#a gathering of heroes

[annemarieyeretzian]

there,,, is,,, a,,, small,,, statue,,, of,,, vax,,, an inscription that says “the champion of the raven. in memory of friendship, sacrifice, and the day that he carries us all upon the threshold and beyond.”,,,

[tiamat-zx]

Today is October 21st.

Three years ago, the story of Bells Hells began as the draw of destiny brought them together in the streets of Jrusar.

Two years ago, a dark balance was cruelly achieved where a daughter of Whitestone was resurrected and welcomed home, yet at the same time a friend and confidant was lost.

One year ago, a gathering of heroes from across Exandria congregated in Whitestone in preparation for war.

And now... this landmark episode with the meeting and bonding of two distinctly different groups: The Nein Hells.

Happy anniversary, Campaign 3.

[herbarimoon]

Day 7 - Chilling

[saintundying]

eric bogosian's journal entry about dropping acid in the 70s

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 349

(So Dredge has new DLC, which means my Merfolk & Eldritch Ghosts has gained new inspiration) 

Now, if one were to ask what happened to Amity Park, many people would ask what you were even talking about. The city was rather out of sight, out of mind, to say the least- even without the government coverup. 

It was well known, to those that even knew of the town in the first place, that it was a ghost town, abandoned from sinkhole problems, roads diverted and fences put up to prevent people from entering. Of course, if one made it past that first fence, and then the overgrown wall, and then another electrified net, and through the invisible barrier not meant to keep them out but something else in, they’d know that wasn’t true. 

Oh sure, one could claim some sort of sinkhole, what with how the only building not half destroyed was some mimicry of a floating rig, standing strong in the dark waters that now covered everything else. But even a sinkhole should not go so deep, waters turning from pitch darkness to a heavy green… several hundred miles deeper than the deepest trenches. 

And the denizens of the water didn’t appreciate the rig protected by its tower, or the boats of white protected by buzzing barriers that tried to heave them from the waters for study. Yes, what happened to Amity Park was far more a mystery than it should be, unless you were one of those once-humans in the depths. 

But well, it wasn’t the GIW who would be asking them. 

[larrylimericks]

30Jun24

Cos the footy match wasn't on view, One festival set made the news: A telly on trolley (Rocks carried by Oli) — Hail the new God of Glasto: our Lou!

[katsuizu-stuff]

No because are you telling me that they are in KATSUKI’S DORM ROOM!!!?

And if you don’t believe me then just look at the headboards, walls and floor. They all match!

And NO! They are definitely NOT in Kirishima’s nor Todoroki’s nor Iida’s dorm room because they all have different layouts to their dorm room

And Kirishima’s and Iida’s headboards and walls don’t match Katsuki’s

PLUS! Todoroki doesn’t even use an actual bed he uses a mat. They both sleep differently Katsuki on the bed and Todoroki on the floor

ON TOP OF THAT! Do you really expect me to believe that Katsuki would casually lay on another person’s bed the way he is positioned?

I mean look!

Including the fact that he also laid in the same position on a bed during the first movie in HIS hotel room. This is an exception due to the fact that the hotel room is technically considered his room just for a night

Along with the fact that this is Katsuki’s dorm room, Katsuki would allow Kirishima over Todoroki and Iida to actually sit on his bed

Yeah it’s save to say that they are in Katsuki’s dorm room

[theboredhooman]

stop im actually addicted to afk journey the characters are ughhhlike I NEED a romancing option SO BADLY

[marzipanxx]

guys please hear me out

[soranatus]

“My name is Holt… I’m a friend of Mekt’s.”

Mekt Ranzz & Holt in Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) Annual 3

Bonus:

— Tom Bierbaum (2009)

[tickettoanywhere]

Good morning

[annemarieyeretzian]

liam fighting for his life to keep caleb from gaining control as matt-as-allura talks about dunamancy

[bonefall]

I personally like Thunder's prosthetic. Explained it to my friend (who does use a mobility device, a cane and wheelchair, and listens to me rant and infodump about BB) and they agreed, it's important to know that not every person needs what someone wants to give them. It's another example of "bad ableist person does a thing that hurts a disabled person because they are bad and ableist".

Clear Sky got Jagged Peak killed and would have killed Sunlit Frost! He would absolutely force his disabled son to be "normal" and present it like a privilege. "I wouldn't do this for anyone else, it's special, why don't you want to be helped?"

Thunder Storm should toss it in Clear Sky's face. (I would say toss it into the river but we do not pollute waterways in this house)

Thank you for telling me this, and tell your friend I'm thanking them too! If they have anything else to add please forward what they have to say

Since BB!DOTC tackles some of the heaviest topics in the entire series because its canon equivalent is so dark, I think very carefully about what I do here and how I show it. I take feedback on its sensitive aspects very seriously. If I'm understanding the criticism properly, it's that I should avoid stigmatizing prosthetics by making sure Thunder Storm's not the only one with it-- which he's not! And I'll add even more.

I don't want to avoid something only because it's uncomfortable if the topic is important, and my portrayal is respectful. Ableism IS uncomfortable! There are some situations where a prosthetic is not wanted! I think the rejection of this particular one is both a good opportunity to show a type of ableism and ALSO is very fitting for the characters.

In BB!Clear Sky's mind, the villain, he's fixing an old mistake. He can't admit that he got Jagged Peak killed or take REAL accountability for it (though he will, occasionally, apologize insincerely), but deep in his bones, he knows what he did was cruel. He'll never tell anyone this because he doesn't really cognate it himself, but Thunder Storm NEEDS to take his gift.

If Thunder doesn't take it, it blows a hole in his newest story. You see, throwing Jagged Peak out was All That Could Have Been Done back then. It was a Tragedy and he simply Made A Hard Choice. He regrets it very much, But You Have To Understand.

But now? Now? Well, behold. Look at what he's accomplished since the tragic death of his little brother. His cats are well-fed, cared for, and stable enough to make such incredible advancements. If only Jagged Peak had been able to hold on longer, if only he could be here now, I could fix him.

Just like I can (MAKE YOU JUST LIKE ME) fix you.

"Everything I've ever done is for Jagged Peak. For Fluttering Wing. For you." Thunder Sky is SPECIAL, but if he rejects any gift, tries to turn down the "privileges" offered to him, in an instant that becomes ungratefulness and arrogance. He both forces him to be special, and then leverages it against him if it's rejected. "Spoiled brat, doesn't appreciate what I've worked so hard to give him."

It all goes back to him and his own guilt. He can NEVER be wrong. He can't accept his family doesn't have to be "normal" or reflect his own ability. He won't see himself as a bully, let alone a murderer. It was never about his son's comfort or finding out what Thunder Storm wants or needs, it was about his own ego.

...All that said I'm still taking feedback if there's anything else I should keep in mind, or if anyone has a counter point, especially if you also have experience here.

(In the interest of having a link trail for posterity, here's the critique/call for feedback this is in response to)

[jamiethebee]

(In which I spiral down a rabbit hole with Midoriya that has little to do with @codenamesazanka 's original post that started this (x).  FYI I sorta separated Deku/Izuku to indicate Deku as the hero and Izuku as the person outside of heroics.)

I started thinking about this post again (see the link above) and how Deku doesn’t really understand that non-perfect or sanitized victims exist AND still need to be saved and not by destruction. (The "maybe killing someone does save them" thing is a great way to assuage guilt but it's a stupid copout.)  Deku (hero) and more importantly Izuku (person) doesn’t really understand that though because he WAS a “perfect��� victim.  Midoriya stayed quiet and inconspicuous and didn’t make a fuss about the bullying or discrimination he faced, he just kept his head down and hoped that something would change without any real effort on his part.  And if he had died as a result from the bullying he would’ve been hailed as an unfortunate victim (of who? or what? Don’t worry - isn’t his death so tragic? oh well now on to our next news story -), so any critique of society and the individuals who reinforce the status quo don’t actually have to do anything.  I know there’s more nuance here and lot of cultural things happening with this all but I’m not gonna dig into that right now.

Moving on!  Quite frankly the boy didn’t live long enough to get out of his childish mindset and get some “righteous" anger at the wrongdoings and failings of society.  All Might came along when he was still starry eyed and hopeful to lift Midoriya out of the trajectory of his life and Izuku never had any time to get to the point where he comes to terms with the hurt caused society’s rejection of his self and get angry about it.  As such, he can’t understand the league.  It probably doesn’t even occur to him that he's missing that understanding because for him it worked out - he got the attention and support to be able to escape the circumstances of his birth/quirklessness and to leave the box (deku) that society shoved him in. Twice and Toga never had that support – they both lived how they needed to in order to survive in a world not meant for them until they broke down.  (Maybe that's why Vigilante Deku AUs were so popular back in the day - they speedran Midoriya past the hopeful kid stage and to a point where a lot of the fanbase was in their own lives - seeing the issues in the world and wanting to affect change.)

Izuku, for all that he claims to want to connect to the villains, hasn’t given enough thought or empathy to understand how continuing to live a life where you don’t fit in with society can be deeply hurtful as well as the emotional repercussions of having unchangeable parts about yourself be reviled.  This isn’t to say Izuku had it easy -  of course Izuku went through hardships but.... there’s a big difference between living through stuff as a kid and finding a way out of it vs living through that, growing up, maturing, and in turn looking critically at society.  But I can’t bring myself to fault Midoriya for those exact reasons because he's just a kid. He doesn’t have the perspective to see outside of himself – at least not for the villains.  Because that seems to be too far of a stretch for him?  But Todoroki was close enough to Izuku’s mindset for him to help back in the sports festival arc.  I also acknowledge that he's a teenager and IS capable of critical thinking, but from what we've seen, his schools have never actually made the students examine the world they live in - which is a different skill from quirk analysis or historical or literary analysis or the various writing exercises that students go through. 

(Believe me – you can have the brightest kid but, most of the time, unless you point out the shortcomings of their mindsets, it won’t occur to them to look further.  (Not necessarily assuming that they’re wrong, but rather that their consideration of life is not as expansive as it should be. Especially for a kid wanting to be the greatest hero and save everyone.)  For example: many abled bodied people don’t realize how inaccessible places can be until someone brings it up to them or they find themselves in that situation (like a temporary crutch or wheelchair).  It’s through no fault of the able bodied person that they weren’t aware enough to consider it in the first place, but what they do once they realize physical accessibility is an issue, is on them.)  Back to the point – hero society never calls attention to it’s own shortcomings despite the proof quite obviously existing and the people within society don’t seem to spare much thought either. The adults who have seen more of these instances are then of course more culpable in this than the kids who haven't.

So, Midoriya was also failed by society (cough all might cough) as well, but he chose the hero path - to save people. We see him starting to consider the deeper issues in his talk with Uraraka, and the few times he “tries” to talk to various villains shows that he is aware enough of underlying issues - which makes it his duty as a hero to do something about it.  In that way, he is at fault. He chose a profession to devote his life to that should require this of him.  And through his hero work, Midoriya has seen the problems in society and yet he’s chosen to turn away from them (and by problems/them I’m referring to the villains “too far gone to save” and the issues they represent). 

(Sorry Midoriya, but considering we’re nearing the end and you haven’t shown any growth in this area….. I am faulting you for metaphorically pushing your head in the sand.  I do want to be wrong though.  I really want the kid to prove me wrong.)

And he’s able to turn away from them guilt free, in part, because he’s gotten the proverbial thumbs up by his classmates that it’s ok and that they’ll just be better and be model minority heroes and that will fix the problem! Because they’re positive representation!  Or something?  If you can put your mind to it that will fix things! Just try harder! Again, very idealistic but they are kids, so it comes with the territory.  (Horikoshi didn’t have to make them unquestionably right in that approach though.  Toga and Uraraka coming together for the win! The Shoji and Spinner match up not so much.)

Overall, there’s something about how Deku still fit into society's boxes in an acceptable way and never truly faced what existing outside of "acceptability" was like.  Don’t get me wrong it’s tough to live in the mha world as a quirkless person and of course it has its problems and restrictions, but that’s still a box that society provides for, even if the society in question doesn’t like it. 

And I'm not saying that Izuku had to live through a terrible life to understand the villains!  Just that, he has the capacity to look outside himself and be empathetic, but the application of it is lacking, despite knowing there’s problems, despite having LIVED with some of those problems. Extrapolate, boy!!!! You don't need empathy to reach out to others but the whole compassionate/kind Midoriya thing has been touted since the beginning! So I want to see it!

(Not sure how much sense this will make to people, but there’s a maturity that comes about with either time or certain circumstances that can be hard to grasp unless you’ve lived through it.  And quite frankly, Midoriya hasn’t. He went from a perfect/acceptable victim to the top tier of society (heroes).)

(Basically: Midoriya never **matured in the restrictive environment he grew up in and can't emotionally connect with the league who did, because of that. Instead he seems to have internalized the "if they were better" or "if they were truly good" then there wouldn't be a problem because just look at his classmater!, so villains being villains is their own fault and no one else is culpable.)

**centers on the idea that someone starts off as hopeful in regards to their discriminated position in life and over time matures to understand how society supports that discrimination and come to terms with the hurt that it's caused them personally (and in this case to fight back against it)

also, if you made it this far, i'm just having a fun time reading codenamesazanka's posts about the latest chapters

[artsysurvivor]

[Image ID: A digital drawing of Evanlyn trudging through the knee-high snow while holding onto a horse's rein (the horse is carrying Will). Evanlyn is in the forefront, towards the right of the drawing, with the horse and Will a distance behind her, towards the left of the drawing, and are blurred. More snow is blowing around them, and there are bare trees leading to the back to the sides of them. It is night time. Evanlyn as a determined look on her face while Will seems "out of it," looking to his right. He has deep sunken eyes and sharp cheek bones. Evanlyn's face is slightly formed around the skull like Will, but much less so. She wears a brown jacket with a white fur trim on the hood, white gloves, and darker brown pants. Will has tighter pants, loose boots, (both of which are almost black), a thick green long-sleeve shirt, and a white wool vest. /End ID]

Prepare for a decent amount of things relating to the Skandia arc because I am rereading that rn. Also, have y'all thought about how if Evanlyn/Cassandra hadn't done what she did, Will would of died due to warmweed/the paddles/general yard work with barely any food? I'm sure you have at least once but I've been thinking of that recently so I mentioned it.

[bace-jeleren]

It's been a pretty insane 12 or so hours for the hyperfixation. We get one (1) good piece of art and I am laid completely and utterly to waste. Reduced to goo.

I demand that you look at them again