Leo having a "she's just like me fr fr" moment at Big Mama was a delightful gutpunch. I'm heartbroken for him... but also I want Leo to have his own "altering the terms at the last second". Like, (legally) she is his mom. And, what makes a parent any prouder than having their child take after them in skill? Leo's a sweet kid and is being set up to be attached, but if big mama is encouraging his ruthlessness i do hope she gets her just desserts if it's ever turned on her.
Angry Mikey!! Angry Mikey rights hell yeah!! It's such a scary thing to realize the abduction of someone you loved has been methodically planned out. Shatters any illusion of safety, and doubly so when you're trained to fight. And, in Leo nature, he knew!! Didn't say anything!! Put himself in danger to treat his little brother, and that kind of thing... well, it's love sure, but the infuriatingly sweet kind.
...and then Draxum dropped even MORE family drama. Yikes. But heyy, new potential sibling being made aware to the clan! And I'm a sucker for Mikey reconciling who Draxum is now, and can become, vs who he *was* and the horrible acts he committed. A perfectly seasoned conflict, my compliments to the chief!
Venus and Leo hanging out is always a highlight. Like. Bonding thru banter and sparing. Leo envisioning how Venus would mesh with *his* family (oh No he's Attached p2). Love it, you go get urself a new sibling leo... tho his insistence on Venus being 'brainwashed' is a troubling assumption i hope doesn't bite him in the ass in a way he can't recover from. (Yes, the bar is in HELL I know Leo will Suffer and him expecting any allies in the carefully assorted collection of ppl specifically placed by his kidnapper as enrichment in his enclosure is. Just a Bad Time waiting to happen. Gotta admire his optimistic tho) Venus is slowly starting to get attached herself, if only bc why else would you talk to someone on the verge of passing out? Silly turtle. The arm band is worrying tho. Easy way to incapacitated Leo? And, from what I'm understanding, remotely too? Is it *just* Big Mama leaving that triggers the injection (is injecting the only thing it can do to leo?) or do other factor qualify? Is it automatic, and if so, is there any lag between the trigger signal and the band receiving it? Tl;dr: IM VERY WORRIED OH GOSH
Big Mama getting excited talking about how the battle nexus works and was developed was... I hate to use the word endearing bc I want to be mad at her for This Whole Situation for when Leo can't. But I enjoy her too much as a character and this moment rings sincere enough to me that I found it a little charming. Almost made me forget the bloodsport in the bg, tho the peak into her duties was fun to learn. Big M def needs some kind of marketing analyst or something on her side. Something something statistics based on audience feedback that lessen the burden on herself as a business runner. But, I'm guessing the pride in what she does would make any personal touch via overseeing worth it.
It does make me wonder, assuming he ever warms up to/is confronted with the idea to treat it with serious consideration, *what* kind of changes Leo would add to the Nexus. His remarks on the potential med care of the cat yokai, along with his own want for showmanship and less blood/brutality; it makes me think Leo could turn the Nexus into something grand. A proper fighting tournament for skilled fighters rather than a gladiator prison. Proper medicinal care and humane treatment of fighters that have people eager to join. A touch of showmanship, Leo's perchant for trickery creating stages and events for non traditional shows of battle, like maybe something out of a Lou Jitsu movie where fighters are encouraged to use non traditional weaponry. Idk, his questions about how Big M ran things made *me* have questions about how Leo would run things. Esp since, if she's *dead*, Leo would no longer need her approval.
(...tho, I do think it's cruel for her to get Leo attached knowing she doesn't have much time left, and esp in the way she does.)
So many moving parts in this fic I'm excited to what you bring next! Also.. good luck with college. Pace yourself! Burnout is scary.
Comment on Praised Prize
ViazBell on Chapter 7 Tue 21 Nov 2023 10:50AM UTC
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