#The League expects to find a lost hero who needs help and guidance

[nelkcats]

Not everything is what it seems

When Young Justice found Superboy, the heroes began to think, were there other similar places? Were there more cloned heroes? How had it all started?

So they investigated, there wasn't much to salvage from the destroyed place but they managed to trace the plans of the cloning pods to an abandoned mansion in Wisconsin. It appeared to be normal at first glance, although no one had set foot there in a while, that was until they got to the basement.

The basement was a mess, one side was destroyed as if something had exploded, on the other side were notes, capsules and DNA samples, though these were clearly useless, if the files could be trusted. It appeared to be old research, all of this was addressed at the weekly League meeting.

The worst part of it all was learning that the sample did not belong to any of them; what might have seemed like relief turned into torture when they discovered the existence of a "hero" in the past, a young hero who had acted before them all, and about whom no one knew anything. Another concern was a possible clone of said hero on the loose, though they didn't know how to address either issue.

Bruce couldn't get out of his head the image of a scared kid, out there without any support, fighting an evil version of himself. The League's priority was to find that boy immediately, and see if his clone was still active. They had to do something about it.

Most of them ignored Captain Marvel's advice to leave the matter alone, as it had been a long time and they didn't know the current circumstances.

At Amity Park, Danny felt a chill, he had a bad feeling. He decided to ignore it as he continued to scold Dan and Dani for using their powers irresponsibly, he knew the citizens of Amity wouldn't care, but the rest of the world would. Danny feared the world wasn't ready for them.

It really was hard being a single parent, although it didn't bother him, after the initial awkwardness everyone had adjusted and were quite happy.

[haleigh-sloth]

Omg, it would be adorable if All Might “adopted” Shiggy and Deku became best friends with him 🥺 Probably more of a “fanon” idea I guess but seeing Shiggy along with the rest of the League getting happy endings would be great

It would be adorable and heart warming yes. And, well, Shigaraki and the League getting happy endings is not fanon. That’s...that’s happening. That’s what’s being set up. Horikoshi did not dedicate chapters to destroying the prisons, destroying the safety net of everyday society to where citizens don’t have the time to worry about the league, and introducing the idea of Midoriya saving Shigaraki just to say...

“NAAHHH Kill them, throw them in jail. Fuck those guys. Heroes win!” I mean, that’s not competent writing. At all. 

Midoriya and Shigaraki forming an alliance that becomes a friendship, yes. I’m looking forward to it. More than you know lol. I mean, I’ve drawn them together a million times. And I completely lost it over this color spread Horikoshi drew when chapter 305 came out. This blog is a Midoriya and Shigaraki friendship train and I’m the conductor. Lol. 

I don’t think it’s far fetched at all, considering the difference in the lives awaiting the League members once the final battle is over. The League is a found family and I love them all together, but I don’t think they’ll stay together as the League™️ forever. Mostly because each member has something different they need, and the main 3 members have different things they need out of life.

Toga is a teenage girl. She needs to be around other teenage girls so she can talk about teenage girl things. She wants that. That’s why she goes after Ochaco every chance she gets. She needs that connection with other girls her age. The League is her found family, yes, but she’s the only girl and the youngest. It’s not the same. I expect her to find herself surrounded by company of Ochaco and probably Tsu as well by the end. 

Toya needs to find himself with his siblings and make up for lost time. He needs to form that brother bond with Shouto that he never got to have, and he needs to be taken back in by his mother and siblings who love him unconditionally so he can proceed to live a normal life surrounded by love and care.

Shigaraki’s end is a little different to think about. Shigaraki needs a family. He has nobody left, but he was always about family. Which is why I don’t think All Might will die. I used to think he would but now I just don’t know. It seems out of place for him to die at this point. (You could totally kill Gran Torino Hori nobody would be mad) I feel like All Might will be alive because he wasn’t there for Tenko the first time, but after AFO is gone and everything is done, he can be this time around. If All Might dies I genuinely don’t know what would happen with Shigaraki because...who’s gonna be there for him? Midoriya yes, but he’s a teenager and still has to grow up himself. And on that note, another reason I think it’s very possible for Shigaraki to kinda be taken in under All Might is because he’s still basically a kid. He’s 21 years old but he’s not very mature. I’m not saying he’s a child, but he’s got some growing up to do because his childhood was taken right from under him. He’s still in a place where he needs role models and guidance from adults. 

All three of the main league members are immature and still need adult guidance, even though they’re basically grown themselves. They never had a chance to just...let loose and be taken care of and guided. They just had to figure their shit out on their own. It’s time for them to relax and live normally and let the people around them help them figure it out. 

With that being said I still hope the main group is shown staying together. I’ve said it before in other posts but, I really want this type of ending for BNHA:

In FMA everybody gets their happy ending and everybody stays in touch, forming an even bigger found family than before.

So no I don’t agree that it’s fanon at all. I think it’s very in the realm of possibilities. Happy endings and satisfying resolutions is the kind of story BNHA is. 

In BNHA I really want to see that everybody stays together and continues on in each other’s company. I hope Horikoshi shows us something like that in the last chapter(s).

[thcconduit]

[CLASSIFIED]: ADVANCED ADVOCATES CASE FILE:

ARCHANGEL  THE CONDUIT

BASICS

BIRTH NAME: Francis Hayes

NICKNAME(S): Frank, Frankie, but really he just wants you to call him Francis.

DATE OF BIRTH: March 19, 1984 (Pisces)

AGE: 35

GENDER: Male

PRONOUNS: He/him/his

NATIONALITY: American

HOMETOWN: Fort Smith, Arkansas. 

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Turnstone, USA. Madison, Wisconsin.

OCCUPATION: ASL interpreter. 

ORIGIN

CW: car accident mention.

Francis’ life has been a series of unfortunate events. He likes to think of his life as split in two distinctive parts; before and after the accident he suffered with his parents. Before that fateful event, he remembered his family being quite normal, sometimes distant in a way that happened when everyone was so cemented in their routines, but nothing out of the ordinary. He even has some memories he would consider nice, like going to a theme park on his birthday, or going to Sunday church service.

Things changed drastically after their accident, enough so that Francis often wonders what things would be like had it never occurred. You see, his family was driving down the highway, going to New York to visit an aunt for the holidays, someone he had never actually met before, even though he had been around thirteen at the time. They never actually made it to his aunt’s house, a semi truck plowed into them, sending them careening off of the highway. The impact had been so strong that Francis had eventually died on the scene. He was brought back by paramedics, but there are times where he wishes they hadn’t done so.

He was never the same after that, he lost a lot of hearing in his left ear and would need to use a hearing aid, and was left with extensive emotional trauma. This trauma was only exacerbated by the appearance of strange sensations in his body, something he couldn’t explain. Every time he went to sleep he would panic, waking up in terror, and then he would separate from his body, left to wander aimlessly around his home for hours until he returned.

Dealing with the reality of severe PTSD, and the fact that he was astral projecting was incredibly difficult for the young teen. So many things were changing for him so quickly and he felt isolated from his family. His mother and father turned to religion much more heavily to cope with the after effects of the accident, and often expected Francis to act fine so that no one could see just how they were affected. His parents, and especially his mother needed to feel that everything was fine and would continue to be fine. Francis clung onto religion and what his family expected of him to feel some semblance of normalcy and connection, but he was often left to deal with his traumas alone.

Over time Francis’ mental state only became worse as he learned new things about himself, things he knew would be considered unacceptable. Things he wasn’t prepared to face. One of those was that his astral projection seemed to get worse and he was now losing himself to forces he couldn’t understand. He felt as if he were under spiritual attack, but couldn’t actually go to anyone for help, too afraid they’d judge and ridicule him. Or worse.

He began to develop compulsions and rituals to keep the feelings at bay, and protect him. It was all irrational but it was the only way he felt he had any control. These only got worse until they impeded his ability to be like the other teens in his school. During his senior year, his counselor called upon his parents and told them of the things teachers had witnessed and how panic stricken Francis seemed all the time. His parents begrudgingly took him to therapists, but refused to allow him to take any medications.

Francis got a little better, enough so that he could enroll in college and take Deaf studies and ASL courses. He had known a bit of ASL growing up but never enough to be fully fluent. He wanted to feel connected to others like him.

He could still feel the presence of spirits calling out to him, but he didn’t know what to do, and tried his hardest to close himself off to that. It became too much though, and the first time he experienced a full scale possession was during a final exam where he was taken by a spirit who could light things on fire. He almost burned down the building he was in with his peers, and was kicked out of his college. There wasn’t a clear explanation, but he was deemed a danger, the witnesses had all seen the fire emanate from his body.  

His parents, upon seeing this, took in the young man in his early twenties, and decided he should work with them within the church. He was obviously troubled, and needed spiritual guidance. They kept him under watchful eye and demanded he be kept in line. Francis worked as an ASL interpreter within the church, and was heavily involved. Around this time, the church saw the rise of hero teams and leagues, namely the coalition. They disagreed with some of the ways things were handled, feeling that there needed to be a Christian league of heroes that could keep things in line with the morals they agreed with.

There was enough of a push that eventually, one of the megachurches created their own league, The Seraph League, a team of heroes who all upheld Christian beliefs and made it clear that they did. Super powered beings being involved with the church so heavily, and being upheld as paragons, made Francis feel that maybe he could actually use his powers and let his parents know what had been happening to him,

He finally told them about the spiritual occurrences that had happened to him, and his parents looked at him with fear, and a little disgust. Still, his mother agreed that he needed to join Seraph League so that he could control it and use it for good. She saw it as a wicked thing that needed to be put to good use, then maybe it could be considered a gift.

Francis went through the process of joining The Seraph League and was surprised to be accepted. He was given the name Archangel, something that made his powers seem less intimidating, and told the public that he channeled angels, rather than spirits. There was a whole PR team, and a lot of money behind Seraph League, even though they weren’t the most famous or known team. They had a lot of sycophants and followers. Enough so that they held large scale evangelical events.

What most did not know was that a lot of those within Seraph League were actually quite corrupt, and didn’t believe the things they purported to. Francis was frequently disheartened by things he saw, and didn’t know why he had ended up in this place. They saved people, not for the good, but for credibility and brownie points.

This on top of his powers finally becoming stronger thanks to actual use, made Francis spiral frequently. He was in a dire mental state and could feel the fear he was so familiar with overtaking him. He often lost himself in spirits, one time being stuck in time when a spirit paused time and he couldn’t get back. He had been stuck that way for about a month, and when he told his team members, they had laughed him off.

Things just kept getting worse for him, until there was a small period where things cleared up, and he was able to finish the degree he had tried to complete earlier in his life, and settled down with a woman he thought was the love of his life. Francis was still operating in many forms of denial, one such being that of his sexuality, he was dealing with enough, that he didn’t have time to confront how he felt.

He knew that going along with what was expected was his only hope, and so that’s how it had to be. Francis married his wife, and had a big wedding that was streamed to the Seraph League followers, it was the only time he had ever felt his parents were truly proud of him.

After the honeymoon phase was over, they settled into a life of routine, just how he had remembered from his childhood. The only thing was that his powers were still getting worse. He could feel himself astral projecting in the night, out of his control, and much stronger spirits beckoning to him whenever he needed to channel one.

Francis’ old habits returned and his mental state deteriorated once again, making him feel worse than before because he thought that he actually had his life together. He kept on with this for a while, suffering in silence, until after enough time he couldn’t any longer.

He knew he needed a change, he no longer wanted to be a part of Seraph League. They neglected his needs, and made sure to appear as best as they could to the public, and he wanted to be part of something that was actually fulfilling. Still, he was too afraid to do it himself. That’s how he ended up subconsciously channeling a mischievous spirit who could negate powers, and derailed one of their missions completely, ending up in some of his members needing to be hospitalized due to injury.

Francis had almost lost himself completely with this spirit, but managed to get back to himself only to see the extent to which he had destroyed his team. He was apologetic and remorseful, but it was too late, he was removed from the Seraph League dishonorably and was made a pariah.

The backlash was so much that even his wife left him, and this was enough to make him lose it. Everything he had known for years was suddenly gone. He had arrived at the lowest point in his life, his parents didn’t even talk to him because of how ashamed they were. That’s when he decided to get help for himself finally get on medication. He needed all the help he could get to cope.

Francis took some time to himself after everything fell apart, to find himself and began to work as an ASL interpreter for the courts and hospitals. He needed to try and have a normal life, something he felt he would never have. He was mostly successful but he still wasn’t truly happy, there was something still missing.

When he saw the rise of the advocates, he made a mental note of it, hoping that they would be able to see past his reputation and accept him. But he was too afraid to actually put himself out there like that.

Over time though, Francis saw the rise of villainy, cases coming in through the courts and he felt like he needed to help however he could. That’s what made him apply, changing his name to The Conduit, finally being open and honest about the reality of his abilities. Maybe this time he could actually be himself, and use his abilities for good. He’s been in the team for a few months, and that’s all he hopes for. To be able to create a purpose for himself and take control of his narrative.

APPEARANCE

HEIGHT: 6′4″

WEIGHT: 235 lbs. 

BUILD: Muscular.

ETHNICITY: Irish, French, Polish

HAIR: Brown

EYES: Green

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: A scar on his his left cheek, as well as a few on his legs and arms and torso.  

DISABILITIES: Hard of hearing, PTSD, OCD. 

DRESS STYLE: Clean and simple. Well fitting slacks and button ups. 

TATTOOS: None.

PIERCINGS: None.

PERSONALITY/PSYCHOLOGY

INTROVERT or EXTROVERT: Introvert.

INTELLIGENCE LEVEL: He’s pretty intelligent, he works as an interpreter. 

MENTAL HEALTH: Poor, but he’s managing it at the moment.

HABITS: He has a series of rituals. Bounces his legs a lot. Chews on his nails, and plays with his hair to self soothe. 

MANNERISMS: He’s a little fidgety. Grinds his teeth and clenches his jaw a lot. He forgets to look at people’s eyes when talking at times. 

HEALTH: It’s okay, he likes to work out and eat well, most of the time.

MBTI TYPE: ISFJ

POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES:  Caring, Intelligent, Selfless

NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES:  Distrusting, Scared, Avoidant

LIKES: Pasta dishes, dogs, helping people, quiet environments, animals in general.

DISLIKES: His powers, The Seraph League, rude people, swearing, places that are too loud and overwhelming. 

HOBBIES: He likes to paint landscapes and bake. 

TALENTS / SKILLS: He can play guitar, but he doesn’t do it often. He only learned to do it because he wanted to prove he could.

FAMILY

PARENTS: Peter and Amy Hayes.

SIBLINGS: None.

CHILDREN: None.

MARITAL STATUS: Divorced.

SIGNIFICANT OTHER(S): None.

OTHER FAMILY: None of significance. 

PETS: A corgi named Pancake.

SEXUALITY

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Gay, although he is in denial about it and in the closet.

DATING STATUS: Not looking.

DOMINANT / SUBMISSIVE / SWITCH: Submissive.

TOP / BOTTOM / VERSATILE: Versatile. 

TURN-ONS: A soothing presence, and who knows what else to be honest, he needs to figure it out. Big arms. He liked it when his wife kissed his neck.

TURN-OFFS: Having sex with his ex wife. Arrogance, rudeness.

SUPERHEROISM

ALIAS: The Conduit. (formerly, Archangel)

POWERS / SKILLSET:

Spirit Channeling/Possession Empowerment: Francis is a conduit to the spiritual realm and can channel spirits through his body, who possess him and imbue him with their characteristics momentarily. Largely this manifests in him gaining their abilities, and being able to use them, but at times he will be imbued with parts of their personalities too. He can only channel one spirit at a time, and the stronger the spirit, the more control they have over him. He can lose himself to a spirit he is channeling if he doesn’t do it correctly, or they gain the upper-hand over him. He’s gotten better at his channeling over time, but he still isn’t as great at it as he should be, often too afraid to tap into his full potential. Fear is a tricky game for him, because the spirits can sense it, leading him to potential danger.  

Astral Projection: He’s able to separate his spiritual being from his corporeal form and navigate the astral plane. Often this happens out of his control, but he can call upon this ability as well. In his astral form, he is almost see-through and cannot interact physically but can communicate clearly with the world around him. Francis is able to use this ability to sneak around and gather intel. His astral form has a calming aura, able to subdue strong emotions of those around him, and he is able to think most clearly when he is in his spiritual form. 

COLORS: Dark grays and black.

APPEARANCE:

His costume when he used to be in The Seraph League was a white bodysuit with a cape that resembled wings, but now it’s a black bodysuit with a black flowing cape and hood. He wears dark colors that allow him to hide easily, and also reflect his general mood. When he’s possessed, his eyes will change colors and if you see his reflection, It will be that of that the spirit that he’s channeling.

WEAKNESSES:

Spiritual control: Francis can lose himself to a spirit if they are strong or willful enough, so he has to be careful of which spirits he channels. They can even try to possess him when he is astral projecting, which would lead to his body being controlled by another being, which would be a hassle to correct.

Dormant body: When Francis is astral projecting his body is essentially comatose and unresponsive, so he is weakened in that sense. If he is under attack physically, he needs to return to his body to be able to do anything about it.

Fear: Francis is afraid of the true power of his abilities, so he’s mostly just scratched the surface of channeling spirits. Often, he will only channel those he is familiar with and not veer off of that too much.

MENTOR / PROTEGE: Protege.

LENGTH OF ADVOCATE MEMBERSHIP: 3 months.

SUPERVILLAIN ARCHNEMESIS: None specifically. The Seraph League?

[writtenbylalaloverss]

Heroes with Broken Bonds

The hero world and the rest of world were shaken up when the attack on the training camp happened, no one could have been prepared for the kidnapping of Katsuki Bakugou.

His friends and family were devastated, how could the villains take him? A handful of friends came up with a plan to save him, granted they would be breaking the law and sneaking out of hospitals. As they did, the symbol of peace himself had taken it upon himself to fight with the villains and end this once and for all. All Might planned to save young Bakugou, as he felt that it was his fault for the kidnapping.

What the heroes didn't expect was there to be tons and tons of missing teens being used by the league of Villains. The aftermath of the fight revealed the small hideout of teen villains, no older then eighteen, how could they use those who need true guidance against the corrupt world. The pro heroes began to take in all the teens for an investigation and an evaluation of their physical and mental state. Why were they being used, where they being held against their will? Was it black mail? Child Adduction?

Shigaraki and the villain vanguard where safe for now, he was wondering what he should do next. Everyone was on edge, what was the next step? He didn't know what do to, he was lost without his father figure, he was torn away from the one person who understood him. Toga found a note and handed it to him, as he looked over it he clenched his fist and slammed to note on the paper, "Send her in, she'll finish the job" he declared. The villains sorta knew who this girl was, they didn't really have a clue as to who it was but they nodded anyway and began to make calls.

Her small little pager went off notifying her that it was time for her big reveal, Her long dark brown hair swayed with the wind as she walked up to the Pro Heroes "Please! Help me!" She cried before falling to the ground, her small team of fifty followed after her. They knew the plan, they knew not all would be saved, they knew only a select few would continue this mission. The majority continued to fight against the Heroes saving people, they smirked and nodded to her. Five male villains surrendered to the Pros, fourteen females besides herself surrendered and cried for their rescue.

"Please you got to help us, they've had us tortured and starved until we became a use to them, PLEASE HELP!" She cried, fake tears fell from her eyes, she was putting on quite the show. She silently praised herself as the main protege failed, she felt as if she was better then Tomura, since the beginning of this whole agreement, she knew she was the favorite. She got to do as she pleased and still pleased her father, All for one. A Pro finally came to the twenty teens, she slowly sat up acting as if she was injured. "Oh thank goodness you are here! We want to be saved, we don't want to fight anymore" she cried. The Pro nodded and called over some backup, they didn't want to be too careful around those children.

"Now tell us what happened to you all?" The Pro asked, backup came and started to hand cuff the teens with quirk stopping cuffs.

"Why are you cuffing us?" She asked with her eyebrows furrowed.

"It's only to be safe, now please tell us your names and how old you are" One Pro asked.

She shook her head, gripping her hair for added effects.

"We don't know, we can't remember anything of our past" She said, tears streaming down her face. The Pro Heroes faces fell slightly, brainwashed teens? It was a possibility.

The league of Villains watched the show go on, from the small monitor that connected to her small body camera, they watched as the Pros helplessly walked into their trap. The Heroes fell for her words, letting her out of the hand cuffs and walking her team into a small but spacious transport truck, with a Pro riding in the back.

"Where are we going?" She asked, the Pro looked at her and gave a small smile.

"First we are taking you all to get evaluated, un like the rest out there you all surrender so we just want to get you evaluated and find out your names, contact your family if any. Keep this between us but it's up for discussion that you all will be attending U.A, under the supervision of a few pros." They said, she nodded and smirked. Tomura couldn't see the smirk but she knew damn well that he's fuming, she got in and he didn't. She's right there and he's not. She's gotten this far and it's only her debut, oh how Father would be proud. And little did she know her father was.

Tomura was beyond frustrated that little brat is getting all the attention and praise, that should have been him! He growled and banged his fist on the small desk he had, his team was trapped in a smaller hideout, the bar was much more spacious but All Might and his false hero friends had to destroy it. Tomura clenched and unclenched his fist, "That brat! How did she get in! I failed master on multiple occasions but she succeeded on the first try!" He yelled. Everyone stayed silent as their leader had crumbled, he wasn't happy about losing but he should be happy that they have a way in.

All for one was happy in his little cell, as the guards kept talking about the possibility of Villains attending U.A, he smiled. His daughter had finally gotten in, his dream of crushing the heroes from the inside is working. He couldn't be happier. He knew she was the right one for this job, he loved Tomura but he lacked the emotions that his sister had, his sister had this vulnerability that he didn't, she could sway people with her words and he couldn't. He always praised his daughter more then his son.

[thesffcorner]

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Spider-man: Far from Home is the second of the MCU Spider-man films, directed by John Watts. It follows Peter Parker, right after the events of Endgame, as he and his class go on a well deserved vacation to Europe. Peter wants to use the trip to woo MJ, which ends up taking a backseat when a series of elemental natural disasters hit the Earth, and Nick Fury needs Spider-man to help.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the original Marvel Spider-man film; I found the story overly complicated and underdeveloped, and while I enjoyed the individual components of the film, like Michael Keaton as Vulture, Tom Holland as Peter, and Peter’s friends, I found the overall film average at best. So I’m happy to report that this film is leagues better, and IMHO is the best Spider-man film we’ve gotten to date.

Let’s start with the plot: this film deals with a lot of elements, just like the first film did, but it does a much better job of integrating them, and giving them each enough time to develop and have an impact. Peter himself is dealing with a lot; he has just lost 5 years of his life, he lost his mentor and father figure, everyone expects him to step up and be the next Iron-man, while all he wants to do is take a vacation and be a teenager. One of the best aspects of Spider-man as a character is this push and pull between Peter struggling to do the right thing, and be the hero everyone needs him to be, and his desire to have a normal life, and this film really leans into this friction.

At the same time, the villain choice is beautifully executed by Jake Gyllenhall playing Misterio. As a kid, Misterio was one of my favorite Spider-man villains, along with Black Cat, Silver Sable and Venom, because he had such a cool backstory of being this special effects master who can perform amazing illusions with practical effects. This film updates his backstory and his powers, now leaning a lot more on technology and holograms.

The thing about Misterio, is that he’s not an A list villain; he’s a Vulture level threat, who’s been present in other series, but has mostly stayed in the Spider-man series, as a neighborhood level threat. Here both the film and the plot push him to be more extreme, and what they come up with is genuinely one of the most outright villainous and selfish characters the MCU has come up with.

There are many things to like about this film; the trailers seemed to imply this would be a more dower, serious film, but it really isn’t; it’s a comedy first, even though it does touch on some rather heavy subjects. The tone is perfectly set by the opening sequence which is an In Memoriam for the fallen Avengers and then talks about the fallout of the Blip (what a dumbass name, what was wrong with the Snap). It’s a scene reminiscent of the PE scene in the first Spider-man with Captain America and it was really funny.

The film is pretty good at taking advantage of the things it sets up; for example there are a lot of really funny bits involving the school trip, with Misterio and Nick Fury high-jacking portions of it, while the two high school teachers try to keep everything under control. The parts set in Venice really take advantage of the city as a setting, and I would like to say the same about Berlin and Prague, but unfortunately it seems like the filmmakers were less confident about those sections.

By far the best fight scene and the most creative sequence in the film is the one that takes place in Berlin, where Misterio just wails on Peter with one illusion after the next, and it’s incredibly well shot, paced and executed. One thing that’s been a common complaint about Marvel’s films, especially the bigger ones, is that they look drab and colorless and don’t fully take advantage of the superhero tropes, and this film is not like that. It understands Misterio not just as a character, but as an entity, and really uses his powers to the fullest advantage. The colors in the film are also great; this is the most colorful of the Marvel films set on Earth, and it was much appreciated.

One thing I was worried about here, which was also one of my main complaints in the first Spider-man, was that Peter would be a side character in his own film. The first Spider-man really pushed Tony to the forefront, and as a result, Peter just didn’t have enough time to develop on his own. That’s an important part of Peter’s character; that he has to deal with a lot of things alone, because there really isn’t anyone he can turn and talk to about being a superhero, and because he’s afraid of putting the people he loves in danger.

This film gets that right; Peter still has a support group, as May, Ned and Happy know who he is, but they don’t entirely understand what he’s going through. They all count on him being ok, and being strong and doing the right thing, without realizing that Peter is having a crisis of faith, now that Tony is gone. So I absolutely bought the relationship between him and Beck, as Beck really was this confident, collected man, who treats Peter like what he is; a confused teenager who desperately needs guidance. The whole film really focuses on Peter’s struggles to be the man everyone wants him to be, vs what he wants to be, and how being a superhero takes a toll on his life.

Nick Fury was another bit that I was afraid of, and it’s the one part that I’m still not sure what to think of. On the one hand, this is the closest Nick Fury has been to his comic counterpart in any of the films; on the other, a lot of the stuff he does in the film, doesn’t seem like stuff Nick Fury would do. There is an explanation for that, but it’s impossible to talk about without spoilers, so I’ll leave it for the end.

As for the rest of the characters, this film does a great job at giving everyone at least one funny moment. The teachers are great, the other classmates are great, I really enjoyed the rivalry between Brad and Peter, and especially the relationship between Betty and Ned. Ned is a criminally underrated character, and he had some of the funniest lines here. I also really like this version of MJ; she is as awkward if not more so than Peter, and I like that they are having her go into a journalist/detective route, seeing as she likes investigating and true crime.

Finally we have Beck, or Misterio. I already said that I loved the relationship between him and Peter; they had excellent chemistry, and the switch that Beck goes through was so well done by Gyllenhall. He could easily play both a Tony Stark type hero, as well as a Loki type villain, and the film compromises by letting him do both. It was the closest any of these villains have gotten to Alfred Molina’s amazing turn as Doc Ock.

Before I go, I briefly want to talk about the ending. So warning, SPOILERS. First off, why was all the stuff with J Jonah Jemison and Beck in the post credit scene? That was a really important sequence, and it completely changes the tone of the film! It sets up such a different status quo for Peter, that I am SHOCKED that they thought it was a good idea to leave it as a mid-roll scene! Also the fact that J K Simmons is back as Jemison, except now he’s an Alex Jones type/Rebel Media conspiracy theorist is a m a z i n g. Then we have the second post credit scene where we find out that Nick Fury was Talos the whole time, which would explain why he was acting so OOC the whole film, and why he was so easily manipulated by Beck. The real Nick Fury is off-world with the Skrulls, so is this a set-up for Secret Invasion? I guess we’ll have to see.

Overall, I really liked this film. It’s fun, it’s funny, it has some great characters, a great villain and some excellent cinematography. I would absolutely recommend it, even if you didn’t like the first Spider-man.

[dropintomanga]

King Expression Realness - Why I Like Bakugo

What’s the first thing you can think of when it comes to angry young men? Maybe that they’re just being boys. Maybe they should be angry. Maybe they’re dangerous. Maybe that’s the norm for them. There’s one angry young man that’s been getting the hearts of anime and manga fans everywhere. I’m talking about the one and only Katsuki Bakugo from My Hero Academia. His personality has traits similar to boys with anger management problems, but it’s those traits that make Bakugo very human because we’re in a world where men get mixed messages on how to be a real man, much less a hero.

Bakugo is described to have a bad attitude among his peers and mentors. He grew up picking on the protagonist, Izuku “Deku” Midoriya, for years. Bakugo believes in his own strength to be a hero. He refuses to cooperate with other hero trainees unless it’s necessary. Bakugo is foul-mouthed, prideful, arrogant, rude, etc. The negative qualities never seem to end with him. Yet deep down, Bakugo wants to be like the most famous hero of them all, All Might - a hero who doesn’t back down from anyone and will win at any costs.

Bakugo’s psychological profile is one of an angry young man. They sometimes grew up without many friends. There’s a great sense of loneliness within them. They also don’t get taught how to express their emotions. The culture of masculinity tells young men to be strong because that’s what being a man is - never showing weakness. Early on in childhood, Bakugo picks on Deku for being weak. He chastises him repeatedly even when the latter even decides to help him one time. When Deku becomes a powerful hero through specific circumstances, Bakugo feels a sense of inferiority towards him because he always felt that he was stronger and better than him in everything.

There came a point in the story where the series’ mainstay villains, the League of Villains, kidnaps Bakugo in order to recruit him. Bakugo’s negative traits make him borderline evil. Bakugo, however, refuses to join the League. He even stands up to the group saying that he admires All Might more than them. Bakugo provides a different type of narrative that we don’t see hear enough of - that angry young men can be righteous at heart.

Bakugo wants to do good and understand life around him. This becomes very apparent in a very heated confrontation with Izuku that I wrote about a while back. The UA heroes went to rescue Bakugo, but it left him confused and wondering what he could’ve done to help All Might after the latter is forced to retire. Bakugo’s feelings were on full display during his latest fight with Deku. In a conversation between his mother Mitsuki Bakugo and the hero Shota Aizawa before the fight, Mitsuki, who’s also aggressive, reveals that much of her son’s aggression comes from the constant praise he got from people for everything he did when he was little.

Many young men lack meaning in their lives. In a sense, they want something to do that makes them feel appreciated. However, they are told to find the answers themselves. You can compare this to the lack of care towards young military soldiers who come back home and feel out of place. They’ve been told to win for their country, only to find that they may not be welcomed back with open arms. 

Bakugo’s nature is to win over all his enemies. Combine that with his natural-born talent and all the constant praise to boost his self-esteem is a bad formula. It can create the bullying nature that we’re all trying to stamp out. Bakugo’s self-worth was based on his own perception to be the best hero that wins every time. I’m going to quote a line from a recent interview about how individualism goes wrong.

“On the one hand, putting all the focus on the individual as the locus of success can be a good thing because you’re saying to people, “You can do anything; you can change the world on your own two feet,” and that’s incredibly motivating.

But this is also a bad thing because we give ourselves too much credit for successes and too much blame for failures. The problem with individualism is that it ignores the fact that we’re social creatures, that we live and survive and succeed in tribes. We call ourselves failures, we call ourselves losers, and that’s the beginning of a descent into a range of dangerous mental health problems.”

This describes Bakugo in a nutshell. People unintentionally put him on a pedestal where he believes that being the best hero matters. When he falls and/or goes through reality checks, Bakugo freaks out over why he isn’t as strong as he thought. 

Bakugo reminds me of many young folks (including myself) in growing individualist societies who were told they are “special” at a young age and it does harm in ways one doesn’t expect. They don’t learn how to handle conflict and build resilience. They always compare themselves to others to determine their worth. And it’s not their fault. These past 20 or so years have seen the push of self-esteem as a way to live a good life when in reality, it’s more of the result of a good life.

And speaking of a good life, Bakugo gets excellent teaching at UA High School. He begins to learn how to be less angry and appreciate friends who want to help him. His best moment during his time at UA High was when he tells a young kid who was arrogant like him that if you’re focused on looking down on others, you never face your own weaknesses. It helps that Bakugo has the support of Aizawa and All Might, two top heroes and mentors who always believed in him. Going through all kinds of experiences with loving guidance is making Bakugo a better person at using his emotional explosions at the right time.

That’s why I like Bakugo or should I say, how he grows as the series goes on. I find him to be a good case study on how to change a youth full of rage. Reading about Bakugo makes me realize that boys shouldn’t grow up to be emotionless beings because that goes against what it means to be human.

Why aren’t we investing enough in angry young men or making sure they process that anger in a healthy manner? Our future is going to be full of them as institutions continue to crumble. These men, like Bakugo, want to feel valued. I wonder if it’s because of how most people view anger as an issue that shouldn’t be touched. After all, emotions of that kind signal a sense of fear to stay away. Anger is “supposed” to lead to violence when that’s not true. It is a normal emotion that everyone feels and without anger, certain rights for people wouldn’t have been fought for. One reason I write this blog is because I’m angry that people don’t understand the importance of mental health. However, I know that anger is dangerous if I let it motivate me to get mad at every little thing out there.

Anger is never enough. That’s why we need to show and teach love to the young men who feel lost in today’s world. We have to know that deep down, they are human beings like you and I. Let’s ask young men how they are feeling. We can show that we’re not that much different from each other.

Bakugo was supposed to be a character that fans would hate, not top popularity polls. But it shows that maybe we can look past the hate and see young men like Bakugo for what they are - real people who can be heroes in their communities and not bound by systems designed to keep them down.

[kprciffdw]

Ratchet and Kim Possible: The Solanian Revolution-Part 6

After a long flight, they were able to arrive at the Planet Marcadia. They landed in a large city. As soon as they got out of the ship, they found themselves in the middle of a war-zone. Ron: "Whoa, this place sure is a mess. Those Tyhrranoids really did a number on this place." Kim: "Look, the Galactic Ranges are also here, as to be expected."

They walked up to the Rangers. 1st Ranger: "Glad you could make it, sir. The presidential compound is on the other side of the city. Keep your head down, the Tyhrranoids are crawling all over the place." Ron: "No problem, we can handle a few alien scum here and there." Kim: "Let's get going, you guys."

They rushed into the middle of the vicious battle as they made their way through the city. There were Tyhrranoids everywhere they looked, just like the Ranger told them. Their army seemed more abundant and vicious than on Veldin, but the group was able to handle them just fine, especially Ron, which seemed very surprising to the others. They were eventually able to make their way towards another drop ship along with a few more Rangers. Ranger: "Great teamwork, guys. A second wave of Tyhrranoids just landed. They're attacking the compound from the other side. We could sure use your help." Ron: "You've got it! Just leave it to us!" Ranger: "Follow me to the drop ship."

They rushed over to the drop ship, got in and flew off. After a long flight, they arrived at the presidential compound. Ranger: "Sarge, you and your team arrived just in time. We must defend the Presidential Palace." Kim: "Yikes! You guys look like you really have your hands full." Ron: "Well, this shouldn't be too hard to handle. I say bring on the fight." Ratchet: "You're willing to face the Tyhrranoids head on with absolutely no fear what-so-ever and yet you're still afraid of monkeys?" Ron: "Hey, monkeys are terrifying, not to mention evil. Tyhrranoids, on the other hand, aren't really so bad." Ratchet: "Ron! Monkeys are NOT evil! Tyhrranoids are, not to mention that there's a lot more to fear about them than monkeys!" Ron: "Yeah, if I run into the Tyhrranoids at Camp Wannaweep, then maybe I'll have something to fear about them." Ratchet: "Are you serious? Do all of your greatest fears have to come from that place? The Tyhrranoids are monsters! Monkeys are just…(grunt) you know what? Forget it! The only person who's more difficult to reason with than you is Qwark, even when he hasn't lost his mind!" Kim: "Can't argue with that."

They went on to the battle. During the battle, wave after wave of Tyhrranoid forces kept on coming. The Rangers were panicking but the group was able to remain calm. Surprisingly, even Ron kept his cool throughout the entire battle. Kim: "Heh, so not the drama." Ron: "This isn't so hard." Ratchet: "Why weren't you like this during our previous adventure when we needed you to be?" Ron: "After being in that terrifying jungle with all of those vicious monkeys, nothing else seems to scare me anymore." Kim: "Huh, that's strange, he's never been like this before." Ratchet: "Hm…maybe we should throw him into a room filled with a whole hoard of monkeys and maybe he'll remain completely fearless of everything else." Ron: "Not funny, Ratchet!"

They continued on with the fight until the Tyhrranoids stopped coming and everything was quiet. Soon enough, the President stepped outside. The group was able to meet with him. The President bent down to shake Clank's hand. President: "Agent Clank! You're even more impressive in person than you are on the holovid!"

He then noticed Ratchet, Kim and Ron. President: "And you 2 seem to be use to fighting quite a lot. I did hear that you were both heroes on your home planet." Kim: "Yep, all in a day's work." Ron: "This is typical, everyday stuff for the both of us. Not anything for us to worry about." President: "And, I must say, I've never seen a chauffeur fight like you do, son."

He shook Ratchet's hand. President: "Who says you can't find good help these days, right, Clank?"

Kim glared as the President chuckled. President: "Sasha's told me a lot about you. Don't get any ideas, kid. She's way out of your league."

Kim and Ratchet whispered to each other. Kim: "No surprise this guy thinks Qwark is capable of saving this galaxy; he's clearly an imbecile." Ratchet: "You just took the words out of my mouth, Kim." President: "Now then, Sasha's filled me in the, uh…Qwark situation. I'm told the man thinks he's a monkey?" Clank: "He has lost his memory." President: "Well, then you'll simply have to find it for him. We need our star player back in the game ASAP. Is that understood?" Ron: "Uh…" Ratchet: "Yes, sir." Clank: "We will do what we can." Kim: "Whatever." President: "My daughter tells me that you're a man who's good with his hands, Ratchet. And you, Ms. Possible, I was told by your dad that you can do anything." Kim: "You've met my dad?" President: "Of course. And some kid by the name of Wade." Ratchet: "Dr. Possible and Wade have already contacted you?" President: "Oh, yes, they have already spoken with me and Sasha. Dr. Possible has told me that he trusts Ratchet with your life, little missy."

Kim was a little surprised and somewhat touched. Kim: "Dad…" President: "So, anyway, the city's laser shield went down during the attack. We're defenseless without it. I sent out a repairman to fix it, but he disappeared. I need you and your team to get it back online." Ratchet: "Yes, sir. We're on it. Let's go, Kim."

Ratchet rushed off. Kim: "I'm right behind you, Ratchet. Oh, and Mr. President? Ratchet is nobody's chauffeur! I want you to never mention anything about that ever again!" President: "Whoa, calm down, little lady. I had no idea that bothered you so much." Kim: "No, of course not."

She rushed out. Ron and Clank stood by astonished. Ron: "KP…" Clank: "Her feelings for Ratchet are very conspicuous and wide open. And yet…she does not wish to continue to acknowledge this." Ron: "I know…"

They walked off afterwards. They left on the drop ship and were taken to the Laser Defense Facility.

They arrived at the Laser Defense Facility. As soon as they rushed out of the drop ship, Kim pulled out her Kimmunicator. Kim: "Wade, we just arrived at some place known as the Laser Defense Facility. We'll need a detailed outline of the functionality of this place." Wade: "You've got it, Kim. I've managed to look into a device known as a refractor. It can handle the lasers within the facility. I've managed to build not 1 but 2 refractors: one for you and another for Ratchet. I'm sending them now."

Wade's vendor appeared for the first time since the previous adventure, transporting the 2 refractors. Kim grabbed both of them and passed one over to Ratchet. Ratchet: "I can't tell you how much I miss getting cool stuff from you, Wade." Wade: "I've spent a lot of my time studying alien technology and building some awesome new gadgets since the last time we met. Hopefully, the next set that I send out will be a lot more impressive." Ratchet: "Looking forward to it, as always, Wade."

Kim put away the Kimmunicator. Kim: "Come on, let's fix this place."

They rush off into the facility.

Throughout their run through the place, Kim and Ratchet worked together to utilize their refractors. There were a number of lasers being emitted within one room after another. They navigated through the place with the use of the refractors and some guidance from Wade. There were also several Tyhrranoids all over the place, but they were able to defeat them very easily, especially Ron. Kim and Ratchet utilized the refractors to refract the lasers in any direction they needed to in order to progress through the facility. Ron seemed very mesmerized by the sight of the lasers being refracted. Ron: "Whoa…cool. I had no idea lasers could be redirected like that!"

Wade's vendor reappeared beside Ron, displaying Wade's image. Wade: "I know, right? Alien technology just keeps getting more and more amazing." Ron: "Yes it does."

They kept going until they were about to reach the very end. From there, Wade chimed in again. Wade: "Be careful, guys. I'm detecting another life form at the very end of the facility. I'm not picking up on any hostile readings, but anything can happen." Ratchet: "Copy that, Wade. We'll proceed with caution."

They continued to the very end. There, they ran into a guy that Ratchet and Clank seem to know very well. Ratchet: "Hey, Clank, look who it is. It's Al." Clank: "Yes, I seem to recall seeing him during our first adventure together." Ron: "Al?" Al: "Silence, all of you! I am concentrating…" Kim: "On what, the security system?"

Ratchet walked up to the computer console that Al was working on and noticed something. Ratchet: "What the…? That's a Qwark Vid-Comic!" Al: "Excuse me, it is a Historically Accurate Interactive Graphic Novel." Kim: "You're using the city's defense network to play a video game? Isn't that, oh I don't know, irresponsible?" Ron: "Not to mention a potential danger to the entire city?" Al: "And who are you to question my genius at work? As a matter of fact, who are you guys? I've never seen either of you before. Are you from around here?" Ratchet: "Al, this is Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. They're from another planet in a very distant galaxy." Al: "Nice to meet you both. Now then, if you excuse me, I have some important work that needs to be done. OK, I've bypassed the security server with a 626-hex-matrix adapter and reprogrammed the graphic sub-processor." Ron: "Uh, did any of that make any sense?" Kim: "I…don't know." Ratchet: "Clank, you seem to understand a lot of this stuff. Help us out with this, please." Clank: "Sir, it seems that you have a feedback loop in the induction coils of you DB-3 signal processor." Al: "Impossible! I ran a recursive checksum on the signal matrix…hey, there is a feedback loop."

Al went on to typing on the keyboard. Ron: "I still have no idea what any of that meant."

Clank walked up to the vid-comic. Clank: "May we borrow this vid-comic?" Al: "Treat it gently. It's a first edition."

Clank grabbed the vid-comic and pulled it out of the socket on the side of the computer. Kim pulled out the Kimmunicator. Kim: "Wade, I'll need you to run a system's check on this place to make sure this space case didn't wreck anything or won't for that matter." Wade: "Already on it, Kim. I'll have the city's defenses up and running in no time."

The group head out towards the exit. Clank: "Perhaps this will help restore Qwark's memories." Kim: "Sure, whatever helps people sleep at night." Computer voice: "Shield power restored." Wade: "Was that good enough for you, Kim?" Kim: "I don't think that could have gone better. Thanks, Wade." Wade: "I made certain that nothing went wrong just like you asked me to."

They went back to the drop ship, returned to their ship, took off and left the planet.

[tangerinewrites]

DAY 23: RICKY!

11/23/2020 

wc: 1787

note: skipped day 22 to do replies for my muse cal! will get back into things, even though this week will be a little stressful. 

After moving back in with his brothers, he couldn’t really say that it got any better for him. Though he was relieved that he would no longer have to stress about a relationship, he wouldn’t necessarily say that he was glad things ended the way they did. After all, he still got dumped by someone who he had cared a lot for. He practically went back in time just to see him again, only to realize that he doesn’t stick with Yoongi ‘til the end in this timeline. It felt like a punch to the face almost. Like he went through all that effort, only to lose again.

So rather than grieving over a loved one, Ricky was grieving over a relationship while also dealing with the world possibly ending again.

Besides the fact that he got dumped, it almost felt like deja vu. The world crumbling all around him as he and the rest of the other heroes worldwide tried to think of what they could do: it felt all too familiar to him. He wonders if any of the other Retribution were also aware of this repeat. But it’s not like he could necessarily say anything to the other magical heroes. After what Yuuko told him and the other Retribution survivors, he didn’t want to possibly risk the chance of causing more discord in the world.

But… there’s a reason why he’s waiting outside her shop right now. He wanted to get confirmation about that specifically. Yuuko’s the only witch in the entire universe who knows of what happened in the last timeline as well as who the survivors are. Compared to the other Retribution survivors, however, she acted calm as if this were to be expected. She hasn’t even reached out to any of them since this chaos had ensued. So, it was Ricky’s responsibility to reach out to her and see what he could do to possibly stop whatever would be coming their way. As he arrives at the address, he knocks on the door and waits for a response from her.

When the witch opens her shop door, she greets the boy with a smile. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite red head,” she says, sounding charming in her voice as she says that. “What brings you to my shop today? Why aren’t you back at your headquarters doing what most magical hero presidents do?”

Ricky feels as if the woman was mocking him, so he made sure to make it aware that he wasn’t here to play around. “I’m here to talk about the future, Yuuko. This is serious.”

She blinks at him, looking a little more surprised now. “What ever do you mean, Richard? Why would you suggest-”

“Yuuko, this can’t be a coincidence. There’s something wrong with the timeline and I need to fix it,” he responds, sounding as adamant as he can. “If you had expected us to search for you and the Restoration card in the last timeline, you would be able to know what happens in this one. Let me know as well so that I can make the appropriate changes.”

After he says that, she sighs and shakes her head. “I guess I can’t fool you anymore like I have in the past, huh?” she says with a little laugh. “Come inside, Taehyung. We have a lot to talk about.”

Obviously they did, but Ricky doesn’t take the opportunity to act snark with her. He nods his head and walks into her shop, having her step to the side to make it easier for him. As she closes the door behind him, she motions him to take a seat at her desk centered in the middle of the shop. As he sits down, she sits across from him and has a look of expectancy on her face.

“What do you wish to know specifically, Kim Taehyung?” she inquires.

“I want to know if the apocalypse will be just like it was in the last timeline,” he demands. “I want to know if the events will play out like so. And I also wish to know if there is any way I can go back in time to fix everything.”

She shakes her head. “Oh… you naive little boy.”

He’s shocked by her reaction. “Excuse me?”

“You already used your chance to rewind back in time, Taehyung,” she responds to him. Her voice doesn’t seem to have pity in the tone. In fact, if anything, it sounds almost as if she was criticizing him. “You already used your second chance to get everything back to normal. The Restoration Card? That was the only chance you received to possibly change the outcome of everything. With the fact that you used it only to have this event play out again shows that you have failed to use it for its purpose.”

Ricky’s eyes widen at her explanation. “What do you mean?! There has to be a way in order for us to possibly fix something, right?!” He sounds desperate when he asks the woman that. “If you’re saying that, it sounds as if we had gone back for absolutely no reason! There must be a way to prevent all this death. There must be another way to be able to fix the world from being overruled by the Crooked Man!”

“It’s amazing how you remember so much detail about the past,” she says, gazing at the crystal ball in front of them.

Ricky scoffs. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder does that to humans, Yuuko,” he answers her rudely. “Not like you would understand how a human feels in dire situations like this.”

She gives him a pointed look. “That’s a bit of an accusation. Who told you to talk to your superiors with that mouth?”

“Yuuko, this situation is more dire than me respecting you. You know how important the entire League is to me.” He responds, sounding almost as snarky as the other.

The woman huffs and she crosses her arms. “Fair enough,” she says with a sigh. “I see that you are under a lot of stress right now. Given the situation you are in, I can’t say I blame you for reacting the way you are now.”

“Thank you,” he responds, feeling himself calm down as he is relieved that the both of them are on the same page. “I hope that you know my intentions aren’t to ridicule you. I’m just frustrated with everything and I…” he sighs and he holds his head in his hands. “I don’t want things to end up like they did in the last timeline.”

“I understand. It’s okay,” she says, patting his arm in a comforting way. Yuuko wasn’t really the best at being sympathetic with Ricky, but he at least acknowledged the effort. “There is… one way you can be able to return everything back to normal. Turn back time to when things are normal and it’ll be guaranteed that nothing bad will happen in that new timeline.”

He looks at her, his eyes wide and sparkling showing the excitement and relief from her answer. “Really?! How?!”

She shakes her head. “I cannot say anything specific,” she responds with a sigh. “This must play out naturally. Otherwise, the guaranteed outcome will not play out.”

His face drops. “Oh.”

“But… I will say that when the time comes, you will find out what you have to do,” she says with a confident nod. “And when that time comes, you must prepared for what you must do.”

He frowns. “Is that really all you can tell me?”

She nods adamantly.

He sighs as he scratches his head frustrated, licking his lips in thought over what it could be. “Okay. I guess I will find out when the time comes.”

“You should go back to work,” she advises him. “The League will be needing you soon.”

"Are you telling me what will happen in the future?”

She nods her head.

“Okay. Thank you for your guidance, Yuuko,” he says with a nod before standing up and pushing his chair in. As he walks to the door, he hears her call out to him one more time.

“Taehyung.”

He looks back at her. “Yes?”

“I believe you will be able to do this.”

It’s as he expected.

He is thrown into the same situation he was in the last timeline. He had lost the same people he had expected to lose. Though he knew what was coming for each and every death he faced, he couldn’t help but still feel the same amount of pain he did the first time. Seeing his own family die took a huge toll on him, especially when he saw the same cold-blooded killer kill off Vinny and Danny. And when he lost Sunggyu the same way he did before, it was impossible to fill in the amount of guilt he felt when watching him die and not being able to do anything about it. At least… in that moment.

The whole world was in shambles and the Retribution survivors at this point (which was still plenty, as it was not yet the end of this timeline) were on a mission. He was still with the same group of people he was with last time, now being prepared for what to face next because of prior experience. If anything, he felt relieved to know that Jongin, Kana, Envy, and Joshua were still surviving through it all. As for the survivors who have yet to be killed off yet, he’s tried their best to save their asses in situations where they could’ve been in danger. Kento being one of them, as it made sense for him to be the most distressed in this situation considering the fact that this is all because of Lee Taeyong.

He’s glad that Yoongi is apart of the group, despite the fact that they’re still on awkward terms.

He’s still awake past their schedule curfew one night and from where he lied on the ground, he looked out at the night sky. He sighs deeply as he looks at the moon. Back then, whenever he looked at the moon, he thought of Yoongi. But now, all he could think about when looking up there was the witch herself. Not because he had any feelings for her, though. He was still very much gay. Rather, instead, he was looking at it to wonder if she- or even Aku- could give him a sign of what to do. What he could do to prevent this entire event from happening.

He sighs in defeat as he lies back down in his sleeping bag, hoping that he could eventually figure it out soon before things get worse.

[finalproblem]

“Sixteen by six, brother.”

Carrying on with Eurus’ song...

As someone once said (very recently), for a twist to be effective you need to give the audience a fair chance to work it out.

Eurus’ song code was not, by that standard, a great twist.

Sure, we knew she sang a song that had something to do with the Redbeard incident. And we knew there were funny gravestones with wrong dates. But most of the information was withheld from the audience until it was splashed up on the screen for Sherlock’s big deduction sequence.

Which, okay, is not the worst cheat ever committed by a TV mystery writer.

It does feel like a pretty unnecessary one, though. Withholding most of the song as if anyone watching was going to assume there was a code, pause the episode, and take notes so they could crack it? And really, they could’ve easily slipped in one more creepy voice singing a single line--”Let Death make a room”--somewhere earlier in the episode and it would’ve been much less of a cheat simply by playing fair enough to let us know the word “room” was in the song.

But what if we try a thought experiment?

What if the writers didn’t care about playing fair with the whole gravestone code business because it wasn’t the real puzzle?

What if there’s a different puzzle?

Ready? Here comes the experiment:

For the duration of this post, let go of the idea that this song was something created by Sherlock’s sister to lead him anywhere.

Just let the song be the words on their own.

If you need a reason to talk yourself into even considering this possibility, remember that in The Lying Detective, Sherlock’s writers introduced a memory-inhibiting drug named TD 12. Then they made a point of having Culverton Smith explain that not only could the drug do what he was using it for and erase memories currently being recorded, but it could also corrupt past memories. And then we never got an example of old memories being corrupted. You don’t introduce an invented fact like that unless you’re planning to make use of it later.

So if you need a reason to shake the song free of the story we were told, assume it was a real thing Sherlock remembered, but his memory of the song’s actual context was completely corrupted.

(I’m not going to get into what Mycroft knew or where reality ends and memory begins or the larger backstory beyond the corrupted memory idea in this post or we’d never make it to the actual point. So try to just relax and enjoy this experiment for what it is on its own.)

Because we care about playing fair, we’ll start our experiment with the image at the top of this post. The very last image of The Final Problem--John and Sherlock running out of a post office.

“A post office?” you ask. Yes, a post office. Because they are Big Time Action Heroes. 😉

But seriously, that’s a post office, and here’s why.

It’s a big building named Rathbone Place. There’s still a street named Rathbone Place in London, but did the writers decide to have our heroes walk by a street sign in honor of Basil Rathbone? No. No, they did not. They made it a building and had the set decoration folks create two big plaques so we were all very clear what the name of the building was. And the only big building that’s been named “Rathbone Place” during Sherlock’s run was the Royal Mail’s Rathbone Place Western Delivery Office. (Note that the real Rathbone Place building looked different than that, but as it was torn down shortly after Series 3 aired, I don’t blame the Sherlock team at all if they made the decision to pick something that looked more like the other related post offices instead of trying to recreate a very specific post office almost no one would remember the look of.)

Is it completely obvious that the building is a post office from a glance if you’re not a super nerd? No, but Googling “Rathbone Place” takes you right to a Wikipedia article about the street that mentions the former mail depot. So it’s not too hard to get a foothold from there. A fair, if admittedly subtle, clue.

Knowing that’s a post office is the single most important hint for the thought experiment we’re about to try.

Meanwhile, if you do happen to be a super nerd you can dig a little deeper...

Rathbone Place was one of a small handful of postal depots that were part of the now-defunct Mail Rail network--a mini subway system used to transport mail under London.

Remember the clown robbers in The Sign of Three? I’ve argued that the only way for them to have expected to get 12 tons of gold out of the bank was if they were taking advantage of the abandoned Mail Rail trains. (Sally Donovan mentioned a “tunnel entrance” at the bank, and the whole thing becomes a parallel for canon story The Red-Headed League.)

I’ve also argued, for unrelated reasons, that the robbers were connected to Lord Moran. Remember how the tip that led to Lord Moran’s capture was about “an underground terrorist network active in London”? And then they caught one (1) guy. Do we really think Lord Moran was the entire “network”? Or does it make more sense that there are a bunch of baddies taking advantage of London’s various underground tunnel systems, and Sherlock just hasn’t figured it out yet?

Also for some wacky reason, the writers started throwing clowns and trains all over TFP. So, uh... Huh. That’s interesting.

And because it will matter later, you need to know I refer to the robbers as the Scowrers, like the baddies in The Valley of Fear. Here’s the reason if you want it.

Time for our favorite song again:

I that am lost, oh who will find me? Deep down below the old beech tree. Help succour me now the east winds blow. Sixteen by six, brother, and under we go!

Be not afraid to walk in the shade Save one, save all, come try! My steps - five by seven Life is closer to Heaven Look down, with dark gaze, from on high

Without your love, he’ll be gone before. Save pity for strangers, show love the door. My soul seek the shade of my willow’s bloom Inside, brother mine - Let Death make a room.

Before he was gone - right back over my hill. Who now will find him? Why, nobody will. Doom shall I bring to him, I that am queen. Lost forever, nine by nineteen.

Like we said last time, one of the interesting quirks of this thing is the number pairs: “sixteen by six,” “five by seven,” and “nine by nineteen.” They’re superficially similar to canon, but then actually different enough to make a person wonder what the writers were up to.

I’m sure many attempts will be made to bash through using those numbers as code or cypher key or mathematical curiosity. But we’re not going to go that way today.

Instead, we’re going to double back to canon.

Remember how I said the mysterious rhyming words in The Musgrave Ritual were like a verbal treasure map? The writers had Sherlock brush off that approach to interpreting the song (he dug as a child and found nothing). But what if that was a feint? We’re operating in an experimental reality where the song was never about finding Redbeard or Eurus’ room, so of course it was a feint.

We should reconsider the song’s lyrics as instructions or directions.

And honestly? Look at ‘em. The amount of overwriting that was put into the song considering most of it was never highlighted in the episode makes way more sense if these were actually proper Musgrave Ritual style directions the whole time. Plus there are tons of pieces that would work as abstract descriptions for locations or directional guidance just like in the original story. It’s dripping with them.

For example? “And under we go!” That right there would be a mighty fine line to include if you were writing instructions so all the other baddies in your underground terrorist network would know how to navigate the subterranean tunnels of London.

But hang on--if none of this was ever about a secret sister, why would the song keep using the word “brother”? Like I said above, I refer to the robbers as the Scowrers because I think they’re based on that group of baddies from The Valley of Fear. And what do Scowrers call each other?

“Then in the name of Lodge 341, Vermissa, I welcome you to its privileges and debates. You will put the liquor on the table, Brother Scanlan, and we will drink to our worthy brother.”

(This also raises the question of whether Jim had a stationmaster brother, or a stationmaster “brother.” But we’ll leave that one alone for now.)

We could be here all day just picking at parts of the song that might mean this or that. Let’s try to nail down something specific instead.

Using the framework that the song is actually a verbal map for the underground terrorist network to navigate the tunnels under London (some real and some fictional or exaggerated, as is the usual way with this show), let’s go back to the strange number pairs.

The Scowrers were using Mail Rail and John and Sherlock ran out of a post office as the final big hero shot of the series. Does the postal system give us some kind of clue about how to interpret the numbers?

Why, yes. Yes, it does.

I give you... the postcodes of London.

(bigger map here)

You can read all about the history of London postcodes online if you want, but the short version is:

first directional letters were assigned to districts

then numbered subdistricts were created

but the system used to assign numbers was quirky and geographically haphazard, resulting in what you see on the map above

So any numbered subdistrict isn’t necessarily going to be geographically close to the other subdistricts with sequential numbers. Instead, any number can randomly turn out to be by any other number.

Hmm... Numbers by numbers. Why does that sound familiar? 🤔

Yeah, let’s look at those number pairs from the song again.

We’ll start with the pair that got the most play in the episode: “sixteen by six.”

Help succour me now the east winds blow. Sixteen by six, brother, and under we go!

If we take the number pair line and its rhyming line from the song at the same time, we get a pretty good clue about where to look. The rhyming line gives us the direction of “east,” so if we head to the E postcode... Ta da! E16 is right next to E6. Sixteen by six.

Interesting point to note? There is a Mafeking Road in E16. When Sally Donovan was talking about everything they were doing to stop the clown robbers in The Sign of Three the other weird thing she mentioned besides the tunnel entrance was that the police had “armed response on Mafeking Road.” There was no obvious reason why Mafeking Road had anything to do with anything, and it was never explained or addressed. But if the part-real, part-fictional subterranean tunnels of Sherlock connected over to E16 via Mafeking Road... That would’ve given police a reason to be there.

Next number pair: “five by seven.”

My steps - five by seven Life is closer to Heaven

Pulling it with the rhyming line doesn’t help us quite as much this time. There’s no obvious compass direction. If we get a little flexible in the proper tradition of these being disguised directions, though, you could read “closer to Heaven” as “up.” That isn’t very helpful for finding postcodes in a 3D space, but on a typical map we can translate “up” into “north.”

And sure enough... The N5 postcode is next to the N7 postcode. Five by seven.

Interesting point to note? Pentonville Prison is in N7. That’s the same prison Jim broke into in Reichenbach. And it’s the prison that was the origin of a creepy flower arrangement sent when Sherlock was in the hospital in a deleted scene from His Last Vow (released later as a DVD extra):

Magnussen: And the black wreath? C Block, Pentonville. I’m not sure the intent was entirely kindly.

I previously put forward the case that Lord Moran could reasonably have been held in Pentonville while on trial. And honestly, he could still be there if the writers felt like keeping him there for story / Victoriana reasons. Or maybe the relevant point is that he’s not there anymore between having Pentonville staffed by people who were willing to help Jim with his Reichenbach stunt and possible secret tunnels linking up to the area...

And Pentonville was quite close to an old proposed Mail Rail expansion line...

Should we be worried about that Lord Moran lookalike who was getting on John’s bus in The Six Thatchers? And carrying a newspaper with a headline about being in two places at once?

BUT I DIGRESS. Let’s get back to numbers.

Our final number pair is the trickiest. As it should be in any good puzzle.

Doom shall I bring to him, I that am queen. Lost forever, nine by nineteen.

This time our rhyming line doesn’t have any obvious directional hint.

We could maybe break pattern and borrow the “right back” directional indicator from the beginning of the verse to suggest returning east where we started, but are E9 and E19 next to each other? No. In fact, there are no “9″ postcodes next to any “19″ postcodes anywhere in London.

So are we sunk? Doomed by the queen?

Maybe not.

Here’s a fun little quirk--there’s no E19 postcode. There’s an E20 postcode, but no E19. The E postcodes already went up to E18 when they decided to add one for the London Olympic Park, but instead of doing the obvious thing and continuing on to E19, they skipped straight over it to E20.

The E9 postcode may not be next to the nonexistent E19, but it does bump right up against E20.*

And the proper name for E20?

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

So read that one more time:

Doom shall I bring to him, I that am queen. Lost forever, nine by nineteen.

Interesting point to note? Even before the creation of E20, there had been multiple attempts to get another neighborhood’s postcode changed to E19. The requests were rejected. It would be so easy for the writers to concoct a government conspiracy reason for E19 not being allowed to exist and instead being the “lost” London postcode. Especially when you’re mixing this in with the secret subterranean tunnels of London, which already have tons of government and conspiracy baggage of their own.

I’ll pause here for now. I do have thoughts about what other parts of the song could mean within the “underground terrorist network” interpretation, but it’s harder to be precise with the bits that didn’t get convenient assigned numbers. So I’ll get to those in a separate post later.

In the meantime, as usual, I encourage you to post in Tumblr’s #the musgrave riddle tag if you want in on this funny little map game. (Don’t send stuff directly to me, because I’ll probably never be able to get back to you.) Once you start looking at the song this way, it’s really easy--and fun--to find more possible London location references in the lyrics. Get on Google Maps and knock yourselves out!

* E20 is so tiny that the E9 / E20 border may not show up clearly on most postcode maps, including the one I embedded earlier in this post. But if you look on Google Maps, you can see E9 is indeed physically adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.