#SO MUCH WRITING

[amethystina]

I'm trying to edit chapter 41 but instead of focusing on that, my brain generously supplied me with the following exchange between Yo Han and Elijah

Taking place a couple of years after canon, is my guess (unrelated to Who Holds the Devil), when they're all a little more settled and Yo Han and Ga On are a long-established couple.

Yo Han: "What would you say if Ga On and I decided to have children?"

Elijah: "You know you can't actually get him pregnant, right?"

Yo Han: "Not for lack of trying."

Like. Yo Han. My dude.

I know that you're joking. And I'm pretty sure that Elijah knows that you're joking. But you should consider yourself lucky if she doesn't try to murder you after you throw something like that at her.

Be kind to your poor niece. She definitely didn't need to hear that.

Also, let's hope Ga On is never made aware of this conversation. He might just die from embarrassment.

Or try to throttle Yo Han.

[stillness-in-green]

On Heteromorphs & Heteromorphobia (Introduction + Terminology + Arcs I - V, Entrance Exam to Sports Festival)

Being a project to observe and document the use of the term “heteromorph,” the people described by it, and the depiction of their experiences with discrimination in My Hero Academia

OR

“No, heteromorphobia isn’t new or a late-story retcon.  The non-heteromorph main characters just weren’t confronted with it for a long time, that’s all.”

Introduction

In this series of posts, I will be examining heteromorphic characters and heteromorphic discrimination chapter by chapter, arc by arc, up through the plotline coming to a head in the attack on Central Hospital.  My overall aim is to demonstrate that, contrary to widespread assertions otherwise, heteromorphobia had ample groundwork laid long before it burst to the forefront in My Villain Academia.  My analysis will generally fall into one of the following categories:

General observations about heteromorphs in the world: how the reader is introduced to them individually and as a group, their demographics, the language used to describe them, how they fit into the structure of professional heroism, etc.    

Aspects of the series—scenes, character beats, worldbuilding details, etc.—which I believe canonically point towards heteromorphic discrimination, even before that discrimination was explicitly acknowledged.

Aspects of the series that could be read as evidence for said discrimination, but which may or may not have been intentional on the part of the author.    

Discussion of how individual characters intersect, or could intersect, with this form of discrimination.

I would like to fold the Vigilantes spin-off into this analysis as well, as that series is very good at taking aspects of worldbuilding from the main series to their logical, street-level conclusions; I may also examine other extracanonical material (the data books, the movies, TUM and the novels, etc.) if I find—or have suggested to me—anything relevant to the topic.  More on this as I get closer to the end of the material in the series proper.

The current plan being to end my mainline analysis with the hospital attack is largely because, at the present time, Shouji’s response to the mob seems to be the series’ last word on The Problem of Heteromorphobia.  I may, however, continue beyond that point if the series circles back to the issue in a major way between now and the completion of this project.

In the meantime, join me below the jump as I lay out my thesis, explain the rationale behind the terminology used in this piece, and dive on into the canon material, from Chapter 1 up through the conclusion of the Sports Festival in Chapter 44.

   

The Thesis 

Anti-heteromorph discrimination has been present as a background element in the series from the very beginning.  However, this is obscured by the main character’s lack of awareness of it, the overlap between such discrimination and the broader dehumanization of villains, and, perhaps most crucially, the fact that the term “heteromorph,” while serviceable as a descriptor for a broad categorization of quirk types, is uselessly broad for discussing heteromorphic discrimination.

It’s very easy to say, “The idea of heteromorphs being discriminated against is a ridiculous retcon,” if one views the story as suggesting that all people with heteromorphic quirks are subject to the exact same levels of discrimination, while transformation and emitter types are never discriminated against at all, no matter how they look.  This, however, is demonstrably false if one instead looks for patterns in the types of discrimination demonstrated throughout the series.  The common element in heteromorphic discrimination is that it becomes drastically more likely the farther away one is from the “normal” appearance of humans prior to the Advent of the Extraordinary.  This is particularly the case for those with heteromorphic quirks tied to animals or those who live in rural areas.

   

On Terminology

Baseline/Divergence: “Baseline” is not a canonical term, but it is a useful one.  I’ll use it to describe bodies that look more or less “normal,” with features like those humans would have had before the advent of quirks.  Bakugou is baseline; so is Momo.  Tokoyami and Koda are not.  I’ll also sometimes use “divergence” or “divergent” in association with this concept, especially for people who have no more than one or two cosmetic differences that are not associated with an animal.  Jirou’s earphone jacks or Iida’s pipes would be examples of such relatively minor divergences from “baseline.”  It is, as I will argue, a significant factor in the extent of discrimination that heteromorphs face.

Igyou/Heteromorph: The Japanese term Spinner objects to in Chapter 220 is igyou, literally meaning “fantastic; grotesque; strange-looking; suspicious-looking” per Japanese dictionary site jisho.org.  It’s often appended with gata, “type,” and people who have quirks of that type labeled as igyou-gata no ningen.  The Viz release translates igyou to “heteromorph,” and igyou-gata to “heteromorphic” or “heteromorphic quirk.”  It’s much more clinical-sounding to an English ear than a more literal translation of igyou would be; thus, when Spinner suggests that the word is not very politically correct, the Japanese reader will have a much clearer understanding of why than the English reader.

Another thing Spinner says about igyou is that, despite the fact that it’s not a good word for formal contexts, everyone uses it day to day.  However, as far as I can tell, and troublingly for fans who want to avoid using an offensive word, there is no polite alternative.  We see people using the word to describe themselves, Aizawa uses it freely in discussing how his quirk affects the type in question, but we don’t get to see an academic paper or expert interview letting us know what we should say instead.

I’ve only seen two alternatives.  One is buried in Vigilantes and is less “a polite alternative” and more “a mouthful of words to prevaricate around not having a polite alternative”: tokushuna taikaku no mochinushi, or, per the Viz translation, “individuals with unique bodies.”  The other, used by the firebrand PLF advisor leading the hospital riot, is kotonaru katachi, which means, roughly, “differing forms.”  It’s better, but still more of a descriptive phrase than a noun, and runs into the issue that something vague like “differing forms” could also apply to, for example, congenital anomalies or amputations. It also uses the same kanji as igyou, just a different reading of the characters, so it’s unclear if Spinner would find that wording just as objectionable.

It’s tricky to navigate this, too, because it’s not all 1:1 translation.  Spinner doesn’t object to being called igyou while thinking that igyou-gata or igyou-gata no ningen would be fine—that is, he’s not saying he doesn’t like being called a heteromorph, but being called a heteromorphic type or a person with a heteromorphic quirk would be fine, in the way that you see debates about person-first versus identity-first language in e.g. the autistic community.  It’s the word igyou/“heteromorph” itself that he dislikes.

Why?  Well, the obvious answer is that the word itself, down to the kanji involved, denotes the people it’s used to describe as being strange or different from normal.  Transformation-type quirks have a similar if less pronounced issue: henkei can mean “transformation” or “metamorphosis,” but it can also mean “deformity.”  Emitters are the only ones who don’t have this problem at all, with hatsudou meaning simply “invocation” or “put into operation.”

When that kind of normativity is baked into the language itself, it’s impossible to even talk about without Othering the people you’re discussing.

While neither addresses the language issue specifically, Ujiko and Re-Destro both offer some useful insight on why the issue exists.  Ujiko says, “With each passing generation, quirks become more mixed, more complex, more ambiguous(...).”  Re-Destro, meanwhile, asks, “Isn’t it odd how society insists on conforming to the old ways of thinking while eliminating anyone who doesn’t fit the mold?  Especially since we as a species have moved beyond the very notion of normal!”

My suspicion, then, is that no polite alternative exists because the concept itself is so nebulous, and talking about it—as we will see—leads to thorny, difficult-to-categorize places when people prefer to keep things nice and tidy, easy to sort and put away.  This is convenient for people who are uncomfortable talking about it, since policing people about their language is a great way to shut down discussion entirely.

Indeed, I’ve seen as much in the fandom—thoughtful, well-articulated posts wholly dismissed with snotty rebukes against using the word “heteromorph” on the basis that it’s equivalent to a slur, with no further engagement on the posts’ actual content.  I often see “mutant” used instead, but I don’t view that as any kind of solution, for two reasons.

Firstly, and more simply, using “mutant” creates confusion due to its overlap with the idea of quirk mutations—situations like Eri’s.  Indeed, in the Japanese, while Pops uses the Japanese word for “mutation,” kanji that would normally be read as totsuzenheni,[1] the furigana show that what he's actually saying aloud is the English word, giving the reading as myuuteeshon.  The word igyou is totally unrelated—it doesn’t even have any kanji in common with totsuzenhi—so I feel it’s best to not add ambiguity where none exists in the original text.

Secondly, and more irksomely, “mutant” is what the most widely available fan scanlation used as a translation for igyou.  Scanlation!Spinner says it’s the word “mutant” he dislikes; it’s not dodging offense to use the scanlation version instead of the official when they’re both placed in the exact same objectionable context![2]

Pictured: me being extremely unimpressed with people who use “mutant” accusing people who use “heteromorph” of using slurs.

All that said, in the absence of any polite alternatives provided by the canon, and in the interest of not throwing out the only word we have in favor of a nonexistent nicety the story’s victims themselves have no access to, I will be using the word those victims themselves use: “heteromorph.”

For further specificity, I will use “heteromorph” to describe anyone, regardless of quirk type, with a physical form that diverges from the pre-Advent baseline, while using “heteromorphic quirk” to denote quirks of said category and those who bear them.

Categorizing Quirks & the Division of Arcs:

Usually, when I denote a quirk as a given type—emitter, transformation, heteromorphic—I’m using the English fan wiki’s classification.  However, note that, while these broad quirk classifications are discussed within the series, there is no canonical source that categorizes the vast majority of the quirks we see in the series.  In character sheets, data books, narrated quirk explanations or the anime’s tic of showing characters’ names and quirks on-screen, the only information given is the quirk’s name and a brief explanation of its function.

Fan wikis, however, are run by curatorial fans, who want to have that information all down neatly, so I’m sure there are whole discussions behind classifying some of the more borderline cases.  I will be discussing the insufficiencies of the current system of classification, but any time I declare a quirk as being classified as a certain type, that’s based on the wiki, not the text itself.

The wiki was also my reference for the breakdown of arcs in the series. They are equally noncanonical, but convenient for the purposes of keeping this piece broken down into digestible pieces.

Let's get started.

   

Heteromorphs and Heteromorphobia Chronologically

The Entrance Exam Arc (Chapters 1-4)

Chapter 1: 

On the very first page, we meet li’l Tsubasa, the winged boy who is implied to eventually become the Winged Noumu during the Stain arc.[3]  No longer in Bakugou’s friend group by the time they’re in middle school; according to the data book, that’s just because he changed schools, but that information does come with an ominous ellipsis trail-off…    

The very first villain we see is a heteromorph, yelling at heroes to go away.  We’re told he’s a purse-snatcher who transformed into his large size—he maintains his base appearance even after being captured and shrinking back down to a normal size—when cornered.  Called “pure evil” by Kamui Woods and while that does speak more directly to the dehumanization of villains than that of heteromorphs, it’s notable that this very first comparison between what heroes and villains look like shows such a stark difference between which one looks human and which one doesn’t.        o  Kamui Woods himself is a transformation-type rather than a heteromorph-type, but he blurs the line between quirk categorizations.  Even at “rest,” his limbs have a wooden appearance; he transforms their shape and size, but not their basic nature.  In that sense, he has a heteromorphic body.  His humanoid size and dimensions, though, as well as his mask, make him appear baseline at a casual glance.  I’ll be discussing him in more depth later, but note that if you read this first confrontation in light of later reveals about heteromorphic discrimination, it’s the one who wears a mask that’s a hero.

But with Mount Lady getting the final blow, note how everyone in this picture is baseline except the literally muzzled villain.

Of twenty-four visible kids in Deku and Bakugou’s class, only two have clear-cut heteromorphic quirks.  One girl has horns but no other divergent features nor other apparent power in use; the other is of the “different head” style, a boy with what looks like a pair of needle-nose pliers in place of a normal head.  One other boy has gnashing, sharp teeth; it’s unclear whether they look like that all the time or whether it’s a transformation effect.  The rest of the students all seem to be emitter or transformation types.    

Introduction of the Sludge Villain, whose body is entirely fluid.  Implied to kill those whose bodies he possesses, at least the ones he intends to fully hide himself within.  We’re now two-for-two on villains being heteromorphs.    

The crowd full of bystanders are all baseline:

Keep this image in mind for when we get our first crowd shot of villains.

Chapter 3+:

You can identify both Shouji and Tokoyami in this chapter, but Deku doesn’t talk to either of them, so they don’t have anything solid in the way of dialogue.  Shouji does get one focus in the art, though: a shot of him from behind, typifying the information-gathering type.  Nedzu first appears in silhouette but also has no speaking lines beyond a shared impressed noise with the also-silhouetted Vlad King.  One or two other heteromorphs can be spotted throughout the exam, but they’re definitely fewer in number compared to the rest.    

+: Others will crop up as Deku has his first day with Class 1-A and Aizawa in the following chapters; Tokoyami, befitting his eventual Number 3 placement at the Sports Festival, has his name regularly shown near the top of assorted exam/class activity rankings.  Shouji’s name appears likewise in Chapter 7’s track and field test rankings.    

The Quirk Apprehension Test Arc (Chapters 5-7)

Chapter 5:

Iida is, strictly speaking, the first named heteromorph in the class.  There will never be any particular sign that Iida is subject to the judgement and bias that more divergent heteromorphs are.

Chapter 6: 

Tsuyu is the next named heteromorph, the first one with an animal-associated quirk, and the first student whose facial features are clearly intended to be anything other than baseline human.  Her quirk is not yet officially introduced, but she’s identified as a froggy type by her hopping, her long tongue, and her ribbit talk bubble.    

In the same chapter that gives us our first instance of an animal-type heteromorph, we also get our first instance of animal-type name-calling:

Note the ever-stoic Shouji’s pointed lack of a response.

This is not particularly highlighted in the moment, but it will get a callback over 300 chapters later as something that warrants an apology.  Note that both Sero and Mineta are themselves heteromorphs, but neither are animal-associated. This already sets up a discrepancy between what kinds of heteromorphs experience significant discrimination, even though the reader won’t get context for that until Spinner introduces us to the CRC.    

The Battle Trial Arc (Chapters 8-11)

Chapter 11:

Shouji is formally introduced, name and quirk alike.  Tsuyu proves to be relatively outgoing despite her demeanor, grouped with the affable Kirishima, Mina, and Sato in introducing herself to Deku after the indoor battles.    

The first appearance of the League of Villains in the stinger with Shigaraki, Kurogiri and the USJ Noumu.  None of them have heteromorphic quirks, as we’ll eventually find, but it’s immediately apparent that—like both of Chapter 1’s villains—they’re much more monstrous in appearance than the heroic cast.  This correlation of appearance with criminal activity will continue to bear itself out throughout the series, getting more prominent and more explicit in the text as it goes along.    

The U.S.J. Arc (Chapters 12-21)

Chapter 12: 

Contains Ojiro’s character sheet, which notes that he always has to ask for clothing alterations when he’s shopping, which has become standard practice since the proliferation of quirks.  Another profile page leading Chapter 32 will note similarly that he has a hard time sitting normally in a chair.  Indeed, despite U.A. being the premier school for heroes, their accommodation seems to top out at exaggeratedly large doors; there doesn’t seem to be any accommodation in things like desks given for people with differently shaped bodies, like Ojiro’s tail or Mineta’s small stature.     It’s possible that specially made desks, like clothes alterations, could be provided upon request, but that puts the onus on the person with the need to ask.  Between the people in question being teenagers and Japan’s culture of meiwaku (not causing trouble for others), that’s a pretty significant disincentivization compared to just incorporating different desk sizes into the class by default, either by having a selection available in all classes or by proactively asking students about their needs during the enrollment process.

Chapter 13:

Bakugou calls Tsuyu “frog-face,” starting a trend he will continue for a long, long time of immediately going for animal traits when he’s reaching for an insult to use against an animal-type heteromorph.    

Thirteen talks about how the use of quirks is heavily restricted and monitored because, “It only takes one wrong move with an uncontrollable quirk for people to die.”  The series will go on to provide all sorts of examples of conflicts that arise from this state of affairs—reduced bodily autonomy, repression of biological compulsion, quirk-based discrimination—but Thirteen doesn’t bring up any of that.  As Mr. Compress will call out later, the UA kids are seldom given much in the way of opposing viewpoints, and that’s visible here, where Thirteen provides a very basic explanation of the status quo with zero historical or sociopolitical context.[4]

Chapter 14:

As was the case for Shigaraki’s chapter-ending stinger at the bar, it’s very noticeable that the group at USJ have a far higher ratio of frightening appearances in crowd scenes.

Venus fly-trap hands, paper ofuda body, three with weird heads, face-chest dude, the dude with four legs: some of them might well be transformation types rather than heteromorphs, but either way, they’re a lot creepier across the board.

First use of the term heteromorph, from one of the villains Shigaraki brings to the USJ attack.  It’s followed up with Aizawa distinguishing “heteromorphic types” from “operative” and “transformative” types.  As I said in the terminology section, “heteromorph” is less fraught than the Japanese term igyou, but one might guess that Caleb Cook didn’t see a discrimination plotline coming—especially since the first person to use the word is self-describing!—so went with something a bit drier.

   

Tsuyu provides the first example of a character’s quirk being named simply for the animal they resemble with the formal introduction of her quirk, Frog.  I have to wonder somewhat about the politics of this—who chooses what to name a quirk?     Do the parents themselves do it, choosing a name and the kanji to use, and then just have to get the name approved when turning in a registration form at the local government office?  Or does the clerk at said office do it after getting a description of how the quirk operates?  Is there an appeals process if your choice is rejected/you don’t like what the clerk saddled your kid with?     Are heteromorphs, especially animal-types, more likely to just get assigned the exact same quirk name as their family members, regardless of any difference in their abilities?  Both of the Iida brothers, for example, have their quirk listed as Engine, though their pipes are in different places on their bodies.  We’ll later be told that Spinner’s whole family has reptilian quirks, but his is particularly weak.  Nonetheless, it’s still called Gecko, the same way Tsuyu’s is called Frog, even though she has a whole suite of abilities—she can do anything a frog can do!—and all Spinner can do is stick to walls.  And I wonder what the culture is like on that, and who makes that call.     As a further thought experiment, consider that if heteromorphs are more likely to get blanket names of their quirks than emitters, what does that mean for the quirk registry as an investigative tool for police?  Sure, there might be a lot of fire-users in the area, but the name and description of those quirks in the database will offer more ways to distinguish between them and how a fire-using suspect wielded their flames. You don't get that when your suspect had a lizardish quirk, there are fifteen petty criminals with lizardish quirks in the city, and all the quirk registry says is, “Lizard: Has lizard-like abilities and features.”     This homogenization of people who are already discriminated against compared to the apparent effort made to distinguish people with desirable emitter-type or colorful transformation quirks[5] leaves a lot of room for lazy, shoddy or even actively vindictive police work.     (Incidentally, Hound Dog and Gigantomachia both have quirks just named Dog.  Machia’s version only grants enhanced smell and hearing; he lacks Hound Dog’s canine features completely.  This would seem to indicate that simplistic quirk names aren’t limited by family groups, but rather assigned quite widely.)    

At the end of the chapter, Tsuyu’s character page notes that she gets cold easily—a weakness to cold that fellow ectotherm-based-quirk-haver Spinner does not seem to share, despite his appearance being considerably more divergent than Tsuyu’s.  On the other hand, his power set is much, much weaker.  Possibly the more abilities you have from “your” animal, the more of their more “negative” traits you also have to deal with? This would track with Mirko’s panicky “rabbit survival senses” kicking in the instant she saw Shigaraki in the tube.[6]

Chapter 15: 

Nedzu is introduced as the Principal.  Nedzu’s an interesting case.  He must be assumed to have a heteromorphic body as he’s clearly not a baseline mouse!  And his quirk is heteromorphic in the same sense that Ujiko’s is—its effect is both limited to his own self as well as being inherent to him—he can’t turn it on and off, and he can’t affect others with it.  Yet we can’t quite assume he experiences heteromorphobia in the same way humans do because he isn’t human; if people assume he’s animalistic or less-than-human, well, he is an animal, and he isn’t human.     Personally, I think Nedzu’s experience of heteromorphobia is most interesting for how it might intersect with that experienced by human heteromorphs—for example, what do people assume about Nedzu that’s similar to what they assume about other heteromorphs, and what do people assume about heteromorphs because of Nedzu and other rare instances of animals with quirks?

Chapter 21:

Introduction of Cementoss.  His quirk’s an emitter-type, but his body, and particularly his head, is very clearly not baseline.  Similar to Tokoyami, his appearance is technically independent of his quirk, though there are visual ties.  This begs a lot of questions about the arbitrary categorization of quirks and the insufficient language to talk about people whose appearances are very far afield from the old human norm, if the only word there is for a very different body is a word that’s also used to talk about a quirk category, and it’s considered a somewhat rude word at that!     In any case, with his squarish, cement-block head, he’s also our best look so far at someone with a heteromorphic body who has a visual tie to something that is a) a recognizable, extant thing in the world, but also b) inorganic in nature.  He won’t be the last or the weirdest of these.    

Introduction of Sansa, our first animal-type civilian heteromorph.    

Shouji’s character sheet, noting that Horikoshi thinks he’s cool even if he’s not the type of guy to stand out in the crowd, and wants to feature him in the story but isn’t sure when it will happen.  The character pages often—not always, but often—show what characters look like underneath various masks and costumes.  Shouji is the first exception, with his face remaining covered by his mask even here.  I see very little reason for that to be the case unless Horikoshi was concealing his scars for a dramatic later reveal.     Horikoshi also mentions here, for the first time, that he really enjoys drawing non-human-looking characters.  Given that he will also later say that he really enjoys thinking up personal details and backstory stuff for characters, it’s not unreasonable to suppose that he might have had the idea that “rural areas are still discriminatory” from the very beginning, even if he didn’t know how much of a role it might wind up playing.  This is especially the case if he had already begun conceptualizing the members and stories of the League of Villains, as discrimination is inseparable from Spinner’s reasons for becoming a villain in the first place.    

The U.A. Sports Festival Arc (Chapters 22 - 44)

One thing that stands out to me about the Sports Festival—no particular chapters, so I’m putting it at the beginning; keep an eye out next time you read it!—is that the audience members are far more varied in terms of how they look than the street crowds tend to be.  This is particularly the case as you get towards the finals and get more crowd commentary, and thus comparatively more detailed crowd shots.

Unincluded but equally telling panels include the ones with the skeleton knight or the parasitized snail guy.

While some of this can probably be chalked up to Horikoshi’s assistants getting better at drawing colorful random extras, I don’t think that’s the only reason, given how consistent the patterns in crowd make-up are throughout the series.  Rather, it’s notable that the attendees to the Sports Festival are, by and large, Hero industry people—most of them are, judging by their costumes,[7] heroes. We know from later on in the series that Japan has hundreds, probably thousands of active heroes in the modern day, and heroism is a good path for heteromorphs who don’t want to become villains but feel stifled at the prospect of being civilians; if nothing else, having a license is a preventative against being harassed for public quirk use just because you exist!  So it’s not surprising that the mid-ranks of heroes—people with middling quirks who are, For Some Strange Reason, not popular enough to make it to the tops of the charts—are flush with heteromorphs.

Chapter 26:

The full roster for Class 1-B is shown, though only a few of them get much in the way of dialogue through the Sports Festival material, most prominently Shiozaki, Tetsutetsu, and Monoma.  Class B is where a lot of the really weird first-year UA heteromorphs wound up.  Class 1-A has got nobody even a sliver as Downright Bizarre as Fukidashi Manga and Bondo Kojirou.

Chapter 27:

Hatsume Mei’s character sheet implies that support goods are mostly a thing for heroes—a government license is required to produce them; using them requires a hero license.  Most notable from her page is the sentence, “For those whose quirks impede everyday life, permits for special life-improving items may be granted after a rigorous examination.”  That’s a lot of qualifiers, isn’t it?  You might get to have support goods that improve your quality of life if you can prove to someone from the government that your life is sufficiently impeded by your quirk—oh, and that examination is going to be really demanding.  There’s an obvious example in Aoyama’s belt, and Aoyama’s certainly no heteromorph, but it’s easy to imagine that kind of thing affecting heteromorphs disproportionately.

Chapter 29:

A small thing, but Tokoyami notes that the only person he has previously told Dark Shadow’s weakness to is Koda, another of the Class 1-A kids with a more significantly heteromorphic appearance.  We will eventually find in a volume extra about the CRC that one of their branches is a group that rejects those who have strange heads—Tokoyami and Koda are the clear examples in Class 1-A, give or take Shouji’s unmasked features and Mina’s horns and odd coloring.     The wiki notes that Koda and Tokoyami were together for the USJ attack, so the weakness may simply have come up there, but I don’t believe it’s explicitly specified anywhere what the circumstances were for Tokoyami telling Koda that information.

Chapter 30: 

A “raccoon eyes” from Bakugou aimed at Mina, a reference to her black sclera.  The Japanese here just translates to black eyes, though—still a reference to a heteromorphic feature, but not an animal insult.

Chapter 32: 

Opting to rest up during the Sports Festival’s pre-final break, Tokoyami, the bird head guy, does this by stashing himself up on a tree branch.  While I don’t think Tokoyami tends towards a lot of avian mannerisms, he will later be deeply impacted by Hawks encouraging him to fly.    

In a strategic tactic to rile up Midoriya by insulting his classmate, Shinso derisively calls Ojiro a monkey.  It’s super-effective!

Chapter 33: 

In a not-so-strategic patch of angry internal monologue about Ojiro spilling the beans on his brainwashing quirk, Shinsou thinks of Ojiro as a monkey.

Chapter 35:

Mount Lady comments on Shiozaki’s strength by calling her another plant user when talking to Kamui Woods.  We’ll see this sort of quirk solidarity in a number of other places—Endeavor’s agency full of fire types, a fire-type dude on the street expressing his support of Endeavor, Hawks quipping about both him and Tokoyami being birds—but this is the nice, safe version of something that raises a lot more questions when it’s e.g. Tsuyu’s parents both being frog-type heteromorphs.  More on that in the relevant bonus chapter.  In short, the solidarity’s nice, but pushed too far, it’s easy for that kind of thing to turn exclusionary.

Chapter 41:

The introduction of Stain.  Stain’s another interesting case of someone not being denoted as heteromorphic—Bloodcurdle is an emitter-type—but, like Cementoss, having physical traits that clearly fall in line with their quirk.  I would say Stain’s an even more borderline case than Cementoss, actually, as far as having a quirk that blurs the line on typing.

Cementoss is clearly strange-looking—less scary than Stain, but also less human—but his physical features do nothing whatsoever to facilitate the use of his Cement quirk.  Stain, though, has his tongue: too long to be a normal human feature, and certainly helpful in terms of making it easier for him to taste other peoples’ blood.  Yet we don’t call Stain a heteromorph because, in contrast to a feature like e.g. Sero’s elbows, Bloodcurdle would work the same way even if Stain had a totally normal tongue.  So how would one discuss any discrimination Stain might ever have faced over it?     Thus, my belief that the discrimination we see in the story is based, not simply on having a heteromorphic quirk, but on having a sufficient number of heteromorphic features.

---------

Thanks for reading so far! A lot of this first post was introduction and set-up, but the hints will be growing more overt as we press on. I'd like to make this series either weekly or biweekly, time and other projects depending, but it's written all the way up through the Edgy Deku arc, so I don't anticipate major delays.

I hope you all enjoy; this one has been in the works for a long, long time.

Next time: the Stain arc on through the License Exam, plus the (very telling) Tsuyu bonus chapter.

------------------- FOOTNOTES -------------------

[1] AFO uses the correct reading when he’s explaining Decay’s sudden appearance to Tenko in Chapter 222.  I assume this is because Pops is a mobster while AFO has been married to a quirk scientist for seventy years.

[2] Also too, even if I were inclined to pick one word to use as the rude word and one to use as the more formal term, “mutant” is closer to the rude connotations of igyou than “heteromorph.”

[3] Knowing what we know now, it’s possible that l’il Tsubasa is fine, and that said Noumu only has a copy of his quirk via Ujiko.  Its impulse to save/grab Deku could be chalked up as something caused by said quirk’s vestige, which the lower tier Noumu might simply lack the brain function to filter out.  It’s difficult to say if the current story will find time to address this.

[4] One has to wonder if hero schools save all the crunchy classes about Hero Civics and Modern History for the third-years, if the younger grades are learning it but Horikoshi thinks it’s too dull to show, or if students are just never taught about it at all beyond the bare minimum necessary to do their jobs by the book, and anything more than that is the reserve of higher education or specialized study.

[5] Consider the simplicity of animal-type quirk names and then compare them with e.g. Helflame vs Hardflame Fan, Explosion vs. Landmine, Float vs. Air Walk, Magic vs. Poltergeist, Bubble vs. Clean Bubbler, or Scalemail vs. Scales vs. Shield.  And that’s limiting myself to only quirks named directly in the manga!  It gets even more ridiculous if the patterns in the anime’s invented names for quirks are taken into consideration.

[6] Of course, lots of people get chills from being around Shigaraki, even before the surgery but especially after.  Everyone else has that response to a conscious Shigaraki, however.

[7] Conversely, when Mei scopes out some Support industry dudes in Chapter 35, the two she focuses on as well as nearly everyone seated around them are just baseline dudes in suits and ties.  Only one of the fourteen visible faces in that panel is a probable heteromorph.

[somehhuuuhh]

I know the ture meaning of proshiper and antishiper!

Okay okay I know it's seems far fetch but hear out!

Oh this not any form harassment I'm just talking about what the true meaning of proshipers and antishipper and that's it. If I'm wrong then I'm wrong it's not a big deal. I'll just cry because of how many hours I have to research, and it turns out to be wrong

Kay Kay but before we start talking about it let me just tell you what a proshiper thinks what a proshiper and a antishipper

So this one proshiper in the undertale community made there very strong claim that the true meaning of proshiper is "you're against censorship and harassment over fiction and curate your experience the internet to have a healthy distance from things to make you uncomfortable" Um well frist all not all proshiper are against censorship. Second many proshipers harass people for calling them out or they got block. Having a healthy distance from things that make you uncomfortable is great, but you need to know that not every proshiper is doing that. @/Flowey-the-lanternflower56 is a proshiper, but for some reason she keeps following people who don't feel comfortable with proshipping and says proship dni in their bio. She says she dislikes antis but yet she keeps following those blogs that aren't meant for proshipers. She makes the blog owner uncomfortable and probably over time make her uncomfortable when they keep saying the space is not for her or any other proshipers.

The same proshiper thinks the true meaning of an antishiper is that "you're okay and even encouraged harassment towards freaks and "weirdos society deems acceptable to hurt" uhhhh....what? Am I blind or something cuz I don't anti shippers harassing proshipers . If they just talk about proshipers dni or how uncomfortable proship makes them feel or just calling them out. I don't think that's harassment, I think they expressing their opinions on the topic. Well I understand why they say that because they post this after this one dude threatened to doxxed some proshipers but I they quickly dissappear when many people say that's not right and some of those people were antishippers. But maybe they harass in Twitter or something idk, but a lot of antishipper are very against doxxing and harassment.

Okay so after the proshiper say that, they said "learn your Fandom history," and that really inspired me to do this and waste many hours to learn my Fandom history. (Gosh I wanna die)

The term of antishipper has been around ever since in the 1990s from the wonderful Fandom of the X-Files. The definition of antishipper is "it generally refars to someone who opposes shipping or a certain pairing, which can be for reasons," but since the mid-2010s the term changed into "A fan who believes that it is morally wrong to ship some ships" The definition has been change over time in different Fandoms for different reasons. But those two are the og.

There are many other "antis" like anti-incest which they have the best fucking motto ever. "Family is family, nothing more" There is anti-ship, but I'll not gonna talk about it now.

The term of proshipers or anti-anit came from Tumblr (of course it did). The definition of proshipers is literally just the opposite of antishippers so that means "it generally refars to someone who is with shipping or a certain pairing, which can be for reasons," or "A fan who believes that it is morally right to ship some ships" or something like that.

Okay so since I talk about the true meaning of proshipers and antishipper. There is one more thing I want to talk about which the proshiper said which was "Fiction is fiction and doesn't affect reality" but I do have poof that it does.

Okay I'm going off strong. BlogTheGreatRouge, everyone knows and dislikes her. She was a proshiper, who ship pj with fresh and guessed what pj was kid and Fresh was a grown ass man when she drew them. Even pj daycare Fresh was a kid and Pj was grown as a man. Her comics were disgusting and talking about suicide like it's not so serious. She thought that her comics weren't affected anyone and lable her comics as 13+ even though they should've been labeled 18+ cuz of the suggestive theme, and other stuff. So of course the little kids are going to see that and think that it's okay that a grown ass people touch them which you think they aren't that dumb, but like they were kids and where deeply affected by her comics. There is a videos talking about here and each videos there a comment of people get gr#$med by an adult because after watching or reading the her comics they think it's okay for adults to do that and here are some of the comments...

So yea you can't really deny that her drawings which was a silly fiction thing did impact reality! And impact a bunch of people in a negative way.

Okay let's say you're a proshiper and you only ship incest and that's all. And you don't think shipping incest will harm anyone. It just a simple ship.....shut the fuck up. Okay me personally I been affected by those incest ship especially the proshiper that I keep mentioning. Every time I see dreammare I just think that's me and my brother kissing which IS VERY DISGUSTING AND UNCOMFORTABLE FOR ME TO THINK OF. Me brother is close BUT NOT THAT CLOSE!!! I don't like to be near my dad or my brother which makes me feel sad because when I give them a hug I just feel uncomfortable thinking of that and when they really want to talk to me I keep my distance. I just feel horrible for thinking that and not talking much with my brother and my dad because I keep seeing that and thinking about that. It makes feel like a horrible sister and a horrible daughter...

But I think that's all I have to say I was very hesitate to post this because I was worried people will react but I just don't need this to clear my mind and tell people there definition is probably wronged.

Oh and please rbloog or repost I don't care but it well appreciated

Oh, and I know it's different from what I usually post, but I just wanted to talk about it. It took me a while to write this because it took me a lot of balls just to think about posting it because this topic is very mixed, so please don't harass me for this

[salad-o-malley]

I think im gonna need to Hide Tumblr from myself, Before I get a weekly streak of absuing the ask button!...Haha, I've honestly gotten curious way to curious and I know curiosity killed the cat but maybe im more of a dog? Lol, your Ocs are just all so lovely and make me wanna beg like a Victorian child in need of food. I just can't get enough of them. You're amazing at character design! And that had me wondering if you've ever considered getting into writing? From one of your newer but still old videos, you mentioned that you're oc world lives rent-free in your head, and that made me relate to you alot my world is always getting built in my head and one I started written my Ocs storys not in a lore format but more in a story way as if i was writing a book it just seemed to help me place everything together and was curious if you tried or do write storys with you're ocs while most people on here dont like reading Oc stuff if you did ever write something and shared it on here id jump to be the first to read it. (My apologies for all the asks I spend to much time on here...haha.) As an Oc ask im way to invested in learning your Ocs lore well more like world lore from that one video I mentioned earlier Id always been way to eager to know more about the complicated Oc universe so as an actual ask to not waste your time hows Seren's universe set up hes an Incubus/Succubus so that must mean his universe has some sort of hell given he's friends with Rouge (From your pinterest post I think Seren being a sore loser is hilarious.) And from your All of my god ocs plus any one who Relevent video Alodias and Celeste are the first incubus and Angel made so does that mean the god ocs are connected to Serens universe and seeing from the fact Fern and Seren play with there kids dolls and are friends and fern and her husband are hybrids? (Ferns a bunny?...and her husbands a Wolf.) it just makes me curious because that means the universe is filled with alsorts of creatures and then if the god ocs are connected to it, it just seems like a very interesting world and seems very creative and I love it! (Sorry for such a long post...I cant help but abuse the ask button, ill try my best to keep in check!)

-🪼

OH BOY OH BOY OKAY

So i’m gonna try to make this as simple as I can manage to

basicallyyyy I have different oc universes that all kind of coexist at the same time next to each other while being separate from one another

I’ve categorized them in my head kind of like this;

- god realms (not technically a universe but the gods and all the creatures in their realms know of and can interact with all the other universes)

- serenverse (unofficial name lol): basically just base level stuff, kind of just regular earth with more mystical creatures in it (like succubi/incubi, hybrids, etc) this is the universe most of my ocs kind of get automatically shuffled into if they don’t fit into the specific niche of my other universes in my brain ☝️

- fantasy universe: the universe where all the damn whimsy is. Kings, queens, princes, princesses, mystical/magical creatures are entirely the norm, it’s not like regular earth at all- it’s completely disconnected from anything like that. This is where my ocs like Sephtis, Carlin, Cassiopeia, Lunarus, Reef, Ezekiel, Pluto, Florian etc would be! This is also the universe where *my* gods are the most known, widely accepted, and worshipped!1

- Apocalypse universe: the universe that’s closest to being like our world buuut if everything went to shit because a war machine ruined it all. I made this universe specifically for Khaos and Tigre lmao

now getting into god stuff!1 my gods exist everywhere all the time in allllll the universes regardless if the people in those universes know of them or not

for example, in serenverse, the gods are mostly seen as mythology (like how we’d view the greek gods) though some people do know of/believe in them! The reason for creatures like incubi and angels existing there is because some of the ones born in the gods realms just migrated down there and reproduced annnd there ya go. the timing of that happening would’ve been like millions of years ago so it’s already kind of a norm in that society I suppose

while in apocalypse verse nooone of that “exists”it’s literally just a parallel of our world

BUT in my favorite universe, fantasy, the gods are veryyyy very real to the people there!1

this is gonna get even more confusing I apologize but here we go

each of the major gods has their own realm and creatures that they made to inhabit them-

likee

keveah - incubi/succubi

fallon - angels

keres - fire demons?1?

rosalite - cherubs

Lyrastra - literally every living thing on earth + some magical creatures on certain versions of earth

reaper - he didn’t make anything he’s literally death. though most people’s souls reside in his realm!

anywhozies all of the gods realms are like their own mini universes where they and their creations live! They’re all unique and kind of like their own little towns and cities in there.. I have pinterest boards for their realm inspo but I don’t feel like getting into ALL THAT

okay okay moving on. Specific ocs of mine were born in those realms, like rouge, and have the ability to traverse between realms and certain universes as they please because of that!

in the case of incubi and angels,, angels are never born on any version of earth! They’re always born in fallon’s realm no matter what, so there isn’t really such a thing as an angel born on earth (same goes for cherubs and fire demons.. basically any other creature that isn’t an incubus)

buuut incubi and succubi, because of their nature, are doing whatever the fuck and reproducing willy nilly wherever. So! There’s terms for incubi/succubi born in keveah’s realm versus earth- which would be

born in keveah’s realm; sin born

born on earth; earth born (self explanatory)

sin born incubi and succubi can go from the god realms to earth (whichever version) as they please but earth born incubi/succubi *can’t* because they were born on earth so they don’t have that power!1 whoopee!!2

annnd unfortunately seren happens to be earth born (he’s literally half human) so he can’t do any of the special stuff like that. Rouge just has like.. multiple clubs spanning keveah’s realm and the serenverse because I thought it would be silly lol

anyways that got terribly ramble-y and idk if it made a lot of sense but yeah!!2!? lore kind of?? uh!!! there’s definitely more to this but I need to stop rambling good god

[its-in-the-woods]

The Woman Who Couldn’t Die Part 7

master list

Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6,

Pairing: The Ghoul/Cooper Howard x Original Character 

Alternative Universe where I make things up cause I can only research so much

Synopsis: A walk in delusions, memories and sadness. Will Jade survive her ordeal? Will the Ghoul make it out of the forest?

MINOR GET OUT. Rating/Warning: This is based on fallout expect typical: Drug use, blo0d/g0re, major body horror, Horror for everyone,flashbacks, harm to children (brief) alien critters, angst, hurt/comfort kinda, Canon divergence, hints of SH/SA/NONCON, Slow Burn,

Note: that I will not be spoiling any of the reading. I will keep my tags relevant without spoiling what is happening in the story.

It's a bumpy ride folks

The walk was horrendous, despite the girl’s small size her weight dug into his shoulders. The Ghoul refused to leave her, even if she was more than likely dead. Every time he stopped for a puff of chem, or a drink of water he’d check to make sure she was still breathing. He checked her eyes and they would roll and dilate, but that was all. He’d grab the ropes and kept moving, he hadn’t heard the creature; continuing to tell himself that no noise was a good sign. The tinge of fear was still stirring in his guts, he had run across many things in the Wastes. A creature that could regenerate itself like that was new. 

As the Ghoul walked he'd cursed her names more times than he could count.  Cussing at the fact that she had crawled into his life, had lowered his barriers. There was no reason he shouldn’t have left her, kill or be killed right? She had said it, that was the law of the land. The longer he walked the darker it started to get, images of all the people he had met came into mind. The forest, and total exhaustion, playing tricks on him. 

Melanie was a tall tanned woman with gray-streaked hair, a bright smile, and blue eyes. At first, the image was of her smiling, handing him food from the back of a military truck. One of the friendliest people he had met since the bombs dropped. He watched as she went to grab the can of food, as her face turned up to him, half her head was gone. One eye and twisted smile staring back at him.

“Why didn’t you save me, Cooper,” Her voice echoed through his head, as he gritted his teeth. A memory of finding her dead less than three hours after seeing her, twisting in his guts. 

The next memory was an older man, with a big black cowboy hat, opening a door into a desolate house.  Ghoul could remember it so clearly, the man hunched over from age, leading him to the back of the house. Sounds of clawing and screaming coming from inside a back room. Heavy locks covered the doors, that the man painstakingly opened one at a time. The old man's name was Harold, and behind the door was what was left of his wife Wendy. 

“I don’t know what to do. She looks like you, but she doesn’t act like she used to,” Harold had said, eyes big and wide as if he were a child. “Maybe you could help’er? Show her that she doesn’t need to be like this?”

As the man pushed the door open, Cooper's stomach lurched. Behind the door wasn’t a woman anymore. No, what was left was merely a body, a body melted from the atomic blast, what was left of her hair streaked with blood. Mouth lipless and yellow stained teeth chomping at him. Black holes where her eyes should have been, were now long empty. He remembers crouching down in front of her, really trying to see if there was anything left of who she was. The many layers of binding around her had ripped into what was left of her paper-thin skin, digging into the bone, holding her in place. As she desperately tried to get at him. 

The Ghoul remembers the look on the man’s face when he said there was nothing he could do, the tears that stained Harold’s face as he told Cooper. “If you can’t help, get out. I don’t need you.”

Cooper walking away and the sounds of two gunshots echoing across the barren land. 

Endless scenes of too many lifetimes dance through his mind like macabre theatre as he walks while dragging the girl. A girl that had the same fate as any of the other tortured souls he had encountered. Some of the stories were more palatable but all ended the same. Dead, gone, and yet he kept putting one foot in front of the other. 

“They always end up dead don’t they, Daddy,” It was Janey’s voice this time. 

It stopped him in his tracks, his dead heart pounding against his ribs, threatening to break free of the cage that held it there. 

“Why are you still carrying her? Isn’t she going to end up dead too?” Little Janey stood beside him, looking up from under her cowboy hat. Her face was lined with concern, eyes big and wide as she looked into his. 

The Ghoul felt for his inhaler, but it wasn’t in his pocket. Looking down he was dressed in the cowboy outfit, but it wasn’t worn and dirty. It looked new like it had on the days he filmed. He blinked a few times, trying to understand what he was seeing.  The Ghoul could feel his heart breaking all over again as he looked at his small daughter. She looked exactly the same as the last day he saw her. 

Dropping to his knees in front of his little girl, reaching out to touch her warm face, “Sweet Janey, it’s going to be okay.”

Janey moved back away from his touch, a sudden look of horror crossing her face. As if she was seeing him for who now was, for seeing the monster her Daddy had become.  “You aren’t my Daddy.”

Her face twisting and morphing, her nose falling off as her hair fell out of her head. A scream echoing over the trees as she kept moving backward, piece by piece of her falling until there was nothing left but her hat on the ground. The Ghoul scrambling trying to reach her, trying to grab her. To save his little girl from the fate that had befallen him. 

It suddenly dawned on the Ghoul, that he was the one who was screaming. He covered his mouth, the taste of leather snapping him out of the nightmare. He found his inhaler taking a long puff as he tipped over onto the ground. He lay there for a moment, his eyes screwed shut, fearing if he opened them he would see her again. See his daughter's melted disfigured face. Taking the inhaler he took another breath, feeling his world righting again. Giving himself another ten seconds before he pushed himself back onto his knees. 

The Ghoul's cheeks wet with tears, he turned back to the girl  he had been dragging for god knows how long. Pushing himself up he grabbed the ropes and dragged Jade to the edge of the forest. Leaning down he managed to lift her, covered in his jacket, and carry her a little deeper into the bush. He found a mostly covered spot for them to hide out in until the sun came up. Walking back he tucked the makeshift sled into the trees, grabbing a stimpak and water. His legs shaky as he made his way back to their hiding spot. 

Jade hadn’t moved, he knelt checking to make sure she was still breathing. Satisfied that she was still alive he injected her with another stimpak and took a sip of water. The Ghoul slides over to a tree leaning against it, taking off his cowboy hat. It was dark in here, dark enough that he couldn’t make out much. He knew he should be worried, but he was too exhausted to care. Instead, he tipped his head back and let sleep take him. Whatever came would come. 

***

The Ghoul awoke to a small white bird sending out a shrill chirp on a branch in front of him and then disappearing into the morning sun. Groaning as he got up, he stretches hearing pops and snaps as his muscles yelled at him. Jade had rolled sometime in the night, still covered in his jacket, still alive. Somehow. He swallowed, wondering if it was a good sign or not that she had moved. Turning her over, he saw her face scrunch in discomfort before relaxing again. 

He takes off his gloves feeling her skin again. No signs of fever, he rolls her back onto  his jacket, cringing as he lifts her shirt. Surprised to see that most of the bruising had faded. Uncovering her legs he also finds only yellowish bruises. The stimpaks must have been doing their jobs, maybe she would be okay. 

“If I believed in miracles. I'd have to say this was one, Jade.” The Ghoul lets out a breath he didn't know he had held. 

Carefully covering her before he makes his way back to the roadway. Walking as quietly as possible, listening intently for anything that might be hiding out around them.  The Ghoul was surprised when he heard noise, birds chirping, insects buzzing, something that looked kind of like a squirrel running across the path. The darkness having faded to more of a distant hum then an outright threat. It was still eerie, the feeling of something lurking just on the edges of his perception. With the clear feeling that they needed to get out of here before nightfall, The Ghoul would rather avoid a trip down memory lane again. 

A shot of chem clears his mind and numbs the endless stream of thoughts, ending the neverending horror of images bombarding him. Senses pinpointing to what was around him. Rolling his shoulders he grabs the sled laying it out onto the road. Walking into the forest he finds Jade, carefully lifting her. She groans, shifting a little in his arms, brow scrunching together before she relaxes. 

The Ghoul watchs for a moment, a small spark of hope sitting somewhere in his chest. He carefully brought her out to the sled, placing her and their stuff on it before grabbing the ropes to start moving again. The heavy weight of the rope feeling comfortable against his shoulders as he moved them forward. 

 ***

It was nearly dark by the time the Ghoul made it out of the tree line. He had heard a high-pitched call coming from behind him. He wasn’t sure if it was the thing they had tried to kill or something worse. Moving off the road he tucked them back into a large hollow tree, Jade hadn’t moved since that morning. Her skin still didn’t feel any warmer and she was still breathing. Moving her off the sled he covered her with his coat and using some extra clothes to prop her up. Digging through her bag to find another stim-pak and injecting it. Watching her closely to see if he there was any reaction. 

“Got us in a right mess,” He said settling down against the side of the tree, he dug around in his pocket to pull out his inhaler, taking a shot. “Not gonna lie, was touch and go t’ere last night. I don't know where we’re, but I think I will pass on doin’ that again. As for what you did, that was some grade-A action movie shit you pulled the other day. Jumpin’ down that thing's throat with a machete." 

He laughed at his comment, looking out through the small trees in front of him. The stars are just visible through wispy clouds. He dug around taking a swig of water. His body aching from pulling Jade for miles. Grateful that he hadn't seen any delusions this evening, it was hard enough to deal with the horrors in front of him.

“Shoulda probably left you, had plenty of opportunities,” He mused, tucking his jacket around her. “But I’ve kind of grown to like ya. Plus ya do shit like that. The stories I am gonna have by the time we make it to the West Coast. Maybe sit down and write your story. The woman who couldn’t die.” Raising his hand to the sky like he was showing a title card.

He shifted taking his hat off as he settles against the tree, a fire would be awfully nice. But the way the ground was rumbling it was best to keep a low profile. He took another hit of chem, he wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight, whatever was out there was still moving way too much for his liking.  No tonight he'd keep an eye on things,  he did his best not to think about what might happen if they needed to move quickly. 

“Gotta say, of all the critters we could run into. T’was a hell of a way to start. The thing was piecin’ itself back together, ya probably won’t believe me.” He sighs, stretching his legs out, every muscle groaning from the exertion of the day. 

“Wonder who made that, maybe some kinda FEV thing. Didn’t think they’d was messing with that anymore. But who knows, maybe the Enclave.” He gestured around the little space. “Or hell maybe it's aliens. Think there was a comic book, they were these colorful drawin’s kind of like books but in art. Anyways.  Maybe that’s what it is. Damn aliens.”

*** 

The light had just started to break through the darkness, the tall grass sparkling with dew. It was almost beautiful. The Ghoul sat perfectly still, the rumbling had started not too long after the sky had started to lighten up. The way the woods went quiet, the feel of heavy footfalls shaking the ground beneath his feet. The gun was heavy in his hands, body aching from sitting and listening. He wondered if it was coming for them if it could smell them holed up in this old dead tree, but the footfalls turned. Headed south, walking into the trees. What caught him so off guard was how no trees snapped as it moved through the woods, it was as if the trees parted to let it through. As it kept moving the birds started singing, frogs croaked, and other critters began to move. 

Sagging a bit, the Ghoul scooted over to his companion. She had moved a little overnight, shifting and fidgeting as if she were dreaming. A few muffled sounds but besides that, not much else. He took off his gloves and felt their forehead, constantly needing to reassure himself that she was still alive.

His arms still hurting from dragging her, the next outpost was at least a day away without dragging a half-dead body. Digging around his bag he found a chem, red inhaler, he shook it against his ear, there was still a pump, maybe two. 

“Damnit, you’re gonna hate me for this.” The Ghoul sighs, leaning down he goes to give it to her but pauses. He remembers her telling him how she’d been drugged. The first few days she’d traveled he had seen how sick she was coming off of them. Was he really going to do the same thing those slavers did? 

Swallowing, he chucked the inhaler into his bag. Cursing, wanting to throw things, Jade was going to kill him, if she didn’t die first. Taking a puff of his own chem, he reached down to grabb the sled, when she groaned. Stopping, he ducked down to take a closer look at her. 

Eyebrows scrunched together she blinked a few times up at him. He uncovered her a bit as she coughed and sputtered, trying to sit up. Helping her up he rubbed at her back gently, the stitches from previous wounds catching against her shirt. 

“Take’re easy there,” The Ghoul said quietly as she sat, coughing up some black goop and blood. He watched the black, half expecting it to move on its own. Instead, it lay motionless beside the droplets of red.  “Get it outta yah. Better out than in.”

Jade's body shudders as she shifts trying to get comfortable, wiping at her mouth, she froze holding up her hand.  Her brown eyes going wide as she looked at it , holding it up in the early morning light. Her first two fingers and thumb, a dirty bandage covering where the other two had been. 

“Where are my fingers?” Jade asks voice raspy, the Ghoul had blanked on when exactly he had stitched and wrapped them. It had been some time in between walking and taking breaths of chem.

“Yah had a good grip on that machete you used to slay the dragon.” He replied, with a small amount of mirth.“I didn’t have much time to find them, had to get us moving.”

Jade wiggled the remaining fingers, looking back up at the Ghoul with a confused expression. “Weird, still feels like they are there.”

“Yeah, we can see what we can find at the next town, maybe sew new ones back on.” The Ghoul sighed trying to look her over. The chances of them finding usable fingers were low, much less attaching them so they were usable. Jade didn’t have the same regenerative qualities he did, and he doubted they’d find a Codsworth bot with the capabilities. 

“Fuck, did that thing land on my head?” Jade groaning, rubbing at her head a little. "Or did you knock me over the head?" Her eyes were a little glazed but she seemed to be on the up, with a crooked smile.  Even having the energy to make jokes.

“Thought you were dead,” Ghoul said, his chest tightening seeing her grinning again. “Wasn’t sure ya were gonna wake up.” 

Jade blinked a few times, she moved her hands, rolling her shoulders, bending her knees up, and wiggling her toes. “Did you really think I was dead? Besides the fingers, everything else looks okay. But my shoes are gone - my feet look bruised. I liked those shoes. ”

Ghoul sat back against the tree watching her, “Yeah the thing, whatever the fuck t’was, landed mostly on top of you. Had to cut yah out of it, your ankles-" He pauses, looking at his companion who has gone back to staring at her hand.  "Your ankles were a mess, so I cut your shoes off. Sure there will be some better ones for yah at the next outpost." 

“Why were you dragging me this far? What were you going to do? Eat me?” She teases, as she kept flexing her different body parts. Wiggling her toes some more and bending her ankles as if to make sure they were connected. 

The Ghoul chuckled, “Shoulda have known ya’’d think you were worth of eating.”

Jade smiled, “Thank you.” Her brows furrowed, "I really wish I knew your name. So I could thank you properly.  

He sat there for a moment, they needed to get moving, but he couldn’t help mulling over what she said. He fiddled with his fingers, the gloves still on his saddle bag, feeling the different scars. He remembers the way the people he had lost had said his name. Did he even tell them his name? Clenching his jaw he makes his decision. 

“It’s. Ahh. It’s Coop. Cooper.” Cooper swallowed, the name feeling strange to say out loud. When was the last time he had said his name out loud? 

Jade moves, handing him back his duster, “Coop, it’s a good name. Better than old man.” She wiggled her toes holding her hand out. “Mr.Cooper, would ya mind helping me up. See if these feet will hold me.”

Cooper was up grasping her hand and helping her stand up, she winced as weight went onto her very bruised joints. She moved a few steps, the dirt covering her pale toes in mud. He held onto her arm making sure she was doing okay. He could feel her tense up as she moved. 

“Gotta taker slow, you're still bruised,” Ghoul said, watching her move away from him. “I got some med-x in my bag, or some stronger stuff.”

Jade winced moving back and forth, “Maybe the Med-X. See how it goes from there.” 

Cooper grabs it quickly, handing her the syringe. She took it, her fingers lingering on his for a moment, her green-streaked eyes watching him. Before she closed them, putting the needle into her neck and pressing down. She wobbled a bit and the Ghoul grabbed her before she tips over. 

“Forgot how hard it could hit,” She groaned, wincing some before righting herself, without moving away from him. “Coop, you are warm and I am having a hard time moving away.” 

Cooper smiles slightly holding her against him, “Just till your meds kick in.” The warmth of her body suck a stark contrast to the last few days journey. 

“Gone be hard without shoes,” She sighed, righting herself, still keeping herself leaning against her companion. “But I guess we better get going.”

Part 8

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*someehow we made it, probably one of the hardest chapters I've written in a long time.

*likes, reblogs, and comments are greatly appreciated. Please continue to feed me and the characters

*Updating one or twice a week depending, please note my schedule is getting hectic but I will continue to update! Please be patient with me

@pixelatedprofilepic @hiddlebatchedloki @toogaytofunctiondangit

[pommedepersephone]

007 Fest Status Update, Week 4

NAME: Rin Rigg

INTERDEPARTMENTAL COOPERATION (Social)

Read every new fic I found, and left a comment - I am well fed!

PRIMARY DUTIES (Creative)

crimson touched by blue is 4/5 chapters completed Am I the ghost at the end of the song? is 5/6 chapters completed never did run smooth is 2/2 done... but has started a whole new series!!!

ON THE COMMS (Immersive)

Illustrated Lyrics from the latest Glass Animals album x3 - Lost in the Ocean On the Run Tear in Space (Airlock) PLUS Bond for Children (sort of) in the style of Goodnight Moon featured in Am I the ghost at the end of the song?

ADDITIONAL DUTIES (Making it a Family Affair)

It was the first week of summer break here, soooo my kids and I watched Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, License to Kill, GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies. No shame in our Bond game! I also finished reading both Ben Macintyre's fabulous For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming + James Bond and the short story collection Quantum of Solace. THEN I started both Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond by Kathryn Harkup and Bond Movies: A Retrospective by Ho Lin. (I've promised two folks a little summary of each book, and I will still be doing that in the next month... I promise!)

[alltheirdamn]

okay okay… kms epilogue will be up this coming week!!! and then i have another ethel cain inspired one-shot coming after before we get into tommy x beth mini-series

[slime-the-awesomeguy]

hguvbhghn so much write

coughs up little ball made purely of digital letters and tiny green apples (whole)

i dont know if we've seen Wren b4,, so here he is!!... i have yet to update his design a bit

===

Wren had his head hung over his shoulders as boredom overcame him, seeing as he'd been waiting for quite awhile. He stared at the grassy, warm-toned ground, subsequently sighing with an unamused expression, before hearing some footsteps off to the right.

He'd tilt his head to get a look and see a familiar figure, scowling lightly as he fixed his eyes on Sir. He scooted over, adjusting his bag and straightening his posture to be fixed up against the back of the bench he'd been sat on. Sir would have been making his way through the park, humming softly before spotting his brother on the bench. He put on a smile and made his way towards Wren, subsequently sitting down once he got there. Sir leaned against the back of the bench with a relaxed demeanor, waiting for Wren to initiate some form of a conversation; Whether it be a 'hello' or something along those lines, he just waited patiently.

"... Hey. " Wren muttered, keeping his eyes off his sibling and focusing on the nearby creek running under a small bridge. He didn't want to see Sir, but he felt it had been too long since the two talked. "Good afternoon, Wren!" He greeted back eagerly, starkly contrasting Wren's quiet demeanor. "It's nice to see you again!... I'm sorry I never got to apologize after the fight we had at Jovial." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward expression, though trying to keep a warm expression.

Wren would roll his eyes lightly in response, fumbling with the strap on his bag. "It's... Whatever." He'd mutter once more, barely keeping his voice over a mumble. Sir was used to it, but it didn't exactly change how guilty he'd feel knowing Wren wasn't exactly open to talking to him. Especially considering the fact that he'd felt he failed as both a sibling and some sort of parental figure for Wren. Sir couldn't help but frown a little, glancing off to the side and examining the ground. He slowly reached into his own little travel bag and pull out some cherry shaped and flavored gummies, handing the plastic packaged item to Wren. "Here," He started, putting his hands in his lap once Wren took them. "I saw them at a store and remembered you liked cherries, so I thought you'd like them!... Err.. Unless you don't like them anymore, it has been awhile." Sir chuckled, smiling gently.

He'd hold the bag for a few moments, soon opening it and taking one out. ".. Thanks. " He stated, before eating it and placing the baggie in his satchel. "..So... What'd you want?" He asked plainly, not bothering to meet Sir's gaze. "Oh! Right, haha! Well,,... Ehhmm.." Sir would nervously fidget with his tie, glancing off to the side before returning his gaze toward Wren. "I did just want to say sorry.. I do know you're still upset for what had happened but--..." He'd soon be interrupted, frowning lightly. "Don't tell me how I feel." Wren spat, clenching his jaw slightly and scowling. "I'm not forgiving you." He responded with a huff, crossing his arms and glaring off to the side. He didn't even wanna think about it, or hear Sir speak. He was practically a traitor, and stupid, and so easy to hate with his stupid smile. Sir always tried too hard, never left things alone even if they needed to be left alone. He was annoyingly anxious and always asked stupid questions. AND- "Listen.. I know, what I did was... a bit unwise ,but knowing what I know now.. It's better I hadn't taken you with me... Though, letting you stay with dad those couple years wasn't the best choice either." Sir sighed softly, watching as Wren's tensed frame would soon soften, though keeping the upset expression. He didn't respond, although.

Sir would soon smile lovingly and sit back, looking towards the woods in front of them. "... You know you're allowed to tell me what I did wrong,, right? No one's really around us, and it's nice to finally be... Well, out in nature." Sir chuckled, glad to be able to be somewhere else than his work or his apartment. Wren spoke up after a few moments, mumbling under his breath. "..Maybe-.. We shouldn't--.. I just- You-" Wren began to uncross his arms, fidgeting with the strap of his bag and staring at the ground. " Grhhnn.. Have you even gotten better? You left with zero warning besides a small goodbye, change your name, move several states away and then-- DISAPPEAR!! You just.. Cut contact! Especially after all the stunts you pulled and everything you did to dad and mom and-" Wren looked up, staring at Sir. His demeanor had changed and he had a saddened expression on his face filled with guilt and regret, holding a hand over his mouth. He couldn't bare to make eye contact with Wren or even say anything.

"...Was what we even know the truth..?"

Wren's voice asked somewhat shakily, of which snapped Sir out of the small spiral he was pulling himself into. "Wh.. What?" Sir responded, pulling himself to look at Wren. "I.. You just-.. We-... Listen,, he's been lying, hasn't he?" ===

cpoguhs and smiles not my best work but this was just a one off situation i thought would be fun to write!!! yippie yahoo!! this is missing so much context but ooooo maybe i'll come back with more ooo spooky haejhhehee idk if this is even canon but maybe it will be ahehehehee @therealjackdsaf

[mermaidgirl30]

Woke up with a very strong urge to write this morning, so I know what I’m gonna be doing after work.

[hkandiu]

Posting my 225th story tomorrow! And hitting 200 for Naruto soon! 😱

Thank you to anyone who has ever read any!!! I appreciate it!!

I really need to start writing my books lol

[m0on-shro0m]

I may or may have not just starts a notebook of notes on tmp from just with the single two episodes

[saltysplayt00ns]

OH Boy, I bit more then I can chew with this Blog.

Actually guys this is one May be a big one, This one is a reworked of a Pack and let me tell ya, I got...invested in the whole thing and had new ideas that popped up, definitely requires a sit in with a drink but for me, I am getting everything done within this week at max, today-tomorrow the minimum. Thank you for your patience. I may have been too attached to the whole thing too

[darkwing-katy]

Alright. So this lil weekend trip to Tennessee kinda fucked up my writing plans, but not in a bad way cause I got to catch up with my sister and my best friend and we saw my favorite band perform for my birthday so yay me

But I wanted to give a lil update just ‘cause:

I’m Not Broken

-A little behind on I’m Not Broken posting; gonna make up for that today and tomorrow

The Spider and the Fly

-Husband and bestie have listened to chunks of the Leland x Reader fic and bestie is very amused because this is exactly the kinda shit I pulled when we wrote stories together in school. She said it made her nostalgic.

-husband hasn’t heard the ending but he. Is. Invested, by golly. He’s annoyed we had to stop cause we got home and he has work stuff he wants to do. I think this is a good thing?

-husband has pointed out areas that need more work so it will likely be a while longer before I actually start posting it here, but it’s actively being worked on so just be patient!!!! It’s a-coming!!!!!

Other Things

-because it wouldn’t get out of my head, I have a short lil Ben x Reader oneshot that husband has listened to and approved of. Fair warning—it’s NOT romantic; it’s just a thing that popped into my head when I tried to nap a few weeks ago and I was like, “Hmm. I can write that really fast and get it out of my head.” I’ll post it here tomorrow and probably also put it on AO3.

-there are several other Ben stories I may or may not write. Apparently I may be going to Italy in a few weeks and if I am, I expect I’ll wind up writing during the travels because that’s all I wanted to do on trains and planes when we went abroad in June. Good golly.

[kryisnothere]

Hello, sorry for the lack art and activity. I’m resuming my work towards writing and developing one of my stories that me and my friends are collaborating in. A lot of writing is going on 💀 however I’ll post art tomorrow hopefully.

If you’re wondering what it is, it’s called Death-Head: Relapsed. It was originally going to be a Minecraft smp with da homies, however, I decided to just make it into a full-fledge story. It’s a personal passion project ^^

[bellaxgiornata]

A rough draft for chapter one of She Lit a Fire now exists!! I'm now powering through the rest of the Frank Castle smutty one-shot Maybe This Time so I can hopefully have a rough draft of that soon. What comes after that? I don't know... I'm surprisingly torn between Michael and Frank at the moment.

Apparently not being able to write for almost a week has things flowing out of me. I had so many ideas while I was on vacation and another short fic that I still never teased. Hopefully y'all are excited for what's coming!

[whumpy-wyrms]

i should not have been looking through the eye whump tag during lunch worst mistake of my lifee /lh