#and then it’s kind of the opposite with riku
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Okay, so my experience with Stranger Things is a weird one.
I didn't care when it first came out, started to watch it out of "might as well" in 2020, wasn't interested in it enough to make it past S2, forgot about it outside of going "oh, hey, cool, there's a lesbian in it now, I guess," in S3, got really annoyed when "Running Up That Hill" got popular from it because it was a song I listened to on fucking loop after one of my best friends died in high school and I fully expected its appearance in the show to ignore the whole survivor's guilt theme of the song (and was very happy to learn later that it did the exact opposite of ignoring the lyrics), saw people drawing Eddie, suddenly got a lot more interested, watched just the fourth season like a fucking psychopath because I was seriously only there for Eddie, then got interested enough to start the show over properly, having mostly forgotten what I did watch of the show before.
And let me tell you something from the perspective of someone who started with the complete fourth season, who wasn't there from the start, who wasn't tainted by ship goggles or this internal battle of hope and despair, who wasn't theorizing about what the painting could be or expecting Mike and Will to kiss when Volume 2 happened or rooting for Mike and Eleven's relationship to go down in flames or whatever the fuck. Just someone who went blind into Season 4.
It's really fucking obvious that Will and Mike are gonna be endgame.
Like holy fuck. It's so fucking blatant I don't even know why people are nervous.
No sane fucking person would shoot this scene this way if they wanted the audience to care about El and Mike as a couple. Despite being all blurry in the background, Will's reaction to what's happening here is smackdab in the fucking middle, clearly showing that the important part is what's going through his head here. What he's feeling. It's like the opposite of that scene from Kingdom Hearts II where Sora and Riku reunite and Kairi just fucking vanishes into the aether while it's happening because, despite the fact that she was standing between them when the scene began, she doesn't matter to the scene, so she's just kind of gone when the camera angle changes. Will could have been behind one of their heads, or so far in the distance he blends in with the background, but he's not. He's so obvious that despite being massively blurred out, he's still the first goddamn thing you look at. What, you think that's an accident? You think he's in the middle of this dramatic fucking scene because of a mistake? He basically has a big flashing neon arrow pointing at him with "THIS IS THE POINT" being screamed through a megaphone.
And then this?
They're paired up like they're taking fucking prom pictures. Each one of these pairs is so fucking close to one another and so fucking far from everyone else. It's not, "Oh, they're standing vaguely near each other in a group shot," it's fucking Noah's Ark out here. Again, there's no way to take this as an accident. It's not just a framing issue. If they wanted to make the shot look balanced while still not hiding anyone else behind El, they would have scattered people around much more naturally. Even if they wanted to keep Nancy with Jonathan and Hopper with Joyce, there's so much room on that hill for three people to stand on El's left and three on her right. But they didn't do that. They put Mike and Will together on purpose in the most obvious way possible.
Like I get that coming up with crackpot theories is fun in and of itself and I'm not blaming anyone for having fun. I totally get the appeal of arguing a point and reaching for every stupid little thing to pull into it because it's like a game, okay? I've done that. But if you're trying to actually convince someone (whether it's someone who wants to believe or someone who's pissed at the very idea that Mike and Will could be in love), stay away from blue and yellow lights, stay away from costume design, stay away from the existence of closets in backgrounds. And don't worry about whether Mike's gay or bi when he's in love with Will either way. I'll give you a little tip about persuasion: You're only as strong as your weakest argument. Even if you've got strong stuff in there, too, the person you're trying to convince is going to dismiss anything you say as complete insanity the second you start going on an entire tangent about the shape of a character's fucking pocket.
Sometimes, clothes are just clothes. Sometimes, there's a closet in the background because it helps establish that a character is in a bedroom. Sometimes, blue and yellow are just a couple of colors that look nice together. And sure, it might be set designers and costume designers and cinematographers smirking and winking at the audience from behind the camera. But if the show was just those things, instead of those things in the context of everything else, they wouldn't be saying anything of note.
But this?
This tells a story all on its own. Someone with no context can look at this and automatically assume that each paired person is standing with someone they care about deeply, seeking comfort as they watch some sort of disaster unfold. And yeah, romantic couples usually come in twos, and we live in an amatonormative society, so that's going to be the first association anyone makes seeing a bunch of people paired off.
It's the same reason you look at this
And go, "Oh..."
"Those two are probably a couple."
And I genuinely don't understand how people could have watched S4 Vol. 2 and gotten scared. Because as someone who went in with no investment whatsoever, I just looked at these two--
--and went, "Oh, those two are a couple. Good for them." And I moved on. Shut up about the trees for five seconds and just see the forest for what it is.
Oh, and if you're still nervous? Little thing from a storyteller here: You don't leave a hanging thread like "Will confessed his romantic feelings for Mike by projecting them onto El, but Mike either didn't understand or at least didn't say he understood," without coming back to that later. That's Chekov's gun hanging on the wall, babes. It's gonna fire at some point. If Mike was going to reject Will's feelings, if they weren't relevant, they would have had that discussion in Argyle's van. There'd be no reason to leave you in suspense.
#byler#meta#stranger things#theory#I mean I fucking guess#in the same way gravity is a fuckin' theory.#It feels silly that I even have to say this honestly.#Watching people freak out over these two feels like I'm being pranked.#Like you guys aren't pulling a Goncharov are you? Just making believe there's any chance these two aren't gonna be endgame?#Like completely ironically? And I'm too autistic to catch it?#It genuinely feels like I'm explaining that red and blue make purple here. As if you guys should have learned this in kindergarten.#Or like watching whole-ass adults watch Cinderella for the first time and being on the edge of their seat#wondering if she's going to live happily ever after with the prince or not.#It feels like I'm talking DOWN to people and I don't WANT it to feel like that but it's so obvious and I don't want people to be like#anxious for no reason you know?#Like I get that we're all scarred from queerbaiting and I know you guys are biased from years of shipping these kids.#But like. These guys? The most obvious 'there's only one way this could go' couple I've ever seen? You're scared about THEM?
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My thoughts on the volta do mar
In-game, the Volta do Mar method was created to travel through the pale, being first used in the first successful voyage into the pale. Apparently it took years to develop the method, a "strict psychological regimen imitating the creation process of poetry."
In real life, the volta do mar is a Portuguese (volta do mar is Portuguese for 'Return from the Sea') sailing practice of, in simple words, sailing further out into the sea to avoid sailing directly against the wind and then catching winds that then move in the correct direction (useful since portugal is slightly north of the equator, blah blah wind directions)
While watching a playthrough, Joyce's description of Lely's tattoos reminded me of this 'return from the sea' business. Lely's tattoos are a history of his service, but originally the tattoo was a custom of sailors "mark[ing] their bodies to map their travels." "The sailor's soul would use it to fly back home if they should die abroad. This is a sort of… contraption. To be reeled back in by." If a sailor died, their soul would 'return from the sea'(😮).
The pale is likened to the ocean many times in Disco Elysium, so these tattoos and the volta mantras are very similar. They are linked even more when we see that the tattoo custom was begun "right after the discovery of Insulinde," so the creation of voltas and the creation of this tradition kind of bookend the eighth expedition. Likening the irl volta do mar practice and this in game example got me thinking about how exactly in-game voltas are used and created.
(Interesting note, Joyce describes these tattoos as "the silver cord" linking the soul and home, whereas irl, the concept of the silver cord is supposed to link the soul and the body.)
Personally, the concept that is pale was hard enough for me to grasp (even with it being an established fictional concept with, like, words to describe it.) It's "the opposite of reality," it's a property that suspends other properties, and it can damage human minds. According to Joyce, dialectical materialists argue that "pale somehow *consists* of past information, that's degrading. That it's rarefied past, not rarefied matter."
"They call it the *blend-over of the self*. The pale does not only suspend the laws of physics, but also the laws of psychology, maybe History, even… The human mind becomes over-radiated by past."
We can assume that this 'blend-over of the self' is true because of the Paledriver, who is observably pale-radiated and lost in worlds in lives that her body hasn't lived.
Operating on this theory, the pale is made of information, and I would also like to argue that pale is made of not only past information, but also future information, and information about alternate timelines.
In the moralist vision quest, we hear entroponetic crosstalk of Kim from the future *and* arguably an alternate timeline if he ends up in the hospital and doesn't end up at the islet. So pale is basically all information and possibilities.
The only explicit example of a Volta do Mar is from the Insulindian Miracle thought, and it's song lyrics from What If by Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld. This thought establishes that voltas are 1) Taught in schools and 2) Repeated like mantras while travelling. The voltas aren't mentioned in Sacred and Terrible Air, by name at least. Zigi does sing Helvetti, by Kauko Röyhkä & Riku Mattila, in pale, but that's explicitly a song and not a poem, and obviously he doesn't need to resist the effects of the pale (and if fact doesn't want to drive away the pale, based on his reaction to Nilsen's 'Communism is white' speech when it started to ward off the surrounding pale.)
When Joyce says that the method is a "strict psychological regimen imitating the creation process of poetry," my thinking was that it can't be as simple as reciting poetry while travelling through the pale. It might be, but wouldn't the process *be* the process of creating poetry and not 'imitating' it? Of course, it could just be referencing the research it took for the explorers to be able to safely traverse the pale, but I wasn't satisfied with that.
(I'll admit, when I first began building this theory, I didn't know that we had an explicit example of a volta, and it stumped me for a bit, but I think it works still.)
I've seen interpretations in which the poetic nonsense of voltas force the person to focus on reality/on their own mind, to focus on the next word in the sequence. But using the real world volta do mar technique as a base, I started building my own theory by considering that the voltas mirror the technique of the irl volta do mar. Voltas would be performed by a person going deeper into the pale (whether mentally or physically) in order to somehow escape the effects more easily.
Having already established that the pale is information, it makes sense that the way to manoeuvre it would be via words and concepts. Prior to remembering The Insulindian Miracle thought, my theory was that, instead of pilots being *taught* previously written mantras, they were taught to create poetry while immersed in the pale. The pilot's mind would then grasp the floating information that is pale to string the words together into a distinct phrase/poem, intentionally going deeper into the pale to get enough material to work with. With the resulting phrase, it would be grounding enough to bring the pilot back to reality.
However, all of that is irrelevant when you consider the volta that Harry was taught.
Or is it?
The Insulindian Miracle solution says that "you were taught it at school. It is one of the Volta do Mar mantras repeated on the voyage that lead to the discovery of the Insulindian isola." I could interpret it as saying that voltas are written in advance, or that *historical* voltas are taught in grade school, just like we're taught historical documents or literature. Maybe children of Revachol are taught about the voltas that the discoverers of their isola used simply for academic knowledge.
And as Joyce says, the Volta do Mar is also used by "other troubled souls even to this day." Ordinary people may not have access to the bank of information that is the pale, but they do have their own troubling thoughts that they can pick words and concepts from to still go through the same process that I've described in order to calm themselves or relieve stress.
I do want to analyse Kim's Volta do Mar skill at a later time using all of this, but right now this is what I have to offer :)
(An excellent post that I was inspired by is about the connection between water and memories by @/57sfinest, which I would like to briefly reference at the end of all this analysis. Imagine it as a triangle, one point is the ocean that the sailor's souls would have to return from (or the irl ocean that the volta do mar was used for, if you like), the second point is the past and memories, and the third point is the pale, the "rarefied past." It's all connected.)
#is this anything maybe#tell me if theres any glaringly incorrect things or anything ive missed here pls#i have gone through so many interpretations of kims skill i have no idea#of course this whole theory only works if you believe that only historical voltas are taught in schools#and not pre written ones for general use#i think the 'troubled souls' could also possibly recite well known voltas for the sake of having a mantra#contains inconsistent capitalization#disco elysium#disco elysium meta#disco elysium spoilers#corvid creates
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whumptober alt. prompt no. 2: aftermath of failure
“Please, ple-, please, I can’t…” Chapped lips rasp out the faint, desperate words. Tear-beaded lashes flutter slowly. Quinn’s chin wobbles as they try to keep pleading, but can’t find the breath to.
Scar-ridged hands swipe over Quinn’s body quickly, harshly, healing magic seeking out the worst of the damage. They arch up when he presses on their stomach and finds tension that shouldn’t be there. Internal bleeding is bad, especially if they’re already pale and breathing weakly and crying from the pain.
Across the room, Tank lies vulnerable, too, rolling the back of his skull back and forth on the ground. His arms are limp under misshapen shoulders, one of his hips jutting out wrong, his chest purpling from busted ribs. He howled so loudly with each injury that Major’s head is still throbbing. If Major listens very closely, he can hear his big boyfriend moaning deep in his throat.
The brushing at Major’s hip distracts him, and his hands fall from Quinn as he turns to see that it’s Remy’s fingers brushing up against him, reaching feebly. Those big, kind eyes are full of fear, but not recognition. Blood drips down Remy’s cheek from his nose, from the corners of his eyes, from his ears. It sticks his back to the floor, too. Remy healed everyone, healed as much as he could, accepting the lashes from the whip as he went just for the chance to help his friends. Eventually he ran out of magic, and with that exhaustion came the blindness, the bleeding, the frigid skin and fading hearing.
Riku and Sonia lie in a pile where they were trying to protect each other. Sonia fought well, even better than Tank did, but when one of their captors lit up a cigarette, something in her posture changed and she got sloppy, got easier to pin. Major didn’t see what was done to the girls, but they’re being quiet and still and it’s freaking him the fuck out.
The burns across his body hurt, hurt a lot, but he almost feels numb to them right now as he sits heavily and looks over each friend, thoughts slow and jumbled. He just doesn’t know what to do.
Soft fingers keep knocking against his side. They find a shredded sleeve and tug on it, trying to pull him closer. Major jerks away from Remy’s touch, stomach flipping with guilt.
“Please,” Croaks the healer who lost his sight and hearing and too much blood from being too generous. Major slams his hands over his ears and squeezes his eyes shut, knees folding up to his chest.
He can still hear Quinn’s low weeping, and how it’s getting more and more feeble. He can hear Tank’s near-silent whines - he won’t even ask for healing, he doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt for him. The girls are too quiet, the captors are gone but not for long, and Remy’s still grasping at him.
The downed healer says something. Major growls in frustration and slides his hands up into his hair to pull on it, tugging frizzy locks in opposite directions. It makes his headache worse.
“...for me,” Continues his soft, drained boyfriend. Remy’s voice is cracking. “Ignore the - can you hear me? The pain. The, if anyone’s d-, dead… look for what’s gotta get fixed, now.”
Major tugs harder and grimaces through the burning of his scalp. Hits the side of his own head once, twice, trying to make his brain work.
Remy has found Major’s thigh and has laid his palm on it. “Bleeding out, cracked skull, ribs bending wrong, internal bleeding.” He’s rubbing Major’s leg in small swipes of his thumb. “Look at who has that.”
Reluctantly, the overwhelmed healer looks over at each body, reading tension and amount of blood spilled and varying levels of consciousness. Tank’s in so much pain, he deserves to be fixed up first, he always gets fucked up so bad protecting everyone - but Quinn’s stomach is full of blood and they’re fading, it looks like - but Riku, Sonia, are they dead or just halfway there?
He reaches down and snatches up Remy’s hand, crushing it in an anxious grip. Remy’s face crumples with discomfort and sympathy. “Weakest breaths, then.”
Instead of looking around, Major closes his eyes and listens, now. Quinn’s breathing is pretty bad. Tank’s is choppy with pain. Riku’s is quiet but even with focus. Sonia’s - he can’t hear it.
Remy’s hand is thrown aside, Quinn shoved out of the way as Major throws himself onto his feet and then skids to his knees beside the pile of two girls. Rough, impatient hands tear Riku up and back, violently unwrapping her arms from around the smaller girl. Riku whines in stress but can’t resist being manhandled, clutching at the stab wounds down her thighs.
Curled up on the floor is Sonia, short black hair ruffled, knuckles swollen, ankle twisted. Her eyes are closed and her chest is still.
He shoves two fingers up under her jaw, presses a palm over her heart, checks if her skin’s still warm. The heartbeat is weak, and… her body jolts once, weakly. An unconscious, spasmodic attempt to breathe. He yanks her jaw down, reaches down unflinchingly to try to find an obstruction in her throat, but there is none. She doesn’t react to him searching. Flustered with distress, aware that her brain could be taking damage already, he just plants one hand on her throat, the other over her lungs, and pours out the first burst of healing magic that he’s dared to use here.
The magic is soaked into her throat, tugged in by the injury, and he figures out after a second that something in there broke. The trachea or whatever. She was strangled, and everyone was too busted up or busy taking their own beating to save her.
“Fuck,” Mutters the healer, and he focuses fully on fixing the small bone. It’s less than a minute before her body rocks, tenses, and then she coughs once before sucking down a ragged breath. Her blue-tinged lips go purple.
If he’d waited another minute, if Remy didn’t help him figure out… he has to keep working, fast. Major leaves Sonia curling up on her side and choking out confused sobs, not even bothering to get to his feet, instead crawling in a wild rush to get back to Quinn. Like Remy said, internal bleeding. His hands press down over the tense stomach and pour in magic to close internal wounds, seal up organs, redirect blood where it should go. Quinn tries and fails to scream with the deep ache of it.
His own nose itches. Major swipes at it with the back of his hand and finds blood. As soon as Quinn’s stomach feels squishy like it should and they’re trying to form words, he abandons them and goes to Tank.
He didn’t even see the shape of Tank’s face from over there. Crooked jaw, crushed eye socket. It looks like he can barely breathe around the trickle of blood down his throat. One eye blinks blearily up at Major, but he doesn’t reach for his boyfriend.
Scarred hands pour out healing magic until the jaw thunks back into place, and the eye socket takes on its old shape, and the left shoulder uncrunches, and the right shoulder pops into its joint, and the hip grinds slowly until it too can be shoved back into its place. It’s odd that Tank isn’t screaming, howling in the thunderous way he did earlier. Major’s cloudy eyes flick up to inspect his boyfriend’s face, only to find that it is stretched in a scream.
A cold, twitching hand rises to feel at his own ear, and comes away bloody. Major backs away from his latest victim and swipes again, paranoid, only to find more blood dripping down from his earlobe.
Movement in the corner of his vision catches his eye, and he finds Remy trying to rise, stuck to the floor by his bloody flayed back. Nausea settles heavily in his gut and Major crawls over, slower than before, to grab his other boyfriend by the shoulders and pin him, healing him simultaneously. The golden light flows down to mend Remy’s back, and there again Major sees screaming that he can’t hear. Remy can’t hear it, either. Nearby, Quinn flinches from the sound.
Blood splatters on Remy’s cheek. For a horrifying moment Major wonders if somehow his skin was punctured from the inside as if there were an alien infesting Remy’s body. But then another small splatter appears, and he realizes his nose feels clogged. Still bleeding from there, then. At least Rem’s almost unstuck from the floor, almost able to get up and cower if he needs to.
Pain explodes in his back, and with an undignified screech that he can’t hear, Major collapses onto Remy. He’s dragged off and flipped over to gasp and blink up at the guy standing over him with a crowbar.
They can’t be back for more already. Everyone was almost dead. Major tosses his head side to side to watch as the other captors find each of his friends where they lie and drag them up, or start a new beating, or pin them to the floor. He might be yelling, might be cursing, he’s not sure. His throat aches already from whatever he’s doing in protest, but it’s hard to tell if it’s coming out coherent at all. The end of the crowbar rests against the underside of his jaw, and Major falls silent, aware of just how easily that dense metal could turn his head into soup.
He can’t hear anyone being hurt, can’t quite see the new damage with the new fuzzy dark spots floating in his vision, but as the crowbar is raised over him, Major knows that all that healing was pointless. He didn’t save anyone.
#whumptober2023#no.30#aftermath of failure#oc#writing#gore tw#near death tw#broken bones tw#internal bleeding tw#loss of senses tw#quinn#major#riku#sonia#tank#mine#captivity#torture
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Was thinking about why would Yozora have blue and red eyes since he’s kind of a mix of Sora and Riku then remembered that he existed.
So, on opposite of Sora’s rage form where his eyes are yellow, Riku’s nightmare has red eyes. Maybe the negative side of Riku got mixed into that incident and that’s why Yozora want to “save” Sora by freezing him lmao
#but the explanation could also be that his blue eye come from Noctis#but I still don’t know about the red one#i swear from everything besides his weapons— I can’t explain why his eyes disturb me so much#I know damn well yozora is about to be a problem in kh4💀#kh#Kingdom Hearts#yozora#Riku#nighmare riku
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Towa Higurashi: Annoying Female Protagonist
When the information and trailer came out about Towa, we instantly thought she was going to be this badass female character who is brave and nice but instead we get an annoying, bossy, whiny, and overrated female character who is very clingy.
Being overrated
We were told by numerous characters and information that Towa is the strongest, and useful one in Yashahime but she's really weak and bland. towa was introduced as a strong girl, who is tired of playing the stereotypical girl in the modern world, thus, not hesitating when it comes to beating up her enemies, but then she traveled to the feudal era and we see a 180° flip in her personality, she started being kind and didn't want to kill the demons. They tried to create a second Rin/Kagome through her.
Everyone thinks and believes that she's the most important being and the chosen one but they're wrong.
Ex. Riku, Rion, Jyubei, Takechiyo, Kirinmaru, zero, etc.
In the first episode, we see Towa sitting and her hands tied up in simple rope as she was arrested and instead of instantly getting out of the rope by her strength and fleeing the area she decides that she wants to be rescued.
I wonder why it is that out of the 2 twins, towa has inherited the majority of sesshomaru's abilities.
In the modern era, Towa is the rowdy one getting into fights with weak gang members while holding back but as soon as she's in the feudal era she becomes this extreme pacifist who's naive who always wants others to be that too and annoyingly talks about the modern era.
setsuna and moroha have lived in the feudal era all of their lives and had to battle many demons and earned their abilities but towa, who's the least combat-experienced of them as she only battled weak humans, is suddenly the strongest out of the 3 of them and earns her abilities instantly without even trying and constantly saying sorry as we've seen in the 2nd episode is her having a weight set and trophies including one for track, martial arts, and kendo.
Ex. when they first battled kirinmaru, only towa, who lived in the modern era, was able to scratch him, not setsuna and moroha, who live in the feudal era.
2. Bringing modern items back
Towa was skeptical and hesitant on bringing materials back from the modern era, saying it could alter history. But nothing major really happens as kagome talks about and brings modern things back to share. Towa can be hypocritical since she is from the feudal era, shares items, and some would wonder what happened to her.
3. Hesitant
Towa is annoying when it comes to hesitantly killing enemies even though they killed others in cold blood and even the ones that are going to attack her family and friends like fighting Mistress Three eyes. Like kagome and rin, towa instantly forgives her enemies, bossy, controlling, whiny, and wants them to stand down, even feeling guilty for them and practically forcing others like setsuna and moroha to agree with her. And just like kagome and rin, towa can be too trusting and naive and would easily let her guard down and be susceptible to attacks.
4. Character Design
I really don't like her character design as it is ugly. I know in modern times, some women have short hair and she doesn't want to conform to standard gender norms as she's a tomboy but she looks like a boy and very instantly could be mistaken as one. I think they wanted her to be a boy but decided not to for girl power.
The creators probably wanted towa to look opposite of sesshomaru and setsuna.
4. Annoying
Like kagome and rin, towa is annoyingly outspoken as she thinks she can help anybody with their problems and pretend to be kind women. If towa's catchphrases have to be something it would be 'setsuna' and 'i'm sorry', as it's really annoying.
5. Pairing with Riku
Towa is 14 and they're making sick romantic moments between her and riku. He has known about her before she was even born.
6. Contrived Powerups
When towa received the Zanseiken, she immediately orders setsuna and moroha to stand down, even though they wanted to show off as well.
7. Obsession with Setsuna
What Towa has in common with kagome and rin is that they're obsessed and clingy to someone. For kagome its Inuyasha, for rin it's sesshomaru, and for towa it's setsuna and became even worse at season 2.
Despite being the older sister, setsuna acts more mature than towa, who acts childish, as towa lived in the modern where she lived like kagome where setsuna lived in the feudal era and she had to see the dangers of the world.
I understand that towa and setsuna were really close and separated when they were 4 and met again when they were 14 and towa wants to have a close relationship with setsuna again but she's just annoying and whiny about her, even seeing Mei as a substitute for her. Towa only activates her abilities and becomes serious and throws all her beliefs away when setsuna is involved and/or endangered like in episode 14 when homura revealed that he started the fire under zero's orders towa immediately got angry and wanted to kill him and even when he was about to kill them with a giant fireball she wouldn't back down because she still wanted revenge on him for tearing her and setsuna apart. Towa repeatedly made it known that she only cares about protecting setsuna and rarely thought about adopted family/in-laws from the modern era.
In episode 3, towa immediately felt guilty that setsuna was cursed with the dream butterfly and annoyingly blamed herself for her having it even though setsuna was content with not removing the curse and made it known multiple times. But it became the only reason that towa came back to the feudal era and selfishly repeatedly told setsuna that she only came back for the dream butterfly and she's doing this for her even though setsuna didn't want to do that, basically forcing this on setsuna.
It was shown in episode 7 in a dream that towa got setsuna her dreams back and hanging out with in modern era, meaning she wants setsuna to leave everything in the feudal era like her friends and everything she knew behind for her.
Majority of the time, towa constantly follows setsuna around like a puppy like in episode 5 when they had to find tokotsu and episode 20 when setsuna when to go guard the hanyo village and towa insists on going.
towa constantly thinks that because she's the older twin that she needs to protect setsuna and she doesn't want her to be alone as she's been around mei, who needs constant protection.
Ex. In episode 7, when setsuna and moroha were battling fubuki, towa made it clear that she wanted to defeat him only to save setsuna and nobody else.
Ex. In Episode 8, when setsuna became the only one who can battle kyuki because her demon energy wasn't taken away but towa thinks that setsuna can't do it on her own and needs saving, so she gathers up demon energy from moroha and the purple rainbow pearl then tries to attack kyuki only to fail and annoyingly scream 'why' constantly, only to have setsuna push her out of the way from kyuki's attack. Remembering a flashback, towa suddenly makes a speech about being saved even though she's the older sister then suddenly gets this power boost and quickly and blandly defeats kyuki.
Ex. In episode 12, when towa turned human for the first time she really thought setsuna turned into a human and has become scared and persistent about finding her, even when moroha assures that setsuna can handle herself towa still thinks setsuna needs her as its her feelings as a girl until she learns she doesn't go through this because of the dream butterfly.
And in episode 34, when the dream butterfly was killed towa, who became a human, still thought setsuna was scared and wanted to be with her even though she's fine and can handle herself.
#anti yashahime#anti princess half demon#anti hanyo no yashahime#anti towa#anti towa higurashi#anti kagome#anti kagome higurashi#anti rin#setsuna#anti riku#anti sessrin#anti sesshomaru
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So like, I know MDZS has that whole Wei Wuxian's smile is a very nice and bright thing going on and he's a pretty cheerful, optimistic and carefree guy right? In addition to that he has adopted siblings who he loves more than the world, questionable parental figures, an antagonistic view towards strict rules, and a deep love for all his precious people.
You know who this reminds me of?
Monkey D. Luffy
The obvious
Luffy is almost always seen and described with his trademark 'D' smile which is bright and happy to everyone who sees it. Both of them are people who will absolutely go to the ends of the world to make their precious people happy as well as protect them.
Family
It's also fair to take into account their familial situations, with WWX obviously not having any contact with any sort of relative of his. The closest we get, in fact, is probably Xiao XingChen, who is technically not even blood related.
Jiang Fengmian technically counts as his uncle but just barely because he knew WWX's dad very well.
And now when you look at Luffy, obviously his Dad is alive and we know Jack about his mom, but both are noticeably absent from their child's life. The only "parental" figures in his life (if you can even call them that despite how much I love them.) are Dadan and Garp.
(I'm sorry to say that Shanks doesn't count despite how much it hearts my heart. But he's more of an idol to Luffy and was only around for maybe a year at most in Fuscha? Though I guess you can call him a parental figure if you squint, but even then he's an active pirate and that alone warrants the 'questionable' title.)
And look, Dadan...is a mountain bandit and clearly not the 'parental' type, despite how much she loves ASL, and Garp... Well, do I need to say anything there? Sicked his grandchildren onto a mountain bandit and regularly put them into dangerous situations in order to become stronger. I don't doubt he loves them, but he's just not fit for raising a child as we've seen.
You could fit Makino if you really tried but she's more like the kind older sister type than a mom.
Onto the siblings, both WWX and Luffy were brought into an already existing sibling dynamic, e.i. WWX with Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli & Luffy with Ace and Sabo. Both had a bit of a hard time entering the dynamic for differing reasons (JC because he was mad that his dogs were sent away and Ace just didn't want Luffy around until he stuck up for them with Bluejam). This is an interesting similarity because they are such differing ways to enter similar dynamics.
Views on Authority
Moving onto how they view the world, both of these characters dislike strict authority, obviously they both recognize that there needs to be some authority to regulate and decide certain matters, but strict stifling authority is where these characters start getting itchy.
Some obvious examples include WWX and the rules of Cloud Recesses, be constantly complained about them and he questioned how the disciples and sect Members even survived there. Another honorable mention should probably be the Wen clan indoctrination and how that whole bit went down.
For Luffy, I feel like I shouldn't need to mention the whole Pirates vs Marines since it's kind of a given, but for this I specifically mean the "hard" justice that many seem to have, like Akainu and the world government. Who just seem to wipe islands off the map willy and just assassinate any other opposition.
I should mention that both of these characters are fine with normal authority, each sect for WWX has their own governing style and enforcement but unless it's a problem for everyone else, they don't really do much. And Luffy is fine with fair authority given by how he treats Boa who is queen of Amazon lily, Momonosuke who is supposed to be Shogun and treats him as such, King Riku as well as Viola and Rebecca who are princesses. He simply treats everybody the same but he respects their position for the most part.
Friends and Precious people
Now, the most obvious thing here is that these characters will move the heavens, part the seas, and raise the dead for their precious people (sometimes literally). They both take Honor to their promises extremely seriously, WWX owed a life debt to Wen Qing and her brother for saving them and doing the core transfer (as well as WWX just not excusing what are essentially concentration camps), so he repaid the action by saving the remnants and he promised to bring Wen Ning back to life. Which as we all know, he did.
And that's not even saying like I mentioned that he gave his golden core to his brother since he lost it to the Melting hand, and before THAT he was willing to give up his hand so the Wens would forgive the sect. It’s also notable that he promised Madam Yu he would protect Jiang Cheng with his life, and, well, everything that happened afterward should tell you he did his best!
To say he takes his honor and promises seriously is an understatement. Yet the same is also true with Luffy.
We all know that Luffy is big on promises and his nakama, a huge part of One piece is demonstrating how far he and his crew go for their friends and comrades. Some examples of major things like this are:
Arlong Park and helping nami
Promising Laboon to come back and fight him
Helping Vivi defeat crocodile
Saving Robin at Ennies Lobby
Promising to help Brook reunite with Laboon
Literally all of Marineford (despite how it ends, the effort alone Luffy put into saving his brother should tell you enough)
Fishman island
Liberating Dressrosa
Wano (literally what do I need to say there? It speaks for itself)
I might have missed a few and others may not have made it but these are the biggest displays of Luffy loyalty and promises.
It is also notable that if you feed Luffy, he will repay it. That is a threat. Tama fed him once in Wano and after realizing that was her last bow of rice and the whole issue with the country, he literally fought to liberate the country with a whole army.
Symbolism
Theres a lot more I could say but the last things I will dig into is this. Both Luffy and WWX have constant symbolisms of ‘Freedom’, whether they’re quite literal or more nuanced.
WWX always has had a carefree character and this is displayed in numerous ways, like how he named his sword “whatever” or how how he’s unashamed to show his more childish side at times (“Xian Xian is three!”). His flippant attitude towards authority tells you enough but he’s also prone to use the punishment against the punisher by finding a way to make it entertaining for him. (I.e. annoying Lan Wangji and provoking Wen Chao.)
This is also just in general that his name is symbolism towards his character, with how Wei Wuxian means “no/without envies” which really gives you an idea about his personality. I’m not a mandarin speaker nor even attempting to learn it, so more information his name and it’s symbolism can be found on this post.
Now Luffy, we can’t exactly say the aumbolism isn’t hitting us in the fact with all the sun motifs and it literally being mentioned multiple times as “warrior of liberation”, “joyboy” and whatnot.
But Luffy’s smile and constant laughter is associated Nika the sun god who was a warrior who fought for freedom and s the god slaves pray to in secret. (And supposedly based on an actual diety whom i don’t actually remember the origins of right now.)
And with the Sun symbolism (this is honestly now head canon territory) but the thousand sunny being a ship that carries the fruit of the sun god doesn’t seem like a coincidence, and another is that Luffy’s straw hat being something akin to a halo is a pretty neat idea.
Conclusion
Both of these characters are some of my favorite in media and the similarities between symbolism and parallels they have with each other is insane, I honestly hope people see that this type of characterization is very fun and amazing.
But honestly i just wanted to write a character analysis with these two cause they are my fav bois haha.
#mdzs#mo dao zu shi#one piece#op#character analysis#character essay#parallels#symbols#wei wuxian#monkey d. luffy#I hope people make more fics of these two interacting#the crossover for these two fandoms is a wasteland#I intend to fix that
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Kingdom Hearts Divergence, the Hearts In Chaos Chronicle
THE GOOD GUYS
Ephemer - The main protagonist of the saga, debuting as a dual MC next to Sora in KH4 before Sora's Keyblade of Light chooses Ephemer to be its new wielder. Ephemer's background is opposite of Sora's in that he's always known of other worlds, Keyblades, powers of light and darkness from the heart, Kingdom Hearts and all that because he's actually a member of the Dandelion Guild who comes from the distant past, having been thrust forward in time after running afoul of a conspiracy being set in motion by the then-current Guild Masters. Ephemer is a kind-hearted, empathetic and curious youth who wishes to solve the mysteries of the World, such as the Book of Prophecies and what exactly transpired between the Unions of the Dandelion Guild that caused Keyblades and Masters to become scarce. Much hard-hitting and less easygoing than Sora, he can be a bit cocky when he fights but is also known to be hesitant when he is unsure he's up to a big task, particularly true for becoming the next Keyblade Master, but he gradually starts to grow into the role.
Ephemer is voiced in the English dub by Michael Johnston.
Skuld - The series' new female lead is quite special, as she's come to the present timeline from a far off future. It's never confirmed outright where she hails from and who her family is, but it is strongly implied that she's the future daughter of Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly, with similiarities in hair, fashion sense, and even the use of a sort of "Gunblade" as her weapon of choice. Skuld, like Riku, has dabbled in the powers of Darkness and can now uses abilities derived from the twilight in-between. Despite being something self-serious, driven, and something of a loner at first, Skuld cares greatly for her friends and doesn't like seeing others fighting and getting hurt, which is why she tries to carry the burdens all by herself. As she befriends Ephemer and begins to loosen up, we see she is every bit as empathetic as him and willing to take great risks to protect others.
Skuld is voiced in the English dub by Cristina Vee.
Brain - A young man living in the present day's Daybreak Town, Brain (pronounced BRYNE) is a cool, laid-back, and studious person by nature. The first person befriended by Ephemer when he lands in this timeline, Brain becomes protective of the boy like a big brother. He is very clever and tactically gifted, good with analytics, deduction, and making plans to be implemented in times of conflict. Brain was also hesitant about becoming an adventuring, world-saving hero, believing himself incapable of fulfilling the role, but resolves to perform his duties to prevent another war from breaking out. It is later revealed that Master Luxu's heart cast itself into Brain's and melded with it (akin to Ventus with Sora), so the Luminous Vanguard seek to recruit him into the Lost Masters, but Brain fights to assert that his heart is his own and he "makes himself" who he truly is. Much like Organization XIII's Zexion, Brain's weapon of choice is a magic book.
Brain is voiced in the English dub by Max Mittelman.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck - In the year between KH2-KH3 and KH4, Donald's triplet nephews underwent a growth spurt and got even more deeply involved with being entrepreneurs under their great uncle Scrooge's mentorship, finally deciding they were ready to take on adventures of their own across the galaxy. As fate would have it, their first such endeavor leads them to Ephemer, and from them on they are inseparable from him. The Nephews act as a constantly rotating unit. In some worlds Ephemer can switch between which Nephew he wants to have fight along with him, but in select worlds, only one nephew will be available. Their specialty is utilizing magic like their uncle, but through high-tech gear rather than staffs.
The Nephews are voiced in the English dub by Danny Pudi (Huey), Ben Schwartz (Dewey), and Bobbi Moynihan (Louie).
Max Goof - The estranged teenage son of Disney Castle's lead guard, Goofy, Max is a squire still in training whose tastes tend to differ from his doofus dad's, including his belief that the best defense is a good offense, which is why he fights with a very shield-like blade. When Goofy and Donald accompany Sora to look into the rise in blight power and the Demi-Deterged, Max steals away on his own to prove himself, running into Donald's Nephews and Ephemer in the process. As one of Ephemer's constant companions, Max fears being as clumsy as his dad or being seen as needing of constant supervision and help, but eases into becoming a knight on his terms.
Max is voiced in the English dub by Jason Marsden.
Timothy Mouse - A mouse who used to be a big name in show biz but has since fallen to the wayside and become homeless. Timothy accompanies Ephemer and his friends on their journeys. The whole joke with him is that as he is a mouse and he's joined up with ducks and a Goof, Timothy believes himself a potential successor to King Mickey himself only to find himself the new Jiminy Cricket instead.
Timothy is voiced in the English dub by Chris Edgerly, who also voices the role of Cid.
King Mickey - We all know who he is by now, and of course he was going to involve himself somehow. Following KH4, he gets seen much less in the plot, making it a big deal whenever he does pop up.
King Mickey is voiced in the English dub by Brett Iwan.
Figaro - A stray cat from Disney Town who tags along with Max and with the main party, being attracted to Ephemer, Skuld, and Brain's monochrome colors they wear that match Figaro's own fur.
Figaro is voiced in the English dub by Frank Welker.
Chirithy - The Chirithy were the ancient predecessors to Moogles in the World, but only one such Chirithy remains in the present day.
Chirithy is voiced in the English dub by Lara Jill Miller.
The Blue Fairy - The very same Blue Fairy who brought Pinocchio to life, it's her magic that draws Ephemer, Brain, and Skuld together, as she fills Yen Sid's old spot as the primary magic-powered mentor.
The Blue Fairy is voiced in the English dub by Rosalin Landor.
Merlin - Speaking of magic-powered mentor, Merlin is still very much around, still working with the Committee, still in possession of the Winnie The Pooh book, and still offering magic training to any who need it. He becomes particularly close with both Brain and Max.
Merlin is voiced in the English dub by Jeff Bennett.
Scrooge McDuck - Donald's uncle and the great uncle of Huey, Dewey, and Louie who mentored them in the ways of big business. Uncle Scrooge is still around the hub worlds, always doing his thing.
Scrooge McDuck is voiced in the English dub by En Reitel.
Wreck-It Ralph & Pals - First obtained as summonable allies by Sora in KH3, Ralph, Vanellope, Felix, and Sgt. Calhoun are allies in their own world in KH4 and become recurring aid to Ephemer's party.
They are voiced in the English dub by John C. Reily, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch.
Kermit The Frog - No one quite understands what Kermit's deal is, but he was displaced from his home world when it got torn up by blight, so now he seeks application with Leon's Committee in KH4. Later reunited with his Muppet friends in KH5, Kermit continues to help out while also serving as the host for entertainment venues and mini-games. He's generally good-natured, but not good at handling frustration, and has next to no combat capabilities besides dodging.
Kermit The Frog is voiced in the English dub by Matt Vogel.
Elrena, Lauriam, & Strelitizia - The resident "Hayner, Pence, and Olette" of Daybreak Town, this trio is unique in that there are two girls and one guy this time! The three of them were in the very last remnant of the old Dandelion Guild and like a family to one another, but Strelitiza tragically lost her heart in an incident a few years ago, with Lauriam and Elrena losing their hearts to the Heartless when they invaded their world. Now fully restored to life, the trio become loyal allies to Ephemer upon learning his ties to the Dandelion Guild.
Elrena, Lauriam, & Strelitzia are voiced in the English dub by Shanelle Workman-Gray, Keith Ferguson, and Madison Davenport.
THE ENEMIES
The Demi-Detergered - A truly bizarre and unexpected evolution has occurred within many of the Heartless that still roam the worlds. Powers of light, light stolen from the hearts of others, have entered their veins and changed them from within. Rather than be attracted to the darkness of people's hearts with the instict to prey upon those hearts, these Heartless seek out darkness and attack it in ways that prove dangerous to hearts and destructive to the fabric of the World. Called the Demi-Deterged, this brand of Heartless and the "blight" they possess is exploited by the Luminous Vanguard in their quest to purge reality of darkness and re-organize it around eternal light.
Neodarkness - An entity made of pure raw darkness who's become ruler of the Dark Realm, ensuring that all dark beings like Darklings, Heartless, Unversed, and Nightmares return to the World. In his previous existence, Neodarkness was Vanitas, the dark half of Ventus who served Master Xehanort. In accepting his nature, his dark soul was able to evolve into something else. Pure evil as he seems, Neodarkness doesn't always disturb the peace and finds himself frequently acting on the defensive against beseiging blight.
Neodarkness is voiced in the English dub by Haley Joel Osment.
Pete & Duke Mortimer - While Maleficent plays the chief antagonist role in KH4 along with Judge Frollo, she's brought down and sapped of all her dark magical power in the end. Unable to act anymore, she tasks Pete with tending to all her tasks and searching for a way to restore her power to her, and knowing that her chief flunkie is hardly reliable on his own, she inducts a new flunkie into her service: Duke Mortimer Mouse, King Mickey's rival from Disney Town who debuted in KH4. Creating a faux Keyblade for his use, Mortimer also comes in handy for slaying Demi-Deterged as he and Pete travel the worlds.
Pete and Duke Mortimer are voiced in the English dub by Jim Cummings and Maurice Lemarche respectively.
The Luminous Vanguard - A clerical society of white mages made from what used to be different unions for the Dandelion Guild. While their seven masters entering stasis in time made the group unable to function for ages, it has finally reactivated and is out to achieve its leader's vision of a reconstructed Kingdom Hearts whose pure light can spread to not just all worlds, but all Worlds, and burn away all darkness so that all hearts will be forced into obedience to the light. Having eliminated the ability for hearts to unite with Keyblades in frequency ages ago, the Vanguard abhors the very existence of the Keyblade, believing such a weapon to not be fit for human hands.
Master Narix - Founder and leader of the Luminous Vanguard. Narix has long believed that the majority of hearts are naturally weak and susceptible to darkness that begets dark powers that defile the World, and that only the strongest and purest of hearts should set the course for the World and its denizens. Envisioning a reality where darkness no longer exists, light conquers all Worlds, and he reigns supreme as the light's oppressive guardian, Narix arrogantly looks to use blight to tear down and reconstruct Kingdom Hearts from within its innermost heart, and will eradicate all that would get in his way. The road to the deepest darkness is paved with good intentions.
Master Narix is voiced in the English dub by Johnny Yong Bosch.
The Lost Masters - The six Masters who accompanied Narix in forming the Luminous Vanguard were Avali, Fura, Gorgeyo, Jelus, Ecaed, and the now deceased Luxu. Aside from Luxu, the only truly prominent Master is the young Avali, whose pure heart and convictions to doing good by others for the cause of light enabled her to become one of the new Princesses of Heart. More than the others she has doubts about the rightness of the Vanguard's course, but tends to quickly dispell those doubts and show why a pure heart of light can be incredibly dangerous if exploited by the wrong crowd.
In the English dub, Avali is voiced by Jenna Ortega, Fura by Travis Willingham, Gorgeyo by Matthew Mercer, Jelus by Katelyn Gault, and Ecaed by Adam McArthur (and Luxu by Hector Elizondo).
Justice Minister Frollo - Having lost his authority in La Cite des Lumieres, Judge Frollo was beckoned out from his world by the Lost Masters, who annointed him as Minister of Justice to lead the test run faction of the Luminous Vanguard, with the leftover Nightmare energy Frollo had attained granting him the power to control and exploit the Demi-Deterged. Gladly compliant with the Vanguard's mission to purge the World of darkness but holding himself in such esteem that he frequently changes the course of plans without the Lost Masters' imput, Frollo's broad defining of what is sinful sees him seeking the destruction of many Disney villains and Disney good guys alike, as all this grows and enhances his own heart’s darkness yet he remains ignorant or in denial of it due to his sense of self-righteousness.
Frollo is voiced in the English dub by Timothy E. Brummud.
Evanesse' - A very different sort of adversary Ephemer finds himself faced with later in his quest. Created as a Hollow Replica by the late Xehanort, he's inadvertedly found and given life by Ephemer, making him a Xehanort replica whose essence is but a pale copy of what came from Ephemer's heart. Calling himself Evanessé, he seeks to find his own aim and to define his place in the World, but plagued by self doubt that he can live up to his own expectations for existing and by the specter of Xehanort, he comes to resent life and decides he just wants everything around him to disappear into nothingness...
Evanesse' is voiced in the English dub by Dylan Sprouse.
#Disney#Kingdom Hearts#KH Divergence#KHIV#KHV#characters#headcanon#trivia#analysis#what could have been#the missing links
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Tell us about the German translations of keyblades? 🥺
I SHALL. there's a couple things that haunt me
Firstly, basics. A keyblade is called Schlüsselschwert, meaning "key-sword." Quite apt, but I find the german term more pleasing since it's a clear alliteration of the "sch" sound ("sch" is identical to a harsh s sound, like the ch in chapter. not 100%, but you get it yes)
It is possible to make a one to one translation of "Schlüsselklinge" but this lacks the charming alliteration, and the word Klinge itself has.. harsher connotations than Schwert does? Like, a Schwert in an RPG is whatever. But Klinge? you are going to cut a motherfucker
funnily enough, the X-Blade is called the X-Klinge. This is a mystifying choice to me, but the pun is lost in german either way. WAIT since its said as "Ki-Klinge" they named it klinge so that one is also alliterated. i take it back this is genius.
Aaaas i have mentioned before, I'm so confused by DDD. The Kingdom Key is the Königsanhänger, the "King's Keychain." It's snappier than any alternatives that use the word Kingdom, Königreich, and since the name does refer to the keychain itself, it's perfectly logical to boot.
But, dream drop distance. Oh, dream drop distance.... calls it the Kingdom-Schlüssel. The laziest, most obnoxious use of a foreign word when a german name had already existed for a decade.
it's so stupid. why did they do this. hey squeenix localizers. talk to me. look me in the eyes. what were you DOING for ddd.
other keyblades! my thoughts keep running back to Oblivion and Oathkeeper. They're iconic keyblades, but their translations captivate me in different ways.
Let's start with Oathkeeper. It's called Sternentreue, "Star Loyalty." Treue has similar connotations to faith? Sparkly white magic shit forr jrpgs.
It's a simple name that plays on the obvious symbolism of it. Loyalty symbolized by stars. Star Loyalty. And yet, the word oath... It's much more impactful. Treue is what makes an oath, but an oath is like... more. It's quite a bit more romantic, in my opinion! Treue is also an impactful word, don't get me wrong, but just slapping Sterne in front of it cheapens it a bit. I wish it had the same impact, but it just doesn't! Get a little more spicy with it.
Oblivion though. Oh my god. German Oblivion is called Memoire. I'm never getting over that. It's called MEMOIRE. jesus christ. the definition here is the same as for english btw. a reminder, or, an autobiography. the totality of a life, summarized. the opposite of oblivion. and yet
thinking abt the relationships Oblivion symbolizes, Sora and Riku, Roxas and Xion, encapsulated by Memoire makes me bonkers. As though these relationships are everything. All encompassing. In lurid detail. Does Roxas not receive Oblivion at the end of his own memoire? Insane.
It's such a different name for the exact same thing. And somehow it conveys the same thing. Like all the romanticism wasted on Star Loyalty? THIS is where it is. it's called Memorie jesus fucking christ
Soul Eater is called Seelenfänger, Soul Catcher, instead, which is super fun, because down the line, Dream Eaters are called Traumfänger, Dream Catchers, too! It's a parallel I literally never noticed until now! Woo! The rikublade truly. Also because Seelenfresser (like, soul devourer. "Fressen" is eat, but exclusively for animals) just sounds too fucking beastial, and Seelenesser ("Essen" is eat, but for humans!) sounds stupid.
It being the same across two languages is either a neat coincidence, or deliberate. You decide!
The funniest change is Lady Luck though. It's called Herzensbrecher. Heart-breaker, like some kind of bad boy casanova blade. (bcuz the concept of "lady luck" as such doesnt exist in german, unless it's like, Frau Holle, but she's an entirely different thing that could not apply here)
One name I actually just don't get, is Divine Rose? It's called Zentifol, which is a word that doesn't exist as such. Like, if you look this word up, first thing you get is the kh wiki.
wait i googled more. it's probably from the latin name for roses, rosa centifolia, or the Zentifolien family, in german. This is like a WILD reach for the name. I have to wonder if they didn't have anything with more, yknow, symbolism on hand, besides just naming it Rose.
Same thing for Pumpkinhead, oddly enough! It's called Cucurbita, from some latin pumpkin name.
There's a lot of literal translations, too, of course, though that's not really worth talking about, ykno. Löwenherz is Lionheart, Feenharfe is Fairyharp, Diamantenstaub is Diamond Dust. Average.
Mysterious Abyss ended up as Mysterious Ditch though (Mysteriöser Graben, instead of "Abgrund", which both sounds cooler and means Abyss instead of Ditch). Epic win
There's sooo much more I could talk about. How clever calling Two Become One "Zweisamkeit" is that I can't even translate it without an extensive Translator's Note. The closest I can muster is "two-ness" but that's not it! That's not it. It's. Woah that is shmart.
AND HOW DAYS MUCKS THIS UP BY CALLING IT "AUS ZWEI WIRD EINS" IN A ONE-TO-ONE LITERAL LOSER TRANSLATION. kh handheld games, good lord.
i'm looking through a list of keyblades rn and is. is Destiny's Embrace called Schicksalswink. Schicksalswink. Fate's wave. but wave as in, waving. Not the ocean. Literal waving, like as a greeting. Objectively perfect name. God.
fucking props for naming Vanitas' keyblade in actual latin! Clavis Vanitatum. Which is latin forrrrr (drum roll please) Vanitas' Key. Is this Divine Rose all over again?
I'm gonna call it quits here.
TL;DR: there are some literal translations, some very literal names hiding behind a latin veneer, names I think are lame, names I think are decent, and Memoire, which I'm never getting over, ever
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Vanitas & Repliku vs Riku scenario
I love Vanitas and he's a ball of chaoticness
So I like Vanitas and Repliku (Vanipliku) both platonic and non-platonic.
But what I love is chaoticness and what if they were bored and just decided to mess with og Riku because they're annoying like that.
And so they just mess with him like,
"Oh look we're together— the anti versions got together and are in love but you're still a coward whose afraid of the darkness that can't confess anything"
And they just poke at him because that's what they do.
They'll be annoying little guys to him but maybe it make him do something?
But it's just a fun idea and poking fun at og Riku is kinda fun
I'M SORRY
He's my favorite character but I still like to do this
It's really entertaining having others just kind of mess with him especially in his post COM self.
Then other times I'm like DON'T HURT HIM
Okay but also a Soriku vs Vanipliku scene would also be fun.
Like the two opposites are at each other making fun of the other.
... I'm going to do a new post for this idea.
#kingdom hearts#riku#sora#vanitas#soriku#vanipliku#vanpliku#riku repliku#replica riku#repliku#alternate scene#kingdom hearts 3#kh3#kh2#chain of memories#kh com
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Someone recently said that KH saying appearances can be deceiving is kind of like the opposite of what MOM says and, indeed, it may seem like that but I think both can be true as long as you keep these following thoughts in mind. Just because a character looks like another character doesn’t make them a clone of that character and, even if they ARE supposed to be a clone, it doesn’t make them the same exact person.
For example, Riku Replica and Xion may have similarities to Riku and Sora but it’s easy to notice more of Riku in Roxas and I’ve got a feeling we’ll see something similar with Yozora and Sora considering Nameless Star reminded Sora of Riku. Though what Sora BELIEVES in this case doesn’t actually matter as he could be wrong but there IS a direct parallel of them both uplifting him and helping him keep focused on his mission.
It is: What you see but that isn’t exclusive to character appearances. It’s symbolism in the background, character dynamics, parallels, etc.
It is not: What you hear as it could be mere bias or unimportant in the grand scheme of things (”He looks like Sora” for example when it doesn’t matter what he looks like but how he behaves), a lie, or a misunderstanding.
And finally...
Keep in mind: How a person might appear can deceive you.
I was actually pretty interested in Yozora not just believing everything he’s told despite going to save someone because he was told to do it...so he listens to orders but doesn’t take things at face value. Might this have to do with him looking like another person that taught him otherwise?
It’s easy to dismiss what you don’t comprehend, after all.
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My straight (homophobic at that time) older brother watching me play kh II 15(?) or so years ago on the ps2: 'these dudes are gay, wtf' 'why are they holding hands?'
My brother watching me replay the kh games at the start of the pandemic: 'Damn, I remember them being gay, but not this much. Good for them.'
I literally didn't even remember how extremely gay they were, cause I was 10 at the time but fr. If my brother saw it aged 15, I don't get how so many people keep saying it's a reach to ship them.
dshhdhefidhdhsg
See the thing is like. Holding hands is not always romantic, you know? Idk if I even consider Sora dropping to his knees crying and clutching Riku’s hand in KH2 “romantic.” Not on its own, at least.
It’s a very intense reaction. Imo it’s still the most emotionally bare we’ve seen Sora thus far. Because he’s not trying to hold anything back. In KH3, when everyone except Riku dies, I get the sense that Sora’s trying to keep it together but can’t and feels (even more) pathetic because of that. But, in KH2, when Sora finally finds Riku, his heart’s just unashamedly spilling out of him and it’s so raw you can feel it, and Nomura is so insane for writing Sora and Riku’s reunion like this. (It’s going to take a lot to top it, and I’m really excited to see him try.)
But it’s not the kind of gesture you can slap a romantic label on and be done with. Rather, it shows this profound, overwhelming love in general. You could label it a lot of things, but Nomura’s choice to make this Sora’s most vulnerable moment communicates This is the person I feel the most for. This is the person I love the most. (And even if we do consider Sora’s vulnerability here on the same level as the KH3 scene, what does it say that just finding Riku, just seeing him again, is as overwhelming for Sora as witnessing the deaths of almost all of his closest friends? Opposite sides of the emotional spectrum, but the same level of intensity, bringing him to his knees, reducing him to tears. That’s a choice.)
My straight boyfriend played the games along with me and even he picked up on Sora’s love for Riku being stronger than his love for any other character. We commonly associate “the person I love most” with a romantic partner, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. And I’m quite a big fan of stories where it’s not, where the heart of the story — the love story — is between family or friends. So I won’t be hugely disappointed if KH ends with no confirmed ships. (No ships would be preferable to… other things.) That said… when viewed collectively, in the context of the other games, I don’t think it’s a stretch to argue Sora and Riku’s KH2 reunion could be romantic.
Every game makes the love between these two boys more and more pronounced — they are clearly the heart of the story — but the last few installments arguably have slid into more romantic territory. We’re seeing more romantic tropes, dialogue, parallels. We’re at the point where Riku’s feelings for Sora are directly paralleled to Hercules’ romantic feelings for Meg. I mean, that’s pretty in your face gay. Among other things. So while on its own the KH2 reunion is not “romantic” imo, the increasing romantic nature of Sora and Riku’s bond can re-contextualize it as such.
If you didn’t pick up the gay shit CoM was putting down (which is highly probable because the EN dub butchered the JP so much), 15 years ago, was the ship a reach? Eh, maybe. I didn’t consider a romance between Sora and Riku until I hit Coded and DDD. (And there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a noncanon ship, as long as you’re not hurting anybody — which is something a lot of people seem to forget.) Is Soriku a reach nowadays? No way. It’s written as a logical direction their characters could go in. If you don’t see anything between them, not a single romantic undertone, it’s because you don’t want to.
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daisuke's feelings over rokuto will always be complicated because yeah that whole entire arc he had his memories manipulated, the world was 'fake' the friendship was 'fake' and it was solely rokuto manipulating and trying to steal daisuke away for himself as a parallel to krad's possessive behavior (rokuto even literally drops the 'you're precious to me line at him) but daisuke was even so shocked that he'd ever speak to someone in such an informal/close n' buddy-buddy casual way at first, (when rokuto claims they're best friends) which is really just another testament to how lonely and friendless daisuke is!! daisuke does always have saehara and hiwatari, but those two are also on opposite ends from him. he has to lie and avoid them at least somewhat because there's always a wedge (dark) that keeps daisuke between himself and them.
but with rokuto? suddenly it wasn't there. the two of them do stupid middleschooler things like this.
and if you asked my daisuke, he'd say that just because the memories were fake, doesn't mean that he, himself, was acting any out of ordinary from how he would/might have had rokuto ever truly become his friend. if it was really impossible for them to get along, even if rokuto was only putting up a front, then the illusion would have fallen immediately apart. daisuke would have started hating or loathing rokuto midway, but he never does- hell, daisuke in fact ends up ADMIRING rokuto for being the kind of self-confident, oriented person, 'something kind of like what he wanted to be,' which is ironic and where dark's parallel (and later, his remark in regards to daisuke belonging to him already) comes in, given how it's rokuto who wants to be(come) daisuke.
in the end, riku smashes the same artwork that wanted to go out and meet her, and daisuke's left standing in a daze in front of it. was it a dream? did it all really happen? his memories got messed with, he had a REALLY good friend that suddenly turned out to be terrifying, dark saves him, but nobody saves, or can save rokuto. in canon daisuke and nobody else ever mentions or brings him up again, but esp in regards to my portrayal, one of my daisuke's biggest regrets, or rather, sources of emptiness and loneliness in his memories - is not being able to properly meet with and speak to rokuto, the same way he always struggles to properly meet and try to speak with artworks or other entities like krad.
#*･ﾟ⊰ 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒. ⊱ ✦ › OUT.#reference.#wtf rokuto meta at 12am#yea that checks out for me actually#im so passionate abt rokuto im srry listen if i had a dnangel muti rokuto WOULD be there justice for my boy
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Trying to get back into writing and I wanted to do something for the KH anniversary.
Five birthdays Riku spends with Sora.
Riku couldn’t believe his friend sometimes. Sora was tugging him along excitedly, going on and on about how much fish they were gonna catch today. Sora’s father was a few feet ahead, heading towards the dock to their family fishing boat. He didn’t know why his friend wanted to spend his birthday fishing on the play island, they could do that any day of the week. Birthdays were the one day you got to do something special.
If it were him, he be asking his parents to take a trip to the mainland. Anything to leave this boring island. But, today was Sora’s birthday, not his and he wouldn’t dare ruin it with his negative feelings. He let go of Sora’s hand and started racing to the port, knowing Sora would immediately catch on to the challenge.
If he slowed down a bit to let Sora win, no one could blame him. It was Sora’s birthday after all.
--
Riku watched as Kairi and Sora headed towards the shore, keeping at least a couple feet of distance between them and the water. Riku spent too many birthdays with Sora to know what would happen next. Now that Kairi had become a permanent member of their friend group, she had to learn her lesson the hard way. As soon as they reached the shallow part of the water, Sora went for the attack. The younger boy splashed the water, hitting Kairi right in the face.
She screeched in outrage and immediately went to retaliate but Sora was already running in the opposite direction. Riku would give them another minute before he joined in. He may not understand why his friend like to spend his birthdays on the island so much but, moments like made him see the appeal.
--
Kairi and Riku rowed in silence, knowing there was nothing they could say that would cheer up their friend. Sora held a small box in a white-knuckled grip, eyes dazed and Riku knew nothing would get through to him. Once they reached the play island, it took a few moments of proding to get the younger boy out of the boat. His movements were robotic, probably heading towards the shore on muscle memory alone.
Kairi and Riku flanked either side of Sora as he waded in the water, stopping when it was a bit past his ankles. He knelt down to empty contents of the box, and they watched with bated breath as ashes start floating on the surface, watching as it slowly got pulled further into the ocean mixing in the waves. Until they became one with the waters.
It’s tradition on Destiny Islands to scatter the ashes of a loved one on the third day of mourning. You are supposed to do with your family but, Sora’s mom has been checked out ever since the funeral. Not even caring that Sora’s last moment, last birthday with his father falls today.
It doesn’t matter, Kairi and Riku are Sora’s family all the same. They wouldn’t abandon him when he need them the most. Riku needs to find a way to get them off this island. He refuses to be bound to this island even after death and won’t let his friends have to suffer the same.
He decided this would be the last birthdays they celebrated on the island.
--
It’s kind of ironic that Riku had spent so many years wanting to leave the islands and wished Sora would pick any place but there to hang out. If only his past self could see him now, he was sad that Sora (his Nobody at least) couldn’t go to a beach. Well, a simulated one but a beach all the same. It was surprising how much Roxas was like Sora sometimes.
He stepped away from the computer and wandered towards the pod to where Sora was being held. He watched as his friend slept peacefully and vowed he’d get him back home in time for his next birthday. For the first time in his life, he wished that he was back on the play island again.
At least then, he could wish his friend a happy birthday.
--
Riku wandered around the city, slightly overwhelmed by all the noise and bright lights coming from the buildings. If it were any other day, he would feel panicked and lost on what direction to even start his search for his friend. But, there was only one place Sora would be on his birthday and he asked one of the locals where the closest beach was.
It wasn’t a long journey, just a one-hour train ride and ten-minute walk from the station. He walked slowly across the sand and took a moment to smell the sea breeze, wondering why his younger self could hate places like this. He let his feet guide him, knowing his dream eater bond would lead him to his friend.
It wasn’t long before he found him, standing at the edge of the shore, and gazing into the ocean. Riku didn’t waste his time and ran over to him, trapping him in a crushing hug.
He felt Sora wrap his arms around his waist and return the embrace with as much vigor. He tried to keep together but couldn’t help the tears that fell from his eyes. “Happy Birthday Sora,” he managed to choke out, not caring about being the sappy one.
Sora grinned up at him with tears of his own and Riku was so grateful that he would get many more birthdays with him. Even if they would always hang out at the beach.
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…Okay but what if there was two Paopu scene in KH3? I’m being held at gunpoint by my Soriku brainrot so please bear with me.
The weirdest part about them is that they’re fully opposed, and that’s what makes me think the second one is a paopu scene.
We all know the first and famous Paopu scene;
And then the second I’ll be mixing with is that one;
Now let’s explain.
In KH1, the drawing that Sora made, is painted like some wish of his. And in KH3, that wish finally came true.
Yet we all know how he reacted to it. For a wish that he seemed to have for a whole game, he looked surprised and really confused. As if, not that he didn’t want it anymore, but more like his intention changed since then. After all, approximately 2 years had passed since that drawing.
He did take the fruit in the end, but not before it was explained to him that it was just for the event that was to come. “That’s all.”
Please note that, in the scene, they each had their own Paopu, which resulted in two fruits.
Sora’s wish to share a Paopu wasn’t the only one in KH. There was also Riku’s. Remember that scene where he talk about the Poapu’s legend to Sora? He hands him one Paopu and tell him about the legend.
He adds a “I know you wanna try it” before leaving while laughing. Riku teasing Sora with the legend and about him wanting to try it because he know/thinks Sora has a crush on her means, that Riku see the legend as something romantic. But Sora doesn’t understand what his fiend is talking about and throw it.
How I see the meaning of this scene is Riku wanting to share a Paopu with Sora, but Sora doesn’t understand yet. What does he not understand yet? Pretty much Riku’s feeling and what are feeling on a whole. But he’s not aware that he doesn’t understand yet, he’ll become aware of that in KH3 as we all saw.
The following day, after Riku explicitly told him what that was, he teases him again with this time the winner being able to share a Paopu with her. (Iirc Sora canonically wins that race). And after that, during the food rations quest, we get the scene of Sora’s wish being drawn.
We’re now in DDD. Just after finishing the World of Fantasia, in which Sora and Riku both learned about Dearly Beloved, a symphony that their hearts created in resonance, we get to access The World That Never Was. And what de we unlock there? Nightmare’s end for Sora and Mirage Split for Riku. Or in other words, the gayblade combined keyblade.
I’ll talk about it more in details in an other post, but to me, the combined keyblade is the incarnation of Riku & Sora’s hearts reciprocating the wish of sharing a Paopu fruit; the wish of being tied to another and thus forever, hence the paopu keychain. After hearing what both of your hearts produce together, honestly who wouldn’t. But, once again, Sora isn’t fully conscious of it. His heart on the opposite, understood.
I wanna add something about DDD’s keyblade scene. Whenever they use it, one of them isn’t fully visible. Even if it’s supposed to be their holograms, I see this as being their hearts not sure of how the other feels. If the other reciprocate it or not. They still don’t know.
Now, back to KH3. After Riku triangle to Sora, the later arrives, all happy to be here, to see Riku, who by the way was literally exhausted before Sora arrived, but when he’s here it’s “Oh, I’m cool now”. Sora has absolutely no goddamn clues of what the hell is going on, and yet, without a word they both summon the combined keyblade, after literally just smiling to each other.
This is what I mean by sharing a paopu. They shared that Keyblade without being in Sora’s dream, “I’m not dreaming this time, right?”, they shared it in their reality, without having to say anything to each other. They understood each other.
Now, the opposite I was talking about.
For the scenery, it’s obvious for one is the day/end of the day, and the other is the middle of an endless night.
The spot is kind of an opposite if you include the “importance” it has. The paopu tree is of course an important to both of Sora and K, but it also is to Riku. They were never showed there only the two of them until the paopu scene. On the contrary, Sora & Riku were left alone in that same beach. They even said to each other that they were fine there, just the two of them, forever.
The most obvious opposite that gave me the initial hint is the fact that K had to explain herself to Sora. He didn’t understand right away. Yet, when it came to Riku, they literally just looked at each other, smiled, and did their thing. No words exchanged, nothing. They understood each other directly.
Second most obvious and most simple is the fact that K and Sora “shared” (more like “exchanged” now that I think about it) two paopu when Riku and Sora shared only one. And about that keychains I’ll do a post about it too cause there’s ton of stuff to say on it.
And yeah that’s it. Thanks for listening to something that sat in my draft for 3 months now because I never had the right idea of how to put it and kept writing it all over again😭
#this started has some joke in my mind but the I actually looked up everything and it threw me into one big hell of a brainrot#yeah I hope I could say everything I wanted to talk about#I’ll surely add stuff in the future#kh#soriku#kingdom hearts#riku#sora#kh3#paopu scene#two paopu scenes
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BAD ATTITUDE | Chapter 3: Sex, Drugs & Toxic Affiliations
ch. 1 | ch. 2
chapter word count: 13k
warnings: mature (18+), violence, drinking, drug use, smut, fluff, angst, feels, rough s*x, emotional manipulation
pairings: Gojo Satoru x Fem OC, Geto Suguru x Fem OC, Nanami Kento x Fem OC, Fushiguro Toji x Fem OC
series summary: Jujutsu Kaisen Yakuza AU where Riku Ozaki (OC) is really good at getting herself into trouble. Though the Ozaki family is ranked #10 out of the 15 clans of the Tokyo Yakuza syndicate in terms of power & strength; and the Gojo, Geto, and Zenin families fall at #1, #2, and #3 respectively; that doesn't keep her from getting in the mix with these highly ranked, highly dangerous men. Her clan's bodyguard, Nanami, can hardly keep up with all the compromising positions she constantly finds herself in. Will she ever learn her lesson? Find out on the next episode of Dragon Ba-
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Gojo sits at the center of the Table of 15 Families, a massive circular structure of a table that’s white statuary marble flat is intricately polished and lined with small bronze and silver squares. It’s a place that only each of the leaders of the Tokyo families can touch, and an emergency meeting between all the clans had been called due to Toji’s uprising with a third of the Zenin clan’s men.
He leans back in the uncomfortable chair made of similar materials as the table, crossing his arms over his chest as he glares across the room at the family leaders currently seated at the table – most of which are from lower rank clans, of course. He usually appreciates them for their their timeliness; as the higher-ranked Zenin, Kamo, Inumaki, and Fujiwara clan leaders were always fashionably late; but today he’s pissed. And understandably so, as his home as well as the entirety of the Tokyo Yakuza had been threatened.
Gojo taps his pointer finger on his opposite bicep out of impatience, currently dressed in a black dress shirt, black slacks, and black combat boots. It’s the kind of yakuza getup that mostly serves one purpose – concealing blood stains.
Geto sits at his side in the 2nd rank seat, arms similarly crossed but eyes closed as both him and his friend had not gotten any sleep since they’d dropped Riku off at the Ozaki residence. They’d been up working, of course, designing a plan to retaliate against Toji and the Zenin clan. Though Toji had gone off the grid and was unable to be found in the early hours of the morning, at least not by their folks, Gojo and Geto had decided to take action and wasted no time using the strength of their clans to stage and carry out attacks on the Zenin clan’s properties.
Just then, the Zenin clan leader, Naobito – who had shoulder-length gray hair and a pointed mustache, storms their meeting room in a fit of rage. Geto opens his eyes, narrowing them at the man currently entering.
Gojo smirks to the look on his face. At least he has the Zenin leader’s anguish to be happy about.
“Three warehouses?!?!!” Naobito wears an ivory kimono and black hakama, screaming the words as he approaches Gojo.
Gojo and Geto’s retaliation had come in the form of destroying three of the seven warehouses where the Zenin clan built and stored the illegal weapons they sold, just a few short hours ago. With the entire Tokyo Yakuza syndicate outraged by last night’s attack, it was fairly easy for Gojo and Geto to band their forces together and burn the warehouses to the ground. Gojo rises from his seat, wickedly grinning at Naobito as the older man strides directly to him.
Naobito grabs handfuls of Gojo’s black shirt, balling it up as he grits his teeth at the other, “How fucking dare you! You’re going to pay for this!!!” He spits between clenched teeth.
Gojo easily pushes the man a few steps back with a single movement of his muscular arms, then returns them to their crossed state, still smirking but expression brimming with anger, “What? Did you think I would just stand by while a third of your men destroy my property?” He leans over a bit so he is eye-level with the man, facial expression turning into one of hardened rage, “You really think I wouldn’t make you all pay for that?”
“That wasn’t our doing – it was Toji’s, you bastard! Those factories and facilities will take months to restore!!!” Naobito explains, angered but simultaneously aware of Gojo’s power… He doesn’t want to upset the man even more than he already is.
Gojo is able to calm down just slightly at Naobito’s words, shrugging, “Not my problem. If you’d kept Toji and your men under control, none of this would’ve happened. Plus, how do I know this isn’t some scheme of your clan to destroy me?”
Naobito has no sufficient answer and turns with a grunt, moving to sit in the 3rd rank seat on the other side of Geto, “You disrespectful, piece of shit…” He grumbles under his breath.
“You’ve got a lotta nerve, Naobito… Seeing how every clan in this room was impacted by what members of your clan did last night.” Geto joins the conversation, pissed and sleep deprived. He wears a deep brown suit and white button-up, the toned muscles of his back and arms just barely contained by the expensive fabric that is noticeably dusted with the black ash of explosives they’d used to destroy Naobito’s warehouses.
“Where’s Toji?” The only other white-haired yakuza enters the room and takes a seat in the 6th rank chair. He’s much younger than most in the room as he’s only 21 years old, and is a bit shorter than most as well. His hair that usually has small spikes in it is currently in a straight, bowl cut – his choice of high-end streetwear over a suit especially telling to his age. The inumaki clan business consists of finding, controlling, and selling insider information regarding any and all business trading markets, politics, and even celebrity relationships in Tokyo.
“Long time, so see, Toge.” Gojo smiles, returning to his seat at the table once more.
“We don’t know.” Naobito answers as honestly as he can, “We’ve been tracking him for hours and still, nothing. We’re still looking.”
Not acknowledging Gojo, Toge glares at the Zenin leader in silence for a moment, then speaks up again, “He’s telling the truth, unfortunately.” He concludes with a sigh. It’s one thing he’s sure of as he’s dealt with liars his entire life.
“Well, you better find him quick. I have personal business with that man and would like to see him dead.”
The clan leaders currently seated turn their heads as Jin Ozaki speaks, entering the room in a tan suit and buzz cut. He’s the last member to join them, and sits down in the 10th rank chair, noticeably angered and stressed by this predicament, “Sorry I’m late. It appears that Toji has gotten in contact with my niece this morning via phone.”
All eyes around the table widen to this information, and Gojo and Geto exchange a look.
“Do you have her phone?” Noritoshi Kamo speaks up from his 5th rank chair – leader of the clan that deals in illegal tech and machinery. He wears a long, black kimono with gold embroidery.
Jin retrieves a black iPhone from his pocket and slides it across the table to Noritoshi, “Got it from her before I left home.”
Noritoshi slips the phone into the sleeve of his kimono, “We’ll do what we can to trace the location of where the call came from. Toji’s actions are unacceptable and he must be killed for the atrocities he continues to commit.”
“I’m sorry, your daughter?” The Okamoto family leader, Haruki, asks from his 12 rank seat – an older man in a gray suit who leans forward to this information that’s new to him. The Okamoto clan directs the black market of car trading, racing, and illegal car importing in Tokyo.
“Yes, seems like she got in some trouble with Toji last night and hit him where it hurts.” Jin clears his throat.
“That’s one way to put it.” Gojo chuckles.
“Where is she now?” Geto asks.
“Working.” Jin replies plainly, “We still have businesses to run, but I’ve hired more men to protect her in the meantime. And I doubt Toji is dumb enough to strike in broad daylight.”
A few around the table make noises of agreement, and there’s silence for a moment.
“I did receive a written message an hour ago, about Toji’s demands…” Noritoshi admits.
“Then why didn’t you say anything before, fucking geezer?!” Gojo asks, irritated, “The fuck does he want?”
“100 million…” Naobito says, deciding to ignore Gojo's name-calling this time around before moving his gaze to Jin, “…and he says he’ll cease his attacks for a week, if we hand him your niece.”
A rage brews in Jin Ozaki and he’s hardly able to contain it, hands shaking for a second, “You expect me, to give away my family…?!!” His hands tighten into fists on the flat of the table.
“I’m just repeating the message I received. And if less attacks mean less people being hurt or kille-”
“Then, what? My niece’s life is worth it?!?!!”
“That’s not an option.” Gojo interrupts, strangely calm, “Plus, a week is hardly any time. That offer is honestly just disrespectful to your family’s worth, Jin.”
“So what do we do now?” Haruki Okamoto questions outright.
“Well, that’s what we’re here for.” Gojo smirks before glancing over at his friend, “Geto and I have a plan.”
*
Riku sits across from two of her best friends, Nobara and Maki, who always had lunch together on Fridays at one of their favorite cafés that was locationally at the center of all three of their workplaces in the city. She’d told Maki and Nobara what happened with Toji the night prior, including that he’d called and threatened her this morning.
“Oh, so that’s why you didn’t pick up earlier…” Maki nods to herself, a bit stunned from hearing this information.
“Mhm.” Riku finishes her bite of the mixed greens salad she’d ordered before responding, “Got a new one on my way to work, though,” she retrieves it from her purse and unlocks it before placing it on the wooden table between the three of them, “so put your numbers in please.”
Nobara is in complete shock, “Are you insane?” She asks with a horrified expression on her face, her fork of fluffy cheesecake poked in Riku’s direction, “You kicked Toji in the balls?!” Nobara picks up Riku’s phone, regardless, beginning to navigate to her contacts.
Maki shrugs, “I mean, it’s not like he didn’t deserve it,” she takes a sip of her iced green tea.
“See? Maki gets it.” Riku smirks, “But then again, you are the baby of our group.”
Nobara rolls her eyes, “I’m only two years younger than you both… 23 is not that young, okay!”
“Oh, and you’re still an idiot, Riku – I’m just saying I get why you did that.” Maki says, taking the phone from Nobara once the other is finished entering her number and beginning to do the same.
“Yeah, like, do you want to die?!” Nobara shouts.
Riku shushes her, holding a finger to her mouth as there were other patrons in the café, and Nanami was only seated a few tables away, sipping from a mug of black coffee. She glances across the room, only to find that the blond man’s eyes were still trained on her. She sighs dramatically, “Ugh, he’s so annoying…” She trails off.
Maki follows Riku’s gaze to find Nanami at the other end of it, then turns back to her once more, “I’m guessing Jin upped your protection as a result?”
“Yeah,” Riku groans, dropping her head into her hands, “there’s even three of our muscle outside.”
“Yikes. And the guards follow you everywhere?” Nobara leans in, asking in a quieter voice.
Riku drops her hands from her face, sitting upright once more, “Yes. Kento even stood outside the door when I used the bathroom at work earlier.”
“Ew.” Maki says plainly, “That seems excessive.”
“That’s what I said!” Riku whisper-yells.
“Maybe it isn’t, I mean you’ve all heard the news, right? Gojo destroyed a bunch of the Zenin clan’s property in retaliation this morning, so they kind of have every right to be angry with Gojo and anyone seen with him – i.e. you.” Nobara says just above a whisper as she stares directly at Riku.
Maki jumps in, “Well, they don’t have every right, but since Riku humiliated Toji like that, I can understand why him and his men would be after her.”
Riku’s eyes light up when she recalls an important bit of last night’s story that she hadn’t told her friends yet. She suddenly grins, leaning in and lowering her voice when she speaks up again, “You won’t believe what happened before Satoru and Suguru took me home, though.”
“Oh my god, what?” Nobara mirrors Riku’s expression, grinning back at her with intrigue.
Riku glances between her two friends with her next words, “So we stopped somewhere to eat on the way back because I was hungry, right?”
“Mhm,” Maki nods along.
“And so, we went to Chinatown and had this really good dim sum and roasted duck, but these guys were being super secretive about shit and kept, like, whispering to each other mid-conversation, and even left me completely alone at the table at one point to meet in some room in the back of the restaurant,”
“…okay,” Maki says, nodding to the waiter who sets a plate with her ham and cheese croissant sandwich down on the table before departing to help another party.
“Probably were planning the clan revenge shit.” Nobara adds, taking a bite of her cheesecake.
“and so obviously I had to go see what they were up to.” Riku explains.
“You didn’t, but sure,” Maki takes a bite of her sandwich while Nobara nods in agreement.
“And so, they caught me snooping around…” Riku clears her throat, speaking her next words just above a whisper, “…and one thing led to the next and, Suguru kind of ate me out while Satoru talked me through it.” She finishes, shyly looking down and scratching the back of her head.
Maki chokes on her sandwich with a loud cough, hitting her chest a few times before she’s able to swallow and then speaks again, “Bitch-”
Nobara stops eating and her jaw drops, “You’re fucking kidding me. Wait – both of them were there?! At the same time?!?!” She whispers the questions.
Riku nods, biting her bottom lip to hold back a grin.
“How did you…?!” Maki starts, then stops herself, “Riku, bitch…” she pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration, “now why the hell would you get mixed up with those two in that way, of all people?!!”
“I know, I know, they’re big, scary, dangerously powerful guys—”
“The biggest, scariest, most dangerously powerful yakuza in Tokyo!” Nobara jumps in, clarifying Riku’s statement.
“—but they’re also so hot.” Riku whines out.
“Well, yeah, but still – are you fucking crazy?!” Maki whispers, now fully understanding Nobara’s point of view from earlier in their conversation.
Riku inhales slowly before speaking, “They’re not so bad. To be honest, I think they’re a bit overrated when it comes to the whole scary thing. I mean, these are the same guys who’re trying to keep peace between the clans! Doesn’t having the ability to be extremely scary and powerful kinda come with the job description?”
Maki sighs, “Yes, but getting caught between those two also means you getting stuck in all their yakuza drama, violence, and craziness… You do know that, right?”
Riku pauses for a few seconds, breaking her gaze to look up in thought, “Yeah, I can see how that could be a bad thing.” She grits her teeth at her next thought, and Nobara immediately catches on.
“Fuck, Riku. What else?” Nobara asks, perplexed.
“I kind of might have a date with Suguru tonight at his clan’s onsen…?” She winces as she says the words, returning her gaze to her friends.
“Bitch…” Nobara drops her fork entirely, allowing it to clatter onto the wooden table. She runs both of her hands through her short, ginger hair, visibly stressed, “Drug lord Suguru, of all people?! I almost would’ve preferred if you said Satoru, but apparently that guy’s really insane.”
Riku smiles, “Suguru’s so sweet, though! At least from what I can tell so far. He’s a total gentleman; and you’re right, Satoru is kind of an egotistical asshole and talks a lot of shit. But he’s also not so bad.”
“Takes one to know one.” Maki notes, taking another bite from her sandwich.
Riku chuckles lightly, “Please, I’m not that bad! Confident, sure, but you don’t get anywhere in our world without that – it’s the bare minimum for survival.”
Maki curves the corners of her lips down and cocks her head to one side in a contemplative look that says, ‘I hadn’t considered that before,’ “I guess you have a point.” She can agree with that, at least, “Just be really careful, alright? And call us if you need us.”
Riku runs a hand through her long curls, “I don’t even know how this bodyguard thing would work with me over there, and he doesn’t have my new number after the Toji shit that happened this morning, so who knows – maybe I won’t be able to go after all.”
Nobara claps a few times, “Yay!” She fake cheers, “This is your chance to escape the date and never talk to him or Satoru ever again!”
“Well, that’s not exactly realistic, but it could work temporarily.” Maki puts her sandwich down, “Who knows, maybe they’ll get preoccupied with all this yakuza clan craziness and forget you for a little.”
“I don’t know,” Riku slightly puts her hands up in mock-surrender, “I am a pretty memorable bitch.” She admits with a small grin.
*
“One, two, three and four… Five, six, seven, eight and…” Riku counts through the short routine she’d just spent the past hour teaching her last intermediate-advanced level pole class of the day, her hips and legs easily gliding through the slow sequence of turns, spins, and elevated holds. She continues to count even through the inverted moves, her upside down body only held in the air above the ground by her thighs’ grip on the pole or the strength of her arms. She solely wears a black sports bra and spandex shorts, as more skin allows her to hold herself up on the pole a lot easier. The routine ends with a pirouette around the pole and a reverse body roll, and when Riku is done, she turns back to face the six women on the individual poles behind her, “Are we ready to do it with music?”
The girls chorus a ‘yes,’ and Riku walks over to her bag in the front of the room, retrieving the new phone from her pocket to turn on some music, “Let’s do the routine a final time, then freestyle a little, okay? Now five, six, seven, eight…”
Riku allows herself to get lost in the music, taking her time with each movement as it’s a slow ballad, much unlike the faster paced hip hop and R&B songs she usually plays for her pole dancing classes. Her hips, back, and shoulders roll smoothly with every move she makes, a kind of ease that’s only earned with years of practice. Riku incorporates a bit of floor work into her freestyling near the end of the song, ending with a slide into a floor bridge. She pops onto her knees when the song finishes, applauding her students who join in to clap with her, “Nice work, ladies!”
It isn’t until after she sits up that she spots an additional figure standing next to Nanami just on the other side of the glass wall that splits the back of the pole room from the hallway—Geto. He wears a black suit and black gloves. Riku feels her face redden and removes her gaze from the man that had obviously been watching her, instead turning to walk back towards her duffle bag that has her sweats in it. She slips into the loose gray pants and matching long-sleeve crop top crewneck sweater, bending over to zip up her bag and step into her plain, green-colored cushioned slides.
As she exits the room, Riku waves to the group of ladies who are at various stages of putting back on their outerwear and shoes, “Thanks for coming! See you all next time.” She smiles, turning her attention to the long-haired man once she’s on the other side of the door, “Suguru? What are you doing here?”
“Here to pick you up for our date, of course.” He gazes down at Riku, offering her a wink.
Nanami sighs, obviously not thrilled about having to speak his next words, “There’s been an update, you’re staying in Suguru’s territory for a few days – Jin’s orders.”
Riku quirks a brow, “Suguru’s territory? Why? And wait, Uncle Jin decided this?”
“It was Satoru’s idea, actually. Jin just agreed.” Geto clarifies, smiling.
“As much as I hate the idea,” Nanami glares at Geto, “and I do fucking despise this idea,” he glances back to Riku, “it is the safest place for you to be right now. The Ozaki estate is too much of a hot spot and it’d be easy to hit… And Suguru’s clan is the only one with territory in Tokyo’s mountains that’s more difficult to get to with its elevation and web-like network of underground tunnels and roads. And he has a lot more muscle and trained guards who could protect you.”
Riku blinks up at Geto, “And why do you have a web of tunnels underneath your property?” Riku looks genuinely confused.
“Easier to ship product that way.”
Right, of course. Geto’s clan handles the underground drug market, underground in more ways than one it seems… Riku nods with understanding.
Geto turns to Nanami, “Don’t worry, Nanami,” he reaches out to tug Riku by her wrist, easily pulling her into his arm, “I’ll take good care of Riku.”
Riku blushes, a bit uncomfortable about the weird relationship triangle she currently finds herself in, “Well then, I guess I’ll see you in a few, Ken?” Geto releases Riku from his arm and she gives Nanami a hug.
Nanami hugs her back tightly, then grasps her chin after they let go of each other, staring down at Riku with an expression that contains a mix of concern, care, possessiveness, and unmistakably – love, “Call me if you need anything. Okay?” He says low, just loud enough that she can hear.
Riku nods.
“You ready, beautiful?” Geto asks, before taking the duffle bag from her hand.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Riku says, a little caught off guard by this recent turn of events, “wish I’d brought some clothes with me.”
“I’ll send some men to pick some stuff up for you.” He says, pressing his free hand to the small of her back as they pass the front desk and begin to approach the main entrance to the studio.
“Okay, but I don’t want a bunch of guys snooping through my underwear drawer. Do you have any ladies you can send?”
Geto chuckles, “I’ll send some ladies, then. Fair?”
Riku remembers something and turns to Nanami, “Oh, do you know if the wall remodeling guys finished upstairs?”
“They just left. Paint crew will be in tomorrow.” He replies, eyes not on Riku but instead glaring at the hand Geto has on her back.
“Thank god,” Riku sighs in relief, “I’ll be back tomorrow to check it out, okay?”
Nanami nods, folding his hands behind his back as he sees the two of them off when they exit the front door of the studio.
“Bye, Ken!” Riku waves, and Nanami returns the gesture.
Theres four men outside in similar black suits smoking cigarettes, and when Geto cocks his head towards the parking area they split into pairs, two of them each unlocking and entering the two identical dark gray BMW X5 SUVs on either side of a different car.
Riku figures that the car in the middle is Geto’s, as he clicks a button on his key and the trunk door lifts open for him to place her duffle. It’s an all-black Mercedes AMG G63, and Riku tries to contain her excitement as she’d always wanted to have a G-Wagon of her own, “Nice ride.” She notes, visibly perking up a bit.
“You like it?” Geto smirks at Riku, clicking the button once more so the trunk closes. He moves around the car, opening the passenger door and helping Riku into the seat, “It’s simple, but reliable.”
“If by simple you mean pricy, then yes.”
Geto chuckles as he closes her door, only responding when he slips in the drivers seat and starts the engine, “You think this is pricy? You sweet, summer, rank ten yakuza child.” He laughs.
Riku rolls her eyes, and their trio of cars pull out out of the dark side street, beginning to head toward Tokyo’s mountains.
Geto looks into his rear view mirror, shaking his head with a slightly apologetic look when he spots Nanami still watching them at a distance from outside the studio, until their SUVs are out of view, “Damn, he really loves you, huh?” Geto notes, “I kinda feel bad for the guy.”
“Don’t.” Riku says with a long breath, looking out the window at the passing street lights, “It’s not his fault that he feels that way about me, nor is it my fault that I don’t feel that way about him.”
Geto glances over, taking a good look at Riku before returning his eyes to the road, “It’s gotta suck for him, though.”
Riku meets Geto’s eyes briefly, “You think I don’t know that? That I don’t think about how it hurts him?”
There’s a beat of silence, and they both focus on the road ahead of them for a while.
“You two always just been friends? Nothing else ever happened?” Geto eventually asks.
“You ask all your dates shit like this?”
Geto chuckles, then shrugs, “Just curious. It’s not everyday you see a guy that love whipped for a girl he’s never been with.”
“We kissed once when I was tipsy,” Riku admits with a sigh, “I tried to have sex with him, too, but he stopped me. That was three years ago.”
Geto winces with a hint of a smirk on his lips, “Ooo, fuck, he’s a great guy. I mean I already knew he was, but damn.”
“It’s the bare fucking minimum.” Riku clarifies.
“True that,” Geto turns the truck onto a narrower street, following the SUV with the two guards in front of him onto the road that snakes up the mountain, “But it’s gotta suck. I mean imagine his point of view; you want this girl so fucking bad you’d do anything for her, and she usually never pays you any mind but all of a sudden she’s throwing herself at you. Of course you say no, but it’s still gotta sting like a motherfucker.”
Riku lifts her brows briefly before dropping them back down to their relaxed state, “Funny part is, I actually wasn’t that drunk.” She crosses her arms over her chest.
Geto glances at Riku with a small look of surprise, then back to the road, “No fucking way.” He grins, “So you actually wanted him that night?”
“Yeah. But don’t tell him that, though. You gotta promise me, okay?”
Geto frees one of his gloved hands from the steering wheel to cross an ‘X’ over his heart and lifts his hand in the air, “I swear, Ri. But fuck…” He laughs, “So all this time he’s thought you were drunk, but you really did want him, too? Oh, this is some tragic shit, Ri! This is my friend we’re talking about, here…”
“I know, but he can’t know.”
Geto nods once, “So let me get this straight – that night, you’re all over him, but he keeps pushing you away because he thinks you’re drunker than you really are?”
“Yeah, basically.” Riku sighs.
“That’s fucking heartbreaking!” Geto guffaws, “But what changed? Couldn’t you’ve just told him how you felt when you were sober?”
“After that night, I didn’t feel the same. We were friends and I didn’t wanna ruin that with sex or anything like that. I still don’t. Plus…” Riku trails off, unsure if she should say what she plans to say next.
“Plus?”
“Plus, to be honest, I knew I could never give him what he wanted – for me to love him back. I didn’t want to get his hopes up for something that was never going to happen.” Riku finishes.
“How do you know that for sure?”
“Know what?”
“That you could never love him?”
“I’ve fallen in love before, with different people and… You just know. I mean, don’t you?”
“Sure, I get what you mean,” Geto chuckles under his breath, “not really much of the romance type, though.” Geto admits, turning the wheel of the car smoothly, gently accelerating the car as they began to hit a steeper incline in the mountain.
“Really?” Riku asks, honestly surprised, “I mean I know what Satoru said about you both not doing the whole relationship thing, and I can definitely see him not being a romantic but, not you?”
Geto turns to look at Riku briefly, smirking lightly, “What makes you think I'm the romantic type?”
“Everything. The way you talk, your whole chivalry thing, the way you touch... Everything about the way you act, at least towards me, so far, has been pretty romantic.”
“You like that, don’t you?” Geto grins, returning his eyes to the road while reaching over to slide his hand over Riku’s thigh; he gives it a gentle squeeze.
“It’s nice,” Riku admits with a small smile, glancing out the window, “But you’re not a romantic?” She turns back to Geto.
“Furthest thing from it, beautiful. I’m just really good at knowing how to make you feel good.”
“Me? I’m guessing all people you're trying to please at the moment are included in 'me?'” Riku questions.
Geto makes sure to look Riku in the eyes with the next of his words, hand pushing up her leg and to her inner thigh, “You’re the only one here, Ri.” Geto’s gaze is so straightforward and intimate that it would’ve tugged on Riku’s heartstrings if she was just a few years younger and still immature when it came to these things.
Riku suddenly breaks their shared heated gaze, chuckling a bit to herself, “Like that?”
“Just like that.” He confirms, looking back at the road with eyes completely devoid of the feigned emotions he’d acted out just moments prior.
“Wow,” Riku claps her hands a few times, genuinely impressed, “bravo. And that’s fun for you?”
“Sure. It allows me to be in control.” Geto replies, his tone a bit clinical.
“I can understand that. I mean it’s kinda fucking twisted, but in an unexpectedly sweet way.” Riku thinks aloud.
“I sell drugs, beautiful. Never promised anyone I was a good guy.”
“And that absolves you of responsibility for any hearts you may break in the process?”
Geto pauses, and makes an expression hinting that he may or may not have thought too hard on this prior to now, “It doesn’t.”
Riku doesn’t know if it’s an answer, or rather, an admission of guilt. She doesn’t ask for clarification about that, and instead asks a different question, “What about you and Satoru?”
Geto moves his hand from Riku’s thighs, sitting up as he returns it to the steering wheel. Touchy subject, huh? Riku thinks, wondering if he’s even aware of his body language in this moment, “Satoru Gojo is… a completely different monster.”
“No pun intended.” Riku adds.
Geto laughs, “Exactly.”
“But seriously, what’s the deal with you two?”
“Hmm… It’s hard to put in words but, I’d die a thousand times for Satoru.” Geto says, completely straight faced.
“So you love him?” Riku can’t help her curiosity.
Geto shakes his head, “That’s such a… bullshit, flimsy-ass word. What Satoru and I have goes much deeper-”
“In your opinion.” Riku interjects.
Geto laughs once, continuing to look at the road, “Ri, you don’t know fucking shit… Seriously.”
She raises her hands in mock-surrender, “Alright, so let’s go with your definition. But what does that mean for the two of you?”
“It means, we share everything that matters.”
“Fascinating answer.” Riku says, her tone of voice a bit dramatic but still completely honest in her response. She doesn’t know if she’s more or less confused by Geto’s answer, but ponders on it for a moment in silence, “Whew, this conversation deserves a drink. Maybe a good meal, too.”
“Baby, this is still the shallow end of it all.” Geto chuckles, slowing down their speed a bit as they reached a flattened peak in the the mountain. Suddenly, a large collection of buildings and their lights glow in the far distance; even in the bright light of the setting sun, Riku catches when they pass a few ‘onsen’ signs.
“Really?” Riku raises her brows.
“Really.” He smirks, “What do you want for dinner tonight?”
Riku turns to Geto with an unconvinced look, “Is this an I’m-acting-nice-so-I-can-make-you-compliant-and-be-in-control-and-reap-the-benefits-of-that kinda thing or are you seriously asking me because you want me to have whatever I want for dinner?”
“Mostly the former,” Geto says honestly, pulling into a private, reserved and underground garage that is separate from the one his guards drive into, “but I also don’t wanna hear it from Jin if you don’t eat and enjoy your stay while you’re here with me, so the latter, too. And I do cook a little.”
“Okay.” Riku nods with a smile, satisfied with Geto’s answer, “I’m in the mood for… kaisendon.”
Geto laughs, “Of course you are. Kaisendon. That’s easy; I can do that.” When the gates open, they pull into a vast, 18-car garage with all rare, expensive, new, and old sports cars.
“What do you mean, ‘of course I am?’” Riku asks,
Geto parks the G-Wagon in the only open space, then gets out to open up Riku’s door for her, “You girls and your seafood.” He shakes his head, helping her down from the truck. Geto then pops the trunk.
“Mr. Geto.” Riku doesn’t see or hear the two girls approach until they’re already there, right behind her in matching black suits. She quickly turns around. One of the girls has light brown hair that’s in a high bun, and the other has a black, shoulder-length bob. It’s easy to tell that they’re twins.
“Hey Nanako, Mimiko,” Geto gestures to Riku, “this is Riku.”
“Hi,” Riku waves to the two girls and smiles brightly, to which they only glare at her in response. Jeez, what is it that makes young people hate me?!
“Ozaki family.” The girl with the bun concludes, as if Riku’s family name is a multiple choice answer on a quiz.
“Ding, ding, ding! That’s right, Nanako. Now, can you organize some girls to grab some of her clothes from her family estate? Riku’s going to be staying with us for a few days. Mimiko, I need to to get all the ingredients for kaisendon and get them in the fridge at my house.” Geto removes Riku’s duffle from the trunk, handing it to Mimiko, “and put this in one of the guest bedrooms. Got it?” Geto asks, closing the trunk. The G-Wagon’s horn sounds a few times when he locks it.
Nanako looks like she’s trying to fight back a look of annoyance, “Isn’t the Ozaki estate like, an hour from here one way?” Her eyes narrow at Riku.
“Yes, it is. That a problem?” Geto asks.
The girls immediately straighten up, facial expressions quickly snapping out of their previously annoyed states in sync, “No, sir.” They say at the same time.
“Good. Now get going.”
The girls immediately spin on their heels, walking in different directions.
“Nice to meet you…?” Riku says but the girls pay her no mind, already far off in the distance.
Geto turns to Riku, “Don’t mind them. They hate any women I bring over… especially when they’re pretty.” He pauses before asking his next question, “You ever been in a trap house, beautiful?”
Riku shakes her head.
“Didn’t think so. I have some business things to handle quickly so quick rules: One. Don’t touch anything. Two. Don’t talk to me or anyone unless I say you can. And three. Put on the mask when I tell you to. Understand?”
“Got it.”
“I need your word, Ri.” Geto says seriously, leaning down so that they’re nearly face-to-face and holding the sides of Riku’s face with his hands.
“You have my word.” Riku says, starting to feel a little anxious.
Geto continues to hold and study Riku’s face, then presses his lips to hers in a deep kiss. He controls their pace and doesn’t pull away until he feels the tension begin to leave her body, “Relax, alright? I’m not going anywhere.” He smiles, then drops a hand from her face to interlock fingers with one of hers.
Geto turns, beginning to guide Riku by her hand towards a white door in the corner of the garage.
When they’re inside, Riku is surprised by how dark it is. There’s no way there’s any windows in here. She thinks, simply following Geto’s footsteps as it’s nearly pitch-black. They enter another door, then another, and then finally Riku is able to make out one of Geto’s muscle standing outside of a white door that’s similar to the one they’d initially entered. He offers both Riku and Geto pm 2.5 masks, to which Geto declines with a wave of his hand.
Geto looks back at Riku, “You put one on.”
Riku does what he says, fastening the elastic bands of the mask around the backs of her ears. She looks up at the man, “You’re not going to wear one?”
“Rule 2.” Geto glares down at Riku with an expression so cold and without emotion that it honestly sends a shiver through her spine.
Right. Don’t talk to him or anyone else unless he says so. Riku offers Geto an apologetic look.
He turns away from Riku and shakes his head in a bit of disappointment and annoyance, “Don’t fuck up again. Follow me.” He commands, and when the guard opens the door up, Riku enters behind Geto.
Riku’s eyes widen at the sight of at least 150 workers in white, full-body hazmat suits and gas masks. All worked in various supply lines – some bottling pills and others cutting and packaging pounds of white powder.
“Mr. Geto!” A shorter man in a gas mask and a gray suit and red tie approaches them; from behind Geto, Riku can only see that he’s balding and that he has a cute, round belly, “Welcome home! How are you?”
“Hi Hiroshi, thank you. I’m doing well. You have some new product to show me?”
“Yes!” He clasps his hands together, right this way.”
Geto looks back and down at Riku, “You stay here next to the door. Got it?”
She nods, and Geto departs to a supply line a few meters away with Hiroshi. They stop in front of a woman in a hazmat suit and mask who was currently cutting and measuring a white powder before transferring the small amounts into miniature ziplock bags.
“We’re trying a new formulation of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine that has twice the strength and lasting effects in the system as our usual MDMA,” he explains.
“Has it been tested?” Geto asks, turning to Hiroshi.
The older man nods, “We’re on week four of trials as we speak. There’s been no adverse effects or drug dependency as of yet. Would you like to try it?”
“Of course.”
The woman in the hazmat suit hands Geto one of the small baggies, which he easily snaps open and taps some of the white powder onto the crook of his thumb and index finger. Geto eyes the powder for a fraction of a second before bringing his hand to his nose and inhaling sharply. His eyebrows raise and winces, “Wow. Hm, that burns a lot more than expected, no?” He glances down at Hiroshi.
“Yes, Mr. Geto, we have heard that from a few of our trial partners.”
“Then why didn’t you lead with that?”
The man laughs awkwardly, then wipes a bit of sweat from his forehead, “Apologies, Mr. Geto.”
“Fix it.” He says plainly, “I don’t want anymore trials of the old version amongst our higher ranked trial partners.”
“Yes, of course, sir!”
Just then, a man in a white button up shirt and black pants barges in the door without a face mask or gas mask on, “Mr. Geto!”
Geto turns with a sigh, “Yes, Kei?”
He glances at Riku, visibly choosing his next words carefully, “There’s some... men from the Kyoto syndicate here to complete their purchase.”
“Right now…?” Geto says under his breath, mostly to himself. He reaches around to his back and tucks his hand underneath his black suit jacket to retrieve a silver hand gun. Riku’s eyes widen as she hadn’t realized he’d had it on him this whole time. She flinches at the clicks it makes when he loads it.
Geto’s eyes dart back over to Riku, “Get Ms. Ozaki up to the onsen level and make sure she has whatever she needs. I’ll meet you there in a few, Ri. Okay?”
Riku nods a few times.
“Sir!” Kei shouts loudly. He glances down at her, “If you would please follow me, ma’am.”
*
When she’s changed and escorted outside, Riku is shocked and in awe at the sight of the onsen’s outdoor pool on the cliff’s edge – overlooking the vast outskirts of Tokyo at night with a few mountains in the background. As the pass the outdoor showering area, Riku begins to understand why her uncle had agreed to the idea of her staying in the Geto clan’s territory for a few days; as it looked incredibly difficult to sneak up on a place like this. And – in the event of some trouble with Toji and his men – if there really is a web of underground tunnels beneath the mountain that she can quickly escape to and through, then all the better. For now, she tries to temporarily forget that Geto is meeting with some people with a loaded gun, many floors below.
The massage therapist leads Riku to a set of massage tables on a wooden patio that sit a few yards before the steps of the natural hot spring, turning to her with a pleasant smile as she taps one of the beds, “Please get comfortable under the covers, and I’ll return in about five minutes so we can get started with your full-body massage.”
“Thank you.” Riku nods.
The massage therapist bows her head respectfully, then retreats back into the indoor area.
When the woman leaves, Riku looks around the extensive outdoor space, slowly easing out of her complimentary, white fluffy robe before hanging it on a nearby hook on the makeshift wall of the patio. The night air feels cool on her naked skin as she strides back to the massage bed before slipping under its thick sheets. She’s surprised at the warmth of it, immediately realizing and appreciative that it’s a heated table.
Riku lays face down and sticks her head into the cushioned, circular opening in the bed, allowing her eyes to flutter shut to the warmth of the heat that radiated from the table to all throughout her body. She already begins to feel herself drift off to sleep, but her senses awaken a bit when she hears a door reopen and close in the distance.
Riku hears small footsteps approach and stop at her side, “Feeling comfortable and ready to start?”
“I’m ready.”
“Okay. Let me know if the bed temperature is okay. First, we’re going to start with legs. Are there any concerns there?”
“No, not particularly, though I did use my thighs a lot today.”
The woman flips up the heavy sheets of the massage bed, but only so Riku’s legs are uncovered, “Do you run, or dance often?”
“Yeah, I teach dance sometimes… How did you know?” Riku asks, curious.
“It’s not hard to tell when you’ve massaged and talked to hundreds of different people.” Riku can’t see the woman but can hear that she’s smiling by her tone of voice, “That, and it’s pretty easy to tell if someone’s a dancer.” The masseuse rubs her hands together to warm them up, then picks up a small bottle of oil from under the table opposite to Riku’s to spread on her hands.
“You know, that’s the second time someone’s told me that in the past day…” Riku lightly chuckles from the opening beneath the table. Her eyes flutter shut when the woman begins to massage her hamstrings, kneading the muscles there in a circular, repetitive motion.
Riku is unsure of how much time passes throughout the leg massage as she floats between consciousness and a light slumber every so often, but she appreciates the woman’s movements, vaguely aware whenever she switched legs or ran her thumbs down the back of her legs to knead her calf muscles.
Riku twitches out of her sleepy state when she feels a light tap on her shoulder, though, eyelashes fluttering in a series of blinks when she’s awakened.
“Ms. Ozaki? Just letting you know that another masseuse will be taking over from here to do your back. Enjoy, and have a good night!”
“Oh? Thank you, you were amazing…” Riku trails off, voice breathy with sleep.
Riku’s legs are covered with the sheets once more and it doesn’t take much for her to doze off again with the comfortable heat of the massage bed. Her breathing slows and deepens, and she doesn’t even notice the new person enter until they remove the covers from her shoulders and peel them down all the way under the dimples of her back. She makes a small noise to the sudden coolness on her back and is too sleepy to greet or question the person who doesn’t introduce themselves.
The hands are much bigger and a bit more calloused, but they move skillfully on her back, strong thumbs massaging up the straight lengths of muscle on either side of her spine. Riku instinctively releases a breathy moan to this motion, unaware of how tense her back had been until now.
“You’re pretty tight here, huh?” The words are lowly uttered right beside Riku’s ear, and she gasps in surprise, immediately recognizing the other’s voice.
She whips her head towards him, “Suguru?!” Her eyes widen when she sees the long-haired man standing above her in only a white robe, the sliver of exposed skin on his chest covered with a mix of dragons and other colorful, yakuza tattoos.
His hair was away from his face and tied up in a messy bun, a grin on his face at Riku’s surprised expression, “I told you I’d rub this little back of yours, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but…!” Riku’s cheeks redden with embarrassment. She turns from the other and shyly puts her head back into the massage table, “You should’ve said something.”
“Surprise.” Geto smirks, continuing to knead his fingers into Riku’s back.
“How did the Kyoto syndicate purchase go?”
“As well as it could’ve.” Riku hears a smirk in his voice, “What, were you worried about me because I brought a gun?”
“No…!” Riku’s face blushes from beneath the table.
He bends over to whisper his next words beside her ear, “Liar.” He stands up straight again, “Just brought some extra protection is all.”
“Whatever. I mean it’s not like I want you to die or anything.” Riku says, and there’s silence for a moment.
Riku groans in pleasure every so often, especially whenever Geto massages a knot out of the muscles in her back and shoulders, “Are you even licensed to do this?” She moans out, words contradicting the obvious pleasure she feels from the work of Geto’s hands, “I’m calling the authorities…” She grumbles, relaxed and sleepy from the other’s massaging.
Geto chuckles, “I own the place, beautiful. Can do whatever I want.” His hands finally cease after a while, “All right, you’re done. Wanna shower and get in the hot spring?”
Riku grunts childishly when Geto stops massaging her back, really living up to the brat allegations, “Keep going…”
Geto’s hand connects with the curve of Riku’s ass with a loud ‘smack,’ even through the thick fabric of the massage table’s sheets, and she jumps with a high-pitched yelp before turning her head back to look at Geto, “You don’t tell me what to do, Ri” A devilish grin is on his lips, “Now get up and shower with me.” The back of his hand lightly brushes Riku’s exposed cheek as he speaks.
“Fine,” she grabs the sheets at her lower back and pulls them up so her body is hidden from Geto’s eyes, “but you have to undress first.”
Geto rolls his eyes, smirk remaining on his lips as his hands move to unfasten the cloth belt of his robe. He quickly makes work of the white, towel-like fabric, removing and tossing it entirely to the side so that it falls nearby the hot spring.
With his robe now gone, for the first time Riku is able to see the fullness and extensive nature of Geto’s colorful tattoos that cover all of his torso and arms… vivid, red and green dragons twisting and dancing up the length of his arms, chest, and back. Part of her wonders how many hours it took to ink so much of his body. Riku’s eyes finally dart down Geto’s cut abdomen and between his legs, widening a bit at the size of his dick, even in its half-hardened state. She could tell it had a lot of girth, and blinks in a bit of surprise.
“Like what you see, Ri?” He chuckles to her dazed expression, “Your turn.” He crosses his bulky arms over his muscular chest, eying her.
Riku slowly sits up, lightly biting her lower lip as she allows the sheet to fall from her shoulders, exposing her bare, perky breasts that were a tad large for her frame. The sharp indent of her small waist comes into view when she hops off of the massage table to stand in front of Geto; her wide, toned hips and legs that he’d gotten a preview of last night now more visible in the lights of the onsen’s patio. Her wavy, long black curls dust her shoulders as they fall down to rest at the center of her back.
Geto doesn’t hold back and looks Riku up and down shamelessly, taking his time as he engraves the image of her into his memory, “Wow. You’re like a work of art, Ri.”
“Like?” She quirks a brow to the word, confidently.
Geto laughs once under his breath, shaking his head to Riku’s ego, “Shut up and come here.” He grasps Riku’s hand and pulls her along towards the traditional Japanese shower area on the side of the patio. Geto turns on the handheld shower head and squats to sit down on one of the stools, leaning over to pull another stool in front of him before glancing up at Riku who’s still standing.
She smiles brightly, “You’re going to help me wash my back, too? Aww…” She turns and sits down on the stool in front of Geto so that her back nearly presses flush against his front.
When Geto reaches to retrieve the handheld shower head from its holder, his free hand brushes her thick hair over her shoulder and he presses a soft kiss to her newly exposed neck. Riku allows her eyes to flutter shut to the sweet interaction, leaning back a little so that her back gently rests against Geto’s toned chest.
Geto sprays the hot water on the two of them, next passing the shower head to Riku so she could rinse her hair while he frees his hair from its bun and snaps his hair tie around his wrist.
“This is a first.” Riku notes, passing the shower head back to Geto and leaning forward to squeeze a number of pumps of the onsen’s complimentary shampoo into her hand. She rubs it over and through the length of her hair.
“What? Showering with someone?” Geto asks, drenching his own hair with the hot spray from the shower head.
“No, I’ve done that – just not in a Japanese style bath… at a private onsen on top of a mountain, at that.” She turns to one side while she lathers her hair, glancing back and up at Geto for a moment.
“Well, I’m glad I could give you a new experience, beautiful.” He winks down at her. Geto puts the shower head back in its holder, directing it so that it sprays on Riku’s chest before sitting up once more and moving his fingers to her scalp. He gently massages the shampoo into the roots of her hair.
Riku’s hands fall from her hair at the blissful sensation of Geto’s fingers massaging her scalp, mouth falling slightly agape and eyes closing as she softly hums to his small, circular movements, “Fuck, that feels amazing…” She breathes out, brows knitting together in pleasure.
Geto chuckles right beside Riku’s ear, “Yeah?” He coos, one of his hands retreating from her hair after a minute to slide down her shoulder and over the curve of her breast before squeezing. He uses the hand still in her hair to turn her head back towards him, lips pressing to Riku’s agape ones in a heated, passionate make out. Geto’s tongue dances with Riku’s, the two of them beginning to set a pace as he lightly bites and sucks her bottom lip into his mouth between kisses.
Riku senses a familiar heaviness building in her abdomen and feels Geto’s erection twitch firmly against her ass, breaking their moment of heated passion to pant heavily and look up at the other.
The moment quickly fades when a bit of the shampoo suds fall into her eye, “Ow,” she rubs at it a little.
A grin plays at the corners of Geto’s mouth and he grabs the shower head again, beginning to help Riku rinse her hair, “You okay? Need me to blow in your eye?” He teases.
Riku simply grumbles, leaning back into Geto’s shoulder so some of the spray from the shower head could flush out her eye. The bit of foundation she’d put on earlier drops from her face and the red and purple bruises underneath begin to come into view.
Geto gently brushes his fingers over her bruised cheek with his free hand, to which Riku flinches in a bit of pain, “Sorry,” he says low and apologetically.
“S’okay…” she blinks up at Geto, eyes directly meeting his in a long silence.
“Does it hurt bad?” He asks, genuinely.
And Riku thinks she finally understands why so many women in the yakuza syndicate swoon over this man. It’s almost too easy to fall for his sweet and attentive ways, “No, looks worse than it feels.” Riku says, picking her head back up and taking the shower head from Geto to finish rinsing her hair. She’s careful not to look into his eyes for too long, as she definitely is not interested in falling for anyone right now, let alone a yakuza drug lord.
“Wanna smoke a little?”
“Sure.” After thoroughly washing their bodies, Riku wrings her hair out a bit more before tying it up in a high ponytail and stepping into the hot spring. She sits on one of the rocks beside Geto who’s already inside.
Geto sits with his back pressed against one of the unyielding, straight rocks inside the edge of the hot spring pool, facing the vast view of the city at night before them. He reaches back to grab the joint and lighter from the pocket of the robe he’d abandoned on the ground earlier. Geto easily lights the joint in a practiced sort-of-way, evenly burning the end and lightly puffing the filter a few times to make sure it’s well lit.
He holds the joint between his lips while he places the lighter back on his robe behind him, then glances to Riku, passing the joint to her to hit, “Ladies first.”
Riku takes the joint from Geto between her index and thumb, eyeing it before finally pressing it to her lips to take a few small puffs. She hadn’t smoked weed in a while and didn’t want to embarrass herself by coughing so much. She exhales smoothly, blowing the smoke out from the corner of her mouth and away from them.
“Don’t worry, beautiful. It’s not laced with anything.” Geto winks, “I wouldn’t do that to you.”
She shrugs, teasing, “Ya never know, you being a drug lord and all.” Riku passes the joint back, and Geto takes a long, heavy drag from it, ending with a French inhale when he expels the white smoke from his mouth.
Geto chuckles, holding the joint between his fingers, “You’re… different, Riku.” He takes another puff, turning his gaze to the beautifully cultivated scene of nature and city lights before them.
“Different how?” Riku raises a brow at Geto, resting her elbows behind her on the rock edge of the onsen.
“Well, none of the women I usually hang around would ever give me as much back-talk as you,” Geto admits, beginning to smirk, “that and the fact that you expect men to do whatever you want them to do.” He turns back to Riku and hands the joint to her.
“As they should. It’s better that way.” Riku says coolly, then takes a longer drag from the joint compared to her previous puffs. The back of her throat stings from the smoke but she’s able to refrain from coughing, “And shouldn’t I be able to have anything I want?” She says in a cute, pleading tone as she gazes at Geto with big eyes and slightly pouting lips. It’s the kind of look that would undoubtedly make most men crumble.
Geto simply looks at Riku for a moment, straight-faced; almost caught in her spell. He blinks, then retrieves the joint from her hand, a small grin on his lips, “Shit, you’re good.” He takes a puff, “They teach all the Ozaki girls how to put on an act like that?”
“Nah, we may be masters of the arts, but that part’s just genetic. And I guess I should take that as a compliment, coming from you.” Riku smirks, turning her head to appreciate the city lights once more.
There’s a lull in their conversation for a moment, but they both simply observe the view with the background sounds of running water.
Geto speaks up again, “I’m not saying a man shouldn’t treat you like a princess, he definitely should, but,” he pauses to take another drag from the joint, returning his gaze to Riku, “you don’t seem like the type to reciprocate at all. Not even a little.”
Riku laughs under her breath, cocking her head to one side in agreement, “Well, you’re right about that. I’d rather not do that kind of work if I don’t have to.”
Geto responds with a single chuckle, “Hah, work? Damn, Riku, not out of the kindness of your heart or because you love someone, but work? Shit. Who hurt you?”
Riku shakes her head, lightly smiling at the view before them as the other continues to gaze down at her, “It’s not like that. I’m sort of like you in a way – just not the romantic type. I’ve never been disappointed when men do me wrong or don’t meet my expectations – men are always going to fail when it comes to that. It’s what they do best,” she takes the joint from Geto again, poking it between her lips to take a hit – now beginning to feel her head floating, “I’m just not interested in investing in that sort of dynamic when I already know there’s no return on it.”
“Ah, so you have had your heart broken…” Geto smirks.
“Sure, I mean who hasn’t?” She passes the joint back to Geto, “But honestly, even when I do think back about past lovers and past relationships – which is a rare case in itself… I think, why would I want things any other way than how I operate now? It’s very efficient, and who would even want to lift a finger for a man’s sake if they didn’t have to?”
“Yeah, you’re a brat through and through.” He concludes, nodding to himself as he takes a hit from the now much smaller joint.
Riku laughs lightly, but it’s an honest one – probably the most honest Geto’s heard her utter in the short time he’s known her. She suddenly moves closer to Geto and closes the gap between them, naked thigh pressed against his beneath the hot water as she looks up at the man, “You say that like it hasn’t worked on you.” She nearly sings, expression smug.
Geto quickly finishes the joint before placing the bud of it on the rock behind him, turning back to offer Riku his undivided attention. He furrows his brows as he looks down at her in a mix of confusion and amusement, “Please, baby. I see through it.”
Riku turns up the brattiness a notch, “Do you? I mean, it’s hardly been 24 hours since we met and you’ve already eaten me out, treated me to onsen, given me a massage, washed my hair… and you even promised to make me dinner tonight.” She says, counting each of Geto’s actions on her fingers, a bit mockingly. There’s a devious glint in her eyes, “And what have I done for you…?” Riku pretends to think for a moment, “Kiss you and look pretty?”
Geto’s gaze on Riku narrows, and all of a sudden, he’s grabbed her hips with one hand and moved her onto his lap, water splashing around them at the speed of his movements. Riku makes a high-pitched noise of surprise when she’s maneuvered, eyes wide as she’s now face to face with with Geto’s cold expression, “You’re mistaken, brat. Don’t you gloat too fucking much,” he snakes his arm around Riku’s waist and locks it there, causing her back to arch and her hips to jerk into his, “I’ve done those things for you because I like doing them.”
Riku feels her heart beat a bit quicker, but somehow regains some of her composure as she sits on the man’s lap, feeling his naked erection prod at the crook of her inner thigh, “Mhm, but the fact still remains, no?” She leans closer, pressing her lips to his ear with a sultry whisper, “You wanna treat me good; and there’s countless men out there who’d line up to the same exact thing for the same exact reason as you – that you’re infatuated with everything about me.” Riku runs her slick tongue along the length of Geto’s neck, beginning to kiss and suck small red marks onto the skin there. She simultaneously grinds her hips forward in a smooth, fluid, and controlled movement that only a dancer could, rubbing over Geto’s hardened dick.
“You’re a piece of fucking work, Ri…” Geto slips his free hand up Riku’s back, slowly and gently combing his fingers through the roots of her hair before abruptly grabbing a handful and jerking her head back, “Gojo was right. We need to teach you a lesson.” His near-black eyes peer down into her brown with an examining gaze.
“Can’t wait.” Riku smiles, eyes beaming with exaggerated excitement.
Geto rolls his eyes, unable to help the smirk on his lips when he suddenly pushes Riku off of his lap and tosses her back into the hot spring water.
“Agh—” Her scream is cut off when she falls into the pool. She breaks the surface a few seconds later, long curls straightened slick against her face and shoulders from the moisture of the water, “Hey… That was mean!” She pouts, pushing her wet hair out of her face before crossing her arms over her bare chest.
“You kinda deserved that one, Ri.” Geto begins to rise to his feet, wading over to the steps of the onsen and then walking out, “Gotta teach you to stop your back-talk somehow.”
Riku shamelessly admires his muscular form emerge from the water, especially appreciating the bulk of his toned arms, and his tight butt that sticks out when he picks up her robe for her. He grabs his own as well before putting it on and fastening the waistband.
Geto turns back to her, tucking her robe in the bend of his arm with an outstretched hand to help her out of the onsen, “Come on, Ri. Let’s get out of here. I still gotta make you dinner, right?” He smiles, this time honestly.
*
Riku lays back on the black leather couch of Geto’s vast, modern style living room, legs stretched out over the length of it as she scrolls through her phone and replies to a few messages – most of which were from Nanami who kept asking her for updates. A cooking show softly plays in the background from the large TV in front of her but she doesn’t pay it much attention at the moment. As she hadn’t planned for or previously known that she’d be staying with Geto for a few days, Riku wears some of his clothes as makeshift pajamas, currently and solely wearing one of his white t-shirts and a pair of his boxer-briefs. Both were far to big for her but especially the extra large t-shirt that drapes and loosely hangs off her shoulders – basically the length of a small dress.
Riku knows that Geto is in the kitchen finishing up preparing their dinner but hears a door loudly open in the distance, and suddenly his white-haired best friend is the one to stride into the living room first, eventually followed by Geto.
“Hey, Ri,” Gojo is fully dressed in his all-black getup when he enters the room. He smirks down at the sight of Riku on the couch, arms folded across his chest as he admires the view, “damn you look fucking good in his shirt…”
Riku locks her phone and places it on the flat of the couch’s arm rest, a bit caught off guard when Gojo suddenly leans over and captures her lips with his own in a heated kiss; Riku can’t deny it’s a bit embarrassing with Geto right behind him and blushes, lightly moaning into his mouth when he easily slips a large hand beneath the shirt to grasp her bare breast.
“Hey,” Geto warns, “I’ve been working on that one all night,” he quickly explains to Gojo, “don’t ruin dessert.” He grins wickedly.
Gojo breaks the kiss, standing upright again, “Well, when you put it like that…” He trails off, grin matching his friend’s.
Riku sits up, smoothing the shirt back down, “Is that all I am to you? Something you want to eat after dinner?” She plays along, only pretending to be offended in the way she asks the question.
Gojo plops down beside Riku on the couch, aimlessly watching the cooking show for a moment, “What is for dinner, anyways?”
“Kaisendon,” Geto sits on the opposite side of Riku, joining the two of them on the couch, “already prepped the sashimi and just waiting on the rice to finish cooking, now.” His eyes dart over to Riku, “This one had to choose something expensive, of course…” the pads of Geto’s fingers brush under her chin.
Riku rolls her eyes, “Oh please, a few hundred bucks spent on quality fish is nothing to you.”
“Still acting like a brat, I see…” Gojo tears his eyes from the TV and leans close to Riku.
“Oh she’s been even worse today,” Geto pokes two long fingers to Riku’s lips and slips them into her mouth – and Riku immediately starts to lick and suck on them lewdly. Geto glances to Gojo with his next words, “all kinds of smart shit’s been coming out of this pretty little mouth.” He looks back at Riku with a dark, heated gaze, “Such a shame when she could be using it for something better.”
“You’re such a slut.” Gojo laughs, hands slipping up Riku’s shirt to squeeze her breasts again, pausing every so often to tease her hardened nipples with his fingertips, “You’re barely even ashamed of wanting to please both of us at the same time, aren’t you?” Gojo then talks low, breathing hotly into Riku’s ear, “Go on, show him how you’d treat his dick.”
Riku moans soft and wantonly as she laps and swirls her tongue around Geto’s fingers, eyes locked on Geto’s until he suddenly pulls them from her mouth. Geto’s gaze lowers to Riku’s body as he trails them down her exposed stomach, slipping them under the waistband of the loose boxer briefs and starting to gently rub small circles over her clit.
A breathy but louder moan falls from Riku’s lips at the pleasurable friction Geto creates, brows knitting together when Gojo pinches her nipples at the same time. She looks back and forth between the two men, both of their eyes locked on her as they continue their sinful movements on her body.
Riku glances down at Geto’s hand that moves beneath the fabric of the black boxer briefs, unaware of how much her body had been craving his touch so badly until this very moment. She moans again and grabs the thick of Geto’s forearm, pulling it closer as she wants him to touch her more.
“That good, huh?” Geto says slyly, “Or is this just what you’ve been thinking about all day?”
“That feels so good…” Riku pants out between heavy breaths, honestly surprised by how perfect and skillfully his fingers move on the tiny, swelling bud of flesh between her legs.
“I know, baby.” Geto pecks Riku’s forehead with a kiss, and the innocence of the gesture mixed with the contrasting, wicked movements of his fingers drives her a little crazier.
Gojo pauses and retrieves one of his hands away from Riku’s breasts, popping his middle and ring fingers into his mouth to wet them before removing them from his lips with a ‘pop.’ He reaches down between Riku’s legs, slipping his hand under the stretched fabric of the briefs and beneath Geto’s that circled over her clit to press his long fingers into her tight, slick hole.
“Hah…!” Riku cries out, instinctively squeezing around Gojo’s fingers.
“Shit, you’re tight, babe…” Gojo notes, “And so wet. You haven’t been fucked in a while, have you?”
Riku props up her leg on the edge of the couch so that the men have better access to her. She moans messily in response to Gojo’s words, looking up at him to shake her head as she currently finds it difficult to speak with all the pleasure she’s receiving.
Gojo’s fingers move at a slow, steady pace in and out of Riku’s pussy, deeply massaging her from the inside with each thrust of his hand.
“Tell us how long it’s been, beautiful.” Geto speaks up again, his sultry voice just slightly demanding.
Riku whines, somehow mustering up the strength to speak coherently, “Uh… a l-little over a y-year…”
“A year?!” Gojo and Geto simultaneously chorus, both of their hand movements ceasing for a few seconds, before eventually continuing again.
“Shit, babe, no wonder you’re such a slut for a little bit of friction.” Gojo says, still pushing his fingers in and out of Riku deliciously slow. He tries curling the tips of his fingers forward when he slides them deep into her pussy, pressing against the soft spot at the front of her drenched walls.
“Ah—!” Riku loudly yelps, hips jerking forward when Gojo touches her g-spot while Geto continues his feather-light circling of her clit.
“There it is…” Gojo grins, softly chuckling to Riku’s response, “You like it right here, babe?” He whispers the rhetorical question into her ear. His hand abruptly picks up speed, the toned muscles of his arm rippling beneath his black button up shirt as he begins to harshly thrust and pound his hand against Riku’s cunt.
Her mouth falls agape and loud groans continuously fall from her lips, “Fuck, ah, S-Satoru! Too fast…!” She turns to look up at him, free hand gently grabbing the bicep of his arm that moved at a crazy pace. Her eyes are pleading and the expression on her face is a helpless one as she’s at the mercy of these two powerful, cruel yakuza men.
“Shut the fuck up and take it like a good girl, yeah?” There’s not a hint of care or kindness in Gojo’s tone – only nastiness and impatience.
Riku’s hardly able to register how quickly she’s drawn to the edge at the command of Gojo’s pounding, curling fingers; the sharp contrast of Geto’s gentle, circling ones only driving her closer to her climax. Geto speeds up his movements to match Gojo’s, and Riku’s body shudders with anticipation of the big orgasm she feels approaching. She nearly reaches the edge, chest shaking as she loudly hyperventilates at the strong sensation that’s so close she can almost taste it…
… and Gojo and Geto exchange looks, nodding at each other once in sync before quickly removing their hands from between her legs.
Riku is dazed for a moment, not having expected the men to stop, and her moans turn into a long whine. She pulls at their arms, looking between Gojo and Geto with begging eyes, “Please…! ‘M so close!”
The two men simply pull out of her grasp in response and rise from the couch, leaving her there. Geto laughs loudly.
“That sounds like a personal problem, Ri.” Gojo yawns, turning to Geto with a shit-eating grin, “I’m hungry. You, Suguru?”
“Yeah. The rice cooker’s probably finished by now, too.”
“Oh, fuck you two.” Riku’s helpless, pleading tone is already long gone and she spits the words bitterly, obviously pissed and angry from having been edged and denied her orgasm. She dramatically throws herself back onto the couch so she’s stretched over it like she had been before. Riku picks up her phone once again, looking at absolutely nothing in particular as she truly just felt like ignoring the two men who’d teased her.
“Aw, look who’s mad!” Gojo pokes fun at Riku, laughing, “What’s wrong, babe? We’re only giving you the punishment you deserve.”
“Maybe next time you’ll think twice about giving us attitude. Now come, Riku. Let’s eat.” Geto says.
Riku turns on her side and away from the men so that she directly faces the back of the couch, “No.” she grumbles childishly, tapping away at her phone, “I wanna cum.”
Riku suddenly feels her arm harshly being grabbed and pulled back so that she gets off the couch and stands on her feet, Geto’s sharp eyes glaring down at her with a coldness that’s downright scary, “Don’t make me say it again, brat. You don’t get to cum unless I fucking let you. Now you better fucking eat this good ass dinner I made. It’s what you wanted – right, slut?”
Riku’s stunned and honestly a bit frightened by this dark side of Geto, as he’s usually so sweet and she hasn’t really experienced him act like this until this instant. That’s right, he is Tokyo’s most vicious drug lord. She feels her heart rate hasten and drops her phone to the floor, “Yes!” She replies obediently.
“Then come on and fucking eat it then.” Geto leans in so he’s face-to-face with Riku, peering down at her.
Riku regains some of her confidence, not wanting to cower under the man’s gaze and instead changing her expression so that she glares up at him.
Gojo watches their interaction, deciding to break the tension. He brushes the back of his knuckles over Riku’s smooth cheek, genuinely smiling to the pissed off look on her face, “You’re so fucking cute when you’re angry, Ri.”
“That’s toxic!” Riku shouts, turning her attention to Gojo.
Geto laughs, his fit of anger leaving him as quickly as it came, “Not the fact that he’s the highest ranked yakuza, but the fact that he likes the way you look when you’re angry? That’s the red flag?” He laughs a bit more, “You’re hilarious, Ri…”
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Stellar Acclimation—Prologue
The sun barely starts to rise over the desert hills as Semyon steps outside. Only its earliest rays filter through the dusty sky, filling the air with a gentle purple pre-dawn haze.
Semyon dusts the mauve fur on his hands as he meanders towards the hill that marks the westward boundary of town. He never can get all of the sand out of his messy fur. Drives him nuts. Despite a sandstorm lasting all night, the only remnant of it now is a chilled, faint breeze that stirs his fur and the leaves of the rainbow palms high above. Even the massive wall of dust is no longer visible past the hill.
Large squares of blue fabric, hung like curtains and tent walls, shield the entrances of most of the houses and the entrance of Semyon’s mentor’s workshop. His mentor, an old Glitch named Bronzemarch, needed a few fresh bottles of the healing water that naturally pools under the workshop and had thus tasked Semyon to fetch them like every morning. The shimmering turquoise liquid fills the workshop—which is little more than a few work tables between crates on a rickety wooden platform long ago fitted into the side of the natural cave in the hill—with a soothing, glittering light. It’s one of Semyon’s favorite places in town.
He hums a made-up tune to himself as he uncorks each bottle he was assigned and dips it into the cool water. His rumble echoes in the silence; the whistle of the breeze through the fabric overhangs his accompaniment. But then a sudden burst of magenta light followed by an orange glow flickers through the westward exit of the workshop cave. He cuts himself off mid-phrase and mid-dip. What in the world?
Curiosity possesses him, and he sets aside his two filled bottles and last half-filled one before investigating. What’s that orange glow? A visitor warping down, perhaps? They don’t get many of those unless the merchant Riku invites someone for a business deal. Maybe someone got lost? …But a magenta warp? Avian-made teleporters create a red warp; Hylotl-made teleporters create a blue one. But what kind of technology makes a magenta one?
Semyon isn’t quite sure what he expects when he pushes aside the thick, limp fabric shielding the west exit of the cave from the outside desert. But he certainly doesn’t expect to see what he sees: a burst of flickering orange gas—no, plasma—just behind the nearby ruined sandstone pillars. Alarmed, Semyon approaches the pillars.
And finds a humanoid being, wearing a horribly tattered short-sleeved black shirt and pants; with their whole left arm, shoulder, and half their upper back gone and leaking that plasma. They’re face-first in the sand and fading fast. Literally.
“Bronzemarch!” Semyon yells as he rushes back through the workshop into town. “Bronzemarch! Come quick!”
Bronzemarch bursts out of the front door of his small shack, ducking past the blue drape and nearly colliding with the wicker-and-sandstone waist-high wall that delineates the little patio in front of the door. “Alarmed. Semyon! What’s wrong?” he demands, still buttoning up an old black tunic over his steel chassis.
“Someone’s just outside your workshop; I don’t even know what they are but they’re hurt real bad!” Semyon summarizes between huffs, pointing the way.
“Serious. Show me.”
Quickly Semyon leads his mentor through the workshop cave to where the orange plasma-person is still laying in the sand by the pillars.
Bronzemarch quickens his pace to pass Semyon and approach the person while muttering, “Bewildered. A Novakid?”
While Bronzemarch kneels next to the person, opposite their leaking plasma, Semyon blinks. “A what?”
“Focused. A being made of plasma like a miniature star. They are—” Suddenly Bronzemarch holds up a hand to stop Semyon before he can approach, his mechanical tone sharpening. “Stern. Semyon, don’t get close. This plasma is dangerous to organics.”
“Then what do I do?”
“Commanding. Give me your jacket, then go fetch my nanowrap from the cupboard. Quickly!”
Semyon nods hurriedly, shrugging off his muted orange jacket, tossing it to his mentor, and turning around to dash back through the workshop almost in the same motion.
By the time he returns a minute later with a thinning roll of nanoweave bandaging, Bronzemarch had wrapped the person’s—Novakid’s—wounded side with Semyon’s now-inside-out jacket, rolled them to their back, and is now starting to tie the sleeves together to secure it. Bronzemarch looks up sharply as Semyon scampers over, his screen-like eyes wide for a blink before looking back down at the Novakid. He holds a hand out, and Semyon automatically tosses the nanoweave over.
Semyon shifts his weight between his feet, studying his mentor’s work while waiting to be told what to do next. Bronzemarch wraps lengths of the luminescent nanoweave bandaging around the ends of Semyon’s jacket to seal the large impromptu patch and keep the Novakid from leaking any more of their thinning plasma. But by now their plasma is so thin Semyon can almost see through their dim head to Bronzemarch’s knee propping it up. Even their uneven bob of plasma “hair” is mostly limp aside from the odd wisp here and there. He’s partially surprised the metal-looking symbol on their face doesn’t make their...face...cave in. They don’t have anything in the way of facial features at all past that symbol—which is in the shape of a triangle with short lengths extending out of its vertices. Or it would be, aside from the white-hot fractures that almost separate the bottom left vertex from the rest of the symbol.
Semyon can’t help but feel like the Novakid is somehow staring at him without eyes. “Are they...conscious?” he eventually musters the courage to ask.
Bronzemarch shakes his head as he finishes wrapping the bottom end of Semyon’s jacket around the Novakid and tucks the remaining nanoweave into his trouser pocket. “Grave. No. She’s vented a lot of plasma and received serious damage to her brand somehow.” Gently he slips his arms under the Novakid and lifts them—her, apparently—up as if she hardly weighs anything at all. Which she probably doesn’t. Then he nods back towards town. “Directing. We need to stabilize her as best we can. Go get the bed ready for her, then talk to Riku and see if he has any access to raw metal suppliers. We may need some.”
“Got it.”
~~~~~
And thus it begins! Stellar Acclimation is going to be the first “episode”—as I like to call it—of I Was The Sun!
Next Chapter>>
#starbound#starbound fanfic#fanfic#I Was The Sun#also on ao3#finally making myself start posting this!#camp nanowrimo 2023#Stellar Acclimation
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