#the fun thing is that his shields just get weaker and weaker so eventually i can just pop my bursts and go unga bunga

[krongulous]

Been playing through Borderlands The Pre Sequel again, and doing it has made me realise how much in common Franky and Wilhelm have.

They’re both cyborgs (well start out as one) and go down very similar, yet slightly altered paths.

Let’s look at Wilhelms Cyber Commando skill tree for example, this skill tree physically changes Wilhelm the further you get, giving him cybernetic upgrades, with these upgrades being similar to Frankys own augments in one piece.

First off, there’s the Power Fist, a long ranged melee attack which deals explosive damage, this is very similar to Frankys own Strong Right, though it goes for longer distances than the Power Fist as it’s launched via chainlink.

Next up is the Homing Cannons and the Vengeance Cannon.

Though on the surface these both look superficial in comparison, they do both share another trait.

You see both of these attacks are sort of “last resort” attacks for both characters. In Wilhelms case, this is because the Vengeance Cannon only activates once shields are depleted, whilst Franky only chooses to use the Homing Cannons in the most desperate of situations, as doing so dislocates his shoulders in the process, as these are grafted into his skin.

Finally (well the Vengeance Cannon is actually the final upgrade Wilhelm gets but this is a more convenient order) is the Shock Absorbers, which allow Wilhelm to run and gun, now I can’t provide an image because I’m pretty sure nothing actually changes on Wilhelms model, but you know who also has a simailar leg upgrade?

THE GENIUS FRANKY THATS WHO

Hell the comparisons don’t just end here actually, the paths they go down are quite similar too, as they both go through major design changes in a two year timeframe, becoming more mecha like.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Wilhelm is like a mirrored version of Franky.

See in lore, Wilhelm is addicted to cybernetic implants, he was born with Glass Bones disorder and due to this has weaker bone structure than most.

This leads him down a path of mercenary work, which he uses to pay for said implants and become more machine than man by the day, until he’s what we see in borderlands 2, a mech devoid of emotion, who’s become more machine than man.

He’s virtually unrecognisable, his hair and beard are gone, his one remaining organic eye is gone and he’s nothing but a killing machine (well he didn’t really care much about who he killed before anyway but the point still stands)

But how does this mirror franky?

See Oda, for fun, made good and bad timeline strawhat designs, with the bad timeline being where “things went wrong” presumably just code for them not finding the one piece.

This is Frankys.

In this bad timeline, Franky became nothing but a machine, with the only goal in mind to sink battleships, eventually becoming one himself via upgrades.

A machine with only one goal in mind is exactly what happens to Wilhelm, and if Franky ever got to a point where becoming stronger via solely upgrades is what he felt was necessary this could easily happen to him too.

Now am I saying Borderlands copied One Piece? No, this “good and bad timeline” thing was years after, I just thought the similarities were cool.

[wormstacheangel]

Suptober Day 1: Harvest

wc: 1.7k tags: fluff with the side of tiny case fic, established relationship, spoilers but cw they are drugged with cider,

It was a long hunt. One that they accepted as their last one, but, of course, they can never sit still enough not to take an easy local hunt. By local, he means a two-day trip away, but still, they saved a couple of old folks from a ghost, which was fun. Dean sure enjoyed getting thrown around until Cas finally burned the dentures.

Like he said, long hunt.

They stayed at a nice little Airbnb overnight. During breakfast, their waitress told them of the Harvest Festival a town over. Cas was still a little bruised up, but Dean convinced him to go, at least to try their famous apple cider.

“We’ll make a day of it! Just me and you.” With that, Cas agreed, taking Dean’s waiting hand across the table.

The festival was lively when they arrived in the afternoon, with more people than they expected considering the small town they were in but apparently when they say famous they meant it. The tents lined up with food from funnel cakes, donuts, chicken, and some pumpkin spice beer that Dean chugged down even though it tasted like shit.

They eventually ended up with bags filled with treats and souvenirs to take home to the kids--Sam and Eileen fall into the kids’ category. They each held a bag while Dean held Cas’ hand tight in his own, dragging him around from seller to seller, buying and tasting as he went.

“We should start heading home, or soon you’ll be too full to drive.” Cas teased as Dean finished off their bag of apple crisps. “You think we’re feeding an army.”

“Considering how Jack eats, we might as well be.”

“He gets that from you, you know.”

They continued their banter as they made their way out of the festival and to the parking lot.

Then they were stopped by a woman wearing a volunteer pumpkin shirt, “Aw, leaving so soon? Don’t ya wanna stay for the fireworks?”

That quickly took Dean’s attention, brightening up his whole face so much that once again, Cas couldn’t find it in himself to refuse. Instead, earning himself a small kiss on the cheek as a thank you before being was dragged to the car to drop off their items.

Once back in the festival, they walked around until another volunteer told them about the amazing view of the fireworks at the middle of the corn maze.

“It’s a small maze, but in the middle is a little hill. So it’s usually first-come, first-serve. But I haven’t heard of anyone taking it as of now.”

Once again, Dean was easily hooked in and took Cas along for the ride. Not that he was complaining. He enjoyed watching Dean get excited over small things, things he wouldn’t have permitted himself to get excited for before. Of course, it helped when Dean hooked his arm around Cas’s waist to tug him close, whispering, “Ever kissed someone in a corn maze, Cas?”

“You know I haven’t, Dean.”

That did it for Cas. A promise of a spectacular kiss that will put the fireworks to shame.

At the entrance of the maze stood a cider cart, and Cas made a beeline for it. “I at least wanna be warm if you are going to make me walk around in the cold.”

“On the house.” The saleswoman winked at them, and something uneasy passed through them, but they ignored it as she motioned them to go right on in that the fireworks should be starting soon.

They took their hot cider and walked right in, taking hold of their hands as they walked through the maze in comforting silence. Watching the sky above them change from orange and pinks to the dark night sky.

When the maze opened up to a clearing, Dean started to run—taking the small space on top. It was tall enough to see over the cornstalk and watch the lights twinkle from the festival up ahead. They could even see groups of people exiting the maze from their left, and for a second, Dean wondered why they didn’t run into anybody on their walkover. It looked like a lot of people were going through the maze, but nobody passed them.

That thought was quickly dismissed as the first firework lit up the sky, cheers from the crowd echoed the loud boom, and Dean felt secure with an arm hooking around his shoulders to bring him in closer. So they sat there watching the firework show and polishing off their now cold cider until Cas couldn’t wait another second.

Gently, he turned Dean’s face just enough so they could start the kiss slowly. The snap crackle pop of the fireworks above their heads just kept lighting up the fuse between them until Cas asked for them to find another place to spend the night.

“Should we go now?” Dean kissed down Cas’s jaw, feeling the hastily nods instead of seeing it. “Okay. Okay, let’s go.”

They both stood up and took one last look at the view before they got down. Turning left, where they were sure they saw the other folks exit from before. Every few steps, they pulled each other for another kiss-- smiling into them like giddy newlyweds--until they started to realize they’ve been walking for way too long.

The fireworks had long been over, and they soon realized it was their only source of light. It soon became so hard to see anything that they didn’t dare let go of each other’s hands. They tried to go back to the hill to see if maybe they could see the trail from there, but it was like it never existed in the first place.

“Fuck!” They turned the corner to find another dead-end. “Isn’t this shit for children!”

“You know we haven’t seen or heard anyone in a while. Not since-”

“We came in here. I know. I was thinking the same thing earlier when we were on the hill.”

“Why didn’t you say anything then?”

“Cause you stuck your tongue in my mouth and impending doom took a backseat.”

They started to run, calling out for help as they did, but it only felt like they were going in circles.

Then Dean yelled, “Hallelujah!” When a flashlight shined into their faces.

“There you two are. It’s time to go.” The old man sounded so relieved to find them. He didn’t look sinister. He didn’t even make it sound like they were gone for that long. “You two okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah. We got lost, I guess.” Dean shrugged, watching as Cas stared ahead of him.

“Many people do. But they always find their way out, though.”

They followed the man out of the maze while Dean’s knuckles brushed alongside Cas’. They were listening to the man recite a memory when suddenly Cas tugged at Dean’s arm.

“Dean.” It was a shocking gasp.

“Cas?” Dean turned around to watch; Cas’s eyes rolled to the back of his head before dropping like a ragdoll. “Cas!”

And just like that, Cas was out to the world.

Dean fell to his knees to take Cas into his arms, but it was useless. He was heavy, and Dean’s body was starting to tingle, his muscles becoming weaker with every passing second.

“Don’t you worry about your little friend.” The man flashed his light on Dean’s face. Blinding him, but Dean kept glaring up at him. “Just like you, he won’t feel a thing.”

“What did you do to him?” He tried to growl, but it came out too breathless for it to be threatening.

“Same thing we did to you. Same thing we do every year to a couple of tourists.”

Dean could feel himself slipping out of consciousness, but he kept trying to shield Cas from whatever was coming.

“Don’t fight it, boy.” The man walked over to him, raising his flashlight high above his head. “Hate it when they struggle.”

And with a single hit, Dean was knocked out. Falling over Cas. Hoping that at least he gets killed first this time around.

Dean woke up again when he felt someone kicking his legs with little to no effort. His arms were numb, and he realized it was because they were pulled back and tied around some huge boulder.

“Dean?”

Dean recognized the voice and happily groaned out a complaint. “Hate small towns. Creeps. All of them.”

Cas chuckled in relief. “Glad you’re okay.”

Dean blinked a couple of times before his eyes focused, looking across from him to find Cas in the same position as him. Cas looked dirty, a few scratches on his face from being dragged, which made Dean furious—tugging at the ropes that hold him back from checking for any more injuries.

“Fuck! Shit! You okay? They hurt you?”

“Not as much as they did you.” Dean didn’t feel much pain besides the stretch on his shoulders and a raging headache. “I guess that’s not true. You have a swell on your head.”

“Yeah, well, I went down swinging. Unlike you.” Cas didn’t look amused, but he looked concerned. Dean followed his gaze, looking for an explanation or a way out. “I guess we’re either bait or dinner.”

“I’m used to being bait.”

“And I’m used to being dinner. Well, aren’t we a match made in heaven?” This time Cas glared, and weirdly enough, it made Dean relax a little. “Okay, so what’s the plan?”

The plan was simple, while Cas may not be a full-powered-up angel, he was still an angel. And he was stronger than an average human. So with a little more force, Cas had his arms free, rubbing his wrist while shrugging at Dean, “I always see humans do this.”

“Yeah, cause it hurts, so if you can just-” Dean motioned for his arms and Cas quickly reached to untie him. Then, when they were both free, they once again started to look around the empty cornfield. “I say leave now and call for backup; come back in the morning.”

“Considering we have no weapons, I think that would be for the best.”

“So much for date night.” Dean took Cas’s hand, and they quickly started to get themselves out of there. Running like maniacs as they pushed through the endless corn.

“I actually enjoyed myself today. You know, before the whole being drugged and left for dead part.”

“Really? That was my favorite part.” Dean joked, squeezing Cas’s hand as they made their way to safety. “You think all the stuff we bought was drugged?”

“Won’t stop me from having another donut.”

“Man, I love you.”

[probably-haven]

Hey dude?

First of all, I love your headcanons! And If ya don’t mind, would ya be interested in doing more Archon War Era Venti headcanons? I loved reading the ones you’ve written and I would love to read some more! If you want to that it, your choice.

God, I feel so awkward writing this like I’m not trying to be rude and demanding but it feels like I am and I’m not trying to but if it seems like that, just know that it’s not my intention and I’m just going to stop here beforeIembarrassmyselfokbye

thanks so much for the ask bestie! And don't worry about it, it was actually phrased really considerately, and even if it wasn't I'd still be happy because 1) human interaction and 2) archon war era venti ihjrgfvskerudhjfh But seriously you and the ask give off really good vibes, so i get the feeling ur kinda the type of person who deserves to let themselves be rude or demanding every once in awhile- don’t know why i felt the need to make that comment, but i did, so make of it what you will <3

anyway! enough good vibes, lets talk about war!!!!

but seriously, I’m always always happy to talk more about Archon War Era Venti, like- im literally making a playlist for it cuz inspiration. Like sure, I may run out of ideas eventually, but that just means i get to think of more! which is fun af too!

spoilers for Venti’s backstory

first i want to clear something up from my last post. I mentioned the four winds in one or two of my points, but upon doing more research, I've discovered that the four winds weren't a thing until Vanessa's time, which was after Venti's 1000 year sleep so i'd like to adjust the imagery

this small pitiful looking wind sprite, newly having become a god, so small that no other god would possibly even consider it a threat, most having massive forms to display their power. But as opposed to physical strength, Venti is a being of raw elemental power. 

In the first part of the war there would come whispers of great storms, hurricanes, tornados, blades of wind that scourged the land, picking up flames, turning waters, channeling lightning, carrying freezing cold, turning the elements of the gods against them. And these storms happened completely by themselves. And they grew wary. Decarabian never left Mondstadt so could he have gotten strong enough to attack from even within it’s barrier. And then came the rumors, songs carried on the wind of a revolution, and a new name begun to be feared “Barbatos.”

An unknown god, conquerer of Decarabian, known now for attacking those Divine beings who used their power to oppress others, all from within the walls of Mond, for as he had never been seen then surely his power was so great he didn’t even need to show up in person. 

It was said that when you heard his song that was your final chance- to run, to escape before the winds caught you in their current, erasing all that ever was to your memory except the song on the wind. Sure, running would separate you from the civilization that gave you your strength, but for some unknown reason, Barbatos never target the vulnerable mortals left behind, so for a time, you could keep your power. 

There were multiple records from mortals of their (weaker by comparison) gods being caught in the winds, swept up high into the sky where the one sided battle between god and nature raged on, until ultimately they would see it, the unmistakable wave of destructive force that came with the death of a god, far enough away so as to not reach the people below.  And when a god was too strong, the city would be encased in a wind barrier, shielding them from the explosion of divine misery

And when all was said and done, a boy in green would enter the city, singing songs of the battle on his Lyre. He came to be recognized as a herald to Barbatos of sorts, and the people would often times attempt to shower him with offerings, but the people had suffered and did not have much.  “I am just a bard,” he would insist as they asked for his name in reverance. “But if you have apples and wine, then gather them and the people in the center of town. Freedom is something to be celebrated after all, is it not?”

And the people would relish in their newfound freedom, the ‘nameless bard’ celebrating with them as his friend never got to, and he would play one final song before vanishing into the night, retreating to mondstadt “Fly, fly away. Like a bird in the sky. See the world on my behalf. To the heavens may you fly”

Rarely was Venti ever actually in the city of Mondstadt though. He had seen first hand the destruction that the death of a god could cause, and if he were to be ambushed, he would prefer that it happened on the outskirts, where his people would not be harmed by the destruction left in the battle’s wake. 

However, he would be upfront with the people of Mond, explain to them of the archon war, what he was doing to other tyrant gods, and the danger of ambush- and only with their agreement, when he went out to fight, to liberate, he would raise a protective wind barrier until he returned. It pained him to do so- but he had already lost his closest friend, and he knew it would pain him more to return and see his friend’s legacy destroyed. If the people of Mond didn’t agree- then... well shit, i guess he got lucky. But I think that Venti would be close enough with them for them to see the difference between these wind barriers and those of the old god of storms.

actually- im leaving that there, but let me revise that-

Venti- being one of the very first to give out visions. Not caging his people for their protection as Decarabian had done before, but instead arming them with the ability to defend themselves. He would set up the basis of the wind barriers to aid in their protective power, but only Barbatos’s chosen could raise and lower them as they please, and they were a force to be reckoned with. It’s one of the main reason’s Venti became so fond of the “riptide of mortal blood” saying because of the alternate meaning it had when applied to his own people.

But there were times when a god was too strong- could not be separated from their people- and there would be nothing he could do to spare them.  So he would remain on the battlefield, enter as the unknown bard, and make his way to the center, playing his song as he walked- and he would stay until the wind had freed every one of their chained spirits(think stanley), until he was sure that the song would not be lost, however long it took. He was one of the very few gods who actually had any remorse for the mortal lives lost, and he would mourn their lost life, the things that they could have done had he not failed them. And this was all he could do, so insignificant, but he knew it was necessary, for if he did not do this for them, no-one else would because unlike the others, he had seen the potential of mortals first hand and often couldn’t help but think- had his friend survived, perhaps the people of this society’s song could have been saved. It was during one such song where he was discovered by the yaksha Alatus.

More Archon War Era venti headcanons: one two four

[wholesome-lee-trash]

Remus spooking logan with threats to- uh oh, tiggle him~

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Word Count: 969

Ship: None

Characters: Ler!Remus, Lee!Logan, Roman, Patton, Virgil, Janus

Warnings: Deceit, Remus, Tickles

A/N: You know, I think the whole "Nothing gets past the tickle monster" Thing is gonna become that thing that I just do and that's how you know it's me. Hope you like the story!

Talking is Easy

It had started out as playful banter one day. But his reaction to it, it was priceless. So, he did what anyone would do. Continue.

"I'll tickle you if you don't give me a jar of Crofters!"

"Stop working so we can DO something! Or else... I'll tickle you!"

"I'm gonna tickle you!" Remus says, having fun teasing the normally stoic side. The poor man's reaction was adorable. A bright pink flush crept into his face, while he tried so desperately to hide it without looking suspicious. Stuttering over his words, he usually just went to his room to cool down for a bit.

But today he was acting just a bit strangely.

Logan woke up in a good mood. He felt a desire, butterflies in his stomach. But what could he possibly desire? Remus' words ran through his heads.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle!"

Oh, no.

If Logan even saw Remus today, he knew the Lee mood would get so much worse. Not to mention the teasing that he's been doing for however long it's been. He groans. If he goes to breakfast, he might see Remus. If he doesn't, Patton will worry and force him to leave his bedroom, and probably see Remus.

The logical side gets up and goes to breakfast, which happened to be waffles.

Logan has sat down and started eating before he witnessed a very rambunctious dark side enter the room.

"Morning everyone! What are we having for breakfast today? Ooh! Pancakes with abs!" Logan then sees a very tired looking Deceit walk through the doorway. Been there before. The Duke gobbles down his waffles and runs out the room, like a child on Christmas morning running to see their presents.

"How does he have so much energy all. The. Time?" Deceit whines, laying his head on the table. Logan, feeling sympathy for him, took care of his dishes and went to find the Duke.

"Why, hello there, Lo-Lo!" Remus says.

"That... isn't how you sit on a couch." He had sat himself on the top of the sofa, leaning against the wall behind him, feet on the cushions.

"Sure it is! Sit with me Logan!"

"How do you have so much energy?"

"Oh, simple! You just steal Janus' energy drink, replace it with water, and boom, now you have energy! Why, are you in the mood to steal, Lo?"

"No, I'm not. Merely curious, was all." Logan starts to walk away.

"Looogan!" Remus whines. "Sit with me! Or I'll tickle you!" Logan's face started to burn.

"Talking is easy, but doing is harder." Remus practically jumped off the couch.

"C'mere, Logan!" He called as a chase ensued. Logan never acted like that normally. Normally, he'd stutter a little, and then just leave the room. Today, he didn't do that. Strange.

Logan made it back to the kitchen table before Remus could catch him and hid behind Patton.

"What's going on, kiddo?" Patton asks, not opposed to shielding Logan from Remus.

"Come here, Lo!" Remus taunts, moving closer.

"No." Logan moves away.

"Remus." Deceit says sternly, ready to put up with his tomfoolery for the day. "Stop chasing Logan."

"Oh come on, Jan. He wants it! Don't you, Lo-lo?"

"No." Logan couldn't help the blush that rose on his cheeks.

"I'm so confused." Virgil says quietly.

"What's going on here?" Roman asks.

"Oh, I'm just going to tickle him!" The Duke answers.

"Really? Is that what this is all about?" Patton asks, directed towards Logan and Remus.

"Of course-" Logan saw an opening while Remus was answering Patton, and ran towards his room. "LOGAN!" Remus following not too far behind.

"Well, now I'm interested." Virgil says.

"Come on then! Let's go watch!" Roman jogs to catch up with them, Virgil close behind. Janus followed them silently, Patton left to clean the kitchen and bake some cookies.

"NO!"

"Yes!" The Duke yelled after Logan. They ran into some room, without an exit. It took Logan only a few seconds to realize his mistake, the Duke guarding the only door, the one they came in through.

"Uh... Now Remus. I-I'm sure we can talk about this, yeah?"

"Logan, you challenged me."

"I did not! I merely said, talking is easy, doing is- Oh." Remus stalked closer and Logan extended his arms, keeping distance between them. "No!"

"Yes!" Before Logan could comprehend, Remus tackled him and had him pinned on the floor.

"Remus! Get off!"

"No! But, I will do this!" His hands turn into claws, absolutely wrecking Logan's sides.

"ACK! No! RemuS!" Logan fights the wobbly smile that's already on his face, the giggles bubbling up quickly. His hands fly to the Duke's wrists, trying to push him off, unsuccessful.

"Oh, did you want me to move down here?" He teases, massaging his hips. Logic's head falls backwards, giggles streaming out of him uncontrollably.

"Nahahahahaha! Dohohohon't!"

"Awe, why not, Lo?"

"Ihihihit!"

"Tickles? Yeah, that's kinda the point." Remus moves up to Logan's ribs, scratching the spaces in between the bones.

"Nohohohahahaha! Rehehehemuhuhus!" Logan laughs, kicking his legs. He was becoming weaker by the second, the tickling too much to bear. Remus continued to switch between different tickle spots, keeping Logan on his toes. All Logan could do was laugh, which eventually became silent.

"Alright, that's enough." Roman intruded, pulling Remus off and smacking his hands away.

"Noooo!" The Duke whined as he watched Logan curl into a ball.

"Well, if you're done, I totally don't think that Patton's made some cookies." Janus says, scaring everyone but Remus, who's used to him seemingly popping up out of nowhere. Virgil helped Logan up, still a little giggly, while Roman walked with Remus. They all entered the kitchen, seeing as the cookies were on the stove cooling down.

"Where did Patton go?" Roman asks.

"Nothing gets past the tickle monster."

[dastardlydandelion]

So...what kind of horror movie would you write featuring the Hargrove/ Mayfield family? (That you haven't written already lol)

oh boy, u may regret asking me this bc i am indecisive af and i can’t pick just one!

two that i'm actually writing are max as (g is for) ghostface killer in the abcs of neil’s death and also the max + tory nichols werewolf movie fic outlined here. also some more misc gorror junk bc i’m a demon and esp horny for susan wearing blood splatter. but more ideas commence below:

horror movie #1: another creature feature! awhile back @lucdarling sent me an ask abt max + billy hiding smth from susan and her like, playing along, pretending she doesn't know, and one of the scenarios that popped in my head was them keeping a baby bat as a pet. max finds it and she’s only like six or seven, and she thinks it’s going to turn into a vampire. so here is that scenario except horror edition: baby bat is actually a vampire type creature. not rly a vampire like, what’s prolly popping into ur head, like an undead human like dracula or smth, but like a bat monster that sucks blood.

billy being a lil older doesn’t actually think the bat is going to turn into a vampire. he makes fun of max for believing this, but he helps her take care of it anyway bc he thinks it’s cool. susan, like in the non-horror version, knows abt the bat but plays dumb bc she’s feeling a lot of guilt abt max’s difficulty adjusting to the blended fam (as of rn tho, neil has yet to reveal his abusive nature. the red flags are not yet red, more of a brownish maroon, and he is on his best behavior almost all the time, showering susan + max with affection and keeping the swears out of his mouth when he scolds billy in front of them) and knows the lil furry baby makes her happy. she tacitly cleans up after the bat whenever the kids miss a spot (bats poop a lot, dude) and distracts neil, deterring him from discovering it whenever he gets close.

baby bat gets rly big rly fast. and the older it gets, the more it starts to look monstrous. it still has bat features but it’s just like, different. its fangs grow suspiciously long, its hooks grow suspiciously long. its feet are elongated. a dorsal ridge emerges from its spine, spikes at first just flesh but soft fur rather like peach fuzz eventually sprouting. billy catches on that smth is strange abt this animal when it's as long as his forearm after two wks and still growing. he nearly shits a brick when the bat is clinging to his sweater one day and he steps in front of a mirror and only his reflection looks back at him— no bat.

max laughs at him all like, “stupid brother, ofc there’s no reflection. nosferatu is a vampire, vampires don’t have reflections.” 😂

susan catches a glimpse of the thing when nosferatu crawls out of the home max built it in her closet the same wk billy realizes it doesn’t have a reflection, and also almost shits a brick. she doesn’t know what it is, but it’s NOT a fucking bat. not a normal one, anyway! cue a comedy scene where she’s chasing it around the house with a butterfly net and it’s always one flap *ba dum tss* ahead of her, flying just out of reach. she suddenly regrets not getting rid of it sooner, scolding herself for ever allowing her daughter to keep a wild animal.

she can’t catch it. max comes home, susan tells her she needs to get rid of it. max cries, flips her the bird, refuses. billy tho…billy has mixed feelings. he loves nosferatu but he’s worried it’s going to get dangerous. he loves his dad and his dad is dangerous too. he’s stressed out enough, always on edge, knowing that one way or the other, neil is going to hurt him again. he’s already waiting for his dad to hurt him, he doesn’t need the added stress of waiting for nosferatu to hurt him too. and while max is 100% nosferatu’s favorite, it likes billy too. billy’s been handling it since it could fit in the palm of his hand, it trusts him much more than it trusts susan and doesn’t know any different when billy takes it out of the closet when max isn’t around.

billy frees nosferatu at an abandoned farm. there are always bats flying out of the old silo adjacent to the dilapidated barn. while he knows nosferatu isn’t a *normal* bat, it’s still bat like enough that he thinks it might make friends and be happy here…

yeah, that doesn’t stick. before long, nosferatu is feasting on that colony. leeches the blood out of a couple bats nightly. the number of bats increases with nosferatu’s size. meanwhile, max mourns her missing friend. she’s sullen af and won’t speak to susan at all. she thinks susan is the one who got rid of nosferatu. billy never fesses up and susan doesn’t contradict max’s assumption bc she wants the step-siblings to get along.

neil, meanwhile, is getting more comfortable. those maroon flags are slowly but surely brightening to scarlet. he starts sabotaging susan’s plans with her friends, trying to keep her around the house more and more, quietly but steadily eroding her relationships with other people. he’s getting more visibly aggressive when he disciplines billy. he curses him out with a virulent venom that dunks susan’s stomach in ice water and scares max so badly, she runs to susan and hides behind her even though she’s still so mad that susan got rid of her beloved baby vampire.

nosferatu’s appetite surpasses what the bat colony can offer. it’s like the size of a ten yr old human child now. fucker’s big. it doesn’t just have fangs on top, but tusks on bottom. it can’t go out in the sunlight anymore, the sun sears its flesh. it misses max a lot and before, it wasn’t strong enough to fly back to her house. but now it is. it’s extremely strong, actually.

so bc it's hungry, nosferatu grabs a snack along the way. some nameless rando, it swoops down and sucks dry. nourished and much happier, nosferatu makes its way back home. patiently waits outside of max’s bedroom in the moonlight, tapping its hook against the window until she wakes up. initially max is a lil startled— nosferatu looks so different, there’s a beat before she recognizes it— him?? yk, ig it’s male, the og nosferatu was a guy. sure, why not, nosferatu is a boy now.

once she realizes who it is, she is so! happy! max opens the window and embraces her friend. she isn’t freaked out by the blood on its fangs. she’s always known nosferatu is a vampire, albeit, she was thinking he’d look more like dracula than this bat-monster-thingy.

nosferatu moves back into max’s closet. it hangs upside-down from her rod by its weird, elongated feet. we get more shots of nosferatu sucking rando ppl dry at night, tho he remains gentle with max. when max drags billy in to show her he came back, nosferatu is less friendly with him. he’s not aggressive with billy, but he is standoffish. nosferatu’s thought process is somewhere between human and animal. he doesn’t quite cognitively understand that billy took him to the farm with the intent of getting rid of him, but he does understand that the last time he clung to billy, billy left him alone and never came back. max puts two and two together, and realizes it was billy who “stole” her friend. she yells at him a lot, he yells back, she then ices him out.

billy acts out bc he’s upset. runs away, thinks he’s going to find his mom…the cops find him first and call neil. neil is rly embarrassed and pissed abt the whole thing. he breaks down and beats billy in front of the mayfields for the first time. nosferatu smells the blood and it’s time for the main event! we love dead!neil, yes, we do.

nosferatu flies out the closet and right into the living room where billy’s bleeding and teary but biting his lip so they don’t actually fall. susan’s covering max’s eyes but so shocked and tbh, FRIGHTENED, she doesn’t move a muscle beyond that. neil’s got the belt raised, preparing to bring it down again, and nosferatu smashes right into him. neil stumbles, turns back to see this freaky monster looking thing. proceeds to whip the belt at nosferatu. tries to fight him off with the belt and it doesn’t accomplish much beyond pissing him off more— nosferatu, like most classic vampire types, has a healing factor!

max rips her mom’s hands off her face in time to see her pet sink its fangs into her stepdad’s throat. nosferatu sucks neil dry. billy’s a little dazed, not quite frightened. susan is just dead ass frozen, too scared to scream, even. nosferatu crawls over to billy and nudges at him, making sure he’s in once piece and forgiving him in the same go. max darts over and that snaps susan out of her stupor, but she isn’t as fast as our blood-sucking bat monster.

nosferatu stretches his wings out and with a truly impressive wingspan, hugs both of the kids. <3

horror movie #2: a haunting! this one opens with a bang. it’s a tragic horror, beware. we’re in hawkins post s3. billy died at starcourt mall. neil’s obvi had a longstanding abusive mindset and abusive behavior, but he rly takes his grief out on susan and max. mostly susan. she does her best to protect max however she can, whether that means shielding her w her body, sending her out of the house, getting neil’s goat to inspire his ire in max’s place, etc. but sue simply isn’t around all the time and when she isn’t, but max is, well. yk.

one day neil comes home early (bc he lost his job for a violent outburst, tbh) and discovers susan packing a suitcase.

sue fights hard. she rly does. but neil is bigger, heavier, crueler, and to boot, he caught her completely unawares. he kills her. and no, no it’s not some accidental thing where neil makes one bad move rage-blind. he strangles her with his belt. she’s clawing at his arms and making these horrible choked, trapped animal noises. thrashes and twists her body with everything she has trying to get him off but he’s so strong, his grip is unrelenting, and she's growing weaker, lightheaded with the lack of oxygen. strangulation can induce incontinence and when susan blacks out, her piss streams to the hardwood— neil hears that as much as he felt the clawing and heard the noises, even now he could stop, but he doesn’t. he just. doesn’t think his wife has the right to leave him, esp not after his son just did.

neil burns the body and the suitcase in the woods while max is at school. max has been spending as much time as she can (and often with sue’s prompting) outside of the house, so it actually takes her about two days to realize her mother isn’t around. neil tells a pretty convincing story about how susan abandoned them, voice saturated with apology and sorrow. he takes her out for a fancy dinner and promises he’s going to be a better father-- that being a better father is the least he can do now that her mother abandoned her and they are alone in their grief.

max doesn’t know what to think. she’s been preoccupied with her own grief and pain. she finds it hard to believe her mother would just leave her to neil’s wrath. she has a lot of hangups with susan and anger toward her for marrying neil and not getting them out sooner, but she’s also old enough to realize there would be risks involved with that. it’s hard to reconcile the memory of her mother just last wk pinning max to the wall to protect her from neil’s blows with her own bod just abruptly taking off without a word in the middle of the night. but hey, maybe that’s why susan left. maybe she got sick of protecting her, maybe the pain got to be too much and she turned tail.

but also…it’s early october now, abt three months after billy’s death but still fairly warm outside. yet neil is wearing long sleeves. neil never used to button his collared shirts all the way up, and yet. every collar is buttoned. also, mom’s car is still here. why would mom leave without her car?

that ceramic pelican she loved so much is still here too, on the mantle in the living room. it doesn’t seem like the kind of thing she would leave behind, she's had it since max was a baby.

max almost wants to believe neil because she’d rather her mother abandoned her than be dead somewhere, rotting in a storage locker or a hole in the ground. under the earth with the worms, just like billy. max has the worst feeling low in the pit of her gut. she thinks she knows the truth. she thinks abt going to hopper and hesitates bc she’s not sure she could handle it if he actually found smth. or what would happen to her if he did, where she would be sent, who she would end up with.

this movie would be more on the ambiguous end of things. an arthouse horror, if u will.

the days turn into wks and neil is crawling in his skin. the viewer isn’t sure if the shadows he’s seeing, always, always susan-shaped shadows, are of a ghostly nature or if he’s just hallucinating out of guilt. but the signs gradually point to the former— that smth paranormal is indeed going on. bc those scratches and bite marks susan left in his skin?

they do not heal. they do not get infected. they do not become necrotic. but they do not heal, either. days turn into wks and the wounds still look fresh, like she just left them moments ago. neil can’t wear light colors anymore because his wounds weep red into the fabric. he isn’t just seeing susan’s shadows either, he’s smelling her.

he washes his sheets and pillowcases a dozen times and the scent of her shampoo, her lotion, it’s like it’s woven into the fibers. he walks into the hallway and chokes on the aroma of susan’s perfume. he wonders if max is screwing with him, if max figured it out and she’s trying to torture him into a confession. one day he stomps off to max's bedroom, furious, adamant on confronting her. he grabs her doorknob, prepared to yank it open and then lets out a yelp, jerking his hand back with a sudden sharp pain.

it feels like a bee sting (which would be esp bad for this fucker in anything i write, bc i headcanon him as being allergic). but there’s no stinger. no injury. nothing. neil is freaked out enough that he backs down.

max, on the other hand, is getting gentler signs. when she turns the radio dial in the camaro, it’s somehow always her mom’s favorite songs that come thru the speakers. when she goes to pull clothes out of her drawers in the morning, she discovers that the things she’d just shoved inside in wrinkled balls are perfectly folded, neat as a pin, exactly like how susan always folded. susan was always fond of cardinals and suddenly max is seeing cardinals, pretty red cardinals, in just abt erry tree and shrub.

neil wakes up one night to his wife’s voice whispering “boo” right in his ear. he throws the covers off and discovers ashes in the bed. he doesn’t smell susan’s shampoo or lotion anymore, he smells the kerosine he’d poured all over her body.

his wounds still won’t heal. whenever he looks in the mirror, he catches a glimpse of susan walking past behind him, peering at him from her peripheral. he whips around, heart hammering, but there’s never any tangible person there.

max is almost certain her mother is dead at this point. neil’s been so bizarrely nice to her lately. she never believed in ghosts but her experiences with the upside-down broadened her perception of reality. she doesn’t know how else to explain the songs, the cardinals, the folded clothes. the way that these days, whenever she does feel fear toward neil, it just fades away. her fear melts like popsicles in the sun, immediately replaced by the sensation of a warm, maternal hug, as if arms she can’t see are trying to reassure her she truly doesn’t need to be afraid of him anymore.

in fact, max feels so unafraid of neil and brave, that one night she calls him out on it. he’s grizzled and unshaven in his recliner, beer in hand. she steps in front of the television he’s vacantly fixated on and folds her arms across her chest.

“you killed my mom, didn’t you?”

quick as a flash, neil leaps to his feet. he brings his arm back like he’s going to strike her and susan’s ceramic pelican on the mantle explodes into shards. the lights flicker, the television program cuts to snow with a static roar. every other knickknack on the mantle rattles and framed photos tumble off the wall.

neil very wisely lowers his hand. he slumps, boneless. he doesn’t say a word. max sees the answer in his eyes. it’s the dead of night and she snatches the camaro keys off the hook, marching out of the house, slamming the door behind her. it’s the dead of night and she doesn’t care. she’s going to blow past every stop sign and pound on the chief’s door until he opens up. and fuck, i just realized if this is post s3 he’s supposed to be in russia. shit. i don’t watch this show, but i know abt russia bc i DID watch the clips of that demogorgon that i rly hope isn’t stuck in captivity!! okay, but let’s pretend that didn’t happen?

it’s an au?? i mean, errything i write is always technically an au anyway, bc when i write stuff susan has an actual personality and billy isn’t *completely* abhorrent. okay, so it’s an au and mr. hopper didn’t blow up and un-blow up in russia. he’s still here. so max drives to his house.

she pounds on the door so hard this guy snaps outta bed, thinking someone’s trying to bust it down. she tells him neil confessed to killing her mom. it isn’t true, exactly, but he didn’t have to. so it’s a helluva grim drive back to cherry lane, this time in the cop car.

but when they go inside, chief prepared to arrest neil, no need. neil’s hanging from the belt he strangled susan with, shirtless for the first time since that night, erry seemingly fresh furrow and bite mark on full display. below his dangling feet is a map, the area he burned susan’s corpse in circled in red marker. did he kill himself or did the ghost do it?

up to u, we soundlessly cut to credits without a concrete answer to that question.

horror movie #3: crossover special! stranger things meets the chilling adventures of sabrina. sequel to that fic i wrote where susan makes out with lilith, queen of hell, and lilith kills neil for her. sue officially joins the church of lilith. bc in this ‘verse the church of lilith actually happens after caos s2 instead of the nonsense that was s3 and the inconceivably godawful migraine-inducing shit-fest that was s4.

killing neil was lilith’s only freebee. susan isn’t a witch, she’s a mortal, so in order to reap the other rewards of worshipping the one and only mother of demons, she has to fornicate with the witches and participate in the sacrifices!!!

this is, uh, well. it’s p much a porno, dude, sorry. 😅

this is just an excuse for susan to have sex with lilith, zelda, marie, hilda, big witch orgies + susan. witches bathing in the blood of their sacrifices, susan so nervous and timid but unable to deny her desire. the witch’s dressing her in their gothic garb.

how does the rest of the fam get it on this?

max joins the church too. she has more age-appropriate conduct with sabrina and the weird sisters, and what have you. just smooches and over-the-clothes groping, and whatnot, even tho the weird sisters, at least, would be interested in going further if given the opportunity.

billy dies in starcourt again, so he gets revived in the cain pit! hilda is the one who goes to him after bc she’s been in the cain pit many a time (i am still BIG side-eyeing zelda for repeatedly murdering her sister since childhood). hilda understands how jarring it can be to come back. suddenly alive!billy is freaking tf out but she brings him inside the mortuary, wraps him up in a big blanket burrito and they have a talk. hilda explains that he’s going to be okay and rubs his back while he tentatively sips the hot chocolate she made.

after billy’s calmed down, she brings max and susan in. max and susan can’t do as much magic as the caos witches— they’re mortals, after all, it’s not in their nature —but they’ve gained some abilities thru being in the church, following the rituals, and being carnally involved with the immortal witches. max happily shows him some of her new magic tricks.

horror movie #4: another crossover with caos. heavily inspired by creepshow episode s2e1, model kid (which i already v blatantly referenced in the last axe snafu update and i’m not ashamed, bc it’s a good series i love v much).

billy picks max up from the byers’ place rly late one night. it’s dark and the weather is bad and okay, yeh, he might be a little high. and a little concussed. he pissed neil off pretty bad the other day and okay, actually he’s defo concussed bc he doesn’t even remember what he did wrong!

needless to say, they take a wrong turn somewhere. they end up in greendale. at first max is pissed. she yells at him a lot! yells so loud hilda can hear them thru the walls of dr. cerberus’s comic shop/diner. she goes outside to see what all the fuss is abt, hilda never rly ignores youth in need. we love hilda, she deserved so much better…i’m getting distracted, okay, back to the story.

hilda ushers them inside. max is like, “ooh, comics? horror junk and comics? nvm, i’m not mad anymore.” she pats billy’s arm and wanders away to go check stuff out! hilda makes billy sit down. caos canon established that she’s psychic, at least when she wants to be. she smells the weed but she also sees his life, his trauma. billy doesn’t remember what he did to piss neil off or the abuse that followed, but hilda sees it clear as day.

he’s rude and cranky w her when she probes a little too much for his liking. hilda gently but firmly reprimands him and gets him a milkshake on this house. then she goes to check on max. she steers max to a v particular section of the shop, the one that sells model kits. now, max isn’t *huge* into model kits BUT they are p neat and she enjoys them well enough. more so when the weather is nasty and she can’t go outside. or when she needs smth to do with her hands (a trait she shares w susan) to distract herself and ease some of the anxiety when she hears her brother being beaten or her mother being shouted at.

max is actually rly impressed by the array of models. vintage ones and newer ones. monsters, slashers, final girls, tiny accessories like knives and bloodied heads. but when she gets to the paint-your-own shelf, her jaw drops to the floor.

there’s one that looks just like neil. unpainted, plain gray vinyl, but undoubtedly her stepdad. the expression on the five inch figurine is one frozen in fear.

“i think that one’s calling to you,” hilda prompts her, with the softest smile.

max blinks away her bewilderment altho she still can’t speak. she turns to hilda and turns her empty pockets inside out. hilda just waves her hand. she tells her it’s on the house. that it wouldn’t be fair if she gave billy smth on the house, but not max.

speaking of billy, when he finishes his milkshake, he’s suddenly totally sober and healed!! no more high buzzing in his blood. no more pounding headache or concussion fogging his mind. he doesn’t feel his bruises anymore, rolls his sleeve up, and realizes they simply aren’t there anymore. like they dissolved off his skin.

albeit it’s muttered under his breath, but billy does thank hilda. then he and max are on their way. max shows him the suspiciously familiar figurine in the box. this night cannot get weirder.

max knows what to do with the model kit. she does. she isn’t sure how she knows, but she does. she grapples with it for a long time. neil’s the closest thing she has to a dad these days. and things aren’t bad all the time, ofc.

sometimes neil gives max a ride when mom and billy aren’t available. sometimes he brings her ice cream entirely unprompted. neil’s the one who picks max up off the sidewalk when she wipes out super bad on her skateboard, carries her inside and then later to the car when her cut doesn’t stop bleeding and she ends up needing stitches.

but most of the time he sucks. she can’t rly be herself around him. he's indifferent to her interest at best, scornful at worst. he would hate all her friends. he scares the shit out of her when he’s angry. he doesn’t have a problem belittling her mother in front of her, tearing susan to shreds and making her out like she’s lower than dirt, the most worthless person on the planet. doesn’t have a problem beating billy in front of her or glaring at her with the promise that she’ll be next if she dares to voice her dissent.

max doesn’t always want to do what she knows she’s meant to do with the model. bc she's kind at heart and bc on the good days, she genuinely does have mixed feelings toward neil. never enough to hope he'll be better, he's proven he won't...but maybe enough to hope he won't get worse, either.

then comes the night neil breaks ribs. bad, like we’re talking, a-sharp-spear-of-broken-rib-punctures-billy’s-lung-and-he’s-coughing-up-blood-bad. that’s a trip to the emergency room. in the days that follow, at her next dnd meeting w the party, max places the fully and attentively painted model of her stepdad on the table. normally her pals would protest her derailing the intended game, but they can sense it, yk, that smth is different.

max takes over as dungeon master to the protest of no one, all other mouths sealed as if bewitched and spellbound. she narrators a scene where the demogorgon devours neil and uses the demogorgon piece and the model for demonstration.

when max returns home, neil is strewn across the house in gory chunks and torn wallpaper curls around massive claw marks.

[agent-cupcake]

So happy you but up the headcanons! All of them are gems and I love them so much. Rereading the Dimitri and Felix rivalry hc made me want to ask for claude and yuri rivalry, but dark of course because both of these boys are sane and logical and would move on if they both caught feelings for you and weren't attached to you by a dark obession lol.

Sorry, I know you asked for love rivalry but I simply could not help myself and got a little carried away with seeing the so-called rivalry to his inevitable conclusion :3c

~Not that it’s probably necessary, but I had to consider the timeline for this. A rivalry between them wouldn’t fit in the events of the game because of Claude’s ambition, but he leaves the country in most endings. My solutions would be to have Claude split his time between Fódlan and Almyra as a politically active prince such as in his solo ending or to propose that Yuri would spend a lot of time in Almyra. Reasons for this could be that he went in aid of his good friend and military commander Balthus (Yuri would make for an awfully good royally sanctioned spy) or that he’s abusing the newfound system of open-market international trade for his criminal enterprise. Either way, Claude is powerful Almyran royalty and Yuri is a shady figure of the underworld. Not too unlike a story I’ve written, but this is separate from that. None of this really matters, ultimately, but whatever I like to think of how this would work out.

~Both men are powerful and ambitious. Both of them are emotionally isolated despite (or because of) their positions. They’re friends, or at least on friendly terms so there’d be a lot of overlap in social circles. And, really, they are quite similar so it’s plausible that they’d go for the same type.  

~I’ve since changed my stance on reasons why Claude might develop a fixation on someone. He is concerned with the intrinsic value of a person. He values the thoughts, feelings, and especially the perception of people he is close with. Claude is also a loner, a fundamentally lonesome person who wishes to be seen and loved on his own merits despite the guard he puts up and the social games he plays. Not to say I entirely retcon my previous opinion, but I focused too hard on the idea that he would need to dehumanize you by zeroing in on utilitarian usefulness rather than be driven to darker feelings by his fear of being alone and need to find a connection.

~This all goes for Yuri too, although it’s easier for me to imagine Yuri getting his authentic feelings twisted up and dark. Yuri’s circumstances were somewhat similar to Claude’s, except that he was shown genuine affection by his mother and the old man. Therefore, he knows what it is to lose that. He learned early on what it is to have people die because of him, to shoulder the burden of guilt that comes with such profound loss. Yuri’s scarred by a brutal, painful upbringing where “love” was a commodity to be traded in for favors (even by his mother) and genuine, honest relationships became nearly impossible to comprehend. If he met you and developed those true, affectionate feelings, if he found a so-called light in the darkness, maybe it’d make sense that he’d do everything he could to keep it from losing it.

~Their similarities in this instance would work out for this scenario. Somebody useful to them, somebody authentic enough to appeal to their deeply ingrained sense of loneliness, somebody clever or interesting or fun… There’s a lot of reasons they could develop unhealthy feelings for you born out of an innocently platonic friendship.

~And it would have to be platonic on both counts. Yuri and Claude are too self-aware for them to make a move if you made a choice early on. Or, I don’t think it’d become as big of a production because they wouldn’t have emotionally invested so much in you. Leading them both on unintentionally just by having a normal human friendship is kinda sad but also kinda funny.

~They’d know that you were close with the other. Of course they would. Maybe it would hurt, but neither would express that feeling to you. Claude would ask pointed (but not direct) questions about your feelings and dazzle you with grand overtures. Yuri would work the seductive and sweet angle, trying to win your heart the old fashioned way. But, you know, with more uncomfortable subtext and innuendo.   

~Something that has not changed is my opinion that Claude would be obsessive about his darker feelings. Not on a consistent, all the time basis, but more like a hobby. A puzzle he couldn’t solve, an itch he couldn’t quite scratch. He’d search for all of the pieces of you in the hopes that the final picture would allow him to understand his increasingly dangerous feelings. Claude’s not stupid, he’s really self aware. Enough to feel guilt, enough to recognize that what he’s doing isn’t right, and enough to justify himself out of the responsibility of doing amoral things for the right reasons.

~Yuri, on the other hand, wouldn’t be so… aggressive about it. He’d want you to come to him, to return to him again and again to prove to himself that what he feels isn’t wrong, to ingratiate himself into your life in a way that validated everything he felt for you and put you on more equal footing. He’d internalize everything a lot more, feel a lot of guilt about the intensity of his feelings, but he’d find ways to keep you close. Or, for you to keep him close.

~Don’t get me wrong, though, you wouldn’t get so much of a glimpse of this weaker, more vulnerable Yuri. He’d go the opposite direction of his guilt or doubt, wearing an impenetrable smiling, sarcastic, playful mask. My main point is that I see him as being more emotionally wrecked by having these dark feelings due to his self hatred. I also think Yuri would be more generally sensitive to unhealthy romance dynamics, especially if it became physical at all. 

~In an interestingly twisted way, Yuri hypocritically recognizing Claude’s behavior as being dangerous would encourage him to be more proactive about his own feelings and feel less guilty about doing so. Being the protective type rather than the obsessive really just fits Yuri so much better, although I see it as one ultimately leading to the other.

~It’s not about winning. They’d be competing, clearly battling against each other for you in a way that would not only be creepily objectifying, but also emotionally strenuous, but they’d keep on insisting that it wouldn’t be about winning. They’d just want you to be happy, to be safe. They both would just want what’s best for you. And what is best for you? Just ask them.

~Claude’s argument: Yuri’s lifestyle is dangerous. He’s a good guy, Claude really does trust him, buuuuut he’s not exactly the type of man you’d be safe with, you know?

~Yuri’s argument: Claude’s not treating you right. He’s obviously manipulating you, how could you possibly miss that? You deserve better, don’t you agree?

~But in the same breath they’d both insist that if you didn’t want to be with them romantically, that would be fine. They both, truly and unselfishly, would just want you to be happy. Just want to stay close with you. Veeeeeery unselfishly. 

~Their interactions with each other would be amazingly fake and aloof. Making small talk and smiling all the while vying for your attention in a nearly juvenile tug-of-war. Still, I don’t think, even through all of this, that they’d dislike each other. It’s not about winning, right? It’s not a game, right?

~Okay, so, I know the whole thing with scenarios like this is an inability to face rejection, but if you were to chose Yuri over Claude or vice versa, that’s where it would end. Committing yourself to one of them still wouldn’t work out super well because that’s the nature of giving into such dark and unhealthy feelings, but it would no longer be a rivalry.

~Let me propose, then, that you would eventually reject both of them. At first, the whole thing would have been so fun and so nice. Getting all of this attention from two powerful and attractive guys would be exciting. You’d feel so lucky, they’re both charming and friendly and kind. But then things would have gotten more intense and there’s this weird love triangle that is incredibly trite and uncomfortable and you wouldn’t have wanted to hurt either of them so it’s better to just leave it, right?

~Yuri would be more likely to use his personal feelings as a tactic of manipulation, I think. Worse, he probably wouldn’t see it that way. He knows, he truly knows, how dangerous and terrible the world could be and he’d do anything to shield you from it and his feelings would reflect that. Granted, if he felt you weren’t getting it, I don’t think Yuri would exactly be above veiled threats or bludgeoning you with fear tactics and even a dash of shame for how you’d played with both their hearts.

~Claude would do his best to convince you that you didn’t actually want to go. You didn’t have to chose either of them, but you couldn’t leave, either. That was way too dramatic. Besides… wasn’t it a little selfish? This was where you were needed, he relied on you. He trusted you. Sure, Claude’s a visionary, but what does that vision matter if the one who he shares his dreams with is gone?

~Maybe that wouldn’t work, though. Long term, it probably wouldn’t. I mentioned before that they wouldn’t hate each other, so if it came down to actually losing you, why not work together?

~Love triangles are for chumps, invest in a horribly unhealthy three person dynamic with possible kidnap and very overt tones of mental and emotional manipulation.

~That would solve all the the problems, wouldn’t it? Why would you try and leave them after they made so many compromises for you? Really, would you be that ungrateful and callous? They would both care about you so much, love you, even. Yuri and Claude would be trying to make it work despite the fact that it came down to essentially a tie in this bizarre game, why couldn’t you do your part? Landing such attractive and powerful guys, having them lay their hearts at your feet, you’d have to be a really terrible and selfish person to reject that. Not that you’d be given a lot of choice, but the devils in the details and if you fought them on this, it probably wouldn’t end up very pretty for you.

~Not saying either of them would hurt you. Physically, I mean. Probably. 

~In some ways, the compromise would make the guilt easier for them to bear. The fact that they were also being forced to deal with something they wouldn’t necessarily want to would be a leveling ground for them to justify any of your unhappiness with the situation. Like, it was all an equal amount of compromise to make things work for all three of you. 

~Claude would know how much Yuri meant to you and feel like the fact that he hadn’t taken that away from you absolved him of a lot of the responsibility of the other things he’d taken from you. Plus, Claude’s a distracted guy who’d lose track of things sometimes, always getting caught up in whatever project he was working on at the time, so he’d know that you wouldn’t be lonely during those times.

~Yuri would see Claude as being, in many ways, a better person than him. More out of a horrible sense of self perception than fact. So Yuri could have his piece of you with the recognition that Claude was there to balance the worst parts of himself and make you happy in ways this dark, twisty version of Yuri might not think he could.

~I don’t think that either Yuri or Claude would ever truly get along because of how similar they are and the fact that they both kinda lost to the other but I also don’t think that would be a huge issue. Their verbal sparring would be entertaining, honestly. 

[holycow99]

石田お寿司 19/7/21 stream translation Part 3

This is not the full translation of the stream. I only translated the parts I could understand & interpret or parts I found interesting/important. I’m still a beginner in Japanese, so the translations may not be accurate. If you want to repost, please repost at your own risk.

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C: Can finally sleep peacefully.

I: You’re right.

C: Why did you turn off the super chat option? (t/n: Super chat is an option, whereby viewers can donate money to youtubers.)

I: I’m afraid of becoming a billionaire. There are people who don’t turn on their super chat. I feel grateful just by you guys watching me streaming.

C: Aren’t you gonna live by the money you made through super chat?

I: Can you live with that much money though? I think watching my videos is enough.

(t/n: He said something more, but I totally couldn’t hear what he said. Sorry.)

I: However, please buy the things that should be bought (TG manga, JJ, merch, artworks, etc.). Please buy Jack Jeanne at 7000 yen ($63-$64). Is that considered expensive? (inaudible).

C: JJ has become my favourite works.

I: Thank you. I couldn’t have done it all by myself. It’s all thank to Ms. Towada. It’s the product of the combined efforts of the staffs who worked painstakingly, including myself. I hated it. I didn’t mean that I hated working on it. I just thought it was tough. It was the toughest works. Making JJ was a lot harder than playing Ghosts n Goblins. JJ is the demonic world (Makai Mura) itself.

*Ishida died and accidentally started from the beginning of the stage, not at the latest checkpoint, so he quit the game.

C: Sensei, you’re not good at saving.

I: Yeah, I’m not. I defeated Lady D twice because I wanted to see and defeat her again. I’ve done it now.

*Upgrading skills.

I: I’m not trusting the skills on the left side of the tree. “Your clone will appear for a certain period of time.” This is good, but then… “The first attack after you’re reduced to just an underwear will be tripled.” This might be strong, since I always in my underwear.

*Still surveying the skills.

I: This skill allows you to carry 2 weapons?! They have skills like that? This one allows me to carry 3 weapons! This is super amazing!

I: I’ll probably choose the right side of tree. You can increase the amount of weapons or shield you have. Makes it easier to hunt. The left side is more on the offensive skills.

*He chose the right side & obtained fire wall skill.

C: I have to wake up at 5 am tomorrow.

I: Is that so? Let me use the fire wall for once.

C: Were you able to cut off any lingering attachment to your wife? (t/n: OP was referring to Lady D from RE Village.)

I: I wasn’t able to. My heart clenches whenever I recall about her. I thought of including a hot character named Dimitrescu in my manga.

I: This skill looks weaker than the one before.

C: You’re not hungry today?

I: I am. I really am.

C: How can I fall asleep when sensei is fighting in Ghosts n Goblins!

I: I’m gonna sleep though. I’m thinking of resting now. Go and study. Good luck on your study. Wait, not studying. You have to wake up at 5 am, right?

I: Should I try once again?

*Continuing the game.

I: I’m getting bad at this game. My concentration is depleting.

I: Should I draw the manga I’m writing as a hobby after this?

C: What’s your plan for tomorrow?

I: My plan for tomorrow is working. Get a haircut as well. I wanna cut my hair.

C: I’m glad that the description of your channel has become youtuber-like.

I: Right? Look at my description if can. I wrote in twitter that Unro Channel has been removed and will be reborn. You could see a little bit of the channel’s description when I pasted the channel’s link. It was so embarrassing. I’d like for you to see it. I’m becoming more and more like a youtuber.

C: Please add “subscribe to my channel today.”

I: I won’t. I decided not to put that. I’d ask Gravy. (t/n: Gravy is the zebra MC from Animal Rap.)

I: “This channel contains enjoyable animal rapping as well as game playthrough contents”.  The description is cute, right? I said it myself that it’s enjoyable. However, other people don’t find it enjoyable. But, animal rap is fun. I think it definitely will be fun. Other people would want to try it as well.  

*Ishida died and once again accidentally started from the beginning.

I: (Letting out his frustration in weird noises.) I’m being calm. (t/n: He sounded so pissed off tho. XD)

I: Well, that is that. How was the game today? Hehehe. Let’s sleep. Well… The new stage is like this.

*Someone asked about Gaston.

I: Gaston? I’m seriously practising. When I got better… Nope, I’ll invite Gaston eventually.

I: They made quite a lot of changes in the game. Isn’t it good? Somehow, I gained my energy.

C: I want to play Splatoon with you.

I: Can you play with others? But I’m not gonna play it anytime soon. I wanna play Smash Bros with someone.

C: Haven’t you become stronger mentally?

I: My mental strength is originally like this.

*Someone asked about Heavy rain.

I: I wanna continue Heavy rain.

C: Was this a good break?

I: It was. It definitely was. I probably won’t be able to sleep after this. I might have a nightmare.

*Someone asked about Psychobreak.

I: Psychobreak looks interesting. I played a little bit of the first one. The first one caught my interest more. It looked scary.

I: I’ll let you guys know whenever I wanna play Ghosts n Goblins again. Somehow… I don’t feel relief at all. Haha. I don’t feel relief at all. I should’ve stopped after I defeated the dragon. Well, whatever. I was able to refresh myself. I can do it. Let’s be calm.

C: Will you stream the next time you play the game?

I: I’ll invite you guys through twitter if I feel like it. I wanna play Smash Bros with someone. The viewers can join me. But, I’d probably feel down if I got my ass kicked.

I: Should we sleep now? I’ll be working for a bit. I’ll cry after this rather than working. Then, please be healthy. Thank you.

Part 1

[cobaltusami]

Friendship

Hey hi hello! I'm finally back at It with another t word fic! I had so much trouble getting into the groove of this one, but regardless I had fun writing it! I think this will be the last installment In this mini series, I feel like I'm at a good stopping point. That being said, Obviously I will eventually write more for these three beans.

Part One: That's what Friends are for

Part Two: Intimidating

Characters: Lee!Kazuichi, Lee!Gundham, Ler!Sonia, Ler!Hajime, Ler!Chiaki, Fuyuhiko

Pairing: Platonic!Sonsoudam (Though you could construe It as romantic, Whichever you prefer--)

Word count: 3430

The Ultimate Princess scoured the island In search of The Pink haired mechanic after leaving the dining hall, Normally he was easy to find since he was always so eager to talk to her but today was different.

Walking with her was Hajime, Who had volunteered to help her find Kazuichi. “Are you sure It was a good Idea to leave Gundham sleeping In the dining hall? I feel as though we should have woken him up.” Sonia asked.

“It’s better for him to get some sleep.” Hajime responded. “Besides, It’s not like we left him alone, We left him with Chiaki.”

“I suppose you’re right but… I feel bad for not waking him up and sending him to his room.” She frowned.

Hajime smiled a bit, A knowing look on his face. “You really do worry about him a lot…”

“Of course I do, He Is my friend.” Sonia responded. “I worry about all of my friends.”

Hajime was about to open his mouth to respond but he changed gears upon catching sight of the pink haired Mechanic. “There he Is. What’s he doing?”

“It appears as though he is working on something.” Sonia said quietly, the pair silently approached Kazuichi where he sat on the ground tinkering with something.

He was humming quietly while he worked, he seemed as though he was In good spirits so that couldn’t be the reason why he was ignoring Gundham.

“Just put this here and…”

“YO!” Hajime said suddenly, stepping In front of Sonia. “KAZUICHI!”

Kazuichi screamed, launching his screwdriver into the air in surprise. He spun around In his spot on the ground and let out a breath of relief. “Oh. It’s just you. Jeez man, Don’t scare me like that! What the hell Is wrong with you!?”

Sonia stepped out from behind Hajime, her arms folded. “Kazuichi--”

Kazuichi’s face turned pink as he quickly got to his feet, throwing a tarp back over his project. “M-Miss Sonia!”

“Kazuichi,” she started, frowning. “I wish to know why you are avoiding Gundham.”

“W-What? I’m not--”

“Yeah, You are.” Hajime interrupted. “He tried to talk to you the other day and you made up an excuse and practically ran away.”

“What Is going on? You two were getting along so well at the party.” Sonia stepped closer to the mechanic. “Please, Tell me the truth.”

The pinkette frowned, looking away from his crush awkwardly. His eyes fell upon his tarp covered project as he thought about It in silence.

Kazuichi had blown Gundham off because he didn’t want to accidentally blab about the surprise he was working on for him, Soda was creating a brand new play area for The Four Devas as a peace offering, to prove to him that he wasn’t just trying to get along with him for Sonia’s sake.

He always had trouble admitting how he felt with words, usually stumbling over them or saying something stupid. He preferred gestures over words.

The truth was this... He had a lot of fun at the party, as much as he initially hated spending time with Gundham, he actually started to have fun. Kazuichi didn’t have many friends either, he’d always been picked on as a kid and didn’t have much free time due to helping his dad out with the bike shop.

That day, even If for just a little while, It felt like he had friends. And he wanted to make sure Gundham knew he was genuinely thankful for that.

But he knew he was a horrible liar and Gundham would eventually figure out what he was doing, so he was avoiding the Breeder so as not to spoil the surprise.

“I… I can’t.” Kazuichi said, realizing he hadn’t answered yet. “I-I mean, not yet anyway!”

Sonia sighed softly. “I did not want It to come to this, but I promised Gundham I would get to the bottom of this.”

Kazuichi gave a confused look in response. “What are you talking abohohout-- H-Hey!” He yelped, chuckling a bit as he jumped backwards at the sudden pokes to his midsection.

“If you will not tell me what Is going on, I will tickle you until you do.” She smiled, sending chills down the mechanic’s spine.

“Y-You wouldn’t dare...” He smiled nervously, backing away from the blonde princess.

“I would dare.” She insisted.

Kazuichi felt his fight or flight instincts kick In, and he chose the latter. He went to run away from her but he ran into Hajime, who he just now realized had been eerily silent.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He asked, smirking as he grabbed a hold of his arms. “I didn’t just tag along to help her find you, Y’know.”

“I thought you might try to run away, So I asked Hajime If he would help me just in case.”

“L-Let go! This Isn’t fair!” Soda whined, struggling in Hajime’s surprisingly strong grasp.

“Life’s not fair.” The tsundere sighed in reply, spinning him around to face Sonia and holding his arms up over his head.

“Kazuichi, Last chance. Tell me why you are avoiding Gundham or else…” She threatened, a determined glimmer in her pale blue eyes.

The pinkette shook his head, already resisting the urge to giggle anxiously. “N-No. I can’t.”

Sonia nodded, unzipping part of his yellow jumper and shoving her hands under the white shirt underneath. Her nails began gliding across his sides. “Very well then.”

Soda tried not to laugh or show any reaction, but he ended up laughing after a few seconds of holding back. “Wahahahait! M-Mihihihiss Soniahaha! Dohohohn’t!” He whined between laughs.

“I am sorry, Kazuichi. But I must get to the bottom of this.” Sonia smiled at the sound of his laughter. “Gundham Is upset and I do not wish to see my friends upset.”

Really? Gundham’s upset by Kazuichi not talking to him…? Does that mean he considers him a friend too? “I cahahahan’t tehehehell you!”

“I am sorry, but I must know.” Sonia reiterated, digging her fingers into his stomach.

He yelped and crumbled back against Hajime, laughing harder as he tugged at his arms. “Nohohohoho! Ahahahahaha!”

“Does this tickle~? I am willing to wager that It does~” She cooed, his fingers wiggling into the muscle beneath his skin.

“Sohohohonia stahahahap! Hahahahaha!” he blushed at the teasing words, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting of a Princess but It sure as hell wasn’t this.

“No~” she sang. “I’m not going to stop until I get what I want. Even If I have to tickle you for hours.”

To emphasize her point her fingers sped up as they traversed upwards, brushing teasingly against his sides and wiggling like wild spiders against his ribs.

Kazuichi screamed and threw his head back, knocking Hajime In the face as he did. “SHIHIHIHIT! NOHOHOT THEHEHEHERE!” He shrieked helplessly.

Hajime yelped In pain and readjusted his grip on the Mechanic, now holding both of his wrists in place with one hand. He used the other to tenderly rub his chin. “Jeez, Kazuichi. Watch where you’re throwing that thing.”

“YOUHUHUHU DEHEHEHESERVED IT!” Kazuichi laughed heartily, still attempting to pull his wrists free. Though thanks to Sonia’s merciless tickling he was much weaker.

Hajime huffed. “Oh yeah? Well, I think you deserve this.” He wormed his free hand into Kazi’s jumpsuit and began scribbling his nails against the back of his ribs over his white tee.

When I tell you the boy screamed.

“AAAAH! NONONONONO!” He screamed, His body jerking violently to the side, trying to shield the sensitive spot.

“Ooh, Hajime, It looks like you found a really ticklish spot~” She grinned, her fingers darting around to the back of his ribcage to join the Tsundere In torturing their friend. “What do you think Kazi? Is this a bad spot?”

“Yeah Kazi,” Hajime grinned. “Does this tiiiiiickle~?”

Kazuichi couldn’t even form sentences, he was laughing way too hard to focus on anything else. His laughter was borderline going silent from the intensity, as evidenced by his constant wheezing.

“Just tell us~” Sonia hummed, her fingers tickling the sensitive spots between the ribs now.

“You gonna tell us?” Hajime asked.

Kazuichi nodded frantically, tears streaking down his pink cheeks from laughing too hard.

Sonia and Hajime relented, though Hajime kept a grip on his wrists, evidently not trusting the pink haired boy. “Why have you been avoiding Gundham?” She asked again.

Kazuichi coughed as he gulped down air, clearly not used to being tickled. “I… Didn’t want to spoil the surprise… for him…” He panted.

“The…” she trailed off.

“Surprise?” Hajime and Sonia exchanged confused looks. “What are you talking about?”

Kazuichi nodded his head towards the tarp covered project. “Check… For yourselves…”

Curiously, Hajime released the Mechanic and went over to the tarp. He pulled It off to reveal what Soda had been working on, A play area made out of pvc pipes, A fish tank, and a wide assortment of metal and plastic items.

“Huh?” He was confused, but Sonia recognized what It was intended to be instantly.

Her face lit up at the sight of It. “Oh my! You’re building a pen for the Four Dark Devas of Destruction!” She twirled around to face Kazuichi, who had just finished zipping his jumpsuit back up.

He chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, blushing as he glanced away from the bright girl. “Y-Yeah. I wanted to show Gundham I really consider him a friend, So I was doing It the best way I knew how…”

“By building something for him.” Hajime finished, smiling at the dork. “That’s really thoughtful of you. I’m impressed.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?? I’m always thoughtful!” He shot back, flustered.

Sonia giggled and hugged the pink haired boy suddenly. “You’re so sweet. Gundham and I are lucky to have a friend like you.” she praised.

Just when he thought his face couldn’t get any redder… It was close to matching Mahiru’s shade of hair now. “F-Friend?” He stuttered, asking for confirmation If what he heard was what she just said.

“Of course! We’re friends.” She beamed up at the embarrassed tinkerer.

He smiled warmly back at her and hugged her back. “Thank you.” he whispered almost silently, not even sure If she had heard him or not.

But she did.

After another minute or so they both pulled back. “I should get back to work on this. I don’t wanna make Gundham upset by not talking to him.” Soda announced nonchalantly, sitting down in front of the project again.

“Would you like some help? I am not very mechanically inclined, but I can be taught.” Sonia volunteered, sitting down next to him.

“Sure! I would love some help!” He smiled at the blonde.

“Is there anything I can do?” Hajime asked.

“Can you go check on Gundham? I am worried about him.”

“Sonia, We’ve been over this. We left him with Chiaki at the hotel, I’m sure he’s doing fine.”

“You left him with Chiaki?” Kazuichi repeated, looking at Hajime for confirmation.

“Yeah… What, Why are you looking at me like that--”

“In the hotel, Where there’s video games?”

Hajime stared blankly at him for a minute before cursing and running off towards the hotel.

Apparently reaching the same conclusion Kazuichi had, That Chiaki would most likely be sidetracked by the video games and not check on the Breeder.

He burst through the doors but didn’t see Chiaki anywhere near the video games units. He did, however, hear Gundham scream from upstairs. “Gundham??” He called out, confused.

Hajime bolted up the stairs into the dining room, and froze at the sight before him. Gundham was on the floor, trying to curl up Into a ball, and Chiaki was on top of him, tickling the life out of the Dark Prince.

“Uhhh, Chiaki? What are you doing?” Hajime asked, leaning against the doorway.

Chiaki looked up at him and offered a smile. “Oh, Hey Hajime. I’m tickling Gundham.” She responded bluntly.

“GEHEHEHET THIHIS FIHIHIHIHIEND OFF OF MEHEHE!” Gundham laughed helplessly.

“I can see that.” Hajime laughed, Ignoring Gundham’s plea. “The question Is, Why?”

“I promised I would keep an eye on him, But that got too boring. So I’m entertaining myself.” She answered, skittering her fingers across his neck.

There was something about the thought of being on the receiving end of Chiaki’s tickles that scared Hajime, It could be how merciless she was being, Or maybe how nonchalant she was, Or both.

Gundham squealed uncharacteristically and covered his face. “STAHAHAHAHAP! I AHAHAHAM AWAHAHAHAHAKE NOW! I DOHOHOHN’T NEEHEHEED WAHAHATCHED!”

Hajime smirked, approaching the two. He sat down next to Chiaki. “I dunno, I think you still need supervision.” he said playfully.

“I agree.” Chiaki smiled mischievously.

“NOHOHOHOHOHO! I DOHOHOHOHON’T!”

“I think another hour should do it, Don’t you, Chiaki?” Hajime asked, winking at the pink haired girl.

She giggled. “I think so too. That way we can make sure he’s going to stay awake.”

“AHAHAHAN HOUR?!? SUHUHUHURELY YOU JEST!” Gundham whimpered at the thought, considering adding Chiaki Nanami to the small list of people he finds intimidating.

“No, I’m quite serious.” She replied with a determined glimmer in her eyes. Her fingertips lightly dancing across his neck and collarbone.

“I think she means It, Gundham.” Hajime chuckled, unable to resist the urge to help her any longer. He began teasingly poking at random exposed spots on his midsection. “And who am I to stop her? I think I should help her If anything.”

“I WIHIHIHILL DEHEHEHEHESTROY YOU BOHOHOHOTH!” Gundham threw out an empty threat.

“It doesn’t scare me when Fuyu threatens me, And It doesn’t scare me when you threaten me.” Hajime snickered.

“Oh, I don’t scare you huh?” Hiko’s voice was suddenly right at Hajime’s ear. “You sure about that?”

Hajime yelped in surprise, whipping around to look at his friend. “F-Fuyu! Jeez! Don’t scare me like that.” Hajime sighed, holding his chest to steady his rapid heartbeat.

Fuyuhiko grinned triumphantly. “What are you two dipshits doing, Anyway?”

“Tickling Gundham.” Chiaki answered.

“O...kay. Well you think maybe you should… I dunno… Let him breathe?” Fuyu asked, having noticed how much the Breeder was gasping.

Chiaki paused what she was doing, allowing the dark prince to breathe. “Oh… Right. Air, He needs that.”

“Hey Fuyu.” Hajime motioned for the Yakuza to come closer, he hesitantly did so. He whispered something to the small blond so Gundham couldn’t hear.

Hiko rolled his eyes, making a show of huffing as he threw his hands up. “I GUESS.” Although he had a smile on his face as he did so, negating the annoyed response he was going for. He sauntered off, leaving Gundham at the mercy of Hajime and Chiaki once more.

Fuyuhiko made It to the area where Sonia and Kazuichi were, curiously peering over their heads at the project they were working on. “Uh, What are you two doing?”

Kazuichi yelped in surprise, nearly throwing his screwdriver for a second time.

Sonia giggled and turned to look at the Yakuza. “Hello, Fuyuhiko! Kazuichi Is building a play pen for the Devas and I am helping.”

Ahh, now It makes sense why Hajime and Chiaki were wrecking poor Gundham… They were trying to keep him from finding out what was going on. “Ah, Gotcha. Uh, Hajime sent me to tell you both that Gundham Is awake but uh… He’s being distracted by him and Chiaki.”

Sonia and Kazi exchanged confused looks. “What are those two doing to him?”

“I walked In on them…” Hiko paused, blushing. Fuck, of all times to be unable to say that word why did it have to be right now?! “U-Um. They were sort of destroying him.”

“D-Destroying!?” Sonia asked, alarmed.

“N-Not literally!” Hiko quickly corrected. “They’re uh…”

“Ohhh… I get It.” Kazuichi laughed. “I think what Fuyuhiko Is trying to say Is that they’re tickling him. Right?”

“Yeah, That.” he nodded, still blushing.

“Oh. Why didn’t you just say that? You scared me for a minute there. Not that I believe they would hurt him, But still…”

“Uh… Well… I…”

“Some people have trouble saying the word ‘tickle’.” Kazuichi explained casually, tightening a bolt on the play area. “Usually people who are super ticklish themselves.”

The pinkette grinned as he winked at Fuyu, who seemed to turn pinker at that. Though he would vehemently deny such a thing.

“H-Hey! I am NOT! I just… Think the word Is stupid and childish!” Fuyuhiko pouted, crossing his arms childishly.

“It Is okay, Fuyuhiko. I understand.” She smiled sympathetically. “Though I am not nearly as ticklish as Kazuichi or Gundham, I see how It would be difficult for one to say.”

“Hey! Whose side are you on??” Kazuichi blushed, nudging her side.

She giggled and recoiled.

“So…” Fuyuhiko cleared his throat, trying desperately to change the subject. “How much longer until you two are done? I’m not sure how much longer Gundham will last.”

“Actually,” Kazuichi tightened another screw, then set his screwdriver down. He looked It over one last time then smiled. “It’s done.”

“It looks wonderful, Kazuichi! You did great!” She beamed, standing up and dusting her dress off.

“Thanks…” He chuckled sheepishly, standing up too. “Hey Hiko, Can you help me carry this?”

Fuyuhiko looked at it, skeptical. “I’ll try, but If you drop It on me, I will kill you.” he threatened.

The two lifted it up and began carrying It towards the hotel. It wasn’t as heavy as Kazi expected It to be, much to the relief of the petite Yakuza.

They brought It up Into the diner and quickly covered It with a tarp, luckily Gundham hadn’t noticed them thanks to Hajime and Chiaki both smothering him with tickles.

Hajime looked up and saw the three students, smiling he withdrew his hands and motioned for Chiaki to do the same.

Though she relented much more halfheartedly, pouting as she pulled back.

Sonia and Kazuichi both approached the recovering Supreme overlord of Ice and sat down on either side of him. “Gundham, I found Kazuichi and made him explain to me why he was avoiding you.” Sonia explained, helping him sit up.

He tiredly looked at Sonia, then over at Kazuichi who was trying not to laugh at how disheveled he looked. “I-Is that so? Then why…?”

“Uh, Listen man…” Kazuichi started, reaching over and fixing Gundham’s hair. “I wasn’t avoiding you because I didn’t want to talk to you. I just didn’t want to spoil my surprise for you.”

Gundham tilted his head in confusion. “Surprise…?”

“Yeah. I wanted to show you that I really consider you a friend, And that I’m thankful to consider you a friend so I… was doing It the only way I know how.” Soda blushed, looking over at Hiko and Hajime as if to cue them.

They pulled the tarp off, revealing the playpen for the hamsters. Chiaki, wanting to be included, motioned to It like she was on a gameshow showing off a prize. This drew a laugh from Hajime and Fuyu.

Gundham’s expression softened, his face turning red. “Y-You… built that? F-For… Me?”

“Yeah. I’m not so great with words, But I am great with building things.” Kazuichi smiled. “Do you like It??”

Gundham bit his lip, he went to pull his scarf over his face to hide his blush but quickly realized his scarf was still chilling on the table from earlier. “Y-Yes…” Gundham turned to Kazuichi, smiling a little at the way his eyes sparkled with happiness. “Thank you, Friend.”

Kazuichi squealed happily and pulled him Into a hug without giving it a second thought.

Gundham flinched, but eventually returned the hug. Sonia smiled at her two dorks, happy they were getting along. She got up and retrieved the Devas from the table, putting Gundham’s scarf on again.

“Fiends! We must seek not the approval of the Dark Prince, But the Four Dark Devas of Destruction and Tickles!” Sonia mimicked Gundham again.

“The… what?” Kazuichi asked, totally confused as he pulled back.

“She renamed them.” Gundham explained. “But she Is right. Their opinion is what truly matters.”

Sonia set them down In the fish tank, And they began happily scurrying around through the different pipes and segments. They seemed to enjoy It.

Gundham smiled as he watched his pets having fun. “They like It.” He confirmed to his friends.

Though their friendship may not be typical, and It may be confusing at times. I have a feeling that this friendship will be one that’ll last. And Who knows? Maybe down the road, It’ll turn Into something more…?

[gusu-emilu]

Catch Me (I’ll Be Safe)

Ship: Wei Wuxian & Wen Ning, Wei Wuxian / Wen Ning

Summary: Wen Ning's consciousness is still newly restored. Wei Ying plays a game to help him adjust to the difficulties of being a fierce corpse.

1.8k, G, Fluff, Light Angst, One-Sided Attraction, although this is more about friendship I suppose, Frogs

Read on AO3

Grasses sway in the breeze, filling the air with a sweet scent. The sun beats down on the back of Wei Ying’s neck as he crouches at the bank of a creek. He plucks a long blade of grass, holds it in front of his face to catch the sunlight, then sticks it between his teeth to hang out of the side of his mouth.

Something rustles in the weeds on the bank of the creek. Wei Ying closes his teeth tighter on the blade of grass, channels tension into his muscles, preparing.

“Gotcha!”

He snatches the creature.

He cups a frog in his hands. Its little eyes peer at him, surprisingly calm for an animal that just got captured. He grins.

“Wen Ning, come look!”

Wen Ning turns around from where he was gazing out at the valley. He squats down beside Wei Ying and examines the frog, tilting his head slightly to see it from different angles. “It’s cute.”

“Yeah, it is!” Suddenly the frog squirms, pushing against his hands. “Wh—whoa!” The frog erupts out of his grip and plops into the creek with a splash.

Wei Ying laughs and rinses his hands off in the creek. “Silly guy.” He braces his hands on his knees and leans forward, peering into the mud on the water’s bank. “Come on, Wen Ning, help me catch another one.”

“Gongzi, I—I don’t think I should try to catch one.”

Wei Ying cocks an eyebrow. “Why not?”

Wen Ning opens his palms, grey skin facing the sky. He looks down at his hands, uncertain. “I’d probably c-crush it.”

“Nonsense!” Wei Ying takes the blade of grass out his mouth and points its tip at Wen Ning. “You just need to use some control. I’ve seen you hold plenty of things without crushing them.”

Wen Ning folds his hands and rubs his thumbs together. “Those were because I picked them up slowly.”

A frog croaks beneath them, revealing its hiding spot in the weeds. Wei Ying wavers for a moment, deciding if he should reach after it or say something else to Wen Ning.

Wen Ning had always been skilled with his hands when he was alive. Practicing archery with precision, bandaging Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng’s wounds after they’d escaped Lotus Pier, sewing repairs in their clothes, and one time…

One time they held hands. While Wei Ying lay on a cot in Yiling, empty space where his golden core should’ve been, Wen Ning’s fingers interlaced with what should’ve been the empty spaces of his hand.

Wei Ying sighs. He rises to his feet, nods for Wen Ning to rise as well. He smiles, coating his voice with cheeriness. “Then let’s practice picking things up not slowly.”

“G-Gongzi,” Wen Ning says, shaking his head, “you don’t need to spend the trouble. I know to be careful.”

“Wen Ning.” Wei Ying crosses his arms and takes a step closer. “I want you to be comfortable with the body you have now.” He points his blade of grass at the creek. “If being able to catch frogs is part of that, then I’m going to help.”

The corners of Wen Ning’s mouth tighten. He looks down. “Thank you.”

“So, ah,” Wei Ying rocks back and forth on his feet. He paces along the edge of the dirt path and finds a stone that’s a little larger than a teacup. He picks it up, holds it in front of himself for Wen Ning to see. “I’m going to toss this at you. When you catch it, try to follow its movement. Cushion it with your hands.”

Wen Ning studies the rock, then holds his hands out awkwardly and nods, eyes wide and eager. Stray strands of his hair wave at the side of his face, stained amber in the sunlight.

Wei Ying grins. He’s too cute sometimes.

“Alright, ready?”

“Yes.”

Wei Ying sticks the blade of grass back between his teeth, bobbing it up and down. He narrows his eyes, draws his arm back, and throws the stone.

It’s crushed to dust in Wen Ning’s fist. Wen Ning’s face falls as he watches the dust drift to the ground. Frogs croak in the creek, upset by the disturbance. “Sorry,” Wen Ning says.

“No, no, don’t apologize!” Wei Ying bends down and picks up another stone from the side of the trail. “It’s just a rock. We’re practicing, right?”

“R-Right.”

He throws another stone at Wen Ning, harder this time.

Dust again.

Two more tries, and Wen Ning catches the rock safely in his hand.

“That’s it!” Wei Ying puts his hands on his hips. “You did it!”

Wen Ning stares down at the rock. His mouth curves into a bashful smile that pushes at his cheeks, making his face round. “Y-Yeah.”

Warmth swells through Wei Ying.

“Now throw it back to me.”

Wen Ning’s shoulders draw up a bit. “Are you sure?”

“Afraid you’ll hit me?” Wei Ying smirks. He pats his chest. “I’m untouchable, Wen Ning. I can dodge anything.”

Something in Wen Ning’s expression makes him think that if Wen Ning still had blood to flow, he’d be blushing.

It’s a strange thought.

Not entirely unwelcome. Just…strange.

“O-Okay,” Wen Ning says, raising his arm. “I’m going to throw it now.”

The rock comes hurtling at Wei Ying faster than he expected. It stings his palm when he catches it, pain shooting up his arm. “Dang, Wen Ning.” He chuckles. “You could be a catapult if you wanted to.”

Wen Ning just stares at him.

“Ah, right,” Wei Ying rubs the back of his head, suddenly uncomfortable. “Let’s keep practicing being gentle.”

They toss the rock back and forth a few more times, each throw from Wen Ning less powerful than the last, until Wei Ying can catch the rock without feeling like the lines on his palm are going to split. The frogs croak louder, offended by their disruption of the peaceful valley.

“Gongzi,” Wen Ning says as he cups the rock in his hands, “I think I’d like to save the rest of the practice for later. Thank you.”

“Mm, that’s fine. Nice job.”

Suddenly an idea makes the corner of Wei Ying’s lips turn up.

He saunters over to Wen Ning, his strides carefree and his steps noisy on the dirt path, until he’s standing directly in front of Wen Ning. Wen Ning looks at him in confusion. The rock is still cradled in his hands.

“Before we finish…” Wei Ying swipes the rock out of Wen Ning’s grip and hides it behind his back, grinning. Wen Ning’s eyebrows shoot up.

“First steal it from me.”

“B-But—but I—”

Shielding the stone behind his back, Wei Ying hops to one side of Wen Ning, then the other, skirting in circles around him. “Come steal it, Wen Ning! I bet you can’t!”

A tiny laugh escapes Wen Ning as he watches Wei Ying dance around him. “G-Gongzi—”

Wei Ying stops abruptly and reveals the rock beside his waist, waving it side to side.

Wen Ning glances down at the rock, then meets Wei Ying’s eyes, searching for permission.

“Come take it.”

Wen Ning raises his hand slowly, his fingers twitching. He gives one last gaze of uncertainty into Wei Ying’s eyes, then darts his hand out at the rock.

Wei Ying slips the stone behind his back again and jumps away. “Ah ah ah!” He smirks and holds up his free hand, wagging his pointer finger at Wen Ning. “Try again.”

“Gongzi, what if I—”

Wei Ying skips in circles around Wen Ning again, jerking his arm out once in a while to let Wen Ning see the rock. “I’m not going back to the Burial Mounds until you take it!”

“But—”

Wei Ying’s feet scuff as he skids to a stop. “Don’t worry.” He lowers his voice, serious. “I trust you, okay? We can play this.”

Wen Ning’s eyes shimmer. He smiles.

Then his expression hardens once more as he focuses. His hand shoots out at the rock. Wei Ying yelps and scurries away.

Soon they’re jumping around the dirt path, hopping over the creek, Wei Ying panting as he struggles to dodge Wen Ning’s swipes at the stone. The sound of their laughter echoes throughout the valley. The frogs croak furiously.

Wei Ying’s heart beats against his chest like it’s going to burst.

Soon apprehension—even a bit of fear—courses through his veins, spreads nervousness into his giggling.

He does trust Wen Ning.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance of Wen Ning hurting him.

As he darts around, evading Wen Ning’s hands, he channels all his focus into preserving his safety. He needs to dodge everything. He can’t get hurt. For Wen Ning’s sake.

This is what he deserves. He deserves to feel like he can have fun without putting anyone in danger.

Wen Ning catches Wei Ying’s wrist. They freeze, staring at each other. Wei Ying’s arm throbs, pressure clawing at his bone. The blood might stop flowing to his hand soon.

“Alright, you got me!” Wei Ying winks. “Still don’t have the stone though.”

Wen Ning looks up at the rock in Wei Ying’s hand, Wei Ying’s grip getting weaker as his fingers go numb. Wen Ning takes the rock and lets go of his wrist. Relief rushes through Wei Ying from his fingertips to his shoulder.

He hides his hand behind his back, grateful that his sleeves are long. “You won!”

“I—I did?”

“Absolutely!”

Wen Ning smiles down sheepishly at the rock. His smile fades. He slowly looks up at Wei Ying, his eyes like honey in the sunlight. “I didn’t…Did I—”

Wei Ying puts his arm—his other arm—around Wen Ning’s shoulders and guides him down the dirt path, they way they should’ve been traveling in the first place. “Not a bit.”

“…Oh. That’s good.”

“It is.”

Wen Ning tucks the rock into his sleeve. They pass another creek with chatty frogs. Wei Ying doesn’t ask if Wen Ning wants to try catching them.

They don’t have much to say to each other for the rest of the journey back to the Burial Mounds. Instead they listen as the breeze hums softly and a flock of songbirds flap over their heads, filling the valley with their chirping.

At some point, Wei Ying slips his good hand into Wen Ning’s.

His skin is cold. His fingers are tense. Something tells Wei Ying the stiffness is not just because he’s a corpse.

But eventually, Wen Ning’s hand relaxes, and they gently swing their arms between them as they walk.

In the moments Wei Ying is sure Wen Ning isn’t watching, he flexes and unflexes the fingers of his other hand, wondering if there will be a bruise to hide.

* * *

Thanks for reading! This was supposed to be a warmup for a much longer fic I’m writing and then...it turned into something lol. If you enjoyed this story, you can be a supportive sibling like Jiang Yanli by visiting me on AO3!

[insxparablxduo]

Drabble based on my fantasy au. It’s ok if u don’t read as y’know its an au and not cannon but yeah I had fun with this one.

Oh, this was annoying as fuck. 

At first fighting a dancer and a soldier class seemed easy. Almost stupidly so. Surely they were left behind to die here by them or any other group brave enough to challenge him. Right? Wrong. 

If it was true they'd have killed the twins by now. Maybe they shouldn't have underestimated them so much. The truth of the matter was they were left in charge of this keep under direct commands from their 'master'. They were part of the cause for so many peoples suffering, and they had done it willingly? They weren't even the first 'boss' they've fought, so clearly they were a lot stronger than what meets the eye, and they were learning that lesson now. 

Dancers are known to be fairly weak and incredibly vulnerable to attacks, especially since they wore little to no armor. Their attacks weren't all that powerful either as they weren't particularly strong nor did most really even know what to do with weapons other than to block or even parry. The only difficult thing about them was they were hard to hit, but would go down easy just with a couple of attacks. 

Soldiers on the other hand wore hefty armor and carried great swords or a sword and a heavy and thick shield. This one wasn't very different. He had a great sword and pretty bulky armor. Which meant they would just have to chip away at his armor since he had no other protection. 

This fight should've been fairly easy. Especially with how much stronger they got to make it all the way up here. This should've been so easy, fighting 10 waves of their grunts back to back should've been easier.

Oh, how wrong they were.

First off, since when the fuck did dancers get so strong? It made sense to target and pick her off first since she was clearly the weakest. Whenever they tried to attack her via magic, sword, arrow, whatever her brother would always get in the way and cover for her. No matter how many of them went to attack her. It became clear if they wanted to attack her they would have to get rid of the brother first. No matter, dancers didn't really do much, but give their teammates a little motivation that helped them fight just a bit better, right? Wrong again.

Apparently they also had the capability to wake those who were passed out. They had targeted all of their attacks on her brother and paid her absolutely no mind. All she was doing was dancing without seemingly a care in the world or mind to what was going on around her. Slowly they had worn down her brother.  The only challenging thing at first is he would look at her and suddenly his attacks would get much stronger, or somehow he was much more agile than he should be, and he was evading more blows than should be possible. 

When they spared her a glance they would find themselves entranced and open to attacks or a fog would come over their minds and when they came out of it apparently they were fighting their other teammates. Matt seemed to have the later problem the most. Distantly, Janne remembers that dancers danced to please the gods. Considering how effective she was, she must've been favored by the gods. Or perhaps she was so skilled they couldn't help, but favor her? Either way, she was annoying.

When her brother fell, they let out a collective sigh of relief. He was much harder to take down then he should've been. They were already pretty exhausted. Their health was pretty low, and they didn't have many curative lefts. They would have to end this soon.

That proved to be harder than first thought. Maybe it was something about these two. There was a lot more than met the eye. 

The first obstacle in fighting her was they actually had to look at her now. Her moves were now affecting them a lot more now that they weren't just glancing at her. Her first set made them a lot slower. Janne did his best to attack her with his arrows, but she seemed to weave through them gracefully as if they were a part of her dance. Anytime Mat or Kataya got closer to her, they seemed to either immediately get charmed (Mat more so than Kat) by her once again or just completely missed her.

Despite most of Mat’s attacks coming from above as he jumped ridiculous high up and slammed down with all intentions to spear right through her, he would always miss by a hair as she just slightly moved out of his way. Even with Kataya backing him up by staying firmly on the ground fighting toe to toe on her. Sometimes the dancer would move out of the way and Kataya would follow her only to barely miss getting speared by Mat as he came down. Kat seemed to have the most luck as she managed to cut up her shaw that she twirled around and even the lightest cuts on her person. Still, for the most part she seemed to escape their reach and even got the two to almost hit each other and my own arrows weren’t helping much. 

Even as the two kept trying to hit her with their lance and sword she would just avoid it all no matter how fast they seemed to be, she was faster. It almost looked the three of them were dancing with the way Kat swung her sword and Mat tried to pierce through and stab her, she just weaved around it all, keeping the same grace she had once they started. Eventually Matt or Kat would move back to catch their breath, giving him and Lina a better opening to try and hit her. 

Lina being the only mage of the group took pride in her roll. He knew she had to be exhausted by now, but she maintained the same power as she kept attacking. Her attacks seemed to have the most success, but every now and then the girl would just hop around her magic as if it was nothing. Before they could even think of a plan to take her down, she did a couple backflips away from them. What was she gaining distance for?

She closed her eyes as she started her next dance. The group tried their best to stop her, but somehow she continued to avoid all their attacks. Her set seemed to be over, and she collapsed for a moment painting and looking up at the sky. Suddenly the clouds broke and a warm tray of sunlight enveloped her and her brother. Grass seemed to grow around his passed out body, and then he got up. 

Oh fuck.

It just got harder from there.

The two groups fought in a frenzy eager to get this over with already. The sister that just stayed behind was now attacking them too after she got up again. Janne switched to being a bard. Collapsing his bow back into a lyre, he sang to give his own team some motivation as it was clear his own attacks were doing little to nothing. On the bright side, this seemed to stop Matt from getting charmed by the sister. The not so bright side it somehow made the sisters dancers stronger. Even as he sang ancient tales and played beautiful music that made his teammates buzz with unrivaled energy that they needed to keep going. It also made his enemies crawl with anxiety. Still, she danced to the rhythm but, seemingly unaffected and danced in a way that counteracted the effect of his own singing.

It seemed that a battle of the arts has now started between the two.

As he kept singing she kept dancing and neither planned to stop till they became the victor. This was also a battle of skill and endurance and Janne didn’t plan to lose. He was regarded as not only the best storyteller in his caravan, but also in many other villages as well. He knew countless stories and had a fine ear for music. Despite his age, he had already masted the lyre. Her dancing would be no match for him.

Sometime after their own little battle began, she started to throw knives. Taking on a more active role to fight them. Still she didn’t stop dancing. Was she showing off? Unfortunately this left her a little more opening to attacks and Kataya focused in on her. 

As the battleground became littered with knives, when had to wonder where was she keeping all of this? Another was when would she run out? Soon enough, that was answered as she reached behind her and suddenly the chains that she had wrapped around her upper body fell to the floor.

After that she seemed to be more focused on fighting then dancing as she started to wield a chain mace. Her agility was still ever apparent of course. She had disguised her true weapon, (?) as something decorative, this whole time. She must be getting desperate as her brother seemed ready to fall again. Despite being awoken at seemingly full strength after being passed out, his moves were more sluggish and weaker. 

Janne considers this a win. Still, he doubts his arrows would be much help, so he continues his supportive role as a bard. 

It wasn’t much longer before they finally managed to win the battle against these ‘generals’. The group has never been so relived before. They barely managed to survive that with the skim of their teeth. The thought of having to fight another general makes them uneasy. If they wanted to fight their leader and not only win but survive, they would need to get much stronger. This battle was proof of how much harder it was going to get from here on. This battle was much harder than the last 5 ‘bosses’ before them.

[yoongi-sugaglider]

Forget Me Nots

A wealthy young man falls overboard while vacationing with friends only to find himself with amnesia and a pretty young wife who seems determined to remind him what hard work and dedication really mean.

Warnings: Strong language, angry Min Yoongi inaccurately portrayed based upon the writer’s imagination,angst, eventual super fluff.

Pairing: Eventual Min Yoongi x reader

Word count: 2911

A/n: So this one came out a bit longer than normal hehe. But like, it’s time yall. To wrap this bad boy up and say goodnight to this series. The next chapter with be the epilogue!~ It’s been a real pleasure writing even thoguh I had some very serious writer’s block going in. But it’s just gotten so much love and that alone made me want to come back and write it. Y/n and Yoongi have had quite the journey yeah? Anyway! Hope yall enjoy!

<<Chapter Nine---Epilogue>>

She glanced up, eyes widening at the zombie like figure that stumbled from the employee exit of Rose’s restaurant. She’d set out from home at the end of his shift, knowing he wouldn’t want to take public transit to get home but fully not expecting the sight that shuffled towards her now. His once navy work shirt was now stained and darkened from all manner of food stuff and his once minty fluff of hair was plastered half haphazardly to his forehead.

Shaking herself out of her stupor she moved to get out of the car but stopped when Yoongi yanked open the passenger door with the last of his strength and toppled into the seat with all the grace of a limp mannequin.

“Sh...are….are you okay?” She stared down at the soggy pile of rags, startling when a single eye stared up at her through his sweat stiffened bangs and mumbled a single word.

“Home.”

“Right…” Shifting in her seat she turned the key in the ignition, waiting patiently for Yoongi to close the door and put on his seatbelt before pulling out of the parking lot and into the busy evening traffic.

The atmosphere in the small vehicle was strained. Though she was pretty sure that it was mostly just her. That single exhausted stare had reminded her far too much of the first moment they’d spent together.

The anger and disgust he’d displayed when speaking to her was such a contrast to the sweet man that’s made dinner for her and asked about her day. Frankly she was terrified that despite the bonding they’d managed everything would go out the window the moment she said the wrong thing.

She glanced over at the young man curled up in the seat beside her when traffic paused at a red light. He’d tucked his legs beneath him somehow, head resting against the glass of the window as he stared out at the hustle and bustle of the street outside.

Their gazes met for the briefest of moments in the reflection of the window but she quickly averted her eyes and refocused her attention on the red light.

They still hadn’t spoken by the time she pulled into the driveway, each lost in their own quagmire of thoughts and emotions as she unlocked the front door. Luckily she’d let the dogs out into the backyard before she’d left so they weren't there to greet them when they walked inside.

She stepped to the side as Yoongi brushed past her at the door. He only paused long enough to kick his shoes off before making a beeline straight for the hallway leading back to their bedroom, presumably with the intent of taking a long and much needed hot shower.

Her fist curled around her keys as she stood in the entryway for a moment longer rationalizing his silence. Rose has promised the shift was going to be an easy one, though nothing was ever easy in the restaurant industry, or predictable for that matter.

With a sigh she kicked off her own shoes, making her way into the kitchen and tossing her keys on the counter as she busied herself with the motions of making dinner. There was no point in dwelling on it now. What was done was done and she’d just have to deal with the fallout when it came. And hopefully it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as she was expecting it to be.

***

They still hadn’t spoken by the time dinner had been made and consumed and the dishes had been washed and put away. The living room was silent as they sat tucked into their respective corners of the couch. She scrolled through social media on her phone, eyes glancing over to his partially snoozing form every now and again to check on him.

The frown between his eyebrows had eased up slightly, though the tension in his shoulders was a long way from easing up. She couldn’t help but to sigh. Every cell in her being was  screaming for her to speak. Ask if he was okay, ask how his day went or if he regretted any of it.

Before she could say anything though her thoughts were interrupted by a whine from one of the dogs laying at their feet, followed by a massive crashing boom that rumbled through the tiny house and rattled some of the dishes in the cabinets.

Yoongi jolted awake at the sound, wild eyes seeking out her frantic form as she bolted down from the couch to grab a hold of Champ’s harness. The three legged dog was in a full panic, struggling so harshly against the harness that had he been in a collar he’d have surely choked himself to death.

“Shh baby. I’m here.” her soothing tones seemed to calm the dog for a moment but another resounding thunderclap shook the house, followed by the roaring hammer of raindrops on the roof. The cacophony of sound sent the dog into such a frenzy he was climbing into his owner’s lap in a desperate attempt to shield himself from the sudden onslaught of sound.

Yoongi stared on in confusion, unsure on how to help and yet reaching out an unsteady hand just in case there was something he could do.

“Hey…” His fingertips brushed against her shoulder and her head whipped around, eyes filled with panic. He held his hands up in surrender until the panic faded slightly from her eyes. “Is there...is there anything I can do to help?”

After a calming breath she nodded, shooting him a hesitant smile over the trembling mass of fur in her arms. “In the laundry room is a kennel. It’s folded flat beside the washing machine under a pile of blankets. Could you bring it and the blankets here?”

Yoongi nodded, jumping to his feet and making his way down the hall to the laundry room. It took him only a moment to find the kennel in question, a massive metal monstrosity folded flat and leaning against the wall with a large pile of blankets on top. Carefully he lugged it to the living room, wincing at the scraping sound when he almost lost the blankets tucked under his arm and the kennel dragged slightly on the hallway floor.

“Where do you want it?” He huffed, leaning it against the arm of the sofa as he waited for further instruction.

After pointing out a spot for it she began giving him instructions on how to set it up, telling him in quiet tones to pull Kaia’s bed into the huge expanse. The second the bed was in place Champ was scrambling from her lap, shoving past Yoongi to curl up in the bed. He tucked his snoot beneath his tail, eyes shut tight with the tiniest of whimpers as Kaia climbed in calmly after him.

Thunder rumbled through the room, causing the two humans to flinch and yet in the safety of the kennel Champ was quiet.

“Just toss the blankets over the top. But keep the door open, that way they can come out once the storm is over.” Y/n sighed, bracing herself on the side of the sofa as she stood and nodded in approval when Yoongi created the perfect dark cave for the two pups to cuddle within.

“Huh...that actually worked.” Yoongi wondered aloud as he made a few final adjustments to the blankets before returning to his corner of the sofa.

She nodded, joining Yoongi in tucking herself in and shooting him a tired smile. “I think it’s an instinct thing. Wolves usually hide out in caves during storms. Or at least I think they do. Some call to their ancestors or something like that. Either way Champie boy’s terrified of storms and this is the only way he stays calm.”

“Ah...that explains why your friend Rose called him Thunderchicken at work today when she asked about him.”

She snorted,a soft smile curling her lips as she stared lovingly down at the kennel. “He’ll protect me from every dark shadow and passing car at the drop of a hat, but come rainy season he’s nowhere to be fun.”

Yoongi couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought, reminded of the few moments he’d spent alone with the dogs and the shepherd had gone charging at the windows anytime a car honked or a person walked by. “We all have our weaknesses. Man and beast alike.”

She tilted her head,nose crinkled as she grinned in his direction. “Oh? And what’s your weakness oh great Man Beast?”

His laugh came out almost as a bark, catching her off guard and sending her into a tizzy of giggles that had him grinning from ear to ear.

“Honestly? A good strong cup of coffee and a nap. Nothing gets me weaker than a good long nap.” At that he yawned, though it was quickly interrupted by a flicker of the lights.

“Oh...well…” Y/n began to speak but the moment the power went out and the house went dark she yelped, launching herself across the sofa and right into Yoongi’s surprised grasp.

He sat, motionless, afraid to startle the trembling form in his grasp any further. She sniffed, clutching his clothes desperately as another rumble shook the house.

“Looks like Champ’s not the only thunderchicken huh?” Yoongi mumbled, clutching her closer as she struggled in his grip and smacked him weakly on the chest. He chuckled, fingers carding through her hair as she eased up in her struggles and collapsed back into him.

“Stupid…” She mumbled, face radiating heat that she prayed didn’t transfer through his shirt and into his skin to alert him to the effect his proximity was having on her.

They continued on like this for the rest of the night. Even when her breath had slowed to an even rhythm and her body had relaxed fully into his he refused to move. His heart pounded against his ribs though his mind refused to admit the effect she was having on him. Eventually though it slowed, along with his breathing as well. As the final distant rumbles sounded in the far off distance the house was still, and all its occupants slept.

*** The next day dawned bright and clear. Yoongi groan, stretching long and hard in his place on the sofa, eyes blurrily trying to take in his surroundings. His nostrils twitched, catching the scent of heavy wafting towards him and dragging him from the remaining depths of his sleep deprived mind.

He rolled to his side, eyes greeted with the sight of a glorious steaming cup of black coffee. He grinned, bouncing himself into a sitting position as his long fingers curled around the mug and pulled it in to allow the steam to cascade over his face. He spotted a sticky note that’d been held in place on the table by the mug, grin spreading from ear to ear as he read his wife’s beautiful flowing handwriting.

“Went to the grocery store to grab some stuff for breakfast. 

I could tell your day at work yesterday was tough so I let you sleep in. 

Hope that’s okay 

~y/n”

Champ hobbled over, pulling a grin from the man as he reached out a free hand to scratch absentmindedly at the pup’s head and ears. “Hi there buddy, feeling a little better after last night I see.”

The dog titled his head, goofy shepherd grin on his face as he sat at Yoongi’s feet and leaned in for more scratches. Their bonding though was interrupted by a knock at the door and a sharp bark from Champ who bolted towards the door, barking his head off as his tail wagged a mile a minute.

“Alright boy, easy. I’m coming, I'm coming.” Yoongi grunted as he shoved himself to his feet, regretfully leaving his cup behind as he moved Champ out of the way and eased the front door open.

“Excuse me Sir. I don’t mean to disturb you.”

Yoongi shook his head, a hesitant smile forming at the police officer’s apologetic gaze.

“No officer, it’s alright. But is there anything I can help you with?”

“Ah yes, I was assigned to the assault case of one y/l /ln. We were investigating the crime scene when we came across this phone. Once the case was closed we tried to get in touch with her to return the phone but haven’t had the ability to reach her.” The officer rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he held out the phone in question.

“I figured I’d try at her home but, it seems like since you’re home so I’ll just be able to give it to you.” He smiled kindly as Yoongi took the phone in hand.

“Thank you officer. I really appreciate it.”

After saying their goodbyes Yoongi shut the door and made his way to the sofa in the living room. His fingers curled around the familiar object, unsure why its weight felt so strangely right in his hands.

His fingers swiped across the dark screen, eyes going wide at the amount of missed calls and messages that scrolled across the screen. 

47 missed calls, as many missed text messages and 4,762 missed emails. His eyes widened as he scrolled through the messages, names registered under the missed calls that at once felt familiar and strange when he uttered them out loud.

Tapping on one of the voicemails he inhaled sharply as twin voices boomed out of the phone’s speakers.

“Hyung!”

“Hyung!”

“Shut up Tae I got this!”

“Hurry Jiminie!”

“Yoongi hyung! It’s Jimin! We’ve been trying to get a hold of you for days!”

“Hyung we miss you!”

“Tae come ooonnnn!”

“Sorry oppaaaa.”

A groan sounded through the speakers and the voice started up again. “I know you weren’t looking forward to the trip but you really should have come. It’s honestly been the most relaxing thing we’ve done together.”

“Oh yeah! Namjoon hyung tracked down the lady that you threw overboard!”

“Aish Tae don’t say it like that!”

“Namjoon hyung! What was the lady’s name?”

A third voice grunted out, though further back than the other two had been.

“Her name? I mean I didn’t really track her down, she works for the company we rented the ship from. But...her name is y/n.”

A high pitched screaming began in his ears as he looked up at the named woman that’d walked through the door at that very moment.

“Yoongi?” Her arms were laden with bags from the grocery store. She pushed past the dogs, giving him a hesitant smile that quickly faded at the look of rage on Yoongi’s face.

“When..were you going to tell me?”

“I’m sorry?” Placing the bags in her hands on the sofa she took a step towards him, though he jumped up from the sofa and backed away a step as he glared at her in sheer and utter disgust.

“I remember. Everything. When...when in the fuck were you going to tell me??”

"Yoongi please, let me explain.." She reached out as if to touch him but he quickly jerked his arm away.

Stumbling backward he blindly moved towards the kitchen, rage and confusion filling him as he tried desperately to make sense of what he'd learned.

"You lied to me. Day in and day out, you fucking lied. About who I am and what our relationship is." He growled, the high pitched whine beginning to sound even louder in his ears as he braced himself against the counter.

A throbbing began to form between his eyes and he growled again as he sensed her presence behind him.

"Yoongi please, I didn't want this to happen. I swear I didn't want to lie. About you...about us...any of this." 

She reached for him again but he turned quickly to glare her down.

"You didn't WANT to lie!?! How's about telling the fucking doctors you weren't my wife? How about admitting to me that I'm some...fucking idol or some shit?" He shook his head, trying desperately to clear the spots from his eyes so he could focus on the betrayal that was her desperate gaze.

" I know, and you're right. At any point in time I could have stopped this. But you were in such a delicate state. The doctors were afraid the damage to your memory was permanent! That it would only get worse over time! And I just...I wanted to take care of you. I needed to. To thank you."

"To fucking thank me?? For what? And fucking how?? Again, you fucking lied to me. You let me believe I was some...some stay at home worthless piece of shit of a dish washing husband. You...fucking Christ woman you let me fall in love with you…"

He shook his head again, willing the words to continue to spew forth, hoping the anger would keep him on his feet. And yet, the buzzing in his head continued to grow. The black spots became clouds that grew to surround the edges of his sight. And once again he was falling.

Once again his vision was fading to a single pinpoint. Her face. The worry and regret and fear in her eyes.

The tiny forget me not earrings nestled snugly in her ear lobes.

At first there was only sound. And then….nothing. 

[baddyzarc]

5/7 Ruins: Legend of the Cursed Royal Palace

1 2 3 4a 4b x 6 7  

we like Vector. we’re not going to try to convince anyone that hes, like, a good person. Because he isn’t. But we do think he is a good character. Also we got the blog deleted while prepping this section so vector is cursed and we hate him

Vector is a spectacle. But he’s is a bit of an awkward character, at least for an Emperor. Unlike the rest of the Barian Emperors, who are morally gray at worst, Vector is pure evil for the sake of it. And generally, villains who are evil for no reason are considered weaker among the cast of villains. Yet he shines through in how yikes he is, and he does have one valid(ish) reason for his appalling behavior. 

Vector’s story is one of the most fun out of the Emperors due to how unhinged he is. He is the only Emperor with a near-complete tale. But his story also mixes deeply into Nasch and Merag’s Legend, which creates some problems in how to organize this thing.  

To begin, let’s go to his ruins. 

Vector’s ruins are located in a dilapidated castle on his island.

Personally, I have nothing to say about this location since this post already did an in-depth analysis on it. 

The advanced machinery and layout is interesting. It reminds of the Winchester Mystery House, but that's about it. 

Vector’s story is divided into two categories. First is the story of the Legend of the Cursed Palace. This consists of only the text provided within the palace. The second is all the additional information we obtain through Vector’s memories, Nasch’s memories, and Abyss’ intervention. Because of this, Vector’s past is the most vast out of all the Emperors. But is is also the most confusing due to conflicting information.

The Legend of the Cursed Royal Palace is told to us by Rio, and it is rather simple. 

Long ago, there lived a cruel prince in a palace. The prince was so cruel that everyone died. The end. Vector was a childish king who lacked faith in humanity. He executed anyone he doubted by beheading them as he watched. According to the legend, when he was “the last one standing” he took his own life by stabbing himself with his sword. 

That’s all the information from the ruins. This legend gets complicated with the rest of the story, so I’m gonna recount it as briefly as possible without any additional analysis. 

Starting all the way at the beginning, Vector was born as this little uggo peanut right here, and he was the herald of peace.

He came from two persons that are complete opposites of each other. One is a kindly mother who desires peace and the other is a ruthless warlord who wants war.

While sleeping in his crib, the Mythyrian Card “Number 65: Split-Decision Djinn - Judge Buster” fell onto him from the sky. Vector absorbed the Number into his body.

Years later, Vector’s father fell ill. Vector took over the kingdom, and he promised his mother and his citizens that he will bring peace to their kingdom. He did this by signing a peace treaty with the nations his father was warring against. 

Angered by this, his father pulled out his sword and attempted to kill Vector with it. His mother shielded Vector with her body to protect him, resulting in her death. His father then collapsed from his illness and died on the spot. 

Vector mourned for a brief moment before Don Thousand approached him. Don Thousand embedded the Over-Hundred Monster “Number 104: Masquerade Magician - Shining” in him to make him believe he killed his parents, thus saying the lovely line “You shall not be the prince of tragedy, but a prince of madness” and Vector followed suit, becoming cruel and sadistic. 

An unspecified amount of time passed before Vector ran into Nasch, Merag, and Durbe. 

Vector attacked Nasch’s kingdom with his fleet of ships and “Gorgonic Guardians”, which are Medusa-like monsters. Nasch counterattacks by using mirrors on them. As he was close to losing the battle, Vector performed a blood sacrifice to summon a god, which also happened to be Nasch’s Mythyrian Number “Number 73: Abyss Splash, the Roaring Waterfall Deity”. In order to purify Abyss, Merag sacrificed herself to summon another god, which is her Mythyrian Number “Number 94: Crystal Zero, the Princess of Polar Ice”.

Nasch gained control of both gods and used them to force Vector to retreat. Vector ran as Nasch and Durbe pursued him, destroying villages and kingdoms as he did so. 

Eventually, Vector was cornered in a Labyrinth, where he tricked Nasch into sending his army to their death via a Shadow Game. Regardless, Nasch defeated Vector again.

Vector fled back to his kingdom this time. In a fit of rage, he murdered everyone in his kingdom. Nasch followed him to the palace and found Vector surrounded by the dead bodies of his people.

They had a final showdown; Vector lost once more. Upon losing and in Nasch’s words, “... those you murdered... dragged you into Hell”. 

And that’s Vector’s story. 

Now, the only thing that is up for debate is how Vector died. The Legend of the Cursed Royal Palace stated that he committed suicide while Nasch’s recount said that the souls of his victims killed him. This may be a plot hole, but in the prior episode, both sides of this story were mentioned. Vector had a nightmare where he was being chased by the restless souls and Astral mentioned that the mad prince took his own life. Vector originally denies Nasch’s recount of his death at first, but quickly the souls manifest (because they were dueling on the field where Vector held his executions) to prove that this scenario did happen. This means that the writers are semi-aware of the situation, but they don’t state which is the true fate. 

Since it is unknown who scribed the legend onto the ruins, Nasch and Vector’s shared memories + the final scene in the Vector vs. Nasch Duel outweighs what is written in the palace. 

If anything, it’s possible that the tormented souls drove Vector to the tipping point of his madness, resulting in Vector taking his own life to escape them. Although, that is just my interpretation.  

But from here, we can finally discuss Vector because he is just full of it. 

Firstly, I want to talk about genetics. Specifically these lines right here. 

I find this extremely fun because there are two things at play here. First is that Zexal specifically states that his cruelty derives from his father—on the other hand, his kindness should derive from his mother—and second is that Don Thousand is able to kick this into overdrive. I doubt that the writers were thinking about any of this when they made this story, but this is a fun observation that I noticed (but if they were, kudos to them).  

Forcing some real-life concepts onto yugioh again, let’s talk about heritability. Heritability measures the variation between a trait of a parent (such as hair length, body size, temperament, ect.) and the traits of an offspring within a population of individuals. High heritability means that the phenotypes (physical characteristics) of the parents correlates to the phenotypes of the offspring, and vice-versa with low heritability. In humans, personality is a heritable trait, and in our species, one of the most heritable personalities is neuroticism. High neuroticism attributes to emotional instability and plays into emotions such as jealousy, loneliness, anxiety, anger, ect. 

There are four other major personalities, but for this, I’ll focus on neuroticism. Honestly, you could put any trait here since any of them loosely applies to this concept.

Okay. So does this mean that Vector was doomed to a life like his father. His genetics oughta leaned him that way. But NO, no because humans are far more complicated than that, and genetics is not the only thing that affects a person's behavior. But it does influence it some, and this is the basis of it’s influence.

What this says is that within a population, (genetics + environmental influence) = variation of a trait. Some phenotypes are heavily controlled by genetics while others are not. A simple example is if you have tall parents produce an offspring who have the genes for being tall (assume that it is moderately controlled by the environment). If the offspring grew up in a poor environment (less food or something) it will be short relative to the rest of the “tall” population. But if the offspring grew up in a good environment (more food), then it will be tall relative to the rest of the population. 

For the five different personalities in humans, each of them varies in how much it is influenced by genetics and how much of it is influenced by the environment (this is stingy since studying the effects of environmental influences on humans is very difficult and hard to replicate). But neuroticism is one that may have significant interactions between genetics and the environment. 

But enough science, let’s go back to Vector. Vector is really fun because his situation allows him to exist on all of the spectrums. He went from incredibly kind-hearted and peaceful to just not. This is possibly due to his inherited neuroticism and the environment he was exposed to.

It is likely that the “current” Vector’s neuroticism is rather high. Scoring high in neuroticism means that an individual tends to have low emotional stability, which attributes to frequent mood swings, high irritability, insecurity, and emotional volatility. This trait is more complex than that, but that’s the general gist of it. Most of this could be seen when it comes to how he treats others and how others treat him. 

With Vector, he hates it when other people mock him or control him. This is why he despises Nasch for being better than him and why he betrays Don Thousand for toying with him. He is someone who needs to be in full control of the situation; this could be because of his insecurity (like, he got really pissed when Merag gained the upper hand and began to insult him during their duel). Vector is also described as being incredibly untrusting of other individuals, hence why he kills anyone he doubts. These traits are similar to that of his volatile father, whom he also shares a similar vocabulary with when describing people they hate, or anyone against war.

On the other hand, scoring low in neuroticism means that an individual can handle stress very well. Often, they are calm and composed. This could only be seen in Vector prior to Don Thousand’s interference; i.e. when he was handling the kingdom after his father got ill. He also maintained his calm composure while his father scolded him and pulled a sword to kill him. 

His mother was kind and his father was not; Vector likely inherited some mix of neuroticism from them. Kindness and evilness was always inside Vector. And this allows him to exist as the kind “Rei Shingetsu” and the cruel “Vector” depending on the environment he was exposed to. 

So what were the different environments? I think it was the Mythyrian and Over-Hundred Numbers. 

Genetics played a role in shaping the core of Vector (“the same cruel blood as the king is running through you” and all) but it was the environmental influences added onto his core. Here’s a simple graphic. 

Vector is a baby who inherited his father and mother’s neuroticism (perhaps he has an intermediate; I do not know the mode of inheritance of this). The Mythyrian Number card pushed him hard into the low neuroticism section. The Over-Hundred Number pushed him into the high neuroticism section, and this was where he stayed until his death by Don Thousand. 

What I’m getting is that the “gentle prince” persona is not the actual Vector, but a Vector under the influence of a Number Monster (albeit a kind one). You could say the same with the “Prince of Madness” Vector, that he is also a false Vector influenced by an evil Number Monster, but there’s some glaring evidence that this evil Vector is closer to the actual Vector than the kind one. I’ll get to this later when I talk about his Guardian.

It’s highly possible that a “Vector” untouched by the Numbers would have existed somewhere in the middle since his mother and father would be the environmental influences in that case (or maybe they would’ve pushed him to one side too). The closest we get may be the one at the very end of the show, where Vector is “not evil” but still a trickster, mischievous type of guy. 

Overall, Vector is a character who had great potential for kindness, as stated by Don Thousand, but he also had the greatest potential for darkness as well. Don Thousand took advantage of this and gave Vector the environmental influence he needed to become the cruel, lovable character we know today. 

I just think it’s neat that Vector has a plausible reason why he went from baby to killer. 

Alrighty. So about those dang Number cards. 

Both of these cards and their respective Chaos upgrades represent the two sides of Vector. “Number 65: Split-Decision Djinn - Judge Buster” to “Chaos Number 65: Split-Decision Demon King - Judge Devil” and “Number 104: Masquerade Magician - Shining” to “Chaos Number 104: Masquerade Magician - Umbral”. There is one specific play with these two that makes me enjoy Vector so much.

But before I get to that, I need to talk about the influence of each monster on Vector and his Guardian.

As stated previously, these monsters altered Vector’s personality. “Masquerade Magician” is the more obvious of the monsters. It’s a masquerade; it hides under a mask and fools people. That’s just a normal Vector. A neat factoid is that the “Shining” to “Umbral” at the end of “Masquerade Magician” is related to the reveal of Shingetsu to Vector. Shining obviously means light (hence the light-attribute) while umbral means shadow (hence the dark-attribute). Number 104 and its Number c104 were first played when Vector revealed himself to Yuma during the Sargasso Arc. Light to Shadow, Shingetsu to Vector. 

“Judge Buster” is more difficult due to its relationship as a Mythyrian Number. It is a monster who altered Vector to be as good as he can be. It is supposed to be a fair and truthful judge, the polar opposite of “Masquerade Magician”.

But this is where things get very complicated. Despite being Vector’s “good” card, it is no different than the Over-Hundred that infected him. From the perspective of his father: 

Vector is a “cursed” child because he lacked any of the ruthless characteristics of his father. The way the Numbers “65” flashed on the screen is also similar to when other characters use or get possessed by a Number Monster. Vector was cursed, or possessed, to be a kind and gentle prince. In this case, despite being a very positive force on Vector’s life, the curse of a Number is still a curse. Eventually Vector loses his initial curse to inherit Don Thousand’s curse.

But the story of “Judge Buster” doesn’t end there. It continues into the story of Vector’s Guardian and it’s ascent into a Chaos Monster.

The Guardian of the Cursed Royal Palace is a very interesting one. Vector is unique because his Guardian is completely unrelated to his Mythyrian Number, unlike Jinlon and Abyss for example. Vector’s Guardian does not speak and can only be described as a feral, bloodthirsty beast.

This guy is based off of another card called “Minotaurus” or (“Battle Ox” in the TCG). Despite not being related to the Mythyrian Number like the other Guardians, Minotaurus is completely related to Vector’s story. It’s flavor states “A cattle monster with tremendous power. It mows down anything with a single axe swing.” 

Now, there are several things to note here. An obvious one is that the Guardian is a Minotaur. In real life, the Minotaur derives from Greek Mythology. It is a beast that commonly resides in Labyrinths waiting for sacrificial maidens. With this detail, there is a direct connection to Vector’s story in two ways. 

First is that Vector describes his palace as a “Labyrinth of Screams” and second is that he lured Nasch into a Labyrinth to kill him. Two very prominent settings in the Vector’s story. 

Minotaurus is a deliberate choice made by the writers to tie this theme together, but this is just a neat easter egg. It is the actions of Minotaurus is what counts. 

The other thing is that Minotaurus’ weapon of choice, its axe, is located on the execution slab where Vector beheads his enemies.

Finally, and the one that I think is the most interesting and peculiar, is that the axe has Vector’s Mythyrian Number embedded in it. 

This is highly significant because if we look at all the other low-grade Emperors, their Mythyrian Numbers were abandoned when Don Thousand infected them (and they died shortly afterwards while Vector lived a part of his life with his Over-Hundred inside of him). In the end, most of the Mythyrian Numbers we see are held on a pedestal, or given some type of reverence in the afterlife. 

Vector’s card has an axe going through it, like he was trying to get rid of it. 

There’s a lot of assumptions to be made here with the most basic argument being that this detail bears no significance to Vector. BUT my theory is that the spirit of the card manifested to him at some point after he became a ruthless warrior. “Judge Buster” may have been trying to help him, or it was trying to convince him that the Over-Hundred infected his mind. Since Vector is a character filled with doubt and trust-issues, he likely ordered his executioner (Minotaurus or someone else) to behead “Judge Buster”. 

(Also, Vector said he noticed that Don Thousand altered his memories “a long time ago”? It was never stated how Vector found out. I think that he may have gotten this critical information when “Judge Buster” manifested in his past life. Perhaps it told him everything that happened. This means that Vector known the truth about his fate since his past life, and given his slick shrewdness and foresight, perhaps)

So you know when I said that “evil” Vector is probably closer to the “true” Vector than the kind one? It’s due to his relationship with his Mythyrian Number. From this possible encounter in their past life, the end result is that Vector actively rejected the Mythyrian Number’s blessing to accept his cruel heritage, which is thoroughly reinforced in this scene. 

In his duel against Nasch, Vector used “XYZ Discharge” to give Nasch all of his monsters to feint surrender after he found out about his true past. Vector immediately turned around and used “Trick Buster” to blow them up and kill Nasch while his guard was down. This move tells us everything we need to know about Vector. Vector knows of his two lives as a “good” and “terrible” person, and he chose to actively ignore them. The card “Trick Buster” could be seen as a combination of his two curses and what Vector got out of it. “Trick” comes from the trickster nature of “Masquerade Magician” and “Buster” comes from “Judge Buster”. Like with his past encounter with “Judge Buster” (which should’ve been able to repel the curse of the Over-Hundred) Vector rejected and executed his Mythyrian Number as he did with this new, possible redemption. 

He made that choice. He made both of these choices on his own free will. This is a major reason why Vector is described as “evil for evil’s sake”. When given a chance at redemption after he “found out” about his true past, instead of rejecting the life that Don Thousand gave him, Vector staight up said he doesnt give a fuck if he was supposed to be a good person. It’s kind of incredible and I think that’s just,,, wow i love him. 

And to add onto this fact, we need to talk about the Mythyrian Chaos Numbers, which is an oxymoron in the Zexal universe. “Judge Buster” and “Abyss Splash” (Vector and Nasch’s Mythyrians respectively) are the only Mythyrians who become Chaos monsters as well as being the only Emperors who use their own Mythyrian Numbers (Gilag doesn’t count due to raccoon-related shenanigans). This holds some discussion between these two, but I can’t really talk about it until I talk about Nasch.

However, what I want to say is that Vector chooses to use his Mythyrian Number. Although he randomly summoned it with a card effect, Vector plays his Mythyrian Number. Likewise in my discussion with Alito’s ruins, the Mythyrian Numbers have a purifying effect on the Emperors. It reveals their true, unaltered personalities. By choosing to use a Mythyrian and subsequently revealing his true nature, the cruel person we see is just how Vector is. His usage of “Trick Buster” backs this up. I don’t think it's a coincidence that Vector and Nasch, arguably the strongest of the Emperors, are also the ones who accept their Mythyrian Numbers yet still end up in Barian World. They are also the only ones that were able to Chaosify their Mythyrians, with Nasch performing a proper Chaos summon while Vector pulled into “Chaos Number 65: Split-Decision Demon King - Judge Devil” by luck.

Because of his denial of the Mythyrian Number despite being aware of its existence, Vector is the only Emperor that isn’t described as heroic in his legend. By being an active participant in his descent into Barian World, Vector cannot have a heroic legend like the others. He is simply a vile person who likely deserved his spot in Barian World. 

Now that we got that down, why did Vector end up in Barian World despite being his “true personality”? A simple answer is that Barian World represents Hell, and Vector deserved to go there. However, it’s repeatedly stated in the show that Chaotic persons end up in Barian World, not bad persons. 

And Chaos is complex due to the range of characters it goes through.

Like, this is a massive list of personalities, and they are all canon Chaos creatures. 

And if you haven't noticed, I haven’t discussed the Cursed Royal Palace’s duel yet. This is because it occurred between Black Mist and Astral, and it has little relevance to Vector himself. However, that battle ties into the complexities of Chaos that I will continue with Nasch and Merag’s Legend, as well as the rest of Vector’s story.  

Bye.

[sides-of-demigods]

The Forest Incident Pt. 3

Word Count: 1,723

Warning(s): Blood, injuries, cursing, infirmary/hospital

Author's Note: I am upset. It wasn't supposed to be this short but I reached the damn paragraph limit and had to go pretty far back for the most natural cutting off point. I was gonna finish it all this chapter but I guess I'll have to wait a day to two. Ugh. So yeah, there'll be a part Fours that basically just an epilogue. Thanks Tumblr.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

Virgil muttered an apology and fully slapped the boy across the face and desperately shouted his name again.

Finally, Roman slowly opened his eyes and Virgil let out a little laugh of relief.

“Did...did you slap me?” Roman questioned, his voice weak.

“Well you wouldn't wake up,” Virgil said. “Didn't leave me much choice.”

He dragged Roman over to the nearest tree and propped him against it, flinching when Roman launched into a coughing fit.

“Hold on, hold on I've uh…I've got some first aid stuff just hold on,” Virgil muttered, practically incomprehensible. 

Virgil tossed his sword and shield to the side so he could take off his backpack and rummage through it.

He ended up just taking everything but the protein bars out, because he still wasnt sure exactly what he needed.

He was no Patton, but he was pretty sure he could buy enough time to find Patton or get back to camp. Only problem, they had been following the tracks, so Virgil actually wasn’t sure which way Camp was.

But that was definitely a problem for later. For now, he had to keep Roman from bleeding out in the middle of the woods.

“Okay, here eat this,” Virgil shoved a large square of ambrosia into Roman’s hand and made sure he was starting to eat it before he used his sword to cut open Roman’s shirt.

He had to get it off in order to actually treat the gash and there was no way Roman was taking it off anytime soon.

“You know,” Roman started before coughing again. “If you wanted to see...see me shirtless...you could have just said something.”

"Shut up idiot," Virgil muttered. He opened the First Aid kit and began to use the cleaning gauze to wipe away as much of the blood as possible because at this point he couldn't even see the cut.

Roman looked on the verge of passing it again, but Virgil remembered something about keeping the patient awake by talking or something.

"You saved my life you know," Virgil ended up saying, inwardly cursing himself. "Throwing me my shield I mean. That was some quick thinking."

"You're welcome." Roman tried to laugh but ended up coughing again and slumped against the tree. "You, you saved me too...you know."

"I think all the blood suggests otherwise."

"But after that you…you got me out of the way...that stinger... remember?"

"Yeah I guess. Everything happened so fast." Virgil wasn't fully paying attention to the conversation. He had given up on the blood and reached for the rubbing alcohol, putting some on the left over gauze. "I've gotta clean this out. It's gonna hurt like a son of a bitch though, so try to just keep talking. Ready?"

Roman nodded and visibly braced himself, so Virgil pressed the gauze to the wound. Roman hissed loudly and his head fell back against the tree with a dull thunk. Virgil mumbled an apology under his breath. 

"Not to mention, ow ow ow, this," Roman said, trying to follow Virgil's advice and just distract himself.

"What on Gaia's green earth are you talking about?" Virgil raised an eyebrow. 

"Nursing me...back to, ow, health or whatever. Maybe you're...not an evil, ow, villain."

"And why's that?"

"Ah!"

"Sorry."

"Well if you really wanted me...ya know...dead...this would be the, ow, perfect opportunity. Secret…secret mission in the...the woods...crazy monster….already hurt…"

"I think you're in shock Princey."

"M'not in shock...you're in shock…. you're so...so calm."

Actually, if Virgil thought about it, the delirious demigod may be onto something. 

Usually Virgil would be freaking the fuck out and definitely not treating a wound methodically and carefully and ESPECIALLY not since he himself was injured and exhausted, though the adrenaline coursing through his veins at the sight of Roman's cut and the blood on his own hands was probably to thank for that.

"Okay done with that." Virgil used the last scraps of gauze to get at least some of the blood off his hands before tossing it away. Usually Patton would scold him for something like that but Virgil couldn't bring himself to care about littering at the moment. 

He reached for the bandages instead and helped Roman sit up so he could wrap that bandages around his torso and occasionally his shoulder to help keep them in place.

He used on hand to hold up Roman and the other to wrap the bandages, alternating which hand was doing which as he went.

"Hey Virge? I think...I think I'm gonna take a little nap now."

"Like hell you are," Virgil growled. "Don't think I won't slap you again."

"That's not nice," Roman pouted. He was getting increasingly delirious from a combination of blood loss, exhaustion, and pain, and Virgil wasn't sure how much longer he'd last. 

Virgil had skills limited to basic First Aid and it wasn't professional quality either. If Roman didn't get help quick, Virgil wasn't sure he'd make it. He'd lost so much blood…

Plus Virgil would have to carry him back to camp and he had no idea which way that was. 

Worse still, he didn't think his body could handle that. 

He was bruised and battered as well, he was pretty sure he'd at least crack a few ribs, and was running on nothing but adrenaline at this point. 

Virgil tucked the end of the bandage and secured it with medical tape, but that was about as far as his skills went. Now the other problem.

"We've gotta find Logan and Patton or figure out how to get you back to camp," Virgil was mumbling again, searching fruitlessly through his bag as if a miracle would suddenly appear. In fact, he was actually praying to every god he knew that that exact thing would happen. Because he was out of options.

"I could...do a spell," Roman suggested, his voice quieter and weaker than Virgil had ever heard. 

"No, no way," Virgil argued immediately. "There's no way you have enough energy for one of those."

"I would if you gave me...gave more am..amber...ambrosia."

"You are just a FACTORY for bad ideas right now, aren't you? I already gave you a risky amount, anymore and you'll probably burn up!"

"I don't think we have another choice."

He was right of course. As much as Virgil hated it. If they did it Roman at least had a chance of survival, however slim. If they didn't...well Virgil didn't see a scenario where Roman got out alive.

"Damn it." Virgil cursed, begrudgingly taking the smallest square of ambrosia he could find. He held it up to Roman's lips who obligingly ate it, understanding he needed to conserve as much energy as possible.

They waited a few seconds for it to kick in. Roman schooled his face into one of determination and began to run through songs in his head.

"Go for finding Logan and Patton. I don't think I can carry back to camp," Virgil suggested and sat against the tree next to Roman, their shoulders pressed together. He was exhausted but he still wanted to be close enough in case something happened.

He winced at the movement, his hand coming up to his ribs as he hissed in pain. Roman looked at him questioningly but Virgil rolled his hand to get him going. 

"Don't make fun of me for the song alright? It's the only thing I can think of."

"No promises." 

"And I'll probably pass out after this so-"

"Just get on with it Sir Sing-A-Lot."

Roman took a breath and began to sing. Virgil had no clue what he was expecting, but he was pretty sure it wasn't Gotta Find You from fucking Camp Rock.

"I need to try to get to where you are," Roman sang. "Could it be you're not that far. You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing. I need to find you, I gotta find you. You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me. I need to find you, I gotta find you."

His voice got weaker and weaker as he sang, to the point where by the end even Virgil could barely hear it.

Then Roman slumped over and Virgil caught him, propping him against the tree as best he could, but Roman still ended up leaning on him. 

Virgil looked around and began to panic, as it seemed like nothing has happened.

He blinked and there it was, a ball of light almost like fire just floating there. 

And then it zipped off through the woods, leaving a trail of light behind it. 

A few seconds later:

Logan and Patton had found the other two serkets and had managed to dispatch them. 

They weren't unscathed, but since they had managed to take the serkets by surprise instead of the other way around, they were much better off than Roman and Virgil. 

Both were shocked when suddenly a ball of what looked like fire burst out of the trees and stopped in front of Patton then just…hovered there. 

The two shared a curious look, having a conversation without words. Eventually Logan nodded and Drew his daggers as Patton turned to the ball.

Slowly he reached his hand out toward it, closing his eyes just before he made contact with it, preparing to be burned or worse. Instead he heard some sort of shimmer and opened his eyes just in time to see the ball explode into an image of Virgil and Roman leaning against a tree. 

Roman had bandages wrapped around his torso that we're already covered in blood and was pale as snow, Virgil was covered in scratches and bruises and seemed to be gingerly cradling his ribs. 

Patton gasped audibly at the image, his hand flying up to his mouth while Logan cursed under his breath. 

"Patton, look," Logan said, pulling Patton's gaze from the image in front of him and to the glittery trail leading into the woods that the ball had left behind.

The two looked at each other again.

"You don't think…?" Patton trailed off.

"One of Roman's spells," Logan agreed with a firm nod. "He's leading us to them."

"We have to hurry!"

"Agreed."

The two sprinted into the woods.

[cotillion-the-rope]

Hallownest’s Hero Chapter Four: Tiso

Someone else was currently doing a Trail which meant Ghost and Grimmchild had to wait. Frustrating but that was the way of things, the world didn’t revolve around them after all. So, they’d watched for a change, see what it was like from the bleachers. It might even be fun.

Except when they got to the bleachers, they couldn’t see anything. Everyone was so much taller than them and blocked the view; being small though advantageous at times was still annoying. Grimmchild was lucky, he could fly thus didn’t have to worry about that kind of thing. Ghost had to push and sidle their way up to the front. People grumbled as they pushed past but otherwise didn’t pay them any mind and thus they got through pretty easily.

The challenger turned out to be Tiso! In hindsight that wasn’t all that surprising, last time Ghost had saw him, he’d been in the rest room down below preparing for the Trials. But it was still nice to see him again and Ghost would get to watch him be victorious and silently cheer him on along the way. They didn’t mind waiting for their own turn after all.

After only a few minutes of watching, it became clear that Tiso wasn’t as skilled with his sword and shield as his demeaner and words had led Ghost to believe. Not that he was bad, he was still holding his own against the myriad weaker enemies but he’d have to be very careful if were to face anyone truly skilled in combat. Which didn’t seem like it was going to be the case here until…

“It’s almost time for the God Tamer,” one of the people near Ghost murmured. “She’s going to wreck him,” another answered in reply with an excited snicker. Well, that sounded ominous. Hopefully Tiso would be okay.

The God Tamer turned out be an armored ant with a large steed. She looked formidable; Ghost would’ve been thrilled at the prospect of battling her. But they were a bit nervous for Tiso. It would probably be fine though, he wasn’t helpless and he had a shield, he could still come out victorious.

Tiso didn’t even get a chance to swing his sword at either foe before the steed rolled up into a ball and rolled right over him, crushing him. Ghost flinched in sympathy, that had to hurt. There was no way it was enough to kill him though but it did seem to have knocked him unconscious because he wasn’t getting back up. A bummer, he’d lost. Hopefully the Colosseum had a doctor on standby to help him get…

The God Tamer strode over to him. She studied him for a couple seconds, tapping his arm with her foot before raising her sword as if she were going to stab it down into him.

Ghost vaulted over the railing, firing off a vengeful spirit when he was on level with her. It hit her at the same time their feet touched the ground, knocking her back.

“What?” she said, incredulous as she looked up at them.

Ghost dashed forward to stand beside Tiso’s unconscious body. Grimmchild caught up a second later to hiss at the God Tamer.

“Little one,” she said, her voice menacing as it echoed inside her helm, “What do you think you’re doing?”

It was wrong to kill people who were unconscious. And it was unnecessary because Tiso had already lost, there was no need to make it so final. And he was Ghost’s friend so Ghost wasn’t going to just sit there and watch someone kill him in cold blood. They couldn’t say any of that though so instead they pointed at Tiso and then themself before drawing their nail. They didn’t want to fight, they’d prefer to tend to Tiso’s injuries first, but they would if they had to.

“Kill that one too,” someone in the crowed behind them shouted followed by a roar of approval. “Kill all three of the bastards!” “Yeah! A three for one!”

“Well, I’m not opposed to it so…” the God Tamer readied her sword again, “sic ‘em boy,” she said as she lunged at Ghost.

They stepped forward to meet her, parrying her with ease. The beast behind her was rearing back, readying to attack. Not knowing what was coming, Ghost normally would’ve just jumped or dashed out of the way but they couldn’t exactly do that when they needed to make sure Tiso wouldn’t get hit again too. Dammit! They need to end this fight fast.

They dashed forward instead, their shade cloak allowing them to pass through the God Tamer, hopefully putting her off balance, and into the face of beast. Which resulted in them getting a face full of acid spit mixed with Infected fluid. It hurt like hell but they ignored it as they stabbed their nail into the beast’s mouth, up into the roof as far as Ghost could force it. Which with a pure nail and Ghost’s force of will was rather far. It shrieked and thrashed. If their nail wasn’t dug in so deep, Ghost would’ve been flung away. They clung to it though even as blood and more Infected acid spit covered them. One well time descending dark was enough to end its struggles.

With no time to rest, Ghost ripped their nail out of its mouth as they straightened to snap back towards the God Tamer. They were going to launch back at her, ready to slice her to bits if they had to but… she’d dropped her weapon.

“No!” she rushed over to her now dead steed, its head partially caved in as blood and Infected acid spit mixed together as it leaked out of its mouth. Ghost stepped aside to let her. Even bad people sometimes had loved ones, they weren’t going to get in the way of that.

“What the fuck?” Tiso had woken up and rolled half onto his side to support himself with his elbow as he sat up a bit to watch what was going on.

Still ignoring the pain, Ghost dashed over to give him a wave. He looked like he was hurting a lot but otherwise seemed okay, meaning he’d live.

Tiso look at them and then presumably at dead beast and God Tamer behind them, squinting angrily. “I… I… didn’t need you help. I was gonna… I don’t know. But you didn’t need to come in and save me.”

Grimmchild hissed at him. Ghost though, bent down to pat Tiso’s head. It was okay to need help sometimes, Tiso just hadn’t learned that yet. Before Tiso could respond…

“How dare you!” The God Tamer was pissed, rightfully so too. Ghost felt a bit bad but there was nothing else they could’ve done, they’d had to kill the beast as fast a possible before decided to roll of Tiso again.

So they straightened and snapped around to dash towards the God Tamer who’d retrieved her weapon. With a strong slash, they knocked it out of her hands, flinging some of blood coating their nail onto her in the process. She flinched and backed up before kneeling in defeat. Good, that meant Ghost wouldn’t have to kill her.

They put their nail back on their back. Not actually a smart idea, it was covered in blood that was now coating the back of their cloak too but they didn’t have time to clean it yet, they had stuff to do. Then returned to Tiso’s side.

“What are you doing? Kill her!” someone in the crowed called followed by a roar of approval and more calls for bloodshed. Oh how fickle their alliances were. They just wanted to see someone die. They were doomed to be disappointed today though.

So ignoring them, Ghost extended a hand to Tiso, offering to help him stand because carrying him wasn’t an option. He stared at it for a few seconds before accepting it, looking away as he did so.

Once standing, he had trouble staying upright and ended up grasping onto one of Ghost’s horns for support. It was uncomfortable but it was enough to help him limp out of the arena.

Luckily, there was a healing hot spring in the resting area. With Tiso’s injuries, getting there took a while and he was stubbornly silent the whole time – sulking like Grimmchild liked to do when he was denied mischief – but they got there eventually. They were the only ones there now too, how fortunate.

Grimmchild dived in first despite being totally uninjured, splashing them both. Tiso grumbled as Ghost helped him in before finally sliding in themself.

It was amazing as always. Ghost submerged themself completely, letting the healing water seep into their eyes, allowing them to essentially drink it. The cracks and damage in their shell healed up almost immediately as their body filled back up with soul as well. The water around them clouded with blood and other substances for a few seconds before clearing up.

Still without surfacing, they pulled their nail around and gave it a good scrubbing with the cloth of their cloak to make sure all the blood washed off. They were tempted to sharpen it too out of habit but all the pale ore the blacksmith had packed into it made it so it kept its edge for much longer. So instead after admiring its keen edge and clean look, they put it away and finally lifted their head out of the water.

Tiso was watching them with his arms crossed as he leaned back, obviously also enjoying the water. “Why did you save me?”

Ghost lifted their hands to make a heart shape with their fingers. Tiso was their friend.

“What does that mean?”

Grimmchild chirped angrily, offended on Ghost’s behalf at Tiso’s annoyed tone. Which wasn’t necessary. They reached behind them to give him a quick head pat before answering Tiso’s question by reaching up and patting him on the head too. Surely, he’d understand that gesture, right?

Tiso pulled away though as if offended by Ghost’s touch. “Aren’t you supposed to be like… empty or something?” Did he mean hollow?

Ghost nodded because they were supposed to be hollow but they weren’t so they shook their head too. They tapped their forehead and pulled their hand away, fluttering their fingers. They had thoughts and feelings.

“Hmmm… okay, I guess. That still doesn’t explain why you helped me though. I’ve never done anything for you.”

Ghost would’ve sighed if they could. So instead, they drew their nail and carved the word ‘friend’ into the tile beside the pool. They then pointed at Tiso.

He stared at if for several seconds before finally speaking. “What? I’m not… we’re not… Why would you even think that?”

They patted him on the shoulder. If he didn’t understand that was fine, what was important was that he survived. Hopefully he wouldn’t get into any more dangerous situations though because Ghost couldn’t always be there to protect him. They had an important quest they’d have to get back to soon, they’d put it off too long as it was.

[darthchic]

Character War: Zoro vs Sanji

Trying to put my own bias aside, and because I’m bored here in quarantine, I was thinking about how I could fairly break down parts of Zoro and Sanji’s characters and compare them. I want to see if I can analytically decide which character is more well realised or well written (just because there’s always that rivalry between both the characters and the fans, you often can’t help but ask yourself these kinds of questions).

EDIT: OH, and SPOILERS if you wish to read this and are not up to date

If the question was “Who’s the more popular character?” though, Zoro wins hands down, no contest.

 So, I broke the two characters down into categories:

–    Design

–    Fighting Style

–    Fights/Achievements

–    Coolness

–    Backstory

–    Gag

–    Development

 Design: Neither Zoro or Sanji have designs that particularly stand out to me, not within their own universe or in anime in general. Seriously, think of some crazy-ass looking characters you've seen in other anime and Zoro and Sanji simply pale in comparison. Heck, they pale in comparison to some of their fellow crewmates (Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Brook etc.) and over time their designs have probably been... how to put this... made more attractive as time goes on? Cause you know, you gotta let the female fans have some eye candy too. And with attractiveness tends to come more “normalness” (not a word but whatever) cause you can't go too crazy with the overall design in case it becomes off-putting. The only thing that really stands out for Zoro and Sanji respectively is hair colour and eyebrows.

–    Still if I had to declare one of them the winner... I'd have to say Sanji, just for his more 'unique' eyebrows. We've seen plenty of anime/manga featuring characters with hair colours that match every colour in the rainbow, so it's commonplace for someone to have green or pink hair and no-one really bats an eye. Peculiar eyebrows however are less common, although not rare (as far as I can tell), but for anime fans, it's something I think people still instantly notice more so than a character's hair colour. So.... point to SANJI! But barely, and it’s not much of a win.

 Sanji 1/0 Zoro

 Fighting Style: Again, neither a sword fighting style or kicking fight style is exactly uncommon, but I am edging towards Sanji's fighting style and I'll try to justify why, even if it is due to my own personal preferences. To me, sword fighting is often the go-to 'bad-ass' method of fighting, cause, come on, SWORDS ARE COOL (can't help but think about the overwhelming popularity of Pokemon Sword vs Pokemon Shield for example). Sword fights/fighters are iconic and that’s the issue at times for me because I feel like I've seen enough sword fights at this point, and not just in anime. So, while they're fun, their overexposure makes me appreciate something different a lot more.

–    To me, Sanji's style has a bit more 'kick' to it (oh yes!) and his reasons for using a kicking style are a bit more unique and interesting as well (being that he’s a cook and can’t damage his hands, the tools to his craft). His style is fun to watch, requires a bit more imagination when designing his moves, but it also has a strange kind of elegance to it which I appreciate. Not that sword fighting can't look elegant (Hello, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’), but I love that people often joke that some shots of Sanji make it look like he could be a dancer which I find amusing, because it’s true. Plus, I admire the fact that he's the only Straw-hat that fights without either a magic power/devil fruit or a literal weapon (though he has now grown accustomed to the raid suit, so…). But, for the majority of the story so far, the dude has just used his legs and that’s it. And is the 3rd (or fourth if you count Jinbei now) most powerful member of the crew, and still impressively strong overall amongst a massive cast of crazy powerful characters. Also, dude can fly. Actually fly. He can fight in the skies, sing “Walking in the Air” and it would not seem completely ridiculous. So, people reading this may not agree, but, point to SANJI!

Sanji 2/0 Zoro

 Fights/Achievements: I feel that most fans prefer Zoro's fights as he tends to take on the second strongest villains of each arc (with Luffy obviously taking on the strongest), which is automatic epicness. I know some fans even argue that Zoro would have no problems taking on the strongest villains in Luffy's place anyway, though I would disagree simply due to the fact that if Luffy were weaker/equal in strength to Zoro then why would he even be captain? The guy who's gonna be the Pirate King can hardly be weaker than one of his own crewmates, it ain't right!

–    Anyway, Zoro's battles tend to be straight-up badass one-on-one feats of strength, while Sanji's can be a mix of badass and sometimes plain goofy (thinking of Sanji vs Mr. 2 here or Sanji vs Wanze). And I do think Oda makes it clear that Zoro is the more powerful of the two, making his wins a lot more impressive, awe-inspiring, and show how physically far he’ll go in order to succeed (man should really have no blood left in his body). For me personally though, I often found many of Zoro’s fights a bit dull, like his fight with Mr. 1 for e.g. (ha, ironic), and when I watch his big battle with Kaku, while I like Kaku as a character, I had a hard time taking the image of Zoro fighting a sword-wielding Giraffe seriously. Sanji fighting a wolf with a moustache often looks goofy as well, but at least wolves come across as a bit more threatening (unless you have been on a scary Safari tour o__O…).

–    Alas, I would give Zoro the point for fights simply because I know how much the fandom appreciates them and the effort he puts in, BUT.... as for achievements... Maybe I'm being sneaky with this, but for me, while Sanji's fights maybe aren't considered as iconic as Zoro's, his actions towards helping the crew solidified Sanji's usefulness to the crew as not only a fighter but a tactician, and without him at a certain point, there wouldn't be any epic Zoro fights to appreciate. Sanji's rescue of the crew in Alabasta was pretty damn awesome, the fact they wouldn't have even reached Alabasta in the first place if Sanji hadn't gotten a hold of the Alabasta eternal log pose is hilarious, his saving of Usopp and Nami in Skypeia, his enabling of the Merry to escape without being blown to smithereens in the Enies Lobby arc, it's all just undeniably awesome. And to me, just as equally iconic and important as Zoro's fights, sooooo... I'm calling it a TIE!

 Sanji 3/1 Zoro

 Coolness: HAHA! Ok, come on, I love Sanji, but Oda's portrayal of him can get a bit ridiculous at times and sometimes rob him of his dignity, whereas with Zoro, Oda really doesn't humiliate him that much. He's usually always cool and epic and never seems to leave a negative impression in the eyes of fans. So, no question about it, point to ZORO!

 Sanji 3/2 Zoro

 Backstory: Ok, maybe it's just me, but I don't think many are gonna argue that Sanji has the better backstory? There's just more of it, it's better fleshed out, it establishes his character relationships and motives far better, it's just... better? Zoro's backstory perhaps is still to be further developed, but as it stands...

–    Zoro = Wants to become the greatest swordsman because of a promise he made to his dead rival/childhood friend. Nice, but doesn’t feel very original or special. Where did he come from before all that? Where/who is Zoro's family? Why did he want to be a swordsman in the first place? Cause it's cool? It just leaves me feeling annoyed because there’s these gaps and things left unanswered within his story and I can't tell if Oda's even going to give us any answers! But with a possibility that Zoro is from Wano, maybe something is eventually going to be explained? Still, I feel like Oda needs to be careful he doesn't make a repetitive tragic backstory, cause I worry that at some point he's going to run out of ideas on how to make each new backstory more uniquely depressing than the last, to the point where it's gonna be a 'been there, done that' kind of deal. Or maybe he’ll actually reveal that Zoro has a DUN-DUN-DUN living mother. I mean, that’s rarely done in this series, so that would be pretty shocking.

–    Sanji = Born as a quadruplet (still so weird to me) to a royal family, kind mother but douche-bag father. Mother dies saving Sanji's humanity because said douche-bag father violated mother and children by tampering with them before birth in order to make his children into sociopathic weapons. Sanji grew up emotionally and physically abused by father and brothers because he had kindness and compassion, and the abuse got so bad that he was even locked in a jail cell with an iron mask on his face because his father was ashamed of his existence. Mother, of course, dies, leaving Sanji with only an older sister to turn to, who could only be nice to him in secret and laugh at him in public. He decided to become a chef during imprisonment due to his mother giving him the only praise he had ever received and he enjoyed making her happy. Finally escapes douche-bag family thanks to decent sister freeing him, but only after promising to never admit he was related to his douche-bag father, further destroying him emotionally. Next, the ship he worked on was destroyed in a tidal wave, killing all his friends at the time, and left him alone on a rock with little food and a pirate who recently kicked the crap out of him. Went months without food only to find out that the pirate he hated had given him all the food, forcing him to cannibalize himself to survive. And all this happened before he was just 10 years old. So, from then on Sanji grew up with a fixed dedication/appreciation for food, but a clearly messed up self-image due to years of abuse and being told he was a failure by his biological father. Not to mention the man who saved his life, while a good man at heart, kinda has a messed up moral compass of his own, and kinda f**ked up Sanji's head in his own way (seriously, Sanji can't bring himself to hit a woman to save his own life cause he can't bear disappointing/disobeying Zeff, the man who actually loved him like a son? Jeez).

–    For real, Sanji's story is a doozy, and Zoro's just doesn't compare (at least not at the moment). Sorry, but clear point goes to SANJI!

 Sanji 4/2 Zoro

 Gag: Possibly debatable again, but I honestly do prefer (and the fandom majority seem to prefer) Zoro's whole getting lost gag to Sanji being a looney tunes pervert (some of the faces Oda draws, I swear!) I don't mind anime perverts so long as they have some substance to their character, but Oda places ‘Pervert Sanji’ in some situations where you're left screaming, “NOW'S NOT THE TIME DAMMIT!” Some moments can be thrown off kilter by the perverseness and/or fanservice to the point where you're just left face-palming. Arguably, the same can be said for Zoro, especially with his wandering off and getting lost in Wano right before Luffy faced off against Kaido (not that Zoro could do much about that anyway if he hadn't gotten lost), but just how easily he gets lost is so ridiculous that it veers right around from being annoying and returns straight back to being hilarious because of how mind-boggling it is. xD So, point to ZZZZZORO!

 Sanji 4/3 Zoro

  Development: Once again, another debatable one. Too debatable! There's no way around it; some may say Sanji's ‘self-rediscovery’ arc in Whole Cake Island made him the better developed character (or didn’t develop him at all) and some will say that Zoro's “Nothing happened” moment is the pinnacle of character development in One Piece, and to me, too much of it comes down to preference and I find it hard to justify why one is potentially better developed than the other. Especially when there could still be further development for them to come. So.... yeah, another TIE!

 Sanji 5/4 Zoro

So, there it is, I killed some great time in quarantine with this(!) Maybe there’s more ‘categories’ I could have added, but with what I came up with, I really did try not to be bias here. I do think it’s important to have a character that can hit ‘all the beats’, deliver in terms of action scenes, comedy and the emotional hard-hitting moments too. I can’t help but appreciate the male characters who are more in touch with their emotions and show vulnerability, which is what I appreciate with Sanji, and why I probably don’t connect with Zoro as much as I’d like to?

Going through all of this however has made me think that I'm actually fairer than I thought I was. No? Yes? Close call anyway.

[babyflossy]

home (2) | x.mh

gif credits to owner

part one

pairing: werewolf!minghao x witch!reader

summary: you aren’t bothered by the werewolf that watches whilst you charm your garden to grow, in fact you quite like the company.

genre: supernatural au

warnings: none

word count: 2322

autumn passed slowly and the winter thawed to reveal an early spring, the absence of minghao weighing on your heart as you started to fall back into what life was like before him. the woods had transformed since the summer he laid in your garden, bathing in the afternoon light. gone were the singing birds and the gentle creatures searching for food, the trees now concealed vicious animals and unwelcome people looking for trouble.

with the start of spring came the blossom on the trees shadowing your garden. the pale pinks and whites shone brightly in the cold morning's sun, brightening the dull garden. everything seemed dull to you know; minghao seemed to take the life with him, leaving the remnants behind for you to deal with. your powers suffered with your heartache, you felt weaker easier, simple spells now took mountains of effort.

you spent less time outside, cautious to the dangers your own territory posed to you now, as there were only so many protection spells you could cast and carry the weight of at once. the woods seemed to have turned against you in your heartache and you were too scared to try and fight back. teaching minghao your magic had made you weaker, something you knew would happen. you had chipped off a piece of your power and bestowed it upon him, and you felt its absence now more than ever.

a lot of witchcraft was pure will, and you had lost that a while ago now. minghao had promised to come back, but as the days dragged into weeks, then months, his promise started to feel emptier with the passing of each day. eventually, along the way, you had gotten accustomed to the idea of life without him. you would tend to your garden alone, crushing the herbs alone, muttering new spells and recording them alone.

over time, your powers strengthened again. it was a welcome change to the weakness that had clawed at you for the past months. you realised you had taken the ease of witchcraft for granted and you were shocked about how much you had suffered when the spells didn't come easily anymore.

you still missed him, though. you missed the way he would watch as you worked, the wonder clear on his face. you missed teaching him spells, his face as he watched his success never failed to make your heart race. your heart felt heavier still as you thought about him. you had lost count of the days passed since he left. you hadn't moved his things. you left the grimoires he read open on the table, afraid to disturb the memory of him. it seemed his laugh still echoed around the garden; his scent still lingered in your bed.

feeling you own power deep within the woods startled you. you had accepted minghao wouldn't return and feeling the power evoked a deep sparking hope within you. you could feel the spells being formed inside his brain before he had even spoken them, before he even knew what he was doing. before minghao returned to his pack, you'd taught him some light protection spells, nothing dangerous, just in case he needed a little extra help out there. you'd never have thought he would remember them, and the feeling of them mixed a strange blend of emotion in you; dread, pride, faith.

your mind worked a mile a minute. if he was using your spells, it meant he was in danger. and if you could feel the power, it meant he wasn't far away. the door slammed shut behind you and you were through the tree-line before you had sorted your thoughts. the woods seemed less threatening when minghao was in danger, the thought of him fighting something off alone was the only thing swirling around your head.

the trees curved and twisted in ways that were new to you, and it took longer than you wanted to find the source of magic. the closer you got, the stronger the power got, until you could tell exactly what spell he was trying to cast. it wasn't strong, as he was no witch, but it would work, and that comforted you enough.

you could feel him, but he wasn't alone. he was in a strange mix of company that you hadn't anticipated, and it took you a moment to figure out who he was fighting for, and who against. you were scanning the area, an illusion charm over you, shielding you from the view of the strangers. you knew minghao could sense you and he tried to focus his eyes to you, but you couldn't let him see past the charm.

he looked different. his hair was longer, it fell over his eyes in a way that made you eager to push back, and he looked thinner, his cheekbones more prominent. he looked different but he was still minghao, he was still yourminghao. your heart soared as you looked at him. it was like looking at the sun, it was too much to take in at once. you had felt so sure you would have to move on, forget about him. but here he was. in front of you, within arms' reach.

it took a lot to tear your eyes of him, but you let it fuel your power to defend him. you felt the lingering power of his spell in the air, coating the boys stood around him in a thin sheen of safety. you muttered a few words and the spell increased tenfold. you directed your gaze to the trio of women in front of them, dark eyes staring lifeless at the pack of werewolves. you felt a spike of anger inside you; vampires threatening your home, again.

minghao was leaning on a tree, the spell obviously draining his energy quickly. standing in front of him, you studied the vampires. the woman in front was tall, with dark hair falling around her shoulders. a shorter, younger looking girl stood to her left; eyes wide with mischief. behind both of them was a woman you recognised. her golden eyes stared at the wolves behind you and you tried unsuccessfully to place her in your memories. the familiarity of her fogged your brain.

you let the illusion charm drop, enjoying the way they jumped slightly. you were sure your eyes would already be milky and cold, spells already forming in your mouth. you wanted to get out of this as peacefully as possible to avoid angering a coven they could belong to.

"leave." your voice was harsh, and you heard minghao push off from the tree, standing behind you in solidarity. you wanted nothing more than to turn and embrace him; to hold him in your arms and never let him go.

"why?" the woman in front taunted, her voice dripped like poisoned honey, "we were just getting the fun started."

"you're not welcome here." you remembered in a flash of the protection spell you had forged before minghao left. you had woven a drop of his blood into the mixture, dropping it into the stream and muttering the command you needed. it ensured the woods would fight for him. his dna was written into every living thing in the forest, his voice in the leaves, his melodic laugh in the mountain lions. the woods would come to his aid, and to your aid.

you saw their eyes flicker to each other when you spoke the words to activate the spell, a silent conversation. they seemed to relax when nothing happened immediately, but you could feel the power course through the ground below you; you had called for protection from the woods, and the woods would answer.

a mountain lion was the first arrival, towering and angry and running towards you. minghao's hand slipped into yours and pulled you back into him. the animal stopped in front of them and you watched the three women freeze, sizing up the lion. you knew they could take the single creature alone, but more appeared from the shadows, teeth bared and growls on their tongues. your wolves slinked up to you, rubbing their heads under your palm. the wolves that had prowled around minghao when he first arrived now stood protectively in front him, the lions stalking up to the vampires.

"you reckon you can take them all?" it was your turn to taunt them, to relish in the way they shrunk into themselves, emotionless eyes shaking. "i can call more, if you want?"

"who are you?" the tall woman spoke, her voice was quiet, afraid to provoke the animals less than a metre away from her.

"i don't think that's important here. just leave, and don't come back."

they exchanged looks with each other and you thought for a fleeting moment that they would stay and fight, but the shadows darkened around them, the beasts getting closer. with a final snarl at you, they turned and were gone before you could send another spell their way.

"why is it alwaysvampires?" you questioned, staring at the place they had stood.

before you get a reply, you were spun around and buried into minghao's chest. his arms were tight around you and you reciprocated, loving the feeling of holding him. it had felt like forever since he had last held you. the tears filled your eyes in pure relief; he was alive, he was okay, and he was here. with your face hidden in the crook of his neck, you let a few tears slip out, sliding down onto the black hoodie he was wearing. he felt the tears and smiled slightly, not quite believing you were real.

he wanted to apologise. he wanted to scream out about he had only stayed away to protect you from the hunters terrorising the pack, to scream that it had been the most painful few months to stay away from you. instead, he settled for holding you closer to him and pressing soft kisses to the top of your head, breathing in the familiar scent of your shampoo. it seemed neither of you could fully comprehend the other was there, and you were only broken from your strong embrace when someone cleared their throat awkwardly. your head shot up, having forgotten the others were there. you hadn't met any of them before, but you could guess who some of them were form the creative descriptions minghao had given you, laughing the whole time.

you were told seungcheol was the alpha, and you assumed it was him who stepped forth first, and were told about jun, the other chinese pack member. minghao had also told you stories about all of them that had made him laugh so hard he nearly threw up one time. you supressed a smile at the memory of his teary eyes as he cackled, bent double as he tried to tell the story.

"this is y/n," minghao's voice brought you back to the present and you watched as the others tried not to roll their eyes. you thought it was quite obvious who you were, as there weren't many witches left anymore, less in this part of the world.

"yeah," the boy was tall, bright blonde hair styled neatly, "we guessed."

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minghao's pack decided not to stick around in the woods, they introduced themselves to you before disappearing the way they came. it was just the two of you in your house, like it used to be. something felt so right about him being there with you. he sat in the same places, staring at the grimoires with wide eyes.

"you didn't move them?" he asked incredulously, rising out of his chair to stand beside you in the kitchen.

"i couldn't bring myself to. i didn't think you'd come back." you spoke softly, and his sad eyes softened. you almost regretted admitting it. it seemed harsh to say out loud, to voice your doubts, but he had been gone so long.

"no matter how far away i am," he levelled your gaze steadily, clutching your hands in his bigger ones, "i'll always come home to you." he leaned down and captured your lips in his, the warmth spreading through you like a wold fire. his hands left yours as one came up to cradle your jaw, the others settling on the curve of your waist, rubbing his thumb into your skin comfortingly. your hands knotted themselves in his hair, tugging slightly when he pulled you ever closer to him. a growl formed in his throat when you did so, and you couldn't stop the smile spreading on your face.

you pulled back and laughed at the way his lips followed yours, a frown settling on them when you left his embrace. "i'm tired."

you pulled him after you to your bedroom and you would have blushed about how it looked if you weren't so emotionally drained from the day. minghao had followed you into bed and lay beside you, acting as your pillow. you felt your eyelids droop, savouring the smell of his hoodie, how his warm arms felt around you. you felt safe, and at ease.

minghao's eyes were closed. he was focusing on how your fingers traced lazy patterns on his side, your head tucked neatly under his chin. you fit together like puzzle pieces; legs tangled with each other under the soft sheets of your bed. the last thought through your mind before you slipped into sleep was how much you loved him, how much you needed him. you managed to voice your thoughts sleepily, whispering them into his hoodie.

you weren't sure if he would have heard you, the words seemed to melt into the air after they left your mouth, but you heard him mumble a reply before you both feel into the darkness. "i love you too," his voice was smooth, like honey in your ears, "so much."

a/n: sorry to all the people who messaged me saying they wanted sworn enemies lmao my love for minghao was too strong. also, @classycookiebailiffstudent sorry this took so long but thank you for your message and i hope you like this as well <3