#I got takeda's name wrong too meaning wise

[yougyattabekidding]

Kinda obsessed with gyaru Suchin 😢

how did i not notice this chat anyway... me too gang....i wish i was friends with her...heres sum doodles i did of her while busy in skool 💔 (featuring my pain in spanish class)

[roththeprimordial]

It's Good To Be Alive Ch.2

Story Summary:  After her death, Mileena was granted a second chance, as her journey to look for allies for her new rebellion lead her to Earthrealm where she was saved by the Shirai Ryu. Having no other choice, Mileena joined the clan and became somewhat of a student to Hanzo Hasashi. Meanwhile Havik has returned and is assembling an army to get revenge on Hanzo and plunge the realms into chaos. Check it out on Fanfiction: www.fanfiction.net/s/13285792/… "Talk about what, Earthrealm witch? Release me!" Yelled Mileena.

"I'm afraid your not in any position to make demands, Mileena. Now, what are you doing in Earthrealm?" Asked Sonya.

"THAT is NONE of your business!" Growled Mileena.

"Hey, hey, calm down, alright? We just want to know what your doing in Earthrealm. Nobody's going to hurt you, alright?" Said Johnny as he did his best to play referee and make sure nothing gets out of hand.

"You assisted Kotal and stole my means of reclaiming my rightful throne! Resulting in the death of me and my rebellion! I owe you filthy Earthrealmers NOTHING!" Yelled Mileena.

"Mileena, we didn't kill you. Kotal Kahn did, your execution was in Outworld's jurisdiction, not Earthrealms. The only reason we sent a team into intervene was because of the threat to Earthrealm you possessed. Shinnoks Amulet, and we knew you weren't going to hand it over no matter how politely we asked. That, along with all the Outworld refugees who were pouring into Earthrealm, we had no choice but to retrieve it by any means." Stated Sonya as Mileena remained quiet for a moment.

"Because of you... My throne was stolen from me, and my fathers memory is soiled by my failure to keep his throne secure." Said Mileena with a hint of despair.

"Personally, I thought they were wrong to usurp you. Experiment or not, you were still Shao Kahn's true daughter and heir." Said Sonya as Mileena stared at her silently for several second.

"Oh, thank you. That makes me feel so much better now." Said Mileena in an extremely sarcastic tone.

"Okay." Stated Johnny as he took a few steps forward. "I like to talk about Outworld politics as much as the next guy, but let's go ahead and talk about the elephant in the room."

Johnny then turned to Mileena and spoke. "How are you alive?"

"Why in the name of the Elder Gods would I tell you that? You Earthrealm 'Heroes' helped kill my father and helped Kotal Kahn gain control over Outworld! You have no right to-" But Mileena was interrupted.

"ENOUGH!" Said Hanzo who remained silent through the whole conversation until now, as he stepped out of the corner and looked down at Mileena.

"Enough of your whining and babbling, you are here, and you are alive. Consider yourself lucky, whatever kind of power you once held is gone and no amount of whining will bring it back. My clan saved you when you were at the mercy of the Red Dragon, we brought you in and treated your wounds. If we wanted you dead, you would already be rotting in the ground. The very least you can do is answer a few questions." Said Hanzo glaring down as Mileena as she glared back at him.

"How dare you! I am the empress of Outworld! I have-"

"YOU. HAVE. NOTHING! You have no subjects, no warriors, no army, and no followers! My clan knew who you were, yet we still saved and treated you. Like it or not, we are the only allies you have. Stop with this pretentious attitude of yours and face the reality of the situation. If you can't do that, then you are more then welcome to return back to Outworld where you will surely die again. It is your choice..." Said Hanzo as him and Mileena stared daggers at one another for what seemed like an eternity. Until Mileena backed down and shifted her gaze to the floor.

"... I am unsure myself of how I returned... I remember my death, but when I returned it felt like I woke up from a deep sleep... I believed when my original body was destroyed my soul moved onto one of the other "copies" of my body that were in Shang Tsung's Flesh Pits... That's all I know..." Said Mileena.

"Wait, so, your saying that every time you die you'll just move onto next undamaged clone of your body and just keep getting extra lives? Like immortality? Sorry but... that kinda sounds nuts." Says Takeda as Mileena glared at him.

"Believe it or not boy it is what happened! I am back, I am not quite sure how it works but it is how it is." Said Mileena.

"So maybe you can answer our second question, why are you in Earthrealm?" Asked Sonya with her arms crossed.

"With all of my allies in Outworld either scattering or being butchered from Kotal's hands, my options were limited. I believed that if I came to Earthrealm I could possibly find the Black Dragon and pay them to assist me... but then..." Mileena trailed off.

"Yes, and then you were chased by the Red Dragon when the Shirai Ryu saved you." Said Hanzo.

"You know the kind of snake Kano is, why would you run to him for help?" Asked Sonya as Mileena glared at her.

"As I stated before... my options were limited. What else was I supposed to do? Come to YOU for sanctuary?" Asked Mileena.

"At the very least with the Special Forces we wouldn't have sold you out to Outworld." Said Sonya.

"So, uhh... what are we going to do with her?" Asked Johnny looking at Sonya as Sonya looked down at Mileena who stared back at her.

"... Ok, Mileena. Since you never actually shown any hostile act towards Earthrealm under your own accord, you will not be locked up like any regular criminal. As far as we knew, during the Outworld invasion 25 years ago, you were born only a few days ago and you had the mind of a child. Even through you were unstable, you were still too immature to come to your own conclusions, you were only following Shao Kahn's orders. Although, I will give you three options. You cannot wander around Earthrealm all by yourself. So you will either return to Outworld and never set foot in Earthrealm again, surrender yourself to the Special Forces and be taken in as a voluntary prisoner where you will have a roof over your head and get three meals a day, or you will stay here temporarily with the Shirai Ryu to learn some humility and develop a new... "appreciation" for Earthrealm." Said Sonya as Mileena stared at her in compete disbelief.

"Wait, what!?" Asked Takeda as he looked over at Sonya then his Grandmaster. Hanzo just looked at Takeda and nodded.

"It's alright. Commander Blade and I have already discussed it. She can join, if that is what she chooses." Said Hanzo.

"You cannot be serious! Just being in Earthrealm makes me sick! I would rather face my death a million more times rather then stay in this horrid place!" Yelled Mileena as Sonya shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, it's your choice. If you want to go back to Outworld and face certain death then fine, but if you want to continue to live you will either train at the Shirai Ryu temple or stay in a prison cell. It's all up to you." Said Sonya as Mileena stared at Sonya for a moment before scanning the room and looking at all four faces in front of her.

A hundred thoughts began to dash through her brain. Sonya was right, if Mileena went back to Outworld she would surely die. Even if she remarkably returned back to life, she would just be killed off over and over again. Kotal may even discover Mileena's potential secret to immortality and burn the Flesh Pits. And that would be the end of her fathers great legacy. At the very least in an Earthrealm prison she would live with food and shelter, but what's the point if she's just going to spend the rest of her life behind cold metal walls. And with her Edenian heritage and extended lifespan, she would be there for a very long time.

...And then, there was the Shirai Ryu temple. She doesn't know much about Earthrealm, or even care to learn about it. But what she does know about are two of the deadliest clans from Earthrealm known as the Lin Kuai and the Shirai Ryu. Both clans once being deadly clans of assassins and mercenaries with the first even serving under her father at one point. But now both fighting for the protection of Earthrealm and it's people. And then there was the Grandmaster, Hanzo Hasashi. Truthfully Mileena knew very little about Hanzo, except that him, his clan, and his family were once slaughtered and turned into the vengeful specter known as Scorpion. He even served under her father once when the invasion of Earthrealm occurred 25 years ago. But now he was different. He was old, wise, patient, strong, and even... a bit handsome... At the very least, she respected him for the warriors honor that just seemed to irradiate off of him. Someone who would never break their word. With all the betrayal Mileena has faced over her life, she could use someone to trust again.

She was really stuck between a rock and a hard place... or in this case, a rock and two hard places... Mileena then remembered Blade mentioned that she will train with the Shirai Ryu until she learned humility and an "appreciation" for Earthrealm... Some kind of silly redemption quest set in front of me. Most likely to turn me into an ally then a threat... But, what choice does she have?

Everyone stood around as Mileena looked at the wooden floor and contemplated about the three choices she was given. Everyone remained silent to allow Mileena to think. After almost a full minute has passed, Sonya decided to speak up.

"Well, what's your decision?" Asked Sonya with a hint of impatience in her voice. Mileena looked back up at Sonya with her golden eyes before finally speaking.

"... I choose to train with the Shirai Ryu."

"Good." Said Sonya as Mileena nearly got up as she pointed her finger as Sonya and spoke.

"Yet you DID say "temporarily"... I will not permanently join the Shirai Ryu." Said Mileena as Sonya nodded.

"Yes, your stay will not be permanent. I will check in every once and a while, and it will be my call whether your ready to leave or not. Are we clear?" Asked Sonya.

Mileena didn't like to be talked down to like this, but she knew that yelling at this point would get her nowhere. "Yes, Blade. I understand."

"Alright, glad we got that all cleared up." Said Johnny as he and Sonya turned around and began to walk out of the room.

"Remember Master Hasashi, I will check in every once and a while to find out how things are going, okay?" Said Sonya to Hanzo as Hanzo bowed respectively and spoke.

"Yes, Commander Blade. I will keep you updated." Said Hanzo as Sonya and Johnny continued their walk out of the room. But before they left, Mileena just remembered something as she reached out her hand and stopped them.

"Wait! What about the Thunder God? Does he know of this plan of yours and my presence?" Asked Mileena as that immediately stopped Sonya and Johnny as they both turned around to face her. Johnny and Sonya both get each other nervous glances before Johnny stepped forward to address Mileena.

"Uhh... You see, after the whole deal with Shinnok happening with him trying to take over Earthrealm and nearly killing Raiden... Raiden has kinda been on a dark streak lately... black clothing, red lightning, and he keeps babbling on about sacrifice... So, we decided we'll just tell him about what we're doing later. Because if he hears that your wandering around Earthrealm, he might uhh, try to kill you. But don't worry, we'll tell him eventually. Just... Whenever he's in a good mood... So, uhh, chao." Said Johnny as he and Mileena turned around and walked out of the room. Leaving only Hanzo, Takeda, and Mileena in the room.

Earthrealm: Japan, The Shirai Ryu temple halls

Takeda and Mileena were walking down the halls of the Shirai Ryu temple, passing doors that belonged to other members of the clan. But Mileena wasn't walking, her leg was still in a thick cast as she used a pair of crutches to help her walk. As the two were silently making their way down the hallway, Takeda couldn't help but glance at Mileena a few times before quickly turning his head away. Mileena took notice of this and asked him.

"What is it?"

"Oh, uhh... it's just that, are you sure your alright to walk? I mean, you were just shot in the leg a day ago. Grandmaster did give you permission to stay in bed a few more days so you could heal." Said Takeda and Mileena groaned in annoyance.

"My Edenian traits allow me to heal myself faster then most other races. And my Tarkatan traits allow me to have a certain immunity to pain. I'd rather get equated with my quarters now then lay in a bed doing nothing all day and night." Said Mileena as Takeda just nodded in acknowledgement as they continued to walk.

After a few more seconds, Takeda slowed down as they reached a certain door.

"Well, here it is." Said Takeda as he opened the door to show a small traditional Japanese room. There was a small bed, a nightstand, a table, a very old rabbit ear TV, a small closet, and a small bathroom at the end of the room. Mileena and Tekeda made their way in as they looked around.

"So... It's not much, but... It's not much..." Said Takeda as Mileena looked over at the bed to see a folded yellow female Shirai Ryu uniform lying on the bed.

"Hopefully, it isn't to cramped for you. Over there is a small personal bathroom, over there is your closet, here is your bed, a nightstand over there, and a TV over here for some entertainment." Said Takeda gesturing to the TV as he then picked up a remote and turned it on to reveal a channel filled with so much static that the show or movie couldn't be identified.

Takeda banged his fist on the TV a few times before the static disappeared. "It's an old rabbit TV, but... it turns on." Said Takeda before turning it off as Mileena stared at him.

"Oh, that's right. Your from Outworld. A TV is-" Takeda got cut off by Mileena.

"I know what a TV is, boy. I'm not completely oblivious to Earthrealm technology and culture." Said Mileena. "Yet from what I heard of these clans, they keep their distance from modern technology. Why does this clan have this form of modern entertainment?"

Takeda just looked at her and laughed a bit. "I mean, come on. We're not savages."

Mileena just grumbled as she made her way to the bedside and sit down as she picked up at the yellow uniform that was provided for her.

"Prepare some tea, boy. Fresh cut lemon, and a china cup." Said Mileena still looking at her yellow uniform with her expression remaining the same, yet Takeda gained an insulted and annoyed expression on his face.

"... What? Do you think I'm your butler or something?" Asked Takeda.

"No, I'm simply your guest. Don't they have hospitality in Earthrealm? Chop chop." Said Mileena as she started to lay on the bed.

"... Maybe Master Mileena would also like some warm mixed nuts. And a moist hand towel." Said Takeda sarcastically.

"Watch yourself boy, I'm not so crippled to the point were I still can't teach you some manners." Growled Mileena at Takeda.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Your tough as nails. While your brooding and healing, maybe you can look over your list." Said Takeda as he dropped a piece of paper on Mileena's lap which she then read.

"What is this?"

"Once your well enough to walk and move around, your gonna start doing chores and training like everyone else around here." Said Takeda with his arms crossed.

"We wake up at 6:00, eat breakfast, train, eat lunch, train until 8:00 depending on how well you did in training, and then you've either earned the right to rest, meditate, or continue your training until Grandmaster says otherwise." Said Takeda as Mileena looked at him in disbelief.

"Even when I was the daughter of Shao Kahn, I NEVER went through training implements that extreme before!" Said Mileena in frustration as Takeda shrugged.

"Well, there's a reason why the Shirai Ryu are known as one of the greatest clan of warriors in all the realms. Get used to it princess, and might I be the first to say... Welcome to hell." Said Takeda as he jokingly bowed.

"Alright, so... I guess I'll see ya later?" Said Takeda awkwardly as he left while Mileena glared at him.

After Takeda left and closed the door, the reality of the situation then hit Takeda like a ton of bricks. Mileena, the ex-empress of Outworld who died right in front of him is back and is currently in the same clan as him.

"... Yeah, this is weird." Said Takeda out loud to himself before walking away.

Back in the room, Mileena looked at the door Takeda just left through before looking back down at the nicely folded yellow uniform in her hands. Realizing she will need her patience to be stronger then ever if she's going to live through this.

Earthrealm: America, Special Forces, U.S. Government Base

Two men in white lab coats stood in front of a large glass window in what seemed to be an observation room with several other guards and scientists standing around. The two scientists looked at one another and nodded before the one on the left pressed and held a button in font of him.

"Okay, let the prisoner in." In the other side of the glass that the two scientists were peering through was a metal room where a door on the left opened up and two armored guards pushed the shape of a woman inside.

After stumbling a bit, the woman regained her balance and stood in the middle of the room. She had advanced looking restraints on her hands, her ankles, and what appeared to be an advanced face muzzle around her mouth. The woman started at the one way window on her side of the window, unable to see through it and actually see the scientists bit still glaring right at it like she knew they were standing on the other side.

One of the scientists bent down and pressed a button as he spoke.

"Good morning, D'vorah. How are you today?" Said the scientist politely.

"My young shall devour you from the inside out!" Threatened D'vorah.

"Now D'vorah, if your going to start making threats I'm afraid we're going to have to hit you with the gas again." Said the other scientist in a calm yet threatening voice. D'vorah remained silent for a bit before the same scientist spoke again.

"Understand?"

D'vorah remained silent for a few more seconds before speaking up.

"... This one understands..." Growled D'vorah as the scientists gave out a smile and a nod of approval.

"Good, not that you've calmed down, maybe you can answer me a few questions." Said the scientist.

"This one is finished with answering any of your questions." Said D'vorah.

"We're afraid you don't have any choice here. You either answer our questions, or we send you back to your cell until you feel like talking again." Said the scientist as D'vorah remained silent.

"..."

"D'vorah? Can you hear me?... If you don't respond you will be put back in your cell. Do you understand?" Asked the scientist as D'vorah remained silent for a bit longer. Until she spoke.

"What are your questions?" Asked D'vorah as the scientists gained satisfied smiles on their faces.

"What plans does Kotal Kahn have to invade Earthrealm?" Asked one of the scientists.

"Just like the last time you asked this one your question, this one is unsure. Even as his right hand woman, Kotal kept his plans private." Stated D'vorah.

"Okay... next question. On record you constantly switched sides from Mileena, to Kotal Kahn, to Shinnok. What is your endgame plan?" Asked the scientist and D'vorah remained silent for a moment.

"Please answer the question." Said one of the scientists and D'vorah finally spoke.

"Do you want the truth?" Asked D'vorah.

"Yes." Stated the scientist.

"This one wishes to bring back the Kytinn species with enough power to conquer all the realms. Using Shinnok as an incubator for the young in order to become the mother of an army of demi-god warriors. And when this one escapes containment, this one will slaughter the special operations, enemies of Outworld, and all of you as well." Threatened D'vorah as there was instantly a blast of gas from vents on the top of the room that D'vorah shrieked and shrieked away from as she backed off.

"What did we say about making threats, D'vorah?" Said one of the scientists in a subtle mocking tone before other vents in the room sucked all the gas out of the room, as D'vorah stood back up.

"Although, your statement had a few flaws in it that you probably missed. Such as, for example, your acting like it's set in stone that you will escape your imprisonment. But I assure you, you will stay in imprisoned in Earthrealm for the rest of your natural life. Now THAT'S something, that is set in stone." Said the scientists as D'vorah glared at the one sided window in front of her where she could see her own reflection.

But right as she was going to open her mouth to speak again, the sounds of lights flickering could be heard all over the building with the lights in the study room and the interview prisoner room D'vorah was in went out.

"Woah! What's going on?!" Yelled one of the scientists in the observation room as another scientist turned on a flashlight with the two guards in the room turning on flashlights as well.

"Don't worry, the generator should kick on in a second." Said the other scientist as several moments passed. But as they did, everyone in the research room froze as they all heard three chilling knocked at the door to the observation room.

(Knock, Knock, Knock...)

Everyone in the observation room looks at the door cautiously, one of the guards standing by the door looked over at the scientists and give them the hand signal to stay at the other side of the room as the two guards raised their rifles to chest level as they were about to open the door.

In the metal room D'vorah was in, she looked around in confusion as red backup lights turned on above her. D'vorah looked around in confusion stared at the one way window. Several seconds passed before D'vorah spoke up.

"What is going on? Hello? This one demands an answer! Hel-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

(Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!)

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

D'vorah was instantly cut off by the barraging sound of gunfire and screams that were coming from the observation room. D'vorah had no idea what was going on in the other room as she took several steps back. Knowing that whatever it was, it was not good. The gunfire and screams lasted a few more seconds before everything went silent. Only a few seconds after the screaming stopped, D'vorah heard several beeps coming from the advanced muzzle on her face and the restraints on her hands and ankles before they all unlatched and fell to the floor. Freeing D'vorah as she turned to the only door in the metal room she was in as she popped out her four insectoid legs. Readying herself for whatever will come next.

She listened closely as she heard more screaming and gunfire coming from the halls that were right outside the metal room. Whoever or whatever attacked the guards and scientists in the observation room was coming her way. The Kytinn took a few steps away from the door and got into her fighting position as the screaming and gunfire instantly stopped. Only a second after the screaming stopped, the lights came back on in her metal room along with the rest of the facility.

D'vorah glared a the door before she heard a beep, as the automatic door opened up, revealing two monsters standing there. D'vorah kept her fighting stance as she was about to fight the two oni. But before either the oni or the Kytinn could initiate the battle, a voice spoke out and grabbed D'vorah's attention.

"D'vorah, long time no see..." D'vorah was shocked to see none other then Havik himself walk through the door frame and made his way half way to where she was standing before stopping. D'vorah was shocked to see him, she heard herself that after the whole blood war fiasco that happened around a year ago, Scorpion ripped Havik's head off and tossed it in the Netherrealm where it was then smashed into pieces by Quan Chi.

"I hope my minions Moloch and Drahmin were polite. Surprised to see me?" Asked Havik as D'vorah still remained speechless, but then found the words to talk.

"How is it even possible!? You were supposed to be dead! How are you still alive?!" Asked D'vorah in disbelief as Havik laughed at her statement.

"Hahaha... Well, not exactly. You see, after the whole incident with the Kamidogu and Shinnoks Amulet, becoming a blood god and all that, I became absolutely immortal. Even when Scorpion ripped off my head, tossed it into the Netherrealm, then smashed into pieces by Quan Chi... I was still alive." Said Havik.

"But, how did you become whole again?" Asked D'vorah.

"It sure as hell wasn't easy to get myself a new body, but I did. When my physical form was reduced to nothing but chunks of bone, blood, and flesh, I was able to separate my soul from my body and float around the Netherrealm. At first I believed Moloch and Drahmin to be dead after their death was executed by Quan Chi... but it turns out that they were just in a deeper level of hell. Being tortured by other demons. Even in my spirit form, I managed to free them and have them pledge their undying loyalty to me. Now with Quan Chi dead, there was nobody who could stop my resurrection. They went on a quest to gather every piece of my splattered head as they could along with a trip to Earthrealm to retrieve my rotting body, and bring it to Quan Chi's old lair. Now, I'm not a master sorcerer like Quan Chi, but after some time reading through his spell books, Moloch and Drahmin performed the spell that was meant to repair my old physical body as I was finally brought back to life!" Said Havik in joy as D'vorah stared at him.

"What is it that you want, Havik?" Asked D'vorah.

"My dear, D'vorah, if you must know I'm building a little team to reenact my failed plans to use the Kamidogu. But this time, we're not just after the Kamidogu's, no. We will also retrieve Shinnok's Amulet, Onaga's mummified heart, Kotal's Portal Stone, and even the Dragon Medallion of the Lin Kuai! As the Earthrealmers say... 'Go big or go home'. But, this time we shall succeed." Said Havik as he held his hand in a fist in front of him, as D'vorah gave him a suspicious look.

"And what of the Earthrealmers? And even the Outworlders who stopped you last time?" Asked D'vorah.

"I have learned from my mistakes. I do not intend to repeat them. Death squads will be sent out to take apart our enemies one by one... They will all die..." Said Havik.

"And what will this one gain for loyalty?" Asked D'vorah.

"Resurrection of your hive and race, D'vorah. All I ask in return is when we succeed in our mission and you rule Outworld, you will continue your war and bloodshed with your conquest. In my new reality, everyone will get what they want. All I ask in return is eternal kombat..." Said Havik as D'vorah stared at Havik for a bit, thinking about the offer. Before smiling and taking a few steps forward.

"Very well, but you WILL keep your word Havik. Or else the hive shall feast off of you." Said D'vorah. Right after D'vorah spoke the blood ninja Skarlet walked in and turned her head to address Havik.

"Havik, we must get moving before more guards arrive." Said Skarlet as Havik nodded and turned around to leave along with everyone else. As the five walked down the hallway, the eventually walked up to Kano who was leaning on the side of the hallway, tossing one of his knives in the air and catching it again repeatedly.

"'Bout time you showed up. Those guards'll show up any minute." Stated Kano.

"Yes, yes, did you hack into the Special Forces network?" Asked Havik.

"Sure did, piece of cake." Said Kano as he caught his knife one last time and put it in a holster on his back.

"Then open up the doors." Said Havik as Kano smirked at him, his robotic eyes flashing several times before there was a loud beep in the hallway, as all the doors slid open releasing many criminals and prisoners of war who were locked up in the cells. Including Tremor, Kobra, Tasia, Kira, No Face, and other enemies who have known to cause Earthrealm much trouble in the past.

The freed prisoners all looked around confused before they all looked over at Havik who was standing on the other side of the hallway. Opening up his arms as if to welcome his new allies, he spoke.

"Ladies, gentlemen, I am Havik. And I have a preposition to offer you. A place in my new world." Said Havik malevolently followed by a manic laugh.

[renaroo]

Wednesday Roundup 5.7.2017

So I think in the year-ish that I’ve been doing the Roundups, this is an actual literal first for me. This is the first time I have one “entry” from all my major publishers at the same time and not more. I mean one’s cheating since Monstress is a collected trade, but yeah, I have one from Dark Horse, DC, IDW, Image, and Marvel. 

I could not have planned this if I tried.

In any case, fascinating coincidences aside, how did this week end up stacking up? How good were any of the issues? Lllllets find out!

Marvel’s All-New Wolverine, Image’s Monstress, DC’s Superman, IDW’s Transformers: Till All Are One, Dark Horse’s Zodiac Starforce: Cries of the Fire Prince

Marvel’s All-New Wolverine (2015-present) #22 Tom Taylor, Leonard Kirk, Cory Hamscher, Erick Arciniega, Michael Garland

I’m not sure how many more times I can compliment this comic without it sounding repetitive but where we are, All-New Wolverine actually is making me, by force, enjoy a deep space story featuring the multitudes of Marvel alien species that I struggle to care about normally but really do here and now because GAAAAABBBY.

The relationship between Gabby and all the people around her is really one of the main driving forces. There’s of course the joy that’s her and Laura interacting and Laura growing into the mentor she never would have thought herself capable of (true daughter of Logan if there’s ever been), but this issue is wise in expanding on that during the first half of the story.

Gabby and Wade basically lampoon it from the start with Wade repeatedly expressing to Laura how special and unique Gabby is, and then Gabby working her magic on Laura, forcing her to grow up and move out of Logan’s old apartment into her very own (so on the nose and yet I love it oh so much). And of course there is the hilarity of bringing Jonathan into space. 

All so that the cliffhanger at the end would leave you as emotionally destroyed as I feel at the moment!

Tom Taylor’s great, and I love how dedicated this comic seemingly is to staying out of Secret Empire and even more so to how dedicated it seemingly is to progress its own greater narrative -- namely with our mysterious hooded watcher who sees the departure of the Wolverines and cryptically moves their plans to Daken. To which I say nooooooooo our siblings were finally getting alonooonnnngggg

Great issue, on the edge of my seat for what’s to come! 

Image’s Monstress (2015-present) Volume Two: The Blood Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda

So like Descender and a few of the other Indie titles I’ve picked up in the last year, I had Liu and Takeda’s Monstress come to my radar thanks to suggestions from people on tumblr! And what can I say? Those of you who recommend stuff to me really know my tastes it seems like!

This is a beautiful fantasy story with a very dark and unseemly look at the idea of fate and inheritance by blood. There is a weight to everything and the gorgeous style of the world hides the secret of the inner ugliness behind each and every corner. 

To put things even more simply, this book is fascinatingly dark and is not the gentle Chosen One narrative that fantasy so often falls into at least in Western tropes. You can feel the influence of mythologies beyond Western, and really other than inverting the idea of a By Blood Chosen One you could argue that Western fantasy ideas do not really play much of a role within the narrative at all.

I think that’s what’s so fascinating to me. There’s a dense story with a lot to unpack, so those surface elements come off all the stronger and fascinate me into wanting to see even more of them. 

Again just a very good read overall. Much approved. 

DC’s Superman (2016-present) #26 Michael Moreci, Mike Godelwski, HI-FI

This is a very pleasant, very nice one-off read. 

I’m not sure how much impact this issue will have on the greater story being told about our titular Kent family, but it was refreshing to have a look at especially Jon’s character from a different writer. As much as I have enjoyed Jurgens, Tomasi, and Gleason, Jon being naïve and near perfect has been a criticism I’ve thought deserved its dues for sure. And it’s interesting to see him feeling more his age in this issue and being a bit more stubborn and in the wrong and just flawed in the ways that kids are.

I loved that the lesson here was two-fold -- a lesson about Clark learning how to allow children to make their own mistakes and be there to comfort them when they fall, and about Jon learning to, in Clark’s terms, “flex muscles above the neck.”

The art was quite good and while Lois didn’t receive a lot of time here, she was Clark’s rock. I’m hoping that we will get more of the feisty and tenacious Lois who needs Clark holding her back from time to time sooner or later. 

It’s a decent issue, and I’m glad Moreci is proving that people outside the usual team can tackle this new-old take on classic Superman and on the all-new Jon Kent. 

IDW’s Transformers: Till All Are One (2016-present) #11 Mairghread Scott, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Joana Lafuente

I knew we weren’t close to seeing the end of Windblade! And not at all because I cheat and looked at next month’s cover back when the solicits for it came out like forever ago. 

Rather than jumping around POVs which TAAO has made a habit of doing (well might I add!) with its ensemble cast, the continued narrowing of focus down to Starscream, with a short interlude showing Windblade’s internal mental battle, really worked for this issue. It’s so fascinating to get all the facets of Starscream’s perspective that we do here, and especially how the scars of being a Decepticon and being abused by Megatron still affect him greatly.

As the one Cybertronian who seemed the easiest adjusted to the new world of post-world Cybertron, it’s both expected and yet very shocking to see that it was a ruse. He has been as badly effected as nearly all the other Autobots and Decepticons have been by what they’ve lived through.

And I’m usually exhausted of the hallucinations about Bumblebee which I know are going to eventually be revealed to not be that much of a hallucination but it worked to great effect here. Mostly because Bumblebee left lol With that ominous ending silhouette and the subtle parallel between Starscream’s years long hallucinations of Bumblebee with the struggle Windblade is undergoing with two minds at once. 

Reminds me of certain elements of Transformers Prime and Scott is a fan of bringing in elements of the Aligned universe into the IDW fold...

I really loved this issue, and especially loved the art. It breaks my heart knowing this series is coming to an end.

Dark Horse’s Zodiac Starforce: Cries of the Fire Prince (2017-present) #1 Kevin Panetta, Paulina Gancheau, Sarah Stern

Ever since I read the original Zodiac Starforce comic, I was really hoping we would be getting more of a follow up because my love of this genre and my love of how clever this comic was and how good it was with building this complicated world was too much for the tasty treat we got out of the original. And I couldn’t have been happier to hear we were getting just that!

We’re picking up a few months since the ending of the first volume and it’s really interesting to see how much our girls have grown in their various roles since then. I’m also getting the sense that this new storyline is going to be taking the opportunity to focus on the characters who didn’t get so much attention the last go around, like Kim and Molly and Lily. 

Kim’s home life really strikes close to home for a lot of people, I’ve got to say. I’ve seen these situations play out, and I have to really applaud this comic for showing how important and defining it is for a supportive boyfriend/husband/etc. for a young woman in such a bad situation can be. It both helps women in the situation to feel as though they can seek support, and tells young men in the world that they can and should be the type of partner who is this supportive.

It’s interesting to see how the events of last time have played into everyone’s relationships months later, and it’s for better and for worse, especially for the scorned girls and boys who got a taste of the dark powers of Cimmeria. I’m so interested to see where all of this goes!

So this is going to seem incredibly strange but I would almost be willing to call each and every single issue that came out today a tie because I just genuinely enjoyed reading each and every one of them that much. It was such an amazing and unexpected variety this week for me and it just hit all the feelings I needed them to fit. But, as always, twist my arm and I can offer a real answer. 

And that answer is Transformers: Till All Are One. It has so quickly become my favorite Transformers title from the entire IDW line and I just was enraptured in each panel. It’s a definite win from me, even in a week as fantastic and tightly held as this one.

So how was everyone else’s Wednesday pull? Agree with me? Disagree? Think I should be picking up something I’ve missed? Please feel free to let me know!