#WHY DID MT BRAIN DO THIS OH GOD | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

a-land-lacking-sleep · 1 year

Text

Electric Trains are the Future Chapter 14: Hello God, it's Me

Previous Chapter (13) - Current Chapter - Next Chapter (Expect 6/7)

Here it is, the "Coming to God" moment that every RPG party culminates into. Atop Mt. Coronet, music is meant to be played, and by god, do these two know some jams.

As stated in the Chapter notes on AO3, I'll be taking a month break from this fic to focus on writing past Chapter 16, as well as get some work done on the other WIPs floating in my docs. Expected a finished Dragged from the Whorl within this time, and at least a chapter of A New Home, the Kamado fic that was voted for, in that time as well.

When I return to this fic, I will be posting a new chapter every Wednesday instead of Tuesday, due to a change in my work schedule. Depending on what I have finished, I may stagger these out by two weeks from here on out, but I will make that call when I return.

Chapter Summary: What is God to a believer? Is He Hope? Is He Despair? To Akari, He is an insurmountable wall. To Emmet, a challenge to be wrestled into the dirt if He defies him. Chapter Word Count: 6040

As always, read below or over on AO3 with additional notes! Reblogs and comments are appreciated!

Hikari looks up at the evening sky from the Moonview Arena. She had made good time, but even making good time takes most of the day when you’re going halfway across the region. Once she had gotten to the Highlands, Sneasler had sought her out and accompanied her. Not once did she offer to take Hikari up the cliffs, which the teen was silently very glad for. Even if she trusted Sneasler to climb safely, she didn’t want to be on the cliffs. She didn’t want her luck to get her killed before she could get Ingo and Elesa home.

But now that Hikari had gotten here, she was beginning to drag. Next to no sleep, that conversation with Kamado, and then a mad dash up the mountain. Knowing what was coming just made her want to take a quick trip down the cemetery and never deal with this mountain again. Fuck Arceus and His rules. This was too much. Could she persuade Him? Would He want her to ferry Him around to prove her worth? Fight Him to fulfill a final test? Would she even get to go home, or would she have to give up everything and just live here forever?

As her breathing begins to pick up, she feels Sneasler drape her arms over her shoulders and begin lightly grooming her hair, contorting herself so that she can lick her bangs back. While it didn’t lighten the mood like it normally did, it did help ground Hikari, and bring her back to this world. To Mt. Coronet. To Hisui.

Hikari breathes in deep. Akari lets out the breath. She needs to be ready for this.

“Well well, if it isn’t Everyone’s Favorite Little GruntTM,” Akari hears a condescending voice call from the Arena, signaling that Melli had caught sight of her as she lingered at the crossroad. She turns her head as much as she can with Sneasler still grooming her, and catches sight of him walking quickly towards her location. “Out without a chaperone? No one is at the Camp near my Lord’s Arena tonight, so why are you here?”

Akari pauses for a second, just staring at Melli blankly without saying anything for a few moments. “Oh, don’t give me that look,” Melli sneers, tossing his head to the side and causing his hair to flip beautifully. “You’re beginning to remind me of the old man before you showed up. Spacing out and never acknowledging anything I ask him.” He huffs in an exaggerated manner, cutting off whatever Akari was about to say. “And never even playing along that it was because of my greatness or beauty.”

The last little bit of Akari’s brain that was able to conjure humor found herself imagining a Herdier looking at a camera judgmentally, and had to hold back the snicker in his throat. But apparently a smile peeked through, because Melli’s own smile came across his face. “Though I am glad you can smile easier than he can. I heard he got himself hurt.” While Melli kept the smile, his eyes began showing worry as he said that. “How is the Warden doing? I know I harp about his age, but he’s hardier than that.”

“He is,” Akari finds herself saying softly. “He’s alive, thankfully. He was asleep when I left.” She was trying to sound normally, but even she could hear the flat tone in her voice that was as unnatural to her as the quiet volume was.

Melli’s smile faded to a worried look, and he stepped closer, then, most shockingly of all, knelt down to look at Akari straight on. “Akari, are you ok?”

Akari winced strongly at that, causing Sneasler to grumble above her and double her effort on parting her hair. “Yes,” she quietly says, nodding slightly only to get Sneasler to move her chin back in place immediately and hold it there. When Melli squints at her in disbelief, Akari does her best to pout. “Really, I am.”

“You don’t look like it, Akari.” Melli reaches out and gently grabs Akari’s arm by the bicep, giving it a light squeeze as he tries to smile reassuringly for her. “He’ll be ok. There isn’t any reason to worry about it so heavily. Ingo is tough, and so are you. He’ll pull through.” He then pauses and gives one of his usual smug grins. “Because otherwise he won’t get to see this pretty face again, and we know that’s why he hangs around the Highlands so much.”

That comment finally gets Sneasler to stop grooming Akari’s hair for a moment and gets a low growl out of her. “Quiet, furball. You know he likes being around me,” Melli says as he straightens back up, dusting off the front of his pants. “Whatever you’re here to do, Akari, be safe. Ingo wouldn’t want to wake up and find you gone.”

As he turns to walk away, Akari just nods quietly before coming to the decision that she probably should verbally respond. “I’ll do my best.” It was the honest answer, but it made Melli pause, and look back at her, worry creeping back into his eyes above his impassive expression.

After another brief moment, he shakes his head in mocked disbelief. “Alright then. Well, I want you to know that I was making enough stew for me and the old man.” He turns back towards his yurt by the Arena and begins walking. “You better come by before you leave to try some and tell him what he missed before you go back to the Village!”

Akari smiles briefly at Melli letting his mask fall, before sighing and physically drooping as the weight of what was coming sunk in. Melli was expecting her to be safe and alive when she returns. But she may not. She didn’t say good-bye to anyone in Jubilife, and she may not return.

Shaking, she turns to Sneasler and hugs her tight, doing her best to stay collected. Sneasler wraps her arms around Akari, being sure not to get her claws near the girl, just calmly holding her as Akari silently sobs. Finally, after a few moments, Akari backs away from Sneasler, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. “Ok. I’m good now.” Sneasler makes a noise that sound like disagreement, and Akari gives her a sharp look. “Really. I’m good to go.”

Shrugging to herself and shaking her head, Sneasler turns and begins walking up the path to the Temple, with Akari in tow. The both of them were trying to act calm as they walk the path to the cave entrance, but as they do so, the Pokemon that normally live in the way all give them wide berths. Normally, even with Lady Sneasler, some of the more aggressive species like Electabuzz would throw a warning attack at Akari. But, either due to the vibe the pair gave off, or some other energy that surrounded the pair, each Pokemon gave them space. Even the Alpha Electivire keeps a distance from them, only idly eyeing them as they pass.

Finally, the pair enter the cavern, and Akari has to suppress a shiver. In this cave, where it opens up, Beni had tried to kill her. At least, it felt like he was trying to kill her. He went away after a Pokemon battle, but the way he was talking at the time felt dangerous. And after that, Volo had stopped her here on the way to confront the frenzied Dialga and gush about the symbols on the wall. And then later to give one final hint about his plans before attempting to kill her.

This mountain top and Temple were a very bad place for her. A lot of attempted murder happened here.

Despite that, though, stepping out onto the open peak of Mt. Coronet left Akari filled with an odd peace. Sneasler still stands a few steps behind her, both backing her up and ensuring that she has an escape route. Akari nods gently to Sneasler, then begins to go up the stairs leading to the ruined Temple, not even pausing as she sees the pillars once more as she crests the top. The words Volo said flashes through her mind, “Pillars now turned to spears, stabbing into the heavens”.

Akari pauses, and brings her hand down to wrap it around the Ultra Ball that contains Giratina. “Oh.” She had left her team behind, and only brought the Creation Trio with her, assuming that if she were to speak with Arceus, having His children as back up would be helpful. But she had been here before, and never made the connection that this isn’t just the Temple of Sinnoh.

Cyrus had very nearly succeeded where Volo failed, right on that same dias. Both had pulled Dialga and Palkia into a frenzy, with Hi- with Akari being the only trainer able to stand up and put a stop to it. The only difference was the Pokemon in her hand - Giratina. With Volo, Giratina had been a part of the problem, trying to tear everything apart to bring down their Father. But when Cyrus had put forth the same plan, they were the one who put a stop to it by destroying the Red Chain and pulling Cyrus into the Distortion World.

Akari brings the Pokeball in her hand to her forehead and closes her eyes. “Will you back me up on this, Gira?” She can’t hear their voice, but she can feel their presence through the ball; Smoke swirls around her head, and a sense of consolation fills her. With a small smile, she puts the ball back onto her belt, and instead pulls out the Azure Flute as Sneasler follows her to the dias.

Akari knew the tune that she needed to play. It came naturally to her when she held the Azure Flute to her lips. Take the initial arpeggio from the traditional mount summons, and expand upon it in a way reserved only for something higher than them. But even with this knowledge implanted into her mind, she finds herself stumbling over the notes, before she finally just gives up. Akari shakingly lets out her breath.

Then Hikari breathes back in, and puts the flute back to her mouth. Hikari thinks back to her home in Twinleaf, growing up with Barry among the forest. She thinks back to her mother cooking her dinner for her birthday the year she started her Pokemon journey. The sound of the Lake Verity’s waves gently lapping against the grass as she and Barry and their mothers would have their picnics during the summer. And finally, the lullaby that her mother would hum and sing for her whenever she had nightmares during childhood.

What was this but an ongoing nightmare? And so, with tears falling down her face, Hikari began to play the only song that she could think of. A song from her home.

The only way Hikari can describe it is that the notes float through the air, filling the space that used to be contained by the roof of the Temple. She could hear Sneasler, very softly, near her still. Finally, she reaches the end of her memories of the lullaby, and lowers the Flute from her lips. Opening her eyes, she watches the sun fully disappear under the water in the far distance, the glow of the sunset still painting the lower portions of the sky.

All at once, the glow is snuffed out, and the entire world outside of the Spear Pillar goes black. Sneasler jumps forward at this, putting herself in front of Hikari, her lips pulled back in a snarl. In front of the pair, the ground glows a soft blue, and steps begin to rise up into the air.

Ye hast sought out all Pokemon. Rise to meet thy final challenge, and catch thy final quarry.

Hikari drops the Flute from her hands, the ceramic instrument bouncing to the side as she struggles to stay standing. “W-Wait…” She finally takes a breath, and a step back, looking up the staircase. “Final… You have more?”

Before she can even do anything, Sneasler lets out a nasty yowl, the sound coming from her carrying throughout the Temple grounds, and surely up the stairs to… Arceus? ‘She has done what you’ve asked for!’ a voice calls from around Hikari as she falls to her knees, tears coming down her face anew.. ‘Seeking out all the Pokemon in this land! And you ask her for more?!’

Ah, young Lady Sneasler. I understand thine ire. I have but one last te-

‘No more tests, Sinnoh!’ Sneasler shouts up to the uncaring sky above, cutting off Arceus. The Noble steps forward, putting her foot onto the first step and throwing her arms out to the sides. ‘Look at her! You claim her as your Champion, and treat her like a toy!’ When no response comes but the quiet sobbing of Hikari behind her, Sneasler takes a few more steps up the staircase, her arms dropping and her claws tapping each step as she climbs. ‘You gave my ancestors an edict to work with and take care of humanity as long as it existed in Hisui! I cannot allow you to treat a young girl like this!’

Silence. Tink-tink. Silence. Tink-tink. Silence. Tink-Ti-

Ye need not move any further.

In a blinding flash of light, the stairs disappear from underneath Sneasler, causing her to fall 15 feet onto the Temple floor. It is quickly followed by another flash, one much larger and more centralized in front of the duo. In front of the two now, looking over the seething Noble Sneasler and the sobbing Champion Hikari, is the Alpha.

Arceus.

I see my Champion was not prepared.

The tone is was will be impossible to read. The words make Hikari think He is uncaring, but she can parse no emotion from the voice that fills all of existence. The only other sound she can hear at this point is the rattling of the three balls on his waist, before they finally all burst open. Standing across from Arceus is His three Children - Dialga, the Eldest Son and Lord of Time; Palkia, the Middle Child and Lord of Space; and Giratina, the Banished Child and Lord of Distortion.

The Trio look at their Father silently, each of them attempting to burn holes into His body through sheer willpower as He looks at them each in turn. Finally, after a few moments, a few eternal neverending moments, He looks down at Hikari’s crying form.

Take thy time. Collect thyself and tell me what has brought you here.

Hikari continues to lay on the stone floor, Sneasler standing guard in front of her to keep Arceus away from her, while Giratina shrinks down and coils around the girl to be an additional layer of physical protection. It’s not for several long minutes before she stops sobbing and tries to push herself up, quickly getting assistance from Giratina and Palkia to sit, and then stand up. “Did… Did you even bother looking when I called you?”

Arceus lowers His head.

I was working on another moment. I had not seen thine own situation.

‘You claim omniscience, and then use that excuse?’ Giratina snaps, slithering away from Akari and growing in size to face their Father. ‘You claim omnipotence and rely on a child to stop me.’

‘Now isn’t the time for that, Giratina,’ Dialga says, stepping forward to stand on their left, still facing Arceus.

‘I have to agree,’ Palkia adds, stepping opposite of its counterpart to Giratina’s right. ‘Our Hero and Father’s Champion has a request. One that I believe you told her needed to be done by him.’

Giratina churns for several seconds, smoke billowing from their mouth, before they turn around and rapidly shrink to shoot under Hikari’s hood. With Giratina no longer making a show of defiance, the other two step back, and Arceus leans His neck down to look at Hikari over Sneasler’s head.

Hikari Mifune. Akari of the Galaxy Team. My Champion. What is thy desire? Why hast ye called out to me?

Hikari looks Arceus in the eye, then slowly watches His form become blurrier as tears began to spill over again. “My Uncle, Ingo. He… He’s hurt, and it’s my fault!” She hadn’t meant to shout, but she did, and quickly Sneasler was there to wrap her arms around Hikari. “He fell off of the cliff because I tried rushing, and he wasn’t paying attention!” She swallows the sob that nearly broke through her voice, and shakes her head, then buries her face into Sneasler’s fur.

After a few moments of silence, she speaks back up. “And I stole Elesa from Ingo’s brother…” She sniffs and pulls away from Sneasler, looking back at Arceus. “I used Dialga and Palkia to open up a distortion to try and get Uncle Ingo’s brother, and I grabbed Elesa instead… And now she’s stuck here. Because I’m a failure and I can’t even do your requests.”

“I just want them to be safe, and home, with their families,” Hikari finally says, tears running down her face without hesitancy. “I want them…” She pauses for a moment, before shouting. “I want to go home!”

She turns away from both Sneasler and Arceus, kicking the Azure Flute across the Temple floor into a pillar. “I miss my mom! I miss Aunt Cynthia! I miss Barry, and Lucas, and Professor Rowan! I miss my biggest responsibility being public appearances, and my biggest worry being whether or not I could pass tests while on a Trainer’s License!” She squats down, and looks down at the floor. “I hate being stuck here. I love it in Hisui, but… I miss home. So much…”

Arceus silently watches Hikari, then straightens up and looks to His left, where a crack in the air was forming, white light pouring out.

Thine answer is soon on its way, young Hikari.

—

X X | O | X X

—

Emmet and Ingo used to curse how hot the coats could get down in the Subways. They had chosen the design to be the logical conclusion of a Depot Agent’s uniform, with a hint of their own personal fascination with the trains that led them there. The coats were meant to have them stand out in a crowd for ease of sight, to differentiate from other workers, and to help buff up their admittedly scrawny physique to make the pair into more intimidating figures during battle. All of that led to large coats, which were heavy enough to withstand a stray Pokemon move, but not light enough for use in a desert city like Nimbasa.

But up in the mountain paths of Mt. Coronet, Emmet found himself the best equipped for the snow and the wind. He stays only a few steps behind Cynthia and Volo, the pair of blonds leading himself and Elio through the caverns and barely used mountain trails of the Highlands. He had walked this area once before, the week he had come to visit his brother’s grave, but they had already passed the area he’d made sure to stop at. From here, it was a test of his own stamina.

In his bag, Emmet could feel the odd weight of an object that should not be out of its museum exhibit - The Azure Flute. It really wasn’t like a flute, Emmet had thought, but even in Kantonian it’s called the Heaven’s Flute, so whatever works for Arceus. Initially, he had tried to hand it off to Cynthia, but she rejected it on the basis that Arceus hadn’t answered her the first time she tried. Volo outright refused to touch it, saying he was unworthy of “Sinnoh’s Blessing”. And Elio had backed out of using it on account of mostly being here for the ride, and having worries that having Solgaleo would taint the results.

So it all fell to Emmet. He supposes that it makes sense thematically, since other than Cynthia, he’s the only one hoping for actual answers from the Alpha Pokemon Himself. They did have back up plans, because if they didn’t, then they were already admitting defeat. Cynthia has Dialga and Palkia with her, either to sway Arceus or to force their way to the past for their three targets. And even then, they had originally planned on using Solgaleo, so that option is always there. After all, Emmet loves winning more than anything else, and planning around contingencies where Gods are involved can’t be much more difficult than working doubles or multis day in and out, no?

“You doing alright, Uncle?” Elio says, hopping over to Emmet from where they had been chatting with Cynthia. “You’ve been quiet ever since we stopped by that cave back there.”

Emmet smiles, a customer service type rather than the resting smile he had been wearing for the better part of the day. “I am Emmet. Just a little winded, yup.” He makes a show of taking a deep breath before exhaling, steam blowing out of his nose in the cold air. “That cave back there was a Sneasler den according to old journals. I think it was Ingo’s Sneasler. I’m not sure.”

“Really?” Elio spins on their heel and looks back into the distance, trying to catch sight of the cave that the group had paused at momentarily to catch their breaths and make sure they were hydrated. “How do you know? Sneaslers have been gone for like, 90 years, right?”

Emmet nods curtly before looking down at the kid. “Roughly. Wild Sneasler died out around 1900. Captive ones died out around 1940.” Elio continues to walk backwards until Emmet reaches over and turns them around by the shoulder. “Safety check, Elio. Watch where you’re walking. We’re on a mountain.”

“Oh, sorry, Uncle!” Elio says, standing up straight and marching forward with their arms bent and fists balled.

“You two having fun back there?” Volo calls out from several yards ahead, where he and Cynthia had stopped by another cave entrance. “Cause we’re approaching the old Temple grounds. It’s through here.”

Emmet’s smile immediately strains, his eyes crinkling slightly as he picks up the pace, his arms swinging at his side. “Full steam ahead, then. We must arrive on schedule to our destination.” He does not pause as he passes by Cynthia and Volo, the two blonds simply following after him as he walks through the cavern. “No delays or disruptions can cross our paths at a time like this. Cynthia, do Pokemon usually live near here? Will we be disturbing nests?”

Cynthia shakes her head as the group approaches the waterfall in the cavern. “Most likely not,” she says, eyeing the Bronzong that were sitting silently along the walls of the cavern. “It seems the Pokemon here can sense the Lords of Time and Space in my possession. I doubt they will get involved.”

Volo laughs joylessly as he releases a Bibarel into the pool of water and climbs onto it. “One thing I’m constantly glad for is that Pokemon have become noticeably less dangerous as time goes on. In Hisui, we’d have to be fighting Pokemon off, even with a child of Sinnoh at our shoulders.” He wraps his arms around the Bibarel’s neck, as Cynthia climbs onto her Milotic and Elio puts out their Araquanid for themself and Emmet to climb onto. “When we get there, be careful around wild Pokemon. The only ones that will attack groups like this would be Alphas.”

When. When we get there.

The group didn’t say much else as they climbed the waterfall, and then the last few rooms of the cavern’s steady incline. Finally, they find themselves outside once more, the wind having died down but the snow still falling around them. Cynthia and Elio found themselves shivering while Emmet and Volo simply pulled their coats tighter around their bodies, pushing forward.

As the group walks through the snow, the shattered stone of Spear Pillar is already well within sight. Emmet at this point can’t even feel the cold. He is verrrry excited to see his brother again. He is verrrry excited to hold his wife in his arms. He is verrrry excited to travel back in time and do the impossible. Nothing was going to stop him at this point.

As the group moves among the ruins, Volo slows down and begins to inspect some of the pillars, briefly running his hands over the cold stone. At the 5th pillar, he slows, then stops at a jutted piece of marble. He bends down and wipes some of the snow away from the side.

Emmet huffs and stomps over to look over Volo’s shoulder at the stonework. “What is the cause of this delay? If we are to continue along these tracks toward our destination, then we must have no delays. Hesitation can cost us our course to victory.”

“This was a monument to Sneasler, one of the Nobles,” Volo says softly, trying to read the etchings on the marble. “They had written the name of Wardens for a time. I was looking for Ingo.”

Emmet nods softly before turning. “I am Emmet. I can see this with Ingo at another time. For now, we should focus.” He keeps walking towards the snow covered altar at the back of the ruin, Volo standing and following him with the others. Once at the altar, Emmet stops, and reaches into his bag to grab the Azure Flute, though he hesitates to pull it out. “Cynthia. Is there a song that we need to play? Is Arceus picky? I feel like a God would want a specific song.”

Cynthia thinks for a moment before nodding. “Yes, there is a song, but… I’m not sure what it is.” She looks over at Volo with a slightly concerned look. “There were records that the old Nobles would respond to Celestica Flutes, but no one has records of what they were specifically.”

Volo sighs and shakes his head. “They were taught to Wardens and those the Warden trusted with the knowledge, so they probably were lost when the Nobles began to pass away.” He closes his eyes and crosses his arms, thinking for a moment, before whistling a tune out over the wind. A tumbling arpeggio, repeated and then followed by three long, droning notes.

“I am Emmet. If you expect me to mimic that, you have confused me for a Mr. Mime.” Emmet pauses for a moment, then looks down. “Very easy mistake, we both have funny shoes.”

Elio snickers loudly as Volo sighs and shrugs. “Whatever. If you have a chance to connect with Arceus yourself, then I’m sure any song could work.”

Emmet turns from the group, pulling out the Azure Flute and looking down at it. It really wasn’t a flute in Emmet’s mind, shaped like a Corsola or Pinchurin, and the holes all looked non-functional. But he had tried giving it a few experimental blows the night before they left, so he knows that it all works. In theory.

But any song? Emmet finds himself looking out, off of the mountain to the sea on the distant horizon. He can watch planes landing and leaving various cities in the distance, little more than blinking lights moving across the darkening evening sky. Here on this mountain, Ingo had lived. Lived a new life, one away from his family, one where he had no memories of anything before Hisui, but a desire to know what he had before.

Away from this mountain, lifetimes after Ingo had lived, he had instead lived with Emmet and their parents in Anville, in the quaint little Village by the train tracks. The life with their mother walking with them to the schoolhouse where she taught the older kids, on subjects much more complicated than the simple Unovan and math that the twins were on. The life with the two of them walking along the train tracks to reach the trainyard instead of walking through town, Ingo loudly discussing the various Pokemon that would come into sight and be scared away by their mother’s Granbull, Skrunchie, while Emmet quietly listened and began planning his Pokemon team at a younger age than most gym challengers even thought to start. The life where the twins would run errands for their father in Anville Town, and always stop to listen to the old woman on the bridge by the station play the lullaby for the trains.

With tears running down his cheeks, his smile falling into a frown for the first time since visiting his brother’s grave, Emmet brings the Azure Flute to his lips, and plays the lullaby once more, not just for Arceus, but for his brother across time. His fingers dance across the holes by instinct, his mind not even registering the movement as he listens to the song upon the wind. Emmet continues the song for several minutes, hoping to keep this connection with his past alive for a few more moments.

Eventually, though, he lowers the Flute from his mouth, sobbing as the tears freeze upon his cheeks. There had been no answer. That was expected, Emmet wasn’t a Chosen One, nor was he a believer of Arceus. He was simply a Unovan tourist, playing with a sacred relic that wasn’t his to use. And despite having contingencies, despite planning for victory, Emmet felt like he had lost. That it was all for nothing.

Silence hung in the air for a few moments.

Thou art a welcome interruption.

With a burst of white light, a shape coalesced into the air in behind the altar, halting the falling snow around the group. As the form of a white Pokemon finished forming, with the body of a horse and a golden halo around its body, Volo and Cynthia both fell to their knees in reverence.

“アルセウス様、私の人生を祝福してください。(1),” Cynthia says quietly, lowering her head to continue her prayer silently.

“Nipsa-Kamuy Sinnoh, kamuy-nomi,” Volo mutters, his eyes wide open as he stares at the snow beneath him. “A-ram kamuy-nomi, kunne tursak mem kar. Nipsa-Kamuy Sinnoh, kamuy-nomi. A-ram kamuy-nomi, kunne tursak mem kar.(2)” Unlike Cynthia’s quiet prayer, Volo continues to mutter out loud, repeating the same words over and over.

Elio, however, slowly walks up to Emmet, and nudges him with their elbow. “Hey, Uncle? Is that Arceus?”

“I am Emmet,” Emmet starts, though he is interrupted.

Indeed, I am that which ye in this era call Arceus. Cynthia Kurosawa, Volo of the Celestica. Ye may rise.

Cynthia breaks herself from her prayers, and rises to her feet, though she keeps her head bowed in reverence. Volo does not move, though he pauses in his prayer before picking back up a moment later.

Elio Nozawa, such a young Champion. In other worlds, thou hast never crossed mine path. I have had many Champions across the worlds. Ash Ketchum, in his various quests. Dawn and Lucas, in their struggles to save this world. Hikari Mifune, the one who saved mine three children twice across time. However, even I can see Solgaleo chose a strong Champion with thou.

Elio puffs their chest out with a smile, then slaps their chest brazenly. “Sol and I chose each other! He’s the rising sun, and I’m his partner to ensure his light reaches those who need it!” Even without Solgaleo out of his Pokeball, Elio’s smile alone nearly lit up the area. Arceus gently nods its head, then looks straight at Emmet.

And thou. Ak-Emmet Grayn. A man of such great import that his brother clung to the memories of him through greatest loss. Of such great import that with only a name and a vague idea of thou, he prayed to me for thy safety. The one moment of faith in his life, and twas full of love and grief.

An echo of a voice sounds through the snow. To Cynthia and Elio, the voice means little to nothing. To Volo, the words are clear and the voice familiar to cause his own prayer to stop, finally looking up. To Emmet, it was everything he had hoped for for months after his disappearance. “Nispa-Kamuy Sinnoh, akor ak-Emmet kamuy-nomi, ak-Emmet wano arka atusare, wa uni kunne hom horari,(3)” said Ingo’s voice across the empty air.

Emmet’s face couldn’t help but raise itself into a smile, hearing that voice say something new for the first time in three long years. “I am Emmet. I need to know, Arceus.” He takes a deep breath, holding it for five seconds before letting it out slowly. “I need to know. Are my brother and my wife… Are Ingo and Elesa safe?”

The entire group feels the warmth of the sun upon them, as though they were out on a warm spring afternoon in Sunyshore instead of the cold peak of Mount Coronet.

Thy family art safe, ak-Emmet. Thy brother’s fall was out of mine control, but his safety was not. With his prayer, I was able to connect his life in Hisui to thy life there in Unova. And thus, thine attempts to find him would better bear fruit.

Emmet pales slightly. “So, without you stitching things together, I wouldn’t have information on my brother. I would be lost to grief. Possibly consumed by it.” Arceus remains silent as Emmet clenches his fists, then looks up at the deific Pokemon. “Will you take me to him, and Cynthia to Hikari? And our friends as well.”

You lot have a gallant guide amongst you.

With a burst of sunlight, Solgaleo springs from his Pokeball, shaking his mane playfully before roaring out in delight at Arceus’ recognition. With him now standing in the snowy ruins, the encroaching night was blasted back by sunlight, casting shadows behind each shattered pillar.

Greetings, young Solgaleo. I shall impart to thee thy imminent destination. Mine Champion, Hikari, awaits you all on this very peak. Be forewarned - Thine brother is injured. Keep courage in thy heart, however.

Emmet smiles and nods, patting Elio on the back as he joins them by Solgaleo. Volo, meanwhile, finally stands and approaches Arceus. “My Lord Arceus, I stand before you with regret deep in my heart for my past actions to reach your side.” He bows deeply at the waist, his bangs brushing the snow. “So I must know. Was I the cause of Ingo and Elesa’s disappearances? Did they fall into the distortions? I couldn’t find any other humans that had fallen, so were they the only two casualties to my arrogance?”

The air was filled with silence once more before Arceus answers.

Thou holds blame for much, Volo of the Celestica. But for Ingo, his fate was not of thine machinations. He had but fallen through a Ultra Wormhole, one which had split both the attention of myself and of the Forces of Nature in Unova. As for Elesa, she too was out of thine control. Mine own Champion pulled her in the hope of aiding Ingo’s locked memories. For these lives, thou art free of blame.

Volo’s breathing stops for a moment before he doubles over, his eyes screwed shut as he tries to hold in the tears. “Thank you, my Lord, for lifting that weight off of my shoulders.” As Volo turns around, Elio reaches up and pats his arm. While everyone’s attention is turned, Arceus disappears, and night returns to the mountain top.

“So, is everyone ready?” Elio asks, looking first at Volo, then Cynthia, then finally Emmet. With each of them nodding, Elio claps and ruffles Solgaleo’s fur. “Come on then, Sol! Let’s hit these Ultra Waves and head back to Hisui!” They scramble up onto the Legendary lion, and he roars out loud, crouching down and wiggling his butt in preparation.

As the roar reverberates through the air, a crack is heard, then seen as white light begins glowing from a thin line several feet in front of Solgaleo. With a pop, followed by another loud crack, the line expands into a white vortex, wide enough for Solgaleo to leap through and then some.

Emmet smiles, and points forward. “Everybody ready? Follow safety, and everybody smile!”

“ALL ABOARD!”

2 notes · View notes

violetlunette · 1 year

Note

for the ask thing: Momo, Kaminari, and/or Sero

Ooh, three!

Aske meme here

Momo

Why I like them: I like the concept of her character. She’s an intelligent, sweet princess type, with a powerful quirk. However, she doesn’t have any street smarts which hampers her, so that’s something she needs to develop.

Why I don’t: Underused. Her character arc is rarely explored despite the potential to use her to explore the unfair standards for hero women, or how book smarts aren’t enough in the real world. They help, but you need more.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): The scene where she’s so excited to help her classmates. She’s just so cute there!

Favorite season/movie: While it was rushed, I did like her arc in the finals where she has to rebuild her confidence.

Favorite line: I really like her sum-up in the battle training arc. It was a fair call out and it showed that she was intelligent and observant. I like how it wasn’t out of malice either; she was pointing out flaws to help her team and admitted she was cheering them on.

Favorite outfit: I may get hate considering she’s 15 but I really adore her fantasy armor.

OTP: Honestly, no one appealed to me for her romantically.

Brotp: I like her and Jiro fine.

Head Canon: If Momo is thinking about someone as she’s making her Russian dolls, the doll will look like that person and how she sees them.

Unpopular opinion: I don’t so much mind her hero costume the way others do due to reasons stated here. I also don’t think it’s even that sexy. Everyone acts like she’s wearing a thong but it’s more like a gymnast's suit.

The issue I have is that it’s super dangerous and that thanks to Mirio and Mt. Lady’s costumes there’s no need.

A wish: That she gets to show off her skills more.

An oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen: I hope she doesn’t die

5 words to best describe them: Princess, intelligent, naive, poised, sweet

My nickname for them: Princess

Kaminari

Why I like them: He’s fun and has a neat design. I like that despite having a cool quirk he still has his moments of insecurity.

Why I don’t: Nothing I really dislike about him.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): I liked his scene with Midnight and how she inspired him

Favorite season/movie: none

Favorite line: “I want to be with all of you!”

Favorite outfit: Hero outfit (Though it basically just Jiro’s and Present Mic’s)

OTP:Denki and Jiro are cute

Brotp: Denki and Jiro

Head Canon: When he goes derpy, his vision gets spotty.

Unpopular opinion: Bakagou isn’t a good friend to him (or anybody but I digress). Plus, there’s just no reason for him to be a part of the Baka-squad

A wish: He gets equipment that lets him use his power without frying his brain

An oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen: I really hope he doesn’t die.

5 words to best describe them: Cool, fun, laid-back, insecure, nervous

My nickname for them: Shocker

Sero

Why I like them: Quirk’s pretty creative and I like that he uses it like spider man.

Why I don’t: Nothing I don’t like.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): I liked when he was worrying about where Izuku was during the festival arc.

Favorite season/movie: Got none

Favorite line: Got none

Favorite outfit: His costume

OTP: Got none

Brotp: In a weird way I like him with Rikudo, but he’s fine with Mineta as well.

Head Canon: Honestly, I got nothing.

Unpopular opinion: He’s pretty dull in my opinion. I don’t dislike him or anything I just don’t think about him, hence why there’s no meat here.

A wish: None, sorry.

An oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen: I hope he doesn't die

5 words to best describe them: Relaxed, goofy, swinger

My nickname for them: Taper

#yaoyozoru momo #sero hanta #kaminari denki #bnha #mha #ask meme

4 notes · View notes

fr3akinthecorner · 5 months

Text

this looks unsafe yea it does well we can't have this nope! how are we going to meet? read my fanfiction.net keeho ok so he wants to read it? I've never read it before ok well he won't like it then why? bc I got mad at him! he's never read it? I don't think so u guys are weird! what's the handle? it's connected to my Twitter omg ok so this is way easier for me to do anyways and she has dropped links! perfect I love her little profile... I can't read it she is way too good of a writer on twitter.com ok so we get it! thanks guys no problem hahaha have u ever read her writing? no I haven't not even tumblr.com does she care? no she doesn't she is like me in that way she doesn't listen to my music no I don't why? foreign languages are hard for me right now why?! I think so I can get better at writing you're right! did u like keehos dick brain story? it's p1harmony his stories are top notch psychotic the dick brain went to outer space yea he is way too creative! that's what I was going to say p1harmony are u a robot too? no im a boy oh ok so u like it now? yea bc of mt st helens clothes I was gonna kill her! u never say shit bf! fuck off!! fine but when can I come back? tonight! I'm staying no you're not I can't go missing on your fucking volcano bf who is he?! it's china china needs to stay away from my gf or I will bring the lava magma back no dude they need to stay sometimes keeho has to be the perfect father he's essentially doing it alone how? my mother how? she doesn't talk to me ok so who is she? I don't want to know I only talk to men why?! bc I'm a boy! ok god let's see the picture wait what did mt st helens say? he said to get dressed! what does that mean? put his clothes on! but it's 1 am ok so when can we all talk again it's sunny im confused desarae!!! sorryAaaaa hustle high school

#mt st helens fan pic

0 notes

kawaiicherryblossomperfection · 8 months

Text

ew! ur fucking ghetto bitchs? that word is not allowed for me i dont use it but whatever ok so? whats up i used to want to be ur boyfriend but i find that super asians oh my god she is a super asian cant u super fucking tell! why does ur head still hurt? im not sure but hopefully it goes away soon why are u being boring? im not ok so why are u asking me boring questions? im not asking u questions u talk to me thats always how its worked before and i prefer it that way why? bc i get lonely and i need lovers doesnt thay make u slutty? nope! im not a slut ok so get on with it what? i answered all of ur questions so what are u saying we have to keep talking to u? what do u mean by keep? that was mt bad it just seems like u dont like me we dont like u! we love u ok so why are u so violent towards me? thats not a thing well my bad a book said it was what is this gun in my hand? i dont know i didnt give u a gun u put one in my hand no i didnt but i just did right now what the fuck? fucking blow out ur brains im tired of always leaving me for no reason when all i did was love u ew! ur so much fucking fun! ew! this is how u want to tell me that we can commit suicide and still be ur bf? what?! u dont like suicide? no i think its cool i just dont want to die a painful death so what about my suicide? yes desarae renee hollins do it no thanks ew! ok so we wont who are u talking to? a suicide boy! oh ok so hes in the suicide boys the rap group? who are they? u havent heard of them before? no i havent

#surfing #delusionals #princeton high school #bye bye club #bite hurts #zombie apo #horror cuts #chinese horror non skank #no horror in my manga

0 notes

belles-big-lap · 2 years

Text

163 780 km

Okay okay – So now that I am not working (only for the last week) – I feel like I have waaaaay more stuff to share. Which highlights why working a 9-5 job 48 weeks a year can limit your experiences. So heres the highlights (please be proud of me and the amount of people I met – so this may be boring for anyone but me reading this but oh well) –

So the working week was a short week because I went to Tamworth on the Friday! But during the working week I:

Ø practiced my longboarding (not skateboarding – I got in trouble for calling it skateboarding

Ø hiked Burleigh heads (after driving 1 hour to hike somewhere else only to find that the road was closed – coincidentally the same road closure that Ollie and I camped at one night)

Ø watched NSW lose the state of origin game with Eden while we ate pizza and drank a bottle of red

Ø said goodbye to my lovely residences

Ø packed for Tamworth

Tamworth / Gunnedah

- drove for 10 hours on Friday – SAW MUMMA

- played 3 x games on Saturday. Got smoked in all three games but actually had so much fun. Our team scored two tries for the day – and I happened to score one of them. Therefore I scored 50% of our team’s tries. No big deal.

- Saw Carrissa and Al (Jack’s mates from UNE)

- Saturday night got on the piss in Tamworth and then drove to Gunnedah and did it all over again. Highlights: Walked back to the hotel with a random on my shoulders, challenged someone to a dance off and did the worm, two girls jumped in the pool in minus 4 degree weather, ate some nuggets.

- Had some lovely chats with a girl I knew from owls (Sus Cooke (like Sooz)).

- Drove 10 hours back on Sunday

Tweed

- Went out for breaky with Eden – so sad to say bye to that girl

Mt Tamborine : OMG – what a beautiful part of the world. It’s a small town on a mountain (obviously) with lots of small hikes and waterfalls to look at. In the two days I was there I did:

- Watched the sunset for 3 hours

- Curtis falls + Lower creek loop = super touristy to the falls but the rest was quiet

- Cedar falls – got there before anyone and it was magical

- The knoll section – beautiful views. Super muddy – RIP the girl doing it in her white locoste shoes

- Witches Falls Section – again – beautiful. It’s a walk through the forest to see a waterfall. More forest and a lagoon! At the Lagoon I met another solo female hiker named Sarah. She’s a biologist from the US. She’s been here for a few months doing her post doc studies on Zebra fish brains and how they find friends and also how they interact if they have autism. Very cool. I then invited her to come do the sky walk with me and I took her to see Cedar falls again.

- Bearded dragon hotel – just visited to find some reptiles but instead found 3 x baby goats climbing over an alpaca. (See video for evidence)

Brisbane – saw Bren-dog! We went for a scoter ride to pick up his car and then later went out for some Thai food with him and Sam. I also had a chat with his roommate Grace who’s a naturopath. Really interesting. I tried some herbs – and lets just say her saying “If you can shot tequila, you can shot this” right before I took it – was justified.

I also had to clean Maurice and scrub a mark that was left on him whilst it was parked for the Tamworth trip! They guy left a note and paid for the products though which was lovely! Then I got my eyebrows tattooed – painful at the beginning but fine otherwise. That evening I went for a walk and found a light house (no exercise allowed for 7 days post brows).

I also tried my shewee for the first time – I used it standing up (outside – in the dark) – and I definitely got some splash back. Might try just straight into a container or something next time.

Stradbroke Island – OH MY GOD - It was amazing!!! I caught the early ferry (stayed in the car park overnight – the security guard came up to me whilst I was cooking and told me that it was all good to stay the night and to get up quickly if I hear someone cutting my exhaust pipe – thanks mate).

I met a girl named Laura Lilly (cool name) on the ferry ride over there (also an American scientist who studies marine animals). She was heading over for a surf. Super lovely meeting her. When I got to Stradbroke – this is what happened:

- North Gorge Walk – got up close and personal with a little kangaroo

- Saw some whales and dolphins

- Walked out the deadman’s beach and frenchaman’s beach

- Saw a cool cave thingy

- Sat on the grass and watched a big group of people painting. I started talking to the guy there who runs the classes – and he said I had a very calm and patient presence and that painting is my calling. You heard it here first boys and girls.

- Met a couple named Mark and Kerrie with their dog Charlie. They let me borrow their binoculars and I saw the whales jumping out of the ocean and handing on their backs – soooooo cool

- Got some gelato

- Did the North Gorge walk again

- Came home – Met a beautiful women on the ferry who had her first day of work over on the island at the indigenous medical centre. If there’s an emergency on the island – they send a chopper.

Now I’m still sitting in Brisbane – heading to the sunshine coast tomorrow to spend some time there before starting work there on Monday!

Adios amigos!!!

Things I learnt:

- Salmon swim upstream

- Zebra fish have translucent bodies for the first 3 weeks of their life and you can see brain activity

- Toilets on busses can overflow

- Not being a leader in a footy game makes it more fun for me as I don’t take it as seriously

- That I am getting better at talking to strangers – even the ones I wouldn’t normally see myself getting along with – but apparently I have been judging a book by its cover in the past.

- Humpback whales have no teeth

- 30 000 Humpback whales are moving across the east coast of Australia right now

Things I am grateful for:

- My ability to talk to strangers

- My mum

- Honest people when they hit your car

- Compound liquid

- Binoculus

- Having a vehicle

Also only 2 more weeks until I get to see Ollie!!

0 notes

moononastring · 3 years

Text

Oh no...Oh no...I am...obsessed with Eris x Iris now 😳

#gpost #eris vanserra #WHY DID MT BRAIN DO THIS OH GOD #well #no sense in delaying #I suck with chapters yall so like you will get what you get #Eris x Iris #spirit meets the bones

27 notes · View notes

umbran6 · 3 years

Text

The Argument Against Caleo

Spoilers up to Blood of Olympus and beyond. Beware! (Or not, the book series has been out for a few years, get over it). I wrote this after seeing a user wondering why people didn’t like Caleo, or in some cases, hated it. Here, I want to explain the answer as much as possible while doling out my own points.

One of the main grievances I have as a fan of Leo Valdez would be the ship Caleo, or Leo x Calypso. It’s a complicated ship, to say the least, with multiple issues that make me question why people like the ship. And I admit it, they initially had some chemistry, but there’s multiple issues that Uncle Rick produced through making such a relationship that makes it extremely open to criticism, criticism which I will explain through this post.

One of my main points against them is that the ship was created on a very limited time scale. Although we aren’t given an exact date to date of when Leo and Calypso met to when they fell in love, we can safely estimate it to be a week at best. Such a limited amount of time from going through the multiple stages of a relationship already stresses the limits of the suspension of disbelief.

A counterexample would be Percabeth, or Percy x Annabeth. Throughout the series, we aren’t introduced to them being romantically involved until the Titan’s Curse, which was two years after they met. Specifically, this is brought up by Aphrodite, the goddess of love herself. Admittedly, Percy and Annabeth were twelve years old when they first met, when romance was definitely out of the picture, especially with a quest to get the Master Bolt.

However, from there we get to see multiple examples of their character depth, ranging from their respective fatal flaws to their ambitions, hopes and dreams, and their friendship. We get to see the slow build up of their chemistry, which was a really good writing move on Uncle Rick’s part. These characters took their sweet time to get to where they wanted to go, and despite the false romantic lead of Rachel, they still got together.

On the other hand, we don’t see enough of this between Leo and Calypso — we only see one book where they interacted with each other in The House of Hades, and that was only for a handful of chapters. While they are definitely older so they can jump straight to romance (some may say too old, but I’ll get to that) its still a pretty huge gap to jump through without making it stick. This makes it hard to root for a ship when it is built on a rather faulty foundation from the ‘they just met’ to ‘they get together’, especially when they don’t have a lot of events to show their chemistry.

Which brings me to Ogygia, which has raised a few red flags for me when looking at it from a retrospective point of view. Now, we know what the main issue of the island is that the hero who landed on said island can’t leave until Calypso falls in love with them. And we’ve seen this with Percy during the Battle of the Labyrinth, where he lands in the island and Calypso falls in love with him while tending to his wounds from, you know, being erupted from freaking Mt. St. Helens. Needless to say, this falling in love with each other montage happened quickly to the point of suspicion, which sets up the complication that Calypso and Leo might have fallen in love due to magical intervention.

And hear me out, because although this might be a pretty big pill to swallow, we have evidence for this through Percy. It only takes one chapter for Calypso and Percy to meet, and the next he’s willing to consider leaving Camp Half-Blood and Annabeth behind to live on the island when Hephaestus gives him the choice to leave Ogygia or stay. We don’t even get an explanation on why Percy considered giving it all up just so he can be with her. All we know is, girl meets boy, now they want to live on an isolated island forever. It’s especially absurd considering Percy’s hamartia (fatal flaw) is freaking loyalty to those he loves. Needless to say, It’s a huge YIKES, especially when we apply it to Leo and Calypso.

It also raises the possibility that the romantic relationship between them is doomed to failure. And if you guys want to fight me on this, let’s look at Jason and Piper, a couple whose relationship started with a similar foundation. Piper had romantic memories implanted into her brain by Hera through the use of the Mist, while Jason was reduced to a Tabula Rasa (a blank slate for those who lack culture) by said goddess. They broke up before the Trials of Apollo because it was clear that when the dust settled, Piper had been aware that their romance was a lie and that their intentions to stay together was a mix of delusion and pressure from freaking Aphrodite. Leo and Calypso get together under what is arguably a very similar set of conditions if Ogygia’s magic had any influence on their relationship, and that this magic could wear off if given enough time.

Third, and here’s a pretty big one for me, would be Calypso’s character, mainly because there are a lot of unfortunate implications attached to it. In The Blood of Olympus, she was turned into the divine equivalent of Princess Peach, with Leo being her Mario (except he saves her with a badass metal dragon). Its extremely unnecessary to make a character, especially as one such as Calypso, get turned into the typical reward of a B-Class action movie. It’s insulting and puts her up as a trophy, a narrative that is definitely not ok by any means necessary.

In another direction, Calypso is also really, really worrying when things don’t go get her way. First, let’s look at The Odyssey, the first myth she pops up. Calypso had imprisoned Odysseus for ten years on her island until Hermes said to let him go, and although it gives them plenty of time to fall in love, it also raises the implications of stockholm syndrome. Then we’ve got the fact that Calypso cursed Annabeth out of spite, implicitly saying that she wished the daughter of Athena would suffer the same isolation that she did, which came to reality when Percy and Annabeth met the Arai in Tartarus. And Annabeth wasn’t even aware that she was still in Ogygia, much less intentionally intervened in the matter. When Percy left Ogygia, rather than be angry at Percy, Calypso cursed Annabeth out of all people to suffer the same loneliness and misery she went through. That’s some Hera at her worst levels of spite.

Through such evidence we can see that Calypso is extremely wrathful towards those who break her heart even though they don’t want to. It certainly implies that Calypso isn’t in a good state of mind, and could easily repeat said actions if provoked. We could almost compare it to Medea and the original Jason, but at least in that case, Medea has every right to be pissed off at Jason and take her revenge. Calypso’s curse and how she handles things certainly implies a level of immaturity that would end in disaster if they broke up.

One issue that, I’ll admit is more from my personal point of view is that the ship took a lot of Leo’s character and threw it in the garbage in Blood of Olympus. Though we see him do a lot of stuff behind the scenes, the fact that its all for the goal of reaching Calypso just reduced him to someone who is more focused on love than, you know, fighting the evil goddess that was responsible for killing his mom and getting sweet sweet revenge. While the revenge plot can be cliched sometimes, it can be played well, while romance and the typical ‘always save the girl’ trope is just overdone. If Leo had been allowed to, you know, be more focused on other things rather than Calypso, we could have seen a lot more variety in his character.

For example as one of the possible character arcs he could’ve gone through, Leo has always been alone among the couples, often being isolated. Heck, Nemesis herself stated that he would always be the seventh wheel, and that he would never find a place among his brethren. Though some fellow tumblr users have taken this in multiple ways, either saying that he should learn to be happy by himself or that he is socially isolated in the Argo II because of these romantic relationships (I prefer a mix of both). Uncle Rick just giving him a girlfriend seems like taking the easy way out of solving such an issue and abandoning what could’ve been a rather interesting character arc. The relationship isn’t a bad thing if we remove some of the unfortunate implications, but it is a bad way to end what is a complex and realistic problem for a character and in some cases maybe possible in real life.

One more minor but still yikes worthy point is that there’s a huge age gap between them. We’re not talking about the ‘Hazel is 15 and Frank is 17 and in one year that’ll be a problem because then Hazel will be jailbait’ age gap. And even then, we can argue that Hazel is older since she is chronologically ninety-one years old. No, Calypso is older by millennia in terms of mindset and body due to the perks of being a goddess, while Leo is sixteen.

God-to-Mortal relationships are already complicated, even with emotionally and socially well-functioning adults. The fact that Leo is underage, inexperienced with romance (despite his flirting, Calypso was his first kiss), and has been through a freaking ton of trauma in his youth, does not make this okay. At best, they’re both mutually interested in each other but may have different expectations when it comes to a relationship. At worst, Calypso is taking advantage of a boy just so she can get out of Ogygia and possibly dumping him later on like the wrapping of a candy bar. Even though Calypso lost her immortality during The Trials of Apollo, that doesn’t even compensate for the immense age gap alongside Leo’s guilt at the possibility that he might’ve been responsible for her losing said immortality.

Oh, and about Leo... I’m a fan of him, but I can admit that he is in a bad spot both mentally and emotionally throughout the series. He’s lost his mom due to a mix of his own powers and Gaea’s trickery, and never had the chance to fully process that event and come to terms with it. The foster home system alongside his own trauma has forced him to hide his emotions through a façade of happiness and jokes when it’s quite clear to me he needs a therapist, stat. He's also run away from several foster homes, implying this means he was and still is being affected by the event. His mask is still on during The Blood of Olympus considering he hid a lot of things from Piper and Jason.

Speaking about them, not helping this matter is the fact that he’s rather isolated in terms of friendships since Jason and Piper, his supposed best friends are more interested in locking lip rather than, you know, actually hanging out with each other. He doesn’t have good friendships with the rest of the Seven, and the closest ones he does have is with Hazel and Frank. And even then they start off in the wrong spot since Frank is very insecure about possibly losing Hazel to him during Mark of Athena while Hazel in the meantime, is also dealing with the fact that he is the descendant of her possible boyfriend Sammy Valdez.

This could indirectly have made him desperate for affection since he has nobody else to confide in during the rest of the series, which is a bad mental state to be in when one lands on Ogygia, the island that we’ve seen could possibly force two people to fall in love with each other. A romantic relationship is not something that he needs or something that will help him in the future. He needs more than that, and having him in one that could end in disaster is the last thing he needs.

And that does not make him a bad person, much less a bad character. While some who are similarly emotionally and socially isolated may turn to violence or creepy behavior on those they want affection from, Leo does not do that to the other characters. It just means that he as a character needs more time to recover and develop before we go giving him romantic relationships, much less one with Calypso.

That’s not to say that they don’t have some things in common. Both are starved for love and affection, with Calypso being constantly rejected by heroes while Leo was rejected by foster homes and his own family. It’s a trait that they have in common, but it shouldn’t be the only thing that they have in common, especially since it is laced with a trauma that is clear they haven’t had help processing. They need to develop more as characters and as friends before they should be paired together.

So… yeah. The Caleo relationship is, in my eyes, doomed to failure, or at least heavily flawed after taking the above points into account. Uncle Rick, as if seemingly aware of these criticisms, has put the relationship in a rocky place by The Tower of Nero, giving them the possibility of overcoming the above criticisms and their own flaws, or giving fanfic writers an out and pairing Leo with another character or have him single, but happy. Either way, in my opinion Caleo is a bad ship when it comes to how it was created, alongside the flaws and unfortunate implications it has.

While I can see some of the chemistry the ship has, you can’t just use a couple of moments where they get along as evidence that they belong together, especially with the above reasons. That’s like using a band-aid to cover a bullet hole without removing the bullet, stopping the bleeding, and preventing infection. If both characters and their relationship had been given more time to develop, I would understand how they would get together.

150 notes · View notes

pyrrhiccomedy · 3 years

Text

the People have requested my book report on The Library at Mt. Char so this is now a Mt Char book club.

if you have not read The Library at Mt Char there is no reason to keep reading. I hope you're having a nice day, stay safe and don't do drugs.

So Mt Char has a couple of problems, but in my opinion only one grave problem.

Not a grave problem:

Erwin doesn't need to be in this book. An astonishing amount of ink is spilled on giving us Erwin's POV and I am at a loss in regards to what that's supposed to bring to the story. I mean, it's kind of neat to see Carolyn's "trick shot" from the POV of one of the people being manipulated, but that perspective could have just been provided by Steve. Everything Erwin does of any plot significance could have been done by Steve, a character who actually matters.

Please note that I don't hate Erwin, he's perfectly fine as characters go, he just contributes nothing, and it is baffling that he and Carolyn get the last scene in the book (instead of just ending on her reunion with Michael, a scene that was emotionally affecting and felt like a natural end point to her story). We are taking no questions, Erwin needed to be cut.

Also not a grave problem in my opinion, but I am sure others feel differently and I understand why they would:

Yo, the scope of what the catalogs cover is mad vague. I mean, I get that that's the point: when you have a character whose magic powers are "anything that has to do with death or murder," that's a broad license, and I'm fine with that. These are supposed to be demi-gods. I don't require a rigorously explicated magic system.

But then like...why can't Jennifer, the healer, also heal minds? That seems weird. Or like, it's implied that she kinda can, maybe, but none of the kids talk about their therapy sessions with Jennifer: they explicitly call out that she heals their bodies. But then she talks about how Margaret and David are sick (meaning mentally) in a way she can "no longer help?" Aren't you supposed to be the God Of Healing? Why can't you help anymore? And were you actually trying to help them before - or anyone else? That's never shown. You could have just said you only healed bodies, not minds, but then it's repeatedly implied that she CAN diagnose mental and emotional problems (and therefore should probably be able to do something about them).

So that's weird.

Or like, why is there Alicia, who "sees the future," and Rachel, who "sees possible futures?" That, uh, just sounds like the author was running out of ideas. Also, if Alicia could see the future, she probably shouldn't have been in that house when the SWAT team hit, yeah?

Stuff like that. The magic the kids can do is very "they have the powers the author needs them to have when the author needs them to have them, and they can't do anything the author would find inconvenient for them to do" but that's not a deal breaker for me because overall the vibe being put off by their various magical specialties works for me. Still, there were ways of getting us where we needed to go without begging quite so many questions.

Also not a grave problem, although more of a problem than the other stuff:

You know that anime trope where a super-genius character is having an entire conversation with another super-genius character through a screen, and it's revealed that the whole conversation was a distraction and pre-recorded so that Character 2 could Complete His Scheme against Character 1? And used his super-genius brain to predict every single thing Character 1 would say? And your suspension of disbelief staggers bloodied into the alleyway and collapses because you're really trying to hang in there, Code Geass, but that's fucking stupid, you're asking for me to believe that this character's intelligence is flat-out supernatural now and you've given me no reason why that should be?

That's how I feel about Carolyn, by the time she takes over the Library. Like, okay. The kids canonically have not even been at the Library long enough for any of them to master their catalogues except for Jennifer. None of them but Jennifer are masters of even their own subject.

Carolyn has been studying in secret from multiple catalogues - which is cool! I like how she slowly reveals over the course of the latter half of the book that she has powers from other people's specialties.

...But like...

She seems close to mastering her own catalogue. She is a competent healer and can raise the dead (Jennifer's catalogue). She can block attempts to read her mind, beats David in a fight, and understands how to kill Father (David's catalogue). She speaks lion and controls the dogs that surround the Library (Michael's catalogue). She could make the mathy "Denial That Rends" thing that kicks off the whole plot, and she can make a new sun and correct orbital rotations around it (Peter's catalogue). She can predict the future with such specificity that she knows how to cause Steve to drop a clip of bullets while he's being attacked by dogs exactly where Erwin will need to pick it up later (Rachel's catalogue, also this one is stupid, she could have just given Erwin an extra clip or something, but whatever).

That's half the catalogues. Carolyn doesn't seem prodigiously more intelligent than the other kids. She's smart, sure, but they're all weird demi-gods with a genius for their specialties. The rest of them haven't even mastered their own catalogue, and I'm supposed to swallow that Carolyn has attained 'competent or better' status in six? When she has to research five of them in secret? Without falling behind in her own studies?

It would be fine if they had all been masters of their own catalogues for years and years; that would mean they would begin to stagnate, while Carolyn kept learning. But that's not the case. By the end I wasn't impressed anymore at Carolyn's resourcefulness, it just felt like she could do anything and everything, shh, don't ask questions, she's the Chosen One so she just can.

The reason this isn't a grave problem to me is because Carolyn's journey isn't about becoming more powerful: it's about her emotional journey, which isn't affected by her being stupidly OP for no reason by the end of the book. She still sucked at the things that mattered, like "feelings" and "relationships" and "not being a shitty person." But I do think it hurt the story. I should be cheering on my protagonist when her wild schemes come together, not rolling my eyes.

Anyway. All that was the aperitif. Let's talk about

THE GRAVE AND GLARING PROBLEM AT THE CENTER OF MT CHAR.

So everything that happens in the book stems from Carolyn's thoroughly justified hatred of Father (and David, but David was made that way by Father). Father treated her, and all of the other kids, with extravagant cruelty. If you haven't read the book in a while, here's a sample of the kinds of things Father did to the kids, or, if David did them, that Father did nothing to prevent:

- Cooked David alive over 2 full days in a giant bronze bull (and made the rest of the kids bring the fuel)

- Put Michael's eyes out with a hot poker every night for 2 weeks (and made the rest of the kids watch)

- Murdered Margaret every few days, often in drawn-out and painful ways

- Made Rachel repeatedly give birth, raise the babies to about 9 months, then murder them with her own hands

- Allowed David to rape all 11 of the other kids (except Jennifer, probably because she was the healer and he wanted to stay on her good side)

- Allowed David to crucify, brutalize and rape Carolyn and Peter

- Gave Carolyn a loving new family for a year when she was nine years old (those two deer), then had David murder them in front of her and blame it on her for not remembering her homework well enough, then served the two deer at a feast to 'celebrate' her returning to the family

- Whippings, skinnings, and bone-breakings as standard disciplinary actions

Whoo-ee! Okay! We are talking about mythological cruelty. I am fine with this! The story takes place on a mythological scale. As outlandish as all of that is, the cruelty feels proportionate in a story about killing and replacing god. Father is cruel, indifferent, controlling, and alien. I have no questions, Carolyn please proceed with your revenge. We seemed on track for a tale in which Carolyn defeats Father, but in doing so she runs the risk of becoming him. Will she step back from the brink and retain her humanity after all of the trauma and brutality she's endured? Let's find out!

And then

and then.

Oh boy.

And then.

...It turns out, Father is a good guy after all.

And let me be clear: THIS IS NOT, IN AND OF ITSELF, A PROBLEM.

By the time you learn that Father is actually benevolent, and loved those kids, and cares about being a responsible steward to the world, and tried to leave the universe a better place than he found it, and genuinely regretted the suffering he inflicted on them when they were growing up, it feels kind of...natural? Like, I was surprised, but also not, because there were 90 pages of book left and Carolyn had already become god. This seemed like a thematically meaningful place to take the rest of the story.

It turns out Father was training Carolyn to replace him the entire time. He had to make her hate David because it was important that she "defeat a monster" on her path to becoming god. (It's not explained why she had to defeat a monster, but sure, okay; it's the kind of mythic feat that fits with the story we're in.)

Why did he choose Carolyn to be his successor? Well, originally he chose David, but David wasn't strong enough: every time Carolyn was the monster in David's story, she defeated him, and went on to rule the universe as an unspeakable tyrant. Since Carolyn always won, Father swapped their roles. He knew he had made the right choice when he put David into the bronze bull, and heard David begging for mercy: because when Carolyn had been the fated monster, she had never begged.

...Okay, so...hang on.

Hang on.

The only rule that we've established on "how to become god" is "you have to defeat a monster," right? I'll even grant you for free that it has to be a monster who is personally meaningful to you, although that part is never stated. Overcoming a great evil which has cast you down and abused you many times before, sure, okay.

...Why the FUCK did all that other awful shit have to happen??

I did not have this question when Father was just evil! That was a good enough explanation! But now that he's not evil, you HAVE TO EXPLAIN why he treated all of the kids so brutally!

Like dude you're GOD. If you need a monster for Carolyn, I'm sure you can make that happen without TORTURING CHILDREN FOR DECADES.

There didn't even need to be any other children! You could have two kids: the languages-kid, who is the chosen one (the chosen one has to be the languages-kid so they can read the Onyx Codex or whatever it was called at the end, the one written by Original God), and the war-and-murder kid, who is the monster. They could have just been forbidden to read the other codices, if it's important to you that your chosen one still prove her resourcefulness or whatever.

Why include all of the other kids??? It wasn't to give your chosen one a sense of family: Carolyn didn't feel close to any of them except for Michael (who I liked, but whose contribution to the plot was negligible).

Or keep the kids! But then why make them, and Carolyn, hate you?? You could just say, "Hey Carolyn, I am raising you to be my successor, you have to figure it out yourself because part of proving your worthiness is this kind of abstract, big-picture thinking, but I love you and whatever you end up deciding to do, just believe in yourself." And meanwhile you're off torturing the fated monster in order to get him piping hot and ready to be served.

Was the idea that Carolyn had to endure so much horror in order to prove she was 'tough enough' to be god?? Because that's not how trauma works! Kids who have been brutally traumatized are usually not made tougher by the experience! A fact that even the book understands, because 10 of the 12 kids are completely destroyed by their upbringing (I'm giving marginal exceptions to Michael and Carolyn herself).

And like

if Father doesn't have a good reason for having treated them so badly, the whole book falls apart!

Because getting revenge for that cruelty is Carolyn's whole motivation!

We are clearly supposed to feel okay about Father going to make a new universe at the end of the book: he's going with his cool tiger friend and that little girl with the connection to the elemental plane of joy who used to be the sun, he's happy to see Carolyn embracing compassion and kindness, which means he cares about compassion and kindness. He invented light and pleasure. Carolyn does nothing to try to stop him from going. He seems like a pretty good candidate for god. And I do feel okay with him leaving! I was convinced! Father is not evil after all!

But then you have! to explain! the abuse!!

It can be a throwaway line!! "Carolyn realized that everything she and her siblings went through had to happen the way it did, because [X]," embedded in the middle of a paragraph! That would have been enough! But I need an explanation!

"They were raised the way Father was raised himself" WHY? He was raised by the Emperor, an on-the-record awful fucking dude! Father proceeded to rule the universe in a far more benevolent way than the Emperor did, why would he feel like he had to raise his kids the way the Emperor raised him?

"Carolyn needed to overcome challenges on her path to godhood" how is TRAUMATIZING HER SO BADLY SHE ALMOST BECOMES INHUMAN - SOMETHING YOU WERE OSTENSIBLY TRYING TO PREVENT, see Steve being preserved as something that could give her hope, etc - A "CHALLENGE??"

Again, none of this is a problem if Father is just evil! YOU CHOSE to make him not evil! And that's fine!! I think it's a good choice for the story actually!! But then you have to, you have to, HAVE TO explain why all of that bad shit happened!

Because all of that bad shit is the reason Carolyn made there be a story.

And it turns out it doesn't make sense.

#the library at mount char

50 notes · View notes

petri808 · 3 years

Text

O5+Itafushi sick/injured/comfort for Anon 😊 totally canon divergent since we still don’t know a lot about their backgrounds and the series is still on going 🙃 Hurt/Comfort, angst w/happy ending. *Does container manga spoiler aspects if you’re not up to date on it.

It couldn’t be helped... logically, Megumi knew this, but what his brain understood didn’t mean his heart could accept. Yuuji was fated from the beginning to die and he knew— Knew that all the man wanted was to die without regret, and saving their world... well how much more honor could one achieve by fulfilling his grandfather’s dying wish? He should be happy for his friend, content in the knowledge that Yuuji gave them a chance to rebuild a better world without the fear of Ryomen Sukuna ever destroying it. Should be... but he wasn’t.

How many times had Megumi convinced himself they weren’t heroe’s, they were just sorcerers. Spiritual police in a sense, there to protect without a desire for acknowledgement. And that their deaths were both inevitable and not immune to regret. All they could do was their best not to garner too much of it and become the very curses they swore to fight. It was why most jujutsu sorcerers learned from an early age not to care about humanity, or at least lie to themselves that it was a possibility. Such bullshit, really.

So, as he stood there staring down at what remained of his best friend’s body, Megumi couldn’t help the regret bubbling up in his very soul. This was literally and figuratively his fault. Yuuji’s, or rather Sukuna’s exorcism was a combined effort in which he’d participated in. That’s not something you can simply set aside. Yes! Megumi was glad that Sukuna was gone, but so was Yuuji! He didn’t care if his friend had been born into, or chosen to, or somehow been trapped in this fate. It wasn’t fair at all. None of this was fair to any of them, just as his own birth had been an unfortunate creation for revenge.

“Fuck!” Megumi gritted out a barely audible utterance as his nails dug into the clenched fists at his sides, and tears trickled down his face. This wasn’t fair at all!

He shouldn’t even be there. If Gojou sensei knew he’d snuck into the morgue he’d be in trouble. But he didn’t care! They didn’t even let him say goodbye to his friend before carting him off to Dr. Shoko. It was for his own good— pfft, fucking uncaring bastards! Yuuji was the first real person he’d ever connected with who gave him back a sense of the humanity he’d lost along the way. The man made him feel, and now. “Fuck...” Megumi knew he was screwed. His heart had crossed the line. Images of a smiling Yuuji play like a movie behind his closed eyes, bringing a pained smile curling on Megumi’s lips. He’d avoided admitting it to himself, but it was true. He’d fallen for Yuuji Itadori.

It had been an unspoken promise Megumi made to Yuuji, one he’d made deep within his heart the moment it had chosen to cross the line. He’d find a way to sever Sukuna from Yuuji and save his love from the ultimate sacrifice. This promise had never been proclaimed from his own lips, but there was no running from the covenant he’d created in his soul. As Sukuna once explained, certain pacts in their works simply could not be broken.

His knees weakened, crumpling Megumi to the floor in a position of summary execution. All of the emotional walls he’d learned to control, gave way in a flood, sending shadowed curse energy to blanket the room. He didn’t even try to stem the flow of power surging out from his pain. It was entirely selfish to lash out with his regret and anger, but Megumi couldn’t stop... didn’t want to let go. “It’s not fair!” He raged into the still darkness. “I should have saved you! If I was stronger, I could have saved you! But I’m too weak... even now, I can’t...” he hung his head head and closed his eyes, “I can’t even let you die properly because you deserve to live Yuuji...” Because I still need you... Damn the consequences, he’ll take whatever comes his way! “Yuuji!!!”

.....Megumi wasn’t exactly sure what happened, how he ended up passed out on his side, or even how long he was laying there. But something gentle brushed against his face, sweeping his hair aside, and caressing it to stir him awake. His body was groggy from the power drain, eyes barely able to focus in the amber emergency lighting. Whatever it was said nothing, just continued soothing him and coaxing with light prodding to wake up. It felt so nice... Wait! Fuck! Was he caught?! Was it Gojou, Dr. Shoko, someone else?!

His eyes flash open wide as he scrambled to sit up, ready to explain himself, but— “Sukuna?!” Megumi screamed in shock.

“What?!” The naked man stumbled back, looking around in a panic. “Where?! He’s supposed to be dead!”

Megumi adjusted his eyes better, because the form in front of him looked like Yuuji, but with all of the same markings as Sukuna, including the second set of open eyes. Although the voice was different... not exactly Yuuji’s, not Sukuna’s, maybe a mix of both. “Who are you?” He asked, noting that the curse energy flowing from this thing was akin to Sukuna in power and this could be a trick from the God of Curses. Is this what his regret had wrought?!

“It’s me,” the figure stepped forward in confusion, a hand over his chest. “Yuuji. Megumi how could you not know it’s me?”

“Because you look like and feel like Sukuna.”

Yuuji looked down at his body and could see the markings too. But that’s when he also noticed something else in the room. His dead body lying on the operating table. His eyes widen as they whip back to Megumi. “Am I?!” His shaky voice cracked.

It was becoming clear. Megumi nodded. “My regret brought you back as a...”

“Curse...” Yuuji breathed out. He was stunned, and yet somehow not surprised. “Wow... but I don’t look like a normal curse.” He could think and feel, “I’m like Mt. Fuji head?”

“I don’t understand it either. I’m so sorry Yuuji— I just couldn’t let you go.” The tears formed again in Megumi’s eyes. “I’d sworn to myself I’d save you, but I failed miserably and for that... n-now you’re a curse.”

“I should be mad at you.” Yuuji knelt down in front of his friend, smiling. “But I’m not. I know all too well how hard it is to let go of people we care about.”

Megumi shook his head. “You don’t understand. I’m being selfish and that’s wrong! I just... I-I just... I love you too much to let you go.”

“You... love me? Like a friend, friend love or...”

Megumi turned away and if it wasn’t so dark his blushing cheeks would be glaringly obvious. “No, the other kind.”

“Brotherly love?”

For a second there, Megumi had to question his own sanity again for failing in love with an idiot. He ran his hand down his face in a huff. “The I wanna kiss you kind! I know you said you like women with big butts and all, but yeah,” he mumbled, “that’s how I feel about you idiot.” His face was truly on fire by this point, only made more difficult by the fact the man he loved was hanging out for all to see.

“Oh!” Yuuji chuckled and sandwiched Megumi’s face between the palms of his hands. “I’m just messing with you. I knew that for a while now.”

“Wait how?!” But dang if seeing Yuuji’s smile again didn’t just melt him. “I kept it hidden.”

“You did, but Sukuna sensed it in you when your domains overlapped, and he showed me.”

Yuuji leaned forward and brought their lips together in an awkward kiss. It was brief, but for Megumi, it solidified how he felt. That yes, he really did love this man and finally! He got to kiss him!

“There was a time I thought Sukuna had a crush on you actually,” Yuuji chuckled. “But then of course, it turned out he just wanted to use you.”

“So... you’re okay with me liking you?” As he spoke, Megumi pulled his coat off and handed it to Yuuji to cover up.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Yuuji smiled and put on the coat. “But what do we do now? Technically I’m not alive, I’m a walking, talking curse.”

“Fuck,” Megumi sighed, his shoulders slumping, “I didn’t exactly think this through, just lost control.”

Yuuji placed a hand on his shoulder, “hey, we’ll figure it out. We always do.”

Megumi couldn’t hold back any longer. He pulled Yuuji into a tight bear hug as renewed tears pooled in his eyes. “I don’t care what you are, I’m just happy to have you back.”

Yuuji returned the hug. “Me too.”

Suddenly, clapping echoed through the darkened room seconds before the light switch was flipped on, causing Megumi to flinch. Shit! They were caught so quickly!

“I had a feeling this would happen.”

It was Gojou’s voice. Aww crap!

Megumi moved Yuuji and placed himself between the two men. “Leave him alone!”

“Oh, don’t worry your pretty little head Megumi Chan, I’m not gonna exorcise him. I followed you here, so if I’d wanted to stop you, I would have done so sooner.”

“You’re messing with me.” Megumi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “It’s our job to dispatch curses. Why would you make an exception.”

“Yes, under the old ways, but as you know, those ways were destroyed by us. As long as a curse is not a problem, I don’t care if they exist.” Gojou cocked his head in an evil grin. “Yuuji is now for you, as what Rika is for Okkotsu. I didn’t exorcise Rika, did I?”

“No...”

“Exactly!” He clapped his hands together. “Having powerful special grades on our side is a benefit in my eyes,” Gojou moved his mask to reveal his own, “and these eyes know everything,” he winks before affixing the mask. “Besides, who am I to get in the way of love,” he shrugged.

Megumi rolled his eyes at that last jab, but Yuuji let out a sigh of relief. “Gojou sensei, do you know why I’m like this?” He motioned to his body. “Shouldn’t I be more like Rika? But I can think for myself and talk, and I feel... well, normal.”

“That’s a good question!” Gojou cackled and pointed at Yuuji. “I have no idea!”

“Ugh!” Megumi slaps his forehead. This man never changed.

“But,” Gojou grew serious in an instant, “I can guess there are three factors involved.” He held up one finger, “Number one! You, Yuuji are no ordinary human but created by a curse at birth.” Raising a second finger, “Number two! You and Sukuna were bonded at the instance of death, so you’ve fused with him.” Adding a third finger, “and lastly, number three! When one special grade sorcerer curses another former special grade sorcerer, that amount of curse energy wasn’t going to create a lower lever spirit. So, voila! You were made Yuuji!”

“But is it like I still have control of Sukuna or something?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. Do you still sense him?”

Yuuji paused in thought before shaking his head no.

“It’s likely Sukuna’s soul was fully exorcised, and since Megumi was only thinking of you, it was only you that was brought back. This is just the form your cursed energy has taken. We’ll need to test what powers you’ve retained, but from what I’m sensing, they are on par with Sukuna’s residual energy.”

It’s Megumi who speaks up next. “So, is Yuuji allowed back at school?”

“I’ll allow it, provided your classmates don’t mind. Remember, while you can see him, he’s no longer alive, so normal humans won’t see him anymore. He is just a cursed spirit.”

Megumi and Yuuji looked at each other, then back to their teacher with Yuuji taking hold of Megumi’s hand. “I think they’d get mad if we didn’t return,” Yuuji smiled.

Gojou tipped two fingers as he turned to leave, “then I shall see you in class tomorrow. Try to keep the noise down in your room.” He teased with a cackle.

Megumi flushed red. “He’s so irritating.”

“Yeah, but you gotta admit Gojou sensei’s one of the cool ones.”

“Yeah,” Megumi sighed, but smiled. “Guess we should head back to school too.”

Yuuji squeezed his new boyfriend’s hand and nodded. “I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when I walk in!”

“Just, no practical jokes like phasing through walls to scare them. We don’t need someone actually trying to exorcise you.”

“Oh, right! I’ll behave.” Without warning, Yuuji then swept Megumi into a bridal carry. “Let’s test my powers! I bet I’m faster than Gojou sensei now!”

“Wait! What are you doing?!”

Yuuji grinned down at Megumi with ruby red eyes glowing. “Trust me.” Cause I’ll kill anyone who dares to hurt you now...

#Itafushi #itadori yuuji #fushiguro megumi #yuuji itadori #megumi fushiguro #fushidori #yuuji x megumi #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen manga #jjk spoilers #Itafushi fan fic #Itafushi fan fiction #hurt/comfort #angst with happy ending #fushidori fan fic

39 notes · View notes

bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture · 3 years

Text

Okay, so the brain’s a bit caught up in one of my other writing projects, but I refuse to abandon this entirely. So I’m gonna just power through this and then get back to Vibing™.

Actually, it’s kinda cute that the hero Thirteen is introduced in chapter thirteen. I wonder if Hori did that on purpose or just managed it as a fun coincidence.

[No. 13 - Rescue Training]

So we start off on Wednesday morning (which would be April 12th/11th) at 7:35 AM. There’s a hostage situation by a villain who looks like a goddamned pokemon (my brain has made the ‘buff ditto’ comparison and now I am Shook) who is, according to Mt. Lady, a serial robber and murderer by the name of Habit Headgear. Kamui Woods, whose wood bindings have apparently been broken trying and failing to contain the guy, is tossed back on the ground as he notes the villain is strong and a quick strategist.

Seems like she and Kamui Woods have teamed up together! Or at least responded to the same villain attack again. Also, who’s this dude?

Random Mii Blaster escaped from Smash Ultimate and is now in BNHA, when will the madness end.

Naturally, the hostages are not handling this situation super well, though the crowds watching don’t seem as worried? IDK hard to tell from far away. The buff ditto villain uses double team, no wait I mean agility, actually his high speed to show how outclasses the heroes on the scene are.

As he announces his plans to escape, we see All Might rushing in loud enough for the stomps to be heard. He announces his arrival mere moments before he fucking snaps the villain’s neck with a handchop - or, well, not really, but damn that had to be a hard hit. All Might also managed to grab the family out of harm’s way in the process, announcing that he’s on his morning commute.

The crowds cheer for All Might, while Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods are somewhat put out - they appreciate the help, but also worry All Might will put them out of business.

(I guess this is where all those fics that do bring up how All Might cuts down the hero job market on his own pull from? Or just coincidence, who knows.)

The police thank All Might with salutes for the help, and All Might give his own quick responding salute before he declares he needs to head off so he won’t be late. Of course, that’s when he hears about a hit-and-run (that super hearing lol) and takes off, just so coincidentally in the direction of said trouble. Despite that fact that he needs to get to work. This man.

While he’s in the air, he considers how his speed has dropped, and that he’s been weakening since he passed on his power. Not to mention that after his rescue of Izuku and Katsuki from the sludge villain, his maximum time went down. Which is not at all referencing him about to overdo it again and lose more time, no siree.

We descend into a flashback to right where we left off after the battle trial, with All Might confronting Izuku about telling Katsuki about (some of) One For All. All Might is surprised and a bit nervous? Worried? Or that bead of sweat in the flashback might be from the strain of holding the form when he’s about to run out of time.

In any case, Izuku in the past apologizes and says he hasn’t even told his mom, but that he had to tell Katsuki something… All Might determines this might be a consequence of not being explicit enough about keeping the secret, since Izuku isn’t the type to brag or boast. Also calls Izuku too sincere, hah, isn’t that the truth. All Might says it’s lucky Katsuki thought he was joking, so All Might can forgive the slip this time, but that Izuku cannot tell another soul.

(Stares at this.) (Looks at recent manga events.) Whelp.

Anyways, All Might catches the car of the hit and run guy (and man, that face the dude is making) while thinking about how, suitable successor or not, Izuku’s still just fifteen, so All Might had to make things clear. Of course, then All Might overhears about a hostage crisis the next town over, and, well.

We transition to right after lunch (12:50) with Aizawa announcing that that day’s hero training plans - something supervised by himself, All Might, and one other teacher. Izuku realizes it has to be a special class, while Sero raises his hand to ask what they’re doing. Aziawa’s reply?

I swear this is exactly the same shit All Might did before the battle trial, gimme a second-

Bahahahaha incredible. Though then again, I wonder if those are security cards keys to certain locations. It would make sense, though then I wonder how Katsuki and Izuku were able to get into Training Ground Beta without one… hrm…

Anyways! Kaminari, Ashido, and Kirishima end up talking about it; Kaminari says it’ll be a rough day, with Ashido pumped as she agrees, and Kirishima also pumped as he says that it’s what being a hero is all about. Asui notes that she’ll be right as home in a flood. Aizawa silences them with a glare, saying he’s not done. He presses the button to unveil the costume lockers, telling the class that it’s their choice whether or not to wear their costumes, since some of them are ill-suited for this kind of activity.

Oh boy, will this put you on the path to the hero you’ll be come… but not for the reasons you think, buddy. The joke here is trauma.

It seems like most of the class does still choose to go in costume, barring Izuku - whose costume is still being repaired after the damage done to it in battle training. However, he still has his belt, gloves, knee pads, and mouth guard (with the mouth guard being new) on him.

Golly, I wonder why your costume needed to be replaced, Izuku.

(thonk.)

Also Tenya jkfdkjdgfkj Oh My God You Dramatic Egg. He’s got a whistle and he’s directing the class to line up by ID number so they can fill the seats in an orderly fashion.

I’m love this boy so much. And it’s even funnier because the bus has an open layout, meaning it was pointless. Poor Tenya is in Despair, with Ashido teasing him for his efforts being wasted.

Savage. But yeah, looks like it’s Sato, Izuku, Asui, Kirishima, Tenya, Ashido, Aoyama, and Kaminari in the front seats. And Asui - sorry, Tsuyu - just outright says she says what’s on her mind, which startles Izuku since he didn’t expect her to talk to him I guess? She tells Izuku to call her Tsuyu, then turns to him and just says his quirk resembles All Might’s.

Izuku, being the sincere boy he is, stutters and stumbles out something that almost looks like a denial, before Kirishima, bless his himbo soul, points out that All Might doesn’t get hurt by his own quirk, so they’re already different in that way. He then goes on to state that that kind of simple, strength enhancing quirk is awesome and that a lot of cool stuff can be done with it.

Kirishima then goes on to show off his hardening, saying that it’s good for a fight, but otherwise boring. Midoriya ‘holy fuck I love quirks’ Izuku thinks otherwise, actually sparkling as he proclaims the quirk to be neat and more than enough for going pro. Kaminari notes that heroes also have to worry about popular appeal. Aoyama says his navel laser quirk is both strong and cool, and thus perfect for heroics. Ashido then kneecaps him by adding in that that’s as long as he doesn’t blow up his own stomach.

Ashido’s Savagery: The Sequel.

In the next panel, we see Katsuki’s been paying attention to this convo, which has me wondering if this is when he was first starting to piece together OFA from Izuku’s mention of ‘getting the quirk from someone else’ and ‘like All Might’s’. However, when he is brought up in the conversation (alongside Shouto) as examples of ‘strong and cool quirks’, he feigns disinterest and looks away, trying to play cool.

(Also, he doesn’t seem to have his gauntlets on him here, though I know he’s brought one with him as seen a bit later. I wonder whether he chose to leave one of them behind or if he might have been restricted from bringing more than one by Aizawa… interesting either way.)

Tsuyu then brings up how Katsuki being so unhinged means he’ll never be popular. Katsuki, naturally, takes offence and slams his hands on the rail in front of him, demanding to know what she just said. Tsuyu sticks out her tongue as she points at him making her point. Poor Jirou, having to be seated next to someone so loud.

And the moment literally the whole discord was waiting for, Kaminari’s brutal vocabulary takedown of Katsuki, something cut entirely from the anime. Friendly reminder that Kaminari is, in fact, a major lit nerd! He’s Not Dumb! Stop Making Him Dumb In Fics! He not only has the most verbose vocabulary in the class that isn’t from the rich kids (and in some ways is even more so), he also has Katsuki absolutely pegged despite only knowing him for a few days. He Earned His UA Spot.

While Katsuki snaps back at Kaminari, Izuku is hunched over in disbelief that Katsuki’s the one getting bullied for once, but he supposes that that’s UA for you…

To the side, Yaomomo declares the conversation vulgar, while Ochako is laughing and saying it’s fun. Offscreen, I’m assuming that it’s Kaminari mock-marvelling at how he didn’t think Katsuki’s mouth could get any fouler.

The last panel on the page is Aizawa interrupting them to announce that they’ve arrived at the training grounds, and to look sharp. The whole class (I guess?) snaps to attention.

And that’s the halfway point, so I will leave the USJ proper for next time! This has been a Savage Mina and Smart Denki appreciation post, so appreciate them, or else.

44 notes · View notes

stray-tori · 3 years

Text

Heaven Official’s Blessing | Live comments compilation

eyy, I finally finished it. I won’t talk about plot too much because I don’t trust my brain to remember it correctly and I watched it in very spread out sessions dshsj-

I really liked it though I don’t follow all the heaven politics at all dshsj- too many names, too small brain.

Reactions

Randomly decided to continue heaven official's blessing bc i was bored. The op is so damn soothing and pretty i still can't.

youtube

I also forgot so many details probably but I'm too lazy to rewatch the episodes I've already seen so. Here i go.

It's kinda funny how this whole meeting call of gods is like "yeah that guy is dangerous, the butterflies are a bad sign" Meanwhile mc is like huh i thought they were adorable

Okay why did i stop exactly where it gets REALLY gay okay then me

Alright then friend

Also bilibili subs are so small pls save me

I feel like the dynamic is kinda sassy but it's kinda like... It's still kind of calm in it's portrayal which is interesting.

Idk how to explain it but sth about it just rly calm and sort of peaceful pshhh so i need more braincells to pick up on the low-key sass and witty banter.

Maybe it's also me not being as used to chinese and that's why hmm Chinese is growing on me tho it's so pretty

[the bilibili subs]'re on Funimation too, also?? Funimation didn't even make their own subs good job guys. I could literally watch this on bilibili too wheeze

Okay main guy has been interrupted twice when he was gonna say sth about himself stop

Also intense staring intensifies goddamn

They keep glancing at each other intensely guys stop.

This is wild

I'm enjoying it but I'm just very sjdhdhdh

...

I feel like there's intense staring every like 2 minutes like y'all pretty i get it but pls my gay goggles might overheat here.

[someone else:] I can just imagine them staring at each other in a gay way and then there's Tori squinting at the subtitles

Mc is big brain he's like "there's no way a ghost could fabricate a human body well. Give me your hand, I'll tell you your fortune." *proceeds to inspect hand* "let me brush your hair!" his hair would surely give him away *proceeds to lean in close* "Are you really fixing my hair or trying to do something else?" sahjs

Also ma ghost man rly made a door for their home so that he wouldn't use talismans on the entry. What a guy.

This guy is so offended at them living together oh jeez sjdhdj

Also great line.

A classic

So much food. Only so.much digestion i can do

He do be smug.

Stop it with the gayzes jesus-

I mean don't stop but holy hell

No wonder these two guys wanna out him as a ghost king, they're just sick of you two not getting a room shdhd

I mean don't stop but holy hell

No wonder these two guys wanna out him as a ghost king, they're just sick of you two not getting a room shdhd

...

Wow. He just tripped into him. I'm not used to food every 2 seconds pls my heart

Casually putting the robe back on your companion, then he catches your hat before it yeets away

Everyday things.

I-

DOES HE LOOK LIKE HE MINDS-

I can’t-

[someone else:] What are they even doing for all this gay to happen in such little time

You see, they really hit it off.

But i don't know and I kinda don't want this to end bc it's just... So charged sjsjsj

Snake bite treatment bc of course

Dramatic name calling and self-sacrifice. The food is real with this one Hahahaha immediately following into the cliff

Carrying bridal style while fighting, okay then

Also HHhH they revealed something in hindsight and now I'm emotional. So: at some point they read the tombstone of a general, and how he died, and the travellers that were with them laughed. And black hair said that it'd bring luck to bow before it 3 times, so they did. Brown hair asked if that was rly on there and he replied "they made fun of it so we can have some fun too". And it just now got revealed that that general was actually brown hair and I'm just :((( he probably knew bc he's so knowledgeable about everything and he protecc. Big emotion.

And if not it’s just even sweeter in hindsight, anyway sdhjds

...

Why do they keep leaning into each other while gayzing. Like ik it probably won’t commit to it fully/obviously but JESUS The description even calls it an affair WHAT I-is anyone actually believing this is not gay- it's impossible right im-

They are just actually flirting Jesus Christ

He literally just said "so you were the bridegroom on Mt. (Sth)" ":)" "I mean. You pretended to be" "I didn't pretend." "So why were you there?" "Two options. 1)" LEANS OVER HIS SHOULDER "for you. Or 2) i have a lot of time to kill"

THEY EVEN HAVE THE "TITLE OTHER PEOPLE CALL ME BIT WHEN YOU DO IT ITS SPECIAL" TROPE HELP

[someone else:] How can we speedrun every romance trope

I also think it’s hilarious that priest girl basically went “ok this is too flirty, let me out of here” in the special dshdsj

Ehehe welp there's a ring

Okay that was neat. Now to wait for s2

BONUS:

IT WAS ON NETFLIX THE ENTIRE TIME im dumb oh well.

#tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #tgcf donghua #tgcf anime #tori talks #tori has opinions #toco #tori comments #long post

11 notes · View notes

sunmaylight · 3 years

Text

TGCF Book 3 Reaction pt. 6 - We are going to Mt. Tonglu!

hahaha. So, funny thing. I got impatient and just breezed though the last two books and consumed all of the post-canon content I could find. But, even though I have finished TGCF, that doesn’t mean I didn’t leave notes that I want in big chunks like this. So I will continue working on this

Even though I read the novel, I will stay true to my notes to the best of my abilities.

Ch 138: Xie Lian remembering that he threw his meatballs like bullets without any spiritual strength, like how he went about the past 800 years

- Me: Why do people not realize that Xie Lian is buff. Buff Xie Lian art, where?

Qi Rong turns out to be a better chef than Xie Lian. Like possible House Husband material

- Me: Yo. WTF. I call hack! How did- *remembering Qi Rong’s backstory*... Okay, but how did he learn and hone his skills?

Heaven’s Eye cultivator group about to chow down on some hair when Xie Lian steps in with the pebble toss

- Me: Xie Lian saving cultivators from committing c*nn*bal*sm

Ch 139: Hua Cheng builds a little golden palace outside and then kicks it. The shady inn illusion crashes as well.

- Me: Can this get animated?

Feng Xin mentioning of an ascension acceleration method with dead babies

- Me: Wait! What if Feng Xin’s ascension is the suspicious one instead of Mu Qing

Ch 140: Xie Lian finds Guzi to be sick and dehydrated.

Mama Bear Xie Lian - Awaken

- Me: Oh shit. Xie Lian is pissed at his cousin.

Ch 141: Learning about who the father to the fetus spirit is. Learning that the fetus spirit is named Cuo Cuo. Secrets around Cuo Cuo’s birth abundant

- Me: WAIT! HE HAD S*X WITH LAN CHANG. HE F*KED?!

Xie Lian reassuring Hua Cheng, but Hua Cheng turning it around to saying that his actions are up to him. Xie Lian feels something.

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng had a moment when suddenly they see someone sitting at the table making tea

- Me: No! Is it Jun Wu?

Jun Wu is pouring three cups of tea

- Me: He saw the intimate scene between the two

Red flower that slips on the edge of the flower pot is about to fall when Xie Lian caught it like it’s the most precious thing in the world

- Me: Foreshadowing???

Xie Lian basically saying that Heaven will fall if the Heavenly Emperor is dead. Xie Lian basically saying that Heaven is floating in the sky because of the Heavenly Emperor

- Me: Man, I really hope that the Heavenly Emperor doesn’t die and make Heaven crash onto the ground, only to be upheld by the power of Xie Lian and then create a parallel of that scene in book 2, or Atlus holding up the world.

Ch 143: Heaven and the Ghost Kings have a mutual beneficial relationship

Hua Cheng using this fact to exploit Heaven singing him praises for a year.

- Me: Cunning bastard. I would have asked for praises sung to me and Xie Lian if I was in his shoes

Mt. Tonglu has the Klin and both places is that one poisonous jar where the last poisonous creature that is alive after x amount of time is emerged as the victor.

- Me: Battle Royale to the death.

Xie Lian sneaks with Ghost as a Puppet Master

- Me: Oh, nice disguise

Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade says he can find if a ghost is suspicious

- Me: Okay, but what if you are the suspicious one?

Xie Lian crouches down to hid behind the 8-12 year old looking Hua Cheng

Hua Cheng as the “Puppet Master” disguise: “No one shall touch what I love except for me”

- Me: Impressive acting there

There is a cloaked figure that Hua Cheng says they are wearing a fake face

- Me: Is it Pei Ming?

Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade dies from one slash. Xie Lian making an observation that sounds like a joke

- Me: lol

Ch 14-Mt. Tonglu gate

Some ghost ladies get hurt and the cloaked stranger immediately asks: “Are my ladies alright?”

- Me: I was right. It was Pei Ming

Pei Ming about to tease Hua Cheng when Ruoye whips out to hit Pei Ming

- Me: I don’t know if that was all Ruoye or influence from Mt. Tonglue, but go Ruoye.

Pei Ming’s mysterious candy he got to disguise his spiritual powers is revealed to be shady candy made form Ghost City. Consuming the candy is the equivalent to rubbing skunk spray all over yourself.

- lol

E-Ming has been affected like Hua Cheng. It is now a small sword

- me: Cute

Pei Ming can sense the atmosphere around Hua Cheng and Xie Lian

The Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade turns out to be alive still. Both halves are moving freely

- Me: It’s still alive. how?!

Pei Ming is revealed to be the “General Who Snapped His Sword”

- Me: *Four Tales of Heaven Background Understanding Update*

Wine: 100% Understanding & Truth of Creation

Flower Crown: 100 50% Understanding of Creation & History -Second Ascension & Third Ascension are Unknown-

Princess: 15% Understanding of Identity & History

Sword: 25% & Growing...Processing backstory now

A giant savage, dark skinned burly man in broken armour appears

- Me: Wait. Do I know this character?

It is revealed to be Ke-Mo

Xie Lian pulls a trick on Swift Life-Extinguishing Blade/Ming’Guang and Pei Ming saw it work. The trick was actually the most vile swear word of the Banyue kingdom that is the most disrespectful insult ever.

- Me: What did the army teach you Xie Lian?

Xie Lian calls out for Banyue & Pei Su knowing that they are not at Mt. Tonglu as a tactic to distract Ke Mo

- Me: lol. What if they actually come after Xie Lian called them.

When things start to look good, Xie Lian calls out on it. It is immediately changes into a bad thing

Tiny E-Ming grows with praises from Xie Lian.

Pei Ming does a big brain and smashes E-Ming’s hit to Xie Lian’s lips. E-Ming grows to a very long scimar

- Me: Pei Ming caught on what Xie Lian didn’t. Also E-Ming reflect’s Hua Cheng, so, affection makes E-Ming grow. Hua Cheng

As Ke Mo and Ming’Guang are abotu to beat Xie Lian and Pei Ming, Banyu and Pei Su do that badass entry of jumping down a cliff and kicking the opponents.

- Me: lol, Banyue and Pei Su actually appeared.

Banyue throws a scorpion-snake at Ke Mo fully knowing what she is doing and the 200 years of mutual dislike is behind it.

- Me: Ultimate betrayal.

Banyue: We came here with Rain Master

- Me: Wait. Rain Master is here?

Ch 148: Xie Lian thinks that if he does the same things he did to E-Ming to help him grow, it will help Hua Cheng grow

- Me: Awe. So cute.

Ke Mo vs. Banyue & Pei Su - Round 2: Banyue is too embarrassed to throw her snakes again at Ke Mo. Pei Su swoops in and yeets a basket full at Ke Mo who screams at them

- Me: For some reason I find this scene really funny.\

Xie Lian: Moves into kiss Hua Cheng. He kisses the forehead and is sad about it.

Pei Ming learns that Banyue is that Banyue while she backs away from Banyue as Pei Ming comes close to her

- Me: Oh wait. Does Pei Ming still smell of those Ghost Candies?

It is revealed that Banyue is weary of Pei Ming because of the candy scent

- Me: Lol, it was the candy

Rain Master is brought up

- Me: *random thought* Does Rain Master & Pei Ming have some history together?

Rain Master is at Mt. Tonglu because Qi Rong stole some of her farmers.

Pei Ming is revealed to be the opposing General of the Rain Master

- Me: Oh, they do have some history together.

Xie Lian & Readers learn about the ‘Tale of the General Who Snapped His Sword’

- Me: LORE!

Sword: 75% Understanding

Ch 149: Pei Ming insults Banyue for not knowing how to cook like other females

- Me: General Pei, I understand that in your time that might have been a norm. But modern times that is different.

Xie Lian says he will teach Banyue how to cook

- Me: Oh no. Someone please stop them.

Banyue is holding a pot of food

- Me: Oh shoit. Did Banyue?

Ch 150: Banyue’s chicken meal is a black mass of questionable origins

- Me: *sob* it’s over. Banyue is now added to the list. But at least she took up her cooking skills after her adopted dad.

Pei Su takes the dubious food and eats it after watching Hua Cheng try some.

- Me: RIP Pei Su

Hua Cheng telling Xie Lian about the history of Mt. Tonglu while Pei Su is dying in the background. Banyue’s cooking somehow turned into a spirit or eldrich horror

- Me: *sob* please. You two are so adorable together, but someone (Pei Su) is literally dying from food poisoning. You are like that one pool meme

Pei Ming has given up on Pei Su to hang with the oblivious couple

Xie Lian has heard of Wuyoung before from his past while training to Ascension.

- Me: Oh. Interesting.

Little Xie Lian learned how to recite the Ethic Sutras like nothing because he was a curious child about a forgotten kingdom and the Guoshi made him shut up through sutras.

- Guoshi, how are you real?

Xie Lian: Pei Su is talking weird. Is it because of the Scorpion-Snake?

Banyue: Pei Su has immunity from them

-Me: God you two are so oblivious.

Ch 151: What if Jun Wu is from Wuyoung? Nah. He has a 500 year difference from then.

- Me: *Remembers Qi Rong calling Jun Wu a faker and thinks there is some truth in those words* What if he became an immortal 500 years before his ascension and just loitered around for 500 years until he achieved ascension status.?

The group is Scooby-Doo investigation with Ace Attorney observation skills on the temples. of the Kingdom of Wuyoung to learn why it fell

- Me: intersting. I hope they find something interesting.

-----

Alright. Going to stop there cause the actual journey to the Klin starts and it is a long journey where there is actually more than what I commented on. Man, I just really picked and choose what to highlight while reading

#sunmay rambles #sunmay reads tgcf #sunmay reads tian guan cifu #sunmay reads hob #sunmay reads heaven official's blessing #tgcf #hob #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #tgcf spoiler #hob spoiler #book 3 spoiler #Mt. tonglu spoilers #RIP Pei Su #I hope you develop an iron stomach like Hua Cheng to eat Banyue's cooking

25 notes · View notes

ex-vengeancedemon · 3 years

Text

Averting Disasters and Other Ways to Avoid Your Problems

Chapter 6

Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Mentions of things that occurred in Angel: The Series season 5.

Main Pairing: Buffy x Spike

Characters: Buffy, Spike, Giles, Willow, Xander, Andrew, Faith, Dawn

Summary: Set in 2008, five years after Spike’s resurrection at Wolfram & Hart. Buffy is living in Cleveland guarding the hellmouth. Spike has left Angel and company and is hiding out in Chicago. The Scoobies are scattered. When something starts going wrong with the slayers around the world, it’s time to get the gang back together.

Masterlist & Chapter 1

Chapter 6

Buffy blinked. What else was she supposed to do?

In front of her was Faith, still bristling at Spike like he was some kind of hell-spawn. And to her left was Spike, who looked just as he had the last time she’d seen him, not dusty at all. Maybe Faith was misremembering things, like she was.

Then a thought struck her. A nauseating, bone-chilling thought. What if this was The First after all? What if this wasn't Spike? What if this was all some sort of sick game? All that talk about having won the battle lies?

Buffy took a few steps away from Spike, who now looked thoroughly distressed, and moved to stand next to Faith. Buffy stood on the balls of her feet in a holding position, ready to spring at a moment's notice. In whichever direction that springing might need to occur.

"Now hold on," the thing that looked like Spike said, holding up its hands in surrender. "There's an explanation for all that."

He sounded so much like Spike, and Buffy hesitated.

Wait. He couldn't be The First. Her racing brain was finally gaining some clarity. She had touched him. He was solid. The First couldn't feel. So... what was going on?

"Nah, I don't think so," Faith growled, her stake at the ready. "And I'm thinking ‘stake first, ask questions later’ sounds like a pretty solid motto right about now."

The three stood in a tense standoff. Spike still hadn't moved, his hands held up in an non-threatening manner. But Buffy knew it wouldn't stay motionless for long. And she was freezing. God, she was really freezing.

"Look I-" he started, before cutting off abruptly. He shook his head, glancing down at the ground. When he looked back up he snapped his hands down and scowled. He ignored Faith completely, despite the fact that she had a weapon aimed directly at his heart, instead focusing on Buffy. "No. Know what? You're right. I don't have an explanation. All I've got are some bleedin' excuses, 'cause I'm not a better man, Buffy. You were wrong."

Faith was unimpressed by the declaration and lunged again. But Buffy broke through her stupor in time to stop the other woman once more as Spike flinched away from the attempted death blow. Right now wasn’t the time to stake first and ask questions later. Right now was the time to ask questions first, come up with a plan, and then stake later... if necessary. Because right now, all Buffy had to work with was Faith’s story, Spike’s story, and her own.

"Don't," Buffy told her counterpart numbly. "Just... don't."

Faith balked, about to retaliate, but one look from Buffy and she backed down. "Yeah. Alright, B. Whatever you say."

In a daze, Buffy moved back to the living room window, careful not to put too much pressure on her injured calf, and pulled the curtain aside a couple inches. It was dark out now. That middle of the night darkness; the kind you could drown in if you weren’t careful. And she could feel her head slipping under. If she couldn't fight The First, who was she supposed to be fighting? Nothing was familiar here. Nothing made sense. And she couldn’t fight herself.

Spike and Faith followed her tentatively into the living room. It was almost funny. Spike had died and Faith was in just as much trouble as she was, and yet all the two of them seemed to be able to do was shuffle their feet and worry about her. She didn’t need their worry. She needed answers.

"Could you give us a minute, Faith," Buffy asked without looking at them.

Faith hesitated, then said, "Yeah. Sure. I'll just... be in the kitchen."

She retreated to the other room, leaving Spike and Buffy alone again.

Buffy no longer had any doubt this was Spike. He knew the particulars of their conversations. How she had told him he could be a better man. And he was solid, not some ghost or manifestation of The First. Finally, she turned to face him. He looked... scared. It was a look she had seen on him more often lately - no, not lately - but only when it concerned her welfare. To his own, he was indifferent.

"Do you remember asking me if I was there with you?" she asked flatly. "That night."

"'Course," he replied, looking down at the ground.

"You asked me what that meant," Buffy continued, her voice quiet. "What did it mean?"

His head snapped up, his brows knit together in confusion. "What?"

"What did it mean?" she repeated.

"Not sure I follow."

She walked up to stand in front of him, searching his face for answers his tongue seemed to trip over. "You're lying."

"You heard trigger-happy over there," he replied, jerking his head toward the kitchen. His voice sounded nonchalant and almost derisive. But he wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Went out with a bang. Fittin' innit?"

Before she could stop herself, she slapped him hard across the face. His head snapped to the side and he rubbed at his jaw, but he didn't reprimand her or fight back. He didn't even ask why.

She thought she would have time. There was supposed to be more time. After. Time to work out what it meant. And now he was telling her she wouldn't have a say in the matter because he wouldn't be there to find out. That last night, the one she didn't remember, that would be his last night. No more chances, no more apologies, no more redos, no more anything. And he was being glib about it.

But no. It wouldn't be his last night, because he was here, standing in front of her. Why was everything so damn confusing?

"How are you here? How- how did it happen?" she demanded, the words coming out in a jumbled rush. "What is going on?"

She dropped onto the couch, holding her head in her hands. Just hoping to block it all out. This had to be some kind of nightmare.

He sat down beside her, moving to take her hand, and she immediately jumped up. "Stay away from me! Just- stop!" She paced off toward the window again. "What happened? Explain. Right now. Or I'm letting Faith do this her way."

"Likin' that plan!" Faith called from the kitchen.

Buffy grimaced. She wasn't thrilled to have an audience. But she needed to know.

Spike appeared to collect his thoughts, his face cycling through a range of emotions, few of which Buffy could place.

Finally, he spoke. "Happened like I said. You and the pack of newbie slayers fought off a hoard of beasties down beneath the high school." He paused. Why wouldn't he look at her? "Just left a few things out is all." He shrugged, eliciting another wave of anger from her. "That amulet? The sparkly rock lover boy gave you? Turned me into a regular atom bomb. Front row seat to the razin’ of Sunnyhell."

She fought back the nausea that threatened to overcome her. Oh god. Oh god. She killed him. She had become his judge, jury, and executioner. She didn't know. She couldn't have known. But was that the truth? Couldn't she have suspected? You never get something for nothing.

Angel had said the amulet was dangerous, that they didn’t know the risks. Using it would’ve been like testing the world’s first airplane by jumping it from Mt. Everest.

Maybe you knew, a little voice in her head whispered wickedly. Maybe you just didn’t care.

"But... how?" she asked weakly.

He huffed as he stood up, immediately beginning an agitated pacing back and forth. "What do you want to know? Huh? Wanna hear all the grisly details?” He scowled at her bitterly. “I put the trinket on. It lit up all bright-like. Blasted through the bad guys, fucked up whatever supports were holdin' that damnable place together. The ceiling started crashin' down. Then, poof, dust. Don’t remember much after that."

***

Spike regretted the words almost as soon as they had left his mouth. Or maybe he didn't regret the words exactly, just how he had chosen to say them. He had no right to be angry with her for asking, another notch on the bedpost of things he had no right to. Fuck, why'd she have to look at him like that?

This wasn't how he'd wanted seeing her again to go.

Alright, so he hadn't known exactly how he had wanted seeing her again to go, but he knew it wasn't this. A selfish part of him had hoped she might look at least a little happy to see him alive - undead anyway - again. Instead, Buffy looked downright mortified. And he watched in real time as that horror turned to pain turned to anger.

"What is wrong with you?" she snapped.

What the bloody hell was wrong with him? Here she was, clearly fightin' off some devil or another of her own, meanwhile here he was, sneering about the decimation of her home and his own death. Words felt like acid on his tongue. They got so jumbled together and warped beyond recognition, scarring and burning on their way out. He meant to say one thing and, by the time the air reached his lips, a completely different sentence had materialized.

"I'm sorry," he said finally.

It was like putting duct tape on a dam and hoping the thing wouldn't blow.

Only she didn't blow.

"Get out," she hissed, her voice hard.

"Buffy-"

"Leave, Spike," she reiterated, maintaining the same coolness. "Faith and I will be fine. Willow, Xander, and Giles are on the case. They'll figure it out. We don't need your help. I don't need your help."

If she noticed him flinch, she didn't let on.

"Go home. Back to LA or whatever hole you crawled out of," she continued. "Just... leave. It's what you're good at."

If he had breath, she would've stolen it. It felt like she had just kicked him in the gut and spat on him for good measure. He felt his own hurt turn to anger.

"You can't seriously be blamin' me for dustin'!" he retorted. "We don't exactly get to pick 'n choose our time, love!'

She didn't respond to that. Instead, she crossed her arms, refusing to look at him.

Spike wasn't sure how long they stood there at an impasse. Neither of them seemed willing to break the silence. But at least she wasn't telling him to leave again.

He didn't even notice when Faith re-entered the living room. She moved with a cat-like grace and he was lost in his own world of reeling thoughts, trying desperately to remind himself of the real reason he was supposed to be here in the first place.

When Buffy looked up again, her gaze passed right through him without really seeing him, like the ghost he was. He didn't think this could possibly be going any worse.

He was wrong, of course.

He realized that the second the sword seared its way through his back. He felt the biting metal grind against his spine, watched as the blade extruded from his abdomen in front of him. He wanted to crumple to the ground, but the sword in his gut forced him to remain on his feet. He understood then - too late as usual - that Buffy hadn't been looking through him. She had been looking behind him. At Faith.

He felt a pressure against his back above where his heart rested. There was no doubt in his mind that it was a stake. So this would be the end. For real this time. No miraculous resurrection. It was poetic really. Buffy would get to watch him die again. It'd even be about the same time for her as he'd died the last time. Fitting. Karmic. The fates righting the wrongs and all that.

But hell, why'd it always have to hurt?

This time when Buffy looked at him, there was no pride. There was only fear and panic. There would be no consolation "I love you's" or grand gestures. There would just be... His face paled. Oh god, he wished there would just be nothing. He wasn't ready. He needed to-

"Faith, what are you doing?" Buffy asked, holding up a hand to the slayer Spike couldn't see.

He couldn't see her, but he could feel the stake dig harder into his back, feel her breath behind him, hear her blood race. His vision was starting to blur around the edges and he groaned in pain as his knees threatened to give out, causing the sword to bite harder into his flesh. He felt the blood enter one of his punctured lungs, creating a sickly sound as he gasped like a fish on a hook.

"Put the stake down," Buffy ordered, her voice struggling to stay calm. "It's only Spike. You don't need to hurt him."

"No," Faith growled. "It's not a person, it's a demon. What the hell is your problem? We're slayers. We kill vampires. We don't socialize with them!"

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "You know Spike. He has a soul."

"So?" Faith snapped. "He's not human, B. He's a vampire. A killer."

When Buffy didn't immediately agree, Faith dug her boot into Spike's back and kicked him off the sword onto the ground. He heard the metal grate against his spine on the way out and he bit back a scream, his teeth slamming together. It felt like his insides had started on fire, leaking gasoline and petrol. He struggled to his hands and knees only to have the hard heel of the boot slam him back down, sending blinding flashes of white light flitting through his vision. His eyes made out a small pool of blood sitting next to his mouth and he felt momentary guilt at having ruined the carpet.

"What kind of slayer are you?" Faith snapped at Buffy. "This is our duty, our responsibility! You would let him, what, just walk away?!"

"He's not a threat to anyone," Buffy replied.

Spike struggled to maintain consciousness through their conversation. He could no longer see them with his face pressed to the floor and his vision hazy, all he could do was listen as they argued over his fate.

In the land of gods and monsters… What was the difference really? The gods decided the monsters’ fates, of course.

"Faith this isn't you!" Buffy insisted.

Faith scoffed. "I'm exactly what I'm supposed to be. I'm doing exactly what I was meant to do. What are you, B? Cause, right now? You sure as hell aren't a slayer."

"I'm your friend. And I'm asking you not to do this." Buffy's voice had taken on a pleading tone.

How many times had she had to ask someone to spare his miserable ass? Once was already too many, but never seemed to be enough.

"If you're a friend of mine, you'll stake him. If not, then you're no friend of mine. What's it gonna be?"

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #buffy the vampire slayer fanfiction #btvs fanfiction #spuffy fanfiction #spuffy #buffy x spike #averting disasters and other ways to avoid your problems #chapter 6

5 notes · View notes

anothertimdrakestan · 4 years

Text

Absolute Cheeseball - Wally West x Reader

Words: 1.4k

Requested? Yes! From the lovely @officiallydarkgeek!

“Ohhh #28 "are you flirting with me?" "Thank god you finally noticed" with Wally, not because he is subtle but because she thought he flirted with everyone (which he didn't). (Alright I'm gonna stop now thanks and I love you)”

LINK TO PROMPTS -> REQUESTS ARE STILL OPEN!

HELLO AGAIN ANGEL CAN I SAY HOW MUCH ILY! These requests are everythingggg. I love Wally ;) I love you ;) what a good day ;) I went for Young Justice Wally because he’s h o t and we can just pretend Dick and Artemis aren’t love interests but good friends... Hope you enjoy!

Wallace Rudolph West. What a confusing kid (flash). You’d successfully moved into Mt. Justice with the team and he’d been a big help making the adjustment. But that didn’t make your feelings for him less confusing. You’d caught him staring at you multiple times not to mention the quick quips about your eyes and how gorgeous they were. But he was a flirt, with everyone. He called everyone babe, though you realized you were the only one whose heart fluttered from it. Not to mention he was affectionate as hell. Constantly slinging an arm around people's shoulders Conner had commented multiple times on how your heart rate sped up when Wally was around.

But you knew you weren’t special to him. Sure he spent time with you but it was because you were new, and the team was slow to warm up to new people. And he toyed with everyone’s hair; and commented on everyone’s suit. You had to reign in your superhero ego knowing that in this instance you weren’t special. Besides, Robin was totally cute too, and even though he had advanced emotion controlling training he was easy to read, and he wasn’t looking for anything more than a flirt. You assumed it was because of someone back in Gotham. So you each had people you were pining to be with.

If nothing else it was fun flirting with Robin, especially on slow days. He was watching some medical drama with Wally and you plopped down on the couch right next to Robin, a little closer than is normal. “Hm, why do all the doctors sleep with each other? Do they even take care of patients?” Wally interrupted Robin, “because babe it’s fake ya know - made up?” he winked at you, and you stuck out your tongue, ignoring the butterflies twirling around your gut. Focussing more on Robin you rested your head on his shoulder, “so Robin do you have a secret identity or did Bats erase it. It can’t be as dumb as Wallace so you’re in good company!” Robin snorted and Wally sat up in his chair. “Yeah bird brain tell her your not-so-stupid name” he looked intrigued. “Well it’s a secret” Robin huffed. You didn’t want to upset him so you moved on, grabbing his hand by his wrist, holding it up to yours. “You have way bigger hands than me look!” you flattened your palm against his, grinning into Robin’s shoulder.

What you didn’t notice was Wally literally vibrating with jealousy. I mean what was Robin giving you that he wasn’t? He helped you move in, used all his famous moves on you, and tried telling you about all the things he liked about you, and yet emotionally stunted bird brain was getting the girl? Letting a little jealousy take over he zipped next to you, pulling your hand on to his.

“Ha look mine’s bigger” you barely registered Wally crossing the living room and nestling next to you. He hand was larger, he could bend his fingertips over your hand when you were palm to palm. “Congratulations Wallace you have the bigger hand but the dumber name” you teased Wally and noticed him lightly shaking, you’d clearly hit an insecurity or something. “Yeah really? Cuz his name’s Dick!” Wally blurted out. Dick jumped up angrily “what the hell dude? Secret identity much?” he glared at Wally who looked sheepish. “Sorry sorry, can I talk to you for a minute man?” before you could ask what was happening Wally zoomed off with Dick - it is a pretty lame name.

“Dude Wallster what is going on with you?” Dick narrowed his eyes at his best friend who was awkwardly rubbing his neck. “Erm, I kinda like Y/N and she’s all over you and I got kinda upset” Wally shrugged his shoulders and Dick tried to hold in a laugh. “Dude what are you on, I’m with Babs and Y/N totally doesn’t like me she’s into you dude” Wally looked up hopefully, and the two moved towards Dick’s room to plan.

A day later you and M'gann were baking when Wally and Dick came to join. More like watch. They sat at the counter make fun of you while you questioned your ability to cook. Wally couldn’t stop laughing “Y/N, babe, you’ve gotten more flour on you than in the bowl!” and you scrunched your nose at him, blowing some flour on his face. Eventually, after making fun of you, Dick and Wally got up and began to help. The first batch of cookies were being decorated by Dick and M'gann while you and Wally worked on the second batch.

“See this is why I watch the medical dramas, surgery and cooking are like the same thing! And I’m an expert!” Wally puffed out his chest while you giggled. To say you were close was an understatement. Wally would stand on one side of you then press against you to reach something from a cupboard or lean to grab the sugar with his face just inches from yours. You were intoxicated by his cologne, trying not to melt into his embrace. At one point you complained about being tired from stirring when Wally reached around either side of you, essentially trapping you in his arms and took the whisk from you. His breath was tickling the skin between your neck and shoulder, making you inhale quick breaths, trying to focus on the cookie dough.

M'gann mind linked you should we leave? You and Wally are doing more than cooking over there! And you mind-yelled back No! We’re just baking I wouldn’t be surprised to see you and Robin doing the same thing! You heard M'gann laugh lightly No Y/N he’s definitely flirting with you. And you got a little flustered, forgetting about the mind link. “No! he flirts with everyone not just me!” and you saw Wally’s gaze snap up from the cookies to you. Dick grabbed M'gann saying “oh wow hear that? Someone needs our help better go!” and the two of them basically ran out of the kitchen.

You stepped back, bracing yourself on the cabinets. “You aren’t flirting with me are you?” asking for confirmation. And Wally blushed “Uh, yeah I am. Are you just now noticing?” and your heart basically stopped. “No you aren’t you act this way with everyone! Right?” and again Wally shook his head “nope! Only got eyes for you Y/N!” you tried to let the words absorb into your love-shocked brain. “Only me?” you whispered, slowly leaning towards Wally who was closing the distance between the two of you. “Only you babe” he answered before bringing his lips down on to yours.

Pulling apart he didn’t let you out of his embrace. “You do like me right? Cuz you were all over Rob yesterday and it kinda sucked” he admitted. “You jealous KF? You haven’t even asked me out yet!” you teased and he blushed. “Oh! Yea. Maybe tonight I can run you somewhere cool! You ever wanted to see Star City stars?” and you couldn’t help but grin “sounds perfect Wally”. Both a grinning mess Wally’s hand fell to your chin, tilting your head up so he could capture your lips in another kiss.

“I bet I kiss better than Dick!” Wally winked at you. “Hm should I go find out?” you pretended to walk out of the kitchen when he grabbed your wrist and pulled you back into his chest. “Mhm nope. You’re gonna have to trust me on that one” and you laughed at how jealous he really was. You played with the fabric of his shirt. “So you really couldn’t tell I’ve been flirting with you for weeks?” he still looked shocked, “I thought my game was good!” and you rolled your eyes, “I thought you were using your ‘game’ on everyone! Didn’t think I was that special” you admitted as he toyed with strands of your hair. “Funny cuz I think you’re the most unique, special girl in the world” at that you couldn’t help but blush. “Save it for our date cheeseball” you poked his chest. “Well if you couldn’t tell I was flirting then I’ve gotta up the frequency and quality!” he grinned as you rolled your eyes. “Fine fine, now can we please go watch the sunset or something cheesy?” and he kissed you on the cheek before saying “Okay! I’ll be ready in a flash!” and you closed your eyes, trying to remove the horrible one-liner from your memory. “Gonna be a lot more of those huh” you whispered to yourself with a full heart for your flirt.

#wally west #wallace west #wally west x reader #wally west x you #kid flash #kid flash x reader #kid flash x you #dick grayson #m'gann m'orzz #robin #dc fluff #young justice #wally west imagine #kid flash imagine #wally west fluff #wally west x y/n #dick grayson x friend!reader #dick grayson x platonic!reader

277 notes · View notes