#kaiju ash returns

[awkwardgtace]

Self Reflection

hey hey day 11 we have melancholy. This time I went more for the overwhelming feeling of the story rather than my usual methods of taking prompts. Will add this to ao3 once the ddos is over

Kaiju Ash is thinking about their life, both current and former. Unsure what they want if they should let things continue as they are.

TW: Mentions of death, probably other things i'm not realizing please lemme know if I should tag them.

Self Reflection

I stared at the clouds as the water fell over my body. I never stood for storms before, but I wanted to clear the dirt from my skin, or rather scales. Alessia said it, my body was no longer human skin. I was covered in something more like carapace. After a day of begging I did promise the two I would use the next storm to clear the dirt and leaves from me. Of course they had to stay in the small house, one made of my vines. Even with it separated sometimes it let me hear, let me know things I shouldn’t. Now was one of those times.

“We need to go into a town soon,” Alessia said. I frowned, if they left I shouldn’t let them back. It wasn’t safe near me. I closed my eyes as the water continued to pelt my body. I sort of enjoyed the feeling of the rain on my eyes. I knew that wasn’t normal.

“You know if we both go Ash will need convincing to bring us back,” Delphia said. Despite the way their voices traveled, I enjoyed hearing such normal talk between them. I didn’t even know this could happen. I should stop being shocked when the vines become an extension of myself.

“So you stay.” The two sounded happy, it had been too long with me. They should leave. I tried not to react to their words. If I moved it would still bother them despite the security we’d managed to create. 

“No, there’s too much for you to get alone. Too bad Ash can’t just grow everything we need.” The unflinching trust continued to hurt my heart. The willingness to abandon their world, their lives, just everything… I didn’t think I could ever feel worthy of their actions and choices. “Plus I’m a bit better at hiding from people than you are. We can’t have someone following us.”

I wanted to keep listening, but the vines decided I’d heard enough. What would happen if someone followed them? If someone new found me? I had met other humans, ones I helped to get to safety. Those ones might not have discussed my existence, or maybe no one believed them. I shook my head, I couldn’t think about people like that. I wasn’t something else, I was human… wasn’t I?

I walked away from my miniscule loves. My focus was at the edge of the forest. The forest that fit me, that grew around me. Trees tall enough that they hid me even when I stood. This wasn’t natural or normal. I ran my hands, more precisely my claws, over the bark. It was stronger than the trees I faintly remembered from my life before. When they weren’t just a little taller than me. 

It didn’t take long for me to reach my goal. I stood next to the town that I’d turned into a grave. It still hurt to think of what I’d done. Delphia and Alessia were convinced it wasn’t my fault, but it was. I could have listened, I could have gone back to sleep. So many lives would have been saved if I had never woken up. The days I dreamed, the times I woke up to phantom feelings of arms around me, were all ones I wished I got to live more often.

I started to reach out towards the edge of the trees. I could leave, I could reveal myself to the world. It would free Alessia and Delphia. It would change things, explain so much. Possibly even make others be believed. My claws hovered near the edge, my hand was shaking. I couldn’t remember what would leave me scared, but revealing myself was terrifying. My memories before this, ones that didn’t include Alessia and Delphia, were still too hazy. Sometimes it felt like they were fading away, that if the others weren’t with me I would lose everything that explained who I was.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” a small voice said. It wasn’t coming through my vines, it was masculine. Familiar. A shiver ran through my body, water fell from places it had pooled on me. The only thing that reminded me that rain was falling all around me.

“Leave then, I’m not walking away,” a new voice. Also masculine… Also familiar… I was frozen, the strange scales or carapace caught water all over me. That didn’t matter, those voices… Those voices terrified me.

“So you can disappear too?” I was tempted to try and find them. To face the terror in my blood. They were going to be the same size as the others… I couldn’t risk doing anything to them.

“I’m finding them. This is the last place they checked in from.”

“You know how likely it is that they survived out here this long?! Their car isn’t even here! At least wait until the storm is over.”

“You can wait until the storm is over. If my sister is out there I’m finding her. I’m dragging them both home because if she’s there so is Alessia!”

My heart froze. They… these voices wanted Alessia and Delphia. Were they from that life? That time that I can barely remember? I felt it as they entered the forest. My forest. One storming ahead, something in my mind tingled at the knowledge. As though it was something that bubbled with joy and memories.

“Strawberry, we should at least stay together!” I stumbled at those words. A thousand arrows attacked my heart. I knew those words, I knew these people. I knew these humans. “Shit, run!”

They were running because of me. Something I did, my steps or my vines I didn’t know. I had to stop them, protect them from the truth. From finding the damage I’d done by existing. I heard screams. A part of me wondered if Delphia and Alessia would hear them. If they’d hate me for what was happening now. Another part thought they should and then they would leave.

I heard shouts as my vines grabbed the two humans. I was conscious of the choice to grab them. I focused on keeping the movement of my vines slow even as I crouched. I was still towering over everything. The vines stopped just at my eyes. It was like the day Delphia and Alessia returned to my life. One face of anger and fear, another of something akin to a calm understanding.

“Rhys, do not say a thing, do not ask questions, I will get us out of this,” the angry one said. He had scars on his eyes, the shape of an X on each. They were a pale contrast on his dark skin. Silver hair that had fallen in his face and hung heavily due to the rain. Mismatched eyes like my own, different colors though. A brilliant emerald and striking violet.

“Vincent…” Rhys said it, at least that’s what I could assume was his name. Salmon hair, tan skin, pink eyes that saw through me. I knew this person, I’d spent a lot of time with him. A flash in my mind, someone yelling with the pink eyed man laughing beside me. I pushed him, a smile playing on my own lips.

I brought a hand up to shield them from the rain. Both stared at me, unflinching eyes. I… I shouldn’t have grabbed them. I should have left them to wander, only blocking them from going too far. Instead I took my other hand below them. Another thing I learned I could do, the vines moved over to my skin without a need for me to try. More screams.

I stood, slower than normal to be safe. I looked around the world, these two on my hand a stark reminder of what I’ve lost. I kept my hand low. It was difficult, but I knew raising them too high might cause them to be hurt. I was lucky Alessia and Delphia had been safe. I made the choice to change how my vines held them. Holding them safely together instead of apart. I could hear the mumbles from them, reassurances that they would survive. 

I could speak, I could tell them. Words didn’t occur to me, the ones to fix this. I… I wanted them not to know who I was. More memory flashes made it hurt to imagine them scared of me when they knew it was me. I took the steps I needed to return to Delphia and Alessia. The small women were waiting for me, ignoring the rain still pouring from the sky.

As soon as I brought my hand close the men I held reacted. The words were… not kind. I didn’t want to think about the consequences of how they acted. Directing my vines to set the men down was easy, the two grabbing Alessia and Delphia and trying to hide them from me was not. I still couldn’t make my voice work. When they knew it was me, would they still be scared? Was I not something to be trusted? I wasn’t… I wasn’t a human no matter how much I wanted to believe I was… was I?

“Rhys?” Delphia said. She was trying to pull away, to be in my view. It made me feel happier, warmer, more human. “Let go of me. What are you even doing here?”

“We came to find the two of you. It’s been months with no contact!” Rhys shouted. The shout made me jump. It was louder than I expected, but my jump caused both men to lose their footing.

“Vincent, Rhys calm down. We’re fine.” Alessia looked up at me with a bright smile. Another thing that made me feel human, gifts constantly offered by them. “We found them. We found Ash.”

Both men stared at me. It didn’t take long for Rhys to be on his feet holding Delphia’s shoulders. I wanted to pull him away. To stop him from hurting her. He wouldn’t… Rhys wasn’t that person. I knew that. Vincent was glaring at me on his feet. It… I knew that glare. I knew him too. I hated this terror budding in my heart.

“Del, that-that thing is not Ash!” I closed my eyes. I needed to stay calm, but my tail didn’t agree. The loud thumps of the appendage were already causing the four ant sized humans to stumble. “This is proof! That thing is a monster and we need to escape.”

“No.” Delphia set herself free. She actually came closer to me. I brought my claw near her, she reached for it. Vincent pulled her back, he had a firm grip on Alessia’s wrist too. Something rumbled up deep in my chest, I had never noticed the growls I could make before.

“That is not a human reaction, Strawberry is right. We need to get away from this thing. You two are brainwashed.” Vincent had always been harsh. My brain had so much firing at once. Times with both, pushing Rhys to speak to the glaring man. Vincent unsure how to admit his own feelings. Smiles with both of them, nights where I spent time away from Alessia and Delphia. Where I spent time with another family, my new family.

“Who cares!? This is Ash and we’re not brainwashed. You two shouldn’t even be here. Go home. We’ll be back once we’ve fixed this.” Alessia’s firm voice calmed me. The rumbling in my chest disappeared. The ones most important to me were fine and didn’t see me as a monster.

“It can’t even talk that isn’t Ash! I know you miss them, but they died. Just like everyone else when this forest popped up, please just let us try to figure a way out of this and get home. Everyone’s been worried about you two and this constant searching.” My chest rumbled again, but there was more pain than anger.

“Will you stop talking like they aren’t here? Like they can’t understand you!? This is Ash, you're both just being cruel. It’s… how can you treat them like that!? You both were as devastated as we were when the news came and they’re here and you’re treating them like a monster that can’t even speak!”

“It can’t speak! All it’s done is growl. It probably just decided to look like them.”

“I do speak, I.. it is me,” I whispered. Despite the safety my vines promised my voice I was terrified. Now those humans would know who I am. The memories of happy times would be tainted by fearful faces. The men stared at me with a cocktail of pain, shock, and fear.

“They’re really alive, Rhys. It’s them.” Delphia was grabbing Rhys’s arm, trying to make them listen.

All I could do after that was watch them. Words exchanged all while the staring continued. I wanted to do something. Find a way to prove who I was. It was clear they didn’t believe in me. They only saw a monster. The pain I feared came together the longer I watched them. 

“Fine, we’ll get your supplies and come back. We’re staying at least for a few weeks,” Rhys said. 

That would make sense, it would work. There would be room in the house for the two of them. Although… I could almost remember what their home looked like. At least Rhys’s home I couldn’t recall if Vincent lived there. On top of my claws a small square of vines appeared. I pushed the cube off, vines trailing off my claw. I snapped it before the cube settled next to the home I barely remembered.

“Is that our house?” Vincent said. It was always him when there was a strange mixture of shock and suspicion.

I watched Rhys walk in, despite Vincent calling him back. The man walked out and stared up at me with awe. Vincent grabbed his arm, but stopped. I wasn't sure why. It didn’t matter, they were too far in the forest for a human to walk back in a reasonable time. It looked like they were slowly realizing it.

“Well we should go… assuming ‘Ash’ will take us… and pick us up when we get back,” Rhys said. It was clear they didn’t believe it was me. That I was some monster that Alessia and Delphia had trained. Maybe I was.

Regardless I offered my hand. The two didn’t move. I wasn’t sure what to do. I noticed Delphia pointing towards a loose vine. I should grab them? I tilted my head. She nodded, reading the question despite how hard it must be to read my face. So small and delicate. In the back of my mind I knew those words didn’t suit the men my vines were grabbing.

“Woah, easy with the vines godzilla,” Vincent said. The words hurt, but the nickname stuck out. Vincent… he gives people nicknames; it's a part of him. I… calling me something else might be good. I set them down in the center of my palm. Where I knew I could keep them safe. Ant sized humans… How had I started to trick myself into thinking I still was one.

I stood, with my hand at my waist to avoid hurting Rhys and Vincent. Only a few steps to travel what would take them days or weeks. I couldn’t call myself human. Near the edge, not quite outside the trees that towered thousands of feet over humans… over creatures I was starting to struggle to believe I ever was one of. I crouched again, setting my hand down and hoping the two I could faintly remember laughing with wouldn’t show me more fear.

They stumbled off my hand. Stared at me with emotions I couldn’t understand.

“If you really are Ash. Alessia says she’s finding a way to turn you back. If it works well… I’m glad they found you and I’m sorry… for treating you like a monster,” Rhys said. My eyes widened. Vincent pulled Rhys towards what I knew had to be a car. It was so small… I constantly found myself in awe at the trust Delphia and Alessia put in me.

“You’re keeping the nickname whether you’re Ash or not. Godzilla fits you pretty damn well,” Vincent pushed Rhys towards a door as he spoke. I stood up straight as I watched both men climb into the vehicle. It was hard, I could remember riding in one. The danger it posed before. Only now could I crush it like a bug. I… I didn’t like thinking like that. 

I watched it drive off. The distance it covered would be faster for me. I could travel farther than I had ever dreamed. Yet I had to stay within these trees. Where nothing could find me from above and I controlled the ground. I stared at my clawed hand, looked over the scaled body I now existed in. I wasn’t human.

My vines apparently wanted me to know this. They pulled back from my skin, the skin akin to stone. It looked like stone when I focused on it. Other vines pulled my tail forward, even with the rain that continued to pour I could see the red smears that I never cleaned off. Remnants of what I’d done, who I’d hurt. People with names and faces I couldn’t remember or know.

I didn’t know why the building was unharmed that day. Why the people had survived and stayed past the terrifyingly large trees. Maybe I had disrupted them. This monstrous body was covered in sin after sin that I could never escape. I turned to look at where I knew Delphia and Alessia were. Humans that loved me… that loved a me that was dead. 

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I love you and I miss our life, but I don’t think I can go back. After everything I did… Everything that happened because of me. I don’t deserve to live a simple human life again.”

I wouldn’t tell them now… I wouldn’t end our time yet. I would wait for Rhys and Vincent. Wait for them to leave and when- when supplies were next needed I would tell them. I would send them off and lock my forest away from humans for good. No one would be at risk because of me or anything I might cause.

[kaiju-art-for-the-heart]

An heir to the throne

Ok, I made this blog for both art and fanfiction. Welcome to the first chapter of my Mothzilla addiction. Enjoy!

As the smoke cleared, debris and crushed buildings riddled the entirety of the city.  The smell of burning flesh permeated the air as Godzilla composed himself. The fight was finally over, and Godzilla has finally brought peace back to the planet once again. As he looks around him, the same kaiju that had been causing mass destruction merely hours before, bowed to him in recognition of their powerful king. Godzilla growls, getting the attention of the large titans instantly. "Return to your territories. And do not leave them unless called upon. Go." He snapped, the air around them instantly changing. With haste, each kaiju bowed to their king once more before starting their journey back home. As Rodan raised himself, he could hear another low growl bellow from his superior. "You. Stay." He commanded, his piercing eyes felt as if they cut straight through Rodan's hardened exterior. Watching as the rest made their speedy exit, the fire demon quietly looked back to Godzilla with worry. For the first time in many years, Rodan felt true fear wash over him.  "My king.." he clicked calmly, lowering his head to Godzilla as he approached. "Silence." Godzilla huffed, causing Rodan to look up in shock. 

"You are a traitor, Rodan. I should have your head for your foolishness." Godzilla scowled. Rodan's gaze dropped to the floor, unable to look Godzilla in the eye. He knew what he did was reckless and defiant. He aided in the murder of the Queen, something he knew he wouldn't be able to get away with unscathed. With a few clicks of discontent, Rodan sighed in recognition. "I'm so sorry my king.." he started, searching for an excuse to somehow get out of this. "I just-" "Just what?" Godzilla interrupted, he seemed to get more irritated as the conversation went on. "I.. I was merely following the orders of the alpha. I promise.. I will never do such things again! You are the true King!" Rodan paused, his breath hitching in his chest as he waited for Godzilla's final answer. After a minute or two the large titan huffed loudly. His gaze still locked onto Rodan as he spoke. "If you ever pull a stunt like this again... your life is mine. Get out of my sight." Godzilla growled, watching as Rodan quickly spread his flaming wings and lifted himself into the air, only the ash remaining as he squabbled away. 

Godzilla watched as each Kaiju disappeared into the smoky waters away from the city. All this work just to take down one bad egg, what a waste of time. Taking in one deep breath, the titan exhaled in a seemingly relieved fashion. He turned once more to the large metal bird the humans liked to observe him in. Though they didn't do much work, he was somewhat grateful for their little help to get him back into the fight. After a moment, he turned away from them to make his way back to the shoreline. He needed to take a nice long nap after this mess. Finally getting back to the water felt amazing to Godzilla. The cool waves felt almost healing to his aching muscles and skin. Thinking back to it, he hadn't reached that burning state in quite a while. It had been years since he came so close to death, though this time was different some how. His mind pondered for a moment before remembering a crucial detail. 'Mothra's sacrifice..' he thought to himself, swimming effortlessly through the ocean currents. 'She sacrificed herself for me.. I survived because of her..' he continued, feeling an intense set of emotions take over in that moment. It had been many moon's since he last saw Mothra as well. One day she was there, warning him of a battle she would be fighting alone. And the next, she was gone. She was always so fearless when it came to fighting, though he already knew why. The thought of her re-emerging as a feisty little larvae made him crack the ghost of a smile.

Night had fallen fast as Godzilla traveled the calm seas. Slowly he rose from the waters, soot and grime falling from the creases of his battle hardened skin. He was finally met with unoccupied grasslands, the cool breeze of the night helped put him in a much more somber mood. "Mothra.." he sighed quietly, lowering himself into a large patch of grass. 

'Where ever you are..' His golden orbs raised to the moon, its rays glistening off his watery scales. 

'I know you're healing..' his thoughts continued, the sound of soft crashing waves easing his mind. 

'It does not matter how much time passes.. I will always wait for you..' he yawned, his eyelids quickly becoming heavy as exhaustion took over. 'My Queen.. I will find you again..'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The days quickly passed by Godzilla. Turning from weeks, to months, to years since the fight with Ghidorah. Though it hadn't been all sunshine and roses since then. The number of fights Godzilla found himself in was quite staggering to say the least. From Kong and Mecha Godzilla, to Scilla and Tiamat, then back to Kong and Scar King, Godzilla was tired(Though some of those fights he intentionally started).  Within a fraction of a second, Godzilla's eyes snapped open at the sound of familiar singing, a soft scent lingering as well. The large nest he had found seemed to be the same, no signs of those pesky humans at the moment. Before he could even shift from his position, her golden presence gracefully landed on the ledge of the colosseum. The soft clicks and purrs of her calls instantly calmed Godzilla as he raised his head to look at her. "My Queen..!" he snorted happily, quickly rising out of the comforts of his nest to greet Mothra. 

"My King." Mothra trilled back, watching as the large titan bowed before her. As their eyes locked, Godzilla's usual scowl softened into a longing gaze. Their initial reunion was sweet but short due to the following fight. And to add to that, Mothra stayed behind for a bit to finish up some chores in hallow earth. With that, its safe to say they didn't have the time to enjoy each others company. After a moment, both titans leaned into each other to form a tender nuzzle. Mothra's soft head fluff grazed Godzilla's snout, sending shockwaves of comfort through his body. Gentle yet excited trills and clicks came from Mothra as she melted contently into his warmth. "I have been waiting for you, my queen." He chirred quietly, pulling away just enough to look at her again. "I assume you've taken care of the humans down below?" he huffed, getting a nod of agreement from her. "I made sure to make their barrier extra sturdy." she stated triumphantly. "Though I have confidence Kong will make sure they are safe as well." she continued, a grunt of approval coming from Godzilla . "Are you ready, Goji?"  she questioned, watching as Godzilla's expression changed to instant confusion. "Ready? Ready for what? Did I miss something?" This made her chuckle as she lifted herself into the air above him. "No silly, I have a surprise for you. But you have to follow me in order to see it. So up you go." she chirped, watching as the large lizard lazily left the comfort of his nest to follow her back to the ocean. 

As Godzilla's body disappeared into the blue of the water, his calls to her could still be heard as clear as day. After small back and forth, Godzilla was finally informed of their current destination. A decently sized island just far enough away from human civilization to live comfortably. This was a pleasant surprise to him. He had been so used to stepping around (but mostly on) humans that he forgot it was truly a problem. Without sparing anymore time, both titans made their way to their new nest. As Godzilla lifted himself from the icy ocean waters, Mothra landed in front of him to present her findings. As he looked to her, his golden orbs rested preciously on her refined elegance. She truly is as beautiful as the day he lost her. And now was the perfect time to keep her as close as possible. 

[grapejuicedragoon]

Godzilla Deicide: Gigan evil chicken nugget Lore!!: On a distant world many light years from earth life flourished. It was a land of giant beasts and among them stood Pre cyborg Gigan a giant highly intelligent raptor like Alien. The beast was stunning with marvelous iridescent green and gold feathers, boasting a crest and beak of Rich scarlet and Vivid Gold. His eyes a deep ruby red and his roar a haunting melody he was truly a marvelous beast to behold and that he was aware of. He basked in the light of his planets star boosting his ego with every flaunt of his feathers little did he know everything was going to change. One day his world was invaded by an ancient race of aliens that sought to destroy worlds and turn them into energy, he retaliate and fought aggressively along side the race native of his world driving the attackers off the planet he believed victory was his, but before he could celebrate the attackers fired a star destroying energy beam at the planet, which hit the kaiju directly the shockwave and heat from the blast devastated the world as the kaiju was left burnt and Crippled, his face charred beyond recognition, his feathers turned to ash and his flesh melted off his bones. There he lay blinded and in agony and all he could hear was the sounds of a losing war and his home being ravaged. Through his pain and anguish there was a deep rage boiling in the his soul. The people of his world tried to save as much life as they could and fled their dying home bringing the crippled god with them. Many years passed as Gigan lay in a stasis chamber on the ship that kept his vitals intact. Left to his thoughts, grief and pain the beast plotted vengeance within his chamber waiting for the day he could bring havoc to those who ruined him, humiliated him and killed his home. That day would soon arrive as the race of people formed an alliance with a powerful galactic empire that agreed to bring their god power once more, they adorned him with powerful cybernetic enhancements to fix his broken body and after many years the beast could finally see once more. His feathers regrown and enhancements put into place he was ready to follow his first commands to gather more resources and find a new suitable home. He followed this command however his heart had dubious intent he returned to his home system and attacked the mining forces of the aliens that had killed his home, but he let some flee so he could follow them to their planet. As a means of vengeance he used his new technology to ravage the alien's military forces leaving them defenseless as he stole resources from their world leaving it in ruin never had he felt a feeling so sweet and so satisfying. He returned to his people craving more destruction than ever before after giving his people the resources necessary to terraform a world he set for his second mission to find a new home and after years of eagerly searching he found the diamond in the rough a world similar to his old home with a blue ocean and sky. This one, this one was perfect standing on the planets soil brought the beast to his knees. he needed it, this had to be his new home. He contacted his people to set up plans for an invasion, but his plans were halted by a beast a fierce god like himself. So he fought head on attacking the giant reptile with brutal force, he enjoyed ever drop of blood spilt from the creature and cackled at every pained shriek. However the giant ankylosaur wasn't alone another god arrived one with a rage that maybe surpassed his own after a long battle the king of monsters forced Gigan to flee and return to his people.

[annes-andromeda]

Haven’t posted anything GOT related in a while since that god awful finale, but since HOTD came out and I’ve been watching it, it honestly baffles how people can think that the Targaryens are the heroes of the story when:

The fact that House Targaryen’s origins literally parallel that of the opening dialogue of Avatar (the four nations lived in harmony but everything changed when the fire nation attacked/the kingdoms of Westeros were independent until Aegon and his sisters came in and conquered them)

The fact that Aegon melting the swords of his fallen enemies to create the Iron Throne is reminiscent of Sauron from Lord of the Rings creating the One Ring in the fiery pits of Mordor. Not only that, but the fact that GRRM himself has paralleled the IT to the OR (they’re both objects of power that corrupts anyone who wields them).

Also how ironic that the volcano the One Ring was created and destroyed in is called Mount Doom, when Old Valyria was destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption. And what was the catastrophe called? The Doom.

The fact that in many medieval/fantasy stories, dragons are depicted as the beasts the knight must slay to save the princess locked away in the tower or, in the case of LOTR, greedy monsters who stow away treasure and will leave nothing but ashes in their wake (“I am fire. I am death”)

This might be a reach, but the fact that the Targaryen sigil is similar to another famous three-headed dragon known as Ghidorah; a sadistic, malicious kaiju who rather than kill for survival, kills for enjoyment and is the embodiment of death and destruction.

The fact that the colors of House Targaryen are colors often used for villains/antagonists. Plenty of animated villains from Disney use this color combination and, again with the LOTR parallels (ironic considering GRRM takes much inspiration from the works of Tolkien), the land of Mordor is a region of black soil with flowing, red lava.

The fact that the main element associated with House Targaryen is fire, which is one of the elements in the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ title. Not only is it the opposite of the associated element of House Stark (ice), but also the fact that the first book/first season starts with the return of the White Walkers and ends with the return of the dragons, aka The Song of Ice and Fire, aka The Threat of the White Walkers and the Dragons.

The fact that GRRM has stated that “Fire consumes, but cold preserves”, which is in line with his words about the Starks being the heart/heroes of the story, and how the reason why Westeros’ monarchy is so flawed is because the Targaryens depended on the dragons to keep everyone in line, aka they relied on the dragons as their main source of power and without them they fell apart:

Well, the Starks are certainly the center of the story, when it begins… But, the Starks are the center of the book…

To me, the Starks are heroes…

The Kingdom was unified with dragons, so the Targaryen’s flaw was to create an absolute monarchy highly dependent on them… So, without dragons it took a sneeze, a wildly incompetent and megalomaniac king, a love struck prince, a brutal civil war, a dissolute king that didn’t really know what to do with the throne and then chaos.

Im just saying, the Targaryens have all these villainous parallels (amongst many more of which I probably forgot) but somehow they’re the true heroes/protagonists??

I’m not saying you can’t enjoy them. Who doesn’t love a good villain? But while many of the characters in GOT/ASOIAF are morally grey, including the Targaryens, ultimately many members of that family were horrible rulers who were nothing but cruel, entitled, and indifferent towards those around them.

In conclusion:

House Targaryen: making their problems everyone else’s problems since 2 BC.

[wingxdfxry]

[ BOUNTY REQUEST FULFILLED. SENDING IN REPORT NOW ]

Gigan sighs as he walks off from an area of a human research facility, well, what once was a human research facility. They had gotten a-hold of other worldly substances, and needed to be stopped by any means necessary, and to have the material destroyed along with it. His glowing red visor covered in ash and soot in the dead of the night. It was bounties like these that they were taking nowadays, extremely important resources falling into the wrong hands, Gigan didn’t even think about his actions, as per usual, but..

Staying on earth for at least a few months to see why some of his kind haven’t returned from their own bounties.. How some have returned a shattered form, unable to return to bounty hunting, or even killing. It’s mostly curiosity keeping them here, was that big kaiju scattered across the bounty boards that tough for a cybernetic enhanced species such as them?  Of course they need to see this for themselves, flying off, his cloaked figure mostly hidden given the night sky, covered behind deep, dark storm clouds. Though morning shall arrive soon, Gigan has some time to snoop this planet out.

[kokorowoutsu]

-- RP: @pkmn-spira

pkmn-spira:

Interesting. Her husband is the Champion of Galar? This woman sure is full of surprises, that's for sure. Pity. One SYM Asset is going down today, just because of this chance encounter, and to add more insult to injury, A Celestial Admin helped take it down. This'll put a bit of a hurdle in Team Celestial's plans... But its negligible at best. And this combat would give Team Celestial an insight on how they'd further improve the remaining, still active SYM Assets. So, SYM-01 is up against quite the strong adversaries. A Charizard, a Primarina, whose size was larger than those of its same kind, and an Azumarill that was native to Cryptid Isle. While the Primarina was already prepping up Sparkling Aria, SYM-01 knew well to avoid the Ancient Powers, even using Flame Charge to cut it close, but it did took several hits from the Dragon Tails. Receiving more damage from earlier ago already drove it to a corner, and the fact that it had to face three targets at once basically backed it against a figurative wall. Hence, SYM-01 would use Smack Down, upheaving a huge chunk of the earth, and lobbed it at Bahamut, before then using Earthquake, its lower body thrashing about underground.

"Jump." And as such, her Azumarill did leapt off the ground as to avoid the damaging tremors SYM-01 had caused. "Now, Belly Drum, and go for Aqua Jet, Asrai." And such, Asrai pounded on its stomach several times. Sure, this'd hurt it considerably, but it would maximize its attack potential. And while still off the ground, the Azumarill started blitzing forward as it used Aqua Jet, crashing down on SYM-01 full force, causing it to crash against a set of trees. Yet the SYM Asset is still not out of it yet, Morgan knew. Its symbiosis with SYM-09's virulent DNA caused it to adapt the defensive properties of one of SYM-09's available forms, as well as mutate out Filter as an ability, too. While true, its Ground/Fire typing meant it was immensely weak towards Water types regardless, however.

With Saoirse still prepping that Sparkling Aria, her bubble getting ever bigger and the creature retaliating, Ashe acted fast. Lucky kept the ground steady with fae energy for Kumiko and Willow, allowing Ashe to act as Leon and Bahamut came crashing down by sending out a pokemon in the form of a figure who cast Ice Beam like a slide to twirl in and around the creature, catching Leon and giving him enough time to call back Bahamut before he hit the ground. Knowing his partner was exhausted, he chose to hang onto the Lapras as it cast Hydro Pump to help boost Asrai's Aqua Jet before sliding the Ice Beam to Ashe's side. Sliding off, Leon laid a hand to his wife's shoulder who returned her Lapras with thanks.

"Ready?" "Ready as i'll ever be."

Both called out a pokemon each then; a Absol with many scars and ruffled fur as well as a mechanical leg, a Absolite glimmering in the rain and a Ampharos who wore a band around his neck that also glimmered in the rain. Activating Mega Evolution, the two pokemon waiting for Saoirse to finally fire off her Sparkling Aria before they acted at their trainer's commands.

"Swords Dance and then Night Slash!"

"Dragon Pulse at full blast!"

Using the attacks to form the Sparkling Aria into what could only be described as a beam instead of a orb of water, the 'kaiju' before them was hit with multiple attacks all while standing their ground for their daughter's sake, unafraid and in unison. In the last year... well, six years if you count the time distortion, they had come a very long way.

Dare Ashe tell her new found acquaintance about the old her some time ago -- a nervous wreck who barely knew who she was and with Lucky being but an Eevee, not finding his purpose until Area Zero... but those were stories best left for another time.

[grollow]

Hi FlightRising mutuals,

If you want some of this stuff, send me an ask with your name. If you're my mutual, I'm not asking anything in return for it. Just let me know.

The stuff in parenthesis is for me to know where it's at. ssdsgdgg

Frigid Crown (Fuyuki)

Glitterfreeze Ice-trolabe (Fuyuki)

Colored Ice (Skin) (Quiet)

Map Kit (Max)

Gem Thief (Max)

Tree Warden's Garb (Max)

Snowsquall (Accent) (Fiona)

Luminous Sundrapes (Lucifer)

Ancestral Runes (Accent) (Lucifer)

Druidic Emblem (Tsabaki)

Chillspike Crown (Aoi)

A Little Universe (Accent) (Lyrebird)

Surgestream Coat (Cowl)

Ethereal Planet (Accent) (Avalla)

Starlight Cloak (Yaakova)

A Night in the Clouds (Accent) (Borealis)

Fourpoint Serpens (Accent) (Branwen)

Celestian Shimmer (Skin) (Keylis)

Circus Mage (Accent) (Nelist)

Oxyacetalyne Flames (Accent) (Tempest)

Ancient Stonewarden (Skin) (Oyukikoth)

Starwood Bloom (Skin) (Raisa)

Colored Ice (Accent) (Phantom)

Opalesque (Accent) (Desideria)

Snake Eyes (Accent) (Leontes)

Rose Rot (Accent) (Acrobat)

Maple Breeze (Accent) (Remliel)

From the Ashes (Accent) (Twilight)

Searing Emblem (Brilliance)

Conflagrant Kit (Brilliance)

Welder's Mask (Brilliance)

Shining Deity (Letherii)

Lampyridae (Accent) (Saphronis)

Hewn Philosopher's Veil (Musette)

Goodnight Moonlight (Accent) (Musette)

Pebble Collector (Accent) (Kasinda)

Bottled Wrath (Accent) (Morningstar)

Lampiona (Skin) (Raavasadi)

Ephiphyllum (Accent) (Basava)

Cympbidium Splendor (Skin) (Fallout)

Triple Happiness (Melicertes)

Autumn Galestorm (Accent) (Orion)

Cnderleaves (Accent) (Champagne)

The Night's Lament (Skin) (Elysium)

Potash Peace Keeper (Accent) (Cassandra)

Abyss Pearl (Skin) (Aurora)

Toxoplasmosis (Accent) (Dendrobatidae)

Highland Scavenger (Scoryl)

Mistral Sing Along (Accent) (Scoryl)

Electrician's Crown (Dervish)

Electrified Sash (Dervish)

Electric Ruler (Accent) (Dervish)

Voltaic Stormclaws (Kaiju)

[precambrianhottopic]

i wrote a pacific rim fic :3

its fairly short (just under 1k words) and is basically a dissection of the time between mako is ejected from gipsy danger and when her escape pod surfaces. fic under the cut :))

Orpheus

Eject.

The press of a single button was all it took to send Mako Mori hurtling into the endless, luminous abyss. As she fell, the angry crimson flashes of warning lights and electric hum of the dying Jaeger melted away into silent, slowly pulsating shades of blue, endless fractals of form and light cascading away into infinity. Pressing a hand up to the glass walls of the Con-Pod in awe, Mako lost herself for a moment as her eyes followed the contours and patterns of this sprawling dimension- arcs of energy and flickering movements just outside her line of sight that could have been life- before she snapped back to reality. 

There was no time to look back.

Look back- no. She must not look back. There were only questions behind her now, panic that crept into the edges of her mind and tightened her chest. Mako drew in a deep breath, forcing herself to remain steady. All she could do was trust, trust that Raleigh would make it out alive. She could still feel traces of his mind in hers, a lingering whisper of the Drift that she couldn’t quite reach but that itched in the back of her mind nonetheless. She couldn’t look back, she couldn’t-

Don’t chase the rabbit. 

-Mako whispered to herself; and suddenly she was back there again. A memory within a memory, lost in the Drift. She wandered the desolate city streets, trembling and clutching her shoe- the last fragment of the life that had just been torn away from her. Mako’s harsh, desperate sobs echo against the buildings full of corpses. Where was her home? Where was her family? What was this thing that lurked above her now, this dreadful creature that screeched and shook the earth and stared into her with vicious hunger? Mako screamed, and ran, and cowered, and prayed- and through it all, Raleigh watched her, begging her to return to herself, following her silently through the memory. She wanted to listen to him, to escape, but she-

She had to look back.

No. 

She already knew how this ended. Mako had watched Onibaba’s chitinous leg snap her father’s spine with her own eyes, watched the flesh melt from her mother’s face as the fire swallowed her, felt the searing ash that fell from the sky like grim snow on her cheeks. Reliving it would change nothing. 

With a slow, shaky sigh, she returned to the Con-Pod.

There was one constant in Mako Mori’s life, a point that everything else revolved around- nothing good could last. No matter what, no matter how desperately she protected and coveted her little pockets of contentment, there was nothing that the Kaiju couldn’t take from her.

Her birth parents, just two more casualties among millions.

Marshall Pentecost- her father- torn apart by radiation poisoning and self-sacrifice.

Gipsy Danger, her life’s work, left floating beyond space and time, its reactor on the brink of detonation.

Raleigh. They were going to take Raleigh from her- she knew it all at once in that moment, she had poured her heart into him, opened her mind to him, followed him through the Breach and into this twisted dimension crawling with everything she hated, and it was all for nothing, because he was going to die, trapped in the flaming, spasming carcass of Gipsy Danger. 

From far beneath Mako, deep within the place where she must not look, an explosion ripped through the otherworldly terrain, illuminating her field of view in terrifying yellow-orange. Ghostly screams tore through the air, a thousand hellish creatures crying out in agony as the fireball consumed them. The fabric of reality itself seemed to tremble.

Mako squeezed her eyes shut-

Don’t look back-

But the incandescent glow still ached, painting the space behind her eyelids in brilliant red.

Growing up in the Shatterdome, at the center of the apocalypse, Mako had learned to compartmentalize at an early age. Setting her feelings aside, tunnel vision on her work and nothing else- it was almost second nature- if she’d cried over every tragedy, nothing would ever get done. We are in the eye of a hurricane, Mako, Marshall Pentecost had once said to her, take care not to get swept up into the winds. He had done everything he could to instill that same stillness in her, that carefully controlled apathy that let him stand like stone in the eye of a hurricane, unmoving and unfeeling. Mako had admired him for it.

But he was dead now,

And Mako wept.

The breach opened up before her, its bright white glow flickering desperately as its edges began to collapse. Beyond it, the Pacific Ocean, and far above it, home.

Mako Mori did not look back.

[hdawg1995]

I got board and Ajax decided to bother me so heres a Ajax ficlet.

context: during the reawakening war Ajax tapped into his Thrall form to have a kaiju fight with Remthalas, resulting in him getting knocked out rather than killed.

Ajax watched the water as he helped the other four prepare their tackle and lures. His stomach churned uncomfortably- they weren't near Falconreach Bay where The Locker was, and Scalla had promised he wouldn't encounter *Him* again, but at this point its clear their timelines are drifting apart. After the Reawakening and the nightmares that Remthalas put him though Ajax was sure he and Scalla will begin to see each other less and less. The last time they spoke was after Ajax woke from Remthalas' dream. Scalla had changed, there was this air of resignation about her that made Ajax not recognize her at first. Part of him wonders if she is actually avoiding him, not wanting to know what the "good ending" of her war was.

Remthalas approached and set a hand on his shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts. "You said fishing is supposed to be relaxing but all you've done is stand here watching the water..."

Ajax glanced at the abys elf- the one who is dead in Scalla's timeline, the one who transformed into a eldritch monster... the one Ajax became a thrall to save- and said "I'm just thinking too much. Surprised you're not nervous too."

Remthalas shrugged with a smile. "I have you, Notha, and the Avatar's champion, what do i have to fear?"

Kathool achoo came to mind. Ajax shivered at the thought.

And then it started to rain. it wasn't a big deal or much of a problem. But then the anglers started to vanish and as Ajax stared down the Johnnyfish, teeth bared and grip tight around his fishing rod, he knew this wasn't going to end well.

Arriving in the Locker he was glad to see everyone safe. Aquella was a welcomed surprise as well!

After hearing about the current state of the abys elves Remthalas seemed to freeze up. the others talked with Aquella about what to do, but still he was silent. Ajax gently took the elf's hand and walked him away from the conversation.

"Talk to me?" ajax asked.

the two were both victims of Kathool's influence- Ajax a bit more willing, but a victim nonetheless. After they both woke from the nightmare Remthalas had been staying with Ajax until he got his footing which... was difficult. He was a abys elf, he was drawn to the water, there were days where he was sick from the heat and air of falconreach, but being in the water for too long or going too deep sent the man gasping into a panic attack. Ajax figured out with Notha's help that if he got Remthalas talking- ranting even- he would start to feel better, start to become grounded.

"They're still alive..." he breathes. Remthalas shudders and starts to ring his hands. "They're a live but there is nothing that can be done. A-All my effort- all my plans- Ajax what i put you and Notha though it was all- and did she just say we could GO and reclaim Abyssal territory? Did i hear her right?" his eyes had gone wide but not wild yet. Ajax patted his shoulder.

"Yeah thats Aquella for ya. strong, independent, and she even got her trident back!" he turned to smile at the water elf. Ash and Thursday growing up was one thing, but seeing the child who saved her people all grown up? He is so proud of her.

Remthalas seemed to catch on to Ajax's affection for the elf. "She was the child you mentioned, yes?"

"Yup!"

"the one you almost brought to Kathool?"

"We're not talking about that anymore."

Remthalas' laugh echoed in the water as Ajax returned to the group.

[zhonglicious]

𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞!

╰─▸ hi! i'm rayechka. you can call me raye if you want!

╰─▸ she/they, but i dont really mind being called other pronouns

╰─▸ bisexual and polyamorous! currently in a closed relationship

╰─▸ 18! aug 25, 2005

╰─▸ infp! virgo sun, taurus moon, virgo rising! if it matters to you :DD

╰─▸ i don't use tone indicators unless it's something i believe that needs to be clarified, but you can tell me to clarify if you didn't understand the tone of my post/message!

╰─▸ multi-fandom blog! my main ones rn are blue lock, orv, tokyo rev, haikyuu, jjk and genshin, but i'm looking for more fandoms to invade >:) there's a list of the fandoms i'm in (or the content i just generally enjoy) below this!

╰─▸ i will also probably sometimes post non-fandom related content. just like simple literature pieces that come to mind. im treating this blog like a word vomit dump LMFAO

╰─▸ the list is probably lacking bc i have a very bad memory of the things i've watched and read LMAO

╰─▸ i curse a lot and have a somewhat vulgar sense of humor though so if you wanna follow me and interact please be wary of that LFMAO

╰─▸do not be fooled by my pretty themes. i am an absolute goblin of a man.

╰─▸ id say im a pretty decent person? im very awkward with strangers though but i do want to get along with everyone!

𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬!

animanga

╰─▸ tokyo revengers - haikyuu - blue lock - jujutsu kaisen - kny - sk8 - bnha - dr. stone - mieruko-chan - black clover - jigokuraku - kaiju no.8 - ttigraas - spy x family - yuri on ice - skate-leading stars - tba...

books

╰─▸ acotar series - the folk of air trilogy - the red queen trilogy from blood and ash - sea witch - multiple standalone novels - tba...

games

╰─▸ genshin impact - tokyo revengers pazuribe - honkai star rail - identity v - psekai - mlbb - pubg - danganronpa - ddlc - choice of games - corpse party - undertale - deltarune - tba...

other media types (webtoons, webnovels, etc.)

╰─▸ omniscient reader's viewpoint - the novel's extra - hero has returned - dr. player - infinite mage - the s-classes that i raised - solo leveling - revolution of the 8th class magician - i reincarnated for nothing - jungle juice - from a knight to a lady - suitor armor - ava's demon - under the queen's umbrella - tba...

[batminute]

Bat Minute of The Phantasm - Minute 66: Dudes Being Guys, Guys Being Dudes (with Mark Ybarra & Nathan Parnes)

Joker goes all Hot Fuzz on The Bat today as he decides to use the Model Village (city) itself as a weapon of war! Our hero comes back with some sick moves of his own however - SUPERKICK PARTAAAAAY! This is a slobberknocker!

Time to go full kaiju? TIME TO GO FULL KAIJU!

The next episode follows on Monday. Same Bat Pod, different Bat Minute!

Join us on Facebook at the Bat Minute Listener's Cave!

The Bat Minute theme song is by the band Rat Bit Kit and Ash Lerczak (aka Doc Horror) of Zombina & The Skeletones and Double Echo.

  Today's guests:

Returning to the case and our super team-up are the Doom Detective Masters themselves - it's Mark Ybarra and Nathan Parnes of the DC Cinematic Minute podcast! Us United.

  Mark Ybarra - Instagram - Twitter

  Nathan Parnes - Instagram - Twitter

  DC Cinematic Minute - Website - Facebook - Twitter

Doom Patrol Radio - Website - Facebook - Twitter

  Check out this episode!

[awkwardgtace]

Blissful Dreams

More Kaiju Ash stuff!! They had a really nice dream.

Blissful Dreams

I sat up with a start. Falling asleep hunched over was unlike me. It was dangerous for them. At least I thought that until I looked around me. I was in a kitchen, a normal human sized kitchen. With a table that was bought from a low cost furniture website. There were three chairs around it, mine wobbled as I shifted in it. I’d taken that one so the others wouldn’t be distracted.

I took in the room slowly. Cabinets, a few with handles that didn’t match. A mess of dishes leftover, Delphia wouldn’t let us clean them when it was her turn even when her health was bad. I climbed to my feet, expecting the vision to fall apart. It didn’t, I was standing in the kitchen I hadn’t seen in so long, that I barely remembered. 

I rushed to the toaster, grabbing it in my shaky hands. I was me, I was human. My eyes weren’t glowing, my skin was just skin. I took my hand off the toaster, no claws and no weird coating to my skin on them. I looked over my shoulder, the tail I frequently forgot existed was gone too. I nearly fell to my knees, I was human. I prayed that this was the reality, not that nightmare.

“Ash, what are you doing?” Alessia said. I turned around, I couldn’t believe my eyes. She was there, she was there and I wasn’t staring down at my feet to see her. She was rubbing her eyes, she must have just woken up. “It’s early, Del’s still asleep. If you’re cleaning up we better share the blame. I’ll help.”

I walked over to her, admiring the woman I could see. The woman who was looking up at me with a smile I never thought I’d see this clearly again. She looked at me with a  kindness I had always adored. She met my eyes and it felt amazing to know she could see me without an issue. I took her face in my hands. I saw the brief confusion on her face, but I didn’t care. I leaned forward slowly until I was only a twitch from contact. I felt her breath on my skin, a normal feeling I never thought I’d miss.

“Ash, is everything-” she started. I lost myself hearing her voice and knowing the whispers were for me. I captured her lips and kissed her deeply. She made a noise, but quickly returned it. The taste was different, nothing like the hints left when I kissed them in that dream. I didn’t stop until she started to pull away. I looked at her panting for breath, I loved her so much. “Well that’s a way to wake up. I know you’re leaving soon, but we’re going to wait for you.”

I had things to say. It must be just before I leave, the dream was maybe warning me. Telling me not to go. I wouldn’t, I’d stay right here. Before I could tell her we heard faint coughing down the hall. I looked in her eyes, the worry clearer than I’d seen in so long. I put a hand on her head before walking off. Delphia was sick right now. I pushed the slightly open door to see her sitting up in bed recovering from a coughing fit.

“Ash, did I wake you up with my cough? I’m fine it was just from swallowing wrong I swear,” she smiled. I knew she was lying. She always lied about her cough. I walked in and kneeled in front of her. I was looking up at her, my neck was craned. I never thought this feeling would be quite so wonderful. She smiled at me, a smile I could see with clarity I adored. “Maybe I’ll let you help me, but only because you’re going to leave soon.”

I didn’t say a word. I put my hands on her cheeks, felt them heat up under my touch. She leaned forward without me having to try and force it. I started the kiss, soft at first. The feeling of her lips on mine, meeting with mine not a small spot of them, made me lose myself. I deepened the kiss, taking in her taste as I selfishly sought what I’d missed. A cough started to break through that made me let her go. Once she’d stopped I captured her lips again.

I felt arms wrap around me. It was enough to make me cry as Alessia pressed her cheek against mine. I wanted this. I needed this. I wanted to have these feelings, tastes, places back. She sighed in my ear, Delphia giggled.

“No fair, I only got one kiss this morning,” Alessia pouted. Delphia tapped my shoulders and I relented. She slid off the bed to kneel on the ground with me. I pulled her into a tight hug.. I placed a hand on Alessia’s other cheek as I leaned into her. The women I loved, a size I could show how I feel and not hurt them. 

“You’re crying Ash, what’s wrong?” Delphia whispered. I shook my head, I couldn’t tell them. I couldn’t risk this being the dream. I wanted that world where I’d hurt so many to be a nightmare. I felt the arms around me tighten.

“I know you’re supposed to leave today, but you don’t have to. We’re fine like this, there’s plenty of things to do. We don’t need anything else.” Alessia nuzzled me as she spoke. 

“I won’t go,” I whispered. Both of them made a noise like they didn’t hear. I felt the tears on my face as I realized they didn’t hear me. I can speak normally. “I’m not going, I’m staying here.”

Delphia slid her arms around me and leaned into my chest. Alessia pulled me tighter against her. I cried more, I missed this. The feeling of holding and being held. I loved them so much, they were safe with me like this. We were safe and human together. I didn’t want this to end, I needed this not to end.

“Ash, you’ve been weird this morning. Was it a dream?” Delphia asked. I nodded, the words to describe it didn’t exist. The way my mind worked in that dream didn’t even feel real.

“Tell us about it. I bet I can scare off whatever bothered you in it,” Alessia promised. She leaned into me more. I rested my head on top of Delphia’s. I shook my head, I couldn’t tell them. “Well if you change your mind we’re always here.”

Her arms loosened and started to leave me. I grabbed her hands in a panic. “Don’t go.”

“Ash…” They said it together. The arms that started to leave me came back tighter. Slowly Alessia guided us to lay on the floor together. I wanted this for longer than I realized. The feeling of them with me, holding me. The feeling of holding them in my arms.

“If…” They both made a noise, they were listening. “The dream… In it I was something awful, I’d done awful things. I… It only happened because I went… because I left today.”

“Maybe it was protecting you, reminding you it’s ok to stay. Besides I bet none of those awful things were on purpose.” Delphia moved to look up at me. She freed one of her hands to reach up to my face. I felt her wipe away tears. “If dream us were mad at you or hated you then it was just a nightmare.”

“She’s right.” Alessia’s arms tightened again. I let a sob escape me. “Nothing would make us stop loving each other. Forever and after, right?”

I laughed, I laughed loudly. I had forgotten all about that in the dream. That monster version of me didn’t remember so much. The day I moved in, we said vows just to each other. We’ll be together, we’ll love and accept each other, forever and after. Both women joined in my laugh. I couldn’t remember a time as that monster that I was this happy.

Ash!

I jumped, neither said my name. I swore I heard it. 

“Oh right, Rhys gave me some strawberry syrup, I can make pancakes today,” Delphia laughed.

Ash wake up!

“He’ll be jealous, you’re teaching Vincent the recipe right?”

You need to wake up!

“He hates the idea, but he’s doing it. Swears it’s not because he wants to make Rhys something special on his birthday.”

Ash! Ash!

I was awake, I was at home. I was where I belonged. I tightened my arms around Delphia, she responded in kind. I loved them both so much.

“Maybe we could ask Vitus and Dabria to water the plants and go on a trip since you’re staying home Ash.”

Ash, we need you to wake up! You need to-

I snapped my eyes open as Alessia’s scream started. I watched her small body falling, my vines responded before I could think. She was caught on a cushioned platform just within my sight. I felt my heart race as I realized the reality was the monster. Alessia fell from the small… the high cliff. It was a massive drop to them, I had to remember that. I felt my eyes widen as Delphia jumped off to join her. My vines created a safe slide down for her.

I watched as they helped each other stay standing as they looked at me. I never had dreams quite so real. I didn’t know why they were struggling to stand. I heard the thumping over my own pounding heart. My tail… the only part of my change I could forget about. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. The thumping slowed until it finally stopped. I frowned as I looked over the two miniscule women.

“Well now we know you’ll wake up if we call out to you,” Alessia laughed. I grimaced. Delphia came closer and held an arm out to me.

“You’re crying… Your tears have a faint glow too. It’s the color of your other eye though. Green cries blue, blue cries green. Was it a nightmare?” Delphia said. I swallowed the lump in my throat to try and talk. I could still feel them around me. I wanted to hold them again, to see them nearly my height, not like ants. I shook my head.

“I…” I started. They didn’t flinch, they didn’t panic. I knew my voice was louder than usual. They accepted it. “It was a good dream, a very good dream.”

I closed my eyes, that was enough. They didn’t need to know the pain I felt waking up. I moved one of my arms, a shadow had already covered them from just that. I brought it close, they didn’t react to it. I pressed my finger against them. They leaned against me, that feeling from my dream felt so real. I missed it so much.

“Ash, what aren’t you telling us?” Alessia asked. She knew I wouldn’t say it easily. She stepped closer to the edge, looking at me with a face I wished was even clearer. I wished it wasn’t something about being this monster that made me able to see her and Delphia clearly. That I hadn’t almost forgotten what humans were… that I was one.

“Ash, please just tell us. You know we’re here for you-” Delphia tried. 

“Forever and after,” I mumbled. I saw the smiles I loved when I said that. I curled my finger slightly and pressed into them more. “I miss holding you… being held. Our lives. You should go home, forget me.”

I watched as they whispered to each other. They should go back to their lives, the ones they can build without me. I was this monster, not them. I didn’t even know if anyone else knew about this trip. If someone else might come after them. I’d honestly forgotten all of the others, the lives that interlocked with our own.

I pulled my hand away from them. I felt their hands try to grab me, but I knew it would be better to pull away. I could send them to the entrance to the forest, I could block it off. Stop humans from ever coming here again. I froze when their hands grabbed my claw and let me drag them along.

“Nope, we’re not leaving. We do need to do something so you can have those dreams while we try to fix this,” Alessia smirked. I shook my head a bit, that wasn’t an option.

“Ash, can’t you reinforce the lab with your vines? Then we’ll have a safe spot while you have those dreams. We can’t make them real, but you should be able to have them without worrying,” Delphia smiled. I could, but there was no promise they’d stay. We didn’t know if it reached other areas too. “Then again, we should probably test cutting your vines. It wouldn’t be worth it if it hurts you, we don’t even know how they react when cut.”

I decided to sit up. Slowly I pushed myself up off the ground. The two women held tightly to my finger as I moved. It was a bit weird to sit hunched over so they could keep my finger with them. I told the vines to bring them higher, it didn’t stop until they were at my chest. I decided I’d run my own test, slipping two fingers below the vines they sat on. I lifted my finger up and gently tugged to free their grip. 

Once I was sure they had let go I pulled my hand away completely. There they were, ant sized humans on my fingers. The platforms the vines made were always large enough to sit on one of my own fingertips. I knew it was my own selfishness. I wanted to hold them even when it was hard. Usually the vines connected to me when I held the platforms I made. This time I grabbed the strand instead. I slowly dug my claws into the thick vegetation until it had ripped apart. I didn’t even feel it.

Carefully I moved to set them down. I pushed their platform off of my finger. It was free from my control, I could feel the loss. It was minor, it didn’t change anything. I knew it was gone though. I tried to call for it, to remove it from them, but it couldn’t be reached. I shifted my gaze to the small broken building. It was still hard to believe I ever fit in there, despite the women staring at me.

I called vines to surround it and lift it from the ground. I closed my eyes, asking for it to reinforce the building. Once I felt sure they listened I opened my eyes again. The small building had spots filled with my vines. The spots I’d destroyed as I grew. I grabbed the vine linking it to me and slowly tore it free once more. This one I felt more, not enough for it to matter. I carefully set the building down before releasing a sigh.

“Ash!” Delphia and Alessia called to me. I leaned closer, dreading that all encompassing shadow of mine. The glow of my eyes seemed stronger lately and worked as spotlights for the two.

“Did that hurt?” Delphia asked.

“Don’t just do things! Talk to us. Forever and after, right?” Alessia whined. I knew they wanted to know my thoughts. I knew I should tell them, but it hurt. It hurt to know how unsafe I was. All the things I couldn’t do again. I closed my eyes again, picturing that home I would never see again. Two gasps pulled me from my mind.

I stared in awe at the small home that formed in front of them. I leaned forward, the house already moving to be high enough I could see. The memories I had mimicked with vines right in front of me. I couldn’t see as much detail as I would have liked, but it was enough. I repeated the process of separating the vines from me one last time. This time, I felt pain. A pain of acceptance that my life wouldn’t ever reach a place like this again. I slid the home off my fingers, in front of the two women I knew should leave. The two I selfishly wanted to stay with me.

I watched them walk in, I could hear their awe. I just watched where I knew they were. I wished I could be there with them. I wished I could hold them. That image in my mind hurt my heart. Slowly I shifted to lay on my side once more. I wouldn’t be able to do much either way. Suddenly a feeling spread over me, one I never thought I’d feel again. I felt fresh tears spill from my eyes.

“Ash!” Alessia was breathless as she called me. “Did you feel that?!”

I gave a look that said all she needed. She ran back to the home. Next thing I knew I felt a light kiss on my cheek, something I knew was impossible. I raised a hand to my face, touching the spot looking for some understanding. I heard excited shouts from the house my vines made. Finally Delphia and Alessia were out in the open again. They stared at me with smiles.

“I don’t know what you were thinking, but in the house vines that looked like you appeared. I hugged it, then Alessia kissed its cheek. You… you could feel it,” Delphia explained. I gasped. “You may not be able to feel us the same, but we have a way to hold you now. I miss it too, Ash.”

“We both do. I’m going to find some way to fix this in that lab. A lot more was still fine in there than we thought. We’ll figure this out, even if we don’t we’re here for good Ash. Forever and after.”

I smiled, “...forever and after…”

[the-firebird69]

Watch "STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Movie Clip - Luke Explains The Force (2017) Mark Hamill Sci-Fi Movie HD" on YouTube

My son wanted to post what happens to Luke Skywalker and he might find it but he is leaking it out and it looks Skywalker is leaking it out as is Ray and they don't understand but we're saying because it's obvious to us and it's in obvious to them most of them can't get it they're sending it and raise it there's death in decay there's new life and she saw it on the island and the stone is cracking open lot of people understand what that is now. But it looks kind of apparently doesn't get it and it returns to the island after his fight supposed fight with kylo Ren when he is kylo Ren to try and experience some zen, really what he was doing is charging, with electricity and eating correctly so it would juice him and he was juicing because he looks like an idiot most the time and he did not juice up and the current got to be too much and he left the surface and was dissolved instantly absorbed too through a crevice then he's Kaiju you extremely dangerous you can't go near big ones and these idiots are always playing around on them and dying. And it says it too BG you're not an expert in anything any ladies are sitting here just recanting and recounting stories and think you're thinking it's a threat and we have to pour it on and get rid of you cuz you're counting a story and calling it a threat really getting rid of you because of it is stupid just ridiculous. It's true too it's sitting there telling a story that's going to happen and people saw it and some people knew it was going to happen to you and like he's making it happen every time especially with this idiot Trump but no this is Justin a movie and people predicted cuz they hear you go out there and eventually it will come it will rise eventually he'll die doing it cuz you don't even understand there's a monster under there it's like the monster and Star wars it's in the cage that you drop the gate onto. And princess Leia was stuck there with you and you actually do murder her and her crew and you destroy your s*** that's kylo Ren and that's who Sherry is so far she's done twice let me say no but then again princess Leia is not really a normal woman she's special and she's a leader in the rebel alliance a real one and helps our son and kylo ren does hit her and we can't stand these people it's so awful give me one job and you turn into a maniac and hit your own and see it for a long time tell Maxine says whatever and he doesn't know the power of the force I guess he sincerely does not.

Today we're going to reveal some of it and we are crushing areas and Trump ran and where he stash things huge ones too are falling they were 20 huge ones with stuff in them now that's just ashes and Cassius and they're 30 and they will fall momentarily. The areas of Trump's are actually besides large areas of Max in other races and they're there so he can steal like the tail of two cities and it's over for him they figured it out from the small stashes and caches which are not in their areas they're in their other areas hey there banks and they're involves and bunkers full of stuff.

Thor Freya

And Max says it's incredible you're telling him

Yes I do it's the turd next door isn't hand signals now he's threading the boy and we're going to go after them for it I'm going to put him in prison where he belongs they said you're back this is him next door and people are submitting tapes that show you changing so going to arrest you and you're a filthy pig too same with BG's I can't believe you got away with all this stuff you're so stupid you two are idiots and Dan is dumber than both he's sitting there screaming all this stuff out like a little brat telling everybody. I have to tell you you're really catching on Jesus. He thinks so sorry I may have happened but we're not so sure you think that's where the key came from.

Your already fighting over it elsewhere, and yeah we know what happened it's happened already and the money's been moved sitting in Utah it's because Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde happened and he found you dead in the desert in cesario that's who it was

Mac

It has happened and your people are annoying and other things are happening now and they're really big and on the UK the discovering another anomaly like a ship there and at son point it out where, says I don't think so it's true I didn't say very big one in the same principle applies

Thor Freya

Well I'm really excited now and we are on as a defense. There's too much going on and we have this so they're in fighting and we're getting in there now because we have to and you are brilliant and I like how you handle the boys yeah I'm trying to discredit you a little

Hera

Everybody farts mother it's not a big deal I see what you're saying though please please son it's horrible I can't control myself and we're laughing

Savage opress we also please will clear you out of her genre we don't need two of us

Yes there's a ton of copies and mimics and after you're gone BG there's going to be a flood of them. But really you're one of them you look as lousy it's Tommy f and you die because you get disintegrated fully and rain is not really happy about it and she thinks you're a stupid person and a stupid man is just sitting on the island that doesn't people and people know about it and you don't seem to think it'll happen to you who the hell knows why you're stupid our father says

Darth Maul Darth Talon

We think you're trying to die that's the only thing it can be

Hera Zues

We know about the thing and stuff and I guess we lost track of it so dangerous thing to do and I think it's probably a gigantic instead of medium so nobody tells us this stuff he says we're telling you something it's probably gigantic okay it's a shape in the water so we go there today so what it says so what is true you're out there you killed all your friends there that's why you die now I'm starting to see why

Bg

It's true too is a pile of lightsabers up there in the movie and it's way to kill them all and they keep coming and it keeps killing them and it's a sport but they're on both sides and he doesn't have to kill them all the way but he does and your pigs

Mac

[smikkle-fish]

Diseased Equilibrium

AO3 Link

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"My queen! My queen! There's been-"

"Wait one moment, dear." Mothra was looking off into the horizon. Infant Island was her beautiful home, but it was lonely. No other titans besides Godzilla and Angurius were allowed to come here. It was a rule she would never get used to. All that she could do was bask her grand wings in the sun. She sighed. "What did you want to tell me, Anguirus?"

Said titan was looking everywhere but her. Anguirus was the only other ally Godzilla and she had. His nervousness around her was concerning. It only made her heart ache to see what Godzilla's rule had done to their friends. Or what was left.

She barely recognized Goji.

Despite the guilt boiling within her, Mothra tried her best to appear regal. She walked towards Anguirus with her sharp, mantis-like legs and let out a soft chirr. If she pushed any further, the other titan would roll into a ball of hardened spikes. He had once been her and Godzilla's best friend. They did everything together. Now, he seemed terrified of her.

"It's...uhm...well's its kinda like...so..." Angurius stammered. His head was bowed so low that his green-grey snout hit the dirt. The single horn on his nose uncovered some of the earth. This was strange. While the crocodilian titan was awkward at times, he never got flustered like this. He was an incredibly fierce fighter. Any opponent that underestimated him for his smaller size would be met with a carapace of spikes. This submissive side of him was new.

The moth kaiju chirped. "Please, my friend. Tell me. It is clearly of upmost importance, and it is troubling you."

Anguirus lifted his head from the ground. His teal eyes hardened. "Ghidorah has returned."

Her bright blue eyes began to emit a crimson glow in anger. "That's impossible. Every cell of their's was incinerated in Boston."

"Not the head King Godzilla left in the ocean." Both titans grew silent. The fangs on Angurius' top jaw were fully revealed as he snarled. "The other titans felt the same thing. It's the same energy we felt during the Awakening."

Mothra knew exactly what the titan was talking about. That energy she had felt back then. It was dark and cold, demanding for nothing but destruction. But. Why hadn't she felt it if the others did?

"There's something else, my Queen."

"What would that be, dear?"

"Rodan has gone missing."

Everything around her stopped. The sun no longer felt warm. The birds no longer sang. The grass no longer swayed in the wind. Her mask of calm broke and her antenna quivered in fear.

Near the beach, Mothra saw it. There was ocean of being illuminated with a blue glow. A pulsing, blue glow.

And it was getting closer.

.

.

.

.

.

He couldn't stop. He couldn't stop. He. Couldn't. Stop.

Each flap of his powerful wings disturbed the clouds around him. The tunnel was forming. It would transport him to his true home. A place where he would finally be left alone. No pesky humans and no Godzilla.

The heat within his body increased exponentially. Any normal being would have died or turn to ash, but not him. Without this step, the tunnel would not be complete. Magma replaced blood, and it was boiling. He only flew harder, not caring that fire was beginning to engulf him. In fact, it felt great.

Rodan was f r e e.

Within his talons was his new purpose. The calls had only been getting louder and destroying cities could not keep them at bay anymore. Godzilla's warnings soon lost their effect on the giant pteranodon. He didn't care what the old lizard would do to him for defecting. Would he make Rodan take a nap for thousands of years? Against his will like last time? Yeah, because that is totally in character of him. Consent doesn't matter when you're the alpha. Why bother asking if you can just command everyone to do you bidding? Like killing your entire race just because they posed a threat.

Or murdering his own mother for being an alpha titan.

A thunderous screech was let out of him. His rage made the heat within him explode. Magma rose into his throat and he roared. It erupted from his beak like a volcano and it went straight into the tunnel. It made the entire sky turn a dusty red. The tunnel was complete. Home.

Yellow lighting hit the red skies. Rodan smiled at that, he gently pecked the skull. "I'll bring you back. I promise."

With no further hesitation, the winged titan flew into the flaming tunnel. As soon as it began, it was over. The skies and the clouds turned to normal.

But it was enough for every titan in the world to have seen it.

----

"It might be a glitch!" Coleman squeaked from his chair.

After the fiasco in Hong Kong, the outpost they had made there was abandoned. The news that the alien titan that had nearly destroyed the entire world had possibly returned was much more important. Immediately, a meeting was called and all factions were to meet at the ARGO. Needless to say, their military faction was not happy.

Colonel Foster slammed her hands on the glass table. "What the hell do you mean 'a glitch'?! Your highly advanced systems accidentally picked up a false reading of Monster Zero's very specific bioacoustics?"

The screen in front of them did nothing to calm to woman's frustrations. It was just like 2019. Monarch called all of them to this big boat to discuss a fucking eco-terrorist kidnapping a scientist and their daughter. Before she knew it, half her squadrons are dead and ancient monsters now roam the planet. Seeing that creature's name again should have been impossible.

"All we know is that he appeared when Rodan disappeared." Stanton stood up and walked to the screens. His joking nature was gone. "We know Hollow Earth exists thanks to Kong. However, we would have known if our big fire bird was with Kong already. I believe Rodan made a tunnel to a separate section of the Hollow Earth. His radiation must have awakened Ghidorah in some way as well."

Laughter was heard from the soldiers. Most were still relatively new after the grand losses Monarch took when fighting Ghidorah. The only ones that did not laugh were Colonel Diane Foster, Staff Sergeant Anthony Martinez, Chief Warrant Officer Jackson Barnes, and First Lieutenant Lauren Griffin.  In other words, the G-Team. All of them had been the few survivors of the Monster Zero's wrath. All of them had seen what nature could truly be capable of.

Only a knife could cut the tense atmosphere. Monarch was used to being laughed at for their theories, but it still stung. Chen gave a nasty glare at the ones who were laughing. It had little effect.

"SHUT UP." Martinez barked. At once, silence fell over the base. The man was only thirty, but he now looked like he had aged by decades. He looked friendly with his freckled face, but he knew every way to hurt someone. "We all know what the titans are capable of, so stop fucking laughing. I saw what Rodan could do back on Isla de Mara."

He sighed. "I was there. The winds that demon created where stronger than any damn tornado. Buildings, cars, people were lifted off the ground like they weighed nothing. The entire town was destroyed in a matter of seconds. And we all saw the footage of him going after our air squadron. I don't think a dumb animal would know how to execute an aileron roll in midair perfectly."

"Damn straight. I doubt making a portal or some shit is a stretch for the giant turkey." Barnes said from his seat next to Martinez. He remembered the evacuation of the island inhabitants well. The only thing that you could hang on to was the ground and pray that you'll live.

Stanton smiled at the G-Team. He nodded his head in thanks before turning back to the screens. "We were never able to find Godzilla's resting place until we went through that underwater tunnel. It was in the Hollow Earth. How do I know this you may ask? Well. When we returned to the area to examine it after the nuke, we found nothing. I know the nuke would have destroyed everything, but I am talking about radiation. We experienced lethal levels of radiations the last time we were there. The second time we went, there were no traces of radiation." The doctor showed the different graphs they had taken. Several years ago, the levels were incredible high, shown on the graph with a curve. On the other hand, the curve completely disappeared for the newest recording.

At the end of the table, Madison and her father were engaged in an intense staring match.  He was very upset when he heard that Rodan had been spotted in Hong Kong. Mark had been so terrified that he ran out of the court the second he got his daughter's text. She never texted him that she was okay unless she was trying to hide that she wasn't, in fact, okay.

The man wanted to keep his daughter away from the titans. Far, far away. Despite his best efforts, Madison only got more drawn to them as she got older. It was impossible to keep her away from Monarch or Godzilla or the idiotic podcast she listens to religiously. She made it clear that she wanted to work along side him and his colleagues when she got out of college. With all of her previous knowledge, Madison wouldn't need much training. All she would need to learn is to not throw herself into danger at every given  opportunity.

In the background, Stanton was talking about a new mission: Find Rodan and Monster Zero. Mark already saw the glint in Madison's eyes, she wanted to go. His hard stare already answered the question. No.

He wasn't losing anyone else.

Just as the teen opened her mouth to retaliate, alarms blared. The Argo was bathed in red light as the staff and soldiers all sprang into action. Everyone knew that the alarms only signaled for one thing- titans. However, the base was not shaking like it usually does when a titan approaches. It was too quiet.

Running to his computers, Stanton frantically typed in a few commands. "Godzilla's bioacoustics don't match up. He's not underwater."

"But he's the only aquatic titan!" Colonel Foster shouted.

"That we know of!"

"Are you saying there are more of these monsters-"

"ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU." Mark ran a hand through his already messy hair. He ran to Stanton's desk, placing a hand on his chin. "All animals use bodies of water in some way. It isn't restricted to the ones with gills. Polar bears aren't aquatic, but they have been seen swimming for days to find new hunting grounds. Hell, we saw that Kong could swim."

Within the many files of titan names, there was one that stood out among the rest. Scylla.

She had been residing in both the North and South Pole. With her help, the melting of the ice caps slowed drastically. The Arctic Ocean had been frozen over again, giving the animals  their home back. If any titan was able to travel through the water, it was her.

After telling this to Stanton, the sonographer put in her bioacoustics. In an instant, the alarms stopped as they were replaced with the steady heartbeat of the titan. She was calm.

"Can you fly us up before she turns us into popsicle sticks?" Rick said to Foster. The colonel nodded and ordered her team to get into positions. Flying the Argo was a feat of human ingenuity. It took five pilots, four for each engine and one to lead.

"Let's do this." Griffin smirked. She was the best pilot on the G-Team and in Monarch. That title was truly earned when she piloted a plane with a malfunctioning engine with civilians on board. Not only that, Griffin had to fly through the hurricane that Ghidorah had created and the winds of Rodan's deadly wings.

The other pilots went in there seats with Colonel Foster at the helm. Slowly, the moving base rose out of the water and into the sky. Each roar of the engines shook the ground like a titan normally would. "Steady." The women spoke. "Be prepared to fire the canons. We don't know if this 'Scylla' is aggressive or not."

As the Argo breached the water's surface, everyone was met with a magnificent scene. A 341 foot tall titan with six crab-like legs and a head with ten pink tentacles and a grey shell. It was Scylla in all her cephalopod-spider crab glory.  Each step she took caused a thick layer of ice to develop over the ocean. However, the real site was behind her.

Titans of all shapes and sizes walked besides her. Including Scylla, the humans counted seven titans. And they were going in the same direction.

It left an uneasy feeling in the air. At least, the titans didn't seem to pay any mind to the Argo flying above them. The fact that Monarch's sensors did not alert the staff of this mass awakening was enough to scare the scientists. This wasn't good. That much was obvious. In a matter of days, everything that could go wrong was going wrong. Rodan had been their top priority with his attacks, and he is now gone without a trace. Godzilla was not anywhere near his territory, so he could be destroying a town right now. The titans  were supposed to be hibernating, yet they're here on the now frozen Pacific Ocean. And apparently Monster Zero is alive! Is he the one calling the titans again? Will the Earth be under attack again?

"They are being called by Gojira." Chen's soft voice broke through the chaos. She kept her eyes on the titans, they moved as calmly as she spoke. "He has sensed Ghidorah's energy like we have. Godzilla has told them to come to Infant Island immediately."

"How the hell do you know that? Did Miss Cthulhu tell you?" Rick asked incredulously.

Both doctors looked at said titan. She was letting out various chitter and squeals. It was similar to Mothra's calls, but it was in a deeper tone.

Chen laughed, shaking her head. "No." The scientist then pointed at a larva titan. The being was covering in black plates that had red spots with yellow outlines. Its many legs and horns were golden in color. "He did."

Everyone gathered around the window to see the creature. They had never seen him before. No files matched his description.

"Mosura's ani. Mothra's older brother." She touched the window and closed her eyes. Chen pressed her forehead against the cool glass before turning back towards her very confused coworkers.

Doctor Chen had a glaze in her eyes when she spoke once more.

"Titanus Battra. God of Vengeance."

.

.

.

.

.

Volcanoes erupted as Rodan flew over them. The land seemed to glow with the amount of lava covering it. All the creatures of his home didn't seem to mind the magma nor  smoke. They were are impervious to heat as Rodan was.

He needed something hotter.

Rodan beat his wings as much as he could to clear the volcanic ash in the air. His true home was well hidden, only other members of his species could find it.

It didn't take long to locate the place. The giant pteranodon recognized the unique stones that made up his ancestral nest. His kind spent years forming each rock with the magma and dirt of the land. It was built against a giant cliff and seemed to blend seamlessly into it. However, he knew that if you generate strong enough winds, the rocks would be pushed back. An entrance into the cliff would then be revealed.

So, the fire bird did just that. He was in his element when he was in the sky. The feel of the wind against his hardened magma armor felt great. It was so strong that he felt it underneath the plates. His feathers.

That was the old him. He didn't need his feathers anymore. In fact, he didn't want to see them ever again.

They were a reminder of his mistakes.

"I'm home." He whispered. Rodan then went inside the cliff opening. He placed the skull in his beak and walked around the empty caverns. Well, his version of walking. It involved him crawling on all fours; his legs and wings. The three claws on each wing helped him grip against the smooth stone.

Energy was surging through him like never before. Not even the hottest of volcanoes could give him the same amount of pure fire as his home. The radiation soothed his tired body. His puncture wound from Mothra's venomous stinger finally stopped hurting. It had caused him great pain for the past few years, ever since the Queen stabbed him. All this time, the hole that went through his shoulder never closed. It remained open, no matter how much he submerged himself in lava. Relief washed over him as tissue closed the injury once and for all.

Because Mothra had pierced through Rodan's armor, his skin was vulnerable. In other words, his feathers could be seen. Fortunately, the amount of expose skin was small, so it would be hard to notice the blood red feathers.

He wanted to pluck them out, but he had more important things to do. The skull in his beak practically vibrated with power, telling him to find find find need energy now now-

The command focused the bird and he made his was to the center of the nest. Rodan simply followed the increasing warmth, ignoring the many sculptures of his species and the many perches he once rested on with her. He didn't have the time.

When the heat reached its peak, Rodan looked down. An amber jewel was underneath him. It was in the shape of a pillar and barely the size of his claws. Carefully, he grasped the crystal pillar in his talons and began to pull. He flapped his wings until he was airborne, still holding to structure. He tugged as hard as he could until a click was heard.

From that click, the pillar lengthened until it was taller than him. The ground around him rumbled as ancient stones moved for the first time in centuries. He had to move away from the center as the rocks separated into six circles. As the stone circles span slowly, Rodan saw they were moving down. A liquid too hot to be lava filled the cavity. Its color was a mix between orange and white. Titan Essence.

Through the cracks, the liquid spread. The floor that was once dull was now ignited with precious light. It looked like veins of fire running through the stone and it kept going. It went to the walls, statues, perches. Everything. He even saw an several smaller pools be filled with the substance. In the center, a hole in the wall appeared and suddenlty jutted out liquid energy like a waterfall.

It was beautiful.

Rodan crawled towards the center pool. It was so big that Ghidorah could stretch out his wings and there would still be extra room. Speaking of them...

Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Please. Energy. Need it. Need. Brothers. Brothers. Yes. Yes. Yes.

He leaned over the pool with the skull. Everyone said that Ghirdorah would be gone forever, yet here they were. Alive.

The titan opened his beak, dropping Ghidorah's left skull into the deep pool below.

Now, he would wait. Rodan didn't care if he had to wait for millennia for Ghidorah to reform. No one could come for him here. He had all the time in the world. The titan was more than used to being alone.

Then that alien came into his life.

Right off the bat, he knew Ghidorah was crazy and should not be trusted. They had met many times before only for the King to send the hydra back to space. But they always returned. When Ghidorah got unfrozen, Rodan was warry about the three brother's intentions towards him. However, each of them wanted his help. He would be their warrior and partner.

You are very strong, birdie.

We have not seen any other creature fight with so much ferocity.

Help use destroy the Weak King and the vermin he protects.

If you pledge your loyalty to us, we will repay your efforts a million times over.

And he did. The humans destroyed his nest. His parent's nest. Those bugs labeled him a monster while they kill millions of creatures every day. It wasn't fair.

R              E              F             O               R                  M

"What the fuck?!" Rodan squawked.

The pool began to bubble. It them started to boil. Not good. Rodan quickly stepped back from the edge. They can't regenerate that fast, can they?

Suddenly, a spiked tail emerged. It released a deafening rattle to scare off any potential threats. The second one seemed to be missing. A malformed wing them breached. It was leathery and lacked any scales. There were still holes in the tissue that were slowly being closed.

Three horns poked through the hot liquid. Finally, a snout was seen

Instantly, Rodan recognized the head. "San! Can you hear me?"

No response came from the left Ghidorah head. He shook his head from side to side, getting the essence off of him and onto the walls. His yellow eyes looked around the temple with curiosity.

"San?"

"Birdie?" San's voice was ragged and pained. It hurt to hear. "Is that you?"

Rodan cooed to the scared hydra. It was strange seeing them like this, but his need to comfort overpowered his discomfort. The larger titan snapped his head towards his voice and locked eyes with the Fire Demon.

It was then that Rodan noticed the deep scar on San's neck. It was jagged and was located exactly where his head was torn off by Godzilla. As his body rose from the pool, the smaller titan noticed the two lumps. Ichi and Ni had not reformed yet.

A whine left San. He bent his long neck to nudge Rodan's warm body. "The humans. They wouldn't let me die with my brothers. I was turned into this disgusting monster."

While it was true that San was the more emotional of the three heads, he never cried or whined. He was just as lethal as his brothers. Seeing him act like a hatchling was disturbing. What had the humans done to him-

Mechagodzilla.

Rage filled the titan. That hunk of metal used San. No wonder Hong Kong smelled so familiar and wrong. He had found the skull hooked up to so many machines, it took several tugs to get it out. The vermin had degraded Ghidorah's body and did not let their spirit to rest. There was nothing more insulting.

"I can feel them. Ichi and Ni. They are alive and they're angry." San spoke with a shaky voice, far from his usual bravado. His eyes then darkened. "I'm angry."

"Good. We can get rid of the humans once and for all once you've healed."

"No. That would be too general. This is personal, birdie." The alien titan started to groom Rodan's horns. A deep rumble came from him, purring. "I love that bloodlust of yours. However, we should first go after the ones that aided in Godzilla's victory and the ones who turned me into a lab rat. How does that sound, hm?"

"Monarch and Apex." Rodan responded with a snarl. "I know the names well."

Sans purring grew louder in volume. "Such a smart bird. We'll kill them all and then go after Godzilla. This time, he won't have any pesky humans to aid him. He will grow weaker and weaker as we grow stronger."

"We?"

"Yes, love. We. You will deliver the killing blow. The tyrant that you have been under for so long will die under you claws." San rubbed against Rodan's neck, scenting him. The nickname was new and the volcanic titan did not know how to feel about it. "Do you agree?"

Rodan went silent for a bit. He lost everyone he loved because of Godzilla. It was his turn. The fire bird chirped a reply.

The king will fall one way or another. By Ghidorah, by the humans contraption, by Rodan, or by himself. Godzilla was an expert at self sabotaging. He pushed everyone away until they no longer wanted anything to do with him or feared him. This time, the giant lizard's death would be his own fault.

"Yeah. I do."

[sometipsygnostalgic]

Out of the animated shows you've watched, which do you consider having the best and the worst finales?

That's a difficult question. I haven't got a big list. For most of them I either haven't seen the finale, or it's far from the best episode.

Pokemon Sun and Moon had a really sweet finale, but it was a lot like the SU Future one, wherein you had Ash saying goodbye to everyone. Though I think it was far more emotional and hard earned than SU's version. But I think everyone agrees it was the best finale to a Pokemon series yet.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Season 1 had a phenomenal finale. 2nd gig also had an okay ending, the scene with the tachkoma will make you cry, but I liked it a lot less.

OK KO!'s finale was..... eh. In good spirits but not amazing. My favourite part was TKO's breakdown and KO playing the song, and them realising that... they were the same person. It is an important lesson to young viewers on processing your emotions!

Steven Universe had a terrible finale. Like, the only part of it I enjoy is when White is terrorizing them and Steven is split in two and dances back together. The entire finale, and the entire series, is built around that scene, but as a result, it's the only satisfying part.

Steven Universe Future had... um. I was not a fan of Kaiju Steven. And I think the episode that happened afterwards was the most vanilla milquetoast "leaving town" template ep I've ever seen. Sorry, I don't like Future. It did the characters I love dirty.

Star Vs. the Forces of Evil, which I assume is the show you're wondering about, had a finale that... wasn't the best. I don't think it's terrible, I enjoyed it, but the whole "magic getting destroyed" part is a bunch of nonsense. Return magic to the people, like in She-ra - don't annihilate it!

She-Ra had the best finale of the stuff on this list so far, but that's mostly because of the Catra/Adora/Shadow Weaver scenes. I also really loved the Entrapta and Hordak scenes, and the one Mara scene. All of these were satisfying and emotional!!! The rest of the finale is "eh", going through the motions, there's way too much of them stopping people with love, but it's a really good end to the show and these strong, focused moments - with lots of breathing room -more than make up for the worse parts.

Adventure Time had a wild finale, but compared to normal episodes of the show, it's middle of the road at best. Betty-tier, in my opinion. Far from AT's strongest. I do love some scenes but wish they'd been given more space.

Adventure Time: Distant Lands... I count "Together Again" as the finale. And jesus fucking christ. That has to be one of the most emotional things I've seen in my ding dang life. I'd say it annihilates nearly everything above. Though more for the start and ending scenes rather than the main content.

Gravity Falls is, well, I'll tell you once I finish rewatching it. I remember enjoying Weirdmageddon! But... I did not enjoy how quickly the “final problem” was resolved. I’d have preferred a more ambiguous, yet optimistic, ending here.  

Over the Garden Wall is simply a masterpiece.

Infinity Train doesn't really have a series finale, but I DO love the "Train to Nowhere" scene. The book 1 finale was also strong.

Samurai Jack had a random ep as the season 4 finale, then the adult swim season 5 came out over 10 years later. I was digging the AS version, until they started throwing in penis jokes and romance, and then I just.... got turned off, hardcore. The finale was dissatisfying for the obvious reasons of leaving the Future to get destroyed/erased, and Ashi's refridgerator death.

Dragonball, Dragonball Z, and Dragonball Super all have wonderful finales (yes, unfortunately, episode 131 of Super is probably the series finale). They're not clever, but they're good fun. In DB, Goku becomes the strongest in the world and cheerfully rides away with Chi-Chi. In DBZ, there's a far more emotional scene, with Goku using the power of the world to defeat Buu. And asks Kami to reincarnate him! Then in End of Z, well, he kind of fucks off with Uub, which I guess is less satisfying, but is VERY Goku. And in Dragonball Super, the final ep is the climactic, massively engaging finale of the Tournament of Power, which was a rocky road, but god damn, there's a reason these episodes basically destroyed Brazil.

Hell, even Dragonball GT has an OK finale. I think it's GT Goku saying Goodbye to everyone before he runs off with Shenron. Has the SU Future issue of ending a terrible series with a "generic goodbye", but like, it's more true to the characters.

Anyway, that's the end of my opinions. I can't think of any more right now.

[monstersdownthepath]

The Inferno Below: Bezravnis

CR 26

Chaotic Neutral Colossal Magical Beast

Bestiary 4, pg. 168~169

One of the strangest of the Kaiju in terms of its behavior, the gargantuan spider-scorpion (sporpion? scider?) Bezravnis, the Inferno Below, slumbers below the sands of a vast and hostile desert in the shadow of the world’s largest mountain (notably, the book doesn’t say which mountain this is, allowing DMs some leeway) for centuries at a time before awakening. Two centuries at a time, to be exact. 273 years, to be frighteningly exact. Bezravnis, unlike other Kaiju, seems to have a schedule, rising every 273 years--give or take a day or two--and randomly selecting a city within its line of anger to reduce to dust and ash. Rather interestingly, while there’s no discernible pattern to which city Bezravnis will burn to the ground, there’s patterns in other matters of its behavior: It never attacks the same city twice in a row, it never attacks more than one city in a single awakening, and it always travels in a straight line from its emergence point towards its target, so it’s easy for scouts and mages to determine who’s going to get blasted.

Curiously, each emergence event coincides with the passage of a tiny red comet called the Inferno Star by scholars of Golarion. The connection between Bezravnis and the Inferno Star can only be guessed at, as the beast itself cannot (or will not) communicate, but two possibilities reign supreme over all others: That the Inferno Star is the former home of the colossus, and it’s driven by mad longing to return home and envy at the creatures of Golarion whose home welcomes them every night... or, the significantly more worrying theory that the Inferno Star may be a creature (or creatures) of power similar to Bezravnis, and its rampages are a method of establishing dominance over the inhabitants of the Star, marking its territory on the planet and preventing them from touching down. Perhaps, and this is my own theory, both are true in a way; the Inferno Star is Bezravnis’ former home, but rather than being plagued by longing, its trail of destruction is its way of showing its kind that Golarion doesn’t need another burning Kaiju to touch down because it’s doing just fine on its own, thanks!

And even on its own, it takes whole armies to even slow Bezravnis down enough to evacuate its targeted city. Not even other Kaiju can be relied upon, with the titan seemingly picking a spot none of them can easily reach before it’s already laying into its target, and it’s not like they’re much of a concern anyway. Bezravnis will actually ignore other Kaiju until directly attacked by them, at which point it engages with all the single-minded relentlessness it otherwise only displays to its target city. Only a threat on equal footing catches the attention of the Inferno Below; all others are merely trampled underfoot, given no mind as it continues its grim work.

I say “trampled underfoot” but it’s ironically Bezravnis that typically starts battle underfoot. Far underfoot, in fact. With a 100ft burrow speed, the Inferno Below can go from below to above in the blink of an eye, a speed that becomes even more dramatic when it initiates with Burrowing Charge. The Kaiju can plunge beneath the ground (or, as the book helpfully notes, into magma, mud, or any similarly loosely-packed or semi-liquid soil) and, ignoring all intervening creatures and terrain, charge 200ft in a straight line at a target it’s aware of, either with its eyes or its 600ft of Tremorsense. While the amount of soil kicked into the air is a terrifying enough visual, Pathfinder augments the experience by opting for the surprisingly realistic result of a creature over 200ft long dramatically erupting from the earth: That is, what happens when all the soil comes back down.

Anyone and anything inside Bezravnis’ 50ft space when it concludes a Burrowing Charge is automatically affected by its Trample attack, taking 2d8+17 damage (which is doubled to a Hardness-ignoring 4d8+54 against structures!!!) unless they succeed a DC 43 Reflex save. The explosion of loose earth is so dramatic that creatures less than 50ft above Bezravnis’ space are also subjected to this damage... And then the final crash occurs, all the soil and stone settling down, forcing any creature smaller than Huge to succeed a DC 40 Reflex save to avoid being buried alive in the debris. and being buried alive is no joke! The only way to free one’s self from being buried alive is to either succeed a DC 25 Strength check, or wait for one’s allies to free them, which takes a long, long time without magic. This means Bezravnis can potentially end combat against an entire party (or even an entire army) with its opening charge, burying its foes completely and leaving them for dead. Thankfully, once a party disappears from its sight, it’s unlikely to continue hammering on them and will then resume destroying the scenery... Unless, of course, one of you happened to be the subject of its attention, the target of its original charge.

I haven’t even mentioned yet that whoever Bezravnis attacks via Burrowing Charge takes twice as much damage, and as a Kaiju, any of the Inferno Below’s natural attacks already hit hard! Bezravnis has two claws (4d6+18) and three stings (3d8+18), which add up fast. AND! There’s more! Anyone hit by the claws can get Grabbed and constricted, shorn further and further in half for 4d6+27 additional damage each round they fail to break the grip of the colossus, and anyone stung takes 2d6 points of extra Fire damage and becomes poisoned. Fun fact for you: While Kaiju are immune to a slew of status ailments, including ability damage and drain, they’re not immune to poison, which Bezravnis takes full advantage of.

No, his poison doesn’t do something as banal as ability score damage. Instead, the toxin causes an intense fever to overtake the victim, staggering them once a round for up to 6 rounds and preventing them from using a Full-Attack... and suppressing any Fire Resistance or immunity they may possess. Racial abilities that cause immunity or resistance to Fire are shut off so long as the victim remains poisoned, while any magic in place that imparts these immunities is similarly suppressed so long as the staggered condition remains (which technically means that even if the poison is cured, the victim’s fire-proofedness is still shut down for at least one more round). Thankfully, despite the poison being effective against other Kaiju, any natural or magical poison resistance a non-Kaiju target may have renders them immune to this particular part of Bez’s kit, and you’ll need it, because not being immune to Fire when fighting The Inferno Below will end with you getting cooked to charcoal.

The meager Fire damage from the stingers isn’t the only form of weaponized heat the titan has under its belt. Like all other Kaiju, Bez has a beam attack, a Heat Beam to be specific. Each of its three tails can fire a 1200ft-long line of intense heat that deals 20d6 Fire damage to everything in its path, but here’s the kicker: Each tail can fire individually, and each of them has a separate 4-round cooldown. Firing just one tail at a time is a move action, firing two a standard, and firing all three a full-round. With just a bit of patience (Bez has 26 Wisdom, it can be patient), the Kaiju can sting its victim as a standard action (with Greater Vital Strike allowing his damage to keep up even if it can’t Full-Attack) and then unleash its heat beam right into their face--along with the faces of everything 1,200 feet behind it--for the full 20d6 damage, which averages to about 65. Given the choice, though, it’s likely Bez will prefer its Full-Attack, especially if engaged with other Kaiju.

Against flying foes like Agyra, Yarthoon, or Varklops, the eruption of Burrowing Charge often isn’t enough to knock foes from the air, which is why Bez will either use its 50ft of reach and yank them out of the skies with its pincers, or entangle them with its Web. Bez can hock webbing at foes up to eight times a day, the +27 ranged touch attack basically always hitting other Kaiju on anything but a 1 and being incredibly hard to avoid for anything or anyone else. It requires a DC 40 Strength check to burst the webbing, which is further complicated by the fact that the individual strands are alive and crawling. Any creature that begins its turn entangled by the web takes 2d6+6 damage, which is a pittance but it’s just yet more the victim will have to deal with as Bez closes in and begins to unleash its Full-Attack. Since the strands are actually immune to Fire damage, the Inferno Below can also unleash its Heat Beams on tangled victims as well without fear of freeing them.

Wrap ‘em up, sting ‘em once for a marinade (and to assure the sole action they can take each round is struggling free), and then cook by exposure to 1500-degree heat once every 6 seconds. That’s how you get Roasted Kaiju, a Bezravnis specialty! A feast for all to enjoy! Especially since Bez itself, like all Kaiju, don’t appear to need to eat at all.

You can read more about it here.