#Hero wars best team combinations

[444st4rg1rl]

Roomies

18+ , 5.5k words

tags : roommate!reader, female!reader, sorta sidekick!reader, roommate!Logan, roommate!Wade, Best Friend!Wade, enemies to lovers, harsh words, very tiny angst, smut, oral sex (f) , unprotected p in v, fingering (f), cursing. 

a/n: I couldn’t get this idea out of my head, also small spoilers to Deadpool & Wolverine. 

The one where you fucking hate your new roommate, but shit he’s also kinda hot. 

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“You think Murdock is willing to take a roommate?

Wade has made himself comfortable in his bed in his room, the one out of two rooms in his apartment that is housing three people. It was nice when it was just you and Wade, best buds, partners in crime, pookie and shookie.  Whatever the fuck, it had always been you and Wade. Now it’s you, Wade and Logan. Possibly the worst fucking addition to the duo. Doesn’t he know there is always a duo in a trio?

“Gasp! Is it because of the smell? Because pookie no where deep in reddit told me how to clean up-”

You put your hand up to stop him, face full of confusion yet the sheer idea of whatever Wade has to say next kills the curious cat roaming in your thoughts. You lean on his door frame - the doors not fully open out of fear but it’s enough to not want to step foot deep in the room - and closed enough for your eyes to be saved from the atrocity he was talking about. 

“Wade, please, I can’t fucking take it anymore I am fucking loosing it. I can’t even get water without seeing that sad sack of shit mopping on our fucking couch! It’s sad, Wade, if you loved me you'd kick him out.”

The childish ultimatum is dumb but maybe the puppy dog eyes you have going on as you stare at Wade big eyed and faux sadness. Overall this is childish of you, to beg your best friend to kick out the guy who just had to fucking help you save the world seems pathetic and rude of you. But who gives a fuck? Logan is rude, an arrogant asshole, a prick, douche, down-under fucker. He is the worst hero? you have had the displeasure of meeting. But no, God strikes you down on your hatred of this old man once more; he makes him hot.

“How could you say that about a war veteran?” 

The sarcasm combined with Wade talking to Mary Puppins like a baby rather than looking at you, has you wishing Cassandra killed you herself back when she had the chance. It was interesting to say the least, getting thrown into a rag team with Wade and being told to save the multiverse was not your usual mission but hey, money is money. That wasn’t really your style, the whole big hero sham. Vigilante, mercenary, the people's people, too hot to handle, now that’s just one big umbrella term you’d throw yourself under. You met Wade when he wasn’t deadpool and you were some weird eighteen year old who was a little too good with knives and way too lucky to be alive. It felt natural then and there to just fall under his wing and have him throw you out there, figuratively and literally (there was the 32 floor incident and the scars to prove it). Your thankful for it even if it means some scars and permanent migraine because twenty-three year old you now has the confidence to throw a kitchen knife that was embedded in the wall next to you- right into Wades head and slam the door shut, something eighteen year old would have hesitated to do at first. 

“Nice clothes ya got there, Bub.”

Logan’s deep voice rattles through your system, spiking your nervous system higher than it normally is around him, (usually very high). You spin around from Wade’s door, the curse you had ready to drip off your tongue is gathered right back into your mouth after you get a look at him. Tall, dark, so big and strong; the words Karen Page had uttered to you the first time she saw Logan after you and Wade had brought him around the group you guys converse in. The words that had haunted you at night, the nights where you catch him and Wade fighting and his massive arms are on display for you to shamelessly stare at or the nights where you curse what God you might have pissed off in your past multiverses that put your very thin bedroom wall right next to the shower wall. Hearing The Wolverine, the one that you had read in comics growing up, untouchable and badass Wolverine, was the one you heard bite down on his knuckles to quiet down his deep groans as he got himself off in the shower. You close your eyes to regain what you were gonna say and look at Logan.

“Thanks, go fuck yourself.”

You turn to make the small trek to your room, looking down at clothes Logan had chosen to comment on. An oversized and stretched t-shirt that has Spider-man's logo on it, the shirt long enough to reach your thighs so like always you for-go the pants. You're not gonna change your comfiness for one person who decided to be a roach in your living room. 

Logan’s large hand on your wrist is what gets your anger sparking as he stops you from entering your room. 

“Can I fucking help you?”

Harsh words cut through your mouth as you remove your wrist from his hand, if you were to miss the warmth it provided, then well that’s later you in your bed problem. 

“Are you going with Wilson tomorrow?”

Tomorrow, a day job that you and Wade had picked up, some bullshit, go kill this person,yadda yadda, and here's the money. The main reason you're so excited? A day away from him. 

You don’t even bother to say yes, you nod your head at him, open your door, stare at him, ignore the smirk, and slam the door. Wait why the fuck did he make that face?

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Now, to be truthful you should have pushed back against Logan last night. Yelled and pushed for a fight on why did he care where you were going, why did he make that face at you. You really should have, instead you chose peace. Now you live with violence in the present. Your suit clings too tight to you right now and one of your knives is digging into your thigh and oh, fucking Logan is apparently is coming. There goes any excitement you had about the day trip away from the bastard. You give Wade the silent treatment in the apartment, on the way to the car, during his shameful ‘Careless Whisper’ performance in the car and halfway to the mission. Wade drives, it’s an amusing site to watch the rather large man sit in the driver seat of the 2008 Nissan Rogue (Hondas hold too much PTSD for the group). You make yourself comfortable in the passenger and try to tune out Logan seating himself in the back.

Wade leans over, not subtly, and puts a hand cupping around his masked mouth and whispers rather loudly-

“Is this because I washed your suit too tight? Or is it your allergy to cheap soaps? I know your skin is bougie, bestie.”

You're going to kill him, you and Logan. You go to grab at the stickshift in the center console to fuck up the car but Wade knows you to well and already has a hand on the stick shift. Hearing Logan chuckle has you moving quickly. A gun is pressed right to the center of his unfortunately gorgeous forehead and takes off safely as you make direct eye contact with him.

“I will fucking pull the trigger right now.”

“Ya know you won’t Bubs, you're too much of a pussy for that.”  

The familiar nickname sends a shiver down your spine, and a heat you're too known with through the lower parts of you but the anger from his doubting overshines like usual, intrusively you unbuckle your seat belt and jump in the back seat and pistol whip Logan across the face. 

Bad choice

Logan stares at you as the gash from the pistol is rapidly repairing itself but the bloody evidence makes itself permanent on his face. He’s quick to act, unbuckling his seatbelt and going to launch himself at you.

You don’t have any fancyshamchy powers of that sort, you heal fast, just like the other two in the car but not that fast, maybe a day or two. And you're lucky, one would call it a power and someone wouldn’t. But fuck your lucky you avoid Logans fast coming fist towards your head. You duck and lean back on the seat kicking your feet out to hit him in the stomach. He gets pushed back and his head hits the widow opposite of you hard and loud. The site has you cackling, from your view as your half laid down on the seat and one leg half up and the other hanging off the seat. Logan’s broad body is pushed up against the window. Your cackling comes to a yelp as Logan is quick to pounce on you. His large body pins yours down to the seat. One arm is quick to grab your hands, capturing them in one hand that he brings above your head. His other arm across your throat pressing down hard enough to cut off your air supply.

You blame the lack of air for the thought that pushes through your mind, the sight of him above you right now all furious and heated. His thick forearm heavy on your throat should have you kicking him immediately off you but you falter. The worst part? Logan notices. You're a second to late for your normal reaction time. You watch in slight horror as Logan realizes this above you. 

“Hey! Are you guys fucking back there? Listen I know where in the middle of enemies to lovers fanfic but C’MON!”

For fucking once Wade decided to be useful these past two days, you ignore his spewing but Logan seems distracted. You get the high ground and kick him off, shoving a baby knife into his neck and scrambling your ass back into the front seat by Wade. As you adjust yourself back into your seat, the feeling of hot slick between your thighs has become a rather uncomfortable problem that has aroused. You shift uncomfortably in your seat and make the mistake of catching Logan’s eyes in the rearview mirror and he gives you a sideways glance. Fuck, fucking mutants, fucking weird senses, fucking dog boy.

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If Logans being truthful, he never hated you. Hate’s too strong of a word, he does although despise you. Loathe, detest, revulse, abhorrence, those are the words Logan would use if someone asked him to describe his feelings towards you. The annoying girl who had saved the world with him and who he shares an apartment with. The very annoying girl who he wants to pummel into the ground, and then into a bed. 

Since the whole ‘we saved the universe now we gotta go back to New York and hey I guess you can come with us’ has happened to him has tested his patience. 

It’s rough adjusting to a new life let alone a new fucking universe and she makes it no better. Logan truly wants to hate her the way he portrays, he wonders if she gets tired of arguing all the time. Being so uptight and rude twenty-four seven, to have anger vibrate through her bones. Every conversation they had is laced with malice. 

“Why the fuck are you in my fridge.” - “I didn’t realize you owned the whole fridge, girl.’

“You're a reckless waste of space, I'm surprised Cassandra failed to kill you.” - “Ain’t yo whole team dead cause of you?”

“You sure Wilson’s just not pitying you, Bubs?” - “How are you over two hundred years old and you still can’t pull bitches?” 

She’s quick-witted, sharp tongued and annoyingly gorgeous. The moment Logan laid his eyes on you, he felt his blood spike faster to his heart and his dick. Pretty young girl covered in blood holding a 9 mm, he was enamored, then you opened your mouth and it was a wrap (discreet wrap). Hating you publicly and his shower thoughts is what he had lived by for the past two months yet here he sits now in the back of the car, Wades shitty pop playlist blasting, and the image of you pinned underneath of him with your big wide eyes staring up at him is burned into his head. You faltered, he saw it himself the way you went lax and the way you liked it. He’s not stupid, he bluntly watches as you push your way out from under and throw yourself back into the passenger seat. He can’t control it but he smells you, the way you have to squeeze your thigh together to get some relief. 

It sends him into a frenzy as he catches your glazed eyes in the rearview mirror, he curses himself as he feels his blood rush and his cock hardens in his suit. Fuck

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You're sure Wade is the only person who enjoyed the mission, the only part you enjoyed is the fat wad of cash that was pushed into your hand. The three of you shuffle into the car that is somehow still standing. The three of you all covered in various contrivances along with Wade's now missing left arm. The car getting stained with every movement mixed with the hot interior is worse than a crowded hallway in highschool. You roll your window down and let the cool air soothe over your skin like a new layer of skin.

“I can’t believe those perverted bastards took my arm! Hope they like jerking their dicks off with sandpaper because…’’  Wade’s nonsense lulls you to a slumber that makes you ache less. 

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You're a loudmouth, not as bad as Wade but you need your fix of arguing and winning. Which is what has you standing at your door thinking hard before you open it. 

Logan’s ignoring you, well, you're also ignoring him. You’ve both been trying to pretend the other doesn’t exist as one can in a 15x10 apartment layout. Just start some shit, call him fucking lazy or ugly. You psych yourself up ready to start the argument and win. The door opens and there you go sauntering out of it in your big t-shirt and no pants. Logan makes a quick glance towards your direction but otherwise seems preoccupied on the television in front of him . You stand in the kitchen behind him mouth agape as you struggle to think of the words, angrily you grab water and return back to your room.

This keeps happening, you and Logan keep avoiding each other, not more than sparing a glance. Of course, it’s Wade who says something. He catches you as you're in your room and Logans of and about in New York. 

“So did the Big Bad Wolf really eat your grandma, huh?”

“I'm gonna make you eat your grandma.”

“Kinky, but my grandma was a fierce woman.” He launches himself onto your bed and grabs your fluffy throw pillow to hold, Mary Puppins trailing in after Wade. “But seriously pookie, this is odd behavior for you two. Y’know you guys are usually like cats and dogs after each other. Oh! You think the song ‘It’s Raining Men’ took into consideration ‘it's raining cats and dogs out”…....

“I hear Logan jerk off in the shower”

You're not completely sure why that's the first thing you say to Wade, but it shuts him up. He stares at you comically before he loudly gasps and goes to cover Mary Puppins ears before excitedly staring at you. If he wasn’t horrifically scarred you could almost compare him to a teen girl right now. 

“Sexual Tension! You have to fuck The Wolverine!”

You stare at Wade like he just said he was never going to shoot again.

“The fuck are you spewing about?”

You have no other choice but to listen to Wade spew about how to fix all your problems you have to fuck Logan. You get up as Wade is on his second speech on how to suck dick 101, you push him out of your room and depressingly stare at your wall before you realize. 

“Fuck!”

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After your conversation with Wade it's all that plagues your mind. The way the veins pop in his arms, how his chest looks in his wife beater. The dog tags that hand around his neck, you want to fall in front of your face and then choke him out. It catches up to you finally, after all you still share a kitchen with him. It's awkward, more awkward then a teen boy confessing his crush, it's kinda awkward where a two hundred year old mutant and a twenty three year old something of the sorts have a mutual hatred but sexual deviance of the other. 

It’s one-thirty four at night when you and Logan run into each other. You're grabbing a glass of water and he's sitting at the small Island nursing a beer. 

“Ya hate me so much Bubs you had to lock yourself away?”

You glare at him, eyes following the way he laughs at his own sentence and how his lips close around the top of his beer. You move your eyes up to catch his already glaring at you. You rack your mind to what to say, to embarrass him. 

“Bathroom walls are thin ya know, Old man.”

Got him. He freezes as he sets down his beer on the counter before continuing to stare at you, you smile at your upperhand in this. 

“Don’t know why you wanna piss me off so bad Old man, that's the only way you get it up?”

Low blow, but who cares. You certainly don’t as you watch as he racks his brain to say something. You beat him to it again.

“Why don’t you get yourself something nice, a bar, club, something. Or has it been too long for you to try anything with civilization?”

He stands up and fuck if he ain’t tall. You watch as he makes the small space in between you, he stands at his full. You reach about his shoulder so you have to lift your head to stare at him, he’s already staring down at you with a gleam in his eye. One of his hefty arms comes down on the counter behind you, caging you. His other arm rests by his side, an escape route if you still have the shreds of your dignity that tells you to leave, go back to your room and go to sleep. Yet Logan tilts his head at you and watches as his lips curl into a smirk. 

“Harsh accusations from someone-”

His words are cut off as you put a hand to cover his mouth, you just know he’s going to mention the moment in the car. Your chest are pressed together as you keep your hand tight around his mouth. Your eyes are filled with something akin to embarrassment but something else. 

“Shut it. That was a moment of weakness.”

Logan grabs your hand that's covering his mouth and holds it tightly in his hand, it’s when you don’t jerk your hand back that Logan cages you in with both arms. There goes my dignity. 

“Yeah Bubs, moment of weakness. That's why you've been avoiding me like the plague huh?” He comes closer to your face, one large hand sneaking up to grip at your chin. “Scared you might like it?”

No fucking way. You feel how your heart stops in your chest, how all you can do is have your eyes scan over his face. You push your thighs together in some relief from the feeling of molten lava being run through your system down to your panties. You lean your face closer to him. You grip your fingers hard in the marble counter behind you. Trying to hold on to whatever last bit of anger that is spurring through your body. 

“Didn’t you avoid me too huh? Don’t point fingers.”

It’s like it was a trigger that switched something inside of him. The hand that had been caging you in is holding your waist in a grip so taut you could feel the fingertip indents forming. Logan seizes your chin again, a quicker way to shut you up. 

“Fuck ya want me to, huh?” He leans his large figure down to be only inches away from each other's faces. The scowl on his face shouldn’t send a thrill down your body but any shreds of sensible thoughts have been thrown out the window moments before. Logan watches you intently, he sees how you have a remark ready to spit at him like poison. 

“I’ve watched you parade yourself around this fucking apartment like this-” he grips the edge of the long t-shirt your wearing “-and I had to do nothing about it.”

You should bunch up your shoulder, fight back, but it seems any of your usual inhibitions are clawed away when it comes to Logan. You're a simple girl at heart, your eyes catch how thick the arms that are encasing you and the moment the idea you want them to hold you while he rams from the back is when you give up any thoughts that are holding you back. 

“Why don’t you do something now?”

It’s ballsy but it’s worth it for the way you can see Logan squint his eyes and push himself harder against you, the cold counter pushed into your back a small relief to your hot skin. His hand gripping your chin goes down to match the equally harsh grip on your waist. The shitty dim light from the kitchen overhead shadows over Logan perfectly, light defining the muscles that are being pulled taunt in his neck and shoulders. He drops his head to have lips brush over your ear. 

“I hear ya too, in your room. How those fucking fingers of yours aren’t enough, you wish that was me instead huh, Bubs?” His last words come out breathy with a hint of a chuckle falling off his lips. He drops his head on your shoulder and you feel your body run hot at the amount of contact. “Fuck, I could smell ya in there all the fucking time. Knew you hear me through the walls, girl.”

You tilt your head slightly letting your plush lips ghost over his ear like he did moments ago. 

“This doesn’t change anything, you're arrogant, egotistical and an asshole.”

Logan lifts his head confused at your words before you grab his face into your hands, a laughable size difference, and push his lips onto yours. He catches on quickly moving his lips against yours rather harshly, having a hand slide to your neck to keep you in place, the other hand pushing you against him. You groan at the feeling of his hardened cock pressed up by your upper thigh. It’s quick and rough with him, the way he grabs at your skin and handles you. 

His calloused hands reach under your thighs and grunts out a ‘jump’ and that's exactly what you do. Letting your thighs hit the cold counter is a burn relief on your burning thighs. His lips run down from your lips to your neck, his beard rubbing against your skin has you throwing your head back into the cabinets that rest behind you. His hands knead your plush thighs and you pull at his hair tufts and he groans into your neck. 

He pulls away completely leaving you a confused mess. You must look like a sight, shirt falling off one shoulder and bunching at your waist. Hair a wreck framing your face and your kiss swollen lips. You go to mumble out a disoriented ‘what’ but Logans already grabbing at the undersides of your thighs and you're pulled into his arms. His fingertips grip into the backs of your thighs leaving bruises in their wake, you take the advantage to run your hands down his tank top clad shoulders and chest feeling the hard muscle ripple under your touch. 

“Say it.”

You stare at him slightly confused as he sets you down on your bed, his hands resting on the tops of your thighs. He’s looking at you so earnestly it almost hurts. 

“Say what, Logan?” You lean back on your arms before deciding on gaining a surge of confidence. You grab at the edge of your shirt and rip it over your head. Free the nipple and all that but thank fuck is all you think. It’s like a reward watching his eyes land on your bare chest and the way his breath hitches. You pull him down by his tank top. “I want you Logan.” 

The reaction is spontaneous, he’s leaning back and taking his tank top off from the hem behind his neck. You crawl back onto your bed and he follows you, in this state you could ask him to follow you to any universe and he would. You wrap your arms around his neck and pull him down back to your lips, his hands gliding smoothly over your torso before he grabs one of your tits in hand and pulls harshly at your nipple. He does it again on the other nipple after he hears the gasp that comes out your mouth. He moves his kissed lips down from your lips to your neck. You catch the image, his massive body crowding yours, a shield from the outside world. His lips detach from the purple hazing mark starting to form on your neck and attach his lips to one of your taut nipples while kneading the other one. You snake your hands into his hair and pull. Into the spank bank box.

It’s when his lips start trailing down your tits to your stomach, kissing and playing with the plush skin before he kisses around your thigh. Teasing on purpose, avoiding where you need him the most. He lets his thumbs enter the hem of your painties before he looks back at you. 

“You know how long I’ve waited to be here, baby?”

“Then show me, c’mon”

Logan pulls your painties off so slowly it should be a crime but with how he kisses your pussy like it’s a prize bails him out. His arms wrap around your thighs to give him better access, a forearm going across your stomach to hold you down like you're in the wrong for squirming. He licks up and down your pussy and fuck it makes you angry how good he is at it. His tongue teasing your hole and you whimper, you pull at his hair tufts and he looks at you, his eyes are teasing and his mouth and chin are covered in your juices. He maintains eye contact as he moves his lips over to your clit and sucks, he keeps his mouth closed around the bundle and watches how you moan and squirm under him. He removes one arm from around your waist to thrust a single finger into your tight hole. He doesn’t make a remark on the gasp but pulls up for where he was and stops his movement.

“Stop fucking moving, c’mob be good for me, Bubs.”

The words have you melting into your sheets as you try to stop your brash movements. The combination of the second finger he added and his tongue working wonders on your sensitive clit has your stomach forming that familiar knot. You grab at one of his arms to signal him but he doesn’t relent.

“Gonna cum ,gonna cum, Fuck!”

“I know Bubs let it out, yeah just like that baby.”

He sits up for where he was laying down, your body still spread out for him as you try to catch your breath from the orgasm. You trail your hand down his toned and muscular abs to his jean buttons, slowly undoing the button and the zipper. Logan looks down at you with a growing smirk on his face as he finishes the job of pulling his pants a little down his thighs. 

“Ya want something, girl? Ya gotta get it.”

You push yourself up onto your knees as he stands at the edge of your bed, shoving down his boxers, his cock bounces to his stomach, a flush coating the tip as pearly white precum beads out. You take his cock in hand, salivating over the happy trail in your view. You pump his cock a few times before you lean in and kiss the tip. You're a few kitten licks deep before he pulls your head back and shakes his head. 

“Another time, girl. I’ve been waiting too long to be inside of you.”

You groan and fall back, letting your legs spread for the man you hate so much. He adjusts himself in between your legs trying to make space for his large figure. He looks down at you, one hand on his cock and the other on your thigh, holding it up to his waist. He strokes at your calf in a fond way, maybe a ‘sorry i'm about to wreck your pussy.’

He lines himself up and swipes his cock head through your folds, letting his head hand forward from the feeling. You wrap both legs around his colossal waist in an attempt to have him sheath himself fully inside you. He laughs from above you and lines his fat tip against your hole. Sliding himself inch by inch, you look down and he’s only half way in and it’s too full. He tries to push in more and you whine, throwing your head back and putting your hands on his chest. He takes a hand and grabs one of your hands on his chest and sheaths himself fully inside of you.

“Yeah Bub? Too much?”

It’s cocky how he laughs above you, laughing at your whining. You shift your hips under him trying to get comfortable. His eyes watching your every move, you kick his thigh, for being cocky and a signal to move. He puts a forearm by your head and another on the thigh wrapped around the waist. He starts slowly moving his hips thrusting in and out. 

“Really Old man, c’mon let loose.”

“You don’t want me to do that, baby”

You roll your eyes from under him, you shove at his shoulders and have him fall on to his back. He stays snug inside you as you adjust yourself on top of him, watching as he gives you a one over, both his hands gripping the fat on your hips. You start lifting your thighs up and down, putting your hands on his chest making an excuse to feel on those godly abs. The grunts he gives from under you are spurring you on despite the burn in your thighs. 

Logan is a simple man, he watches the lewd faces you make as you lean forward, your tits caught between your arms as you bounce your thighs on him. He lets you do your own thing, admiring you. But the primal urge is stronger, he grabs at your hips and fucks up into you. His cock moving at rapid speed thrusting in and out of from under, you keep yourself up on this chest. Your cockdrunk on him. The feeling of him fucking into you is making you dumb, you let your tits press to his chess and attempt to kiss him. You're more so moaning into his mouth than kissing him. You let him switch places, manhandling you onto your knees. He practically mounts you like a dog in heat , his chest pressed against back. He’s got his forearm pressed to your collarbones, hand on your throat, his other hand reaches down to rub at your clit. Your a moaning mess, to fucked out to care about anything. Your whines of Logan's name has him thrusting harder into. He leans his head on your shoulder turning towards your ear.

“Yeah, you close baby, I can feel it. It’s okay Bubs, I'm here, let it out. Cum on this dick Bub.”

You let his words wash over you, coaxing you into your second orgasm. He fucks you through it, before he stills his thrust. You grab his arm- “Inside, cum inside”- he lets out a groan that rattles in your chest and shoots hot ropes of cum inside. Logan adjusts you both to lay down, your upper half on his chest, his half hard cock still cum deep in your pussy. You're tempted to fall asleep at this until Logan opens his mouth. 

“Still hate me, baby?”

You smack his chest not bothering to get up. You let yourself lay on his chest, grabbing your comforter and pulling it up to your chest, the blanket falling around his waist.

“You're still in jeans, on my bed.”

“I'll take em off for round two”

You don’t say anything just letting the both of you bask in the silence, Logan’s playing with your hair. It’s nice, up and until you hear the front door open. You brace yourself.

You forgot to lock the door, and in comes Wade.

“What the FUCK balls, without me, seriously?”

[artsy-hobbitses]

Do you perhaps have any headcanons on the miscreant Starscream??

DO I EVER.

I'm gonna assume you're new here or at least have not seen all headcanons, so I'll collated into one document. RIP you're getting sandblasted with a horrible sky gremlin who has hidden heart of a hero (DON'T LET THEM HEAR YOU SAY THAT, HE HAS STREET CRED TO MAINTAIN).

Starscream/Stefan Scavarro got his codename from the shriek that his suit's engines made when he would divebomb opponents from the heavens. Combined with them seeing literal stars when he blindsided them and how much of a 'sky devil' he was with his red armor, a terrified senate guard described him as the rebellion's "(Azrael) Morningstar, screaming bloody vengeance as he swoops down from the heavens to hunt the wicked". Hence, 'Starscream' was born.

He wears his hair long to cover the Cold Construct barcode on the nape of his neck. Touch him there without his permission, and he will break your fingers.

He's the best cook on the team, and he'll say it's because he's rather eat barb wire (the taste of his blood would at least add some flavour) than be subjected to the military slop he lived with for twenty years. It's never too late to learn how to how to cook and eat well, though if you substitute fresh garlic for powdered garlic in something you're serving him, he's going to fight you across the dining room table after he's done eating it. Food should be respected, even if they were the product of a culinary crime.

He learned to tailor his own clothes during his college days, and has since become very proficient at it. He make most of his formal garments, and is considered the most fashion-centric member of the team.

He was very close to Senator Shockwave/Sharifuddin Waseem as a young politician, to the point of having an unrequited crush. Sharif accepted him as a part of the senate despite his status as a (freed) Cold Construct driving others away from him, and both spent most of their time together in the senate researching and drafting bills pushing for more rights and protections for the Manual Class and Cold Constructs

He has a personal dislike of Optimus Prime/Omar Parvez, and blames Omar for what happened to Sharif, as Sharif surrendered to Proteus on Omar's watch. He had earlier requested that Omar not leave Sharif's side before their mission began and he was assigned to another post, because he had a bad feeling about Proteus' plans for Sharif, and accused Omar of being too spineless to stop it. That Omar had to choose between saving Sharif or the men Sharif told him to keep safe was something he refused to consider. However, in time they do come to an understanding when he accepts that Omar was given a impossible choice and made the one that respected Sharif's last request and sacrifice.

While he can't bring himself to keep pets (he doesn't want to get attached amid a war), he does have a fondness for cats! He admires their beauty, grace, independence and low tolerance for bullshit. He eventually adopts an old and ornery female cat named Graymalkin post-war to keep him company while Windblade/Wariko Baisho is out at work

Stefan has a ridiculously high pain tolerance due to the abuse he was put through from childhood at the air base he grew up in. His eardrums have ruptured more times than he can recall from flight test chambers and high altitude barotrauma, and if he didn't stop crying, his handlers would give him something to really cry about before they dragged him off to the medics. He has an accelerated healing factor, they saw no issue with letting out their frustrations on him, as he was simply an asset in their eyes, even as a seven-year-old.

As such, he has very warped idea of what constitutes a 'major' injury on him---he can be running around cradling his disemboweled intestines in one arm without breaking a sweat. He offhandedly tells people that an injury doesn't register as 'major' to him unless it's a skull fracture where he can feel a section of his head caved in, or a direct shot to the heart.

Because of this, he also has a very skewed idea of what 'hurt' means to him personally and how he's meant to react to it. He's internalised his handlers' assertion that because he can heal, his pain does not matter. So what if people hurt him? It's what he was built to withstand. There is a weird sense of pride he has about this, he sees it as a mark of strength, and it's partly why he's as defiantly blasé as he is about Megatron's abuse when they get in each other's faces. At the same time, it's also deeply lonely for him and he oscillates wildly between shying away from physical contact and being starved for 'good' touch at the same time.

To add to this, while he grows to harbour unspoken attraction towards Wariko which he attempted to throttle multiple times in their early says interacting with each other, he stops icing her out when she becomes the first person to acknowledge his pain, and that him being able to heal and bearing no scars from his abuse doesn't make that pain any less real. She's also his first experience with 'good' touch, which he quickly finds he cannot get enough of.

He adores musicals. In particular are The Greatest Showman, Moulin Rouge and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

When he and Morgan are in one of their more civil moods, they play chess together in a weirdly companionable silence, as despite their mutual disdain, they understand each other the most. They're equally matched, and it's the only time where Morgan will sincerely compliment him about something, and he'd accept it without sneering or boasting. (He used to play with Sharif, who doesn't do so now as Shockwave, while Morgan used to play with Omar, so it also feels like a moment of bonding over shared loss)

He's an excellent dancer! Mostly ballroom-based which he picked up during his days as a young politician for big senate events, but he enjoys mixing things up a bit with tango or freestyle.

Has mastered walking in high heels.

He alternates between having a soft spot for Thundercracker/Teo Cortez, who he sometimes sees as a younger brother, and calling Teo out as being the 'weak link' of the Trine. He can one day be planning a heartfelt birthday party and baking a cake for Teo since Teo can no longer celebrate it with family, and the next day be screaming at Teo for messing up at target practice. He justifies this hot and cold by saying that someone like Teo isn't made for war, but since Teo insists on being here, he would rather have Teo sad or angry at him for being harsh over the work they have to do, than to have Teo dead from softness and carelessness. He was genuinely relieved when Teo finally left the Decepticons, and they do reconcile post-war.

Openly calls Tarn out for being a fanboy simp in bad Decepticon cosplay.

He never really takes Bumblebee/Benjamin Bane seriously as a fellow combatant and is constantly breaking into Omar's comm signal on the field to yell at Omar to send "your son" back home, this is NO PLACE for a child playing DRESS-UP. (Ben's "I'M 18 YOU POMPOUS PRAT" is immediately met with Stefan's "DON'T YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT, STOP KICKING ME IS PRIME RAISING YOU IN A BARN")

That said, despite being on opposite sides of the fence, when Ben becomes a discorporated soul, he is drawn to Stefan, who can hear him because it is Stefan, rather than Omar or even Memo and Charlie, who unknowingly first truly heard him. This goes back to when Ben was nine, and had a chance to visit the Quintesson War Museum on his birthday; his father and mother however, had no interest in exploring the exhibits with him and left him to do so on alone. On a whim, he asked a passing man, a young politician Stefan who was visiting before a conference, to help him take a picture. Stefan wanted this to be a one and done, but after asking Ben about his parents and finding out they left him to celebrate his birthday alone, he decided to chaperone Ben through the entire time that Ben was there and listened to this boy talk about everything under the sun. He didn't put much thought into this after he left, it was just a few hours of making a child happy/feel less lonely on on their birthday (he's never celebrated one! what a novelty that is), he didn't even have the presence of mind to ask for the boy's name since he himself was not given one until he was 18, but Ben never forgot.

As vain as he is, Stefan hates seeing old pictures of himself, especially those taken of him during his old senate days. He hates the boyish way he used to smile, he hates the hopeful light in his eyes, he hates coming to terms with the part of himself he felt he had sacrificed to hate over humanity on the day they razed the Senate… and how he barely recognizes the man he used to be. Wariko eventually makes him see the truth; that the man he was is the man he still is deep down.

He loves collecting plane models. He does not love putting them together, however, and it's a task he often bribes Skywarp into with offerings of muttabaq fresh off the gridle.

Sharif's old nickname for him is "Pretty Bird", Wariko calls him "Uguisu" (Japanese Bush Warbler).

Extremely protective of his armored flight suit. It was a prototype made by Sharif years ago for him--it was his first taste of flying without a helmet or within a cockpit, and he's never been able to forget that feeling. He also sees it as the last gift Sharif ever gave him before becoming 'Shockwave'. He refuses to let Morgan touch it, and the one time he did approach Shockwave to make some amendments, Shockwave told him to rubbish it for a better upgrade. He declined, and has since learned how to fix and programme the suit on his own. He won't admit it, but it feels like keeping the last physical bit of Sharif's memory alive.

Deeply in love with sky and flying in general; he embraces it as the most free he ever feels. He's up early for morning flights to catch the sunrise, and when he feels like he needs to get away from it all, he flies up high enough that ice gnaws at his face and he can't breath before freefalling through the clouds. It helps him gain a sense of perspective.

Stefan and Wariko do eventually get married, and he settles into a Way Of The Househusband role to her Lady First Delegate. They end up adopting two Cold Construct kids, Suzume and Gabriele.

If you'd like more Winblade/Starscream headcanons (because they are my power couple!), you can find them here and here!

[thr0wnawayy]

Who would the 10-13 1A members that died in the MLA be, if MHA had any actual stakes? I really liked your Kaminari idea, so I just wanted to explore it with you. It would have realistically made UA/the heroes look a hell of a lot worse and the villains look a hell of a lot smarter if they went for the angle of "the best heroics school in Japan is using child soldiers!"

I know for the heroes, it should have been Pixie Bob and Gran Torino in addition to Crust. Endeavor also should have died because it would have actually given the story actual stakes - Japan is now in shambles and the new #1 hero/heavy hitter is dead. Oh shit, what are they going to do?

Firstly I feel I should clarify that both 1A and B would lose some team members as both classes were thrust into war with basically no real training. Although for the sake of plot 1A would lose vastly more.

With that stated, let us begin.

I know for a fact that Koda is dead.

Truthfully, there is no way someone as bulky as him (with the addition of his poorly designed costume) would be even marginally capable of outrunning Shigaraki's Decay.

His quirk (Anivoice) gives him zero advantages and being in Jaku (a city under evacuation) would only add to this.

We also mustn't forget that the rubble by itself was also capable of disintegrating anything it touched. Putting all that together and given how close he was to "ground zero", his chances of survival are slim to none.

Additionally, everyone who found Midnight's corpse is either dead or brutally injured.

Midnight's body is isolated in a decently foliage heavy area, with plenty of hiding spots and vantage points making it all too easy to set an ambush.

Our merry band of MLA/PLF mercenaries simply have to bide their time, wait for the shock and horror to settle in and then strike.

Sero, Kirishima and Setsuna are easy targets (with Setsuna being the farthest from the bait) their backs are turned and mentally are either distant or "vacant".

If Momo didn't recover from her grief and get off the floor, it's game over.

However. She would likely manage to fend them off long enough to escape (thanks to her intelligence and dexterity), although not without some scars. (eyepatch momo, anyone?)

Mina might be able to hold them off due to her acid but will eventually falter because (as you mentioned) Aizawa's a shitheel.

That brings us up to 5 students so far (if we include Kaminari's death) that have died due to UA's (and the HPSC's) crippling negligence.

I'm a tad hesitant to add Tsu here but it's unlikely she'd survive. (even if she does survive the wave, she'd likely die in the crossfire)

Comicman, because yeah he's unimportant.

For the Villa Raid team it's important that we cut some heroes in order for this scenario to work.

Edgeshot is dead, likely fried to death by Electro-lite.

This would cause the raiding heroes to become discouraged and overwhelmed.

the MLA's gear is more than a match and combined with their years of fighting and tactical prowess. It's not even close.

Simply put; divide and conquer.

Mineta's dying for sure. His costume restricts his (torso and leg) movements and makes him standout like a traffic cone. That guy with holes all over his body is likely the one to snuff him out.

Ojiro is dead the moment the MLA members use numbers to overwhelm him, no amount of martial arts will save you from getting jumped.

Mines dies because his quirk (Twin Impact) suffers from the Flect Fallacy.(Overwhelming the quirk will break it). So pretty much any MLA member could be the one to kill him

That sets the score to 11 total student deaths (8 for 1A, 3 for 1B), not a good look.

We know the rest, Dabi kills Enji for good.

Skeptic publishes a video along with Dabi's exposé that reveals UA is using child soldiers and that the HPSC forged paperwork to allow this.

And the crowd goes wild!

The reactions would be brutal, national if not global criticism from every angle.

The entire raid and evacuation effort would be considered an immense failure, the villains remain at large to gather their numbers and most civilians would be left homeless and displaced.

The hero that everybody placed their bets on turned out be a child/wife beating eugenicist who bought (and later assaulted) his wife when she was only 17. Only to be killed off by the very child he left to burn.

The (global) outrage partially stems from the fact that if it weren't for Dabi, no one would have known otherwise .

The number 2 hero is an (attempted) murderer and seems almost irritated at Enji being outed, the world stage takes this the wrong way and opts not to aid Japan.* What pisses them off the most is his uncaring attitude.

Considering them a lost cause when Shigaraki not only breaks everyone out of Tartarus but also manges to kill AFO by sheer force of will (and wanting to see his friends live as they please)

Rei's speech/conference serves as the final nail. Going into immense detail of the pain she and her children suffered at the hands of Enji. (If their were any doubts Touya was her son, they were killed here)

When asked if anyone knew, she finishes her speech off with revealing that some heroes and staff knew about the abuse and chose to look the other way. Causing the room to burst into an uproar.

*(explaining why Japan was allowed to fester for as long as it did without intervention, something Hori failed to explain)

Parents begin pulling out their children in droves, not wanting to risk their kids getting drafted, others quit by choice.

Shiketsu and Ketsubutsu don't put their students on the front lines (they aren't stupid). The commission is unable to force them due to their, "unique" situation.

The heroes that quit are harshly criticized by the public and media (and usually fairly too), pointing out how shitty it looks (and is) for heroes to suddenly abandon them as soon as things get serious.

Class 1A is left to pickup the pieces with 8 classmates killed (+ Bakugo) the events of the last week have shocked them to their cores but perhaps there is hope.

Of course they're left to pick up their predecessors mistakes, again.

Midoriya would still go rouge, albiet he would stick to his principals. He's made a disturbing connection between Bakugo and Endeavor and it haunts him.

(I should add that Bakugo's death is portrayed for the selfish play it was)

Midoriya likely driven by the need to ensure that he doesn't lose anyone else. His anger at AM would probably stem from the fact that he is putting himself in danger for someone as "expendable" as himself.

I could see the two having a heart to heart that Midoriya is more than his quirk once he willingly returns.

Some additional information:

Bakugo dies permanently, because Edgeshot was killed by "Electro" earlier (even then I'm not doing the writing atrocity that is the "Jeart".)

For heroes I'd like to add Jeanist to the roster. Gigantomachia should have swatted him and his airship like a fly. This means the top 3 are dead, adding to the chaos. This also prevents the old-gen from taking up space.

The High-End Nomu beat the tar out of Miriko, leaving crippled at best and a paraplegic at worst. (That is assuming they don't kill her).

Fourth Kind is killed when, like Ojiro, he is overwhelmed.

Your absolutely correct, Gran Torino and Pixiebob are eliminated, joining Crust.

Twice actually lives, though I would keep that ambiguous until later, he wouldn't get out unscathed of course and would probably need to be put into a coma while his injuries heal.

Himiko's revenge plot now has additional stakes as she promises Twice that she will return to him. (before he's medically put under)

This also fuels the PLF + Spinner, vowing to do right by their ally and friend.

Dabi would have disfigured Hawks upon discovery of his attempt on Twice's life, no more cosmetic scars. Just good old fashioned brutality.

(The fear of losing Twice may have dug up the past memory of losing his mother after Enji drove her to the brink. As Dabi cares deeply for both [even if he won't admit it] ontop of the fact that it's a "hero" that's trying to take them and he betrayed them).

Overall this world is going to be one wild ride with a very different ending to what Hori gave us.

It is a story not of heroes and villains, but of ideals and goals. It asks the question:

What is it to save?

A few additional notes:

Momo would likely have a revenge arc as a sort of parallel between Izuku and Himiko. However it wouldn't be as bland as what we got in canon with Mina.

The mercenaries aren't mustache twirling supremacists, no. Here they're cold, calculated soldiers who are strictly tactical. Midnight was "nothing personal, just business" to them.

They serve as a dark mirror to Momo's shift in personality during the war, as Momo reverts to her initial cold confidant personality and kicks it up to 20 as she hunts them down.

Midnight's killer even points out midbattle on how Momo was sexualized and she doesn't even know it. Telling her at one point: "You may see them as an equal, they see you as a display"

The battle isnt treated as a victory either, while the Momo and her squadron win, the gravity of the situation isn't ignored and Momo actually listens to her opponent's critique.

[bulkyphrase]

Avengers in Space - a fic rec list

I love the Avengers and I love outer space, and these are a few of my favorite stories that combine the two.

What do you mean we left Clint on Mars? by sara_holmes (@captn-sara-holmes) (WinterHawk, Teen And Up Audiences, 24,537 words)

Summary: “What do you mean we left Clint on Mars?” Cap’s incredulous voice cuts through the stunned silence of the cockpit, loud and shocked. He’s standing there with his cowl in hand, gaping at the holo-screen at the front of the jet. Next to him, Tony is standing with his hands on his head, mouth hanging open in a similar fashion. Over on the other side of the cockpit is Jane, who has both palms clapped across her mouth like she’s trying to hold back hysterical giggles. For his part, Bucky is just staring at the screen like he can’t quite believe what’s going on.

Straight on till Morning by @sineala (Stony, Explicit, 109,848 words)

Summary: Tony Stark resigned his commission in Starfleet five years ago, after a disastrous away mission, and he swore he'd never go back. He just wants to be left alone to build warp engines in peace. But the universe has more in store for him than that, as he discovers when Admiral Fury comes to him with an offer he could never have expected and cannot possibly refuse: first officer and chief engineer aboard the all-new USS Avenger, a starship of Tony's own design. What's more, the Avenger's captain is Steve Rogers, hero of the Earth-Romulan War. Believed dead for over a century, Steve is miraculously alive... and very, very attractive. But nothing is ever easy for Tony. As he wrestles with his secret desire for his new captain and his not-so-dormant fears, another mission starts to go wrong, and Tony becomes aware that Steve has secrets of his own -- and the truth could change everything. Also available as a podfic read by M_Samro (@msamro)

More below the cut!

A Far Better Thing I Do by @brighteyedjill (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 5,333 words)

Summary: A mysterious man with no paper trail was involved in a bloody attack on a meeting of Starfleet admirals. James T. Kirk and the crew of the starship Enterprise have tracked him to the Klingon home wold, Kronos, where they have threatened to unleash the experimental torpedoes Admiral Marcus sent with them unless the man surrenders. That man, Steve Rogers, has other ideas.

Into That Good Night by Nonymos (Stucky, Explicit, 73,540 words)

Summary: Steve Rogers has lived for entirely too long—long enough to see the world's end. The heroes are gone, and the Earth is pushing what's left of mankind towards the exit. But when a makeshift team rises from the ashes, when a mysterious presence all but drags Steve there, he begins to think there may be hope yet. As they shoot for the stars one last time, Steve will get proof yet again that the future is nothing if not an echo of the past.

Wandering Stars by @sabrecmc (Stony, Explicit, 24,470 words)

Summary: Alien Steve/Astronaut Tony (oviposition)

Cold Space, Warm Welcome by Annie D (@no-gorms) (Stony, Teen And Up Audiences, 15,572 words)

Summary: Tony’s spent a couple of years flying around the galaxy in his best friend Rhodey’s spaceship the Iron Advance, doing what could perhaps be counted as ‘hero’ work. Among their allies is Steve Rogers, captain of his own crew, with whom Tony has a… potentially friendly relationship. When Steve’s ship is irreparably damaged, Rhodey takes him and his whole crew onto the Iron Advance to recover. Tony’s not at all nervous about this, because so what if this is the first time Steve will see him without the Iron Man armor?

Space Between by NachoDiablo (Samsteve, Teen And Up Audiences, 9,157 words)

Summary: Sam has a quiet life on a newly inhabited planet. He spends his days tending the garden plots and avoiding his past. But right before an impending storm, a fugitive crash lands in his space and upsets his solitude.

The Truth When Captains Meet by Kimra (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 2,303 words)

Summary: Steve Rogers wakes up on an alien’s space ship being carried bridal style by Carol Danvers. As far as first meetings go, it’s memorable.

Brisingr by @ironychan (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 155,649 words)

Summary: When Jane Foster discovers an object on a course for the inner solar system, it looks like a job for the Avengers. But when what looked like a comet turns out to be a refugee ship from another galaxy, it's not clear whose job this is anymore. Tony Stark and the Vision find they have an uncomfortable amount in common with the creatures called the Brisings, while Jane learns that the aliens are being followed by something they thought they'd left behind five million years ago. Set post-AOU, pre-CW.

Liberate Tutemet Ex Inferis (Save yourself from hell) by Terrenis, with art by @kaiwrites (James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson, Explicit, 55,989 words)

Summary: In the Year 2060, Stark Aeronautics and Space Administration's prestige project, the “Event Horizon”, was on its maiden voyage with the newly developed Arc Reactor Gravity Drive, only to disappear beyond Neptune’s orbit without a trace. Now, seven years later, a transmission from the eighth planet is received, along with a very disturbing audio record. Tony Stark, who not only wants to redeem his reputation, but also needs to know what happened on the ship, goes on a mission with the enhanced Inhuman ragtag crew of the Singularity to salvage his baby. Little do they know that this is literally going to be a trip to hell… Or that totally unnecessary Event Horizon AU that no one asked for. But I’m going to write it anyway.

Catch a Falling Star by tsukinofaerii (Stony, Explicit, 42,741 words)

Summary: When Tony was sixteen, he got to meet his hero, Captain Steve Rogers, the Empire's not-literally-golden boy from the Continuity Wars. When he was twenty-seven, the aforementioned Captain turned Pirate picked him up at the outer edges of space. It would have been a good time to appreciate the abundant nudity that came from spending too much time with space colonists, but Tony had bigger worries than even Rogers' amazing hip-to-shoulder ratio. Something was sending the star-encircling computers that power the galaxy into a tailspin, and it was going to take a lot more than luck and skill to clean the mess up.

Luminosity by CSHfic, VSfic (Stony, Mature, 60,922 words)

Summary: The Avengers organize a two month mission to investigate an anomaly in space that appears to be engulfing planets, Steve is worried about leaving Tony alone, and Hawkeye is just worried about being left behind. But then something goes wrong. Steve drags himself out of the wreckage of their ship, on a planet that shouldn’t exist, the Avengers are missing, Iron Man is torn to scraps, and Tony has a lot of explaining to do. Or, in which Steve has no clue that Tony is Iron Man, and it takes crash-landing on an alien planet for him to find out.

Gravitational Pull by @antigrav-vector (Stony, Explicit, 29,718 words)

Summary: A strange temple floating in space is discovered, and Steve and Tony are the logical choices to go investigate. What they find is going to make or break their relationship...

Inquiries into Orbital Dynamics (The Mission Controllers' Remix) by Muccamukk (Stony, Teen And Up Audiences, 5,591 words)

Summary: When a mysterious object appears in orbit around the Moon, NASA teams up with the Avengers to investigate it. This is NASA's story. Inspired by Gravitational Pull

everybody needs a reason why they run by napricot (Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Explicit, 77,888 words)

Summary: Pepper doesn’t often regret the improbable circumstances and choices that brought her, Tony, and Jim to the SGC and then to Atlantis. After all, being an intergalactic explorer is way cooler than being the right hand woman of Stark Industries’ heir Tony Stark. But when strangers show up during her Gate team’s milk run of a trading mission, she’s got a bad feeling she knows better than to ignore. Which is how Pepper’s Gate team ends up picking up a stray in the form of a metal-armed runner with a mysterious past and learning about a dangerous new sect of Wraith worshippers called Hydrans. But the Atlanteans aren’t the only ones interested in the Hydrans: there are stories spreading throughout the Pegasus Galaxy about the Nomad and the Widows, three maybe-heroes who have set their sights on the Hydrans and the Wraith. Meanwhile, Tony’s trying to figure out if there’s something more to Atlantis’s helpful new hospitality-oriented subroutines, and Master Sergeant Sam Wilson is trying to have just one offworld mission where shit doesn’t get weird.

a war could be our only hope by @aceofwands (Stony, Explicit, 62,817 words)

Summary: Steve emerges in the future, where the Federation is fighting a war against the totalitarian Dominion. Traumatised from his experience with the Borg, Tony already has enough trouble coping without Steve's return bringing up unexpected feelings.

[prismaticpichu]

FF7 Crisis Core Characters & Their Pokémon Partners!~ 💛 🗡️

Why howdy!! Welcome back to another glorious edition of “Pichu combines her hyperfixations like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!” <3 Yeeeehaw!

I tried to be as creative as I could with the move references 😂 Kudos if you can spot ‘em all!

Warning for Angst <3 :,3c

~~~

Angeal

Samurott ~ A bladed warrior Pokémon known for its strict and formidable discipline, as well as drawing obvious inspirations from Samurai/their honorable Bushido code! The fella was an Oshawott for most of Angeal’s life—belonging to the entire family as a whole, considering that they unfortunately didn’t have enough money to buy many Pokeballs/food to take care of more than one. It was only when Angeal decided he wanted to join SOLDIER that his father officially gave him Oshawott’s Pokéball, leading Angeal to spend officially numerous hours training with his buddy. By the time he joined SOLDIER, he had a worthy Samurott by his side—the strongest Pokémon out of all the three elite Firsts. When he eventually took Zack under his proverbial wing some handful of years later, the boy quickly bonded with Samurott: training, playing, and often feeding his aquatic friend when Angeal was unable to. When Angeal deserted ShinRa’s forces, however, Samurott still clung to those memories and tried to convince his trainer to do the right thing, ultimately becoming wishy-washy with its own morales as result. And, in the end, nothing hurt its rended soul more than being forced to battle Zack under Angeal’s command. It was also the last battle it ever fought.

Moves:

Aqua Cutter

X-Scissor

Double Team

Take Down

Genesis

Flapple ~ An apple—obviously!—and a red, winged apple that housed a little (book)worm-dragonsnake thing on top of it! With Crisis Core taking some inspiration from the Garden of Eden story, it seemed like the most appropriate choice. Let’s also not forget that apples rot. Anywho—able to afford Pokeballs at a young age, Genesis caught the little guy when it was just an Applin, which subsequently catalyzed his affinity for the fruit + prompted him to start a small Banora White juice stand as a kid. Growing up, Genesis loved to battle—always pushing to be the best he could be, to emulate the heroes in his stories and the silver-haired superstar he saw in the papers. But he was also a kind boy, with a kind heart—good ambitions—and spent many days helping training with Angeal’s Dewott. He was able to get his hands on a Tart Apple rather young, and ultimately went on to serve as viable asset to ShinRa’s military with the aid of his aerial Pokémon. But it was the times after the war that were sweetest to Genesis—where he and his best friends hung out together, where they used Flapple’s attacks as props and projectiles, with one of their favorite games including knocking apples of off each other’s heads. They were childish games, yes—but harmless games. Harmless competition. Harmless rivalry. Simple rivalry. Fiery rivalry. Intense rivalry. Jealous rivalry. Burning rivalry. Dangerous rivalry. And, one day, it was just too much—it was taken too far. One training incident, one battle between friends. A pepper of metal; a spur of blood; a cry of pain; and a trip to the infirmary. And it was after this day that Genesis was never really the same. When the man felt himself growing ill, Flapple was the only one he confided it—was the only one he told his plans of desertion to. And when the day came for him to abandon his past, Flapple was hesitant. Hesitant—but loyal. He remained by Genesis’s side and watched his trainer degrade, watched him rot like the fruit of his own etymology. And he wanted to cure. And he would help his trainer find that cure—that “gift”—no matter the cost. He would do anything. He would do anything, even if it meant helping destroy the reality of his old friends.

Moves:

Wing Attack

Grav Apple

Trailblaze

Outrage

Zack

Arcanine ~ Yes—pupper for life! <3 But just like the game Zack hails from, NEVER underestimate the power of a fiery pup!! One of the most loyal Pokémon to exist, Zack took in an injured Growlithe from the wild when he was just a little kid, immediately sparking a friendship that would last him for years upon years to come. Zack loves his partner more than anything in the world—training to become the best SOLDIER he can possibly be since the day their dreams were together. Together, from vigorous and unwavering training, they climb through the ranks of ShinRa. It’s only at Fort Tamblin where, alongside receiving a Fire Armlet from Lazard, he receives a Fire Stone—and it’s all Arcanine adventures from there! Unfortunately, however, this is also when Angeal deserts, and Zack relies more than ever on the comfort of his best friend. Arcanine helps him stay positive, but even the dog itself begins to grow jaded, losing some of the blazing spirit that used to surge through its veins. Modeoheim is one of the worst tolls on the two of them—one of the most spiritually-shattering incidents of their ShinRa career. One that is only trumped by Nibelheim, where its life comes to end upon being crushed by fiery debris. It was trying to save Claudia.

Moves:

Close Combat

Play Rough

Protect

Flame Charge

Cloud

Riolu: A little baby-waby Pokémon that grows into something truly incredible and iconic. Riolu was a gift from Cloud’s mother when he was turning 14 years old—a little something to keep him safe as he went away to ShinRa. Cloud was always a little hesitant about raising Pokémon, but bonded rather well with Riolu once he opened up—albeit after an admittedly awkward start. Riolu was always there to comfort Cloud after SOLDIER-exams, always there to cheer him up and keep him going until the next one. When it’s time to go on a mission with the Great Sephiroth, Riolu is there to keep him chill—sitting in his lap in the truck, affectionally nuzzling his chin to keep him level-headed. Cloud wanted to keep Riolu in his Pokeball as to keep his identity hidden—a decision that would go on to save the small Pokémon’s life when the town was horrifically set ablaze, sheltered from Sephiroth’s wrath and madness while other Pokémon made the fatal mistake of trying to stop him. Following the incident, he doesn’t remember much—unaware of when Zack broke him out of the lab and carried him and his poisoned Riolu to the edge of Midgar. There’s flashes of something in his memory—serrated shards of a bloody face and bloody body that slash into his psyche beyond his own understanding. He doesn’t remember the moment his Riolu evolved—evolving into a Lucario under the pouring rain and the pearls of crimson that had stained its paws. In fact, he doesn’t even remember ever having a Riolu. All he could seem to remember is having an Arcanine—an Arcanine who perished before his eyes—and taking custody of a Lucario who originally belonged to his friend.

Moves:

Endure

Bullet Punch

Reversal

Copycat

Sephiroth

Pichu ~ Yep! That’s it, you heard it right: no legendary Pokémon, no mythical—just a small little lab rat that Sephiroth cherished more than anything on the planet. He first met Pichu when he was just a little boy, finding it trapped in a too-tight cage among Hojo’s numerous experiments. Bruises and scratches marred its yellow fur, coiled into itself as it quivered and shook amid the pulsing darkness. And Sephiroth, at his tender age, could hardly stand the sight. He couldn’t stand it—not when he could feel every scratch laddering its body, every injection that must have pierced its fragile form. He knew it was a risk, he knew he could be punished—but at that moment, meeting those pained and teary eyes, none of that seemed to matter. When Hojo found Sephiroth with Pichu the next day, he of course tried to take it away—only to be met by a tempest of threats and snarls, kicks and hisses. In the end, Hojo conceded, but forcefully fed it an Everstone when Sephiroth was asleep. In the following years, the duo were inseparable—every surgery, every training session, every trial… they were together. And when Sephiroth went on to Wutai, you bet Pichu was there with him. It wasn’t much of a battler—often hurting itself with its own electricity—but what the Pokémon lacked in strength it more than made up for in loyalty and spirit. As Sephiroth’s fame and influence burgeoned, he did everything in his power to keep his treasured friend out of the limelight—often keeping him sheltered in his Pokeball until the man was able to return to his quarters in peace. This lead to several people fantasizing about what Pokémon the Great Silver Warrior could possibly have—what kind of mythical beast he kept stashed away. Only very few people have ever seen Pichu at all: Glenn, Matt, Lucia, Genesis, Angeal, and Zack—all of whom were shocked at first, but developed a newfound respect for Sephiroth after learning of its origins. Angeal and Genesis, in particular, even had the honor of babysitting for the little guy during press meetings. When the latter two deserted, Sephiroth was crushed, but Pichu did wonders to keep his spirit afloat: curling into his lap at night, falling asleep on his shoulder… Anything it can possibly do to assure Sephiroth that he wasn’t alone, it did. When it came time to leave for Nibelheim, however, when the inevitable tragedies spiraled, that’s where things started to splinter. Zack awoke one night to Pichu pawing at his face—a small and desperate gesture to get someone to help it. Agreeing to help his friend’s partner out, Zack followed Pichu to the basement of ShinRa manor, where he found Sephiroth in the heart of an eerie, candlelit library. He told them to leave—both of them. Zack tried to gently talk things out; Sephiroth told him to leave even louder. Disheartened, but thinking his friend needs space, Zack took Pichu and leaves. In the following days, he tried to comfort the anxious Pichu, telling it that Seph just needs some time to breathe and digest everything he learned. He told it that Seph will snap out of it soon—that he will return for his best friend. He promises it. Assures it. And yet, when that seventh day arrives, the town went up in flames. Villagers were killed, slaughtered, as well as every Pokémon in his wake. All the man could think about was her. Mother. His birthright. His planet. Revenge. Humans. The urge to destroy—the need to kill… The bleary shapes that he cuts down are nothing—meaningless little insects in the greater design of his world. His blade slashed through them all, cut them open and left them to burn in the hellish flames engulfing the village. They were all irrelevant—every single one of them. Meaningless. Worthless. Just kill time. Just kill them, She whispers. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

“SEPHIROTH, DON’T—“

It’s too late.

Masamune had already struck, deaf to the young SOLDIER’s horrified plea.

And blind to the sight of Pichu staked through it.

Moves:

Nuzzle

Nasty Plot

Facade

Wish

[crazylittlejester]

DAILY BRAINROT

I greatly appreciate our brainrot time because otherwise I think I would go bonkers and I don't think my IRL friends can handle this level of brainrot. If any of them find my Ao3 or Tumblr by some miracle, I would perish on the spot. They don't need to know.

Anyway, I am obsessed with Legend's little brother vibes. He's like the older middle child. Can be responsible when he needs/wants to, but otherwise prefers being a thorn in the oldest's side. He's a stupid little goofball and I love that for him. I need him to team up with Time for a dumb prank because who would expect The Hero of Legend and The Hero of Time to do something like that??

Slightly related to that, I love it when he's a twin in modern AUs. LOVE IT. But what I want is for him to be Warriors' twin and Hyrule to be Wind's twin (or something close to that). I think it would be a good combination, especially if it's something like a mixed family dynamic where Legend and Warriors end up being brothers with Hyrule and Wind for some random reason so it goes from your regular older brother and younger brother dynamic to the younger brother suddenly dealing with his own younger brothers pestering him. Less accidental baby acquisition, more accidental younger brother acquisition.

(I will end up writing this because I'm crazy, we all know it, there's no point in denying it at this point.)

I also keep thinking about the War of Eras stuff and like... it's always a time paradox. It's always a time paradox. I can't get the idea of the guys teaching each other things, it's too sweet. Like, don't you have to wonder if Warriors teaches Wind how to do first aid because Tune taught him first? It's probably more likely he learned from someone else, but it's a thought. I'm slowly dying on the inside thinking about how much Tune would do for the captain because he wants to return the favor and ldjkgdfgjdirjgdlgrijgdlirjfdrijtelkjfd--

I genuinely appreciate the daily brainrots so much too 😭 like i come home at the end of a long day and i get excited to see it come in my inbox aslkgkjhg. i got a few people irl who know im bat shit on tumblr and on ao3, my fuckin fiancee literally follows this blog and i know they don’t check it often but i do live in the fear of the day i get a text or call about some super specific odd ass shit post i made🧍‍♂️and then one of my best friends reads Fierce Hero 9, which is honestly fucking hilarious to me because she knew NOTHING about LU when she started reading it (i only recently convinced her to join the dark side /j), she just heavily fucks with big hero 6, and yknow what i respect that. but if my COLLEGE friends ever found this blog?? killing myself immediately. killing myself, deleting the blog, and moving to the other side of the planet actually. and my family knows I write fanfiction but if they ever read or found it?? theres not a group of people on this earth who would be able to find me, my ass would be GONE.

I LOVE LEGEND AND HIS STUPID LITTLE BROTHER ENERGY IT’S SO EVERYTHING TO ME. he’s a little shit and we need to all talk about that more 😔 LEGEND AND TIME WORKING TOGETHER ON A PRANK?? OH MY GOD. IT’D BE FUCKING OVER FOR EVERYONE ELSE. THEY’D GET AWAY WITH IT AND POOR HYRULE, WILD, OR WIND WOULD END UP GETTING BLAMED 😭

oh my god i never not once even thought of Legend and Wars being twins. I guess part of it is cos i headcanon they got like a literal decade between em, and i never thought about making them that close in age, let alone the SAME age. Even in my modern au’s, Wars is 2-3 years older. Them as twins would be SO fucking funny though oh my GOD. ACCIDENTAL BROTHER ACQUISITION, IM GONNA BE FUCKIN USING THAT OH MY GOD AKNSKJSNKJSN

(write it and my life is yours /ref)

oh my god i love war of eras trio time paradoxes so fucking much. SOOOO fucking much. Just the idea of Wars teaching Wind some little thing and then Tune having that knowledge to help Captain Link?? EATING IT UP. Or Wind being the world’s biggest shit to Time and him absolutely RUTHLESSLY clapping back, just for Tune to pull the EXACT same soul destroying comeback seemingly out of his ass to hit Mask with when Mask decides to be a snarky little shit. Who started it? We’ll never know

[percervall]

this or that (rpf greek mythversion)

- hades!james x persephone!carlos OR achilles!charles x patroclus!carlos

- helen-of-troy!lewis x paris!sebastian OR orpheus!carlos x euridyce!charles

Is today hurt Mar day? 🥺

Okay but here's how I see each of these play out:

Carlos, fearing his fate is about to be sealed by the Gods, who knows his parental figure is about to sell him to the highest bidder, decides to take the reigns on his own fate and finds a way to the depths of the paddock where he can hide away in the Williams garage until he figures out what's next. How was he to know the team principle is just as suave as he is nerdy? How was he to resist that combination, resist someone who will finally challenge his intellect? And so he becomes James' right hand, helps him rebuild the team to something that resembles the glory days of the '80s, putting the fear of the Gods into whoever doubted Carlos' skill and talent

vs

Charles, natural born soldier for The Cause, who will do what needs to be done always, who falls in love for his childhood best friend -a boy marked with trepidation but who will follow Charles to the ends of the earth, will be by his side and be the voice of reason and compassion with the heart of a poet: he is half of my soul, as the poets says.

“Name one hero who was happy." I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back. "You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward. "I can't." "I know. They never let you be famous AND happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret." "Tell me." I loved it when he was like this. "I'm going to be the first." He took my palm and held it to his. "Swear it." "Why me?" "Because you're the reason. Swear it." "I swear it," I said, lost in the high color of his cheeks, the flame in his eyes. "I swear it," he echoed. We sat like that a moment, hands touching. He grinned. "I feel like I could eat the world raw.”

^Charlos fighting the evil that is Ferrari strategy anyone? Excuse me while I go throw myself of a fucking cliff

Ah yes, throw in more PAIN

Lewis, who lets Sebastian think that he is saving Lewis from a cruel husband (Nico? Toto? Pick your poison) as they run away together to Maranello, only for Lewis' husband to declare war upon Ferrari for stealing him. The war lasts ten years and ends with Mercedes sending an army hidden in the belly of a prancing horse into the heart of Ferrari which leads to the destruction of Ferrari's legions. And Seb? Oh, Seb dies a painful death defending Lewis' honour, only for Lewis to enact the ultimate act of betrayal and help Mercedes beat Ferrari and returning home to his husband, not even sparing Sebastian a second thought.

vs

(I swapped them in this because it just makes more sense)

A bitter Carlos meets the talented Charles, who plays the most beautiful melodies on his lyre and somehow falls in love with Carlos within minutes of seeing him and convinced to marry only for their fate to take a terrible turn. And so when Carlos dies, Charles is so distraught, he sings about it until he can sing no more -the Gods and nymphs and muses alike weeping in sorrow as he does. And so in a flit of madness, Charles decides to decent into the depths of the underworld to convince Ferrari to let him return to Earth with his lover. And Ferrari, cruel as they are grant Charles' wish on the one condition: whatever you do, do not look back when Carlos follows you. And poor naive Charles is eager to accept because he would move heaven and earth if it meant he could have his husband back and surely this is an easy task? Oh how wrong he was. The road back to Earth is long, and dark, and narrow, and the souls haunt the catacombs of the underworld, their wailing enough to make Charles' bravado waiver because how can he know for sure his love is behind him still if he cannot see him -cannot hear him? And so the doubt sets in, climbing up his spine and grabbing him by the throat and as Ferrari laugh at Charles' failings, he turns around just mere paces away from Earth, condemning his lover to a life in the underworld. And Charles tries to follow Carlos but no mortal can enter the underworld twice, so he is condemned to live a life in the knowledge he lost the love of his life twice. All he can play are songs of mourning, hoping that maybe once Charles himself dies, they will be together once more

this is in no way an answer to the original question but I hope you can see that I cannot pick because it all hurts

[washipink]

A Beginner’s Guide to Tokusatsu

Hey, I know some of you are probably wondering about all these hero shows I’m constantly posting about. Maybe you want to try watching them too, but don’t know where to start? Well, look no further. I’m here to go over some accessible, and legal, means of checking out some of my favorite things!

for the OTHER means, you’ll have to DM me or send me an ask. I’m not getting my favorite sites shut down. You know the drill.

This guide will mainly focus on the big 3 Toku franchises, Toei’s Kamen Rider and Super Sentai as well as Tsuburaya’s Ultraman.

What Is Tokusatsu?

Tokusatsu is a genre of Japanese shows and movies that literally translates to “Special Effects”. Usually using a combination of monster or hero suits, practical effects like explosions, and light CGI.

That’s a REALLY wide net, so we’re just gonna focus on 3 shows today.

Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman. Thanks to @urotandersentai​ for drawing this neat little guide to the Visual Design of each of these 3 shows.

With that out of the way, let’s look at some individual seasons of these shows. Each one has a link to where you can watch it!

Please remember that at the end of the day, the best way to pick a show to watch is “Whatever looks coolest to you”. As such, I’ve included pictures!!!

Super Sentai

You might be saying, “This looks like Power Rangers!” And you’d be right!

Super Sentai, created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei Productions, is kinda like Power Rangers’ Dad. PR has been using suits and even fight footage from Super Sentai to tell its own stories for 30 years. All this time, though, Sentai has been creating lovable and memorable casts of colorful heroes.

Generally, Super Sentai is about a team of heroes in colorful costumes that fight monsters every week to protect people.

There’s tons of shows in this series that are available FOR FREE.

CHOUJIN SENTAI JETMAN (1991)

The Earth is under siege from the Dimensional War Party Vyram. A special squadron is selected for an experiment to turn them into Super Humans with the powers of Birds, the Birdman Squadron Jetman. Vyram interferes with the experiment and kills all but one of the Jetman recruits. Instead, civilians are transformed and tasked with defending the Earth. The surviving recruit, Ryu Tendo, must convince 4 normal people with drastically different backgrounds to fight with him.

Jetman has the typical monster of the week format for Super Sentai, but when the team isn’t battling monsters, there’s some serious drama going on. The five of them are all drastically different individuals. It can make it hard to work as a team. Especially when it comes Black Condor. Dude’s a loose canon and an absolute bastard of a man.

KYORYU SENTAI ZYURANGER (1992)

“From hundreds of millions of years ago, in the age of the dinosaurs, five warriors revive in the present time!”

When the Evil Witch Bandora awakens from her slumber, intent on terrorizing the Children of Earth, Five warriors from Dinosaur Times are unsealed to undo her schemes!

This one is where the suits for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers came from, which might tempt you to watch it first. I kinda recommend against that, though. It’s a fine show but I personally found it a bit boring. The characterization of the main cast didn’t stick out as much compared to other Sentai.

GOSEI SENTAI DAIRANGER (1993)

I haven’t seen this one, but it’s focused on martial arts and one of their mechs is a cool dragon? so uhhh? Check them out? Their theme song fucks

NINJA SENTAI KAKURANGER (1994)

Ok listen I didn’t watch this one either. HOWEVER, I know that it’s about the descendants of 5 legendary ninja who have been fighting yokai for 400 years.

CHOURIKI SENTAI OHRANGER (1995)

This is the last sentai in the “I didn’t watch it” category. uhhh, watch it if the suits look cool. Sorry.

GEKISOU SENTAI CARRANGER (1996)

Five Mechanics use the power of Car Magic to protect the earth from the Universal Reckless Driving Tribe and teach children about Traffic Safety. This one’s a tad bit goofier compared to some of the others, but it’s a good time.

Also There’s a Yoda.

DENJI SENTAI MEGARANGER (1997)

Five High School Students are friends and pals! Together they investigate the mysterious goings on of a technologically advanced evil empire. They literally surf the net in order to bring peace to their city and the world!

SEIJUU SENTAI GINGAMAN (1998)

The warriors of Ginga Forest, the Gingamen, have protected nature for 132 Generations. This series follows the 133rd Generation of Gingamen, who battle alongside Starbeasts to stop the resurrection of the Demon Beast Ditanix!

KYUKYU SENTAI GOGOFIVE (1999)

This time, the rangers are an experienced team of rescue workers given super human power! They fight back Literal Demons From Hell that endanger the public. There’s a lot of focus specifically on rescuing civilians in this one, so if you’re an especially big fan of watching heroes... SAVE people, this is a great choice.

MIRAI SENTAI TIMERANGER (2000)

In the 30th Century, a gang of super criminals escapes to the year 2000. They are tracked down by the Future Sentai Timeranger, agents of the Time Defense Force. There, they encounter the Great(s) Grandfather of their departed leader and must convince him to fight alongside them for the sake of humanity.

HYAKUJU SENTAI GAORANGER (2001)

Veterinarian Kakeru Shishi can hear the hearts of every animal! He swiftly becomes enraptured in the adventures of the Gaorangers, who battle living embodiment of pollution. Also they live on a flying turtle! How cool is that?

NINPUU SENTAI HURRICANNEGER (2002)

What if there was a polycule of ninjas SO BAD at being Ninjas, they showed up to Ninja Class Late and were the only survivors of an attack on their school? These guys are the silliest little slackers, but they’ve got hearts of gold. Check them out? For me? :)

KAMEN RIDER

If Super Sentai is Power Rangers’ Dad, Kamen Rider is Power Rangers’ Uncle.

Kamen Rider was ALSO created by Shotaro Ishinomori.

Usually focused in on a smaller cast of heroes. A common theme in Rider is that the heroes are created by their villains and choose to rebel against them for the greater good, or will use the villain’s own powers against them.

Most Riders have a signature attack where they leap into the air and do a flying kick. These get INCREDIBLY flashy over the years.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot less Kamen Rider legally available than there are of the other two shows here. Don’t fret, it’s Easy Enough To Find Anyway.

As for the shows I can link you to, there’s

KAMEN RIDER (1971)

This is the original series.

Takeshi Hongo is an augmented human being created by the evil organization Shocker. Escaping before his brainwashing can be completed, battles for humanity’s freedom as Kamen Rider.

Being such an old show, the effects can be dated and cheesy. It’s a bit of an acquired taste, but if you stick with it, I’m sure you’ll love it. You can watch most of the show in almost any order. The only really confusing part is that eventually, Hongo tags out with fellow escaped cyborg Ichimonji Hayato as Kamen Rider. (This was due to a real world injury to Hongo’s actor during filming. Don’t worry, he’s still kicking and he comes back later in the show!)

It’s also the longest Kamen Rider show, so I don’t fault you if you decide not to watch ALL of it. Even I haven’t yet.

If reading is more your thing, it’s based on a manga that you can find a DELIGHTFULLY well crafted omnibus of here

KAMEN RIDER KUUGA (2000)

Kuuga was the first season of Rider after about a 5 year break on TV. It’s something of a return to form.

It follows Yusuke Godai, a world traveler with 2000 skills, visiting his home town for the first time in years. He finds himself in the middle of an ancient civilization’s ritualistic murder game. Donning the mantle of Kuuga, Godai fights to protect the smiles of the city. He has a wonderful supporting cast around him including Detective Ichijou, who he goes on to share a rather homoerotic bond with.

Kuuga was my first Rider Series and to this day, it represents the Bread and Butter of Kamen Rider to me. This one’s a bit of a slow-paced Drama, but its focus is on what it means to help others. Every episode, I felt like I was actively being encouraged to be a better person. Godai’s got this infectious positivity that can’t help but make you grin.

KAMEN RIDER RYUKI (2002)

Ryuki takes a rather different direction from the other shows on this list. Instead of being about a single hero battling monsters, it’s about Plucky Young Journalist Shinji Kido being wrapped up in an all-out war between Kamen Riders. Donning the mask of Ryuki, he seeks to put an end to the bloodshed. The other Kamen Riders aren’t nearly as cooperative, though.

Don’t think that this plot means these characters don’t get tons of humanizing moments though. They’re all delightful to watch in action and you’ll end up truly questioning who will win? Is it possible to end the Riders’ battle? Will Shinji have to take a life after all?

I cannot recommend Ryuki enough. A lot of the Rider series from the early 2000s are Dramas that feature super heroes and Ryuki takes that drama up to a 10. (Plus, if you wanna ask where to find it, there’s plentiful side content for this show.)

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE (2019)

In the far-flung year of 2019, Hiden Intelligence has revolutionized AI technology. The company manufactures Robot Assistants called Humagears. People in all walks of life and profession benefit from their aid. Unfortunately, something is causing Humagears to go berserk and attack humans.

With the death of Hiden Intelligence’s president, Failed Comedian Aruto Hiden inherits the company. He’s given the Zero-One Driver, which allows him to fight the corrupted Humagears as Kamen Rider Zero-One. With this new power in hand, Aruto seeks a way forward where Humankind and AI can exist in harmony.

Come to think of it, this one’s kinda topical. “AI” is a subject we really aren’t gonna be getting rid of any time soon. This show is one of the more recent rider productions you can find legally and it SHOWS. Every suit is sleek and clean, the visuals are striking and flashy. If nothing else, Zero-One LOOKS incredible.

KAMEN RIDER GEATS (2022)

Kamen Riders compete in a game called the Desire Grand Prix. By fighting monsters and saving people for points, the winner can have their greatest desire granted. Ukiyo Ace, the titular Kamen Rider Geats, looks to unravel the mysteries behind the Grand Prix and reunite with his long-lost mother.

Things get a bit more complicated than that, but I think you should see it for yourself. I can’t recommend Geats enough. its visual style is a direct evolution of Zero One’s sleekness and flashiness. It’s main 4 characters are some of my favorites in recent years.

SHIN KAMEN RIDER (2023) (Paid)

Takeshi Hongo is an augmented human being created by the evil organization Shocker. Escaping before his brainwashing can be completed, battles for humanity’s freedom as Kamen Rider. 

Wait, that sounds really familiar. That’s because this is the latest in a series of Tokusatsu Reimaginings by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi. This is a new take on the story of Kamen Rider 1971, modernized complete with sleeker suits and stunning music all wrapped up in a 2-hour movie. It also has plenty of Easter Eggs for those of us who are fans of the 1971 series or the Manga it’s based on!

Be warned, this one’s gorier than the other stuff on the list. It’s mostly exaggerated blood splatters, though. I hate that kind of stuff and I’m able to rewatch this movie.

KAMEN RIDER AMAZONS (2016) (Paid)

Amazons is another adult reimagining of a classic Kamen Rider show, but it’s so far removed you don’t really need to know much about the original to enjoy it.

Amazons follows a group of exterminators who have been tasked with eradicating escaped cannibalistic experiments called, well, Amazons. The catch is that they work together with 2 Amazons, Momoru the Mole Amazon, and Haruka, the titular Kamen Rider Amazons. Both of them are tasked with asking themselves ethical questions. Is it so wrong for Amazons to exist? Is it possible to avoid eating people? If it isn’t, then is it WRONG to eat people to survive?

ULTRAMAN

Ok, look, I’m gonna have to make a separate post covering all the free Ultraman stuff there is. Theres SO MUCH OF IT available that I don’t know where to start. We’re about to hit the image limit. If that post is done, it will be linked HERE.

But for a basic idea, there’s tons of stuff on Tubi and the official Ultraman Youtube Channel posts new episodes of the currently airing show.

[edenprime]

In my opinion, the best combinations for Shepard's backstories + the moral alignment that fits them best would be as follows:

Earthborn + War Hero. Paragon. My personal favorite. A troubled kid from a harsh world, who grasped at the redemption they saw in the Alliance and never let it go. Their whole childhood was spent under an ugly umbrella of violence. Growing up in that environment, they knew how to navigate the darker paths of life with ease. They hated it, though. As soon as they were able to, they took their chance to escape by joining the Alliance, swearing that they would never become like the adults that sorrounded them growing up, that they would make up for it. Their actions in Ellysium, brave to the point of recklessness, was the first time this shone through in their carreer, and it illustrated just how far they'd go to do the right thing. This trend shoots them career to the stars, but the pressure gets more and more to them the more the stakes are raised, and they struggle with their moral ideals vs the need to do whatever needs to be done to save the galaxy. Finding the balance is hard, and their idea of an absolute good becomes more and more like a childish dream the longer the war goes on. Still, they refuse to compromise.

Colonist + Sole Survivor. Paragon. The angst route. Shepard's life and pre-Normandy career record are littered in tragedy. They try so hard, though. Their struggle with survivor's guilt is an ongoing issue, and I feel like this Shepard would have the hardest time confronting the consequences of their actions. ME2, in particular, would be hard: knowingly sending their team to what everyone's labelling as a suicide mission. They'd do their best to make sure their team is as comfortable as possible, every last loyalty mission would be completed respecting the wishes of the entire crew (except Zaeed's and Garrus' - they won't sacrifice innocent lives for the sake of a 20 year old grudge, and they won't allow their most loyal friend to go down the path of senseless revenge). Bahak felt like a cruel cosmic joke. A chance at a retribution they never wanted and never asked for. The six months on Earth feel fair to them, despite their frustration with the brass. They were responsible for over three hundred thousand deaths, but there were billions who would die if the rest of the galaxy didn't wake up and face the Reaper threat.

Spacer + Ruthless. Renegade. A child of two career Alliance soldiers, Shepard grew up sorrounded by soldiers, a lot of them veterans of the First Contact War, a lot of them distrustful of aliens. This Shepard has seen the good and the bad of the human military, and while their parents were overall cool people, their job meant that sometimes, some of the lessons that should've been taught to them were not taught, and some others might not have been the correct ones. Shepard sees the world in black and white, good and evil, with humanity firmly on the side of "good" and everyone else "evil until proven otherwise". They don't stop until a mission is done - at any cost. Torfan was the prime example of this. There is no price too high for victory. They are harsh on their squad, but it doesn't mean that they don't care: they do care, a lot, in their own way, and for someone who has only been around soldiers their entire life, this means falling in line. Discipline. Following the orders of your commander. This Shepard knows they are good at what they do, and if their friends and allies want to live, they'll have to listen to them. This Shepard will defeat Saren and Sovereign and the Collectors and the Reapers. At any cost.

[popculturebuffet]

More than Meets the Eye Retrospective: Dark Cybertron Part 1

Hello all you happy autobots and welcome back to my long look at Transformers More Than Meets The Eye. When we last left I looked at the sister comic, Robots in Disguise.

But a necessary one for Today's review: Dark Cybertron, a crossover between both books.

Dark Cybertron is the cumilation of a plot that had been slowly building in the background of Robots in Disguise while Bumblebee dithered, Prowl tried to install a dictatorship long before he got a bug in his brain telling him to keep going with that, and Starscream was awesome. Shockwave has been up to SOMETHING over the issues, working with his mentor Jhiaxus.

Chasing Jhiaxus in the best part of RiD was Optimus Prime, redubbing himself Orion Pax out of disgust with the legacy of the primes, alongside his friends Hardhead, Wheelie and Garnak, who soon found themselves chasing Jhiaxus. Mr J eventually lured them to a dead planet, where he and Waspinator, yes the boy himself, ignited a titan and made tracks for cybertron while leaving our heroes to their deaths as Shockwave held back Soundwave and his decepticons , igniting his final plan.

It's here that mystery plan comes to fruition as the lost lighters split up gang to help save the unvierse, while Bumblebee and his Cavlcade of Fuckups, and also Arcee try to stop the apocalypse and Starscream gets a new paint job as he tries to hold on for dear life to his throne with a big ole event.

This crossover's notable for a few reasons: it's the first proper event comic for the transfomers: While there had been previous event style arcs with All Hail Megatron and Chaos and crossovers with the IDW wide Infestation and the marvel crossover Transformers/New Avengers, which also means the new avengers and likely all of marvel exisit in this unvierse.

But this is the first crossover between books within the line, something that would become a tradition as IDW liked money and Hasbro liked free advertising for whatever they were doing in the toys at the time, either threading in designs from their current lines or in the case of combiner wars and titans return, just straight up having IDW model their events to match the toyline. . This lead to the ambitious and failed Hasbro Universe with Revolution, and the universe even ends on one with Unicron.

Ironically though.. this is the ONLY one to loop in more than meets the eye. And thank Primus for that. Look i'm not anti-event comic, sometimes an event can be a total banger. For a recent example see Marvel's Judgement Day. But the big two tend to do events and crossovers EVERY damn year, not giving books a chance to rest or status quos to breathe for a bit. So having More than Meets the Eye sit that shit out is a fucking relief.

It's also from a practical standpoint as this crossover shows both creative teams had trouble meshing the two together: the narrative splits into four plot threads, one in the dead universe with Optimus, Rodimus and CO, one with the rest of the lost light , one with the cavlcade of fuckups and one with god emperor starscream. the latter two evnetually intersect and the two casts DO interact towards the end of the crossover.. but in the six issues i'm covering today the only ones to interact with the lost lighters are Starscream in a brief video call and Optimus in one of the main plots. It's clear that while the two writers liked each other.. they may not of known entirely how to make the two casts function together, and thus kept them to their corners.

The result isn't a bad story but a fractured one. I will say upfront I won't be able to judge the story as a whole till next time, but I needed to do it in two parts as it's a big boy and there's a lot to go over. So join me under the cut as darkness falls over cybertron, titans rise, and rodimus gets a new toy so stupid it will bite him in the ass for the rest of the comic. IT's Dark Cybertron and it's under the cut.

We open with Nova Prime's crew. Nova Prime was a prime who was seen as a great one.. but in reality was an supremacist piece of scrap who wanted to conquer all other forms of life. He will not be missed. Among him are our boy Cyclonus and Jhiaxus, who tells Shockwave to FINISH MY WORK.

In the present.. Shockwave almost has, having seeded ores aroudn the galaxy and experimenting on a titan, both the same one that declared Starscream chosen one and then vanished.. and that Waspinator just brought home. It starts screaming in terror and bleeding out it's eyes

Elsewhere on Cybertron, Starscream woke up from a nap to find a few hours ago the sun rose.. and hasn't gone down. He also has a new all red everything paintjob, a familiar one

As i've been told and found out.. this is Starscream's look from Transformers Armada, which I did watch when it was coming out but entirely forgot this is what Starscream looked like because my memory is quicksand and only few things escape it like X-men trivia.

It's.. not my faviorite. It's almost ENTIRELY red and whlie it does look better in later shots, it's just not as fun to look at as his classic look and while he'll keep this look for the windblade mini series, i'ts telling the artists reverted to his old standby as soon as they could. The Armada look isn't bad and looking at stills from teh anime it loks GREAT there.. but it's a bit too one note for the page, at least these pages.

Starscream decides to call the autobots for help.. not the ones he exiled, an I told you so from prowl is death in it's purest form, no OUR autobots.

For now though we cut back to Optimus. Since we last left him he and his crew are trying to escape.. and luckily run into some old friends

I love this so much. Unsuprisingly Swerve made it his ring tone. Naturally Rodimus dove in anyway to save his old friend/boss/dad.

Rodimus shows his dad around, which really feels like a teenager accidently exposing his dad to all the stuff his dumbass friends do while trying to be respectible. The wind's taken out of his sails by Ultra Magnus who asks if Optimus is taking command with all the tact and grace he's known for.

Optimus isn't, he's only here for the guest spot , he's got his own leading roll to play in the other books, but he is happy to get the tour. .until Starscream calls. Screamer of course can't help but passively agressively brag about how he was elected in by popular demand after bumblbee fucked up hard

Then asks Cyclonus for help since he knows the dead universe better than anyone. The Dead Universe is a parasite, a universe that should fucntion right but is instead both sentient and EVILLLL. And it's hungies.

Back on Cybertron, Team Fuckup is starring in horror and the Dinobots want to punch the fuck out of the sun. Bumblbee tells them to wait for it... and granted he's telling them not to punch a bright light on the horizon, something even prowl can tell is stupid which tells you something, but honestly after the last two years worth of comics, the bar for Bumlebee's competence is low.

He ends up being right as the necrotitan lands. Meanwhile Shockwave goes into a whole rant about hwo this is all ineveitible that has a bunch of vauge images and two optimus primes about ot throw hands for some reason. none of this is relevant to the rest of the crossover, it's a clear misdirect and it sure does exist. The real point is who he's talking to: Nova Prime and Galvatron, who somehow returned. Also Galvatron and Megatron are two seperate people in this continuity, happens a lot, moving on.

Onto chapter 2 and Team Fuckup's strategy is now suns out guns out.. though Bumblebee's redemption arc continues as when the Autobots want to punch the giant, Bumlebee tells them no and tells them to either get in line or fuck righ toff, which actually gets them to listen. Seems Bee got a spine with his new form and I like it. After 20 some issues of him listening to whoever yelled the loudest while ignoring the people he's supposed to be serving, this is nice. It's clear field command fits him better.

He does have a bit of an exestial crisis wondering if this is the titan that choose starscream and I THINk it is. I'm not sure. But either way it's here and i'ts big.

Back with Team Rodimus, Brainstorm tells Optimus the dead unvierse is alive and that's why going into the dead universe is tricky: it'll kill anything it senses shouldn't be there. Luckily he has a plan.. and a weird creepy parsite in a jar. It's also so fun seeing the straightlaced optimus interact with the lost lighters. So dang good seeing Chromedome resisit the urge to condescend to Optimus.

Back with Starscream he's doing what any sensible cybertronian would do in this situation: GET HIS GUN. Or a lot of them hidden in a closet Rattrap is telling him to come out of. Please everyone knows Starscream as pansexual as fuck. Rattrap urges caution.. which is like saying it's tuesday but still when Starscream is whiffing it you know it's .. also tuesday but also probably an issue.

Back on the lost light we get a great scene as Rodimus, Magnus and Optimus hit swerves. Magnus is curious if they should be having command discussions in a bar but Rodimus for once isn't snippy, which tells us deep shit is a comin: he simply wants to be by his men.. granted he regrets that when he finds Swerve taking photos but for once Swerve is also not as flip: it's three of the greatest autobots of all time, on the preciipce of SOMETHING happening, something they call feel.. that shared feeling of dread. Something's coming and it ain't good.

The trio get a text from brainstorm: He's ready. This being brainstorm the most he has is a palm thing that keeps the dead universe from killing you using the venom of a monster from there he keeps in a jar. Granted this is only because it's short notice.

So our heroes come up with a plan: split up. Rodimus, Optimus, Hardhead and Cyclonus (Since he has experince) will go into the dead universe to plug whatever stygian hole is leaking. Wheelie and Garnak will stay by in Optimus' ship to pick them up after. Meanwhile the Lost LIght will head after Jhiaxus. Magnus is doubtful he can lead.. but Rodimus perks him up, assuring him he can do this: he may of been thorugh a lot.. but this is his comfort zone: "You're chasing a war criminal and i'm leaping into the unknown"

Back on cybertron Starscream talks with Scoops, a cybertronian ratrap framed for him and who belivies in screamer's prophecy. And as it turns out Screamer REALLY shoudl've payed attention to what that prophecy was or asked or.. anything other than accept it as face value as it turns out he's pegged as a "false leader" one who will bring on the coming darkness... "The stars shall scream and the symbol of the uncreator shall become clear" and said symbol is.. not encouraging to screamer or us

Anyways back to Shockwave: he's talking to Nova, and reveals the space bridge in the Necrotitan isn't working.. but luckily he has a backup plan: megatron.

We end the issue with two more cut tos: in the dead unvierse, Team Rodtimus fight some parasites hoping to snack on them since the signal their using reads "FOOD' to them and while they get away from them fine.. someone else notices. more on him soon. Back with Team Fuckup, the Calvary arrives: SOUNDWAVE BABY.

Part 3 begins with Starscream, whose assuring his adoring public.. only for a meteor to apparnetly land near the titan.

Speaking of shooting the Autobots wage a war to destroy the not so evil forces of Soundwave, only for the metor thing ot distract them too.

Before our next plot point let's talk about this series pacing as you might of noticed the last paragraph or two was just "this plot point, now this". And that's because the series likes to jump around, jump around, get up get up and get down. It has FOUR plots it's juggling and rarely do the issues just.. focus on one or two, especially early on. So each issue is bouncing around several subplots often for just two pages at a time. I don't mind a big story having to move around, but you have to let things settle for a minute. Let a plot point marinate a bit. I shouldn't feel rushed in a 12 issue crossover. 12 issues is a LOT for a story, again why this is a two parter. We do get some good character stuff like Bee growing a spine, a lot of it feels like a reahash. For instance did we need the starscrema going to get his gun scene? no we coudl've had rattrap suggest talking to scoops earlier. None of this is bad and some of the character stuff is necessary: Rodimus showing optimus around both moves the plot along with starscream's call and is objectively hilaroius. But a lot of it feels like thumb twiddling to get to the next plot point. We probably coudl've compacted most of team fuckups scenes into half an issue, if that. It feels like their cutting to each plot to make it seem important instead of carring how a story should progress. It feels like the writers took turns with scenes instead of truly colaberating on the crossover an das a result we just jump jump jump.

So we jump! Jump for the plot to our next point: the lost light where their being pushed off course... turns out Metroplex's thumb what got embedded in the ship after the annual is alive again.. and Getaway knows why: Tyrest, for all his madness, once said you can find a titan with a titan.. and figures Metroplex is trying to reunite with itself.

At the Necrotitan, Team Fuckup sadly gets back to buisness as usual.. arguing with each other. Fortuantely this time, Bumblebee.. is still a compitent leader. He's still on "wait for it" mode.. because they really CAN'T do anything and attacking a giant statue is a death warrant, and he's taken Team Soundwave's help as while they aren't on great terms, they have the same goal: Stop Shockwave. Prowl takes this with the grace, dignity and cool he's known for

God it's good to hear ANYONE, especially Bumblebee, tell Prowl to "shut up for once". And Bee's not wrong. While wait and hope things go well was a TERRIBLE strategy when Bee was running the planet and all it did was get starscream on the throne and all of them exiled, in this case.. their facing a giant cybertronian with weird glowing eyes who they can't really understand. As we'll learn shortly titans function SORT'VE like regular transformers, but are so giant, massive and ancient their hard to parse. A small band of semi-reformed fuckups, an asshole, and a bunch of casette tapes and their player/dad isn't REMOTELY enough to stop that thing and interacting with it might just piss it off.

And sure enough Starscream seemingly prooves that hypothesis as he tries to manipulate it by talking to it.. only for it to explode into 2 or 3 pages of purple light. And This.. I like> it lets the MAGNITUDE of this thing's power play out, it's sudden, and it's shocking, and the effects afterwords aren't good as Arcee is out, the death wave having taken down their forces. once again Prowl won't shut the fuck up, wanting them to attack... and bee brushes him off essentially asking

He points out the death wave, his words not mine, is heading towards the city and despite Starscream's efforts.. it goes off. Shooting the titan would've eithe rdone nothing or set this off SOONER. There is NOTHING they can do and that.. works for me. As douchey as Prowl's being which, par for the course and all that aside, you understand his want to do SOMETHIGN.. but their in a situation where all they can do is just sit, wait, and HOPE they can figure something out. Shockwave said it best as Starscream tried talking to the titan. "We were all too late from the beginning". Unlike the bulk of the comic thus far sitting and reacting is all they have. .because they don't know the full scope of what's going on here. WE as an audience don't know what the hell the necrotitan just did: I only have it's name thanks to the wiki.

The wave not only hurt the living.. but wakes the dead as Metalhawk is back, on the bad guy's side now.. and pisssssseeed. Starscream to his credit reacts more with "Oh goody another cherry on the shit sundae that is today." but he still gets stabbed and Metalhawk is taking Megatron, bye. While Scoops goes to help people, the citzens surround starscream, his star falling.

On the lost light thei rleft with a decision: follow Jhiaxus.. or follow the severed thumb. Ratchet dosen't wanna as he feels their back in the "autobots mainstream" again... but Brainstorm disagrees.. and Perciptor shockingly AGREES: an ancient god has asked them to come find him, and given the end of days is going on back at home, an ancient god could REALLY come in handy right now. Magnus agrees and they head to a planet full of blood red water. At least I hope it's water. THey go deep into planet danzig, and find a horde of microbots ready to tear them apart. These are the amonites from the 25th issue adn they aren't happy.

Closing out the issue Shockwave prepares to make Megatron into a spacebridge. It's very impressive and not at all healthy.

Chapter 4 begins back with the lost light and with good art for those portions again! Yeah while i've glossed over it because this is a LOT of comics to go over and i'm already behind, the art for the lost light sections of parts 2 and 3 is once again by James Raiz, who has a very sketcyhy lifeldian style.. and not bein ga fan of those styles in general, I like it even lest on the quippy, weird lost light. It dosen't fit at all and the lack of expresssion dosen't really work with characters who thrive on expression even when they got no mouths.

It also works as we get bits like Brainstorm trying to hop onto Perciptor's exposition and Magnus announcing himself as "duly apointed enforcer of the tyrest accord" before remembering "Oh yeah the horrifying events of the last arc right. Just an autobot now". I'ts a bit funny but also very sad. All it gets is the super combinining amonites blowing up their window.

Back on cybertron the mob turns on starscream, with Scoops rightfully calling him out for dooming them and pointing out the black mark on him as a sign.. whne really he just tried to schmooze an elder god of a robot, but semantics. poitn is time is running out for our faviorite boy.

Back on planet Danzig, Skids remembers the amonites and wonders why their pissed.. forgetting they you know, ended their forever war and one of them tried to kill thunderclash, something the lost light prevented. Take your pick.

With the Lost Light too big a target the crew decides to split up: they have a few water vechiles and half of the aquabots, so they should be fine, but they still need more... so Magnus gets an idea: they'll take the rodpod. Like the audience Getaway wonders "what the fuck is that" before we gaze on it in all ti's glory.. or as glorious as it is as for some reason we're suddenly back to raiz art.

Yes the rodpod, which Magnus was worried about as naturally Rodimus loves this stupid fucking thing as mucha s I do. But Skids is banking on Rodimus' short attention span.

The important thing here, besides this very hilariously stupid thing happened in a major crossover and that's awesome, is Getaway's reaction. His disguist, his sheer confusion.. for now it just comes off as most people's reaction to this ego piece who aren't used to Rodimus shit by now. But true to roberts.. this bit is one of the MAIN REASONS why we still had to cover this crossover. It's not the only one but this one small character moment.. ends up changing the entire course of this entire comic and our heroes lives forever. Yes the RODPOD is so rediculous and breaks a man's brain so bad, it has deep lasting conseqeunces that will last to the finale of this comic. I love that more than words.

Our heroes take the rodpod out for a spin, and while Rung kills a guy, and it's awesome, our heroes blow up a giant super combined amonite as they apparently have no upper limit but no upper limit dosen't mean "can't blow up real good"

Back to the dead Universe where Optimus deals with some squabbling from the kids

See this.. really shows the contrast between the two styles: the bickering over with Team Fuckup is annoying at times, bette rin this series but still annoying. The banter between the lost light on the other hand feels both more genuine and funnier. And I get the quippy style isn't for everyone: The MCU has gotten some fatigue fo rthat.. but I like a bit of back and forth. it shoudln't be the whole thing, and MTMTE succeeds largley because the characters are deeply made as well as deeply hilaroius, but a little humor helps. It breaks up the dark exesntial terror of everything to occasoinally have things like Rodimus' stupid headship he built for his own amusment or Optimus being about 5 mintues from turning this dead universe around so help me god.

Yet the questions he brings up .. arne't unfair as his next cuts deep: if Optimus had asked him to stay, would he have? And the answer.. is yes. Yet what cuts deeper.. is optimus response: He has the utmost faith in Rodimus and the progress he's made.. and it's clear form his silence he both regrets he's hardly made any and the choices he HAS made. He saved the world, something he rightfully rubbe din Hardhead's face as he was one of the many who nearly died thanks to Tyrest's attmepted genocide, but it's clear the thigns he's done weigh on rodimus: Would staying have helped? Could he have made a bette cybertron?

And the hard answer is.... no. Him staying wouldn't of been a good thing: he didn't want to be there, none of the bots who left really had ideas for a new better cybertron and MORE autobots wasn't going to fix a situation where autobots being there at all was causing tension with the nails. The sad truth is Bumblebee failed not because Rodimus left, but because he didn't have any plan other than "We want to retain power" , and with a throng of people crying for a better government and something NEW that was never going to happen.

The ironic thing is while Rodimus is on a quest for the old... his going out, exploring, doing daring due war or no war.. IS something new. He's letting his bots be who they are, having down time, movie nights, open bars. Sure he's also shoved some of them into very bad situations, the whole overlord mess was a waking nightmare and should never have happened and swerve shooting rung is ENTIRELY his fault. Rodimus, like Bee, often tries to lead like this is war time instead of a shaky peace. Yet despite also operating from that style.. he's casual enough and caring enough deep down that his bots.. get to have lives. Be who they want to be. He's not yelling tat them for daring to want to not shoot people or trying to create infastructure, he's just like "when I need you, do your fucking job bro". He may be embarassed around optimus.. but his letting his crew be people instead of weapons is better than Bee trying to lead like this is a war of attrition and not "what comes after" or Prowl acting like the war neve rended and a shiny new police state is better and not what caused the war in the first place.

OUr heroes soo seen Cyclonus is bleeding.. and soon have bigger issues as Nightbeat has arrived.

Back on cybertron Prowl sucks suprising no one wanting AGAIN to attack the giant robot that just wiped out hal fof them despite having no plan other than "shoot it REAL hard" Bee once again calls him out

He brused Prowl's ego enough to actually get him to pause.. well huff like a child but Prowl does have soundwave scan the city, which picks up something bad: Megatron SCREAMING as Shockwave both turn shim into a bridge and tries to get him to join. He naturallyr efuses ESPECAILLY since the primes are involved, so instead of joining in the new world order.. he gets prime coming out of his chest.

We end the issue on Team Magnus as they find Metroplex.. and end up in his eye socket.. which is hollowed out. Which is impressive but horrifying. And also not very healthy.

Onto part 5, and Shockwave is helping his pawns out of a screaming megatron's chest

When Team Fuckup arrives... Bumblebee has no idea what Shockwav'es doing but it end snow.

It dosen't though because Metalhawk is here, and Bumblbee's attempts to pull an "I know your in there somewhere fight", failed as Metalhawk is consumed by vengance and purple stuff. Skywarp attempts to just free megatron but his teleporting fails.

Prowl questions WHY Shockwave is helping nova.. not getting that maybe, just maybe the One Eyed Two Horned Grounded Purple Plotter whose already manuvered you all like chess pieces.. is using them as pawns for something much worse. Either way he gives Nova time to escape and his best buddy Waspinator time to bring him the staff Waspinator used to awaken the titan and summons it as if it were one of his x-men.. and has it crush them as if it were his juggernaught.

Back to the dead universe, let's talk about Nightbeat: Nightbeat is an autobot detective. During Nova Prime's previous plot, he had a thing installed in Nightbeat's head to turn the poor guy into his sleeper agent. Unfortunately for him he again picked a detective and one of the best at that so while he coudln't do much, Beat at least figured out he was being brainwashed and after shooting Hardhead had enough will to beg heardhead to shoot him.

So naturally his sudden return is a lot for everyone to process. As for how the shore he died on WAS connected to the dead unvierse, Optimus correctly guesses he got swept in with the tide. We get a sense of Nightbeat's personality too, as doing a simple look at Cyclonus tells him about Tailgate's near injury: he has facial scars, they were self inflicted, and they were patched recently. Cyclonus responds to this invasion of privacy mixed with genuine sympathy by trying to choke a bitch.

Back with team fuckup they TRY to count up their wounded.. but they hav ebigger issues: Megatron is craddling Ironhide crisis on infinite earth's style, before Galvatron rips him the fuck in half, starting his streak at one and declaring WHOS NEXT.. and somehow that's not their biggest issue as the titan is still active and shockwave is now in control.

Back in the dead universe, we find out how Nightbeat survivied: he was dead going through the portal and sense dead equals alive in this universe, he's spared. Sorta like how a healing spell usually hurts a zombie in an rpg just reversed.

At any rate he has some bad news for cyclonus: his hand generator thingy broke nad the Dead Universe has reclaimed him.. and he also has time to ominously say "your all home now" before triggering a giant force field around them. Turns out his death didn't undo his sleeper agent brain thing and Nova has come for them.

Before we move on to our final chapter for this batch, let's look at this cover. Which I rarely do for tim's sake but this one well

It looks like Nova Prime is playing with his dolls again.

At any rate we're back with what's left of Team Fuckup: bumblbee' smissing while what's left is running from the titan. The Dinobots plan to lead it away.. but it was already going this way they just were running away from it and are only pulling a prometheus because their genuinely not fast enough to get out the side, especially with some of them carrying wounded.

Back with Team Magnus, they notice Metroplex is decaying... partly due to age as getting spare parts is hard for titans and partly due to the weird blood water all around Planet Danzig. Theya lso find that Metro's BRAIN is missing: he's still alive but without that he's clearly dying. Getaway notices something in the water and calls Swerve for help but h'es a bit busy getting his groove on

They do however find a place to drydock. Back in the dead universe, Hardhead tells his friend he's going to rekill him while Optimus fakes a fight with rodimus to tell him there's a hidden barrier. While Hardhead tries to reach him Nova arrives.

Back on cybertron Starscream's no good horrible very bad day continues as he finds not only is his mark of shame spreading, but he's not the only one dying. After getting yelled at by his second tankor today he finds the titan heading right for him and the wounded

Back on Planet Danzig, our heroes find some arrows in the dry dock.. but it takes them around in circles.. then an Amonite blows up the ship, leaving them stranded.

We end this issue and the first half of dark cybertron with Nova Prime megomanically gloating... Hardhead escapes to shut him up.. only for it not to go well> Turns out PRime is not only crazy strong, but he CRUSHES Hardheads fist in his hands and then watches the poor guy desintgrate. He has plans for those left though: he's taking them to see a new friend he's made: bumlbee whose the shiny new space bridge.

So that's where we end it? Can Team Fuckup somehow save cybertron? Did any of team magnus survivie? Can Optimus shut this dude the fuck up. Find out in april folks! Thanks for reading

[blueteller]

Thought Experiment: In a world with no transmigrator Cale, who could make the best use of Cale's Ancient Powers?

Buckle up, people, you're in for a long ride with this one!

(Warning: lots of head-canons and theories and AU ideas!)

This question occurred to me due to reading many "reaction fics", where the premise is that "The Birth of a Hero" timeline's heroes watch "Trash of the Count's Family" timeline.

If Cale did not transmigrate, but other characters – such as Choi Han, Alberu, Raon et cetera – knew what is to come and teamed up together to save their world... who could use the Ancient Powers to their full potential instead of KRS!Cale?

Let's discuss the first possibility: that a single person would inherit all of the same powers as Cale; or at the very least, the 5 elemental ones. APs such as Vitality of the Heart, Dominating Aura, Annual Rings of Life, Blood-Drenched Rock or even the quasi-Ancient Power that is Fire Suppressing Water combined with the Absorbing Necklace could end up in someone else's possession, in that scenario. Because the ability to Embrace APs belonged originally to Lee Soo Hyuk, and in this TBOAH AU timeline, he wouldn't be giving it to Cale or anyone else, so those additional APs would be harmful in the long run to the user.

(You might be wondering – it should be impossible to get the 5 elemental APs without the Vitality of the Heart, right? There's a way, however. Super Rock has the ability to stall for time in case of a person's plate being close to breaking. So in theory, if Super Rock was the second power taken, it should be possible to balance out the person's plate without Vitality.)

So, keeping all this in mind, let's look at the candidates for possessing the 5 main APs, first.

Choi Han is the most obvious one. As a Single-Lifer, he has a huge plate to work with. Once he balanced out his plate, there should be no problems for him using the APs to their fullest potential. Assuming he got the financial backing from Alberu, he could get all the APs, including the Fire of Destruction. After the expensive fortification, taking a test of character on the Wind Island – which he would certainly pass – and running some errands such as delivering bread or fighting a lake... Choi Han could, in theory make great use of Cale's APs. Even though he wouldn't get along so well with some of the APs as Cale – like sharing the Fire of Destruction's greed, or the thief's love for looting... Choi Han is a brave soul, with a vicious streak and a strong sense of justice. The APs would all willingly support him, and Choi Han is quite smart combat-wise. He could face the White Star with them head on and probably win without issues – provided he had someone with the Annual Rings of Life & the Vitality of the Heart by his side... but that's for later.

But that is the most obvious choice. What about possible candidates for the 5 elemental APs combination?

Let's look at Alberu, first. Since he had the Star of Healing, it's obvious that he's capable of using APs. The darkness attribute might clash.... however, maybe that could be balanced out as well? The opposite of darkness is light, isn't it? And who has the light attribute AP that could potentially help in this?

(Assuming that's how it works, of course, and that the light attribute wouldn't imply kill him, instead. Because I'm not sure which one would happen, but for this premise to work, I'm running with the hypothesis of light and dark balancing each other out instead of harming the user.)

That's right: Bear King Sayeru has a light attribute Ancient Power! And one quite powerful at that!

Assuming the TBOAH cast could, with their foreknowledge, corner Sayeru, steal his light AP and balance out Alberu's plate to make room for more attributes... what would Alberu with 6 Ancient Powers be like?

For one thing, Alberu would become the undisputed leader of the whole war. With other characters like Choi Han and Rosalyn supporting him in leading assaults and armies, he wouldn't need to be everywhere in person at once, just like Cale didn't need to use his powers on every battlefield. The APs would give Alberu the strongest political backing he could have, without Cale being in the picture.

For another, Alberu with 5 APs would be the scariest opponent imaginable to the White Star. Immune to dead mana, yet possessing a light attribute at the same time, he could essentially have no weaknesses. In addition, his ability to use magic and Highest Grade swordsmanship would make him an extremely scary combatant, just like in canon. Alberu could be the only person able to over-power the White Star on every possible field, and MORE. The heritage of the Crossman family being descended from the original White Star would make this premise especially spicy.

So we got Choi Han and Alberu as pretty decent candidates. Who else is there?

What about Rosalyn? That is assuming that the APs wouldn't be extremely deadly in clash with her magic, of course.. Let's say she would have to also acquire the Vitality of the Heart for this, since I can't see a way for her to be able to use magic and APs at the same time with no consequences.

Rosalyn is very intelligent and ambitious. She's also intuitive and extremely creative where it comes to using powers. She could make great use of the Fire of Destruction, she would probably have little trouble listening to the instincts provided by the Sound of Wind, and of course, she had the selfless mindset of a person able to use the Super Rock.

(I'll consider matching individual APs with Rosalyn's character later, as there is quite a lot to unpack there.)

Rosalyn with 5 APs would be the ultimate contradiction for the ideology of the Whipper Kingdom's rebels. It could be quite a useful tool in politics. Furthermore, she'd have no trouble creating her own Magic Tower, and turning it into a symbol of resistance. She'd flatten all of the White Star's mages in record time by herself. As for fighting the White Star himself... I think she'd stand a decent change in such a scenario. She has the mindset most similar one to Cale, after Alberu. She'd be very sneaky and clever about it. I think Rosalyn could eventually beat the White Star on her own, provided that someone with the Annual Rings of Life pointed her in the right direction.

So we considered a Sword Master, a Magic Swordsman, and a Mage for candidates. What about a Beast Person or two, for a change?

(We know for sure that Beast People can use Ancient Powers, since the Bear King Sayeru had one, and it had nothing to do with animal transformations.)

Let's look respectively at what Lock and Witira would be like, if they got the 5 APs.

Lock's main challenges would be his young age, soft temperament, and lack of experience. However, those obstacles can be overcome by time and training. What if Lock had the time to both gain the APs AND get use to them? Choi Han could provide technical instructions. Under Alberu's mentorship, he'd be able to learn using his head and strategize. And Rosalyn would provide the emotional backing and courage.

Lock's personality doesn't match the Fire of Destruction, or the Sound of Wind. However, he'd get along great with the Shield, as well as the Super Rock. Despite his timid demeanor, he is the type of person to push forward, no matter what. Assuming he'd be able to become familiar with the APs sufficiently in time for him to face the White Star...? He could truly be a force to be reckoned with.

However, it's clear that Lock wouldn't be anywhere near the top on the list as a candidate for the 5 APs. No one would actually want to put such a burden on his shoulders.

But, what if we took someone a bit older? Someone stronger and far more experienced, both in training and actual combat?

What about Whale Crown Princess, Witira?

With her natural water affinity, I'm not 100% sure if she'd need all 5 APs, actually... but for the sake of the premise, let's accept that she would still need all 5 elements, just like the rest of the candidates.

Witira would be physically far stronger than the White Star. Having solid 200 years of combat experience is no joke, either – she might not be as old as Cale Barrow, but she could definitely give him a run for his money without the APS being involved. Combine that with her whip proficiency, as well as the mastery of combat APs, such as the Shield or the Spear or the Super Rock... she'd be easily as scary as Alberu.

Of course, Witira's temperament would probably clash with several APs, such as the Fire of Destruction and the Sound of Wind (out of all cast those two are truly the most compatible with KRS!Cale, as this exercise shows). But she's so strong-willed, she would definitely tame those wild powers to her will. Even the dislike of fire wouldn't stop her from using the Fire of Destruction to her full potential, when faced with dead mana. Remember, Witira doesn't care for land life as she cares for the ocean. She probably wouldn't care too much about burning down some places.

Personally, I would place Witira above Rosalyn in the ranking. That leaves us with Choi Han being the top candidate, followed closely by Alberu, then Witira, and then Rosalyn and Lock.

Now, let's get to the funny possibilities:

...What about Toonka?

Yes, I'm taking Toonka into account – despite his character in the beginning definitely being lacking, considering the APs characters. Let's assume that in this AU, Toonka wizens up without Cale being involved. He learns compassion from the rest of the casts and understands the value of comrades, even the weaklings

Toonka was never best fitted for the Sound of Wind. In TBOAH, he probably never used it much. However, that might change a bit, if he got the full set of 5 Ancient Powers.

Assuming Toonka was preparing to face the White Star head on, APs versus APs, Toonka would probably figure out a way to make all the powers useful. Remember, Cale remarked that despite being generally dumb, Toonka had very sharp instincts and combat intelligence. He wouldn't have surprised as a leader of an uprising without those things.

There's quite a lot of hand-waving in this scenario, but let's assume Alberu could deal with other general, strategic parts of the war against the White Star, just like Harol took over that role in canon where it came to politics. The others would work on the sides, but Toonka powered with the 5 APs would be the one to clash against the Final Boss and distract him, before someone with Annual Rings of Life would be able to finish the job.

Toonka would be... terrifying. He'd be chaos incarnate. Unlike other people on the list, such as Choi Han, Alberu, Rosalyn et cetera, there'd be nothing holding him back. He'd unleash the full aggressive potential of all the APs, especially the Fire of Destruction. He'd probably get hurt quite a bit in the process, but he'd recover. Toonka is one resilient bastard, pain really doesn't bother him – he only cares about the thrill of combat.

(It would make him a huge problem AFTER the White Star got defeated... but that's another story.)

At the very least, where it comes to efficiency, Toonka would be right on the top, somewhere between Witira and Rosalyn, I believe.

Another funny candidate – Bud Illis.

Bud would be only able to get 4 APs, due to already possessing a wind AP himself. But even so, he'd be a scary opponent for the White Star. Not as scary as Choi Han, mind you, since Choi Han is stronger than Bud in pretty much every area, due to being over a century old and a Single-Lifer.

However, Bud Illis has something Choi Han doesn't have... and that is the Mercenary Guilds.

Picture, for a moment, Bud Illis and his army of Mercenaries from all over the Eastern Continent, versus the White Star and his Army.

In this scenario, Bud would be the perfect distraction. While Bud dukes it out with the White Star – and even if he wouldn't be QUITE as strong, he'd still be a pretty tough opponent – and the Mercenaries handle the White Star's main forces, the Roan Kingdom forces and allies could smack the White Star on the back quite efficiently. He probably wouldn't know what hit him, before someone with the Annual Rings of Life finished him off.

There could be other characters fit for the role of the main 5 APs holder, but none of them would be higher on the list than Bud, I don't think. For example: Mary could potentially wield the APs alongside the Light AP, just like Alberu. But it would likely hinder her own style of combat the process, which is using dark threads and controlling bones; both of which require great focus and precision. And while Ron and Beacrox with 5 APs could be very interesting, their main strength was never open combat, but stealth and sneak attacks. They would work much better as support in the shadows, rather than the enemies to focus on. Having 5 APs would kind of destroy their true potential.

Now that we got the "5 main APs together" premise out of the way... Let's try to find the best match among the TBOAH cast for each of the APs. Since it's impossible to have 2 elements at a time without consequences, if a character doesn't get all the 5 APs together, they can only pick one at a time.

Let's start with the Indestructible Shield.

The most obvious candidate would be Lock, since he showed his talent with Shield Arts in canon. That seems a bit cheap of an answer, however... It definitely wouldn't suit other main characters, though. Choi Han's aggressive style of combat isn't very compatible with how the Shield Works. Rosalyn already has her own shields. Alberu would have the same problems as the previous two, except twice as much, due to being a Magic Swordsman AND a dead-mana user on the top of it. The Shield would be also too flashy for the Molans.

Someone else came to my mind, however... two people, actually.

Firstly, what would you think about Litana?

Litana's character would fit the Shield quite a lot. Her role as the defender of the forest creatures would prove the Shield to be very compatible with the Queen of the Jungle, as well. Litana could have protected the Jungle from dead mana the same way Cale did so in the canon. Not to mention, she's as strong as Toonka in combat, and extremely fast and agile – especially when combined with her panther Ten.

The second candidate in my mind would be Princess Jopis.

Jopis has weak powers as a shaman, which are connected to nature. While it's possible it counts as an elemental attribute on its own (personally I never got that impression) – if it had to have an elemental attribute to it, it would probably still be wood. Which would make Jopis able to use her powers and the Shield without a clash. Her situation would make the ability to neutralize dead mana with nature extremely useful, especially in conflict with Elisneh and her river of dead mana.

So if I had to rank it, I'd put Litana as the top candidate for the Shield, then Lock, then Jopis.

Next, we have the Sound of Wind.

While Toonka got it in canon, it was clearly a poor match. The Wind AP provides agility, as well as instincts to seek out divine and ancient artifacts, neither of which could be explored by such a simple, brash person as Toonka.

It also doesn't fit Choi Han, Lock or Rosalyn, or even the Whales. None of them are really subtle fighters, more like power houses who need to run wild to make full use of their combat potential. Adding some extra speed wouldn't make a big difference for them, I believe.

My first take would be the Molans, obviously. Ron is already scarily agile without the power, so the Wind AP would make his stealth twice as scary. Same with Beacrox, even though his style of broadsword fighting is different than his father's.

My second thought would be Dark Elves. They already have the elementals on their side but someone like Tasha with the Wind AP? That would be a scary combination... She has all the stealth ability needed, the sneaky mindset, and her alliance with a Wind Elemental would make the Sound of Wind potentially twice as powerful, when it comes to creating whirlwinds.

There's also, once again, Bud Illis. Who could have 2 APs with the same attribute. As a sneaky Mercenary and a Swordmaster, he would definitely make good use of the Wind AP.

I've toyed with the idea of Pendrick as well, since he doesn't have an elemental... however, Pendrick the healer doesn't really strike me as the type to steal things. I think it would be a poor match, in the end.

That would make the Molans (especially Ron), Bud, and Tasha my top picks for the Sound of Wind candidates.

Next, there's the Fire of Destruction. And ohhh boy, isn't that an interesting one when you consider the possibilities.

Perhaps Alberu could have that AP, if it could balance itself out with the darkness attribute. He's certainly rich enough to get it, even though he'd definitely hurt from the loss... of money. But while Alberu could make good use of it from a strategic point of view, it wouldn't really match his position as the "kind, charismatic leader". This kind of fire would make people only afraid of him, unlike if he had all the 5 APs to make himself to main hero. It would fit better in the hands of someone like Choi Han... except Choi Han's personality doesn't quite the Fire AP. Rosalyn would probably be the best pick out the main cast... but I have someone better in mind.

I believe the one to fit this power best would be Hannah.

Hannah has literally the personality of a raging wildfire. If she could balance out her darkness attribute with the Fire AP – or if she could get it before getting poisoned by dead mana, and avoid having the darkness attribute altogether – she could make great use of the Fire of Destruction. She could face the Empire's Golems head on, and it would match her role as the "Holy Maiden of the Sun God" extremely well (despite Hannah disliking the title and rejecting it in canon). Add the Condemnation of the Sun on the top of it, and she'd be Black Magic's biggest nightmare.

Another interesting pick would be Mary... Mary can be subtle, but the Fire of Destruction in her hands would be a very interesting thing. She'd be able to control dead mana in all aspects; in the sense of absorbing it or purifying it at will, depending on circumstances. She'd also make a fascinating public figure for the Western Continent, as a contradiction of being a Necromancer who has the attribute of Light at the same time. Like the inverted second coming of the Queen of Death: perhaps people would call her "the Queen of Life".

So, I'm putting Hannah and Mary as my top picks, even though it probably wouldn't work in canon. Rosalyn could be third, as long as her being a Mage wouldn't be an issue at well (which canon isn't extremely clear about).

Fourth AP to discuss: Super Rock.

Super Rock is the most universal one out of the main APs, I believe. Any of the main cast could definitely make a great use of it. As long as the person is heroic enough to be willing to sacrifice themselves – which is easily 90% of the TBOAH hero cast... Choi Han would be extremely proficient with it. Same with Lock. An interesting option occurred to me, however, when I considered priestess Cage and Taylor Stan.

Cage is quite the chaotic character. I even briefly considered if she could be a good candidate for the Wind and Fire APs. However, for some strange reason, she felt a bit too subtle for the Fire, and too brash for the Wind. She feels... somewhere in the middle for me. A strong-headed, surprisingly sneaky person, yet as steady as a stone. Cage and Taylor are quite similar in that regard.

Once it occurred to me that those two could be AP users as well... Taylor, perhaps, wouldn't want to be directly involved in fighting, despite knowing martial arts. He's more of a political leader type. But Cage? She would certainly be willing to help out. She's sneaky enough to get captured on purpose in order to free other hostages. With that in mind... I think it would depend on circumstances, but if the Super Rock ended up in either of their hands, they could do crazy, amazing things with it. I think Super Rock would have approved of both of them. But Cage would be a better AP user, in the end.

So Choi Han, Lock, and Cage are my main picks, surprisingly.

Out of the main APs, we finally get to the Sky Eating Water... and let me tell you, that's a hard one.

I think it's mostly because out of all the APs, it comes with a clear recommended weapon affinity: spear. While Choi Han could definitely handle it, it doesn't strike me as very fitting. Same with Lock. Rosalyn and the Molans are definitely out.

Alberu is definitely an interesting candidate due to his skills, but Taerang would suit him much, much better as a spear of choice. Not to mention, there's no knowing how compatible a Water AP would be with his attribute.

Speaking of compatible with water...

A water power would fit Witira quite nicely as a Whale Beast Person, but her weapon of choice is a whip... Then again, she's not the only Whale around. So perhaps, Archie would have been a better pick? He's definitely aggressive and wild enough to fit this power. It could also be Paseton, I suppose, depending on how his spear-fighting skill compares to Archie.

Then there's Litana, although I still think that the Shield would be a good pick for her, her combat style definitely fits the Water AP.

In the end, I'd put a Whale (either Archie, Paseton or Witira) as the top candidate, then Litana, Choi Han and Alberu. Alberu's a last resort, however. Overall, Archie would probably be the best bet though.

FINALLY, we went over the main APs... but it's still not over.

We still have the Vitality of the Heart, the Annual Rings of Life, the Dominating Aura, the Blood-Drenched Rocks, the Absorbing Necklace and the Fire Suppressing Water to consider.

I'll be frank with the first two: they have to be a pair. No matter how hard I try, Vitality has to be used to stop the White Star with the World Tree Dagger. And the Rings have to direct the Vitality user to stab the White Star in his weak point. So either the two APs work together closely as comrades, or they belong to the same person.

The only person who can have the full power of the Annual Rings of Life is Cale Henituse, however. If KRS doesn't transmigrate, then it has to be the original one. The reason for it is because Jour made the test in such a way that only her close relative – aka. her son – would be able to inherit half of this power. The other half that the White Star took COULD belong to someone else, I suposse... but even so, the first can only belong to Cale. There can be no other.

Vitality itself is useful, but due to being a human power, which is neutral attribute-wise, it can belong to pretty much anyone. The necessity of it being used against the White Star, however, makes it so that it has to stay close to Cale, the Annual Rings user. So either Cale gets both powers – both Vitality and the Annual Rings – or Cale helps out the person with Vitality to use the dagger of the World Tree. There really are no other options in order to make this TBOAH-saves-their-world-without-KRS!Cale premise work, really...

The Dominating Aura... has to be Alberu's. I'm sorry, but it's like the power was created for him. It has to be in the hands of a scammer.

Even though just like Vitality, pretty much anyone could use it in theory... no one else would use it as well as Alberu. For Choi Han it would be especially useless, because he already has a powerful aura as a Swordmaster – aside from when facing the White Star directly, but even then, he wouldn't really need it.

Blood-Drenched Rocks in a very interesting AP, though. Cale has limited contact with it, in canon. But it's strongly implied that it has demonic influence. This power, just like the Sky Attribute, likely originated from the Demonic World, unlike all the other APs. That means that whoever gets this power, has to have a very strong will, humility, and immunity to the power of death.

And strangely enough... the top 2 who come to mind are either Alberu, or Mary.

Once again, Alberu having this power would be delightfully ironic, considering who his ancestor it. Mary, on the other hand... I feel like out of all people, this power would truly be safe in her hands. Mary would never be tempted to abuse it. She would use it only in the time of biggest need: in the main battle against the White Star, just like Cale.

So, Mary is definitely comes as my top pick, and Alberu is second. No one else really comes to mind, as I definitely don't think Choi Han would be able to keep this power in check as closely as it needs to be. Too much darkness inside his heart, et cetera: it's the story of the Black Despair all over again.

We went through all the actual APs. And at last, we come to the Fire Suppressing Water, and the Absorbing Necklace.

The reason I list those two separately is because they ARE separate. In canon, combining them into one power was Cale's idea. Which was a very good one, too! However, that doesn't mean they need to stay that way. The Fire Suppressing Water is a good component on its own, capable of bestowing complete fire immunity; as it happened to Toonka in the TBOAH timeline. And the Absorbing Necklace's potential is truly limitless, as it was able to convert a small puddle in to a river's worth of water easily. Just think of how much potential it holds, for example, absorbing dead mana. Or the power of the elementals. Or On's mists, or Hong's poisons.

For that reason, I truly think that it would be the most useful for the two kittens. This necklace in their hands could potentially amplify their abilities to a truly stunning degree.

As for the Fire Suppressing Water... out of all people, I think Rosalyn, Rex and Raon would be able to figure out the best use for it. Remember that seed from the magic tower, capable of storing the power of nature? Just imagine: human magic, alchemy, Dragon magic AND the power of nature combined??? Absolute madness would follow. The Empire's pathetic flames would never stand a chance.

So, here's my overall ranking:

Out of all people, all 5 APs would be best fitted for Choi Han. Which isn't surprising at all. While others could do it, his plate and age definitely make him the obvious choice.

However, in case that Choi Han wasn't chosen gather the 5 APs – which would be fair, that's a huge responsibility no one should be forced to have on their shoulders... Here's what I think would be the wisest choice of distributing the APs.

The Shield AP would fit Litana the best.

The Wind AP would become the greatest asset in Ron's hands.

The Fire AP would be amazing in Hannah's possession.

The Super Rock AP should be Choi Han's in the end.

The Water AP would fit shockingly well with Archie.

The Vitality and Annual Rings should both end up with OG Cale. Defeating the White Star is the endgame, after all, and we got no other way to destroy a reincarnation’s soul in canon.

The Dominating Aura has to be Alberu's, because it being wasted in the hands of someone who's NOT a scammer... That would be a crime.

The Blood-Drenched Rocks should be placed safely in Mary's hands, as she's the one most suited to resist its temptations.

The Absorbing Necklace should be used by Hong and On to amplify their attributes, or by the Dark Elves to collect dead mana – especially dead Dragon mana from the swamp. It could be used for both in one timeline, too.

The Fire Suppressing Water should be studied by Rosalyn, Raon and the rest of our beloved mad scientists, to create weapons against the Empire's alchemy.

...What do you guys think?

[stillness-in-green]

Chapter Thoughts — Chapter 383: Meek Spirits

Pre-cut Positivity—

O Rule and Mount Lady are a fantastic team-up.  Mount Lady is, in general, pretty boss this week.  I want to combine this and my last fandom and give her Barbatos’s mace-chan.  I also have to admire her exercise routine, given that winging around a solid metal wrench as wide as your leg and almost as tall as you are must take considerably more strength than e.g. wielding a similarly sized spear or club made mostly of wood.[1]

O The effects of Mina's efforts on her appearance are neat. The way the blacks of her eyes melt off??  I wonder if Curious’s could do that too, under the right circumstances.  Also, her horns extending out is a cool look, one that I don’t recall ever seeing before.  I wondered briefly if it was meant to represent a quirk evolution like Koda growing in that horn, but Mina’s seem to go kind of droopy afterward, so I don’t know if they’ll be permanently different in shape the way his seems to be.

Hit the jump for the rest. Note that I have seen the leaks, but I’m leaving the writing below as written pre-leaks, if only because I am very much going to want an accurate translation before I start talking in-depth about the Machia content in 385.

On Gigantomachia and the Limits of Emergency Situation Excuses—

The bit about Machia embodying “pure psychological scarring” is very…  Like, guys, That Is A Person.  He is not a symbol, not a metaphor.  He is a human being.  Apart from being a bad look in general, it's especially bonkers to dehumanize Machia in this specific fashion—“From the standpoint of ordinary people”—when the first thing the heroes’ do upon bringing Machia, the soul-numbingly terrifying symbol of everyday peoples’ trauma, under their control is to—stampede him fifty miles back across the landscape over the same path he took before?  What are they going to do, stop to yell at everyone they see between here and Jakku not to worry, he’s working under hero auspices now, please refrain from having any PTSD-induced panic attacks!

As I said last time, turning Machia against his own is the sort of thing trial-at-the-Hague war crimes are made of, or would be if this were an international conflict.  What’s even more maddening is the stench of double standard hanging over it: when Spinner turns up intending to rescue his ally use a mentally conditioned victim as a tool, he got a moralistic scolding from Mic about how “that guy ain’t gonna be your ace in the hole.”  But as soon as the heroes find themselves in a tight spot, all concerns about not using mentally conditioned victims as aces in the hole go right out the window.

The only difference between Kurogiri and Gigantomachia that matters in this context is that the person Kurogiri was pre-mental conditioning was friends with a hero, whereas Machia, so far as we know, has always been loyal to AFO.  That’s it.  If Machia had been best school buddies with e.g. Ryukyu, we would never have seen him used like this; the heroes would never have even thought about it.  We even know that’s the case because the heroes could just as easily have had Shinsou brainwash Kurogiri to open all the portals they needed to kick off this combat; instead, they had Monoma copy the Warp Gate quirk and use it under his own power.

Kurogiri is not to be used as a tool.  Eri is not to be used as a tool.  But Machia?  Break out the psychic hammer and tongs and start beating him into shape; the heroes have lots of uses for him.

I know there’s a measure of shrugging and saying desperate times call for desperate measures out there on this topic, and, indeed, that’s the way Kirishima and Tsukauchi both frame this—a back-up plan, a massive gamble.  But the heroes of BNHA are not just any sort of protagonists; they’re called, by both the narrative and as an in-universe job title, heroes.  That carries a connotation of ideal, of role model, of a character/person viewed as worthy of admiration and acclaim for their nobility and courage even under duress.

@robotlesbianjavert reminded me of a quote by Rich Burlew, author of the webcomic The Order of the Stick, that really encapsulates my problem with the heroes’ tactics and the big shrug those tactics elicit from certain portions of the fandom.

Burlew said, “Being heroic often means rejecting some tactical options that, while potentially effective, violate your personal moral beliefs.” While he was talking in the context of D&D characters with specific moral alignments, I feel it’s applicable when it comes to superhero comics, as well. Certainly it's a plot that comes up with marked frequency in the U.S. comics Horikoshi draws so much of his heroic iconography from.[2]

If I may use a more widely recognized sentiment, “The ends don’t justify the means.”  That’s the issue with the calls the heroes keep making, over and over again.  They condone things being done to their enemies that they would never condone in any other context.  This isn’t admirable Plus Ultra determination; it isn’t heroic.  It’s pessimistic and inconstant, useful only for securing short-term victories.

By all means, that’s a valid story to tell, and heck, sometimes the short-term victory is all you can get, so you do what it takes to get it.  That’s true in real life, too.  Certainly, if the narrative just wanted its leads to be able to do whatever it takes to get the job done, it could have framed them as being harshly pragmatic, doing whatever it takes to get the job done, dirtying their hands and making hard, uncomfortable decisions in order to keep people safe.  That’s the bread and butter of spy dramas and political thrillers! Heroism, however, especially in the sense of cape comic imagery and tropes that Horikoshi is using, requires harder decisions still.

A hero is someone who doesn’t take the easy way out.  They not only have to get things done, but they have to get things done in a way that doesn't betray the ideals they uphold. That means they don’t get to use villainous tactics and still call themselves heroes.  They certainly don’t get to castigate their enemies for their methods and then turn around and use those same methods themselves.

(More on this next time.)

Moments with Mina—

You know, I thought it was a little weird, back in the Class A vs. Deku fight(‘s aftermath), that Kirishima’s “thing” he tells Deku is that he saw the news story about some kid facing the Sludge Villain.  It felt so out-of-left-field, so random—surely there could have been something more relevant to Kirishima than a callback to the Sludge Villain that he had never once indicated he knew about?  But now I wonder if the selection wasn’t about Kirishima in that moment, but rather, undercooked set-up for this one.  Bringing the Sludge Villain back here instead of any place he might confront a character he faced before just felt like such a non-sequitur, but with the earlier setting, at least there’s that tiny bit of connection.  Save that it doesn’t come to anything here, either—I don’t even get the impression Kirishima recognizes him?

Instead, we get a moment for Mina, and—it leaves a bit to be desired, I’m very sorry to say.

O Firstly, okay, Mina failed against Machia before—froze up when she recognized his voice and had a brief, vivid flashback to the fear she felt when she first crossed paths with him.  Yet here, when she comes up against him again, he’s basically incidental to her.  Which, yeah, I guess you could say is progress—she’s come so far she saves Mount Lady from Machia as an afterthought.  On the other hand, though, we’re deprived of a big moment of her facing the fear she failed against before—which Kirishima got!—and instead get her taking out the Sludge Villain, with whom she has no prior interaction, to save Shinsou, so Shinsou can stop Machia.

Not only does her action, then, come down to another example of a girl’s action being crucial to enable and support a boy’s more decisive action, but she even credits it to the training she got from two boys—Bakugou and Shouto—rather than her own efforts.[3]

O Mina being the one to talk about Midnight continues to feel a little strange.  Midnight never had a close-close relationship with any of the students, but surely both Momo and Mineta had more significant moments?  And Momo’s not here; she’s being criminally wasted on the Sky Coffin battle.  Mineta certainly is here, though, and he gets a sum total of bupkis to say or do when faced with Midnight’s killer.

O I wish I didn’t find Hose Face’s writing this week so overwhelmingly exhausting (more on that shortly), because Mina’s line to him about heroes and villains both finding strength in numbers is interesting on its own merits and would be even more so if it weren't being wasted on such a flat caricature.

It has echos of things like Jeanist calling heroes and villains two sides of the same coin and Spinner spitefully accusing the MLA of being the same as him (bandwagon jumpers).  It’s also somewhat ahistorical in the sense that the story alludes a few times to the fact that groups of villains were fairly rare prior to the rise of the League of Villains/the fall of All Might.  Hero teams were likewise uncommon until they had to start banding together to fill the gap All Might left.  The MLA has certainly been cultivating strength in numbers for generations, but it’s still a pretty new thing to both “sides” of the conflict Mina’s talking about.

Anyway, it’s interesting, but I wish I knew where it was coming from.  The closest Mina’s ever been to facing the humanity of her enemies is keeping Shouto company in the wake of the Dabi reveal.  There’s Aoyama, too, of course, but there’s been no collective effort made to extend the class’s experience with Aoyama—forced into “villainy” against his will—to empathy about other villains they don’t know personally.  So wherefore this sudden empathy with villains looking for closeness with like-minded people?

O My final issue with Mina’s big proclamation is that it carries zero weight for her to disavow revenge when she’s never been shown to have a vengeful personality.  Mina’s cheerful!  She’s upbeat!  She doesn’t hold onto anger; she doesn’t brood; she’s extremely well-adjusted in that she cries when she needs to, to get it out of her system, and then she bounces back.

If Mina had been shown to have a particular fondness for Midnight,[4] then maybe I could buy her having to struggle with a darker turn.  In the story we have, though, she lacks both: she has no personal connection to Midnight more significant than “teacher whose classes I enjoyed,” nor did the story spend even a breath of time prior to this on Mina struggling to cope with Midnight’s death.

It’s the same issue I have with, say, Deku’s “mad drive to save.”  I can’t accept the characterization of Deku’s saving instinct as so intense it’s like a form of madness when the story continually fails to treat that instinct as in any way aberrant or alien to the people around him.  Likewise, I can’t applaud Mina for overcoming her rage or desire for revenge when the story never portrayed her wrestling with either.

Way to keep forcing Shouji to be the model minority for everyone else, though.

Hose Face and the Incongruous Belief Set

The PLF material this week is mostly just sigh-inducing and difficult to muster up much enthusiasm for discussing.  To recap, though, the members of the erstwhile MLA are taking every opportunity in this second war arc to double down on quirk supremacy despite tiny little issues like the fact that a great many ranking officers and members of high command have quirks that aren’t suited to getting them ahead in a society built around quirk supremacy. 

I mean, really.  Here’re some impromptu categories and characters that fit them:

Good but unrelated to the function they actually serve in the organization/plot:

o Skeptic – Makes active use of his puppets exactly once; otherwise does nothing that isn’t connected to electronics. o Curious – Quirk has combat applications, but they have little to no relevance to her day job of running the MLA’s propaganda arm.

Okay but not so impressive that you’d think they’d have what it takes to rise to high positions in the society they themselves profess to want:

o Hose Face – His emittance lets him float, and does—what else, exactly?  It’s clearly not lethal to the touch, given that he uses it to float a bunch of his allies, so at best, I can see it giving him a bit of extra punch if he boosts his attacks with it.  Not all that impressive or stand-out compared to things that hit harder or are more versatile. o Galvanize (Taser Dude) – Lightning is a great quirk, except for the fact that elemental quirks seem to be relatively common, so you’d be up against every other asshole in your town that has the same power as you but with some barely more than cosmetic variation.  Hard to make a name for yourself that way!

Just kind of whatever:

o Slidin’ Go – If he were getting as much mileage out of a slip-and-slide quirk as e.g. Captain Celebrity or The Crawler, he’d be more famous and recognizable instead of being basically a joke. o Brand (Pinstripe Shark)– If his quirk is so impressive, why does he bring a katana to the battlefield with him? o Scarecrow and Nimble - Are their heteromorphic appearances all they have going for them?  If not, we sure didn’t see them do anything else, even in the middle of pitched combat. 

Functionally useless in an every-man-for-himself world:

o Trumpet – If he had to live in a dog-eat-dog world where only the strength of one’s own quirk, zero other factors, determined who got ahead, he might as well be quirkless.

There are other issues, of course, but another one that’s on display this week is how quirk supremacy is nowhere to be found in the words of Destro or Re-Destro.  Nowhere in any line Rikiya has ever spoken, even in the privacy of his own mind, has Might Makes Right-style quirk supremacy been in evidence; he has unfailingly thought of nothing but liberation and building a better, freer world.  Here this week, Hose Face’s flashback entails a memory of Re-Destro calling himself and whatever audience he's speaking to comrades, equals, “one and the same.”  What part of your supreme leader calling himself and you equals is in accordance with the law of the jungle?

Seriously, guys, if the MLA were actually supposed to have believed all this in such a heavy-handed way all along, why was Geten[5] the only one who actually brought it up during MVA?  MVA is the arc that introduced the CRC; surely Hori wasn’t worried about the League fighting a bunch of violent extremists!  Or is it rather that he didn’t want to show the League allying with a bunch of violent extremists, so he downplayed the truth as much as he could?

Is it doublethink/groupthink, a cult-enforced unwillingness to ask logical questions if they run you into trouble with the dogma?  Is Hori just simplifying them because he’s rushing the ending and doesn’t have time to resolve their plot lines in the way that would be necessary if they were written as having valid points?

On both the Watsonian and the Doylist levels, I’m completely at a loss.

Stray Notes—

O Hose Face’s face hose gets torn apart, and I have some seriously pressing questions about whether he just lost a limb to what was functionally a hero’s attack.  I suppose it could have been a support item, but no lines between his quirk, his briefly glimpsed fighting style, and an enormous fucking hose on his face leap to draw themselves in my mind.  Again, if his quirk is a biohazard of some kind and he needs a mask to protect him from its effects, like Mustard, surely he wouldn’t use it to float his unmasked allies around the battlefield? So what is it, just dead weight on his mask to make him look creepier?

Anyway, there’s none of the blood spray that has tended to accompany traumatic limb loss in the series to date, but I do wonder.  It would be, I think, the only instance other than All Might pulping AFO’s face of heroic action maiming a villain to such an irrevocable degree.[6]  You know, just to exacerbate the severity of turning Machia on his allies even further.  God knows Shinsou doesn’t tell Machia to hold back, and those claws were plenty lethal against heroes, as we all well know.

O Not sure why Shinsou had to base his Persona Chords arrangement on recordings from Tartarus when he could have just gotten it from the phone call to the Aoyamas.  I wonder how much time he needs to program those voices in?  It definitely drives home that the heroes had been contemplating using Shinsou against Machia for a long time, though.  Which, again, would be perfectly fine if all Shinsou were doing were making Machia stand down.  Not so much all the rest of it, though.

O Would it kill Horikoshi to stop telling us the outcomes of these flashbacks before we spend whole chapters on them?? At least when Mirio came back during the war, we spent like a page and a half on the foregone conclusion before getting on back into the swing of things. The reason the fight with Spinner at the hospital had tension is because we didn't know the outcome in advance. What exactly would have been the issue with ending Chapter 382 with Machia showing up and hurling a mountain at the combatants without revealing that the target is AFO and showing Shinsou and Kirishima?

(Tune in next time for: trying to make heads or tails of what exactly Shinsou thought he was doing.)

------------------ FOOTNOTES ------------------ [1] I’ll take Scale Considerations the Author Probably Wasn’t Thinking About for $600, Alex.

[2] Consider, for example, Bad Future Timelines where the present-day heroes have to debate and, ultimately, defeat jaded dystopian future versions of themselves. Or the perennial question, "Why doesn't Batman kill the Joker?"

[3] This after crediting her Acid Man move as being inspired by Kirishima’s Unbreakable, too, recall.

[4] And I’ll note that both times she’s brought up Midnight, here and in the war arc when Mineta is fretting, it’s in the context of going back to Midnight’s classes.  She never actually brings up Midnight as her own person, Kayama Nemuri, because Mina doesn’t know Kayama Nemuri.  It’s always and only “Midnight-sensei, whose classes I like.”  It can’t be stirring and personal when it’s so staunchly removed from being personal.

[5] The kid whose name means Apocrypha, to repeat myself for the umpteenth time.

[6] Give or take the way the heroes have been pretty openly using lethal force against Shigaraki ever since he got out of the tube.

[artsy-hobbitses]

Princess Solaris Concordia Acanthus, or Miss ‘‘Sally Acorn’ on the streets, because Robotnik’s heard that there is at least one remaining member of the Acanthus dynasty he didn’t manage to hang in their own courtyard after his coup, and by god he’ll suss them out if it’s the last thing he does.  Sol’s led an extremely rough life since she and her ‘betrothed’, Aurelien ‘Antoine’ D’Coolette went into hiding after the death of her parents and the betrayal of the royal family by his father (the former war general), and growing up with everyday folk fighting to survive the colonisation, and the heroes of Mobius’ independence movement, has given her an insight to her people very few in her dynasty have ever had. 

Calm, analytical, level-headed and a charismatic speaker, she’s almost entirely business with what seems like the weight of the world on her shoulders and functions  mainly as the strategist and chief of intelligence for the team. However, she has the ability to Ironman Up when she uses the Power Ring to augment and combine with Nicole (her Jarvis A.I which was set up by Charles the Hedgehog as a caretaker of sorts when her parents unfortunately began to sideline her for their newborn son/the crown prince).  

As close as she is with Antoine and much as she adores him as her best friend, her only friend outside of Nicole for a long time (as children they very vaguely understood what exactly their parents had planned for them), she has no romantic interest in him and they eventually amicably call off the feudal arrangement (she’s extremely happy for him and Bunnie!) in choosing to continue loving each other platonically as BFFS. 

She had long hair, but used little Antoine’s sword to do a Mulan on herself as a child so they could both escape into the underground together as Nobodies, and hasn’t really grown it out since for practical purposes (and because she thinks she needs to fit this All Business aesthetic, though Bunnie eventually encourage her to literally let her hair down).  Still struggling with her trauma and grief deep down, which she has a tendency to bottle up for the sake of everyone around her, and it’s Sonic who makes her realize eventually fixing her dynasty’s mistakes isn’t a burden she has to carry by her own, and that this fight isn’t hers alone as the purported living embodiment of Mobius’ enduring legacy. 

[emerald-might]

New AU: Head of Might Tower/Time Skip

Based on this post

Eight years passed since the end of the war and Izuku continued his life as a hero until the embers of One For All gave out. When they did he continued his life as a teacher for UA to help the next generation. For a time he was happy just being quirkless again despite missing being a hero from time to time. That was when All-Might had arrived and gave him a new suit, a new state of the art power suit based on the one All-Might used during the war. Not only that, but All-Might did plan to fully retire from his agency soon and he wanted to give it to him, so that he could be the one to help those that are quirkless or had weak quirks to find their true potential.

Izuku couldn’t refuse this opportunity, to be a hero again, a mentor, and visionary for change to grant everyone the chance to be super. It would certainly make his life busy, but he was more than happy to do it with some help of course. When he isn’t being a hero or running a business, he is teaching with the selected sidekicks to help him out. When he isn’t doing all three, he is spending time with friends and family while thinking about the next support item to make in the back of his mind. His intellect would help those understand their quirks more and how to best use them. It’s not the suit, nor the quirk, that makes you a hero, but the man behind it.

The Omega suit is made to emulate One For All as closely as possible, coming with a car called Loki that matches Izuku’s tricky nature and his color scheme. The car would be a green and gold color similar in ways to his suit.

Omega Suit: Features

Nitro-Booster: Gear Shift- Similar to how street racing cars have Nitro boosts, Deku's OFA suit will come built with a special device that works just like an actual gear shift embedded into his gauntlets. Like before Deku can shift between different gears but they are now renamed: 1st Gear, 2nd Gear, 3rd Gear, Top Gear & Overdrive. Each gear changes the aura/color of the suit when used and increases Deku's speed by 1 Mach per gear.

Kinetic Stockpiler: Fajin- A device based on Bakugo's grenade gauntlets, Deku's gauntlets and iron soles are built with a kinetic energy stockpiling device that charges as Deku moves around and the faster and more often Deku moves the more the gauge on his gauntlets fills up. He can release the energy at any time however the gauge can reach maximum and once it does Deku can activate Fajin Zenkai(full power) which when combined with Gear shift puts his speed and strength on par with Prime All Might with no recoil.

Adaptive Combat Entity(ACE): Danger Sense- An AI computer programmed to help Deku and assist him in analyzing danger and alerts him to any incoming threats. It can also scan a person and determine their threat level, if they are lying, etc.

Hard-Light Laser Cables: Black Whip- Using cutting edge laser technology, these beams of light fire off as fast as real lasers but don't burn or destroy anything. They do come equipped with a high voltage stun feature used for capturing villains and great for mobility.

Tactical Smoke Utility Belt: Smokescreen- Deku's belt is now equipped with an built in smoke machine that emits thick clouds of dense purple smoke that is laced with a powerful sleeping agent that Deku is protected from while using his cowl/mask.

Hyper Sonic Jetpack: Float- Built into the back of his suit, this jetpack is capable of reaching flight speeds faster than any of the jets used by Star & Stripes fighter Ace team.

Jet Force boots: Inspired by the now retired Gran Torino, Deku's iron soles/boots now function like the old man's jet quirk allowing Deku to zip around and also launch air pressure kicks.

Air Force Gauntlets: The perfected version of Deku's air force gloves, these gauntlets can suck in surrounding air, build it up to a high pressure and then Deku can release it by using Delaware smash or Texas Smash.

SMASH Knuckle: The right fist of Deku's suit is outfitted with a shockwave emitter into the knuckles so when Deku punches something it hits the same way he would have hit it if he was using OFA at 100%

Dynamight Knuckle: The left fist of Deku's suit is outfitted with a device that can essentially mimic Bakugo's explosions whenever Deku hits a really hard punch.

Additional Weapons provided by Loki based on class 1-A:

Gravity Beam: Ochako

Flamethrower & Freeze Ray: Shoto

Turbo Booster: Tenya

Sparkle Sabers(lightsabers): Aoyama

Photon Cannon: Momo & kaminari

Sticky acid bombs: Mineta & Mina

Crimson Shields: Kirishima

Smash Gauntlets: Sato

Cloaking: Toru

Soundwave cannon: Jiro

Cement tape: Sero

Asura: Shoji

Mecha Wings: Hawks & Koda

Iron Tail: Ojiro

Reenforced black cloak: Tokoyami

Frog tongue whip: Tsu

Confusion ray: Shinso

And if all else fails, Loki can morph into a mech suit for large threats.

[autisticsupervillain]

It's Fictional Throwdown Friday!

This Week's Fighters....

Captain America vs Soldier Boy!

Conditions:

MCU Cap. TV Show Soldier Boy. Cap does not have Mjolnir.

Scenario:

Vought International has gotten its hands on the Tesseract, so the Avengers have been sent in to retrieve it. The Boys had the same idea and go in with Soldier Boy. Soldier Boy and Cap meet up and fight over who gets the Tesseract.

Analysis: Captain America

Steve Rogers was once a normal man living in Brooklyn during the dawn of World War 2, desperate to join the army because "I don't like bullies, I don't care where they're from". Unfortunately, his plethora of health conditions kept him from qualifying. Realizing the boy had a pure heart, Abraham Erskine subjected him to an experimental super soldier serum to turn him into Captain America, The First Avenger.

In his final mission, Captain America seeming sacrificed his life by crashing a plane full suoer charged nukes into the arctic, only to be dug up years later and brought to the 21st Century. Now stuck desperately searching for a purpose in a world that seemingly left him behind, Cap joined the Avengers to protect the world from all sorts of threats, ranging from aliens to robots to even SHIELD itself, before leaving to rescue his mind controlled best friend and dividing the Avengers into Civil War. All throughout, Cap proves himself to be nothing less than the perfect soldier.

Even on a team full of gods, geniuses, and master assassins, Cap manages to keep up with his mastery of hand to hand combat, photographic memory, and excellent tactical mind. Steve led the team to victory against the otherworldly alien invaders the Chitauri, fought hand to hand against the God Loki and the master assassin the Winter Soldier, and unearthed a plot by neo nazi organization Hydra to take over SHIELD from within. Moreover, Cap's healing factor allows him to power through gun shots to the gut, survive being frozen alive, and drink Asgardian beer that Thor claimed wasn't safe for mortals.

Steve is strong enough to pull down a helicopter with one arm, skilled enough to fist fight an air craft and win, and tough enough to contend with Iron Man's Mark 46 armor. This armor would be much tougher than the suit Tony wore in Iron Man 2, which could create a massive explosion between him and War Machine. Dividing the result to account for the combined effort and each suit would be generating and tanking energy equivalent to 171 tons of TNT.

Source:

He's even fast enough to take down MCU Spider-Man, whose fast enough to compete with The Amazing Spider-Man verse Spider-Man, who can dodge lighting traveling at Mach 1514.

Source:

But none of that competes with the Captain's strongest weapon - his shield. This vibranium metal disk can absorb and reflect almost any attack thrown at it and bounce off of anything. Cao uses it as a super frisbee to knock targets out of the air, cakculating its velocity in his head so that it always ends up right back in his hand. It can even take hits from Thor's hammer, reflecting a blast that completely leveled the forest around them. A 6 kiloton yield feat.

Source:

Finally, Captain America would take up Thor's hammer himself to lead the final charge against Thanos and his army, saving the universe from completely annihilation. Though the Avengers may go on, Cap will always be the remembered as the First Avenger.

Analysis: Soldier Boy

Before there was the Seven, before there was Homelander, before there were even Supes, there was Soldier Boy and his team of legendary Freedom Fighters, Payback. America's very first Superhero and one of the strongest Supes who ever lived, Soldier Boy was a beloved national icon and a war hero of World War 2.

Behind closed doors, Soldier Boy only became a hero to impress his abusive father and when that didn't work, he nursed his wounded pride by doing whatever it took to ensure he remained Vought's most popular superhero. This included keeping his team under his thumb, brutally beating them in sparring matches to remind them who was top dog, and crippling them when they dared to show any ambition. In one instance, he brutally beat Black Noir so badly, he was left scarred and crippled for the rest of his life, forcing him to wear a full body suit to cover his injuries, leaving him unable to speak, and giving him lifelong schizophrenia from the trauma of the event.

The abuse got so bad, Payback sold him out to Russia the first chance they got, setting him up to get captured in an undercover mission and allowing the Soviets to experiment on him for years. It wasn't until 2022 that Soldier Boy was found snd rescued by the superhero hunting group called The Boys for his help in taking down the most powerful superhero in the world: Homelander. Soldier Boy agreed, on the condition that The Boys help him get revenge on his old team for abandoning him.

Soldier Boy is an absolute juggernaut of a Supe. Although he's over a hundred years old, he hasn't aged a day past his thirties, thanks to the Russian's experiments giving him a whole new slew of powers. Years of torture have made him completely immune to fire, radiation, acids, and poisons, with only the deadliest substances on Earth being able to knock him out. And that's on top of being an expert combatant trained in military combat and hand to hand techniques. Soldier Boy carries a knife, a pistol, and a large titanium shield, each of which he uses proficiently in hand to hand combat to beat down his foes. While most of Soldier Boy's supposed war valor was faked, he was still skilled enough to go toe to toe with Billy Butcher, himself a war veteran and proficient superhero hunter. He heals from scarring injuries with superhuman speed and is tough enough to take on Homelander, the most powerful Supe who ever lived.

Soldier Boy's greatest power, however, is his radiation. Soldier Boy can charge up and shoot powerful radiation out of his body, usually by unleashing it as a massive explosion to obliterate everything around him. His radiation even burns hot enough nullify the powers of Supes. All Supes get their powers from the super soldier serum known as Compound V, with Soldier Boy's radiation vaporizing it in their bloodstream and leaving them an ordinary human.... provided they survive the blast.

Soldier Boy's explosions are so powerful, they can obliterate city blocks, with his biggest blast being big emough to be worth 69 tons of TNT. Nice.

Source:

Soldier Boy has even sent Homelander running with some help and he's fast enough to catch nuclear missiles, outrun planes, and outrun explosions at Mach 18.

Source:

For all his power and projected badassery, Soldier Boy is not invincible. He's as much of a misogynist as you'd expect someone from the 1940s to be and his internalized toxic masculinity and ego makes him refuse to acknowledge his flaws. His torture at the hands of the Russians has left him with severe PTSD that he refuses to acknowledge, with particularly bad episodes reducing him to a big walking bomb.

Eventually, he was deemed so unstable that the Boys turned against him, forcing Queen Maeve to nearly sacrifice herself to bring him down.

Soldier Boy is one of the most powerful, and most dangerous, Supes on the planet.

Throwdown Theme:

Throwdown Breakdown:

I think this one is pretty clear cut.

Soldier Boy's power nullification, by all rights, would be effective against Captain America due to his powers coming from a super soldier serum just like Vought's Supes. However, that relies on Soldier Boy getting a clear enough shot with his radiation to nullify him, where Cap has all the tools to keep that from happening.

Steve has both a considerable strength and speed advantage against Soldier Boy, being twice as strong and nearly 83x faster than the old war dog. Soldier Boy may have fought in World War 2, but Steve has gone in to fight planetary conquerors since then, and Cap's shield is so durable that Soldier Boy's will sooner snap in half than put a dent in it. This gives Steve all the room he needs to avoid Soldier Boy's destructive blasts and beat him down with superior skill, striking him from outside his range with shield throws and out maneuvering him at various ranges.

As Soldier Boy's frustration mounts, he'll become more explosive and more dangerous, bringing the battlefield down in top of them. This will be a footsy battle for Steve just for that alone... but Cap's solid foothold in every other field gives him all the advantages he needs to break Soldier Boy down.

Captain America is the First Avenger. Soldier Boy is just a cheap fucking knockoff.

This Throwdown's Winner is....

Captain America!

[themculibrary]

Slice of Life Masterlist 2

part one

A Drop of Water (ao3) - Vixen13 peter/wade E, 71k

Summary: ((Have you ever wanted a Spideypool swimfic? Well, I'm here to deliver.))

All Peter ever wanted was to be on an official swim team. In college, he got his chance. The coach is mean, most of the swimmers are terrible, and one of their relay members is starting to have problems keeping up, but Peter is happy to finally be a part of it all.

There are a few members who could really make a difference if only they had one more strong swimmer. Luckily for them, there's a chance that just such a swimmer joined their school.

Wade Wilson was being scouted for the Olympics when he suddenly dropped out of college his third year in and vanished. Now he's trying to get his life together in New York at a new school that puts little emphasis on sports. Then one day, a very cute and very nerdy classmate calls out his name...

a higher form of war (ao3) - gdgdbaby steve/tony E, 8k

Summary: The first thing that occurs to Tony is that the deflector shields are down. The ship is motionless, a sitting duck—a flying duck, as it were.

He jettisons up. His black pirate flag's peppered with bits of neon paint—in fact, the entire topside of the helicarrier is splattered haphazardly with broken pellets and streaks of color. The UN flag's been torn in half and is fluttering half-mast, which means they're probably breaking about ten different maritime laws.

aka: that's how I show affection (ao3) - quilling_me_softly T, 42k

Summary: Matt Murdock is an asshole. But he's Jessica's.

Jessica Jones is a (traumatised, foul-mouthed, hard drinking, absolutely) stunning woman of questionable character.

Or: moments with Matt Murdock and Jessica Jones. How heroes with trauma histories, rough edges and soft hearts fall in love.

A Study in Modern Life (ao3) - portraitofemmy, rainbow_marbles steve/bucky T, 5k

Summary: Five times Steve was totally down with the future.

A Study in Red (ao3) - alicat54c peter/wade T, 30k

Summary: It started, as all worthwhile things do, with the glorious gluteus of our favorite neighborhood wall crawler.

{Danger Will Robinson Danger!} ...

Because even when two masked individuals put in their maximum effort, something is bound to scrape wrong when they try to realign their lives.

Blood sugar (ao3) - everythingispoetry G, 1k

Summary: Tony is diabetic and no, it's not a secret. (But he honestly loves those green tea Kit Kats, too.)

Encounters (ao3) - Sonora matt/foggy T, 4k

Summary: Matt's not nearly as curious about the Avengers as they are about him.

(Yup, it's another Matt-meets-the-team fic)

Filling the Gaps (ao3) - ironfamjam T, 53k

Summary: Tony looked at him, bold and true and utterly sincere, “Kid, I’m on your side, no matter what.”

Like most good things, it started with an accident.

Well, kinda.

This is a story about how a snarky, emotionally stunted genius became more than a mentor and how a just-trying-to-figure-it-out, doing his best superkid became the son he never had. No matter how empty our hearts are, love can always fill the gaps.

Lust, Caution (ao3) - palettesofrenaissance mj/peter E, 14k

Summary: Michelle and Peter are friends. Best friends. Only friends. Late one night, Peter unintentionally catching Michelle in a compromising position during her, ahem, personal and preferably private “sessions.” He realizes that Michelle talking in her sleep and not closing doors all the way is a deadly combination.

Or alternatively: Peter passes by Michelle’s room door left slightly open one night and catches her masturbating and he loses his shit.

Make Yourself at Home (ao3) - happyaspie G, 23k

Summary: In most stories, Peter tends to make himself at home in Tony's penthouse. They have sleepovers and movie nights, and Peter has everything he needs right there.

Instead, I present to you: Tony gradually finding a second home within the walls of the Parkers' apartment.

[5 Times Tony made and excuse to visit the Parkers' home. And one time the Parkers made and excuse to visit to Tony's]

Moments (ao3) - PeaceHeather T, 14k

Summary: Snippets and scenes from Loki's life growing up with Tyr.

no cops at pride, just spiderman (ao3) - tempestaurora G, 3k

Summary: Peter and Tony attend the Pride parade as Spiderman and Iron Man. They have a good day.

Perfect Landing (ao3) - WhiteRoseCottage sam/bucky E, 39k

Summary: Silence, for a few terrifying seconds. Then Sam speaks, staring at Bucky with utmost suspicion.

“So just to be clear,” he says, grabbing the lease out of Bucky’s hand and skimming, “you’re turning down that…” —he raises his eyebrows— "Upper West Side apartment to go play fetch with me in a field in Dulles, Virginia.”

“Yeah, I am,” says Bucky, trying not to sound as enthusiastic about it as he feels.

“Are you secretly a golden retriever?” Sam asks.

Sinking Our Teeth In The Heart Of The Sun (ao3) - fallendarlings steve/bucky, sharon/natasha E, 102k

Summary: Bucky Barnes never intended to become a single father at 25. But life has always enjoyed kicking him while he's down and it's showing no signs of stopping. A chance meeting with a brick wall of a guy named Steve in the formula aisle of the grocery store leads to a friendship it seems like both of them need. If only Bucky could remember that's all they are- friends. If only Steve didn't slot into their lives so perfectly and look so good spoiling Bucky's daughter (and Bucky, despite his protests).

Oh, if only Steve didn't turn out to be Captain America.

Steve Rogers is wandering around a world that he doesn't fit into, fighting for a government that he doesn't trust, just because he doesn't know what to do with himself if he ever relaxes long enough to actually think about anything other than the next mission.

And then came Bucky Barnes and his newborn baby.

The Wonderful Life of Yelena Belova (ao3) - firesongwrites97 yelena/kate, wanda/natasha M, 105k

Summary: Yelena once thought she wouldn't live long enough to have a happily ever after. She convinced herself that she was never meant to have a future, for her past. That is until Kate, whom she can’t imagine her life without, and they learn that home can be more than just four walls and a roof.

The one where a former assassin and an Avenger are in love.

Or: Yelena gets her idyllic suburban life, and this time it’s real.

Trauma Makes the Heart Grow Softer (ao3) - mabbbbs yelena/kate T, 19k

Summary: This started out as the stereotypical/cliche carry your crush to bed and accidentally cuddle them trope we all want and deserve. (Update: It's actually so much more than that now, I cannot stop writing this piece! Many ongoing themes of peaceful mornings together as well as nights, and some not so peaceful times sprinkled in.) Pretty much now a slice of life story of what life might be like for the pair if they eventually did get together a while after the series ended.

we are all meant for softer things (even, especially, you) (ao3) - meekinheritance peter/wade M, 40k

Summary: Wade is contracted to kill Spider-man, but after some surveillance he decides the hero is just too chill to kill. Too sweet to defeat. Too squish to extinguish. Too golden boy to destroy. (Etcetera.)

Somehow, instead of blowing up in his face, it avalanches into a tentative friendship filled with crime-fighting, Netflix bingeing, top notch take-out, city-saving, shenanigans, weird alien symbiotes, and personal growth.

Which is pretty much when Wade knows he’s fucked. But like, maybe in the good way, for once?

Your Latest Trick (ao3) - ChortlesOfDoom loki/tony, pepper/tony E, 273k

Summary: Following a violent, masterfully feigned death aboard the Statesman, Thor believes Loki's gone for good; more importantly, so does Thanos. Exhausted and hungry for revenge, Loki returns to Earth, but as he bides his strength, anonymously supplying the Avengers with inside knowledge between his own preparations, he begins to see the true cost of holding on.