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hatredmadeofgold · 11 months

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Revenge with a vengeance — The tragedy of Sam and Raiden’s canon relationship dynamic

Alternate title: SamuRaiden is THAT deep, actually.

Although MGR does not have as complex or well researched character lore as the main series, Samuraiden as a relationship is a lot more complex than common fandom tropes and interpretations of their relationship suggest. I don’t mind it when people make funny/meme content about these two, since MGS/R does come with its own flair of humour, it’s very exhausting for me as well as a few others I know who enjoy this ship for it to be reduced to just that — a joke. MGR being perceived as ‘goofy’ is mainly due to how poorly some of the character lines translate from Japanese to English, as well as it being more or less evident that either budget, time or both ran out over the course of development, hence the second half of the game feels rushed and underdeveloped. In fact, the great majority of MGR fans do not understand how serious, dark, hopeless and dystopian its message really is and that is saddening.

The world isn’t black and white, neither is it in MGS/R. Sam isn’t the just the villain (never has been, by the way), Raiden isn’t the just the hero (never has been either, by the way), I’d say it’s rather “depends on who you ask”. They are on opposite sides due to the circumstances of how they meet and not because they wouldn’t get along. Quite the opposite is true, in fact, if they would have met before 2016, they might have become friends based on the fact of how much they can actually relate to each other in many different aspects of their personalities, interests and experiences.

Before we get to fight Armstrong as well as during the Sam DLC (also through very subtle hints during their first fight on the train) we learn that Sam is just like Raiden and that Desperado forced him to become a shadow of who he once was, going against his own morals and values and only Raiden reminding him of who he truly was before Armstrong defeated him 2 years prior, ultimately crushing his spirit — he had no other choice, either die there as a failure or continue to live and become Desperado’s/Armstrong’s puppet [until someone would eventually defeat Armstrong and free Sam from his never ending nightmare — Did I already mention that Sam is a really fucking tragic character?]. Sam joining Armstrong’s laughter at the end of DLC is a reaction of fear, not agreement with him or enjoyment. And if there’s one thing that both MGS and MGR are really good at, it’s the accurate and very realistic portrayal of the human psyche under stressful and traumatic situations.

On the other side we can tell from Raiden’s reaction when holding Murasama after killing Sam that he, for once in the entire damn series, questions if that was the right choice he made. We know that Raiden enjoys inflicting pain and suffering onto others, he enjoys murder — but he did not feel that way when he killed Sam. It’s quite the opposite. It’s very subtle and if you’re not very observant like me, easy to miss. But the way his voice turns a bit softer, how his eyes look listless, almost sad; he regrets it. When Blade Wolf asks Raiden if that outcome was really necessary, he does not answer him, because he knows that Wolf is right, it wasn’t. And Raiden pretty much hates himself for it. To his team he confidently says that Sam isn’t a problem anymore since he killed him, but that’s not the same Raiden that he’s that moment in the badlands (which is another implication to me that Raiden doesn’t fully trust his teammates, although they are friends; he has major trust issues and the only emotions he shares with them is either anger or amusement but nothing outside of that). The way he sheathes Murasama is a way to honour him, and as far as I remember this is a ritual to honour a samurai’s defeat or death.

I believe that there has been a silent understanding between the two swordsmen that they respect each other from the very beginning, but they do not say it out loud. This is a case of “show, don’t tell” but also something I suspect has something to do with the game being written by Japanese authors, and Japanese is a high context language, meaning, very little words are needed to get the meaning across, and I think this may also translate into the words these two exchange with each other compared to how they truly feel about the other. Besides, they probably couldn’t truly speak honestly with each other in the first place because of the unfortunate conditions of how they met and were (more or less) forced to fight each other until one of them would eventually succumb to the other’s blade. Codecs and conversations were most likely recorded by their respective employers, and I highly suspect that in Sam’s case, he was even monitored 24/7 by Desperado since he never was an official member of the Winds of Destruction in the first place, and they didn’t fully trust him either.

At the very end of the game during the fight with Armstrong, Sam’s message plays, and we can hear how Sam also speaks with a different voice to Blade Wolf compared to everyone else (and technically, indirectly to Raiden but I cannot confirm or deny that Sam was aware that Raiden would ever hear this playback), it’s a note softer; Raiden learns the truth, which confirms to him that he was right about Sam after all, that they are alike, that they respect each other, and that there was more to Sam’s story than him being a part of Desperado, he doesn’t know what exactly, but he knows now for sure that Sam was not the person he originally believed he was (and lets his team still believe he thinks that way).

Would Raiden truly say Sam’s catchphrase “Let’s dance” before fighting and ultimately killing Armstrong, if he wouldn’t have been going through a gradual process between originally hating Sam to respecting and liking him but unable to ever express that to him or anyone else?

Would he ever admit to anyone what kind of emotional impact Sam had on him, besides the anger and hatred he openly expressed towards him?

Doubt so. Highly fucking doubt so.

Because sharing his true feelings is a liability to him, and Raiden learnt as a very young child that vulnerable feelings such as sadness or guilt would be used against him, so his psyche is conditioned to discard them immediately. But Sam made him feel those things in their full extent and Raiden is fully aware of that, but he would never share with anybody that he ever felt that way about Sam.

He may or may not take those feelings to his grave.

From Sam’s side, we can only guess how he truly felt about Raiden, but we can only guess by the way he hesitated to finish him off on the train during the prologue, the way he smiled at Blade Wolf before his death (which might be likely another case of a silent understanding between Sam and Wolf that the latter would share with Raiden what he knows about Sam or the playback of their conversation itself, if not both) as well as everything he says with giving Murasama to Raiden. Of course, Sam couldn’t even say out loud to Blade Wolf or Raiden that he planned to give Raiden his sword to take down Armstrong, and he had to be as vague as possible with the information that he shared with the robot dog. Not by choice, no. Most likely because he was being watched 24/7, he knew that Desperado nor Armstrong didn’t fully trust him and if they knew about his plans, they’d make sure to finish him off before Raiden had the chance to do so. Sam knew he would die, and that it would be the only way he would ever be free from Armstrong’s grasp. So he chose suicide through Raiden’s blade, and gave him his sword to finish what he could not back then.

The game’s title is REVENGEANCE — Revenge with a vengeance.

They both translate to the same thing in my native language German, but there’s a subtle yet important difference between these two nouns.

“Revenge means when you get back at your enemy who is responsible for hurting you and vengeance is the punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong.”

But it was never Armstrong who hurt or wronged Raiden in the first place, and we know he’s an essentially selfish person who does not really care all that much about politics, religion or anything like that and he only fights for himself (I wrote in my essay about Raiden’s ASPD that his motivation to save these children from becoming cyborg child soldiers is a trauma response first and his rather lose and grey morality second) and the few people he cares about, so Armstrong being the one one who ordered to get N’mani killed is not the reason Raiden went after him or was that passionate about getting revenge or retribution on him either.

It was Sam who hurt him — wounded both his body and soul during the prologue — but when Raiden got his revenge, he realised that revenge is empty, that he didn’t feel better, and that he regrets killing him, then we get to the vengeance part. From the moment Raiden held Sam’s Murasama in the badlands, he felt no more hatred towards him and the emotional impact his death had on him made Sam transition from a person he hated to one of the few people Raiden truly cares about.

Armstrong may be the villain of the story, but the person who wanted revenge on him never had been Raiden. It was Sam. Always had been Sam, because it was Sam who got hurt by Armstrong, it was Sam who wanted to get revenge on Armstrong for defeating him and crushing his spirit, it was Sam who wanted to punish Armstrong for making him into a shadow of who he once was, making Sam speak about ideals he didn’t truly believe in (like, who the FUCK even thinks that Sam truly believed a single fucking word of that, because I for sure as hell can tell he never did, he either gaslit himself into believing that for 2 years until he met Raiden or only parroted whatever the fuck Armstrong wanted him to say so he would not get killed on the spot).

Revenge and vengeance are very deep feelings and actions of hatred, feelings that are too deep and complex to be associated with morality, hence why I highly doubt that the title of the game is directed at Armstrong from Raiden’s side at all. That between Raiden and Armstrong is not nearly as personal as it has been between Sam and Armstrong. Raiden eradicating Desperado and Armstrong had been about justice [for the kids being killed and their organs sold], not revenge.

"I said my sword was a tool of justice. Not used in anger. Not used for vengeance. But now… Now I'm not so sure. And besides, this isn't my sword."

But when he says this, followed by “Let’s dance”, it became deeply personal for Raiden as well. Because he could confirm that his feelings about Sam had been right, and that Sam wanted to get revenge on Armstrong.

Raiden decides to avenge him, because Sam couldn’t get revenge himself.

Although Sam never told him directly, Raiden understood him from his actions alone, those subtle hints, reading between the lines what the other truly felt and wanted the whole time, eventually passing the “torch” — his sword — to Raiden, to finish what he could not. So while Raiden’s own reasons to finish off Armstrong were (mostly) justice for the innocent lives he destroyed and planned to continue to destroy, they also became feelings of hatred and anger — Sam’s feelings towards Armstrong.

In the end — revenge with a vengeance — is what Sam could get on Armstrong only through Raiden, after Raiden enacted his onto Sam.

Now the question is — if Raiden would’ve never killed Sam, by the chance of him recognising earlier than in canon that revenge is empty and that he won’t feel better after killing him, would Sam go by his example and abandon his revenge plans on Armstrong as well? Or would they fight Armstrong together and get justice?

We unfortunately can only speculate (or write stories about it).

What we can tell from canon though, is that Raiden’s (= Sam’s) passionate feelings of hatred towards Armstrong quickly vanish the moment he finished him off, and he looks into the camera with an empty expression, covered in blood and a crushed cybernetic heart in his hand.

And I think that is exactly what he feels — empty.

Because again, he got revenge and avenged Sam, led by what Sam felt, Sam’s feelings became Raiden’s feelings during that fight with Armstrong. But once that was gone, there’s nothing left. In the case of killing Armstrong, he doesn’t feel remorse or guilt. There’s nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Because revenge is empty.

Raiden defeated his enemies — but at what cost?

By killing Sam, he realised what he had actually lost — a potential friend (or more), someone who understood him in a way that no one else did. Perhaps he thought or felt that, if he avenges Sam, making Sam’s feelings towards Armstrong into his own, he might be able to deal with that loss better, but to no avail.

Because, and I can speak from experience as a person with the same mental health issues as Raiden, that emptiness is worse than regret.

MGR’s ending also implies that Raiden abandons his family and friends to fight his own war; essentially taking the same path that Sam once took in his past, ending up in a personal war and revenge act that knows no end, making one bad choice after the next. If Raiden hasn’t already become the villain of his own story by the end of MGR, then it’s just a matter of time until he becomes that.

And the cycle of violence continues, until the story repeats itself, over and over and over and over and over.

Did I mention already that there is a myth around Murasama being a cursed sword, that will drive its user either slowly insane or make them commit suicide if it doesn’t get a regular ‘blood sacrifice’?

—

“I really enjoy murder, but that one, that I will regret for the rest of my life.”

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codenamesazanka · 2 months

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I'm trying to stay optimistic but the recent chapter was such a letdown after all of this speculation, and I'm really not ready for afo gave tenko decay to become canon :(

So, same as you, I've always hated the 'AFO gave Tenko Decay' theory, but I think it’s important to examine why.

What I hate is less of the actual act - it is incredibly possible, after all, that AFO just gave this kid descendant of a hated enemy such a deadly quirk for his own twisted ends; and more in fear of what the confirmation of it might signifies - cheap 'easy-way-out' writing that would pretend to solve the problem of Shimura Tenko/Shigaraki Tomura while not actually doing so:

If Tenko was given Decay, then it means the Shimura massacre and then The Walk could've been avoided! 🎉 Because Tenko's hurt and anger at being repeatedly rejected by his father and family would not have manifested in such a lethal way, and so... what? Could've been ignored for a little longer? Wouldn't have sent him to the streets, where people should've helped him but didn't, and now Shigaraki's making them paying for that? (Somewhat related, I’ve seen people suggest that Decay makes Tenko itch because his body isn’t compatible with it, a la Aoyama - the itch is caused by the quirk. However, the day AFO brought Tenko home and Tenko was locked outside, Tenko already had scars around his eyes, and his mom was worried about “his allergies getting worse”. This suggests Tenko was already itchy and scratching at himself before he ever met AFO (and received the quirk that day). And given how the itch represents Tenko/Shigaraki’s frustration and anxiety, that Tenko says he’s only itchy in the house, demonstrates the Shimura household problem was a thing that hurt him long before AFO ever showed up that day.)

If Tenko was given Decay, then it means Shigaraki/Tenko is not innately a destructive and twisted child! Such a sweet kid would not have such a evil quirk! And he has no good reason to want to destroy stuff! 🎉 Because we're going to believe in the idea that ''Bad' Quirks Makes You A Bad Person’. And throw kids who do have unpleasant traits for whatever reason under the bus. And act as if Shigaraki wants to destroy because he's beholden to a gene inside of him, instead of having perfectly valid reasons to be angry and want to lash out.

If Tenko was given Decay, it means we don't have to worry about the 'what ifs' of having a deadly quirk like this even if the massacre never happen! 🎉 Because what if Decay was a naturally-occuring quirk? How would Heroes that aren't Eraserhead have dealt with an accident from such a quirk? Would Tenko have been forced to enroll in Quirk Counseling, which we know from Toga is such a great program? Would Tenko have grown up discriminated against, much like Shinsou, or worse? And these things are absolutely factors that would make someone feel ostracized in society and lash out, even without the backing of a crime lord?

If Tenko was given Decay, we have thee easiest way to deal with Shigaraki Tomura: the story can blame AFO for being the instigator of all tragedy and suffering - without Heroes needing to own up to the fact the society they've have been propping up for a century might play some role in creating Villains through countless, unintentional ways. The focus - the supposed real tragedy - becomes the fact that AFO gave Tenko a scary quirk, and Deku can focus his energies on that… instead of where, imo, the actual tragedies lie - an unhappy and dysfunctional home of generational trauma that was never dealt with, a city full of people who ignored an injured five-year-old because they put off all communal responsibility on Heroes*, and how this can all happen in a 'Hero-saturated society' without Tenko being helped in any of the multiple steps it took to get him to where he ended up under the bridge, being hugged by AFO.

* bonus: none of the people on the street knew what quirk Tenko had, so… what are we to make of this fact? Tenko could've easily been injured in a car accident, walked away, and still be ignored if AFO isn't revealed to made everyone ignore Tenko as well? But that would've been okay, Shigaraki would've been less pissed off, because it wasn't part of a villainous mastermind plot?

Meanwhile, Shigaraki would be only a sad little pawn, an empty victim crammed with a deadly quirk and engineered trauma and fake wrath, and once Deku saves him by telling him his entire life was a lie, that he actually has no reason to feel so betrayed and angry (can't even direct that at AFO anymore, because the man’s gone), Shigaraki can (selfishly!) forget his friends and his experiences and take pleasure in knowing he wasn't supposed to be a Villain. He was supposed to be a Good Person, without an Evil Quirk, and now he can assimilate back into his rightful, conforming proper place in society!

However–I don’t think that sounds like Shigaraki at all. It could happen! God forbid it, but that is how Horikoshi can end up writing the character and the conclusion. I don’t know how likely that is.

What I do know, though, is that Shigaraki is someone who already knows AFO is a manipulative asshole:

In Chapter 237, while reflecting on his newly regained memories, Shigaraki considers, “If only, back then, someone, anyone, had reached out to help… then maybe the itch would’ve gone away for good.” That he specifically says this last part after remembering specifically how AFO had found him, Shigaraki knew AFO didn’t actually help him, else the itch would’ve faded.

In Chapter 277, Shigaraki is not particularly surprised that the AFO quirk comes with AFO’s ‘too-strong’ will. (Then tells AFO is shut up.)

In Chapter 298, after AFO gives a whole spiel about how Shigaraki asked for this power, Shigaraki declares that he’s not going to be AFO’s “stinkin’ pawn”. (And started looking for a way to undermine AFO’s control)

In Chapter 379, Shigaraki outright states that he knew AFO was manipulating him, especially trying to make use of the Shimura and All Might connection. (And defeats the AFO vestige from inside out, taking his body back.)

Unfortunately, Shigaraki is also someone who knows all this, but will still continue to rely on AFO’s double-edged gifts - keeping The Hands with him all this time; partnering with the Doctor; utilizing Gigantomachia into his Deika plan despite not having gained Gigantomachia’s respect yet; undergoing the surgery to receive the AFO quirk.

And finally, Shigaraki is someone who has already regained all his memories, back in MVA. He remembers being five-years-old and still not having manifested his quirk. He remembers AFO telling him that his quirk is a rare variant mutation, just so happened to be one that no one has ever seen before. In the latest chapter, the vision of Tenko holding hands with a man in a suit - that is Shigaraki’s memory. Shigaraki remembers this moment, of being Tenko and walking home, escorted by a stranger in a suit. And it appears, right after Deku declares that he’s going to keep striking at Shigaraki until he reaches the pain Shigaraki has buried and covered up with a lid.

What I’m getting at is this: I think - I hope! - there is a possibility that, if AFO did indeed give Tenko Decay, Shigaraki already knows AFO gave him the quirk - figured it out when he got his memories back, most likely - but is beyond caring. He knows Decay was given to him, that AFO had that hand in causing the massacre; but still Shigaraki uses it, still decides to embody the quirk as his.

Because however Shigaraki got Decay, it really doesn’t change anything about how the world works. It doesn’t change how his dad was locking him out of the house before he ever got any quirk, simply because he couldn’t/didn't want to follow a rule; and it doesn’t change how he was ignored by everyone that day on the street, and no one knew at all what quirk he had or what he did. Manifesting Decay only punted him down into a miserable social position that already existed - not for him at that moment in time, but for someone else; only gave him the ability to witness something that had always been there all the more clearly.

Now, this is very much a cope. But I can cope with the 'AFO gave Tenko Decay’, if it actually ends up giving Deku a harder time saving Shigaraki, if it forces Deku to become unable to blame AFO, because that was never the real injustice Shigaraki has been lashing out against. That’s really the main thing.

Thanks for the ask, anon! Sorry it’s long and rambling.

#shigaraki tomura #nalslastworkingbraincell #ask #asked #anon #anonymous #answered

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youngyoo-apologist · 1 month

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OG!Lock appreciation post because he’s one of my favorite characters

Lock is one of my favorite TCF characters, even if he doesn’t show up as much as other characters, but this time, I wanna talk about OG!Lock because TBoaH universe is definitely something that needed to be studied in a lab under a microscope.

TBoaH was a tragedy, a universe where basically everything went wrong. TCF!Lock is already different from TBoaH Lock because he never lost his hope, and he had his siblings with him. Lock was no longer the only survivor of the wolf tribe, and while he was hurt, he still had a reason to go on with a more positive outlook.

TBoaH!Lock on the other hand, was not able to live such a life. Lock is very young, thirteen when he loses his whole family, and fourteen when he loses Pendrick. Anyone would be driven to despair after such an event, especially a young kid like Lock who was definitely still coping with the loss of his family.

I think one of the lines I remember the most clearly out of all the TBoaH segments we get early in TCF was the conversation Lock had with the Whale King. And just that whole section in general. The fact that even if he was scared and afraid, he still did his best and fought with Rosalyn and Choi Han.

This is such an important thing, especially in the context of TBoaH Lock, who had lost Pendrick recently. Right now the only other family he has left are Rosalyn and Choi Han. While fighting against mermaids and their poison is scary, to Lock, the idea that Rosalyn and Choi Han will die while fighting and he did nothing is scarier.

This is the Lock that hid away when the rest of his family died, this is Lock who wasn’t able to do anything when Pendrick died. Of course he would be scared of being alone, no one wants to be alone. It must be even worse for him now that he has to live with the fact that he did nothing when all of his family died, even if it wasn’t his fault.

That was why, even if he was terrified, he still fought against the mermaids with them.

What makes TBoaH so tragic is how little we know of what happened, their feelings, their pain, it existed but we never got to see it. The only person who remembers most of what went on is OG!Cale and Kim Roksoo.

Something I think about a lot is Lock and Choi Han, and how Choi Han definitely sees himself in Lock. He protects Lock in a way he couldn’t protect himself, to him, Lock is a boy who has gone through the same pain he has at an age he never should have had to.

That’s why I think Choi Han’s guilty conscience would be even stronger. Seeing Lock suffer would make him want to become a hero even more, despite the fact that being a hero definitely hurt himself in some way. Had it not been for KRS!Cale, I think Choi Han would have become a self sacrificial person without even meaning to.

That is the nature of wanting to bring across justice. Justice is something that isn’t free, and can only come from something that has been done wrong. Choi Han can bring justice and help as many people as he can, but he can’t make up for the past and what happened.

I think the thing that is so meaningful is that none of them gave up, they lost hope over and over again, maybe they had lost it by the time the war was coming to an end, but they still fought. The fought for a world that was basically left for dead years ago, it’s incredibly sad, but it is a kind of strength to be able to live on in such circumstances.

TBoaH universe will always be such an existence, the fact that it only lives on in two people’s memories(Three if we count Choi Jung-gun)

#tcf #trash of the count's family #lcf #lout of the count’s family #tcf novel #lcf novel #the birth of a hero

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gaoau · 4 months

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Be Me, Be You, And Be

It hurts, a pain he doesn't know if he can keep. He's allowed to be this and more.

pairing — Cheng Xiaoshi x male!reader word count — 1.9k note — *blows kiss to sky* for ren

Xiaoshi doesn't understand why, if he's so kind to the universe, the universe doesn't have it in itself to be remotely kind to him; why, despite his best selfless efforts, he still gets nothing but pain in return. He's been blessed with a power that he never wanted, but one he's managed to make great use of. He employs it to the best of his abilities, making sure every client that comes his way is satisfied. Every time, he's putting in one hundred per cent of himself for success in others' happiness. Then why, why does this keep happening?

It's not wrong of him to ask for better treatment—at least, he doesn't think it is. He's not helping people out of selfishness, he's genuine when he says he wants to help people achieve their desires. He just wants to help. Really. He really… Of course, he's no messiah nor does he claim to be one. He's certainly not the purest soul on Earth. He thinks it's funny, the way his brain goes back and forth with these ideas. Lu Guang tells him not to get emotionally invested with the issues in the lives of the people he becomes. He thinks it's funny, the way he wonders if there's any way to switch with Lu Guang, let him be the one to shoulder all those feelings he can't handle. Immediately, he backtracks. He couldn't bear shoving that pressure on somebody else.

Xiaosi repeats his friend's warnings in his mind for too long. How is he supposed to not get emotionally involved? He's there, he feels their pain, he experiences their tragedies, he suffers their conflicts, he's them. He is all of them. Every person whose life he intrudes in, whose body he steals, whose mind he rips through, Xiaoshi is all of them. Xiaoshi is none of them. Today again, he's facing that reality. He's neither the puppet nor the puppeteer; he's the audience that sympathizes too much. He's been blessed with a cursed power.

It hurts. He can't help all of them. He's failed more times than he can count. He's disrupted the past and modified the present, even after being told not to. Of course, he knows he's not a hero, but he should be able to help them. And he can't. And it hurts. He thinks he's doing good only to find he's been playing a corpse of the past all along. It's so unfair, the things these people go through, the fates they meet. It hurts to see it all unfold and meet no reward. It hurts to know he's too late.

If he's meant to help people, if he's meant to see through their eyes, what is he when he doesn't do any of that?

Who is he?

It hurts. His head aches. His eyes sting. His throat closes up. He doesn't want to cry. He's glad Lu Guang isn't here to judge him. As he curls up against his pillow, hiccupping into his knees, he's glad he's alone. It's in moments like these that tears not meant for him to weep become too much. He's become a lie for himself. This life shouldn't be his.

Xiaoshi doesn't know how long he's been estranged inside his own mind. It happens more often than not. When he's left to his own devices, when he's left all on his own for too much, his vulnerability bursts forth where no one else can see. He spirals and spirals and spirals, down and down and down. There's no one here that he has to make happy. There's no one here that he can help. Is he awake or is he just stupid? Is he dead or alive?

No. He knows he's alive because there's a warmth brushing on his body, seeping through his skin and embracing the marrow of his bones. He knows he's awake because he can distinctly see the seconds on the clock ticking to the rhythm of a heartbeat that isn't his. He knows he's stupid because he always forgets he has [Name] by his side. [Name], who is very much real and very much a truth, who with his hands cradles Xiaoshi's face and wipes his tears away, who with his eyes tells him he's Cheng Xiaoshi and no one else.

[Name] himself knows what it's like to live wrapped up in a purposeless life. Words that don't need to be spoken for Xiaoshi to understand. They have both felt it, the instant they slip away from their own bodies and forget they are real. "It's okay…" [Name] hums in the softest of tones. The gentle timber of his voice floods the room and shatters through Xiaoshi's fragility. No, he doesn't have the power to invade other people's lives, but he barely has the power to stay in his own brain. "This is your body, Xiaoshi. These are your feelings." Is he of use when he's not helping others? Is he even real at this point? He's helping Xiaoshi, though. He's very much real.

He holds onto Xiaoshi, letting him cling to his clothes with clenched fists, his face on the crook of his neck. He's squeezing this poor idiot so tightly, tears that aren't his falling like rain on his shoulder. It doesn't matter how much it takes for Xiaoshi to recompose himself, to come back, to understand it's okay. [Name] waits patiently until he can handle the whirlpool of impotence brewing inside his mind. He sniffles to find the words to accept he exists. He manages a single, broken sound out of his throat, "Sorry…" Slowly, he pulls away to let [Name] know he can release him. He tries to blink back to reality, struggling to focus on the boy before him. Although blurry in the haze of his breakdown, he can make out the twisted grimace he's wearing.

A grimace that quirks up into a tight simper, lips pressed shut. It makes [Name] want to laugh in his face at his unnecessary apologies. He's always doing this—feeling other people's feelings and apologizing for them. He always gets mixed up in what he is and what he's not. Looking into his red-rimmed eyes, [Name] palms his shoulders for comfort. "Don't be, Xiaoshi. You're allowed to cry." He's allowed to feel his own pain every once in a while.

He isn't sure these are emotions he's allowed to keep, though. His gaze averts. "I don't want to bother you…" Another sniffle.

"Oh, come on," [Name] giggles this time, albeit involuntarily. It makes Xiaoshi smile at the sound of his laughter. With a roll of his eyes, [Name] cradles Xiaoshi's face in his hands, joking, "If anything, I'm the one who bothers you constantly."

There it is. A puff of a chuckle. A quiet, almost dubious laugh. Sounds like Xiaoshi is only now remembering how to laugh. "You never bother me, [Name]." How could he when he's the only person who understands? It's funny, Xiaoshi thinks, how [Name]'s feelings aren't ones he imposes on, because they're one and the same.

"Neither do you, dumbass." Gently, ever so softly, with the loveliest touch of cotton, [Name] flicks his finger on Xiaoshi's forehead. He flinches in surprise. "I'm always hanging out here, I'm sure Qiao and Lu Guang are getting tired of me."

In a second, Xiaoshi has him trapped in his arms. [Name] doesn't even realize when he successfully flips him around to have his back planted against his chest. "Too bad, you're not going anywhere." They share notes of laughter that pierce through the turmoil of pains Xiaoshi can't wrap his head around. They are both very much real and very much in their bodies. When silence settles, it's okay. It's not loud, it doesn't hurt, it's actually quiet for once.

After a moment of peaceful stillness, it seems Xiaoshi's brain has come back to grasp reality. [Name] leans further into his chest to make himself comfortable. He ponders over his next words. "Do you wanna talk about it?" It's almost an inaudible whisper, afraid it might shatter Xiaoshi into a billion shards of pretense if it were a bit louder.

With a shaky breath, Xiaoshi tries to reassemble his thoughts into a coherent picture. He'd forgotten for a second what had pushed him over the edge to burst into tears again. "There was a woman…" There's always someone else. "I went into her memories and she was… she wasn't doing too well. Her life wasn't… Her life was really tough, I could tell…" He can always tell. The lump in his throat is nowhere to be found, but his voice drowns in sorrow. "I tried to—Lu Guang told me she was already dead. I wanted to help her." As always, he just wants to help. It's like he doesn't have a purpose unless he's giving others a hand. It's like he doesn't exist unless he's being the person he needed when others abandoned him.

[Name] pulls away from him to turn and look him in the eye. His brows are bent in a grimace, making Xiaoshi want to kick himself for speaking too much. It's never too much with or for [Name], though. "Who helps you, Xiaoshi?" he asks as if he held all the truths in the world. If they're for Xiaoshi, then maybe he does hold all the truths, just to share them with him. Silence hangs in the air for a little too long. "When are you you? Why can't you just be in peace?"

Xiaoshi, who is always entering all these bodies and feeling all these feelings, who doesn't know what to do with all the weight on his back, who can't handle the pressure of failure on his palms. It's not failure. It's not his fault. It's time and events he can't change. It hurts. "…You do," he mumbles, staring into [Name] so he doesn't miss the furrow in his brows when he tilts his head in confusion. "You help me."

He blinks. Once. Twice. "Okay." Only for a moment, [Name] purses his lips. Then airy chortles slip from his tongue and flood over the room. "That's good." Blood rushes to his cheeks as he throws a pathetic punch towards Xiaoshi's shoulder. "I'm glad." Another punch and mirthful chuckles, this time onto his chest. "That's great." And one more, one that makes Xiaoshi sway backwards and join his laughter with a bright grin. "You stupid, stupid idiot."

Sharing weightless smiles, he brings [Name] closer for another hug. Xiaoshi knows he's stupid. As [Name] giggles away in his arms, he hopes he doesn't leave him. There's no way [Name] is leaving him when he already knows how stupid he is. Because he knows he's Cheng Xiaoshi and no one else, and that's who [Name] wants to be with. That's who Xiaoshi wants to be.

—あごす (agosu) • 2022

#be me be you and be #link click #cheng xiaoshi #cheng xiaoshi x reader #link click x reader #shiguang daili ren x reader #shiguang daili ren #save him #me when they make the feeler feel other peoples feelings #its my only ever male reader can you tell

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greatpestilenz · 10 months

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Shattered - Earth 42 Miles Morales x Reader

Miles Morales, also known as Prowler, had always felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. As a hero, he had the power to protect, to save lives. But sometimes, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't be there in time to prevent tragedy.

Losing his father had been a devastating blow, a wound that still ached in his heart. And now, he had lost you, his beloved significant other, the person who had become his world. The guilt and burden of not being able to save you weighed heavily on his soul.

The memories of that fateful day played in his mind like a never-ending loop. He could see you, your smile, your laughter, the way your eyes lit up when you looked at him. But then, it all shattered, just like the world around him.

He had been caught up in another battle, trying to protect the innocent, unaware of the danger that was unfolding elsewhere. By the time he received the call, it was too late. He raced to the scene, desperation pumping through his veins, only to find the aftermath of devastation.

His heart shattered into countless pieces as he knelt beside your lifeless form, unable to comprehend the reality before him. The guilt consumed him, the regret gnawed at his every thought. If only he had been with you, if only he had arrived sooner, maybe he could have saved you.

"No!" His voice filled with despair and agony as he placed your head on his lap. "No, no, no, no, please.. please... Mc… Mc, please don’t leave me..” He begged. But no matter how much he cried, there was no way to bring you back.

Miles recalled the pain of losing his father, the agony of not being able to be there in his final moments. He had promised himself that he would never let another person he cared about suffer the same fate. But now, he had failed once again.

He blamed himself, questioning his abilities as a hero. How could he call himself a hero when he couldn't even protect the ones he loved? The burden of guilt grew heavier with each passing day, threatening to consume him whole.

The city needed its hero, but Miles found it hard to put on the mask, to face the world as if everything was okay. His heart ached with an emptiness that could never be filled. The memories of you haunted him, a constant reminder of his failure.

He sought solace in the silence of his room, clutching a photograph of the two of you. The tears flowed freely down his face as he whispered broken apologies to the image before him. He wished he could turn back time, rewrite the script, and keep you safe.

The guilt gnawed at him, tearing him apart from the inside. He replayed every moment leading up to your demise, wondering if he could have done something differently. The responsibility weighed heavily on him, and he couldn't bear to face anyone, especially not your friends and family.

Unable to bear the weight of his grief, Miles made a desperate decision. He remembered stories of multiple universes, parallel realities where different versions of people existed. And he heard rumors of a universe where you were still alive.

Driven by a mix of hope and desperation, he decided to jump into that universe, to find you and hold you in his arms once more. The thought of being reunited with you, even in a different reality, gave him a glimmer of hope in the darkness of his sorrow.

But when he arrived in that new universe, he was met with a devastating reality. There you were, alive and well, but you already had your own Miles Morales – a version of him that had never experienced the same heart-wrenching loss.

Miles stood there, hidden in the shadows, watching the two of you together. He saw how happy you were, how much love you shared with this other version of himself. And even though he knew he shouldn't interfere, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy and longing.

#fanfic #fanfic writing #spider-man: across the spider-verse #mile morales #miles morales x reader #earth 42 miles x reader #earth 42 miles morales x reader

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crisiscutie · 5 months

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People just don't get that redemption isn't for everyone

Yes people can do it but sometimes it's best to say it's irredeemable

Sephiroth has been through so many tragedies to the point,it feels like redemption is one big joke to him,cuz he already reached the point of no return

Personally I feel like the trope of "everything is forgivable" is overused or overlooked way too often,there are things in the world that can't forgive and sometimes punishment is better than forgiveness

In Sephiroth's case, I don't think forgiveness will change anything,rather it's impossible,no one who knows him is willing to forgive him,hence some may say he has no faults at all like Hojo cuz that guy is messed up AF

Take it like this: If a guy who commits an unforgivable crime and someone says he should be forgiven based only on the fact that he was abused or insane or he went through some traumatic shit etc,it would not only feel ridiculous, it's outright selfish

Should Sephiroth be forgiven for the Nibelheim Incident just bcuz it was a crime of passion or he was mentally unstable and should get off free of guilt? No,cuz he did something terrible to others and that should be accepted

I've seen too many cases of normalisation or glorification or defence of characters' faults and apparently "you're a bitch for pointing out others' faults" these days and "it's not nice to have criticisms"

I saw some deep toxic shit about normalised toxicity in fiction lately

I mean I love Seph,but god I'm heavily aware he's evil as hell

-🌹

Yup. Sephiroth's path is set in his mind. For what reason would he deviate from his path? He decided to continue the cycle of pain. And Cloud could've continued that cycle after him if it wasn't for Tifa.

I want to state this: I'm against Sephiroth being redeemed. One reason is that no character ever deserves redemption. Redemption is a complex, grueling process that involves self-reflection, remorse, and a genuine desire to change. It requires a willingness to confront your actions and the consequences you inflicted upon others. Sephiroth, so far, has done none of this. He felt justified in his actions. And the few times when he does acknowledge what he has done? He rubs it in Cloud's face, for goodness' sake. He did this in Advent Children, 7R and even the original FF7, especially during that one iconic scene that shall not be named. Sephiroth has displayed constant cruelty to Cloud, his party and the planet. What on earth justifies him deserving redemption? Because of his awful and traumatic past?

Let me say this: the events leading up to and following Sephiroth's birth and childhood were undeniably tragic, and he cannot be blamed for them in any way. However, as an adult with the ability to choose his own path, he made the decision to inflict harm upon others, especially those who had no involvement in his suffering. As I mentioned in another post, introducing a potential redemption arc for Sephiroth would actually undermine Cloud's own arc and diminish its impact. Sephiroth serves as a warning to Cloud, acting as his dark mirror and representing the dark side of what a "hero" could become.

I would also like to mention Aerith, who, like Cloud, serves as another mirror to Sephiroth and had a deeply traumatic past. However, instead of succumbing to darkness like Sephiroth, she remained kind and hopeful. Sephiroth's redemption may also conflict with her story and role as well.

To sum it up, Redemption would require Sephiroth to question his beliefs and recognize the pain and suffering he has caused. He's not going to do that. He believes himself to be in the right, and the pain he caused to be "justice" in his mind.

And as you mentioned, it's clear that forgiveness is out of the question for him now. Cloud and Tifa, in particular, hold a deep hatred towards him and are determined to put an end to him. Tifa's grudge with Sephiroth has been largely overlooked, both by the fandom and CANON (seriously, what were the writers thinking...). But let's not forget the sheer terror poor Tifa had in 7R when she saw Sephiroth in front of Jenova's pod.

Both she and Cloud had been scarred (literally and figuratively) by this man for the rest of their LIVES. They deserve every blow they can get on Sephiroth...

Anyways, rant over. Please stop trying to make Sephiroth "work". He was a sweet baby that became an evil bastard. Let's appreciate the good and bad of the Crisis Cutie!

#sephiroth #ff7 sephiroth #final fantasy 7 #ff7 #ffvii #Cloud Strife #Tifa Lockhart #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 remake #ff7 remake #ffviir #ffvii ever crisis #c.c rambles #aerith gainsborough #miracle cutie #crisis cutie

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cryptidafter · 4 months

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I'm not done with Sweet Home 2 yet so I'm going to finish it and give everything more time to marinate but, as of right now, I am not as impressed as I was the first season.

No real spoilers but putting my thoughts under a cut just in case!

There was an authenticity and a realness to all the characters in season one. They weren't one-dimensional or reduced down to a single trait. Sure, there were some standard horror tropes but I think the overarching narrative of 'grief bonding people together' was earnest enough to balance things out. Each character, even the ones without much screen time, still seemed like real people you would encounter in daily life who were acting the way you'd expect them to act in such a confusing and terrifying situation. Not everyone is a hero. Not everyone is willing to sacrifice others for their own survival. There's range.

Season two feels strangely...empty. The characters, even the ones we know, aren't as grounded or as sharp. Our main cast from last season are already well-developed but they're underutilized. And, look, I get it. You need to add new people to the roster. However, the new players we're introduced to don't carry the same presence as the group from last season. They're a lot more hollow, less fleshed out. A lot of them do fall into those standard archetypes without any real variation. There's the two soldiers who fight amongst themselves because they have different ideas of how things should be run. The 'good guy' soldier who doesn't want to hurt people. A mysterious girl with strange powers. Again, maybe my thoughts will change once I finish these final episodes but it feels way more formulaic this season. Which, again, I'm not asking for a complete genre overhaul but that doesn't mean I'm fine with paint by numbers.

I don't feel as connected with the characters this season which lessens the emotional impact of scenes that should be more intense. I should care that this central character is going to be hurt or killed yet I haven't been given a reason to.

I'm not even going to get into how much I hated the first two episodes. No, not because they got rid of characters I enjoyed but because it was done so cheaply. It really seemed like an 'okay we have to use for these guys anymore so goodbye!'. Every death in the first season had weight, including the characters I didn't like. It all came back to shared grief and the way connection is forged through suffering. It was about people and how they navigate through tragedy. All the good, the bad, and the in-between. This season seems like they're trying to capture that same feeling but with far less success. The more they broaden the scope of what's going on, the more muddled the story becomes. They haven't managed to have as much impact in five episodes that the first season accomplished in two.

I swear I am doing my best to remain optimistic but I'm over halfway done and I am thoroughly disappointed. Season 3 is slated to be out in summer of next year and, depending on how this season wraps, I honestly don't know if I'll be continuing it.

#cryptid's thoughts #not really spoilers #sweet home 2

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jessequinnfirstofhername · 2 months

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Controversial Star Wars opinion: the Star Wars universe is one of the most hopeless universes ever. It poses itself as hopeful, but when you look closer, it's really quite dire.

1) Anakin's life is tragic, whatever redemption he may be argued to have was only found in death, but his entire life sucked... so much

2) Padme tried so hard, and still failed, and found no redemption in death

3) Obi-Wan also tried so hard, and still lost everyone he cared about

4) The clones. All of it, everything about them. Sentient, but not free, thrown away like trash when their usefulness has been served, just like:

5) Droids, all of them, everything about them. Sentient, but not free, etc. Even C3PO, one of the most famous droids, is rarely shown respect by *the heroes* of the series.

6) Luke, what he became - a sad, milk chugging hobo who abandoned his responsibilities after trying to murder his nephew, which - seems wildly out of character for the man who held hope for *Darth Vader*, but I digress.

7) The OT trio were apparently so bad at their jobs that the First Order came back as strong as the Empire in only *thirty years*; this makes Leia look wildly incompetent at governing... Which I hate.

8) Love is destined to fail or end in tragedy - Obi- Wan and Satine, Padme and Anakin Han and Leia, the beloathed Reylo.

9) Evil can only be beaten by good temporarily at best, before it somehow returns.

10) Most of the galaxy exists in widespread poverty and slavery and war are common and neverending.

In conclusion, for a universe that presents itself as hopeful and full of hope for the future... There isn't a lot of it.

I do see where you're coming from, Anon. But I have to mostly disagree with you. I'll go through this point-by-point:

Yes, Anakin's life was difficult, and tragic. But was it all bad? He certainly seemed to have happy moments with Padme, Ahsoka, and/or Obi-Wan during The Clone Wars, and after all the tragedy and horror he suffered (and he did suffer, no matter how self-inflicted some of it was), he died redeemed and cradled in his son's arms, becoming one with The Force.

I do agree with this one. Poor Padme's life is a tragedy.

In the end, he didn't lose Qui-Gon, Yoda, Anakin, or any of his Jedi friends. He'll be with them forever in The Living Force. It is a tragedy that he lost Satine, but he didn't lose everyone.

I don't really have a rebuttal here, as yes, you are actually right. It is wrong how they are treated, and canon itself acknowledges that.

...are droids sentient? They have personalities, but... aren't those personalities just programming? I'm genuinely asking, if anyone has a definitive, canonical answer.

I disagree that Luke's character was ruined by TLJ. I kinda liked that a hero as optimistic as Luke eventually reached his breaking point. It makes him more human, which makes him pulling himself out of that rut and becoming a hero once more all the more meaningful.

I think that canon has established thoroughly enough that The Empire/Palpatine still had tendrils all over The Galaxy, making their return as The First Order inevitable. Also, my understanding is that Leia isn't incompetent, but she was politically ruined when it got out who her father was.

...okay, maybe falling in love in Star Wars is a bit of a health hazard. I'll agree with you there.

Yes, there will always be evil out there, but there will always be good to rise up and vanquish it.

There is no defense or rebuttal to this one, as it's completely true. But most fantasy worlds do have their dark, depressing, or seedy sides. Also, we are constantly seeing wars being ended, slaves freed, and hope being restored to the hopeless in Star Wars. We see the misery turn to joy, over and over again.

My own conclusion; yes, this hopeful universe does have a lot of hopelessness in it. But there is also a bright spark of hope that runs through it all.

However, I'm open to disagreement. This is merely my own response to your points.

#star wars #jesse’s star wars confessional

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babygirldilf · 7 months

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If I will get Arthur Pendragon again I will become such a fucking menace you don't understand this man is a sunshine himbo he is the first sunshine himbo he is the og smart responsible guy that once he gets a crush he acts sooooo dumb he flirts like crazy which means he acts like a crazy person he hits his crush and curses him and ultimately fuels the tension so badly it becomes unbridled lust that they both have no idea what to do with it he fucking drank what could be poison, as a KING, to save his servant who he had known for less than a year. he sacrifices himself daily because he is just that good. he is the best man to ever exist he has a heart of gold and yet he keeps on suffering through tragedy and it is amazing it is so good to watch a hero crumble and rise up again and again I LOVE HIM

Merlin needs.... a much longer post

#im going insane #and nothing is even confirmed yet #merlin #bbc merlin #arthur pendragon

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 1 month

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Narumi Osone VS Himiko Toga [Danganronpa Survivor VS My Hero Academia]

Hifumi: Narumi Osone; the firecracking enforcer of Organization Zetsubou.

Leona: Himiko Toga; the bloodthirsty lieutenant of the League of Villains...!

Hifumi: The greatest heroes are often defined by their worst enemy. A title that these two crazy little girls are willing to take the mantle of, even if it drives them to the brink of madness...Only destruction and death will be left in their wake when these two come to town...!

Leona: He's Hifumi and I'm Leona!

Hifumi: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, talents and skills, to see who will win a DEATH BATTLE!

Leona: Oh my god, we're 6 parts in and we FINALLY get a character who's NOT an Ultimate!

Hifumi: Well, in other realities, yes, but in ours, Narumi Osone never became the Ultimate Gourmet that everyone originally knew her as.

Leona: Aw, just look at her! She's so adorable! I love her little hair buns and her cute little face and...

Cut to Narumi slaughtering the members of the UUV and blowing up the drone lab.

Leona: ...the psychotic killing...Oh jeez...

Hifumi: Looks can indeed be very deceiving, and those words have never rung truer for this undelightful devilish darling...Despite this, Narumi Osone comes from humble origins. She was born as one of the daughters of Taizo Osone, the former Ultimate Chef and graduate of Hope's Peak Academy.

Leona: Born as a typical middle-child, Narumi was one of the few Osone children who remained true to their culinary roots, even though many of the other children left to follow other passions. What a dedicated little girl. Where did it all go so wrong!?

Hifumi: From a young age, Narumi's parents would always tell her stories of what happened during the early years of her life when she was too young to remember it. She learned about the ventures of the Killing Game that was publicly broadcasted, as well as the tragic happenings of the Demon Hunting game in Towa City, and so on, so forth. A young, easily influenced Narumi fell in love with these stories, and the heroes of them, so much so that she strove to one day be just like them, fighting for Hope and making sure justice prevailed.

Leona: And...in a roundabout and rather twisted way, that's kind of what she became! Though, as any great hero does, she suffered a bit first...

Hifumi: In the aftermath of the Tragedy, with Hope's Peak and many other schools reopening and Ultimate students still being marginalized in society, Mr Osone got more deeply involved in the Rights for Ultimate's movement. He became a member and rather important spokesperson of the RFU, having previously been an Ultimate himself. However, a policeman accidentally shot and killed him during a riot that had broken out at an RFU protest.

Leona: However, this story unfortunately doesn't proceed with the kid donning a cape and cowl and fighting the corruption and crime that took her father from her. Taizo's death turned Narumi's disdain for the government into outright rage. As a result of her desire for vengeance against the system that murdered her father, her mental health suffered. She was left alone, her emotional state unchecked, and only the stories her father told her about the power of Hope pushing through the deepest, darkest despairs to guide her.

Hifumi: However, it became apparently clear that Narumi's ambitions of Hope weren't quite as simple as wanting to push on and strive for a better tomorrow. Narumi believed that the despair she felt immediately following Taizo's death was crucial in sparking a revolution. She didn't seek grand ideals like world dominance, but rather a society that accepted people as they did "back in the day."

Leona: And so the little gourmet decided...she would BECOME that Despair...!

Hifumi: By striving to become, in her own words "the villain of her own story," Narumi Osone hoped to infect Japanese society with this despair, destruction, and carnage, so that the government would be too preoccupied with dealing with the despair crisis to deal with the Ultimates' antagonism. Then she planned for her hero, Makoto Naegi, and the Future Foundation to arrive in a short time to restore society to normal, with the exception of praising Ultimates in the way that was done before Junko.

Leona: And if casualties had to be made in order to make it happen...Who gives a crap!? Anything goes as long as it creates change! Unfortunately, the more Narumi delved in evil, the more she came to sink herself deep in it. She learned that she loved the feeling of watching people struggle to survive, pulled forward by their hope, and that she loved throwing hands with tough customers, even with her small size.

Hifumi: Osone met and teamed up with Akira Tsuchiya, a young man in a similar state as her also seeking societal collapse. After causing some chaos with him, like an average day of blowing up a bank or slaughtering some unpleasent customers, the dynamic duo was put on the radar of the terrorist organization, Organization Zetsubou, and it's tyrannical leaders, Tsumugi Shirogane and Yukari Koime.

Leona: Akira's internet life got him brought on as the team's resident expert hacker, while Narumi became a combat tactician and lead enforcer after expressing her love for battle. However, unfortunately for Zetsubou, Narumi and her shut-in partner proved to be a pair of...putting it nicely...loose cannons. Though it could be dumbed down to her not believing in the same cause as her teammates, Narumi had a tendency to jeopardize the organizations big missions if it suited her interest more. Like how she set up a plan to chip everybody in Towa City using drones, but then destroyed the drones herself, as the prospect of getting to meet her heroes was more exciting to her.

Hifumi: However, Narumi's strength and the assets she provided the Organization made it so that in spite of this, it would be hard to let her go once they had her. At some point down the line while working with these villains, the gourmet girl gained what would become her most powerful and deadliest weapon; her repulsion gauntlets! Which she first showed off after she made her presence known to the Future Foundation, by taking over Towa City's underground, killing off Akeru Yozora's resistance group with a brainwashed Gonta Gokuhara, and using them to combat the Ultra Despair Girls, Komaru and Toko, in a final confrontation with Akeru's safety on the line!

Leona: These gauntlets are nobody's fool! Even with her tiny size and stature, Narumi is capable of near superhuman feats with these babies! They're sturdy and made of a hard metal, so a punch from them will hurt a hell of a lot! Besides that, the gauntlets shoot out bursts of energy that Narumi can use to attain pseudo-flight, propelling herself through the air at a supersonic speed! She can also use them to set off combustion explosions, like being blasted point-blank with a fiery shotgun, or blow holes in even the toughest surfaces and people!

Hifumi: Like how she used them to completely brutalize Mitsunari Koga; blowing holes through him and prior to that, completely blasting his arm off his body. You'll find that compared to us at the Future Foundation, Organization Zetsubou's members, Osone especially, are much more averse to slaughtering people and desecrating their bodies. The gauntlets have also been shown to be so sturdy, they're resistant to sharp objects like Genocide Jack's scissors, which are stated to be much sharper and more deadly than your average knife.

Leona: However, what is arguably more impressive than the gauntlets themselves is how adept Narumi is at using them. Ordinarily, blasting yourself around like that would cause, at best, some serious whiplash, or at worst, break apart your limbs with the way they're snapping all over the place, blasted around by the combustion. And for someone as small as her, it's amazing how she manages to deal with all of that!

Hifumi: On top of that, when Narumi once took a bullet to the shoulder and was unable to use her gauntlets, Celestia Ludenburg donned them and tried to blast Kyoko Kirigiri with them while they were riding a train. The recoil force of firing off even a small blast with the gauntlets at her, was almost enough to BREAK Ludenburg's arm!

Leona: And Narumi is not only firing these concussion blasts off constantly, but RAPIDLY! During her fight with Nagito Komaeda, she onslaughted him with hundreds of combustion shots point blank over span of about 4 seconds before he counterattacked! And she was fine!

Hifumi: Time and time again, Narumi Osone has proven that despite her small stature and realistically weak body, she's one of the deadliest and most powerful enemies that we've faced. And the interesting thing is she's also one of the few enemies we've faced who bares us no malice.

Leona: As said before, Narumi believes in the power of hope, and overcoming your trials. So in her eyes, those in the Future Foundation are worthy of being held in high regard.

Hifumi: And if you can't do that, congratulations! You're useless, and should die!

Leona: Such was the fate of the UUV, who Narumi battled all by herself, with only some slight assistance from Akira that she arguably didn't even need. And what's more, even though she used her gauntlets to propel herself around at sound speed, she didn't even use them for the kill most of the time! Though she may seem like a straightforward action girl, Narumi is surprisingly clever and creative with her approaches to things, like how she killed Aruma Todoroki by strangling her with her own whip, or dropping a shitton of rubble on Mikoto Itsuki!

Hifumi: And it wasn't just the UUV who suffered at the hands of this walking rocket launcher. Narumi, as we mentioned, was also able to go toe to toe with Komaru Naegi and Toko Fukawa, keeping pace with both of them and even being able to survive being caved in on by some falling elevator shaft parts. As a reminder, this is the same Toko and Komaru who battled and defeated Big Bang Monokuma together, a Godzilla-level monster

Leona: She also battled against all of Class 78, including Sakura Ogami, and was able to outpace and outmaneuver them with her gauntlets, using the constantly moving environment around her. And her most recent feat of accomplishment; battling against Nagito Komaeda in his Ultimate Hope state.

Hifumi: While Narumi did lose that fight, it was rather hard fought for both sides. Komaeda admitted afterwards that he wasn't holding back that much, and at her personal request, was out to kill her. If we assume that Komaeda is about half to three-quarters the power of Izuru Kamukura, that's an incredible feat!

Leona: As is the 60 Megaton explosion she let out that enveloped basically the entire tram system where they fought! Again, the gauntlets have recoil tantamount to the explosions they fire, and Narumi was TOTALLY fine in the wake of it. Her limbs remained intact and she wasn't even enveloped or scarred by her own explosion!

Hifumi: And yet, even in the wake of all this destruction, chaos, and anguish, people will still rise up to fight against the Despair this pint-sized enforcer brings, just as she plans. The world is Narumi Osone's game, and everyone is playing it. This girl was born to cause both drama and damage.

Leona: And that's really the one-track mind that she possesses. While Narumi has shown she's handy with tech and careful with the plans that matter to her, she's not very intelligent compared to the other masterminds of Organization Zetsubou. She's not stupid either obviously, but she's not someone who rivals her partner Akira in intelligence. She instead chooses to act more on instinct and is also mentally unstable, even by Zetsubou standards.

Hifumi: Putting that aside, Narumi Osone has demonstrated that she poses a threat to both the villains and the heroes in her universe. Despite being a noticeable white spot on a black background of death and despair, she manages to blend in with the chaos, and a source of chaos that is not to be underestimated.

Leona: Sundowner was right...Kids really ARE cruel...!

Leona: In the world of My Hero Academia, 80% of the population is born with cool superpowers, also known as Quirks.

Hifumi: That world became a very different place the day that Himiko Toga was born. At first, everything seemed pretty normal. The Toga family was just...normal...Nothing outlandish about them at all...At least as far as a superpowered society could be.

Leona: But the flow of fate had other plans for them, most notably their little girl.

Hifumi: Whether the reason may have been because of her unique Quirk or not, Himiko Toga had a strange obsession with blood even as a child. Even in a world wrought with people who get more powerful by being naked, or have invisibility that works by being naked, or losing your clothes by phasing through the ground, this was still very disturbing...Huh...I'm starting to notice a pattern...

Leona: Everyone realized this when a young Toga killed a bird to drink its blood and then showed the same bird to her parents. Now...I love a good chicken or duck for dinner, but...girl, you gotta prepare it first. You can't just eat a raw bird. You crazy fo' real...

Hifumi: To a more professional extent, that was what Toga's parents thought too. They were openly disgusted and attempted to repress it by placing a great deal of pressure on her to be "normal," sending her to Quirk counseling in an effort to reform her, and trying to find a solution to her "deviant behavior." From that point on, Himiko Toga had to hold back, even though she was still itching to drink blood, while keeping a different face. It was certainly "normal" but it wasn't "her."

Leona: But as they say, you can't keep a tiger caged forever. One day, it will break right out of it's chains and when it does? It'll be hungry...!

Hifumi: While I'm unfamiliar with that specific expression, it's indeed rather accurate to our situation.

Leona: Her repression of her emotions and feelings resulted in the development of social problems and a significant impact on her mental health. But it all came to a head when she saw a boy named Saito at her school fighting and getting covered in bruises and blood. Toga experienced what she thought was a crush on him, after having repressed her "abnormal" feelings and tendencies for so long. Toga later appeared to have succumbed to this obsession and attacked him with a box cutter, and, according to a passing classmate who witnessed the assault, stuck a straw into his wound and began sucking his blood while crying with an ecstatic look on her face. Capital Y YIKES!

Hifumi: She vanished shortly after the attack and fled from Pro Heroes and the police, as she was now a wanted suspect. Later, she was identified as the main suspect in multiple bloodletting-related murders. Up until the time of Stain, the Hero Killer.

Leona: Alongside the mysterious Dabi, Himiko Toga was inspired by the cause of the Hero Killer, but also really wanted to commit more carnage and have fun, so she joined up with Tomura Shigaraki and the League of Villains. She looked up to Stain and saw him as her role model; declaring a desire to kill and "become" him. And she herself quickly became one of the League's most well-known members, and deadliest assets in espionage and assassination.

Hifumi: Though she may be but a young girl in her late teens, Toga's child-like appearance hides away her incredible feats of strength and skill. In the Paranormal Liberation War, for example, she used her strength to kill multiple heroes and subdue others, including Eraserhead.

Leona: Even before this during her time with the Shie Hassaikai, Toga was pretty easily able to handle pro heroes like Rock Lock, and again, Eraserhead. She's also fought multiple times with Ochaco Uraraka, and deceived her easily, showing that she's at least on par with her too. To kinda clarify that, Ochaco using her quirk is capable of lifting and throwing things like stone pillars or a small hill sized pile of boulders.

Hifumi: She had even managed to stave off Deku once, and now that she had trained with Gigantomachia, that part of her strength would be stronger.

Leona: And this is without any real notable superpowers of her own. Speaking of which, we should probably get into that, right?

Hifumi: Toga's quirk is called "Transform." By drinking someone's blood, it gives her the power to change into a physical replica of that person and mimic their voice. She can access that person's form for a longer period of time the more blood she drinks. For instance, she can change for a total of eighteen hours with just one cup of blood. If she drinks the blood of more than one person, she can alternate between their appearances. She can even mimic someone else's attire, but doing so would require her to undress beforehand because her own clothes would cover the transformation. Huh...

Leona: Yeah, get used to that schtick. It happens to both men and women, so we can't really complain. Toga's villain outfit plays to her strengths in this regard. She possesses a machine connected to a utility belt. Using the wires, she can either throw the needles from a distance or stab her opponents directly. In either case, the machine will begin draining the victim's blood as soon as the needle connects.

Hifumi: The machine saves the blood in tubes so that it can be used at a later time. She can, however, drink the blood as it is being drawn out thanks to the mask on her face, that is also connected to the machine. Sometime prior to the Final War, Toga's device underwent an upgrade that allowed her to freely control jet-powered needles instead of needing to throw them.

Leona: Aside from this device, Toga typically carries a number of knives on hand. These are tiny knives with a longer black handle than the blade itself, about the size of her hand, but are still very deadly when used in her hands, and very combat-effective. She can even throw them with pin-point accuracy from a distance. Though she's not got a very wide arsenal of tools outside of these.

Hifumi: It doesn't stop her from being just as deadly in terms of combat. Toga's strength is incredible for someone who doesn't possess a combat quirk. At least...not at first...

Leona: Quirks are part of a person's DNA, and are just as capable of adaptation and evolution as any other bodily function. And for Himiko Toga, that happened in what was the worst possible way for our heroes. Which all happened as a result of Toga's battle with Curious; a member of the Meta Liberation Army.

Hifumi: Curious's Quirk is called "Landmine." and it gives the user the ability to give anything they touch explosive qualities.

Leona: And this applies to almost ANYTHING, including the blood that Toga sucks up with her gear, and the people that she was fighting with at close range. Which means that during this fight, Toga was able to tank explosions that were happening not only point-black, but INSIDE of her! That's CRAZY!

Hifumi: What made the situation even more crazy is when Toga was pushed to the brink, her quirk EVOLVED, enabling her to do something she was previously unable to do: using the quirks of the people she has transformed into!

Leona: Although, Toga can only use another person's Quirk if she is fascinated by them and holds them close to her heart, and she must be well-versed in their power. Still, even just a few more quirks under her belt gives her WAY more options in battle!

Hifumi: For example, she can copy Ochaco Uraraka's Zero Gravity, negating an object's gravitational pull, then releasing the effect on it, causing it to barrel toward the ground. Which she eventually used to end Curious and her army.

Leona: Or using her own version of Twice's signature Sad Man's Parade move: Sad Man's Death Parade, where she endlessly clones versions of herself transformed as Twice with the express intent of killing anything in her path!

Hifumi: Quirk feats aside, Himiko Toga is a phenomenal combatant and DEADLY opponent. As mentioned already, she was able to survive explosions that were happening even inside her, which puts her strength and stamina on a whole other level. What may very well be her deadliest asset however, are her stealth and speed prowess.

Leona: By the final chapters of My Hero Academia, Toga's ability to blend in with her surroundings and hide with her stealth prowess so powerful, Deku's Danger Sense, which kinda works like Spider-Sense, was useless against it! Not only that, but during situations like her fight against Ochaco and Tsuyu, she moved so fast, that merely BLINKING and taking your attention off her for a second would be more than enough time for her to get behind you and shove a blade right up your ass!

Hifumi: And this is the main way Toga fights. Since she lacks the proper strength to go hand-to-hand with a lot of heroes in MHA, despite her unbelievable physical capabilities, her main tactic in combat is to is to outrun her opponent, dodging their attacks and wearing them down until they tire, then exploit an opening.

Leona: The kind of strategy you'd expect from a deranged little girl who hides in the shadows, but the truth is that Himiko Toga is not as clear cut as she seems. Toga is obviously mentally unstable and has a very twisted perception of love and friendship, but it's shown that despite her twisted behavior when infatuated, her affection for Deku, Ochaco, and her PLA friends is completely genuine and without any inherent malevolence. In stark contrast to her maniacal nature, she has demonstrated a very supportive side, comforting a distraught Twice and crying in sadness and rage after his death.

Hifumi: Perhaps that merely means that even after everything, if she had just been accepted for who she is or understood morally, there may still be hope for this deranged little schoolgirl...Who can say for sure?

Hifumi: Alright, the combatants are set! Let's see which of our fighters comes out on top this time!

Leona: IT'S TIME FOR A DEEAAATH BAAATTLLLLLLEEE!

A close-up of a knitted doll of Makoto Naegi being held in the little girl's arms opens the scene. The girl squeezes the doll affectionately and rubs her face against its. It's none other than Narumi Osone. She holds the doll in one hand and reaching up to her ear with the other, speaking through a communicator which starts buzzing.

Akira Tsuchiya [Over Comm]: I still can't believe you took a detour on the job just to get a new teddy bear.

Narumi: Oh give it a rest! The shop does custom made dolls! I had to put an order in while I had the chance! No way was I ever gonna let this darling wait out on me, hehehehe!

Akira [Over Comm]: Look, I really don't care either way, but if I end up getting heat from the Boss Lady for this...Look, you'd better not screw it up...

Narumi: Oh RELAX big bro! It's literally just a collection job I'm doing in place of Yuka! What's the worst that could...

She trails off as she suddenly hears a familiar noise of metal meeting flesh. She looks down the alleyway where she's headed and sees a silhouette down it of something unpleasant.

Narumi: ...happen...Uh, sorry Akira, gonna have to call you back...

Narumi hangs up her comm and strides down the alleyway. As she draws closer to the subject, she sees Himiko Toga, knife in hand, running it repeatedly through the chest of a sketchy looking info broker.

Toga: Heeheeheeheeheehee...

Narumi: Um...

Toga: ...!

*SHUNK!*

Narumi: AH!

Narumi tries to engage in conversation, but Toga responds by spinning and throwing a knife at her. Narumi dodges this, but her new teddie isn't so lucky. The knife plants straight into the Makoto dolls head and falls into a wed muddy puddle.

Toga: Oops! Sorry about that!

Narumi: MY DOLL! Also, I'm pretty sure that was the guy I was supposed to meet...but more importantly, MY CUSTOM MADE DOLL!

Toga: Hey, I'm sorry! I can get you a new one as soon as I get this back to Tomura-chan! Don't know why I had to go on this mission or anything but he seemed to think this laptop was important to the army...So I'll get in contact when-

*BOOOM!* *SMASH!*

youtube

Toga plucks a laptop, presumably filled with information, out of a carrier bag. She's about to head off with it, but the laptop then explodes in her hand, shatters to pieces and crumbles onto the floor. Astonished, she turns her head back towards Narumi, now donning her explosive gauntlets, lowering her aim and pulling on her eye, mockingly!

Narumi: OOPS!

Toga: Hmph...

Toga's expression darkens and she pouts, furious at this little punk for having the nerve to confront her. She strikes first, hurling a variety of sharp knives at the living rocket, but Narumi sees her move and deftly sidesteps to avoid the attack, then responds with a powerful burst of combustion.

*KABOOOM!*

The explosion blows apart the alley, and Toga is seen flying out of it, backflipping away from the epicenter of the blast. Narumi flies out after her, and as she lands, Toga launches out her rocket-boosted needles, which close in on the young firecracker! Even after Narumi blasts down to the ground and avoids this attack, the needles still home in on her like missiles! She propels herself towards the people in the crowd around her and grabs one terrified looking man in a suit!

Narumi: Hello, mister, would you mind helping a girl out for a sec? K, thanks!

Man: WHA-GAAGH!

Narumi uses the innocent man as a meat-shield against the needles, which run him through and start sucking up his blood. This commotion is enough to get anyone who didn't already run away, to do so.

Toga: Hmph...!

Narumi: OLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!

*SMAAASSH!*

Toga: GAHAGCK!

The man's corpse is yanked forward by the bloodsucking psycho girl, who shoves it off her needles. Unexpectedly, Narumi takes advantage of this distraction by throwing herself forward and delivering a powerful blow to her, sending her flying through a building.

Narumi: Haha! Suck it! Hm?

A figure emerges from the debris, and Narumi gives it a cursory eyebrow raise. When it comes out of the thick, grey liquid covering it, she finds herself staring at a petite girl with a curvy figure and fair skin, auburn hair, and round, matching eyes.

Narumi: Okay wuuuuh?

Uraraka: Heeeheeheeheehee! KEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! RELEASE!

Narumi: What? Release wha...Oh...Oooooooh...Oooooh shiiiiit...

While still struggling to figure out what's going on, Narumi only now looks around, seeing that she's surrounded by floating wreckage as a result of earlier sending Toga hurtling through the building. Toga imitates the behavior of Ochaco Uraraka's quirk by releasing her hold and causing a hail of rocks, chunks, and slabs to fall upon Narumi.

Narumi: Well...this sucks...HYAGH!

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *KABOOM!*

Narumi: SUCK ON THIS! HOOWAAGH!

*KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!*

Narumi quickly and effectively uses her gauntlets to propel herself in all directions, outmaneuvering and dodging the falling debris. When she's in a good enough position, she brings both of her arms together and lets off a massive explosion that engulfs and disintegrates every incoming projectile.

Her clothes and uniform are all that remain of Himiko Toga as Narumi safely crashes back down to face the enemy that put her in such trouble. After picking them up and giving them a quick examination, Narumi takes off, glancing out over a sea of terrified bystanders.

They all blend in with the throng, but one man in a suit draws her attention.

Narumi: Wait...Didn't I kill you earlie-?

Man?: HAHA!

Narumi: WOAH!?

Narumi is just barely able to avoid an incoming knife that grazes her face, thrown by the man! She flies back down towards him as he starts to melt into a grey, viscous liquid, a pale arm shooting out and grinding against Narumi's arm, which she clutches in pain, sucking air through her teeth. She doesn't react in time for the needles to piece her shoulder and yank her towards the pile, with another arm bursting out and grabbing her by the throat. Toga's evil, smiling face emerges from the liquid, her body now mostly naked, and she leans in and licks Narumi's face, much to the gourmet girl's disgust.

Toga: I'm curious to see how YOU taste...

Narumi: That's gross dude...On like...SO many levels...!

Then, with a kick that sends her rolling down the road, Toga throws her stunned opponent into the air before jumping up and kicking her into the concrete. Narumi looks back a moment later to confront her again in spite of this blow, but Toga has vanished.

Narumi: What!? Where did she?

Toga: Heeheehee...

Narumi: GAGH!?

*BOOM!*

Toga: OOOF! HAH!

*WHA-BOOM!*

At random, Toga (who is now wearing her clothes again) appears behind Narumi and attempts to stab her in the back. Narumi is quick to respond, seizing Toga's arm with one hand while firing an explosive blast at her with the other. Toga is propelled backwards, but before she can even stand up, she practically teleports behind Narumi and tries to pierce her lower back with a needle in order to draw blood. But Narumi fires upward, avoids this, and turns around to face Toga with a furious look.

Narumi & Toga: JUST STAND STILL AND DIE!

Both girls shout this at one another, then Toga throws more knives at Narumi. Narumi casually blasts away the knives, but the light from the blast gives Toga enough cover to transform again, this time into the form of Jin Bubaigawara, AKA Twice.

Toga: Sad Man's...DEATH PARADE!

Narumi looks around in a panic as several complete carbon copies of Twice suddenly rise from the ground like zombies, all cackling maniacally.

Narumi: Tch...! GAGH!?

Toga & Twice's: KEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! DIE, little one!

Narumi clenches her fist and gets ready to blast the copies to kingdom come, but as the unprepared girl is kicked by Toga in their direction, the doppelgangers all launch a barrage of blows at her. At that moment, the enforcer sees that she is falling toward Toga, who is preparing to cut her down with her blade!

Narumi: HOOYAGH!

*BOOOSH!*

Toga: ...

Narumi: ...

Toga: You're gonna blast me again, aren't you?

Narumi: Uh-huh!

*KABOOM!*

Toga: AGGH!

Twice's: WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, O-HO!

After a brief exchange of banter, Narumi swiftly propels herself over Toga's attack and uses her gauntlets to blast her in the back, precisely at point blank range. For a brief moment, Toga topples and Narumi turns to face the Twice clones, glaring daggers at them.

She strikes the first one squarely through with a heavy fist that feels like a rocket. Another laser blast at point blank range renders the other completely destroyed. She catches the third by the face and crushes him completely in the palms of her strong, metal hands. Narumi kills the fourth by flying at him and slicing his body in half while spinning like a deadly spinning top.

Unfortunately, Narumi is too distracted by killing the Twice clones that she's only barely able to catch Toga's hand as she flies back down towards her, grazing her face with the needle and piercing her skin, slowly sucking up samples of Narumi's blood.

Toga: You reek of blood and carnage...That's pretty cute, you know~?

Narumi: HRRGH!

*BOOOM!*

Toga: GUAGHCK!

*BOOOM!* *BOOOM!* *BOOOM!* *BOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOMBOOOM!!!!!!*

Narumi: I'd say the same thing if you WEREN'T SO ANNOYING!

Narumi gathers enough strength in her arms to lift Toga up and throw her forward, blasting her a millisecond later. Then, she charges forward, punching and blasting her repeatedly, destroying the surrounding cityscape and cratering them in the ground!

Toga: HYAAAGH!

Narumi: Ooph!

Toga: HEEHAHAHAHA!

*SHUNK!* *SHUNK!* *SHU-SHUNK!*

Narumi: A-Agh!?

Toga pushes past the explosions that keep popping up in her face, lifting her leg and kicking Narumi in the stomach with immense force. Toga throws her blood-sucking machine's needles forward before Narumi has a chance to recover, and she SKEWERS her! The needles pierce through Narumi's limbs, and Toga, her face ecstatic, slowly starts slurping her blood as it flows into her mask. Toga leans in to offer some playful taunts as Narumi falls to her knees and starts coughing up blood.

Toga: You look a little tired and thirsty, little one...Can I get you something to drink?

Narumi: Ahh...Hah...hahahaha...! Nah...I'm good...Victory tastes better than ANYTHING!

Toga: HUH!?

Toga is shocked as Narumi raises her arms, grabs them, and with an explosive aid with her gauntlets, yanks on them so hard, they become disconnected from Toga's sucking machine! Toga spits out Narumi's blood that's already in her mouth and struggles to recover as the collected samples of everyone's blood flies everywhere! Narumi seizes this opening, grabs Toga's leg, spins and throws her up into the air!

Narumi: This little piggy went to market!

*SHUNK!*

Narumi: This little piggy stayed at home!

*SHUNK!*

Toga: Agh...Gaagh...!

Narumi: This little piggy had roast beef!

*SHUNK!*

Narumi: And THIS little piggy had NONE!

*KER-SHUNK!*

Toga: ...!

Narumi: And THIS little piggy went... WeeweeweeweeWEEWEEWEEWEEWEEWEE! ALL THE WAY HOOOOOOOOOOOOOMME!

*CRAASH!* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!*

While Toga is airborne, Narumi recalls a child's nursery rhyme as she grabs hold of the former's needles and begins darting about at the speed of sound around her in the air! Bit by bit, she she starts to run the needles through Toga's vital body parts, first her knife hand, then her chest, then her throat, then her forehead! And to finish her combo off, Narumi grabs Toga's arm, spins her around at hypersonic speed, causing her barely alive, if not dead, body to spray blood everywhere and uses all of the momentum she built to throw her opponent back down the earth! She then follows this throw up with a powerful blast of energy to strength the impact!

A nuclear level explosion is set off by the impact, engulfing the city and all of its inhabitants except for Narumi, who floats above the mayhem, grinning at her grubby work but winking in agony.

*BZZT!* *BZZT!*

Narumi: Oh boy...

She hears her intercom ringing, and after landing safely in the middle of the hellscape, clutching her wounds, she answers it.

Narumi: Hello-

Akira [Over Comm]: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?

Narumi: Uh...well...I had to squash a mosquito? Now, listen, let the record say that this is ABSOLUTELY NOT my fault!

Akira [Over Comm]: What! The Hell! Happened!?

Narumi: Eh...Ok, so the good news is I took care of the problem...The BAD news is that I didn't get our info and there's probably a...1 in 5 chance that we might have to fight an army of superpowered monsters in a couple years...

Akira [Over Comm]: ...

Narumi: ...

Akira [Over Comm]: Did you at least have fun?

Narumi: Eh...Could take or leave...

Leona: I don't think we've ever seen such wanton destruction since we started this show...Who's idea was it to bring Osone into this again?

Hifumi: To be perfectly frank, this was BY FAR the most DIFFICULT matchup to figure out, and the debate was fascinating! However, we eventually came to the conclusion that in a no-holds barred fight, Narumi Osone just BARELY had the edge.

Leona: Emphasis on "barely!" While it may seem that Narumi's destructive prowess completely overpowered anything that Toga could dish out, that really wasn't the case! Especially considering Toga's speed and wider range of superpowers and abilities compared to Narumi's very limited pool.

Hifumi: Toga's arsenal wasn't very impressive on it's own, but her tools and weapons combined with the assets her quirk offered her were very challenging for not just Narumi Osone, but for anyone to counter. And while Osone can launch herself around like a rocket, Toga's ability to move so fast into an opponent's blind spot is another thing entirely.

Leona: On top of that, Toga was literally able to survive explosions that happened INSIDE her body, when she drank blood that had been affected by Curious's quirk! Simply put, Narumi's explosions and blasts of energy weren't NEARLY enough to put the blood-sucking banshee down!

Hifumi: However, the reverse was true as well! Osone's gauntlets were resistant to Genocide Jack's scissors, which are undoubtedly sharper than Toga's knives. And even if Toga was able to find an opening to cut her, which WAS very likely thanks to her incredible speed and stealth feats, cutting or piercing Osone's body would barely do anything in terms of slowing her down. Simply because Osone's body is already durable enough to withstand the recoil effect that firing her gauntlets off triggers, whereas with mostly anyone else, using the devices would be enough to completely shatter their ulna.

Leona: Also, while Toga may have been hella fast, being able to keep up with those like Eraserhead, Deku, Uraraka and Tsuyu, Narumi has kept up with the likes of Nagito Komaeda and Toko Fukawa, both of whom possess relativistic levels of reactionary feats that Narumi is more than capable of matching. If Toga was to use her speed to her advantage, in the very least, she would need to try harder than normal to get around Narumi's keen battle senses.

Hifumi: However, what ironically did put Toga in a rock and hard place here were the limitations of her own quirk. Toga has the ability to use the Quirks of people that she mimics, but ONLY if she deeply cares for that person or has an emotional connection with them, as well as an in-depth understanding of their power.

Leona: This is why Toga was only really able to utilize the quirks of Ochaco and Twice in combat. Using a quirk like Deku's "All For One" or Rock Lock's "Lock Down" would almost certainly have countered Narumi and given Toga a clear victory, but it was basically impossible, because she doesn't care enough about the latter and wouldn't have a good understanding of how either's quirk worked.

Hifumi: To make matters worse, the two quirks she COULD take advantage of were practically useless against Osone. For one, applying Zero Gravity to Osone would mean nothing since Osone can already fly and propel herself around the air. And even if she could replicate Uraraka's meteor shower move using the debris around her, this move was easily countered by Katsuki Bakugo, using a similar feat to Osone's giant combustion against Komaeda.

Leona: Sad Man's Death Parade might have allowed Toga an easy opening if the Twice clones could subdue Narumi, but based on the way Twice's quirk works, they probably couldn't. Copies created by "Double" are less durable and powerful than the real thing, dissolving into basically mud after receiving enough damage. According to Twice himself, physical injury equivalent to a broken bone is usually enough to extinguish a clone.

Hifumi: And yet Narumi Osone is out here, very capable of blowing holes through people like it's nothing. It's safe to say that she could probably take out Twice's clones with just one good punch each, and that's the least amount of power she could exhibit on them.

Leona: And it's that potential for creative strategies in combat that give Narumi Osone the ultimate victory here. Even if her explosions alone weren't enough to take Toga out, Narumi has shown she's got more than just a few simple ways of smoking a person! She could easily just turn Toga's own blades and needles against her, like she did with Aruma Todoroki and her whip. And while both are practically useless without their weapons and powers, because of the very nature of Osone's weaponry, it's much more likely that Osone would find a way to either disarm or destroy Toga's gear before Toga could do the same to Osone.

Hifumi: Thanks to their own skills and prowess, this fight came down to the wire, but because of her superior strength, lust for battle and overall counters to kit, Narumi Osone blasted her way through the competition!

Leona: Guess you can say Toga really "BLEW" her chances at winning?

THE WINNER IS NARUMI OSONE!

Next Time:

Kindness is compassion and love in perfect harmony. It is loving yourself enough to love those around you. But despite their power, it seems these two clumsy, skittish, yet sweethearted companions are gonna need a little help with that.

#danganronpa survivor #danganronpa #narumi osone #death battle #warriors of other worlds arc #Youtube

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herbs-and-poultices · 7 months

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Once in a while I get the terrible urge to share that my taste in music is even weirder than my taste in fiction. (What's a random American gal with no English/Scottish/Irish heritage doing listening mostly to songs like these? Blame my parents for raising me on murder ballads and ceilidh tunes.) So here is:

A Vaguely Whumptober-Themed Anthology of Folk Songs from the British Isles / Transatlantic Tradition: Part 1

1) "But now this room is spinning while I'm just trying to fill in all the gaps" / Swooning: Plains of Waterloo

Listen to my favorite recordings here: X X

How to make sure your girl still loves you, according to folklore: tell her you're dead and see if she faints

2) "I'll call out your name, but you won't call back" / Delirium: Battle of Waterloo

Listen to my favorite recording here: X

Jeannie, oh Jeannie, I am surely done Stricken doon in battle at the mooth o' Boney's guns Jeannie, oh Jeannie, aye sae dear tae me Let me hold you in my mind afore I dee

3) "Like crying out in empty rooms, with no one there except the moon": Anderson's Coast

Listen to my favorite recording here: X

A tale of tragedy upon tragedy during the Transportations

We stole a vessel and all her gear And where are you, my Annie? And from Van Dieman's we north did steer 'Till Bass Strait's wild waves wrecked us here Oh Annie dear, don't wait for meI fear I shall not return to theeThere's not to do but endure my fate, And watch the moon, the lonely moon, light the breakers on wild Bass Strait

4) "I see the danger, it's written there": Sir Patrick Spens

Listen to my favorite recording here: X

A shipwreck song

The king he wrote a broad letter and he sealed it with his hand And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens, walking out on the strand: "To Norway, to Norway, to Norway o'er the foam With all my lords and finery, to bring my new bride home" The first line that Sir Patrick read, he gave a weary sigh The next line that Sir Patrick read, the salt tear blinds his eye Oh who is it, oh who is it, who told the king of me To set us out this time of year to sail across the sea...

5) "You better hope I don't get up this time" : El Fusilado

Listen to my favorite recording here: X

Stretching the music genre and the prompt a bit here, but this is a great cover by a band that does a lot of traditional folk, and I feel like surviving a firing squad is 1) folk-song worthy and 2) enough to make anyone think twice about messing with you

6) "Do or die, you'll never make me, because the world will never take my heart": Tam Lin

Listen to my favorite recording here: X

One of the better-known English ballads. The intrepid heroine goes someplace she shouldn't, meets an elfin knight, falls in love with him, learns that he his a changeling held captive by the fae, and braves the wrath of the Faerie Queen to save her love from becoming the faeries' Halloween sacrifice

7) "Can you hear me?": Springhill Mining Disaster

Listen to my favorite recordings here: X X (cw: real event still within living memory)

Listen for the shouts of the dark-faced miners Listen through the rubble for the rescue teams Three hundred tons of coal and slag Hope imprisoned in a three-foot seam

8) "I have a soul, but I'm not a soldier" / All for nothing: Green Fields of France

Listen to my favorite recordings here: X X

Well the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain The killing and dying, were all done in vain For, young Willie McBride, it's all happened again And again, and again, and again, and again

9) Mistaken Identity: Bonnie Banks of Fordie

Listen to my favorite recording here: X (cw: suicide mentioned)

An old ballad that gets darker the more you think about it

Gae tell tae me your brither's name My brither's name it's Babylon... Oh sister, what hae I done tae thee Hae I done this dreadful thing tae thee...

10) Stranded: The Golden Vanity

Listen to my favorite recording here: X

A tale of a tragic hero and a cruel ship's captain

Quickly he swam back, to the cheering of the crew But the captain did not heed him, for his promise he did rue And he scorned his poor entreatings when loudly he did sue And he left him in the Lowland Sea

11) No One Will Find You: Twa Corbies

Listen to my favorite recordings here: X X

There's mony a ane for him maks mane But nane sall ken whaur he is gane O'er his white banes when they are bare The wind sall blaw forevermair

12) "I haven't slept in days, but who's counting?" / I'm up, I'm up: Off to Sea Once More

Listen to my favorite recordings here: X X

Whaling was not a fun time

Some times we're catching whales, me lads, some times we're catching none With a twenty-foot oar stuck in your paw, from four o'clock in the morn And as the shades of night roll on and you rest on your weary oar, It was then that I wished that I was dead and could go to sea no more

13) "I don't feel so good": Lord Randall

Listen to my favorite recordings here: X X X

One of the better-known English ballads. A tale of deadly betrayal: A young man returning home at the end of the day thinks he just inordinately tired. A more careful accounting of the day's events reveals the terrible truth. Versions vary as to who did the deed, but the young lord's fate is always the same.

14) Just Hold On: Skye Boat Song

Listen to my favorite recordings here: X X

Some of you may recognize the tune. The traditional lyrics memorialize the aftermath of the Jacobite defeat at Culloden

Burned are their homes, exile and death scatter the loyal men Yet ere the sword cool in the sheath, Charlie will come again

15) Makeshift Bandages: Twa Brithers

Listen to my favorite recording here: X

Now you'll take off your white Holland shirt An' teer it frae gore* tae gore An' you will bind my deadly wounds That they might bleed no more So he's ta'en off his white Holland shirt An' he's torn it frae gore tae gore An' though he's bound his deadly wounds Ah, they bled ten times more *seam

#whump playlist #about me

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nottoofondofgaypeople · 4 months

Text

In Regards to Gene

Content warning: abuse, r-pe, and light discussions of World of Warcraft

In a previous post that I have since taken down, I discussed the idea of the Shadow Knight Polycule and their victims in Laurance and Vylad. And in this discussion I really got away from myself and wrote some stuff that seemed... well not great at the time, but fitting for the characters and the story I wanted to tell. This reading wasn't very kind to Gene, but I've never been kind to Gene. I've been treating Gene like a punching bag since I first had to suffer through Phoenix Drop High Season 1, and it only worsened when I had to suffer through Lovers Lane.

As a result I hadn't thought about MCD Gene in a more sympathetic light until after that post went up. It was after that post went up that I started doing more ruminating on the Nether, The Shadow King, and the absolute horror of a Shadow Knights existence. It was after this ruminating that I realized that what happened with Gene was that I was treating him well...

Like Arthas Menethil. For a bit of context for those of you who haven't lost brain cells over World Of Warcraft, Arthas is basically the biggest evilest villain in WoW, but he's a villain the player can see the entire rise and fall of. The first campaign puts you in his shoes as a young paladin, and you watch as he constantly makes the worst, most violent, most evil choices through the entire campaign. Arthas is just an absolute and unapologetic monster who creates so many victims through his entire miserable existence that he keeps mementos of them.

And a lot of WoW fans try to characterize Arthas' story as a hero's fall thing? Like he was a good person who was corrupted by bad forces, even though you're shown him being a vile evil person before Frostmourne and the Lich King start fucking with him. Arthas was just a monster looking for an excuse. And I think I let that color my perception of Gene because he really is similar to Arthas in a lot of ways. He's pretty evil, manipulates people like nobody's business, uses magic to do so a lot, has a tense bitter relationship with an old companion, harasses one particular woman with white hair and an association to the color purple a lot, and the actual text of MCD never encourages the viewer to take a sympathetic look towards him, just like WoW.

As a result, I wrote him a lot like Arhtas, which in hindsight, might have been too harsh. Gene does have some redeeming qualities, and honestly with enough work he could possibly have been redeemed at some point. The tragedy of Gene in my rewrite is that said point in time has long past. Anyone foolish enough to try doing so now won't succeed.

Gene was not a good person before the Shadow King found him. A person worth understanding? Yes. A person with a chance of redemption? Maybe, depends on how Dante feels. A person who was also a victim of the Shadow King? Yes.

And that's where I changed my tune on Gene. While I hold the belief that Gene was far from perfect before he got turned, he still had a chance to be a good person before said turning. And the process of being broken down from the person he was into essentially an extension of the Shadow King was not kind to the remnants of a good person left in Gene. So, I want to be a little kinder to Gene.

Cutting the idea of him using Laurance I think it happened exactly once, and the context of it changes the scene from being outright r-pe into a dub-con territory. My previous characterization was dangerously close to the territory of "abuse victim becomes abuser", which I never want people to take from my work. I think that whole thing happened partially out of Gene's control and was really one of the moments that made him doubt what he was doing. These doubts are really too little too late though.

The degrading of Gene's relationship isn't entirely his fault either. While he still clearly loves Sasha and Zenix, the Shadow King calls on him more and more, pulling him away from them. And when the Shadow King breaks Zenix it only gets worse. Gene and Zenix are pitted against each other because the Shadow King realized they were both having silly little thoughts about free will and would turn against him. This polycule was never going to last because if the three of them got along and were normal and without the Shadow Kings influence for like two days they would have started a rebellion before Laurance ever even entered the Nether.

I think Gene struggles to show affection while around others. If Sasha or Zenix flirts with him around other shadow knights, he gets really tense and uneasy about it. But the minute they're alone it's endless kisses and apologies and reassurances. Despite having a skewed understanding of love, Gene is very good at showing it. Gene feels like someone who loves in an overwhelming sense, you feel like you're drowning in his love, for better or for worse.

Gene is not going to get redeemed in my rewrite. But he will be humanized. People will try to call him a violent thoughtless monster, and Sasha will gladly assure them that he is a violent calculated monster with thoughts and emotions that's being tormented by the voices of the departed. Gene will never be seen as a hero by his family, but he will likely never know if he has a family to begin with. Gene is a character who deserves better, but has lost every chance at it he possibly could have had.

#minecraft diaries #mcd rewrite #minecraft diaries rewrite #aphblr #mcd gene #mcd sasha #mcd zenix #character rewrite #character comparison #world of warcraft #really sorry I made you guys think about WoW #mcd laurance #mcd vylad #they're just mentioned though #mcd shad #god I hate that his name is that #shadow knights

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written-in-ink · 3 months

Text

Hyacinthus

To love a god is to live a tragedy.

The poets’ ballads of love and heartbreak rarely ended with laughter. Patroclus never saw the end of the Trojan War. He died on the battlefield with nothing but his lover’s armour — nothing was strong enough to protect him from War’s wrath. The Fates showed Patroclus no remorse as he died at Hector’s hand.

The Fates never pity us mortals. Ariadne, Megara, Daphne - what became of their lives? How many souls have been lost for the gods’ pleasure? Even Psyche, who found peace with Eros, didn’t find it without any suffering.

Everyone knows this.

Everyone knows that no good comes to those who become entangled with the gods.

I’ve known this ever since I was a small child, roaming freely through the palace. Back then, I thought I was invincible. I thought no sword nor monster could ever make me fall.

If only I knew better.

Perhaps I could’ve done more with my life — something worth remembering. I could’ve become a great philosopher whose ideas are taught for centuries after my death. Or perhaps I could’ve lived to inherit my father's throne and ride proudly into the battlefield. Even if I was killed in battle, I would be remembered as a hero. My people would honour me.

Yet I chose to stay with Apollo.

I was a naive boy — a fool, even.

When I woke up each morning with him by my side, I had no regrets. He was my Sun; I couldn’t live without his warmth. Every morning, his hand was entwined with my own. His grasp was tight, so tight that it felt like he had no plans of letting go. I would run a hand through his golden hair as he peacefully slept. Apollo’s hair was soft like a bird’s feathered wings. He was perfect in every way.

His bare chest rose and fell with each breath. I loved the freckles that were littered across his sun-kissed body. Some days, I would try to kiss each one as Apollo let out a quiet laugh.

I would give anything to hear that laugh once more.

I would give my heart to have that soft laugh echo through my ears again. There is no one in the world who sounds like him. His voice was angelic, almost musical. Every word he said was alluring. He had a siren’s voice. If he told me to, I would dive into the murkiest waters to follow him.

Our routine stayed the same for months. We would awake together, fulfil our respective duties, and meet once more at dusk.

I was a fool for thinking it would always be like that.

One morning, as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, he asked me a question.

“Hyacinthus,” he said with a mellow tone. I loved the way he said my name; it made me melt inside. “Do you love me?”

I did not hesitate. “Of course. And you?”

I smiled as he traced a finger along my bare chest.

“I love you like the Stars love the Moon, Hyacinthus.”

A voice lingered in the back of my mind, telling me I was unworthy of a god's love. It laughed harshly as it mocked me for falling for Apollo. You are nothing but his plaything, it whispered.

I opened my mouth to tell Apollo that perhaps I am undeserving of his love despite my better thoughts. He pressed a finger against my lips as if he knew what I was going to say. Gently, he pulled my hand towards his chest and laid it upon his heart.

It’s a known fact that the gods of Olympus do not their need hearts. Nor do they need any of the organs that we have within us. That is one of the many things that marks us as inferior to the gods. They are not like us; they are not human.

“You are my Sun, Hyacinthus,” Apollo said softly. “I couldn’t live a single day without you, just as the world cannot live without light.

I feel more love towards you than Aphrodite herself has ever felt. Do you feel that?”

His heart was pounding beneath my hand. I thought it would burst at any second.

“No one has ever made my heart wild with such ardour. Hyacinthus, you’re the only true love I have in this world.”

His words were everything to me.

My voice wavered as I spoke. I could no longer deny the truth.

“Your heart beats for love, Apollo. My heart—” I swallowed my words and shuddered at what I had to say. “My heart beats to live. One day, it will stop. One day, I will run out of time and I will find myself at the foot of Charon’s boat.”

Apollo’s face tightened into a frown. I cupped a hand around his cheek and looked into his bright, sky-blue eyes. Tears welled in his eyes and threatened to fall at any moment.

“You’re very dear to me, Apollo. I love you more than words can say. That’s why I want you to find someone worth your time, someone who—” I hesitated once more. Apollo’s frown became an expression of pain and discomfort. His sky-blue eyes were like a storm now— his tears were like rainfall. Only now did he truly understand the fragile nature of human life. I don’t blame him for it; I too struggled to accept the fate of mankind. “Someone who is not destined for death. Apollo, my time on this earth is short and you—”

He pressed his warm lips against mine and I forgot all my past worries..

“I don’t care,” he muttered as he nuzzled his face into my neck.

The god cried silently as I ran my hand through his soft, feathery hair. This wasn’t the same god I had seen in the tapestries around the palace. There, he always had a triumphant smile on his face as he posed with a lyre in hand. Yet here he was, distraught by his mortal lover. Apollo, the Sun god, was more fragile than I had thought. Perhaps the Olympians have more humanity than the poets say.

“I will never leave you, Hyacinthus.”

A harsh wind roared outside the palace as if it was angered by Apollo’s words.

“Are you sure we should do this today?” I asked him, raising my voice as the wind blew loudly.

“We’re already here,” he replied as he fiddled with the discus.

Apollo had insisted on having a game of discus. Did he want to distract himself from the day before?

I shivered as the wind roared once more. The cold pricked at my skin until it felt numb.

No man with a shred of common sense would play discus in these conditions.

Apollo held both my hands and rubbed circles into my palm with his thumb.

“It will be fine,” he reassured me. I sighed and watched as he gracefully threw the discus. His sun-kissed skin glistened under the light and his blue eyes shimmered like pearls in the clearest sea. The god laughed proudly as the discus flew to the sky. The throw was so powerful that it seemed to split the clouds. Perhaps it even saw the lights of Elysium.

His laugh was contagious. I laughed until my throat hurt as we ran to chase the falling discus.

Time seemed to slow down as we ran without a care. The wind felt refreshing as it blew against my face. I looked back to see Apollo trying to keep up. His golden locks were pushed back by the wind and a bright smile was plastered on his face. My run slowed to a light jog as I admired him. He was like a statue — perfect in every way. It was as if he had been crafted carefully by the finest sculptor in all of Greece.

Beautiful.

He quickly caught up to me as I stared at him. Before he could say anything else, I wrapped both my arms around his necks and pulled him into a kiss. Flowers of warmth blossomed within my body as Apollo placed a hand on my chest. His lips were so soft, softer than any pillow in the palace. I never wanted this moment to end. His hands travelled along my body, caressing me softly.

I only pulled back from the kiss when I needed to breathe.

Apollo was never the first to pull away; he never needed to.

“The discus,” I rasped as I turned towards the direction of the discus.

The wind shrieked. It was worse than before. Each gust of wind seemed angry. I thought back to rumours of an angry god. What had we done to anger anyone? Surely no god had the power to scare an Olympian.

“Apollo, we—”

A sharp pain in the back of my head interrupted me.

I don’t like thinking about what happened next. In fact, everything was a blur by then. My knees buckled beneath me as the world spun before me.

Overwhelming.

It was all too much.

I fell to the floor soon after, landing harshly on the dry ground. It felt as though someone had enhanced each and every one of my senses. I could feel everything — especially the pain throbbing in my head.

A golden figure crouched down beside me.

His voice was familiar. I’ve heard it somewhere before. Just who—

A sudden cry brought me back to my senses.

Apollo. Of course it was Apollo. Who else would it be?

I couldn’t think straight anymore. The pain in my head wasn’t helping. It sliced through my thoughts like a dagger. Each time I felt it pierce my mind, it felt as though sparks of lightning had been sent through my body.

The god weeped beside me as he held my head up. His hands were red — a hideous, sickly shade of red. What had happened? Surely it couldn’t be Apollo’s blood—

It was getting harder to think.

“Don’t leave me yet,” Apollo cried as he caressed my cheek.

His hand was so warm.

Home. It reminded me of home.

The hearth in the palace was warm too. I don’t remember the last time the fire died out. Is that fire waiting for me to come home?

“Hyacinthus?” Apollo’s voice had been reduced to a meek whimper.

I hated it when his voice became hoarse. It always meant he was upset.

“Hyacinthus?”

I didn’t have the strength to open my mouth. Fuck, I could barely keep my eyes open.

“I love you.” Apollo pulled me towards his chest. “Please stay with me, my love,” he whispered into my ear.

It was too much.

I couldn’t hold on for any longer.

I heard a gut wrenching cry.

There was one final blossom of warmth in my chest.

Then it became cold once again.

#writing #writeblr #hyacinthus #apollo #greek mythology #teen writer #creative writing

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