#[stares at the show puppet history] nothing else bad happened in history... not even once /j | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

stargaze-issei · 4 years

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"maybe i want to take you out!" (s. hitoshi x reader)

summary; shinsou hitoshi always thought you'd get along pretty well, with similar quirks, both aspiring to be a hero someday. what will it take for him to ask you out?

genre; fluff(?

word count: 1.8k

warnings: manga spoiler, joint training arc. two curse words(??

quirk; puppet master. you can control any person or object with invisible strings that come out of your body. the accuracy increases as more strings you use. usually, you only use your fingers because it's easier to control, but when needed you can use your tongue, feet, hips and legs. for it to work, whatever is your objective has to be in your sight at the moment of taking control, once that happened, the connection will break if they cross a five miles radio. when overused, your fingers (or whatever you're using) will bleed and give you instense headache.

*.✧☆ﾟ.*･｡✧*⊰⊹ฺ

in class 1-a of the hero course, everyone got along, including you. you had bonded with everyone there, including bakugou somehow, but definitely your best friend was kaminari denki. maybe because your rooms were parallel from each other and that made you spent almost everyday with him, sometimes mina would tag along, or kirishima, or sero, but always you and him. don't get me wrong, it was totally innocent, there was really nothing more than a strong friendship between both of you, despite of what your friends thought. it was normal for you to have lunch together, or go for a run before going to sleep. anyone who didn't know you would've thought you were a couple, and that's what the purple haired boy from general studies thought too.

one time, after his personal practice, aizawa sensei caught him looking at you.

"you..." he wasn't that type of master, but he also wanted to bond with his student "you should talk to her, she's really nice"

"sorry, what?" his cheeks started to blush at a weird speed.

"you were looking at y/n, right? i said you should go talk to her, her quirk is similar to yours" of course shinsou knew that, that girl was one of the eight best from the sports festival, if only she were better at close combat, she would've totally won. at least, that what he thought.

"forget it, it's nothing" it had made him uncomfortable to have that little chat with his sensei.

however, aizawa knew he lied. it was something, and for shinsou to care about anything asides from becoming a hero was... unnatural.

you, on the other hand, never repaired on him that much. you knew who he was, you knew he had potential and was awfully cute, but that was it. sometimes you would think about talking to him, i mean, your quirks were similar, he'd get some things no one else would, he'd get you, but neither of you had the courage.

until one day, on your first joint train with class b, a surprise student showed up. it was him. shinsou hitoshi, in his flesh and blood. he seemed so different. it wasn't just that cloth in his neck giving him an eraserhead type of look, a new aura of self confidence surrounded him, making you feel a little attracted to him.

the teams were sorted out, you ended up with deku, uraraka, mina and mineta. given that your team had one more than the others, it was decided that shinsou would be against you. a shiver ran down your back, it scared you to fight someone similar to you. denki's team ended up with shinsou in it.

"denki, here" you approached to him handing over a cereal bar. he took it without saying a word as shinsou came closer.

"thank you for hav–" he stopped talking when he saw your face, what were you doing there? he always saw you around kaminari, were his suspicions true? were the two of you dating?

"you've got the face of a popular guy!" denki shouted "i'll bet you're popular with the ladies, trust me! look at y/n over here, drooling all over the place" he pointed at you with a funny expression.

"oh shut it" you were trying to hide the blush in your face by looking to the ground, dammit, denki "anyways, good luck shinsou, i... i look forward to our match" you walked away, feeling butterflies in your belly even though he didn't even respond. he was just too mindblown that you knew his name, that you looked forward to anything involving him.

"hey! what about me?" denki whined, but you ignored him. he realized that the purple haired boy didn't take his eyes off of you the whole time before the match, and figure out that maybe, he had a little crush on you.

as their match began, you accompanied deku to the camera room, recovery girl was there, just in case anyone got hurt. midoriya had his notebook in hand, taking notes on everything your classmates did. from time to time, he would mumble a couple things to himself.

"shinsou really improved after the sports festival" you said, thinking out loud. you swear you tried, but it was impossible to take your eyes off of him.

"does his hair pull up too? is it a cloth thing? i always thought it was because of eraser's quirk. what if he...?" deku rambled, and you didn't notice the sassy look recover girl was giving to you.

their match ended with a win of class a, denki happily hugging shinsou. the rest of the encounters left your team, the last one, with the duty to untie, each class won two times, whoever wins now takes it all. you hurried to gather up with your team, mina yelling at you to fast your pace. deku already had a plan, which involved him as a decoy. you had to be taken to higher ground, where you could see most of the arena, as a damage control person. once they're in the place of your ambush, you'd use your mastering to get them out of combat.

the exercise started, everyone in position. uraraka helped you get as high as you could, and then went to help the others. you helped mineta move whenever he needed while keeping an eye on deku, but suddenly, everything turned into a mess. you couldn't see deku, or uraraka, or mina, only smoke and screams. you rushed over there, worrying that something bad happened to anyone.

"deku!" you yelled, a strange black substance was coming out of his body, taking control of him, almost like a black whip. in anger, it turned to monoma, who was standing in shock. without second thoughts, you launched yourself to get the blonde guy of the way, arriving a few seconds early, but not enough time to save your own body.

it was impossible for the whip to stop at that speed, so you closed your eyes and protected your face, there was nothing else you could do. but the impact never came. the moment shinsou got there, his legs took life and jumped to save you. seeing you there, waiting for your faith like a scared kitten, made his heart break. and he did it, he saved you from izuku, but didn't realize how your head smashed into the ground.

you remember seeing dark purple eyes staring at you before passing out.

*.✧☆ﾟ.*･｡✧*⊰⊹ฺ

"are you sure she'll be okay?" a male voice asked. it wasn't denki, or aizawa sensei, but he seemed worried about you. your head ached like hell, so you kept your eyes closed.

"what i answered ten times before won't change now, shinsou" you knew that was recovery girl, but what was shinsou doing there? why was he so worried about you? "call me when she wakes up, i gotta go" and like that, both of you were left alone.

he sat next to you, resting his hands on the gurney while letting a loud sigh out.

"tough day?" you teased without looking at him.

"you wouldn't believe" it took him a while to realize what had happened "you woke up! how is your head? are you okay? don't move, i'll get recover girl" shinsou jumped from his sit, somehow you managed to grab his wrist, blushing at the touch of his skin.

"wait, please" he felt his knees weaken below him because of your soft tone "can you tell me what happened?" then it was his turn to blush.

"um, i really think i should go get recovery girl" you let go of his wrist when he started to walk, with a hint of sour in your mouth.

as hitoshi left the room, kaminari appeared minutes later. his hair was messy, and still wore his hero costume, like you. after screaming, he hugged you tightly.

"don't ever, ever, do that again! oh go i thought you were dead or something, if shinsou hadn't throw you of that thing's way..."

"shinsou saved me?" he proceeded to tell you a detailed history of what he saw in the ground gamma's cameras. how that whip was about to kill monoma, how you saved him only to be saved later by shinsou.

recover girl arrived alone, no sign of the purple haired boy, and by the afternoon, you were ready to go home. at the dorms, everyone welcomed you, izuku apologizing over and over. but the boy wasn't there either. him was all you could think about. you wanted to talk to him, thank him, something to him. why did he run away? did you said anything bad? were you annoying?.

days went by, and shinsou wasn't anywhere nearby, not even the hallways. you were told to rest and get good sleep at nights, but you laid wide awake thinking if tomorrow maybe he'd approach to you. until one day, it was enough. eraserhead gladly told you to go to the forest at six, he would be there waiting for you. and so you did, only to find him in his training clothes, obviously not expecting you.

"what are you doing here? you should be resting" he shouted, trying to hide his sweating hand behind his back with the greatest effort to not let his embarrassment out in his voice.

"well i would be, if the guy that saved me didn't ghost me" why were you being that confident? he didn't owe you anything, half of you wanted to turn around and leave, but you never listened to that half.

"it wasn't a big deal! it's cold out here, where's your jacket?"

"forget about my jacket! why didn't you come back?" shinsou felt something shiver in him, why didn't him?.

"because you didn't need me there!" even he knew that was the lamest answer ever.

"you don't know what i need! i wanted to thank you!"

"well then do it!"

"that's what i'm doing!"

"great, thanks accepted, now go and put on a fucking jacket!"

"no! you don't get it, dammit" his eyes opened wide, he was completely lost.

"what is it then!?"

"i want you to care!"

"how do you know i don't?" your face turned red.

"because... oh screw it!" you turned around, ready to leave.

"wait! what do you want me to say!?"

"i don't know! what do you want to do!?"

"maybe i want to take you out!"

"maybe you should!"

"maybe i will!"

wait, what? did he said he wanted to take you out?

"are you... are you for real?" you asked, scared of his answer. both of you walked closer to each other.

"i mean, yeah, but it's totally okay if you don't want to, i would totally understand, like, you are you and i am me, so feel free to..." you lips pressed to his stopped him from talking. they were soft, perfectly in sync with yours, a little taste of mint coming out of his mouth. "i-is that a yes?"

"pick me tomorrow at seven" and you left, both had an idiotic smile stitch to your faces.

you were going on a date with shinsou hitoshi.

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yodawgiherd · 3 years

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You Were Never Truly Gone ch2

>>>Read on AO3<<<

Well, you guys asked for it, so enjoy a few chapters of my post-canon world. Thank you all so much for the lovely comments/kudos, I appreciate every single one of you <3 So for you all, I'm writing this - The end that I would want for Eren and Mikasa :)

It was a beautiful day today. Looking over the waves at the rapidly approaching Paradis shore, Armin couldn’t keep the excited smile away from his face. Soon, he would be seeing Historia again, and they would work together to achieve peace. But that was not all, he reminded himself, fist clenching over the feather in his hand.

Today he would see Mikasa and remember Eren with her.

It would mark three years since the end of the war and his sacrifice, and Armin couldn’t help it – he felt anxious. Mikasa was doing great usually, she was her own person and not a shadow in the past. But this day, when all of them gathered around the grave to thank the person that saved them, was always a trial by fire. He would be there for her, he and everyone else, they would help her push past and return to her normal self. That he swore, both to himself and his dead best friend.

“What are you thinking about?”, Annie’s voice from behind made him jump a bit in surprise.

“N-Nothing. Or well, the anniversary I guess…”

“I could say, anytime you are worried you get a wrinkle.”, Annie reached out, tapping the center of Armin’s forehead, “Rrrrrright here.”

With a smile he swiped her hand with his own, letting their fingers intertwine. The edge of Annie’s engagement ring felt cold against his skin, reminding Armin of the day when he finally gathered his courage and asked her the question. It still felt surreal sometimes, that he was engaged to her. Too good to be true.

“Can you two stop being so disgustingly in love?”, Pieck appeared on the deck, “I don’t want to throw up.”

She lit up a cigarette, watching the shore grow closer. Armin was tempted to let go of Annie’s hand because of Pieck’s request, but she tightened the hold and wouldn’t let him. Yea, Annie was never the one to let herself be pushed around.

“Are the guys ready?”, Armin asked instead, “We will be meeting the queen soon.”

“Jean keeps styling his hair and Connie is teasing Reiner because of the letter sniffing.”, she let out a large puff, watching the smoke curl in the salty sea air, “But other than that, we are good to go.”

Their work was important. Being a group from both the scouts and warriors they were the peacemakers, the ones that kept traveling between the nations to try and keep the fragile ceasefire brought upon by Eren’s actions. Armin’s mood turned sour. Eighty percent of the world was destroyed and still, the leaders were at each other’s throats. The sacrifice gave them chance, but it didn’t magically fix everything, there was still a lot of work to be done.

When the ship finally pulled into a harbor the rest of their group stepped out of the cabin. Jean, looking slick as ever, Reiner tailed by smirking Connie. Pieck threw the cigarette butt into the ocean, dusting herself off before meeting Armin’s eyes.

“Shall we?”

He nodded, throwing the feather into the ocean too. Over the gangway and down, Armin took a moment to help Annie jump down, help she didn’t need but appreciated nevertheless. The others noticed of course, and Jean was the one who spoke up.

“You get engaged and suddenly you are a gentleman, is that it?”, he grinned, “Whipped even before marriage, what a way to go.”

“Ah, as if you are the one to talk.”, Pieck pushed past him with a smile of her own, “I’m pretty sure you weren’t working so hard on your hair for the “history books”, were you?”

“It’s not like that…”

Ignoring whatever excuse he tried to voice, Pieck joined Armin and Annie on the shore, and soon they were gathered again. Then it was finally time to walk over to where Historia was standing in front of her honor guard, flanked by Kiyomi on her right.

“Ambassador Arlert,” rang the queen’s voice, loud and clear, “It is my pleasure to welcome you back to the Paradis island.”

“It is an honor, your majesty.”, bowing deep, Armin was mirrored on both sides by his friends, and when he straightened there was a spark of amusement in Historia’s eyes.

But protocol was protocol.

“I’m sure that you must be tired after your journey,”, the queen said, “Join me for some refreshment.”

Not waiting for an answer, as she was the queen, Historia turned and walked in the direction of the large tent, her guard splitting flawlessly to let her pass. It was a demonstration of military discipline and an effective one at that, making Armin frown. So much death, and it was not enough.

As soon as they were inside, away from the public eye, Historia changed immediately. Throwing herself onto him, she hugged Armin tight, grinning like a maniac.

“I missed you so much!”, she practically squealed, pulling back to look at the others, “All of you too!”

Catching up felt like regressing towards the old times. Armin was almost tempted to say careless, but that was never the truth with them. There was always something – first the titans, then the rumbling, and now whatever this fragile peace was. But there would be time to worry later, so Armin relaxed instead, letting Historia’s cheerfulness infect him. They talked about everything, about Armin and Annie’s engagement and Historia admired the ring on Annie’s finger, modeled after the one with a secret blade she used to wear. Jean recounted the events of their travels after, all the cities that they visited, and all the wonders that they saw since their last meeting.

But then the stories were told and it was time to get down to business.

“Historia,”, Armin said,” how is the situation here?”

Her happy smile soured immediately.

“Bad. The army holds a very important position in the government, and they are not giving it up. The Yeagerists and growing with every single month and I have no idea how to stop them.”, she frowned, “Every time I’m in the city I swear that I can hear them chanting that Fight, Fight.”

“Do you think that they planning to overthrow you?”, Reiner spoke up, but Historia shook her head.

“No, they have no reason to. I am not much more than a puppet queen at this point, they have most of the control, and keeping me as a figurehead lets them work in the background.”

“Can’t Kiyomi help you?”, Pieck asked, “Hizuru military is recovering well, from what I’ve heard.”

“She could, but she is not going to.”

“Why is that?”

“Kiyomi wants Mikasa, she wants her to come to Hizuru, marry and become shogun’s wife, continue the bloodline.”, Historia was annoyed, and it showed in her voice, “She expects me to tie Mikasa up, stuff her in a shipping crate and send her against her will. The hag.”

It made sense that the queen was extra against anything like that, her being in similar situation years back.

“And since I told her that she can go stuff it and I would never force Mikasa into that, Kiyomi grew sort of cold towards me.”

She sighed.

“But we can talk about that tomorrow when the formal meeting happens. Today you guys have other plans.”

“That’s true.”, Annie nodded, “We have to see Mikasa.”

“And Eren.”, Connie added.

“I wish I could go with you, but unfortunately I have a lot to do before we meet tomorrow.”, Historia walked over to Armin, hugging him again, “Give her my love, okay?”

She moved over to the exit, only stopping to add: “And him too.”

With the queen gone the group left the shore, ignoring the stares of the soldiers. Some called them traitors, Armin knew, the Yeagerist faction condemned their peace-making efforts as cowardness.

“Hey,”, Annie squeezed his hand, “Don’t mind them. They are fools.”

He smiled at his girlf-… fiancé. Damn.

“I know, but they are fools with power, and that’s dangerous.”

“I wonder if they would be this warmongering if they knew what Eren’s true goal was.”, Jean said, “All he wanted was peace.”

“It’s not like we can tell them, they would never believe us.”, Pieck had a new cigarette hanging from her lips, the burning tip moving when she spoke, “To them, Eren was a God of War that paved the way to Paradis supremacy.”

They didn’t speak more after that, passing the soldiers and heading out of the harbor. The island nation had grown considerably in the three years, and buildings with concrete replaced the once green fields. Yet that didn’t go on forever, and before too long they were walking in nature’s embrace again.

“Maybe we should have taken a car,” Connie huffed as they walked, “Or a horse.”

“The exercise will do you good.”, Annie called over her shoulder with the typical cold expression.

“We do have a horse,”, Reiner tapped Jean’s shoulder, “Right here.”

“Hah, that was a good one, maybe you could make those jokes more often if you didn’t spend so long on sniffing the queen’s letters.”, Jean shot back.

Back and forth they bickered while Pieck smoked with an enigmatic smile, Armin and Annie leading the group while holding hands. There it was, the familiar field with trees, a lone hill in the middle. Excited to see Mikasa again, Armin let go of Annie and broke into a run, leaving his friends behind. They all ran like this, years back, with Eren in front and Mikasa right behind him, letting him take the lead. Armin was always hopelessly last in those races, but he never did mind hat. Now, he was the only one running.

Up and up, over the green grass and to the tree where Eren’s final resting place was. With a smile, Armin finally got high enough to get a view of that place, but the greeting shout on his lips died when he saw what was happening. Yes, Mikasa was indeed there, but that was not all. Far from it.

Stunned by the scene in front of him, Armin stared, watching the stranger kiss his friend with fervor. Their kissing was passionate and Mikasa was more than into it, her hands roaming all over the stranger's back. If that was not proof enough, Armin knew that she has the ears of a huntress and could easily hear him coming, but she was too deep in the moment to notice. Blushing slightly, feeling like he was intruding, Armin silently walked down the hill where the group just arrived, everyone looking at him with a question on their faces.

“What’s wrong?”, Reiner was the first one to speak, “Is Mikasa not there?”

“She is… it’s just…. I…”, Armin scratched the back of his neck, looking everywhere but not at his friends.

How was he supposed to explain this? Yet when Annie stepped closer, taking a hold of his cheek and forcing him to meet her gaze, her icy eyes speared right through and pinned him in place.

“Armin, what happened?”

Yeah, he could not hide the truth from her.

“Mikasa is there, but she’s not alone.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She is with… someone…”

Now everyone was speaking over one another.

“What?”

“Who?”

“What the…”

“Is she okay?”

“Is he…”

It would probably go on forever if Annie didn’t raise a hand, calming the mess. When they all fell silent, she fixed Armin with her famous stare, letting a single word fall from her lips.

“Talk.”

So, Armin took a deep breath. And talked.

“Mikasa is sitting near Eren’s grave but she’s not alone. She’s making out with someone, and from what I saw she’s enjoying it very much.”

A stunned silence followed, the cigarette falling from Pieck’s shocked mouth. Somewhere high overhead, a bird darted towards the endless horizon.

“Well, I… Uhm… Guess we should be happy that she’s finally moved on?”, the words were awkward, and Reiner knew that, but he pushed them out, “I’m glad that she.. you know... found someone?”

“I agree but does she have to do in front of Eren?”, Pieck said, her brows furled in a frown.

“That does not sound like her at all.”, Annie agreed.

“What, you guys think that he minds?”, Connie noted, “Like.. is he watching her or something?”

“It’s disrespectful, that’s what it is.”, Jean was staring at the tree, voice tense, “He doesn’t deserve that, having his girl kiss a stranger on his own grave.”

“Mikasa is not his girl,” Annie disagreed, “He doesn’t own her.”

“I didn’t mean it like that….”

“Regardless,” Pieck cut in, “I think that it would be best to let Mikasa speak for herself.”

Taking the lead, she took the first steps towards the tree.

“Let’s go.”, Annie agreed, following her friend.

Soon all of them were moving.

Mikasa was still there in the same position, Armin noticed, still in the arms of that stranger. His back was to them and her eyes were closed so she didn’t see them coming, immersed in the kissing, the whole situation made only worse by the small giggle that left her lips when the guy pulled back for a moment. Look, Armin loved seeing her happy, but watching it happen here felt… wrong.

The pair totally ignored them, lost in the kissing, neither of them noticing the group that was a few feet away from them. Finally fed up with it, Jean cleared his throat, loud enough for them to hear. Mikasa’s eyes shot open as she pulled back from the kiss, her cheeks reddening immediately. Her gaze shot between the stranger’s face and them, embarrassment evident.

Slowly, very slowly the guy untangled himself from her arms, standing up and pulling Mikasa to her feet too. Only then did he turn, and Armin’s mind went blank.

No.

There was a ghost in from of him. A blushing enemy of humanity with kiss-swollen lips that didn’t let go of Mikasa’s hand after helping her stand, keeping them linked. An island devil that looked at each and every member of their group with a fond smile. Next to that beast, Mikasa hid her face in the red scarf, eyes ticking between everyone. The grave was still there, Armin saw, the small headstone with those fond words on it, a few flowers lying on the patch of ground. And yet….

The dead man, the walking corpse, the impossible, he opened his mouth and spoke.

“Hey guys, long time no see.”

#eremika #snk #chapter 139 #139 spoilers

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aki-draws-things · 4 years

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NaNoWriMo 2020 #06

I was in love with that prompt from the beginning of the planning, but once again my plans for lot of angst dissolved. But don’t worry, there’s a couple of them that will be so painful I will almost regret them (no, I never regret angst.)

Let this little mouse know what you think ~

Day: 06/11/2020

Prompt: Ignoring an injury / Wound reveal

Ship: Mingjue/Zonghui

Word Count: 2756

They had been brothers long before Meng Yao even came in the picture, one becoming Sect Leader too young, the other his loyal shadow, the general who would never turn his back on him.

They've been partners for years before meng Yao came in the picture too and if someone dared to think the young man had stolen his role they weren't paying attention.

Meng Yao was capable, he was a good, really good, strategist, but he was no general. He could never lead them into battle and make them sure they won't only win, but they will go back home too. He was capable, but Qinghe always needed more than just ability. Qinghe needed power, and control. Qinghe meant loyalty and trust and the Nie sect always kept those words close to their hearts even when their own control faded. And meng Yao… he wasn't a Nie, and he didn't want to be one. Zonghui in the other hand embraced the name the previous sect leader gave him and made it his own. He was a nie in everything but blood, his name too reflected that.

For inner and outer nie disciples there was only one thing that would make them lose faith in a potential victory, and it was their leader and general fighting on their own. Not that this happened frequently, on the contrary, and if they did there was always a good reason.

For someone that curious, meng Yao never asked many questions, only a couple, and only to nie huaisang.

"I've studied the history of your family." he said once while the young Master was painting. "It's unheard of a dual wielding."

Nie huaisang briefly lifted his eyes from the fan paper and studied his face.

"are you referring to ZongHui?"

"is that his name?"

"tall as me, twin sabers on his back, - his eyes twinkled briefly as he grinned. - possibly currently trying to drag Da-ge out of the training ground and into a bath before dinner is ready?"

"the first two, yes. - meng Yao nodded. - not sure about the third one…"

"Then yes, the name is Nie ZongHui. Advisor, general, shadow, probably your secret supervisor."

"dual wielding." meng Yao pressed, his curiosity dripping out of him. He wanted to know, to understand. - he wanted to know how actually dangerous the man was, to him and to everyone else. -

"twin spirits. When he chose the saber he got called by both, they didn't want to be divided."

"but how? How can he do that? I've read of men, stronger men, succumbing to their sword spirits, and they only had one."

Nie huaisang smirked and leaned over as if to tell him a secret.

"dual cultivation."

That night at dinner meng Yao couldn't look at nie mingjue without feeling his cheeks grow red. He never asked about zonghui anymore. - but it was obvious now, the way they seemed to lean over the other, the way they showed up at the same time, the way they seemed to always touch each other, even just brushing. Meng Yao regretted his new knowledge. -

It came to no one's surprise when at nightless city they were back to back fighting the puppets. Their attacks coordinate to an almost impossible level, a twirl of dark gray robes intertwining together, strings of golden magic as they dipped into each other's strength, borrowing speed and energy and martial knowledge. It was like being one, they could fight blindfolded and still never miss a hit.

They still could be hit, even when together, it just happened in different ways. Because they belonged together it was more the times they got hit to protect the other than when it was due to a minor distraction, there was always some sort of pattern, and they hated every time it happened. Nie zonghui would scold him for being a too reckless leader, that it wasn't his duty but the contrary. Nie mingjue just stared at him in shock when he said that, like nie zonghui had offended him in the worst and most vicious way.

"it's not your duty either. You're not my guard."

"except for the part where this is one of my jobs. Need a refresh? General, your shadow and personal guard. Old Master Nie personally made me that." nie mingjue groaned, he knew he was right and he couldn't win on that side.

"fine, you are my guard, but you're my partner too. My energy is yours, and yours is mine. - he lowered his voice to a mere whisper and looked at him sadly, knowing what effect that had on nie zonghui. - what would I do without you? What would I be?"

Usually it ended with zonghui crashing against his chest, arms wrapped around the taller man uncaring of his own wounds, they would slide on the floor in a mess of crumpled robes, doing nothing but hold on each other like their lives depended on that single contact. - sometimes it did. Sometimes that contact was their personal dual cultivation way. Grounding and yet powerful. -

Nie mingjue was sure that this was how things would go at the end of that battle, he was so sure of that in the moment zonghui twirled around him, placing himself in front of nie mingjue, the sword from a Jiang disciple turned puppet slashing through his armored robe. Baxia behind him beheaded the man and MingJue's arm circled his shoulders, his body colliding against his chest.

"I had it under control."

Nie Zonghui smirked and slipped out of the hold to prove he was hurt badly, the armor was stronger than what it would look like.

"I'm faster." and it's my duty. They both knew those unspoken words.

For the rest of the battle nie mingjue kept himself even closer than usual, never straying too far, never leaving him out of his sight, the cold weight on his chest uncomfortable and choking. Fear, and worry, and regret. He let his qi flow into him the moment they were back to back for a couple of seconds, he did it when he caught him the moment he almost fell while ducking a blow.

That was when he felt it. Nie Zonghui's qi was quivering unstable, the hit was probably worse than they both thought, and zonghui knew better than to underestimate a wound, especially on the battlefield. Perhaps adrenaline was the cause and zonghui really didn't know how bad it was. He would have to take him to a healer once the battle was over, even better, carry him, so he wouldn't tire himself too much. He would complain, people would see them, who cared?

Still the coldness didn't leave. It was unsettling and, worse, it was shared.

“Stop worrying.” How could he? Hit after hit he could feel their connection stretch thin in his mind, he feared the moment he would feel it break, the mere thought almost made him sick.

When the puppets suddenly stopped and crumbled like broken dolls on the field he didn’t care, the battle was over, whoever stopped Wei WuXian now had his gratitude. - He never felt real darkness and evilness coming from the young man his brother befriended in Gusu, he felt if from his Dizi, but never the boy. The problem was people never truly listened. - He turned in time to see Nie ZongHui sway on his feet, a hand pressed over his chest where the robes had been cut and blood trickling through his fingers and from the mouth. There was surprise in his eyes when he looked up and met Nie MingJue's eyes, surprise and shock and fear.

He tried to speak, to explain or to call his name, instead he spit more blood and his legs gave out. Nie MingJue's hands were around him in a moment, they slid on the ground slowly, Nie MingJue kneeled behind him holding his body up against his chest, a hand desperately trying to stop the bleeding before it was too late.

“I didn’t notice.” Nie ZongHui whispered anticipating his question and MingJue believed him, he had no reasons not to, he fought with him, he could have noticed too, but he didn't, it took time for the blood to finally reach the outer layer and seep through the robe, and once there there was no stopping. He was quickly getting paler and cold and yet he was calm.

He placed a hand veer MingJue's and shook his head before exhaling slowly and trying to settle against him more comfortably, he didn't know how he could remain that much calm in a moment like that, as life was slipping away without him doing anything to prevent it. He was dying and there was nothing he could do or say to change it. Maybe it was the place he was in, his body cradled carefully against the chest of someone he loved, the one he had always been ready to die for. Maybe it was because he fulfilled his duty, Nie MingJue was safe, he survived yet another battle and that was enough for him. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Maybe dying wasn’t that bad if it was like that. He let his head loll to the side, blood dripping from his lips and he closed his eye, the hand covering MingJue's falling on the ground.

Nie MingJue screamed.

The first time they tried dual cultivation was after a particularly hard night hunt. No matter how much he trained, wielding two sabers left Nie ZongHui spiritually drained for days, the healers often showed concerns for his health, saying that his life would be even shorter than what usually a Nie would live, the two spirits would feed on his qi and he won’t survive long after the 20s. From where he was laying on his bed ZongHui studied his young master, curve over books at the desk, studying even harder a way to suppress, or at least quiet, the saber spirits.

“I don’t wish them to be any less, and neither you do with Baxia.” He said softly as a greeting, within seconds Nie MingJue was at his side helping him sit and placing a glass of water in his hands.

“You’ve heard the healer, I know you were awake, you won’t live long like that.”

“There’s another way.” He laughed at his confused look. “Dual cultivation.” And then he laughed even harder once Nie MingJue understood what he was talking ab pout and got flustered. He dropped the talk after a moment and slipped into a dreamless sleep.

“Would that really help you?” Nie MingJue asked him a couple of days later when he was regaining his strength and managed to stay awake for more than a dozen minutes.

“What?”

“Dual cultivation. - He took his hand and squeezed it. - If you think it will help then it’s fine for me. I— we’ll do it.” Nie ZongHui smiled and nodded.

“I… I think so. Your energy is unparalleled. If we share it I won’t only be able to wield both my sabers, but you’ll have more control over Baxia too. Or… well, or so I’ve read.”

“It’s worth a try. - But then Nie MingJue blushed, he really blushed, cheeks turning a bright red and he felt his face grow hot. - There’s one problem…” He admitted at the end. “I’ve never… I don’t know…”

Nie ZongHui didn’t laugh like MingJue feared, he moved closer and took his face in hands before kissing him. He was sixteen.

When Lan Xichen found them Nie MingJue was still kneeling in the middle of the battlefield, curled over ZongHui's body.

“Da-ge?” There were tears streaming down his face he noticed when MingJue lifted his head to look at him, his chest wrecked by silent sobs and his hands, covered in blood, caressing the man in his arms. Lan XiChen met him only a couple of times, not more. He was, if he wasn’t mistaken , the person who took A-Yao’s place by Nie MingJue’s side, they probably got close during the past years, they had, or Nie MingJue would have never reacted like that.

“XiChen… XiChen you have to help him. It’s… he’s been wounded — he…” Lan Xichen could see it without him specify it, he could see the blood oozing from the cut robes, he could see his chest rising as his lungs tried to keep working, with enough concentration he could feel his heart trying not to give up. “You have to save him.” He had known Nie MingJue for years and he never heard him beg before, not even for his little brother’s sake. It was a sound he didn’t even know could come from his mouth, so broken and desperate.

“It’s too late.” Lan XiChen almost said, but he stopped. Nie MingJue moved the man carefully, held him a little closer in his arms, cradled against his chest, his cheek brushed against ZongHui's hair before he kissed the top of his head. So Lan XiChen tried. At least he could say he tried.

Nie MingJue forgot what day it was, or how long it had been since the battle was over and won, he slept sitting on the floor, his head on the mattress of the bed and complained every morning that his neck was hurting, that he shouldn’t fall asleep, in case Nie ZongHui needed him. And that his back too was hurting. And yet every night he sat in the same, uncomfortable position and waited. And fell asleep. And complained.

And days merged into each other and he waited.

When Nie ZongHui finally woke up, endless days after, his qi had never been that low in all his life. The loud voices of his twin sabers were now reduced to a distant whisper, like the bond between them had been irreparably broken and was now kept together by a single thin string. He was weak, he probably wouldn’t be able to move for many more days, heavens only knew if he would be able to lift his swords again. But he was alive, and that had to mean something at the very least.

“That’s the last time.” Nie MingJue's voice was hoarse from disuse. He looked at him from the end of the bed, sitting cross-legged agings the wall and staring at him with dark circles under his eyes and an almost sickly pale face. “You do something like that again and I swear, I will never forgive you.”

It was a lie, they both knew it, but Nie ZongHui nodded anyway in agreement.

“Understood, Master. - He whispered looking away. - This one is truly sorry for worrying you that much.”

A hand caressed his cheek gently forcing him to lift his face and look at him.

“Don’t do it again. Don’t go where I can’t follow. Don’t leave me. Ever.”

“MingJue-xiong, - Lan XiChen said entering the room with Jin GuangYao behind him. - I was thinking about some way to help you general regain his strength faster and, maybe, even the use of his sabers.”

Both men looked up from the plate in their hands, they were sitting close enough their side was touching, Yao briefly looked away, the memory of Nie HuaiSang's answer still haunted him even after years.

“Please don’t think wrong of me, - Lan Xichen continued with a smile. - I’ve made some research and there are many ways people can share their spiritual power, even without using a complete Dual Cultivation. Which I suppose would be… embarrassing.”

Nie MingJue frowned for a moment, stared at Lan XiChen and then turned to ZongHui.

“Would it be embarrassing?” He shook his shoulders taking another spoonful of soup.

“I believe I’ve seen more embarrassing things than that.”

“Mh… Do you mean HuaiSang's paintings?”

“No, I believe they're pretty realistic, even though I’m not sure where he got the ideas… I always make sure the door is sealed.”

“He always had a big imagination.”

Nie ZongHui suppressed a laughter and leaned on his shoulder.

“There was one that had a truly striking resemblance with you—”

With a loud cough, and his face getting redder, Jin GuangYao muttered something about how they shouldn’t worry about ways to help the Nie general get back on his feet fast, and dragged Lan Xichen out of the room. Nie MingJue laughed passing an arm around his shoulders.

“I can’t believe XiChen out of everyone really went and suggested Dual Cultivation. I thought it was obvious by now.”

“Not so much… I think they didn’t understand I am the one bedding you.”

#Nie mingjue #nie zonghui #mingjue/zonghui #ignoring an injury #almost dead character #dual cultivation #meng yao regrets asking questions to huaisang #and huaisang paints things he shouldn't...#the untamed #cql #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #mdzs fic #Grandmaster of demonic cultivation #Founder of diabolism #fanfic #nanowrimo 2020 #angst collection in cultivation #aki writes

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love-and-monsters · 5 years

Text

Alien Encounter Pt. 12: Together

“What do you mean you want to come with me?” I hissed. I glanced over my shoulder at the crew that still stood behind us. “Come on, let’s move a little bit.”

I took hold of his elbow and dragged him a few feet away, partially hiding us behind a tree.

Valain’s tail lashed. “I would like to stay with you. I don’t really understand why you’re having a hard time with this.”

“Because you live here! I mean, you saw how awful it was for me when I ended up here, cut off from my life. And now you’re just saying that you’re okay leaving behind everything you know and love just to come with me? That seems like a bad idea.”

Valain pursed his lips. “I know it seems like it’s coming out of nowhere, but it is something I’ve been thinking about for a while,” he said.

“How? These people only showed up today!” My voice rose and I saw a crew member looking toward us. Valain made hushing motions with his hands.

“Shh, shh. It wasn’t triggered by this. It’s something I thought about…” He hesitated for a moment. “Ah, it was something I started thinking about when I realized I was in love with you, all right? So it’s been a little while since I started thinking about this.”

I stared at him. “You’ve been in love with me for a while?”

Valain shook his head. “That’s not important right now. What is important is that, when I realized I loved you, I started thinking about the lives we could have together. And I thought about what might happen if you did ever get a chance to go home. And when I thought about it, I realized that if I could go with you, I wanted to.”

“Why? Just for me?”

“Not exactly. I thought about my life here. My parents are dead. I don’t have any family here. After they died, I really lost contact with my friends. I didn’t want to be around anyone anymore. I became a guard to get away from everyone and everything. And then you came and I realized the world was bigger than just my home and everything there. There was a whole universe with aliens and spaceships and adventure and… Anya, you brought so much light into my life. You made me excited to live again. If I stay here, I’m just going to return to my old life. I’ll be confined the this planet. I want to be able to go with you. Even if you decide not to be with me once you’re back to your old life, I still want to be able to know what it’s like out there.” His statement was punctuated by a sniffle and his shoulders trembled. “Please, Anya. I just want… I just can’t bear to never see what the rest of the universe is like.” He glanced up, bright yellow eyes glistening. “And I would like… I would like to see it with you. If you allow me.”

I hugged him. Hard. He let out a soft ‘ow!’ as I slammed into his chest, but he relaxed into it after a moment and squeezed me back.

“I think I understand,” I said, still buried in his chest. “But you do need to understand what it’ll be like if you come with me.” I pulled away from him. “You’ll be the only member of your species in space. You’ll have to be registered and you’ll have to get a registered species card to allow you to do anything. It might be hard for you to find work and you’ll probably have to rely on me a lot, at least in the beginning. You’ll have to find ways to accommodate yourself because there won’t be any sort of accommodations up there for your species. It’s not going to be easy.”

Valain was silent for almost a full minute. “I guessed that it was going to be hard. I mean, I definitely didn’t think it was going to be easy.” He gave out a snaky laugh. “But that doesn’t change anything, Anya. If you will allow it, I still want to be with you.”

I squeezed his hands in my own. “Yes. Of course, I still want you to be with me. But I don’t get to make that decision.” Valain’s ears tilted down. “You’ve met aliens and you’ve lived with me for a while, so we could maybe lodge a complaint under the First Contact Contract. It would suggest that you’ve had enough contact with aliens to potentially be a threat to interstellar security. That would mean that the government would assume control of your life. They’d pay you a stipend in exchange for you reporting to them your location. You would also never be able to return to your home planet.”

“I already knew that wasn’t going to happen,” Valain said. His voice had gone a little dull. I suspected the reality of everything was finally sinking in. “How do we, er… What was the thing you said?”

“Lodge a complain under the First Contact Contract.” I took a deep breath and dropped his hands. The severe-looking woman was staring in our direction and I felt the instant urge to drop my eyes when I looked at her. “We’ll have to talk to the woman in charge, I guess. Then she’ll probably run the details through the legal system to make sure everything lines up and if we can get it approved, then she’ll take you into space with us.”

“And if it doesn’t get approved?” Valain asked anxiously.

“Then you’ll get released back onto your planet and I’ll go to space. The planet will probably be given a quarantine- no one will be able to come within a certain distance of this planet and we will never see each other again.”

Valain’s ear and tail drooped, then they perked back up again as a look of determination crossed his face. “Then we should do this,” he said. “Are you ready?”

I looked at the severe woman and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Valain stayed slightly behind me as we approached the woman. Her eyes narrowed at us, but she said nothing. Just watched as we walked up to her.

My words stuck slightly in my throat and I had to clear it a few times before I could speak. “Ma’am?”

Her eyes lasered in on me. “Yes?”

Her voice was so cold and hard it took me a moment to find my voice. “I-” The woman narrowed her eyes further. “Ma’am, I need to speak with you about the First Contact Contract.”

That got her attention fully. She turned her whole body toward me and folded her arm over her chest. “I assume it’s about him?” She tilted her chin toward Valain. He gave a shaky smile.

“Yes,” I said. “It is. As I’m sure you know, the Contract stipulates that any creature that poses a threat to insterstellar security on their own planet may be-”

“Registered into the Interstellar Alliance as a ward of the government. I am aware of the stipulation, Miss Anya. What I am not aware of is how he fits into that.” She pointed a stylus at Valain.

“If he stays here, then he could be a threat. He could tell people about us?” I looked back at Valain, who nodded.

The woman narrowed her eyes. I was surprised I could still see them. “I see. And what exactly is he going to do?”

I stared at her for a moment. “Uh. Tell people? I said that already, didn’t I?”

The woman sighed. “Miss Anya. Have you ever studied ancient Earth history? The very beginning of our people?”

“I mean, a little? I don’t really remember much of it,” I admitted.

“I did think as much. When we were still confined to Earth, there were those who saw aliens. They claimed to have been abducted by them or to have interacted with them in some capacity. Some even believed that there were aliens living among humans on Earth. They told people quite commonly. Rarely were they ever believed. If your alien stays here, he may tell as many people as he desires. It will change nothing. No one will believe him, and if he continues to tell people, he will end up as an outcast. Nothing can be believed without proof, Miss Anya. And, as you have already confirmed to me, you have no evidence. Upon your leaving, there will be no evidence that aliens have ever visited this planet. At least none strong enough to convince anyone here.” She shook her head. “I am sympathetic to your plight, but speaking as someone who much follow the rules of the Interstellar Alliance, I can’t do anything for you.”

Valain’s ears drooped. “I’m sorry, Anya. Maybe it’s not going to-”

“No,” I said. My voice was sharp. The woman looked at me. “It’s going to work. You said he needed proof? He’ll have proof. Because if you don’t let him come with me, then I’m staying here with him.”

The ripple of surprise that spread through the area was almost palpable. The woman’s eyes widened and she stood up even straighter, if that was possible. Valain, on the over hand, looked like he was about to fall over. “Anya!” he hissed, his mouth right next to my ear, “you can’t do this! You can’t throw away your chance to go home!”

“I’m not throwing it away,” I said. “I’ve made my decision. I’m going to be with you, one way or another.”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that.” Apparently over her surprise, the woman reached for her hip. Upon it, there was a holster. Very slowly, I realized that the entire crew was carrying guns and they were all slowly turning to face us. I had to modify my plan a little.

“What are you going to do to stop us?” I asked. In a smooth motion, the woman pulled her gun from her hip and pointed it straight at my chest.

Valain’s hands tightened on my shoulders. I could feel his tension. He was half-prepared to jump in front of me. I couldn’t let that happen. “Stay back,” I murmured to him out of the corner of my mouth. “I have an idea.” His tail whipped back and forth across the ground, but he remained otherwise still. I had to believe he was going to trust me.

“You’re going to shoot me?” I said. Neither the woman’s expression, nor her gun wavered.

“I am authorized to do what I must. If you threaten our security, and, by extension, the security of this planet and all those who live upon it, then I may kill you.” Slowly, she reached up and pulled down the little hammer to prime her gun. My heart crawled into my throat. And yet, there was a part of me that was entirely detached from the panic in my body. That fragment of me hovered above the rest, planning and thinking. I had a plan. I just needed to stick with it.

“You are authorized to kill me. You may even be able to,” I said. It barely felt like I was controlling my mouth. It just felt like something else was puppeting me. “But if he decides to grab my body and run, what are you going to do about it?”

The woman let out a bark of laughter. “Do you think he can outrun a ship?”

“He can’t outrun it. But he can hide. This entire place is a dense forest. He can climb trees, he can hide underwater, he can hide underground. And he knows this area far better than you do. Can you guarantee that you can get him before he manages to get evidence that aliens are real out?”

The woman stared at me for several seconds. I could see the calculations running through her head. There was, realistically, only a small chance that he could get away, but that small chance could have some very big consequences.

Slowly, oh so terribly slowly, she lowered the weapon and hooked it back into her holster. Behind her, the rest of the crew did likewise. “I will turn your details over to the legal system. If it turns you down, then you will come with us and he will stay here. There will be no argument on this. Do you understand me?”

“Yes. I understand,” I said. The woman nodded to the crew and two members scrambled over and flanked us. Valain drew closer to me, almost knocking me over. The woman nodded toward the ship.

“Follow me,” the woman said. She turned and started to march toward the ship. I took Valain’s hand and dragged him along with me.

We were taken just inside the ship. It was pale white and illuminated gently from all angles. Even though the floor appeared slightly angled, the artificial gravity shifted with every step, so there was no additional effort when walking up or down it. “Wait here,” the woman said. She walked up the slope and into the main console room of the ship. The door closed behind her and the ramp into the ship rolled up and clicked shut. Valain and I were trapped in the ship.

As soon as the woman was out of the room, I sagged against the wall. My legs felt weak and I was vaguely sick to my stomach. “Are you all right?” Valain asked as I slumped over, barely able to keep myself from falling to the ground.

“I think I’m okay,” I said. “I just wasn’t sure that would work.” I glanced at him. “You doing all right?”

“Surprisingly well. I thought I’d be more panicked. Not that I’m not anxious.” He glanced at the door. “Does she have to call someone? How long will that take?”

“Nah, she’s just putting it into the legal system. And I mean that pretty much literally. We figured out a long time ago that humans, and pretty much every other alien species, are pretty bad at actually creating a working legal system. Too much prejudice, and it’s all so subjective. Eventually, someone figured out how to create an AI system that could learn all the different laws and it learned how to mete out punishment and make legal decisions. So that’s what she’s doing now. She’s feeding as much information as she can into the system and it’s going to process it all, compare it to what the law says, then make a decision.”

Valain frowned. “I am not sure how I feel about my life being in the hands of a robot.”

“It’s an AI, not a robot. And you shouldn’t be worried about it. It’s been working for longer than I’ve been live and it’s been doing a pretty good job, as far as I’m aware. Anyway, it shouldn’t take too long. The system’s been getting upgraded every few months and it’s really fast now.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than the door slid open again. I jolted instantly to my feet and Valain stood with me. The woman exited, expression smooth and emotionless. Valain took my hand and squeezed.

“The system has examined your case,” she said, looking between the two of us. “Considering everything, it has determined that it would be better for you to not be separated.”

Valain let out a noise of delight and I almost fell against him. Tiny, half-hysterical giggles burst from my mouth as Valain grabbed me in a hug that was nearly crushing. We held each other for several moments until the woman cleared her throat.

“Your ship has been recovered,” she said, addressing me. “We can take off momentarily. Down the hall and to the right is your room. Please strap yourselves in for takeoff and we’ll be on our way.”

I took Valain’s hand and led him down the hall. “You’re still sure you want to go through with this?” I asked him. “Last chance to back out now.”

“I’m not having second thoughts,” he said. “I still want to be with you.” He wrapped his fingers through mine. “I’m always going to want to be with you.”

We entered the room and I showed Valain how to strap himself into the partially reclined chairs towards the edges of the room. The rest of the room was simple living quarters, just two beds and a pad to access the star-net. Valain’s head swiveled around, trying to take in everything in the few minutes we had before takeoff. “Make sure you’re strapped in. Takeoff’s rough,” I said, fiddling with his straps. He smiled at me and caught my hand as I sat back in my seat.

“I’m not scared,” he said tenderly. “You’re here. We’re going to be all right.”

I squeezed his hand back and smiled at him. He was right. We were together. That was enough.

The ship shuddered beneath us and took off into the night sky.

And that ends the tale of Anya and Valain! I might add a short epilogue next week to wrap up their story, but after that I’ll be taking a brief two week break to get settled in at college. I’ll be putting up a poll soon so all of you can put in some ideas into what sort of content I’ll be posting next. I look forward to eharing from you all.

#monster boyfriend #monster lover #exophilia #alien lover #alien boyfriend

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mst3kproject · 7 years

Photo

804: The Deadly Mantis

Dear Janet from Devil Fish: I'm sorry I called you the world's worst paleontologist. That was mean and entirely undeserved – you are a much better paleontologist than Dr. Jackson from The Deadly Mantis. You at least realize that sharks are a type of jawed fish, while Dr. Jackson seems to think they're a type of plant. I would send you chocolates or something along with this apology, but you got strangled by a man with a concrete face. Too bad the same thing cannot be said of Dr. Jackson. Yours sincerely, the MST3K Project.

The Deadly Mantis begins with Newton's third law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. For example, if a volcano erupts in the South Atlantic, that'll cause vibrations in the Earth's crust, which in turn trigger iceberg calving at the north pole, thus allowing a giant mantis to thaw out after millions of years in the ice! Clearly. QED.

I guess I could describe what happens in the movie. I could tell you about the buildings and vehicles destroyed, and the scientists and military who try to solve this mantis problem, but I don't think there'd be any point. The Deadly Mantis is another paint-by-numbers movie, kind of like The Mole People, where it feels like the producers made a list and checked stuff off. Monster? Check. Hero? Check. Scientist? Check. Girl? Check. The whole thing comes across as perfunctory and we never really care about what's going on. The Deadly Mantis is almost entirely filler.

Despite that, I do kind of like this movie. It's very bad, but it's not rage-inducing like some others I could name. It's mildly racist in that everybody in it is white as WonderBread (except the Inuit in the footage borrowed from SOS Eisberg), but there's nothing explicitly offensive. It takes the time to show us what's going on instead of just telling us, even though what's going on is dull. And there are a number of little oddities that give The Deadly Mantis a surprising amount of personality.

For example, there's our first non-map sequence – seven minutes or so spent educating us about the network of RADAR that covered North America during the Cold War. You see, the quickest way between the US and the USSR is over the north pole, so the airspace above Canada had to be carefully watched to make sure nobody was attacking anybody else. The arrangement caused Canada considerable anxiety, but since nobody ever listened to my suggestion that we relocate to the Moon, we were stuck with it. We just had to sit there and hope you guys would have the sense not to bomb each other, when we could have been eating Moon Poutine and watching moose try to deal with one sixth gravity.

This RADAR sequence doesn't feel like it's part of the movie. It feels like an educational short film that might have turned up on MST3K in its own right. Narratively, the purpose of this sequence is to tell us what our first batch of mantis fodder is doing staring at RADAR screens way up in the arctic, but I don't know why they couldn't have established that with some dialogue or a sequence in which the mantis is mistaken for an incoming Soviet bomber before vanishing off the screen or something. The only answer I can come up with is that the military gave them some money for the movie, on condition that they include a bit about how awesome these RADAR fences are. That would make the sequence the Rocket Attack USA of product placement.

Then there's the rest of Act I, which tries to create a sense of mystery. Other monster movies have done this. The Beginning of the End has the town of Ludlow destroyed, with nary a clue by what. Monster on the Campus tells us that something terrible has happened to Dr. Blake, but although we can guess what it is we must wait to find out exactly. Godzilla, King of the Monsters begins with the sinking of a ship, and then the same fate befalling the second vessel sent to investigate. You know what these movies have in common? They're not called The Giant Locust Invasion, Ape-Man on the Campus, or Godzilla, Giant Fire-Breathing Dinosaur. In The Deadly Mantis we already know what the monster is, because it's the damn title!

Movies where we already know what the monster is can still create suspense. In the opening of Jaws we know the shark is creeping up on the swimmer, and it is the anticipation of the attack that makes the suspense. In Alien we have no idea what the creature is capable of. Hell, in The Amazing Colossal Man the suspense comes from wondering what Glenn's despair will drive him to do and whether the scientists will be in time to save him. The Deadly Mantis, with its POV shots and footprints in the snow, behaves as if we're supposed to be wondering what on Earth is causing this chaos, even though we already saw the words The Deadly Mantis over an image of said insect frozen in ice! As a result, the first half of the movie, before the mantis actually appears to attack the arctic base, feels like we're dawdling around waiting for the characters to catch up with us.

Another oddity is the character of Marge, who acts like she's supposed to be a hardboiled reporter despite the fact that she works for a monthly museum magazine. Everybody probably gets a copy when they pay admission, and I bet most of them find it in their bag a few days later and just throw it away. As a result, Marge comes across as slightly deluded, as if she once aspired to write for a major newspaper but this was the only media job she could get, so now she's trying to make it as much like her dream career as she can.

There's the weird bit about how there are no women at the arctic RADAR bases. This is supposed to be funny but ends up making us worry that the stammering, socially inept corporal will do something like stuff and mount Marge's skin and charge the other guys a buck each to view her. I think she agrees to dance with him in the hope that he'll be satisfied with that and spend the night jerking off in his room instead of lurking outside her window. I don’t remember if the movie gives him a name. I think of him as Corporal Gein.

And of course there's Dr. Nedrick Jackson, the movie's supposedly brilliant scientist who cannot tell his own ass from a hole in the ground, or an ant from a beetle. Let's take a look at some of his statements.

('Nedrick' is apparently a real name. The closest thing I can find to a famous bearer of it is Nedrick Young, the real name of screenwriter Nathan E. Douglas. He wrote The Defiant Ones and Jailhouse Rock. I'm gonna assume he changed his name because people reacted to it the same way Mike and the bots react to Dr. Jackson: “Nedrick?!”)

While examining the Mantis claw, he says it appears to be made of 'gristle or cartilage' rather than bone. First of all, 'gristle' and 'cartilage' are the same thing. Second, an insect's exoskeleton is not made of cartilage, it's made of chitin, which is a totally different protein. This is hardly specialized knowledge – I remember learning it in high school biology.

Then he announces that the claw can't be from an animal, 'because every known species of animal has a bony skeleton'. Never mind that he just identified the claw as cartilage, which is only found in animals. Never mind that animals with skeletons have cartilaginous parts, like the cartilage in your knee that allows the joint to move freely without bone scraping over bone, or the cartilage that gives your nose and ears their shape. And never mind that he goes on to list things without skeletons as including 'worms, snails, insects, gillfish'... all of which are clearly animals. The fact that he feels a need to mention that birds and reptiles have bony skeletons suggests that he's using the word 'animal' to mean 'mammal', which is a thing laypeople sometimes do, but a scientist would not.

'The ant inside this amber is at least ninety million years old', he says, showing us a stag beetle encased in acrylic, like those keychains you can buy at the Museum of Natural History. I used to have a computer mouse like that, with a little scorpion in it. It lit up. I wonder what I did with it.

The female praying mantis, he tells us, 'invariably destroys her mate after he has fulfilled his function in life'. This does happen, but we don't know how often. It seems to be something the female does when she is under undue stress, and having humans or cameras hovering there watching tends to stress her. Like Schroedinger's Cat, the male mantis is both eaten and un-eaten until somebody looks... and then he generally gets eaten.

'A geological world [in which] the smallest insects were the size of man!' No they weren't! In the Carboniferous there were indeed giant insects, but that two-foot dragonfly was about as big as they got. Anyway, the oldest-known fossil mantis is only about a hundred and forty-five million years old, while the giant dragonfly, Meganeura, is over twice that old. Meganeura was able to grow that big because there was far more oxygen in the Carboniferous atmosphere. Mantises, which evolved in the Jurassic, have never been much bigger than they are now.

'The deerfly goes six hundred [miles] per hour'. The deerfly is indeed among the fastest insects, able to reach a top speed of ninety miles per hour. Also, fuck you, Dr. Jackson, you have no idea what you're talking about.

Maybe that's why I like this movie – it makes such absurd assertions with such a straight face. Maybe it's because the actual mantis puppet is really pretty cool. Or maybe I'm just fondly remembering the MST3K episode, which includes space country radio and such timeless gems as tell the Eskimos I deeply respect their culture but they're also very delicious and of course the immortal but I've got a mantis in my pantis!

#mst3k #reviews #the deadly mantis #50s #giant arthropod hours

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false-majesty · 7 years

Text

So I’ve seen this one certain meme floating around on my dash, and I thought I might respond to it in one big post and tag all the people who reblogged it (and a few who didn’t).

And so, without further adieu, here’s Aku’s reactions to the deaths of a few people he knows...

Cut for length, graphic violence, and disturbing content. I listened to x x and x while writing this. ;)

Ashi | @tigersteeth

He’d think he could have been there sooner and how he could have protected her; about how he knew Ashi hated him at the start but then eventually came to love him back. And most of all he would think about how she had been right to be wary of him; first he had bitten her, and then he had let her get killed.

And of course, with these thoughts he’d soon be filled with cold fury and determination to set things right. And naturally, with his logic, what else should that entail but a killing spree.

He’d kill the murderer’s loved ones methodically and slowly, and perhaps might even go so far as to present little ‘keepsakes’ of the loved ones—a body part or piece of jewelry, perhaps—for each one that he killed; pushing the murderer ever closer to the brink of insanity just to show them how it felt to lose someone important in their life. And depending on how successful he is at getting them to lose their mind, he might or might not kill them last, making sure they get to see the look in his eyes when he does it...

But when things have finally been paid for in blood, Aku would likely be very cold and professional for a while afterward--years even.

He would be more foul tempered, impatient, callous, and withdrawn; deliberately not letting anyone see how his daughter’s death has affected him. He’d pour his anger into conquering planets and broadening his empire, crushing innocents beneath his heel and curbing revolutions before they even have a chance to start.

To outsiders, this would appear to be something of a reawakening—like watching a dormant monster rise from its own ashes or perhaps a very long slumber only to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting world that had grown fat and sloven with peace.

But when he’s alone, when the nights are cold and long, Aku would probably catch himself thinking about her more often than he’d care to admit.

There would be a statue in her likeness erected alongside his own in the gardens of his citadel and in a few of his major cities.

Rick | @therealricksanchezpleasestandup

If Rick were to die at this particular moment in their canon relationship, when he and Aku are only just now starting to get close to one another:

He would be numb for all of a few seconds as he knelt beside the body and tried to grasp at the fact that Rick was really dead. He’d probably nudge him, trying to make him get up, would check all his vitals, and would yell at him. Anything to get him to wake up.

But when all that fails, he would stand slowly, agonizingly, and turn to face the murderer—madness and revenge burning hot and unmistakable in his eyes as he rounded upon them and would then utterly obliterate them in a tornado of fury—painting their gore on the walls, on the ceiling, and on himself, yet not stopping even when they were obviously dead.

After the fact, he would make suitable arrangements for Rick’s funeral in Aku’s dimension or would probably find some way to contact C-137 Earth to tell his family the news that Rick was dead. Might even be so considerate as to ask about Rick’s friends and deliver the news to them if he could.

But after that, Aku would likely back out of the proceedings; choosing instead to isolate himself—either in his quarters or some other scenic location where he might be able to think—so he could come to better terms with what had happened.

He would alternate between bouts of anger and grief in equal intensity for some time afterward; just thinking about how he not-so-secretly liked him—(could probably have come to love him, if they had been given more time together)—and how Rick was just starting to show signs that he was equally interested. Would probably think about their history as friends (and how Rick was the only real friend he’d probably ever had in his life) and all the time they had spent with one another...

...Would think about saving Rick from himself that one night he had found him on the brink of alcohol poisoning. Would think about sitting beside Rick on the couch watching tv and laughing. Would think about their first adventure when he had saved Rick from the falling rubble of a foreign empire they had worked to destroy...

And at that point he’d likely start to blame himself for Rick’s death and would start to think that his (Aku’s) being hated by the universe had somehow doomed his best friend to a premature death because of mere association. He’d reflect on the fact that bad things always seem to befall those who would get close to him. Especially those that he cares about.

Probably thinks to himself that he might have loved him after all.

He’d be numb and professional for a few years afterward. Not letting himself talk to anyone outside of a professional setting and definitely not letting himself EVER become fond of anyone else the way he had with Rick. He would probably even push away his own daughter for the most part, as he wouldn’t want her to see him so weak and he definitely doesn’t want her to befall the same fate as Rick. Hell, he might even push away Morty and Beth and Summer too if they should try and speak to him about all that happened.

After he’s had some time to come to terms with his grief, he’s probably only a shell of his former self. All kindness and light that knowing Rick had nurtured in him would be dulled so much it’s pretty much nonexistent. At which point he would resume his role as a tyrannical overlord with renewed fervor—conquering planets that had previously given him a hard time simply out of sheer blind frustration.

And why not? He has no other purpose. Nothing else to distract him from the cold reality of what happened.

Visitors to his citadel would ask around about the statue of the scientist erected in the courtyard alongside Aku’s own, and legends would begin to circulate that long ago the tyrant had once felt kindness and love for another...

If Rick were to die during our Fourth Wall Verse (a skype exclusive event, in which Rick and Aku react to the events of canon and love on each other behind the scenes—or are married already):

( We’ve already talked about what would happen, but I’ll pretty much recap a modified version of our conversation since the others don’t know. )

He would go on a blitzkrieg of worlds in his grief, probably annihilating over half of his quadrant before the other gods finally got tired of his senseless violence and would lock him away in the Godly equivalent of a padded room.

After a while of suffering with his memories of Rick, Aku would probably try to beg death from the other gods if only so he could see Rick again and tell him he loved him at least one last time. But the other gods would likely see a better punishment in keeping him alive, to let him think about what he’s done and to let him experience loss like the people who had lost their loved ones through Aku’s actions. However, this plan would backfire because Aku would probably sleep himself into oblivion rather than stay awake and deal with the presence and torment of the other Gods-- as he sees no other reason to be awake, yet alone alive.

At which point he’d have vivid nightmares of Rick’s death and how he hadn’t been there in time to save him; he would dream of Ashi and how she would die a mortal’s death without Aku there to augment her lifespan using his magic; and finally, he might even dream of the sword coming back from wherever it had been hidden and finishing its purpose killing him off.

But instead of shying away from this last dream, he would welcome it; because death would be preferable to living without Rick.

Other than that, he’d probably sleep himself until the end of time.

And why not? He doesn’t have a reason to be awake anymore.

Azura | @curioosity

At the news of her death he’d probably get really quiet, and would ask anyone in the room to leave. At which point he would take out that puppet that Azura gave him and he’d stare at it long and hard, trying to figure out what this strange feeling is that’s trying to creep into his mood (hint, it’s sadness) but he’d probably furrow his brow and incinerate the puppet then and there so he wouldn’t think about her anymore as he recognized the feeling as being something mortal and therefore malignant to his very nature.

He would then dismiss her and her memory from his mind—lest he should become fond of her in her absence--and life would continue as usual as if nothing had changed.

And for Aku? It’s true. Nothing changed at all.

Ryou | @sonxflight

He knows he should be relieved when he finally hears word of his prince’s death, for this not only explains the piercing pain he felt shooting through his chest out of the blue some hours ago-- Ryou’s presence and blood magic leaving him-- but this also means that he can safely go about destroying worlds and empires as he had been meaning to for centuries.

But instead all he feels is numb. He finds himself thinking that he misses him despite their many differences, and that Ryou was his only friend. The only one who understood what it was like to live for so long and watch the world turn around you while you remained unaffected.

Thus, long after the funeral is over and everyone else has moved on, the demon would find himself kneeling at the gravesite just staring at his beloved’s tombstone. Probably lays a hand on it and finally his restraint just snaps and he bows his head and weeps because yes he did love him in life, that although Ryou may have held him to mortal limitations by summoning him out of the darkness the way he had, but he was still his husband-- had still shown him love and compassion when no one else would...

And although he can safely allow Ryou’s empire to spiral into ruin, he keeps it safe anyway. In loving memory of his husband.

Jack | @alwaysfindaway

Before they come to have feelings for one another (ie. their relationship in canon):

Aku would make an example out of the samurai’s death. Posting video and picture evidence of it across all his social media regardless of what women or children might see it as he plastered graphic images of it on billboards and advertisements worldwide; leaving no doubt that this world is once more doomed to the jaws of the beast.

He’d be filled with a curious sense of peace, knowing he doesn’t have anything to worry about anymore as he (undoubtedly) would have hid the sword away in the core of some planet (or sun) whose location was known only to him.

Slowly, rebellion leaders would be picked off and assassinated without the samurai there to defend them, and uprisings would gradually trickle to a standstill while the demon’s scourge slowly siezed the cosmos in terror.

Every year on the anniversary of the samurai’s death--a national holiday--the world grieves for their fallen hero less and less as the years go by, until eventually his memory is regarded akin to a fairy tale.

And still the demon lives on, growing lazy and arrogant and careless as the world withers beneath his claws...

After they come to have feelings for one another:

For a while all he feels in confusion.

On the one hand, he knows he should be happy the samurai is dead, for this had been his goal for so long that to feel otherwise is simply alien. But on the other, he had come to have some marginal fondness for him while they had traveled together. Indeed, he had found his company pleasant and had found his presence soothing-- towards the later half of their time together, anyway.

He’d find himself recalling the nights they had slept beneath the stars, when Jack had not yet known his identity, and how it had felt to hold him as he had never held anyone before or would ever after...

But he’d push these thoughts aside and force himself through the motions of being cruel and victorious in the light of his death, and few would be the wiser for his somehow strained behavior.

After enough time passes, he would slowly come to push his memory aside-- in the hopes that he never fondly recalls the samurai again...

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