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kindwhispers · 1 month

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Kaze Hikaru: Slow burn romance, debunking the patriarchal gender roles, and the intricacies of a fractured Bakumatsu era

Disclaimer: Attached below are heavy spoilers, please read on your own discretion.

I. Initial thoughts and impressions:

I am not well versed with Japan's Feudal history but I am well aware that this is recounting actual events during the Bakumatsu Era. At first it definitely felt like there's a lot of information bombardment in a chapter, as well as characters being thrown around and it was quite hard to catch up especially coming in with zero background on the Shinsengumi. There's definitely so much to consider and put into mind because of its setting and I can be highly critical with a lot of them (especially how huge gender role expectations were and how overbearing & cruel patriarchy is especially during this era, will get into this next).

II. Bakumatsu era, Bushido:

Just for a quick background, this was set in 1863-1867 during the decline of Bakumatsu, the last leg of Edo Period under Tokugawa shogunate, right before Meiji Restoration. Bushido is the "way of a warrior" and how bushis live with this code of conduct.

III. On antiquated patriarchal gender roles:

In the vast course of the series, Soji often offers a resolution for Sei to marry off instead of staying in Shinsengumi for a promise of safety... though distinctly coming from a place of care for her, is still in the end administering to misogyny where women were expected to be in households. It all essentially rows around patriarchy during Edo period.

Sei is someone who has struggled a lot to become a bushi as a woman. She is always told that she couldn't, as a woman, she should be married at her age instead, and so forth. Through Sei, we can see a lot of the constraining and dismantling the patriarchal gender structure as she climbs her way up to stand amongst Shinsengumi, which is domineered by mostly men. With her hard work and zeal, along with her raison d'être (first, joining to seek vengeance for her family, then, staying for Soji), she has earned her way up and is seen as a bushi on equal footings- and even better than most. Through all these, she constantly hears and deals with archetypal misogyny and sexist remarks, how being Feeling and Emotive is considered as a "girly thing," and how she always has to grapple with herself by being "a man" bc what she is doing is not "womanly" enough or what she is doing is still inadequate because she will always be a "woman" at the end of the day. This all falls on the rigid social dichotomy that is founded in patriarchy.

Below, from Volume 30, I believe, somehow counters those gender roles. Sei, when she saw Omasa looking a lot more "womanly" ever since she became a wife and a mum, came the scenes of her lamentations about letting go of her womanhood (marrying off, bearing a child, keeping the household, serving the husband, which were all what was believed to be what encompasses the happiness of a woman- an indoctrination of social mores re: what defines a woman that entirely stems from patriarchy) when she has already decided to choose to walk the path of a bushi. Though she has long been resolute with her decision, she still inevitably comes back to it, and she can't help but feel envious. Kondo saying "Soji would be a good wife" already disproves the gender stereotypes, and how the important conversation between Sei and Soji afterwards carries with it so much weight.

Because of her envy with Omasa, she sees herself insignificant both as a woman and as a bushi. She thinks that she is already past the age of a woman who's expected to be marrying off and having a family of her own, and that her mourning about it negates her being a bushi, that she is still as "girly" for thinking this way, even after coming a long way and proving herself in Shinsengumi. Soji then refutes this. Sei emphasized how she wants to be like the wind (Soji) that’s not clinging onto anything and that no desires could constrain, all she could do as a grass is look up to him and admire him even though she couldn’t be with the wind. Soji tells her otherwise, that the wind is envious of the grass that even has the ability to blossom with flowers and yearns to be like that. That Sei is already viewed as influential, and truthfully so. It's basically Soji saying he sees her as equals and is telling her that she is a strong woman and a fine bushi at that; that he, too, admires her (and how at this point Soji has already been perceiving Sei to be strong, as a great bushi and as herself, with how she carries herself & her ability to affect the ppl’s lives around her). Sei needs not to strip away her being a woman, she doesn't have to become a "man" to have been seen as equals, because she did it all being one; she is a woman of influence, and she actively debunks what were archetypal subjectifications of a woman- which, (thought not entirely), defies the patriarchal gender role expectations at this point.

IV. Slow burn romance, transformative and profound Love:

Finally, on the romance! The romance in this manga takes its time and it is wonderful.

I want to start off with how Soji really came a long way of acknowledging his love for Sei (someday I will make a separate post studying his character), how it has always been there, no matter which form, and how transformative it was. At first, he still doesn't fully recognise his feelings about Sei that he instead analogizes it to a parent having to let go of their first born, then how he was with Kondo as a sensei-disciple, then how his love for Sei is that above of a familial love. Now having met Sei, how he finds himself loving her in the process, he subconsciously files it under emotions he’s most familiar with: and that is his love for Kondo, or familial love. What he feels with Sei is something completely alien to him, he doesn’t yet have the awareness that it’s an entirely different form of love (and I will always believe that all the forms of love he had for Sei is just as significant and doesn't need to be measured, even when it doesn't have to necessarily metamorphose into a romantic love). Asking Toshi to reassign Nakamura, allowing his personal feelings get in the way of his work, was the first huge step in coming face to face with his feelings.

“It’s better than marrying someone I truly love so I can just die anytime” monologue of him, and having the dilemma of NOT being like that with Sei… because with Sei, he has something to value and that scares him more than anything. I feel this is interwoven by his past (I will also make a study on Sei & Soji's pasts, their similarities and how their contraries attract, both interlaced by their upbringing). Having ingrained the ‘bushido’ through Kondo & Toshi at an early age, and how he detaches himself from his emotions and dismisses them when it's all right in front of him just to shield himself pain links to his trauma from what happened with Sae.

Soji telling Sei that he wants her happiness more than anybody. At this point, he still struggles to rummage through how he feels. He tiptoes a lot on Sei and keeps her at an arm's length (and how Sei do not want this at all, having witnessed her mum having to bear it all alone, despite her dad loving her- again, will make a separate post about this) because he's scared of unintentionally hurting her.

So many factors come in between their love, the biggest one should be the societal structure during this era. Sei choosing to stay as a bushi & how this is the bridge that continually allows them to be together, so the best they could show it is by protecting each other with their lives. Sei coming to terms of not seeking love in return but just a love that gives and this love acts as a bridge for her to stay in Shinsengumi, to stay with Soji.

They’re both making peace with being able to be by each other despite despite not being Together… How immense their love for each other is that they have to constantly find ways for it to be selfless.

Going back on the above panels of Sei & Soji's conversation about the analogy of wind-grass inserted in III. On antiquated patriarchal gender roles, him saying there's the desire of whisking away a flower is him wanting to bring her with him. Probably because that flower is still part of a grass so there's a part of Sei that he wants to whisk away with him, and how this ties to both of their inner desires of being together as lovers despite being unaware of how each other feels. That they feel the same about each other and have the same ‘selfish’ yearnings for their love to bear fruits.

Soji finally understands that they both have the same happiness, of being able to watch over each other as the best they can do with their love. He doesn't anymore push her to quit and marry off for a promise of safety but rather respects her agency of choosing to stay so he just does everything he can to protect her, to not lose her. Sei is the same with him. Their love transcends the formalities of marriage, as they get to be by each other's side as bushi, fighting alongside each other with their lives. That they do not need to be wedded to love each other, it surpasses it instead.

Sei and Soji: a profound love that has a pressing desire to be selfish but resists that very selfishness & instead endures all that is fencing their togetherness for each other’s sake. They can’t find themselves to gather this selfishness (of wanting to be with each other as lovers) because they want their happiness more than anything… and that happiness is mirrored by their shared longing of being by each other's side.

Ripened thoughts (under the limitations until Vol. 30):

The charm of Kaze Hikaru is the slow burn romance, & seeing how Sei fares well in a male-domineering environment. I am glad that Sei reiterates that her being a girl doesn't matter as she can be a bushi on par with men, that she does not have to be what is expected of women in that time. Although I initially have qualms about her character as a bushi in the end still being revolved around a man, but the good thing about KH is it dislodges heteronormativity. To Soji, and even to Saito, Sei's gender identity truly didn't matter much. There is also plentiful of iterations in the manga about normativities in sexual preferences, though mostly between men (I have read that sapphics were not much accorded the same way, sadly. And I have yet to read a sapphic manga occurring during the same era, please if you know some recommend them to me...), during Edo period.

This manga doesn't weather down how barbaric this period can get, it instead reminds us many times that deaths were inevitable, no matter how unjust- people die and people kill. It's so bittersweet, yet it manages to keep a balance by showing us how there are found joys & bonds in their quotidian lives, which I really loved and stayed for. Love Kaze Hikaru for how unhurriedly progressive the characters are, how the story takes its time to venture into such a fractured era, & mostly how passionate the mangaka is to chronicle historical events.

Kaze Hikaru is nowhere near perfect, but it is still a wonderful manga that deserves more audience. Please read it and let's team up against V*Z to give us a more consistent volume release.

#reflections after K #animanga #kaze hikaru #風光る #kaze hikaru review #my ramblings because im obviously so smitten by it #i might be rehashing the same things but i just had to collect my general thoughts #anw im open to discussions abt kaze hikaru #i love hearing different perspectives and seeing it on a different lens but theres only like 4 of us that i know LOL #shoujo manga

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deathsweetblossoms · 1 year

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Azriel's Bonus Chapter, Mating Bonds, and Mor(e)

This was another find that had me PAUSE (if "YELLING SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS" can be likened to a simple "pause" then, okay.) Disclaimer: we talk about a potential mating bond between Azriel and Mor in this analysis, but I still tie it back to Elriel in the end.

I had intended to debrief each bonus chapter, but instead of approaching Azriel's in the simplistic way I approached Feyre's, I want to zero in on this one particular breadcrumb because ... WHAT?

"if Lucien finds out you're pursuing her, he has every right to defend the bond as he sees fit. Including invoking the Blood Duel."

Azriel hears Rhys say this, balks, and then thinks about how there was one other time, before this one, where he had thought about invoking the duel against Eris and Beron for Mor. /ALARM BELLS/INSTANT ANXIETY ATTACK/SARAH WE ARE GOING TO FIGHT.

Look me in the eyes and tell me this isn't weird. If we break down what Rhys is warning to it's simplest form:

Lucien, as the mated male, has the right to invoke the Duel for someone who posseses a threat to his mating bond (aka, if some other male wants his lady, he can fight to the death for ownership of his lady. An outdated duel, for sure, because...why does the female get no say? This seems like something Mor would vehemently want to run away from, or do anything in her power to avoid getting roped into. Think about it - why is she so desperate for freedom?)

When Azriel thinks about how he wanted to invoke the Duel for Mor, he says he seriously considered invoking it against Eris and Beron both "despite being an outsider".

So my question is, uh... WHY would he invoke the Blood Duel for Mor? Can it be invoked in a non-mating bond situation? I laughed off the theory of Azriel and Mor being mates but now I'm kind of like, WAIT. WTF IS GOING ON HERE? Because Mor was set up in essentially an arranged marriage with Eris, correct? So, that can be perceived as a direct mating bond threat, which Azriel could have invoked had they, in fact, been mated.

Also, as if my poor nerves weren't already suffering, Rhys even asks, "What about Mor?" which always drove me a little bit crazy because you're telling me all-knowing, all-seeing Rhys, who constantly told Feyre to stay out of it, DIDN'T NOTICE that Mor wants nothing to do with Azriel? And "prefers women" anyway??? Why would he even bring Mor into the conversation when they're discussing Elain and tenuous political alliances that would implode if Azriel pursued her? What is this, high school???!?!

*RIPPING MY OWN HAIR OUT*

But also, it explains a lot in terms of Mor being scared shitless of Azriel's response when she's threatened. If SHE also knows that they're mates, it would make sense for her character to want to run as fast and far away as possible to avoid putting him in that sort of mate-induced rage to invoke something like that.

It also explains "What if the cauldron made a mistake", as in, if he's somewhat aware of a potential bond between him and Mor, he is also aware that the cauldron CAN MAKE A MISTAKE. Because it did with them. Mor clearly prefers something else, and pursuing something else would make her happier although she still has a lot of love for Azriel and they remain friends.

See also: A Brief Overview of Feyre's Bonus Chapter and Analyzing the Necklace, The Mother, & Azriel's Bonus Chapter

Below the cut is some Elriel leaning theory and screaming given the above information.

So consider this: both Elain and Azriel have mates but they still end up choosing each other. WHAT A WILD STORY. You cannot tell me you wouldn't be on the EDGE OF YOUR SEAT over something like this?!?! Especially if Elriel would be a threat to *checks notes* the fragile political alliances of The Autumn Court, The Spring Court, Jurian and Vassa?

So with all of that hanging over their heads, and with their own mates, these two still choose each other?!

Oh, man, oh man. I would be losing my shit. IDK about you all. But..ooooo I would EAT THIS UP.

#acotar theory #azriel #omfg guys #elriel #elriel theory #but also azriel theory #but also mor theory

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dayfalwastaken · 10 months

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Power Testing - Spider-Man fanfic preview.

Mirroring a lightbulb lighting up, he jumped to his feet, his mind racing with a few spots in seconds. The first place he’d thought of was Doc Ock’s underwater base, though that one had been flooded from top to bottom. There was Vulture’s so-called “Nest”, but that… Nope. The Lizard’s hideout in the sewers- a more acceptable alternative if he ignored the smell. Although… Nah, bringing the Symbiote down there would make him eligible to experience the “Lethal Protector Treatment™”, and if that’s what led to Venom he’d have no right to get mad. There were those couple of weapon cashes belonging to Mr. L that he’d busted, but they were too small for what he needed to do. Or…

He finally gave the warehouse a good, long look before letting familiarity take him down the wall and through a broken window. What he saw inside left him with his mouth agape.

Or he could use Mysterio’s old prop house. Peter shook his head. These were too many small miracles one after the other. He knew he shouldn’t jinx it, but something bad was going to happen in return, wasn’t it?

He’d forgotten all about this place after the Police had raided it. The building had been abandoned in every sense of the word so there hadn’t been a reason to keep tabs on it. Every nook and cranny had been inspected, all evidence collected and nothing of interest had been left behind. Even Mysterio had known better than to return here. Before he’d been imprisoned, that was.

“Man, I hope he’s real this time. If it turns out he’s another bot I’m breaking that snow globe of his and leaving him hanging off the Brooklyn Bridge.” He muttered as he dropped to the floor.

The warehouse was huge and filled to the brim with dilapidated movie sets and harmless props, the only things not to be stripped clean by the Police. In front of him was a large theater stage, complete with red curtains with golden accents and spotlights to shine on the would-be actors below. Surrounding it were the sets, which came in all shapes and sizes. One was an old town that looked like it had been ripped straight out of a western, another was a miniaturized castle that belonged in a Disney film. A mockup tropical island was stationed to the far left, featuring fake vegetation, palm trees and a greenscreen where the sea should’ve been.

Near the stage, to its left was a full-sized T-Rex animatronic, sitting behind a row of costumes ranging from astronauts to horror movie monsters and caped crusaders. Other such props were littered about, many in open wooden boxes and on… barrels of all thing. Dust had gathered in absurd quantities on everything, all surfaces having a hazy layer of grey to them. Not even the air had escaped, the roof’s skylight allowing the moon to shine through right in the middle of the warehouse, illuminating the particles throughout. Oh, and there were more cobwebs than he could count.

“Makes you think why a guy with so much money would put on a suit and start robbing banks.” He spoke out loud. He couldn’t say he related to those that chose a life of crime when they already had all they could’ve asked for. Were those types of criminals looking for fulfilment? Something to entertain them and stave off their boredom? Peter would never know.

Hideouts such as these fit the guy’s style more than Peter would’ve considered. Hidden in plain sight, being almost too obvious of a base for people to think they’d actually be used. The bad guys weren’t that dumb, right? Except that kind of reverse psychology was exactly what Mysterio specialized in. It explained why it had taken so long for him to be found out.

Peter walked to one of the barrels and picked it up, checking around to make sure he was alone. He wasn’t sensing… Was that breathing he heard? Or… No, that was literally the wind. A current must’ve formed from all the open windows, which- yep, if he zeroed in on them he could pick up the wind flowing in.

Neat. Couldn’t do that before.

The Symbiote sent something then. It was like a ping, a short vibration at the base of his skull, what his Spider-Sense could have sounded like in another life, to notify him of… He couldn’t tell. Like the tingles, he was given a vague sense of direction, pointing towards the stage, but it was too widespread to say if it was the stage or just in front of him in general. Even more like said power, a feeling of alertness flew through his being, making his hair stand on edge.

Peter took a stance and waited, expecting to be taken by surprise, but nothing happened. The Spidey-Sense itself didn’t trigger, which made him raise a brow. He knew how reliable it was. Unless he was too distracted to listen to it, the early warning system couldn’t fail him no matter what, so… if it didn’t ring then there was no threat in his proximity…

…Was Symby attempting to communicate or was it playing around with his powers, mimicking them for testing purposes? If so, had it gotten the idea from him? He thought the question again, more clearly this time, hoping for an answer only to be met with the usual silence. It was plausible this had been just a test- the Klyntar adapting to his body like he was to its and trying things out. But then… Peter was the host. He was the one who had to accept the foreign being, not the other way around…

And as he pondered that, the lack of ringing in his head kept on confirming he was under no danger. Not being spied upon or anything of the sort.

So… just a fluke? No bug squashing involved at this time?

No response.

Good talk. Well, I hope it was nothing. Because if it was then shouldn’t the faux sense have remained active to keep warning him? Instead, it’d been as brief as it could have, and Peter was fairly convinced it was in both his and the Symbiote’s best interests for enemies to be scoped out if they were hiding somewhere close. Whoever those enemies may’ve been, if they even were that. Keeping information about their surroundings hidden was detrimental to the both of them. A Symbiote, a being whose whole deal about bonding revolved around the “we” aspect would know better than to keep close threats hidden from its host.

So, it must’ve been a fluke. Or a test or whatever it was Symby was doing other than actually warning Peter, since keeping him in the dark about this was a dumb move…

You know, I mean, no rush- I know this is new for you too, but I hope the cold shoulder won’t last long. I’d really appreciate a second opinion in, well, everything really, `cause… if I’m being honest… Most of the time I’m just winging it… That, uh, haha, rolling with the punches- that’s kinda what I do. Even if I shouldn’t when I have all these memories to tell me what I can do better. I haven’t outgrown that yet… Ah, sorry for being impatient- I’d just love it if we could talk, you know?... Probably not. I dunno, sorry. Take your time, buddy. He tried to offer it feelings of encouragement, which he didn’t actually know how to do, but it was the thought that counted, no? Peter hoped so anyway.

A curt blink of acknowledgment was radiated back along with something akin to a metaphorical pat on the head, telling him his concerns were understood and would be addressed, before Symby severed the connection. He smiled slightly.

Heh, coming from the immortal alien goo that’s pretty comforting.

…Symbiotes were so above his paygrade, he couldn’t help but feel a little small when compared to the alien that hailed from the stars. Alien that had been alive for literal eons. The… expectations or standards a being like it must’ve had when it came to-

No, bad Spidey! Don’t thread that way if you don’t want to go into some dark places. Focus on the present.

Just the act of thinking… It was like working to defuse a bomb- trying not to mess things up permanently and second guessing himself at every turn, but then… What else was knew? Typical Parker luck. What was a new weight added to the balancing act, some more confusion to navigate through? He shrugged to relieve the distress.

Redirecting his attention to the barrel at hand, he clasped it with both hands and pressed them closer, caving the metal with a sickening whine. He froze when he realized that may’ve hurt the Other, but when his suit failed to produce a reaction he took it as a sign that he hadn’t accidentally harmed it. Must not have been loud enough, then. Continuing, he was left dissatisfied with the bent plate in his hands. Simply flattening it wasn’t what he wanted, so he crumpled the remains further into a ball the size of his fist. He repeated the process five more times before webbing the spheres together.

Nodding to himself, Peter began crushing it all at once- every one of those one hundred and eighty pounds of steel drums. He actually had to struggle the more pressure he applied, but it didn’t take long for those one eighty pounds to be compressed into something that could fit in his palm. That was over twenty thousand grams per cubic centimeter…

He closed his mouth as soon as it had started hanging open and dropped the metal pebble, staring at his hands. Whether in awe or terror, he wasn’t certain. He was leaning more towards terror.

This was how the Thing felt, wasn’t it? Always having to be mindful of the world around him since he could break it with a mere touch. Like it was made out of tissue paper. That must’ve scared him a little. Peter shared the feeling to a degree, superstrength did that to people, but this… was excessive to say the least. He’d had an understanding of it, but he hadn’t fully grasped just how strong the Symbiote had made him, and… He’d hate to have to use this much power against another human being, or any being for that matter. Ever.

Look on the bright side. Now you can give the world’s best bear hugs.

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rising-volteccers · 10 months

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hi!!!, Can you please write something about how young Friede get his pikachu. I'm kinda obsessed with them.

Okay so initially I had an idea until they announced the summary for episode 18. After watching it, I decided to fill this prompt in a way by writing an in between scene of that episode featuring younger Friede and Cap. Hopefully it still fits within the prompt, and if not, my apologies for that! I hope it'd be an enjoyable read still!

Series: Pokemon Horizons

Characters: Friede, Captain Pikachu

While Orla did an awesome job in creating the Brave Asagi, they still needed to put in a lot of work before this airship could take to the skies. For starters, Friede needed to go through the proper hoops to legally operate an airship. Next they had to hash out details of important aspects like their supplies, means of earning funds to keep this ship running and the like.

It felt like every day he faced a new set of problems that gave him a headache but quite frankly, Friede didn’t mind it as much. This was all to make the Rising Volt Tacklers soar high in the sky. They’d want to make it as peaceful as possible, after all.

He spent the better part of the morning working out what they need to keep the engine room running. Friede offered Charizard to help with firepower if needed but obviously they couldn’t rely on just his starter. The pair decided to catch more Fire-types if they had the opportunity to help Orla out in there.

At some point, Cap probably found the talk too boring for his tastes so he left the meeting room early. Friede wondered about his partner’s whereabouts but figured he was somewhere on the ship at least. In the meantime, he made the short trip below deck towards his room.

When Friede pushed open the door, he paused mid step into the room. His eyes quickly zeroed in on Cap standing on top of his desk. He was staring at himself in the mirror, pawing at the captain’s hat on top of his head with his button nose all scrunched up.

Various thoughts immediately came to his mind. Friede genuinely forgot that Cap was a wild Pikachu until recently. The concept of accessories never once crossed his mind, nor was it something he’d naturally consider anyway. Pikachu typically communicate via squeaks and tail shakes. They also send messages to one another–or with other Electric-type species–by using electricity.

What kind of genius Pokemon Professor am I if I forgot something this simple? he mused, resisting the urge to rub the back of his head in mild frustration. Throughout the airship’s construction, he was dead set on having Pikachu be the captain. To commemorate it, he made the trip from Slateport City all the way to Lilycove, wanting to check out its large department store to find a small captain’s hat.

As to keep it a surprise, Friede had Cap stay with Ludlow that day. Finding one that fit Cap’s measurements didn’t take too long–it seemed that nautical themed accessories were pretty popular in Hoenn seeing that it was a landmass surrounded by the sea–but he wanted it to be extra special. He paid extra to have a custom emblem attached to it, feeling pretty pleased with the idea of fashioning the ‘F’ from his name (and freedom) to emulate wings. He thought it was fitting for them that will be flying high and free.

When Friede unveiled the hat and place it on Pikachu’s head, he seemed to like it, accepting his new role as captain with pride. Captain Pikachu had a nice ring to it, and he needed a clear tell for others to know that too. Friede honestly believed that it was a good idea.

Now, seeing Cap fiddle with the hat, his stomach churned slightly from guilt. Had Cap simply followed along with his whims, caught up in the heat of the Rising Volt Tackler’s formation? From what Friede knew of his personality from the weeks he spent researching on him, Cap was confident, self assured and would quickly show his displeasure if he didn’t like something (or someone. Ah, he could almost feel the phantom touch of Cap headbutting him in the stomach).

If Cap really didn’t like the hat, surely he would have shown it the moment Friede place it on his head right?

Then again, it was his lacking ability in understanding a Pokemon’s emotions that led him to stagnate. Friede theoretically knew a lot about them but he didn’t consider that Pokemon too had their personal wants and desires. There won’t always be a logical reasoning behind their behavior. He can’t just check off a list and claimed this was how all Pikachu would behave.

They might have formed a bond but it was still new. Friede had a lot to learn about his partner, and it felt like he already missed the mark from the start.

Lost in his thoughts, Friede didn’t realize his hum caught Cap’s attention. He found himself face to face with the Pikachu who looked surprised to see him here.

Swallowing down his rising doubt, Friede plastered on a friendly smile as he properly entered his room. “Hey Cap! I was searching for you. Seems like you’re… checking out the hat, eh? I guess it’s not something that you’re used to, huh? You don’t have to wear it if makes you feel uncomfortable, yeah?”

Try as he might, Friede couldn’t fully mask the mild disappointment in himself for failing to understand his partner. He genuinely thought it was a good idea, one that Cap liked but he also won’t force Cap to do things he wasn’t comfortable with. Establishing that early on should show Cap that Friede saw him as equals, hopefully deepening their bond going forward.

Cap’s button nose scrunched up once more. For a moment, Friede thought he somehow messed things up again. Before he can say anything, Cap adjusted the hat till it settled nicely between his ears.

He then turned to the mirror, striking a confident pose with his arms crossed and head tilted upwards. After that, Cap turned to him to flash the same thumbs up that he did when they were higher than the sun. He maintained that pose for a few seconds before taking the hat off. If Friede didn’t know any better, it looked like Cap was embarrassed.

It took a few seconds for Friede to properly understand the meaning behind Cap’s actions. Warmth bubbled within his chest, his lips trembling from the effort to keep his smile from stretching ear to ear.

Cap was… assuring him that he liked the hat. He saw past his mask, showing Friede that he didn’t read him wrong. Perhaps it’d still take time for Cap to get used to wearing it but he didn’t hate it like he (secretly) feared. Cap could have just worn it but he went the extra mile of posing to really drive the point home.

Oh, he really does have an awesome partner.

Friede quickly closed the distance between them to scoop Cap up. The Pikachu squeaked in surprise, cheeks sparking in mild warning. He didn’t care about the potential electrocution in his near future. All Friede could think about was how kind, considerate and awesome Cap was.

Chuckles slipped past his lips before they settled into a goofy grin. “Aww, you look so cool Cap! That’s my partner! Anyone who sees you and not think you’re the epitome of awesome doesn’t know a Pikachu from a Plusle!”

The rush of compliments seemed to make Cap even more embarrassed. He tugged down the rim with his paws as a partial cover but Friede didn’t miss the tiny smile he sported.

Friede decided to hold off the rest lest he pushed Cap past the point of embarrassment and into the ‘you better shut up before I make you’ stage. He still had nothing to counter for electric shocks after all.

With one last chuckle, Friede brought Cap up so he could settle on his shoulder. He then looked at their reflection in the mirror.

Friede wore his usual Charizard themed shirt with a jacket on top while Cap was in his hat. Seeing that they were going to travel all over the world, he supposed he too should wear the part. Depending on parts of the ocean they’d cross and the high altitude, he certainly needed to dress warmer. Perhaps some aviator goggles too for the flights he’d likely do on Charizard.

Well, Friede had plenty of time to figure out his personal wardrobe. The Brave Asagi had yet to make its maiden voyage, and with the time they’d likely spend in various corners of the world, inspiration might strike when he least expected it to.

In the meantime, they were plenty of other things to figure out first. Orla handled the ship’s maintenance but they lacked manpower for other important aspects of running an airship. For the time being, they’d take turns making food for everyone on board. In the case of an emergency, Friede knew how to perform first aid but he lacked proper knowledge to treat anything serious.

So many things to consider that it left his head spinning after. Still, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Friede would take figuring out the logistical nightmare of keeping this airship running over researching in a lab any day of the week.

“We’re going to be super busy, huh Cap?” he murmured, raising a finger to lightly rub Cap underneath his chin. “There’s probably going to be a lot of problems but we won’t give up, yeah?”

Like the Pikachu who never gave up in flying to see the horizon, the Rising Volt Tacklers too would get past whatever problems they faced so they can fly towards a new horizon every day.

#Pokemon Horizons #Anipoke #Pokeani #Professor Friede #Captain Pikachu #Hana writes stuff #I hold this out with my hands and hope it's a nice offering #I love these two so much

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heaven-s-black-box · 12 days

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Elsaria quest act 1: Decay of the Past- Ensemble & @/crystalkat6747 OCs

Return to File

Recovery date: May 6th, 2024

Description: After things on the Luofu wrap up, Kakeru and Kesshou get some distressing news from their home world. A disease is spreading through the population, rendering the current queen bed ridden along with an entire city. The Astral Express crew decides to push back their Penacony visit just a bit to see if they can help.

Notes: This work was recovered in conjunction with @crystalkat6747, we thank her for her contributions. The story quest for her OCs and their home world, written in 3 acts and trying to follow the style of the in game trailblazer quests.

chapters: 1 2 3

Word count: 2 753

Back to directory

The next stop was supposed to be Penacony. The Astral Express crew had even offered them a ride, since they were all going there anyway, but plans changed when Kesshou and Kakeru’s phones buzzed almost simultaneously.

“We’ll come with you,” Caelus informed the cousins as they boarded their ship. “We put it to a vote, and the Charmony festival isn’t going anywhere. At the very least we can provide some aid, if this thing only affects Ali we’ll be immune.”

Kakeru continues into the ship to prepare for their departure, but Kesshou stops. There’s a small frown on her face.

“Thank you, but we cannot ask for you help at this time. We aren’t even sure how serious the situation is, it may be nothing.”

“All the more reason for us to come along,” Dan Heng cuts in.

“He’s right,” March piped up, “if it really is nothing we’ll be gone as quick as we came, otherwise you’ll need the help.”

Kesshou seemed to consider their offer for a moment as the ship whirled to life below her.

“Very well. Do you know where you’re going?”

“Ms. Himeko and Pom Pom are already setting our course.”

“Then we will see you very soon,” Kesshou bowed slightly, before running up into her ship.

The trailblazers watched the ramp lift back up, before returning to the express.

---

This was very clearly not nothing. Ali in masks and surgical gloves rushed about with others on stretchers. The courtyard was filled with coughing and groans of pain as infected were rushed into the quarantine zone in the palace.

Kakeru was the one to meet them at the gate.

“What’s going on?” Welt asked.

The Ali handed them all a mask.

“Some kind of infection in the wings that’s eating its way into our nervous systems. Half-Ali don’t seem to be affected,” he waved a hand, “so they’re the only ones let past the gate, well, and non-Ali. Kesshou’s- General, what are you doing here?”

The express crew turned towards Jing Yuan who’d been standing behind them.

“I’m here to see what aid the Xianzhou alliance may be able to offer. Please, continue.”

Kakeru’s eyes narrowed momentarily as he scrutinized Jing Yuan.

“Kesshou’s in a meeting with the Overlords rights now, if you’ll follow me I can take you to some of the first patients.”

Kakeru caught the express crew and Jing Yuan up to speed as they walked.

The first case was in a small farm town near the palace, unfortunately that town is where the palace gets its food from; so the cook had interacted with patient zero. Then the cook interacted with a maid, who was about to go on vacation back home to Marina– spreading the disease to the city of water Ali.

Where patient zero got the disease from was unknown, and there were no signs of Stelleron activity.

Thankfully Marina was as far as it had spread because the maid had made contact with someone who developed symptoms almost immediately. They’d found patient zero, still relatively healthy– only running a fever and molting– only by retracing everyone’s steps. That was a week ago.

In the last week almost half the pure-blood Ali population of Marina was infected, ten people were dead, and almost a hundred others were in varying states of incapacitation. For such an endangered species, those numbers were huge.

“If the first three cases are dead, who are you taking us to?” Himeko asked.

Kakeru stopped in front of a large door and cast a glance back to Jing Yuan. The general was visibly worried as he recognized the door.

“Are they okay?” He asked, looking to Kakeru.

The Ali averted his gaze and pushed the door open.

“Mom? Aunt Aoi? The Astral Express crew is here.”

The room was grand, with a large bed in the center. On either side of the bed were temporary cots, and women resting in them. One of the women perked up at Kakeru’s voice, the way she moved causing her to break down into a coughing fit. Her nurse gave her some water before helping her prop herself up.

“Kakeru.” She glanced across the group, her eyes glassy and unfocused, “Jing Yuan, what are you doing here.”

Kakeru tossed his gloves in an overflowing trash can, putting on new ones and making his way to the other woman’s side. Jing Yuan approached the other woman, and the nurse motioned for him to sit on the bed.

The general took the woman’s hand, gently rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand.

“Aoi…I was worried about you… you both, of course,” he cleared his throat awkwardly, and Kakeru looked up, rolling his eyes. “As allies of the Luofu your health is important to us.”

“Mom,” Kakeru said suddenly, grabbing his mother’s hand as her hand jerked slightly. “Mom?”

Jing Yuan turned around, and Aoi strained to see her sister across the room. Kakeru watched her lips move, but no sound came out. His brows furrowed in distress as the nurse kept watching the monitor.

Finally, Ayano’s eyes opened slightly– though Kakeru doubted she could see him.

A wheezy breath escaped her lips as she tried to speak again.

“Ba…ck,” her voice was weak and wheezy.

“Ya, I’m back,” Kakeru replied, squeezing her hand.

“Kne…w… see… hi…m.”

Ayano’s eyes slipped shut again, but her vitals remained stable. Kakeru frowned.

“What happened?”

“She’s started losing control of her body,” the nurse explained. The sound of a door opening filled the room as Kesshou stepped inside. She immediately went to her mother’s side. “The disease is spreading quickly through her nervous system… it’s in her brain. If we don’t do something soon, she won’t make it much longer.”

“None of the overlords have any idea what this is,” Kesshou said, “but, they suggest we make our way to the old temple in the mountains and ask Qlipoth for help.”

“Then we’ll leave at once.”

---

Jing Yuan stayed behind in the palace and sent a message back to the other Xianzhou ships asking for support. The Luofu was in no condition to help, hell the only reason he’d been allowed to leave was because he was supposed to be resting and therefore wasn’t doing anything, but the rest of the alliance could spare a few healers and medicine.

Kesshou and Kakeru, meanwhile, led the Express crew up into the mountains. A difficult journey for those without the ability to fly.

The path up was thin and worn, eroded away by time and the elements. Himeko and Welt tried to walk closest to the edge, keeping the three younger crew members closer to the wall, but most of the time the path was only wide enough for one person at a time. Kakeru followed behind Caelus at the very back, while Kesshou led the crew and tested each step before waving them forward.

There was a tense silence in the air as everyone listened carefully to the surrounding rocks.

The sky was clear and the sun was shining, but it might as well have been storming with the grim atmosphere.

“Sooo,” March spoke when they reached a wider area with an intact rail, she was right behind Kesshou, “your mom and the general seem pretty close.”

Kesshou cast a quick glance back at her.

“They are. He-” Kesshou interrupted herself with a small coughing fit. “Excuse me. He’s the closest thing I have to a father, my biological father isn’t around.”

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s not a big deal. It’s a long story, perhaps I can explain it to you once everything is sorted out.”

“I would like to expand the Express’ archives before we leave,” Dan Heng called from the middle of the group.

“Then we’ll do-do-” Kesshou broke into another coughing fit.

This time the force of her coughing forced her to lean against the stone face as she struggled to breath. Himeko carefully stepped past March and placed a hand on the young Ali’s shoulder. She rubbed her back between her wings, trying to help her through the fit.

“Kesshou?” Kakeru called, trying to peek around the rest of the group.

“I’m-” she started coughing again. “I’m okay.” Caelus noted the way Kakeru’s face twisted in worry, but he didn’t move. “I’m okay,” Kesshou breathed, voice rough.

Himeko handed her a bottle of water which she gratefully drank from.

“Ms. Kesshou,” Himeko whispered, “are you-”

“I must not be used to the altitude. I may be able to breathe, but the pressure is still stressful.” She smiled at Himeko, straightening back up. “Our next path is through a canyon, so we should wait until tomorrow with better light. There’s a cave up ahead designed as a rest point, we can stay there.”

Himeko stayed behind her instead of returning to behind March while they followed the path to a rotting wooden sign.

Across from the sign was an overhang that ate back into the mountain. In the cave there was a stone circle in the center for a fire, but otherwise it was empty. Dan Heng settled himself on a small rock ledge near the back of the cave, and March and Caelus settled beside him; March took out her camera to show them all the pictures she’d taken so far. Himeko and Welt sat near the entrance, talking quietly, and Kesshou and Kakeru remained outside.

Since the cave was so hollow, their voices echoed faintly letting everyone hear them fighting over who should go get firewood. Kakeru insisted that she needed rest after all her coughing, but Kesshou didn’t want to sit around doing nothing.

Eventually Kesshou ceded, and Kakeru left while she took a seat against one of the cave walls. She took out her phone and messaged someone, who clearly replied quickly as she became distracted by their conversation.

The night was uneventful, and so was the next morning. Kesshou seemed a little sluggish though and seemed to be coughing a bit more frequently. She dismissed everyone’s concerns though, even as she stumbled over nothing leaving the cave.

As Caelus left, being the last one out, he noticed a small clump of molted crystals where Kesshou had been sleeping.

“Caelus, we’re ready to leave!”

“Coming!” He called, jogging to catch up as everyone started to head through the next passage.

This one was much easier to traverse.

The path was wide enough they didn’t have to walk single file, though Kesshou stayed a few steps ahead of everyone. They’d barely turned the first corner of the winding path when they came across their first problem.

A pack of jade bugs had been disturbed by their presence, and the second they got close the bugs swooped in.

“Duck!” Kesshou yelled, diving forward under the bugs.

Himeko went down to the side, bringing March with her, and Welt turned around to pull Caelus and Dan Heng down. Kakeru ducked as soon as his cousin spoke, knowing exactly what was coming.

He was also the first to get back up, turning around and drawing his weapons.

By the time the bugs went for their second pass, Kesshou had given him a shield. He wasted no time with attacking them one at a time, instead jumping up and launching a shower of crystals from his wings. The bugs quickly crumbled away.

“Is everyone okay?” Kakeru asked, turning back around.

“What were those things?” Dan Heng asked.

“Jade bugs. They’re harmless individually, but in swarms they’ve been known to take down spiral serpents.”

“Spiral serpents?”

“Big snakes that live underground. Don’t worry, we aren’t planning on going underground and they don’t like sunlight.”

He looked up from the crew, finally, to find Kesshou still crouched down on the ground.

“Kesshou?” He stepped forward, and she didn’t react. “Kesshou.” He crossed the distance in two long steps to crouch in front of her. “Kesshou!”

“Huh?!” Her head snapped up. “Sorry, you were saying something?”

Kakeru gently cupped her cheek. Her eyes were glassy, and she flinched at his touch. There was also a faint flush to her skin and a warmth radiating off it. He frowned.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly.

“I’m fine.” Kesshou carefully pushed herself to her feet, using Kakeru as a brace. “Sorry,” she addressed the crew. “One of the bugs must have scratched me. They’re venomous, but I'll be okay.”

As they continued their ascent, they ran into a small group of amethyst moles that the Express trio handled, and a spiral serpent skeleton that made March glad they weren’t underground. They emerged from the passage just as the sun started setting, engulfing it in darkness and leaving the team with a gorgeous view of the amethyst falls in the distance.

March took a few pictures as Caelus continued dragging her along the path and up the stairs. Stairs, finally, signified the last leg of their mission.

Kakeru lit the lanterns lining the stairs as they made their way to the temple; there was no reason for them to wait a whole night when part of the descent would take them a whole day.

Unlike the path to get here, the temple was well maintained. It was built of rock. A high wall surrounding it, then a wall half that size, and then a wall that just reached March’s waist. They formed rings that shielded the internal altar, a stone pillar with a flame burning in the center contained by an amber shell that dispersed the light across the innermost wall and the top half of the second wall. The projected pattern created golden cracks across the stone, despite its perfect face.

“So, how do we ask for help?” Welt asked, curious as to what was planned.

Kesshou approached the altar and stretched out her wings, wrapping them around it and hanging her head down.

“We believe the light to be Qlipoth’s gaze. By shielding THEIR gaze we speak with THEM and can ask for THEIR help.”

“How do we know if it works?” March asks softly.

“That depends on how bad things are. Perhaps THEY will visit us, or perhaps THEY will send us aid. All we can do is wait.”

“That seems dangerous, what if you don’t receive an answer?” Himeko whispered.

“We won’t stop looking for our own cure,” Kakeru said, turning back to her. “If we did, Qlipoth would not help us anyway.” A soft clattering noise echoed off the walls as the flames' light returned. Kakeru turned back to his cousin, assuming she was done. “Kesshou?”

He frowned, finding her leaning against the altar.

Rushing over, he pulled her off the altar when she didn’t respond.

“Is she okay?”

“Kesshou!”

Kakeru cradles her in his arms as he tries to shake her awake. Her eyes are glassy and unfocused while her skin burns. It doesn’t take him long to figure out what’s wrong, and his worries are confirmed when he accidentally pulls a handful of crystals from her wing.

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s sick…” Kakeru says, voice filled with disbelief. “She’s infected…”

“But I thought-” March starts, stopping mid sentence.

“I don’t know but this is how the disease- we have to get her back to the palace,” Kakeru stumbles over his words and cuts himself off as his mind runs a mile a minute.

Why was Kesshou affected? Why had it taken so long for her to start showing symptoms? Would she be okay?

He picked her up carefully and started leading the group back down the stairs.

“You can fly her back, we’ll take the path-”

“I can’t carry her, and the path is too long… we have to go through the mines.”

---

Jing Yuan brushed Aoi’s hair back from her face, changing the damp cloth on her forehead.

“How…’s A-Ay-Ayano,” Aoi choked out, trying to look past him to her sister on the other side of the room.

The general looked back, a frown on his face.

“She’s seeing things,” he sighed, deciding to be honest. “But she doesn’t seem to be getting worse.”

“Has… she mentioned… him…”

“I think she thought Kakeru was him.”

Aoi was silent, letting her eyes close for a moment before she struggled to open them again.

“If-”

Jing Yuan gently covered her mouth, shaking his head no when she looked at him with a small furrow in her brow.

“None of that.”

“Ri-ight.” It was a struggle, but Aoi managed a small nod. “I think… sleep…” she trailed off.

“Alright,” Jing Yuan whispered back. “I’ll be here.”

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alicepao13 · 8 months

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Well, that wasn't as bad as I feared. I have zero trust in shows like Hudson and Rex portraying people with disabilities, so I was cringing before watching the episode (for like, a while). I still need to ask whoever's in charge, how the fuck they manage to lose the balance of a show on its 6th season, but I'm getting slightly used to that and the (very, very bad put together) promo for the next episode slightly helped.

I'll put my scrambled thoughts below:

Did no one seriously notice (from the production, not the fandom because we did) how isolated Charlie and Rex seem? Like, this is my primary complain in each episode so far and I tried not to mention it again, but it really showed in an otherwise okay episode.

The actress did a good job, or that's what it felt to me as a non visually impaired person. I did feel that they could have had her do more at times. She seemed like she could handle it.

Oh, Karma. At the start of the previous season I thought they'd keep her for that season alone, because they really didn't seem to know what to do with four extra episodes and extra budget, and I was right.

Of course Jesse would be delighted by the use of AI, the little shit lol. I liked Sarah pointing out that someone was going to lose their job if the AI could do it. Even more when it turned out that it wasn't exactly ready to do anyone's job just yet. I could write like five paragraphs over that, but I'll spare y'all.

If Rex could talk in the scene where Charlie managed to slip through the garage(?) door, I'm sure he'd say something like, "Oh no, the idiot is alone". (That voice in Moonknight, yeah, that one. Do not expect any names, I forget as soon as I watch these days.)

Fucking hit him with the painting, dude! Why are all criminals in that city useless in giving me whump?

Absolutely amateurish of Joe to let slip to the dad that there was a witness. I mean, why did he need to know? That part was just there so that the dad could later try to find said witness.

Also, I'm pretty sure Charlie got punched in that dark scene where I'm certain the intent was to make us feel as in the dark as the blind girl. I don't find a reason for these scenes, I've said that on other shows too, we've all been left in the literal dark at some point in our lives, we don't need a show scene like that to get us to empathize with a blind person. Anyway, just because we didn't see it doesn't mean Charlie shouldn't have bruises afterwards.

General observation, I don't like how in this season they have Charlie say, "my forensicist" (which, is that even a word because dictionary says no lol), "my techie". A few months ago they were a team, now they're just... helping him. And I don't know about Jesse, but technically Sarah outranks Charlie, even though they're not in the same chain of command for that to become an issue.

Another general observation is that there seems to be a darkness? moodiness? overall in these episodes. It could also have been facilitated by the bad weather, but also, I have a general feeling that the characters also seem more rough around the edges, and since there's nothing in the show's storylines to support that from what they've shown us so far, it just sets the tone of the show to something offputting without a real reason why. I don't consider these elements inherently bad in a show, much less a crime show, but you can't suddenly do a 180 when you have an already established show tone and offer no explanation for it.

For the next one: In my opinion, they cannot skip having Charah scene(s) in the next episode. But also, I trust these writers less than I would trust an overworked and underpaid Greek screenwriter who has to deliver 30+ episodes each season. And that's saying something.

#hudson and rex #jeez that got long #long post

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raincitygirl76 · 1 year

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I’m quite sure that the Substack posts by @tvmicroscope by Young Royals have been linked by various people. But as I am a subscriber of theirs on Substack, I will take advantage of the convenience to link all their posts thus far.

The Competition Metaphor. The one with Felice’s eggs!!! Note this link is to Part 1 of a theme that’s spread over 2 posts. Part 2 of 2 is the post linked just below. Read the Competition Metaphor post before the Water Metaphor post.

The water metaphor, aka Part 2 of 2. Read the competition metaphor post first. Also, this is the longest post by far from @tvmicroscope I would suggest either setting aside about half an hour, or knowing in advance that you’ll read part of the post, and then come back to read the rest when time allows.

Please do NOT be be scared off by my warning to allow extra reading time. The water metaphor is a GREAT post. Long, but packed with amazing symbolism and thoughts. Well worth half an hour out of your day. You just might not have half an hour all at once.

Those above were the 2 most recent posts. I’m being rather disorganized. Had originally planned to link the posts in reverse chronological order. Then decided partway through to change my mind. The next 3 links are in chronological order. And that’s it. @tvmicroscope has only written 5 posts so far but I’m already hooked on the analysis.

Visual metaphors

The music metaphor

Symbolism and YR’s original score.

Also, I don’t know @tvmicroscope at all, so I’m not trying to convince you to shell out money for a friend of mine, I promise. But IF you are in a financial position to do so, I think subscribing to them on Substack might be a good idea to consider. Obviously, not everyone is in that financial position. And some fans have an ethical problem with fans monetizing at all. Not a position I share, but I respect that position.

I fortunately can afford to subscribe. There is zero subscriber-only content so far, and I have no idea if any is planned. But if someone is posting really thoughtful, thought-provoking analysis (or gifs, or vids) that I haven’t seen elsewhere, and they have a Ko-Fi/Substack/Patreon, I’ll think about it.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

I hadn’t realized this, but there is also a FREE option to subscribe to @tvmicroscope on Substack without paying any money at all! So if you’re not in a financial position to get a paid subscription, you can still subscribe and enjoy the posts.

Also, any content that is not currently paywalled for paying subscribers will never be put behind a paywall. So the 5 articles I linked above will ALWAYS stay available to everybody, whether or not they have a paid subscription. More details in link below.

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dreamypqulson · 2 years

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— you don’t have to hide from me

requested by @favoriteredhead: A sickfic with billie or mina where the reader knows that they are sick and tries to take care of them but they try to hide their sickness. Like some comfort/fluff of that is possible.

pairing: billie dean howard x reader

word count: 1000

The light of Sunday morning filtered the room, the night not leaving behind any darkened areas. The sunlight was bright, but you were frigid. The crisp October air had snuck its way into the house before you considered turning the heater on.

But clearly Billie didn't mind. Not this morning. She wasn't awake, but her intense body heat was the only thing keeping you from getting frostbite. She should be cold too.

Billie always complained that she was cold. It didn't matter if it was the middle of July, or the end of August. That woman seemed to always be shivering.

You cuddle closer into her sleeping form. Her body was damp, sticky, pale. You pulled away, and sat up in the bed. The medium managed to never look haggard, and you think she would keep that up even if she were to be on her death bed.

The person who you looked down onto did not look like Billie. Not one bit. Her face was concerningly pale, and covered in a layer of sweat. Her cheeks and chest were red, a deep tomato shade of red.

You shook her shoulders once, a faint, "Billie" from your lips. She was a light sleeper, and woke with just that. However, it took much strength for her to open her eyes. The sunlight that the thin curtains couldn't barricade was already hurting her head.

"Billie dean, are you alright, love?" You wiped away the hair that stuck to her face. She groaned and grunted, but soon leaned into the coolness of your palm.

She didn't response. You answered for her. "It's seems like you've come down with a fever."

"I'm fine." Her gravely voice betrayed her. Water. She needed water. Someone must've scraped her throat with sandpaper while she slept, she supposed.

"You don't seem too fine. Does your head hurt? What hurts?" You pried. Her eyes; they would've rolled to the back of her head if they weren't already hurting her.

"I am fine. If I wasn't, you would know."

"Exactly. I do know. It's below zero and you look like you've just worked out in a desert. Like you haven't slept for days either."

"Thank you, baby. You look wonderful yourself."

You scoffed at her antics and got up anyways. She didn't put it past you that you were trying to get her some medicine. You didn't put it past her that she would force you to shove the pills down her throat before she willingly took them.

But she did not expect for you to come back with every hospital tool there was. Not exactly. Just a cool rag, some medicine, and a thermometer. But Billie never took enough care of herself when she was sick to recognize that you weren't being unnecessary.

"I'm not sick," she voiced, weak, fragile, while you got back onto the bed. Her eyes were closed again, slightly. Staring at you through a small slit in her eyes.

“I never said that you were sick, so that leads me to believe that you are.” You set the cold, wet rag on her forehead. She didn’t fight it. It felt too relieving to push away. “And you’re being so stubborn about this. Why don’t you just admit that you’re sick?”

She didn’t answer you until her pills were swallowed. She strained to answer. The pills already made her feel like she was swallowing tiny knives. “Because, baby, i’m not. I have to- oh the dinner tonight. Remember? With the crew of my show.”

“Your plans tonight are relaxing, so scratch that dinner. I’m not letting you go when you’re sick as a dog. They can reschedule.” You stuck the thermometer in her mouth, her brows displaying that she was evidently angry. “Over one hundred. Jesus, Billie. I don’t mean to be controlling, but I care about you. You’re sick as a dog.”

“I’m not sick, though. Just hot.” She winked. You certainly weren’t having it. On other occasions, yes. But not right now.

“Billie—”

“Can I have some water?”

“Of course, sickie.”

You could feel her eyes burning your back when you got up. She would rather take care of you. But you weren’t the sick one. Maybe after she was cleared up, you would catch whatever she had. Then you would be sure to give her a hard time too.

You came back with some cold water only minutes later. You would’ve thought she was dead, being so unresponsive to your presence. However, she quickly gulped down the entirety of the water once it was in her hands.

“Just tell me how you feel. I know you’re sick so there’s not point in denying it.”

“My head is pounding, my whole body hurts, i’m hot and cold. Nose is stuffed up. But don’t worry about me, darling. You’re such a worrier.”

She buried her head deeper into the white pillow. She couldn’t smell her own perfume against it, or yours from laying on billie throughout the night. She couldn’t smell anything, she couldn’t even breathe.

“Nonsense, i’m going to worry about you until you’re better. How about breakfast?” You didn’t think she was listening. Maybe she was sleeping. All you heard was muffled mumbles in the pillow.

“I really don’t think I can stomach food right now.” She turned her head back to you. For a moment, she looked so small. Her nose red, and brown eyes big and tired. “I just want to lay here with you.”

“Promise you’ll eat lunch?”

You waited for her to respond, and then you laid and gather her weak body into your arms once she nodded. “You know, you’re going to have to take care of me when you give me whatever you have.”

“I know” she muttered into your shirt, half asleep but still aware.

“And i’m going to put up a fuss like you did.”

“I know.” She breathed. “But you’re lucky I love you because I don’t take that bullshit from anyone.”

You airily laughed at her, fingertips finding her damp locks again. “And I love you, my sickie.”

taglist: @loverofallthingssarah @goodeday2u @lanawinters-ily @talulahmae @sapphicforsarahh @ahsfan05 @stayevildarling @isle-of-earle @cordithatgurl @mistysswampmud @billiedeansbitch @billiedeanspearls @cigaretteology @favoriteredhead @l0vingsarah @cordeliass @cordeliasboobholder

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privateolives · 7 months

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I saw people talk about their Zero Time Dilemma fixes around the tag so I thought I'd dump in my convo on the topic too (With shout-out to @oriko-magicas's galaxy brain read on Akane and Junpei)

Absolute wall of text below.

Me: I'm having trouble finding it, but there was a post talking about Akane and Junpei in Zero Time Dilemma that I really liked the interpretation of It's essentially talking about how Akane don't want anything but the perfect future with Junpei. She went through so much and spend so long aiming for fhe one needle hole solution to live that she can't settle for anything but her ideal fantasy ending anymore. Meanwhile Junpei still experiences time the way it normally goes and he was burned by 999. He knows things will never be the same cause THEY'RE not the same, but he's willing to work with that to stay with her And I think it's a super thematic read, especially when you consider their VLR attitudes

Friend: Yeah, you know, that actually makes a lot of sense to me

Me: https://www.tumblr.com/privateolives/730880206913552384?source=share

Okay I’m thinking of ztd again, and it’s how Akane only accepts a future with Junpei if it can be fairytale perfect. She wants so desperately to be that kid who died in the incinerator again, the one… There it is

Friend: That would certainly explain the way she frequently reacts to this new cynical, jaded Junpei

Me: I don't think that's her exact motivation for that ending but the sentiment is perf Yeah

Friend: It makes much more sense to me. Every time she shakes her head and says "what happened to you" it's because she's hopeful to see that same boy she used to know

Me: I think Junpei's attitude would make a lot more sense if the assholery was played up when Akane acts like he should still be the same like he was before 999. Or like the world could be how they saw it before then. It'd underline the dynamic better of "I need you to be the person I cried out to back then" and he's like "I love you but you literally made that impossible" … paired up with Carlos like "I am begging you to just talk" Carlos: you are both cute and valid but I NEED you to communicate

Friend: I think maybe part of it is that Junpei's jaded asshole net is thrown a bit wide. 'cause on one hand it is like he's upset at Akane for 999 and part of it is like he's upset that she acts like he should be the same after that, but then there's also all the shit that he went through since then and it feels like he blames her for that as well He's been through a lot in what has somehow just been one year and it feels like, perhaps fitting for someone who has also become an alcoholic, he's looking to put the blame for it all on someone

Me: Yeah Also I've been thinking, and I think there's an easy fix to the stupid "complex motives" crap. And a lot of Delta honestly

Friend: hell yeah let me hear it

Me: The whole frame he jeeps setting up with the snail. It's all about a series of small butterfly effects that cause an extremely specific outcome. That's what he wants to do too, same as the other zeroes, but he has one particular handicap: he can't shift or read timelines. He won't just know how to make the bricks fall to get the exact outcome he wants. But if he could gather enough shifters, he could read their hopping around through their minds. Because resonance would make the memories clearer. So he sets up the game that can only be completed by getting the exact result he wants and then introduces the piranha - Mira - to the equation to ensure it won't be a dead end stalemate Then in the end he can explain that yes, his motives are complex. Because the solution to save 8 billion without killing 6 billion is a hairline precise set of circumstances that he wouldn't be able to figure out what is naturally. So he had to make them create it. He had to make them all resonate to read them and make them all resonate to give them all awakened shifter powers for the future and to read at all. Furthermore I would play up his narcissism. The smugness of his own intelligence being double edged to believing he has to cause this himself because he's the only one who can. A staunch belief that he HAS to be what causes the bricks to fall as they should. And it'd make his point of "but I didn't do anything in this timeline. Everyone is prepped and noone is dead" more valid. Because he doesn't shift. He doesn't emotionally register all the timelines he massacred to get this one. He only know the actions that caused his personal outcome as a list of checked boxes checked off through their memories

Me: Furthermore, there could be another reason why he has to be the one triggering these events. I was super annoyed that it was like "Oh so now free the soul isn't enough. We need another terrorist group with a world ending leader. And what was the left thing about?" Well what if its not a separate terrorist group. What if the religious fanatic he's talking about is himself, transported forward in time. A younger version of himself is ending the world to create the ideal existence Dio was talking about. But the Delta who arrived in the original way back when doesn't shift. He has to live all those years. He meets interesting being like Sean that makes him realize that the differences between people makes for various choices that makes life beautiful. So now he has to find a way to out-checkmate himself to stop himself. How? Prep a group of people capable of doing what he can't to try and outsmart him. And set up a winning condition entirely set on being able to do that.

Friend: that's actually so brilliant because yeah I think definitely the weakest part of this outcome is that it doesn't really solve the problem that he set out to solve "You're all really motivated now!" oh so… what they wouldn't have tried to stop a terrorist attack if he hadn't made them all kill each other? the heck is that also, yeah I was going to ask you about that at some point. like, he doesn't mention Left at all in ZTD and I was confused if Sean was supposed to be related

Me: I don't think so. Because he was an old man when he met Sean in the hospital. But I think he was fascinated by Sean's approach to life And maybe made him consider that something could be beautiful outside of Left

Friend: this man just goin around creating marvels of science to preserve dead little boys

Me: I'm thinking part of it is also like Solving the conundrum of giving him whatever he wanted. He has his dreams of the future. He can give him that. But he's not in despair of having to die before that reality. So he gives ukm the option of death too By just giving him the option at all, he's ensured both will happen somewhere Thus the ideal outcome of how he can have both comes true Lastly, Mira's ending. I think they should have empathised more that she became a killer to understand experiencing emotions instead of just pretending them. She chases Eric because she thinks she wants to feel that rush again, but her connection with Sean could show her something different. That either through resonance she could experience emotions through others OR that you can still essentially be human even if you're only able to "simulate" having those emotions,m like a robot does.

Me: Meanwhile Sean both wants better for and cannot forgive Mira for her crimes. But thanks to the choice with the bad and happy ends, he has an answer for how to both make Mira live with her crimes and ensure a future where it doesn't happen. By creating a split timeline where she goes back and stops her crimes from being committed. In this case, the original Mira would still know and have to live with what she did. But I'm one tjmeline a young Mira never becomes the heart ripper and the crimes are undone. The sins are therefore both being punished and remembered for happenjng and erased to begjn with at the same time.

Friend: you know what I like that one. that's a good way of interpreting it, especially with the way the transporter works also, doubly digging this idea. Mira being shown this robot child who either somehow experiences emotion or at the very least simulates it in such a way what it fools everyone (and also is capable of calling her out on her own emotional mistakes) should have so much more of an impact on her

Me: Yeah Like I genuinely think you could fix this game either a few tweaks

Friend: yeah absolutely also I'm not sure what the amnesia element really did for it? I guess it was to confuse the SHIFTers so they wouldn't know they had already SHIFTed but to what end?

Me: It might be to confused the computer. Keep it from figuring out its not the real Sean too fast If it remembers being Sean it'd be easy to compression and contrast all the things that Sean definitely couldn't do or know and reach the conclution If it doesn't remember being Sean, there's nothing to compare any contradictions to. It can only just assume that the reasons are things it can't remember Also, if the computer ONLY has Eric and Mira, it makes it more incentives to latch onto them and care about their situations, despite them both being monsters in their own right Oh Also The Carlos thing Rather than just "I couldn't have met you guys" you could do: 1) in order to fix this we need phi and Sigma here. That means we need a timeline where Akane and Junpei escape but don't stop Zero or the radical-6 outbreak. So he breaks in to bust them out. 2) they need the timeline where Delta gives them answers. Meaning they need a timeline where Zero "wins". So he can't interfere. 3) split worlds principle. By just introducing the choice to stop zero's plans or not, he's creates both options. This is the world where he doesn't stop Zero. But because he comes pre-packadged with the knowledge of what's gonna happen, he can still tale actions to secure the timeline that'll allow for them all to stop zero So there is a timeline where he stops Delta before DCOM, but because of the anthropic principle (there must be a perciever for the option to be percieved) Akane and Junpei never see it because they never had to go through the game. They only percieve the option where Carlos didn't stop Delta in time

Friend: that makes perfect sense to me gosh imagine that timeline, though. Akane and Junpei never go to DCOM so they never meet there poor Junpei is probably still chasing the ghost of this woman who …wait what was her reason for going to DCOM again?

Me: So her and Sigma could stol the outbreak Stop Of radical-6 ALSO also

Friend: yeah that's what I assume but I swear the game acts like she doesn't even know about Sigma or Phi or the outbreak

Me: (I've thought about how to fix this game a lot idk if you can tell) The thematic relevance of "but then I couldn't have met you guys" can actually be valid if you flip it around.

Friend: hahaha understandable how so?

Me: Because of Carlos, Akane can come to terms with the changes in Junpei and see the validity in the "broken" futures by showing there's things worth remembering even in the imperfect ones. Like the argument Junpei makes at the end of VLR, the relationships after the disasters still mean something to the survivors. And Carlos helps Junpei realize there's still fundamentally good people in the world and come to terms with Akane and what she did and who she is now. By inserting Carlos they're able to help mend their relationship. And if Carlos never met them because the DCOM experiment didn't go down like it did, their relationship wouldn't have been mended either They'd still just end up like how they did at the end of VLR. Essentially dead to each other "You're not who I thought you were, goodbye"

Friend: very true it certainly seems like by this game they were never really going to be able to talk it over on their own he was a necessary mediator

Me: Not to mention If Carlos never met THEM, he'd never realize the cause of the reverie syndrome to save Maria

Friend: True! Gosh she's kind of a whole anomaly herself

Me: Yes! I think it could be cool if the they worked her more into Carlos and his abilities tbh Let's think back to the 999 lore The idea of the Sender and Receiver If Maria was the "sender", she could have gone into reverie when she was stuck in the fire, trying to save herself and her family. She continues to be stuck in reverie because she keeps simulating how to a) save her family totally and b) save Carlos from all his other eventual dooms The problem with saving her family is that there is a huge world crisis going down soon that's gonna wipe out most of humanity anyway! So? Make sure Carlos goes to DCOM to save her and have her essentially be a satellite quantum simulator to feed Carlos his insights And through that also learn from Akane and Junpei or just the experience itself that either the timeline where their parents was also saved still exists but isn't percievable Or come to terms with their death by still having Carlos that survives both DCOM and the would-be apocalypse And thus be able to lay the endless simulations to rest and wake up (With the added cute twist that she already knows Akane and Junpei and their relationship with her brother when she wakes up. Thus why she's so invested in it in the epilogue)

Friend: that is a bizarre kind of adorable and sweet! she's his own quantum computer though I wonder if they'd be able to still use those abilities after she wakes up in that case

Me: I'm guessing it'd just go back to working like it did in 999. Carlos himself might be able to do it on his own from longtime exposure too, who knows.

#Zeph rambles #zero escape #zero time dilemma #ztd #zero escape ztd #zero time dilemma spoilers #I just went through all the games with my friend #Because if I had to suffer the third installment so did he #I do think you can fix this game #But it requires a serious polish

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transformers-mosaic · 1 year

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Transformers: Mosaic #376 - "Human Component: Minerva"

Originally posted on May 4th, 2009

Story, Art - Iván Mas Thanks to - Carlos Oliveros

deviantART | Seibertron | TFW2005 | BotTalk

wada sez: Minerva was one of the most dramatic reinventions of a Hasbro toy for the Japanese market, a complete redeco of Nightbeat into a medic’s car. Ignoring later retcons, she was the first ever toy of a female Transformer. Together with Shūta and Cab, she was one of the three schoolkids given a Master-Brace by the Autobots, which allows her to transform into a Headmaster and combine with a Transtector. Chōkon Power is involved somehow. Given that Minerva is a schoolgirl, perhaps you’re wondering why Mas has drawn her Like That. Great question! Mas’s stated justification (per the machine-translated commentary I’ve included below the break, along with some extra art) is that he found the premise of the young teens driving around saving the world too far-fetched, so he’s aged them up a bit. Sure, I guess. If we’re talking in terms of the plot of Masterforce, this strip appears to be set after the fourth episode, “Birth! Headmaster Jrs”, which has the first altercation between the Autobot and Decepticon Headmaster Juniors—but obviously Mas is adapting the story for a new audience so is at liberty to futz with this kind of thing. To paraphase a comment by Mas on deviantART, he justifies the sheer quantity of text in this strip by reminding readers that he’s writing about a story/characters most readers will have zero familiarity with, because he’s “not interested in explaining Starscream’s treachery towards Megatron, or how nice Hot Rod is”! Based?

The idea is simple, I want to introduce the main characters of Masterfroce, which outside Japan, are more or less unknown in many countries, and the series, in terms of potential, seems to me the most profitable and innovative.

Personally I have always wanted to face Transformers in a more serious and adult way, more in line with these times, I think that the younger audience already has its "Animated" and will always have the classic series.

I also think that it would be relatively easy to make Transformers a good comic of say "superheroes or robots" and I mean a comic that both Transformers and non Transformers fans would like. And I think it would be easy to put it at the level of ... maybe some x-men (?!) ( sacrilegeee!!!! ) ( not in terms of sales volume, that's logical, but in essence ).

Another of the "problems" that I feel transformers comics have in general is that at graphic level the robots are indeed very well, but that’s all.... when it comes to drawing backgrounds or humans ........... let's be frank although it annoys us, in the comic world, nobody takes transformers as something serious, it is considered a sub-product ( never better said "SUB" ) to simply sell dolls, of course, so far they have done well.

In the mosaic, first of all I tried to create the same feeling I had with Masterforce when I saw it,

- really, this is transformers ? no robots ! -

So, in none of these mosaics I'm going to introduce anything related to robots, although of course, they are an important or fundamental part of the theme.

But before we talked about giving an adult touch to the theme, and in this aspect, I am more interested in what the "souls" of the robots may think, which in this case is the function that humans do, in order to be able to understand better the metallic beings.

But in this aspect I always give the same example... in "the walking dead" the main thing should be the zombies, however they end up being something secondary... and nobody will deny that the series is more than good.

However in this Mosaic, those of you who know Masterforce will have noticed.... in the series, Minerva was not so grown up.... well, I have done it for coherence, the eighties were another thing, but today, it would be too far-fetched, even within the far-fetched nature of the story, that a girl of 15 years not only drove a car, without being stopped by the police, but also save lives and worlds, with the maturity that presumably entails.

Masterforce is also not a new twist to the same, which would be easy and what every X time is already done, but a new concept, an evolution of robots and characters, far are the already "incarcerated and typical" Prime and Megatron, beings to which I have great respect and appreciation, but I consider that neither the fans of Transformers or any series can live forever of the same characters, even more when they are so well known, in this case,

Wolverine is a good example, nowadays it is very difficult to create something surprisingly good and new with Wolverine and even more without breaking the different continuities.

Or Batman too... to create something that really catches the attention, they have had to kill Bruce Wayne .....

I know that I run the risk that many because people don’t see robots, they won’t be interested interested in the story, but without wanting to seem offensive, that’s your problem, we have been watching Prime and Megatron for 25 years..... and I'm starting to get a little tired, and besides even at the time Masterforce was better than the original G.1 in almost all concepts, in animation, character design, drawing and scripting.

So, I hope that people can discover and enjoy Masterforce and I hope that those who already know it can "open" their mind a little and they will like it, if not... they will always have Prime and Megatron.

#Transformers #Transformers Mosaic #Maccadam #Japanese Generation 1 #Human Component #Iván Mas #Carlos Oliveros #Minerva #Metalhawk #Fangry #Horri-Bull #Squeezeplay

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goetzjpvis · 4 months

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2/19/24 "Barefoot Gen" JPT3702

Barefoot Gen was a heart wrenching movie. I'd consider it anti war, but at the same time, not taking a particularly "pro Japan　/ anti America" stance. A bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, effectively decimating the lives of hundreds of people, but the movie frames evil as being both on the American Army for even considering to drop the bomb, and the Japanese army for not taking responsibility of their citizens and immediately surrendering. The most striking scene/set of scenes I can remember from this movie are the moments right after the bomb's impact. The mise en scène included slow-motion shots, contrasted color variation, and a lack of discernable audio, which puts the watcher into the shoes of each person on ground zero. The slow motion in particular gives the watcher time to reflect on the bombing itself, and how it didn't just wipe out civilization in an instant. People were ripped apart, stabbed to death with glass, caught under rubble, melted away from radiation, and many survivors turned into living zombies, as shown below. The slow and agonizing deaths of each character- even those you don't know- are difficult to watch, and excruciatingly depressing.

As for the main character's family, the beginning of the movie serves as a 'build up', where you know the characters only a fraction of the time Gen did. Yet, you grow to love them, and their deaths serves as a grim reminder that nearly everybody in Hiroshima had a family, community, and friends, who were wiped away in the same fashion as his family.

Gen is left to take care of his mother. The trauma from the war comes not just from the bombing, but also people living within the fallout of their daily lives. Gen had to grow up quickly, taking care of his mother after watching his family die, even having to help his mom give birth. His mother's trauma explored in-depth. Up-close, zoomed-in angles show her reactions and contorted facial expressions after the death of her family, and even her newborn baby. You can see the realization of her situation set in in these scenes, as her life was just ripped to shreds before her. Despite all this, Gen and his mother try their best to feed and bring civilians water.

The earlier scenes of this movie contrast the latter half heavily. If you think about it, the 'mood' of the movie, its "positive -> terrible -> positive". These earlier scenes weren't necessarily shown to produce a shock value, but that shock value is just inherent to the terror of the bombing. People really did look like this, and worse. The way human life was portrayed before and after that drop, I would consider, was very authentic.

>haha he looks like jotaro

>wait, this movie was popular when Araki was a child

>maybe??

Anyways, it was news to me that Japan had ignored America's ultimatum. This made me livid as I recalled Hirohito's radio signal. He should have been ashamed to address Japan after everybody has been so ruthlessly killed, TWICE! In the beginning of the movie, the father basically says "War sucks! And we shouldn't be fighting it, but we are. We are because of the corrupt people in power." It was a satisfying affront to the fat cats on their thrones acting as if Japan was massacred by any fault other than their own. Perhaps this quote was foreshadowing?

I also want to mention the large usage of humor in this movie. Even though so many people were just tortured and killed, Gen still has time to make jokes and punch his brother. Was this done in order to make the characters more relatable? So that viewers could more heavily empathize during serious moments? Or rather so that viewers could recognize that life isn't as grim as the events that happen during it, and that rebound is possible.

Speaking of rebound, that boat! The boat features before the bombing is eerily similar to the post-bomb boat made by Gen. I believe this is symbolic of starting anew from the ashes, and a reminder to Japanese citizens that from tragedy comes strength and life.

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zaraevee · 1 year

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Zara Watches Trek: TOS Episode 5 The Enemy Within

I know this is the epiosde kirk spilts into two halves, and the “bad” half is scary, notorious for being overacted and heavy on the eyeliner

I don’t know much beside that and that they eventually get him back together

Also this is the first episode i’m watching on my TV instead of my phone, I managed to get the season one DVD box set from the library

Here we go:

Starting on a planet!

Oh wow they’ve set up a mini camp that’s a very bright tent

What the fuck is Sulu holding? Oh its a dog creature.. That dog’s costume 😂

This is nice to watch on the big screen

Kirks eyes really are gorgeous

Uh oh transporter trouble!

Kirk #2!!

The lighting & shot 😂 so dramatic

“Have my engines looked to” lol

Kirk seems so tired and out of it

Straight to Bones for alcohol 😂

Yeah drunk evil Kirk sounds like a really bad idea

Oh noooo yeoman Rand watch out

Haha its this shirtless scene

Kirk tiddies

And the fact that this is regular Kirk he’s just like that😂

He doesn’t even consider that Bones might not just be fucking with Spock, and by extension, him

They find out something’s up this early??

Poor Janice doesn’t deserve this!

He’s just flirting but he’s gonna be going creepy any second

Annnd Yepp there we go

Ooh the camera following them is a good touch

Kick his ass Janice

Get fucked feral Kirk you deserve those bloody knuckles

Ugh that scene with Janice talking about it was rough, especially knowing what the actress went through behind the scenes

Mouthing “imposter” was good acting! I like the emphasis it adds, as well as the realism of it sinking in for Kirk

I love that they’re all just taking every opportunity to hold this dog

Poor Kirk worried about his landing party

Kirk’s really spacing out a lot is he ok?

Ooh Spock speaking hard truths

These last two episodes are putting a focus on the tough lonely parts of command in certain scenes

I’m loving Spock’s chair touches that are so close to Jim’s back & arm

Ooh evil/feral Kirk is smart too, using makeup is a good idea

And getting a phaser!!

He’s the action half? Like he’s the one that makes decisions and throws himself into danger?

Ok you two! be careful! (me @ Kirk & Spock hunting him alone in the engine room)

Again loving how close they walk together

“I don’t want anyone else to see me” “except you” is implied and that’s so !! That he trusts only Spock to see the darker parts of himself

Oh wow he’s watching them like a monkey in a tree

Nice slide! That was cool gotta give him credit

Why’d you split up watch out Spock!

Oh well guess its Kirk who’s in danger

Feral Kirk is totally hunting Kirk

Standoff!!

Spock just being a total nerd analyzing the sides of Kirk

He’s completely right tho about everything as usual

“Its the way I am” Spock has very expressive soft eyes, easier to see on a big screen

ok and those were very soft eyes from Kirk @ Spock for a second after he said that

Well shit Feral Kirk broke it worse

Ooh poor Sulu & the landing party 🥺

Lol the idea of hot coffee lowered down on a rope... oh Sulu I love you

Oh noo! would take a week?? that’s a death sentence for the landing party!!

So many Captain’s logs in this episode! Are there always this many?

He’s speaking much slower than he was before that’s a really good detail, I feel like it happened gradually over the episode now that i’m thinking about it

Jesus how they are still alive - is 75 below zero even possible to survive?

(My science-inclined brother walks past at this point and goes “are they using Fahrenheit or Celsius?” and we live in the U.S. and this was made in the 60’s so I go “Fahrenheit probably?” And he goes “WHY would they be using Fahrenheit?!” And I don’t know the answer)

Using phasers to heat the rocks is brilliant tho

Ooh poor Kirk he feels so bad

Oh geez screaming evil Kirk sure is something

Welp he’s dying which means regular Kirk probably is too

Aw comforting yourself, holding his hand!that’s a facinating scene, really shows how tactile of a person Kirk is

I can really understand that as someone who is as well, all i’d want in this situation is someone to hold my hand and give me a hug

Damn this episode is so deep

Interesting that one half has the courage and the other has the other rest of the will

That smile can’t be good what’s Feral Kirk up to?

Can’t believe they fixed the transporter! Good ol Scotty!

He’s not even listening! Come on buddy, focus!

The dog barks synthesized that’s cool

Oh nooo “he’s dead, Jim” about a doggg noooo 😢

They doesn’t seem good for Jim and he looks so freaked out

Captain’s log by Spock!

Jim’s voice is so softtt

Spock trying to reassure Kirk that he’ll be ok 😭

Alright you two you’re stressing him out! Stop arguing and presenting opposing sides and opinions!!

Yes! Mention of Human half Spock again

Jim looks so distraught 😢

“Help me, somebody, make the decision” wow I feel that so deep

Yes Jim cling to that force of will!

Yes good job buddy you did good

Aw I wanna give him a hug

He seems physically weak

Oooh nooo Suluuuu

This would be so hard hearing a good friend and crewmember drift toward death

Literally talking to yourself lol

Huh feral Kirk seems very subdued now

Hmm they’re both weak!

Oh shit it was a fakeout!! He’s so sneaky!!

I was like why is Kirk struggling to hold him up so much then I realized he was fighting him

Ooh confrontation on the bridge!

Spock is totally able to tell!

Kirk’s fear of loosing command is really on display this episode

Wow that close up shot with dramatic lighting doesn’t even look like Kirk (this is one of the shots that’s infamous from this episode) just looks like a feral creature- how did he twist up his face like that

there’s a lot of Feral Kirk shouting in this episode glad i’m not watching this @ my best friend’s house, her neighbors would want to kill us 😂

Trusting Spock to take care of things no matter what happens 🥺

Spock doing the transporting himself!

He’s back!!

I know Sulu’s ok (because he’s in the rest of the show) but all I can think is “get better soon Sulu, glad you’re alive!”

“Thank you Mr Spock, From both of us” oh my god they’re too much 🥺

Spock smile!! He’s so happy to have Jim back!

Oh dear.. Kirk just dismissing Rand

I know she isn’t in the rest of it and I just feel bad for her…

Also Kirk’s just totally suppressing any feelings whatsoever and Naked Time plus this episode right after are really driving home for him that its the right thing to do. And he’s probably right, it is. But him having to bury parts of himself to be a “perfect” Captain like Spock said in this episode hurts me 🥺

Is Spock teasing her?? It took me a second to realize that was the word for what he was doing.. There’s another Spock smirk what is happening!

Of course, he could have another intention, I just don’t see it

I feel like he just hasn’t stopped smiling since he spoke with Jim

The end~

After-episode thoughts:

Boy was that an episode! I can see why its a bit infamous, some of it was hard to watch but its a fascinating look into what makes humans, humans and I always like when Trek does that. I realized quickly watching this show that stressful stuff always happens to Kirk, the writers really just won’t let him be happy! And I know it only gets worse. Poor lil meow meow

Anyway, I actually kind of liked it. Especially the scenes with the two Kirks in med-bay. I wouldn’t rewatch it much, but I think it was better than some people give it credit for and tbh I was really impressed with Shatner’s acting opposite himself. I wonder how they did those scenes because I forgot in the moment they didn’t have the technology we do today and it was seamless which is so impressive!

I may not do this for every episode, maybe just the ones I have on the condensed list I made of famous episodes to watch before I decided to just watch them all. For the rest I may do a short impressions & review post

#star trek tos #the enemy within #spirk #star trek #episode review #liveblogging #sort of

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skieystar · 2 years

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I'm a fan of Code Geass so I'm glad to find sites like these. It makes me think the Code Geass fanbase is still going strong. How does it feel for you about the Code Geass movies remaking the series with some changes? Are you disappointed about them or just think it's alright.

The answer to this came out way, way longer than I expected. Lots of rambling below! I've also been facing a technical issue with Asks, so I'm sorry for the late reply.

I like to think that Code Geass is good enough an anime to garner interest even now. Fans do exist even if activity is not that consistent (myself very much included.) The fanbase does have some fluctuating activity, and I see lots and lots of wonderful fanart nowadays!

I’ve yet to find an anime I love more than Code Geass. Although I watched it very recently, probably months before said alternate timeline movies were released. I didn’t quite understand what they were getting at with the whole ‘season 3′ thing.

I’m going to start by saying, quality of both anime and movie notwithstanding, it was a very well-thought decision to make an alternate timeline. Don’t want to accept the end of canon? Movies are for you! Not a fan of the movies? Stick with the anime! The audience is given a choice.

But the statement stands regardless of whether or not the movies are good. Now, if we actually consider the production of the movies, my opinion very much changes.

So, do I like the new movies? Above all, I am a fan of Re;surrection?

The answer is No.

Now, why is that?

I successfully passed every stage leading to Re;surrection with no contempt:

- Oh, they’re continuing the series? It’s nice to see more from my favourite anime!

- They’re recapping the anime? Makes sense if they want old fans to return to the series with ease.

- The movies are... different from the anime? Following a different canon seems... unusual. I feel like they suddenly backtracked because they thought of something ‘better’ but I’ll give it some time before I judge.

- The movies have cut some major events that heavily affected Lelouch’s character development (i.e, going against Mao, losing Shirley)? Alternate timeline isn’t looking very nice here...

- And the ‘season 3′ which we have been promised of for a long time, will actually follow the canon set by the movies? Well... I’ll just see how Re;surrection is.

And then we arrive to the movie itself...

I need to reiterate that it was a very good decision to have a dual canon, and I do acknowledge all the effort that was put into the movie and the attention it gained worldwide.

However...

My own opinion is that Re;surrection is not a good movie.

Well, I hope no one comes after my blood. But that’s really how I see it.

Re;surrection by and in itself? Great. Wonderful animation and voice acting. An adequately interesting storyline.

Re;surrection, compared to the anime? Bad.

First thing to address is that events have nothing to do with this. One timeline having an event--Lelouch 'staying alive' or any other thing-- that the other one doesn’t is not integral to my opinion. My thoughts are only based on story- and character-writing, character development, depth of plot, etc.

So you see where I’m going with this?

If the character development cut by the recap movies wasn’t enough, what I saw of Re;surrection was enough to show me how terribly ‘out of character’ everyone was. Cornelia, who despised Zero, teamed up with him with no second thought. Suzaku, who loathed Lelouch and made his vendetta his top priority, hit him with the “yeah no it’s nicer to have you around :).” Lelouch himself felt out of character, and most things his character stood for were easily betrayed in the movie, i.e “the only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed”, leaving Nunnally at the end, etc.

It felt like the producers just said, “bring Lelouch back to life, that’s what everyone will care about, and we can just do random things with the other characters.” (I know that’s not the case, but this is how I see it.) The characters just feel so different than they did in the anime, like the existed solely for the plot.

The writing is also very underwhelming (again, compared to the anime.) The things that happened at C’s World felt so rash and had minimal explanations. Even the villains didn’t have the character-depth the anime characters had. Mao, for instance, seems like a much deeper character than any of the new ones introduced in the movie. It’s like, as with the rest of the cast, the villains were only there to satisfy the plot. Combined with the pacing that was all over the place, the writing feels like the aforementioned “bring Lelouch back and that’s all we need.”

And, finally, the movie as a whole just lacks the intricacy the anime had. Lelouch’s brilliant plans felt really watered-down, nothing like himself. The world-building was rather shallow. Everything from the conflict to the climax felt poorly put-together, with loose explanations just barely tying it up.

And, well, that’s only my opinion. Zero contempt (pun not intended) against people who love Re;surrection, and mega shoutout to all the wonderful fanart and fanfiction creators. Now those things I actually enjoy.

#ledouche answers #asks #anime asks #code geass #code geass lelouch of the rebellion #code geass lelouch of the resurrection #lelouch lamperouge #lelouch vi britannia #cornelia li britannia #suzaku kururugi #nunnally vi britannia #anime #anime movies #anime rant #rant post #i'm so glad I could finally let this OUT

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kalpasio · 2 years

Text

The Herrscher of Stars

The Herrscher of Stars: Finally Gets to Rest

A Kalpas x Herrscher!Reader fic, Chapter 4 below!

Without thinking, you had guided Star back to your old home. The place she technically had been born. The Epicenter of the fabled Herrscher of Stars eruption. Of course, any buildings in the vicinity were nothing more than dust after being compressed by a force a thousand time stronger than Earth’s gravity. Further out, however, some structures were still around, simply abandoned.

Star had dropped you in an old bakery you used to frequent. Inside, the glass case was shattered, along with the front windows. Two tables were upturned, a third you had seen about two blocks away. After so many years, the flour on the ground had been replaced with dust and dirt.

Next to the bakery was a set of stairs that led to a small apartment on the floor above. The door was open, and wouldn’t shut properly anymore, but the inside was in decent shape, considering all that had happened outside.

Again, the floor was a mess, covered in rubble and broken glass. All the windows had been boarded up, someone must’ve been here at some point, but it certainly hadn’t been recent. The tools used for the job were still out on the floor, though any nails had long since rolled away. All the natural light in the rooms came through the little gaps between the wood, leaving most of the apartment shadowed. An old brick fireplace sat in the main room, and there was one in both bedrooms.

Looking in each room, you found them completely empty. People used to live here. There were memories here, but all you could see was empty space. It made sense, logically. The people that used to live here would come back for anything of sentimental value. Scavengers would’ve taken the rest—including beds, apparently. You remembered there being a fabric store down the street, but that definitely would’ve been raided already.

Checking a few more apartments, you were able to scrounge up a few blankets and found a pullout couch. Probably a bit difficult for people to take, and not worth enough for the trouble. Since all the other homes were mostly destroyed, you brought your findings back to the bakery. Zero gravity made moving a cinch, and you were asleep within an hour of reaching your town.

As hungry as you were—and would be when you woke up—you’d just used powers you hadn’t touched in years, flown through most of the night, and had done all that on less than an hours worth of sleep. Exhaustion took precedence, and you were out like a light.

Star had appeared in your dreams before but tended to avoid it because it left you unrested, and she hated being tired as much as you did. After such a strange night, however, you figured a dream chat was understandable.

“I’ve put us in a coma,” she spoke while inspecting her nails.

“What?! I know I said ‘lay low,’ but this is not what I meant!”

“Calm down,” she rolled her eyes, which did nothing to help your anger. “You need to rest after that fight. You’re not used to using my Herrscher powers, and your body is exhausted.”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere; this is not at all safe,” you put your hands on your hips and scowled.

“You’ll be asleep, but I’ll still be up. If anything happens, I’ll wake us up.”

“But—"

“Go to sleep,” she waved her hand and left you to more pleasant dreams.

“Has It been a week?” Your throat was beyond dry and sounded like you’d swallowed rocks. Every part of your body hurt—especially your back—from laying still for so long.

Four days. I heard a shuttle touch down, and someone’s walking around.

It was stupid to come back here, you thought while struggling to stand up. Of course the Herrscher of Stars would return to the only other place they’ve been seen.

It was your idea, and it’s too late now. Just get up and get the hell out of here.

You managed that first part, but the door to your stolen bedroom opened before you could even stand without the wall’s help. Kalpas stood on the other side. Immediately one of your eyes turned dark blue, but you hissed and ducked down, bringing a hand to your head in pain. A splitting headache took over all your senses for a second, your body was still weak from using Star's powers and you knew fighting just wasn’t an option.

“You think just because you protected the base you get a vacation?” You looked up at Kalpas, confused by his words. Instead of the flames you expected, he was leaning a shoulder against the doorway with his arms crossed and one leg in front of the other. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he looked relaxed.

“Whatever,” he pushed off the frame and took two steps across the room to stand in front of you. “Let’s go. You go AWOL for two weeks they change your name to ‘mia’ or something.”

“What?” your voice croaked, and you coughed right after. Kalpas scoffed and thew you over his shoulder. You couldn’t exactly argue with him right now; your body did feel like a sack of potatoes, may as well get carried like one.

“Why do I even bother trying to talk with you? All you say is ‘what?’” he mocked, but all you could do was weakly slap his back. “I’m taking you back to base,” he spoke loudly, as though you wouldn’t understand otherwise. “And you’re going to shower because you’re covered in dust. Then you can say ‘what?’ all you want.”

The shower got bumped to the fourth task on your list. First was eating and getting some water. Then you had to go to the medbay and get checked out. After around fifteen minutes of sitting there, they let you go plead your case with your senior officers. Elysia came skipping out of their office and told you not to bother.

Clearly, you had spent the past few days on a mission for her. It was supposed to be quick—that’s why she didn’t report it—and things went bad—that’s why you smelled like a construction site. Finally, you got that shower, and you took your sweet time getting all the spiderwebs out of your hair. Star was silent the whole time, making you worried.

It might be a trap, she whispered as though someone might hear her.

“If it is, then at least we’re rested and prepared.” Pulling the blankets up to your chin, you sighed. “And I’m honestly too tired to care.”

Why is he still following us?

I don’t know.

Ask him!

You let out a huff. “Kalpas, why are you still following me?”

“Because I asked him to,” Emile sat at your table, stirring sugar into his coffee.

“And you asked him to because…?”

He shrugged. “Something to do. You actually respond when I call you, so I can find him, and it keeps him out of trouble.” Emile took a sip of his coffee while pointing a thumb at Kalpas who grumbled.

“I really think it just puts me in trouble. I’ve nearly become shish kebabs,” you pointed at Emile, “and Barbeque,” Kalpas got a glare now. Your argument didn’t work. After a week, you came to accept it. A month and you realized Emile was just trying to pawn his job off to you. Kalpas knew it too, but he’d gotten used to being around you, and having a break from being stabbed was nice once in a while. For you, having someone other than Star to talk to was a breath of fresh air.

When winter moved in, you actually had people who would eat all the cookies you made, instead of Star demanding you eat them yourself until you were sick. Emile especially seemed to be happy about the cold weather. “Who doesn’t like free shit?” he argued, but you knew he had an addiction to eggnog. He wouldn’t even put anything in it, he just drank the stuff at every opportunity.

“It only comes out once a year! Gotta enjoy it while it lasts!”

“Why don’t you just make your own?” you weren’t looking, but your offhanded comment made Emile break out into a grin. The next week and a half, you and Kalpas were forced to try every eggnog recipe on the planet.

“Why couldn’t you keep your mouth shut?” Kalpas groaned as a third glass was placed in front of you both.

“Trust me. I wish I had,” you mumbled into your arm resting on the table.

When the heat went out in the dorms, you went to Emile’s apartment, expecting his quarters to be nicer and still warm. Unfortunately for Kalpas, that was not the case, and both of you went to his door next. Being a MANTIS, he had a much nicer room, but his heat was out too. He just hadn’t noticed, and when Emile shoved his way into the room, it really did feel like it still had heat.

Most agents were sent to other bases, but you three stayed, with you and Emile practically glued to Kalpas’ side. You may or may not have abused your powers to make a sun to stay warm. It was hard to keep up, but Star whining about the cold was more annoying than the cold itself. The potentially awkward situation of sharing a bed didn’t bother you in the slightest, it was so cold, you’d take any warmth you could get. Not even two days after the heat went out, it was fixed. That night, you got to sleep in your own bed for about five minutes.

Emile knocked on your door with a scowling—probably, you couldn’t be sure—Kalpas behind him. “Are you ready for bed?” He asked nicely, but wore the same smile he used when throwing knives at Kalpas.

“I was just in—”

“Yes or no question.”

“Yes?” You were incredibly confused, and then concerned when his smile grew.

“Great! Let’s go,” he jerked his head and started walking away. Kalpas grabbed your wrist and started pulling you down the hall after Emile. Your “leader” waited outside the door to Kalpas’ room while you caught up, then unlocked it and held it open so you could be dragged in.

Emile was the first one in bed, then Kalpas who was still holding onto your wrist, meaning you were pulled onto the bed as well. “Good night!” Emile sounded so proud of himself as he turned the light off.

“Why am I here?” you asked into the dark.

“Go to sleep,” Kalpas grumbled beside you.

The next night went much the same, and you gave up trying to sleep in your room after the third night of being woken up and moved to another bed. Kalaps’ bed was nicer than yours, and it was warmer than yours. That combined with the fact that he had his own bathroom and a much larger kitchen had you sold.

Most nights, Kalpas would sleep in the middle and be a personal heater for you and Emile. The first time Emile was in the middle, you complained about him hogging all the warmth for a solid five minutes, but he was much more willing to cuddle than Kalpas, so it balanced out. Being in the middle yourself was the safest feeling in the world, but it could also be a bit much.

Kalpas wanted to be touching you both to know you were there, so his arm was over you, pressing you and Emile together. On your other side, Emile would be fine when you all fell asleep, but overnight, he would try to take up as much space as possible. On more than one occasion, you woke to find his arm resting on your face, and if you moved that, his leg would kick yours in search for more room.

The first night it happened, you tried to roll over Kalpas and trade places with him, but right when you were over him, he pulled you down, and that’s where you stayed for most of the night. Emile woke you by whisper yelling into your ear about how ‘sharing is caring.’ Kalpas grabbed your unused pillow and you thought he was going to cover his ears, but instead he smacked Emile with so much force, dust came out of the pillow. Your shocked face made Emile laugh, and he just took the new pillow and moved closer to you both for another fifteen minutes of sleep.

I love copying these into ao3 cause I get to see the red squigglys under every time I write "Kalpas" and I go "oof" and then don't change it :)

#kalpas x reader #honkai x reader #Emile (HI3) x Reader #Kalpas x Emile #Kalpas x Reader x Emile #azaryawrites #tamalethebear #cross posted on ao3 #this is too many tags #I know I do a lot but like hhhhh #edited finally!

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