#OP you are a genius and my hero

[intheorangebedroom]

Send help I'm having a heart attack here.

Santiago “Pope” Garcia & Frankie “Catfish” Morales

Poe Dameron & Din Djarin xx

-Inspiration-

[mishy-mashy]

I said this in a whole reblog, but just copy-pasting to a separate post because I think it'll give some reading comprehension and reblogs don't show up in the search feature.. again, I'm reiterating what I said in another post.

Go check out @demidokuriya 's post for this; OP's post made me put this all down in like. 20 minutes. Mind went vroom vroom cuz HEY THEY'RE ONTO SOMETHING.

(They also reblogged the post with some hint to some behind the scenes of what led to the ideas if you wanna check that out)

Look below at how, when Mineta told AFO to spare Tokoyami, AFO specifically went "..."

He remembers Jirou and thinks, The braying howls of the weak...

He was going to take Tokoyami's Quirk. He took Hawks'. But after Mineta pleaded with him, AFO just straight-up left and didn't take anyone else's Quirk.

AFO saw Yoichi in Mineta.

These scenes are near-identical to each other.

Mineta and Yoichi (at that time) are both much smaller than the normal person at their age

They're both hurt, yet dragged themselves up from the ground to throw something at AFO, to get his attention and make their voice

Both are considered weak, even if they have a Quirk (Mineta's Pop-Off and Yoichi's undeveloped Factor)

The fact that Yoichi got AFO's attention here by throwing a can at him, while Mineta got his attention by throwing a Pop-Off ball; and it stuck.

Mineta's call for his attention landed and actually stuck to AFO. This is unlike when Yoichi and his can bounced off, and AFO kicked him, not listening to him; AFO listened to Mineta and left Tokoyami alone, technically doing what Mineta wanted—to not hurt this person.

AFO just went on to hurt more people away from Mineta's [Yoichi's] eyes so the small weakling wouldn't see.

Yoichi and Mineta both cried to AFO to not hurt in his ways, when AFO was intent on stealing people's Quirks

AFO even stole Hawks' Quirk during this time.

He had time to steal Hawks' Quirk, and though he could've tossed him to the side, he let Hawks stand in his way.

He had the energy. Right after this event, he flew off and left the scene. But he didn't go for Tokoyami immediately.

And this let Mineta play his part, and remind AFO of Yoichi.

"A putrid, festering Quirk Factor."

That sounds like Yoichi, AFO.

".. such garbage."

Hey hey hey, what did Yoichi throw at him when they were kids?

A discarded can. Garbage.

This chapter (385) where AFO listens to Mineta is literally called [A Youthful Urge].

Mineta told AFO to take his Pop-Off (hurt him) instead. But last time, AFO hurt Yoichi by kicking him; this time, AFO not only listened to Mineta to not hurt Tokoyami, but didn't touch Mineta at all.

Even though this time, Mineta [Yoichi] offered to take that place of suffering.

Yoichi didn't do that back then. AFO just turned on little Yoichi anyway.

Yoichi through his whole existence is literally [the braying howls of the weak]. AFO acknowledges he's weak and idealistic, yet he still loves him.

Side note about this panel, I think it's interesting that in this vision, this was the first time we saw Yoichi's eyes: when he was being defiant, despite being pushed down by someone much stronger than him.

Really characteristic of him, honestly. Yoichi's soft-spoken and frail, but it's always reiterated that Yoichi had a powerful will against his stronger big brother.

Mineta at this moment reminded him too much of Yoichi, because the two scenes are near-identical to each other. Parallels, really.

Reiterating something from OP's post that I reblogged this from;

"The reminder of his brother made him uncomfortable, so he hurried away."

AFO didn't want to hurt Yoichi again.

[kikyoupdates]

Made to Destroy ⭑˚💎⭑ 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒

bnha x op!reader

op!reader, my hero academia x fem!reader, reverse harem, over powered reader, f!reader

You are the product of a series of twisted experiments, an anomaly that shouldn’t have ever existed in the first place. Thankfully, you are taken into the arms of a hero and given a new purpose in life. But as you soon discover, it isn’t easy to deny your true nature, especially when you were made to destroy.

story masterlist | next

You awaken.

It's a strange feeling, to go from complete darkness to a world of bright, shining artificial lights. The sudden exposure sends your senses into overdrive and causes you to blink repeatedly, to the point that your eyes start watering. 

“...I can’t believe it,” you hear someone mumble. “It actually worked. I’m a genius!” ��

There’s a man in front of you. He’s got a bushy mustache and a pair of distinct, thick-rimmed goggles that prevent you from seeing into his eyes clearly. An elderly man, although it’s hard to tell his exact age. The only other noteworthy thing about him is that he’s wearing a white lab coat. 

And based on how widely he’s grinning, he seems to be rather pleased about something.  

He quickly clears his throat. “Ahem. I suppose I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself. I need to test all your senses first. You can hear me, I’m assuming? You’re certainly reacting to visual stimuli, like the light shining in your eyes. If you can hear me and understand what I’m saying, nod your head once.”  

At first, you just blink, still disoriented and confused, but soon enough, his words sink in. 

You nod, and the man—Dr. Garaki—seems even more pleased than he was just a few seconds ago.  

“Excellent!” he exclaims, and you watch as he scribbles something down onto a clipboard. “Language comprehension is working just fine too. Although now it’s time for the real test. Listen closely, please. I’ve decided I want to call you [Name]. Can you try saying that? Try saying your name for me, little one.” 

You stare at him for a few moments, and even though you understand what he’s asking of you, it still takes a while for your mouth to move the way you want it to.  

But eventually, you succeed.  

“[N-Name],” you repeat, sounding a bit uncertain at first. You knit your brows together and try again, and this time, it’s far less shaky. “[Name].” 

“Oh, marvelous!” Dr. Garaki praises. He even claps his hands together, incapable of hiding his excitement. “Yes, what a truly wonderful job! Well done. It suits you, too. I really have a knack when it comes to naming my creations.”  

He doesn’t ask you to say anything else, so you sit perfectly still, just staring at him. However, you’ve just learned something. You have a name. 

For some reason, it makes your heart clench, and you’re not quite sure how to describe what you’re feeling.  

Perhaps that’s another thing you have yet to learn.  

“You really are a masterful, prodigal creation,” Dr. Garaki says, stroking his mustache. “It’s incredible. All of your senses appear to be fully functional, and not only that, but you can understand things and communicate, just like a real human would. I always thought that creating Nomus would be the greatest exploit of my career, and I failed so many times before when I tried to artificially engineer a human without a corpse as a base... but you managed to surpass all my expectations. Perhaps I should call you my little miracle.” 

You don’t understand what he’s trying to say, but once again, he seems rather pleased.  

“Best of all is your appearance,” he continues, brushing a finger against your cheek. “Just looking at you, everyone would assume you’re an ordinary little girl! I truly have outdone myself this time around. The Nomus are beautiful in their own way, but you are a carbon copy of the human race. A perfect replication.”  

This man sure likes to talk a lot. Or maybe he talks a perfectly normal amount, but you just don’t have any other frame of reference to compare it to.  

Dr. Garaki steps closer to you and smiles. “Now, then. I still have some tests to finish running, so be a good girl and sit still. Don’t worry. It’ll only take a moment.” 

You don’t really have any idea of what’s normal or not, which is why you don’t move a single muscle as he straps your limbs down to the chair and makes sure to tighten the fastenings shut, so that you can’t break free.  

You are ignorant. You can’t possibly know any better. So, when Dr. Garaki inches towards you, gripping a scalpel between his fingers, all you do is stare at him quietly.  

And then there’s just pain.  

It’s like nothing you’ve ever felt before, and you scream out at the top of your lungs as Dr. Garaki slices into your flesh, showing zero remorse.  

You’ve only ever spoken your name, so you’re not quite sure what to say to get him to stop, but eventually, the words bubble up to the surface.  

“S-Stop... stop it! It... hurts...” 

“Oh-ho!” he muses. “Already assembling sentences on your own, I see. You register pain just like a normal human would too. It’s truly splendid!”  

Despite your outcry, he doesn’t stop. He doesn’t even bother to apologize. He just keeps carving you up, ignoring all of your tortured, anguished screams, as well as the look of sheer desperation on your face.  

It feels like you’re about to die. You’ve only known what it’s like to live for a few brief moments, and already, it’s going to be taken from you.  

All this pain, all of this blood... and yet, you still haven’t died yet.  

Why?  

“Ah-ha!” Dr. Garaki exclaims. He steps back and grins cruelly. “It took a while for your body to respond, but there it is! The regeneration is finally kicking in. For a moment, I was worried I hadn’t transplanted the Quirk correctly. Thank goodness everything is in order.” 

He finally stops. You let out a shuddering breath, and you’re suddenly aware of a damp feeling on your cheeks, as well as the fact that your vision is blurry.  

Oh. You must be crying.  

“No need for tears, little one,” Dr. Garaki reassures. “Go on, take a look. Your body is repairing itself as we speak. Everything is going to be just fine.”  

He’s right. Just a few moments ago, you were in so much pain that it felt like you would cease to exist, but now you watch as your bloody, mutilated skin pieces itself back together, until you’re practically brand new. 

The injuries are gone, and so is the pain.  

Dr. Garaki smiles. “See? There’s no reason to be afraid. I’ve made you durable. An incredible creation you may very well be, but you’re of no use to me if you break right away.”  

Something about what he just said doesn’t exactly sit right with you. A voice in your head is telling you to trust this man and listen to everything he says. To follow all of his orders without fail and carry out his ambitions.  

But another voice in your head—admittedly, a much smaller one—is telling you the exact opposite.  

And for some reason, that’s the voice you choose to listen to.  

“It hurt,” you mutter accusingly. “I asked you... to stop.”  

Dr. Garaki frowns, clearly bewildered. “Hm? You sure are becoming increasingly talkative. You must be absorbing information even faster than I thought you would. But like I said, you’re fine. You can handle far more damage than this. Trust me. You can always trust me, alright?”  

No. You get the feeling that you shouldn’t trust him. You shouldn’t trust a single word that comes out of his mouth, and if you stay here, there’s a very good chance that he’ll hurt you again.  

So, the solution is obvious.  

You need to leave.  

“I’m leaving,�� you declare. Dr. Garaki proceeds to stare at you in disbelief, and he even sets his clipboard aside so that he can give you his undivided attention.  

“You’re not leaving,” he frowns. “And why would you want to leave? I’m your creator. I brought you to life. I engineered you specifically so that you would serve me and obey my commands, and you say you want to leave? How does any of that make sense? Is it possible I made a mistake somewhere...?”  

He scratches his mustache, unable to make sense of the situation. Even now, there’s still that irritating voice that’s telling you to obey, but you grit your teeth and fight against it, refusing to succumb to the pressure.  

And then you feel it. Something wells up from deep inside you, and as you stare down at the infuriating bindings that are tying you down to the chair, you suddenly realize: Oh. I can break these. 

So, you do.  

“...what in the world?!”  

Dr. Garaki lets out a squeal as you break free of the restraints and kick the chair to the side. He instinctively reaches for the scalpel, then points it towards you, most likely as an act of self-defense.  

Unfortunately, seeing that bloody scalpel again elicits painful memories, and it makes you really, really angry.  

You feel it again. It’s as if something is bubbling up inside of you, desperately seeking release. It pulses and flows, moving through your body in the form of energy. Power. Strength.  

“You’re out of your mind!” Dr. Garaki screams. “You’re supposed to listen to everything I say! What’s wrong with you?! You’re a faulty product! You're damaged goods! Now, sit back down and stay put before I—”  

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence. You swing your arm out, and he should be thanking his lucky stars that he managed to jump away in time.  

Destruction unfolds. You’re not quite sure what you did, but you made sure to channel all the strength you could muster, and now the room you’re in—which upon closer inspection, is some kind of lab—has practically been torn to shreds.  

Dr. Garaki is trapped underneath a pile of rubble, and he whimpers helplessly. “I-I don’t understand. The only Quirk I gave you... was the ability to regenerate. Is this... some kind of mutation? But how did it...”  

He passes out, either from shock, pain, or some combination of the two.  

It’s then that you spot a hole in the wall that must have formed when you unleashed your attack earlier. It’s quite small, but you’re fairly small too, so there’s a good chance you’ll fit.  

You drop to your knees and crawl. It’s a snug fit, but you manage to wiggle your way through, and after a brief patch of darkness, you emerge on the other side.  

A bright sky greets you. It’s sunny and warm, and you decide that you quite like this feeling. It’s certainly far more pleasant than being inside the lab, with its murky scent and unnatural lights. It seems as though your decision to leave was the right one after all.  

You clench your hand into a fist. That strange burst of energy you felt earlier is completely gone. You must have used up all your strength. But it’s okay. You’re free now.  

You’re free, and you will discover all that life has to offer.

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[whiplashprompts]

EPIC THE MUSICAL BASED SENTENCE STARTERS (WISDOM SAGA) PART II

~ PART I ~

~ Feel free to make minor changes to the sentence to better suit your ask ~ OP: @whiplashprompts ( x )

~ Love in Paradise ~

"It's been ten years since I last saw you." "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." "One wrong move and you're done for." "We won't take more suffering from you." "Drown in your sorrow and fears." "Morning, sleepyhead. You've been resting for a while." "I swore that you were dead." "Did you know you talk in your sleep?" "Anyways, I've got all you could want here." "I'm not your man." "From here on out, you're mine, all mine." "Hell no, I could kill you where you stand." "But last I checked, goddesses can't die." "You're adorable." "Bow down now to the immortal _______, here to entertain." "But fear not, I bring no pain." "Under my spell, we're stuck in paradise." "I don't belong here." "There's something wrong here." "I won't be drawn to love in paradise." "You're mine, all mine." "Seven years, she's kept you trapped, out of your control." "Time can take a heavy toll." "All I hear are screams." "You don't know what I've gone through." "You don't know what I've sacrificed." "Every comrade I long knew... Every friend, I saw them die." "It will be fine, dear." "Come back inside, dear." "Let me close my eyes." "I know your life's been hard." "I'll stay inside your heart." "I love you, my dear." "I love our time here." "Life would be so much worse." "Please stay from away from harm." "Stay in my open arms." "How much longer 'til we all fall down?" “He needs my help…”

~ God Games ~

"Rarely do I ask for favors." "Now, I'm knocking on your door with hopes to save a friendship." "Divine intervention, is that what you seek?" "You are playing with thunder for a man full of shame." "But if he's worth the risk of going under, why not make it a game?" "Who's them?" "You all know I'm a fan of catchy songs." "They were trying to do him worse." "Now they'll tread with caution first." "To live another day and sing another verse." "Trust is not given, it's forged." "Why should I give him my support?" "He sacrificed his own cohort." "Did you forget they failed to listen?" "He was betrayed and then imprisoned." "He can still build a future with those who miss him." "He claims to love his mother but let her die of a broken heart." "He was busy fighting." "Let him feel the pain that his mother felt and rot." "Really _______? These old tricks?" "What kind of sick coward holds back his power while his friends get devoured?" "He didn't even fight ______, didn't even try to kill her." "He never handles things upfront." "Pathetic and weak like his son." "Hold your tongue now!" "His son's my friend." "And tell your lover that a broken heart can mend." "You want more bloodshed?" "So many heroes." "So many tales." "Give me one good reason why yours should prevail." "He’s got the mind of a genius." "He’s pretty skilled with words." "You can do better than that!" "He’s kind of funny?" "Never once has he cheated on his wife." "I've played your game and won!" "You dare to defy me?!" To make me feel shame?!" "No one beats me, NO ONE WINS MY GAME!" “Let him go, please…”

[camerawhoisalsocam]

Okay time to rip this crossover trailer to shreds. First the Grimm are no threat to the Justice League.

You cannot convince me that Superman will have any difficulty dealing with a Grim army. Add in Wonder Woman, Flash, and Jessica Cruz and it is basically over. Grimm arent even on Parademon level and those things are Apokolips cannon fodder that Batman can beat with ease. I know they see the Grimm are evolving to their weaknesses, but Kryptonite only works on Superman?

Wonder Woman is almost as strong as him and has almost no weaknesses, besides in her early days when you could beat her by tying up her hands but I dont think these grimm can consider that a great deal of strength. In Batman's contingenies for the JL, he needs to give Wonder Woman a "Phantom Opponent" aka fake construct of some sort like a hologram or a simulation to keep her locked in battle. No way any of these Grimm are doing that.

And as for Flash? Again, no Weaknesses besides plot stopping him! Unless those Grimm tap into the speed force no Grimm should be able to touch him.

I didnt see any yellow Grimm either so unless these things can somehow make Jess lose her will power they stand no chance. She has taken on way stronger armies, these glorified hell hounds dont stand a chance

I didnt mention them above so I'll speed run them cuz I still think the Grimm stand no chance. Cyborgs tech is way too immense and can adapt and upgrade constantly, so if the Grimm evolve so can he. Vixen and Black Canary are meta humans and can easily take on the Grimm cannon fodder, both hero's are around building level and are amazing at hand to hand combat. And as much as I hate how OP he is for being a rich guy with good tech

Batman can clear out these grimm. Not only does Batman have contingencies for every league member up above who can easily stomp these Grimm into black mist, Batmans no kill rule only applies to humanoids. Grimm are just animals on steroids, Batman is gonna be mercing them.

Like does the Leauge REALLY need team RWBY? Just call up the other members like Martian Manhunter, the 3-4 other Lanterns, Aquaman, Dr Fate, Shazam, the Hawks, Zatana, Constantine, the Teen Titans, or literally so many other people? If they say in the movie that the other members are across the world also dealing with this then thats fair. Not really cuz so many of these characters can wipe out these Grimm with ease! Grimm are weak! They aren't like something that can give the Teen Titans a run for their money!

My power scaling complaints really popped off huh? Okay whats next?

So they hype up Kilgores partner in crime who's supposed to be stronger and smarter. We get this shot which makes me think this is another simulation

But oh jeez I dunno who this potential secret villian is! Really it could be any RWBY villian who's a genius and has the color yellow as one of this primary colors. Oh! I know! Hazel! (pst its Watts)

Okay so Team RWBY got new powers to show off. Except Weiss. Yang shoots fire, Blake has staffs and shadow energy, and Ruby with her wooden Cresent Rose teleports.

And Weiss...

Yeah in both of her actions shots to show off her new abilities she's in her shitty V7 outfit and not using that stupid gun she's supposed to have in the cover.

One noticeable thing is that JNPR is just gone. They haven't been seen, mentioned, there's been no leaks on them, so I dont think they gonna appear. Im thankful that Renora Cyborg love triangle isnt gonna happen, but im also disappointed that the one good part of the first crossover, that being the Jess and Jaune duo, will not happen. You know I actually feel bad when I wanted to see Jaune on screen.

And im sorry but this is just choppy work when it comes to editing

This scene of the sea dragon comes out of the water and scares Blake, Ruby narrates and says fearfully "What is that?" And Blake as bland as she can says "They made a new Grimm". Im sorry but, if they made a new Grimm, why not show it when they say its new? Why show a Grimm from Volume 4? Just show the new Grimm!

Thank you! It actually looks cool! Except it shouldn't even be that scary! It looks like nothing out of the ordinary for team RWBY minus the Kryptonite, which shouldn't be an issue when you have WW, Flash, Jess, Cyborg, and everybody else who isnt weak to it.

And I hate that Jess just flies and shoot fire. I can tell this is as creative as its gonna get for her, the girl who's powers allow her to make ANYTHING!

All in all it's nonsensical. Its like putting Goku into My Hero Academia and expecting something to actually hurt him. The RWBY verse is not that strong, its just not. The JL who are arguable the strongest super hero team in all of comics, are not supposed to have trouble with these things. Now if it was the Teen Titans I'd believe it. But with the JL this is like Tuesday to them. They've fought the Legion of Doom, the forces of Apokolips, Gods new and old, whole Lantern Corps, demons and monsters, Meta Humans out the ass, and so much more. Hellhounds that can replicate their powers and weaknesses should be a cake walk. But somehow they're gonna nerf the hero's and make team RWBY the greatest hero's of all time! They're gonna save the Justice Leauge and the earth! They did everyone now clap! Clap and forget how those incompetent idiots doomed their own world!

I hate this. I hope this is the last RWBY project released. I feel bad for the animators who got forced to make this, I dont want it to flop so they dont suffer but FUCK do I hate this and want it to flop so bad it finally kills Rwby so I can stop seeing greenlight volume 10. The only hashtag more annoying is the restore the Snyderverse.

So yeah those are my thoughts. Cant wait to pirate this in October.

AND IF I SEE ANY SHIPPING WITH TEAM RWBY AND THE JL IM CALLING THE FEDS

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

YAOYOROZU IS THE QUEEN OF DESERVES BETTER!

She was so competent, intelligent, and levelheaded in the beginning of the series. Not only was she screwed over during the Sports Festival (multiple times), her personality was retconned. She way more "uwu" than she was originally and it makes her less distinct from the other 1A girls. Her hero costume isn't just revealing, it just sucks. It says nothing about her personality. The intended goal is "functionality" but it fails in that department too (she could break her spine on that stupid bookcase and she has no chest protection). Every time Hori seems like he's going to treat her seriously, he turns around and screws her over again whether it's to make a perverted joke or to just ignore her.

Also, Creation is the most OP quirk outside of AFO and OFA and Horikoshi doesn't freaking use it

Momo’s definitely up there in terms of “most screwed over”.

For starters, according to Hori, Momo has an intelligence stat of 6/5 S. To put that into perspective, that’s higher than Mei’s 5/5 A+ intelligence and on pair with both Nezu and All Might, a being with an intelligence boosting quirk and the Number 1 hero. Only AFO (the oldest person on the planet and someone who’s probably got an intelligence enhancing quirk) and Garaki (a literal mad scientist whose able to create creatures from corpses and copy quirks straight from someone’s DNA) beat her out in brains.

Secondly, her quirk is absurdly powerful. I’d put it as part of the Top 3 best quirks (Overhaul and New World Order are my other three picks). Sure, it has its limits of needing lipids for fuel and Momo having to remember complex atomic formulas, but the second weakness hardly ever comes up. If she really wanted to, she could create nukes. If given time to prepare, she instantly becomes a top threat. Sadly, Hori never does much in terms of creativity. Poor girl’s relegated to mainly creating basic traps and weapons. Hori keeps trying to make her be a frontline combatant when she really should be support/nuke option.

In terms of her arc, I do believe that the idea of her arc’s solid. Her arc’s one we constantly see in fiction. Genius comes in confident in their abilities, gets humbled, has their worldview shattered, is lost, and then reignites their flame. The problem is how it’s executed. Her losing to Fumikage makes sense. Momo didn’t bother to prepare ahead of time and was up against someone who had no known weakness (the light weakness is only known by 1-A after the Sports Arc. Until then, only Izuku and Ochako knew while Katsuki figured it out due to luck). Sadly, after this, we really don’t get much outta her. Her internship taught her shit. Her spark is reignited when she and Shoto face off against Eraserhead, but that was temporary. Her fight with Saiko Intelli (unrelated but I actually quite like her) only happens in the anime and is more of a team win than a personal win. During the Joint Training Arc, she doesn’t get a win either, instead tying with Itsuka. Her final main contribution comes during the War Arc where she creates the sleeping gas to put Giantomecha to sleep. Don’t get me wrong, it was a cool moment, but that was more of Ejiro’s moment. Simply put, Momo takes a lot of L’s for someone who is usually crucial to various victories. Also, like you said, throughout the story, she goes from being one of 1-A’s leaders to being a follower despite her intellect and growth.

Her costume I 100% agree on. Seriously, what is this girl wearing? So many people have said this before but you can have her costume have flaps that open up when she’s using her quirk rather than have her running around almost naked. It’s really not that hard to make a practical costume. If Mirio can have a costume that can phase through things with him, then Momo and Tooru could have costumes that both work with their quirks and not have them running around naked.

Lol, this turned into another rant, but Momo really got screwed over.

[itsavgbltpta]

Should You Watch Undead Murder Farce?

(Japanese title: Undead Girl Murder Farce)

A Brief Summary

In an alternate universe where demons and monsters still exist, one half-oni is living out his days in a fight club, just waiting to die.  That is, until a genius detective manages to catch his eye.  With promises of extending his life in an exchange to end her immortal one, the two pair up - along with the detective’s maid who happens to be handy with a rifle.  The trio solves some mysteries in Japan before going global, searching for the man who wronged them both and meeting some familiar literary figures along the way.

With so many scheming people together - friend and foe - it’s a battle of who can out-think and out-detective each other in order to win the day.

So, should you watch the anime?

Yes!

To be fair, I have a predilection for media (shows, books, whatever) where geniuses keep trying to out-do each other.  I love a person with a plan that’s thinking 30 steps ahead in 5D chess.  And this show is abundant with that character type.  I also like it when a show can keep me on my toes.  Undead Murder Farce kept up a lot of mystery throughout, which also makes it kind of hard to talk about in fear of spoiling things.

The season is made up of several arcs, each 2-3 episode arc involving a specific mystery to be solved.  There is also a general mystery tying things together and giving reasons for our characters to come together.  Our detective trio often clashes with an organization made up of supernatural beings, sometime works alongside vigilantes, and tend to end up meeting a whole lot of interesting folk.

I was a bit skeptical when the show made a change from the Japanese setting to Merry Olde England, and also wary for our detective hero party to suddenly be in the realm of probably the most well known detective in all fiction, but this show managed to pull it off.  Sherlock didn’t steal the show.  Lupin may have. ;)

One of my least favorite characters in Undead Murder Farce is the maid body-guard.  She didn’t seem to have much point in the plot-line besides being sullen and getting into certain… situations… but you know what, I bet there are people who really like her and those situations, so I’m not upset, lol.

The animation is really nice and action sequences flow well.  I am a fan of the character design so that gets a win from me, but I know that’s always a subjective thing.  But if you like any of the faces you see in the image for this article, then you’ll be good to go.

I have to mention the absolute banger of an OP this anime has as well.  It gave me big K-Pop vibes (in a good way).  I did a little digging and the group that performs the OP is part of the K-Pop world, so I guess that vibe makes sense.  It’s a song I can easily recall even half a year later (which is kind of a rarity with the amount of anime I watch), and it sparked joy every week.

For me, characters are a big part of what makes me enjoy a story, so what kind of characters does Undead Murder Farce have jam-packed within each mystery-solving episode?

A slightly perverted and laid-back Rakugo-styled half-oni experiment that can put up a mean fight with a smile always on his face (Tsugaru).

An immortal genius looking for someone to end said immortality - oh and also looking for her body as she’s currently just a very intelligent head in a cage (Aya Rindou).

A military-esque maid who can keep up with the monsters around her, though she also somehow ends up in rather sapphic situations (Shizuku).

A gentleman thief that’s always a few steps ahead of his detective opponents and tends to add a dramatic flourish to all he does (Arsene Lupin).

The big detective himself, full of snark and confident that he is the alpha detective in Europe, despite the supernatural competition (Sherlock Holmes).

The epitome of a polished lady who isn’t afraid to show off her assets and also sink her teeth - quite literally - into anyone who gets in her way (Carmilla).

Plus a whole heaping of other figures from literature and supernatural origins, including the mother-fucking Phantom of the Opera.  Just because.  

I skipped on a few key spoiler characters as this anime is all about mystery, and who am I to give it away?

Where does it rate on my personal scale?

S: I will buy it at full price (unless it’s released by Aniplex USA, because fuck their pricing).

->A: I will buy it on sale sometime down the line.

B: I had fun watching it, but don’t need to own it.

C: It’s not my cup of tea, but wasn’t awful.

D: Dropped it.

X: Finished it out of spite, but did not enjoy it.

Undead Murder Farce was a lot of fun to watch, so it gets an A ranking from me.  It was probably my favorite anime of the summer 2023 season, and the show I most looked forward to watching every week.  While some mysteries were solved in the 12 episodes that aired, we’re still missing a resolution for the over-arching plot lines.  I very much hope we get a season 2!

[btwmah]

burn the world (make a home)

Chapters: 20/? Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Midoriya Izuku, Kayama Nemuri | Midnight/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko/Todoroki Touya, Midoriya Izuku & Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku & Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Touya, Midoriya Izuku & Toga Himiko, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Inko, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Todoroki Touya, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Shinsou Hitoshi, Toga Himiko, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Kayama Nemuri | Midnight, Todoroki Rei, Todoroki Natsuo, Todoroki Fuyumi, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Nedzu (My Hero Academia), Iida Tensei | Ingenium, Original Characters, Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Akaguro Chizome | Stain, Tsukauchi Naomasa, Todoroki Shouto Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Vigilante Midoriya Izuku, Dabi is Todoroki Touya, Genius Midoriya Izuku, Soulmarks, Age Difference, Older Midoriya Izuku, Aizawa is 8 years older, No Underage Between Main, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, also called: where izuku adopts all the siblings, No Teacher-Student Pairing, OP Midoriya Izuku, but he's still quirkless, self-indulgent fic, a small child enforces therapy, Tags May Change, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Homeless Midoriya Izuku, Bad Parent Midoriya Inko, (sorry), Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, Canon-Typical Violence, Ethics of Hero Society, Child Neglect, Child Abandonment, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Gang Violence, Slow Burn, like super slow burn, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Bullying, no beta we die like we wish mineta would, the OCs are creating relationships between them against my will, when i say slow burn i mean the rate of the heat death of the universe, the updates are even slower Summary:

Jack of all trades, master none, but better than a master of one.

People always look to the shiny heroes, the ones wrapped in gold and flashy quirks. A vigilante that you might know, in a time you might not, discovered that he's more than happy to be pyrite. Fool's gold looks just the same as overpriced gold but is stronger, more durable. He loses his home, gains a family, and decides to show the world that heroes aren't all glitz and glamor. It's hard work, breaking bones, and mucking through.

He'll change the world and do it quirkless. The newest Undergound Hero Eraserhead decides to help a downtrodden kid do his best.

(soulmate au with older!izuku, a grumpy hero, crazy support gear, and a plethora of adopted siblings that need therapy. fix-it fic?)

Read here.

Or by copy and pasting this link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24743242/chapters/59819398

[ajscico]

“Warriors said I wasn’t around enough.” All through the telling, there was this thread in the words that Twilight seemed to think this was a requirement of himself to be helpful. He used ‘useful’ as his choice of words-- though this failed to set Time’s alarm bells off until later-- to be better somehow. Finally, Twilight let slip his companion on his quest. Twilight had joked with the others about the ‘princess as beautiful as the setting sun’ who had broken his heart but it was worse than Twilight had let on. She’d left his Pup without a word and left him thinking it had all been his fault. Three help this kid … Time sent a desperate prayer into the universe and threw in a plea for wisdom while he was at it. 

“Pup, I can’t speak for your companion.” The goddesses knew he’d been searching for answers to Navi’s departure since he was a child.  It was awful to know his descendant  had suffered a similar experience. “But I can speak for myself and you need to know.

You are enough. We love you. I love you. I’m so proud of you and the goddesses better give us enough time to prove that to you.” That was the straw that broke his pup once again as the quiet sniffing that had been Twilight trying to hold himself together gave way to full aching sobs. Time pulled his Pup tighter to him. Twilight cried himself out and all Time could do was hold him through it. 

DvD commentary please? 🥺

So it's really interesting to me you chose this section and I kind of want to know why but here goes.

This section starts with...trying to reference the original inspiration. Warriors's words in Good Enough made Twi make a more conscious effort to switch more frequently. I also don't remember right now whether that was actually who bonded well with Wolfie Vs Twilight or if I was still deciding if I was just gonna rewrite the whole story rather than just crediting it as "something I wrote to cope with the angst, sorry OP" and used my own personal version of who would bond with which side of Twilight.

"Useful" is definitely in reference to the chapters as Ginarosesdale did it. I needed Twilight to talk to Time, to ramble and tell his story and let it all out but words in dialogue form weren't working so we get the summary from Time. Not picking up on the self-deprecation until much later in the stories is... very tied to the idea in my head that "heroes of courage they may be but wisdom is not their forte" so it takes Time a little while to pick up on the thread.

Midna is so pivotal to Twilight’s regret. The entire first chapter of Good Enough was focused on Twilight’s original journey. I, however, have not played Twilight Princess. My context is from fics, from watching clips, from asking my brothers and friends who have played the game, and the Zelda wiki. So... the exact nature of the journey and that scar on his heart was also left to remain vague

But! It was a flash of genius when I realized that "companion leaves forever at the end of the journey" is a trait the two of them share. While Time and Navi’s relationship is obviously different than Twilight and Midna's, their departure without explanation or hope of return haunts them both.

Then we get where it is very obvious I'd been influenced by Twilight's breakdown in Make It Stop. Words are hard for Time but seeing his pup so close to breaking means he needs to say *something*. This is where we get the "...I can speak for myself and you need to know. You are enough. We love you. I love you. I’m so proud of you and the goddesses better give us enough time to prove that to you."

And once again showing the influence of Make It Stop with Twilight’s falling apart at that point. A single hint of indirect praise in the comic conversation with Malon was enough to have him floating the rest of the night. Imagine if it was said directly to him, by the man he knows becomes The Hero’s Shade, and genuinely meant... cue the waterworks.

Time being helpless to do anything but hold his kid... loose reference to IRL and seeing breakdowns and meltdowns and being helpless to help but trying anyway.

Thanks Nancy Dear for the ask. ❤️ Glad you enjoyed the story enough to prod me to actually finish it.

[irambletoomuch]

MUST READS

These are fanfiction that I feel like are must reads. Separated by Fandom. Enjoy!

MCU

🐐Death Before Inaction is literally one of the best Peter Parker fics I've ever read, if you want skewed dynamics, no slash, an OP Peter, and really good story telling this is for you.

The Anomaly is an amazing Into the Spiderverse fic that really goes into Miles character and how giving up; doing everything in your power to prevent something and then it happens anyways, can destroy you and change your perspective. And on the other side how choices can make you regret them.

Bound by a Promise to the Moon is an Avengers work that is focused on characters and relationships between people who have drifted apart. It is IronStrange but nothing in your face for the most part 💀 you can skip those parts if you don't like it😁. It really is worth the read though.

Crossovers

Gaming Spider is a MCU fic that is Peter-centric but be warned because they dropped 8 chapters on the same day in 2022 and haven't updated since. It's so entertaining because Peter just has the Gamer Power (basically Litrpg elements) and grows increasingly stronger after every encounter, and the plot makes sense and isn't only based on the system.

All of the heroes and all of the men, couldn’t save Tommy from getting kidnapped again is such a bias rec on my part, I like crossovers that are done correctly and I was a mcyt and dsmp follower (not really watcher, I can't commit to anything) and this is a story changed by the characters, where the original plot is nothing but a memory to help character development. God I love character development.

BNHA

🐐Parallax is a BNHA fic that is SI and I KNOW BUT HERE ME OUT is basically like if Todoroki was haunted by a physics loving astronomer that made him feel more like someone else, but still kept a lot of what makes him, him. It's so good, like touched me so deeply that I have a hard time explaining it.

A Study In Deceit is a BNHA fic (I know) that is SO FUNNY, basically Bakugou is BBC's Sherlock, but has hid it for all his life, he does cases on the side and turns them in anonymously to the police. It's really good if you're looking for Todoroki and Bakugou friendship.

Foresight now this, this is crack. Want a BNHA fic that speeds through the story in ways that are so funny? Want someone doing something without a clue why? READ THIS. If you know the plot of BNHA it's sometimes easy to guess why he's doing what he's doing but the reactions of other characters is sooo good.

RONIN, ronin, ronin, ronin. This thing is the best ever, BNHA, op Midoriya but now you might be scrolling past, but... It's SO GOOD, BOHB_STEVENS IS A GENIUS this fic was made to practice fighting and ohhhhh did they get plently of practice. If you like fighting scenes that are descriptive, easy to understand, and EXHILARATING read this.

Magneto is an amazingly different BNHA SI fic, where really the story stays the same but I'm a simple person and slice of life interactions can be just as fun as fighting and complicated story telling (the storytelling is good btw) . I think I you want a little angst mixed with mostly good times and crack you should read this.

Pinwheel Eyes is a BNHA if Midoriya had a quirk. But once again the story is original they aren't afraid to make unpopular decisions to keep realism, and he has to win to keep people alive, not just have plot armor. I think if you want amazing fights and to be surprised over and over with how good this is you should read it

Crossovers

🐐A Massacre of One is a BNHA/Worm crossover that is something out of a dream for me. Super long, well written, fight scenes, character development, and well done implementation of other stories elements. With quirks it makes it easy, but still the reactions of others when they figured out what happened is AHHH and the way they make them go through the story is amazing too. Big props to the writer.

Si Vis Pacem is a BNHA/John Wick fic where John Wick (would it be SI?) is reincarnated into Midoriya, and it's pretty good, ngl it updates like 3 times a year so it's been a minute since I've read it, but I remember really liking it.

Be Careful What You Ask Your God is a BNHA and Chainsaw Man crossover where once again (I know I said it wasn't the norm) the characters are the story, here they took a different approach and didn't even focus on the main characters of BNHA and just how the mc's of chainsaw man would live in that world, but the LORE (matpat😭) is interesting.

Misc.

Harry Potter

Porcupine Quills & Potion Spills A Harry Potter (Snape-centric) work. This fic is pretty good, but it's not TOP top tier. The reason it's here is because I've been looking for another fic that has this same idea but none have done it this certain way and I really like the idea. Now it is on Hiatus but its only been a few months, so they'll probably be back (man I hope so).

Crossovers

A Wand for Skitter is a Harry Potter and Worm crossover (if you haven't read worm and appreciate modern sci-fi/eldritch original works you should read it) but the characters are amazing, nothing seems cheap and the ending, THE ENDING it was so good.

Stranger Things

I really didn't mean to hurt anyone is a Stranger Things story that had Steve as Seven. The choices with the way the story is going makes sense and again the characters are so well written. His powers are original and make the story even better and even gets him into some unsavory situations.

Worm

Crossovers

🐐A Massacre of One is a BNHA/Worm crossover that is something out of a dream for me. Super long, well written, fight scenes, character development, and well done implementation of other stories elements. With quirks it makes it easy, but still the reactions of others when they figured out what happened is AHHH and the way they make them go through the story is amazing too. Big props to the writer.

A Wand for Skitter is a Harry Potter and Worm crossover (if you haven't read worm and appreciate modern sci-fi/eldritch original works you should read it) but the characters are amazing, nothing seems cheap and the ending, THE ENDING it was so good.

Kuroko's Basketball

Ball Is Life, But You Still Need To Pay Rent before anything, this work is on hiatus (it hasn't updated since 2022) it's a Kuroko's Basketball fic that is a SI but omg this si is not a John Doe he is so out of pocket I'm not gonna spoil it a lot but if you like the anime you should read this you'll have fun.

The Saga of Tanya the Evil

The Chronicles of Tanya the Fuehrer is another Tanya fic where it's after the war ends, the beginning is amazing, she does get a bit ooc in some parts but other than that the story itself is so entertaining and how they describe things and paint a picture is so beautiful.

Crossovers

A Young Girl's Guerrilla War is a Code Geass and The Saga of Tanya the Evil crossover. It's if Tanya died and was reincarnated again into code geass (another war so on brand) it's something special because it feels like an AU, which so many crossovers can't accomplish, they just follow the plot of the story with new characters without changing the world based on their characters actions. This story is Amazing and something that should become a norm within the trope.

Code Geass

Crossovers

A Young Girl's Guerrilla War is a Code Geass and The Saga of Tanya the Evil crossover. It's if Tanya died and was reincarnated again into code geass (another war so on brand) it's something special because it feels like an AU, which so many crossovers can't accomplish, they just follow the plot of the story with new characters without changing the world based on their characters actions. This story is Amazing and something that should become a norm within the trope.

MCYT/DSMP

Weapon Reforged is something everyone should experience even if they don't know the fandom (I'm not even gonna say it but don't be pushed off once you see it because the story is original and uses characters simple traits to build new ones off of) it's an amazing work of art that is near and dear to me in a big way, it hasnt updated since 2021 but you have to, HAVE TO read this.

Crossovers

All of the heroes and all of the men, couldn’t save Tommy from getting kidnapped again is such a bias rec on my part, I like crossovers that are done correctly and I was a mcyt and dsmp follower (not really watcher, I can't commit to anything) and this is a story changed by the characters, where the original plot is nothing but a memory to help character development. God I love character development.

Blue Lock

A Child's Dream is a Blue Lock fic that is the only reasonabley lengthed fic that isn't slash that I have found. Theres a lot of simping for Isagi but that's normal enough. The development is interesting and keeps you engaged and the interactions are funny and so out of left pocket most of the time.

Déjà Vu is a Blue Lock fic that is probably abandoned, but the idea and execution make up for it, it's also short so don't worry about slogging through 100,000 words then figuring out it's abandoned. It's kind of crack-like but more serious than you would expect.

Miraculous Ladybug

(pockets full of) Stones is a Miraculous Ladybug one shot that is somewhat tear inducing and very realistic. Want a AroAce Adrien Agreste? READ THIS

[nobodysdaydreams]

Wait! What’s that Tumblr user who found this post? You haven’t heard all these songs? And you don’t know why they fit?

Why yes, I do have links to the lyric videos and brief description of why the songs fit:

Mean - SQ reflects on the verbal abuse his dad has leveled against him and imagines a better life

Over You - SQ becomes disillusioned with his vision of Curtain, accepts the truth about his father and that he needs distance, and finally starts to heal

King of Anything - SQ wishes his father would let him make his own choices and finally decides to make his own decisions

Problem Child - after another fight, SQ and Curtain reflect on when things between them were better. SQ is frustrated with everything he did to try and win his dad’s approval, and Curtain can’t understand why he can’t make his son happy. But even if their relationship can’t be mended, they both know they’ll always be family

Cat’s in the Cradle - when SQ is a child, Curtain is too busy to spend time with him. In the future, their roles are reversed, and I like to imagine this is about SQ being too busy to visit him in prison

Rät - SQ once believed his dad was a genius and a hero and wanted to be just like him. Now that he realizes his whole life was a lie, he feels used and stupid for believing any of it in the first place and for still loving his dad after all he’s done (side note: I feel like this song could also be sung by Isaac/the other messengers about Garrison or Curtain)

Because of You - even though SQ has moved on, the damage that Curtain caused him lingers and makes it difficult for him to trust and feel safe

Apologize - Curtain finally apologizes, but SQ reflects on all the times his father has let him down and decides it’s too late to repair their relationship

Unsteady - SQ reaches out to his father one last time for comfort and asks him to show him that he really does love him

[onceuponalegendbg-rwby]

Reaction to RWBY Crew Commentary V9

Alright, as is tradition at this point, got my copy of the Blu Ray so let's get started.

Okay, first of all, before I even hop into the commentary, I love that the title screen for the menu is Ruby falling through that mural in the OP. That is... That is so cool man! Whoever thought of that... I love you. You're a genius.

So we start off with Kerry, Eddy, Laurie (hope I spelled that right). And addressing how they had to work mostly from home on this volume and the challenges that caused.

Yeah, quick reunion was the right call. I mean, we did the Team RWBY split for two volumes (4 and 5) and then again in V8. Don't keep the girls apart again.

Little origins! Give me! Someone that starts how Ruby started...

I mean... yeah, I assumed Ruby knew about Penny from Weiss. Like... duh.

Same peeps for episode 2 but also with Paula? Again, I hope I heard that right.

Return of Blake the Book Nerd.

Yang and Blake kind of dig the Ever After, Weiss hates it, and Ruby is lost in her thoughts.

Luci improvised Little's little song.

Oh, Yang might still think this is a dream so nothing here matters... That's an idea. Everyone grieves differently...

Man I love Weiss in this episode.

"We can't have her be the butt of every joke." .... I want to see what they cut.

Episode 3! We've picked up Conner, Dustin, and Kiersi! Lost Laura and Paula.

The animation is so good man.

Putting away depression to help her friends.

Prince Trauma(TM)

Neo Scary.

Episode 4. Kerry, Eddy, Miles and Dustin.

Curious talk.

Self critic!

"She learned her lesson in the end, right?" "Oh, I'd certainly say so."

"If there's something Ruby can blame herself for, do it!"

"Cat wanted to scope out which one of the girls was weakest."

Shout out to the VAs!!

Chapter 5: Kerry, Eddy, Paula, Kiersi!

Cat is dismissive of WBY. Focuses only on Ruby.

The Blacksmith: The Ever After itself is now reaching out to Ruby.

Walking the line between the audience knowing that Ruby needs help and WBY not quite understanding how bad it is.

Making sure the emblem wasn't on Ruby's model after was a pain.

"Oh no, he's hot."

Episode 6: Kerry, Eddy, Yssa, Laura.

The difference between Jaune having already lived for many years with this guilt in the Ever After and RWBY who are still fresh.

How protective Kerry is of the Bee scene is amazing.

There was an idea that the vision Alyx saw was that she saw that someone in her party was going to keep her from returning home, and it ultimately is herself before the Cat kills her.

Ya'll have already seen other posts about Kerry and crew's thoughts on the Bee scene and what it means for the Yang and Blake so I won't go into all that because, yeah, can't say it better.

"They were actually in front of each other the whole time." Excuse me!

"Now she has to step up again." ....Ow.

Episode 7: Kerry, Eddy, Miles, Dustin? I think that's what I heard.

How the meeting went: "Well he can't have been doing nothing, that would be really disappointing." *Beat of silence* "Oh, that would be really disappointing." Evil geniuses.

Stuck in the pattern of trying to be the hero. Both incredibly busy and doing nothing.

"He's more lost than ever."

Fighting on a hill. I'd never considered the complications of that either.

Miles and Lindsey kill this scene man. It's so good.

Episode 8 (oh boy): Kerry, Eddy, Miles, Paula, Kiersi.

Had to cut an episode due to scheduling and budget. Scary to have to rework that.

Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

The flowers on the Tea Cups are Forget-Me-Nots.

Imposter Syndrome.

Neo landed on the Brother's Acre.

"Neither one of them won that fight." Neo and Ruby.

Episode 9: Kerry, Eddy, Yssa, Dustin, Kiersi.

Blacksmith is a therapist.

Weiss is the best, true.

What do the characters want?

Episode 10: Kerry, Eddy, Yssa, Kiersi, Dustin.

Aw, their kids contributed some of the background drawings for Yang and Ruby's room.

Furious Cat.

"She's the self that chose herself." "She emerges herself but different."

"I'm so happy." I love how much they love this show.

"How do we not redeem her but give her this sort of neutral path?"

Oh man, I'm tearing up before Somewhat even shows up.

Somewhat is no longer defined by having one purpose.

Dude, they keep talking about not wanting this to be filler so they had the backstory of the Brothers but I will always stand by that if the characters learn and grow as people then it will never be filler. So from the beginning this was never going to be filler.

"One small kindness, in one small moment, led to such a marvelous transformation." That line always destroys me.

Whelp, that's a wrap on the commentary for V9. Now... we wait.

[horizon-verizon]

What do you think of this post:

https://at.tumblr.com/bbygirl-aemond/when-villainizing-alicent-backfires-or-how/onaosayifzd6

I agree that Rhaenyra is smarter than people think, but I think that post sort of excuses how cruel Alicent was to order Rhaenyra’s baby brought to her. Also, two things can be true at the same time. Rhaenyra did ruin Alicent’s plan but she also really didn’t trust Alicent with her child because Alicent had been spreading rumors about Rhaenyra’s kids for years. Rhaenyra looked uncomfortable when Alicent took the baby from Viserys when they were in Alicent’s bedroom. She literally turned her head towards her with a worried and tense expression her face. What do you think?

A)

I agree with your points and I agree with the writer in that Rhaenyra was attempting and succeeding in making Alicent look horrible/worse by going with her son herself -- her "malicious compliance".

When OP says:

So many people claim that Rhaenyra was only acting here out of fear for her children, which does succeed in making Alicent look bad, but misses the genius of what Rhaenyra's actually doing.

AND

Rhaenyra does not go with Joffrey because she genuinely thinks Alicent will physically hurt him. At this point in time, pre-Driftmark, Alicent has literally never done anything to suggest she would physically harm a child, let alone a newborn. Stop acting like Alicent was planning on smothering him with a pillow or something equally ridiculous. It's not in Alicent's character (she's quite passive when it comes to violence), and Rhaenyra also doesn't have any information to suggest this.

I think they are not saying that Rhaenyra has no real fear of Alicent, but that the fear isn't in Alicent actually harming the infant. I however agree that OP doesn't acknowledge that the fear is there (however well-managed or "small") and that the fear is from Alicent targeting her children in the first place.

But to give the benefit of the doubt, I think that just from what I saw in the post, the point of the post was to explain the political maneuvering both women did rather than the emotional inspiration for doing those moves. To just talk about how politically capable Rhaenyra is against the "politically stupid" allegations. This could go either way reducing Alicent's evil and Rhaenyra's justifications to plot against Alicent or making people finally notice and acknowledge Rhaenyra's ability to critically think and come up with strategies sooner rather than later.

Depends on which direction the writer goes with their language, and OP only wants to discuss the maneuvering while also telling us that Alicent purposefully targeted Rhaenyra in that episode. It's enough to assume OP is advocating for Rhaenyra and her feelings, but, again, is deciding on focusing on her political brain. OP seems to acknowledge how cruel Alicent was being: "Alicent wanted Rhaenyra to come away from this looking like a shameful harlot" AND "Alicent was trying to make a power play here; she was trying to rub it in the court's faces that Rhaenyra was repeatedly having children via an affair."

However, it would make OP's post stronger if they mentioned the context since it reveals how Rhaenyra would have done many things like this during the 10 years in the jump cut. That's my criticism.

B)

Funny enough, I also read the scene in which OP says it. It makes sense especially with Rhaenyra making Viserys focus more on treachery in the 7th episode -- episode 6 lets us know, you know? I also like how the writer includes the fact that Rhaenyra took Laenor with her to make that image of her sons' legitimacy, making that image of unity against Alicent's trying to make Rhaenyra seem like a disobedient, unfit heir/unruly woman.

Excerpt from OP's post:

Alicent wanted Rhaenyra to come away from this looking like a shameful harlot, but Rhaenyra turned the tables and came away from this seeming like a hero and a dutiful stepdaughter who bravely endured the pain Alicent forced on her, while simultaneously making Alicent seem evil and unreasonable. This is a calculated political move to shift blame onto Alicent and to paint her as crazy. And from the reactions we get as Rhaenyra walks to and from Alicent's chambers, I think she succeeds.

There's one other example where I think Rhaenyra plays the game of politics against Alicent and wins, and where a lot of fans ignore Rhaenyra's intelligence in favor of trying to make Alicent look as bad as possible. It's the scene where Rhaenyra suggests the betrothal of Jacaerys and Helaena, which I'll talk about eventually since I got an ask about it. But basically: Rhaenyra made a proposal that she knew would look good on the surface but that she knew Alicent couldn't accept without endangering her children, ensuring that when Alicent turned it down she would look bitter and crazy.

And we see it here (the script):

Lord Caswell: (on the stairs) Princess, Ser Laenor, it is a privilege to be amongst the first to congratulate you.

Rhaenyra: Thank you, Lord Caswell.

Lord Caswell: If I may be of any service...

Rhaenyra: The day may yet come, my lord.

[...]

Alicent: Princess. Rhaenyra! You should be resting after your labors. Rhaenyra: I have no doubt that you would prefer that, Your Grace. Alicent: You must sit. Talya, fetch a cushion for the Princess. Rhaenyra: There's no need. Alicent: Nonsense. We'll finish this later.

Rhaenyra is openly suggesting Alicent is trying something now and will try something in the future.

She, of course, looked more than "uncomfortable" and there's a specific context for why. She's lived with Alicent on her case for 10 years.

@theroguewyrm says it HERE:

no, but she demanded a fragile, freshly out of the womb-newborn to be brought to her IMMEDIATELY knowing that 1. newborns are extremely vulnerable to germs and shouldn’t get exposed for at least 1-2 days and 2. demanded to separate a mother from her child RIGHT AFTER giving birth.

While these people would not know about germs, they would know that newborns are fragile, especially knowing and experiencing infant mortality. We have Alysanne, Alyssa Velaryon, and Aemma Arryn alone to refer to. Alicent was a terrible person for that. In another post, I say similarly:

Why publicly order for the freshly-born infant in front of the entire court if not to publicly and tacitly announce that you think something is wrong with that infant? Alicent – a mother herself – is well aware of how worried, anxious, and attached a mother can get to her infant after birth and she still decides to do what she does…and it’s clear that it’s happened before, so was she actually surprised that Rhaenyra came with the baby? Why not let Rhaenyra have a few more moments alone with her new child and in real rest after putting herself through that pain to deliver it? (Because she was seeking to take advantage of Rhaenyra’s state). Plus, even if this is a medieval-modeled world, people did and would know that freshly-born infants need to be handled carefully and not so exposed to so many different elements too soon. Newborns are understood to be delicate.

[illycanary]

And this, children, is the whole point of the book. Elizabeth IS clever. She IS observant. She IS (generally) wise and discerning. So WHY is she such a bad judge of character—especially when she believes this is a skill she excels at? The answer is in the title.

Elizabeth’s PRIDE is the source of her PREJUDICES.

She leaves a well-marked trail of judgements in her wake that are all directly tied to how each person either appeals to or offends her vanity. Her mother prefers the other daughters, but her mother’s opinion hardly counts because she’s an idiot. Her father, on the other hand, calls her his favorite, so he’s forgiven for the reality that HE, not his wife, has doomed his daughters to a destitute future. Mr. Bingley calls her pretty, so he’s perfect for her favorite sister. Mr. Darcy snubs her on-sight, so he’s a villain with the worst intentions right up until the letter scene. Wickham flatters her and encourages her notions of having superior judgement, so he’s a tragic hero. Mr. Collins is so obvious about his reasons for proposing (Lady Catherine wishes it, and Jane is unavailable), Elizabeth can hardly consider herself flattered. And Lady Catherine… Lady Catherine is the perfect villain in Elizabeth’s story because she says out loud everything that Elizabeth was already thinking privately about her own family and position. Elizabeth hates her for saying it, but she really can’t deny it. (Remember, in the context of Elizabeth’s world and society, everything Lady Catherine says is RIGHT.)

Mr. Darcy, on the other hand, is Elizabeth inverted. His PREJUDICES are the source of his PRIDE. The poors and the lessers deserve their position. It was decreed by Creation itself. Ergo, he must deserve the status he was born to. Or, said in his own words: “I was given good principles [I was made aware of my privileges and duties], but left to follow them in pride and conceit [and supposed I was more worthy of them than others].”He even shows this first-prejudice-then-pride model in the very first statement he utters about Elizabeth: “I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other [lesser] men.” And just as OP pointed out with Elizabeth, Darcy just as easily falls into the trap of seeing only what he expects to see: an underprivileged girl who could only be thrilled by his attention, which is why it never occurs to him that she isn’t flirting back. It never crosses his mind to take her walking schedule as anything but an invitation to join her. Like Lady Catherine, Elizabeth is the villain he needs to lay some undeniable truth on him.

I hate it when people say the story’s about Elizabeth’s prejudice vs Darcy’s pride. Because that’s not the whole truth. It’s both traits in both characters and how those traits feed one another in an individual, inflame one another in relations, and ultimately make fools of all who let them run unchecked.

Elizabeth’s entire arc is summed up so well in her surprisingly self-aware line: “I could easily forgive his pride if he had not mortified mine.”

But Austen is, as always, the queen of ironic statements from the gloriously un-self-aware…

“I remember hearing you once say, Mr. Darcy, that you hardly ever forgave, that your resentment once created was unappeasable. You are very cautious, I suppose, as to its being created.”

“I am,” said he, with a firm voice.

“And never allow yourself to be blinded by prejudice?”

“I hope not.”

—

“Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride - where there is a real [natural-born] superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.” -Darcy

—

“A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us" -Mary

See also: “Mary had neither genius nor taste; and though vanity had given her application, it had given her likewise a pedantic air and conceited manner [pride]…”

—

“It is particularly incumbent on those who never change their opinion to be secure of judging properly first." -Elizabeth

—

Jane Austen’s wit never shines brighter than when she writes idiots idioting.

i love how a big part of elizabeth bennet’s character is that she is obviously very smart, she is very observant, but she can easily be led astray by her preconceived notions, by things that she already has convinced herself of believing. and this is most obvious by her not seeing mr. darcy’s proposal coming at all, because girl that man was openly flirting with her. i don’t think this is shown a lot in the movie or the tv series, but he keeps teasing her, answering her witty remarks with a smile, the whole “i am not afraid of you” thing. like, charlotte saw it coming, colonel fitzwilliam definitely saw it coming, the gardiners knew as soon as they saw them together later in the book, mr darcy was not as subtle as he thought he was being

seriously, god bless you jane austen for giving us this romance of two fucking idiots constantly misunderstanding each other’s actions and intentions. god bless you for giving us mr “aha so like what do you think of your friend’s marriage? you wouldn’t mind living away from your family when you marry right? oh, no reason, no reason, just a random thought. and what do you think of rosings, you know if hypothetically you were ever a guest there, no, no reason hehe”, and miss “i wonder why i keep coming across mr darcy during my walks, i even made sure to tell him that this is where i usually take my walks so he can avoid me but we are still??? running into each other???? and he keeps asking me all these strange questions too, what a weirdo”

just, two idiots that were made for each other

[ravenhatesisekai]

The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent is Pretty Good

Title: The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent Studio: Diomedéa Release: 2021–2023 Overall Score: A

Genre: Shojo Isekai Art Value: B+ Story: B+ Protagonist: A+ Additional Cast: B Length: 2 seasons, 24 episodes Ending: Acceptable but room for more  OPs and EDs: Inoffensive Reason to Watch: Comfort Food Where to Watch: Crunchyroll

As you may have gleaned from the name of this blog, I hate isekais. Vanishingly few stories are enhanced by shoehorning in a protagonist from the real world. More often than not, all it does is make that protagonist less likable. As a form of wish fulfillment I reluctantly get it—this hamfisted genre exists because capitalism is killing us all. But as a writing tool it’s a lazy crutch for authors who can’t be bothered to invent an original character, or who don’t know how to introduce a fantasy setting without someone cluelessly questioning every single thing they see. You know the genre is bad because it’s exactly what Hollywood does every time somebody decides to cash in on a popular video game franchise. Every isekai protagonist should be legally required to be voiced by Chris Pratt until they stop making these damn things.

Unfortunately, I quite like The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent. 

As justification for being an isekai goes, it performs better than average. Main character Takanashi Sei is magically summoned to a fantasy kingdom in need of a savior. Her identity as a person from another world is important to the plot and is openly known to the rest of the cast, a nice change of pace from the convenient secrecy and narrative forgetfulness more typical to the genre—so many of these damn shows do their isekai, drop into the main plot, and then never mention it again, proving my point that isekais don’t need to be a thing. The Saint’s Magic Power actually makes use of the stupid isekai gimmick. Sei pursues the same hobbies she had before the isekai happened, she talks fairly often about her home country and culture, and she even still looks Japanese in a setting full of Standard Fantasy Renaissance White People, since she mercifully didn’t have to get murdered and reincarnated for this particular isekai. It's more Narnia than Super Mario Bros. Movie, so just this once we'll give an isekai a pass (reluctantly).

Sei is the best reason to watch her own show. Voiced by the incomparable Ishikawa Yui (Violet Evergarden, 2B, Mikasa Ackerman), she does pretty much all of the heavy lifting to make it compelling. Skeptical, grown up, cautious to the point of dragging her feet, and more interested in her hobbies than other commitments, she’s a likable and relatable isekai heroine atypical to the genre. She’s also surprisingly funny. Sei’s frequent internal monologuing gives Ishikawa Yui opportunity to show off her comedic talent in a way you don't see as much in her more serious action girl roles. The show relies on the strength of Ishikawa’s performance to make Sei sympathetic—a safe bet on one of the very best in the business. She carries the whole thing.

Apart from its main character, the rest of The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent operates firmly in a B to B+ range. Its setting is your absolute standard post-medieval European isekai country, utterly identical to similar offerings from shows like Surgeon Elise, Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, and many others I’ll refrain from naming just so their titles don’t eat up my entire character limit for this review. But they basically all do this. There’s some fantasy world out there where all of these alternate Europes are just neighbors with each other, absolutely drowning in imported isekai heroes. The story is more original. The imperiled kingdom attempts to summon a holy saint to save it from an epidemic of monsters, but ends up getting two. Sei, a blandly ordinary 20 year old office worker, is initially passed over in favor of the younger Aira, who better looks the part. The crown prince of the kingdom decides Aira must be the saint and Sei is pretty much ignored and cut loose. It’s a funny premise that works well: obviously, as the first season develops it becomes clear that Sei is the real saint, but those first few episodes where she’s just left to her own devices set up a lot of why the show works. She has time to prioritize her hobbies, applying some amateur real world cooking and herb gardening knowledge into a new career as an alchemist. More importantly, she realizes she has time to prioritize her hobbies, at which point she starts getting on board with her new life and I start envying her a little (isekais are a popular genre for a reason). And, of course, she starts meeting hot guys.

It's obligatory

The show’s cast apart from Sei has a lot less to offer. This is shojo so almost all of them are good looking men (see above). They’re also mostly incredibly flat characters, even for the genre. There are some standouts: I like Sei’s magic teacher Yuri, who has a great design and the attention span of a hamster. She also has female friends in the form of Elizabeth, your standard hair drills ojou type (these characters are always named Elizabeth) and later Aira, but these two receive little screen time. Aira in particular feels like a missed opportunity, basically exiting the plot after it becomes clear that Sei is the real protagonist. The manga adaptation actually has a spinoff starring Aira titled The Saint's Magic Power Is Omnipotent: The Other Saint, something I hope might be in the cards for the anime as well considering they bothered to cast another pretty significant name for her in Ichinose Kana (Suletta Mercury, Sousou no Frieren’s Fern, the Tuesday part of Carole & Tuesday).

Unfortunately, one of the flattest characters in the cast is Albert, Sei's main love interest. He’s voiced by another heavyweight in Sakurai Takahito (Jujutsu Kaisen’s Geto Suguru, Taki Noboru from Sound! Euphonium, Cloud Strife from those games with Cloud Strife in them), who does his best, but there’s little to do. Albert is the good looking knight-commander of his kingdom's Third Order of Knights. His personality is that he's a good looking knight. I call these characters Budget Tuxedo Masks. You can find one in just about every B grade anime with a female protagonist. They're usually some form of knight or royalty or both, they almost always have blue eyes and either black or blonde hair, and they exist solely to say chivalrous lines, be in love with the main character, and occasionally fight a dragon or something for as long as the budget will allow. This is not at all different from western het-female-targeted romance where the male lead is usually some awful variation on either Mister Darcy or Edward Cullen, but it’s still very funny.

Now featuring the Mamoru Everywhere System

A bit frustratingly considering how little there is to him, Sei and Albert's romance is also pretty well written for the type of show that this is. A lot of time is spent on the two of them agonizing over each other and on Sei’s feelings in particular, eventually becoming the focus of most of the show's second season and reaching a satisfying resolution by the end of it. Here Sakurai’s voice acting does shine—even if Albert has absolutely nothing else going on inside his head, you do believe that he REALLY loves Sei. Ultimately, I don't really hold Albert's flatness against him. He does just enough, and Sei carries the rest fine on her own. It’s okay for a pretty bimbo to be the love interest now and then. Isekai is about wish fulfillment, after all. 

And that's more or less all there is to say about The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent. It has a predictable but gracefully handled story with a fun premise and a focus on cozy wish fulfillment. Its extended cast exist pretty much solely to fill their roles in the story, but they fill them acceptably; and the main character is a cut above. I'll spare just a moment more for the art: firmly B grade, but with solid designs, a good sense of humor to accommodate Sei's more comedic moments, and enough budget saved up to go higher resolution for the important moments. It's Fine and pretty when it needs to be. Most isekais don't try to be anything but mass produced, but through skill of execution and a great main character, The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent aspires to a little bit more. I wouldn't mind watching more of this—they should make that spinoff. 

[oswednesday]

Bnha is a fine series for what it is but i just can't understand my problem with it - like, having read from the beginning it feels like it lost some aspects that i enjoyed or moved away from things i thought it was setting up.

On some level i attribute it to my 'the hundred chapter shounen curse" where around a hundred chapters in most shounen just dip in quality. But it's not quite like that.

I do agree with some people's complaints about setting deku up as hyper analytical character but then providing him a 'punch harder' flying brick powerset.

I do wonder how the series could have handled it if they had just let deku be op from the beginning, as i feel exploring the quirk have vs havenot stuff couldve been more explicit if they did that.

Also Bakugo is such a genius addition for the story. His 'no i want to be a hero moment' was great

And i know this complaint is just all shounen but i wish the women characters could have more to do / more focus without having to deal with the shounen enforced gender roles death trap.

I should read through it again and actually analyze some of the themes, might help me learn what i disliked about the transition to longer running

i dont think the solution or the problem is like what if the characters were x and y and z instead tho that is a fun thought exercise! i was rolling this ask over in my head a bunch because i feel much the same, i think where the Problem arises happens in pretty much everything the seams are just more noticeable in a shounen cause theyre unfortunately expected to follow a set of stuff to be publishable and marketable as that, this happens in usamerican comics too so i think ill use that to talk about it like, what we get introduced to is an intimate story in a world like our own but not exactly, much of the mystery of the world is concealed to us, the conflicts are close to the protagonist our window into the world, the antagonist feel so much bigger theyre a huge unknown, as the story progresses the intimacy is often lost , all things have these growing pains of course, i think for bnha in order to like have stretch marks instead of tearing the antagonists would have had to get more complicated and the protagonists interactions with that would have had to get more in depth and serious and there would have had to been bigger and bigger consequences while there are eventually it ends up feeling just like expected beats so with that loss and familiarity the charge of the story is lost?

to talk about something like, power and story creep, like superhero stuff often starts intimate does it? like you learn about the protagonist and youre close to the inner struggles, the antagonists are larger than life and often pale behind The Real Big Bad but you dont even know yet! its mysterious and scary! but then the world opens up and its like with batman in the greater dcu, doesnt that ruin the sort of intimacy knowing someone with god like powers is a phone call away? thinking about how the animated series teen titans handles that by keeping the stories really close and interpersonal and the characters' antagonists always these figures just one step away from being understood its like theyre scary!

but bnha let the air out real fast on a lot of stuff while never moving them beyond, what are we suppose to feel about all for one or about tomura or about any over them, like we'd get a lore dump and the status quo would remain! i think about like the who is the traitor arc and how that doesnt matter after everything cause of how big a jump the comic made in that, while that happens and sometimes it happens real good, it sort of becomes plug in play doesnt it like did the overhaul stuff really serve the narrative where it was in the story? was that really the best way to handle dabi's narrative? like it feels like a list of check off marks!!! and of course its in some part because its a serialized comic series

but teal deer its like Pacing and Plot economy, what you lose in intimacy and being on the ground floor at the start you make up for with like overwhelming your other senses as the series becomes ungrounded and seemingly further away from like, the opening wound but it has to be there in secret the whole time so that by the time it ends you feel that it was there the entire time! of course thats just for stories like this, its like theres also a lack of examination and exploring that was found in earlier chapters but maybe thatll get coaxed out more, its a bit of that like naruto problem or star wars problem even like not much point in being like The Good Guys Are Actually Not But The Other side Is Morally Ambitious and Not Evil if youre like side evil eats babies and the good guys are heroes periodt like, well, whatever! waste my time