#the two immortal geezers

[an-idyllic-novelist]

Buddha headcanons with fem!Yoriichi Tsugikuni!reader

Special thanks to @onecantsimply for helping me proofread/edit these headcanons so I could post the best Buddha content as I am able to :)

Buddha is a god, so he’s seen his fair share of ethereal goddesses in Valhalla. But he’s never been one to care about physical appearances so much as the personality of someone, since beauty does fade over time.

Not gonna lie though; when he first laid his eyes on the Sun Hashira, he initially thought there was nothing beyond the stoic expression she wore because, well, he didn’t know [First Name] [Last Name] too well because they’d recently ascended as a deity. He’s heard the gossip on how exactly this powerful Demon Slayer became the second human to become an immortal, though there was no solid proof behind the rumors. And he’s never been one to pay attention to that kind of stuff, anyway.

His first impression of the Sun Hashira soon changed after Zeus had concluded yet another stupid conference.

It wasn’t anything special honestly, but she crept up behind him and tapped his bicep before offering up an unopened lollipop to him. Normally he’d see this as a sign of some newbie buttering up to him because he was the honorable one, and a powerful god in his own right…but the lollipop in [First Name’s clenched palm was a cola-flavored one.

He loved all kinds of sweets, but cola-flavored ones were like a delicacy; they were super hard to find in Valhalla ‘cause most of the candy shops didn’t wanna go down to Earth to actually get the cola-flavored ones or even bother to learn how to make, so Buddha didn’t suck on one unless he was either slightly stressed or just wanted something different and was willingly to spend money.

So to see and hear the Sun Hashira asking him with a straight face if he’d like this treat when he’s never seen her even eat anything sweet…it was weird. Nice…but weird. He wasn’t gonna say ‘no’ to a freebie, obviously. Buddha plucked the lollipop from [First Name]’s hand, and when he put it in his mouth, the enlightened one saw the faintest trace of a smile stretch across the newbie’s lips.

The greatest Demon Slayer in human history…can actually smile? Whoa. Not what he had been expecting.

Still, it could all just be an act.

Everyone here didn’t like him because he’d been a human. He returned the sentiment wholeheartedly after centuries of putting up with their selfishness and arrogance.

Without saying another word, he just waved good-bye to her and left to go relax under his bodhi tree for the rest of the day. Honestly, he half-expected the Demon Slayer to come crawling back to him in another attempt to gain his favor.

Except she didn’t.

She never bothered him unless they happened to cross paths. Yet when such an incident occurred, she just bowed her head respectfully to him and went about her business. Sure enough he ended up seeking out the Sun Hashira’s quiet company when the noise around Valhalla was enough to give him a headache. Or Zeus, the damned nosy geezer.

Their time together would either be spent in one of the greenhouses or in the forest that surrounded [First Name]’s modest home. He’d be munching on whatever is in his snack basket and she’d be practicing her swordmanship, or they’d have small talk over some freshly brewed tea on the veranda.

A comfortable camaraderie between two gods that didn’t include shouting matches or bruising egos.

Over time, Buddha learned that there were additional layers underneath the stoic expression [First Name] always wore. She was kind and selfless, harboring an adoration for humans and a lot more expressive with emotions if one were to observe her as closely as he had.

Although she is still haunted by the lives she couldn’t save from the demons, she knew she did the best she could. That thought alone helped her sleep at night.

(Buddha called bullshit but wisely kept his mouth shut and suggested meditation lessons that can be practiced in the evening to help calm the mind instead.)

The Demon Slayer was an anomaly amongst the gods, if one excluded the Grecian hero Heracles.

Yet for all of the good qualities she possessed, the Sun Hashira was a bit…oblivious. She honestly had no idea that some of these narcissistic gods actually harbored romantic feelings for her and thought they were just being polite to an ascended immortal like herself.

She was not a goddess of love and still possessed scars from her days as a Demon Slayer even after becoming a god. Why would anyone bother looking at her?

He might be the honorable one who had removed himself from earthly desires to find enlightenment, but even the great Buddha gets a little peeved when the Sun Hashira’s attention isn’t on him and him alone~.

Taglist

@onecantsimply

@recreationalfanfics

@the-dumber-scaramouche

@dazailover1900

#record of ragnarok #shuumatsu no valkyrie #ror buddha #ror x you #ror x reader #snv #snv buddha #buddha x you #buddha x reader #RoR headcanons #fem reader #yoriichi!reader #x reader #snv x reader #snv x y/n #snv x you

[aita-blorbos]

(AU scenario)

AITA for teaching two ten-year-olds magic?

I (?M) am an immortal demon. Or I was. See, I made a deal with this old geezer, we'll call him F. F was really pissed because I didn't tell him I was planning to uh. Destroy his universe but THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT. Anyway the god in charge of Basically Everything, uh.. A, decided that that was not okay and put me in a mortal form and gave me goddamn emotions. (I don't like this, I hate it actually.)

And a mortal form!! I was stuck until I called off the deal!! But I accidentally got put in the wrong place, and so I had to go On Foot across this entire country. Two kids, D (10M) and M (10F) accompanied me.

Anyway on the way, they decided to teach me Morals?? And Emotions?? (I'm not attached, shut up.) So I taught them chaos demon magic, because they had SO much magical potential. By the time I got to F and called off deal, he practically had a HEART ATTACK on the spot when I told him the kids could use magic.

Sidenote: He keeps rambling about "how did they do that" and "he feels guilt now" and he keeps looking at me like I started speaking the language of the forgotten eldritch beings. (I can, I just haven't.) What is a guilt. Why do D and M keep looking at me funny when I ask them why I feel all Weird and Heavy and - what was it called? Sad? Yeah, that.

Also A said they're "proud of me" for learning morals?? What does that mean??

#aita #am i the asshole #unreality

[abyssruler]

The traveler is sick of those horny immortals lol. Imagine one quest being babysitting the kids just so these archons can bang their hot milf wife. Would Xiao count as Zhongli’s kid, too? Oh, and Scara being all uwu with his scarier sister is just *chef’s kiss*

Liyue legit going bonkers after each dragon baby???? Yes. Birthdays? National holidays. And then Zhongli fakes his death and there’s talk about maybe one of the kids taking on geo daddy’s position or something. So much potential for drama! How would they make the kids keep the secret? With a lot of struggles. The adepti showing up to bestow gifts on each dragon baby like the three good fairies from Sleeping Beauty.

Ei just vibing with her wife. Chilling while fondling each other and making out. So fun. So cool. Nothing to stress about here. Occasionally taking out their kids on a family outing with Scara being the cutest eldest child that he is. Like. Let them be happy!!!

Venti literally sobbing in Angel’s Share because he was NTR’d by two archons and Diluc just goes ????? every single time until Venti shows up with the rest of them and their kids. (Venti can recognize Reader anywhere anytime because he knows that ass better than anyone.)

I just mhmmmhhnnnngg this AU HAS ME BY THE THROAT

YES YES YES TO ALL OF THIS!!

zhongli’s kids would definitely have their eyes on the geo archon seat after he fakes his death. they can’t have scara getting all the glory of being the only sibling who’s an archon. zhongli suggests they make a tournament - whoever manages to stay awake until zhongli ends his lecture about the responsibilities of ruling liyue and going through its entire history and culture wins. none of them last an hour. the seat of the geo archon remains empty up to this day. fun little fact tho! zhongli didn’t tell them his plans to fake his death so they all thought he actually died. they were on the verge of tearing down liyue until you appeared and said ‘it’s a prank!’ they also help the adepti and the qixing in fighting osial!!

xiao is the honorary brother that scara refuses to acknowledge bc it would mean he’s not the eldest anymore. he half-raised those kids bc god knows their parents were too busy banging each other and spawning more of them. scara is actually a really good ruler!! the raiden shogun balances his softer side. xiao, scara, and raiden shogun basically half-raised their siblings. they bonded over it <3

AND VENTI LMAOO he would lament to diluc and the traveler about those two archons who “seduced his beloved priestess.” at windrise when venti’s telling traveler abt morax, he says something along the lines of “oh, and don’t trust that old geezer too much he’s a backstabbing little bitch who stole my wife.” traveler actually has a very different experience in this au. mostly bc traveler has to be the mediator whenever the three archons start complaining about the other ‘hogging you all to themself’.

venti arrives in mondstadt during the windblume festival with three other people and a boatload of other people who suspiciously look like a mix of their features. it’s better to not ask anything. jean didn’t ask to host that year’s festival with two additional gods and the high priestess herself who’s been quiet for centuries until now. oh, and now the electro archon is here in a grumpy mood, asking why they didn’t invite him over. um, probably because you have a whole country to rule? jean thinks it’s time for a vacation.

on a more serious note tho, their decisions could create a huge succession war on liyue. each kid fighting to become the geo archon. it could replace the inazuma archon quest since the traveler wouldn’t really encounter much problems there with scara as the electro archon. maybe scara gets involved at the succession war at some point as the eldest and the traveler gets dragged along. reader, ei, zhongli, and venti are all just watching and enjoying their retirement. it’s only a matter of time before the succession for the anemo archon’s position was put into question. luckily for them, venti doesn’t have kids with you. yet.

traveler: your kids are killing each other!

them: oh, they’re play fighting how cute :)

#the reader will set them all straight in the end #honestly with the amount of kids they have they could overthrow celestia alone #abyss sibling should take notes #traveler would love venti’s kids tho seeing as he’s their favorite archon #asks #anon #genshin x reader #venti x reader #ei x reader #raiden ei x reader #zhongli x reader #raiden shogun x reader #fem reader #1st mass #not sfw

[furinana]

I saw the post about how the cast of Apocalypse refer to each other in Japanese, and was intrigued. Just out of curiosity, how do they refer to themselves? Does anyone change throughout the game?

MASTERPOST OF JAPANESE PRONOUNS IN SMTIV/A (click below)

Watashi 私 - gender neutral for formal context, in casual context it's typically only used by women while men sound stiff. 

Navarre, Isabeau, Hikaru, Akira (Blasted Tokyo), Nozomi, Gaston, Toki, Stephen. Charon, Mastema, Danu, Maitreya, Adramelech, Medusa, Maitreiya (alongside Mitra-Buddha) and Satan.

Burroughs uses watashi in katakana ワタシ.

Ware 我 - very formal and old-fashioned, mainly for males, particularly emphasizes one's very existence. It's used in fiction by immortal beings, deities and figures of great importance and power.

Ring of Gaea members, Kuebiko, Asmodeus, Tenkai, the Heralds, Yamato Takeru, Pluto, Odin, Lucifer, Vishnu-Flynn and YHVH.

Kaga, Hugo, Gabby and Merkabah switch between watashi and ware.

Odin when disguising as an elderly man uses washi ワシ - basically when you want a character to sound like a stereotypical old geezer. You know who else uses washi?

Asahi uses atashi あたし - informal, very feminine, common in conversation among young women.

Inanna uses warawa ワラワ - archaic, humble, associated with women from samurai families. Xi Wangmu uses it in hiragana わらわ.

Boku 僕 - masculine, perceived as humble, can be used for all ages but has undertones of a youth (or feeling like one), also used when casually giving deference; "servant" uses the same kanji (僕 shimobe).

Flynn (and his previous life), Jonathan (and Kiyoharu), Neutral Akira from flashbacks, Krishna and Shesha.

Okay so here’s the thing... Fujiwara uses watashi in SMTIV... but got retconned to boku in SMTIVA? How much are you guys betting that the writers literally just forgot? But well, he sports a killing fedora combination just like Krishna so I guess he definitely still has that trendy youth spirit.

Ore オレ - informal, asserts masculinity, can sound rude depending on the context but conveys familiarity among friends or family.  Walter (and Kenji), Dagda, Koga Saburo and Hallelujah.

Issachar, K, Skins and Abe use ore but in kanji form 俺. Tayama switches between watashi and ore 俺. 

Akira (Infernal Tokyo) uses a variant of 俺,  俺っち (orecchi), it’s for when you want to describe yourself in a funny or playful way. It may also have a cutesy tone. Not many men call themselves that.

And to finish it... 1) Please remember that pronouns aren’t a hard-set characteristic and some characters switch pronouns depending on context and who they are talking to, take the example of Skins once switching to ware when he wanted to put great emphasis on the strength on Hunters (putting emphasis on one’s own group tends to be the reason for why humans use ware in contrast to deities mostly referring to themselves as individuals). And let’s not forget the Akiras, entirely adapting how they express themselves according to the flow of the world.

2) My headcanon for Nanashi is that he uses ore オレ either from the getgo or at least he switches to it after he gets influenced by Dagda (but honestly, he has such a punk vibe as a way to contrast him with Flynn that I find hard to grasp that he’d use boku at least on the same reason goody two-shoes characters would do lol). Unless he's doing it in a sly way to get what he wants from other people... 

#smtiva #shin megami tensei iv #shin megami tensei iva #shin megami tensei iv apocalypse #shin megami tensei iv final

[niishiki]

Snippet

Five rolled his eyes but the grin that threatened to split his face was fond. “I have another question for you Klaus, now that we are all sitting together and enjoying a nice family dinner for once.”

“With two parts of the family missing and one having turned to the dark side - but sure, why not? Go on, old geezer.”

“What the fuck, Klaus?”

“I need you to elaborate.”

“Since when are you fucking immortal and why didn't you fucking tell us? Because let me tell you, when I found you guys in the apocalypse, you were very, very dead! Because if you did come back alive during the apocalypse, I would have buried you alive - so I need answers, okay?”

#Umbrella Academy #The Umbrella Academy #Klaus Hargreeves #Five Hargreeves #The Seance #The Boy #Canon divergence

[eorzeashan]

THE FINAL CHAPTER: a rather chaotic compilation of some truly throne-ending stuff, KOTET (Battle of Odessen to Eternal Throne)

Theron: Using yourself as bait is a dangerous game. You're gonna need some help.

Aww Theron... that's nice, but Eight would be so adamant about fighting Vaylin alone since he feels it's his duty to protect them. Plus being bait means you're supposed to be the only target. Self-sacrificial lone warrior whose only ever relied on himself psych eval yadda yadda. Not that Theron or Lana would listen either, which results in an ugh fine from our favorite operative.

I guess he got so stubborn he wouldn't even let Theron on the back of his speeder (which was a glitch where Theron could only run behind him like a pet) in an attempt to leave him behind for his own safety, lol.

To make this whole outlandish scenario worse, Theron not only could not stealth the entire chapter ("Theron, you're ruining my speedrun." 'Theron!' "Well I'm sorry I don't have stealth generators like you two!") he also lost his blasters and started fistfighting Vaylin. Yes, he also fistfought the prior mobs. I was very confused as to why the enemies weren't going down fast enough with 2 comps until I looked over to see him punching skytroopers with all the damage of a wet bagel.

This is why he tried to leave you behind, Theron.

One defeated Vaylin and a storming of Zakuul Palace later, and Theron still was having the same problem of aggro-ing all the mobs due to having no stealth and only his fists, so I tried to stealth out of combat and call him over to see if he could evade them........instead, he died while Eight and Lana buried their faces in their hands.

Which was fine since it let Eight and Lana stealth for the rest of it without him, but his dead body kept showing up after them and it gave me a mental image of the two of them dragging his unconscious body behind them by the legs after he accidentally got caught in an explosion.

Not his best moment.

Valkorion: The Sith who fled her empire. And the charming spy, sired by Republic heroes. Do they truly serve you? Or do they plot your downfall, to claim the throne for their respective factions?

Eight: I'm done listening to you, old man.

"Idiot. It's the other way around," as Eight would say. He's fully aware Valkorion is making a desperate ploy right now to turn him against them, but he has thought about their loyalties ever since the start. It doesn't matter to him: he's bounced between both sides and has no right to judge. Even if they held no thought for him in the end, with him as the means for their own goals.....he'd still have fought for their sake.

Also, I lost count of how many times Eight called Valkorion a decrepit old geezer and told him to shut up these chapters.

Me, shocked: How is he tanking that lightning without a flinch?!

Then again, he did do the exact same thing during the Arcann fight, so maybe it's a combination of his sheer endurance/pain threshold as well as getting used to it. Either way, what a way to stunt on Valkorion. I'd be reeling if I threw lightning at an agent and they stood up. Extremely badass glitch.

Eight: My head's not a halfway house for immortal Sith, but I guess you found that out the hard way.

The only house it is for is Jadus, and you're no Jadus! Get lost!

Arcann: The Outlander didn't kill us. You did.

Oddly enough, I found I liked this ending more than the LS spare everyone version, most likely because it felt more cathartic for Vaylin and Arcann to face Valkorion with their full rage. Eight and Vaylin for some reason....saw eye-to-eye in their brief and vitriolic interactions, which sounds insane to say but can be attributed to how they understand primal emotion more than anything else.

It also felt more rewarding to fight the whole family with little to no help-- as an Echani warrior and one who fights alone, Eight would have it no other way; anything less than their full power would besmirch the honor of their duel and if he cannot have honor anywhere else, he'll make damn sure to have it on the battlefield. No help. No mitigation. Just his own strength, and theirs.

Lana: Theron!

Theron: Go. Save yourself. I'll cover you.

Lana: We fight together, we die together.

Theron: Now that's more like it.

The besties....;_; And poor Theron's sad face getting injured, he looks like a kicked puppy?? Why is he sad? Did it hurt that much? I really love them looking out for one another-- I rarely ever got this moment because it was always Arcann and Senya, so seeing them literally go ride or die was insane. They're lucky Eight can't hear or see them; he'd have thrashed that whole room to bits. What kind of agent would he be if his keepers had to die for him?

EAT THIS RIGHT HOOK VALKORIONNN

Eight followed Theron's example and decided Valkorion's crusty ass was overdue for a massive whoopin', and there's nothing he wanted more than to beat him to death with his bare hands. No powers. No poison. No blasters. Just the feeling of having your skull bashed in with mortal fists. As a martial artist, it was his duty to bring that Sith Lord who'd relied too long on power borrowed from others crashing back down into the cold, hard earth... starting with his body.

Can you imagine the absolute bewilderment he had to feel seeing this goddamn agent crack his knuckles and decide to go mano-e-mano to his godly self? It's the ultimate humiliation.

He beat him. He had to. For Jadus. For himself. Valkorion stood no chance at conquering his mind, to be honest-- for that to work, he himself would have to have a mind like people and on the inside....he is not that.

I'll write out exactly how I imagined it soon, but there's something about Valkorion stepping in and expecting a man, and finding instead what can only be called a wolf in his place.

I also headcanon he only used Eight as a stepping stool to get to Jadus, who shares the other side of the force bond and is his real goal to possess; but where he expected an easy fight he got a mind he couldn't break because it in no way resembled that of any other sentient he'd met. Eight's other personal stake in this is that Valkorion is blocking both sides of his and Jadus' force bond, and for this arrogant Sith to take away what had given him meaning in his life would instill a rage like he'd never known.

Eight: No more nightmares. No more interruptions from a crusty old ghost. I can get used to this.

It's finally fucking over. This was an ultimately tragic part of his life despite the good it meant for others around him and the galaxy; but it had left him isolated and more soaked in blood than the entire agent chapter. It was his duty. It was his burden. It was his wound to bear.

He's laid the dead to rest, and now he will leave. Whatever that means for him.

#swtor #kotfe/et au #it's....crazy how the Alliance usually becomes a home for other characters and it was the exact opposite for Eight #like a duty that had been hoisted on him that he had no choice to fulfill #it fed the side of him that wasn't a person but a weapon and a beast more than anything else until it was fat on blood #and....oh Eight you'll never find what you seek like this #still he leaves victory in his wake #as he always does

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

Ok this hasn’t been asked abt BUT

I got OrangeJuiceVerse Stan on the brain (again)

Specifically in terms of his protectiveness.

In the last OJV ask I got I mentioned that he and Kyle have the most parental tendencies of the Star Seven, and boy oh boy do I have some thoughts on Stan’s knight in shining armor complex!

I won’t get into the Kyle part of that bc 1) I have talked wayyyy too much abt that on ao3 and here, and 2) that’s a whole separate long ass post and I would probably combust.

But!!! First focusing on the M5:

So growing up together they were all generally referred to as “Stan’s Gang”, which he was like wait why are they my gang but then he grew to love that bc they were his people. He loves them with all of his soul (ojverse Stan is a lover for sure) and he is EXTREMELY protective of everyone and kind of (smh this man) sees himself as the dad of the crew. Done with everyone’s bs, the “fun” parent. A lot of that comes from his resentment of Randy, his desire to keep everyone out of true danger and not be flaky despite his own problems. This is especially poignant with Kenny.

So Stan and Kyle VERY much see Kenny as “their egg” (yes I’m borrowing from the “Stan is a protective father” note of that episode) and they really look out for him growing up bc of his shitty home life. Really all of the M5 have a soft spot for Ken, but Stan and Kenny understand each other on a spiritual level. Though Stan doesn’t consciously know abt Kenny’s immortality and IS his Ride Or Die Disaster Bi in all things reckless, the second something goes wrong he’s there, swooping in and reminding him that “yeah you can be a crazy bastard, but don’t you dare die”. He’s less overbearing than Ky gets when Kenny gets hurt, but he’s there to be like “hey man you’re good, you gotta be careful tho”. He was the first to INSIST that he pay kenny in full for his art and commissions stuff regularly through their entire lives.

With Marj, it’s really, really complex. I mentioned before in my OJV Stan hcs (thank you to the wife for that ask btw) that he was the first person she went to when she realized she was a girl! Bc he’s always been pretty emotionally honest and accepting of everything, and she was dealing with her crush on Kenny too and Stan notoriously THINKS he’s slick in being a massive simp so two birds one stone lmao. He was pretty clueless at first but that protective instinct kicked in and he was like GIRL WE GONNA FIND YOU SOME RESOURCES! Also, I’ll do a post abt how NO ONE in the OJV Star Seven is neurotypical soon, but i briefly mentioned in The Wacky Adventures of Craig And Kyle that Marjorine has the ‘tism as well, and Stan is NOT the person to go to when you’re having a meltdown, but rest assured he WILL get you to someone who is. Like she can tell him “Stan I’m feelin a little…” and he will IMMEDIATELY find her Kenny or Kyle. Kyle’s obviously his go to when things are out of his emotional scope, and that extends to Craig later down the line.

So TWEEK!!! Oh god Tweek and Stan’s relationship in the OrangeJuiceVerse is so important to me. They’re the first encounter of the Broken Bottles Quartet, and that moment when Kyle figures out about Tweek’s problem, Stan was full man-with-the-plan mode about how to help him! Before he takes Tweek to AA, he’s at ye ol’ meetin’ hall talking to the old geezers in the local group and it’s like:

“Hey, Stanny Boy, good to see you back, how you healin up (smh I did break his ribs for good reason I promise) got anything to share?” “Actually yeah, I’m gonna bring someone with me in a few days, but you guys HAVE to give him space he gets really nervous.” And the longtime AA peeps who are prone to being overly friendly back off and let Tweek just listen that first time, and Stan is consistently checking in and with Stan’s support Tweek slowly gets more comfortable, and Stan is SO fucking proud of him and he’s his sponsor for a LONG ASS TIME before he officially is.

As for Cartman, once he moves away, Stan will call him up pretty frequently to check in, like “hey fatass how’s the wedding planning company coming?” “Fuck off, hippie did you get the-“ “YES I got the beef jerky club membership quit sending me that shit” “heh, sweet.” “Asshole, but seriously are you doing okay?” “Yes you photosynthesizing dildo. The Jew looks tired in his last facebook post check on him” “I got him, Cartman” “you guys are assholes” “we love you too” “gross” smh theyre so unserious.

But yeah that’s this episode of me not shutting tf up abt OrangeJuiceVerse

#south park #bruh what is wrong with me #headcanons #my shit #stannnn #my baby boy #stan marsh #style #lmm voice: look at my son #ao3 #ao3 shit #OrangeJuiceVerse #ojv

[frankie-the-undead]

Isaac x peepaw Willy (fnaf) because they're old fucks that never die

Who's Peepew WillSmith again?

#im in a silly goofy mood #isaac grossman #isaac lee grossman #the purple guy #right? #lil buddy #thanks for the ask! #the two immortal geezers

[eleutheramina]

Michiru & Shirou Thoughts

Binge-watched BNA last night. 

Overall, I enjoyed it. It was cute and fun to watch. Most of all, I really appreciated the development of Michiru and Shirou’s relationship, and I wanted to write a bit a lot (channeling the former English major in me) because I’m sad there isn’t more content about them, and clearly, the relationship is integral both the narrative and each character's growth. Contains spoilers for BNA. 

I want to talk about their relationship in general, but I first want to address what I have perceived as the conventional interpretations of their relationship on the interwebz.  

Shipping? Romance? 

On one hand, I totally understand many people not seeing them romantically - there's not much explicit evidence for it in the show--no random blushing, no side characters teasing them about their feelings, no kisses or anything close. Indeed, I think anything like that in the show would feel uncharacteristic of both Michiru and Shirou as we know them, especially since they don’t really grow closer until 3/4 of the way through the series. And I also understand that Shirou not only looks older than Michiru, but also is technically a thousand years old and immortal regardless of how childish he may sometimes act, so for many people that’s not acceptable or appealing. ��

Certain scenes could be construed as having romantic undertones (rather than simply just showing they care for each other, which is pretty incontrovertible)--I’m thinking mostly when Shirou jumps off a building to rescue her in episode 3. While I think this can be also be explained as conveying his general heroism and concern for beastmen, rather than being romantic, I think the inclusion of it in the story and the heightened drama surrounding it adds to an element of romance (I’m reminded of Guts and Casca’s fall in Berserk). Similar things could be said about their confrontation in episode 11.  

I also think it's not beyond the realm of possibility (i.e. fanfiction) for there to be romantic development between them down the line, especially with Michiru staying in Animacity, and I personally do ship them because of my personal tastes (the aloof guy with the cheerful girl trope is v appealing to me) and because I love the development of their understanding of one another (which I elaborate on below).  

Daddy Shirou?  

At the same time, I'm somewhat bewildered by the popular reading of their relationship as one between a father and daughter. I get that it could seem that way from the promotional material, and also that it's cute and maybe mostly a meme (in which case, sorry for taking it seriously), but I honestly think there's not much support in the show for that kind of dynamic in their interactions beyond superficial things, like Shirou being older that Michiru, often protecting her, and giving her food (which happens on-screen, like, once).  

Not only that, I think this label feels unnatural because it undermines Michiru's roles in their relationship and makes her seem like someone Shirou needs to care for. Instead, I'd argue that so often (and more and more as the series goes on), Michiru serves as more of an equal to Shirou, and their relationship is one of mutual trust and respect. 

This doesn't mean that there aren't obvious power imbalances in their relationship--again, Shirou being older and being a super powerful immortal god, him having close ties to the mayor and literally serving as Michiru's social worker at one point, as well as him generally being more savvy about beastmen and Animacity. Significantly, Michiru also just perceives Shirou as older--in episode 3, she refers to him as an "adult," and in episode 10 she calls him a “stubborn geezer,” suggesting that she recognizes his older age. In contrast, Michiru is apparently 18 and still has high school student vibes, and at the beginning of the series, she clearly is ignorant and naive about many aspects of beastmen life and Animacity.  

Despite these things, I think Michiru has power in their relationship because she erodes the dogmatic assumptions that Shirou has about humans and beastmen. This happens as early as episode 2, when Shirou is adamant that it's impossible for Michiru to be a human because "Humans are humans. Beastmen are beastmen." (Indeed, Michiru turns out to be right about most of what she says to him in that scene--her condition is termed as a “disease” later in the series, and there is someone else like her--namely, Nazuna.)  

Not only does Michiru have power in their relationship because of this, but Shirou also recognizes Michiru's independence and agency. In episode 4, when he learns that she has left Animacity, he says she can "do what she wants." When the mayor tells him to get retrieve Nina and Michiru, he ruffles his hair, clearly annoyed, suggesting he doesn't see her as his responsibility (beyond, of course, his general concern for beastman wellbeing). He even doesn't go to the party himself to get the girls, but rather asks Michiru to return Nina--and act of trust that Marie even comments on. They also clearly have no qualms about roasting each other, as evidenced at their interchange of insults at the end of the episode. Here, if anything, their relationship resembles bickering siblings more than a father and daughter.  

Additionally, we see Michiru growing to be able to hold her own with Shirou in the action sequences. Indeed, Michiru begins to be able to actually help Shirou with the enemies they face as her knowledge of her beastman capacities, rather than just needing to be rescued. I’d say we first see this in episode 7, when Michiru sprouts wings that allow her to save the falling Shirou and also help him catch up with the airborne Pinga. Then we see Michiru stepping up to help Shirou take down the rampaging Yaba in episode 8. Not only does she play an integral role in subduing him--it’s her wings that allow him to be transported to a remote place (where Shirou can then go Ginrou-mode), but it’s also here that we see Shirou and Michiru’s partnership really start to kick off. I find their teamwork pretty endearing, as they grow to trust one another--Michiru challenges Shirou’s independence and forces him to rely on her, and Shirou actually allows her to help and gives her directions. This doesn’t mean that Michiru unquestioningly accepts Shirou’s orders (for example, she pushes back when he tells her to drop them in the warehouse), but it’s clear that even when she doesn’t always agree with him, she’s willing to trust him.  

Indeed, rather than their relationship being one of great power difference, I think they actually grow to have a pretty balanced amount of power in their interactions with one another (as much power as is possible given the aforementioned situational differences between them). Just as Michiru challenges Shirou’s conception of humans and the rigidity of the division between the two races, Michiru also recognizes her own lack of understanding about Shirou and of beastmen. More than that, he makes her aware of her own prejudices about him (just as he challenges his prejudices).  

Really, I’d say episode 9 is probably the strongest case for their relationship being something like a father-daughter relationship, but I think the dynamic is ultimately subverted. Shirou comes in with food for Michiru to lift her spirits (classic Asian parenting) while telling her not to go near certain places. Probably the most paternal we’ve seen him. Yet her response to the food she gets is not one of simple gratitude or even ingratitude toward a caregiver, but one that shows she is learning more about him and is willing to tease him (“I was thinking how a thousand year old person is so different.”) And also, because Michiru is her own person, she defies the restrictions he lays out--not out of rebellion against him, but out of her own friendship with Nazuna. Evidently, even when Shirou tries to guide Michiru in a father-like way, she responds in a way that subverts that dynamic.  

Mutual Respect & Understanding (aka in which I gush about them)  

Instead of a father-daughter relationship, Shirou and Michiru grow to have a relationship founded on respect for one another and a burgeoning understanding of each other’s differences. They care for and encourage one another and help each other grow, and I think that’s awesome regardless of whether or not you have hope for a romance between them.  

I love how Michiru, whom Nazuna accuses of rushing into things based on her assumptions and an egocentric sense of justice, humbly recognizes not just her lack of knowledge about Shirou after learning his divine identity, but also the lack of effort she put into trying to know him. Not only that, but in episode 12, she is able to recognize Shirou as one who is “so sad and miserable, but still thinking about others,” rather than the offputting scary crying wolfman she met in the first episode. She knows that there are fundamental differences between her as a human and him as a beastman (in contrast to Nazuna, who says in episode 11 that “Humans and beastmen aren’t all that different”), but she is nonetheless able to understand him. She literally transforms into a wolf in order to track him down, using the acute sense of smell that is his trademark.  

I love how she grows to understand why he turned into Ginrou during the festival. I love how, when she confronts him in episode 11, she starts with an apology for not understanding his feelings about the vaccine, when she should be the one to understand him most. I think basic but important things like these, like apologizing for not paying more attention to how someone else is feeling, is one of the reasons why I really appreciate Michiru as a character.  

Likewise, Shirou learns to humble himself and trust someone else, as well as better understands a human. I love how he eventually just accepts that Michiru will want to help him when he goes off to fight. I love how he apologizes himself when Michiru confronts him in episode 11, and how he explains his intentions to her without holding anything back. I love how he thanks her for saving him from the Nirvasyl syndrome, how he chooses not to kill Alan when reminded of how Michiru does not like killing, how he encouragingly says that she can return to her human form soon (even if that means her leaving Animacity, which it’s implied would sadden him). Even his overlooking of baseball gambling, even if somewhat questionable, is sweet if you read it as him doing it because he knows Michiru enjoys it.

#michiru kagemori #brand new animal #shirou oogami #michiru x shirou #meta

[plumblueflower]

Can I have a story too, bro? Any mythology? 🥺

Yes of course! Let me think of a nice one that you'll enjoy.............*please imagine the music you hear when you're on hold for a company phone number, but in kazoo*................DING!

Today we'll be learning about the 2nd incarnation of Lord Vishnu from my own religion/mythology! Disclaimer to any who practice Hinduism, don't come after me for being irreverent. I believe that these stories were meant to be told with love and affection, not fear.

Onward to a cautionary tale about how being arrogant is one of the worst things you can do when met with a temperamental sage and how tortoises and snakes are apparently valid materials in engineering. Due to divinity of said creatures, it can be safely said that no reptiles were harmed in the making of this production!

Once upon a time, while the King of the Heavens, God of Lightning and Thunder (think Zeus but less swol??), Indra was simply king-ing around, a sage came into his court. Now, these sages were very powerful and well-respected members of society. They'd essentially take to the forest and pray for a very, very long time and gain something akin to XP points in a game, along with rather unsavory looking beards (but don't ever said that to them aloud, you'll see what happens when you offend them!). Generally, a force to be respected and tread carefully around.

The sage that came on that Wednesday afternoon (this is an estimate based on my stellar intuition), was named Durvasa. And he was known to be a very, very, very, very grumpy old coot. Perhaps it was because he meditated with the wrong posture, it can't be explained for sure. Anyways, if you ever come across him, keep your manners poised!

He came with good intent, wanting to bestow a flower garland on Indra as a gesture of blessing and kindness. However, Indra, presumably addled by the royal haze, simply took it and gave it to Airavat, his elephant. Now, being an elephant, Airavat did not necessarily have a great regard for decorum and simply stomped on it after realizing that it wasn't a snack.

Durvasa was livid to say the least, and can you blame him? Imagine you spent all your time writing a love letter for someone and they simply through it to their pet shredder, sounds horrid, doesn't it? (Now you'll have more incentive to reblog this!)

Well in his rage, the old geezer cursed everyone in the heavens, gods and demigods alike, to lose all fortune, happiness, and victory! Soon after, Indra's armies began to lose all of their battles, and generally seemed to be going through a time about as fun as ours. The gods were entirely at their wits' end! How would they finagle their way out of this?

Forgive the quick business analogy, but imagine this power structure a bit like a corporate one. Indra would be the CEO of the company, but there is a founding board of directors that he answers to. The Big Three: Vishnu, Shiva, and Bramha.

Anyways, Indra and the rest of the heavenly squad trekked up to Vishnu's realm and sheepishly asked for an assist. Vishnu told them that all their fortune and the immortal nectar, Amrit (for the graecophiles, Ambrosia) was at the bottom of the ocean (Pacific? Atlantic? I think quite possibly could have been an extremely large puddle). To regain their prosperity and health, they would have to churn it out of the ocean!

At that point, Vishnu, in RPG game fashion, gave them a helpful hint: You need the help of the demons to hold the other side of whatever rope you use to churn, but you cannot let them take the Immortal Juice. This would require some hijinks and shenanigans, but they figured out a plan.

The gods convinced the demons to come and help them churn, promising that they would share the Amrit. They assembled a humongous, gargantuan, massive churning mechanism. Vishnu's "snake familiar", Vasuki, King of the Serpents, was the churning rope and huge mountain was the churning rod. As they pulled the snakey-rope back and forth, demons on one side, gods on the other, the mountain started sinking! Oh no! So, Vishnu took the form of a tortoise and went under the mountain to keep it stabilized! By some engineering miracle, the wealth and fortune came right out from the seabed, along with a few unfortunate fishes. When the Amrit came out, the Demons quickly snatched it for security. But the gods had a plan, because as we know, if there's one thing that dissolves all reason from the brain, it is a very hot woman. (unless you're an aspec or a gay in this case, but at this point, I'm willing to bet that the illusion would simply change to be garlic bread or a hot stud to seduce you anyways)

Now who exactly was this hot woman? Well, her name was Mohini, but she was actually Vishnu in disguise! She seduced the demons into letting her distribute the Amrit to everyone and with her charming maneuvers, she managed to distract the demons so that they wouldn't notice that she was only actually giving nectar to the gods! Victory for our side!

But wait! It turns out the demons had a counterstrike of their own! One demon, Rahuketu, realized the trick and disguised himself to be a god so he would get the nectar. But just as the nectar was about to go down his throat, Vishnu caught him and beheaded him with his ultra-scary, spiky frisbee, the Sudarshan Chakra. Because the demon had already ingested it partially, the two half of his body became sentient beings aptly named Rahu and Ketu. We now see them in the sky as Uranus and Neptune! With that deception foiled, the story ends with the victory of the gods!

Fun fact about Mohini: This female avatar of Vishnu, was very much the temptous femme fatale of the millennia! She killed many demons with her cunning and looks, the illusion being able to tempt anyone! Including....one of the other members of the Triumvirate, Shiva himself! According to the stories of Kerela, India, Shiva saw Mohini, they did "lovers-in-the-nighttime" and had a child, Ayyappa! As a trans, I think this is pretty cool, but thought you all would like to know as well!

#mythology #storytelling #indian culture #hinduism #folktale #religion

[newathens]

“I can explain.” for Apollo and Hades please?

“I can explain.”

Nico di Angelo’s body lays between them. A limp, bloody rag doll that kind of makes him want to barf. Whether it’s from pain or disgust, he can’t tell. The beast is a few meters away, mauled. Smoke escapes through the shattered ceiling of the penthouse. 

It’s all over. Again, the price for victory was too high.

Hades has a look in his eye that Apollo knows all too well. The dead, empty look of silent rage. Gaunt sockets, set jaw. He’s seen it before, often. Poseidon used it on special occasions. Ares got it from Zeus. He’s kind of glad he doesn’t have it.

It’s inescapable though. And his godhood is still floating around the cosmos.

Nico’s blood reaches his foot and he sways on his feet. He doesn’t want to cry. “I can’t explain.”

The elevator’s dinging—broken, signaling the car as it moves up each floor. The couple should arrive any moment. It would be best for this to be over before then.

Hades speaks, “My brother watched idly his two-time hero demigod son get skewered by a barely-there immortal. Do you think he’ll bear even a passing glance at his excommunicated mortal disgrace?”

Apollo swallows and the bow slips from his fingers in defeat, his head dropping with it. Blood stains the golden arch as it hits the floor. He finds it morbidly funny how son was left out of his roster. When he finds the strength to look up, Hades has his bident in hand and he snorts, tears rimming his eyes. 

The geezer hadn’t pulled that out in centuries. How old-fashioned.

“No,” he answers and knows it’s true.

fifty dialogue prompts

#nico di angelo #trials of apollo #tower of nero #the way. a lot of these are going to be depressing #my fics

[mother-snake]

grim tales of shadows- pt 1

tags: @idkanameatall @imma-potatoo @girl-with-many-fandoms (ask to join the list!!) words: 4545 warnings: mentions of death, abuseive, sad snek times.

part 2: n/a

-im gonna make it through this year if it kills me-

I broke free on a Saturday morning I put the pedal to the floor Headed north on Mills Avenue And listened to the engine roar

the sky was dark by now. Yellow glowing eyes looked around the city, watching and waiting for anything to appear. “sup dee!” a voice called out from behind.

He rolled his eyes, a smirk from underneath his face scarf. The winter air meant he wanted more warmth. He had always had that issue. “hello to you too Remus,” he chuckled, “I take it you’ve finished your list for the night?” he asked, voice muffled behind the fabric. “of course double dee. You need a hand?” he was asked. “can’t find it... that or its not created yet…” he grumbled.

That was true. He had been out here for several hours looking for the level five monster that was meant to be here. the baseball bat in his hands was held with a vice like grip.

His eyes looked over the blackened small city. Their home. Well… for Remus maybe. As soon as he was able to leave school, he was leaving this place asap. That was for certain. he felt himself focus hard on something fluttering in the distance, “bingo,” he cheered before taking a running start and jumping over to the next building as if it were second nature.

In a way, doing this since you were nine would have that effect. He had indeed died at the age of nine. But fate was… well. It wasn’t cruel. But it wasn’t nice either. he had died too early that day apparently. But his brother died on time.

A house fire was all it had taken. A simple spark from the stove whilst his father slept on the couch. and here he was, fighting monsters that if you told to any sane person would make you seem insane.

The loud roar of something screamed from down below. Inhumane and deafening.

His grin couldn’t get any wider as he saw the beat flap its wings and soar in the sky. it looked like a mantuary. Just with more eyes and sharp sockets filled with teeth. He would need to be careful if he wated to go to school tomorrow. “ready?” he said over to Remus. “you know it double dick!” his friend cheered as he picked up a piece of loose pipping.

My broken house behind me and good things ahead A girl named Cathy wants a little of my time Six cylinders underneath the hood crashing and kicking Ahh, listen to the engine whine

He woke up with a groan. Splayed out on his bed in the same things he had worn the night before. His window was wide open and his baseball bat sat neatly to the side. his wrist screamed in protest as he clenched his hands. he winced at the sudden pain. Just because he couldn’t die didn’t mean he couldn’t injure himself.

Apparently, he was one of the worst out there for getting hurt. he sighed and closed his eyes. Fuck school today, yeah. Nope it wasn’t happening.

He reached down to grab his phone with his good hand and looked at the time. Looks like he missed breakfast. Knowing his dad there wouldn’t be anything to eat until dinner. a thought crossed his mind and he quickly entered an old group chat. Quickly placing a message before flinging himself of the bed.

He was quick to remove his ‘costume’ as they called it. it acted more as protective gear than anything else.

Soon he was in a yellow button up and ripped jeans. His hair covering the left side of his face. he found it strange that despite how long ago he died, he was still the youngest of the group. Just by two years.

The others were either in the near by collage or in part time jobs. But today was a Friday thankfully. No one seemed to have any classes or shifts on that day. So, he was going to skip and meet them where they normally met. The park. but, he did have some spare time and change, so he was also going to get a drink. Most likely a hot chocolate of some form.

He opened his door as quietly as possible and slunk from his room. He took a deep breath as he walked past the living room to see his father passed out, head on the table. he grabbed his set of keys and jacket and left as quick as his feet could carry him. he was going to feel this more than his wrist tonight, but seeing them always made it worth every second.

The apartment building smelled horrid. That’s why he mainly took the window route. But since it was the middle of the day, well… that made things harder without being caught and having neighbour tell his dad. That was the last thing he needed.

He plucked a couple coins from his pocket and smiled. Remus had always been there for him even when his father wasn’t. he wondered what would happen if he told him exactly just when he died. If he would be sympathetic or just ditch him.

He looked up in the air to see a form of someone walking his direction. And he instantly groaned inwards. Roman. That son of a bitch who was somehow related to his best friend. “what the fuck happened last night?” roman growled as he blocked him in the street. “look, things got out of hand alright. We barely got out of there unscathed. Let alone alive,” he growled back. “what level was it?” roman asked his glowing red eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses. “five. The son of a bitch gave me a level five to deal with alone,” he growled, “now if you don’t mind-“

He stopped as he felt something buzz in his pocket. he felt his face go ghostly pale as he picked it out. “shit…” he muttered.

He glanced up to see roman looking at him confused. “don’t worry. And tell Remus that if I don’t arrive at the park that the old geezer finally left the house,” he stepped past the brunette and continued his way forwards.

A hand grasped his wrist, causing him to let out a yelp of pain. He looked at roman with a scowl and a hiss.

I am going to make it through this year If it kills me I am going to make it through this year If it kills me

He arrived at the café later than he would have liked. But it was alright. He was still on track of time. That was good. His wrist still hurt from romans grasp but he was used to that sort of pain.

He felt himself sigh in relief as the smirk of the barista who knew him all too well came into view, “sup babes, mint or orange today?” Remy asked, lowering his sunglasses revealing normal eyes. “I think orange today,” he said as he brought out the money he needed.

The wait wasn’t too long, the barista being very well known to his order, he had been coming to the ‘beanie place’ for a few years now. it seemed always busy, or at least several tables were filled with people.

He looked up from his phone with a smile as he heard his name being called out. his hot chocolate sat by a cookie. his smile grew ever so slightly more as he picked both of them up and waved goodbye to Remy. He would be back in a few days once he had been able to scrounge around the house.

The cool winter air nipped his fingers as he took a bite out of the cookie. oh, this was just what he needed today.

He stopped in track as he looked down the street to see someone slip into an ally. That was new. and who was that? he had seen many faces around this place. Whoever ‘glasses’ was… well. He was going to find out.

He looked down the one-way street and walked out. slightly immortal, still sustainable to injury, he sighed. That sucked. he snapped his eyes to the ally as he heard trashcans being moved around.

It was at that moment he realised he left his baseball bat at home. Ah well… that was going to be fun.

He took a few steps down the hall before pausing. He knew exactly who it was… “Logan?” he asked. the boy turned around with glowing blue eyes, panicked and fearful. “Janus?” he asked, “yeah its me. I need you to calm down okay? I can explain what’s happening if it helps,” he said kneeling down near the panic-stricken friend.

“explain? How!” “last week, you were in the hospital right? Why?” “i- we went on a fishing trip at the weekend. I almost drowned- “Logan began. “was anyone there?” he asked. “yeah. It was night- we were on the boat and I slipped backwards,” he said, “what’s happening to me?” he cried.

Janus felt his heart break. This was the part he hated the most,” well… to put it simply, you are both dead and alive,” Janus said chuckling. “this isn’t funny!” Logan yelled.

Janus felt himself scowl, “I know. Ie been doing this for years. wait until you have to tell someone they are technically not alive asshole. So, I'm going to say this once and once only,” he growled. “find a weapon. A list will eventually pop up filled with locations. You go there and you kill the things. Got it?” Janus said.

“but I don’t want to- “ “too bad. I didn’t want to either, but you get used to it after a while.” He muttered.

“how did you die?” Logan whispered. “house fire. Simple. My brother didn’t get the chance I did that day, so be thankful you didn’t loose someone,” he stood up, “the others will find you soon. Call roman and explain the situation. He will be able to give you help,” he turned around.

“your hurt- “Logan said as he caught sight of the purple mass on Janus’s arm, “do you normally get hurt?” “its impossible to go a week without a new scar,” he smirked.

I played video games in a drunken haze I was 17 years young Hurt my knuckles punching the machines The taste of scotch rich on my tongue

The park was quiet save for the sound of laughter and squeaking swings swaying in the cool breeze that picked up. he felt his eyes light up as he caught sight of the three grim’s. Orpheus and Virgil swinging as high as possible and Remus on top of the swing set.

“Janus!” Remus cheered as he saw his friend walk towards them with a little haste. “sup Jannie!” Ophie called out, he let go of the swing and fell backwards. Everyone burst out laughing. “good to see your blondie,” Virgil said quieter as he arrived at the side of the swing set. “any reason we are gathered here today?” Remus said.

“there wasn’t before. But there is now…” Janus said. The others knew that tone. “a new grim?” “shadow,” Janus corrected.

“we know them, don’t we?” Ophie muttered rubbing his temples “Logan berry, on the baseball team with me,” Janus confirmed. “aw the guy you have a crush- “Janus slapped a hand over Remus mouth before taking it away after being licked.

“fuck you Remus,” “do it coward,” Remus said before getting a kick in the knee.

“Janus dee ceit!” an angry voice Hollard out, the words ever so slightly slurred together. Shit… he lowered his head slightly before turning to face the others with a smile, “see you guys next week then.” “stay safe- no more getting hurt you hear?” Virgil said sternly.

He rolled his eyes and nodded his head. They knew he wouldn’t be able to keep that promise. It was nice to think though.

He walked away with a silent sigh. His breath appearing like dragon’s breath. He wondered if would be able to make it to his hunt tonight or if he would need to rest. bruises made it hard to fight with.

And then Cathy showed up and we hung out Trading swigs from a bottle, all bitter and clean Locking eyes, holding hands Twin high maintenance machines

He wasn’t happy to be back at school in that god-awful uniform. The tie felt as if it were strangling him. the blazer didn’t keep out the cold and the shoes around his feet were far too small to be comfortable. the only good thing was the fact he could carry around his baseball bat everywhere without too may consequences.

He had been able to hide his bruise on his chin using some makeup that he had bought ages ago. But it could only do so much. good news was that he had an excuse.

He watched every one of the fields as he sat down on one of the bleachers. Lunch was one of the few times he could ever get a break.

And as he looked over to the door, he caught Patton, one of the seniors that would be leaving this year. He didn’t know how he died. But it was definitely during the sophomore year. there next to him were a couple more people and… he locked eyes with Logan who seemed to look at him with excitement before leaving the group.

He watched as Patton looked over to where he was sitting. The not so clear scowl could be felt from afar. Not that he actually cared all that much. his eyes went back to Logan. or well… sort of. The new sunglasses on his face hid the fact that his eyes were glowing or frantically looking around for the creatures.

It was a good thing that the living couldn’t see what they could. It was for the best. Still didn’t mean it scared them any less though.

“greetings Janus,” Logan said as he sat down next to the ‘snake’ as people liked to call him. “good evening to you too Logan. I take it they told you everything forgot to?” he smirked. “indeed. I didn’t think that there would be two groups of death people but here we are,” Logan said, “and in my opinion, grim sound much more- “he looked down at… were those vocab cards? “lit? is that the right word?” he muttered as he flickered through. “it works,” Janus laughed. “well, its better than shadows is for certain,” he said.

They sat like that for a while more. Eating their lunch and trading conversation. Logan apparently liked the colour dark blue, crofters and well… much to his own surprise, rap music.

Janus loved the peacefulness that Logan seemed to bring. Whatever it was. even in classes when he would lag behind, Logan seemed to slow down to keep him company. No wonder why he loved the pretty face of Logan.

Janus glanced over to Logan. he wondered if his parents knew about his eyes yet… did they hurt him for it? or did they just accept that it would always be that way. “I’ve been thinking about this, Janus” he said, gesturing to his eyes, “maybe I don’t need to fight… I’ve always wanted to get a doctor’s licence, and my father is a doctor himself. So, I know some basic medical knowledge that could help,” Logan began to speak, Janus was able to follow on but only for so long. But he waited for his… co-worker? To finish. “ah… I was rambling again wasn’t I,” Logan said. “it’s alright, but I understand what you’re getting at. Like backup support? Right?” Janus said tilting his head slightly. He itched his nose as his hair tickled the corner. “precisely… and I would like to join you on one of your… hunts, I think that’s what Patton said,” Logan stated. “ill think about it. but understand that if you come, you will need a weapon still. Since there is no sunlight at night you will be screwed over if something attacks you,” Janus explained.

“ill stay safe as I can,” Logan said. the bell chose this moment to ring, “ill talk to the others about it and try and set up a date,” Janus said, “see you eventually Logan berry.” “and you too Janus dee ceit.”

I am going to make it through this year If it kills me I am going to make it through this year If it kills me

The cool air was nice this time of night. but today he was alone. After explaining that Logan wished to join them one night… they hadn’t taken it all too well. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the fact that he could be easily hurt by nightmares or the fact he was a shadow.

That was a month ago… and he had no contact with them since. Deleted from the group chat and no response from his letters.

Either way, he really wished he had some backup.

The tar like thing towered twice as tall as he was… maybe even three times. And it was getting to the point he was tiering and very much so beaten.

He could feel his ribs burning in his chest. one was most certainly broken. And the bruises on his back and scrapes on his body from being thrown into the tarmac of the road stung by the fresh air.

He wheezed and almost doubled over as he ducked another ball of solid ground.

There it was! a small glowing crack in the side of the abomination came to view for the first time. The only weak point these things had. And he was so close to passing out.

This… this is why people warned him to never take on anything over a six alone. Too bad this was an eight.

He surged forwards swinging his bat and thwacking the glowing spot with as much energy as possible. the second the back hit the side he was sent flying backwards into the side of a building by a beam of light. But the thing was gone. That was good.

He sat there leaning against the wall, his bat sat not too far from his side. He dragged himself towards his weapon. He had a list he needed to complete.

He grabbed his bat and pushed himself up, grimacing as the new pain in his leg began to scream for him to stop. he held back tears as he limped against the wall. Smearing some blood as he walked onwards. Since when did he start bleeding?

He turned the corner and into an ally and felt himself crumple to a pile with a whimper. He didn’t want this to end his job… no. he needed this so badly… he couldn’t stop… he…

Why was everything so dark?

I drove home in the California dusk I could feel the alcohol inside of me hum Pictured the look on my stepfather's face Ready for the bad things to come

The room wasn’t dark. nor was it bright. It was like a waiting office so to speak. One or two people sat there wating. So was I. A name was spoken over the speakers.

He stood up unwillingly but in the same way he was safe. He knew where he was. the door opened to see a lady. White curly hair and dark skin. She looked as beautiful as before. Radiating moonlight from her eyes. she wasn’t as fancy as most people would think. Simply in grey shirt and trousers. “hello Janus, its been a while. Take a seat,” she said calmly. “why am I here?” he asked. “you are in a state of life and death once again. But this is different than before. You will live, but there will be consequences I can’t say… and I'm sorry. Fate…. She herself is cruel and sun and I are not happy about what she will do to you,” she sighed.

She pulled a pin from her hair and held it over to him, “this should keep you safe for the time being… and that boy Logan? keep him close to you. his help is needed,” she smiled, “and I have a feeling he won’t leave you alone any time soon.”

He felt his consciousness come back ever so slowly, “goodbye moon,” he said. “oh this isn’t goodbye my dear prophet. This is merely the beginning of our story,” she grinned.

His eyes shot open. His breath was quick as he looked around the room, he was in. his room… his? Why? He was passed out in the street last time?

He glanced over to his phone to see that it was a Sunday morning. Normally he would be going out for a coffee with the other grim of the area. Seeing no messages. He knew it was another day alone. he hated that… they had once promised they wouldn’t leave… this? This had gone on too far for him to think about forgiving them for.

He felt a growl rise in his throat but it stopped when it landed on a small hair pin sitting neatly next to his phone. so, not much of a dream at all… was it?

He ran a hand over his face and sighed. But- he looked in his reflection of the phone… his eyes glowed brightly. He snapped his eyes to the window- sunlight.

But he was a grim. Not a shadow… right? This. He didn’t like this. he flipped his covers off to find himself in his pyjamas. His shorts revealed his burned legs wrapped in bandages. His arms that had been grated not as badly had been covered in dinosaur pattern stickers. what the hell?

He shakily stood up to find no pain in his legs. That was nice he guessed.

 He got changed as quickly as he could. Putting on a pair of knee length black shorts and white shirt. A yellow zip up hoodie covered his arms. A pair of sunglasses covered his eyes. the silver band with the pearl on top, the small pin was placed in his messy bun. The left side was still covered.

He needed to find Logan. maybe he had more answers than he realised. And what the hell did moon mean by calling him a prophet for her?

He walked out of his room slipping on some old beaten trainers. The sound of snoring filled the air. he glanced over to see his father sleeping in the same position as always, only this time. A box of something and a roll of something else sat on the floor. Bottles were gone and the place seemed cleaner than normal.

Had he crossed into an alternative universe or something? I down-shifted as I pulled into the driveway The motor screaming out, stuck in second gear The scene ends badly, as you might imagine In a cavalcade of anger and fear

He looked around the café. He had sent Logan a text to meet up with him. A cup of hot chocolate was half empty as he scrolled mindlessly on his phone.

The sound of shuffling caught him out of his trance. “sorry I'm late, I left a little late- are you okay?” Logan seemed to say all at once at an almost inhuman pace. “i… I don’t know… but that offer? I'm willing to hold it up. on one condition,” he said, “tell Roman that if I see Remus, I'm going to kick his nuts,” he smiled. “that’s- that’s all?” he asked, eyes lighting up brightly. “trust me. things are going to happen. And I don’t know what. But we apparently need to stick together,” Janus explained. “why?” “the moon told me. and that isn’t a lie. I assure you,” Janus said excitedly. Logan seemed to be in awe as he heard Janus ramble on about his meeting. Maybe if Janus stopped looking at the floor, he would see the almost lovingly curious expression of Logan who soaked in every word that was being said by the taller boy.

“well. I suppose I should say that sun came to me a few days ago as well,” Logan chuckled, “you weren’t at school for an entire week and I got concerned. I don’t understand why they called me a prophet- “ “moon said it to me to!” Janus said exasperated. “what do they have planned for us?” Logan muttered. “I don’t know- but we stick together” Janus said holding out a hand. “together,” Logan took his hand with a shake.

There will be feasting and dancing in Jerusalem next year

The next day was hard for Janus to even wake up. maybe that was because he had spent so much energy yesterday talking with Logan before apparently coming home to take a ten-minuet nap which turned out to be an entire night of sleep.

The sound of yesterday rang in his ears. Laughter and shouts of joy as he taught Logan how to jump over rooftops. Janus would admit that Logan seemed to pick it up quicker than he could. Definitely a good thing. Quicker to get to the areas.

He was I his uniform despite the fact Logan had insisted he have another day of before going to school and that he could always glove Janus the work he missed out on. but it was Monday, he wasn’t missing baseball practice.

He picked his bag up before he heard a knock at his bedroom door. It was soft… this… slightly scared him. “Janus?” oh god, what had he done wrong, “can I come in?” wait- what the hell? He was asking? “and if I say no?” he spat back. “I wouldn’t blame you if you snuck out your window little grim,” what the fuck. “since when did I get that name?” Janus asked. “since I figured out what you are. That’s how you survived the fire. Isn’t it?”

Janus found himself opening the door. His father stood there, looking semi presentable. Bags under his eyes and looking like he hadn’t slept in ages.

“I'm going to be late for school,” Janus groaned as he shoved past. “that’s why I'm driving you today,” his father spoke. “haha good one. The man who puts bruises on my body wants to drive me to school. How. Great.” “its about your mother,” he froze. This… he was willing to listen to.

I am going to make it through this year If it kills me I am going to make it through this year If it kills me

He found Logan standing by the entrance of the school. Both wore their sunglasses to hide their eyes. But they smiled as they looked at one another.

The feeling of happiness was something he found himself craving whenever Logan was around. The one person he could even let touch him for longer than a couple seconds. the small pin in his hair sent a wave of reassurance his way as he took a deep breath and entered the gate.

With new knowledge and a friend, he could trust… he was ready for whatever was to come his way.

#sander sides #janus sanders #remus sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #tw death #tw abuse #tw abuse mention #sad snek times #enjoy this #a new series #grim died died during the day #shadows at night

[epic-potato-crisp]

Wireless (AjinWeek2020/6)

Day 6: Favorite AU! / Dotard + Call of Duty

By @ryokasmagic

Note:  AU in which Satou is a Pro-Gamer.

…………

* Sam_The_Gaming_Man has started his first stream on Twitch! *

“Hello everyone, and good day from Tokyo!” The older man greets the audience with a bright smile, throwing up a peace-sign. He’s wearing a cap that’s covering parts of his face, but no-one can miss the mischievous glint in his eyes.

“First, I want to thank my over 1 million subscribers for making this possible by always watching my Let’s Plays- You guys are the real champions! Welcome to my debut stream!”

He tips his hat. “This whole social media landscape, if I may be honest with you guys, is quite the challenge for an old geezer like me. That’s why I have Oliver over here helping me out. Thank you, Oliver!”

Someone waves a walking stick in greeting in the background.

“And thank you to Terry and Garry, who carried all my equipment up here, and helped him install it.” He gestures around himself. “Here, you can see my entire setup!”

A photo briefly fades into the right corner of the stream, showing a desktop with two large monitors, a tower case standing at the bottom, a keyboard flashing in red, gaming mouse and various other electronics. “4 TB of storage and the best CPU on the market, according to Oliver!” He holds up his hands in resignation: “Please do not ask me for the details, I have long since given up on that particular aspect. I’m here for the game and the game only! As they say, I’m going in for the kill.” He chuckles.

A taller man appears in the background. “Eh- Sato- eh, Sam-san?” a voice asks uncertainly.

“Oh, Ted!” Sam beckons him closer in a gleeful voice, “Ted my man! Come here, come here! Say hello to our audience!”

Ted inches forward. He’s of above average height, his black hair is long and shaggy under a grey basecap, and he’s wearing a red sports-jacket. He also looks like he very much doesn’t want to be here.

“I’ve brought your refreshment.” Ted says, holding out a large glass filled with tea, ice-cubes, lemon, a straw and even a little turquoise umbrella on top.

“Ted, please, take a seat!” Sam insists and finally Ted does, sitting down on the stool next to him and hands him the glass, which he gratefully accepts.

“Thank you so much!”

Sam takes a large sip. Closing his eyes, he tilts back his head and lets out a content sigh. “Just what I need before a long streaming session. Ted, you really are an angel!”

Ted avoids looking at the camera. There’s a faint blush on his face.

“Can I go now, Sat- eh, Sam-san?”

Sam laughs, amicably patting his back. “Ahh, Ted always the shy one. Go on, I won’t keep you.”

Ted bows, mumbles his thanks and disappears in a flash.

“Where were we, where were we….” Sam studies the screen, “Right, today we will be tackling a very retro game, made possible by Oliver and his friend, the emulator. Super Mario Brothers, originally published for the NES! Haha, what a joy to go back to my roots!”

Sam takes another sip of his drink. “Mmm, delicious. On this note, a big thank you to my sponsors Nekozawa Tech! They have also gifted me this beautiful headset!”

He points to his face. The headset in question shines in a cardinal red, with cat-ears adorning the top.

“See, these can even be lighted up!” Sam explains, as he demonstrates, “It makes me feel right as though I bathed in the fountain of immortal youth!” He winks into the camera.

“And of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a high-quality microphone.” He continues, lovingly patting the device in front of him. “If this has wakened your gaming spirit, click on the link in my description and get 40% of your next Nekozawa Tech order with the code EmperorSam! And now, back to the game!”

He rubs his hands, smirking.

“I do hope I won’t regret my boastful words the second I start World 1, but if you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m quite the pro at this game in particular. So, in order to keep this whole stream a little more interesting and personal, feel free to ask any burning questions you may have. Terry and Gerry over here are monitoring the feed and will pick the most exquisite ones for when I pass a level! Right, you two?”

“Back to business, baby!” a cheery voice shouts.

Sam nods. “That’s what I love to hear. Ah, and now, to no longer keep you- let the Games begin!”

….

Sam breezes through the first two worlds in record-time, audibly having a blast while doing so.

Apparently, so is his audience. His viewer count has tripled by the time they reach World 4.

“Sam, ready for some questions?” a voice asks in the background.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, Terry!” Sam flashes a confident grin at the camera, stretching and tilting his neck from one side to the next, until it gives a satisfying crack.

“telomere_freak wants to know: “Don’t you think Sam_The_Gaming_Man sounds a little too peaceful for someone of your caliber? How about killer_grandpa_606 or murderous_maniac_xoxo.”

Sam laughs heartily in response. “What a great first question to start of the round! You have a point, telomere_freak, my bloodthirsty nature – in games, of course, only- “yet again, he winks at the camera, “is not as subtle as I believed. I’m quite content with my name, however I do want to honour such a creative suggestion.” He spins around in his chair.

“Hey, Oliver?”

“Yes, Sam?”

“Can you add: “Killer_Grandpa_xoxo” to my twitter bio?”

“Sure thing, boss.”

“Wonderful! Thank you again, telomere_freak for your question. Do we have any others, Gary?”

“We have one here from yuuandai.” A second voice announces in the background. Someone, presumably Terry, cracks up with laughter.

“Guys, seriously? I see what you did there, but that’s so freaking lame!”

Gary clears his throat. “Yuuandai wants to know: “What was your occupation before becoming a pro-gamer?”

“Quite the serious one here.” Sam muses, taking down his headset for a moment. “Well, I won’t disclose too many personal details, but I can say I dabbled in International Trade before deciding to retire at my desktop. It might be difficult to imagine me all fancy in a business suit, but back then, it payed the bills. And it taught a lot about strategy at the same time.”

He puts his headset back on. “And now, let’s get ready for some entertainment!”

……

World 4 is destroyed in an almost ridiculous amount of time.

“I’d really feel sorry for these turtles.” he comments, “If they weren’t such fun to jump on!”

Unexpectedly, World 5 proves to be more difficult than Sam had anticipated.

His good mood doesn’t drop in the slightest. On the contrary, it seems have been heightened.

“What a rollercoaster!” Sam calls out in exhilaration, pausing the game after yet another death, “That’s an enemy how I like them- difficult to predict, difficult to conquer. Alas, I will take a short break. Terry, if you please?”

“kurochan100 wants to know: Will you be joining us for the Call of Duty Tournament next weekend?”

“What a question, of course! That’s something that even early stage dementia won’t let me forget.” Sam laughs, “Just a joke, folks.” He smirks. “My old brain works a little better than Ted would like it to sometimes.”

As if on cue, the taller man appears behind him: “Sat-, eh, Sam-san. Your medication.” He fidgets, pill box in hand.

“Ted, you’re truly an angel! Don’t stand there, sit, sit. You know my female fanbase appreciates your cameos.”

“Do they?” Ted asks quietly, fidgeting but taking a seat as expected of him.

“Why wouldn’t they? We all need a savior like Ted when your own hips become one’s mortal enemy.” Sam sighs theatrically, waggling a finger at the camera.

He then swallows medication in one go with a generous sip of iced tea.

“#tenshited is trending.” Terry calls out from the back, as #てんしてど moves up to number one of Japan’s most popular twitter topics.

“Ahahaha, is it? See Ted, the ladies just can’t enough get of you!”.

Ted mumbles something incoherent, pulling his basecap even lower.

“Wait a second though- “Sam frowns, “What user asked about the tournament again?”

“kurochan100.” Gary says.

“Wait, is it the kurochan100? Terry, check that please.”

“On it, boss. Oh, speaking of the devil: “It is me. You better have your weapons ready on Saturday.”- kurochan100.”

“Of course, it is them!” Sam chuckles, and waves into the camera.

“Shout-out to kurochan100! She’s an up-and-coming streamer, and a living legend at Call of Duty. Even Ted has experienced the joy of being crushed by her before. Haven’t you, Ted?”

“I need to leave.” Ted mumbles, and promptly disappears from sight.

“Some losses take longer to get over.” Sam comments, with a wry smirk, “Well, give her a follow on her Twitch channel, you won’t regret it! Except of course, if you’re on the opposing team!” He laughs loudly.

“Let’s continue.” he announces, turning back to the game. There’s a vengeful glint in his eyes.

“I still have a World to take over.”

#ajinweek2020 #ajin #ajin demi human #sato ajin #satou

[davidmann95]

This week’s comics?

SPOILERS, fairly casually

The Immortal Hulk #23: It’s Immortal Hulk. If you’re not getting it you’re doing comics wrong.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Going Big #1: Hadn’t actually planned on picking this up but found myself to my own surprise pulled in by the cover. Main story by Conway and Bagley was predictably quality, the middle by Macchio and Nauck wasn’t, and Larsen’s wrapup was the most fun but that villain was...a choice if she had existed before, even moreso if she hadn’t. Passable for die-hards, but I’m baffled why this exists when we’ll also be getting Full Circle; I guess this is for major past talent while that’s more the current hotness?

Fantastic Four #14: Best issue of this volume yet, especially with Paco Medina in tow, and a jumping on point I’d recommend even to those who’d already understandably written this run off. Might not come off as a total embarrassment next to the ‘ancillary’ FF stuff coming later this year, which actually isn’t a small compliment given the talent stacked on Grand Design, 2099, and Negative Zone.

House of X #4: At long last the X-Men doing X-Men stuff, if not quite how anyone would have expected it. Lot hanging on the implications in the margins of Hickman’s grand plan at this point in terms of parsing what happens here, and even that leaves more questions than answers (clearly clones are involved, but what does that mean for the current and future situation?). Also it rules.

The Wicked + The Divine #45: I look forward to now being able to reread this series to learn whether or not I particularly like it. I’m sure I will, it’s Gillen and McKelvie and I usually enjoyed individual issues well enough even if I could never remember what the hell was going on, but I often need to reread Gillen’s stuff before it properly clicks with me.

DIE #7: This however grabbed me right off the bat and has yet to let go, even though I’m still not positive I know what’s going on.

No One Left To Fight #3: The ‘romance’ subplot I wasn’t sure about has wrapped up about as well as could be hoped for even if it feels kinda like a sour note to me, and otherwise this remains a load of fun and I’d like to see it pick up more attention.

Doomsday Clock #11: Hahahaha they actually did it, Superman’s on panel with a dick in DC’s biggest comic. Beautiful. GOSH there should not be a comic where Superman’s defending an all-but-explicitly Trump-occupied White House from a revolutionary brown man, though. And the heck is up with ‘Nibiru’? Is that a throwaway thing, or a setup for something coming up in the regular books? Anyway, this book remains ridiculous, shockingly entertaining and ‘significant’-feeling, gorgeous, and fundamentally broken, having squandered the legitimate potential of its concept at virtually every turn but still fascinating in spite of itself, maintaining a veneer of high-minded ‘mature readers’ structure and ambition laudably far beyond anything Johns has ever approached in the past overlaying a truly dumb as hell event comic core. My main question at this point is whether the ending will be ideologically rancid, ideologically null, or the former attempting to be the latter, and how interesting it’ll be along the way. And as I noted on Twitter, it remains hilarious that Good Doomsday Clock was conceived of almost certainly in part in response to this, created, announced, and released in full entirely within the lifespan of Actual Doomsday Clock.

DCeased: A Good Day To Die #1: Fun comic, absolutely get it if you’re getting the main mini, but how on Earth did they net Darick Robertson for this? I’m thrilled to see him, but the hell? Has the guy even done anything with Constantine or zombies before?

Lois Lane #3: Rucka can spend all the time he likes picking up Gotham Central/52 threads as far as I’m concerned, and the Lois (and Clark) stuff in here is as on-point as the first two issues.

Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #1: A lot of fun, jarring as it is to pivot from quoted Kirby dialogue to Bendisspeak on a dime, but this and #2 clearly should have just been a big one-shot.

The Green Lantern #11: Still a ton of fun. Is the ‘Golden Lantern’ gonna tie in at all with Legion? Also I’m going nuts here not being able to recall who the Lantern with the prism chest and Yondu-fin is. Is she new?

Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds #3: Um...wow. Wow. What a hell of a high concept when presented as it is here, and as good an execution as could possibly be hoped.

Superman: Up In The Sky #3: I talked about the first story that may well hold this title back from otherwise deserved perennial status when it came out in the Walmart issues - maybe the most hideous misfire of King’s career - but the second here’s an all-timer.

Justice League #31: Fuck the geezers, the REAL stars of the show are officially onboard after what felt like 83,000 years of waiting! Shame about how Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Kamandi are definitely doomed now, I’ve always liked ‘em, but I’ll call it a fair trade-off for the return of Justice Legion Alpha. I’ll admit though, much as I’ve traditionally been fairly ambivalent on them it really was charming to see the JSA again, especially now that it’s clear that their new setup won’t interfere with the position of Superman and the Justice League.

Batman vs. Ra’s Al Ghul #1: From page one this is every bit as ratfuck baying-at-the-moon out of its goddamn mind as I could have hoped of any self-respecting sequel to Batman: Odyssey, and it might be the book I’m gonna be most excited for every month now. God bless Neal Adams for doing whatever the hell it is that man does, and sharing it with us undeserving wretches.

#Week's Comics #Opinion

[giftfromthesleepprincess]

Chapter 7-Gift From the Princess Who Brought Sleep; Scene 2

Gift from the Princess Who Brought Sleep, pages 269-278

Of the land of Elphegort, one fourth of it was taken up by forest. The largest of these forests was the “Millenium Tree Forest” to the southwest. As the name implied, there had once been an enormous tree there that was called the Millennium Tree. The people worshipped it as a god, and it was known as a pilgrimage site for the disciples of the Held sect of the Levin faith.

But a terrible event occurred eighty years ago.

The Millennium Tree that had been the forest’s symbol suddenly withered and died.

When the nearby residents realized this, there was a great uproar; however, at the same time they had discovered a new large tree growing right beside it. The people then decided make that great tree a new target of their faith as the reincarnation of the Millennium Tree.

Sister Clarith, the founder of the Sisters of Clarith, had published this sermon in her last years:

“We all must honor the Millennium Tree. All people must protect this sacred tree, not just the followers of Held. For to us she is a most respected god, our most precious friend, and our most cherished love.”

It wasn’t something set in law. But it had become taboo to thoughtlessly touch the new Millennium Tree or damage it. Particularly as Held followers were terrified of losing their subject of worship again, they came to very rigidly safeguard the forest. A new church was founded by the forest’s entrance, and people who tried to enter were strictly inspected and restricted. That was certainly effective in protecting the Millennium Tree, but it also amounted to an annoyance for residents of the nearby village and a large portion of travelers.

The Sisters of Clarith started issuing a travel pass. You could enter the forest even without being inspected by the church at the entrance as long as you had it, but you needed to undergo a different examination in order to receive that pass, which was also extremely bothersome.

Elluka and Gumillia had travel passes (they had been given to them special by Sister Clarith herself during her life), but they’d long since expired. Thanks to that they’d kept their distance from the Millennium Tree lately.

Using an animal path that Egmont had told them about, they were able to successfully enter the forest without going by way of the main entrance. Elluka knew many other methods and back roads for getting in, but it seemed this path was the closest.

Eventually they came out into a clearing. Nearby the enormous tree that was growing in the heart of it was a visitor who’d gotten there first.

Puerick Rogzé. Unlike Elluka and Gumillia, he had come here using an official travel pass.

“Oh, I was waiting for you.  Miss Hanne—I was investigating a little until you got here.”

“Make yourself at home, Doctor…So then, what’s your opinion?”

“I can’t be certain without inspecting it more thoroughly with my tools at home, but…It does seem that this tree’s sap has extremely strong poison-counteracting properties.”

“Then you can make an antidote that will have an effect on the sixth ‘gift’ poison?”

“I can’t say. I still don’t know all the details on the sixth ‘gift’ in the first place. I wasn’t able to detect anything like it in the corpses at Toragay. –Only, I did find some peculiar antibody-like components in the blood of the survivors, so I’ve been looking into it with that as a foothold. If all goes well, I might be able to develop an antidote without having to go to the trouble of taking tree sap from the Millennium Tree.”

“Let’s hope so. The people in the Held sect aren’t likely to keep quiet if we end up continually damaging the Millennium Tree for the antidote.”

It wasn’t just Freezis Fairytales that were being sold in the black market held in Toragay. That white energy tonic that Egmont had purchased was another one of its products.

What it used as a primary ingredient was sap taken from the bark of the Millenium Tree. Strictly speaking, damaging the tree wasn’t against the law. It was just something the Held sect forbid on their own.

Despite that, naturally you couldn’t publicly sell Millennium Tree sap. If someone was discovered doing so they would incur the animosity of all the Held devotees in Elphegort.

“It’s fortunate that Egmont heard the ingredients from the seller,” Elluka murmured while touching the Millennium Tree’s trunk.

It seemed that Egmont was little more than a customer, unaware that Pere Noel was running the black market. He may have been a target for being cracked down on by the World Police despite that, but Elluka had no inclination to hand him over to them when he was the hero who saved Toragay. She wasn’t a reporter anymore, and Gumillia was no longer an officer.

“So, I will head back home for now. I plan to analyze this sap as soon as possible. …What do you two intend to do?”

“We—will stay here for a while. This forest is my girl here’s home,” Elluka replied, putting her hand on Gumillia’s head.

“Oh, I see. …Well then, take it easy.”

“Take care, Doctor. Try not to get caught by the people at the church.”

Elluka pointed to the bottle with the tree sap that Puerick was carrying.

“Oh yes, I know. I won’t let them confiscate my precious research subject without resistance,” Puerick said, walking towards the entrance to the forest.

“…What blockheads, ‘Pere Noel’,” Gumillia muttered as she watched Puerick leave. “To think, that the poison they made, would be cured by the medicine they made.”

“—Or maybe that was their aim all along.”

“…? What do you mean, Elluka?”

“They set loose a mysterious pathogen. The people are in a panic. But after a short time, a medicine that cures the disease is discovered. –But the only one who knows how to make it…”

“…Is ‘Pere Noel’.”

“Yes. They would have a monopoly on the cure. Think of the killing they’d have made if they’d managed to pull it off.”

“So then, the energy tonic Egmont bought, was the prototype, you mean?”

“Perhaps so. Maybe that was something that Shadow or Kaspar as ‘Second, Dealer’ had Margarita make in advance.”

Now that all three were dead, the truth was lost to them.

“Anyway…” Elluka once more put a hand on the great tree’s trunk. “Long time no see—Michaela.”

She spoke up to the Millennium Tree. When she did, a change began to occur.

The multiple layers of the bark on the trunk shifted, and finally created a small gap. It looked like a human mouth.

“…Honestly, what was with that geezer! Mercilessly scratching at a person’s---ah, no wait. A spirit’s—not that either. A god’s body! It’s inexcusable!”

The voice could be heard coming from the gap in the trunk.

Elluka and Gumillia were the only ones who could hear it. It was the voice of the Millennium Tree—or rather, the inheritor of the great land god Held, Michaela.

Michaela was a former spirit, and had also been once reborn into a human by Elluka. She had been felled with an assassin’s dagger a hundred years ago, and lost her life. After that, she had been chosen as a successor by the Millennium Tree—the land god Held—after he’d carried out his life span, and then finally been reborn as the new Millennium Tree.

“It can’t be helped, Michaela. It’s to save, people’s lives,” Gumillia said, trying to pacify her best friend as a fellow former spirit.

“Oh ho. I guess, yeah, people’s lives huh? Even though you got so ticked off at me when I extended Shaw’s life. But using Millennium Tree sap to save people is alright, huh? Wow,” Michaela griped with a sulking tone.

Shaw Freezis had once been tormented by a fear of dying of old age. He had begged Elluka to tell him how to become immortal, but she had refused him.

Though, Elluka’s immortality was an incidental side-effect of the “Sin”, and so it wasn’t something she could cause in the first place.

And there, as a last entreaty to god, Shaw had prayed to the Millennium Tree—in other words, Michaela—for immortality.

When Michaela had been human, she had worked under Shaw’s father, Keel Freezis, and so knew Shaw when he was little.

She sympathized with Shaw. She had listened to Shaw’s wish, and using her powers as god tried to make Shaw perpetually youthful.

But as an inexperienced god Michaela wasn’t able to do such a thing, and so couldn’t make him ageless as per Shaw’s wish. Even so, Shaw had gained a much longer lifespan than the average person.

Later on, once Elluka found out what she’d done, she’d been enraged at Michaela.

This was because gods weren’t supposed to interfere in human society unless absolutely necessary—a rule that Held had obstinately upheld, and Michaela as his successor had completely broken.

That was one of the reasons why Elluka had stopped visiting the forest much.

Gods were forbidden from intervention with humans—and in that case, what did that mean for using her tree sap?

“Well…how about we just put that in the purview of human intelligence, hm?” was all Elluka could reply. “Counteracting a poison created using the power of a ‘demon’ with the power of a ‘god’—I don’t see a problem in that.”

“Hah… Still as big a burden as ever, those ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’.” A gentle breeze issued from Michaela’s mouth. “You stiiiill haven’t gotten all of them? Good grief, you’ve gotta step it up, Elluka.”

“Tch…You got real cheeky the moment you became a god. My incompetent former apprentice.”

Elluka prodded Michaela’s trunk with all her strength.

But Michaela calmly replied, “That doesn’t huuurt.”

“I would think not.”

“So then, what actually happened? From beginning to end.”

“…The ‘Red Cat Sorceress’. I told you about her before, yes?”

“Yeah, she’s the one who was manipulating the girl who killed me and her mother.”

“There’s that, yes. That sorceress has been active again recently. If she’s following her usual pattern then she’ll have several ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’.”

“She’s quite spectacular, unlike you, Ellukaaa. This ‘Red Cat Sorceress’ I mean.”

“Oh shut up…So, we were tracking down someone who seemed to be her…but unfortunately it was a fake. In the end we couldn’t find any vessels either.”

“A fake, huh? So then you’re saying you were completely deceived.”

Deceived…hm.

Elluka had taken on a different name and fooled the whole world herself, yet she had still been deceived by someone else.

“We…everyone…was deceived.”

That was what Marx had said at his moment of death.

--Who in the world had he been deceived by?

--Who did he mean when he said “we”?

“You’ve been completely fooled anyway.”

Shadow had said that.

That was what she’d replied when Elluka mentioned that Margarita had contracted with a demon.

“I haven’t made any contracts. I’m me. From the moment I was born, I’ve always been myself.”

Those were Margarita’s words.

Elluka had thought she was trying to obfuscate matters. Or maybe someone else had gotten her to contract without her intent. There had in the past been some contractors of that pattern.

But—supposing that wasn’t the case.

.

Marx’s words.

Shadow’s words.

Margarita’s words.

A human who didn’t sleep.

A doll they couldn’t find.

Kaspar’s face which had so resembled someone else’s.

Margarita Blankenheim’s face.

The Phantom Thief Platonic’s face.

Eve Zvesda’s face.

And—the doll’s face.

.

Various things suddenly raced through Elluka’s mind.

When they melted, swirling together into one--

Elluka finally arrived at a single answer.

Impossible...The Sleep Princess...The true meaning of that...Her real identity--

“—-Elluka. Hey,

Elluka!

” Michaela was calling Elluka’s name.

There was a bit of anxiety in her tone.

“I can sense someone. Someone’s come here—It’s…that’s…”

Michaela was astonished. And Gumillia’s eyes opened wide.

But Elluka wasn’t surprised.

She’d said that, hadn’t she? “I’ll go to the forest”.

And that had been this Millennium Tree Forest.

.

“—-It seems we have met again, hm, Miss Elluka?”

Standing there was the woman who had died, Margarita Blankenheim.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

Forget-Me-Not

Femslash Week Day 1: Flowers or Chocolate

Ship: Nana/OC, with an appearance of Barbara/Nomura

@talesofarcadiafemslashweek

There were certain things Nancy loved about being an old woman, and others she didn’t.  She liked how life was slower, calmer.  Less to worry about.  But, she didn’t like her forgetfulness or bad eyesight.  She liked sitting around and talking with other ‘geezers’ about whatever caught their fancy.  She didn’t like how it seemed their time together was too short.  Not enough.  Never enough.

Every time she went to the park, to the little pavilion where they played chess, chatted, and munched cookies, it seemed like someone else was gone.  Someone new always arrived, of course.  Each new friend she’d made was wonderful, but still.

Nancy kept lots of photos of everyone in a scrapbook.  To have a way to not forget when her memory failed her.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about the certainty that, one day, it would be her time to go too.  All in all, she’d lived a long, fairly good, if a bit too peaceful for her liking (she’d often joked in her youth about all the grand adventures she’d surely go on…that never truly happened) life.  She didn’t regret anything.  Not even the hard things.  Marriage had been bliss.  Her husband always knew how to make her laugh.  Being a mother, to the best little boy with shining curiosity in his eyes no less, well, that experience had been wondrous, even if it had been cut far too short.

Nancy promised herself, on the day she’d learned of the horrible, horrible news, that she would not depart this world until little Tobias was grown and going off to college.  Her grandson had just lost the two most important people in his life.  He would not lose her too.  Not yet.

When it did come time for Toby to go on the next leg of his life, when she’d gotten home after the long drive back from his college, when she’d entered her empty (lonely) house, she’d felt a little lost.

She’d strong-armed and bickered with Death to stay just a little longer time and time again.  Or, at least, that’s how she thought of it.  She couldn’t actually communicate with the entity, of course.  But, she did enjoy the occasional, mental conversation with a concept she’d imagined up.

Now, her main reason for staying was off on his own, and he was more than ready to learn independence.  He loved her and she loved him in return, but it was time for Toby to forge his own path.

Nancy was proud of her grandson, of the man he’d grown up into.

Without him, though, in the quiet solitude of her house, she wondered what exactly she was supposed to do next.  She was still here.  Still wanted to be.  But, it was just, her old bones were too old for a new adventure.

Weren’t they?

She should think so.  One didn’t read adventure novels about old folks, after all.  Too many joint problems and medications for traveling across the world to save it from evil or some such.  Though, when she considered Arcadia in recent years, Nancy supposed she wouldn’t have to travel very far.

It irked her.  She had life left.  Gumption.  She didn’t just want to sit around and wait for time to pass all day.

But, what could she do?

The answer came one sunny day in the form of a twig of forget-me-not, one of Nancy’s favorite flowers.  She loved its little blooms, its soft shade of blue, everything about it really.

“I thought you’d like it,” the person giving it to her, a newcomer to Arcadia (who’d come to settle down and enjoy her later years peacefully running a flower shop - there’d been much gossip about her and if she knew how peculiar Arcadia could get when it saw fit), told Nancy.  “I have a knack for picking the exact right flower for a person.”  She waited only a moment before asking, “So, how I’d do?”

“I love it, dearie,” Nancy replied.  And she did.  It made her smile, which made the day a little nicer.

“I’m so glad!”  The woman clapped her hands together.  “I find it just a tad harder here in Arcadia to match people and flowers than anyplace else I’ve been to.”  She admitted with a pout.  “I’ve traveled all over the world, yet, I believe this town is the most eccentric I’ve ever lived in.”

Nancy smiled a knowing smile.  “I suppose that it is.  What is your name, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Sophie.  Sophie Jones.  I run the new flower shop up by the museum.”  Sophie held out her hand.  “And yours?”

“Nancy Domzalski.”  Nancy took the offered hand.  “I bake cookies.”

Sophie giggled.  Something fluttered in Nancy’s heart that she hadn’t felt for a very long time.  With her graying, chestnut brown hair barely contained by a large-brimmed hat, friendly smile, and twinkling hazel eyes, Sophie was rather cute.

“Well, Nancy, you should pay a visit to my shop sometime soon.  I would love a chance to talk more.”

“So would I.”  The words were out of Nancy’s mouth before she could stop them.  She tried not to blush.  She wasn’t a young school girl.  Far from it!

Back, once upon a time, Nancy had explored romance to the fullest.  Early in her dating career, she’d figured out she was attracted to anyone regardless of gender (it had taken decades and a grandson before the term ‘pansexual’ made its way to her, however).  So, having a little crush on Sophie came as no surprise to her.

Nancy never thought to act on it.  She doubted Sophie felt attraction similarly to how she did.  It was best to just remain friends.  The time for flirtation and romance in life had passed.  It would be best to just enjoy the time they had together.

Oh, and that time, it was wonderful.  So wonderful.

There was an ease with talking to Sophie that Nancy had with no one else.  A way they could make each other laugh like no one else could.  Nancy found herself spending hours in Sophie’s flower shop, chatting with her when things were slow, and helping out when they weren’t.

It was a slow day when Barbara Lake, and her girlfriend, Ms. Zelda Nomura, walked into the flower shop.

Nancy glanced quickly to Sophie.  They hadn’t gotten a chance to discuss those things yet.  Such matters had never come up on their own, and Nancy wasn’t certain how to bring them up.  She bit her lip, worried about how Sophie would react to the queer couple.

“Hello.”  Barbara led.  Her girlfriend followed at a slow pace, tense and watchful as she generally was.  “Nana—Nancy’s told me a lot about this place.  I finally convinced Zelda to come.”  She wrapped an arm around Nomura’s shoulders.  “She loves flowers, but she’s really picky.”

“I am not.”

“Shush.  Yes, yes you are.”

Sophie smiled at them.  “Come, come.”  She gestured the couple forward.  “I’m sure I have something that will suit you perfectly.”

Nancy couldn’t help but smile as she watched Sophie work.  She loved listening to her talk about flowers.  The exuberance that came into her voice.  The determination when she realized she had a challenge on her hands, and Barbara and Nomura certainly were a challenge.  

Barbara may be a woman content with receiving just about any flower, but Nomura was not.  Of all Arcadia’s citizens, the museum curator was one of the most reserved and private.  Not an easy person to pick out a gift for, to say the least.  Perhaps that’s why Barbara had brought her along to the flower shop.  That, or they were enjoying a day out together.

Eventually, Sophie sent the couple on their way with a small bouquet of moonflowers.

“They’re a lovely couple,” Nancy said, as Sophie approached her.  “It took them quite a while to figure out they liked each other like, though.  I wish you could have been here while they were.  It was quite the sight to see.”

“Hmm.  That reminds me of another couple I know.”

“Oh?  Who?”

Sophie leaned in close to Nancy.  “Us,” she whispered before lightly kissing Nancy.

Nancy’s heart hammered.  First with joy.  Then with fear.  Her thoughts raced.  She wanted this.  Oh, how she wanted this.  But, but all the possibilities for the future swarmed into her head.  She felt her breath catch in her throat.  She could see Sophie smiling at her, and then that smile faltering with uncertainty.  She wanted—she could—she shouldn’t—she—

Nancy fled.

The time for romance in her life had passed.  Nancy had accepted that.  She was okay with that.  Did they really have the time to figure out the complexities of a relationship anyway?  Could they even try?  Sophie wanted to.  Well, she did.  She probably didn’t want to anymore.  Not after how Nancy reacted to her kiss.  Apparently, Nancy wasn’t too old to do something she’d regret.

Maybe it was better this way.  They were just going to hurt each other at some point.  It was inevitable.  Such was life.  People eventually left each other.  It was the way of things.  No one was immortal.

But, then, Nancy believed that was why one should appreciate the time they did get with their loved ones.  She appreciated every single day she’d gotten with her husband, her son, her grandson.  Cherished her time with to the fullest.  She may not get as many days with Sophie, but those that she would get, weren’t they worth the endeavor?

It was okay to be afraid.  Fear is a natural emotional response.  It wasn’t so good to let fear rule oneself.

The little bell of the flower shop chimed as Nancy walked in through the door.

Sophie looked up at her entrance.  “How may I…oh, hello, Nancy.”

“I—I came to apologize for the other day.”  Nancy approached the counter.  “I…you surprised me.  I, um, I got scared and I reacted poorly.”  She made eye contact with Sophie.  “I’m very sorry.”  She put a heart-shaped box of chocolates down on the counter between them.  “These aren’t very good for either of us, but I remembered how you told me you love boxes of chocolate, because you like being surprised by what you get.  I was hoping, maybe, we could share it?  That is, if you want to.  If you don’t, that’s alright too.  I’ll just leave it and go.”

Sophie cupped Nancy’s cheek in her hand.  “I would love to share it, Nance.  I’ll admit, I was hurt when you ran off the other day.”  She took Nancy’s hands in her own.  “But life’s too short and it’s never too late for a new adventure.”

#trollhunters #tales of arcadia #toafemweek #nana domzalski #my OC #nana/oc character #barbmura #whirls writing