#me too Takina

[rubywolf0201]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, games, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

Oh for sure. I’ll tell you my list of favourite characters from the media that I consume:

1.) Matakara Asamine (BUCCHIGIRI?!)- It is no secret that ever since this anime aired, he has become one of my top fav anime character. Character-wise, I love how he is the sunshine puppy childhood friend character but with some depth like dealing with inner demons regarding his lonely past and insecurities and it kind of goes to show that Mata is not your typical cheerful sunny character as he underwent a corruption arc back in Episode 9.

2.) Diamant (Fire Emblem Engage)- I’m pretty sure if you guys have scoured through my art blogs on my second art account and Twitter, you would realize I tend to draw fanart of him all the time. But as for why I like him. I like how he genuinely tried to reach out people outside of his kingdom that doesn’t need to involve war and bloodshed. He only gets angry/resort to violence if his loved ones or people closest to him are targeted (like the Morion incident) and that he also has major insecurities involving his duties as the Crown Prince. Oh and he also has a funny side to him like laughing at the most corniest joke that his retainer Amber has done. Oh and his relationship with Alcryst and Citrinne are the best too.

3.) Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros)- Gonna throw in some women in my list because it ain’t fair if I talk about hot dudes all the time but really I’ve been playing Peach’s second solo game since yesterday and I’m instantly in love with it. Now as for her character, she is a darling. She can be baking a cake one day, doing her royal duties another day or just go out and have fun with Mario and friends. But really, Peach is Nintendo’s most iconic female character of all time due to how she showcases that being girly and being badass aren’t mutually exclusive and that they can go hand to hand (Amy Rose is of similar vein too as well) and that whilst a pacifist, she won’t hesitate to get her hands dirty.

4.) Tooru Kirishima (The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting)- If anyone from 2022 has remembered how much I talk about this man, then yeah. Anyways, I just love how despite being an extremely violent yakuza enforcer, he’s actually a kind, quiet and socially awkward man but can be a bit of a tease towards his closest friends and family (have you seen the man interacting with the mum’s in Yaeka’s school?). His relationship with Yaeka started out awkward at first but over time, you see them geniunely bonding with one another. But that being said, it’s not best if you get to his super scary side if you piss him off more than once. Also, I have a weakness for scary men (sometimes women) with a heart of gold to them. He’s my silly little meow meow

5.) Takina Inoue (Lycoris Recoil)- I got into the anime pretty late last year despite being released alongside The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting in the Summer 2022 anime lineup but yeah I love Takina. She originally started out as a cold and ruthless girl who follows orders to a tee without being aware of the dangers she posed but after meeting Chisato, her worldview changed for the better in that she became a much kinder person than the cold hearted assassin she was before. She can be slightly awkward with her interactions, a bit straight faced with embarrassing things but that doesn’t hide the fact that she can and WILL kill for her loved ones if they’re in any danger (she’s basically a female Kirishima lol). Oh and I love her voice actresses performance so that’s why she is my fav. (Tho if you ask me who I like more, it’s Xanthe)

6.) Penny (Pokèmon Scarlet and Violet)- Penny is one of the Pokèrivals I just vibe and relate with because like her, I’m a huge nerd when it comes to anime that I like and we are also introverts too. She is blunt and rude yes but she’s a child who is capable of growing, as shown in the DLC epilogue where she began to take notice of how Arlan pointed out that her dad cares for her and that unlike him, she at least have families who love and care for her. (Oh and she has a party full of Eeveelutions, what’s not to love?) Oh and I recommend checking out her storyline because it’s amazing.

7.) Kiyoshi Teppei (Kuroko’s Basketball)- Like with Kirishima, I was also constantly crazy about this lil guy back in 2021-2022. Now I know he was introduced pretty late in Season 1 out of nowhere with no buildup, but he quickly became one of my favs because of how he is a teddy bear personified, can be a little dumb and unaware of the things he do but all he wanted to do is just have fun. Oh and he can display a selfish side if his friends are in any danger (Kirisaki game arc). His chemistry with literally anyone in the Seirin team is just too good but I like the ones with Hyuuga cuz you can te the VA’s are clearly having fun with voicing them.

8.) Souma Shiki (Play it Cool Guys)- Out of all the five main guys, I identify with Souma the most and the reason why is that like him, I’m trying to find things that I enjoy the most but sometimes feel insecure about it as well. The way he just laughs is just too plain adorable and his chemistry with the main cast, especially the ones with Shun is mostly enjoyable. Definetely one of my favs.

9.) Mitsumi Iwakura (Skip and Loafer)- Something that me like Mistumi is that out of all the female main characters that I have seen so far is just how confident, ambitious and reassured she is. Sure, Mitsu makes some mistakes here and there but it’s justified in that she’s moving to an environment that she’s completely unfamiliar with but still she tries her best with the things said environment provides her. Oh and any scene with her is just so enjoyable because of how endearingly innocent and awkward she is and that she is also trying her best in what she’s doing.

10.) Jing Yuan (Honkai Star Rail)- Listen I know that prior to being “fixed” in later updates, many ppl aren’t too keen in using him due to how his gameplay style wasn’t really the best and how other Lightining damage dealers like Kafka and Serval beats him. But I hardly saw anyone talked about his character so here I am. I think what made me fascinated about Jing Yuan’s character is that even if he appears to be slovenly and sleepy looking all the time, he is pretty shrewd and calculating when the situation calls for it. He is also a pretty nice guy and that despite having deep issues with his former comrades in the Cloud Quintet, he tries his best to stay strong as possible to the point of being self-sacrificial. That and he is one of my “Not Gay BUT-” type of characters.

[halcyon-hyacinth]

Lycoris Recoil: A Gripping Gun Girl Anime Full of Heart

INTRO

I first watched Lycoris Recoil in 2023, a year after it originally aired. 

I couldn’t get past the first episode. I don’t remember why exactly, but thinking about it now I probably wasn’t in the right headspace for it. It’s not like the show is super intense, but I just couldn’t get into it. The cheery nature of one of the protagonists, Chisato, made me think it’d be a bit too fluffy and moe for my taste. (Of course, I later found that I was dead wrong, on both counts). 

I tried again in mid 2024 and binged it over the course of a few days. I was HOOKED. Yuri pilled, you could say. Lycoris Recoil is a well-written and fun show as a whole, but the compelling character dynamics—specifically between Chisato and Takina is what made me fall in love with the story. 

THE STORY

Lycoris Recoil follows a group called Lycoris, who are orphaned teenage girls tasked by the Japanese government to uphold public safety… with guns and bullets. Within the first few minutes of the first episode, you see a montage of these highly trained assassins disguised in high school uniforms covertly taking out potential domestic terrorist threats.

It fucking rocks. 

We are first introduced to Takina Inoue, who is on a mission to recover a batch of stolen illegal weaponry. One of her fellow Lycoris is taken hostage by the villains, and rather than wait for backup or follow orders from HQ, she elects to pick up a machine gun and take them all out. 

Thankfully, the Lycoris taken hostage is unhurt. But that doesn’t stop Takina from being reprimanded by her peers and the higher ups. She’s docked and reassigned to LycoReco Cafe with the top Lycoris as her new partner—Chisato Nishikigi. 

THE CHARACTERS

Takina starts out from a point of wanting to get back to HQ at any cost. She is fully invested in the mission of the Lycoris, and doesn’t have a sense of purpose outside of it. It’s not until she meets Chisato that she’s confronted with the possibility of her life meaning more than that. Chisato challenges her sense of self and encourages her to connect with others. As her first real friend, Chisato shows Takina how to have fun, and they grow closer over the duration of the show. 

Without spoiling too much about Chisato’s backstory and her major personal conflict that takes over the latter half of the show, what I can say is that there’s more to her than meets the eye. She initially comes off as a positivity-oriented, unserious person who wants to enjoy herself first and foremost. But there’s a reason she substitutes real bullets for rubber ones. She deeply values the lives of others, and refuses to kill even though her profession demands otherwise. 

Over the course of the show, Chisato helps Takina open up to the world. Takina, a normally serious and stoic person, begins to smile and laugh more often. She no longer simply humors Chisato’s antics, she delights in them. However their relationship isn’t entirely one-sided—Takina is also Chisato’s first friend. Her newfound presence in Chisato’s life washes away the feelings of loneliness Chisato has suffered from her entire life due to her status as Lycoris’ prodigy. She has also struggled to form meaningful connections with those her own age due to her bluntness and steadfast adherence to her ideals, which clash with those of the top brass. 

THE PLOT

In the first five episodes, we are introduced to the world and its players. The supporting cast is absolutely incredible. They have unique personalities and their own goals within the scope of the story. I really don’t want to spoil the plot and what happens, but I will say that episode five’s major reveal regarding Chisato’s backstory turns everything on its head and raises the stakes in a really exciting way—even if you don’t see the full picture yet. 

Chisato will be forced to reckon with her ideology on a personal and professional level. She clashes with Takina and Mika (her mentor and father) about her life choices. She clashes against Majima, who seeks to expose the truth of the Lycoris to the world. Meanwhile, Takina will be forced to choose between returning to Lycoris HQ or Chisato.

There’s cool gun fights, and a pretty awesome final battle. There’s a slowburn strangers to friends to lovers arc that’s pretty much all but confirmed between Chisato and Takina. Chisato also has two divorced dads whose complicated relationship causes the central conflict in the show. If you’re looking for a fun yuri anime, that's an action-packed romp with emotionally compelling themes and characters, this show is for you. 

CONCLUSION

“There are things you can gain after losing something.”

This direct quote from the show applies to both Chisato and Takina, and what they eventually become to one another. The season finale is satisfying on a character and story level, but open to further exploration (which is great, because more content is on the way!) I won’t say more than that simply because I think the show is in its best form when experienced blind. I hope you’ll give it a chance (or even a second chance) like I did. It’s well worth the experience. 

[lanatrium]

Mmn... so tired...

Lanna!

That is our name. We don't care too much for pronouns but most people lean toward she so that works! We're sapphic, aro, and queerplatonic note: while we use we/us we are not plural... at least we don't think so? it's confusing but we aren't a system or anything like that as far as we know.

The tags!

#-›Lana is Rambling - Our rambling tag. This is where we post random thoughts that pop into our head. #♪Lana is Posting! - Our writing tag! Most main posts will go here. #•.° Lana is drowsyposting - we get silly when sleepy. most cuddly rambles about characters will go here. it totally won't be flooded with plutia... probably. #♠ Lana is Reading - Fics we like! check them out! Others will be added as they pop up.

The List!

don't feel like sifting through the tag? us neither. so here's all the main posts categorized! just click the title of this section.

The Requests?

eeh... yes and no. yes in the way that we'll take ideas but we don't guarantee anything or any sort of schedule on them. small asks are nice though!

The Rules?

We like to think we're pretty lenient but with the fandoms we write for there can be some nasty people so we should probably lay them out. -> Nope on requesting sexual content or anything like that. We're not a stranger to that kind of content and don't mind suggestive mentions or the odd joke but chances are you'll probably be ignored if it's something we don't feel right with. We will, however, possibly occasionally write that and will tag accordingly. -> We don't mind guys enjoying our content! That said our content isn't meant for them and will always have sapphic intents. -> Angst is okay! Yandere is not. Comfy vibes here, though we do admittedly have a soft spot for angst. -> Criticism is a no-no! If I miss a small grammar thing that's okay to let me know but advice and stuff... mmmn no thanks. -> We don't really write romance and if we do it's still under a queerplatonic lens so it's never wholly romantic. Still, don't be weird. Characters under 18 are strictly platonic, even if quiet moments and physical touch is included. (Example: holding Diona close through a stormy night like holding a younger sister or laying with Collei in the mutual immobility.)

The Who! not the band.

Characters will be added and removed as seen fit. Favourites are seen in bold and ones we won't write any sort of intimacy for are seen in italics.

♪ Neptunia!

Neptune, Big Neptune, Nepgear, Noire, Blanc, Vert, Plutia, Uzume, Compa, IF, Histoire, Croire, Underling, and all the CPU forms!

♪ Genshin!

Amber, Peruere, Barbara, Beidou, Bennett, Chongyun, Collei, Dehya, Diona, Eula, Fischl, Freminet, Furina, Ganyu, Hu Tao, Layla, Lisa, Lynette, Lyney, Qiqi, Rosaria, Kokomi, Sucrose, Xinyan, Miko, Yanfei, Yoimiya.

♪ ILWTV

Rae Taylor, Claire Francois, Misha Jur, Yu Bauer.

♪ Demon Slayer

Kanao, Kanae, Shinobu, Aoi, Mitsuri, Giyuu.

♪ Fire Emblem

Alear, Lapis, Yunaka, Ivy, Veyle, Corrin, Azura, Camilla, Lilith, Edelgard, Bernadetta, Dorothea, Lysithea, Flayn, Shamir, Hapi, Rhea,

♪ Other Misc.

Izutsumi, Marcille Donato, Falin Touden, Luka, Guinaifen, Yuu Koito, Saeki Sayaka, Taiga Aisaka, Chisato Nishikigi, Takina Inoue.

Feel free to ask about any other series!

[cybrics-corner]

Chisato and Takina are getting another season any day now. This Yuri pair is just too adorable to not get one

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

weirdly surprising to me that LycoReco doesn't have some sort of gacha tie in or whatever. Not saying I'd strictly want one (although it'd give me lots of nice Takina art...) but yk, the DA and Lycoris as an in-universe thing are an easy excuse to just make original girl designs and put them in whatever random stories, and then random slice of life event stories or whatever would write themselves. Seems like it'd go over well conceptually, probably do well too given the series' general successes. Idk. Thought just came to me randomly.

[tisiphonewolfe]

10 Fandoms, 10 Characters

Thanks for tagging me, @author-a-holmes!

This is one of those posts where I suddenly forget everything I've ever read, watched, and played. But here we go, I'll do my best!

Tagging gently: @sam-glade @writingmoth @darthnell @aziz-reads

In no particular order -

The Locked Tomb - Gideon Nav

She may have single-handedly made me realise that butches are my type.

Star Trek - Seven of Nine

Blimey, Jeri Ryan's a good actor, isn't she?

Overwatch - Brigitte Lindholm

I just wish Blizzard had let her in-game model keep those fucking biceps, good lord

Discworld - Susan Sto Helit

Death's granddaughter is just such a cool character concept to start with, and PTerry took it to another level.

Arcane - Vi

If I hadn't already realised butches were my thing thanks to Gideon, then Vi would definitely have done it.

Bleach - Hiyroi Sarugaki

Honestly, my original blorbo. She should have been the main character of Bleach, she was way more fun.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Malady

Larian, please! Where is she?! What was her whole deal?! I need to know more! Let us romance her next time! For god's sake!

Lycoris Recoil - Chisato Nishikigi

It was hard to choose between her and Takina actually, but I just love Chisato's energy and outlook on life.

Baldur's Gate 3 - Lae'zel

I mean, BG3 is sorta my current obsession, so it's not too shocking she made it this far. But I feel like she's gonna become a mainstay in my brain somehow. Like a little worm, or a tadpole.

The Serpent Gates - Csorwe

No official art for her, so I'll give you a link to this charming drawing

I . . . don't know what to say. Read The Serpent Gates books, please. Csorwe is so good.

[centrally-unplanned]

Now that I have finished* the fall crop of anime I was watching lets see how they turned out based on my initial impressions!

Call of the Night: 8/10 overall, met expectations. Consistently delivered on blending its ideological twist of night-worship with the more trad anime themes (Cult of Fun, The Gap Between People, etc). Ko & Nazuna are both delightful, Ko’s awkwardly blaise confidence & Nazuna adorable gremlin persona is a great combination, and I give the show 10/10 for Nazuna’s humanization over her arc & having real stakes driving the conflict. As expected for a show like this, it has a weak middle with some filler eps, one in particular that is very skippable, and it has a few dumb moments plus some inconsistent animation at times, nothing major though.

Lycoris Recoil: 6.5/10 overall, and met my expectations in a weird way. It did actually improve over its run, in particular its ‘slice of life’ scenes grew more balanced as the show progressed and had a lot of energy to them, while the confidence of its shot composition and commitment to fast pacing absolutely paid dividends. However it also decided to have a few Stupidest Plot Things Ever serving as the foundation for its conclusion, and its politics are just so tired it probably should have cut them, here it delivered worse than I expected via trying too hard for Drama. Overall it balanced out, worth watching.

Though let Chisato & Takina fuck already jesus christ

Isekai Ojisan/Uncle from Another World: TBD - the ‘*’ in my ‘finished’, Isekai Ojisan was continuing to to hold up great, even if its joke closet was getting a little threadbare, but this show has had the production from hell, and barely got out 7 episodes before calling it quits and delaying the rest till next season. Apparently it was due to Covid? Which, I mean maybe, I don’t think its a lie, but its 2022 and no other studio really had similar issues. Covid likely triggered a crisis but I’d wager bad & unprepared management was unable to handle the situation and blew up their team in the process, and the comments from insiders are suggestive of that

My Stepmom’s Daughter is My Ex: 4/10, a slow decline. No joke, this show had a lot a charm in its opener, two extremely confident protagonists refusing to step-wincest out of pride & baggage, it was funny and honest in a way that a lot of romcoms miss. Also Yume is hot. But it didn’t last long, side-characters started creeping up and none of them held a candle to the mains, and everything got bogged down in their far more tepid, stereotypical drama. I could edit a decent ~5 episode show out of this, but its not worth the bad parts.

Rent-A-Girlfriend S2: 2/10, my descent into madness continues. Idk, I feel this season didn’t even try, like it has all of the annoying habits, all of the cringe behavior by the main, but almost none of the insane brazenness that made me watch Season 1 through the eye-rolls. Chizuru continues to be a good character when the plot allows her to be, but that isn’t often and its not enough to justify it. I no longer feel like I am learning anything about ‘what harem audiences want’, since I don’t think harem audiences want this anymore. 

I think that was all of my ‘currently airing’ shows, going to start Cyberpunk: Edgerunners but that doesn’t neatly slot into a season. Overall a pretty decent one! I will give Ojisan a pass, what we have is good, Call of the Night is great, and Lycoris Recoil is fine too, not a bad record.

[moonage-moth]

Lycoris Recoil

So, I've heard about Lycoris Recoil for quite some time now. I thought it was another anime with cute girls to grab attention of weebs and nothing more. Boy, was I mistaken!

All the characters have so much personality, the action is top notch, the animation is consistently good, the plot is also good! I ended up enjoying this show way more than I thought I would!

Yeah, they are teenage girls who also are secret spy assassins for the government. I know, I know, but that comes with it being an anime. All the characters actions, motivations and developments bring it to a very good quality though!

I ended up caring for and enjoying everyone's presence as the episodes came by. Chisato and Takina were the stars of the show, as expected of main characters, but Mika, Shinji and Mikami were very interesting too! I really thought Majima would be an one episode antagonist!

Part of me really wants to know more about this world too. The Alan Institute is really interesting and, if they align with Shinji's opinions, things could get very interesting in the future! It'd also be nice if we could meet more people like Chisato and Majima!!

By the end, the show was only weak on the age old question of "is hiding people from the bad of the world okay?" Psycho Pass asked this in 2012 and handled it better, but that doesn't mean LycoReco doesn't have a place! It's very fun, cool to watch and makes you really like its characters!

[cazhiopeeya]

Review #1: Lycoris Recoil

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5 stars)

Overall, I absolutely loved Takina’s character development from robot soldier to caring, loving friend. Chisato was also a great main character, although overpowered, it was still fun watching her beat everyone up and dodge the bullets. I enjoyed all the characters actually, I found no one annoying. LOVED the villains of course (which I won’t say in case of spoilers). I also love that there were so many fan service opportunities they could have taken, but decided not to. Overall, A part of me hopes it ends here just so that it doesn’t possibly get ruined in the second season, but if they do decide to have one, I will be tuning in. The art and animation wasn’t anything too special, but it wasn’t ugly and choppy so that is perfectly fine with me. Would definitely watch this again!

[rena-yume]

Schneekos, Pyrruby, Freezerburn, Purrha, Violyn, Sulemio, Kuromiko, Chisataki, Aerti for the ship meme

Ooh alot of ships

Schneekos (Weiss x Pyrrha): ship!

What made you ship it? They just fit so well together and have many things in common with how everyone sees them and their struggle with holding up to a reputation and all, also big strong softy x small gremlin is peak dynamic

What's your favorite thing about the ship? I love their aesthetic and almost opposite personalities

Unpopular opinion on the ship? Nothing really

Pyrruby (Ruby x Pyrrha): don't ship

Why don't I ship it? I prefer them as just friends, or even close friends unlike what canon did with them. They're good together just not as gfs

What would've made you like it? Nothing lol it's not bad or anything but yeah, just friends

Anything positive to say about it? Still leagues better than Arkos, also it's cute

Freezerburn (Weiss x Yang): ship!

What made you ship it? The meme potential, I'm not even joking this ship doesn't have nearly as much angst potential as the others and I love it, just a cute lil funny ship

Favorite thing about the ship? The dynamic is hilarious but also has alot of fluff potential

Unpopular opinion on it? Definitely don't want it to be canon, I'm not with ships being within the same team whatsoever

Purrha (Blake x Pyrrha): don't ship

Why don't I ship it? It just doesn't click for me, they don't have anything in common that I can think of nor are they on the "opposites attract" side, they just exist

What would've made you like it? Maybe if they shared something or a plot point that would've helped with putting them together idk

Anything positive to say about it? The ship name is funny? XD

Violyn (Vi x Caitlyn): don't ship but I don't mind it being canon (to make things clear I'll be talking about the show version of their characters not the game, I prefer the game's)

Why don't you ship it? I don't think they fit? Or I'm just not interested enough in Caitlyn (unlike her game counterpart) so it makes it harder to care about the ship as a whole

What would've made you like it? Put game Caitlyn instead lol

Anything positive to say about it? Good funny scenes and they had nice build up, it wasn't rushed nor shoved too much in our face to make me dislike it

Sulemio (Suletta x Miorine): ship I think?

I haven't watched the anime yet but I'm planning to so I don't really have anything to say other than the aesthetic and fanart are cool and Suletta is bby

Kuromiko/Mikokuro (Mikoto x Kuroko): SHIP!!

What made you ship it? The dynamic, the plot and angst potential especially if Kuroko knew about the clones but the writer is a pussy , the way Kuroko is a tsundere to everyone but Mikoto is too wholesome, also how despite being a gremlin cat Mikoto trusts Kuroko with her life (I'll just ramble forever if I keep going so this has to do lol)

Favorite thing about the ship? They're funny and wholesome together, and best fighting duo that also has the potential to be op. Also the angst thanks to them both being stubborn idiots

Unpopular opinion on it? The way it is in canon is very unhealthy thanks to Touma being a thing but if it was written better it would be amazing, also Kuroko being a pervert can be too much and I don't appreciate how the show glosses over her not taking no for an answer when Mikoto is clearly uncomfortable in most scenes

Chisataki (Chisato x Takina): ship

Haven't watched it yet but I've seen too many scenes and spoilers I know they fit well together, also alot of angst

Aerti (Aerith x Tifa): don't ship

I absolutely know nothing about final fantasy but from the fanart that I've seen I'm not really a fan of the aesthetic, they seem too bland

[greatwyrmgold]

Finished watching Lycoris Recoil, and there's one thing that bugs me about the ending. (I mean, beyond the fact that the yuri-baiting is yuri-baiting, but that's kinda standard.) That one thing is about the ending, and hence spoilery, so...

Having been officially warned, let's get started.

So, for those who don't care about spoilers, Lycoris Recoil is an anime about schoolgirl assassins known as Lycoris. Lycoris work for an organization called Direct Attack (DA for short), which uses the Lycoris to secretly enforce a vision of peace and safety over Japan, to the point of erasing all evidence that violent crimes take place (including witnesses). Part of how they cover things up is Radiata, a computer...something which helps Lycoris censor the media, preventing leaks and getting cover stories out quickly and such.

The main villain of Lycoris Recoil is Majima, a terrorist who wants to restore "balance" to Japan, through a mixture of terrorist attacks and revealing DA to the public. Now, we can all agree that shooting up subways and blowing up radio towers and stuff is bad, Majima is obviously a villain, but...the DA is bad too, right? Surely even people who think Chisato should just shoot the bad guys with normal bullets and murder 'em all can agree that hiding the a secret organization that secretly murders people is bad, whatever their stated objectives, right?

In the last few episodes, Majima succeeds, through a complex plot involving hacking, guns, live footage of Lycoris shooting his goons, and the fact that Lycoris all wear identical uniforms (and are a bit too trigger-happy for their own good). Oh no! Lycoris's secrecy is shot (pun intended), and the DA is about to be terminated! But then, Kurumi brings Radiata back on, and the day Lycoris is saved. But why?

The DA is not a good thing, and the series know this. Chisato has chafed against their murderous methods since long before episode 1, and while Takina starts the series desperate to return, by the end her participation in DA is contingent on that seeming like the best way to save Chisato (long story). Its leader is framed as an asshole who cares about nothing except enforcing that facade of peace (and protecting the organization she runs). To say nothing of the fact that DA wants to kill Kurumi over her hacking Radiata towards the start of the series. Why did she step in to save the Lycoris's public image?

On one hand, the short-sighted answer is obvious. LilyBell are shooting at Takina and Chisato and the other Lycoris, and saving Radiata means they stop. Who's LulyBell, you ask? They're a group of schoolboy soldiers who exist to keep the Lycoris in line, specifically during their introduction and this bit of the finale. I don't think they're brought up between those two points; I'd forgotten they existed until they were ordered to start executing Lycoris. But this just kicks the can down to "Why were the LilyBell written into the story?" They don't do anything else; they're not even a satisfactory answer to "who watches the watchmen?", because they're another group of unwatched watchmen, and worries about LilyBell don't pop up when Chisato/Takina/etc violate orders or anything. As far as I can tell, LilyBell basically exists so there's someone shooting at the Lycoris who can only be stopped by hiding the DA.

And it's not a status quo sort of thing, either. None of the main characters are working with the DA by the end of the series; in practical terms, they severed ties before Radiata is restored. The Hawaii epilogue bit suggests the LycoReco girls are doing an A-Team impression, which for the record I think is a great place to leave them. But it means the DA staying secret isn't structurally significant to anything except the DA's facade.

If Majima hadn't successfully revealed the Lycoris's existence, I wouldn't have thought twice about their continued secrecy. But he did! Without Kurumi's quick hacking, the Lycoris would be public knowledge, and the secret assassinations and stuff would stop being secret. Why didn't they?

It feels like the DA's continued secrecy is framed as a "part of a balanced happy ending" sort of thing, where it needs to be written that way for the ending to be satisfying. It's certainly not framed as "This is a continuing problem that needs to be solved"! But that's absurd. The DA is bad, and the anime knows this. Why organize things so they get to stick around??

[coketaposicecream]

FANFICTION

Heart Beat

Genre: Action, Slice of Life, Sci-Fi

Story:

The number of terrorist acts in Japan has never been lower, thanks to the efforts of a syndicate called Direct Attack. The organization raises orphaned girls as killers to carry out assassinations under their "Lycoris" program. Takina Inoue is an exceptional Lycoris with a strong sense of purpose and a penchant for perfection. Unfortunately, a hostage situation tests her patience, and the resulting act of insubordination leads to her transfer out of DA. Not thrilled about losing the only place she belonged to, she reluctantly arrives at her new base of operations LycoReco, a cafe in disguise.

Takina's new partner, however, turns out to be quite different from what she imagined. Despite being the famed Lycoris prodigy, Chisato Nishikigi appears almost unconcerned with her duties. She drags Takina along on all kinds of odd jobs under the simple explanation of helping people in need. Takina is even more puzzled when Chisato takes down a group of armed assailants without killing any of them. Feeling like a fish out of water, Takina itches to get reinstated into DA-but Chisato is determined to prove to her that there is more to a life than just taking them.

Chisato: There's an emergency! Yoshi, Yoshi san got caught.

Mika: Wait Chisato, by whom?

While Mika is confused. Chisato slowly shows the video on her phone who's

someone unknown who sent it.

Mika: It's Yoshi. "What the hell? This time, what exactly are you aiming for. Yoshi?" While in thought.

Chisato: That's right, it's him.

Mika, who's lost in thought, Chisato immediately noticed.

Chisato: Teach?

Mika: Ohhh it's nothing. What's your plan? "The fact Yoshi got caught makes it seem like nothing good will happen. I need to stop Chisato."

Chisato: Isn't it obvious?

Chisato: Hahahaha Yoshi is My savior after all.

Mika: I see.

While both of them were preparing, someone suddenly called

Mika: Hello?

Robota: Yow is Chisato there?

Mika: Hmmm? Chisato, there's a call for you.

Chisato: Who's this?

Majima: If you want to save Yoshi, come visit where we first met.

Majima hangs up the call and Chisato, who fell into confusion suddenly speaks thewords.

Chisato: The Old Radio Tower, that bastard!

Chisato: That's right, the "Radio Tower Incident".

Without further thought Chisato immediately ran toward the door and went outside.

Mika: Wait, I'm going too. Hey the car!

And so Chisato and Mika leave the Cafe....

Meanwhile Kurumi and Mizuki are at the airport, planning to fly to another country.

Kurumi: It seems like it's already our goodbye?

Mizuki: It seems like it, It's Chisato's wish after all.

Kurumi...

Mizuki: Then? What are you going to do after this?

Kurumi: Who knows, maybe for now I'm going to lay low for a while and go to Germany.

Mizuki: It's a good plan if you're lucky, no one will chase you there.

Kurumi: Yeah! Then see you.

Mizuki: Ohhh by the way.

Mizuki: Thank you for the first class ticket, you really are the best hacker in the world.

Kurumi: Yours is the economy. Hahabaha

Mizuki: Kuhhh! You brat!

While Kurumi was waiting for the plane to take off and using her VR searching of possibilities to find the solution for Chisato's sakes, she finally found it.

Kurumi: I found it. Yesss I finally found it!

Kurumi: The artificial heart!

While in The old radio tower, both of them noticed that there's an eye everywhere. Above them are drones that are surveilling every move of them, using the custom shotgun of Chisato, she reloads it with rubber bullets and she shoots them one by one.

Chisato: Teach I'm going now!

Mika: Yeah Be Careful!

Mika positioned himself a better spot for sniper and while Chisato raided the enemy one by one. Mika gives his best support to help her.

Mika: Hello Chisato you hear Me, yes?

Chisato: Yeah! Whoaaaa! Eyy! Woooh!

Mika: Chisato?

Chisato: Hahahaha Teach I can hear you!

Mika: sigh.....

Mika: now that you've entered the tower won't be able to support you property, so please becareful okay?

Chisato: Leave this to me.

For a while...

And so Chisato who was dumbfounded when she finally saw him tied to the chair. Miraculously he didn't even have a single scar, Chisato didn't notice it. Because of being blinded by Joyous in her eyes that she finally sees her savior again. Not knowing that her savior is always on her side. Always visiting the cafe and so still didn't notice that it's him. The one and only, it's her savior.

Yoshi: Chisato? see so you really came here huh?

Chisato: Yoshi san... hehehe Yeah

Majima: Ohhh ohhh Sorry for disturbing your reunion but you know... it's really making me sick and intrigued me.

Pushing the button in his hand. Majima in an instant finally had an upper hand.

Chisato: Huh? The light!?

All over the place the light has been cut off. Nothing can see but only just a full of darkness.

Majima instantly shot her 3 times but Chisato dodge all of them, in exchange Yoshi got shot

Chisato: Huh?! Yoshi san I'm sorry!

Chisato instantly fireback, pick the torch and Turning her back to see what happened. Chisato got shock seeing Yoshi got away, It has nowhere to be found.

Majima: You dodge them huh? As expected, in exchange there's a person who got hurt because of your action.

Pointing the lights towards him. Chisato fire him using the remaining rubber bullet in magazines. But Majima suddenly disappeared.

Chisato: Why are you here!?

Majima: Guess what?

Majima whispered in her back and Chisato suddenly freaked out. Chisato pointed the light and shot him, but again it's nowhere to be found.

Chisato: You can see all this!?

Majima: I can hear it.

Chisato: Sound, huh?

Majima: Correct, But sight is everything!

Majima launched a blow towards her getting knocked back, And so Chisato hit the wall. Majima again tries to hit her but this time using his kicks.

Chisato: Gotcha!

Chisato catch her legs, using the momentom Chisato got distance and got chance to hit the his ball.

Chisato: Yeahhhh! Gotcha! You Fucking Freak!

Majima: Kuhhh! You Bitch!

Chisato loudly laugh while firing him countess of time. All the bullet hit him, Majima distance himself to recover. Chisato too use this opportunity to find Yoshi and distace towards him.

Majima: Uhgggg that girl. There are so many weak points that are going to be hitted, but why here!

Meanwhile:

Kurumi: Hello Takina, you hear me yes?

Takina: Yes I can hear you. Sorry but right now I'm on a mission.

Kurumi: Mission, you know what situation you are in right now!?

Takina: Huh!? Where going to New Tower, there's a tip that terrorist gather there.

Kurumi: I already see the new heart of Chisto.

Takina: Wait Kurumi!? How? Okay okay I'm going now.

Team leader: Takina where are you going!?

Takina: To Chisato...

Majima who's a talent to hear all sound to his certain surroundings to the point where eve all pitch black that even eyes can't possibly see with out a torch. But incase of him Majima already memorize and predicted all the things around.

Chisato who's blindly weak against dark place, where her eyes can't even glimps a bit of light. Without a torch on her hand. Majima suddenly attacks Chisato, using the bareback of the gun. Majima uses it to hit her and to disarm the firearms.

Chisato tries to fire back but her weakness in the dark becomes an obstacle to not hitting Majima.

Majima who ran against her. Chisato, who continues to run to get distance, suddenly strips the cause of things around. Chisato immediately got up and recovered

Majima: Finally your guard is down!

He successfully set apart the light she was carrying.

Chisato sees Majima and takes this opportunity to hit him using a gun. Chisato hit him in the chest, legs, and right arm.

Majima fell in serious pain. Try to Fireback! Trying to fire in her left arm, right leg, and head. And so Majima was amazed!

Malima: who ahhhh HAHAHAHA

Majima: You dodge them all. Determining the trajectory and shot timing from minuscule movements of the opponent... No wonder Alan institute was interested in it.

Majima: That's an amazing ability.

Chisato who follows the minuscule change on his muscle. She predicted where the

bullet going to hit and successfully dodge it.

Chisato: Gotcha!

Majima: Huh?! Gotcha?

Clueless and doesn't have any ideas of what's on to her.

Chisato: finally see what I need "It's My FlashLight!"

Majima: ...

Majima who's dumbfoundedly pissed!

Majima again disarmed it and broke it.

Chisato: Waaaaaaaaaaah! Again!?

And so the fight continues.....

Kurumi calls Takina in order to inform her of Chisato's situation. Takina Kurumi I'm in front of the Old Radio Tower now.

Kurumi: Good, Right now her situation doesn't bad but if this continues it won't be easy for her.

Kurumi: I have something that is attached to her after all so I know her condition.

Takina: Okay copy!

Out of nowhere the full darkness suddenly shattered. There's a light suddenly crossing in front of them. The wall has been broken, It's Takina.

Chisato: Takina!?

Majima: Huh!?

Takina lands a right kick on his face, lands to the right, backwards kick, pushing front face, right hook and uppercut. Aside from martial arts she pulled her gun intent to kill him, Chisato pulled the gun and shot him.

Majima: Ughhh!

Majima tries to come closer grabbing the gun to disarm her and using it against Chisato. The remaining Bullets rained down on Chisato, but Smooth dodged them all. Majima pushed Takina towards Chisato. Distanced himself against two of them to pick his own gun and shot to them

Using the bulletproof bag. Chisato catches Takina and blocks the bullet coming towards them. First shot, second shot, third shot and so on. All of them had been blocked, but the bag splashed out.

Majima: Ughhh so unlucky.

Majima now has no ammo. Seeing both of them working together and knowing there's nothing he can do.

Chisato fires him countless times to the point he gets unconscious.

Takina: Ahhhhhhhhh.

Takina jumps on him trying to kill him, but Chisato restrains her.

Chisato: Takina! Takina! It's over now!

Meanwhile Yoshi suddenly sneaks out and grabs Takina.

Yoshi thought Chisato, it's for the world. must be triggered to deliver your talent to the world. In order to do that I must be the sacrifice.

Chisato: Takina Coughs! Coughhh!

Takina: Ahhhh Chisato!

Chisato who's never killed before. Tries to rescue Takina, who was taken hostage by Yoshi, But she has no ammo left in hand. Chisato grabbed the gun of Takina but knowing it's a real bullet, Chisto hesitated.

Chisato: Yoshi san! Why!? Why are you doing this!?

Yoshi: Your talent is not supposed to be here, and you know that I'm right?

Yoshi: Mika already told you and yet why are you here, Rescuing me? Are making fun of me!

Chisato: ...

Yoshi: I will drop Taking if you want her, kill me first.

Chisato: Yoshi san! Noooooo!

Yoshi: It's your end takina.

Yoshi san let Takina go but a sudden sound woke everyone up. Chisato fires him, it's a critical hit. Yoshi has been laid down.

Chisato: Huuuuuuuu!

When the servant arrived, she saw him and saw his master lying down, she immediately approached him and helped him.

In a second, It's just like time has stopped for her. Chisato runs towards Takina to catch her, knowing her limit will be over. But still pushes her limit, a heavily breathing and hard noises, In the end she lifts her.

Takina: Chisato you...

Chisato: Ahhh got you....

Heavily breathing and looking pale, Chosato lost consciousness for a moment.

Takina sees the briefcase that Kurumi mentioned and so she remembered what Kurumi said earlier.

Flashback...

Kurumi: Listen here Takina, no matter what happened you must retrieve it.

Takina: Retrieve?

Kurumi: The brief case, It contains of Chisato's new artificial heart. She has only less than a month left on her life, considering the energy that she used. She won't last long either.

Kurumi: That's why no matter what happens you must take it as a priority!

Takina: ....

The assistant that is helping Yoshi tries to run together with her master. Takina gets furious and runs over them. So Takina forgot to notice Chisato that was lying over near the broken and holed wall on the verge of death and was going to fall.

Yoshi: Chisato!

Yoshi pointed his finger towards her daring to noticed that Chisato is going to fall.

Takina: Huh!?

Takina turned her back,

Takina: Huuuuuuh!!! Chisatooooo!

Chisato has been fall but luckily waked and survived, clinging to piece of wire. Her hand bleed caused of friction.

Takina choose whether what shes going to. Either its present where chisato is hanging on cable and on the verges of death Or the heart where the future of her relies on? Takina sees Chisato burst into tears for the first time while hanging on wire. It's not fear of death but sadness and disappointment.

Takina dumbfounded and pulled her unconsciously where her body moved without the decision of her brain. Pace

set aside her to the safe place.

Takina: Where are you going. The heart!

Takina got her pistol and shot them near the elevator.

Chisato: Takina please stop!

Takina who missed all the bullets. The fact that her accuracy becomes dull because of mixed emotion causes her brain can't function properly and affects the controls and focus all over the body.

Takina: But chisato!

Chisato: Gotcha! Finally, got you now.

Takina feels the breeze and soft body of Chisato. The lips, nose, chest, the arms that crossed around her. Locking her to not move, Chisato hugged her.

Takina: Chisato but you...

Chisato: Please Takina! Stop, please...

Takina losses all her composure and faced her

Chisato: Whoaahhh! Hehehehe. can now see your beautiful face. "Hard to breathe".

Chisato: You finally Calm down well. finally saw your face for the last time.

Takina who got shock of what she's said.

Takina: Chisato what are you talking?

Chisato: Takina...

Takina: Hayyy!?

Chisato: Becareful when you get back to DA okay?

Chisato: I know it must be hard, But sometimes relying o others doesn't makes you feel bad. If you need something. Teach is always there, kurumi, Misuki and our friend in cafe.

Chisato, who's hard to breathe, can't properly talk now.

Takina: I'm getting back to DA because of you right? knowing the time amount you left to live... You still accept this mission and hope this will be your end. Is it for me, to get back to DA?

Chisato: Heh? Hahahaha ohhh don't know what you're talking!

Chisato who even jokes at times like this.

Takina: You always like this, You always prioritize the others before you!

For my own sake, just in order to get me back into DA again.

Chisato: Takina you know Im already contented that have reached this age. The fact that were together, felt happy and cherish all those memories. That's why I priorities all of you, So you must always remember me even I'm gone.

Chisato: I'm thankful that I met you, love you Takina. Bye bye!

She touched her face for the last time and said goodbye Chisato who lost her heartbit, heavily breathing and can't feel the a pulse anymore. And so Takina cried out loud, shouting her name.

In the pitch black corner there suddenly lights appear, It's a cellphone that won't stop ringing.

To be continued...

-

Written by Justine Gonzales

[kincalling]

Fuki Harukawa from Lycoris Recoil here. Takina and I are searching for Chisato, along with anyone else from the source. We are both 18+ so please be 18+ as well. Please interact with this post or contact me on Instagram @ shachimata. I'll introduce you to Takina once you do. Feel free to ignore the next part. It's just me rambling.

In my memories, I didn't have a crush on Mika, but rather felt a strong source of admiration for him because he rescued me as a child, and the reason I always felt at odds with Chisato was because he seemed to care for her more than me. Despite that, I developed romantic feelings for Chisato along the way but things were really complicated with her situation as well as the general environment we were in, so nothing came of it, and the feelings faded after she was transferred out and we more or less lost touch. I had a crush on Erika towards the beginning of the series, though the incident with Takina kinda screwed that up for good and I'd reeeally like to talk to you again if you're out there. Towards the end of the series, Sakura and I had something going on that bordered on romantic too. I'd love to meet you all again. Thank you for reading.

🐌

[chill-mcyt-art-reblogs]

In the Dead of Night

This is me just declaring to the Tumblr world that I can, in fact, write something other than Tommy whump. Anhhd also I had this fic idea a while back that was really long but I still wanted to write something for it, and Whumptober was the perfet excuse.

Enjoy.

(and if you want to, reblogs help.)

(brief warning for torture. It's not explicit or anything, and it's hardly shown, but this *is* a whump fic, look out for youselves)

***

The fire is burning low. 

The arctic is brutal at night, the frigid cold seeping through even the thickest walls and threatening to make whoever’s inside very miserable. Or, in some cases, even worse.

The castle is too well-insulated for there to be any risk worse than numb toes and incessant shivering.

But Techno should still really see to it.

He will, in a few minutes. Just like he was going to a few minutes ago, and a few minutes before that.

Usually someone would be in here by now to remedy it. Some long-suffering staff member cursing him and his work ethic under their breath, but they’re stretched thin right now, and Techno wouldn’t pull them away from their duties for something he can take care of himself perfectly fine.

Phil would do it without hesitation or it being asked of him, but that was always more of his species delegating that his fat layer be non-existent than out of any kindness of his heart.

But gods would Techno give anything for Phil to march into his office, cussing and harrassing Techno about the temperature of the room as he piled wood into the fireplace unnecessarily loudly. He’d then burrow into the piglin’s side, intentionally distracting Techno from whatever he was doing because Phil was, at his heart, an overgrown bird with an attention issue.

Techno would put up with anything if it meant Phil was here.

If it meant he knew where he was.

It had been over a week since Phil rode out with a unit, meaning to deal with some complaints of pillaging received from some villages near the northern border.

It had been over a week since he’d heard from Phil.

And it had been three days since the remains of the unit had been found, the bodies massacred and preserved in the snow, and not a trace of the winged emperor to be found.

An entire unit of the Empire’s finest slaughtered, and one of their emperors missing.

It was easy to see why Techno was having a busy day.

Chat wailed in his head, extra feet trampling on the few nerves the piglin has left as he tried to focus on the papers in front of him. 

It’s extra at this point, some inventory report that could be dealt with later, and certainly not expected to be dealt with in the middle of the national crisis.

But Techno is scared that if he lets himself have five minutes alone with his mind he’ll march out after Phil with hardly more than a second thought to the fact that this is a very possible trap, and that leaving the Empire leaderless and unprotected is a very dumb move.

So he stays, and grits his teeth at the necessity of his decision. Praying that Phil will forgive him.

(If Phil’s still alive enough to answer.)

Another draft slips through around the window, the cold air constantly fraying at Techno’s patience until he snaps, pulling himself up and looking over to the dead fireplace with a look he wished could kill.

Fine. He’ll see to the damn fireplace.

And he nearly gets to. Wood already stacked on the brick and flint in hand when his communicator beeps.

It doesn’t stop, and Techno briefly considers throwing the offending item out the drafty window before giving in and looking at it. Maybe it will be someone he can feel justified in taking his frustration out on, scaring the living daylights of them to his own sick pleasure as he imagines just takina neck in his hands and snapping-

It’s Phil.

Which wouldn’t be so irregular, if it wasn’t for the fact that Phil is missing and most likely dead.

Techno can’t open the message fast enough, former frustration overtaken with relief. Techno should have known Phil would be fine. He’s a competent warrior who can survive in the arctic for a few days, Techno should have more faith.

It’s a video link, which should have been his first clue, but Techno is much too giddy to give much thought to the anomaly.

The screen flashes into a hallway of deepslate, cold and dark in flickering torchlight. A voice hums a nonsensical tune in the background, deep and unsettling.

And the relief that oh so quickly appeared disappears just as fast.

“Emperor Technoblade!” the same voice greets, and Techno feels a growl rise in his throat.

The camera is still focused on the wall, but Techno can tell from voice alone he’s dealing with a right bastard.

“Who are you?” he demands, and a mocking laugh answers.

“Ah! That’s right, you wouldn’t know that, would you?” the voice playfully remarked, “My deepest apologies, your majesty, but I’m afraid I just can’t let you know who I am. I’m very aware of how… unpleasant you can be in a bad mood.”

Chat wells up, insisting Techno show them just how unpleasant he can be.

“What do you want?” he growls.

“Actually, my Emperor,” the voice teases, and Techno was never fond of being referred to as a title but it’s a hundred times worse coming from this slimeball’s mouth,

“It’s about what you want.” 

“As if you could offer anything to me.” Techno retorts, because if this is another cheap intimidation attempt he might just hunt this guy down for the thrill of it-

“Are you sure? I could have absolutely nothing you would want?” the voice taunts, and Techno finds himself almost rolling his eyes before the voice speaks next.

“Not even your Angel?”

Techno freezes, attention snapping back to the video.

“What?”

“Ooo, got your attention now, don’t I?” the voice quipped, a smile in the tone that Techno hates, but he hardly notices over the rush of blood in his ears.

“What did you say?” Techno demands, and the voice chuckles.

“You wanna see?”

 The camera shakes, walls spinning as it’s turned around to face the rest of the room.

And Techno breath catches in his throat.

“I have to say, he looks awfully pretty like this.” the voice comments, utterly sadistic and predatory as the camera settles.

Phil is there. Shirtless and kneeling on a stone platform, arms and wings outstretched by chains in some mockery of divinity. 

Blood drips down his arms and sides, telling lash marks peeking out from his shoulders and back lending to the red pooling on the platform below. 

And Techno can only watch, horrified. If it wasn’t for the full-body shivers racking Phil’s form, Techno would assume him dead with how pale he is, blue tinging his fingers and lips.

(It must be freezing there, and Techno almost finds himself panicking at the thought. The arctic cold can be lethal at the best of times, and his friend has no protection against the elements, he’s not built for the cold.)

And then the shock and terror turns to fury.

“You,” Techno speaks, low, calm, deadly, “You have made the worst mistake of your life.”

“I don’t think so,” the voice answers, “I think this will turn out quite well for me.”

“I’m going to kill you,” Techno promises, seething in anger, “I am going to take you apart and bleed you slowly while you beg for a death that I will not give you.”

“Perhaps.” the voice agrees, “But I do not think you will risk it.”

The camera gets in close, giving Techno a better, sickening view of Phil’s mutilated back.

“After all, you have no idea where I am, and I could do just about anything in the time it takes for you and your lovely little empire to find me.”

A gloved hand comes into view, carelessly running over the ridge of a wing, setting feathers askew and how dare he-

“I’ve heard the wings of an elytrian are quite sensitive,” the voice says, a hand roughly curling into blood-soaked scapulars, “Especially near the base.”

“It would probably just be so terribly painful if someone were to-”

The man cut himself off, roughly yanking out a handful of feathers and Techno jumps at the utterly agonized scream that follows.

 “Stop- stop!” Techno struggles to regain his voice as another handful of feathers gets mercifully ripped from Philza’s back, more haunting cries filling the air, “I said stop!”

“Finally have your attention, hmm?” the voice quips, condescending but blessedly the hand removes itself from Phil’s wings.

“What do you want me to do?” Techno asks, uncaring of how desperate he sounds.

“Are we going to be sensible now?”

“Yes.” Techno snaps, “Now what do you want me to do?”

“Come and get him.” the voice answers, “Leave your pretty little castle in your pretty little capital and come and get him alone. No guards, no army, not even a servant boy. Or I will do something both you and the angel will regret immensely.”

It couldn’t be a more obvious trap. Luring Techno far away from his vulnerable people, leaving them open to siege and conquer.

Techno knows it’s a trap.

But it’s a damn good one.

“...I’ll come.” he agrees, tasting his own betrayal on his tongue, “But I want a sign of goodwill.”

“I’m listening.”

“Let-” Techno pauses, swallowing back his own disgust, “Let his wings and arms down. You can tie him some other way, just- not that.”

The voice hums.

“Alright.” it chirps, much too happily.

A netherite axe comes into view, and Techno realizes what’s going to happen but he can’t get his mouth open in time to halt it-

“Stop-!” he chokes out just as the axe comes down on the chain holding Phil’s left arm, yanking it roughly before it snaps free.

Phil sharply cries out as the tension falls on his battered wing, and the axe raises again.

“Wait-!” Techno says, but the axe is swung down again, leaving Phil dangling from one side.

“I’ll send you coords once you’re out of the capital.” the voice coldy instructs, and before Techno can object, the screen goes blank.

A cold chill settles over Techno, and this time, he doesn’t think it has much to do with the barren fireplace.

***

I don't even know how good this is, but if you're reading this note then obviously you made it to the end so yay! I hope you enjoyed.

[caffernnn]

do you have ships (Across fandoms) that are similar in nature? or have you shipped a dynamic because they have kind of the same flavor as your other otp from another fandom?

I think in the same way that there’s a throughline your could draw between a lot of the characters I favor, there are notable similarities between the ships i get attached to. There’s an aspect of it that comes from attachment to certain tropes or whatever (sun/moon, cat/dog, childhood friends etc etc), but a big part of it is like… compelling themes to explore? If that makes sense??

For example, one of the character types I find myself drawn to is one that is seen as more reserved, perhaps monotone, read as aloof and unfeeling on their face, BUT people who are allowed to get close and actually see them (best friend, rival, the audience in certain moments) get to see the emotions and passions and care residing within them. When I’m given a character like that, that might struggle with untangling and understanding their own thoughts/feelings for xyz reason (trauma, tism, etc etc), I’m compelled to pair them with a counterpart that either 1) can read them like a book, or 2) sticks around and shows interest/care even if they don’t know what’s up with them.

Idk, I think it’d be hard to condense all of them down too concisely, but there are def some patterns in there. “People-pleasing earnest-yet-repressed person who understands/accepts emotions until they’re their own” + “person who would act on their emotions/desires if they could just figure out how to name them.” “Hopelessly hopeful” + “hopeless enough.” Some flavor of devotion that lends itself to potential tragedy, usually in that “don’t go where I can’t follow” or “the world wants you but won’t save you — let me take care of you” way. I’m drawn to stories about love built from someone connecting with you enough to make your world bloom; I’m drawn to exploration of the coinflip grief attached to that type of love that makes people desperate. Homura Akemi, Lan Wangji, Takina Inoue, Rei Suwa — you get the vibe.

Love my Haru and Haru-adjacent pals. Love the Makoto and Makoto-adjacent pals. Not all of my ships are clones of my otp, but looking at what I enjoy from each of the pairings starts to show why I keep coming back to 💚them💙 overall. I enjoy other pairings, other dynamics, but like… they’re my home port.