#The trio have forgotten what being human is like

[dcxdpdabbles]

Hurray 🎉 more asks!!

First off love-love your writing!

I'm not sure if you were the writer or if you've read the snippet. But there was one that I read where Captain Marvel gets de-aged into a child, a speaks an unrecognizable language child (like he was an actual adult not a kid pretending to be an adult). Everything is mostly fine until he asks for his parents and nobody knows who they are. Kid Marvel screams and a giant hole tears open and I assume the JL meets the Everlasting Trio.

I would love to see how you would continue something like this or write something of this nature.

Ironically, the champion of Magic was turned into a child with magic. It was one of those things that he was sure would be funny in a few years but not in the moment. Initially, Bruce had been horrified to see his teammate fall like that from the sky, his form shifting and changing into what could pass as a five-year-old right before his eyes.

The spell caster had unfortunately gotten away with a convenient portal, and they were left scrambling to catch Captain Marvel. There was also the issue of all the civilians that were displaced due to his rampage through the city of Fawcett City.

Bruce quickly worked to have Wayne Enterprise start funding the relief program for them, but it would take time, which was not something they had. He left it to Superman, Flash, and Wonder Woman to get everyone sorted—the three were the best at working with scared civilians.

In the meantime, he Zeta-beamed himself, and the small child Marvel had become up to the watch tower. The boy had been unconscious the entire time, which worried Bruce. After a few tests and scans with the medical staff, as well as his own studies, it was decided that besides being de-aged, there was nothing physically wrong with Marvel.

They would just have to wait till the Champian woke himself.

Bruce wondered how he would take his new form. In all the research he had done on Marvel and the legends of the Wizard, the champion had never been depicted as a child. He had assumed this was due to the champion repeating in various forms- sometimes female, sometimes male- but never as a child.

If anything, Bruce had discovered that they were always at peak physical age, usually from twenty-two to thirty-five. He had assumed this meant the reincarnation or the selection for the champion was just made that way.

How foolish to think they were never children that grew to that age before proclaiming themselves as Captain Marvel.

"Where am I?" a child's voice called, surprising Bruce from his files on Captain Marvel. Twisting around, he finds himself staring into the doe-blue eyes of Captain Marvel.

For a moment, he is reminded of his various children with similar coloring, and it pulls on Bruce's heartstrings to see the distress on that little face. He raises his hands, making sure his voice is softer than his usual growl. Bruce became the vengeance, so every child should feel safe with him after all.

"You're safe here." He reassures, watching the boy's face twist. He steps closer, portraying comfort but not reaching out to touch. "Do you recognize me?"

"Are you a ghost?" The boy's voice is low, slightly fearful. There is no hint of recognition in his posture, expression, or voice. Bruce bites back a swear.

So much for that hope. Still, his teammate needs him. "No, my name is Batman. A few hours ago, we were, in fact, together against a magic user. You were hit and turned into a child. Does any of this sound familiar?"

The boy grips his blanket, bringing it up to his chin, and stares at Bruce with growing distress. He shakes his head just as tears start to swell in his eyes. It's not good at all. "Where are my parents? I want to go home."

He filed that away, wondering if there were any parents to contact for Captain Marvel. He's been around for hundreds of years. If he had been selected as a human, the myths implied, then his parents would have likely been long gone.

Bruce wonders if there is any way he can conceive Captain Marvel coming to live in the Wayne manor until he is turned back. He could leave him to live in the Watch Tower, but he hates the idea of it just as he thinks it.

His face crumbles as Bruce tells him honestly, "I'm not sure where your parents are, chum."

Captain Marvel's tears fall to the bed as he curls up. Bruce reaches out to give him a hug, trying to comfort the distressed child. He is just about to assure him he is safe again, and Batman will help him when the child lets out an ear-piercing scream.

It's high pitch enough that Bruce can't tell if the ringing he hears is from the sound or if it's only in his ears. He opens his mouth to ask when a portal—unlike the one the magic user had cast—rips open in the room.

Out steps a man with snow-white hair. On instinct, Bruce gathers Marvel in his arms, flinging them to the corner and throwing a Batarang at the intruder. He shields the boy behind him, pushing him toward the wall and growling at the man.

His batarang is shot out of the air with some kind of green ray, as the man's eyes narrow.

A sound escapes the man. The structure and expression of the man indicate that it's obviously a language, but Bruce doesn't recognize it. He can tell that the man is angry, though, and that's not something he wants anywhere near Captain Marvel in his current state.

"Who are you!?" He demanded, raising more weapons. "How did you get in!?"

Oddly, Captain Marvel speaks, his words similar to the language the others use, and the white-haired man's face softens.

"You have my son," The man says in perfect English. Bruce raises a brow.

"Do you know him?" He whispers to the wiggling child.

"Yeah, that's one of my dads." The boy whispers back, sounding a lot calmer now that his apparent father is around. Bruce cautiously steps away, watching Marvel run straight into the arms of the stranger.

The man meets him halfway with a loud, excited chirp and purr, bringing the boy into his arms and squeezing him into a tight hug. Bruce watches every hint of body language, concluding he is not lying about being the boy's father.

"I'm sorry about the scare. It's been a long time since Billy used his distress call. I got a little worried." After a few minutes of chirps and purrs exchanged between parents and child, the man says. He raises his head to stare at Bruce with a regal air.

An aristocrat. Bruce's mind whispers, wondering where this noble hails form. Nowhere on earth with his glow or bright eyes. Was Captain Marvel half-human? "It's alright."

"I'm Danny Phantom," Danny tells him, flouting over with an outstretched hand that is not holding his son up. "It's an honor to meet you."

Bruce returns the handshake, keeping his voice and tone even. "Batman."

But inwardly, he swears up a storm. He knows that name and recognizes the legends and myths. Danny Phantom, the Ghost King, ruler of the connecting dimension of the muli-verse. It was one of the first beings he had encountered in his in-depth religious and culture studies, having seen the Ghost King be depicted throughout history even when he was lost in it.

One of the strongest beings to ever exist. Alongside, his wife and husband, who each ruled their own powerful area on the mortal plane- The Green that Posoisin Ivy and Swamp Thing gain their powers were said to be Samatha, the wife of the ghost King.

The meta gene—identified by the scientific community in recent years but proved to exist long before the first ancient Egyptians—was said to be a blessing from Tucker, the Husband of the ghost King. He was the one who appointed the first pharaohs, destroying the meta gene through their bloodline.

And Captain Marvel was their child.

No wonder the man was the champion of Magic. Who else was more qualified than the Heir to the Ghost King?

"It seems like a simple curse. It should reverse on its own," King Phantom comments while continuously turning his child this way and that, making the boy giggle. "It will wear off in only ten years."

Bruce wondered if he knew that was a very long time for humans. But what was a decade to a god?

"Batman was it?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Call me Danny. I was thinking, since Billy will be stuck like this for ten years, maybe my family should go on vacation while he recovers." Bruce does not like the sound of this, but he can't deny the king's action as a bright light overcomes the glowing figure, and a regular-looking human is left in its wake.

"I'll call my husband and wife. Do you know if any properties are for sale in your neighborhood? I want Billy to be close to his work friends."

Bruce was right. He did not like this one bit. Should he risk war with the Infinite Realms to keep them out of Gotham? The answer was no, unfortunately, and he could try to push the family to move to Metropolis so they can be Clark's problem, but he knows that lying to higher beings is never a smart thing.

He sighs, tapping his wrist computer. "I know a realtor."

[thekingofwinterblog]

My Hero Academia - How NOT to do an Open Ending

In 2022, the American animated series Amphibia ended with an open ending that left all of it's ships up in the air, and the question of where the main characters would go from there up to the reader.

That might be a rather weird way to open an essay about how My Hero Academia failed, but the reason I do so, is to illustrate a point.

Namely that there is a way to do what Hori tried to do with MHA right.

Amphibia ending has the main human trio of that series reuinte after a long timeskip, with all 3 of them having found their passion in life and built careers for themselves, and while there are some suggestions that Sasha and Anne are a bit closer than what might be apparant on screen, it ultimately left the situation of their romantic relationship at this point, and from there on, up in the air withouth confirming or denying anything, beyond the fact that they for whatever reason drifted apart in highschool, but have come back together again at this point in time.

It left you with enough pieces to figure out the specifics, and how you can understand how things got from one point to another, while still giving all the characters a satisfying payoff, continued the shows themes, had no real plot holes, and wheter you ship any of the characters in question or not, it didnt ultimately matter for the quality of the ending.

The fun part about an open ending is that there is room to speculate, so long as it manages to balance all of the above.

A story does not HAVE to end on the main characters hooking up. it does not have to end with tying every single character up in a relationship and showcasing the beginning of the next generation. It does not have to have a definite ending that gives all the answers to be good.

That is one way to end a story, but it's not the only one.

There certainly are stories that NEED to end like that to be good, stories with a greater mystery, or revenge tales, or who's entire story was about one, specific romantic relationship are shit endings if they ultimately end on an open ending withouth answers.

within the context of MHA, Hori managed to weave this balance very well with it's villains.

The story of the Todoroki family in particular has all the definite endings, and tells us where all the players ends up... but it also leaves the possibility, and question of wheter or not dabi ultimately managed to make peace with his family or not up in the air.

This is a good, satisfying, tragic ending.

Spinner and compress both end up in jail for the rest of their lives, but Spinner resolves to write a book, that for better or worse will tell the league's version of the story. It's not AS good an ending as the above, but it still works just fine.

Clearly Hori CAN write a good open ending that still gives closure.

Which is why it's so baffling that MHA 430, ends up doing EVERYTHING WRONG as far as an open ending possibly could.

It has no closure, it has plot holes aplenty, it manages to leave the question of will they or wont they unanswered, not by being ambigious, but by telling us, in the most unintentionally agressive manner possible that it did NOT happen, and most damningly of all, it shits all over the Story's themes.

MHA ends with the cast all grown up in an "and the adventure Continues!" ending, similar to justice league Unlimited.

That's not a BAD way to end it... The problem is EVERYTHING ELSE in this chapter.

Because we learn WAY too much in this chapter. the gaps in the timeskip is filled... but not in a good way. instead in an infuriating manner that pisses you off if you actually starts to break it down.

Let's start with Izuku being forgotten.

So i have seen some people try to shut down criticism about the fact that Izuku didnt win fortune or fame, by noting that from the thematic point, being a hero was NEVER about that from Izuku's point of view.

And that is true... but this argument misses the bigger and more obvious problem.

The story REFUSES to tackle this from that angle.

As many have pointed out, this is a BAD outcome ending for Izuku.

He returned to being quirkless, he had to settle for a job that wasn't being a hero, he has been mostly forgotten after his one big highlight, and his friends have effectively begun to move on.

And he does not care.

At all.

Hell, a 14 year old izuku who for one brief moment gave up on his dreams to chase a more realistic future, has more genuine and mixed emotion and mixed feelings in one shot, than Izuku has about actually living through a much more bittersweet scenario.

Hell, the one moment Izuku has when he looks genuinely down in this chapter, is when Aizawa admonishes him for not being strict enough with his students.

Basically the premise here is sound. Izuku ended up in a bad personal ending to set up the return to actual heroics at the end of the chapter... And that could have worked if it committed to that.

If he was portrayed as actually having regrets about his lot in life. you know, the same thing All Might's ENTIRE STORYLINE was built around!

MHA has ALWAYS been a human story that confronted the fact that people had regrets, and problems, and they need to be honest about them to deal with them.

To not bottle everything up inside and pretend the problems arent there.

For the story to end, with Izuku doing EXACTLY THAT is a slap in the face that goes EVERYTHING this story has preached about how you need to communicate with the people around you. the entire point of chapter 429, the CHAPTER RIGHT BEFORE THIS ONE!

Then of course there is the whole "Everyone Growing apart" thing too.

Now, it's not as bad as the early translation made it seem, but the point still stands that despite the entire chapter right before the end then emphasises how everyone went their separate ways.

This chapter COULD have shown us moments where Izuku is still in contact with the rest of his class, but it does not. instead it emphasises how distant he is becoming from the rest of his former friend group. He is the lone one out, the one guy who seemingly is no longer in regular contact with the rest.

The reason for that, is that Hori wanted to make the moment where he returns to the fold that much more impactfull... but it does not work, because it basically tells us that none of the class was able, or willing to make the personal sacrifice to keep in regular touch with him during those 5 years.

But FAR more egrigiously, and spitting in the face of the Theme of actually communicating and talking with the people you care about, is HOW Izuku gets back into the game.

Apparently they spent the last 5 years pooling their money to finance a high tech suit for him to fight crime in.

And i get it. I get what Hori WANTED to do with this. He wanted to show "See, Class 1-A didnt forget Izuku after all, they still love him!".

Thats the intended message.

But the problem is, it does not work. and in fact, not only does it NOT work, but it completely goes against EVERYTHING that the story has been trying to preach for the entire 10 years of it's run.

The rest of class A never told Izuku about this. ever. Why? apparently because they wanted it to be a surprise. So they just let him go on with his life for 5 years, all while none of them really bothered to keep in regular contact with him.

There is... so much wrong with that.

But before going over the way it just hammers in the point that actually talking with the people you love isnt important after all, let's go over how this entire stupid plan could have backfired SO badly on the part of class A. Hell, it kinda did actually, if not quite as spectacularily as it could have.

What if Izuku had gotten married and moved overseas during this period? What if he had gotten married in Japan, but his entire family dynamic and plans had revolved around the fact he had a job that did not require moving around much and so got to spend a lot of time at home? Hell, even within the context of what actually Happened, U.A is still going to find itself suddenly short of one teacher who his classes relies upon, if he actually wants to go pro for real.

There are so many ways this stupid 5 year scheme of secrecy could have backfired, and it does not take a genuis to be able to see them.

basically the entire class planned out Izuku's life ahead of him withouth telling him anything about it, withouth giving him the context or preparation for how to plan his future with it in mind, and how none of them seemingly cared about how this might upend his actual personal life.

And thats just the logistical issues.

Morally speaking, this just repeatedly hammers in how this final chapters just completely abandons the themes of how you need to actually work, talk and discuss your personal matters and feelings with the people around you.

1-A did none of that.

They let their relationships with Izuku cool, when they didnt have to, seemingly with the idea that it didnt matter in the end because he'd join them anew as a hero later anyway, and they could catch up then.

Which leads me to discussing the one, actual ship who's ending actually DID matter from a storytelling perspective.

Izuku and Ochako.

Now i have seen so many bad takes across the web from the people who are happy this did not happen, or argue that it does not matter.

But the brutal truth is, it does.

And the reason it does, is not because Izuku HAD to end up with Uraraka, or even that they had to be together in the final moment of the series.

It's because one of the longest running stories of this manga had NO ENDING, NO RESOLUTION, and rather than that, it wants to suggest it might still happen anyway... Despite unintentionally KILLING IT in the most infuriating way possible.

Out of all of the cast, it is Uraraka's character who is butchered by this stupid 5 year plan, to the point it even taints her entire new character direction at the end.

Uraraka ends the story having reformed the Quirk system for people growing up, helping those with difficult quirks get past mental problems... But just all the rest of her class, she chose to neglect her relationship with Izuku under the seeming thought process that she could patch it up later... Or that she could finally confess her feelings.

I'll let Shigaraki speak for my feelings on this way of thinking.

"You heroes hurt your own families just to help strangers. You heroes pretend to be society's guardians. For generations, you pretended not to see those you couldn't protect and swept their pain under the rug. It's tainted everything you built. That means your system's rotten from the inside with maggots crawling out. It all builds up little by little over time."

The intended message of MHA is a refution of this... but in this final chapter, Shigaraki's words ring true, at least as far as class A is concerned.

As they became Heroes, they neglected the one amongst them who needed the most support and instead went off to, as shigaraki put it, Help Strangers.

They pretended that Izuku's situation in the moment did not matter, because in the long haul it would all be worth it.

And just like their predeccessors, it taints everything they do.

But Uraraka most of all. If you ignore the romance angle, she has started a massive program to help strangers in need... while also neglecting and frankly mistreating someone she loves and cares about her who needed her support in his weakest period.

If you do take Romance into account, it gets even WORSE, because then you have to accept that Uraraka ultimately rejected the message that she preached with Toga, the thing that got the blonde girl to turn coat for her.

She in the end did not manage to live a life where she actually was able to do what she wanted to do, and instead remained the exact same wishywashy girl who refused to actually be open about her feelings.

Instead, she, in her final shot of the series, is in the exact same spot she was back then. A girl who would forever pine after Izuku, but never be able to open up about it.

Which would be a bad enough way to end her character on... But then when you take into account that she also participated in the 5 year plan, and there is nothing to suggest she kept in touch with him more than the rest, just makes it so much worse.

I have said before that with this ending, Uraraka's love story was an objective waste of time, and i stand by that.

Hori didnt have to end the series with Izuku and Urarak married, engaged or obviously in a relationship, but by refused to actually make it happen, and lumping Uraraka in with the entire rest of the class, he instead did something way worse.

He made it abundantly clear that regardless of what Uraraka's feelings on the matter, the relationship to Izuku was not something special. She was NOT his Hero in the moment when he actually needed one.

Neither as a friend, or as a love interest.

Her actions tainted everything else.

And of course, there is the big plot hole of this chapter.

The single biggest, and most obvious hole that is just gaping through it, that for this story to work you have to completely ignore.

Namely that 1. All Might is one of the richest peoples in the world. Class A should not have had to actually fund Izuku's suit. All Might could, and SHOULD have done that all on his own. and 2. That this tech EXISTED 8 YEARS AGO!!!!

All Might's armored suit made him one of the most powerfull figures in this entire series.

Sure it was a bit experimental, but it WORKED! it was not some unstable prototype that coudl explode at any moment, it would have worked just fine as an actual permanent power up!

For this entire stupid 5 years of Sidelines Izuku to work, you have to just PRETEND this massive hole does not exist.

And it's not a small hole that you can justify that the characters didnt think about it. It's there, and it's MASSIVE.

The only reason it's not talked about as much as all the rest is that while this is the big Material problem of this chapter, everything else is so much worse because it attacks, destroys, and taints pretty much every theme MHA had over the course of it's long run.

---Edit---

Apparently there is a throw away line in the Trivia section of Volume 39 that All Might apparently spent almost his entire fortune on his Mech suit.

Meaning that while this isn't quite the plothole I assumed it was, it IS still TERRIBLY communicated within the story itself why All Might didn't just fund Izuku's suit themselves.

---

The themes that more than anything else was what set it apart from every other battle manga that ever existed. The Human themes of actually talking to the people around you that made MHA a special story, far more than it's superhuman battles ever did.

That is why so many people are pissed off about it.

It's also why MHA is such a textbook example of how NOT to do an open ended story.

Hori could have kept the details about Izuku's life, be it his personal or proffesional life incredibly vague, beyond the basics... but he choose not to, and instead peeled back the curtain... but rather than showcasing depth, it just made the whole thing fall apart by giving us the specific details that we did not need, and which pretty much tainted the entire ending down to it's core... All completely unintentionally.

He didnt have to show that Izuku had NO specific remaining bonds with any single members Class A that were still more important to him than the rest.

But he did.

He didnt have to go out of his way to show that Izuku was completely forgotten by society at large.

But he did, and subsequentially did not actually choose to explore that.

He didnt have to show us deep, long, internal monologues from izuku's perspective where he is cartoonishly at ease with his lot in life.

But he did.

He was too specific and detailed about the things he NEEDED to keep vague, and not specific about the details that we actually needed to know, and so it all collapses in on itself in a mess of broken Themes and morals, and shattered logic, and above all else, he managed to carelessly and unintentionally cheapen every single relationship Izuku formed with the rest of his classmates over the course of this story.

[chao-thicc-hcs]

OMG PLEASEEEEEE MAKE A PART 2 ON THE BONTEN TRIO SLAPPING THERE S/O, I need to know what happens after sanzu isn't High and drunk🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😞

A/N: I am so sorry I couldn't imagine Sanzu giving a damn that much

Slapping you accross the face | the aftermath

ft. haitani brothers ; sanzu haruchiyo

warning(s): ran's is very lewd in the end, toxic relationship, mentions of drugs (duh), stalking, murder, sanzu is a bitch (shocker), mentions of domestic violence. MDNI, please, or I will cry, blood, weapons,,, and sanzu

!reader is non-binary but there might be a trace of femininity

NOT PROOFREAD, YET!

ran↷

Usually, when you get a taste of something awfully bitter, it fades away and you do not remember it.

This was not the case for our main character here.

Days grew colder, so did his bed, his apartment, his meals, his interactions with others. Behind the facade of a man unbothered by the world around him, carrying a leisure smile and a carefree attitude around his mates, Ran was still a human being.

The loss of someone who carried light within them was heavy. Ran found himself daydreaming everyday while doing his duties - about both of you dancing around your home again, going out on expensive dates, coming back home to your "nagging", having someone to hug and kiss before he falls asleep. Alas, you were gone, far, far away... at least mentally.

Physically, he saw you every other day. He stayed in the shadows, observing your every move and trying to eavesdrop your conversations with friends. You never noticed him again. Maybe because you wanted him gone so badly, or maybe because you couldn't forgive yourself that you were capable of overcoming this.

Ran was unaware of the state you were in. Staying in a relative's place meant getting accustomed to things without your lover. You were like a ghost there, nobody wanting to listen to your words, nobody caring about hygiene, general rules and norms returned you back to when Ran would look you in the eyes with this naughty spark in them, listening to your ramblings as he occasionally hummed to them, to how your shared apartment smelled like a dream, to how he would help you with chores.

Whatever mark the slap left your cheek was now long gone. You couldn't bring yourself to hate this man, even when you were reminded that he was a criminal. It felt like torture being away from him, despite his outburst. It was only that what made you feel despair, but it couldn't overpower the numerous things that man was good for, how he made your life worth it.

Your finger trembled over the "send" button but the desire was stronger and you pressed it with force, then you threw your phone on the other side of the bed.

Being the busy man he is it took him more than two hours to respond, which increased the anxiety brewing inside of you. You kept checking your phone, refreshing the messages, restarting it, even muting the messages and calls of everyone but Ran. The second you heard a notification you rushed to take your phone... it was finally him.

Your shared apartment never felt as suffocating as the first time you got in after the incident. However, in less than an hour, Ran made you feel home again.

He was now thrusting deep inside of you, holding you and squeezing you in a way that gave out how much he's been missing you these past few weeks. The air was filled with the whimpers and moans of both of you. Your bodies were connecting, resonating with one's wavelengths once again. It felt so good being able to kiss him once again, run your fingers in his hair, feel his skin against you. His voice felt like a forgotten melody you re-discovered again, and your voice felt the same to him.

"I am so.. agh.. sorry for hurting you, my dearest.." exclaimed he with a shaky from pleasure voice, his hands squeezing you tight against him, slowing his pace "please, come back to me.."

You placed a finger on his mouth and cupped his cheeks after.

"Don't.. say anything... I have already forgiven you, Ran.. I can't live without you.. this slap will never mean anything in comparison to how amazing of a lover you are... just don't do this again.".

With this the lecherous dance continued... both of you finally being at peace from your reunion.

rindou↷

The dress that he ripped apart was now on the ground, untouched since you last were in the room with him. His only company was the air filling up the room, mixed with the scent of your body mist he occasionally sprayed just to help himself imagine you around him better.

"It's no use, Rindou. You acted like a douchebag, you suffer the consequences. Hell, how could you get jealous of me? Y/n is not even close to my type."

Ran's words rung in his skull, piercing its walls. He was well aware of this fact, he wanted to run away from the guilt, from the responsibilities.

Well, safe to say he succeeded. He blamed you and only you, refusing to acknowledge the truth - that he was the one who hurt you, who suffocated you and belittled you as a human being, who only saw you as a possession. Days went by agonizingly slow, plagued by constant thoughts of you in his arms, his embrace.

It was hard living without you, as hard as swallowing the lump of responsibility that grew bigger in the man's throat.

Every victim of Bonten now looked like you in his eyes, every woman that approached him looked like you. You were impossible to be forgotten so easily, and this is why he wanted to believe that you were somehow a "curse".

Just like any deranged man lacking self-awareness and self-control, Rindou got rid of every person who dared showing romantic interest in you. They either "mysteriously vanished", or were forced by him to tell you that you are "unattractive." All of this was an evil little scheme of his. It all went well, after all. His plan was executed perfectly.

You grew self-conscious. You thought you indeed carried some sort of "curse" inside of you that repelled any potential lover, hell, even a platonic relationship. Gloominess engulfed your consciousness, forcing you to willingly isolate yourself from others, avoiding to create new possible connections with people.

Who knows? Maybe in the end you thought about returning back to him? Fool. Of course you are better than that. You burned everything that man ever gifted you, you got rid of everything that reminded you of his presence, including electronics.

Rindou's satisfaction grew stronger with realizing this. "An angel got its wings chopped, hm? Well, I shall sew them back. Now, precious, come into my arms.."

All of this was futile. You were still back in his embrace. You figured out that now after deeming yourself as a "cursed" individual, there was no use of you fighting for your freedom anymore. Faith has ordered that you shall be his forever - nothing is of power to separate you.

sanzu↷

Your body was aching, your legs were giving up on you after the night spent under Sanzu's manipulation.

He was a god in making you feel good and forgetting the fights you had occasionally because of his dimwit mentality. Empty promises of ditching the drugs and alcohol, of quitting his beloved activity of tormenting innocent citizens.

The clothes scattered on the ground were now curled in a ball in his hands. ''Who gave you the confidence to believe that you had the right over me? Why do you think that your tears have enough power to melt my heart and change me?" his words were poison, his glare was sharp. He made you feel so small by looming over your sitting form on the bed, gripping your chin and forcing you to look at him. ''You are awfully quiet, doll. Maybe I should be slapping you more often so you stay put, hm?"

A powerful man over your conscience, indeed. Even after the effects of the drugs have worn out. Sanzu was a man who had created his own world, with its own rules inside of it to follow. Mikey was the center of it all, and if you were not him - well, do not expect him to adhere to your whims so easily.

Your naked body shivered under the cold autumn air. It was a hassle getting your clothes on. Sanzu was already leaning on the door frame, piercing daggers in you with his glare. ''By the time I come back home from work, I expect this entire mess to be cleaned.'' spat he, playing with his weapon in his hand ''I deserve to be pampered after you angered me.'' and with this last scoff he left you in the dark room.

''Sanzu...'' you mumbled pathetically to yourself, as if this was going to teleport him back, radically changed. The last string of hope cut itself when the lonely feeling seeped in you.

Running away from that man was the best option you could do, and maybe the worst at the same time, for you never knew how hard the drugs might have hit him this particular evening.

Thankfully, Sanzu was unaware of your presence until the very next morning, when he thrashed everything that caught his eye. Bloody hands gripping his pink locks, tearing some apart, tangling others. ''I will make them pay. No, no, it ain't possible that they've ran away.. right? They can't live without me!" and such tomfoolery echoed in the room he used to share with you.

It was not that he missed you. He missed being able to control someone. Perhaps, physical torment was not his only forte.

There was no trace of you. You'd managed to collect everything from your shared home before fleeing away in another town back to your parents. Sanzu's frenzy was swiftly gone when he understood that you were no different than the next person he was going to court.

However, nobody runs away from Sanzu without any consequences. He found out where your relatives lived and just couldn't resist showing you what a.. ''treasure'' you lost. Weekly, he sent you anonymous ''gifts''. You knew that it was him, because they had most of the time dead animals with a note saying "this could be you~ they ran away just like you did, but they didn't manage to escape~", used lingerie of women he fucked and came on, limbs of his tortured victims, foods he knew you despised...

Fear always remained inside of you, surging in your veins and forcing your heart to jump out of your rib cage. You knew he was insane. You were now living with the thought of him attempting to abduct you.

No remorse nor regret was left in this man's heart, it only opened itself to tremendous amounts of hate, violence, and lecherousness.

©chao-thicc-hcs; reblogs are appreciated

[nartothelar]

But for the vampire au, have you considered Emmet getting Severely Hurt™️ and Ingo turning him to keep his brother alive?

Or do they have an agreement to just let things happen?

“No.” Emmet responds simply, decisively.

The answer is expected and yet, the disappointment Ingo feels is an unwelcome heaviness, his constant frown turning genuine without it meaning to.

Ingo had asked the very same question thrice times now.

Once was when they were kids. It was casual inquiry that came with little prompting; he had asked out of curiosity more than anything. Ingo had asked Emmet after they had defeated a trio of challengers off hand. Emmet had laughed, light and airy, when he answered. They had gotten ice cream using their winnings after.

The second time had been following a much more harrowing experience. A safety check forgotten, a simple mistake by a depot agent newly hired, had resulted in a derailed train. Fortunately only a few were injured. Unfortunately, one of those few was Emmet.

Ingo had asked him with bags under his eyes, something quite silly since Ingo didn’t even need to sleep. (Was that makeup? Emmet had joked with an exhausted smile.)

Emmet, laying in that hospital bed, IV's in his arm and a cask around his left leg, had responded much the same, a chuckle rather than a laugh. Perhaps his headache had come back to manage much more than that. Ingo didn’t attempt to change his mind and offered him the chicken noodle soup Elesa had brought for him.

And the third time was right now: Ingo sitting across from Emmet in the dining room of their shared apartment. It was morning and even though the windows curtains were drawn, the room was illuminated with a soft glow. In front of his brother was a plate of eggs and toast, him nursing a cup of black coffee. In front of Ingo was just a cup of tea, untouched and cooling.

“But why don’t you want to be a vampire?”

“But why don’t you want to be a vampire?”

The way he asks shows his cards far to easily. Whoever had said Subway Boss Ingo was hard to read must have not tried at all.

His brother looks at him, assessing him, and then looks away.

Emmet is silent for a minute, simply gazing at the cup in front of him. His food was getting cold.

Most would think Emmet was being hesitant when answering, that this was a sign he didn’t want to answer at all. But Ingo knows him well. He knows he wants to go over what he will day and that he voices his thoughts properly.

Ingo is patient and waits. Finally, Emmet answers.

“I like the sun.” His brother says, looking at him. The color of his eyes haven’t dulled all these years. ��It feels warm on my skin. It feels good.”

“I love eating. The taste, the action. Yup!" Emmet picks at his plate with a hum. "I want to eat what I like, when I like."

“I like my independence." Ingo's tea leaves an ashy taste as he sips it - a floral chamomile bag floats at the bottom of it. "I do not want to be dependent on others. I do not want to be dependent on things out of my control."

"I know that I will have to sometimes." Emmet really looks at him now. "And that is ok. But I still feel the same way.”

Ingo squeezes his mug, before he relaxes his grip. Emmet notices.

Emmet lays his palm on his chest, closing it into a fist near the middle.

“I like being human.” It sounds final, the words like a gavel to wood, the way it echoes in his mind. “I do not want to be a vampire.”

Ingo wants to argue. To convince him that the pros outweigh the insignificant cons, but he does not. No. Usually Ingo is more eloquent with his words, but the fear that rises up in his throat makes his usually well thought out words more brisk, more succinct, more honest as he says the obvious.

“But you are aging.” Ingo says. You are dying, Ingo tries, fails, and a refrains to add.

Ingo hands are smooth, his face without a wrinkle. He looks as the same as he as when he first became a subway boss. He has since he was sent to Hisui. Forever youthful. And Emmet.

Emmet's hands are calloused, wrinkled from years of maintenance at gear station. His hair is thinning and his temples were turning white. His stride not as brisk as it was years ago.

“I am.” Emmet replies. “And I will continue to age.”

Ingo knows Emmet. He is stubborn, just like himself. That is how he is. He knows he will not change his mind. And that makes him clench his jaw, look down at his cup with furrowed brow.

“Ingo.”

Ingo snaps his head up, fear turning to anger that makes him feel sick. He should not be angry, but he is.

“Then you plan to reach your final stop?” Emmet’s smile dims. Ingo continues anyway. “Leave this station?” Without me? Ingo clamps down before he utters the accusation.

“You....you will have me wait here for you to die? And do nothing?!”

And there it is. Ingo barring his greatest fear since he got turned. The thing that has plaguing his mind since he stood at the grave of his old clan leader in Hisui, at the cemetery where his other wardens were laid to rest. What he had realized as he saw time passes by, years of constant goodbyes and tearful farewells.

It was that, no matter how grand his ideals, the simple truth of the matter was that he was utterly powerless to the passage of time.

Ingo doesn't realize that he has stood up until he is already towering over Emmet's seated form. His fangs barred and he suspects his eyes are slits.

And despite that, Emmet looks calm. He looks...sad.

“I didn’t ask for this.” Ingo says softly, deflated as the anger leaves his body. To live on as those around him pass. To see enjoy his life without the people he cares most around him.

Ingo feels arms wrap around him and he wraps trembling arms around Emmet too, his head laying on his shoulder. They stay like that for a moment, simply holding each other, not letting go.

"I'm sorry I never gave you the choice." Emmet finally says. Ingo's hands grip at Emmet's shirt. "We were young. You were dying. And I was desperate. I did not want to lose you..."

Emmet pulls back after that, not all the way, but enough to look into Ingo's face. His fangs have retracted, his eyes normal again. "But those details do not matter now, do they?" Emmet sighs out, that sad smile still there.

"They matter. Of course they matter." Ingo protests, but he doesn't elaborate pass that.

Emmet looks at the floor, thinking about his words and looks at Ingo again before saying, "Everything reaches its final terminal."

"Not me." Ingo says. It comes out bitter.

"Everything does." Emmet repeats, shaking his head. He squeezes Ingo's forearm before he lets go. "I did not give you a choice. but you can choose for yourself now."

His brother’s crows feet, a result from decades worth of smiles, crinkle at the edges as he looks at him. "Just as I choose for myself."

Ingo dwells on those words, on what his brother is offering. A choice and a decision to make. Emmet looks at him and Ingo understands.

With a sigh (a concession, a compromise), Ingo nods and accepts Emmet's answer.

That heaviness Ingo feels is not fully gone from his mind, but it has lightened, the tension of the room dispersing like the morning fog.

Emmet notices, smiles, and sits back down to finish his breakfast. Ingo follows. And then the silence is filled anew with his brother's latest retelling of yet another dealing he had with a rude passenger yesterday.

Ingo listens and they both laugh and talk and all is right and as it should be that morning, in their shared moment of time.

Him and his brother were a two car train, always have been, no matter their differences. And no matter what, he was going to be there with him until his brother's final destination.

And then after that, once that engine has long gone cold, Ingo would decide when his last stop was too.

[lulystalgianature]

How the finale singlehandedly managed to make The Collector the most tragic character in The Owl House:

It says a lot when a crew demonstrates their talent by creating such a complex character with so little time left. The Collector (Naturally, spoilers ahead) Many suspected the redemption. But it’s not just the fact that it happened. It’s the way it was handled. So, let’s do a recap on how everything went, shall we?

Betrayed and used by the Archivists. His siblings. Family. The ones who are suppose to love, teach and protect you. Thrown away into an unknown planet, full of the only creatures that could overcome their magic.

Said family destroyed what were likely the Collector’s first, genuine friends.

Locked away by one of the very same species he had befriended for what his siblings did, for who knows how many years, being alone and forgotten for something they didn’t do.

Finally found by a human, whom the kid really thought was his friend, even trying to amuse his homicidal delusions.

Helped fulfill the man’s objective, but instead of being released as promised, is discarded like garbage along a mountain of corpses.

Get his freedom back after almost giving up, considering King a friend despite initially suspecting even him. A time to rejoice and play, unaware of the damage and trauma being done and becoming dangerously protective of his new friend.

Luz, someone King has talked about a lot and is even jealous of, comes back, apparently to destroy him and take King away, and yet, the Collector never means any genuine harm and is so desperate for companionship that wants to befriend even her. Looks so happy at the possibility of the trio befriending him that is completely unaware he’s being manipulated again.

Gets hurt in all the games being summoned, completely unaware that his new playmates are simply surviving. 

Having lived with a madman that destroyed the Grimwalkers he created for hundreds of years only to recreate them again? No wonder he thought even mortal life was as easy to fix as any broken toy, which he demonstrates so casually.

Instead of retaliating, the kid chooses to sulk in a corner, so tired of being used and hurt that it didn’t take long for Luz, the second human he ever met, to get them to open up and explain everything. So disheartened he is about being used and betrayed that tries to force himself to accept the pretending part of everything, even friendship.

Is taught a lesson in friendship, which is taken by heart, to the point the Collector tries it on Belos of all people, someone he helped for +400 years only to cruelly betray him. 

He truly wanted everyone to be friends and learn to forgive, even turning back to Luz to show her how much they learned, even looking like he wants her to be proud of him.

Sees his new friend get killed in front of him and not even his magic can do anything about anything. 

Not only is his new friend gone, but there’s much damage he indirectly caused, like trying to befriend Belos and accidentally gave him the idea to possess the Titan. Not to mention the trauma he caused to all the residents of the isles. 

Suddenly, we see the Collector’s true nature. A scared, overpowered little kid who didn’t know any better because everybody he met used him and never taught him the value of life. He just wanted friends. And now, he can only watch helplessly as his remaining friends go mad with grief and fury, and not even his powers can save them.

Tears for the first time. Despite everything the kid’s been through, it’s Luz’s death that affects him the most. Luz, the human who got them to open up, who was so patient and kind, who didn’t hesitate for a second to save him from Belos’ blast and even assured him they did good, was now gone. All that was left for him is to apologize for everything and beg Eda and King to run away.

Luz is back to save them from certain death, but it wasn’t his magic that brought her back and he must’ve known that. She looked like a Titan and was even using their magic, which he recognized earlier. Plus he also acknowledged Titans were more powerful than anyone, even Collectors. But there was no time to rejoice or process everything immediately. What mattered most is that she was back, even clinging to her subconsciously so he wouldn’t lose her again. 

But Belos was still a threat. Not even the Collector’s powers were enough to stop him anymore. He did the only thing he could do to help; keep the Archives afloat. Despite being weakened and struggling, he actually takes the time to smile at the Hexsquad to demonstrate the friendliness and will to help.

Belos is gone. The Collector is exhausted, but probably still more than capable enough of taking on the Hexsquad with a snap of his fingers. Instead, he chooses to cower, bracing themselves for any potential scold or punishment, preferring that over the risk of hurting anybody else ever again.

Tears for the second time, this time in absolute relief and happiness. The people he innocently tormented so much were offering peace and friendship. 

Despite the hardship and trials, the Collector chooses to return to the stars alone for some growth, a sharp contrast from the kid who didn’t want to be alone. But... this shows how much they learned and matured. Not only can they watch the Boiling Isles better from the sky, but it also gives everyone a chance to get used to him and take the time forgive him for everything. 

And yet... he can visit whenever he wants. He’s free at last. Free to make choices. King considers him a real friend now, and he’s likely in the process of making more... all thanks to Luz, whom he shows gratitude to by not only gifting her a portal door to come and go whenever she pleases, but also giving her a spectacular display of light for her birthday. 

In the end, after everything the Collector has been through... that’s one heck of a character development. Even though Luz was used by the same person, at least she had many friends and parental figures in her life. The Collector didn’t have any of that. His only genuine friends were eliminated and spent possibly eons imprisoned in a dark realm, being used and manipulated for hundreds of years, with nobody there to play with or befriend.

Bonus: Being himself... saved many lives. By turning everybody into puppets not only spared them of the horror that would come later, but by gathering everybody in one single place also saved every citizen on the isles. Just imagine the number of casualties we would've gotten when Titan Belos started blasting everything on sight and raising the corpse's arm while everybody was still scattered.

[kerubimcrepin]

Wakfu OVA - Book 1, The Throne of Ice [PART 1]

"Finally, we have arrived to one of my most favorite parts of Wakfu... The OVAs!" <- If I said this, I would be locked up in a psyhiatric ward forever, however, there is some truth to that.

I am a big fan of uhh the bits of the second OVA that have Joris, Kerubim, and Atcham in them. Sadly, Book 1 is not that OVA. It will have Sipho posing as Joris, and, well... that's the next best thing, ain't it? At least we'll get to analyse if he's doing a good job or not.

Ecaflip demigod memory retention deniers will be like "Ush being a core member of a powerful cult at 9-10yo for multiple reincarnations is normal".

Anyway, group chats are real in this setting. And Harebourg is their discord mod I think.

Tot I'm begging you to elaborate on this, what do you MEAN by this, what do you—

STOP USING GRIMALKINE SISTERS BEING A PART OF THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE FORGOTTEN AS A FLEX ON THE HATERS! I'M SCARED!

Them in the Great Wave manga when they show up and say they're at fault for Jahash and Julith's whole shtick or whatever.

Ughh.

Le meilleur journal qu'il est -

boufboul

[cant make out the rest]

little text in the corner: fji de ij

Ngl considering the fact that the King of Bonta dies within the next two years, he might have a legitimate reason not to come: being in the process of dying.

They LOVE Joris in this kingdom.

I bet real Joris would like to remain silent because, uh., lying is bad? If he tries to say the situation isn't as shitty as it seems, it might seem condescending.

So, Sipho fails at being in-character moment counter: 1. Joris would not say shitfuck here.

Oh my god... His fangs... His blush... His eyes...

One of the things I really like about the OVAs are the changes to Joris's design. While yes, like most people I miss the finer details of the previous seasons — but his new design is more sleek, and a bit more... catlike. It takes a lot of inspiration from his Aux Tresors design.

It is not the intention of the authors, but the fact that he is drawn with a mouth makes sense on a character level: he is more understandable and human than he was in the first two seasons. While he used to be a mystery back then, now he is a friend to the Brotherhood of Tofu, — and, to us, the viewers, he's just a guy.

Anyway, there is a big question here — while it seems obvious that other nations are involved — Sadida wouldn't invite other politicians to this meeting, if them seizing the Eliatrope Dofus was a secret, — just how involved were other nations? Was it mainly a Bonta-Sadida project which they let others know about? Were others interested up until the moment the Dofus were stolen, and is it the reason nobody showed up?

It seems kinda too obvious to state, however: Guys, this confirms that Joris and Harebourg are enemies.

Though, let's be real, all three of the Crepin-Jurgens are kind of opposed to the Brotherhood of The Forgotten. The trio is very... god-neutral? The outlook those three have is more of optimistic-nihilism — "the gods suck sometimes, life does too, but whatever. I need to restock the store and eat a soup, why should I ruminate on this." instead of "WE NEED TO KILL AND DETHRONE GODS IMMEDIATELY", which... creates a bit of friction.

Something to note is that Joris and the Kingdom of Bonta were involved with hiding the Dofus.

So, the Dofus disappearing, the proposition, and the condition that Amalia should be accompanied only by the Brotherhood of Tofu, are already both a political incident in on themselves, and a bunch of red flags stacked together.

Just listen: the property of a nation (the Eliatropes), which was in custody of a different nation, and can be used to save a kingdom, was stolen by a different kingdom to unlawfully demand marriage and unification of two kingdoms.

If real Joris was here, I'm sure he would be quietly having a panic attack about the fact that there may be spies in Bonta, and that Harebourg was able to do this without, let's say, knocking him out after he got all the Dofus and stealing them.

So, Sipho fails at being in-character moment counter: 2. Joris would be having a quiet panic attack, and pointing out just how fucked this is. just how fucked this is.

Sipho fails at being in-character moment counter: 3. At this moment, real Joris would come in, and say "YUGO THIS IS FUCKED!! Anyway we are going to beat Harebourg to death when we get there. I didn't want to say anything objectionable because Amalia would be sad."

He already did that in the manga. When Amalia and Eva asked him about his real opinion on Jiva getting the six Dofus.

While I think that Joris is someone who very much believes that the leaders of this world make hard decisions — and for this reason he MUST keep doing war crimes in Waven times to keep Bonta afloat, he MUST keep eating pig people and using slave labour and making explosive devices out of crackler babies, because really, 90% of war criminals quit just before true peace and prosperity—-

But, Joris is canonically enough of a feminist to be 100% pro-"pregnant women on a ship during a dangerous adventure across the world", so I think that outweighs his sense of "greater good".

In my opinion, he is more likely to think "very evil of you Harebourg, to force a woman into a relationship using the lives of her subjects. You're SICK, you're SICK, you have NO sense of romance or how a person should be treated!" and say "ughh we need to beat him up for this, Yugo. This isn't a very good deal for the Sadida. He's holding them hostage, Yugo. My main concerns are definitely not the way Amalia is being treated as an object but the political implications of that, Yugo."

Sipho literally committing character assassination out here. I will count this as the 4th time he does that.

Adamai is still very pissed off about Joris not asking before taking the Dofus. I think Joris deserves this quip very much. I wish Joris could hear Adamai be a hater towards him.

Sipho fails at being in-character moment counter: 5.

At this moment, instead of ignoring Adamai and continuing to talk, real Joris would make a funny face that implied he is in mortal pain due to someone he likes making a snide remark about him.

He is shown to be very much ashamed and worried about the fallout this will bring to his relationship with Yugo and Adamai in OVA 2.

Huppermages already did this, and it kind of failed when Ogrest's Chaos hit.

[pink-pkmn-trainer]

fuck the jax is an npc theory. kinger is an npc in this essay i will-

right off the bat, kinger has a pretty obvious design similarity to caine. i'm not talking about the gloves here, as almost every human character has them (with gangle and ragatha being the exceptions). i'm talking about the eyes. these two have the exact same type of eyes, as you can see in their offical renders. sorry that the images look weird btw i have no idea what happened.

you can also see this similarity pretty clearly in their 2D art

but it doesn't end there, either. caine and kinger both have a tendency to zone out randomly...

there's also existing official art of kinger with his own cane, not unlike the one caine has.

2. during the hallway scene in the pilot, we can see a crossed-out doorplate depicting a black queen chess piece, one that looks very similar to kinger. same robe, same eyes, same general body shape aside from their heads...and considering that all the other characters look so different from one another, it really stands out.

while the easiest explanation would be that they had some sort of connection in the real world (most people believe they're a married couple), how would the game know that? would it just assume that because they logged on at the same time? perhaps queenie and kinger are both NPCs and that's why they look so similar.

(i know that NPCs don't usually have their own rooms, but caine did mention a possibility of getting NPCs and humans mixed up, so let's assume that he ends up granting said NPC a room if he does get confused)

granted, not all NPC/AI characters have to have those big buggy eyeballs. the candy people certainly don't. but there are some certain characters that we can compare this potential trio to...

that's right: the gummy gators. max, chad and gummigoo are all very similar in appearance, and in that sense, they're all part of a group. now you can imagine it's the same case with queenie, kinger, and caine. they all look alike because they're grouped together.

3. as jax says, "ol' kinger over there's supposedly been here the longest". that statement is vague enough that it could very well mean that he's been there since the very beginning, in other words, from the moment the game was created.

here's what i think happened: caine, kinger, and queenie were all AIs programmed to run the circus together, but queenie discovered she was a game character, possibly the same way gummigoo did, and got so existential about it that she abstracted. this is of course assuming that NPCs can abstract, which, knowing how fucked-up this show is, they most likely can.

after queenie's abstraction, kinger got mixed up with the humans and now believes that he is one. because of how forgetful he is, it's not out of the question for him to have forgotten the role he was programmed for and ended up among the human characters. so now caine's been left without any assistance. that may even be why he has bubble, to fill that empty space.

(don't take this too seriously btw i'm just spouting nonsense.)

so what do y'all think of this??

[theographos]

Why Aliens feels off in Tales of Arcadia

Don't get me wrong, I really like Aja, Krel and Varvatos. I even think that 3Below was quite good, even if i'm not a sci-fi fan at all (i even managed to fall asleep in front of every Star Wars ever, and not with any other movie). But good doesn't mean good in terms of storytelling. Because after all 3Below is set in the Tales of Arcadia franchise, and let's just say they don't 100% fit in it.

So why is that ?

1. Trollhunters is based on a book, and the book doesn't contain any aliens.

Well from what I have researched the book doesn't contain any trace of wizards too. I will also add that I haven't read the original book, I just made some researches about its content on the internet.

For those who don't know, Trollhunters : Tales of Arcadia is a loose adaptation of a book written by Guillermo Del Toro and Daniel Kraus, called Trollhunters. It's an adaptation similar to How to Train Your Dragon : The characters are present, the surnatural/fantasy aspect of the book is also present but everything else is changed. I even saw that Steve dies in the book, so glad they didn't take that route.

And i'm not part of the people who screams and cry everytime there is any changes from a book to a movie, To be deeply honest with you all I studied Cinema and English litterature in highschool and my final projet for those two subjects was to talk about how some changes in book adaptations are a good idea.

But it just shows that writer did not have any basic material for it. They had to create it all from scraps, and I feel like the first season of Trollhunters was already out when they thought of aliens, so they decided to connect it howerver they could. Which leads us to our second point.

2. Aliens don't really have any deep connections with humans, trolls or wizards.

Wizards and trolls fought against Gumm gumms, wizards have created many magical relics that Trolls uses, and as we saw with Hisirdoux wizards have an habit of dealing with trolls species. The interactions are already present, they have a deep history between them, shares problems and common knowledge.

Aliens apparently shook hands long time ago on Earth and were gone for the rest of the time, so except an old memory forgotten by almost everyone, they don't really have a pre existing history tying them to the different races in the story.

Trolls and wizards are based on things we already know off. I mean we have countless myths and legends about them already, but there is a bit more to that.

Horseshoe are items to uncover if someone is a changeling, trolls love to eat socks, which ties into the forever myth of "why am I always missing a sock", you think that racoons made your trashcan fall but it could have been gobelins, is that a black cat or just a small dragon etc. You really have the aspect that you interact with the "underworld" on a day to day basis without being actually aware of, and that goes deeper than just "oh this random person is just a troll in disguise".

Aliens don't really have that, like no one except the army used alien technology before 3Below, and still it was in secret so we can't really copy that to our everyday life as easily as the previous examples that I made.

Earth is about Trolls, humans, demi-gods and wizards. And it also happened to have aliens once in a while, but nothing much about it. And that leads us to our last point.

3. The plot has no space for Aliens.

Since the whole story is about earth and the fate of earth, we don't really have space for Aliens in the plot (no puns intended). We can literally see that with the 3Below plot : gumm gumms are something completly unrelated to the plot, it just happens in the back while the main plot is happening. 3Below is more of a spin-off or a "What If?" kind of show than a continuation of the main plot.

3Below is an interlude, an easter egg for the fans. You barely see the main cast, the main cast barely acknowledge the presence of the trio in their own show.

See I wouldn't be criticizing it if it was considered as such in the franchise. A side-story that doesn't impact the plot, but for fan service it will appear in the final movie so that everyone has their conclusion.

But it's not the case, it is seen as an important part of the story by the studio. It has never been advertised as something else than an active part of Tales of Arcadia.

If they truly wanted something about aliens, it should have been as a side story, a spin off.

But as a major part of the franchise, it doesn't deserve its spot and you can feel it.

[brucesterling]

Facebook AI spam as an analyzed by Microsoft Bing Copilot, May 2024:

Analysing the image: Faces may be blurred to protect privacy.

The image depicts three figures seated around a birthday cake with lit candles. The central figure is wearing a party hat with the American flag design, and there is an American flag hanging in the background. The setting appears to be a dimly lit room with some items scattered around, such as a helmet on the floor and what looks like military gear. The faces of the figures are obscured by pixelation.

This image may be interpreted as having themes related to military service, given the presence of military gear and the American flag, which could suggest patriotism or a commentary on soldiers’ experiences. However, without more context, it’s not possible to determine the exact meaning or intent behind this image. Is there anything else I can assist you with?

*Tell me a fictional backstory for this image.

Certainly! Let’s weave a fictional tale around this intriguing image:

Title: “The Forgotten Celebration”

In the small, dimly lit room, three figures huddled together. Their faces obscured by pixelation, they sat around a makeshift birthday cake adorned with flickering candles. The central figure, wearing a party hat fashioned from an old American flag, stared at the cake with a mix of longing and melancholy.

Captain Benjamin “Ace” Reynolds, the man in the party hat, had seen better days. Once a decorated fighter pilot, he’d flown countless missions during the war. But now, he was grounded—his body scarred, his spirit broken. The helmet on the floor beside him bore the marks of battle, its dents and scratches telling stories of dogfights and near misses.

Beside Ace sat Lena, the nurse who’d tended to his wounds. Her eyes held a sadness that mirrored his own. She’d seen too much suffering, too many lives lost. The cake before them was a feeble attempt at normalcy—a reminder that even in the chaos of war, birthdays came and went. Lena had baked it herself, scavenging ingredients from ration packs and trading favors with the mess hall cook.

And then there was Private Jackson, the youngest of the trio. Fresh-faced and eager, he’d joined the ranks just months ago. His uniform hung loosely on his frame, and the candlelight danced across his hopeful eyes. Jackson had never been in combat, but he’d heard the stories—the camaraderie, the adrenaline, the fear. He wondered if he’d ever get his chance to prove himself.

The American flag in the background fluttered gently, its stars and stripes a reminder of the ideals they fought for. But in that room, patriotism felt distant, almost irrelevant. Survival was the order of the day, and birthdays were a luxury they couldn’t afford.

As the candles flickered, casting shadows on the cracked walls, Ace raised his glass—a chipped mug filled with water—and proposed a toast. “To life,” he said, his voice gravelly. “To surviving another year.”

Lena smiled, her fingers tracing the rim of her own mug. “And to hope,” she added. “May it find us even in the darkest of times.”

Jackson clinked his mug against theirs. “And to the skies,” he said. “Wherever they may lead.”

And so, in that forgotten corner of the war-torn world, they celebrated. The cake tasted like cardboard, but the warmth of their shared company made it bearable. For a brief moment, they were more than soldiers—they were human beings, clinging to fragments of normalcy in a world gone mad.

As the last candle sputtered out, Ace closed his eyes. He imagined the roar of engines, the rush of wind, and the thrill of flight. Maybe someday, he’d take to the skies again. But for now, he’d hold onto this memory—the three of them, united by cake, candlelight, and the promise of tomorrow.

And that, my friend, is the fictional backstory behind this enigmatic image. If you’d like more tales or have any other requests, feel free to ask!

[yallemagne]

I want to write a Lucy-Jonathan parallels post but have no gothlit followers, hope someone makes one hint hint

jipoawgrji ARE YOU COMMISSIONING ME TO MAKE A POST??

Also, never be scared to make a post that's sort of out of your usual wheelhouse. But I'm guessing you're simply baiting me but by god, I love talking about my girlies, so I'm taking the bait.

So, Lucy and Jonathan :))). This is fun because I don't really see people comparing them by themselves, always throwing Mina in and/or excluding Jonathan for being male.

Spoilers for like the entire beginning of the book.

Let's go over differences first, right?

So, Jonathan is poor and an orphan with a father figure who gave everything to him in death. Lucy is upper class and has her mother who (if Lucy ever changed her mind) effectively wrote Lucy out of her will. Jonathan is sent away for work alone. Lucy is on vacation with her mother and best friend. Jonathan and Mina have been together since before the start of the book. Lucy and Arthur seem to, at most, only been going steady before Arthur proposes during the events of the book. Jonathan is completely alone in a castle bereft of human life yet still lives, but Lucy is surrounded by life and still dies. There are probably more, but I would be here all day.

And then the similarities.

They had such bright futures ahead of them. Jonathan finally had a career that would allow him to marry Mina, and Lucy had found a man who could not only provide for her but who she loved and who loved her back with all his heart. But they were both in the wrong places at the wrong time. Factors outside of their control led to their victimization, and they were powerless to take action to prevent their abuse or call attention to it for fear of repercussions.

They are both victimized because they went somewhere that was meant to be welcoming (for Jonathan, the Weird Sisters' room and for Lucy, the churchyard). They are both assaulted in their sleep and an outside force is there to interfere. Jonathan could write about the women, but not what happened with the Count afterwards (whether nothing actually happened or he had forgotten/blocked it out, we can't be certain). Lucy could speak about her "strange dream" but only in the context of it being a dream, and only to Mina. Both of them can only truly confide in Mina, and even then, they keep pertinent information to themselves so as to not burden her and so they can continue living in denial, because facing the abuse head-on is terrifying, especially since their reputations could be destroyed if anyone ever even suspected. But when Jonathan's trauma is validated by Van Helsing, he gets better. Meanwhile, Van Helsing suspects the cause of Lucy's trauma but chooses to keep quiet, and she dies.

Jonathan's only protector for two months was his abuser. He had to comply with his wishes or else be thrown to the wolves. And even then, when the Count was done with him, he decided to throw him to the wolves anyway, and it was only by Jonathan's tenacity that he wasn't killed and turned. Jonathan leaves the castle having left a permanent scar on the Count's forehead. Then, his protectors are the nuns and then Mina herself. Lucy's protector was Mina until she was called away to save Jonathan. Then Lucy's protectors are Dr. Seward and Dr. Van Helsing. One is completely ignorant of vampires but willing to call for help, and one knows of them but is unwilling to share life-saving information (yes, I am still mad). Lucy leaves this world having written a diary entry confirming the Professor's suspicions.

They both do what they can for themselves and for others, but they are both placed at a disadvantage. They both love and are loved by Mina. They both have a trio vying for their attention, but while Lucy's suitors respect her choice, and she happily chooses to marry Arthur, the Weird Sisters see Jonathan as nothing but a meal, and they pick who gets to have him first. There's also the fuckign wolves. The Count uses wolves to torment them both, killing the grieving mother and Lucy's mother right in front of them, breaking them down further.

These babies got me fucked up. They're both conditioned to be submissive, Jonathan being poor and forced to depend on the goodwill of richer people like his boss and his client, and Lucy being of a higher class but being a woman and having no property of her own, forced to depend on men and even her friend who is a career woman. And, this is personal headcanon, but I headcanon them both to be the youngest in the cast, Lucy at 19 and Jonathan at 21 (EDIT: lol, Lucy being 19 is literally just book canon).

I could say so much about them. Honestly, next time, say something specific to target, because there's just so much you could compare between the two.

LIKE JONATHAN COMPARES HIMSELF TO HAMLET AND LUCY COMPARES HERSELF TO OPHELIA. THEY LITERALLY?? THEY HAVE THE SAME FAVOURITE PLAY??!!

[imthepunchlord]

I’m curious, what’s your opinion on the Treasures of Ruin from like, a conceptual standpoint? I think they’re the best “Minor” Legends we’ve gotten in a long time.

They're a very interesting concept and over all, the designs I do really like.

Honestly, my only gripe is I wish they were saved for a different game. For me, they are one of the more forgettable new legendaries in Gen 9, which they are a nice surprise, but they're just overshadowed. And eyeing their set up and origins, I feel like an interesting story could've been done with them if they were the focus of a different game.

Can you imagine, you're living in a region that has that dark history, one of few that has more hostile legendaries than the benevolent to neutral most regions have. And these four are sealed away, and you become a trainer to start your journey just like so many others, just as an evil team arises to work at releasing these four. And potentially, you come in way too late. These things are awakened, and released, and the evil barely has control over them but just enough.

And the map you were presented with at the start is being changed by these guys and pokemon are relocating, and what was supposed to be a normal journey is no longer that.

And no one knows what to do, only thing is for sure is for someone strong enough to step up to try and catch these guys and stop the evil team. And while you're not there yet, you are determined.

And potentially, there is a legendary that can reverse the damage done, one tied to restoration. It could be a preexisting legendary or mythical that needs more attention or something new. Finding them could be the key. For preexisting, could maybe be Jirachi, playing off the wish aspect, and they feel like a bit of a forgettable legendary/mythical.

And possibly, post game saves exploring the region as it was before; or it could be that mid game you explored all of this small region, then the rest of the game is exploring the changes to it that the Treasures of Ruin caused.

So, that's what I would want for the Treasures of Ruin. Interesting in concept, but I feel like they're overshadowed and easily forgotten. At least, I can easily forget about their existence. And they're just one of many legendaries/mythicals I feel should get their own game that tells their story and allow them to be the focus point, or saved for something later that they could work off another game's plot better.

Like, take the Swords of Justice, I don't know why they're in Unova as they're not really tied to the plot, BW2 I just remember them just showing up and that's it. But something could've been done with them in XY, and it's story and lore. Like, they could be the servants of Xerneas, protectors of life. And by XY's present time, they started to be aggressive towards humans for reasons unknown (it could be due to Flare or it could be Lumiose City building that plant in the desert, disrupting pokemon habitats). Their aggression could've backed Lysandre's idea that, yeah, humanity is the flaw.

And there could be scripted events where through your journey, they attack you cause you're at the wrong place at the wrong time, and these are events you're not set to win, and they only back off and leave you alive because your pokemon are so determined to defend and protect you. And that loyalty and love just has them keep an eye on you, wondering why your pokemon are so devoted to you. Could even be that young Keldeo comes up as a semi gift pokemon to observe you and see for himself, and after a short bit of time, he understands too.

And you play a role in winning over the Swords of Justice, helping them learn humanity as a whole isn't evil, and work with them to stop Lysandre. And you can get a special moment with Xerneas, thankful that you helped open their knights eyes as Xerneas isn't just the creator of pokemon life, but human life too.

And, idk what yet, but something could be done as a reverse with the dangerous bird trio, they could've been tied to Yveltal. Maybe they're acting out cause their master got taken by Team Flare.

Either way! ToR are one of the legendaries/mythicals I feel could have a story done with them, and potentially should've been saved for a different game that could give them the attention they deserve. They are neat in concept and I do like their designs, but atm they're more forgettable for me.

[mpsansy]

I feel like Elizabeth is scary to Kiabosh or at least intimidating. The other McFadden’s while defiant, do eventually concede to him. Either by strength or at least knowledge (Man’s so old he doesn’t remember what it’s like to be human, maybe he doesn’t have a human form at all anymore, but he’s been around the block a couple millennia). But Elizabeth, much like the machine, is touched by something out of his control. Torn apart by it. But she fought it. And won. Pulled herself together, sewing the broken fragments of her soul. And he can respect that. Except when that same dogged determination is directed at him. Or seeing it mirrored in her son. With her in the picture, Kiabosh’s afterlife just got a whole lot harder.

I’d say a little of both because despite the trio figuring out most things, there’s still plenty of other stuff they don’t fully grasp. And I think you’d be right about that whole Kibosh part. Kibosh would’ve completely forgotten about what he may have looked like in life. Regardless, he’d show not a single ounce of interest in learning about it. He simply does not care.

Aside from that, the feelings I gravitate towards Elizabeth and Kibosh is one of him being slightly intimidated by her. It’s a small percentage, but one that needs to be accounted for. Opposed to the uncles, Elizabeth offers a voice of sincerity and grace to the ancient spirit. So he has that! Someone to take him seriously.

Another thing, while the trio and Casper had lost a bit of themselves in time, Elizabeth was able to remind herself of who she is. What she is. And that is not an easy task to accomplish as a spirit. She can only admit to Stretch that, at times, she was so close to losing herself almost completely. Forever to remain in the foggy prison she was stuck in. But her drive to keep going and find her family again? It was far stronger than any pressure she was under.

She just knew they were still around. It was an unshakable feeling she had in her soul. And like most things, she was absolutely right. And to see them all again filled her with happiness and soon sadness.

Once again I am rambling, hehe. Sorry, but this is all so much fun to write about!

[thisbelongsto-nohbodys]

Who, according to you, are the most relevant 'minor characters' of Amphibia that had a HUGE potential for sublot and character development, but never got as much as they should have deserved? Excluding the Calamity Trio, of course.

There's a number of them so I'll divide them up:

Frogs:

Maddie had a lot of potential, both before and after Marcy. Her being engaged to Sprig was interesting and we could've seen them hang out a few times and even after the engagement was broken off Maddie said she "can't wait to hang out again" and we never did. Then when it came to her and Marcy it'd've been cool to see her and Marcy exchange alchemy notes and strengthen their magic, which considering the dark arts isn't a 100% hated thing unlike on Earth, imagine if we'd've gotten an ep of another witch testing Maddie's skills.

Ivy being Sprig's girlfriend, ya'd think that she'd have more screentime but nope. It would've been cool to learn more about her and Felicia (and if the fan theory of Wally being Ivy's dad was true or not). If we got another Sasha ep in S3A it would've been cool to see her and Ivy bonding (adding more to the Sashanne parallels).

Toads:

Beatrix is Grime's big sister and it would've been great to learn more about her and by association Grime. She was also a Captain of a Toad Tower, so how different was her and Grime's leadership styles. Not to mention if she was also a gladiator along with Grime. Then when the war happened, what she was up to along with the other Toad Captains.

Newts:

Lady Olivia would have been great to learn about. Be it more about her mom and the duty Olivia put on herself to honor her mom, her childhood living in the castle (and meeting the Moss Men), her doing any diplomatic missions, etc etc.

General Yunan would've been fun to see more of. I did a post recently that talks a bit about that tho'

Humans:

Terri and Dr. Jan was such a chaotic duo on the FBI raid mission that it would've been great to see more of them (and a blossoming romance). Them working together to explore artifacts for Amphibian clues and figuring out how to make the portal.

Mr and Mrs Waybright/Wu even if for a single episode it would've been nice to know how the disappearance of their daughters effected them. To understand a bit more in why Sasha and Marcy are the way they are/were. Marcy likely having a academically strict household, Sasha likely being mostly forgotten between her parent's new lives with their partners and Sasha's step-siblings/half-siblings. Would Anne see them? Would they resent the Boonchuys for having Anne back but not their own daughter? Would the ep just be them on their own? What's their first name (so we can stop typing Mr/Mrs Waybright/Wu all the time)?

[101flavoursofweird]

Emerald Trio Week: Day 2 - Inspiration

Spoilers: Minor spoilers for Watching and Dreaming regarding Hunter’s new…talent.

Set: After Watching and Dreaming. Hunter is attending Hexside with the others.

Warnings: A reference to the Titanic movie is made… Gus doubts his artistic skills… Contains more Huntlow and Gustholomule— glad I can tag them now!

Note: Again, thanks to @loosescrewslefty for the prompts.

Resting on his stomach above his bedroom rug, Gus squinted at the sketchpad in front him. He gnawed on the end of his pencil like a hungry echo mouse.

Legend had it that human pencils used to contain lead , which was poisonous for humans—

Stop getting distracted!

Gus shook his head and returned to the issue at hand: Matt’s birthday— tomorrow.

Gus could have (should have) gone out and purchased Matt a gift, but, never one to pass up a challenge, Gus had decided to create something instead.

Illusions were too easy. Matt had received plenty of illusions from Gus, and by this point, Matt was proficient at casting his own illusions.

Matt would be expecting something better from Gus. Something Gus had worked hard on. A challenge!

So, Gus had decided to take a page of out of Matt’s book. Gus was going to draw him a picture…

It sounded childish when Gus put it like that. No— he was going to produce a portrait. Paint the canvas. Compose an artistic masterpiece!

…As soon as he could figure out what to draw.

Think, Augustus, think…

No thoughts manifested. His brain was completely empty.

“Uuuuuugh!” Gus groaned and dropped his pencil. “Guys, what should I draw for Matt?”

So engrossed was he in his art that he’d almost forgotten Willow and Hunter were there with him.

They had come over an hour ago to start work on a project for History class, which only Hunter was still invested in now.

“Not sure…” Hunter replied without looking up from his books on Gus’s desk.

Willow made an ‘ I dunno’ noise from Gus’s bed, where she was watching a professional flyer derby match on her scroll.

“Thanks, you two!” Gus said flatly. “Such helpful, reliable friends I have—“ Willow tossed a pillow in his direction.

Gus gasped and moved his sketchpad aside. “Willow! You’re gonna wreck my canvas!” He chucked the pillow right back at her.

“Ha!” Willow caught the pillow. She placed the pillow at the end of his bed and planted her elbows on it.

“You can draw me!” she suggested with a smirk. She held her chin in her hand. “Draw me like one of your French girls!”

That made Hunter’s head turn. Willow pursed her lips at him.

“Ew! No!” Gus protested, poking his tongue out. (Why had he insisted on watching Titanic with them in the Human Realm? He’d thought it was a documentary…! ) “You two can just leave if you’re going to be all lovey-dovey!”

“Very well…” Willow sniffed loudly. She rolled to the left side of the bed and slowly slipped off. “But I promise I will… never… let go—“

Hunter snorted. When Willow’s hand sank weakly out of view, Gus wheezed with laughter too. Hunter joined him, clutching his sides as he rocked back in Gus’s chair. Willow popped up from behind the bed, chortling.

“This really… isn’t funny!” Gus gasped, after a minute. “The Titanic sinking was a real disaster in human history—“

“Kind of like our History project?” Hunter hummed.

“—and so is this!” Gus thrust a hand at his blank sketchbook. “How am I going to impress Matt? How?!”

“Why don’t you draw a beach?” Willow supplied, actually being helpful this time.

“Not a beach in the Boiling Isles… ” Hunter mumbled. Gus glanced at him. Hunter glanced away, rubbing his lip.

Willow said, “Maybe a beach from the Human Realm would be better?”

“Yeah…” Gus agreed. “ Yeah—  that could work!”

One sunny day during their stay in the Human Realm, Camila had driven them all to a beach, where the sand was soft and the sea didn’t boil. They could actually swim in the water, without fear of burning…

Witches still had to wear sunblock. (Amity, especially…) But it was definitely worth it for that beautiful sunset.

Gus pictured it in his mind— the sand, the sea, the sunset— and he projected it as an illusion the size of a crystal ball.

“It was great,” Hunter said, smiling at the memory.

“Who needs photos,” Willow quipped, “when we’ve got Gus’ power?”

Gus grinned, grabbed his pencil and his sketchpad, and started to draw the scene. It was much easier when he had the memory in front of him.

The beach had been bustling and bright with colour: The sapphire waves, the golden sand, the pink and purple sky…

Gus had the outlines of the beach, but it was bland and grey with pencil.

Gus frowned. Should he try shading? He gently rubbed a pencil mark with his fingertip and winced at the mess he made. “I need colours— right now!”

“Paints or crayons?” Willow asked, shooting to her feet

Paints would be too messy… “Crayons!”

“You’re a witch,” Hunter reminded Gus. “Why don’t you just—? ”

“‘’S’cuse me!” Willow shoved past Hunter to reach the desk. She pulled a pack of colouring crayons out of a blue pencil pot, and passed them to Gus. “Here you go!”

“Thanks…”

Gus coloured in the lines he’d drawn, but when he was finished, it still looked… wrong. The crayons were too waxy, too artificial, and they didn’t blend together.

A baby could have done better than this!

“I’ve ruined it!” Gus moaned. His illusion-bubble popped. He threw his sketchbook away and flopped facedown on the rug.

“No, you haven’t!” Willow went to pick up his sketchbook

Still on the rug, Gus turned his head to Willow as she crouched beside him. She held the picture up to him, hoping he would see it in a different light.

“See? It’s fine, way better than my doodles—“

“Fine isn’t good enough,” Gus huffed.

Hunter said, “Why not?”

Rubbing his wrist, Gus sat up. “Because… Matt’s a really, really good artist. I just wanted to draw him something— something I put a lot of effort into…!”

“You did put a lot of effort in, Gus,” Willow assured him. “Of course Matt will see that, but if anyone doesn’t, who cares?”

“You can’t please everyone,” Hunter muttered, sympathetically. Willow offered him a reassuring smile.

Gus looked between the two of them. He took the sketchbook back from Willow, staring at his picture .

“But,” Hunter added, with surprising optimism, “do you know what would jazz it up even more…?” He stood up and pulled a small carving knife out of his apron pocket.

“A… palisman?” Gus guessed. “But Matt already has…”

Gus trailed off as Willow made a rectangle with her thumbs and index fingers. Closing one eye, Willow moved the rectangle over to Gus, as if she was snapping a photo of him.

“Oh!” Gus gasped.

-

Matt ripped the wrapping paper off the box. “You got me… a hunk of wood?”

“No !” Gus sighed. Carefully, Gus removed the hand-carved panel of wood and flipped it over, revealing his picture inside the frame.

Matt’s eyes widened. “Wait— you made this?”

Gus wasn’t sure if Matt was referring to the picture of the beach or the frame or both, but he nodded shyly.

Matt snatched the gift off him. For a horrible second, Gus thought Matt was going to throw the framed picture away, but then, Matt held it up for all of his party guests to see.

“Everyone— look at this! Look at THIS! The first of many masterpieces from Augustus Porter! And it’s all MINE…!”

Gus blushed and beamed at Matt’s adulation.

He glanced back at Willow and Hunter, who were both watching behind him. Willow gave him a thumbs-up. Though Hunter looked a little tired, he was smiling.

Gus mouthed, “Thank you—“ but he was cut off as Matt caught him in a one-armed hug.

-

Hunter smiled at Gus and Mattholomule.

He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night— between woodcarving and their history project— but it was worth it to see Gus and his friend/rival/crush(?) so happy together.

Rubbing his eyes, Hunter wondered how much longer he would have to stay at the party…

Mattholomule wouldn’t mind if Hunter left, would he? He and Hunter weren’t really close (Hunter was more familiar with Matt’s brother, Steve), and Hunter didn’t have a present with him…

An arm wrapped around Hunter’s shoulder. Willow pulled him down so her mouth was level with his burning ear.

“You can take credit for the frame,” she whispered. “Gus won’t mind…”

“Nah…” Hunter chuckled. “I’ll let him have this one—“

“That’s sweet of you…” Willow hummed hopefully. “Could you make me a photo frame— when it’s my birthday?”

“S-sure…”

To make sure it was absolutely perfect he’d have to start preparations immediately— finding the right wood, marking the measurements…

Willow pecked him on the cheek, interrupting Hunter’s plans.

“Thanks, Hunter.”

[khonaker]

Hi

I think ochako is one of the most under utilised and underrated characters. I'm not a fan of her character (no, i DONT hate her). She had so much of potential amd her fight with BK just proved she's more than a pretty face. I'm fully aware of the fact that this show is oversaturated with characters. But let's not forget that she is the main female lead of the show. My biggest issue with her is that she didn't get to do a god damn thing in the Stain arc. She joined the academy with the sole intention of making money, and that's exactly what Stain hates about the hero society. Their monetary outlook. She could have been a part of the arc, the build up was there. She could have shown Stain that yes, while there are heroes who are there solely for the financial gains, that doesn't make them bad people. She all she wanted was to help her family get out of the poor financial situation they were in. Instead, she gets the typical shonen lead heroine treatment- being the love interest and whose sole purpose in life is to be a satellite character to the male lead of the show.

All her effort in the UA sports festival to do her best against Bk, all the desires to make good income as a hero to help her family financially, devolved into a girl who becomes a blushing mess infront of her love interest.

They did her so dirty. She was one of the few female shonen characters who felt like she could be someone in life without having anything to do with matters of the heart.

Also, notice how it's other characters around her who enforce her this whole Deku crush on her. Mina, toga and Aoyama to name a few. These are the characters who constantly remind her of her feelings for deku, thus pushing her further and further away from the plot relevancy.

I find this very annoying and makes me sick to think that a girl with tremendous potential is now relegated to the role of a girl hopelessly in love.

One last question: So many people think she's a terrible person for wanting to make money. I'm like, what? Are you serious? (If you want me to give further explanations I will) but it's the most human and realistic thing to do when you're stuck in a financial rut.

Please let me know and thanks for reading my extremely long post

Cheers

Ooooooooooo Lordy.

(Cracks hands and neck)

First and foremost, I still love Ochako. But I can’t ignore what’s happened to her throughout the series.

Honestly, it’s been ages since I’ve had that exact thought about Ochako and Stain situation! While he had a valid point (that wasn’t further explored, HORIKOSHI) about there being heroes that didn’t have the EXACT same mentality as All Might, her duality of wanting to provide enough money to support her family all the while having the desire to save others for the sake of saving others would be honestly a culture shock to Stain. (Or he may go further into denial, it’s actually hard to say. Guy had a few screws loose.)

But it HONESTLY would have been interesting seeing these two interact! And not to replace anyone the Hosu trio! It honestly would have been cool seeing her trying to use her new Gunhead Martial Arts (though she probably would have been focused on saving Iida as Izuku and Shoto took on the role of the main fighters, but Stain could have also tried to go after them and Uraraka would attempt to hold her own against him.) And we would have had MOST of the Dekusquad there! (Asui had her own internship.) Hiw great would it have been seeing the Dekusquad fighting together! And Ochako going feral protecting Iida!

Yeah, she happened to be more focused only about her crush with Izuku as time went on, which made a lot of her early traits and accomplishments kinda fade away and be forgotten. But for the record, and I still stand by this. A girl having a crush on someone DOESN’T cheapen her in my opinion. It’s something that happens to many teenagers. And some of their interactions I think are handled well, like them talking about wanting to save their respective villains. But other times, yeah, it felt a bit excessive that Horikoshi had to stop and say, “Hey! Hey! Do you remember Ochako has a crush on Izuku?!?” I honestly was looking forward to seeing how she acted after she vowed to put her feelings aside during the provisional license exam. But…Hori just continued to drill it into our faces.

As for the biggest perpetrator of making Ochako only about Izuku, I lay on Toga’s feet. Mina, yeah, she brings up the crush as well, but it’s done more in good fun I feel. And I think Aoyama has done that once. (Now that I think about it, it’s kind of random how he suddenly knew about her crush. He never does it again.)

But Toga? Horikoshi could have used her for something else to make her relevant, but the ONLY thing she had connected to Ochako is their shared crush on Izuku. Others say theirs other themes between them, but I’m sorry. I don’t see it, or believe that it was handled effectively. Ochako had more than just a crush. Like you mentioned, her want to provide for her family. Her fighting spirit and prowess that she showed against Bakugou. She had things that could have been fleshed out more.

Toga was a wha-wha girl that embraced being a remorseless villain and happened to be crushing on the same guy Ochako was crushing on. That’s it. There’s nothing else really about Toga. And she became to Ochako what Bakugou became to Izuku: a detriment to her character and preventing her from becoming something MORE. (Sorry but not really if I sound cynical about Toga. I just got REALLY tired being demanded to care about her. Like some OTHER blonde.)

Speaking of which, your last question? I also never understood this. I get it for a quick joke and stuff like that. Hahaha. But when people were SERIOUS about holding that over Ochako’s head? I was like, “Did you not hear her entire motivation?!?” I was dumbfounded how people could possibly come to that conclusion.

I find it ESPECIALLY interesting NO ONE brings up that BAKUGOU also had the desire to be a hero for money,JUST TO BE RICH AND FAMOUS! But no, shit on Ochako for wanting to take care of her family! Filthy hypocrites. I honestly wish Horikoshi did a better job balancing both her looking out for heroes as well as wanting to have a good paying job for her family. I think both are completely character of her.

Anyways, you gave me a long post, I gave a long response. 😜 But honestly, thanks! I don’t honestly get these and I hope my answers or thoughts are interesting or understandable! Have a good one and thanks again!

@theuntamedangel

[helix-enterprises117]

Halo Reloaded: Klutz (+ Bonus Story)

Long before they were the towering titans of Spartan lore, before the augmentation, the armor, and the endless battles, they were kids. Kids with the weight of the world, or at least the fate of humanity, unknowingly resting on their tiny, yet unnaturally strong shoulders. In this prelude to their legendary status, Fred and Kelly, both eight and brimming with the sort of energy that could either power a small city or lead to its accidental destruction, found themselves embroiled in a spat so intense, it could only be described as epic—for an eight-year-old, at least.

The bone of contention? A gadget. Not just any gadget, mind you, but the sort that had buttons, lights, and made beep-boop sounds. It was the sort of tech that in the hands of skilled Spartan children could simulate battles or, in the wrong hands (namely any of their own on a bad day), end up as a very expensive paperweight.

Fred, with the sort of conviction only seen in children arguing over toys, stated, "You always do this, Kelly. I was clearly here first. Like, dawn-first. You were probably still drooling on your pillow."

Kelly, hands akimbo and eyes ablaze with the fire of a thousand suns—or perhaps just the fiery temper of an eight-year-old denied her toy—shot back, "In your dreams, Fred. You wish you were as dedicated to waking up early as I am. That gadget was mine for the taking. Finders keepers, losers weepers."

John, the youngest and usually the quietest of the trio, wandered in, curious about the commotion, only to find himself in the midst of what could very well have been the opening salvo of World War III, if it were to be fought by particularly articulate eight-year-olds over a training gadget.

The argument escalated, words flying faster than a Spartan in full sprint, until Fred, in a moment of passion (or perhaps just to prove a point), reached out to snatch the device. His fingers barely grazed it before it took a leap of faith, liberated from the confines of petty human squabbles, only to meet its untimely demise against the unyielding ground. The gadget, in a final act of defiance, scattered into a million pieces, each beep and boop falling silent.

Silence reigned, both children staring at the debris field that was once a cutting-edge piece of UNSC technology.

"Fred! You klutz!" Kelly exclaimed, half in horror, half in a begrudging respect for the chaos Fred had managed to unleash.Before the blame game could spiral further, the towering figure of Mendez loomed into the doorway, his shadow casting a pall over the room that could chill the bones of even the most seasoned soldier.

John, caught in the middle and still processing the rapid turn of events, found Mendez's steely gaze upon him. "Well, John? What happened here?" Mendez's voice was calm, the calm before the storm.

John, with the innocence of youth and the uncertainty of being put on the spot, stammered, "Uh, I think Kelly was... uh, doing something, and then... bam?"

Kelly's jaw dropped. "What? No! He's making it up! I didn't do it this time!" she protested, her voice hitting octaves only dogs could appreciate.In a desperate bid to avoid the wrath of Mendez (which could range from extra laps to a stern talking-to that could make a grown man cry), both Fred and Kelly, in a moment of panicked solidarity, pointed their fingers at John.

"It was definitely John," Fred chimed in, throwing his friend under the proverbial bus with a sheepish look that screamed 'Sorry, buddy.'

Mendez's eyebrows arched, a silent verdict passed. John, the sacrificial lamb, followed Mendez out, his small form a mixture of confusion and the dawning realization of betrayal.

Left alone, Fred and Kelly glanced at each other, the remnants of their argument lying forgotten among the pieces of the now-defunct gadget.

"Guess we kinda messed up, huh?" Fred muttered, scratching the back of his head in a universal sign of 'oops.'

"Yeah," Kelly sighed, her earlier fire replaced with a flicker of guilt. "Sorry for calling you a klutz."

"And sorry for, you know, actually being a klutz," Fred replied, a grin creeping onto his face.

As they started picking up the pieces, literally, the incident morphed from a potential friendship-ending disaster to just another tale in the saga of their Spartan training. The lesson? In the grand scheme of things, gadgets come and go, but friends—especially those who can forgive your penchant for accidentally destroying said gadgets—are forever.

---

John trudged behind Mendez, his feet feeling like they were made of lead, into what felt less like an office and more like the coliseum—only here, the lions were replaced with officers bearing the full might of UNSC disappointment. The air was heavy, charged with a sort of electric anticipation, as if the very walls were bracing for the verbal barrage to come.

Mendez, with the practiced ease of someone who had given more lectures than there were stars in the sky, didn’t bother with the usual pleasantries. He went straight for the jugular. “John,” he began, the name not so much spoken as it was launched like a missile, “we’ve gathered here not to talk about what was broken—though, by the stars, it was expensive—but about the breaking itself. The sheer, unadulterated recklessness.”

John’s eyes, fixed on his scuffed boots, couldn’t have looked guiltier if he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Except this jar was worth more credits than he could count, and the cookies were top-secret UNSC tech.

An officer, whose name tag read something unimportant because all John could think was ‘this is it, I’m done for,’ piped up. “Let’s cut to the chase. We're not running a charity here, son. That equipment you 'supposedly' destroyed? It's worth more than your weight in platinum.”

John’s mouth opened, a feeble attempt at defense forming, but what came out was barely audible. “But I—”“But nothing,” Mendez cut in, his voice a crescendo of frustration. “This isn’t about who did what anymore. It’s about you being here, right now, and the fact that a piece of invaluable equipment was turned into a very expensive doorstop on your watch.”

The officers took turns then, as if this were some twisted tag team match, each one delivering their own brand of scathing critique. Words like “disappointment,” “liability,” and “failure” were thrown around with such casual precision, John felt each one like a physical blow.

The tears came then, unbidden, streaking down his face in silent testament to the crushing weight of their words. This wasn’t how heroes were made; this was how dreams were crushed, beneath the heel of authority and the harsh light of reality.

Mendez, perhaps sensing he had a broken spirit rather than a Spartan on his hands, softened slightly. “Look, John. This isn’t the end of the line. But it’s a damn serious bump. Spartans are built on trust, on the understanding that every gear in the machine works flawlessly. Today, you were a cog that jammed. Don’t let there be a next time.”

With a dismissive wave, Mendez signaled the end of the tribunal, and the officers filed out, leaving John in the echoing silence of the office, the aftermath of a storm. The door closed with a soft click, a definitive full stop on the day’s events.

John made his way back to his quarters, each step heavy with the sort of weariness that had nothing to do with physical exertion and everything to do with the soul-crushing realization that sometimes, your best isn’t good enough. The corridor stretched before him, a path back to a place that felt less like home and more like a cell.Inside his room, the reality of his situation settled in with oppressive finality.

To him, there was no grand lesson learned, no silver lining—just the bitter taste of failure and the understanding that in the grand scheme of things, he was expendable. A tool that, when broken, could easily be replaced.

As he lay in his bunk, staring up at the cold, unfeeling ceiling, John realized that the path to becoming a Spartan was littered with more than just physical trials. It was a journey that demanded everything, and sometimes, that meant facing the fact that not all were destined to reach the end.

The lights dimmed, mirroring the dimming of his spirit, as John closed his eyes, not to dream of victories and glory, but to escape the harsh reality that today, he had been found wanting. In the silence of his quarters, a young boy’s aspirations seemed to fade into the darkness, a sad, stark reminder that... well, not all stories have happy endings.

@ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask, @authortobenamedlater, @ageless-aislynn.