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ticklish-n-stuff · 1 year

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Featherary day 3: Tickle spot

This is based on the 2nd chapter of the sanrio scout story 'cause I just loved that scene sm and decided to tickly-fy it x3

Plus I wanna write for other Ryuseitai members soo yeah- (rip Tetora)

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Shinobu x Niki (+ Midori & Mayoi) platonic

Lee: Niki

Ler: Shinobu

Warnings: Tickles!

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Mayoi happily walked into café Cinnamon, looking for his purple friend, when he was suddenly approached by Niki.

"Oh, you seem to be in a really good mood today Mayo~".

"Eek! A-am I being too obvious...?".

"Maybe not to others, but you can't fool my nose, y'know? You smell better than usual... like sweet cream... really makes me wanna have a bite~" Niki grinned mischeviously over at the nervous male.

"W-what?! B-but I'll taste terrible!".

Niki ignored his please as he slowly got closer to Mayoi, a teasy smug look on his face, as Mayoi only shrieked in fear.

...Somewhere else in Café Cinnamon...

Shinobu and Midori had gathered to eat some sweets alongside Mayoi, except their purple friend hadn't arrived yet. That's when Midori noticed him on the other side with Niki. "...What are those two doing over there?".

"Ahah, I wanted to ask that aswell..." Shinobu chuckled a bit nervously at their weird banter. " I feel like there's some grand conversation going on between them".

"It seems like they're fooling around but, don't you think their body contact is becoming fiercer?" Midori asked concerned as he noticed Niki trying to take a bite from Mayoi's cheek.

"Actually, they may be starting a fight?! What's going on? Lord Mayoi is supposed to be having desserts with us, but now he's gotten himself into some weird trouble?!".

They both got lost in thought for a moment as to what could be happening, before Midori spoke "Oh, I get it! They must be acting out some hero shows, like the ones Morisawa makes us do all the time! So, that's what you guys have been doing in the ninja club?".

"Are they really? I don't remember doing roleplays like this with Lord Mayoi..."

"Nahaha~ Now you can't escape from me, Mayo~".

"Eeeeeek!!! Where are you Chieftain?!"

Shinobu's head instantly perked up at Mayoi's shriek "H-hey! Lord Mayoi is calling my name! You're right Midori, it's time a hero- no, a ninja makes an entrance! Let's rescue him together!".

"What? Why am I also in this?".

"Please, Midori! I really need help from a comrade like you! No hero or ninja should run away in a time like this! Come with me!".

Shinobu took on a heroic stance "Yellow flames are the proof of hope! A miracle, shining a ray of light into the darkness! Here's RYUSEI Yellow: Shinobu Sengoku!".

Midori following after, albeit still a bit hesitant "G-green flames are the proof of kindness! Nature that grows infinitely! Here's RYUSEI Green: Midoro Takamine!".

The two heroes rushed over to the scene, Mayoi exclaiming in delight when his eyes fell upon the cute ninja "Chieftain!".

"Don't worry, Lord Mayoi! Call my name aloud, and I will sure come to your side wherever you are!"after reassuring Mayoi, Shinobu quickly turned his attention towards Niki. "And you! The "Hungry Café Baddie"!".

""Hungry Baddie"? You mean me? You Ryuseitai kids give pretty good nicknames".

"He's unexpectedly friendly?!" Shinobu exclaimed, feeling a bit unsure of himself. "Morisawa never taught us what to do in situations like these...".

Midori let out a sigh "As much as I agreed to tag along... it feels depressing that I want to run away so badly...".

Shinobu thought for a moment, before gaining back his heroic stance "I won't be deceived! I won't let you run around hurting the innocent anymore! Take this! "Ninja Art: The Ryuseitai Lightwave!". He jabbed Niki right in the stomach, causing him to let out a yelp.

"ACK-! H-hold on! That's my tickle spot!".

"Did you hear that, Midori? The "Hungry Baddie" is ticklish! Let's get him!" Shinobu sent Niki a teasy smirk as he launched himself at him, wrapping his arms around his midsection and scribbling wherever his small fingers would reach.

"W-wahait! S-stahap that you brahahat!" Niki giggled hysterically as he tried prying off the smaller male off of him.

"He's a real squirmer. Midori, hold him down!".

Midori let out the 500th sigh of the day. Feeling a bit hesitant, but he still complied to his partner's request, hooking his arms under Niki to prevent him from squirming too much "S-sorry about this...".

Niki raised a brow in suspicion before an ear-shattering squeal escaped his throat "WAH- HYAHAHAHA! N-NOT THEHEHERE!". Niki threw his head back in laughter as Shinobu dug all fingers into his stomach.

"My secret weapon! The RYUSEI tickle barrage!" Shinobu snickered at his own sillyness, not showing any mercy on poor Niki's belly.

"NAHAHA! T-THAT'S SO BAHAHAD!" poor Niki shrieked in laughter, his face crimson red.

"So, do you give up?!" Shinobu slowed down his fingers a bit, but still didn't let up.

"Ahahaha! O-okay! I-I gihihive...!" Niki wheezed in laughter, his eyes turning a bit teary. At that, Midori let go of him as Shinobu halted his tickly fingers. Niki instantly collapsing on a nearby couch.

"Victory is ours, Midori!" Shinobu pumped his fist in the air, while Midori only looked like he wanted to burry his head underground.

Once Niki regained his composure, he stood back up. Even though it was a fun encounter, he wasn't sure what all that was about "What was that all about?".

"Huh? I thought this is what you guys did in the ninja club".

"No, I thought you were hurting lord Mayoi so we came to rescue him!".

"Huh? I was just messing around with him. I'm used to messing around with my unitmates, but I guess I can see why you'd think differently. I'm sorry Mayoi".

"W-wait, I'm sorry. It was my fault for overreacting..." Mayoi apologized, feeling all shameful.

"No, it's my fault for jumping to such conclusions, I'm sorry...".

"Well... instead of feeling sorry, how about we eat some delicious desserts~ All that tickling left me pretty hungry" Niki managed to lightened up the mood as the other three nodded happily. He quickly went to whip up their tasty snacks, shortly after the four of them eating happily. Hopefully no one saw their weird hero show display, that for sure will embarrass Shinobu and Midori for days to come.

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I feel like this is so bad help-💀

#featherary 2023 #enstars #ensemble stars #tickle fic #enstars tickle #enstars tickle fic #ensemble stars tickle #ensemble stars tickle fic #shinobu sengoku #niki shiina #mayoi ayase #midori takamine #lee!niki #ler!shinobu #ler!midori

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tatsuma-forever · 6 months

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so i have a theory that the parent killing in gto didn’t happen. if i wasn’t starved for gto content (why did it have to be discontinued on a cliffhanger wtf), i would be normal about this

tatsuma is young in gto. like, 14-16. if i had to estimate, the midoro incident happened when he was around 11 or 12. kiichirou and unnamed mom who was in 3 panels were not good parents to tatsuma. kiichirou calls tatsuma an experiment (which he technically is) and tells tatsuma he doesn’t love him and he never did. in the panels before he says this, tatsuma is fucked up. he’s literally giggling and talking about how his parents will finally love him because he’s prettier than toranosuke. after the revelation, tatsuma screams (i think) and then we cut to the dead midoro parents and a burning midoro residence

what i’m saying is we can safely assume tatsuma was not mentally sound when this happened. “well why do you think the murders didn’t happen? toranosuke mentions them!” toranosuke grew up with tatsuma, he knows what gets to him. i think toranosuke told tatsuma he killed their parents. i think he’s a liar. toranosuke thought the mental image of tatsuma killing his own parents would fuck him up. he’s drilled the false memory into his head, and tatsuma assumes it did happen because he knows he did some fucked up shit around that time. it doesn’t get to him the way toranosuke wanted it to, but he still thinks he did it.

what i’m saying is the midoro parents have to be paying for toranosuke’s magic mansion and torture basement because there’s no way he’s paying for that himself. he’s like 15 and unemployed. last i checked, dead people can’t pay taxes

yes, this whole theory exists because i don’t think toranosuke understands money. yes, it’s really stupid

#this is so fucking stupid but i can’t keep this to myself even though it makes no sense #slava.txt

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microid-s · 1 year

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character ask thing for yanma and that human kid i dont remember his name its like manabu? i havent finished microid s

Yanma

How I feel about this character MY LITTLE OINGLY DOOPLE.... MY BLORBO..... ive said before that microid s means everything to me that extends to yanma hes basically the mascot of the series All the people I ship romantically with this character Hmm I don't think I really ship him with anyone, I think he has this one brief romance with Maimai in the anime but eh it's heteronormative junk My non-romantic OTP for this character I DO think he and Dr. Midoro could get along. They can have like, joint custody of Manabu My unpopular opinion about this character It's hard to have an unpopular opinion when you're basically the only person having opinions on these guys... I guess I would say, the microids are totally based on the designs of Gatchaman, that's my personal conspiracy theory. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. I kinda wish we got a few more moments with his brother Jiga, seeing them interact n stuff. I could say that for a lot of the series, the bug apocalypse happens pretty quick so we almost only see the characters pushed to their extremes.

Manabu

How I feel about this character LITTLE MAN!!! He's terrible he bites people and I love him for that. I think he ranks just below Dororo in terms of feral Tezuka characters All the people I ship romantically with this character Odonata... He appeared for that one chapter and immediately died. Godspeed to you king and good luck to Manabu trying to figure out how to express his feelings like a normal person. My non-romantic OTP for this character Manabu and Mamezo absolutely, they're best buds in the anime My unpopular opinion about this character Again, tough question. There are literally no opinions to base this on... Literally nothing, he's perfect as is. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. Tbh in general I wish we had some kind of synthesis of the manga and the anime, I like the monster-of-the-week style most of the anime has but I also like the more serious tone of the manga, there's moments from both I feel really influence Manabu's character.

#microid s #manabu midoro #yanma

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chelsiegeorgia · 4 years

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comes back from a riding lesson-my brain: Equestrian AU

I can’t draw horses but that's ok neither can mappa. In this AU Hyakkimaru has both his prosthetic arms and left leg, he’s deaf but has cochlear implants so he can hear. He’s only blind in his right eye which is why he covers it with his hair. Midoro is his horse. Dororo is his spunky little adopted sister, she rides Chibi who is Midoro’s foal but he’s old enough to ride, Hyakki helps her train him.

I’m kinda tempted to write a fic for this..maybe.

#dororo #Hyakkimaru #dororo 2019 #equestrian au #horses #art #fanart #I can't draw horses #I need to practice

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neriad13 · 5 years

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The Dororo manga is something that has been very dear to me for a long time. The entire time I was watching the anime, I was mentally weighing it against the manga, trying to decide on which one I thought was better. For the most part, it was a pretty even competition...but then an inciting event happened which significantly tipped me in favor of one over the other. But first, a comparison!

Plot Arcs

- Bandai: There’s a bit more intrigue in the manga, but on the whole, I think it’s about even here. Bandai’s monster form is freaking beautiful in both of them.

- The Cursed Sword: The anime wins, by a nose. The mood, the tension, the symbolism, the much more obvious love of Tanosuke for his sister - I think this is one of the best put together episodes in the series.

However, what it was missing from the manga was Dororo’s anger at the world in general and the reason that he wanted a sword so bad. Anime Dororo picks it up by accident, isn’t following Hyakki around to steal one of his swords to begin with and isn’t a person who gets terribly angry. It’s more of a matter of differently written characters.

Would I have liked to see Anime Dororo get angry though? ...maybe. But that wasn’t what the episode was about.

- Mio: Point goes to the anime. I love how Mio’s story is expanded and how much more personality she’s given. Hyakki’s rampage is my favorite bit of animation in the entire show.

It’s also interesting how the placement of Mio’s arc affects what Hyakki’s character is like too. In the manga, by the time he’s telling the story as a flashback, he’s world-weary and his heart has turned to ice. In the anime, his heartbreak is fresh.

- Dororo’s Backstory: Point to the manga by a wide margin. Dororo’s parents are much less complex and interesting in the anime and the whole episode felt a bit rushed. Of course, that’s a lot of backstory to fit in one episode though.

- Banmon: Hmmmmm. This arc serves a much different thematic purpose in the anime, though it (somewhat) follows the events of the manga.

On one hand, the sequence in which Tahoumaru dies is one of my favorite in comics, period. It feels so dreamlike and disconnected from reality and in a manga which doesn’t shy away from showing fountains of blood, it’s shocking in that it doesn’t show a drop.

On the other hand, OH MY GOD Nui’s near-suicide was heartbreaking, the fact that they gave a backstory for Tahoumaru’s eye was phenomenal and I was utterly shocked and elated that Sukeroku actually found his family.

It’s a draw.

- Fair Fudo - The anime. The fact that I’m having a hard time remembering how it went down in the manga says it all. Also having Dororo be the one to rescue Hyakkimaru this time was an excellent decision.

- Sabame: Oh my god, the manga. Bad. Bad anime.

- Shiranui: Gonna go with the manga here. I am forever salty that the anime left out the “I’m a boy” line.

However, the anime also gets half a point for ACTUALLY PUTTING TREASURE IN THE TREASURE HOARD and not rendering that entire storyline pointless. -.-

- Nue: There’s not really a point of comparison here. It’s the same monster transplanted in a totally different storyline. But, with that said...

Do I give a single shit about Manga Nue?

Nope.

Do I give a shit about Anime Nue?

Yes.

- Midoro: Hmm. Another toss-up.

I found Midoro’s death in the manga much more affecting. The image of a dying horse, riddled with arrows, spending her last moments wandering among the fallen - that says something more about the grimness of war and the innocents caught in the middle of it than turning her into a horse bomb ever could.

However...I was so freaking THRILLED that Hyakkimaru got to ride her in the anime. My desktop’s background still contains a screenshot from the episode 22 preview of him doing that. Their stories are not so different and in this adaptation, it felt so eerily natural for them to end up together. Their partnership was utterly horrifying and glorious to watch.

Characters

- Hyakkimaru: There’s a lot to unpack here. The differences between characterizations are like night and day. So, I’ll start by taking you on a journey.

I loved Manga Hyakki’s snark. I loved his aloofness, his sarcasm, his arsenal of ridiculous weapons, his terror at the thought of having a mother who abandoned him, his rage at the thought of other children being abandoned, the way he hated the fox for telling him who Tahoumaru was more than he hated himself for killing him.

Watching the first few episodes of the anime was kind of difficult for me. It felt like the snark had been surgically removed and thus, was not there to lighten up the intense drama of the rest of the story.

But, as time went on and I got to see more of who Anime Hyakki was, he grew on me like nothing else. The stark contrast between his gentleness and his seething hatred of all beings who would take advantage of another, human or demonic. His insistent desire to be heard, to be listened to, even if he has to scream to get the point across. His unshakable resolve in the face of an entire world against him. The fact that his disability is something that actually limits him - that he can’t read minds or use telepathy and that learning to speak is something that takes the entire runtime of the show to accomplish - that is compelling. And so amazingly refreshing.

This one’s a draw.

- Dororo: The World’s Greatest Thief really doesn’t do a whole lot of thieving in this anime (once. literally once. offscreen. unless you count the attempted theft of Hyakki’s reforged swords). But then again, Dororo is also a way different character in this adaptation.

In the manga, he’s much more of a little snot. He’s furious with the world and constantly looking for ways to get back at it. He travels with Hyakki because he wants to steal from him. He’s not welcome in some villages because he’s such an awful kleptomaniac of a child. I do not have trouble believing that this Dororo has a demon in him that Hyakki has to kill if he wants his arm back.

Anime Dororo...is the complete opposite of that. He’s the kindest, most loving character in the entire show. He looks at a horrible world and doesn’t shake his fist at the sky - he tries his damnedest to make it better.

Both characterizations have their high points and their low ones. Manga Dororo is an entertaining little monster. Anime Dororo is an angel and the prevailing voice of reason. I think it would have been pretty interesting to end up with a character somewhere in between those two extremes, but, alas.

Manga Dororo’s arc is about taking responsibility and figuring out how to be someone better.

Anime Dororo’s arc is about raising someone else up to be better.

Also calling this one a draw.

- Tahoumaru: THE ANIME, by a mile. Or more. Way more! It’s not even a question. His depth and complexity, his compassion and anger, his deep love for his land, his people and his friends - HOT DAMN IS THIS A WELL WRITTEN CHARACTER. Manga Tahoumaru looks like a missed opportunity compared to him.

- Jukai: I wasn’t terribly fond of Anime Jukai at first. My first thought upon seeing the Jukai-centered episode was “Jukai’s an asshole =(”

Like, Jesus Christ, please give him a leg. He limped so far looking for you.

But, over time, I came to understand him better. He is a character in stasis, one who has “given up all power”, responsibility and desire. If he does nothing, if he devotes his life to pointless pursuits for those who can no longer benefit from them, then he can hurt no one.

Anime Jukai is one of my favorite characters now. The kind, fatherly figure of the manga who was delighted to know that Hyakki loves him has his place, but the point goes to the anime here.

- Nui no Kata: ANIME. Another character whose role was fantastically expanded, to great affect. Her story feels like the chapter that was left out of the manga.

- Saburota: Anime Saburota is Saburota in name only. Can’t really compare here.

- Daigo: To be honest, I don’t find either version of Daigo to be particularly compelling. He’s more important as a plot device than as a person. It’s a draw...unless Daigo’s ending from the stage play makes it to the anime, at which point Anime Daigo would win.

Stage Play Daigo gave me chills, man.

- Biwamaru: Our resident cryptic shit and spirit guide might be the only character who made the transition unchanged. He’s exactly like his manga self personality-wise and is the only character whose design was not significantly changed.

- Shiranui: I really like that anime Shiranui actually fed his arm to the sharks! It’s like he took Manga Shiranui’s desire to be eaten by them and actually acted on it. Anime wins.

- Itachi: Manga all the way. His sole redeeming features were that he felt badly for stripping Dororo and how he subsequently chose to respect his gender identity. Lacking those features...he’s a much less sympathetic and interesting character. He also went down screaming battle cries at the samurai who were attacking him and defending Dororo.

Overarching Themes

- Manga: I believe that the overarching theme of the manga is that of otherness and how the world reacts to it. The hardest hitting scenes for me are the ones in which Hyakki and Dororo are thrown out of a village they saved by villagers unable to understand that they’re just as human as them. Hyakkimaru doesn’t struggle to regain his body because it’d be better than a prosthetic one (acid gun leg! c’mon! the heck would you need a flesh one for?? if it gets shot you can just build another) - he does it because he wants to be seen as human, however long he has to fight to do it.

- Anime: Individual vs. collective responsibility. Anime Hyakki actually suffered long term harm because of the demon deal. His prostheses and abilities have considerably more limits. He wants to regain his body because he wants to live and experience all the things he’s been missing. But...in this case there’s a cost. The fact that his actions directly cause calamities in Daigo - that’s a fantastic choice that makes the story bigger than just one person fighting to be human. As much as I love the manga and its themes, I think the anime’s central conflict is slightly more compelling.

The Tipping Point

It was this scene specifically.

The desperation, the futility, the love so strong it destroys - these aren’t things that happen in the manga.

Manga Hyakki is constantly trying to get rid of Dororo, belittling him, forcibly reading his mind and fighting over something stupid more often than not. He cares about him, in his way, but would his heart crack in two if Dororo died and there was no way he could have prevented it? Probably. For a bit, anyway. Then it would harden again and he’d go back to doing what he was doing without Dororo.

Their bond in the anime is something else. It is the beating heart of the entire story. It’s the reason why Hyakki is so desperate to get his final pieces back. He wants to be able to save Dororo with hands that can lift a rock. He wants to see the fall colors with him.

Episode 20 was the one that pushed me over the edge into finding the anime superior to the manga...which is an amazing accomplishment, considering how dear the manga has been to me for so long.

I cannot believe how excited I am for the final episode.

#dororo #dororo 2019 #hyakkimaru #jukai #tahoumaru #daigo #personal essay #a thought

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verymerryhestia · 5 years

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*banging pots and pans* Theory time for episode 22

Okok, so just to be over with the simplest one already: Hyakki's mama angsty moment. 😔 Picture from ep 22 preview in 3, 2, 1:

I feel like this is Nui No Kata after Hyakkimaru was taken away from her at birth in order to be drowned in the river. She is out there looking for her baby even after she was told it was hopeless that he would live! She is dressed in white like she was shown to be when she gave birth. And the image seems kinda grayish, hinting it's a flashback. Plus there's this old woman behind who could be a caretaker/midwife trying to tell her to give up and go back to rest after the birth? And the scenery behind them. If I am correct, the place where another midwife who took Hyakkimaru to drown him was too filled with tall plants like those pictured above.

Next up, the deal with the horse (Midoro, right?). Actually, I have so many thoughts around this idea that idk how to order them...

So, the horse gets killed in an explosion but some (demonic) pieces of armor revive it by possesing the animal, to sum it up.

And...

We see Hyakkimaru riding it in the next episode preview. This kinda worried me, since, u know, the armor pieces were surrounded by orange flames. They even looked orange in Hyakki's vision.

While red is the color that would generally have to trigger alarm bells in our heads, orange doesn't worry me any less. Remember Ohagi, the spider woman from 23589o5 episodes ago? I checked and she was a demon who appeared red in Hyakki's vision, but, surprise! When she stopped fighting our boy and she turned her attention to that nice guy that took care of her who lay wounded on the ground, her aura changed to a pale orange-red (or maybe it's a very pale red? Please tell me if you see it another way than pale orange-red).

So, what would this mean? Is the being possesing those armor pieces a demon that's a little bit more chill than the others? Is it a demon that has no intention for now to harm anyone and that's why Hyakkimaru trusts it as a fast way to reach Daigo's? The eyes of the reborn horse under the demon's control are so unsettling and ominous 😥:

Please tell me it won't somehow mean that Hyakkimaru gets closer and closer to demons and to becoming one himself. Please, let it not mean our boy is slowly but surely losing it.

#dororo #hyakkimaru #dororo spoilers #tahomaru #dororo ep 21 #dororo ep 22 #nui no kata #daigo kagemitsu

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markbanaba · 4 years

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Arakan Koatsu: Origin

"They are called The Court." Said the man in the suit. "They are a group of fanatics that believe only the strongest deserve the gift of life. Their M.O. is that they kidnap people with weak or useless quirks, mostly quirkless, and decide whether the person lives or dies"

The man continued "The court has several enforcers that kidnap or kill whoever the court wants, we believe we found one of them."

A mans face showed up on the screen, he had lime-green eyes and a mask-like face "Midoro Hi, an enforcer for the court, we don't know what his quirk is, but considering the fact that he is one of the courts enforcers, he is considered dangerous, you got that Combat Medic?"

Hiro Koatsu nodded. "Yes sir"

Hiro Koatsu! Hero Name: Combat Medic!

Quirk: Strength and Healing!

He can heal any injury with just skin to skin contact! It takes a lot out of him though! Also, he can hold up about 40 tons!

"Your mission is to take down Midoro Hi quickly, we don't want any casualties got that?

"Yes sir"

"Good. We found him at this apartment building, don't wear your hero costume, just go undercover, we don't want to cause a ruckus"

"Yes sir"

"And good luck, Combat Medic"

_____________________________

Hiro staked out the building, confirming that Midoro Hi is there, then, when he went back inside the apartment, he barged inside.

"Stop right there Hi!" Said Koatsu.

"Who are- oh wait, I know you! You're that underground hero! Combat Medic right? Well then, if we're going by aliases, call me Midoronoshi" Saying that, Midoronoshi set his palm alight and threw it at Combat Medic.

Combat Medic dodged, but the fireball came back and hit behind him!

"Didn't expect that did you?" Midoronoshi said.

Hi Midoro! Villain Name: Midoronoshi

Quirk: Fire Control!

He can shoot out fire which he can control at will! They can twist, turn and even corrupt other fire!

Combat Medic asked him: "Why are you doing this? Do you actually believe that your making the world a better place?!"

"On the contrary actually! I don't y believe in that stuff! I just wanted to kill and The Court was the way! They do tell me to do some weird stuff though..." He walked over to a crib "The Court wanted another enforcer, with a better quirk! So they told me to 'produce offspring', so I obliged" He picked up a baby from the crib."I haven't given him a name yet, but he's the striking image of me! Don't you think?"

Lime-green eyes

Mask-like face

Yup, its his baby.

Midoronoshi's voice turned cold." Walk away, or I kill the kid"

Combat Medic was aghast. "You'd kill your own son!?"

"Yup! The little brats always whining so it'd actually take a load of my back!"

"You're insane!"

"Are we gonna do back and Forth's? Or are you gonna lea-"

Combat Medic leapt at Midoronoshi, knocking him out and grabbing the kid at the same time.

"I have to get this kid to safety before that madman wakes up!"

_____________________________

Combat Medic got out of the building then gave the baby to an undercover cop that was with him.

"Help! The buildings burning!"

Combat Medic turned around and saw smoke come out of the windows then, a series of explosions that trembled the ground.

"Dammit! I should have restrained him!"

"Wait here!" Combat Medic said. "I'll take care of Midoro." As he said that, he rushed into the building.

2 hours later

"He got away, Hi's quirk let him control the fire and that bought him time to escape." Combat Medic explained, shamefaced "I'm sorry tha-"

"Is the kid okay?" The detective asked.

"Excuse me sir?"

"The kid." He repeated.

"He's fine of course! Why does tha-"

"Then you did good Combat Medic, there could have been casualties, and you stopped that, and besides" He quirked an eyebrow. "I heard you messed him up pretty bad."

Combat Medic winced "Yeah... Things got hectic in there..."

"Hectic enough to rip his arm off?"

"Yeah..."

"Oh don't worry! I'm just worried about the kid"

"The baby? Why?"

"He's going into the system, just hope he gets a good family."

Combat Medic frowned "A good family, huh?"

_____________________________

13 years later

Hiro Koatsu was proud of his son. After the "Midoronoshi incident" he adopted him, named him Arakan, and raised him as his own.

The only downside was that The Court, and by extension Midoronoshi, was still on the loose.

A few years ago they have been growing more bold, even causing some scandals (The Shakou Takakutou incident) but Midoronoshi was nowhere to be se-

"Breaking News! A series of of murders and arson have been happening all over the country! Witnesses only saw one thing: the perpetrators lime-green eyes"

Hiro was panicking. What should he do? Anarkan doesn't know yet! But then...

"Its just a coincidence"He calmed himself. "Even if its not, Anarkans on an island with dozens of heroes on it, he'll be fine, just fine"

A man limped through the alleyway.

He smelled like smoke, and had an empty sleeve.

And kept on muttering one name.

"Koatsu..."

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r0bita · 5 years

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I think what bugs me most about Saburota in Dororo is that his significance kinda varies depending on how long Tahomaru is allowed to stick around.

He survives (somehow) in the original manga, after appearing twice. Tahomaru is long dead when we meet Dice-Spot Saburota. Saburota (a supposedly wayward third son) takes interest in joining Daigo's army when he crosses paths with Hyakkimaru. I assume Tezuka was planning on making a longer lasting rivalry between the vagabond, Hakkimaru and the persistent ronin, Saburota. They only cross paths twice - first in the Midoro chapter where he rides the demon horse and becomes possessed until Hyakkimaru kills the demon, then in the Donburi Belly chapter with Daigo where he tries to fight Hyakkimaruin exchange to become a samurai. During the second fight, he fails after Oyone, the daughter of a village magistrate, gets between him and Hyakkimaru and is killed. Hyakkimaru doesn’t kill Saburota but knocks him down when enraged by the incident. We never really get to see them have another showdown and we never get to see Saburota again after his second appearance.

In the PS2 video game, Blood Will Tell, both Tahomaru and Saburota have more significant roles and we encounter them multiple times in the game. Both have fought Hyakkimaru, Saburota becoming the more intimidating rival and the secondary antagonist (SPOILERS: He’s actually a heartless puppet created by the fiends in order to destroy Hyakkimaru) in the game while Tahomaru eventually becomes an ally to Hyakkimaru and Dororo. They both stick around for much of the story and play significant roles in the main plot. Almost all the characters, including Dororo, have all interacted with one another (Saburota's one interaction with Dororo in-game looks kinda similar to Tahomaru's introduction in the new Dororo to Hyakkimaru-Den Manga, Idk why that feels important to bring up though).

I don't know anything about the stage play (yet), but from what I have heard and can tell from images Tahomaru's role is significant while Saburota is just kinda there? He and Shiranui (shark boy) are kinda the same person here? He kinda interacts with characters enough for you to get to know his story? He had a girlfriend??? He fused with the demon sharks and the visuals were cool?????

I could say the same about the 2019 Anime, especially since much of the drama in the story is from the stage play. Tahomaru is definitely THE rival in this story. He and Hyakkimaru are there to fight each other for their own goals. It is their fate to fight. Saburota is a mini-boss compared to Tahomaru and kinda pales in comparison to Shiranui’s character despite their similarities in the anime, most likely because we just finished Shiranui's arc and Saburota feels a bit like a copy and paste with him and the Nue. The added backstory of him and his mother along with his eventual realization and contrast to Hyakkimaru was a nice touch, to say the least. Although, I was expecting to see him and Hyakkimaru have a legit against duel together. You could argue that the episode was less about Saburota and Hyakkimaru meeting and more about how Dororo is significant to Hyakkimaru, and how desperate Hyakkimaru has and will become when it comes to protecting Dororo, leading to the ENDGAME.

Saburota could have been written as an eventual retainer/lackey to Daigo or Tahomaru, but we already have Hyogo and Mutsu, two very well written characters in the story. So Saburota is pretty much screwed here no matter what. He doesn't even get to ride Midoro and go on a rampage, Hyakkimaru does, and boy is he scary.

Long post short, I'm a little salty about this and my horse boi got done dirty. This doesn’t ruin Dororo 2019 for me though, as this story focuses on Hyakkimaru, Dororo, and partly Tahomaru.

Bonus:

By the way, there's a Black Jack chapter As he Wills, where Saburota (I'm pretty sure that's him judging by the how the hair and eyebrows are drawn...) plays as the patient, Roppei, who almost gets eaten by sharks. That is either a coincidence to the stage play or the director and writers knew what they were doing when they added his character to the stage play.

#Dororo #Saburota #Blood Will Tell #osamu tezuka #black jack #Dororo 2019 #LONG POST

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translationandbetrayals · 5 years

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Dororo

Dororo, the anime series based in the 60's manga by Tezuka has just ended. I'm going to link below the opening so you can get a taste of it and hopefully it'll entice you to watch it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DCGQ57ykME

Also, warning: [Spoilers ahead]

Dororo has a lot of interesting themes to talk about; revenge, loss, families (chosen and blood ones),your allegiance (or lack thereof) towards them, Japanese mythology, political power disputes and their effects on the people, the though life of medieval-feudal Japanese world.

But we will not be talking about any of these. Instead, I'll tell you about this horse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvwkhxbiTAs

no, not that horse. This one:

Cute, right?

Midoro, is the best horse of her farmer, and she's had a foal not long ago.

Daigo's men (our protagonist's father and main antagonist) have the very bright idea of using her as a living bomb, because in that time there was no animal cruelty laws. So, they strap bombs to her and shoot her with arrows so hopefully she'll run scared right to the target (our protagonist, Hyakkimaru)instead of literally anywhere else in this open field. Surprisingly, this works, somehow.

And so, Hyakkimaru and Midoro explode and he's hurt by the exploding horse parts and shrapnel from the bomb, Midoro dies very violently. I bet that wont backfire at all.

Oh.

She gets right up to take revenge against her aggressors by helping the guy they were so desperately trying to kill, making him stronger. And not content with that, she later fights alone against the last strong henchmen of the protagonist's brother (or antagonist-ish) and rips their arm and head off.

Finally, she gets calmed down by love from her foal and dies at last.

Hopefully your takeout from this is that you should not mistreat animals, much less use them as freaking bombs. Oh and also watch Dororo and stuff.

-Alex Ferrer Tapia

#Anime #submission

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gundamcalibarney · 2 years

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[ Just a Dude and his Stand ]

@standswap-september oh worms in a can Standswap brainrot hit so hard that i made this fanfic.

Standswap AU where things are swapped from the get-go instead of caused by a Stand (or mayhaps, a look into another in preparation for the other).

Note 1 : that this takes place roughly before the events of the Yellow Temperance & Rubber Soul/Michelle and 「 I’m Looking Through You 」 encounter.

Note 2 : a small warning but y’know how Jotaro threw himself into jail for beating the shit out of people? Yeah that’s here but not in graphic detail.

///🌊🌟🌊///

1988, Singapore, a Hotel at Night

After Thomas got his ass beat and thrown into jail for the apparent murder of a man in a bathroom (he was told that he was a Stand user but murder is still murder) the night fell still and quiet aside from the occasional street noise.

Midoro slept peacefully on the other bed provided while his grandpa and Mr. Mahir were in another room to themselves which makes sense since they’re both the smartest people in this little revenge tour group.

But alas sleep could not come easy to Josei as he continuously shifted and turned in bed and the blanket came on and off him but nothing seemed to put him at sleeping comfort. His eyes even started to sting a little whenever he kept them open for like what? More than 10 seconds?

The normally sky lit sky didn’t show much as light pollution and the dreaded sky halo blocked any good view much to his chagrin so star seeing wasn’t a go to sleep option at the moment.

So there Josei laid in bed with a tight but strained grip on his pillow with his thoughts, at first they were mainly annoyances at the lack of a good sky and the stupid light pollution then to that Joestar legacy and his mom getting sick because of some blonde asshole which made his blood boil and his spine tingle with rage.

Because what’d his mom do to get something that could potentially kill her? How’d Grandpa be able to stay fit and yet his mother had to be bedridden because of hers?

Sighing to himself he sluggishly turned in bed once again, now wasn’t exactly the best time to wish ills upon his grandpa as there would be little direction if his gramps wasn’t around (besides, it’s Grandpa why would he wish the worst of serious ills on him?).

However his mind drifted to another, he had his own Stand.

One that made him put himself in jail because of it.

One that broke through steel like paper.

He brings his hands up to face to see the bruises and scars he’d endured from the trip to Singapore and honestly it felt really weird to have a moment of calm like this, Josei remembered why his knuckles were so battered.

The force [ Wayward Son ] brings upon his enemies was nothing short of terrifying if it had been able to tear through bars and keep a shark up in the air with it’s fists alone and by god the barrages it was able to pull off with speed and strength that broke bones, that scared him if he were being honest.

Four men from what he assumed to be some street gang lay on the ground, genitals ripped off and teeth scattered across the ground and streaks and of crimson all over the pavement.

Yet his fists weren’t the ones bloody, he looked on in horror as the screamed and soon after he put himself in a jail cell in fear of it’s abilities.

There were times that the Stand had acted on it’s own, the fist that flew to his grandfather’s gut the few moments where the two had locked eyes and he could identify that there was something else behind those gold ringed eyes and even the periods where it wouldn’t even respond to him.

If Stands are the manifestation of one’s soul, then what was 「Wayward Son」 ?

The soft sounds of the crashing waves enter earshot for brief seconds and his heart sinks, it was as if the Stand had heard his thoughts. Of course it (or was it a he?) heard him, it’s technically him so it would make sense if he heard them too.

He could feel the hardened stare of the Stand from behind. At first he simply wanted to ignore 「Wayward Son」, he really wanted to drift into the comforting darkness of sleep but the gaze presses on and he wasn’t sure if he found that frightening or not.

Josei finally relents and looks back to see 「Wayward Son」, its gold brows seemed to have softened a bit but that black sclerad eyes still held that glare and its weird brim wasn’t in a way that made that glare seem ever darker.

The boy takes a deep breath in as he runs twirls a lock of hair with a finger.

“So maybe i was struggling to sleep and maybe i ended up thinking a bit too much.” Josei groaned as quietly as he possibly do.

Though the thick gold brows stayed in that resting angry face the eyes themselves seem to soften a bit, fists weren’t as clenched as they were on the usual.

“This whole thing y’know is just new to me y’know.” Josei settles himself in a cross seated position, a finger then points towards the Stand. “You especially since i put myself in the slammer cause of you.”

Eyes momentarily go towards the finger that went at its chest, it’s eyes now narrow and gave him a look back which meant he somehow offended it. He wondered if Mr. Mahir would’ve at least told him about this but he assumed that the constant battles prevented him from exactly getting an answer.

“How are you me?” Josei questions almost accusingly.

He wondered if it was weird to ask his soul given form a question like that, because obviously it was according to Mahir and yet it felt so oddly different from him, from the cold gaze to it’s dark silhouette if it weren’t highlighted with the blue and gold (it actually kind of looked like batman).

「Wayward Son」 plopped a hand to his shoulder, grip tight and while it’s dark eyes still narrow they radiated a different sort of anger.

Okay yeah maybe he shouldn’t exactly overthink it but how was 「Wayward Son」 him in a sense? But how could he not? When you’re told that you have a ghost and that ghost was basically you how else should one take that information?

How much of himself did he really know now that 「Wayward Son」 exists and almost looks like the exact antithesis of him?

Another ghostly (but weighted) hand goes to his other shoulder, prompting Josei to look eye to eye with his Stand.

First it points a thumb it’s own chest, then jabs a finger into Josei’s.

Josei took it as a way of it saying ‘You are Me, I am You we are the same being’ which might possibly be exactly what it meant, some things still felt like they added up despite Mahir, Midoro’s, or his stupid grandfather’s words.

「Wayward Son」then proceeded to violently pushed him back into a lay, shoved the pillow in between his arm and threw the covers back over his body before its form dispersed into a beautiful purple coloured sea of stars that he wanted in the sky when he first attempted to sleep.

The young Joestar let out a yawn, 「Wayward Son」 probably had the right idea. His nerves seemed to calm down when the Stand showed those stars, his lids began to get heavy and his head fell back onto the pillow as he finally drifted off to sleep.

///🌟🌟🌟///

The Morning routine was mostly quiet between him and Midoro, as the two got dressed the teen with yellow spectacles then piped up.

“So what were you talking to Wayward about?” Midoro asked.

Josei froze at the question, “Your concern is?” he raises a brow.

“I heard you summon him last night.” Midoro stated. “You seemed to be conversing with him on something yes?”

He guessed that it counted as a conversation, not exactly a long one but one nonetheless. Josei hummed in confirmation as he slipped the purple sleeveless varsity over his shoulders.

“Couldn’t get to bed as quickly as i’d thought.” he affirmed.

“Hard time sleeping? Yeah i get where your coming from, guess the two boat journeys and the plane crash tired me out caused me to get to sleep faster.” Midoro joked, putting on his silver cap.

How a plane crash and two boat sinkings didn’t tire him out was a mystery, perhaps the adrenaline kept his nerves at a constant tenseness?

“Anyways are you up for ice cream, really need a calmer if i wanna get through this intact.” Midoro offers. “Mr. Joestar gave us a couple dollars so we can at least buy something cheap.”

Ice cream did sound nice and after these hectic few days and what he assumed is going to be the days after now, he also most certainly needed it. Though there was almost the beckoning force of another that practically and silently screamed that yes, ice cream sounds like the best thing today could offer.

“Chocolate ice cream will do.” Josei sighed with a smile.

He found it strange that this was the one way that told him that he and it weren’t too different as he had originally thought.

#moth’s writing #jjba #jjba fic #standswap #standswap september #Star Platinum #Jotaro Kujo #sentient stands go BRRRRRRRRR #a short story for practice for Standswap Story Mode #i’ll most likely do a bit of crossposting cause while Tumblr is a site #it’s also not predominantly a writing site #Mahir is Magician’s Red #Thomas is Silver Chariot #(no his name doesn’t come from the steam locomotive)#「Wayward Son」 is basically ‘’aren’t you tired of being nice? don’t you wanna go apeshit?’’ for Josei #but is also the reverse when it’s needed to be the opposite #jjba mothswap #edit: WHOOPS I MIGHT HAVE SLIPPED WITH HONG KONG CURRENCY

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recentanimenews · 5 years

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Dororo – 22 – Stay The Bro You Are

Things get more and more dire in Dororoland with this week’s events, with Hyakkimaru pushed over the edge in more ways than one by the capture of Dororo. The damage he did to Hyougou and Mutsu seems to render them no longer able to protect Tahoumaru, which means he’s more pissed off than ever.

Mutsu is the worse-off off the two, however, as she’s caught the disease that’s gripped parts of Daigo’s lands, and will soon claim her life. I feel for these siblings, now that I know what they’ve already been through when they were the same age as Dororo. But hey, at least Hyakkimaru doesn’t have to kill the demon horse Midoro right out of the gate.

Nui decides she won’t let another innocent child die for her sake, so she releases him, and hides him in her robes when guards pass by. Dororo lingers under those robes just a bit and called “Nui” mama. Nui can probably tell right there that Dororo has suffered too much already. Nui ends up following Dororo out of Daigo’s castle just as Midoro arrives to wreak havoc, and they take a boat downriver.

Dororo tells her more about Hyakkimaru and how unfair it is that he has to go through with all this, and she tells him how even without skin or limbs, Hyakkimaru was the most precious thing in her life. He hopes Dororo will tell him that. Dororo hopes she can help keep Hyakkimaru from becoming a demon. But due to the rains, they lose control of the boat and crash…

Fortunately, they’re both okay, as Dororo wakes up in the same stable as Midoro’s child; the two of them having to live on without their mothers. Biwamaru is watching over him, and later shows him that Niu is aiding in the care and feeding of the sick and invalid who had nowhere else to go.

Meanwhile, Hyakkimaru is revealed to have taken Midoro as his horse, and the two form a tornado of wrath that cuts through Daigo’s soldiers like softened butter. If Dororo wants to save him, he’d better hurry…if he’s not already too late.

Mutsu, deciding she can’t simply die in a room, heads to the Hall of Hell to offer her body to the one demon who didn’t eat a part of Hyakkimaru. Tahoumaru and Hyougou arrive in the nick of time to stop her, but something far worse happens instead, the three of them desperate beyond words for the power to protect their lands people, and each other.

After Hyakkimaru disposes of the fixer who kidnapped Dororo, he ends up crossing paths with Tahoumaru, Mutsu and Hyougou. Only they’re not the same people anymore. Thanks to a new deal with the demons, Mutsu and Hyougou have their arms back, and Tahoumaru has his eye back, along with a third one.

Those arms and eyes are Hyakkimaru’s. They were no doubt given to the three for one purpose: to get the remaining body parts back. Only then will the demons honor the pact and restore Daigo’s lands to prosperity…or so they probably told Tahoumaru. But it was a mistake for his father to deal with the demons in the first place, and it’s an even bigger mistake to deal with them now.

By: braverade

#Anime #News #RABUJOI – An Anime Blog

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rokurokuro-blog · 6 years

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♂ Midoro Gurin ♂

The uniform worn by him is a concept art that was used in YanDev’s video by @maxusfox23!

Commission Info

#yanderesimulator #yandere sim #yandere simulator #midori_gurin #midori gurin #fanart #drawing

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tatsuma-forever · 8 months

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toranosuke and tatsuma are so interesting to me. like, they would both be so different if their parents knew how to be parents. tatsuma was an experiment, he existed so k. midoro could brag about how good of a scientist he was. he never truly loved tatsuma, and from the 2 panels we see her in, midoro mom doesn’t care about him either. tatsuma got all of his attention from school because he was ‘pretty’. no one else cared about him outside of his looks before the sgm

toranosuke wasn’t as popular as tatsuma, but his parents actually loved him. he had to do so much less than tatsuma had to for people to care about him. although he never did anything intentionally against tatsuma, tatsuma still felt justified anger over how people truly loved his ‘brother’

since the only thing tatsuma was valued for was his looks, he thought burning toranosuke would make his parents actually love him because tatsuma would be ‘prettier’

if i had to guess, tatsuma and toranosuke were probably 10-12, as they are both still very young when the events of gto take place (i’d say maybe 14-16). the more i think about it, the more fucked up it gets

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aclockworkempire · 6 years

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Chapter Two: The Castle, Part Three: The Keep

The keep’s corridors are cool, quiet, and creepy. I expected frenetic dashing and ducking out of sight of guard patrols, but it feels abandoned in here. The sounds of “divers alarums” from the outbuildings fade, and I creep along the passageways in my slippers, ears open for any sound. The natural light fades as I push deeper inside and is replaced by a diffuse network of eerie blue lamps. My sense of direction is good, and I make my way north.

Down a passage to my left, I hear the whirring of clockwork joints. My pulse accelerates; I flit across the junction but peek back around the corner. I see two automata, decorated much more elaborately than those in the raid on Midoro. They bear shields and lances, each with thick cables running into the machines’ elbows. These must be royal guards, not foot soldiers; their equipment, lightning powered like the soldiers’ truncheons.

I slip away and vanish down a side corridor. It leads down a short flight of steps into a larger room. No blue lamps illuminate the room, and it’s almost pitch dark. I pause to let my eyes adjust. It’s an abandoned kitchen; the pots and pans are well-used but clean, except their thin coat of dust. I carry on.

Most of the next hour is spent this way; seeing or hearing guards in the distance, ducking out of sight, keeping one turn ahead of them… By the time I’m through, I’ve memorized half of the guards’ patrol routes. I cut through unused guard stations, bunk rooms, ballrooms, and parlours without seeing a living soul, but the castle is constantly patrolled by these automata. It implies a staggering amount of paranoia. The king must expect assassins at any time and mistrust the humans he rules.

It’s hard to imagine the young Prince Link anywhere in this tomb of a keep. I think of his letters to the Archduke to petition his father, and wonder when last the prince last saw his father.

Based on what I saw of the keep from the outside, I must be near the northern face now but still too high for a useable exit. Though I have yet to encounter a single locked door, there were several scares when I peered around corners to find pairs of guards, perfectly still and silent, blocking doors to lower levels.

I’ve given up on finding a ground floor exit; right now, I will settle for roof access. Surely, I can find a way down the north wall. With that in mind, I work my way up floor after floor and find myself at a crossroads. From the west corridor, I cautiously peek up the northern way. It ends abruptly at a large and ornate set of double doors – watched by a double set of clockwork guards.

Ducking quickly out of sight, I am exceedingly grateful that their visual centers don’t recognize my tiny movements. As I try to think of a plan, I hear a strange sound – real, human footsteps. They come from the south. They sound heavy, like those of a large man. Resisting the urge to run, I sneak back to an alcove down the west passage and crouch out of sight. I put one eye to a gap in the archway’s decorative trim to see the walker.

The man who strides into view is huge and muscular. His long dark cloak and grey-brown skin make him almost wraithlike in the dim light, but a crest of flame-red hair highlights him. The cloak is trimmed with gold, and thrown back from a huge barrel chest covered by a rich burgundy vest. Light glints off a gold monocle as he glances down at a collection of papers held casually in one hand.

As he passes out of my sight to the north, I heard the whirr of clockwork joints. Are the guards accosting him? Surely not. Somehow, it’s impossible to imagine the vast confidence in that man’s stride being misplaced. He must be expected.

He might be my only chance to get through that door.

Heart pounding, I ghost my way forward again and peer around the corner. Two automata are bowing deeply to the stranger, while two more work an elaborate unlocking mechanism on the door.

“He’s become, if possible, too frightened. Too cautious. Perhaps a touch of assurance is in order…” the flame-haired man murmurs to himself, and the door opens.

The large chamber beyond gets barely a glance; enough to see a raised dais in the middle of the room, and flights of stairs sweeping around the edges to a balcony and door at the back. Pillars and a thick railing should give me cover to hide on the stairs, but my mind is all on the knife-thin path that gets me in the room.

The man strides into the room. I see the two automata that opened the door for him step into line ahead of him, as a sort of honour guard. The two left behind maintain their low bows.

I am a shadow; I am a magician’s assistant; I am not a character in this scene; I let this confident man be the main character and slink up the hallway. Five, six steps; I stop breathing as I slip behind one bowing guard. There’s less than a foot between it and the wall. I have to duck under the butt of its lance. It starts to straighten and the doors start to swing closed right in the middle of my crouch. As the weapon’s shaft arcs down with terrible, unconscious force, I plant my rear foot and dive forward into a roll.

Like a child’s fingers around a slippery minnow, the doors slam shut behind me. The sound covers my roll. I’m not two meters behind the man, but he keeps walking. I vanish behind a pillar and peer out through the railing.

With a clack, the guards go to their knees in front of the dais. (I use the sound to crawl forward, using the rail as cover, to the second pillar. The fifth pillar borders on the balcony, and my door northward out of this room.) The man bows low.

“Archduke Ganondorf Dragmire,” a deep voice rasps. It comes from a mound of sorts in the middle of the room, on the dais. I take a moment to parse what I’m seeing. A grand chair sits there, a throne. On it sits a huge man, thick white beard pouring down the front of his robes like a waterfall. He’s mostly concealed by masses of thick cables rising from the floor, entering his robes at the ankle, the wrist, the neck. Some flicker with blue light; others are tubes carrying liquids to and from the body.

“King Rhoam Calatia,” the Archduke replies, straightening. “Do I find you well? Are you comfortable?”

“As ever,” the king says. “Your ministrations leave me without pain in my body, and I thank you. My mind is aggrieved, though. I must know what befalls my people. Tell me what happens in the mists; are my citizens safe? Have the behemoths been seen recently? Do we yet have a plan to slay them?” His voice booms throughout the throne room, and yet he struggles to use it.

I carefully retreat to the wall, keeping the pillar between myself and Dragmire. The stairs are too narrow to hide me completely, but I should be virtually out of sight from below. I crawl up to the third pillar.

“Those few brave souls who must stay in the service of your military are securing more villages each week, highness,” the Archduke assures. “Just yesterday, Midoro was made safe. Its people endangered themselves and others with home grown explosives and invited lawless dissident forces to train them in a brutal, undisciplined form of warfare. All of these rogue elements are pacified, and we are treating them even now.”

Halfway around the room now, I am in Dragmire’s line of sight. The stairs narrow. Even lying down, I can see them through the railing. The guards remain kneeling, heads down; the Archduke seems intent on the king. With a shiver, I realize that the king must be nearly blind if he hadn’t seen me roll into the room. Ever slower now, conscious of every twitch of Dragmire’s face, I worm my way to the fourth pillar.

“That is welcome news,” King Rhoam says. “But what of the leviathans? It has been years now that they terrorize our air lanes. You tell me that they even dive beneath the surface of the mists, as though hunting for squid in the deeps. Our mightiest warships cannot pierce their hides with our largest cannons. What news have you on their actions? Tell me how we will defend ourselves!”

Behind the fourth pillar, I breathe deeply and slowly, try to release my body’s tension. Though I haven’t been spotted yet, it seems impossible for the Archduke not to notice the motion if I continue from here. I resolve to stay safely hidden until the audience concludes.

“Ah, the matter of these… these ‘wind fish’ as the people have come to call them…” Dragmire says with distaste. “One was sighted near Midoro before we could intervene. It didn’t damage the village, beyond, perhaps, scaring the locals out of what wits they had. Our cannons do harm them, my king; we drive them off, and none dare approach our island directly. The problem lies in killing one before it can escape. My researches continue. I am deciphering an ancient ritual to unseal a great power. When complete, I will have the power to keep our people safe from anything!”

“Is that… is that wise, my friend? That which is sealed by ancient magics was surely sealed for some reason…” The king’s voice falters now, weakening.

“I take every precaution,” Ganondorf soothes. “Leave it all to me. Aren’t you tired now, my king? I keep telling you, your body needs rest. My treatments can only do as much as you let them.”

“Yes… yes…” the king sighs. “That will be… very good…”

Archduke Dragmire stands there, attentive, expression stern, staring at the king through his small, gold monocle. Apparently satisfied, he turns… and begins to climb the stairs behind me.

I have an instant to react, as the pillars block his view. I scramble as quietly as I can up the last of the stairs. I hear his footfalls, measured, patient. Darting over to the door, I try the handle. It turns, unlatches with a soft click. With milliseconds to use, I throw myself through the door.

The hinges squeal loudly as it opens.

I slam it behind me and look for a lock. There is none.

The long hall I find myself in is lined with raised stands. On each stand, a glass case; in each case, a treasure. Skylights let in the cheerful morning sunshine, but even standing on a glass case, they’re too high to reach. Doors line each wall, and I dash for the nearest.

The door I came in flies open as if a hurricane were behind it. The door I ran to is locked.

I hear only two steps before a huge hand closes on the back of my head. I twist out of its grip, but he pulls me back by my hood and flings me into the middle of the room. With a crash, my dead weight topples a stand. The glass case atop it shatters on the floor. I tumble as I land, but can’t find my feet. I come briefly to rest amidst the broken glass, almost on top of the sturdy gauntlet contained in the case.

Ganondorf stands over me, grabs me by the collar, pulls me upright. I grab the gauntlet as he does, the only thing I can think of to use as a weapon.

“Who are you, little mouse?” His baritone washes over me. He didn’t even lose the monocle in our scuffle. “How did you get in here, and why are you spying on me?” His fingers feel like iron, and they start to reach up under my hood, around my neck.

It’s possible to win a fight with someone who is bigger, someone who is stronger. I’d been doing it onstage half my life. It might have been theater, but that didn’t mean it was staged. If I couldn’t outmaneuver the other performers, my part of the show ended early. If a strong man gets a grip on me, life becomes difficult, but I still have the twin recourses of flexibility and surprise.

The gauntlet slipped onto my left hand as if it was made for me. Flexing my fingertips into spearpoints, I thrust them into his armpits while curling my legs into my body, giving him nothing to hold but dead weight.

His fingers don’t loosen. He grins. I instantaneously feel his balance shift, feel him trying to fall forward onto me. I bring my arms around his, drive each elbow down onto his forearms. His muscular arms don’t bend, don’t react. We are falling. My palms slap together, fingertips join into a unified spearpoint aimed straight at his throat. My legs uncoil, and I land on my left knee, right foot planted.

I hope his weight crushes his throat on my hands. It doesn’t. With an implausible speed of reaction, he takes a half-step, catches himself.

We poise there for a second, his hands on my collar, my fingers to his throat, him bent over me on one knee on the ground. I see the back of the gauntlet on my left hand. The back of the hand has a triple triangle design in brass-on-silver, and there is a socket on the back of the forearm. It looks as though it once held a gem.

I take this all in at once. Time crawls by. Ganondorf tightens his grip with glacial slowness as I think.

The socket would fit my mother’s gem perfectly. The gauntlet seems ever so slightly warm, and familiar. It’s the same feeling my mother’s gem always gave me, and, I realize, the Sheikah wallet did as well. Grandmother said those were objects with their own magical potency; this gauntlet must be, as well.

I relax my right hand and pass it over the gauntlet. I let the white gem drop out of its shadow into the socket, where it locks in place with a satisfying clink. A sensation of lightness and wild freedom courses down my arm.

I look back to the Archduke’s face. His eyes are locked on the gem, left opened wide in surprise and right tightening around the monocle with furious focus.

“I am Zelda,” I cry. His eyes turn to mine, and he recoils. “Of Hyrule!”

I release the magic in the gauntlet. Left palm open and facing right, fingers straight. A great wind surges under me. Ganondorf’s grip weakens in surprise. I leap, straight up, pushed up by the gale. My left hand raises and shatters the skylight above me. I land, rolling, on the steep roof tiles.

Clockwork sentinels line the eaves of the keep like crenellations. The Archduke’s voice bellows from below for guards, and their heads turn, lock on to me. I run down the slope of the roof at them. Barely a stone’s throw worth of courtyard separates the keep from the outer castle wall, here. I can see the houses and buildings of Castle Town, built right up to the castle.

These automata are built like the royal guards inside, but with sure, steady feet built for the roofing tiles. I call on the magic of the gauntlet and gem. I make the same gesture, palm open and perpendicular to me. Mentally naming this maneuver a Gale Leap, I point my fingers forward and dive into the wind. It carries me horizontally, up and over the lances of the sentinels climbing to meet me. I travel over the courtyards, over the castle wall, and I’m falling, falling into the town.

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