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rays-of-fire-and-ice · 2 years

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What He Fears Most

BLEACH Anime Celebration: Day 4 - Battle

Rating: T or Teen for violence and some horror themes

Setting: a canon-divergent AU set after chapter 554, in which Toshiro and Rangiku managed to defeat Cang Du after Bazz B is requested to leave. They don’t leave the battle unscathed, but their injuries are not as severe as they were in the original chapter.

Synopsis: After defeating Cang Du, Toshiro and Rangiku run into As Nodt.

AN: of all things, this was inspired by me listening to ‘This Light I See’ while drafting a response to an ask, then checking my dashboard and seeing a gif of As Nodt. This is my first attempt at doing a bit of horror I guess, so we’ll see how it goes. Anyhow, hope you enjoy it!

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Toshiro runs over and around debris with Rangiku at his flank. All around them, most structures had been destroyed, but there are no signs of casualties. They keep their reiatsu low, trying to go undetched. Above them, the sky is darkening with clouds; he can sense rain coming, and it'll only make the situation worse once it starts pouring over the battlefields.

He stops when Rangiku slips on a loose bit of rubble. She regains her stance without trouble, but he still feels the need to ask. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

She half smiles. “I could ask you the same thing, sir.”

It’s not until she says it that he realizes he’s pressing his hand into his side. He’s been ignoring the dull pains from wounds inflicted by Bazz-B and Cang Du, with a few of his injuries still open and only protected by one of his spare bandages. She nurses scratches and cuts from the latter Quincy, most shallow and bandaged, but the most concerning one has been the deep one inflicted dangerous close to her temple.

They needed to get to Isane if they wanted to be completely healed. Glancing at the clouds again, Toshiro can’t sense many Shinigami nor any Quincy. He tries to not think of the possibilities of why that is. He reaches his senses out further until he finds her.

“Kotetsu isn’t far from here,” he says, turning in the direction of her reiatsu. “If we head that way, she should be-”

Wreckage falls nearby. It’s only seconds later when the source - a Quincy - walks out from behind a half-destroyed wall, turned away from them.

Toshiro curses under his breath. He and Rangiku go to crouch behind debris, but when the Quincy stops lists his head in their direction, they draw their zanpakuto.

“Be prepared, Matsumoto,” Toshiro says under his breath.

The Quincy eyes them from head to toe as he takes slow steps towards them. “So Cang Du failed,” he remarks. “You are Captain Hitsugaya, and Lieutenant Matsumoto.”

“And you are?” Rangiku asks.

The Quincy stops and finally meets their gazes, but he doesn’t reply immediately. “It won’t matter to you.”

To both Shinigamis’ bewilderment, he suddenly turns his back on them and starts to walk away. “My only concern is Captain Kuchiki."

Toshiro frowns, but Rangiku gasps.

“What is it?”

“Sir, I think that’s As Nodt,” she whispers.

The one who took Byakuya’s bankai, according to Renji. Toshiro recalls the physical description the lieutenant gave, and is fits this Quincy’s appearance. His abilities were among some of the most dangerous in the first invasion.

Toshiro finds himself a t crossroads: neither of them are can put up a fight the way they are now, but it’s their duty to protect the Soul Society. If As Nodt was looking for Byakuya, what did he plan to do to him this time?

Toshiro raises Hyourinmaru. “Then we can’t let him find Kuchiki.”

He glances at his lieutenant, who subtly nods. Under their breaths, they release their zanpakuto and advance in a flash-step. Once only a few feet away, Haineko rushes out in a cloud of ash and Hyourinmaru in a flurry of ice towards As Nodt.

As if anticipating their attack, the Quincy bends forward, avoiding both strikes. While the ice plasters against the ground and a nearby wall, Rangiku gestures for Haineko to attack him from the front. As Nodt spins away before Haineko was within a meter of him.

“He’s too fast,” Rangiku says through greeted teeth. It’s not that, Toshiro thinks, it’s that they’re injuries are making them slower.

As she calls her zanpakuto back, As Nodt only turns his head to stare at the ice coating a broken wall. His eye narrows, as if he were smiling; the attack seems to have amused him. “Attacking someone while their back is turned? Have you no honor? Or perhaps…are you afraid?”

Their opponent has something planned, but what? Without look away from the Quincy, Toshiro starts walking back and signals Rangiku to do the same. “Hardly. The moment you chose to declare war on the Soul Society, you became our enemy. Your invasion and all the bloodshed on your hands is what’s truly dishonorable.”

“How hypocritical,” As Nodt responds dryly, “but not surprising.”

Without warning, the Quincy whirls back around. Large thorns made of reishi form all around him in a circle before racing towards them. Toshiro and Rangiku dodge, jumping away from each other and landing in low crouches. The spikes hit the debris and broken walls behind them, and after the light dissipates, a black oozes spills from where they’d punctures the wreckage.

“That must be his ‘fear’ ability,” Toshiro says. “Avoid it at all costs.”

Rangiku nods stiffly. She goes to speak, but a fresh barrage heads towards her. She rolls over him, wincing as she shuffles to his side. “What should we do now?”

As Nodt is stalking towards them, new thorns ready to shoot. Rangiku is too close from him to use bankai, and considering their conditions, Toshiro suggests the only tactic they hadn’t used against Cang Du. “After he shoots those, make formation ten. I’ll use Daiguren Hyourinmaru after he’s trapped.”

“Right!” says Rangiku with a smirk. For a second, he wonders if it’s from how seriously he says the silly name or from how confident she is in the plan.

They rise and rush forward, ducking under the spikes shot at them. Rangiku calls upon Haineko to form Neko Rinbu, engulfing As Nodt in a tornado. Toshiro flash-steps to different points around the whirling ash, hoping the Quincy can’t clearly detect exactly where he is as a result.

When he grabs Hyourinmaru’s chain, that’s the signal. Rangiku brings Haineko in closer around the Quincy. Toshiro throws the chain in a side arc, and as it near, Haineko creates an opening to let it through. Once the crescent blade at the end disappears into the ash and the chain catches, he raises Hyourinmaru’s blade and strikes it, sending a blaze of ice down the links.

But something isn't right. The links are too rigid; his opponent doesn't struggle to free himself.

All of a sudden, Toshiro looses his footing, yanked towards Haineko.

Rangiku lets out a panicked sound and dispels Neko Rinbu. She was a second too late, with Haineko having cut into Toshiro’s cheeks, forehead and the tip of his nose. He doesn’t have time to wince from the new, sharp pain, because As Nodt is standing only a meter from him. Wrapped around his forearm and within his hand is Hyourinmaru’s chain and ice. With two forceful shakes of his arm, the ice cracks and falls off.

Toshiro stabs Hyourinmaru at him, but the Quincy throws the chain aside and vanishes. Wide-eyed, Toshiro rapidly scans the area. Rangiku does the same as Haineko returns to her sealed state, but she suddenly freezes.

“Your shikai…” From behind, As Nodt arm loops around her shoulders. “It reminds me of Senbonzakura.”

She yelps when a thorn pierces her shoulder.

“Matsumoto!”

Toshiro shoots a flurry over his lieutenant’s shoulder, but As Nodt lets her go and disappears again before it can hit him. Some of the ice catches into the tips of Rangiku’s hair, but she doesn’t react. She stares wide-eyed at the ground, mouth agape and breathing turning shallow.

Toshiro calls out her name again, keeps calling out to her as he rushes to her. She hears him the fourth time, flinging her head up.

“Captain!” she yells. “Behind you!”

Toshiro whips around, his sword clashing with As Nodt’s spiked gauntlet. He barely has the strength to hold his stance, his arms shaking against the weight the Quincy pushes into Hyourinmaru.

“Your turn,” is all As Nodt says before he plunges a thorn into Toshiro’s torso.

The breath is knocked out of him and he fumbles back, almost tripping over his own feet. He stops when the backs of his legs hit a piece of debris. His free hand clutches at the fresh wound, but he chokes at the burning cold races up through his body. Gritting his teeth, he wills himself to ignore it and focus back on the enemy.

He grips Hyourinmaru with both hands. No, he thinks. I won’t give in. I have nothing to fear.

He glances at Rangiku, who is doubled over, also trying to resist the power’s effects. A sweat has broken out across her face and her wide, unblinking eyes start to tear up.

As Nodt goes to attack her, but Toshiro steps in front of his lieutenant and swings Hyorinmaru for the Quincy’s head. The Quincy flinches back, and Toshiro only manages to cut the ends of several long, dark hair strands.

I have nothing to fear, he repeats as lands a kick squarely in As Nodt’s stomach, sending him back several steps. I have nothing to fear.

When Toshiro blinks, As Nodt and Rangiku are gone.

He swerves around, but the world is empty, devoid of sound or smell. He faintly hears his lieutenant’s screams above the ringing that assaults his ears. All he can feel is the heavy, burning cold pierce through him.

Ice is freezing over his wounds and forming under his feet, covering the ground within seconds. His reiatsu is getting out of control. He can’t let that happen. Where’s As Nodt gone? Where’s Rangiku? Did he take her? Is she dead?

With a frustrated cry, he closes his eyes and tries to reign in his flaring reiatsu. I have nothing to fear. I have nothing to fear. This isn’t real, I can break this. I can break this. I can-

“Shiro-chan!”

His heart lurches, and against his better judgement, he opens his eyes and turns in the direction of Momo’s voice.

She stands a long way from him, unharmed and looking confused; it's as if she only just entered the battlefields. He goes to call out to her, to get her to run away, but his mouth won’t move.

The air around him gets colder. Ahead, Momo shivers, rubbing her arms up and huddled into herself. Without warning, the ice forming under his feet shoots out to her, rapidly covering all debris in its path.

He screams, but his mouth and body still won’t move, no matter how much he wills it. Run away! Leave me behind!

She looks in horror, first at the ice coming towards her, and then at him. The look stabs through him; it’s worse than any wound a weapon could make.

It’s not real, but it’s too compelling for all of his senses to ignore.

His legs are suddenly free, and he almost falls over as he sprints to her. He reaches out to her, and it’s like a death sentence. The closer he gets, the quicker the ice spreads to her.

When it reaches her feet, she cries out to him. "Shiro-chan, run away! It'll get you too!" When the ice completely encases her legs, her panic turns to accusation. "Why, Shiro-chan?! Why-!"

Her wail is cut off when ice suddenly bursts from her chest, from where Hyourinmaru had wounded her over a year ago.

Toshiro regains his voice when the ice splays out over her torso and arms. His raw cries are wordless, even though he tries to verbally command Hyourinmaru to stop, which turns into begging himself to stop it.

By the time he’s in arms reach, the ice – his ice -- has almost completely consumed her, and there’s nothing he can do to stop it.

She disappears, and a fresh pain strikes him through his chest. He only sees an arm clad in white and blood, and below it, ice and pieces of rubble.

As Nodt has impaled him on another thorn.

In his peripheral, Rangiku collapses to the ground without a sound. His own haggard breath reaches his ears. Sweat drips down his face. Despite how strained his arms and legs feel from sprinting, he’d never left the spot he’d seen his opponent vanish from.

“How disappointing,” As Nodt says. “You’re a captain, my power shouldn’t affect you so terribly. But then, fear comes more easily to children. They’re more prone to irrationality. It’s hard for them to escape it, they can become consumed by it when there’s no adult there to comfort them. They can’t stand on their own two feet, even when their friends are in peril.”

Fear evaporates, and there is only rage. With a roar, Toshiro angles Hyourinmaru to cut through the Quincy’s torso. As Nodt releases him and puts a distance between them.

Blood streams through Toshiro’s fingers when he clutches at his wounds, but he uses the adrenaline from this new anger to stay standing. The piercing cold still keeps him frozen, only able to move his eyes.

As Nodt goes to launch at him again, when a yellow chain of reishi comes shooting down from above. As soon as it collides with the Quincy, the chain wraps itself around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides. Wide-eyed, he swerves around to find the source.

With his opponent distracted, Toshiro feels the piercing cold start to ebb away. However, at the familiar cry of a bird, followed by a ball of flame racing towards As Nodt’s head, he goes rigid.

The Quincy pivots to the left, avoiding the fireball. Before it even hits the debris, it’s caster descends from above.

“Get away from them!” Momo yells as she swings Tobiume, throwing another fireball at him.

The Quincy doesn’t miss this one, losing his footing before the flames collide with his shoulder. The flames do more damage to his uniform than to his person, his skin only smeared with ash.

Momo lands in front of Toshiro, zanpakuto raised and stance strong. She flings her arm behind her and chants for a barrier. A yellow prism forms over him and Rangiku; he recognizes it as one of the higher barriers, able to withstand even strikes from a bankai’s attack.

So taken by her sudden appearance, Toshiro only just notices As Nodt heading towards her while trying to break the chains of Sajo Sabaku. However, he missteps in every direction, going from one side to the other and almost tripping over rubble in his path.

“What…is this?” the Quincy asks her, voice bordering on livid.

“Getting a little tipsy down there?!” comes a shout from above. Shinji grins down from the top of one of the few still standing buildings, his zanpakuto released.

While As Nodt is distracted, Momo lunges at him. Her opponent dodges too late; Tobiume slices into the edge of Quincy’s opposite shoulder. He grunts, but when she goes in for another attack, he stumbles out of range. She manages to get in a strike to his side, but even under the include of Sakanade, he still able to dodge most of her attacks. All the while he tries to break from Sajo Sabaku, but the chain holds strong.

Toshiro’s grip on Hyourinmaru tightens. He needs to help them. He starts for the barrier on wobbly legs.

“No, Captain…” comes a raspy voice from behind.

Rangiku has managed to prop herself up to sit against the ruins, clutching at a stomach wound he hadn’t noticed before - As Nodt must have injured her just before he’s impaled him. Despite her weakened state, she levels him a look that makes it clear he shouldn’t go out and help while he’s like this.

Cringing, he carries himself over to join her, not once taking his eyes off the battle unfolding before them.

Eventually, there’s a distance between Momo and As Nodt, enough for the latter to concentrate on creating his thorns. With his sense of balance off, they go flying in all directions. Everywhere they hit causes half standing walls to crumble and reduce bigger pieces of wreckage to rubble

Momo ducks when one flies at her and tries to rush at him again. However, more thorns shoot out and she has no choice but to fall back. She casts a kido barrier in front of herself when she can’t avoid three of them coming at her. All of them hit and leave the black ooze behind.

However, the black somehow bleeds through the barrier, it’s tendrils lashing to strike Momo. She raises Tobiume to cut them.

Toshiro finds his voice and stumbles forward, almost slipping on his own ice. “Don’t let it touch you! This is As Nodt!”

Heeding his warning, Momo instead flash-steps away from the barrier and dispels it, leaving the ooze to fall to the ground in with a ‘splat’.

Shinji leaps down to her side before more thorns shoot around the area. Shinji and Momo try and fail to advance on the Quincy, forces to avoid wave after wave of thorns. One of them hits the barrier around Toshiro and Rangiku, and like before, the black tries to reach them.

Momo yells something to her captain. Shinji scowls at whatever she says, but nods. Sakanade stops spinning.

As Nodt sways from side to side while trying to stand still. Sajo Sabaku is worn by this point, and he breaks the kido trapping him with an irritated growl. His baleful glare falls on the Fifth Division’s captain and lieutenant as he raises his hands.

However, he stops. Eyes roll to the right, and then his snaps in the same direction. “Kuchiki.” He jumps back, landing on top of a broken wall,from which he glowers at Shinji and Momo. “After I’m done with her, I’ll be back for you two.”

He then leaps to the same building Shinji and Momo had been standing on top of earlier. Momo has Tobiume raised, but she shifts her gaze from where As Nodt had leapt away to to Toshiro and Rangiku, conflicted.

“Lieutenant Kuchiki can handle him now,” Shinji says to her. “You sense her reiatsu? She’s gotten a lot stronger.”

Mind made up, Momo dispels the barrier and runs to them, not even noticing the ice crunching and breaking under her feet.

For an irrational moment, Toshiro worries what will happen if she comes near him, and he raises his hand. “Wait-”

“He got you with his power,” Shinji says, following behind her. “Whatever the heck you saw ain’t real.”

I know, he wants to say, but…. He can’t help it. It hadn’t been the first time he’d seen such horrific images that seemed too real. In his nightmares, she wasn’t the only one to freeze through because of him, but she had been for a while after Aizen’s defeat.

However, when Momo comes to his side and looks him over, panting and her brow furrowed in concern, it’s enough to begin grounding him. Before he can speak to her, she switches her focus over to Rangiku, her jaw clenching at her fellow lieutenant’s stomach injury.

“Reckon you have this?” Shinji asks Momo.

She kneels at Rangiku’s side. “I’ll do my best.” She angles back to Toshiro as her palms are engulfed in a heal glow. “I’ll heal Rangiku-san first, can you hold on until then?”

He gingerly lowers himself to sit on a large piece of wreckage. “Do it.”

She gets to work, chanting under her breath until the kido covers Rangiku’s wounds. It’s then he notices how haggard she is. There’s no visible wounds on her, but patches of skin are smudged with dirt and debris, the sleeve of her shihakusho has a tear, and there’s a thin sheen of sweat on her brow.

Shinji comes to stand next to Toshiro, back facing him and his zanpakuto still drawn.

“Got your bankai back?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Toshiro answers, voice hoarse. Then, after swallowing against the dryness in his mouth and throat, he asks, “How did you find us?”

The other captain’s shoulders tense a fraction. “We were on our way to assist Omaeda and Sui-Feng. Not sure if you can sense it, but they’re not doing good right now. But then we heard you and Matsumoto, and we figured you needed our help first.”

How loud had they screamed? Toshiro shakes his head. Staring at the other captain’s back, he recalls seeing bandages criss-crossed underneath his shihakusho. He wasn’t in the best condition either, but he came to help them regardless. “Thank you, then.”

Shinji smiles over his shoulder. “You’re welcome.”

Toshiro thinks back to a few minutes earlier. Keeping his voice low, he asks, “How did you know?”

Shinji quirks up a brow. “Huh?”

“How did you know what I saw?”

Shinji smiles lowers as he twists away. “I didn’t, but I have a fair idea what it might have involved.”

Toshiro opens his mouth to retort, but nothing comes to mind. He instead sighs through his nose and watches over the lieutenants.

Momo rolls the shoulder of Rangiku’s shihakusho just enough to heal the other wound. The skin doesn’t knit over the injury completely, but it seals up as a scab.

Rangiku murmurs something to Momo, and whatever it was makes Momo put a comforting hand on her uninjured shoulder. “We’re not going anywhere,” she reassures.

He won’t force her to divulge what she’d seen and heard while under the influence of As Nodt’s power, but that response may have been a clue. If that’s the case, he glares at the ground. I won’t abandon you.

It’s not until Momo starts wrapping bandages over the shihakusho and wounds that Rangiku looks over at him. “Captain.”

“Are you all right?” he asks. It feels like déjà vu.

She eyes the iced over wounds in his torso with concern. “I’m fine.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do much more than this,” Momo says. “Your injuries will have to be healed completely by Kotetsu-san.”

“I know,” Rangiku says. Now in less pain, she manages a small smile. “As is, you’ve done a great job.”

Momo takes the compliment with a shaky smile. Now finished with Rangiku, she stands and goes to Toshiro, already chanting the incantation for the healing kido. He slips the shoulders of his shikahkusho, allowing her to see the torso injuries better. She cringes when she meets his gaze.

“What?” he asks.

“N-Nothing, it’s just…I’ve never seen you so pale.”

If she hasn't figured it already, she’ll soon realise it wasn’t due to blood loss. He bites the inside of his cheek against the sting where the kido is healing him. The remains over most of the wounds, but a few shards crack and break away. Her hands shake over his torso.

“Don’t strain yourself,” he murmurs.

The furrow in her brow deepens. “I’m not.”

Shinji had moved over to help Rangiku stand, and the two discuss strategies and their encounters with the enemy. With their backs turned, Toshiro risks a moment of vulnerability.

He wipes the blood off one hand into his uniform, and then gingerly grabs one of Momo’s wrists. “It’s fine if you don’t heal anything over completely. You’ll need your strength for the battles ahead.”

She blinks, but then her eyes darken. “How many more battles are there to come?”

It’s a rhetorical question, but he answers somewhat bitterly, “However many it takes to save the Soul Society.”

Done with the wound on his stomach, Toshiro releases her wrist and she shifts her hands to hover over the injury in his upper chest. It's a full minute later when stares his hand, seeming to take in the details of it, as if examining it for one of her drawings. Something about it seems to upset her, her mouth drawing down in a frown.

“You faced against As Nodt,” she says. “So, that means when you were screaming before…”

For a moment he’s taken back to when they were children. Out of the two them, she was always the one who got scared the easiest. Perhaps it was because of that whenever he was frightened, she always looked like it was one of the worst things to happen. She’d comfort him, and eventually, her troubled look would melt away to a sad smile.

She has that same stricken look now, and it threatens to undo him, to make him confess everything he saw under the influence of As Nodt’s power.

Ever since he vowed to protect her always, he knew the power to protect her could also harm her. That was reaffirmed by what happened during the fight against Aizen, and again when he achieved Hyourinmaru's Completed form.

He had gotten stronger, but so had she. She’d run through and broken the ice beneath her feet, had stood in front of him when his reiatsu was out of control, and she did not freeze or buckle under its pressure.

He decides to say things he'd normally keep within. "It doesn't truly matter, none of it was real. If you truly wish to know though, I'll tell about it later. Right now, we need to focus on the battle ahead." He allows his frown to soften. "I haven't seen you in battle for a while. You've improved, I can tell." He meets her gaze. "Thank you for helping us." Once Kotetsu heals me, I'll return to favor.

At her slow, reassuring smile, the lingering threads of the piercing cold flood out of him, and in their wake is nothing but relief.

#bleach returns 2022 #hitsuhina #toshiro hitsugaya #as nodt #momo hinamori #rangiku matsumoto #shinji hirako #fanfiction #bleach #brotp: I've got your back #brotp: the fifth division #honestly I just wanted an excuse to write a scenario where Momo saves Toshiro #I usually write it the other way around and figured it was her turn #I admit I'm not 100% happy with it but I didn't want it sitting in my WIP files forever either #so here!

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skylaryozora · 2 years

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Enemies to Friends in an Instant: Riven and Nabu's First Encounter S3 EP21/22 [My Interpretation]

I've been posting comments on S3 episodes on my IG, and at one point I gladly provided a pretty long take on the episodes 21 and 22, where I explained how I have always interpreted the first encounter of Riven and Nabu. I received lots of positive feedback because apparently my view differs from the popular opinions and common interpretations of this scene in the fandom, with which I'm very familiar as well. I decided to post my remarks here as well, since the scene gave me a lot of food for thought.

Disclaimer: This is my subjective view!

To give you some context, Winx girls, Sky, Timmy and stowaway Nabu (at this point known as Ophir) go to a place called Red Tower along with pixies to acquire Water Stars. Unfortunately, they crash their ship and are attacked, first by some monsters and then by Red Tower's pegataur guardians. Nabu eventually turns out to be of help to them, even though the group is still quite wary of him. But before they crash, Flora sends a recording to Helia who stayed at Red Fountain... just to say hello. Riven sees the recording too, and notices that Musa stands weirdly close to Nabu whom Riven has never seen before. He jumps to a conclusion that she might be kissing the unknown, suspicious guy, which sparks his anger. Moments later, Riven sets off to join the group. He encounters Timmy trying to fix the ship, and with Piff's help, he manages to catch up with Winx and Sky but finds them unconscious, and sees Nabu holding Musa. And so, here we go.

Riven: Look right there, see that? Who's that guy? And why is Musa about to kiss him?!

This shot of Musa and Nabu does look kinda ambiguous, it's a bit weird though that she seems to be looking straight at him instead at his hands because apparently she's putting handcuffs on him, but I guess they needed to draw them as suggestively as possible to trigger Riven. Helia also appears to have a sneaking suspicion as to what is going on there.

The question remains whether Riven's reaction is adequate. Riven's development from S2 is said to have been thrown away and he apparently came back to being a jerk... which I don't think I agree with, to be honest. I mean, you could have done some personal progress and still battle with some issues, and frankly speaking, I wouldn't find it credible if Riven started acting all nice and polite all of a sudden. He tends to be viewed as possessive and jealous here, yet I don't find his reaction to be that exaggerated, I believe such scenes are likely to cause some tension, especially when people have abandonment issues and tend to jump to conclusions. I would also ask the following question: how would other characters behave in his place? Still, I have to agree that his impulsive decision to follow them was extra, but what also bugs me is that for some unknown reason he knew in which direction they'd gone. Did they all know the location and the way to Red Tower? Or did he acquire the coordinates of their ship? I like transparency and logic, and I think it is kind of missing here.

I also asked myself how I would write this whole scene, and this is my alternative suggestion: imagine if Helia and Riven got to know from Flora or anyone else that Nabu is a stowaway and he'd been stalking Aisha, but the recording cuts off suddenly with some disturbing glitches when the squad loses control and crash lands. This would leave Riven and Helia utterly concerned, and they would both consider an option that it might be Nabu's doing since he looks sketchy and it would explain his timing. Having traces of coordinates from Flora's recording for example, both guys decide to set off and rescue their friends. Let me know what you think about it, and if that could make more sense.

At the beginning of EP22 we have a shot from above, showing girls lying unconsciously on the ground, and Musa apparently lies the closest to Nabu and that's why he soon runs up and lifts her up. My questions are the following: why exactly are the girls unconscious (and Sky too)? Apart from Aisha, who was thrown on the ground which could understandably cause loss of consciousness, the others were just pinned down to the ground by big forks (pegataur guardians' weapons) which disappeared all of a sudden for no specific reason. If you go a few scenes ahead, you see that they all wake up by themselves and move as if nothing happened, which confuses me to say the least, but the bottom line is that they didn't really need any help after all. Also, Nabu didn't really care about others earlier; let me remind you that he jumped over Tecna and ignored girls falling from the museum's roof, apart from Aisha for whom he made an exception and prevented her from falling. But now instead of looking for Aisha, he goes to save Musa which feels random, unless he got to know that Musa is Aisha's close friend, and he felt it could help him get Aisha's trust if she saw that he tends to her best friend too. That's a possibility, I guess.

Riven: Put her down.

Nabu: Look, she needs help.

Riven: I won't tell you again. Put my girlfriend down, NOW. / Get your hands off my girlfriend.

It's also unclear to me how Nabu intended to help her, unless he possesses some healing abilities, but at this point pretty much everyone appears to need help even though, as I've just pointed out, they're all perfectly fine later on (they're not visibly injured or on the verge of death, and none of them is bleeding). Yeah, I know I'm nitpicking right now but if I am to understand a scene, I do try to pay attention to details and scrutinize if they make sense.

Now, I have seen people mentioning this scene as an example of Riven being ridiculously possessive, blinded by jealousy, and not caring that his girlfriend needs help...

Oh, boy, I strongly disagree with that.

Let's think about Riven's POV. He arrives there knowing there's an unknown guy who looked as if he had got too close to his GF, which made him upset, and he finds his friends knocked out, while this unknown guy, suspiciously the only one standing and appearing fine, is holding unconscious Musa. At this point Riven has no right to know who Nabu is, and what his intentions are. His squad scattered around and not moving a muscle looks very much like Nabu's doing, because the poor guy's timing puts him in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'd say that Riven's reaction is very much justified, as from his point of view Nabu could be a villain who just pretends to be helping Musa. Like, what else is he supposed to assume? At that moment, there's nothing to back up the fact that Nabu does mean well. If Riven actually knew that he is a stowaway and he'd been stalking Aisha, I imagine heads would roll even quicker.

If you think about it, Riven's reaction is kinda natural, because survival instinct is in general much more likely to suggest that someone is a threat rather than a friend, and Riven looks like the type to rely on this kind of instinct.

Besides, let's assume you find yourself in the same situation: you arrive to a place where a random person towards whom you already feel animosity is standing among your unconscious friends and holding your significant other, claiming they're here to help. Are you sure you'd believe them and be like "Oh, thank you so much for taking care of my S/O, are they okay?" which apparently is what people expect from Riven...? I'm afraid that such naivety might be deadly if you meet someone evil, assuming the best of people and not taking into account that they might take advantage of your gullibility and hurt you too can get you in serious danger.

Riven: Nobody takes down my buddies, and nobody hits on my girlfriend!

Nabu: You got it all wrong, man!

Here Riven clearly emphasizes that it's not only about Musa, he actually thinks Nabu hurt all of them, and so he attacks him. Nabu tries to tell him it's not how he thinks it is while fighting back in self-defence, but Riven is not likely to believe him anyway.

On this occasion I would like to say that you absolutely don't have to like Riven, we all have our preferences, interpretations etc., but please refrain from cherry-picking the bad (and what you consider as bad) in him without understanding the context and his POV as well as without remembering he does have issues and insecurities, like every human being. In his case, there seems to be a panoply of rough life experiences which has shaped him the way he is.

Off-topic, but I genuinely love their fight, the whole sequence is well animated, dynamic, and lively, I could watch it all the time.

Sky: Riven, Ophir's a good guy!

Riven: Hey, I thought you were all out cold. (...) Okay, and what about him and Musa?

Riven expresses my point, and after Sky assures him it's all good, Riven inquires about the relation between Musa and Nabu, still with suspicion, but without aggression.

Nabu: What? If anything, it's... Aisha. Uhm, look, nothing's going on with me and Musa.

When it becomes clear that Riven misinterpreted the situation (but honestly, how could he know?), he looks apologetic and relieved when Musa walks up to him. In the original Italian dub he actually says "I'm sorry", so he is aware that his reaction was way too extra, and I don't like that they cut it out in Rai, because it shows that Riven knows how to take accountability and be humble. Also, he believed Nabu right away and didn't even question his statement, or ask Musa the same question (!), which, in my opinion, isn't something an insanely jealous and possessive person would do.

Musa: Nice to see you go to bat for me, Riven.

Riven: Really?

Musa: Yeah. I'm so glad you decided to join us.

Riven: Me too.

As for Musa being impressed with what Riven did, I find myself asking if she, like, understands the whole picture. She appears out of nowhere, doesn't even ask why and how Riven got here, and doesn't know what Riven assumed when he saw the recording, and that he was fighting with Nabu because he thought he took all the group down. But it's implied she knows all of that, or at least that he was mainly fighting for her, and that she appreciates it. Here her reaction is interpreted as unhealthy because it romanticizes jealousy (and allowing it now might be to blame for all the jealousy drama in S4). Speaking from my personal experience, jealousy to some extent might be desirable for some people, because it ensures them that their partner doesn't take them for granted and is uneasy about the possibility of losing them. Several episodes earlier Musa admits that she doesn't feel like she had got closer with Riven recently (I won't go into details now, but that scene confused me as well, since apparently a lot of things in their relationship happen off-screen...), so I guess she considers Riven's behavior an evidence of him not being indifferent about their relationship after all. Still, I do admit that S3 Musa is quite a mess (unnecessary bike drama flashbacks), and it's sometimes hard to follow her train of thought. However, I'm inclined to think that this might be an option why she likes what Riven did.

Nabu: So when you see me trying to get over your defence, it's just an illusion, I'm actually trying to come from under.

Riven: Nice!

Nabu: You see, the trick is: never let your opponent anticipate your battle moves.

Riven: You're a cool dude, I like your style, where'd you learn all this?

Nabu: Well, I grew up on this island where there were no kids my age and I had no friends to play with, so you see, I spent a lot of time hanging out with the security guards who taught me all the battle tricks.

Riven: Sounds kinda lonely.

Nabu: It was.

A minute earlier they were like enemies, now they're already spending their free time together and enjoying it, which is honestly so cool to watch. They clicked right away, Riven got rid of any prejudice or animosity towards him, to the point he even admits that Nabu's style appeals to him, and doesn't mind actually being tutored by him (he would never allow that if it was someone like Sky)! Riven doesn't like losing, and yet he smiles brightly when Nabu "defeats" him, while Nabu feels comfortable enough to disclose his tricks to a brand new friend and share his childhood story. I mean, isn't that crazy, but in a good sense? They seem already kind of attached to each other, Riven gets to know about Nabu's feelings for Aisha and promises not to spill the tea (together with Bloom and Sky), and to top it all, he shields Nabu from Icy's spell!

To sum up, if Riven had been salty, distrustful, and passive aggressive towards both Musa and Nabu still after all the explanations and discovering the truth, that would have been very nasty and I wouldn't like it at all. But instead he did a 180 degree turn immediately, and got himself a good friend as a result. If you remember his first impression of Nabu, who would have expected what might happen later? Friendship does sprout in unexpected contexts, and that's what I truly adore about their unique, maybe I'd say even wholesome, relation.

Thank you for sticking until the end of this short essay <3

#winx riven #winx nabu #winx #winx club #winx friendships #winx broship #nabu #riven #winx commentary #winx specialists #these two are so cool together #you can try changing my mind #but honestly #good luck with that #winx season 3 #winx screenshot #brotp #winx broships

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ranchdressing3 · 8 months

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it’s been like 7 years and i’ll still NEVER understand all the hate guzmeria got/still gets

#pokemon #guzmeria #i posted this on my twitter a bit ago but i’m doing it here too #i have so many feelings about them!!! they’re so good for each other!#like i’m honestly surprised they weren’t ultimately more popular it doesn’t make SENSE TO ME #i get not shipping them or preferring them as a brotp but man.#all the hate it got was so unnecessary #THEY HAD SUCH GOOD POTENTIAL WHY DIDNT PPL SEE ITTT #anyways. annual guzmeria rant #i need to write more fics for them

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imogenkol · 9 months

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I know I gave Cal Imogen’s lightsaber design in Survivor as a joke but seeing it in important cut scenes makes me feel a certain way and now I’ve decided its actually gonna be a thing (ramblings and survivor spoilers under the cut)

Imogen first ruins Cal's day in the Lucrehulk on Koboh when he goes to rescue Zee (and maybe a couple more times after that), but I think their most prominent encounter happens in the Observatory before he kills Dagan. That's where I've planned their last "boss fight"

It's their most intense face-off cause up to that point Imogen has underestimated Cal or he's managed to escape/she's let him go for her own amusement. She's not messing around anymore - can't afford to when Tanalorr is within reach. Things conclude in a true stalemate and they ended up accidentally switching weapons during the struggle. So Cal is stuck with Imogen's lightsaber for a bit and vice versa.

To his surprise, her saber doesn't resist him and he has no choice but to rely on it to save his life by putting a stop to Dagan. Now, with Dagan dead, his deal with Imogen is off and the only path to Tanalorr that she has is..... through Cal. Once again, they essentially want the same thing. But she detests him. And she wants her shit back.

By the time she tracks him down on Jedha, Bode has thrown a wrench into everything and fucked off with the compass. Imogen finds Cal unconscious, reaching for her lightsaber, and seriously considers smothering him right there, but she grinds her teeth and kicks him awake because she knows she needs his help and he needs hers.

Imogen senses the Dark Side within him after they find Cere and she likes it. So she "forgets" to reclaim her lightsaber for a bit to see how it all plays out. After all, a dark weapon can feed dark urges. She thinks this will finally make him interesting.

What she doesn't quite realize is that Cal's saber has an affect on her too. She realizes after seeing what it’s done to both Dagan and Bode that Tanalorr won't be the solution to her loneliness - that nothing will unless she's willing to let emotions in and make herself vulnerable. That is something she will not compromise on (not for Cal at least). The best outcome she can come to terms with is assuring that the Empire won't have the advantage of access to Tanalorr.

Imogen will not ask for her lightsaber back before she leaves, though. She takes it and gives Cal a stern reminder of who she is. It's almost more for her own sake as she doesn't want to forget either. She vows the last bit of mercy she will ever show him is letting him live and disappearing from his life for good. Her lightsaber never really feels quite the same after that..... but not necessarily in a wrong way.

In conclusion: Kata makes both of them friendship bracelets

#oc insp: imogen kol #brotp: a force to be reckoned with #i am soooo normal about this. i just had to rant in the town square real quick #will I write all this? who’s to say #but I just finished survivor for the second time and the hyper is fixating #the moment where Dagan lists all the things he’s lost and says he’s free…. and cal says he’s alone….. that hits SO hard for Imogen my god #the first time I heard it I had to pause the game #and her similarities to how Bode feels about Cal #honestly Bode's betrayal played out really similar to Imogen's in fallen order #I literally went 'oh cal not again' when the reveal happened lol #I mean Bode was definitely a lot more warm about it. He really did view Cal as a friend and his betrayal cut a lot deeper.#Imogen would rather die than admit she sees him that way too #but both Bode and Imogen gave Cal ‘chances’ because neither of them truly wanted to kill him #god their dynamic is so complicated i could go on for ages

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castielmacleod · 2 years

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Fics I will never write: KING’S GAMBIT

King’s Gambit is a short canon compliant fic following Crowley through his last few days leading up to his eventual suicide. Nearly eaten alive by loneliness and self-loathing, the king of hell reflects on the past and tries to envision a future. When he ends up sitting alone in the bunker bandaging his stabbed-through hand, he makes a decision—only to be surprised by a visit from the new Death, who brings with them a peculiar proposition: a simple game of chess to decide his fate. Dark character study with themes of suicide, depression, social isolation, and unrequited love. Gen with minor past Crowstiel and unrequited DrowIey.

#Sorry for obsessing over the miserable end they wrote for this character. As if it’s my fault #Crowley spn #Tw suicide #Fics I will never write #Billie and Crowley brotp agenda #My posts #This would not have a happy ending unfortunately #Because I really need to like. Channel my Crowley feelings into proper words #The chess game is inspired by The Seventh Seal which is an old movie where a guy plays chess against Death to see whether he lives or dies #Except in this fic it would be reversed—if Crowley loses to Billie he has to live. Or something. Honestly I’m still thinking it out #In any case I love the image of Billie and Crowley having a deep conversation about life and death over a chessboard #It’s interesting because I hc that Billie and Crowley were lifelong friends while she was a reaper #But as Death she now has a responsibility not to directly interfere. At the same time she doesn’t want her old friend to kill himself #She reaped his soul the first time he did that and that was literally how they met. It’s not how she’d want them to end too #And like if she can tell DW to keep living I’m sure it wouldn’t be ooc for her to encourage her friend to keep living too #And being like “ok you want to kill yourself but I’m not letting you do anything unless you beat me in chess”#And not only is she VERY good at chess but she can use the time spent in the game to try and talk him down #I just also really like the idea of the literal embodiment of death trying to save a life like. Oughh you know #It’s just that she would ultimately have to leave it up to Crowley. Especially since he is technically already dead #and not beholden to the soul reaping system anymore.#It would be difficult for her in a subtle way

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godofvillains-arch · 1 year

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Me seeing art of Shigaraki and Deku being buds.

It's tagged as ShigaDeku

#Ti speaks #my top NOTP #honestly a brotp for me tho

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raayllum · 5 months

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Summary: 3 times Soren confesses something + 1 time Opeli does. Soren/Opeli slow burn Word Count: 1.7k

chapter one: water to wine

Soren is twenty-one and drunk the first time he tells Opeli the Truth.

He doesn’t know what tears it out of him, really. He doesn’t really know why he gets drunk, even. It’s a mild autumn day with blustery winds outside, the cellar dark around him. He’s missing his family, but he always misses his family, a little — even if it’s not an anniversary, or any day in particular.

He’s just alone and sad, and the bottle is right there, and Ezran had looked up at him with eyes still so big and trusting even though that stupid political instigator shouldn’t have gotten anywhere near the young king with him around, and—

Ezran had promised it hadn’t hurt, as Soren had bandaged up his arm. Those few droplets of blood had been the scariest ones of Soren’s entire life.

I just don’t want to fail you too.

And he had, so.

Soren reaches for another bottle when the door opens and Opeli stands in its frame, ceremonial robes silhouetted by light. She’s come down here for ceremonial wine, surely, and squints into the darkness, more confused than disapproving.

“Soren?”

He has the decency to lower the bottle at least, and try to stand. “Hi, Opeli.”

#sorpeli #tdp soren #tdp opeli #tdp #cause this part is honestly just brotp content tbh #the dragon prince #my fic #fic #headcanons #after the war #will be worked into my broader fic for them of #fic: virtues and vices #but probably from opeli's pov #cause lbr she had her thoughts/suspicions of what viren had asked soren to do

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notsomecase · 2 years

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veetowervaporwave · 1 month

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Man I am so vanilla when it comes to ships in Hazbin...

Staticmoth: The epitome of toxic old men yaoi. They're just the worst. They push each other's buttons. They both have obsessions on the side but both want to be each other's center of attention. Other people's suffering gets them horny. They got married three times and divorced five times. They know exactly how horrible the other one is but it only makes them more attracted to each other. They're so toxic it's a health hazard for everyone around them. I wish nothing more than for them to die horribly while holding hands.

Chaggie: I've been shipping them since the pilot and I'll be real they were everything I wanted and even more. I always knew that their relationship would be mostly background stuff since they're an established couple, and I was excited to have something where the main character is in a stable and affectionate relationship. I didn't expect them to get a whole little storyarc with the whole angel drama... I'm just. So happy. Seeing them, knowing how much they supported each other over the years when they had no one else on their side, openly working out their issues... They're just everything that's good in the world.

Huskerdust: I feel about it a bit more differently compared to the previous two. I'm happy to see them just do whatever, but Huskerdust stands out because its development is kind of... part of the plot of the show, rather than just being an extra layer to their characters. I'm not even interested in fanfiction for them because I'm too excited to see how it progresses in the actual show.

Radiorose: QPR goals. Alastor having someone he's so comfortable with honestly elevated his character for me. I don't have a lot to say but I enjoy seeing them together immensely.

Appledust: guilty pleasure comfort ship, refer to this post for more context.

Ships I like less under the cut, I try not to be too mean but still, be careful.

Radiostatic (Or, I guess, Onewaybroadcast, rather): I like it a lot but only when it caters to my superspecific tastes. First of all it needs to be one-sided. The second Alastor reciprocates I'm like *Lucifer voice* "Who is this? Who is this man?" Second of all the "hate" part of the "hateboner" is essential (unless we're talking before their falling out). Vox both wants Alastor and wants him dead. It's been swirling inside him for years and had poisoned whatever relationship they had beforehand. There's no turning back from this.

RoyalHalo: I don't know how to explain it, but when I personally ship something "platonically", it's different from just regular shipping and different from having a brotp. Nothing much to say on the ship itself, they're cute.

Cherrisnake: I wish I could like it more but "Meh" is right. I think it has potential, unfortunately 8 episodes a season didn't allow it to develop. I wish we could have had Cherri before ep6 to establish her relationships with Angel and Pentious and I wish they had at least one genuine conversation before the end of the season.

Alastor x Charlie & Alastor x Angel: actually it's not about the ships themselves, just some bad experiences in the early fandom. Ik not all the shippers are like that, especially now when those ships are less popular and a lot of people are vocal about not liking them, but unfortunately I don't think I'll ever be able to enjoy them.

Lute x Vaggie: Nothing to say I just don't like it.

Val x Angel: I put a black line because my knee jerk reflex was to think of people like. Ignoring the abuse, but thinking about it, I do enjoy the exploration of their relationship if it's in-character. It's just not something I personally would consider "shipping". (But then what makes it different from onewaybroadcast? Guess I'm just a hypocrite or something)

"Found family" is a term that's used very differently by different people in the fandom, which is a little confusing to me, so I changed this category to "maybe".

Alastor x Husk: Much like the previous one, except I trust people with it even less after all the victimblaming Husk got after ep5.

Velvette x Vox and/or Velvette x Valentino: I don't ship those personally just for the reason that Vel genuinely seems uninterested, but I support the people who do. Especially the polyvees shipping. There's also additional element to this for me personally is that if Val and Vox were an item, there's a fear that Vel would come off as a third wheel or be pushed to the side, and if they were all together this wouldn't happen. So I have no choice but to support, even if I myself can't get into it.

Guitarspear: Lute ripping off her arm to go help Adam... The last thing Adam does before death is smile at her... God. They were also very fun hypemen for each other during songs, and just the general dynamic was really funny. I would say I like this ship when I see it, but I won't go out of my way to look for it?

Carmilla x Zestial: They're friends... The fanart is nice to look at. It's fine.

Radioapple: I'm conflicted. I guess I am kinda interested in what their relationship would be like in the show, but in fanworks I mostly enjoy the "they aren't actually attracted to each other but everyone thinks they are" dynamic. It's funny.

Pentious x Emily: Ok, one (1) crackship. My friend ships them and I kinda see the vision? Could be cute.

#.ramblings #idk how to best tag it... i guess I'll tag the ships I put above the cut lol #hazbin hotel #staticmoth #chaggie #huskerdust #radiorose #appledust

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