time,” he said to no one.

Badgerclops rushed to his side. “You had a stroke, dude.”

“Right… wasn’t that a side-effect of Camille’s medication.”

“If you didn’t watch your blood pressure.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that sounds familiar… hey, it might be the stroke messin’ with my memory, but wasn’t I doin’ somethin’ before I got here.”

“You were getting ready to attend Adorabat’s play.”

Mao Mao nodded along. “Was that before- no, that’s not important. He’s not important.”

Mao Mao stumbled over his words trying to push off the fatigue. “What I mean to ask is if you can tell me the time.”

Badgerclops placed a hand on his chest to keep him from getting up. “Oh no. I know that wide-eyed look. It means you either got the zoomies or about to do something stupid. Same difference really.”  

“I’m fine.”

“You literally had a stroke.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not find.”

“Actually, it does mean you aren’t fine,” Camille corrected from the back.

“I don’t remember asking for the peanut-gallerie's opinion.”

“But the peanut gallery has a point. You can stay here and get better, while I can go attend Adorabat’s play.”

Mao Mao searched the room. There was a window on the far side, but he probably wouldn’t be able to reach it, and he certainly didn’t have an idea what to do once he jumped through it. He sighed, realizing how little options he had left. He gestured for Badgerclops to lean in as he whispered into his ear.

“I know I don’t talk about my childhood for obvious reasons, but did you know that I actually was in a school play. I tried out for the leading role, but ended up playing a bush and -don’t laugh- and I actually handed an invitation to my father to make sure he knew it was happening. You can guess what happened on opening night.

“He wasn’t there,” Badgerclops said.

“Don’t say it out loud. Point is: Going to this play is a very important thing to me. I don’t want to be like Papa… Shin, I mean.”

Badgerclops stood up. He drummed his fingers against the patient’s bed while he thought. “We’ll go to the play.”

Mao Mao swung out of bed to have Badgerclops put his hand on his shoulder. “But, you’re coming back here when we’re done, alright?”

Mao Mao nodded along. He would’ve nodded to anything you said at this point. He was just happy to go.

* * *

Were theatres required to markup ticket prices on showing days? Mao Mao and Badgerclops took their seats as the curtain was drawn. Mao Mao kept his eyes on the stage the entire time, but couldn't remember anything about it. He remembered yawning, leaning against Badgerclops, the ruby pure heart was mentioned somewhere. It was a huddled mess, a confusing blur of time that got lost in his endeavor to just stay awake. Suddenly, everyone started clapping and Mao Mao tried clapping too, alas he forgot he only has one. Adorabat found them soon after the play ended.

“Did you see me,” she asked.

“Yeah, I saw you,” he answered.

[midnight-circus]

another bullshit meme

from sidebloggable

answered for logan and lucius bc i dont talk about my big dumb idiot enough

and im actually gonna answer for their original Fable timeline bc ive been feelin nostalgic recently

Their physical weak spots

Logan - depends on his age and/or stress-levels. He has a fair amount of upper body strength from swinging twin swords around all the fucking time, but it wouldn’t be ridiculously hard to overpower him if you could disarm and get hold of him - however, he’s fast, agile and extremely skilled, and it’s getting hold of him in the first place that’s the issue. In the middle of his reign, on the other hand, his body condition takes a dramatic dive - he’s pretty severely underweight and loses a lot of his muscle tone, and it really wouldn’t take much at all to best him. 

Lucius - Lucius is a big, heavy mercenary who fights with a broadsword, so it’s hard to get the best of him in a one-to-one melee fight. However, he’s missing his left eye and is deaf in his left ear - subsequently if you use a little bit of stealth and come at him hard and fast from the left, you’ve got a pretty good chance of getting the jump on him. He’s also into middle-age and despite having decent reactions, a younger man of the same build as him might just pip him to the post.

Their emotional/moral weak spots

Logan - oh god lmao. Logan’s a mess, but his primary emotional weak spot is his siblings - be they his original two (hey queenie and dorian) or Morgan. I think he feels a bond that’s closer to paternal than fraternal, and I think the only way he can really justify to himself the pain he puts them through is telling himself he’s doing it for them. ok honestly, he will do fucking anything for them. at the climax of the revolution, the primary thought running through his head is how fucking proud he is. be nice if he said it out loud every once a while - hell, itd be nice if he’d just asked for some fuckin help before causing the literal death of hundreds of people - but yknow. thats just going one step too far i guess

Lucius - he’s a bleeding heart. when Morgan and his little band of rebels rock up in the Dweller village, Lucius is already there running supplies up and down the mountain to them; he watches way too many kids starve to death, and joins up with the rebels in order to lead them through Mourningwood. then he gets a crush on morgan’s little bitch face and just like. never leaves lmao. He’s easily blinded by injustice and gets worked up really quickly when he sees wrong being done - it can lead him to act recklessly or thoughtlessly at times.

Scars or painful spots

Logan - asides from the obvious scars across his lips (fencing wounds when he was a boy), he took some nasty damage from the Crawler during the three days he was trapped in the Auroran cave - he’s got a network of scars on his back that look a little like lashmarks. they hurt when they’re touched and he Does Not talk about them. he’s also got a few other scars here and there on his arms and chest from miscellaneous scraps and scuffles, and he has a deep puncture scar on his abdomen from an assassination attempt, but the less said about those the better.

Lucius - lmao Lucius is literally missing half his face to scar-tissue. he was attacked by a dog as a boy and it left him heavily messed-up. he’s also a merc, as i said, so he’s got a lot of miscellaneous old wounds but nothing quite as obvious as the ones his face. 

Best places to kiss on their body

Logan - oh, the neck, bitch. he’s also kind of a slut for being kissed on the insides of his wrists; anywhere vulnerable, basically. if you could kill him there, kiss him there. freak-ass bitch.

Lucius - dude just likes a nice traditional french kiss man nothing crazy. but also definitely give him a blowjob. i know this question said kissing but lets be real thats kind of a kiss.

Guilty pleasures

Logan - he reads really terrible novels. like…really terrible. he pretends he’s reading something highbrow and intellectual but its actually a shitty romance recovered with something suitably acceptable and nobody can know

Lucius - he doesnt have any ‘guilty’ pleasures tbh, he just enjoys stuff unashamedly. he’s too thick to feel guilty

Their vices (physical or emotional)

Logan - lets be real, he’s probably done, like. an impressive amount of coke. i guess the terrible sleeping and eating habits are probably also a vice but like. it’s mainly the coke

Lucius - he smokes like a fuckin chimney

Their tickle spots

Logan - not only does he not have any, but you would also die for trying. Elrick disagrees.

Lucius - his ribs, but he is uncontrollably violent when he’s tickled so its a real good way to get a broken nose. he doesn’t mean to do it, he just spasms. 

Bad memories/experiences

Logan - lmao. I’ll skip the most obvious (the 3-Day Auroran Extravaganza) because i think that goes without saying - it left him with crippling PTSD and damaged his mind heavily and insidiously. he was already pretty traumatised by his childhood and i think being forced into so many responsibilities so young also messed him up a little. it’s more like….rather one one or two specific experiences, its more just a general feeling of Bad that has stuck with him throughout his life. It was worsened by his later experiences, and essentially primed him for failure.

Lucius - yknow i was thinking about how to word the answer to this question and i realised that i accidentally made Lucius into Batman. His family farm was attacked and burnt to the ground by bandits when he was about 12; his parents and siblings were killed, and he only escaped by hiding in the coal-cellar. Later, he joined up with the mercenaries to try and track down the group that targeted them. fuck hes batman. i didnt mean to batman

Humiliating memories

Logan - oh man his father was a pro at humiliation. mistakes or oversights werent just punished, they were fuckin learned from, and he figured the best way to do this was humiliation - generally through public displays of What You Did Wrong and repeated recitations of the mistake in front of the people whose opinions Logan valued. It was kind of the catalyst for his inferiority complex and intense desire to succeed without input from others. 

Lucius - again, Lucius doesn’t really experience embarrassment - he’s kind of too laid-back for it. yes, it was embarrassing the one time he fell over carrying two milk buckets and threw them all over himself in front of the handsome boy from the next farm over and the guy started laughing at him but like. you live and learn and the dude turned out to have a really ugly laugh anyway so who cares

Fears/phobias

Logan - he’s always had claustrophobia, but after the Auroran Experience this intensifies to a whole new level, and he also develops crippling nyctophobia. part of this is due to his hallucinatory psychosis - he sees things pretty much constantly, but it worsens in low lighting - but it’s also due to the fact that there may very well be actual Things in the dark and he struggles to tell reality from hallucination

Lucius - dogs. fuckin dogs. he hates dogs theyre literally so scary even the small ones bc the small ones move so quick and you never know when theyre gonna come at you

Bad or petty habits

Logan - oh, he’s just a petty bitch. he’s also outwardly arrogant, even if his internal feelings don’t match up to that. drily sarcastic, too, tho a person only really sees that when they get past the walls he throws up - Elrick is very familiar with it. 

Lucius - he’s constantly standing to the right-hand side of people and then he wonders why he cant hear them properly

Grudges and vendettas

Logan - he’d hold a grudge against his father if he wasnt dead. he also holds a pretty heavy grudge against Theresa for not just fucking telling him.

Lucius - at first, only against the bandits that killed his family, but once he deals with them hes kind of at a loss as to where to go next. fortunately Logan starts starving people shortly afterwards, so if nothing else it gives him a kickstart into the rest of his life. Subsequently, Lucius will hold a vendetta against Logan for the rest of his life, even after he has been in a relationship with Morgan for years - he will never forgive him for the shit he put the common people through, and he doesnt really give a shit about the ~pressures~ Logan was under at the time. fuckin excuses, man. 

Ingrained habits/forces of habit

Logan - his terrible sleeping/eating patterns. even before trauma and night-terrors made it almost impossible for him to sleep peacefully, he didn’t get more than 5 or 6 hours a night, if that.

Lucius - if something is smaller than him, he’ll protect it. he’ll also protect things bigger than him, if given half the chance. hes basically a golden retriever in human form, which is ironic considering his feelings about dogs.

What it takes to make them cry

Logan - would rather die than cry, quite literally.

Lucius - his heart is softer than butter, he’ll cry at anything. he’ll cry at an injured pigeon on the street. 

Dark secrets/’skeletons in the closet’

Logan - never, ever, ever talks about what happened in Aurora. The details die with him.

Lucius - he doesn’t really have any - he’s not ashamed of much in his life, and he’s never done anything terrible enough to render it a skeleton. 

People they’ve hurt or indirectly killed, and how it affected them

Logan - L M A O. yes, it affected him terribly, but tbqh however much its affected him kind of plays second fiddle to how much his actions affected other people.

Lucius - has killed a lot of people who deserved it during his mercenary years, and justifies it to himself by being absolutely certain that they did deserve it. sometimes he doubts this, though, and that doubt plays a big part in his eventually getting out of the game entirely

People who’ve influenced them greatly

Logan - Walter, tho he’ll never admit it in a million years and he still definitely kneecapped him right at the start of the game so idk what that says about him

Lucius - Morgan. it’s real gay, i know, but there it is.