#so if youre cool with all the stuff that happens in berserk. and i mean ALL the stuff. i mean you should be good with fungy!!!

[gnzma]

[ i could say GO AND PLAY FEAR AND HUNGER NOW but

do i. want you guys to go through that ]

[kit-williams]

I'm finally playing a Black Crusade Game

SO yesterday we finally started a Black Crusade game from our forever DM! Whom hates Black Crusade... but he was feeling 40k.

So the game is Me, my husband, and our other mutual friend who in the game is named Mec. Mec isn't a fan of 40k rpgs we (me, my husband, and our friend) all got introduced to warhammer via Warhammer Fantasy 2e (so we're all biased)

But this is the game i was going to be a space marine but no this isnt the Dog Centaur night lord this is Khornite Blood Angel! Angelos! errr Angela.

See Mec wanted a few concessions since we're going to be dealing with a lot of space marines that why can't there be female space marines so I was given the option to swap Angelos to Angela which I did (Hubby has filled my DMs with Mommy Angela) (also cuz he is a DM who will genderlock stuff but he will also allow you to do very interesting stuff with gender like allowing my one Fantasy character to be genderfluid but it also made sense due to how Fantasy Norsca works and because of how actual viking society worked) [reeling in the tangent!]

SO I'm a Khornite Berserker [Tome of Blood Starting Class] Fallen Blood Angel named Angela

I made a great first impression in the chaos city we landed in and thus scaring away the "welcoming committee" by watching one man get shot and then going over to the dying man and ripping out his throat and drinking his blood.

I got bullied by an Ancient Night Lord (which I failed the test to id him as being either a Night Lord or Alpha Legion ((Which to be fair is a safe guess))) who basically outed me as a Blood Angel and told everyone to be aware of me (aka I have the Betrayer Talent) did the whole "You keep my father's name out of your dirty mouth" but otherwise was hissy at him I'm around 200 years old I am a baby to that man I wasn't going to fight an established Night Lord.

But after getting bullied everyone in the Eye of Terror(?) got a vision that on this planet was the keys to the next crusade which will happen in the next century. So everything exploded into violence!

So at the moment we are gathering troops right now we've got some gangers and mutants but I am the Warband's only Space Marine which we will have to fix as well as getting us a ship too

We're going to play again tonight because we had a lot of fun and our DM wants to get us off planet.

ALSO

We've been playing Warhammer Fantasy 4e which has this cool Advantage mechanic which for normal Cubical 7 games if you do a successful parry no matter the degrees of success you just avoid it completely... this leads to Black Crusade and Dark Heresy and I think also Rogue Trader combat to fucking DRAG ON. We introduced the advantage system which means that if you attack me with only 1 degree of success but I parry with 1 or more degrees higher THEN I avoid the attack. But if your attack has more degrees of success than my parry then in fantasy I'm allowed to reduce the damage. But we're just using advantage to speed up the combat and it worked.

Anyway I'll give you an update on the Harbingers of the Apocalypse on our quest to be amazing.

As long as there are no Iron Warriors thrown my way I should be fine

[alovelyburn]

There are Thoughts that I don't have the language to vocalize about how Guts and Griffith have very clear animal imagery. But I feel like said imagery is also often used to highlight moments when they're losing their humanity. It's not just 'Guts is loyal, and that's why he's associated with dogs!' It's 'whenever Guts is losing himself to battle and dark emotions, the helmet of his Berserker armor is hiding his face'.

And like. That's not the only thing. There's also stuff like, the entire time Griffith is at his lowest, between his imprisonment and the Eclipse, his face is never shown. Then he becomes Femto and his mask kind of, becomes part of his face. And then I saw a post about how when Guts thinks about Griffith, there are times when he remembers Griffith's face, and other situations where he only visualizes the mask with nothing beneath it. Only when Griffith is 'reborn as a human' again do we start seeing his face again, and it's largely been with no mask to cover it.

I remember you've done a lot of analysis about Berserk analyzing the positives and negatives of 'humanity'. Humanity is not portrayed as an inherently good thing, it's tied up with a lot of negativity and messiness. But shedding your humanity is kind of. Cowardly? Or not cowardly but. It's not better? It's something the Godhand do because their negative emotions are so overpowering that they freeze their emotions rather than deal with it. And even reborn as a human, Griffith claims his heart is still frozen (even if it's implied he's not being entirely truthful or accurate.)

But? Just? Humanity themes. And animal symbolism. And animal symbolism being also strongly associated with Griffith and Guts' flaws. Griffith is a falcon because of his soaring ambition, but his ambition created troublesome situations. Guts is a dog but this is first introduced with parallels between him and the dog that followed Gambino around, and later the Beast of Darkness takes the form of a dog.

And! I feel like there is a thing! There is more stuff to analyze here! But I cannot summarize it in a pithy thesis. And also have not read/studied Berserk enough times to. Crystallize. It. I think it's maybe cool though.

Okay there's a lot to unpack here, so bear with me. Also... I'm never going to use Falcon, I'm sorry, I just can't, lmao.

First! Berserk absolutely goes all in on animal themes, particularly for Guts and Griffith but some of the side characters get these references as well, e.g. Charlotte is a duck, Isidro is a monkey, and Casca I think was recently referred to as a red raven. In most cases it seems to primarily just be a comment on the character's personality (remains to be seen with Casca). But in Guts and Griffith's case I think it's often used to demarcate the place where their full self is vs. their... primal pieces? For lack of a better term.

What I mean is, Griffith himself is a complex human being full of virtues and flaws and loves and hates and self-doubts and confidence and fear, etc. His ambition, his ruthlessness, his general loftiness are parts of him, but only parts. The Hawk, even when he's still human, is more of an embodiment of his high vision, his ambitions and his ruthlessness - he sees everything from above, he aims for the sky, and he is a bird of prey.

When he becomes Femto part of what's happening is that the parts of him that soft and messy and human become buried (or removed, or frozen) and what's left is The Hawk - in both its most malevolent and most aspirational forms. When he's at his absolute worst, his face is obscured by shadow and all you see is the Hawk as represented by his helmet (or "helmet" in Femto's case).

The thing about his low point (post torture-pre eclipse) that's interesting to me is that, yes his face is largely obscured, but the parts you do see are the most expressive parts - his eyes, his mouth - and what's obscuring his face is no longer the helmet that represents the Hawk, but a mockery of that helmet. If you want to really read into it, you could say that his being literally locked into a cruel imitation of his iconic helmet represents where his head is at and, unfortunately, his ultimate fate. Because while he is trying (with some success tbh) to adjust to his new situation, he's still unable to fully release the image of what he was (as shown by his wanting to be dressed in his old armor, and his repeated attempts to step back into that role by grabbing a sword, or by comforting/coming on to Casca depending on how you read that scene).

And ultimately he never does let it go - instead, he just gets rid of all the things that aren't that image,

The Dog imagery with Guts is very similar although obviously it's been more explicit during his human periods and hasn't gone as far/eaten him. Guts is like a feral animal in some ways but also like a domesticated dog in other ways - he has unconditional love and loyalty to those who give him the affection and attention he craves. I'll also point out that mistreated dogs are also infamously loyal to the abusers, I'm looking at you Gambino. Even with Griffith he's unable to let go of the love and loyalty, it just changes form.

So, like Griffith, Guts himself is a complicated person, but there's also the Dog in him - currently manifested as the Beast of Darkness. More than any other part of Guts, it's the Beast that urges him to forget all the other things that he cares about and throw himself wholly into the obsessive pursuit of Griffith - a demonstration of the same love and loyalty he always had in its most extreme/twisted form. And like Griffith, the implied threat is that if his spirit breaks, the beast inside him will eat him alive, devour everything that isn't Itself, and leave him inhuman. Honestly the Beast's thing about Griffith isn't much different than say, post-Eclipse Griffith's focus on his vision and ambition - they're both pumped up to extremes, the biggest difference is that Guts is still fighting it and Griffith is long gone (unless something changes).

And, of course, as you pointed out, when Guts is at his most feral, his face just disappears into his animal-motif helmet which, you know. Griffith echoes.

Which brings me to the thing about whether giving up one's humanity is portrayed as a bad thing. I think...

Okay, I'm sure 90% of people will disagree with me, but my main impression is that giving up one's humanity is portrayed as neither a good or bad, right or wrong decision but rather a very human decision.

Because it happens when a person has reached the point of no return - the abyss of true despair from which there is no return. It's the part in a survival story where people kill and eat the weak to survive. Not to be gross about it, but when you put a person into a situation where their only choice is to do something that would, in most circumstances, be absolutely reprehensible... they will usually choose to do the thing. And while a lot of people deny it, studies suggest that most of them are wrong, because most of them would.

Even so, when the survivors of a shipwreck come back into human civilization but they're the survivors because they ate their cabinboy, what does society think of those people?

It's not that dissimilar from the way people react to Sacrifices honestly - there is a recognition that the choice was understandable, but also a repulsion that the choice was made.

I chose those circumstances specifically because it really happened - in 1884, Edwin Stephens and Tom Dudley, who had survived a shipwreck, killed and ate their cabinboy to survive... and they did survive. But while the courts recognized the necessity, the attitude was basically, regardless of that you should've just died because some things are unforgivable regardless of the circumstances.

Anyway that's a bit of a ramble to get around to this: the sacrifice of one's own humanity in that moment is a result of that humanity, and the way they're viewed thereafter is analogous to the way actual people who do extreme things in extreme circumstances tend to be viewed. The fact that they often don't actually lose all of their humanity sort of bears this out: going all the way back to the Slug Count, Puck calls him out on being, rather than free of his humanity, just incredibly human - which he proves by being unable to kill Theresia. I'll never forget the Egg of the Perfect world and how he sorted through all the disposed corpses and laid them out one at a time or the way Rosine tried to save her best friend from her painful life. Even the way Ganishka is still driven by his bone-deep terror even when he's one of the most powerful beings in the world. They are, as Daiba says, hated and hating, but in the end they still act to protect humanity and the world they inhabit.

Godhand are a little different - just based on what we know about Griffith and Void's motivations it seems as though their stories are far more extreme in every way - their suffering is more prolonged and profound, their sacrifices are bigger and more destructive, their impact is incalculable. But like apostles, they try to escape their humanity, but they still carry its scars.

Hopefully that was coherent.

It's funny because, to me at least, Griffith's choice comes after such an extreme battery of suffering that I frankly find it more understandable than someone sacrificing their wife because she's an orgy-having heretic.

[honourablejester]

Numenera Character Foci That Make Me Giddy

I’m really liking the Numenera character construction. You have your character type, which is basically your class, but then you have your character focus, which is a whole extra set of cool abilities on top of that. You can control metal. Cast illusions. Be a werewolf. Skulk in alleyways. Go berserk. Forever wear a halo of fire. You can be a sneaky rogue who turns into a ravening beast five nights a month (a stealthy jack who howls at the moon). You can be a scholarly mage who also happens to be a professional assassin (a learned nano who murders). You can be a daring ruin-spelunker with ESP (a risk-taking delve who sees beyond). Are some of those advisable? Possibly not. But you can be them. Heh.

So. Some of the foci that make me excited, just from my first skim through:

Controls Gravity. Because if there is any power that’s guaranteed to make you feel like a minor god, it’s the ability to control what’s up and what’s down. You can (eventually) fly. You can smash people into the ground. You can make people/things so heavy they can’t move. And then there’s this:

I’m putting it here because the second I read this, I found myself making the gesture. One hand palm up in front of my chest, the other palm down, moving sharply apart, like an orchestra conductor telling one section to get loud and another to quiet down. And if a game ability immediately has you physically acting it out, then it’s a cool ability.

Explores Dark Places. You’re so used to digging around in the dark that you’ve adapted to it. This is a mix of relatively mundane and relatively less mundane abilities, varying from making you better at sneaking and physical exploration and finding stuff, to giving you darkvision, to letting you partially become a shadow. And I just like that mix of practicality and edginess, and I also like the idea of someone who was just so good and went out of their way to become so good at spelunking and exploring dark, inaccessible places that they sort of absorbed the darkness and got comfortable there. I wanna make a stinky mole-man jack or delve who hasn’t seen daylight in three years because they were too busy rooting around in ancient sewers.

Fuses Flesh and Steel. You’re just straight up a cyborg. One who can tinker with themselves to try and improve their form/abilities. Your initial artificial components might have been done to you, or you might have done them to yourself. And. Sometimes you just want to play the nano/wright scientist who tried to make themselves that bit more durable the old-fashioned, mad-science way?

Howls at the Moon. You are a werewolf. And by that I don’t mean any old shapeshifter, I mean you involuntarily change five nights a month, you can only transform at night (for an hour), and you have to level your character to gain the control to shift voluntarily (and you never lose those five involuntary nights). And while you’re in your beast form, involuntarily or otherwise, you can’t use Intellect, you involuntarily attack anything close to you, and if you didn’t kill and eat anything as a beast, recovering after the transformation is harder. You are full on roleplaying the werewolf curse. But hey, you do a shit tonne of damage and you can tank a lot as that beast. And! You get the option to pick one of the other PCs to be your special person, who soothes your beast and is safe from them, and can let you transform back easier. Is this necessarily the best focus to pick in a team game? Possibly not, depending on how willing the rest of the party is to work around the ravening indestructible monster that guaranteed WILL erupt in their midst at least five nights a month, but if you’ve always wanted to roleplay the struggle against your inner beast, Numenera does go all in.

Emerged from the Obelisk. You got eaten by a hovering crystal obelisk and spat back out a year later with no memory of what happened in there and, oh yeah, turned into crystal yourself. Because these are the sorts of things that happen in the Ninth World. I just. I love that this is a thing. You don’t even have to have been spat back out as a humanoid crystal, there’s a note that if you want to be differently shaped, like, say, a levitating crystal shard, you just have to work it out with your GM how you, you know, touch and see and manipulate things, etc. One of the suggestions is ‘crystalline tendrils’. So, yeah. You can get hoovered up by a giant floating crystal and spat back out as a crystalline tentacle monster, if you so choose. This is excellent. You do get boosts to physical stats for being crystalline, and later on you get levitation, laser beams and teleportation through known crystals/obelisks, which are definitely all cool, but if I’m fully honest I’m taking this to be an amber crystalline fish creature with tendrils, whose driving quest is to figure out how the fuck this happened. Obelisk! Get back here! I have so many questions.

Never Says Die. What it says on the tin. You are doggedly determined not to die. That’s it. That’s the whole deal. You’re just not going down. Health boosts, recovery boosts, later abilities to stay up a round after you should be dead. For when you just want to be stubborn about this. I’m gonna be immortal by sheer dint of just not dying. I just. I always enjoy abilities that are just raw bloodymindedness.

In general, the Foci are just cool. Pick the fantasy you want to live out, and go for it. Heh.

[crystalelemental]

Now for the other half: story stuff. Now that I've gotten all the venom of today's failure to find Tyrants out of my system, I can talk about the good stuff.

Nexomon Extinction has a legitimately good story. This was really strong. I left off last time after the Drake Isles, but we're now through the full story. I kinda backed out of talking spoilers the first time, but this time it's completely unavoidable.

Omnicron's Tomb is probably the best segment in the game. That whole segment is so funny, it's incredible. The introduction of your character actually using your elemental powers is also a nice bit, especially with the surprised "No one told me you could do that." It's gold. But there's also a lot of setup as far as what's going on there, too.

The real fun is right after. The entire plot has been about how the Nexomon are at war to find a new king, and that several Tyrants are vying for power. A while back, humans created dragons to fight Tyrants and protect humanity, and created an artificial Tyrant to serve as the king of monsters that the dragons would obey. That was Euros. Fifteen years ago, everything went berserk, and the catalyst to this was, it turns out, your birth. Your player character is the last descendant of Omnicron, and child of Nara. Turns out, Deena's been putting a whole plan in motion to set you up as the new Sovereign of Monsters, getting her siblings to help develop your powers so you're ready to ascend the throne as the Tyrant of Light. The whole setup of machinations is really good, but what we particularly love is that this means all of the other children of Omnicron are your aunts and uncles. And there is just something about the concept of wine aunt Nadine that tickles me. We were joking about the babysitting priority order, and we're pretty confident Luxa's at the bottom.

One complaint I did develop, and still hold, for this game, is that the Tyrant War is kinda just background noise. Like...we don't know anything about the Tyrants in play. We know their masters, but Mulcimer doesn't speak until you revive him, and says very little. Even the one that does give the most hints of personality, Tikala, has to have Deena fill in that no, he did care about becoming king, he just hid to try and wait out the war part. Comparatively, they lack for depth, and having reached the postgame where I can acquire all these legendary creatures, I find myself wondering...why would I run anyone but the children of Omnicron? Like no, really. I don't particularly like Luxa, but I at least know about him as a character. If they all were non-entities, I could run with what looks cool or functions well. But in what world am I going to swap out Ventra for Euros? There isn't one. It would never happen. Partially because I can't fucking find him, postgame Tyrant hunting sucks ass, but mostly because Ventra is super cool and has a lot of relevance and Euros is just kinda there.

Vados is the exception. Vados does start speaking, and is a fairly noble and pragmatic creature. When aiming to destroy the desert Tyrant, the Laterians refuse to not fight, and when Amelie talks about how they chose their course, Vados is the one to admonish "I won't hurt humans, Amelie." Vados and Amelie are both pretty interesting, believing that their course is correct. I do think the ultimate aim is a bit...well, extreme. As pointed out by your mentor, Vados cannot be the king of monsters, because it's not a Nexomon, therefore more Tyrants will be born and more will attempt to ascend. It will fight until the literal end of the world, caused by its own hand. Vados, and by extension, Amelie, seem to work on the same moral framework as Xanders: Nexomon are intrinsically evil, and if they're going to keep rising up, then yes, the solution is genocide. We will take them all out for humanity's sake.

The story is still overall very comedic, but I still feel like at times I wish they'd cut the fourth-wall-breaking jokes. This may be more personal preference than anything they're strictly doing wrong, but I do think I don't love it. It does have some absolutely immaculate jokes, though. I think on the whole this game is funnier than the first. While small, one of my favorite bits is Nadine, having use the last of her powers to throw Xanders off a cliff, saying she used all her powers and won't get to see your rise to glory...only to stop, then call to Atlas saying she can't hurt him and to come close, implying reconciliation. Then smacks his ass to the ground and starts to call him a little shit, fading before she can curse at him. That's great. I love Nadine. Though the absolute funniest is still the Yellow Ranger guy trying to jump you from on high, landing wrong and just screaming "MY BONES!" then vanishing. Absolutely hilarious.

As a whole experience, I liked this game a lot more than the first. Which is saying something considering the general vibe I have on being salty about postgame legend hunting. The story is just a lot stronger, reminiscent more of the underworld segment but sustained throughout. The new cast is generally excellent, though I do wish the Tyrants got a little more development. It's just a really good game. With a really unfortunate approach to the postgame legends. No, I will not shut up about this, I'm so mad.

[musicarenagh]

Riding the Waves of Chaos: An Interview with Whitney King Prepare yourselves, Whitney King is here with another banger titled “Losing Control”!This is Glasgow’s newest band, they are very young and yet they carry on the tradition of dad-rock with anthemic, singalong guitar riffs, and a stomper of a pogo beat. Start to finish, tracked straight from their Barras flat, the sound of “Losing Control” is huge enough to rouse even the dead man’s neighbors. It is all about going berserk and this is something the young gunslingers are all about as the movie so vividly portrays. The artists may be barely out of university, but Whitney King pens songs as mature as they come. Their third single is “Losing Control,” yet one can hardly tell given that track’s shiny, fuzzed-out stomp. While they’re probably just as keen on a brew and an early bedtime as any other native of Glasgow, they’re quickly beginning to establish themselves as one’s to look out for in Scotland’s indie circuit. I had a chat with the band about inspiration, mayhem when recording, and where songs like this come from. .. Listen to Losing Control https://open.spotify.com/track/0iyBcxhINIgySQcuLQEgkO Follow Whitney King on Facebook Spotify Instagram Tiktok What is your stage name? -Whitney King Is there a story behind your stage name? -We wanted to give off a bluesy feel and felt it was important to have something that would look cool written down. Think Albert or BB King. There’s also the added fun when people ask which of us are Whitney. Where do you find inspiration? -We all have different musical backgrounds, our inspiration comes from all avenues of rock, metal, blues, country and punk music. We’re constantly trying to do something new and are always on the lookout for new musical ideas. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? -All of us were interested in music at young ages, our drummer Shannon learned to play at home and would practice in a shed in the garden. Both our guitarists picked up guitar in school and joined bands. We still play music we listened to in the car with our parents as kids. That stuff is part of our band DNA. Are you from a musical or artistic family? -Nothing majorly impressive. Though music was always close to us and we were brought up learning the importance of treasuring it. Some of our Dads’ll jam on the guitar and can hold a tune but we’re not related to rockstars or anything.. though I’ve heard Steven’s Gran can play a mean sax solo. How did you learn to sing/write/to play? -Mostly solo practice at home, some of us started to play because of our parents but that can only get you so far. I think coming up in the age of the internet and youtube gave us a boost. Half the band also attended music school together in Glasgow, this is how we met in the very first place. We had great chemistry and even better teachers. What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? -That would be different for each band member, as for me I can’t remember the first concert I saw, but I remember very well going to see Metallica for the first time, it was a big deal, had to travel 500km and while there were on the stage I couldn't actually believe that they were there and that concert was happening. [caption id="attachment_55892" align="alignnone" width="1440"] That would be different for each band member, as for me I can’t remember the first concert I saw, but I remember very well going to see Metallica for the first time, it was a big deal,[/caption] How would you describe your music? -We’re a modern rock band with a heavily blues-influenced guitar-driven sound. Our songs range from heavy metal to the realm of pop, punk and even folk at times. Sometimes I refer to our sound as: ‘loud gig music that people can jump to’ I think this works for us, we like to get a crowd on their feet and keep them on their toes. Describe your creative process. -It’s like making soup. Music soup. What is your main inspiration? What musician do you admire most and why?

-Again, I take everyone in the band would give a different answer, but as for our style, I think we can all agree that took inspiration from artists like AC/DC, Chris Cornell or My Chemical Romance. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? -Definitely, I’m sure we now find ourselves more unified in style, when we started we were more bluesy, and then we had acoustic period over COVID. These days we get pretty rocky and hell yeah, we love it. Who do you see as your main competitor? -We don’t think in these terms, music is about fun and staying together for hence, hence even if we wanted to name anyone, no one would come to our minds. What are your interests outside of music? -Having pints in the pub. But on a serious note, Josh loves making cocktails, he’s really good at it, Zak enjoys recording and probably knows everything about fantasy and horror writers, Shannon knows all the secrets on how to make the best wine on this planet and Steven, believe it or not, loves to go randomly for fishing in Japan. As for me, I’m the nature and hiking guy. If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? -Anything that is fun and pays the bills. I don’t believe that any of us could do a serious job for the entire life. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? -Promoting our music is the most challenging part. It requires lots of work and consistency, and if you have other things on your mind and you work full time, it can be tricky to find time to do it consistently. And even though you put a lot of effort to it, a strong outcome isn’t always guaranteed. https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Daq0BnTtdmaztqdrpb90R?si=ebkMaYaNQOWg-5W4OxT0eA Why did you choose this as the title of this project? -That’s the main line in the chorus, it’s easier to remember the song if you use a repeated phrase from the lyrics as a song title. What are your plans for the coming months? -Hopefully a bigger tour, that’s our dream. We’ve been doing pretty well locally and we are ready for the next step. We’ll also be releasing more music this year, but that’s all we can say about this for now. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans? -None so far, but we are open to that. It would be awesome to go on a tour with other bands. What message would you like to give to your fans? -You learned the chorus of “One More Night” and “Under City Lights” so fast that you amazed us, we still can’t forget the first time people sang “One More Night” during our gig in Perth. Let’s do the same with “Losing Control” and “Dead End Road” so we will never have to stop singing together.

[unearthlytwilight]

sorry for the delay, art happened

Four-Fanged Offense: Linus edition!

no Pent. he's busy with travel time espionage stuff

Eliwood learning about borders as social constructions like

(from Lloyd's version, but I like it and it's my playthrough. so)

Legault screentime? yes give it to me

a wild Nino appears! she's running messages for Sonia, but wants to do something fun with the brothers once they're off work. she leaves, and Lloyd says she's a nice girl. Linus agrees and says it's hard to believe that Sonia's her mother. haha about that

they notice Eliwood and co., and Lloyd goes off to get reinforcements, telling Linus to not do anything stupid. Linus waits until he leaves and tells henchguy Igor that they're attacking. he says to try to keep the fighting out of the villages

note: bring Dart to recruit Geitz

oh, Heath. my homesick little murder machine. I love you. we are getting that B with Kent immediately

Geitz's recruitment is Dart recognizing him and asking him what he's doing. Geitz has daddy issues and says he's wandering before asking Dart if he can join. Dart says OK. prepromote Berserker acquired!

nice little worldbuildy details about the Black Fang

cutscene time! Nino complains that she wants to be fighting evildoers. Jaffar rolls up to the house late. Nino says this is weird, and he says that something delayed him. Nino is shocked that he's super bleeding everywhere, but he asks for the next mission and then collapses. oops

(you can actually visit the house. Nino asks whoever visits to keep their voice down. it's implied they ask about the Black Fang, because she denies knowing about them and yells at them to get out)

this guy wears Black Fang clothes, but is "a loyal citizen of Pherae". also he gives you a Silence staff. cool, thanks man

Murdock cameo!

first instance of the Black Fang boss theme, Softly with Grace. more on that naming later

...you've met Sonia, dude. if she had any more red flags she'd be marching in a Soviet parade. heck, she probably does in her free time

normal battle dialogue. interesting stuff

... and he dies! shouldn't have existed around Heath and equipped a sword, my dude. this is all your fault

supports obtained:

Lucius + Raven B + A

Eliwood + Ninian A

Erk + Priscilla C

Linus takes Eliwood hostage to do one last murder, which is bad because that's a game over.

honestly a pretty cool moment. I really like it!

a lot of conventionally "badass" guys snap off a pithy one-liner or are otherwise defiant when facing certain death, but Eliwood makes a pretty good case for quiet confidence

anyway! he says that he noticed that the mooks tried to keep the battle out of the village and asks why they're fighting, since they're both good people

note: when Linus lets him go, Eliwood says "What?!" implying he wasn't expecting to be released. man was totally ready to die for his friends and didn't even blink. moments like that are why I like him so much. he's not as loud as Hector, but I'd argue that he's just as brave

Linus backs off, sensing that Weird Stuff is happening, and resolves to go ask Brendan about it

(also in this chapter: Nino and Jaffar! he asks her why she didn't follow "the law of the Fang" [read: kill the wounded and skedaddle]. notice the quotes. anyway he starts bleeding again and she asks him not to die.)

unfortunately for Linus, Limstella teleports in and kills him. rip dude, I like your chapter better than Lloyd's

wow that got dark immediately. suicide is not the answer (also murder is not the answer)

meanwhile, in Bern, the happy royal couple. Hellene takes a couple shots at Desmond for putting her and Zephiel outside the palace and shacking up with some lady. though she's mean to Guinevere :(

title drop! this game's Fire Emblem is a big ol' gem Bern has that's necessary for the coming-of-age ceremony. so that's a problem. Hellene says it's his fault and asks why he sucks so much

Desmond peaked in high school, prove me wrong

the detail of her moving to the right is a nice touch!

Louise girlbossing for the greater good

a royally sponsored fetch quest. interesting

next time: yet another support episode!

[justarandomdegenerate]

The Executioner and Her Way of Life LN thoughts!

So I ordered this book series (6 books released and translated at time of posting) basically on a whim because it looked like a somewhat serious fantasy story with yuri. But it turned out to not be too bad an idea to act on that whim! I'm going to try not get too spoilery when I do my summary, but that is a little unavoidable, so I apologise in advance! That said, I am going to go into stuff of a spoilery nature at the end. And hopefully I remember everything well, as I only finished this series 2 weeks ago. To to sum up, The Executioner and Her Way of Life is about our protagonist, Menou! The world is your typical Isekai fantasy world with it's own (Kind of weird honestly) power system. Except unlike most isekai, our protagonist is a native resident of this world. She's an Executioner! (Duh..), who's main job is to hunt taboo entities, which largely consists of otherworlers! Yup! this world has a whole profession dedicated to taking out this OP isekai protagonists before they get to cause any trouble in this world. Which has happened on numerous occasions, being disasters leaving large portions of the world uninhabitable. When an otherworlder reaches this point they are called a "Human Error". Which honestly i think is a pretty cool term. Obviously, things are not quite as simple as "all otherworlders are bad guys, and our protagonist is a hero." She herself is constantly calling herself a villain. Not to mention that executioners are trained and employed by this world's leading religious church group, The Faust. That NEVER means good things in a fantasy setting.

So our main characters areeee; Menou, obviously. The self proclaimed pure, proper villainous priestess. her only real stand out quality is that she is a massive unwitting yuri magnet, that basically every female character in this series thinks is beautiful and some more subtly than others are always trying to come onto her. Beyond that she's a little bland. However without going into spoilers, that's not without reason. Momo. Menou's psycho girlfriend. Uh. I mean, Menou's extremely capable and eager assistant. A young girl who is basically a berserker with 0 skill but game breaking strength. Her only interest in the entire world is Menou. Which can be entertaining but sometimes gets repetitive. Ashuna, the knight princess. Who... for a paper thin fanservice reason of a deep love for the human body in peak form, basically always dresses in clothes that really don't cover much more than undies. She's kind of cool but at least by book 6, is as fairly one dimensional as Momo, in that she mostly just likes Momo. Akari. The otherworlder with powers revolving around time. Has literally no interest in the world besides Menou, who is trying to kill her, but is unable to because any time she doesn, her time powers activate automatically and revert her to a state where she was not dead. Her main role in this story is for Menou to get attached to her, becoming unwilling to kill her, and questioning her place in the world, or you could even say... Questioning her way of life? Ha! No that was bad. There areeee more characters but most aren't in it too long. The one exception is Pandæmonium. An all powerful full chaotic evil immortal little girl. She's super freaky, but fun to read. She's the one thing that makes me disappointed that i can't watch the anime anywhere. So things i like aree..... An interesting take on the isekai genre. A sort of villain protagonist. A cool antagonist in Pandaemonium. The occasional art pages by Nilitsu were pretty cool. Half an interesting power system. Why is spoilery though. Sort of yuri vibes. But that leads me tooooo Things i didn't like. Vague yuri vibes that don't really ever go anywhere. There's just lots of girls being all hot for Menou. It's pretty out of nowhere and unsatisfying because there's not even any romance to it, and it's entirely one-sided in every case. So it's kind of yuri bait. Again, the power system. Any time someone uses a spell, there's a load of weird fantasy jargon to read that means very little, and is kind of just space filler on the page, and i started to just skip over it because it was mind-numbing to read. And the whole power system with the earthen and astral vein feels very hand-wavey to me.

So a lot of what i did actually enjoy about this is kind of spoilery, so it might seem like i have more negative to say than positive, but i swear, i did enjoy it enough to buy volume 7 when it comes out!!! It wasn't like, mind blowing or genre changing, nor did it have particularly unique characters, but it is a good time. I'd give it a solid 7/10.

Now! I'm going to try something different here so i can talk a little about what actually happens, so FROM HERE ON IN, THERE WILL ABSOLUTELY BE MAJOR SPOILERS! Just this way i can go into more details about what i do and don't like. So i found the idea of pure concepts being basically added to the world's accessible skill list whenever an otherworlder gets to Human Error status. That's the part of this series' power system. That's very interesting. However with how many different abilities are used, it kind of makes it super iffy how many otherworlders were summoned and then made to lose themselves just so the world's skill list could be increased (yes, i am simplifying this process.) But it's even worse when you consider how many otherworlders are just immediately killed off after their pure concept is deemed worthless, despite them being summoned against their will. But I mean, that's kind of the point. The Faust be super shady. Anyway, definitely an interesting concept. Another thing i really liked was Pandæmoniumin general. Her whole concept of original sin is actually written as genuinely horrifying, like her ability to sacrifice herself to summon herself. So anytime she dies, she just bursts out of the old corpse. It extreme detail. Super gross, but super interesting. I love a villain who is bad for no big grand reason. She's basically driven by the need for entertainment. I like the idea of this. Very cool.

Now some stuff i didn't like. So i said before Menou's character is kinda bland. And they keep going on about how her whole existence was bleached white and all that. Which really makes the whole reveal that she was created by Ivory become more like a "Yeah duh" kind of reveal. Like as early as volume 2 of the LN, i had suspicions that she was at very least, ivory with amnesia. Which isn't that far off the mark.

Okay! That's it for spoilery stuff. Like i was saying, not particularly genre changing, but for sure a fun read. Especially any parts with Pandæmonium. I'm not into gory stuff, but i do love me some unhinged baddies.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #287: Brynhildr (Berserker)

Ah yeah, now this is the good stuff. I won’t lie, I love berserkers, and it’s been so long since the last one! A whole… four builds! Ridiculous.

Anyway, today we’re building up Brynhildr (Berserker), and I promise this one has all its levels the first time.

To make a battle couple throwing a sword larger than either of them around, we’re going Rune Knight. I promise that’ll make sense in a sec. We’ll also grab some Totem Barbarian levels for that funky swan outfit you’ve got going on. Also so you can survive wearing that funky swan dress into battle. No matter how cool a build is, if it doesn’t survive contact with your DM’s monsters it’s not gonna be fun.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: Yu mei think we’re reusing a joke here, and yu’d be right!

Race and Background

Nothing new here, you’re still made by the gods and we need flight somehow, so that’s a Protector Aasimar. You get +2 Strength and +1 Constitution, plus Darkvision, Celestial Resistance against necrotic and radiant damage, some Healing Hands to help Sigurd get back on his feet after… well, you happen, and the Light cantrip to turn your chainsaw into a lightsaw. She has a chainsaw.

She’s also still an Acolyte, so you’re proficient in Insight and Religion. You work with those people, of course you know which gods are which.

Ability Scores

No surprises for this berserker. Your Strength is high. Again, chainsaw. After that is Dexterity, then Constitution. You make massacres look good. Charisma is middling, you’ve already landed your catch. This means your Intelligence and Wisdom are going to be low. Shockingly, her berserker form is somehow more stable than the original.

Class Levels

1. Fighter 1: I’d love to start as a barbarian, but fighter has more of what we want, like proficiency in Strength and Constitution saves, as well as Athletics and Intimidation. We also get a Fighting Style like Great Weapon Fighting, so you can re-roll ones and twos on damage caused by two-handed weapons. That chainsaw I keep gushing about is your weaker weapon. There will be blood.

You also get a Second Wind so you can spend your bonus action to heal yourself. Nothing’s more relaxing for you than spending some quality time with your beloved! Plus your healing is turn by turn, so we needed at least two ways to do it for consistency.

2. Fighter 2: Second level fighters get an Action Surge once a short rest, letting you take two actions in one turn. Rev up your chainsaw and slash while you slash, fun for the whole family.

3. Fighter 3: At third level your study of Norse runes makes you a Rune Knight and also a Rune Carver. When you finish a long rest, you can add one of each rune you know to a suit of armor, a weapon, jewelry, or a handheld item. Then, when you wield the runed item you get the benefit of the rune, and once per short rest you can invoke the rune for an extra bonus. Any saves from runes use your constitution bonus.

(Rules as written this only works for you, but… that’s dumb. You’re making stuff, why wouldn’t people be able to use it? okay, editorial over.)

To start off, you can craft the Fire and Frost runes. The former doubles proficiency with tool checks, and when you invoke it, you deal extra fire damage to a creature, and force them to make a strength save or be restrained for up to a minute. The latter gives advantage on animal handling and intimidation checks, plus you can invoke the rune for a +2 on all checks and saves involving your strength or constitution for ten minutes. You’re surprisingly powerful given your physique, though that’s true for most servants. DW really needs to add more variety, tbh.

That’s not all though! Your Giant Might lets you grow big for a minute, up to proficiency times a day. While transformed you become large if there’s space for it. You also get advantage on strength checks and saves, and you deal a little extra damage once per turn. When Brynhildr breaks out the NP, she and Sigurd team up to really bring the pain with a bigger weapon. More people means more space taken up, plus that sword’s big enough I wouldn’t want to get within 10’ of it either.

One last bonus- thanks to your Aasimar upbringing your Radiant Soul lets you fly for a minute each day. While flying you can add radiant damage equal to your level or proficiency bonus depending on your source. You’ll end up flying faster but dealing less damage if you pick the Monsters of the Multiverse, and you’ll fly slower but hit harder if you trust Volo’s Guide to Monsters. Whatever your DM lets you get away with.

4. Fighter 4: To make your chainsaw run even hotter, use your first Ability Score Improvement to pick up the Slasher feat, rounding out your Strength and reducing a target’s speed once per turn when you hit them. Getting sawed in half really slows people down. When you score a critical hit, they get disadvantage on all attacks for the round. Again, getting sawed in half? Distracting. But don’t worry, they’ll be all right.

5. Fighter 5: Fifth level fighters get an Extra Attack each action, so you can attack twice per turn, or four times with an action surge! We’re still a bit off from a proper chainsaw, but we’re getting there. (and with giant might up that’s practically an extra half sword per sword, so the damage is even bigger than you’d think.)

6. Barbarian 1: Hooking up with your hubby is nice, but we still need to get dressed in the most literal sense. That’s why we’re hopping over to barbarian for some Unarmored Defense, letting you add your constitution modifier to your unarmored AC.

For even more survivability, you can also Rage as a bonus action, giving you advantage on strength checks and saves, bonus damage with strength-based melee weapons, and resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. This lasts for up to a minute as long as you keep attacking or taking damage each turn, and you have a limited number of rages per day.

Valkyries are warriors made by the gods; they’re not going down that easily.

7. Barbarian 2: At second level your Danger Sense will keep you out of trouble, giving you advantage on dexterity saves you see coming. You can also get into trouble with Reckless Attacks, giving you advantage on all your attacks this round at the cost of everyone else having advantage to hit you. The perils of having a weakness to all classes, I guess.

8. Barbarian 3: As a Totem Warrior, your swan dress gives you a couple extra boosts. You can cast Beast Sense and Speak with Animals as rituals, but the big draw is your Totem Spirit. I’d have loved to pick the eagle totem to stay with the bird theme, but sadly the Tiger Spirit is simply more in-character. It lets you add 10’ to your long jumps, and 3’ to your high ones while raging. You might only have one chance at flight per day, but now you’ll at least be a little more airborne.

You also gain some Primal Knowledge, so you’re proficient in Nature now. Camping’s great for expanding your horizons, huh?

9. Fighter 6: Barbarian’s a great class, but sadly they don’t get much of a bonus to their damage after level 5. That’s why we’re heading back to fighter for another ASI, so we can pick up the Great Weapon Master feat. If you’re using a two-handed weapon and score a critical hit or reduce a creature to 0 HP, you get an extra attack on your bonus action. But if you really want to do some chainsaw-tier damage, you can take a -5 penalty to hit for an extra +10 to your attack’s damage. You can do this with every attack you make, for up to a +20 boost normally, or a +40 with your action surge, maaaybe a +50 if you scored a crit or killed something. Which, like, c’mon, you’re pumping out crazy damage now. It’ll happen more often than not.

10. Fighter 7: At seventh level you can make a Runic Shield, forcing a nearby enemy to re-roll their attack against someone else. You can do this proficiency times per day. Try to avoid using it on Sigurd too much, or else people might think you’re playing favorites. Though to be fair his high AC makes him a pretty good partner for this feature.

You can also carve a Storm Rune each rest now, giving you advantage on arcana checks and you can’t be surprised. It’s pretty easy to see the twists coming when your enemies follow horror movie rules. Also, you can invoke the rune to enter a trance for 1 minute, during which you can use your reaction each turn to force advantage or disadvantage on any attack, check, or save made within 60’ of you. Yeesh, rune magic is some powerful stuff.

11. Fighter 8: Use this ASI to bump up your Constitution for more HP, a higher AC, and stronger runes. All ‘round good stuff!

12. Fighter 9: Ninth level fighters are Indomitable, so you can re-roll a failed save once per day! I’d save ‘em for death saves though, your wisdom saves are never gonna be great.

13. Fighter 10: A tenth level rune knight has a Great Stature, growing a couple inches taller but also increasing your bonus damage with Giant’s Might to 1d8. I, like, big girls! …no that’s it I like big girls. Now you’re up to one foot bigger.

You can also carve a Stone Rune now, so you have advantage on insight checks and darkvision up to 120 fee away. On top of that, you can invoke the rune as a reaction to force a creature ending its turn nearby to make a wisdom save. If they fail, they’re charmed for a minute and incapacitated, repeating the save each turn. Hey, save that kinda stuff for your cabin!

14. Fighter 11: Eleventh level fighters get a second Extra Attack for three per action and up to seven per turn. Now that’s a lotta damage!

15. Fighter 12: For even more damage, use this ASI to max out your Strength for accurate chainsawing. You’ve got like, anime-sized swords. Not like an anime sword, like a sword as big as the whole anime. We’re talking a One Piece-tier sword here.

16. Fighter 13: Thirteenth level fighters are Indomitable! Again! Now you can use it twice a day.

17. Fighter 14: Bump up that constitution again with this ASI for more health, AC, and rune power!

18. Fighter 15: Speaking of doing stuff you can already do but twice, a fifteenth level rune knight is a Master of Runes, so you can invoke each rune you carve twice a short rest! There’s probably a zombie movie in this event somewhere, so make sure you double-tap those nubbins.

You can also carve a Hill Rune now, so you have advantage on saves against being poisoned and resistance to poison damage! You can also invoke the rune to get your rage resistance for a minute without actually raging. They don’t stack though, but it would be fun! Nothing wrong with being extra tough- that’s why you’re the head Valkyrie after all.

19. Fighter 16: Use your last ASI to max out your Constitution for the most health possible! It’s a shame we couldn’t spend more time as a barbarian, but sacrifices must be made for chainsaws.

20. Fighter 17: Our final level of fighter is even more of the same, with an extra Action Surge and Indomitable. Speed up and toughen up!

Pros and Cons

Pros:

You do the big damage, with up to seven attacks with max strength, perma-advantage, and rage boost for a cool 14d6+7d8+35 Slashing damage, and with your Great Weapon Master feat providing a cool +70 as one hell of a cherry on top, for an average of 186 damage in a single turn! You’re also good at surviving on the front lines, with over 200 HP, a decent AC of 17, and just enough healing to be annoying.

Another benefit: runes aren’t magic, which means if you’re raging and don’t trigger an extra attack from GWM you still have plenty of stuff you can do to help out in the middle of a fight. Shackle people up, charm them, force disadvantage, all without breaking your rage!

Thanks to your flight and jumps you’re surprisingly mobile given the giant sword you’re swinging around, giving you juuust enough reach to surprise people and turn them into mincemeat.

Cons:

Your soft stats are terrible. You’re bad at talking to people, noticing stuff, and knowing things. Plus, a lot of nasty spells use soft saves, so you might end up fighting Sigurd when you get charmed! How awful.

While you can fly, you can’t do it too often, so if someone stays out of the range of your big sword you might have a problem.

I know we don’t bring up power-building too much, but… you could’ve had the bear totem. There’s a reason it’s so popular, resistance against all types of damage is good, better than jumping, even.

[hasgudagudadoneanythingwrong]

Hey hey, so, this blog's run by the Prisms Collective, a plural system with a bunch of Fate introjects. What that means is explained over in this post, but TL;DR: A bunch of people, one brain, and that includes a bunch of copy/pasted canon-divergent versions of various F/GO Servants, too. How that works is kind of explained over there, but basically it just happens, whether we like it or not. Cool, anyway.

While just existing is pretty great on its own, it's also fun as hell answering questions and just chatting a bunch, so we've put together a handy-dandy guide for you to help ease things along! Give it a read, even if ya don't chat much. Gives a good idea what you're lookin' at here.

Inbox Logistics:

Not every ask will get a sprite comic for it, even if you're lookin' for one. We get a lot of burnout/fatigue, so we're running on an "if we feel like it" basis to keep things afloat currently. These things take up to an hour to make sometimes, so we might just cut it short or answer over text, instead.

Asks might sit in the inbox for a hot minute sometimes, too. Don't worry, we don't forget about any of 'em, we're just running a juggling act between said burnout/fatigue and people not always being too close to front, either. We'll get around to 'em one way or another eventually, though.

Preferences:

While the occasional hypothetical's chill, we're really not a headcanon blog at all. We tend to look at most headcanons like "so true...??" while headcanon requests just kind of feel like there's an expected answer we gotta live up to, regardless of how we might actually respond. Just kinda puts a lot of pressure to live up to canon, when that kind of stifles the whole uh, being our own people thing, ya know?

Otherwise, don't worry 'bout asking any uncomfy questions or anything, we're all super open about basically everything. Full permission to ask all the questions ya want about what our thoughts are on canon stuff, what interests we got, our opinions on each other, if we like your recommendations, what it's like being in a system, literally whatever.

We're all just here to have a good time, so as long as you're chill about stuff, we're chill too.

About us:

We all fall under the name "Prisms Collective," though Az is usually the one running the blog itself. They're the host, and also taken the role of Master for most the Servants here, too. There's other people here too though as a heads up, you just won't see 'em as common.

There's actually not too many Servants here, compared to canon at least. It's pretty much just limited to the GUDAGUDA cast and a few stragglers, and even then we don't quite got everybody. No Mash or daVinky even, it's that small.

Basically, just consider us to basically be a handful of Servants camping out by the boiler room with no regard to literally any plot. Just us, the inbox, and whatever the hell's outside of here I guess. There's some non-Fate and IRL stuff here too on occasion, but not too often besides Az.

While it might be a bit unusual of an arrangement, that's a price we'll pay to be open and honest about shit, so we'll still take it.

In any case, we don't (actually) bite, so hey, stop by, have some fun. No need to worry about appearances here, we're just happy to hang out with whoever stops by a while.

Thanks for the read, -Berserker Nobu

[cherryonigiri]

S/O that thirsts over anime/game guys

reposted bc wasn’t showing up in the tags + I want to keep nsfw under the cut

@nononononojustno asked: Okay so could you write a headcanon where 2 random boys (can you pick then? I love all of boys from hq) and Ushi-kun where they walk on their gfs fangirling or thirsting over another anime/game character?And she was talking how hot he is? How they would react?👀😂 have a great day/night and dont forget to eat and get rest, love you💕

A/N: hahahahaha i laughed while writing this. FYI these are all based on legit crushes i had on anime/game characters at some point in my life - see if you’ve watched the shows i’ve watched :) ILY I PROMISE I’M DOING MY BEST TO EAT THREE MEALS A DAY AND GET ADEQUATE SLEEP MWAH. also i went overboard and added an extra boy bc why not. These are a little shorter since there were 4 characters but I hope you enjoy!

Content warning: implied nsfw for Atsumu + slight nsfw hcs for Matsukawa (both are under the cut)

PS: If anyone wants a spicy sequel/one shot for matsukawa i’m open to the idea 👀👀 let me know in my inbox!

Ushijima Wakatoshi

Ushijima definitely knows you’re into anime + games

Having visited your dorm room on multiple occasions he’s seen your extensive collection of manga, anime posters and you always seem to be playing on your switch whenever you have free time

Of course, he notices a significant portion of your collection is centered on male characters

And you’ve definitely mentioned a few games to him - Ikemen Sengoku, Code:Realize, Hakuouki (wow i’m really out here exposing myself) etc.

He doesn’t really mind though? Like - at the end of the day these are 2D men, whereas he is a very real boyfriend

At least he thinks he doesn’t mind

Recently, he notices that you seem to be on your phone a lot, and you seem to be texting the same group chat very often

He asks why and you laugh - it’s not actual text messages you’re just trying out a new otome/simulation game called Mystic Messenger. He finds the name silly but he just brushes it off he’s definitely J E A L O U S

Until one day he walks into your room while you’re calling one of your friends to freak out about that specific game

You sound kind of teary from outside the door “Oh MY GOD OH MY GOD I GOT THE GOOD ENDING WITH JUMIN!” and “[friend name] I THINK I CAN DIE HAPPY I’M MARRIED TO JUMIN HAN WHAT MORE DO I NEED IN LIFE” and “HE’S SO FREAKING ATTRACTIVE UGH I AM BLESSED”

He’s like who TF is Jumin and immediately bursts into your room looking pissed off

Poor babie is all like “you’re married?” and “if you had someone else you were interested in you should have told me.” “Who is this Jumin Han???” 🧐

Oh my god you start cackling, but you manage to tell him that NO you are not married and that Jumin Han is a fictional character from the game you’re playing

Ushijima looks confused after you explain - why would you find fictional men attractive when you’re already dating him?

Tendou almost dies laughing the next day when Ushijima tells him about what happened

Oikawa Tooru

Since practice finishes pretty late he usually goes to see you at your house at night, but tonight things wrapped up earlier - he’s excited to spend more time with you

You’ve finished up most of your homework so you’ve just been rewatching Attack on Titan since you’re super excited for the new season

You’re kinda distracted/have headphones on so you don’t hear your boyfriend knock on the front door. Your mom answers it and lets him in and he climbs the stairs

He can hear your fangirling (freaking out) over something as he walks towards your room

You jump in surprise when he opens the door, because you thought he would be a bit later but immediately release your pent up excitement

“Tooru just LOOK at him he’s such a bad ass like oh my gosh he literally has swords and he’s still running around slaying the MPs who have guns. God whenever he gets angry he looks so hot,” etc. etc.

You’re shoving your laptop in his face, showing him gifs and video of attack on titan, specifically the captain of the survey corps that you are obsessed with

Tooru gets it - for him its space, shitty alien films and astronomy. For you it’s video games and anime - or more specifically, handsome characters from said franchises

Even though he understand that it’s something you’re passionate about he still makes a whole show about whining how you’re in love with Levi Ackerman (lmao i still thirst over our favorite captain) instead of him

“y/n i’m taller than him! And more handsome! He has blood on him all the time! And he’s super annoying because he’s obsessed with cleaning.” *cue pouty Tooru*

You probably shouldn’t tell him that you are an avid follower of the levi x reader tag on tumblr

Tooru still somehow finds out you’re also reading reader insert fanfic and goes BERSERK with his pouting and whining - literally everyone and their mothers have heard his sob story about how “his darling y/n is leaving me for a short germaphobic asshole”

The rest of the team finds it hilarious - the end up pranking him by posting pictures of Levi in his school locker or texting them in the volleyball groupchat (Oikawa is Suffering™)

Makki and Mattsun get him a Levi keychain for his birthday and cackle when he chucks it violently into the nearest trash can

Miya Atsumu

Doesn’t really know you’re into anime/gaming at first

I don’t think that’s on purpose - Atsumu just has such a one track mind when it comes to volleyball and he’s always busy with practice

so he just kinda doesn’t really give all the anime merch in your room a second glance even though it’s a dead giveaway

I bet Atsumu secretly watches some superhero anime - probably shounen stuff like My Hero Academia, one punch man etc.

He probably starts to notice you’re into anime/games because you’ll play games on your phone/gaming device all the time

One day he notices you’re giggling + blushing while looking at your screen. He’s curious to he heads over to you when coach says they can have a break

Peeks over your shoulder because he wants to know what you’re playing - but instead he’s greeted by some 2D samurai guy called Harada Sanosuke asking you to marry him

“Huh, I didn’t know you were into this kinda stuff y/n” tries to sound playful but internally he is screaming / ?????? WOT I DIDN’T KNOW MY S/O WAS INTO OTOME GAMES

Atsumus pretty chill about it at first, he probably teases you a lot about playing the game but isn’t really bugged about it

“Maybe you should thirst over your boyfriend instead of a fictional character babe~”

I mean - he knows he’s attractive and why be jealous? You only really play the game when he’s busy and you don’t really let the game play seep into your dates/hangouts

But one time he walks in on you reading some ~spicy~ hakuouki x reader fanfic and he’s like are u serious

Like you were lowkey quiet screaming to yourself and muttering “omg omg omg” when he walked in and you definitely tried to close your laptop so he couldn’t see what was open in your browser

Too bad Atsumu has mad reflexes and manages to prevent you from making your computer go to sleep

Briefly skims whatever it was that you were reading and smirks at you

“Hey, if you really want something like this, why don’t you let your real boyfriend deliver” before kissing you

Matsukawa Issei

Look, Issei just wants a chill movie/tv show night where the two of you can bundle up on the couch and binge whatever anime you feel like

Has everything set up - this man is ready to go: snacks? he has all of your favorites, couch? filled with soft pillows + multiple pillows. Attire? Comfy sweatpants shirtless 🥵

Last time he chose the series for your binge sleepover so he let you choose what the two of you were gonna watch this time

Turns out you decided to watch Psycho-Pass - it seemed like a pretty cool show, he was down with the whole dystopia/psychological concept

Starts out pretty normal, is appreciating the action + mystery elements and is glad that you chose that show

About halfway through the anime you two decide to take a break - he goes to the kitchen to refill your snacks, leaving to stretch you back.

When he comes back with more food, he notices that you’re hunched over your phone, typing something

He sneaks up behind you after he puts the food down, “Whatcha reading there babe?” You squeak and try to hide your phone, but not before he sees the words kougami x reader typed into your tumblr search bar

Lit-rally exCuSE me what - he’s not mad (more amused than anything else) but he also kind wants to tease you (bc Mattsun is a little shit)

“Is that the reason you wanted to watch this show?” he asks playfully. “He’s pretty hot tho, I kinda agree with you there babe.”

Now that he’s released the floodgate, he can’t stop your occasional comments like “omg how does he look so GOOD when he’s punching someone” or “he could shoot me with his dominator and i’d still say thank you”

The thirst comments are kinda getting to him, so he decides to take things in a different direction

“Let me what I can show you with my dominator~” L M A O I’M SORRY THIS EXISTS

Suddenly you’re being pulled onto his lap, and pressed against his bare chest, Issei barely gives you time to adjust before he’s kissing you roughly, tongue plunging into your mouth

His hands wrap around your hips pressing your core closer to his own, and you can feel his hard-on pressing into your stomach

He’ll be sure to suck a dark hickey onto the side of your neck and his hands travel under your shirt, just to remind you who your real boyfriend is

Needless to say, you won’t remember a single thing about the second half of the show after the night is over couch sex? Couch sex 😏

[purplerose244]

My thoughts on Seabound!!! 🌊🌊🌊 (4/4)

Here we are! What a journey, and while perhaps this season wasn't at MoM level it was REALLY good, with great new villains/allies, great little throwbacks and an awesome story! 🤩

How to get this was very good to great? Give me a very good ending Seabound!! 💕💕

Alright, here we go!

GENERAL THOUGHTS

I genuinely got too much into this remaining four episodes and forgot to put any general thoughts 😅 So you'll see me rambling at the end, see you there 😉

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

This title really summarize my feelings so far, like, I'm seriously wondering how it will move on from now, but I do expect the outcome to be CRAZY 🤯

Aaahhhh, yep, the one in Shintaro is a fake 😅 I wonder when did the change happen? How did Kalmaar pulled that off, wow

I'M SORRY WHY ARE WE PUTTING THE TITLE SCREEN WITHOUT THE INTRO?? THAT'S A FIRST EPISODE STUFF AND IT HONESTLY SCARES ME??? It reminds me of Winds of Change too and that episode was WOW 😭😭😭

Heeeeyyy, it's youuuu... huh... *watch scribble on hand* google snake guy, huh... Glucose... yep, good old Glutine and everything 😅

Are we having a "I may have made a mistake being evil" with this guy?

Jay: ah, Prime Empire! I was in that game you know! I fought for my life and the ones of all of Ninjago and I've seen my best friends and the love of my life die before my eyes... good times 🙂

Jay and Nya having fun at DDR has to be one of my favorite thing, they are so in sync and so lovable ❤💙❤💙

DID THEY ACTUALLY PUT THE JAYA SHIP NAME INTO THE SHOW??? OMG GUYS THE FANDOM IS TAKING OVER THE SHOW AT LAST!!! 🤯🤯🤯 The electric Jaya, heeeyy, niiicee 😎😎😎

HOW CUTE CAN YOU BE

MY SHIP 💙❤💙❤ They even gave each other high gives... this is neat, and it means something awful will happen right 🙂

Commissioner: he's saying something about a giant snake... and the end of the world... didn't we already have something like that?

Okay yep, he did the trick while fighting Nya, dang Kalmaar is sneaky! Not too shabby... but I gotta say, the summoning of the Great Devourer was a lot more dramatic 🤣🤣 Props to the serpentine, still my favorite snakes 💪💪

Wojira seems to be a little smaller than the Devourer maybe? His head way bigger than the bounty, while hers is not that massive even in comparison with Kalmaar

I might be wrong but at first glance, I stand by my opinion and by the superiority of the OG giant snake 🤷‍♀️

Yep Glutine guy did have a change of heart, better late than never 🤷‍♀️

You're telling me that Jay doesn't do engineering anymore, okay... HOW IS KAI A BETTER SOLUTION??? 🤣🤣🤣 Lol look at the messy brothers, love Lloyd and Kai so much I miss them interact 💚❤💚❤

Thank you Kelly for the alert 😗

It makes me wonder if they actually do have simulations of evacuations often, it would be pretty smart considering the city 🤷‍♀️

OKINO IS THERE HI DUDE!!! 😍 I hope he's doing great! 🥰🥰

Gail Gossip! Been a while!

WOW, this is going Deluge like, my first Spinjitzu Master! 😱 How... how do we go with three episodes from here? Like, I'm guessing Nya will have to do what Nyad did before her (which TERRIFIES me), so are they going to struggle trying to find another way? IDK BUT I'M IN LET'S GO!! 🤯

ASSAULT ON NINJAGO CITY

Alright, pretty straightforward title, let's see what we got here!

Tourists?... that actually makes sense, I mean, I would want to visit all the places where history was made on this island 😍 Aww nice to see they remember the battle against Garmy of Hunted, also that it is known that Jay was the one who faced Unagami 👍👍

DARETH!!! 🤎🤎🤎

Where have you been you knucklehead, I've missed you! 💕 I think I've last seen him in a commercial from the Fire Chapter?

This is a terrible guide 😵 Not knowing the brown ninja? Owner of the dojo the Green Ninja had trained in? Brief commander of the Stone Army? Master of makeup and puffy potstickers? Unforgivable, someone fire this woman ASAP 😡😡

LOOK AT DARETH TAKING CHARGE!!! 🤩 He's right, he should get involved every once in a while, come on guys!

Ah okay good, I'm not the only one struggling with that google snake name 😂

Yay Bentho is fully integrated with the team! He is a great addiction, like, I know he'll probably take the throne at the end or something but I do hope we'll need his help again in the future! 💙

Sometimes I forget how much I love Kai and Zane interacting 🤣 The brainiac and the airhead 🤍❤🤍❤

Oh right, Cole came back from Shintaro! So... now in this extremely secret city there is a fake amulet hanging into a highly secured place... how is it always Shintaro the keeper of flukes? 😂😂

A bath as a boat but it has a whole 😂😂 I love this show's randomness

What ears are they supposed to cover 😅

I LOVE THIS ATMOSPHERE!!! 😍😍😍 Between the gray sky of storm and the sea underneath, this is the perfect scenario for Wojira and it's not even forced! I love how they are handling backgrounds for Ninjago recently, I really hope it gets as good as in the finale of Prime Empire 💙💙💙

AAAAAAHHHHHhhhhh okay for a moment I was scared Wojira was going to eat Jay 😅 After The Island this is already the second time Bluebell risks it... STOP

WHY THE CLIFFHANGER!?!?

NUUUUU WHAT NOW??? 😱😱😱 We have two more episodes, how is this going to end? I DON'T KNOW AND I REALLY WANT TO PLEASE GIVE ME A GOOD FINALE SEABOUND!!! 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

NYAD

I AM SCARED FOR MY WATER LILY OKAY

Daaaang she can just float on that? She got super good at controlling water! Now I want her and Kai just randomly flying around with their powers 😂😂 Kai got missiles in his hands come on 🔥🔥🔥

JAY CAN YOU LET ME WORRY ABOUT YOU GUYS ONE AT THE TIME??? 😱

What would Kai do? WHAT WOULD KAI DO?? DID YOU DECIDE YOU WANT TO DIE JAY WHY WOULD YOU THINK OF HIM??? ... although technically Kai is the only one with Jay who didn't straight up die before coming back to life in a dramatic moment... huh... Kai might be the most reasonable choice after all 😅

We grew up from Ninja never quit to NINJA AREN'T IDIOTS AND KNOW WHEN TO GET THE HECK OUT 😎😎 Even our motto got a character development 💪

JAY NOOOOOOOO 😱😱😱😱

BENTHO YAAAAAAASSSS 🥳🥳🥳🥳 Did I ever say that I love shark boy? BECAUSE I FREAKING DO!! 💙

Master prankster Wu once again, take that empty ship Calamari head 😎 Although the poor bounty doesn't deserve to get destroyed as many times as it did until now, it's my favorite ship... pun intended 😜

Ah more ninjajan, wait a moment

"Auto Pilot". Fair enough, although I was hoping for a "psych" or something 😂😂

NO WAIT NO WHAT THE HECK!!! I THOUGHT JAY GOT SAVED HE INHALED WATER??!? BLUEBELL NOOOO!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

But Cole running to his best friend immediately? HECK yes 🖤💙🖤💙

NYA CARRYING HER BOYFRIEND BRIDAL STYLE THIS IS THE RIGHTEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!!! ❤💙❤💙❤💙❤💙 Gosh this season gave me amazing Jaya moments, I've been fed 👌👌

Okay Lloyd pacing back and forth? Kai already mad at their enemies? All the guys eager to help Jay? MY FAVORITE NINJA FAMILY BABY!!! 😎😎

I NEED A MOMENT 😭

Oh... oh gosh I knew Nya doing the Nyad thing was meant to happen, but this way? My heart is melting already 😭

I remember a post that said that Jay told Nya that he loves her many times, while she never did. Tommy reponded that she lets her actions speak... boy do I see it now, I see all of her love 😢😢

I never felt such conflicting emotions for a villain like I do for Kalmaar, like, he caused so much pain to Nya... but he is voiced by Giles... but he is the reason Jay is hurt... but that startle gag 😂😂😂

Okay this? Is adorable?

What the HECK? The police in this city is generally not very helpful, but the Commissioner is very wholesome 💜

Nyaaaaaaa 😭😭😭😭 I didn't think it was possible to love her even more, she was ignored for so long during the show, but now we finally see all of her. She is an amazing warrior, a selfless person, and a real hero 💪💪 And coming from such a mature girl that doesn't like to act irrationally, this means so much more

Jaya grew up so much, it went through some very questionable phases yes, but what they have here? It's the result of all they had lived together 💙❤💙❤

I have chills, this is amazing so far, I'm legit scared of going further 😱

SHE SAID IT!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Okay this moment, everything, EVERYTHING, is absolutely marvelous. Nya said I love you without a voice, alone, showing again that she values the actions more, but still her feelings are 100% truthful. Then the transformation (THERE IT IS HER BEAUTIFUL WATER FORM 😍😍😍), Jay getting saved, the realization of what she just did from everyone... DANG IT IT'S ALL BEAUTIFUL HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO THINK OF THIS SCENE???

*slow clap for Bragi, Tommy, and the Ninjago crew*

Jay and water Nya with their hands together gives me big The Form of Water vibes... LOVE THAT MOVIE WHO'S READY FOR AN AU??

Jay wants to help her, I had no doubt 💙 They always help each other in these BOUNDs seasons 😍😍😍

Kalmaar: where are the ninja??

Commissioner: I don't know, they are ninja!

FINAL BATTLE INCOMING AAAAHHH I HOPE THIS WILL HAVE A GOOD ENDING OMG BRING IT!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

THE TURN OF THE TIDE

Oh, curious title? It feels a little vague, I don't really know what it could be

YES GIRL GO GET HIS CALAMARI BUTT HECK YES!!! Just how cool can you be for walking slowly while the attacks go straight through you? 😂

Hey Nya still recognizes Jay! 😃😃

HEY NYA GOT VAPORIZED WTH 😱😱 It's too early, I don't believe that's it!

WHOA JAY WENT BERSERK JUST NOW!! I don't think I've seen this before, this is the coolest thing! 💙💙💙 I just love when he shows how strong he is, you can be a comic relief AND kick butts 😎

FIGHTING ANIMATIONS MAN I LOVE THESE SCENES!! 😍😍😍

What the- was... was that a cameo of the lightning chicken? Ninjago what the HECK I love your randomness 😂😂

BENTHOMAAR TAGS IN!!! Showing off why he is best boy of the season 💙 These fightings are very cool but I can't help imagining Wojira just chilling while there are midgets getting very angry at each other onto her head 🤣🤣🤣

WHOA, CALAMARI BITE! Kalmaar got the Pythor treatment... might change color by next season if he returns 😅

(Please return I loved having Giles' voice in this season 💙💙💙)

NYA IS A DRAGON!!! I REPEAT NYA IS A DRAGON!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍 I was wondering where the dragon moment was, this is Ninjago after all 🤷‍♀️

Head empty, just Jay smiling softy at Nya because he loves her 💙💙💙

IT'S RAINING NYA, HALLELUIA IT'S RAINING NYA, HEYE!! ☔☔☔ This fight is MASSIVE! We had finales with big creatures before but now one of the ninja is big enough to face them and that's 🤯

NYA DID IT!!! 🤩🤩🤩 ... now onto the angst that I KNOW it's coming

Kai being unbelieving is tragic, and Jay's "don't leave me" broke my heart. Please end this misery, where is the deus ex machina that solves everything?

Wait she left?

...

WAIT SHE ACTUALLY LEFT??? WHAT THE HECK THEY AREN'T ENDING IT LIKE THIS

...

OH MY GOSH

ARE THEY?!?

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

Omg the grief in this is beautiful, nice to see Jay and Maya so close to each other! Also Kai leaning onto his mom while Cole is comforting his best best friend? Amazing, they really do these scenes great 👌

EVERYONE SHOWED UP I LOVE THIS CITY SO MUCH 😭😭😭 Aww Ed and Edna, wasn't this such a sad situation I would be so much happier to see you guys 🥺

Master Wu even mentioned that she built Samurai X, you really want to make me cry now do you? 🥺🥺

MAYA AND RAY 😢😢😢😢😢😢

Omg look at Cole being there for his best friend, he is amazing 🖤💙🖤💙

I have such Rebooted vibes from this... is it hopeful? That Nya comes back like Zane? She's no nindroid but still... oh my gosh they got her symbol on the vase I just noticed, I need more tissues 😭😭

"In loving memory of Kirby Morrow". Always in our hearts 🖤🖤🖤

...

Wow

WOW

THEY ACTUALLY DID IT I NEED ANOTHER MOMENT 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 WHAT IN THE WORLD THIS IS THE BIGGEST CHANGE THEY DID IN A WHILE!!!

AND NOW WHAT??? 🤯🤯🤯

FINAL THOUGHTS

I'm speechless... like that's true, have A LOT to write over here 😅

This type of plot twist reminds me of our early seasons. Zane sacrificing himself, Garmadon giving up his life, those moments that made me so curious and excited about the following. I have no idea what will be the outcome for this, but I can't wait to find out

With that out of the way, AMAZING SEASON 😍😍😍 I think this finale beats MoM's, just because it was really unexpected and opens up a SEA of possibilities... yeah too soon 😭

I'm still shaken, my world, they did something HUGE and I do hope it will be a good shake to the entire Ninjago plotline. Nya is "gone", we still don't know about the person behind all that vengestone, we haven't heard from Garmy in forever, there are so many good ideas out there now that they've set the ground for more 🤩🤩

Voice acting was *chef's kiss*, not only for the villain which I already stressed enough about, I think Kelly reached a new level of emotional intimacy with Nya and I'm so happy she showed her skills 💜💜

Animation is TOP, there's little to no point into saying anything else since they showed it very clearly in the latest season ☺

This was the emotional, witty and engaging writing I was looking for! Good jokes, meaningful dialogues, emotional scenes, everything was really good and I'm gonna rewatch some scenes especially for that 😍

It turned out having Maya and Ray back was kind of a distraction to fool us all 😅😅 Well played actually, and it was very cool seeing them again in any case 🙋‍♀️

And now? Jay lost his love, I have no idea if the show will work on him getting over her or hold onto her memory (thinking of Jay probably the latter, although I do think that handling the first would be an interesting idea). KAI LOST HIS SISTER 😢😢😢 I have no doubt he's gonna beat himself up for it, like he did when Zane was gone too. Everyone lost their friend, she had become such a vital part of the team and now she is not here anymore it will be hard...

They are back with the four plus one green savior formation, I sincerely don't know how I feel about that 😅 I'm always happy when we get the OGs, but this is about going on without Nya... maybe Skylor will be called? Or Pixal will be more active? That could be interesting to see, who knows 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Gosh, how are they going to handle the next season? It will have to give A LOT of answers to the millions questions we all have right now. Man I can't wait, it could be anything!!! This is a Ninjago revolution!

But if I have to mention a little complain, and I'm a fangirl so I absolutely have to, Kai didn't show much of a reaction to Nya's "departure". Okay, she didn't straight up die like in Skybound (I'm gonna fear all BOUND seasons from now on 😱), but he's her brother and he loves deeply his family. Either we're gonna see him go all out next season, or the writers really did only focus on Jaya. A tiny bit salty... but you got me a fantastic finale so I'll move on 👍

Outstanding, I'm blown away. Whenever I think I'm used to this show they do stuff like this. I'm so glad and sad you guys 😅 But mostly happy that despite everything I still get very strong emotions while I watch this long time favorite show of mine 💜💜💜

What else can I say at this point? ONTO NEXT SEASON!!! 🤩🤩🤩

Thank you for reading me freaking out over LEGO spinning ninja as always! It helps me calm down but this time it might be harder thant the others... *sobs*

I need to lay down and process all of this, I'll be on my way 😂😂 BYE!!! 💜

[alovelyburn]

Rambles about The Golden Age Arc - Part 1

Did you know that there’s a special edition of Berserk in Japan that rearranges the chapters to be in chronological order? So I guess the Gambino chapters -> Childhood arc -> Golden Age -> Black Swordsman -> and so forth from there.

I’m not about that, but it is pretty interesting. I’m tempted to get the first volumes just to see how it feels laid out that way but I’m UH KINDA RUSTY on Japanese so it would mostly just be pretty pictures to me.

Anyway!

Rambles about The Golden Age Arc - Part 1

1,  I’m not sure when this was changed, but the deluxe edition corrects Guts’ adopted mother’s name to Cis from Shisu.

2. So, last night @zombiesgohome and I were discussing Berserk because we’ve both recently had our heads redevoured, and one thing that came up is how much Guts in his most feral mode (his teenage years, and the pre-rpg party Black Swordsman years) acts a lot like Gambino - with some Griffithy elements in the post-Golden Age era And it’s interesting because Guts isn’t really much like Gambino, right? He’s much more... sensitive and empathetic and not a, you know, abusive monster, but behaving that way is something of a survival mechanism for him - something he reverts to when he’s too hurt to let himself be himself. His armor, you could say.

Cis adds a whole new dimension to this because her character - the madness she seems to be suffering from post-miscarriage - strongly resembles the state Casca ended up in post-Eclipse, Does it mean anything? I DONT KNOW but it’s a pretty cool statement on cycles and becoming your parents vs forging your own identity, intentional or not. 

As a sidenote though, early Miura really had a hard time with female characters, huh? And I don’t just mean the prevalence of rape and the weird thing that happens to Casca’s personality when she and Guts get together - there’s also things like how completely incapacitated Casca is by her period (although PMDD is a thing, but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t thinking about that at the time) or like Cis going insane because of a miscarriage. It’s also weird that Cis is still considered Gambino’s “woman” despite being in an infantilized state - which is something that irks me about the trauma!Casca years, too. 

3. That said, fuck Gambino he’s literally the worst. I do appreciate that there’s a bit more going on with him than just straight up evil father stuff - from the way he seems to genuinely enjoy training Guts -- right up until he gets injured and loses his temper - to the balm and ultimately the way he calls for Cis when he’s injured, there’s obviously something going on under that asshat presentation. So score one for depth in characterization but he’s still the worst.

4. LOOK AT THIS BABY IS HE NOT THE CUTEST LITTLE CUTIE OF ALL THE BABIES IN THE WORLD YES HE IS

5. Anyway the young Guts days are just packed with information about the reasons for his being... who and what he is. His relationship with his sword is fantastic especially because its so consistent over the entirety of his life, and of course this comes down to his having learned quite early that the sword is what gives him both value and safety. But if you think about his childhood and the way this group of people - his family you could say really, talked about him at night, the way his father figure literally prostituted him, and then of course tried to murder him... followed by said “family” chasing him down to kill him, too, it’s REALLY not difficult to see the basis of his self-isolation, his distrust, his emotional walls and also his lack of self-knowledge. 

Anyway he really has a well-executed backstory (Donovan’s design aside) that does a great job of setting up who he is and why, plus setting some of the motifs going forward - Guts lying on the ground watching the moon on the day his first band, and his first idol, threw him away being echoed on the night he decides to dedicate himself to Griffith, for example. Not to mention the bottomless will to survive that drives him and won’t let him give up and die even if he’s an 11 year old fighting wolves, or an adult fighting endless hordes of demons.

6. I think I’m generally a lot more positive about the later Berserk years than a lot of the people who are mostly into the Golden Age stuff tend to be, but I will say I do miss the brand, and the sense that Guts brings disaster wherever he goes... and just the general tragic atmosphere. Depending on how long I manage to keep doing this I might get into it eventually but it’s things like how Guts’ relationship with Casca feels to me like it’s transitioned from a complicated and semi-ambiguous mess of guilt and affection and rebounding (yeah I said it) into a sort of standard issue “they should really be a family!’ one. I just don’t think that’s as interesting, but anyway doesn’t stop me from loving the series.

7. Also this sad smile, the look of someone accepting their sad fate? That comes up a few times, particualrly with Griffith  

8. [insert boyhood arc here]

9. Four years later, that puts Guts at 15 years old. I like to keep track of this stuff. 

Love the Bazuso fight - also love how consistent Guts’ fighting style is going all the way back to him wielding an adult sword at 6 years old. He’s basically a walking blitz attack, and by the time the opponent realizes what’s happening they’re already dead. Also he tends to target the opponent’s weapon when he’s not sure he isn’t outclassed (or when he’s sure he is outclassed as with Zodd). 

My RPG geek self can’t imagine what kind of stats this guy has. 

10. Enter the Band of the Hawk and Griffith in his pre-cape wearing days. Much has been said about why it is that Griffith has this reaction to him upfront - the clear fascination that only gets fully expressed later. It’s not going to be surprising to anyone who remembers anything about me that I take it as a given that Griffith is in love with Guts throughout... basically his whole human arc, and while I don’t think he literally fell for Guts right there, I do think that moment is the seeds being planted. He sees someone whose drive, determination and willingness to take risks echoes his own - someone that stands out in a crowd much the same way he does. This is going to be more and more evident over the courst of the series but Guts is basically Griffith’s only true peer. Even when he didn’t see it in himself, he was a baby epic turning into a fellow epic, and I do think Griffith knew that about him almost from day one. 

11. The way Guts’ haphephobia is treated... is one of my favorite parts of his story really - I kind of regret it falling off, even though I do think it makes sense that it does once he starts letting people in again to at least some degree. Is it realistic? I mean probably not, but it’s a powerful symbol of where his head is at and who he connects with, e.g Griffith’s ability to touch him without triggering a panicked response foreshadows the the intensity and closeness of that relationship. 

I mean look don’t diagnose fictional characters with psychiatric disorders (or at least don’t take it that seriously if you do) but Guts does show a lot of symptoms of PTSD. 

12.  I’m sorry, Corkus is absurd, what in the whole world made him think he was going to run up on Guts and... what, rob him? Why. Seems ridiculous on the face of it but anyway.

13. One of the few things that surprised me when reading miura interviews was that he hadn’t planned for Guts and Casca to get together originally and just decided partway through that it would be more dramatic that way. This is surprising to me becaus eof the way Casca is introduced, you know? The hidden face, the helmet reveal with Guts being like “??? She’s a woman!?!?!?” and then later the naked recovery tent situation - all seems to be markers for a love interest. Incidentally she’s not the only one who gets those kinds of markers. 

Also, Casca seems to be named after a series of novels about the Roman Legionairre who stabbed Jesus with a spear and was therefore cursed to aimlessly wander. I always thought that was kind of a pointed reference with her. But I wonder what the purpose of her character would have been if he hadn’t decided to make it more dramatic by getting them together. Because she’s clearly given more importance than the other captains... though I do think people who consider her a third protagonist are smoking a little something - Miura himself always referred to Berserk as being about Guts and Griffith. Casca main narrative purpose is to catalyze their relationship, whether you think it’s good or bad

.14. Just leaving that there.

15. The way Griffith rarely gives away what’s going on in his head is kind of a problem as far as people’s ability to read and interpret him... I don’t really know why, in the year of our lord 2022, I’m still reading people saying he’s incapable of loving anyone and only cares about himself. But 

But in any case his interest in Guts as a presence, as a sword, as a person, really does start from minute one

And of course Griffith is the other one with the love interest style reveal. 

One of the things I like about Miura’s work is that his shojo influences are super obvious. And that does shift the perspectives a little bit - if you’re familiar with classic shojo then you can recognize some of the storytelling techniques being used, which are sort of... responsible for lending the Guts/Griffith relationship so much of its... air of tragic love. Not being a mindreader or a personal friend of Miura’s I can’t vouch for whether he purposefully sat there and said “yes, I will draw such and such scenes in such a way that it clearly looks like a romantic turning point in a romance manga” but if I were going to GUESS I sort of think yes he did. Given the specifics of his influences and how much of it is like shonen ai or lgbtq themed love stories, 

But that’s just me though!

Anyway, it’s 1am, off I go.

[kung-fu-headcanons]

Hi! Your blog has lots of interesting and funny writings about kfp fandom, I reread them at times :3

Can I ask headcanons about Kai and Oogway adopting a child?(•3•) Like what kind of parents they could be, how they treat them, and what if it’s girl but she’s interested in stereotypically in “boys stuff” and vice versa with boy? Will they go berserk mode if child is in danger?

(I hope I explained clearly xD sksks) Have a good day, sweetheart! uwu💕

Aww thank you, it means a lot to me 😊 and don't worry I got what you meant haha no worries about that!

They will DEFINITELY go berserk mode if their child is in danger especially Kai, they'll go all kamikaze

If Kai is the one dealing with whoever/whatever put his kid in danger, haha- they won't be seeing the next sunrise

We all know who's the better parent... its Oogway

Kai is more likely to get himself into a ridiculously dangerous/stupid situation than the child okay- it's why Oogway doesn't trust him to be alone with their kid

He's not awful at parenting just if he was betted to like. Do some idiotic stunt for 50 bucks he'd so do it

"Kai stop you're setting a bad example for our kid" meanwhile the kid is just 👁️👄👁️

They aren't too worried about their child doing things that the opposite sex would do, so yeah if their child is a girl and she's doing stereotypically "boy things" they're just like "eh that's okay"

Same thing other way around, if their child is a boy but he's doing stereotypically "girl things" they're cool with that too

The kid is young, let them do what they want they're just curious and learning, just because they act like a girl/boy now doesn't necessarily mean they will in the future

Two ways they got this child: either they just happened to come across a lost kid or they were on one of their travels and noticed this child following them

Either way they didn't go to an orphanage it was basically the child found them rather than they found the child

Although Kai may seem more like the irresponsible parent he's actually just as good as a dad as Oogway

Kai teaches the kid how to defend themselves using various methods, and this is especially true if the child is a girl

Oogway tends to be busy so he doesn't have as much time to spend with his kid as much as he would like, but when he does have the time every second is worth it

Kai and Oogway move around a lot, they don't stay in one place for too long, which is why this child they adopted is so lucky because for one, you have two amazing kung fu masters as your parents and secondly, you travel a lot

Its a bit hard for the kid cuz let's say they just made some friends, then they have to go somewhere else.. Oogway and Kai make sure to prioritize spending time with their kid and doing fun things with them because of that

They're aware their social life will be pretty difficult, I mean they don't even have them going to the local school cuz they move so often (homeschooled)

Their child likes being around Kai and Oogway anyways lol so yeh

[jess-the-vampire]

Sky And The Forces Of The Multiverse, Chapter 51

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-

Sky had to admit, she was impressed with her own magic skill by this point, even if the progress she was making seemed minimal. She never really tried to dip down much, it's not something anyone can just...do after all, it takes time and work. There was probably no way she could do it by the time the plan would come to action but training couldn't hurt either.

Especially if it was to protect a friend.

Even trying to shoot magic from her hands drove sky crazy, how did judas do this so naturally? Guess when you grow up doing magic like this you don't have to go through so much training to get it to work. Sky was half human too, who knows how that might affect her powers even if she did go through mewberty. She kinda felt silly trying to do magic like this, throwing out her hands and shout spells...but it was better then nothing.

Angel could do magic normally, no wand required.

Lucky.

He was getting better, he'd probably been practicing a lot in his spare time, probably to show off to his mom. His aim was far improved and he seemed far stronger at his spellcasting, from what magic he knew . Sky felt she spent more time watching him then making any progress, if even if it was just to get an idea of how to make her magic work a little.

It was probably pointless anyway.

Unlocking that kinda magic required a lot more to trigger it, otherwise sky wouldn't get very far no matter hoe hard she was trying. Strong emotional reactions were surefire, like...how she nearly attacked her mom...and the masked person, and...other happenings. Those were close but not really the results she was looking for either, she was looking for something like angel had.

Where he went berserk...over her getting hurt.

Wow they both had a bad habit of going evil when they ever did unlock this magic huh? That was both scary and...kinda neat in a weird way, though last thing sky needed was to make herself look worse then she did. Angel could tell she was having trouble, though he wasn't judging, he knew it wasn't going to be easy. "Maybe like...try and clear your mind and stuff? I think that's supposed to help, so you can focus?", that might've been more harsh then it needed to be,

But sky didn't seem to care.

"I can try".

She wasn't good at clearing her head, there was always too much going on in her mind for something like that to even happen. Even now, her mind was going back to judas and the plan. It was like a bug that refused to just leave the room, no matter what she wanted. She grumbled as she sat down on the grass, "Ugh, i can't focus, i'm too worried and everything".

She kicked at the dirt underneath her, "It was different last time, i wasn't trying to do anything intentionally, i just got really upset and for a moment...blam...magic. Now...it's not the same, i only had those outbursts because you got in danger or i felt upset...and i can't channel things all the time like that...like...why can't me being happy channel that same power?".

"Well, maybe you're just not feeling that kinda emotional nearly as strongly right now?", he shot out another web, hitting the wall with perfect accuracy now, "I guess maybe training and stuff happening in real time just...don't feel the same way...even i haven't been able to master my own form...so i think it just means...we have a lot channeling to do".

"You've been learning from eclipsa huh?".

"I did at times stay late with her...she...likes my presence and helping me...not that i ever got too far with it. Clearing your head is supposed to help but also...you can focus on a memory with a strong reaction, that can help your magic too sometimes...so...maybe we should do that? Channel strong memories...i mean i don't know if happy ones really will do much for me to control a raging monster but...".

"Angel, that's a good idea, maybe if i do clear my head properly i can like...channel something, maybe, Mom never really explained the process to me, but it's worth a shot".

He smiled, his ears perking up, "Oh, well, glad i can be of some kind of help then! Maybe it'll work a lot better for you then me, i'm still pretty far behind on my own magic" He shot another spell and sky went back to focusing, seeing if she could recover any strong memories to trigger something. She went back to the chandelier incident, reminded of the party and her performance.

It was hard to channel the anger she had when he mother spoke to her the way she did. in fact it was a hard memory to fully recover at all. Maybe she had to go and try and new one to see if she had better results, she had to have other moments. Right, the time angel was nearly killed and that set her off like crazy, that was also a rather insane moment of magic for her.

She hadn't been so full of rage in a long time.

Though she was worried how she'd react to that memory again.

She had to take a moment to chill and breath, holding her hand out before the memory came back to her. She didn't want to accidentally blow up the entire garden if she wasn't careful about her own actions up to this point. Granted, blowing up a wall wasn't exactly a better option but well, she was going to have to take some risks somewhere it seemed.

She felt her cheeks puff up, remembering the pure anger of angel nearly being killed down by some freak.

Angel stepped back, a slight bit of glow in the princess's cheeks, but it quickly faded, the memory was strong but because nothing was happening it didn't appear the have nearly the same strength. Sky sighing, her hand touching her marks, "Well, it's a start...i guess i should be happy we got a reaction at all...i guess that whole thing...really had me upset".

Angel sent a sad smile her way.

"Hey, i'm just glad you cared at all...i'm...i wasn't sure anyone would if things went wrong...i kinda went into the thing knowing there was a good chance i might not make it out alive all things considered...it...was probably a dumb idea when i think more about it".

She snorted in his direction, "Dude, of course we'd care if something happened to you...but...it doesn't seem to be enough to get me to really unlock my abilities...for now...but...i'll take it. At least it's better then nothing.". She sighed before going back to tryin to do more spells with no success, "I'll figure this out...hopefully...if i could just...get a better grip on my emotions...and with enough practice...". She watched angel go back to doing spells, thoughtful, "Hey...thanks for doing this with me...it's really nice".

"Yeah of course...it's not fully for you though, i...wanna be able to protect myself as well, i wasn't very good before...and i don't want to feel vulnerable again, i felt so...powerless when i almost got killed...and i need to keep my strength up". He shot spells at the wall even harder, "I'm glad you're protecting me but i also don't want to feel so weak either...i want to be able to defend myself if anything happens again...want to know i can...take care of myself when i'm a leader".

"I can't blame you on that one, i would do the same if i was in your shoes", her feet scratched the dirt, making a neat little imprint with it," i just hope it doesn't end up feeling like you're protecting me when i should be looking out for you". Angel stopped casting his spells, quick to notice her change in tone, "It shouldn't have to be a one vs another thing...we should be...looking out for each other...all of us".

"But if i don't get better soon, i'll be worthless for the plan".

"Sky, look, maybe this is something better said by jude and everything but...you're more then your magic, you spent a lot of time beating me without knowing much magic at all, you don't need it to do good...even if you don't learn to dip down...i trust you'll do great out there". The princess took a moment before gently pushing him, laughing, "You're right...i did kick your ass pretty good without it".

"Ok but you don't have to remind me of that...", sky snickering as she got back into focusing, "Says the person who kept a whole journal of all the times we fought, you're far more guilty of this then i am". He blushed as she got back in focus, "Maybe if things get bad, i can really taze the guy, that outta pack a punch and they might not even see it coming either".

"Well, i didn't think they'd avoid my bite either but...you know how that went, but i have faith in you princess."

Sky snickered, "Well, i can say this for sure, next time, your teeth won't miss, i'm sure of it". The laughs ringing in the air as sky enjoyed the moment, she really needed this, and angel made sure she got the break and night to make amends she deserved. And for once, sky felt confident maybe she could actually get the hang of this magic thing properly.

She had the support to help at least.

-

"You ok landon?".

Landon peeked through the window of the carriage at bernard's house, seeing rhombulus parked outside and feeling his whole body shake. "Do i look ready mom? I'm a mess, i should've fixed myself up a lot more, how am i supposed to go in there and be cool with him when i'm sweaty and freaked out?". He raised an arm to display and marco quickly made him move it back down.

"Landon, it's going to be just fine, do like you practiced".

"This is different, he's going to be looking at me and watching me talk, i'm not even sure about how he's going to react, he might just want to be friends and friends only. All that time i spent and thing might get worse between us and we never talk again". Once again marco found themsleves trying to comfort the boy, handing him some water, "you'll be ok, just take it easy".

'I'm sorry mom, it's just...what if i can't do it? i'm worried i can't".

"Landon, it's going to be just fine, i'll be waiting out here if you need me to make a quick getaway ok? But you have to finally face him down, i know you're scared but this time you're going to have to put that to the side and be brave for both you and bernard on this one. He needs this as much as you do, closure, and he won't be able to rest until you both have it".

Landon slumped back, "Guess i just don't want to know what his final answer will be".

"But you know you have to...".

"Yeah...".

"Landon, it's going to be ok, i promise...i know you're nervous, but it's going to be ok, just go in there and do your best. I have plenty of faith that things will work out between you two, you both seemed to care about each other a lot, and i doubt you won't be friends still after this". The demon nodded, his mother comforting him to the best of their ability, his hands gripping each other tight.

His mother kissed his cheek, "Hey, if you need to bail out at any point, i'm here, but i believe in you...ok?". Landon gulped before finally getting out of the carriage, lucky he was even allowed to on on this trip at all. This was not an emergency and everyone was very uncomfortable even going to other dimensions at this point, but marco insisted this was important.

And it was, for landon.

Rhombulus seemed to disapprove of this choice, sneering as the kid got closer, but letting him in anyway.

He was expected after all.

The rest of the commission were inside and the parents of this lovely home seemed more then used to them now. As used as one to get to having three interdimensional gods living in their home. They were eating their snacks, sitting on heir couches, and chilling as if nothing was happening. Guess they had to be a little bored by now, but still, it was a serious job.

Imagine they came back and hey were following asleep like this? And they thought things were bad before.

Landon spotted bernard's mom quickly who ushered him away from the commission members and upstairs without hesitation, "Ok, he's waiting for you up there, let me know if you need anything and please, don't break anything". She didn't seem the happiest to see him but she wasn't mad at him or anything, so that was a little better then what he thought in his head.

But that didn't help his nerves, he could spot bernard's room and took a few steps forward.

He had to be just as nervous as he was...right? He didn't greet him at the door so he was left with a similar impression that was the case. Then the door opened to let him in, a sleep and messy teenage boy waiting for him. Landon feeling his heartbeat rise even faster and want to flee the scene extremely fast, his body forcing itself to stay put so he didn't chicken out.

"Hey landon".

"H-hey...bernard", god why did he have to make himself sound so awkward the moment he saw him again? He swore his voice cracked too, because of course it did.

Bernard didn't look fully dressed, not did he seem to be entirely...himself, which was a warning sign, but they had to get this over with. Landon had to just go over and finish up before he made another bad choice, though bernard looked very cute. He had never seen him like this outside of the sleepover the one time, most of the time he was more...well kept.

Bernard yawned, "Sorry i'm not looking that great, but...i'm happy you came, means a lot to me if you want to come in and well...y'know, do this whole thing". Landon nodded quickly as he entered the messy teenage boy's room, the door shutting behind them. He took a set on the bed as bernard started going into his closet, nervous about who should speak first.

It was uncomfortably silent after all.

Bernard and landon both wanted the other to make the first move instead, as if they were waiting each other out. The silence however, was killing landon and it wouldn't get them anywhere if neither of them even said a word to each other. Landon really felt his stomach churn, just how bad did he screw up that bernard could hardly even look at him right now?

He wasn't used to this from him, the tension was intensely uncomfortable compared to the usual laughing and giggling between the two. He twiddled his fingers together and tried to choke up a word or two, needing to be brave and come out with it. "Hey look, i'm sorry fi i made things uncomfortable between us...i wasn't supposed to even send you that video...it was an accident", was that good? He hoped so.

The human paused, meaning he had heard landon alright.

"Mason pushed the wrong button, it wasn't supposed to head to you like this, i just want us to be friends again ok? I never meant to hurt you or bother you or make things awkward. But i also get it if you don't want to be friends anymore either with me, i know this would make you feel weird and i don't want you to feel weird around me either...it's just...you mean a lot to me".

"How long?".

His voice caught him off guard.

"How long have you liked me?".

Landon froze, stammering, "Since we met actually...i dunno you came up to me and i thought you were...cool, i know that sounds really corny but it's true. You were so cool and i wanted to get to know you and you wanted to get to know me...and i found it...attractive. I mean i didn't notice it at first bit over time it made sense why i was acting this way about you".

Was that good?, it was hard to tell when he wasn't looking at him right now.

"Look, if you want me to leave i will, i know you're upset with me and i don't wanna be some burden on you. You're just...a great person and i'm glad i got to have you as my friend, even if it was just for a little while". He meant that sincerely, he liked having this guy as his friend, and he was going to miss them if they never spoke every again, "You deserve better friends who don't make you go through this kinda stuff anyway".

"Landon...".

"I'm right, you got kidnapped and you could've died because of it, and it was because of me, if you and me weren't friends you would have never had to deal with that happening to you". God, he sounded so pathetic, was this really how he wanted to even handle this in the slightest? He felt himself curl up a little, clenching teeth, "I wanted to tell you how i felt sooner but i was worried what you'd think. I've never confessed to anyone in my life before and i got scared to screw up or say anything"'.

It was hard to tell what bernard was thinking with his back turned, but he was just going to have to keep pushing through this no matter how embarrassing it was. "I just think you're really cool, i like your magic stuff and your attitude, and your confidence...and how you laugh at my jokes and support me...and i'm dead serious about all of it...i never meant to make you feel uncomfortable.".

Bernard finally turned around, a look of surprise on his face.

"Landon...i...you don't make me feel uncomfortable", he suddenly seemed to feel ashamed of his silence this whole time, his shoulders sagging and his expression more sad. "I...i admit, it was overwhelming finding out...i think it's because i well...i've been on dates before...and a lot of them were...mixed". The human took a seat next to landon, his feet dangling off the bed.

"I...y'know, constantly changed myself everywhere we went and i would get confessed to a lot, but it never felt right because i wasn't being myself...i was just trying to fit in. I guess when you confessed i had so many thoughts, like if this was another occurrence of me not being myself and you not liking the real me, or that you did like the real me, to all the times we hung out and i had no idea...i...had a lot going on".

The human eyed his worried friend, before smiling a little, "But...i'm not mad at you for any of this, none of this was your fault. You had no idea anything like this would happen and it's ok, i'm not mad at you at all. My parents might have some issues, but i don't...because it wasn't your fault that happened. Landon, i'm still processing everything but i'm not mad at you".

"You aren't?".

"Of course not, i just...have a lot to think about with all of this, i'm a little overwhelmed but i'm not mad at you landon. I just need a lot of time to really think on things, if that's ok...". Landon seemed relieved, his face suddenly becoming far happier then he meant for it to, "Yeah, yeah of course! You can take all the time you need if you want, no pressure or anything, you can uh...get back to me when you're ready".

He laughed and landon felt himself turn deep red.

"Yeah of course, when i'm ready, i don't want to leave you hanging or anything...", the human noticed landons face an poked at it charmingly. "I have to admit...it's...a little flattering that you...feel this way about me. I've just never been complimented this much before , or had anyone write a song for me before for that matter, it's actually sweet".

"You find it sweet?".

"Yeah well...it's really good and i can tell you put a lot of hard work into it, it's...nice that i...inspire you like that". I never saw myself having a song about me, always thought the only way something like that would happen was if i won some dumb contest or something. I...i'm sorry you didn't get me to see it under different conditions, i know this was not how you wanted me to...experience it".

"Well...i'm sorry i was acting so weird for awhile towards you...it was a lot more obvious then i thought originally. You...you were worried about me and you had every right to worry about me...everything just got so complicated and i had a hard time trying to figure out what was the best way to handle it. I guess i should've tried to handle it sooner, to avoid this from happening."

"Hey, i'm not great at this stuff either, i might never have caught on without the video. Heh, it took me a few minutes to click as the music started playing that you were going for...y'know, You...play really well landon". He blushed, trying to hide his face as much as possible as he turned away from the cute boy, "Yeah well, i do play it almost all the time".

"It pays off, at least you might get to make it into a career, my parents still are on the fence about magic".

The way he said it seemed to make landon's heart crack just a little

"I'm sorry to hear that...i well, i was really hoping they'd change their minds about it and stuff...you should be allowed to do the hobbies you like, like you're really good at them too, you were able to escape your handcuffs because of magic! It's...amazing...how you were able to actually do that, they don't appreciate enough of your skills, you're...amazing".

He felt himself blushing again and quickly coughed, "Oh right, sorry, this might be making your more uncomfortable".

But bernard laughed, "It's ok, i'm just glad someone cares, i feel sometimes like...no one really does, i've just...wanted someone around who likes what i like and doesn't make fun of it". He sighed, rubbing his hair, "I escaped my cell through magic, that's...impressive, i never knew i'd need to and magic helped me do it, i was just hoping for better i guess from my parents".

The prince watching him sadly, letting out another deep sigh.

"I wanted to confess to you that day...the day you were kidnapped...i know it doesn't matter now but i did, and then when things went wrong i changed my mind because you had enough going on to worry about me. After you got kidnapped and hurt and everything, there was no way we could talk about it, i knew it was a bad idea. I'm sorry things got so bad that you were worried about me like that".

"Landon, it's ok".

"No, it's not".

"No, it is...i'm sure, it was complicated. I...i got kidnapped, and you just wanted me to take the time to recover before unloading this on me, it's not a bad thing. Truth be told, i was terrified down there, i didn't know if I'd make it out alive or not, for a few moments i really thought i might not. But...you helped find me, and...that's important, your confession could wait...".

"But...then i started acting weird...and your texts".

"Landon, of course i was worried about you, we're friends...if you needed space it's ok, you can also just well...text me if you need a break for a bit. I only got worried cause i care about you...but if you need space...it's ok. I didn't really know you were going through so much emotional turmoil because of me and everything, i should have suspected though. I guess i've been so distracted i never even considered you were acting this way because you might of liked me a little more then being just friends, but...i'm glad it's out in the open now".

"You really still wanna be friends?".

"Dude, yeah, of course i do...i'll need some time to process the whole...crush thing, but...it doesn't make me wanna not be your friend. It'll take some getting used to but i like being your friend. I like us hanging out, and i like having someone around who respects my hobbies and interests and shows me all kinda of things i'd never see in a million years. You're a really cool person landon, i like being with you...i don't want us to stop being friends because of this".

Landon felt himself blush and heart beat a bit faster, it was worse that he knew what he was doing to him.

"W-well, i like having you around to like my hobbies and stuff too...yeah".

The human laughed, "I'm sorry for being such a drag and everything this morning, i got to admit, i just have a lot of bad experiences dating...and dealing with crushes. I guess for me it brought back some memories...but i won't bother you with them in detail or anything. Because i think you're different landon, i really think you care about me and everything".

Landon clutched his head in his hands and grumbled, still blushing, "And i was thinking you'd hate me and everything after what happened for a little while...cause...i just didn't...i didn't want to make you uncomfortable". He shifted in his seat before pinching his nose in frustration, "I should have at least told you i needed some time tho...i didn't meant to worry you-".

"No no like i said i-".

Landon turned around, only to realize he might of gotten just a LITTLE too close to bernard's face, making him jolt back quickly. Even bernard cut off his sentence at the action, "Well, uh anyways...glad we talked about this. So well, i guess if you need anything or want to stay for a while...i'll convince my parents to do it, hopefully. They're getting used to your friends down there".

"They aren't exactly our friends, but thank you...we haven't really gotten to hang out properly since...it happened. I was worried about even asking since...well, your parents...they must hate me for what happened with you. Even if you forgive me, i am still the reason they lost you to begin with, and they were terrified...your house got bugged and-".

"Landon, please, don't worry about them, they're always like that. They panic about everything, it's why they're like this about my magic, they're desperate to be good parents and well...make me some perfect kid. I mean i'm obviously not one but they want me to be one. Point being it's ok, don't worry and freak out, they're always like this anyway and i think they'll live with it".

He was doing it again.

"I'm sorry".

"Hey look, let's go down and take a break...your mom's outside right? How about you let them know and we can just...have some time together for a little bit? Some not awkward time together, we can hang in my room for today if you want and we could...properly catch up, if that's ok?". That sounded great, landon finally getting himself to relax as he pulled out his compact.

"Thanks".

-

"So this is it huh?".

She was looking at the broken wand with extreme curiosity, star watching her very closely as she examined it. She was giving luna the chance to make things up and be trusted but that didn't meant she was just cool handing sky's want over to just anyone. Luna was still on the fence these days to everyone and the wand was in bad enough condition.

"Yeah that's it alright".

"It's in better condition then i was expecting it to be in when i heard it broke, i'll give it this...but yeah, it needs a good repair. I must admit though, wands are hard to crack, this thing must've been hit with a powerful spell. But at least it's fixable, you might just need an expert on this one, though you're not going to like who i suggest to help you with it...".

Star grumbled, knowing where this was going.

"Mom, right?".

"She'd know if anyone.".

"Of course she would, i had a bad feeling you were going to mention i'd need her help, "But fine, whatever, is there anything else you want to let me know about? You and eclipsa were going off about a gem or something?". She was starting to get a little pouty and the less she focused on her mom the better, "Well, me and eclipsa weren't idiots, sky has a rare opal on her wand...you can see the multiverse in it if you look close enough".'

"Rare?".

"Yeah, omni owns these things, never been on a wand before...i think".

That even seemed so surprise star, guess there were things the commission still weren't fully being honest about with her. Luna didn't seem as phased by it though, looking through it curiously, "I'll be honest, i don't really think sky is responsible for taking us here...she...has no reason to and she's not knowledgeable enough to do it even on accident, but...knowing this is on her wand...it's...probably not a coincidence".

"What exactly do you mean by that?".

"C'mon now mom, a magic wand that combusted before we came here? And it just so happens to have a gemstone like this? Even if it wasn't sky it certaintly makes the most sense to be her, the problem is she doesn't know a spell that could do this...so i have to imagine what might of actually happened was we got dragged out of our own dimensions, and got pulled through her crystal into yours".

"Actually...that...kinda makes sense", the queen mumbled, folding her arms together, "But like, you all unwillingly were pulled...right? So someone had to have done this to you, unless this is omni's doing". The person in question had to have knowledge and access to the multiverse in order to even do this and pull it off, and there wasn't a high suspect list.

"No, i don't think it's omni, if the commission were behind it they would've acted upon whatever they wanted us for...not...be as useless as they are now. Before were suspected them but after this much time, well, we don't trust them but we don't think it is them either. It's only so baffling because we're out of many other options, and i've never seen this happen before".

"Well there has to be SOMEONE who can do it".

"I know but, no one here matches well...", then she seemed to think of something, before shutting it down, "No no, that could work but that's far more absurd, we need something more within the lines of reason". Star blinked at luna as she held her hand up to keep star from asking further on the matter, ".We'll start with a list of the main suspects and work from there".

"Luna, we went through the main suspects, there is no one else".

"Have you checked meteora or moon yet?", luna asked skeptically, her suggestion catching the queen off guard, she hadn't really gone into either of them had she? But it was for good reason. "Meteora was doing tasks, she has it on record and my mom...my mom has no reason to even bother doing something like this, where's your proof on that one?".

"You heard me, limited other options".

"Still, my mom would never do something like this...maybe in your word she would but not here...right?".

"You tell me, maybe she would, maybe she wouldn't. I just know she's a suspect and since she's been absent from everything before this point she doesn't have nearly as much of an alibi, even with grandpa...you know how easily distracted he gets". She wasn't wrong, moon could manage it if she were behind it, but there was also no reason for her mother to do this...and she would never attempt to kill a child either.

Even if that child had previous outbrusts about their family.

"i don't believe it but it'll keep it in mind, but frankly...we need a better list, none of these people seem to have anything to do with it", she sent luna a look of worry, "Luna, i think whoever did this is not from mewni, as silly as that is, a disappointment, i know...i think we all thought it had to be family...but it's not". Luna hated to admit it, but she had to agree with the idea, it probably was something else.

"I don't fully agree but i don't fully disagree either, i've heard worse. But learning that kinda magic takes years of proactive. Not to mention accessing the commission tower, it leaves me uneasy, we could pass by this guy on the way to work. Can you imagine how i feel possibly knowing who this is, for them to be a friend of mine only for them to do al of this?".

If luna did she wasn't showing it well.

"You have to know how much that hurts and messes with all of us, we don't just ignore these ideas because we don't buy into them. But if you're right how do we even begin to react? This whole thing has gotten under all of our skin and there's no way we can just forgive and forget if it turns out to be one of us. You don't know who it is, so it's much easier to-".

"Ok, sorry i tried to help, i didn't say it to be rude or anything, it was just an idea"., luna sat back and crossed her arms, putting her feet up nearby. "I do this all the time back home, i catch criminals all the time back home so it's kinda important for me to do stuff like this and try and make a profile of some kind, that way you could spot them even unmasked".

"You scare me with the fact you can spot bad people by just looking at them, i hope me in your world learns to get a grip because you're lucky to not be dead going through all of this", luna snickered, "You're not entirely wrong, i am lucky, but i'm also hard working, so that's another reason i've lived so long, i rarely ever get caught with my talent".

"Is that so? Is that why you're prisoner now?".

Luna's smile was quickly wiped from her face.

"Thought so...but hey, you did say rarely, so this has happened to you before. And you're still here now, so i guess that still says something about you and getting out of stuff like this. I rarely could get myself out of situations without a little help, even if i was a tough fighter. Even now sky usually needs judas to help her out, but thankfully she's never really been kidnapped either".

"I had to learn to do things myself, if...either of you had died the crown would go to me, and if i couldn't take care of myself i was doomed to end up the same way. If you thought i would allow myself to ever be put in that position you were sorely mistaken, I wanted to be a strong queen, stronger then anyone before me...and avoid all the mistakes the others made".

"Like solaria?"

Luna was quiet, "Yeah, especially her, there's...some things about her past i prefer not to repeat, you're honestly lucky in this universe.". The queen jolted her head to luna at that, her face skeptic, "Wait, what do you mean by that? How are we lucky? She still caused massive devastation and we're still recovering from everything she's done, we're not lucky".

The lighter blonde hummed, her fingers twirling the rim of a teacup.

"I...was shocked when i saw angel for the first time, i never really explained why but...it's...well, because his kingdom doesn't exist back home. Or at least not anymore, it's ruins where i live". Star didn't seem to like where this conversation was going but luna continued, "I never got to meet his kind before now, i just knew about what they once were, and well...stories from you".

"From...me?".

"Solaria caused the devastation, but you...you were the one to hit the mark that started everything back home, and it all started with their kingdom. If things hadn't escalated, i might not be the same person anymore. But...it is what it is...it's just worth mentioning that while solaria here might still be quite the queen, you should be lucky you didn't end up with a worse version of her".

"I'll be honest...i'm surprised how much you don't like her, sorry if it sounds rude but i was expecting...you to like...something about her".

Luna shot star back a dirty look, "Outside of her determination to help her people and power there's not much to admire, what she did led to issues we're still solving today, and as far as i'm concerned that does not make you a good queen. You are not a good queen if people remember you for reasons of hatred, i should not be having to fix her messes 800 years later".

Ok so yeah, she really didn't like the old queen herself, even if related to her.

"Sorry for bringing it up then, it was worth asking".

Luna sat back on the bed, spreading out her arms, "It's a lot of stress trying to be a good queen back home, you want to be unique bit you also want to be strong and something to be proud of. It's...a flawed system, always has been a very flawed system. The kind of pressure it puts on everyone is...well it's something alright, not much better in war time".

"I put a lot of high expectation on sky...", the queen laid back, sighing to herself, having to agree with luna. "I know i did, i don't know why it happened, it just did, and i know it really upset her...even though...i just want her to do well. I want her to do well on her own as queen someday and i dunno, i'm never sure what to do, less freedom, too much freedom...i learned from too much freedom.".

"Well based on what i've seen you didn't do much as far as training her by the looks of it, she could barely hold her wand right!".

Luna really has a way of making people feel bad about themselves.

"She really had a hard time preforming magic, i egged her on so bad the ceiling came down", great, she was back to being mad at herself. She could've prevented this so much sooner if she had just...done things so much differently. Maybe sky wouldn't have been accused of crimes, or had even been in danger at all. A little danger was expected out here but not...so often.

Not like this.

"Luna, considering what i know about me from...your world, i'm not coming to you for parental advice. But...i think at the very least i have a better idea of what i need to improve on if i don't want us to end up like me and my mother right now.", she probably could've phrased that far better then she did but luna got the point. "It's been so long...i forget what it was like".

"Well now that moon is stuck here you're probably being reminded of it more then ever, as far as i can tell, nothing has changed about here...i hear enough through everyone else at this point that i'm glad i barely have to talk to her outside of the occasion. Back home grandma and i didn't agree on many things either, it's a lot messier between all three of us in that castle.".

"Luna, your dimension sounds...awful, for the record, not sure if that's what you were going for but, it sounds awful. I'm surprise you even want to go back after everything", she didn't exactly mean for it to sound so rude, it was clear why luna wanted to go back and that going back mattered to her. But it seemed there was little back home that was actually...well, to look forward to besides seeing her family again.

She almost wished luna could stay, not go back to a world like that.

Such an unpleasant world to grow up in.

"Honestly, sometimes i think that too, but i know it's what i want to do...i wouldn't just leave them. And...i won't leave them now especially, it's clear what seems to happen when i make choices to leave people behind, i get myself in more trouble". She motioned to her room, "I can't stay here, you know that and i know that, we have places we need to be and people who need us, we don't belong here".

"Luna, i don't know all of you that well, but i think all of you do belong here, not permanently, i know you all have families to return to...but well...i think being here has...helped you all, to some extent, maybe more then you could ever really get back home". That made luna pause, laying back on her bed, "I guess you really could say that,...i don't think people will even really...recognize me fully when i get back, maybe, it depends how long i've been gone for them...they might not even remember what i was like before i left all of them".

"I'm sorry you've all been gone so long".

"You say that like we didn't lie to your face for months about who we were this entire time, it's not your fault. We insisted on not coming to you for help, and our lack of progress is partially more our fault...and circumstance". She took a deep breath, "I tend not to ask people for help if i can avoid it, and i was aggressive about us staying hidden, and it worked for a while but...it was never going to work forever, there was too many of us, someone was bound to find out".

"Well, you had me fooled, for a good while, though i guess in retrospect the fact you were that good at fighting should've been some kind of red flag, no one who goes into knight training even comes in so perfect. Even on mewni where you could die at any minute, you would've been a good knight if you had been from this dimension though, though heh...oh wow, we assigned you under jackie".

"You can imagine how that went for me".

"Well, i guess it's hard for me to really say, i guess at least in the end you got to spend some good time with us even if we aren't technically your family. I can only hope that talking to us provided you some comfort, maybe. I think...if i was trapped somewhere else, just seeing my mom's face would really help. I...i got really upset when she vanished, after meteora".

Luna paused, letting the thought ponder for a bit.

"You don't hate your mom as much as you want to, she gives you grief and isn't making the situation any better for you...but i can tell that to an extent you're glad she's here. Someone to give you advice...and help you. She's not amazing by any means but i can tell you're glad she's here to help in this crazy situation, even if her help isn't really helping.".

"I've been on my own with the throne for a while...so i dunno, maybe i just miss her", star sunk in her seat, "I nmeed to stop venting, that's not what this meeting was about, it was about the wand, i'm just dealing with a lot of emotions right now. I've never really...confided in someone about this, well, someone who isn't my wife or my best friend at least".

The queen stood up, "I'm trying to handle this stuff on my own without help, but i guess i wouldn't be taking my own advice if i kept doing that, especially when help is coming right to my doorstep to help me on stuff like this. I'll...go talk to mom soon after this, we can come to some kinda agreement on the plan , and maybe work things out properly".

She held out her hand, "The wand, i better head out and i'm not leaving it here with you, no offence." Luna handed it over without any hesitation on her part, star pocketing it, "But...i'll admit, it was nice talking to you, even if i fully don't get why, i can see why eclipsa likes you, she tends to love the kinda people she can soften up from their cold dark hearts".

Luna pouted at that but accepted it anyway, "Well, just update the others and make sure...they're ok, especially judas, i worry about him...a lot. So if you could check up on him and make sure he's alright, i at least would like that". The queen understood, holding the door open playfully. "Cya later prisoner, don't hurt yourself too much in here...ok?".

Like luna could ever get herself that hurt down here? but the thought of it all was rather nice. Better then the other times she was taken hostage, most of those guys were hesitant to even give her food. No one wanted to fight luna when she was at her fully power, no one could even be prepared for it. Luna was the kinda person who could bite your hand off even without any sharp teeth whatsoever.

and no one was gonna test that theory, no one

A few days later, marco found themselves back to work on the plan, landon in a far better mood then he had been, texting his crush in the nearby corner as marco went over their ideas with the rest of the team.

"Alright, we can eliminate that one.", marco said, crossing off yet another idea they considered in their mission. Honestly it was impressive how smart these kids where when it came, ideas like this but it should've been expected. Having some people to bounce ideas off was a brilliant idea and they were all so excited too. Galexia was the most excited actually, she loved talking about her ideas and drawings to with people.

In fact this was the most comfortable anyone had ever seen her at all, period.

Her drawings even made marco laugh at random.

She beamed though, she seemed to like the reaction she was getting out of the queen, in fact she seemed to like the adults in general a lot more then others, I guess considering she grew up with a lot of them that was fair. But every other teen had at least some minor issues with the adults, and yet galeixa was more then happy to spill them everything and talk.

She was so smart it was crazy, her ideas never always made sense but no one really seemed to care that much either. Galexia has been paying attention, that was for sure, she had an ungodly amount of drawings just based on the plan. Some were of the plan itself and others were of them failing the plan, which was no something anyone wanted to see right now. But last there was a plan and it's on it's way guys to getting better.

"Maybe we can hide weapons in my dress", sunny suggested, "I've done it before, just in case anything bad happens and i lose my wand, i wanna be able to protect myself, even without magic". Honestly marco wanted to question why someone as young as her reallly needed so many weapons but maybe it was best just to not provoke it right now for them.

"I think the plan i went with might be out best bet, but these ae some good ideas. Just don't suggest anything too dangerous, i don't wanna put you guys at too much of a risk. I mean i know you guys get into this kinda stuff often but you know what i meant. This is still something we need to be careful with, sorry, safety is always my priority when doing anything with my kids".

"Your kids?".

They never meant for it to come out like that, but i guess upon closest inspection, they seemed to be their parental figure now, it was like marco had adopted a bunch of new kids out of complete nowhere. "Sorry sorry, didn't mean to make it found like...nevermind, i'm just impressed your all of your ideas. But i think in the end our next option is gpnna have to be mind, found good?'

"You even sure it's going to work?", landon asked, huffing at his parent, "Landon, no I'll be honest i'm not, but if we prepare enough for what we may handle when it happens we can prepare for anything with this guy". It was about being flexible and covering any hole, it was all or nothing in this situation and leaving cracks open was the last thing anyone wanted to do.

this entire plan was to be a big trap, a trap is useless if it can be escaped.

With their kids already being in danger enough times throughout this marco had to step up, there was no way they were letting any more kids be put in serious danger, and they were already taking a risk in letting angel even be some form of bait. Marco had to be smart about this, they could run this over several more times to get every nook and cranny.

If they could they'd booby trap the whole castle, they would.

But then that'd risk the safety of everyone else inside, and being trapped in with the crazy person was also a bad idea.

So if they were lucky, the plan would work first go, and they'd not even have to worry about these plan bs or cs. It was just a bit unpredictable where this was going to go, they had been fooled before and if this plan even got out then all of this would be for nothing. For all they knew they'd posses someone else to go in their place and escape them once again.

The mind control aspect really bothered marco.

what if they used it on one of them? That was a thought marco didn't want to consider, especially if it hit him or tom, they'd be powerful and they could really hurt someone if they were made to do so. Marco considered making charms for everyone, perhaps they could attach them to their outfits, not anywhere that they could be seen of course but still.

Then they could be protected at least from that.

Marco made a mental note to tell sky later.

"Ok, so we seem to have somewhat of a good plan going, thanks to judas we have an idea of how the party is going to look, So that outta help immensely when it comes to here to put everyone for this plan. We can keep most of you safe and catch them without anyone at harm, and if this works well then we'll finally be free. You'll all just have to stick to your roles and-".

Landon raised his hand.

"Roles? What?".

"Landon, the party is being used mostly as a front, therefore you have to pretend like nothing is wrong the entire time. If we aren't acting natural they're going to catch on very quick to something happening", landon sunk in his seat, "Right right, but like...won't it be more suspicious if we aren't on edge at least a little the whole night, they're not stupid...i think".

"We can do our best landon".

Landon didn't exactly like this idea, who knew what could happen like this? But marco was right, they were just going to have to be careful, and maybe stay wary of who they talked to. They didn't want to let this person in on any secrets they shouldn't know about, but hopefully they'd be fine. this meeting seemed very effective, marco was going to have star to talk to star about it and-

"Thanks for helping us!", sunny piped up, "And...thanks, we're happy to be considered your kids...", she blushed and marco smiled. "You guys...haven't really had a proper parental figure since you got stuck here, we assumed you were here because your parents let you be here...and we're no substitute for your actual parents but...i hope we can at least help in the meantime."

"You're doing great i promise!", sunny was always so positive, it was surprising how through all of this she still kept a smile on her face. "It's been super nice getting to spend so much time with you, i think we all feel a little at home here. We've lived here so long i guess it's become a second home to us...while also kinda being our home already as well".

Marco bit their lips, thinking of something.

"When we send you home, are we sure you can even come back?'.

They never had to consider it much before this point but now was as good a time as ever to really think about it. Sunny wasn't just a girl from another world, but she was a friend to mason, their youngest son, not to mention friends with everyone else too. They'd well, be sad if they never say any of them again and well, it was an idea that was thought about and could not be helped.

"Sky thought the same thing and she thought, well, we might figure something else out so...we're trying not to think about it too hard y'know? Don't want to get everyone upset right?". Her voice didn't sound like she was too happy about it though, sunny sounding like she almost wanted to hold back from some crying of her own about the matter. At least, it sounded like it.

Losing everyone else must have broken her heart to think about too.

"Sunny i promise we'll all stay together somehow...ok? i don't want to see any of you separated forever either, mason's never been so happy in his life/ He likes having more friends to spend time with, and of course, you all have grown very close. It'd be a burden to separate you, i promise we won't let this all be forever, you'll all see each other again".

Sunny looked over to lexi, who was still drawing by herself, smiling and ignoring most of the world around her.

"I guess i keep worrying about that, even though i try not to...", she admitted, "I'm supposed to be the positive one here, keeping everyone up and happy but...sometimes, i feel sad...thinking about this stuff. i'm going to miss you guys...i really am, i just got used to having sisters and new brothers and saying goodbye, to all of this, it's going to be hard...".

"Well, we'll try and make your last days here the best they can be then, just in case getting back in contact is...hard. You girls at least deserve a few last nights stress free before going home...it's not much, but you all deserve it after everything you've been through. You can even bring some things back home with you if you want to, memories and stuff".

"My parents probably think i've been kidnapped or something".

Yeah, yeah they would, heck knows if this happened to any of their sons marco would feel the same way by now, if they didn't think they died or something. The worry that had to be on their faces must be devastating. Sunny must think about it a lot, especially since she had a little brother back home she loved and had to live without her for so long.

"Don't worry about the now, think about how happy they'll be to see you again", marco said gently, "That's what matters here, getting you home to see them, they'll be thrilled and delighted. I know being away is scary but, it won't be permanent. We will make sure you get home, even if it takes years, don't give up on us ok? We won't let you feel abandoned."

Landon a little way a ways, turned his head away.

"Years, mom you know we can't do that, someone is going to find out eventually".

"I know lardon, but that's no reason to not try. We're going to have to help and not stil and cower even if someone is after them. These girls need to go and everything, the longer they stay here who knows what could happen, it's better they get home as soon as they can before anything worse happens to them. But we need to catch them first, free their names".

"You've been meeting with them right, how badly do people think sky or luna did it?".

Marco tensed up, feeling their shoulders stiffen as they looked for the best works, "Well since that day it's already been a mixed bag, but it hasn't gotten worse if you're looking for good news, i don't think people have gotten stronger on it. Luna must've kicked out a lot of the previous ideas they had which is both good and very bad all things considered".

"Figures as much, we better watch out".

"Oh don't doubt you will, no one feels safe".

"Hey...i hate to ask but, what happens to luna...if this all fails? We're delaying the trail but...there's no way we can defend her if we don't catch the real culprit and...what are they gonna do to her?", the question hit marco like a punch to the gut. They had been avoiding that answer entirely because they knew the answer and didn't want to worry the kids.

Sky was royalty, at worst if she had been convicted she'd lose her right to the throne and her wand.

But luna on the other hand, and with her true identity not known to anyone outside of their ground.

She wasn't nearly as safe.

Around here she was just seem as another citizen, she had no protections outside of perhaps the words of jackie and the royal family to protect her. But even that had a chance of not mattering, because a royal family can trust the wrong people. There was a chance of luna ending up in a BAD situation if they didn't do something soon and the thought was dreadful.

She already had a family back home waiting for her but if they never saw her again due to something like...like being frozen, that'd be even worse.

"We won't let that happen, we'll make sure of it. Even if...things get really bad", Marco was quick to change the subject, going through their papers and papers of plans and ideas. "I'm going to run these by tom and his parents, we need approval for some of these traps within the castle. We're already building up the ballroom for the event and the sooner we have a head start the better".

Landon stood up, ready to head out and join their mother as marco stopped in their tracks and turned again to sunny, "Remember, don't forget the stakeout soon, get some rest and practice your lines...oh...and keep sky updated. She's spending a lot of time with angel and i don't want her to forget about her role, though...it's great seeing her a lot happier...".

"You got it! Uh...thanks for everything", marco smiled at her as landon followed them out, Landon examining the mask and outfit sunny had given him in his arms. It was fitted for him by sky, but he still wasn't sure about it. At least he wasn't doing any of the actual acting or anything, all he has to do was dress up and play music, nothing more, nothing less.

He just needed to be careful.

Not just because of him being a prince, he's just...nearly gotten into fights in there now and if a fight broke out things would not end well, the place was quite on most days but who knows who might head inside on a more ruely day. Demons could be nice people, but they were violent too, and it was always best to keep your watch on them, so landon just hoped this idea was a bust and nothing happened.

It probably would be.

It was that idea alone that was enough to relax him.

Because of his magical abilities he got a little anxious about using his violin at all in case of well, what happened last time, but it would probably be ok as long as he didn't try to do that song again. Besides, he was barely getting results as is, and he wasn't using a wand violin. He needed to chill out, the worst thing to worry about were his nerves at playing in front of people.

Just thinking about it was making his stomach turn, or maybe that was just his guilt at not telling his mother about what he'd been doing.

they knew he knew they did, so why was it so hard to just say something about it?

Marco walked alongside the demon as they made it finally to the nearest bathroom to change and try on the clothes and see how well they worked in case sky needed to fix anything. Marco hadn't said anything yet and he felt their silence was their way of trying to get them to talk. They had done this before when they were really mad after all and landon was feeling the sting of it now.

He went inside to change, not saying anything.

He was so happy everything with bernard was a lot better, not perfect, but better. The entire scare had left him feeing broken for a while and the fact he was still getting texts was a relief in his mind, even if things were still awkward. He felt as if he were walking on eggshells, but he knew this was on him, there was no one else to blame for this then him.

He should say something, marco would go easy on him and he knew it, he just...felt guilty.

How many times was he gonna keep going behind everyone's backs and getting caught? He wasn't sure why he was like this? Maybe he just had a hard time admitting he wanted help? He wasn't a very social person and people knew that, he tended to handle things along when he had the chance and only his mom was ever someone he went to for serious help.

Guess that was bound to kick him in the butt eventually, screw his awkwardness.

He tried on the costume and moved in front of the mirror, sighing to himself, and putting in the mask. It fit well, sky had no business being so good at all of this honestly, she was far more talented then people gave her credit for. Landon just wished he wasn't in some kinda rut right now and could feel a lot better about it. Staring at himself in the mirror before looking to the bathroom door.

He was going to have to suck it up and confront this wasn't he? If he didn't he wouldn't be able to focus and he might get himself into another situation all over again. He did deal with bernard and that went well right? Him trying magic can't be too bad, especially since nothing came of it or anything, why was he panicking over him doing something so minor?

"Landon? You ok in there?".

He took some deep breaths before splashing water on his face, "Yeah mom, i'm coming out in a minute".

He finally pulled himself together, sighing as he opened the door to face his mother, "Mom, i...want to talk to you...about something?". But he was stopped in his tracks, his mom looking at him softly in his outfit, making him blush. "Hijo, you look so grown up...i'm...honestly happy to see you so...open and out there. Look at you opening up and making friends and talking to your crushes.".

"Mom...".

Were they...crying?

They looked like they were crying and landon was hit with a new wave of emotions.

"Sorry, i just...judas is hitting his coronation, mason is hitting puberty and...you're changing a lot too...it's...overwhelming", they wiped at their face, "Didn't mean to start crying or anything, i'm just...so proud...and...you're all so grown up". Landon rubbed at his arms, still blushing hard and having a hard time looking their mom in the eyes, he wasn't expecting this...but...it shouldn't stop him either.

"Mom...you're...right".

Marco looked at them confused at first, right about them making friends and talking to crushes? Landon knowing he needed to clarify more.

"I have been semi-lying...to you, i...when the text incident happened...it was because i was doing magic...not demon magic. I...i realized my violin, i can do spells with it if i really concentrated, it's not the same as a wand but i think i'm the one channeling it, and...i tried to practice it behind your back. I'm really sorry, it just meant so much to me to learn magic and everything and you guys were saying no and-".

"Landon it's ok", they reassured, putting a hand on their shoulder.

"I'm...just happy you told me...instead of me having to find out the hard way.", he felt so much more warm inside hearing that, they really weren't that mad at him for not doing what they were supposed to? Well they were probably a little mad, but not as mad as he was expecting after all the other stuff he had done up to this point. The human sighing.

"We'll work something out...later, for now you're grounded, just for a few days tho."

Yeah, that was expected, but he was glad it wasn't for much longer.

"I'm glad you aren't hurt though, it's easy to get hurt doing magic like that...there's a reason the wand exists...", the pondered for a moment, biting their lips, "We have enough on our plate right now...but...when we get this resolved, i'll make sure to help you learn it. We may have to ask to borrow sky's wand...when it's fixed, but...i'll make sure you figure out this scary part of yourself...".

"D-did you have to use the wand to...to also learn all of this?".

They nodded, "Yeah, it didn't matter at the time because sky wasn't around to use it and star didn't need to anymore...so it gave me the chance to learn so i could well...y'know, do what i do now". As an example, marco cast a small red orb in his hand, "It's not the same as her magic...but, i like to think of it as something new that we can do...discovery and everything. I have to admit, i'm...happy i'm not the only one with it, it's nice being able to have someone else who understands and finds it just as weird".

"I'm still sorry, i shouldn't have lied...".

"If it helps, i wasn't dead honest about my powers to star at first either...it...took me a while before i could talk about it, There was a lot going on at the time and i was just trying to be a good friend". Landon felt a hand grip his shoulder, "I need to also be better for you, a better example for you...but, i think we're both making some progress, and...i'm happy for that".

He had to agree, "I guess...a little progress is better then nothing, right?".

They smiled.

"C'mon, let's change out of that and take a break, if it's ok, i'd like to watch you play. Get you less nervous to perform. It's a way to be there for you, and still help with the plans...unless you don't want me to?". But Landon shook their head, "No, i...i think i'd like that actually, please?". He didn't mean to sound so...needy, but marco seemed more then happy with it.

"Then it's settled, c'mon, i think i need a break too".

[cactusnymph]

Prompt fill #11 for @dimension20alphabet:

Kitten / King / Kiss

With the help of Ayda, Gorgug has made a checklist about his feelings and how to approach them. Ayda is very good at making organized lists and she understands his difficulty to talk to people about feelings. Plus, she was endearingly delighted and moved when Gorgug asked her for help.

 “I shall do my best to help you with your romantic endeavors!”, she had said seriously with one hand on his shoulder. “It is an honor to be of assistance to the greatest wizard of our age.”

 Gorgug doesn’t feel like much of a great wizard at the moment as he’s staring down at his list.

 1) Talk to Zelda about polyamory √

2) Read Jawbone’s book √

3) Talk to friends about Ragh √

4) Talk to Ragh

The first draft had many more steps in between that had stressed Gorgug out, so Ayda helped him narrow it down to the four most essential steps. So far, Gorgug feels pretty good about his progress.

 He spent a whole day with Zelda up in the Thistlespring tree with just the occasional pee and snack break. Yet again Zelda turned out to be an amazing girlfriend—listening without judging, patiently waiting until Gorgug found his words. He had been so nervous the whole time leading up to this talk and in the end it was one of the best days he spent with Zelda.

 Gorgug adds a small step in between his first and second step—which is to thank his parents to teach him that talking about feelings isn’t embarrassing or shameful. They both immediately start crying of course and Gorgug feels awkward, but they hug him and tell him they love him and he feels like he should thank them more often for being so full of love and support for everything he does.

 All his friends were just as supportive.

 Sometimes Gorgug feels a little overwhelmed by all the love he receives. After entering High School he suddenly had two sets of parents, a group of friends and a girlfriend for the very first time. Overall he feels like his life is going pretty well, considering the fact that he regularly gets into mortal danger as an adventuring student at Aguefort.

 Something Gorgug has taken note of is that most of his friends were under the impression that Ragh likes Gorgug back. Even Adaine, who usually just rolls her eyes about all of this relationship stuff, thinks that Ragh “is into” Gorgug.

 The only person who didn’t comment was Riz.

 “I don’t even know if my own friends like me most of the time, dude, I wish I could read people better.”

 That had ended in a big tirade about how much everyone loved and appreciated Riz.

 Gorgug loves all of them so very much.

 And he feels like the more people he loves, the bigger his love gets.

 It’s the same with Zelda and Ragh.

 The fact that he likes Ragh hasn’t diminished his feelings for Zelda at all—if anything, he likes her even more now. And he feels like there is still more love he has to give.

 So right now, holding his list in his hand, he’s standing in front of Mordred Manor, trying to work up the courage to talk to Ragh. Unfortunately his plans are being thwarted by something Gorgug didn’t expect.

 Ragh is in the garden—as he often is—but he’s not alone.

 There is a small, black kitten sitting in his lap and Ragh is very obviously talking to it while feeding it some snacks.

 Gorgug feels like his heart might explode from seeing Ragh—big, burly, buff Ragh—with this tiny ball of fur. He doesn’t want to interrupt, but at the same time he wants to run across the lawn, grab Ragh and kiss him again. This time with a little more feeling than he did at prom last year.

 Finally he works up the courage to enter the garden and walk towards Ragh and his new friend.

 “—amazing, dude. You’re going to be the best cat ever. You’re already the best kitten, man!”

 Gorgug thinks he might pass out because it’s so cute.

 Why is this happening.

 “Oh hey, Gorgug, brother, what’s up?”, Ragh says with a smile as he notices Gorgug and Gorgug’s feet carry him over to Ragh until he’s right in front of him and sits down cross-legged, gently holding out one big finger to the kitten. The kitten sniffs his finger full of interest and starts nibbling on it.

 “Hey”, he says softly. “Who are you?”

 “This is King, I found him this morning. Someone left him in a box, dude. Can you imagine? I mean, look at this little furball. Who would just leave him?”

 “I don’t know. But I guess he has a nice home now?”, Gorgug says and watches as Ragh lifts the kitten up and holds it up to Gorgug’s face.

 “Yes, dude, Imma be the best kitten dad ever. I already talked to my mom and Jawbone and we’ll get a litter box and some toys and everything later! Man, I’m so pumped for this little man!”

 Gorgug looks at Ragh’s happy face and he thinks about how far Ragh has come—and how far they have come and he feels his heart expand in his chest.

 He had everything planned out.

 Knew everything he had wanted to say.

 But now all the words are gone as he watches Ragh beam down at this tiny living thing in his big, big hands.

 “Hey Ragh”, Gorgug says quietly.

 “Hm?”

 “Can I kiss you?”

 There is a beat of silence as the smile on Ragh’s face falters for a second as he looks up, confused.

 “Uh—“, he starts and his face is suddenly turning a dark green color. Gorgug is not sure if that’s a good or a bad sign. He raises his hands hastily.

 “Um—I. Okay, this is going all wrong, I wanted—um. I wanted to talk to you actually? But you are very cute with this kitten and. And it’s really hard to concentrate. Um—“

 “But—uh. Zelda?”, Ragh says and blinks at him sheepishly and Gorgug feels a rush of relief. Maybe Ragh isn’t freaked out about the whole kissing idea in general, just about Gorgug kissing him while he’s with Zelda.

 “I—um. I talked to Zelda. About this. And to Jawbone. Because, I... I like both—both of you? Like, you know? How Jawbone is poly? Like that. And Zelda said she wishes me luck and um—and she made me a little good luck charm before I came here and everything.”

 Ragh stares at him as if his brain has frozen over and he’s having a hard time processing any of the things Gorgug said. Gorgug is nervously fidgeting with his shoelaces and his eyes flicker from Ragh’s face down to the kitten and back.

 Then, suddenly, there’s movement and Gorgug needs a second to realize that Ragh has surged forward to grab Gorgug’s face with both of his hands, leaving the kitten sitting in his lap as he presses his lips against Gorgug’s mouth.

 Gorgug makes a gurgling sound before his eyes fall shut and he gently puts his hands on either side of Ragh’s neck.

 Oh, he thinks. This is so different. But just as nice.

 “Fuck yeah, Gorgug! You go!”, Fig’s voice shouts from above.

 “Way to go, Ragh!”, Kristen screams.

 Multiple cheers go up behind them and as Ragh and Gorgug separate and turn around almost all of Morded Manor’s inhabitants are lurking at different, opened windows.

 “I’m happy for you, sweetheart!”, Lydia shouts from one of the windows and Ragh grins sheepishly, the green blush on his cheeks darkening.

 “Maybe we can—uh—go somewhere else?”, Gorgug says, embarrassed and happy at the same time.

 “Yeah, sure, man. Uh—is it cool if I bring King?”

 “Yeah. I don’t think he’ll holler at us.”

 Ragh laughs, beams at him and pumps one of his fists into the air.

 “Man. This is the best day ever. Berserker Babes, fuck yeah!”