TokuShipping Day - Special Day
For TokuShipping Day – Special day I shall indulged by going on about two of my favorite ships. Ace/Michinaga and Nyelv/Lakia.
The ship that got me back into writing fanfic for the series that got me back into Kamen Rider. I love how contrasting they are, they stand on different sides for most of the series, and when they do finally come to an alliance its because it’s forged in blood, battle, and trust.
Ace stands above everyone. He is the Star of the Stars of the Stars, Kamen Rider Geats, the child of the Goddess of Creation and later takes on that mantle for himself. But to Michinaga he is just a pompous asshole who needs to be taken down a few pegs. Everyone else sees Ace as some otherworldly being, a force of nature, and Michinaga stares at that and says “Fuck you”. He keeps Ace humble and human, mainly through fists, and I think Ace really does appreciates that.
Michinaga is a man who experienced the hardships of life and even allowed himself to get twisted up in that hate. While most would be put off by this, Ace doesn't let Michinaga get away with it. The two constantly argue, fight, and grabbing each other's collars while they're at it. For all of Michinaga’s protest, he does wants Ace to fight for him. He wants to be saved and find hope. Of course Michinaga has to take those steps towards redemption himself, but Ace never closes the door to Michinaga's salvation. And when Michinaga is ready, he does finally take Ace’s hand.
The tragedy of a love between the God and the Human. Ace is selfish, greedy, and wants it all. Yet he committed a selfless act, being the lamb to the slaughter to save humanity. Michinaga is painfully human and has all the human struggles, and even when offered unlimited power he chooses his humanity above all. Ace could offer Michinaga immortality or bring back Tooru, but Michinaga would never take that offer. When he did stood before the goddess of creation, he used it to gain the power to destroy the entire system. He would rather stay human, as messy and hard as that is, and Ace understands that. Ace would have remained human if it wasn’t for the final battle. And so while I’m sure Ace would want to be a selfish greedy god and keep his loved ones alive, he denies himself this and it’s so tragic and beautiful. (And then the works that explore Ace being a selfish greedy god are just so delicious I love it!)
And then there's just all the domestic fluff AzuAce has. All the times they share a meal together, bicker over small petty things, get under each other skin. Ace is able to get under Michinaga’s skin and accept his furry, sorrow, and pain. Michinaga is so flawed and human, and will always keep Ace humble. If I can quote from one of my fanfics;
“I love you too.”
“I tolerate you.”
Truly a pairing that can make each other worse or better. We’ve seen how bad it can get via Route Stomach… and we also got spoiled by them having a character song duet together!
Truly, I have to start off with Nyelv. He has been my blorbo since episode 1, and it’s only gotten worse since. He, and the rest of his siblings, are unapologetically evil and I love that for them. I've written plenty with Nyelv that’s just him going crazy and inflict as much pain as he can. But the reason why he's a whumper is because he is a weakling, insecure, and longs for the comfort and stability he never got growing up.
Lakia is the person with potential be that stability. Lakia can provide the strength, stubbornness, and good nature to stand up against Nyelv on equal footing. Nyelv respect Lakia’s power and ability, he doesn’t dismiss him as just another part-timer.
Lakia starts off consumed by revenge, and the two of them end up in a strange partnership of sorts. And just as much Nyelv is using Lakia, Lakia is using Nyelv. And it would continue on if it wasn’t for Lakia’s true goodness and kind heart having him join Shouma and co. Now the rest has a lot of headcanons because the writing of Gavv's villains is… less than fleshed out.
I personally think Nyelv sought after strong granutes, not to save Stomach Inc. (I think that was just BS he was saying to Shouma), but for them to take control of the Granute World and then he would either control ether in the shadows or upfront depending on how things went. All to spite his grandfather who saw him as a weaking. But as we know, Nyelv is not a master manipulator. He’s short sighted, prideful, and gets in over his head. It’s only when Nyelv is completely broken with no backup plans that his long and painful road to redemption can happen. Lakia knows exactly how long that road is.
While Lakia’s sins are few in comparison, he can help guide Nyelv to the light. He also isn’t afraid to call Nyelv out or humble him when needed. And as a big brother, he can provide the gentle care and stability should Nyelv ever come around to deserve it. Nyelv would have to work so hard to earn Lakia's love. Which is why he mainly takes without care. But getting Nyelv cornered to the point where he did genuine care and want for redemption and Lakia... OOoooh that's what makes things interesting!
Meanwhile being with Nyelv would be such a challenge for Lakia. A true test of his commitment to forgiveness and reconciliation with who he is as a person. Being with anyone else would be easier and allow Lakia to forget the darkness, pain, and sorrow he felt, but being Nyelv would be a long hard look in the mirror. Is he with Nyelv because that’s all he thinks he deserves? Does he actually care for Nyelv? Does Nyelv actually care for Lakia? That’s where the whole make each other better or worse comes into play that we can explore in fanworks!
Admittedly BitterPudding is just my love for Nyelv mixed with my love for relationship dynamics that contrast and test each other, with some suffering mixed in for good measure. (I am no better than Beobra and I am okay with that). But it’s still one of my ships and I love it all the same.
Thanks for listening to me ramble. This has been the first time I’ve participated in a community event like this and I’ve had so much fun! I’ve gone to cons and done meet-ups but really isn’t the same as being able to share part of my soul unabashedly online.
