#while also being very caught off guard by a trusted guardian just up and kidnapping him

[razzle-zazzle]

Whumptober Day 26: If you thought the head trauma was bad...

Migraine

658 Words; Pebble in their Shoes

TW for the kidnapping of a minor, that scene is very sketchy. Also mind control

Cole winced as the pain in his head spiked, the pain sliding from the front of his head to the back. He groaned, shoving his head into the pillow.

The headache had been an intermittent pain all day, blinking in and out ever since the Serpentine Generals had made their attempt on the bank. They hadn’t gotten away with much—but of course it’d been enough to get Cole fired—but that was the moment Cole could pinpoint as the start of the headache.

He couldn’t remember the Hypnobrai General being there, so it was probably just a migraine. A very unusual migraine that seemed to shift around his head, as though his mind was being rifled through. But surely, it couldn’t be…?

Cole was probably worried over nothing.

Really, he should just try to get some sleep.

+=+=+=+=+

Lloyd blinked his eyes open blearily. Why wasn’t he in bed?

Lloyd moved his hands to push the gunk from his eyes—

His wrists and ankles had been tied up with rope.

If Lloyd was still at Darkley’s, he would have comforted himself with the fact that it was probably just a stupid prank.

But he wasn’t at Darkley’s.

And hadn’t Skales attempted to kidnap him earlier today?

Lloyd’s eyes snapped open as realization dawned on him. His eyes darted around wildly, trying to make out Skales’ figure in the gloom.

But Skales was nowhere in sight.

Squinting, Lloyd could make out someone shuffling around the room. But who…?

And then Cole was in front of him, eyes a dull red.

Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Cole. He had nothing to worry about.

Except Cole wasn’t talking. Or moving. Just standing there, staring off into space.

“Cole.” Lloyd whispered, struggling against the ropes. “Can you untie me?”

And then Cole shoved some cloth in Lloyd’s mouth, before taping it shut.

Lloyd’s eyes widened in surprise. “MMMPH?”

Cole said nothing, grabbing the child and holding him under his arm. He moved towards the window—and oh, Lloyd was not letting that happen, no sir. He kicked his legs, screaming through the makeshift gag as Cole propped the window open.

Lloyd’s efforts weren’t entirely in vain, though. Just as Cole was halfway out the window, Kai opened the door, panting.

Kai paused in shock for only a moment before moving, lunging at Cole with all the fury of an older brother.

Lloyd was dropped onto the fire escape outside the window as the two scuffled, kicking his legs as he tried to stand up. He had no idea what was going on in the room, but he did know one thing:

Cole’s eyes had been red.

Which probably wasn’t good.

There was a splash, and then Cole was out the window, Lloyd held under his arm like a football. Behind them, Lloyd could hear Kai shrieking. Below him, he could see the ground—now the rooftops—moving past at a rapid clip as Cole all but dashed away from the apartment.

To where, Lloyd wasn’t sure, but he had a sneaking suspicion as to who was behind all this.

In the distance, Lloyd could hear the others calling out. Could hear them scrambling to keep up with Cole.

Those sounds faded into the night as Cole made his escape.

+=+=+=+=+

Cole was floating.

Everything was just so simple, so easy. And all he had to do was listen to the voice telling him what to do. Every order seemed so wonderful, so compelling—

The voice would call to him, and Cole would listen.

The kid mumbled something through the gag. Which really wasn’t all that necessary, now that Cole thought of it—it certainly hadn’t kept the ninja from waking up.

Ah, but little details like that were unimportant. Cole just needed to get the kid to Skales.

And indeed, Cole had lost the ninja a while ago. He was safe to slip down into the sewers now.

He wouldn’t want to keep Skales waiting.

#whumptober2020 #no.26 #migraine #ninjago #lego ninjago #cole ninjago #lloyd garmadon #kai ninjago #zaz writes #tw kidnapping #this is pre-child's play so lloyd is very much a child #but he's also smart enough to put the pieces together and figure out what's happening #while also being very caught off guard by a trusted guardian just up and kidnapping him #oh and skales was absolutely at the bank in this continuity #not that he needed to hypnotize the guy who was already under his spell #he just needed to give him new orders #tw mind control #also the splash was cole just dunking kai's head into the nearest source of water #pebble in their shoes #tdthsyjdyjd i need to stop forgetting tags

[ayamari-no-goshi]

Eidolon 2 | (T)

ff.net | AO3

Fandom: Danny Phantom (DP)

Summary:  AU: What started off as the result of a simple act of rebellion ends up causing his life to spin out of control. How will young Danny cope with the results as well as a past that has a strange habit of coming back to haunt him.

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, kidnapping, and various other things

Parings: hints of Danny/Sam much later on

Notes: originally uploaded to Ff.net. Cross-posted to AO3 and tumblr.

2. Complications

"Daniel… May I come in?" Winston asked as he knocked on his charge's door about an hour after the two had returned home. He had sent the boy to his room as soon as they walked in for two separate reasons. The first was punishment; Danny had snuck out of the house after all. The second was that it would give Winston a little bit of time to gather his thoughts so that he could hopefully handle the situation.

A muffled reply answered him after a moment. It was probably a 'no', but that was pushed aside as he opened the door. He was a little surprised to see that the room was a mess; random items, mostly clothes, had been scattered, more likely thrown, around the room. The perpetrator was sitting on his bed and seemed rather angry that he had been interrupted. The boy had thrown a rather impressive tantrum, which was surprising, since Winston really hadn't heard anything. Perhaps he had been more distracted than he thought.

The older man sighed as he sat down on the bed while ignoring the glares that were being sent his way. "I know you're upset…" Well, that wasn't the best way to start things off.

The boy snorted. "Wow, aren't you perceptive."

Sarcasm, of course. Sometimes he swore that was the boy's native language, but he was going to have to ignore that at the moment, there were more important things at hand. "Could you please stop for just a moment and listen? You can cuss me out later." He hoped that his tone didn't have any anger (or much) in it, even if he had added an uncommon note of command.

Danny continued to glare at him, but he didn't say anything, which Winston took as a cue to continue. "I know that it's definitely hard for a boy your age to be kept in the house most of the time… However, we have a bit of a current situation…"

"Situation…?" the boy asked as he narrowed his eyes. "What kind?"

"It's not too bad…" Winston glanced upwards for a moment before he continued, a little surprised that he had the boy's attention. "…Hopefully…" There was a momentary pause before he continued. "I recently got a call from the state… From what I understand, some of the documents of your adoption have gone missing. They're going to be sending a case worker out to evaluate our current situation. If everything checks out, we'll be able to fix this and go on as if nothing happened…"

Danny was silent for a moment. His expression changed from that of skepticism to concern. "And what if this case worker guy doesn't like what he sees…?"

It was Winston's turn to look troubled. "Then it spells bad news for us. It could turn into a custody battle." He then reached over and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry; I won't let it come to that. Can you promise me something though? Until this whole mess gets sorted out, can you please not sneak out of the house again?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Winston repressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Think about it for a moment. What happens if someone ends up calling the police because of… who knows? With what's going on right now, it could make this situation worse! I promised your parents that I'd take care of you, and I'll be damned if a stupid move on your part because of your 'rebellious phase' makes me break that."

"But what about Sam and Tucker? It's not like I can just disappear from them now, especially with how angry Sam was earlier."

What was it about teenagers that seemed to make them try and bring others into their arguments? However, this was something that he couldn't really ignore. Sure, he could tell Danny that he couldn't see them until after everything was situated with the state (or at all), but that would just backfire on him. Danny would become even more put out and probably sneak out again in spite. Or his anger could come across as something else when the case worker came, which would definitely not be good.

But that wasn't all that could go wrong. If he wasn't mistaken, that Sam girl was the daughter of the Mansons, a very powerful family with lots of connections. If she happened to say anything to them, it could cause them to get involved and launch their own investigation. The rumors around town said that she wasn't on the best of terms with them, but judging by how willful she seemed, she might actually use her power. That, by itself, could pose the biggest problem at the moment.

Instead of answering him immediately, Winston decided to ask a question of his own. "How are you sure you can trust them?" It definitely caught the boy off guard. He let him flounder around a bit before he decided to take the pressure away. "You just met them, so of course you really can't tell yet. …I guess that means that you'll just have to get to know them better." He thought about it a moment. "It's going to be fall soon, so they're probably back to school already. Thankfully, tomorrow's Sunday…"

"Wait… What did you say…?" Danny's eyes were wide with surprise and disbelief.

The expression was priceless which made it difficult for Winston to keep his tone even. "A boy your age should have friends. I'm still not very pleased that you snuck out again, but I think that I'll let it pass this time. We will have to work out times for you to go out, since I don't know when we're going to get that visit… but we can work on that tomorrow."

It was amazing what that simple statement did to the boy. It turned him from a brooding angsty… (was that the right word…? Was that even a word?) teenager to an overly thankful kid. He chuckled as he excited the room to allow Danny to revel in his victory.

With what the next few weeks were going to have in store for him, it was important that he at least had something good. When he had told Danny there was a situation, he hadn't lied… It was just that it was direr than he had mentioned. Winston only wished he knew how the state managed to find out. He knew that it had been a possibility… but after so many years, he thought it would no longer be a problem.

Then, there was the boy's birthday to consider. It was probably going to fall in the middle of all of this, which was definitely going to make the situation worse. And, if what he had been told was correct, then that date would add an entirely new dimension of problems.

He sighed as he massaged his temple. There was just so much that had to be kept secret, and it was all about to come out. Hopefully, Danny would find it in his heart to forgive him for all of the deception.

Eventually.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was no way that he had managed to be that lucky! Winston hadn't even grounded him! He was so happy that he was honestly thinking about shouting for joy, even if it really wasn't too dignified. There was only one problem with this…. How was he going to be able to contact Sam and Tucker again? It wasn't like he knew their numbers or even where they lived. Maybe it wasn't as good of a deal as he had originally thought.

He growled in frustration as he punched the wall. Winston had just humored him! He knew that he probably wasn't going to be able to see them again which was why he was so lenient! Danny wanted to kick himself for being so stupid. A pyrrhic victory, that's what this was.

The question now was what was he going to do about this? There was no way that he was going to let Winston get away with this. Who cared if that worker… or whatever… was coming? That was still a few weeks away. Or never... That whole story could have been created just to give him a reason to act better.

He glanced at the clock; it was nearly eight. Good! Winston had a habit of doing paper work from around that time to when he went to bed. He knew that the man did something for the school district but though he was not entirely sure of the specifics. Whatever it was, it definitely took a lot of time out of his day. When he was much younger, he used to hate that, but today, it was going to be a blessing.

About a half an hour later, after he was sure that Winston was occupied with his work, he snuck out of the house, via his window, for the second time that day. Once he made sure that he hadn't accidentally alerted his guardian, he immediately headed towards the graveyard. They had been there once…. Maybe they'd be there again.

…..

On second thought… maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Usually, at least to him, the local graveyard was a rather peaceful place, but this time, it was anything but that. In the setting sun, the beautiful and watchful statues were now little more than leering and grotesques figures. There was also a strange, unnerving chill in the air that seemed to displace any sense of solace he might find. Something was definitely off. It was almost as if the uneasy feeling he had gotten earlier in the day had suddenly decided to multiply a thousand times. He knew it was probably safer to listen to his instinct and leave, but he wanted to be there in case they did come back.

A sudden rustling of leaves caught his attention, causing his eyes to narrow as he glanced around. There was no wind, and there did not seem to be any people in the area. It was most likely just an animal… Glancing over his shoulder, he decided to head back towards the entrance. If anything, Sam and Tucker would probably stay around that area.

He probably shouldn't wait much longer anyways; no more than another hour. Night had finally descended allowing the shadows to come out of hiding and dominate the world. There were few lights in the cemetery which allowed the darkness to feel more pressing. Most people would steer clear of such locations. It was safer that way since it was difficult to tell what could be lurking within the safety of the shadows.

Wait… Was there someone actually out there? He could have sworn that he heard something that sounded like quiet chuckling. Yet, after waiting a moment, there was no other sound. His nerves were starting to get to him. He knew this place. Nothing bad had ever happened. The sound had probably just carried from somewhere. Even so, it wouldn't hurt to move a little faster.

"Leaving so soon, boy…?"

He spun around and searched the area. There was no way that voice had carried; it sounded like it had come from somewhere nearby. "H-hello…?" he replied shakily. Who had called out to him? It sounded male… but it did not belong to anyone he knew. What made it worse was that it was difficult to pinpoint. It was almost as if it had come out of nowhere. "Is…. Is someone there…?"

Silence was the only response. "That's it… I'm losing my mind…" he told himself after a few long minutes. Once again, he scanned the area. He was about to start moving again when he caught movement at the edge of his vision. "What was that…?" Fear had begun to grip him. There was no way that was just a local animal. No, this was way too large. Whatever it was, it was probably not friendly.

Another noise broke into his train of thoughts. Without a second thought, he ran as fast as he could towards the other sound. His footfalls were heavy, a dead give away to whomever… whatever… was out there. Its shadow seemed to ghost in and out of his line of sight as he ran, almost as if to let him know that there was no way that he could ever outrun it. He could feel its amusement in its movements. This was nothing more than a game to it; a game that he could not win. Even if that was the case, he was going to do whatever it took to try.

His only hope was to try to get to his goal, the cemetery gates. He had thought that he had heard other people in that direction. His fiercely beating heart and spastic breathing made it difficult to concentrate on the voices, but they did seem like they were getting louder. He was getting closer! He needed to reach them! He had to reach them!

As he neared the gates, he saw two figures illuminated by one of the few cemetery lights. A boy and girl… Sam and Tucker! They had come after all! They looked somewhat weary… maybe they could actually hear him running. He called out, somehow, and they saw him.

There was only about a hundred more yards before he reached them and the edge of the light. He tried to push himself just a little more when his feet failed him. Ignoring the injuries from the paved walkway, he glanced backwards and tried to get up. It was still there! Its shadow was now in the trees.

"Danny! Are you okay?"

He jumped. The voice was right on top of him. He glanced back towards his new friends only to realize that they were within mere feet of him. When did they get so close? But he could not think about that now, he had made a horrible mistake! "You… got to… get out of here…!" It was hard to speak while he was so out of breath, but they had to be warned! They didn't know what was out there!

"Dude, what's wrong?" Tucker was clearly worried as he watched Sam help him up.

It was getting harder to breathe. His body was screaming for air causing the edges of his vision to darken. "It's… not safe…!" he tried to tell them between gasps. "Go…!"

"Danny, breathe!" Sam told him sharply, which he ignored as he glanced back in the direction of his pursuer. Worried, she took his face between her hands so that she could get him to look at her. "Calm down! What's wrong?"

Before he had a chance to speak, Tucker started to stammer. Both he and Sam looked over to see him pointing at something within the darkness. "Wh-what's that?"

He looked in the direction and saw two small lights of vivid crimson coming from the shadows. There was no movement for a moment before the lights seemed to narrow. The sight sent a chill down into his very core. They were eyes!

"So…You've found comfort in the arms of friends…" It was the same voice from earlier. Unlike before, when it seemed like it could have been coming from anywhere; it had a point of origin somewhere near the crimson orbs. "Enjoy it while it lasts…" The voice then laughed as it faded away, taking the lights with it.

When he finally could exhale, he collapsed on the ground. His body was absolutely drained from the combined strain of his fear and flight. Was that thing actually gone? It did not feel like it… However, that did not mean very much. It could still be there, just waiting in the shadows for them to turn their backs.

"W-what was that thing…? Why was it chasing you? What were those lights?" Tucker then paused for a moment after his spastic string of questions as he looked at him carefully. "…Why are you here anyways?"

He chuckled weakly as he allowed his friends to help him up. "I could ask you the same thing." A wary sigh escaped him as he nervously glanced into the shadows. "I was hoping that I'd be able to run into you guys again… And then that thing appeared…. I… I honestly have no idea what it was."

"Hate to interrupt," Sam told him in a tone that was oddly mixed with sarcasm and irritation as she pointed in the direction of where they had seen the odd lights. "But… newsflash: there's something out there that's unknown and potentially dangerous. We should probably get out of here before it decides to come back." There was a silent agreement before the three of them sprinted as far away from the graveyard as they could.

…

"So… now what?" Tucker asked as they caught their breaths on a lit street corner several blocks away from the cemetery gates. It didn't seem like they had been followed by whatever it was that they had seen, but there was still an uneasy feeling lurking in the air.

"You're asking me?" he replied in near disbelief as he leaned against the light pole. "I still can't stand without help, let alone think straight! Great…how am I going to be able to get home and sneak back into the house like this?"

His words were met with a disbelieving look. "Wait… You snuck out, again? Do you seriously hate your house that much?" Even though they had just been scared out of their minds, Tucker had managed to calm down enough to joke. He wasn't sure if he found that relieving or insulting. Before he could make up his mind, Sam knocked his beret off. "What was that for?"

"Tucker, this isn't the time!" She scowled at him for a moment before she glanced over at Danny. "But, that does bring up a good point… Do you think that you'll be able to meet us here tomorrow?"

"Sure… " he replied hesitantly, "…as long as I'm able to get back into the house without being caught. Why?"

A strange expression appeared on her face, making him uneasy. "I don't like being scared. So, I'm gonna find whoever that was and teach them a lesson, and you two are going to help me do it?"

He and Tucker shared a look before they both asked, "We're going to help you do what?"

#danny phantom au #danny phantom #danny fenton #my writing #fanfic #fanfiction #dp #dp au #fantasy #supernatural #sam manson #tucker foley #vlad plasmius #Eidolon

[nad-zeta]

Matchup Request ^_^

rsI have no idea how this submission thingy works but hey! Gonna give it a try. XD If you’re closed no worries, been enjoying the ones you’ve made! They’ve made me smile when I wasn’t sure I had one. Before I lose my nerve for the fifth time... I’m an extroverted introvert, can fake it and even enjoy large groups for a short time but it’s hard-wearing that mask for long. Love detailed talks about mutual passions and figuring out why things or people work the way they do. INFJ, adventures are ftw. Empathetic and easily emotional, but I’ll try to hide it if at all possible. Tend to take people at their word, learning to trust my gut when something seems off. Learned to play the cute card cause everyone assumes I’m ten years younger than I am (26) and make them smile, whatever I’m feeling. Realistic optimist, nothing lasts forever but I’ll do everything in my ability to help make things better for those I care about.

Awww thanx so much for the request @briars7​ ! I’m so happy I could brighten your day in some way! I hope you enjoy the matchup and have a super good day! 

So, I match you with……………………. Mitsuhide

So, you were by no means a shy quiet person when you first started working at Azuchi castle, however, you did take a few days to yourself to watch. To watch the castle and its people, to determine the roles and duties of each person. To watch the workings and how their role did or didn’t contribute. One particular person caught your eye. Mitsuhide. He was a mystery, a riddle wrapped in itself. By watching you could tell that he worked from the shadows, he was an information gatherer, and he would get the information he needed by any means necessary. You also saw the big bad wold façade he put up. How he would purposefully start rumors to make himself guilty of some fake crime, just so he could gain the trust of the enemies, too, later on, reveal his true loyalties to the Oda forces and extinguish the threat. It was funny you could always see the exact moment he spread the rumor to one of the more chatty maids and how she would make sure it trickled its way through the grapevine. In some strange way, you thought him a guardian angel. Working behind the scenes protecting all those from danger unknown to them. Oh, and trust me when I say as much as you watched Mitsuhide, Mitsuhide watched you. He watched you as you watched the people, he watched you chart down everyone’s roles, and boy did he love to watch the ways your eyes lit up when you had finally figured out how something work or figured a particularly tricky person *cough Hideyoshi cough*. He still low key thought you might be a threat no matter how cute and small you looked. That was, of course, until you started implementing what you had learned to improve the runnings of the castle. Mitsuhide couldn’t help but admire how smooth everything had been running since you implemented all your little changes. He finally understood why you were watching and making notes. You were definitely an amusing little mouse and having you around was going to be a ton of fun

You worked hard for the castle and its people, and this gained a lot of trust among all the warlord. You in your time here had become particularly fond of Mitsuhide and the little playful chats the two of you would engage in. You couldn’t help but come to like his mischievous smile and look in his eyes whenever he would tease you. And this sneki boi didn’t think he would love the fact that someone was constantly on his side backing him up, that is until you came along. Your weeks of watching allowed you to have both an outside and inside perspective of everyone here. Mitsuhide certainly loved it when you would scold the castle mother himself whenever he would start accusing Mitsu of being a traitor. You would always look Hideyoshi straight in the eyes, and truth bomb him. Like if your gut trusts the sneki boi than you trust the sneki boi. Although lately, it seems your gut might be a bit faulty, especially when it comes to Mitsuhide. Cause it’s your very gut that gets filled with thousands of butterflies whenever the golden orbs of the Kitsune stare at you. 

When Mitsu heard the little mouse liked going on adventures, he started taking you along with him on missions. Even though most of the trip consisted of him working. But when he wasn’t working, and the two of you spent time together, it was bliss. He would take you to different markets and tell you all about the local products. He would take you to hot springs to relax and unwind after a hard week’s work. The two of you would eat dinner together every night and thereafter, take a walk around, take in the sights and let the food digest. He would always tease you by calling you “little one” or “little girl” until one day you challenged him on it, “why is it that you keep calling me little girl when I most definitely am not one.” “Because my dear you are the smallest cutest little girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on.” you narrowed your eyes and replied, “you know I’m 26 right.” Cue Mitsuhide actually being hella shocked for the first time. He thought you to be at least be 19. The shook expression on his face was enough to send you into a fit of laughter. Once he regained his composure, all he could do to soothe his own embarrassment was pat your head and say, “well then little one it seems you naivety and innocence has kept you young at heart”. All you could do was beam up at him, grab his hand, and continue on your walk. The two of you had low key fallen in love somewhere on your many trips away together, although none of you was brave enough to say anything.

On one of your adventures, the two of you were kidnaped and thrown into the dungeon to await death. Mitsuhide looked over at you expecting a frighten little mouse; instead, he was pleasantly surprised to see you were not freaking out but rather thinking of ways to escape. ‘Little mouse aren’t you even in the slightest afraid of the fate which awaits us outside of these cell doors.” You just grinned at him; you knew this sneaky Kitsune must have some or other rescue plan, and even if he didn’t, you remained optimistic. You actually came up with a pretty good plan yourself and told him to be ready to fight at your signal. Mitsu was intrigued and excited to see what kind of plan your sweet innocent mind came up with to free the two of you. When the guard with your cell key walked past your cell, it was time to put your plan in action. You played your cutesy damsel in distress card, which to both your and Mitsu’s surprise worked. He opened the cell door to let only you free when u signaled Mitsu to knock him out. Just as the two of you were running out the dungeon hand in hand, Mitsu couldn’t help but whisper how much he loved you under his breath. Of course, you heard him, and when you were safe and sound you returned the feelings and started your relationship off with the sweetest kiss

There was a banquet on your return to celebrate your daring escape. You chatted with everyone and was having a really good time. Although halfway through the evening, you started to get a bit tired, your social mask was busy slipping a bit. This, of

course, didn’t go unknown by the sneaky Kitsune. He waved you over to come and pour for him providing you with the perfect opportunity to fully drop your mask and just relax. He was like your safe haven. He pulled you down to sit right beside him as he poured you some sake and gave you a plate of food to eat, cause he had noticed that you were so busy socializing you didn’t even have the time to eat. You loved just sitting with him, chatting about everything and anything. You loved that you could have deep, detailed conversations with him. You most definitely loved the way he would hold your hand and gently massage soothing circle on the top of it while attentively listing to your every word. Sometimes you would drink a lil too much cause let be real no one can keep up with Mitsu when it comes to alcohol. You would just lean your head into the crook of his neck and fall asleep the gentle way he would be pulling his fingers through your hair.

This boi loves your empathetic and emotional side! And boy does he love to tease you. Sometimes his teases might go a little too far, and you get a bit emotional, which naturally you try to hide. But honestly, you could never hide your true emotions from this sneki boi, or did you forget. “I can read your every thought little mouse, so what’s the use in hiding them from me.” During these times, he will talk to you in his most gentle sweet voice, coaxing you to tell him everything and anything that could be bothering you. He would just hug you tightly, hanging on to your every word while gently stonking your hair. It was always strange how the next day, the problem seemed to just disappear. Weird.

The two of you could often be found on some fun adventure/mission or cuddled up together. Mostly with you in his lap, your head in the crook of his neck, while he gently plays with your hair while the two of you just talk for hours.

Other potential matches………………….Nobunaga

Thanx so much for the request! I hope you enjoyed it and I truly hope you are staying safe and well during this time!<3

#akechi mitsuhide #mitsuhide akechi #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen matchup #matchups #match ups #mitsuhide matchup #ikesen match up #submission

[writingpaperghost]

Broken Mirrors and Broken Perceptions (Part 2)

With the idea that there is infinite worlds with infinite possibilities, there are some that never truly occur to us. Sometimes thinking and viewing those windows is like looking at a mirror. You expect it to be so much like the world you know. Once you learn of certain worlds, it’s like the glass of the mirror has been broken. You now perceive the world much differently than your own.

Jack Darby’s life had become weird enough over the past few months. But despite being enthralled in an alien civil war, he was happy with his life. He wouldn’t change it, he wants it to become better, but the past should stay the same. After a experiment with a dangerous scientist has gone wrong, Jack finds himself in a world that’s both similar and different than his own. Good has become evil and evil has become good. In a world like that, he doesn’t know he can trust. Those he had already trusted before, who are now out to kill him, or those who he learned not to trust, who now are the only ones who cared for him?

This is not the world Jack thought he knew. It was a honestly terrifying realization. He had awoken in a strange, unfamiliar place, surrounded by Cybertronians he’d never met. Except, he was pretty sure he’d seen them before, the names his mom called them ringing a bell. The slim blue and pink one hovering over him, Arcee. But he’d met Arcee before, she was deranged, a hunter with no mercy for the unfortunate souls that were her prey. She was the second in command of the Autobots, though she was ruthless in battle. And now she was hovering over him, within a few reaches of his arm.

He was terrified, to say the least. His mom seemed fine, so he highly doubted that they’d been kidnapped, not to mention he was pretty sure Arcee didn’t look like that. Still, he was nearly froze to his spot, stuttering out a “What?” that sounded far more confident than he felt.

“Is something wrong, Jack?” Arcee asked with a worried tone. Jack found his voice left him for a moment, because she knew who he was and said his name with familiarity.

Jack quickly found his voice, “Who are you?”

Arcee frowned and so did his mom, “Jack, you know me. We’re partners.”

His mom spoke next, “Did you hit your head after that explosion?”

“What? No!” Jack looked to June with a shocked expression, “I didn’t hit my head! Why are we here?”

“This is the Autobot base,” June said in response, “We’re here so the Bots can protect us from the Decepticons.”

Protect? From the Decepticons? Either the Autobots learned brainwashing and fed his mom lies, or something wasn’t quite right here. Jack honestly found himself thinking it was the latter.

“No...” He mumbled, “This is wrong. All of it’s wrong. The Autobots?”

June placed her hands on Jack’s shoulder, “What’s wrong?”

“All of this.”

Before Jack could elaborate, thundering footsteps cut him off. A large Cybertronian walked into view, red and blue and as tall as Megatronus. As tall as a Prime. That had to mean something. The Cybertronian reminded Jack of Orion, the leader of the Autobots, but while Orion was tall, this Bot was slightly taller, really more equal to Megatronus than Orion himself.

“How is Jack?” He asked, a voice that Jack nearly jumped at. By Primus, that was Orion! They shared the same voice! Jack was looking at the leader of the Autobots, And Jack was pretty sure his shock - and a certain degree of horror - was apparent on his face.

“Is something wrong?” The strange version of Orion asked, clear concern in his voice.

“I’m not so sure, Optimus,” June said, “He keeps saying that ‘everything’s wrong’. I’m worried.”

Orion, er, Optimus, looked to Jack, “What do you mean by that?”

Jack once again found himself unsure of what to say, “Uh, well, uh... You see...” There was an overwhelming urge to book it and run away, but that would probably make them question his sanity more than what he’s about to say would.

“I don’t think I’m your Jack.” He quickly blurted out.

The three around him looked at him in shock and confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Arcee asked, sceptic.

“I think I’m from another dimension, a parallel universe.”

Optimus spoke next, “Why do you say that?”

“Because in the world I know, the Autobots aren’t very keen on humans.”

“What do you mean by that?” June asked clearly concerned.

“While the government might be on their side, they have caused the deaths of countless humans. They want to turn the planet like Cybertron.” The three around him listened in horror and morbid fascination as he spoke.

“One moment,” Optimus said, then called for Ratchet. He asked Jack to repeat what he told them to Ratchet, “Could such a thing be possible?”

“Since we know the Shadowzone exists,” Ratchet began, though still thinking, “It wouldn’t be surprising if it were.”

“Then what of the Decepticons?” Ratchet then asked Jack, “Are they the good guys?” The way he said the last part made it clear he was skeptical of such a possibility.

“Actually, yeah.” Ratchet looked at Jack like he was crazy, “Megatronus leads the Decepticons, who generally try to keep the Autobots from destroying he planet.”

“Megatronus?” Asked Optimus, an unfamiliar curiosity in his voice. It was a tone that Megatronus would say that Jack always had. Maybe that was part of why he always compared Jack to Orion Pax, back when he was a data clerk. “He still goes by Megatronus?”

“Yeah, I guess he never changed it after he became Prime...”

Arcee was the one who spoke now, clearly shocked, “Megatron became Prime?”

Jack looked to her with the very curiosity he often looked to the Decepticons with, the curiosity he always had when the Cons would talk about Cybertron and their lives before the war. “Yeah, why do you seem so surprised?”

“Because it was I who became Prime in this world,” Optimus replied, clearing up several details.

“Oh,” Jack found himself saying, “That would explain the name change.” At the curious looks of the Bots, Jack continued, “In my world, the Autobot leader is just Orion. I guess he dropped the Pax part once the war started.”

After a while longer of back and forth, Jack answering the other four’s questions and vice versa, they soon were all caught up. Jack found that these Autobots are far better than the Autobots in his world. He found Miko and Raf were here too, with Autobots of their own for guardians. All the talk did make Jack feel sad, it made him miss the Decepticons of his world. Starscream, with all his esteem issues, Megatronus, with his wise words, always knowing what to say, Soundwave, with how he always could help Raf just right, Breakdown, with how much he cared about Miko, Knockout, with how he cared for the human’s safety, despite knowing little of how humans worked. He even missed Skyquake, who he hadn’t known very long, and Shockwave, who’s inventions had a habit of not always working quite right.

That also made him think of another small detail, “What about MECH?” Jack asked, catching the others off guard.

“MECH want to use Cybertronians to create a human and Cybertronian hybrid. Monsters,” Ratchet scoffed, “What? Were they heroes in your world?”

“Not exactly.” Jack groaned, “More like an occasionally insufferable human resistance. Sometimes they helped, sometimes they made everything worse.”

June checks her watch, “It’s about time we head home,”

Optimus spoke to Jack before he got into his mom’s car. He was stilled a bit uncomfortable riding Arcee, since he’d never touched a motorcycle before. “Jack, I hope you will feel welcomed here.”

“You’ve all been really nice, I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Still, you are stuck here until we can find a way to make things right and send you back and bring our Jack here.”

“I know you all will do you’re best, if you’re anything like the Con’s of my world,”

“Your faith is appreciated.”

#transformers #maccadam #jack darby #Transformers Prime #optimus prime #june darby #tfp optimus prime #broken mirrors and broken perceptions #bmbp #my writing

[whetstonefires]

d gray man liveblog part 5! (part 1)(part 2)(part 3)(part 4)

Love the amount of personality Allen conveys by code-switching into different formality levels. the translators here are doing an excellent job conveying that, though i suspect the foul language there could have been legitimately punched up.

asserting that his oath to mana and the love that underlies it are his even though he can’t know that is...what makes Allen main character material i guess.

XD I want to ask when ‘being a total maniac with a personality whose internal contradictions are never entirely resolved’ became the shounen protagonist standard but i’m paging through mentally and it basically goes all the way back.

Ashita no Joe was like this. it’s always been like this. only the details change.

I will give Cross Marian .3 points for the possibility he predicted that offering Allen no mercy would inspire him to pull out his hardshell rage against the whole situation rather than crumpling under the weight.

stg allen walker is composed of 93% layered trauma like fine lacquerware and 4% mental invasion. the remaining 3% of his personality is what’s subject to contest. when XIV exceeds 7% encroachment is when shit is going to get real.

oh woo there is Politics afoot and Bookman is...actually intimidated by them, that scares me.

also he and Lavi keep conversing through thought bubbles and i can’t tell if we’re meant to understand they have a telepathic link or this is just an idiosyncratic method of indicating whispers.

lavaliere thinks allen is funny. or that komui’s attempts to reframe shit in allen’s favor are funny.

he’s not actually wrong that the XIVth can’t be trusted, but you want to insist he is wrong somehow because he’s already demonstrated that his standards for treatment of people who even might be compromised are inhumane as fuck.

i want to keep making Pope jokes but the recurring phrase ‘the central government’ just. it really does emphasize how much this organization is modeled on a modern Japanese concept of hierarchy rather than an early-modern European one.

...i am reminded that early European accounts of Tokugawa Japan recorded the shogun as the Emperor and the Emperor as the Pope.

labubibir just smirks when komui asks if his unilateral ‘we’ll tell everyone all about this in the morning’ decision has the pope’s imprimatur behind it.

srsly if we get to a twist that the current Pope is like. an animated corpse or a stuffed bear or a wooden statue or something run by a committee, i’m not even going to be shocked.

oh look it’s Link in that outrageous papal magic ninja getup. XD the role of Timcampi in this story is so weird. and great. he’s like. magic floating R2D2 stg, only if Luke threw R2 at Yoda’s head at some point.

...the point would be when Yoda actually explained about Vader before Vader could, but did it in the most assholish and unhelpful way possible

which you know i would believe would have happened.

Cross Marian it is so completely in character for you to turn up dead and thus useless at such a politically vital moment i almost don’t believe you’ve actually been killed.

only the fact that you actually shared significant information last night makes it seem reasonably likely this is not a fake death.

the disappearing body is a good trick. the guards sleeping and not dead is suggestive either way.

i like the juxtaposition that made it look link Link was blowing shit up by playing chess. (instead it is the marginally less ridiculous ‘playing chess at the site of a battle while ignoring the fighting’)

are those things even akuma? they’re fighting them in a graveyard and either the fight is non-serious enough or the chess is important enough that Miranda’s multi-tasking...

if she needs to use reverse on the board then presumably it...got spilled? but then they could just memorize the positions and let her let it go...

lol yeah okay allen scold the monster for its lack of manners toward a lady.

lmaoooo okay the chess was to win an Innocence-infused ring back from the ghost of its chess-master previous owner! normal duties have resumed in spite of the massive loss of personnel and allen’s identity issues, and apparently Link is now contributing to team efforts. this won’t divide his loyalties at all of course.

the chessboard didn’t decay with the ghost, so i still don’t know what Miranda was reversing time on it for.

+1 sassy old lady.

wow they’re actually building Order operations around use of the Ark, which only Allen can pilot. i guess anyone can use the doors he’s established so once he’s got a solid network running they can axe him but....

...Miranda it is rude to crush on a priest, though he has very pretty hair. (i mean, i’m assuming he’s catholic, since he’s with the Order, which works for the Pope. all indications really are that England is a catholic country in this universe.)

...it’s also a country where the Noahs are installed at high levels of government I don’t understand how no one in the Order has noticed that.

‘even if only for the moment’ ffffffffs link shut the fuck up.

...if anyone is inexplicably reading this without familiarity with the media property involved and picturing the hero from Legend of Zelda when i yell at link, please continue doing that, it’s basically correct except for being wrong in almost every particular.

oh good grief. So, they actually agreed with me about ‘can’t get rid of Allen’ for all the reasons i stated! they just announced to everyone he knows that they have an ongoing mission to kill him if he goes rogue.

that’s entirely reasonable, really, though depressing, but they had to be so viciously dehumanizing about getting there! wtf. “our very own pet noah” imma wring your throat.

...ten years has made Miranda Lott so much more relatable but never more than in this moment where she’s reminding herself she’s the only actual adult in this group.

also really feeling Allen’s “I don’t understand anything, but time keeps moving on.”

Holy shit the guy who knew Kanda when he was a small person now counts as foreshadowing of horrible things to come.

...how long have they left the bloodstained shattered window unrepaired so Rebeliel can sit here staring at it?

i don’t know whether i’m more focused on how absurd it is that this man does fancy baking (19th century! powerful! man!) or how terrifying it is that he’s offering Allen a slice of cake.

lmao apparently Reever is not a typical example of his role, probably because Komui isn’t. in fact, i don’t think i previously realized the ‘section’ he’s ‘chief’ of is the hq science section, because Komui acts like he’s Head of Mad Science and leaves Reever to be his chief minion.

also, this poor woman. her brother got horribly murdered working with these people and it traumatized them and now they’re treating her as a replacement goldfish because she looks just like him. that’s messed up on so many levels, though presumably she’s at least moderately okay with being misgendered or she’d dress differently. it being the 19th century and all.

...also i can’t tell if she’s meant to be a very pale black woman or if hoshino just did a ‘fat person’ character design around racist caricature visual tropes, but she’s got the blackface lip outline and a dreadlock ponytail, so welp.

wow Cross’ disappearance just gets more mysterious even as the evidence of his death mounts.

oh never mind Lebubble says it was definitely his bosses but he’s concerned because he was left out of the loop.

hmm okay that’s two women getting instant crushes on pretty boys and two relatively minor cases of sexual harassment in three chapters, all four times intended as humor, do not like this trend.

hmm now a trans woman being used as a visual gag. i’ve seen worse uses of this trope, but ugh.

the Ganimard expy is funny, tho. the amount of personality conveyed in a few pages is reliably high.

...i feel like he’s pointedly not given his prisoners any changes of clothes in order to maintain the illusion that it makes some kind of sense for there to be an entire gang of phantom thief that gets caught every single time.

that doesn’t actually explain why they’re all still wearing the outrageous hat.

aaaaand back to allen’s identity crisis.

wow, on the one hand cross is pressuring him from beyond the grave not to rely on Mana’s memory because that’s not his real self, but on the other hand he has to seriously consider that his recent lapses in the formality adopted in imitation of Mana were even less himself and in fact the result of a hostile alien consciousness breaking through.

haha this heist scenario is so exactly like a Magic Kaito one I’m guessing that’s a deliberate allusion and not just shared Phantom Thief tropes. (Though how do you tell in a genre like this, Ganimard-Nakamori-Galmar lmao.)

...the thematic element of speech-mode equating identity is really nicely used but lmao sticking out the tongue has sufficiently different connotation in Japan to make this possession sequence weirder than intended. which was already pretty weird.

daaaaamn link’s papal ninja moves are finally seeing some use. also way to signal your real identity bodysnatcher kid, allen’s like sixteen, an adult would definitely not call him niichan.

wow you can even use his papal ninja paper magic! somehow! that is a really high-tier bodysnatching skill. also lol of course kanda can recognize a papal ninja crow by skillset.

i am a huge fan of allen’s capacity for headgames.

oh my goodness is he seriously donating all the money from his thefts to an orphanage? specifically the orphanage where he lives?

and again with the boob grab.

...allen walker weeping that he’s bleeding is quite the hilarious sight but come to think of it if he can’t hold off one random crybaby bodysnatching kid his odds against XIV don’t look that hot, eh?

oh no evil undead nun.

oh that’s a great idea, ask komui for advice about what to do in the situation that an exorcist and his guardians are rejecting summary kidnapping. it’s not like he devoted his entire life to regaining contact with his sister after the Order kidnapped her.

oh no it’s another hideous potbellied angel monster and they’ve figured out how to jam allen’s curse radar. that curse was a present from his dad you bastards!

...mana was a really weird person.

you know link, i’m pretty sure from you that was protectiveness.

oh! a twist! the nun is evil without being an undead monster!

meanwhile the nice nun and all the orphans have been turned into puppets.

daaaaamn the Papal Ninja Paper Magic is good stuff! why don’t they teach it to more of their staff, maybe they wouldn’t have such high turnover.

...Kanda just referred to Noise Marie as ‘she’ but I’m pretty sure that’s a translation error based on the fact that his surname is ‘Marie’ and ‘Noise’ sounds like a descriptor based on his hearing-based power rather than a first name.

it would frankly be awesome if Noise Marie were a woman, but considering the only two not-conventionally-boobalicious and also not elderly female characters we’ve had were minor visual gags (plus i guess Miranda during her initial nervous breakdown), and that hoshino was genuinely startled people thought Jasdero was a woman, presumably because of the lack of visible breasts, i reallllllllly think she would be unlikely to design a huge bald muscle woman, let alone treat her with this much casual respect, let alone while writing her as gay.

regardless, if Noise Marie actually dies imma be so mad. not that me being mad has had a perceptible affect on the death rate--though Kanda and Krory did survive the Ark Battle Arc so maybe i do have power. or rather we collectively as readers do.

hah he cut his own fingers off with wire, badass.

allen’s talent for inspiring compassion claims another victim in Bodysnatcher Timothy and holy cow Emilia The Nice Middle Class Girl is here with a handgun to menace the giant monsters, nice.

i mean, they’re not very menaced, but she’s shooting them anyway, because fuck you.

...holy shit that’s a powerful ability. the fact that it leaves his real body vulnerable is kind of a major drawback even with good teammates, but wow. also for some reason his Innocence has its own consciousness???

which can pilot his body for him while he’s walkabout, how helpful!

Bonne the the translady prison boss has joined the count of girls who see a cute guy and get an instant crush recently, but for some reason she’s really into Reever? I mean, he’s good-looking, sure, but he’s not one of The Pretty Boys.

Just realized that part of what’s vibing so weird is, this is a shounen series, but the specific way it juxtaposes elements of extreme shittiness with elements of brilliant concept and execution is more shoujo in style.

sameface isn’t normally a big issue in this series but Link-with-his-bangs-blown-back looks confusingly similar to Timothy’s Innocence Spirit, whom Timothy identified as his adult self with startling ease.

kneeling there out of options thinking you’re going to die and you dedicate your last thought to revellier, link? really??? that’s extremely sad. did he actually do anything to earn your loyalty or is this just brainwashing?

I feel like last time through I failed to absorb the political implications of the Order having managed to put together agents who can stop a Level 3 akuma with their hands and then eat it. with their hands. i think they’ve been spliced with akuma, because ‘nothing human can get through this barrier.’

Lenalee going one-v-one on a Level 3 was a nigh-self-destruct big deal a couple of months ago. This isn’t just sloppily managed shounen power creep this is the obsolescence of the excorcists.

which in theory would be a good thing, but the way these guys are made has to be awful and our main characters were already disposable enough in the eyes of their masters.

At least Allen’s getting Power Creep too! New tactic: drop sword. Stab enemy in the back with it while standing in front of them because it’s still part of your body somehow.

oh good grief allen you saw what happened to tiki myk! how did you not see this coming. ughhhhhhh. i know why. your current life plan is to Denial so damn hard the universe breaks your way. this is your god letting you know she’s not going to indulge that touching optimism.

i think it shocked me the first time, but i’m not sure anymore.

yeah, deeply counter-productive course of action.

...i’m now used to the way XIV uses Allen’s face but the akuma seeing him as a flaming skeleton monster i had forgotten about. wut?

with kanda it’s not a question of did he count on allen being able to dodge or did he not care if he stabbed him too, it’s both.

the cognitive dissonance of the story trying to treat Timothy joining the Order as a Good End to this episode, the same way it did back in early days when they recruited Miranda, when the prevailing atmosphere of the story has become one of institutional cruelty and corruption wherein the Order is a hellish slave-taking death trap that eats its people alive is just...fucking me up big time.

am i actually expected to accept the content here at face value?

...i mean, it’s a good end in that our heroes are spared having to forcibly kidnap him into indenture, but Emilia joining to look after him is just. It’s not funny or heartwarming or empowering.

we’ve recently gone over how komui doesn’t want lenalee to see his joining the Order for her as self-sacrifice even though it was, and also how much it fucks him up being accountable for how evil this organization is.

and not to be awful but lenalee’s his actual family and actually sweet, whereas timothy is a horrid brat with a habit of sexually harassing Emilia.

And that was before the war reached a point where we’re seeing 90% mortality.

don’t do this emilia. nooooooope.

on the upside, the nice nun and all the children survived somehow!

allen’s relationship with Link is weird.

i wonder if i was meant to be disturbed by how similar Mana’s body language was to the Earl’s for a second there?

okay so can we talk about how in this moment of extreme drama where Allen has sat up in bed possessed by evil, timcampi (who never communicates except via body language and is a floating orb) gets a speech bubble containing a picture of a toilet?

because it was really important to let the readers know that the little golem theorized that Allen needed to have a pee, in between cutting from the unsettling Symbolic Dream to the terrifying murder face.

and the thing is, it even kind of was! it contributes to the pace of the whole scene, it reminds us that timcampi is a conscious being with opinions even if he can’t communicate much, and is witnessing this incident. and yet. toilet.

the entire storytelling style of D. Gray Man revolves around creating cognitive dissonance and it does not suit my brain.

...i honestly don’t know what to think about Link being uncomfortable sharing a room with Lenalee flashing that much thigh, but i know i like him better for the fact that he let her drive him out of his own room by falling asleep on his bed, and just stood around in the hall like a chump waiting for her to finish her nap.

and he escalates from threatening allen with a formal complaint to threatening to tell komui he’s alone in a room with lenalee lmao.

he really is fitting right in.

oh hey. it wasn’t just timcampi who saw.

yes okay thanks for the tyki myk update good to know there are long-term consequences for running a noah through with Crown Clown.

aaaand North American Boobs Lady didn’t seem half this menacing last time she came up, but now she’s flanked by Hungry Hands Dude and his partner and komui is looking freaked out.

he does that a lot lately.

#catching up with d. grey man #d gray man #d gray man spoilers #i need to go into less detail

[karmahearted]

Things I write, man- XD Based on ‘Five times Aoi and Dennis met’, across the entire ARC-V series. <3

~~~~~~

“Sometimes, I wonder 'bout y’.”

Aoi wouldn’t admit the sound of her friend’s laugh made her feel warm, but it had nothing on the bright smile he flashed her a moment later. “Hopefully it’s a good wondering~! …Is it?”

“Kindda,” she admitted, leaning over the short wall for a better look at him. The day was far too hot for late spring, and just watching Dennis bounce around to entertain everyone else made her tired! She couldn’t imagine how exhausted he was, though didn’t miss the slight shake to the gloved fingers he flicked through curly red bangs. “Y’ should get some rest. Th’ crowd’s thinned out, anyway.”

Both sapphire and green-blue glanced to the few people still dawdling around several feet away. She knew his bag of tricks had yet to run dry, but she was just happy he was sitting against the waist-high wall for a break- “You’re worrying too much! I’ll be fine, I promise!” -or rather, getting to his feet once more, practically beaming at her. Honestly, that man…

But she couldn’t bring herself to stop him. Instead, she hung her head and let her shoulders sag, a slender hand lifting to wave him off. “Jus’ b’ careful, all right? I don’t wanna b’ th’ one t’ explain t’ everyone else why y’ got heat stroke.” “I’ll be fineeeeeee~!”

“M’ sanity won’t b’ at this rate.”

~*~*~

The last thing she’d expected to see was Dennis taking part in the tournament. His Performage monsters were a welcome sight, as was he, but.. Why would he be there? And why was she so quick to shrug out of her red jacket before running over to throw her arms around his shoulders? “Dennis! What’re y’ doin’ here?”

If she’d startled him, he didn’t show it, content to reach up and lay his hands on her forearm with a light chuckle. “I should ask you the same! I didn’t know you’d entered the tournament, Aoi.”

Her spot behind him was a perfect one; it let her nuzzle her face into his hair, memorizing the by now familiar scent of his shampoo all over again… And hide the look of worry on her face. Truth be told, she hadn’t entered the tournament- she was just there to keep an eye on Yuya and look for Yugo, keeping herself no more than a shadow. But there was something about Dennis that drew her in like a moth to the flame, dropping her guard, keeping her forever ensnared by that smile.

“Last minute entry,” she lied, thankful he couldn’t see her face and simply leaned back into her hold ever so slightly. “Y’ doin’ good here though- did I see Trapeze Magician?”

“You might have. Did I see Aussa earlier?”

“Y’ might’ve~”

Gods above, why was it… So easy to relax with him…?

~*~*~*~

“This is a dumb choice.”

His ever-present smile faded a little, though he was quick to cover it with a small shrug. “You’re worrying too much again. Here- A girl with a pretty face like yours…” Dennis paused, pulling a flower from his sleeve to hold out in his friend’s direction, “deserves a smile more brilliant than the sun!”

It took a moment, her gaze flickering between the offered carnation and smiling male, for her frown to flip. Just like always, it was impossible to stay upset for long with him, taking the flower from his hold… If only to set it aside and grab his wrist, pulling him down to the couch beside her. “Thank y’. Y’ always know what I need.”

Doubly proven by the arm he draped over her shoulders a moment later, letting the more petite raven snuggle into his side. With a slight tilt of his head, he teasingly nudged the top of her with his nose, knowing full well it’d get a slightly flustered whine from her. “Do you plan on worrying forever, or should I keep going?”

“Y’ wouldn’t-” Dare, though the last word hung on her lips. Familiar fingers had found their way to her side; if she kept bucking him on this, he’d definitely make her pay for it! “Fine, fine- B’ y’ gotta let m’ make y’ a top hat while y’ gone.”

“Why a top hat~? You think it’d add to my charm?”

She snorted. “Nothin’ could add t’ y’ charm, trust m’. B’ every magician needs a good hat. S’.. Can I?”

“M'lady, I would be honored.”

“…Dork.” With the soft tease out, Aoi lifted her head, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. Nothing but a big dork…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Fusion.

Just knowing Dennis’s deck held fusion monsters made her stomach churn. All that time together, and he’d been lying to her… “How much of it was an act, Dennis?”

His shrug lacked the warmth and teasing familiarity she so desperately wanted it to hold. “You’re asking about my performance? Aoi, have you seen your jacket?”

Against her will, the former soldier glanced down to the red fabric covering her arm, then at the shield-shaped duel disk she wore. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right – she had no room to talk when she’d hidden her defector status from him right from the start. They were both more than guilty of playing a role, like actors.

But to her credit, her choice had only hurt Aster. She hadn’t kidnapped anyone, or helped invade a dimension, or- “It doesn’t matter. D’ y’ even realize what you’re doin’?! Dennis, y’ hurtin’ people like this! Academia’s jus’- Those hunting games aren’t games, they’re-”

“Games,” he interrupted, hands propped up on his hips. “Stay out of them. I can’t guarentee you won’t end up caught in the middle.”

“Then get m’ caught up, 'cause I’m n’ lettin’ y’ d’ this. This isn’t th’ Dennis I know.”

“You don’t know me at all. Think of that- You’re just the naive child in thi-”

The crack of skin meeting skin echoed out for all of a moment, cutting off his argument with a sharp snap of his head to the side. Slapping him had hurt, more than just her hand – and seeing the forming handprint on his cheek only made things worse. Dennis meant the world to her; how could she-

“That was a foolish move.”

“Bite m’.”

Right… Because this wasn’t Dennis.

At least… Not her Dennis.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Y'know, sometimes I wonder 'bout y’.”

That one comment was all it took for sapphire and green-blue to meet. It’d been months since they’d last seen each other; with Dennis busy teaching Yusho’s dueltaining ways and Aoi keeping herself tethered to Standard’s main You Show branch, they’d not bothered to even think of meeting.

Until now.

“Hopefully it’s good wondering,” he managed out, voice laced with a familiar tease that still managed to make her feel warm. A warmth that briefly eased when a reach for him made the redhead involuntarily flinch, though once the memory of hitting him passed from them both, it was Dennis who took her hand and guided it to the very cheek she’d struck.

This… This was the man she knew. This was the dueltainer who’d spent countless nights sitting with her, helped her with her training, showered her in flowers and friendship. And this time, neither of them would be going in blind; with the war over, they were no longer the soldier and the defector. Sure, she was still the same weak and naive 'child’, and he the snarky, hunting game loving soldier… But they were also just Aoi and Dennis, a pair of dueltainers finally getting the fresh start they’d needed.

“Kindda,” she whispered a few moments later, brushing her thumb against his skin. That familiar twinkle was back in his eyes, head tilting a little into her hand; even after the hell they’d been through, how did he keep managing to make her feel so warm? Content? Happy?

Though another, though admittedly lighter and weaker, flinch came with her other hand reaching up to him, he let her cup the other cheek as well, meeting her gaze. “You’re worrying too much.” His own voice had softened, lips quirking into a smile…

And a moment later, it was a vibrant blush that turned his skin red, blinking in surprise with the light press of her lips to his.

“I told y’ I’d fluster y’ someday,” Aoi teased, ignoring the fingers gently pinching at her own reddened cheek. “There… Still room on th’ stage f’ a co-star?”

“For you, Aoi… Always.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Notes:

#1: Takes place prior to the start of ARC-V, or at least at the very beginning of it. Aoi and Dennis are still new-ish friends, neither knowing the truth and instead putting on street performances together every so often for fun. Aoi fusses, but Dennis is a precious bean-

#2: During the Maiami Championships. They’ve been seeing each other off and on, but by now ARC-V’s plot is underway. They’re still unaware of each other’s true identities, and Aoi doesn’t want to let on she’d been a 'distant guardian’ for Yuya and gotten close to Yugo in the meantime. She’d rather just be affectionate with a friend.

#3: The night before the Lancers depart for Synchro. Aoi’s fussy again, because she’s afraid Dennis being a Lancer means he’ll get hurt, but he knows how to calm her. Cute and cuddly friends are cute and cuddly!

#4: Sometime after Dennis’ return to Academia, but before his last duel. Aoi’s now aware of what and who he is, and he of her. She feels horribly betrayed and hopes to break through to him, but he’s not having it – and neither is she.

#5: Several months after the end of ARC-V. Aoi and Dennis haven’t really met since she slapped him. They saw each other briefly at one point, but it’s been months since then, and no words were exchanged. But, in a redo of #1, they reconnect, and Aoi’s had time to think… And now feels horribly guilty for hitting him before. Combined with just how much she really missed him and happiness at having her friend back, she just lets go and covers it some with the reminder she promised to find what would fluster him someday.

#the mun #the muse #submission #long post #drabble #save tbt #[I LOVE IT WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWO] #fireballofinsanity

[howtohero]

Today we’re going to cover a subject that I believe, in a perfectly sensible world, wouldn’t need covering. In my opinion this subject is the source of countless instances of unnecessary reckless endangerment and the cause of numerous deaths throughout superhero history. It’s a topic that I’ve voiced my opinion on before yet is still, despite my best efforts, a prevalent enough aspect of superhero culture that it bears covering. Today, for our fiftieth post, HowtoHero presents: 

#050 Child Sidekicks

Children Acquiring Powers You should never submit a child to some sort of experiment with the hopes of having them acquire powers so they can fight crime alongside you, but the fact of the matter is that children are just as likely to stumble across superpowers as any old old person. For this reason, it’s important for adult heroes to keep an eye out for children displaying signs of superpowers. If you do come across a child who can lift busses or turn into a mountain lion you actually should take them under your wing. Super children should be nurtured by an older superhero who has more experience that can help guide them through the often tumultuous and quite frankly, terrifying, road to mastering their powers. If they’re not they could very easily turn to a life of a crime and become full-blown supervillains. Powered children of all kinds including magic wielders (kids who stumbled upon magical artifacts, natural born wizards, reanimated mummies of Egyptian princes, etc.) aliens, sentient androids, mutants, or your run-of-the-mill survivors of freak accidents should be carefully monitored and evaluated by trusted psychologists and experienced superheroes before being allowed out into the field to actually start fighting crimes.

Codenames and Costumes Sidekicks should be given codenames and costumes that are evocative of their older mentors’. This isn’t just a cutesy brand-building thing to do. It’s actually important. Especially when you guys first start working together. This way if you and your child sidekick get separated people will know who they belong to. “Oh your name is Hatboy and you’re wearing a beanie, clearly you must be Hatman’s sidekick, I’ll call him and tell him I’ve found you.” It’s basically the equivalent of putting your name and phone number in your underwear in case you lose it. Or some other analogy that doesn’t conflate children with underwear. You get the vibes. Oftentimes this is as simple as switching out the “Man” or “Woman” in your codename with “Boy” or “Girl” (or “Lad” or “Lass” if you’re Scottish) or even just slapping the word “Kid” in front of your actual codename. As far as costumes go, your sidekick’s costume should at the very least incorporate your emblem in some way. Regarding color schemes, many sidekicks simply use the same deco as their mentor but this is not strictly necessary (none of this is actually necessary tbh). Some sidekicks wear costumes with colors that are inverted from those of their mentor’s or complete different colors that are complimentary. An important thing to be aware of is that for children, having a cool costume is much more important. If their costume is lame or doofy they’ll be made fun of by the other child sidekicks (children sidekick? Kiddiekicks?). Children are mean. Make sure your child sidekick has a cool costume. If they’re made fun of it will mess with their self-confidence and that’s no good when you’re fighting Halloween-themed Australian assassins. That’s when you need your confidence to be high. Outside of all this all of the regular superhero costume rules apply. Note: All child sidekicks should have full pants as part of their costumes if your child sidekick parades around without pants that’s only going to raise questions.

Secret Identities Maintaining your child sidekick’s secret identity is extremely important and this needs to be inculcated within them from a very young age. Children need to be reminded constantly not to blab about the super cool fact that they’re actual bona fide superheroes. Their friends might think it’s cool but do you know who else is gonna think that that’s super neat? Bad guys. Especially bad guys who enjoy murdering superheroes and their sidekicks. They’re just gonna love that. To maintain their secret identities children should continue attending school even after they fall in with a superhero. If they can they should be enrolled in a secret child superhero private school where they can be watched over by the faculty which is made up of retired superheroes and other non-active-superhero-superhumans. Some superheroes officially adopt their child sidekicks in their public personas, especially if they’re orphans or in the foster system. If your sidekick is perfectly happy living with their biological, adoptive or foster parents do not whisk them away against their will. [This is called kidnapping and is, in fact, a crime.] If your child sidekick has some other legal guardian whom they like and trust they should be kept in the loop about their child’s superhumanness and their super-activities. Maybe even have them sign some sort of permission slip. On a separate note, you yourself are also taking a tremendous risk in entrusting some snot nosed child with your secret identity. So make sure you’ve found yourself a trustworthy child. Make them pinky swear that they won’t reveal your secret identity. For children a pinky swear is the strongest form of oath.

Child Care Remember the huge hassle finding a doctor to patch you up on the down low was? Well now you’ve gotta do that all over again, but with a pediatrician. Do you know how hard it’s going to be to convince a pediatrician that taking a child with you to fight sewer-mutants is a good idea? Honestly, any doctor who agrees with your side of things is probably not a doctor you want to entrust this child’s care to anyhow! You’re better off just bringing the kid to a different random doctor every time they get hurt. No doctor is going to turn away an injured child. If you do this though you need to make sure that you’re very aware of the child’s medical history, allergies, and weaknesses since you’re not going to have a regular doctor who can keep all that stuff on file for you. Additionally, child sidekicks are especially appealing to supervillains, they make for easy hostages and bargaining chips and they present a ludicrously easy avenue for psychologically scarring a mentor. Do not let a supervillain kidnap your child sidekick. It won’t end well. Most likely it’ll end with your child sidekick being beaten to death with a crowbar. Nobody wants that. Well the bad guys want that. But I try to never take their opinion into account when I make sweeping general statements. Weave some sort of tracking device into your sidekick’s costume so you can always find them. Well I guess in that case you wouldn’t be able to find them if they took the costume off. Inject them with a tracking beacon. Make sure you can always find them. Another thing you could do to discreetly protect your child sidekick is to team them up with a highly trained pet sidekick. This is good for a number of reasons. Children love having pets so it will do wonders for a child sidekick’s morale. Plus, presumably if you’ve got an animal sidekick its already really good at fighting crime so it can help protect this practical infant from the harm you’re so recklessly putting them in! 

Vehicles Is your super-mobile even equipped to carry two people when one of them isn’t a prisoner? Is it child-friendly? Does it have seatbelts? It should really have seatbelts anyway but I don’t know if you’re invulnerable you might not care about that sort of thing. But if you have a child sidekick you need seatbelts. You also might need to be able to fit a booster or carseat. I don’t know how old this child is. You’re also gonna want to invest in a “child sidekick on board” bumper sticker so that in the event of a car accident, or if a giant robot steps on your car, paramedics will know that you’re a horribly irresponsible person who brings children with you to fight crime.

Training Taking on a sidekick is a full time job. When you’re not out fighting crime you need to be back at base training the kid to deal with anything that might come up while out in the field. For the first couple of months (or years!) you shouldn’t even let your sidekick out into the streets to (side)kick criminal butt. You should do your utmost best to prepare this child for any possible scenario. This way they’re never caught off guard and put in more danger than necessary. They should be given dossiers to study on every supervillain the super-community is presently aware of. You should conduct lessons on monster fighting and ancient-temple infiltrations. They should be taught how to perform exorcisms and given basic first aid training and be taught how to protect themselves from most superpowered attacks. Once you believe they’re ready to go out into the field they should at first be given support roles such as crowd-control or police and press liaison or debris-counter and cataloguer (this is the guy at every crime scene who has to go through the rubble at pick out all the pieces of detritus that resemble celebrities and/or prominent fictional characters). Then as time goes on you should find them a good and easy starter-villain to fight. Go see what Smuggles is doing. I’m sure he’d be happy to fight your sidekick. Nobody ever invites him out to do things anymore. Poor Smuggles. 

Bringing a Child Sidekick to an Active War-Zone Don’t. Just don’t do this. They will not survive the experience. And if they do somehow survive they’ll probably be captured by some shady evil organization and brainwashed into a super soldier assassin that murders people and that is also bad. Just don’t do this.

Comic Relief Child sidekicks can often inject a healthy dose of humor and quippery into regular bad guy bashing proceedings. This is good because it can allow you to focus on the actual important matters at hand such as strangling mad science mud monsters or trying to push a giant eldritch abomination back through a portal to another dimension with your bare hands.

Sidekick Teams Sometimes, if a bunch of sidekicks get together and decide that they aren’t being treated with adequate respect by their mentors they’ll band together and form their own sidekicks-only team. This is so dangerous. For everybody. Children don’t know how to operate and coordinate a superhero team. Somebody’s going to die. Maybe everybody. This is why you need to make sure sidekicks are never in the same room as one another. They can never be allowed to meet and commiserate. Or, as a compromise you can let them form their own team but with guidance from older superheroes. They should have a some kind of live in mentor who can help guide these fledgling superheroes and mold them into a cohesive crime fighting unit.

Growing Up and Moving On Child sidekicks won’t be children forever (in most cases), eventually they’re going to grow up and want to strike out on their own. They’ll most likely take on a new codename and design a new costume for themselves and, depending on how your breakup goes, they’ll move to another town that they feel is in need of a defender. When this happens, and provided that you think that they’re capable of taking this step, you need to be supportive. The more supportive you are of this move the more likely they’ll be to still consult with you and seek your experienced superhero wisdom on matters pertaining to their new careers. If you get offended that they want to leave you and throw a whole hissy fit and change your phone number so they can never call you, you’re only putting them in danger. And I get that if you had a child sidekick in the first place you probably don’t care too much about endangering them but if by some miracle they’ve survived their entire tenure in your care wouldn’t you want to keep that streak going? It’d be such a waste for them to die now. You’ve accomplished an impossible thing, don’t blow it now!

Super-Families Some superheroes are so good at successfully training and mentoring sidekicks into full-grown superherohood that they create a sort of empire or super-family with themselves as the patriarch. These heroes are often a more loyal and cohesive unit than the average superhero team with members viewing each other as family whom they would go to extreme lengths to assist. Former sidekicks can also bond with each other over their shared mentor’s personal brand of training through psychological scarring and perching on rooftops like he’s a gosh danged gargoyle.

Legacies If this young, minimally trained, frail child somehow outlives you they may decide to take on your name and carry on your legacy. That’s pretty neat I think. They’re especially likely to do this if you leave them a cryptic trail of clues that sets them off on a wild goose chase that leads them to a storage facility that contains a recording you left that tells them you think they’re ready, not to step into your shoes, but to take your name and turn it into something greater. And then the back wall of the storage locker magically slides back to reveal a costume that is a blend of your two costumes that looks totally baller. If you do that they’ll definitely carry on your legacy and continue you to perform acts of extreme heroism in your name. Just something to think about.

#humor #comedy #superheroes #superhero #how to #guide #sidekicks #child sidekicks #fiftieth post #Hatman #Hatboy #reanimated egyptian princes #wizards #artifacts and talismans #aliens #sentient androids #sewer mutants #Halloween #Halloween-themed Australian Assassins #they're specifically Halloween things because it's October and I know how things are done here #elderitch abominations #banter #sidekick teams #super-families #don't have a kid sidekick #it's so dangerous guys #I shouldn't have to say it again #children don't belong in superhero battles #they are dangerous #they can die

[alexandrasanimationblog]

Character Archetypes

Week 3 (09/10/19)

Based on Vogler’s 8 character archetypes, I’ve selected various animated characters that I believe fall into each one. There are various ways of thinking of archetypes but we will be focusing on Vogler’s interpretation of them.

The Hero

Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)

Traits of a hero and how Aang falls into that role:

Identifiable

Aang is one of the youngest characters

Bald with arrow tattoos

Is the only Airbender

Wears bright yellow and orange monk attire through most of the series (apart from episodes that required him to wear a disguise)

The Most Active

The majority of the series follows Aang and his journey to master all four elements and defeat the Fire Lord (except for some filler episodes in which he is not the main focus or follow a different character)

Has Flaws as well as Strengths

Aang is Kind, Selfless, Wise and Powerful, however, he is also Childish, Impulsive, ruled by his emotions and somewhat Naive

Changes or Grows

Aang eventually learns to master the four elements and save the world while also growing as a person and realizing the importance of his role as the Avatar and to not be as Naive and Careless about things

Faces Death

There are many episodes in which Aang is kidnapped, imprisoned or almost killed in battle. Most notably, the last two episodes that focus on his fight against the Fire Lord

Self-Sacrifice

From the very first episode when he jeopardizes the safety of a Southern Watertribe Village, Aang sacrifices himself to save the people of the village. Throughout the show, he puts others before himself and many times his selflessness is used against him.

The Shadow

The Truth from Fullmetal Alchemist (2003-2004) and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-2010)

Traits of a shadow and how The Truth falls into that role:

Represents the Energy of “The Dark Side”

The Truth actually falls into the category of an anti-villain. It is the divine being the guards the Gates of Truth and Alchemists are met with The Truth when they commit the ultimate sin: Human Transmutation. The Truth acts as a divine punishment and takes something precious from each Alchemist depending on their reason for attempting Human Transmutation. (e.g.: Izumi had her internal organs removed because she tried to bring her dead baby back to life) It makes good Alchemists feel guilty when they encounter individuals who committed the same sin for malicious reasons.

Needn’t be a physical being + Could be a personality trait within the hero

The Truth is a silhouette of light, surrounded by darkness but is said to represent the universe as a whole and the individual ‘truth’ of each person. Being able to enact divine punishment and to have more knowledge than humans, it is the closest thing to a ‘god’ in the series.

“Who am I? One name you might have for me is the world, or you might call me the universe, or perhaps God, or perhaps the Truth. I am All, and I am One. So, of course, this also means that I am you. I am the truth of your despair, the inescapable price of your boastfulness. And now I will bestow upon you the despair you deserve.”

-The Truth (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Threatens the hero and forces them to rise to the challenge

Our hero, Ed, wasn’t the only one affected since he and his brother attempted to bring back their dead mother together. Ed lost his leg when they realized that their attempt didn’t work and Al lost his entire body. Al nearly died as well, since his soul didn’t have a body so Ed sacrificed his arm to be able to save Al’s soul by binding it to a metal armor. Ed actually meets The Truth several times in the series and each time is determined to come back to get his and Al’s original bodies back (which he does by the end of the series).

The Shape-Shifter

M’gann M’orzz/ Megan Morse or Miss Martian from Young Justice (2010-)

Traits of a shape-shifter and how Megan falls into that role:

Changes appearance or mood

One of Megan’s abilities is to shape-shift and she uses that to her advantage during covert missions to mask her green skin. However, it should be noted that her usual appearance is also not her true form as it is friendlier to humans (just with green skin)

Can’t be trusted: brings doubt and suspense

While Megan is one of our heroes, her powers have strained her relationship with some characters. In a ‘lover’s game’ with Superboy, Megan shape-shifted into Black Canary and the moment was caught on camera. Canary was hurt and uncomfortable by the incident but forgave Megan.

In season 2, we find out that Megan and Superboy broke up because she attempted to alter his memory of him being mad at her after an argument which caused him to break things off and be suspicious of her.

Aware of ability

Megan is very aware of her abilities and uses them both in battle and for personal reasons.

Could be a love interest

She is the love interest of Superboy for the majority of the first season.

The Mentor 

Kakashi Hatake from Naruto (2002-2007) and Naruto: Shippuden (2007-2017)

Traits of a mentor and how Kakashi falls into that role:

Often a teacher or trainer

He is the captain of our main protagonist’s team. He is in charge of the two deuteragonists as well. (Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke)

Represents our ‘better self’

In many situations, Kakashi acted as the voice of reason both in battle and in general. He guides Team 7 by telling him what’s right and what’s best and always looks after them.

Often a gift-giver (but gifts must be earned)

Kakashi helped teach Naruto how to create a new technique using his Rasengan by changing the form of his chakra to be adjusted to nature. He also taught him various other things and gave him various ‘gifts’ throughout the story.

A mentor might prove an example of what not to do

Kakashi, although good-natured, has his own flaws and attempts to prevent what happened between him and his friend Obito to his students, Naruto and Sasuke. Kakashi still feels regretful over his friend’s death and does all he can to help Naruto bring Sasuke back to their Village to be changed for good.

The Herald

Chris McLean from Total Drama Island, Total Drama Action, Total Drama World Tour, Total Drama: Revenge of the Island, Total Drama All-Stars and Total Drama: Pahkitew Island (2007-2014)

Traits of a herald and how Chris falls into that role:

Call to Adventure/ Gives the hero motivation to begin the journey

Chris is the host of the reality show Total Drama and is both the one who brings (or brings back) the characters for each season and announces their challenges, rewards or punishments giving them a goal to achieve in each episode with the ultimate goal to win the prize money if they reach the very end.

May also issue a warning

Other than announcing the challenges, Chris issues the punishments and warns the players of the consequences they have to face if they lose (other than possible elimination from the game)

Heroes are often afraid of the challenges presented by the Herald

Most punishments in the series (for comedic effect) are either disgusting or dangerous so the heroes fear to lose. However, it’s safe to say that they also fear the very dangerous and/or disgusting challenges they must face to not receive punishment.

The Threshold Guardian

Karma Akabane from Assassination Classroom (2015-2016)

Traits of a threshold guardian and how Karma falls into that role:

Not usually the ‘main’ villain

While Karma is the protagonist’s (Nagisa) close friend, and ally, he is also his greatest competition and rival. He often challenges, gets in the way or makes fun of Nagisa, preventing him from reaching his full potential as an assassin. 

Might be a guard/thug/mercenary 

While class 3-E isn’t known for having the best reputation, Karma was originally expelled for his violent behavior. He is a ruthless assassin, extremely sadistic and physically strong. He is feared by his classmates at first.

Represents the ‘ordinary obstacles’ we face in our daily life

Karma is Nagisa’s friend and yet he is a bad influence and often a bully to him.

Tests the hero (makes them prove their worth)/ Can be overcome and turned into an ally

Karma is just an annoyance to Nagisa through most of the series but he eventually becomes a challenge he must overcome when they dueled to decide on whether they’ll try to kill or save their teacher. Karma was angry at Nagisa for suggesting to save their teacher and mocked and refused to listen to him. After a long battle, Nagisa chose to pin Karma down in a choke-hold. Karma had the opportunity to win the duel but gave up his chance when he saw how determined Nagisa was to have him listen to him. He eventually agrees to help save their teacher.

The Trickster

Mushu from Mulan (1998)

Traits of a trickster and how Mushu falls into that role:

Delights in breaking the rules

Mushu’s way of helping Mulan is by constantly suggesting ways for her to get better through shortcuts or by ‘acting like a brute’ therefore ‘manly’. 

Comedy sidekick + popular with the audiences

Mushu is arguably the most popular character in the movie and acts as Mulan’s sidekick and protector

Controls the hero’s ego

Mushu’s purpose is to help Mulan and actually offers her great advice in times of need 

Brings light relief to a darker story

Mulan’s story is about a woman at war but Mushu manages to make the situation lighter through his sassy one-liners willingness to support Mulan

Might be a ‘catalyst character’

While the initial reason why he decided to help Mulan was to restore his status as the family protector dragon, Mushu’s final purpose is to help Mulan survive, bring honor to her family and grow. He achieves this by the end of the movie and even gets rewarded.

The Ally

Alciel/ Shirō Ashiya from The Devil is a Part-Timer! (2013-)

Alciel is the loyal second-in-command general of Satan (Maou) and when the two get transported from their dimension to modern day Japan, he takes care of the housework and researches for ways that they can regain their powers while also trying to protect his lord from potential threats.

#research #archetypes #ba1a

[occasionalfics]

Child of Light, iv

Summary: Family is supposed to stick together, but yours never has. Even when it’s important.

A/N: So the very end of this one is kind of a cliff hanger, but that’s because I wanted to even out the word count between this chapter and the next one - which is the last!

Words: 2,108

----

For a while, you were inconsolable. The only family you had left - because your Mama passed peacefully shortly after Peter left - was gone. He ignored most of the communications sent from the Elector, no matter who they came from. If he saw where they came from, they went unopened, unviewed, and unresponded to.

Even your wedding invitation.

No one proposed. When you felt better, and you were not only able but willing to go on missions again, Yondu broached the subject.

“What if we got hitched? Just fer the fun‘a it?” he asked one night.

You shrugged, even though you’d literally dreamt of it before. It wasn’t like you fantasized daily about marrying Yondu, but it’d crossed your mind consciously and subconsciously before. Still, you didn’t want to seem so eager. “Why not?” you asked with a devilish smile.

You didn’t plan anything big. It was an elopement, really. Neither of you really cared for something large and frilly - the crew wouldn’t sit through it, anyway. You had to do something quick, and somewhere close to an open bar. You ended up picking a fancy Krylorian casino so you could get married on your home planet, which you hadn’t realized was that important to you until you started planning.

You didn’t send too many invitations out, either. Yondu sent one to Stakar Ogord, hoping beyond hope that his old mentor would accept and show up, despite Yondu and the crew officially being cut off from the Ravager association. You sent just one out - to Peter. Neither invitation was answered, so you pushed on with the planning.

You were in a dress shop on Sovereign when you thought you saw your brother walk down the street. You thought you saw his reflection in the mirror you were supposed to be checking yourself in, but when you turned to the window to the store, he was gone.

“Some’in up, (Y/N)?” Kraglin asked. He was the only crew member that agreed to help you pick something suitable to wear.

You shook your head, without looking away from the window. “Just...thought I saw someone familiar.”

You picked a simple lace dress in Cerulean that accentuated the things you knew Yondu loved about your body. You liked that it was light and easy to move in. You’d be able to dance without too much of an issue, and Kraglin agreed that the Captain would like the dress as well - especially since it matched his skin almost perfectly.

You were surprised to see him wearing a pink suit at the end of the aisle on the day of the ceremony. You laughed on the way down to him, seeing how you matched one another. He laughed, too, and before the both of you knew it, you’d said your vows and went to party with the crew. You partied for days, actually - so long that the casino staff had to bar you from gambling and drinking. It’d been a perfect Ravager wedding, except that members of both of your families had been absent.

--------------------------------------------------

It felt like a long time after the wedding before you saw Peter again. He’d gotten into more trouble than you could imagine and had created some kind of...small Ravager faction of his own to galavant across the universe with.

And, of course, the first time Yondu saw him in years, he threatened to eat Peter. Again.

When things calmed down a bit, you found Peter and his...group in an empty hall of the Elector. They were silent, so you walked into the room and faced your brother, who looked lost and downtrodden. Just as he had as a child.

He asked his friends to give the two of you a few minutes alone, and you meant to give it to him - everything you’d felt in the last few years - but you couldn’t.

“You missed my wedding,” you said quietly when you looked into his eyes.

He nodded. “Couldn’t face Yondu. Not then.”

“You could’ve sent something. Anything. Just to let me know why you were ignoring us.”

“You know why,” he said in a low voice.

“Bullshit, Peter Quill.” You crossed your arms and genuinely felt like his mother again, only to remember that you weren’t, in fact, his mother. “We’re family. I’ve cared for you for the last twelve years, and this is the thanks I get? Abandonment and cowardice?”

“I’m sorry, (Y/N),” he said.

“That might’ve worked before, Peter, but this is a whole new level of low for you. And this...gang you’ve started? How long do you think they’ll stick around before they leave you?” you asked. You weren’t sure where you were going - not at first, anyway.

Peter glanced at you with worry in his eyes, but said nothing.

“We were a family, and you walked out on us. What’s to stop these...criminals and assassins to do the same to you?”

“You say that like you’re not also a load’a criminals and assassins.”

You clenched your teeth. For the first time in a long time - maybe ever - you felt the urge to yell at him that he was your brother, and that he should be loyal to you before anyone else. But you reminded yourself that you couldn’t, and that you were loyal to Yondu before anyone else.

“We were a family,” you said again.

“We were a dysfunctional unit. Yondu kidnapped me, made me steal things, and threatened to eat me. You were the only one that cared-”

“And you left me behind. Completely forgot about me.” You sucked in a deep breath. “You didn’t even acknowledge that I was getting married. It didn’t matter to whom - I wanted you there for me. You couldn’t even do that because of some empty threats Yondu made when you were a kid.”

“He kidnapped me!” he yelled.

You stopped, took a step away from him, and shook your head.

“He took me from my home, from all the family I ever knew, and forced me into this life, (Y/N). Yondu may’ve been kind to you, but he was never anything more than the alien who ruined my life to me.”

You closed your eyes, knowing that there was nothing you could say to change his mind. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Then you nodded. “Fine,” you said. “One day you’ll know what happened, and you’ll regret those words.” With that, you left the room, vowing only to talk to Peter Quill again when the time was right.

--------------------------------------------------

It only happened a year later. You and Yondu had had a particularly bad fight - you’d been in a pissy mood for the better part of the previous year, knowing that Peter was avoiding the both of you because of Yondu, and you’d both said things you didn’t mean - and Yondu spent the night on Contraxia. You knew that meant he’d spend the time with sexbots, but honestly, you didn’t care. As you sat at the bar of the Iron Lotus, you wondered if your marriage was a sham, but more than that, you wondered what in the Galaxy was wrong with you.

You had to get over Peter - and you had to ignore how much of a jealous ex your thoughts made you sound. You were just so angry all the time. You’d practically raised the boy, and he didn’t even have the nerve to congratulate you on something as huge as marriage. And he was your brother, even if he still didn’t know. You wondered how many of his words had been lies the day he left, how much you actually meant to him if you were so easy to throw away.

You were torn from your thoughts when you heard Yondu’s voice beyond the crowd at the bar. Turning in your seat, you saw Stakar Ogord in a standoff with your estranged husband, and when that ended with huffs and threats, the High Priestess of Sovereign approached. It was almost too much for one night, and you were pretty drunk by then.

You didn’t leave the bar until Yondu caught your eye and nodded. Then, as a crew, you went back to the Elector and headed for Berhert. You stood beside him, as you always did, as he navigated from the Captain’s chair. He caught you off guard when he grabbed your hand and tugged lightly, but then you kneeled beside him like nothing had come between you at all.

“Turns out one’a Quill’s lil’ friends has slipp’ry fingers,” he whispered to you.

You felt your face heat up at the closeness between you, and at his trusting you enough to tell you this.

“That trash rat thing stole some Sovereign batteries. Gold lady wants us to retrieve ’em. I want you ta stay by their ship, ‘case Quill comes ‘round.”

“Why would it matter if Peter comes around?” you asked in a flat tone.

Yondu looked at you with a sadness in his eyes you hadn’t seen in some time. He still held your hand, allowing Kraglin to navigate the ship from his station.

“I know I ain’t done right by ya, (Y/N),” he said. “If Quill’s ‘round, ya need ta talk to ‘em. I’ll hold off the trash rat for a while.”

“That doesn’t account for most of his...Guardians.” You often forgot they called themselves that - Peter’s little ragtag group of friends he’d chosen over you. But then something like this happened, and you remembered everything.

“That green girl’a his’ll try ta fight ya,” he said.

“She’s one of the most dangerous assassins in the galaxy, Yondu. I’m nothing against her.”

He nodded. “Peter won’t let’er hurt ya, though. He’ll listen. She’s gotta trust’em to’ve stayed so long.”

There was no way Yondu could know that, but you wanted desperately to listen to him anyway. You wanted him to be right. You wanted to let him make everything that was wrong better, since he was offering anyway. So you braced yourself for jumps through space, and then a smooth landing on the forested surface of Berhert.

Yondu led the crew in one direction to ambush the trash rat, but you followed the faint light of the Milano. You heard music - Terran music. Peter’s music - blasting throughout the forest, but you refused to follow it. The light was more important, you knew. You hoped, for once, that your Papa was right - that the light would always lead you home.

When you found the ship, however, your heart sank. No one was around - not even the Daughter of Thanos. You wondered for just a second what that must’ve been like. Your Papa was a jackass, but you couldn’t imagine being forced into a family with Thanos.

When you entered the broken ship door, you realized that the Milano had seen better days. Half of it was in recovery, repairing itself with some kind of technology you hadn’t seen before, but most of it was blown to bits. You looked further into the ship, hoping Peter was just working on something without paying much attention to what was going on outside, when a small voice caught your attention.

“I am Groot!” you heard.

You turned and saw a small walking stick staring up at you. You kneeled to its level and smiled - for the first time in what felt like a long time.

“Hello there,” you said.

“I am Groot,” it said.

You giggled. “Yes, so you said. I’m (Y/N).”

“I am Groot!” it said.

You sighed, but kept your smile. Whatever this thing was, it was cute. Even if you didn’t understand it, it made you smile. For a while, you just watched as it danced to the music. You forgot about Peter, about Yondu, about the things that’d been troubling you for so long.

But then the crew was back. They were loud - shouting incomprehensible things above the music. They made their way to the Elector, but before you could get up to follow, a blue and purple mismatched woman came onto the Milano. She grabbed the...Groot ferociously, then glared at you.

“Who are you?” she asked.

You stood tall and balled your fists. “Where’s the trash rat?” you asked. “Where’s Yondu?”

The woman smirked, then grabbed you by the wrist. Her hand was metallic, strong, and cold. She dragged you back to the Elector, only needing to use force because you were so confused. “Where is Yondu?” you asked. “Who are you to be walking on his ship as if you own it?”

She ignored you as she continued on her way.

#yondu x reader #yondu udonta x reader #Yondu Udonta #yondu fanfic #child of light